the cévennes are a mountain fringe to the uplifted plateau of central france, and are less visited by english tourists than any other mountainous district in la belle france. they have been most unjustly neglected. the scenery is singularly varied. the historical associations are rich, but mainly tragic.

this is not a guide-book, but an introduction to the country, to be supplemented by guide-books. the area is so extensive, that i have had to exercise restraint and limit myself to a few of the most salient features and most profitable centres whence excursions may be made. the cévennes should be visited from march to june, afterwards the heat is too great for travelling to be comfortable. for inns, consult the annual volume of the french touring club; baedeker and joanne cannot always be relied on, as proprietors change, either for the better or for the worse. i have been landed in unsatisfactory quarters by relying on one or other of these guide-books, owing to the above-mentioned reason.

the "touring-club de france," avenue de la grande armée 65, paris, is doing excellent work in refusing to recommend a hotel unless the sanitary arrangements be up-to-date.