& <£ o> * .N V ^ \ 1 ^ Q> " & (/> « %.<* Vo< ^<* : 6 Q. ^ ^ ^ 4 w - > ^ & ^ ■*. o\. ^ ^0* V* % # w ^ ,# ^ J . tt V Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/glimpsesofeuropeOOhose GLIMPSES OF EUROPE OR NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. BY J A MERCHANT. CINCINNATI: RICKEY, MALLORY AND COMPANY. 1859. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S58, by RICKEY, MALLORY & CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of Ohio. Wrightson & Co., Printers, 167 Walnut Street. PREFACE. This volume is really what its name indicates, "Notes Drawn at Sight," the sketches and letters from which it is composed being all written on the spot, during a late brief tour in Europe. Written hastily, many of them in a carriage, while passing through Italy and Switzerland, they may be superficial — and being upon subjects which have been seen and described so often before, no great claim to originality can be made for them ; nevertheless each new tourist sees objects with a new eye, and thus, as from a different stand point, receives differ- ent impressions. The author has dedicated his work to the mer- chants of Cincinnati, first, because it is chiefly at the request of many of their number that it is published at all; secondly, in the hope that he may impart to them a portion of the pleasure he has himself derived from visiting the storied scenes of the Old World ; and thus seeing how much enjoy- ment and instruction may be so easily purchased, they may also be induced " To turn a moment from the dry dust of weary life." TO TEE MEECHAIT OF CINCINNATI, THESE NOTES ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, BY ONE OF THEIR NUMBER CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Departure from New York — Farewell, 9 CHAPTER II. Life on the Ocean — Half seas over — A Whale — The lost Bird — Chalked at Sea — The Scotch Pony — Steeple Chase — Sunday on board Ship — Stormy Petrel— Ireland, 13 CHAPTER III. Liverpool — First Nisrht on Shore — Docks — English Hotels — London Life — An Irish Countess— St. Paul's and its Monuments, ----- 22 CHAPTER V. The Thames— Steamers— Tunnel— The Tower— Crystal Palace at Sydenham, British Museum— A Scottish Chieftain— Grand Entree into France. - - 31 CHAPTER IY. Paris and its Sicrhts — Grand Review— Pere la Chaise— Tomb of Napoleon and Hotel des Invalides, - - 49 CHAPTER YI. Sunshine in Paris— The Morgue— A Suicide — Pont Neuf— Washing and Bath- ing Houses — Notre Dame — Hotel Dieu — Hotel de Yille— Column of July — M ulelaine — Column of Nanoleon — Boulevards — Palais Royal — Cafes — Trois Freres Provencenux— Fontainbleau — The Wine Districts of France — The Sa one— The Rhone— The Oidium— Lyons— The Castled Rhone— Avig- non the former Seat of the Popes ------..49 CHAPTER VII. Marseilles— The Quay— Greek Women— Babel — Hotel De Bristol — Hotel Charges— Cafe Chantant — Italian Steimer — Chateau d'lf — Corsica — Elba — Monte Christo — Italian Cuisine— Dinner — Savory Compounds — Italian Mode of eating Macaroni — Civita Vecchia-- First sight of Vesuvius— Islands and Bay of Naples— The Beautiful City— Hotel Yittoria— San Gennaro— Campo Santo — Grotto di Posillippo — Tomb of Virgil — Catacombs, - 5 9 CHAPTER VIII, San Carlo — Violin played by Ladies — Italian Pantomime — Vesuvius awake — The Hermit ige— Monte Somma — Outline of the Mountain— Spartacua — Perilous Ascent of Vesuvius — River of Fire — Alarm — Buono Mano, or Drink Money — A Valley of Molten Lava — An authenticated Volcano — Lacrima Cristi -Fright— Return — Liberality — Hell — Museo Borbonico — Sights of Naples — Pompeii — Herculaneum — Temple of Jupiter — House of Castor and Pollux — Amphitheater, -------57 CHAPTER IX. La Cava — Landscapes of Claude — Catching pigeons — Appenines — The blue Mediterranean — Romantic ride — Amain — Beggars — The St. Nicholas — Mar- sala — Sovereigns of America — Travellers 1 Book — Political spies — Mariners' Compass — Salerno — Medical School — Railroads built without wheelbarrows — Silarus of the Greeks — Crassus and Spartacus— Ruins of Paestum — Its Origin — Roses of Paestum — Nocera — The vine— Castellamare — The An- cient Stabiae— Pliny the Elder, .*_„_.-_ 79 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. Sorrento — View of the Bay of Naples — Islands — Olive Trees — Orange Groves — Hotel des Sirens — The Home of Tasso — Grotto Azzura — Fairy Scene — The Sirens — Ears stopped — Lucky escape — Poetical story of Ulysses — Gardens of Tasso — A Pei-tinacious Friar — The D — 1 outwitted — English "■is Spook" — Naples Illuminated — Illumination of Vesuvius, 89 CHAPTER XI. The Solfat^ra — Pandemonium — Lake Avernus — Pozzuoli— Cumai — Baie — Temple of Jupiter Serapis — Land of flowers — Lucrine oysters — Italian cu- pidity — A funeral — A wedding — Vesuvius by night — San Gennaro the Pa- tron Saint — Lava extended — Vineyards destroyed — A Sea of Fire — A fiery Niagara— Pyrotechnics of the Gods — Young America on Vesuvius — An Alarm— Escape— Safety, 100 CHAPTER XII. A decaying Nation — The Appian Way — Capua— The Formian Villa of Cicero — His Tomb — Brigands — Robbery in the mountains of Itri — Lost luncheon — Fondi — Countess Gonzas;a — Terracina — The Palace of Theodoric — Pon- tine Marshes — Augustan Canal — Long horned Roman cattle — Appii Forum — Sacred ground — Albano — Roman Campagna— Aqueducts, - - 110 CHAPTER XIII. Rome — The study of years — Forum — Triumphal Arches — Baths of Cara- calla— Palace of the Caesars — Pantheon— Tarpeian Rock — Coliseum Re- flections — Fountain of Egeria — An Echo — Egeria's Hair, - 122 CHAPTER XIV. The Vatican— Staircase of Bernini— Galleria Lapidaria— Museo Chairamonte — Cupid of Praxiteles— Niobe— Hercules — Demosthenes — Laocoon — Apol- lo Belvidere— Hall of the Muses— Etruscan vases— The frescoes of M. Angelo— Last Judgment— An anecdote— The Stanze of Raphael — The Log- gie of Raphael — Guido's Madonna — Raphael's Transfiguration — Statue of Aurelius— Venus of the Capitol — Pictures of the Capitol— Doves of Pliny- Rome the mother of Art— St. Peter's — St. John Lateran — Scala Santa — Blood of Christ — Pilgrims ascending on their knees— Catholic supersti- tion — A procession— The Pope— Christianity of the bayonet— Harriet Hos- mer — Whitrid»-e — Tivoli — Hadrian's Villa — Newly discovered tombs — Keats and Shelley— " Writ in water," 129 CHAPTER XV. Flaminian Way— Etruscan towns — Castelbano — Gasperoni the bandit — His p r .; son — Terni— Falls of Velino — Clitumnus — Temple of Diana — The fabled water— Milk white steers — Etruria — Olive planta'ions — Assises — Miracu- lous roses— Church of St. Mary of the angels— Perugia— Etruscan gateway — Lake Thrasymene— Battle between Hannibal and the Romans— Little inconveniences— Post Books— The Sanguinetto— Tuscany— Arezzo— Pe- trarch— Florence, - - - - 142 CHAPTER XVI. Beautiful Florence— The Arno— Drive on the Cascine— Heart Exchange- Floras— Carriages searched — Hiram Powers — Statue of America — Apathy of Republics— Capitol of Ohio— Uffixi gallery — Venus de Medici— Wrest- lers— L'Arrotino— Niobe and her children— Raphael's Fornarina— Titian's Venus— Master pieces — Bronzes — Pitti Palace — Wax Models— Duomo — Campanille— Gates of Paradise— Santa Croce, ----- 153 CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER XVII. Vettuvini — Benyamino — Appenines — Pass of La Futa — Bologna — Leaning Towers — Oollonade — Pine Arts — Church of St. Dominick, the Founder of the Inquisition — University of B)!>gna — STemale Professors — Laura Bassi — Madonna Manzolin a — Matilda Tainbroni — Novella d 1 Andrea, the beauti- ful Canonist— King Hensius--Lucia Vendiglio— Properzia de Rossi — Puppy D)gs and Sausages — Po and Adige Rivers — Ferrara — Ariosto — Tasso's Dungeon— John Calvin — Ugoand Paras ina — Effect of Levees on the Po — Padua— Frescoes of Giotto — I'alace of the blind Doge Dandolo, - 163 CHAPTER XVIII. Venice — Gondolas — Canals — House of Othello — Bianca Capello — Shylock — Infamous pillar — Banco Giro— Guidecca — Life blood — Winged lion of St. Mark — Saint Theodore — Basilica — Its columns— Bronze horses — Ducal Pa- lace — Council of Ten — Lions mouth — Bridge of sighs — Prisons — Hall of the Doges — Canova's tomb — Moonlight, ------ 176 CHAPTER XIX. Verona— Tomb of Juliet — Houses of the Montague and Capulet — The Bal- cony — The Adige — Milan — Lake of Como — Villa of Count Ta vernal-Storm amongst the mountains — Lake Lugano — Maggiore — Isola Bella. - 188 CHAPTER XX. Bavino — Tosa River — Domo d'Ossola — Trouting amongst the Alps — A Piscatorial mystery — The Problem solved — A miss — A cold duck — The Simplon Pass— Gallery of Gondo — Cascade of the Frascinnone — The top — Hospice — Houses of refusre — Fourth of Julv — Toasts and song— Brieg — The Rhone— Martigny— Tete Noire— The Valais -The Col. de Forclaz— Hard ride— French leave— Ascent of Montanvert— Mer de glace— Diligence — Frost formation, ----------- 195 CHAPTER XXI. Geneva — Calvin — St. Peter's — Champ de Bourreau— Martyrdom of Servetus — Lake Lenian — Arve — Lausanne — Ferney— Clarens — Castle of Chillon. . Dungeons — The Oubliette — Ladies chamber — Romantic conclusions des- troyed — Villeneuve — Novel mode of trout fishing, - 209 CHAPTER XXII. Freybnrg — The longest suspension bridge in the world — Musical storm — The liberty tree — Berne — Its Bears — Clock — Minster — Libel on Bruin — The patron saint of the Queen City — Bernese ladies — Federal house — Freiheit — Interlachen — Lauterbrunen — Staubach fall — Grindenwald — Glaciei — Ava- lanche — Alpine horn — Beggars and flowers — Sunset in the mountains, - 221 CHAPTER XX III. Lakes Thun and Brienz — Alpine Village— Lucerne — Chapel of William Tell — Grutli — The Fountain Head of Liberty — Kussnacht — Rigi — Charivari — Drowning the Music — The Waterspout — Fair Zurich's Waters — The fall of the Rossberg — The Specter of the Rigi — Robbery — Monument to Swiss Guards — Benyamino's Adieu — Ex President Fillmore — Heidelberg Castle — ■ Elizabeth Stewart — Millenium — Olympia Morata — Enchantress Jeta — Ba- den Baden— Frankfort— Rothschilds— Statue of Ariadne., - - - 037 Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIV. Wiesbaden — The spring — Chicken soup — Bathing — Kursall — Lady gamblers A novice — Roulette— Faro — 49.000 francs lost — Despair — Rhine — The boats — Rheingen — Johannisberg — Markobrunner — Brrmserburg Castle — Gisela — Bingen — Bishop Ilatto — Basket vineyards — Pfalz — Seven sisters in stone — Lurlei — An accident — Coblentz — Stolzenfels — Ehrenbreitstein — Blue Moselle— French Monument — Tables turned, ----- 255 CHAPTER XXV. Rolandseck — The Seven Mountains — Drachenfels — Bonn — Cologne — A Squeers — The veritable Jean Maria Farina — More Richmonds in the field — Cathedral of Cologne— Skulls of the Magi— Church of St. Ursula— 11,000 virgins — Legend — (5,000 martyrs — The horses in the chamber — Buried alive — Birthplace of Reubens — Railroad President— Politeness — Dusseldorf— Cemeteries — Impedimenta— Storks — Happy Omen — Holland — Amsterdam — Causeways — Canals— Currents — Merchants — Cure for Vagrancy — Char- itable Institutions — Water Works — Paintings — Suspect — Dutch Courage. 271 CHAPTER XXVI. Sunday — Nieuwe Kirk — Vuur Stoof— Spions— Curiosity of the Sex— Droog- erigens-^Amspreker — Picturesque Boats — North Holland— The Y — Great Ship Canal— Polders — The lowest country in the world — World turned upside down — Boreas and Neptune at war— Windmills — Broek, the cleanest town in the world — A town without a street — Singular custom — Cleanliness Sea dykes— Dunes— Saardam, Peter the Great — Gondolas— Don Quixotte— Schelde— Antwerp— Paintings— Reuben's Elevation and Descent from the Cross— Calvary— Cathedral steeple— Ahead of time— Quay— Exchange, - 283 CHAPTER XX\ r II Mechlin— Brussels— Waterloo— Officious guides— The chateau of Hougou- mont— Relics— Making lace— Paris— Versailles— Great and little Trianons — Fontainbleau — Forest — Luxembourg— Paintings — Louvre— Reubens — Murillo's Conception— Gobelin tapestry— Hotel de Cluny— London by gas lia-Ht — Westminster Abbey— Poet's corner— Shakspeare's epitaph— House of Parliament— Parks of London— Rotten Row— National gallery— Wind- sor Castle — Runneymede — Stoke Pogis— Gray's elegy — Gray's tomb — Windsor Park — Spurgeon, -------- 306 CHAPTER XXVIII Warwick Castle— The Avon— Kenilworth— Guy's cliff legend— English land- scape— Manchester— Lancasshire— Iron region— York Minster — Edinboro' —The Castle— John Knox— Holyrood— Stirling Castle— Bannockburn— Grampian hills— Ben Lomond— Tam O'Shanter— Auld brigo'doune— Dun- ipace hills— Robert Spital the tailor— Camhusmore— A Highland burn— Bridge built for sixteen shillings— Beneledi— The bonny Highland hea- ther— Coilantogle ford— The Fiery cross— Brigg o' Turk— Legend of Glenfilas— Hotel of Trosachs - 319 CHAPTER XXIX. The Trosachs— Loch Katrine— Ellen's Isle— Ben-ledi— Ben-a' an— Benvenue Coir-nan Uriskin— Beal-ach-nam-bo— Braes of Balquidder— Loch Lomond — Inversnaid — Rob Rov— Ben Lomond— The McGregors — Dunbarton Castle— Glasgow— John Knox— Burking— Salt Market— Clyde— Belfast- Ireland— The Low back'd Car— The Omadhauns— Giant's Causeway— Ossian— Dunluce Castle— Dublin— Lord Palmerston— Conway Castles- Chester— The Rows— Statue of Nelson— Departure— Conclusion. - 340 CHAPTER I. Departure from New York — Farewell. April 28, 1858. Having taken passage on Steamer Africa, we unmoored to-day at 5 P. M., fired our guns, waived a brief parting to our kind friends on shore, and are at last really off for Europe : and as the pilot leaves us at " blue water," and will take back our last greet- ings to the friends we leave behind us, I proceed to give you a penciling up to the latest moment of our ability to perform the same ; for, judging from the rollers which are even now meeting us, the effects of a recent north-easter, I shall have no stomach for writing again, for a fortnight, at least. We have nearly 150 passengers, many ladies ; but as yet I see no familiar faces, and I think we are the only representatives of the Queen City on board. Already I begin to realize the truth of the old song, " A ship is a thing that no man can be quiet in." The poet might have added, nor woman either, for such confusion of boxes and trunks, small stores and ship stores, stewards running, 2 (9) 10 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. servants grumbling, men swearing, and women (shall I say it ?) scolding, surely never was heard else- where, out of Babel. However, they will soon, like babies, be rocked into quiet — that's a consolation. The patient looking little "Durham," the lacteal institution of the ship, occupies a snug little state room amidships, and looks out of her parlor window unmoved at the hurly-burly around her. She seems the only composed personage on board and chews her cud in solemn silence, casting a des- pairing glance, occasionally, upon the crowd of pas- sengers which throngs the decks, thinking, doubtless, impossibilities are impossibilities, and that some of us will have to submit to the New York substitute for "Orange county" — chalk and water — before reaching old England. We have our places assigned us at table, which we retain for the passage ; but the chairs, fastened to the floor, table ditto, with a strip all round the edge to keep the plates on ; decanters and glasses suspended over the same — all give " dreadful note of preparation," and are ominous, that we, at least, shall u eat but little here below, nor keep that little long." It is said that in drowning, at the last moment, all FAREWELL. 11 the events of one's life pass in rapid review before the mind. In some respects a departure across the ocean to a foreign country resembles this. Then it is, while gazing upon the fading shores of our native land, we recall in imagination the many friends we are leaving, and thinking of their oft repeated kind- nesses, solemnly resolve to reform our sins of omis- sion and commission, should we be permitted to return to them, and to cherish them more dearly than ever. But the time is up ; the pilot is ready to leave us ; and as we gaze upon the lessening shore, we recall to mind those beautiful lines of the lamented Hugh Peters, who was drowned while bathing in the Ohio river, at Cincinnati, about twenty-two years ago. I have never so fully felt their poetic truth before. I quote from memory : "And now you've shrunk to yon blue line, Betwixt the sky and sea, I feel, sweet Home, that thou art mine — I feel my bosom, cling to thine ; That I am part of thee — I see thee blended with the wave, As children see the earth Close up a sainted mother's grave ; They weep for her they can not save And feel her holy worth. 12 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. Farewell, my native land, farewell! That wave has hid thee now; This rending pang — would I could tell What ails this throbbing brow. One look upon that fading streak Which binds yon western sky, One tear to cool my burning cheek, And then one word — I can not speak. My native land — Good Bye !" With the pilot goes the last visible link that binds us to our country. But those invisible links, those " hooks of steel," which neither time nor distance nor principalities nor powers, nor any living thing can disturb, remain to draw us strongly back again to home and our native land. CHAPTER II. Life on the Ocean — Half seas over — A Whale — The lost Bird — Chalked at Sea — The Scotch Pony — Steeple Chase — Sunday on board Ship — Stormy Petrel — Ireland. We are nearly two thousand miles away, upon the broad Atlantic, breasting gallantly the billows of a strong south-easter, and, as it is a rainy day, which precludes the enjoyment of the deck, I am per se forced to recollect my promise, made at parting, to write you. Besides, having escaped that delightful episode in a sea-voyage, the " mal de mer," I am fully impressed that I have discovered an antidote which would make the fortune of our friend " S." by en- abling him to insure against sea sickness, as well as the " dangers of the sea." Let me, however, here admit that I do not claim entire originality in the principle involved, as you recollect Napoleon's motto was, " Never let the troops remain idle." But what can I say to you of a sea voyage that has not been said and sung a thousand times. Like the kaleidoscope, however, which presents a different (13) 14 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. picture at every turn, the sea impresses but few alike. Some find it a waste of waters, separating two interesting shores, and a voyage across the Atlantic, but a highly monotonous ferriage. To me, how- ever, it is never monotonous. Heaving gently in the calm, or lashed by old Boreas into fury, the sea is ever an interesting study, and I spend hours with no other employment than gazing over its vast ex- panse. Of course we saw a whale, or inferred one from the spouting ; but very small specimens sometimes spout hugely on shore — why not at sea ? No land spouter, however, ever brought down the house with half the furor that this king of spouters brought up the cabin. All rushed on deck, but at the moment when he might have created a sensation — presto ! he sank, like many of his prototypes on shore, leav- ing not a bubble to mark the spot where he went down. Then that inevitable "lost bird of the ocean," that " hawk" came on board of us, when some five hun- dred miles out, perching himself on the top of our foremast, (as is his custom,) where he rested awhile, and then sailed away, to astonish and delight other SPORTS OF TEE DECK. 15 " land lubbers." We unanimously pronounced bim the " Flying Dutchman," and looked anxiously under his wing for that "letter" but saw, with the aid of our opera glasses, only a feather. The sympathies of the ladies of our party for this poor wanderer, found expression in various poetical recollections. " The sea bird hath flown to his nest," "Noah's weary dove, for whose foot no resting place was found," etc.; but from his airy perch our visitor looked cunningly down, evidently thinking " all in my eye." Then the sports of the deck in which the sailors were allowed to engage on Saturday afternoons, in fair weather, amused and interested us. An oar is suspended by one end to the rigging, the other rest- ing on deck ; on the upper end a cap is hung, which, a sailor poising himself tailor-wise upon the oar, and supported by a cane which he rests on the deck, attempts dexterously to knock off between the rolls of the vessel, but as soon as he raises the cane the swaying motion of the ship unhorses him instantly: this is called "riding the Scotch pony." The " steeple chase " is another amusing scene. Several ropes are stretched across the deck, about two feet above it, when the racers start on all 16 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. fours, like so many bears, jumping the ropes succes- sively ; of course the goal is not reached without many a tumble, to the infinite mirth of the crowd of passengers who gather forward to witness the sport. We have a model captain, a " Jolly Scot" — Capt. Shannon, a thorough sailor and true gentleman. I am indebted to a friend for a personal introduction, by which our situation on the ship has been rendered more agreeable. Such a Captain would naturally call around him pleasant and efficient officers and a good crew ; hence we witness thorough and cheer- ful subordination — gentlemanly conduct, and atten- tion to the minutest wishes of the passengers, and that apparent regard for the humanity of the sailor so seldom accorded to him on shipboard. Do you know what it is to be " chalked ?" I am aware your " hat is often chalked" but do you know what it is to be chalked at sea ? This morning a I party of us went forward to gaze over the bows, at our gallant vessel pressing her eager way through the waves, imagining in the depths below — Mermaids, Tritons, Neptunes, and other denizens of that mys- terious and unknown great deep, that aqua incognita, whose " dark unfathomed caves" we have no present desire to investigate. While thus absorbed we were CHALKED AT SEA. 17 suddenly "chalked," that is 9 a line chalked on deck behind us, across which we could not pass, according to nautical courtesy, without paying Jack our initia- tion fee ; for this is his kingdom, his quarter deck, his sacred and holy mosque, which no vain intruder from terra firma can enter without falling under Jack's ire, only to be appeased by a handsome con- tribution to his tobacco box, or his grog. A few shillings slipped into the hands of this inexorable king of the forecastle, removed the cordon, and we were thenceforth admitted to all the honors, fore and aft, with a tip of Jack's tarpaulin and a " mornin, your honor," whenever we met him afterward in our rounds. But wo be unto the unlucky landsman, who ven- tures upon this forbidden ground when old Neptune is fairly awake and brushing up his foamy whiskers. A cataract of brine dashed into his face to cool his prying curiosity, would be the least punishment in- flicted for his temerity in invading this region sacred alone to the jealous god and his attendant sons of the sea ; and if he be not dashed back to his cabin aft among the " land lubbers " with the power of a Niagara and at the cost of a broken limb or a bruised head, it is to be attributed more to the compassion- 18 • NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. ate nature of the mighty king, than to any lack of ability to execute his vengeance. Sunday on board ship. The bell tolls the hour of service, Jack arrayed in his best " toggery," blue flannel shirt faced white — with the naval letters of the service worked upon the bosom, looking brawny and manly, musters aft in the cabin saloon with the passengers, to hear the Episcopal church service read by the Captain, with appropriate selections from the Scriptures, by the Surgeon and others. Responses are uttered by the crew and passengers, books being furnished on the long dining table in the saloon, and the whole service is very impressive. There is no time, perhaps, when one feels so sensibly his daily and entire dependence on the Divine being who " stills the tempest, and who holds the sea in the hollow of his hand '* as when tossing upon the treacherous depths of the ocean, thousands of miles away from any succor which man can render. Then we feel indeed that " God alone is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble." This custom of the English ships to hold divine service upon the Sabbath, as a part of the regulations, is worthy of all commendation, and without doubt ex- ercises a beneficial influence on the service. STORMY PETRELS. 19 The system of the ship goes on with the beautiful regularity of her engines, at all hours, day and night, and in all weather. The bell is struck every half hour by the officer of the deck aft, and answered by the bell forward, accompanied at night by the cheering "All's well" of the forward watch. The log is thrown at stated intervals during the day, and our progress carefully noted, and in fair weather our position is taken by the quadrant, and latitude and longitude recorded. During the fog, which we en- countered as usual while crossing the longitude of the " Banks," the steam whistle was sounded every five minutes, the boats unhoused at night and pre- pared for any emergency, and every precaution taken to guard against accident and to secure safety. Those strange little birds, the Stormy Petrels, have been following and sailing around us all day, giving, as the " old salts " of the cabin say, sure in- dications of a coming storm. They skim the waves like swallows, and seem to exist here in mid-ocean as in their proper element, their home, probably never visiting land, their nests the foaming billow, their resting place the stormy deep. They seem, truly enough, to be the precursors of a "blow," for with the night comes a south-easter. It is fair for b 20 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. our course, however, and our main, fore and top sails are spread, the ship pitches through the waves, covering herself with spray, as with a garment, and our thinned ranks at meal time give evidence of the increasing motion of the vessel.^ There is no grander sight than, placing one's self upon the outer verge of the lee wheel-house, which, extending far out from the hull, seems to separate one from the flying vessel, and there behold her forcing her giant bows through the eager and mad waves which rise up constantly before her, as if to bar her onward way. With the power of steam and sail she madly leaps from wave to wave, dashing them aside and scat- tering the spray in pearly drops over hull and rigging, borne by the gale from stem to stern. At night sur- rounded with a halo of phosphorescent light and with her luminous train extending far into the gloom be- hind, she resembles a comet skimming along the sur- face of the ocean. But they say she " pitches horri- bly," and many whose stomachs were supposed sea- proof are to-day under hatches. My "catholicon" would, of course, at once relieve them ; but what pro- phet was ever honored in his own country ? — so they run to the surgeon,who prescribes champagne at eight shillings a pop. His prescriptions, or his agreeable MEKRIE ENGLAND. 21 manners, or both, have rendered him quite popular with the fair sex ; and, indeed, among the arduous du- ties of the profession which he fills with great ability, that of entertaining our fair lady passengers seems to be by no means the least. This gallantry, however, is a feature of the ship, and doubtless arises in a measure from the chivalric devotion which all Englishmen feel, especially those in the service, for their fair Queen. Bat we are now within a few hundred miles of Cape Clear, and already begin to scent, in imagination, the Emerald Isle, although my fair vis a vis at the dinner table, provokingly insinuates that the Irish whisky punches with which our resurrected passengers are now regaling their exhausted " coppers," gives rise to the idea. The sea is quietly subsiding, and we shall soon, we trust, tread the shores of " Merrie England." We have had a decidedly pleasant and agreeable voy- age and a company mainly of sociable passengers. Of course, among so many, we have had some boors who, having none of the instincts of gentlemen in their na- ture, could not conceal for so long a period their true character, and who always upon such occasions, (the only opportunities they ever have) inflict their rude- ness upon respectable people. I am pleased to add they were not Americans. CHAPTER III. Liverpool — First Night on Shore—Docks — English Hotels — Lon- don Life — An Irish Countess— St. Paul's and its Monuments. The next morning "Land ho!" cried from the fore top, brought sick and well upon deck. D Strange faces were seen, for the first time during the voyage, and more than one cadaverous visage peered up from below as from the tombs, breathing ?< the first pure air they had inhaled for a weary fort- night. Ireland was in sight and every one seemed inspired with an ardent affection for " the Emerald Isle ;" although seen through the glasses which were levelled towards her, she presented but rugged rocks and an iron bound shore. Passing Cape Clear and up the Irish Channel in view of Holyhead, and the coast of Wales, Ave dropped anchor about midnight in the Mersey at Liverpool. Here we found the obliging Custom House officers ready to examine the luggage of those who desired to go on shore at that late hour, and the great saloon being cleared out to receive the trunks, the work began. (22) FIRST NIGHT ON SHORE. 23 American editions of English books, and tobacco, are the chief articles sought for as contraband. As our library, however, had been condensed before starting into Bolmar's Phrases in French and English, and our last " plug " had been long since, under the moving appeal of winds and waves, consigned to old Neptune, we were happily permitted to pass without much question. A black looking steam tug awaited us, and having received her cargo, she threaded her way among the dark hulls for a mile or more, and landed us at St. George's Dock. How we enjoyed that first night on shore at the " Adelphi ! " when we felt our limbs, wearied with long tossing upon the ocean, once more resting upon a motionless and comfortable couch, and realized, sure enough, that solid old England was beneath us. After exchanging those contracted bunks on shipboard for a wide bed on shore, how one explores its remotest corners with his feet, stretching all over it, and unable to sleep for a time on account of the quiet which prevails ! Those only know the delight of a commodious rest on terra firma, who have them- selves been " cabined, cribbed, confined," for a weary fortnight, in the narrow cells of an English steamer. After the universal English breakfast of eggs, cof- 24 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. fee, and rolls, served in our rooms by a prim and stately waiter in white neck tie, we rode out to visit ^ the celebrated Docks of Liverpool. These are nu- merous and extensive artificial basins constructed parallel to, and near the river Mersey, for a distance of nearly six miles. They are handsomely and substantially walled in, and connected with the river by means of massive locks and gates, that open and close with the shifting tide which here rises to the height, at times, of thirty feet. High tide is thus always maintained within the docks, and the immense fleet of vessels of all nations ^ that congregate here, rides securely alongside of the capacious warehouses which are very conveniently arranged for the reception of their cargoes. The chief architectural lion of Liverpool is St. George's Hall. This is a noble municipal structure possessing an organ of extraordinary power and tone, and having a fine concert hall which has given its name to the building. We took the evening train for London. Everything is done here quietly and orderly. There is no crowd- ^ ing, no hurrying. The first class cars are divided into compartments holding six each, and officers in uniform are stationed at the depots to see the passen- LONDON LIFE. 25 gers properly seated according to their tickets, in the first, second, and third class cars, all of which accom- pany each train. We took our places ; the doors were locked, the guards, as they are called, or brakemen posted on the train, the shrill whistle of the conduc- tor gave its warning, and we plunged into a dark tun- nel on our way to London. It was Spring in England. The hawthorn hedges had not yet put on their modest garniture of white blossoms, but clothed in their bright and rich green, and neatly trimmed, presented everywhere along the way an agreeable and prominent feature in the land- scape. Beautiful lawns, tasty cottages, farms, vil- lages and towns flew by us with the rapidity of light, until night shut out the scene. The next morning found us at London. The English Hotels are all small ; and after driving to several which had been recommended and which we found full, we at last found lodgings at the "Fitz- roy Mansion," a private hotel or boarding house at the west end. Here we had a table d'hote, and although the fare was not entirely unexceptionable we found our rooms agreeable ; but the furniture was shabby, the china cracked, the servants few, and it was soon evident 26 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. that the " Mansion" was the cheap asylum of decayed, or very much straightened gentility. At meals we saw the rest of the guests who were every one a study : reminding us strongly of some of the characters of Dickens, such as can be seen no where out of London. Opposite us at table sat an Irish countess, who always dressed in blue silk. She was very talkative, had a very red nose, red hair, and a red face, and mixed " suthin " with her coffee every morning, out of a bottle which stood beside her, by the advice, as she volunteered, of her physician. She professed to have weak nerves, and, after coffee, always became very voluble with the East India officer on half-pay, who sat at her left, and the clergyman of the Established Church await- ing a parish, who occupied the post of honor upon her right. This latter personage had evidently grown gray while awaiting a vacancy. By the aid of his barber, however, his hair and whiskers presented a glossy black, rivalling that of Day and Martin, but contrasting sadly with his seedy black coat, which seemed to have done duty since the Reform- ation. Then there was a "Miss Flite," who was in London to look after that eternal chancery suit of her's, where she had come every year from ST. PAULS AND ITS MONUMENTS. 27 time immemorial, dancing attendance upon the courts. We had a " Quilp," too, who, with ogling eye and sardonic grin, peered down the table into every one's face, as if to read their thoughts, or estimate their income. The host and hostess were well calculated to man- age such an establishment. The latter spoke a little German, by means of which they had secured a wealthy young German boarder, who was learning English ; and the former, by dint of a smattering of French, had in like manner " bagged " a Frenchman. These " cards " occupied seats beside the respective heads of the house, and enjoyed their especial regard. A communicative old lady boarder, however, suggested to us that these attentions would all find their way into the bills, which, judging from our own experience at settlement, we think quite within the bounds of probability. Notwithstanding the drizzling rain which continued during our stay of a week, we found opportunity to visit many of the interesting sights of London. Taking a cab we drove to St. Paul's Cathedral. This noble structure was designed by, and was the crowning labor of Sir Christopher Wren. 28 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. It stands on Ludgate Hill, a gentle elevation, which, ■when the church was built, was doubtless considered an eligible position. Now it has become the center of the busy mart of commerce, and the beautiful dome, and walls of white marble, blackened by the eternal smoke of this world-compressed city, seem sadly out of place. It is in the form of a Latin cross, five hundred feet long and one hundred feet wide, and the dome resting upon massive marble columns, rises gracefully to the height of more than four hundred feet. When we entered, the morning services were in progress, and a powerful organ was filling its grand and lofty arches with solemn sound, in strange con- trast with the noise and bustle of commerce without. As at Westminster Abbey, monuments are here erected to the great of England, and statues and tablets line the walls. Passing a host of monuments to military heroes and to scholars, we stopped to admire the monument to Lord Nelson by Flaxman, and the fine statue of Howard, the philanthropist, by Bacon. The next name which arrested our attention was of that glorious " soldier of the cross," Bishop Heber. His statue, a kneeling figure, by Chantry, ST. PAULS AND ITS MONUMENTS. 29 is one of the most interesting objects in the Cathe- dral, whether viewed as a work of art, or as com- memorative of the worldly tenement and holy labors of a great soul. The reclining statue of Sir John Moore, who fell at Corunna, in Spain, beautifully illustrates the in- fluence of poetry. The artist has obtained a design for a most appropriate monument, from those beau- tiful lines, so familiar to all, written upon his burial, beginning — " Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note," etc., and has represented the brave soldier, "Like a warrior taking his rest, With his martial cloak around him." One feels, on repeating the lines, that any other de- vice would be a sacrilege. After the services were over, we ascended to the top of the immense dome. Half way up, its perfect and well-proportioned arch constitutes the finest whis- pering gallery in the world. The faintest word can be distinctly heard upon the opposite side, a distance, by the circle, probably of one hundred and fifty feet. "We stood form a few moments upon the highest at- tainable point, gazing with delight upon the grand panorama which lay unrolled below us. Was our early dream at last accomplished ? Were 30 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. we, indeed, within the sound of " Bow Bells ? " and was this, really, St. Paul's which rested so solidly beneath our feet, with the great sea of London hu- manity heaving and swelling about its base? Time and space seemed annihilated. The voyage of three thousand miles was forgotten, and we seemed to have been dropped as from a balloon upon this airy height, overlooking this strange city. But there was no mistaking London. There was the turbid and crooked Thames, winding about and through the great city, like the slimy folds of a huge boa constrictor encompassing its prey ; while the strong heart-throbs of the struggling victim seemed to come up to us in the hum of the mighty throng of busy men which flowed through the beating ar- teries of Fleet street, the Strand, and Cheapside toward the Bank of England and Ludgate Hill. CHAPTER IV. The Thames— Steamers — Tunnel — The Tower — Crystal Palacg at Sydenham — British Museum — A Scottish Chieftain — Grand Entree into France. "No one visiting London should fail to make a trip upon the Thames. Wishing to visit Greenwich and the Tower and to see the great city in all its aspects, we took our position at London Bridge to await the passing of one of those little black steamers — the water omnibusses, which ply upon the river and pass every five or ten minutes. These steamers are a peculiar feature of London. They are propelled by side wheels, and an oscillating engine which is placed in the hold. The pilot occu- pies the extreme aft, and, with a horizontal wheel, controls the helm, while the captain stands upon a raised platform amidships, and by a motion of his hand, right or left, indicates how he shall steer. A small boy conveys the orders of the captain to the engineer below, when to stop or start the engines. No bells or trumpets are used, and the Yorkshire ( 31 ) 32 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. patois in which the commands were rendered, were beyond our comprehension. To one accustomed to steam navigation on the rivers of America, this management seems primi- tive enough, yet they run swiftly, pass through the throng of wherries, steamers, ferry beats, ships at anchor and under way, etc., with great adroit- ness, and rarely suffer a collision. The giant hull of the Leviathan steamer, attracted attention as we passed along. She is exhibited now at a half crown admission, and practical men here have but little faith that she will ever be a paying investment if finished. After looking at the Palace home at Greenwich Naval Hospital, where England so bounteously provides for her invalid and worn out seamen, We returned to the Thames Tunnel, which we entered by descending a long flight of steps. It is well lighted by gas, and entering, we soon found ourselves beneath the vast moving commerce of the Thames. There is no inclined plain or roadway for carriages to enter, and hence the tunnel is of but little practical use. It is a mere show shop for the sale of toys, etc., and the stock is valueless. Taking a cab we rode through Wapping and Bil- lingsgate, of unenviable notoriety, to the Tower, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. 33 which stands upon the banks of the Thames and to which prisoners were formerly taken by water. We were here shewn ancient armor of all nations from the earliest ages — the dungeons from whence Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and many others dis- tinguished in the history of England, were led to the scaffold — the " bloody tower " in which the two sons of Edward the IY were cruelly murdered by order of Richard the III, &c, &c, Becoming satiated with horrors, we turned to the crown jewels, which are kept in a room and sur- rounded by a stout iron cage through the bars of which they are seen. The celebrated Koh-i-noor dia- mond with its accompanying brilliants — massive ser- vices of gold, and crowns and regalia rich in precious stones — constitute these relics of inestimable value. At night we attended the opera at " Her Majesty's Theater " — the great opera house of London — and heard Mile. Titian Alboni, Sig. Giuglioni and other distinguished artists in the " Trovatore." We were obliged, however, to content ourselves with an ele- vated box, in the 5th tier — the tail of our coat being found by measurement 1J- inches wider than the court standard. No one is admitted into the par- quette or four first tiers of boxes, unless in court 4 34 NOTES DKAWN AT SIGHT. dress, with which travelers are not always provided. However, from our plebeian eyrie, which was oppo- site the Royal box, we inspected the nobility through our opera glasses to our heart's content, and enjoyed the music quite as much as those whose narrow-tailed coats permitted them to occupy a more aristocratical location. The Crystal Palace, at Sydenham, is one of the wonders of the age. It is very little less in size than the one erected in Hyde Park, for the exhibition of 1851, and is, indeed, the same materials, but much more lofty and better planned. Its vast interior is a garden — filled with statues and flowers, and enlivened with fountains. The sides or wings, are devoted to the exhibition of manufactures, and other objects of interest, while the extensive grounds around it are adorned with cascades, grottoes, foun- tains and lakes, and filled with the choicest plants. Among the thousand attractions within these vast walls of glass, are the "Courts." These are the fronts and interiors of palaces — illustrating the archi- tecture of all those nations which have left sufficient vestiges to guide the artist. Here is seen the Assyrian court as it existed at Ninevah and Babylon, its portals guarded by giant THE COURTS. 35 winged lions with human face. The Egyptian court of the Ptolemies, with its long row of Sphynxes. The Grecian, Roman, Persian and Pompeian, the latter with its atrium, or interior court-yard filled with beautiful flowers and cooled by fountains. The Alhambra of the Moors, the French, Italian, English and German Medieval, the Byzantine, Romanesque, Renaissance, and Elizabethian styles, are also here reproduced in all their original splendor, the whole affording such a study in architecture as the world has never before seen. Some of these courts surround an extensive area at one end of the building called the " tropical gar- den/' where a high artificial heat and moisture are maintained. Here can be seen the Date Palm, Wine Palm, Cabbage Palm, Sago Palm ; the Cinnamon, Coffee, Tea, and Bread fruit trees. The Strychnine plant, or Nux Vomica, the Lotus of the Nile, the Papyrus and a thousand other strange and interesting tropi- cal plants and trees fill this inclosure. Interspersed among the foliage are aquariums of strange fishes, cages of rare tropical birds, and dens of boa constrictors and other horrid reptiles alive; while well made and carefully colored plaster casts 36 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. of some of the strangest specimens of humanity, placed in groups attract attention. There were the Kaffirs and Bushmen of South Africa ; the Danakils, a chocolate colored race of Eastern Africa, having a straight, Jewish nose ; one of the Msegurra tribe, also of Eastern Africa, and the Ibos, Eellatahs and Nufis of the Delta of the Niger. These three latter are the Negroes of Western Africa, typical of those of Guinea, from whence the slaves of America are taken or have descended. There was also a live Chimpanzee, the animal whose form so nearly resem- bles that of man, and who builds huts and uses clubs for attack and defence. Though smaller than the Ourang Outang, he is much more intelligent, and presses hard upon the Negro in form and feature. There was also the high and low caste Hindoos, with their black piercing eye ; the Himalayan, the Tibe- tan, the Papuans of the Louisiade Archipelago, with curiously frizzled mop-heads, a cross between the Malay and Negro, and the Australian with ill pro- portioned body, and projecting lower jaw — the most degraded form of humanity. Leaving the Palace we turned our steps to the artificial lake supplied with water by an artesian well. Here the wonders of geology are illustrated. SYDENHAM PALACE. 37 In the banks and cliffs surrounding these lakes are exhibited the coal-slate, the iron-stone, sand-stone and clay. In another cliff the carboniferous lime-stone, the spar, the old and new red sandstone formations and mineral veins, are seen. These cliffs and strata are all artificial. The different materials composing them have been brought here in quantities of many tons, and the whole forms an interesting study in practical geology. Parallel with the new red sand-stone strata, are the secondary islands of the lake, upon which are ex- hibited, reproduced in plaster, enormous reptiles of the Saurian species and the Iguanodon, both belong- ing to the secondary period. They are constructed after the anatomy of Cuvier and other celebrated geologists, and painted about the color of an alliga- tor, and represented as if crawling out of the slime of the lake. While absorbed in looking at these strange crea- tures, the usual London rain came up and with a crowd of others we took shelter in one of the artifi- cial grottoes near by, where we remained until the shower passed, when we returned to London fatigued, and feeling that we had but glanced at the wonders of 38 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. Sydenham Palace. The British Museum stands confessedly at the head of all such exhibitions in the world. Here are to be seen many of the ancient originals of the statues bas reliefs, &c, which have furnished the key to the most interesting portion of the exhibition at the Crystal Palace. The British Museum is rich in realities, not imitations, and a month could be spent in wandering through its vast rooms, filled with specimens of every beast, bird, insect, reptile or mineral in the world. The basement contains the celebrated Elgin and other marbles, and comprises an immense and won- derful collection of antiquities. The library contains 500,000 volumes, among which are some of the rarest in the world. It is open to literary men for reference, by application to the Librarian. Here can be seen specimens of print- ing, from the earliest introduction of the art; jand the autographs of many distinguished men of every age. We left London in the usual drizzle, or Scotch mist — which they say wets an Englishman to the skin — and arriving at Dover an hour before the time of the departure of the packet, betook ourselves to the nearest eating house for dinner. Here while SCOTTISH CHIEFTAIN. 39 looking out of the window at Dover cliffs and castle opposite, we fell into conversation with a very pleasant gentleman and lady. Learning we were from America they seemed very friendly and on our departure the gentleman handed us his card. He proved to be a veritable Scottish Chieftain, the "Chief of Clanranald." It made us feel very Wal- ter Scottish to be meeting these veritable felloivs. But then the " kilts and the breeks " have succumbed now to plain breeches and coat and the charm and the poetry have vanished. Just think of a " Chieftain to the Highlands bound," in London breeches, boots and beaver, looking like any plebeian. Pooh ! its laughable ! We shook our new found friend warmly by the hand on leaving to go on board the steamer, inwardly commiserating his fallen state, and praying for the restoration ef every Scottish thing, (except the fiddle). Not being English we did not feel bound to be sea- sick on crossing the channel, and therefore retained our parting dinner of roast beef until we arrived at Calais. A maigre Frenchman at the " Douane" looked hard at the lower button of our vest, either suspicious of contraband commodities within — or en- vious of our English rotundity. His attention, how- 40 NOTES DKAWN AT SIGHT. ever, being distracted by the entrance of a well known female lace smuggler who was just returning from a successful foray, upon England, we passed on with- out further question, were duly pronounced " Bon " and permitted to attempt the assassination of the Emperor, or commit any other atrocity in which we might feel inclined to indulge upon the soil of France, Calais is s a tidal port. The tide, however, upon our arrival was on duty elsewhere. Our boat ran into the mud some distance from shore and we had no alternative but to make our grand entree into " La Belle France," in. common with all on board — ladies as well as gentlemen — astride of the backs of sailors. Adjourning to a " Buffet " (eating saloon,) to await the departure of the evening train for Paris, we drank a bottle of " Lafitte " to our friends at home and in commemoration of our safe arrival upon the continent of Europe. The next morning found us duly installed at Paris. CHAPTER V. Paris and its Sights — Grand Review — Pere la Chaise — Tomb of Napoleon and Hotel des Invalides. We are del iglitf ally situated in this, certainly the most delightful city of the world, in only the fifth story of the "Hotel Meurice," one of the most agreeably located in Paris. We have selected this elevated eyrie as it overlooks the Seine, the Champs Elysees, the Rue Rivoli, the Gardens of the Tuileries, and the best half of Paris. These Gardens are im- mediately beneath our windows, and are almost half a mile in length, by one quarter of a mile in width. They are filled with fine shade-trees, fountains, and statues, and intersected by clean gravel walks, and are at all times open to the public for promenades. From the window where I write, we see to the left the Tuileries itself, the present residence of the Emperor. It is said to be connected with the Gar- den by a subterranean passage, through which Louis Philippe escaped from the excited mob, only a few short years ago, leaving his throne and his kingdom, (41) 42 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. never to return. To the right, adjoining the Gar- dens, and connecting them with the Champs Elysees, is the Place de la Concorde, a square beautifully laid out, paved with marble slabs, and adorned with statues and fountains. In the center stands the celebrated " Obelisk of Luxor," brought from the front of the great Temple of Thebes, by Louis Philippe. It is a very interest- ing object, from the fact that it stands where the guillotine stood, daring the bloody days of the old Revolution, as well as that it dates back to Sesostris, or Rhameses III., 1550 years before Christ. Thirty- three centuries, as Napoleon said of the Pyramids, here look down from its tall summit, upon the gay crowd which daily gathers about its' base, vainly try- ing to decypher the hieroglyphics with which each of its four sides is covered. Still farther westward, the eye wanders over the Champs Elysees, forming, with the Tuileries and the Place de la Concorde, a park of one and a half miles in extent, the extreme or western end crowned with the grand "Arc de Triomphe. ,i This arch was com- menced by Napoleon L, and standing on an elevation of some fifty feet, and being itself ninety feet high from the ground, forms a very conspicuous object, PARIS AND ITS SIGHTS. 43 as seen from the Palace of the Tuileries. It is a very elaborate and beautiful piece of work, fine bas- reliefs and statues adorning it, and was erected at a cost of two million dollars. It is consecrated, as the inscription indicates, to the glory of " La Grande Armee Francaise." The space, lying between where we stand and the "Triumphal Arch," is filled with shade-trees and booths, for the sale of all sorts of eatables. Shows of all kinds and games, are here permitted. Flying- horses, revolving-ships, with all the rising and sink- ing motion necessary to the full enjoyment of sea- sickness, weighing chairs, dancing monkeys, and extempore theaters, or "cafes chant ants," and a hundred other amusements here delight the pleasure- loving Parisians. These cafes chantants are very tasty temples or canopies, open toward the audience in front, who are seated in the open air ; the rest of the structure is surrounded by plate-glass, the whole forming a kind of stage, upon which nightly appear, performers and singers, who delight the thousands that, for a few sous expended in refreshments, may enjoy the cheap amusement. Crowds of citizens are to be seen here at all hours of the day, and far into the night, at 44 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. •which time, particularly, all Paris seems to be given up to pleasure. The streets are then thronged with people, and the thousand cafes have every where their little round marble-top tables placed upon the pavement in front, surrounded with parties sipping their wine, chocolate, or coffee, as their taste or purse inclines. But the never-ceasing roll of the drum, the clang- ing of military bands, the constant march of soldiers through the streets, relieving guard, which is con- stantly kept up at all public places and at all public buildings, for no other purpose that we can see but to keep the soldiers employed, all speak literally " trumpet-tongued " of the despotism which reigns supreme. Yet the people seem satisfied, as far as shows on the surface. Yesterday a grand review was held of the ''Impe- rial Guard." About 10 or 15,000 of the elite of the French cavalry were paraded and reviewed at Long Champs. No notice was, or ever is, given of these things to the people ; but seeing the royal cortege moving, we took a carriage and joined the two thou- sand other < ; voitures " which commenced driving in that direction. We passed through the Bois de Bo- logne a beautiful park lying west of the city, of GRAND REVIEW. 45 several hundred acres in extent. It is finely varie- gated by hill and dale, having artificial lakes covered with regatta boats, and swan, herds of deer dotting here and there the lawns, or filling the deep forest shades, as well as rocky cliffs, cascades, grottoes, caverns, etc. All this, we were informed, was the work of the pre- sent Emperor, during the brief period in which he has governed France. It is this energy, coupled with a desire to beautify Paris, which satisfies the Parisians and keeps them quiet under the iron rule. On arriving at the field we found the cavalry going through various evolutions, and with their rich uniforms, handsomely caparisoned horses, and shin- ing steel cuirasses and helmets glistening in the sun, they presented a very warlike and exciting spectacle The Emperor and Empress, in company with the Queen of Holland and the Prince of Wirtemburg, both of whom were on a visit to the French Court, occupied a pavilion erected on the field. It was for the amusement of these Royal guests that all this was got up, and not particularly for the few " Yankee Doodle Sovereigns," as the Americans are called who chanced to be present. After the review, the troops defiled before the pavilion, each regiment as it passed, giving the "vive V JSmpemurl" 46 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. This done, the royal party left for the city. They passed very close to us, the Emperor riding alone in front of his " Cent " Guards, who always ac- company him when he leaves his palace. The Em- press and ladies followed at their leisure, in carriages having outriders and four horses each. The young Prince followed in another carriage with his nurse. He is a pretty little blue-eyed fellow, and stood at the carriage window kissing his hand to the crowd as he passed. He seems quite a favorite with the people, and one would think both the French and English thrones were never more firmly planted in the hearts of the people than at present. " Mais nous Verrons I " Both the Emperor and Empress looked pale, and he, we thought, quite careworn, but marvellously recalling the early pictures of Napoleon I. Eugenie is entitled to the most that has been said of her great beauty ; there are few women so well endowed in form and feature. At the Chapel of the Invalides, we visited the remains of the " Great Napoleon," and gazed for a moment on his bier, but the order to " circuler" (move on,) allowed us but a glance, as others were waiting. The immense sarcophagus of porphyry HOTEL DES INVALIDES. 47 brought from Finland, is of beautiful workmanship, and weighs about 79 tons. It is now ready to receive the remains, but owing to the indecision of the present Emperor, they have not yet been placed within it. The tomb with the statues, etc., which surround it, is very imposing, and forms with the rich interior of this magnificent church, one of the most interesting of the sights of Paris. I do not give a minute description of these objects ; they are more or ]ess familiar to all. Besides our journey was a hurried one, permitting but a coup d'ceil, and our descriptions must necessarily be of the same character. At the '"' Invalides," about 3,000 soldiers are taken care of, and we remarked one beautiful feature, that each old soldier who desired, had his little parterre which he cultivated and enjoyed. They were neatly fenced in and full of flowers. In this as well as other cheerful aspects, it differed from Greenwich Hospital at London, which we visited, and which seemed quite cheerless and bare. There not a tree or flower broke the dull monotony of walls and cor- ridors, or enlivened and beautified the grounds, leading the mind of the dying soldier, through nature up to God. 48 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. Pere la Chaise is greatly behind " Greenwood/' of New York, "Mount Auburn," of Boston, " or Spring Grove," of Cincinnati, in all that renders a cemetery beautiful, that sweet mingling of nature and art. Here are closely built streets of tombs, a city of the dead, reminding us much of the New Orleans burial places. But the names we see arrest our attention, and we forget all else. Abelard and Heloise, La Place, Lafontaine, Mad. Lavalette, Madame de Gen- lis, etc., etc. Marshall Ney lies interred here, with- out a stone or memorial to point out the spot. For a time the place was entirely unknown to the public. Some friend has latterly scratched his name with a nail upon the railing around the grave. We after- wards visited the Church of Perpia, where are in- terred the remains of Lafayette. An humble stone alone marks the spot where he lies, in an obscure churchyard. We trust the day is not far distant when in the New World, for which he periled so much, a monument will arise, to express in a fitting manner to succeeding generations his great services, and the gratitude of its citizens. CHAPTER VI. Sunshine in Paris— The Morgue — A Suicide — Pont Neuf — Washing and Bathing Houses — Notre Dame — Hotel Dieu — Hotel de Ville — Column of July — Madelaine — Column of Napoleon — Boulevards — Palais Royal — Cafes — Trois Freres Provonc-eaux — Fontainbleau — The Wine District of France — The Saone— The Rhone— The Oidium— Lyons— The Castled Rhone — Avignon the former Seat of the Popes. May 21st, 1858. Spring is rapidly advancing into summer ; and as we intend visiting the south of Italy, we shall make, at present, but a very limited stay in Paris. This morning we demoted to driving through the city, looking at the principal objects of interest, and en- joying the delightful sunshine — the first which has greeted us on European ground. There is a beauty and clearness of the atmosphere here, and a bright- ness in the sunshine which are unknown in England. This is observed by every one passing from one country to the other. " Yet," said an English friend to whom we remarked it, and who, with the dogged obstinacy of John Bull, was loth to admit that any- 5 (49) 50 NOTES DTtAWN AT SIGHT. thing in France excelled his own country — "when our sun does shine, it is not to be sneezed at." Un- consciously he uttered a truism, for we honestly doubt if ever the sun attains in London sufficient bright- ness to excite the sternutatDry nerves, even when it does shine, which we take to be about as rare an event as the advent of a comet. We drove by the " Morgue," and notwithstanding the cheerful weather, murder, or suicide, which is, none the less, murder, furnished its usual daily supply of victims. The ghastly corpses of two " miser ablest who had drowned themselves in the Seine the night before, lay upon the stone tables, as we passed by, their open eyes glaring upon the crowd, which, with the eager curiosity so common to the humbler classes, pressed against the " grille" or iron grating, to gaze upon the dead within. The " Morgue," is the city dead house, situated on the bank of the Seine, where all bodies found' in the streets or drawn from the river are taken, stripped to the waist, and exposed during the day for identi- fication and reclamation by their friends. It is a necessary institution without doubt, in a great city such as Paris, but feelings of deep sadness came over us when we reflected upon the silent misery which NOTRE DAME. 51 must exist in this gay capital, to make life a " cal- amity " to so many of God's creatures ; six or eight, we were informed, being the average number brought here daily, the wretched victims, generally, of sui- cide or starvation. Near by is the "Pont Neuf," or new bridge, pass- ing over the Seine to the " He de la Cite" from whence a fine view of Paris bordering the river, is obtained. For miles its banks are protected by perpendicular walls, having parallel roadways, similar to those at Montreal, Canada. Numerous and extensive bathing houses, and public washing houses were observed afloat and moored to the walls, in the latter of which many women were at work pounding the clothes with clubs. The " Conciergerie" the prisons of Paris are seen upon the opposite bank, and crowning the lower end of the island, stands the celebrated old Cathedral of " Notre Dame," whose location has a history co- eval with that of Paris. An altar to Jupiter is said to have stood on the spot now occupied by this church, •which was destroyed by the early christians, about the year 365. It is an immense Gothic structure, built of grey sandstone and flanked by two tall towers, which, with 52 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. the grand arched portal, and indeed the whole front, are elaborately ornamented with sculptured figures, heads of saints, etc., etc. A star in the marble pavement in front of the altar, marks the spot where stood Napoleon and Josephine at their coronation, and the present Em- peror, in imitation of his " uncle," wedded the beau- tiful Eugenie at the same place. This church is undergoing extensive repairs to which the govern- ment contributes. It was very greatly injured during the last revolution, being with the Faubourg St. An- toine, the center of several conflicts and was the head quarters of the revolutionist party. From hence, we drove past the " Hotel Dieu" the oldest hospital here; the u Hotel de'Ville" or mu- nicipal buildings ; the "Column of July," erected on the spot where stood the old Bastile, to the memory of those who fell in July, 1830. On the top of this well proportioned column, which is of bronze, 160 feet in height, stands a beautiful gilded figure — the " Genius of Liberty," looking like " Mercury, new- lighted on a heaven-kissing hill." It stands on tip- toe on a golden globe, with wings expanded, hold- ing in one hand a broken chain, and in the other a torch, — the torch of liberty, to light the nations— BOULEVARDS. 53 beautiful, as illustrative of the France of 1830 — but not of 1858. Then, to the " Madelaine," that most beautiful and chaste of all the modern temples of Europe. It is after the model of the "Parthenon" at Athens, though said to be larger. It stands upon a raised platform, about ten feet from the ground, and is entirely surrounded with a perystile of delicately chiseled Corinthian columns, sixty feet in height and six feet in diameter. Near by the Madelaine, is the " Column of Napo- leon," in the "Place Vendome" made of bronze from twelve hundred cannon, taken from the Rus- sians and Austrians. It is covered with bas reliefs, illustrative of Napoleon's victories, and his full length statue crowns the top. Soldiers are stationed at all these columns, and no one is allowed to ascend alone, as the temptation to throw themselves down from these high elevations seems irresistable to the French. After a pleasant drive around the " Boulevards," which are wide streets, built upon the ramparts of the old city, lined with shade trees, and filled with gay shops, and cafes, we drew up at the Palais Royal. This is an immense old palace, built in the form of a hollow square, and enclosing a beautiful 54 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. garden with flowers, fountains, etc. It was built by Cardinal Richelieu, and became the property, and was for a long time the residence of Louis Philippe and his family. It is now a vast collection of shops. Here we dined sumptuously at the " Trois Freres Provenceaux, one of the most aristocratic and re- cJierche, cafes in Paris. As its name indicates it was founded by three prov- incial brothers, who came to Paris, started an hum- ble eating-house, and by their cleanliness, strict at- tention to their guests, and moderate charges, soon accumulated a fortune. Their successors, the present proprietors, however, have long since abandoned the latter of those qual- ities by which the " Freres" achieved success, and it is now considered the most exorbitant cafe in Paris. An evening spent at the " Gaite," one of the twenty lighter theatres of this gay city, closed our labors for the day, and we retired to rest, cheered with the consciousness, that we had faithfully per- formed our duty for one day, at least, in sight-seeing. The next morning we took the train for Marseilles, in company with our trusty courier, " Paul," whom we had selected from a number of applicants, as the most reliable and best informed. THE WINE DISTRICT OF FRANCE. 55 The road from Paris to Marseilles, passes through a garden all the way. Leaving Paris, we ascended the Seine for some distance, passing Fontainbleau, with its beautiful palace and grounds, and crossing to the Saone, which we descended toward Lyons. The fields and roadsides were glowing with the beautiful scarlet poppy, or " coquelicot," growing wild, and a species of clover, bearing a deep scarlet blossom, which seemed to be cultivated in long slen- der strips, dividing the fields. The gardens were blooming with roses, acacias, etc., filling the air with their fragrance. We had an entire division of a first class car to our party of four, and thus enjoyed the ride exceed- ingly. The "vignerons "■ were everywhere at work in the fields, tying up and weeding their vines, which here seem to be cultivated in small patches ; women, with large broad brimmed straw hats upon their heads, were at work, promiscuously, with the men in these labors, and all seemed contented, cheerful and happy. The valley of the Saone is the celebrated " Bur- gundy " district of France ; along this river the finest wine is produced. The grape, thus far, promises well, and already the canals and the rivers are cov- 56 NOTES DKAWN AT SIGHT. ered with boats bearing casks into the interior in order to be ready for an extensive vintage in the fall. The dry sulphur treatment has been found here the most efficacious in arresting the " oidium." It is blown with a small bellows, in the form of a dry powder upon the diseased clusters and stalks. A mixture or paste of whiting and water has been tried, immersing the cluster therein, but thus far with no beneficial result. As we approached Lyons, the mulberry tree be- came abundant, from which, already, men were gath- ering the daily food for the silk worm ; silk raising constituting the chief industry of the country, in this part of France. Lyons is an important city, second only to Paris, lying between the rivers Saone and .Rhone, directly at their confluence. It is beautifully and tastefully laid out, possesses many fine public buildings, and is connected with the opposite shores of each river by substantial stone arch bridges. Its parks are filled with parterres of flowers, and shady plane trees line its streets. It is largely engaged in the manufacture of silk, and its citizens are thrifty and substantial. Lyons assumes the right at times of thinking and AVIGNON. 57 expressing an opinion on political subjects for itself, and sometimes at variance with the great regulator, Paris. The Lyonnaise also claim to speak the pure French, clear, as they say, of the affectation of the fashionable capital. As we rested, however, at an English hotel, and the landlord could not speak French, we transacted all our business in pure honest old Anglo-Saxon, and can not answer for the claim of the Lyonnaise to particular purity of diction. Our ride next day from Lyons to Marseilles, was down the " blue and arrowy Rhone," by rail ; the dis- tant spurs of the Jura mountains, their tops still covered with snow, lying afar off to the eastward. Along the river every crag seems to have been a battlement in olden time, and we were constantly passing castles and ruins, till Harry declared, the Rhone deserved to be called " castled," as well as the Rhine. We passed Avignon, the former seat of the Popes. The old castle is now an imposing ruin, which, with many old Roman ruins in the vicinity, is much visited by tourists. The scenery, as we descend towards the Medi- terranean, becomes much more mountainous and rug- ged than the more .northern portion of France. Many 6 58 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. of the hills, however, are cultivated to their summits, and the long rows of graceful and tall Lombardy poplars, which line the streams and roadsides, and the beautiful and tasty cottages and villas, surrounded by flowers which fill the valleys, give a beauty to the landscape rarely excelled. CHAPTER VII. Marseilles — The Quay — Greek Women — Balbel — Hotel De Bris- tol — Hotel Charges — Cafe Chantant — Italian Steamer — Cha- teau d'lf — Corsica — Elba — Monte Christo — Italian Cuisine — ■ Dinner — Savory Compounds — Italian mode of Eating Maca- roni — Civita Vecchia — First sight of Vesuvius — Islands and Bay of Naples — The Beautiful City — Hotel Vittoria — San Gennaro — Campo Santo — Grotto di Posilippo — Tomb^of Virgil — Catacombs. Marseilles is a bustling sea-port. Crowds of peo- ple line the quay in various costumes and apparently all talking at once in all the " patois " known under the sun. Lazy soldiers lounge round every corner. The cart and dray horses sport huge unicorn- like horns, projecting from the top of the collar up- ward, which, with the hames are tipped with brass and often embellished with gay ribbons. Women are seen in the streets in the quaint costumes, and in the peculiar head dress of the Greeks. They are from the town of Arle, a very ancient Greek colony, which still retains its old customs, situated on the Rhone, near Avignon. Christians, Turks Moors (59) 60 NOTES DKAWN AT SIGHT. and Chinese, and, indeed, almost all the nations of the earth are here represented along the quays. This, with its many peculiarities, stamp it as one of the strangest and most interesting cities in Europe. We took lodgings at the " Grand Hotel de Bris- tol/' and our Bonifaces in the United States, although generally reputed to understand that important part of a landlord's duty, making the bill, are perfect no- vices in the business. They should graduate at Marseilles, when with any reasonable amount of ma- teriel to work on, their fortune would be sure in the States in a year, at farthest. In the evening we visited a " Cafe Chantant" This is a feature of Prance, and very popular here. The building is fit- ted up as a kind of theater, beautifully ornamented in the Moorish Arabesque style, and for a franc ex- pended in refreshments one can hear some good singing and be bored with poor French wit, provided he is unfortunate enough to understand the u esprit de la langue." Finding the Italian steamer " Montibello " (pro- nounced Monchibello) was to sail the next morning- we at once engaged passage, as although not so good as the French line, we would gain two days time and save an indefinite amount of francs, by getting out of MONTE CHKISTO. 61 the " Grand Bristol" as soon as possible. So leaving at an early hour of a delightful summer morning, we enjoyed a fine view of the " Chateau d'lf " on our way out of the harbor, the scene of Dumas' celebra- ted story of " Monte Christo ;" passing Corsica before night and the islands of Elba and Monte Christo by moonlight. The shores as we coasted along were seen through just enough haze to sober their rough points, and we enjoyed the voyage exceedingly. It troubled one of my " compagnons de voyage," the fastidious Mentor, a little, to accustom himself to the Italian cuisine on this steamer ; but the philo- sophical Harry never looked under the crust and ate trustingly. We had coffee in the morning at 7 which was obtained below ; but our meals were all served on the deck beneath an awning which was spread to protect us from the sun. Breakfast at 10 — wine and fruits in abundance ; but no tea or coffee. Sundry savory compounds, smelling of garlic, at which Mentor elevated his nasal organ. Dinner at 5J — utterly at the mercy of the cook — the dishes being beyond the combined gastro- nomical skill of our party to analyze — wine ad libi- tum. Both Mentor and Harry, however, with that easy adaptation to circumstances, which character- 62 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. izes old travelers, at once adopted macaroni, eating it a l'ltalian. Taking their cue from a young and handsome black eyed " Signorina " who sat opposite us at table, the knife was discarded ; one end of the long string, helped to the mouth with the fork, when with a suc- tion and a noise like " a young" water spout, the worm looking edible seemed to wriggle up into the vortex and disappear. To close the teeth during this inter- esting process and thus break the continuity of the dish, is considered by all Italian epicures as decidedly " bete." The next morning when we awoke we were lying at the little port of Civita Yecchia, with a gracious permit to go on shore for the two or three hours our steamer was to lie there, on the payment of some three francs each, which, as the " Dogane" had spelt our names backward, we indignantly refused, prefer- ring to reserve our admiration for this the grandest Roman seaport, until our return hither, when per- adventure we may be permitted to enter his holiness' dominions foreward. This is the landing place lor Rome, beyond which it is of little or no importance. The usual characteristics of all Italian towns, lazy soldiers and priests line the quay, as we see from the ISLAND AND BAY OF NAPLES. 63 deck of our steamer, and the picture of St. Peter and St. Paul, the flag of the Roman See, floats from the battlements. Getting under way again we ran down the coast. At night the light of Vesuvius was distinctly visible from our decks, and early in the morning we passed the islands of Ischia and Procida, studded with villas. We rounded Cape Misene, entered the renowned Bay of Naples, glided along under the guns of the " Castel del Ovo" — named from its egg-like shape — and dropped anchor within the great Mole. There lay the beautiful city sleeping in the clear sunlight of an Italian summer morn. The shores of the bay stretched gracefully to the westward, embracing within their curve the buried cities of Hercula- neum and Pompeii. Resina, Castellamare and Sorrento — their white houses gleaming in the morning sun marked the line toward the island of Capri, and the isles of the Sirens ; while towering high above all, terrible yet beautiful, Vesuvius emitted his everlasting column of smoke. The dream of our life was realized ; we felt happy, and thought of the Italian proverb, — " See Naples and die." We were not quite prepared to fulfill its con- ditions, yet really, no one should die without Urst 64 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. seeing Naples, if possible. The eye can behold no fairer prospect on this earth. As soon as the custom house officer gave us our passport, we prepared to land. And now, such wrangling, such quarreling as occurred among these remote descendants of Massainello, for the honor (and the " carlines ") attendant upon our transpor- tation to terra firma we never heard before. New York hackmen in their palmiest days were quiet in comparison. They are prudent, however, and never fight. We selected the oldest boatman out of respect to his gray hairs, and after a voluminous expenditure of bad French and all the Italian our courier Paul could command we were ferried to shore and duly reported ourselves at the " Dogano " where we were inspected, compared with our passports and pro- nounced " buono " for a week, which, with the aid of an occasional carline, may be indefinitely extend- ed. So here we are; very comfortably lodged at the Hotel Vittoria, our rooms overlooking the whole bay, the Island of Capri and Ischia in front, and Vesu- vius, with the village of Resina, and Castellamare in the distance upon our left ; near which, also, lie the exhumed cities of Pompeii and Hercuianeum. Vesuvius is excited, as the flames from the peak CAMPO SANTO. 65 were quite visible last night, and he is said to have lately " boiled over " a little. His freaks, however, are quite harmless, now, since St. Genaro, the Patron Saint of Naples, has this and the adjoining places under his protection ; and as his image lines the roadside toward the mountain, the city is supposed to be effectually protected. To-day we rode around the heights of the Capo di Monte, and enjoyed a fine view of this beautiful bay, and islands, stopping at the " Campo Santo Vecchio" the Potters' field of Naples, where for a carline (about 8 cents) the stone was removed from the mouth of the pit, into which the dead bodies of the poor are thrown, when a most disgusting sight met our view. Lying on the bottom, were men, women and children, naked, with faces upturned and in process of decay. Their ghastly forms haunted us the balance of the day, and made us almost regret our curiosity. There are 366 of these pits, one of which is used daily; quick lime is thrown in upon the bodies, the top closed up by mortar, and it remains closed for a year, until its turn again arrives to " ope its ponder- ous jaws." We drove through the grotto of Posilippo, passing the tomb of Virgil, which is pretty well authentica- 66 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. ted, as the last resting place of the great poet. This grotto or tunnel was undoubtedly cut by the old Greeks or Romans, as it is referred to by their writers, and it is even ascribed by some to Yirgil, himself. It passes under the Mount Posilippo, and had for its object the connection of the eastern with the western part of the bay, where lay Lake Aver- nus, as the mountain here reaches the sea and sepa- rates the shores. Modern science, however, has over- come the obstruction, and the road now passes over as well as under the mountain. We also visited the Catacombs, excavated originally by the Greeks for burial places, and afterward used by the early Chris- tians as places of secret worship. They are very extensive and are cut out of the soft tufa, of which all these hills are composed, being the debris of vol- canoes. Many of the tombs were beautifully fres- coed, and adorned with statues, mosaics, etc., some of which are yet visible. CHAPTER VIII. San Carlo — Violin played by Ladies — Italian Pantomine — Vesu- vius Awake — The Hermitage — Monte Somma — Outline of the Mountain — Spartacus — Perilous ascent of Vesuvius — River of Eire — Alarm — Buono Mano, or Drink-Money — A Valley of molten lava — An authenticated Volcano — Lacrima Cristi — Fright — Return — Liberality — Hell — Museo Borbonico — Sights of Naples — Pompeii — Herculaneum — Temple of Jupiter — House of Castor and Pollux — Ampitheater. May 26. Last night we visited the a San Carlo," the great rival of the " La Scala," at Milan. This theater has six tiers of thirty-two boxes each, and is considered one of the largest and finest in Europe. We heard some passable singing, an exquisite performance on the violin, by two pretty and modest sisters, and a play of which we understood only the pantomine, but which had the usual love and murder elements of the Italian stage. When we left the theater, Vesuvius was shooting up tongues of flame high into the air, quite visible from the city, and resembling a distant conflagration. ( 67) 68 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. This surprised us, as we had always understood that flames were rarely seen except during an eruption ; the illuminations being usually caused by the reflec- tion upon the clouds of smoke always hanging over the crater. Paul had never seen the like before. We were here, then, in a highly favorable time, or, old Vesu- vius was firing up for the occasion of our visit, which we had projected for the next day. We therefore returned to the Vittoria, full of high expectation for the morrow. This morning, therefore, the 27th, we engaged a carriage, with three horses abreast, this number be- ing necessary for the pull up the mountain side of some three miles ; although the road is excellent, (thanks to the present King of Naples,) having a very easy grade with well paved gutters, curbstone, &c. A three hours drive brought us up to the " lo- canda" or half-way house, called the Hermitage, which is elevated about half a mile above the sea and stands upon the first plain, at the base of what is called Monte Somma. Evidently Monte Somma and the present Vesuvius were originally one, and the valley which now lies between them is but an extinct crater. Some ancient eruption, per- THE HERMITAGE. 69 haps the same which destroyed Pompeii and Hercu- laneum, has broken down the western side next these cities and the sea, thus destroying the great bulk of the ancient mountain, and leaving the two fragments or smaller cones of Monta Somma and Vesuvius. This outline filled up by the eye as you ascend from Resina, would make one complete mountain of much greater height than the present one, and justify, in some measure, the description given of it by ancient writers, when Spartacus and his gladiators encamped among the vines and shrubbery, which then grew within its crater. From the first plain or belt, which is about five miles in circumference, Vesuvius rises to the height of about 1,500 feet, being altogether about 4,000 feet above the sea, a cone of scoria, ashes and cinders, thrown up by successive eruptions. On reaching the Hermitage, we left our carriage, and mounting upon horses, progressed towards the cone. We found many persons here from the neighborhood, attracted by the active condition of the volcano; and, although we heard noises, and observed an unusual quantity of 'smoke hanging like a pall over the crater, we were hardly prepared for what followed. About a half a mile up the valley, between Monte 70 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. Somma and Vesuvius, our progress was arrested by a moving current of lava, entirely covering up our only road. Here we dismounted and witnessed this river of fire, moving slowly but irresistably onward towards the sea. Our guides, astonished as much as we, here declared it was not possible to go farther. But We, on the contrary, insisted we had come 5,000 miles to see Vesuvius, and in good round Italian, through our courier, with all the most approved ejaculations, known to the language, strengthened with an occa- sional forcible Anglo-Saxon prefix, added that we would not pay a "grano " of "buono mano" or drink- money, until we had accomplished that same. This threat, to withhold the " buono mano" or the strong Anglo-Saxon made use of, had its effect. A kind of palanquin was produced, and Harry was placed upon the shoulders of four men — Mentor declining the dangerous attempt, and returning with a guide to the Hermitage. With an alpenstock in hand, we started on foot, diverging from the previous road, walking with great difficuly upon the lava, scoria and cinders, with a view, as Paddy would say, to surround the moun- tain, and to progress further up the valley to a point from whence we could ascend the cone. We AN AUTHENTICATED VOLCANO. 71 proceeded in this manner about half a mile, some- times hurrying across a ravine, down which, just above us, a current of fire was pressing ; at others almost suffocated by the heat and sulphurous vapors which surrounded us, and trembling with fear lest our retreat should be entirely cut off and we too, be added to the multitude, who, from time to time have been destroyed by this mountain. But, trusting to our guides, who were very careful, and like all Nea- politans, never travel much out of the way to find danger, we pushed on, until at length a sight met our eyes at which the stoutest heart might well tremble. What we had before seen were merely rills, trick- ling down through the ravines of the mountain side — the boiling over of the great cauldron ; but now the cone itself had burst, at a point about one thou- sand feet below the apex, in consequence of the immense weight of the column of molten lava con- tained within, thus differing from ordinary eruptions. Above us, a few hundred yards, the whole valley was filled with the lava, forming a river more than a quarter of a mile in width, which moved to- ward us in one great wave of fire, bearing on its crest huge rocks of lava, the fragments of former 72 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. eruptions, which it kept continually lifting up, and when upon the top or crest of the wave, (which was some six or eight feet in height,) rolling them down again in front of the moving mass, with a noise like the crashing of ice, or the roar of musketry, un- til they were finally melted or replaced by other fragments. The movement was at the rate of about six feet per minute, and I feel that language is in- adequate to convey a correct impression. The ele- ments seemed, indeed, to be melting with fervent heat. If the molten iron of all the founderies of the world were gathered into one great stream, it might give a faint idea of the mass of lava ; but the grandeur, the sublimity of the scene, heightened by the sense of personal danger which we experienced, and the crash- ing noise of the falling fragments, can neither be conceived nor described. Of course any farther progress was out of the question ; we all stood spell-bound, the guides as well as ourselves, at this wonderful spectacle. There was no mistaking this; it was as "Carlisle" would say, an " authenticated " volcano, and our guides said they had never before seen such a sight. After drinking a bottle of " Lacrima Christi " — the celebrated wine which is grown around the foot of RETURN. 73 the mountain and hurriedly eating an egg, most sacrilegiously inserted by our courier Paul into the burning mass, we were hurried back by our guides, and so much had the lava advanced during our short absence, that it had filled the lower end of the valley through which we had passed, forming a vast lake, burning with fire and brimstone, and we had to make a long detour in order to reach "dry ground" again. We were so delighted with this day's experience and our safe return, that in getting into our carriage to depart, we incontinently distributed carlines to our Italian guides and bearers, until even Italian cupidity was satisfied, to the great indignation of Paul who carries the purse, and always quarrels at settlement " on principle," insisting that with the Italians — to dispute their demands commands respect. We drove rapidly down the mountain, and back to Naples, and at night found the sky strongly illumi- nated, by the fierce fires of Vesuvius, the light reflecting in long lines upon the bay, as we see painted in Italian pictures representing the volcano in action. The sublime and exciting scenes we had beheld, the dangers we had happily escaped, and the reflec- tions they induced, banished sleep from our eyelids. 7 74 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. We sat until long after midnight, gazing upon the distant burning mountain, and speculating upon the influence which such objects exercised over the opinions and literature of the ancients. There is hardly a doubt that the popular idea of hell and its torments sprang from such sources. The next day we devoted to Herculaneum and Pompeii, having previously spent a day at the "Mu- seo Borbonico," to examine the recovered statues, utensils, jewelry, tools, etc., etc., of that strange people. Cruel, lascivious, half-savage, yet in fine taste, elevated architecture and wonderful skill, how excellent ! So strange a thing is human nature. The same broad contrasts, however, can be seen around us here to-day, nor need the observing eye leave our own shores to detect the existence of al- most as wonderful and strange a contradiction. The Museo Borbonico possesses a very extensive collection of statues, bronzes, mosaics, frescoes, etc., recovered from Pompeii and Herculaneum. Some of the sculpture is supposed to be from the hands of Praxiteles and Phidias. The kitchen utensils, tools, saddlery, and articles of common use, resemble those of the present day in a remarkable degree. The sauce-pan, frying-pan and kettle, the kitchen lamp HERCULANEUM AND POMPEII. 75 for grease, the steel-yards, scales and weights, many agricultural implements and surgical instruments, bells, pins, bodkins, thimbles, together with screws, latches, bolts, bridle bits, stirrups, etc., etc., are identical with those which we see to-day. Twenty cen- turies have produced no improvement in these things. Herculaneum and Pompeii lie south of Naples, be- tween Vesuvius and the Sea, and are reached by a beautiful drive along the shores of the Bay. Here one may see very little donkeys, with very long ears, bear- ing very large loads in panniers — a kind of chaise drawn by one horse his bridle decorated with feathers or gaudy ribbons, having but one seat inside, which is usually oc- cupied by a fat priest, yet sometimes eighteen people hanging on, under, and about it. This is a favo- rite vehicle with the Neapolitans, a kind of omnibus. Then there are pigs along the road side innocent of bristles, beggars ad infinitum ; sturdy ones too, sometimes thrusting the stump of a dismembered arm into the carriage as you pass ; others dragging them- selves under the very horses' feet, with wonderful activity, on their haunches, apparently unable to move otherwise; and all clamoring loudly for "monee signore." Swarms of priests, in three cornered hats and long black robes ; Carmelite friars, in serge, bare- 76 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. headed and bare-footed ; soldiers of various uniforms on guard at every corner — lazzaroni lying around on pavements, curbstones everywhere — these three latter classes thick as leaves in Yallambrosa — fishermen mending nets, with red jaunty cap, falling over one side of the head, or lying asleep on their backs in their baskets — women earnestly engaged in studying the phrenological developments of each other, or their children — images of the Virgin and San Genarro, stuck up in niches everywhere, sometimes a candle burning before them, the gift of some repentant sin- ner ; macaroni hanging along the road-side to dry, like clothes upon the line ; women with curious head- dresses ; men and boys with curious costumes, some of the latter emulating that of Adam before the fall — all these and many other novel sights one sees in a ride to Pompeii. The entrance to the Theater of Herculaneum is down a narrow stairway about sixty feet, excavated through the lava, which, here, seems as hard as flint. Having reached the bottom we explored with torches, as in a mine, the corridors, &c. as far as they have been excavated. From thence we went to another portion of Herculaneum uncovered — having been like Pompeii buried under ashes. Here HERCULANEUM AND POMPEII. 77 the ruins are quite interesting, but Pompeii is so much more so that they are rarely thought of after- wards. A large portion of Pompeii is uncovered, and the government is still progressing with the work. It is unnecessary to enter into a description of these interesting ruins, as they have been so often de- scribed before. But to see these magnificent temples now exposed to the eye, the carving and the marble de- corations, the frescoes, paintings and mosaics in perfect condition ; to see the very pavement of the streets worn into ruts three or four inches in depth by the wheels of their vehicles ; the public fountains of granite where they drank, worn by the hands to just the shape, and in just the place where ours now fitted ; the well worn stepping stones to cross the streets ; the marks of the very glasses on the marble counter of a drink- ing shop, where they were doubtless left when the alarm was given, these and many other things strike one very forcibly when he reflects that nearly two thousand years have passed away since these people lived, and that many years more were required to produce those undoubted marks we see of active use. We feel that our own country, as yet but a few hun- dred years of age, is exceedingly juvenile in compari- son. From what we had read and heard, we were 78 NOTES DRAWN AT SIGHT. not prepared to expect so much grandeur and magnifi- cence as the Forum, the Basilica, Temple of Jupiter, house of Castor and Pollux, that of the Tragic Poet, the villa of Diomede, the Tombs, &c, in- dicated, These all have more or less beautiful carvings, columns, frescoes, &c, still to be seen, although the most of the statues and smaller articles have been taken to the " Museo " at Naples. The beautiful pavements in the court yards, or "Atriums" of all these villas, of mosaics, of colored glass and marble, are still very perfect. The whole is intensely interesting. We turned from this " ancient of days " to visit the Amphitheatre which is a short walk dis- tant, and is in a good state of preservation ; the seats, the columns, and the whole structure, were originally covered with marble, but it is now gone — nothing is left but the naked walls of brick. It was capable of con- taining 40,000 persons. Beneath the seats were the cells for the beasts, and the corridors from whence emerged the gladiators who were " butchered to make a Roman holiday;" the grand entrances, the stairs, &c, are all to be clearly seen. After drinking some water from the original aqueduct which supplied Pompeii, and plucking some roses from the garden of Diomede, we returned to the city. CHAPTER IX. La Cava — Landscapes of Claude — Catching pigeons — Appe- nines — The blue Mediterranean — Romantic ride — Amalfi — Beggars — The St. Nicholas — Marsala — Sovreigns of America — Travelers' Book — Political spies — Mariners' Compass — Sa- lerno — Medical School— Railroads built without wheelbarrows — Silarus of the Greeks — Crassus and Spartacus — Ruins of Paestum — Its Origin — Roses of Paestum — Nocera — The vine — Castellamare — The Ancient Stabiae — Pliny the Elder. This morning we started upon a visit to the in- teresting coast south of Naples, including the an- cient ruins of Paestum, passing through the val- ley in which the old town of La Cava is situated, where Claude is said to have caught the beautiful tints and delicacy of coloring, which characterized his pictures. Observing stone towers erected along the hill sides, we learned upon inquiry that they were built for the purpose of catching pigeons. During the migrating season, men are stationed in these towers, who, on seeing a flock passing over their heads, sling a white stone in the direction of their nets spread beneath, which the birds follow and are (79 ) 80 NOTES DEAWN AT SIGHT. entrapped in great numbers. La Cava is renowned for its vast collection of the ancient archives of the church, and of the medieval history of Italy ; over 100,000 rolls are said to be contained in the monas- tery here. But we had neither taste nor time for musty parchments, and therefore, rode on to Amalfi. Our road at times, wound along the sides of the Appenines, which here overhang the Mediteranean. Sometimes we were a thousand feet above the water, the boats and fishing smacks with their white sails, looking like egg shells upon its intensely blue sur- face, — (bluer than we ever conceived it possible) un- der the vertical light of a bright midday sun. At others we descended into romantic little fishing vil- lages, nestling in the valleys, cliifs and mountains rising behind and around them two or three thousand feet in height, occasionally terraced nearly to their summits and planted in vines. The road is cut in the side of the mountain cliffs and precipices with wonderful skill and labor, and protected on the sea side by a substantial stone wall. The grades are easy, and with the towering mountains on one side, and the blue sea upon the other, it forms one of the most beautiful and romantic rides imaginable. These visions of beauty, however, soon vanished — as at traveler's book. 81 Amain we were beset by more than, the usual crowd of beggars, caused, we presumed, by the thoughtless distribution of a few stray