GE to Charles Lee Lewes, Nice, 25 April [1861]
Title
GE to Charles Lee Lewes, Nice, 25 April [1861]
Title
GE to Charles Lee Lewes, Nice, 25 April [1861]
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
Charles Lee Lewes
Date(s)
- 1861-04-25
Place
Nice
Letter Content
GE to Charles Lee Lewes, Nice, 25 April [1861]
MS: Yale. Endorsed: 1861. Stationery embossed: Hotel d'Europe. N. Pierron, Avignon. Mostly published: Paterson, pp. 84-87.
Nice, Thursday, April 25.
Dearest Cherub
It is my turn to write now, and I happen to be the stronger man of the two today -- poor Pater being headachy and bilious. We have had a paradisiac journey hitherto -- if you can imagine a paradise where there are railways making your fellow-creatures' knees objectionable. However, we had done with railways at Toulon, where we rested for the night at the Hotel de l'Amiraut'e9, a place to be recommended to all other travellers -- only strolling a little about the town and seeing the gay port in the morning sunlight. It does one good to look at the Proven'e7als -- men and women. They are quite a different race from the northern French: large, round-featured, full-eyed, with an expression of bonhommie calm and suave. They are very much like the pleasantest Italians. The women at Arles and Toulon are remarkably handsome, and at Arles they wear a piquant little head-dress -- a white crown just at the summit of their heads, and a broad black ribbon bound round below it. We stayed an hour at Arles on our way to Toulon, to see the Roman antiquities, but they are not astonishing to eyes that have seen Verona and Rome, and we admired the women more.
On Tuesday morning we set out about ten on our way to Nice, hiring a carriage and taking post horses. The sky was grey and after an hour or so we had rain; nevertheless our journey to Vidauban, about halfway to Nice, was enchanting. Everywhere a delicious plain covered with bright green corn, sprouting vines, mulberry trees, olives, and here and there, meadows sprinkled with buttercups, made the nearer landscapes, and in the distance mountains of varying outline. Mutter felt herself in a state of perfect bliss from only looking at this peaceful, generous Nature, and you often came across the green blades of corn and made her love it all the better. We had meant to go on to Fr'e9jus that night, but no horses were to be had, so we made up our minds to rest at Vidauban, and went out to have a stroll before our six o'clock dinner. Such a stroll! The sun had kindly come out for us and we enjoyed it all the more for the greyness of the morning. There is a crystally clear river flowing by Vidauban -- called the Argent -- it rushes along between a fringe of aspens and willows, and the sunlight lay under the boughs and fell on the eddying water, making Pater and me very happy as we wandered.
The next morning we set off early to be sure of horses before they had been used up by other travellers. The country was not quite so lovely, but we had the sunlight to compensate, until we got past Fr'e9jus, where we had our first view of the sea since Toulon, and where the scenery changes to the entirely mountainous, the road winding above gorges of pine-clad masses for a long way. To heighten the contrast, a heavy storm came, which thoroughly laid the dust for us if it had no other advantage. The sun came out gloriously again before we reached Cannes, and lit up the yellow broom, which is now in all its splendour and clothes vast slopes by which our road wound. We breakfasted at Cannes, which is a charming place, with many fine houses and gardens scattered about and only a small old town. This was about two o'clock, so you will understand that I mean our second breakfast, which was nothing more than a copy of the first -- feeble coffee and tough bread, except that we had some fresh eggs. We had still a four hours' journey to Nice, where we arrived at six o'clock with headaches that made us glad of the luxuries to be found in a great hotel. There was one thing that made me exclaim "Oh, if the boy were only here!" It was -- some excellent preserved apricots in abundance corresponding to your superior demands. I slept off my headache, but Pater has been poorly all day. However, we have had nothing to do but rest, and I hope dinner, for which the bell has just rung will quite cure him. We mean to go to the theatre tonight, and tomorrow morning at eight we shall set off by Vetturino for Genoa, a three days' journey.
God bless my darling boy. Let us always love each other more and more as long as my life lasts and make dear Pater happier every year.
"Your lovingest Mutterchen
M. E. Lewes" 752
Best love to Grandmamma, of whom I hope you will have good news to tell us, and kind remembrances to Grace and Amelia. 753 Pater is furiously peremptory that I "shall write no more."
MS: Yale. Endorsed: 1861. Stationery embossed: Hotel d'Europe. N. Pierron, Avignon. Mostly published: Paterson, pp. 84-87.
Nice, Thursday, April 25.
Dearest Cherub
It is my turn to write now, and I happen to be the stronger man of the two today -- poor Pater being headachy and bilious. We have had a paradisiac journey hitherto -- if you can imagine a paradise where there are railways making your fellow-creatures' knees objectionable. However, we had done with railways at Toulon, where we rested for the night at the Hotel de l'Amiraut'e9, a place to be recommended to all other travellers -- only strolling a little about the town and seeing the gay port in the morning sunlight. It does one good to look at the Proven'e7als -- men and women. They are quite a different race from the northern French: large, round-featured, full-eyed, with an expression of bonhommie calm and suave. They are very much like the pleasantest Italians. The women at Arles and Toulon are remarkably handsome, and at Arles they wear a piquant little head-dress -- a white crown just at the summit of their heads, and a broad black ribbon bound round below it. We stayed an hour at Arles on our way to Toulon, to see the Roman antiquities, but they are not astonishing to eyes that have seen Verona and Rome, and we admired the women more.
On Tuesday morning we set out about ten on our way to Nice, hiring a carriage and taking post horses. The sky was grey and after an hour or so we had rain; nevertheless our journey to Vidauban, about halfway to Nice, was enchanting. Everywhere a delicious plain covered with bright green corn, sprouting vines, mulberry trees, olives, and here and there, meadows sprinkled with buttercups, made the nearer landscapes, and in the distance mountains of varying outline. Mutter felt herself in a state of perfect bliss from only looking at this peaceful, generous Nature, and you often came across the green blades of corn and made her love it all the better. We had meant to go on to Fr'e9jus that night, but no horses were to be had, so we made up our minds to rest at Vidauban, and went out to have a stroll before our six o'clock dinner. Such a stroll! The sun had kindly come out for us and we enjoyed it all the more for the greyness of the morning. There is a crystally clear river flowing by Vidauban -- called the Argent -- it rushes along between a fringe of aspens and willows, and the sunlight lay under the boughs and fell on the eddying water, making Pater and me very happy as we wandered.
The next morning we set off early to be sure of horses before they had been used up by other travellers. The country was not quite so lovely, but we had the sunlight to compensate, until we got past Fr'e9jus, where we had our first view of the sea since Toulon, and where the scenery changes to the entirely mountainous, the road winding above gorges of pine-clad masses for a long way. To heighten the contrast, a heavy storm came, which thoroughly laid the dust for us if it had no other advantage. The sun came out gloriously again before we reached Cannes, and lit up the yellow broom, which is now in all its splendour and clothes vast slopes by which our road wound. We breakfasted at Cannes, which is a charming place, with many fine houses and gardens scattered about and only a small old town. This was about two o'clock, so you will understand that I mean our second breakfast, which was nothing more than a copy of the first -- feeble coffee and tough bread, except that we had some fresh eggs. We had still a four hours' journey to Nice, where we arrived at six o'clock with headaches that made us glad of the luxuries to be found in a great hotel. There was one thing that made me exclaim "Oh, if the boy were only here!" It was -- some excellent preserved apricots in abundance corresponding to your superior demands. I slept off my headache, but Pater has been poorly all day. However, we have had nothing to do but rest, and I hope dinner, for which the bell has just rung will quite cure him. We mean to go to the theatre tonight, and tomorrow morning at eight we shall set off by Vetturino for Genoa, a three days' journey.
God bless my darling boy. Let us always love each other more and more as long as my life lasts and make dear Pater happier every year.
"Your lovingest Mutterchen
M. E. Lewes" 752
Best love to Grandmamma, of whom I hope you will have good news to tell us, and kind remembrances to Grace and Amelia. 753 Pater is furiously peremptory that I "shall write no more."
Signature
M. E. Lewes
Citation
George Eliot, GE to Charles Lee Lewes, Nice, 25 April [1861], Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/92216