The chief town of the department of Calvados with a population numbering
nearly 50,000--the centre of the commerce of lower Normandy, and of the
district for the production of black lace--Caen has a busy and thriving
aspect; the river Orne, on which it is built, is laden with produce;
with corn, wine, oil, and cider; with timber, and with shiploads of the
celebrated Caen stone. On every side we see the signs of productiveness
and plenty, and consequent cheapness of many of the necessaries of life;
Calvados, like the rest of lower Normandy, has earned for itself the
name of the 'food-producing land' of France, from whence both London and
Paris (and all great centres) are supplied. The variety and cheapness of
the goods for sale, manufactured here and in the neighbourhood, testify
to the industry and enterprise of the people of Caen; there is probably
no city in Normandy where purchases of clothing, hardware, &c., can be
more advantageously made.
There is commercial activity at Caen and little sympathy with idlers.
If we take up a position in the _Place Royale_, adorned with a statue of
Louis XIV., or, better, in the _Place St. Pierre_ near the church tower,
we shall see a mixed and industrious population; and we shall probably
hear several different accents of Norman patois. But we shall see a
number of modern-looking shops, and warehouses full of Paris goods, and
even find smooth pavement to walk upon.
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