MONTESQUIEU'S TRAVELS

Almost immediately after his réception at the Academy Montesquieu started on a tour through Europe to observe

men, things, and constitutions, He travelled through Austria to Hungary, but was unable to visit Turkey as he had proposed. Then he made for Italy, where he met Chesterfield. They sojourned together at Venice for some time, and a curious story is told of the way in which either a pièce of mischief on Chesterfield's part, or Montesquieu's own nervousness and somewhat inordinate behef in his own importance, made the latter sacrifice his Venetian notes. At Venice and elsewhere in Italy he remained nearly a year, and then journeyed by way of Piedmont and the Rhine to England. Hère he stayed for some eighteen months, and acquired an admiration for Enghsh character and pohty which never afterwards deserted him. He returned not to Paris but to La Brède, and to outward appearance might hâve seemed to be settling down as a squire. He aUered his park in the Enghsh fashion and improved his estâtes.