^-/- v^^ * "^- ^0, X-* ^- v^ \^ .o> ->.''^c. t o. * N ■^^ Or rif. ,^" .■ Af •■-j^^-.--:- **■ .- •?• V. '^ . (^ .V^ ■%c ^-^:^ ^oo^ % ,0 s :/- .>^ c'V' *' 7' •/ *>^ « or 0' c^' ■ v ,-0 V '^-^ .-{^^ ,«v\- . ,^ ' ..0^^ • . '*, '% ^.V^S^y*" «v''^; ^'"^ ,>^%. A^^'"- - s'^'%,. - .. r-% •p -\- .. ^ "^ s:*^ .^ _v "^, ^:^ -^ 'O . o -'^ r ■\' ^ ; ,s S -^ .^ , ■ 'v^ - y:'%^^ c . ■ 'c^. .^\-"^^:.. .<^'^*^^\/,-'^ '^. x" «0 ^ SKETCHES ABROAD ^^^V ' WITH PEN AND PENCIL. FELIX O.^'cnOARLEY. The Drmumgs engraved on Wood by J. Augustus Bogert and James L. Langridge. NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY HURD AND HOUGHTON. 1868. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by HuRD AND Houghton, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. ~^ Ca *^ RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE : • —^ STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY. A WORD TO THE READER. I WOULD say to the gentle reader that the contents of this rather consumptive little vol- ume were not intended, originally, for the public eye, but for the eye domestic ; being extracts from familiar letters written from abroad to my family at home, and for their especial pleasure and benefit. At the suggestion of a friend, I was induced to put them into type and use them as a thread whereon to hang the illustra- tions, the originals of which were, for the most part, drawn from railroad cars, the coupe of a diligence, the back of a mule, or from the deck of a steamer. The reader will take them for what they are worth. I have but skimmed the surface of things — it may be too lightly things heavy and too heavily things light ; but I take it for granted that all IV A WORD TO THE READER. I have touched upon is familiar to my country- men, — they being a remarkably travelling peo- ple, who are to be found, at all seasons and hours, in every corner of the habitable globe, with a laudable desire to know everything, and with that penetrative insight into ''facts'" which dis- tinguished the ingenious Mr. Gradgrind. I have avoided Murray and his details ; said nothing of the population of any village, town, or city I have visited, nor measured the width, height, or length of their public buildings ; neither have I made any remarks upon the political or social condition of Europe, knowing these things to be done daily, by far abler pens than mine. I have sketched only and finished nothing, and trust that amiable body known as the " Public," will look upon my short-comings, in this ex- tremely mild literary effort, with an indulgent eye. September, iS68. D. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. English Soldiers playing Cards. page 2. Departure i 3. The Abbe 3 4. Chester • . . .6 5. Phcenix Tower 7 6. The Way we saw England 9 7. The Tomb of a Crusader 14 8. The Block and Axe in the Tower 19 9. Effigy of Henry IV. in the Tower .... 20 10. English Policeman on Duty 21 11. Street Minstrels in London 27 12. Anne Hathaway's Cottage 28 13. Kenilworth Abbey 30 14. Armor in Warwick Castle . . . . . . .31 15. "Dear Sir John" 37 16. Font in the Chapel at Haddon Hall . . . 38 17. Norman Staircase 41 18. Tomb of the Black Prince in Canterbury Cathedral 42 19. Gendarme 43 20. Encounter with the Minute Foreigner ... 46 21. Mounted Gendarme 47 22. Bonnivard 50 23. Swiss Shrine 51 VI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE 24. " Hair-erecting Process " 52 25. Swiss Peasant 54 26. Taking Leave of my " Apple on Four Sticks " . . 5 15 27. " Doing " the Alps 56 28. Swiss Chalet 58 29. Swiss Peasant 59 30. Goat 60 31. Priest in the Cathedral at Munich . . . .63 32. Peasants in the Chapel ....... 64 33. Sketch from the Window of the Hotel . . .67 34. Near Ragatz 68 35. Jungfrau and Executioner 69 36. Peasants in "their very peculiar Best." ... 70 37. Railway Official 70 38. Towers of the Wall of Nuremburg .... 72 39. Figure of the Madonna on the Public Fountain . . 73 40. Market- Women at Heidelberg 76 41. A Nurse at Baden-Baden 79 42. Dutch Fishermen 80 43. Putting in the Fine Touches 83 44. The Statue" of Rubens 84 45. Jolly Dutchmen 85 46. The Artist without Hands 87 47. Peasant 88 48. Market- Women at Antwerp 88 49. Fish- Women at the Hague 92 50. My Imaginary Nurse 93 51. Bulwer 98 52. Shepherd 102 53. In the Street at Nice 103 54. Entering a Town on the Corniche Road . . . 105 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Vll PAGE 55. On the Corniche Road 108 56. A Friar 109 57. Struggle for a Dip 113 58. Italian Peasants 114 59. The "Double Beggar" 119 60. Priest and Beggar 124 61. Boy and Censer 129 62. The Lazy Neapolitan 130 63. On the Molo at Naples 130 64. Pathetic Strains 131 65. Trained Dogs 132 66. Scene in Front of the Hotel 132 67. Skull of the Faithful Soldier 135 68. Italian Shepherd 137 69. Turnip Boy 141 70. Capuchin 142 71. A "Rising" Man 149 72. Hunter on Horseback 151 73. Wayside Shrine 152 74. Models at Rome 153 75. At the Fountain 154 76. Beppo 160 77. The "Gentleman on the Wall" 161 78. Guarding the Flocks 161 79. GuLiANO de Medici 167 80. Devotion 173 81. Gondola 174 82. A Canal in Venice . . 176 83. Venetian Water-Carrier 181 84. Melancholy Waiter 184 85. Peasants going to their Work 186 SKETCHES ABROAD. Steamship " Cuba," Jime 8, 1 86-. ERE we are at sea, on board the good ship Cuba, weather fine, and the sea, unlike many of our passengers, in a Hvely condition, the white caps dancing about in a jolly manner. Our fel- low voyagers ex- hibit a variety of expression ; some, expectant of that awful mo- ment when the inner man rebels against the con- stant rising and falling of the deck, have thrown themselves down upon it, and are forcing a feeble smile to convince you that they are " quite com- fortable." Some, pale and limp, are reclining 1 2 SKETCHES ABROAD with their heads on the shoulders of sympathiz- ing friends, while others stagger to the guards, over which they hang in a collapsed condition, and many who are " never sick," walk the deck with determined stride, confident and cheerful. One poor, old gentleman, an invalid, lies out- stretched in his sea-chair, wrapped in a large plaid shawl, with his felt hat tied under his chin leaving his nose alone visible, a forlorn picture of patient suffering. The captain, majestic and re- served, is seen upon the bridge with the glass at his eye, scanning a distant sail, while the boat- swain pipes his shrill call to the hands to " Lay aft." By the smoke-stack is gathered a group of gentlemen warming their backs and puffing the fragrant weed. Suddenly the ship rolls, and one individual with red whiskers and an excess of nose, who has been reading a newspaper, turns over unexpectedly upon his back, slides quite across the deck, — stool and all, — accompanied by two ladies. The bell rings for dinner, and all who can, dive instantly into the cabin to attend to the most important business of the day. Five times during the twenty-four hours, do we go through this interesting process, ending at night with the delectable composition known as " Welsh- rare-bit," with something hot. After each meal we WITH PEN AND PENCIL. return to the deck, lounge upon the stern railing, and amuse ourselves watching the gulls, as, with their wild cry, they follow in our wake and dip to the surface of the sea to pick up the debris of our feast, which has been thrown overboard. Among our fellow-passengers we have some strange contrasts of character. There are two Frenchmen of the navy, a purser and his dear friend, a lieutenant, whom he occasionally em- braces, — a rattling, giggling, riggling little fellow, who chirps and sings snatches of French songs, all day. Then there is a French abbe, cheerful, good-natured, and blundering in his English, which he tries hard, but vainly, to acquire. Then a gen- tleman who has served as a volunteer through the Rebellion — a most earnest patriot, whose hatred of traitors, and intense energy when giv- ing expression to his sentiments, are beyond my powers to convey. He is a wiry, nervous man, with rigid vertebrae and a hooked nose, and illus- trates, with fiery action, his experience during the 4 SKETCHES ABROAD war; frequently bringing his iron fist much too near your nose ; making you wink and dodge, while you venerate his patriotism. There is an- other worthy man, of an entirely different stamp, from the far West — a tall, lank clergyman, of an inquiring mind, with a small, penetrating, blue eye, whose glance enters your brain like a gimlet, while he button-holes you in the corner by the smoke-stack. His stomach is unfortunately weak, and he is, consequently, always retiring to his berth, but is sure to turn up again, a little faded in his complexion, with the remark that he " feels better." We have also a rebel, — a lively, amiable rebel, who swears he is the " d dst rebel in all the South," — but we dont believe it, for the pleasant twinkle in his eye contradicts it. At the bow, daily appears a group of English soldiers, in their red jackets and knowing little caps, loung- ing on the railing or lying on the deck playing cards. This life at sea is certainly very monotonous ; it drags ; all days are the same with us, and we find it difficult to kill time. A floating spar or plank passes, and in a moment becomes a subject of intense interest ; every one rushes to the side of the vessel to gaze upon it, and the mind in- stantly gives it a history: it may be all that re- WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 5 mains of a wreck upon the mighty ocean, and could, perhaps, " a melancholy tale unfold " of the "desolate rainy seas." Sometimes a whale comes in sight, its vast body rolling along and shining like an immense bottle, while it blows and sinks, again to rise, till lost in the fog that hangs upon the horizon. This morning we passed an ice- berg, a glittering and dangerous beauty, which, if encountered, proves, like many other beauties, cold and unyielding ! It is about time now for " something hot," so good-night. I shall send this letter from Queens- town. SKETCHES ABROAD Chester, jfutie 19. S Liverpool is sim- ply a commercial city, it was not par- ticularly interest- ing to us, and we came on to Chester at once. This town is the oldest in England, having been settled by the Romans ; and frag- ments of Roman buildings, monuments, and coins, are being constantly discovered. Soon after we arrived, we went to the Cathe- dral, built in the tenth century ! " Think of it ! dream of it ! " As it was Sunday, we entered to enjoy the service, and had the pleasure of hearing the Rev. Hugh McNeil, one of the celebrated preachers of England. The effect to me was like a dream ; none of us could realize it ; and the grand and imposing music, taken in connection WITH PEN AND PENCIL. with the antiquity of the place, produced a most singular effect upon the mind : the mod- ern costume, the dress-coats and bon- nets by which we were surrounded, seemed entirely out of place in this time-honored build- ing. After the con- gregation left, the verger — of course for a considera- tion — showed us through the noble cathedral, pointing out its various ob- jects of interest. In the crypt, we groped about among vaults and pits, looking to each other, in the " dim relig- ious light," like so many ghosts. We afterwards passed through the cloisters, then out into the sunlight, where the monks lie buried. I gathered some leaves from the rich masses of ivy which almost cover the venerable walls. In the after- noon, we walked on the old wall which surrounds 8 SKETCHES ABROAD the city, and came to one of the towers, from the top of which Charles I. is said to have witnessed the defeat of his army by Cromwell, at the battle of Rowton Moor. I made a sketch of it, also of another, covered with ivy and as beautiful as possible, with the River Dee in the distance, and the mountains of Wales beyond. The whole place is exceedingly interesting to us ; the old houses are so singular, with their overhanging gables and carved fronts — so old, and yet so new to ms. In one street, we passed through a sort of arcade formed by the second stories of the houses projecting over the side- walk ; here were the principal shops. During the great plague, one house only escaped its rav- ages ; it is still standing, and bears the inscription " God's Providence is mine Inheritance." On the next day, we visited Eton Hall, the seat of the Marquis of Westminster, the most magnif- icent place, it is said, in England. As we drove for three miles, through the grounds to this splen- did residence, we saw the deer under the wide- spreading oaks, while the pheasants and rabbits in the grass were as tame as hens. I can give you no idea of the splendor of the place : we entered first the hall, which is about fifty feet square, and around which are placed in niches. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 9 suits of armor ; one of a crusader in chain-mail, the rest in plate armor. In the dining-room and library, are some pictures by Rubens, and several family portraits by Reynolds, West, Hopner, and Gainsborough — those by the last two are cap- ital lO SKETCHES ABROAD TiNTERN, June 2 2. /^N Tuesday, we left Chester for Caernarvon, and stopped for an hour or two at Conway to see the castle, built, as yo'u know, by Edward I. : a most magnificent ruin on the banks of the River Conway. One of the railroad men acted as our guide, and we ascended one of the towers, from the top of which we enjoyed an exquisite view of the surrounding country. We then re- turned to the tower and visited an old mansion which was built by the Earl of Leicester, and where he often entertained Queen Elizabeth — a curious old place. In the banqueting- room the letters E. and R. D. — Elizabeth and Robert Dudley — are seen above the mantel-piece, on the oak panels around the room, and on the ceiling. After lunching at the " Erskine Arms," we re- turned to the railway station, and proceeded to Caernarvon. We secured rooms at the hotel, and then hurried to the castle. This ruin is still finer than the last, being much more grand and exten- sive. We explored every part of it, went up winding stairs quite hollowed out, perhaps by WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 1 mail-clad feet of former centuries. As we as- cended, passing through dilapidated passages and ruined chambers, — wherein the fire-places are still visible, — the startled rooks flew, screaming, from their nests ; we were quite wild with delight. We passed the night at the " Royal George," and a charming old place it is, clean and cosy, like all English country inns. In the morning, we mounted to the top of a stage-coach, fondly anticipating a delightful drive, as we had been told that the scenery is magnifi- cent in this part of Wales : but, alas ! the sun, after struggling with the mist for some time, finally retired from the contest, the mist changed into a rain, which completely hid the landscape from us, and we were very glad, at Corwen, to enter a rail- way-carriage, in which we went rapidly to Shrews- bury, where we passed the night. On Thursday, we took the cars to Hereford, and went immediately to the cathedral, which is truly magnificent. The verger was officious, as usual, showing us tombs of the twelfth, four- teenth, and fifteenth centuries, with knights and bishops on their backs, the latter with their mitres and crosiers, while the knights were in full armor — the crusader in his shirt of mail and with crossed leQ:s. One tomb of the time of 12 SKETCHES ABROAD Elizabeth, with the figures colored, has a very- strange effect ; all of these were more or less broken by Cromwell's soldiery. I sat upon a chair which had once been occupied by King Stephen, and we were shown a book written b}' a monk a thousand years ago ; a crosier taken from the coffin of a bishop of the eleventh century, which was opened in 1861, when the body was found enclosed in lead, and perfect ; Wickliffe's Bible, the first translation ever made, and the first map of the world, a very curious and amusing production. This is a small portion of what we saw, but I should weary you as well as myself, if I attempted to tell all. From Hereford to Ross by rail, and there we hired a wagon and drove twenty-two miles through the most exquisite country you can imagine, to the " Beaufort Arms " at Tintern. I can see the Ab- bey from the windows of this room, — it is not a hundred yards from me, — and the stars are glit- tering through its lovely ruins as I write. While they were preparing tea for us, we walked over to look at the remains of this once magnificent building, of which nothing is left but the walls covered with clustering ivy, where the rooks build by hundreds, making an incessant cawing. Near the refectory, partially concealed by the grass, are WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 3 some time-stained slabs covering the dust of monks. What must not this fine old monastery- have been in its days of splendor and power ? It is a poem in stone, and*a most noble one. The scenery about it is lovely, — only a few quaint cottages are near. This exquisite ruin, the dis- tant hills, the river winding through the quiet valley, the entire landscape warmed by the rays of the setting sun, formed altogether a scene I shall not easily forget. England is particularly interesting for its his- torical associations and the rare beauty of its scenery. The cottages are charming, and the inns are as comfortable as possible, often sur- rounded by neatly kept gardens full of bright blossoms and shrubbery. The " Beaufort Arms," where we now are, is the most picturesque one that we have seen ; of stone, with its latticed win- dows half covered with flowering vines, and the porch one mass of luxuriant ivy. I shall always advise friends wishing to see Tintern Abbey, to pass the night here, and see the ruins at sunset, by moonlight, and at early dawn, as we have. H SKETCHES ABROAD "^isijmwmmmm Exeter, June 23. E left Tintern this morning with great reluctance, and went to Gloucester and to the cathe- dral, which, if pos- sible, is finer than that at Hereford. It is impossible for me to con- vey even a slight idea of its magnificence, or of the interesting monuments it contains. Among many others we were shown that of Edward II., who, you remember, was murdered in Berkeley Castle. This tomb is, perhaps, the most interest- ing of all ; the face of the king has a sad smile. There is also a monument to Robert, Duke of Normandy, son of William the Conqueror ; on the tomb is his figure carved out of Irish oak and colored ; he is dressed as a Crusader, in chain- mail, legs crossed, and in the act of drawing his sword ; the figure is so light that I raised it with one hand with a very slight effort. Cromwell's soldiers knocked it to pieces during the Great Re- WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 5 bellion, but the fragments were put together again after the Restoration. There is a monument to " John Bower, and Anne his wife," with no less than seven sons and six daughters, who are all on their knees — the sons behind Bower, senior, and the girls behind Mrs. Bower. They all appear to be exceedingly jolly over the death of the old folks, and are clapping their hands. " The babies," as a friend of ours facetiously remarked, " cutting round the corner of the tomb to be in at the death ! " These old fellows had a very small sense of the ridiculous, or they would not have had that kind of thing put over them. In the Chapter House was crowned Henry H. There were several other tombs with figures of the eleventh, twelfth, and seventeenth centuries, many of them very elaborate and beautiful, but villain- ously ugly as portraits To-morrow we shall visit the cathedral here, and then start for London, stopping on the way for a flying look at Salisbury Cathedral. 1 6 SKETCHES ABROAD London, ymie 29. /^N Saturday night, we reached this immense city, and have decided to try the " Charing Cross Hotel," until we can find " lodeins^s " to suit us, as we are told that is the most agreeable way to live in London. From the window of my room I can see St. Paul's, and the vast city stretching away on all sides. In the morning we drove to Westminster Abbey to hear the service ; as it was Sunday, we were obliged to defer our visit to the monuments. On" our way home we saw the Horse Guards, two of them sitting on their horses under archways, like statues, remind- ing us of illustrations in the " London News." On Monday, we went to the Royal Academy and National Gallery, which are both in the same building. The exhibition at the first is very good as a whole, containing some fine works by Land- seer, and some strong portraits painted with great vigor and breadth. The Landseers are charming, showing wonderful freedom and truth ; much bet- ter than I expected, as I have always understood that his pictures were poor in color. The rooms WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 7 were crowded, too much so for comfort, — the weather being quite hot, — and we retreated to the National Gallery, which, being a permanent exhibition, was not so well attended. Here we had a glorious treat. The first picture that forci- bly struck me, as I entered the second room, was a splendid head by Rembrandt, — great would be the better expression, — so full of life, it almost seemed to think. There hung, also, a " Portrait of a Gentleman " by Vandyke, another marvelous work of genius ; Velasquez' portrait of Philip of Spain ; several more heads by Rembrandt, all fine, especially one of himself as an old man ; a very fine Turner next to a Claude ; the latter rather disappointed me. I only glanced at the rest, having an engagement which obliged me to leave; but I intend to return soon and spend a morning there. We have been to the Kensington Museum, which is filled with an immense variety of articles, together with fine pictures of the English School, from the time of Reynolds to the present day, as well as the celebrate'd cartoons by Raphael. Here are Wilkie's exquisite " Village Festival " and " Blind Fiddler," and Hogarth's works which show a wonderful power of invention and knowl- edge of character. \S SKETCHES ABROAD On one morning we visited the Tower, a place of intense interest, as you know. After waiting in an out-building until a sufficient number of visitors had arrived, we were conducted by the Warder, dressed in the style of the Beef-eaters of Henry VIII.'s time, to the Horse Armory. Here are about thirty figures, in full armor, from the time of Edward I. to that of James H. ; many of them known to have been worn by various kings of England. Opposite to these are glass cases filled with arms and armor of many nations and periods ; among them a suit of Greek armor of two thousand years ago, the helmet like that of Minerva ; also, ancient arms of the early Britons and Romans ; splendid armor from India, the stocks of the guns inlaid with jewels. There were stacks, piles, mountains of arms ! arranged on the walls and ceilings in every imaginable shape, and in fine taste. We were afterwards taken to Elizabeth's Armory, in the White Tower. In this room Raleigh was confined many years, and, opening into it, is the cell where he slept, twelve feet long by eight wide ! On each side of the entrance, are names cut in the stone, by for- mer prisoners of state. Opposite the cell stands the block on which the Lords Balmarino, Kilmar- nock, and Lovet, were beheaded ; it is nearly WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 19 black, and of solid oak ; the marks of the axe are distinctly visible. Near it, rests the axe used at the execution of Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn. We next entered the Beau- champ Tower ; the walls are covered with names and re- marks, cut in the stone by various unhappy state pris- oners. We were shown the room in which the children of Edward IV. were mur- dered, and the narrow, wind- ing stairs, down which the bodies were thrown ; the bones were found at the bottom of these stairs by some workmen in the reign of Charles II., you remember. As I left this chamber, which is directly over the Traitor's Gate, I paused to lean upon the top of the portcullis, and looked down upon the spot so often trodden by those famous in history. This portcullis is the only one in England which is in a good state of pres- ervation, and is raised and lowered twice a year ; it was made in the thirteenth century. As we came out of the Tower into the Court, or Green, as it is called, we saw the brass plate fixed in the ground, on which is an inscription to the effect 20 SKETCHES ABROAD that, on that spot, were executed Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn. On parting with our guide, he gathered some flowers from his garden in the moat, and presented them to the ladies. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 2 1 London, July 23. N Thursday, we paid an- other visit to Westminster Abbey (entering at the Poets' Corner), and found ourselves at once among the monuments of the illus- trious dead : of Gray, Pope, Shakespeare, Addison, and a host of others, whose names have been familiar to us from childhood. Henry VII.'s chapel is truly magnificent ; very elaborate and delicate in de- sign, in strong contrast with which are the tombs of the four Georges, simply flat slabs in the pavement ; — we consequently had the honor of walking over those royal individuals. It is not worth while to enter into a minute account of all we saw in this time-honored Abbey, so I will merely tell you of the coronation chair of the time of Edward I., in which all the kings and queens of England have been crowned since his time. Near by are two shields used at the battles 22 SKETCHES ABROAD of Agincourt and Crecy ; also a two-handed sword which was carried at the coronation of Edward I. Underneath the seat of the chair, is placed the stone on which the kings of Scotland were crowned — I need not say it was the most inter- esting stone I ever looked at. On Friday, we drove for three hours in Hyde Park, where we saw a great many of the nobility and gentry, among whom we were surprised to see so little beauty. The park is very extensive ; numbers of ladies and gentlemen were driving to and fro in dashing equipages ; the footmen and coachmen gayly attired in variously colored small- clothes, and wearing crisp little wigs ; equestrians of both sexes, mounted on noble animals, trotted up and down Rotten Row, and policemen on horseback were busily employed keeping the car- riages in line, while crowds of admiring gazers lounged upon the railing. Judging from the gravity with which all these good people bow to each other from their carriages, one would sup- pose a daily drive in the Park to be very serious business. We spent one day wandering through Hamp- ton Court Palace and enjoying the pictures, of which there are hundreds. In the Great Hall, used as a theatre during the reign of Elizabeth WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 23 and James I., some of Shakespeare's plays were first acted. The walls are hung with arras tap- estry, representing scenes from the life of Abra- ham, quaint and curious. Among the portraits are those of Henry VIII., Cardinal Wolsey, Queen Elizabeth, and Jane Seymour, all Lely's portraits of the beauties of the court of Charles II., and a number of Vandyke's and Kneller's. Lely's I thought stiff and affected. Holbein's Henry VIII. is full of that intense individuality which characterizes all his works. In one room is a group of arms of the time of the blood- thirsty Harry, while the windows are decorated with a,rms and badges of his wives. Here he gave magnificent entertainments to foreign kings and nobles. The palace is open to the public on certain days, and it seemed strange to see, as we did, the commonest classes streaming through these grand apartments, gaping about in open-mouthed wonder and amazement, at the remains of former splendor. However, Time respects crowns as little as hob-nails ; you might now take all that is left of Harry the Eighth — who once made all England tremble at his frown — between your finger and thumb, and he would only make you sneeze at the most ! We passed through room 24 SKETCHES ABROAD after room until we were completely worn out, and I found myself sitting down in the great, deep window to rest, looking out upon the splen- did garden with its fountains, trees, and flowers, arranged in the old French style, somewhat stiff but very pleasing in effect. While thus resting, I could not help thinking of those so famous and infamous in history, who had once wandered through these stately apartments: of that mon- strous historical Bluebeard, the Eighth Henry ; of the proud and ambitious Wolsey, who here exercised his magnificent hospitality ; of the tyrannical bigot Mary ; of the (so called) Good Queen Bess, the strong^ - headed and wrong- headed ; of the accomplished Sidney ; the fiery and unfortunate Essex, and the intriguing Lei- cester. Yesterday, Sunday, we attended service at the Middle Temple Church in Temple Bar. Close by where I stood, were the tombs of five Crusa- ders, each bearing its mail-clad figure, I fear John Bull has small reverence for departed great- ness, as these recumbent wearers of iron shirts were made the resting-places of hats and umbrel- las belonging to the congregation. As we entered the church Lord Brougham passed us on the way to his pew ; he seemed aged and infirm, walking WITH FEN AND PENCIL. 25 with apparent difficulty. After the service was over, we looked about the grave-yard in search of Oliver Goldsmith's grave, which we at length found, bearing the simple inscription, " Here lies Oliver Goldsmith," which says more than much more could have said. I received an order to-day from Sir John Bur- goyne, the commanding officer of the Tower, giv- ing me permission to visit it, with my party, as often as I pleased, with every facility to enable me to make drawings — a permission of which, you may be sure, I shall very soon avail myself We have been to the famous Dulwich Gallery, where there are many fine pictures — some admirable Guidos, Murillos, Van Dykes, etc. . . . We are often drawn to the window by the droll- est scenes of buffi)onery going forward in the street. Sometimes we are regaled by an exhibi- tion of " ground and lofty tumbling " on an out- spread carpet, or charmed by a band of wind instruments, or a female ballad-singer, with, per- haps, a sweet and touching voice to conjure the money from our pockets ; now we have a learned monkey who discharges a gun with the intrepidity of long experience ; at another time the redoubta- ble Punch and his life-long associate, Judy, make their appearance ; again, a band of Ethiopian 4 26 SKETCHES ABROAD minstrels in their striped unmentionables and " long-tailed blue," come upon the scene, led by an extraordinary figure who has dared to appropriate the pro- digious nose and pro- tuberant paunch of the illustrious Punch, and with a stand before him, beats time upon a very dirty piece of music. There is some- thing quite foreign in all this kind of thing, which we hardly expect- ed to have seen in the streets of London, but supposed to be confined to vivacious Italy. rather WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 27 Kenilworth, July 27. A VOIDING the gay watering-place of Leam- "^^ ington, where most travellers stop, we came on to Kenilworth and to this quiet inn, called the " King's Arms," where we are as comfortable as possible. The host and hostess met us at the door with bows and courtesies, and sent a neat little maid to light us to our apartments, and when, after removing our dusty garments, we re- turned to our sitting-room, behold ! a delicious repast was awaiting us, to which we immediately did ample justice. As soon as possible the next morning, we hur- ried to the castle of the villainous Leicester. We ascended the tower called that of Amy Robsart, and saw the gate erected for the entrance of Eliz- abeth when she was entertained by the Earl. Again, the poetry of the place was greatly marred by the herds of country people who came shout- ing and rushing about in a boisterous manner, gaping at me while I was drawing, and sprawling about the grass like cattle. There is no sentiment in that kind of thing ; to feel these places which 28 SKETCHES ABROAD belong to history, you must be alone and forget the present in the past. In our walks through the village, we saw several old cottages that stood there in Leicester's time ; some of them with R. D. and his arms above the door. The surround- ing country is beautiful and full of fine " bits " for sketches. We have just returned from Stratford, where we remained all day, visiting Shakespeare's house, the church, and the cottage of Anne Hathaway. You can imagine with what a strange sensation I found myself standing within the room in which Shakespeare, the greatest intellect of his age, was born. The walls are literally covered with a per- fect network of names written with pencils ; the woman who exhibits the room pointed out to us the name of Sir Walter Scott on the window-sill, and that of Edmund Kean on the fire-place. From the house we drove to the church to see his tomb ; the bust of Shakespeare above it, has been restored to its original condition, that is to say, colored. While reading the well-known lines — " Good friend, for Jesus' sake, forbear," etc., a fat, bald-headed Englishman borrowed some paper of the very civil sexton, and proceeded to copy them, apparently never having heard of -'%} WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 29 them before ! The church is beautifully situated on the Avon. . . . Continuing our drive to Shottery, we visited Anne Hathaway 's cottage, about a mile, I should think, from Stratford. It is a simple, low-roofed, thatched cottage, with vines creeping up the walls ; inside, the ceilings are low — the beams black with age. After examining, with interest, all the rooms which we were permitted to enter, I borrowed a chair from the woman who now occu- pies the cottage, and who claims to be a descend- ant of the Hathaways, and, seating myself in the garden opposite the door through which the mighty bard had so often passed to meet his Anne, made a sketch which, I am sure, will inter- est you much. I forgot to mention an antique and curious article of furniture, a sort of high- backed bench, which stood inside of the chim- ney-place, and is called " Shakespeare's courting- chair," where, doubtless, the illustrious dramatist had, '' many a time and oft," talked soft nonsense to " the idol of his eyes and delight of his heart." While I was busy with my pencil, the good mat- ron gave the ladies some flowers which she gath- ered from the quantities in front of the house. As we returned, we passed Charlecote, and tried the gate which we unfortunately found locked. We 30 SKETCHES ABROAD saw the house in the distance, and groups of deer under the trees near the road, which trotted off as we paused to look at them. We were charmed with the fine old village of Warwick, the upper stories of its houses project- ing over the street, and with its antique gateways through which we drove on returning to Kenil- worth. Returning from the post-office yesterday, I stopped to look at the ruins of Kenilworth Ab- bey. Very little remains, as you will see by the enclosed sketch — only the gateway. WITH FEN AND PENCIL. Kenilworth, jfuly 31. N Friday, we went to Guy's Cliff, which is only two or three miles from here. Guy's Cliff is so called from a cave said to have been hol- lowed out of the solid rock by the redoubtable Guy, Earl of Warwick, who, in a fit of remorse for having slain so many of his fellow- creatures, retired to this cave and lived there alone for thirty years. In it is to be seen an old chest made by Guy out of the trunk of a tree, about eight feet long and with three lids, — a very rude affair. Near the cave are some cloisters, which have stood there for centuries, and have also been cut out of the solid rock — the marks of the rude tools are quite visible. Saturday we devoted to Warwick Castle and the town. We were admitted to the lodge by an antique portress who showed us, there, some of the arms and armor of the mighty Guy, who, she 32 SKETCHES ABROAD said, was nine feet high ! His breast-plate was three feet long and thirty-five pounds in weight, and might well have belonged to a giant. I could scarcely raise his shield with both hands ; his sword weighed twenty pounds. Guy's porridge pot is also there ; this ponderous vessel holds one hundred and twenty gallons, and weighs eight hundred and three pounds. The ancient maiden struck it with his flesh-fork, in order to prove its good condition, and it sounded like a great, brass bell, almost stunning us. She told us that she had seen it thrice filled with punch and emptied, on the occasion of the coming of age of the present Earl of Warwick. Among other curious things shown, was a rib of the dun cow which Guy killed at Dunsmore Heath, the pith of her horns, and one joint of her spine, etc. The road, from the lodge to the castle, is hewn out of the solid rock, which time has draped with ivy and adorned with flowers, growing wherever they can find a foothold. The castle is certainly, by far, the finest we have seen, because in a per- fect state of repair. It is grand beyond expres- sion ; the highest tower is one hundred and sixty- four feet, covered with ivy and surrounded with lofty trees; it was quite up to my wildest ideas of castellated splendor. The noble apartments of WITJI FEN AND PENCIL. 33 this stately, baronial residence are, most of them, filled with ancient arms, armor, and fine pictures ; some of the best Vandykes I have seen. The views from the windows are truly beautiful : noble trees — cedars brought from Lebanon — sweep with their branches a magnificent lawn sloping to the banks of the winding river, which is partly spanned by the ruins of an ancient bridge. Among the suits of armor, I particularly remem- ber those of Edward the Black Prince, of Prince Rupert, and of the Earl of Montrose ; also, a helmet worn by Cromwell. Below one of the towers, we peeped into a dungeon where Piers Gaveston was confined previous to his execu- tion. In the state bed-room is a bed called " Queen Anne's " ; it has never been used or altered since she slept in it, when on a visit to the castle. The room was used as a retiring-room by Queen Vic- toria, who was there some years ago, and the toilet-table, arranged for her, stands as she left it 34 SKETCHES ABROAD RowsLEY, August 6. A FEW hours in the cars brought us from -^"^ Kenilworth to this place, where we have been staying some days at the " Peacock," a charmincr old inn which was once the Manor House of Haddon Hall, and is about four miles from Chatsworth. We look from our latticed win- dows over a lawn, gay with beds of bright flowers, bounded by the River Wye, which flows within a short distance of the house. The other day, in strolling about the village, we stopped at the old church, to look among the gravestones for the name of L , whose ances- tors, you know, came from this part of Derby- shire. While doing so, a girl came from the cottage opposite, to show us the interior of the church ; and when I asked her if any one of that name resided in the neighborhood, she replied, " No, sir ; not for many years ; " that the family was a very old one, and that, in the church, there was the efligy of a crusader called Sir John L , which she would show us. I entered immedi- ately, to embrace my friend's ancestor, but found WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 35 him, unfortunately, destitute of nose and decid- edly dusty, so I only sketched him, as a delicate attention. He was a crusader of the twelfth century, and his stone coffin was found in, or near, the church some years ago. The ancient Gothic church is called St. Helen's. L Hall is a large, stone mansion, very old and massive, no longer occupied by an L , but by some one whose name I have forgotten. I think our friend must descend from the Crusader hereafter, and like old Mrs. O , forever regret his " Dear Sir John ! " Cutting throats was certainly a very genteel and .honorable business in the Crusaders' time, particularly in the Holy Land. Haddon Hall we found even more interesting than we expected. It stands on a hill, in the midst of fine, old trees, with the river flowing at its foot and an exquisite country about it ; very like Stockbridge in character, though here the hills are much higher. The Hall took me back to the past more vividly than anything I have yet seen. In some of, the rooms the furniture and pictures still remain, as well as the old tapestry upon the walls. In the dining hall, the deers' antlers, bleached by time, are yet upon the wall as of old, while in the middle of the room ststnd the tables, partly rotted away, with the rude 36 SKETCHES ABROAD benches near them. In the kitchen are the ancient chopping-blocks and meat-hooks. The ball-room is about seventy feet long, paneled, and with deep, bay windows. At the end of this extensive apartment, inclosed in a glass case, is a plaster cast of the face of Lady Grace Manners, taken after death — a lively thing to " forward two " to ! From this room, by the door through which the fair Dorothy Vernon eloped with her lover. Sir John Manners, we entered the garden, which, by the way, is a small paradise, with its terraced walks and noble trees. We wandered through old rooms, up narrow staircases in towers, looked through latticed win- dows at lovely views, then descended, crossed a court-yard and into a vestibule, which we found was the entrance to the chapel. Here we sat in one of the pews, gazing at the faded colors of the stained glass window, w^hich bore the date 1424. There stood the ancient font, the work of some rude hand, clumsy and ponderous, with its curi- ous lid of wood ; there, on either side of the chapel, the two family pews, with high railings around them, and small reading-desks projecting from the front ; to the right, the benches for the servants, plain and square-cut as a Puritan ; to the left, the pulpit and reading-desk, one above WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 37 the other. I could easily imagine the haughty cavalier, with his long, gray locks and pointed beard, his huge, buff boots, and his narrow-bladed rapier with its clumsy shell, his aspect stately and severe, walking up the chapel with his wife upon his arm, followed by his family and retain- ers. On Sunday, we went to the church in the village, and, during service, I took another look at " Dear Sir John," whom I found on my right, unpleasantly ornamented with sundry sticks and hats, one of the latter gracefully reposing upon his venerable stomach, which showed a ereat want of respect for the comfort and general aspect of our friend's departed ancestor, on the 38 SKETCHES ABROAD part of the congregation ! " The hat — which must be highly indigestible, and with which the Crusader must have been afflicted, doubtless, for centuries, on Sundays — accounts to me for the dyspepsia with which the L family have .been so long tormented, and which is evidently inher- ited from the lamented knight ! As we left, we paused to take a last look at his stone coffin, with the hope of finding a pinch of his venerated dust, — but in vain. ■/- — . — j:j' WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 39 Canterbury, August 12. OINCE I wrote you last, we have visited Hard- wick Hall, which was built, during the reign of Elizabeth, by the Countess of Shrews- bury — the famous " Bess of Hardwick." This fine old mansion is, if possible, even more inter- esting than Haddon Hall — the antique furniture, arms, armor, pictures, all having been preserved, are still in their places, so that it looks as if the Countess might now inhabit it. In one of the rooms there is furniture once used by Mary, Queen of Scots, the covers of which were embroidered by her and her maidens. It was removed from the older mansion, which was destroyed by fire, and the ruins of which are still standing in the immediate neighborhood — the sad remains of what was once the prison of the unfortunate Mary Stuart. In the picture gallery, a room eighty feet long and twenty-five feet high, is a large collection of family portraits, from the time of Henry VIII. to Charles II. The walls of this room, as well as most of the others, are hung with tapestry which falls over 40 SKETCHES ABROAD and completely conceals the doors. The place now belongs to the Duke of Devonshire, the owner of half a dozen other noble estates. . . We reached Canterbury on Saturday, and I am writing this in — not the Tabard inn of Chaucer, but the Royal Fountain inn. On Sunday, we attended service at St. Martin's, the oldest church in England, in which St. Paul is said to have preached. It is quite small, and, of course, covered with ivy. The town is a very interesting one ; the streets narrower than those of Chester, and filled with as quaint houses. This morning, I wandered out in search of subjects for my pencil, and found so much that was pictu- resque, it was difficult to choose, but finally seated myself before a fine old Norman staircase, built at the time of the Conquest, and made a large sketch from it. The Cathedral is very beautiful, and, I should think, the largest that we have seen. We visited it this afternoon, and soon found the tomb of the Black Prince, with his helmet, shield, and gauntlets. The figure, now blackened by age, Is of brass-gilt, and the best that I have seen, thus far, on any of the tombs ; it has been here nearly five hundred years. Before we left the Cathedral we returned to take a " last, long, lin- gering look," telling the woman in charge that WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 4^ we had come three thousand miles to pay our respects to him, and were, we thought, entitled to a second view. We were taken down to the Lady's Chapel in the crypt, which is the oldest part of the building, and near which are two very ancient and curious tombs of two ladies of rank. It was impossible to distinguish the recumbent figures upon them, owing to the " dim, religious light " by which we saw them. The spot where the proud prelate, Thomas \ Becket, was mur- dered, was also pointed out to us. 42 SKETCHES ABROAD England is certainly a most interesting coun- try, every foot of which seems to have its his- tory ; the beauty of the scenery, too, is very great. You constantly see old churches, of the tenth or twelfth centuries, lifting their venerable spires above the trees, entirely unconscious of the interest the eager traveller takes in their story. Then, too, the quaint, old cottages with their thatched roofs, gray in the service of protecting those beneath them from the storms of past cen- turies, with the ever-present flowers about them, and the ivy creeping over them like a green mantle. We leave, to-morrow, for the Conti- nent. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 43 Paris, August 17. I told you, in my last letter, we were on our way to Paris, which we reached on the 15th, the birth-day of Napoleon, and now always kept as a holiday. In the morning, we drove about the city, and, in the eve- ning, went to see the illumi- nations and fire-works, which were truly magnif- icent. The Champs Elysees, for its whole length, was festooned with colored lamps, and the Tri- umphal Arch was seen glittering in the distance, while the fountains in the Place de la Concord rose and fell in a blaze of light that made every drop, apparently, a jewel. The whole scene was one of marvelous beauty, and gay beyond description. I tugged and pulled J. and D. through a mill- ion of excited Frenchmen, J. occasionally and modestly airing her French, by asking a gen- 44 SKETCHES ABROAD darme where and when' the fire-works were to come off, or rather go up. After much blunder- ing, we found ourselves in the right direction, and were suddenly knocked off our feet by a million of French legs running round the corner, accom- panied by the explosion of forty thousand can- non, a terrible rushing sound in the air, and the sky quite on fire. We stood, for half an hour, in a perfect blaze of splendor, when the forty thousand cannon were all let off at once, while fifty million of rockets shot into the air, followed by intense darkness, and the million of legs all ran back again. It was a most fortunate thing we did not reach the bridge over the Seine, to which we were directed, as it was filled with people at the moment the rockets were thrown up, and, in the attempt to clear it by the police, many persons were crushed and drowned. Paris is certainly worthy of its reputation, far surpassing London in beauty and style. The streets are wide and the houses are built of a light tinted stone, with plenty of color in the bril- liant shop-windows of the Boulevards. There is life and movement everywhere ; you see, at every step, a man or woman singing, or playing upon some instrument — head, legs, and arms all going; WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 45 the drivers of carts, wagons, or carriages, yelling at the people to get out of the way; soldiers, citizens, foreigners, gensdarmes, hand-organs, and monkeys all in a muddle together. My profound knowledge of the language of these people came handsomely into play, the day after our arrival. I rashly attempted to explore, alone, the Grand Hotel, at which, we are now staying, without our Columbus, guide, and trans- lator, B . I descended from our apartment on the fourth floor, supposing, idiot-like, that I could reach the courtyard unaided. I soon found that I was not there. I ascended and descended twice more with like success, coming out each time in strange and mysterious places. On the fourth descent, I encountered a small French boy in blue, with bright buttons, standing near a door which opened into another courtyard. 1 advanced and observed in a bland, sweet man- ner, " I want to go to the other courtyard," sup- posing that, if I reached it, I could go up in the elevator, which would land me close to my room. Minute foreigner answered in unknown tongue. " You dont understand English } " 1 asked. The little boy's face wore a blank expression — he merely replied by a shrug of 46 SKETCHES ABROAD the shoulders. I now looked across the court- yard and saw an iron gate locked, through which T discovered, to my great joy, my courtyard. I pointed to it and said : " I wish to go there'' Min- ute foreigner an- swered in strange accents, and, with great determina- tion of manner, pointed upwards. I sighed in de- spair, and once more staggered to the stairs and mounted for the fifth time. On the second land- ing a stout waiter (French) ad- vanced with in- quiring eye and formal bow. I observed, with little hope of success : " I want to find room four hundred and fourteen." He vanished instantly without a reply. I again ascended in wretched- WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 47 ness of spirit, and devoid of hope. On the third floor I discovered, in an office, a man who knew my mother tongue — God bless him! I plunged into my room at once and fell prostrate across a table. 48 SKETCHES ABROAD Geneva, August 19. \"\ /"E arrived here on Friday, after a hot and fatiguing ride, all night, in a crowded train. Our companions were an amiable Englishman and his wife, one American, and a dirty French officer, who thrust a small poodle into his pocket every time the guard appeared, as dogs are con- traband articles on French railroads. There being one seat left, which we wished to retain, we ingeniously constructed a drowsy foreigner out of a carpet-bag, two shawls, and an umbrella, sur- mounted by a cap ; this had the desired effect, and we remained free from intrusion for the rest of the journey. To-day, being Sunday, and consequently a hol- iday, the whole place is alive with people. Our windows overlook Lake Leman, and I have a most lovely view of Mont Blanc in the distance, its snow-covered summit flushed with the rays of the setting sun. Below me boats are lying at the wharf, gayly decorated with flags, while the pass- ing steamers occasionally fire a gun, which is answered by another on the opposite shore. On WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 49 the quay, near by, I see the ponderous German with his pipe and best suit, lounging heavily along ; the light Frenchman with cigar and poodle ; while the English and American tourists, with unlimited families, stare about them, armed with the inevitable Murray. The boats, as well as the larger craft here, have the lateen sail, which is very graceful, and harmonizes with the beauty of the surrounding scenery. Yesterday, we took the small steamer up the Lake to Chillon, to see the famous castle, a distance of fifty miles. The views are grand beyond anything you can imagine : on our left were lovely hills dotted with villages and green with vineyards, while on our right rose lofty mountains, the noble Mont Blanc towering above them. The Castle of Chillon is built upon a rock which projects into the Lake. An old German conducted us through the building and gave us its history, with which you are familiar. In the dungeon, where Bonnivard was confined for six years, we were shown the pillar with the iron ring to which he was attached, and the hole in front of it, worn, by his feet, in the solid rock; the space over which his chain allowed him to move, not being over eight feet. I sat on the base of the pillar, and, like a great boy, put my 50 SKETCHES ABROAD feet in the foot-prints, — they have been there three hundred and thirty years. Near them, on another pillar, is Byron's name cut in the stone by himself, when on a visit there. Just beyond, is another dungeon, crossed by a beam, twelve feet above the ground, on which the poor wretches, found guilty of political offenses, were hung, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. I could see where the rope had, in many places, cut into the wood. In another room, was pointed out to us a hole from which steps descended into darkness. " Observe," said the guide, pointing down, " there are but three ; he who was told to walk down, found no fourth step, but fell a dis- tance of eighty feet into the Lake beneath ! " The invention of a fiend ! We saw, also, the apart- ments of the Duke and Duchess of Savoy ; they are quaint, but unfurnished. . . . WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 5^ Vevay, August 29. Y last letter was from Chamo- nix, and inclosed a sketch of our ascent of the Flegere, which I found a very hair- erecting process, and which we accomplished on the backs of mules, with guides for the ladies. I brought up the rear on a critter that looked like an apple on four sticks. The tormenting pro- pensity these creatures have for walking on the outer edge of these mountain passes, is rather alarming to the inexperienced. You sometimes look down, two thousand feet, over your mule's neck, as he turns an angle of the road, into the misty depths below. The view we beheld on reaching the top of La Flegere was glorious ! It embraces the entire chain of Mont Blanc, from the Col de Balme to the Glacier des Bossons. Di- rectly opposite were the glittering points of the Aiguilles Vertes, which rose before us like a 52 SKETCHES ABROAD mighty vision ; the clouds floating about their lofty peaks, now shutting them from our sight, and now revealing them, with a strange phospho- rescent light playing upon their snow-clad sum- mits, which were dazzling in their splendor. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 53 Our next visit was to the Montanvert. After reaching the top, or rather the point from which it is usual to descend to the Mer de Glace, we left our mules, and crossed the famous Glacier, where, though surrounded by snow and ice, the heat was so great that I was glad to throw off my coat, and walk, staff in hand, without it. After crossing, we crept along the Mauvais Pas — a fearfully narrow ledge of rock — like flies, till we came to a chalet, where we stopped half an hour for refreshment. Soon after leaving the chalet, we remounted our mules, which had been brought by a boy to this point. During our absence from the village of Chamonix, a dreadful accident had taken place. Three young Englishmen, who had ascended Mont Blanc, on the day previous, without guides, in descending, fell a distance of three hundred feet — they had all been tied together by a rope attached to the waist. One of them was instantly killed, and the others ter- ribly bruised. The dead body lay all day and night on the mountain. I saw it distinctly through a glass, where it seemed but a speck upon the snow. Eight guides were sent to aid the sufferers, and all the people of the village seemed to sympathize with the unfortunate adven- turers. 54 SKETCHES ABROAD making We went by the pass of the Tete Noire to Vernayaz, stopping for the night at the Hotel de la Cascade, in view of a charm- ing waterfall. The manner of bed- in these inns, is quite pecu- liar. Here we found, for the first time, the German arrangement of two beds for each per- son, and on retir- ing at night, slipped into them like a bit of ham between two slices of bread, and reappeared in the morning, head first, like cautious turtles. After leaving this pleasant little inn, we passed through a country which was picturesque and romantic in the highest degree. We were quite charmed by the rude shrines which stood by the wayside, particularly by one placed upon a bridge spanning a foaming cascade which plunged a thousand feet into the wooded vale below. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 55 Upon reaching Vernayaz, we took leave of our obliging guides, and my apple on four sticks^ who had been my companion during all our pleasant excursions in this neighborhood, — and took the cars for Vevay, where we intend to remain several days. The Hotel Monnet is a large, handsome house, and is filled with people, chiefly Americans. Three times a week we have a band which plays during dinner, and again for dancing in the evening. We were fortunate in securing apartments overlooking the lake, as I can sit at my window and sketch the opposite shore, which is extremely beautiful. 56 SKETCHES ABROAD Meiringen, September g. ]\ /T Y last letter was from Vevay, and, as we ^^^ have been ever since moving, either on horse or mule-back, I have had but little opportu- nity of writing until to-day. We have ascended and descended, partly on foot and partly on horse- back, mountains ten thousand feet high ; at one time wading ankle deep in snow. J. and D. were assisted by the guides on foot, it being too steep for the horses ; in fact, they were often compelled to sit down and rest, finding the violent exertion, of struggling against both wind and snow, quite too much for them. I do not think that we shall attempt a snow-peak again, it is so fatiguing. In some places, we passed over a path barely three feet wide, with a descent on one side of from two to three thousand feet, which produced a rigidity of muscles and stiffness of hair which was decid- edly unpleasant ! A slip of the foot would have made pap of us for Swiss babies in an instant ! From Vevay to Sion we went by rail, but so slowly, we were able to enjoy the beautiful scen- ery by which we were surrounded, the quaint WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 57 towers and curiously-dressed people. At Sion, we hired an open carriage, in which we travelled to Visp. As we left the town, the sun was sink- ing slowly in the west, and the view, as we looked back, was most beautiful and picturesque. On two hills, in the centre of the town, were two ancient castles of the Middle Ages, rising high against the glowing heavens, the sun's rays pass- ing through their battered and crumbling walls, and the town below lost in the deep shadows cast by their towering forms. On our way, we overtook a friend of our driver — a merry Dutchman — who mounted the box, with our permission, and went with us for some miles. During his stay, he regaled us with some of the national airs, which he howled in the most atrocious manner, " making night hideous." On leaving us, he insisted upon our tasting his wine, a keg of which he carried in his arms. Finding it useless to deny him, as he still persisted in offering it, we each took a draught at the bimg- hole, the generous Dutchman giving the same a graceful wipe with his shirt-sleeve, as he passed it from one to the other. We laughed so heartily we could scarcely get it down, but it made him happy, and he went on his way rejoicing. We passed the night in a dismal inn near a 58 SKETCHES ABROAD pretty chalet, of which I send you a sketch. In the morning, took horses and guides for Zermatt, where we remained three days, ascended to the Riffelberg and Corner Grat, returned to Visp, and found the driver, who had brought us from Sion, hovering about the inn, hoping that we would reengage him, which we did, and so journeyed on through the lovely Rhone Valley, to the Glacier which is the source of the river Rhone. Everywhere in the fields, we saw women busily at work, making hay and carrying enormous loads of it to the barns, being really treated as beasts of burden, for horses are rarely used by the farm- ers. The villages are extremely filthy, and the women villainously ugly ; nearly all who are over WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 59 forty years of age, are afflicted with the goitre, which increases their charms, — many of them, too, are idiotic. Enghsh or Amer- icans are contin- ually turning up on the road, — the Englishman gen- erally on foot, with knapsack on his back and an Alpine stock in his hand — some- times accompa- nied by ladies. At the Rhone Glacier we again mounted horses, and proceeded by the Grimsel Pass (a Grim-sell we found it!) to this place, where, in a most comfortable hotel, we are resting for a few days. We passed the night before last at a wretched half-way house, where the fleas were so thick that, after I had turned in, I fancied myself a pincushion into which some 6o SKETCHES ABROAD one was sticking pins in various patterns and on both sides, occasionally varying the composition and doing it all over again ! Meiringen, where we now are, lies in a valley surrounded with wooded mountains and overshadowed by snowy peaks. There is, apparently, no outlet from the valley, and on all sides we see fine cascades leap- ing down precipices, or gushing from some half- hidden gorge. Occasionally they illuminate the Falls of Reichenbach with colored lights, which has a remarkably beautiful effect WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 6 1 Munich, October 2. A FEW days ago, we finished Switzerland, ■^^ having visited many places of interest; among them, the celebrated Baths of Pfeffers, a most remarkable and beautiful gorge, through which a stream flows from springs of hot water. On our way to this place, while passing through the valley of the Rhine below Lake Constance, we saw many of those ruined castles of which merely a tower or two remains, they having been destroyed by the peasants, who, no longer able to bear the oppression of their owners, the " barons bold," drove out or killed them, and pulled their strongholds to pieces. One of these ruins, the Castle of Wartau, was particularly impressive and fine, as I saw it, at twilight, on the side of a lofty mountain, cutting gloomily and sharp against the fading horizon. Of course each of these ruins has its legend ; one was pointed out to us as hav- ing once been occupied by a Huguenot, who was in France during the frightful massacre of St. Bartholomew, but succeeded in escaping to his castle on the Rhine, where he was met by his 62 SKETCHES ABROAD nephew, who, for some reason, murdered him. Having been persecuted on account of his re- ligion, he was regarded as a saint, and his embalmed body is still shown in a neighboring church. From Ragatz we drove to Coire, to visit an ancient cathedral, where, among many singular relics, we saw the skulls of St. Lucius and St. Martin, — of the first and second centuries, — with jeweled crowns upon them and precious stones in the sockets of the eyes ! Also, an autograph of St. Carlo Borromeo, and a crystal crucifix, with the figure in silver, said to have been presented by him. The oldest part of the building dates as far back as the eighth century, and is very curious. Besides this cathedral and the Episco- pal Palace, there is nothing else to interest the traveller in this little town. We returned to Ragatz late in the afternoon, and all combined to make it a drive long to be remembered ; the beautiful valley with the hills crowned by ruined castles, on one side of us thrown out in broad relief against the evening sky tinged with the glowing rays of the setting sun, and on the other, half lost in the deep-gathering shadows of twi- light ; while groups* of peasants following their tired teams as they returned from labor in the WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 63 fields, added all that was necessary to complete the picture. We are now in Munich at the Englischer Hof. The buildings, both public and private, are ex- tremely handsome ; the streets broad, clean, and, just now, full of military men, — the officers the finest looking and most gentlemanly body of men I ever saw. On Sunday morning, we went to the Cathedral to hear military mass, and, although the music was very fine, the crowd was so great we were glad to leave, having stood until we were tired. At one of the altars we saw this priest, who was mak- ing the most grotesque contortions of face as he prayed, without, ap- parently, uttering the slightest sound. On our way out, we stopped in a side chapel, which contained the bones of all the saints, — if you be- lieve the inscriptions written thereon, — adorned with jewels and artificial flowers, or set in cases of gold and mother-of-pearl. Whilst we were ex- 64 SKETCHES ABROAD amining this wonderful collection, men, women, and children of all classes were coming and going, prostrating themselves before the image of the Virgin, or kneeling at the door with their rosaries, as if not worthy to approach nearer ; one, a peasant of the rudest type, completely awed by the wonderful things he saw around him, crept WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 65 slowly about, looking to the right and left in wonder and amazement. On Monday we visited the Glyptothek, a splen- did building erected by King Ludwig in 181 6, for an art gallery, to contain the works of both ancient and modern sculptors. We saw there some of the finest antiques, the Sleeping Fawn and Silenus and Bacchus, etc. In the old Pinacothek, — which is filled with the works of the Old Masters, — I passed many delightful hours. One large room is hung with Rubens' works alone. These fine productions show his great mastery in color and composi- tion, perhaps, more than any other collection of his pictures in Europe. His " Falling Angels " is a marvelous work, and his portraits are painted with great force and freedom. Here are, also, a number of Rembrandts, with many pictures of the earliest German and Italian painters, — a perfect herd of Saints and Madonnas, with the usual golden plate attached to the back of the head. The quaint and curious efforts of these Pre- Raphaelite artists, — the darlings of Ruskin and his followers, — are certainly most extraordinary ! Figures frozen in eternal prayer or adoration, and clothed in draperies of tin ; forms meagre and wretched, scattered over the canvas like 9 66 SKETCHES ABROAD tombstones in a churchyard, and quite as depress- ing ; puppets stopped, by an unexpected hitch in their wires, in half-expressed action, with a back- ground composed of a castle or other ancient edifice, and trees of a most toy-like and innocent design, all scrambling into the foreground, regard- less of perspective, and perching upon the shoul- ders or head of some worthy saint, who seems to be quite unconscious of the fact. Some of the heads do, indeed, possess a certain purity and earnestness of expression, and it cannot be denied that a few of their works display an effect of color which is pleasing.. These men were great in their day, because there was no better art then existing. They were the sincere and earnest pio- neers of that higher art, which rose in all its power and magnificence in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, — works that astonished and delighted their own and all succeeding gen- erations, such as those of Titian, Veronese, Van- dyke, and Rembrandt ; pictures composed in the highest style of art, splendid in color, grand and comprehensive in design. To assert that the works of the Pre-Raphaelites are equal to those of the men I have mentioned, is simply prepos- terous, and like claiming for the inventor of the tea-kettle a creative genius as great as that of WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 67 Watt, who, from the hint it gave him, produced the steam-engine. It is surprising to see the use made of dogs in Germany. They are not allowed to idle about, but are obliged to work hard. They are attached to small carts with a harness like that on the \, horses, and are frequently assisted by women, who here, as in Switzerland, seem to do the heaviest work. We have been to the new Pinacothek, where only the works of the modern German artists are 68 SKETCHES ABROAD to be seen, with the exception of a few, one of which, Wilkie's " Reading the Will," struck me as the best in the whole collection. It is beautiful in every respect, and will hold its own anywhere, while the works of the Germans fell below my ex- pectations, being poor in color and painted in a smooth and feeble style, which seems but boy's work after Rubens. In design they are forcible and often fine, particularly the works of Kaulbach, who is, perhaps, the finest composer of the day. WITH FEN AND PENCIL. 69 Nuremberg, October 6. E have been some days enjoy- ing; this most curious and interesting city. We came in the slow train from Mu- nich, which, though exceed- ingly tedious, gave me a chance of sketching a few of the peculiar costumes, as we passed along. I com- menced with an official at the Munich station, who was quite distingue in appearance, and very courteous in manner. At Augsburg, there were several peasants dressed, evidently, in their very peculiar " best," for a jour- ney, while all along the road, we saw men work- ing in the fields in picturesque attire — small- clothes and cocked hats ; also a boy in the same style of dress, driving a flock of geese with a whip. These, and many other interesting groups, kept us constantly on the qui vive. I have been making a drawing, from my win- dow, of an old tower and a bridge over which, in ^o SKETCHES ABROAD former times, prisoners were taken to execution, and which was, for that reason, called " The Bridge of Death." Mr. Wheeler, our Consul here, very kindly took us to the oldest parts of the city, and showed us the interior of one or two old palaces ; also, some dungeons below the city walls, in which were shown various instruments of torture used as late as the early part of the present century. The most detestable among them, was the Jung- fraii, a female figure made of iron having a hollow body, which opened in the middle so as to admit the person to be executed. The inside of this infernal machine is covered with long, sharp, iron spikes, so arranged as to enter gradually the vital parts of the unfortunate wretch within, who thus died, by inches, a most frightful death. In one apartment of the old castle is col- WITH FEN AND PENCIL. 7 1 lected an endless variety of the most extraordinary and fiendish inventions you can conceive. I was particularly interested in a number of two- handed swords used for beheading ; among them, that of the public executioner of Nuremberg, which had decapitated three hundred persons ; we also saw the books in which all the executions have been recorded from the year 1575. One of the most frightful things in this gallery of hor- rors, was the head of a woman who had been executed for child-murder, — somewhere about the year 1702, I think, — the record of whose punishment was pointed out to us by the guide. An iron spike was driven through the head, to the scalp of which, the hair still clung ! In one of the most public parts of the city, stands a fine bronze statue of Albert Durer, the " Evangelist of Art," who here lived and labored ; his house, also, is not far distant, as well as that of Hans Sachs, the " cobbler bard." We saw in the fine church of St. Lawrence, the , . . " Pix of sculpture rare, Like the foamy sheaf of fountains, rising through the painted air." Whichever way we turned, we were constantly reminded of Longfellow's beautiful poem, and 72 SKETCHES ABROAD I need not add, quoted it on every occasion. I will finish this letter with a sketch of the curious, conical-roofed towers of the city walls, whose singular architecture I think will interest you. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 73 Baden Baden, October 21. INCE my last letters, we have passed through Frankfort and Heidelberg, stopping a day or two at each. Frankfort is a beau- tiful city ; we saw there the house from the window of which Lu- ther addressed the people before his journey to Worms. It is de- lightful to see the respect the people of Europe have for their great men who have made their cities famous : everywhere you see statues, of bronze or marble, erected to them in the principal streets ; in Nuremberg, a fine one to Albert Dur- er; in Munich, one to Schiller; in Frankfort, one to Schiller, and another to Goethe ; while on the front of houses once occupied by eminent per- sons, inscriptions are placed, recording the fact, together with the dates of their births and deaths. I fear it will be a long time l)efore we shall arrive at this degree of civilization. The driver of your 74 . SKETCHES ABROAD carriage points out to you, with pride, the house where such a famous poet, painter, or man of sci- ence lived ; everything that once belonged to them is preserved and shown. From Frankfort we went to Heidelberg, and put up at the Prince Charles Hotel, where, as soon as I reached my room, I looked from my window for the famous castle, and there it stood grandly appearing above the housetops, on a high hill behind the city. Soon after our arrival, we took a carriage, and drove along the banks of the Neckar, to the celebrated ruins, but drove first to the Molkencur, which is a short distance just above the castle, for a higher point of view. This is a small-public house, situated on an eminence overlooking the valley for a great distance. Un- der the trees about the house, were placed seats for the accommodation of visitors, who were always expected to partake either of German beer or goats' milk whey ; we chose the former, and, whilst enjoying it, feasted our eyes on the exquisite view which lay beneath us. The girl who waited upon us was a beauty, and spoke English with a most delicious accent. In the sitting-room, she showed me a number of balls and exploded shells, which had been thrown into the castle during the Thirty Years' War. We WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 75 then descended to the castle, and drove through the grand entrance, the sharp teeth of the port- cullis suspended above us. The building covers a large extent of ground ; the oldest part was built in the twelfth century, and the last additions were made in the sixteenth. It is a magnificent pile, and, while wandering through its many an- tique apartments, we stopped in one vast, under- ground room, which contained several suits of armor, old and battered swords, — one, two-hand- ed, eaten away by rust, — bits, spurs, cross-bows ; also farming implements, all of a past age ; they had been picked up, at various times, in and about the castle. The gloom of this ancient, vaulted apartment, with the groups of arms and armor indistinctly seen, as they stood or hung against the wall, taken in connection with the fame and history of the place, was most impressive, and moved me like a symphony of Beethoven. The girl next took us to the chapel, which contained a crucifix, altar, and stained glass windows ; in the centre stands a bronze statue of some early Elector ; then to the cellar, where is kept the Great Heidelberg Tun, which, in olden time, held sixty thousand gallons of wine ; near it, agamst the wall, leans the figure of Perkeo, court-jester to the Elector, Charles Philip, — a very ugly fellow, 1^ SKETCHES ABROAD with a nose like a crab's claw. Our last visit was to the Terrace, where we had a splendid view of the River Neckar and town below, with a bit of the Rhine in the distance. To give you an idea of the immense strength of the castle, the walls, in the oldest part, are twenty feet thick. A fair was being held in the town, and the WITH PEN AND PENCIL. T] street, in front of our hotel, was filled with booths and long strings of market-women, standing along the curbstone, selling butter, eggs, etc. I saw one old woman with a live goose under her arm, with its unlucky head looking out behind in a wretched and melancholy manner; he was tough, poor devil, for nobody bid for him. In one of the booths, I saw a man taking a photograph of a ponderous Dutch girl with a " pleasant expres- sion " ; in another, two " Natives of Borneo " in very light drapery, the woman dancing and the man flourishing a club as big as his own body, etc. Punch and Judy were also on exhibition, with those remarkable jerks in their backs and legs for which that venerable couple have always been distinguished. I saw only a few of the stu- dents, who wear small caps of different colors, to designate the different clubs to which they belong. The university is a large building, with nothing remarkable in its appearance. The next morning, we started for Baden Baden, — one of the watering-places of Europe, — and reached it at noon. The season being nearly over, there were very few at the hotel ; in fact, the town was nearly deserted. In the afternoon, we drove to the Castle of Hohen-Baden, and in the evening, wandered out in search of the famous 78 SKETCHES ABROAD gambling-house or Kursaal, where everybody goes of high and low degree, though, of course, all do not gamble. We were attracted by hearing sounds of music issuing from a large building, into which people were passing. Supposing it a concert, and, being full of the spirit of adventure, we also entered, and were quite surprised to find no charge made. Whilst we were listening to the music, we observed several persons passing quietly into a room at the back of the one in which we were seated, whereupon I suggested to the Pro- fessor that we might explore, and found, as I ex- pected, the gambling going on in the said apart- ment, the music evidently being the bait for the hook beyond. The game was " Rouge et Noir," and round a long table sat, close together, men and women betting on the red and black ; four bankers sat in the middle, two on each side, rak- ing the money in or out, as luck changed. Piles of gold and silver were in front of them ; there was no talking, — all was quiet. Behind those at table stood many more, one of whom would oc- casionally bet. A man in front of me lost, in five minutes, a very large sum of money, and a girl — a lady — all she had with her. A large propor- tion of those at the tables, were old ladies of sixty or seventy years of age. Nobody blew his or her WITH FEN AND PENCIL. 79 brains out, or cut his or her throat, — there was nothing dramatic ; some faces wore an intense and earnest expression, but no one spoke ; the only instance of distress I saw, was that of a young girl, alone in a side-room, in a rather wilted condition, sitting doubled up upon a chair, — poor thing ! she, no doubt, could have told a sad story. The city is a very beautiful one, with fine walks and drives in and about it. To-day, though Sun- day, many of the shops are open, and a fine band of music is playing, in front of the Kursaal, the most profane of operatic airs. If it be a crime to have music of this character on Sunday, all Europe will certainly go to the d 1, for Sun- day is here the liveliest of days. 8o SKETCHES ABROAD Amsterdam, October 29. A FTER leaving Baden Baden, we went to '^^ Strasburg, and the next morning, walked to the famous Cathedral, which is within a short distance from our hotel. We were a little disap- pointed, and found it less interesting than many of those in England. The astronomical clock is a most remarkable effort of mechanical genius, but, as Murray describes it, I shall say no more. After seeing the Cathedral, we went to the Church of St. Thomas, built in the eleventh cen- tury, and while there, were shown two bodies, a Count of Nassau-Saarbriicken, and his daughter, who had died two hundred and fifty years ago, and were " still in their habits as they lived ; " the lady in a rich blue silk and lace, with artificial flowers on her head, a bit of evergreen in her belt, and rings on her fingers. The grinning skull, the hands still covered with the muscles, and the parchment-like skin, were disgusting, though in- teresting. The Count was in a much better state of preservation, and was not much changed, con- sidering the great age of the body. He wore a -^ t c -C WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 8 1 coat of brown cloth, with long stockings, high- heeled shoes, and buff gloves or gauntlets, reach- ing to his elbows. The bodies are placed in boxes covered with glass. After leaving Strasburg, we travelled to May- ence, where we passed the night, and the next morning took the boat, to go down the far-famed Rhine. The day was lovely, and the trip one of the most interesting we have had. We were quite charmed with the picturesque towns, and castle after castle, on both sides of the river. There was the " Mouse Tower " of Bishop Hatto, of which I made a sketch, and another of the Castle of Ehrenfels, just above it. Then Rhinestein on the left, and the Castles of the Two Brothers beyond, with twenty more besides. In the middle of the river, built upon a rock, stands Pfalzgrafenstein {devilish tough word that), a very singular building, of an early date. Here 1 made another sketch, — a flying shot, — and bagged but little of it, as the boat moved too rapidly. About three o'clock we had a nice dinner, served to us on deck, and two friends, whom we met on board, helped us to dispatch it. As evening approached, the moon rose, and its "splendor fell on castle walls," the Drachenfels 82 SKETCHES ABROAD being the most conspicuous. Think of seeing the Rhine by moonHght ! We reached Cologne about nine o'clock in the evening, and went on the next day, to the Cathe- dral, which we found looking rather unfinished, — you know it never has been finished, — having only one small spire in the middle. As we ap- proached it, we were beset on all sides by guides, who wanted us to engage them to show us the city. One fellow kept following us, and turning up suddenly in the most unexpected places, com- ing down in price at each reappearance. We told him we would place him in the hands of the police, if he showed himself again, after which, he vanished. In the Church of St. Ursula, we saw the bones of the eleven thousand virgins^ ingeniously ar- ranged round the walls in all sorts of devices, and covered with glass. Our next stopping-place was Dusseldorf, where we saw a number of pictures of the present Ger- man school, some of which are excellent. We stayed but a day at Dusseldorf, then went by rail to Amsterdam, which is certainly a very singular old town, most of the streets having a canal run- ning through the middle, as, of course, you know. I have seen but few of the heavy, broad-backed Dutchmen of whom Irving speaks. Some of the WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 83 women have very singular head-dresses, and the fishermen are queerly rigged in baggy breeches, reaching only to the knee, and stove-pipe hats — the combination producing a perfectly absurd effect. The natives seem to think us quite as amusing as we do them, following us and watch- ing every movement. This morning, we visited several galler- ies, all of which con- tained more or less . admirable pictures, which we enjoyed hugely, but have not now time to specify. We were very much amused, in one room, with an artist who was busily engaged in making a copy of a small Dutch picture. It appeared to be an immense effort for him, as, while putting in the finer touches, he seemed to balance himself with his tongue, which protruded from his mouth like that of a boy taking his first lesson in writing. 84 SKETCHES ABROAD Antwerp, November 4. EFORE leaving Amsterdam, I paid a visit to the Museum, where there are some of the ^ finest works of the Dutch painters ; among them, Rem- brandt's "Night Watch," which I thought not equal to some others of his. At a private house, we saw a fine collection of the same school, where, in one room, there was a splendid head by him. From Amsterdam, we went to the Hague, which is much more modern in character than I expected to have found it. There is little that is picturesque about it, — the houses having a fresh and comparatively new look, — but much that is interesting in the way of pictures, which are of the highest excellence. Rembrandt's " Professor Tulp lecturing over a dead body to his pupils," is a wonderful work for color and truth ; the head of the Professor is inimitable. Paul Potter's ■*^'^^-"<' . -.'- ^ -■J"'y,gr^ —III WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 85 " Bull " is also there, but did not strike me as equal to its reputation ; wanting effect and hav- ing a dry and bald look. There are grand heads by Vandyke and Ru- bens, and some excellent small pictures, by the Dutch masters, whose subjects are often disgust- ing, but their art, splendid, their power of imita- tion marvelous, and their color perfect. The country is as flat as a board, and cut up by canals and ditches, on the borders of which stand innumerable windmills, looking like jolly Dutchmen throwing their arms about, after im- bibing much Schnapps. I made a sketch of one of these fellows, who had stopped his nonsense, and held up his hands in astonishment at the process of taking his portrait. After six hours of hard travelling by cars and steamboat, we found ourselves in Antwerp, whefe we looked for another picture-feast. Yesterday we paid our first visit to the Church of St. Jacques, to see the tomb of Rubens, and the picture, painted by him, which hangs above it. It is, I think, one of the finest of his works, very beautiful in color, and much the most refined in character. The Church is one of the most elaborately ornamented I have seen, filled with statues and 86 SKETCHES ABROAD pictures, many of the latter by Vandyke. While in the Church, we were shown the pew which Ru- bens formerly occupied, and of course, we all im- mediately sat in it, one after the other, like chil- dren taking a bite off the same apple. In the square near by, stands his statue in bronze, and in another street, one of Vandyke, in marble, both excellent. This morning after service, I went to the Cathe- dral to see the greatest of all Rubens' works, " The Descent from the Cross " and " The Eleva- tion of the Cross." The first is all I expected, a grand work; the color rich and subdued, and painted with great force and effect. The last, rather extravagant in drawing ; the head of Christ noble in expression ; to-morrow I shall go to see it again. The Cathedral is quite near, and I hear, at this moment, its great bell tolling. It has a chime of ninety-nine bells, which is rung every quarter of an hour, both day and night. I have been making, from my window, sketches of the people in the streets, as they stopped to talk, or lounged about : soldiers, porters, market-women, all in singular costumes. The chimes have just commenced again ; they sound like a great mu- sical box, and have a very beautiful tone. . . At the Museum, which contains a collection of WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 87 the Old Masters, we saw an artist making a copy of one of Rubens' pictures with his foot! — in this way — holding his brush between his toes, having been born without arms. His copy was admirable and painted with great freedom. I was o8 SKETCHES ABROAD told that he writes a beautiful hand, or rather, foot. In one of the rooms, is the chair of Rul^ns, also his bust in wood. The house of the illustri- ous master is shown to visitors and is large and very handsome. He evidently possessed and en- joyed the luxuries of life. Many of the houses are quite old and curious, and have the crow-foot gables peculiar to the Dutch and Flemish towns. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 89 Paris, November 12. "\T 7"E are again in Paris, which we reached last * ^ night about ten o'clock. My last letter to you was from Antwerp ; since then we have been in Ghent, Bruges, and Brussels. At Ghent, we visited the Cathedral of St. Bavon, which contains some works of the inexhaustible Rubens, who turns up everywhere, with his sledge - hammer saints in red and blue, — little refinement, much muscle, but great beauty of color. We also heard vespers in the Church of the Beguinage, which is a cluster of small convents, containing about seven hundred nuns. When we entered, we found the good sisters on their knees, while the priests were chanting in the chancel. There was but little light in the church, and the effect of the nuns in their black and white dresses, all motion- less, with their heads bowed in prayer, fading away into the gloomy background of the quaint old building, was strange and ghost-like. During the service, some of the nuns rose, took the white mantle from their heads, folded it up, and placed it on the top of their heads, somewhat after the 90 SKETCHES ABROAD manner of the Italian peasantry, then threw the skirt of their gowns over all, knelt a moment be- fore each altar as they passed, and moved slowly out, perhaps, on some errand of mercy, for such is their principal occupation. The next morning, we drove about the city, and stopped to admire and sketch an ancient gate-way, the people stand- ing round the carriage, gaping and curious. Bruges we found more interesting, being much the oldest of the Flemish towns. There we saw the famous belfry, with its beautiful chimes, the Palace of Justice, and the Hotel de Ville, rich and fine in design, but crumbling away, like old cheese, from the effects of time. In the Church of Notre Dame, are the magnificent tombs — copper-gilt — of the Duke of Burgundy and his daughter. He was in full armor, and she in her robes of state, both lying upon their backs with hands together in prayer — the action of all the figures on the tombs of the Middle Ages. In the open square in front of the Palace of Justice, I saw a fine old tower, of which I made a drawing. The costumes of the people here, are less curious than those of Amsterdam and the Hague; the beggars and guides quite as annoying. The side- walks are so narrow in many places, that when you meet any one either he or you must step off. WITH PEN AND PENCIL, 9 1 in order to pass. The odors are somewhat start- ling in all these towns — quite foreign and not at all American. There is a great charm in these old cities that constantly brings " Froissart's Chronicles " to your memory. I should like every house to be of the twelfth century at least, with the people in the queer, old costumes of the time. Occasionally, a few knights appearing suddenly round the corner, followed by others charging them from the rear with their long lances, or smiting them with mace or battle-axe ; the people, meanwhile, pegging away at them with cross-bows, from the windows of the houses, or ornamenting them, from the roofs, with hot pitch. Here, a gallant knight on foot, attacked by numbers, cutting down a man with each sweep of his two-handed sword ; there, another unhorsed and on his back, his foe above him brandishing the " dagger of mercy," as he cries, " Rescue, or no rescue ! yield to a true Knight ! " The fluttering banners, the party cries, the men-at-arms fighting and cutting at each other, now lost in a cloud of dust, now re- appearing as they retreat or rally down the street ! This sort of thing frequently occurred in these very streets, and I should very much like to see it done all over again for the benefit of travel- 92 SKETCHES ABROAD lers — from the top of the highest chimney ! The modern improvements which you find even here, the jumble of old and new, keep your mind in a see-saw condition. After looking at a building of the ninth or tenth century, and dreaming of the past, then turning and seeing a cake-shop finished last Friday, with a row of gingerbread-twins in the window, the mind falls flat on its back into the commonplace and practical of to-day. Brussels is more like Paris, light and glittering, with a new appearance ; there is, however, some- thing there which is deeply interesting; I mean the Hotel de Ville, in front of which the' Counts Egmont and Van Horn were executed ; their statues stand on' the spot. Behind these figures, is the house occupied by the Duke of Alva and the window from which he saw those unfortunate noblemen beheaded. The houses built by the Spaniards are still standing, and are very hand- some ■■X)CiTlQ_J J^C't WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 93 Paris, November i8. ^1[ TE are now perched up in the third story of * a French boarding-house in the Champs Elysees, — one of the finest streets in Paris, — where may be seen, every afternoon, everybody who can hire, beg, borrow, or steal a horse or car- ^ .^ ,_ riage. Its broad i ^\\!?\. . ' i^'- sidewalks, shaded VW''^R\ 'I?' ' with trees under which are placed chairs for the ac- commodation of the public, are the resort of innume- rable loungers. I make it my walk every afternoon, and never leave it by iurnmg a corner, having no bump of locality and less French. I think of engaging a stout French nurse who knows English as well as Paris, 94 SKETCHES ABROAD and would act as a guide through this extraordi- nary city. By a rare stroke of good fortune, I one day blundered into the Louvre, where I, of course, enjoyed the pictures prodigiously. After spend- ing several hours there, I only managed to see about one fourth of this immense collection, which I hope to revisit frequently before we leave. It appeared to me, the gallery, as a whole, was not equal to that of Dresden, though there are many fine pictures by the best of the old masters. The Murillo, for which the government gave $150,000, is a beautiful work, and better than anything I have seen by him. " The Entombment of Christ," by Titian, is there; a glorious picture it is, and finely conceived ; the effect of the figures, partly obscured in the solemn twilight, harmonizing beautifully with the sentiment of the subject. Some of Titian's portraits have intense individu- ality, and seem to think. "The Man with the Glove " is remarkable in this respect. Rubens is there in full force ; Vandyke also, and as admi- rable as ever. "Charles I.," standing by his horse, is one of the finest works he has there. The figure of Charles is, as usual, elegant, and " every inch a king ! " I saw an immense number of artists of both sexes copying ; in fact, nearly all the best pictures WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 95 had somebody in front of them, — either on a lad- der or platform, — spoiling much canvas. The other night, we went to see a piece called " The Frenchman in London," a union of ballet and farce. It was, of course, extremely French, particularly in the matter of draperies, which were uncommonly short as well as light. It was a very capital affair, and well managed through- out ; the scenery and costumes splendid and very effective, putting all other things of the kind that I have seen, quite in the background. During the performance, several of the actors, in costume, came round in front and sat in a box next to the stage ; while another one suddenly appeared in the third tier, and held a conversation with those in the box on the opposite side of the theatre, which produced immense fun. Not being aware that this was a part of the play, I was rather sur- prised ! On Friday, we went to the Luxembourg, the interior of which is very magnificent. The room once used by Marie de Medici is still as it was in her day ; the ceiling painted by Rubens and other artists of her time. The Throne-room of Napo- leon I. is truly regal. The Picture Gallery con- tains some of the best of the modern French school ; among them. Couture 's " Decadence de Rome " and MuUer's " Conciergerie." .... SKETCHES ABROAD Paris, December I7. T WENT, one day, with a friend, to the Hotel -*- Ckiny and the ficole des Beaux Arts, which contains that fine composition by Delaroche, " The Hemicycle." The Hotel Cluny is, by far, the most interesting place we have seen here. The oldest part was built by the Romans, in the fourth century, and the more modern, in the thir- teenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. We found it filled with an immense variety of things ; such as old arms, armor, furniture, china, and works of art of many periods and countries, most of which are rare and curious ; also, mantelpieces of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which are very rich and beautiful in design. There are several carriages belonging to different crowned heads of Europe ; clothes too, worn by celebrated men, — a cap that once belonged to Charles V., a lace collar worn by Henry IV., etc., etc. It may seem strange to say that there is but little to interest in Paris, as it is to-day ; but the fact is, Louis Napoleon has caused to be pulled down and built up, so much of the city, in his WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 97 great desire to improve it, that it now contains less to remind you of the past, perhaps, than any other city of its size, in Europe. In this, I am sure, all lovers of antiquity will agree with me. I say, with " Leatherstocking," " D n your bet- terments." The little German town of Nuremburg is worth a dozen of this great city in point of in- terest and picturesque beauty, and possesses a strong flavor of the past, that is charming ; mak- ing you feel while walking in its streets, as if you were living in the Middle Ages. Here everything reminds you of to-day, and to-day only; it is shop, not history. The effect of the city is very brilliant and painfully new — New York on a grand scale. You look in vain for those fine old mouldering " bits',' like Kenilworth or Heidelberg Castle, etc. In all this vast city there are but two or three buildings remaining that remind you of past ages, and even those have been so changed and modernized, as to leave little to interest you. I saw last week the tomb of Napoleon, which, in design, is simple and impressive ; we should have felt its solemnity more, had it not been for the sharp elbows of the bustling crowd about us. On Thursday evening, we went to a reception at the American Minister's, where we found the house filled with Americans. Dore, the artist, 13 98 SKETCHES ABROAD was also there ; a remarkably mild looking young man of thirty, or thereabout, — his face exhibiting no indication of the vigorous genius for which his works are so remarkable. There, we also met Bulwer, whose abundant hair, prominent nose, and excess of beard and mous- tache, suggested Mephis- tophiles. As he came into the room only a minute before we left it, I had no opportunity of hearing the great man talk. He stood, with his hat in his hand be- hind him, so close to the fire, that I was much con- cerned, and expected some one would have been obliged to ptit him out. His elevated brows and staring eyes conveyed the idea of a man w^ho had been taken by surprise when he was born, and never gotten over it. One evening we had an entertainment at the house here, given by a fellow-boarder, and com- posed of a mixture of French, English, and Americans — thus : one live count and countess, three decorated Frenchmen, several flimsy young ladies with a proper proportion of young gentle- WITH FEN AND PENCIL. 99 men, three Americans, and a couple of Scotch ladies. The flimsy young ladies and young gen- tlemen danced, while the count nursed his hat upon his knee, and the decorated leaned upon the corners of the mantelpiece, the Americans look- ing on as side-dishes, modestly admiring. The refreshments were composed of warm water and wine (mixed), with feeble cakes of unknown com- position, very small and served rarely. The music, a cracked piano, banged to death by a thin Frenchman. The nobility retired with dig- nity, at an early hour, and the mobiWty at half-past twelve. I have been to the Louvre several times, and strayed about those great rooms till my back cracked. Your mind becomes so much interested in looking at all those grand works of art, that you entirely forget that you are not made of iron, till you find yourself suddenly doubled up like an empty sack, and are disgusted to feel that you can't stand it better. Among the pictures, are some of Guido's best productions. His compo- sition is often fine, but his color crude and un- pleasant. His " Rape of Dejanira " is to me, in all respects, the best, as well as most poetic, of his works ; the figure of the Centaur, admirable both in character and drawing, while the attitude lOO SKETCHES ABROAD and expression of Dejanira are exquisitely beau- tiful. Here, too, are a number of Rubens' largest and most elaborate pictures, showing his immense power in composition and color. He was a great genius without a sense of beauty of form or poetic sentiment ; he painted the animal, not the. intellectual, man ; brawn, not brain, was his motto ; he delighted in flesh and blood. His groups of nymphs and satyrs at their revels, are his greatest triumphs — a reeling, staggering mass of delicious color, drunk with its own beauty. In Rembrandt you see the same peculiarity. His forms are of the lowest type and clothed with splendor and richness of color, but obscured by such tremendous depth and mystery of shad- ow, that his pictures sometimes become grand poems, elevated by the singular genius of the painter. The " Marriage at Cana," by Veronese, is a miracle of Venetian art, covering a canvas of thirty feet in length with a success never before achieved on so grand a scale ; still, this is little more than a picture of effect and color — a large group of figures, in gorgeous costumes, at a banquet in brilliant sunlight. My last visit was to the antique sculpture, WITH PEN AND PENCIL. ' lOI where I particularly enjoyed that noble fragment, the " Venus de Milo " — to my mind the grandest ideal of woman ever conceived, but not, I think, at all suggestive of the Goddess of love and beauty. The form is too massive — a type of the highest and fullest development — majestic, not loveable. Last night, I went, with some friends, to the Grand Bal Masque at the Opera House, the parquette of which was floored over for the oc- casion, and filled with a crowd of people in ex- traordinary costumes of every description. There was a band of two hundred musicians playing at the extreme back of the stage. Thousands of people were dancing like fiends, at the same moment, each one trying to appear and act as absurdly as possible : the women all masked, and many of them kicking as high as their heads, which seemed to be a favorite performance. It is hardly necessary to say, that these were of the lowest class; the ladies do not leave the boxes. The whole exhiBition was both ridiculous and dis- gusting, and would not have been tolerated in the United States — certainly not in an opera house. T02 SKETCHES ABROAD Genoa, December 25. )E are not, you see, in Rome as we expected to be, but in Genoa, the venerable and dirty. On our way hither, we stopped one day at Marseilles and an- other at Nice, which is a pleasant and cheerful town, with a fine, soft climate, truly refreshing after the gloomy skies of Paris. Soon after our arrival we went out for a stroll. Of course the ladies could not resist the mania of their sex — shop- ping — although just from Paris, where you would suppose they might have had a surfeit ; and would suddenly disappear from my side, plunge into a shop, and as suddenly reappear with a remarkable hat having a button in the centre instead of a crown, or a bit of inlaid wood- work or some other curiosity of the town. The place seemed full of invalids walking about un- der white umbrellas. When strolling through WITH PEN AND PENCIL. lO' the market-place, we saw some odd, old women with peculiar, circular hats ; and a pair of sleepy- mules on intimate terms with a brace of hens, who were pecking about their heels in a con- fidential and friendly way ; these, including an ancient female and child, I rapidly transferred to my sketch-book. Part of our promenade was on the roofs of the houses, which are, in that part of the city, as flat as a floor; from whence we had a glorious view of the ocean ! At the hotel, we met with a very pleasant I04 SKETCHES ABROAD American family, with whom we made arrange- ments to take a carriage and drive by the Cor- niche road, which runs the whole way, to Genoa, along the shores of the Mediterranean. The next morning, we started ; our party consisting of six, with the addition of a courier and a vetturino. The " courier " was a superb creature of the stout and plethoric order ; he had whiskers, he had moustache, he had studs in his shirt, brilliant and beautiful ; cuff-buttons beyond praise. He was perfumed, he was new from end to end ; — in fact, he was finished at all points and perfect in every- thing — but his business. The drive was highly interesting, and in some places the scenery grand ; immense rocks rising hundreds of feet from the water's edge, often crowned by an ancient tower. Below us, on the beach, we could see the picturesque fishermen with their red caps and sashes, making a haul or mending their nets ; the ocean stretching away to the right, dotted here and there with a snowy sail. We constantly passed through groves of olive-trees, the people collecting the fruit from the ground. Sometimes an over-loaded donkey would pass us, with his panniers of firewood or vegetables and fruit, the driver sitting above all ; or we would see the shepherd in his coat of skins WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 105 and rough leggings, watching, from the rocks above, his sheep nibbhng the short grass. Beggars were not wanting, of course, particu- larly when we stopped at the inn to dine. The villages are extremely dirty and very odd look- ing ; in some places we could just get through the narrow streets without touching the walls on either side. The houses are three or four stories high — the windows often but a square hole, from which smoke issued, there being no other outlet for it. At some of the doors a few cabbages and carrots, or, perhaps, a basket of apples ; at others, pig's skins, filled with wine, sus- pended by the tails, apparently squealing to be let down. Here, a group of gloomy vagabonds, their shoulders to the wall, with some crawling infants in the mud, while a lop-eared mule tied to a post balances the composition ; there, a brown friar, scanning his missal from beneath his cowl, passes silently through the lazy crowd — his sandaled feet, cat-like, giving no warning of his presence. Dirt and strong smells are everywhere apparent. Our vetturino, anxious to make a sensation, as he entered the towns cracking his whip, would force his horses to a gallop and scatter the good people like chaff. Old women scuttled round the corner ; dirty children were seized in the rear and jerked 14 I06 SKETCHES ABROAD backward into doorways, while once, a young girl flattened herself against the wall to escape the hub of the wheel, which carried off a y^rd of apron. Heads bobbed out of doors and windows, and small dogs snapped and barked at "the wheels, while rags of all colors fluttered in the air. Out again upon the road, with the sea still on our right, and the boats hauled up on the shore ; more donkeys with their drivers yelling, and push- ing them to the right, in order to get out of the way. Beggars hobbling after, showering bless- ings on all the family, for the money they ex- pected to ,get, sleek priests and hooded monks passing, and gazing at us in pious wonder, as we drove on, covering them with dust. As we ap- proached some of the larger towns, we met women covered with veils, which gave them a pretty, modest look. In the village of Cogoletto, we were shown the house in which Columbus was born, and a very forlorn, shabby looking place it is, with its back to the beach and its front on the filthy street. I stopped close by it, to make a sketch of some mules, with a crowd of people about me, to see how I did it. As soon as the owner of the ani- mals discovered what I was about, he drove them off, and left me staring at a blank wall and several WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 107 small boys. In one town, we stopped to dine in an ancient palace on a dinner of birds tasting of turpentine, sour bread, and flat wine. The din- ing-room was about twenty feet high, with an arched ceiling and stone floor; some of the old family portraits were still hanging upon the walls. While waiting for the feast, we wandered through the old chambers, many of which were richly ornamented with gilding, and quite elegant. Genoa is surrounded with ancient fortifications, and filled with many palaces and much dirt ; the streets — some so narrow that you might nearly touch both sides by extending your arms — are crowded with citizens, soldiers, and sailors. Many of the shops are like curious little dens, dug in below the street and as contracted as possible, in which the birds of prey He in wait for the un- wary traveller. Some have shrines of the Madon- na over the door, their tawdry frames surrounded by gilded rays, and the Virgin evidently in the last stages of consumption. In the street of the goldsmiths, there is, however, one — an oil picture of much merit — which is considered so valuable that it is enclosed in a glass case and an armed guard paces continually in front of \i on occasions like this, when, it being a Festa, the whole popu- I08 SKETCHES ABROAD lation give themselves up to idleness and amuse- ment. We visited several palaces and saw some good pictures, but none, I thought, of the highest excellence. It was strange to see the ancient, shriveled officials in the great, dreary, and un- comfortable apartments, shivering over a brazier of half-extinguished coals in the corner, as if that was the business of their lives and nothing else, as they paid no attention to us apparently. Last night, we all went to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, to hear high mass at midnight. The building was grand and gloomy, with priests chanting at one end, and a crowd of people filling the whole. As soon as high mass began, the chanting ceased, and above our heads in the organ-loft a number of stringed and wind instru- ments discoursed most eloquent music ; about us, much garlic and little piety, with strong odor of tobacco. To-day, being Christmas, we were treated to a roasted turkey stuffed with chestnuts, and pl,um- pudding for dessert, in honor of the Americans and English in the house. I Vnow you had better at home ; ours was a melancholy failure. We thought of you all and drank your healths, sitting in a house constructed by the Knights of Malta ; WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 109 a queer old place built upon arches, under which runs a passage-way for pedestrians. The day after to-morrow, we start again with the coach and five for Spezzia, from thence to Pisa, and from Pisa to Rome ! no SKETCHES ABROAD Pisa, December 30. I ^HE scene shifts again, and we are in another of the strange, old ItaHan towns, which is much cleaner than the last we left. Here are the famous Leaning Tower, the Cathedral, the Bap- tistery, and the Campo Santo. The River Arno runs directly in front of the hotel, and on the opposite shore is a pretty little Gothic chapel built for the benefit of the sailors, many hundred years ago. The Cathedral, which we visited yes- terday, is of the twelfth century, and truly mag- nificent. I'went with L to see it again, this afternoon, and sat watching the priests preparing for the service, each one dropping upon his knees before some image or picture of a saint, as he moved through the vast building ; some of them, dressed in scarlet and white, others, in black and white. It was very picturesque and fine, as we saw it all in the fading light of the afternoon, and would have been finer, if these worthies had gone about their duties with less of a business air, and more earnestness ; they trotted about and rattled through their prayers more like school-boys WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 1 1 anxious to get out to top and marbles, than men of piety. Some ragged little urchins who seemed desirous of a dip into the holy-water font, which was too high for their short legs to reach, made several jumps and plunges at its edge, and at last succeeded in dipping their very dirty hands and crossing their foreheads like good catholics, as no doubt they were. While we were looking about us, the sacristan, who evidently had a strong turn for trade, though it was Sunday, came smiling and bowing to us, informing us that he had some very fine photo- graphs of the city and its buildings, if we felt inclined to buy. Yesterday, we went into the Baptistery, which is another lovely bit of antiquity, of the same period as the Cathedral, and stands quite near it. While we were there, an infant, two days old, was brought in by its father for baptism ; the poor little wretch looked like a scalded monkey, which had already gone to the other world — the wrong one. The priest held it, face down, over the font, and ladled out the precious liquid over its unfortunate head, to convey, I suppose, to its feeble mind, an idea of the Deluge ; he then dabbed it and rubbed it well down with a napkin, mumbled rapidly some- thing over it, which sounded like the buzzing of 112 SKETCHES ABROAD moral bees, dropped it into its father's arms, and made a note of all in a dirty book. Before we left, a man with a very good voice told us we must hear the echo, which is very remarkable there ; he then sang two or three notes, the effect of which was perfectly exquisite, as the sound passed from one part of the building to another and gradually floated away in waves of music. Another individual, who had followed us into the Cathedral as a sort of guide, said that he always did the echo, but did not like to when a priest was present. The Leaning Tower, which is close by, has, as you know, a very singular effect, and seems to be falling, while you are looking at it. They tell you the foundation has settled on one si(^e, and that it was not, as some writers suppose, the intention of the architect to build it as it now appears. The Campo Santo is a very long building, formed of arcades surrounding an open court which is filled with earth brought, many centuries ago, from the Holy Land ; in this enclosure many noble fami- lies are interred. The arcades are filled with fragments of sculpture, principally of old Roman origin, as well as of the Middle Ages. The walls are adorned with frescos, the work of some of the most distinguished pre-Raphaelites, but are very much injured by time. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 113 Some men are at this moment passing the hotel, singing in chorus a beautiful thing from an opera. As we listen, their pleasant voices fade gradually upon the ear and pass into the night, seeming to complete the strange, poetic charm which, to me, surrounds these ancient cities. 15 114 SKETCHES ABROAD Rome, January 6, 1867. ERE we are, at last, in the Eternal City, which we reached last Tuesday even- ing, after travelling a day and a night from Florence. At Florence, we only spent a few hours waiting for the train to Rome, which left at nine o'clock in the evening. While there, we attempted a drive in an open carriage, but were soon driven within doors by the rain. When it cleared, we took a walk on the Ponte Vecchio, which is filled with curious old shops, chiefly in the breastpin and ring line of the past, as well as the present, day. The variety of people, carts, carriages, and donkeys, that passed and re- passed us in wild disorder; the beggars, the mud, the rags, the street-cries, and the screams and yells of the mule drivers, in not very choice Italian, are beyond description. As we intend to return to Florence in a few weeks, I shall WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 1 5 say nothing more of the city, as we only saw what I have described. On the road to Rome there was nothing unlike what we had seen before. Dirty little villages clustering around a dirty church in the centre, like sheep around their shepherd ; most of these perched up high among the rocks or prominent points, sometimes surrounded by an ancient and massive wall. We reached Rome about sunset, and the most prominent object as we approached the city, was the great dome of St. Peter's rising grandly above the horizon with a red belt of light, left by the departing sun, behind it. The next morning, our first visit was to the mighty church, which somewhat disappointed us in approaching it, — we only fully realized its vast proportions after we had entered its doors, — then, we felt as grains of sand upon the shore. The interior seems to me a little overloaded with ornament and small forms, as well as variety of color, the effect of which destroys the idea of space and simplicity ; but nearly all Roman Catholic churches have this defect. After looking about us for some time, we ascended to the roof, on which is built a number of houses for the accommodation of the work- men employed to keep it in repair, amounting to Il6 SKETCHES ABROAD two hundred men — the expenses yearly are about $50,000. The next thing to be looked at was the Ball, which will hold sixteen people. After ascending an endless, winding, stone staircase be- tween the walls, we reached the middle of the Dome, and stood upon a gallery which runs around the whole. As I looked down upon the marble pavement, nearly four hundred feet below me, I saw some black dots moving about, which, they told me, were people. Several men were employed mending the mosaic-work, some bits of which had fallen out of the leg of one of Angelo's sprawling infants (about twelve feet high), and, as a matter of course, a few found their way into our pockets. Again we ascended more steps, still more, and at last reached a small circular room with a perpendicular ladder of wood which led us up to the iron Ball, where we found it as hot as August. We consequently, got out of it as soon as possible, and, after examining the body of the church, again returned to the roof, from which we had a splendid view of the city and the surround- ing country for many miles. There were the snowy peaks of the Apennines, the Campagna, and, endless remains of Old Rome in every direction. Afterwards, we drove to the Palace of the WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 1 ^ Caesars — an enormous mass of ruins covering thirty-five acres ; the workmen were engaged in excavating while we were there ; the whole of it was once below the Rome of to-day. Near it, numbers of fragments of figures, busts, and pot- tery are shown, all of which have been found among the ruins, and were once ornaments of the palace. The next object of interest was the Coliseum, passing, on our way thither, under the Arch of Titus, and by that of Constantine. You may form some idea of the enormous size of the build- ing, when you are told that it held 87,000 per- sons ! There is a sense of power and dignity in these noble, yet melancholy remains of this stupendous structure, that no other ruins possess. Its vast and shattered walls stand as a monument of the grandeur as well as the brutal tastes of the iron race that erected it. In the centre of the arena, stands a wooden cross, painted brown and resting upon three square blocks of granite, like steps. Any one who kisses this cross as he passes through, has in- dulgence granted him for one hundred days. About five feet from the base, it is black from the kisses it has received since its erection. While I 1 1 8 SKE TCHES ABR OAD was looking at it, from the seat called Caesar's, I saw a very gentlemanly looking man walk gravely up, remove his hat with reverence, and kiss it, followed by three or four men of the lower order, who did the same. I suppose they soon after fell to picking pockets with an easy con- science. Within a few yards of our hotel, are the church and the Spanish steps spoken of by Dickens, in his " Pictures of Italy," as being the resort of the " artists' models." I walked up there a few days ago, and found any number of " Holy Families" and " Saints " — great " lumps of them," as he says — waiting to be hired. While sitting on the steps to rest and watch the people, a Ro- man woman with her little child passed me, in her picturesque dress of scarlet and blue. By using a little pantomime, I gave her to understand that I wished to make a sketch of her. She took the hint at once and stood, a few steps below me, in the act of knitting, with her child at her feet. I began my drawing, and was immediately sur- rounded by a crowd, as usual. You constantly meet these " models " basking in the sun on the sidewalks ; some doing the deca3^ed nobleman leaning against the corner of a house, with a rag of a cloak thrown grandly over the shoulder, and WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 119 a melancholy eye cast at you from under the edge of a battered, greasy hat. Then the beggars! with legs and without, some only the stump of a man, — the gentlemanly beggars, and the monks who are beggars, — there is no end to them ; they swarm in every street and prey upon you ; in fact, all Italy seems but an open hand waiting for change ! I20 SKETCHES ABROAD Rome, January 13. OINCE my last, we have been out " doing Rome " every day, with the exception of the wet ones, which have been, lately, very numerous. One morning, we went to the Church of Ara Coeli, where was lying, in state, the " Holy Bam- bino." There was a procession to-day, and cere- monies attending the reconsignment to its box, wherein it will be kept under lock and key, until next Christmas-day. The lock can be opened, however, at any time, with a silver franc. The " Bambino " is a doll representing our Saviour as an infant. The tradition is, that a holy monk carved it out of a piece of wood from one of the trees in the Garden of Olives, and that St. Luke painted the face ! It is dressed in swaddling- clothes, covered, apparently, with precious stones, and with a jeweled crown upon its head. All the real stones have been removed by the priests, and imitation ones have taken their place. One of the chapels was fitted up like the stage of a theatre, representing the inside of the stable, with two cows' heads rising above the Bambino, Mary WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 2 1 and Joseph in attitudes on either side, and a few other figures, all of the size of life. Above, were painted clouds, where, among crowds of angels, sat a somewhat magnificent figure of God, ex- tending his hands over the group below. The whole was lighted with gas, and was quite effect- ive as a tableau, before which the deluded Ro- manists were kneeling in devout adoration and awe. From there, we went in search of the Tarpeian Rock, which we found in a neglected garden, and so surrounded with houses, there was not much left to convey to our minds the horror of the victims who were once hurled from it into the abyss below. Then to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where the Popes are crowned, and where we saw a piece of board about five feet long and two wide, purporting to be a portion of the table from off which the Lord's Supper was eaten, and were told that behind certain curtains was some of the blood and water which flowed from the Saviour's side ! Near this church is the Santa Scala, up which we saw the devotees going on their knees ; an act of devotion which gives them many years of indulgences, and, I believe, saves them from Purgatory ! We have been three times to the Vatican, and i6 122 SKETCHES ABROAD once to the Capitol, both of which contain splen- did collections of antique statues in bronze and marble. Prominent among these in the former, are the Apollo, Laocoon, and that grand frag- ment, the Torso, besides an immense collection of other figures, busts, and monuments, many of them of a high order of art. The rooms are thirteen thousand in number, — some of them enormous. Most of the statues were found in a shattered condition, and have been put together with great care, some parts restored. The first room we entered, contained inscriptions taken from the tombs of the early Christians and Pagans ; these are all set into the wall. One room is devoted to animals in marbles and bronze, some of which are capital, but not equal to the human figures, the best of which are, I think, beyond all praise, — the very perfection of form. Our second visit was to the Sistine Chapel, where the frescos of Angelo and his " Last Judg- ment " — which covers the whole end of the room — are, of course, the greatest features. They have all been dreadfully injured by damp and smoke, so that it is impossible to make out much of the composition. In front of the " Judg- ment," they have placed a huge pulpit, which WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 23 covers nearly a fourth of it. The ceiHng, which contains, I think, the best of the frescos, is covered with great blotches of black, from leaks on the roof, while other parts are much faded and obscure in color. The color I found much better than I was led to suppose, the figures painted with boldness and freedom ; some very grand, others extravagant. The composition of the " Creation of Adam," with his figure rising from the earth in its first consciousness of existence — brought to life by a touch of the Creator, who floats above him — is, perhaps, the sublimest con- ception in the whole range of art. Some of the prophets have a certain heaviness of form and want of high intellectual expression, which does not convey the idea of men acting under a mighty inspiration. The figure of Jonah is an exception, and is worthy of the tremendous genius of its author. The " Last Judgment " is more like a composition of detached groups than a grand whole illustrating a single idea: and wanting broad masses of light and shadow, it fails, I think, to make the impression it otherwise would. Had it been treated in this latter respect as Rembrandt would have treated it, the effect upon the mind would have been increased ten- fold. 124 SKETCHES ABROAD In the Picture Gallery are the world-renowned " Transfiguration " by Raphael, and the " Com- munion of St. Jerome," by Domenichino, two pictures of the highest order of art, but which, nevertheless, did not give me that intense gratifi- cation that many other works of the great masters have done. We have passed a morning at the; Capitol, sev- eral rooms of which are filled with statues by the mighty Greeks. The " Dying Gladiator " is among these, and the finest, I thought, of all, — full of truth and exquisite feeling. I was also delighted with the " Fawn of Praxiteles," which is a most charming figure WITH FEN AND PENCIL. 125 Rome, jfaniiary 18. \^7E are now living in apartments very com- fortably;' indeed it is almost like being at home. We have a servant, who, unfortunately, speaks only Italian, which is decidedly tough for all of us. J sometimes plunges suddenly into the parlor for the Italian dictionary, to look up " boiled potatoes," " hot water," " soup," etc., and dashes as suddenly back again to give orders for the preparation of the same. Our maid's name is Carmina Pasquiloni, and a model servant she is, faithful, honest, and untiring in her de- votion to our interests. The weather has been so bad since last I wrote, that we have not been out much : one day, however, we drove on the" Pincian Hill, from which we had a fine view of the city and its innumerable churches and strangely narrow streets. Yesterday, we went to see donkeys and horses blessed by the Pope, in front of the church of San Antonio, which cere- mony, unfortunately, we did not see, as it was de- ferred until later in the day, on account of the rain. In the church there was a very pretty effect 126 SKETCHES ABROAD of light and color : the whole building was richly draped in red, white, and blue ; the priests in vestments of gold, white, and crimson, kneel- ing before the altar, chanting; while the people — ragged and greasy — were doing the same in the body of the church, the pavement of which was strewn with evergreens. The candles burn- ing upon the altar, were dimly seen through the smoke of the incense, which filled the place like a fog. As we left the church, men, on each side of the entrance, rattled charity-boxes in our ears, while the beggars hobbled after us, some holding up the stump of an arm, and others rapping their chins, to indicate that their stomachs wanted 'filling at our expense. I visited the Capitol again to see the Picture Gallery, which contains a few good pictures — a fine head of Velasquez, by himself, one or two Vandykes, and a large altar-piece by Guercino, which is a work of great power. While standing before it, a very plain, old man, in a gray overcoat and felt hat, very much bent in the back and feeble in the limbs, came up with one of the officials (dressed in cocked hat and buttons), of whom the venerable man in gray asked many WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 27 questions. We afterwards learned that this aged gentleman was no less a personage than the King of Bavaria. As he passed out, he smiled blandly at D , and nodded. On our way home, we stopped at the Barberini Palace, where we found a small collection of pictures, among them, the Beatrice Cenci, which has bewitched the world for two centuries. I regret to say, her fascinations were lost upon us, — the face struck me as nothing more than that of a pretty woman with a slightly sad expression, having none of the exquisite beauty we expected to find. Next to it, hangs the famous Fornarina of Raphael, which has neither beauty of form nor color, at least it so struck me ; how it gained its great reputation, I cannot imagine. There is a good head of a Car- dinal, by Titian, which is, stupidly, hung nearly out of sight. This morning, in a pouring rain, we started for St. Peters, to see the " Festival of St. Peter's Chair," which was quite as good as an opera. After the ladies — all dressed in black and veiled — had taken their seats on benches within an en- closure, I took my place at the base of a slippery column, on which I tried to rest, but came near measuring my length on the floor, three times, 128 SKETCHES ABROAD while waiting for the curtain to rise. Presently is heard a flourish of trumpets. Soldiers enter and march up the body of the Church, with music. Soldiers form on both sides of the Church. Priests now appear with many tall candles, fol- lowed by cardinals, their robes held up by four priests each. In the distance approaches the Pope seated in a chair, borne on the shoulders of men in red — his poor head wagging about under a triple crown blazing with jewels. Directly be- hind him, are carried two immense fans of white peacocks' tails, which suggest the idea of his Holiness being in very \\\^ feather, on the occa- sion. As he passes, the whole body of soldiers and people drop on their knees, which is very effective, as well as painful to the public leg. The Pope is next carried to a raised platform at the extreme end of the church, and placed on a throne, when the cardinals range themselves on either side of his Holiness, and go through many extraordinary performances ; kissing his toe, pull- ing off his mitre, and replacing it with another of a different kind (this was done several times), drawing aside his robes, seeming to say, " Gentle- men, there is no deception here, we assure you, it 's the genuine article and no humbug ; he 's quite alive ; these are his own, precious, holy legs, WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 129 body and all." After the ceremony was over, the Pope was again hoisted into the chair, the feathers spread, and the whole concern — his rickety Holiness, red cardinals, sleek priests, and Pope's Guard — all moved out together, the soldiers and people falling on their knees as before ; I also, — but not on my knees, — as he passed out of the Church. As a theatrical performance, it was a beautiful exhibition, but as a religious ceremony, by no means impressive. 17 I30 if SKE TCHES ABROAD Naples, yanuary 26. 1 APLES is the most active, all-alive city we have seen, as well as the most filthy; a rushing, roaring place, everybody in a hurry, and every other man a beggar ; there is nothing like it in all Europe. Every hole and corner is crammed with people singing, laugh- ing, or abusing each other with the greatest energy. What the tongue can- not express, the hands will, and a quarrel is kept up in violent pantomime, long after the parties are out of hearing, with all the scorn and hatred that ten fingers can express. As I walk on the Molo, among the fishermen, with their red caps and bare legs, I find myself involuntarily humming an air from " Massaniello." The manner in which the much-abused donkey is driven, is another feature ; the driver follows close behind, holding on to the tail, by which he steers the beast skill- WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 131 fully through the dense crowd, the poor animal braying, and he pounding it with a stick, as hard as he can, screaming with all his might at the same time. Then the beggars ! trottmg after you and rapping on their chins with a noise like castaiiets, — a trick peculiar to the beggars of Italy, and more especially to those of Naples. There, too, are the flower-girls, who thrust a small bou- quet into your but- ton-hole as you pass, expecting to get from you, at least, four times its value. If a man points out the way to any place or street, he holds out his hand for a reward ; there is no end to their various ways of squeezing money out of you, and, as soon as they get it, they throw you aside like a dry lemon — without thanks. 132 SKETCHES ABROAD Every day, we have some very amusing scenes below our windows ; fellows in rags serenade us at all hours ; one affectionate individual with a guitar plants himself in front of my room and makes love to us with slow and pathetic strains. He is tender and humorous by turns, and in the midst of a most melancholy and touching ditty, breaks into a squeak after the manner of Punch, and utterly ruins the sentiment. Others act short, tragic panto- mimes, wherein they kill each other for the love of a six-foot damsel. Then comes Punch in his box, and bangs poor Judy about, while a select party of trained dogs in coat and frill, with tails screwed up to the tightest possible twist, stagger around on their hind legs to the wretched scraping of a cracked fiddle. The day after our arrival here, we started early If) i ii r.'f^^^"^ ^•'^' -^ WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 133 in the morning for Vesuvius, but when we reached Resina, we unfortunately found all the mules had been engaged by persons who had been waiting a fortnight in Naples for sunshine; so we con- cluded to drive on to Pompeii. As we ap- proached the buried city, like some dread mon- ster Mt. Vesuvius lay before us, no breath issuing from those terrible jaws which have so often vom- ited devastation and death upon all within their reach. Giving no indication of the dreadful power within, it slept, its summit lost in a cloud. We looked eagerly for the first signs of the famous city, and at last discovered some broken walls above an embankment, which we were told was Pompeii ! It was with a strange and un- definable feeling that I found myself entering the house of Diomede, walking through the streets where the marks of wheels are quite vis- ible, or crossing them upon the huge stepping- stones, placed there more than two thousand years ago. We saw the well, its edge worn by the friction of the rope, and the bakers' shops with the ovens, in one of which, you remember, some loaves of bread were found. In the wine- cellar of one house, the guide showed an impres- sion of one of fifteen bodies that were found • there, near the door ; many wine-jars still remain. 134 SKETCHES ABROAD partly buried in the ground and filled with ashes. In a garden, have been left a fountain and several small figures of marble standing around it, just as they were discovered. We saw the casts of the five figures that were found some three years ago — three men and two women. In one cast of a girl lying on her face, the skull and some of the bones of the feet and hands still remain in the plaster. One of the men lies on his back, with his mouth half open, and the brows drawn up and contracted, showing that he died in great agony. The houses of Pompeii are quite small, and the streets narrow ; in many of the rooms the frescos on the walls are as sharp and distinct as if re- cently painted. We had not time to examine anything properly, as the detestable guide hurried us through in the fast, business style. With a few exceptions, everything found in the city has been brought to the museum here, which we vis- ited to-day. The collection is wonderfully interest- ing, consisting of statues, mosaics, arms, armor, jewelry, household articles, etc., etc. In one of the helmets is the skull of a faithful soldier, who died at his post near the city gate. There were pots of rouge found in the house of Diomede, with pins, combs, and thimbles like those of to-day, and thousands of other things equally strange and in-' teresting. WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 135 As you may suppose, we did not fail to visit Herculaneum, which we did in single file, and by the light of candles which each held in his hand ; an amusing, but not very satisfactory performance, as, when we wished to see anything, — for in- stance, the impression of the comic mask on the ceiling of the theatre, — we were obliged to bring all our candles to bear on the point in order to find it. We were disappointed in seeing only the theatre. 136 SKETCHES ABROAD Naples, February i. QINCE I last wrote, we have been taking a *^ short trip further south ; first to Sorrento — a dehcious place situated on high cliffs overlook- ing the bay of Naples, and Mount Vesuvius in the distance. Our hotel was surrounded by orange proves, and on the trees were both fruit and flow- ers, which we gathered as we passed beneath them on our donkeys. We were here three days, waiting for a chance to visit Capri, but the weather was unpropitious, and we were obliged, unwillingly, to leave without accomplishing it. We drove to Torre dell' Annunciata, where we took the cars for Salerno, with the intention of soino: to Paestum to see the ruins there, which are older than anything in Rome, going back six hundred years before the Christian Era. Salerno is a lively, dirty town upon the bay, with a splen- did view of the Appenines for many miles. As we had heard some rather alarming ac- counts of brigajids in the neighborhood of Paestum, we made inquiries, and were advised to take a guard ; so we procured an order for four WITH PEN AND PENCIL, ^Z7 carabineers from the commanding officer, and started at. seven o'clock in the morning, accom- panied by our friends Mr. and Mrs. L . D being cautious, decHned joining the party, and thought us decidedly foolish, to run the risk of being gobbled up by those terrible creatures. L 's courier told us there were no bris^ands left — that they had all been driven- out of their hiding places by the soldiers ; and I thought the stories had been greatly ex- aggerated, as tales of that kind usually are — so off we went. The morning was lovely, and the scen- ery all along the road exquisite. Every- where we saw men and women working in the most pictur- esque costumes — the women in the Neapolitan dress, and the men in sheepskin coats and sandaled feet, watching herds of buffaloes, i8 138 SKETCHES ABROAD and flocks of sheep and goats. As we drove along, I noticed a number of men travelling on horseback, with guns slung at their backs, or across the saddle in front : this was suggestive of something serious ! When we reached Eboli, where our guard was to be obtained, we saw a number of carabineers mounting their horses to accompany a cart full of men, — prisoners, — who had been taken in the neighboring country for various crimes — theft, etc. The poor devils were handcuffed in pairs, and left for Salerno while we were waiting. At last four fine looking soldiers were selected for us, and away we went again, our guards each armed with a carbine and revolver. I found, afterwards, they were all men who had smelt powder, and had been in many a hot and hasty fight. One of them had killed nine brig- ands during the last four years, and another, five ; they said they always tried to make short work of them, shooting them on the spot as soon as taken. The corporal had a medal which had been given to him as a reward of bravery. After travelling twenty-four miles, we reached Paestum, where we found a few scattered houses, and the ruins of three grand temples. We entered the Temple of Neptune, which is the finest and most perfect of all ; after examining it WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 39 for some time with the greatest interest, I sat down at the base of one of its massive columns and began a drawing, while the rest spread our lunch upon a fallen fragment of the ruin. Our guards, of course, were furnished with some of the good things, and while discussing them, we had many visitors in the shape of dogs and boys — the latter having for sale some coins which had been dug up in the neighborhood. The smallest among them, apparently anxious to turn an honest penny, and not having any coins to dispose of, sud- denly appeared among us with an immense turnip, leaves and all, which he shouldered like a musket, and stood before us, afraid to ask, but innocently waiting for a purchaser. After we had finished our lunch, we visited the Basilica and the Field of Tombs. But one tomb remains, into which we crept; it has part of a fresco still remaining, some of the colors, strange to say, quite fresh. As we wandered about attended by our armed guard, who never left us for a moment, and fol- lowed -by the boys, the corporal entertained us with his adventures with the brigands, describing, with true Italian fire and vivacity, the taking of the captain of the band, which he did, a short time before, with his own hand. He said that I40 SKETCHES ABROAD worthy was greatly alarmed on being captured, and begged him, on his knees, for the love of the Holy Mother, to spare his life ; that he would re- form and become an honest man. " No," said the gallant corporal, " you would murder me or any of my men if you had an opportunity ; so you must die," and placing a revolver to his head, blew out his brains on the spot. All this was told in the most dramatic manner — the soldier falling on his knees, with clasped hands and pleading face, shaking from head to foot with well-assumed fear. It was quite an effective scene ; the back- ground the glorious sea, the foreground the grand Temple of Neptune surrounded by a vast and desolate plain. As we returned to Salerno, the soldiers pointed out to us a place not more than half a mile from the road, where they had taken and shot two brigands the night before ! and a house close by the road, where," a year ago, a farmer had been murdered for refusing to give up his money. They also showed us the spot where Mr. Moens and his friend were seized, three years ago, and held for ransom. The corporal told us that he and his comrades scour the country every night, enter every house, and make the inmates give a good account of themselves, as, very often, the WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 141 peasants are in league with the brigands. We did not reach the hotel till long after dark, having been delayed at a ferry, — our prolonged absence causing much anxiety to poor D . . . . We returned to Naples on the next morning, where we were looked upon as heroes and hero- ines, in consequence of the adventurous spirit we had shown in thus braving the dangers of Paestum, for we were the first who had done so this season. 142 SKETCH As ABROAD Rome, February 14. T seemed very pleasant to return to our comfort- able apartments in Rome, where we were received by our good Carmina with smiles and welcome. I have been very busy mak- ing drawings from the peasants, and conse- quently have not seen much of the city lately. We have been to a reception given by the new Spanish ambassador. We found it difficult to reach the palace, so great was the crowd of car- riages and of people assembled to hear a band of music, which was playing opposite the entrance. After some little delay, however, our turn came, and driving under the porte cochere, we alighted and passed up broad flights of marble stairs, the balusters of which were entirely hidden with masses of flowers, — statues and flowering plants WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 143 on each landing, — through a hall, where a foun- tain was playing amidst palms, ferns, mosses, and flowers, to the reception-rooms. Servants in livery stood on each landing and at the door of each room, whose business it was to announce the names of the guests, tossing them from one to another like a ball. We started fair with the first servant, who pronounced the names quite dis- tinctly, but having to pass through eight rooms, we finally reached the ambassador and his lady as " Count and Countess Falandrini ! " or some- thing like it. We found that almost every one turned up in the same remarkable manner. About twelve rooms were thrown open to the guests, each of which was crowded with people : princes, dukes, counts, cardinals, and officers by the score, all in the most gorgeous attire. Two Princesses were fairly loaded down with most magnificent diamonds and pearls — a blaze of splendor ! One or two of the men were nearly hid- den behind a regular breastwork of decorations, looking over the top to see what you thought of them. Numerous nice young gentlemen were among the guests, having their hair parted in the middle, being extremely weak in their legs, and much attached to their hats. One individual, in a court-dress covered with gold lace and deco- 144 SKETCHES ABROAD rations, was so stuffed and padded about the chest, he looked Hke an over-fed old pigeon with an un- natural condition of crop. The whole effect of these rooms, filled with brilliant dresses, full of color and glittering with jewels, was truly superb. On Thursday we visited the Baths of Caracalla, a stupendous ruin, which, almost more than any- thing else, gives an idea of the luxury and mag- nificence in which the old Romans lived. We then went to the Church of San Clemente, which was considered one of the most ancient churches in Rome, until a few years ago, when another was discovered beneath it, which workmen are now excavating. A young monk gave us each a taper, and led us down to and through this lower build- ing. Some of the columns are very beautiful, and no two alike ; the pavement is mosaic, but very much broken, and there are frescos on the walls, still in good condition, of a very rude style of art. At the Church of the Capuccini, we went into their under-ground cemetery, where they bury their dead friars for four years, and then disinter and dress them in the garments of their order, and arrange them in different attitudes in niches, made for that purpose around the graves — the walls are also decorated with thousands of their WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 45 bones in various ornamental forms, and ghastly chandeliers of the same material hang from the ceiling. It was a very disgusting sight, and I was glad to get away as soon as possible. Afterwards, at dinner, I was quite convinced that I was eating friar steaks and monk soup ! Yesterday we saw the collection of pictures at the Borghese Palace. There are some fine Titi- ans, and an interesting portrait of Caesar Borgia, by Raphael, — a handsome man with a bad expres- sion, — and many other works by the old mas- ters ; in fact, the best private collection we have seen in Rome, meriting a much longer descrip- tion than I have time to give it. We also visited the Spada Palace, principally to see the famous statue of Pompey, at the foot of which " great C^sar fell ! " The figure is about ten feet high, the right hand is extended, and it has a stern, hard face of the true Roman type. The pictures were of less interest, containing nothing that stamped itself upon the memory. 19 146 SKETCHES ABROAD Rome, February 23. 73 OME is now in the midst of the Carnival, •*-^ and the Corso, the famous street on this occasion, is Hterally thronged with a concourse of absurd merry-makers, every afternoon. The grand amusement of this motley crowd seems to consist in peppering each other with flowers and confetti. This throwing things at ydur neighbor's head is, to me, a very ridiculous and childish performance, but it is the thing to do, and they do it thor- oughly, from two till six o'clock, for eleven days, and call it fun. Every man you meet in the afternoon, appears to have been put through a course of flour ; he has been at the Carnival, " enjoying of himself," and with a shocking bad hat jammed over his eyes, looks very like a candle with an extinguisher on. The ladies, from the balconies above, pelt the passers-by with bouquets as large as cabbages, and receive the same delicate attention from the admiring crowd below. Carriages filled with men in extraordinary costumes, pitch turnips and car- rots at the lovely beings in the balconies ; if these WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 47 vegetable missiles come in contact with the fair one's nose, a shout is produced in proportion to the rubbing of the unhappy feature. When an individual fails to catch a bouquet, the people in- stantly dive for it like ducks in a pond, — heels up, heads down, — and when the lucky one turns up again to the surface, bouquet in hand, out of a cloud of dust, grinning, puffing, and triumphant, he darts down the street, using his boots freely on all who oppose him. The ever-present Yankee enjoys all this pro- digiously, and makes his appearance upon the Corso in the most conspicuous of turn-outs, chin- deep in confetti, with an inexhaustible supply of monstrous bouquets, and in a costume of the most absurd description. Of course everything he does is on the grandest scale, — a perpetual spread of the " Bird of Freedom." About half- past five o'clock, a heavy gun is heard, when the cavalry come down the street at a gallop, to clear it for the races. Every man instantly flattens himself against his neighbor, while the boys bolt between the legs of the same, to get out of the way. In a moment all eyes look up the Corso, — you hear the rush of the flying horses, which pass you like a flash, covered with foam and decorated with ribbons and bright copper plates with sharp 148 SKETCHES ABROAD corners, which play upon their flanks'like knives, urging them to their highest speed, followed by a roar from the excited crowd. Thus ends the Carnival for the daj^, to be repeated the next, with all its follies and absurdities. On Thursday, there was a grand review of troops at the Borghese Villa, which, by the way, has the most lovely grounds I have seen for a long time, with splendid stone pines rising from an exquisite lawn of the richest grass. At about half-past four o'clock in the afternoon, when the shadows are long, the effect is very charming. In the centre of this bit of fairy land, is an ancient amphitheatre, where stood the cavalry, and above, on the right and left, the infantry. After we had waited an hour and a half for the performance to commence, — sitting on one of the stone seats many a Roman two thousand years ago had pressed before us, — the trumpets sounded, and the band began an air which, I am sorry to say, suggested " Master Stanley in the great two-horse act," more particularly when the general in com- mand came down and round the circle at a mild canter, holding on to his hat, — apparently too small for him, — which he nearly lost as he bounced about and gave the public a capital view of the distant country between himself and the WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 149 saddle ! Among the aids of this unhappy eques- trian there was an officer gotten up regardless of expense, with a prodigious feather stuck in his cap, whom the ladies pronounced a " perfect love of a man." He did the circle without a bounce, 150 SKETCHES ABROAD and came out triumphant, happy fellow ! After these feats of horsemanship were over, the in- fantry marched and countermarched, and dis- appeared gradually, towards the Eternal City, in much dust and with faint music. On Monday we drove out three or four miles on the Campagna, to see a fox-hunt. The " meet " was at " Nero's Villa," formerly one of the residences of that tyrant, but with nothing now left to show its grandeur — a few bits of broken wall half embedded in the earth, serve to mark the spot, and that is all. We found a num- ber of carriages filled with ladies, and a large assemblage of both sexes on horseback ; many of the gentlemen gotten up after the manner of the English, in red coats and top-boots, which made a very pretty display as they dashed off after the fox, which they soon unearthed. The fox being, like most of his race, uncommonly wide-awake^ was not caught, and they consequently all re- turned in a limp condition and greatly chop- fallen. . Just as it grew dark this evening, we heard singularly melancholy music in front of the house, and going to the window saw, passing below, the funeral of a young woman. First in the procession came several members of the order WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 151 called Misericordia, bearing lighted candles and wearing a peculiar hood which entirely covers the head and face, having only holes for the eyes ; these were followed by a long train of monks ; then came the body lying on an open bier, dressed in white and decorated with flowers — she looked like a very beautiful woman asleep. After the corpse, were borne two common pine coffins — one marked on the lid with 2, large black cross, the other was a simple rough box. They moved slowly down the street chanting — a sad, pictur- esque sight. 152 SKETCHES ABROAD Rome, March 30. E have visited the CoHseum by moonlight ! As it is con- sidered dangerous to go to such places after dark, we joined a party of friends, who had been waiting, like ourselves, for a pleasant moonlight evening. After presenting our pass to the guard at the entrance, we were joined by a guide with a torch, who led us through the great corridors with their massive arches, the moonlight falling through them on the stone floor, throwing other parts into intense shadow and mystery, which was grand and dream- like. After passing about half way round the im- mense building, we went up to what were once the seats, from which we looked down into the vast arena, one hundred and fifty feet below. While we sat thinking of the horrible scenes of savage cruelty these crumbling walls had wit- nessed, the hooting of the owls from the ivy with ^r\ , y WITH PEN AND PENCIL. 1 53 which the ruins are covered, was the only sound which broke the solemn stillness of the hour. From our elevated position the scene was singu- larly impressive. The opposite wall, nearly lost in shadow, rising against the distant Campagna which faded away into the far-off mountains, and the calm moonlight falling upon the now peaceful arena and flooding with light the Christian em- blem which rises in its midst, formed a striking contrast to the barbarous days when men " were butchered to make a Roman holiday." Rome is the only place where you can procure models without difficulty, that is to say, profes- sional /^^^ •^^ -:^' ^ \\^' "^ •J , \ ^^- V' OO '^^V^ o ^ vN^* / '^^.. V ■ . ^^.' .^^ •,../ A^ „c ^^A v^ 3^ >- -!-^^--'-77n<,r -A. ■-/', ,0o^ '^ > f.^ ^^ -^^- ,V ' B < <* - ^ , V ■^^^_ •^0^ :f '%-. .■=.' .^^ ,t- . - "x-,v: * -."1 ,0 c '•^i<. V ■-.. .,^^ " ""f c"^ ■^oo^ '^^. v^^ .^^ o?-'