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NARRATIVE 
 
 EXCURSIONS, VOYAGES, AND TRAVELS, 
 
 /PERFORMED AT DIFFERENT PERIODS ' 
 
 IN AMERICA, EUROPE, ASIA, AND AFRICA ; 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE RAPELJE, ESa. 
 
 "I was born and educated in the new world, but from earliest life panted to visit the old, 
 to gaze on the monuments of ancient days, and to meditate over the graves of departed 
 nations." — Lcdyard's J^etUr. 
 
 NE W.YORK: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY WEST & TROW. 
 
 1834. 
 

 Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1834, by George 
 Rapelje, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of 
 New- York. 
 
mMw. iiiAipmLim 
 
^^nwot!'!) of tnij ^aiU^i 
 REM RAPELJE ; 
 
 Whose precepts for the guidance of my youth were wholesome 
 and wise ; whose example for my imitation was worthy of all 
 praise ; a man who accumulated wealth by industry and eco- 
 nomy, and expended it with a generous and open hand ; who, 
 in evil times, escaped from harm, by wisdom and prudence, and 
 sustained his integrity of principle by firmness of purpose ; who 
 was a good citizen, always ready to support an honest govern- 
 ment, to vindicate its dignity and honor ; who was a kind father, 
 administering liberally to the wants and wishes of his children ; 
 a philanthropist to whom the poor never cried for bread in 
 vain ; one who lived in peace with all mankind, when permitted 
 so to do ; unambitious of political honors or popular favor, and 
 what is of a higher fame, and of sweeter remembrance to his 
 descendants, a Christian, who died in the hopes of the resur- 
 rection of the just to immortal hfe — this honest narrative of his 
 " oft wandering son" is filially and reverently inscribed. 
 
 G. R. 
 
 Library o^ D-^vH Kingf, 58015 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 My objects in travelling, were to find amusement, and to gain 
 health and information ; but at the time I was wandering over 
 Europe and Asia, little did I think of ever becoming an author ; 
 but in order to preserve some passages of my life, I have at length 
 thought proper to send my journal to the press. It has been 
 printed on my own account and risk, and, of course, no bookseller 
 could say to me, enlarge this, soften that, and entirely obhterate 
 this page, as it may be injurious to the sale of the work. It is 
 therefore given in the spirit of independence. I have the vanity 
 to think that there are some peculiarities in my journal, for I went 
 not out with the spirit of virtu, or to find wonders where they did 
 not exist, nor to give classical descriptions and illustrations of those 
 curiosities which have engaged the attention of travellers for ages. 
 I cannot boast of having spent my days in copying half obliterated 
 inscriptions on the walls of ruined temples, and of busying myself 
 in supplying that by conjecture which has been lost by decay. I 
 have taken no impression of hieroglyphics from pillars or pyra- 
 mids, nor wasted my time in attempting to form a key to unlock 
 these supposed mysterious treasures of knowledge. Those who 
 had gone before me have attempted all this, for they went out for 
 fame or pecuniary recompense. These savans and literati have 
 
b PREFACE. 
 
 frequently thrown a spdl around a subject which did not intrinsi- 
 cally belong to it. I have traversed the same fields, without any 
 pretensions to deep learnin": or extraordinary investigation, but 
 have gone onward, witli, I trust, a share of common sense and 
 common honesty. The things which I have seen I have described 
 in my own way, without poring over learned tomes to settle agi- 
 tated questions by comparisons or weight of authorities. My 
 opinions have been foiTiied from a direct eye-sight and an vmbiased 
 understanding, and as sucli I have given them, without a disposi- 
 tion to depreciate any country, or to degrade any particular race 
 of men : sometimes I may have been severe in my remarks, but I 
 think facts will support my observations. ' When I made my first 
 visit to England, the old fashioned doctrine of the balance of power 
 among nations, had nearly been destroyed by the two great belli- 
 gerents, Great Britain and France, but on my second, it was evident 
 that the Holy Alliance had chained nations to the car of peace, 
 which gave the traveller new advantages. The struggle of the 
 Greeks seemed the only exception in the civilized world, save a 
 few provincial feuds in South America. 
 
 The great nations of Europe will at all times have a command- 
 ing influence on the affairs of nations and will long hold it, parti- 
 cularly, over the Levant, once, the greatest theatre of human 
 action. Half the mighty battles of past ages by land and sea have 
 been fought there. This region, and the farthest East, in my 
 opinion, are destined, in the process of ages, to be governed entirely 
 by European nations. The Asiatics have no elements of recupe- 
 rative power in their institutions, although they are among the 
 bravest of the human race. 
 
 In travelling over these countries whose sun of glory has set for 
 ages, perhaps forever, or those on the decHne, one of a philosophi- 
 
PREFACE. 7 
 
 cal turn of niind cannot refrain from indulging the belief that there 
 is, by the maker of the whole, a connection or resemblance 
 between the natural and political worlds. It is a perpetual law 
 of the physical world that when a ray of light leaves one spot on 
 earth that it beams on another, making the light and shades for- 
 ever changing, and forever equal ; so in the political and moral, 
 when one country sinks in darkness, another arises mto day. The 
 Eastern sun was shorn of its beams before that of science arose in 
 the Western Hemisphere. Rome had declined and fallen before 
 Venice sprung up from the hundred islands of the Adriatic, and 
 Venice, in turn, had lost the traffic of the East before Britain 
 assumed it, and Spain began to sink when her South American 
 colonies began to flourish. These are subjects for the traveller's 
 consideration. 
 
 A citizen in a republic like ours views every subject with a 
 freshness, and with a desire to be informed, and at the same time 
 with a spirit of independence. He finds in the decayed and decay- 
 ing portions of the old world, much from their gone-by institutions to 
 reason upon and to profit by, in establishing those of the new. Com- 
 misseration is felt for the past, as well as honor and respect, but 
 hope and belief peculiarly belong to the future. I will now come 
 down to more particular reasons for publishing this volume. One 
 is, that I wished to preserve for myself the impressions which were 
 made upon my mind in the course of my travels, by whatever I 
 had seen and examined ; another, that I might give to my friends 
 some correct views of my travels ; and above all, that I might 
 leave on record some proofs of my attachment to the institutions 
 of my country. My property is in the land of my ancestors and 
 of my birth, and its value must be calculated by the prospects of 
 the country. On the score of modesty, I have not any scruples 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 in ushering my vicA\'s and opinions to the world, when I find every 
 Enghshnian who had travelled over my country in stages, steam 
 or canal boats, or otherwise, has given an account of us with great 
 positiveness ; a mim wlio probably came without letters or means 
 of introduction to any one. Such travellers talk wisely of the ha- 
 bits, manners, customs, and propensities of the people of the United 
 States, knowing no more of us tlian the bird who emigrates from 
 south to north or from north to south every season. The opinions 
 of travellers should be modest, and when they are so, are benefi- 
 cial to the great family of mankind, of whatever cast they may be. 
 Those who visit the old world have ten thousand partiahties for 
 past times, while he who comes to examine; a new one has as 
 many prejudices in his mind to overcome. To my own country- 
 men I say, cherish your own uistitutions, and look upon those of 
 others in candor and justice. 
 
 G. R. 
 
RAPELJE'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I THINK it quite proper that every man who 
 attempts to give his travels to the public, should 
 also give some account of himself, to assist the 
 reader in putting a true estimate on the capacity 
 and veracity of the writer ; for there are those 
 who may have an interest in falsely coloring 
 whatever they present, and there are others so 
 situated, as to tell the truth honestly, without any 
 partiality or prejudice. I rank myself among the 
 latter class, but the public are the judges. I want 
 no man's favor ; I ask for no office, pension, or 
 place; still, as my work is to come before the 
 world, I shall indulge myself in giving a few 
 particulars of my life. 
 
 I was born on the 9th of August, 1771, in a 
 three story brick house, on the north side of 
 Liberty-street, at that time called Crown-street; 
 the house was a few doors from the corner of 
 William-street. BIy father's name w^as Rem Ra- 
 pelje, and at that time, before business was so 
 distinctly divided as it now is, was a ship owner, 
 dealt in general merchandise, and kept a store in 
 Maiden-lane, directly in rear of his dwelliiig- 
 
 2 
 
10 rapelje's narrative, 
 
 house. He was a native of Brookl}Ti, Long- 
 Island, lie lost his fatlier when a child, and his 
 motlicr having contracted a second marriage, he 
 felt all the chilling influence of a step-father, and 
 souglit for friendly aid elsewhere. He fortunately- 
 had an uncle, in the corn, grain, and flour business, 
 a thrifty, intelligent man, who took him into his 
 store, which was at the fork of Maiden-lane 
 and Crown-street. Here, after a few years of 
 industrious labor, during which he supported the 
 character of an intelligent, honest young man, 
 he was sent in a schooner, as supercargo, to the 
 island of Curacoa, in the West Indies, and al- 
 though but twenty-one years of age, had other 
 vessels consigned to him. His personal appear- 
 ance, his honesty, his amenity of manners, as well 
 as his intelligence, made him a popular young 
 man. 
 
 The family of Rapelje was originally from 
 France. Being Protestant, they fled to Holland, 
 after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and were 
 among the early emigrants to New-Amsterdam. 
 One of the family was a land surveyor, and the 
 other a farmer. The name is mentioned in the 
 first accounts of the city, as one of the burgomas- 
 ters in the good old days of admiral, governor 
 Stuyvesant. The first child born of Christian 
 parents in the city of New-Amsterdam was named 
 Sarah De Rapelje. This account is now pre- 
 served as a curiosity. As they came from the 
 
11 
 
 river Wall, in Holland, and held lands on Long 
 Island, they called the small stream near their 
 dwelling " the Wallabout." The descendants 
 of these first settlers are now to be found in 
 various parts of the United States. My mother, 
 whose maiden name was Nelly Hardenhrook, was 
 born in the city of New- York, at the corner of 
 Beekman and Pearl streets, which my great grand- 
 father built, and lived in for many years. From 
 the great number of his children, my maternal 
 uncles and aunts, I have named the old mansion- 
 house " the bee-hive." 
 
 At the close of the American war, my father 
 purchased the glass-house farm, three miles and 
 an half from the city, as it then was, but now in 
 it, on the North river. It received its name from 
 an unsuccessful attempt to make glass bottles 
 there. It was little north of a country seat called 
 Content, a delightful place, the summer residence 
 of a Mrs. McAdam, sister to a Mrs. Shaw, whose 
 daughter had married Sir Richard Wheat, and 
 after his death, admiral Lord Cochran, who, if 
 living, now resides in Scotland. My father 
 resided at the glass-house farm thirteen years, 
 when he removed to a much larger farm, at 
 Pelham, West Chester county, where he resided 
 until his death, which happened at the age of 
 seventy-six years and ten months; my mother 
 survived him several years. 
 
 At four years of age I was put to a woman's 
 
12 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 scliool, next door to my father's, in Crown-street. 
 I afterwards went to a master's school, in Maiden- 
 lane, near Nassau-street. When my father resi- 
 ded at the glass-house farm, being then about 
 twelve years of age, I was sent to Hackensack 
 school, in New- Jersey; for during the revolution 
 all things in the city were in a state of disorder, 
 and there were no good schools established. At 
 the institution at Hackensack there were an 
 hundred scholars, of the best families, from the 
 states of New-York and New-Jersey. The scliool 
 was under the superintendence of Mr. Peter 
 Wilson, a most capable and indefatigable teacher, 
 who some years afterwards was elected a profes- 
 sor of the Latin and Greek languages in Columbia 
 College. I left Mr. Wilson to enter Columbia 
 College, where in due course I graduated Bachelor 
 of Arts. On leaving my alma mater, I was put 
 in the office with John Watkins, counsellor at 
 law, to study the profession. His wife, — for I lived 
 in the family, and cannot forget her kindness to 
 me, — was adorned with every social and domestic 
 virtue. She ])elongcd to a family of talent, being 
 a daughter to William Livingston, Governor of 
 New-Jersey, and sister to Judge Brockholst 
 Livingston. 
 
 I must turn back, leaving my own history for 
 a season, to give some account of what liappened to 
 my father during the revolutionary troubles. 
 
 My father, when parties ran high, inclined to 
 
rapelje's narrative. 13 
 
 the old order of things ; he for one, among many, 
 was contented and happy under the British gov- 
 ernment. His property was secure, and he, no 
 doubt, thought that many of our grievances were 
 imaginary. My father was not of a disposition to 
 remain still, and expressing his sentiments perhaps 
 a little too freely, excited the indignation of some 
 of the sons of liberty, from whom he met with 
 rude treatment. The mob assailed my father's 
 house, in search of my brothers, who had resented 
 the insults offered their father, but they were 
 saved by the cool intrepidity of my mother, who 
 invited a committee of three to come in and search 
 the house, declaring that her sons were not there, 
 nor did she know when they might be. They 
 had been taken from the house disguised in female 
 apparel, and secreted for a while. They were 
 high spirited young men; one of them was a 
 student in medicine, and the other was preparing 
 to be a merchant, under commissary Henry White, 
 a man of distinction in that day. 
 
 Another circumstance happened, which was a 
 sad grievance to our family. My maternal uncle, 
 Theophilus Hardenbrook, chief engineer to the 
 king, in New- York, was treated with every insult, 
 and was mangled, and ill used by the mob ; but 
 to their honor be it said, that the upper classes of 
 the whigs did every thing in their power to re- 
 strain the mob. He got away from his persecu- 
 tors, concealed himself on the banks of the Hudson, 
 
14 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 and at length gaining a little strength, he took a 
 small boat to go on board a man-ol-war, lying in 
 the stream, but after he had reached the ship, 
 exhausted from the loss of blood, in attempting to 
 get on board, was drowned. These stories, often 
 repeated by my dear mother, have sunk deep into 
 my heart, and their influences can never be done 
 away. My father, for his honesty was never for 
 a moment doubted, was allowed by the committee 
 of safety in New- York, to reside in New-Jersey, 
 where he lived in great retirement until the war 
 was over. He had pledged the word of a man of 
 principle and honor, and he took no part in the 
 revolutionary conflict. 
 
 While my father was in banishment, one of 
 my mother's relations, a whig, came to her, and 
 told her that she had better remove with her 
 children into the country, as in the event of the 
 city being taken by the British, it would be burnt. 
 My mother replied, " My dear cousin, you have 
 valuable property here, and would not like to 
 have it destroyed. What I should wish to see will 
 not be a matter of consequence. I assure you it 
 is the intention of General Washington to Are the 
 city, if it falls into the hands of the British army;" 
 and it so happened that soon after they got pos- 
 session of the city, a fire commenced somewhere 
 to the east of Broad-street, and near the spot 
 where Pearl-street and the East river are contin- 
 ued round the point, on the east and north side of 
 
rapelje's narrative. 15 
 
 Broad-street, crossing over to the west side of 
 Broadway, before it came to Wall-street, and 
 sweeping up on the west side of Broadway, be- 
 tween it and the North river. Trinity church 
 was burnt. St. Paul's was with difficulty saved, 
 and the desolation reached to the North river. 
 Many persons were suspected and examined, but 
 no satisfactory account of the conflagration could 
 be given ; but the general opinion was, that the 
 fire originated from design. 
 
 While we lived at the glass-house farm, about 
 the close of the war, when many of the Hessians 
 were still in the country, a singular circumstance 
 happened at our place, which I will relate, not 
 that I was a believer in witchcraft, but to show 
 how general the belief is in every part of the 
 world. In Syria and Egypt, long since that 
 period, my mind has been perplexed to account 
 for many things that seemed to be out of the com- 
 mon course of nature. I will tell the story as it 
 was. My father had on his place three cows, one 
 of them drooped very much, and appeared very 
 poor and sulky. We had two colored men, one of 
 whom had been taken by tlie English army, and 
 made to drive a wagon for the Hessians, and he 
 became acquainted with their tricks and contri- 
 vances. He said to my father, " I now know, 
 master, what is i\\e matter with our cow ; master, 
 if you go on the top of the hill you will see her 
 coming this w^ay." Sure enough, as Shadrach, — 
 
IG rapelje's narrative. 
 
 for this was tlie name of the colored man, — had 
 suggested, she made her appearance, "vvhen the 
 fellow cut off a piece of the cow's tail, and away 
 she bounded, as far as she could, for fences. As we 
 stood there, a Hessian soldier came from our 
 kitchen, then another from a neighbor's house, to 
 the very spot where the cow was ; my father 
 called them by name ; they had their heads bound 
 up as they came near the cow ; the moment they 
 saw my father, they said they were very sick, and 
 were looking for herbs to cure them of a bad 
 headache, cold, and fever. These men were not 
 sick before Shadrach performed his counter charm 
 by letting blood, but after this they were really 
 ill, and kept their beds for several days. The 
 colored man said he had known many instances 
 like this, and that the two men had done the art. 
 The cow soon got well. He who laughs at super- 
 stition, more than half believes in supernatural 
 agency, and he who defends his belief in enchant- 
 ments must often be ashamed at his own credulity. 
 What Shakspeare and Johnson believed and 
 reasoned upon is, however, not a subject to be 
 treated with contempt. 
 
 When I entered Columbia College, the second 
 Dr. Johnson was President of the institution. His 
 filth er had been President before the revolution, 
 and was exalted in his day and generation. Pro- 
 fessor Cocliran, an elegant classical scholar, Idled 
 the chair of Latin and Greek ; Dr. Johannes Gros, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 17 
 
 a German, that of Moral Philosophy and Geo^^ra- 
 phy ; and Professor Kemp, of Mathematics, Natu- 
 ral Philosophy, and Astronomy ; he was indefati- 
 gable in his duties, and considered by all who 
 knew him a ripe scholar. These were the lights of 
 mind that led us onward in the paths of know- 
 ledge of that day. Then the alumni were happy ; 
 but soon there sprung up a sectarian feeling, and 
 great art was used to get a Presbyterian head to 
 the College. This was after the death of that 
 excellent and learned man the Right Reverend 
 Bishop More, the President who came after Dr. 
 Johnson. This succeeded for a while. The 
 charter of the institution made it imperative that 
 the President must be an Episcopalian. The 
 great mover of the machine would not have it so 
 exactly; they made a nominal President, and put 
 over his head a Provost. The President was an 
 old man, with a small salary ; the Provost had a 
 large one, and a house provided for him. This 
 however did not succeed; the evil remedied itself; 
 the College did not prosper under the new auspi- 
 ces ; many students took their degrees in other 
 Colleges ; the Provost was translated to another 
 institution ; and all things were reinstated in their 
 former regular course ; and the President became 
 an officer de facto as well as de jure. O, I look 
 back to the city of my birth, that too of my an- 
 cestors, when all things went on in a good old- 
 fashioned way ; when those pestiferous sinks of 
 
18 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 property, the banks, which create artificial capital 
 to the destruction of real capital, were unknown. 
 I hate the name. Tliey give the speculator an 
 opportunity to cheat his honest neighbor. I hate 
 modern degeneracy. There was a time, when I 
 was a chikl, if one owed another a few thousands 
 of dollars, he had a cart backed up to the door, 
 and took in the precious metals in bags, which 
 had been previously honestly counted, whether of 
 gold or silver. You had only to tell the carman 
 where to go, and he went. No guards were 
 necessary; his character was enough. These were 
 indeed golden days, such as I fear never will 
 return. Each man pursued his own course as his 
 judgment dictated. There were then no lire and 
 life insurance companys' bonds to gull you with 
 promises of exhorbitant gains, which were never 
 realized. Now-a-days, if a man is known to have 
 a few thousands in ready money on hand, an 
 hundred schemes are put into operation to get it 
 from him. Golden dreams are set before him. and 
 one must have a good share of the true knicker- 
 bocker, to save himself from destruction. 
 
 It often happens that some of our shrewd, 
 sharp dealers are to form some plausible pretext 
 or plan for a bank, or a canal, or a rail-road, or 
 setting up some factory or other, getting a legisla- 
 tive grant or charter, or insurance company ; then 
 some one or other of these men who are to be 
 trustees or directors is your friend ; he has your 
 
rapelje's narrative, 19 
 
 confidence, he comes and tells you what great 
 gains are to be made from the l3ank, or institution, 
 or factory, or other contrivance they mean to set 
 up, and you had better take so many shares, as it 
 w^ill raise the stock, and you will make money ; 
 all which, as it is told you by your best and 
 TTt&st coiifidentialfj'iendj you are induced to believe 
 is true; — you agree to take a large number of 
 shares. After they get your money, and by some 
 mieans or other deceive you, as to what they put 
 in themselves, they soon after make out some 
 excuse, prepared from the beginning, no doubt, 
 that your stock is all gone, and divide yours, and 
 other money they have obtained in the same way, 
 among themselves. 3Iany, very many, of those 
 who are now riding in great style through the 
 country, would have been hung, aye, hung for 
 conspiracy, had they practised their tricks in any 
 European country. 
 
 The first voyage I took at sea must have been 
 about the fall of 1791. A Captain John Keaquick, 
 knowing w^ell my father, I being then about 
 twenty years of age, and a great favorite with the 
 Captain, it being vacation at College, persuaded 
 my father to let me go with him to Boston in a 
 brig he commanded, and of which he was part 
 owner. The passage was all very well, till we 
 came to Cape Cod, when one morning he came 
 down in the cabin, and said to me, " I am afraid it 
 is all over with us." I was then laying upon the 
 
20 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 cabin floor, rolling about from one side to the 
 other. He, no doubt, expected I might say some- 
 thing or other to console him ; so he picked me 
 up, and placed me in my berth. IMy reply was, 
 " The sooner she goes to the bottom now the 
 better ; I am so sea-sick, I would rather die than 
 live. For God's sake, can't you stop her from 
 rolling about so ? Can't you have more sail 
 hoisted 1 I am sure on a small boat, it will 
 make her more steady." He took a glass of 
 brandy and water, and away he went on deck — 
 had more sail hoisted, and she went more steadily, 
 and we cleared the cape. 
 
 On my return from Boston, I was in the ofiice 
 of Samuel Jones, Esq., counsellor at law, for about 
 six months. This was the gentleman whom the 
 Indians liked so well in making their treaties with 
 our State, that they would not conclude any ar- 
 rangement till Mr. Jones, or Old Pine Knot, as 
 they used to call him, was present. There are 
 two of his sons eminent lawyers, at this day ; the 
 eldest has been Chancellor of the state, and is now 
 Chief Justice of the Superior Court in the city of 
 New-York. 
 
 Being one day met by a sea-faring acquaint- 
 ance, I took it into my head to go with him to the 
 West Indies. He told me he was bound to one of 
 the Windward Islands, (I think Barbadoes.) In 
 October, 1793, we set sail in a brig belonging to 
 Ten Eyck, Cockroft & Vandyke, commanded by 
 
rapelje's narrative. 21 
 
 Capt. Solomon Saltus, a Burmudean, a very skil- 
 ful, worthy, and respectable man. Her name I 
 have forgotten, but she was deeply loaded. My 
 father and mother reluctantly parted with me, I 
 being now an only son ; but having been away 
 from home, at school, in my early days, so great 
 a part of my time, that I was hardly contented 
 to sit quietly down in the family circle, although 
 always treated with the greatest paternal kind- 
 ness. The articles I was fond of when a boy were 
 always placed where I could get them, such as 
 boiled milk, tarts, fiiiits, custards, and the like, in 
 a pantry, where I found them when I came home 
 after meals on Saturday from school or College; 
 and the students from College, or those with whom 
 I was studying law, often shared with me. I 
 would ask them to walk or ride out in the after- 
 noons. Among these were Mr. James Woods, 
 counsellor at law, Mr. Parson Cave Jones, (both 
 now deceased) the Judge of our new Court of 
 Sessions, Mr. Riker, and many others who came 
 out to see me on that pleasant spot on the North 
 river, the glass-house farm, where there was abun- 
 dance of fruits in their season, and of the very best 
 kind ; and thus we used to enjoy ourselves com- 
 fortably with my parents. My father formerly, 
 among other articles of trade, dealt in wines, of 
 various kinds, and had his cellar in Crown-street 
 often filled with pipes and casks of Madeira, and 
 other wines, and always, during his residence in 
 
22 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the countryj had a pipe on tap. I therefore was 
 allowed to draw a decanter whenever any of my 
 company came out to see me ; and my mother 
 was always pleased to see my friends and ac- 
 quaintances, and would, from a spring we had on 
 the place, make a fine dish of the best green tea, 
 with smoked beef, excellent home baked bread 
 and butter, and Bogert's crackers, prepared in the 
 way hereafter described, with common comfiture, 
 or some kind of sweetmeats, and in the season, cur- 
 rants, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, or peach- 
 es sliced and sugared. Notwithstanding all my 
 comforts at home, I had made up my mind to take 
 this voyage. My father wished me to take a thou- 
 sand dollars in cash with me for my expenses, but I 
 preferred taking part of the cargo, and the owners 
 agreed to let me have what sum I pleased. I 
 chose for my adventure, peas, ship-bread, and 
 flour, to the amount of about a thousand dollars. 
 We laid in full and ample stores — we had twelve 
 doKen of wine each, porter, and cider, the same of 
 Bogert's crackers, made of nothing but flour and 
 water, and by putting them in a bowl of fresh cold 
 water, they would rise up and burst open ; any 
 old man could eat them without teeth. These 
 crackers were delicious ; our modern bakers seem 
 to have lost the art of making them. I often long 
 for the days to return, when I could share with the 
 knickerbockers in a cup of tea, from the tea- water 
 pump. Whatever of other cake, and bread and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 23 
 
 butter, we had always a plate of those Bogert's 
 biscuits, soaked in cold water, split open, and a 
 bit of sweet fresh butter put on each half biscuit. 
 
 We laid in for our voyage every thing in 
 proportion, as six dozen of ducks, six dozen of 
 fowls, &c. We started in October, and instead 
 of getting as far to windward as Barbadoes, we 
 fell to leeward as far as the island of Dominique, 
 and anchored at the town of Rosseau. Governor 
 Bruce, a hearty old officer, invited my fellow 
 passenger and myself to dine with him, as also 
 Captain Saltus. He entertained us in the most 
 sumptuous manner, with the very best Madeira, 
 so good that I was quite inspired by it. He 
 offered us beds, in his cool house, but we declined, 
 and went on board, I here think proper to men- 
 tion, that my friend and shipmate was a Mr. 
 William Carpenter, of Brooklyn, who had been 
 brought up a complete merchant. At the time of 
 our arrival, we found that flour was selling at a 
 dollar a barrel less than it had cost us ; but the 
 Captain luckily hit upon a project to have the 
 price advanced, so that we might have a profit. 
 
 After having been in port a couple of days, 
 the Captain told the Governor, if there was any 
 part of his cargo that was wanting, he might 
 have it, but he could not sell it, and sacrifice the 
 property of his owners ; and as they had money 
 owing to them in the island, he would charter 
 another vessel or two, and purchase all the flour 
 
24 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 in the island at six dollars and a quarter a barrel ; 
 for he knew where to take it, to an island not very 
 far distant, and get seven or more dollars for all 
 they had. The bait took ; and I got for my flour 
 one dollar and a half a barrel more than it was at 
 that time selling for. In a few days we sailed to 
 Point a' Petre, Guadaloupe, wiiere the captain 
 and the other passenger laid in sugars for a 
 return cargo. They both had been concerned in 
 merchandise all their lives, but they missed a 
 figure in their purchase. They could easily have 
 obtained icliite clayed sugars for the same or a less 
 price ; but no : (the prejudice of education is a 
 wonderful thing !) they laid out all their money 
 arising from the cargo they had sold, in brown su- 
 gars. "Why do you not buy coffee?" says I; '4t 
 is selling for sixpence a pound. New- York money." 
 " O, no ; that would not do." For my part, I had 
 no mind to lay out my money — I had sold my 
 peas, beans, and flour, and thouglit I would keep 
 my return moneys snug, and not try merchandise 
 again. During our stay at Point a Petre, Guada- 
 loupe, my fellow passenger was taken sick, and I 
 sent for the most distinguished physician in the city, 
 but could not get him to give my friend any medi- 
 cine. On my urging him to prescribe something, 
 he replied, " I know not the nature of his disease, 
 and he had better die with it, than that I should 
 kill him by administering improper remedies for 
 the complaint ; put him into the warm bath three 
 
rapelje's narrative. 25 
 
 times a day, and give him light chicken broth and 
 gruelj as his appetite may require." The patient 
 gave up all hopes of recovery, and made his will ; 
 but under this treatment he slowly recovered. 
 The captain earnestly assured me I could now 
 make something of the return cargo, and he had 
 room enough in the hold to put any thing I might 
 buy. I therefore bought some clayed sugars, and 
 coffee for sixpence a pound. We sailed on Mon- 
 day morning, and on the following Wednesday 
 arrived at St. Eustatia, where I sold my coffee 
 for double the money I gave for it. That was 
 pretty good profit in three days. The captain 
 and my fellow passenger were ready to tear the 
 hair from their heads with vexation. We then 
 started for New- York ; but before we arrived at 
 Guadaloupe, I remember sailing along a French 
 island, called Mariagalante ; when we sailed 
 pretty close to it, we saw several horsemen on 
 the sand-beach, riding to and fro, and, in a short 
 space of time, cannon-balls were fired at us from 
 the shore, which went hissing over our vessel, and 
 fell beyond us. The captain paid no regard to 
 the firing, but kept on ; and a breeze springing 
 up, we soon got clear of them. 
 
 On our passage to New- York, we got on the 
 Banks of Newfoundland. My fellow passenger, 
 who was a great hand at fishing, was fixing his 
 lines and hooks, to try to get some cod-fish, w^hen 
 
 4 
 
26 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 tlie captain said, " You need not think to catch 
 any here ; there has never been any cod-fish 
 caught within five hundred miles of where we are 
 now." So positive are some people. " O, but 
 captain," said I, " Carpenter is so fond of fishing, 
 you will have no objection to his trying." " O, 
 no," says the captain. There was a calm, and I 
 think the day was clear. The young man put 
 down his line, which, to appearance, reached 
 about a hundred fathom. "Ay," says the captain, 
 " I told you so ; who ever heard of cod-fish being 
 caught in water a hundred fathom deep?" But 
 in a short time my fellow passenger brought up as 
 fine a fish as ever I saw, and soon after, several 
 others ; but the wind soon springing up, put an 
 end to the fishing. We sailed then fdr New-York ; 
 and what we made in a week, we were blown off 
 again in a day or two. The sailors, poor fellows, 
 had a dismal time on the coast, in winter weather, 
 knocking the icicles off the rigging, and experi- 
 encing a succession of contrary winds and bad 
 weather. However, after enduring much cold, 
 we arrived at New- York some time in February. 
 I remained with my father and mother at the 
 glass-house farm, till the fall of 1795, when find- 
 ing my health much impaired, I conceived a 
 voyage to England might be of service to me ; 
 and, in the month of October, took my passage 
 on board a new ship, called the Niagara, Capt. 
 
27 
 
 Black, bound for London.* My father and mother 
 were much grieved, and it almost broke my own 
 heart to part with them ; but I was in so feeble a 
 state, that I concluded a sea voyage would be 
 most conducive to the restoration of my health. 
 I however got my father's and mother's consent, 
 without which I should not have departed. I 
 took letters from many most respectable friends 
 to deliver in England. Some of them I brought 
 back unopened ; but those I did deliver were of 
 importance to me. I found many friends I had 
 known in America, who were all happy to see 
 me ; I shall give an account of them as I go on. 
 The passengers on board were the captain's wife, 
 a captain of a merchant ship, a Mr. Francis 
 Bassett, who had been to America to purchase 
 some land for a farm, in case there should be a 
 revolution in England, which he very much ex- 
 pected, and myself We had a very boisterous 
 passage, the ship's deck was under water almost 
 the whole time. She made the easterly part of 
 England, and came within sight of the Scilly 
 rocks, which I had before heard of as dangerous, 
 but they were at a distance, the water dashing 
 over them. It looked as if there was a storm 
 coming on. A signal was made for a pilot, and 
 
 * The ship, belonging to the Rhinelanders, of Greenwich-street, New- 
 York, had just been built at Hudson. By my writing to my father as soon 
 as I landed at Penzance, and sending the letter to Tortsmouth, from which 
 place I think the packet ships sailed for New-York, Rhinelander saved by 
 this letter his insurance of, I think, three thousand dollars. 
 
28 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 one soon came to the ship. He said, as it was 
 near night, he woiikl recommend the captain to 
 steer into Mount's Bay, in Penzance, Cornwall. 
 Into the bay he went, and cast anchor before 
 sunset. My fellow passenger, Mr. Francis Bassett, 
 took me about the town, and introduced me to 
 several persons, among whom were the clergyman 
 of the place, the Mayor of the town, and Sir John 
 Price, Bart., a widower. He had an only son, 
 named John, who kept a fine stable of twelve 
 blood horses, hunters, roadsters, saddle, and car- 
 riage. They lived next door to the widow Stone, 
 who kept the best inn in the place, and where I 
 put up. We passengers were all sitting at supper, 
 when in came two custom-house officers to inquire 
 about the ship, &c. The captain and some of 
 the passengers suspected what was brewing, for 
 they knew the yellow fever was in New-York 
 when the ship sailed. The men inquired if the 
 ship was healthy ; they were answered, it was. 
 They then said they would go and inform the 
 principal officer, and return in a short time. On 
 their departure, what a scampering there was ! 
 The captain and one passenger going to London, 
 paid their bills, ran down to the boat, and went 
 on board the ship. The other passenger lived 
 about fifteen or twenty miles from Penzance, at 
 Truro ; he got a post-chaise at the back door, and 
 went off immediately. I alone was left when the 
 officers returned. I told them I did not care to 
 
rapelje's narrative. 29 
 
 go ; I wished to rest myself. I should put myself 
 under their laws — the ship was healthy — there 
 was no sickness on board, nor had there been any 
 on the voyage — that the Niagara w as a new ship, 
 and that I myself was from the country, not from 
 the city of New-York — that I was so well satis- 
 fied with the English, their laws, and government, 
 they might do what they thought proper with me. 
 They consulted together, and said that but to save 
 appearances, they would permit me to walk 
 to any part of the town, but they would 
 rather I should stay in the house, and I should 
 have the whole range of it ; that there would be 
 occasion for two officers to be at the door every 
 day, but I believe there was seldom more than 
 one. Well, there I lived most sumptuously; every 
 day joints of delicious meat, poultry, fish, uncom- 
 monly fine potatoes, and other vegetables, with 
 fine clotted cream, and apple tarts. I must here 
 observe, that in no part of the world is clotted 
 cream to be had in such perfection as in Cornwall. 
 Many persons from the metropolis are in the habit 
 of appreciating its excellence; and, in consumptive 
 cases, it has been generally recommended. This 
 part of the country is celebrated for its tin mines. 
 There is one shaft sunk down far out in the bay ; 
 and in travelling, you see men constantly with a 
 large bunch of candles in their hands, going to 
 work in these mines. Sir John Price came in 
 every day to see me, and amused himself with 
 
30 kapeije's narrative. 
 
 playing battledore with me. When quarantine 
 was out, he invited me to breakfast; it was taste- 
 fully set out with delicious fruits, tarts, and plenty 
 of game, plover, and fresh eggs, muffins, crumpets, 
 and indeed with every thing substantial. I re- 
 member I expressed a wish for a book ; he sent 
 me " Taplin on Farriery," and wrote me a polite 
 note, saying that by Englishmen it was highly 
 esteemed, as the author had, in handling the 
 subject, freed it from superstition and ignorance, 
 from which time he was called " The immortal 
 Taplin ;" that his book in six years ran through 
 eleven editions, the greatest sale of any book ever 
 published in the Englisli language. Indeed, his 
 style is as elevated as if he was writing on the 
 most dignified national subject. 
 
 At this period there was a cartel arrived from 
 France with Englishmen who had been exchanged 
 for an equal number of French prisoners ; and 
 when I saw them step on shore, the first thing 
 they did was to kneel down, and almost involun- 
 tarily, one and all, kissed the earth. There icas 
 devotion to their country! They for a moment 
 kept on their knees, as if putting up their thanks- 
 giving to Heaven for their safe deliverance from 
 French imprisonment. 
 
 I left Penzance and came on to Truro, a fine 
 looking town, where I spent the night, and the 
 next day proceeded to Exeter, and took an occa- 
 sion to examine St. Peter's Cathedral. The out- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 31 
 
 side view is indeed noble. The walls are at least 
 eight hundred years old, making a striking contrast 
 to our brick churches. Princes, priests, and apos- 
 tles are seen gazing from their niches, where they 
 have stood for centuries. The archway is orna- 
 mented with reposing angels, and St. Peter, with 
 the keys of heaven, stands conspicuously in the 
 front. There can be nothing in the combinations 
 of architecture more imposing than the sight of 
 the great Gothic window, with its stained glass 
 and beautiful tracery. If the outside is imposing 
 and solemn, the inside is full of piety and sublimi- 
 ty. The bishop's throne is considered the most 
 magnificent of any one in England. It far ex- 
 ceeded any thing I ever saw. History informs us 
 that this venerable edifice has more than once 
 been desolated by a licentious soldiery ; but by 
 the hand of taste, and the zeal of pious ecclesias- 
 tics, has arisen again in more than former splen- 
 dor. It has a chime of ten bells, but the great 
 one, which took twenty-five men to ring it, is now 
 only used as a bell for the great clock. The 
 others are said to make a noble peal. The old 
 clock is an astronomical one, and goes to prove 
 that the science of astronomy was pretty well 
 understood many years ago. Nothing can be 
 more solemn than the monuments to the dead in 
 this church. Here, within the walls of one of the 
 mightiest efforts of the genius of past ages, moul- 
 der the remains of prelates, warriors, and sages. 
 
32 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 In such a still and solemn place, so magnificent, 
 so full of inspiration, the traveller seems as it 
 were standing at the gates of another world, 
 which beatified spirits are soon to open on their 
 golden hinges. 
 
 From Exeter I proceeded to Bristol, wliich is 
 a fine city. It is situated on the southern ex- 
 tremity of Gloucestershire, and on the northern 
 extremity of Somersetshire, and once formed a 
 part of both counties. It is one hundred and seven- 
 teen miles from London, and twelve from Bath. 
 It is situated principally on a peninsula, between 
 the Frome and the Avon. It is an ancient city, 
 being named in the Doomsday Book of William 
 the Conquerer, in 1086; and its inhabitants in 
 that book are styled burgesses, certainly implying 
 some privileges above ordinary places. It was 
 early a great mart of commerce. John Cabot, 
 the great explorer, was made a citizen of Bristol 
 for his discoveries and enterprising character. 
 The public buildings are numerous ; but amidst all 
 that wealth could give, or the bustle of trade 
 inspire, that it was on one side washed by the 
 Avon, Willy Shakspeare's Avon, made it dearer 
 to me. As turbid as the waters were, vexed Avith 
 a thousand craft, of every size, the swan of Avon, 
 in my imagination, sailed down the tide ; enough 
 to consecrate the waters of the Dead Sea. 
 
 From Bristol I made my course to Bath, only 
 twelve miles distant, and a little more than an 
 
33 
 
 hundred from London. It is situated in the 
 bottom of a narrow valley, where hot waters have 
 boiled up, perhaps ever since the creation. Those 
 luxurious conquerors of the world, the Romans, 
 inclosed these springs by walls, including about 
 fifty acres. It is now a picturesque place, as it is 
 now built. Bath has had a variety of names, such 
 as Aquse Solis, Pontes Calidi, &c. Its early his- 
 tory commences in fable. 
 
 There are some fine public buildings. The 
 Common Council-room is truly elegant, and 
 adorned with several portraits of kings, queens, 
 and statesmen, — Chatham and Camden among the 
 latter. The pump room is eighty-five feet in 
 length, forty-six broad, and thirty-five in height. 
 The crowd had dispersed at the time of my visit, 
 and I could only imagine it in the summer season. 
 I was struck with a marble statue of Richard 
 Nash, Esq., the arbiter elegantiarum of Bath, 
 This man's life shows the power of fashion over 
 wealth, birth, and genius. No monarch of the 
 east ever governed with more arbitrary sway his 
 vassals or slaves, than Beau Nash did the company 
 at Bath. He was polite, discriminating, and just, 
 equally the enemy to supercilious aristocracy, and 
 to vulgar plebianism. He gave grace and charms to 
 free manners ; and if he could not cure a propensi- 
 ty to scandal, he taught them to spice it with wit. 
 Such a man is of more value to society than we 
 
 5 
 
34 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 think for. Manners are next to morals, and often 
 of more importance to the traveller. 
 
 From Bath I proceeded to Oxford, a place I 
 had heard much of while I was in college. It is 
 situated in the centre of England, on the southern 
 side of Oxfordshire. It was a monastic establish- 
 ment, early in the Christian era, in England. It 
 is situated in a flat, sedgy country. On the east of 
 the town is the river Chirw^ell, and on the west the 
 Isis. These rivers ramify into numerous streams 
 at this place, and unite their waters on the south 
 side of the city. The history of Oxford has often 
 been written, and Cowley, Pope, Wharton, and 
 many others, have celebrated it in the sweetest 
 strains of poetry. The Isis, having a more poeti- 
 cal and classical name than the Chirwell, has 
 received all the glories of the Muse. Is there not 
 something in a name? The appearance of the 
 town from the high grounds is picturesque. The 
 water had overflowed the meadows, as is often 
 the case in spring and fall, and Oxford looked like 
 an island. The numerous churches, colleges, and 
 bridges, give the place a singular look. The 
 whole city contains not much over six hundred 
 acres. On the south are the meadows, and on the 
 north is arable land. In ancient times this place 
 was defended by fortifications ; they included at 
 that time only about a tenth part of the present 
 city. It contains, -with the suburbs and liberties, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 35 
 
 fourteen parishes. Some historians trace its clas- 
 sical character to Alfred the Great. The city has 
 been twice burnt by accident, — in 979 and 1002. 
 In 1009, Swein, King of Denmark, set fire to it. 
 King Ethereld avenged this deed by ordering a 
 general massacre of the Danes throughout all his 
 dominions. In Oxford the deed was executed 
 with the most savage vengeance. The sister of 
 the King of Denmark perished with her kindred. 
 Swein retaliated, and laid several towns in ashes, 
 but his revenge was in a measure satiated before 
 he reached Oxford, and he spared it with imposing 
 a fine only, Ethereld, who had fled to France, 
 now returned and glutted his rage in return. 
 Such were the unsettled times in the early ages of 
 English history. King Edward, called Ironsides, 
 held his court in Oxford. The city was stubborn 
 when taken possession of by William of Norman- 
 dy. Richard Coeur de Lion was born in Oxford. 
 This the people are proud of to this day. He 
 certainly was the proudest of all the hosts of the 
 crusaders, although 
 
 " He left a name at which the world grew pale, 
 To point a moral, or adorn a tale." 
 
 Queen Elizabeth was fond of Oxford, for a 
 very good reason. This University decreed the 
 marriage of Henry VIII. with Catharine of Arra- 
 gon to be void ; which gaA^e the King an opportu- 
 nity of marrying Anne Boylen, the mother of 
 Elizabeth. In 1577 a sickness broke out here. 
 
36 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 that carried off a great proportion of the inhabi- 
 tants. For a Avhile it was deserted, as a sickly 
 place ; but it had so far recovered its reputa- 
 tion for a healthy one, that King James came to 
 Oxford and spent the summer of 1665, when the 
 plague broke out in London. The town's people 
 and scholars have been quarreling for centuries ; 
 and I believe this is a common case throughout my 
 own country, as well as this. It is a little singular 
 that the first act for the freedom of the press in En- 
 gland was granted to this University by Richard 
 III., who allowed it to export and import books 
 at pleasure. Here was established the first press 
 in England. Here was educated the great John 
 Wickliffe, the first translator of the Bible into the 
 English language. He was one of the sturdy Pu- 
 ritans, who assisted in breaking down the power of 
 the Papal See. But the University had many be- 
 nefactors among the Catholics : Cardinal Wolsey 
 founded Christ's College here, and endowed seven 
 professorships. It w^as not until the reign of James 
 I. that the University had the privilege of sending 
 two representatives to Parliament. This was 
 just and generous, — letters should be represented. 
 Charles I. was friendly to Oxford. James II. 
 played the fool there by attempting to direct " the 
 wilderness of free minds," and this was one great 
 cause of his unpopularity and final ejectment from 
 his kingdom. 
 
 The officers of the College are numerous ; a 
 
rapelje's narrative. 37 
 
 Chancellor, a High Steward, a Vice Chancellor, 
 and Public Orator, with many others. The Uni- 
 versity consists of twenty Colleges and five Halls. 
 The Colleges bear date from 1264 to 1740; the 
 Halls from 1200 to 1480. Oxford is a fine place 
 for a gentleman to spend a few months in ; as he 
 can, upon proper recommendation, obtain access 
 to the Bodleian library, which is large and rich in 
 materials for history that liave been accumulating 
 ever since its foundation in the reign of Queen 
 Elizabeth, and the earlier records are deposited 
 here for safety. And what is still more important 
 to some persons, Oxford has a fine market. 
 
 I am now in London, the most noble and po- 
 pulous city in Europe, and, in my opinion, the 
 first, all things considered, in the world. For 
 years I have longed to see this great emporium. 
 I shall take as wide a survey of it as I can consis- 
 tent with my state of health. With me geogra- 
 phy is first, and history follows. London is situ- 
 ated on a valley, or rather perhaps a plain, on the 
 banks of the Thames, which divides the city into 
 two irregular parts, and passes through from west 
 to east in its journey to the sea. It is stupendous 
 when we look to its trade, commerce, wealth, and 
 population. It is a sort of grand caravansary of 
 the world. It not only concentrates the traffic of 
 England, but it is the broker's shop of all nations. 
 It is the residence of royalty, the seat of Parlia- 
 ment ; the judges settle the law here ; the com- 
 
38 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 merce of the tradinir world is arranged here. Sci- 
 ence, literature, and also all the great blood vessels 
 of benevolence and charity, are found here. It is 
 not like many cities, scrimped for room. A great 
 portion of it is on the northern bank of the Thames, 
 in the county of Middlesex. It now covers eigh- 
 teen square miles, or eleven thousand five hun- 
 dred and twenty acres. This calculation includes 
 the bed of the Thames, which is about four hun- 
 dred yards wide, taking it on an average. The old 
 city includes the central part, called the east end. 
 Here a great portion of the commerce is carried 
 on. The southern bank of the Thames from 
 Deptford to Lambeth bears some resemblance 
 to the east end ; but abounds not only in com- 
 merce but in manufactures. Every part of this 
 Babylon is alive with industry. In war or peace 
 they go on about the same, or if any change is per- 
 ceived, it is more brisk in war than in peace. It 
 is said that it contains seventy squares, eight hun- 
 dred streets, lanes, &c. The inhabitants are now 
 somewhat over a million, and are rapidly increas- 
 ing. It is an old place, and was a town before the 
 invasion of Julius Caesar. The Romans gave it 
 consequence by walling it and making it a favor- 
 ite residence. Tradition will have it that Csesar 
 built a castle, which is now called the Tower of 
 London. Many of the institutions of London are 
 decidedly of ancient date. It was one of the 
 first portions of Britain which was converted to 
 
rapelje's narrative. 39 
 
 Christianity. Melitus was consecrated the first 
 Bishop of London in 604. Notwithstanding the 
 general accuracy of the Doomsday Book of Wil- 
 liam the Conqueror, London is not mentioned in it. 
 This can only be accounted for by some privileges 
 which it then enjoyed, for certainly the place must 
 have been of sufficient consequence to have been 
 registered at that time, London has been fated 
 to all the casualties of other cities. In 1077, a 
 great part of the city was destroyed by fire ; in 
 1086 there was another great fire, and in four 
 years afterward a tornado passed over the city, 
 and demolished six hundred houses. In 1196 the 
 city suffered from popular riots ; the first, I under- 
 stand, that were ever known in that city for such 
 a cause. In 1212 another great fire took place, in 
 which three thousand persons perished in the 
 flames. In the Magna Charter wrested from King 
 John, three years after this period, it is stipulated 
 that the city of London should have " all its an- 
 cient privileges and free customs, as well by land 
 as water." In 1264, there was a massacre of the 
 Jews ; there had been one before. 
 
 In 1348, a terrible pestilence, which travelled 
 from India, the cradle of all things that enlighten 
 or destroy the human race, reached I^ondon in its 
 progress over the globe. Scarcely had the pesti- 
 lence done walking in darkness and wasting at 
 noon-day, and as yet the gloom had not passed 
 away, when Edward the Black Prince returned 
 
40 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 from his victorious campaigns in France, bringing 
 with him the King of France, whom he exhibited 
 in triumph, in the streets of London. The citizens 
 evinced their patriotism and their wealth on the 
 occasion ; the greatest splendor was exhibited by 
 the commonalty as well as nobility. In 1381, Lon- 
 don was shaken to its very foundations by the in- 
 surrection of Watt Tyler. This agony lasted only 
 three weeks — the lawyers and the literati suffered 
 severely in this insurrection. The rabble burnt 
 the inns of court, and murdered every lawyer they 
 caught. The city suffered from other causes. 
 From the death of Henry VIII. the religious feuds 
 were disastrous. Edward, his son, was young and 
 feeble minded — Mary, his successor, bigoted and 
 cruel. She condemned and executed more than 
 two hundred for religious heresies, as she called 
 them. The fires lighted at Smithfield were not 
 put out for nearly a century. During the reign of 
 the house of Stuart, new evils were inflicted on the 
 city of London. The plague of 1665, which carried 
 off an hundred thousand victims, was followed by 
 the great fire in 1666, which destroyed a good pro- 
 portion of the city. The evils which had hovered 
 over and fallen on London seemed in a good mea- 
 sure to cease, when William and Mary came to the 
 throne, by a fair contract between rulers and peo- 
 ple. The history of the city since, is so well known 
 to all the reading community, that I shall not detail 
 it, but describe a few of the curiosities that at- 
 
uapelje's narrative. 41 
 
 traded my attention while in London. Among 
 the first was St. Paul's Cathedral. This noble edi- 
 fice requires particular attention. Several edifices 
 had been erected on the site before the present 
 noble pile arose. This, which now stands, I shall 
 attempt to give some account of; for it is one of 
 great interest to travellers. It is the first object 
 that strikes the eye as you enter the city, and the 
 last you behold when leaving it. It is entirely of a 
 different style of architecture from St. Peter's Ca- 
 thedral at Exeter, for St. Paul's is of Grecian ori- 
 gin. The design was from that classical scholar 
 and elevated genius, Sir Christopher Wren. It is 
 in the form of a cross, five hundred feet long, and 
 two hundred and eighty-five broad, covering more 
 than two acres of ground. It was finished in the 
 reign of Queen Anne. A colossal statue of the 
 Q,ueen adorns the principal entrance. The allego- 
 rical emblems which are on certain portions of this 
 piece of sculpture I had not patience to attempt. 
 At the western end appears the majestic dome, sur- 
 mounted by a ball and cross. The north and 
 south-western extremities support two splendid 
 towers. A statue of St. Paul stands in the centre 
 of one front, and the figures of the four evangelists, 
 in a recumbent posture, cover another. The mate- 
 rial of the edifice is massive and durable, being 
 Portland stone. If it was ever white, it has now 
 grown dingy by smoke or time. When you enter 
 this Grecian temple, the mind is carrried back to 
 
 6 
 
42 kapelje's narrative. 
 
 the days of Pericles. The airy, tasteful appear- 
 ance of every thing around, gives you fresh admi- 
 ration for tiiat wonderful people, who had no gloom 
 in their religion, no fears of death in their imagi- 
 nation ; who in a bland air and under brilliant 
 skies, caught every inspiration of nature, and 
 embodied the whole in marble. 
 
 This church contains the monuments of many 
 distinguished men. Howard, the philanthropist, 
 has a monument here, or rather a full length 
 statue. He is dispensing good things to man 
 while struggling with ignorance and oppression. 
 The statue of Dr. Samuel Johnson exhibits the 
 author of the Rambler in profound thought. 
 
 I visited tlie whispering gallery, an accidental 
 combination of arches and angles which gives to a 
 soft whisper a strong, articulate sound at the dis- 
 tance of more than an hundred feet, and the shut- 
 ting of a door reverberated like thunder, enough 
 almost to stun one. After all the interior elegance 
 of St. Paul's, I should prefer to pay my homage to 
 my Maker in the Gothic cathedral, whose archi- 
 tect reminds one of the pale lamps and sacred 
 shrines of the Christian Fathers. 
 
 My next steps were directed to 
 
 " Where London's column pointing to the skies, 
 Like a tall bully, lifts his head and lies." 
 
 This column received the honor of the above 
 couplet from Pope, from an inscription on it 
 charging or insinuating that the great lire in 16G6 
 
rapelje's narrative. 43 
 
 was the doings of the Catholics, which Pope be- 
 lieved to be false. It is now tottering, and is not 
 held in respect, either for its form, masonry or com- 
 memorations, and will probably be pulled down 
 before many years. It looks now as if it was 
 about to fall on the head of the traveller. I 
 visited the Tower. It is an old and clumsy build- 
 ing, and fit only for the abode of wild beasts ; 
 although some noble fellows have been impri- 
 soned here. We were shown the jewels of the 
 crown, those heir-looms of the kingly office 
 which no monarch can appropriate to himself. 
 Formerly these jewels were kept by some great 
 officer of state, but now they were shown to us 
 by a young woman, who was extremely eloquent 
 in giving us the history of the several jewels, as 
 she took them out of the casket and carefully 
 returned them again. Each room in this ancient 
 pile has some appendant story for the benefit of 
 those who live by showing the Tower to stran- 
 gers, and the stairs under which the murdered 
 children's bones were found, is not the least inte- 
 resting place about the tower. I was several 
 times here, and found all they said they had by 
 rote ; for they never varied their narratives. 
 The sentences, words, and syllables were always 
 the same ; but after all, these traditions must be 
 taken " cum gi^ano salis^^' as the legends have, in 
 many instances, but little history to support them. 
 Even to one accustomed to the harbor of 
 
44 rapeije's narrative. 
 
 New- York, destined, I believe, to be a rival 
 one day to London herself, the forest of masts 
 is astonishing. Vessels lie near each other as far 
 as the eye can extend its vision. Not being 
 aware how swiftly the water ran under London 
 bridge, I, with one of my countrymen, a Mr. Sea- 
 man from New- York, came near being swamped 
 in a small wherry as we attempted to pass under 
 one of the arches. The boatmen on the Thames 
 are expert, but many accidents happen, notwith- 
 standing their skill. 
 
 It is the height of English ambition to repose 
 after life's fitful fever, in Westminster Abbey. 
 There is hardly a child of ten years of age, who 
 speaks the English language, who has not some 
 idea of this illustrious cemetery. The site of 
 the church and monastery of St. Peter, was 
 in early times an island, by some ramification 
 of the Thames, now only discernible to antiqua- 
 rians, who take pains to show the fact. Offa, 
 King of Marcia, granted certain lands to this 
 monastery in 785. For several centuries it w^as 
 protected by the petty kings. The Abbey was 
 used for their coronation, which gave it a high 
 degree of esteem among all classes of people. 
 Edgar, in 957, by the instigation of Dunstan, 
 founded here an order of Benedictine Monks. 
 Edward the Confessor, however, was the great 
 patron of the Abbey ; he enlarged it as a sub- 
 stitute for his vow of going to Rome, to thank 
 
rapelje's narrative. 45 
 
 Heaven for mercies received. The style of the 
 architecture of this building is Gothic, but as it had 
 many builders of different tastes, it is not exactly 
 to be classed under any particular style. It is 
 said that within the walls of Westminster Abbey, 
 was printed the first book from an English press, 
 in March, 1474, entitled The Game of Chess. The 
 Abbey was in jeopardy in the reign of Henry 
 Vin., but from the partiality of the King to this 
 place, it rode the storm and became a cathedral 
 with a bishop. In the next reign, part of the 
 possessions or income of St. Peter's were appro- 
 priated to the repair of St. Paul's Cathedral in 
 London. Hence arose the proverb of " robbing 
 Peter to pay Paul." It is now many centuries 
 since it became a burial place, which makes it a 
 place of attraction and resort. 
 
 After visiting the chapels, the traveller is in 
 haste to see the '^Poet's Corner." The monument 
 of " Old Chaucer" shows that the chisel had not 
 transcended the pen in that, for his verse is quite 
 as smooth as his monumental stone. Spencer's 
 monument has a very short inscription. " His 
 divine spirit needs no other witness than the 
 works which he has left behind him." The ceno- 
 taph erected to the memory of Rowe has the 
 following lines written on it. 
 
 " Thy reliques, Rowe ! to this sad shrine we trust, 
 And near thy Shakspeare place thy honor'd bust. 
 Oh ! next him skill'd to draw the tender tear, 
 For never heart felt passion more sincere; 
 To nobler sentiments to fire the brave, 
 For never Briton more disdain'd a slave. 
 
46 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Peace to thy gentle shade, and endless rest, 
 Blest in thy genius, in thy love too blest ! 
 And blest that, tinicly from our scene remov'd, 
 The soul enjoys that liberty it lov'd! 
 To these so tnourn'd in death, so lov'd in life, 
 The childless parent and the widow'd wife, 
 Willi tears inscribes this monumental stone 
 That holds their ashes and expects her own." 
 
 The epitapli on Gay is delicate and forcible. 
 
 " Of manners gentle, of affections mild ; 
 In wit a man, simplicity a child ; 
 With native humor temp'ring virtuous rage, 
 Form'd to delight at once and lash the age ; 
 Above temptation in a low estate, 
 And uncorrupted e'en among the great : 
 A safe companion and an easy friend, 
 Unblam'd through life, lamented in thy end; 
 These are thy honors ; not that here thy bust 
 Is mix'd with heroes, or with kings thy dust ; 
 But that the worthy and the good shall say, 
 Striking their pensive bosoms, there lies Gay !" 
 
 The epitapli of Milton is in plain prose, no 
 poet venturing to invoke the Muse who had in- 
 spired the author of " Paradise Lost." His monu- 
 ment is more durable than marble, composed of 
 his works, which will never die so long as the 
 English language is spoken. Milton, however, re- 
 ceives a compliment in the inscription on the tomb 
 of Gray. 
 
 " No more the Grecian Muse unrivall'd reigns, 
 
 To Britain let the nations homage pay ; 
 She felt a Homer's fire in ]Milton's strains, 
 
 A Pindar's rapture in the lyre of Gray." 
 
 Sir Godfrey Kneller was a distinguished paint- 
 er, the favorite artist of William and Mary, and 
 ranked among the poets and men of genius of his 
 day ; he belonged to the Kit-Cat club, and was 
 really a man of talents. Pope wrote his epitaph. 
 
 " Kneller by Heaven, and not a master, taught, 
 Whose art was nature, and whose pictures thought; 
 When now two ages he had snatch'd from fate, 
 Whate'er was beauteous or whate'er was great, 
 Rest crown'd with princes' honors, poets' lays, 
 Due to his merit and brave thirst of praise ; 
 Living, great Nature fear'd he might outvie 
 Her works ; and dying, fears herself may die." 
 
rapelje's narrative. 47 
 
 I was anxious to visit Windsor, as I had heard 
 so much of the place, and made my arrangements 
 accordingly. It is chiefly distinguished for having 
 been the residence of several of the sovereigns of 
 England, from William the Conqueror down to 
 George III. The Saxon chroniclers state that 
 William kept some of his holy-days here. William 
 Rufus was at Windsor in 1095-96 and '97. The 
 festivals he held there were secure from tumult or 
 apprehension. Windsor Castle was a strong 
 military post. Henry VIII. added to the Castle. 
 A great tournament was held at Windsor in the 
 reign of Edward I. Edward II. made it a place 
 of resort ; and Edward III. was born here, and 
 during life cherished an affection for the place. 
 He made more improvements than any of his 
 predecessors. He impressed workmen from the 
 neighboring counties to make repairs upon the 
 Castle. In Windsor Castle, Richard II. heard the 
 charge of the Duke of Lancaster against the Duke 
 of Norfolk, but not being able to decide the ques- 
 tion, appointed them a day for mortal combat. 
 
 During the Commonwealth, Windsor Castle 
 was garrisoned by Parliament troops. In 1648 
 the Castle was the prison of Charles I. On the 
 restoration of Charles II. he repaired the Castle, 
 which he found in a state of great dilapidation. 
 After making his improvements, he usually spent 
 his summer months at Windsor. 
 
 Queen Anne, when Princess of Denmark, 
 
48 RAPELJE'rf NARRATIVE. 
 
 resided ia a cottage at Windsor. George III. 
 makes it a favorite residence. He has employed 
 our countryman West to ornament the Chapel of 
 St. George with some elegant paintings. For 
 nearly four centuries, sovereigns and prelates have 
 exerted themselves to ornament this Chapel. In 
 it were buried Henry VIII., and his favorite wife 
 Jane Seymour ; also Charles I., and many persons 
 of distinction among the Peers. 
 
 There are two parks at Windsor, one the 
 home park, and the other the great Windsor park, 
 which is said to be twenty-one miles round. It is 
 in a liigh state of cultivation, in trees and grass. 
 The cattle, horses, sheep, and hares, were seen in 
 every direction holding a holy-day. The feed was 
 as luxuriant as ever grew on the German flats. 
 George III. is one of the best farmers in England. 
 His breed of sheep is excellent, and he is as good 
 a judge of the weight of wool, meat, and tallow, 
 as any drover in the whole nation. Windsor is a 
 distance of twenty-one miles from London, which 
 the King drives in less than two hours ; for he is a 
 very Jehu on horseback, and rides elegantly. 
 The land all about the Castle seems to be a piece 
 of enchantment, and is often surveyed by the King 
 from the terrace. Pope is not extravagant in his 
 praise of Windsor, when he says : 
 
 Thy forest, Windsor ! and tliy green retreats, 
 At once the Monarch's and the Muses' scats, 
 Invite iny lays. Be present, sylvan maids ! 
 Unlock your springs, and ojien all your shades. 
 Granville eonimands ; your aid, O Muses bring ! 
 What Muse for Granville can refuse to sing] 
 
rapelje's narrative. 49 
 
 " The groves of Eden, vanish'd now so long, 
 Live in description, and look green in song ; 
 These, were my breast inspir'd with equal flame, 
 Like them in beauty, should be like in fame. 
 Here hills and vales, the woodland and the plain. 
 Here earth and water seem to strive again ; 
 Not, chaos-like, together crush'd and bruis'd, 
 But, as the world, harmoniously confus'd ; 
 Where order in variety we see. 
 And where, though all things differ, all agree. 
 Here waving groves a chequer'd scene display, 
 And part admit, and part exclude the day ; 
 As some coy nymph her lover's warm address, 
 Nor quite indulges, nor can quite repress. 
 There, interspers'd in lawns and opening "ladea, 
 Thin trees arise that sun each other's shades. 
 Here in full light the russet plains extend ; 
 There, wrapt in clouds, the bluish hills ascend- 
 E'en the wild heath displays her purple dyes, 
 And 'midst the desert, fruitful fields arise, 
 That crown with tufted trees and springing corn, 
 Like verdant isles the sable waste adorn. 
 Let India boast her plants, nor envy we 
 The weeping amber, or the balmy tree. 
 While by our oaks the precious loads are borne. 
 And realms commanded which those trees adorn. 
 Not proud Olympus yields a nobler sight, 
 Though gods assembled grace his towering height, 
 Than what more humble mountains offer here, 
 Where in their blessings, all those gods appear. 
 See Pan with flocks, with fruits Pomona crown'd. 
 Here blushing Flora paints the enamell'd ground, 
 Here Ceres' gifts in waving prospect stand. 
 And nodding tempt the joyful reaper's hand." 
 
 I saw at Windsor a dairy of twelve cows, said 
 to be presents from various parts of Europe, from 
 crowned heads to the Queen. They were in fine 
 order, and the largest I had ever seen. The 
 dairy-house was a fine building, and the whole 
 arrangement excellent. No favorite horses ever 
 had more care taken of them, than these cows. I 
 ate some of the butter, and never tasted better. 
 There is much to be done in our country in im- 
 proving the breed of cattle, and in making butter 
 and cheese. We are far behind England in the 
 economy of the dairy. 
 
 Near the town is the Billingsgate fish-market ; 
 7 
 
50 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 as I turned a corner, I saw a large woman, witli a 
 broad-briinniecl liat, and broad, high flushed cheeks; 
 of her I inquired the way to the Billingsgate fish- 
 market. Putting her arms a-kimbo, with her hands 
 on her sides, and raising herself on her toes, in a 
 harsh, discordant, angry tone, she replied, " This is 
 the market, and I am one of the Billingsgate fish- 
 women ; what the d — 1 do you think of me 9" I was 
 almost struck dumb at her size and speech, but I 
 made the best of my situation, by saying, " Why, 
 I really think you a fine looking woman, with a 
 basket of excellent fish." " Then," said she, " will 
 you not buy some of my fish ?" " I have no family, 
 a lodger in a hotel," — and this, with the present of 
 an English shilling, saved me, no doubt, from at 
 least a torrent of abuse. This market, which I 
 expected to find large and convenient, is mdeed 
 very small. 
 
 England is the most renowned of all countries 
 for its extensive charities, and London is the focus 
 of them. The Foundling Hospital has been erect- 
 ed many years. In 1713, Addison called the at- 
 tention of the public to the subject in a number of 
 the Guardian but a few years before the institu- 
 tion was chartered. The object of this charity is 
 the support of deserted children, and has been the 
 means of doing much good. Handel Avas a patron 
 of this institution. He presented the organ for the 
 chapel, and performed on it his Messiah for the 
 benefit of the charity. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 51 
 
 The Magdalen Hospital is an excellent institu- 
 tion, and has saved the lives of thousands, and re- 
 stored many who had been abandoned, to their 
 friends again. The celebrated Dr. Dodd was one 
 of the principal founders of this charity. 
 
 Greenwich Hospital is an honor to the country. 
 It is an excellent retreat for aged or w ounded sea- 
 men. It is a fine building. The terrace facing the 
 Thames is eight hundred and sixty-five feet long. 
 The edifice is built of Portland stone ; it is about 
 five miles from London bridge. This institution 
 has been patronized by all the monarchs of Eng- 
 land since it w as established in 1695. The seve- 
 ral buildings are ornamented by statuary and 
 paintings. The pensioners are numerous. They 
 resemble the relics of a beaten army. The prin- 
 cipal revenue is derived from the payment of six 
 pence a month from every seaman. 
 
 Chelsea College is to the army, what Green- 
 wich Hospital is to the navy ; and is supported, in 
 part, by deducting one day's pay a year from each 
 officer and soldier, and from parliamentary grants. 
 
 One day I went to my barber's, to be dressed. 
 As he was combing my hair, I began to launch out 
 into praises on the country, — he knew me to be an 
 American, — describing it as abounding in every 
 thing that could gratify the wants and wishes of 
 man, but added, " I suppose you find it hard work 
 to live, from the oppressive weight of your taxes 
 and poor-rates." He jumped several feet, on hear- 
 
52 RAPELJE's NAKRATIVE. 
 
 ing this remark, came directly before me, and ex- 
 claimed, " Great God, Sir ! do not pity us. We 
 are the greatest nation in the world; and if the 
 taxes were ten times as large as they are, able to 
 pay them. Let those who don't think so go to 
 your country; we shall be glad to get rid of all 
 grumblers. And when they are in your country, 
 they find fault with every thing ; they are bad citi- 
 zens every where. You ought to look after them 
 sharply, if they come among you." This was a 
 full-blooded Englishman ; and with the exception 
 of a few radicals, who are called by the common 
 people king-killers, this is the most loyal people in 
 the world. They act upon the motto, Dco^ ^cgi, 
 Populo ; only some of them change the arrange- 
 ment. This love of country has carried the nation 
 through a thousand storms of state, and the envy 
 of all Europe. They have shed their blood in 
 every land, and carried their thunders on every 
 wave, from their love of country. 
 
 Whilst living at Leicester-square, in fine wea- 
 ther I took my daily walk to see whatever came 
 in my way ; and this great metropolis abounds in 
 matters of curiosity to a stranger. In one of my 
 strolls, I got into a street which I thought was 
 Rag Fair. On inquiry, I was told that it was 
 Rosemary-lane; and my informant added, "and 
 one that can turn out as many pennies as any street 
 of its size in London." The street, or lane, exhi- 
 bited a curious spectacle. Old clothes, furniture, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 53 
 
 trunks, and all sorts of trumpery, were hanging 
 from the upper story of every house, down to the 
 ground, and the streets so crowded with this bag- 
 gage, that the passengers were in danger of break- 
 ing their shins at every step. This lane was ten 
 or twelve hundred feet in length. 
 
 Party spirit was then running high; and my 
 friend from New- York, Mr. Seaman, was a high 
 democrat, and at all places expressed himself too 
 freely. While we were at a hotel, which I believe 
 they called the Anti-Gallican, Seaman pronounced 
 a flaming eulogy on Bonaparte, who was then in 
 the zenith of his glory. In an instant a dozen 
 canes were raised to chastise him ; but on my sta- 
 ting that he had been dining out, and ought to be 
 forgiven, in an instant they were all still, and let 
 him go ; but he came near having his head broken 
 for his political sentiments, where the rule is to 
 say what you are a mind to say, — rather a dan- 
 gerous doctrine in the freest country, if you are not 
 with an overwhelming majority. 
 
 Next door to my lodging, lived Sir Benjamin 
 Tibbs, who owned the house my landlady rented. 
 Sir Benjamin had a daughter then about twenty- 
 one years of age. She often visited my landlady. 
 I was introduced to her, and as she was of a lively 
 disposition, I sought her company ; often walked 
 with her to the Park. On Easter night, I saw her 
 at the Lord Mayor's ball. She took my arm, and 
 as we walked through the rooms, she explained 
 
54 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 to me all the ceremonies. I danced "vvitli her 
 several times. Her height, her manners, her face, 
 and complexion, were all to my taste, and she 
 was intellectual enough for the wife of a states- 
 man. I was quite enamoured with her, but I 
 called to mind my parents, and dared not to 
 express my feelings. 
 
 I visited a cousin of my father's, Mr. John 
 Rapelje, who lived in Kensington. His estates in 
 Brooklyn had been confiscated during the revolu- 
 tionary war. The British government had noticed 
 him on his coming to England, and he was living 
 comfortably. I dined with him, and had a pleas- 
 ant time. 
 
 I found near my lodgings a pastry and con- 
 fectioner by the name of Johnson, a very sensible 
 man. Here I regaled myself very often. I liked 
 many traits in this man's character. He had been 
 a foundling, and had lived in matrimony several 
 years without children, when he adopted two 
 foundlings, and was bringing them up well. 
 
 By virtue of my letters, I became acquainted 
 with several respectable families, to whom I was 
 much indebted for their kindness and attention to 
 me. The Plomer family were occupying a neat 
 cottage a few miles out of town, ornamented with 
 a fine library, to which I had free access, during 
 my visits to them, wliich were frequent, as they 
 lived so much to my mind. I also received many 
 civilities from Lady Affleck ; dined with her and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 55 
 
 accompanied her sons to a ball. They were po- 
 lished gentlemen. 
 
 I became acquainted with Colonel John 
 Church, being introduced to him and family by 
 General Alexander Hamilton. These gentlemen 
 had married sisters, the daughters of General 
 Schuyler of Albany. Mr. Church had a fine 
 family of children, two of the daughters being 
 married in New-York, one to a Mr. Burner, a 
 lawyer, and the other to Peter Cruger, Esq. an 
 opulent merchant. He lived in London, like a 
 nobleman. He had a service of plate, and ser- 
 vants in livery. I shall ever feel grateful for the 
 kindness they showed me. Several other families 
 were attentive to me, as a stranger from New- 
 York. Mr. White, who resided then in London, 
 was not behind my other friends in his civilities. 
 His daughter had married Sir John Macnamara 
 Hays, a surgeon and physician of high standing. 
 He had a fine family, and I often visited him. At 
 his table, I found the best of old port wine, as 
 also at many others. It is of so good a quality in 
 London, that I am not surprised at the preference 
 the Londoners give it over all other wines. We 
 do not have as good in this country. Good judges 
 say that coming so far by sea injures port wine, 
 while the same cause ripens Madeira. 
 
 One evening, at a place of public amusement, 
 I met my old friend, Captain John Keaquick, 
 and he obtained a promise from me to take pas- 
 
56 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 sage to the United States with him. He had a 
 fine sliip. We sailed from I^ondon in July. The 
 ship was an excellent sailer. She passed pilot- 
 boats, frigates, and every thing that floated. The 
 captain was part owner of her, and I offered to 
 purchase her; but as he did not choose to sell 
 her, I advised him to have her coppered and put 
 her into the India trade. He did, and soon made 
 his fortune. He lived at Bristol, and gave me a 
 polite invitation to spend a season with him. 
 
 When I returned to New-York, I found my 
 father had moved to Pelham, Westchester county, 
 and also his brother-in-law, John Hardenbrook, 
 Esq. He had a noble farm there of three hundred 
 acres. The water of the Sound and Eastchester 
 Bay laved the shores of his farm, and furnished 
 most excellent fishing, which we enjoyed; often 
 bringing home fine black-fish and sheep-heads, the 
 latter not unfrequently weighing from ten to fifteen 
 pounds. 
 
 I now began to think that it was time for 
 me to leave the state of celibacy, and get me a 
 wife. At the assemblies, I became acquainted 
 with Eliza Provoost, daughter of the Episcopa- 
 lian Bishop of New- York, and married her. The 
 Bishop was educated at Cambridge, and had mar- 
 ried an Irish lady by the name of Bousfield ; her 
 brother was a fellow student at Cambridge, with 
 the Bishop. The Bisliop was a whig during the 
 revolutionary war. Wiien peace was restored, he 
 
rapelje's narrative. 57 
 
 took charge of the rectorship of Trinity Church, 
 and went out with Bishop White to England, to 
 be ordained and consecrated Bishop. He was a 
 ripe scholar, and took great delight in reading to 
 the last of his life. He read with rapidity, and 
 would talk upon current subjects as a man of 
 the world. He read an Italian book on the even- 
 ing of his death, which was caused by an apo- 
 plectic fit. Mrs. Provoost died several years 
 before him. She was a fine woman, of excellent 
 disposition, and superior talents. She managed 
 her household affairs with hovspitality and econo- 
 my, and educated her daughters to follow in her 
 paths. 
 
 I built a house and resided on the banks of 
 the Hudson, about two miles from the city of 
 New- York, for six years. After this, I resided 
 at Pelham until my father's death, when I sold 
 my farm and came to live in the city of New- 
 York. 
 
 *^ ^ 4£, J^ 
 
 •TV" t5* T^ tP 
 
 On the 18th of March, 1821, I left New- York 
 for Liverpool, at ten o'clock in the morning, and 
 was taken on board the ship Albion, Captain 
 J. Williams, by the steam-boat Fulton, and had a 
 passage of twenty-one days ; during which, we 
 experienced many heavy gales of wind. The ship 
 was a first-rate sailer ; of about four hundred 
 tons burden, and every thing on board for the 
 utmost convenience of passengers ; a state-room 
 
58 rai'elje's narrative. 
 
 for every two passengers. Forty guineas was 
 the passage money for one, and every thing found; 
 three courses at dinner of the best the markets 
 could supply, and abundance of every luxury ; 
 all kinds and plenty of wine, porter, cider, &c. 
 &c. We arrived at Liverpool on Saturday morn- 
 ing, the 31st, at nine o'clock. We experienced 
 some delay at the custom-house, where the bag- 
 gage was all searched, and every package opened. 
 The passengers on board were Dr. Honeiur, and 
 Dr. Francis, of Philadelphia; Mr. Fenshan, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Peck, three children, and servant-maid, 
 all of Boston ; Mr. Tallaman and Mr. Shasseaur, 
 both Frenchmen ; Mr. Kennedy, of New-York ; 
 Mr. Hodgson and Mr, Green, of Liverpool ; Lord 
 Chamberg Kerr, a Scotchman ; Capt. Williams, 
 of the English navy; Messrs. Trimby and Haw- 
 thorn, (the last four from Canada;) Judge Easton, 
 of Bermuda ; Capt. or Lieut. Floyd of the Ameri- 
 can marines ; Mr. Haight and myself, of New- 
 York. Many of the passengers were very sick 
 during the passage, but I stood it out very well, 
 and was but little indisposed. I put up at the Wa- 
 terloo Hotel, an excellent tavern, neat and clean; 
 and the proprietor remarkably civil and attentive. 
 On Sunday morning, the 1st of April, I walked to 
 Tiverton, a village a mile and a half from Liver- 
 pool; returned to breakfast, and started at ten 
 o'clock, in a steam-packet for Dublin, a distance 
 of about one hundred and twenty-five miles. The 
 
RAPEIJE S NARRATIVE. 59 
 
 river is called the Mersey, at Liverpool. We then 
 crossed the channel; the weather rainy, and wind 
 blew hard ahead ; most of the passengers were 
 sick ; I was not. This steam-boat, the best there 
 at that time, was really, very, very inferior to ours 
 in every respect, with a very small cabin ; the 
 price, a guinea and a half, and dinner, tea, and 
 steward, came to half a guinea more. We had a 
 passage of twenty-three hours, and got to Dublin 
 the next morning at nine o'clock. The river 
 Liffey runs through the city ; it is not very wide ; 
 there are several bridges over it ; one of cast iron. 
 Fine salmon are caught in this river. The sur- 
 rounding country is beautiful and fertile. I put up 
 at Morrison's Hotel, where there were excellent 
 accommodations. I saw there, Sir Frederick 
 Flood. Mr. Morrison took me in his car, drawn 
 by a beautiful horse, to see several places ; first to 
 the Foundling Hospital, where were six or seven 
 hundred of various ages, and under the patron- 
 age of some of the most respectable ladies and 
 gentlemen ; then to the King's park of some miles 
 in extent; the residence, in summer, of the Lord 
 Lieutenant of Ireland. The grounds have been 
 highly improved ; flocks of deer, of six, eight, and 
 twelve in a herd, are to be seen all through it, to 
 the amount of several hundred. In the evening, I 
 went to the theatre, and saw Mr. Brunson from 
 London. Mrs. Humby, Mr. Drake, and Mr. Farren 
 performed very well. It was a new theatre, fitted 
 
60 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 up with much chaste taste, but badly attended. I 
 suppose there were not three hundred and fifty 
 persons m the house. The next morning I saw 
 a show of flowers by the Horticultural Society in 
 the Rotunda, where there was a great assemblage 
 of beautiful ladies ; a, fine military band played 
 during the time. In this city there are some spa- 
 cious and beautiful squares, viz. Merion and Ste- 
 phen's Green. On Wednesday, April 14th, I set 
 off in the mail coach for Cork, a distance of one 
 hundred and thirty miles ; the fare, one pound and 
 ten shillings, and ten shillings for baggage. The 
 country is well cultivated ; there are but few 
 trees ; here and there a superb country seat, and 
 a great number of towns and villages. The 
 poorer order are in a miserably wretched condi- 
 tion ; their houses being but perfect hovels, with- 
 out floors, and the inhabitants literally half naked ; 
 most of them, especially the children, without 
 shoes or stockings, and all in rags, distressing to 
 a feeling mind to behold. Whenever the coach 
 stopped, they surrounded it, begging for money ; 
 and it may truly be said, that the Irish are 
 either rolling in gold or in mud. I stayed so short 
 a time in Dublin, that I did not think it worth 
 while to deliver any introductory letters I had by 
 me. All the persons I did see, were civil and obli- 
 ging. I got into Cork on Thursday, the 5th of 
 April, at nine o'clock in the morning, but tlie 
 Courts, there called Assizes, were sitting, which 
 
rapelje's narrative. 61 
 
 bring numbers of people from all parts of the 
 country. I could not get a bed at any of the 
 hotels. I was recommended to the Commercial, 
 as the best ; so I had to take private lodgings at 
 Miss Fennon's. I had to pay for a neat parlor 
 and bed-room on the first floor, a guinea and a half 
 a w^eek. I found them very civil; and, having 
 travelled all night, I retired to rest at an early 
 hour. 
 
 Mr. Mark, the American Consul, called on me, 
 and showed me great civility. He lived in Rut- 
 land-street, in a hospitable manner ; he had a wife 
 and five children ; and I went with him in a steam- 
 boat down the river Lea to the Cove of Cork, a 
 distance of about seven miles. The country and 
 seats on each side of the river are beautiful. I 
 saw Lakelands and Black Rock, the seat of my 
 wife's late uncle, Benjamin Bousfield, at that time 
 occupied by Mr. Crawford. It consisted of about 
 ninety-one acres ; an elegant country place. 
 While at the Cove, I went with Mr. Mark to pay 
 a visit to Mrs. Connor, a relation of Mr. Bousfield. 
 She resided at a small place, highly improved, 
 with perfect neatness, and a great deal of taste ; 
 it was situated exactly opposite to the entrance of 
 the harbor, of which it had a fine view. We 
 returned to Cork in a hack jingle, or jaunting 
 car, with one horse, having a boy to drive ; and I 
 dined and drank tea with Mr. Mark. 
 
 My boarding and lodging cost me a guinea a 
 
62 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 week. There is a delightful walk, called the 
 Dyke, a mile long, being an interval level on the 
 west skirts of the city — the river Lea on each 
 side, where fine salmon are caught in wears set 
 from the stream. On Saturday, I saw a large 
 man, called the American Giant, seven feet nine 
 inches high, and large in proportion, who exhi- 
 bited himself for a show : but most people, as well 
 as myself, thought he was from the north of 
 Ireland. On Sunday, the 15th, I went to St. 
 Paul's with Mr. Knapp and his son. On Monday, 
 the 16th, I walked on the Dyke, and saw a boy 
 catch some very fine trout. I bought them, and 
 had them for dinner at the boarding-house. On 
 Tuesday, the 17th, I met at Mr. Beecher's. The 
 Bishop of Cork also called and left his card. 
 
 On Wednesday, I went with Mr. Mark to St. 
 Bury's Cathedral to hear service, it being Lent, 
 and afterwards returned the Bishop of Cork's visit, 
 whose family name was St. Lawrence. He had 
 a beautiful place a short distance from the church. 
 On Thursday, the 19th, I went at eight o'- 
 clock in the morning, in a diligence, to Inishonan, 
 thirteen miles from Cork, and from thence to 
 Shippoole, about a mile and a half to Mr. Wil- 
 liam Henry Herrick's, Mrs. Rapelje's cousin, he 
 having written me a polite invitation to come 
 and spend the remainder of the time I had to 
 spare with him. I staid only one day with him. 
 It was a beautiful situation on the small river 
 
rapelje's narrative. 63 
 
 Bandon, highly improved and cultivated, con- 
 sisting of about three hundred acres, and every 
 thing in fine order, and the house well furnished. 
 His wife was a Miss Delacour ; I saw a Miss Bea- 
 mish there. The family is ancient. Herrick 
 Castle, built about six hundred years ago, is still 
 standing near the river Bandon. I found that 
 several fields were never ploughed, but mow- 
 ed, and not afterwards fed. I took leave in the 
 evening, in order to get the early morning coach, 
 and walked to Inneshannon, which I left the 
 next morning in a one-horse stage, called a jin- 
 gle, w^hich held four passengers, set face to face, 
 and disagreeable enough it was to be sure. How- 
 ever, I got back to Cork about ten o'clock, 
 and went to St. Bury's church with Mr. Mark, it 
 being Good Friday, where a Mr. Quarry preached 
 an extempore sermon. The next day I went at 
 eleven, to take a French lesson of Mr. Beecot, and 
 WTote a letter in answer to Mrs. Bousfield's invita- 
 tion, and sent it by post, saying I would spend one 
 day on the following Tuesday. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 22d, I went in the morning 
 to St. Peter's church, where I heard Archdeacon 
 Thompson preach, and was much delighted with 
 a boy's excellent singing. I dined and drank tea 
 with Mr. Jacob Mark, who was remarkably 
 kind and attentive ; after dinner we hired a gig, 
 and drove round Lakelands, the Bousfield estate, 
 altogether supposed to be two thousand acres. 
 
64 iiapelje's narrative. 
 
 Monday, I saw a fine parade of about six hun- 
 dred soldiers, the Scotch Highlanders, with kelts 
 and no small clothes, their bare legs and knees 
 exposed; and dined at six o'clock with the Hon. 
 and Rt. Rev. Lord Bishop of Cork, with his wife 
 and her sister, and two unmarried daughters, (the 
 younger a very fine, charming girl,) his two sons, 
 a son in-law, Mr. Beaufort, and two Misses Stew- 
 arts. The next day I rode on horseback with 
 Miss Beamish, Miss Ross, Mrs. Rickson, and Mrs. 
 Kampice, down ridge road to Waterstown and 
 Buttontown, about four miles. The views of 
 Black Rock and Lakelands were beautiful. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 25th, I went to see Mrs. 
 Bousfield, who resided at her sister's, Mrs. Creagh, 
 w^hose place is called Laurentinium, and is about 
 a mile and a half from the town of Doneraile, the 
 whole of which is the property of Lord Doneraile, 
 who has a most elegant mansion and highly im- 
 proved domain adjoining it. Mr. Creagh's son 
 came in a chariot for me to the place where the 
 coach stopped, and conveyed me to his father's, 
 whom I found a pleasant, mild gentleman, com- 
 plaining somewhat of the gout, and his wife, a 
 charming, fine old lady, and so was Mrs. Bous- 
 field. The sisters were much alike, both in man- 
 ners and appearance, amiable, and perfectly gen- 
 teel and elegant in dress as well as conversation, 
 though somewhere about seventy years of age. 
 They received me with respect, lU'banity, and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 65 
 
 affection. Mr. Creagh lived extremely well, al- 
 tliougli there were only his own family ; a clergy- 
 man, John, his son, living near at Mallow, a large 
 grown man — he called him " his big son^^^ I believe 
 about forty-five years of age ; his other single son, 
 Arthur, a married daughter, Mrs. Stodder, whose 
 husband was not there, a Captain and Mrs. Davis, 
 who was step-sister to Mr. William Henry Her- 
 rick, but who came in for no part of the Bousfield 
 estate, as her mother was not a Bousfield ; she was 
 the daughter of Herricks by a second wife. Capt. 
 Davis I found to be quite pleasant and agreeable, 
 as indeed they all were ; and they, as well as all 
 the society I had been in, appeared to be pleased 
 with my humble efforts to afford them what little 
 information I could about the United States, and 
 allowed me every indulgence. Mr. Creagh lived 
 quite in the style of a nobleman, and at the inn 
 where I stopped, the landlord said he understood 
 quite equal, and entertained more than Lord Do- 
 noraile, whose income, they said, was ten thousand 
 guineas jye?' annum, and Mr. Creagh's about /oitr 
 thousand. In this family they dressed for dinner, 
 as for a party, having five servants at their family 
 dinner in livery. I got there at twelve o'clock ; 
 at two had a lunch ; and dinner at six, which was 
 neat and well served ; a fore quarter of mutton, 
 chickens, salmon, calf's head, mock turtle made of 
 hares; a very fine dish of forced meats; stewed 
 ham, and young cucumbers, brocala, &c. &c., 
 
 9 
 
G6 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 with port, sherry, and other kinds of wines, with 
 their old Irish fashion of the boiling silver tea- 
 kettle of hot water for whiskey punch, or rather 
 toddy, after dinner. Mr. Creagh's place is very 
 handsome, and laid out in fine taste, as almost all 
 the Irish places are ; his stables and carriage 
 houses occupied about two hundred feet, directly 
 in the rear of his dwelling, behind which was a 
 very large garden ; a beautiful rivulet of water, 
 in the front of his house, which they called a river, 
 — it might be a dozen or fifteen feet wide. Mrs. 
 Bousfield and her sister were not very tall, but of 
 middle size, and rather corpulent ; with fine com- 
 plexions, having quite a bloom upon their cheeks, 
 and quite as good looking as any ladies of their 
 age I ever saw, and must have been quite hand- 
 some when young. It was said that the three sis- 
 ters were called the Three Graces of Cork. 
 
 I intended to stay only one day, therefore re- 
 turned to Doneraile, and took the coach for Cork, 
 paid for my passage inside ten and six pence ster- 
 ling, for a distance of twenty-five miles. When I 
 reached Mallow, I got on the outside, to see the 
 country, which was beautiful about Doneraile and 
 Mallow, and for a few miles farther, after which 
 it is a light, poor soil. The country is somewhat 
 hilly, but not abruptly so, gently declining and 
 rising ; but these they call mountains. A fine road 
 is made to Cork, over valleys, where are runs of 
 water underneath ; and they have raised walls and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 67 
 
 arches to make bridges over them, of great height, 
 some nearly a hundred feet, — and also on a side- 
 hill, have, for miles, built a wall of twenty feet 
 high, so as to form a good road, nearly level ; so 
 much so, that the horses kept on a constant trot 
 the whole way, with five passengers inside and five 
 out. But nothing material occurred. There was 
 a slight drizzly rain. On the 28th I took a ride on 
 horseback, to visit Mr. Beecher, on the Black-rock 
 road ; and returning, went over Parliament bridge, 
 up a very high hill, to see the Barracks, from 
 which there is a fine view of the city. 
 
 On Sunday, the 29tli, I went to church at the 
 Foundling Hospital, with young ]\Ir. Knapp, one of 
 our boarders, where a band of music accompanied 
 the children's singing, of whom there are many 
 hundreds. The buildings, for they are extensive, 
 form a large square in the centre. Afterwards 
 I took a view of the Catholic church, which I 
 found very plain and quite common within, as 
 they told me they all were. I then paid the 
 Bishop's family a visit. 
 
 On Monday, the 30th, I went to see the Fire- 
 Lady, who, to appearance, pours melted lead into 
 her mouth, stamps on red-hot iron, and draws it 
 over her head, hair, and feet. How the deception 
 was managed I know not. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 1st of May, I went in company 
 with Mr. and Mrs. Mark, to Mr. Pike's, the banker, 
 who lived between North main-street and Ham- 
 
G8 kapelje's narrative. 
 
 mond's Marsh. He was very opulent. I saw his 
 daughter, and son, (quite a boy) ; he had another 
 daughter, but she was from home. We had some 
 very fine salmon, with which this place abounds 
 all the year round. They are taken, as I said 
 before, in the river Lea, which runs tlirough the 
 city in two branches, just above and below, by 
 wears and nets. The mutton was particularly 
 fine ; and I partook of some that had been reared 
 on part of Lakelands, a part of my wife's estate, 
 of which Mr. Pike occupies about sixty acres, as 
 his country residence. The next morning I break- 
 fasted with him, by his own invitation. He was 
 a widower and a Quaker, and lived very com- 
 fortable and well, but without show or parade. 
 He took me through the market, where there were 
 several kinds of flat fish, like our flounders. One 
 is called plaice, with small, light-red colored spots 
 all over their backs and tails ; they make excel- 
 lent pan fish; and three or four other kinds, of 
 exactly the same shape of flounders, but of difl'er- 
 ent sizes, white under their bellies, and brown on 
 their backs. 
 
 On Thursday, the 3d, I bought Mrs. Rapelje 
 two tabinot dresses, and a gauze dress ; also a 
 piece of the finest linen I could get in Cork, with 
 a dozen pair of gloves, six of real Limerick, and 
 six others, colored ; and sent them by a Mr. Tho- 
 mas Powers, going to Dublin, and from thence in 
 Ci\pt. Duplex's ship, which was to sail for New- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 69 
 
 York on Sunday. I visited the Ursuline Convent, 
 which is kept in very neat order, in Cork, where 
 the children are taught different branches of edu- 
 cation. 
 
 On Friday, the 4th, I went to see Mr. Knapp, a 
 fellow-boarder, who held the office of tide-waiter 
 at the custom-house, the whole of which he showed 
 me. All goods imported must first be brought 
 here, and lodged in the stores, and the duties paid 
 as they are taken away. There are extensive 
 stores, rooms, and vaults. I took an early dinner 
 with Mr. Pike, the banker, and with his two 
 daughters accompanied him in his curricle, which 
 he himself drove, to his place at Black-rock, on 
 Lakelands. It was a very pretty place, adjoining 
 the water, which was by him highly improved, 
 although the house was not very good. 
 
 The Saturday, being rainy most of the day, I 
 could only take a short walk with Mr. Knapp, Miss 
 O'Neil, and Miss Power, and her sister, to see Mrs. 
 Knapp's brother, on the Passage road, about a mile 
 from the city. Mrs. Knapp I found very pleasant 
 and agreeable, and so was Mrs. O'Neil's sister. 
 
 On Sunday, May 6th, I went with Mr. Knapp 
 and his son, at ten o'clock in the morning, in a 
 steam-boat to the Cove, and from thence paid a 
 visit to Mrs. Connor, a niece to Mrs. Bousfield ; 
 to visit whom she went with us about four miles. 
 Mrs. Bousfield had moved for the summer to 
 a place called East Grove, the property of her 
 
70 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 nephew, the Hon. C. Bagwell, then a member of 
 Parliament. It is a beautiful cottage, near the 
 river that flows past it. There is a round tower he 
 built at one side of the cottage, which is thirty feet 
 in diameter ; making a handsome drawing-room, 
 and a good bed-room above it ; and which, it was 
 said, was built to shelter the cottage, which is 
 very neat, and prettily furnished, and the grounds 
 well and tastefully laid out, and kept in order. 
 Mr. Arthur Creagh was staying with Mrs. Bous- 
 field. I remained there that night, and slept in 
 the bed-room in the circular tower ; a neat, square 
 room, with a dressing-room, both overlooking the 
 river. All genteel person's houses have bed-rooms 
 well fui'nished, and dressing-rooms also. A servant 
 comes every morning, taking your clothes to brush, 
 and your boots to clean, without the trouble of 
 ordering them ; brings you hot water to shave, 
 and inquires if he can do any thing for you 7 All 
 which shows civility and urbanity of disposition. 
 When going out, he takes your great coat or sur- 
 tout, holding it for you to put on ; and many such 
 little services and attentions. After dinner, just 
 having fmished a piece of plumb pudding, I had 
 a severe dead pain at the pit of my stomach, and 
 felt very deadly sick and faint, and was obliged to 
 leave the table. Mr. Knapp and Mr. A. Creagh led 
 me out into the cool air ; I sat down on a ])cnch, 
 and entirely fainted away. It was as if death had 
 taken possession of me. Every thing appeared 
 
rapelje's narrative. 71 
 
 green and blue before me ; and I felt truly as if 
 the sleep of the grave w^as coming on me, and I 
 suppose in reality, like those who die, my thoughts 
 were concentrated on my dear wife, while I could 
 think. I had fainted for about a minute, when I 
 was relieved. I took with my dinner very mode- 
 rately of wine, not above a glass and a half; I ate 
 some asparagus after the meat, as they served up 
 that and also artichokes, as a desert ; the latter of 
 which I did not taste. I had taken a great deal 
 of exercise in the morning, and had taken no lunch 
 as I usually did, when they dined so late. I sat 
 also with my back to the fire; but cannot tell 
 what it was ; I drank only Madeira, besides a glass 
 of beer. I began with soup, just tasted fish, and 
 ate a slice of roast beef with potatoes and cauli- 
 flower. How^ever, I soon got over it, and went 
 again to the table, and felt no more of it. 
 
 The next day, Monday the 7th, it rained all 
 the day, with wind. I read and conversed at this 
 East Grove cottage, which is really in that style, 
 with the exception of the tower ; it had a thick 
 thatched roof, the floor even with the ground, low 
 ceilings, not more than nine feet high ; the rooms 
 small and neat, with roses, myrtle, &c. &c., twin- 
 ing on the wall and on rough lattices about it ; 
 the windows in the French style, opening on hin- 
 ges down to the ground ; a small shed over, quite 
 low, called virandas^ and small twigs or branches 
 wove along the eaves of the shed. The gravel 
 
id RAPELJE S NARRATIVE. 
 
 walks were good, as well as all the others, and 
 were quite close to the house. The grass lawns 
 were kept cut constantly once a week, and swept 
 by women, and rolled with a stone roller ; the 
 edges along the ground walks are gone over by 
 hand, and the projecting and straggling roots 
 plucked out ; in short, nothing could exceed the 
 neatness in these grounds; then all along many 
 of the walks, were borders of tulips, hyacinths, 
 blue water lilies of America, and numberless other 
 flowers and shrubs, which they take much pains 
 to plant, keep clean, and propagate to the great- 
 est perfection ; and the domain is inclosed by 
 gardens and very high stone walls. The rain 
 prevented my going out the whole day. 
 
 On Tuesday, May 8th, after breakfast I went 
 to the Cove in a jingle of Mrs. Bousfield's. At 
 the Cove I got another jingle, came on to Pas- 
 sage, crossed over, took another, and got into 
 Cork about half past four o'clock, and found we 
 had a new lodger, called Miss Gloster, from Lim- 
 erick. She was about thirty-five years of age. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 9th, I rode on horseback 
 to Blarney, and visited the old Castle. It is 
 very high, having one hundred steps to the top. 
 It is the largest I had seen, and square, say, 
 forty by thirty. It is in a small level valley, 
 with a beautiful meandering stream, called Blar- 
 ney river. The town is quite small, about four 
 miles and a half from Cork. I went in company 
 
rapelje's narrative. 73 
 
 with Miss Ross, who kept our boarding-house, and 
 Mrs. Richson, who both rode very well, and at 
 a great rate when they were so inclined. The 
 place belongs to a Mr. Jefferies ; but it was going 
 to decay, and the grounds out of order. An ever- 
 green, called ivy, runs over part of the Castle, 
 especially the belfry and another building ; and 
 indeed over most of the old buildings through 
 the country. The next day, Thursday, I paid a 
 morning visit to Mr. Lionel Beecher ; and on Fri- 
 day, the 11th, went to the Botanic Garden, about 
 a mile and a half It was kept in excellent 
 order, and had a great collection of rare, new, 
 and curious trees, plants, flowers, vines, &c. I 
 afterwards took tea at Mr. Jacob Mark's, who 
 had five fine children. His oldest daughter, Agnes, 
 about twelve ; Ann, ten ; John, about nine ; and 
 twins, nineteen months. 
 
 On Saturday, the 12th, after breakfasting with 
 Mr. Pike, I read the newspapers at the Commer- 
 cial Hotel. 
 
 On Sunday, the 13th, I dined and drank tea 
 with Mr. Mark. It rained the whole forenoon ; 
 but I paid Miss Beecher a visit, and took leave. 
 
 Monday, the 14th, I took leave of Mr. Lionel 
 Beecher and family ; of Mr. Mark and the Bishop 
 of Cork in the evening, who had paid me a visit 
 in the forenoon, as I intended to take passage 
 the next day for Bristol. 
 
 10 
 
74 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 15tli, I took leave of my fel- 
 low boarders, who declared that they were very 
 sorry to part with me, and I with them ; for 
 the five weeks I had been at Miss Ross's, I had 
 found them all very pleasant and agreeable. At 
 four o'clock, I set off in the Bousford packet vessel 
 for Bristol, Capt. Cobblestone, and had a fine fair 
 wind, with four cabin passengers ; the ladies were, 
 a Miss Gibbs, Mrs. Gilmore, two others, and a num- 
 ber of poor Irish, steerage passengers. Wednesday 
 was a fine clear day. We had run in the niglit at 
 the rate of six knots an hour, and about tliat all 
 the day. The vessel, though small, had good 
 accommodations for her size ; twelve berths in 
 the cabin, and four athwart ship, against the fore- 
 ward bulk-head. The poor Irish steerage pas- 
 sengers were very filthy, both men and women ; 
 the common passengers were so numerous that I 
 could not walk a step on deck. 
 
 On Thiu'sday, the 17th, we got up the river 
 Avon, which is very narrow, to a place called Pill^ 
 about four miles and a half below Bristol. I went 
 on shore and got a hackney carriage, or kind of 
 stage. The owner, after telling me that I could 
 have it to take myself and another passenger up 
 for half a guinea, wanted to fill it, and charge the 
 others only two shillings and six pence a-piece. 
 This was the first gross imposition I met with. I 
 stopped at Reeves's Hotel, just out of College 
 
rapelje's narrative. 75 
 
 Green. I immediately wrote a letter to my wife, 
 and sent it by a ship going to New- York, and be- 
 longing to the Messrs. Rowlands. 
 
 On Friday, the 18th, I took tea at Mrs. Bar- 
 ton's, at Clifton Royal Crescent, a cousin of Mrs. 
 Rapeljes, whose mother was a Bousfield. She had 
 one daughter with her ; and had other children, 
 but they were away. I saw there a Miss Van 
 Devoust, sister of Mrs. Van Devoust of Charleston ; 
 there was no one else. Miss Van Devoust was a 
 very large fat lady, about forty; very sensible? 
 pleasant, and agreeable. I found Mrs. Barton a 
 fine sensible woman, say, forty-four or fifty ; her 
 daughter, a mild, amiable girl, about twenty-five ; 
 but appeared very delicate. Clifton is very de- 
 lightfully situated ; has a fine view of the Avon 
 river and valley about it ; though I should not like 
 to live there. The roads and streets to Bristol 
 are so steep, as makes it painful to go up or down. 
 I liked Bristol as little as I did before ; the streets 
 are narrow, crooked, and dirty, and low along the 
 Avon. The cathedral, formerly a monastery or 
 nunnery, now called College Cathedral, was built 
 in 1140, about seven hundred years ago, and is a 
 beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture, with 
 painted windows, the colors of which are quite 
 perfect to tliis day. It is very large, and has 
 some fine tablets and monuments around on the 
 walls ; the ceiling is Gothic, in compartments, and 
 carved out of solid stone. The church throughout 
 
76 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 is remarkable for being better liglited than any in 
 the kingdom. 
 
 I must here relate a curious circumstance of 
 my being near to have been taken in. While 
 the person, who was an officer, above a sexton, 
 was showing me the church, two decently dressed 
 women came in, one quite handsome, in black 
 silk, the other in a brown cloth habit ; both really 
 appeared quite modest and as ladies who attended 
 this church ; for one observed to the gentleman 
 describing the church, that " this was the place 
 she sat in every Sunday," and said, " the sexton 
 had not placed the rug for her feet in the pew," 
 &c. I concluded they must be religious ladies 
 of decent families in Bristol. With the gentle- 
 man who showed the church, they got into conver- 
 sation, they and he alternately describing the dif- 
 ferent things there ; and, in going out, upon my first 
 inquiring of them what curiosities there were to 
 be seen in Bristol, they asked me if I had seen the 
 Armory ? They having described several curious 
 colors, &c. to be seen there, I requested them to 
 accorr.pany me. As it was a distance of two 
 miles, I took a coach, and away we went. But 
 nothing was there to be seen but a large armory 
 without guns, and a fine garden. By this time I 
 found who they were, but was not completely 
 gulled, for I got home from Mrs, Barton's early in 
 the evening in safety. 
 
 On Saturday, the 19th, I walked to see Bristol 
 
rapelje's narrative. 77 
 
 Hot Wells, situate on the river Avon, near Clif- 
 ton. Clifton is on a high hill, and these wells are 
 in a valley. The river Avon is very narrow, and 
 the tide rises so high, and falls so low, that at low 
 water mark, there is no water in the river, and 
 ships cannot come or go ; and when the tide is in, 
 they are obliged to be towed in and out by boats. 
 I went to see Capt. John Keaquick, with whom I 
 stayed and dined, and took tea. He lives at Upper 
 Easton, about a mile and a half from Bristol ; he 
 was very affectionate, and wanted me to come and 
 bring my baggage, and stay with him. He had a 
 very amiable wife and three daughters ; his oldest, 
 Ann, about seventeen, a tall, handsome girl, indeed 
 beautiful, of a delicate person, and sweet face and 
 complexion. This was a daughter by a former 
 wife, sister to the present one ; two younger ones, 
 eleven and nine, both fine, sensible girls ; and his 
 wife, a handsome, fine figure, and well informed. 
 A Mr. Flaxman of the custom-house, and Mr. Ben- 
 niman, dined with him. On Sunday, I rode with 
 Capt. Keaquick and his family to Enbury, and 
 went to church ; afterwards walked through Lord 
 de Clifford's park, and ascended a hill that over- 
 looks the country, which was beautiful and mag- 
 nificent; we also saw the river Avon where it 
 empties itself; we now returned to dinner. 
 
 On Monday, the 21st, I went to see the patent 
 oil-cloth manufactory, and saw the way it was 
 laid on with colors and with blocks ; and after- 
 
78 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 wards dined with Capt. Keaquick, witli whom I 
 took a walk, to see the canal and locks ; I then 
 made him take a lunch with me at my lodgings ; 
 and he returned home. I then paid a visit to Mrs. 
 Barter, at the Royal Crescent, and then returned 
 and dined with the captain, with whom I also took 
 tea. I returned in the evening at half past nine, 
 and went to the theatre for an hour ; a handsome 
 house, but quite deserted, not above a dozen or 
 two in the boxes. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 22d, I wrote a letter to my 
 mother, and gave it to Capt. Keaquick, to forward 
 by the first ship. I then set off in a coach at half 
 past nine, for Bath, a distance of about twelve 
 miles, and got there by twelve. The country by 
 the road is delightful, surrounded by a number 
 of country seats. The road was covered with 
 coaches, full of passengers, to and from Bristol 
 and Bath ; they start every hour in the day. I 
 was at first put down at the Golden Lion, a com- 
 mon tavern ; but although reckoned in that 
 country common, the parlors were neatly fur- 
 nished with Brussels carpets, and bed-rooms (as 
 they all are in England, in decent public houses,) 
 well furnished, with good beds, and always with 
 curtains. However, in the evening, I went to Mr. 
 Strata's boarding house, on the south parade, but 
 a short distance from tlie bath and pump room. 
 The price of boarding was two guineas and a 
 half a week. There was another house, and said 
 
jiapelje's narrative. 79 
 
 to be better, at three guineas, called the Queen- 
 square, — but that was full. I met here a Mrs. 
 Osborne and niece, Miss McShane, Capt. Lely, 
 Mr. Castle, Mr. Gallon, and Capt. Stiles. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 23d, I went at seven 
 o'clock, and took a bathing at the King's Bath. 
 I had inquired the day before, if they would 
 permit me to swim, which I was very fond of; 
 and such a beautiful pond, and the water so de- 
 lightful and tepid. They told me if I would 
 come early in the morning, before any one came, 
 I might have a swim ; but must quit the moment 
 any one came. I went accordingly, quite early, 
 before any company was there, and had a delight- 
 ful bath. The water is really pleasantly warm, 
 near where you see it boil up ; in the middle of 
 the pond, if you happen to get your foot on one of 
 the holes where the water comes through, it is 
 uncomfortably warm. The water is delicious. 
 Every thing is prepared in the greatest comfort ; 
 a small room with a fire ; a man waiting to assist 
 in putting on a bathing gown, which they have 
 ready when you come out ; your clothes are hung 
 round the fire airing, as stockings, shirt, drawers, 
 and flannels. The water is quite warm and de- 
 lightful, and is an astringent ; they take only a 
 tumbler or two at a time. The season for company 
 was over when I reached Bath, the fashionable 
 people having left ; for w inter is the season. 
 On Thursday, the 24th, I w alked up to Beechon 
 
80 rapelje's narrative, 
 
 ClifT, on tlie otlier side of the river Avon, a high 
 hill, overlooking the city of Bath, and a delightful 
 view there is of it, and valley around. As for the 
 city itself, a great, or very extensive prospect 
 cannot be had ; for Bath lies in a valley, sur- 
 rounded by hills, of which this is one, and ap- 
 pears the highest; the prospect is indeed enchant- 
 ing. I then came down and went along the 
 Avon, and on the Bath side. At about half a 
 mile, is the place where the gas is prepared for 
 lighting the city, and which was brilliantly lighted 
 with it ; I also went through a turnpike gate, 
 where there is a patent weighing machine. It is 
 an iron platform, even or level with the road ; 
 and in the centre of the road, where carriages 
 drive on, and by an arm like a steelyard, placed 
 within a small building along side the road, and 
 by some means conveyed to this moveable plat- 
 form, which rises and lowers a few inches, and 
 constantly keeping on a level, the weight is ascer- 
 tained. I then took a long walk in front of and 
 below the Royal Crescent, which indeed nothing 
 could surpass ; the form gives its name, where are 
 about forty houses, all built of stone, ornamented 
 in front by circular pilasters, and every house re- 
 sembling each other. It is indeed superior to any 
 thing I have yet seen as to grandeur and magnifi- 
 cence of situation, and structure, and imposing 
 elegance. Bath is deliglitfully situated ; the vari- 
 ety of aspects from walks and gardens in front of 
 
rapelje's narrative. 81, 
 
 the Crescent, and then to the circus, which is 
 about seven, hundred feet in diameter, built up 
 with houses of an exact size, shape, &c. Four 
 elegant streets are also built up, with handsome 
 stone houses. If you go down Queen-square, 
 next the gay streets of shops, you find a diversity 
 from almost royal splendor, to city bustle ; meet- 
 ing all the gayety, show, and fashion of England, 
 with A^ariety from the chimney-sweeper to the 
 most elevated rank ; and decorated in all the 
 style, fashion, and elegance imaginable ; also the 
 splendid equipages, &c., in constant motion at the 
 fashionable houses from one to four ; then to the 
 pump-room, which is very large and handsome, 
 where there is music from half past one, till three 
 every day. When the place is full of visitors, 
 there is always a full band ; but when I was 
 there, there were only three violins accompanied 
 by a harp, which is sweet and soft. Here the 
 waters are drank, which are quite warm and soft. 
 Common spring or pump water, of the same heat, 
 would instantly cause sickness, which was my 
 fear at first swallowing. And here the ladies and 
 gentlemen' promenade, sit, or take a glass of these 
 Lethean waters, to wash away care. All here are 
 genteel in manners, but free and easy. There the 
 company promenade through some of the small 
 courts, or rather narrow passages, which are all 
 flagged across, and which lead to Great Pidtney- 
 
 11 
 
82 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 street, which is very wide, and built up w ith ele- 
 gant houses. At its extremity, and facing it, are 
 Sidney Gardens, of about sixteen acres, beautifully 
 laid out, with cascades of water, rivulets, &c, &c., 
 covered with shrubs, trees, flowers, &c. ; and a 
 sweet, soft, elegant band of music, playing from 
 two till half past four ; while ladies and gentle- 
 men in their gay and elegant dresses promenade 
 to and fro, in this enchanting Elysium ; nurses, 
 also, well dressed, with children, to take the pure 
 air. Here arc Merlin's swings, labyrinths, &c. I 
 also went to see a new church, of beautiful Gothic 
 architecture, which seemed to be the prevailing 
 style in all the buildings recently put up, from the 
 hut to the palace. This is called Bathwick new 
 church, and is the most chaste, beautiful building 
 I have seen. 
 
 On Friday, the 25th, I walked out to a clergy- 
 man's place, in the cottage style, a Rev. Mr. War- 
 ner's, to see bees raised in a new kind of straw 
 hive, called the Iluish hive. I found Mrs. War- 
 ner an amiable, pleasing, and agreeable lady, 
 about twenty-five years of age, with a sweet an- 
 gelic face. The house appears a cabinet of lite- 
 rature, and museum of fossils, shells, &c. I saw 
 the bees in the new straw hive, but did not ad- 
 mire the plan ; tlie combs are intended to be sepa- 
 rated by cross-bars from tlie top of the hive, and 
 the bees can as well build across as lengthwise 
 
rapelje's narrative. 83 
 
 of the strips, which, I was told, was the case ; the 
 situation is beautiful, called Hanging Lands, and 
 has a fine view of the city of Bath. 
 
 On Saturday, the 26th, I walked before break- 
 fast to another elevation, called Beacon-hill, and 
 had a fine view of Bath ; then to the Upper Cres- 
 cent, and through St. James's-square, where all 
 were handsome and elegant houses. I drank the 
 waters, as I did every day before breakfast and 
 dinner, two or three tumblers, and found they 
 corrected my stomach, gave a great appetite, and 
 mellowed down the system. In the evening, I 
 went to the theatre, which was very beautiful. 
 
 I went on Sunday, the 27th, to the Abbey 
 church, which is near the bath ; the ceiling is very 
 high and arched ; one window towards the grove 
 is very large, say forty feet high, and twenty 
 wide, and has about twelve thousand panes of 
 small glass, put in lead, the old fashioned way, 
 and stained of different colors ; it is, say, twenty 
 feet from the floor to the sill of the window. 
 After church, the people walk in crowds, (or lots 
 of them, as the English say,) from two o'clock 
 till five, and in the evening from seven till ten 
 o'clock. At this season of the year, there is very 
 little night; it is not dark till half past nine, 
 and light again at half past two in the morning. 
 
 On Monday, the 28th, I took a warm bath 
 in the public bath. The water was one hundred 
 and sixteen degrees of heat, which was quite pleas- 
 
84 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 ant ; and the waters, although warm, are bracing. 
 I had a swim ; the depth of the water was four 
 feet ; and a very extensive pond it is, surrounded 
 by lofty houses, and the whole pond smokes like 
 boiling water. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 29th, I took an outside seat 
 next the driver, to go to Cheltenham, fifty-two 
 miles from Bath. We went by Crosshands village, 
 twelve miles, Petty France, four miles, and Dun- 
 kirk, I saw the Duke of Beaufort's park, called 
 Badminston ; it is very large, being fourteen miles 
 round. I also passed through Roxbury village, 
 which is four miles from Bath, and in Somerset- 
 shire. We then came into Gloucestershire, wliere 
 the country is highly improved. We changed 
 horses, which were very fine, once in sixteen 
 miles ; the harnesses of bright fine brass, and kept 
 in the best order. We went through Stronductor, 
 Horsley, and Nailsworth, all in Rodboro bottom, a 
 fine interval for twenty miles, where wer« a num- 
 ber of cloth factories ; passed Lane's cross, Hanes- 
 wick. Shroud, and Horsepool ; saw the Severn ; 
 and, from the hills, before descending the valley 
 of Gloucester, saw Monmouthshire and part of 
 Brecknockshire ; passed through Gloucester, nine 
 miles from Cheltenham, where we arrived about 
 four in the afternoon, and I put up at Mr. Fisher's 
 boarding house. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 30lh, I walked to several 
 places, and found Cheltenham a fine, lively, ini- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 85 
 
 proving place ; the waters are exactly like a dose 
 of salts. There was music every morning from 
 eight till ten at the springs, where numbers of ele- 
 gantly dressed ladies and gentlemen walk in the 
 gardens that surround them. They come to this 
 place for health and pleasure, from all parts ; and 
 it was supposed there were many thousand there 
 of first fashion, show, and fortune. Fisher's was 
 reckoned the best boarding-house ; he had also an 
 hotel, the families residing in which, had their se- 
 parate apartments and tables. At our table, sat 
 down about thirty ; I was stationed next to a Mr. 
 Clark, from the neighborhood of London, a very 
 pleasant, conversible, plain man ; also Mr. and 
 Mrs. Burroughs, Mr. Prior, a young gentleman, and 
 Mr. Stubbins, of Queen's County, Ireland ; all of 
 whom were very pleasant and agreeable ; the rest 
 appeared stiff and formal. Just opposite to me, 
 sat Sir Grenville Temple ; but as I knew him only 
 by hearsay, and was never introduced to him in 
 America, I thought, in his own country, he might 
 address me first ; so I said nothing to him, as I 
 took it for granted he must have known me, as 
 there was a book in which each one entered his 
 name, and which is always looked over by all 
 the boarders. 
 
 Thursday, the 31st. — Being anxious to get on 
 to France, I took my passage for the next day by 
 coach to London. I delivered Mrs. Mark's letter 
 to her sister, Mrs. Frankland; she was at Mrs. 
 
86 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Sheldon's, at Swondon, two miles and a half 
 from Cheltenham, where I went in a jingle. I 
 was called on by Mr. Cole, Mr. Knapp's friend, 
 who gave me a letter to liim ; also by Mr. Mar- 
 shall, master of the ceremonies ; I returned the 
 visits, and took leave. 
 
 Friday, June 1st. — I left Cheltenham at eight 
 o'clock in the morning, and arrived in London 
 about the same hour in the evening. I went to 
 several hotels and lodging houses, but could not 
 get a bed ; they were all full on account of Par- 
 liament setting, but at last got a bed at the Mount 
 Coffee House, in Grosvenor-street, a few doors 
 from Bond-street. The country from Cheltenham 
 to London is very pleasant, and in higli cultiva- 
 tion ; came through several towns, and the city of 
 Oxford. 
 
 Saturday, June 2d. — I found London very much 
 improved in buildings, new streets, squares, &c. 
 I went down the Thames in a small boat, and 
 saw the new bridges, the Waterloo, of stone, and 
 the SoutliAvark of cast-iron, the centre arch of 
 which is two hundred feet span. I then went to 
 the post-office, where I met Mr. Alexander Bucha- 
 nan, the British consul's brother at New- York, 
 and walked with him ; then went to see an exhi- 
 bition of the Royal Society's paintings, where 
 there were a great number of ladies. The paint- 
 ings were numerous, and no doubt good; but 
 being no judge, I could not decide ; some I thought 
 
rapelje's narrative. 87 
 
 excellent. In the evening I went alone to the 
 Opera House, which was crowded with a show of 
 ladies in the boxes, pit, and gallery. The house 
 was splendid and magnificent, and for a public ex- 
 hibition beyond any thing I had ever seen, — six 
 rows of boxes all trimmed with red silk or damask 
 curtains, — the ladies and gentlemen all in full 
 dress, no boots. The house is about two hundred 
 and thirty feet in diameter ; and it was impossible 
 to distinguish the features of those who were on the 
 other side. The stage is large, with splendid sce- 
 nery ; the women beautiful, singing fine, and all in 
 Italian ; very few of the frequenters understood it. 
 I inquired of several the names of the dancers and 
 singers, but they knew them not. 
 
 On Sunday, June 3d, I went to the King's 
 Chapel, St. James's, where I paid first a shilling to 
 the man at the door to let me in, and another shil- 
 ling to a man to be put in a place in the aisle, 
 tosit on a kind of hassock as high as a chair, 
 which he brought and put down. The chapel is 
 quite small. The royal family worship there ; but 
 I saw only the Duke of Clarence and the Princess 
 Augusta. In the afternoon at four o'clock, took a 
 barouche, and got Mr. A. Buchanan to accom- 
 pany me to Hyde Park ; then walked in Ken- 
 sington Gardens. They were, as I always thought 
 them, superb beyond description; the show of ele- 
 gantly dressed ladies, and the great numbers pro- 
 
88 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 menading to and fro on the beautiful walks of hard 
 sand, and grass like a turkey down carpet; the 
 walks so wide, so spacious, so perfect, so lengthy, 
 so straight, so crooked, so every thing, intersper- 
 sed with elegant shrubbery, trees, water, &c., as 
 makes the whole enchanting. We then drove, and 
 got among the carriages ; the immense number of 
 which it was impossible to describe, passing each 
 other in close succession, and filled with elegantly 
 dressed ladies ; the horses, carriages, harness, 
 coachmen, and footmen, all so superbly dressed, 
 from imperial white and red to black. The ride 
 from Hyde Park corner to Oxford-street, (say a 
 mile,) was a perfect close double line of carriages, 
 one going and the other coming ; almost every in- 
 stant there was a stoppage, so that it took nearly 
 an hour to go one mile. The ladies appeared to 
 like it; as they stop, and as they pass on, they 
 view each other, which makes it a most enchant- 
 ing sight. 
 
 3Ionday, June 4th. — The splendor of London 
 seems to raise instead of depressing the wealth. 
 Every thing this globe affords seems to be centred 
 in it in a magnificent manner. The shops are 
 abundantly supplied with the luxuries and neces- 
 saries of life, from the immense savory rounds and 
 rumps, and sirloins of roast beef, meats of all kinds, 
 down to vulgar wheelbarrows full of liver for dogs ; 
 and from splendid diamonds to humble London 
 
rapelje's narrative. 89 
 
 mud ; all is noise and uproar. I went in the 
 evening to Covent Garden Theatre, which was 
 splendid and well attended. 
 
 Tuesday, June 5. — London exceeds every place. 
 In the gay part of the day, which is from three to 
 half past five, there are, at least, ten square miles, 
 where vehicles of every description are constantly 
 moving, from the splendid coach and six to the 
 dirty dust cart ; and in such numbers, so crowded 
 as often for miles to stop up the way. In the eve- 
 ning I went to Drury-lane Theatre, in company 
 with Mr. A. Buchanan, and thought it surpassed 
 the other ; it was very splendid and well attended. 
 I employed nearly the whole of Wednesday in see- 
 ing about my passports in the city, and spent the 
 evening at home at No. 4 Manchester-street, Man- 
 chester-square, at Mr. Todd's boarding-house, 
 where I had come on Tuesday, at three guineas a 
 week. 
 
 On Thursday, the 7th, by favor of Mr. Vaughan, 
 to whom Mr. Robert Stewart gave me a letter, 
 inclosing two tickets of admission to the anni- 
 versary of all the free school children of the dif- 
 ferent Episcopal parishes, or wards in London, 
 assembled at St. Paul's Cathedral, amounting to 
 about six thousand girls and boys ; they were all 
 neatly and cleanly dressed, and sitting round the 
 church in rows, one row" above another, about 
 twenty rows high ; making about forty-five feet in 
 height; the whole number singing at one time 
 
 12 
 
90 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 hymns and psalms, adapted to the occasion. What 
 a sublime and magnificent scene ! It fdled the 
 mind, heart, and soul with awful worship, which 
 is indescribable ; the grandeur of it was beyond 
 imagination. I was subdued into tears, unmanned 
 and unnerv ed ; and if the soul, thought I, was 
 ever transported to heaven, it seems it must be 
 in such a, moment ; to see and hear six thousand 
 children, the females all in white caps and aprons, 
 in an instant, by a signal given, all, as if by a 
 touch of inspiration, open their cherub lips to- 
 gether, and shout praises to the Great Jehovah, 
 and Saviour of the world ! O, England ! if thy 
 sons and daughters had no other cause to rejoice, 
 this scene would be sufficient ; such a sight would 
 melt the savage soul to sympathy. To think on 
 the prosperous state of the country, the beauties 
 of heaven so abundantly showered on the nation, 
 and to see so many of the rising generation receiv- 
 ing the gift superior to all others, that of the 
 knowledge of virtue, is enough to make you thank- 
 ful for all you possess. I was accompanied by 
 Mr. Todd, a gentleman at whose house I resided, 
 and had found an excellent place, under the dome, 
 by the aid of a worthy young gentleman, named 
 Reed, who was staying at the same house. I saw 
 the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 
 
 Friday, the 8th. — I went to Meux's Brewery, a 
 very large establishment; the whole machinery 
 moved by a steam engine ; the vats are immense, 
 
kapelje's narrative, 91 
 
 one thirty-five feet in diameter, and twenty-five 
 feet high ; a reservoir of water on the top of the 
 building ; a cooling tub on the fourth story or 
 attic; agitated by horizontal fans. The beer is 
 here about three feet deep ; the bason is over the 
 whole of one side of the building, about one hun- 
 dred feet long, and thirty feet wide ; and in fact 
 every thing is on a large scale. I believe, since 
 the bursting of a large vat, they have reduced 
 them in size ; but they had an immense number. 
 They were emptying twelve hundred bushels of 
 malt, that had been in one brewing. In the eve- 
 ning, I went to the Coburg Theatre, over the new 
 Coburg bridge, in Southwark ; it is a handsome 
 theatre, but the performances were very indif- 
 ferent. 
 
 On Saturday, the 9th, I saw all of West's fine 
 pictures, exhibited for one shilling each person. 
 The rooms have constantly a number of visitors. 
 The " Rejection," and " Death on the Pale Horse," 
 were the best, and very large, about thirty by 
 eighteen. In the evening, I visited the Adelphi 
 Theatre^ where were exhibited feats of bodily 
 strength, slight of hand, and rope-dancing, and 
 one walking with his feet to the ceiling and head 
 downwards, by his shoes being fastened to the 
 ceiling. In the morning, I had walked to the 
 Regent's Park, which had just been laid out and 
 planted. 
 
 Sunday, June 10th. — I went to the new Mary- 
 
92 rapelje's naurative. 
 
 lebone Chapel, where I heard an appropriate ser- 
 mon, it being Whitsunday ; afterwards paid Lady 
 Affleck a visit, in Clarges-street ; then walked to 
 Hyde Park. The day was interspersed with 
 showers, and I went to Tattersall's, where are 
 always a number of horses and carriages for sale ; 
 there were about two hundred gentlemen viewing 
 them, with catalogues, as there is a sale every 
 Monday by auction. I remained at home in the 
 evening, and heard some fine music by some 
 young ladies. Miss Williams, who was a boarder 
 at Mr. Todd's, and Mrs. Todd's two young daugh- 
 ters, and Mr. Todd's sister-in-law, Mrs. Darcy 
 Todd, who, with another lady, sang and played 
 in the French and Italian style most delightfully. 
 
 On Monday, June 11th, I went to see a collec- 
 tion of pictures, in Pall-mall, belonging to mem- 
 bers of the Society of Arts, for young artists, as 
 is said, to improve themselves. Several were the 
 property of the King, and all by the first masters, 
 as Reubens, Vandyke, Raphael, &c. In the eve- 
 ning, I went to Astley's, where there were feats of 
 horsemanship, and play-acting, in a common man- 
 ner. 
 
 On Tuesday, June 12th, by invitation, I break- 
 fasted with Lady Affleck, Lord Holland's wife's 
 mother, at twelve o'clock. I afterwards walked 
 into the city, and put a letter in the post-office to 
 Mrs. Rapelje, and dined and remained at home. 
 
 On Wednesday, June 13th, I went with Parson 
 
rapelje's narrative. 93 
 
 Reed to visit St. Luke's Hospital of female luna- 
 tics, where I saw a great many. I believe the 
 men are in a separate place ; then to the Roman 
 Catholic Chapel, in Moor Fields, where there is a 
 fine painting of the Crucifixion of our Saviour on 
 the Cross between two thieves ; and an immense 
 group in the foreground ; the ceiling is also painted ; 
 also visited two libraries in the neighborhood; 
 and received this day a box and package of letters 
 from Mrs. Rapelje, with her picture, which was 
 not much like her. In the evening the lady I lived 
 with, had a small musical party. Miss Patton 
 sung remarkably well. 
 
 On Thursday, June 14th, I went with Mr. 
 Todd, to Temple Bar, to see and hear the herald, 
 &c. &c., proclaim that the King's coronation would 
 take place on the 19th of July ; the Lord Mayor 
 in his state-coach, with the sheriffs in their car- 
 riages ; the ceremony of opening Temple Bar 
 gate, the herald's rich dresses, the sound of trum- 
 pets, and beat of drums, were all very imposing. 
 The crowd was great, and loud shouts of " The 
 Queen, the Queen," &c. &c. I then visited the 
 custom house, which is a fine building, and quite 
 elegant ; went in a boat, or wherry. T also saw 
 the West India docks, a very great convenience, 
 and erected on a great scale. We then rowed 
 down to Greenwich Hospital, and walked in the 
 park to the top of the hill, where the Observatory 
 is ; sat at the end of Greenwich Park, near Black- 
 
94 i{.\pi:ljf.'s nakkative. 
 
 licalh Park. The Lliapi'l at the hospital is very 
 elci^ant ; tiic interior, tlie whole door-frame, and 
 columns very lariie, of marble, and an elegant 
 stucco ceilinu:. We dined on white bait, a very 
 small fish. In the evening, I went to a masque- 
 rade at the Opera llou.se ; a curious scene, to be 
 sure, as is often described. This w as but a poor 
 one ; and many characters badly supported. 
 
 On Friday, June 15th, I went out very little, I 
 was .so fatigued on account of the masquerade the 
 night before, to which I went at half past ten, 
 and stayed till five in the morning, broad day-light, 
 and left an immense company there dancing, &c. 
 &c. It was a curious and novel show to me. I 
 went in a plain domino and mask, and walked 
 about, and conversed with one and another, as you 
 are privileged to speak to any one you see when 
 you are masked ; any ladies will dance with you. 
 There were three bands of music, and two were 
 constantly playing, and no cessation to dancing. 
 Women of all kinds, descriptions, and classes, as 
 w^ell as men, from perhaps the princess, to the 
 sewing-girls. It is quite a pleasant scene; every 
 one seems pleased and agreeable ; many men in 
 women's clothes, and vice versa. I made many 
 believe I knew them and their wives, and wives 
 their husbands. 
 
 On Saturday, June IGth, I went to the city, 
 and sent a letter to my wife, that is, left it at the 
 New-England Coffee House, to go by the first ship. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 95 
 
 In tlie evening, I stayed at home, and heard the 
 ladies play and sing; Miss Hicks, an old maid, 
 performed charmingly in English, and Mrs. Todd 
 in French and Italian. 
 
 On Sunday, June 17th, I went to the Chapel 
 in Regent's-street, beautiful and new. 
 
 On Monday, June 18th, I took a ride on horse- 
 back through the Park, and afterwards went into 
 the city ; and in the evening went to a masquerade 
 at the Drury-lane Theatre, which was handsome, 
 and well attended, with a fine supper of meats, 
 jellies, tarts, fruits, &c. &c. 
 
 At the masquerade at old Drury, I found my- 
 self among a group, as I leaned against one of the 
 pillars, with my arms folded. I was, indeed, in a 
 strange place. My domino was new and beauti- 
 ful ; my mask small and black. One, as he pass- 
 ed, would say, " Well, Sir, I know who you are ; 
 we shall take care of you; you are one of the 
 king's officers, to see peace and order." As I stood 
 still, the group near me were joking with each 
 other, and I overheard all that was said, and found 
 from their conversation, that they were reputable 
 people from the Strand, or Cheapside ; mostly 
 shop-keeperSj or merchants. The men were di- 
 minutive cockneys, but the women were of respec- 
 table size. I thought I would have some sport 
 wath them. I asked the marshal on duty, who 
 they were. I knew him by his truncheon. He 
 told me that they were people of good condition 
 
96 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 in the city, and that tlie men had changed dresses 
 with their wives. I took one of the ladies under 
 my arm, and intimated to her that I knew her. 
 She was surprised, and in turn inquired who I 
 was. This I avoided. I told her that she had 
 changed dresses with her husband; I knoAV you 
 all. She was astounded ; and as she left me, re- 
 quested me to join her again, and permit her to 
 introduce me to her party. I could not find her 
 after I had separated from her. I was determined 
 to stay to supper, and took a seat, by the advice 
 of Mr. Elliston, the manager, who was a very gen- 
 teel man, opposite the great door, where I could 
 see the company come in. Near me sat a gentle- 
 man who had brought in two ladies ; the one, as I 
 thought, his wife, the other his sister. Availing 
 myself of the privilege of the place, the lex loci of 
 a masquerade, I entered into conversation with 
 the young lady. The supper was magnificent; 
 all kinds of fruits from the green-house were abun- 
 dant ; strawberries, grapes, pines, melons, peaches 
 and plumbs, were in profusion, and were more 
 delicious than any I ever ate. Nature forced in 
 some instances, is sweeter than in her original 
 form. The sun, through glasses, in the humid at- 
 mosphere of England, ripens some classes of fruit 
 better than natural heat could. 
 
 While seated at the table, I saw two gentle- 
 men from New- York, who had taken off their 
 masks. I told the lady with whom I was conver- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 97 
 
 sing, who these gentlemen were. The one, as she 
 would see, was a handsome man, a gentleman of 
 fortune, who had grown rich as an auctioneer ; the 
 other in another business. I then intimated to my 
 fair one, that she might have some innocent amuse- 
 ment ; giving her some further particulars in regard 
 to them, their modes of living, their families, and 
 many other minute matters. The gentleman and 
 myself drank wine together ; the lady rose and 
 pursued the New-York gentlemen. She told them 
 who they were, and from whence they came, al- 
 though they had not been two days in London. 
 I watched them while the lady was talking to 
 them ; they were in a blue maze. I kept out of 
 the way, for fear of being discovered. 
 
 I now thought of changing my dress, and tak- 
 ing that of a North American savage. The dress- 
 master was ready for me. He gave me a pair 
 of flesh-colored pantaloons, real Indian moccasins, 
 a large belt and wampum, with a noble head-dress 
 of feathers, with a large bow and a full quiver of 
 arrows. As a great favor I was allowed to take 
 the bow into the room, as all weapons were for- 
 bidden. Thus equipped, like King Philip, I bound- 
 ed into the room, and leaped with aboriginal elas- 
 ticity from the boxes to the floor of the pit. See- 
 ing that the statue of the king was over the stage, 
 I gave a war-whoop, and drew my arrow to the 
 head, and kneeling on one knee, directed the arrow 
 to the image of the king, when the cry of Hold ! 
 
 13 
 
98 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 liold ! hold ! rung from every part of the house. 
 So loyal are the people of England. I played a 
 thousand fantastic freaks with the ladies, keeping 
 always within the bounds of delicacy. I enjoyed 
 the sport to the utmost; and no one ever discover- 
 ed me in either dress. There are a thousand ways 
 to kill dull care. 
 
 On Tuesday, June 19th, I left London for 
 Brighton, in the Dart coach, from Grace church- 
 street, at three o'clock, and arrived at Brighton at 
 eight. We went through Croyden and Ryegate ; 
 travelled at the rate of ten miles an hour, with 
 elegant and excellent horses, and a delightfully 
 fine road. Before I left London, I saw Mr. James 
 Cuthbert, who had been in America. He had an 
 office in the Beaufort buildings, and was willing to 
 do any thing for me. I put up in Brighton at Mr. 
 Brot's, on the marine parade, a boarding-house, 
 for two guineas and a half a week. 
 
 Wednesday, June 20tli. — Brighton contains 
 about thirty thousand inhabitants; is beautifully 
 situated on the ocean, with a fine gravel and sand 
 beach. The King had a fine pavilion, but I could 
 not get to see the interior ; the outside is really 
 ridiculous; a number of large and small turrets, 
 like large pots and kettles, and a trifling, insignifi- 
 cant kind of architecture, fit for a baby-house. 
 There were no amusements, and but little company. 
 
 On Tluu'.sday, June 21st, I took my passage 
 for Dieppe, in France, but the vessel did not go ; 
 
rapelje's narrative. 99 
 
 therefore I took a seat on the outside of a coach, 
 to Chichester, and was gratified with a fine view 
 of the noble country around. On my return, I 
 saw the King's stables, which are elegant be- 
 yond any thing I ever saw. A dome lets in the 
 light to a circular interior ; the outside is covered 
 by a continuation of the dome, I suppose more 
 than two hundred feet diameter altogether; the 
 stables are all around the circle ; the stalls very 
 large to all the stables. Above is a gallery all 
 round, and the servant's bed-rooms. Brighton is 
 a pleasant place, and is much resorted to for sea- 
 bathing, and the King frequently resides there. 
 The interior of the palace, called the Pavilion, is, 
 they say, remarkably fine and elegant. 
 
 On Friday, June 22d, I set oflf in a stage, at 
 eight o'clock, for Portsmouth, and went through 
 Shoreham, (six miles,) Hastings, (three miles,) and 
 Worthing, all fine towns, and in sight of the ocean. 
 Most of the distance, the water recedes a great 
 way. This last is a place of bathing. I went on 
 to Arundel, ten miles, on the river Avon. I went 
 to see the Duke of Norfolk's castle, built more than 
 a thousand years ago, and traced back to Alfred, 
 the old castle ; a part is new modelled. The inte- 
 rior is splendid, with fine painted windows of Solo- 
 mon and the Q^ueen of Sheba, and others, in a group, 
 in the music, or dining-hall ; the stair-case banis- 
 ters of brass, quite in a modern style ; the steps of 
 marble, hand-rail of mahogany ; bedsteads of ma- 
 
100 rapelje's narrative, 
 
 hogany, some double-posted, elegantly carved, with 
 broad cornices, and top, or tester, of mahogany, 
 all carved exquisitely fine. The library room is 
 very long, with elegant sculpture, all of mahoga- 
 ny, taking artists years to execute ; and the bed- 
 curtains of elegant figured velvet, of variegated 
 colors, which have been hanging for centuries, all 
 in the most superb style ; the chimney-pieces are 
 fine marble. The ceiling in the banqueting room 
 is finely carved, and the hall is adorned with 
 family paintings. In the old round tower there 
 are owls that have been there thirty years. This 
 is the castle which surrendered to Cromwell with 
 a thousand prisoners. Proud as this castle is, 
 the Duke prefers another residence. I saw a 
 fine Cathedral at Chichester, where I dined, and 
 went then to Portsmouth, eighteen miles from 
 Chichester. I put up at the Fountain Inn, much 
 tired. Portsmouth is fifty miles from Brighton. 
 There is a great dock-yard, and fine harbor, and 
 well fortified; surrounded by a wall and ditch, 
 that can be filled with water all round the town. 
 I felt much fatigued, and went to bed almost im- 
 mediately on my arrival. 
 
 On Saturday, June 23d, I rose early, took a 
 boat and went to see the harbor, which is very 
 spacious ; the shipping being an immense number 
 of English ships of war, (say one hundred of dif- 
 ferent sizes.) I went on board the Nelson, of one 
 hundred and thirty guns, very large and fine, and 
 
kapelje's narrative. 101 
 
 saw numbers of others, in appearance, quite as 
 large, being three-deckers. I then went on board 
 the King's royal yacht; she was most superbly 
 fitted up, with a quantity of gilding all around her 
 outside, and the interior beyond any thing I had 
 an idea of; the elegant furniture, beds, sofas, 
 mirrors, glass candle-shades, suspended, four toge- 
 ther on a ball or socket ; and every thing in a 
 style of royal magnificence, yet simply elegant. I 
 returned to the dock-yard, which, by some, is said 
 to be something superior ; but on account of my 
 being an American, I could not be admitted, and 
 was soured enough with the English character; 
 finding them stiff", pleased in refusal to gratify, and 
 glorying in their own misery, as they say, rather 
 than speak to any one they do not know, or are 
 introduced to, except it will ennoble them. I 
 began here, and in my observations of them in 
 travelling at inns and boarding-houses, to have a 
 sovereign contempt and hatred to some of their 
 manners. I then went in a ferry-boat over to 
 Rhyde in the Isle of Wight ; but must first ob- 
 serve that Portsmouth is very strong, and has for- 
 tifications all around it, mounted with cannon, and 
 a ditch that is very wide and large, and can be over- 
 flowed in case of attack by an enemy. It is quite 
 a large town, Rhyde is but small. I got on the 
 top of a coach and rode ten miles to Newport, a 
 pleasant town ; then on eight miles to Cowes, a 
 place much resorted to for pure air and sea-bath- 
 
102 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 ing ; things are cheap and rents low. I had heard 
 much of the beauty of the women in the Isle of 
 Wight. They are in these towns very handsome, 
 and have a suavity of innocent expression, with a 
 mild cheerfulness, that makes them appear amia- 
 ble and lovely ; and they dress very well. The 
 island, as I rode over it, is very luxuriant ; and 
 beautiful seats, cottages, and farms, interspersed ; 
 it is said to be the garden of England, and is 
 really delightful ; the roads are good, and diversi- 
 fied with hills and dales. I crossed over to South- 
 ampton, nine miles, in a small steam-boat, and 
 found it a fine delightful town, on the river. I put 
 up at the Dolphin Inn, and found it an excellent 
 one. 
 
 Sunday, June 24th. — There are some good 
 churches, as Holyrood, St. Michael's, and All 
 Saint's, to the last of which I went to hear 
 service. 
 
 On Monday, June 25th, after having visited 
 the Botanic Garden, which is small, but in good 
 condition, and well stored with plants and flowers 
 of all kinds, I took passage in a vessel of about 
 fifty tons, for Havre de Grasse, in France, the dis- 
 tance of about one hundred and fifty miles, and 
 sailed at seven in the evening, with a fair wind, 
 and got into Havre the next morning at ten. 
 
 Tuesday, June 26th. — Havre is a large city, 
 and has an old appearance ; most of the streets 
 narrow. The people seemed to wish to be civil ; 
 
rapelje's narrative. 103 
 
 they were very particular at the custom-house, 
 about looking at your person and baggage, which 
 last, however, consisted only of my trunk ; I gave 
 my key to a girl named Divera, who was a kind 
 of Corinne, and could speak English as well as 
 French, and was very useful in getting baggage 
 through the custom-house, and passports fixed, and 
 any thing arranged, as well as show one any 
 where, and perfectly modest, virtuous and honest. 
 On Wednesday, June 27th, I had to give up 
 my passport, which they said would be sent after 
 me to Paris, where I should get it again; they 
 made me out a new one, and described me partic- 
 ularly ; my face, and every feature in it ; the color 
 of my hair, eyebrows, height, complexion, fore- 
 head, nose, chin, and mouth. What they could 
 fear, the Lord only knows. I bought a Leghorn 
 bonnet, and had it trimmed for twenty-six dollars, 
 and fourteen pair of silk stockings, some black, 
 some white, and put them in a box, with my two 
 likenesses, for Mrs. Rapelje, and had them put on 
 board a Hamburgh vessel, the Elbe, Capt. Lyme, 
 for New- York. This was on Thursday, June 28th. 
 I saw here, Capt. Greig and lady, owner of a 
 ship belonging to Batavia, going to New-Or- 
 leans ; they stayed at the same house with me, 
 which was Earl's New- York Hotel. The river 
 Seine runs along Havre, which is a fine port for 
 ships ; there are excellent docks ; the water falls 
 off a great way ; and it is only at particular times 
 
104 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 that ships can come in and out. The hotel is a 
 tolerable one ; good breakfasts and dinners, all in 
 the French style ; fine tea and coffee, with good 
 boiled milk, eggs, ham, beef-steaks, cliickens, &c. 
 At dinner, meats, soups, and poultry ; all, however, 
 cooked too much, to very rags, with made dishes 
 and vegetables ; then puddings and fruit, fine large 
 strawberries, cherries, prunes, and fresh currants, 
 and fine French wines, a bon beuche of either 
 champaigne or muscatel. I took passage for 
 Rouen on the road to Paris; women keep the 
 stage-office books, and do most of the writing 
 in the retail shops. I met here Baron Von 
 Clonkerstrom, a Swede, w^hom I had seen at 
 New- York ; who was going in a frigate to 
 Sweden. 
 
 I started on Friday, June 29th, from Havre, 
 at five in the morning, for Rouen in a curious 
 vehicle, called hoshmchore^ or stage-coach, which 
 w^as immensely heavy. The man rides on the near 
 wheel horse, and drives the other four, there be- 
 ing three abreast of the leaders ; and the harness 
 of all their carriages of this description, are thick, 
 clumsy leather, patched together with bits 
 of rope spliced and fixed to bits of chain for 
 traces; the same for bridle and reins; and the 
 whole together, an unwieldy machine, and quite 
 outre ; a place in front like a chaise, with a lea- 
 ther cover to put up and down ; also, a heavy, 
 thick leather apron covers this outside front seat, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 105 
 
 nearly as high as your breast ; then there is a 
 basket behind, and seats at the top of the coach, 
 and it really appeared like three coaches put to- 
 gether. We went through several towns, and 
 breakfasted at Balbec, thirty-one miles from 
 Havre ; then passed through several other towns 
 and villages, and over a delightful country, being 
 Normandy ; well cultivated, with corn and grass 
 in a luxuriant state. The soil appeared good, 
 with great numbers of fruit and forest trees ; and 
 all along, on each side of the road, is planted 
 with apple trees, in a thriving and flourishing con- 
 dition ; the road, for the most part quite straight. 
 It was very hot and dusty travelling on this day. 
 We passed in sight of a number of manufacto- 
 ries of linen and cotton, and other cloths, in sight 
 of the Seine river. There were no fences, hedges, 
 or ditches, to separate the fields or domains of one 
 proprietor from another ; and how they manage I 
 know not, but so it is. The flax and grass were 
 quite green ; the one they were pulling, which ap- 
 peared to be tied up in quite small bundles ; the 
 other mowing for hay. On going into Rouen, 
 we passed a double row of trees on each side of 
 the road, of three miles in length, in a straight 
 line. Rouen is a large city, containing one hun- 
 dred and twenty thousand inhabitants, and lies 
 on the river Seine, sixty-six miles from Havre, 
 wliicli we were nine hours and a half travelling, 
 and is ninety miles from Paris. A number of 
 
 14 
 
106 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 vessels lie there, of about two hundred tons, the 
 water being about twelve feet. There is a splen- 
 did Roman Catholic Cathedral, with a magnifi- 
 cent front adorned with sculpture ; built about 
 twelve hundred years ago. I rode on the front 
 outside seat, but was almost suffocated with dust. 
 After I had dined, I went to see three cathedral 
 churches, Notre Dame, St. Nicholas, and one 
 other ; all very large, and of noble Gothic archi- 
 tecture of by-gone centuries. There is a very 
 ancient market-house, with parts of wood, and 
 perhaps built about two centuries since, and to 
 appearance in a decayed state. I put up at the 
 Vattel Hotel in rue des Carmes, No. 70 Rouen. 
 English was spoken by the lady of the house, and 
 the waiter. I saw the bridge over the Seine, 
 which is paved with stones, and on floating boats, 
 which are anchored. I went to the theatre in the 
 evening, where there were a number of the hand- 
 somest and best dressed female performers I have 
 ever seen. The house was very handsome and 
 well attended, it being the anniversary of the birth 
 of Peter Corneille, one of their most celebrated 
 poets. One of his descendants, they say, Bona- 
 parte has educated, and is at this time a professor 
 in Rouen. The theatre being very warm, and as 
 I did not understand French, I soon left it. 
 
 On Saturday, June 30, I found some pleasant 
 walks all around Rouen; one that goes entirely 
 round the city, having a road and double rows of 
 
raprlje's narrative. 107 
 
 trees, and a great one on the south side of the 
 Seine, and one on the north. The marriages are 
 public ; I saw several that came to have the cere- 
 mony performed in the City Hall, or Municipality. 
 I then took a seat on the top of a coach with a 
 Mr. Roquet, who came with me from Havre, and 
 with whom I was room-mate. He spoke a little 
 English, and I found him a very civil, clever man. 
 On Sunday, July 1, I left Rouen for Paris, at 
 five o'clock, by a large heavy coach, which held 
 six inside and twelve outside passengers. These 
 machines were very heavy and unwieldy, and 
 went very slow. We were till near nine in the 
 evening getting to Paris, a distance of thirty-two 
 leagues. We went through several towns and 
 villages by the south side of the Seine. There is 
 a most delightful valley all along the river. The 
 road all the way has rows of trees on each side. 
 We saw a number of orchards of different kinds 
 of fruit, and forests of great extent. The country 
 is very rich and highly cultivated ; producing corn 
 and wheat, and other kinds of grain. In many 
 places there were whole patches of roses. The 
 grape-vine is much cultivated, and there were 
 numbers of vineyards near the road. The vines 
 appeared quite small, about a foot asunder, and 
 each one tied to a stick, about three feet long, and 
 stuck in the ground. The river and its margin 
 are beautiful ; and St. Germain and its extensive 
 forest, about fifteen or twenty miles from Paris, is 
 
O^v 
 
 108 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 extremely so. The entrance of tlic Champ d' 
 Elyscees by this way is grand and imposing ; the 
 road being straight, between rows of trees, and 
 very wide. On my arrival I put up at the Hotel 
 Normandie, rue de Clary, for the night. As I 
 could not speak French, I was very fearful I 
 should be in rather an unpleasant situation. Mr. 
 Felix Cadiot had lodgings next door, at the Hotel 
 de Ambassadeurs ; and on the following Monday I 
 called on him, and walked with him to the Palais 
 Royal. It is a square colonnade, with a small 
 garden in the centre, filled w ith a very large bor- 
 der of flowers. There were shops of every de- 
 scription in the basement of the buildings. It is 
 quite low ground; some streets around it being 
 much higher, and I had to come down several 
 steps to it. This was all formerly the palace of 
 the Due d' Orleans, and where he at the present 
 time resided. At one end, and forming one of the 
 narrow sides of the oblong square, I saw the 
 largest and best theatre, which is on the same 
 side with the Boulevards, which I had seen from 
 the stage, as we passed the day before. It is a 
 wide road, or street, walks on each side ; joining 
 the houses are double rows of trees on each side. 
 The Boulevards go all round Paris. Mr. Cadiot 
 went with me to look for lodgings, where I could 
 live and have my meals in the same liousc. I 
 got lodgings this morning at Mrs. David's, in rue 
 March-peti Montmorency Hotel, at four francs a 
 
rapelje's narrative. 109 
 
 day, being a neat bed-room and sitting-room on 
 the ground floor, without mounting so high as most 
 accommodations in Paris. This day, I dined with 
 the lady of the house and her daughter, and in the 
 evening went to the theatre with them, on the 
 Boulevards, where a small girl, said to be but nine 
 years old, performed wonderfully. 
 
 On Tuesday, July 3d, I went to Gagliani's li- 
 brary, in Rue Viviente, and subscribed to the read- 
 ing room for a fortnight ; and dined at the Restau- 
 rateur, in the Palais Royal, said to be the best in 
 Paris, as also the dearest, where I had a good din- 
 ner, which cost me ten francs. 
 
 On Wednesday, July 4th, I dined with the 
 Americans at Grenan's Hotel, it being their anni- 
 versary of Independence ; where were Mr. Galla- 
 tin, the American ambassador, and the Marquis 
 La Fayette, Washington Irving, the American 
 Consul, in all thirty-six, sat down to an elegant 
 dinner. The wine, and liquors of all kinds, were 
 as bad as the dinner was good. Among other 
 toasts they published, was one I gave on the occa- 
 sion, " Great Britam, France, and America, — may 
 peace, harmony, and love, unite them for ever." 
 
 On Friday, July 6th, I breakfasted a ta Cafee 
 in the Boulevards, near the alley called Panorama, 
 and hired a horse and gig and drove to the Bola- 
 nicor garden of plants, which was very fine, supe- 
 rior to any thing I could have imagined ; where 
 were all kinds of flowers, plants, &c.; with birds 
 
110 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 and animals of llie best kind, and in tlie highest 
 state of preservation ; here are also vast hot-liouses, 
 with their conservatories. I then went to St. Sul- 
 pice church, and the Pantheon ; the vaults are su- 
 perb. I saw Voltaire's and Rousseau's tombs; 
 both under ground, and under the building ; erect- 
 ed in a solid, neat, elegant manner. The view 
 brought to my mind what I had heard of dun- 
 geons, as our guide had a lantern. I then visited 
 the Louvre, tlie gates of which are immensely 
 large and magnificent, ornamented with bronze; 
 the sculpture of the pediments is very fine, and the 
 gallery of paintings, about sixteen hundred in 
 number, is beyond description. The gallery is 
 nearly fourteen hundred feet long, and, shameful 
 to relate, only forty-two feet wide. On the ground 
 floor are the statues, about one thousand of them, 
 of superior style. I dined with Mr. Cadiot, at the 
 Hotel Royale, near Palais Royale. 
 
 On Saturday, July 7th, I rose early, and walk- 
 ed to see the Luxembourg Gardens, wiiich are very 
 fine ; the flowers were beautiful and abundant. I 
 wished in my heart that my wife had been present, 
 who I knew would have enjoyed this most delight- 
 ful garden of floAvers. The palace is notliing ex- 
 traordinary. I then mounted to the top of the 
 Observatory, at the end of the gardens, and on my 
 return got a fine breakfast in the gardens, at a 
 cofTee-house. I then returned, and went to see the 
 National Royal Library, in the city, Avhere are 
 
rapelje's narrative. Ill 
 
 upwards of three hundred thousand volumes, with 
 some natural and other curiosities, and a few paint- 
 ings, &c. Mr. Hotongor returned a visit I had 
 paid him; and Drs. Francis and Stevenson also 
 called on me, but I was out. The French are a 
 most astonishing people. They go to the most 
 frequented public walks; and many ladies and 
 gentlemen take their meals at a restaurateur or a 
 coffee-house, and set in the streets by thousands, 
 on hired chairs; a sous is paid for a chair. In 
 these frequented walks the chairs are piled up, 
 when put away, as high as your head, between the 
 trees. The Boulevards are much frequented. 
 
 I walked through the Hospital of Invalids, on 
 the other side of the river, where there were, I 
 think, five thousand disabled soldiers. The build- 
 ing is good ; and the chapel, with its paintings on 
 the dome and ceiling, is grand, and inlaid with 
 marble. There is a fine library in this establish- 
 ment. There is an immense quantity of gilding on 
 the outside of the dome, as well as in the interior ; 
 it is very large, and is known at a distance as the 
 Invalid's, by its large dome and its gilding. I 
 passed a short distance further, and saw the Champ 
 de Mars, a large field, with rows of trees on each 
 side. It is a piece of ground kept bare, I suppose, 
 by the constant exercise of soldiers and horses. 
 It is four hundred feet wide, and about two thou- 
 sand long. The building that fronts it, is large 
 and extensive. I then got a lacquey de place, and 
 
112 rapelje's narrative, 
 
 gig, or (lennet, and went to see the market of 
 flowers, on the other side of the river, where the 
 flowers are displayed in pots and bunches, in and 
 out of season, on each side of the street, but 
 through which carriages are not driven, I sup- 
 pose two hundred and fifty feet in length. It ap- 
 pears exactly like tw^o borders of flowers on each 
 side of a walk, but indeed much richer and thicker. 
 I then went to the Gobelin manufactory, where 
 the specimens were most elegant, and equalled any 
 paintings I had ever seen. There was one African, 
 or Indian piece, with fruits and trees, and bulls 
 yoked, a Spanish bull-bait ; and in one of the pieces 
 representing one of the wars on Paris, a soldier with 
 his battle-ax raised to split the head of another, 
 who had betrayed the army of Henry, partly sit- 
 ting on the ground, with his head and eyes lifted 
 up, and with open mouth, horror stinick, as in the 
 moment of receiving the blow ; his mouth appear- 
 ed better than all the paintings I have seen ; just 
 as if it was open, and you would deem it was. I 
 also saw the Clmrcli of Notre Dame, with two 
 large steeples. The interior is magnificent ; hav- 
 ing two very large painted windows, circular ; on 
 each side of the nave fine paintings and monu- 
 ments, &c. &c. I also saw the Court of Justice ; 
 it is one very large room, but spoiled with a row 
 of square columns in the centre, thick and heavy, 
 running through lengthways, and spoils the beauty 
 of the fine room by pacing. It appeared two hun- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 113 
 
 dred and fifty feet long, and ninety feet wide. In 
 the evening I went to the Italian Opera, in rue 
 Richelieu. Othello was performed; the singing 
 and dancing by some young girls, who were all 
 very handsome, were excellent, the orchestra fine, 
 and the house well attended. 
 
 On Sunday, July 8th, I went at nine o'clock 
 in the morning, by stage, to see the palace and 
 gardens of Versailles, which were too magnificent 
 for me to describe. Every thing that art or nature 
 can produce, in gardening or building, is there to be 
 found. The immense number of urns, and statues 
 of marble and alabaster, bronze, vertical and re- 
 cumbent ; the immense stone steps leading to the 
 terrace, steps seventy feet long, and one hundred 
 of them ; the hand-rail of stone, in pieces of twelve 
 feet long, and six inches thick, and eighteen wide, 
 with banisters and all besides in proportion ; the 
 gardens of flowers, shrubs, and orangery, contain- 
 ing about five hundred orange trees in large boxes, 
 which must be housed in winter. The palace, 
 w ith its chapel and theatre, is most splendid, with 
 vaulted and painted ceilings. The different apart- 
 ments, banqueting and audience, and other state 
 and dressing, and lodging rooms, and libraries, and 
 bed-chambers, are ornamented in all the magnifi- 
 cence and splendor the art of man can invent; 
 several of which are of marble, and of which all 
 the floors and walls are composed ; others with 
 gilding of one mass ; and some rooms with immense 
 
 15 
 
114 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 mirrors, &c. &c. The marble railing around the 
 gallery of the chapel is very long, sixteen feet in 
 one piece. Versailles is twelve miles from Paris ; 
 and is said to be the most superb palace in Europe. 
 It has not been inhabited since the time of Louis 
 XVI. I saw two other palaces, the Treanons, 
 the large, and the small one, a temple of low and 
 circular platform and roof, supported by columns 
 all round at equal distances. The Treanons are 
 very beautiful palaces ; the Queen of Louis XVI. 
 inhabited one of them. It is impossible for me to 
 describe every thing I saw, as I was taken through 
 the rooms very rapidly ; the conductor was dressed 
 in the King's livery, and run on like a parrot, de- 
 scribing what was in the different rooms ; and un- 
 less you got in the room as soon as the first of the 
 visitors, of whom there are a great number, he has 
 finished, and into another. There are a number 
 of fine paintings, of which I thought the " Snow 
 Storm" the best. The front of the palace is about 
 two thousand four hundred feet long ; there are a 
 ground floor, a first floor, and an attic. 
 
 On Monday, July 9th, I went to see our Ame- 
 rican ambassador, and paid him twenty-five francs 
 for a power of attorney, having sold on Friday 
 last, one thousand dollars' worth of bank stock to 
 Capt. Burke, who stayed at the same house, and 
 was going to America, for which I got one tliousand 
 and forty dollars. I afterwards Aisited INlrs. Lud- 
 low, who had fine children. She was formerly 
 
rapelje's narrative. 115 
 
 Eliza Elders. I then went with my lacquey de 
 place, to see the deposits of all mechanical inven- 
 tions, patents, and indeed every thing made by 
 man, woman, or child ; then drove to the large 
 looking-glass manufactory; the largest I saw, was 
 ten feet long, and six feet two inches wide ; they 
 polish and plate them here, which process I saw ; 
 then drove to one of the cemeteries on a hill, where 
 I saw the tomb, as they told me, of Abelard and 
 Eloise, which I doubt to be the fact. I was at 
 the Exchange; dined with Mrs. David, at the 
 hotel where I lived, and in the evening went to 
 see an automaton exhibition, the one we have 
 heard so much of in America ; the figure, or chess 
 player, who beats every body ; likewise an automa- 
 ton rope-dancer, both uncommonly ingenious. 
 
 On Thursday, July 10th, I saw the Cabinet 
 of Natural History. Every thing was in a fine 
 state of preservation, from the minutest animal, to 
 the elephant ; all the feathered creation, and also 
 reptiles and insects, that crawl in the dust, or fly in 
 the air, were arranged with taste. After seeing 
 this collection, it would be quite useless to look 
 at any other, as I suspect it is impossible for man 
 to make them more complete. 
 
 On Wednesday, July 11th, I drove, with Mr. 
 Haight of New-York, to see the manufacture of 
 save or porcelain china at the village of Save, 
 two leagues from Paris ; the articles are splendid, 
 and very dear ; the most costly was an urn, I sup- 
 
116 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 pose, six or seven feet high, about three feet and a 
 half in diameter, in the largest part enamelled, 
 blue and gold ; the price, they said, twenty-five 
 thousand francs, or five thousand dollars, fit only 
 for kings or opulent noblemen. Opposite the road, 
 is St. Cloud, the country palace, or place the 
 king takes a drive to, and stays a few days at a 
 time ; he was there as we passed, but I did not 
 see him. There is a fine park, and laid out with 
 much cost ; there are also several fountains, cas- 
 cades, and jet d'eau; but I did not see them play. 
 The grounds about, are very fine, groves and 
 walks, and on a high hill in front there is a column 
 erected, from the top of which there is a good 
 view of Paris and the neighboring country. We 
 returned by the way of Bologna, where the Duke 
 of Berri had a country residence, but did not see 
 it. In the evening, I went to Tivoli Gardens, 
 which are very handsome and ornamented with a 
 number of plants ; it contains forty acres ; on some 
 nights there are fire-works, and at other times, a 
 display of dancing, and other feats of agility. 
 
 On Thursday, July 12th, I saw a panoramic 
 view of Naples, which was well executed, and 
 appeared as natural as reality. In the evening, I 
 went to the Garden Beaujon, where there is a 
 curious entertainment ; an immense hill is made 
 of stone work, arched altogether underneath, call- 
 ed a mountain, where a car Avith two persons 
 descends at an incredible velocity, and in appear- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 117 
 
 ance is very dangerous ; accidents have liappcned, 
 but did not at this time ; as it is altered so as to 
 avoid them. I was fearful myself to go dow^n. 
 The car that descends, is drawn up by a chain, 
 fixed to machinery along the inclined plane under- 
 neath, and moved by horses ; it is a second Tivoli, 
 fire-works, rope-dancing, phantasmagoria, fortune- 
 telling, farcical plays, and slight-of-hand tricks, and 
 all for two francs. I went with a Mr. Barton, and 
 another English gentleman, whom I met at a Mrs. 
 Le Grand's, who keeps a boarding-house ; I went 
 there to see the manner and style, but it was not 
 exactly to my taste. In the evening, I went to 
 visit a gaming-house in rue Richelieu, where I 
 saw both ladies and gentlemen ; there were two 
 rooms and each crowded, about thirty or forty, or 
 perhaps more. I did not play, but w alked about 
 and viewed them for about a quarter of an hour, 
 and retired. 
 
 On Friday, July 13th, Mr. Cadiot sent me a 
 ticket to visit the Chamber of Deputies ; it is over 
 the Pont Louvre. The interior, or deputies' room, 
 is semicircular, lighted from the roof; the mem- 
 bers sit on benches raised gradually, which is the 
 form adopted in the Chamber of Peers, and is the 
 most convenient. I counted above two hundred 
 and fifty members, but they did not appear more 
 than one hundred ; I suppose the room will con- 
 tain four hundred when seated. I suppose it is 
 one hundred feet in diameter ; the spectators are 
 
118 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 in small narrow galleries, and a miserable stair- 
 way to get up to them. There is a great deal of 
 confusion and disorder among the deputies. One 
 old man got up to speak, and they made such a 
 noise by talking, &c., that he was obliged to stop 
 till the speaker rang a bell, and beat on the table 
 to get them to keep silence ; and when one gets up 
 to speak, he gets into a box, (they call it a ros- 
 ti'unij) but it is more like a criminal's box, right 
 before the speaker, and addresses the deputies ; 
 they are generally respectable looking men, and 
 do honor to the nation in appearance, but disgrace 
 it by their confusion. If one of them wants to 
 speak, they cry out like children, '' it is my turn," 
 and "it is my turn," and they cannot be kept to 
 order. Instead of delivering their speeches like 
 the British or American legislators, they generally 
 read them off from a bit of paper ; the subject was 
 that of laying duties on wines, &c. &c. 
 
 On Saturday, July 14th, I saw nothing, but 
 was engaged in purchasing some articles to send 
 to my wife in New- York. I bought a shawl of 
 French manufacture for a Cashmere, but it was 
 not ; it was very rich, and figured, of a new pattern, 
 and gained the prize of two hundred and fifty 
 francs; two caps; two pocket-handkerchiefs, em- 
 broidered, for one hundred and ninety-five francs; 
 and a dark claret colored silk for a dress, ten dol- 
 lars ; with some prints of the fashions. I dined 
 at the Brussels Hotel, at the ordinary table ; and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 119 
 
 on Sunday, I went to St. Germain to visit Mrs. 
 Ludlow, who resided there, and returned in the 
 evening, in the rain. 
 
 On Monday, July 16th, I purchased to send to 
 my wife, two hats, two caps, two pocket-handker- 
 chiefs, worked, two patterns of silk for dresses, 
 one large shawl, four coral or bead sacks, or in- 
 dispensables, eight pair of shoes, some prints of 
 the modes, &c., a book of the "Views of Paris," 
 and was engaged in getting them ready, and in 
 writing a long letter, to be sent by Capt. Burke ; 
 and the next day was engaged in getting them 
 through the custom-house, which is a tedious 
 business. I sent them to Havre, to go by Capt. 
 Burke of the Stephania. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 18th, I visited the Ana- 
 tomical Cabinet, in the Garden of Plants, contain- 
 ing the bones of many animals, and also complete 
 skeletons, as well as other preparations of animals, 
 fish, &c., in spirits, and in the highest state of 
 preservation. There was the skeleton of the ele- 
 phant, several of oxen, and those of every grade 
 of animals down to the minutest insects, and 
 indeed several of each kind. There was also a 
 display of the viscera of human beings and ani- 
 mals in wax, like nature itself; a hen, as if laid 
 open, and her egg, large size, in full display ; and 
 an immense number of lusi natura;, preserved. 
 A full description I cannot give, but there were 
 books that described every particular. 
 
120 rapeije's narrative. 
 
 On Thursday, July lOtli, I went to see Talma, 
 the great tragedian ; but, like all the rest of those 
 the world calls great actors, he overstrained 
 nature. All was overdone ; such things in real 
 life are never seen. It is like tuning a silver cord 
 till it breaks, and all the sweetness of music is 
 lost. A very large lady, Madame Paradol, was 
 the most majestic actress I ever saw. Her face 
 was beautiful ; but her form w^as too large. 
 
 On Friday, July 20th, I met with nothing ma- 
 terial, but walked in the Garden of the Tuilleries, 
 which was full of company at seven, p. m. The 
 weather Avas extremely warm, and the streets 
 dusty. 
 
 On Sunday, July 22d, I went to see the water- 
 works play at Versailles, as was advertised in the 
 newspapers ; but it began to rain with violence, 
 and in consequence there was no display of water- 
 works. The people here do many kinds of work 
 in the streets, such as making wafers, roasting 
 coffee, sewing, knitting, and spinning. It is a 
 curious place ; it is cleanly, and it is dirty. The 
 people generally keep themselves remarkably 
 nice and tidy, and dress is their prevailing passion. 
 I cannot say they study it ; it seems to be natural 
 to them, and the women do really put on their 
 clothes with much taste. The streets are filthy ; 
 and at the same time, they are always cleaning 
 and washing them, mostly the gutters, which are 
 in the middle of the streets ; and water is constantly 
 
rapelje's narrative. 121 
 
 running through most of them, which on warm and 
 dry day.s, is thrown up out of the gutters with sho- 
 vels on the other parts of the streets to lay the 
 dust. 
 
 On Monday, July 23d, I saw a small garden 
 they call Vauxhall, where there was music and 
 dancing by the promiscuous company; the conduct 
 and dress of the visitors were as chaste as in the 
 most polite assembly. There is a large oblong 
 square, surrounded with trees and double rows of 
 benches ; and any gentleman choosing a lady, hands 
 her out in the dance of quadrilles or waltzes; and 
 twenty, thirty, or forty couple are seen waltzing at 
 one time. 
 
 Tuesday, July 24th. — On the Boulevards are a 
 number of prints of all descriptions on stalls, and 
 cords stretched from tree to tree to hang them on, 
 and also a piece of cloth, or sheets, or canvass, pla- 
 ced on the ground along the houses, or a vacant lot, 
 and hardware and dry goods laid out for sale. I 
 dined at Maurice hotel, at a table d'ote; the com- 
 pany were all English, both ladies and gentlemen. 
 
 Wednesday, July 25th, I walked in the Garden 
 of the Tuilleries. The number of statues and pieces 
 of sculpture is great ; a hog, or a w ild boar in white 
 marble, on a pedestal, is very well executed. On 
 the next day I went to St. Cloud, dined, and came 
 back by Rassy. I saw and drank of its mineral 
 waters. There is a small garden, with terraces, 
 &c. &c. 
 
 16 
 
122 kai'ELje's narrative. 
 
 On Fridav^, July 2Ttli, I went to St. Genevieve, 
 and dined there ; walked on the terrace, which is 
 very much elevated above the Seine, and where 
 there is a delightful view over a beautiful valley, 
 the river winding through it. On Saturday it 
 rained the whole day. 
 
 On Sunday, July 29th, I rode to Change Elisee, 
 and to the Garden of the Tuilleries ; in the evening 
 I went to Tivoli. 
 
 Tuesday, July 31st, I rode to Montmarte, a 
 high hill, on wiiich is a telegraph, which was in 
 operation, and by which communication is made 
 between Calais and Paris in five or six minutes ; 
 it is about a mile and a half from Paris. I also 
 visited the slaughter-house, called Montmarte, 
 which is the largest, and near to the hill. There 
 are several others about the environs of Paris, or 
 the outer Boulevards; and indeed this is an excel- 
 lent establishment. All the neat cattle, bullocks, 
 cows, calves, sheep, &c., are here kept in the most 
 comfortable manner, lodged and fed, as prepara- 
 tory for slaughter. This is a very large inclosure 
 of buildings, surrounded by a high wall, forming 
 an oblong square, with several rows of solid stone 
 buildings, two stories high, with spacious cellars, 
 all paved or flagged with large stones, and espe- 
 cially adapted for killing and dressing the animals, 
 with water sufficient to overflow a few inches deep 
 all the floors, and wash every thing clean. The 
 buildings are several in a row, separated from 
 
rapelje's narrative. 123 
 
 each other by wide avenues. Those for slaugh- 
 tering, have large doors on each side ; a beast can 
 be drawn in at either. The animal, an ox, is then 
 killed, and I saw one ; as soon as he was bled, a 
 couple of bellows, quite large, were applied to 
 holes made through the skin of the animal, and it 
 was literally blowed up, and made to swell to an 
 enormous size; which the butchers told me was 
 done with an intention of making it skin easily, and 
 the operation of skinning appeared to be done with 
 much less trouble, and quicker, than with us. The 
 meat after being hung up, seems all bloated 
 like a bladder. There is also every convenience 
 for trying out the fat, and boiling the feet, &c. A 
 woman vvent round with me, wife to the porter ; 
 for, by the bye, every house in Paris, of any conse- 
 quence, especially the hotels, and all public lodg- 
 ing-houses, have a porter at a small room adjoin- 
 ing an immense gate ; and as she was going around 
 with me, her face had all the softness and amiable 
 appearance, as if she had been going to a fete in 
 the Delta Fardine, which is just by, and with no 
 sort of horror at the several spectacles of beasts of 
 different kinds; some just dressed, others driven 
 on and beaten by huge sticks, to make them go 
 forward ; others just with their throats cut; some 
 they were just skinning; in other instances the 
 operation had been performed, and their entrails 
 also about to be laid open ; and in another place, 
 where the fat was trying out, men with only a 
 
124 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 white canvass petticoat and bib on, the rest of 
 their bodies naked, throwing the fat in the caul- 
 dron with a shovel ; and a young woman in the 
 same room, well dressed, Avith a pair of new, hand- 
 some, yellow morocco slippers, with clean white 
 stockings, and neat frock, well put on, putting the 
 tallow in the scales, perfectly unconcerned, as if 
 the death of an animal was nothing. They take 
 things free and easy ; and, it seems, do not mind 
 trifles. 
 
 On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I saw 
 nothing particular, but lounged to different parts 
 of the Boulevards ; breakfasted one day at the cor- 
 ner of Fradeau and Vivien, at the Cafee Sortone, 
 and dined at a restaurateur in the Palais Royale, 
 for forty-two sous, from four different dishes. The 
 Boulevards Italiennes, are crowded with company 
 genteelly dressed, and going in to take ice-cream 
 at the caffee till twelve o'clock at night. Ladies 
 and gentlemen sit in lots at each side of the foot- 
 walk, and numbers of carriages come to the differ- 
 ent caffees. 
 
 Saturday, August 4th. — In the evening I went 
 to the Italian Opera, opposite LuUy, near the rue 
 de Richelieu, where I heard some fine music and 
 singing by Pellegreen, and some excellent female 
 performers. 
 
 Sunday, August 5th, I went to the Luxembourg 
 palace. The paintings are very fine ; it is one long 
 narrow gallery ; and I saw the Chamber of Peers, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 125 
 
 a handsome semicircular room; and other rooms 
 of the palace are very handsome, with fine painted 
 ceilings, and a few other paintings, and some few 
 statues. 
 
 On Monday, August 6th, I moved my lodgings 
 to the Hotel de Mars, rue de Meil. Mrs. David, 
 at the lodgings I had been, was of late rather dif- 
 ferent in her manner towards me ; instead of being 
 received with a pleasant smile, as I saw her com- 
 ing in, there was a coldness and reserve at which 
 I felt uncomfortable. What was the cause I could 
 not tell, but I thought I had better move my quar- 
 ters. 
 
 Tuesday, August 7th, I w^ent to the other side 
 of Ponte Royal and Neuf, on which bridge are a 
 number of odd occupations of people, with small 
 benches, stools, and tables, hawkers of books ; and 
 among other itinerants, was a sausage seller, and 
 a clipper of cats and dogs, that is, a hair cutter of 
 cats and dogs. 
 
 Wednesday, August 8th, I went to the Theatre 
 dele Port St. Martin; where most of the women 
 were very ugly; but there was a woman and a 
 man who danced exceedingly well, the best I have 
 seen in this dancing country. The theatre is on 
 the Boulevards, beyond the temple. 
 
 On Thursday, August 9th, I rode to Change 
 Elisee and Bous de Boulogne, w ith the lady of the 
 hotel, in a gig I hired for fifteen francs a day, and 
 found it difficult to get a good one. The French 
 
126 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 are always in the streets and theatres ; they would 
 much rather lose a meal than their theatre ; they 
 care little for the morrow ; they are pleasant and 
 agreeable when kept in a good humor, but ready 
 to tear you to pieces if you offend them. The 
 streets are always in a humid state; water is 
 always running in all the gutters, wiiich comes 
 from some reservoir, and pumped up from the 
 Seine ; but they are generally very filthy. I dhied 
 at the Maurice Hotel at a table d'ote, where I saw 
 a Mr. and Mrs. Jacques, from Charleston. It is 
 reckoned to be the best hotel in Paris. The Eng- 
 lish go there, generally, and find things conducted 
 in the English style. 
 
 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the 10th, 11th, 
 and 12th of August, I went in company with an 
 Englishman, Mr. Van Benson, to take a drive in a 
 gig I hired, to Mount Valerian, about three miles 
 and a half from Paris. It was very high, and for- 
 merly called Mount Calvary, they suppose, to re- 
 present the place where our Saviour was crucified. 
 There is a chapel and three crucifixes, raised very 
 high, and figures of men on each, to represent our 
 Saviour between the two thieves. In the front, is 
 the tomb, made of stone ; in the back part a stone 
 cofiin, and the figure of Christ, as supposed he laid 
 entombed; all very aff'ecting. The hill being 
 so very high, the prospect and views are far supe- 
 rior to any thing about Paris. Montmarte, where 
 the telegraph is, can by no means be compared to 
 
rapelje's narrative. 127 
 
 it, although the view is fine there also. The coun- 
 try all round is fertile, beautiful, and well cultiva- 
 ted ; a great deal of wheat is raised about this hill, 
 and grapes. The wheat through the country was 
 at this time ripe, and they were harvesting it, and 
 it is all what we call bald-wheat, without beards 
 on the heads, which are very long and large, and 
 as fine as any wheat I ever saw. 
 
 On Monday, August 13th, I was with Mrs. 
 Ludlow, of New- York, took her to the Palais 
 Royal, and made several visits with her. 
 
 Tuesday, August 14th. — It rained all day. I 
 breakfasted with a Mr. Robertson, in rue Gram- 
 mont, an accidental visit. I was engaged most of 
 this day in getting my passports fixed, and had to 
 pay ten francs at one office, intending to go the 
 next day to Holland ; a franc is about one and six 
 pence. New- York money. 
 
 Wednesday, the 15th, I received letters from 
 Mrs. Rapelje, Mr. Golden, and Mr. Stewart, dated 
 10th of June, from the post-office, favored by 
 Miss Garnets, as my address was not known. I 
 remained at home, and wrote a long answer to 
 Mrs. Rapelje. 
 
 On Thursday, the 16th, there was nothing par- 
 ticular, although in Paris. I was persuaded to 
 stay till Monday, in order on Sunday to go to 
 Versailles, and see the grand display of water- 
 works. I had visited a day or two ago the Mrs. 
 and Miss Garnets, who had just arrived from 
 
r 
 
 \ 
 
 128 ^ rapelje's narrative. 
 
 America, and to wliose kindness I had been in- 
 debted for my letters. 
 
 On Friday, the 17th, I went to the new 
 Opera House, wliich was just finished, near the 
 Italian Boulevards ; it was elegantly decorated, 
 with a fine saloon in front, for singing and dancing ; 
 the interior highly ornamented with gilding, but 
 all very heavy, and as in the other theatres, lighted 
 by only one chandelier in the centre, which does 
 not give the house so brilliant an appearance, as 
 lights around the boxes, as in the English and 
 American theatres. As yet, I have seen no the- 
 atre so brilliant as Drury-lane, and the Opera 
 House in London. 
 
 On Sunday, the 19th, I went to Versailles ; the 
 fountains all played, and the water-works were 
 amusing ; the great number in the different parts 
 of the park were magnificent. I have often seen 
 prints and representations of tliese displays, but 
 all fell short of the reality. It is four leagues from 
 Paris, and the road was lined with carriages of 
 all descriptions, from the common pot de cham- 
 bre, a carriage on two wheels, covered and drawn 
 by one horse, a public one, the fare of which is 
 cheap, and to which the Parisians have given this 
 playful, but vulgar name, to the elegant coach and 
 six. 
 
 I left Paris at six o'clock on Wednesday morn- 
 ing, August the 22d, in a diligence for Brussels ; 
 passed through a number of fine towns, and finely 
 
rapelje's narrative. 129 
 
 cultivated country. They were harvesting their 
 wheat, which is uncommonly good, and all other 
 grain, as rye, barley, oats, flax, hemp, clover, &c. 
 &c. They are inferior to England, or the United 
 States, in all mechanical branches of husbandry, 
 and in their implements of labor. We went 
 through Valenciennes, Cambray, and Mons, and 
 many other intermediate towns. The three men- 
 tioned are all inland. Tiie gate-way is arched, 
 through which the stage passed at Valenciennes ,* 
 appeared to be a hundred feet thick, with a very 
 wide and deep ditch on the outside, which can be 
 filled with water, yet the English made out to 
 make a breach, and took it. I saw many places 
 in the wall on each side of the gate, where cannon 
 balls had made perforations on the outside, and 
 severe marks they were. The whole of the first 
 night, we rode, and part of the 23d, till one o'clock, 
 when we got to Brussels, situate on the river 
 Scheldt ; the weather was extremely hot. The 
 travelling diligences are miserable, slow, heavy 
 machines, and the post-riders are all in favor of 
 driving on the paved part of the road, which is 
 paved w4th square stones for about twelve feet 
 wide in the centre, although each side is very 
 good, and most part of it level ; yet the drivers 
 jolt their passengers and themselves and carriages, 
 and ruin the horses, over the stones. O, what 
 prejudice ! The roads are made mostly straight, 
 with a row of trees on each side, but do not form 
 
 17 
 
130 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 a shade in the middle of the day for carriages. I 
 put up at Brussels, at Terrlemaii's Hotel, and 
 found it decent, and both clean and quiet ; hut 
 the Wellington, or Flanders, or Belle^nue Hotels, 
 are the best, and in better situations, but are said 
 to be dearer. 
 
 On Friday, the 24th, I was present at a 
 grand Te Deum in the cathedral ; all the military, 
 and the archbishop, and other clergy, and differ- 
 ent ministers, as well as other distinguished cha- 
 racters, were in the church, in their court dresses, 
 and rich lace on the ^^ hite dresses of the priests. 
 The whole was very grand and imposing from the 
 presence of the military band of the Belgian troops. 
 I counted twelve clarionets, with the other instru- 
 ments, in the cathedral ; then the singing, all male 
 voices, accompanied by the organ, was quite ex- 
 quisite. The cathedral is very large and hand- 
 some ; the neatest, and kept finer than any I 
 have entered. I found nothing particularly inte- 
 resting in Brussels. It is the seat of government 
 of Belgium, or the Netherlands, and capital of that 
 kingdom. This being the King's birtli-day, who 
 resided there, a grand fete was given, and fire- 
 works in the evening ; a grand dinner and ball at 
 the royal residence, but I did not go to see either. 
 There is a pretty, though small park, at the upper 
 end of tlie town, being a square of about forty 
 acres, surrounded by a wall, and houses on the 
 outside^ 
 
rapelje's naruative. 131 
 
 On Saturday, August 25th, I went at seven 
 o'clock in the morning by the diligence, to Ant- 
 werp, and passed through several pretty towns. I 
 saw the King of Netherland's palace, a few miles 
 from Brussels, near the road on a hill. The coun- 
 try is very fertile, and w^ell cultivated, mostly low 
 intervals or valleys, interspersed with canals and 
 small rivers. We rode a considerable distance 
 along the Brussels canal, and saw numbers of ves- 
 sels and boats towed along by men, that is, the 
 smaller ones ; the larger by horses. The country 
 is beautiful, with trees most of the way along the 
 roads ; no rocks or stones in any of the country 
 from Paris. Antwerp is about thirty miles from 
 Brussels, and I may say two hundred and forty 
 from Paris. I visited the large Cathedral of Notre 
 Dame, in which were Reubens' master-pieces of 
 paintings, the " Descent," and " Ascension." This 
 was his native place. Those, with another over 
 the altar, the '' Resurrection," are of immense 
 value ; it is said, no price would buy them. The 
 steeple of six hundred and twenty-four steps to the 
 top, is of elegant architecture, composed of stone 
 and iron, and highly carved and ornamented ; the 
 whole church is of a plain neat style, in the inte- 
 rior, and was nearly a hundred years in building, 
 and has been erected four hundred and fifty years. 
 Antwerp is a very dull city, and very few ladies 
 are to be seen in the streets, and scarcely a car- 
 riage. The river Scheldt runs along by it, and 
 
132 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 there are fine docks, made by Bonaparte, that can 
 hold an immense number of ships. It is a very 
 strong walled city, with deep wide ditches, and 
 filled with water. I visited several other churches, 
 as St. Andrew's, and St. Augustine, in which is a 
 fine picture by Van Brace, of the " High Priest 
 pouring oil or baptizing," and the church, called 
 the Jesuits.' St. Andrew's is very large. I went 
 to the church of England on Sunday, August 26th, 
 and heard service and a sermon in English. On 
 Saturday, I had been to see the pictures at the 
 museum, which were very fine ; many, I suppose, 
 by Reuben, Vandyke, and others. This was the 
 native place of Van Dyke, as well as Reubens ; 
 many of those pictures, especially the famous 
 ones of Reubens, were taken to Paris, in the time 
 of the revolution. The light in the Notre Dame 
 is admitted from such a height, that I think the 
 beauty of them is partly lost ; and I must say, 
 that in the " Ascension," the dog is the only fig- 
 ure natural, that I could see ; and in the " De- 
 scent," the face, and the light colored auburn hair 
 of the female, supporting the leg and pierced foot 
 of our Saviour, and the face of the female directly 
 behind her; but the faces are as different as day 
 from night, but both uncommonly sweet and fine ; 
 and the face of the girl in the corner, having a bas- 
 ket on her head, are beautiful ; all the other fig- 
 ures, and their beauties, are lost to me ; but there 
 are some who judge and form their judgment from 
 
rapelje's narrative. 133 
 
 what others say, and what they read in books, who 
 have a different opinion. I form my opinion from 
 the natural appearance of what I saw. In Paris, 
 and all the towns I went through, the beggars 
 were very annoying, and whenever the stage stop- 
 ped, numbers surrounded, nor did they quit it till 
 its departure ; and along the roads, the boys and 
 girls, of all ages and sizes, followed the stage, 
 especially when it went up a hill, begging for half 
 a mile or more. It is a disgrace to the country ; 
 the police, so rigid in other respects, ought to put 
 a stop to this practice also. The lacques de 
 place, or conductors, swarm at all the hotels, and 
 are very annoying, wanting your money, and in- 
 truding themselves to show you to every place ; 
 they have a little smattering of English, but are 
 hardly intelligible ; and it is with the utmost diffi- 
 culty they can be made to understand any thing 
 you say. Whenever you go out, or come in, you 
 are beset with them, and it is with great difficulty 
 you can get rid of them, for they follow you a 
 long distance even when you have told them you 
 do not want them. I could not divest myself of 
 the idea of their being spies on me. In the eve- 
 ning, I went to the theatre, and saw Madamoi- 
 selle Mars perform ; she is a very beautiful wo- 
 man, and an elegant actress ; the French are so 
 sweet, so soft, in their exj^ressions and actions ; 
 and the theatre was neat, small, and well filled. 
 In going home to the Hotel d'Angletene, where I 
 
134 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 stayed, I saw ten or more Dutch girls, who came 
 around me, and asked for caramus money, as they 
 called it, to dance with. I was never so surrounded 
 by females before ; I imagined they were common 
 prostitutes ; and, as I could never say a cross word 
 to strange females, it was a little time before I 
 could get away. I was literally surrounded ; one 
 took hold of my hat, others my coat-skirts, &c. 
 &c., but all in good humor, for I am sure they did 
 not mean to hurt me ; it was just eleven o'clock, 
 when they saw another gentlemanly dressed 
 man, when they left me and went to him. How- 
 ever, I gave them no money. I had never, in 
 Paris or London, been surrounded in that way 
 before. 
 
 On Monday, the 27th, I went to St. James's 
 Church, where I saw Mount Calvary, and under- 
 neath it Purgatory, and in the centre, our Saviour 
 composedly lying in the tomb ; they, the people, 
 kneeling, and praying their departed friends out of 
 this place of departed spirits. Also hell, in an- 
 other view, with carved images of old and young, 
 with the representation of burning, and fire and 
 flames all around them, carved out of wood ; an af- 
 fecting illustration of the torments of hell. Mount 
 Calvary was above, with the image of our Saviour 
 on the cross, his side pierced, and a stream of 
 blood, say of an inch or more diameter, spouting 
 from the wound in a curved line of five or six 
 yards in length, and appeared like blood running 
 
rapelje's narrative. 135 
 
 from his side, and falling down on the lower part 
 of the Mount. All around are images of different 
 saints and figures commemorative, and indeed very 
 affecting to my mind, and to those other strangers 
 wiio went with me. I also saw the tomb of Reu- 
 bens, in St. Jacques Egleise, and a painting over 
 it of himself in armor, and his father, wife, and 
 family, assimilated to some piece from sacred his- 
 tory. I then saw a small private collection of a 
 private person, near St. Jacques. A lady, I be- 
 lieve, about twenty-five years of age, owned them, 
 who painted portraits, and taught painting; I 
 saw a great many of the Flemish, Dutch, and 
 Italian schools. I went in search of the picture 
 painted by Mast, the journeyman blacksmith, who 
 was enamored of the great painter Flori's daugh- 
 ter. Flori had declared he would consent that no 
 one should have his daughter, except he could 
 paint better or equal to himself The smith set 
 about learning the art day and night; and, one 
 day, when Flori was away, he painted a fly on the 
 leg of a picture Flori had just finished, which was 
 so naturally done, that when Flori came again to 
 touch his picture, he went to drive away the fly. 
 He was vanquished ; the blacksmith had become a 
 great painter, and obtained the object of his af- 
 fections. This was the place of their residence, 
 where I saw a piece of well executed, fancy, open 
 wrought blacksmith's work, of metario, over a 
 well. At two o'clock in the afternoon, I set off for 
 
136 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Breda, thirty miles from Antwerp, and rode over 
 a flat country, where there was some very fine 
 lands, and arrived at Breda at half past eight, and 
 put up at Dr. Orr Leon, and took passage the 
 next morning for Rotterdam, which was thirty-six 
 miles. 
 
 On Tuesday, August 28th, I went at five o'clock 
 in the morning, in a diligence, for Rotterdam, and 
 passed several fine villages. Crossed the Mause, 
 or Meuse, and two other ferries, and crossed over 
 two islands ; the stage drove in the batteau in the 
 two last ferries, I believe the Role and the Meuse ; 
 the first about a mile wide, passable in an open sail- 
 boat. The road, all the way from Antwerp, leads 
 through orchards, corn-fields, gardens, and mea- 
 dows, with trees planted, for the most part, on 
 each side ; and I could constantly see .the water, 
 either canals, rivers, ditches, or ponds, interspersed 
 through the country, which presents an uninter- 
 rupted level, like an immense marsh, or salt mea- 
 dow, drained by these waters. They travelled 
 very slow; but in some places where it is not 
 paved, (for indeed the roads all through France, 
 and mostly in the Netherlands, are paved, for 
 about twelve feet in the centre) there is very heavy 
 sand, and for several miles the horses did not go 
 off a walk. We got into Rotterdam at ten o'clock. 
 It is a fine city, all life and bustle, quite different 
 from the stupid dullness of Antwerp. I put up at 
 the Bath Hotel, on the great street Bompoys, a 
 
rapelje's narrative. 137 
 
 river in front of the house, and a canal directly 
 at the back, under my bed-room; it washes the 
 foundation, and is more than a hundred feet wide. 
 The street is at the other side ; and all the borders 
 of the canals and rivers along the town, are plant- 
 ed with rows of trees. There are about fifty-five 
 thousand inhabitants. I went to see the large 
 Protestant church, where was the monuments of 
 their famous admirals. Van de Ruyter and Van 
 Tromp. The brass door and railing, and marble 
 entrance to the altar, are fine pieces of mechanical 
 w^orkmanship. It is a large interior, plainly built, 
 but not ornamented with such fine w orkmanship 
 in altars, paintings, &c., as the Roman Catholic 
 churches, I went to bed early, in order to take 
 the treck schute on the morrow at half past four 
 for the Hague. 
 
 Wednesday, 29th of August, I set off in the 
 treck schute, a boat about thirty feet long and 
 about eight feet wide, on the canal. All along 
 there were beautiful country places, with their 
 summer, or pleasure houses, of an octagon form, 
 and looking-glasses projecting, to reflect the 
 numbers of boats passing, which are drawn by a 
 horse by a long cord fastened to the mast, and a 
 man at the helm to steer. The country is cut up 
 with canals ; the land a perfect dead level, inter- 
 spersed w^ith trees, and large flocks of fine cattle, 
 pasturing. The soil is very rich ; the country 
 places beautifully laid out, and very regular, in 
 
 IS 
 
138 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the Dutch style. We passed Delft, and got to the 
 Hague, a large town, with thirty thousand inhahi- 
 tants; all the streets of the city intersected by 
 canals, with rows of trees on each side. I saw the 
 public walk, which was very beautiful and roman- 
 tic, on the outskirts of the city. I also saw the 
 palace, and royal cabinet of pictures ; one of oxen 
 and sheep, with the shepherd, or owner, was by 
 Paulus Potter, a Dutchman, and was the most 
 natural picture I have eyer seen. Several others 
 struck me, as " Cain and Abel," and " Adam and 
 Eve;" all very chaste and modest, considering the 
 situation, bringing to mind the fallen state of man. 
 All the streets and houses are neat and clean. I 
 stayed and breakfasted at the Marshal Turenne 
 Hotel ; and at half past twelve started in the treck 
 chute, and passed through the canal by a number 
 of beautiful country places, just even with the 
 water. The city of Leyden is three hours' sail, or 
 nine English miles, from the Hague. It is delight- 
 ful going in these boats; there was a constant 
 succession of boats and horses. I got to Leyden 
 at half past three, and went to see the Botanical 
 Garden, which has been in existence for several 
 centuries, in a high state of cultivation and preser- 
 vation. All the plants are from every part of the 
 world. Here I saw the pepper trees, the tanka, 
 and vanilla ban trees, the spice, cinnamon, or 
 mace ; also two trees planted by the famous Bocr- 
 have, who was professor here, one an ash, the 
 
rapelje's narrative. 139 
 
 other a honeysuckle ; also a palm tree, which, they 
 told me, was three hundred years old, but which 
 I could not believe. The town is as the other 
 Holland towns ; most of the streets are filled in the 
 centre by a canal, with trees ; the houses, how- 
 ever, have not the appearance of being filled with 
 moss, as one would suppose, and no appearance of 
 the effect of dampness that would arise from so 
 much water; the people seemed in high health. 
 The college is a small building, adjoining the gar- 
 den. I stayed till half past four, and set off for 
 Haerlem, in a kind of cabriole, or curricle, with two 
 wheels, and two horses ; the cross-bar of the cur- 
 ricle, is under the bellies of the horses. I went on 
 through a pleasant country, all low, interspersed 
 with fine seats and canals; rode along one for 
 three miles, and passed the Haerlem boat, called 
 the treck schute. The road is a perfect level, 
 shaded with trees, and most of the way paved with 
 bricks edgeways. I went in company with a 
 gentleman of Haerlem ; we joined in the expense ; 
 there were six tolls, and the cabriole and man 
 were quite expensive, double that of a public 
 stage, or the boat. Haerlem is about fifteen miles 
 English from Leyden, and we got in at nine o'clock. 
 I put up at a house to w hich the driver took me, 
 near the barrier, or gate, that leads to Amsterdam. 
 At Leyden I saw the portraits of all the presi- 
 dents of the university, in a room at the college. 
 On Thursday, the 30th of August, I went to 
 
140 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 see the Protestant Church, which was very large 
 and plain ; it is four hundred feet long. I went up 
 to the steeple, and had a fine view of the city. I 
 saw another church, whose steeple was formerly 
 a light-house, when the neighboring country was 
 covered with the ocean. This great church is 
 more than four hundred years old. I also saw the 
 King's palace, which is not so large or magnificent 
 as those of France or England, hut is perfectly 
 chaste and beautiful. There are three rooms that 
 form a suite of apartments, and which were in my 
 taste, the neatest and best proportioned, as well as 
 furnished, I have ever seen ; they are in a line con- 
 nected and communicated by very large openings 
 in tlie centre, and from each there is a fine view of 
 the park, which is indeed beautiful, being regu- 
 larly laid out, with walks and roads, and orna- 
 mented Avith immense trees. In the palace, is a 
 beautiful staircase, the steps and hand-rails of 
 white Italian marble ; also, some elegant marble 
 chimney-pieces, one from the ruins of Herculaneum ; 
 the floors of the suite of rooms are all inlaid of oak 
 wood, which is of two colors, and each room has 
 in the centre a beautiful chandelier. The centre 
 is the ball-room, in which there is a narrow gal- 
 lery for the musicians all round. The rooms are 
 all of an oblong square ; the glass of the windows 
 lightly tinged with a red and bluish cast. I went 
 to hear the great organ in the great church, at 
 twelve, but did not think it excelled others that I 
 
rapelje's narrative. 141 
 
 had before heard, I then went on in a return 
 chaise to Amsterdam, a distance of about five 
 miles, and put up at the Arms of Amsterdam, 
 kept by Mr. Porter, at the corner of Rutland- 
 street. The country all the way is cut up with 
 canals, and boats go every hour to and from 
 Amsterdam, called treck schute. I often thought 
 of my wife, as she loves ease, comfort, and plea- 
 sant travelling ; here it was in perfection, the roads 
 so level, the waters so smooth ; the ladies in the 
 boats are constantly sewing or knitting. The 
 Dutch are proverbially neat and clean, and indeed 
 it is so in reality. I dressed and dined at a table 
 d'ote, and had an excellent dinner of large joints 
 of roast and boiled, and fine Westphalia ham, 
 and indeed two courses of meat, the second of 
 birds and wild fowls, and poultry, with a good de- 
 sert of fruit. About thirty sat down, among 
 whom were many travellers from Antwerp. 
 After dinner, I delivered a letter from Messrs. Le 
 Roy and Bayard, to Messrs. Stafhorsts, whom I 
 found very civil ; one of them accompanied me to 
 the opera, and paid for my ticket. I laid my mo- 
 ney down twice, but he insisted. I would not 
 repel his kindness, because I should have been 
 fretted if I had wished to present a friend with a 
 ticket, and it was refused acceptance. This gen- 
 tleman had been in New- York. The music was 
 good ; a fine orchestra, and a good male singer. 
 
142 
 
 The theatre was small ; they have a larger one 
 of the Dutch. 
 
 Friday, August 31st. — I visited the palace, 
 formerly the Stadthouse, in w^hich there are a 
 number of handsome rooms ; the largest, in the 
 centre, is one hundred and forty-fiie feet long, 
 and sixty wide, the handsomest room I ever saw, 
 and the best proportioned in Europe ; the ceiling 
 is a hundred feet in height, I think, arched ; the 
 interior rooms, have all marble pillars and pilas- 
 ters, as have all the side walls in the interior 
 rooms, and are very handsomely furnished ; there 
 are a few fine paintings. From the top of the cu- 
 pola there is a fine view of Amsterdam. I went 
 to see the public picture gallery, as almost every 
 city or town in Europe has something of that 
 kind. I found this an indifi'erent one. There 
 are a great many pictures of the best artists, if 
 you believe your guides, and these guides declare 
 in every place, that they have the originals of Van- 
 dyke, Reubens, Potter, Rembrandt, &c. There 
 were none that I admired. The one at the Hague, 
 however, of oxen and sheep by Potter, was to my 
 mind unexceptionably the best I have seen. I 
 then went to their music room. In the same build- 
 ing is a philosophical apparatus, and a few paint- 
 ings. Their museum, as they call it, as well as 
 their picture gallery, I thought, did not compen- 
 sate for the trouble of walking to see them. They 
 
rapelje's narrative. 143 
 
 show you the skeletons of some highwaymen, as 
 old Jack and his dog, and another, of a very old 
 man, who was executed. I went to the church, 
 where I saw the tomb of their famous admiral 
 Van de Ruyter ; there were some elegant carved 
 works in the church, and a pulpit of curious struc- 
 ture, with fine carving in wood, with a brass rail- 
 ing, all of very excellent workmanship. I went to 
 the Exchange, and saw a great concourse of peo- 
 ple. Exchange lasts only an hour. This city is 
 also cut up in the streets by canals. At eight 
 in the evening, I went to the Jews' Synagogue, 
 where there was the finest singing I ever heard in 
 my life ; two female voices, as I thought, which 
 led me to obtrude near the altar to see the face of 
 the female, but found both singers were men. I 
 then went to their public walk, or park, or pro- 
 menade near the canals ; indeed there is no mo- 
 ving without seeing water, and yet it is remarka- 
 able that iron does not rust, or brass tarnish, any 
 more there, than where there is not so much wa- 
 ter. In the evening I went to their smoking 
 houses ; they were enough to suffocate me. The 
 windows are all shut down, and the curtains are 
 drawn ; they have half a dozen metal or crockery 
 vessels, with large coals of fire to light their pipes 
 and cigars by. I was obliged to smoke in my own 
 defence. This smoking is at all places, and at all 
 times, without respect to the habits of others. I 
 thought there was a dullness or stupidity among 
 
144 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the Hollanders ; I believe they visit very little ; 
 but the ladies, especially, shut themselves up, and, 
 as I was told, were seldom seen out, except on a 
 Sunday. 
 
 Saturday, September 1st. — I called on Mr. 
 Stafhorst, who gave me a letter of introduction, 
 and set off at one o'clock in a treck schute for 
 Utrecht, a distance of about thirty American miles, 
 and passed several small villages, and got to An- 
 vers, at nine ; this is on the river Anistell. 
 
 On Sunday, September 2d, I started from 
 Utrecht at half past seven in the morning for Nei- 
 miguen, in a diligence. I had forgot to mention, 
 that in the boat, the day before, there was a lady 
 on board with gold plates on each side of her 
 head, and large square ear-rings, the fashion of the 
 Frieslanders or North-Hollanders, which give their 
 heads a very curious appearance. We rode 
 through several very neat small towns, and arrived 
 at Neimiguen, a distance of thirty-six miles. I 
 walked on the promenade, which has a fine view 
 of the river Wall, that takes a turn at this place, 
 and there is a fine ferry you cross over in a large 
 boat, or rather two boats put together, planked 
 over, and a space in the centre underneath ; this is 
 driven over the river by the tide; a very long 
 chain is fastened in the centre of the river, and is 
 floated by eight or ten boats at distances from 
 each other, and then to a standard in the ferry- 
 boat, like a gallows, over which it runs to one 
 
rapelje's narrative. 145 
 
 side or the other, as the boat ferries. I stayed at 
 the liotel, Palace Royal ; the ground is quite high 
 where it stands, and it appeared to be getting rid 
 of that dead level which was all about me. I 
 went on nine miles to a place called Clevor, a 
 small town. Neimiguen is a walled town, and 
 there are soldiers stationed there ; the Holland 
 language is altogether spoken, but most of them 
 understand and can speak French. I seldom met 
 with any one who could speak English. 
 
 On Monday, September 3d, I left Clevor, where 
 I had slept, and went on in the morning to Dassel- 
 dorf, on the Rhine, which is passed in a long boat 
 drifted over by the tide, in the same manner as the 
 one before described. I passed through several 
 towns, as Xantar, Rheinberg, Hoghstrut, Weden- 
 gan, and had to sleep at the ferry-house, where I 
 was almost eaten up with bugs. In the morning, 
 Tuesday, September 4th, I crossed over, and put 
 up at Bullenback. The country from Neimiguen 
 to Dasseldorf is mostly flat, some part of which is 
 fine land, and well cultivated. The farmers were 
 getting in their oats. The roads were sandy and 
 the travelling miserable. I took a post-chaise 
 most of the way, the diligence not going this day, 
 the distance about fifty miles ; the river here is a 
 third of a mile wide. I left the King of Holland's 
 dominions, and was now in Prussia. At Dassel- 
 dorf there is a fine park, and a neat botanic gar- 
 den, all kept in good order. I started at two 
 
 19 
 
146 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 o'clock for Cologne, about twenty miles English, 
 where I arrived at six ; I put up at the Imperial 
 Hotel. This place is on the Rhine. The country 
 I passed through, was very fine, all level, and 
 mostly good land ; there were fruit trees all along 
 the road, of plumbs and apples, and grapes grew on 
 the side walls of the houses. There are no fences 
 all along the road, or between the different fields, 
 and few farm-houses. The farmers, I imagine, 
 must reside in the towns and villages, which are 
 seen every few miles. I now found myself quite 
 at a loss, as no one could speak English ; but I 
 had made out very well as far as I had come. 
 Cologne appeared to be a bustling place ; contain- 
 ing many large churches and about fifty-four thou- 
 sand inhabitants. The streets were narrow and 
 crooked. 
 
 Wednesday, September 5th, I left Cologne at 
 eight, and went through Bon, Rhonmaker, Seni- 
 cies, Andregnach, to Coblentz, about forty-five 
 miles from Cologne. It was most all the way on 
 the Rhone, and many of them very old towns, and 
 have Roman Catholic churches. I saw several 
 hills ; and in one place they looked to me very 
 much like some part of the highlands near New- 
 York. On some of the hills, were the remains of 
 old castles; the views all along the river were 
 beautiful, and the whole a fine fruitful country. 
 The diligence stopped at Rhomnaker for us to 
 dine ; and we got into Coblentz at six, p. m., where 
 
rapelje's narrative. 147 
 
 there is a fine stone bridge over the Rhone ; but it 
 was undergoing some repairs, so we crossed with 
 the diligence in a drift-boat, as before described. 
 It is a strong fortified place, with several forts, 
 castles, and bastions, to defend all approaches. It 
 has the most formidable and imposing appearance. 
 The forts, three or four, are on very high hills, 
 near the river. Coblentz is situated just where 
 the river takes a turn ; and there is a fine large 
 building, which appeared like a palace, all out of 
 repair, near a small park of trees. The country 
 over which I passed was level, and very fruitful. 
 When about ten or twelve miles from Cologne, the 
 vineyards became very numerous on the sides of 
 the hills, on each side of the river ; but it was a 
 bad year, the grapes were nearly cut off. The 
 women in Prussia work very hard, carrying heavy 
 loads on their heads ; they altogether attend mar- 
 ket, carrying heavy baskets filled with fruit and 
 vegetables, a great way. The females appeared 
 to be very industrious ; what the men were about 
 I don't know ; in the fields I mostly saw women. 
 I put up at the hotel opposite the bridge of boats. 
 The charges for living are high. 
 
 Thursday, September 6th, I left Coblentz late 
 for Mayence, and rode all night in the diligence, 
 along the Rhine ; could see by the moonlight some- 
 thing of the country. The distance is about fifty- 
 five English miles. In many places, just after leav- 
 ing Coblentz, the hills rise from the margin of the 
 
148 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 river, and leave only a carriage road. We passed 
 through many towns in a dilapidated state, close 
 to the river, the hills seeming to hang on them ; 
 and I saw many on the other side also, and at 
 many of them, on a high rock, stood the ruins of a 
 castle, temple, or cathedral, and at the foot of some 
 a large cave, or cavern, also in ruins. Several parts 
 of the river are beautiful, with a number of towns 
 all along, the names of which I do not remember ; in 
 many places there were fine flat intervals on each 
 side. The fields appeared well tilled, and most 
 sides of the hills were covered with vineyards. Near 
 to Mayence there were many hills very long, but 
 the roads good over them. All along those were 
 immense numbers of fruit trees, crowded with fruit 
 of all kinds; the peaches are not good, but the 
 plums are excellent. 
 
 I arrived at Mayence at twelve o'clock on Fri- 
 day, September 7th, and dined at the Three 
 Crowns. About forty sat down to the table ; and 
 I went off at two in a return chaise for Frank- 
 fort, and left the Rhine, after passing over it at 
 Mayence on a bridge of boats, which is very in- 
 geniously constructed. The plank covering is 
 easily taken up to let boats pass, by a windlass 
 readily replaced, but not so well as the common 
 draw-bridges. I went on through a small town 
 called Hocheim, where I stopped at an inn, and 
 had some thin Hocheim wine, which was very 
 good, and got into Frankfort at eight o'clock. I 
 
rapelje's narrative. 149 
 
 put up at the Hotel de Angleterre. I was detained 
 at this place the remainder of this and the follow- 
 ing day, as I could not get a conveyance. Those 
 who have carriages, promise to come at such an 
 hour, but they disappoint a traveller, and I thought 
 those at the hotel were concerned with them to 
 detain the passengers ; as they inform you of them, 
 and make believe they have engaged them. The 
 more I saw of the Dutch, Prussian, and Russian 
 people, the more I disliked them ; they are un- 
 couth and unaccommodating, and get in a car- 
 riage with their great pipes, and smoke you to 
 death ; and care not whether it is unpleasant or 
 not. 
 
 On Sunday, the 9th June, twenty-four English 
 miles to Darmstadt, in the Duke of Darmstadt's 
 dominions, where I saw the regiment reviewed, 
 the soldiers performed the evolutions with the offi- 
 cers and men, and were equal to any I ever saw. 
 It is a fine, improving town, and there are many 
 excellent new houses, as well as at Frankfort, 
 with gardens and parks ; I then dined, and went 
 on in a return carriage, with a lady from Boston, 
 and her son to Vanheim, where we slept. This 
 place is twelve more English miles, a fine country, 
 with hills and valleys ; but the road goes through 
 a fine level country. The hills are to be seen all 
 the way on the left. 
 
 On Monday, September 10th, I went from Van- 
 heim to Heidelberg, twelve English miles, where I 
 
150 
 
 visited the castle and garden, and saw the great 
 Heidelborough Tun, and entered the Duke of Ba- 
 den's dominions ; there is not wine enough in all his 
 dominions to fill this Tun. The river Neckar runs 
 along by Heidelberg. I rode along this river a 
 considerable distance, on my way to Pensheim ; 
 the road runs between numerous hills ; the land is 
 very good, covered with fruit trees all along. I 
 went on to Sensheim, a small town where I dined 
 eighteen miles from Heidelberg, then went to 
 Heilbron, eighteen English miles, to sleep. I saw 
 many towns all the way from Frankfort, and a 
 beautiful country, but no houses along the roads, 
 although the land is cultivated like a garden. The 
 farmers all live in towns, and go miles to work ; 
 the women do the most labor, carrying loads of 
 fruit and vegetables on their heads, in large bas- 
 kets, and are treated like beasts of burden. 
 Vineyards are cultivated on most of the hills, but 
 the wine is not said to be good ; however, I drank 
 half a bottle every day, with my dinner, and 
 thought it light and pleasant. This year, the 
 grapes were all cut off. I set out from Sensheim, 
 and went on through several pretty towns to 
 Heilbron, twelve English miles, and put up for the 
 night at the Senne Hotel. It is a considerable 
 town, the river Neckar running along it, which I 
 passed over on a wooden bridge. The roads all 
 through the country are very fair, with trees at 
 each side, all of different fruits, immense numbers 
 
rapelje's narrative. 151 
 
 of plumbs, pears and apples ; but I have not met 
 with any better than those I have tasted in Ame- 
 rica. All along the road there are stones prepared 
 and preparing to mend these roads ; the horses go 
 very slow, that is the worst of all, to those accus- 
 tomed to quick travelling; seldom get more than 
 from three to three miles and a half an hour. The 
 country was considerably hilly between Heidel- 
 berg and this place. Heilbron is in the King of 
 Wurtemburgh's dominions. 
 
 On Tuesday, September 11th, I started at eleven 
 o'clock in the morning, drove over a hilly country, 
 passed several towns, and got to Besigheim, where 
 I breakfasted, twelve English miles from Heilbron, 
 and passed the Neckar, over a bridge ; between 
 the latter named place and Besigheim. At this 
 place I also passed a bridge over the river Ens, a 
 small stream, and passed a fine country to Ludo- 
 vick, a fine town, with an elegant royal palace, 
 in front of which there is a fine garden, park and 
 public walks. Ludovick is nine English miles 
 from the last town, and where there were two 
 thousand men, a standing army ; the country 
 became quite hilly ; after hav ing dined, I went 
 through several towns, amid hills and valleys, the 
 road all the way lined with apple, pear, and plumb 
 trees, crowded with fruit, and the hills from bot- 
 tom to top covered with vineyards, but there 
 were no grapes this year. I came to Stutgard, 
 nine miles English, a delightful town, the resi- 
 
152 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 dence of the King of Wurtemburgh ; the palace is 
 very handsome ; the garden and park extremely 
 beautiful, with the river Ens running through it. 
 I put up at the King of England Hotel, as it is 
 called. A couple of miles along the river is a 
 handsome public garden, also a mineral spring, a 
 mild chalybeate. I stopped at Stutgard. 
 
 On Wednesday, September 12th, I set out in 
 an extra post-chaise alone to Swenwarding, about 
 four leagues, where I breakfasted, changing horses 
 and carriage; then went to Illingham, four 
 leagues, then to Pfortsheim, where I dined, and 
 Welfordengen, Tallock, and several other small 
 towns, through a handsome country, with gentle 
 hills, highly cultivated. There are trees along 
 the road, and on to Carlsruth, a beautiful town 
 or city, there is a handsome palace or chateau. 
 It is genteelly furnished, and a very large park 
 with a garden, and the finest and thickest wood 
 for several miles in extent, surrounds the city. 
 The rocks are of uncommon size. There were a 
 great number of soldiers, fine looking men, whom 
 I saw performing their evolutions in the woods, 
 like savages in the forests of North-America, or 
 the United States. The town is very handsome, 
 flagged sidewalks with flat stones, and the city 
 is well laid out. 
 
 Carlruth is twenty leagues from Stutgard. All 
 around this place is a thick forest of beautiful 
 wood, and perfectly level. The women in the 
 
rapelje's narrative. 153 
 
 country, as I passed along, were gathering in the 
 oats and flax ; no houses through the land, with 
 one or two exceptions ; the women are very hard- 
 featured and coarse, and very much embrowned 
 by the sun. They never wear hats, but seem to 
 labor like beasts of burden. Poor creatures ! I 
 pitied them. They all live in towns; and the 
 country is well cultivated, like a garden ; but to 
 see so large a space of hill and valley without a 
 house, had the appearance of a dreary waste to 
 me, unaccustomed to such a sight. The towns 
 and cities are filthy. The cattle lodge under the 
 same roof with the owners, only separated by a 
 wall. There are no fences to the fields ; the cattle 
 must always be kept inclosed. I took passage in 
 a diligence for Strasburg, a distance of twenty-one 
 leagues. The Hotel de Lespres, where I put up, 
 was very good, where I remained till ten o'clock 
 at night, and travelled all night in a diligence, 
 passing through Radstadt, Stockholm, Birthgheim, 
 Trechl, to Strasburg. I passed over a level coun- 
 try all the way, but the diligences in this Dutch 
 Germany travel very slow, and I did not arrive 
 till four o'clock. Friday, 14th, we were delayed 
 at the barrier over the Rhone, which divides 
 France from Germany, near to Strasburg, and 
 nearer Trechl, where we dined ; we were detained 
 to examine our baggage. I put up at the Lespres 
 Hotel, which is on the river Rhine. It is a large 
 place, and there is a beautiful Catholic church, of 
 
 20 
 
154 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the best ancient architecture I have seen in Eu- 
 rope. The decorations about the steeple and front 
 were very beautiful, and would have been quite 
 modern, if the color had been white, instead of a 
 dingy look, almost black. It is the same with all 
 the old buildings here. The organ in the church 
 was, I think, far superior to that I heard in the 
 Protestant church at Leyden or Haerlem. When 
 I went there, they were at high mass, so I heard 
 it, accompanied by two bassoons, which had a fine 
 effect. There is a beautiful walk around the ram- 
 parts of Strasburg, on the river. I set off at half 
 past twelve o'clock, in the diligence, for Basle, 
 which is twenty-eight leagues, and rode over a fine 
 country. Passed through Celestadt, and many 
 other towns and villages. I rode all night ; the 
 road was very level. Being once more in France, 
 the diligence went faster. 
 
 On Saturday, the 15th of September, I arrived 
 at Basle, at eight o'clock in the morning, which is 
 in Switzerland ; having left France just before we 
 entered the town, between it and France. This is 
 a fine town on the banks of the Rhine ; the people 
 are industrious, ingenious, and more neat than the 
 French. There are many handsome, small coun- 
 try seats about it, with gardens, tastefully laid out. 
 I delivered a letter from Messrs. Van Stafhorsts of 
 Amsterdam, to Mr. Isling, (a former partner of 
 Messrs. Le Roy and Bayard, at New-York,) who 
 resides here. He was very civil, but as I did not 
 
rapelje's narrative. 155 
 
 intend to stay at Basle, he gave me a letter to Mr. 
 Talluchio, of Milan, and Mr. Falconet, of Naples. 
 I stayed at the Cologne Hotel at Basle, which was 
 very good. I left at two o'clock, in a diligence, 
 for Berne, in Switzerland ; the road very good, but 
 over a very great number of hills and valleys, 
 looking, in some places, as if the sand, mountain, 
 and rocks, were going to fall over us. Between 
 the hills it was well cultivated, especially towards 
 Berne. The farms were good, with houses on 
 the land, affording a most beautiful picturesque 
 scenery ; an immensity of forests and woods, with 
 great quantities of firs of all kinds. We arrived 
 at Berne at eight o'clock, on Sunday, the 16th of 
 September, after riding in the diligences two whole 
 nights. I put up at the Crown Hotel, and had my 
 passport signed by the Sardinian and Austrian 
 ministers ; and, by inquiring of the Austrian minis- 
 ter, found that Baron Leider's sister, who had 
 given me letters to his family, was there, the wife 
 of the Spanish minister, Chevalier de Viergol, a 
 fine looking pleasant lady. I did not see his 
 daughter, who staid with her. Berne is very plea- 
 santly situated, on an angle formed by tlie river 
 Acor, which runs very rapidly. It is surrounded 
 by hills and valleys ; and there are some beautiful 
 walks, with views of the river. A stream of wa- 
 ter runs through the gutters of the streets, rapid 
 enough to turn a mill ; the sidewalks are all un- 
 der cover. The whole city looks like a perfect 
 
156 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 cloister ; the houses all projecting over. The wo- 
 men, called the Bernards, dress very curiously in- 
 deed. They wear black caps, with large black 
 gauze wings, and monstrous huge hips and petti- 
 coats, and in coarse chemise sleeves; their fea- 
 tures very coarse and rough. I saw two large 
 bears, the largest I have ever seen, confined in a 
 large yard ; they had been taken in the neighbor- 
 hood some years before, and were of a brown co- 
 lor. The woods being so extensive, there must 
 formerly have been great plenty of them, as this 
 place, Beam, or Berne, takes its name from bear. 
 
 Monday, September 17th, I left Berne at four 
 o'clock A. M. ; passed a hilly country, for five 
 leagues, and got in sight of Lake Morat, and break- 
 fasted at a town of the same name. The lake is 
 about two leagues and a half long, and half a 
 league wide, with several beautiful towns and 
 villas around it. The land is well cultivated; 
 there is a fine valley all along the lake. The 
 Swiss appeared to be excellent farmers. I passed 
 through Avasonck, an old Roman town, about two 
 leagues, and Paeon, two leagues further. This 
 was halfway from Berne to Lausanne, nine leagues. 
 The people look more decent, especially the fe- 
 males, who do not dress so outre, and have better 
 features and forms. The diligence went very slow, 
 and was delayed a long time. The roads are 
 tolerably good over the hills. The forests of tim- 
 ber are numerous, but mostly pine. I dined at a 
 
rapelje's narrative. 157 
 
 town half way between Berne and Lausanne, 
 where I arrived at nine o'clock ; it is nineteen 
 leagues from Berne. The roads are good over the 
 hills, which w^ere numerous; but the country is 
 well cultivated, and I began to see many houses 
 built on the farms, the houses and barns all un- 
 der one roof. The horses went very slow, as 
 may be seen by our going only nineteen leagues 
 from four in the morning till nine at night; but 
 their diligences, or stage-coaches, were very heavy. 
 They weighed here, as well as all over the conti- 
 nent, when under weigh on the road, about four or 
 five thousand pounds ; for, besides passengers, they 
 carried all kinds of packages, like a great wagon. 
 I put up at the Golden Lion Hotel ; none of the 
 hotels are very good. The house afforded good 
 eating and drinking, but otherwise was but indif- 
 ferent. Lausanne is situated on the Lake of Ge- 
 neva, or Lake Leman, as it is there called, beau- 
 tiful by surrounding hills and a diversity of scenery. 
 At different times of the day, the lake, and moun- 
 tains opposite, put on different appearances. Many 
 English families reside here ; but I could not like 
 the place. The town is built on two or three 
 hills, very steep ; you ascend or descend ; the 
 streets are narrow and crooked, and horses with 
 carriages go up and down them with difficulty. I 
 believe that living is cheap here ; but it is a great 
 distance over land to come to it. The climate and 
 
158 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 scenery in the environs of Lausanne are beautiful ; 
 composed of mountains and valleys, Avith a small 
 part of fine champaign country, the whole covered 
 with vineyards, fruit trees, gardens, and fine farms, 
 and all well watered. You see across the lake 
 the clouds settling between the vertical projections 
 of the mountains, making a singular appearance. 
 
 On Wednesday, September 19th, I left Lau- 
 sanne at ten o'clock, in a small carryall, I hardly 
 know what to call it ; there are four low wheels, 
 and the body where you set is low in front ; the 
 front wheels are far from the after ones, and the 
 machine is placed on two poles, resting on the 
 hinder axle and front bolster ; and you step out 
 and into the carriage sidew^ays. We went 
 through several towms on the lake ; the country 
 and views were charming ; the road fine, and the 
 hills not very steep. The water of the lake to- 
 wards evening, and the clouds on the mountains 
 on the opposite side, produce shades of different 
 colors, varying from black to white, and show 
 something like a rainbow in beauty. Indeed, the 
 whole scenery of the lake and finely cultivated 
 country and opposite hills are truly sublime. We 
 passed a chateau where Joseph Bonaparte for- 
 merly lived. We arrived at Geneva at eight 
 o'clock; it is an old looking town, eleven leagues 
 from Lausanne ; many of the streets are very steep 
 to ascend, and all very irregularly built, as most 
 
rapelje's narrative. 159 
 
 of the towns on the continent. I had a fine sight 
 of Mont Blanc, with its top covered with per- 
 petual snow. 
 
 Thursday, September 20th. — I was obliged to 
 remain at Geneva ; the Rhone runs very rapidly 
 through the city ; and divides it in two parts. The 
 city is connected by two bridges. There are seve- 
 ral fine walks, and a botanic garden near the city. 
 
 Friday, September 21st. — I could not get a 
 conveyance to Milan. I would advise strangers 
 to travel by post, or have their own horses, it is 
 so troublesome to find public conveyances. 
 
 Saturday, September 22d. — I set out at six in 
 the morning, on the south side of the lake of Ge- 
 neva, or Lake Leman, by a return carriage towards 
 Milan ; and passed through Theman, Evran, Mil- 
 lieme, and put up for the night at St, Gingoulph, 
 about eight leagues from Geneva. The road was 
 excellent all the way along the lake, through those 
 small towns. It is a beautifully cultivated coun- 
 try, with fruit trees of all kinds and vines; the 
 hills are also covered with trees. The gardens 
 abound with vegetables. There is a specimen of 
 a great work in one place, the rock being cut 
 down two hundred feet to make the road along 
 the shore of the cape ; the horses only went on a 
 walk ; and I was almost tired with such slow tra- 
 velling. After I had gone to my bed-room, and 
 locked the door, entrance was demanded by the 
 driver of the carriage, for I had told the other 
 
160 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 three passengers, I would not go with him, he 
 drove so slow. I offered him a gold Napoleon and 
 a half for the twenty-four English miles I had 
 rode with him, which did not satisfy him ; he 
 wanted more ; on my refusal to give more, and 
 declaring I would abide hy the law if he chose to 
 see what that would allow him ; though a stran- 
 ger, I would not be imposed upon. After coming 
 to my chamber, he had the villany to break in an 
 under pannel, through which he put his head and 
 demanded his pay for the whole hundred and 
 eighty miles, when I had not travelled the sixth 
 part of the w^ay. The landlord came in a few 
 minutes. 
 
 Sunday, September 23d. — After paying the pos- 
 tilion or conductor a Napoleon and a half for walk- 
 ing his horses twenty-one miles, with me behind 
 them in a carriage all day, I set off from St. Gin- 
 goulph at five o'clock, a. m. Now^ the tops of the 
 Alps began to appear, but none of them in sight 
 so high as to be covered with snow. The lake 
 was perfectly beautiful ; the water, the bluest of 
 the blue, and a purer and more transparent color I 
 never saw ; all the small towns appeared misera- 
 ble, and the houses were in a state of decay. How 
 this could be, and the country so fertile, appeared 
 a paradox to me. The post I went in, was a small 
 one horse waggon. I passed on to Vionar, St. Mau- 
 rice, Martigne, Riddes, Sion, Siene, to Tourte- 
 mange, where I put up for the night ; this was all 
 
RAPELJE S NARRATIVE. 161 
 
 tlirougli the Valois along the Rhone river between 
 the mountains of the Alps, along the road, cut and 
 made, as they said, by Bonaparte, and beautiful it 
 was ; mostly level, being two leagues and a half 
 from one part of the town to another, and in all, 
 sixty-three English miles. This charming valley, 
 through which I rode, is called the Canton of Va- 
 lois, on each side are the high hills of the Alps in 
 all their diversity, now and then their summits 
 clad in white, which the French called glacies, 
 the French for ice, others adjoining appeared with 
 all the luxuriance of spring with green verdure ; 
 and up the sides of those stupendous mountains, 
 vineyards and gardens, hamlets, cottages, and 
 toAvns, with terraces, were made wherever prac- 
 ticable ; and in many places my astonishment 
 was raised in thinking it was possible for man 
 to inhabit in places so lofty, perilous, and dif- 
 ficult of access. Yesterday I saw an immense 
 number of large chestnut trees crow^ded to excess ; 
 this day all kinds of fruit trees, and an immense 
 number of vineyards ; but the wine is of a light 
 kind and sour, that you meet with at the inns. 
 The charge of the post for seven and a half Eng- 
 lish miles, including the driver, was eleven francs, 
 and that in a miserable wagon. 
 
 Monday, September 24th. — Along the valley 
 to Simplon, I saw many persons, to appearance, 
 idiots, and could not tell the cause ; both men, wo- 
 men, and children, also having a great swelling 
 
 21 
 
162 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 under the throat, called goitre^ of all sizes. I 
 thought it proceeded from their drinking goat's 
 milk, from seeing the goats feed on elder leaves, 
 and other poisonous plants by the road-side. This 
 day I travelled with Count Lesop, an Italian, from 
 Rome, who went, it appeared, with the queen to 
 England ; there was a hoy, and also a woman, 
 a domestic ; they rode in their own carriage. I 
 paid my proportion with the cost to-day. We 
 passed through Viego, then on to Brigg, where we 
 breakfasted, which is at the end of the valley on 
 the Rhone, and is a neat white looking village 
 from a distance ; it is just the beginning of the 
 great road over the Simplon mountains. At one, 
 we set off again, having been delayed for post- 
 horses four hours. I took to my feet, and began 
 to ascend by the stupendous road Bonaparte made ; 
 it runs up the mountain, and is truly magnificent. 
 How it was cut and made, it is impossible to say. 
 I saw mountains below and above me. As I 
 ascended, the view of the Rhone and town of 
 Brigg, through the valley, was beautiful. I walked 
 up about nine miles ; the torrents, precipices, above 
 and below, rocks, trees, earth, clouds, in many 
 places, hung nearly vertical over my head, and 
 appeared tedious and tremendous ; small hamlets 
 and cottages, here and there, all along quite to the 
 summit ; the peasants employed about their goats, 
 of which they keep great numbers ; I counted one 
 flock of eighty ; the milk and butter made of it is 
 
rapelje's narrative. 163 
 
 very fine. It was unluckily dark when I arrived 
 at the top, which is ten miles and a half from 
 Brigg ; we went through two galleries or ways, 
 one cut out of solid rock, the other of solid ice, 
 and where it is very cold, with constant and vio- 
 lent gusts of wind. Near the extreme summit 
 it was tremendous, water rushing torrent like, 
 through the fissures of the rocks. The scene was 
 awfully terrific ; we were, as it were, aghast, ex- 
 pecting every moment to be crushed to pieces 
 with rocks, and trees, and earth, and glaciers, 
 and avalanches, tumbling from overhanging sum- 
 mits ; and the great noise of the waters, dashing 
 by with impetuosity, makes the scene awful, 
 with the noise of cataracts below our feet, — 
 The prospect is indeed sublime and terrific. At 
 last, we began to descend ; and the postillion did 
 descend with as much rapidity as he ascended 
 with slowness. This road is a stupendous work, 
 smoothly worn, and well made. At nine in the 
 evening I got to Semblon, nearly half way down 
 the mountains. Semblon is thirty-four leagues 
 from Geneva. I had forgotten to say, that the 
 heavy rains for a day or two had swelled the 
 Rhone so much, that in the valley it overflowed 
 its banks, and we had to ride knee deep in water. 
 Tuesday, September 25th. — I left Simplon at 
 seven o'clock, went all the way down hill, passing 
 several torrents of water, pouring into the rapid 
 river Doura, which passed over innumerable rocks 
 
164 rapelje's naruative. 
 
 in its course. I saw several huts and some houses, 
 and passed through many passages cut out of the 
 solid rock, called galleries ; one six hundred feet 
 wide, and high enough to admit two loaded 
 wagons, as I should judge ; the river roaring, and 
 the sound of the horses' feet, and crack of the pos- 
 tillion's whip resounded through this vault. We 
 travelled down hill to Domo Dossello, passed the 
 barrier or line which separates Switzerland from 
 Italy, a house with officers stationed to stop the 
 carriage, and request passports, called isellas. I 
 forgot to remind myself this was the case on the 
 entrance of any town or city of consequence, and 
 especially between one kingdom and another. At 
 Domo Dossello was a line bridge of two arches, 
 very high, thrown over the river Crevola, another 
 name for the river Doveria. Coming to Domo 
 Dossello, from the severity of the cold on the 
 Semblons, I was disagreeably affected with 
 great heat ; and now a line plain appeared, and 
 Italy opened before us. This is, however, in the 
 King of Sardinia's dominions. After dining at 
 Domo Dossello, I went on in a creeping voiture 
 to Bavino, on Lake Maggiora, and put up at the 
 post-house ; passed several small villages through 
 the valley, of only two or three houses each. 
 
 Wednesday, September 26th. — Crossed Lake 
 Maggiora in the morning from Bavino to Laerno, 
 passing the Boromean Islands, which are called 
 beautiful. From the lake the Alps arise on every 
 
rapelje's narrative. 165 
 
 side, and the finest view of tlie tops of the Sem- 
 blons, where they appeared to more advantage, 
 than from the- lowlands or valley, I breakfasted 
 at Laerno, and then went with some Milanese in 
 a boat, and visited the two Boromean Islands, in- 
 habited or occupied, and belonging to a family of 
 that name. The house is a concatenation of su- 
 perb magnificence and deplorable wretchedness; 
 in the interior many rooms are splendid, mostly 
 floored and walled with mosaic ; a number of ele- 
 gant paintings, and marble and alabaster statues, 
 equal to any I have seen ; the fine gardens are 
 filled with orange and lemon trees, with a number 
 of terraces, and the w^hole decorated with statues, 
 flower-pots with plants, and every thing that can 
 enchant the eye or the imagination. All this re- 
 minded me of the Island of Telemachus, but with- 
 out the number of beautiful females, or nymphs, to 
 decorate it. One island is nearer the shore, where 
 the family now reside; but we were allowed to 
 visit every part of it. Here are all the apartments 
 one could find in a palace, and indeed it is a palace 
 of a private nobleman, with its gardens 6lled with 
 all kinds of exotic fruit trees and plants ; the whole 
 has an enchanting appearance. The island con- 
 tains but a few acres, and is terminated by many 
 rocks, which are adorned by a variety of broad- 
 leaved plants, which I have not been accustomed 
 to see. Exotics of all kinds flourish here ; and, in 
 
1G6 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 winter, the extensive orangeries are some way 
 heated, and covered with timber, and the garden 
 can be promenaded as in summer. "It must have 
 been done at a vast expense, as the islands appear 
 to be ahnost all made soil; and a wall rises on 
 many sides vertically from the beautiful lake, and 
 the foundations of two or three of the sides are in 
 the water. I saw on one, all kinds of East India 
 birds, and poultry ; the Chinese pheasant, a beau- 
 tiful bird, and several others ; a white pea-hen, and 
 white turtle-doves. The island is inhabited by a 
 number of poor creatures, that appeared like so 
 many beggars. One part of the centre building is 
 raised, but there is no roof; the bare walls, with 
 its windows, have a ruinous look. I came back 
 highly delighted; ate some very fine pears, pur- 
 chased of the fruit girls on the island. The islands 
 are called Isola Madre, and Isola Bella. From 
 the lake a number of towns, villages, chapels, 
 monuments, and remarkable buildings, are seen; 
 the boats on the lake are flat-bottomed, with a 
 painted stem and stern, and the rowers stand up, 
 with their faces to the bow, rowing with two oars, 
 and every pull taking two or three short steps 
 forwards and backwards. The company sit in 
 the fore part of the boat. An awning is made by 
 bent poles, two twisted for an arch, and white 
 strong linen put over them. There is commonly 
 a table in the middle of the boat, on w^hich are 
 
rapelje's narrative. 167 
 
 refreshments. I stayed at Laerno, on the lake, a 
 small town; I could not get a conveyance to 
 Cosmo. 
 
 Thursday, September 27th, I proceeded in a 
 return carabanca, with one horse, as the road is 
 good to Cosmo, on the lake of that name ; and put 
 up at the Crown Hotel. I went on the lake to 
 view the palace formerly occupied by the Q,ueen 
 of England, the wife of George the Fourth. The 
 lake is surrounded by high hills or mountains, and 
 on them are immense numbers of very large houses, 
 and also villages, rising above one another nearly 
 to the summit of these eminences. I could not 
 imagine how persons, especially families, could 
 admire to reside on the side of these steep hills, 
 without the comfort of a carriage. The lake is 
 beautiful, but it is like stagnant water ; neither this 
 or Lake Maggiora is, in my opinion, equal to Lake 
 Leman, or that of Geneva. The river Rhone, as 
 they say, running through the Genevan lake, gives 
 the waters a lively appearance, and the views are 
 finer and bolder. I now began to find the Italians 
 demand exhorbitantly for every thing at their ho- 
 tels, and for travelling. At Varells, where I break- 
 fasted, on the way to Cosmo, I saw very fine fruit, 
 among w hich were the largest peaches I ever saw ; 
 also grapes, and fine vergalean pears ; the grapes 
 in great abundance. On each side of the road, 
 and even in the streets, are many vines, and the 
 fields contain some fine vineyards ; the grapes hang 
 
168 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 in large clusters, and in al3undance. I went on to 
 Milan, a distance of twenty-five miles from Cos- 
 mo ; we had a level road near the whole way. 
 After leaving Cosmo, I passed through Barlessino 
 to breakfast, but could not get a dish of coffee ; 
 but at the inn there was a person who spoke Eng- 
 lish, and hearing I was an American, invited me 
 to go to his house opposite, and he with pleasure 
 would give me some. I thought it was civil and 
 kind, and as I am always hurt when my kindness 
 is repelled, I accepted his invitation, and went 
 with him. I w^as highly gratified in seeing his 
 elegant country place, and had a delightful dish of 
 coffee, with some sweet, fresh butter. He was a 
 Mr. Porri, of the house of Porri and Rinaldi, who 
 were some years ago merchants in Broadway, 
 New- York, in the looking-glass and print line. 
 He was a native of Cosmo, and had a town-house 
 in Milan, and purchased here, at Barlassino, twelve 
 miles from Milan, about two thousand acres of 
 land, with an elegant house and gardens, for five 
 thousand dollars, now worth fifty thousand. I then 
 proceeded on to Milan, over an elegant road, and 
 got in at one o'clock. I put up at the Royal Ho- 
 tel, but it was so full I could scarcely get a cham- 
 ber, and it is the custom in Italy to serve you in 
 your own apartments with dinner ; there being no 
 table d'otes, as in France, Switzerland, &c. &c. I 
 had a nice dinner in the French style of entre- 
 mons, consisting of soup, vermacelli, three mutton 
 
rapelje's narrative. 169 
 
 cutlets, and pullet and potatoes; then another 
 course, of pigeons, green peas, stewed peaches; 
 then Parmasan cheese, white and black, with fine 
 grapes, cakes, and superior peaches, &c. I then 
 viewed the great Cathedral church. I had seen 
 many cathedrals in England, France, Switzerland 
 and Prussia, but this superb mountain of marble, 
 called Duomo, is the most magnificent in the 
 world, except St. Peter's. After seeing this, it is 
 not worth while to look at any other, only as you 
 may wish to compare any thing far inferior. There 
 are, within and without, an immense number of 
 marble statues, great and small, from the great 
 colossal figures of the four Evangelists, to the most 
 minute entablature of a few inches. To describe 
 them would require a long time, even if one were 
 well versed in sculpture ; also the painted windows, 
 on which are exhibited all the Scripture pieces, 
 from the creation downwards. There are also 
 chapels underneath. The building is adorned 
 with a great number of pointed spires or turrets, 
 with large statues on the tops of each, and on dif- 
 ferent angles, and points mounting to the clouds, 
 finished, they say, by order of Bonaparte. The 
 architecture is light and elegant, exhibiting much 
 excellent workmanship in pure white marble. On 
 the exterior and interior there are immense co- 
 lums of granite, surmounted with figures of bronze. 
 The streets are most of them very narrow and 
 crooked. I visited several churches, built of por- 
 
 22 
 
170 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 phyry, marble, or pjranite, with wliite marble co- 
 lumns, adorned with statues of bronze and brass 
 in almost every shape, figure, and device. The 
 mosaic of the concave part of the choir and dome, 
 as also the front of the altar of St. Ambrose, are 
 said to be among the most singular works of the 
 ninth century. The statues of Adam and Eve, in 
 the front of one of the churches, one on each side 
 of the centre door, are the most perfect models, 
 according to my taste, I have ever seen. There 
 are, in these edifices, paintings, statues, and carv- 
 ing in wood, almost without end. Sixteen fluted 
 columns, being all that remain of the portico to 
 St. Lorenzo, are monuments of great antiquity; 
 they are much injured by time, and are held to- 
 gether by several iron bands put round each. 
 The walks and rides about the environs are fine, 
 with a spacious amphitheatre, not covered in, but 
 seats cut out and sodded, and said to have been 
 done by order of Bonaparte. I found very few 
 persons who could speak English, but my conduc- 
 tor spoke it very well ; he was a Milanese. I went 
 on the top roof of the cathedral, which was com- 
 posed of large slabs of marble, instead of tin, brass, 
 or slate ; and from the steeple had a view of a fine, 
 fertile, level country, that surrounds Milan. The 
 steeple, as well as the roof, was all marble. I 
 saw a small church, the interior walls of which, 
 quite to the ceiling, were studded with human 
 skulls, and all other bones of the human body, not 
 
rapelje's narrative. 171 
 
 a few, but thousands, taken from near the spot 
 where the church is built, and were the bones of 
 those who, in ancient times, fell in the conflict 
 with the Cretans. This Golgotha was the stran- 
 gest of all the sights I had yet seen. In the eve- 
 ning I went to the opera ; the house was the lar- 
 gest I had yet been in, with six tiers of boxes, and 
 an immense pit ; the stage, scenery, and perform- 
 ances, were superior to whatever I had before 
 seen of theatrical performances. The house was 
 tolerably well attended ; the boxes were all pri- 
 vate, and there were no lights around about the 
 boxes. I had a letter to Mr. Talluchio of Milan. 
 
 Sunday, September 30th. — I visited the Gallery 
 of Paintings ; many of them were by the first Ital- 
 ian painters ; some of them were very ancient. Ra- 
 phael's Virgin Mary and Joseph were among them ; 
 but I thought these were not any equal to what 
 I had before seen. The building is a fine, plain, 
 strong piece of architecture, with colonnades 
 around the court-yard on the first ascent of steps. 
 
 On Monday, October 1st, I set off at six in the 
 morning, by a diligence, for Venice, and travelled 
 through several towns, on a fine level road. It 
 was seldom that we were out of sight of a stream 
 of water ; canals, and rivers, and brooks, are nu- 
 merous upon this route. The country is a perfect 
 garden of fruit trees, interspersed with grapes, 
 which they were then gathering for the wine- 
 press. I saw the people going with carts and 
 
172 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 wagon loads, all day, from the vineyards. The 
 grapes were very fine, as also the pears and 
 peaches. This day I travelled fifty miles, and 
 slept at Brescia, a large city, containing fifty thou- 
 sand inhabitants. In the evening I went to the 
 theatre, which is very large and splendid. 
 
 Tuesday, October 2d. — At five in the morning, 
 I left Brescia, in the diligence, for Verona, and for 
 some distance passed the Lake de Garda, or Be- 
 nacus, which is thirty-five miles long, and twelve 
 broad. I went through several villages, mostly 
 inhabited by the farmers, peasants, &c. This be- 
 ing the time of their vintage, the girls, women, 
 boys, and men, were all employed gathering the 
 grapes, and the road was crowded with ox carts 
 or wagons, with large vats, or pipes, of an im- 
 mense size, and all filled with grapes to be ex- 
 pressed ; the presses belong in the villages. The 
 road was quite level, and the fields looked like 
 gardens. They were filled with mulberry trees 
 for the silk-worms, with grape vines running over 
 them, stretched from one to another. I arrived at 
 Verona at three o'clock. This town is situated on 
 the Adige, a swiftly running river, that turns large 
 wheels to raise water, and there are also mills for 
 grinding. Verona is a large city, containing forty 
 thousand inhabitants, and boasts of its great anti- 
 quity, and they show some Roman relics. The 
 large amphitheatre, or arena, in reality was the 
 only thing of the kind I had seen. It is said it will 
 
rapelje's narrative. 173 
 
 hold twenty-two thousand people. It is made of 
 marble, and is about thirteen hundred feet in cir- 
 cumference on the outside ; the inside, or arena, is 
 about six or seven hundred feet in circumference. 
 It is not covered. There are forty-five ranges of 
 seats of marble, but not smoothed or polished. 
 There are some other Roman curiosities, such as 
 a gateway, or porch, of stone, having formerly 
 made an entrance into the city. There are here 
 some fine churches ; are ornamented wdth pictures 
 by Guido, &c. In the evening, with the other 
 passengers, I visited a fine large theatre; in it 
 there are no lights around the boxes, the stage 
 only is illuminated. 
 
 On Wednesday, October 3d, I left Verona at 
 five o'clock in the morning in the diligence. The 
 mornings began to be very chilly. We passed, as 
 usual, through several villages, and breakfasted at 
 Vicenza, a large city, containing many ancient 
 models of architecture of different orders, public 
 and private, by Palladio. I saw the house where 
 he had resided. We only breakfasted, but could 
 not stay to visit many other curiosities. The 
 Olympic theatre, designed and built by him, and 
 the building in which he died, and the town hall, 
 are good old edifices, in a dilapidated state. We 
 proceeded on to Padua, where we arrived at eve- 
 ning, a little before dark, so that I did not see 
 much of it. The celebrity and antiquity of its 
 architecture is equal to any in Italy, both in Vico- 
 
174 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 naza and Padua, especially in Verona. The fronts 
 of many of the houses displayed all the variety 
 of the different orders. I visited several churches. 
 In each place there are many fine statues, pictures, 
 and pieces of sculpture. I went on towards 
 Venice, along the river Brenta, a narrow stream, 
 but the houses and gardens on each side make it 
 quite enchanting. All along the country from 
 Milan, and especially here, the grapes in immense 
 numbers line the roads, the A'ines running over 
 long rows of mulberry trees, planted all among 
 the Indian corn or maize, which grows here finely. 
 It was now the vintage time for gathering the 
 corn. They do not manage as we do in America. 
 They bring the corn home, the rest of the grains 
 they thrash on a floor made in the field. The 
 making of the wine is simple ; they fill large tight 
 ox wagons, drawn by two pair of oxen, in the 
 field, then cart it to their houses, and put the vehi- 
 cle under the shed, or in a barn, sometimes in an 
 open place, and then go and trample on the 
 bunches of grapes with their feet, and in that 
 way tread and trample the juice out, which runs 
 through a hole in the bottom of the tail-board of 
 the wagon into tubs. The wine is then put into 
 large long narrow pipes, and then is taken to the 
 cellar. This mode of pressing would half cure a 
 wine-bibber of his love of it. 
 
 We had to quit the diligence five miles from 
 Venice, and got into a boat, called a gondola, ac- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 175 
 
 companied by a soldier, who took our passports. 
 We arrived at Venice at two o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, Thursday, October 4th. Their gondolas are 
 long boats, rowed by four men, sometimes only 
 three, with their faces to the bow, standing up. 
 As Venice is built on several islands, and the 
 streets so narrow, no carriages are used ; the 
 whole city, like Amsterdam, is dissected or cut up 
 by canals, and these boats are used instead of car- 
 riages. I put up at the Grand Britannic Hotel, on 
 the grand canal, not far from the Rialto. This is 
 a bridge over the great canal that forms a sort of 
 bend, and divides the city nearly in two parts. I 
 went to see St. Mark's Cathedral ; on the front are 
 the four bronze horses, taken by Bonaparte, and 
 again sent back to their old place, when the allies 
 had taken Paris. There are five domes to this 
 church ; in the interior, the concaves are all de- 
 corated with mosaic, on gold grounds, and are very 
 magnificent. The front presents an unique appear- 
 ance of many different statues, figures, and carv- 
 ings, and indeed, there is such a jumble of arch- 
 es, carvings, windows, &c., that you hardly know 
 what order of architecture it is of; and indeed, a 
 great part of the construction of the convenient or 
 comfortable part of the building is lost in the exe- 
 cution and show of the ancient and modern styles 
 of architecture in Europe. There is a small pro- 
 menade, a garden or park, at the west part of 
 the city, handsomely situated on the river, which 
 
176 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 commands a fine view of the several islands, on 
 which the city is erected. The elegant churches, 
 convents, palaces, and other large buildings, give 
 the Avhole view an imposing and beautiful appear- 
 ance. Venice is situated on the Adriatic Sea, 
 called the Gulf of Venice. St. Mark's square is 
 all flagged over ; there are orchards on each side, 
 and many caffees, and it is the great promenade. 
 The Britannia is a hotel I would not recommend ; 
 I could get nothing without waiting a great 
 Avhile for it ; the one next is preferable, and well 
 attended. Venice is, indeed, fallen from the great- 
 est to the most forlorn and sunken state. I saw 
 few or no inhabitants in these great palaces. I 
 went in a boat or gondola to see several churches ; 
 they were filled with statues, paintings, and sculp- 
 ture of all kinds, and are of many kinds of archi- 
 tecture, exhibiting the skill of many architects; 
 Palladio's designs seemed to be the most liked. In 
 the church, called St. John's and St. Paul's, one 
 church, but having these two names, I found the 
 most exquisite sculpture, in a dozen basso-relievos, 
 or large tablets ; the figures were not so large as 
 life, but, I suppose, from a foot or two, or two and 
 a half feet in length, each figure, and all in groups 
 and tablets of different sizes, all in fine white mar- 
 ble, done by Bonnazza and Tagliapetro ; these 
 are in a small chapel of the cluirch, called the 
 rosary. 
 
 The whole history of Venice, and its present 
 
rapelje's narrative. 177 
 
 appearance, is full of deep interest, but no one 
 can give a better description of it than the English 
 Lord Byron. He saw the decay of ages at every 
 glance, and his soul reflected all such images with 
 the power of a kaleidoscope. Who does not feel 
 the beauty of the following lines ? 
 
 I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs ; 
 A palace and a prison on each hand : 
 I saw from out the wave her structures rise 
 As from the strolte of the enchanter's wand ; 
 A thousand years their cloudy wings expand 
 Around me, and a dying glory smiles 
 O'er the far times, when many a subject land 
 Look'd to the winged Lion's marble piles, 
 Where Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles ! 
 
 She looks a sea Cybele, fresh from ocean, 
 Rising with her tiara of proud towers 
 At airy distance, with majestic motion, 
 A ruler of the waters and their powers : 
 And such she was ; — her daughters had their dowers 
 From spoils of nations, and the exhaustless East 
 Pour'd in her lap all gems in sparkling showers : 
 In purple was she robed, and of her feast 
 Monarchs partook, and deem'd their dignity increased. 
 
 In Venice Tasso's echoes are no more, 
 And silent rows the songless gondoher; 
 Her palaces are crumbhng to the shore, 
 And music meets not always now the ear : 
 Those days are gone — but beauty still is here. 
 States fall, arts fade — but Nature doth not die: 
 Nor yet forget how Venice once was dear, 
 The pleasant place of all festivity, 
 The revel of the earth, the masque of Italy ! 
 
 But unto us she hath a spell beyond 
 
 Her name in story, and her long array 
 
 Of mighty shadows, whose dim forms despond 
 
 Above the dogeless city's vanish'd sway ; 
 
 Ours is a trophy which will not decay 
 
 23 
 
178 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 With the Rialto ; Shylock and the Moor, 
 And Pierre, cannot be swept or worn away — 
 The keystones of the arch ! though all were o'er, 
 For us re peopled were the sohtary shore. 
 
 The beings of the mind are not of clay ; 
 Essentially immortal, they create 
 And multiply in us a brighter ray 
 And more beloved existence : that which fate 
 Prohibits to dull life, in this our state 
 Of mortal bondage, by these spirits supphed 
 First exiles, then replaces what we hate; 
 Watering the heart whose early flowers have died, 
 And with a fresher growth replenishing the void. 
 
 On Saturday, October 6th, I set off at eight 
 o'clock in the evening, in a large boat, with mise- 
 rable accommodations ; the cabin Avas stowed full 
 of goods, and we had a very uncomfortable passage 
 to Bologna, a hundred and twenty miles from Ve- 
 nice ; there were several passengers, a Blr. Galva- 
 ni, nephew to Galvani, who discovered galvanism, 
 a scientific, genteel man, and an Englishman, who, 
 of all the English I have yet seen, was the most 
 disagreeable. Although he could speak French, 
 and also Italian, he w^as so disagreeably self- 
 ish, or haughty, that he would not open his lips at 
 all to explain or assist me in asking for any thing 
 I wanted ; his name I will not mention. We went 
 through the canal, and then got into the river Po, 
 which was very fine, and the largest or one of the 
 widest I had seen in Europe. 
 
 On Monday, October 8th, we disembarked and 
 went by land to Ferrara, and then to Bologna. 
 The country was all level, and filled with vine- 
 
rapelje's narrative, 179 
 
 yards, with great abundance of grapes and other 
 IViiit ; the soil was excellent. This is an immense 
 plain or valley between the Appenines and the 
 Alps ; there were immense banks, or dykes, to 
 keep out the water, as formerly it was covered 
 with it, or overflowed as a marsh. In many places 
 the marsh is still visible. We got into Bologna at 
 seven o'clock. 
 
 On Tuesday, October 9th, I visited several 
 churches. St. Petronius, in the square, built in the 
 year 432, repaired in 1300, is of brick. In this 
 square is the famous meridian of Cassini. There 
 are many other churches, as St. Peter's and St. 
 Paul's, and the Dominican's, with paintings and 
 sculpture, as usual. I also visited the institution 
 dedicated to science and the arts, where I saw 
 anatomical preparations both natural and in wax, 
 in all the variety of forms of nature, in health and 
 disease. There is an immense library here, and also 
 philosophical and astronomical apparatus, with 
 a large collection of antiquities, and a fine col- 
 lection of original paintings, by their first masters, 
 such as Guido, Gratia n, (TUglielme, Dominc, and 
 Albano, who w ere all born here. Gratian's paint- 
 ings I thought the most of This also was the 
 birth-place of Galvana, the discoverer of galvanic 
 electricity, of whom there was an excellent paint- 
 ing, and said to be a great likeness. You can 
 walk through tlie city under arcades, as most of 
 the houses are built over arches, which serve to 
 
180 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 make a dry walk when it rains, and is an excel- 
 lent plan, both in wet weather, and when the 
 sun is hot. 
 
 Wednesday, October 10th.— The Italian coach- 
 men, or vcter'misj are very deceitful ; they engaged 
 to go this morning at five, then at nine, then at 
 twelve, and finally did not go at all this day. I 
 visited the Cemetria Campo Sancto, or burying- 
 ground, which is handsomely laid out. The poor 
 are interred in large open square places, planted 
 around with ridges, and cypress, forming pyramids 
 every twenty or thirty feet in the green hedge 
 rows, which are kept in very good order. There 
 is a church, and cloisters very lengthy ; it was for- 
 merly a convent. In these cloisters the opulent 
 are interred. There are sculptured marble monu- 
 ments, some elegant, and of the purest and whitest 
 material I have seen ; as also many in plaster, 
 elegantly designed and well executed. In one of 
 the angular courts of this monastery are the skulls 
 and bones of immense numbers of persons, trans- 
 ported hither, arranged on tablets, with the names 
 of the former possessors inscribed ; they, together 
 with the tombs, and many sculptured ornaments, 
 were brought from the Convent of Capuchins, a 
 place which the ladies of beauty and rank choose 
 as their long and last abode ; in the church, and 
 some of the cloisters, are paintings well executed 
 by some of the first masters and their pupils of the 
 Bologna school. In the evening I went to the 
 
rapelje's narrative. 181 
 
 opera, where there was excellent music, and a 
 good female voice in Signora Scula. I also visited 
 the chapel, Notre Dame, Delia Guerdia. The 
 road is three miles long ; being on a hill, you as- 
 cend all the way under an arch, or covered way 
 of arches ; one side is the wall of the adjoining 
 grounds. The church is in form of a Greek cross. 
 
 Thursday, October 11th. — At six in the morn- 
 ing I set off in a reterino for Florence, a distance 
 of seventy miles. At a few miles from Bologna, I 
 reached the Apennines, and continued all day up 
 and down hill through an unfertile country ; all 
 the houses of the peasants miserably dirty, and 
 the inns on the road, bad. I put up for the night 
 in one of these inns, where an Italian gentleman 
 and lady, his wife, another, and myself were put 
 to sleep in one room. 
 
 Friday, October 12th. — We continued passing 
 over the Apennines, and every now and then had 
 a fine view of a small winding stream or river 
 below in the valley. When about five miles from 
 Florence, I had a long, beautiful view of it. The 
 country here was cultivated like a garden, and 
 here, for the first time, I saw olive trees ; within a 
 few miles of Florence are orchards of olives with 
 vines running over them ; the grapes are very fine^ 
 especially two kinds, as at Bologna ; they are 
 called the paradisa, or oval, and the angola, which 
 are round; both white, and very delicious, as is 
 also their Tuscany wine. The figs at Florence 
 
182 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 are excellent ; I had before heard of them, but 
 never ate a fig with any thmg like a fine flavor 
 before. The view of Florence, descending from 
 the Apennine hills tow^ards tlie city, in the valley 
 of Arno, as it is called, surrounded by mountains, is 
 beautiful, and appears a paradise, w4tli the river 
 Arno, which is seen with the delightful places 
 about it ; and the beautiful valley as far as the 
 eye can extend, covered with houses, and gardens 
 filled with olives, figs, grapes, pomegranates, &c. 
 We arrived at six, passing a beautiful trium- 
 phal arch, adorned with statues at the entrance 
 of one of the gates, St. Galo, and erected in honor 
 of Francis I. 
 
 Saturday, October 13th, I saw many churches, 
 among others, the cathedral. Its walls are very 
 strong, the outside of which are of white and black 
 marble, and the whole interior floor is paved with 
 variegated marble, of different sizes, and beauti- 
 fully disposed, (as it is said,) by Michael Angelo. 
 Many marble statues ornament it; within and 
 without there are works of the most eminent 
 sculptors. Its dome is very fine and ancient, and 
 of peculiar architecture, without support of pillars. 
 Opposite the church, is what they call the baptis- 
 try, a small chapel of an octagon form. There are 
 three very large double bronze, or rather brass 
 doors, grown black by age; the basso and alto 
 relievos are excellent. There are groups of small 
 figures in every pannel ; and these gates, so much 
 
rapelje's narrative. 183 
 
 admired by Michael Angelo, used to be styled the 
 Gates of Paradise. The interior is also decorated 
 with fine marble sculpture ; the belfry is a square 
 detached column, very high, and, like the church, 
 is carved with marble of different colors, and orna- 
 mented with small statues. It is a light airy 
 column, and the upper part and cornice are beau- 
 tiful. The church is a vast edifice, and the cupola 
 equal to the church in magnificence. • St. Lorenzo 
 is also noted for its-famous chapel of the Medicis, 
 now erecting along side of it, of an octagonal 
 shape, but at present is only half finished. The 
 walls are nearly completed to the cornice, whence 
 the dome or ceiling springs, all lined with the 
 richest and most tasteful marble and precious 
 stones, with their high polish, all admirably exe- 
 cuted in their proper colors and brilliancy, consist- 
 ing of porphyry, jasper, onyx, circumscribed with 
 lapis lazuli, and pearls. Every compartment of 
 the octagon has a sarcophagus of oriental granite, 
 of vast size. This is the richest and most elegant 
 piece of modern design and mechanical workman- 
 ship, of art and genius, I have ever seen. One of 
 the variegated slabs was so highly polished, that 
 I saw my face ; and the interior of the other side, 
 as if it was in the best mirror. In the church An- 
 nunciato are some good paintings by Andrea Del 
 Tarto, whose monument is in one of the porches. 
 
 There are some handsome walks and rides in 
 the environs. The best hotel is the York, kept by 
 
184 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 an English lady. The streets all through are pa- 
 ved or flagged with large flat stones, put together 
 without being squared ; but, considering the stones 
 are of all shapes, the vsurface is made very even. 
 The gutters are in the middle of the streets, and 
 many are very narrow. The houses are immense 
 and uncomfortable looking palaces, with great 
 projecting cornices. 
 
 Sunday, October 14th, I visited the church St. 
 Croce, which is large, and contains many fine 
 paintings and statues, or rather monuments ; among 
 which there is one to Michael Angelo, his bust, 
 done by himself. On the monument are three 
 beautiful female figures, elegantly sculptured, re- 
 presenting painting, sculpture, and architecture, 
 deploring the loss they have sustained ; as also a 
 monument to the illustrious Galileo. The best 
 paintings are by Gieto, Cimebul, and other masters. 
 I then walked to the garden, or promenade, called 
 Boboli, in the rear of the large palace called Pitti. 
 This garden is adorned with numbers of elegant 
 walks, fountains, and statues ; one basin of granite, 
 twenty feet diameter, in the centre of a large cir- 
 cular pond, filled with red and other colored fish, 
 and surrounded with orange and lemon trees, 
 which, when I saw them, were crowded with fruit. 
 In the evening I went to the grand opera, where, 
 as usual, all the performance was chanted or sung 
 by fine male and female voices, accompanied by 
 an orchestra, in which were about fifty perform- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 185 
 
 ers. It is a large handsome interior, with five 
 rows of boxes. There were not as many persons 
 walking or riding as I expected to have seen. 
 
 Monday, October 15th. — I went to the cabinet 
 gallery of paintings and sculpture, where was 
 the famous Venus de Medicis, but this piece of 
 sculpture was not equal to what I expected to 
 have seen. The finest painting was in the octa- 
 gon gallery, of a recumbent nudity by Titian ; the 
 coloring was fine. All the galleries were stored 
 with paintings of every size by all the first mas- 
 ters ; the different galleries were filled by the 
 artists of diff"erent countries, of Holland, France, 
 Germany, and Italy ; there were also different 
 rooms filled with antiques, precious stones, medals, 
 and tables of the most beautiful and tasteful mo- 
 saic, inlaid with the largest and richest pearls ; an 
 urn of onyx about eight inches in height, a very 
 valuable article. In another gallery there were a 
 number of bronze statues, figures, &c., with an- 
 tique vases of all kinds. I called on the American 
 vice-consul, Seignor James Ambrose, who politely 
 returned the visit, and left his card. 
 
 Tuesday, October 16tli. — I visited the museum, 
 which was filled with all kinds of anatomical pre- 
 parations in wax, and more elegant than any I had 
 seen; also, cabinets of natural history and of mine- 
 ralogy, full of all kinds of specimens in the mine- 
 ral and animal world, and in their highest state of 
 preservation. I then visited the cabinet of paint- 
 
 24 
 
186 
 
 ings, rather called the school of fine arts, where 
 there were some very ancient productions. In the 
 latter part of the day, I set off in the post-coach 
 that carries the mail, for Rome, in which I rode 
 all night and the next day, over a hilly country, 
 as well as the following night, and arrived at 
 Rome on Thursday, October 18th, at one o'clock. 
 The distance from Florence is one hundred and 
 ninety-three miles. The road, until within ten 
 miles from Rome, was bad, and the country sterile, 
 without houses, and appeared like a desert up to 
 the very gates of the city. I remained this night 
 at the Britannia Hotel. I went to the Castle St. 
 Angelo, a very strong circular fortress, having a 
 guard of soldiers, and situated on the Tiber, at the 
 end of the Angel Bridge. It is a large, imposing 
 fortification, having on the top a large collossal 
 statue in bronze of Michael Angelo. The bridge 
 has ten elegant collossal statues in marble, five on 
 each side, equal to any I have seen. I then went 
 to St. Peter's ! yes, St. Peter's, at Rome ! ! ! It is, 
 indeed, a momunent of human genius ; it is beyond 
 description from my pen; the vast length and 
 breadth of the church docs not appear so great as 
 it is, on account of the beautiful proportion ; every 
 thing about it is elegant ; all kinds of marble co- 
 lumns, statues, vases, and every kind of sculpture 
 that can be desired. I will not attempt a particu- 
 lar description of this magnificent and sublime edi- 
 fice, but only remark that, after visiting and seeing 
 
rapelje's narrative. 187 
 
 it, it is really not worth while to look at any other 
 edifice in the form of a church, for St. Peter's has 
 all whatever others have, and a peculiarity of its 
 own, that no others have ; height, length, strength, 
 beauty, and a harmonious proportion ; and the im- 
 mense quantity of all kind of color and size of 
 granite, marble, porphyry, onyx, antique verdes, 
 alabaster, lapis lazuli, &c. &c., beggars all de- 
 scription, as also the groups of mosaical figures 
 of such vast size, that you take them as the most 
 magnificent painting. 
 
 I then went to the capitol, or senate-house, 
 where are busts, statues, antiques, paintings, and 
 the government chambers, and busts and figures 
 of all the ancient Romans who figured in the city 
 and country for ages and ages. This capitol, or 
 senate-house, is nothing extraordinary ; it is situa- 
 ted on a high hill, surrounded by other buildings. 
 I then went along by Trajan's Pillar, a beautiful 
 Tuscan column, standing in a sunken kind of re- 
 servoir, containing the ruins of a number of large 
 granite columns, all broken in the centre, and 
 lying one half on the ground. This is called 
 Piatza Trajana, being a small square, and indeed 
 all the squares are called piatzes. I removed from 
 the Britannia Hotel to No. 17 Strada-street, Bas- 
 tionella, near the piatza, or square Del Espania, 
 in a private house, where there were no females, 
 kept by an old man ; it was very quiet and j^lea- 
 
188 
 
 sant, as well as very reasonable ; at two padi a 
 night for my bed-room. 
 
 Saturday, October 20th. — I saw the church 
 Trinata Del Monte, which had an obelisk in front ; 
 I walked in the garden of Villa de IMedicis, near 
 the church, and just above where I lodged. The 
 Piatza Navona, a large oblong square, the largest 
 and dirtiest in Rome, where the fountains are ele- 
 gant, arising from an immense rock, with four col- 
 lossal figures spouting water, and crowned with 
 an Egyptian obelisk, fifty-three feet high. I then 
 went along the Strada de Corsa, and came to the 
 ruins of ancient Rome ; one of them is the arch of 
 SejDtimus. Before I came there, I saw the palace 
 of Venetia, a large uncouth building, and I also 
 passed the column of Antonine, which was much 
 like Trajan's. I went through the street Via Mar- 
 firio, to Arch Septimus and Campo Vaccino, for- 
 merly Foro Romano, as Gaglianeni says in his 
 Stinera. Every inch is now classic ground ; ruins 
 appear in every direction ; above, and under 
 ground, columns here and there, and shafts of co- 
 lumns, half buried, &c., with walks half demolish- 
 ed, and where they have dug ; fifteen or eighteen 
 feet lower than the present surface, perhaps is the 
 foundation of these ancient columns or arches. 
 Then I went on, and the ruins of the once stupen- 
 dous Roman Amphitheatre, or Collisseum, was be- 
 fore me ; I was struck with silent and awful asto- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 189 
 
 nishment. The beautiful arch of Titus and Con- 
 stantine, and Faustina were all before me, I 
 then went on to the church of St. John. The 
 Lateran is a beautiful interior, with immense ele- 
 gant collossal statues, and is considered among 
 the grandest in Rome, next to St. Peter's. The 
 interior is very noble, and not at all overloaded 
 with ornament, which is the fault of most churches. 
 In fact this is carried so far as perfectly to con- 
 fuse one's sight and ideas. The statues are six in 
 number, on each side of the nave, of fifteen feet in 
 height, representing the twelve apostles, with their 
 appropriate insignia. 
 
 Sunday, October 21st. — I rose at six, and 
 walked up the Mount Trinity, and in the way, 
 went into several churches. They all, as usual, 
 were filled with people at prayer. I then pro- 
 ceeded on through several streets to the Pope's 
 Palace, called the Q,uirinal, on Monte Cavello, 
 where there is a large obelisk ; close on one side 
 of it is a fine fountain, and on the side of the obe- 
 lisk are large equestrian collossal statues in bronze. 
 The gigantic figures are in the attitudes of leading 
 the collossal horses. The palace of the Pope is 
 large and extensive, having a large oblong court, 
 all kept remarkably clean. The air on this hill is 
 said to be very salubrious, and to this place the 
 Pope removes from the Vatican during the sum- 
 mer. It has all the splendor of a magnificent pa- 
 lace, with its stables and gardens ; and here is a 
 
190 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 beautiful flight of circular stairs witliout banisters, 
 but all supported by large columns, two together, 
 about a foot in diameter, and perhaps six or eight 
 feet apart. I visited the pantheon church or ro- 
 tunda, an elegant antique piece of architecture, 
 perfectly circular, but was not originally intended 
 for a church. I then went to St. Peter's ; it is the 
 wonder of the imagination for elegance, symmetry, 
 and beauty, with all kinds of statues and paintings, 
 with gilded, ornamented ceilings ; then to the Va- 
 tican ; an immense range of galleries, in an octa- 
 gon form and circular. The apartments were of 
 such beauteous forms and decorations, as asto- 
 nished me quite as much as those in St. Peter's. I 
 could not turn my eyes to the top, side, or floor, 
 without beholding the most exquisite workman- 
 ship in all kinds of materials; sculpture in wood, 
 bronze, mosaic, and the most beautiful marble 
 floors, ceilings, walls, cornices, columns, of all co- 
 lors, sizes, and figures, with all the ancient and 
 perfect architectural orders ; then the great num- 
 ber of statues, busts, and paintings of every kind, 
 with gobelins and mosaic of every form, color, size, 
 and age, and of every different period of the world, 
 and of every nation, and more especially the great 
 and small, cruel and good, as they once existed. 
 
 Monday, October 22d. — There had been a great 
 deal of rain for the last fortnight. I walked along 
 the Tiber by the bridge Siste, anciently Pons Jan- 
 iculensis, which I crossed to Transtevere ; passed 
 
rapelje's narrative. 191 
 
 along the river ; it divides that part" called Trans- 
 tevere from the city of Rome. The inhabitants 
 appeared to be a different people, miserable, dirty, 
 and filthy ; I speak of the rabble. The houses, 
 streets, and all seemed in a state of ruin and deso- 
 lation. I then crossed the Ponte Cestio, or Bridge 
 of St. Bartholomew, to the little island of Isola 
 Tiberina, or Island of Tiber, and on this Bridge, I 
 had a fine view of tlie river and the Pons Senato- 
 rius, now Ponte Rote ; only two or three arches of 
 which remain ; it is very old. I then passed on to 
 a little island, by the ancients dedicated to Escu- 
 lapius, and crossed the Pons Fabricius into the 
 city ; near this, I saw the famous and beautiful cir- 
 cular Temple of Vesta, which is encircled with 
 pillars, not very large ; and at a small distance 
 from this, the Arch of Janus, quite below the pre- 
 sent surface, but around its base is cleared away. 
 Opposite the church, St. Georgio stands, as anti- 
 quarians say, the house formerly of Sempronius ; 
 near it is the Cloaca Maxima, built by Tarquin the 
 Proud, to carry off the impurities of the city into 
 the Tiber. The large drain under a high wall is 
 still to be seen. Near this, I saw the Palatine 
 Hill with its ruins ; w^ent around it, and came to 
 the Temple of Peace, a ruin of three immense 
 arches, say a hundred feet wide, and as much in 
 span and height ; and as great a monument of 
 their ancient buildings as any except the Amphithc- 
 
192 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 atre or Collisseum ; they are both in sight, and not 
 far from each other. 
 
 Tuesday, October 23d. — I visited the Villa 
 Borghesi, with its beautiful and extensive gardens 
 or parks, elegantly laid out with statues, walks, 
 shrubs, and all kinds of trees, delightfully situated, 
 only a short distance from Porto Popalo ; the inte- 
 rior is furnished and finished magnificently, and 
 ornamented with paintings, mosaic work, and 
 statues, all in a style of beauty, elegance, and 
 grandeur, with all kinds of marble, inlaid tables, 
 floors, iStc. ; the whole, as is said, equals any sove- 
 reign palace in Europe, and is on the brow of the 
 Pinician hill. The owner of this villa. Prince 
 Borghesi, married Bonaparte's sister, and, as it 
 was said, was threatened with confiscation of his 
 estates, in case of refusal. The palace appears to 
 have been plundered of its finest statues and orna- 
 ments, where the walls are seen with the plaster 
 and marble all torn oft', and done, as the conductor 
 told me, by Bonaparte, who sent them to Paris ; 
 but whether before or after the marriage of his 
 sister, I could not learn. 
 
 Wednesday, October 24th. — I visited the Pa- 
 lace Doria, in Strada, del Corsa, which I found to 
 be very extensive, and filled with paintings and 
 elegant tables of verde, oriental marble. I went 
 in company with Miss Mills, an English lady, 
 whom I met with, a very intelligent old maid, and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 193 
 
 had an excellent knowledge of the historical ac- 
 count of Rome, &c. &c. 
 
 Thursday, October 25th. — I went to see the 
 Ferme of Titus, as it is called, some old ruins of 
 ancient Rome, perhaps, formerly baths. They 
 pretend to go with lights to show you the long 
 arches, dark passages, for what, no one knows • 
 here are vases, jars, and vessels of all sizes and 
 descriptions, and the place from which they had 
 recently been dug up, and by the walls supposed 
 to have been the splendid baths of Titus ; as others 
 on the other side of the Collisseum had been the 
 baths of Dioclesian ; and I saw the entrance to 
 some of the catacombs, but did not enter them. I 
 also went to the place, formerly called the Tarpe- 
 ian Rock ; it was through a house in a small gar- 
 den, where the conductors went to show me, 
 which has a very high wall, over which I looked 
 into a street below, and through which he wished 
 to make me believe the Tiber formerly ran, or had 
 its course, but now a few hundred feet distant. I 
 met Mr. Haight of New-York, in the evening, and 
 took my passage for Naples, for the following day. 
 The drivers, as usual, disappointed me. I deli- 
 vered a letter to St. Seignor Francisco Rosi Ci- 
 ambellano de L. M. la duches a de Lala, a banker 
 at Rome ; I brought a letter to him from Baron 
 Ledor's brother, but he being in the country, 
 left it. I then went to see the Pope's beautiful 
 gardens in Monte Cavello. 
 
 25 
 
194 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Saturday, October 27th. — I set off at eight in 
 the morning for Naples, and passed many ancient 
 vestiges of other days, and saw the ruins of several 
 aqueducts. We travelled the Asia Via, but, in my 
 opinion, is not a good road ; indeed, all the Avay to 
 Naples, the road is the worst in repair of any I 
 have passed in my travels. I passed Albano, and 
 went on to Villetry, where we slept, a large an- 
 cient town, about twenty-eight miles from Rome ; 
 the veterino travelled very slow, seldom faster 
 than a walk ; indeed, it was a miserable convey- 
 ance. We passed over several hills in the way to 
 Albano and Castle Gondalso. This was the 
 neighborhood of the country, which Horace descri- 
 bed nearly two thousand years before ; and here, 
 from a small town at the top of a hill, we had a 
 fine view of the Adriatic. The road winds over 
 or between hills, rocks, and trees. I could not see 
 Lake Albano as we went on to Villetry. The inns 
 are but very indifferent. 
 
 Sunday, October 28th. — I rose at three o'clock 
 in the morning, and drove over a level road, called 
 the Pontine Marshes, earlier in the season, subject 
 to the malaria^ causing fevers, and got to Teracina, 
 about forty-five miles, where we slept. This was 
 anciently the town of the Volsci ; it is near the 
 sea, and the last town of the Roman territory, on 
 the borders of the kingdom of Naples. 
 
 Monday, October 29th. — We went on to Milo 
 de Gaeta ; the inn where we dined was most de- 
 
195 
 
 lightfully situated, close to a beautiful bay of the 
 Adriatic. Between the inn and bay, is a small 
 garden, filled with oranges, lemons, figs, and 
 grapes. 
 
 Tuesday, October 30th. — We travelled over a 
 road, winding through high hills ; at a distance 
 the land appeared to be excellent, with fields 
 covered with clover, trees, vineyards, figs, and 
 gardens of oranges, citron, and lemons ; and 
 reached Naples at six o'clock, and I put up for 
 the night at the Hotel de France. 
 
 Wednesday, October 31st. — The road from 
 Rome to Naples, especially about Terracina, is so 
 infested with banditti robbers, that several car- 
 riages set out together from Rome, and travel to- 
 gether, often taking the gens d'armes or the dra- 
 goons, well mounted. The inhabitants are a 
 cadaverous, miserable looking set of beings ; and 
 instead of any remains of the inhabitants of 
 ancient times, they and their houses appear as if 
 bears and wolves had taken possession of the 
 country. They have the finest country on earth, 
 but the fact cannot be denied, they are in the 
 utmost filth and poverty. We were constantly 
 assailed by a host of beggars, whenever we stop- 
 ped, half naked, and filthy. They are constantly 
 bellowing out the names of the articles they have 
 to sell. Every kind of mechanical work is carried 
 on in the streets, and the streets of Naples swarm 
 with people. 
 
196 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Thursday, November 1st. — The Bay of Na- 
 ples is beautiful; but really not equal to the views 
 of the Bay from the promenade of the Battery 
 at New- York, in America. I observed 3Iount 
 Vesuvius opposite, smoking from its summit. 
 
 Friday, November 2d., and Saturday 3d. — I 
 went out but little on these days, recovering myself 
 from the fatigue of my journey. I walked to the 
 garden at Casa, on one side of the city, along the 
 bay, the most beautiful walk in the world. It is 
 ornamented with several rows of trees, fountains, 
 and statues ; and opposite is the Britannia Hotel^ 
 the best and pleasantest in Naples. 
 
 Sunday, November 4th. — I dined at half past five 
 with Falconet, the banker ; in the evening he took 
 me to the Grand Opera St. Carlos, with his wife, 
 two daughters, and son. His wafe was a Miss 
 Hunter, of Rhode-Island. The Opera House is a 
 magnificent building, all silv^ered and gilded in the 
 interior, and very large, with excellent performan- 
 ces. Falconet and his family all spoke Eng- 
 lish. 
 
 Monday, November 5th. — At half past five I di- 
 ned with iTcneral Baron Leddever, to whom I had 
 a letter from his brother in America, who is the 
 Austrian consul in New-York. His wife was a 
 pleasant little woman ; he has four fine boys ; he 
 speaks but very little English. 
 
 Tuesday, Gth ; Wednesday, 7th ; Thursday, 8th 
 November. — I had a cold, and favored myself by 
 
rapelje's narrative. 197 
 
 taking only short walks; the weather contmued 
 fine, but chilly. 
 
 Friday, November 9th. — I went to Mount Ve- 
 suvius, and rode to Portici, and Recina, and went 
 down into the Theatre of Herculaneum, and saw 
 the museum containing the antiquities of Hercula- 
 neum and Pompeii, comprising paintings, vases, 
 old iron, marble, and many other antiquarian 
 matters. I then rode on an ass, upwards of three 
 miles, to the Hermitage; rested, and took some 
 refreshments; mounted again, and ascended over 
 fields of lava, for about two and a half more 
 miles, to the steep part of the cone ; I then dis- 
 mounted, and took hold of a strap ; the guide 
 gave me one end, the other part over his shoulder ; 
 and in that way I began to mount over steep 
 places of cinders, lava, and ashes, for about a 
 mile. Every few minutes I found it necessary to 
 stop and rest, as it was very steep, and very 
 fatiguing. After some time, with perseverance I 
 arrived at the summit, or crater; it was now 
 constantly smoking, and had a strong sulphuric 
 smell, which would nearly have suffocated me, if 
 I had not used a handkerchief before my face. I 
 went all around the crater, the wind blowing hard, 
 and it was excessively cold. I had a fine view of 
 the bay, and of Naples. I saw in the crater diffe- 
 rent strata of ashes, and stone. It was expected, 
 during the winter, an eruption would take place. 
 I then returned to the Hermitage, where lives a 
 
198 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 friar. The asses only go with a slow walk. My 
 ass was very sure-footed; where there were 
 cracks in the lava, or any difficult or precari- 
 ous places to put his feet, he put his head in- 
 stantly down, so that his eyes nearly touched the 
 ground to pick out his way. At the Hermitage I 
 met with four Russian countesses, and a Russian 
 count. They politely invited me to partake dinner 
 with them, which they had brought, as also a 
 cook ; they had tw^o carriages and servants. One 
 countess w^as a beautiful girl of fourteen years of 
 age, with very amiable and agreeable manners, 
 and spoke English remarkably well ; so I passed 
 a very pleasant day, and returned by the light of 
 the moon, which was shining in all its brilliancy, 
 being in its full, and got to Naples at half-past ten. 
 Saturday, November 10th. — I forgot to mention, 
 that on one day this week, I assigned over to I. Is- 
 lin, of Basle, in Switzerland, the last certificate of a 
 thousand dollars, of the United States' stock, and 
 gave a power of attorney, made by the American 
 consul, Hammet, and left it with Mr. Falconet, the 
 banker, the agent for Islin. I received of him one 
 hundred dollars, eight hundred and eighty-three 
 remaining due to me. I got for the same only nine 
 hundred and eighty-three dollars, in America 
 worth eleven hundred. On this day I had 
 exchanged my lodgings from the Hotel de France 
 to Madame Massinges, an English Lady, No. 7 
 Largo de Castello. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 199 
 
 Sunday, November lltli. — I took a row out in 
 the bay, a short distance; the day was fine, and the 
 views beautiful. 
 
 Monday, November 12th. — I went, in company 
 with a gentleman, Mr. O'Hara, who lodged in the 
 same house, to Pezzuoli. We passed through a 
 narrow, long grotto cavern, or gallery, cut through 
 the mountain. Over the entrance is what is called, 
 Virgil's tomb. Why they mounted him up so high, 
 I cannot tell. The cavern is a stupendous road, 
 cut a quarter of a mile through a very high solid 
 rock, and, to appearance, sixty feet, or more, in 
 height, where lamps are kept constantly burning, 
 but not a sufficient number to make it very light. 
 This cut shortens the distance about seven miles ; 
 and, I believe, there is no other way to Pezzuoli. 
 We saw the bay of Baia, which is covered with 
 ruins, especially that of a bridge built by Caligula. 
 After crossing the bay, we saw the Temples of 
 Venus, Mercury, and Diana, and the Baths of Nero. 
 The Elysian Fields surround the Mare Morte, or 
 Dead Sea, a trifling lake. The residences of all 
 the famous Romans were situated around the bay. 
 We crossed the bay in a boat first, and then 
 walked through vineyards to see those different 
 small lakes of Lurcene, &c. I forgot to say, that 
 the Mare Morte, surrounded by the Elysian 
 Fields, is where, by the fable, Charon ferried over. 
 We walked to see the Sybil's Grotto, on another 
 part of the Bay Avernus. We also saw the hot 
 
200 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 baths. There are walled, narrow passages to go 
 to the hot water, which it is ridiculous to attempt; 
 we had to undress, the steam coming up from 
 them was so great, and so warm, as almost took 
 away our breath. We had to descend with torches. 
 A boy who went with a pail to get some of the boil- 
 ing hot water, to show me, came out covered with 
 perspiration ; he cooked an egg in it, which I ate. 
 Pezzuoli is a small town on the Bay Avernos. We 
 saw the ruins of Caesar's residence, on the point 
 of a hill on the bay. Part of the country is vol- 
 canic. 
 
 Tuesday, November 13th. — I went to see the St. 
 Studio, or Museum of paintings and statues, which 
 were but indifferent, by no means equal to what I 
 had seen at Florence, or Rome. In the same 
 building there are several rooms filled with all 
 kinds of vessels, implements, furniture, and a little 
 of every thing used by the inhabitants of a city, 
 that were dug from Pompeii and Herculaneum ; 
 the remains of a lady's toilet, with a number of 
 teeth, brushes, and other implements for cleaning 
 them ; also, a toilet-glass, and a small pot of 
 rouffe. I then walked to the Botanic Garden, 
 which is very pretty. In the evening, I went to 
 the Theatre, where there were fine singers, and 
 ballet dances. 
 
 Wednesday, November 14th. — I rode on a se- 
 diola, a horrid, jolting, one horse cabriola, to Ca- 
 serla, fifteen miles, a town, where there is a royal 
 
rapelje's narrative. 201 
 
 palace, very magnificent, but not nearly completed ; 
 in some of the chambers, or saloons, are walls of 
 wood ; and the wood is really so painted or var- 
 nished, as to resemble every kind of precious mar- 
 ble. In other rooms, the walls, columns, and 
 pilasters, are made of stucco composition, that, had 
 I not been told, I should have taken for the most 
 precious stones, and marble, as lapis lazuli, verde 
 antique, alabaster, &c. It was a racking ride, 
 and I came home quite ill. 
 
 Thursday, 15th, Friday, 16th, and Saturday; 
 17th. — My cold continued ; and, finding my head 
 and stomach much out of order, confined myself 
 mostly to the house. 
 
 Sunday, November 18th. — I w^ent in company 
 with Mr. Ilaight, of New- York, and a Mr. Searle, 
 of Boston, to Pompeii, twelve miles, I saw the tra- 
 gic and comic theatre, and the Temple of Iris. The 
 finest and best preserved of all the buildings is 
 the Amphitheatre. As I was very unwell, I did 
 not proceed to see any thing more, but sat in the 
 carriage upwards of an hour, while they visited 
 the rest. 
 
 On Monday, November 19th, my illness in- 
 creased, my throat was inflamed, and I called on 
 Dr. Riley, who prescribed for me. On Wednes- 
 day, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, my weak- 
 ness and loss of strength continued. 
 
 Sunday, November 2r)tli. — In the afternoon I 
 moved my lodgings from Mrs. Messingcs', Largo de 
 
 26 
 
202 rapelje's narrative, 
 
 Castello, to Mr. and Mrs. Toose's, No. 92 Santa 
 Lucia, in a fourth story room, more airy and more 
 comfortable and quiet, than the one I had occu- 
 pied, and paid for board and lodging with the fa- 
 mily one dollar a day. I found them amiable, 
 good people. I had the utmost difficulty to find 
 any families who could speak English, and these 
 did. 
 
 Monday, November 26th. — I began to find my- 
 self a little better, by the change of my lodging, 
 but I still was indisposed. On Tuesday, I walked 
 a little, and rode ; Dr. Riley still continuing to 
 attend me. 
 
 Wednesday, November 28th. — Yesterday I 
 went in company with Mr. Toose, with whom I 
 lodged, in a carriage, about four miles, to the 
 Champ de Mars, to see a great Austrian review, 
 sham-fights, &c. It is an elegant, extensive field ; 
 there were seven thousand troops of all kinds, 
 horse, foot, and artillery ; the best dressed, and 
 finest looking military men I had ever seen ; the 
 uniforms of the musicians were various and splen- 
 did, and the performances very fine. The old 
 King was on horseback the whole time. I had 
 a fine view of him ; he is quite old ; I also saw 
 the three young princes, his grandsons ; the whole 
 was very splendid, and immense numbers were out 
 to see the parade. 
 
 Thursday, November 29th. — I took a family 
 dinner with Lieut. General Baron Lederer; the 
 
rapelje's narrative. 203 
 
 weather had been very fine for the last week, and 
 I found I was getting a little strength. 
 
 Friday, November 30th. — I walked out, and 
 rode along by Caia ; but still found myself very 
 w^eak. 
 
 Saturday, December 1st, and Sunday, 2d. — 
 The weather continuing fine, I took a walk along 
 Toledo, and heard the music of the bands of the 
 guards at the palace. 
 
 Monday, December 3d. — I began to recruit, as 
 Mrs. Toose supplied me with every thing so good, 
 and in the English style, so that I acquired appe- 
 tite and strength. 
 
 Tuesday, December 4th. — I walked to the 
 post-office, and thought it extraordinary there 
 were no letters for me ; then took a walk along 
 the Strada Toledo ; paid the Consul, Mr. Ham- 
 met, a visit, also General Lederer; returned home 
 at two o'clock, and partook of a nice dinner of 
 excellent lamb, young pigeons, spinage, &c., 
 delightfully cooked. I believe the changes in the 
 dinners every day were so nice, and all so well 
 dressed, that this materially advanced my resto- 
 ration to health. Mrs. Toose kindly supplied me 
 with a quantity of calf's foot jelly, which aided the 
 tone of my stomach, and I discharged and paid 
 my physician, Dr. Riley. 
 
 Thursday, December 6th. — I continued to gain 
 strength, and walked to Malo, along the bay, and 
 the Strada Toledo, it being a fine pleasant day. 
 
204 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Friday, December 7th. — I wrote a letter to 
 my wife, and directed it to the care of Messrs. 
 Earl & Co., Liverpool, and put it into the post- 
 office ; and desired her to direct to me to their 
 care at Liverpool. The day was cloudy and 
 dull. 
 
 Saturday, December 8th. — I went to the royal 
 chapel in the palace, and had a great treat in 
 hearing the eunuchs sing. There were twelve in 
 chorus; the solos, and duets, &c., were accompanied 
 by the organ with a fine band of violins, bass viols, 
 violoncellos, flageolets, fifes, flutes, French horns, 
 bassoons, clarionets, &c., &c. Their voices were 
 most enchanting, of every grade from the sweetest, 
 softest, and finest female note to the boldest and 
 deepest base. I continued to gain strength, and 
 took a long walk. 
 
 Sunday, December 9th. — I walked along the 
 Strada Toledo, lounged into a Roman Chapel, 
 called Monte de Vast, and heard a fine band of 
 music, and the eunuchs singing most encliantingly ; 
 and just got home a little after it had begun to 
 rain, ^vhicli continued the whole day; the weather 
 was quite raw and chilly, and. I had had fire in 
 my room for several days past. 
 
 Monday, December 10th. — I walked out ; it 
 was a fine day, but rather chilly. I went in the 
 evening for a little while to the grand Opera, St. 
 Carlo. I began to be quite hearty and strong, in 
 this fine, clear, and pure au*. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 205 
 
 Tuesday, December lltli. — I went with Mr. 
 Hammet, the American Consul, to the bay. He 
 found me out a fine vessel, a Neapolitan brig ; and 
 I engaged my passage to go to Messina, in the 
 Island of Sicily, the last of the week. He went on 
 board with me to see the accommodations. 
 
 Wednesday, December 12th. — Mr. Hammet 
 accompanied me to the police to have my pass- 
 ports in readiness ; I also got a letter of credit for 
 nine hundred ducats from Seignor Falcomb, (in 
 whose hands my money was that I had of him for 
 my United States' certificate of stock) to Messrs. 
 Mendham, Cailler, & Co., at Messina. 
 
 On Thursday, December 13th, I walked to 
 several places, and went on board the Themisto- 
 cles, Capt. Amadeo, to learn when she was to sail, 
 which was to be on Saturday, they said ; and then 
 bought some few articles, as silk neck handker- 
 chiefs, woolen socks, flannels, night-caps, &c., &c. 
 
 Friday, December 14th. — I hired a carriage, 
 and rode twelve miles, near to Pompeii, in com- 
 pany with Mr. and Mrs. Toose, and Mrs. Ber- 
 ridge, an acquaintance of theirs, to see the coral 
 manufactory, but was much disappointed, as they 
 said it had been removed to Naples ; however, we 
 dined there, and saw the large manufactory of 
 macaroni and vermicelli. I took leave of Baron 
 Lederer and family. 
 
 Saturday, December 15th. — I lounged to seve- 
 ral places ; the vessel was to have sailed, but did 
 
206 
 
 not ; so, ill the evening, I went, for the last time, 
 to the grand Opera St. Carlo. It has six tiers of 
 boxes, and is very splendid and large ; the pit, 
 where I sat, is of immense size ; the orchestra is 
 really nearly as large as our American pits, hold- 
 ing about a hundred performers, and the music was 
 very fine. In some part of the opera, a military 
 band of about thirty or fifty was introduced on the 
 stage, which, with those, made the finest music I 
 ever heard. The stage was immensely large, the 
 scenery beautiful, and the house was well filled. 
 There was a ballet before the opera, in which 
 were a number of girls, lightly dressed, with the 
 gowns or frocks not lower than their knees, and 
 flesh-colored stockinet drawers on, and they put 
 themselves in almost every position that can be 
 imagined, and purposely to excite the human 
 passions ; in all the French and Italian opera 
 houses it was the same. They dance elegantly, 
 and certainly with the utmost grace ; as many 
 often as twenty or thirty, with only two or three 
 men, turning on one leg almost a dozen times, with 
 the other extended. This is in the presence of 
 ladies of the first rank and fashion, and, indeed, 
 by all classes in Europe, and thought elegant 
 amusement. O, tempora ! O, mores ! ! What 
 would it be thought of in America 7 Then was 
 the opera, from Sir Walter Scott's " Lady of the 
 Lake," and afterwards another ballet, and masque- 
 rade scene, which was the best and most enter- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 207 
 
 taining piece I ever saw at any theatre. There 
 were an immense number of performers, young 
 and old, all well dressed, and in excellent charac- 
 ters ; all were well supported. 
 
 Sunday, December 16th. — I went to the mole 
 to see if the vessel would sail, but it did not ; they 
 had disappointed me since Friday, and were not 
 punctual at all. I rode to the poor-house, called 
 the Seraglio ; it was very dreary. On Monday, 
 I walked to the gardens of Caia, along the bay, 
 from my lodgings at Santa Lucia. The day was 
 most delightful, quite warm and pleasant. I dined 
 at two, and then went down to the mole, and 
 went on board the Themistocles at four o'clock. 
 She was a fine Neapolitan brigantine of two hun- 
 dred and seventy tons ; and we set sail about six 
 o'clock for Messina, about a hundred and fifty 
 miles from Naples, with a very light wind ; but 
 as the night approached, the wind freshened by 
 degrees. I supped at eight with the captain, and 
 three other passengers, all Neapolitans. No one 
 on board could speak a wo^-d of English, but they 
 all appeared very civil. I, some how or other, by 
 a few words of French and Italian, made them to 
 understand me. The supper was, first, a dish of 
 sallad, well dressed, with fine oil and vinegar; 
 then a dish of something like sausages, but rather 
 tough ; then cheese, with very fine cellery ; then 
 apples, &c. ; boiled eggs in plenty were served 
 during the whole meal ; wine was drank by turn- 
 
208 
 
 biers full, and good bread was in great abun- 
 dance, and also biscuit ; then fine apples and figs, 
 for a desert. At half past ten I went to bed ; there 
 was a fine fair wind ; I had the best state-room. 
 
 Tuesday, December, 18th. — The vessel made 
 but very little way in the night, about twenty 
 miles, the wind being fair, but light. The reason, 
 I believe, why the vessels generally depart from 
 the Bay of Naples in the evening, is, because the 
 wind in the evenings begins to blow from off the 
 land, and, in fair weather, as it was when we 
 sailed, continues so during the night. This morn- 
 ing we passed the small Island of Capri, with 
 light winds almost all day, nearly a calm. The 
 next morning I rose at eight, and walked the 
 deck a little while; the passengers and captain 
 came down in the cabin, and played a game like 
 whist, with cards, but smaller, and differently 
 marked from the English playing cards. About 
 nine, I got a dish of coffee, with ship bread, and 
 some good butter ; and about half-past twelve, I 
 sat down to dinner ; first, there was a large dish 
 of ship bread, put in the middle of the table, split, 
 and soaked, very sweet, and as fine as I ever 
 tasted; then immediately each one was served 
 with a soup-plate of rice soup; but it was so 
 thick of rice as to be very little of soup ; this was 
 enough for any moderate man ; they all finished 
 theirs, but I only about a fourth part ; then came 
 boiled beef; and, as is the custom all over the 
 
rapelje's narrative. 209 
 
 continent, it was cut in small slices or pieces, and 
 the dish handed round from one to the other for 
 each to help himself to as much as he liked ; then 
 came a dish of liver, and gizzards, and hearts of 
 fowls, &c., and also something like short sausages, 
 highly seasoned, and quite tough ; then came 
 cheese, and then two plates of fine cellery, and 
 an excellent vegetable, in appearance just like 
 cellery; the whole was almost new to me; the 
 anniseed, blanched like cellery, is, I think a very 
 healthy vegetable; we ate them with salt and 
 bread; then two plates of their large chestnuts, 
 and a large plate of apples, with the waiter, from 
 the time our soup was finished, constantly reple- 
 nishing our tumblers with wine to the brim. They 
 seldom, or ever, taste wine till their soup is 
 finished ; but as soon after as they can swallow 
 it ; they think it is glorious pmir la sante. The 
 weather was delightful, but nearly a calm all the 
 day ; scarcely wind enough to fill the sails. 
 
 Wednesday, December 19th. — The wind shift- 
 ed in the night, and came ahead ; we had pro- 
 ceeded forty miles from Naples on our voyage ; 
 we put back again for the bay, where we dined 
 at about twelve o'clock, at noon ; there was 
 some rain. I saw an American brig at anchor, 
 from Boston, William Gray, captain, loaded with 
 lumber; she was performing quarantine. She 
 had just arrived, but brought no news. I put up 
 at Mr. Janis' tavern, at the mole, as it was oppo- 
 
 27 
 
210 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 site the harbor where the vessels lie, and I thought 
 it would be convenient for going on board when- 
 ever the wind came fair. 
 
 Thursday, December 20th, and Friday the 
 21st. — It rained often, and almost during the 
 whole of these two days, which made the walk- 
 ing very bad ; so I remained in the house almost 
 the whole of both. 
 
 Saturday, December 22d. — The weather be- 
 came fair and pleasant, so I walked about the 
 town, and looked into Glass's bookstore, on the 
 Toledo, where I found a French newspaper. 
 
 Sunday, December 23d. — I went on board 
 and got my trunk ashore, as there w^ere no signs 
 of sailing ; and every body told me the Neapoli- 
 tans would not go to sea on Christmas day if 
 they could avoid it ; ajid that they would not 
 depart till after that day. I walked in the public 
 gardens, where I saw a great deal of company. 
 The day was most charming, and, in the sun, as 
 warm as summer. 
 
 Monday, December 24tli. — The wind still un- 
 fair, but fine weather ; an American brig, the 
 Catharine, Capt. Trask, of Gloucester, Massachu- 
 setts, came into the harbor loaded with tobacco. 
 
 Tuesday, December 25th ; Christmas day. — 
 All through the night I heard the noise of squibs, 
 and guns, and crackers, as this is a great festival 
 in Catholic countries ; the service of High Mass 
 was performed in the churches, after four o'clock 
 
RAPELJE S NARRATIVE. 211 
 
 in the morning. This is a great day for tlie Ita- 
 lians to eat and drink and gormandize to great 
 excess. 
 
 Wednesday, December 26th. — All day yester- 
 day, and last night, there was rain, and a high 
 wind. The wine at the Rose tavern, kept by 
 Mr. Jani, called Ischia wine, from the island near 
 Naples of that name, was, to my palate, the best 
 I had drank in Europe ; it was a white wine, and 
 very cheap, about two dollars and a half for 
 twelve or thirteen gallons. The vino greco has 
 very little of a sweetish taste, and reckoned very 
 fine, when old. 
 
 Thursday, December 27th, and Friday, 28th. — 
 There was a great deal of rain, and a contrary 
 wind. I bought a Spanish, French, and English 
 dictionary. 
 
 Saturday, December 29th. — A heavy wind 
 from the Mediterranean on shore called the sirocco, 
 with heavy rain all last night and most of this day, 
 but it was not cold. About twelve the sun came 
 out quite warm. The delight of this climate is, 
 that all through the winter they generally have a 
 fine sun some part of the day, if the other part of 
 it is stormy. I kept in the house almost all 
 day. 
 
 Sunday, December 30th. — Thunder and some 
 lightning last night, and rain with the same siroc- 
 co wind as yesterday. I staid at home, the walk- 
 
212 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 ing being very bad. I had been at Naples two 
 months, and had not received a letter from New- 
 York, since I left Paris, the 22d of August. 
 
 Monday, December 31st. — I walked to the 
 royal palace on Capo dc Monte, and was delighted 
 with its beautiful situation, and fine view of the 
 bay and of Naples. 
 
 Tuesday, January 1st, 1822. — This was a 
 merry day ; no business done ; most of the churches 
 open, for it is a great holyday. The weather 
 changed and became very fine. 
 
 Wednesday, January 2d. — I walked in the 
 public garden of Caia. The captain, as the mate 
 told me, could not depart, as he was going to a 
 great feast. The weather and wind were fair all 
 day ; yesterday and to-day very fine. A Mr. Rag- 
 glans, a young Englishman in a Mr. Jeggo's store, 
 gave me a letter of introduction to Mr. Abbot of 
 Messina, and in return, I gave him my address at 
 New- York. 
 
 Thursday, January 3d. — It rained all day, and 
 I did not go out, but engaged my passage in an- 
 other vessel, the John Dugan, Capt. Leggett, (Eng- 
 lish,) and had my passport altered, and again in- 
 serted in his bill of health. A Mr. Crownin- 
 shield, of Salem, Mass. a young man, paid me a 
 visit. 
 
 Friday, January 4th. — A fine day and a fair 
 wind, but did not know till this morning, that the 
 
213 
 
 vessel was not ready to depart ; the captain told 
 me he was completing his ballast or cargo, which 
 I did not before know. 
 
 Saturday, January 5th. — I left Naples in the 
 morning at ten o'clock, in the English brig John 
 Dugan, of Yarmoutli, Capt. Leggett, for Messina, 
 once more. We had a head wind all day ; there 
 were three other vessels who went out at the same 
 time, but all put back. The Neapolitans will not 
 hoist sufficient sail to go against the wind or beat 
 to the windward, being fearful, and having bad 
 seamen. In the night we passed between the 
 Island of Capri and land, or coast of Calabria. 
 
 Sunday, January 6th. — We had a heavy, dread- 
 ful blow of head wind, and storms of rain all last 
 night, and only made thirty miles of our course. 
 
 Monday, January 7th. — We continued beating 
 to windward, with a strong breeze. The Medi- 
 terranean Sea has short, ugly waves or billows, 
 and the water to me seemed as if vessels could 
 not get over it, as in the Atlantic, and other seas. 
 
 Tuesday, January 8th. — The wind came fair, 
 and we had a fine run ; passed the volcanic moun- 
 tain or Island of Strombole, and saw two funnels 
 or craters, smoking as much as Vesuvius or more ; 
 I also saw near it a cluster of other islands, about 
 ten or twelve, called Lipari Islands ; they are 
 about forty miles from Messina, and Messina is not 
 far from a hundred and seventy from Naples. 
 These islands are in the route. 
 
214 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Wednesday, January 9th. — We arrived at day- 
 light at Messina ; indeed the captain got near the 
 town before that time, but was obliged to wait for 
 daylight to go in. Our vessel was a fine brig, 
 and I was used very well by the captain, &c. We 
 lived very well on board, having fine English 
 cheese and porter and several sorts of wines, with 
 good soups, meats, &c., well dressed. I paid fif- 
 teen dollars for my passage and fare. The town 
 of Messina has an imposing front ; a fine street 
 along the bay, called the Marina, along which ves- 
 sels lie as in a fine extensive dock and quay. 
 After going with my passports to the police, I put 
 up at the Italian inn called Le Lion d'Or, or the 
 Golden Lion. In the evening I went to the the- 
 atre, a very small one ; but as usual in Italy, the 
 music good. 
 
 Thursday, January 10th. — I wrote a letter to 
 my wife, and left it at the American Consul's, to 
 be sent to Boston by a vessel going to sail this 
 day or to-morrow, and requested Mrs. Rapelje to 
 direct to Messrs. Earl & Co., Liverpool. I dined, 
 by invitation, with Mr. Brabant, the American 
 Consul, an Englishman ; in company, was a Dr. 
 Saunders, an Englishman, a Capt, Barroni, an 
 Italian, and two other gentlemen who appeared 
 to be his clerks, as I saw them in mornings at 
 his ofiice. 
 
 Friday, January 11th. — I found myself unwell, 
 and, as it rained, I kept house almost the whole day. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 215 
 
 Saturday, January 12th. — I was all day bu- 
 sied about getting a vessel to go to Malta; at 
 length I took passage in a schooner for Syracuse, 
 which is about half way. I spent an hour or two 
 very pleasantly with a Mr. and Mrs. Abbot, who 
 kept a grocery store. I found him an intelligent 
 Englishman ; his wife is an Italian, a handsome, 
 pleasant, and agreeable woman, quite different 
 from other Italian ladies who do nothing, but she 
 attended to the domestic concerns of her house, 
 and was both active and industrious. I had a 
 letter to him from a young English gentleman I 
 became acquainted with in Naples, a Mr. Rag- 
 land. I procured a letter of credit from the house 
 of Mendham, Colder, & Co. here, for seven hun- 
 dred and thirty- eight ducats on the house of Bell, 
 in Naples, and took of them fifty dollars, and 
 gave them a receipt for the whole. 
 
 Sunday, January 13th. — Messina has, from the 
 surrounding country, immense quantities of very 
 large lemons; but, for want of coarse wrapping 
 paper, there were millions of them rotting in the 
 stores ; they export them as well as oranges ; the 
 latter are not very sweet, at least, not those I 
 tasted. I slept on board the galleot Sainta Lucia, 
 Capt. Nichola, expecting to set sail in the night 
 for Syracuse ; but on account of the tide, as they 
 said, we could not get out of the harbor. 
 
 Monday, January 14tli. — This evening at five 
 o'clock we sailed with a fair wind for Syracuse ; 
 
216 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 passed, just at the bay's mouth or entrance, the 
 famous strait called Sylla and Charybdis, a nar- 
 row passage ; then on the Calabria side, Reg- 
 gie, and on the Messina side, Regina, and sailed 
 along ; but as soon as we got out of the harbor, so 
 far as to clear the hills that surround Messina, 
 the tops are all like little hillocks, and seem as if 
 once volcanic ; we saw the mountain Mtna, to ap- 
 pearance very high ; a very wide base, and gradu- 
 ally ascending to its peak or summit, which was 
 slightly smoking ; and a great part of the moun- 
 tain, near half way down from its top, was per- 
 fectly white from its covering of snow. We pass- 
 ed Catania and Teragosa, and got to Syracuse, an 
 indifferent town, at eight in the morning ; it is well 
 fortified by a high wall all round it from the 
 water's edge. 
 
 Tuesday, January 15th. — At Syracuse I found 
 miserable accommodations, and engaged my pas- 
 sage by land in a carriage between two horses, 
 called a lltiga, a carriage or narrow coach in min- 
 iature ; room enough for two persons to sit oppo- 
 site to each other. The vehicle is attended by 
 two men and three horses; the extra horse car- 
 ries the baggage, and one man walks on the side 
 of the litiga, which is without wheels. I chose to 
 journey by land, as there was a wind setting in 
 from the sea ; I supposed it would continue for 
 several days. 
 
 Wednesday, January 16th. — I started at seven 
 
rapelje's narrative. 217 
 
 o'clock in the morning for Cape Passaro, between 
 two mules, in a small litiga^ and went into Oula, 
 where I got dinner, then to Noto, and there slept. 
 The roads were very bad, but the country mostly 
 level ; it is impossible to pass them in regular car- 
 riages, they are so rocky and badly made. The 
 country is very fine most of the way, abounding in 
 good orchards of figs and olive trees, as well as 
 almond ; the last were all in blossom. There are 
 fine fields of wheat and grass ; the ground covered 
 with verdure ; but the trees had lost their leaves, 
 the fig and vines especially ; the olives continued 
 green. The grape vines were trimmed nearly to 
 the ground. I also saw another tree of very dark 
 green, and bears a flat dark brown bean, sweet to 
 taste, on which the horses are fed. Louis Fulzetta 
 accompanied me as interpreter. I saw several 
 churches at Noto ; and in the afternoon walked to 
 examine a few of them ; all had the same kind of 
 paintings, madonnas, and crucifixes, some neat, but 
 not to be compared with numbers of others through 
 other parts of Europe. 
 
 Thursday, January 17th. — I set off at six in the 
 morning by the same conveyance for Mastelamara, 
 fourteen miles. My interpreter went last evening 
 to the Prince Villadorato, as he called him, at 
 Noto, and who, he said, acted as English as well 
 as American Consul, and got a letter to his mana- 
 ger or overseer at Mastelamara, a place on the sea 
 shore which has a harbor for small boats, called 
 
 28 
 
218 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 spurainaria, that both row and sail. There is 
 only one house, which the prince occupies in sum- 
 mer, and the interior is miserable ; he ordered that 
 I should be treated in the best manner the house 
 afforded. This Avas indeed civil. The country 
 towards the shore was very barren, and there was 
 no road but a path for the mules to walk. The 
 weather was very chilly and raw, as much so as 
 could be without freezing. I was tormented all 
 last night with fleas, and all this day; when I took 
 off my boots several jumped out of my socks. 
 The grape vines are not, to appearance, of a luxu- 
 rious growth, but seem rusty and stunted. There 
 was a hard wind blowing, so as to prevent my 
 sailing for Malta this day, although I got here at 
 ten o'clock, and had to rest under a prince's un- 
 comfortable roof I had to ride to a small town 
 called Villadoreta, about two miles and a half, to 
 get my name inserted in the bill of health, but the 
 police officer for that purpose was not at home ; so 
 it was with the bill of the vessel's health sent to 
 Noto, thirteen miles. There is a great deal of 
 trouble, delay, and expense, attending the pass- 
 ports, I rode the two miles and a half on a mule. 
 The roads were very bad, and I was obliged to 
 go on a walk or amble all the way ; but these ani- 
 mals are generally very safe over this land of rock 
 and lava, as it all appears to be. The surface, in 
 many places, seems for miles to be nothing but 
 rough rock, with projecting points, which appear- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 219 
 
 ed so rough that I wondered how the animals got 
 over them ; but when passing those bad places, 
 they put their heads close to the ground and go 
 slow, and pick out the road without guiding. I 
 found best to let them go on as they pleased. They 
 are so small, that my feet almost touched the 
 ground. I almost supposed, as in the fable, I 
 ought rather have carried the mule than he me ; 
 but they are very strong, and, it seems, intended 
 for these lazy people, who will not make roads. 
 
 Friday, January 18th. — I had to stay this day 
 at Marza. It appears this Prince Villadoreta 
 hires or rents this house on the sea shore, and car- 
 ries on fishing in the summer. There are immense 
 store-houses for the nets and fish which are caught 
 in summer, which is carried on to the amount of 
 thousands of dollars. He pays a thousand dollars 
 a year for this situation, in summer, for his family 
 and fishery; and, although millions of fish are 
 caught, the expense is more than the profit. I 
 could scarcely get any thing to eat ; a common, 
 half-starved fowl, which, by the by, these Ita- 
 lians, or Sicilians, cook very well, making soup 
 of the body, with vegetables, and broccoli, or young 
 cauliflowers ; and of the liver, wings, necks, giz- 
 zard, &c., they make a small stew, smothered, as I 
 would call it, with two or three dozen of grapes 
 and raisins ; they have a plenty of gravy ; I made 
 a hearty meal, and drank a bottle of very fine 
 Nota wine. They have good brown bread, which 
 
220 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 is a great treat ; but I had to pay dearly for the 
 half-stewed chickens. 
 
 Saturday, January 19th. — I got up at three in 
 the morning, and went on board the sea-boat call- 
 ed a apurrenaria or spaionao, a small boat, with- 
 out a deck, only a small covered place in the 
 stern for a few persons, where I could only sit, or 
 lie down, but not stand; she was about forty feet 
 long, not very wide, and w^as loaded low down 
 into the water; she had one mast in her bow, 
 about ten or twelve feet long, to which a large 
 mainsail is fastened. We had a fine run to Malta 
 from Martsameme, in Sicily, of about nine hours. 
 The distance is about seventy miles. This is an 
 island of much barren rock; the town Vatella, 
 the capital city, is strongly fortified, and the water 
 of the ocean runs almost round the town. It 
 is walled with strong parapets, bastions, castles, 
 and towers, which are seen rising quite from the 
 water's edge. I could walk all around the city 
 on the fortifications, on which there is a fine view 
 of the ocean, and also of the surrounding country. 
 There were a few two horse carriages; they are 
 on two wheels, like a chariot. 
 
 Sunday, January 20th. — I went to St. John's 
 Catholic church, which is very large; it has 
 heavy carvings of wood, with gilding on the 
 w^alls, now nearly defaced by age, with some fine 
 paintings and statues in bronze, and marble. 
 There is a small church, or chapel, of the Church 
 
rapelje's narrative. 221 
 
 of England in the jDlace, where I just looked in ; 
 there were not many attendants. The weather 
 was very raw and cold ; and the wind blew a ery 
 hard from the north-east. I waited on Mr. Pullis, 
 the American consul, who was quite civil, and 
 went with his son to the vice-consul, Mr. Enoud, 
 who was kind also. The streets were filled with 
 well-dressed people. The Maltese ladies have a 
 vivacity and an agreeable, pleasing, smiling coun- 
 tenance, and are also quite handsome, and gene- 
 rally, fine sparkling, black eyes, with black hair. 
 They are, indeed, as handsome and pleasing wo- 
 men as I have seen on the continent, except the 
 French ladies, 
 
 Monday, January 21st. — At the great Catho- 
 lic church of St. John's, the floor, or pavement, 
 is made of large flags, or tombstones, composed, or 
 ingeniously joined together, of the finest marble 
 of different colors, to represent the armorial bear- 
 ings of the deceased who are interred beneath 
 them. The natives speak nothing but a com- 
 mon patois, called vulgar Maltese, or Arabic. 
 The city of Valetta and Vetoria are opposite, 
 separated by a narrow channel, and remarkable 
 for the celebrity and strength of their fortifica- 
 tions, as is, indeed, the whole island ; the rocks 
 are cut into parapets. Notwithstanding all these 
 fortifications, it was taken by the French, in spite 
 of the most vigorous resistance, and afterwards by 
 the English, who, after a long siege, under Gene- 
 
222 rapelje's narrative, 
 
 ral Pigot, took it, and are now masters of it, and 
 have several regiments of uncommonly fine look- 
 ing soldiers on it. It is very healthy ; but it had 
 been very cold for several days, although they say 
 they have never seen ice made there by the wea- 
 ther. 
 
 Tuesday, January 22d. — I walked to the pa- 
 rade ground, and then to the outworks, which are 
 very strong ; the steps, and other parts of the for- 
 tifications are cut out of solid rock ; it seemed as 
 if there were no end to the high solid wall ; and it 
 would be intricate for an enemy to find their way 
 through from one ditch or passage to another. — 
 The weather has become quite warm, and the re- 
 flection from the white free-stone rock, of which the 
 island is composed, makes it quite hot even at this 
 season of the year, while walking in places not 
 shaded by houses. The streets in the town of Va- 
 letta are very steep, up and dow n ; so much so, as 
 to have steps to ascend and descend, on the side 
 walks ; but they are remarkably well paved and 
 flagged. I dined with the American vice-consul, 
 who is a Maltese, but his wife is English, and he is 
 brother-in-law to Mr. Pullis, the consul. His wife 
 is a very pleasant agreeable lady, having much 
 amusing conversation. 
 
 Wednesday, January 23d. — I went to Melita, a 
 town four or five miles distant, and passed through 
 several villages in a carriage called a calice, which 
 is a small chariot, on or between two wheels, and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 223 
 
 a horse at the end of two shafts, which is very 
 easy. I was accompanied by a Scotch gentleman, 
 a Mr. McKenzie. This is the usual mode of travel- 
 ling ; the man or driver runs along side of the horse 
 and carriage in the city and villages, but sits on 
 the shaft in the country. Melita, also called 
 Civita Vecchia is an ancient city, and there is 
 a commanding view of Valetta, and of the sea 
 and bay. In clear weather, the Barbary coast, 
 and also Mount JEtna can be seen. The cathe- 
 dral is a fine church. I saw a church or small 
 chapel, cut out of the rock under ground, called St. 
 Paul's. In this cave, the people say and believe, 
 he lived three months ; I went into it. I also visit- 
 ed the catacombs, which are cut out of a rock 
 under ground. These catacombs are of immense 
 extent ; they were safe residences for the Saracens, 
 when attacked by the Turks. Many of the ava- 
 nues are shut up. The guide stated that a school- 
 master and his scholars went in one of them, and 
 were never more heard of; after which the ave- 
 nues were stopped. If the guide and other gentle- 
 men had not carried each of them a candle, I doubt 
 if the way could have been found. Every person 
 carries a lighted candle in his hand ; the avenues 
 are numerous, and branch out in every direction. 
 I also saw the city called Bosquetta, near Melita, 
 and a beautiful orange grove, where the trees were 
 overburdened with ripe oranges ; and, as we were 
 passing through them, they hung in such numbers on 
 
224 hapelje's narrative. 
 
 the trees on each side the road, that I was impatient 
 to get out and throw some off the trees to eat, and 
 was astonished that they should permit such num- 
 bers to hang dead ripe over the road ; but when I 
 came to taste them, I found they were as sour as 
 could be, as those called Seville oranges, and which 
 indeed induced me to be civil enough to them af- 
 terwards ; not wishing to try any more of Bos- 
 quetta oranges. There was a beautiful spring un- 
 der an artificial grotto, where the citizens come 
 to regale in summer. On the road, for a great 
 length, is to be seen an aqueduct, which brings 
 water seven miles to Melita, and runs sometimes 
 above, and sometimes under ground. I dined at 
 six with Mr. James Bell, merchant, to whom I had 
 a letter of credit from Mendham, Calder, & Co., of 
 Messina. He was very polite to me. He had a 
 very large, elegant house, with large rooms ; one 
 of ninety-three feet by thirty-three, a ball-room, 
 with wooden or plank floor, which, being so scarce 
 here, is thought and spoken of as a wonder. In 
 my visit to the country, nothing but stone and iron 
 was to be seen in all the buildings, fences, &c. The 
 stone is however, when first taken out of the quarry, 
 of which, I believe, most of the island is composed, 
 but little harder than English chalk, but grows 
 somewhat harder on being exposed to the weather. 
 The fortifications are very strong, including the out- 
 works across the small neck of land, which is not 
 very wide from water to w^ater. There are six 
 
rapelje's narrative. 225 
 
 immense thick walls, very high, and wide, deep 
 ditches between them. It is, I suppose, by art the 
 strongest fortified town in Europe, or perhaps in 
 the world. It could only be taken by starvation, 
 which has been the case whenever it has been 
 taken. 
 
 Thursday, January 24th. — As I lost my pas- 
 sage in the packet for Gibraltar, and possibly all 
 for the better, having not time to get my passport 
 or bill of health, I turned my attention to visiting 
 Greece, and the great city of Constantinople, as, 
 in all probability, I shall never again be so near it, 
 being within a thousand miles ; and I accordingly 
 looked out for a vessel for that port, but could not 
 find any. In the evening, I went to the opera 
 house, which was a neat small theatre, with five 
 rows of boxes ; the performance of singing and 
 music was very good, the same as in Italy. I had 
 also been at a masquerade a few evenings before 
 in the same theatre. The pit was floored over 
 even with the stage, and both made into one, where 
 the masked danced. The lowest order of people 
 danced generally in this place ; the women prin- 
 cipally are masked. It was now nearly the be- 
 ginning of the great masquerade festival. The 
 weather continued to be delightful. 
 
 Friday, January 25th. — I walked to the garden 
 near the outworks, which is very narrow and long. 
 In the evening I was at Mr. James Bell's, where 
 there was an elegant ball. Four large rooms were 
 
 29 
 
226 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 opened ; the large ball-room was well lighted, the 
 music was fine. The two rooms were elegant ; 
 one was thirty-three feet square, covered with a 
 superb Turkey carpet, and well furnished with 
 tables, covered with prints, and newspapers of 
 late dates; also two cases of well chosen books, 
 where many of the company sat, and found much 
 amusement. In the other room were refreshments 
 on a long table, the whole length of the room, with 
 servants on one side, and laid out with oranges, 
 cakes, wine and punch. There were about two 
 hundred persons present ; the greatest proportion 
 were gentlemen ; many military and naval officers, 
 both in and out of uniforms. The ladies were gen- 
 teelly dressed. The Maltese I could not distin- 
 guish from the English, either by complexion^ 
 shape, or dress. Pearls seem to be the most fa- 
 vorite beads. They wore pink and white satin 
 dresses. The ladies would not vie with the same 
 number in America, either in dress or beauty, or 
 ease in dancing. This house, which, outwardly as 
 well as inwardly, has the appearance of a palace, 
 was formerly built by, and belonged to, the cele- 
 brated order of the Kniglits of Malta, of whom 
 none now exist ; the order being altogether done 
 away. 
 
 Saturday, January 26th. — By appointment, I 
 went at eleven o'clock to make some inquiry of the 
 Turkish Consul for Constantinople, as I wished to 
 visit that great city ; he begged me to stay to 
 
rapelje's narrative. 227 
 
 breakfast. I saw there a Mr. Alexander, an Ital- 
 ian, who spoke good English, and was very polite. 
 I was informed it was dangerous visiting that city 
 on account of the war between the Turks and 
 the Greeks ; however, I made up my mind that if 
 I could find a vessel, I should go notwithstanding. 
 
 Sunday, January 27th. — There was a great 
 storm of high wind and rain all the preceding night, 
 and I did not go out. 
 
 Monday, January 28th. — A vessel came in yes- 
 terday, and I engaged my passage to Constantino- 
 ple, being the English brig Dart, Capt. Vaux, twen- 
 ty-two days from England ; and was told she would 
 sail in a few days. 
 
 Tuesday, January 29th. — I called on a Mr. Mad- 
 dox, an English gentleman traveller, for informa- 
 tion ; he was late from Messina and Constantino- 
 ple, and said he had attended to the reports in cir- 
 culation ; but he informed me there was no dan- 
 ger, as he had found none among the Turks. 
 
 Wednesday, January 30th. — I wrote a letter to 
 my wife, as Capt. Wallis was going in a day or two 
 to Gibraltar and England, who took it, for the pur- 
 pose of sending it by the first conveyance to New- 
 York. I then went to the police to have my pass- 
 ports prepared, as the captain said he should sail 
 on Sunday. It was expected the vessel would first 
 go to Smyrna, but it was afterwards arranged that 
 she should sail for Constantinople first ; but no 
 matter, perhaps all for the best, as I had engaged 
 to go in her. 
 
228 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Thursday, January 31st. — At six o'clock, I di- 
 ned with Capt. Vaux at Mr. Bell's, who was con- 
 signee of the vessel and cargo. This Avas the cap- 
 tain with whom I was to go to Constantinople. 
 At Malta was the English man-of-war, the Roch- 
 ford, of seventy-four guns, commanded by Admiral 
 Sir Graham Moore. 
 
 Friday, February 1st. — I wrote another letter 
 to Mrs. Rapelje; it was a rainy day. I left with 
 Mr. Bell, a pattern for a silk dress, and four neck- 
 laces of the lava of Vesuvius; he promised to send 
 them to Mrs. Rapelje for me. 
 
 Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the 2d, 3d, and 
 4th. — I went to the Church of England, a chapel 
 fitted up very neatly in the Governor's palace, and 
 heard a Mr. Miller, who was the clergyman. A 
 fine band of wind instruments accompanied the 
 singers, and I thought them better than an 
 organ. 
 
 Tuesday, February 5th. — In the evening I went 
 to a masquerade, where there were great numbers. 
 It was a very large room, and there were numbers 
 of quadrilles and waltzes ; but all the company 
 were of the lowest order; men, girls and boys, all 
 vulgar ; only sixpence for a ticket ; a good band 
 of music for them to dance by; the women, in ge- 
 neral, were only masked. 
 
 Wednesday, February 6th. — I took leave of 
 some of my acquaintances in Malta, and on Thurs- 
 day left the town of Valetta, and went on board 
 the brig Dart, Capt. Vaux. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 229 
 
 Friday and Saturday, the 8tli and 9th. — Noth- 
 ing material occurred ; the wind was such, that 
 we lay our course most of the time ; kept nearly 
 on the same latitude as the Island of Malta, 36 de- 
 grees 1 minute north, its longitude, 14 degrees 13 
 minutes — which of course altered every day. On 
 Saturday there was a large water-spout near the 
 vessel, but I was not up to see it. 
 
 Sunday, February 10th. — Yesterday and last 
 night it rained for the most part of the time, the 
 winds being variable, but not very fair. Our 
 course from Malta w^as about east by south ; so 
 we ran in three days about three hundred miles. 
 At daylight we saw land, being Cape Mattapan, 
 the southern point of the Morea in Greece, and 
 about fifteen miles distant. The Island of Cerigo 
 was also in view, a short distance to the south-east- 
 ward of Mattapan, being the ancient Island of Cy- 
 thera, one of the seven Ionian Islands, now all be- 
 longing to Great Britain. At eight o'clock, a. m. 
 we spoke a large Imperial ship, as they called it, 
 one of the Emperor of Austria's vessels, or those 
 under that flag, bound from Constantinople to Ge- 
 noa. They said there were many pirates in those 
 seas. Our vessel sailed very fast, and had passed, 
 since we had been out, many standing the same 
 way, and run them out of sight. The brig Dart 
 was formerly an American vessel, built at Balti- 
 more, and taken by the English during the late 
 war. As we coasted along the Grecian coast or 
 
230 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 south point of the Morca, the country seemed very 
 broken and hilly, and we saw many very high 
 mountains, covered half way down with snow, and 
 on the side of them, as was supposed, was Corinth, 
 where St. Paul preached to the Corinthians ; not 
 far off is also Athens. We saw several ves- 
 sels, the wind very light, almost a calm ; and on 
 this day, we made very little progress on our voy- 
 age. 
 
 Monday, February 11th. — Adverse winds all 
 last night, and made but little progress, and also 
 this day the wind was against us. We tacked to 
 windward during the day. This day, the land 
 was about fifteen miles off, the point Mattepan still 
 before us ; and we had gained very little on our 
 course, owing to head winds. 
 
 Tuesday, February 12th. — All last night a tem- 
 pestuous wind arose about east-north-east, which 
 caused the ship to be tacked about, and the sails to 
 be reefed. It was, however, not rainy, but dry wea- 
 ther ; the same contrary winds continued the whole 
 of the day ; and we have made little or no progress 
 on our voyage for these four days. The land along 
 the coast is mountainous, very irregular, and appa- 
 rently of volcanic origin. 
 
 Wednesday, February 13th. — All last night a 
 high and contrary wind ; coasted along the point 
 Mattapan, the south part of the Morea in Greece ; 
 also passed the Island Ccrigo, the ancient Cythe- 
 rea ; we went outside, as we could not go through 
 
rapelje's narrative. 231 
 
 the pass of Angelo. Near the Island of Cytherea 
 lies the Egg Rock, which, as well as the island, is 
 high out of the water. We passed around to-day 
 out from the Mediterranean, and just entered the 
 Archipelago or ancient iEgean Sea, called by the 
 English navigators the Arches, filled with islands ; 
 we passed in sight of the Island of Candia, or an- 
 cient Crete ; also before passed Cerigotto, and con- 
 stantly were in sight of some island. The wind 
 was very fresh all day, and contrary ; we had met a 
 disagreeable short rough sea, and the vessel made 
 but little progress towards our port ; she pitched 
 and plunged very much, with a very uncomforta- 
 ble motion of rolling. 
 
 Thursday, February 14th. — We beat to wind- 
 ward all this day, with a contrary north-east wind, 
 off Point Angelo of the Morea, and gained very 
 little ; the wind was low during last night and 
 the whole day ; during the night cloudy, the day 
 tolerably fair, but cold. 
 
 Friday, February 15th. — We still had a head 
 wind all last night and to-day ; left sight of Can- 
 dia or Crete ; got in sight of the Island of Milo and 
 Anti-Milo. The land was high ; we endeavored to 
 work towards them; wind moderate, but still con- 
 trary. 
 
 Saturday, February 16th. — All last night there 
 were strong north-north-west gales and a heavy sea 
 from the north-east. The ship was laboring much. 
 We passed at some distance in sight of the Island 
 
232 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 of Falconera, which is the island mentioned in 
 Falconer's poem of the shipwreck. 
 
 Of Falconera, distant only now 
 Nine lessening leagues beneath the leeward bow : 
 For, if on those destructive shallows tost, 
 The helpless bark with all her crew are lost ; 
 As fatal still appears, that danger o'er. 
 The steep Saint George, and rocky Gardelor. 
 With hiin the pilots, of their hopeless state 
 In mournful consultation long debate — 
 Not more perplexing doubts her chiefs appal 
 When some proud city verges to her fall. 
 While ruin glares around, and pale affright 
 Convenes her councils in the dead of night. 
 No blazon'd trophies o'er their concave spread, 
 Nor storied pillars rais'd aloft their head : 
 But here the queen of shade around them threw 
 Her dragon wing, disastrous to the view ! 
 Dire was the scene with whirlwind, hail and show'r ; 
 Black melancholy rul'd the fearful hour: 
 Beneath, tremendous roU'd the flashing tide, 
 Where fate on every billow seem'd to ride — 
 Inclos'd with ills, by peril unsubdued, 
 Great in distress the master-seaman stood : 
 Skill'd to command ; dehberate to advise ; 
 Expert in action ; and in council wise- 
 Thus to his partners, by the crew unheard, 
 The dictates of his soul, the chief referred : — 
 
 ' Ye faithful mates ! who all my troubles share, 
 Approv'd companions of your master's care! 
 To you, alas ! 'twere fruitless now to tell 
 Our sad distress, already known too well : 
 This morn with favoring gales the port we left, 
 Though now of every flattering hope bereft : 
 No skill nor long experience could forecast 
 Th' unseen course of this destructive blast ; 
 These seas, where storms at various seasons blow, 
 No reigning winds nor certain omens know. 
 The hour, th' occasion, all your skill demands, 
 A leaky ship, embay'd by dangerous lands, 
 Our bark no transient jeopardy surrounds, 
 Groaning she lies beneath unnumber'd wounds: 
 'Tis ours the doubtful remedy to find, 
 
233 
 
 To slum the fury of the seas and wind ; 
 For in this hollow swell, with labor sore, 
 Her flank can bear the bursting floods no more. 
 One only shift, though desperate, we must try, 
 And that before the boisterous storm to fly : 
 Then less her sides will feel the surge's power, 
 Which thus may soon the foundering hull devour. 
 'Tis true, the vessel and her costly freight 
 To me consigned, my orders only wait; 
 Yet, since the charge of every life is mine. 
 To equal votes our counsels I resign — 
 Forbid it. Heaven ! that in this dreadful hour 
 I claim the dangerous reins of purblind power! 
 But should we now resolve to bear away. 
 Our hopeless state can suffer no delay : 
 Nor can we, thus bereft of every sail. 
 Attempt to steer obliquely on the gale; 
 For then, if broaching sideway to the sea, 
 Our dropsied ship may founder by the lee ; 
 Vain all endeavors then to bear away. 
 Nor helm, nor pilot, would she more obey.' 
 
 He said : the listening mates with fixed regard, 
 And silent reverence, his opinion heard ; 
 Important was the question in debate. 
 And o'er their councils hung impending fate. 
 Rodmond, in many a scene of peril tried, 
 Had oft the master's happier skill descried ; 
 Yet now, the hour, the scene, the occasion known, 
 Perhaps with equal right preferred his own : 
 Of long experience in the naval art. 
 Blunt was his speech, and naked was his heart; 
 Alike to him each climate, and each blast, 
 The first in danger, in retreat the last : 
 Sagacious, balancing the opposed events, 
 From Albert his opinion thus dissents— 
 
 ' Too true the perils of the present hour, 
 Where toils succeeding toils our strength o'erpower ! 
 Our bark 'tis true no shelter here can find, 
 Sore shattered by the ruflBan seas and wind : 
 Yet where with safety can we dare to scud 
 Before this tempest, and pursuing flood;? 
 At random driven, to present death we haste, 
 And one short hour perhaps may be our last : 
 Though Corinth's gulf extend along the lee. 
 To whose safe ports appears a passage free, 
 Yet think ! this furious unremitting gale 
 Deprives the ship of every ruling sail ; 
 
 30 
 
234 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 And if before it she directly flies, 
 
 New ills inclose us and new dangers rise : 
 
 Here Falconera spreads her lurking snares, 
 
 There distant Greece her rugged shelves prepares : 
 
 Our hull, if once it strikes that iron coast, 
 
 Asunder bursts, in instant ruin lost : 
 
 Nor she alone, but with her all the crew, 
 
 Beyond relief, are doomed to perish too : 
 
 Such mischiefs follow if we bear away, 
 
 O safer that sad refuge — to delay ! 
 
 'Then of our purpose this appears the scope, 
 To weigh the danger with the doubtful hope : 
 Though sorely buffet ted by every sea, 
 Our hull unbroken long may try a-lee : 
 The crew, though harrassed much with toils severe, 
 Still at their pumps, perceive no hazards near : 
 Shall we incautious then the danger tell. 
 At once their courage and their hope to quell ? — 
 Prudence forbids ! this southern tempest soon 
 May change its quarter with the changing moon ; 
 Its rage, though terrible, may soon subside, 
 Nor into mountains lash the unruly tide : 
 These leaks shall then decrease — the sails once more 
 Direct our course to some relieving shore.' 
 
 The poem is equal to any in the English lan- 
 guage for every term and story in the best sea lan- 
 guage, and perfectly correct. The wind was all last 
 night and to-day right against us ; we came near 
 the south-west part of the Island of Milo, about 
 six miles, in the morning, and beating towards it ; 
 high broken ground. We beat against the wind 
 all day, and, in the evening, came around to an- 
 chor in the harbor, and went to bed, with the ex- 
 pectation of a good night's sleep. I had had but 
 little rest for the last seven nights, the wind hav- 
 ing been contrary, and the vessel beating about 
 and rolling exceedingly. 
 
 Sunday, February 17th. — We got into the har- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 235 
 
 bor of Milo last evening at eight, the wind being 
 contrary, and blowing a gale ; the captain thought 
 it advisable to lay there till a fair wind should 
 arise. I went on shore, and took a walk along 
 the beach, but saw nothing material. This island, 
 as well as the others in the Archipelago, is inhabit- 
 ed by Greeks, who are dressed somewhat in the 
 ancient curious costume ; and, to appearance, are 
 little better than savages. I saw several Greek 
 boats ; some from the Island of Samos ; the men, 
 about six in number, began dancing, taking each 
 other's hands, and went regular to a tune they 
 sang, all round the hatch of the boat. This was a 
 festival amusement with them ; this was the last 
 day of eating meat. After this day they were re- 
 stricted to an abstinence of fourteen days. They 
 were a filthy, miserable set. All wear caps and 
 whiskers, and most of them long beards. 
 
 Monday, February 18th. — Last evening I went 
 on board the brig Missionary, of Sunderland, Cap- 
 tain Robertson. We had some fine partridges for 
 dinner. This island abounds with them ; their 
 plumage is fine and beautiful, different from ours 
 in America. The wind still blowing a gale, keep- 
 ing us in this harbor. The harbor is surrounded 
 by hills, and is very spacious and excellent. 
 
 Tuesday, February 19th. — I went up in the 
 morning, on a donkey, to the town, which was on 
 a high hill, and took dinner with Mr. Mitchell, the 
 
236 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 mariner who conducted the late Queen of England, 
 as pilot about these seas. She was at his house, 
 and dined also with him but a few years before. 
 These Greek women have handsome faces ; fine 
 fair eyes and teeth, but a curious costume. I saw 
 the ruins of the old town, and an amphitheatre, 
 which they told me was destroyed in the Pelopo- 
 nessian w^ar. The new tow^n is a curiosity ; it is 
 situated on the very top of the high hill, to pre- 
 serve themselves from the incursions of their neigh- 
 bors, as formerly they were in continental civil 
 wars. They speak depraved Arabic, and are neat 
 in their houses ; I visited several relations that 
 were intermarried in each other's families, at a 
 Mr. Antonio, Mr. George's, &c. &c. The w^omen 
 are very modest and virtuous. The whole island 
 appears a volcanic mountain, almost all rock, 
 with caverns, and valleys, and catacombs, from 
 which they dig antique vestiges, different kinds of 
 vases, of potter's earth, from the ruins of the old 
 town. 
 
 Wednesday, February 20th. — The wind was 
 still contrary. In the afternoon at six, I saw an 
 American, Baltimore brig, the Midas, just from 
 Smyrna, bound to Baltimore. She came to anchor 
 in the harbor. I went on board, and saw a Mr. 
 Hamilton, a passenger. I put on board a letter for 
 Mrs. Rapelje, New- York. The vessel appeared a 
 fine, sharp, fast sailing vessel. She came in to put 
 
rapelje's narrative. 237 
 
 up her rigging, and they said, she was loaded with 
 opium. There were showers and high gales 
 during last night and the day. 
 
 Tliursday, February 21st. — I w^ent along the 
 shore with the captain in liis boat, to see the boil- 
 ing hot spring issuing from the sand beach. It was 
 boiling up through the sand and salt water. The 
 wind still continued contrary. 
 
 Friday, February 22d. — It was still a bad 
 wind, and we were obliged to lay quiet with pa- 
 tience, in the harbor. I visited a Danish brig with 
 the captain, who said he was from Copenhagen, 
 and had a French cargo and supercargo on board. 
 He w^as bound for a market in one of the small 
 Greek islands, and had been obliged to let the 
 Greeks have provisions to the amount of a hun- 
 dred dollars, which they would not pay him ; but 
 I heard, that in a former voyage he had supplied 
 the Turks, their enemies, with articles in their cas- 
 tles. The houses in Milo are all stone, and as in 
 Malta, have flat roofs, covered w ith coarse cement 
 or mortar. I bought a cotton night-cap for a dol- 
 lar, knit here by the Greeks, such as are generally 
 worn. 
 
 Saturday, February 23d. — We got under w^eigh 
 about two o'clock, p. m., with a light wind south- 
 west, fair for our course if we could set out, but 
 right ahead to get out of the harbor. However, 
 we succeeded, and in the evening the wind went 
 down, almost to a calm, but shifting about in every 
 
238 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 point. We passed Anti-Milo Island, about eight 
 miles from Milo. It is miinhabited, and filled, they 
 say, with wild goats ; other islands, of no great 
 note, near Milo, but we did not pass near them. 
 
 Sunday, February 24th. — We sailed about a 
 north by east course, with light, variable winds, 
 south and south-east, with some rain. We passed 
 the Island of Serpho, eighteen miles from Milo, 
 also at a distance to the east. We passed Safanto 
 before we came to Serppo, then a short distance 
 from us. This day we passed Thermia, and be- 
 tween it and Ice Island. I spent most part of the 
 day in bed. 
 
 Monday, February 25th. — Somewhere off Sea 
 Island, during the night, the w ind blew very hard, 
 with some rain. About two or three o'clock in the 
 morning the wind began to blow a hurricane, and 
 I heard them take in sail. The wind continued to 
 blow extremely hard ; and in the morning, just 
 after eight, the mate, in a state of despair and des- 
 pondency came into the cabin, and said that he 
 could not do any thing more ; that the ship was 
 in great danger of losing her masts ; that the cap- 
 tain was in an incapable state, and could not con- 
 duct the ship ; and begged me to step out and look. 
 I jumped out of my berth, ran up and saw the sea 
 running tremendously, and all the men said there 
 was danger, and that the mate had better take 
 the command, for the preservation of our lives, and 
 the property on board, which I also thought best 
 
rapelje's narrative. 239 
 
 to be done. I found every thing as stated by the 
 mate was true, and that it was best to confine the 
 captain to his cabin, where the men put him, but 
 he would not stay. They did not like to lock the 
 door upon him, on account of my being there ; the 
 pilot also thought it best as well as the men, to put 
 back before the wind to Milo. This was between 
 the islands of Andro and Sino ; the Island of 
 Andro under the larboard bow, and to windward 
 there was no other harbor safe, nearer than Milo, 
 for us to enter. The wind continued to blow con- 
 trary and tremendous, with a heaA^y sea. We 
 scudded under close-reefed fore-topsails, and got 
 in and anchored again in Milo harbor about four 
 o'clock, p. M. 
 
 Tuesday, February 26th. — In Milo harbor the 
 wind blew very hard all day, and was still con- 
 trary. I saw many other vessels, near twelve, 
 more than when we first were there. A French 
 brig of war, and other brigs, some Imperial, were 
 there also. 
 
 Wednesday, February 27th. — The wind con- 
 tinued to blow contrary in very heavy gales from 
 the north and east. 
 
 Thursday, February 28th. — The weather last 
 night became more moderate ; the wind was quite 
 lulled, but in the morning it blew contrary, and 
 continued so through the day. 
 
 Friday, March 1st. — The wind sprung up last 
 
240 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 night again in the same contrary direction, and 
 blew a gale from the northward and north by east, 
 and also during the day. It was now a day over 
 three weeks since we left Malta, and to-morrow 
 will be two weeks since we came into the harbor 
 of Milo. I was really quite tired out. It was 
 enough to try my patience ; and, as there was no 
 house of accommodation on shore, I was obliged 
 to remain on board the vessel. 
 
 Saturday, March 2d. — All last night there 
 were dreadful squalls of hail, rain, and hurricanes, 
 which continued during the day ; towards night 
 the rain ceased, but the wind continued to blow 
 hard. 
 
 Sunday, March 3d. — The wind still blew very 
 hard all last night, and continued high this morn- 
 ing, still against us. The weather was clear, with 
 sunshine; but high contrary winds continued all 
 the day. This was a mountain wind, called Tra- 
 montana, or in English, north wind. It had been 
 tremendous, blowing almost a hurricane with little 
 intermission, now, for nearly a month. I saw in 
 this harbor some Greek boats with only one mast, 
 a long spritsail, like a mainsail, to a yard as a 
 topsail and jib. These boats are in the old Gre- 
 cian style, called careks or sackalever boats, and 
 are sharp at both ends. 
 
 Monday, March 4tli. — Contrary winds still 
 blowing hard all night. Another polacre ship 
 
241 
 
 came in during the morning ; and there are now 
 twenty-three vessels wind-hound. The weather 
 clear, with flying clouds and high winds all day. 
 
 Tuesday, March 5th. — Very high winds all 
 night, and still continued all day, with numerous 
 flying clouds, obscuring the sky. My patience 
 was now tried to its utmost, having been in this 
 harbor two weeks and three days, and had no in- 
 ducement to go on shore. There were none but a 
 few miserable Greek huts along the beach, and 
 the town nearly four miles off, which was also a 
 miserable place, up and down hill ; the wind 
 causes the water to be so rough as to make it un- 
 pleasant going on shore in the boat. 
 
 Wednesday, March 6th. — The same contrary 
 winds still continued, and blew strong all last night 
 and all day, as yesterday. 
 
 Thursday, March 7th. — This day the wind 
 ceased, I went on shore, and we got bread and 
 milk, and eggs. Being full moon, a fair wind of 
 light breezes from the west came on before night. 
 This island of Milo is poor in all things ; beef and 
 mutton scarcely eatable, so poor, and so little 
 of it. 
 
 Friday, March 8th. — We got up anchor and set 
 sail with a fair wind at four o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, after having been wind-bound in the harbor 
 of Milo eighteen days. We had been four weeks 
 and one day from Malta. It was a pleasant day. 
 We passed and left on the right the Island of Ar- 
 
 31 
 
242 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 gentcra, also Sefanto and Serpho. Wc left Anti- 
 Milo and Falconera on the left; they were two 
 quite small islands. Opposite to us on the west 
 w^as the main land of Greece on the Morea in the 
 Gulf of Napoli. We sailed along with a delightful 
 wind from the southward and eastward. All the 
 day the w^eather was clear, fine and pleasant. 
 We passed the Island of Thermia and Zea, and 
 came between it and Cape Colonna, where Falco- 
 ner, in his poem of the '' Shipwreck" was cast aw ay, 
 and the spot which and where his description was 
 located. The islands appear to be barren, with 
 high pointed hills and mountains, and rocky capes. 
 Colonna is some distance up the Gulf of Athens, on 
 the point of Greece, making on the south side the 
 Gulf of Egina, and on the north side the entrance 
 to the channel of the Ncgropont, both which gulfs 
 or bays we passed, and also the Island of Me- 
 cronise, near the Cape Colonna. We passed be- 
 tween it and the Island of Zea. Now the Negro- 
 pont is before us, a very large long island to ap- 
 pearance. The tops of the mountains were cover- 
 ed w^ith snow. We passed between it and Ande- 
 ro, during the night ; the strait or passage is called 
 Selota. 
 
 Saturday, March 9th. — We yesterday passed 
 to the south of Triconi, the islands of Paros, Anti- 
 paros, and Nescia, near to Delos, called part of the 
 ancient Cyclades ; Paros being famed for its white 
 marble, and dedicated to Bacchus, on account of 
 
rapelje's narrative. 243 
 
 the rich wine made there. They have still good 
 wine, fruit and game. There are two good har- 
 bors on the north-east side of the island. Last night 
 we passed the Passage or Strait of Scioto and Cape 
 Doro on the Negropont, which was ancient Leva- 
 dea ; the sea dividing it from the main land is call- 
 ed Euripus. We sailed on this morning, with a 
 fair south wind, between the Island of Ipsara and 
 Scio, a north-east course, and saw the Island of Scio, 
 where mastic is produced to the east of Ipsara. 
 We sailed by Mitilene, a large island, on which 
 oils, figs, and wines are produced. The soil is 
 very fertile. It has some towns and good harbors 
 when in, but bad to get in and out again. 
 
 Saturday, March 9th. — Before we came to Miti- 
 lene, (passing the Gulf of Smyrna, and Gulf of San- 
 deric,) we came along to Cape Baba. Between it 
 and Mitilene is the Gulf of Adramiti. This is 
 now the main land of Asia, called the country of 
 Anedoli. We sailed along the coast, and within 
 three miles of where the ancient city of Troy once 
 stood, and saw the ruins, as our Greek pilot point- 
 ed out, being several walls not far from the 
 shore. Directly opposite is the Island of Tenedos, 
 a fine level island, where the Greek fleet anchored, 
 when they besieged Troy. They must have gone 
 over in boats to land their men, as there appears 
 no harbor near the ancient city of Troy in Phry- 
 gia. The city was first destroyed by Hercules, 
 and afterwards by the Grecians after a ten years' 
 
244 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 siege. The land near the shore, and around where 
 the city stood, appears in a gentle declivity, rather 
 smooth ; and in the back ground there are hills, 
 and many of them pointed, and of different heights. 
 The land where the city was, is now totally neg- 
 lected, as also all around it, and covered witli fo- 
 rest trees ; from being the richest city in the world, 
 it now, almost like the baseless fabric of a vision^ is 
 dissolved, and scarce a vestige remains. No won- 
 der that " Illium fuit" is a proverb among nations. 
 We passed on between a small island called 
 Rabbit Island, and the Asiatic shore, and as 
 night came on in the Straits of Dardanelles. We 
 now entered the Hellespont, about ten miles wide, 
 separating Europe from Asia, Cape Greco on the 
 European side, and Cape Janizary on the Asiatic 
 side. Just after entering the Dardanelles, a can- 
 non was fired at us from the Turkish Castle 
 on the Asiatic side, I suppose to bring us to, but 
 we proceeded on, and after sailing some miles 
 farther, two more cannon were fired, but we con- 
 tinued on, notwithstanding. The pilot wanted to 
 anchor ; for, since the Turks were at war with the 
 Greeks, no vessels were allowed to pass up the 
 Dardanelles, without being visited by the proper 
 officer, and permission obtained to pass the Tur- 
 kish castles. 
 
 Sunday, March lOtli. — Last night, about mid- 
 night, we got up opposite two large batteries or 
 castles opposite to each other, about fifteen miles 
 
rapelje's narrative. 245 
 
 from the entrance of the Dardanelles. They be- 
 gan to fire cannon balls again at us, which were 
 heard to whistle by us ; one ball came between 
 the masts, which greatly terrified the sailors and 
 pilot. I was lying snug in bed, fast asleep, but 
 it awoke me, and I heard the men running back- 
 w^ards and forwards on deck, to take in the sails, 
 and stop the vessel's way. They kept her tacking 
 about till morning, when we proceeded on. The 
 forts are near the water's edge, low, and mounted 
 from eighty to ninety guns. There were two 
 towns about them. We saw the minarets of their 
 mosques ; some of them with a single spire, and in 
 some country places surrounded with numbers of 
 cypress trees, pointed and growing high. The 
 houses appeared to be mostly of wood, and paint- 
 ed red. The country seemed one of gentle decliv- 
 ities and hills, but not mountainous. The Turkish 
 officers of the customs came on board at about 
 eight in the morning, only to take an account of 
 us, and left us a permit or passport. Afterwards, 
 the commander of the castle sent his boat and 
 Turkish officers to take a survey of us. They 
 were quite singular in dress, all wearing long 
 beards, and the Turkish turban, a kind of colored 
 gown, with a large cloak with sleeves over all. 
 They appeared like a new set of people. I have 
 lately often heard that they are honest and faith- 
 ful. There came on board, the English Consul for 
 the Dardanelles, Mr. Stephen Paulorick, and was 
 
246 rapelje's narrative, 
 
 very polite and civil. A calm came on, and our 
 vessel grounded on a sand-bar on the Asia side, 
 just below the castle ; the current ran so strong 
 that it drove us into the eddy before we let go the 
 anchor. The vessel thumped hard and lifted up 
 her rudder, but we got out a stern anchor, and 
 bore her off, but lost the small anchor and small 
 cable, when she again got into the current, and 
 we set sail. The wind was so light during the 
 day, that we dropped anchor for the night, for we 
 could not go against the current; and at night 
 they allowed no vessels to pass ; and if attempt- 
 ed, they might have discharged more cannon at 
 us, which are so large, some of them twenty-eight 
 inches diameter in the calibre, that a man goes in 
 with a large bag of powder, and places it at the 
 bottom of the gun before the ball is put in, which 
 is of marble, and weighs near about eight hundred 
 pounds ; the guns are of bronze. 
 
 Monday, March 11th. — We got up the anchor, 
 and were soon under way, when a fine breeze 
 came up, and we passed about thirty vessels going 
 up the same way. We passed Point Nagara, 
 where there is a fort, and where, some years ago, 
 the British Admiral Duckworth destroyed the 
 Turkish fleet ; we saw the wrecks. There were 
 several Turkish men-of-war at anchor at this place. 
 Near to this point, on the Asia side, are the ruins 
 of Abydos. The opposite point is in Europe, the 
 water being about a mile and a half wide. Here 
 
rapelje's narrative. 247 
 
 Xerxes formed a bridge for his army to pass over. 
 Within a sliort distance, we passed the ruins of 
 Cestos, all in Thrace. Here Hero lived, the belov- 
 ed of Leander, who swam over the Hellespont 
 every night from Abydos to visit her, " omnia vin- 
 cit amor." Last evening at sunset, and during 
 this day, large flocks of wild geese, high in the 
 air, were seen going north, I suppose from Arabia, 
 making a noise somewhat like the people, guttu- 
 ral, which differed widely from the sound of the 
 American wild geese in their flight. The Helles- 
 pont widens towards its approach to the sea of 
 Marmora. On each side, the country appeared 
 very fine. We passed several towns. Gallipoli 
 is on the European side, built on low ground ; on 
 its side, the land did not seem very mountainous, 
 but appeared smooth, with a fine rich soil for cul- 
 tivation. On the Asiatic side, there are a great 
 quantity of shrubby bushes, which they use in tan- 
 ning with oak acorns, instead of the bark of the 
 tree. At three o'clock we got into the sea of 
 Marmora, and took a view of the Island of Mar- 
 mora. There w^as a high hill on it covered with 
 snow, as w^ere other mountains on the Asia side. 
 
 Tuesday, March 12th. — We sailed last night 
 with a fine breeze up the Marmora Sea, and at 
 daylight came in sight of the great city, Constan- 
 tinople. It is indeed almost enchanting to look 
 at the immense circular mosques, with their col- 
 umns, the city interspersed with cypress trees, 
 
248 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 and the form of the city rising every way from the 
 sea and harbor with such a gradual ascent as 
 shows one house above another; also the seraglio 
 and palace of the Grand Seignor, with its garden 
 of cypress and other trees, and the whole taken 
 together is perfectly beautiful. But when you go 
 into the city, it is really a miserable and wretch- 
 ed place, on account of the narrow and crooked 
 streets, and houses in a dilapidated state. One 
 now begins to feel that it is the greatest decep- 
 tion that can be imagined. We got in at nine. 
 The harbor is good. The land on the European 
 side of the Marmora Sea is level, and of gentle as- 
 cent from the shore ; on the other side, at a dis- 
 tance in the back ground of Asia, hills and moun- 
 tains appear, covered with snow ; but near the 
 city the land on each side of the Marmora and the 
 Bopliorus is enchanting, and appears a perfect 
 paradise, with the numerous beautiful evergreen 
 cypress, coming to a point at the top. I went on 
 shore and delivered my letter of credit to Messrs. 
 Nev^er, Kerr, Black & Co., and one of civility to 
 Messrs. Wright & Co. ; both were from Mr. James 
 Bell of Malta. I then went to a public house kept 
 by ail Italian named Josephonti, the best house, 
 but this was poor enough. Every thing about it 
 seems old, and going to destruction. I took a 
 walk out, and saw the burying-ground. The 
 Christians have the tomb-stones lying flat over the 
 graves ; in the burying-ground of the Turks, in 
 
rapelje's narrative. 249 
 
 another place, the tomb-stones are all standing 
 upright, with the Turkish turban imitated on the 
 top, and appear something like a small man's body 
 with a head. The bay or harbor divides this great 
 place in two parts. The bay is not very wide, 
 but runs up some distance. The side on which 
 the English merchants, about thirty in number, 
 and the ambassadors and consuls live, is called 
 Pera, and is but a small part of the great city. 
 Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Italians, and Turks are 
 commingled. The other side, called Constantino- 
 ple, which is of great extent, comprising the Se- 
 raglio Palaces, Divan, Mosques, and extensive 
 bazaars, is inhabited altogether by Turks. In 
 the bay at this time were lying some formidable 
 men of war, five or six of eighty or ninety guns ; 
 seven or eight frigates, and lesser ships of war; 
 making a fleet of about thirty-five sail. They 
 were at this time at war with the Greeks, and 
 they expected the Russians would join the Greeks 
 against them. The Turks, in common dress, wear 
 immense turbans of different colors, and support 
 great beards, whiskers, and mustachios. The 
 Turks shave the whole of their heads except a 
 small part on the top or crown, where they let the 
 hair grow, for the purpose, as the ignorant say, to 
 give Mahomet an opportunity to pull them up to 
 heaven. But certain it is that on the back of their 
 necks the hair is kept always close or shaved, 
 which they make a point to show. Their cloaks 
 
 32 
 
250 UAPKLJES NAKUATIVE. 
 
 are of all colors, gay and grave, as well as tlieir 
 turbans ; their buskins are generally yellow, with 
 sharp pointed toes turning up, and big enough for 
 two legs; their slippers are pointed, and gene- 
 rally of a yellow color. They seldom appear 
 without dirks, sabres, and pistols, in their belts or 
 bands; some of these sashes are of cashmere, and 
 very splendid ; they appear martial and terrific. 
 By nature and education they are fierce and cruel. 
 All males above nine years of age are ordered to 
 wear their arms and sleep with them, on account 
 of the present war. Meeting them at every step, 
 singly or in bands in such accoutrements, they ap- 
 peared to me fully as horrid in aspect, and indeed 
 more so, than the wild savages of America, in 
 their war dress, with their faces painted, and ears 
 cut, nearly naked, except their blankets. 
 
 Wednesday, March 13th. — The Turks pay 
 great veneration to dogs ; the number of which I 
 saw, wherever I walked out, was almost astonish- 
 ing ; many are half starved, and they raise a hideous 
 yell or howl during the night ; and to those differ- 
 ently dressed from the Turks they bark and fly at. 
 I had several narrow escapes from being bit. I 
 went over to Constantinople in a small boat ; a 
 man rows with two oars ; the boat w^as small and 
 sharp at both ends ; these boats were ornamented 
 much with carved work about them. It was about 
 three hundred yards across the harbor, which sepa- 
 rates it from Pera. I walked through several streets 
 
rapelje's narrative, 251 
 
 to the bazaars, as they are called ; they are 
 streets covered over ; the wall of one house forms 
 with the one opposite a kind of Gothic arch, with 
 openings at proper distances at the top to admit 
 light. These streets are in every direction, and of 
 considerable extent, and every vender of particu- 
 lar commodities seems to have a certain street, 
 with articles standing exposed in the street in front 
 of these shops, which are also well stored within. 
 For instance, the apothecaries or druggists, which 
 were very numerous, occupied each side of a long 
 street, with the drugs, paints, &c., open to view, 
 heaped up in tubs, jars, and pots, set on benches 
 or platforms, so as to leave just a small passage- 
 way. Shoe stores, stockings or sock stores, tur- 
 ban or cap stores, I need not say hats, for I never 
 saw a hat worn by the Turks, silk, cloth, &c,, &c. 
 Each seem to have their different places allotted. 
 There is a great street for pipes, both for the stem, 
 wliich is a long piece of straight perforated stick 
 with its bark on ; and the bowl of clay, of which 
 are many highly gilt, have a different street ; and 
 another is set apart for the mouth-piece, made, as 
 they say, of amber. This may not be wondered 
 at, as the Turks invariably, I believe, are all great 
 smokers. They appear very indolent, and sit 
 cross-legged like tailors, in sipping their coffee at 
 the coffee-houses, with the long pipes or hookers 
 in their mouths, some drawing the smoke through 
 water. As to the women, I seldom saw them, and 
 
252 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 when I did, I could hardly distinguish them from 
 the other sex, whether handsome or ugly, young 
 or old ; they wear turbans, with white long thin 
 muslin scarfs, coming over their foreheads close 
 above or over their eyes, and another covering all 
 the lower part of their faces quite up over the nose, 
 and seemingly leaving no apertures to breathe 
 through. They wear bright orange-colored boots 
 or buskins. These boots have no soles, the bot- 
 toms being of the same leather as the tops ; but 
 they have slippers without heels, big enough to 
 thrust the fore-part of the boot in ; and these, I 
 suppose, are to keep the bottoms of the boots clean, 
 and to slip off and on easily ; as when they are in 
 the houses, or at the mosque, they take the slippers 
 off and sit cross-legged. The men are in no fear of 
 their wives being unfaithful, as they seldom if ever 
 go out, and never, I believe, look out at the win- 
 dows. The windows are mostly grated with close 
 cross-bars, some of iron, the openings between the 
 bars not above an inch ! The few women I saw 
 in the streets appeared quite old, from their walk, 
 and what I could see of their eyes below their eye- 
 brows. Their noses are nearly all covered, except 
 the small part near their foreheads. 
 
 Thursday, IMarch 14th. — I went again at ten 
 o'clock in the morning, with a Janissary as my 
 conductor, to Constantinople. Tliese Janissaries 
 are soldiers or military guards for the city, armed 
 with two loaded pistols and a long dirk, all placed 
 
rapelje's narrative. 253 
 
 together in a belt or holster right in front, with 
 large white turbans on their heads, a long large 
 pea jacket with sleeves, dark olive color, worked 
 with figures on the back in red and gold, and also 
 on the sleeves. They wear long scarlet shawls 
 on their necks. Thus provided, I followed my 
 leader down to the water and took a boat for Con- 
 stantinople. I saw the tomb, as they call it, of 
 Constantine the Great. It is in a small open 
 square in the street, and is now made a fountain 
 of. It has a sloping roof, of a kind of black stone 
 or marble, about eight or ten feet long, five or six 
 wide, and about six or seven feet high. In another 
 part of the city, I saw an obelisk about forty feet 
 high, with hieroglyphics on each side quite to the 
 top, and an inscription in Latin on its base. Near 
 this spot there is a monumental column built of 
 square stones, much in ruins by time ; these are in 
 a large oblong square, and brought there by order 
 of Constantine the Great. I also visited the en- 
 trances to the Seraglio ; an under drogoman, by 
 giving him some piastres, took us to see the mint, 
 where they were at work coining rupees, &c., &c.; 
 also the grand Seignor's kitchens ; a number of 
 different apartments, with many cooks of all de- 
 scriptions. I entered a second large court-yard, 
 which was the entrance to the Garden of the Se- 
 raglio, which it was almost impiety to look at. 
 On one side of this large square, is a low building, 
 surrounded by a broad piazza, quite flat roofed, 
 
254 r.apelje's narrative. 
 
 and called the audience chamber, handsomely fit- 
 ted up in the interior, as appeared from the outside 
 glance I could take of it. One apartment is for 
 the Grand Seignor, the other for such functiona- 
 ries, ambassadors, &c., as he may choose to give 
 audience. This is, I am told, the nearest approach 
 to him in his palace, which is a considerable dis- 
 tance through the gardens of the seraglio ; and 
 here, within this inclosure, are all his women 
 kept, attended by black eunuchs, and inclosed 
 by upright railings or walls. There is a fine large 
 open yard all around. I went to see several 
 mosques, but could only approach the entrances, 
 to kind of court yards, as they are called, which 
 are inclosed by walls as parts of the mosques. I 
 saw the Turks washing at one of the fonts which 
 are at the side of all their places of worship, 
 w^hich ablution they perform before they enter. It 
 is death for a Christian to enter unless he immedi- 
 ately becomes Turk or Mahometan. I did not at- 
 tempt it at such a peril. Their churches, squares, 
 and streets, are not polluted with filth as the 
 Roman Catholic cathedrals often are. I also 
 saw the ancient subterraneous Cistern of Mille 
 CoUonare, as it is called, and there a thousand 
 and one columns, formerly called Phyllosine's 
 Cistern, built in the time of the Constantines. 
 There are two shafts to each pillar, one directly on 
 the other, so that one column is counted as two ; 
 they are close together, about eight feet apart, in 
 
rapelje's narrative. 255 
 
 rows, and appear circular ; the place is now used as a 
 silk thread manufactory. I visited the mad-house ; 
 the maniacs are confined in their cells by a large, 
 long iron chain, fastened to an iron collar round 
 their necks, and locked to a ring in the wall. 
 There are many fountains through the city, the 
 water not spouting up in a large column, as in 
 Italy, but they turn cocks to get it ; and under this 
 there is a large font to receive the water. I went 
 again through parts of the bazaars ; I did not see 
 before, that there were whole streets for all kinds 
 of fire-arms, mostly pistols and dirks. There were 
 brass and copper smiths, w-ho almost deafened me 
 with their noise ; harness and saddle makers, silver- 
 smiths, engravers on stone and metals for seals, 
 were to be found in whole streets, but they are far 
 inferior to the modern skilful artists ; they turn a 
 horizontal drill, with a bow and string w ith one 
 hand, and with the other touched a seal to be en- 
 graved, and seem not to know any thing about a 
 turning lathe. I also saw the trade of Avood turn- 
 ers, all working, and sitting cross-legged, and turn- 
 ing the wood with one hand, the same way as 
 above described, with a bow-string, and holding 
 the tool or chisel with the other. 
 
 Friday, March 15th. — I went with my Janis- 
 sary, Mustapha, in company with a Milanese gen- 
 tleman, who lodged at the same house, Mr. Joseph 
 Azimonti, over to Constantinople, and saw the 
 Grand Seignor, Sultan Mahmoud, go from the 
 
256 kapelje's narrative. 
 
 Seran^lio to the Mosque of St. Sophia. He rode on 
 horseback, and wore a green cloak and white tur- 
 ban with a white featlier, attended by his suite 
 from the seraglio gate to the mosque, a short 
 distance, with the first and second, black eu- 
 nuchs ; and the passage, or path over the pave- 
 ment for his horse, was strewed over with some- 
 thing like black dirt, or sand, on each side lined 
 with soldiers, in different, curious, Turkish war- 
 like dresses, both of infantry and horse, making, to 
 me, a grotesque appearance. He appeared a 
 middle-aged man, with a long black beard and 
 whiskers, a cadaverous aspect, and of middle size. 
 When he was going in, a Turk, from the top of 
 one of the columns of the mosque, two hundred feet, 
 or more, in height, made a great bellowing, and, as 
 my Janissary told me, which was to call the peo- 
 ple, and proclaim that the mosque was open. 
 
 We then came back to Pera ; and, as Friday 
 is the Mahometan Sunday, went to the Mosque of 
 the Dervises, where, after pulling off my boots 
 before entrance, I was permitted to go in. The 
 ceremony was performed by about a dozen and a 
 half of men, and one boy, bare-legged, and in a 
 dress something like a petticoat, and short waist- 
 coat, with long wide sleeves, ash-colored, and a 
 high ash-colored turban, which looks like a high 
 hat, tlie crown twenty inches high, at least; and 
 they were turning round and round in a circle, 
 with their hands extended, and the petticoat 
 
rapelje's narrative. 257 
 
 flying out from their bodies, it being very wide 
 below, as made it appear a perfect circle around 
 them, they turned so quick ; they seemed to take 
 exactly the same step that dancers in a waltz 
 do, and in the same circle, which is railed in, and 
 the spectators remain outside, as in a circus. 
 There were not any seats, except in the gallery, 
 which goes all around the building, and in which 
 is music, vocal and instrumental, rather soft, as a 
 flute, or flageolet as it were muffled, and to 
 which music the Dervises dance. The building is 
 not high in the interior, but matted outside, on 
 which I sat with the rest, cross-legged. The 
 ceiling and sides were painted diagonally, and 
 very prettily, in various colors. These Dervises 
 are a particular sort of monks, of the Mahome- 
 tan order, differing from the others, and are as 
 strange in their religious ceremonies of worship, as 
 the Shaking Quakers in America ; only the Ame- 
 rican Shaking Quakers admit females, with whom 
 they never cohabit, but perform with them reli- 
 gious dancing and singing; the Turks never al- 
 low any women to enter their churches, but keep 
 in their harems as many wives as they please, 
 except the common men, who are restricted to 
 four wives. The Turkish women paint the nails 
 of their feet and hands a kind of dingy red. They 
 must say their prayers, and perform their religious 
 devotions at home; they paint their eye-brows 
 
 33 
 
258 hai'elje's narrative. 
 
 and eye-lids, and between and under their eyes, 
 of a blackish color. 
 
 Saturday, March IGth. — The weather became 
 chilly and cold, with rain, hail, and snow. 
 
 The Grand Seignor's seraglio is composed prin- 
 cipally of Georgian women, from a province in 
 Asia, upon, or bordering near, the Black Sea. 
 These Georgians are made slaves of, and are of 
 the Greek religion, that is. Christians ; they are 
 here a commodity of merchandise ; and any Turk 
 can, at any time, go to the houses where they are 
 kept for «ale, in Constantinople, and purchase 
 them; and from them a seraglio, or harem, is 
 generally sought, for they are, indeed, very 
 handsome women ; no Christians are permitted 
 to enter the houses where they are kept for sale, 
 or to buy therefrom. 
 
 Sunday, March 17th. — The weather for some 
 days has been cold, with much rain, so that I had 
 constantly a brazier with coals ; few houses have 
 fire-places. I went this morning, with Mr. James 
 Wright, merchant, to the English chapel of the 
 English ambassador, Lord Strangford, being in 
 that office ; heard Mr. Walsh, a clergyman, who 
 is in the ambassador's family, and officiates as 
 chaplain. It is said that there were only two Eng- 
 lish women. Lady Strangford, and one other, in 
 the place. I visited Mr. Walsh, after church, and 
 found Jiim a pleasant and agreeable man, an 
 
rapelje's narrative. 259 
 
 Irishman, from Dublin. I saw Mr. Joseph Azi- 
 monte, who resides at Trieste, a Milanese. 
 
 Monday, March 10th. — I went over the river 
 Bosphorus, in company with Mr. Azimonte. At 
 the entrance of the Bosphorus, I saw in the centre 
 of the river, the Tower of Leander. We went to 
 Scutari; had my Janissary, Mustapha, with us; 
 we visited the interior of the large mosque, Seli- 
 ma; it being retired, I bribed the priest, with 
 twelve piastres, or a dollar and a half; so we 
 pulled off our boots, and entered. It was a very 
 handsome building, with much white marble ; and 
 the pulpit and reading desk, Avere all hung with im- 
 mense numbers of lamps. Over head there was a 
 very large chandelier, of twenty or thirty feet 
 diameter, suspended from the dome. The lamps 
 in it w^ere all glass. The whole floor was covered 
 with Turkey carpets, and the interior was very 
 clean. We also saw the manufactories of weaving 
 cloth of silk and gold, filled in with cotton. We 
 walked a short distance in the environs, and saw 
 a large Turkish burying-ground. It was, as my 
 Janissary informed me, two miles long, and a mile 
 wide, filled with upright tomb-stones, of every 
 size, device, form, and description. The real 
 Turks say they will not be buried on Constantino- 
 ple side, being Europe, and once belonging to the 
 Christian Romans, and Greeks, but will be 
 brought over the Bosphorus here to Icateria, which 
 is in Asia, and be buried. The river Bosphorus is 
 
260 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 about three-quarters of a mile wide ; the boat was 
 of six oars, but there were only four used, by two 
 men, each man rowed two oars. The boat was 
 about thirty-five feet long, and just wide enough 
 for two to sit along-side ; but the Turks generally 
 sit flat on the bottom, sideways. The boats are 
 remarkably clean, lined throughout with thin 
 boards of walnut, and are built of the same wood, 
 which comes from up the Black Sea. The upper 
 border is broad and tastefully carved with running 
 vines, leaves, &c. I paid a visit, at one o'clock, to 
 the English ambassador's palace. Lord Strang- 
 ford was very much engaged, but had me intro- 
 duced to Lady Strangford, who was Irish, and 
 who, indeed, received me with the utmost affability 
 and politeness; she was a pleasant, charming lady. 
 I wanted to get my passport signed, which she 
 took in her hand to have done. Both the ambas- 
 sador and his lady did justice to the real Irish 
 friendly character. 
 
 Tuesday, March 19th. — I walked alone, this 
 forenoon, about eleven o'clock, through the bury- 
 ing-ground, at the back of the house where 
 I lodged, a public walk, and passage-way ; 
 when two little Turkish boys, each having a 
 sharp pointed knife, attacked me, as I was walk- 
 ing peaceably along, and, had it not been for two 
 Greeks, or Turks, passing at the moment, they 
 would certainly have stabbed me, as I had no 
 stick. I was afterwards told, they are, when 
 
rapelje's narrative. 261 
 
 young, instilled with the principle of hatred to 
 Christians. I then applied to the English ambas- 
 sador, as there was no American consul there, for 
 a firman, or Turkish passport, to travel with ; 
 but had not time to obtain one, as it takes several 
 days. At this time, there were no vessels allowed 
 to depart, for ten days, except British. The offi- 
 cers of the government. Grand Seignor, and council, 
 make excuses for delay, and grant no firmans to 
 any vessels to depart, on account of the unsettled 
 state of affairs of the government. Lord Strang- 
 ford endeavored to make pacific overtures between 
 all parties. At length Lord Strangford sent me 
 an invitation to dinner. I dined with him at five 
 o'clock ; saw his secretary, a Mr. Hamilton, parson 
 Walsh, and his other secretary, Mr. Elliott, also 
 Mr, Wood, Lord Strange way, son of Lord II- 
 chester, who is attached to the embassy. A young 
 man, page to Lord Strangford, with his lady, 
 were very polite, pleasant, and attentive to me ; 
 he is, as he told me, nephew to Col. Phillips, of 
 Phillips' Manor, of New- York. He was acquainted 
 with many respectable people in New-York. He 
 had read Colden's life of Fulton, and had a high 
 opinion of the style as well as of the force of rea- 
 son, and delineation, which it contains. Such 
 works raise our national character abroad, and 
 should be taken out by every traveller. 
 
 Wednesday, March 20th. — I was all day look- 
 ing after my passports. Owing to the kindness of 
 
2G2 iiapelje's narrative. 
 
 Lady Straimford, wlio took my former passports, 
 and said iIrv should be completed for me, that 
 Lord Straiiglord was so engaged, he could not 
 now attend to it ; this was some days ago, but to- 
 day I obtained a travelling firman from the 
 Turkish government of the Grand Seignor, or 
 Sublime Porte of the Ottoman empire, and also 
 my former passport, signed by Mr. Hamilton, Lord 
 Strangford's secretary, and also a passport from 
 Lord Strangford himself I indeed felt very 
 grateful for this kind attention of Lady Strangford, 
 whom I visited in the evening. I found several 
 gentlemen there, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy, concerned 
 with merchant Black, Mr. Shubrick, Mr. Scorrell, 
 and several others. Lady S. and Mrs. Hardy, were 
 the only two English ladies in Constantinople. Mr. 
 Hamilton informed me he knew George Barclay 
 and his wife very well. There were about a 
 dozen gentlemen, only one Turk, first drogoman 
 to his Lordship. There was a conversation at the 
 palace early Wednesday evening ; and Lady 
 Strangford told me, sometimes in winter when 
 she gives a ball, she has had some two or three 
 hundred ladies and gentlemen ; but these were Ar- 
 menians, Greeks, French and Italians, and other 
 Christians from Asia and Europe, who had .settled 
 here, but no Turkish ladies ; and was informed, 
 that if a Turkish lady visits in families of Chris- 
 tians, and associates with them, she must marry a 
 Christian or be punished. The weather had be- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 263 
 
 come clear, but the mornings and evenings were 
 very chilly. I sent a letter by post to the care of 
 Mr. Barnetj American Consul at Paris, for Mrs. 
 Rapelje. 
 
 Thursday, March 21st. — In the morning I paid 
 a visit to Mr. Wright, and also to Mr. Black, to 
 whom I had letters ; then crossed over the Bos- 
 phorus to Scutari, to see the Dervises again at 
 their religious ceremonies in their mosque ; their 
 motions in dancing, their screaming, singing, yell- 
 ing, scolding and groaning, every other sound but 
 that of weeping, the voice could utter, exactly like 
 the savage cries of American Indians, turning 
 about like waltzing, clapping of hands, and every 
 contortion of head and body, continuing such a 
 length of time, throwing their heads up and down, 
 stamping with their feet, taking off their turbans 
 and cloaks, and moving their bodies up and down, 
 made it melancholy, as well as pitiable to me, to 
 others a ridiculous infatuation. They also, I am 
 told, pierce their bodies with spikes and red-hot 
 instruments of iron ; but that was not done to-day. 
 I saw several of their instruments hanging up, and 
 instruments of music, brass cymbals, and a number 
 of tamborines. There were hieroglyphic characters 
 on the walls, such as of owls, and other Turkish em- 
 blems. There were a number of sheep, goat and 
 leopard skins lying on the floor of the mosque on 
 which they sit. One man came in and laid him- 
 self down, and stretched himself out on his back, 
 
264 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 when the chief priest, or elder, put his foot alter- 
 nately all over him, he beins: one who was sick. 
 I returned, crossed over by the Tower of Leander, 
 a small square tower in the Bosphorus. At five 
 I dined with the English Consul, Mr. Cartwright, 
 and saw there Mr. Wright, Mr. Browning, and Mr. 
 Major, who was in New-York, in the year 1801, 
 and knows old Mr. Theophilus Beach, and also 
 Mr. Gilbert Robertson, and other gentlemen of 
 my acquaintance. 
 
 Friday, March 22d. — I went to the missionary 
 or commissary for the Holy Land of Jerusalem, 
 Mr. Angex, a monk of that order, of Jerusa- 
 lem, and was promised an introductory letter to 
 the convent at Jerusalem. At a distance I saw 
 the Grand Seignor, going in his barge or caick 
 boat, with about twenty-two oars, to visit the fleet 
 in the bay ; this barge is very long and handsome, 
 and moves very fast. It has an immense broad 
 border of gilding all round it, and over the part 
 in which he sits, towards the stern. A great sa- 
 lute, like an engagement, was fired from the ships 
 of the fleet, and guns ashore at the dock-yard or 
 arsenal. In the evening, I paid a visit to Lord 
 and Lady Strangford, to take leave and thank 
 them for their kind attentions. He was much 
 engaged, but I saw Lady Strangford, and took a 
 dish of tea with her, and was highly edified by 
 her conversation. She gave me much informa- 
 tion of the curiosities and history of this country. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 265 
 
 I have deemed it proper before I leave Con- 
 stantinople, to present a brief Chronology of the 
 reigning Emperors from the time of Mahomet ; 
 the periods of the commencement and termina- 
 tion of their several reigns, together with the most 
 remarkable occurrences that tended to establish 
 and distract the empire ; also the titles of the 
 principal officers, civil and military. This may 
 save others time and trouble. 
 
 1. Othman.— Reigned from a.d. 1300 to 1326.— 
 The commencement of the Ottoman Empire is 
 fixed about the year 700 of the Hegira (the flight 
 of Mahomet from Mecca to Medina, where he was 
 persecuted and sentenced to die.) Othman gave 
 himself out for an especial envoy from God. He 
 took Iconium from the Tartars; wrested from the 
 two Andronicuses the whole of Bithynia ; died in 
 August, 1326, aged 69. 
 
 2. Orkhan.— From a. d. 1326 to 1360.— He was 
 son of the former, ascended tlie throne, at thirty- 
 five years old ; introduced splendor and magnifi- 
 cence at his court, and assumed the title of Sultan; 
 coined money ; first assigned daily pay to his in- 
 fantry ; formed the corps of Spatrys, or horse sol- 
 diers from his subjects who possessed land or prop- 
 erty ; took Nicomedia in 1327, and Nicsea in 1333, 
 after a siege of two years ; also Anatolia. The 
 Turks had no boats. His son, Solyman, passed 
 the Hellespont, with eighty brave followers, by 
 three rafts of planks, fastened together upon cork ; 
 
 34 
 
26G rapelje's narrative. 
 
 took Gallipoli, the key of Europe. Orkham died 
 in 1360, after a reign of thirty-six years. 
 
 3. Amurat I.— From a. d. 1360 to 1389. He 
 was second son of the former, commenced his 
 reign at the age of forty-one ; crossed the Bospho- 
 rus; subdued Asia ; on his return to Europe, took 
 the town of Pheres, the bulwark of Macedonia, redu- 
 ced several Myian and Triballian princes ; and im- 
 posed, a capitation tax on his Christian subjects. 
 In 1361, established the corps of Janissaries 
 which afterwards proved serviceable as well as 
 fatal to their master ; became master of Thessalo- 
 nica, after ordering his rebel son's eyes to be put 
 out; in 1388-9, defeated the prince of Servia. He 
 was killed by a wounded Triballian, who was im- 
 mediately cut to pieces. Amurat lived seventy-one 
 years — reigned thirty. His son, Bajazet, raised a 
 magnificent mausoleum for him at Frusa, the buri- 
 al-place of his ancestors. 
 
 4. Bajazet I.— From A. D. 1389 to 1403. He 
 was son to the preceding ; attacked the domin- 
 ions and banished his father-in-law, a prince of 
 Phryiga, to Ipsela. He was opposed by Sigismund, 
 king of Hungary, whose army he dispersed ; his 
 troops were defeated by Stephen, king of Moldavia, 
 who had acquired the surname of Gldrwi, (light- 
 ning,) from his ra])idity of movement. He van- 
 quished and put to death Caraman Oghly, in Asia; 
 returned to Europe, subdued almost all Wallachia ; 
 aided John against liis uncle Manuel, the former 
 
rapelje's narrative. 267 
 
 promising to cede Constantinople; the furious 
 Tameriane declared himself protector of the Ma- 
 hometan princes, opposed by Bajazet ; after two 
 desperate battles, the first on the 20th of June, 
 1402, in the plains of Ancyra, and the second at- 
 tacked by a host of Tartars, Bajazet was made 
 prisoner, and died with grief, March 9th, 1403. 
 The story of the iron cage, in which Bajazet was 
 said to be confined, generally rejected as fabulous ; 
 but by Gibbon is considered not wiiolly without 
 foundation. 
 
 Interregnum under Solyman. — From a. d. 1403 
 to 1406. — This prince, giving himself up to de- 
 bauchery, received the news of the death of his 
 father while intoxicated; rejected the clemency of 
 Tamerlane, who invested his brother Musa as sove- 
 reign of Anatolia. Solyman disputed with his 
 brothers, whom he even expelled, but devoting 
 himself to debauchery and wine, was killed in 
 a village brawl. 
 
 Interregnum under Musa.— 1406. — Who divid- 
 ed his authority with his younger brother, Maho- 
 met ; reduced several places in the Morea, subdued 
 Servia, and defeated Sigismund, king of Hungary, in 
 a pitched battle ; but sullied his victory by exces- 
 sive cruelty. Indulging himself in effeminate plea- 
 sures in his palace at Adrianople, he was attacked 
 by his brother, and compelled to fly, was pursued by 
 the Spahys, nobly defending himself, till a soldier 
 cut off his arm with a cimetar. He died with the 
 
2G8 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 loss of blood. Neither Solyman nor Musa were 
 adniittcd into the number of their emperors, as 
 neither reigned over the whole empire lost by 
 Bajazet. 
 
 5. Mahomet I. — From a. d. 1413 to 1421. — 
 This emperor met with but one reverse, which 
 was the destruction of his fleet in the Hellespont, 
 by the Venetians. An upstart named Pereiglia, be- 
 gan to preach against the Mahometans, whom he 
 denounced as blasphemers and infidels ; but this 
 pretended apostle of God was taken and crucified. 
 Mahomet was attacked by a bloody flux, which put 
 a period to his life, after a reign of eight years, at 
 the age of forty-seven. He reigned with justice, 
 and restored to the Ottoman Empire the splendor 
 which it had lost under Bajazet. 
 
 6. Amurat n.— From a. d. 1421 to 1451.— 
 Ascended the throne, when only eighteen. He 
 employed the commencement of his reign, by dis- 
 comfiting and putting to deaths everal conspira- 
 tors ^\ ho had leagued against him ; augmented 
 the number of his troops, ravaging Thessaly, Mace- 
 donia, and Thrace; sacrificed to his own safety 
 his two brothers, whom he caused to be strangled, 
 with all their accomplices in their revolt. Thessa- 
 lonica he carried by assault in April, 1429. After 
 taking some towns in Etolia, made peace with 
 the Venetians ; but for twelve years was engaged 
 in wars with his vassals, stripping them of their pos- 
 sessions, and appointing successors, on whom he 
 
rapelje's narrative. 269 
 
 imposed heavy fines. All these troubles occasion- 
 ed by females in his court ; laid siege to the city 
 of Belgrade in 1435, but abandoned the siege with 
 disgrace. His army was beaten by Huanides, and 
 obliged in 1444 to conclude a truce for ten years, 
 with Ledislaus ; but who was induced to break it 
 at the instance of Pope Eugene IV. The Turks 
 marched to Varna, on the Black Sea, where a san- 
 guinary battle was fought, November 10th, 1444, 
 which was won by the Turks ; the king of Hun- 
 gary died pierced with many wounds in the midst 
 of the Janissaries. Amurat resigned the empire 
 to his son Mahomet. The famous Scanderbeg, of 
 whom historians relate such prodigies, compelled 
 the Turks to raise the siege of Croza, killed great 
 numbers, and harassed them in their retreat. 
 Amurat's last days were signalized by the total 
 defeat of the Hungarians and the valiant Huani- 
 des. An acute disease carried him off in three 
 days, he died on the ninth of February, 1451, after 
 a reign of thirty years and six months, and a glori- 
 ous life of forty-nine. 
 
 7. Mahomet II. — From a. d. 1451 to 1482. — 
 He put to death his brother, an infant at the breast, 
 whom Amurat had had by the daughter of the des- 
 pot of Sinope, and compelled the unhappy princess 
 to contract a fresh marriage ; reduced Caramon 
 Oghly, who had revolted. He built a castle on 
 the Strait of the Dardanelles, and made himself 
 absolute master of that important passage ; took 
 
270 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Constantinople on tlie 29tli of May, 1453, being 
 1123 years after its foundation, and 1205 after 
 that of Rome. 
 
 One instance of his decision of character and 
 his ferocity must not be forgotten. Among the 
 prisoners taken in Constantinople, was Irene, a 
 Greek of incomparable beauty, of whose person 
 the Emperor became so enamored, that he es- 
 poused her, and in the vigor of youth, and pleni- 
 tude of power, resigned himself to the blandish- 
 ments of his fair Sultana. His infatuation con- 
 tiiuied for several years, during which time his 
 Janissaries, whose turbulent spirits could only be 
 subjugated by employment, frequently exhibited 
 signs of discontent. These murnnu's at length 
 reached the ears of the Emperor, who could not 
 be insensible to the effect which his delusion was 
 calculated to produce on his subjects. His ambi- 
 tion, after a long and powerful struggle, obtained 
 the ascendency, and he gave orders that the great 
 Bashaws and Turkish nobility should be convened 
 within the palace. Into this assembly the Empe- 
 ror led Irene, who had on that day been adorned 
 in her most magnificent apparel. When the tu- 
 mult of acclamation was stilled, which the appear- 
 ance of the Emperor had excited, the Emperor 
 addressed the Divan on the subject of their dis- 
 contents, assuring them that he was now prepared 
 to give a convincing proof how much they had 
 mistaken his character, and the objects of his dcvo- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 271 
 
 tion ; since nothing but death could efface the re- 
 membrance of the glorious achievements of his 
 predecessors. After this address, he seized the 
 fair and trembling Greek by the hair, and at the 
 same time drawing his cimetar, struck off her 
 head, to the amazement and terror of the whole 
 assembly". 
 
 After this dismal tragedy, he completed the 
 subjugation of the Morea, added the province of 
 Athens, reduced Trebisond in Asia, and put to 
 death David Comineus, who had usurped the au- 
 thority ; attacked the knights of Malta in their 
 islands in the Archipelago; and made himself 
 master of Lesbos ; took Negropont in 1470 ; made 
 several attacks by his general, on the island of 
 Rhodes, but was compelled to retreat, 17th of Au- 
 gust, 1480. Now perished the last shadow of the 
 Roman Empire. He died July 2d, 1481, after a 
 reign of thirty years, aged fifty-three. By the 
 Turks he is styled the greatest of their emperors ; 
 in their eyes, the glory of his conquests atoned for 
 his vices. He conquered two empires, twelve 
 kingdoms, and nearly three hundred towns. 
 
 8. BajazetH.— From a.d. 1481 to 1512.— Instead 
 of repairing to Constantinople to take possession 
 of the throne, he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca ; 
 his brother Djim-djim, called by the Greeks Zizim, 
 upon pretext that though Bajazet w^as the oldest 
 son, yet was the offspring of a slave, raised an 
 army, and made himself master of Prusa, and all 
 
272 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Bithynia, hut was at last overthrown hy the vizier ; 
 and, on liis brother's return, found an asylum with 
 the knig^hts of Rhodes. Bajazet proposed an ad- 
 vantageous treaty with the knights, on condition 
 of their delivering up his brother ; but they suffer- 
 ed him to escape to France. He was, however, 
 poisoned in 1495, by orders of Pope Borgia. Ba- 
 jazet defeated the Venetians at sea; took the town 
 of Lepanto, and those of Modon and Coron, in the 
 Morea, laid waste the Friule, and reduced Damas- 
 cus. He was poisoned by the command of his 
 second son, Selim, in 1512, after having reigned 
 thirty-two years. Though timid, cruel, and super- 
 stitious, and addicted to wine, he was a patron of 
 learning and the sciences ; built several mosques, 
 and repaired the walls of Constantinople, which 
 had been half overthrown by an eartlupuike. 
 
 9. Selym I.— From a. d. 1512 to 1520.— Sur-- 
 named Yarniz, the ferocious. After having his 
 two brothers strangled, the eldest, Achmet, having 
 two sons, who fled to Persia, Selim marched and 
 entered the deserts of Persia, and fought a bloody 
 battle in the plain Schalderoun, on the 22d of Au- 
 gust, 1514, and pushed on to Tauris, which he 
 pillaged. Famine began to be felt, and a mutiny 
 among his troops forced him to turn back, but the 
 following spring he laid waste Armenia, and put 
 the king to death. At last he was compelled by a 
 mutiny in his army to return to Constantinople. He 
 twice defeated the Mamelukes, and took Aleppo ; 
 
rapelje's narrative. 273 
 
 visited Jerusalem, and took Cairo, where almost 
 all the Mamelukes were killed or hanged before 
 Selim. Alexandria and all Egypt submitted, and 
 he returned to Constantinople, having appointed 
 two pachas to govern Egypt and Syria in his 
 name. He died 22d September, 1520, reproaching 
 himself, it is said, for the blood he had shed in such 
 abundance, near Adrianople, the place where his 
 father had been murdered by his command. He 
 was fifty-four years of age, and had reigned eight 
 years. 
 
 10. SoLYMAN I.— From a. d. 1520 to 1566.— 
 Invested the Island of Rhodes, which after a san- 
 guinary resistance, capitulated to him on the 22d 
 of December, 1522. On entering the city in per- 
 son, and taking the palace of the grand master, 
 observed, " It is not without pain that I am obliged 
 to turn this Christian at his age, out of his house." 
 He returned to Constantinople, passed those fa- 
 mous ordinances, known by the name of the canons 
 of Solyman. He entered Hungary, and obtained a 
 victory near Mohan, and took Buda, plundering 
 the city and the rest of Hungary. Hostilities were 
 soon renewed. He re-entered Hungary, taking 
 many places, and advanced towards Vienna. 
 Here he lost forty thousand men, and was obliged 
 to raise the siege, October 14th, 1529, which had 
 cost him eighty thousand men. The further par- 
 ticulars of his reign would fill a volume ; sufiicient 
 to say, that by the aid of Barbarossa, the son of a 
 
 35 
 
274 RAPELJE's rsAIlRATIVE. 
 
 potter, who commanded the Turkish fleet, he ob- 
 tained immense conquests, till August 30th, 1560, 
 when he died of apoplexy, at the age of seventy- 
 six, and a reign of forty-six. The reign of Soly- 
 man, who is called the Turkish Alcacmdcr, is con- 
 sidered by them the most glorious of the Ottoman 
 dynasty. 
 
 11. Selim II., surnamed Mest, the drunkard. — 
 From A. D. 1566 to 1575. This reign was made 
 remarkable by the Turks taking the Island of 
 Cyprus ; and a naval engagement in the Gulf of 
 Lepanto, in which they lost one hundred and sixty- 
 one galleys, and sixty other vessels ; thirty thou- 
 sand Ottomans loj:^ their lives, and three thousand 
 five hundred their liberty. Selim, in a paroxysm 
 of rage at this defeat, issued orders to put to death 
 all the Christians in Constantinople, which Maho- 
 met the vizier deferred, and was revoked the fol- 
 lowing day. Peace concluded with the Venetians. 
 Selim died December 23d, 1575, produced by in- 
 temperance, aged fifty-two years. 
 
 12. Amurat III. — From a. d. 1575 to 1595. — 
 The day of Amurat's accession was stained by 
 an atrocity, which the Turks style an act of po- 
 licy ; he caused his young brothers to be put to 
 death in the presence of their mothers, as well as 
 two khasschkys or concubines, whom his father 
 had left pregnant. The mother of one of tlie 
 young princes stabbed herself in despair, in the 
 presence of the Sultan. This prince was a com- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 275 
 
 pound of fickleness and pusillanimity. He had a 
 hundred and two children. Debauchery and ex- 
 cessive intemperance carried him off January 17, 
 1595, aged fifty, after having reigned twenty years, 
 
 13. Mahomet III.— From a. d. 1595 to 1603.— 
 His first act was to cause nineteen of his brothers 
 to be strangled before his face, and ten odahlyes, 
 pregnant by Amu rat, to be throw^n into the sea. 
 A plague broke out at Constantinople; next a 
 famine followed, and a second pestilence. He died 
 on the 21st of December, 1603, aged thirty-seven, 
 after a reign of nine years. 
 
 14. AcHMET (Ahhmed) I. — From a. d. 1603 to 
 1617. — This prince acquired glory without fight- 
 ing himself; and he selected his ministers and offi- 
 cers with discernment. His harem, it is said, con- 
 tained three thousand females. He died Novem- 
 ber 16, 1617, in the thirtieth year of his age, after 
 a glorious reign of fourteen years. 
 
 15. Mustapha (Alouscthafa) I. — From a.d. 1617 
 to 1618. — This prince showed such incapacity that 
 he was soon deposed, and confined in one of the 
 towers of the seraglio, March 17, 1618. 
 
 16. Othman II.— From a. d. 1618 to 1622.— 
 This prince was only twelve years old when he 
 ascended the throne. He was left under the care 
 of a subtle and ambitious lawyer. On an attack 
 on the Poles by the Janissaries, a fourth time, the 
 vizier represented to the Sultan, that the flower of 
 the army would thereby be sacrificed ; he angrily 
 
276 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 replied, " When I have lost the asses, I Avill supply 
 their place with horses." This expression and 
 others, roused the Janissaries against him, who 
 demanded the deposed Mustapha for their Sultan; 
 and Ottoman was strangled May 20th, 1622, in 
 the Castle of the Seven Towers. 
 
 Mustapha {restored.) — From a. d. 1G22 to 
 1623. — Having been deposed four years, he had 
 not, during that time, become more worthy of the 
 throne, and was again shut up, September 10th, 
 1623, in his former place of confmement. 
 
 17. Amurat IV.— From a. d. 1623 to 1640.— 
 Defeated the Persians, and took Revan ; killed his 
 brother, Bajazet, of whom he became jealous ; at 
 the siege of Bagdad, greatly signalized himself; 
 took it and sacked the city ; twenty-five thousand 
 of both sexes were butchered. He died of a 
 dropsy, 8th of February, 1640, aged thirty-one ; 
 reigned seventeen years. 
 
 18. Ibrahim.— From a. d. 1640 to 1648.— After 
 a disgraceful reign of nine years, he was strangled 
 by order of the Mufti, aged thirty-one years. 
 
 19. Mahomet IV.— From a. d. 1649 to 1687.— 
 This prince was but seven years old, when his 
 accession to the throne was published. During 
 the greater part of his minority, the kingdom was 
 rent with factions and bloodshed, but his grand 
 vizier, the aged Maliomet Kiupcrly, took from the 
 Venetians, Candia, Tencdos, and Lemnos. At 
 the age of fourteen, the Pacha of Aleppo was de- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 277 
 
 feated in his presence and put to death. His gene- 
 ral was defeated by the Austrians. Candia was re- 
 taken 1669 ; he was obliged to raise the siege of Vi- 
 enna, and his troops suffered several defeats. The 
 latter part of his reign was most disastrous ; he 
 was deposed and imprisoned, where he dragged on 
 a miserable existence, till January, 1693. 
 
 20. SoLYMAN II.— From a. d. 1687 to 1691.— 
 This reign in its commencement was most disas- 
 trous, but ultimately, by the skill and bravery of 
 the third Kiuperly, all was recovered, and he en- 
 tered Constantinople with all the honors of a tri- 
 umph. Solyman died June 22d, 1691. He was 
 regarded by his subjects as a saint. 
 
 21. AcHMET (AhJwicd) II. — From a. d. 1691 to 
 1695. — He reigned but four years ; died January 
 27th, 1695, remarkable only for his imbecility. 
 
 22. MusTAPHA II.— From a. d. 1695 to 1702.— 
 This prince, at the first part of his reign, promised 
 much, but yielding to improper ministers, was de- 
 posed September 20ih, 1702, at the age of forty ; 
 and died of a dropsy the following year. 
 
 23. AcHMET III.— From a. d. 1702 to 1730.— 
 After a reign of twenty-eight years, in which many 
 factions occurred, by a too submissive belief in 
 his ministers this prince was deposed October 2d, 
 1730. 
 
 24. Mahmoud I. — From a. d. 1730 to 1754. — 
 This prince filled the throne nearly twenty-five 
 years ; he was endowed with a mildness of dispo- 
 
278 kapelje's narrative. 
 
 sition calculated to make his subjects happy, hut 
 was long alllicted with disease, and died the 13th 
 of December, 1754. 
 
 25. OsMAN, or Othman III. — From a. d. 1754 
 to 1757. — A reign short and ban-en of events. 
 
 26. MusTAPHA III.— From a. d. 1757 to 1774.— 
 This prince met vv4tli many reverses during his 
 reign, and was one of the best that ever swayed 
 the Turkish sceptre. He died January 21st, 1774, 
 after a reign of sixteen years and five months. 
 
 27. Abdul Hamyd. — From a. d. 1774 to 1789. — 
 After a reign of fifteen years, which had been 
 marked by a variety of events, he died in 1789, 
 much regretted by his subjects. 
 
 28. Selim III.— From a. d. 1789 to 1807.— 
 After several defeats, and the loss of several king- 
 doms and provinces, he was deposed in 1807. 
 During this reign occurred the celebrated battles 
 of tlie Pyramids El Aryth, Mount Tabor, Aboukir, 
 and Heliopolis. 
 
 29. Mustapha IV. — This prince was dethroned 
 the same year in which he was elected. 
 
 30. Mahmoud II. — 1807. — The reigning empe- 
 ror. 
 
 THE COURT. 
 
 The Sultan, or Grand Seignor. — Sidthan is 
 an Arabic term corresponding with khan, which is 
 Tartar. The word keJiah likewise signifies king 
 in tlie game of chess ; hence, chat mat (the king 
 is dead) which the Italians render by scacco luatto, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 279 
 
 and we by check mate. The three principal titles 
 of sovereignty, are emyr^ chief or prince, and 
 synonymous with jnaiik, king, and suWian, power- 
 ful, for the temporal authority ; that of imain for 
 that of the spiritual ; and that of khalyfah for the 
 union of both ; this latter word signifying lieute- 
 nant of the prophet. It is a fundamental princi- 
 ple of the Mahometan religion that every person 
 ought to work, after the example of the patriarchs 
 of old. David, for instance, was a smith. Thus 
 most of khalyfs and sultans follow some profes- 
 sion. 
 
 GOVERNMENT OFFICERS. 
 
 The Grand Vizier — Prime Minister. 
 
 The Kiahya-Bcgg — Deputy to the Vizier. 
 
 The Caimacam-Pacha — Lieutenant to the Vi- 
 zier. 
 
 The Defterdar — Minister of the Finances. 
 
 The Rcis Effendi — High Chancellor and Minis- 
 ter for Foreign Affairs. 
 
 The Tcliaouch-Bacliy — Secretary of State, has 
 in his department the administration ; introduces 
 ambassadors. 
 
 EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Beygler-Beggs — Governors General of Pro- 
 vinces. 
 
 Pachas — Inferior Governors of Provinces or 
 Towns. 
 
 ARMY. 
 
 Scr-Askcr — Commander-in-chief, or general of 
 an arniv. 
 
280 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Bcggs — Governors of a district or town ; oth- 
 erwise Begs. 
 
 NAVY. 
 
 The Capitan-Pacha — Grand Admiral ; all offi- 
 cers of the navy are under his command ; he has the 
 same authority at sea, as the Grand Vizier by land. 
 
 The Tcrsanah-kiaJiyaaj — Chief Vice- Admiral. 
 
 2'he Tcrsanah-aghacy — Lieutenant to the Capi- 
 tan-Pacha, 
 
 The Bcgg — A Captain. 
 
 The Guardian-bachy — Inspector-General of the 
 galley slaves. 
 
 The JRcis—FiloL 
 
 JUDICIAL ORGANIZATION. 
 
 The Mufti — The head of both Law and Reli- 
 gion. 
 
 The Cadhy — Minister of Justice in towns ; Jus- 
 tice of the Peace. 
 
 Cheykh-Islcnn — Mufti of the Cathedral. 
 
 Cazy-Askers — Judges ; the former, ssadr roum ; 
 the latter, ssadranaddy. 
 
 Tstamhol- Cadhycy, or Effcndycy Ordinary 
 
 Judge of the city of Constantinople. 
 
 Ulema^ or Molla — Next in rank to the Mufti. 
 
 JVagyb-Ul-Echraf— Chief of the Nobles. 
 
 Cheryf and Emyr — A lord ; a master. 
 
 JVaibs — The lowest class of Judges. 
 
 RELIGION. 
 
 The Mufti — The head of Religion, as well as 
 of the Law. 
 
 The Chcykhs — Preachers in the mosques. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 281 
 
 Khatyhs — Ministers who perform their func- 
 tions on Fridays. 
 
 Imams — Perform the ordinary duties of public 
 worship. 
 
 Muezzyns — Announce the hour of prayer from 
 the tops of the minarets. 
 
 Cayyms — Keepers and servants of the mosques. 
 
 Dervises — Religious enthusiasts of different 
 classes. 
 
 Drogoman — Interpreter. 
 
 DIFFERENT TRADES. 
 
 Bazaars — Diversions, music, hunting, and fish- 
 ing. 
 
 Couyoumdjy — Goldsmiths, gold beaters, and 
 gold wire drawers. 
 
 Calcmkiaz — Engravers. 
 
 Tchokhadjy — Woolen drapers. 
 
 Cathyfeldjy — Linen drapers and silk mercers. 
 
 Boyadjys — Dyers. 
 
 Terzy — Tailors. 
 
 Miimars — Masons. 
 
 Dulguei^ — Carpenters. 
 
 JVaccah — Painters. 
 
 Diamdjy — Glaziers. 
 
 Qiliddjy — Armorers. 
 
 Sarj'adje — Saddlers. 
 
 Ainahdjy — Looking-glass makers. 
 
 Cachycdjy — Wooden spoon makers. 
 
 SsahJi af — Book seller s . 
 
 Etmekdjy — B akers . 
 
 36 
 
282 uapelje's narrative. 
 
 Dcurckd/tj — Pastry cooks. 
 
 Kcbahtchy — Keepers of cook shops. 
 
 Under the head " Constantinople," I would 
 recommend a list of the Turkish Emperors from 
 Mahomet the Founder to Mahmoud II., the pre- 
 sent emperor, with the dates of their reigns. 
 
 Preamble to one of the Sultan's firmans, part 
 12, volume 3, page 32, mentions of the death of 
 these Sultans. 
 
 Scite of the present seraglio, page 35. 
 
 The names of different officers, civil, naval, and 
 military. 
 
 Arms. 
 
 Captipari. 
 
 Juclicia. 
 
 Religions. 
 
 Profession of Faith. 
 
 Buildings. 
 
 Public Baths. 
 
 Mosques ; Tombs ; Sepulchral Chapels. 
 
 Sunday, March 24th. — Yesterday, at one 
 o'clock, I went on board the same vessel, the 
 Dart, Capt. Vaux, to go to Smyrna, with a fair 
 wind, and pleasant weather, going seven knots an 
 hour, during the afternoon ; but we had a calm 
 some part of the night. As we sailed along plea- 
 santly, I saw an immense number of porpoises 
 sporting around the ship, just before dark. We 
 proceeded, during the night, as far as the Island of 
 Marmora, which we saw early in the morning, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 283 
 
 and went again into the Dardanelles, or ancient 
 Hellespont. There were two passengers besides 
 myself; a Greek merchant of Smyrna, and a 
 French lieutenant of the frigate Guerriere, now at 
 Smyrna, a pleasant, agreeable man, about twenty- 
 seven years old, who spoke English pretty 
 well. We sailed, with a delightful breeze, about 
 seven or eight knots an hour, and came to another 
 town called Leanderi, in the entrance of the Dar- 
 danelles, out far from the Marmora sea. At two 
 o'clock we passed Negropont, on the one side, and 
 another fort on the other, built near the ruins of 
 Cestos. We came to the narrow pass of the 
 Dardanelles, where there are large forts and bat- 
 teries on each side, both in Asia and in Europe ; 
 there are towns near them called the Dardanelles 
 of Europe and Asia. We had to cast anchor, and 
 send a boat on shore to the custom-house. The 
 vessel was examined by the officers from shore, 
 although the wind was fair and strong. This 
 caused some delay ; we were now a hundred and 
 fifty miles from Constantinople, and about the 
 same distance from Smyrna. 
 
 Monday, March 25th. — This morning we 
 sailed by the Island of Mitilene, which is quite a 
 large island, about fifty miles long, and near the 
 Gulf of the Adriatic. We had passed Cape Baba, 
 before we came to Mitilene, and now passed the 
 Gulf of Sanderie, and got to Smyrna, after a fine 
 
284 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 passage, with pleasant weather. Smyrna is about 
 three hundred miles from Constantinople. 
 
 Tuesday, March 26th. — We sailed last night, 
 with a light contrary wind, in the Gulf of Smyrna, 
 but had constantly to tack about the ship all 
 night, in passing Long Island, in the bay. The 
 land appeared sterile and volcanic, and very 
 hilly ; raisins and oil are its chief products. I 
 wrote a letter to Mrs. Rapelje, to the care of Mr. 
 William Vauglian, Fenchurch-street, London. I 
 wrote to Mr. Jacob Mark, American consul, at 
 Cork, and the post-master general, at Gibraltar, 
 to receive and keep my letters for me, for my fur- 
 ther instructions, or arrival. We sailed along 
 some low lands, near the shore, • which w^as a 
 very handsome place. Some few miles before we 
 got to the castle, we saw along the shore, on the 
 opposite side of the bay, numbers of large heaps 
 of salt, which were made there. The country 
 abounded in orchards of olive trees. When we 
 were near the castle, the captain was obliged to 
 go to Smyrna in the boat to get a permit, or tubco- 
 rrt, before they could let the vessel pass the castle. 
 When at anchor, during the night, we heard the 
 croaking of numerous frogs, the bleatings of ante- 
 lopes, and the screeching of jackalls; all of which 
 are plenty in the highlands, near the shore. The 
 city of Smyrna is eight miles from the castle. 
 
 Wednesday, March 27th. — Mc lay at anchor 
 
rapelje's narrative. 285 
 
 all night, at the castle, and this morning, at' ten, 
 got under weigh, and went up to Smyrna, at two. 
 I delivered my letters, one to Messrs. Wilkins & Co. 
 who gave me another to Messrs. F. G. Wilkinson 
 &; Co., at Alexandria ; and also to Mr. Fisher, to 
 whom I had a letter of credit, from the house of 
 Kerr, Black & Fisher, Mr. Fisher, and also 
 Mr. Wilkins, were very civil ; and I was very 
 sorry to leave them so soon, for I had no oppor- 
 tunity of seeing any thing of Smyrna, as a brig, 
 the Daphne, Capt. Llewellin, was going to sail 
 immediately for Alexandria. I took my passage, 
 and went on board, after only being in Smyrna 
 three hours. There were very few English there, 
 but more than at Constantinople ; in all, about a 
 hundred and fifty, men, women, and children; I 
 was, on the whole, glad to be off, as the Turks 
 and Greeks were inveterate towards each other. 
 The taking and retaking of Scio are subjects 
 which can never be forgotten. Assassinations are 
 matters of daily occurrence. We remained all 
 this night at anchor, near the castle, where we 
 came to, in the evening. I paid Capt. Vaux 
 seventy dollars for my passage to Constantinople, 
 and from there to this place. 
 
 Thursday, Marcli 28th.— All last night we 
 were at anchor at the castle, and, in the morninir 
 there was a head wind ; we waited, however, for 
 the Madona, British sloop-of-war, Capt. I^ay, to 
 convoy us. There was here another sloop-of-war, 
 
286 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the Martin, Capt. Askew ; and also three French 
 frigates, and two men-of-war, brigs, an imperial 
 frigate, and several brigs. We remained at anchor 
 all day, with a strong high wind, but the weather 
 was clear. I could form no judgment of the city 
 of Smyrna, having been so few hours there. Near 
 the city is a small stream, said to have formerly 
 been a river, where the great Grecian poet, Ho- 
 mer lived and died. Some part of Smyrna, near 
 the bay, is low, and that part inhabited by the 
 Greeks, French, «&,c.; the other part rising on a 
 hill, is Turk-Town, and inhabited by them. I 
 heard that the Turks had killed fifteen Greeks 
 this day. 
 
 Friday, March 29th. — Several Greeks, and 
 others, say six were killed to-day. I thought my- 
 self lucky in being on board. We got up the 
 anchor, and sailed at five in the evening, under 
 convoy of the Madona sloop-of-war, of twenty 
 guns. At eight there was much sea, considering 
 that the wind was light ; there were two passen- 
 gers on board ; one a young Armenian gentleman, 
 clothed in the Turkish costume, who spoke Turk- 
 ish, Arabic, Greek, French, and Italian ; also a 
 Turkish merchant ; both of them had their ser- 
 vants. The Turk's servant was a beautiful Ma- 
 meluke Circassian, white boy, a slave. These 
 servants are treated more like children than 
 slaves. 
 
 Saturday, March 30th. — The wind was con- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 287 
 
 trary most of the night, but quite light. We 
 passed along between the Island of Scio and the 
 main land of Asia. There was great cannonading 
 all day at the town of Scio ; it was reported the 
 Greeks had taken part of it, and were endeavor- 
 ing to subdue it altogether. The most of it was 
 in possession of the Turks. As we sailed along 
 the shore, it appeared of considerable extent. It 
 was, to all appearance, beautiful ; once the hand- 
 somest town in the Turkish dominions. In the 
 evening, the lieutenant from the English sloop-of- 
 war, the Medina, Capt. Hayes, came on board of 
 us, and said, that, on account of the cannonading, 
 he must go to Scio, and see the English consul 
 there, and that we could come to anchor, or keep 
 on ; the wind being right ahead, w^e kept beating 
 to windward all night, as also did our commodore. 
 Sunday, March 31st. — We came within a few 
 miles of the town of Scio, this morning, the can- 
 nonading still continuing. We saw a number of 
 vessels of war off Scio ; I thought them Greeks. 
 One of them bore down upon us, came up, hove 
 to, and sent her boat on board to see who was 
 come. Three of our passengers being Turks, 1 
 begged the captain to stow them away ; and the 
 steward put them away in some small locker. If 
 they had been seen, all our men said, the Greeks 
 would have instantly put them to death ; indeed, 
 the passengers appeared very much terrified. 
 The Greek vessel was a handsome man-of-war, 
 
288 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 a brig of sixteen guns, and one of the squadron 
 we saw, consisting of seventeen sail, of about the 
 same size, all besieging the town of Scio. All the 
 morning we were sailing past the castle and forts, 
 yet in the possession of the Turks, who were con- 
 stantly bombarding at it, as they passed it, the 
 castle returning the fire ; in this manner a heavy 
 cannonading was kept up. They informed us, 
 that they had cannon on a hill, commanding the 
 castle, and had landed from their own, and other 
 boats, which we saw along the coast, four thou- 
 sand men ; and that they had found the pipe, or 
 aqueduct, that supplied the castle with water, 
 and cut it off; and that they had killed about live 
 hundred Turks. 
 
 Monday, April 1st. — The wind was high all 
 day; we kept beating, as it was contrary, and 
 passed the town of Chescma, on the Asia coast, 
 opposite to Scio, in a bay ; it appeared to be all 
 built of stone, on a side hill. Scio, on the island 
 of the same name, has large suburbs, and beautiful 
 country places, with handsome gardens ; and, for 
 a considerable length along the shore, looked like 
 numerous villas, with trees and corn-fields. Our 
 convoy, the English man-of-war brig, returned to 
 Smyrna, and told us to make the best of our way 
 to Alexandria, to which city we were bound ; but 
 the Avind was so high, and right ahead, that we 
 came to anchor in a small bay on the Asia side. 
 
 Tuesday, April 2d. — The wind blew a heavy 
 
rapelje's narrative. 289 
 
 gale all last night, and this day, from the south^ 
 directly contrary. We lay at anchor near a vil- 
 lage, inhabited by Turks ; from the severity of the 
 gale, almost a hurricane, the brig drifted, and drag- 
 ged her anchor ; and we had to let go another 
 anchor. She had two good chain cables, and the 
 two anchors held her. There was a little rain in 
 squalls during this morning. 
 
 Wednesday, April 3d. — The wind continued to 
 blow hard and contrary all the day. 
 
 Thursday, April 4th. — During last night, we 
 had hail and rain. To-day, at one, we got under 
 weigh, with a favorable wind, which was varia- 
 ble, squally, and, at times, lulled to a calm. We 
 then bade adieu to Scio. The cannonading was 
 renewed this morning. 
 
 Friday, April 5th. — We were all last night 
 sailing, with sometimes light wind, and, at others, 
 heavy squalls ; and there was some rain ; the wind 
 varying from south to south-west, and west. Our 
 course was about south-east by south. We pass- 
 ed, this morning, between the Islands of Samos 
 and Nicara; at the former, a pleasant wine is 
 made. At one o'clock, we passed the Island of 
 Patmos, where St. John wrote the Revelations. 
 I saw a castle on a hill; the island is high land, 
 with several other small islands around it. It 
 was to the west, as we passed, and is now inhabit- 
 ed by the Greeks, as they had lately taken it. We 
 then passed between the main land of Asia, along 
 
 37 
 
290 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the Cape of Carabozelle, and between it and the 
 Islands of Pero, Cahnino, and the Capri Islands ; 
 also the Island of Stanchio, held by the Turks, 
 which contains a fine large town and harbor, 
 called Port Stanchio, where we intended to stop, 
 and get some provisions ; but the wind blew high, 
 a fine, fair gale, so we continued on. It was very 
 picturesque sailing along those islands, which 
 were of all sizes and shapes; some high and 
 pointed, and small, like a sugar-loaf, ornamented, 
 as they appeared at a distance, with cragged 
 rocks, as if shot up in chrystals, a quarter of a 
 mile in diameter, quite low from the water, and 
 seemed covered with verdure. Pigeons in great 
 numbers were flying around these rocks as their 
 habitations. It was, certainly, very beautiful 
 sailing past them, especially in the vicinity where 
 St. John wrote the Revelations. We then pass- 
 ed the Island of Stanchio. The town, of the 
 same name, is very prettily situated, and close 
 down to the water's edge. The main land of 
 Asia, opposite about twelve miles off. The culti- 
 vation on Stanchio is good ; the island, at this 
 time, was all in verdure ; the back of it rising gra- 
 dually from the shore. There are hills and moun- 
 tains throughout the island, which is high, broken, 
 and volcanic in appearance. The opposite coun- 
 try of Asia Minor is the same. I saw also a long, low 
 point of Stanchio, with wind-mills on it. I must 
 remark, that all the islands about Patmos ap- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 291 
 
 peared volcanic ; and it may be possible, that, 
 when John was there, he might have seen them 
 thrown up by an earthquake ; for many of his 
 chapters of the Revelations seem hieroglyphical 
 and typical ; particularly his description of angels 
 and devils. Certainly he was in a state of fear; 
 for he speaks of his great terror, when describing 
 what he saw. One, in reality, as I passed it, put 
 me in mind of the great beast, or dragon, with ten 
 heads and seven horns ; having as many, as he 
 describes, high, projecting-top hills, or rocks, with 
 intermediate low parts, as give it, in truth, the 
 resemblance to a great and tremendous animal ; 
 and, in John's great fear and trembling, he might 
 likely have taken it for such. 
 
 Saturday, April 6th. — Last night we passed 
 the Island of Rhodes, where the great collossal 
 statue of Rhodes once stood ; so tall that ships 
 sailed between his legs, as he stood from one point 
 of the harbor to the other; but the statue, which 
 was of bronze, was taken down by the Turks, 
 who are all Mahometans, or Mussulmen, and who 
 cannot bear the idea of having images or idols as 
 the Roman Catholics do, and made into those 
 great cannon I saw at Smyrna, the Dardanelles, 
 and Constantinople. This is said by the Turks. 
 Rhodes is a fine large island. During the night, 
 we sailed with a fine, fair northerly wind, blowing 
 during the day a heavy gale ; our course south- 
 and-by-east, the ship rolling much, and going 
 
292 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 eight and nine knots an hour. There ^vere now 
 no more islands to be seen. Rhodes is about 
 three hundred miles from Smyrna. This is now 
 commonly called the Levant Sea, which, at five, 
 six, seven, and eight, ran tremendously high. 
 
 Sunday, April 7th. — This morning the wind 
 and sea fell so much, that at twelve they set stud- 
 ding sails, and we had a delightfully pleasant day. 
 A young man of thirteen or fourteen years old, 
 named William Hadley, was passenger with the 
 captain. They were both from Swansea in Wales. 
 The boy was a noble youth, and both he and Capt. 
 Llewellen were very pleasant and agreeable in 
 their manners ; the latter very much of the gentle- 
 man; he sung elegantly, and his company was 
 much courted, as he made it very pleasant and 
 accommodating. He had none of that tyrannical 
 harshness, many conceited captains use to all 
 around them when on board of their ships. 
 
 Monday, April 8th. — This morning at daylight 
 we got into soundings of six, seven and eight fath- 
 oms. We were off the western branch of the Nile, 
 and passed Abouker Bay, where Lord Nelson 
 with Sir Sidney Smith had gained a famous vic- 
 tory over the French lleet. The small island just 
 off, was named after him. The water is very 
 thick, of a yellowish color, as if clay was dissolved 
 in it. The wind fell away, and it became calm at 
 eleven. The coast along the Levant is quite low 
 and flat. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 293 
 
 Tuesday, April 9tli. — All last night we had to 
 stand off and on, as no pilot came on hoard. This 
 morning at eleven, got up to Alexandria, after 
 having taken a pilot on hoard. It is a fine har- 
 bor ; the wind being ahead, we had to beat in. I 
 saw on one side, the ruins of the old city, along 
 the bank of the shore in the harbor, for a great 
 distance. A number of Turkish men-of-war and 
 merchant vessels of other nations were at anchor 
 there ; one English ship-of-war, the Comet, Capt. 
 Smith, but not a single American vessel. There 
 was no pest or plague raging ; and part of the 
 Turkish fleet got under weigh, and went out, as 
 report said, to Cyprus. Alexandria is six hundred 
 miles from Smyrna, and nine hundred from Con- 
 stantinople. I had been four days going from Con- 
 stantinople to Smyrna, and from Smyrna to Alex- 
 andria thirteen days, and eleven from Smyrna Cas- 
 tle. We got into Alexandria at one o'clock, and 
 I put up at a miserable place, called the Maltese 
 Hotel, kept by a French woman. I then delivered 
 an introductory letter to Mr. Wilkinson, from Mr. 
 Williams of Smyrna, and another of credit from 
 Mr. Fisher, of the firm of Kerr, Black & Co., to 
 Messrs. Gliddon, Brothers & Co. I went with 
 Mr. Gliddon to see Mr. Lee, the English Consul, to 
 whom he introduced me ; afterwards I saw Mr. 
 Maddon, a traveller of London, and went with 
 him and Capt. Llewellen, to see Capt. Smith, of 
 the English sloop-of-war, Adventure, on board of 
 
294 uapelje's narrative. 
 
 Capt. Cupper's brig, and spent the night there. 
 They kept it up till sunrise ; it was a fair take in, 
 but perfectly accidental to all. Capt. Llewellen, 
 with whom I had come passenger, was the best 
 singer I ever heard ; he excelled, I thought, the - 
 stage singers ; and there was not a song which he 
 did not know. He was admirable in his imitation 
 of the French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, 
 &c. &c. 
 
 Wednesday, April 10th. — I changed my lodg- 
 ings, as I could get no bed-room at the Maltese, 
 and went to the Greek Hotel, kept by a Spaniard. 
 I dined with the English Consul, Mr. Lee, and met 
 Capt. Henry Smith there, the gentleman I saw 
 yesterday, who has published an account of some 
 islands in the Archipelago, and some astronomical 
 observations ; and a week before I came here he 
 ascended the pillar of Pompey by a rope ladder 
 like the shrouds of a ship. He flew a kite over the 
 pillar, and so getting up a rope, succeeded in fixing 
 his shrouds for an ascent. There was here a Mr. 
 Maddox, the son of the famous brewer, a good 
 hearty buck of about forty, whose face was the 
 image of that of George IV. Two other gentle- 
 men were here also, one a Mr. Burton, who was 
 going out as mineralogist to the Pacha, and Mr. 
 Therrnen, Mr. Lee's partner. I found Mrs. Lee a 
 pleasant and agreeable lady, and Mr. Lee himself 
 also a pleasant, well informed, polite gentleman. 
 
 Thursday, April 11th. — I went with JMr. Mad- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 295 
 
 dox and visited the old city ruins, and savr Cleopa- 
 tra's Needles, one standing, the other having fallen 
 down by it, and it is very remarkable that it was 
 not broken. The English w^ere going to take it 
 to London ; but in my opinion, they will never be 
 able to move it, being so large. It is sixty-six 
 feet long and seven feet square, and to appearance, 
 solid red marble, covered on each square w ith Ori- 
 ental, Egyptian, or other hieroglyphics from bot- 
 tom to top ; consisting of eagles, cows, owls and 
 other unintelligible figures, to which, I heard a key 
 had lately been found, for the explication of all 
 the Egyptian characters. We then went across 
 the ruins of this once famed city of Alexandria, 
 and saw the foundations of a great number of im- 
 mensely large buildings, some of the walls of red 
 brick. We then went to the magnificent column 
 long know^n as Pompey's pillar, which is seen from 
 almost every part of Alexandria, and even ap- 
 proaching from the ocean, it is the first object 
 which attracts the eye of the mariners. The shaft 
 of this immense column is eiglit feet and a half in 
 diameter, and in Clarke's Travels is stated as 
 sixty-three feet in height ; and the whole, including 
 capital, shaft, and pedestal or base, to be eighty- 
 three feet six inches ; but it is, in my opinion, much 
 higher, and measured a week ago by a Mr. Henry 
 Smith, whom I have mentioned, who made it ninety- 
 three feet high. It is the most beautiful piece 
 of architecture I have seen ; the proportion accord- 
 
296 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 ing to the most perfect science of the ancients ; 
 but at this day it would be thought bad taste to 
 have so small a base. The proportions to an 
 architect, I would venture to say are most exqui- 
 site ; the inscription on it is illegible or unintelligi- 
 ble, notwithstanding what may be said to the con- 
 trary by antiquarians who spent a whole day to find 
 out one character, which is said to compose the word 
 Dioclesian. We then went over a considerable 
 plain of sand. We were on donkeys, with an Ara- 
 bian muleteer running after us, who was the 
 owner of the donkeys, to the sea-shore, and visited 
 the catacombs and sepulchres. We entered with- 
 in a few feet of the ocean, where we saw passages 
 in every direction, and were informed, we might 
 traverse them for three or four hours, being so 
 lengthy and arched, and cut out in all shapes. 
 The ocean has gained, to appearance on the land ; 
 it looks for miles, where the water now is, as if it 
 was formerly dry land, and was probably sunk by 
 an earthquake. 3Iy opinion is, that here there is 
 much volcanic matter. All these are without the 
 walls of the present Pacha to encircle the city, and 
 they are said to be seven miles in circumference. 
 The columns of Cleopatra, or, in modern language, 
 obelisks, being square, are in my opinion a compo- 
 sition ; for it seems to me impossible to have got 
 up a solid block of such a size and weight. 
 
 We then rode to the catacombs of Necropolis, 
 which are considered among the greatest curiosi- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 297 
 
 ties of the world; being, as it is supposed by- 
 Egyptian symbols found within them, to be more 
 ancient than the foundation of Alexandria, by the 
 Macedonians. I entered them near the sea, within 
 fifty feet of the water, but did not go far, although 
 the guide said they could be traversed in one 
 direction for three hours ; and that in the course, 
 would be seen large and smaller sepulchral cells, 
 and caverns of great extent and magnitude. We 
 brought out some bones ; but whether they were 
 placed there lately or not, is uncertain. I should 
 suppose that bones would become decayed in the 
 lapse of ages. The sea evidently had made great 
 encroachment on the domains of the dead. I saw a 
 large bath, of great antiquity, filled now by the 
 sea. The walls around it are eight or ten feet 
 high, divided in chambers, of ten feet square. It 
 seemed as if the ocean had come over a large 
 tract of land, which was, probably, sunk by an 
 earthquake. There is a very extensive building 
 going up, of several hundred feet square ; there are 
 numerous square columns, at ten feet apart, in the 
 interior, probably to support an arched roof. The 
 building is being erected by the Pacha, to contain 
 grain, and it is thought it will contain fifteen mil- 
 lion five hundred thousand bushels. It is at the 
 beginning of the great canal, lately cut to Cairo. 
 I observed numbers of boats lying near it, filled 
 with corn and beans ; and there were men con- 
 stantly carrying these articles on to the Magazine. 
 
 38 
 
298 RAPELJE S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I went, ill the afternoon, two miles and a half, to 
 see the field of the g^reat battle of 1801, where 
 Abecrombie was killed ; and saw the square 
 very large inclosure, formerly an immense ■* ■' 
 ing, supposed to have been a mosque, r. 
 conjectured from the appearari' us; 
 
 that was one of the severe^; jown. 
 
 Two regiments of the ' encoun- 
 
 tered and surrourt'l' r^ dies of French 
 
 troops. They i 1 to hand, with bayonets 
 
 taken off their mi ^ but no trace of the battle 
 
 now remained; not even a bone that I could see. 
 There was only one stone, just at the east outside 
 
 corner of the square, of a Colonel ; the rest 
 
 were defaced. 
 
 The water for the city of Alexandria is 
 brought on camels' backs, in leathern bags, hung on 
 each side of them, like two saddle-bags, but much 
 larger. Each one will hold from twelve to fifteen 
 gallons. There are immense numbers of camels, 
 in every direction ; but no carts, or wagons ; all 
 burdens are taken on the backs of camels. These 
 animals always lie down while they are loading 
 them. The common conveyance, or travelling by 
 land, is on donkeys. There were some horses, but 
 very few ; and those appeared to be Arabian, and 
 handsome. 
 
 Friday, April 12th. — The living, as to meat and 
 vegetables, is well. I found a good dish of tea, 
 or coffee, in the Italian or French style. I called 
 
rapelje's narrative. 299 
 
 to see Mr. Gliddon, and Mr. Lee. The weather, 
 -^t ri'orht, w s very cool and pleasant. 
 
 ■'idi 4pril 13th. — I was employed in see- 
 t to go to Cairo; a Mr. Burton, 
 at Mr. Lee's, was going, so I 
 wa. 'i I "ent, on a donkey, to 
 
 see the h the English con- 
 
 sul's Jam. \\ walls, cakes 
 
 of straw, camel s - led togeth- 
 
 er, and formed into tlat, rou^ s, about five 
 
 or six inches in diameter, and as tnick as a ship- 
 biscuit, and much resembling the brown ones. 
 These are dried, and used for fuel. 
 
 Sunday, April 14th. — Young Mr. Hadley came 
 and spent the day with me, at my lodgings. It 
 rained nearly all day. In the afternoon, I went 
 again with him to see the obelisks, called Cle- 
 opatra's Needles, and Pompey's Pillar, which is 
 beautiful ; and the more I contemplated it, the 
 more I was convinced it was formed together by 
 cement. The hieroglyphics on the obelisks also 
 have the appearance of having been indented by 
 a wooden mould. On the latter is no polish ; but 
 the Pillar of Pompey shines like glass, from the 
 polish ; whether it is the original polish, I much 
 doubt. 
 
 Monday, April 15th — Mr. Sherman called on 
 me, this morning, at seven o'clock, to go and see 
 the Pacha of Egypt; Mr. Burton accompanied 
 us. The latter gentleman being here by the Pa- 
 
300 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 cha's desire, as chemist, mineralogist, and bota- 
 nist to his highness. We went to his palace 
 along the sea, or bay shore, when we were in a 
 few minutes ushered into the Audience Chamber, 
 first passing through a large outer apartment. He 
 sat at the upper end, near the corner of the cham- 
 ber, and, I suppose, cross-legged. His large cloth 
 cloak, however, concealed or covered his legs and 
 feet. He wore a large, beautiful, variegated, ca- 
 mel's hair turban ; had a long beard, and musta- 
 chios, rather gray. He appeared about fifty, or 
 more, and was smoking an immense long pipe; 
 at least, seven and a half feet long. The pipe 
 was, indeed, a curiosity, adorned with silk, having 
 two large silk tassels, hanging from the top part, 
 a foot from the mouth-piece, and run down to about 
 two feet from the bowl, which was highly gilt. The 
 stem appeared to be set round with two or three 
 rows of diamonds, and the bowl was resting in a 
 silver saucer, about six or eight inches in diameter, 
 on the floor. By his side there was an elegant green 
 necklace of beads, of emerald ; it lay on the 
 broad sofa, together with a large precious stone 
 snuff-box ; a large, handsome spy-glass, in order 
 to see the ships coming in, or going out of the 
 harbor ; also two or three handsome handkerchiefs 
 were placed by his side. The sofas were full 
 four feet wide, and continued around three sides of 
 this large room, covered with handsome figured 
 chintz, on a white ground ; the backs were of 
 
rapelje's narrative. 301 
 
 the same, and were stiiflfecl very full. The room 
 was matted, and had many windows in it; the 
 whole, however, was of miserable architecture. 
 There was a good deal of wood work in the room ; 
 the whole ceiling was carved, but very badly; 
 and all appciired of modern architecture, but there 
 was no paint on the wood. The curtains were 
 scanty and scrimped, of the same materials as the 
 sofa. There were about a dozen armed atten- 
 dants, in different habits and cloaks; many of 
 them were without shoes; they, all but two, stood 
 opposite to us, in the lower part of the room ; we 
 were requested to sit near, on the same sofa. 1 
 had the honor to sit next to him. The two atten- 
 dants, near us, had shoes and slippers, and were 
 his interpreters ; one had been in different parts 
 of Europe, a Mr. Gibraltar, and speaks several 
 languages. I told him I was very sorry we had 
 no ambassador, or consul there, and would be glad 
 to have commerce with them. He replied, " You 
 shall be as well taken care of as if you had ; I will 
 see to that," which was very civil ; and further- 
 more stated, that he would have no objection to 
 treat with us, and have commerce, provided it 
 could be on reciprocal terms. The other conversa- 
 tion was directed to the young man, Mr. Burton, 
 who was trying to analyze some earth the Pacha 
 had sent him, in expectation to see if there was any 
 gold dust among it, which was sent by the Pa- 
 
302 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 cha's son, who was in the interior ; no result had, 
 as yet, been produced, for want of some menstri 
 um, or drug, to make the experiment. Wr ^ 
 handed a small cup of coffee with t^ 
 and then, after a little while, we d' 
 the evening I supped at Mr. G) le 
 
 played and sung charmingly ^as to 
 
 get on to Cairo, but r --'v' .^ the com- 
 
 pany of Mr. Burt ..iC Nile; so I 
 
 remained, stroll- ^ing about, doing no- 
 
 thing materic vere heavy showers of 
 
 rain last nighv. 
 
 Wednesday, April 17th. — I went to-day, in 
 company with Mr. Maddox, to see near a dozen 
 Egyptian mummies, all from Thebes, in Upper 
 Egypt. They were in the sarcophagi in which 
 they were embalmed ; these are two thick wooden 
 cases like coffins, with faces carved and painted 
 on the top of each, and opposite to the face within 
 are hieroglyphic figures all over them ; with the 
 inside one is the body, covered over with linen and 
 bound close to it ; the gum which is in it makes it 
 look like silk and ribbons. The paintings are as 
 fresh as if just finished, although the sarcophagi 
 has been entombed three thousand years. Over 
 the bodies were a number of strings of beautiful 
 blue beads and thin tufted brown colored shavings, 
 in very long pieces about an inch wide laying over 
 the body, said to be from the duomo tree ; these 
 
rapelje's narrative. 303 
 
 mummies are dug up, sent here, and by a mer- 
 
 hant, intended as articles of merchandize; and 
 
 >^-'ces were froma bout thirty to fifty dollars, 
 
 ly, April 18th. — In the afternoon, Mr. 
 
 ii. 'V to Mr. Lee, took tea with me. 
 
 1 very troublesome ; they had 
 
 filit spots as if I had the 
 
 measles. 
 
 Friday, Aj o at Mr. Lee's, where 
 
 I met Mr. Maddox, ujiu a .o a Mr. Spurrier, a tra- 
 velling gentleman, just returned from Cairo ; then 
 dined with Mr. Lee and his family. I had to get 
 some provisions prepared to take up the Nile, 
 as I expected to go to-morrow. I also wrote a 
 letter to Mrs. Rapelje. Mr. Hicks, and another 
 clerk to Mr. Lee dined with us. 
 
 Saturday, April 20th. — I saw men taking 
 water to the several different families, which was 
 brought on the backs of camels in two large leath- 
 ern bags, like saddle-bags, one on each side of the 
 animal, and holding about a barrel or more each ; 
 the driver has another leathern bag, being the en- 
 tire skin of a goat, which is hung over his shoul- 
 ders with a strap ; the water is drawn, and he car- 
 ries it away in the house and fills the jars. Messrs. 
 Maddox and Spurrier breakfasted with me ; the 
 latter was a great traveller, and I took his Arab 
 servant to go back to Cairo. I dined at the Mal- 
 tese Hotel, in company with, and by invitation of 
 
304 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Messrs. Spurrier and Maddox, and took leave of 
 Mr. Lee, the English Consul. 
 
 Sunday, April 21st. — I set off at eleven in the 
 morning, and went on board of a boat called Ji, 
 canjea, about thirty feet long, and eight wide, 
 •which I hired to take me to Cairo for sixty-five 
 piastres, or six dollars and a half, and had with 
 me the Arab servant, who spoke Italian, who had 
 been recommended by Mr. Spurrier. There were 
 four men to manage the canjea. I had great trou- 
 ble to get out several Arabs and Turks who had 
 come on board as passengers. I had to drive them 
 out of the boat after it had shoved off from the 
 shore. I was obliged to take a firm stand of cou- 
 rage, by taking the sailing pole, and so shoved the 
 boat to shore, and Mr. Spurrier, who had come to 
 see me off, assisted in driving them out. Mr. Bur- 
 ton was on board a much larger canjea, he having 
 two young men with him, and a guard of the Pa- 
 cha's. We intended to proceed in company ; they 
 poled the boat for some distance along the canal, 
 then towed her with a long rope, the men walking 
 on the bank ; we stopped and viewed the Lake 
 Meriotes, w hich formerly, for an immense distance, 
 was level land, then partly a salt lake, but now it 
 is all covered with water. A fair wind came up, 
 and they hoisted a large trysail, and proceeded on 
 a few miles, when the wind came ahead, and they 
 run their boats ashore along the east side of the 
 
305 
 
 canal, very near Lake Meris. Here was an em- 
 bankment, which separated the lakes from the 
 canal on each side. We got out and went to see 
 Lake Meris, which appeared like frozen water, or 
 exactly like an ice pond, it being all an incrusta- 
 tion of salt, which indeed is excellent. The boat- 
 men got a large basket and bags, and filled them 
 with the salt. The sand blew about us at this 
 place so high as to make it difficult to keep the 
 eyes open. The wind continuing contrary, and 
 very high, we, as numbers of other boats, were 
 obliged to remain along the side of the canal. I 
 had articles of provision and wine, with bread, 
 &c., put up, and had to show them how to make 
 me force meat balls of their mutton and goat's 
 meat ; and I also bought a mattress, sheets, mus- 
 ketoe net, towels, cork-screws, knives, forks, &c. ; 
 with a teapot, and cooking utensils ; also charcoal 
 for fire, candles, &c., &c. We got under weigh at 
 about eight o'clock ; and, after proceeding up the 
 canal with a fair wind, at about ten, it blew a 
 perfect hurricane, and upset four canjeas, in one 
 of which was Mr. Burton, my companion, and with 
 him his two young men, and his conductor, an ofii- 
 cer of the Pacha. They were immersed in water as 
 the boat sunk ; but, by breaking in the side of the 
 cabin, which was of slight deal board, they just 
 escaped drowning ; luckily she sunk at the side of 
 the canal. We, in our boat, providentially escaped 
 by letting the sail fly, which run my canjea ashore, 
 
 39 
 
30G rapelje's narrative. 
 
 near Mr. Burton's boat ; he and bis tbree other 
 companions were wet to the skin. I made them 
 come into my boat, and gave them all dry clothes, 
 and they stayed with me all the rest of the night. 
 Mr. Burton met with a very serious loss, as every ar- 
 ticle of his baggage was perfectly water-soaked ; his 
 chemical laboratory, mineralogical implemer.' 
 and all his botanizing apparatus, book? 
 charts, prints, furniture, cooking mat ■ 
 cines, guns, clothes, &c., &c. ; all iia 
 
 numerous other articles, (^^ ' .-, and 
 
 provisions of every kini i ; but, by 
 
 having the Pacha's cava?t ais sergeants- 
 
 at-arms, as his conductor, he uivi with less of a 
 loss than he otherwise would have done. During 
 the night the canal boatmen dived into the water, 
 and got some boxes and chests to land, also a 
 thousand dollars in silver. 
 
 Monday, April 22d. — By order, and in the name 
 of the Pacha, as he is absolute, they are in danger 
 of losing their heads not to obey his orders or 
 those of his sergeant-at-arms. Two large bon's 
 were ordered to stop, which they instantly •' 
 and assisted in hoisting up the boat, and every a 
 tide was landed, but perfectly water-soaked, and 
 many entirely ruined, which cannot be replaced 
 without sending to England for them. From the 
 three other boats that upset and sunk, it was said 
 four persons were drowned. I saw one whom they 
 had got up and laid on shore; there were three 
 
rapelje's narrative, 307 
 
 men and one female ; they were either Turks or 
 Arabs, or Armenians, I knew not which. The air 
 during the upsetting of the boats, was pierced with 
 the cries and shrieks of the Turks and Arabs, as 
 in such cases they give themselves up to despair, 
 and begin praying. This course, I had often heard 
 r and now found it verified ; they make no effort 
 1 preservation. I was most providen- 
 ce boats that upset, were before 
 >e squalls came on all of a 
 suaden ; tu- 'town from the banks, 
 
 mixed with sm. ells, about the size of a 
 
 muscle shell, some larger and some smaller, and 
 perfectly filled the air about us like driving hail- 
 stones. I breathed the sand and dust so much as 
 to feel it between my teeth, when I opened or put 
 them together, even with my lips closed, so pene- 
 trating was this fine dust. The sheet around me, 
 and the floor of my cabin was literally covered 
 with small kinds of musketoes, gnats, or flying bogs, 
 and ' Mny fleas, large spiders, and cockroaches 
 re, and rats in other parts of the boat ; 
 r.er often running through the small cabin, 
 emained all day where my companion's boat 
 sunk. They had the boat bailed out before night, 
 and all their effects again on board ; but tlicy 
 remained with me in my cabin during the night ; 
 thinking it safer not to go on till morning, on ac- 
 count of last night's misfortune, and hearing of 
 many boats' upsetting by the hurricane, which 
 
308 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 was an unprecedented occurrence at this time of 
 the year. 
 
 Tuesday, April, 23d. — We got under way at 
 seven in the morning ; the weather was fine, clear, 
 and pleasant, during yesterday, last night, and 
 to-day. Sometimes we were towed by our Arab 
 boatmen, when the wind failed, and sailing when 
 it blew a fair wind ; so that, alternately sailing 
 and towing, we made considerable progress. The 
 banks on each side of the canal appeared alluvial 
 soil, of the blackest and richest kind, and of a 
 crumbling nature. We ccustantly passed boats 
 with corn and merchandize, and passengers ; those 
 that carry loads only are called geicnnSj and small 
 ones, for passengers, called cajijca, or kanga, one of 
 which I had hired ; other larger ones, for taking 
 both passengers and goods, are called maishes. 
 The boatmen, and others of the Turks and Arabs, 
 called one Hadjaic, or Pilgrim going to the Holy 
 Land. This canal was cut by the present Pacha 
 a few years ago. He is absolute over his subjects, 
 and had two hundred and forty thousand men em- 
 ployed, and forty thousand lost their lives in labor- 
 ing at it, although they were only obliged to work 
 at it a few hours each day. The rais, or captain 
 of our boats, stopped in the evening, and went 
 ashore to get bread, and remained all night. A 
 number of vessels, loaded with soldiers, (Arabs) 
 passed us, going down the river to Alexandria, to 
 prosecute the war against the Greeks. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 309 
 
 Wednesday, April 24th. — There was heavy- 
 rain, thunder and lightning, last night, while we 
 lay on the canal. We got under weigh, with a 
 fair wind, at day-light; and, as I have observed 
 before, the wind and weather constantly changing 
 every few hours. It fell nearly calm, and they 
 alternately towed and sailed; and, at last, came 
 into the Rosetta, a branch of the Nile, here about 
 a quarter of a mile wide, and just above the oppo- 
 site point where the canal enters it, is the town of 
 Touire. Heie we stopped, and got milk, sugar, 
 &c., and sugar-cane. Here, for the first time since 
 I entered Egypt, I saw any thing like vegetation ; 
 and it opened before us, after coming out of the 
 barren banks of the canal, with all the enchant- 
 ment that romance has given to the East, and 
 particularly to this noble river. The gardens 
 along the banks are filled with the palm, date, and 
 other trees, with their blossoms sending forth the 
 delightful perfumes of the East, to regale our 
 senses. I now found myself in a diflferent country 
 from any I had yet been in. Here w^ere oxen, or 
 buffaloes, and camels, and all domestic animals, 
 lining its banks. There were birds, in immense 
 flocks, in the air. Oxen, buffaloes, and jackasses 
 were employed in turning a wheel connected to a 
 rope, over a drum, or barrel, which rope goes to 
 the water, directly perpendicularly below, let in 
 there by a ditch out from the river ; and to this 
 rope are fastened pottery, jars of about half a gal- 
 
310 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Ion, which go down on one side empty, comins: up 
 full on tlie other. It is a piece of machinery like 
 chain pumps; and, in my opinion, it is impossible 
 for the art of man, with all the modern improve- 
 ments, to invent a hydraulic machine more 
 simple, or less expensive, or one requiring less 
 power to raise so much water in so short a space 
 of time. The Arabs, along the banks of thr rive 
 at Fauice, are very numerous ; n^- 
 of passengers constantly arriv' 
 makes it all life and bustle. i-n 
 
 rowing, have a peculiar quick mg, to which 
 
 the oars keep time. The town small, the streets 
 very narrow, not more, generally, than six feet 
 wide. I remained all day. Mr. Burnet, my com- 
 panion, had an express sent him, that a large 
 maish was coming to take him to Cairo, and for 
 which we remained all day. 
 
 Thursday, April 25th. — As Mr. Burnet's maish 
 did not arrive, I proceeded on at eight in the 
 morning, in my canjea. Although we had s^o- - •^" 
 boats, we kept constant company togeti 
 were on board of each others boat to brt 
 dine, and sup, alternately. Opposite Fouic. 
 is an island. We took the right hand branch of 
 the Nile, going up, and, after a few miles, got to a 
 small town called Salmacia. The cultivation 
 above the low land banks is carried on, as far as 
 I could judge from a view from the boat, to great 
 perfection ; now and then a group of date or 
 
rapelje's narrative. 311 
 
 palm trees, with the verdure that lines the banks 
 on each side, make it beautiful sailing up the great 
 river ; and all along I heard the squeaking of wood 
 upon wood, being the wheels the oxen were turn- 
 ing every few hundred yards, all along the banks, 
 to irrigate the corn fields, and in which they employ 
 many cattle. For the whole season it must be 
 continued, or there would be no crops, for want 
 of rain, which seldom falls, but the dews are ex- 
 cessive. I then passed two other towns, a short 
 distance further. Gauffer, Shehessor, and, on the 
 opposite, on the left, is Gauffer, and Jilme ; we 
 passed numberless towns and villages ; and 
 the whole bank, on each side, is like a con- 
 tinued village, with their ships, and machines for 
 1 rawing water. Women, girls, and boys were at 
 ork ; boats passing and repassing, crossing and 
 ■crossing, made it, as it were, one continued 
 livc.j village. Here were seen fertile fields of 
 wheat, " arly fit to cut, bowing with heavy 
 loaded grain, and there, a mosque, or bais rear- 
 ing its columns, with beautiful white country 
 h.^uses interspersed. The surface of the level 
 fields, which is the same all along the Nile, 
 on each side, are about from three to six, or eight, 
 or ten feet above the river. There are lots of idle 
 Turks, or Arabs, sitting on the ground along 
 the banks, wherever there is a town or village, 
 also numbers of camels, goats, sheep, horses, jack- 
 asses, oxen, cows, geese ; and buffaloes, in great 
 
312 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 droves, lying with only their noses out of the river. 
 The water is superior to any I ever drank ; so 
 soft, so sweet, and so healthy, notwithstanding 
 what may have been said to the contrary. In 
 the evening we stopped at one of the numerous 
 villages along the shore, and got some milk and 
 butter; and, just before sunset, while the wind 
 slackened, we got out, and walked on the right 
 hand, or western, or Afric bank of the Nile. The 
 bank was about twelve or sixteen feet high here, 
 and the country level, and a very rich soil. The 
 wheat was just turning color ; the stem is short, 
 and the heads also, and bearded, but have plump 
 grains. On this side, my Arabic servant told me, 
 the water did not overflow, but just come up level 
 with the earth on the bank. The river has been 
 as near as I could judge, from three to five, or six 
 hundred feet wide in its course. At this time I 
 was, I suppose, a hundred and twenty miles from 
 Alexandria. 
 
 Friday, April 26th. — We laid close to the bank 
 all night, the wind being ahead ; in the morning 
 at seven, proceeded, the boatmen alternately sail- 
 ing, stopping, rowing, and towing; the wind, it 
 seems, blows fair from the north ; the boatmen 
 have a peculiar boat song, when rowing, sitting, 
 or towing ; it consists of a recitation of five notes, 
 being a response of the same, continually repeated 
 over by the men, to a recitation of the captain or 
 helmsman of also five notes or five syllables, com- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 313 
 
 posing- a verse or line, the last word always rhy- 
 ming with the last of all the laborers' response ; 
 and indeed it is very melodious to the ear, although 
 at first it may seem harsh, when unaccustomed to 
 such music. It is much the same as the sailor's 
 " Ho, heave, ho !" thus encouraging themselves, as it 
 were, to lessen labor. The weather was delight- 
 fully fine, cool nights, and not over hot by day. 
 We stopped at a village called Magela, where we 
 got eggs, bread, and onions. The houses were 
 all made of mud bricks, unbaked, and very low 
 like huts. The words of the boat tune by the 
 oarsmen are. Aha, hala, saw, and of the captain, 
 Jolem, ha, ha, sol, valuara, oulatique, no o aswa- 
 salaw a, ha, sa, loo, a, ha, wau, ca, la, winheison, 
 waula, ba, da, awa, &c. Along the shore of the 
 Nile, you are seldom out of the sight of girls, with 
 water jars to get water, all of the tawny drab 
 race ; and, in the middle of the day, the women, 
 girls, and children, the last in numbers naked, all 
 plunging in the river, and swimming like fish. The 
 females wear a kind of blue frock, and nothing 
 else, and that is loose like a shift, and comes down 
 only to their knees ; they plunge in with this on, 
 and, when over their middle, they hand it to a 
 companion that is not a swimming ; one day I saw 
 two swim to the middle of the river. I was in my 
 boat passing. If I had been nearer, likely they 
 would not have exhibited their alertness or trial 
 of skill in swimming. During the day, we passed 
 
 40 
 
314 kai'elje's nakkative. 
 
 a number of villages, and the same observations 
 may serve with respect to all things as yesterday; 
 the boat going on with a fine fair wind ; at ten 
 we were about thirty miles from Cairo. 
 
 Saturday, April 27th. — At about eleven last 
 night, the boat struck her bow ashore at a village 
 called Souiac Trousine ; it was absolutely neces- 
 sary, I found, for the men to stop every night, 
 which is the case, to get some rest and sleep ; as 
 there were four men, the captain included, it re- 
 quired their constant attention, even when the 
 wind was fair, which often blew so hard in squalls 
 as to require one to hold on the sheet of the sail, 
 ready to let go, as the wind falls, and then the cur- 
 rent being so strong, they either row, sit with 
 poles, or tow her ; and she often runs on a sand- 
 bank, when they have to pole her off, which they 
 soon do. We got some milk and butter at the 
 town before we started ; we then went on, and 
 saw several boats loaded with Turkish soldiers, 
 some going up, and some down the river. Al- 
 though the middle of the day was warm, at night 
 I was glad of a couple of blankets ; the mornings 
 and evenings are delightful, and I could easily bear 
 a great coat. We passed two villages a few miles 
 above, one each side of the river ; one was a short 
 distance above the other. I saw droves of sheep 
 and goats along the banks, and numbers of cows, 
 bullocks, and buffaloes in the river. Both men 
 and boys were riding on the backs of the buffaloes, 
 
RAPELJE S NARRATIVE. 
 
 tending the large drove that were in the river, 
 with their whole bodies immersed, the tops of their 
 backs and heads only above water; the cattle 
 seemed to delight and enjoy themselves in being 
 in this delightful river; the water has, indeed, a 
 peculiar sweet flavor, and is quite soft. A number 
 of Turks and Arabs, men, women, and children, 
 were sitting around a circle on the sand, the 
 women by themselves, and also the children, near 
 the water, all along the river ; and about this place 
 for the first time, I observed the beach covered 
 with small stones or pebbles. The river was 
 here very winding and of very different widths ; it 
 is wider here than elsewhere ; there are so many 
 mouths through the Delta, is the cause of this 
 beginning to widen, as I was nearly approaching 
 where all the branches join ; as I thought, it must 
 be a short distance below Grand Cairo, which I 
 was most anxiously looking out to see, and hoped 
 every moment to get a glimpse of what has been 
 my principal inducement for visiting Cairo, the 
 great wonder of the world, the Pyramids. I pass- 
 ed Tries, and some few miles above, we put ashore 
 the boat and slept there all night. 
 
 Sunday, April 28th. — We started at daylight; 
 the wind ahead, and had to tow the boat. I got 
 out and walked on the right bank of the Nile, and 
 had a fine sight of the pyramids at Gaza. I saw 
 two which were very huge, and which looked like 
 little mountains, and one smaller. As the wind 
 
316 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 became favorable, we returned to the boat, and 
 got to Grand Cairo at twelve. My baggage was 
 examined at the shore, at a place or town called 
 Bulac, about a good mile and a half from Cairo. 
 I got on a donkey, and my baggage was put on an- 
 other, and I may say my furniture also, and my 
 man Friday, or Arab servant, and donkey driver 
 along side, running on foot. We rode to Cairo, 
 and put up at the French or Garden Hotel, and 
 miserable enough it was. I saw Capt. Gordon, of 
 the British royal navy ; he was very civil and po- 
 lite ; I went with him to visit the English Consul, 
 Mr. Salt, who was very kind and civil, and is a 
 very agreeable man. I also met there a Mr. Ross. 
 I then went to Mr. Delavaratore, to whom I deli- 
 vered a letter of credit from Mr. Gliddon of Alex- 
 andria, who also offered me his services. This 
 Grand Cairo is indeed a wretched hole, the streets 
 very narrow, not above three, four, and five feet 
 wide ; the upper windows projecting, and nearly 
 touch each other. Along the banks of the Nile it 
 is pleasant, but the sand or dust, like an impalpa- 
 ble powder, pervades your clothes, mouth, skin, 
 and is very disagreeable to the eyes. 
 
 Monday, April, 29th. — I went at six o'clock in 
 the morning, in company with Capt. Robert 
 James Gordon, of the royal navy, each mounted on 
 a donkey, to visit the great wonders of the world, 
 the pyramids at Gaza, about eight miles from 
 Cairo. We pa.ssed Old Cairo, and its ruins, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 317 
 
 examined the barracks, which is a large building. 
 I saw also in passing the field, or campus mars, a 
 small pavilion, where the Pacha comes to see the 
 horsemen and troops perform their evolutions 
 and martial exercises, such as throwing the javelin 
 while running their fine Arabian horses at full 
 speed, stopping, and turning suddenly. In these, 
 and other feats of the kind, they are very expert. 
 We then crossed over the ferry, by the Island, 
 the ancient Memphis, where the Nilometer is now 
 inclosed in a large building, being an instrument 
 to show the rising and falling of the Nile; but 
 persons are not allowed to see it without a permit. 
 We passed also the famous ancient aqueduct, a 
 short distance before we got to the ferry. Two 
 men, one each side the donkey, joining hands 
 under him, raised him off the ground, and carried 
 and sat him down on the boat. We then landed at 
 Gaza, opposite, and rode about four or five miles 
 over a beautiful plain of well cultivated fields, 
 with a rich soil, abounding in crops of wheat and 
 barley, just ripe. They were then just plucking 
 the flax. We also passed very large flocks at 
 pasture. There were there droves of goats, 
 sheep, buffaloes, bulls, oxen, cows, camels, and 
 horses ; and some, or most of the cattle, were of a 
 superior stock, beautiful and elegantly formed ; 
 and many of them of a very large breed, espe- 
 cially the cows, and other neat cattle. The 
 horses were small, but well turned, and in good 
 
318 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 condition. These flocks and herds were to be 
 seen as far as the eye could reach, over this rich 
 valley, and over which the Nile flows, and causes 
 its fertility. When approaching within half a 
 mile from the pyramids, the sandy desert com- 
 menced, and the surface of the ground began gra- 
 dually to rise, but appeared drifted sand, which 
 surrounds the pyramids. They are immense piles 
 of stone ; the largest one which I paced along one 
 side, two hundred and thirty-eight paces ; that 
 is now the base to appearance along the present 
 surface of the rubbish and sand ; and they suppose 
 the foundation is as much as two hundred and 
 forty feet lower ; its vertical height now above the 
 present surface, is about four hundred and fifty 
 feet, and its sides inclining to an angle of about 
 sixty degrees ; the other large one, which is very 
 little less in size, stands near to it, about six hun- 
 dred feet apart ; and is rather of an acute angle, 
 and the outside stone work, not put together so 
 well, and is much more difficult to ascend, and, 
 indeed, thought impracticable ; but the gentleman 
 wiiom I accompanied to visit them, with a full re- 
 solution and determination, I saw ascend quite to 
 the top of the second pyramid, wiiich, it appeared, 
 had never been ascended by any one before, ex- 
 cept one, as Capt. Gordon found the name of Wil- 
 kinson there only. The top he described, as about 
 ten feet square, formed by one stone, covering the 
 top, with ancient characters. From a key to 
 
rapelje's narrative. 319 
 
 them, it was translated from one or two of the 
 characters, Secret Egypt^ meaning, I suppose, in- 
 closed in the pyramid. Capt. Gordon had the 
 greatest difficulty to get over a projecting case- 
 ment, about one-third of the way from the top, 
 that still incloses the top, and which, in many 
 places, afforded not more than two or three inches 
 to set his feet on. To ascend this casement was a 
 perilous undertaking ; for the stones and mortar 
 crumbled like dust under his feet, having been 
 there for how many thousand years, is unknown ; 
 a constant decay is going on. The whole case- 
 ment of the largest one is fallen, although that is 
 the best built pile. I saw him from the top, and 
 was relieved from much anxiety, as I thought it 
 impossible he could ever get there safe, although 
 three Arabs accompanied him ; but those he had 
 constantly to encourage, as they were often at a 
 loss to find a hold for their feet. I entered the 
 great pyramid, Avith an Italian, who was com- 
 panion to Mr. Cavillia, employed by Mr. Salt to 
 explore about the pyramids. They treated us with 
 every mark of> attention and hospitality. They 
 are settled in some of the ancient tombs, or sepul- 
 chres, all hewn out of the solid rock ; but it must 
 have been soft stone. They lived there like the 
 peaceful hermit ; they obliged us to stay and dine, 
 and showed us every mark of civility and atten- 
 tion. We went into a passage, about mid-day, of 
 the pyramids, of about four or five feet wide. Our 
 
320 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 way led downwards, each carrying a lighted wax 
 candle. After ten or fourteen paces descent, we 
 ascended agam a standing passage of four or 
 five feet wide, and of considerahle height, and 
 arrived at a royal chamber of about twenty by 
 thirty feet, where was a large sarcophagus empty, 
 and sounded, by striking it with a stone, like West- 
 minster bell. This was supposed to be the king's 
 chamber. I entered by another passage into 
 another chamber, smaller, called the queen's. 
 There were men now at work, digging through 
 some rock to find out other chambers, which they 
 think they have a clue to. They showed me the 
 pit that descends to the well, very deep in the 
 interior. I had no wish to go down into the 
 awful chasm. I had to enter and return through 
 some of the passages, for a short distance, in a 
 crouching, bending posture, being only about four 
 feet high. It was not very difiicult ; some little 
 climbing was necessary; but I was pleased to 
 return from this astonishing labyrinth to the 
 light of day again. I suppose we traversed about 
 two hundred feet, or more, from the entrance to 
 the king's chamber. We saw there an immense 
 stone of granite, covering over the centre of this 
 chamber, of twenty-five feet long, and six or eight 
 feet wide, and four feet thick; the sides of it, also, 
 and the passages to it, were mostly granite ; many 
 of the stones were eight feet, or more, long, and 
 wide and thick in proportion, and laid with as 
 
rapelje's narrative. 321 
 
 close a level and even joint, as if fixed by a cabi- y. 
 net maker. The exterior is a kind of limestone, 
 which seems fast going to ruins. I then viewed 
 the sphynx. It is an immense human head, with- 
 out arms ; the head is of beautiftd proportion ; it 
 is joined to a lion's body, the paws stretched out 
 sixty feet before it, and it has an immense back, 
 in a recumbent position. The head has been found 
 lately. The sand has covered the paws and back 
 nearly over ; the head and body are still high 
 above the surface; about thirty feet, or perhaps 
 more. It is about thirty feet in diameter. The 
 outside appeared of harder cement than the inte- 
 rior, and of a darker color. It is, I believe, solid, 
 that is, one plastic ; but it is falling to pieces, and 
 decaying, as large holes are made in several parts 
 of the mass ; it seems fast mouldering away. We 
 returned in the evening quite tired, 
 
 Tuesday, April 30th. — I visited the cellar under 
 a small chapel, now of the Copts or Greeks, which 
 they showed me, and seemed to speak with confi- 
 dence, that Jesus Christ was there taken by his 
 mother, the virgin Mary, when he came into the 
 land of Egypt, as ordered, for the fear of Herod. 
 We then went in another direction, on a hill, and 
 saw an oblong square, very deep, which is said to 
 be Jacob's well. They are constantly drawing 
 water from it by oxen or bufi'aloes in the same 
 manner as the water is drawn up along the Nile, 
 
 41 
 
322 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 with earthen jars or buckets around a wheel, 
 fixed to a cord or rope, and acting as a chain pump. 
 
 There are two sets of wheels, and it is so deep 
 that one set is worked by oxen, half way down, 
 where there is a reservoir. I parted with my 
 Arab servant and took another one, a Portuguese, 
 who spoke Arabic and English. He conducted 
 me to these places. The citadel now incloses 
 Jacob's well. Most of the city is mouldering 
 away, and is in a ruinous state. The weather is 
 quite hot ; Fahrenheit's thermometer is up to 
 eighty-five in the shade, and in a room against a 
 plastered wall. 
 
 Wednesday, May 1st. — I was visited by the 
 English Consul, Mr. Salt, and dined with Mr. Gor- 
 don and a Mr. Osman, who is drogoman to the Eng- 
 lish Consul, and he conducted us to the bazaars, 
 and also to the citadel, where we descended into 
 Jacob's well. It is a hundred and fifty feet deep, 
 and we went down about two-thirds of the way, 
 Avhere oxen were turning a wheel which raises 
 water from one reservoir to another at the top. 
 We next went to the Caliph's tombs, which are a 
 great curiosity. They are square buildings, like 
 houses, with a dome on each, which is from ten to 
 twenty feet in diameter. Some had large fluted 
 ridges from the top to the base ; others are diflfer- 
 ently ornamented with fanciful figures carved on 
 them. The stone is soft when first taken from 
 
rapelje's narrative. 323 
 
 the quarries, and afterwards grows harder. Tlie 
 weather this day w^as very warm ; the thermome- 
 ter rose to ninety in the shade. 
 
 Thursday, May 2d. — I dined with Mr. Salt and 
 his wife, wiio is quite handsome and pleasant ; I 
 also saw her mother, both of whom w^ere Italians ; 
 also a Mr. Brown, a traveller, Mr. Santini, cancil- 
 laria, and Mr. Ross. Mr. Salt has one child, a 
 very handsome infant, fourteen months old. Mr. 
 Burton, Capt. Gordon, and a Swedish baron, took 
 tea with us. The latter w^as making an experi- 
 ment to find out an improvement on the Congreve 
 rocket. The thermometer in the shade this after- 
 noon was up to ninety-three. It seldom rains 
 here. 
 
 I here insert an extempore by Capt. Gordon, 
 while sitting with me a few minutes; our rooms 
 were next to each other. I was going with him to 
 Thebes, but the weather was so hot and requiring 
 a larger boat, I gave it up, and thought to return 
 to America, going first to the Red Sea, and Jeru- 
 salem, and then by the way of Russia, &c. 
 
 Far from your land, you now do boldly roam, 
 Nor think of wife and cheerful friends at home, 
 For Thebes' glories you must see at last, 
 Those lofty masses braving every blast. 
 But yesterday, some pompous king, I ween. 
 Some upstart chieftain, or some lovely queen, 
 Gave costly banquets, did, as monarchs now, 
 And made, no doubt, a busy, splendid show. 
 To-day, what see you near that ancient town ? 
 What is there worthy of the great renown, 
 
324 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Which poets sing of, and historians praise "? 
 The granite column was not worth their lays : 
 Beheve me truly ; risk not life to see 
 These great remains of immortality. 
 Return to Russia, leave this sickly strand, 
 And gladly reach your own, your free-born land. 
 
 Friday, May 3d. — I went to get a firman from 
 the consul, and to get my passports endorsed, 
 who said he would obtain for me a firman from 
 the Pacha. I visited a large building erected by 
 the Pacha for a manufactory of different kinds of 
 wares. The Swedish baron introduced me to a 
 Mr. Jumel, French or Italian, who was superin- 
 tendent. I wrote a long letter to Mrs. Rapelje, 
 and left it with the English Consul, Mr. Salt. 
 
 Saturday, May 4th. — I went to see the Pacha's 
 garden, about four miles down the river Nile ; 
 where there were trees of all kinds of fruit ; the 
 grounds were laid out very handsomely. In the 
 inside, in some parts, are elegant baths which I did 
 not see, neither the interior of the palace, owing 
 to my not having any one along with me but the 
 mule driver. I would recommend it to all travel- 
 lers to take gold or silver with them to this place ; 
 for I foimd it very difficult to get even fifty dollars 
 on a letter of credit which I had for upwards of 
 three hundred. I found Capt. Gordon to be a gen- 
 tleman of great talent and research, amiable, and 
 worthy in every particular. He was going alone 
 to discover the source of the Nile, and I sincerely 
 wished that every success might attend him. The 
 
rapelje's narrative. 325 
 
 following lines, written by Inm, I ann sure will 
 prove acceptable to my reader. 
 
 Far from that land, where Freedom sweetly smiles, 
 
 You quit your wife for England's fertile isles; 
 
 See France, and Naples, Smyrna, and Seslos, 
 
 The Pyramids, and wonders near Pharos ; 
 
 The winding Nile, the Well of Jacob, too. 
 
 The town of Cairo, and its buildings new ; 
 
 The worlvs which Egypt's haughty chieftain made, 
 
 The glittering soldiers, at their gay parade ; 
 
 The dusky lasses, with their teeth so white. 
 
 The slaves their market, prospect of delight; 
 
 And now for ITiebes you are to go at last, 
 
 To see those Ruins braving every blast ; 
 
 Those splendid columns, and those tombs so old ; 
 
 Those faqades, arches, and their sculpture bold. 
 
 Forgive me, friend, nor risk your life in vain, 
 
 If you should fall, to wife and friends what pain ! 
 
 Ah, quit this pesty and infectious strand, 
 
 And go, by Russia, to your native land ; 
 
 Embrace your wife, and cultivate your farm. 
 
 Keep neighbors cheerful, and yourself from harm; 
 
 Let younger men Jerusalem's wonders see, 
 
 You 've done enough for immortality. 
 
 If this advice should meet your kind regard, 
 
 The writer then will have a great reward, 
 
 To feel, and know, he strives not now in vain. 
 
 But warns you back to Freedom's land again. 
 
 R. J. Gordon. 
 
 Sunday, May 5tli. — I endeavored to get camels, 
 or dromedaries, to go to Suez, on the Red Sea; 
 but the English tried to discourage me from going 
 all they could. I did not know why. 
 
 Monday, 3Iay 6th. — I went to see chickens 
 hatched in ovens ; a very curious process. The 
 ovens are square, small apartments, two together, 
 above one another, each about two or three feet 
 
326 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 high, and about six by eight feet square, with an 
 ajDerture like the mouth of an oven, for a man to 
 go in and fix, and turn, and regulate the eggs. 
 There were eight or ten ovens, and seven thousand 
 eggs in each. There is a circular hole of about eight 
 or ten inches across, of communication between 
 the upper and under oven, both of which can only 
 be reckoned as one ; for the eggs are first put in the 
 under one, on a kind of short straw, or horse litter. 
 The fire is made in the upper one, of horse or 
 camel's litter, sand or clay, and straw, mixed 
 together, and is kept of a gradual heat for ten 
 days. The eggs are then taken and placed in the 
 upper oven ; first removing the fire, and, in ten 
 days more, the chickens begin to appear. This 
 was at Gaza, opposite to the Island of Memphis, 
 called by the Arabs, Rhodes. 
 
 Tuesday, May 7th. — This morning, at about 
 eleven, I started off on a donkey, and my baggage 
 and provisions on a camel, for Suez. The camel 
 owner, or driver, or contractor, agreed to come for 
 me at daylight this morning, as I heard there was 
 a caravan going. This was found me by Osman, 
 one of the English consul's drogomen, and no- 
 thing, it seemed, could be done without him. He 
 was a Scotchman, made a Turk. He agreed with 
 the camel owners to take me to Suez, about 
 seventy miles ; and to have thirty piastres, or two 
 dollars and a half, for one camel, as I had no 
 servant, finding them both troublesome and ex- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 327 
 
 pensive, and those that pretend to speak English 
 and Arabic, I could seldom be satisfied with, 
 they speaking both one and the other unintelligi- 
 bly. Having paid the driver half of the money 
 beforehand, he went with me, on a donkey, about 
 three or four miles out on the desert, towards 
 Suez, where he put my mattress in one of the 
 tents of the Arabs, with my other things, and left 
 me the camel, and a boy ; and, I suppose, returned 
 to Cairo, on the donkey. About thirty yards from 
 this Arab village, I saw several men. Tents 
 were pitched there, and the Arabs were waiting, 
 but I knew not for what; but they were going to 
 Suez. This was the caravan I was to join ; and 
 this, no doubt, the place of meeting. It may 
 easily be imagined how any one like myself would 
 have felt, not understanding Arabic ; however, I 
 had got a little patience by travelling, or I should 
 have been outrageous, for I remained in the 
 wandering Arabs' tents all day ; but I found them 
 very civil. An old woman was the inhabitant 
 of my particular tent, and her man was in and out 
 during the day. The women, with their children, 
 girls, and boys, came around the tent, and, at last, 
 when having confidence, would come near, and 
 squat down around me, on the ground ; I giving 
 the children some small presents, of a thin, small, 
 metal coin, called ^xtre, equal to the hundredth 
 part of a dollar. Those Arabs, although a wild 
 race of people, are as much alarmed, especially the 
 
328 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 females, at seeing a person in a different dress 
 from theirs, as we should be at meeting a savage 
 in the wilderness of America. They, however, 
 are very craving, and jealous of each other; and 
 the old woman of my hut could not bear to see 
 me give to any of the Arabs but her own family ; 
 and I had like to have made great quarrels in the 
 Arab wigwam by my presents. 
 
 Wednesday, May 8th. — I slept last night on 
 the sand, in the Arab tent, surrounded by the wild 
 Bedouins, but was easy in my mind as if I had 
 slept in my own house. By travelling, it seems, 
 I had got rid of fear ; and, as I found them well 
 disposed during the day, I therefore had confi- 
 dence in them at night ; but I was tormented 
 with fleas without number, during the whole 
 night ; but it was cool enough ; the wind, indeed, 
 at intervals, blew chilly, and cold ; but in the day, 
 the sun shone suffocatingly hot, and flies, as well 
 as the before named insects, were numerous, and, 
 I believe, came to us as plagues of Egypt ; and, 
 indeed, plagues they were. Those who have not 
 seen Egypt can have no conception of their num- 
 bers, or the torture they can inflict. I remained 
 all day at the Arab village, had some chickens 
 cooked, made some soup, and ate a tolerable din- 
 ner, of three chickens, distributing to the male 
 bystanders bread, and chickens to the women. 
 
 Thursday, JMay 9th. — I waited, as I said 
 before, contented at the Arabs' tent ; and cam- 
 
329 
 
 els continued to come all day to join the cara- 
 van. 
 
 Friday, May 10th. — At six in the evening, the 
 Arabs began to load the camels of the great cara- 
 van, which was done in about an hour. This scene 
 beggared all description. There were tents and 
 marquees, and palanquins, and Turks, and Greeks, 
 and Americans, and Arabs, with all their different 
 casts ; with turbans, cloaks, and sashes of all 
 colors and sizes; men, women and children, all 
 preparing. At last I got my provisions in a bas- 
 ket on one side, and my portmanteau on the other 
 side, fastened with cords to the camel, my mattress 
 on the top of his back ; they made the camels get 
 up and lie down at pleasure, and all lie down 
 while loading them, their legs bent under ; as soon 
 as my mattress was on his back, I sat upon the top. 
 They contrived the saddling and loading in such a 
 way, as the hump on his back came just before 
 where I sat, which could not be seen when he 
 was loaded. Thus mounted, he got up as it 
 were, to me, like a mountain rising under me ; 
 however, I soon contrived to regulate myself to his 
 motions ; and the sight was now singular. Here 
 were proceeding together a motley group of men, 
 mounted on camels, with some on horses, there 
 being a guard of about twenty horsemen. The 
 women and children, only about a dozen, being 
 one, or two, or three harems of the gentlemen, 
 were mostly in their palanquins, with some few on 
 
 42 
 
330 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the tops of the camels' backs, and others "between 
 the camels, one going before and the other behind, 
 and the palanquin on two poles. Here was a sight 
 of about three hundred camels, some with their 
 loads and riders, and some without riders ; the 
 camel drivers running along side on foot ; the 
 guards generally on horseback, with a few mount- 
 ed on asses. All these together made a most curi- 
 ous scene. The sun was just setting, and, after 
 the oppressive heat of the day, this hour was 
 delightful and pleasant. I suppose all together in 
 the caravan, with jackasses, mules, horses, and 
 men running on foot, there must have been at least 
 five hundred. 
 
 Saturday, May 11th. — I travelled all night on 
 the camel, a motion, as soon as one becomes used 
 to it, which is not very uneasy. About an hour after 
 sunrise, the caravan stopped, unloaded the camels, 
 and rested during the heat of the day, in the sandy 
 plain or desert. They pitched their marquees 
 and tents, those who had them ; others put up 
 blankets, &c., to screen them from the piercing, 
 arid effects of the hot sun. I fixed my blanket, 
 and screened myself by putting up my portman- 
 teau on its end. I also borrowed a .short pole, one 
 end of which I fixed in the sand, and strapped the 
 other to the upper part of tlie portmanteau, and to 
 the top of this upright pole, I fastened one end of 
 a cord, and the other end to a couple of baskets I 
 had set on one another, and over it put my blanket. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 331 
 
 which formed me in miniature my sheltering tent. 
 It answered while I lay or sat under it. to keep off 
 the dreadful piercing heat, which was very great. 
 In the corners of the blanket I laid stones to keep 
 it out. I ate my provisions of bread, cheese, and 
 some Bologna sausages ; and had some limes and 
 oranges, which I found very grateful by squeezing 
 them in water, and adding some sugar. Towards 
 sunset the camels were again loaded, which was a 
 scene of calling and bellowing, and the Mahome- 
 tans praying and the Arabs running to and fro, 
 like moving on a May day in New- York, all in an 
 uproar ; in fact, the latter scene was not equal to 
 it. We got on again, mounted, and each with his 
 jar of water hanging by the side of his camel. 
 The heat was so great as to create such a sad 
 thirst, that every little while I found I wanted 
 water to quench it. 
 
 Sunday, May 12th. — I rode all last night and 
 encamped again all this day as yesterday. There 
 was a respectable old gentleman, a Turk, who 
 had a large marquee, who permitted me to remain 
 under it during the day; at night we marched 
 again. The night was cool and pleasant, with a 
 fresh wind near morning. 
 
 Monday, May 13th. — Last night was the third 
 night's march from Cairo. Just after daylight, we 
 stopped a few miles from Suez, at a watering- 
 place, where the camels drank. I walked around 
 the well to look for a good fountain of water, being 
 
332 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 only a few paces out of sight of the caravan, two 
 Arab Mameluke horseraen guards to our caravan, 
 belonging to the Governor of Egypt, whom I did 
 not suspect, but when just passing them, they 
 stepped towards me, making signs that I must 
 giv^e them some money, or they would shoot me, 
 both pointing their muskets cocked, at my body. 
 I endeavored to make them understand I had no 
 money ; they felt my pockets, and one grasping 
 my surtout coat pocket, the other thrust in his 
 hand, and took all tiie money I had about me, 
 being three silver dollars, and then let me go. As 
 soon as I came to the caravan, I gave information 
 to the governor of Mecca, but when I returned 
 with some other guards, which he ordered me, 
 they changed the disposition of their dresses 
 in an instant, and I could not swear to them. 
 These Arabs are the greatest thieves on earth, 
 and I thought myself fortunate in getting off so 
 well. They are never satisfied, give them what you 
 will. After paying them more than what is agreed 
 for, they still crave more. I was to pay thirty- 
 five piastres for the passage on the camel to Suez 
 from Cairo, about eighty miles ; yet I gave more, 
 but the owner was not content. Twelve piastres 
 and a half is a dollar. At this watering-place, T 
 had a fine view of the Red Sea and the town of 
 Suez ; and proceeding on, I saw on the right, to 
 the south, the mountain Itcha ; it was on the other 
 side ; and to the south of it, the children of Israel 
 
rapelje's narrative. 333 
 
 passed the Red Sea ; the place where Pharaoh and 
 his host were lost. The sea, in some places there, 
 is said to be quite shallow at low water, when it 
 was likely they passed through, but Pharaoh fol- 
 lowing, the tide came in, and overflowed them 
 before they got over. I got to Suez at about ten, 
 and put up at a Mr. Nicoli's, a Greek, who spoke a 
 little English, and acted as English Consul there. 
 The houses are miserable beyond description, with 
 floors as if rooted up by hogs ; the Avails are of 
 dirt, and every thing is in a forlorn situation. I 
 went with him to the Governor's and delivered my 
 passport. In the afternoon I took a walk along 
 the Red Sea shore, and there saw a number of 
 very curious shells ; a very large scolloped oyster 
 shell is found there, and an abundance and 
 variety of shell and other fish ; the weather is 
 very hot. 
 
 Tuesday, May 14th. — Suez is a miserable 
 place, inhabited principally by Egyptian Arabs. 
 This day I got myself an Arab dress. The heat 
 of the day was quite oppressive ; the night quite 
 cool. My horrid room fronted on the Red Sea. 
 They bring all the fresh water they drink in the 
 town, in boats ashore here, opposite my window ; 
 they get it from the opposite shore about three or 
 four miles off. It is all brought in skins, and is 
 very brackish ; these skins make it worse. 
 
 Wednesday, May 15th. — I wore my Arab's 
 dress for preservation, as they insult and think it 
 
334 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 no crime to rob and murder any one in the dress 
 of a Frank. I wrote a letter to Mrs. Rapelje, and 
 sent it on to the care of Mr. Salt, at Cairo ; also 
 wrote a letter to Messrs. Gliddon, Brothers & Co., 
 of Alexandria, to whom I had a letter of credit 
 to send me to Jaffa, as Mr. Lebaratore, to whom 
 he gave me one at Cairo, would not give me more 
 than fifty dollars, pretending the letter was not 
 made correct. There was a Dr. Meno, who came 
 on by the caravan from Italy; and I found him very 
 civil. I also met here a German traveller, making 
 astronomical observations, by the name of Rus- 
 sell, who had many valuable instruments. There 
 are many negroes and slaves here; and they have 
 a song for every thing they work at. The wea- 
 ther is very hot. 
 
 Thursday, May 16th. — I prepared provision 
 for my journey to Jerusalem. Meat could scarcely 
 be obtained ; only bread, milk, rice, and a little 
 lamb, with some fish. It is the most miserable 
 place I ever was at in my life. 
 
 Saturday, May 18th. — I walked along the Red 
 Sea to pick up shells ; and those I found were 
 plenty, and of various shapes and kinds, but their 
 fish having been washed up, with sand and stones 
 constantly driving over them, they w^ere all broken 
 and had lost their colors. 
 
 Sunday, May 19th. — At ten in the morning, I 
 went over across the Red Sea in a boat, to go to 
 Jerusalem, by the way of Gaza, on camels. I 
 
rapelje's narrative. 335 
 
 agreed with Selim, the camel driver, to take me 
 and my baggage, and find me water, for four dol- 
 lars. It is, as they call it, eight days' march 
 through or over the desert, above two hundred and 
 forty miles to Gaza, and about three hundred to 
 Jerusalem from Suez. The Red Sea at Suez is 
 very narrow, and quite shallow, not a mile across. 
 They poled the boat across the w hole way. About 
 a dozen small vessels lay at Suez, which, I sup- 
 pose, traded up and down the Red Sea. After 
 staying on my mattress, under my blanket, rigged 
 up, till sunset, I started with Selim, mounted on 
 my camel. There were only three other camels, 
 and all Bedouin, or wild Arabs, as drivers ; how- 
 ever, as the merchant, Mr, Michael Manuli, with 
 whom I staid, a Greek, recommended him as an 
 old driver, one knowing the roads, I feared not, 
 and rode on till midnight, when I pitched my 
 tent, such as it was, and slept till morning. 
 
 Monday, May 20th. — I mounted the camel at 
 daylight, and rode on through a desert till about 
 nine o'clock, stopping during the heat of the day. 
 In the afternoons and nights, that is, from about 
 four, p. M., till ten in the morning, the air is in the 
 desert, and on the borders of the sea, most delight- 
 fully pleasant; indeed, that part of the night near 
 morning, I found quite cold. There were no flies 
 there ; but we were constantly fanned with re- 
 freshing breezes, not too hot nor too cold ; and, 
 even during the great heat of the sun in the day, 
 
336 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the same refreshing breezes often passed over us. 
 As soon as we pitched our tents for the day, Selim 
 mixed up a large flat cake of flour, like rye meal, 
 and baked it on the ashes, throwing coals over it ; 
 then, when done, crumbled it to pieces on the in- 
 side of a goat's skin, undressed, being the same the 
 dough was made in. He put these to a little water, 
 and something like butter, made savory ; he also 
 poured on it, out of a small goat's skin, that which 
 looked like cream, but it must have been a sub- 
 stance from the date or palm tree, and mixing all 
 together quickly, begged me to come and eat be- 
 fore it should grow cold, for it was very good, as 
 he called it tieb, tieb. As I had provisions of all 
 kinds, my stomach seemed to turn at it ; but on 
 his frequent solicitations, saying, at the same time, 
 tieb, tieb, tieb, in Arabic, meaning, good, good, 
 good, I accordingly tasted it, and found it so good 
 that I ate heartily with Selim, each diving to the 
 bottom of the goat's skin, that lay on the ground, 
 with our fingers. We took our meal sitting cross- 
 legged on the sand. The Arabs use their hands 
 for eating all things, not knowing any thing of 
 knives or forks ; but they had wooden spoons. This 
 goat's skin must have been called the kneading 
 troughs of the Israelites. 
 
 Tuesday, May 21st. — We recommenced our 
 journey again at daylight, and came to another 
 pool, or pit of water, filled the skins, and went on 
 till about eleven o'clock, then pitched our tents, 
 
rapelje's narrative, 337 
 
 got breakfast, ate of my hard boiled eggs, cakes, 
 preserved dates, and cheese ; had also Bologna 
 sausages, with hot coffee, which the Arabs are 
 always very fond of, and it is made on the spot, 
 kindling up a fire, and burning the Mocha coffee 
 in an iron ladle, which they always travel with, 
 and grind it with the end of a long stick, in a stone 
 or earthen mortar, and then boil it, drinking it hot 
 and strong out of very small cups. After break- 
 fast we set out again, and meeting several cara- 
 vans of camels, two or three caravans generally 
 each day. Through the valleys, besides the tri- 
 fling mounds, there are hills of sand, and which, 
 in countries generally level, would be called 
 mountains of earth. The whole surface seems 
 crumbling, or rotten. These rocks are from the 
 whiteness and softness of chalk, to the hardness of 
 flint, or granite. The surface, for miles and miles, 
 is covered with stones of all sizes, shapes, and 
 descriptions; but all appeared as if having been 
 burned by a great heat, and battered to pieces; 
 for I never saw^ one stone, ever so small or large, 
 throughout the desert, without a rent, or crack, 
 or some pieces broken off. I saw some flocks 
 of birds like pigeons. There was a variety of 
 grass, shrubs, and plants, sufficient for feeding the 
 camels, and these in plenty in the valleys. We 
 put up for the night in the Valley of the Shadow of 
 Dust. At times we could scarcely see ten yards 
 before us ; it often darkening the sun ; and with 
 
 43 
 
338 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 difficulty I kept it out of my mouth and eyes. 
 The cloud of dust abated an hour or two after 
 sunset. This was the third night I slept on the 
 sand, with nothing over me but my blanket, Arab's 
 frock, and a thick great coat. This night there 
 was no dew, but considerable the night before. 
 
 Wednesday, May 22d.— We mounted our 
 camels, again at daylight, and travelled or march- 
 ed all day through the wilderness, constantly 
 interspersed with hills or valleys. The surface was 
 generally hard, and the travelling good; and in 
 no part so rough but that a carriage could have 
 got over ; some places, to be sure, would have 
 been difficult, but by going slow, might easily have 
 been passed. In some places the road was excel- 
 lent, the sand-hills not higher than about twenty 
 feet. We encamped at an hour before sunset, got 
 some coffee and refreshment, and mounted again 
 before dark, and marched through the desert till 
 about one in the morning, when we encamped and 
 slept. It was a new moon, but a fine star-light 
 niglit ; and I believe the drivers generally tell 
 their courses by the stars. 
 
 Thursday, May 23d. — I found much dew had 
 fallen last night, as my blanket over me was quite 
 wet. I mounted my camel again at daylight, and 
 travelled till about eleven, when we encamped on 
 the sand. I fixed my blanket as a substitute for a 
 tent by the side of a small bush; and on this occa- 
 sion, with advantage, as it was completely dried 
 
rapelje's narrative. 339 
 
 by the sun. We took some refreshment, and rest- 
 ed some hours. A delightful breeze from the 
 northward cooled and cheered us on this arid 
 desert. We moved on, passing a large level plain 
 and several sand-hills, and found it quite hot 
 during the day, for five or six hours; then very 
 cool, and I could bear as much clothing as in win- 
 ter. For the first time, I saw to day, over the 
 sand, swarms of grasshoppers, with which the 
 bushes were covered. They had curious green 
 bodies and yellow legs and heads, and a broad 
 black border round their necks, legs, and tails ; 
 their shoulders also were tinged with black. They 
 could only hop, as their wings were but just 
 coming out ; they will turn to locusts as men- 
 tioned as one of the pests of Egypt. They were 
 of all sizes, up to the size of my little finger. We 
 came to an encampment of these wandering or 
 Bedouin Arabs, and settled there at sunset, where 
 I got my supper and rested till morning. 
 
 Friday, May 24th. — I stayed this day, near the 
 Arab tents, and got some goats' milk. They had 
 large flocks of goats, and very fine ones, as also 
 sheep which feed on the bushes in the desert. I 
 was much tormented by the immense swarms of 
 grasshoppers, or locusts ; no sooner did 1 lie down 
 on my mattress, on the sand, and got in a doze or 
 sleep, than they covered me, crawling over, and 
 biting my fingers so as to wake me, and prevent 
 my sleeping ; I saw but few flies. Something 
 
340 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 prevented my camel driver from going on ; wheth- 
 er he had his harems here among these tents, or 
 whether his excuse of his camel's being sick, was 
 true, or their wanting rest and food, I know not ; 
 however, I was forced to bear it patiently. I could 
 not amuse myself by writing, for the grasshoppers 
 were so thick about my hands and fingers, and 
 furthermore, my fingers were sore from one of the 
 other pests of the desert, boils or blains, and my 
 face was very sore ; being harassed by fleas, bugs, 
 and lice, from the camel's saddles, or their drivers. 
 These were pests indeed. When he stopped and 
 put me down on the sand of the desert and desired 
 me to stay there, he laid down by my side his 
 sabre, two pistols, dirk, and carbine, and left me 
 from ten one morning, till the evening of the next 
 day. In the morning I gathered up courage, and 
 went to the tents about three hundred yards dis- 
 tant where he was, and passed five or six of them, 
 when at last I spied him out with a woman cook- 
 ing Carney for him. I called him out and said to 
 him he must bring me milk, which he gave me, and 
 persuaded me to go back again, which I did. I 
 had a dress on like a Bedouin Arab, or they might 
 have put me to death. My guide told them that I 
 was from the north, and could not understand or 
 speak their language. My head was shaved at 
 Suez, and my beard had grown for months, and 
 had got quite long. 
 
 Saturday, May 25th. — Soon after sunrise, I 
 
rapelje's narrative. 341 
 
 mounted my camel, and Selim and myself pro- 
 ceeded on alone, he on one camel, and I on an- 
 other. We saw many caravans of camels, and 
 Arab horsemen, with several Arab villages, all 
 tents. The Arabs are all armed with old sabres 
 or swords, and old guns with no flints, but are let 
 off by putting a fuse to the powder in the pan. 
 We got to a pond of water about one o'clock, 
 where we rested, and ate some bread and cheese, 
 and a drink of the water, and made quite a hearty 
 meal. There were thickets of quite sizeable trees 
 in some of these low valleys, which possibly have 
 been ponds, and have been filled up by the drift- 
 ing sands. We passed over several steep hills of 
 sand, and it was with difficulty that I stuck to the 
 camel's back going down some of them, being 
 almost perpendicular. We rode on again till near 
 sunset, then pitched for the night. 
 
 Sunday, May 26th. — We started just after sun- 
 rise, and rode about four hours, when we stopped 
 to get some refreshment, and rested three hours ; 
 then proceeded on. The desert appeared not to 
 have so many hills, and as if we were approaching 
 the Mediterranean Sea, by the appearance of the 
 clouds along the horizon in that direction ; this 
 was the seventh day's journey, and we expected 
 to be in Gaza to-morrow. We pitched down 
 again at an hour before sunset, on a large level 
 plain, where almost all the ground was cultivated 
 with wheat fields. The people had been gather- 
 
342 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 ing it, being in stacks. We were now about fif- 
 teen or twenty miles from Gaza; I rested all night, 
 with nothing but the heavens and my blanket and 
 clothes to cover me, which made the seventh night 
 I had slept in them ; and I began to dread the 
 consequences from the wetness of my blanket in 
 the morning by the heavy dews. My Arab camel 
 driver, Selim, had deceived me, as he was to have 
 provided me with a tent ; but I had no such thing, 
 although I paid him nearly double the price, being 
 four dollars, which is commonly paid from Suez to 
 Gaza. We came on to a level plain of several 
 miles, similar to Hempstead plains on Long Lsland, 
 near New- York. The desert or wilderness had 
 generally very little level ground, for it was in- 
 terspersed with hillocks, mounds, gentle rising 
 grounds, and drifting sand-heaps. In the route I 
 was much annoyed by the horrid yelling sound of 
 the Arab song, which in all my journeying through 
 Turkey, I found indispensable with them. They 
 have a song for every thing, when in the act of 
 labor ; but the boat song up the Nile is more har- 
 monious. 
 
 Monday, May 27th. — I mounted my camel at 
 sunrise, after a disagreeable night, having had but 
 little sleep, and in a high fever, having taken a 
 little wine yesterday evening. In this hot climate, 
 water is the best drink ; any thing tending to in- 
 flame the blood should be avoided. My blanket 
 also got filled with the beards from the barley and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 343 
 
 wheat when Ave pitched down in the field from 
 which they had just been gathered ; my clothes 
 were full of them also. However, I rode on till 
 about ten o'clock ; during this time, I saw many 
 flocks of very fine cattle, and sheep, and goats ; 
 from the latter I got some milk, and made a hearty 
 breakfast of milk and bread. We got into Gaza 
 at about one o'clock. About the environs of this 
 city there was much cultivation, and there were 
 many fruit trees. The soil appeared good, but 
 sandy. We rode along the Mediterranean sea- 
 coast for several miles. Gaza is a wretched, mise- 
 rable place. The room I had was a rough ground 
 floor, with a mat thrown down, and my mattress 
 on the top ; the room had no table, chairs, shelf, 
 or the devil of any thing was there in this pen or 
 den ; it could be called nothing better ; and I 
 believe all their houses and rooms are in the same 
 condition. It was arched, but looked as if all the 
 stones were about to tumble on me. However, I 
 ordered some chicken broth, which was brought 
 me in the vessel it was cooked in, and with plenty 
 of bread boiled in it. I sat down upon the mat, 
 and ate heartily, as it was very good. The house 
 of a merchant is a square yard ; on its level is one 
 story, and a low story above ; all around are those 
 prison-like rooms, I believe for travellers. I en- 
 gaged with a camel driver to take me to Jerusa- 
 lem, two days' journey, or sixty miles, for about 
 three dollars, to depart on the following morning. 
 
344 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Tuesday, May 28th. — I started this morning at 
 an hour after sunrise, with not any person who 
 could speak English. I expected to be taken to 
 Jerusalem; but, after travelling all day on a 
 jackass, my baggage on another, with the driver, 
 as usual, running behind, and passing large or- 
 chards of olives, in the environs of Gaza, we 
 put up at night, laying on the ground, at a mud 
 village, of Turks and Arabs. This Gaza is the 
 place where " Sampson went and took the gates 
 and posts, and carried them on his shoulder to 
 Hebron on the top of the hill." — Judges xvi. 3. 
 And when I relate this to be the store of merchan- 
 dise built upon the ruins of the building pulled 
 down about the Philistines, and when I also relate 
 to my Christian brethren, that at Joppa, or the 
 place now called Jaffa, is the house that Joseph 
 lived at, who lent the tomb at Jerusalem to have 
 our Saviour deposited in, they will not credit it; 
 but a parson Wolff, who was sent out from Eng- 
 land to enlighten the Arabs, Turks, and those 
 eastern nations of the wilderness, to distribute 
 Tracts, the Bible, and Testaments, and to endea- 
 vor to bring them over to Christianity, told those 
 things, and showed me the place where Na- 
 bal lived at Jean d'Arc, where our vessel put in ; 
 he also showed me the hill, or mount, where his 
 farm was, and the very spot where he was shear- 
 ing his sheep when David sent to him a friendly 
 embassy for assistance ; but he refused to let him 
 
rapelje's narrative. 345 
 
 have any provision, and Avho, it will be recollected, 
 vras saved by his wife, a prudent and excellent 
 woman. But the Arabs, and other nations around 
 the plain, are very incredulous about these things. 
 The orchards which I passed, contained very 
 large, handsome olive trees, which were then in 
 blossom. The country all the way for miles, was 
 ascending and descending. Well cultivated fields 
 of wheat were seen the whole way to the ancient 
 Arimathea, now called Rama. At Rama in Pa- 
 lestine, formerly Arimathea, Joseph died. In 
 saying the fields were well cultivated, I mistook ; 
 there was, indeed, great abundance of fine wheat 
 then gathering, but it seemed almost to grow 
 spontaneously. At the mud village where I stop- 
 ped, the Turks and Arabs were sitting on the 
 ground, in front of one of their huts. Night and 
 fatigue overtook me. I also rested on my mat- 
 tress, in the open air, in front of this house of mud, 
 which, I suppose, was dubbed a tavern ; for, after 
 sundown, they had large wooden bowls brought 
 and set down before them, filled with bread, mix- 
 ed w4th some kind of oily substance ; and they all 
 set to, pellmell, diving with their fingers into the 
 bowl, and there were several to each bowl ; and 
 then they drank strong, thick cofiee, from small 
 cups. My mule driver was a hale fellow, among 
 the rest, and invited me to partake ; but I declin- 
 ed, as I already had taken some of my own pro- 
 visions a short time before. Here the asses were 
 
 44 
 
346 liAPELJES NAKKATIVE. 
 
 also fed. For this journey, tliey got me two asses, 
 one for my baggage, the other for myself to ride. 
 The driver always goes along on the longest jour- 
 ney on foot, and hardly seems fatigued the whole 
 way ; but the camels, asses, and mules, generally 
 go no faster than a common walk. They allow 
 three miles an hour, or tliirty miles a day. 
 
 Wednesday, May 29th. — We started two hours 
 before sunrise, and I arrived on my donkey in Rama 
 about eight o'clock, and found no person there or in 
 Gaza, who could speak any English. I was either 
 misunderstood or deceived, for my driver led me to 
 understand I was now in Jerusalem ; but as tra- 
 vellers are taken to a couA^ent, where they took me 
 to be fed, &c., I found my mistake, that I was in 
 Romily, and understood I must now go to Jaffa, 
 four hours' ride, to go to Jerusalem. I got break- 
 fast, and started with fresh jackasses ; and when we 
 arrived there, a Mr. Wolff, a missionary, who 
 spoke English, told me that I must go back to 
 Romily, or Rama ; and from that place it was one 
 day, or ten hours' ride. I went back after dinner 
 to the Armenian convent, where I supped and 
 slept. 
 
 Thursday, May 30th. — I set off this morning at 
 sunrise for Jerusalem, ten hours or thirty miles 
 distance, on a mule, having two drivers. A com- 
 mon Jew, a young man, rode another mule. I 
 was requested to take charge of him from Jaffa 
 by Mr. Wolff. About Rama is some cultivation ; 
 
• 
 
 rapelje's narrative. 347 
 
 the country is beautiful, with olive and fig trees ; 
 but after about eight miles, the country is nothing 
 but circular hills, and mountains of rock, towards 
 Jerusalem, which seems encircled by ledges, like 
 terraces. It was the most forlorn and distressed 
 country I ever saw, all the way to Jerusalem ; and 
 for miles, to appearance, around it, there were 
 bushes, and here and there some solitary patches 
 of ground cultivated, with a few fig trees. For two- 
 thirds or more of the way, the path was over 
 hills and through the deep valleys, all rock and 
 stones. The asses and mules scarcely could find 
 a place for their feet. In going through the valley 
 I was stopped three times by Arabs armed, called 
 Bedouins, some on foot, some mounted on horses^ 
 and we were obliged to give them some piastres 
 to let us pass ; but as I did not understand them, I 
 left it altogether to my Arab guide, or ass driver, 
 to settle ; which, after a quarter of an hour's 
 detention, he got off with paying a few piastres, 
 although at first they demanded a great muuber ; 
 and one of them, after passing the mountain, about 
 ten miles from Jerusalem, sitting near a village^ 
 under some fig trees, with many others, armed, and 
 well dressed, with costly turbans, stopped us J 
 he demanded my passport, which he kept. He 
 was a shiek^ or governor of a village, in that part 
 of the mountainous country. His name was Ibra- 
 him Abu Agush. The passport was directed to him 
 by the governor of Rama, who gave it me ; and he 
 
348 kapelje's narrative, 
 
 m 
 
 himself could command ten thousand of those 
 mountain Arabs, and was the head of those high- 
 waymen, who let no one pass without paying 
 them some piastres ; however, he was very civil. 
 At the same time they pretended to own all the 
 mountains, and valleys, and the other govern- 
 ments of Rama, Jaffa, &c. The government is not 
 strong enough to root up these highway robbers, 
 or sanctioned plunderers, who are the dread of 
 all travellers ; and are the cause why I had to 
 pass in such a course to visit Jerusalem. The 
 day was very hot, but we often found pools of 
 water ; and in the afternoon, we arrived at the 
 far-famed, holy, sacred city of Jerusalem, so noted 
 in early history. The whole earth around is 
 mountainous, with hills of rock, and fertile valleys, 
 which were, to all appearance, volcanic. This 
 once famed, and great city, is now about a mile 
 around, well walled in, partly on a hill. I was 
 taken to the Convent of Terra Santa of Spanish 
 Monks, where I was provided with food, and a 
 chamber, and was very civilly treated by the holy 
 fraternity. Jerusalem contains about twenty thou- 
 sand inhabitants. 
 
 Friday, May 31st. — This morning, accompanied 
 by a guide, Antonio, and a drogoman, a Turk that 
 tends the convent, I proceeded around outside the 
 walls of the city, and saw the Vale of Jehosaphat, 
 and the others ; also Mount Sion, Mount of Olives, 
 St. Mary's, and other scriptural wells, temples, and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 349 
 
 tombs of the prophets ; also where tlie twelve 
 apostles sat, and where Judas betrayed our Sa- 
 viour ; they showed me the spot where he kissed 
 him. The well and pool Siloam, where our Saviour 
 healed the sick, and restored sight to the blind ; 
 the tomb of Zechariah, and the place where Jere- 
 miah wrote his Lamentations ; also a small temple, 
 the columns still handsome, hewn out of solid 
 rock, elevated above the valley, and facing where 
 our Saviour preached to the multitude; and the 
 other remarkable places, Absalom's tomb, &c., as 
 recorded in Scripture, with many patriarchal tombs 
 or sepulchres, cut out of the solid rock, were shown 
 to me ; also the mount, as tradition has it, where 
 the Great Tempter took our Saviour to show 
 him all kingdoms, and offered him the whole of 
 them, if he would fall down and worship him. 
 The dialogue which Milton, in his Paradise Re- 
 gained, has put into the mouths of the Tempter 
 and the Saviour, is not transcended, if equalled, in 
 all the range of English poetry, however fashiona- 
 ble it may be to decry this great work. 
 Satan says — 
 
 "Look once more, ere we leave this specular mount, 
 Westward, much nearer by south-west ; behold 
 Where on th' JEgean shore a city stands 
 Built nobly, pure the air, and light the soil, 
 Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts 
 And eloquence, native to famous wits, 
 Or hospitable, in her sweet recess, 
 City, or suburban, studious walks and shades ; 
 See there the olive grove of Academe, 
 
o5U rapelje's nahkative. 
 
 Plato's retirement, where the attic bird 
 
 Trills her thick-warbled notes the summer long ; 
 
 There flowery hill Hymettus with the sound 
 
 Of bees, industrious murmur oft invites 
 
 The studious musing ; there llissus rolls 
 
 His whisp'ring stream : within the walls then view 
 
 The schools of ancient sages ; his who bred 
 
 Great Alexander to subdue the world ; 
 
 Lyceum there, and painted Stoa next : 
 
 There shalt thou hear and learn the secret power 
 
 Of harmony, in tones and numbers hit 
 
 By voice or hand, and various-measur'd verse, 
 
 jEolian charms and Dorian lyric odes, 
 
 And his who gave them breath, but higher sung, 
 
 Blind Melesignes, thence Homer call'd, 
 
 Whose poem Phoebus challenged for his own. 
 
 Thence what the lofty grave tragedians taught 
 
 In chorus or iambic, teachers best 
 
 Of moral prudence, with delight receiv'd 
 
 In brief sententious precepts, while they treat 
 
 Of fate, and chance, and change in human life; 
 
 High actions, and high passions best describing. 
 
 Thence to the famous orators repair. 
 
 Those ancient, whose resistless eloquence 
 
 Wielded at will that fierce democratic, 
 
 Shook th' arsenal, and fulmin'd over Greece, 
 
 To Macedon and Artaxerxes' throne. 
 
 To sage philosophy next lend thine ear. 
 
 From heaven descended to the low roof'd house 
 
 Of Socrates ; see there his tenement. 
 
 Whom, well inspir'd, the oracle pronounced 
 
 Wisest of men ; from whose mouth issued forth 
 
 Melhfluous streams, that water'd all the schools 
 
 Of Academics old and new, with those 
 
 Sirnam'd Peripatetics, and the sect 
 
 Epicurean, and the Stoic severe; 
 
 These here revolve, or, as thou lik'st, at home, 
 
 Till time mature thee to a kingdom's weight : 
 
 These rules will render thee a king complete 
 
 Within thyself; much more with empire join'd." 
 
 To whom our Saviour sagely thus replied : 
 " Think not but that I know these things, or think 
 I know them not ; not therefore am I short 
 Of knowing what I ought : he who receives 
 Light from above, from the fountain of light, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 351 
 
 No other doctrine needs, though granted truu ; 
 
 But these are false, or httle else but dreams, 
 
 Conjectures, fancies, built on nothing firm. 
 
 The first and wisest of them all profess'd 
 
 To know this only, that he nothing knew; 
 
 The next to fabling fell and smootli conceits ; 
 
 A third sort doubted all things, though plain sense ; 
 
 Others in virtue plac'd felicity, 
 
 But virtue join'd with riches and long life 
 
 In corporal pleasure he, and careless ease 
 
 The Stoic last in philosophic pride, 
 
 By him call'd virtue; and his virtuous man, 
 
 Wise, perfect in himself, and all possessing, 
 
 Equals to God, oft shames not to prefer, 
 
 As fearing God nor man, contemning all 
 
 Wealth, pleasure, pain or torment, death and life, 
 
 Which, when he lists, he leaves, or boasts he can 
 
 For all his tedious talk is but vain boast, 
 
 Or subtle shifts conviction to evade. 
 
 Alas, what can they teach, and not mislead. 
 
 Ignorant of themselves, of God much more, 
 And how the world began, and how man fell, 
 
 Degraded by himself, on grace depending 7 
 
 Much of the soul they talk, but all awry, 
 
 And in themselves seek virtue, and to themselves 
 
 All glory arrogate, to God give none. 
 
 Rather accuse him under usual names, 
 
 Fortune and fate, as one regardless quite 
 
 Of mortal things. Who therefore seeks in these 
 
 True wisdom, finds her not ; or, by delusion 
 
 Far worse, her false resemblance only meets, 
 
 An empty cloud. However, many books, 
 
 Wise men have said, are wearisome : who reads 
 
 Incessantly, and to his reading brings not 
 
 A spirit and judgment equal or superior, 
 
 (And v/hat he brings, what needs he elsewhere seek 1) 
 
 Uncertain and unsettled still remains. 
 
 Deep versed in books and shallow in himself, 
 
 Crude or intoxicate, collecting toys, 
 
 And trifles for choice matters, worth a sponge ; 
 
 As children gathering pebbles on the shore. 
 
 Or if I would delight my private hours 
 
 With music or with poem, where so soon 
 As in our native language can I find 
 
 That solace'? All our law and story strow'd 
 
352 RAPELJE'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 With hymns, our psalms with artful terms inacrib'd, 
 Our Hebrew songs and harps in Babylon, 
 That pleas'd so well our victor's ear, declare 
 That rather Greece from us these arts deriv'd ; 
 111 imitated, while they loudest sing 
 The vices of their deities, and their own, 
 In fable, hymn, or song, so personating 
 Their gods ridiculous, and themselves past ahame. 
 Remove their swelling epithets, thick laid 
 As varnish on a harlot's cheek, the rest, 
 Thin sown with aught of profit or delight. 
 Will far be found unworthy to compare 
 With Sion's songs, to all true tastes excelling, 
 Where God is prais'd aright, and godlike men, 
 The holiest of holies, and his saints ; 
 Such are from God inspir'd; not such from thee, 
 Unless where moral virtue is express'd 
 By hght of nature not in all quite lost. 
 Their orators thou then extoll'st, as those 
 The top of eloquence; statists, indeed. 
 And lovers of their country, as may seem : 
 But herein to our prophets far beneath. 
 As men divinely taught, and better teaching 
 The solid rules of civil government, 
 In their majestic unaffected style, 
 Than all the oratory of Greece and Rome. 
 In them is plainest taught, and easiest learn'd. 
 What makes a nation happy, and keeps it so ; 
 What ruins kingdoms, and lays cities flat : 
 These only with our law best form a king." 
 So spake the Son of God. 
 
 I then returned to the convent, got a horse for 
 myself and another for my guide, Antonio. We 
 journied to Bethlehem of Judea. The whole way 
 was ledges and hills of rock. We passed the 
 tomb of Rachel, and the Valley of Pasture or 
 Shepherds. We arrived in two hours at Bethle- 
 hem, the birth-place of Jesus Christ. A fine tem- 
 ple is erected over it to God. They showed me 
 the very spot where our Saviour was born, where 
 
rapelje's narrative, 353 
 
 he laid with his mother in the stable, and manger ; 
 also, where the three magicians sought him, and 
 the remarkable spots appertaining to his birth, 
 &c., &c. This is now a convent ; there are many 
 windings and passages, as it were, under ground ; 
 they take tapers down, and I descended many 
 steps to get to the birth-place, where I remained 
 an hour, the brethren giving us dinner. We re- 
 turned to Jerusalem. On the road we passed the 
 ruins of Rama, where Rachel Avas weeping for 
 her children ; see the thirty-first chapter of Jere- 
 miah. At four o'clock I went to visit the sepul- 
 chre and Mount Calvary. The fraternity of Frank 
 Monks have erected long since a cathedral, tem- 
 ple, or church, which incloses them. It is well 
 decorated with many valuable lamps, vases, and 
 sacred paintings in appropriate places, where 
 each different transaction of the sufferings took 
 place. I saw the spot, according to tradition, 
 where the cross stood. It is all floored with 
 inlaid marble, and has a large hole, surrounded 
 by brass or gilt metal, to designate it precisely. 
 This spot is not many steps above the tomb, 
 six or eight. Then they took me to the tomb 
 or sepulchre. I had to creep through a small 
 square door, and within which they keep con- 
 stantly burning certain lamps. They told me 
 that was the place where our Saviour lay entomb- 
 ed. It appeared a new covered sarchopliagus of 
 white marble. All was within an elegantly deco- 
 
 45 
 
35 i rapelje's narrative. 
 
 rated and handsomely domed cathedral, built some 
 time since. I was also taken down several steps, 
 as if under ground, into arched vaults; the arch 
 was cut out of solid rock. They showed the other 
 remarkable spots attending this astonishing trans- 
 action for the salvation of all the world, of all 
 mankind, by the death, crucifixion, &c., of Jesus 
 Christ, who died even for those who crucified him ; 
 for the Jew as well as the Gentile. The mind is fill- 
 ed with awe and melancholy astonishment, at such 
 a spectacle. This was indeed to me, a Good Fri- 
 day. It is also strange, that all these cities should 
 be under the control of the Turks. The cathedral 
 where the sepulchre is, cannot be opened, but by 
 the authority of the Turks, and all the convents 
 are guarded by Turkish drogomen. This Frank 
 convent has many brethren, who entertain all 
 respectable visitors. I had a letter to them which 
 I delivered. When I was shown the tomb of our 
 Saviour, I requested to see the large stone that 
 Joseph of Arimathea, (now Rama, or Komily,) 
 placed before the door of the sepulchre, but they 
 seemed not to know of it. In the front of the 
 temple of the sepulchre, is now a square, said to be 
 the justice-seat of Pilate, where he condemned 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Saturday, June 1st. — I breakfasted in my clois- 
 ter, or room, in the convent, and started at nine 
 o'clock on my jackass with my driver, Mahmoud, 
 and, after travelling about twelve miles, Wtas 
 
RAPELJE S NARRATIVE. 355 
 
 taken prisoner again. A parcel of Arabs sitting 
 under fig trees, by the road side, demanded money 
 of me, I believe, to let me pass. They took my 
 jackass by the halter, led him to a tree, obliged 
 me to dismount, and sit under the tree, vsiiich I qui- 
 etly did, till my conductor arranged matters with 
 them, by giving them some money, but told me to 
 sit quiet. I had been stopped on the road in the 
 forlorn mount and valley twice before by these 
 Arabs, Turks, and Mahometans, armed with pis- 
 tols, sabres, dirks, and clubs. The place where I 
 was stopped must have been near Mount Ephraim ; 
 but tho.se sat not under the palm tree of De- 
 borah, as mentioned in the fifth verse of the 
 fourth of Judges ; but I think must have been at 
 or near the same spot, as it was on the mount be- 
 tween Rama and Bethel, on the road to Jerusalem. 
 Sunday, June 2d. — These Arabs are mount- 
 ed on excellent horses ; one, as if rising out of the 
 earth, was of a sudden across the road, stop- 
 ping my slow-paced donkey ; and, after some con- 
 versation WMth my driver, who giving him some 
 piastres, I was permitted to pass. They seemed 
 a banditti of licensed highwaymen, stopping all 
 strangers, and demanding money, or detaining them 
 as prisoners, until it is paid ; and I believe this is 
 the cause why so few travellers attempt going to 
 Jerusalem at present, in the disturbed state of 
 affairs. An affray took place the day I arrived in 
 Jerusalem, in which six Turks were put to death 
 
356 kapelje's narrative. 
 
 in a commotion between themselves. I arrived 
 at six, and put up at the Franks' Convent, where 
 I was treated with much civility and kindness, 
 which is far superior to the Armenian Convent, 
 where I stopped on my second visit. There were, 
 at present, only three brethren in it, with all things 
 nice and neat, and good provisions, and plenty of 
 wine. The country, for half way from Rama to 
 Jerusalem, is really beautiful, with much cultiva- 
 tion ; and, indeed, all around Rama, for some ten 
 or twelve miles distance, exhibits a fine rich inter- 
 val of alluvial-like soil, bearing abundant crops 
 of wheat, and affording pasture for cattle. 
 
 Monday, June 3d. — After breakfasting at the 
 Convent of Terra Santa, or of the Frank, Spa- 
 niards, at Romily, Rama, or ancient Arimathea, 
 I set off for Jaffa ; had a fine road all the way, and 
 arrived, on my jackass, in four hours, being twelve 
 miles. This is the former Jo'p'pa^ on the Mediterra- 
 nean. I put up at Seignor Antonio Domiani's, a 
 Frank Catholic Greek, who was English consul 
 here, and entertained strangers visiting this place, 
 gratis, with disinterested hospitality. I again saw a 
 Mr. Joseph Wolff, a converted Jew missionary to the 
 Jews, sent by Henry Drummond, Esq., the banker 
 of Charing-Cross, London ; and, with Mr. Wolff, 
 was invited and dined with the Russian Consul's 
 lady, Madame Mostrass, and there saw her father, 
 she being a Greek, of the Island of Scio. A Mr. 
 Nicolo Marabuti, their drogoraan, was a young man 
 
rapelje's narrative. 357 
 
 from Constantinople, he was a Greek also. They 
 were a pleasant and truly agreeable family ; the 
 consul, himself, Seignor Georgio Mostrass, was in 
 Trieste, owing to the disturbed and unsettled 
 state of affairs between the Russians and Turks. 
 Tuesday, June 4th. — I went out to-day, and 
 visited the gardens of my host, Seignor Antonio 
 Domiani, with his son Joseph, about thirty years 
 of age, an amiable and agreeable man. In my 
 journey I saw many trees, especially the pomegra- 
 nate, tlien in blossom, and the flowers were of a 
 beautiful red color, the trees not growing higher 
 than from ten to fifteen feet. There were also a 
 number of fine white mulberry trees, that grow 
 to a large size. The fruit was insipid ; but the fruit 
 of the pomegranate which I had eaten last season, 
 when ripe, were very large and fine. There were 
 numbers of fig and olive trees, and apricots, now 
 ripe, and small apples, not yet ripe, but which are 
 said to be good when in their greatest perfection. 
 Many vegetables, as cucumbers, grew here in 
 abundance, some of which they eat raw ; of other? 
 they scoop out the inside, then they are filled with 
 rice, and minced veal, beef, or mutton, mixed 
 together, and boiled, which makes an excellent 
 dish. The gardens are numerous about Jaffa, and 
 all irrigated by raising the water from the wells by 
 oxen, as I have before described. There were also 
 excellent melons. I saw in the city of Jaffa, the 
 hives of their bees, and saw the manner of taking 
 
358 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the honey. The bees work in earthen jars, with a 
 small mouth, through which they go in and out ; the 
 back part of the jar is the largest, and is made as if 
 a large piece was broke off, and covered temporarily 
 with another piece of a jar, cemented over with 
 clay, and when they want honey this piece is taken 
 off, and with a long piece of iron, purposely made, 
 for cutting the combs out, having separated the 
 parts of their hives. As I was going to Barruth, I 
 wished a little honey. The bee man was prepar- 
 ed to cut it out, but the combs had been but newly 
 formed, as I saw, and the cells not yet filled with 
 it, so I had to do without my honey, although at 
 sea, eaten with bread and butter, it is very 
 healthy, being an aperient. They also cover the 
 tops of their hives with two or three thick masses 
 of old bags or mats. It is strange that these 
 bees were so quiet, being in a small yard of about 
 fifteen feet square. There were many chil- 
 dren playing about, yet they made no attempt 
 to sting them. They seem to be much tamer than 
 our bees. The birds and pigeons are all tamer 
 than those I have ever seen in England, and ac- 
 customed to see in America. When Ave were 
 coming up the Nile, the birds were constantly 
 lighting on the rigging and deck of the boats to 
 pick up crumbs. This is the place where Jonah 
 went on ship-board to Tarshish. 
 
 Wednesday, June 5th. — I went on board a 
 small Turkish vessel, navigated by Greeks, going 
 
rapelje's narrative, 359 
 
 to Jean de Acre, Sidon, and Barmth. I started at 
 ten o'clock in the evenino^, and went on slow with 
 a fair but light wind, all night, with a number of 
 passengers, Turks and Arabs. The vessel had 
 two masts, with no cabin for passengers, so I laid 
 on my mattress on deck, exposed to open air. She 
 was rigged with two sprits, like a carack. We 
 sailed all day along the coast of the Mediterranean, 
 the waters along the region of Zebulun and Naph- 
 thali ; there w ere few or no houses to be seen ; 
 we passed the ruins of Cesarea, about thirty miles 
 from Jaflfa. Mr. Wolff, the missionary, who had his 
 servant with him, was in our company. I found 
 Mr. Wolfl' to be amiable, and a man of science, 
 erudition, and literature. He had a great knowl- 
 edge of sacred writ ; and one from whom I re- 
 ceived mucli edification and information. He de- 
 scribed the different places we passed, connected 
 with events recorded in Scripture, appertaining to 
 the locality of my travel. His conversation was 
 truly interesting. At sundown the wind was 
 light, and rather ahead, what there was ; we came 
 to anchor about thirty miles on our way from Jaffa, 
 and we had twenty more to go yet to reach Jean 
 d'Acre. We sailed within a mile or two of the 
 shore all day. The weather was delightful, but 
 rather warm, for a few hours, during the middle of 
 the day. 
 
 Thursday, June 6tli. — We had got under 
 weigh again, about ten last night, and coasted 
 
360 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 along with a light wind, and arrived at Jean 
 d'Acre this mornings at about seven o'clock. It 
 appears to be a well fortified town, and contains 
 twenty thousand inhabitants. On account of the 
 war between the Pacha of this place, and the 
 Pacha of Damascus, fearful of its being besieged, 
 the English Consul had gone away to Barruth, and 
 my fellow passengers, as well as the captain, 
 thought it most advisable to stay on board, and 
 not venture on shore, which we did. We sent 
 ashore and got some honey, fresh bread, and other 
 eatables. On the other side of the bay, that makes 
 the harbor of Acre, is Mount Carmel, " where Na- 
 bal sheared his sheep, and his wife, Abigail, had to 
 intercede with king David for him, but his heart 
 was still hardened, after his drunkenness," 1 Sam- 
 uel, chap. 25th. I have mentioned this Mount 
 Carmel before. The mountain appears nuich 
 broken, and not a ery regular ; but with a pretty 
 gentle descent to the shore. It is, also, the same 
 Mount C/armel where Elijah the prophet reproved 
 Ahab, when here all the Israelites gathered to- 
 gether, Ahab, with the followers of Baal, where 
 they each prepared sacrifices of bullocks, &c. Ahab 
 could not bring fire from heaven by his offerings 
 as he expected, but Elijah did. The prophets of 
 Baal cried out aloud, then cutting themselves with 
 knives and lancets, after their manner, like the 
 dervises of the present day, who pierce their flesh 
 with red-hot and cold spears, and lancets of iron 
 
rapelje's narrative. 361 
 
 and steel, and no doubt their manner of worship, 
 horrid as it is, came from the prophets of Baal. 
 Most of the earth worshipped the God of Abra- 
 ham, Isaac and Jacob, tlie prophets of Baal were 
 all slain by the brook Kishon, as stated in the 18th 
 chapter of first Kings. At noon we went ashore 
 with the drogoman of the English consul, a Greek, 
 a native. He got an order from the governor, or 
 Pacha. I visited the bazaars ; a handsome new 
 one had just been erected, well arched. Several 
 manufactories of cotton are found here. The mar- 
 ket affords good plumbs, or gages. I saw a fine 
 large mosque of the Pacha's, and a number of sol- 
 diers, with guns, marching in Indian file, going, as 
 it was said, to attack Damasus, about five days' 
 journey, or almost a hundred and fifty miles dis- 
 tance. After being ashore about an hour, we re- 
 turned to the boat in the harbor, where there 
 were a few carcick boats, but not one foreign vessel. 
 At Jaffii, Jonah went on board a ship going to 
 Tarshish. There was a mighty tempest in the sea, 
 and Jonah, by lot, was cast into the sea. A great 
 fish swallowed him, and, after three days and 
 three nights, he was cast on dry land, and was 
 three days' journey, or ninety miles from Ninevah, 
 (1st and 2d chapters of Jonah) when he went and 
 preached, as God commanded him, to Gaza, The 
 country of Rama and Jaffa, to Cesarea, is Philistia, 
 being formerly inhabited by the Philistines. The 
 house where I staid, at Joppa, now occupied by 
 
 46 
 
362 kafelje's narrative 
 
 the English consul, is supposed to have been built 
 on the very site of the house where Simon Peter 
 lived, when he saw the vision from heaven, &c., 
 which taught him to be no respecter of persons, 
 and is very near the sea-shore. 
 
 We got under weigh at sunrise, and left 
 Acre, with a light wind, which they call tra- 
 tnantana, or north wind. We coasted along, 
 passing Sieb, a small village, close to the sea- 
 shore, nine miles from Acre. We also passed 
 Nacora, a small village, three miles from Sieb, and 
 lay at anchor all day, after about eleven, the wind 
 ahead. There was a very noisy set of -voilgar 
 Greek, Arab, and Turkish passengers, all filled 
 with vermin. This was all on the coast of Syria. 
 
 Friday, June 7th. — We rode at anchor all 
 night, and in the morning, early, got under sail, 
 with a very light wind and not very fair, coasting 
 along but slowly. While at anchor yesterday 
 afternoon, the captain caught two fine fish. At 
 about two, this day, we arrived at a village on the 
 coast, called Sur, the ancient city of Tyre, or Ty- 
 rus, as mentioned in the 26th and 27th chapters 
 of Ezekiel ; the desolate ruins of which once great 
 city I plainly saw from the vessel. Antonio went 
 ashore at Tyre, or Tyrus, to get water and provi- 
 sions to go on to Sidon and Baruth. Sur, or Tyre, 
 is now but a small village, close down to the bor- 
 ders of the Mediterranean. The country, at a short 
 distance back, in every direction from the village, 
 
kapelje's narrative. 363 
 
 appeared hilly and mountainous. We remained 
 at anchor during the rest of the day. The vessel, 
 carack, or boat, was a miserable one. I had to 
 lie on the large packages of goods, trying to make 
 the mattress as level as possible ; and in the day 
 time, putting up my sheets, and an old sail, to 
 keep off the sun. Mr. Wolff, my fellow traveller, 
 and missionary, had a Greek servant, Antonio, 
 who was of Cyprus, and was a very obliging, at- 
 tentive man, a good cook, honest, and prudent; 
 and when he went on shore, bought eggs, bread, 
 honey, apricots, butter, &c., &c. ; and laid out the 
 money with much prudence. He assisted, and 
 put up our awning, fixed our beds, and plied us 
 during the day with refreshments, pealing and cut- 
 ting apples for us, and cucumbers, and making us 
 coffee, according to the custom of the Levant ; so 
 that most of the day, there was a succession of 
 food, or light refreshment, proper for this hot cli- 
 mate. The Arabs, or Turks, drink no wine, and 
 seldom any strong liquor, which custom it is ne- 
 cessary to adopt, in order to keep one's self free 
 from surfeit, heat, blains, boils, and fevers, which 
 are so common here, and in Egypt. The water- 
 jars are always near at hand, and, as I observed 
 before, are made of a clay of potter's earth, having 
 the peculiar property of keeping the water pure, 
 sweet, and, above all, quite cool, holding about 
 half a gallon, generally; they, however, are of 
 all sizes, but the half gallons are of the best size. 
 
364 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 as more evaporation is carried off on such a small 
 surface ; and by that property it is that the water 
 is kept cool. At this Tyre, my fellow traveller, 
 who had before been ashore there, said it was like 
 other trifling Turkish towns, with narrow streets, 
 and not worth seeing ; so I did not go ashore, and 
 I was also fearful that the Arabs would steal our 
 things while we were absent. 
 
 Saturday, June 8th. — We lay at anchor allnight 
 in the harbor of the town of Tyre. Just before day- 
 light, the wind getting favorable, but light, we got 
 under sail, and coasted along towards Sidon ; the 
 country still hilly, but a great part of the land from 
 the shore, affords a fine picturesque scenery. In 
 many places along the coast, there is a gentle ascent 
 and to appearance, the ground was covered with 
 cultivation. There were beautiful fields, abound- 
 ing in handsome trees. We arrived at Sidon, now 
 called Sida, about four o'clock. The country all 
 about Sidon is really beautiful, of hill and level 
 land, well cultivated. The fields were green, and 
 much of the ground was covered with trees of 
 beautiful foliage. Elegant gardens were to be 
 seen along the shore in every direction. We went 
 on shore to the French Haun, and put up for the 
 night. It was the house inhabited by the French 
 Consul and family ; but at this time they were all 
 in the country. However, Mr. Wolff and myself 
 got some soup, and meat, and beds, with a large 
 plate of the finest looking and best flavored apri- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 365 
 
 cots that could be imagined. The town, once the 
 famed city of Sidon, is now hut small, all stone 
 houses, and mostly in ruins. We saw every where 
 around the shore, columns lying in the sand, whole 
 and broken ; and on the shore, parts of large walls, 
 arches, &c. ; also on the sea-side, all joining the 
 town, for an hour's ride. Here lived Lady Stan- 
 hope, an English woman, in retirement, with a 
 Miss Williams. I would have visited her, but had 
 not time. 
 
 Monday, June 10th. — We were called by the 
 boatmen this morning at sunrise, and left the lia- 
 ven, going on board the carack boat, and set sail 
 for Baruth, which is twenty miles from Sidon, and 
 Sidon the same distance from Tyre ; Baruth is a 
 hundred and sixty miles from Jaffa. We came to 
 anchor in the afternoon at five, the wind being 
 contrary. We were about ten miles from Baruth, 
 and at the beginning of the chain of hills and 
 mountains which just here commences to rise. 
 This is called Mount Lebanon ; and the chain of 
 mountains continues to stretch along the coast 
 about eighty, ninety, or a hundred miles. 
 
 Tuesday, June 11th. — We got under sail 
 again, with a light wind, at daylight ; they were 
 obliged to use the oars very often ; the wind was 
 variable. The sleeping at night was very uncom- 
 fortable. We were exposed to the dews, without 
 any covering but our great coats and blankets, 
 and the mattresses were spread on the uneven 
 
366 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 bales of goods. The sun, during part of the day, 
 was very piercing ; we often had no awning, but 
 a sheet which we put up, tying it with strings to 
 the rioforinnr. which was but a wretched shelter. 
 The old sail which we had, it seems, had been 
 used for some other purpose, or had disappeared 
 from some other cause. We arrived at Baruth at 
 eleven o'clock. I went to see the English Consul, 
 Mr. Abbot, who resided there. He had a daugh- 
 ter about eleven years old, and an Italian govern- 
 ess for her; his wife being dead. He was very 
 civil ; I took breakfast with him ; and I also went 
 to dine with him. Mr. Burt and Mr. McMichael 
 were residing with him as companions, and like- 
 wise Mr. Chaussel, who was his secretary. Ba- 
 ruth, the name as mentioned in Grecian history, is 
 Berytus, but said not to be found or mentioned in 
 Scripture. The country around is very pleasant, 
 being interspersed with many trees, vines, gardens, 
 and pleasant situations. Much good wine is made 
 here. 
 
 Wednesday, June 12th. — I stayed at home 
 most of the day, but in the afternoon, near sunset, 
 I took a walk with one of Mr. Abbot's clerks, a 
 nephew of Sir Sidney Smith. He showed me the 
 manner of winding the silk from the balls or co- 
 coons, which they were now engaged in, and per- 
 formed by putting the ball or cocoon in a wide- 
 mouthed shallow pot, say six or eight inches deep, 
 and two or three in diameter, of boiling water ; 
 
rapelje's narrative. 367 
 
 under it fire is constantly kept ; directly over four 
 or six projecting wires, the end, like an unturned 
 screw, for to hook, or to run the web through ; a 
 man, with a small stick, and his hand alternately 
 catches up the webs from off the water, which 
 seems to make them separate from the balls which 
 floats on the surface of the water like cork, and 
 they put into the vessel as many at a time as to 
 nearly cover the whole surface of the water. The 
 web or threads of silk are then passed through 
 the ends of these w4res, which have a circular 
 twist, and placed on a straight horizontal stick 
 just over the water, about a foot or eighteen inches 
 above it, and from thence pass over small rollers 
 to a large wheel of six or eight feet in diameter, 
 on which the silk is wound. This wheel is turned 
 by the same man who tends the catching up of the 
 silk from the water. It is afterwards wound off 
 in smaller skeins. 
 
 Thursday, June 13th. — All around and in the 
 environs of this town are innumerable silk gardens, 
 with a small stone building in them for the worms, 
 and the gardens inclosed by stone walls, and fill- 
 ed with the iig, olive, pomegranate, and mulberry 
 trees to supply the food for the worms. They re- 
 ally cause the whole country about this place to 
 have the most beautiful appearance, for the trees 
 are covered with grape-vines, from which excellent 
 wine is made. The whole country is diversified 
 with hills and valleys, and these beautiful trees. 
 
368 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 In fact, the appearance is that of one vast garden, 
 picturesque, and enchanting in the highest degree. 
 In the hack ground, beyond the valley, is the great 
 ridge or mountain, the ancient Lebanon. In some 
 part about this town, and not at a great distance, 
 is a fine mine of coal. I saw at Mr. Abbot's the 
 consul, some fine specimens of this coal. I am 
 informed that there is an excellent lead mine in 
 the vicinity, and it is generally believed that silver 
 and gold are to be found in the neighborhood, 
 which might be worked to advantage. This is 
 the richest part of Syria. Wheat of a superior 
 quality is raised in great abundance, and I was 
 also informed that the whole of Syria could raise 
 enough to supply the wants of the greater part of 
 Europe ; but the government being so tyrannical 
 or oppressive that there was no encouragement 
 for enterprise. The pachas or governors are 
 tyrants over the pachalic or country people under 
 them ; and if any man is suspected of having 
 much property, or should the governor or pacha 
 want money, he sends to any individual and de- 
 mands so many hundred or so many thousand 
 piastres, as he may want on the occasion; and 
 should he not give it, is imprisoned until it is ob- 
 tained. It often happens that their beds and fur- 
 niture, cattle, &,c., have been sold to satisfy the 
 demand from their tyrants. These poor creatures 
 must literally be worse than slaves. 
 
 Friday, June 14th. — While there, we stayed 
 
rapelje's narrative. 369 
 
 with Mr. Joseph Massad, an amiable good man ; 
 his family of sons and a daughter, doing whatever 
 lay in their power to make the strangers staying 
 at their house as comfortable as possible. It is 
 the only house in Baruth that accommodates stran- 
 gers, and is highly recommended by the English 
 Consul, Mr. Abbot, and I would recommend it 
 to all travellers. They manufacture beautiful 
 shawls in this place, in one part of the town ; and 
 indeed in most of the x^ities I passed through, I saw 
 the solitary weaver at his loom, each one regula- 
 ting the colors according to his fancy. These 
 shawls are worn by the Turks and Arabs about 
 their waists for girdles or sashes. I went on board 
 a boat at five in the afternoon, which was all open 
 except the forecastle, and a small place in the 
 stern, which is covered over ; she had no deck, but 
 had three masts, and each carrying a large latine 
 sail, the centre one the largest. I agreed for four 
 dollars for my passage to Alexandria, to find my 
 own provisions ; a distance of about three hun- 
 dred miles from the place. The high parts of the 
 ridffe of Mount Lebanon now bore marks of snow 
 which I saw from the town, and more plamly from 
 the vessel off the harbor. 
 
 Saturday, June 15th. — The wind was so light 
 that it was the same as if calm to us ; for, having 
 blown hard from the other way for a day or two 
 past, there was a high sea or swell, contrary to 
 the way we were going, which caused our vessel 
 
 47 
 
370 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 to get out of her course. The sun was quite hot 
 in the micklle of the day, and nearly vertical. 
 Patience, patience is the cure of all evil. I got to 
 Sur or Sidon at night, and anchored in the harbor. 
 
 Sunday, June 16th. — We stopped here at an- 
 chor last night ; to-day at nine, I went on shore, 
 got on an ass, and went with a conductor, who 
 was one of Lady Stanhope's servants, to pay her a 
 visit at about three miles distant, on Mount Seda, 
 where she lived, and sent her a notice to the fol- 
 lowing purport : 
 
 " Mr. George Rapelje, with diffidence, takes 
 the liberty to present his compliments to Lady 
 Stanhope, and, if agreeable, will pay his respects 
 to her while he stops at Seda, a few hours, on his 
 passage from Baruth to Alexandria ; he thinks it 
 necessary, and his duty, to give her some account 
 of himself, being from the city of New-York, in 
 the United States of America, of one of the oldest 
 Dutch families, who went from France to Holland 
 in the persecution of the Protestants, and were 
 among the first settlers in that city, which was 
 originally called ' New Amsterdam;' is about fifty, 
 a plain man, of steady habits. 
 "Sunday, 16th June, 1822. 
 
 " P. S. Must apologize to Lady Stanhope, and 
 hopes she will excuse his approaching the vicinity 
 of her residence with this note himself; and, with 
 the highest consideration and respect awaits her 
 pleasure." 
 
rapelje's narrative. 371 
 
 One of the lady's drogomen taking her the 
 note, in a few minutes after, I was requested to 
 come to the house, and was shown to a small ante- 
 room, where a domestic, a Miss Williams, desired 
 me to be seated, and informed me Lady Stanhope 
 would, at two o'clock, be happy to see me. It 
 was then past twelve; her ladyship was much 
 engaged in fixing dresses, (the tailor being there,) 
 for her Turkish Arabs, for their great yearly festi- 
 val that takes place in about a week, and begged, 
 in the mean time, in the name of her ladyship, I 
 would take some refreshment, and repose myself 
 after my fatigue of sail and ride. I was then, by 
 a jet black Arab, shown to a stone building about 
 thirty paces distant ; he opened a door with a key, 
 and I entered. It is curious I should say with a 
 key, but their keys are different from ours, and if 
 my memory serves me, it was an English key, dif- 
 fering from the Turkish ones, which are only made 
 of bits of wood, with short pieces of wire driven in 
 different places to fit the wards of the lock. It 
 was a large plain room, in Turkish manner mat- 
 ted on the ground, a Turkish sofa, or Ottoman, on 
 one side, and an excellent soft mattress or bed on 
 a frame, where I rested alone; and, after a little 
 time, a table was laid, and covered with a bottle 
 of excellent wine, soup, hash, two dishes of sweet 
 cakes, cheese, bread, and a large dish of delight- 
 fully fine apricots ; and I assuredly made a grateful 
 and hearty repast, and then reposed near an hour, 
 
372 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 when I walked down, and was shown in to her 
 ladyship, she sittinnj on a sofa that went round 
 three sides of the large room, matted and furnished 
 after the Turkish mode, herself clad in the Turk- 
 ish male attire, an elegant large camel's hair 
 shawl, from cashmere of various colors, put round 
 her head, forming a beautiful Turkish dark colored 
 turban. I think she wore a dark olive cloth, em- 
 broidered, round-about jacket, with large and 
 long sleeves, and underneath this I saw the 
 sleeves of a silk vest, red and white ; she showed 
 me the sleev^es of her chemise on her wrists, made 
 of silk gauze, and over all this was thrown a large 
 white cotton mantle manufactured in the country, 
 with a ball and fringe at the corners. She wore 
 buskins or half-boots, placed in slippers without 
 heels, of yellow morocco, all after the Turkish cos- 
 tume. She sat with feet and legs upon the wide 
 sofa in one corner ; I sat on a seat near her on the 
 same ; she had a battle-ax lying on the sofa be- 
 side her, in this shape. 
 
 Her manner and conversation were so pleasant 
 and interesting and sensible, that I missed noti- 
 cing several parts of her dress, particularly her 
 neck ; but I think she had not any thing around it ; 
 
rapelje's narrative. 373 
 
 only in the Turkish manner, had one button on 
 the robe at the neck ; they, it seems, disdain any 
 thing about the neck. About her waist, I did 
 not recollect whether a Turkish girdle, or sash, or 
 not ; however, the tout ensemble looked very well, 
 she much became the dress. She was tall, of a 
 delicate, pale complexion, and fine, expressive pre- 
 sence. She showed me the different fabrics of 
 embroidered dresses for herself and domestics, and 
 made me accept a whole piece, being a beautiful 
 silk and gold pattern ; and she modestly, in an ele- 
 gant, lady-like manner, said, ^' This gay, fanciful 
 pattern would make some young miss a neat dress." 
 I reluctantly accepted it, being a perfect stranger, 
 saying, I had now no compliment to make to her 
 ladyship as a suitable return for this mark of favor 
 and attention ; but she insisted on my taking it. 
 The manner of giving is more than the gift itself, 
 which was in this instance verified. She also gave 
 me small patterns of many others of the manufac- 
 tures of silk, and embroidered gold and silk, and 
 cotton and silk, to see if any would answer in 
 America, in case a commerce should be established 
 between Syria and New- York, observing that fur 
 and tiger skins would answer their market, as also 
 leather, and some kind of articles, such as stewing 
 pans, short-handled pails, tubs, pipes, and those 
 instruments that strike fire by percussion, and 
 knives and forks, &c., and requested me to see a 
 
374 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Jew Turk at Gibraltar, named Ibrahim Cordaza, 
 who would tell me what would best answer the 
 trade, and likewise Hady Mahomet, consul at 
 Tunis, who was likely to be at Gibraltar. I gave 
 her the names of Le Roy & Bayard, merchants in 
 New-York, she requesting the name of a respec- 
 table house there. She showed me two beautiful 
 Arabian horses, one a large bay mare, with a re- 
 markable back, the bones of the back being singu- 
 lar, the hollowest I ever saw. She said it was a 
 great curiosity, being the back of a mare with two 
 bones, on which the Messiah was to come. The 
 other, a smaller, light gray colored mare, on which 
 she occasionally rode. The time passed so quick- 
 ly with this superior and interesting lady, that it 
 was only an hour before sunset when I departed ; 
 she bidding me an affectionate farewell, giving 
 me her hand, and wishing me a safe and speedy 
 return to my wife and country. I considered the 
 before-stated visit a great favor, her ladyship being 
 recluse and retired, not wishing to see any visitors, 
 especially Englishmen, to whom she appeared to 
 have a great dislike, and seemed to hint she would 
 not like me to encourage any one coming to that 
 part of the country to visit her. This was done in 
 a delicate manner. She was much esteemed and 
 beloved by the Turks and Arabs in this country, 
 and I have understood they wished to make her 
 queen of several pachalics. She had great influ- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 375 
 
 ence in this part of the country, and if ever any- 
 trade is established with that country, througli her 
 interest, goods and merchandize can be had with 
 better advantage than by any other way. Having 
 heard so much of this lady through the Turkisli 
 dominions, as to her peculiarities and singulari- 
 ties, I was induced to make the attempt to visit 
 her, and was so highly repaid by her interesting, 
 friendly, and hospitable treatment, and superior 
 conversation, that I overstaid my time for the 
 Turkish vessel's sailing, and when I returned to 
 Seda, or Sidon, she had gone to Tyre, about 
 twenty-seven miles. I instantly chartered an 
 open boat, a carack, with one man, who navigated 
 her with a latine sail and jib, and luckily with a 
 fair wind set sail about sunset, and found my ves- 
 sel in the harbor of Tyre, where we got about two 
 hours before day. 
 
 Tyre harbor : in the ruins of Seda, as well 
 as those of this place, are numbers of pillars of 
 granite, to appearance piled crosswise one on 
 another, like the logs of a dock, several feet in 
 height, making the quay or strand to keep the 
 sand up. I went on shore at this ancient city, 
 and saw ruins around the shore of the harbor on 
 all sides, parts of broken walls, broken pillars, 
 and columns lying dow^n, and literally, in appear- 
 ance, rubbed and washed by the water of the sea, 
 to half their former size. I got some milk and 
 bread for breakfast, with apricots, that were in 
 
376 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 great abundance. The vessel remained in this 
 harbor at anchor, taking in a large cargo of char- 
 coal and liquorice root, and filling up the place 
 my bed was in, so that I could scarcely see, and it 
 was very hot. I went on board in the afternoon 
 and took the little after-cabin, which was very 
 oppressive. 
 
 Monday, June 17th. — I again went ashore, and 
 got a Greek, of whom there were many there, 
 being the same at whose house I ate yesterday, to 
 buy me some mutton, and had some mutton chops 
 broiled, and made a hearty breakfast. I had some 
 soup made of mutton for dinner. I saw about fifty 
 Turkish horsemen come into Tyre ; there was 
 much alarm with the Greeks ; but what was the 
 news or politics of the day, I could not know, not 
 finding any person I could understand. I knew 
 a little Italian, which one or two spoke here, 
 but badly. In the evening I went on board, and 
 had quite a quarrel with the captain, his father 
 and brother having now thrown my movables 
 quite out of my cabin , but I persevered, and in- 
 sisted on having the little hole of an after-cabin, 
 which, after my threatenings to inform the Pa- 
 cha and English consul at Alexandria, they gave 
 me, and put my things into it. 
 
 Wednesday, June 19th. — The Turkish vessel 
 remained here all day, taking in more loading. I 
 went on shore, and here, as well as at some other 
 Turkish and Arab towns and villages, they will 
 
rapelje's narrative. 377 
 
 have it that the English are all physicians, and put 
 out their hands and arms for me to feel their pulses, 
 and nothing would persuade them that I was not 
 a physician. It was a miserable place to get any 
 accommodation, either in eating or a room to sit 
 in. This was a great trial, but I found I must put 
 up with it ; the women, as well as the men, 
 coming to me for advice, and letting me see their 
 arms and hands, and even breasts, while hiding 
 their faces very scrupulously. I obtained a few 
 seeds of their cucumbers and melons ; the kind 
 they showed me had a soft skin, and the same 
 they scoop out, and fill with meat and rice, and 
 then boil them. The other kind of cucumbers 
 they slice and eat as we do, dressed with pepper, 
 salt, vinegar, and oil. This kind has a skin some- 
 what harder ; they differ in shape. The melons 
 were not yet ripe, so I could not judge of them, 
 but concluded they were fine from the climate and 
 soil. I went on board in the evening to sleep. 
 
 Thursday, June 20th. — The vessel being in the 
 harbor all day, I went again on shore at twelve 
 o'clock, and there I remained till evening. I could 
 not understand their Arabic, and no one spoke 
 English ; but somehow or other, made myself 
 understood for my wants, and got on with the bet- 
 ter sort of Turks very well ; but the lower class 
 treated me with every indignity and insult, and 
 unceremoniously called me a Christian dog. The 
 weather was quite hot during the middle of the 
 
 48 
 
378 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 day ; there was no rain, but considerable dew. 
 In the evening I returned on board. 
 
 Friday, June 21st. — This was the fifth day the 
 vessel had been in this harbor, and my patience 
 required the power of Job, who, no doubt, had 
 been here, and whom I endeavored to imitate. I 
 believe they would have sailed to-day, but the 
 wind was direct against us. The Turks had a 
 long fast of thirty odd days ; this Avas the last, or 
 festival ; and they eat now during daylight, but 
 during their fasts, which they kept with much ex- 
 actness, they, it seems, would not eat, drink, or 
 smoke, between sunrise and sunset ; but rest and 
 sleep. The moment the sun disappears, they all 
 set to, having their food already prepared, and 
 make several meals during the nights of their 
 fasts. They always take coffee after their meals ; 
 I mean even the commonest. All the boatmen 
 must have their two or three small cups of very 
 strong black coffee, which they drink without 
 milk or sugar. This coffee is of the best kind, 
 mostly from Mocha, which they parch and grind 
 just for once using, thinking it would be spoiled if 
 burnt and ground beforehand. They are truly 
 epicures in many things in their way. They then 
 have all their long pipes, the bowls very large, of 
 red clay, and tubes of perforated wood an inch 
 thick ; they have mostly the bark on. and look 
 like birch wood ; and commonly, and indeed most 
 generally, an amber mouth-piece quite large. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 379 
 
 They use no chairs nor tables ; they use their fin- 
 gers in eating, and for weeks I have made out in 
 the same way, and writing with my book on my 
 mattress, or on my knee ; they in all their writings 
 use their desk, and write from right to left, and 
 not as we do, moving our hands, but their hands 
 remain in one position fixed ; they move or slide 
 the paper along under their pens and fingers, with 
 the left hand, in which they commonly hold the 
 paper or writing-book. They are sober people, 
 seldom taking any strong drink. 
 
 Saturday, June 22d. — We were all day at an- 
 chor the sixth day; the vessel could not go without 
 a fair wind, which we have not yet had. These 
 Turks are very cleanly in some things, and also 
 very filthy in others ; they wash several times a 
 day, always before and after their meals, and be- 
 fore they pray, which they do about five times a 
 day. They wear no stockings, only red morocco 
 slippers, and they wash their legs, feet, face, head, 
 hands, and arms, but are always filled with fleas 
 and vermin. They shift their clothes but sel- 
 dom. Just at sunset they got up two anchors, 
 but did not sail till daylight, and then shaped 
 their course with a light wind for Alexandria, or 
 Scanderia, as the Turks call it. 
 
 Sunday, June 23d. — We sailed with a tolerable 
 breeze all day, the wind not quite, but nearly 
 right ahead ; we were oflf shore, and drifted her so 
 as to get out of sight of land ; she nearly, how- 
 
380 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 ever, laid her course last night. A number of 
 Turkish passengers came on board from Tyre. 
 
 Monday, June 24th. — We sailed slowly all day, 
 not directly to our port, because the wind was 
 contrary and light, but beating and tacking about, 
 and much time was spent in gaining a short dis- 
 tance on our course. We saw a brig also beating 
 to windward in the afternoon ; the weather con- 
 tinued pleasant ; not quite so hot at sea as on shore. 
 This sea along the coast of Syria would answer 
 extremely well for a steamboat; the sea not often 
 very high, and plenty of harbors all along the 
 coast. I saw quantities of charcoal and wood at 
 Tyre and other ports, for fuel. 
 
 Tuesday, June 25th. — We sailed, tacking about 
 and beating to windward all day ; and in sight of 
 the Island of Cyprus to the westward and north- 
 ward ; it appeared high land tow^ards the middle 
 of it ; a fine breeze part of the day, but contrary ; 
 the vessel making but little progress on her des- 
 tined course. 
 
 The Isle of Cyprus seemed quite familiar to me, 
 although I had no opportunity to examine it, as I 
 had so often attended to the representation of that 
 splendid tragedy of Othello, the scene of a great 
 portion of which is laid in this Cyprus. '' Heaven 
 bless the Isle of Cyprus and our noble general, 
 Othello." There is no Desdcmonas here now ; all 
 are gone. It looks now unlike a place of so much 
 consequence as it once was, when the Venetians 
 
rapelje's narrative. 381 
 
 were straining every nerve to keep the Turks from 
 coming farther into Europe. Cyprus has long 
 since been frightened " from her propriety." There 
 was no soldier there who dared say, 
 
 "If once I stir, 
 
 Or do but lift this arm, the rest of you 
 Shall sink in my rebuke." 
 
 The Isle had more lagos in it than Cassios. The 
 malignant, the envious, the deceitful often swarm, 
 where there are but few confiding, honest men. 
 
 Our love for Shakspeare increases the more 
 we read him. Without travelling out of England, 
 he was acquainted with all countries, and he made 
 every city subservient to his purposes. Without 
 ever having seen much of mankind, he knew every 
 thing of human nature. Wherever man may roam, 
 there he will find that the genius of Shakspeare 
 has been before him to cull every thing peculiar 
 and valuable. He seems to have been taken upon 
 Pisgah, and shown not only the land of Canaan, 
 but those of the whole earth, and the mastery of 
 them was given to him without checks or ba- 
 lances. 
 
 Wednesday, June 26th. — We sailed along the 
 Island of Cyprus all the morning, and anchored at 
 twelve, opposite the west part or point of it; the 
 wind being contrary, we remained at anchor all 
 day and during the night. 
 
 Thursday, June 27th. — We set sail early in 
 the morning, the wind being more favorable, but 
 
382 kapelje's narrative. 
 
 it soon turned against us, we kept beating all day, 
 the Avind westerly. The Island of Cyprus, as we 
 sailed along it, was on the right or rather star- 
 board quarter. The land appeared broken and 
 hilly; I have heard the Cyprus wine was good. 
 We made but little progress this day. 
 
 Friday, June 28th. — We sailed all day with a 
 contrary wind. We steered by a compass, but 
 had no chart or quadrant to know where the ship 
 exactly was; however, it is always at this sea- 
 son fair weather, and we could see the sun, and 
 stars, and planets, by which they shaped their 
 course. 
 
 Saturday, June 29th. — We had a fair wind, and 
 got on from about three to five miles an hour, and 
 expected to see Pompey's Pillar at Alexandria, on 
 the next day, as it is the first object we see on 
 making Alexandria harbor. This made two 
 weeks and one day since I came on board this 
 Turkish vessel. 
 
 Sunday, June 30th. — We had a Aiir wind all 
 last night, and with the continuance of the breeze, 
 arrived to-day at Alexandria, by about twelve 
 o'clock. I put up at tlie Maltese Hotel. Here, as 
 well as in all other Turkish towns, I was obliged 
 to use my mattress and bedding. I went immedi- 
 ately to Mr. Gliddon. He was just at dinner, and 
 made me partake; then to Mr. Lee, the English 
 Consul. I delivered a package of letters from ]Mr. 
 Abbot, Consul at Baruth. He sent immediately 
 
rapelje's narrative. 383 
 
 for a captain of a Maltese brig, having cleared out 
 for Malta, the first and best going there, in which 
 he engaged a passage for me. I was to pay forty 
 dollars, and he to find me in all things, and also to 
 remain on board and perform my quarantine, inclu- 
 ded in the forty dollars, having expressed my 
 great desire to get on as soon as possible to Eng- 
 land, to which Malta is in the direct route. The 
 English have really been very civil to me, kind 
 and attentive to all my wishes; for which I must 
 request in this public manner, they would accept 
 my most cordial and warmest thanks and grati- 
 tude. They are wiiat I have ahvays thought and 
 found them to be, the most noble, renowned, brave, 
 and high nation on the face of the earth. If I 
 have ever spoken harshly of them, it has been 
 when some haughty individual has been rude to 
 me. This is natural, and I shall make no further 
 apology for it. 
 
 Monday, July 1st. — I went on board to look at 
 the brig this morning at six o'clock. She was a 
 fine large brig, called Tartaro, with a good cabin, 
 and pleasant in appearance; the captain, Seig- 
 nor Cossaco, spoke Italian, but the mate spoke 
 English ; and the brig was under English colors. 
 I bought some small red beads, six strings, made 
 at Mecca, of the stones of the date fruit, and color- 
 ed with it ; also four strings of sandal-wood beads, 
 highly scented; also two strings of mother-of- 
 pearl beads, and two round pearl shells, engraved, 
 
384 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 and colored, all from Mecca. I was so tired of 
 my passage in this uncomfortable Turkish boat, 
 I did not go out but little during the morning after 
 my return from viewing my brig. She waited 
 only for a wind to sail. 
 
 Tuesday, July 2d. — I got my passport signed 
 by Mr. Lee, and a letter from Messrs. Gliddon & 
 Brothers, saying to Messrs. James Bell & Co., of 
 Malta, there remained now due to me four hun- 
 dred and fifty-one scudes. I saw at Mr. Gliddon's 
 a Mr. Mieno, his clerk ; and this morning, Mr. 
 Winch, from India, paid me a visit; he was going to 
 Malta in the same ship. 
 
 Wednesday, July 3d. — I sent a letter dated 
 yesterday, by way of Leghorn, to Mrs. Rapelje, 
 New-York; waiting still to-day for a fair wind. 
 The trade to this place increases fast. Within 
 nine wrecks since I left it, I perceived the difference 
 in its favor. Water and muskmelons are plenty, 
 as also grapes in market, just beginning to ripen. 
 They all came from the south, from up the Nile, 
 from Cairo, &c. 
 
 Thursday, July 4th. — The wind contrary; I 
 paid Mr. Lee, the British consul, a visit, and bor- 
 rowed of him Sir Robert Wilson's Account of the 
 History of Abecrombie's Expedition and Campaign 
 in Egypt ; also the Arabian Nights' Entertain- 
 ments. 
 
 Friday, July 5tli. — Amused myself with read- 
 ing Wilson's account of the Expedition to Egypt, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 385 
 
 and Arabian Nights, the wind unfavorable to sail. 
 These tales of Arabian origin are wonderful per- 
 formances ; they enchant all ages ; the old man is 
 as much delighted with them as the cliild. These 
 entertaining stories were collected together by the 
 Caliph Haraun Al Raschid, in the ninth century ; 
 many others are said to have been written since. 
 They were, however, a sealed book to Europeans 
 for centuries. The French were among the first 
 translators of them. They took the lead in Oriental 
 literature. The English followed; but the first 
 translations into our vernacular were very indiffe- 
 rent ; but they appear now in a respectable dress. 
 These people, described a thousand years ago, are 
 the same now, excepting, these Arabs, Persians, 
 and Indians, were in their glory then, and in their 
 abasement now; but still the elements of their 
 character are the same. If they have lost some- 
 thing of the glow of literary excitement, they have 
 retained the same capacity for producing crea- 
 tions of the imagination, and the same love for the 
 romantic. Men whose lives and property are con- 
 stantly dependent on the will of their superiors, 
 wander into ideal worlds, and draw happiness, 
 or at least pleasure, from their own creations. 
 The descriptions of the deserts, of the caravans, 
 and caravansaries, in these tales are exact, only 
 we must call to mind that it was the palmy state 
 of " Araby the blest" when they were written, 
 which is now in a state of great degradation. The 
 
 49 
 
386 rapelje's nauiiative. 
 
 changes all over this cradle of the world have 
 been astounding. While in Tyre and Sidon I 
 could not refrain from again returning to the Scrip- 
 tures, twenty-third chapter of Isaiah, from the 
 first to the eleventh verse, which so distinctly 
 foretold the downfall of these marts of nations. 
 This denunciation of the great propliet Isaiah is a 
 sublime specimen of eloquence and of prophecy : 
 
 "The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tar- 
 shish ; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, 
 no entering in : from the land of Chittim it is re- 
 vealed to them. 
 
 " Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle ; thou whom 
 the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, 
 have replenished. 
 
 " And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the 
 harvest of the river, is her revenue ; and she is 
 a mart of nations. 
 
 " Be thou ashamed, O Zidon : for the sea hath 
 spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I tra- 
 vail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I 
 nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. 
 
 " As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall 
 they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. 
 
 " Pass ye over to Tarshish ; howl, ye inhabi- 
 tants of the isle. 
 
 " Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of 
 ancient days'? her own feet shall carry her afar 
 off to sojourn. 
 
 " Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, 
 
RAPELJE's NARHATIVE, 387 
 
 the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, 
 whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth 1 
 
 " The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain 
 the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt 
 all the honorable of the earth. 
 
 " Pass through thy land as a river, O daugh- 
 ter of Tarshish : there is no more strength. 
 
 " He stretched out his hand over the sea, he 
 shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a com- 
 mandment against the merchant-city, to destroy 
 the strong holds thereof." 
 
 A beguiled traveller is a fool ; but, I believe, 
 that the more one sees, and examines, the more 
 distinctly will he come to the conclusion, that God 
 has often vouchsafed a partial revelation to man 
 in ancient times, if he sees no necessity for it now. 
 Tyre and Sidon have fulfilled the prophecy. 
 
 Saturday, July 6th. — The Turkish drogoman 
 of Mr. Lee came for me to go on board at six in the 
 morning. Accompanied by him, my baggage w as 
 not searched at the custom-house. 
 
 Sunday, July 7th. — After getting the pilot on 
 board, at seven this morning, with a moderate 
 wind, but not fair, we got up the anchor, and set 
 sail for Malta. 
 
 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, July 8th, 
 9th, and 10th. — We had an unfair wind; gained 
 as yet but little on our course. 
 
 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 11th, 
 12th, and 13th. — The weather in the middle of 
 
388 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the day quite hot, the -^vind very light, and still 
 contrary. 
 
 Sunday, July 14th. — This day closed one week 
 since we sailed from Alexandria, and the vessel 
 was not any nearer our destined port of Malta, 
 than we were at Alexandria. We had some fresh 
 winds, but contrary ones. A good sailing English 
 or American vessel would have beat against the 
 wind, with the breezes we had, several hundred 
 miles; but this clumsy, heavy laden hulk of a vessel 
 could not get through the water more than three 
 knots an hour. Patience, patience I found I must 
 have, and hoped it would not forsake me. It is the 
 badge of all men who trust themselves on the 
 waters. 
 
 Monday, and Tuesday, July 15th, and 16th. — 
 Still contrary winds ; the vessel gaining very little. 
 
 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and 
 Sunday, July 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st.— 
 Nothing can be interesting at sea while contrary 
 winds prevail. 
 
 Monday, July 22d, and Tuesday, 23d.— We had 
 contrary winds, and it was very hot in the middle 
 of the day. The sun in setting on Tuesday, exhi- 
 bited many curious and remarkable shapes of urns, 
 pots, one head with horns, and yet there was not 
 a cloud to be seen. This phenomenon has been 
 remarked in other places, and philosophers have 
 attempted to account for it. 
 
 Wednesday, July 24th. — This morning at day- 
 
rapelje's narrative. 389 
 
 light we saw the Island of Candia, the Capo de 
 Monte, St. Johannes, or St. Jean, and sailed in 
 sight of it to the south during the day ; some very 
 high lands were in sight ; the tops of the highest 
 of them were covered with snow. 
 
 Thursday, July 25th. — We were in sight of 
 Candia during the day, about twenty or thirty 
 miles distant. It was quite hot. 
 
 Friday, July 26th. — We had contrary, baffling, 
 light winds, and sudden changes to calms, and 
 now and then a strong gust. We were in sight of 
 Candia, the Cape St. John, and also the small 
 low Island of Gosa. Candia appeared very hilly 
 and broken ground. 
 
 Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, July 27th, 
 28th, and 29th. — Nothing material happened. We 
 had head winds, once for half a day fair, and then 
 quite light, turned soon to a calm ; we got on by 
 degrees, though slowly. 
 
 Tuesday, July 30th. — A monotony of the same 
 unfair northerly wind for two days past, bringing 
 a thick fog, which kept the deck and cabin quite 
 wet, as if it rained. 
 
 Wednesday, July 31st. — We were getting on 
 with a more favorable wind from the northward, 
 laying our course about west, and in latitude 
 thirty- four degrees, eighteen minutes north ; and 
 longitude twenty-two degrees, five minutes east ; 
 the weather continued fine, but for two days past 
 there has been a heavy mist. 
 
390 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Tliiirsday, August 1st. — The living on board is 
 like that with most of the Italians. They took 
 little for breakfast, a cup of tea and a bit of bis- 
 cuit, a little cheese, or Bologna sausages. The 
 sailors have wine, cheese, and biscuits served out 
 for their breakfast. The dinners are good ; they 
 have soup always first, either macaroni or rice, 
 or lentiles, often with oil, and with a fowl, then 
 boiled salt beef, the fowl sometimes boiled, some- 
 times fricasseed, with onions, and often with cu- 
 cumbers or the egg plant, as long as they lasted ; 
 sometimes the inside of the cucumbers and plants 
 were stuffed with puddings, and they always had 
 a few raisins in the stuffing ; and afterwards a dish 
 called j^olenta, made of Indian meal, mixed with 
 eggs, boiled thin, rolled out and cut in diamond 
 shapes, about an inch and a half wide, and two 
 and a half inches long, and three quarters of an 
 inch thick, and fried brown, either in oil or butter ; 
 also, sometimes another dish of thin small round 
 fritters, made of eggs and flour, and two or three 
 raisins in the middle of each one ; for supper no 
 soup, but some dishes the same as are made for 
 dinner. They have always wine with dinner and 
 supper, with cheese and dates after as a dessert. 
 
 Friday, August 2d. — The whole crew as well 
 as captain were Roman Catholics, and every Fri- 
 day they ate beans or lentiles, or rice boiled in 
 soup, and they add salt fish, bread, and wine, but 
 no meat; a chicken was dressed for me. The 
 
rapei-je's narrative. 391 
 
 rising and setting of the sun in those seas is most 
 magnificent, with air so clear and pure, with that 
 beautiful azure sky, so peculiar to this Eastern 
 World. 
 
 Saturday, August 3d. — At three this morning 
 there was an eclipse of the moon, which, as I slept 
 on deck, I saw" ; and being near the coast of Africa, 
 though invisible to Europe and America. There 
 was nothing material occurred, but the wind get- 
 ting a little better ; the day very hot. 
 
 Sunday, August 4th. — The wind was light 
 most of the day. The weather was cool, and we 
 laid our course near for Malta ; we were then 
 about a hundred and twenty miles from it. 
 
 Monday, August 5th. — We got a fair wind but 
 very light, and were going for a few hours at the 
 rate of four and four and a half miles an hour. 
 
 Tuesday, August 6th, and Wednesday, 7th. — 
 The weather w as very hot during the day, with 
 frequent calms, and light southerly and westerly 
 winds; the cabin was truly suffocating ; the ves- 
 sel was old and smelt offensively. I slept every 
 night on deck, and was constantly wet with heavy 
 dews. The brig was loaded with lentiles and 
 wheat. An immense number of small black bugs 
 were constantly creeping on me. I saw a joyous 
 sight, the land at half-past eight on this Wednes- 
 day, after a thirty-two days' voyage from Alexan- 
 dria. 
 
 Thursday, August 8th. — We were mistaken in 
 
392 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the island seen yesterday morning ; we mistook a 
 small island for Malta in the same latitude, called 
 Linosa, about sixty or seventy miles from it ; we 
 had miscalculated our longitude. This morning 
 about five we saw Malta, but had a contrary wind 
 all day, and Avere obliged to beat for it. 
 
 Friday, August 9th. — The vessel still on her 
 tacks, with contrary winds. We saw^ Malta, but 
 owing to the wind, gained but little. 
 
 Saturday, August 10th. — A heavy, strong gale 
 blew all day right against us. The brig was 
 twenty years old ; and when the wind was high 
 she pitched greatly, shipping seas, and leaking. It 
 took five minutes every morning, and five minutes 
 every evening, to pump her out. 
 
 Sunday, August 11th. — This morning, early, a 
 light breeze, and fair, sprung up ; and, being about 
 eight or ten miles from Malta, got on slow^ly ; when 
 at the entrance of the harbor, fourteen boats, with 
 from four to six men in each, towed us into the 
 quarantine harbor, and we anchored at ten 
 o'clock. It being Sabbath, I staid on board all 
 day. 
 
 Monday, August 12th. — I was going into the 
 Lazaretto, to perform my quarantine of tw^enty 
 days, and to take new clothes from shore, leaving 
 all my old clothes and baggage to perform the 
 purpose, but found an English ship, the Nancy, 
 Capt. Brooks, just from Alexandria, which arrived 
 this morning, going to London. She was a quick 
 
rapelje's narrative. 393 
 
 sailer. I agreed to go with her, and to pay him 
 twenty-five guineas for my passage: He did not 
 intend to perform quarantine, and was only de- 
 layed a few days to get out some cargo to stop a 
 leak. I paid Capt. Cossaco his forty dollars for 
 my passage from Alexandria, and sent a letter up 
 to Mr. Bell to forward to Mrs. Rapelje. I went to 
 the quarantine ground, and saw Mr. Paul Emond, 
 who was very civil, and had clothes prepared to 
 lend me, expecting I should perform my quaran- 
 tine. At quarantine all is very particular. Two 
 guards are constantly on board; and one always 
 goes to the Lazaretto, or quarantine ground, Avith 
 every passenger. 
 
 Tuesday, August 13th. — Here I had plenty of 
 excellent fruit of all kinds; grapes, figs, plums, 
 nectarines, peaches, pears, apples, melons, &c., 
 in great perfection, from the Island of Gozo, the 
 former famed Island of Calypso ; and noted for 
 the adventures of Telemachus, about seventeen 
 miles off; here are fine meats, from Barbary; 
 also the noted small bird, called Beca Figa, or 
 fig-sucker. The bones of the bird are so tender 
 that they are chewed as the meat, which is of 
 delightful flavor. 
 
 Wednesday, August 14th. — I went to the qua- 
 rantine, and saw Mr. Paul Emond, the vice Ame- 
 rican consul, who was civil, attentive, and oflered 
 his services to me. 
 
 Thursday, August 15th, and Friday, 16th. — No- 
 50 
 
394 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 thing material on these two days. On Friday 
 Mr. Fisk, and Mr. Temple, clergymen, missionaries 
 from Boston, in America, called at the Lazaretto 
 to pay me a visit. I went there from the brig, and 
 had some conversation with them. They were 
 going in the ensuing winter to Syria. They of 
 the island are very severe and strict in their qua- 
 rantine laws. In one of the vessels at quarantine, 
 some person was trying to catch fish, and the sen- 
 try from shore fired his musket at him. This was, 
 they say, a regulation of General Maitland's, not to 
 permit any one to fish in the quarantine grounds ; 
 and he was very much disliked by the Maltese in- 
 habitants, and also by the English. The Island of 
 Malta (the ancient Melita) possessed, through a 
 succession of ages, a greater degree of fame and 
 power than any place of its size on the face of the 
 globe. It is sixty miles from Sicily, and about 
 two hundred from the nearest shore of Africa. It 
 is separated from the Island of Gozo by a strait 
 three or four miles wide. The population of Mal- 
 ta and Gozo, at one period of their history, was 
 very great, considering their small extent of terri- 
 tory. The Maltese are made up of all nations, 
 from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Their language 
 is a base mixture of numerous tongues. There 
 is but one small stream in the island, the water of 
 which is conducted by a noble aqueduct, seven or 
 eight miles in length, to Valetta. The climate 
 would be hot if it was not moderated by sea 
 
rapelje's narrative. 395 
 
 breezes. The produce of the island is cotton, prin- 
 cipally, but finer melons are not to be found in the 
 world, than are raised here. The city of Valetta 
 was founded about the middle of the sixteenth 
 century, by Jean Parisat de Levalette, the forty- 
 eighth Grand Master, an active, wise, and splen- 
 did officer, whose resources in war were truly 
 astonishing. He defended 3Ialta against Solyman 
 II. who attacked it with a force of eighty thousand 
 men, and, after a siege of several months, was 
 obliged to retire with immense loss. The Grand 
 Master was considered as a sovereign prince, and 
 sent his ambassadors to several courts of Europe. 
 The fortifications on this island are remarkable 
 for their strength. One thousand pieces of can- 
 non are mounted on the walls. This island was 
 given by Charles to the knights of St. John, who 
 had been driven from Rhodes by the Turks. The 
 knights fortified, and defied the whole w^orld to 
 take it. The history of this island, and that of 
 these brave knights, would make a volume as full 
 of romance as any of the creations of the imagina- 
 tion. Many writers have given us some sketches 
 of this island and its inhabitants. 
 
 Saturday, August 17th. — Xothing material. 
 
 Sunday. August 18th. — The weather was warm. 
 
 Monday, August 19th. — I wrote a letter to 
 the Honorable C. C. Golden, and went on board 
 the ship Nancy, Capt. Brooks, for London. 
 
 Tuesday, August 20th. — Sailed out of quaran- 
 
39G rapelje's narrative. 
 
 tine, at about three o'clock. The passengers were 
 Mrs. Richardson, an English lady, Capt. Miles, 
 and Mr. Brenner, an English captain of a vessel, 
 a Scotchman. We had a light fair wind. 
 
 Wednesday, August 21st. — Almost the whole 
 day a calm ; but last evening we got off as far as 
 St. Paul's harbor, where the apostle was cast 
 away. Near it is the Island of Gozo, which we 
 were near all day ; and is said, as I have observed, 
 to be the ancient fabulous Island of Calypso, fa- 
 mous for the adventures of Telemachus and Men- 
 tor. I saw the cliffed rock, being a point, quite 
 high, and projecting into the sea, where I suppose 
 they threw themselves off to go to the ship. The 
 weather was very hot. 
 
 Thursday, August 22d. — We got on very lit- 
 tle ; the wind light, and contrary. We were in 
 sight of Sicily for most of the day. 
 
 Friday, August 23d. — We had light wind and 
 calms. 
 
 Saturday, August 24th. — We passed with a 
 light fair wind Sciaca and Mazzara. 
 
 Sunday, August 25th. — Last night a showier of 
 rain, with some lightning and thunder ; and to-day 
 saw Marsalla, a town on the easterly part of Sici- 
 ly. We passed close by the Islands of Maretina 
 and Faliomana. The weather during the day was 
 excessively hot. 
 
 Monday, August 26th. — We got a fair wind, 
 but it did not last long. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 397 
 
 Tuesday, August 27th. — It blew a hard gale 
 all day, and contrary. We saw the small Island 
 of Galeta, a few miles from the Barbary coast. 
 
 Wednesday, August 28th. — It was calm, and 
 very hot, during the most of the day, 
 
 Thursday, August 29th. — The wind came on 
 gradually fair, and we saw the Island of Sardinia 
 but a short distance from us. 
 
 Friday, August 30th. — We had light winds, 
 and then a calm. 
 
 Saturday, August 31st. — A continuation of 
 calm and light wind, trifling rain, and very hot 
 weather. We saw the land on the Barbary 
 coast called Cape Ferro. 
 
 Sunday and Monday, September 1st and 2d. — 
 There was nothing particular happened. Some- 
 times we had a calm, sometimes high winds. 
 
 Tuesday, September 3d. — All last night the 
 ship rolled very much; but to-day we saw the 
 city of Algiers, and the Barbary coast. It was 
 high land. We were proceeding on with a fair 
 wind, 
 
 Wednesday, September 4th. — The w^ind con- 
 tinued fair ; we sailed along the coast of Bar- 
 bary quite plainly. The land appeared high and 
 broken. 
 
 Thursday, September 5th. — The wind continu- 
 ed fair with a fine breeze ; we sailed from six to 
 seven knots and a half an hour, the whole day. 
 Friday, September 6th. — This morning was 
 
398 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 quite a calm, and we were about a hundred miles 
 from Gibraltar. 
 
 Saturday, September 7th. — The wind was 
 light and near a calm. We saw several turtles on 
 the surface of the water ; the crew got out the 
 boat and caught three of them with their hands ; 
 the turtles were sleeping on the water ; two of 
 them had birds on their backs, which flew away 
 as our sailors approached them. The small- 
 est of these turtles weighed fifteen pounds, the 
 largest fifty. We were now in sight of Gibraltar 
 Rock. 
 
 Sunday, September 8th. — We got on last night 
 with a fair breeze, and this morning found we 
 were several miles past the rock ; but owing to the 
 contrary wind and strong current, we put back 
 and went into Gibraltar harbor or bay, and an- 
 chored about one o'clock to wait for a fair wind. 
 On board our vessel were sheep, fowls, ducks, 
 chickens, geese, pigeons, pigs, dogs, and cats, mo- 
 ving about on deck, and were also crowded with 
 boxes of citron trees, which made the vessel 
 appear like Noah's ark. 
 
 Monday, September 9th. — We got oflf some 
 wine, peaches, grapes, apples, and other provisions. 
 The grapes were uncommonly fine, the best white 
 oval grapes I ever tasted. There appeared many 
 fine houses with gardens, and walks, in the old 
 and new town. The barracks in the new town 
 facing the bay, and extending to the Mole, are 
 
rapelje's narrative. 399 
 
 very extensive, regular, and handsome buildings. 
 The fortifications are many of them close along 
 the water, and on the west side of the island, in 
 front of the new and old town. 
 
 Gibraltar is a strong fortress ; it lies at the en- 
 trance from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. 
 It was in tlie hands of the Arabians until taken 
 from them by Ferdinand, King of Castile, in 1302. 
 Thirty-one years afterwards it was retaken by 
 the Arabs, who held it an hundred and thirty 
 years. In 1704, this fortress came into the hands 
 of the English, who have retained it ever since, 
 although many desperate attempts have been 
 made to deprive them of it. In the harbor at 
 anchor, were the American frigate Constitution, 
 Commodore Jones, the sloop-of-war Ontario, and 
 schooner Nonesuch. I sent letters to New-York 
 and Paris. 
 
 We got under sail, with a light wind, and fair 
 from south-east at one o'clock ; with an increasing 
 fair wind, passed in high style through the Gibral- 
 tar Straits, and were soon out of sight of the Rock, 
 and passed TarifTtown and the point, on which 
 there was a light-house. The land on the Euro- 
 pean, as well as the African side, appeared high, 
 broken mountains, and volcanic. Through the 
 Strait was a strong current, always setting in from 
 the Atlantic to the JVIediterranean ; but it is sup- 
 posed that underneath, there is a counter current 
 outwards. There are eddies along the small bay 
 
400 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 and inlets. We passed at six, the Cape and Bay 
 of Trafalgar, where the memorable victory of 
 Nelson, over the French and Spanish, took place. 
 It was a great fight, but not in my opinion equal 
 to that of the Nile. During the night we passed 
 the bay and city of Cadiz. The water, as we got 
 into the Atlantic Ocean, was much greener than 
 the Mediterranean, which appeared a dark blue, 
 and in some places almost black. 
 
 Tuesday, September 10th. — We had, during 
 last night and to-day, a fine fair wind, and passed 
 the Bay of Cadiz, and also Cape St. Vincent. 
 
 Wednesday, September 11th. — Contrary wind. 
 
 Thursday, September 12th. — We tacked ship 
 this morning on to the starboard. 
 
 Friday, September 13th. — We had light winds, 
 not fair, and made little progress. 
 
 Saturday, September 14th. — The wind more 
 favorable, we passed St. Ubes ; saw the land of 
 Lisbon ; passed Spain ; the weather fine, cool, and 
 pleasant. 
 
 Sunday, September 15th. — The wind was con- 
 trary, and we got on but slowly. 
 
 Monday, September 16th. — The same as yes- 
 terday. 
 
 Tuesday, September 17th. — Heavy, strong 
 gales from the north and east ; we got on slowly ; 
 it was quite cold and chilly. 
 
 Wednesday, September 18th. — This morning a 
 little before daylight, we were off Oporto ; at light, 
 
rapelje's narrative. 401 
 
 one of the passengers, Capt. Miles, said he saw the 
 land ; heard the sea roar on the shore, and in fact 
 we were so close, that if we had kept on half an 
 hour more, we should have been ashore. At one 
 o'clock, we got a fair strong wind. 
 
 Thursday, September 19th. — The wind last 
 night was about south-west. At about nine or ten 
 o'clock it began to blow a heavy gale ; the sea 
 beating with such severe thumps against the stern 
 quarters and dead-lights, that one of the passen- 
 gers, an old seaman, Capt. Miles, thought it would 
 beat and batter them in. Finding no sail set, nor 
 any one he could see on deck, he twice desired the 
 captain to get up and set some sail on his ship, tell- 
 ing him at the time, that it was the most lubberly, 
 unseaman-like behavior he ever knew, to let the 
 ship lay in the trough of the sea, thumping about, 
 and the water driving in the stern quarters, so as 
 to wet the beds of the passengers, and not a bit of 
 sail set. The captain got up quickly, and came 
 out of his state-room in the cabin, at the same mo- 
 ment bringing a pair of large horse pistols, with 
 powder-horn, and balls, and, as hard as his hands 
 would let him, thumped them down on the table, 
 saying that they would settle accounts. He then 
 asked the other passenger to load them. There 
 was a lady in the cabin ; the other passenger and 
 myself begged the disputants to go on deck, but 
 they would not. Capt. Miles took one pistol, and 
 
 51 
 
402 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 finding it not loaded, was going to batter the but- 
 end about the captain's head, but we begged him 
 to desist. He then secured the pistols in his trunk, 
 and told the captain that by heavens he should 
 not sleep, when he thought, as he then did, that all 
 our lives were in danger. The lady got into faint- 
 ing and convulsions, which put an end to the fracas, 
 and the captain went on deck, and attended to his 
 ship. The sails and whole rigging were wretched ; 
 men are sent to sea often unprepared, and more 
 frequently do not know what to do in an emer- 
 gency. 
 
 Friday, September 20th. — The wind was quite 
 fair on the larboard quarter. 
 
 Saturday, September 21st. — Fine fair gale at 
 west, going about six knots, a north-east course, 
 across the Bay of Biscay. 
 
 Sunday, September 22d. — We had almost a 
 calm ; during last night and to-day, made little 
 headway. 
 
 Monday, September 23d. — During part of the 
 night, and this morning, a fine, fair, six-knot 
 breeze, considerable rain, and oppressive, muggy 
 weather. 
 
 Tuesday, September 24th. — We got into sound- 
 ings this morning, in ninety fathoms, off the mouth 
 of the English Channel. The wind was variable, 
 now about north-north-west. 
 
 Wednesday, September 25th. — A tolerable 
 
rapelje's narrative. 403 
 
 breeze all day, going north-north-east, the ship 
 with not so much motion when we got into the 
 English Channel. 
 
 Tluu'sday, September 26th. — The lady passen- 
 ger, Mrs. Richardson, who had been dreadfully 
 afflicted with the head-ache, was somewhat better 
 to-day. She got up, and I found her, as I had all 
 the passage, quite agreeable and sensible, with an 
 amiable disposition. She was handsome, and 
 cheerful, and, when Avell, she added much to be- 
 guile the tedious hours at sea. She cheered us all 
 up ; indeed, men are but poor creatures without 
 the society of ladies. 
 
 Friday, September 27th. — We were beating 
 to windward in the mouth of the channel, with 
 head winds, going slowly. 
 
 Saturday, September 28th. — I saw the land 
 very plainly ; but we had a contrary wind. I 
 amused myself playing back-gammon and cards 
 with the captain and passengers. 
 
 Sunday, September 29th. — We were passing 
 the Eddystone Light-house off Plymouth. 
 
 Monday, September 30th. — We were standing 
 to the northward in the bay, not far from the 
 town of Portland ; and at three, p. m. we were 
 close into the town of Bridgeport, a neat, small 
 town, and, to appearance, in a valley, with fine 
 cultivated lands around it. 
 
 Tuesday, October 1st. — We had a contrary 
 wind, and so high that we lost ground to-day. 
 
404 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Wednesday, October 2d. — A light wind during 
 the night. 
 
 Thursday, October 3d. — We passed the Isle of 
 Wight, and Southampton, and Plymouth, last 
 night, and to-day Chichester, Arundel, and Bright- 
 helmstone. 
 
 Friday, October 4tli. — We passed Dungeness 
 Point this morning, on which there is a light- 
 house. We entered and sailed through the Straits 
 of Dover, close along the English side ; saw the 
 town of Dover ; and opposite is the French coast 
 at Calais. A pilot came on board this morning, at 
 about eight, when we were opposite Folkestone. 
 The country all along this shore is beautiful and 
 well cultivated. There are many fine green fields. 
 
 Saturday, October 5th. — We got under weigh 
 this morning at eight ; saw the Old Royal Yacht, 
 called the Royal Sovereign, pass us, with some of 
 the royal family, from Antwerp. The pilot, Mr. 
 Bowles, told us it was the Duke and Duchess of 
 Clarence. We had a fine view of the ladies on deck, 
 under a handsome crimson canopy. The Duke 
 was walking the quarter-deck with several others. 
 They were in a beautiful ship-rigged vessel, with 
 an elegant royal standard at her mast-head, which 
 was very handsome, and is only hoisted when any 
 of the royal family are on board. The vessel was 
 ornamented all around with heavy borderings 
 of gold, especially her bow and stern ; and alto- 
 gether she was a beautiful vessel. She sails quite 
 
rapelje's narrative. 405 
 
 fast. She passed us as if we were standing still. 
 We lowered the main-royal sail, as a mark of re- 
 spect, when she passed. 
 
 We came in the afternoon past Sheerness, where 
 is a large dock-yard, and harbor, and saw many 
 new and old men-of-war laid up, and covered over. 
 
 Sunday, October 6th. — This morning the doc- 
 tor of the quarantine harbor came along side, as it 
 is customary, and made inquiries of the health of 
 the crew, and passengers ; and, in the evening, a 
 guardian, or officer of inspection, came on board to 
 examine the state of the cargo, to see if there were 
 any suspected articles. 
 
 Monday, October 7th. — We were in great 
 anxiety to know if we would be liberated from 
 quarantine. 
 
 Tuesday, October 8th. — This morning another 
 guardian, and officer of inspection, Mr. Watson, 
 came on board. Our detention was owing to two 
 packages, or cases, that were united in the mani- 
 fest, mentioned " contents unknown," being two 
 small cases one of the passengers, a Scotchman, 
 had taken on board for his friend in London, 
 these being suspicious articles. These inspectors 
 were sent on board to examine them, fearful they 
 might be infectious; and we were fearful they 
 would make us perform a long quarantine for this 
 piece of inadvertency. 
 
 Wednesday, October 9th. — In the same situa- 
 tion. 
 
406 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Thursday, October 10th. — We were quite dis- 
 appointed in not being released from quarantine. 
 The captain's bill of health, it seems, was not a 
 clean bill from Alexandria ; and, in consequence, 
 it was uncertain how long we should have to re- 
 main. 
 
 Friday, October 11th, and Saturday, 12th. — 
 On the latter day, got orders from a Mr. Dixon, 
 one of the superintendent officers of quarantine, 
 that we must remain fifteen days, which made it 
 up to twenty before we were liberated. 
 
 We remained in quarantine until Sunday, Oc- 
 tober 20th. At two o'clock this day, Mr. Dixon, 
 a quarantine officer, came on board, and libera- 
 ted the ship. The three passengers, Mrs. Richard- 
 son, Mr. Hugh Bremmer, and Capt. Miles, went 
 in a small cutter to Rochester, up the river Med- 
 way. I remained in the ship, which immediately 
 got under weigh, and proceeded onward ; passed 
 Sheerness, and the Foreland, and up the river 
 Thames, for London. Night coming on, and a 
 contrary wind blowing, we anchored in the 
 river halfway to Gravesend. Among the number 
 of new ships lying at Sheerness, I saw the Howe 
 and Trafalgar ; one, one hundred and ten, the other 
 one hundred and twenty guns. 
 
 Monday, October 21st. — On account of the 
 wind and tide being against us, we did not get 
 under weigh till eleven o'clock, when we came up 
 the river Thames, opposite to Gravesend. The 
 
rapelje's narrative. 407 
 
 alien-office boat came to the vessel, and oblin^ed 
 me, as a foreigner, to go with them on board a 
 vessel anchored off, where my baggage was 
 searched. I was then taken ashore to the alien- 
 office, at Gravesend, where I obtained a passport. 
 I immediately went to the Prince of Orange Hotel, 
 where the coaches stop, took an inside passage, 
 and got to London, twenty-two miles from Graves- 
 end, at nine, and put up at the New-York Coffee- 
 house. I went through Dartmouth, Deptford, 
 and Woolwich, wdiere were handsome and exten- 
 sive barracks ; also through Blackheath and 
 Greenwich. 
 
 Tuesday, October 22d. — I remained in Lon- 
 don to-day, and received a number of letters from 
 New-York, forwarded from Cork and Liverpool, 
 one from Mr. Jacob Marsh, inclosing them, and one 
 from Messrs. Thomas and William Earle & Co. 
 inclosing others from Mr. E. D. and David Colden, 
 and a number from Mrs. Rapelje. I paid INIr. J. 
 Vaughan a visit, and inquired for New-Yorkers at 
 the coffee-house, but found none. I was engaged 
 all day in reading my letters. 
 
 Wednesday, October 23d. — Last evening at 
 eight I started in the mail coach from the Swan 
 with Two-Necks, Lad-lane, for Liverpool to take 
 passage in the ship Cortes, Captain De Coste. I 
 hastened my departure, as my wife and friends 
 urged me to return forthwith. I rode all night 
 through Coventry and New-Castle, and in the 
 
408 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 counties of Stafford, Warwickshire, &c., &c., and 
 over a fine road and delightful country, interspers- 
 ed with hills, valleys, canals, and ponds, in ev^ery 
 direction ; there were highly cultivated farms, 
 parks, and gardens, with sheep, horses, and cattle 
 in abundance. Bee hives were around the cot- 
 tages and gardens. I arrived at Liverpool two 
 hundred and seven miles from London in twenty- 
 eight hours and a half, being at the rate of more 
 than seven miles an hour ; but this is not so fast 
 as some mails travel in America. 
 
 Thursday, October 24th. — I went a shopping 
 to several places, to get articles of linen and flan- 
 nel to wear on board. I engaged my passage with 
 Capt. De Coste, of the ship Cortes, to pay him for- 
 ty pounds, English, when I arrived at New- York. 
 In the evening I went for an hour to the theatre ; 
 it is neat and small ; I saw the latter part of Tom 
 and Jerry. Miss Hammersley is a pleasant actress, 
 and sings finely. The others are but indifferent. 
 I wrote a letter to Mr. Mark of Cork, one to Capt. 
 Brooks, London, and a note to Messrs. Earle. 
 
 Friday, October 25th. — At six I went on board 
 the ship Cortes, Capt. De Coste, for New-York, 
 and sailed out with a fair breeze of wind. 
 
 Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, October 26th, 
 27th, and 28th. — The wind came rather contrary, 
 and we were getting on slowly ; on Sunday evening 
 we saw the Tuscora light, a revolving one, making 
 a circuit every two minutes. We saw the light 
 
rapelje's narrative. 409 
 
 about thirty miles off, and expected soon to be out 
 of the channel. 
 
 Tuesday, October 29th. — We got a fine wind 
 with rain during tlie after part of the day. 
 
 Wednesday, October 30th. — It rained most of 
 the day. 
 
 Thursday, October 31st. — Dull weather, but 
 the passengers on board were genteel, and lived 
 together harmoniously. 
 
 Friday, November 1st. — We had high and con- 
 trary winds, with rain during the day. 
 
 Saturday, November 2d. — The wind was blow- 
 ing hard, with showers. The passengers endea- 
 vored to do all in tlieir power to make each other 
 happy. The captain, altiiough in appearance, a 
 robust, stout man, with a weather-beaten face 
 like my own, I found to possess a kind, tender 
 heart, and was uncommonly attentive to his ship 
 both day and night; obliging and attentive to all 
 his passengers. 
 
 Sunday, November 3d. — The wind kept going 
 down during the night, and the morning was fine 
 and clear. 
 
 Monday and Tuesday, November 4th and 
 5th. — The wind was high and contrary ; the ship 
 had much motion. 
 
 Wednesday, November 6th. — At eleven or 
 twelve last night, the wind from a heavy gale 
 against us, came all of a sudden fair, and continued 
 
 52 
 
410 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 fair during the day; the sliip going from six to 
 seven knots an hour. 
 
 Thursday, November 7th. — The weather plea- 
 sant, and wind ahead to south and west, and light 
 during the morning, hut increased duriug the whole 
 of the day. 
 
 Friday, November 8th. — Until the middle of 
 the night, the wind blew from the south and west, 
 and the ship went about nine or ten knots an hour. 
 We took in sail during the evening and night ; and 
 between eleven and twelve it shifted to north-west 
 and blew a perfect hurricane, so as to shiver the 
 foresail. A man, in handing the sails on the wind- 
 ward main-yard arm, fell, and was lost overboard ; 
 it being very dark, there was no chance to save 
 him. The ship was laid too under mizen stay- 
 sail and fore-sail, and so continued during this day ; 
 the gale continuing. 
 
 Saturday, November 9th. — The gale continued, 
 and the ship lay to, all day. The wind was con- 
 trary and strong. 
 
 Sunday, November 10th. — The wind was 
 ahead, but abated; there was a heavy sea, and 
 the ship rolled much during the night. 
 
 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 11th, 12th, and 
 13th. — We had high, contrary winds. Early on 
 Monday morning, a sudden squall took the sails, 
 and broke in the middle the fore yard-arm ; but 
 during the next day we got up a new one. 
 
rapelje's narrative. 411 
 
 Thursday, November 14tli. — About daylight 
 the wind sprung up a strong blow from the north- 
 west, and this was the first time in a week that it 
 was fair. 
 
 Friday, November 15th. — The wind was not 
 very fair. 
 
 Saturday, November 16th. — A high wind 
 during the night. Yesterday the maintop-gallant 
 yard broke. We had now been out three weeks, 
 and had proceeded near half way from Liverpool 
 to New- York. — A young lady passenger, Miss 
 Harman, was very ill by constant sea-sickness, and 
 spasms. 
 
 Sunday, November 17th. — We had fine ^\ea- 
 ther, the ship going a tolerable course of west- 
 by-south. 
 
 Monday, 18th, Tuesday, 19th. — Nothing ma- 
 terial. 
 
 Wednesday, November 20th. — A fair wind, 
 going eight and nine knots an hour. 
 
 Thursday, November 21st. — Wind ahead during 
 the night, and w^e shipped many seas, and pitched 
 and rolled at a great rate. 
 
 Friday, November 22d. — The weather was 
 quite mild during the night, and very warm. Tlie 
 passengers were all pleasant to each other, show^- 
 ing a spirit of mutual accommodation and civility; 
 and we amused ourselves with different games at 
 cards, at whist, cassino, cribbage, &c.; back-gam- 
 mon, draughts, chess, &c.; reading and walking 
 
412 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 the deck, when good weather, notwithstanding 
 now and then a sea was shipped, and we were 
 sprinkled, some of us, even to the skin. We are 
 ahout eleven hundred and fifty miles from New- 
 York. 
 
 Saturday, November 23d. — We had all night, 
 and this day, heavy gales, wath squalls of rain ; 
 the wind about w^est, and w^e making a steady 
 course of north-north-west. 
 
 Sunday, November 24th. — High winds, ship- 
 ping many heavy seas. We were making a 
 north-west course. 
 
 Monday, November 25th. — The wind blew 
 almost a hurricane during the night, attended with 
 lightning and rain, the vessel rolling and pitching 
 very much to our annoyance at table. 
 
 Tuesday, November 26th. — We had high 
 winds. 
 
 Wednesday, November 27th. — There was last 
 night a perfect hurricane from the north-west, with 
 rain and lightning. But few slept, on account of 
 the rolling and pitching of the ship; but to-day the 
 wind was fair, and more moderate. 
 
 Thursday, November 28th. — We had a fair 
 wind from tlie north-east ; course north-west, for 
 the last twenty-four hours, during which time we 
 sailed about a hundred and iifty miles, from six to 
 seven miles an hour. It was a pleasant day. 
 
 Friday, November 29th. — We had a good 
 southerly and easterly wind all last night, and 
 
rapelje's narrative. 413 
 
 to-day, which sent us along at the rate of from 
 seven to nine knots an hour. The morning was 
 clear, and the weather warm. Tlie passengers and 
 crew Avere well, and in good spirits. This was 
 now just four weeks since the ship sailed from 
 Liverpool, and the only really fair wind we have 
 had. It lasted only two days. The ship has little 
 motion, the sea almost as smooth as a mill-pond. 
 
 Saturday, November 30th. — This being St. 
 Andrew's day, and there being several Scotch 
 gentlemen on board, belonging to the society of 
 that name, we celebrated the day. The captain 
 had the table sumptuously furnished on the occa- 
 sion with real turtle soup, fine salmon, that were 
 preserved, and as fine as if just caught. At lunch 
 there was a collation of rich cake, made on board, 
 and which looked as if just out of the hands of a 
 confectioner ; also a fine dessert, as puddings, 
 tarts, preserves, fruits, and nuts, &c., properly 
 served, also choice white and red wines, with 
 champagne. The day was spent with much hilar- 
 ity and good humor. There were a number of ap- 
 propriate toasts, songs, and glees. The table was 
 honored by the presence of the ladies on board ; 
 and Mrs. Kerr, with her usual goodness of heart, 
 furnished the Scotch gentlemen with St. Andrew's 
 ensignia of the cross, handsomely ornamented. 
 The weather favored us, the sea was smooth, and 
 there was a fair breeze driving us gently on as we 
 honored the birth-day. 
 
414 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 Sunday, December 1st. — We had the same 
 misty weather, 
 
 Monday, December 2d. — It cleared up in the 
 night, and the wind north-west. The weather 
 much cokler, and the wind was not fair. 
 
 Tuesday, December 3d. — We had a high wind 
 from the north, south, and east, and we were scud- 
 ding under very easy sail all day. 
 
 Wednesday, December 4th. — We had rain and 
 head winds all day. 
 
 Thursday, December 5th. — The wind was 
 ahead, and it was quite cold. We got to sound- 
 ings in ninety fathoms of water, off Massachusetts 
 Bay and Cape Cod. We supposed the shoals on 
 George's Bank about two hundred miles from 
 that shore. It was quite cold, so as to make ice 
 on the deck. 
 
 Friday, December 6th. — It is now just six 
 weeks since we left Liverpool. We had little or 
 no wind during the niglit, and what there was, 
 ahead ; but this morning at six, the wind came from 
 the north. We took an easterly course. We had 
 sleet and snow during the night. 
 
 Saturday, December 7th. — The wind was con- 
 trary ; we coasted by tacking all day. 
 
 Sunday, December 8th. — This morning I saw 
 land on the Long Island shores, supposed to be 
 Southampton ; wind ahead, but fine, clear, cool 
 weather. 
 
 Monday, December 9th. — I threw my pen 
 
rapelje's narrative. 415 
 
 aside, and strained my eye-balls to see my native 
 shore. 
 
 " Breathes there a man with soul so dead, 
 Who never to himself has said, 
 'This is my own, my native land ! 
 "Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd, 
 As home his footsteps he hath turned, 
 From wandering on a foreign strand 7' " 
 
 After receiving the congratulations of my fami- 
 ly and friends on my safe arrival after all my wan- 
 derings and hair-breadth escapes, and they had not 
 been a few ; indeed at times I had been given up 
 for dead by many of my friends in this country, I 
 began to look around my native city, which had 
 increased most marvelously in my absence. This 
 absence seemed a long exile to me, and one which 
 I could not have borne if it had not been volun- 
 tary ; although, in fact, the time was short for the 
 extent of my rovings. On a survey of the city I 
 found the speculator and the mechanic had been 
 busy. Old buildings had given place to new ones ; 
 vacant lots had been covered with fine houses ; 
 new streets had been cut, and narrow ones widened 
 for the convenience of the public, if the expenses 
 fell unjustly on some individuals. The lands I 
 left a farm had become house lots, and that ground 
 which had been purchased by the acre, now sold 
 readily by the square foot. On inquiry, I found 
 the state had been equally prosperous, and the 
 United States generally. It would be no easy 
 
416 rapelje's narrative. 
 
 matter to make enlightened England believe that 
 we had in this young country, more than fifty col- 
 leges; that millions were paid every year for the 
 education of the common classes of society, and 
 that the rich were obliged to pay according to 
 their wealth for all this, and to receive in turn the 
 protection of the citizen soldier in case of invasion ; 
 and as for the rest of Europe, they would rank such 
 a story among the annals of the fabulous ages. 
 
 On my return I found my farm in Westchester 
 a favorite residence ; and I believe it is true to the 
 nature of man, that the more he travels, the more 
 decidedly he places his happiness in retirement, at 
 least in his own imagination, if not in habits. I 
 have now arrived at that time of life when I can 
 no more expect to feel a disposition to encounter 
 the dangers of the ocean, or to traverse distant 
 countries. I wish prosperity to mankind at large, 
 but my most ardent prayers are for my own coun- 
 try ; and I have said in my heart, this Republic 
 wants nothing but harmony and peace in her 
 borders, and a full tide of patriotism in the breasts 
 of her citizens, to be the wonder and envy of the 
 world. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 if 
 
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