A Hand Book Up the Seine Author:Alfred Russel Wallace, John Frederick Smith, J L Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAFfER XI. THE FOREST ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER. THE GOLDEN BRACELETS.— SMALL ISLANDS. A KING AGAINST HIS WILL. ENVIRONS OF ROUEN. " Eznbarquez-vous... more » ! qu'on se depeche 1 La nacelle est dans les roseaux Le ciel est pur, la brise fraiche, L'onde refUichit les ormeaux ; Le dieu de ces heureux rivages, Le tendre amour, veille sur nous ; Embarquez-vous 1" Guttinger. The banks of the Seine as I have already stated, are covered with vast forests, which give a harsh appearance to the landscape. On the south side of the river the ancient forest of Brotonne rises gradually on a slope behind the village of Vatteville, where are still seen some ruins of a fort or rather a country house built by one of the Kings of France of the first dynasty, who came here to enjoy the amusement of hunting in the forest of Brotonne. There still exists in this forest nearly opposite Jumieges a remarkable oak; it is composed of three large branches united at the rootand forming a reservoir ; which in the greatest heat of summer contains three and sometimes five feet of water. It is called the tub. A fine Roman mosaic was found last year in that forest. On the opposite hank the forest of Trait stretches towards the north, afterwards we come again to the forest of Mauny on the right. Further up on the opposite side is the forest Roumare which spreads its bright verdure in the distance. Rollo master of Normandy, gave wise laws to the people over whom he was called to reign. Those Normans needed a severe check, being accustomed to plunder, and to regard as legitimately acquired, all that force, theft, and plunder put in their possession; on that account the law-giving conqueror punished by the cord both the robber and receiver. One day having hunted in the forest which rises on the bank of...« less