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 REV, SAMUEL WATSON 
 
A MEMPHIAN'S 
 
 Trip to Europe 
 
 WITH COOK'S EDUCATIONAL PARTY 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED 
 
 LETTERS FROM REVS. T. W. HOOPER, 
 
 A. B. WHIPPLE, AND C. W. GUSHING; ALSO, 
 
 LETTERS FROM SEVERAL LADIES AND 
 
 GENTLEMEN OF THE PARTY. 
 
 r 
 
 BY SAMUEL WATSON. 
 
 
 Nashville, Tenn. : 
 SOUTHERN METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE. 
 
 PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR. 
 1874. 
 
Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1874, by 
 
 SAMUEL WATSON, 
 in the oflBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 n 
 
 ^\ 
 
 c^- 
 
 en 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 OF CONGRESS 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 
Dedication. 
 
 To Mr. THOMAS COOK, Sr., 
 
 Of London, to whose liberality and kindness the 
 Educational Party are much indebted for favors 
 beyond their agreement, this Book is 
 
 KespectfuUy Dedicated by 
 
 The Author. 
 (3) 
 
Preface. 
 
 What ! Another book of travels ? Yes ; and 
 different from every other one that has ever been 
 published. 
 
 On the 21st of June, 1873, there sailed from 'New 
 York the steam-ships Victoria and Canada, with 
 Cook's Educational Party, composed of about one 
 hundred and seventy persons, from over twenty dif- 
 ferent States. The Victoria was bound for Glas- 
 gow, Scotland, the Canada for Liverpool, England. 
 It fell to my lot to go on the Canada, leaving one 
 hour after the Victoria. 
 
 Having been solicited by the editor of the Memphis 
 Avalanche to write sketches of our trip, I complied 
 with his request, writing hastily, as I only could 
 under the circumstances. Having been requested 
 by many — in whose judgment I have confidence — 
 to publish them in book-form, I concluded to get 
 the letters of several other gentlemen, who wrote 
 for other papers, and publish them all together. 
 They are from prominent ministers of the Presby- 
 terian, Baptist, and Methodist Churches — and some 
 from ladies — all of our party, though belonging to 
 
 (5) 
 
6 Preface. 
 
 different sections, into which we divided at London. 
 By this arrangement we saw more of the country, 
 thus giving more variety and interest to them. The 
 Presbyterians can see what the Rev. T. W. Hooper, 
 of Lynchburg, Ya., has to say of Europe ; the 
 Baptists can read what the Eev. A. B. Whipple, of 
 !N"ew York, says; while the Methodists can read 
 how Pev. C. W. Gushing, of Massachusetts, tells 
 what he saw. The writer gives a running sketch 
 of how he saw things. 
 
 These gentlemen are presidents of institutions of 
 learning, and capable, as will be seen, of presenting 
 what came under their observation in an attractive, 
 instructive, and entertaining style. 
 
 Since my return, I have, from very extensive 
 memoranda taken at Rome, and Augustus Hare's 
 " Walks in Rome," written up some articles on the 
 "Eternal City." These will come in at their proper 
 place with the entire series, so that there will be 
 all said by each of us about places and things before 
 we leave them. It has been our intention to take 
 the reader along with us, and let him see things as 
 we saw them, without the labor and expense neces- 
 sarily attending such a trip. 
 
 Hoping that those who follow us through will be 
 amply compensated for their time, and learn some- 
 thing more of the country, places, things, and people 
 which we visited, that will interest them, 
 
 I am truly theirs, 
 
 SAMUEL WATSOK 
 
Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Memphian's trip from New York to Liverpool and 
 London — An ocean voyage — England's great port — 
 London and the Shah — A day among the London 
 churches, and amid the tombs of the great dead— Off 
 for the Continent — Taking a look at London . .11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Letters from the Eev. T. W. Hooper. 1. From Lynchburg 
 to New York. 2. Life on the ocean. 3. Moville — Griant's 
 Causeway — Glasgow. 4. Edinburgh — Speech-making — 
 Scott's home 39 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Letters from the Eev. A. B. Whipple. 1. Adieu — Victoria 
 — Time and keeping speed. 2. Emerald Isle — Cars — ■ 
 Dunluce Castle — Origin of Giant's Causeway. 3. Clyde 
 — Ship-building — Glasgow Cathedral — Monuments — 
 Trosachs. 4. Edinburgh — Eoute to London — Hospi- 
 tality — Adventures 56 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard — Eoute to New York — 
 Ship-life — Sabbath services — How time is kept — Lon- 
 donderry — Portrush — Dunluce Castle — Adam Clarke's 
 
 monument 71 
 
 (7) 
 
8 Contents. 
 
 CHAPTEE Y. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Letters from the Eev. C. W. Gushing — Scottish preaching, 
 etc. — Contrast between a Sabbath in Edinburgh and in 
 Cologne 78 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 The American Educational Party in Edinburgh — Com- 
 mencement of Cook's tours — Speeches by Dr. Donald- 
 son, Rev. T. D. Witherspoon, Eev. Professor Cushing, 
 Lord Provost,, and Mr. Cook ...... 83 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 A trip from London to Antwerp — A look about the an- 
 cient city — Sights and impressions in Belgium and Grer- 
 many — Experience in Brussels and Cologne — Habits 
 and occupation of the people — The great Cathedral and 
 other objects of interest — From Cologne to Munich — 
 The Rhine and its marvelous beauties — How railroads 
 are run in Germany — The people and their habits — A 
 day in Mayence — Guttenberg's statue — Munich and its 
 attractions, etc. — From Munich to Vienna — Notes by 
 the wayside — The Austrian capital and the Exposition 
 — Sights and improvements — Condition of the people of 
 Europe — Something for Americans to think about — 
 Some of the features of the great Exposition — Sights 
 and sight-seers 96 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 Letters from the Rev. T. W. Hooper. 1. Zurich — Luther — 
 Calvin — Paintings — Statue of Bavaria. 2. Vienna Ex- 
 position — Home things. 3. Tombs of royalty — Gather- 
 ing rocks, and a hasty retreat. 4. Down the Rhine — 
 Cologne Cathedral — St. Ursula — Brussels lace-factories. 125 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 Letters'from the Rev. A. B. Whipple. 1. Antwerp — Brus- 
 sels — Carved pulpit — Royal palace — Parks — Museum — 
 Cologne Cathedral — Sunday. 2. University — Rhine 
 scenery — Castles — Villages — Mayence — Munich — Pal- 
 ace of the king — Statue of Bavaria. 3. Vienna cordial- 
 ity — Exposition building ....... 143 
 
Contents. 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 FAOE 
 
 Letter from the Rev. C. W. Gushing. Vienna — Churches 
 — Exposition — Reflections upon them . . . .158 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard. Munich — Vienna — 
 Mayence — Down the Rhine — Cologne — Brussels . . 163 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 "Beautiful Venice" — An Avalanche correspondent in the 
 City of the Sea — From Austria to Italy — Highly ro- 
 mantic scenery — Sights and^ impressions in Venice — 
 The art galleries and and the royal palace — Character- 
 istics of the Italians — Among the gondoliers, etc. — 
 From Venice to Florence — Observations by the way- 
 side — The ruins and beauties of Italy — The Eternal 
 City — What a Memphian saw in Rome — Scenes on the 
 banks of the Tiber — The great Cathedral — Statuary, 
 paintings, etc. — Capitol statues — Hall of Emperors — 
 Hall of illustrious men — Historic prison — Palaces of 
 Augustus, Palatine, Nero — Church of St. Clement — The 
 Forums and the Coliseum — The Catacombs — St. Agnes 
 — The Santa Scala — Roman Funeral — The Pantheon — 
 St. Peter's — The Vatican — Sistine Chapel — Michael An- 
 gelo — Leaving the city 171 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 Letters from the Rev. A. B. Whipple. 1. Description of 
 Venice — St. Mark's Church. 2. Rome — History — First 
 Basilica — Pantheon — Baths — Latin Rome. Letter from 
 the Rev. C. W. Cushing. Professor Wood — Palaces of 
 the Cesars — Great Circus — Baths — Coliseum — Palace of 
 Nero— Church of St. Clement 222 
 
 CHAPTEE XIY. 
 
 Switzerland — From Rome to Geneva — Scenes by the way- 
 side — The indescribable splendor of the Alps — On the 
 shores of Lake Geneva — Picturesque Switzerland— The 
 watches and music-boxes of Geneva — Rambles afoot — 
 Beautiful Perne — The Swiss love of home — Life and 
 
10 Contents. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 habits of the Bernese — The wonderful clock of 1191 — 
 The Lake of Geneva — Three thousand feet high — The 
 illuminated falls at Interlachen — Seas of ice — The 
 Bernese Alps — Up among the coolness of Switzerland 
 in August — Top , of the Alps — A view of three hundred 
 miles from Rigi — One of Nature's grandest displays — 
 Romantic Switzerland- — Impressions of the most inter- 
 esting country in Europe — An amusing dinner-table 
 experience — The need of an interpreter — Sketch of 
 Lucerne — William Tell — A mountain railroad — Fare- 
 well, Switzerland — Letters from the Rev. T. W. Hooper 
 — Letter from the Rev. A. B. Whipple .... 240 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 "Paris is France" — Views in the wicked, beautiful city — 
 Strolls in historic localities, some of which have been 
 baptized in the blood of saint and sinner — Lingering in 
 Paris — Sight-seeing in the finest city in the world — Ver- 
 sailles and its antique remains of royalty — The Tuileries 
 — Pantheon — S^ Cloud — Grobelin — Farewell to France 
 — Back in London — Dr. Cummings — Billingsgate — The 
 Tower — The docks and the shipping — Letter from the 
 Rev. T. W. Hooper — Letter from the Rev. A. B. Whip- 
 ple 278 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 Loitering in London — Prince Albert's memorial monu- 
 ment — Description of its beauties, its grandeur, audits 
 sculpture — Letters from the Rev. A. B. Whipple — Let- 
 ters from the Rev. T. W. Hooper — Homeward bound 
 — From London to Edinburgh — Interesting sights in 
 the Scottish capital — Castle Rock — Burns' s grave — 
 Mary Queen of Scots — Dr. Chalmers — Bunyan — The 
 rolling deep — Leaving Glasgow, the prosperous city on 
 the Clyde — The pleasures and misfortunes of a life of 
 ten days on the ocean wave 303 
 
A MEMPHIAN'S TRIP TO EUROPE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 LETTEE 1. 
 
 Bev. Samuel Watson's trip from New York to Liverpool and 
 London — An ocean voyage — England's great port — London 
 and the Shah. 
 
 Steamer Canada ] 
 
 {Approachi7ig Queenstoivn, Ireland), > 
 July 2, 1873. J 
 ON THE BILLOWS. 
 
 Editor Avalanche : — Having promised to write 
 you " semi-occasionally" during my European tour, 
 I drop you a few lines, to be mailed at Queenstown. 
 
 We left 'New York on Saturday, 21st of June. 
 The weather has been fine ; consequently the sea has 
 been very quiet, except on last Saturday, when we 
 had quite a gale nearly all day. It was the grandest, 
 the most sublime, scene I ever witnessed. The ocean 
 seemed to rise up like hills, while the noble ship 
 rode them like a thing of life, now on the summit, 
 then in the valley between, playing sad havoc with 
 the movables on board. At dinner there wasagreat 
 deal of commotion, not only among the dishes, but 
 the people were tossed to and fro, to the amusement 
 of all but those who were the sufferers. 
 
 There is much less danger than is generally sup- 
 posed in crossing the ocean. Facts and figures show 
 
 (11) 
 
12 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 that there are fewer lives lost at sea, in proportion to 
 the number of passengers, than by any other mode of 
 traveling. Take, for instance, this line, the " ]N"a- 
 tional." They have been running for ten years, have 
 twelve ships, have carried over 300,000 passengers, 
 and have never lost a ship or a man. The Cunard 
 line has been in operation for about thirt}^ years, and 
 has never lost a passenger. Where can such safety 
 be found on any of our thoroughfares of travel ? A 
 trip across the ocean, with a calm sea, is a very mo- 
 notonous affair. We eat, and read, and sleep, to rise 
 and eat and read again. 
 
 By the way, I do n't fancy the English style of 
 eating. They breakfast at 8J, lunch at 12J, dine at 
 4, which takes one hour and a half, tea at 7. Their 
 roast beef, the boast of the Englishman, has too 
 much blood remaining in it for me. I will inclose 
 a bill of fare, by which you can see the style of Eng- 
 lish living on the ocean. I would greatly prefer a 
 modification of quantity, quality, and a great reduc- 
 tion in the time consumed in disposing of it. But 
 so it is, in "Rome, we must do as Rome does." The 
 most exciting time we have had has been when a large 
 number of whales were seen. They spout a large 
 stream of water up some distance in the air, then 
 throw themselves nearly out of the water, and seem- 
 ing to be as anxious to show themselves as we were 
 to see them. We have seen the sea-lions, porpoises, 
 etc., sporting amid the ocean's waves. It has been 
 quite cold for several days, so much so that flannel 
 and winter clothes would not keep us warm on deck. 
 
 I am pleasantly located near "midship," close to 
 the Captain's room. My room-mates are Mr. B. A. 
 Rogers, of Yerona, Miss. ; Capt. John Deering, of 
 Covington, Tenn. ; and Mr. A. S. Elliott, of Hunts- 
 ville, Ala. Our ship is about 400 feet long, 40 wide, 
 and 41 deep. She was 23 feet under water when we 
 left 'New York, but she is somewhat lighter now, as 
 
On the Billows. 13 
 
 we consume about forty tons of coal per day. She 
 has the compound engine, or, more properly, two en- 
 gines — one of the low, the other high pressure. 
 This is a most important discovery for steam navi- 
 gation. The coal now consumed by this recent dis- 
 covery is only about one-third of what it was by 
 using only one engine; hence the expense is greatly 
 reduced, besides giving the tonnage for freight pre- 
 viously required for coal. It is to be hoped that 
 Americans will now build ocean steamers and save 
 to our country some of the countless millions paid 
 to other nations for this service. Philadelphia has 
 commenced two lines of steam-ships to Liverpool, 
 and has built her own vessels. The success of the 
 experiment has been of the most satisfactory charac- 
 ter. We have seen quite a number of ships, but 
 not near enough to any of them to speak, only by 
 the "signal rocket" sent up, which is a nautical 
 language I have not yet learned. 
 
 We have a nice lot of passengers, representing 
 several nationalities and churches. There are six 
 ministers, some of whom will go with us through 
 Europe. We have had services both Sabbaths, the 
 traveling ministers officiating. 
 
 We are anxious to see land again. To be out on 
 the "ocean's wave" for ten or twelve days, pent up 
 in a small room, to sleep in a berth but little longer 
 than your body, is not calculated to impress one very 
 favorably with a sea-faring life. Our trip has been 
 a very pleasant one thus far, and we hope to-morrow 
 to arrive at Liverpool, the great " Cottonopolis" of 
 the world. I will, from time to time, as I may have 
 opportunity, dot down whatever I may think will 
 interest your readers, as I pass on from place to place 
 with the rapidity indicated by the inclosed pro- 
 gramme. 
 
 P. S. — We are now sailing along the Irish coast, 
 the hills of "sweet Ireland" coming down to the 
 
14 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 water's edge, and saying to the surging waves, Thu^ 
 far shalt thou come and no farther. There was 
 much excitement this morning when the steersman 
 announced land in sight. We all rejoiced, but es- 
 pecially those who had been long absent from their 
 native land. Their joy was manifested in various 
 ways. We will soon be at Queenstown, where this 
 will be mailed. We expect to arrive at Liverpool 
 to-morrow, but remain till next day for the daylight 
 to see over 200 miles of merry Old England to Lon- 
 don, from whence you may hear from me again. 
 
 ASHORE AT LAST. 
 
 Liverpool, July 2, 1873. 
 
 We arrived at this great sea-port yesterday, having 
 oeen twelve days out from New York. Though I 
 wrote you yesterday from Queenstown, I will drop 
 you a few lines before leaving for London, which we 
 will do early in the morning. 
 
 It is said that the trade of the whole world con- 
 centrates at this, the largest sea-port on the globe. 
 We look to the cotton market here with much in- 
 terest in the South. 
 
 The docks are the most costly and extensive of 
 any in the world. They are six miles in extent, 
 and cost from eighty-five to one hundred millions 
 of dollars. The Sanden docks are immense ba- 
 sins, like those in the navy-yards of Brooklyn and 
 Charleston, for the floating in of vessels for repairs, 
 closing and pumping out till the hulls are left dry 
 for the workmen. The others are commercial docks, 
 rendered necessary from the immense height to which 
 the tide rises — it being from 18 to 30 feet. These 
 docks are constructed out of Scotch orranite and iron. 
 
 o 
 
 They are immense canal locks, with swinging gates, 
 closed so as to retain the water and keep the vessel 
 afloat while discharging. They are moved by ma- 
 
Ashore at Last. 15 
 
 chinery. These gates are never allowed to be open 
 except at near high tide. 
 
 There are to be seen vessels from all nations lying 
 in dock — each showing its nationality. 
 
 The weather to-day has been very cold, with rain 
 and wind, which prevented our seeing as much as I 
 desired while we ascended the river Mersey. The 
 rocky headland of Holyhead of "Wales, with its 
 strange clift and bridged rock, its white light-house, 
 and the wonderful breakwater defending the harbor. 
 Then comes the Welsh lands, with thrifty farms, 
 and neat farm-houses and windmills. Behind these 
 the fair Welsh mountains rise, the Snowdon, said 
 to be the highest in the south-west of Great Britain, 
 but they looked small compared to the mountains 
 we pass over coming to New York. Little Welsh 
 villages, nestled at the feet of these highlands, pre- 
 sent a beautiful view. Three magnificent steam-ships 
 passed near us, crowded with passengers for America. 
 But I am going back in my scrawl. I must let the 
 ocean trip pass. Though it has been a pleasant one, 
 yet I never wanted to close up one so much as I 
 have this, my first ocean voyage. Long will I re- 
 member the Canada and its worthy officers. But 
 other things crowd upon my mind on terra firma. 
 Liverpool has been in a state of excitement about 
 the visit of the Shah of Persia. The papers are 
 filled with accounts of his visit here. It is said he 
 had six wives with him, but as he was visiting a na- 
 tion which did not recognize but one, he only took 
 one of them with him in public. 
 
 What folly this man- worship is ! I am glad I feel 
 no inclination in that direction. I expect to see 
 much of it before my return, but I have no idea of 
 imbibing any of it, either politically or ecclesiasti- 
 cally. 
 
 The buildings for some distance from the wharf 
 are large and fine, and those over the city generally 
 
16 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 are three stories only, and look rather antiquated; 
 but there are some magniiicent buildins^s here — the 
 largest I ever saw. Most prominent is St. George's 
 Hall, one of the most magnificent structures in the 
 world. We went to see it; and here is the largest 
 organ in the country. In frontof it stand the statues 
 of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, each on a very 
 large horse. On the former is this inscription : 
 "Erected by the Corporation of Liverpool, in the 
 thirty-fourth year of her reign." Over the latter: 
 "This statue of a wise and good prince is erected 
 by the Corporation of Liverpool, October, 1866. 
 Albert, Prince Consort, born 1819; died 1861." At 
 the north end, standing on a high column, is the 
 statue of Wellington, and the battles he fought and 
 won engraved on the base. Inside the hall are the 
 marble statues of quite a number of England's great 
 men. I felt the most interest in Sir Robert Peel 
 and Mr. Gladstone. We have hurried over the city 
 in several directions, and seen most of it, and hasten 
 to take the train for London, of which you shall 
 hear by and by. 
 
 ( LETTEE 2, 
 
 Another interesting letter from Eev. Samuel Watson — A day 
 among London churches and amid tombs of the great dead— 
 Off for the Continent. 
 
 London, July 7, 1873. 
 
 We left Liverpool early on the 4th for this city. 
 For many miles we passed through what is properly 
 called the " manufacturing district." The tall chim- 
 neys and immense buildings which could be seen all 
 over the country, filled with machinery, told the 
 secret of England's greatness. Those nearest Liver- 
 pool, judging from the number of cotton bales and 
 
In the Great City. 17 
 
 cotton macliinery we saw, were for manufacturing 
 cotton goods. Then comes a broken agricultural 
 district, after which silk, hosiery, and other manu- 
 factories. I have never seen, nor will I ever see 
 again, such a country as this. All the waj^ every 
 spot of ground showed the evidences of what man 
 had done for it. Cities, towns, villages, gardens, 
 meadows, cut up in all sorts of shapes and sizes 
 (except large ones), divided by their hawthorn 
 hedges, and covered with herds of cattle, sheep, etc., 
 defy description. I shall not attempt it. Paradise, 
 no doubt, was more lovely, but this excels anything 
 I have ever seen. Our conductor, Mr. Anderson, 
 who met us at Liverpool, was born here, and pointed 
 out many places of interest. None more so than 
 Derby, where Bunyan was born and imprisoned for 
 twelve years, and where the "Pilgrim's Progress" 
 was written. 
 
 England is proverbial for showers. It happened 
 that as we were landing a heavy rain came on, very 
 much to the discomfort of the passengers, who had 
 to embark on another boat to reach the shore. I 
 heard a remark made which I did not then appre- 
 ciate as much as subsequently: that it was a pity 
 that the first boat for that purpose had not been 
 made with a roof. If it had been, all of them would 
 have been made after that model. 
 
 In the Great City. — About 3 o'clock we arrived at 
 London, walked out of the cars (as we call them, but 
 "carriages" here), in the rear entrance of the Midland 
 Grand Hotel. It is the largest, and when completed, 
 will be the most magnificent hotel I ever saw. Dinner 
 over, we go to Cook's, Fleet street, to report our- 
 selves. From here we go to call on the United 
 States Minister to see if we can get into Parliament. 
 He received us kindly, and after some time spent 
 pleasantly, told us he would see by next day, as he 
 was authorized to give but two permits a day, and 
 
18 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 that there were so many Americans now here that 
 he feared there was no chance for us daring our 
 brief stay in the city. St. James's Park was next 
 visited. Something over a mile, at Buckingham 
 Palace (the Queen's present residence), we see a 
 vast crowd of people, and learn that the Shah, of 
 whom I spoke in my last letter, is to attend the 
 Opera, and will, with the royal family, in state, pass 
 out. ^Notwithstanding my opinion expressed in my 
 last letter, I resolved to see all of it that could be 
 seen, even at some discomfort. We wait. The crowd 
 thickens and spreads over the vast grounds; the 
 police can hardly keep the way open for the carriages. 
 After about two hours out they came. Fortunately, 
 our position was on the margin of the open way. 
 We saw all we could, but did not discover that kings 
 and queens (prospective) are different from other 
 people, only in their external trappings. I was sur- 
 prised to find the thousands that were gathered there 
 so anxious to see them. There is a magic charm in 
 royalty to those who are governed by it. As this 
 was my first, and may be my last chance, to be a 
 "looker-on," I was glad to embrace it in this best 
 phase of monarchy. Saturday we visit the financial 
 portion of the city. Wall street seems but a small 
 affair compared to this world's heart of money-power. 
 The Bank of England covers eight acres, while other 
 moneyed institutions cover over a large portion of 
 this part of the city. 
 
 On the Rounds. — The Westminster Abbey, the place 
 where sleeps the remains of the sovereigns and great 
 men of the nation for hundreds of years, is the most 
 solemn, grand, and impressive place I ever entered. 
 We paid our fee to go round with one of the guides, 
 who gave a synopsis of many who rest there, em- 
 bracing an epitome of England's history for hun- 
 dreds of years. 
 
 We got permission, and go through the Parliament 
 
Hearing and Seeing Spurgeon. 19 
 
 buildings and look at the statues of many men whom 
 the nation delight to honor. Of some of these I may 
 speak at some future time ; also of the Abbey. We 
 go to the office of the United States Legation — but 
 one ticket to the House of Lords can be given, and 
 I am the fortunate recipient. I go on Tuesday, at 5 
 P.M., when they meet. 
 
 After dinner we take a trip on the underground 
 railroad. Notwithstanding the millions on the sur- 
 face, traveling, they seem to be as crowded on the 
 cars under the ground. At the crossing of some of 
 the streets steps go down, and regular stations for 
 passengers to get on and off. There are many of 
 these running through and around the city; others 
 traverse it in the air. On our return we take the 
 top of a street-car, and go several miles to its termi- 
 nus, and walk several more to London Cemetery, 
 overlooking the city — said to be the highest point 
 in the vicinity. The monuments are of a previous 
 age, mostly. The prospective is grand for many 
 miles around. 
 
 This has been a busy day of intense interest, to 
 which I shall look back with pleasure, and may at 
 some time say something more about it. 
 
 Hearing and Seeing Spurgeon. — Mr. Spurgeon 
 is the great attraction here. Every one of our 
 party, indeed all the Americans at the hotel, go 
 to hear him. He is a truly great man. I took 
 notes of his sermon, but this is not the place for 
 them. The sermon was one of the plainest, most 
 evangelical, and spiritual, I ever listened to. He had 
 been absent about a month, as he said, in the only 
 forest in England. He seems to be over forty; but 
 one of his members told me he was only thirty-three, 
 and that he was about five feet six or eight inches in 
 height. He opened his service with prayer, then 
 singing, he giving out a verse at a time; then read 
 and commented on several passages of Scripture; 
 
20 A Mbmphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 then singing and prayer; singing and sermon. His 
 church is of a circular form, with two galleries ex- 
 tending all around, he standing on a circular plat- 
 form about the height of the first gallery. It holds 
 between 7,000 and 8,000 people, and was filled, as 
 usual. 
 
 Among the Tombs. — We then went toWesley Chapel 
 and to City Road Methodist Church, where lie the re- 
 mains of John Wesley and Dr. Adam Clarke, side by 
 side. On the monument erected to the former is this 
 inscription: "To the memory of the venerable John 
 Wesley, A.M., late Fellow of Lincoln College, Ox- 
 ford ; died March 2, 1791, aged 8« years." On the lat- 
 ter; "Sacred to the memory of Adam Clarke, LL.D., 
 A.S., who rested from his labors August 26, 1832." 
 Then comes the tomb of Kichard Watson, with this: 
 "Sacred to the memory of Rev. Richard Watson, 
 who died in the Lord January 8, 1833, in the 52d 
 year of his age — a man no more distinguished for 
 admirable endowment of his mind than for the depth 
 of his piety, the fervor of his zeal, and the constancy 
 of his powerful genius to the service of God in His 
 sanctuary, and the spiritual interests of mankind." 
 Here sleep the remains of many distinguished 
 Methodist preachers. Dr. Bunting was the last one 
 buried here — June 16, 1858. I copy the inscription 
 of Wesley's mother: 
 
 "Here lies the body of Mrs. Susanna Wesley, 
 widow of Rev. Samuel Wesley, M. A., late Rector 
 of Epworth, in Lincolnshire, who died July 23, 1742, 
 aged 72 years. She was the youngest daughter of the 
 Rev. Samuel Annesley, D.D., ejected by the Act of 
 Uniformity from the Rectory of St. Giles's Cripple- 
 gate, August 24, 1662. She was the mother of nine- 
 teen children, of whom the most eminent were the 
 Revs. John and Charles Wesley, the former of whom 
 was, under God, founder of the Society called Meth- 
 odists. 
 
John "Wesley. 21 
 
 " In sure and certain hope to rise, 
 And claim her mansion in the skies ; 
 A Christian here, her flesh laid down, 
 The cross exchanging for a crown." 
 
 There, on the opposite side of the street, are 
 many whose names are as household words with us. 
 Prominent among these is John Bunjan, whose " Pil- 
 grim's Progress " has perhaps been more extensively 
 read than any book except the Bible. In marble he 
 lies on top of his tomb, on one side of which his 
 sins press on his back, as a large weight. On the 
 other side they are gone — very impressive. 
 
 John Wesley. — It was here, in this chapel, that John 
 Wesley preached, and near it he lived and died. It 
 was, and is, the center of Methodism. There are now 
 two parsonages here, in which the preachers live 
 who are on this circuit; for this is still their plan. 
 In one of these Benson wrote his "Commentary." 
 They have a number of class-rooms in the basement, 
 in which they were having meetings when we were 
 there. They still adhere to the plan of small classes. 
 The chapel is one of the largest, with a box pulpit 
 hung up, I know not how far, though it has been 
 lowered five feet. I felt that I was standing in a 
 holy place, where Mr. "Wesley had so often preached, 
 and where he commenced an organization now more 
 numerous than any other Protestant Church. After 
 spending a long time with the preachers and people 
 there, learning all I could, we went to hear the same 
 preacher who preached there in the '^ Goshetten." I 
 judge it to be a hard vicinity, from what I saw. 
 Street-singing and exhortation, perhaps preaching, 
 is kept up here as in olden times. We stopped a 
 while at several such places, day and night. But I 
 must not dwell longer in this detail. 
 
 London's Immensity. — London overwhelms me with 
 its immensity: just think of ten miles, some say twelve 
 by twelve miles, of houses filled up, and filled with hu- 
 
22 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 man beings, numbering between three and four mil- 
 lion ! To see it all would require weeks instead of days. 
 There are several important places we will visit in the 
 next three days, after which we are to be off for the 
 Continent. Then we shall feel our dependence on our 
 conductor, as we shall be barbarians to each, as the 
 Shah has been to all here. He has gone to Erance, 
 and royalty is quiet again. The weather is still cool, 
 alternating often between sunshine and shower, as 
 usual here. They have very little night here; but 
 they make it up by sleeping late. Our company are 
 learning the same fashion of getting up at 9 and 10 
 o'clock. I rise and write this hasty scrawl while 
 some of them are quietly folded in the arms of Mor- 
 pheus. I will sketch our pathway briefly as I may 
 have time. 
 
 LETTEE 3. 
 
 Eev. Samuel Watson taking a look at London — ^Westminster 
 Abbey — St. Paul's — Tower of London. 
 
 London, July 8, 1873. 
 
 Zoological Gardens. — On Monday evening we 
 went to the Zoological Gardens, as they are called, 
 though they contain over two hundred acres. Here 
 are collected the plants, flowers, shrubs, animals, 
 etc., of the world. Though they are exceedingly 
 interesting, they do not come up to the Central 
 Park, of S"ew York. 
 
 Westminster Abbey. — '^o one who visits London 
 would ever think of leaving there without one or more 
 visits to Westminster Abbey. "Who has not read of 
 that little island of thorns around which, in the days 
 of the Druids, the Thames threw an arm, on which 
 the E-oman colonists erected a temple to Apollo? The 
 Christian faith, advancing from the East, began to 
 
Westminster Abbey. 23 
 
 fulfill the prophet's declaration that the wilderness 
 and the solitary place shall blossom as the rose. 
 Sebert, King of the East Saxons, cleared away the 
 thorns, and erected in the midst of the temple a 
 rude church, Tvhich he dedicated to St. Peter, and 
 received his remains. A neat monument still marks 
 the place of his remains. Three hundred years af- 
 terward King Edgar established a priory, consisting 
 of twelve monks of the Benedict order. One hun- 
 dred and fifty years later Edward the Confessor ele- 
 vated the priory to an abbey, within whose enlarged 
 borders he found an honorable tomb. It was not, 
 however, till 1220 that the present church w^as com- 
 menced by Henry III., to whom is ascribed the 
 chapels of the virgin and of the confession, the- 
 transepts, and the choir. The building was carried 
 on by twelve successive abbots and kings, but is not 
 yet finished, and perhaps never will be. It is like 
 many we see over Europe, that mock the pride of 
 man, whose foundations crumble before the capstone 
 of the last tower can be put on. It was called West- 
 minster — that is, the minster or monastery church 
 west of London. It consists — first, of Henry YII.'s 
 chapel, the exterior of which has been restored at an 
 expense of two hundred thousand dollars; second, 
 Edward the Confessor's chapel and shrine, with the 
 chapels of St. Nicholas, St. Benedict, St. Edmund, 
 St. John the Baptist, St. Paul, St. Erasmus; third, 
 the transepts; fourth, the choir; fifth, the nave; 
 sixth. Blaze chapel; seventh, Jerusalam Chamber; 
 eighth, chapter -house; ninth, pise; tenth, little 
 cloisters; eleventh, dark cloisters; twelfth, area 
 cloisters; thirteenth, Dean's Yard. Exteriorly, the 
 church measures 532 feet by 220. I have always 
 had a great desire to see the Westminster Abbey; 
 hence it was one of the first places I visited. I was 
 there several times. There is no other such place 
 in the world. There is an epitome of England's 
 
24 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 history in the monuments and epitaphs of the men 
 and women she has delighted to honor. Passing 
 through the general entrance on the east side of the 
 south transept, I found myself in the " poet's corner." 
 The eye is at once riveted on the distinguished dead 
 — Chaucer, Spenser, Dryden, Milton, Shakspeare, 
 Addison, etc. In the center transept of the largest 
 gothic structure of Great Britain you may attend 
 worship. Around and beneath you are the monu- 
 ments of the mighty dead, while every thing you 
 cast your eye upon is associated with the history of 
 the past. Here Druids once offered bloody sacri- 
 fices. Here a long line of priests lived and died. 
 Here kings and queens of Great Britain, from Ed- 
 ward the Confessor to the present popular queen, 
 Victoria, were crowned. The old chair is there still; 
 but those who have occupied it on those important 
 occasions live there only in the history of the past. 
 Here, from the days of Henry III. to those of George 
 II., they were entombed. To this altar princes 
 brought their incense, and crusaders consecrated 
 their victorious swords. The gorgeous buildings, 
 the solemn associations, were calculated to inspire 
 feelings of grandeur, solemnity, and reverence. For 
 a small fee a guide directs you through the seven 
 chapels. The center of these is Edward the Con- 
 fessor's, the floor of which is several feet above the 
 general level of the Abbey. Around it are the 
 tombs of royal personages. Some of these tombs, 
 though considerably damaged, are very rich. In 
 this chapel are two large chairs. One of them is 
 the coronation chair, brought from Scotland by Ed- 
 ward I., underneath which is suspended the large, 
 rough stone on which the kings of Scotland had 
 previously been crowned, and which, in the super- 
 stition of England, is associated with the sovereignty 
 of this realm ; the other, the chair which was pro- 
 vided for Mary, wife of William III., when she was 
 
St. Paul's Cathedral. 25 
 
 crowned j ointly with her husband. From this chapel 
 you pass into the ambulatory and the chapels open- 
 ing into it, all of which are surrounded b}' tombs and 
 monuments, ancient and modern; the oldest, that of 
 William de Yalence, is dated 1226. From here we 
 ascend a small flight of stairs into Henry YII.'s 
 chapel of the Virgin Mary. This is the gem of the 
 whole structure. The roof is most beautifully 
 wrought into circles, which are carved in elegant 
 fan-tracery, each circle having a pendent boss in 
 the center. The pillars and arches by which it is 
 supported are adorned with ornamental carving, 
 and the walls decorated with statues of patriarchs, 
 apostles, and martyrs. In this chapel are several 
 royal tombs, the most sumptuous of which is that 
 of Henry YII. and his queen, Elizabeth. Those in 
 which I felt most interest were Queen Elizabeth, and 
 Queen Mary, and Mary Queen of Scots, in much 
 , closer proximity, and with much more apparent 
 friendship than they manifested toward each other 
 in their lives. Thus I felt, and so expressed myself 
 to the guide. As we pass among these tombs one 
 can but reflect on the desolations of time and the 
 weakness of humanity. Vanity of vanities is earthly 
 glory; yet those monuments to the dead may in- 
 spire the British youths with virtuous heroism. Pitt 
 stands speaking with commanding grace; Kewton 
 sits in lofty contemplation of the laws of nature, 
 which he discovered by the falling of an apple. 
 
 aS'^. FauVs.—We then visited St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 This is said to be the most prominent object in the 
 city. We went up to the dome, and took a fine view 
 of the city. The whispering gallery, at the bottom of 
 the inner dome, renders audible the slightest whis- 
 per from side to side. The great bell here is only 
 tolled when a member of the royal family dies. 
 This is the largest church in the world, except St. 
 Peter's, at Pome; cost between seven and eight mil- 
 2 
 
26 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 lions, and was finished in 1710. But notwithstand- 
 ing the superior size of St. Peter's, this is a grander 
 and more magnificent building. I like its style of 
 architecture much better. From whatever point it 
 is viewed it presents a more imposing appearance. 
 St. Peter's is divided up into chapels; St. Paul's 
 has an immense audience-room, capable of seating 
 several thousand people. Like Mount Zion, it is 
 beautiful for situation — elevated, central, the joy 
 of all London. The ground on which it stands 
 has been the site of a cathedral ever since the sixth 
 century, and has been a place of sepulture ever since 
 the Roman conquest. In digging the foundations 
 of the present structure, in 1674, the workmen 
 pierced, at different distances, the graves of four 
 different peoples. Old St. Paul's was 690 feet by 
 130, with a nave 102 feet, and a choir 88 feet high. 
 The great fire of 1666 swept over it. In 1765 Sir 
 Christopher Wren laid the first stone of the present 
 cathedral, and in 1710 laid the last of the lantern of 
 the cupola. The building is in the form of a cross, 
 having naves and transepts. Its entire length is 500 
 feet, 285 feet in breadth of nave, and transept 107; 
 average height of the wall 90 feet; two towers, 220 
 feet; that of the summit of the cross, 404 feet. 
 Over the northern portico are carved the royal arms, 
 supported by angels; eight Corinthian columns of 
 blue-veined marble support the organ and gallery, 
 beautiful in themselves, rendered more so by the 
 carved work. Near the gallery is a plain slab, bear- 
 ing the name of Christopher Wren. The organ 
 contains thirty-three stops and two thousand one 
 hundred and twenty -two pipes. Its eftects are 
 grand. I attended church there one Sabbath while 
 in London, and the church, the congregation, the 
 service, pulpit, and preacher, were all on the grandest 
 scale I ,ever witnessed. The stalls of the choir are 
 enriched with the most elegant carving. The altar- 
 
The Tower of London. 27 
 
 piece is adorned with four fluted pilasters, painted, 
 and veined with gold. Witliin the choir and aisles 
 the floor is Avhite; in the body and west end it con- 
 sists of bodies of black and white marble, alter- 
 nately; within the altar-rails, of porphyry, polished 
 and placed in geometrical forms. The pulpit is ele- 
 gantly carved, and occupies a central position. I 
 went up to the whispering gallery; the entire ascent 
 to the ball is six hundred and sixteen steps. From 
 this place you have the finest view of London and 
 for miles around of any place I visited. Away in 
 the distance is seen the Crystal Palace, the, various 
 parks and palaces of which I have written — grand, 
 beautiful, and sublime. The bell is ten inches thick, 
 and weighs 11,474 pounds; the clapper weighs 180 
 pounds, and is moved only on the death of a mem- 
 ber of the royal family, the Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, the Bishop of London, or mayor of the city. 
 The clock strikes the hour, and is heard twenty 
 miles; the hammer weighs 145 pounds. 
 
 The Tower of London. — This is one of the 
 most interesting places to visit in this great city. 
 Much of the history of the nation is connected 
 wath the events which have transpired here. 
 It is a group of structures, a cluster of houses, 
 towers, barracks, armories, w^arehouses, and prison- 
 like ■ edifices near the River Thames, separated 
 from the crowded streets of the city by an open 
 space called Tower Hill. It was founded b}^ Wil- 
 liam the Conqueror, on the site of an old fortress, 
 to secure his authority over the people of London ; 
 but it has been greatly extended by the subsequent 
 monarchs. It was surrounded in the twelfth century 
 by a large ditch or canal, to prevent the escape of 
 prisoners. This was drained in 1842. Within the 
 center wall the ground measures upward of twelve 
 acres. Next to the river was a water entrance called 
 the " Traitor's Gate." The interior of the Tower is 
 
28 A Memphian's Teip to Europe. 
 
 an irregular assemblage of short streets and court- 
 yards. The " White Tower " is the oldest, and the 
 chapel a fine specimen of a small l!Torman church. 
 The "Lion Tower" is near the principal entrance. 
 The "Bloody Tower" nearly opposite the " Traitor's 
 Gate." These old towers are very curious. The 
 principal objects of interest are a collection of can- 
 non, trophies of war. The "Horse Armory" is a 
 long gallery, built in 1826, has an extensive collection 
 of cannon, consisting of almost every thing in that 
 line for ages past, venerable for the antiquity. There 
 are about twenty suits of armor complete, placed on 
 stuffed men and stuffed horses. Four of the suits be- 
 longed to Henry YHI. Queen Elizabeth's armory is 
 in the "White Tower," the walls of which are thirteen 
 feet thick, and still contain inscriptions of state pris- 
 oners in troubled times. The instruments of torture 
 looked horrible. The beheading ax and block where 
 royal blood has been spilt makes one shudder to be- 
 hold. The lions in the Tower were among the sights 
 of the place for six hundred years, but they have been 
 given to the Zoological Society. The English people 
 hold the lion as the king of beasts, and the emblem of 
 their own superiority ; so Switzerland regards Bruin 
 as their emblem. The jewel house is a w^ell-guarded 
 room to the east of the armories, contains the valu- 
 able collection of state jewels. Among them St. 
 Edward's crown, used at all the coronations from 
 Charles H. to William IV. The new state crown, 
 made for the coronation of Queen Victoria, and 
 valued at more than ^ve hundred thousand dollars ; 
 the Prince of Wales and the queen consort's crowns, 
 and many others, are here to be seen. The famous 
 "mountain of light," the wonderful diamond, the 
 property of Queen Victoria, is kept here. It was an 
 object of great interest at the two exhibitions. You. 
 are guided through these places by wardens who 
 wear a curious costume of Henry VIII. 's time. 
 
The Tower of London. 29 
 
 Here are the works of the great masters of the world 
 who nobly represent the Roman, Bolognese, Vene- 
 tian, Padnan, Flemish, Dutch, French, and English 
 schools of painting, which seem to give visibility to 
 things not seen. Francias's Dead Christ, with his head 
 reposing on his mother's lap, while angels hover over 
 his face and feet, is very impressive, and seems to 
 
 Pissolve the heart in tenderness 
 And melt the eyes to tears. 
 
 At the south-Avest angle we come to the bell-tower, 
 which suspends the garrison alarm-bell, and is cele- 
 brated as the mission-house of the brave old Bishop 
 of Rochester, who persisted in denying the legality 
 of Henry YIH.'s divorce, even to death. Here, in 
 this apparently small matter, we see how much often 
 depends upon a single event. If Henry's divorce 
 had been acknowledged by the bishop, England 
 might have continued a Catholic country. God 
 only knows. The walls of the Beauchamp Tower 
 are fifteen feet thick, where he was imprisoned in 
 the reign of Richard IH. As we proceed, we pass 
 the church of St. Peter. On the right we see an- 
 other tower suggestive of painful recollections. 
 Here we are reminded of the rashness and ruin of 
 Elizabeth's great favorite, the meanness and perfidy 
 of her bosom friend; the struggle between revenge 
 and love in the breast of the man over her doomed 
 friend, and the history of that reign; the death-bed 
 confession of Lady Harard ; the violence of her sov- 
 ereign, who shook the dying countess in her bed, 
 screaming, "May God forgive you, I never can;" 
 and the gloom that thenceforward settled down upon 
 that sovereign's great but guilty soul. How vivid 
 these things come into one's mind when viewing 
 the places where these things occurred ! Facing the 
 east, and passing on the right of the barracks, and 
 on the left of the "little hell," or "Flint Tower," 
 
80 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 and on to the brick tower, where the beautiful, the 
 beloved, the good, and the accomplished Lady Jane 
 Grey found her last earthly home, and from which 
 she passed to her heavenly mansion. Among my 
 boyhood memories cluster the history of this deeply 
 interesting woman, and I still love to read any thing 
 of her and her sad end. Through that window she 
 could see the palace in which she had been hailed as 
 queen, amid the rejoicings of the metropolis. 
 Through the same dungeon-window she bade fare- 
 well to her young and innocent loving husband as he 
 passed to execution, and soon after saw his headless 
 body, wrapped in a linen cloth dripping with blood, 
 conveyed to the chapel. Through that door she 
 herself passed to the block, saying: "Lord Jesus, 
 receive my spirit." Such has been royal life. This 
 place, so remarkable in English history, being near 
 a half mile in circumference, is a subject of long 
 and interesting study and reflection upon "man's 
 inhumanity to man." Time swallows the ordinary 
 labors of man, but these towers, prisons, and monu- 
 ments, which for near a thousand years have stood 
 miarkiug the generations of men as they pass by on 
 the stage of action, bear a few landmarks of 
 their history as a great abstract of the past and index 
 to the future. These have witnessed generation 
 after generation marching on as one vast funeral 
 procession to the tomb of Norman, Saxon, Briton, 
 Scot; white rose and red, royalist and rebel, cavalier 
 and roundhead, protestant and papist, marching to 
 mortal combat. JN'ew consecrations and fetes, pro- 
 cessions and tournaments; then the doomed pris- 
 oner, muffled in his cloak, following the ax, with a 
 few weeping friends, clad in black, and here we 
 stand and behold the ax-block and the instruments 
 of death around. How sad and sickening! But 
 these days are past, never, I presume, to return. 
 Pagan, Jew, Christian, Papist and Protestant, Pu- 
 
London Parks, Palaces, Etc. 31 
 
 ritan and Churchman, have worshiped in these courts, 
 and all can now worship God in this glorious land 
 and be protected by its laws. These mouths of 
 death are forever closed. These bloody towers look 
 peacefully upon, perhaps, the "best government in 
 the world." These dungeons are empty. 'These 
 instruments of torture are objects of curiosity, as 
 relics of the darker ages. These subterranean pas- 
 sages are closed, and England presents the brightest 
 history of the world. 
 
 London Parks, Palaces, etc. — Whether we con- 
 sider this great city as the metropolis of a great 
 and mighty empire, upon the dominion of whose 
 sovereign the sun never sets, or the home of 
 between three and four millions of people, and 
 the richest city in the world, it is an intensely 
 interesting place to visit. The Eomans, after 
 conquering the ancient British inhabitants, about 
 A. I). 61, rebuilt and walled it in about 301. Ro- 
 man remains, and some fragments of the old wall, 
 are still found when making excavations. London, 
 in the Anglo-ITorman times, though originally con- 
 fined by the walls, grew up a dense mass of brick 
 and wooden houses. The city stands from tw^elve to 
 sixteen feet higher than it did in the early part of 
 its history. From a city hemmed within a wall 
 London expanded in all directions, and thus gradu- 
 ally formed a connection with various clusters of 
 dwellings in the neighborhood. It has, in fact, ab- 
 sorbed towns and villages for a considerable distance 
 around. This is the main reason why it is so difii- 
 cult to comprehend. It is an assemblage of towns, 
 the intervening spaces having been built up. Some 
 of the streets are very long and straight, being, I 
 suppose, originally the roads between the towns. 
 City Road, fpresume, was one of these connecting 
 links, bat now one of the finest streets in the city. 
 The growth of London, to its present enormous size, 
 
32 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 may readily be accounted for, from the fact that for 
 ages it has been the capital of England, and the seat 
 of her court and legislature; and that since the 
 union with Scotland and Ireland it has become a 
 center for those two countries. It is the residence 
 of the nobility, landed gentry, and other families of 
 wealth. It has a fine natural position, lying, as it 
 does, upon the banks of what they consider a great 
 river (but only about the size of White River), some 
 sixty miles from the sea. The great central thor- 
 oughfare of Cheapside is one of the oldest and 
 most famous streets in the city, intimately associated 
 with the municipal glories of London for centuries 
 past. Many of the business houses here are mag- 
 nificent. Some small plots of ground here have 
 been sold as high as five millions of dollars per acre. 
 On each side of Cheapside narrow streets diverge 
 into the dense mass behind. The greater part of 
 these back streets, with the lanes adjoining, are oc- 
 cupied by the ofiices or warehouses of wholesale 
 dealers in cloth, silk, hosiery, lace, etc., and are re- 
 sorted to by London and country shop-keepers for 
 supplies. The Strand, so called because it lies along 
 the bank of the river, now hidden by houses, is 
 a long and somewhat irregular built street. In the 
 seventeenth century the Strand was a country road 
 connecting the city with Westchester, and on its 
 southern side a number of noblemen's residences, 
 with gardens toward the river. The eastern half 
 of the Strand is thickly surrounded by theaters and 
 places of amusement. The residences of the nobil- 
 ity and gentry are chiefly in the western part of the 
 metropolis. In this quarter there have been large 
 additions of handsome streets, squares, and terraces, 
 within the past few years. Much has been done 
 recently toward adorning the metropolis with health- 
 giving parks and grounds, freely open to the public. 
 St. James's Park w^as the first one I visited. It was 
 
London, Parks, Etc. 83 
 
 near our minister's residence, whom I called to see 
 about getting a ticket to parliament soon after our 
 arrival. This is a grand, picturesque, lovely place, 
 though once a marshy waste, which was drained 
 and otherwise improved by Henry YIII. Charles 
 II. improved the gardens by planting avenues of 
 lime-trees on the north and south sides of the park, 
 and by forming the mall, which was a hollowed, 
 smooth graveled space half a mile long, skirted with 
 a wooden border, for playing ball. It is nearly a 
 mile and a half in circumference, and covers ninety 
 acres, and the avenues form delightful shady prom- 
 enades. In the center is a fine lake of water, inter- 
 spersed with islands, and dotted with swans and 
 water-fowl. A bridge was built across this water 
 in 1857. On each side are spacious lawns encircled 
 with lofty trees and flowering shrubs. There are 
 nine or ten entrances to the park, the queen's guard 
 doing duty each day and night. At the east side is 
 a large graveled space, called the parade, on which, 
 about ten o'clock every morning, the body-guards 
 required for the day are mustered, and here the regi- 
 mental bands perform. At the western end is Buck- 
 ingham Palace, around and about which we visited, 
 with thousands of others, some hours, to see the 
 Shah of Persia with the royal family accompanying 
 him to the opera. This park, all things considered, 
 is regarded as one of the greatest ornaments of the 
 city. Green Park contains only about sixty acres, 
 rising with a gentle slope to the north of Bucking- 
 ham Palace, and is bounded on the east side by 
 many mansions of the nobility. The largest eques- 
 trian statue in England, that of the Duke of Wel- 
 lington, stands on a triumphal arch of the reign of 
 George IV. Hyde Park has three hundred and 
 ninety acres, part of which is considerably elevated. 
 The whole is intersected with noble roads, paths, 
 and luxuriant trees, planted singly or in groups, 
 
34 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 presenting a very diversifieGl prospect of beauty and 
 grandeur. ]^ear the south-east corner, on an elevated 
 pedestal, stands a colossal bronze statue of Achilles, 
 oast from the cannon taken at the battles of Sal- 
 amanca and Waterloo, weighing thirty tons, and, 
 as the inscription informs us, erected to the Duke 
 of Wellington and his companions in arms by their 
 countrymen, at a cost of fifty thousand dollars. The 
 great Exhibition of 1851, the first of its kind, was 
 held in Crystal Palace, near the south-west corner of 
 this park. The exhibition building of 1862 was 
 beyond the limits of the park. The Albert Memo- 
 rial is at the Remington end of Hyde Park, of which 
 I have written. Passing through this park one may 
 almost suppose they are far away from human habi- 
 tation. You can hear the roar of the great city in 
 the distance, but see no habitation. Large flocks 
 of sheep are grazing; policemen are seen scattered 
 along the roads, but you feel like you were in the 
 woods, made paradisical by man's art and taste. 
 We visited no place where such preparations had 
 been made as in this vast city and its surroundings 
 for country recreations. All that nature, art, and 
 genius can do seems to have been done to make 
 these parks attractive to the millions toiling in the 
 city for their maintenance. 'Near Prince's Gate of 
 Hyde Park is the London International Exhibition 
 of 1873. This we visited, and was much interested. 
 Among the many objects of interest are shown se- 
 lected specimens, as follows: Pictures, oil and water 
 color; sculpture, decorative furniture, plate designs, 
 Mosaics, etc.; stained glass, architecture and models, 
 engravings, lithography, photography as a fine art, 
 porcelain, earthenware, terra cotta, and stoneware; 
 machinery used for pottery of all kinds, willow 
 manufactories, machinery in motion, used in wool- 
 en and worsted manufactories; live alpacas, scientific 
 inventions and discoveries, horticulture, etc. Vic- 
 
London, Parks, Palaces, Etc. 35 
 
 toria Park has about two hundred and seventy acres. 
 Having been formed only a few years, the trees have 
 not yet grown to the full size, but it is becoming a 
 pleasant place, with flower-beds, lakes, walks, and 
 shady avenues. This park is distinguished by the 
 most magnificent public fountain yet constructed in 
 the metropolis. Battersea Park has about one hun- 
 dred and eighty acres, on which fifteen thousand 
 dollars have been spent. Until recently it was a 
 miserable swamp — now it is a fine park. A beauti- 
 ful suspension-bridge connects this park with Chel- 
 sea, on the other side of the river. There are a 
 number of other parks, but I did not visit them, 
 and have said enough to let the reader know that 
 this great city has also immense lungs, and breathes 
 freely from them. Besides these there are the Zoo- 
 logical Gardens, containing about two hundred acres, 
 at the northern extremity of Regent's Park. Here 
 they have the vegetable and the animal kingdom 
 well represented. Captain Deering and myself ac- 
 cepted an invitation from a London friend to go 
 with him to see them. I will here say, by way of 
 parenthesis, that English people, women as well as 
 men, are the greatest walkers I ever saw. Ask any 
 one how far to such a place, and they will tell you 
 so many minutes ; then multiply by two or three, 
 and you wdll get the time it will take you to get 
 there. I was walked around in these gardens, so- 
 called, until I was tired down. The collection of 
 animals is unquestionably the finest in England. 
 The sea-lions and the sea-bears were rare specimens 
 of the inhabitants of the briny deep blue sea. The 
 polar-bear, or ice-bear, measures eight feet seven 
 inches, and weighs sixteen hundred pounds. 
 
 Palaces. — The palaces of London are places of great 
 interest. Buckingham Palace stands at the w^est end 
 of St. James's Park. It does not present a very mag- 
 nificent appearance. The ground on w^hich it stands 
 
36 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 is too low. I was not favorably impressed with the 
 buildings for the sovereign of this great nation's 
 residence. The park and royal gardens were grand, 
 but the palace fell far below my expectations as to 
 its appearance. Marlborough House, the residence 
 of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is immedi- 
 ately east of St. James's Palace, separated only by a 
 carriage road. It was built by Christopher Wren, 
 for the great Dake of Marlborough. The house 
 was bought from him for the Princess Charlotte. It 
 was afterward occupied in succession by Leopold 
 (the late King of the Belgians). St. James's Palace 
 is an elegant brick structure, built by Henry YIIL, 
 in 1530, on the site of what was once the hospital 
 for lepers. The fine bands of the foot-guards play 
 daily at eleven in the color-court, or in another 
 quadrangle on the east side. Lambeth Palace is 
 said to be about four hundred years old. 
 
 Houses of Parliament. — This is the name usually 
 given to the new Palace of Westminster. It is 
 close to the river. It is said to be the finest 
 modern Gothic structure in the world, at least 
 for civil purposes. The entire building covers 
 about eight acres. The chief public entrance is 
 by Westminster Hall, which forms a vestibule 
 to the houses of parliament and their numerous 
 committee -rooms. The rooms and staircases 
 are inconceivably numerous, and there are said 
 to be two miles of passages and corridors. The 
 river-front, raised upon a fine terrace of Aberdeen 
 granite, is nine hundred feet in length, and pro- 
 fusely adorned with statues, heraldic shields, and 
 tracers covered with stone. It is a gorgeous struc- 
 ture, which has cost over ten millions of dollars. A 
 farther cost of near a million for frescoes and stat- 
 uary had been incurred up to March, 1860. The 
 two chambers in which parliament meets are ill- 
 adapted for a great nation's legislature to meet. 
 
Houses op Pajrliament. 37 
 
 The house of peers is ninety-seven feet long, forty- 
 five wide, and forty-five high. It is profusely painted 
 and gilt, and the w^indows are so darkened by deep- 
 tinted stained-glass that the eye can with difficulty 
 make out the details. At the southern end is the 
 gorgeous gilt and canopied throne. I^ear the center 
 is the wool-sack on which the lord chancellor sits; 
 at the end and sides are the galleries for the peer- 
 esses, reporters, and strangers. The poorest accom- 
 modations I ever sslw. Even in our state-house they 
 are far superior. There are some twelve or fifteen 
 comfortable seats for reporters, and room, perhaps, 
 for some thirty or forty more persons to sit on — 
 hard seats, patched up at the far end. The s^ats re- 
 mind one of an old-field school-house — long benches 
 with not a desk or any convenience for writing, 
 which they do not need, as they write their speeches, 
 I presume, before they come there. This house of 
 lords fell greatly below my expectations in several 
 respects. I heard, perhaps, some fifteen or twenty 
 of them speak, and, with one or two exceptions, 
 they fell, I think, below our members of our legis- 
 latures as speakers. In the house of commons it is 
 very diflerent. There the members are chosen by 
 the people, and the best talent of the nation is chosen 
 to represent them. Their room is sixty- two feet 
 long, by forty -five wide, and forty-five high, and is 
 much less elaborate than the house of peers. The 
 speaker's chair is in the north end, with galleries 
 along the sides and ends. In a gallery behind the 
 speaker's chair the reporters for the newspapers sit. 
 Over them is the ladies' gallery, where the view is 
 obstructed by the grating. One might suppose from 
 the name that these two chambers — the house of 
 peers and commons — constitute nearly the whole 
 of the building, but they occupy only a small part 
 of the area. There are many large, fine libraries, 
 committee-rooms, halls, lobbies, offices, corridors, 
 
38 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 princes' chamber, peers' corridor, commoners' lobby, 
 and corridente. The Victoria, at the south-west 
 angle of the entire structure, is one of the finest 
 in the world. It is seventy-five feet square, and 
 three hundred and forty feet high. The "Clock 
 Tower," in the north end, is forty feet square, three 
 hundred and twent}^ feet high, profusely gilt mantel 
 top. The clock is by far the largest and finest in 
 this country. There are four dials on the face of 
 the tower, each twenty-two and a half feet in diam- 
 eter; the hour figures are two feet high, twenty-six 
 feet apart; minute marks fourteen inches apart; 
 the hands weigh two hundred and forty pounds, the 
 minute-hand sixteen feet long. There are about five 
 hundred carved stone statues in the building. The 
 Eoyal Gallery is being filled, illustrative of English 
 history. There, among others specially noted, is a 
 picture forty-five feet long by twelve high, repre- 
 senting " The meeting of Wellington and Blucher " 
 after the battle of Waterloo, and the companion 
 frescoe, "The Death of ^N'elson." Yesterday morn- 
 ing we went out to the Crystal Palace. This sur- 
 passed my highest expectations. In many respects 
 it is the most remarkable structure in the world. It 
 was built for the great Exhibition in 1851. It is 
 sixteen hundred feet long, three hundred and eighty 
 wide. There are two arcades, forty-five feet long 
 by one hundred. I cannot say any thing now, only 
 that, if one has but two days in London, one of 
 them should be spent at the Crystal Palace by all 
 means. The Italian section of the Educational 
 party arrived last night, and join ours. We now 
 number fifty, mostly teachers. We leave at 4:25 for 
 Antwerp. You shall hear from me again w-hen I 
 can find time to drop a few lines as we pass rapidly 
 on to Vienna and Eome. 
 
Lbitees prom Rev. F. W. Hooper. 39 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Letters from the Eev. F. W. Hooper, of Lynchburg, Virginia, 
 
 written for the Neivs. 
 
 AsTOR House, New Yore, June 20, 1873. 
 
 Dear "ITews:" — According to promise, I now 
 commence a series of letters to you, in which, I trust 
 by the providence of God, to take your readers to 
 many points in foreign lands. 
 
 We started from the "Hill City" on yesterday, 
 amid the hearty Godspeed of many a loving friend, 
 whose kindly faces will beam around us in all our 
 journejangs. After an hour or so the blues and the 
 headache both wore away, and by the time we 
 reached Charlottesville we were ready to give a 
 hearty greeting to several new companions. One of 
 these was a brilliant young lady, who at once put 
 herself under my care with the joyous self-congratu- 
 lation that " unmarried ladies could use other people's 
 husbands on such voyages." I replied to this in a 
 jovial allusion to an old bachelor who was present, 
 suggesting that a bridal party would lend a romantic 
 interest to our excursion. But both of these birds 
 were too old to be caught with such chaff, and the 
 younger gentlemen of the party looked as if they 
 might be singing internally, "The girl I left behind 
 me." 
 
 Of course we had a merry discussion about sea- 
 sickness, and some of them commenced eating 
 lemons before we reached Alexandria. Various 
 
40 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 remedies were discussed — among them a blue-mass 
 pill to rectify the liver, whereupon a solemn divine 
 suggested " Simmons's liver exterminator.'' As it was 
 evident that his brain was confusing bile and bed- 
 bugs, his suggestion was treated with scorn. Well, 
 we came on to Washington, where we had time to loaf 
 around the Capitol and admire its splendid archi- 
 tecture. But I was amused at the quaint criticism 
 of one of the party, on the Goddess of Liberty. 
 He said "she looked like she was holding up her 
 skirts," which at once reminded him of "Cousin 
 Sally Dillard." During the night we had nothing 
 of special interest, except that we must have met 
 about fifty trains, and it seemed to me that every 
 engineer sounded his steam -whistle right at my 
 window. Arriving here this morning, we deter- 
 mined to start out with this hotel, which is now 
 kept on the European plan. We found the excur- 
 sion party rapidly filling up, and I have never seen 
 a better business man than Mr. Jenkins, of the firm 
 of Cook, Son & Jenkins, under whose auspices we 
 are to travel. He seemed to know every member of 
 the party as soon as his name was mentioned, and 
 evidently intends to satisfy all, if such a thing is 
 possible where there are one hundred and fifty per- 
 sons concerned and one-half of them of the gentler 
 sex. 
 
 I went aboard the Victoria this evening, and 
 met a cordial greeting from Captain Munroe, to 
 whom I had a letter of introduction from Captain 
 Cumminger, of your city. But I was amused at 
 his exhibition of nautical perversity, when he told 
 me he remembered Captain Cumminger's ship, but 
 did not remember him. It reminded me of General 
 Buck Terry's ostler, who, at the surrender, told me 
 he knew General Lee was near Spout Spring, "Be- 
 case," said he, "I seen his stock." Captain Munroe 
 says that so many parsons are sure to cause bad 
 
Letters from Rev. F. W. Hooper. 41 
 
 weather, and I may just as well make up my mind 
 to be sea-sick — which I have n't. 
 
 Your readers may form some idea of the size of the 
 Victoria, if they will imagine her extending across 
 Church street, from the Washington House to Dudley 
 Hall, and in such a predicament my state-room would 
 be about where the Baptist Church is, but high enough 
 above the water-line, I trust, to prevent any danger 
 of immersion. It is said to be the largest, newest, 
 and best of the "Anchor Line;" and Captain Mun- 
 roe is not only a most competent commander, but is 
 also said to be a devoted Christian. 
 
 I think, from what I have seen of our party, that 
 we will have a most delightful voyage ; but about 
 that I can write more fully hereafter. 
 
 This evening I went out to Central Park, and 
 though wearied and sleepy, I enjoyed the lively 
 scene presented by the Gothamites driving their fast 
 horses, and showing off the tinsel of a shoddy aris- 
 tocracy. I want to see some genuine aristocracy, 
 out of a laudable curiosity — not to compare it with 
 the mere sham which I have witnessed this evening. 
 
 Well, you are not the only one to whom I must 
 write before retiring to rest, and I will therefore 
 close, with the best wishes for all of you who are 
 toiling w^hile I am resting, and with the humble 
 hope that I shall be spared to inflict many a note of 
 correspondence before I return, about the first of 
 September, to my family and charge. God help 
 us all ! 
 
 Steamer Victoria, June 23, 1873. 
 
 John Phoenix wrote that on leaving San Diego, 
 on a certain occasion, he felt mortified at having no 
 friend to bid him farewell ; so, walking to the side of 
 the boat, he took off his hat and sung out, "Good- 
 bye, Colonel! " when twelve or fourteen gentlemen 
 
42 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 at once replied in the most graceful manner imag- 
 inable. On leaving I*Tew York Saturda}^ we were 
 in a similar predicament ; but, taking oiF our hats 
 and waving our handkerchiefs, about ^ve hundred 
 persons on shore waved us a most hearty farewell, 
 supposing that we were acquaintances and friends. 
 
 And now we are out on the ocean, and, much to 
 my surprise, it has been all the time calmer than 
 Chesapeake Baj^ The ship is a screw propeller, 
 and moves as smoothly as a Pullman car on steel 
 rails. There is scarcely a jar, and the engines are 
 as regular as a pulse-beat in their great throbbing, 
 which gives us motion as a thing of life. Our ex- 
 cursion party is composed of one hundred and forty- 
 eight persons, embracing thirteen ministers of va- 
 rious denominations, and any number of college 
 professors and school-marms. But while there is 
 such a promiscuous assemblage, all seem inclined to 
 minister to each other's comfort, and to add as much 
 as possible to the pleasure of the excursion. 
 
 Sir. Cook sent over a conductor to meet us and 
 escort us across the great waters. His name is A. 
 H. Plagge, a German ; and if all his conductors are 
 as competent and attentive, I am sure we shall have 
 a most delightful time. 
 
 I had supposed that life on ship-board was mo- 
 notonous and wearisome ; but, so far from that being 
 so, it is really a treat to me to shut myself up in the 
 smoking-room to write these few lines. It is inter- 
 esting to look out upon the waves of the restless 
 ocean, and while it is the same old ocean, there is a 
 constant change in the movement of its waters. At 
 times its surface seems as smooth and placid as a 
 mirror, and then, as the breeze starts up, there will 
 be a gentle ripple, and by and by the spray will be- 
 gin to plash and gleam in all its snowy whiteness; 
 and at night, too, we love to stand at the stern and 
 watch the seething caldron which rises from the 
 
Letters from Eev. F. W. Hooper. 43 
 
 screw, while phosphorescent sparks fly off as if from 
 a nautical sky-rocket. Then, too, we watch other 
 ships that are floating near us, and feel, at fifteen 
 miles off, a nearness and companionship which lands- 
 men cannot appreciate. 
 
 Yesterday, being our first Sunday on board, was 
 devoted almost entirely to religious exercises. We 
 had preaching on deck at 10:30 a.m., by the Rev. Dr. 
 Witherspoon, of the Presbyterian Church ; service 
 at 4:30 p.m., by the Rev. Mr. Cosh, of the Episcopal 
 Church; and at 7:30 p.m., in the saloon, by the Rev. 
 Mr. Pierce, of the Methodist Church. 
 
 I find that my appetite is steadily improving, and 
 at night I sleep as soundly as I ever did in all my 
 life. Last night we had quite a stiff breeze after I 
 had retired, and some of our party had a little touch 
 of sea-sickness ; but, with that exception, we have 
 all been perfectly well. 
 
 Two of our young men got caught in a trap by 
 the sailors, in the bow of the boat. It seems that 
 they draw a chalk-line, and when any one passes 
 over it he has to pay a fine. These young gents 
 were, of course, anxious to see every thing, and asked 
 if they would be permitted to go to the bow. They 
 were politely invited to do so; but on their return 
 they were headed off by the jolly tars, who informed 
 them that while they might pass to the bow, they 
 could not return except on condition of paying the 
 usual tax of a bottle of whisky. This they did as 
 gracefully as possible, and tried to keep it a secret; 
 but such things will leak out on ship-board. 
 
 While I write, a gentleman is looking over a list 
 of our excursion, and discovers that twent3^-one 
 States are represented, and j-et, so far, all has been 
 pleasant — politically, socially, and religiously. I 
 think at least half of us are correspondents for some 
 newspaper; so Messrs. Cook & Son will have to 
 keep the best terms with all, or take the worst jour- 
 
44 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 nalistic pop-gun stinging that a naughty boy ever 
 received. In regard to the ship, I will only say it 
 is splendid, beyond all my previous conceptions. 
 The officers are very polite and gentlemanly, and 
 the tables are loaded at every meal with the greatest 
 profusion. We have also the privilege of a bath- 
 room, where at any hour we can take a hot or cold 
 bath of fresh sea- water, and every thing around us 
 seems to be pro bono publico. 
 
 Wednesday, 26th. — I wa^ote the above on Monday, 
 and have been so busy ever since doing nothing, 
 that I have not had time or inclination to continue 
 it. We have now^ been four days out, and are more 
 than twelve hundred miles from New York, making 
 over three hundred miles a day. We have passed 
 the Banks of I^ewFoundland, and are now ''out on 
 the ocean sailing." The small darkey who "rocks 
 this cradle of the deep," finished his nap night be- 
 fore last, and since that time he has been rocking 
 us most vigorously fore and aft, as well as from star- 
 board to larboard. Some of us rather enjoy it, but 
 two or three of our party have settled their fare with 
 Old Neptune most generously. I have not been 
 sick at all, but am more and more confirmed in lazi- 
 ness. We have been dressed in our thickest winter 
 clothing, with our coats and blankets, and still we 
 cannot keep warm. I have seen two whales, and 
 grampuses innumerable. The grampuses went jump- 
 ing along over the waves, reminding me of old hares 
 in the broom-sedge fields of the "free State." I 
 only saw the tails of the whales, and these seemed 
 to be about eighteen inches across. We also passed 
 this morning through a fishing squadron, and passed 
 near enough to one of the boats to see the cod-fish — 
 the aristocracy w-e have on our own vessel. We 
 have continued the usual amusements of rope-quoits, 
 herse-billiards, leap-frog, chess, draughts, etc. At 
 night we have family worship in the saloon, con- 
 
Letters from Rev. F. W. Hooper. 45 
 
 ducted by the various ministers in succession. Then 
 we have music, recitations, readings, etc. We had 
 a fine entertainment Monday night — being a tale of 
 "Tildy's first visit to the show," rendered by a 
 Scotchman, with the broadest kind of an accent. 
 
 The fare is admirable, consisting of all sorts of 
 meats and vegetables, and then pastry, fruits, nuts. 
 There are so many passengers that we have to provide 
 two tables at every meal, and to save trouble they 
 only give us three meals a day — breakfast at eight 
 bells, alias 8 a.m.; dinner at four bells, alias 2 p.m.; 
 and supper at six bells, alias 7 p.m. There is a fine 
 piano in the saloon, and quite a number of excellent 
 performers. Just above this there is a fine library of 
 choice literature ; but the most of the party are too 
 much occupied with watching ships and talking to 
 read. There are some rich specimens of the school- 
 marm on board, and to see one of these keel over 
 with sea-sickness, and hear the nasal twang mixing 
 with incidental "guttural sounds, is a richer show 
 than a circus to a Lynchburg school-boy. But more 
 anon. 
 
 Saturday, 2Sth. — This morning I was aroused at 
 3:30 o'clock by the water pouring into my berth from 
 the deck, and looking out by broad daylight, I 
 found what I would call a heavy sea rolling, and now 
 and then a wave would break over the deck, from 
 stem to stern. Composing myself as well as I could, 
 I went to sleep again, and slept until breakfast-time. 
 We have had fine fun on deck this morning, as it is 
 very slippery, and the ship is rocking fearfully. I 
 found one lady of giant proportions sliding across the 
 deck, and she never brought up until she hung to the 
 ropes at the side. Stepping forward as gallantly as I 
 could, I ofiPered my arm, when, starting back, I found 
 we had too much material aboard, and before I had 
 time to consider clerical dignity, we were walking to 
 the other side, and came to anchor against a boat, my 
 
46 A Memphian's Trip to Eueope. 
 
 head furnishing the point of contact. I then steered 
 her for the gang-way, which, with the assistance of 
 a Scotchman, we reached in safety ; and phniging 
 her in, I hung on to the door while she glided all 
 the way across — taking in her furious course several 
 old gentlemen and ladies who were quietly watch- 
 ing the storm. This is to be my last attempt at 
 voluntary gallantry. Yesterday, and part of last 
 night, we had all the sails up and a full head of 
 steam, and have been making fifteen knots an hour 
 — add one-seventh if you wish to reduce it to miles. 
 
 Mr. Plagge has divided our company into sec- 
 tions, and while some of our party will go to Italy, 
 the most of us are in the fourth section, and will 
 spend the additional ten days in England and Ire- 
 land. Several of the party have been so sick, that 
 '' Carry me back to Old Yirginny " would have 
 awakened a flood of tears, but so far I have not 
 missed a meal, a smoke, or a chew. I will now 
 leave this until I get in sight of land. 
 
 Monday^ June ZOth. — Yesterday was pleasant, and 
 we had a spread-eagle sermon on deck by liev. Mr. 
 Barrows, Congregationalist, at 10 a.m. At 4 p.m. Mr. 
 Cook read "the sermon," and a Baptist preacher 
 preached on "the ark," a suggestive sermon. At 
 night we had a capital sermon from Rev. Prof. 
 Cushing (a Methodist), on "You are laborers to- 
 gether with God" — most too much "free agency " 
 for me, but a capital sermon. We expect to land 
 this evening or to-night, so if you ever receive this, 
 you may take it for granted we are safe. 
 
 Edinburgh, July 5, 1873, 
 
 I did not expect to let so many days glide by 
 without w^riting you a line, but we have been on 
 the wing ever since we landed, and even now I 
 must writehastilv. 
 
Letters from Eev. F. W. Hooper. 47 
 
 At Moville we embarked on a steam-tug under 
 the escort of Mr. John Cook, and on landing were 
 met by, Mr. Thos. Cook and a grandson, so that, as 
 w^e have been several times informed, there are 
 three generations of Cooks escorting ns. Passing 
 up Loch Foyle, which soon lessened to River Fojle, 
 we passed by the old Culmore Castle and church, 
 which were standing in 1688, at the siege of Derry. 
 There too, we were told, the cable was stretched to 
 prevent the Protestants from receiving supplies. It 
 was in this siege that two thousand persons perished 
 from famine, after" eating all kinds of food to keep 
 off starvation. 
 
 Luckily, leaping into the cars, we were whirled 
 along at a rapid rate to Portrush. The scenery is 
 w^ild and beautiful. Bold headlands pushing out 
 into the sea and then sloping off into fertile fields, 
 intersected everywhere with hedges, and dotted 
 with farm-houses. The houses of the farmers are 
 larger and handsomer than we had supposed, while 
 the thatched cottages of the peasants, with their 
 piles of peat, are scarcely equal to the negro cabins 
 which our slaves once occupied. Flitting through 
 a long tunnel on the lands of Sir Harvey Bruce, we 
 soon brought up at Portrush, a small town on the 
 coast, and were escorted to the town-hall, where 
 a cold lunch awaited us. Standing around the table 
 were fine-looking "old Irish gentlemen," dressed in 
 swallow-tail coats, white ties, and black pants, and 
 some of our party thought that the maj'or and al- 
 dermen of the towm had turned out to serve us at the 
 table. But it turned out that these were the ordi- 
 nary waiters, who would put I^ed Pryor to the blush 
 in politeness, and are more handsomely dressed 
 than any clergyman in Lynchbtirg. Passing out of 
 the hall as a gazing stock for the whole populace, 
 we had our first experience in an Irish "jaunting- 
 car." They are two-wheeled vehicles, with seats 
 
48 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 over the wheels sideways, and will accommodate 
 four persons besides the driver. Jumping on to 
 one at the head of the column, we trotted out ten 
 miles to the Giant's Causeway, passing the Castle 
 of Dunbece, now in ruins. This w^as the seat of 
 the old feuds between the O'Donnells and the Mc- 
 Quillians, in other days, and was demolished, along 
 with thousands of other places, by Oliver Crom- 
 well. We also passed through "Bush Mills," fa- 
 mous for its "Irish poteen," or whisky, and then 
 through the lands of Sir E. McFadden, whose name 
 our driver called out to me half a dozen times 
 without my understanding him. At last we reached 
 the hotel, and dismounting, had a rush down the 
 cliff for the boats. Reaching the first one, we 
 jumped in, and three stalwart oarsmen pulled us 
 out to the mouth of the cave, washed by the break- 
 ers, while our guide kept up an incessant gibberish, 
 retailing old jokes to our infinite disgust, and pre- 
 venting such sentimentalism as the grandeur of the 
 scene is calculated to inspire. 
 
 This causeway must be seen on the spot to be ap- 
 preciated, and when you sit in a skiff* half a mile 
 out on the heaving tide, or stand upon its solid 
 rocks, you must be impressed with its magnificence, 
 as well as wonder at its geological formation. Mil- 
 lions of stones in triangles, pentagons, hexagons, 
 and cut in the most accurate mathematical precision, 
 form a solid mass that even the ocean itself in ages 
 has not disturbed. The rock is black, and of a ba- 
 saltic character, and as to who put it there, and why 
 it was put there, and when, I leave to those geolo- 
 gists who know all about fossils and creation. If 
 these rocks have grown any since the creation, they 
 have preserved their proportions most marvelously, 
 and as far as we can see they are of no more prac- 
 tical value than which I hold were created as fossils 
 when God said, "Let there be light." But I have 
 
Letters from Eev. F. W. Hooper. 49 
 
 too much to write about to moralize. Returning to 
 Portrush, we were met by an amateur band of boys 
 playing fifes and drums, who escorted us in style to 
 the "Antrim Arms," playing *' Dixie," and "The 
 Bonny Blue Flag," to the evident disgust of the 
 "Maroons." 
 
 At twelve o'clock that night we reached the Vic- 
 toria, and soon after steamed up for Greenock, on the 
 Clyde. Passing the "Isle of Bute," and various 
 places of interest, we anchored, and as quietly as 
 possible waited until 4 p. m. for the coming in of 
 the tide. When this time arrived two tug-boats 
 were attached to the steamer, one at each end, to 
 help guide her up the narrow stream, which is noth- 
 ing but a ship canal at Glasgow, and slowly and 
 cautiously we glided up the stream, past old Dum- 
 barton, and thousands of iron ships in process of 
 construction. The scenery on both sides is beauti- 
 ful. The trees, as well as the houses, are larger 
 than those we saw in Ireland, and cattle were graz- 
 ing in herds along the shore that would have made 
 Major Cloyd break the commandment. Well, after 
 running aground several times, we at last landed at 
 our wharf and scattered like a flock of sheep all 
 over the city. Climbing to the top of an omnibus, 
 we paid our fare, and rode through several splendid 
 str-eets to George's Square, where there is a fine 
 monument to Sir Walter Scott, and several splendid 
 statues, among them Queen Victoria and Prince 
 Albert on horseback. 
 
 The next day Mr. Cook brought around omni- 
 buses enough to accommodate the whole party, 
 and although it was raining we started out, and vis- 
 ited first the Cathedral. This is a splendid structure, 
 as any guide-book will inform your readers, and 
 abounds in hundreds of the most niagnificent stained 
 windows, and is still used as a place for public wor- 
 ship by the Established Presbyterian Church. It 
 3 
 
50 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 has no organs, and they still sing Rome's version of 
 the Psalms. Overlooking this is a beautiful ceme- 
 tery, where are buried some of the noblest scholars 
 that have made Scotland famous in literature. There 
 too is a beautiful monument to John Knox, sur- 
 mounted by a splendid statue of this bold reformer. 
 I gathered some daisies at its base, and we then 
 passed on to the Botanical Gardens, West End 
 Park, etc., and that night we slept our last sleep 
 (for the present) on the steamer. Yesterday we 
 started at 7:20 a. m., and stopped for our breakfast 
 at Stirling. It was hard to eat amid such surround- 
 ings, but appetite will get the better of romance, 
 and I am sorry to say that, sitting amid all these 
 memories of Wallace, Bruce, and the beautiful 
 Mary, we ate as heartily as if we had been at home 
 in America. Then lighting our pipes, we strolled 
 along the streets that had rumbled with the chariots 
 of kings and queens, until we climbed the heights 
 of old Stirling, from which we had a magnificent 
 view of the surrounding country. On one side was 
 the battle-field of Bannockburn, on the other Stir- 
 ling Bridge, over which on a beetling crag was a 
 fine monument to Wm. Wallace, while stretching 
 out beyond were the "blinks" of Stirling, formed 
 by the windings of the river. Gazing for some 
 time from the very spot Mary Queen of Scots had 
 so often and so sadly stood and gazed and sighed, 
 was well calculated to bring out all the poetry that 
 a man has, and I could have sat there for hours 
 musing upon the past. But when I went up to the 
 room where Duncan was stabbed, and saw the very 
 window out of which he was thrown, and the very 
 pulpit in which John Knox preached to the queen, 
 and the communion-table on which he celebrated 
 the Lord's Supper not as a mass, but as a memorial 
 of our Lord, memory, fancy, imagination, reason, 
 were all clashing in their several spheres, and I 
 
Letters from Rev. F. W, Hooper. 51 
 
 came away with a confused, but hallowed, memory 
 of that eventful morning. 
 
 Starting again, we went on to the Collender, 
 where we took the spring-wagons called ^'wagon- 
 ettes," and drove rapidly through the Trossocks, 
 a. rough gorge in the mountains, to Loch Katrine, 
 immortalized by Scott's "Lady of the Lake." Dart- 
 ing through this in a little steamer called the Rob 
 Roy, with a Scotch Highlander screeching through 
 a bagpipe, we rode &ve miles farther in the "van," 
 and at "Inversnaid," under care of Rob Roy, and 
 on his land, we took the steamer on *'Loch Lomond," 
 and steaming around the base of "Ben Lomond," 
 we landed near the Castle of Balloch, where we 
 took the train again, and at about 9 o'clock we 
 reached this beautiful city. 
 
 London, July 11, 1873. 
 
 I left your kind readers at Edinburgh, where we 
 had just arrived and were pleasantly quartered at 
 the Cockburn hotel. The next day our party went 
 down to a public garden and had ourselves photo- 
 graphed. We then branched out, and some of us 
 went first to Holy rood Palace, where are clustered 
 many of the sweetest as well as most painful mem- 
 ories of Scottish history. We went into the audience- 
 chamber of the faithless but beautiful Queen of 
 Scots; saw the bed on which she slept, the chairs, 
 and furniture, so queer and antique, that well graced 
 those gilded halls. But we ajso saw the fatal private 
 supper-room where Rizzio was stabbed, and the 
 bed-chamber through which he was dragged. We 
 also saw the old chapel where she pretended to 
 worship God, and memory was busy as we stood 
 among these enchanting scenes. But leaving this 
 spot we rode on and saw the old Tolbooth, the orig- 
 inal pillory, the cross of Edinburgh, the spot where 
 
52 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 so many were executed, the grave of John Knox 
 and his former home, the " Heart of Midlothian," 
 and the old Grayfriars Church, where the solemn 
 "League and Covenant" was signed by our Presby- 
 terian Fathers. You can, perhaps, imagine, but I 
 cannot describe, the feelings that gushed forth at 
 all these strange scenes of the hoary past. And 
 then when I stood in the old castle where Mary 
 spent so many years, and looked out of the very 
 window of which she looked so longingly until her 
 son was born, I seemed to be drifting back out of 
 the present into the centuries that are gone. But 
 we must leave this guide-book strain and come back 
 to our own eventful history. This was Saturday, 
 and soon after leaving the castle, whom should I 
 meet but Mr. Stuart Robinson, whose greeting was: 
 " Why, Hooper, where did you spring from ?" This 
 speedily explained, and we cracked many a joke 
 together before he left us at Melrose Abbey on 
 Monday. He was coming out of an old bookstore, 
 and had been reveling in various discoveries he 
 had made, with which to sting the Northern breth- 
 ren when he comes back from Palestine, whither he 
 is bound. I had made up my mind to hear him 
 preach the next day, but the Lord had some of that 
 kind of work for me to do at the same hour. That 
 night w^e had a "grand conversazione," which 
 means, being interpreted, a dinner of speeches and 
 a dessert of music. The Lord Provost presided and 
 made a lame attempt at a welcome, and Dr. With- 
 erspoon made one of the grandest speeches of the 
 kind that I ever heard. Dr. Davidson also gave us 
 a good task, and Professor Cushing replied. "VYe 
 then went into the museum building, and were 
 entertained by a magnificent band from the Castle, 
 whose revelry was interspersed by singing by a 
 lady, and what they called music on bagpipes. 
 That night Rev. Dr. Arndt invited me to preach 
 
Letters from Eev. F. W. Hooper. 53 
 
 for him, and as I could not well decline, I did so to 
 the best of my ability. He is- one of the most dis- 
 tinguished men in Scotland, and is pastor of the 
 "Free High Church" of Edinburgh, where he 
 wears a gown. They have no organ, and use 
 Rome's version of the Psalms. The congregation 
 was large, and in the morning I was delighted with 
 his plain, simple, beautiful expository style. The 
 second service is held at 2:15 p. m., when I preached, 
 and the old gentleman afterward kindly presented 
 me with one of the numerous volumes which he 
 himself has written. I never felt smaller than when 
 standing in his pulpit, and preaching to his im- 
 mense audience, who came, no doubt, through curi- 
 osity to hear an American preacher. 
 
 The next morning, all too soon, we started out 
 for Melrose. There at the little inn some of us 
 took breakfast, while others went on at once to Ab- 
 botsford, the home of Sir "Walter Scott. After 
 breakfast we started down to Melrose Abbey, whitjh 
 is said to be the best preserved ruin in Scotland, 
 and which Scott has immortalized by his writings. 
 It must have been a grand affair in the olden time, 
 but the sparrow^s now build upon its walls, and there 
 is no sound but the bleating of sheep in the ancient 
 churchyard to disturb the slumbers of its sleeping 
 dead. There we saw the spot where is said to 
 be buried the heart of Robert Bruce, and here also 
 the grave of the Black Douglas, and I felt strongly 
 as I gathered daisies from above them, and thought 
 how appropriately when we bury the dead, "Earth 
 to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust." But leaving 
 the old Abbey, we rode on a "van" with the driver 
 to Abbotsford, one of the grandest old places in 
 Scotland. The whole house is literally crowded 
 with remnants of Scottish history. There is a chap- 
 ter from some old castle, there the door out of the 
 old Tolbooth, and here a statue or a stone ornament 
 
54 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 which this wizard of romauce gathered from all 
 quarters of the kingdom, and then when we went 
 inside, here we saw his chain and desk, his pipes 
 and canes, his clothes and guns, until we felt as if 
 he would himself come out to do honors to erect an 
 occasion. But I must hurry on. Leaving Melrose, 
 we passed a long day, and reached Derhy, a small 
 town of sixty thousand inhabitants, where we had 
 another grand reception, so-called. The dinner was 
 good, but most of the speeches were bores, and es- 
 pecially that of a Yankee " chasm," who had been 
 a missionary to the colored people in the foreign 
 State of Texas. She piously asked for the prayers 
 of the English, and so did Uncle Mike Connell ask 
 me to remember him when we prayed in a cathe- 
 dral. I hope all of us will remember these two 
 subjects, for they both need them. That night, as 
 you may imagine, I slept without rocking, at a most 
 delightful hotel, called the St. James, and the next 
 day we spent at Alton Towers, owned by the Earl 
 of Shrewsbury. He and the bounties were neces- 
 sarily absent (and I do n't blame them), but we had 
 a singing of the Episcopal service in the chapel, and 
 then walked through the palace and grounds, vis- 
 ited the flowery shore, lunched on the green with 
 his son. Lord Somebody, and a very fine-looking 
 boy he is, about the size of Lewis Mosby, and the 
 exact image of his sister. 
 
 That evening we came on to London, and the 
 first man I met was Mr. A. McDonald, and we have 
 been together almost all the time since, have visited 
 the Museum, the Tower, the Crystal Palace, Hyde 
 Park, Buckingham Palace, Bank of England, St. 
 Paul's, and Westminster Abbey. We have also 
 dined, as well as lunched, with Mr. J. C. Muller, to 
 whom I had an introduction from Capt. C. W. Stat- 
 ham. He and his kind lady showed us every atten- 
 tion, and evinced a hearty hospitality, which I am 
 
Letters from Rev. F. W, Hooper. 55 
 
 sure will wipe out all scores that are against him 
 among his and our friends in Lynchburg. He is 
 engaged in the tobacco business, and being familiar 
 with this great metropolis, it seems to have been 
 his delight to go with us from one place to another 
 that he thought would interest us. If he is as good 
 at business as he is at entertaining strangers, he is 
 certainly deserving of success. 
 
 But I must close now by adding two more places 
 of interest to which we have gone with intense sat- 
 isfaction. One is the old Crosby House, once the 
 propertj^ of Richard IIL, mentioned by Shakspeare, 
 and the other Madame Tussaud's wax-work exhi- 
 bition, which is so natural and life-like that I 
 almost shuddered as I looked at some of the famil- 
 iar personages that have figured in history. 
 
56 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Letters from the Eev. A. B. Whipple, President of Lansing- 
 burgh College, New York. 
 
 On the Steamer Victoria, Saturday, June 28, 1873. 
 
 A WEEK to-day we saw an acre — more or less — of 
 kerchiefs waving us a kind adieu as, without parade or 
 cannonade, we quietly glided away from pier No. 20 
 down the harbor, leaving Few York and its thousand 
 spires to sink behind the receding waters. A good 
 dinner at 2 o'clock lessened the pangs of hunger 
 and the pangs of parting, and prepared us to part 
 with our pilot off Sandy Hook Light, some twenty- 
 two miles from the city. The day was very fair, and 
 so were the following days, till Friday afternoon. A 
 storm came on, which is still continuing to keep 
 most of the passengers below, penning, as I am, to 
 "friends in America." 
 
 Every moment, thus far, has been one of pleasure, 
 and now, twenty-five hundred miles on my way, I, 
 with most of the others, can say the God of the 
 Sea has dealt kindly with us, and not turned our 
 stomachs into heaving notions. To describe an 
 ever-changing sea — its grand sunset and sunrise 
 scenery — its changing, real and reflected, colors, in 
 all their marine varieties — the myriad sea-fowl that 
 swim or skim its surface — the schools of whale, por- 
 poise, and grampus, that seem to be having a short 
 recess, and sporting near us for our observation — 
 the beautiful sail-spread nautili as they, catching the 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 57 
 
 sunset glow, sail by us toward the sunset — the pass- 
 ing ships that greet us kindly with national flag — 
 the ocean steamers that ere this have reported us — 
 the northern lights that make our northern sky aglow 
 with dancing twilight — or the little ripples that sim- 
 ply ruffle the surface — or the mighty waves that just 
 now dash against the cabin-light, and break in, 
 striking on the deck above my head — to describe 
 all this, I say, to appreciating friends, can be far 
 better done in the drawing-room, with the voyager 
 in your very midst. 
 
 Some of the dryer details connected with the ship 
 Victoria may not, however, be devoid of interest 
 as mere matters of nautical history. I came as a 
 student to learn what I could, without asking ques- 
 tions, and after that to seek information under the 
 not always pleasant privilege of questioning. Un- 
 like most of the party, I came without a supply of 
 guide-books, choosing to use my own eyes, and so 
 not copy what I do not see; in other words, I want 
 my own impression. Let me, then, confine the rest 
 of this letter to the Victoria — 370 feet in length, 43 
 in breadth, and 32 from deck to keel, drawing just 
 ROW 22J feet of water, with an engine of 2,200 horse- 
 power, the propeller 18| feet in diameter. She is 
 steered by steam-power, her sails hoisted and lowered 
 by steam, as well as cargo taken in and out by steam 
 — 3,600 tons, a ton being forty cubic feet of space; 
 has on board three thousand tons of cargo, exclusive 
 of seven hundred tons of coal, using about sixty 
 tons per day; cargo mostly provisions; officers and 
 crew, one hundred and thirty ; souls on board, about 
 four hundred; built last year at Glasgow, costing 
 $500,000 — being one of thirty-six belonging to the 
 same company, perhaps the largest ship-owning com- 
 pany in the world; insure themselves. So far, we 
 go about three hundred miles per day. Their ways 
 of determining the rate of motion are three — one by 
 3* 
 
58 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 solar observation, made at noon, by means of a sex- 
 tant; a second way, by a patent log, so-called, towed 
 astern, consisting of a long tube of brass, with four 
 flanges set at right angles with the tube; when 
 drawn through the water it revolves like a turbine 
 w^ater-wheel; within is a clock-work, with discs like 
 a gasometer, and indices to tell how many revolu- 
 tions have been made in twenty-four hours — a known 
 number indicating a mile, or knot, which is about 
 one-seventh more than a mile. The third wa}^ is by 
 the old-fashioned log, used every tw^o hours. It is a 
 cord wound on a reel, with knots every forty-three 
 and one-half feet; at the end is a cone-shaped can- 
 vas sac, which, when thrown overboard, fills with 
 water and holds back, drawing the cord from the 
 reel. A sailor stands with a sand-glass of twenty- 
 eight seconds duration; from the moment of drop- 
 ping the log till the sand-glass is empt^^ the line pays 
 out; then it is stopped and hauled in, and the num- 
 ber of knots counted is the number of knots per 
 hour. Yesterday, most of the time, we made fifteen. 
 This must suffice for the mathematics of the ship. 
 Kind readers, please fancy me writing this, leaning 
 against my berth, feet well braced, swaying to and 
 fro through at least forty-five degrees of a circle 
 north and south, and half as many east and west, and 
 you will excuse me from more. 
 
 Greenock, on the Clyde, July 2, 1873. 
 
 Since last the pen was laid aside I have traversed 
 the northern coast of Ireland, and am now waiting a 
 favorable tide to Glasgow to-night. Let me tell you 
 of yesterday's doings, and you shall judge whether 
 a day of sight-seeing may not also be a day of hard 
 work. At about 3:15 o'clock the sun rose, and yet 
 before it most of us were up to catch the first glimpse 
 of land, and that land the far-famed Emerald Isle, 
 
Letters from Kev. A. B. Whipple. 59 
 
 A few rocky islands first appeared, then a " sterile and 
 rock-bound coast;" soon a few green patches, with 
 here and there low houses. At 8 o'clock we en- 
 tered Loch Foyle, famous where we entered for a 
 huge chain stretched across its entrance during the 
 historic siege of Londonderry by King James, in 
 1689. Lovers of history will remember the story. 
 The Earl of Mount Alexander received an anony- 
 mous letter that on a certain day the Protestants of 
 Ireland were to be murdered by the Catholics. He 
 gave the alarm, and some dozen apprentice-boys 
 seized the keys from the guard, just as Lord An- 
 trim's troops reached the ferry-gate, and drew it up. 
 Thus besran a sies^e lastino^ one hundred and five 
 days, compelling the eating of dogs and rats. The 
 chain or boom spoken of above was to prolong the 
 siege. One of the supply-frigates, however, com- 
 manded by Admiral Kirk, dashed with great force, 
 and broke the barrier, but in the rebound was thrown 
 on the beach. The enemy, rejoicing, prepared to 
 board her, when, firing a broadside at them, she 
 righted herself and sailed up the Foyle to London- 
 derry, where nearly two thousand had died of starva- 
 tion. Taking: a small steamer — the Heron — we 
 reach this same Londonderry at 12 o'clock. It is a 
 city of twenty thousand inhabitants- The bridge 
 connecting Uxtuside, on the opposite side of the 
 river, is a fine structure, and made worthy of note 
 by the fact that it was built by an American in 1789. 
 We took cars to Portrush, forty miles away, and 
 thence by Irish jaunting-cars to the Giant's Cause- 
 way, a distance of eight miles. A brief description 
 of these cars is needed, being unlike an}- thing we 
 have at home. I call them side-saddle carry-alls. 
 They are two-wheeled, with side-seats toeing out- 
 ward. We sit two on a side, back to back, outside 
 the wheels, which are small, and the driver imme- 
 diately behind the horse. When not in use the side- 
 
60 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 seats can be folded up upon top — the whole on easy- 
 springs. "With some forty of these, each with four 
 besides the driver in it, formed an American proces- 
 sion seldom seen on such aline of march. The roads 
 are all excellent, and kept so by pounded stones. 
 The whole country presents attractions particularly 
 pleasing. Turf fences, with ditches behind, and 
 many of them overgrown with hawthorn hedges, 
 everywhere interlaced the fields. Low stone houses, 
 all neatly whitewashed, are the homes of the laborers. 
 The land is owned by the nobility, and let to the 
 tenants. It is everywhere carefully tilled. Oats, 
 peas, beans, barley, and potatoes, are abundant; saw 
 no orchards. It is havin^: time, and men and women 
 are together in the fields at work, with equal rights. 
 They looked hale, happy, and hearty. For eight 
 miles we ride through such scenery, with a good 
 driver, who gladly tells us the places of most inter- 
 est and their history. For instance, we pass Dun- 
 luce Castle, in ruins, the most picturesque ruins in 
 Ireland, and perhaps in the kingdom. It stands on 
 an isolated rock, one hundred feet above the sea, 
 and only reached from the mainland by a bridge — a 
 natural bridge — eighteen inches wide. It was built 
 as the residence of the McQuilliaus, and afterward 
 of the McDonalds, of Scotland, he having married 
 into the former family. The Scottish family are 
 still lords of Antrim and Dunluce. This castle is 
 the subject of endless tradition, and has been the 
 scene of many romantic as well as horrible events. 
 
 At length we reach the object of our day's trip — 
 the Giant's Causeway — quite unlike my anticipation. 
 All the way from Portrush we have been near the 
 sea, on bluffs two and three hundred feet high, 
 mostly of limestone, here and there deeply washed 
 into, and forming many wild caverns, through which 
 the roaring sea makes wild music. When we 
 reached the terminus we found the bluff increased 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 61 
 
 to five hundred feet somewhat back, leaving ample 
 room to go down among the basaltic rocks which, in 
 their regular arrangement and structure, give it its 
 name. To get a full view, we take a guide and 
 boat, and go out among the rocks swid coves at some 
 risk, as the swells are constantly tossing us among 
 the rocks; indeed, one corpulent lady fell into the 
 sea, and was with some difficulty rescued by two 
 sailors, who jumped in to aid her. The basaltic 
 promontory reaches some one thousand feet into the 
 sea. Man's art could hardly rival the nicety with 
 which the prisms tit each other. We can easily be- 
 lieve when told we walk over some fort}^ thousand 
 of these polished columns. We cannot tell all the 
 legends connected with the Giant's Well, the Por- 
 toon Cave, the Dunkerry Cave, the Giant's Amphi- 
 theater, Chimney Tops, and Gateway, which our 
 broguish guide told us, to say nothing of his second 
 eighteen-year-old wife and his seventeen children. 
 Here cometh the legend of the origin of the Giant's 
 Causewaj^, or cause- why: The giant, Finn McCoul, 
 was the champion of Ireland, and felt very much 
 aggrieved at the insolent boasting of a certain Cale- 
 donian giant, who offered to beat all who came be- 
 fore him, and even dared to tell Finn that if it were 
 not for the wetting of himself, he would swim over 
 and give him a drubbing. Finn at last applied to 
 the king, who not, perhaps, daring to question the 
 •doings of such a mighty man, gave him leave to con- 
 struct a causeway right across to Scotland, on which 
 the Scot walked over and fought the Irishman. Finn 
 turned out victor, and, with an amount of generos- 
 ity quite becoming his Hibernian descent, kindly 
 allowed his former rival to marry and settle in Ire- 
 land, which the Scot was nothing loth to do, seeing 
 that at that time living in Scotland was none of the 
 best; and everybody knows that Ireland is the 
 richest country in the world. Since the death of 
 
62 A Mbmphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 the giants, the causeway, being no longer wanted, 
 has sunk under the sea, only leaving a portion of 
 itself visible here, and a trifle at the Island of Rath- 
 lin and the portals of the grand gate on Staffa. 
 After six we retraced our course to Portrush, where 
 we stopped awhile to look at a nice granite monu- 
 ment reared in memory of Dr. Adam Clarke, the 
 great Methodist preacher, and author of those com- 
 mentaries so long the authority of Bible students. 
 We shall have occasion to remember Portrush, for, 
 on our arrival, at 2 p. m., and before going to the 
 Causeway, we were met by a band of music, and 
 escorted to the town-hall, where a sumptuous ban- 
 quet was in store for us, though we were one day 
 ahead of time. Englishmen, in white vests and 
 aprons, aided us beyond what we were able to help 
 ourselves to good things. We had new potatoes, 
 grown here this summer — this nearly fifty-five de- 
 grees north. Amusement mingled with the dinner 
 at the expense of a few more greed}- for the good 
 things than the others. By way of amusement, on 
 the table was a new something shaped like an 
 inverted bowl, with a tea saucer on the top filled 
 with candies and goodies; the whole structure was 
 white, like frosted cake. Our eager gourmands cut 
 into it; it was white and hard like tallow; visions 
 of something good and new whetted the appetites 
 of the tasters. A sudden elevation of nose, and 
 upturning of lips, with a look around to see if any- 
 body was watching them, plainly indicated that 
 they had sold themselves for naught — but tallow; 
 that it was, and nothing more. 
 
 At twelve, midnight, we reached the Victoria, 
 found supper waiting, and at one, after twenty- two 
 hours of day, sought our berths. 
 
 GrLASGOw, SCOTLAND, July 3, 1873. 
 We reached this place yesterday, coming up the 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 63 
 
 Clyde — for the most part man made the river, for, 
 said a Scotchman as we were sailing up, "My grand- 
 mother when a girl could step across it at Glasgow." 
 It has been dug and deepened like a canal, till now 
 it is the second shipping port in Great Britain, as 
 well as the second city of commercial importance. 
 Our approach to it was interesting; among other 
 places passing the death and burial-place of Robert 
 Bruce, and the famous Dumbarton Castle, where 
 for a long time Wallace, of Scottish historj^, had 
 his dwelling-place. It is live hundred and sixty 
 feet high, and a mile in circumference, a huge 
 double-peaked rock rising, almost completely sur- 
 rounded, from the river, or rather from the junction 
 of the Clyde and Leven Rivers. It is entered by a 
 gate at the bottom, and within among the relics is 
 Wallace's two-handed sword, five and one-half feet 
 in length. Its history is part of that of this country. 
 A little farther up the river we pass the remains of 
 an old tower, ivy-clad, from the midst of which 
 rises a lofty monumental shaft, on which we read as 
 we passed, "Henry Bell." He was the builder of 
 the first steam-boat on the Clyde, now a river on 
 which more iron steam-boats are made than in all 
 the world beside. Held in memorj^ beside a wharf 
 just above the monument, was the "Industry," 
 the second steam-boat built here; the first was called 
 the "Comet." On and on we sailed, looking right 
 and left upon some of those beautiful farms and 
 lawns of which we have read; mansions, parks, and 
 surroundings indicating wealth, culture, and age. 
 Our winding way was somewhat new, and perhaps 
 worthy of description. As the Clyde is very nar- 
 row, we had a steam-tug ahead and one astern of us, 
 so that when the Victoria would turn in some of 
 the windings, one tug would pull the prow of the 
 great ship one way, and the one at the stern pull 
 the other way. Thus we entered the city, passing 
 
64 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ship-yard after ship-yard, where the building of the 
 ocean steamers gives employment to many thousand 
 men. Iron steamers we could see in all stages of • 
 structure, from iron keels, and iron ribs, and iron 
 lungs, iron sides and iron decks, iron wheels and 
 iron ropes; and the clatter and clangor of ten thou- 
 sand iron hammers, mingled with the puffing and 
 piping steam-boats, and the oft-repeated cheers of 
 merry passengers on outward-bound ships, all served 
 to fill the mind with new delights. 
 
 Glasgow is the most prosperous city in Scotland; 
 and in wealth, population, and commercial impor- 
 tance is now the second in the United Kingdom; 
 in external appearance elegant and impressive, sub- 
 stantially built and regular in arrangement. It is 
 in the vicinity of extensive coal-fields, and has 
 ready access by the Clyde and the canal to the 
 Atlantic and German Oceans. Its present harbor, 
 called the Broomielaw, is a basin of about fifty 
 acres, with fine quays, and deep enough for the 
 largest vessels. Glasgow first grew wealthy in the 
 tobacco trade, and the prosperous men were called 
 tobacco lords. This trade failing, the cotton trade 
 took its place, and prosperity made this city master 
 of the cotton situation. Competition withdrew the 
 trade after awhile; and then, turning attention to 
 iron ship-building, she now rules the world in this 
 line of manufactures, and more than one-half a 
 million people occupy her dwellings. The one 
 great object of interest to the tourist here is the 
 Cathedral, founded more than seven hundred years 
 ago. So far it is the grandest structure I have 
 entered — massive, well-proportioned, and beautiful. 
 Sixteen years ago all the windows were put in 
 anew, richly colored, and enough of them to give a 
 pictorial history of Bible scenes commencing with 
 Adam and coming down through all subsequent 
 sacred history far this side of our Saviour's death 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 65 
 
 and ascension. As works of art, and specimens of 
 beautiful coloring, they can hardly be surpassed; 
 the perfection and richness of the colors can hardly 
 be surpassed; the perfection and richness of the 
 colors is worthy of all praise; but as true represen- 
 tations of Bible facts they are not trustworthy. For 
 instance, the prodigal son has a richer coloring to 
 his robes than the silks and satins of to-day, and 
 the poor widow dropping her mites into the treasury 
 has an elegance of drapery that the greatest devotee 
 of modern fashion might envy; and our Saviour, the 
 man without comeliness, and the poor he came to 
 help, all are clothed in bright and shining garments. 
 Pictorial truth and history here disagree, and yet 
 the colored tracing on the windows is strikingly 
 beautiful. Adjoining the Cathedral is the Necrop- 
 olis, a cemeterj^, in which are many beautiful mon- 
 uments of men renowned in history. Take that of 
 John Knox, whose power as a reformer the world 
 well knows. Here also is a monument to John 
 Dick, the Christian philosopher; through such men 
 Scotland became Protestant, and the Cathedral is 
 now Presbyterian, as this is the Established Church 
 of Scotland. As elsewhere, so here, Cromwell 
 meant to destrov this cathedral, and but for the de- 
 terniined resistance of one man it would have been 
 accomplished. Perhaps the most attractive building 
 in Glasgow is the Royal Exchange, built in 1829, 
 noted for its decorative architecture; and in front 
 of it is an equestrian statue in bronze of the Duke 
 of Wellington, costing, by subscription, fifty thou- 
 sand dollars. George's Square, the largest in the 
 city, incloses many monuments; one to Sir Walter 
 Scott is a Doric column, eighty feet in height, with 
 his statue on the top. At one corner of the square 
 is a bronze statue of James Watt; in another cor- 
 ner, one to Sir Robert Peel, while within the square 
 are bronze statues to Sir John Moore and Lord 
 
6Q A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Clvde, both natives of Glasgow. But I may not 
 dwell on the works of man iu the city. We take 
 cars and stages for mountain and lake scenery; and 
 it will not be uninterestingtoyour readers who have 
 read "The Lady of the Lake," to know that we fol- 
 lowed iu the very track of Fitz James, in his chase 
 along the shores of Loch Achray and Loch Katrine, 
 through the Trossachs, and among the bold moun- 
 tain peaks of Ben Nevis and Ben Lomond. Such 
 mountains, piled in confused grandeur around such 
 beautiful lakes, and such charming islands as Ellen's 
 Isle, have never before made such pleasing impres- 
 sions on my eyes, or called forth such sublime emo- 
 tion from my heart. The whole region round about 
 is made classic by the genius of Scott, whose stories 
 have their truth and illustration in these wild moun- 
 tains and lovely lakes. It was amid such scenery as 
 this we spent the Fourth of July, and many a hearty 
 cheer went echoing along the lakes and up the 
 mountains as from time to time we caught sight of 
 some little American flag that friends waved to us 
 as we passed their pleasure parties or their wild 
 mountain homes; for our coming is known in ad- 
 vance along the whole journey. It was a glorious 
 Fourth, though we wore overcoats all the day. We 
 have seen the glory of the natural Scotland. 
 
 Brussels, July 11, 1873. 
 
 Kind readers, once more I take up the pen to re- 
 cord some of the scenes through which I have 
 passed in the last few days. At Edinburgh we spent 
 two days — Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday 
 we visited the castle overlooking the city. Here a 
 bird's-eye view of the capital city amply repays the 
 toil of climbing to it. Only those who have visited 
 castles on the eminences of Scotland can form a 
 very clear conception of its size and strength. It is 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 67 
 
 one of four kept in repair and use in Scotland. In 
 this one are kept the crown and crown-jewels of 
 Scotland. Here are the rooms occupied by kings 
 and queens. We were shown the rooms down from 
 the window of which, in a basket, descended the 
 infant James, afterward king. Lovers of such rem- 
 nants of royalty may gaze with wonder at them if 
 they win. I am interested in them only so far as 
 they help to give history of the past a greater fresh 
 ness and reality. We pass to the occupied palace 
 of Holyrood, where we see the massive walls re- 
 quired to preserve the sacred persons of royalty. 
 We see where kings and queens have been born and 
 murdered — where queens were kept as prisoners, or 
 danced in rooms adorned with paintings of royal 
 ancestors. We see a splendid fountain, where a few 
 years since stood a statue of Queen Victoria, so 
 poorly executed that Prince Albert had it buried six 
 feet under the horse-stable, to be dug up by some 
 future generation, with as much wonder as the Car- 
 diff Giant. 
 
 We gaze with admiration on the splendid monu- 
 ments of Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and 
 others whom man delights to honor. We go to 
 church on the Lord's day, and hear a good, sound 
 sermon in the Tron Church, from Rev. Mr. McGregor, 
 D.D., in true Scottish Presbyterian style, as to dress 
 reforms. 
 
 Monday morning we start for Abbotsford, the 
 home of Sir Walter Scott. Here we spent some 
 hours looking through armorial halls, halls of paint- 
 ings, and his library of twenty thousand volumes ; 
 saw the many presents from time to time given him 
 by fond admirers of his genius; then, without, we 
 walked through ample grounds made beautiful by 
 his own genius, and left with a pleasant picture in 
 the mind of the palace of Abbotsford, on the Tweed. 
 
 Next, Melrose Abbey took an hour of our time in 
 
68 A Mempiiian's Tkip to Eukope. 
 
 looking at its still wonderfal ruins, once the finest 
 cathedral in all Scotland. Within it is buried the 
 heart of Bruce; for they have a strange way over 
 here of satisfying the Cathedral's desire for royal 
 remains, by giving part of the body to one, and 
 another to another — and parts or the whole of still 
 earlier kings. Besides a burial-place of royalty, it is 
 remarkable for its architecture, beautiful in its ruins 
 — the fine sculpture in stone, and the climbing ivy 
 to the very top, here and there adorning it with 
 living green. 
 
 Taking the cars, we are hurried along through 
 garden-like fields, where every rod is well tilled, and 
 grain-fields yellow with wild mustard, and red with 
 the poppy — here a troublesome weed. Next we pass 
 into an uncultivated region — the Downs — huge 
 sheep-pastures, where for miles we see neither tree, 
 nor fence, nor house; only sheep-cotes, and shep- 
 herds watching their fiocks far away on the plain, or 
 up the mountain sides. Hours pass, and we find 
 ourselves in the coal regions. Hillsides and valleys 
 are black with bituminous coal, and busy thousands 
 are engaged in bringing it to the surface. We skip 
 the city of Manchester, and pass through Sheffield, 
 noted for its cutlery manufactories. All along the 
 country is darkened by the smoke of so many iron- 
 making furnaces, that, as I gaze at all this — the mere 
 outside — I am inclined to think that, as an ao^ricul- 
 tural people, they are busily engaged in raising — 
 coal; and in like manner, their chief manufacture 
 is — smoke. 
 
 At 7:30 p. M. we enter Derby, to find the streets 
 and depot crowded with thousands of men, women, 
 and children, gathered there to see "the Ameri- 
 cans." We are a hundred and fifty, and our coming 
 is known ; for in the spacious halls of the Midland 
 Kailroad Station has been provided our dinner. His 
 Honor the Mayor presides, surrounded by other 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 69 
 
 dignitaries of the city. Here we have a real English 
 test of hospitality — good things in abundance to 
 eat, beautiful flowers to adorn the table, English 
 and American flags to embellish the room, and 
 English men and women to eat and drink with us in 
 friendly cheer. Drinking toasts to the Queen and 
 the President, and the others, with speeches of wel- 
 come and the replies, filled up the time till 11 o'clock, 
 when we, tired, sought our beds. 
 
 l^ext morning we were borne onward by cars — an 
 especial train of twelve cars, which, thus far, has 
 been at our disposal — to Alton Towers. Here is the 
 palatial home of the Earl of Shrewsbury — the pre- 
 mier or first Earl in rank in England, though not 
 the wealthiest, having an income of only <£50,000, 
 or $250,000 — the owner of several estates like this, 
 some twenty-five miles in length by &ve or more in 
 breadth. His income is from the rental of his 
 lands, averaging about five dollars an acre for what 
 is good enough to let. "We w^ere met by his private 
 brass band, and escorted by them to the chapel, 
 where for an hour we gazed on the rich adornments 
 of the spacious room, or listened to the true English 
 style of service. After this we were guided through 
 splendid halls, made so by paintings of ancestors and 
 royal personages, sculpture such as only the wealthy 
 can purchase, and furniture massive and elegant. 
 Koom after room was shown to us, though at every 
 door stood a soldier on guard, ^ext we wandered 
 through sixty acres of the prettiest garden scenery 
 I ever saw. Flowers of every kind, in all conceiva- 
 ble places— in dells, caverns, or terraces, in ponds, 
 in hot-houses, with towers, Swiss cottages, Chinese 
 towers — all extremely beautiful, and not easily de- 
 scribed. A great flower-show was held at the same 
 time, in tents within the garden, to which all the 
 people from the country round had gathered. This 
 show is like our fair, in this : the show is limited 
 
70 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 to flowers and plants, for which prizes are offered. 
 So on gathered and skillfully-arranged flowers we 
 gazed in pleasure. E"ext, in a tent with our flag 
 above it, the Earl gave us a dinner, followed, as at 
 Derb}^, with toasts and speeches. At 9 o'clock we 
 were in London. 
 
Letter from Miss Hattie Sianard. 71 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard, Des Moines, Iowa. 
 
 Glasgow, Scotland, July 3, 1873. 
 
 Editor Iowa School Journal: — Yes, at last we 
 have realized our fondest hopes — we have been 
 tossed on the mountain waves of the broad Atlan- 
 tic — we are in Europe. And yet with all that^ we 
 would not forget our promise to the Iowa School 
 Journal; for we have pleasant recollections of the 
 past, and do not wish to be forgotten by our Iowa 
 friends. After tearing ourselves away from them 
 on that memorable Wednesday afternoon, we went 
 into the car, and after watering a bouquet that had 
 been pressed into our hand at the last moment with 
 a few tears — not from any sense of duty, but be- 
 cause we had a cinder in our eye, for our thoughts 
 were really too sad to find the relief that tears 
 bring — we concluded that we had been as miserable 
 as we could, so we ended that scene and have had 
 a good time ever since. 
 
 We spent one day in Cleveland, Ohio; and right 
 here let me say, if any of our friends ever stop in 
 that beautiful city, be sure to ride out on Euclid 
 street. We think it one of the handsomest streets 
 to be found in America. 
 
 At Niagara we spent one day listening to the 
 "Thunder of Waters," and the everlasting "Have 
 your picture taken? Do it cheaper than any one 
 else; only three dollars and a-half." We could 
 
72 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 enjoy it for fifty or sixt}^ times, but there was a 
 great deal of sameness about it when Ave heard it at 
 every step (we refer to the latter). We could listen 
 to Niagara forever, and it would always remind us 
 of the power and greatness of Him who hath made 
 all things, the small as well as the great, and who 
 careth for all. 
 
 We enjoyed the day very much, and especially 
 when we were done up in an oil-cloth hood and 
 frock, accompanied by some high rubber boots, and 
 went under the falls, helped along by a good-na- 
 tured guide, who every once in a while said, "How 
 do you like it as far as you have gone ?" At half- 
 past five p. M. we left for l^ew York by way of the 
 Hudson River. Were somewhat disappointed with 
 the scenery on the Hudson; having heard so much 
 in its favor, we expected more than we saw. Ar- 
 rived in the metropolis about noon, Friday. Spent 
 the afternoon in Central Park; would have liked a 
 week to spend there, but no, the time had come, 
 the most eventful day, thus far, of our lives, when 
 we were to sail on our first ocean voyage; and it 
 was with every hope inspired that we were carried 
 out of the hotel in the arms of the accommodating 
 porter, loaded into a hack, and driven to pier num- 
 ber twenty, where we went aboard the Victoria, 
 our home for the next nine days. 
 
 We have a fine steamer, and every thing more 
 than meets our expectations. A jolly company of 
 one hundred and forty-five, representing twenty- 
 three states of the Union, good state-rooms, oblig- 
 ing officers, stewards, and stewardesses; nice things 
 to eat, and such an appetite! We think the 
 Anchor Line will not make very much ofi:" this 
 company, we are too regular at meals, and there 
 has been so little sea-sickness. What we miss most 
 at table is the bread. When we asked a pensive- 
 looking steward, "Why is this thus?" his eyes 
 
Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard. 73 
 
 brightened (they like to tell stories), and straight- 
 ening himself back, he said, "Once we had a baker, 
 we trusted him, but away back in I^ew York he 
 got angry, went off on a spree, and just as the ves- 
 sel was about to leave he rushed aboard, seized the 
 yeast, and yeast nor man has ever been heard of 
 since, madam." Then drawingalongsigh, he walked 
 slowly back to the regions of cookerjdom, in a way 
 that would cause us to never mention bread again. 
 We have heard of some who doubted the story, but 
 we believe it; we feel sure tbat that steward "can- 
 not tell a lie, pa." 
 
 This is the first time crossing the ocean for the 
 most of our party, and life on ship-board is so dif- 
 ferent from what we had thought, that with all our 
 guide-books and kind advice from friends, we find 
 that one needs to make one trip across in order to 
 know how to go and what to take. I think, how- 
 ever, that the most of us remembered to leave our 
 formality at home, as well as our Sunday clothes. 
 For amusements we have occasionally a shark, 
 whale,* or porpoise, and in the evening, after devo- 
 tional exercises, we usually have something literary, 
 and then games of all sorts, "and yet we are not 
 happy," for we have not been sea-sick, and are afraid 
 we may die without ever knowing what the feeling 
 is. It is quite amusing to see the different kinds of 
 sea-sick people. Some went to their berths at once, 
 even before the steamer sailed, though for two days 
 the sea was very calm — no more motion than on a 
 river — but they were afraid they might be sick. 
 Others kept several kinds of remedies on hand, and 
 v/ould take a sip of each every once in a while. 
 The only wonder to me is that there is as much left 
 of them as there is. Some lie whining in^ their 
 state-rooms, and their friends take them huge plates 
 of raisins, tigs, nuts, etc. Their only wish is that 
 they were back on land again, and I think it is all 
 4 
 
74 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 the wish their fellow-passengers have for them. 
 Others look cross, and grumble. We think their 
 only wish is to be let alone. This latter class is 
 composed mostly of the stronger-minded. We saw 
 one of them, a man (they are mostly men), dragged 
 about the deck in spite of himself for nearly an 
 hour, by two large females. The majority belong 
 to a more sensible class, who stay as much as pos- 
 sible in the pure air, enjoy every thing there is to 
 be enjoyed, and forget to be sick. Perhaps it is the 
 novelty, but we think the two Sabbaths spent on 
 the ocean among the pleasantest of our lives. Of 
 all places, there seems to be no place more appro- 
 priate, or more natural, to worship God than on the 
 deck of an ocean steamer, for then do we see how 
 completely we are in his power, and those who 
 have never trusted him before it seems must trust 
 him there. 
 
 The first Sabbath services were conducted in the 
 morning by Rev. Mr. Witherspoon, of University 
 of Virginia. After reading that beautiful 104th 
 Psalm, and all joining in singing " Rock of Ages," 
 he discoursed on the reasonableness of being a 
 Christian; then all sang "Nearer, my God, to thee." 
 When we heard those voices of different nationali- 
 ties, and from nearly every state in the Union, join- 
 ing ill those beautiful hymns, we understood the 
 meaning of the "communion of saints." The ser- 
 mon on last Sabbath was not less interesting — given 
 by Rev. Mr. Barrows. Text: "Come unto me all 
 ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give 
 you rest." We were sorry and disgusted to see 
 teachers forming little religious "rings," the Metho- 
 dist Episcopals in one group, the Presbyterians in 
 another. Episcopalians in atiother, etc. Only thir- 
 teen preachers aboard — five Presbyterian, four Meth- 
 odist Episcopal, two Congregational, one Baptist, 
 one Episcopalian. 
 
Letter pkom Miss Hattie Stanard. 75 
 
 Here we do not look at the clock for the time, 
 but listen for the bells: One bell, one-half o'clock; 
 two bells, one o'clock; three bells, half-past one; 
 four bells, two o'clock; five bells, half-past two; six 
 bells, three o'clock; seven bells, half-past three; 
 eight bells, four o'clock; then commence at one 
 bell again. 
 
 The first few days out the sea was very calm, and 
 when we touched the Gulf Stream the atmosphere 
 was warm, the water a beautiful green, quite differ- 
 ent from the dark blue of the ocean. About the 
 fourth day there came up a stiff gale, and then the 
 ship was "rolled to larboard, rolled to starboard." 
 At night we would go to our berths thinking of 
 what Grace Greenwood thought when trying to 
 sleep in Sacramento during the earthquake, "Rock 
 me to sleep, mother," only we thought father, 
 instead of mother. We heard of one "bloated 
 aristocrat" who was rolled out of his berth, but 
 when we saw his robust form, we were surprised 
 that he could stay in in the calmest night, and did 
 not blame old ocean. Life at sea is an exceedingly 
 lazy life. Some came -on board with " stern deter- 
 mination flashing in their eagle eyes," and carrying 
 huge portfolios, books, fancy-work, and we saw one 
 lady with sewing the second day ; but before the 
 third day Avas ended this enterprising woman, like 
 all the rest, -had subsided, as far as work was con- 
 cerned, and had gone to sucking lemons. There 
 are two things — the ocean, and a sunset on the 
 ocean — that we will not attempt to describe, feeling 
 sure that if we did it would be a failure. There is 
 something too grand about them to express. It 
 must be seen to be appreciated, and then we think 
 it will never leave one's memory. 
 
 We landed off Moville, July 1st, after making 
 the shortest trip ever made bj^ the Anchor Line. 
 There we met Mr. Cook, junior, who had his ar- 
 
76 A Memphian's Trip to Europe, 
 
 rangements all made for the day, and took us in a 
 tug to Londonderry, eighteen miles, a nice place of 
 twenty thousand inhabitants, where w^e took the 
 train for Portrush, thirty miles, passing through 
 Colraine, an old place, but nothing of particular in- 
 terest to be seen. The railway carriages are very 
 different from our cars, and we think pleasanter, 
 being smaller and more secluded. They do not 
 have conductors here on the cars, but guards, and 
 no boys go through the trains selling pea-nuts, prize 
 packages, etc. Portrush is the stopping-place for 
 visitors to the Giant's Causeway, and there are 
 many things of interest there besides the causeway. 
 After a nice lunch, and a short speech from our 
 ** chief cook," we all went in jaunting-cars to the 
 causeway, a distance of about eight miles, passing 
 the Castle of Dunluce, about two miles from Port- 
 rush, which is considered one of the most interest- 
 ing castles in the kingdom. We had a very intelli- 
 gent driver, a native of the "Emerald Isle," who, 
 when we wound him up at the start, went on talk- 
 ing the rest of the day, telling us all he knew, and, 
 as we afterward found, some things he did not 
 know. At the causeway our company was divided 
 into several smaller parties, with a guide for each. 
 One of the most noticeable things at the causeway is 
 the "Giant's Organ," a great colonnade of pillars 
 reaching to a height of one hundred and twenty feet. 
 Farther east another variety is presented, the 
 "Chimney Tops," three pillars, the tallest of which 
 is forty-five feet. They stand upon an isolated rock 
 some distance from the cliff'. It is said that these 
 chimney tops were cannonaded from one of the 
 ships of the Spanish Armada. It was in the night, 
 and the crew mistook them for the "chimneys" of 
 Bunluce Castle. We sat in the "Lady's Wishing 
 Chair," and wished the wdsh that is to forever after 
 make us happy. One of the singularities of the 
 
Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard. 77 
 
 immense number of columns is that there ia but 
 one of three sides. More numerous are those of five 
 sides, but the most have six sides, a few with as 
 many as seven, eight, or nine sides, but none often. 
 The road from Portrush to the causeway lies 
 along the beach, and is a very beautiful drive. At 
 Portrush we saw Dr. Clarke's monument. All en- 
 joyed the day very much, and we think came back 
 with higher ideas of Ireland than we had ever had 
 before. The people crowded the depots, with smil- 
 ing faces, and kind words of welcome, and at Port- 
 rush the band came out and played us several tunes, 
 such as "Yankee Doodle," "Our Country," "Star 
 Spangled Banner," etc. We reached the Victoria 
 at twelve o'clock p. m., tired but happy, for we had 
 seen far more than we had expected to see. Two 
 things that are scarce in Ireland are school-houses 
 and cemeteries. Our driver said they had to kill a 
 man to start a cemetery at Portrush. Three hearty 
 cheers for Old Ireland and Scotland, we say. 
 
78 A Memphian's Trip to Eceopb. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Eev. C. W. Gushing, President of Auburndale College, Massa- 
 chusetts, writes the following to the Boston Traveller : 
 
 June 21, 1 p.m., 1873. 
 
 Cook's Educational Tour. — We are all afloat. The 
 party consists of one hundred and sixty-five, and 
 quite a majority are ladies. Two of the number 
 have failed to come to time. All seem very happy 
 as yet, for old l!^eptune is asleep. We are hoping 
 no one will awaken him at present. Cook, Son & 
 Jenkins have done every thing in their power to get 
 us ofl' in good shape. They certainly know their 
 business. Our goodly steamer Yictoria is every inch 
 a queen. I will tell you more of her when I know 
 more. I send by mail a printed list of the names of 
 the party. A more select-looking company could 
 not easily be found. I send you this line by the 
 pilot, from off Sandy Hook. More anon if — sailors 
 know what. 
 
 Mayence, Germany, July 15, 1873. 
 
 Since reaching Scotland we have been traveling 
 over enchanted fields, wandering through the silent 
 halls of palaces and castles which belonged to other 
 days and other epochs of historj^, and roaming amid 
 delectable mountains. But I want to break the 
 thread of our itinerary just here, long enough to 
 
Letters from Eev. C. W. Gushing. 79 
 
 'give you a brief sketch of two Sabbaths — one in 
 Scotland, and the other in Germany. 
 
 After spend! no; one day in Glasgow, we went, on 
 July 4th, to StirHng Castle — of which I cannot tell 
 you now — crossing the battle-fields of Bannockburn 
 and Stirling Bridge, through Loch Katrine, Loch 
 Lomond, and the Trossachs, to Edinburgh. Here 
 we spent our first Sabbath on shore. In the morn- 
 ing our whole party went, by special invitation, to 
 the old Tron Church, to listen to a sermon from the 
 eminent Dr. McGregor. He is a man scarcely more 
 than forty years of age, of medium size, quite de- 
 formed when seen out of the pulpit, of very dark 
 complexion, with curly hair nearly black, and a full 
 black beard. His face is very marked, especially 
 his eye and forehead. He has a rich Scotch voice, 
 with their marked inflections, brogue, and broad 
 vowel sounds. His text was from Matthew iv 1, 2, 
 etc., and his theme the temptation of Christ. The 
 sermon was a very striking one, full of richest 
 thought and suggestions, and delivered with an en- 
 thusiasm and fervor which kindled his whole audience 
 into rapture. I am sure the sermon will not soon 
 be forgotten by any who heard it. A few fitting 
 words were addressed directly to the American vis- 
 itors at the conclusion of the sermon. During the 
 day I managed to hear two other sermons — one from 
 the venerable Dr. Alexander, and the other from 
 Dr. Scott, and the most of a sermon from the Kev. 
 Dr. Wallace, the reformer in the Established Church. 
 All these sermons, as you would expect, were very 
 rich treats. But what I want especially to speak 
 of is the marked features of a Sabbath in Scotland. 
 In the first place, no horse-cars (or tram-ways, so 
 they call them) are running, and there is scarcely 
 an}^ driving, and very little walking on the streets, 
 except by those who are going to church, and it 
 really seems as though this embraced everybody. 
 
80 A Memphian's Thip to Europe. 
 
 After service in the evening, I vv^alked out with an 
 Edinburgh gentleman through the lower parts of 
 the city, and found every thing quiet and orderly. 
 I saw one small place where beer was sold standing 
 open, but nobody was buying. In the churches 
 there was no spare room — all were filled. But the 
 earnest attention of the audience was what impressed 
 me most. I looked about the house for listless ones. 
 Surely, I said, some of these boys and girls will be 
 gazing about. But I did not find such, though I 
 have no doubt that such may have been in the au- 
 dience. So far as I could see, old men and women, 
 young men and maidens, and even the children, had 
 their eyes fixed intently upon the preacher, while 
 the expression upon their faces indicated a deep in- 
 terest in what was said. 
 
 It was really delightful and cheering to spend a 
 Sabbath under such circumstances. There is none 
 of that looseness about the observance of the day 
 which is seen in our own country, even in Puritanic 
 'New England. I do not suppose that everybody 
 went to church, or that every one who remained at 
 home regarded the day as it ought to be; but there 
 was certainly a much more general regard of it than 
 I have been accustomed to see; and an indication 
 of a prevailing religious sentiment, a high-toned 
 faith in the Bible and Sabbath, which was refreshing 
 to a Christian. I am inclined to think that Edin- 
 burgh has a reputation for such Sabbaths; for an 
 Englishman asked me on our way up if we were to 
 spend a Sabbath there. I told him we expected to. 
 "Well," said he, "you will find it the dullest place 
 you were ever in. There is nothing going on on 
 Sunday." "Indeed," said I, "don't they have re- 
 ligious services?" "0 yes," said he, "plenty of 
 that; but there is nothing else going on." 
 
 Our next Sabbath found us at Cologne, a remarka- 
 bly quiet and orderly little city, but under entirely 
 
Letters from Rev. C. W. Cushing. 81 
 
 different religious influences. The first thing that 
 impressed me as I stepped upon the street was the 
 fact that the stores were all open, and the markets 
 in full blast. A little later in the day multitudes 
 began to gather in the beer and wine-gardens. 
 Crossing the Rhine to the old town of Cologne, we 
 encountered a long procession of men, women, boys, 
 and girls, led by Catholic priests and a large number 
 of novitiates, in full regalia, parading the streets 
 with bands of music in honor of St. Michael. The 
 streets, for miles, were strewed with the branches of 
 trees and with flowers, while in nearly every window 
 along the whole line of the procession were images 
 and burning candles. A large number of the men 
 carried immense candles, burning, while over the 
 heads of themore venerable priests were borne large 
 golden canopies. All along the line children and 
 adults were either singing or counting their beads 
 aloud. In the old cathedral — by far the grandest 
 which we have seen yet — services were held half- 
 hourly, though comparatively few were in attend- 
 ance, excepting at children's service, at 2 o'clock. 
 
 A little away from the cathedral the museum and 
 other public buildings were all open, and were 
 crowded. At 11 o'clock we attended the English 
 Chapel services, where seventy-five persons were 
 present. 
 
 In the afternoon, just in front of our hotel, there 
 was a grand swimming match, which was announced 
 by the firing of cannon. All day the river was filled 
 with the boats of pleasure-parties. At 3 o'clock 
 P.M. the government band came into the garden of 
 our hotel, and began a grand concert, which was 
 kept up, with occasional intermissions, until 10 
 o'clock at night. At half-past seven our party held 
 a short prayer-meeting in one of the dining-rooms, 
 amid the playing of the band and the drinking of 
 wine and beer "just outside. Coming from our 
 4,^ 
 
82 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 prayer-meeting, our landlord announced that they 
 were going to close up the entertainment with a few 
 fireworks. So just on the veranda of our hotel, 
 fronting on the Rhine, we had for an hour a magnifi- 
 cent display of fireworks, as the closing ceremony of 
 our first Sabbath under the German regime. 
 
 Let those who would introduce the German type 
 of Sabbath into America, ponder. 
 
The Educational Party in Edinburgh. 83 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 [I copy from the Edinburgh Daily Review the following, 
 omitting the speeches of Mr. Thinex, who presided. Dr. 
 Donaldson made an address, the concluding paragraph of 
 which I copy.] 
 
 The American Educational Party in JEclinhurgh. — 
 On Saturday morning we announced the arrival in 
 Edinburgh of the large party of Americans who are 
 presently making a short excursion into the Old 
 World, under the guidance of the veteran manager 
 of tours, Mr. John Cook. Twenty-seven years ago 
 Mr. Cook first appeared among the citizens of the 
 Scotch metropolis with a party of ^vq hundred 
 English tourists, who were bent on exploring our 
 historically interesting, and naturally beautiful, 
 country. Since then his field of operations has 
 gradually extended until it now embraces the whole 
 world. The chief theater of his tours is, however, 
 the European Continent, over which he yearl}^ 
 guides hundreds and thousands — among the luxuri- 
 ant vineyards of France and Italy, the fertile plains 
 of Holland, the romantic towns of Germany, the 
 gorgeous scenery of the Rhine, and the almost in- 
 accessible valleys of Switzerland. The party at 
 present under his charge, numbering one hundred 
 and fifty, consists principally of teachers — ladies 
 and gentlemen, collected from twenty-seven differ- 
 ent States of America — together with several pro- 
 fessors and gentlemen of the press. About fifty of 
 them are acting on the present occasion as corres- 
 
84 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 pendents of newspapers, so that doubtless the im- 
 pressions which they receive of the places which 
 they visit during their sojourn in Europe will be 
 widely disseminated amongst the myriad inhabitants 
 of the United States. Before starting, the party 
 was divided into four sections, each of whose pro- 
 gramme of operations differs slightly from that of 
 the others. One of the sections only reached Scot- 
 land on Saturday with the steamer Canada, of the 
 Anchor Line, and will join the main body of ex- 
 cursionists at London during the week. 
 
 At eight o'clock the lecture hall of the Industrial 
 Museum w^as crowded by an audience of Edinburgh 
 citizens, congregated to welcome the members of 
 the Educational Party from America. The members 
 of the excursion committee occupied seats on the 
 platform, and the remainder of the Americans were 
 accommodated immediately in front. 
 
 Dr. Donaldson then gave a brief account of the 
 early education of Sir Walter Scott, at the High 
 School of Edinburgh, and the progress that he 
 made, as illustrative of the pleasing and interesting 
 nature of a teacher's duties. The great object they 
 ought to have in view was to look after the interest 
 of the average boy. There was no doubt that they 
 exercised a mighty power in the molding of na- 
 tions; and if they spread sweetness through the 
 boys, if their class-rooms were filled with gentle 
 thoughts and gentle ways, if the bitterness of judg- 
 ment were removed, if they tried to do justice to 
 every nationality in dealing with the histor}- of na- 
 tions, to bring out the good points, to show that 
 the evil points were in most part shadows which 
 grew around the central figure when it came into 
 the sunlight, then, depend upon it, wars would 
 cease, they would see nation joining hand with na- 
 tion, and should bring forth that happy time men- 
 tioned by the poet Burns, when men shall be 
 
The Educational Party in Edinburgh. 85 
 
 brothers over the whole world. (Applause.) He 
 begged in the name' of the whole of the teachers 
 of Scotland to express how heartily they welcomed 
 their brethren from America, how they were de- 
 lighted to see those who labored in the same great 
 work, and how earnestly they hoped that the pres- 
 ent visit should be an enjoyable and profitable one, 
 which should soon be repeated. (Applause.) 
 
 Hev. T. D. Witherspoon (Virginia University), 
 who was received with enthusiastic cheers, said he 
 expressed the feelings of every member of their 
 American party when he gave expression to their 
 profound thanks for the manifestation which they 
 had received that evening of the kindly feeling and 
 generous hospitality of the citizens of Edinburgh. 
 This was not the first welcome which they had re- 
 ceived to Old Scotland. The chairman had spoken 
 of the lines of steamers which connect the United 
 Kingdom and America, and from the moment that 
 they left ^N^ew York city and entered the steamer 
 that was to bring them to Europe, they felt that 
 Scotland had already put forth her hand not only 
 to w^elcome them, but had reached forth her hand 
 to take them and bear them to her own country. The 
 vessel in which they came was built on the banks 
 of the Clyde — (applause) — and if only a sufficient 
 number of similar vessels so stout and good should 
 be built there, and if only such commanders could 
 be found in Scotland as Captain Robert E. Munroe, 
 and if only such conductors and guides as Messrs. 
 Cook & Sons could be provided for them, he safely 
 believed it would be only a short time until the 
 people of Scotland and America would be so well 
 connected with each other that they would scarcely- 
 know that there was any dift'erence between them. 
 (Applause.) ISTor was it only the feehngs of cordi- 
 ality which they met with on the vessel, but when 
 looking over the list of officers they read the names 
 
86 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 of Munroe, Laird, Knox, Harrison, Stockdale, and 
 others — all of them names that were connected 
 with historic epochs in Scotland — they felt peculiar 
 security in resting upon the hardihood, faith, and 
 integrity of the Scottish people. On the first day 
 of their sail from America there appeared in the 
 midst of them a warm, generous-hearted Scotch- 
 man, who bore another name — a historic name, cel- 
 ebrated not only in Scotland, but renowned across 
 the water — the name of Cunningham. (Applause.) 
 They had hoped to have had him with them that 
 evening, but he had been prevented from coming. 
 He gave them both his hands, and represented to 
 them that they should find a hearty welcome when 
 they came to Scotland. Let him say that they had 
 found it, that they had not been disappointed, but 
 had received everywhere evidences of kindly feel- 
 ing. He spoke in the name of the whole American 
 party when he declared that they felt the verj^ deep- 
 est interest in all that concerned the ancient and 
 historical renown of this country. There were 
 many of them in the party who could not only 
 quote those beautiful words from Scott which were 
 quoted by the chairman that evening, but who could 
 take them up where he left them oB' — 
 
 Land of our sires; what traitor's hand 
 Shall e'er untie the filial band 
 That binds us to thy native strand ? 
 
 (Applause.) The blood of Scotland was in their 
 veins, and though it had been watered by ten gene- 
 rations in America, and though they were proud of 
 being connected with the rise and progress of 
 American institutions, yet all that was connected 
 with the ancient and historical fame of Scotland, 
 and that was connected with its present prosperity 
 and progress, was dear to their hearts. (Applause.) 
 And as they wandered to-day through this beautiful 
 
The Educational Party in Edinbureh. 87 
 
 city — majestically beautiful beyond all that they had 
 conceived — as they had visited the Castle and visited 
 the Palace, and all the institutions of the city, they 
 had felt a just and honest pride themselves in all 
 that they had beheld. (Applause.) Yet, farther, 
 let him say that if in America the spirit of devotion 
 to right and truth had been manifested, its fires had 
 been kindled in great measure by memories of the 
 grand and historical struggles for right and liberty 
 which make the history of Scotland. (Applause.) 
 In visiting the field of Bannockburn and the town 
 of Stirling, and other places of interest, they felt 
 that they were theirs as well as ours. (Applause.) 
 He would not occupy the time, however — (applause, 
 and cries of "Go on!") — but would leave to his 
 friend. Rev. Professor Gushing, who was to follow 
 him, the task of replying to the address which had 
 been delivered by the learned doctor who had just 
 spoken. He concluded, remarking that if Mr. Gook 
 brought one hundred and twenty Scottish men and 
 women to America, they would receive in return as 
 hearty a welcome as they had received in Scotland. 
 (Loud applause.) 
 
 Professor Charles Gushing said he thought he 
 knew why he was in Scotland, but he really did not 
 know why he was standing just where he did. He 
 had learned when a little boy to love Scotland, and 
 he was only realizing, all too briefly, the dreams of 
 his boyhood, for he was born in Caledonia — in the 
 JSTew World, up in the State of Vermont. (Laugh- 
 ter.) He had to leave it when a little boy, and 
 thought if he was a man he should certainly visit 
 the original Caledonia. When he became older, and 
 put away boyish things somewhat — he did not know 
 whether it was because he was born in Caledonia, or 
 not — but he found the one who was to stand by his 
 side — his dear wife — had a good deal of Scottish 
 blood in her veins, and a good deal of Scottish bloom 
 
88 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 in her face, and be rejoiced now to be bere in Scot- 
 land. During the last two or three days he bad 
 been wandering with this party of teachers over the 
 beautiful and historical fields, and lakes, and cities 
 of Scotland, and had stood upon the sites where 
 noble men had stood, and wandered down by lakes 
 where had been pointed out the haunts of Roderick 
 Dhu and Rob Roy, and had stood where Burns, and 
 Scott, and John Knox, and Erskine, and those noble 
 men stood. He had felt sometimes as if he almost 
 heard voices behind him saying, "Put off thy shoes 
 from thy feet, for the place where thou standest is 
 holy ground." The impression had been left upon 
 bis mind that they were a very young people in 
 America; they had no history. They had entered 
 old castles here, and asked the guides — perhaps they 
 ought to have been ashamed of their io^norance of 
 history — when they were erected, and they had been 
 told it was not known. (Laughter.) He had been 
 tojd that more than once. They were now in aland 
 where there were castles and temples standing so 
 old that it made them feel that they were very young, 
 and that they ought to feel that they knew very 
 little, and he was glad to be here in Scotland, where 
 there had been so many famous men — and women 
 too — and where they might catch a little inspiration 
 from that old history, and be re'impressed with the 
 feelings which they had so often felt, and he was 
 sure as teachers they should go home again and toil 
 — for the teacher's life was a life of toil ; some of them 
 did not know it, but it was — with a great deal more 
 enthusiasm and a great deal more courage. About 
 half of their number were practical teachers. (Ap- 
 plause.) He was glad to say that the majority of 
 them were. ladies. (Renewed applause.) Almost all 
 of them were subordinate teachers. The professors 
 and presidents of their colleges had been in Scotland, 
 and been through Europe, and could take time for it; 
 
The Educational Party in Edinburgh. 89 
 
 but the subordinate teachers had to run away durino* 
 a summer vacation, when the boj^s and girls had gone 
 home for a few weeks. They had come to catch a 
 little inspiration from these old historic tields, and 
 now they were glad to be here. They regretted ex- 
 ceedingly that they could not meet directly with the 
 teachers of Scotland in their places of work, and see 
 how they worked. They were trying in America, 
 in the States, as well as they could to do a little. 
 They were trying to do much, and they hoped they 
 were doing a little, to educate the people as they 
 ought to be educated. (Applause.) They had not 
 the men and women — especially the men — of fame 
 which they had in Scotland. They had no such 
 reputation, but they were working in their own w^ay, 
 in common places amongst the people. Of course, 
 they were Republicans (applause), and the only se- 
 curity of the Republic was integrity and intelligence 
 in every individual man and woman. (Hear, hear.) 
 Every boy was to be a prince of the realm; he was 
 ultimately to stand in a place where he would have 
 as much voice to decide the destinies of the Govern- 
 ment as any other man. It mattered not what his 
 character was, what his attainments were. And so 
 they felt that their life depended upon the thorough 
 education of the masses of the people. It was for 
 that reason, he supposed, that the efforts in America 
 had been attracted so specially to the education of 
 the people everywhere. In their public schools they 
 were gathering in, so far as they could, and educat- 
 ing the boys and girls; and just now there w^as an 
 effort being made to give to their girls and young 
 women a more thorough education than they ever 
 had. Some of the best colleges and universities had 
 thrown open their doors, and though that might not 
 be the best education for girls — he doubted very 
 much if it was after they were fifteen years of age — 
 still they were throwing the doors open for the ex- 
 
90 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 periraent of allowing the girls to stand side bj side 
 with boys and young men to determine what they 
 could do. There was no question what they should 
 do; the only question was, what was the best wa}^ 
 to have it done, and the best circumstances under 
 which it should be done. A very large majority of 
 the teachers in their common, and often higher, 
 schools, excepting colleges, were ladies. (Applause.) 
 But he heard it said every now and again that women 
 could not teach so well as men. He always met 
 that charge by remarking that there was no reason 
 why they should be expected to do so, for no nation 
 had ever given women any thing like the same op- 
 portunities of making preparation to teach as had 
 been given to men. (Applause.) He should not 
 expect women to teach Latin and Greek, when men 
 received six or eight years of thorough drill, and 
 women only got perhaps one or two years for the 
 study of Latin, if they ever study Greek at all. In 
 America a great deal w^as said about educating 
 women for the best positions, and they were striv- 
 ing to balance the whole, and to give not only to 
 children of every class and condition opportunities 
 for common education, but to give to every class 
 alike, and to both sexes, equal opportunities for edu- 
 cation ; and they felt that when they shall have done 
 this, that they shall have done what no other na- 
 tion, not even Scotland, has done for the elevation 
 of the race. (Applause.) On behalf of the teachers 
 present he thanked the meeting for the cordial wel- 
 come they had received, not as Americans, but as 
 teachers. Teachers only knew how to sympathize 
 with one another. When they sat down to talk 
 they understood each other's trials and each other's 
 toils; and he only regretted that their limited time 
 prevented them from seeing the teachers of Scot- 
 land conducting their classes, and making such men 
 as they had been accustomed to make in Scotland. 
 
The Educational Party in Edinburgh. 91 
 
 If the}^ could .get "but an idea in the day or two the}^ 
 were here, they should be more than compensated 
 for any toil and inconvenience they had experienced 
 since they had left the shores of their own country. 
 (Applause.) 
 
 While the professor was speaking the Lord Pro- 
 vost entered the lecture-hall, and was received with 
 loud cheering. At the conclusion of the learned 
 professor's address, 
 
 The Lord Provost said that it was with extreme 
 regret that he had been unable to be present at the 
 commencement of the proceedings, owing to his 
 having been engaged on a public duty which took 
 him to the country. He had written to say such 
 might be the case; but if it had not been for the 
 proverbial lateness of the trains on a certain railway, 
 he should have been there in time. He congratu- 
 lated upon their arrival in this old country the distin- 
 guished party who had come over from the United 
 States. Our American cousins were objects of pe- 
 culiar interest, and at the same time we might say 
 we loved them as our sons and daughters. (Ap- 
 plause.) "When he thought of what that country, so 
 great and yet in embryo, might become, compared 
 with ourselves at the end of a very short period, 
 when many of the young people present would be 
 still living — that it would contain two hundred mil- 
 lions of people, whilst this country would remain in 
 about the same ratio as at present — he thought they 
 would agree with him in congratulating themselves 
 in being waited upon by a deputation of that people 
 who were to spread our name and fame, and our lan- 
 guage and customs, and our religion, over that vast 
 continent. (Applause.) If, in the future, any jealousy 
 should be excited on the part of the one nation to- 
 ward the other, when that time came, he thought that 
 country, which was so great and so powerful, would 
 look back to and respect the country to which it 
 
92 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 owed its name and existence, and which, though 
 comparatively small and feeble, was the land to which 
 it ow^ed its origin, and from which it derived its 
 greatness. He congratulated the members of the 
 American party, in the name of the citizens of Ed- 
 inburgh, upon their arrival here; and begged to 
 offer them a most cordial welcome, and to say how 
 proud we were of the visit they had paid us, and 
 how happy we were in having the honor of their 
 presence. (Applause.) IsTothing we could do to 
 show them how hearty we were in joining with 
 them in onecommoncausefor the advancement of re- 
 ligion should be wanting, or in giving them a cordial 
 welcome both in public and in private. (Applause.) 
 Mr. John Cook said that since he had previously 
 visited Edinburgh he had encompassed the world, 
 and he now supplemented his previous work by 
 bringing a party of Americans on a tour to the 
 principal places on the continent of Europe. There 
 w^ere on the platform three generations of Cooks — 
 (laughter) — and when the first passed away, he 
 hoped the second and third would still carry on the 
 work he had commenced among the mountains and 
 lakes, and the islands of the west of Scotland. He 
 felt proud to have been the means of bringing to- 
 gether that body of American citizens to receive the 
 welcome of the citizens of Edinburgh — (applause) — 
 and he begged to propose that a hearty vote of 
 thanks be accorded to the Lord Provost, who had 
 kindly come forward, though at a late moment, and 
 to Mr. Thomas Knox, for the kind interest they had 
 taken in the meeting. (Cheers.) 
 
 [Editorial from the Heview.'] 
 
 Our American Visitors. — Our American visitors 
 must not complain that we have taken up part of 
 their brief opportunity for sight-seeing in Edinburgh 
 by interviewing them in the lecture-hall of the 
 
The Edrcational Party in Edinburgh. 93 
 
 Science and Art Museum. We could not let them 
 pass from our city without taking some friendly no- 
 tice of them. There was no time between our 
 hearing of them and their arrival to organize such 
 a reception as we would like to have given them; 
 and that being so, they will, we hope, take it as a 
 compliment that we introduced them in this old 
 country to the ceremony of an interview and ex- 
 change of speeches. That is peculiarly an American 
 institution, and as such it was the expedient which 
 appeared to be most suitable for giving them a wel- 
 come, and making them feel themselves at home. 
 Our Yankee cousins, moreover, are all born orators; 
 it is easier for any one of them to make a speech 
 than to let it alone, so we did not apprehend that in 
 giving some of them an opportunity to "orate" we 
 were inflicting upon them the annoyance which the 
 more taciturn Briton sometimes feels under that 
 ordeal. Most heartily will the whole community or 
 Edinburgh indorse all the words of welcome ad- 
 dressed to our visitors on Saturday-night by the 
 Lord Provost, and other citizens. The parent has 
 no jealousy of the increasing strength and intelli- 
 gence of the child, and we may be permitted to 
 look upon the great body of American citizens as 
 bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. If they 
 should "rive the bonnet" of their father, John Bull 
 and Brither Sandy will look on with complacency. 
 In all human probability they must increase while 
 we — comparatively at least — decrease. Every right- 
 hearted Briton will care less for that than for the 
 channel in which the future might and influence of 
 the great American Kepublic is to be directed. 
 They got a good start in the world. The old Puri- 
 tan stock of England is the tap-root from which 
 American life has grown; and how much the United 
 States owes to that providential arrangement it 
 would not be #sy to estimate. The citizens of the 
 
94 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 States have had the farther benefit of large infusions 
 of Scotch and Irish blood from generation to gene- 
 ration ; and that makes not a bad cross with the 
 original stock of the Pilgrim Fathers — we speak, 
 of course, of north country Irishmen ; the native 
 Irish element is of doubtful advantage. It was 
 pleasant to hear from Mr. Witherspoon, and Pro- 
 fessor Gushing, ,on Saturday-night, that their coun- 
 trymen had not forgotten their descent, and that 
 they find a trip to this country very much like a 
 visit to the old folks at home. That is one of the 
 reasons for which we welcome our American breth- 
 ren. They have the same hereditary interest in our 
 history, our literature, our struggles for civil and re- 
 ligious freedom that we have ourselves ; and the 
 quickening of this community of sentiment and 
 sympathy is a precious outcome of American visits 
 to our shores. We have no doubt one and all of 
 Mr. Cook's excursion party will return to their 
 countrymen with the assurance that the heart of the 
 old country beats in unison with theirs, in desiring 
 and working for the progress of civilization, enlight- 
 enment, libert}^ and Christianity all the world over. 
 And we could hardly have conceived of a company 
 of American tourists whose friendly feeling toward 
 us is of more consequence. More than half of the 
 one hundred and fifty are practical teachers; others 
 are journalists, and almost all are among the educa- 
 tors of their country. Their direct influence extends 
 over hundreds of thousands of their compatriots, 
 and their indirect influence it would be impossible 
 to compute. Most glad we shall be if — as we believe 
 to be the case — they are able to report that they 
 have found the people of Scotland, and of Britain, 
 not jealous, but proud of the greatness of the 
 United States, and desirous of showing their respect 
 and attachment to the utmost. The more they 
 know of us we are sure they will beifcthe more con- 
 
The Educational Party in Edinburgh. 95 
 
 vinced that they have our heartiest wishes for their 
 welfare and prosperity. That is not always the 
 opinion the rising generation of America receive 
 about us from their school histories, but even the}' — 
 to the extent of the influence of the teachers of Mr. 
 Cook's party — will, we believe, learn to judge us 
 more charitably, and not to visit the sins of the 
 fathers upon the repentant children. But if, as we 
 believe, our American friends have something to 
 learn from us, and about us, we have certainly 
 something to learn from them. " Scrape a Russian," 
 said Napoleon I, "and you will find a Tartar." 
 Scrape a Yankee, we may add, and you will find an 
 Englishman or a Scotchman. When we listen, not 
 to the anti-British diatribes of a section of the 
 American press, but to the honest opinion of intel- 
 ligent and candid American citizens, we always 
 find, as we found in the speeches of Professor Gushing 
 and Mr. Witherspoon, that they have a warm cor- 
 ner in their hearts for the land of their fathers. 
 "We venture to say that our visitors of the last 
 three days know more about the history and tradi- 
 tions of Scotland than not a few educated people 
 among ourselves; and that they glow with enthusi- 
 asm in presence of scenes, and in memory of asso- 
 ciations which have too little power over the masses 
 of our own population. We may learn from them 
 to prize more highly, and improve more zealously, 
 the noble heritage patriotic Scotchmen in Church 
 and State have left us. And we may learn from 
 them, too, that when the-time comes — as probably 
 it will — when there shall be another and greater 
 struggle than the world has yet seen between the 
 champions of freedom and the abettors of despo- 
 tism, in both kinds, civil and religious, Britain, 
 wiiich must be in the thick of it, will not look in 
 vain for the powerful aid of the United States of 
 America. 
 
96 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A trip from London to Antwerp — A look about the ancient city. 
 
 Antwerp, Belgium, July 10, 1873. 
 
 "We left London at 4 p.m. yesterday for this place. 
 Having been there five days sight-seeing, we felt re- 
 lieved to get away. 
 
 We took the Great Eastern Railway to Harwich, 
 about eighty miles. This country is not of the kind 
 from Liverpool to London. That was densely set- 
 tled, this but sparsely. It is a fine country for hay 
 and small grain, and every part of it sown down, 
 with scarcely a tree, only along the hedge-rows ; but 
 the houses are scattering compared with other parts 
 of England. Some farm-houses scattered along the 
 way were all that we saw, except a few towns of but 
 little importance. 
 
 The ship on which we came over was an inferior 
 one, with but little accommodation. There was 
 scarcely room for us, even on and under the table, 
 to sleep. The channel was smooth, and we slept 
 awhile comfortably. Sooft in the morning we enter 
 the river Scheldt, on which this city is situated. 
 It is several miles wide for some distance. As we 
 ascend, it becomes narrow, until it resembles the 
 Mississippi. For some distance it looks very much 
 like the coast above ISTew Orleans. Instead of the 
 sugar-cane they have the rushes growing luxuriantly. 
 As we approach the city we see a large fort, with 
 
From London to Antwerp. 97 
 
 many cannon pointed out toward the river, looking 
 very warlike. The number of soldiers we see over 
 the city indicates that they keep prepared for de- 
 fense. 
 
 The custom-house officers come aboard and ex- 
 amine our baggage, which has been very much re- 
 duced since we left London, as we are only allowed 
 fifty pounds on the Continent. This farce over, we 
 fill up inside, and cover over outside, the omnibuses 
 waiting for us. A brush and a wash, and, with con- 
 ductor and guide, we are off to see the great cathe- 
 dral, of magnificent architecture, near by our Hotel 
 de Europe. This is one of the oldest and largest 
 churches in the world. It was commenced early in 
 the year 1400. It is said that one of its towers is 
 the highest and most delicately-finished in the world. 
 The clock and bells together chime sweet music 
 every half hour, and every hour pla}^ a fine piece of 
 music, heard, I suppose, all over the city. From 
 here we went to the museum, on.e of the finest col- 
 lections of paintings in Europe. It is especiallj^ rich 
 in the works of Rubens, Vandyke, and other Flemish 
 artists. There were several of the crucifixion, very 
 impressive. It was very extensive, containing sev- 
 eral large rooms filled with paintings. We then went 
 to see the silk manufactory. It is woven in the old- 
 fashioned "fly-shuttle" loom by hand. 'No machin- 
 ery whatever is used in its manufacture. The ladies 
 examined the goods, and thought them ver}^ cheap; 
 but when the duty of sixty per cent, and the difier- 
 ence in money is added, it makes the cost nearly as 
 much as in the United States. We return to the 
 hotel to dine at 5 o'clock. Nine courses are run 
 through in an hour and a half, and yet not a very 
 hearty meal at that — for every thing a separate plate, 
 except, I believe, for potatoes, which were about the 
 size of common marbles. Captain D. and myself 
 took their only street railway, to see the suburbs of 
 5 
 
98 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 this Belgian city. Having a few coppers left, we 
 paid our way out to a fine park, small but tasty, 
 fitted up for beer-drinking, music, etc. On our re- 
 turn we hand the conductor some English silver. 
 He shakes his head and passes on. The car is filled 
 with ladies, chattering like a flock of black-birds, 
 and by us as little understood. The conductor re- 
 turns after awhile, and we try to get him to take 
 our fare in silver. One of the ladies says to us: 
 "He says you must go away," and out we got to 
 walk to the hotel, if we could find it. We had not 
 proceeded far before we saw people going into a 
 large church, and we enter the finest we ever saw. 
 Indeed, I have never seen any building finished so 
 gorgeously — gilding, glittering walls, ceilings, col- 
 umns, altars, with such an amount of decoration as 
 I never saw any thing to compare with before. A 
 minister was perched up in the air, near the center, 
 preaching away, as I suppose, ver}^ eloquently, but 
 it was all Dutch to me. Yet I was intensely inter- 
 ested. His manner was so earnest, his zeal so fer- 
 vent, and the vast crowd so deeply in sympathy with 
 him, that we were captivated with what we heard 
 and saw all around us. All at once he stopped, and 
 the audience arose to their feet; many of them 
 rushed to the altar in the far end, prostrating them- 
 selves before it, while the two large organs in the 
 other end of the church, and the choir, discoursed 
 such music as never fell upon our ears before. A 
 grand concert, it seemed, was given, and we staid 
 till it was over. During this time the audience 
 knelt in their chairs, with their heads and arms rest- 
 ing on a board on the top of them. I, too, knelt in 
 one for a time to see how it was done, and to prac- 
 tice what to me was a new form of worship. The 
 priests were dressed in long black robes, down to 
 the floor. We have seen quite a number of such on 
 the streets, but have not learned as yet what church 
 
Put off the Street-car. 99 
 
 they are. This worship was the grandest affair I ever 
 saw, and when I learn what it was I may tell you. 
 
 How to find our way to the hotel is now the ques- 
 tion. We start off in the direction. The narrow, 
 crooked streets and tall houses soon destroy our idea 
 of locality; but we go on, as we think, in the direc- 
 tion. We niake inquiries; they shake their heads, 
 and laugh. We laugh too, but still feel very different 
 from what they do. I thought then they certainly 
 could understand Hotel de Europe, and so I asked, 
 pointing my finger, and they understood it, and 
 pointed theirs, and, after making these experiments, 
 we found our way to the hotel at 10 o'clock, enjoy- 
 ing our walk very much. And thus ends our first 
 day on the Continent. 
 
 Sights and impressions in Belgium and Grermany — Experience 
 in Brussels and Cologne — Habits and occupation of the 
 people — The great Cathedral and other objects of interest, 
 
 Cologne, Prussia, July 12, 1873. 
 
 I wrote you hurriedly at Antwerp, giving an ac- 
 count of my first day on the Contineut, without 
 having time to look over it. I mounted the top of 
 an omnibus, w^ith several others, that we might have 
 a better view. In an open place, between a quarter 
 and a half mile long by some sixty to eighty j^ards 
 wide, was the vegetable market. It was almost lit- 
 erally filled with women selling and buying vegeta- 
 bles. They were a niotley crowd, such as I had 
 never seen before. We were all interested in this 
 our last sight-seeing in Antwerp. 
 
 We take the carriages, as they call the cars here, 
 much on the English style, with from four to eight 
 persons locked up together. The distance to Brus- 
 sels is only twent3^-eight miles through a low,flat, rich 
 country in a high state of cultivation. Arriving at 
 
100 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 the capital, eacTi party is soon off to see the sights. 
 Having met with some young men who came over in 
 the Canada with us, who had been there several days, 
 and proffered their services, we availed ourselves of 
 them several hours. We pass along through the Ar- 
 cade, filled with all sorts of things to sell, to Cook's 
 ofiice, Avhere we procure aid in our work of ex- 
 ploration. 
 
 The Cathedral, City Hall, Palace of the Duke, 
 Museum, boulevards, halls of justice, etc., etc., are 
 the principal places to see. We go from one to the 
 other as fast as we are able to examine them; but a 
 description of them is out of the question now. 
 We ascend the tower, from the top of which there 
 is a fine view of the whole city, with its massive 
 buildings, and boulevards encircling it. The king's 
 palace is a very large building, but nothing like 
 Buckingham, in London. The park, too, is on a 
 much smaller scale. The Hotel de Yille (the town- 
 hall) and Grand Place are magnificent. The Place 
 des Martyrs, where there is a monument containing 
 the remains of the patriots killed during the revolu- 
 tion of September, 1830, is full of melancholy in- 
 terest. The statue of Leopold I., on the Column 
 du Congres, is very fine. In the Museum we saw 
 the skeleton of a whale over sixty feet long, and be- 
 tween its ribs from nine to ten feet, making room 
 for several persons to be domiciled. 
 
 Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium, but 
 the most important city in the kingdom. It is 
 nearly in the center of one of the richest and most, 
 highly cultivated countries in Europe. The people 
 here are much more refined than those at Antwerp, 
 judging from their appearance. The city is partl}^ 
 situated on a little river called the Seine, a tributary 
 of the Scheldt. Its origin is not known. Its name 
 is mentioned as far back as 706, and was a town of 
 considerable importance in the tenth century. The 
 
Belgian History. 101 
 
 French language and manners have been predom- 
 inant since the lifteenth century. 
 
 Manufactures. — There are extensive manufactories 
 of cloths, carpets, silks, and lace. We visited the 
 latter, and were surprised at the costliness of it. 
 It is made by hand. One piece we observed con- 
 tained ^YQ hundred threads used in the netting. 
 Those who make it get from thirty to forty cents per 
 day for their labor. The city contains one hundred 
 and forty lace manufactories and seventy retail 
 lace-merchants. We are now where he who shook 
 Europe as an earthquake, dethroning kings and 
 making princes, moved with such unparalleled suc- 
 cess. Antwerp was his principal sea-port, through 
 which he received supplies, and upon which he ex- 
 pended so much money, improving its harbor. 
 
 Belgium was incorporated with France for twenty 
 years. On the 1st of February, 1814, the allied 
 troops arrived in their turn, and Belgium was given 
 to Prince William of Orange; ]N"assau to the new 
 King of the ITetherlands. The battle of Waterloo, 
 twelve miles from Brussels, gained by Wellington 
 and Blucher over the French army, put an end to 
 the reign of IN'apoleon, and established for a time 
 the union of Belgium with Holland. But the in- 
 trigues of the Southern Princes against the Dutch 
 Government produced the revolution which broke 
 out on the 24th and 25th of August in Brussels, and 
 to which Belgium owes its nationality. The National 
 Congress voted the most liberal constitution of the 
 Continent of Europe, and on the 21st of July, 1831, 
 Prince Leopold was inaugurated First King of the 
 Belgians. In July, 1856, the twenty-lifth anniver- 
 sary of the event was celebrated throughout Belgium 
 with the greatest solemnity. Leopold died on the 
 10th of December, 1865, and his son and successor, 
 Leopold II., took the oath of office and was inaugu- 
 rated the 17th of December, in the same year. The 
 
102 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 kingdom has a population of over five millions; 
 Brussels, one hundred and seventy-one thousand 
 three hundred and seventy-seven on the first of 
 January, 1870. The court, the militia, and a portion 
 of the middle classes use the French language. I 
 find our professors of French are not able to learn 
 much from the people. Some very amusing inci- 
 dents have occurred with us, showing that "book 
 French" does not pass here. The present king, 
 Leopold II., was born in Brussels, in 1835, and is a 
 nephew of Louis Philippe, King of the French. He 
 was married to Princess Maria Henrietta, of Aus- 
 tria, in 1^53. Thus he and his wife are of "royal 
 blood," and have a nice little fertile kingdom of 
 Belgians, with an army of forty thousand, and eight 
 thousand eight hundred horses. 
 
 Street Scenes. — By the way, they have the largest 
 horses, and they haul the heaviest loads, I ever saw 
 anywhere. Their wagon wheels are very low, but 
 very heavy, with tires about one inch thick, and 
 they carry with one horse what w^e do with four. 
 Their hacks, 'buses, and other vehicles, have only 
 one horse. Smaller ones are hauled by men and 
 dogs geared up, which are as true to pull as any 
 thing I ever saw. The women work in the fields, 
 sweep the streets, and do almost any thing, even to 
 work side by side with a big dog, pulling a cart- 
 load. All these people drink beer; many of them, 
 the higher classes, wine, in the open air. On the 
 streets, and almost everywhere, you see tables set, 
 where during the day, but mostly in the evenings, 
 thousands of them congregate to drink and chat, 
 men, women, boys, and girls, all together, as happy 
 as they want to be, seemingly. I have not seen a 
 man intoxicated in the least since I have been over 
 on this side of the ocean. 
 
 We left Brussels this morning, satisfied that we 
 had seen all that was worth staying to see. We go 
 
From Brussels to Cologne. 103 
 
 on the morning train for this place, about one hun- 
 dred and sixty miles. The country for some fifty 
 miles is rich and well cultivated; generally level. 
 In the vicinity of Liege it is more broken, and 
 beautifully picturesque. Here are large iron manu- 
 factories; then for some distance farming on a more 
 extensive scale, w\th. larger fields, but still sown 
 down in small patches of every size. There are 
 but few hedges now to be seen. As we approach 
 Cologne, as far as the eye can see there seems to be 
 vast fields of grain nearly ready for harvesting. We 
 arrive at 4 p.m., dine at 5:30, and soon are ofi' to 
 see the great Cathedral, which, when completed, 
 will be the grandest Gothic church in the world. 
 But when that will be no one can tell, as it was be- 
 gun in 1248. The towers are yet unfinished, but 
 are to be five hundred feet high. The interior is 
 four hundred and forty-eight feet long, and one 
 hundred and forty-nine feet broad; the south portal 
 two hundred and thirty-four feet high. I am tired 
 looking at cathedrals, yet they are the places to 
 which we are told to go to see the wonders of Europe. 
 
 Sunday in Cologne. — I heard the sweet sound of 
 music in a church near us, and arose to go again; 
 found an audience on their knees; and as I am on 
 my way to Kome to do as "Kome does," I knelt on 
 the chair and took a view of what was before me — 
 "Christ Blessino; the Children." 
 
 Breakfast over, we go to church again at the 
 grand Cathedral, to see the worship and hear the 
 music. Then to the Church of St. Ursula, of the 
 twelfth century, which is reputed to hold the bones 
 of the eleven thousand virgins martyred by the 
 Huns. These remains are worked in the walls in a 
 species of sepulchral Mosaic, and exhibited at every 
 available part of the church. We looked upon them 
 with sadness — first at their sacrifice, if it be so, and 
 then at the folly of preserving such relics in a 
 
104 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 cburcli. But churcLes, music, paintings, wine and 
 beer, seem, to be the all-absorbing things here. We 
 go through the narrow, winding streets to the Eng- 
 lish church, in a room about twenty-two feet square; 
 seventy-six persons present, half of them our party; 
 service one hour; then a sermon one-quarter, and 
 we are out again with the crowd in the streets; the 
 stores open; business going on as on other days. 
 As we have dinner at 5:30 p.m., we go to the mu- 
 seum of paintings with the crowd. Some of these 
 were very fine — more modern than an}^ we had seen. 
 
 I judge there must be a large military force here, 
 from the number and kind of uniforms w^e see 
 everywhere; guns are firing and soldiers marching, 
 looking quite warlike; they are a fine-looking body 
 of men. We are now on the far-famed Rhine. One 
 very wide iron bridge, and one pontoon bridge, sup- 
 ported by some forty boats, span the river. The 
 mountains around, seen from our (Belleview) hotel, 
 covered with fields and mansions, look sublimely 
 beautiful; but the smoke from the chimneys of the 
 manufactories show that the Sabbath-da}^ is dese- 
 crated by this people; yet the church-going bells 
 are continually sounding, calling those who are dis- 
 posed to worship every hour. We, too, have had 
 our worship in the reading-room of the hotel. 
 
 And with this I close my first Sabbath on the Con- 
 tinent. We go up the Rhine early in the morning. 
 
 Cologne and the Rhine. — This city is in a semi- 
 circle of about seven miles in circumference, of 
 which the Rhine is the cord. The length of the in- 
 ner line is about two miles. A native settlement of 
 great antiquity by the Romans, into the Colonia. 
 The Cathedral was founded in 1322. On the 24th 
 of August, 1349, the houses of the Jews resident at 
 Cologne were set on fire, and the greater part of 
 these unfortunates, with their families, perished in 
 the flames. ]!^ot for this act of cruelty, but on ac- 
 
Cologne and the Khine. 105 
 
 count of its rebellious conduct toward the arch- 
 bishops, Cologne remained under the ban of the 
 Church and the empire till 1377. The Eeformation 
 produced fresh disturbances, and in 1685 more than 
 fourteen hundred families were forced to quit the 
 town. The French took possession of it in 1794. 
 Three years later it was incorporated into the French 
 republic, and at the peace of 1814 it was made over 
 to Prussia. The Cathedral is the great lion of the 
 place. It is the largest Gothic church in the world. 
 The ground on which it stands was once a Roman 
 fortress. It is thirty-three feet above the Rhine. 
 The first cathedral was commenced in 748; was 
 completed in eighty-nine years, and dedicated to the 
 Apostle St. Peter. It was destroyed by fire in 1248. 
 The edifice is four hundred and forty feet long by 
 one hundred and fifty wide. It has one hundred 
 and tw^o columns, Rve and a-half feet in diameter, 
 stained-glass windows, forty-eight feet in length by 
 sixteen feet wide. In the church are many remark- 
 able monuments, and some very fine paintings. It 
 is intended that the towers shall attain an elevation 
 of five hundred and twenty-five, but when they will 
 be finished none can tell. They are still working 
 on it. One of the most imposing edifices is the 
 Church of the Apostles. The artillery barracks 
 occupy a building that was once a monastery, and 
 the ecclesiastical seminary is in the ancient College 
 of the Jesuits. The residence of the first and sec- 
 ond commandants, the main guard of the city, is 
 said to date back to the Romans. The upper por- 
 tion was erected in 1262, is one hundred feet high, 
 and is a military prison. We saw more soldiers 
 there than we had seen anj^where, indeed a large 
 proportion of the men were in uniform. The 
 bridge of boats across the Rhine is one hundred 
 and twenty-five feet long, and is a great thorough- 
 fare between the two portions of the city. The 
 5* 
 
106 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 iron railway bridge is also much frequented by pe- 
 destrians. Cologne is a place of great commercial 
 activity. There are about two hundred wholesale 
 and commission houses, and about seven hundred 
 retail houses, exclusive of wine, grain, and wool 
 dealers, and the book and print sellers. It has a 
 number of manufactories in the city and surround- 
 ing country. Previous to its being incorporated 
 with the Prussian territories it had only about forty 
 thousand inhabitants; now it has over one hundred 
 thousand, besides the little town opposite with five 
 thousand, encompassed with fortifications. From 
 here to Mayence is perhaps the most intensely in- 
 teresting scenery, with the most thrilling history 
 of any in the world. I shall never forget the day we 
 spent on the steamer Emperor of German}-, going 
 up the Rhine one hundred and twenty miles, stopping 
 at many places. Some of these I propose to notice. 
 Bonn is twenty miles distant. There was a town 
 here before the Christian era; both town and for- 
 tress were demolished by the Germans about the 
 middle of the fourth century. Ten buildings are 
 devoted to public worship — eight to the Catholic, 
 one to the Protestant, and one to the Jews. The 
 most remarkable of these is the Cathedral, which is 
 said to owe its origin to a Church founded A.D. 
 316, by St. Helena. It has a bronze statue of St. 
 Helena, cast in Italy, in the seventeenth century. 
 The present edifice dates from the twelfth century. 
 It has four towers, a temple of Mars having been 
 near it. The most remarkable building here is the 
 University, one thousand two hundred and eighty 
 feet in length (about a quarter of a mile), with three 
 hundred lecture-rooms and halls, with a library of 
 one hundred thousand volumes. In an old house 
 w^ith pointed gable, on the Rhine street, Beethoven 
 was born, 1776, and passed the years of his youth 
 there. He died in 1827. 
 
Ok the Rhine. 107 
 
 Siegberg is a town of two thousand inhabitants. 
 Here lived the king whose daughter married Armi- 
 nias, who conquered the Romans. Here is a large 
 lunatic asylum, two hundred feet high, and in a ro- 
 mantic, healthy place. 
 
 Godesberg is a lovely place in summer, with 
 pleasure-grounds. Here was a Roman watch-tower; 
 near the tower is a chapel of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury. A short distance above is a monument 
 erected in honor of those who fell at the passage of 
 the Rhine, in 1814, and is one of the most celebrated 
 in Europe. There are mountains some twelve hun- 
 dred to thirteen hundred feet high, with romantic 
 scenery, and an old castle, once a place of much in- 
 terest. 
 
 Remagen has three thousand inhabitants. The 
 market frontier is composed of relics of antiquity. 
 Then comes Erpel, with twelve hundred. Then on 
 to Linz, with two thousand seven hundred. Here 
 are slate factories, iron-works, and other manufacto- 
 ries. The place is very ancient. Sinzig, with two 
 thousand, is one of the most ancient places on the 
 Rhine, having been a Roman stronghold. The 
 father of Charlemas^ne created several documents 
 that are still extant at this place. A monastic nun- 
 nery was erected, and a chapel by the Empress 
 Helena. An ancient church here is built in the 
 form of a cross. 
 
 According to the altarpiece it was here that Con- 
 stantine beheld the cross in the heavens; of this 
 nothing is certainl}' known. A curiosity is exhibited 
 here of a Christian mummy, to which the name of 
 Yogt has been given. In former years it used to be 
 carried about in the carnival procession, decked out 
 in tawdry finery. The French carried it to Paris, 
 when it was returned in 1815. All along the banks 
 are towns, villages, and old castles on the moun- 
 tains, in glowing grandeur, demonstrating that this 
 
108 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 country has been the most important strategic 
 point in Europe for many ages. There Julius Cesar 
 commanded his legions, and here Kapoleon I. moved 
 with such alacrity as to astonish and bewilder his 
 enemies, as well as conquer them. 
 
 Andreneah is a town of three thousand five hun- 
 dred inhabitants. This place is very ancient, even 
 fifty or sixty years before Christ. Seven fairs are 
 held here annually. Fine yards abound here, ex- 
 tending at times from the water's edge to the sum- 
 mits of the mountains. 
 
 Lake of Laach, the crater of an extinct volcano, 
 the termination of whose activity is supposed to be 
 four thousand years ago. The lava-pits are upward 
 of two hundred feet deep, and the thickness varies 
 from three hundred to four hundred feet deep. The 
 lake has twelve hundred and thirty-five acres, and 
 is two hundred and eighteen feet deep. Here was 
 an old castle and monaster}^ A fine church has 
 been restored by the King of Prussia. 
 
 JSTewied has six thousand two hundred inhabitants, 
 including all professions. The town is divided into 
 twenty-five blocks, five streets lengthwise, with four 
 cross streets. The palace in which the prince resides 
 was completed in 1722, and connects wnth the castle 
 garden, in which is the residence of the celebrated 
 Brazilian traveler. Prince Maximilian, and of his 
 brother, Prince Charles, and here also are the meet- 
 ing-houses of American preachers, and a synagogue. 
 
 Coblence owes its origin to a Roman fort. It re- 
 tained its sovereignty for over eight hundred years. 
 The French emigrants made it their head-qnarters 
 in 1791. The town was occupied by the Republican 
 troops, and was soon after incorporated in the French 
 territories, in the beginning of 1814, and by the 
 Congress of Vienna made over to Prussia, together 
 with the Rhine Province. At that time the popula- 
 tion was seven hundred ; it now numbers two thou- 
 
Ehenish Towns. 109 
 
 sand eight hundred, exclusive of five thousand 
 soldiers distributed among the various fortifications. 
 There are eight Catholic churches, one Protestant, 
 and one synagogue. The Electoral Palace was 
 built between 1778 and 1781. It is five hundred and 
 twenty-five feet in length, and three stories high; 
 that portion of the edifice which projects in a horse- 
 shoe form, has a longitudinal diameter of three 
 hundred and eighty-five feet. The apartments re- 
 cently fitted up for the reception of royalty are of 
 handsome proportions, and delightfully situated to- 
 ward the Rhine. 
 
 St. Goar, with a population of one thousand seven 
 hundred, ow^es its name to him who settled here in 
 575 to inculcate the doctrines of Christianity. The 
 cell once inhabited by the holy man became a church 
 of pilgrimage, out of the ruins of which the present 
 Protestant church arose in 1469. In it there are 
 several monuments. 
 
 Oberwesel contains three thousand three hundred 
 inhabitants. The ancient town wall was three 
 thousand four hundred and seventj'-five feet in 
 length. The rotund battlements, gates, and turrets, 
 present a very picturesque subject. An extensive 
 castle is still in existence, which belongs to Prince 
 Albert of Prussia. 
 
 Caub, with two thousand inhabitants, at the foot 
 of a steep hill, on a rock}^ projection of which is 
 situated a castle. The town took its rise in the 
 eighth century. In 1805 this castle was in a good 
 state of preservation, but Napoleon, in his passage 
 over the Rhine, having been saluted by cannon-balls 
 from its battlements, gave orders for its immediate 
 demolition. 
 
 Just above, at Bacharack, is a small ancient town 
 of one thousand five hundred souls. Here is a castle 
 now owned by the Queen of Prussia. Its walls are 
 fourteen feet thick. During the thirty years' war it 
 
110 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 was taken eight times. Here also is a Protestant 
 church which formerly belonged to the Knight 
 Templars. It was built in the tenth century, and is 
 in a very remarkable style. There are many other 
 places of interest, with castles away up on the moun- 
 tains, some of them having been there over two 
 thousand years. Take this country altogether, it is 
 the most romantic, the most sublime and magnifi- 
 cent, there is in the world. It possesses more his- 
 toric interest than any other. The most powerful 
 nations of the world have here met in mortal com- 
 bat for its possession. For thousands of years it 
 has been the scene of the most fearful conflicts, 
 while the waters of this classic river have been crim- 
 soned with the blood of thousands who live in the 
 annals of history, and whose names have been handed 
 down to posterity as the world's conquerors. 
 
 jSTo one who visits Europe should fail to see the 
 Hhine. They will be amply compensated for the 
 time and money expended viewing these time-hon- 
 ored places, where the world's heroes have performed 
 deeds of valor along the banks of this most interest- 
 ing of all the rivers of Europe. 
 
 From Cologne to Munich — The Ehine and its marvelous beau- 
 ties — How railroads are run in Germany — The people and 
 their habits — A day in Mayence — Guttenberg's statue — 
 Munich and its attractions, etc., etc. 
 
 Munich, Bavaria, July 15, 1873. 
 
 My last was written from Cologne, where we spent 
 the Sabbath. It is the capital of the province, and 
 the first walled city we have seen. It is in the form 
 of a crescent, about seven miles around it. It was a 
 Roman colony, and takes its name from that fact. 
 During the middle ages, and for a long period, it 
 was one of the most populous cities in Europe. 
 
EoMANTic Scenery op the Rhine. Ill 
 
 Monday morning, after visiting the barracks and 
 seeing the soldiers parade — among them Bismarck's 
 regiment of cavalry — we cross on the pontoon 
 bridge, and take the finest boat on the river, called 
 the Emperor of German}-, for Mayence, some one 
 hundred and twenty miles above, at the head of steam 
 navigation. I have heard much of the scenery of 
 the Rhine, but it far exceeded my most sanguine 
 expectations. For about twenty miles, to Bonn, the 
 land is low, with some fine buildings seen in the 
 distance; but after we pass that place, the moun- 
 tains on either side, rising higher as we ascend, 
 present the beautifully grand, not excelled, perhaps, 
 in the world. For a while we were inclined to 
 think the scenery of the Hudson equally grand, but 
 soon every one acknowledged there was no com- 
 parison. There is an amphitheater of undulating 
 heights, with imposing piles of old citadels, some 
 of them dating back before the Christian era, that 
 bewilders the imagination. The bold summits and 
 picturesque outlines, and the luxuriant, vine-clad, 
 terraced hills, utterly defy description — so I shall 
 not attempt it. Just to think of some of these old 
 forts, which have been here since the days of Julius 
 Cesar, and the countless millions who have lived, 
 fought, and died along these banks, and see the nu- 
 merous old castles, "grand, gloomy, and peculiar," 
 upon the summits of those mountains overlooking 
 the Rhine, and then think of Napoleon's rapid 
 marches across this stream, affords food for thought 
 more impressive than any I have ever seen. Some 
 of these old castles have been rebuilt, and are now 
 owned and occupied as summer resorts for royalty. 
 We spent the day on deck, with our guides, glasses, 
 and photographs procured at Cologne, viewing what 
 has iDeen for more than two thousand years one 
 of the most important strategic countries on the 
 globe. 
 
112 A Memphian's Trip to Europe; 
 
 We arrived at Mayence after nightfall; sleep 
 awhile, and as we have but a few hours there, we are 
 off early to see the city, which is lost in a haze of 
 antiquity. It was once a lioman fortress, and is 
 now strongly fortified. The town and fortress were 
 surrendered to the allies on the 14th of May, 1814. 
 Its population is now only forty-four thousand, and 
 a garrison of eight thousand Prussian soldiers. 
 
 As usual, the old cathedral is the first object of 
 interest. There is a gloomy grandeur about it. 
 The red sandstone of which it is built is yielding to 
 time's influence, and they are repairing a portion of 
 it. It was founded in the eighth century, and it is 
 said that no church in Germany contains so many 
 monuments and epitaphs as this. 
 
 But I am now out with these, and turn away 
 from them to one of far more interest to me than 
 any that I have ever seen. It is the monument to 
 Guttenberg, the inventor of that art by which my 
 hasty scribbling, while my company is reposing in 
 the arms of Morpheus, can be deciphered by you, 
 perhaps, Mr. Printer, and given to the readers of 
 the Avalanche some of these mornings. Yes, here 
 he was born, here he was brought up — the house 
 still stands near the hotel — and here he invented 
 "the art preservative of all arts." I felt a profound 
 veneration for the man as I gazed upon the statue, 
 and transcribed the following inscription from his 
 monument: "An art which neither the Greeks nor 
 the Romans understood, the genius of a German 
 found out; and whatsoever the ancients knew, and 
 the moderns know, is not for himself, but for all 
 mankind." On one side of the monument is a 
 printing-press, and the discoverer reading the proof; 
 on the other this: "The citizens of Mayence erected 
 this monument to Guttenberg by money collected 
 throughout Europe. Erected in 1837." 
 
 We visited the vegetable market, which, as usual, 
 
E-AILROADS OF GERMANY. 113 
 
 is attended only by women, out in the open air, and 
 somd" other places; but soon we are off for Munich, 
 at 10 o'clock. 
 
 The country is variegated for the two hundred 
 and seventy-nine miles we travel to-day, all in a fine 
 state of cultivation. Here we see orchards, vine- 
 yards, old castles, modern fortifications, rifle-pits, 
 etc. — all looks warlike. The women seem to do the 
 work, the men the fighting. Along the Danube the 
 land is very fertile. 
 
 My sheet is full, and I will suspend until I can see 
 something of this capital before I conclude. 
 
 Wednesday. — We slept a few hours in a regular 
 German bed, taking off the feather-bed used as a 
 covering. We have a fine view of a park and mon- 
 uments from our windows. 
 
 Having a few moments, I wish to say a few words 
 about the railroads of this country. I have seen 
 none of wider gauge than four feet; that seems to 
 be the width of all. They run about fifteen to 
 twenty-five miles per hour, and make but few stops. 
 Their carriages are English style, for six or eight 
 persons. Ever}^ mile there is a telegraph ofiice, and 
 a man always on duty. As the train passes he 
 raises his hand to his hat to let it be known that all 
 is right ahead. 
 
 Sights in Munich. — At 7 o'clock a.m., soon after 
 breakfast, we went out, with a guide, to see all we 
 could in one day. First, to the collection of statu- 
 ary from various countries, ancient and modern, 
 embracing many men who have distinguished them- 
 selves by their works in history. A mere mention 
 of their names would be tedious. The most mag- 
 nificent buildings have been erected for them, fin- 
 ished off' in the most exquisite modern style of 
 architecture, and decorations of the most gorgeous 
 character. 
 
 We then go to the public galleries of paintings. 
 
114 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. / 
 
 In the first room we find a large painting of Maxi- 
 milian Emmanuel I. ; Maximilian, King of Bavaria; 
 Theodor, and others. " The Crucifixion," " Taking 
 Down from the Cross," etc., in several pictures, were 
 very impressive. "The Apostles," as it is supposed 
 they looked, are painted in the most life-like man- 
 ner. "John's Eevelations," in the Isle of Patmos, 
 with the river and tree of life, and the hanging 
 fruits, were very fine. The "Last Judgment" was 
 terrific. There were some fifteen huiidred, in per- 
 haps twenty or more rooms, selected from the finest 
 paintings in the world, collected here. This being 
 the capital of Bavaria, King Louis I. has made a 
 thousand costly improvements, and it now rivals 
 Paris and Eome as a repository of art. 
 
 The next place we visit is the Royal Palace. It is 
 open for visitors from 11 to 12 o'clock; but our 
 party, being from America, w^ere permitted to go 
 after the crowd had gone, and look through all the 
 apartments, ancient as well as modern. The king 
 being absent, we went into his private as well as 
 his public State apartments. The great Splendor 
 Throne room, with its noble historic bronze statues, 
 fine pictures and frescoes, is said to be one of the 
 finest collections in the world. In the ancient por- 
 tion were many things that have had their day, and 
 live only in the history of the past. There is the 
 bed of Charles YIL, which bed cost over three hun- 
 dred thousand dollars, currency. The tapestry took 
 forty persons fifteen years to make it. The ball- 
 room is one hundred and ten feet long by seventy- 
 three broad, and is lighted by about a thousand 
 candles. Such splendor dazzles the populace, and 
 makes them venerate roj'alty. ISTapoleon spent one 
 day here, when he suflfered himself to acknowledge 
 the power of the Pope. He would not sleep on 
 that fine bed, but slept on his own camp-bed in the 
 palace. There are the portraits of thirty-six of the 
 
. Bronze Statues. 115 
 
 most beautiful women of Bavaria here. This is the 
 first time we have ever seen inside of royalty, ai]d 
 I must confess that when the people have been 
 brought up to it, there is something fascinating 
 about it to them. 
 
 These people take great pride in their bronze 
 statue manufactory. After having seen so many of 
 them, we felt like seeing them made, and, after 
 spending considerable time at the palace, we took 
 carriages and went to see them. The model of 
 Washington, that stands in Washington Square, 
 !N"ew York, was the first that attracted our attention. 
 There were quite a number of American models — 
 Benton, Peabody, and others whom we honor. They 
 say the largest one ever made is the statue of "Ba- 
 varia," sixty-six feet high. A lion of like proportions 
 stands by her side. A bird has its nest in his 
 mouth. Some three or four of us went up inside 
 the statue. Others were there, and seven of us 
 could stand in the neck. I felt like the author of a 
 guide-book, advising others to keep out of it. 
 Munich is the best-built city we have seen on the 
 Continent. The streets in the new part are wide, 
 and straight, with many public buildings, and 
 grounds tastefully laid ofi:', and finely improved. It 
 has a population of over two hundred thousand, 
 and, though it has a king, is a part of the German 
 Empire. 
 
 The people are intelligent, refined, and (as all 
 Germans are) fond of music. While I write a baud 
 of one hundred instruments is playing not far away. 
 I think they have about ten thousand soldiers here. 
 They are seen wherever you go — finely uniformed, 
 well equipped for their profession of arms. There 
 is a beautiful little river running through the city, 
 the Aar, afibrding immense water-power. We leave 
 in the morning for Vienna, where we hope to meet 
 friends from our Bluff City. 
 
116 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 From Munich to Vienna — Notes by the wayside — The Aus- 
 trian Capital and the Exposition — Sights and improvements 
 — Condition of the people of Europe — Something for Ameri- 
 cans to think about — Some of the features of the great Ex- 
 position — Sights and sight-seers. 
 
 Vienna, Austria, July 19, 1873. 
 
 "We left Municli Thursday morning for this place. 
 The country through which we passed was more di- 
 versified than any we have seen in Europe. For 
 some fifty miles it was level, covered with a luxuri- 
 ant crop of grass and grain, with vegetables. The 
 people live in villages, and some of them must go 
 miles to their work; one church usually in a vil- 
 lage, all of olden-time appearance. At the railroad- 
 stations there are buildings of more modern style. 
 We pass over, or rather through, a mountainous 
 region. Some of them very high ; green vegetation 
 all over them, while on the northern sides the snow, 
 glistening in the sunshine, presented a beautiful pic- 
 ture for the artist, and might have inspired the 
 spirit of poetry in our youthful days. 
 
 Wayside Notes. — We pass through some timbered 
 country, and then emerge again into fields of grain 
 as far as we can see, ripe to the harvest. We see 
 men at work in the fields to-day. The women with 
 their broad sun-bonnets are there too, in great num- 
 bers, at work. A rich scene occurred at a town 
 where we passed from Bavaria into Austria. Our 
 conductor thouofht he had made arrano:ements to 2:0 
 through, near three hundred miles, without change 
 of cars. We stopped for dinner on the line (re- 
 member every one must take care of their own 
 baggage in the cars, holding, some three, others six 
 persons). They have, as usual, every thing in the 
 car. About the time they got fairly at gobbling 
 down a hasty lunch, it was announced we must 
 change cars. A rush was made for them by a party 
 of fifty of our company about half of them women; 
 
Immensity of Buildings. 117 
 
 just at that time the train rolls off. It was amusing 
 to see the effect produced: believing all would 
 come out right, I enjoj^ed it hugely. After awhile 
 the train returned, and all the baggage safe, and we 
 are off on Austrian cars. 
 
 In Vienna. — We got here about 11 p.m., found 
 conveyances waiting for us, and soon we are going 
 at a rapid speed, some miles, it seemed, to our mag- 
 nificent Hotel de France. 
 
 Early in the morning we are off for the Exposi- 
 tion, by street-car. It is some two and a-half to 
 three miles, through very wide streets some distance 
 — the boulevards — then across the river, and in a 
 magnificent park, of about one thousand acres, we 
 find the World's Fair. There is no use in attempt- 
 ing to describe it. This you have doubtless seen by 
 others who had time that I have not. Just imagine 
 the finest stores with their finest thrings ; the most 
 extensive manufactories with their most costly fab- 
 rics, and the machinery running by which they are 
 made, actually at work in the building; the most 
 valuable, as well as the most useful metals; the 
 finest sculpture and paintings from Italy and other 
 nations. In a word, the richest, rarest, and the 
 most remarkable productions in material and man- 
 ufactured goods that the nations of earth could 
 produce are here on exhibition. Volumes might be 
 filled with descriptions of them. 
 
 The buildings are the largest of the kind that 
 have ever been built. They exceed by far all pre- 
 vious ones at London and Paris. Having visited 
 the Crystal Palace the last day I spent in London, I 
 should judge these buildings contain several times 
 the space that does. That is mainly of glass, this is 
 mostly of iron. This is one very long building, witli 
 a central dome. The main gallery, or the nave, is 
 intersected in the middle in two equal parts by the 
 rotunda, which is the greatest circumference that 
 
118 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 has ever been covered without pillars. "We went up 
 on that and had a splendid view of the city and the 
 surroundings. I stepped it, and found its circum- 
 ference over a quarter of a mile. In the distance 
 can be seen the battle-ground of "Wagram, where 
 Napoleon fought one of his greatest battles. The 
 charge of McDonald, with some sixteen thousand 
 men, by which he lost all but one thousand, is one 
 of the most remarkable in the history of this won- 
 derful man. From this point we have a bird's-eye 
 view of the nations of earth, as their houses are ar- 
 ranged around the building. T am tired of ancient 
 warlike things. What is the present condition of 
 this people is a more important and practical ques- 
 tion than to recount their deeds of valor, or look at 
 the monuments intended to perpetuate their mem- 
 ory. I think they are a more intellectual people 
 than any we have seen since we left England, but 
 morally I think they are deeply degraded. The first 
 thing that I saw as I looked out of my window on 
 Sabbath-morning was men turning a windlass to el- 
 evate the brick upon a large building near at hand. 
 The next was eight women making up mortar, some 
 conveying it up in tubs for the masons, or rather 
 emptying it in something to be carried up, and thus 
 they have toiled on, desecrating the Sabbath, which 
 seems to be only a holiday at every place we have 
 been in Europe. No legal Sabbath is recognized 
 anywhere that we have seen. They may have a 
 religion, but I think it is mainly of imposing forms, 
 and to us unmeaning ceremonials, while the practi- 
 cal duties of morality and religion are ignored by 
 the masses of the people of all classes. 
 
 From all I can learn we have but few emigrants 
 from Austria to the United States. I think the la- 
 boring classes know but little of America, nor do I 
 think their rulers intend that they shall learn much, 
 only to toil on to keep up royalty and superstition. 
 
IsTo Legal Sabbath. 119 
 
 The introcliiction of railroads, and the numl^er of 
 American travelers, will, I think, have a tendency 
 to turn the attention of this people to the ^ew 
 World, about which, I think, they now hear but 
 little. 
 
 The women have a hard time of it all over this 
 country. They labor hard in the cities, and do 
 most of the work in the country. One reason, no 
 doubt, is that so many men are required to keep 
 their regular armies. 
 
 This is the first Sabbath that we have not attended 
 religious service several times. We knew of no 
 place where any worship would be held that we 
 could understand, so we made a virtue of necessity, 
 and have made it a day of rest, which we all very 
 much needed, as we have had a laborious week 
 since we left Cologne. The last two days, for 
 twelve consecutive hours each, we have been going 
 through and around the Exposition, and we were 
 tired down, and worn out w^ith it. 
 
 To-morrow morning, at five o'clock, we start for 
 Venice, to travel all day and night, to see the water 
 city. As our traveling there will be along the 
 streets, in gondolas, w^e anticipate some repose. I 
 will say just here, that whoever comes to Europe 
 expecting a pleasure trip will be disappointed. It 
 is a hard task to perform, which I expected, but we 
 have fine health, and are able to eat all they give us 
 at the hotels, and more too. There has been quite 
 a falling off, from our four or five meals a day on 
 the ship, down to two, and they but small affairs at 
 best. Labor is very cheap here, so they can afford 
 to keep waiters for near two hours to hand around, 
 in some ten or tw^elve courses, what a hungry man 
 could eat in as many minutes; but after all we may 
 learn an important lesson — to eat slowly. I believe 
 most of these people live at the restaurants and 
 beer-gardens. Men and women spend their time 
 
120 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 there promiscuously, and seem to enjoy themselves 
 hugely, socially, around the thousands of tables we 
 see all over the city. The water here is not consid- 
 ered healthy, and we have to drink beer, too, in 
 self-defense. 
 
 Happy America.— 1 think we will all appreciate 
 and love our own land much better than we have 
 done after this tour in Europe. I have now scribbled 
 my thoughts just as they came up, without the 
 slightest regard to manner or matter. If there is 
 any thing that will interest your readers you can 
 give it to them, only give it in broken doses. As it 
 is near dinner-time, 6:30 p.m., and my sheet is fall, 
 I will close for the present. 
 
 Vienna, July 20, 1873. 
 
 The Austrian Capital. — ^Vienna is the capital city, 
 and residence of the Austrian Emperor. It is situ- 
 ated in a wide valley, surrounded by hills, on the 
 southern arm of the Danube. The small liiver 
 " Wien" runs through it, which has fifteen bridges, 
 and Danube Canal has eight, connecting the city. 
 
 Vienna has improved faster in the last few years 
 than any city in Europe. In 1857, with its nine 
 districts, it only numbered fifty-six thousand; in 
 1864 there were five hundred and sixty thousand six 
 hundred. This rapid increase has been owing to 
 the fact that previously it had been kept within the 
 fortifications. In 1858 these limits were removed, 
 and now the population is nine hundred and one 
 thousand three hundred and eightj^ It is the best- 
 built city we have visited in Europe. The new por- 
 tion has vidde streets, and extensive boulevards, but 
 in the old part the streets are like all others we 
 have seen, narrow and crooked. The buildincrs are 
 very large, nearly all stone, or stuccoed like it, pre- 
 senting a beautiful white appearance. The suburbs 
 have been fortified with the still-existino: wall of 
 
Emperor of Austria. 121 
 
 1704. The French occupied it twice for a short 
 time, in 1806 and 1809. The celebrated Congress 
 of 1814 and 1815 was held here. The year 1848 
 brought along with it the insurrection, and ended 
 with the occupying of the city in October. 
 
 The present emperor, Francis Joseph, has done 
 much for the city. He has taken a deep interest in 
 the Exposition. He gave his private gardens to be 
 • used for the houses of the nations, on the outskirts, 
 and his eight fountains and lakes add much to the 
 beauty of the surroundings. We had the pleasure 
 of seeing him j^esterday without the trappings of 
 royalty. He is a tall, spare-built man, keen eye, 
 quick movements physically, and, I "guess," men- 
 tally; well dressed, in a kind of loose sacque coat, 
 with sword, cap, and spurs. Though taller, he re- 
 minded me in his appearance and movements of 
 A. T. Stewart, of Kew York. We did not seek to 
 enter his palace, but w^e looked around it and saw 
 inside, but it does not begin to compare with the 
 King of Bavaria's Palace, l^otwith standing the 
 rapid increase in the population of this city, and 
 the vast improvement in the new portion of it, 
 making it one of the handsomest cities of Europe, 
 it is far less powerful as a capital and political center 
 than it was before the commencement of those 
 late revolutions which have freed Italy and concen- 
 trated ITorthern Germany. They have about twelve 
 thousand soldiers in the city. It must, however, be 
 regarded as among the most noted cities, having 
 been founded by the Romans, and afterward the 
 Capital of the Eastern Province of Charlemagne, 
 seat of the Court of Hungary in 1484, and soon 
 after, to this time, the C'apital of Austria. The 
 present emperor has expended a vast amount of 
 money upon it to make it the rival of Paris. It has 
 a circumference of some sixteen miles, including 
 the new portion. Its imperial library is said to 
 6 
 
122 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 contain four hundred thousand volumes, from twenty 
 thousand to thirty thousand manuscripts, and over 
 three hundred thousand engravings. They boast 
 of St. Stephen's Cathedral, of the twelfth century, 
 with a splendid spire, only second in height to that 
 of Strasburg. We visited St. Peter's Church, 
 modeled after St. Peter's of Rome, in which we ex- 
 pect to worship next Sabbath. Here we saw the 
 representation of Peter and the cock which crowed 
 when he denied his Master. There are here laid 
 away two skeletons, one of them a pope, in the most 
 gorgeous array of glittering diamonds I ever saw. 
 What folly to keep such relics as these in their 
 churches ! The Burg, or Imperial Palace of Austria, 
 is an irregular building, dating and remodeled from 
 the thirteenth century. • 
 
 We saw the house in which the wife of Napo- 
 leon lived whom he married after the divorce of 
 Josephine. This place seemed to have been an 
 unfortunate one for the French Emperor. Here 
 is where his son, the Duke of Reichstadt, died, 
 in this church he is buried, and the city in which 
 the Congress was held that terminated his eventful 
 career. 
 
 The imperial arsenal contains extensive barracks, 
 and a very large collection of arms, ancient and 
 modern, in Europe. We w^ent round to see the differ- 
 ent nations, living as they do in their countries, and at 
 work making the things they have on exhibition. 
 This was very interesting, to see the Egyptians, 
 Chinese, Japanese, Siamese, Portuguese, Russians, 
 Grecians, Turks, Persians, and how many others I 
 can't tell, as they are seen in their own lands. This 
 was to me intensely interesting. But I must go 
 back into the Exposition building, entering as we 
 do at the west end. The side galler}^ on the right 
 belongs to the United States, as well as the open 
 court abutting upon it. This was originally ceded 
 
Order of the Exposition. 123 
 
 to England, but she generously ceded it to ns. I 
 am sorry to say we are so poorly represented. I 
 presume our people inferred it would not pay to 
 come so far to exhibit what they had to show, and 
 they declined coming. The sewing-machine men 
 are well represented here. I observed one bale of 
 fine cotton from Memphis, by Messrs. J. W. Jeffer- 
 son & Co. There was also cotton from other South- 
 ern States. 
 
 A quarter of the first side gallery belongs to En- 
 gland, the rest to South America. You are now in 
 the third main gallery, or nave, which, with the 
 second and third transverse galleries, and open 
 courts lying between, belongs to England. These 
 are well filled with the products of old England, of 
 which her people may well be proud, in many 
 respects. 
 
 Next comes France, which extends in the nave 
 from the third transverse gallery to well-nigh the 
 sixth. She has three covered courts between the 
 third and sixth, and the open court between the 
 third and fourth transverse galleries on the south. 
 Here is a grand display, surpassing all others, I think, 
 in some respects. 
 
 The fifth gallery on the south belongs to Switzer- 
 land, as well as the court touching upon it. 
 
 The sixth transverse gallery belongs to Italy, as 
 well as the open court on the south side. 
 
 Belgium comes next, occupying the portion of the 
 nave between the sixth and seventh transverse gal- 
 leries. The space in the nave is occupied by Hol- 
 land and Sweden. 
 
 You have now reached the central part of the 
 building, surrounding the rotunda. It forms^ a 
 square, and four galleries all around. Two galleries 
 are here allotted to Germany, as she occupies the 
 center of Europe. Next comes Austria, which has 
 the eastern gallery of the central square, and the 
 
124 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 next three transepts, with the eight courts lying be- 
 tween them, of which seven are covered. Hungary 
 has the next transverse galler}^, with the space in 
 the nave intersecting it. Eussia has the eleventh 
 and twelfth galleries ; Greece the thirteenth. The 
 southern portion is divided between Tunis, Morocco, 
 and Egypt, while the nave and half of the northern 
 portion belong to Turkey, Persia, Central Asia, and 
 Eoumania. The last gallery, forming the eastern 
 fagade and entrance, is shared by Turkey in the 
 south, China, Japan, and Siam, in the north. The 
 same geographical arrangement has likewise been 
 adopted in the machinery-hall. The other countries 
 that could not be accommodated in the hall have 
 two buildings allotted to them, on the right and left 
 of the hall. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Prus- 
 sia, have each one hall; Germany, Austria, and 
 France have each two, Hungary one. 
 
 Take it altogether, it no doubt far exceeds any 
 thing that has ever been. The buildings, covering 
 one hundred and seventy acres of ground, and the 
 vast amount and variety of things on exhibition, 
 come up to, and far exceed, the expectations of those 
 who have visited it, but it has been, financially, a 
 terrible failure. It has not attracted the world's at- 
 tention as was expected. Millions of money have 
 been expended that will prove a loss to the projectors, 
 and those associated with them. The policy pur- 
 sued at first has kept thousands away, and shortened 
 the visits of those who came. Extortion is realized 
 everywhere, in and out of the Exposition. The re- 
 sult is that not one-half of the people have been 
 here that were expected, had a different policy been 
 pursued. The machinery part of the Exposition is 
 all that could be desired. There you see, as nowhere 
 else you can, how hundreds of things are made, all 
 in a few hours. My eight pages are filled, and I h^ve 
 scarcely began to tell of this world's fair at Vienna, 
 
Letters from Eev. T. W. Hooper. 125 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Letters from Eev. T. W. Hooper, of Lynchburg, Virginia, 
 written for the News. 
 
 Munich, July 29, 1873. 
 
 I WROTE you last at Lucerne. While I was writing, 
 quite a number of our excursionists had gone up 
 the Ehigi to see the sun set and rise. Some fortu- 
 nately returned that evening, having made the ascent 
 on that famous railroad where the cars are moved by 
 a central rail and cogs. They were delighted with 
 their experience; but those who staid all night were 
 inclosed in a thunder-storm before night, and the 
 next morning came down as wet and woe-begone a 
 looking set of sight-seers as I ever met with. The 
 view from the mountain, on a clear day (which comes 
 once a month), is said to be magnificent; but I had 
 climbed too many mountains in my day to pay seven 
 francs for a ride to the top of one that does not com- 
 pare with the Peaks, or Salt Pond, for variety or 
 extent. 
 
 I should like to have gone down the lake of four 
 Cantons, to see the Chapel of William Tell; but 
 there has been some question of late as to whether 
 this whole story of Tell and the apple is not a myth 
 from the poetic brain of Schiller, and as they do not 
 stop the boat long enough to see the bow and arrow, 
 I contented myself with a splendid bath in the 
 classic waters of the lake, an'd a sound sleep to the 
 rippling music of its rushing outlet, which here forma 
 the river Bouss. 
 
126 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 That night, too, we had a pleasant chat and com- 
 parison of notes with Dr. Witherspoon, who was on 
 his way, via St. Bernard, Mt. Blanc, and Chamounix, 
 to Geneva, where he expected to rejoin his "Sec- 
 tion," on their return from Italy, where they are 
 scorching at this time. I never saw any one im- 
 prove as he has done since he heard that he was not 
 elected professor at the University of Virginia, and 
 can now accept the charge of the Tabb- street 
 Church, in Petersburg. I am sorry for the Uni- 
 versity, but glad for him and for the Cockade City. 
 
 The next morning, about 11 o'clock, we took the 
 cars, and, after a pleasant ride of two hours, found 
 ourselves at the quaint old town of Zurich. In 
 olden days this was famous as the home of Zwingle, 
 the compeer of Luther and of Calvin; and it w^as 
 interesting to see the old cathedral, where he fought 
 so gallantly the pretensions and follies of a bloated 
 and beastly hierarchy, until it tottered and fell be- 
 fore the solid blows of Scripture and of logic. The 
 town is now famous for the educational interests, 
 which make it a kind of literary center for Switzer- 
 land, and also for its manufactories of machinery 
 and of silk. We saw some samples of silk at sixty 
 cents and one dollar per yard; but there was such a 
 diversity of opinion among "the marms" as to its 
 quality, that I would not indulge. I did, however, 
 take a splendid boat-ride on the lake, with J. T. and 
 another young man as oarsmen, while I handled the 
 ropes and steered. That night, too, we had some 
 fine music in a beer-garden on the lake, from about 
 thirty performers, with all kinds of instruments. 
 The admission fee was twenty cents, and the music 
 superior to one of our first-class concerts. 
 
 The next morning we took the cars again, and in 
 two or three hours reached Schaffhausen, and put 
 up at the magnificent Switserhoff", on a lofty em- 
 inence overlooking the famous Falls of the Rhine, 
 
Letters from Eev. T. W. Hooper. 127 
 
 and in full view of the Black Forest. I walked that 
 evening near its dark shadows, while the roar of the 
 adjacent cataract sounded like distant thunder — 
 until I got the blues, and was deathly homesick. 
 
 The next morning we left this miniature ;N"iagara, 
 with all its sylvan beauties of park and flowers, and 
 its grand old castle on the hill, railroad-bridge of 
 stone, and small antiquated town in the distance, 
 and at 12 o'clock we reached Bomanshorn, wdiere we 
 took the steamer on Lake Constance, and marched 
 at once to our dinner-table, where we eat most 
 heartily of our Frenchy viands on deck, and watched 
 the spires of Constance, where the Catholics held, 
 in the dark da3'S of their power, that remarkable 
 Council which deposed three Popes, and elected 
 another, and burned John Huss, who had more re- 
 ligion than all the Council put together. Talk about 
 Servetus and Calvin ! Well, I am not on a sermon, 
 and will only sa\% if you want to be confirmed in 
 Protestantism, just come over here; revive the 
 struggles of the great Reformers, and look upon 
 the miserable mummery and degraded ignorance of 
 those who are still tortured with this spiritual rack, 
 that lacerates and murders the soul. 
 
 That night we reached Munich in safety, after a 
 long, hot ride on the cars, from Lindeau, and were 
 pleasantly quartered at the Belle Vue Hotel. As to 
 Sunday, the less said about that in a secular paper 
 the better. I can only say I hope I shall never be 
 compelled to spend such another. 
 
 Monday we visited the most remarkable paintings 
 in existence. They are the choicest originals of 
 Eaphael, Rubens, Titian, and Vandyke. I had no 
 conception what sermons could be preached from 
 canvas. "The Perdition of Lost Souls," and "The 
 Last Judgment," are two of the masterpieces of 
 Rubens, and are the strongest appeals to religious 
 passion that ever entered the brain of an artist. 
 
128 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 There were hundreds there, which would demand 
 hours of study, and give months of exquisite pleas- 
 ure; but these two struck my fancy and riveted my 
 gaze, as no other paintings have ever done, before 
 or since. I should like to visit them again ; but 
 time is precious with us, and we scarcely had time 
 to see through the Glyptoths, and look at the statues, 
 ancient and modern, when the closing hour arrived. 
 
 We then strolled around to the palaces, old and 
 new; admired the bronze statues in the streets; saw 
 the house of Mozart, etc., etc., and that evening we 
 took a ride, first to the Statue of Bavaria. This 
 is the largest bronze cast in the world, and is com- 
 posed of cannon captured in their various wars. It 
 is sixty-nine feet high above the pedestal, and is in 
 the form of a colossal woman, in the head of which 
 six of our party sat down without crowding. " How 
 is that for high?" was the spontaneous exclamation 
 of more than one beholder. We then took a drive 
 through the city to the English Garden, which seems 
 to be a kind of royal park, with fine old trees, and 
 about the center of it is "Iser rolling rapidly." But 
 we rolled more rapidly than Iser on our return; for 
 a sudden storm had struck us, driving the sand into 
 our eyes, and nearly upsetting our carriage, and we 
 just had time to reach the hotel, when a fearful 
 thunder-storm, with torrents of rain, came crashing 
 and pouring all around us. 
 
 We leave here for Vienna, where I will write 
 again. 
 
 Vienna, July 31, 1873. 
 
 I thought we had seen some noisy places in the 
 course of our travels, but this certainly "removes 
 the dilapidated linen from the diminutive tree," as 
 they used to say when I was a boy. I went to bed 
 at 9 o'clock last-night, thoroughly jaded, and was 
 
Letters fkom Rev. T. W. Hooper. 129 
 
 aroused half a dozen times by the racket of wheels 
 below me. I supposed at first it was the breaking 
 up of some entertainment; but if so, they must 
 have kept some of them going all night. We are 
 most delightfully located, in a splendidly-furnished 
 room on the fourth floor of the Hotel de France, 
 and from my w^indow I have been looking down 
 upon the street called Maria Theresa. I have seen 
 the oddest mixture of sights that were ever accumu- 
 lated in the same space. I saw them relieving the 
 guard with a whole brigade of infantry, with blue 
 pants and white coats. They marched in perfect 
 order, and, having no guns, they kept time with the 
 arms as well as feet, the right arm swinging time 
 with the left foot. I have also seen lots of women 
 pulling their little wagons to market — a woman on 
 one side the pole and a dog on the other, and no 
 child's play for either. In Glasgow I saw three 
 horses hitched abreast to their omnibuses, which will 
 carry as many on the outside as within — the center 
 horse in shafts. Here, in Munich, I see one horse 
 hitched to a wagon with a pole instead of shafts. In 
 Scotland I also noticed that the plows are made 
 of iron, in all their parts — handles, beam, and mold- 
 board — but here they are made of wood, pointed 
 with iron, and are hitched on to a two-wheeled ve- 
 hicle. But, everywhere on the Continent, the men 
 seem to do the talking, and the women do the work. 
 Sometimes, in cutting hay, a woman will lead the 
 row. They wear very short blue cotton dresses, of 
 scant pattern ; but little girls are bundled up with 
 dresses that nearly touch the ground. "We found 
 them in the midst of the wheat-harvest in Bavaria 
 and Austria, and the crop is a splendid one ; but I 
 have neither seen a "reaper" nor an old-fashioned 
 cradle. They prepare the bands before leaving the 
 house, and one of our hands will bind as much as 
 three of theirs, while one of McCormick's reapers 
 6* 
 
130 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 would in one day cut down all that grows on a dozen 
 of their farms. But still the people manage to live, 
 and look as brown and hardy as pine-knots. If they 
 would just get an education and speak English, I 
 would like to talk to some of them; but I will not 
 degrade my mother-tongue by learning their Dutch 
 lingo. 
 
 Vienna is a beautiful city, and comes nearer to 
 Paris in the way of boul vards and buildings than 
 any city we have seen. From the number and mag- 
 nificence of its churches, it would seem that piety 
 ought to be prevalent; but I am afraid the whole 
 virtue of the place might be compressed into Buz- 
 zard's Koost, and still leave Brother H. a congre- 
 gation at Sandy Hook that needed the gospel. But 
 priests are plentiful, and so is money — such as they 
 use, for it takes one hundred kreutzers to make fifty 
 cents — and some people expect to get prayed to 
 heaven in Latin for a small amount of money. Yes- 
 terday we spent at the Exposition, and, as one of 
 the party said, "it is no slouch of a show." Indeed, 
 it is one of the grandest exhibitions that was ever 
 seen, and I might as well attempt to paint a Lynch- 
 burg sunset as to try to picture it. I suppose you 
 could easily put all our churches in the central 
 dome, with the Court-house on top, and then crowd 
 around them all the goods sold in our goodly city 
 for the last five years, and there would still be room 
 for the ancient Market-house, Green's oyster saloon. 
 Fort Snacks, and Mr. Phat-man as salesman. In 
 some of the little transepts to the side I saw carpets 
 enough to make Bridge street smooth enough for a 
 carriage to run on, and in others silks enough to 
 keep all of Guggenheimer's clerks busy measuring 
 for a whole week, even without talking. In others 
 I saw sole-leather enough to stock Seabury's and 
 De Witt's until their great-grandchildren are as old 
 as Mr. Washington was when George cut the apple- 
 
Letters from Rev. T. "W. Hooper. 131 
 
 tree. In others there was perfumery enough to scent 
 the Market street, and make it smell like Latham's 
 drug store, and in others glass-ware enough to stock 
 Kinnier's and Boyd's, if they were to extend their 
 stores be3"ond the Watering Branch. 
 
 In the mechanical department I saw machines 
 from all parts of the world, and for every conceiva- 
 ble purpose. I think there must be locomotives 
 enough on hand to stock the great A., M. & 0. R. 
 R., or that other road that passes through — with a 
 name too long for this paper to hold. There are 
 also water-wheels, printing-presses, pumps, spinning 
 and weaving-machines — all at work, and producing 
 a clatter equal to a big break at Friend's warehouse, 
 with an organ and monkey attachment on the out- 
 side, at dinner-time. 
 
 As to the crowds that assemble there — -just put the 
 Tower of Babel and Pentecost together, and you 
 may forrti some conception of the confusion of 
 tongue, and of nationalities, too, that is collected in 
 that wonderful place. "All the world and his wife," 
 say some, are to be found there; but I did not find 
 them. I looked for the agent of the "Occidental," 
 and "Lone Jack," and "Old Sledge;" but while the 
 tobacco is all there, looking as bright and as yellow 
 as it does at home, there was no agent to be found, 
 and so I shall have to put up with the stumps of old 
 cigars cut up into smoking-tobacco. I might smoke 
 cigars, for they are remarkably cheap and good; but 
 I want a meerschaum pipe, and want to color it on 
 the way back home, and I want to color it with 
 nothing less than Lynchburg smoking-tobacco; for, 
 say what you will, Ave can beat the world on that, as 
 this Exposition will decide. 
 
 I have had many things to remind me of home; 
 but these brands of tobacco seemed to bring back 
 the dear old city more strikingly than any thing 
 else. I had parted from Tanner on going out, and 
 
132 A Mbmphian's Teip to Europe. 
 
 as soon as I met him, lie excitedly asked : "Did you 
 see the Lone Jack?" "Yes," said I, "and the Oc- 
 cidentah" Another word, say "Highlander," and 
 we would both of us have burst into tears, as those 
 Norfolk refugees did during the war in Liberty. 
 They met unexpectedly at court, and began to talk 
 about home. One mentioned "soft crabs," and the 
 other "oysters," one "hog-fish," and the other 
 "spots;" and so they went on, until the memories of 
 the good old epicurean days were too much for them, 
 and they sat and wept in silent sorrow over the 
 "joys they had tasted." Jack and I only escaped a 
 similar fate by dropping the subject. 
 
 I have gotten to be a real " Old Mortality" since I 
 came to this Old World, and to-day I went to visit 
 the graves of Maria Theresa, Joseph, and others, 
 who have given name to and made the history of 
 Austria. The fact is, that with the exception of 
 Queen Victoria, the great of these famous countries 
 are in the dust, and you must go to the tomb if you 
 would derive that inspiration which travel is ex- 
 pected to impart. "We find here no Napoleon nor 
 Wellington, no Frederick nor Ludwig, to occupy the 
 places made vacant by the death of those whose 
 names are so familiar to us in America. "Peace 
 hath her victories," etc.; but when we come all the 
 way to Europe to see strange things, we are not in- 
 terested so much in these peaceful scenes, but want 
 to look upon the emblems of valor and the trophies 
 of victory that have made history readable, and he- 
 roes familiar to our memories. It may be one more 
 evidence of the depravity of human nature, but it 
 is none the less true, that we look with more pleasure 
 upon a battle-field than upon a harvest — with more 
 interest upon some old castle, where thousands have 
 been slain, than upon a modern palace or chateau, 
 where a noble family now live in peace and plenty. 
 
 We are all the time looking for celebrities, and, 
 
Letters prom Rev. T. W. Hooper. 183 
 
 like the Floyd man who would n't eat bnclrwheat- 
 cakes in Christiansburg because he had "enough 
 of them victuals at home," so we will not deign to 
 look upon the most beautiful valle^-s, or most tow- 
 ering mountain, because we have all that in America, 
 and came here to see something that we do n't have 
 there. 
 
 By the way, I have been disappointed in these 
 rivers. "The beautiful blue Danube " is as muddy 
 as "Blackwater," only the mud is whitish, and "Iser 
 rolling rapidly " will not compare with James River 
 at Balcony Falls, while "l!*few River" has more ro- 
 mantic scenery than the Tweed, and York River is 
 more beautiful than the Thames. 
 
 But I must close. Several Englishmen have been 
 imprisoned for making slighting and invidious com- 
 parisons, and somebody might get hold of this and 
 report me. 
 
 MATEifCE, August 4, 1873. 
 
 ""Westward the star of Empire takes its way," 
 and I am happy to say that this is the star by which 
 my course is directed. Yes, " We're on our journey 
 home;" "Home Again," "Home, Sweet Home," 
 and every other song that has "home" in it, has 
 been ringing in my ears with a merry chime ever 
 since I left Vienna. Seeing sights in a foreign land 
 is pleasant fo read about, and a pleasant pastime 
 for a season, but a man gets tired of it, and it cer- 
 tainly would take a first-class sensation to disturb 
 my equanimity after all that I have seen. Miles of 
 pictures, and whole acres of statues, together with 
 innumerable cemeteries and vaults where earth's 
 greatest heroes are "resting in royalty," as Dr. Ar- 
 mistead used to say about Dives, are enough to be 
 compressed into one or two months, in the way of 
 art. And as to nature, we have seen "Loughs," 
 
134 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 in Ireland, "Locks," in Scotland, and "Lacs," in 
 Switzerland, which have inspired such men as 
 Moore, and Scott, and Byron, and Rousseau, and 
 Schiller, and the mountains we have climbed are 
 associated with the names of Cromwell and Rich- 
 ard, Hannibal and Cesar, Charlemagne and Bona- 
 parte. 
 
 As to palaces, we have walked in the gilded hall 
 where roamed such characters as Mary Queen of 
 Scots, Douglas, Richard, and Elizabeth. We have 
 seen the beds of the First and Third Napoleon, as 
 well as those of Queen Mary and Maria Theresa; 
 have trod on Mosaic pavement, and walked through 
 marble halls that once echoed with whispers of 
 intrigue that have set all Europe on fire with the 
 torch of war, or that have echoed the footsteps of 
 the dancing nobility, where each beau was a hero, 
 and each belle a heroine that was worthv a volume 
 to portray their charms, or to commemorate their 
 deeds of glory. 
 
 I read that page of bombast to the Doctor, who had 
 just waked up, and his only remark was : "Halloo, 
 I didn't know we had done all that," and as you 
 may have some other readers who can't appreciate 
 such a style, I will get down from my stilts, and as 
 I am approaching the land of Froissart, give you 
 the styles of his "chronicles." 
 
 I w^rote you last from Vienna. That day we went 
 out to Schonbrunn Palace, memorable as the sum- 
 mer-residence of Austrian emperors. It is a quaint 
 old palace, that reminded me of the old "armory" 
 in Richmond, only indefinitely extended, and with 
 wings to the front at each end of the main building. 
 But it is of a whitish-yellow color, and it is too flat 
 and squatty for good architecture. We could not 
 gain admittance, however, to the palace, and con- 
 tented ourselves with a walk through its beautiful 
 gardens and parks, associated as they were, in my 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 135 
 
 mind, at least, with "Joseph 11. and his court," by 
 Muhlbach: the whole scene was alive with memo- 
 ries of Theresa, and their numerous offspring, so 
 many of whom she w^ould like to have buried in 
 their childhood, could she have foreseen the years 
 of sorrow and agony to which her ambitious intrigues 
 were consigning them. Here, too, God put an end 
 to that poor prince for whom Napoleon sacrificed 
 his honor and his love for Josephine. Yes, it was 
 in that very house that the poor fellow died, in the 
 bed that his father had occupied before him, and he 
 is now buried in the same vault with Francis, 
 Joseph, Maria, etc., whose names, a capuchin monk, 
 with the garb of the grave and the face of a Bacchus, 
 repeated in Dutch, while we read them in Latin 
 upon the coffins. 
 
 We strolled on through the grounds where trees 
 are trimmed so smoothly that they look like a brick 
 wall overgrown with ivy, climbed through a tangled 
 pathway, instead of the sunny walk around the 
 fountain of Neptune to the "glariat." This is a beau- 
 tiful specimen of architecture, and a fine place for 
 an emperor, or a poor preacher, to air himself, and 
 enjoy the picturesque scenery which God has fur- 
 nished in profusion for the poor and the rich alike. 
 We sat there in its cool shade, and pleasant breeze, 
 dreaming of the past, and thought we could see- 
 *'Ichabod" written under the names of Maria and 
 Joseph, while a voice from Solomon seemed to 
 whisper in the breeze: "Vanity of vanities, all is 
 vanity." 
 
 Butleavingthesemonumentsof departed glory we 
 descended to the riglit of the main avenue, when, just 
 as the guide-book says, we came to an old Roman 
 ruin, unmistakably ancient, and with the figures of 
 the "fasces," and other emblems that mark it as 
 genuine. We first took a drink at its crystal (?) foun- 
 tain, which the Doctor thought might proceed from a 
 
136 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 bathing-house we had just passed, and where we 
 thought of taking a bath in memory of Francis and 
 Theresa, and then we sat down and dreamed of 
 Cesar and his cohorts, and what a pity it was that 
 poor little Marie Antoinette had not fallen in that 
 pool where that tadpole is wriggling, instead of 
 waiting until she was -old enough to amuse herself 
 building the little Trianon at Versailles, and then 
 amuse the volatile Frenchby losing her head on the 
 guillotine at the spot now marked by the "Place de 
 Concord." 
 
 I was thus musing upon the past, having put a 
 few remnants of brick and marble in my pocket, 
 for a young friend who is fond of such things, when 
 I heard the Doctor pecking away at an arch of the old 
 ruin, and had scarcel}^ had time to warn him against 
 the profanation when a female employee darted out 
 from behind the wall, and put out in a run toward 
 the palace. We both concluded that we had seen 
 enough of that ruin, and as the sun was still warm, 
 we preferred the aforesaid shade by-path, the 
 crookeder the better. Then we concluded we had 
 rocks and marble enough without these we had just 
 collected, and threw them away in the bushes, and 
 after much winding about, and not much leisure, 
 we walked out boldly into the avenue, through the 
 •lines of the sentinels, and never breathed freely 
 until we had taken a street-car and mixed up with 
 the crowd at the Exposition. Catch me gathering 
 mementoes from old ruins hereafter! Not that the 
 woman meant to report us, or that we were arrested 
 and imprisoned, but all that rushed through our 
 minds, with a probable war between the United 
 States and Austria to deliver two of its loyal citi- 
 zens from some damp and dismal dungeon, where 
 they had been imprisoned for stealing rocks from a 
 Eoman ruin. For my part they may crumble away 
 to the dust, with the old chaps who erected them, 
 
Letters from Eev. T. W". Hooper. 137 
 
 or with those who once enjo^^ed them, and after 
 that scare, if I secure any relics I will buy them 
 from the priests in the sanctuary, and thus know 
 that they are genuine. But I must close now, as it 
 is most time for breakfast, and we leave for a ride 
 down the Rhine on a steamer to Cologne. This 
 will be a most delightful change, after six hundred 
 miles on the cars, from Vienna to this place, which 
 we made in two nights, spending the intervening 
 day at Munich. 
 
 We heard on yesterday that Mr. Spurgeon is to 
 preach for our especial benefit next Sunday evening 
 at the Tabernacle, in London. A real gospel-ser- 
 mon will be to me now as ''honey from the rock," 
 or ^'Horeb to Israel." 
 
 Brussels, August 7, 1873, 
 
 I wrote you last from Mayence, from which point 
 we took the steamer down the Rhhie to Cologne. 
 It was a splendid journey of six hours, over the 
 finest scenery of the Rhine district, and is the only 
 portion, I believe, that is covered by the famous en- 
 gravings called " Panorama of the Rhine." In 
 some places the hills on shore are almost bare of 
 verdure, but generally they are green with grape- 
 vines, which are so closely trimmed, that trained as 
 they are to a single stick, they look at a distance 
 like a corn-field' when the corn is just in silk. But 
 along each bank, and at a distance of from half a 
 mile to two miles, were the old Roman castles that 
 make this country so famous to tourists, and that 
 add historic interest to the scene. Around these 
 chng the legends of childhood, and some of them 
 stilTbear the marks of recent wars of ISTapoleon and 
 his successors. 
 
 Arriving at Cologne about 6 p.m., we crossed the 
 river on a pontoon bridge to the beautiful Hotel 
 
138 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Belle Yue, which contains a splendid view of the 
 city opposite, as well as of the Khine, and has a 
 beautiful garden in the rear adorned with flowers, 
 shade-trees, and tables where beer-drinkers and 
 wine-bibbers spend their evenings. We soon found 
 that there was a "fete-day" on hand, and pushed 
 our way through the crowd to a place where "Don- 
 nvbrook Fair" must have been assembled, and 
 where the whole of Cologne, without the "eau de," 
 had collected to witness it. For about half a mile, 
 on each side of a narrow street, were cake and beer 
 stalls, and I am sure they had gingerbread enough 
 to supply all our Sunday-schools with picnics for 
 the next ten years. Then we came to side-shows, 
 theaters. Punch and Judy, riding-rings, monstrosi- 
 ties, jugglers, circuses, etc., until at last we had 
 worked our way down to the main show, which 
 was a "shooting-match" at targets. We watched 
 them for some time, and saw some of the finest 
 rifle-shooting that I have seen since the days of 
 squirrel hunting in Bedford. That night I had to 
 close my windows to shut out the discordant sounds 
 of a Dutch concert, which may' have been kept up 
 all night for what I know, at a neighboring beer- 
 garden. The next morning we were aroused pretty 
 early by the rattling of carts and carriages, and as 
 we do not breakfast before eight or nine o'clock, we 
 concluded to "do" Cologne before that time. 
 
 We have acquired such a facility in that line that 
 an ordinary city of fifty thousand inhabitants will 
 require half a day — larger ones in proportion. 
 Crossing the pontoon bridge, we purchased a bottle 
 of the genuine cologne from the manufacturers, 
 and thus armed proceeded to march bomb-proof 
 amid the ten thousand historic scents of this dirty 
 place. But it may have been due to the fact that I 
 came from Lynchburg, and hence was not pecu- 
 liarly struck with the filth, and had I not seen Paris 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 139 
 
 and London, might have regarded this as a model 
 of neatness and sweet smells. 
 
 We went through the magnificent Cathedral at 
 early mass, listened awhile to tolerahlj good music, 
 while we eyed the architecture and paintings, and 
 then went on down to the Church of St. Ursula. 
 This church was intended to commemorate the 
 chastity of Ursula and her virgin S: — eleven thous- 
 and — who, instead of marrying, as the Bible com- 
 mands, went into a convent. ]^ot satisfied here, as 
 no woman is, they went off on a long tramp to 
 Rome to see what the chances were for a happy 
 m.arriage among the priests. They found them a 
 jolly set of fellows, but more inclined to wine than 
 to marriage. So after this hopeless attempt at mat- 
 rimony, like our schoolmarms, they determined to 
 go back "to him and try their luck in the old 
 country again." But while they were sorrowfully 
 wending their way, downcast and melancholy, a lot 
 of free-lovers from the North came upon them, and 
 they had a big fight, in which, they say, all the wo- 
 men got killed, and now their skulls and bones are 
 stuck around the walls of this church in a kind of 
 iron net-work. We went in and gazed upon the 
 bones, while the little children sang most beautiful 
 chants to the music of a splendid organ, and the 
 image of the chaste "old maid," St. Ursula, looked 
 down complacently upon them, and a venerable 
 priest drank the wine at the altar instead of giving 
 it to their parents. 
 
 Well, we left St. Ursula without even a bow of 
 recognition for fear of mistake, and wended our 
 way across the splendid railroad bridge, which is 
 guarded at each end by a fine-looking old gentleman 
 in bronze riding General Washington's horse, as it 
 appears on the monumentin Richmond, only the head 
 is turned the wrong way, which may be due to sea- 
 sickness while crossing the Atlantic. 
 
140 A Memphian's Trip to EuptOPS. 
 
 I am not joking about that horse. We did not 
 go to the bronze foundry in Munich, where we 
 might have seen all their models, but it is evident 
 that he has a model of a horse which he mounts 
 with Washington, Leopold, ISTapoleon, or whatever 
 hero may be needed, and as horses do not differ as 
 much as men, the world is none the wiser for this 
 ^' trick in trade." 
 
 That morning we took the train at 11:40 for this 
 place, to which we had a fine journey through a 
 splendid section, where men, women, children, and 
 dogs, were all engaged in gathering in the harvest. 
 Belgium, so far, is the finest agricultural region we 
 have passed through on the Continent, and there 
 seems to be a better system of agriculture, as well 
 as larger farms and finer houses. The people all 
 speak French, which sounds more familiar to us 
 than German, and the money is decidedly more 
 easily calculated. It takes one hundred centimes 
 to make a franc, and a franc is worth twenty cents. 
 So, in this way, a man who is at all acquainted with 
 Pike "can easily compute the cost of lace," etc. 
 
 Yesterday we went around by the Cathedral, 
 Palace, Royal Park, etc., to the Zoological Gardens. 
 Here we spent two or three hours most pleasantly 
 in watching the animals, birds, fish, and plants, for 
 it is a general combination of all in one inclosure, 
 about half a mile square. We saw all kinds of 
 dogs, from a bench-leg fice to a St. Bernard; ani- 
 mals from a guinea-pig to an elephant; birds from 
 a wren to the North American eagle. There was a 
 splendid collection of birds of the most gorgeous 
 colors, enough to keep all the gravel-shooters in 
 Lynchburg busy during a whole vacation. Here, 
 too, we saw one of Mark Twain's pilgrims, a kind 
 of crane, who has a curious fancy for standing on 
 one of his spindling legs, which is about the size of 
 a drum-stick, and about two feet long. We also 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 141 
 
 saw a splendid specimen of the ostricli, whose tails 
 were gone, and as many old hares from India as 
 would stock a pine-forest in Amherst. 
 
 After passing through this and the aquarium, 
 which is formed out of an artificial grotto, and 
 where we tried to stir up a crocodile which was 
 either asleep, or like M. T.'s mummy — "dead" 
 — we strolled on down the boulevards, which are 
 wide, shady streets, built on the foundation of the 
 old walls, into the old city. Here we first went into 
 a lace factory, where they employ two thousand 
 '^ve hundred women. They showed us the whole 
 process, which is very simple to look at, but rather 
 tedious to practice with a cambric needle by the 
 life-time. We made some small purchases, com- 
 mensurate with our funds, which are " growing- 
 small by degrees, and beautifully less." I could 
 have spent a whole year's salary and put the result 
 of it in the pocket-book out of which the money 
 was taken to pay for it, or in my pocket-book just 
 as it is at present. 
 
 "We then went on down to look at the local mon- 
 ument, called the Menachin Fountain, said to be 
 copied from nature, and commemorative of the 
 finding of a little prince who strolled away from 
 home and got lost, as many other small boys have 
 done before and since. 
 
 We might spend weeks here looking at pictures, 
 and specimens of ancient armor, etc., or we might 
 go to the battle-field of Waterloo, which is twelve 
 miles ofiT, but I have seen paintings enough to last 
 me, and I lived on a battle-field too long to have 
 any special curiosity about that. Some of our party 
 have gone, however, and some yesterday went into 
 ecstasies over the ball-room where the ball was held 
 the night before the battle, and on which was writ- 
 ten, "There was a sound of revelry by night." But 
 after they returned to the guide-books they found 
 
142 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 that that particular ball-room was torn down several 
 years ago, and so all their enthusiasm was wasted. 
 Well, we leave here in the morning for Antwerp, 
 whence we sail at 4 p.m. for London, where I trust 
 I shall be able to write to you again. 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. "Whipple. 143 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Letters from the Eev. A. B. Whipple, President of Lansing- 
 burgh College, New York. 
 
 Munich, July 15, 1873, 
 
 My last letter closed, I think, with the word 
 London, a place known as a large city. Arriving 
 there at 9 p.m., and leaving the next day at 3 p.m., 
 left us onl}^ eighteen hours to eat, sleep, and see 
 what we could. Some three of us went in the 
 morning to see the Zoological Gardens, containing 
 a large part of all the animals described in our natu- 
 ral histories. They are all in ample grounds, or 
 rooms, well adapted to their nature.- A bird-house, 
 for instance, containing mostly Cohcmbce, or birds of 
 the dove species, was about one hundred and seventy 
 feet long, forty wide, and in the center fifty feet 
 liigh, all woven together, with meshes about an inch 
 square, or rather, diamond-shaped. Within were trees 
 of different kinds, climbing ivy, and many beautiful 
 flowers; and flying or resting among these were the 
 many-colored birds of the class above-mentioned, 
 and a few other smaller ones of different kinds, that 
 would live in harmony. Probably the place where 
 my young friends would linger longest would be the 
 monkey-house — nearly as large as the other, and, 
 like it, made of stouter wire, while outside was a 
 brick wall, and over all a slated roof. Here, in the 
 wire house, were all varieties of monkeys — not all 
 
144 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 in one section; for, like men, some are for quarrel- 
 ing, and some are for peace. One could ^and there 
 for hours, had he the time, to see their various ways 
 of spending their strength. All the apparatus of a 
 good gymnasium was theirs, and such agility as they 
 manifested was truly amusing — swinging by hands, 
 or feet, or tail; jumping from a swing to bars; 
 amusing themselves on ladders, poles, and in rings; 
 chasing one another up and around their wire-sided 
 home; their fights — apparent or real fights — their 
 laughing chatter — all with their serious, sober faces 
 — is truly amusing. There were elephants and rhi- 
 noceros, giraffes and hippopotami, seals and other 
 amphibians, and so on and so on, till our whole day 
 was spent. We have several days in London when 
 we return. 
 
 By 8 o'clock we were crossing the German Ocean. 
 ^'Rocked in the cradle of the deep," we slept, and 
 in the morning were steaming up the Scheldt, for 
 the old Dutch city of Antwerp. The sail up the 
 river is not particularly interesting; for the country 
 is very flat, the river banked on both sides with 
 levees, over which we could not see, save here and 
 there the tops of a few trees and the spires of some 
 churches. jN'arrower grows the river, and by 11 
 o'clock we make fast to the pier, and go off the 
 gangway-plank to see and to be seen. 
 
 We spend the rest of the day in sight-seeing. I 
 shall only try to tell something of the Cathedral of 
 !Notre Dame, wonderful not only for its architectural 
 beauty, but especially for its many and magnificent 
 paintings by the celebrated painter, Rubens. "The 
 Ascent of the Cross," "TheDescent from the Cross," 
 " The Crucifixion," " The Assumption of the Virgin," 
 "The Holy Mother," and many more, on large can- 
 vas, so that, though sixty or one hundred feet above 
 us, they look life-like in size and color. Here we 
 found many artists, wdth easels, busily engaged copy- 
 
Letters fhom Rev. A. B. Whipple. 145 
 
 ing these works of the great master. One we saw, 
 who has done nothing else but copy these paintings 
 for the last thirtj'-tive years, always finding ready 
 purchasers. To appreciate, one must see them. One 
 thing which may be interesting in this matter is 
 this: The holy mother, in face, is the portrait of his 
 second wife, while in another painting the faces of 
 some of the saints are his first wife and relations, 
 and some of the angels his own children ; and fii 
 nearly all his paintings the portrait of himself ap- 
 pears. From what I have seen of his paintings, I 
 think I shall know Rubens's masterpieces when I 
 see them. Many other paintings adorned the walls, 
 but his are the glory of J^otre Dame. 
 
 We then visited the silk works. All silk is woven 
 by hand, in old-fashioned looms; and we were told 
 that it is so woven everywhere in the world. 
 
 'Next day found us in Brussels. Cathedrals seem 
 to be the chief places to visit in this country; so we 
 march to that of St. Gudule — not so noted for its 
 paintings as for some of its architectural work, carv- 
 ings in wood, and sculptured stone. Selecting one 
 thing, let me mention the pulpit of carved oak. Its 
 base represents Adam and Eve just after eating the 
 forbidden fruit, with bowed heads and sorrowful 
 faces, and Eve with the fruit still in her hand. On 
 their shoulders is the pulpit, and u^der their feet 
 and around them is the serpent, in man}- folds about 
 and above the pulpit; above is a canopy, and on the 
 top of this, in horizontal position, with open mouth 
 and forked tongue, is the head of the serpent, and 
 above the serpent, with heel upon his head, stands 
 the Son of man, crowned with radiant glory. This 
 altogether forms the frame- work, and around and 
 ornamenting the whole are carved trees and branches, 
 on and among which are various animals in various 
 attitudes, yet "all with ears turned in the direction of 
 the pulpit, as if to hear the fearful doom pronounced 
 7 
 
146 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 on all the world for this Hrst sin. Even a poor mon- 
 key, with some of the forbidden fruit in his hand, 
 imitating Eve, no doubt, is faithfully represented, 
 suggesting, perhaps, his fall in common with our 
 race. As a specimen of carved work, it, in design 
 and finish, surpasses any thing I have yet seen. I 
 climbed to the top of a monument, some two hun- 
 dred steps, where could be seen the whole city as a 
 niap, and away northward the battle-field of Water- 
 loo. I visited the Royal Palace, Town Hall, parks, 
 and Museum, which are all well filled with works of 
 art — painting or sculpture. Here, too, I found my 
 way into the lace-factories, and saw the slow process 
 of making all forms of lace "with needle and 
 thread." To see five hundred pins and as many 
 threads, with little handles, stuck here and there, 
 and pulled this way and that, all in a space not so 
 large as your hand, was at least amusing, and some- 
 what instructive; for, by inquiring, I learned that 
 eighteen months are spent on a good lace kerchief 
 by women working twelve and fourteen hours per 
 day, for twenty cents, and, when done, worth about 
 one hundred dollars — enough to keep an ordinary 
 nose clean. 
 
 'Next day we arrived at Cologne — so-called from 
 a Roman "Colonia." Here, too, cathedrals gather 
 all the wealth and art of the city. Amid much 
 sameness of purpose, an endless variety of means is 
 made apparent. The Cathedral is the one most 
 noteworthy — one of the most stupendous specimens 
 of Gothic architecture in the world, dizzying to the 
 mind in size and details. It was begun in 1248, and 
 they hope to finish it in a few years — the two towers 
 remaining unfinished. Each tower will be five hun- 
 dred feet high, and this is the length of the building. 
 It has one hundred and sixty-nine cloisters, five hun- 
 dred and seventy-six windows — many of them very 
 large — and ^ve hundred turrets, or small towers. It 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 147 
 
 is ma2:nificent without as well as witliin. It has a 
 chapeX •"Three Kings of Cologne "—the three wise 
 men of the east— hehiud the high altar; and the 
 wealth of a nation seems lavished on a case said to 
 contain their bones. It is also in paintings, but so 
 like others that I will not discuss them. You must 
 know that it was Sunday, here a holiday, though 
 ..every church is open. A procession of five hundred 
 children were inarching along the streets, strewn 
 with oak-leaves and evergreens; houses were adorned 
 with flags, and lights were burning before images 
 in niches and windows. I believe the day was St. 
 Michael's, and all was in honor of him. Following 
 along, we went into different churches, all beautiful, 
 and rich with medieval art. We paused longest in 
 Ursula, where we saw the bones of eleven thousand 
 viro-ins, or little girls, who had been on a pilgrimage 
 to Rome with St. Ursula, an English lady; on their 
 return they were murdered by the Huns, and here, 
 in various forms, carved, ornamented, and colored, 
 are kept these relics of the past for the curious 
 tourist to see, and devout Catholics to worship. To 
 see eleven thousand skeletons, each bone separated 
 from its fellow, and piled up like so many bundles 
 of fao-s-ots, is what an anatomist would call going 
 back'to "first principles." We found also an Eng- 
 lish chapel, where we attended service, and heard a 
 ffood story on the sin of worshiping. It being a 
 holiday, all places of art exhibition and amusement 
 were open, and all stores and street venders seemed 
 to be doing a very thriving business. The many 
 oddities of dress, and other things, I reserve for a let- 
 ter by itself. Our hotel is on the banks of the Khine, 
 with several terraces, each shaded, and seated like 
 beer-gardens, as they are, where all day Sunday and 
 Sundav-night, thousands gather to eat drink, hear 
 the band of music, and finally go home after afine dis- 
 play of fireworks. Suchhasbeen a Sunday m Cologne. 
 
148 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ViENifA, July 19, 1873. 
 My Dear Readers:— We left Cologne, the city 
 of smells, Monday-morning, by rail for Bonn, where 
 we tarried for an hour, running through the famous 
 University, one thousand two hundred and eighty 
 feet long, with three hundred lecture-rooms and 
 halls, and a library of one hundred thousand vol- 
 umes. In the classical recitation-room, coverings 
 nearly one side of the wall, was a painting by Ra- 
 phael, representing the great scholars of the past — 
 Homer, Plato, Eschylus, Euripides, Socrates, Dem- 
 osthenes, among the Greeks; Yirgil, Cicero, Cesar, 
 Horace, of the Latin race; and of more modern 
 men, Dante, Shakspeare, and others; all with some 
 symbol whereby a reader of their works would 
 know them. Along the library were busts of the 
 honored great, among which the deformed ^sop 
 was worthy of notice. Here, too, we saw some of 
 the nondescript compositions of Beethoven, and not 
 far thence we entered the house where he was said 
 to have been burned; plucking a rose-leaf from the 
 garden, we placed it between the leaves of our note- 
 book to bring home, or, more likely, lose on the 
 way. For the sake of seeing this place we had 
 taken cars and so gained the time. ]N"ow our steam- 
 boat, the Emperor of Germany, came along, and 
 we went on board to spend the day in steaming up 
 the Rhine. Below Bonn there is not much that is 
 worthy of notice. Above, the beauty and the 
 grandeur begin. For awhile I try to persuade my- 
 self that the Hudson is equal in beauty, in palisades, 
 in mountain scenery, but I am compelled to give 
 the first prize to the Rhine. Most of the way the 
 rough, bold mounts, crowd down to the river on 
 both sides, and, up the sides, where it would seem 
 there is nothing but rocks, industrious hands have 
 made terraces, and planted grape-vines nearly to the 
 summit. One needs to see them to understand the 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 149 
 
 phrase, ''The vine-clacl hills." On many of the 
 bold and projecting cliiFs stands the remains of 
 castles built far back in the small centuries. 
 Much of their history is the history of the nation, 
 now proud of their ruins. Under them, on the 
 river's bank, are small villages, surrounded by 
 the old walls within which the old castles stood. 
 'No doubt they were thus placed to be under the 
 protection of the castles, or to flee into them in 
 time of need; for a castle is not simply a large 
 house, or a tower, but quite a village of itself, sur- 
 rounding and occupying many acres of ground, 
 protected sometimes by walls fourteen feet in thick- 
 ness, with massive buildings within to contain vast 
 supplies, for large numbers and for a long time. 
 Under the safe-keeping of such defenses, in old 
 feudal times, gathered the sparse population, and in 
 steaming up the Rhine we read past history. So 
 numerous now are little villages along the river 
 that we are seldom out of sight of one. The moun- 
 tain scenery, and the cultivation up their steep sides 
 of the grape, gives constant exercise for eye and 
 imagination. Where horses and cattle cannot get 
 to plow, women can, and we thus learn that woman- 
 power is here highly prized, and highly used; and 
 all along this valley they are far above the men in 
 the culture which makes Rhine wine so acceptable 
 to their loving husbands. We turn from such 
 pleasant reveries, and &x our eyes on Coblence — 
 Confluenza — situated at the confluence of the Moselle 
 and Rhine; a large, walled city, back, and above it, 
 one of the castles like others, only a living, or 
 occupied one, named Fort Kaiser Alexander, 
 while nearly opposite is Ehrenbreistein castle 
 and fort, deemed the strongest in all the German 
 States. 
 
 We pass Schonburg — a place frequented by Lu- 
 ther, and easily recalled by the readers of the 
 
150 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ''Schonburg Cotta Family." Amid ever-changing 
 delights for the eye, we stop a few moments at 
 "Bingen, fair Bingen on the Rhine." 
 
 On and on into the darkness, until we enter May- 
 ence, a city founded thirteen years before the 
 Christian era began, and capital of the Grand Duchy 
 of Hessia. The imposing pile of the Cathedral, 
 founded in the eighth century, the isolated groups 
 of churches, the commanding aspect of the citadel, 
 and the far-stretching girdle of massive fortifications, 
 address themselves at once to the eye and to the im- 
 agination. Tired as I am of describing churches, 
 I will here say, it is said no cathedral in Germany 
 has as many monuments and epitaphs as this. What 
 pleased me far more was to find a monument in the 
 public square of, or to the memory of Johann zum 
 Gensfleick, of Guttenburg, the inventor of the art 
 of printing, in 1450. His statue is of bronze, after 
 a model by Thorwalsden, and cast in Paris. He is 
 represented with some types — a b c — in his hand, 
 each separate, and therefore movable. On the pe- 
 destal sides are difterent representations ; one setting 
 type, one a boy printing with a screw press, and 
 another himself, in the act of reading the proof- 
 sheet, and another an inscription in Latin, as follows : 
 "An art which neither the Greeks nor Romans un- 
 derstood the genius of a German has found out. 
 'Now, whatever the ancients knew, and the moderns 
 know, it is not for himself, but for all mankind." 
 The citizens of Mayence erected this monument to 
 Guttenburg, by money collected throughout Europe, 
 in 183T. 
 
 From Mayence to Munich, so far the finest Ger- 
 man city. We visit the Glyptothek, a large build- 
 ing filled with statuary, mostly Grecian and Roman, 
 every thing in the highest style of art. To any one 
 having read the mythologies of these nations a 
 sight of all the ideal gods and goddesses is well worth 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 151 
 
 the time spent in looking at them, but no verbal 
 description will make one to fully appreciate them. 
 We cross the street to another like building filled 
 with fine oil-paintings of modern times. Here one 
 can revel in all the beauties of color and imagina- 
 tion, so blended as to charm the beholder. A little 
 walk and we enter another art-gallery, containing 
 one thousand four hundred and twenty- two paintings. 
 We look at some of the finest in each room, and 
 pass on satisfied, and satiated with manifestations 
 of this pictorial art. At 11 o'clock we enter the 
 palace of the king, and spend tv\'o hours in w^ander- 
 ing through royal halls, and rooms, and gazing at 
 huge historic paintings adorning the halls and ceil- 
 ings of most of the rooms. 
 
 In the ro3^al dancing-hall the paintings represent 
 various styles of dancing and of dress; and as to 
 the latter, more of the person than of the dress ap- 
 pears. In one, or rather two rooms, are thirty-five 
 oil-portraits of the handsomest women said to have 
 lived in Munich. They are very fine, but we could 
 equal them at home had w^e equal artists. Lola 
 Montez was one among them formerly, but so much 
 has been said to her disgrace that, despite the beauty 
 of her face, her picture has been removed to another 
 place. 
 
 The throne-room was the grandest in style and 
 finish. On each side a row of kings, beginning 
 with the first and ending with Charles XII., King of 
 Sweden, all of bronze, of more than life-like size, 
 and clothed in the style of the different ages in 
 which they lived — a kind of running history of it- 
 self. At the end of the room was the throne, raised 
 several steps above the floor of the hall. The talk 
 of the Yankee schoolmasters has been heard in 
 royal halls, and gliding out into the free air w^e 
 sought and entered the "bronze manufactory where 
 are made most of the bronze statuary of the world. 
 
152 A Memphian's Tkif to Europe. 
 
 Saw many models of American works — Washing- 
 ton, Clay, Benton, Mason, GoverHtor Andrews of 
 Massachusetts — in process of molding and casting; 
 also a soldiers' monument for Worcester, and one 
 for Cincinnati, and many of the kings, and queens, 
 and soldiers, and artists, and scholars with which 
 many cities of the world are adorned. It is a won- 
 derful establishment. Here was made the largest 
 bronze monument in the world — the Bavarian statue. 
 It represents a human sixty-five feet in altitude, and 
 every way well proportioned, the hand six feet, and 
 the nose twenty-three inches; yet, standing so 
 high on its pedestal that at a not great distance it 
 seems of natural size. Though hollow, it required 
 seventy-eight tons of brass in its construction, made 
 of cannon taken in wars, mostly from the Turks. 
 It cost ninety-seven thousand dollars, and was ten 
 years in making. In the hollow head nine or ten 
 persons can find room, and out through her curls 
 can crawl up on to the outside of her ample head. 
 Her hair hangs in curls down her back. One hand 
 rests on a huge lion by her side, while in the oth^r 
 was grasped the royal scepter. Altogether it was 
 well worthy of the nation, the artist, the design-^ 
 and the carriage- ride to see it. Thence to the 
 establishment where are made the beautiful stained- 
 glass windows which adorn and beautify the windows 
 of so many churches in this and other lands. Here 
 we saw some of the finest paintings yet seen, and 
 done in glass. Having a little time to spare, we rode 
 around the city of two hundred thousand inhabitants, 
 listened a few moments to a concert of one hundred 
 brass instruments, in a beer-garden, and weary, seek 
 our beds, preparatory to an all-day ride along the 
 base of the Bavarian Alps, and the Tyrolese Alps, 
 snow-covered, till at 11 o'clock p.m., tired and hungry, 
 we enter this city of nine hundred thousand inhab- 
 itants — ^Vienna. 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 153 
 
 The Vienna Exposition — Description of the building — Scenes 
 and incidents — -The population of Vienna, etc., etc. 
 
 Venice, July 22, 1873. 
 Since my last communication Vienna has enter- 
 tained us for three clays, and we have done what we 
 could to see and learn. In 1855 Vienna had some 
 70,000 population; in 1865 it had 500,000, and to- 
 day has over 900,000 — a growth more rapid than 
 any other known city, Chicago not excepted. A 
 reason for it is found, in part, in the enterprise of 
 the emperor, who caused the old city-walls to be 
 demolished, and thus let the city spread ; and partly 
 to the fact that it is the resident city of the nobility 
 — some nine hundred of them living here, and spend- 
 ing their wealth in efforts to outdo one another. 
 Buildings are being constructed everywhere in great 
 numbers, of good size and solidity, made mostly of 
 brick, and stuccoed outside and inside, so as to re- 
 semble stone-work. It is the best-built city in Eu- 
 rope — widest streets, best paved, and kept cleanest. 
 To ride through its magnificent parks and boule- 
 vards gives one a very favorable impression. Its 
 military, horse and foot, attract attention, and one 
 begins to feel that he is under a government not 
 like that at home. The nobility in their grand man- 
 sions, or rolling through parks in gay equipages, 
 spacious hotels and highly-draped servants, are not 
 all. Among and under them is the teeming popula- 
 tion of the laboring class — men, women, and chil- 
 dren. Here we see women at work mixing mortar 
 and carrying it up ladders in hods, like men, sweeping 
 streets, drawing away filth, often with dogs to help 
 them ; for here even dogs are harnessed, and com- 
 pelled to earn their living. In short, in the markets, 
 in the streets, and in the fields, women seem to be 
 the working-class. So in trade — in stores and shops 
 the women act as if they were as good as the men, 
 
 not even omitting beer and tobacco. All this we 
 
 7>}c 
 
154 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 cannot fail to see as we pass through the city to the 
 great attraction of the place at present — the World's 
 Fair, or Exposition. 
 
 Each country presents its peculiar and best pro- 
 ducts, and each seems to excel the other in some 
 one thing — America in sewing-machines and mow- 
 ing-machines ; England in iron-works and weaving- 
 machinery ; France in silk and tasteful fabrics ; Italy 
 and Greece in statuary; Germany in oil-paintings 
 and lager-beer; Austria for the finest display of the 
 largest number and variety of useful and ornamental 
 things; Egypt, China, and Japan, of course, had 
 their noted peculiarities in luxurious abundance. 
 Please fancy the finest fabrics you have ever seen 
 from these countries; then imagine them arranged 
 under the most favorable circum'stances for exhibi- 
 tion ; then add the greatest skill in their complete 
 and unique arrangement, and even then you will 
 fail to fancy it as it is. Take, for instance, one ar- 
 ticle — thread, in spools of all sizes and colors, in 
 balls, in skeins; then fancy them arranged in col- 
 umns, turrets, windows,' domes, painting, sculpture 
 — in short, a complete cathedral, well proportioned 
 and thirty feet high, and you may fancy how one 
 company show their thread. 
 
 The buildings are situated on the east side of the 
 city, inclosing one thousand acres, a part of which 
 is made up of royal gardens. The building is shaped 
 like the frame of a fish. The dimensions are almost 
 three thousand feet in length, with sixteen transepts 
 or thirty-two side-sections, like the ribs of a fish, so 
 made that light enough maybe had in the main build- 
 ing and transepts, and in many instances the spaces 
 between the transepts have been filled with addi- 
 tional buildings, till the whole single structure covers 
 one hundred and seventy acres of ground. We enter 
 at the west end, and enter at once rooms marked 
 Korth America, and in the other transept South 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 155 
 
 America ; for the arrangement of nations is eastward 
 in order, beginning with America, E'orthand South, 
 two sections, then England five, Spain and Portugal 
 one, France seven, Switzerland two, Italy three, Bel- 
 gium two, Austria twenty-two, Russia three, Egypt 
 one, China two, Turkey two, Japan two. AH this 
 shows the comparative space in the main building oc- 
 cupied by different nations, and some in parts by na- 
 tions not named in the above list. Again, see samples 
 of silk piled one above another in such a way as to 
 represent the side of a room tapestried with animals, 
 and trees, and flowers. Or see a huge shaft, like 
 Bunker Hill monument, with medallions and inscrip- 
 tions on its pedestal, white as marble ; go up and read: 
 
 "i?2 memoriam of Mr. B , manufacturer of wax, 
 
 porcelain, and spermacetti." Of all ingenious de- 
 vices to attract attention and challenge notice, the 
 most noteworthy of each nation can be found here. 
 Do not think every thing is within the main building. 
 There is a machine-shop of nearly the same length, in 
 which, by steam-powder, is used a great variety of ma- 
 chinery, doing very wonderful work. I saw a com- 
 plicated machine making tapestry, or figured lace. It 
 was a kind of loom, yet without any shuttle; farther 
 I cannot describe it. Wood-work, iron-work, clay- 
 work, leather-work, wool-work, cotton-work, silk- 
 work, paper- work — nearly every thing but shoddy- 
 work. Besides the main building, called the Palace 
 of Industry, and the machine-hall just mentioned, 
 there are a few others I might mention by name if 
 you were willing to read through a list of names to the 
 number of two hundred and eighty-eight, including 
 many large houses filled with line arts, many illus- 
 trating the war-weapons of different nations, large 
 musical-instrument establishments, Swiss to^-shops, 
 model school-houses and dwellings of many parts of 
 the earth, agricultural halls, metal industries, model 
 stables, not to omit restaurants- of and for all na- 
 
156 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 tions. Should I enumerate them all, without a more 
 complete description, the story would be as tedious 
 as the one, ''And another ant came and took a grain 
 of corn." 
 
 In the center of the Palace of Industry is a grand 
 dome of twice the area of that of St. Peter's church 
 at Rome. It is three hundred and forty-six feet in 
 diameter, and seventy-five feet to the top of the pe- 
 destal and base of the dome, with a circular walk 
 within, from which we look down on the grandest 
 display in the building. So far, we go up in an ele- 
 vator; then, in a winding way, half round and up 
 the dome, on the outside, for five hundred feet we 
 walk, looking down upon all the surroundings of 
 this World's Fair. Then, in a smaller circle by one- 
 half, we walk around the outside and see the whole 
 city, as a map, below ns. Korth of us flows the 
 Danube, with its turbid waters, through a level 
 country teeming with a busy population. A little 
 to the north-east of us we see the famous battle-field 
 of Wagram, where E"apoleon, by the charge of Mc- 
 Donald, sacrificed fifteen thousand men to gain his 
 point. At different points around the dome were 
 placed telescopes, through which we aid the eye in a 
 circle of twenty miles radius, and behold the pride 
 and pomp of Austria. Still higher above us rises 
 the dome, till, some three hundred feet from the 
 ground, it is crowned with a most magnificent golden 
 crown of Austria, reflecting every way the burning 
 rays of the rising, midday, or setting sun. While 
 underneath afterward, and within the Industrial 
 Palace, we saw Francis Joseph II., the Emperor to 
 whom for the present the crown belongs. 
 
 Having seen the Fair, we took a little run among 
 the churches — all remarkable for something, and 
 each differing from the rest. I will mention only two 
 or three. St. Peter's, built like the one in Kome, is 
 very old, and contains an immense amount of genius, 
 
Letters prom Eev. A. B. "Whipple. 157 
 
 in tlie shape of architecture, sculpture, and painting. 
 The wealth of many rich men has been hivished on 
 the adornment of the church — one of the ways by 
 which the rich lessen the pains of purgatory. Many 
 of the columns were covered with carved vines, 
 among the branches of which were numerous little 
 naked angels, or cupids, in every variety of attitude, 
 with distended cheeks, as if blowing the praises of 
 some one, once white and beautiful, no doubt, but 
 now dark and dirty with age and dust. By the way, 
 in parenthesis, this is true of much of the ancient 
 statuary. Age has colored them dark and gloomy, 
 and time has gnawed them with her teeth, till they 
 are not what fancy painted them. Within this church, 
 in a crypt, lies the son of I^apoleon, and in an urn 
 the heart of Maria Theresa; and underneath an 
 altar was a skeleton arrayed in gorgeous apparel, 
 with glittering tiara, eye-sockets with jewels, bony 
 fingers with flashing rings, patela bright with dia- 
 monds, feet in finely-worked slippers. I was told it 
 was the skeleton of one of the popes. Under another 
 altar was another in like memorial habiliments. 
 Never have I seen such a mocking contrast of death 
 in life. The Cathedral of St. Stephen was, or is, 
 worthy of note for several particulars. In it are the 
 letters A. E. I. 0. U., the motto of Fredrick ; they 
 are the initial letters of Latin words meaning, "Aus- 
 tria must rule the world." Let Latin scholars guess 
 the words. In its crypt is the burial-place of roy- 
 alty. For the last two hundred years only their 
 hoioels are buried here, their bodies in the Church of 
 the Capuchins, and their A^^ar^s in the Church of the 
 Augustines. Who would not be a king? 
 
158 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Letter from Vienna, by the Eev. Charles W. Gushing. 
 
 Our party (Cook's Educational Party) reached 
 Vienna on the evening of Jaly 17, via Munich. 
 Thus far every step of our journey has been delight- 
 ful beyond description, so that it really seemed that 
 from the time we stepped on board the grand 
 steamship Victoria, at ITew York, a good Providence 
 bad been preparing the way for us; and now, 
 tbougb we have heard rumors of cholera in Vienna, 
 we are prepared to go forward without fear, for we 
 found that the rumors, though not entirely without 
 foundation, had greatly exaggerated the facts. It is 
 sufficient to say, that without unusual precautions, 
 excepting not to drink their miserable water, our 
 party were never in better health than in Vienna. 
 
 Thus far we have found no city in Europe which 
 is laid out on a scale of such magnificence and 
 grandeur as Vienna. The present emperor, while 
 doing a good work abroad, is also doing nobly for 
 his people at home. The magnificence, however, is 
 not due to the influence of the emperor alone; for 
 there is no other city in Europe which has so many 
 resident nobility as Vienna. I^ot less than two 
 hundred families of princes, counts, and barons live 
 here. The city has a large number of parks, aside 
 from the Eoyal Park (where the Exposition is held), 
 which embraces one thousand acres, while many of 
 the streets, which run entirely through and around 
 
Letter feom Rev. C. W. Gushing. 159 
 
 the city, are laid out on a scale whicli would astound 
 American economists. 
 
 Many of the churches at Vienna, some of which 
 are very old, have peculiar histories linked with 
 them. The Maximilian, or Votive Church, not yet 
 completed, is one of the most beautiful. Though 
 not large, it is almost an exact copy of the Ca- 
 thedral at Cologne. Its foundation was laid by the 
 ill-fated Maximilian, of Mexican fame, who was a 
 brother of the present Emperor of Austria. In 
 1853 there was an attempt made upon the life of 
 the Emperor Francis Joseph, and this church, it is 
 said, was projected by Maximilian as a thank-offer- 
 ing for the escape of the emperor from the hand of 
 the assassin. It is hard to reconcile such religious 
 consecration with the facts connected with the pri- 
 vate lives of many of these men. 
 
 In the Church of St. Augustine is the famous 
 monument of the Archduchess Maria Christina, 
 the masterpiece of the great Venetian sculptor, 
 Canova. In Loretto Chapel, in this church, are the 
 silver urns which contain the hearts of the imperial 
 family who have died within the last two hundred 
 years, such as Maria Theresa, Il^apoleon II., etc. 
 The bodies of all these imperials are buried in the 
 Church of the Capuchins. Maximilian is also en- 
 tombed here. The old Church of St. Stephen's, 
 which is exactly in the center of the old city, was 
 begun early in the twelfth century, and is the larg- 
 est and most important church of the city, though 
 it contains nothing of special interest excepting the 
 bodies of the Austrian Emperors who died prior to 
 the last two hundred years. 
 
 Bat these are things whose special features of 
 interest are with the past. What makes Vienna an 
 object of world-wide interest to-day, is her great 
 International Exposition. Beyond question, this is 
 much the largest and finest the world has ever seen, 
 
160 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 and without doubt the largest it will see for a long 
 time to come; for it is such a stupendous failure, 
 financially, that no nation will venture to undertake 
 another on so grand a scale for many years. The 
 Exposition is here on a scale of grandeur which is 
 bewildering, not to say overwhelming; but the 
 people are not here. The admission is amazingly 
 cheap (only twenty-five cents on ordinary days), 
 and yet there is no crowd. Strangers are not in the 
 city, only in small numbers. 
 
 It is not possible to give those who read about it 
 any thing like a just conception of its magnitude, 
 still a few. statements, which must be for the most 
 par^ repetitions of what has been said by others, 
 may start thought in the right direction. 
 
 The grounds on which the Exposition is located, 
 and much of which is occupied in one way or 
 another, embrace one thousand acres, all inclosed. 
 The buildings containing the articles for exposition, 
 cover about one hundred and seventy acres, and 
 most of them are filled in every part to repletion. 
 The main building is about three-fifths of a mile in 
 length, with deep transepts on either side, as closely 
 as they can stand together. When we first arrived 
 at the Exposition, a friend and myself determined 
 that we would first walk through the aisles of the 
 main building, and its transepts, as quickly as we 
 could, without stopping to examine any thing, 
 merely to get an impression of its magnitude. By 
 walking fast we were able to accomplish this in 
 a day and a-half, and the hardest day and a-half of 
 work I ever did. IN^ow, when you remember that 
 on both sides of these aisles, displayed in the most 
 fantastic manner, the best and the richest produc- 
 tions of nearly every nation upon earth are arrayed, 
 you may begin to get some conception of this Ex- 
 position. But it must not be forgotten that this is 
 only one building — that the machinery fills another 
 
Letter from Kev. C. W. Gushing. 161 
 
 buildins: of the same leno^th as this — and that the 
 department of line arts occupies still another build- 
 ing, which is immense in size. Besides these, there 
 are nearly two hundred buildings more, many of 
 which are devoted to the exposition of useful and 
 curious things from the different nations of the 
 earth. 
 
 The American department, witb one or two ex- 
 ceptions, makes the poorest display, and for two 
 reasons: We show very little that is ornamental, 
 and we exhibit very little machinery. In regard to 
 tbe first, we are a practical, utilitarian people, de- 
 voting comparatively little time or money to orna- 
 ment. So we have not much to show in this line. 
 "We might have made a good display of machinery, 
 but the Austrian government would give us no pro- 
 tection in the matter of our patents, and our 
 machinists and manufacturers would not send their 
 machines here when they knew that their patents 
 would be stolen and appropriated. But laying this 
 aside, an American can't help feeling that, judged 
 by the exhibition here, we must be grossly mis- 
 judged. Still, the great disgrace comes from the 
 mismanagement of our department. 
 
 Whatever may be said of Mr. Van Buren, there 
 can be no doubt that his appointment w\as an unfor- 
 tunate one. From all I can gather from those who 
 have been on the ground from the first, I conclude 
 that Mr. Van Buren was not guilty of complicity, 
 but that, though an able man in many directions, 
 he had not the talent for organizing the machinery 
 here, and setting it at work. The subordinates 
 were, without doubt, in many instances, men who 
 cared very little for our national display or reputa- 
 tion, providing they could make money out of the 
 operation. MV. Van Buren had not the ability to 
 control them, and so was led into many schemes for 
 which he was not personally, though he was ofiicially, 
 
162 A Memphia]n's Trip to Europe. 
 
 responsible. Besides this, our Commissioners have 
 been changing so often that there has been no well- 
 defined plan of action, and hence no system. Taken 
 away from the other nations, we have a good dis- 
 play ; beside them, it is very meager. The want of 
 system has put us at disadvantage in every way. It 
 is only a week ago I was told by one of the depart- 
 ment that boxes were found containing collections 
 of our periodicals, and some other things, in one 
 corner of the grounds, having been in the rain 
 so long that every thing was spoiled. I suppose 
 that every thing is being done now that can be, but 
 it is too late to redeem ourselves this time. 
 
 It is really marvelous to see the world brought 
 together in an exposition of this kind. To study it 
 is to get enlarged ideas of the race, and to feel that 
 the nations upon which we are accustomed to look 
 down, are not so far beneath us as we have been 
 wont to think; and that in nMny things they can 
 teach us important lessons which we ought not to 
 fail to learn. We are a great people, but we are a 
 small part of the world. We have made much pro- 
 gress in many directions, but we have much more 
 to learn, and the teachers are at hand. 
 
Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard. 163 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard, of Des Moines, Iowa. 
 
 New Yokk, August 27, 1873. 
 
 Editor of School Journal: — Our party arrived 
 in Miinich, Munchen, Saturday-evening, and after 
 having our supper, all started for the gardens, of 
 which that city contains many, and where we heard 
 some very fine music; but we could not understand 
 how those intelligent people could find pleasure in 
 coming there night after night, with their whole 
 families, and, from the oldest to the boy or girl five 
 years old, each with a glass of beer, pass the even- 
 ing that we enjoy so much at home. 
 
 Sabbath-day some of our party broke by visiting 
 a picture-gallery that would not be open any other 
 day while we were j;here, but the more pious ones 
 visited cathedrals, monuments, etc. The finest of 
 all at Munich are the art collections, and first among 
 these are the Glyptothek gallery of sculpture, and 
 the Pinacothek, the gallery of paintings. In the 
 latter we saw fine paintings from the Italian, Dutch, 
 French, German, and Spanish schools, and one hall 
 devoted entirely to Rubens. In order to appreciate 
 them, one needs to study each of the fifteen hun- 
 dred. Among those we noticed more particularly, 
 in the short time we had to spend there, were Van 
 Eyck's "Adoratibn of the Magi," Rembrandt's " De- 
 scent from the Cross," Rubens's "Last Judgment," 
 
164 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Yander "^"^erf's '^Ecce Homo," and Murillo's *' Beg- 
 gar-boys eating melons and grapes." 
 
 The finest church in Munich is Basilica of St. 
 Boniface, built by King Louis, to commemorate the 
 twenty-fifth anniversary of his marriage. The in- 
 terior is elegant, with its sixty-four beautiful columns 
 of gray marble, making a nave and four aisles. 
 The walls are magnificently frescoed, and the paint- 
 ings show the progress of Christianity in Germany. 
 
 Some of the streets of Munich are broad and 
 handsome, and in the square we saw some fine 
 statues, especially one in Karolinenpeatz, about one 
 hundred feet high, made of captured cannon, in 
 memory of the Bavarians who fell in the army of 
 Bonaparte in the Russian campaign ; also the bronze 
 statue of Bavaria, outside of the city, representing 
 a female with a sword in her right hand, and the 
 wreath of victory in her left. On one side is the 
 lion of Bavaria. It is sixty feet high, and stands 
 upon a pedestal thirty feet high. With all the 
 pleasing sights we saw in Munich, we saw" one that 
 was not pleasant — women carrying the hod up a 
 ladder to the top of a three-story building. We 
 thought then, Munich! you have done well with 
 the arts, but why not have elevated your women a 
 little ? And we come to America feeling that Ameri- 
 can women hold an euYiable position to the women 
 of any country we have visited. 
 
 At Munich Mr. Cook, who had been with us 
 since we arrived in Glasgow, and who had been a 
 kind fattier to us all, and done much to make each 
 day pleasant, not only with his knowledge of the 
 country, the railways, steamers, etc., but with his 
 ever cheerful face and pleasant words, left us to the 
 tender (?) mercies of a German conductor, who if 
 he had had control of his temper iij any reasonable 
 degree would have been quite passable. However, 
 we soon learned to not address him unless we ex- 
 
Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard. 165 
 
 pected our nervous system to be shattered beyond 
 recovery for at least twenty-foui hours. 
 
 Our next stopping-place v^^as Vienna (Wien), and 
 as we rode through the streets v^e were reminded 
 many -times of Paris by son*e of the buildings, the 
 display of goods in the shop windows, etc. 
 
 The next three days were spent at tjie Exposition, 
 and when they were ended we felt almost as though 
 we had seen the whole world together ; especiafly 
 when we were in the Japanese department, and 
 saw the Japanese women and men^at work, it 
 seemed quite like being in their own country. The 
 only real good glass of lemonade we had while we 
 were in Europe we got at the American restaurant, 
 on the Exposition grounds. It was hot and dusty 
 in Vienna, and notwithstanding there was much of 
 interest we had not seen, we were rather glad when 
 we took the night express train for Mayence, a very 
 old town, founded by the Romans; and in the walls 
 of the citadel is a monument erected by the Roman 
 legion in honor of Drusus, their commander-in- 
 chief. Mayence is the strongest fortress in the 
 German Confederation. There we saw a novelty, 
 in the way of a bridge of boats, two thousand two 
 hundred and twent}^ feet in length, made of fifty 
 boats. 
 
 And now we are going down the Rhine. Some 
 one has very appropriately named this a *' river of 
 romance," for who could ride on one of those nice 
 little steamers, amid the beautiful scenery, hearing 
 on all sides of him legends of castle and tower, 
 without feeling romantically inclined? However, 
 we heard of no serious cases in our party, and we 
 think no rash act was done. 
 
 We pass the old castle of Johannisburg, three 
 hundred and forty feet above the river, surrounded 
 by the vineyards from whence comes the celebrated 
 Jo-hannis-bagger — as it is called— wine, called the 
 
166 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 finest wines of the Rhine. And then we come to 
 "Bingen on the Rhine." E'othing of particular in- 
 terest here, excepting that it was the home of the 
 soldier ahout whom the beautiful poem was written ; 
 so after saying the poem, and feeling sorry for the 
 other, "not a sister," we turned our attention to the 
 Mouse Tower, where Bishop Hatto's bones were 
 picked. And then we are passing great vineyards, 
 and as we go round a little bend in the river we see 
 the fine old castle of Rhein stein, two hundred and 
 fifty feet abc^e the river, and many other castles too 
 numerous to mention here. As we look far down 
 the river we see a train of cars coming, and we can 
 scarcely realize that they are not a part of the nat- 
 ural picture, and that the rocks were not placed 
 there with tunnels already in them purposely for 
 the cars to run through, but the shriek of the loco- 
 motive brings us back from romance to the practi- 
 cal. Far up above the river we see two castles 
 called the "hostile brothers." The legend of these 
 is of two brothers loving the same lady, which was 
 the cause of the castles' hostility. Then Hildegarde, 
 the lady, retired to a convent at the foot of the hill 
 and the brothers were reconciled, and ever after 
 lived in one castle. 
 
 Stolzenfels was the most beautifully rebuilt castle 
 we saw, though smaller than many. 
 
 As we passed Fortress Ehrenbreitstein (Gibraltar 
 of Germany), we saw the pyramid Byron speaks of 
 in his Childe Harold. 
 
 Beneath its base are hero's ashes hid, 
 Our enemy's — but let not that forbid 
 Honor to Marceau ! 
 
 Here is where the "Blue Moselle" comes into the 
 Rhine, or rather flows along by the side of it, for 
 the Moselle does not mingle with the dark waters 
 of the Rhine for some distance. 
 
Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard. 167 
 
 "We pass the Castles of Drachenfels (Dragon's 
 Rock) and Rolandseck, and in the distance see the 
 seven mountains, while just by us is the island of 
 !Nonnenworth, with its convent. 
 
 So we go on, not stopping our sight-seeing even 
 to eat, for the saloon and dinner-hour are so conven- 
 iently arranged that we can eat and at the same 
 time see all of interest that we are passing on either 
 side. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon we land at 
 Cologne, and our ride on the Rhine is ended. 
 Cologne is not a nice looking place, neither is it a 
 pleasantly scented place, as its name would imply; 
 on the contrary, the perfume of its long, narrow, 
 winding, dirty streets, is exceedingly disagreeable. 
 
 A beautiful stone bridge, and a bridge of boats, 
 connects Cologne and the beautiful little town of 
 Dentz on the opposite side of the river. The great 
 Cathedral here is an imposing Gothic building, 
 commenced six hundred years ago, and as ftir as we 
 could learn, it seems probable that it w^ill never be 
 finished, although they keep busily working on it. 
 The interior is four hundred and thirty feet long, 
 and one hundred and forty in width; the transept 
 is two hundred and thirt}^ feet in length, and the 
 choir one hundred and forty feet«high; the part 
 used for service has an area of seventy thousand 
 square feet. Every thing about it is elegant. 
 
 The most amusing thing we saw was the Church 
 of St. Ursula, where our guide told us were the 
 bones o^ eleven tliousand virgins! who were murdered 
 on that spot on their return from a pilgrimage to 
 Rome. We looked ver}^ sober about it, and of 
 course believed it all, for could we not see for our- 
 selves the bones, which were four feet deep and two 
 feet thick in the walls of the church, sticking out 
 through the little iron grates, and the skulls hang- 
 ing all around the church, and the huge boxes of 
 bones ? To be sure many of them looked like chick- 
 
168 A Mempiiian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 en bones, and other kinds we were familiav with, 
 but then they were not, no ! it could never have 
 been, and we thought what a great scarcity of vir- 
 gins there must have been after that. Then our 
 guide took us into the Golden Chamber. We had 
 to pay more to go in there, it was worth more, and 
 I think he would have liked to have had us present 
 certificates of good moral character before we went 
 in. There we saw a thorn from the Saviour's crown, 
 one of the very pots used in making the wine at 
 the marriage of Can a, a box of teeth once used by 
 the eleven thousand virgins, and other things too 
 wonderful to mention. 
 
 Every one bought cologne water at Cologne, and 
 although hardly any two of the party purchased at 
 the same place, yet each was positive that he had 
 his from the " original Jean Antoine Marie Farina." 
 Now we must say good-bye to Rhineland, for we are 
 off to Brussels (Bruxelles) — Paris in miniature. 
 
 We reached Brussels late in the afternoon, and 
 after having our suppers, went to a palace garden 
 in the upper part of the city, where we heard a fine 
 instrumental concert, admission eight cents. Of 
 course we had to go shopping. Who ever came 
 away from Brussels without going shopping, even 
 though he bought nothing? And as we went 
 through the lace-stores, of which there are so many, 
 and the manufactories, we thought — 
 
 Here are tissues fit for angels, wrought with wreath, and point, 
 
 and star, 
 In most curious devices. Never saw I aught so rare — 
 Where found you these frail webs, woven of the lightest sum- 
 mer air? 
 
 We visited the great square of Brussels, where 
 "the sound of revelry by night" was heard and 
 noted; Hotel de Yille, a fine old Gothic structure, 
 its central tower three hundred and sixty-four feet 
 high. In front are two statues, of Count Egmont 
 
Letter from Miss Hattie Stanard. 169 
 
 and Horn, the Duke of Alva's victims, who per- 
 ished there. 
 
 We v^ere interested in the dog-teams drav^ing 
 milk-carts, and loads of vegetables, to market, 
 driven by old women with queer head-dresses 
 and wooden slippers. There is a fine museum of 
 paintings in Brussels, and a gallery well worth visit- 
 ing of very original pictures, formerly owned by 
 an artist named Wiertz, who is now dead. Before 
 going there prepare yourself to be continually sur- 
 prised, and in the most unexpected ways. 
 
 Our stay at Antwerp (Anners) was short — only 
 time for a visit to Kubens's two paintings, the " Ele- 
 vation and Descent from the Cross." They are 
 kept veiled in the cathedral. By paying two and a 
 half francs (fifty cents) the veil was lifted and we 
 could see them. 
 
 In the Church of St. Jacques we visited the tomb 
 of Rubens. In the Place Verte is a fine statue of 
 the artist. 
 
 The next morning we congratulated ourselves 
 that we had crossed the English Channel twice 
 without beino; sea-sick. We were soon back in 
 London. 
 
 After a call at 98 Fleet street, the office of Cook 
 & Son, where we found letters from home, and got 
 the latest news from over the ocean, we went to 
 Westminster Abbey. Saw the monuments to Eng- 
 land's greatest, best, and some of her worst, men. 
 One can spend much time at the Abbey with inter- 
 est. On Sunday morning we heard Spurgeon, and 
 in the evening went to St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 
 "It is," as some one has said, "in the sculptured 
 marble you may, in Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, 
 and the old cathedrals of the country, read Eng- 
 land's history again, and seem to approach nearer, 
 and have a more realizing sense of her great men 
 and their deeds, than from the pages of the printed 
 8 
 
170 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 volume." After this short visit to the Old World, 
 we feel not at all satisfied, and are ready now for a 
 long visit to the same places, and to many we have 
 not seen. Mr. Cook came with us to Glasgow and 
 saw us off on the "Italia." We were sorry to part 
 with him, for we not only respected him and had 
 confidence in him, but really liked him very much. 
 The passage home was rough and "up hill," not 
 nearly so pleasant as going over, and all were glad 
 to see the spires of New York. 
 
Beautiful Venice. 171 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 "Beautiful Venice" — An Avalanche correspondent in the city 
 of the sea — From Austria to Italy — Highly romantic scen- 
 ery — Sights and impressions in Venice. 
 
 Venice, July 22, 1873. 
 
 Though I wrote you two long letters from Vienna, 
 a day or two since, I want to say something of our 
 route to this "water city" before I go out to see it. 
 "We have just landed here out of the gondolas, 
 after a travel of about twenty-four hours over a 
 very interesting country by rail. The country for 
 some two hours from Vienna is level, between ledges 
 of mountains seen far away. It has a line crop of 
 wheat ready for harvest, and being gathered, mostly 
 by women, with reap-hooks. We then come to fields 
 of corn, the first we have seen ;- it is small, but looks 
 well. Then comes the pine, in rows, of different 
 sizes, in plats like their wheat and corn. After 
 these are past we strike in the highest mountains, 
 and by winding round and round ascend them to a 
 dizzy height. It was estimated that we traveled 
 fi.vQ miles circuitously to advance one in the proper 
 direction. After running to every point of the 
 compass, we gain the heights, to behold the most 
 romantic scenery I ever witnessed. The valleys 
 below us, with fine little farms, "well tilled," nice 
 little houses, perhaps well filled, and for aught I 
 know, pretty little wives, "well willed." The ser- 
 pentine road below almost as white as the snow- 
 
172 A Mbmphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 clad mountains above, upon which stand old castles, 
 built in other ages for defense — still grand in their 
 ruins — presented a scene it has never been my for- 
 tune to witness before. It is the most remarkable 
 structure in Europe. It was built by the Austrian 
 government. The first twenty-five miles cost 
 $7, 500,000. It is carried along the face of the preci- 
 pices by fifteen tunnels — one of them is four thou- 
 sand five hundred and eighteen feet through, two 
 thousand two hundred and ninety-four feet above 
 the level of the sea. The mountains are seven 
 thousand seven hundred feet high, and on some of 
 the peaks there are churches. These people seem 
 to be religious. All along you see crucifixes at or 
 near their houses. We all think this w^as the most 
 interesting day of travel we ever had in any country. 
 About nine o'clock we leave Austria, and enter 
 Italian cars, and about two o'clock we have to col- 
 lect our baggage for examination. This farce over, 
 we roll on, but did not discover the sky to look 
 more beautiful, as some say, but at daylight we saw 
 one of the loveliest countries we have ever seen. It 
 is level, and almost literally occupied by fruit-trees 
 and vines, with vegetables between. When the 
 sun arose there was a mellow yellow light, diflTerent 
 from what we had seen before. It was lovely in- 
 deed to behold. We arrive at Venice, or rather to 
 the water, where a large number of boats are wait- 
 ing for us. In a few moments we are aboard, four 
 in a craft, and ofif to the Hotel Victoria. This was 
 a novel sight to us all. To see these long, narrow 
 craft, raised up at both ends, nearly half of it out 
 of the water, fitted up like a carriage, gliding 
 through the water by the boatman's oar, which he 
 manages as dexterously as a fish his fins, was excit- 
 ing. Ten of these novel craft soon run up a nar- 
 row street, as they call them here, and land us 
 safely, when in a few minutes I am writing this. 
 
Beautiful Venice. 173 
 
 Breakfast over, our conductor announces that at 
 nine he will have a guide for us to go to see the 
 sights in this, in some respects, the most remarkable 
 city in Europe, or anywhere else. We go until five 
 o'clock P.M., and 1 return to my hasty scrawl to tell 
 you something of what we have seeo among the 
 show^s. 
 
 Seeing the Sights. — We first go to the palace of 
 the king, a large old building. His dominion now 
 is a small one compared with those who once occu- 
 pied it. They claim a republic, and have as much 
 as they are prepared for improving. 
 
 Venice is literally crammed with objects of inter- 
 est, principally historical. A city of such antiquity, 
 and once the mistress of half the power of Europe, 
 must be of the deepest interest to all who reflect 
 npon it. The next place we visit is the Church of 
 St. Mark, near by. It is very old, having been 
 begun in 900, and not finished until 1600. It is of 
 Saracenic architecture, with Gothic additions, with 
 the celebrated bronze horses of Constantinople 
 over the doors, and the richest pictures within. 
 These horses are the ones which Constantine carried 
 from Rome to Constantinople. Manni Zeno brought 
 them here in 1205. They were taken to Paris by 
 ITapoleon 1797, but restored to Venice in 1815. A 
 great dome rises in the center, and four smaller 
 ones around the arms of the cruciform structure. 
 A multitude of pillars and white domes clustered 
 into a long pyramid of colored light, seems partly 
 of gold, opal, and mother-of-pearl. Angels, and 
 signs of heaven, and the labors of men are seen 
 around. Underfoot and overhead a combined 
 succession of crowded imagery, one picture passing 
 another — faces beautiful and terrible, mixed to- 
 gether. Dragons and serpents, ravening beasts and 
 graceful birds drink from running fountains — the 
 passions and pleasures of life symbolized together, 
 
174 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 and the mystery of its redemption carved on every 
 place. Such things may have been useful in their 
 day, but I think that day is forever gone among 
 intelligent people. Yet this is the place where they 
 say that St. Mark is buried, and their church is 
 named for that apostle. A funeral is going on of a 
 man w^ho has been dead long, long ago, but gave a 
 large sum to have his funeral celebrated three days 
 every year, and this is the last one this year. They 
 sung and played finely, I suppose, but, so far as 
 worshiping God is concerned, it was mockery. 
 
 "W"e go out to look at the clock-tower, and see the 
 hours struck by two bronze figures on a bell. The 
 Ducal Palace is the great work of Venice. The 
 Giant's Causeway forms the main entrance, and the 
 grand council-room the largest, which is one hun- 
 dred and seventy-four feet, by thirty-five high. 
 Many other rooms are filled with paintings and 
 statuary, some of which would not be on exhibition 
 in our country. At one place they say eight hun- 
 dred faces are painted on the largest painting in 
 Europe. 
 
 On the Gondolas Again.— At one o'clock we take ten 
 gondolas at the hotel door, and away we go through 
 the streets, the oarsmen jabbering away like black- 
 birds, and to us with no more meaning. They 
 seemed to be proud of their calling. We go to see 
 another very fine and costly church of more modern 
 date. It would seem that all had been done that 
 could be in the way of glittering decoration, statu- 
 ary, and paintings, as usual in the churches, to 
 make the grandest display possible. 
 
 In this there are seven chapels, built by seven 
 noble families, I suppose to perpetuate their name. 
 I will attempt no description of this monumental 
 folly. The architecture is more modern, and all its 
 equipments have only been finished a hundred 
 years — this they call new. We go to see the glass 
 
Beautiful Venice. 175 
 
 m an n factory. This, however, is more of the gaudy 
 trinkets than for service. We pass the American 
 Consul's residence, on the main canal, which is 
 some eighty or one hundred yards wide. The city 
 is built on a cluster of islands in a lagoon, which is 
 separated from the Adriatic by a long, narrow sand 
 bank, divided by several inlets, which are the en- 
 trance for ships. This canal winds through the city 
 in a kind of double curve, nearly. in the shape of an 
 S. It is a marine Broadway, on which may be seen 
 hundreds, if not thousands, of boats, doing the 
 same work that is done in our thoroughfares by 
 hacks, drays, and 'buses. There are one hundred 
 and forty-six smaller canals, or streets, forming a 
 net-work all through the city; yet one can walk 
 from one to the other with a guide, by means of 
 arched bridges to let the boats pass under. 
 
 The canal, however, is the great highway, and 
 the gondola is the vehicle used for traveling. The 
 great place of resort is St. Mark's Square. I walked 
 down in the evening, and there were thousands of 
 persons there. The area is five hundred and sev- 
 enty-six feet, b}^ from one hundred and eighty-five 
 to two hundred and sixty-nine in breadth, and 
 extends to the harbor, w^here ships and other boats 
 come, and where a fine view is had of the harbor, 
 and the Adriatic Sea. This is a great place of re- 
 sort by the citizens and travelers in the evening. 
 We visited another old church of the monks, who 
 showed us through it, but I need not repeat. We 
 had a fine sail with our fleet out in the harbor some 
 distance, the gondola-men singing several songs, the 
 boats all abreast. I failed to mention our visit to 
 the famous prisons, and the terrible Bridge of 
 Sighs, with which your readers are familiar. It is 
 approached by long, narrow, dark passages, to the 
 execution block upon which thousands of heads 
 have been severed. The Venetian guide explained 
 
176 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 and commented on these things to some extent. 
 My sheet is full; the Urst day in Venice is closed," 
 and I will terminate my scrawl and renew after the 
 morrow's tour. 
 
 Venice — The art galleries and the Koyal Palace — Characteris- 
 tics of the Italians — Among the gondoliers, etc. 
 
 Venice, Italy, July 24, 1873. 
 Soon after I mailed my letter to you this morning 
 we started out with our guide to see the Gallery of 
 Fine Arts. We go by to see the place where Luther 
 preached before the Reformation, about which I need 
 say nothing, except that another reformation is very 
 much needed all over this country. We go to this 
 gallery, said to be one of the finest in Europe. Vol- 
 umes might be filled in describing and giving the 
 history of them. I will mention some of them, which 
 impressed me more forcibly than others — one of the 
 " Creation," " Queen Esther's visit to Solomon ;" the 
 "Four Evangelists," one Matthew with the eagle, an- 
 other with the ox, John with a child, the other one is 
 St. Luke. A very large painting, representing the 
 "Ascension of Mary," with those below and the an- 
 gels above to receive her is very fine. This is regarded 
 as the best of the artist's, three of which were 
 shown near each other; the first painted when he 
 was fourteen, next at forty-five, and the last at ninety- 
 nine years, having died before it was finished. 
 Then there was the "Coronation of Mary" — fine. 
 "Death on the Pale Horse" was very solemn; the 
 "Conversion of Ten Thousand Venetians to the 
 Christian (Catholic) Religion," hy Palmer; "St. 
 Mark working a Miracle;" "The Woman taken in 
 Adultery;" "First Miracle of Christ — turning the 
 waterinto wine at the marriage at Cana of Galilee;" 
 "His Washing the Disciple's Feet," and "His 
 Transfiguration;" "Solomon's Judgment about 
 
Venice. 177 
 
 the two Mothers claiming the child;" "The Sup- 
 per after the Resurrection;" "Resurrection of 
 Lazarus;" "Rich Man and Lazarus;" "Christ in 
 the House of the Pharisee," and in "St. Luke's 
 House;" "His Ascending," and the "Taking 
 Down from the Cross," are all very impressive 
 paintings. "The Destruction of the Temple," 
 "John the Baptist," "Bonaparte," "Hercules," and 
 hundreds of others. After spending some time in 
 these galleries we started to see the interior of the 
 king's palace ; on the way we go to see " Shylock's " 
 place, a building four hundred feet by seventy-two, 
 where the law was read to the people ; a stone pil- 
 lar in which was cut the shape and size of the 
 smallest fish that was to be caught or sold, also the 
 size of the oyster; Post newspaper, bank, and first 
 church, built in 42L The bond-broker here gave 
 the original name "Shylock," where all sorts of 
 trickery was carried on. His descendants are here 
 still, while his posterity have scattered all over the 
 world. It was well worth visiting, not only for its 
 history, but from what is seen at present. 
 
 The king's palace is a grand old establishment, 
 large enough to contain a town of considerable size. 
 We are taken through the largest and most impor- 
 tant rooms, and told what they were for, but have 
 not time, nor would you have the patience to read 
 it. There are twenty-nine finely furnished rooms 
 on a side, nine hundred rooms in the building. 
 Victor Emmanuel visits this palace once or twice a 
 year, his residence now being at Rome. His audi- 
 ence-room, reception-room, and the ball-room are 
 the largest. 
 
 This was built when monarchy was the power 
 that men worshiped. ISTow that power is on the 
 wane, and the buildings are to a great extent va- 
 cant, though furnished in the most gorgeous and 
 costly style. We were shown some very important 
 8* 
 
178 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 works of art, which. ISTapoleon took to France, hut 
 after his reign the Congress of Vienna had them 
 returned. This people have what their ancestors 
 looked on with reverence, but their glory has 
 departed. Their living king has a large likeness 
 hanging in his room, but he is gone to the center 
 of his power, Rome. I have procured some photo- 
 graphs of him and others, with stereoscopic views 
 of the palace, St. Mark's Church, and other places 
 and things in this unique city, whose glory has. de- 
 parted. It is now only about the size it was four 
 hundred years ago, some one hundred and thirty 
 thousand, or one hundred and forty thousand, pent 
 up in their water-bound homes. We return to the 
 hotel to rest an hour, and are off in gondolas to see 
 other things of interest. We walked each morning 
 on our routes. We pass out the streets into the 
 harbor, our guide, with our United States flag, lead- 
 ing the way round to see their arsenal. In this 
 they have preserved well the arms with which they 
 fought in the past ages of their history; also, the 
 models of their boats they used at the same time. 
 Their cannon-balls were stone, some eighteen inches 
 in diameter, shot out of leather guns (cannon they 
 call them). Their fighting galley was a queer craft 
 about A.D. 1500. One of these ships was one 
 hundred and twenty feet long, by twent3^-one wide, 
 twenty-four high, built in 1571, and carried four 
 hundred and sixty-eight men. They have hundreds 
 of weapons of olden times, and some of them show 
 superior skill. They have guns showing precisely 
 the principle of Colt's revolver. Also, breech- 
 loading cannon, and revolving barrels, shooting 
 twenty times. The regular Damascus sword is here 
 shown, used just before powder was invented. 
 There was a model of a gondola built of gold in 
 1500; it is the same size and. form as they have 
 them now. This was built for their king. The 
 
Venice. 179 
 
 guide said that E"apoleon stole the gold of whicli it 
 was made. 
 
 Their law requires all their boats to be black, 
 with a representation of a sea-horse at the bow, all 
 just alike, and numbered. They also carry printed 
 rates of fare in them. Cheap traveling. They 
 showed us the sword with which they beheaded 
 criminals, and the model of a ship the British burned 
 before it was finished. They have preserved the 
 armors worn in the past ages, and many other 
 things in which they seem to glory as worthy of 
 veneration, as well as preservation. As we went 
 into the arsenal a crowd of boys commenced revolv- 
 ing on the stone pavement. Some pennies were 
 thrown, to see them scamper after them, as the 
 pigeons at St. Mark's Square for corn. One little 
 fellow had his shirt off, or had none, and some of 
 our party gave him some money. As we returned 
 they all had their shirts off, and followed us some 
 distance, swimming alongside to get money. These 
 people I think are a superior race to many we have 
 seen, but are indolent. They stay in their houses 
 in the daytime, and crowd St. Mark's Square in the 
 evening. There seems to be no business doing, 
 only a little huckstering. How they live I know not. 
 No business seems to be doing anywhere, save the 
 selling of some things in the shops. 
 
 We row across the harbor, some two miles, over 
 to a neck of land, one-fourth of a mile, and see the 
 Adriatic rolling its weaves up on the beach. We 
 gather some shells to remind us of our pleasant 
 voyage, which gives us a fine view of the suburbs 
 of Venice (islands). They built the city on seventy- 
 two islands, so as to be protected from their ene- 
 mies, by whom they were surrounded. 
 
 They are a gay, and, apparently, a happy people, 
 who are fond of luxurious ease, if such a term can 
 be applied to them. It is very obvious that they 
 
180 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 have greatly retrograded from what their ancestors 
 were. In the darkness which succeeded the fall of 
 Rome, Italy was the first country to burst the tram- 
 mels in which the world had been so long buried. 
 Political freedom first arose amidst the contests of 
 the popes with the German emperors. And in the 
 republics of Italy the human mind was developed 
 to an extent which Rome never equaled. Europe 
 is indebted to Italy of the middle ages for its first 
 lessons of political wisdom, literature, and arts. We 
 must ever regard with admiration and respect a 
 people who have done so much in the great cause of 
 human amelioration. Theirs is the most brilliant 
 history on record. 
 
 The worst thing that Louis J^apoleon did, I think, 
 was, while allowing some liberty in France, he kept a 
 standing army in Italy to keep this people in sub- 
 jection to the papal dominion. And it is a most 
 remarkable fact that just as their Council declared 
 the pope's infallibility, a war was declared by 
 which that power was destroyed, not only here, but 
 in France. The Protestant rises upon the fall of pa- 
 pacy. I see I must not moralize — no time for that. 
 
 Our fleet returns to Venice. The "Stars and 
 Stripes," sung over by the gondola-men and Amer- 
 icans, are complimented everywhere we go. Dine 
 at 6 o'clock, and go out again to St. Mark's Square 
 to see the assembled thousands in their nightly 
 amusements. 
 
 My sheet is full. We are to be off on the morrow 
 to Florence, and thence to Rome, to spend the Sab- 
 bath, and four days, in the most important city of 
 Europe. 
 
 From Venice to Florence — Observations by the wayside — The 
 ruins and beauties of Italy. 
 
 Florence, Italy, July 25, 1873. 
 
 After I mailed my letter to you yesterday at Yen- 
 
Florence. 181 
 
 ice, I went up on tbe tower on St. Mark's Square, 
 where I had a line view of the cit}', with the harbor, 
 and Adriatic Sea. The city occupies all the space 
 there is, except what the canals and streets use. 
 The houses are built on piles, driven down, which 
 after a time become petrified, forming a very sub- 
 stantial basis for these old buildings. The country 
 from here to Bologna is the most delightful. There 
 are trees planted in perfect street-rows, about fifty 
 yards apart, and the trees ten or twelve; on these 
 the vines grow and hang from one to the other, 
 forming a continuous grapery. These trees are 
 mulberries, the leaves of which constitute the food 
 for the use of the silk-worms. We saw them gath- 
 ering them. They make two crops in this country. 
 Their grain is harvested, and they are planting for 
 another crop. I observed ten oxen to a plow. The 
 finest cattle I ever saw are here, all white. There 
 are a great many roads, all as smooth as a floor, 
 and almost as white as snow. The contrast with 
 the wilderness of trees and vines, with their mag- 
 nificent avenues of Lombardy poplar, combine the 
 beautiful with the grand in a most lovely manner. 
 We see churches, with their little spires pointing to 
 the heavens; old castles, and ruined walls of cities 
 and forts, showing these people to have been warlike 
 in other days. Now they seem to be an industrious 
 and thrifty population. Their rivers are levee(J very 
 high, so that they keep the water in the proper 
 channel. They raise a good deal of hemp, which 
 they are now pulling. Indian corn constitutes a 
 part of their crop. We stop a while at Bologna, 
 change cars, and our direction also. 
 
 In Florence. — This place is one of the most ancient 
 and important towns in Italy. It was anciently the 
 capital of Romagna. It is situated in a fertile plain, 
 at the base of the Apennines; population about 
 ninety thousand, one hundred and thirty churches, 
 
182 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 twenty monasteries, and a venerable university with 
 four hundred pupils— in 1200 it had ten thousand. 
 It is now antiquated, as well as the town. Here the 
 celebrated Council of Trent was held in 1547. In 
 1796 it was annexed to the Republic by Kapoleon. 
 In 1815 it again became subject to the States of the 
 Church. In 1831 and 1849 revolutions broke out, 
 and in 1869 the town finally united itself with Italy. 
 The numerous old palaces and venerable churches, 
 surmounted by quaint-looking towers, all bear testi- 
 mony to the peculiar character of the place. Its 
 glory has departed, never again to return. We soon, 
 after leaving here, pass into a very mountainous re- 
 gion, grand and gloomy. On some of the highest 
 are old churches, which seem almost inaccessible at 
 first, but we discover a serpentine road up to them. 
 The sunset here is lovely beyond description, but it 
 and its influence is gone, and we pass through forty- 
 six tunnels (some of them over a mile long), on to 
 this place at 11 p.m. We had quite an excitement 
 on the train last night. It stopped for five minutes. 
 Miss Conkey and Miss Pegues, both of Oxford, 
 Mississippi, were in our car and got out. Miss Gar- 
 rington, from Virginia, who was in another, also 
 got out. Not knowing how short the time was, 
 they were both left. Mr. Richardson, under whose 
 care they were traveling, knowing they were not in, 
 pled with the conductor to wait, but he could not. 
 The station-master regulated that, and off goes the 
 train, leavingthe ladies. We supposed only the one in 
 our car was left, but after we learned the other, who 
 spoke Italian, was left also, we were relieved. Mr. 
 Richardson was very indignant, saying, "I told him 
 in 'plain English' they were left, but he would not 
 stop." His plain English was not good Dutch to the 
 conductor, as he knew nothing of English. Our con- 
 ductor got a dispatch from them at the next station, 
 and I expect to meet them at the breakfast-table soon. 
 
Floeence. 183 
 
 While at breakfast Colonel ]N"otoman called to see 
 me to take me out to see the city. He had his 
 accomplished daughter Avith him, who has been at 
 school several years in Europe, near Paris, and in 
 E,ome. She speaks Italian, as well as German, 
 French, and other languages. Rev. Dr. Speer and 
 myself took a seat with them, and spent several 
 hours very pleasantly. We went first to an emi- 
 nence outside of the city, where we had a fine view 
 of the whole city below. Then to the king's palace, 
 where we saw many things of interest in the way 
 of paintings, statuary, and Mosaic, the finest of 
 that kind I ever saw. There were some tables 
 of Mosaic work that were said to have cost $125,000. 
 Here was the most imaginative statue yet — Cain 
 and Abel, the latter lying down dead. There were 
 many artists copying paintings of the most cele- 
 brated artists, as here only are the originals of some 
 of them. 
 
 From here we went to the Cathedral. It was the 
 celebration of high-mass, and the music was the 
 most lively I ever heard in a church. There were 
 four chapels in which candles were burning, and 
 in three of them worship was being performed in 
 the most military style I have ever seen. These 
 people are devout and religious, in their way, and, 
 however we may differ, I have a profound respect 
 for their sincerity. The Cathedral is a magnificent 
 old building. The dome is two hundred and ninety- 
 eight feet, with the lantern three hundred and fifty- 
 four. Its length is ^ve hundred and fifty-five feet, 
 and three hundred and forty across the transepts. 
 The choir is underneath the dome. We went home 
 with our friend and spent some hours very pleas- 
 antly with him and his family. His wife is a very 
 superior woman, in bad health, but full of mental 
 vigor. Her brother was the American Consul, and 
 resided several years at Venice. I learned more 
 
184 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 here about Italian matters than any place I have 
 been. Every thing is almost as cheap as labor. 
 His servants receive only from four dollars to six 
 dollars per month. He lives in a palatial residence 
 with nine large rooms, all famished by the owner 
 in princely style, every thing but his linen, and it 
 costs only forty dollars per month rent, and the use 
 of every thing in the house, and a fine garden and 
 yard. Here I saw the first magnolias, which re- 
 minded me of home. I would prefer living here to 
 any place I have seen in Italy. Having once a 
 school-mate who resided here, I learned more about 
 it than other places. They have good water, which 
 we have found scarce in Italy. Mountains all around 
 almost, and the clear little river running through it 
 gives it the appearance of health and comfort. 
 Some of the streets look very much like ours — 
 stores and a passing crowd. 
 
 This is market-day with them. We saw the 
 crowd of men, not women, as we have mentioned 
 at other places. Florence has been the capital of 
 Italy since 1864, until the recent war, by which 
 Italy has become comparatively free from popery, 
 and the capital is now, and since 1871, at Rome, 
 where Victor Emmanuel resides. It ranks with 
 Rome, ITaples, and Venice as one of the most at- 
 tractive towns of Italy. Rome was in ancient times 
 the grand center of Italian development — the 
 modern metropolis since the middle ages superseded 
 it as the focus of intellectual activity. The modern 
 Italian language has emanated from Florence. The 
 fine arts have here attained the zenith of their 
 glory. It is situated in a valley on both banks of 
 the Arno, a small stream picturesquely inclosed 
 by the Apennines, about three thousand feet high. 
 The city has undergone great improvements. As 
 early as the fifteenth century it had ninety thousand ; 
 now it has about one hundred and fifty thousand. 
 
Florence. 185 
 
 It was founded bv the Romans before the Christian 
 era. 
 
 The walls of the city, like Vienna, have been re- 
 cently almost entirely removed. They were con- 
 structed at the same time of their cathedral, between 
 1285 and 1388. The ancient gates have been spared. 
 A number of broad, new streets have been con- 
 structed on the site of the old fortifications. There 
 are six bridges connecting the town. The city pos- 
 sesses eighty-seven churches, and a number of 
 grand old houses and palaces, which bear testimony 
 to its ancient prestige. The hall, which has been 
 fitted up for the Italian Parliament, was the great 
 hall constructed in 1495; but parliament, king, and 
 all have gone to Rome, whither we are bound to- 
 night. So I leave you to look over this hasty 
 scrawl, as it is six o'clock — dinner-time — and though 
 I have dined with my friend, Colonel Notoman, 
 and having to travel till nine o'clock, will need an- 
 other meal. 
 
 The Colonel and his lovely daughter are to take 
 us out again to see Florence at night; so that I 
 shall close abruptly, as the waiter says, "Monsieur, 
 dinner." 
 
 The Eternal City — What a Memphian saw in Eome — Scenes 
 on the banks of the Tiber — The great Cathedral — Statuary, 
 paintings, etc. 
 
 Eome, July 26, 1873. 
 
 After I finished my letter yesterday, my friend, 
 Colonel Kotoman, came round for me to ride with 
 him and his daughter again. We took Miss Syl- 
 vester, of Boston, with us, and visited the Protest- 
 ant cemetery, to see the new-made grave of Hiram 
 Powers, who died here recently. We also saw 
 Theodore Parker's grave, who died here in 1860. 
 We went through their fine park, and other places. 
 We leave Florence at 11 p.m. At daylight the same 
 
186- A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 beautiful country of which I spoke is seen until we 
 get within an hour or two of Rome. The trees now 
 are the olive, instead of mulberry, on which the 
 grape-vines run. The people are at work by light. 
 There are more horses and cattle here than any place 
 we have seen. For some distance we pass through 
 a hilly, poor country, until we get near the city, 
 where the hills are covered with vines and fruit. 
 
 The Eternal City. — The long-sought city appears, 
 but we see not St. Peter's. It is on the north side 
 of the Tiber. Our hotel is centrally located, near 
 the summit of a hill that overlooks the entire city. 
 A dozen fountains pour out of a stone boat within 
 a few steps of us. Rome, unlike any city we have 
 seen in Europe, has an abundance of excellent cool 
 water flowing from hundreds of fountains, some 
 very large, all over the city. The streets are much 
 wider, and generally straight. We arrive at 9 a.m. 
 Breakfast over we are off, some to one place, some 
 to another; I to picture galleries, statuaries, etc. 
 Dine at five, after which Rev. Dr. Speer, two ladies, 
 and myself, take a carriage to visit the Imperial 
 Gardens, park, and public buildings. St. Peter's, 
 seen in the distance, did not meet my expectations, 
 but when we got there, and went inside, it far sur- 
 passed them. As I am going there to church to- 
 morrow, I will say nothing more of it now. We 
 saw a grand funeral procession of men clothed in 
 black, head and face covered, singing. The coffin 
 was covered, and carried on the shoulders of four 
 men. We went to the Church of the Cardinals, 
 and St. Andrews, but did not go in. The Pantheon ! 
 We must see the interior. It was near dark, and 
 they were concluding service. There was a gloomy 
 grandeur about it we have never seen before. The 
 streets are crowded now by thousands as we pass 
 several other important public places. 
 
 Sunday morning, soon after breakfast, we start 
 
The Eternal City. 187 
 
 with ten ladies to see several places of interest. The 
 first is the temple of Vesper and Clolenda. These, 
 with the House of Hienzi, in the same vicinity, 
 have been excavated from the ruins of the old city. 
 They show great antiquity, and that even marble 
 must decay or wear away by the teeth of time. We 
 go next to the Protestant burying-ground, near the 
 Porta San Paola, adjoining the Pyramid of Calus 
 Cestinus. There are buried the poets Shelley and 
 Keats. I copied the following from the tomb of 
 Shelley: "Percy Bysche Shelley, Cor Cordium 
 Natus, MDCCXCii, Obit 8. l^othing of him that doth 
 fade; but doth sufier many changes, into some thing 
 rich and strange." 
 
 We pass on through the ruins of the city, now 
 covered with grape-vines and fruit-trees, where once 
 millions lived, to St. Paul's Church, some two miles. 
 This church does not possess the imposing exterior 
 of St. Peter's, but within it is finer, and more mod- 
 ern in its architecture. There are some of the most 
 splendid paintings here we have seen anywhere. 
 " The Crucifixion of St. Peter with his head down- 
 ward;" the "Ascension of Mary, and the angels 
 above her;" "The Martyrdom of Stephen;" "The 
 Death of Ananias and Sapphira;" "The Transfigu- 
 ration;" "Moses and Elias Appearing," and "The 
 Apostles Peter, James, and John." All these 
 were very impressive scenes. There was a consid- 
 erable noise of worship, to which we went, and 
 found three men reading aloud. These constituted 
 all the worshipers we saw. It is too far away to be 
 of much service, only as a magnificent work of art 
 and genius. Much might be said of it, but we 
 hasten on to the Capitol, which occupies the square 
 of Capitoline Hill, the site of the ancient capitol, 
 and contains the palaces, senators, and magistrates 
 of Rome. Here we saw the most ancient sculpture, 
 obtained from the ruins of Rome. Many men re- 
 
188 A MexMphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 nowned in history are seen here— Julius Cesar, 
 Augustus Cesar, and the Popes and Emperors of 
 Rome. Here is where Brutus performed his bloody 
 deed, and this square is where he harangued the 
 populace after the assassination so remarkable in 
 history. This I know, but I do not that St. Peter 
 and St. Paul are both buried under the altar of the 
 churches named after them. They say a part of 
 them is in each church. We go from here to St. 
 Peter's again, and spend two hours in this, the 
 largest church in the world. It stands on a slight 
 acclivity, in the north-west corner of the city. It is 
 built in the form of a Latin cross, the nave being, 
 in length, six hundred and tw^enty-nine feet; the 
 transept, four hundred and forty- four; the east 
 front is three hundred and ninet}^- six feet wide, one 
 hundred and sixty high; height of the dome, four 
 hundred and sixty-five feet. In front of the church 
 is a large piazza. It is the place of ITero's Circus, 
 and where they say St. Peter was martyred. 
 
 It was one hundred and seventy-six years being 
 built, and required three hundred and fifty years to 
 complete it. Cost over fifty million dollars. I shall 
 attempt no description of it now. There are eight 
 acres of ground covered by it. I observed confes- 
 sionals all about, and at one place counted seventy 
 persons said to be waiting their turn. The subter- 
 ranean church contains many tombs of popes, em- 
 perors, and kings, including the Stuarts. 
 
 There are some of the imposing ceremonies that 
 have been regularly performed here that are now 
 prohibited by Victor Emmanuel. He having taken 
 possession of the city now nearly three years, is 
 showing the people that he is their king, and not 
 the pope. At Christmas, Easter, and on the festival 
 of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 28th), the pope used to 
 celebrate high-mass here in person. "The papal 
 regime, illuminated in the evening by four thousand 
 
Rome. 189 
 
 * four hundred lamps, throwing the lines of the archi- 
 tecture into singularly prominent relief, and one 
 and a quarter hours after sunset this illumination 
 was changed hy four hundred workmen for a blaze 
 of torch-light. This remarkable spectacle, however, 
 will probably never again be witnessed." This 
 is one of the things prohibited by Victor Em- 
 manuel. 
 
 The pope has not come out of the Vatican since 
 the occupation of the city by the Italian troops, on 
 the 20th of September, 1870. 
 
 After dinner we have service in the parlor of our 
 hotel, after which I go with a friend up to the Royal 
 Gardens and Park, where a fine view of the city 
 and surroundings is obtained. Here we have a fine 
 Italian sunset. Soon after we return the Walden- 
 sean minister calls to see Dr. Speer and myself, and 
 we go with him to his church service, which is 
 much like the Presbyterian service. We return to 
 hear Professor Wood, our archaeologist, lecture over 
 an hour on what he is to show us to-morrow of the 
 antiquities of Eome. 
 
 July 28, 1873. 
 
 Sketch of Home. — Rome, the capital of the king- 
 dom of Italy, the city of the popes, and once of the 
 Cesars, is on the Tiber, partly on a plain and partly 
 on low hills, with their vallej^s, about sixteen miles 
 from the mouth of the river. The walls, fifteen 
 miles in circuit, surround the entire city. It is 
 passed by open gates, with large arches turned over 
 them. They are built up with flat brick about one 
 and a half inches thick, with mortar about as thick 
 between them. Stones of all sizes seem to be 
 worked in the wall. The modern city is built to 
 the north of the seven hills which formed the ancient 
 city of Rome. Four of these hills, once the scene 
 
190 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 of so many exciting events, are now almost entirely 
 deserted, or covered by gardens, vineyards, or 
 broken buildings, or ruins. It is said to be the best 
 watered city in the world. Present population, two 
 hundred and twenty-five thousand. The walls have 
 an average height of fifty feet. There are twelve 
 gates by which to enter it. The Arch of Titus, 
 built on his return from his war against the.Jews, 
 continued and dedicated by his son, A.D. 80. It 
 was calculated to hold from eighty thousand to one 
 hundred thousand people, to witness the gladiators' 
 and wild-beast combats. At its inauguration five 
 thousand wild-beasts and ten thousand captives 
 were slain. The early Christians stained it. with 
 their blood. By far the greater portion of the area 
 inclosed by the walls inhabited during the Imperial 
 period by two millions, is now uninhabited. The 
 once densely populated streets are now the bleak 
 walls of vineyards. The modern city is divided by 
 the River Tiber, spanned by five bridges. 
 
 According to the census of 1867, there were six 
 thousand two hundred and sixty-seven clergymen, 
 four thousand nine hundred and forty-five nuns, 
 four thousand six hundred and fifty Jews, four 
 hundred and fifty-seven Protestants, seven thousand 
 three hundred and sixty soldiers. We have been 
 six hours to-day with Professor Wood explaining 
 ancient Pome. I have taken extensive notes, but 
 shall not give a synopsis of them now. We go out 
 again this afternoon to see several places, among 
 them the prison in which St. Paul was confined for 
 two years before his martyrdom. 
 
 This is a w^onderful city, the one that has been, 
 and is now being excavated, more so than the one 
 on the surface. We saw one of the modern palaces 
 to-day, only three or four hundred years old, filled 
 with antiquities from the excavations made by 
 Louis Napoleon. 
 
Rome. 191 
 
 I mentioned in one of my letters from Rome that 
 I had taken memoranda of which I had not time to 
 write. As these letters may be published in a more 
 permanent form, I am inclined to write something 
 more about this most interesting city in the world. 
 
 So many objects of interest present themselves to 
 the traveler that he scarcely knows which has the 
 strongest claims to his attention. I will, from my 
 notes, and "Walks in Rome, by Augustus H. Hare," 
 with your permission, give the readers of the Ava- 
 lanche something more relative to this ancient and 
 renowned City of the Cesars. 
 
 From my boyhood I have desired to see this 
 great city, which for so many centuries controlled 
 the destinies of the civilized world. My feelings 
 on arriving there were different from any other city 
 we had visited. I could scarcely realize that I was 
 in the "Eternal City," when I found at the railroad 
 station a crowd of hackmen, porters, etc., and car- 
 riages awaiting our arrival. I expected to see St. 
 Peter's rising above the horizon in stately grandeur, 
 but it was within the horizon, and was so much less 
 conspicuous from the nature of the ground it occu- 
 pies on the opposite side of the Tiber. In front 
 rise the Alban hills, the white villas on their sides 
 distinctly visible for more than thirty miles. On 
 the left were the Apennines, and Tivoli was dis- 
 tinctly seen on the summit of its mountain. We 
 had a good hotel, in the best part of the city, to see 
 most of its wonders. A stranger's first lesson to 
 learn in a European city is its geography. Having 
 our own experienced conductor, Mr. Piaggy, and 
 Professor Wood for guide and lecturer, we lost but 
 little time in that study, but proceeded soon after 
 our arrival to see the city, which for ages has been 
 the capital of the Catholic world. Monks have 
 come hither to obtain the foundation of their or- 
 ders, priests and bishops from distant lands coming 
 
192 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 here to receive the highest dignity which Christen- 
 dom could confer. And kings and emperors have 
 come here to ask coronation at the hands of the 
 reigning pontiff; but we came as the "Italian sec- 
 tion" of "the Educational party," to learn all 'we 
 could in the allotted time of this city, which has been 
 daguerreotyped upon our minds from childhood's 
 days. There was one remarkable personage whose 
 visit to Kome is worthy of reference in this connec- 
 tion. It was Martin Luther, a young monk, ob- 
 scure and fervent, little dreaming that ten years 
 later he would burn the bull of the pope in the 
 public square of Wittenberg. His heart experienced 
 nothing but pious emotions. He addressed to 
 Eome, in salutations, the ancient hymn of the Pil- 
 grims. He cried, "I salute thee, holy Rome, 
 venerable through the blood and tombs of the 
 martyrs." But after prostrating on the threshold, 
 he raised himself, and he entered into the temple, 
 but he did not find the God he had looked for 
 in the city of the saints and martyrs; it was a city 
 of murderers and prostitutes. The arts which 
 marked this corruption were powerless over the 
 stolid senses, and scandalized the austere spirit of 
 the German monk. He scarcely gave a passing 
 glance at pagan Rome, and, inwardly horrified hy 
 all that he saw, he quitted Rome in a frame of mind 
 very different from that which he brought with him. 
 He went there with the devotion of the pilgrims, 
 now he returned in a disposition like that which 
 characterized his future histor3^ This Rome, of 
 which he had been the dupe, and concerning which 
 he had been disabused, should hear from him again. 
 The day would come when amid the many toasts at 
 his table he would cry three times: "I would not 
 have missed going to Rome for a thousand florins, 
 for I should always have been uneasy lest I should 
 have been rendering injustice to the pope." 
 
Rome. 193 
 
 Ko sucli feeling as this existed among our party. 
 We had no salutation to offer his holiness, or pros- 
 tration on the threshold, but, like anxious inquirers, 
 desiring to see all we could of pagan as well as 
 Christian Rome. 
 
 We honor this cit}^ for many reasons — her great- 
 ness, her beauty, her power, her wealth, her warlike 
 exploits; yet, over and above all these things, on 
 this account, that St. Paul in his life-time wrote to 
 the Romans before he was permitted to visit them. 
 (The fore part of this epistle I read and commented 
 upon the Sabbath we spent in the city). Here he 
 afterward lived and labored for ^' two whole years 
 in his own hired house, and received all that came 
 unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and 
 teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." 
 — See Acts of the Apostles, xxviii. 30, 31. 
 
 In the Church of St. Maria they still have a little 
 chapel in which, as hath been handed down from 
 the first ages, St. Luke, the Evangelist, wrote, and 
 painted the efligy of the Virgin. The subterranean 
 church is shown as the actual house in which St. 
 Paul lodged when he was in Rome. I felt much 
 interest in this place because of its associations, and 
 may refer to it iDcfore I close these sketches. 
 
 The most matured period of St. Paul's Christian 
 life detained him a close prisoner in the imperial 
 city. It was from within the walls of a prison that 
 St. Paul indicted the Epistles to the Ephesians, 
 Philippians, Colossians, and Hebrews. It was here 
 that he converted the slave Onesimus, and wrote the 
 Epistle to Philemon, his master. Of all the disci- 
 ples now ministering to St. Paul, none has a greater 
 interest than the fugitive slave Onesimus. He be- 
 longed to a Christian named Philemon, a member 
 of the Colossian Church, but he had robbed his 
 master and fied from Colosse, and at last found his 
 9 
 
194 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 way to Eome. Here he was converted to Chris- 
 tianity, and had confessed to St. Paul his sins against 
 his master. There is in this crypt a fountain shown 
 as having miraculously sprung up in answer to the 
 prayers of St. Paul, that he might have Avherewith 
 to baptize his disciples. The fountain is there at 
 present, and doubtless has been for ages, but as to 
 how it came there, no one knows whether nature or 
 art produced it. 
 
 We find him during this Roman imprisonment 
 surrounded by many of his oldest and most valued 
 attendants. Luke, his fellow-traveler, remained 
 with him during his bondage. Timotheus, his be- 
 loved son in the faith, ministered to him in Rome, 
 as he had done in Asia, Macedonia, and in Achaia. 
 Tychicus, who had formerly borne him company 
 from Corinth to Ephesus, is now at hand to carry 
 his letters to the shores which they had visited 
 together. 
 
 All these associations clustering in and around 
 this city give an intensity of interest to it more 
 than any other in the world. 
 
 Capitol statues — Hall of emperors — Hall of illustrious men — 
 
 Historic prison. 
 
 The first object of interest to the traveler on ar- 
 riving at Rome is the Capitol. To this place we 
 went, with a number of our party, the first morn- 
 ing. From this place we look down upon ancient 
 Rome. Capitoline was the hill of the kings and 
 the republic, as the Palatine was of the empire. 
 Composed of tufa, its sides, now concealed by 
 buildings, or by the accumulated rubbish of ages, 
 were abrupt and precipitous, as are still the sides of 
 the neighboring citadels. 
 
 When Romulus had fixed his settlement upon the 
 Palatine he opened an asylum for fugitive slaves 
 upon the then deserted Saturnus, and here, at a sa- 
 
Capitol Statues. 195 
 
 cred oak, he is said to have offered up the spoils of 
 the Caleinenses, and their king, Acron, who had 
 made a war of reprisal upon him for the manner in 
 which he treated their women. Here, also, he 
 vowed to build a temple to Jupiter, where sports 
 should always be offered. But in the meantime the 
 Sabines, under Titus Tatius, besieged and took the 
 hill, having a gate of its fortress opened to them. 
 After the death of Tatius, the Capitoline hill again 
 fell under the government of Komulus and his suc- 
 cessor. The Temple of Jupiter occupied a lofty 
 platform, the summit of the rock being leveled to 
 receive it. Its facade was decorated w^ith three 
 ranges of columns,' and its sides by a single colon- 
 nade. It was nearly square, being two hundred Ro- 
 man feet in length, and one hundred and eighty-five 
 in width. The interior was divided into three cells. 
 The figure of Jupiter occupied that of the center, 
 Minerva was on his right, and Juno on his left. 
 
 Close beside this queen of Roman temples stood 
 the Temple of Fides, said to have been founded by 
 l^uma, where the senate were assembled at the time 
 of the murder of Tiberius Gracchus, B.C. 133, who 
 fell in front of the Temple of Jupiter, at the foot 
 of the statues of the kings, his blood being the 
 first spilled in Rome in a civil w^ar. Near this, also, 
 was the twin temples of Mars and Yenus. Two 
 cliffs are now claimants to be considered as the 
 ^'Tarpean Rock," but it is most probable that the 
 whole of the hill on this side of the Intermontium 
 was Mons Tarpeia. Thus we see that in this vicin- 
 ity there are quite a number of interesting objects 
 connected with and forming a part of Roman his- 
 tory. It is natural for sight-seers to visit this 
 locality first, as possessing in some respects peculiar 
 interest in this city of wonders. We passed through 
 the buildin2:s, ascending the stone stairways to be- 
 hold on each floor many things which caused our 
 
196 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 minds to recur to the past history of this remark- 
 able people. 
 
 Among the Statues. — At the head of the stairs are 
 colossal statues of the twin heroes, Castor and Pol- 
 lux (brought hither from the Ghetto), commemor- 
 ating the victory of the Lake Regillus, after which 
 they rode before the army of Rome to announce 
 the joyful new^s, watered their horses at the Aqua 
 Argentina, and then passed away from the gaze of 
 the multitude. 
 
 JSText comes the statue of Constantine the Great, 
 and his son, Constantine II. We now find our- 
 selves in the Plazzo del Campideglia, where Brutus 
 harangued the people after the murder of Julius 
 Cesar. The tower of the Capitol contains the bell 
 Viterbo, carried off from the town during the wars 
 of the middle ages, which is never rung except to 
 announce the death of a pope, or the opening of 
 the carnival. Victor Emmanuel, I presume, will 
 stop that, as he has done some other things in con- 
 nection with his holiness. A gallery in the interior 
 of the Tabularium has been fitted up as a museum 
 of architectural antiquities collected from the neigh- 
 boring temples. This building is, as it were, the 
 boundary between inhabited Eome and that Kome 
 which is a city in ruins. 
 
 The Hall of the JEmperors. — In the center is the 
 beautiful sealed statue of Agrippina, grand-daughter 
 of Augustus; round the rooms are ranged eighty- 
 three busts of Roman emperors and their near rel- 
 atives, forming, perhaps, the most interesting portrait- 
 gallery in the world. Even view^ed as works of art, 
 many of them are of the utmost importance. I 
 was much interested in Julius Cesar, Augustus, Tibe- 
 rius, Agrippa, and Constantine. There also was 
 JSTero, and Julian the Apostate, who have such un- 
 enviable immortality. 
 
 27ie Hall of Illustrious Men. — Here are Socrates, 
 
Hall of Illustrious Men. 197 
 
 Aristides the orator, Seneca, Marcus, Agrippa, 
 Homer, Scipio Africanus, Cato, Miner, Cicero, 
 and many others who live in the history of the past. 
 
 On the first and second landings are magnificent 
 reliefs, representing events in the life of Marcus 
 Aurelius Imp., belonging to the arch dedicated to 
 him. 
 
 The halls of the conservators consist of eight 
 rooms, the first painted in fresco, from the history 
 of the Roman kings; the second room adorned 
 with subjects from republican history, and statues 
 of modern Eoman generals; the third with subjects 
 from the wars, and contains the famous bronze wolf 
 of the Capitol. One of the most interesting relics 
 of the city, forming a part of the decorations of 
 this room, are the five pictures of a dead Christ, 
 with a monk praying. The seventh room contains 
 a history of the Punic wars. The eighth room is a 
 chapel, containing a lovely face of the Madonna, 
 and a child with angels; also the four evangelists. 
 
 A Historic Prison.— The north-eastern height, 
 once the site of the most interesting pagan temples, 
 is now occupied by one of the most interesting of 
 Christian churches. 
 
 Descending from the Capitoline piazza toward 
 the forum of the staircase on the left of the palace 
 of the senate, close to the foot of this staircase, is a 
 church, very obscure-looking, with some rude fres- 
 coes on the exterior. Here are the famous adaman- 
 tine prisons, excavated from the solid rock under 
 the Capitol. The prisons are entered through the 
 vlow Church of St. Pietro, in Carcere, hung around 
 with votive offerings and blazing lamps. Here bt. 
 Paul is said to have been bound for nine months to 
 a pillar, which is shown to visitors. We know 
 nothing of this. It may or may not be so. Yet 
 this, with many other things, are told here, and 
 seem to be believed by the people. 
 
198 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 I could write much more of this deeply interest- 
 ing locality, but I am admonished to be brief. 
 
 Palaces of Augustus, Palatine, Nero — Church of St. Clement. 
 
 The Palatine is formed of a trapezium of solid 
 rock, two sides of which were about three hundred 
 yards in length, the others about four hundred. 
 This building was the foundation-stone of the Pal- 
 ace of the Cesars, which in time over-run the white 
 hill, and under l^ero two of the neighboring hills 
 besides. These ruins have been ascertained and 
 recognized. It has only been within the last ten or 
 twelve vears a few broken, nameless walls were vis- 
 ible above ground. 
 
 Napoleon III., in 1861, purchased it for fifty 
 thousand dollars. Up to that time this part of Pal- 
 atine was a vast kitchen-garden, broken here and 
 there by picturesque groups of trees, and fragments 
 of broken walls. Since 1861 extensive excavations 
 have been carried on, which have resulted in the 
 discovery of the palaces of some of the earlier em- 
 perors, and the substructures of several temples. 
 
 The Palace of Augustus increased in size until 
 the whole valley was blocked up by it, and the end 
 of its roof became level with the hill-sides. Before 
 the entrance of the palace it was ordained by the 
 senate, B.C. 26, that two bay-trees should be planted 
 in remembrance of the citizens he had preserved, 
 w^iile an oak-wreath was placed above the gate to 
 commemorate his victories. Upon the top of this 
 building, Augustus Vespasian built his palace, 
 A.D. 70, not only using the walls of the older palace 
 as a support for his own, but filling the chambers 
 of the earlier building entirely up with earth, so 
 that they became a solid, massive foundation. 
 
 The ruins which we visit are, for the most part, 
 those of the Palace of Vespasian, but from one of 
 
The Palace of Vespasian, Etc. 199 
 
 its hills we can descend into rooms underneath, ex- 
 cavated from the Palace of Augustus. 
 
 The Palace of Palatine is not the palace where 
 the emperors generally lived. They resided at their 
 villas, and came into the city to the Palace of the 
 Cesars for the transaction of public business. They 
 made use of the subterranean passage which ran 
 round the whole building to prevent the annoyance 
 of the crowd until they appeared in public to receive 
 the morning salutation of the people. The name 
 "Basilica" means "king's house." It was the 
 ancient law court. It usually had a portico, was 
 oblong in form, and ended in an apex for ornament. 
 The Christians adopted it for their places of worship 
 because it was the largest type of building then 
 known. Nero, after the example of Augustus, 
 heard criminal causes in the Imperial Palace, whose 
 ruins still crown the Palatine. Here, at one end of 
 the splendid hall, lined with the precious marbles 
 of Egypt, we must imagine Cesar seated in the 
 midsf'of the assessors. "These counsellors, twenty 
 in number, were men of the highest rank and 
 greatest influence. Among them were the two 
 consuls, and representatives of the other great mag- 
 istrates of Rome. The remainder consisted of 
 senators chosen by lot. Over this distinguished 
 bench of judges presided the representativesof the 
 most powerful monarchy which has ever existed — 
 the absolute ruler of the whole world. 
 
 Before the tribunal of the blood-stained Nero St. 
 Paul was brought in fetters, under the custody of 
 his military guard. The prosecutors and their wit- 
 nesses were called forward to support their accusa- 
 tion. The subject matter for decision was the 
 written depositions forwarded from Judea by Festus ; 
 yet the Roman law required the personal presence 
 of the accusers and witnesses whenever they could 
 be obtained. He was accused of disturbing the 
 
200 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 Jews in the exercise of their worship, which was 
 secured to them by law; of desecrating their tem- 
 ple, and above all of violating the public peace of 
 the empire by perpetual agitation as the ring-leader 
 of a new and factious sect. The charge was the 
 most serious in tbe view of a Roman statesman, for 
 the crime alleged was treason against tbe Common- 
 wealth, and was punishable with death. These 
 accusations were supported by the enemies of the 
 Sanhedrim, and probably by witnesses from Judea, 
 Ephesus, Corinth, and other places of Paul's activ- 
 ity. "When the parties on both sides had been 
 heard, and the witnesses all examined, the judgment 
 of the court was taken. Each of the assessors gave 
 his opinion in writing to the emperor, who never 
 discussed the judgment with his assessors; but, 
 after reading their opinion, gave sentence according 
 to his own pleasure, without reference to the judg- 
 ment of the majority. On this occasion it might 
 have been expected that he would have pronounced 
 the sentence of condemnation against the accused, 
 but the trial resulted in the acquittal of St. Paul. 
 He was pronounced guiltless of the charges brought 
 against him, his fetters were struck oft', and he was 
 liberated from his long captivity. 
 
 History has few stronger contrasts than when it 
 shows St. Paul preaching under the walls of Nero's 
 palace. Thenceforward there was to be but two 
 religions in the Roman world — the worship of the 
 emperor and the Avorship of the Saviour. The old 
 superstitions had long been worn out — they had 
 lost all their influence on educated minds. 
 
 Over against the altars of I^ero the voice of St. 
 Paul was daily heard, and daily woke in groveling 
 souls the consciousness of their divine destiny. 
 Men listened, and knew that if sacrifice was better 
 than ease, humiliation more exalted than pride, to 
 Buflfer was nobler than to reign. They felt that the 
 
Church of St. Clement. 201 
 
 only religion that satisfied the needs of men was the 
 religion of the cross, in which he gloried. 
 
 The close of the Epistle to the Ephesians is a re- 
 markable example of forcible imagery. Considered 
 simply in itself, the description of the Christian's 
 armor is one of the most striking passages in the 
 sacred volume. But if we view it in connection 
 with the circumstances with which the apostle was 
 surrounded, we find a new and living emphasis in 
 his enumerations of all the parts of the heavenly 
 panoply. All this imagery becomes doubly forcible 
 if we remember that when St. Paul wrote these 
 words he was chained to a soldier, and in the vicin- 
 ity of the Roman legions. The appearance of the 
 guards was daily familiar to him in his chains. On 
 the o'ther hand, so he tells us in the preceding 
 epistle, the soldier to whom he was chained to-day 
 might have been [N'ero's body-guard yesterday. 
 The comrade who next relieved him might have 
 been one of the executioners of Octavia, and might 
 have carried her head to Pophala a few weeks before. 
 Such imaginings would naturally pass through the 
 mind while viewing these ruins where we know 
 this eminent apostle to the Gentiles preached, suf- 
 fered, and died for his religion. While I have 
 my doubts in regard to many things that I heard 
 while in Rome, yet there are some things mentioned 
 in sacred as well as profane history, the truth of 
 which I could not question. This was one of them. 
 
 The Church of St. Clement is one of deep inter- 
 est. It is under the ground, beneath the present 
 church, and below this is the house of Clement, to 
 which recent excavations and discoveries have given 
 an extraordinary interest. The upper church, in 
 spite of modernizations, under Clement XL, in the 
 last century, retains more of the details belonging 
 to primitive ecclesiastical architecture than any 
 other building in Rome. It was consecrated in 
 
202 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 memory of Clement, the fellow-laborer of St. Paul, 
 and the third Bishop of Eome, upon the site of his 
 family house, where St. Paul dwelt with him. In 
 the primitive church every thing remains in statu 
 quo, the court, the portico, the cancelum, paschal 
 candlestick, virgin. This was to me one of the 
 most interesting places I visited in this once "impe- 
 rial city." I gathered some relics from there w^ith 
 more interest than from any other place I visited in 
 Europe. From the sacristy a staircase leads to the 
 lower church, first discovered in 1857. Here there 
 are several pillars of the rarest marbles in perfect 
 preservation, and a very curious series of frescoes 
 of the eighth and ninth centuries, part of which 
 are still clear, and almost uninjured. These include 
 the crucifixion, with the Virgin and St. John stand- 
 ing by the cross, the earliest example in Eome of 
 this well-known subject. "The Ascension," some- 
 times called by Romanists the Assumption of the 
 Virgin, because the figure of the Virgin is elevated 
 above the apostles, though she is intent on watch- 
 ing the retreating figure of her divine Son. In this 
 fresco the figure of a pope is introduced, showing 
 that it was painted in his life-time. Quite a number 
 of inscriptions are found on the w^alls, of much in- 
 terest to the antiquary, in consequence of its being 
 where St. Paul resided, and where Christians wor- 
 shiped in the early history of the Church of Pome, 
 to whom St. Paul wrote and preached. 
 
 The Forums and the Coliseum. 
 Following the Corso to its end and turning to 
 the left, we are at once amid the remains of the 
 Forum of Trajan, erected for the emperor on his 
 return from the wars of the Danube. The Forum now 
 presents the appearance of a ruin between the Cap- 
 itoline and the Quirinal, but is an artificial hollow 
 excavated to facilitate the circulation of life in the 
 
The Forums and the Coliseum. 203 
 
 city. The earth was formerly as high as the top of 
 the column, which reached one hundred Roman 
 feet, to the level of the Palatine hill. 
 
 All over the surface of what was once Rome 
 seems to be the effort of time to bury up the ancient 
 city, so that in eighteen centuries the soil over its 
 grave has grown very deep. This was the fate of 
 Trajan's Forum until some antiquary a few hundred 
 years ago began to hollow it out again, and discov- 
 ered the whole height of the gigantic column, 
 wreathed round with bas-relief of the old emperor's 
 warlike deeds. 
 
 The Temple of Mars stands at the north-east cor- 
 ner of the magnificent Forum of Augustus, sur- 
 passing in size the Forum of Julius Cesar, to which 
 it was adjoiuiug. It was of sufficient size to be 
 frequently used for fights of animals. Among its 
 ornaments were statues of Augustus, and of Au- 
 gustus's triumphal car and the subdued princes, with 
 inscriptions illustrative of the great deeds he had 
 accomplished there. 
 
 Returning a short distance, we traverse the site 
 of the Forum of Julius Cesar, upon which, eight 
 hundred thousand pounds sterling were expended. 
 The interest of Rome comes to its climax in the 
 Forum. In spite of all that is destroyed and all 
 that is buried, much still remains which a trav- 
 eler interested in history will find all but inex- 
 haustible and after the lapse of centuries the dif- 
 ferent sites seem now to be verified with tolerable 
 certainty. The study of the Roman Forum is com- 
 plicated by a succession of public edifices by which 
 it has been occupied; each period of Roman history 
 having a diflerent set of buildings, and each in a 
 great measure supplanting those which went before. 
 Before leaving the Foruni^we visited the interesting 
 group of churches in the vicinity, which have sprung 
 up amid its ruins. Almost opposite the Mamertine 
 
204 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 prisons, surmouDted by a handsome dome, is the 
 Church of St. Martina, which contains the original 
 model bequeathed by the sculptor Thorwaldsen, of 
 his Copenhagen statue of Christ in the act of bene- 
 diction. The subterranean church beneath this 
 building is well worth visiting. The Church of St. 
 Cosmo was founded within the ancient temple, by 
 Pope Felix IV., in 527. The ancient church was 
 divided in half by the vaulting, which now divides 
 the upper and lower churches. To visit this lower 
 church a monk must be summoned, who brings a 
 torch by w^hich it can be seen. It is of great size, 
 and contains a curious well, into which Christian 
 martyrs in the time of l^ero are said to have been 
 precipitated. The third and lowest church (the 
 original crypt) is said to have been a place of refuge 
 during the early Christian persecutions. A passage 
 which formerly led from hence to the catacombs of 
 St. Sebastian was walled up twenty years ago by 
 the paternal government because twenty persons 
 were lost in it. Deserving the most minute atten-. 
 tion is the grand mosaic of Christ coming in the 
 clouds of sunset. E'ear the Church of St. Francisca 
 the Via Sacra passes under the Arch of Titus, which 
 even in its restored condition is the most beautiful 
 monument of the kind in Rome. Its Christian in- 
 terest is unrivaled, from its having been erected by 
 the senate to commemorate the taking of Jerusalem, 
 and from its bas-reliefs of the seven-branched 
 candlestick, and other treasures of the Jewish tem- 
 ple. Standing beneath the Arch of Titus, and 
 amid so many ancient associations, it is difficult to 
 forbear the commonplaces of enthusiasm on which 
 tourists have insisted. Over the half-worn pavement 
 and beneath this arch the Roman armies have trodden 
 in their outward march to fight battles far, far away; 
 returning victorious, with royal captives and inesti- 
 mable spoil of Roman triumph, that most gorgeous 
 
The Forums and the Coliseum. 205 
 
 pageant of earthly pride has streamed and flaunted 
 in hundred- fold succession over the flagstones and 
 under this archway — the street which led from the 
 southern gate of Rome to the Capitol, and by which 
 the victorious generals passed in their triumphal 
 processions to the Temple of Jupiter. Between the 
 Arch of Titus and the Coliseum, the ancient pave- 
 ment of this famous road, composed of polygonal 
 blocks of lava, has been allowed to remain. 
 
 The Coliseum was originally called the Flavian 
 Amphitheater. This vast building was begun A.D. 
 72, upon the site of the reservoir of Nero, by the Em- 
 peror Vespasian, who built as far as the third row 
 of arches, the last two rows being finished by Titus 
 after his return from the conquest of Jerusalem. It 
 is said that twelve thousand captive Jews were em- 
 ployed in this work, as the Hebrews in building the 
 pyramids of Egypt, and that the external walls 
 alone cost seventeen million francs. It consists of 
 four stories — the first Doric, the second Ionic, the 
 third and fourth Corinthian. Its circumference is 
 one thousand six hundred and forty-one feet, its 
 length two hundred and eighty-seven, its width two 
 hundred and eighty-two, its height one hundred 
 and fifty-seven. The entrance for the emperor was 
 between two arches facing the Esquiline, where 
 there was no cornice. The arena was surrounded 
 b}^ a wall suflaciently high to protect the spectators 
 from the wild beasts, which were introduced by 
 subterranean passages closed by huge gates from 
 the side. The whole building was said to be capable 
 of containing one hundred thousand persons. 
 
 The Emperor Commodus, A.D. 180-182, fre- 
 quently fought in the Coliseum himself, and killed 
 both gladia'tors and wild beasts, calling himself 
 Hercules, dressed in a lion's skin, with his hair 
 sprinkled with gold-dust. The gladiatorial contests 
 came to an end A.D. 403. An Oriental monk 
 
206 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 named Telemachus was so horrified at them that 
 he rushed in the midst of the arena and besought 
 the spectators to remove them. Instead of listen- 
 ing to him, they put him to death. 
 
 The first martyrdom here was that of St. Ignatius, 
 said to have been the child especiallj^ blessed by our 
 Saviour, the disciple of John, and the companion 
 of Poly carp, who was sent here from Antioch when 
 he was bishop. When brought into the arena he 
 knelt down, and exclaimed: *'llomans who are 
 here present know that I have not been brought 
 into this place for any crime, but in order that by 
 this means I may merit the fruition of the glory of 
 God, for love of whom I have been made a prisoner. 
 'I am as the grain of the field, and must be ground 
 by the teeth of the lions that I may become bread 
 fit for His table.' " The lions were then let loose, 
 and devoured him, except the larger bones, which 
 the Christians collected during the night. 
 
 It is related of Ignatius that he grew up in such 
 innocence of heart, and purity of life, that to him 
 it was granted to hear the angels sing; hence when 
 he became Bishop of Antioch he introduced into 
 the service of the Church the practice of singing 
 the praises of God in responses, as he had heard 
 the choir of the angels answering each other. 
 
 Soon after the death of Ignatius, one hundred 
 and fifteen Christians were shot down here with ar- 
 rows. Some of these the wild beasts would not 
 attack, but on their refusing were killed by the 
 friends of the gladiators. 
 
 To stand and view these ruins, and let the mind 
 run back to the scenes which have here been enacted, 
 will produce feelings which may be imagined, but 
 not described. So suggestive and distinct are the 
 impressions made upon the mind, that one may 
 easily fancy he sees the whole terrible, bloody scenes 
 spread out before him. Alas, for poor human na- 
 
The Coliseum. 207 
 
 ture! to seek such amusements as countless thous- 
 ands did, and with eager faces stare down into the 
 arena to witness such a whirl of strife and blood 
 going on there as no language can describe. Its 
 solitude, its awful beaut}^, and its utter desolation 
 strike upon the stranger the next moment like a 
 softened sorrow to see it crumbling an inch a year, 
 its walls and arches overgrown with green, its cor- 
 ridors opened to the dogs, the long grass growing 
 in its porches, and young trees spring up on its rag- 
 ged parapets. All these teach a lesson w^orthy of 
 being engraven upon the tablet of every heart, of 
 the vanity of the glory of earth's great and powerful 
 nations. 
 
 The spot where the Christian martyrs suffered is 
 now marked by a tall cross, devoutly kissed by the 
 faithful, and all round the arena of the Coliseum 
 are small chapels, or stations used in the Via Crusis, 
 which is observed here at 4 p.m. every Friday, when 
 a confraternity clothed in gray, with onl}^ the eyes 
 visible, is followed by a crowd of worshipers, who 
 chant and pray at each station in turn, after which 
 a Capuchin monk preaches from a pulpit on the left 
 of the arena. The pulpit of the Coliseum was 
 used for the stormy sermons of Gavazzi, who called 
 the people to arms from thence in the revolution of 
 March, 1848. Never can one forget the magnificent 
 Coliseum. I passed it often, and always felt in- 
 spired wnth the grandest conceptions I ever had of 
 man's work w^henever I beheld it. 
 
 The Eternal City — The Catacombs— St. Agnes. 
 
 As we rode out the Appian "Way, one afternoon, 
 to visit the catacombs, which have to be visited 
 with a guide, on our route we passed the place 
 where a remarkable story is told of St. Peter. After 
 the burning of Rome, Nero threw upon the Chris- 
 
208 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 tians the accusation of having fired the city. This 
 was the origin of the first persecution, in which 
 many perished by terrible and hitherto unheard of 
 deaths. The Christian converts besought Peter not 
 to expose his life. As he fled along the Appian 
 "Wa}^, about two miles from the gates, he was met 
 by a vision of our Saviour, traveling toward the 
 city. Struck with amazement, he exclaimed, "Lord, 
 whither goest thou?" to which the Saviour, look- 
 ing upon him with a mild sadness, replied, "I goto 
 Rome to be crucified a second time," and vanished. 
 Peter taking this as a sign that he was to submit 
 himself to the sufferings prepared for him, immedi- 
 ately returned back to the city. Where the roads 
 divide is the Church of Domine, containing a copy 
 of the celebrated footprint left here by our Saviour. 
 We did not stop to see the copy which is kept here 
 where the meeting occurred, but we saw what they 
 assert to be the original at St. Sebastian. It is some 
 twelve or fifteen feet high, and has to be seen with 
 a taper. Some of our company were incredulous 
 enough to say they saw the marks of the chisel 
 even on this original footprint on the stone. We 
 lighted our tapers, and following our guide, we 
 wound down and around for a considerable distance 
 among the bones of the ancient dead. Gloomy, 
 indeed, are these catacombs. One visit to them is 
 all an}^ one ever need desire to be satisfied. The 
 temperature is mild, and some of the vaults were 
 almost dry, and the air seems to be pure. We did 
 not go far, but I believe all of us were perfectly 
 satisfied when we came out. Their extent is enor- 
 mous, not as to the amount of superficial soil which 
 they underlie, for they rarely, if ever, pass beyond 
 the third mile-stone from the city, but the actual 
 length of their galleries, for these are often exca- 
 vated on various levels, three, four, or ^ve feet, one 
 above the other; they cross and recross one another 
 
The Catacombs.— St. Agnes. 209 
 
 so, that in the whole there are not less than three 
 hundred and fifty miles of them. If stretched out 
 in one continual line, they would extend the whole 
 length of Italy. The galleries are from two to four 
 feet in width, and vary in height according to the 
 nature of the rock in which they are dug. The 
 walls on both sides are pierced with horizontal 
 niches, like shelves in a book-case, or berths in a 
 steamer, and every niche once contained one or 
 more bodies. These vast excavations once formed 
 the ancient Christian cemeteries of Rome. They 
 were begun in the apostles' time, and continued to 
 be burying-places of the faithful till the capture 
 of the city by Alaric, in the year 410. In the third 
 century the Roman Church numbered twenty-five 
 or twenty-six of them, corresponding to the number 
 of her titles, or parishes within the city, and besides 
 these, twenty others of smaller dimensions, isolated 
 monuments of special martyrs, or belonging to pri- 
 vate families. It is agreed among men of learning, 
 who have had an opportunity of examining these 
 excavations, that they were used exclusively by the 
 Christians as places of burial and religious assem- 
 blies. Modern researches have now placed it beyond 
 a doubt that they were originally assigned for this 
 purpose, and no other. In most of these chambers, 
 and sometimes in the galleries themselves, are one or 
 more tombs of a more elaborate kind, hollowed out in 
 the rock, or built up with masonry, and closed by a 
 heavy slab of marble lying horizontally at the top of it. 
 The fact that the early Christians were always 
 anxious not to burn their dead, but to bury them in. 
 these rock-hewn sepulchers, was probably owing to 
 the remembrance that our Lord was himself laid " in 
 a new tomb hewn out of a rock," and perhaps also, 
 for this reason, the bodies w^ere wrapped in linen 
 cloths and precious spices, of which remains have 
 been found in the tombs. 
 
210 A Memphian's Trip to Europe, 
 
 In the road leading to Surbam is the entrance 'to 
 the Jewish catacomb. It is entered by a chamber 
 opened to the sky, floored with black and white 
 mosaic, which is supposed to have formed part of a 
 pagan dwelling. The following chamber has the 
 remains of a well. Among the most remarkable 
 paintings is Elijah ascending to heaven in a chariot 
 drawn by four horses, and a portrait of our Lord. 
 
 Owing to the desire in the early Christian Church 
 of saving the graves of their iirst confessors and 
 martyrs from desecration, almost all the catacombs 
 were gradually blocked up, and by a lapse of time 
 their entrances w^ere forgotten. In the fourteenth 
 century very few of them were still open. In the 
 fifteenth none remained except this one at Sebastian, 
 wdiich continues to be frequented by pilgrims. A 
 little more than a mile from the gate the road reaches 
 the Basilica of St. Agnes, founded by Constantine 
 in honor of the virgin martyr buried in the neigh- 
 boring catacomb. It retains more of an ancient 
 character than most of the Roman churches. The 
 approach to the church is by a picturesque staircase 
 of forty-five ancient marble-steps, lined with in- 
 scriptions from the catacombs. Beneath is the 
 shrine of St. Agnes, surmounted by her statue — an 
 antique of ancient alabaster, with wooden head, 
 and hands of gilt bronze. The mosaics of the 
 tribune represent St. Agnes between two popes of 
 the seventh century. Beneath is an ancient epis- 
 copal chair. So ancient is the worship paid to St. 
 Agnes that next to the evangelists and apostles 
 there is no saint whose effigy is older. It is found 
 on the ancient glass and earthen vessels used by 
 the Christians in the early part of the third centur}^ 
 with her name inscribed, which leaves no doubt of 
 her identity. St. Agnes sufiered martyrdom by 
 being stabbed in the throat, under Diocletian, in 
 her thirtieth year, after which, according to the ex- 
 
St. Agnes. 211 
 
 pressions used in the acts of lier martyrdom, her 
 parents "with all joy" laid her in the catacombs. 
 One day while they were near the body of their 
 child, she appeared to them surrounded by a great 
 multitude of virgins, triumphant and glorious like 
 herself, with a lamb by her side, and said: I am in 
 heaven, living with these virgins, my companions, 
 near Him whom I have so much loved." By her 
 tomb also Constantia, a princess, sick with hopeless 
 leprosy, was praying for the healing of her body, 
 when she heard a voice saying: "Rise up, Constan- 
 tia, and go on constantly in the faith of Jesus Christ, 
 the Son of God, \yho shall heal your diseases." 
 A-ud being cured of her evil, she besought her 
 tather to build this basilica as a thank-offering. On 
 the 21st of January a beautiful service is celebrated, 
 in which two lambs, typical of the purity of the 
 virgin saint, are blessed upon the altar. 
 
 The catacomb of St. Agnes is entered from a 
 vineyard about a quarter of a mile beyond the 
 church. It is lighted and open to the public on St. 
 Agnes' day. This is one of the most interesting 
 catacombs to visit. The entrance is by a staircase 
 attributed to Constantine. The most interesting 
 features here are a square chamber hewn in the 
 rock, with an arm-chair cut out of the rock on either 
 side of the entrance. In the central compartment 
 is our Lord, seated between the rolls of the Old and 
 ITew Testament. Above the arcosolium, in the place 
 of honor, is the Saviour, as the Good Shepherd, 
 bearing a sheep upon his shoulders, and standing 
 between other sheep and the trees. In the other 
 compartments are Daniel in the lion's den, the 
 three Hebrew children in the furnace, Moses taking 
 off his shoes, Moses striking the rock, and nearest 
 the entrance the paralytic carrying his bed. A 
 neighboring chapel has also remains of an altar, 
 and well-preserved paintings — "The Good Shep- 
 
212 A Memphian's Teip to Europe:. 
 
 herd;" "Adam and Eve, with the tree between 
 them;" "Jonah under the Gourd." In the farther 
 part of the catacomb is a long, narrow chapel, di- 
 vided into three parts, of which the farthest, a 
 presbytery, contains an ancient episcopal chair, 
 with lower seats on either side for priests. In the 
 extremity of the catacombs, under the Basilica of 
 St. Agnes, is one of its most interesting features. 
 There the passages become wider and more irregu- 
 lar, the walls sloping and unformed, and graves 
 cease to appear, indicating one of the ancient arenaria 
 which have formed the approaches to the catacomb, 
 and beyond which the Christians excavated their 
 cemetery. The graves throughout almost all the 
 catacombs have been rifled, the bones which they 
 contained being distributed as relics throughout 
 Roman Catholic Christendom, and most of the sar- 
 cophagi and inscriptions removed to Lateran and 
 other museums. 
 
 I have devoted more space to St. Agnes because 
 of the importance attached to her name and mem- 
 ory than almost any other saint, and that we have a 
 school named in honor of her in the city. 
 
 The Santa Scala — Roman Funeral — The Pantheon. 
 
 Among the many places of interest in Rome is 
 the Santa Scala, erected by Fortuna, for Sextus Y. 
 We must of course go to see this remarkable relic 
 of antiquity as well as credulity, which is supposed 
 to be that of the stairs of the house of Pilate, 
 ascended and descended by our Saviour. It is said 
 to have been brought from Jerusalem by Helena, 
 the mother of Constantine the Great, and has been 
 regarded with special reverence by the Roman 
 Church for fifteen hundred years. Clement XII. 
 caused the steps to be covered with a wooden casing, 
 which has since been repeatedly worn out by the 
 
• The Santa Scala. 213 
 
 knees of tlie ascending pilcrrims. Apertures are 
 left through which the marble steps can be seen, 
 two of which are said to be stained by the blood of 
 the Saviour. Between two statues the pilgrims kneel 
 to commence the ascent, which, by the wa}^, I should 
 suppose, from what we saw when there, was not 
 only a very tedious, but a laborious operation. 
 
 JSTumerous indulgences have been granted by dif- 
 ferent popes to those who ascend it with a prayer at 
 each step. There is no day on which worshipers 
 may not be seen slowly ascending these stairs, but 
 during the Holy "Week the concourse is at its 
 height, and on Good Friday this structure is cqm- 
 pletely covered by the multitudes paying penance. 
 Martin Luther went to accomplish the ascent of the 
 Santa Scala. He slowly mounted, step after step, 
 the hard stone, worn into hollows by the knees of 
 the pilgrims for an indulgence for a thousand years. 
 Patiently he crept half-way up the staircase. He 
 suddenly stood erect, lifted his face heavenward, 
 turned and walked slowly down again. He said, as 
 he was toiling up, a voice as from heaven seemed 
 to whisper to him the old well-known words which 
 had been his battle-cry in so many a victorious con- 
 flict: "The just shall live by faith." He seemed 
 suddenly released from his bonds and fetters, and 
 with a firm step he went away. Ascending one of 
 the lateral staircases — no foot must touch the Santa 
 Scala — we reached a chapel so intensely sacred that 
 none but a pope can officiate at its altar, and as 
 Victor Emmanuel has stopped his officiating, it is 
 probable it w^ill be some time before service will be 
 had in that chapel again. 
 
 Our company did not seem to feel much of the 
 sacredness of this place, or its performances. Those 
 who were going up were in good earnest, and we 
 could but admire their perseverance while doubting 
 their judgment. 
 
214 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. • 
 
 A Roman funeral is a sad sight, and strikes one 
 with peculiar solemnity. After death the body is 
 entirely abandoned to the priests, who take posses- 
 sion of it, watch over it, and prepare it for burial; 
 while the family, if they can find refuge anywhere 
 else, abandon the house, and remain away a week. 
 The body is not ordinarily allowed to remain in the 
 house more than twelve hours, except on condition 
 that it is sealed up with lead or zinc. At nightfall 
 a sad procession stops before the house of the dead. 
 They are dressed in a black cap, covering the head 
 and face as well as the body, and two large holes 
 cut in front for the eyes. Four carry the bier, and 
 are furnished with wax candles, for no one is buried 
 in Rome without a candle. If the person is wealthy 
 the funeral takes place late at night, and the proces- 
 sion is long. I presume the one I saw was not of 
 that class, for although there was a long procession, 
 there were no carriages, and it |v^as early in the 
 night. I believe no carriages are allowed but at 
 State funerals. Every one takes off his hat, or 
 makes the sign of the cross, or mutters a prayer as 
 the body passes. All these we failed to do, as we 
 were not then posted in regard to these regulations. 
 
 The Pantheon. — The first time I saw this most 
 perfect pagan building was the evening of our ar- 
 rival in the city. There was an immense crowd 
 there, and the soft, mellow light from the ceiling 
 made one think it "grand, gloomy, and peculiar." 
 The Pantheon was not originally as it now is, 
 below the level of the piazza, but was approached 
 by a flight of five steps. The portico, which is one 
 hundred and ten feet long and forty-four feet deep, 
 is supported by sixteen grand Corinthian columns 
 of Oriental granite, thirty-six feet in height. The 
 interior is a rotunda, one hundred and forty-three 
 feet in diameter, covered by a dome. It is only 
 lighted by an aperture in the center, twenty-eight 
 
St. Peter's. 215 
 
 feet in diameter. Seven great niches around the 
 wall once contained statues of different gods and 
 goddesses, that of Jupiter being the central figure. 
 The world has nothing like the Pantheon. Every 
 thing makes an impression of deep solemnity, which 
 St. Peter's itself fails to produce. 
 
 St. Peter's — The Vatican — Sistine Chapel — Michael Angelo, 
 
 etc, 
 
 St. Peter's. — The first church which existed on or 
 near the site of the present building was the oratory 
 founded A.D. 90 by Anacletus, Bishop of Rome, 
 who is said to have been ordained by St. Peter him- 
 self, and who thus marked the spot where many 
 Christian martyrs had sufifered in the circus of Nero, 
 and where St. Peter was buried after his crucifixion. 
 
 In 306 Gonstantine the Great yielded to the 
 request of Pope Sylvester, and began the erection 
 of a basilica on this spot, laboring with his own 
 hands at the work, and himself carrying twelve 
 loads of earth in honor of the twelve apostles. The 
 great apostle is said to have been exhumed at this 
 time, and re'interred in a shrine of silver, inclosed 
 in a sarcophagus of gilt bronze. I wish here to 
 state that it is a question about which there is a 
 great difference of opinion, as to whether St. Peter 
 was ever at Rome, Protestants contending that he 
 never was, while the Romanists are fully estab- 
 lished in the belief that he was here crucified and 
 buried. I neither know nor care which is correct. 
 I attach not the least importance to it, but I am 
 giving only what is there believed, and about which 
 they think there can be no possibility of doubt. I 
 leave them to fight their own battles, while I proceed 
 to say that the early basilica measured three hun- 
 dred and ninety-five feet in length, by two hundred 
 and twelve in width. Its nave and aisles were di- 
 
216 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Vided by eighty-six marble pillars. Though only 
 half the size of the present cathedral, still it covered 
 a greater space than any cathedral except those at 
 Milan and Seville, with w^hich it ranked in size. 
 The building of the present St. Peter's extended 
 altogether over one hundred and seventy-six years, 
 and its expenses were so great that Julius II. and 
 Leo X. were obliged to meet them by the sale of 
 indulgences, which led to the Reformation. The 
 expense of the main building alone has been esti- 
 mated at ten million pounds sterling ($50,000,000). 
 The annual expense of repairs is over forty thou- 
 sand dollars. The fagade of St. Peter's is three 
 hundred and fifty-seven feet long, and one hundred 
 and forty-four feet high, bearing statues of the 
 Saviour and his twelve apostles. N^ear the central 
 entrance is the Loggia, where the pope is crowned, 
 and where he gives, or has given, the Easter bene- 
 diction. On entering this largest of all churches 
 you feel at first disappointed. You can't see it all 
 from any one place, hence it does not fully meet 
 your expectations. I was there several times, and 
 each time Avas more impressed with its immensity. 
 It appeared like some great work of nature, for we 
 can scarcely realize that it is the w^ork of men. You 
 may lose your way in St. Peter's. There are so 
 many chapels where divine service is performed 
 and chanted that you come upon them before you 
 are aware of it. The angels in the baptistry are 
 immense giants, the doves colossal birds of prey. 
 You lose all ideas of measurement, every thing 
 being of gigantic proportions. As you enter the 
 front door a cold wind strikes 3^ou which makes 
 you feel like you needed an overcoat in summer. 
 It is said the temperature does, not change ; in the 
 coldest weather it is like summer to 3'our feelings, 
 and in the most oppressive heat it strikes you with 
 a delightful sensation of cold. 
 
St. Peter's— The Vatican. 217 
 
 The enormous size of the statues and ornaments 
 in St. Peter's does away, to some extent, with the im- 
 pression of its vast size, and it is only b}^ observing 
 the living, moving figures, that one can form an 
 idea of its colossal proportions. A line in the 
 pavement is marked with the comparative size of 
 the other great Christian churches. I stepped its 
 length, and found it over two hundred yards. Its 
 exact length, as given by Mr. Hare, from whom I 
 copy largelj^, is six hundred and thirteen and a half- 
 feet; St. Paul's, London, five hundred and twenty 
 and a half; Milan Cathedral, four hundred and 
 forty -three; St. Sophia, Constantinople, three hun- 
 dred and sixty and a half. The height of the dome 
 in the interior is four hundred and five feet, and the 
 exterior four hundred and forty-eight feet. St. 
 Peter's is a grand aggregation of splendid churches, 
 chapels, tombs, and works of art. 
 
 The Vatican, the first residence of the popes, 
 was erected in A.D. 498-514, near the court of old St. 
 Peter's, and here Charlemagne is believed to have 
 resided on the occasion of his several visits to Pome. 
 The Vatican Palace was used only on State occa- 
 sions, and for the reception of any foreign sovereign 
 visiting Rome. 
 
 The principal entrance of the Vatican is at the 
 end of the right colonnade of St. Peter's, and is the 
 nearest way to the collections of statues and pic- 
 tures. On the right is the entrance of the Pauline 
 Chapel. The Crucifixion of St. Peter, under the 
 large window, and the Conversion of St. Paul, are 
 tolerably distinct. There is a long train of soldiers 
 seen ascending in the background. Christ, sur- 
 rounded by a host of angels, bursts upon your sight 
 from the storm-flash. Paul lies stretched upon the 
 ground, a noble and finely-developed form. His 
 followers fly on all sides, or are struck motionless 
 to the ground. 
 10 
 
218 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 The arrangement of the groups is excellent, and 
 some single figures are very dignified. On the left 
 of the approach from the Scala Eegia is the Sistine 
 Chapel. The lower part of the walls of this won- 
 derful chapel was formerly bung, on festivals, with 
 the tapestries executed from the cartoons of Raphael. 
 The upper portion is decorated in fresco by the 
 great Florentine masters of the fifteenth century. 
 It was intended to represent scenes from the life of 
 Moses, on one side of the chapel, and from the life 
 of Christ on the other, so that the old law might be 
 confirmed by the new — the type by the typified. 
 The following is the order of the frescoes — type 
 and antitype together: " Moses in the Bulrushes " — 
 "Christ in the Manger;" "Moses on the way to 
 Egypt" — "Baptism of Christ;" "Moses and the 
 Israelites passing the Eed Sea" — "Calling the 
 Apostles;" "Moses giving the Law^" — "Christ's 
 Sermon on the Mount;" "Last Interview of Moses 
 and Joshua" — "Resurrection of Christ." The av- 
 enue of pictures is a preparation for the surpassing 
 grandeur of the ceiling. It contains the most per- 
 fect works of Michael Angelo in his long and active 
 life. There his great spirit appears in its noblest 
 dignity, and in its highest purity ; the most im- 
 portant events in the Book of Genesis — the creation 
 and fall of man, and its immediate consequences; 
 the sitting figures of the prophets as the foretellers 
 of the coming Saviour. A great number of figures 
 are also connected with the frame-work. They may 
 be the best described as the living and embodied 
 genii of architecture. It required the unlimited 
 power of an architect, sculptor, and painter to con- 
 ceive a structured whole of so much grandeur; to 
 design the decorative figures with the significant 
 repose required by the picturesque character. 
 
 The pictures of the Old Testament are: "The 
 Separation of Light from Darkness;" "The Crea- 
 
The Vatican. 219 
 
 tion of the Sun and Moon;" *'The Creation of 
 Trees and Plants;" "The Creation of Adam;" 
 "The Creation of Eve;" "The Fall, and Expulsion 
 from Paradise;" "The Sacrifice of iToah;" "The 
 Deluge," and "The Intoxication of IToah." 
 
 The lower portion of the ceiling is divided into 
 triangles, occupied by the prophets. They sit in 
 twelve throne-like niches, more like presiding dei- 
 ties, each enw^rapt in self-contemplation, than as 
 tributary witnesses to the truth and omnipotence of 
 Him they are intended to announce. They thus 
 form a gigantic frame-work around the subjects of 
 the creation, of which the birth of Eve, as the type 
 of the nativity, is the intentional center. 
 
 The Sistine Chapel is associated in the minds of 
 all the Roman sojourners with the great ceremonies 
 of the Church, but especially with the Passion Week. 
 
 The small portion of the Vatican inhabited by 
 the pope is never seen except by those admitted to 
 a special audience. As our time was limited in 
 which to see the wonders of this most remarkable 
 of cities, we had none to spend in the preparations 
 to see his holiness. "We learned that it required 
 some three or four days, after a good recommenda- 
 tion (which we do not know that we could have 
 obtained), to be admitted into his sacred presence. 
 A suit of clothes, made after a certain style, is one 
 of the requirements in order to see him. We made 
 no effort to get to see the man who, though he re- 
 gards himself as a prisoner, wields more influence 
 still in Europe than any crowned head in the land. 
 
 Leaving the city. 
 
 Rome, July 30, 1873. 
 
 I sent you a letter day before yesterday, giving a 
 
 hasty sketch of my impressions of this ancient city 
 
 of Rome. Since then we have been going from 7 
 
 A.M. to 9 P.M., nearly all the time, with Professor 
 
220 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 "Wood, a celebrated archseologist, an Englishman, 
 who has resided in Rome for nearly a quarter of a 
 century. He has taken us through the old city ex- 
 cavations, showing the present city to be fifty feet 
 above the ancient one. Sometimes we find a build- 
 ing directly over one below it, and sometimes the 
 third one below both the others. These excavations 
 have been going on since the commencement of the 
 present century, more or less, as the means could 
 be obtained to prosecute them. Louis Napoleon 
 purchased of the ex-king a portion of them, and 
 has been for many years expending some fifty thou- 
 sand dollars annually in this work. 
 
 A great many things have been found which be- 
 long to other ages, demonstrated by the inscriptions 
 found on them. Some of the most important were 
 found last August. These we have met with in the 
 Vatican and other places. [N'apoleon sold out his 
 possessions here to the Italian government, and 
 they are now engaged in these excavations, expend- 
 ing large sums of money for the removal of the 
 rubbish. I have taken down some sixty pages in 
 my note-book, but have not time to look over them. 
 I shall not say any thing of them now, for we are 
 to be off this morning for Pisa. At present I have 
 onl}^ time to sketch our route, and the objects that 
 impress me most at the time, just as they come up 
 in my mind, when I can find a few moments to 
 write them. 
 
 We had heard much of the heat of Eome, but 
 we have found it very pleasant. In the sunshine 
 for a few hours in the day it is very warm, but not 
 near so hot as with us. The nights are cold and re- 
 freshing. We have had no warm weather to make 
 it unpleasant yet, and as we are now going to Switz- 
 erland, we do n't expect to suffer with it in the 
 mountains. All our party keep well, and in good 
 spirits. 
 
Leaving the City. * 221 
 
 Our ladies pack their baggage when necessary, 
 which is often, like heroes. They are nearly all 
 teachers, and are learning that which will qualify 
 them better for their duties. Then their natural 
 curiosity stimulates them to rush ahead to see all 
 they can. One will see, perhaps, ten times as many 
 people on the streets at night as in the day-time. 
 The squares are filled with idlers, who have a free 
 and easy way of spending their time. I have 
 counted seventy performers in a brass-band. Every- 
 body seems to enjoy themselves in their nightly 
 amusements. They do n't have their beer-gardens, 
 like the Germans, nor do they seem to drink any 
 thing much but lemonade, publicly. They are a 
 much more intellectual-looking people than many 
 we have seen. They look more like our Southern 
 population than any we have met with in Europe. 
 They do not remind us, however, of our hotels. 
 They study economy closely. They have meat only 
 once a day, and that done up in "Italian style," 
 sometimes repulsive to me. We make a clear sweep 
 of all they give us that we can eat, and that is 
 enough. Upon the whole I like these Italians. 
 They are republican in their feelings, and some day 
 they will cut loose from civil and ecclesiastical des- 
 potism. In fact, there has been a great improve- 
 ment in these matters within the past few years. 
 The pope's bulls seem to create no sensation among 
 the people, so far as we could learn. Religious and 
 civil liberty seem to be enjoyed as much here as in 
 any country we have visited. This is the first place 
 on the Continent in which we have not been able to 
 spend the time we desired; but the "Eternal City" 
 attracts us, and soon we are to be off for romantic 
 Switzerland. 
 
222 A Memphian's Tbip to Eueope. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Letters from the Rev. A. B. Whipple, President of Lansing- 
 burgh College, New York. 
 
 Venice, July 22, 1873. 
 Tuesday at 6 a.m., after twenty-three consecutive 
 hours in the cars, we were glad to get into gondolas 
 and wend our way through water-streets, or canals, 
 to the Hotel Victoria, for breakfast in Venice, ''the 
 bride of the sea." In its best days it had a popula- 
 tion of 200,000; now about one-half as many, and 
 one-fourth of these helped as paupers. Fifteen 
 thousand houses and palaces constitute Venice, 
 built on three large and one hundred and fourteen 
 small islands, formed by one hundred and forty- 
 seven canals, united by three hundred and seventy- 
 five bridges. The city is surrounded by a shallow 
 bay twenty-five miles long and nine wide, protected 
 from the open sea by long sand-hills, converted into 
 bulwarks by solid masonry averaging thirty feet in 
 height and forty-five in width. There are two 
 kinds of bays, or lagoons — living or dead, or those 
 in which the tide rises and falls, and those shallow 
 and unafiected by the tides. Most of the houses 
 rise immediately from the water, and all expeditious 
 traveling is done in gondolas. There are many 
 places of interest, chief of which is the Piazza of 
 St. Mark and its surroundings. "Piazza" means a 
 large open space; small ones are called '^campi." 
 This is ^YQ hundred and seventy-five feet in length, 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 223 
 
 two hundred and sixty-eight in hreadth on the east, 
 and one hundred and eighty-five feet on the west 
 side. On three sides it is inclosed by imposing 
 structures, forming one vast marble palace, black- 
 ened by age and the elements, and looking, in fact, 
 very much as if seen through a stereoscope. On the 
 east is the Church of St. Mark and a small piazza, 
 called Piazzetta, on the west of which is the ancient 
 library of St. Mark. On the south is the Lagune, 
 or "live bay." In this part of the piazza are two 
 lofty granite columns — one surmounted by the 
 winged Lion of St. Mark, the tutelary saint of 
 Venice; the other column supports St. Theodore, 
 on a crocodile, the patron of the old republic. You 
 can easily infer what these emblems are designed to 
 teach. On the north are the jprocuratia, or palaces 
 of the "procurators," the highest officials in the re- 
 public, and on the west the Atrio, or new palace, 
 erected by I^apoleon in 1810, on the site of a former 
 church. All these buildings surrounding the Piazza 
 have their ground structures of arcades, in which are 
 the cafes and shops, the grandest in the city. This 
 Piazza is the focus of public life in Venice. Here 
 rich and poor, on summer evenings, gather to enjoy 
 the band of music, lemonade, cigars, conversation, 
 sight-seeing, and purchases. 
 
 I do not wonder that in this warm climate, and 
 with such narrow streets and small accommoda- 
 tions, most of the people live out of doors as much 
 as possible. Even in the winter the band plays 
 here in the open air from 2 to 4 p.m., and then this 
 is the promenade of the fashionable world. 
 
 Rather than try to give a running account of the 
 whole city, let me in this letter be more special 
 than hitherto, and confine my description to St. 
 Mark's Church. I can do this, because I tarried in 
 and around it longer than any other church in 
 Europe. 
 
224 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Some years ago a very rich man died, and left a 
 very large sum of money to be annually expended, 
 and perpetually, in one hundred masses per day for 
 three days. One of these days we were there lis- 
 tening to the service, employing the best singing 
 talent of the Italians. Kot being a critic of the 
 music, I let my eyes roam around the church, and 
 read the Latin inscriptions under every painting 
 and statue. (In parenthesis let me say, in all the 
 churches and most of the galleries of paintings and 
 art, we find Latin inscriptions, and he who can read 
 them need not wait for a guide to explain in verj- 
 poor English what he can read for himself.) I have 
 mentioned St. Mark as the tutelary saint of Venice. 
 This church was begun in 976, and finished in 1071, 
 and lavishly decorated, with oriental magnificence, 
 in after centuries. In form it is a Greek cross ; has 
 equal arms, covered by a dome in the center, and 
 one at the extremity of each arm — five domes. In- 
 side and outside, the church is adorned and sup- 
 ported by 'Q.ve hundred marble columns, with capi- 
 tals in every variety of style. Mosaics of the tenth 
 century cover forty thousand square feet, and the 
 interior is lavishly decorated with gilding, bronze, 
 and eastern marble. The conjoined efi*ect is pic- 
 turesque, or fantastic, rather than seriously impres- 
 sive. Without, and over the portal, are four horses 
 in gilded bronze, some five feet high, made in 
 the time of JSTero, well executed, and valuable as 
 the sole specimen of an ancient four-horse team, 
 pictured before a chariot. They once adorned the 
 triumphal arch of Kero, next that of Trajan. Con- 
 stantine took them to Constantinople, and Dandolo 
 captured and brought them to Venice in 1207. 
 Then ISTapoleon captured the place, and took them 
 to Paris in 1797, and placed them on top of the 
 triumphal arch in the Place du Carroussel, and in 
 1815 the Emperor Francis brought them back to 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 225 
 
 Venice, and they are now in their former position. 
 Few horses have traveled so far, or had so many 
 royal horse-thieves to run them out of one country 
 into another, and, in common parlance, "show their 
 oats so well." Mosaics below the horses and in the 
 arches represent the Last Judgment, the embarka- 
 tion at Alexandria of JSt. Mark's body, and its dis- 
 embarkation at Venice, and on the left the venera- 
 tion of the saint, and the church into which his 
 relics were conveyed in the thirteenth century. The 
 vaulting of the entrance-hall, entirely of mosaic, rep- 
 resents Old Testament subjects, beginning on the 
 right with the creation ; the new part, New Testa- 
 ment scenes; while over the entrance is St. Mark, 
 from a design by Titian; and the capitals of the 
 columns are said to be from the Temple at Jerusa- 
 lem. The interior is fifty-eight by two hundred and 
 ten feet, and over the entrance-door is one of the 
 oldest mosaics of the church, done in the eleventh 
 century, representing Christ, Mary, and St. Mark. 
 Approaching the altar, on the right and left are two 
 pulpits of colored marble, and above, in mosaic, the 
 genealogy of Mary. On the screen are fourteen 
 statues in marble of Mark, Mary, and the Apostles. 
 On the arches each side of the choir are five bronze 
 reliefs from events in the life of St. Mark. Beneath 
 the high altar, as the marble slab says, repose the 
 relics of St. Mark. Back of the high altar is 
 another slab, with four spiral columns of alabaster, 
 two of which are semi-transparent, and are said to 
 have belonged to the temple of Solomon. Li the 
 right aisle, near the west portal, in the center, is the 
 baptistery, a large bronze fount made in 1546, and 
 above it is John the Baptist. The stone above the 
 altar is said to be from Mount Tabor. Left of the 
 altar is the heart of John the Baptist, a work of 
 art, and beneath it the stone on which he is said to 
 have been beheaded. In the right transept one enters 
 10^ 
 
226 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 the Treasury of St. Mark, where is shown the cover of 
 the Books of the Gospels, brought from the Church 
 of St. Sophia, at Constantinople, decorated with gold 
 and jewels; a crystal vase with the ''blood of the 
 Saviour;" a silver column, with a fragment of the 
 ''True Cross;" a cup of agate, with a portion of 
 the "skull of St. John;" an episcopal throne of the 
 seventh century, said to be that of St. Mark; and 
 other equally curious things. 
 
 Thus far I have noticed some of the most note- 
 worthy objects within and about this wonderful 
 church, now the Cathedral of Venice. I have failed 
 to describe the "thousand-and-one" paintings which 
 also adorn it — Bible history to repletion; every 
 prophet, priest, and king; every evangelist and 
 martyr, and a tree full of eager Zachariahs ; mothers 
 and children, clothed and unclothed, without num- 
 ber. At these strange works of genius, trying to 
 express in colors verbal pictures from Holy Writ, I 
 sat and gazed, while the music was rolling through 
 vaulted aisles and corridors and domes, and thou- 
 sands on bended knees about me were joining in a 
 service lavishly paid for to help a soul out of pur- 
 gatory; while the very Saviour so many times pict- 
 ured above and around us all, is ever inviting all to 
 come to him, without money and without price. I 
 Vv^ould find no fault with all these beautiful churches 
 and their wonderful artistic adornment; nor do I 
 wonder that in this land, educated to it, these peo- 
 ple are devout Catholics. To tear them away from 
 all their beautiful churches and the service in which 
 they take delight and have faith will require more 
 than mere human power. Nor can I wonder that 
 Oliver Cromwell, that stern old Puritan, when he 
 saw the devotion of the people to their churches 
 and works of art, thought it needful to demolish 
 them. Yet I do not think it would be wise to make 
 a grand crusade against all works of art. Rightly 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 22T 
 
 educated, people will learn that love of the beauti- 
 ful and love of the holy are two distinct things, and 
 that we may have both, and so worship Gocl with 
 the heart and with the understanding. I have seen 
 no church or picture yet which I should be willing 
 to bow before and worship. Yet, every day, as I 
 see so much, in spirit I am grateful to Hi'm who 
 gives to men such privileges and powers. 
 
 GrENEVA, Augiist 2, 1873. 
 
 Once more I find a few moments' leisure to Avrite 
 to friends 4,000 miles aw^ay and tell them that since 
 last writing I have been for the best part of five 
 days in Rome. Of this city it is somewhat difficult 
 to speak; for it is "■multiimin parvo," or " e pluribus 
 unum;'' i.e., there is much in one place, or there are 
 many cities grown out of one. Hence, in a descrip- 
 tion of Rome, one is led to ask. Which Rome shall 
 be described ? Eor here is the old pagan Rome, as 
 founded by Romulus, with a portion of its wall 
 remaining; the very place also where, in the midst 
 of sacred games instituted for the purpose, he 
 seized the Sabine virgins, and also the battle-field 
 where, to prevent farther bloodshed, these same 
 seized women rushed between the armies, stayed 
 the contest, formed a union of Romans and Sabines, 
 and so rendered the oria^inal walls needless. This 
 is the Rome founded 753 years B.C., or, to be exact, 
 2,527 years ago, on the 23d of last April. The rapid 
 growth of the ancient city must be attributed greatly 
 to its situation, the most central in the peninsula, 
 alike adapted for a great commercial town and for 
 the capital of a vast empire ; for then, with small 
 vessels, it had large intercourse with the Mediterra- 
 nean. To describe this Rome is to speak of it as a 
 kingdom. On the Palatine Hill was the walled city 
 of Romulus ; on the Quirinal sprang up the city of 
 the Sabines, afterward united, as mentioned above, 
 
228 A>*Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 eacli retaining its peculiar temples and sanctuaries, 
 with the Forum between them and common to both, 
 an assembly focus for the entire State. Around 
 these twin hills, on five others, as suburbs, exten- 
 sive settlements sprang up, increasing in population 
 both by increase of business and because conquered 
 Latin towns were frequently transplanted thither. 
 Such was the earliest Kome. Out of these mixed 
 elements, a new civic community took its origin to- 
 ward the close of the period of kings ; and the 
 Servian wall much larger ; the remains of this wall 
 show a moat without and a rampart within of great 
 solidity, surrounding the seven hills, some seven 
 miles in circumference. While thus strengthening 
 the city against invasions from without, the kings 
 were no less anxious to embellish the interior with 
 handsome buildings. To this period belongs the 
 Circus in the valley between the Palatine and Aven- 
 tine hills. The Circus is a kind of a race-course, 
 with elliptical course, in a long valley, with seats on 
 each side for spectators, enough to accommodate 
 120,000. Here took place athletic exercises and 
 various games for the amusement of the people, and 
 the exhibitions of wild animals brought from con- 
 quered countries. You will remember that there 
 w^ere no pictures of animals then, as now, nor Bar- 
 num's menagerie, and so the greatest curiosity was 
 excited when a victorious army from Asia or Africa 
 brought the wild animals, as well as kings and 
 slaves, and exhibited them to the thousands gath- 
 ered on either side the Circus to gratify their curi- 
 osity and, no doubt, hurrah for the Eoman soldiers 
 returning victorious. Then, also, was built the 
 Cloaca Maxima, or great sewer or drain, which 
 made available the swampy site of the Roman 
 Forum. Through this massive construction we 
 could see the rushing waters, wiiile far above, and 
 over the road of the ancient Forum, more modern 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 229 
 
 sewers are emptying the dirtier waters of a later 
 Rome. These grand developments of the ancient, 
 and still admired city, were due to the energy of 
 the Tarquinian kings, whose last king, Tarquinius 
 Superhus, was expelled in 509. So we have noticed 
 two Romes, both now the deep foundations of still 
 later Romes. Most of what I now desci'ibe has 
 been brought to light by the last ITapoleon, who 
 purchased the gardens of the Palatine hills, simply 
 that he might excavate, and so certify himself of 
 facts, when he was compiling a history of Cesar. 
 After the expulsion of the kings came the third 
 Rome, or the Republic. During the first century, 
 the Republic had a hard time in establishing its 
 supremacy, and once, with the exception of the 
 capitol, was wholly destroyed by the Gauls. It was 
 only a transient loss to the prestige of Rome, but 
 produced a marked change in the external features 
 of the city. The work of resurrection was begun 
 with zeal and pride of industry rather than of beauty; 
 for the streets were narrow and crooked, and the 
 houses poor and unattractive, and Rome was then 
 far from being attractive or handsome as a city. 
 Her steady increase in power could not fail to have 
 a good influence on her architecture. During this 
 period the first aqueduct was made, traces of which 
 remain, and the first high road, the Appian Way. 
 Down to the Punic wars, Rome had not extended 
 beyond the walls of Servius Tullius. The overthrow 
 of Carthage made Rome the mistress of the world ; 
 and the wall had to give way for new buiklings. 
 Speculation was now active, and real estate and 
 rents greatly advanced; fortunes were made, and 
 palaces were constructed with fabulous magnificence 
 and luxury. Claudius, for instance, Cicero's oppo- 
 nent, paid nearly $700,000 for his palace. In the 
 last century B.C., Rome began to look like the 
 world's capital — streets were paved, hitherto not, 
 
230 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 and the ambition of the opulent nobles was to erect 
 sumptuous public buildings, whereby to perpetuate 
 their names. So Cato built the first Basilica, or 
 Court-house, in the Forum. Remember, the Forum 
 is not a building, but a large public assembly-place, 
 where various l3usiness was transacted; but con- 
 stantly improved and adorned with works of art and 
 the like ; then with columns and arcades, then the 
 Basilica, etc. Theaters were all out of doors, like 
 the Circus, till Pompey founded the first one of 
 stone. A change, from a republic into a military 
 despotism, involved a new period of architecture. 
 Usurpers generally exercise their energies in de- 
 stroying the works and monuments of their prede- 
 cessors, and then try to outdo them, and such were 
 Cesar's plans ; and now, of all the ruins of ancient 
 Rome, the buildings of Augustine rank highest in 
 number and impcfrtance. Take the Pantheon, for 
 instance, the only building entirely preserved of an- 
 cient Rome — a huge circular structure, with vast 
 colonnades and strikingly imposing in aspect; walls 
 of brick-work, covered with marble and stucco, 
 formerly five steps above the pavement, it is now 
 below. The portico has fifteen columns of granite, 
 thirty-eight feet high, eight in front; the others 
 form three colonnades, vaulted and terminating in 
 niches in which colossal statues of Augustus and 
 his son-in-law, M. Agrippa, stood, with an inscrip- 
 tion on the frieze showing the edifice was erected 
 B.C. 27. It is illuminated wholly by an aperture 
 in the center of the dome, producing so pleasing an 
 efiect that, even in ancient times, it caused the be- 
 lief that the temple derived its appellation, Pantheon, 
 from its resemblance to the vault of heaven. Within 
 were seven large niches, containing statues of Mars, 
 Venus, Cesar, etc. The entire roof was covered 
 with gilded bronze tiles, which Constantine 11. re- 
 moved to Constantinople, and Gregory III. replaced 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 231 
 
 them by lead. Eleven thermse, or bathing houses, 
 were also built, each large enough for 15,000 bathers, 
 with warm and cold water ; these were huge build- 
 ings, with magnificent rooms in mosaics and marble, 
 and richly decorated with statues and paintings. 
 We were shown through the remains of one, grand 
 in its ruins, covering forty acres. During this age 
 no less than eighty-two temples were restored, and 
 other works in proportion, so that Augustus boasted 
 that he found Kome a town of brick and turned it 
 into marble. Up to about one hundred ^^ears B.C. 
 marble quarries were not known near Rome. Future 
 history brings its destruction, and fire leaves its 
 devastations, till again the glory of Bome has de- 
 parted, and the palaces of the Cesars, in their mighty 
 ruins, remain to suggest their past grandeur; and 
 we get some idea of Cesar's ample palace, when we 
 learn that in its completeness it occupied more 
 ground than all the area inclosed within the city 
 walls first built by Bomulus. I have written thus 
 of early Rome, because as a teacher it is Latin, not 
 Italian, Rome about which we stud}-, and to which 
 reference is so often made in school-books and 
 learned essays. We had as guide Mr. S. Wood, 
 twenty-two years a resident of the city, and one of 
 the most reliable archaeologists of the present time. 
 He has watched the excavation during the past 
 years, and could tell all the history of the past, and 
 how he could tell by the brick or by the impressions 
 to what age any structure belonged. Of modern 
 Rome, its 365 churches full of old relics and adorned 
 with fine paintings, of the Coliseum and St. Peter's 
 Church, of the Vatican and its magnificent works of 
 art, of its present busy street life, this letter can only 
 hint; for you know I shall want something to talk 
 about on my return. This I can say for the hotel 
 where we stay, we get the least food for the most 
 money of any place we have yet seen. 
 
232 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Letter from Kev. C. W. Gushing, President of Auburndale 
 College, Massachusetts. 
 
 London, August 21, 1873. 
 
 To write a letter upon Eome which shall give 
 even an outline of the interesting ruins which have 
 heen brought to light by recent excavations would 
 make an epistle quite too long for a newspaper ; so 
 I shall speak of but very few of the objects of in- 
 terest upon which we looked with wonder. First 
 of all I want to dispel the popular illusion that it 
 is fatal to visit Eome in the summer months, on 
 account of the malaria which is so prevalent there. 
 Our company, consisting of forty-five men and 
 women — a large majority of them women — went 
 from Florence to Rome, July 25tb, and left on the 
 30th. During these days we were all in perfect 
 health, though we disregarded all the precautions 
 which had been given us in regard to night air, and 
 remained out on the Campagna or elsewhere until 
 ten o'clock at night, or even later. 
 
 When we arrived in Rome, Professor Shakspeare 
 "Woods, who has resided in Rome for twenty-two 
 years, advising and encouraging the excavations, 
 met us at the hotel, and promised us every possible 
 assistance during our stay. He also assured us that 
 we need have no anxiety in regard to malaria. He 
 told us that, as head of the health department, he 
 had received weekly reports for the last two years, 
 which showed Rome to be the healthiest city in 
 Italy, and that there were but two cities in Europe 
 as healthful. Professor Woods is reputed the best 
 living archaeologist, and whatever statements I shall 
 make in regard to the ruins of Rome will be upon 
 his authority. He assured us that whatever state- 
 ments he should make concerning the age and iden- 
 tity of these ruins would be upon authority and 
 evidence which were unquestionable. With these 
 assurances we started on our explorations, with him 
 
Letter from Kev. C. W. Gushing. 233 
 
 for our guide, at seven o'clock in the morning of 
 the 28th of July, and continued with him two full 
 days. 
 
 Our first point was the ancient palaces of the 
 Cesars, one of the principal parts of which is the 
 Palace of Tiberius. This palace was enlarged and 
 changed by successive emperors, until it covered an 
 area which is almost fabulous. The location is on 
 the ancient Palatine, the spot on which ancient 
 Eome was founded on the 23d of April, 2,627 years 
 
 In looking at these ruins, one is impressed at the 
 outset with the grandeur of the old Poman charac- 
 ter. The public buildings were on a scale of mag- 
 nificence never equaled. But they are buildings 
 upon buildings. Indeed, Pome is a city upon cities. 
 
 Standing on the Palatine, three arches mark the 
 site of the old Basilica of Constantine, which was 
 erected on the site of the ancient Temple of Peace. 
 Before you, looking southward into the valley 
 below, was the great Circus Maximus, between the 
 Palatine and Aventine, where the games of Pomulus 
 took place. The buildhig would accommodate 
 485,000 persons. Here was where the rape of the 
 Sabines took place. ITear this, on the Palatine, is 
 the famous Arch of Titus. 
 
 The ruins of the house of Domitian were trav- 
 ersed; also the great entrance hall, where emperors 
 after Domitian received embassadors. Portions of 
 the beautiful marble floor still remain. Lying about 
 in diflerent directions were portions of the immense 
 porphyry columns which were in the adjoining 
 dining-room. In a large open court, into which the 
 dining-room opened by spacious windows, were the 
 remains of large fountains, elaborate in plan and 
 profuse with ornament, which were kept in play to 
 cool the air in the dining-room. The pavement in 
 the room of the fountains, portions of which still 
 
234 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 remain, was of Oriental alabaster, l^ear this were 
 the remains of the house of Augustus. The walls 
 on which the foundations of these buildings rested 
 were of great height, often seventy-live to a hun- 
 dred feet, built up from the valley below, and of 
 immense thickness. They were strengthened by 
 arches, which were built in all through them. The 
 bricks in these walls are as perfect as when first laid. 
 
 Prom this point, in full view just over the hill, 
 was the Appian Way, and the gate where Paul 
 entered Rome. To see it, we stood on the ground 
 floor of the portico, built by the Emperor Septimus 
 Severus, two hundred years A.C., for the purpose 
 of extending his palace. It was at least seventy 
 feet above the valley below. One room was found 
 in this palace which was originally lined entirely 
 with silver, set with gems. 
 
 'Near this were portions of the original wall built 
 by Romulus, soon after founding Rome. The walls 
 are very thick, built of stone — mostly tufa — fitting 
 very closely, and laid without mortar. Recent ex- 
 cavations have removed all doubts from the minds 
 of archaeologists in regard to the founding of Rome, 
 and have confirmed the statement so long regarded 
 mythical, that Romulus was the real founder of 
 Rome. 
 
 In the ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Cali- 
 gula, the stucco on the ceilings, and a marble rail- 
 ing forming a balustrade to a balcony, were very 
 perfect and beautiful. The large portico where 
 Caligula used to walk sleepless nights is still com- 
 plete, and the original mosaic pavements are well 
 preserved. 
 
 We next entered the house of Tiberius Claudius 
 Kero, the fatber of the Emperor Nero, built one 
 hundred years B.C., and anterior to the Palace of 
 the Cesars. The paintings on the walls are very 
 perfect. In many instances the colors are as rich 
 
Letter from Eev. C. W. CusHma. 235 
 
 and brilliant, and the features on the faces as per- 
 fect, as if painted yesterday. There is no marble in 
 this building, as it was not used for building pur- 
 poses until one hundred years A.C. The wreaths 
 of fruit and flowers, with elaborate friezes, are still 
 fresh and beautiful, though they have been buried 
 for centuries. These private buildings have been 
 exhumed within a few years, some of them within 
 a few months, from beneath the foundation of the 
 Palace of the Emperors. They were filled up in 
 order to raise the foundations to a greater height. 
 
 The palace, or palaces of the successive emperors, 
 which were erected upon these foundations, covered 
 at least thirty acres. The marble and granite of 
 which they were built were all brought from Egypt. 
 
 The Baths of Caracalla were next visited. These 
 were built by the emperor whose name they bear, 
 216 A.C, entirely for the use of the people. They 
 accommodated 1,600 persons at once. There were 
 eleven of these baths in the city, for the accommo- 
 dation of the people. The floors and walls of this 
 one were covered with the most beautiful marble. 
 Its size was 750 by 500 feet, inclosed by walls one- 
 fourth of a mile in length, and containing forty 
 acres. Besides every kind of bath, from Turkish to 
 swimming, there were gardens, a stadium, and 
 rooms for exercise and intellectual culture. The 
 methods of heating the rooms and baths were fully 
 as perfect as those of the best baths of modern 
 times. The niches in the walls were filled with 
 statues of the most beautiful workmanship. The 
 celebrated statue of Hercules leaning on his club 
 was found here. Many of the best statues now 
 scattered through Europe were taken from these 
 ruins. Shelley's Prometheus unbound was written 
 on the overhanging point, at least sixty feet above 
 where we were standing. I measured the brick 
 walls and arches, and found that they were five feet 
 
236 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 and nine inches in thickness. On each story was a 
 floor in porphyry, serpentine, and marble, wrought 
 in most beautiful figures of mosaic. Scattered 
 through the rooms here and there were immense 
 porphyry columns, brought from Egypt. For the 
 foundation of these baths, Caracalla filled in and 
 destroyed villas two stories high, the ruins of which 
 are apparent by the excavations which are still going 
 on. The workmen were uncovering large columns 
 and rare statues the day we were there. 
 
 "We next visited the Coliseum. These are the 
 most perfect ruins in Eome. Although the stones 
 and brick have been removed from this magnificent 
 old building for centuries alrriost without limit, 
 uiitil not more than one-third of it now remains, 
 still the value of the material remaining is esti- 
 mated by an architect at one-half million pounds 
 sterling, or two and a half millions of dollars. All 
 of the 365 churches of modern Rome were built 
 out of the ruins of ancient Rome, and all the statu- 
 ary in these churches was taken from these ancient 
 buildings, and the Coliseum furnished its full share. 
 
 Barbarina Palace, with all its ornaments, was 
 built entirely from the Coliseum. In the seven- 
 teenth century. Pope Benedictine XIY. built all 
 around upon the inside of it little stations or chapels, 
 and dedicated it to Christ and the blood of all the 
 martyrs, so that it became sacred, since which the 
 vandalism has ceased. 
 
 The Coliseum was built by order of the Emperor 
 Flavins Yespasian, on the site of the stagnum of 
 jN'ero's garden. It was built originally for the 
 exhibition of wild animals brought from different 
 countries as trophies of war. It was opened by 
 games of one hundred days, in which 5,000 wild 
 beasts were slain. These were driven around the 
 ring and then slain in sight of the spectators. In 
 later days these beasts were made to fight together, 
 
Letter from Kev, C. W. Gushing. 237 
 
 and then with gladiators. There were large rollers 
 all around the outside of the ring, so that when the 
 beasts attempted to jump out thej would inevitably 
 be rolled back. 
 
 The building was a masterpiece of architectural 
 skill, both in plan and construction. Its form is an 
 oval, 1,900 feet, or nearly two-fifths of a mile in cir- 
 cumference. Its greatest diameter is 658 feet, and 
 its shortest 558, while its height was 202 feet. The 
 seats, which were arranged around the building, 
 tier above tier, each tier receding from the one be- 
 low it, were covered, wherever it was desirable, by 
 an awning, which rested upon masts fastened to the 
 walls. The building rested upon rows of arches, 
 through which were the entrances. There were 
 eighty of these .entrances, so that the building could 
 be emptied in the shortest possible space of time. 
 The outside tier of these arches was of stone and 
 the rest of brick. On measuring the piers on which 
 these arches rested, I found them to be nine feet 
 square. 
 
 The building seated 87,000 persons, and furnished 
 standing room for 20,000 more. This makes modern 
 coliseums look small, and yet the seats were so ar- 
 ranged that every person in the building could see 
 what was taking place in every part of the ring 
 below. The whole of the outside tier of arches was 
 taken away, excepting a small place on the north- 
 east side, before the stripping was forbidden. One 
 stands amazed before the ruins of such buildings, 
 and wonders at the public enterprise which con- 
 structed such magnificent monuments. We think 
 of the men who could accomplish such marvelous 
 works more as a race of demigods than of men. 
 
 The ruins of the Golden Palace of Nero on the 
 Esquiline, next claimed our attention. This is far 
 removed from the other palaces of the emperors ; 
 and yet constitutes a part of the great palace, and 
 
238 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 was connected with tliem by underground passages. 
 This building is nearly 1,800 years old. It was built 
 in matchless magnificence. The ceiling of the 
 dining-room was made to revolve, so as to shower 
 perfumes on the heads of the guests as they sat at 
 the table. Trajan filled this building with rubbish 
 and arches, which he built all through it, regardless 
 of its magnificence, to make a foundation for his 
 baths, which he built on top of it. The baths have 
 been demolished for centuries, and a vegetable gar- 
 den flourishes on the site, while the ruins of this 
 golden palace, which have been buried and for- 
 gotten for ages, are just brought to light. Some 
 of the frescoes on the ceiling are still very brilliant, 
 and the figures are surprisingly perfect. The build- 
 ing is of immense proportions, and the walls very 
 high. 
 
 Another class of ruins is of special interest to 
 Christians. Among these stands first the Church 
 of St. Clement. This is of the Basilican form, and 
 very antique. It has been supposed, since the time 
 of Jerome until within fifteen years, that this was 
 the church built upon the house of Clement. But 
 by excavations it was found that there was another 
 church under this ; and a large church, complete in 
 every part, with the most elaborate frescoes, and 
 paintings representing scenes in Christian history 
 well known to the fathers, all preserved with almost 
 miraculous perfection, was brought to light, directly 
 under the church in which they had worshiped for 
 centuries. Many of the rooms in this old church 
 have been entirely cleared, so that we could wander 
 through them with our wax tapers without any ob- 
 struction. The paintings and mottoes on the walls 
 prove beyond doubt that this is the, original church 
 of St. Clement. 
 
 But it was known that this church was built upon 
 the house of St. Clement. So with our wax tapers 
 
Letter from Rev. C. W. Gushing. 239 
 
 we prepared again to descend, and soon found our- 
 selves wandering through the damp halls of the very 
 house where Paul was entertained by St. Clement. 
 In it was the prison-like chapel in which they 
 doubtless worshiped before the erection of the 
 church. This was subsequently confiscated, and 
 consecrated to the worship of Mithorias. The altar 
 still stands in the center, on which are the carvings 
 representing this worship. 
 
 Here, then, is an ancient church, standing upon 
 the top of another church, and this upon the top of 
 what was once a private house, and all in the most 
 perfect state of preservation. 
 
 And this is a brief glance at some points of inter- 
 est in ancient Rome as it is to-day. What Rome 
 will be, time and work only can tell. 
 
240 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Switzerland — From Rome to Greneva — Scenes by the wayside 
 — The indescribable splendor of the Alps — On the shores of 
 Lake Geneva. 
 
 Geneva, August 2, 1873. 
 
 I WROTE you the morning we left Eome, inclosing 
 the publication of the pope, issued the day pre- 
 vious. Some of our party were not well pleased 
 with the hotel there, and knowing they were to have 
 no dinner until we arrived at Pisa, at nine o'clock 
 that night, were disposed to make a "square meal" 
 of their breakfast. You must bear in mind that 
 only one kind of meat (beef) is famished for break- 
 fast. It is cut up in pieces about three inches long 
 and two wide. One of these is all that is allowed 
 one person. Those who took more had to pay extra 
 for it — one of them, five francs. The fact is, their 
 whole system seems to be to furnish as little as pos- 
 sible, and get as much for it as they can. J^otwith- 
 standing the heat, we would like to have remained a 
 day or two longer in this city. Our time is out, and 
 we are off in a circuitous route around the suburbs, 
 recognizing the ]3yramid at the Protestant cemetery, 
 St. Paul's Church, and the place where he was be- 
 headed. 
 
 The country, after we leave the immediate vicinity 
 of Rome on this route, is very poor. The mount- 
 ains on one side, and the Mediterranean on the 
 other, with the fine sea-breeze, made it a very pleas- 
 ant trip. "We pass the island of Corsica, where the 
 
Pisa — The Cathedral — Leaning Tower. 241 
 
 great man whose influence was felt all over this 
 country was born; also, the island of Elba, where 
 he spent some time after his reverses, previous to 
 his final overthrow. Here, too, another man of dis- 
 tinction arises. The discoverer of America was 
 born at Genoa. We stop awhile at Leghorn, one 
 of the most pleasant cities in Europe. It is the 
 great emporium of foreign goods and manufactures 
 consumed in this part of Italy. The squares and 
 streets are regular and well paved, clean and nice. 
 We spend the night at Pisa, one of the most ancient 
 and beautiful cities in Europe. Soon after break- 
 fast we take carriages to see the four great sights of 
 the city. 
 
 The Cathedral was begun in 1063. It is of the 
 nave form, and double aisles, two hundred and 
 ninety-two feet in length, with galleries over the 
 aisles. The dome is of white marble, with black 
 and colored ornamentation. The church was con- 
 secrated by Pope Gelasius IL, in 1118. There are 
 a number of line paintings, and some superb mo- 
 saic-work. The refitting commenced in 1153, but 
 was not completed till 1278. It is a beautiful struc- 
 ture of marble, of circular form, surmounted b}' a 
 conical dome one hundred and seventy-four feet 
 hio^h. The interior rests on eio;ht columns and four 
 pillars, adorned with beautiful marble rosettes. The 
 pulpit, which is said to be the finest in the world, is 
 borne by seven columns, representing the Annunci- 
 ation, Nativit}^, Adoration, Presentation, Crucifix- 
 ion, Last Judgment, and Martyrdom of John the 
 Baptist. The place for baptizing, both for adults 
 and infants, is a most wonderful piece of work- 
 manship, brought from Constantinople. 
 
 The Tower, commenced in 11T4, and completed 
 
 in 1350, rises in eight stories, with half columns and 
 
 colonnades. Its oblique position (twelve feet) out 
 
 of the perpendicular height (one hundred and fif- 
 
 11 
 
242 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 teen feet) gives it the name of the Leaning Tower. 
 We ascended by two hundred and ninety-four steps 
 to the top, where we had a fine view of the city and 
 its environs — the sea to the west, and mountains on 
 the east. The tower contains six bells, one of them 
 weighing six tons, suspended on the side opposite 
 the overhanging wall of the tower. 
 
 The Campa Santa, or burying-ground near by, 
 was founded between 1188 and 1200. After the 
 loss of the Holy Land, the Archbishop brought fifty- 
 three ships' load of earth from Mount Calvary, in 
 order that the dead might repose in holy ground. 
 The tombstones form the pavement around the 
 tombs or vaults, out of which the bodies had been 
 taken. The sarcophagi are inscribed with the names 
 of persons who once occupied them, some of whom 
 were royal Romans. On the walls are some of the 
 largest paintings I have ever seen, among which 
 are Paradise, Purgatory, The Last Judgment, Hell, 
 and others — the three latter being most frightful to 
 look upon. 
 
 Pisa became a Roman colony 180 years before 
 the Christian era. In the middle ages it attained 
 considerable eminence, and became the rival of 
 Venice and Genoa. It has now only about, fifty 
 thousand inhabitants. 
 
 The country from here to Florence is beautiful — 
 mountains on either side, with a valley highly culti- 
 vated with olives and vegetables. We dine at Flo- 
 rence, and are o& in the evening for Turin. For 
 some distance the country is very hilly, with nu- 
 merous tunnels, after passing which we emerge out 
 in a fine country, perhaps the most productive in 
 Italy. 
 
 This place was founded by Hannibal, B.C. 218. 
 It was formerly the capital of Italy. From 1859 to 
 1865 the king resided here. It is evidently on the 
 decline. It has, however, a fine old university, with 
 
Off for Switzerland. 243 
 
 two thousand students. It has an obelisk seventy- 
 four feet high, erected in 1854 to commemorate the 
 abolition of ecclesiastical jurisdiction and the es- 
 tablishment of the Constitution, and was erected 
 with the consent of the king and chambers. The 
 names of all the towns and provinces which voted 
 for the suppression of the Spiritual Courts are in- 
 scribed on the column. 
 
 Here we can see the cloud-capped mountains, 
 covered with snow, and the smoke ascending from 
 the summits of a number of them, and the white 
 clouds hanging around them — all together forming 
 a spectacle that is inexpressibly grand and beautiful. 
 
 The bell rings for breakfast, and I leave this for 
 another time. 
 
 Being desirous of writing up to this place, I re- 
 sume. 
 
 We pass Chamborg, the capital of the Depart- 
 ment of Savoy, with twenty thousand inhabitants. 
 It was here that, in 1248, a great land-slide de- 
 scended and overwhelmed sixteen villages. This 
 portion of the Alps is where Napoleon built a road 
 in 1802; and it has been the principal channel of 
 communication between France and Italy, and is 
 one of the safest of the Alpine passes. The sum- 
 mit is 6,848 feet above the sea-level. We pass 
 through Mont Cenis tunnel, which is the longest in 
 the world, being eight and one-eighth miles. It 
 took us about half an hour to run through it. It 
 was built by the French and Italian Governments. 
 The latter progressed more rapidly, owing to the 
 softer nature of the rock, and completed their por- 
 tion in ITovember, 1869, while on the French side 
 it was not finished till 1871. It is the grandest un- 
 dertaking of modern times. It is lit up so that you 
 can see the sides and the arch above. 
 
 You can see the crystal streams leaping from 
 these mountains, hundreds of feet, almost perpen- 
 
244 A Memphian's Teip to Europe. 
 
 dicularly, from the melting snow above. Alto- 
 gether, it is the grandest display of "mountain 
 upon mountain piled" that I have ever seen. Some- 
 times the fleecy clouds which hang around their 
 summits seem to mingle with them in delightful 
 splendor, picturesquely magnificent. IsTo words can 
 adequately describe this Alpine country. 
 
 As we pass into Switzerland an officer of the 
 government demands our passports. This is the 
 first time they have been called for. In looking for 
 mine he saw a letter addressed to me, and asked 
 me if that was my name, which was all he required. 
 On entering France, a few hours before, we simply 
 told the officer we had them, when he examined, or 
 rather marked, our baggage. For the last two or 
 three days we have found a crowd of travelers. 
 Most of them, I believe, are Americans, sight-see- 
 ing, and traveling for health. 
 
 We arrived at this place last night, and are pleas- 
 antly situated at the Hotel de Kusse, within a few 
 feet of the lake. Rev. Dr. Speer and myself havef 
 a room opening on the lake, which is as clear as 
 crystal, and running as rapidly as a mill-tail. It is 
 forty-five miles long, and varies in width from one 
 and one-half to eight and one-half miles, containing 
 an area of two hundred and sixty square miles. At 
 this point the lake emerges into the Rhone, Avhich 
 causes the rapid current, as it is only about two 
 hundred yards wide opposite our hotel. The river 
 divides the city into two halves, which are connected 
 b}^ six bridges. The lake is surrounded by mount- 
 ains towering away up among the clouds. I stand 
 in my door and look away in the distance, and see 
 Mont Blanc, with the smoke ascending from its 
 summit. This is a grand old town — not much to 
 attract attention in the wa}^ of cathedrals, statuary, 
 and painting; but it has JSTature's sublime attrac- 
 tions spread all around, above and belowj with a 
 
Geneva— "Watchmaking. 245 
 
 cool, refreshing breeze from tlie lake, invigorating 
 the body, and cheering to us, who have been in 
 Italy ten or twelve days, and for the last twenty-six 
 hours on the road. This is the most inviting place 
 we have seen in Europe. Then the government 
 and people are what we desired to see. They seem 
 to be more like Americans at the hotel than at any 
 place we have been. We met here another section 
 of the party, who are to leave this evening; also. 
 Brother With erspoon, who has been in Switzerland 
 while we went to Italy. His health is greatly im- 
 proved. 
 
 My sheet is full ; so I will close, leaving what I 
 ma}^ have to say of Geneva until after I go out to 
 look around at it from other points than the eleva- 
 tion of the seventh story of the hotel on the lake. 
 
 Picturesque Switzerland — The watches and music-boxes of 
 Geneva — Eambles afoot. 
 
 Geneva, August 4, 1873. 
 
 I wrote on Saturday, giving some items about 
 this place. Having gone over the place, I sketch 
 some things I saw before leaving here. 
 
 Geneva is celebrated for its watches and musical 
 boxes. The watchmakers have the greatest repute 
 of any in the world. We got a ticket of admission 
 to enter one of the most extensive manufactories, to 
 see the process of making watches, from the com- 
 mencement to the completion of them. This estab- 
 lishment employs over three thousand hands. Each 
 man has his special work to do. They carry one 
 thousand watches through at the same time, all pre- 
 cisely the same size, each watch containing about 
 one hundred and fifty pieces. This manufactory is 
 well Avorth seeing. 
 
 We also went to the music-box manufactory. 
 The works are not very large, but require great 
 skill and genius to make what they do. 
 
246 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 This city was the residence of John Calvin after 
 the reformed religion was established by law. At 
 the Academy, founded by him, is a reading-room 
 containing thirty thousand volumes. 
 
 Here, also, was the residence of Yoltaire. 
 
 The arbitrators of the Alabama claims, between 
 England and America, sat here last year, holding 
 their meetings in the Turn Halle. 
 
 Saturday evening we walked up the lake some dis- 
 tance, where we had a better view of the mountain 
 scenery, especially Mont Blanc. It is perfectly 
 white, as it is covered with snow. It is outside of 
 Switzerland, on the border of French Savoy and 
 Italy. It is among the highest points in Europe 
 
 This is, no doubt, one of the most healthy coun- 
 tries to be found, and is a great place of resort by 
 travelers. From the number of American hotels 
 and newspapers here, one can scarcely realize that 
 he is so far away from home. There are quite a 
 number of boats running in the lake, making trips 
 to different points at regular intervals. 
 
 The city has wide, well-paved streets, kept very 
 clean. I passed through the manufacturing por- 
 tion, and found it to be kept in fine order. Take it 
 all together, it is the most romantic, picturesque 
 city we have seen. The commingling of mountain 
 and lake, snow and green foliage, streets extending 
 across lake and river, bath-houses and washerwomen, 
 islands and shrubbery, with a busy multitude by 
 day and night, is beautifully spread out from where 
 I write. The rising and setting sun is never seen 
 here, because of the mountains rising far away 
 above the horizon, nor does it shine so intensely as 
 in Italy. 
 
 Sabbath morning a number of our party started, 
 soon after breakfast, to hear Pere Hyacinthe preach. 
 After missing our way several times, we found the 
 place, but missed the preacher, as he did not ofli- 
 
Religious Services in Geneva. 247 
 
 ciate yesterday. We then went to the Greek-Rus- 
 sian Church; but there was no service. Most of 
 the party returned to the hotel. I found a Walden- 
 sian service, after which I went to the English 
 church. There was but a small congregation. Dr. 
 Gray, of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, 
 preached there at twelve o'clock to some sixty or 
 seventy persons, nearly all Americans or English. 
 Bishop Foster, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 who had been holding a Conference in Germany, 
 was there. I had known him for many years, and 
 was glad to meet him. This was John Calvin's 
 Church, where he preached and where he lived. 
 His chair is kept as a sacred relic. There were 
 quite a number of ministers who sat down in it. 
 On our way to the hotel we went into the American 
 Episcopal Church. The Sabbath is better observed 
 here than at any place we have been in Europe. 
 
 From all I can see and learn, Protestants are 
 doing very little in this country. We have attended 
 their service everywhere, but have never seen any 
 place where they seem to be effecting any thing of 
 consequence. I made the acquaintance of a Meth- 
 odist minister; but he had no service yesterday. 
 
 The people here have more liberal views of poli- 
 tics and religion than in any place we have been. 
 Civil and religious liberty are enjoyed here, perhaps, 
 to a greater extent than under any of the other Eu- 
 ropean governments. They seem to be an intelli- 
 gent, induatrious people; but they have but little 
 territory, and that, to a great extent, mountainous. 
 There is no room for expansion. If half of them 
 would come to our country, they would improve 
 themselves and give more room to those who re- 
 main. It seems to me, if proper efforts were made, 
 thousands of them would go where their energies 
 would have room for development, and their genius 
 be appreciated. 
 
248 A Memphian's Trip to Eueope. 
 
 Y/e leave on a lake boat after breakfast for Lau- 
 sanne, thence by rail to Berne. 
 
 Beautiful Berne — The Swiss love of home — Life and habits 
 of the Bernese — The wonderful clock of 1191 — The 
 Lake of Geneva. 
 
 Berne, Switzerland, August 5, 1873. 
 
 We had a most delightful sail up Geneva Lake. 
 The mountains slope down to the valley, which is 
 in the highest state of cultivation. We pass several 
 villages which look like they had seen several cen- 
 turies pass over them. The lake is of a deep blue 
 color, and is said to have twenty different kinds of 
 fish, highly esteemed by the people. This beautiful 
 lake has been the theme of writers for centuries. 
 The magnolia and the cedar grow in great luxu- 
 riance, while the vine-clad hills look beautiful to 
 their summits. One of the Rothschilds has a fine 
 residence here. At Aven is an ancient castle of 
 Roman stjde, with five towers, built in the twelfth 
 century. We leave the steamer at Lausanne, capital 
 of the Canton de Vand, 26,000 population. It is 
 most delightfully situated on the terraced slopes. 
 Mont Josat overshadows it by its cathedral on one 
 side, and its castle on the other. 
 
 The Svnss Homes. — There we take the cars ; and 
 such a country we have never seen before, and 
 never expect to see again. The steep and lofty 
 mountains and valle3"s, all covered with evergreens 
 or cultivated with vines, vegetables, or grain, with 
 the sloping valleys, giving views sometimes as far 
 as the eye can reach, become grander. As the train 
 proceeds, the amphitheater of mountains, like a 
 magnificent panorama, passes before you in such 
 rapid succession, that one can scarcely realize the fact 
 that it is not an illusion. Having exhausted my 
 vocabulary of description, I cease to attempt it by 
 saying, no wonder the Swiss love their mountain 
 
An Arcadian City. 249 
 
 home, and that their officers, in time of war, will 
 not suffer their songs to be sung while away from 
 them. 
 
 We arrive at Berne, and find a fine hotel. At 
 Geneva, Kev. Dr. Speer and myself were in the 
 seventh story, where we had a fine view of the lake 
 and mountains. Here, our room i| on the first story, 
 and yet we are one hundred feet above the valley. 
 We look over the tops of the houses, and see the 
 sloping mountains in the distance, and near by the 
 Swiss cottages with their busy occupants. We arrive 
 a little before 5 o'clock, and some of our party saw 
 the first striking of the great clock, of which I will 
 speak before I close. 
 
 An Arcadian City. — This city joined the Confed- 
 eracy in 1353, and is still the most important of the 
 Swiss Cantons. It is built on a peninsula of sand- 
 stone rock, formed by the windings of the Aar. 
 The houses are built on arcades, in the principal 
 part of the city, beneath which the pavement for 
 foot-passengers runs. We took walks in several 
 directions, and find the stores, shops, and dwellings 
 all have these arcades. The men work here, and 
 the women sew and do their work here, and here 
 the children play. It seems that this is the place 
 where they have light and air. Along their streets 
 at suitable distances are fountains, where they all 
 obtain their supply of water near their houses. 
 These fountains are adorned with statues. The 
 bear — the heraldic emblem of Berne — is a con- 
 stantly recurring object. Bruin appears equipped 
 with shield, sword, banner, and helmet. 
 
 Two gigantic bears keep guard over the pillars 
 of the west gate. Others support a shield in the 
 pediment of the corn-hall, which, till 1830, always 
 contained a store of corn, in case of famine, beneath 
 a spacious wine-cellar. A whole troop of bears go 
 through a performance at the clock-to^ver. At 
 11* 
 
250 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 three minutes before everj^ hour a cock gives the 
 signal by clapping his wings and crowing ; one 
 minute later the bears march around a seated figure, 
 and a harlequin indicates the number of the hour 
 by striking a bell. The cock then repeats his sig- 
 nal when the hour strikes. The seated figure — an 
 old man with a beard — turns an hour-glass, and 
 counts the hour by raising his scepter and opening 
 his mouth, while the bear on his right does the 
 same by an inclination of his head. At the same 
 time a stone figure in the tower strikes the bell with 
 a hammer. The cock concludes the performance 
 b}^ crowing the third time. This remarkable clock 
 was built in 1191, and for nearly seven hundred 
 years it has been attracting the attention of the 
 people. We went twice to see it, and may go 
 again. The ancient Egyptians had not a greater 
 veneration for their Ibis than these people have for 
 the bear, which would seem to be a tutelary deity, 
 as well as a heraldic emblem of the Canton. Here 
 Bruin has been supported, according to immemorial 
 usage, at the expense of the public, who are pro- 
 hibited from making him any other offering than 
 bread or fruit. On the night of March 3, 1861, an 
 English officer fell into one of the dens and was 
 torn to pieces by the male bear, after a long and 
 desperate struggle. 
 
 Three thousand feet high — The illuminated falls at inter- 
 lachen — Seas of ice — The Bernese Alps — Up among the 
 coolnesses of Switzerland in August. 
 
 Lucerne, August 7, 1873. 
 
 We took the cars again, and came to Interlachen, 
 
 situated between the mountains, which tower up in 
 
 the clouds on either hand. Away in the distance 
 
 are seen some whose summits are covered with 
 
 snow. The sunset here was glorious. The 3^ellow 
 
The Glaciers. 251 
 
 sunstine for some distance below, then the white 
 snow in the shade, with the evergreens surrounding, 
 was sublimelj^ beautifuL Here, for the first time, 
 we see the glaciers. This is the third highest of 
 the Swiss mountains, and is in full view of our 
 hotel. This place may be said to combine tasteful 
 quiet with magnificent scenery. 
 
 Early in the morning we are off in carriages to 
 see the glaciers. The road is between three and 
 four hours' drive through a romantic country, set- 
 tled by Swiss peasants. Leaving the carriages, we 
 go on foot a mile and a half still farther up, a most 
 fatiguing walk, to view the splendors of nature. A 
 grotto is cut in the ice for some distance, inside of 
 which two girls are playing on some queer instru- 
 ment and singing. We pay our fifty centimes (ten 
 cents) and go under the ice — above, below, all 
 around, how far no one can tell. These grottoes 
 are, many of them, eighteen or twent}^ miles long, 
 and from one to two miles wide, and from one 
 hundred to six hundred feet thick. The glaciers 
 of Switzerland are supposed to form a sea of ice 
 more than a thousand miles long. They melt at 
 the bottom and sides and slide down slowly in a 
 bod}^ The waters rush in torrents down the moun- 
 tain sides in roaring' cataracts. The next winter 
 the space is again filled with ice to go through the 
 same process. This water forms lakes, where there 
 is space enough to contain it, and runs ofi* by rivers 
 between the mountains. This place is situated 
 between Lakes Brienz and Thun. The water in 
 the latter is said to be over two thousand feet deep. 
 
 We take one of the steamers near Literlachen, and 
 pass through the beautiful lake filling nearly all the 
 space between the mountains and Griesbach. 
 
 We walk up through a wilderness of evergreens, 
 over a thousand feet, to the hotel to spend the night, 
 and see the illuminated falls. As we pass up, an 
 
252 A Memphian's Teip to Europe. 
 
 animated scene presents itself. A stream of con- 
 siderable size comes tumbling, roaring down, you 
 know not from where, but rushing on down the 
 precipices to the lake. You see the noisj torrent 
 by your side, winding its way in silvery foam 
 through the verdant slopes, while far beyond are 
 seen the majestic Bernese Alps, aspiring above the 
 whole, and casting their shadows in the deep cal- 
 dron. 
 
 After supper these falls are illuminated. There 
 are four falls. The impression made by these dif- 
 ferent colors will never be erased from our minds. 
 I cannot describe its transcendently beautiful appear- 
 ance. The roar of these falls, and the bracing 
 atmosphere of this three thousand feet elevation, 
 gave us a refreshing night's repose. This place — 
 formerly inaccessible — became known in 1818. It 
 has now become one of the most delightful and 
 popular resorts in Switzerland. The series of cas- 
 cades — seven in number — falling from rock to rock, 
 from a great height (1,148 feet), harmonize with the 
 character of the scenery so as to enhance its at- 
 tractions. 
 
 We breakfast 5:15, and descend to the boat which 
 takes us across the lake, where we take diligences 
 to cross the Alps. Here an interesting scene occurs. 
 Crowds of passengers to go, six to the smaller dili- 
 gences, and perhaps double that number to the 
 large ones. Tourists of many tongues, guides, por- 
 ters, horses, drivers, all mingled in the utmost con- 
 fusion. I go with, two young ladies from Oxford, 
 Mississippi; one from Virginia, and Revs. Messrs. 
 Witherspoon and Richardson. 
 
 We ascend for miles a circuitous way, to look 
 down on the place of our ascent, seemingly less 
 than a mile below us. The mountains now appear 
 in all their majesty, covered with snow, on the 
 higher peaks of the summit, with dazzling whiteness. 
 
Grandeue of Alpine Scenery. 253 
 
 The ascent becomes so steep that some of us walk 
 for miles, taking nearer routes up the mountains. 
 
 There have recently been some of those terrible 
 avalanches of ice and snow. Along these mountain- 
 slopes are hundreds of cottages, with small patches 
 of garden and orchards. The descent is rapid, with 
 locked wheels. 
 
 We pass some fine Swiss houses near the lake, 
 and a town of some size, with churches. The road 
 is all smoothly paved with blue marble, beat up. 
 Workmen are removins; the stones and earth brou2:ht 
 down by the avalanches. This has been one of our 
 most interesting days of travel. 
 
 We take steamer at Lucerne, unsurpassed for the 
 grandeur of its scenery. We arrived at this city in 
 the afternoon. 
 
 Top of the Alps — A view of three hundred miles from Rigi — 
 One of Nature's grandest displays. 
 
 Rigi, Top of the Alps, August 8, 1873. 
 Here we are on the highest accessible point of 
 these far-famed mountains. We took the steamer 
 at Lucerne this morning, and went to the far end of 
 the lake, passing a number of places of natural as 
 well as historic interest. Of these I cannot now 
 write, not even of the most remarkable railroad 
 that brought us up these mountains. If there were 
 inspiration to be had from one's position and sur- 
 roundings, then certainly this place possesses more 
 to inspire one than any place I have ever seen. 
 This view far exceeds my expectations. I realize 
 more fully than ever before what the Alps are — 
 their extent and grandeur. It is estimated that 
 three hundred miles may be taken in a view, on a 
 clear day, from this summit. The mountains we 
 had seen from the lake now.look like a plain. The 
 houses in the towns look like toys. The cultivated 
 
254 A Mbmphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ground seen in the distance, cut up in patches, looks 
 like bed-quiits. The power of vision seems lost in 
 the distance, or seen only in the most diminutive 
 form. Thus it is as seen before us. But what can 
 I say of that above and around us, as seen in the 
 distance? There is no humbug in this upon which 
 we now gaze almost in bewilderment. It is J^a- 
 ture's grandest display of her most sublime magnifi- 
 cence. ISTo words can convey to the mind a correct 
 idea of what I behold spread out below, above, 
 around, everywhere, from the position which I oc- 
 cupy while I w^rite. The lakes below, as they are 
 seen in their serpentine course between the mount- 
 ains, look like a creek, and the mountains them- 
 selves, with the little houses upon them, seem to be 
 a valley. Every thing seen below is diminished. 
 The towns and villages have dwindled into insig- 
 nificance, and what we thought a very mountainous 
 country looks like one of the most lovely, pictur- 
 esque plains we ever saw. We seem to have as- 
 cended into the heavens, and it is winter. The sur- 
 rounding mountains are covered with snow, while 
 the fleecy clouds hang below them in glorious 
 grandeur, overwhelming us with the omnific power 
 of ISTature's God, as seen around everywhere. 
 
 This day winds up our sight-seeing in Switzer- 
 land. We quit at the right place. Nothing else in 
 this line could interest us. I shall leave this mount- 
 ain filled with emotions of the commingling of all 
 that is magnificently grand, combined with that 
 which is most beautiful in nature. Even under the 
 everlasting snow grow the lovely flowers, born to 
 blush unseen, and shed their fragrance on this 
 mountain air. Many varieties are collected and 
 pressed in books, to be sold to visitors, who press 
 by thousands to see the wonders of nature from 
 this Rigi of the Alps. Two or three hundred more 
 than can be accommodated at the hotels throng 
 
Switzerland and its People. 255 
 
 there daily to see that which can only be witnessed 
 by the aid of steam, applied by the most skillful 
 engineering. 
 
 We remain till near night to see the setting sun 
 from this lofty eminence. Some of our party stay 
 to see it rise. 
 
 Eomantic Switzerland — Impressions of the most interesting 
 country in Europe — An amusing dinner-table experience — 
 The need of an interpreter — Sketch of Lucerne — William 
 Tell — A mountain raihoad — Farewell, Switzerland. 
 
 LucERXE, August 9, 1873. 
 
 We return on the steamer to this place, xlfter 
 nine o'clock to-day we leave this romantic Switzer- 
 land for Paris. 
 
 I will give my impressions in regard to the Swiss 
 country and people. In some respects it is the most 
 interesting country in Europe. It is about two hun- 
 dred miles from east to west, by some one hundred 
 and sixty or seventy miles. Two-thirds of the 
 country are lofty mountain-chains, and valleys with 
 lakes. The language of the people is a mixture of 
 French, German, and Italian, or rather French- 
 Swiss, German-Swiss, and Italian-Swiss. Having a 
 conductor who understands all the languages of the 
 people among whom we have traveled, we had but 
 little difficulty. 
 
 On our arrival at the top of the Rigi, nearly all 
 of the party went directly to the hotel to get their 
 dinner before they went out sight-seeing. I was 
 much more intent on seeing than eating, and, hav- 
 ing no baggage, I did not enter the hotel, but went 
 from place to place for an hour or two, to see all 
 that I could as soon as possible. The hotel is within 
 a few steps of the highest point. After looking 
 from there I went to the hotel, and found that some 
 of our party had been sitting at the table, waiting 
 for their dinner, ever since their arrival. 
 
256 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Strategy, — I did not attempt to speak to the 
 waiter, but wrote what I wanted, which he took to 
 some one who understood English, and soon my 
 wants were supplied. ISTot so with those who sat 
 near me. Some of them, being teachers, seemed 
 determined to make them understand what they 
 wanted; but they failed to a great extent. We 
 laughed long and immoderately^ This, no doubt, 
 confused the waiters, and when they went after any 
 thing, they seemed to forget to return to our end of 
 the table. Yf hen they did get back, they brought 
 that which was not ordered, and failed to bring that 
 which the teachers thought t\\Qy had ordered, each 
 one laughing at the other's mishaps. Finally, they 
 ate such things as they could get. On to the "con- 
 fectionery." JSText, the professor went and got some 
 for his wife; but before the others got a chance to 
 make signs that they wanted some of the same, she 
 had eaten it up, and then they were out at sea again. 
 The husband had left to seethe mountains; but his 
 wife, enjoying this, remained to see the end of it. 
 They jabbered away, and made signs for the con- 
 fectionery, but it was not to be had. After all pa- 
 tience was exhausted, and all had enjoyed the joke 
 to the fullest extent but the waiters, they concluded 
 to give it up and quit. But here comes another 
 difficulty. Every thing here is upon the "European 
 style." You pay for what you order. This seemed 
 to be impossible. The waiters o<:>uld not under- 
 stand a word, nor could the teachers understand 
 them. A new source of amusement arose, which 
 cannot be described. Their dinner-coupons were 
 worth four francs (eighty cents); but they could not 
 get, and had not eaten, the worth of their money, 
 and the waiters could not give change for them. 
 After much parleying, two would put their orders 
 together, and one pay for both. One of the ladies 
 said it took them longer to settle for than to eat 
 
Switzerland and its People. 25T 
 
 their dinner, minus the confectionery, which coalcl 
 not be obtained for k)ve, signs, speech, coupons, or 
 money. Thus ended the most amusing dinner I 
 have ever seen, and shovv^s the necessity of having a 
 conductor in this country. 
 
 I was going to speak of Switzerhmd, but was led 
 off by the dinner mishaps until my sheet was fulL 
 This is a remarkable country in many respects. It 
 has been a republic longer, and has a freer govern- 
 ment than any other country in Europe. Its popu- 
 lation is only about 2,500,000. It is divided into 
 many Cantons — about twenty, I think. It reminds 
 me more of our country than any other on the Con- 
 tinent. Their railroads are made like ours. You 
 are not locked up in their carriages, as in other 
 countries. At their hotels they are willing to set 
 meat before you, and not limit your allowance at 
 every meal, as in other countries. They have or- 
 chards like ours, and flowers are seen in most of 
 their w^indows, in pots. The vine grows luxuriantly 
 in their valleys and on their hill-sides. Their cli- 
 mate is cold in winter, but most delightful in sum- 
 mer. Millions of money are spent among these 
 people by seekers of health and pleasure. Their 
 principal manufactures are of carved wood, watches, 
 and music-boxes, in Avhich they excel the world. 
 
 I have deviated a little from my plan of giving a 
 running sketch of our trip. I must, therefore, go 
 back to Lucerne, which is situated at the head of 
 the lake of the same name. The "lion" of this 
 place is cut out of a solid rock, twenty-eight by 
 eighteen feet, and stands in a garden. It is com- 
 memorative of the Swiss Guards, who may be said 
 to have suffered in defense of the King of France, 
 ,at the be2:innino: of the French Kevolution. The 
 
 • ••• 
 
 spear is sticking in his side, and he is dying, yet 
 seeking to protect the shield of France. Lucerne 
 is the residence of the Papal Nuncio. It became 
 
258 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 independent in 1332, and joined the Swiss Confed- 
 eracy. Its history dates from the eighth century. It 
 was taken by the French in 1798, and was, for that 
 time, the capital of the Helvetian Republic. 
 
 On our way to Higi we passed several places of 
 interest in the vicinity where William Tell per- 
 formed his exploits. A chapel is built by the side 
 of the lake, said to be on the spot where he shot 
 the apple off his son's head. It is said to have been 
 built thirty years after his death. 
 
 There are four Cantons on the shores of this lake. 
 One of these, with a population of but one thou- 
 sand, has maintained its independence for four hun- 
 dred years. In the town-hall is this inscription: 
 ''Received into the Confederacy, 1315. Purchased 
 its freedom, 1390. It w^as taken by the French in 
 1798." There is near this place what is called the 
 "Devil's Bridge," seventy feet high. The whole 
 scene around is one of savage grandeur. The rail- 
 road by which we ascend to Rigi has a central iron 
 rail, with cogs, into which runs a wheel, like a gin- 
 wheel. It took over an hour to ascend the mount- 
 ain. The railroad has only been in operation since 
 May, 1871. Three trains are now kept bus}^ with 
 the thousands of visitors visiting the place. 
 
 We leave this mountain country with the most 
 pleasant associations, feeling that we have been 
 amply compensated for our week spent in the Re- 
 public of Switzerland. 
 
 Letters from Eev. T. W. Hooper. 
 
 Geneva, July 19, 1873. 
 
 The bells have chimed 6 a.m., and here I am, 
 
 dressed and at my window, writing to you from the 
 
 home of Calvin. But how can a man sleep with 
 
 such scenery bursting: all around him ! From my 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 259 
 
 window I look down upon Lake Geneva, just across 
 the street, and the rushing of whose waters, as they 
 form the Rhone at this point, was the first sound 
 that greeted me this morning. Just a few yards to 
 the right of my window is the beautiful stone bridge 
 that spans the river, with a foot-bridge extending to 
 Rousseau's Island, now used as a beer-garden. 
 Across the lake is the bod}^ of the quaint old town, 
 with its turreted cathedral (no*^v used by the Pres- 
 byterians of Scotland), while overlooking all is a 
 range of magnificent mountains, over whose tower- 
 ing crags we gaze in rapt wonder upon the ever- 
 lasting snow of Mont Blanc. 
 
 Could you write with such a scene as that to look 
 upon, while under you is the continual rattle of 
 Swiss market wagons, with fruits and vegetables, 
 mingling with the escaping steam from the steamer 
 Winkbried, whose smoke-stack is just under my 
 window? But beautiful as it is to-day, it was still 
 more so on yesterday, and especially at the "Chateau 
 of Rothschild," to which we rode, and from whose 
 beautiful park we had an almost unclouded view of 
 Mont Blanc and the surrounding mountains of Savoy. 
 ISTo wonder that Byron selected this lake for one of 
 his scenes in " Childe Harold," for it must have set 
 his poetical genius on fire by its placid beauty. 
 Last night we sat long and gazed upon its waters, 
 from whose smooth surface thousands of lamp- 
 lights glittered, and while music floated in the balmy 
 atmosphere, memories came trooping from the glo- 
 rious past. 
 
 It seems to me that John Calvin must have been 
 a Calvinist, living in the substantial stone house 
 which he occupied, and studying Romans and 
 Ephesians in that straight-back arm-chair in which 
 I sat on yesterday, and surrounded by those ever- 
 lasting mountains. 
 
 Oh! but how about the burning of Servetus? 
 
260 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Well, I have seen the very spot where the poor fel- 
 low was burned — but if your readers had seen as 
 many places as I have where the 11th chapter of 
 Hebrews was reenacted on Presbyterians, they 
 would not think so strongly of poor old John 
 Calvin's consent to the burning of one poor heretic. 
 They must remember that our Baptist brethren had 
 not yet come into existence to clamor for " soul 
 liberty;" episcopacy had not even emerged from 
 the thraldom of Rome, and the remnant of primi- 
 tive Presbyterians were still " earnestly contending 
 for the faith once delivered to the saints " in the 
 valleys of Piedmont. 
 
 But I must quit this moralizing— a small amount 
 of which I trust is excusable in such a Calvinistic 
 atmosphere as this. Apart from its associations 
 and its beautiful scenery, there is nothing remarka- 
 ble about this ancient town, unless you except its 
 representation for watch-making and jewelry. Yes- 
 terday we went all through one of the largest man- 
 ufactories, and you may form some idea of its size, 
 when I tell you that this one firm eraploj^s three 
 hundred hands in the building, and keeps three 
 thousand others constantly employed on job work 
 outside. They sell their watches "in pieces," or 
 completed, all over the world, and are famous as 
 manufacturers wherever people are enough civilized 
 to know the time of day by mechanism. 
 
 But now, going back a little, I would say, we 
 left the beautiful city of Paris Thursday night at 
 8:40, and arrived here at 10:30 yesterday morning, 
 having traveled over four hundred miles on a road 
 as smooth as a bowling-alley, and the latter part 
 abounding in striking and picturesque scenery. 
 
 We also got quite a correct idea of peasant life 
 as we drifted along among their " cottages," as 
 tourists call them, but which we regarded as very 
 indifferent negro cabins. The family seem to dwell 
 
Letters from Eev. T. W. Hooper. 261 
 
 in one end and the horses and cattle in the other, 
 while dogs and cats and goats lie around loose 
 wherever it suits them. It was harvest-time, and 
 we saw it in all its reality, without the poetry — 
 men cutting wheat with a scythe or a hook, and 
 w^omen, with short blue cotton dresses of scant pat- 
 tern, and without stockings or pantalettes, picking 
 it up and tying it into bundles. We also saw the 
 first Indian corn growing that we have seen since 
 we left America; and everywhere the universal 
 Irish potato. The fact is, we have scarcely seen a 
 farm or sat down to a table, since we landed at Mo- 
 ville, without this famous vegetable ; and while we 
 have eaten many strange mixtures which none of 
 us could recognize, either by name or in reality, we 
 are all acquainted and feel at home with this homely 
 old vegetable, which seems to be regarded as a sort 
 of sine qua non among the rich as well as among 
 the poor. 
 
 And now, I want to make one assertion which 
 ma}^ strike some of your readers with surprise. I 
 traveled j^esterday through some of the finest and 
 most fertile valleys of France, but I saw no land as 
 rich as the Roanoke Yalley, no scenery more beau- 
 tiful than that around Liberty, and no farm-house 
 as beautifully located or as pretty a private resi- 
 dence as Mr. Langhorne's, at Shawsville. "Dis- 
 tance lends enchantment to the view," and historic 
 associations cast a halo of glorj^ around these scenes 
 through which we have been passing; but dissipate 
 this misty vail of the dim and hoary antiquity, and 
 I will pick out a hundred more picturesque and 
 more beautiful scenes among the mountains of Vir- 
 ginia. Just here, my brother waked up, and I 
 asked him what he thought of that last sentiment. 
 "It is correct," said he; "for as I look out of that 
 window I can easily imagine that I am looking 
 down the Goose Creek Valley." 
 
262 A Mbmphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 Shades of Rousseau, Calvin, Byron ! what a sen- 
 timent, so near the spot where Servetus was burned ! 
 The Peaks and Mont Blanc ! Savoy and Bedford ! 
 the Rhone and Goose Creek ! Lake Geneva and Bu- 
 ford's Mill-pond! How long would it take such 
 a genius as his to develop into a second Byron, 
 and produce another " Childe Harold," amid such 
 scenery ? 
 
 I think, after this, I '11 let scenery alone, and 
 would respectfully refer all jonr readers to the 
 ordinary guide-books for the fiction, and to Mark 
 Twain for the reality. By the way, he had only 
 one oracle in his party; but we have two, and they 
 furnish us a constant source of amusement as well 
 as disgust, and by some curious streak of fortune 
 they are room-mates. Yesterday, as soon as we 
 came in sight of Mont Jura, they commenced dis- 
 cussing the point as to *' where Hannibal crossed 
 the Alps," which some one stopped by asserting 
 that Hannibal did n't cross the Alps at all. They 
 both think they talk French ; and whenever we 
 want fun, we get them to ask a Frenchman a ques- 
 tion, and watch his countenance and the shrug of 
 his shoulders, while they scream louder and louder, 
 thinking that he must be deaf. 
 
 "The marms" have somewhat subsided, under 
 the influence of travel, and mixing with a people 
 to whom, every time they speak, they show their 
 ignorance. 'Not one of them speaks French, and 
 only one pretends to ; but she prefers the English, 
 and so do I. Really, I am tired out with this con- 
 tinuous jargon, and shall be glad when I get back 
 to England, and gladder still when I get back to 
 Lynchburg. 
 
 We leave by steamer this morning for Lausanne, 
 Berne, Literlachen, etc. 
 
Letters from Eev. T. W. Hooper. 263 
 
 Interlachen, July 21, 1873. 
 
 I am afraid your readers will think I am getting 
 almost too prolific in letters, as I wrote day before 
 yesterday. But the fact is, that in my case, which 
 is " early to bed," it is sure to result in ''early to 
 rise," and at 'G.ye o'clock this morning I was awak- 
 ened by the glorious sunlight, giving promise of 
 another beautiful day in the Alps. This is not al- 
 ways the case, and I have heard of parties having 
 to wait for days without a glimpse of Mont Blanc 
 or the Jungfrau ; while not a cloud obscured either, 
 when we got near enough to see them. And now 
 that I am up, and we are to make an early start for 
 the glaciers, I have concluded to write to my various 
 friends through you, as it saves time, which is pre- 
 cious, and postage, which is high, though not as 
 high here as in France. 
 
 As this is Monday, and the time for our minis- 
 terial conference, I shall give some account of the 
 sermons which I heard on yesterday, after giving 
 you a hasty sketch of my trip here. 
 
 We left Geneva at half-past seven on a cup of 
 coffee and cold bread, and glided up the Lake 
 Leman, or Geneva, to a little place called Ouchy. 
 As I was quietly gazing on the mountain-peaks that 
 rose all around us, and the intervening valleys, 
 green with the growing crops and dotted over with 
 beautiful villas, I heard some one say, ''Brother 
 
 T , this scenery is going back on Goose Creek." 
 
 I felt that he had made reparation for the poetic 
 slander of the morning ; and I, too, must confess 
 that I had not fally reached the picturesque sublim- 
 ity of the Alps when I compared it to Bedford ; 
 but there is a most striking similarity in many of 
 the scenes to those along the Virginia and Ten- 
 nessee Railroad. 
 
 At Ouchy, we got breakfast about twelve, in one 
 of the grandest hotels I ever saw — large, airy, 
 
264 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. ' 
 
 handsomely frescoed, and surrounded with a flower- 
 garden and park that is worthy of a count, or a 
 duke at least. 
 
 Mounting the omnibus, we climbed a consider- 
 able height around a macadamized road to the an- 
 cient town of Lausanne, where Gibbon finished his 
 "History of the Decline and Fall of Eome." Here 
 we toolJ the train, and a little before five we landed 
 at the quaint old town of Berne. In an incredibly 
 short time Mr. Cook had us seated in "cabs," and 
 whipped off to see the famous clock. We got there 
 just in time to see the performance. True to the 
 Guide-book, at three minutes before five a w^ooden 
 rooster clapped his wings and crowed ; a minute 
 later the bear turned his head, while the harlequin 
 rang his bells, and the old man turned his hour- 
 glass and opened his mouth just as the iron figure 
 above raised his hammer and struck off five on the 
 old bell in the tower. We then drove on to see the 
 bears (kept at public expense), and then to the Par- 
 liament House, where we visited the senate and 
 representative chambers, both of which are repub- 
 lican in their simplicity, and accord well with the 
 grand Lutheran cathedral, which has all the sim- 
 plicity of Eoman architecture, and shows that it 
 was intended for real worship, not for mere Romish 
 mummery. 
 
 Keturning to the depot, we took another train, 
 on special first-class cars, and about seven o'clock 
 came to Lake Thun, where we again took steamer 
 in the midst of the wildest Alpine scenery; and 
 after ten minutes' ride on the cars again, we were 
 safely deposited at the magnificent Hotel Victoria, 
 the largest and finest of all the numerous hotels at 
 this famous summer resort, where three thousand 
 visitors congregate during the summer months. 
 We are surrounded on all sides by giant mountain- 
 peaks which seem to pierce the very heavens, while 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 265 
 
 the Young Virgin, or Jnngfrau, rises over thirteen 
 thousand feet, just in front of us, and is covered 
 with perpetual snow. With a glass, this snow gives 
 us all the colors of the rainbow; while without it, 
 the dazzling whiteness blinds us, and stands in 
 striking contrast to all the green of lower peaks. 
 
 Yesterday we were glad to recognize another 
 Saixbatji, and to have a day of rest in this quiet, 
 peaceful valley, instead of all the sights and sounds 
 of some large city. At eleven o'clock we attended 
 service at the Scotch chapel, where a minister of 
 the true Church holds a service every Sunday dur- 
 ing the summer months. It furnishes a rest to the 
 minister and a chance to see the world, and at the 
 same time furnishes the gospel to those who need 
 it in their travels. The minister in this case is 
 Rev. James T. Stuart, of Kelso, Scotland, and I 
 never heard two more excellent, spiritual, evangel- 
 ical sermons, while the Scotch accent gave me a 
 peculiar relish and delight. 
 
 At 11 A.M. he preached on " My beloved is mine, 
 and I am his." It was the language of the Church, 
 or the Christian, in regard to Christ, who has 
 looked in at the lattice and is now gone to heaven. 
 This language, he said, implied — 1. Mutual choice 
 — Christ first chose us, and then we chose him. 
 2. This choice was based on love — his love of pity 
 and complacency and benefit — producing in us a 
 love which has as its elements gratitude, delight, 
 and desire to please and to serve him. 
 
 At 4 P.M. I heard him again on " Trees of Right- 
 eousness." He first quoted a list of names by which 
 God, as a fond and loving father, calls his children, 
 and then discussed the subject under two heads: 
 
 1. The similitude between a Christian and a tree. 
 
 2. How they both grow. Under the first head he 
 brought out these'points : The tree must have a 
 root : first, to sustain it ; and second, to supply it 
 
 12 
 
266 A Memphian's Teip to Eueope. 
 
 with nutriment. So the Christian has his root in 
 Christ by faith, which both sustains and supplies 
 him. Then, as the tree has a trunk and foliage and 
 fruit, so the Christian has his spiritual life, leading 
 to profession as foliage, and good works as the 
 fruit. Under the second head he brought out these 
 points: The tree and the Christian both grow — first, 
 by expansion from within; secondly, by assimila- 
 tion ; third, by circulation. He closed with a most 
 excellent and fervent practical appeal to vital godli- 
 ness. Your readers generally may not see the drift, 
 but the preachers will see the heads of two capital 
 sermons. I am sure that we all enjoyed it, after so 
 much French and German jabber all around us. 
 
 I used to tell my people, when I wanted to shame 
 them into regular attendance at church, that I would 
 like to send them out by detachments for six months 
 into the country, when they would ride ten miles 
 and hear a sermon once a month. But hereafter I 
 shall wish to send them to France or German}^, 
 where they will have fanciful singing, see the mass 
 conducted by well-fed, sensual-looking old priests, 
 and only hear the gospel occasionally from some 
 Scotch or English minister. 
 
 But I must close now, as I do not intend to close 
 this, but shall w^ait for the Grindelwald Glacier. 
 
 Lucerne, July 23, 1873. 
 
 I intended to complete the above at Griesbach, 
 but it was too late when the illumination of the 
 falls was over, and too soon a start the next morn- 
 ing when we started for this point. But now, as 
 some of us are resting, while others have gone to 
 the Rigi, I will finish it. 
 
 We went by mistake to Lauterbrunnen, where 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 267 
 
 we saw the famous Saublack Fall. It is caused by 
 a small stream running over a precipice one thou- 
 sand feet high, and breaking into a complete mist 
 before it strikes the rocks below. It is really one 
 of the most wonderful and beautiful scenes that we 
 have witnessed in this fairy-land of Switzerland. 
 
 But, retracing our drive several miles, our car- 
 riage, with its six passengers and driver, drawn by 
 two horses urged by a hundred horse-flies each, 
 slowly dragged its way up to the glaciers of Grin- 
 delwald, while the beautiful white Wetterhoru stared 
 us in the face, and k-ept us on the qui vive for 
 avalanches. But while we heard them thundering 
 around the mountains, we did not get a view of 
 them, and had to content ourselves with sound and 
 fury. 
 
 We got a splendid view of the glaciers, and then 
 came down the mountain at a fearful rate to Lake 
 Brientz, where we took a steamer about ten miles 
 to Griesbach, and spent the night. The hotel is 
 on a cliff one thousand feet from the wharf, which 
 we climbed around a graded walk, admiring the 
 seven falls formed by a large stream leaping hun- 
 dreds of feet from one rock to another, dashing the 
 white foam in all directions, and sounding like one 
 continuous roar of thunder. 
 
 After an excellent supper, we w^alked down in 
 front of the falls to Avitness the illumination, which 
 takes place every night during the season. We 
 saw the lanterns as they darted in and out among 
 the trees like will-o'-the-wisps; and when the high- 
 est fall was reached a rocket shot up, and this was 
 answered by another at the bottom, and then as a 
 third exploded it threw balls in the air, and the falls 
 blazed out at once with lights of amazing brilliancy, 
 that gave the trees and "the water the appearance 
 of an "Arabian Night's Entertainment," and these 
 lights suddenly changed to pink and green and yel- 
 
268 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 low, and then one by one went out, leaving the 
 darkness darker by reason of the wondrous con- 
 trast. 
 
 The next morning several of us climbed up to 
 the very top of the topmost rock, at imminent peril 
 of life and limb, passed under one of the falls, and 
 caught the dashing of the spray as we stood upon 
 the narrow bridge that spanned those yawning 
 chasms. - 
 
 At ten o'clock we descended to the wharf, and 
 at Brientz took private carriages provided by the 
 thoughtful Mr. Cook, instead of lumbering dili- 
 gences, as they are called, for the sake of contrast, 
 I suppose. It was a weary, weary day of heat and 
 dust and iiies — first for three hours up the Bruni 
 Pass, and then at a brisk trot down again to Alp- 
 nach, where we took, first, our long-lost letters from 
 home, and then the steamer on this charming Lake 
 Lucerne to this town of the same name. The 
 scenery over the Bruni is grand, wild, and romantic 
 beyond all conception. Beautiful valleys, dotted 
 with cottages of the Swiss peasantry, and watered 
 by dancing streams, lie basking in the sunlight; 
 while bold and rugged mountains, some covered 
 with verdure and some with snow, lift their giant 
 heads above the clouds, and sparkle with hundreds 
 of riverets that dash over their sides and scatter 
 into spray, fulfilling those beautiful lines of Lord 
 Byron, 
 
 That left so late the mountam's brow, 
 As though its waters ne'er would sever, 
 
 But ere it reach the plain below 
 Break into drops that part forever. 
 
 By the way, we passed by the old castle said to 
 be the scene of Byron's "Manfred," and also the 
 castle of "Bluebeard." 
 
 We have also had the pleasure of hearing a gen- 
 uine Swiss horn, with its splendid echoes among 
 
Letter from Kev. A. B. Whipple. 269 
 
 the mountain-peaks. It is about four feet long 
 and about live inches in diameter at the muzzle, 
 straight nearlj^ to the large end, where it makes a 
 slight upward deflection. The old man who was 
 blowing it had it resting on a kind of fulcrum, and 
 blew as if he were certain of good pay. But th6re 
 is only one of our party who carried a " sou," and 
 while he paid, another tried to step it on the fan- 
 tastic toe. ^"0 puns intended, except for the in- 
 itiated. 
 
 We had rare times coming up the mountain. 
 One of the party was good on "dog-German," and 
 his conversation with our driver, who only talked 
 Dutch, was exceedingljfeamusing — especially the 
 driver's. 
 
 Letter from the Kev. A, B. Whipple, President of Lansing- 
 burgh College, New York. 
 
 Parts, August 11, 1873. 
 
 Greetings once more to my friends from this side 
 the Atlantic. My last letters have been local, or 
 descriptive of one place only. This shall be a run- 
 ning comment on things seen between Eome and 
 this place. 
 
 Leaving Rome July 30, at 11 o'clock a.m., we 
 were soon outside the walls and passing the spot 
 where St. Paul was executed, and the church in 
 which they say is the very stone on which he was 
 beheaded. Within the city we had visited the house 
 where he dwelt, the prison in which he had been 
 confined, and the house of his friend Clement, 
 where he was permitted to preach. Of this house 
 I may have more to say hereafter; for the present, 
 suffice it to say, every place mentioned, and every 
 place possessed of some sacred relic or legend, is 
 invested with as much legendary history as the most 
 devout will be willing to believe. Passing on, we 
 
270 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 follow up the valley of the "Yellow Tiber" — ren- 
 dered so by the great amount of soil washed along 
 with its rushing waters. Dry, doubly dry, is the 
 country through which we pass — ho rain having 
 fallen here since April. Every farm, however, seems 
 to be supplied with a large tank of water brought 
 from the mountains. Cattle are in groups near the 
 water, as if in consultation about something to eat, 
 as well as drink. Hardly a green thing is visible 
 except weeds uneatable and trees unreachable by 
 cattle. The cattle are all white, the tips of their 
 noses, ears, horns, and the bush of their tails being 
 black. They are of the wide-spreading horn spe- 
 cies, and look quite unliloe our own. White, cer- 
 tainly, is a desirable color in a country of such in- 
 tense heat, if it be true that black draws the heat, 
 or even retains it. On we go, until the blue waters 
 of the Mediterranean greet our eyes. We watch it, 
 and the vessels upon it, as for miles we speed along 
 its shores. Nothing worthy of note till we reach 
 Pisa, at ten o'clock at night, to eat supper out of 
 doors, and uncomfortably warm at that. We slept 
 as people do very warm nights. How the other 
 49,999 slept I cannot affirm. This I do know: the 
 other one was not ,any too much rested to start 
 early in the morning to spend an hour or two in 
 sight-seeing. The Piazza del Duomo, the Cathe- 
 dral, the Baptistery, the Campo Santo, and the 
 Leaning Tower, were all the places we could visit. 
 A minute description I cannot now give. Of course, 
 the Duomo is a church entirely of white marble, 
 with black and colored ornamentation, with solid 
 silver altar, and other things in keeping. What 
 most interested me was the moderate swaying of 
 the same bronze lamp, suspended from the lofty 
 nave, that once suggested to Galileo the idea of a 
 pendulum as time-keeper. The Baptistery — a beau- 
 tiful circular structure, surrounded by half columns 
 
Letter from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 271 
 
 below, and a gallery of small detached columns 
 above, and sarmounted by a conical dome one hun- 
 dred and seventy-nine feet high — was commenced 
 in 1153. It htis a wonderful echoing gallery; and 
 when one of the guides sang a few strains we could 
 hear them reverberating around and above us, till 
 all were ready to cheer through admiration. 
 
 The Campanile, or clock- tower, as the Leaning 
 Tower is called, begun in 1174, and finished in 1350, 
 rises in eight different stories, and, like the Baptist- 
 ery, is surrounded with half columns and colon- 
 nades. It leans twelve feet out of perpendicular, 
 and whether built so on purpose, or whether it has 
 settled, is still a matter of discussion. It seems as 
 if built so. Two hundred and ninety-four steps 
 enable us to reach the top, and look down the lean- 
 insf side with a feelins; that it is fiiUins:. A fine 
 view of the country is seen from the top, the sea 
 some six miles to the west. It contains six bells; 
 the heaviest, weighing six tons, is on the side oppo- 
 site the overhanging wall. 
 
 The Campo Santo, or burial-ground, is in many 
 ways remarkable for paintings, statuary, etc., but 
 chiefly to me for fifty-three ship-loads of earth 
 brought from Mount Calvary, and deposited here 
 for a sacred burial-place^ so I have walked upon ' 
 the soil of Mount Zion. 
 
 Florence was the next place of interest; for from 
 it have emanated, almost exclusively, the Italian 
 language and literature. Here, also, the fine arts 
 have attained the zenith of their glory. A vast 
 profusion of treasures of art is here, such as is 
 found in no other place within so narrow limits — 
 rerniiiiscences of all Europe, imposing monuments, 
 and the delightful environs of the city — altogether 
 making Florence one of the most delightful places 
 in the world. Besides wandering through vast and 
 numerous halls of the fine arts, we also traversed 
 
272 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 the elegantly-furnished rooms in the palace of Vic- 
 tor Emmanuel, and, while admiring the beauty and 
 grandeur of the soldier-guarded palace, could not 
 help thinking how the millions toil that a few may 
 revel in luxury. 
 
 Leaving Florence, we have twenty-seven hours' 
 ride to Geneva, passing Turin, a city once destroyed 
 by Hannibal, B.C. 218, now with a population of 
 over one hundred and eighty thousand. Shortly 
 after leaving this city we began the ascent of the 
 Bernese Alps, winding through beautiful valleys, 
 climbing up the sides of mountains amid grape- 
 fields without number. Wilder and more pictur- 
 esque the scenery becomes — cottages in seemingly 
 inaccessible places on steep mountain-sides; red-tile 
 covered hamlets far below us ; snow-covered mount- 
 ain peaks far above us — and so for many an hour we 
 W'Cnd our way upward through tunnels too frequent 
 to count them, till finally we enter the famous Mont 
 Cenis tunnel, seven miles through, requiring twenty- 
 eight minutes in the passage. Then descending 
 through like Alpine scenery, we reach at length the 
 river Rhone, and then again begin our ascent, 
 passing through ever-varying scenery, over rivers, 
 under mountains, around lakes clear and beautiful 
 in their deep valleys — still onward and upward, till, 
 in the midst of a thunder-storm, at 10 p.m., we enter 
 Geneva, glad to have something to eat and a bed. 
 Saturday morning is clear, and we spend the day 
 delighted with the place and its surroundings, in a 
 most beautiful valley at the end of the lake, whose 
 waters are pure as spring water. Around are lofty 
 mountains as background to fine houses, while, 
 forty miles away, concealed under a vail of clouds, 
 we are told, lies or stands Mont Blanc, the monarch 
 of mountains. All daj^ long, at intervals, I turned 
 my eyes in that direction, hoping to see it. At length 
 toward sunset the clouds lifted, and revealed the 
 
Letter from Hev. A. B. Whipple. 273 
 
 coveted sight. Clear, cold, and lofty, stood his 
 bared head leaning, as it were, against a clear, blue 
 sky. As the sun sank lower and behind lesser 
 mountains, the snowy peak of Mont Blanc caught 
 his setting rays and sent them back to us in golden 
 colors. Higher and higher climbed the sunless 
 shade, till on the summit rested, as it were, the 
 golden crown of setting day ; then, as its last color 
 left his royal head, the silver moon appeared from 
 behind, caught the last tinge, and with serene maj- 
 esty bore it aloft into the mid-heavens. So ended 
 the week. 
 
 Sunday morning found me, at half-past eight 
 o'clock, w^ending my way to hear the famous Pere 
 Hyacinthe preach, and at eleven o'clock I was in the 
 American Chapel to hear once more a sermon in 
 plain English. 
 
 Monday morning we steamed across the beautiful 
 Lake of Geneva, past the palace of Baron Roths- 
 child, past the prison-castle of Chillon, and on amid 
 enchanting scenery to Lausanne; then took cars, 
 and about 5 p.m. arrived at Berne, the capital of 
 Switzerland. Berne means hear^ which seems to 
 have been the deity of the Swiss in ancient times. 
 Bears take the place of men and lions as statuary. 
 Churches are adorned with them, houses and tem- 
 ples ornamented with them, and even a den of live 
 ones is kept at the city's expense. Here, also, is a 
 famous clock, in a tower built between 1100 and 
 1200. When about to strike the hour, a cock flaps 
 his w^ngs and crows (pretty well for a cock seven 
 hundred years old). Then a procession of bears, on 
 foot and horseback, march out around, and back 
 again. Next, old Father Time, seated above, turns 
 his hour-glass and waves his scepter; then a man 
 above strikes the hour; a bear one side of him turns 
 his head and listens to each blow; then, away up in 
 the belfry, an iron man rings out the hour for the 
 
 i2* 
 
274 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 city; t"he cock once more flaps his wings and erows, 
 and for an hour the show is ended. 
 
 A few hours more, and we are at Interlachen, 
 the Saratoga of Switzerland. Hotels, rather than 
 churches, are the objects of attraction — sumptuous 
 within, and beautiful without, and around a small 
 rich valle}^, surrounded by very lofty mountains, be- 
 -tween two of which, in the background, rises white 
 and cold, the Jungfrau, next to Mont Blanc, the 
 mountain- wonder of Europe. The sun gilds it in 
 his setting, and the moon silvers it in her rising, 
 and we drink in the grandeur of the scene. 
 
 Next morning at 7 sharp, we took carriages to 
 Grindelwald, fifteen miles away, with two added on 
 foot, to see, and feel, and enter a live glacier. We 
 have seen the frozen river of ice, entered its grotto, 
 seen its wearing action on the rocks beside and be- 
 neath; and now, according to traveling custom, are 
 entitled to wear white scarfs. on our hats — said to be 
 a sign of having seen a glacier. Kone of the "Ed- 
 ucated Tourists," as our partjMS now called, has-yet 
 put on the white scarf. We enjoy mountain scenery 
 and Swiss cottages all the way, as well as snow- 
 peaks and glaciers. 
 
 At 5 P.M. we cross Lake Brientz to Griesbach, and 
 in the most cosy and elevated dell spent the night. 
 Beautiful for situation is the hotel and all its sur- 
 roundings of high mountains, and the lake, eight 
 hundred feet below us. Chief among the attrac- 
 tions is a fine cascade cohiing over the rocks fifteen 
 hundred feet above us, and in seven successive leaps 
 reaching the lake below us, and in very nearly a 
 straight line. At half-past nine we were summoned 
 by a bell to seats directly in front of the cascade. 
 Torches were seen winding among the dark spruce 
 evergreens bordering the stream up above us and 
 down below us. Presently a rocket from the upper- 
 most part shot out into the sky; soon it was an- 
 
Letter from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 275 
 
 swered by one at our feet, and instantly, from lake 
 to crest, Roman candles flashed on the foaming 
 waters and from the caverns behind, illuminating 
 the whole surroundings ; anon red lights intervened, 
 then white. The uppermost cavern gleamed like a 
 burning volcano; the midmost one, lighted back of 
 the water, was brilliantly beautiful, while the lurid 
 glare from the deep gulf below us was suggestive 
 of a burning lower world. I^ot the water only, but 
 the trunks and branches of the bordering and over- 
 hanging trees, lit up by the strong and mingled red, 
 green, and white Bengal lights, presented a combi- 
 nation of natural and artificial beauty seldom wit- 
 nessed by pleasure-seekers. 
 
 l^ext morning we crossed the lake again, and took 
 diligences over the Alps by what is known as the 
 Bruni Pass, going thus from the valley of the 
 Rhone into the vallej^ of the Rhine. 
 
 Crossing Lake Lucerne, we enter a city of the 
 same name, pleased with the wild mountain ride, 
 and made tired by the same. N'ext day we spend 
 upon the lake — the most beautiful and historic in 
 Switzerland — the Lake of the Four Cantons. 
 Among other places, the Tell Platz may most in- 
 terest my readers, being th^ place where William 
 Tell sprang from the boat, pushing his jailers back 
 into the stormy waters, and escaping up the mount- 
 ains. The event of the day was the ascent of 
 Mount Rigi in cars, five thousand feet — an average 
 ascent of one foot in four all the way. From the 
 top we can see more than a hundred snow-capped 
 mountain-peaks, seven beautiful lakes, and viUages 
 and valleys of rarest beauty. 
 
 Again we bid adieu to scenes of loveliness, de- 
 scend the Rigi, and steam it across the moonlit lake 
 to Lucerne. Another morning finds us gazing at a 
 huge monument cut in the side of a mountain. It 
 is known in history as the Lion of Lucerne — cut in 
 
276 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 the rock as a memorial symbol of many brave men 
 who died in defending the liberty of the Swiss. It 
 represents a dying lion with bis forefoot on the 
 shield of the enemy, with a broken spear in his 
 side, indicating the cause of his death. There is 
 both pain and pleasure in his dying looks. The 
 whole is cut in relief in a perpendicular face of 
 sandstone rock. It is twenty-eight feet in length, 
 and every, way well proportioned. Beneath is a 
 little lake, or pond, around which is kept a beauti- 
 ful garden, amid many shade-producing trees. This 
 is our ante-breakfast trip ; for, after eating, we leave 
 for Basle, at which place we stop and eat again. 
 
 There is nothing remarkable about this place, 
 save a former curious custom, for hundreds of years, 
 of keeping their clocks all one hour in advance of 
 the true time. Various reasons have been given for 
 this custom, one of which is that the people were so 
 slow in all things that it was needful to keep the 
 time ahead; another is that the town was once 
 saved from capture by their enemies by the clock 
 striking one instead of twelve. Twelve was the 
 signal agreed upon by the enemy; but, hearing the 
 clock strike one, thought themselves belated, and 
 the citizens on the watch for them, and so retreated. 
 Still another reason is, that once the clock in the 
 tower was struck by lightning, and set forward an 
 hour, and the superstitious people long afterward 
 refused to have it changed, and so kept their time 
 by it. Be this as it may, for the last sixty years the 
 clocks keep the proper time. The place is on the 
 river Rhine, and the last of our Switzerland cities. 
 
 A few moments' ride brings us into France, on 
 the border of which we stop to have our luggage 
 examined by polite French officials, after which we 
 speed our v/ay some three hundred and twenty 
 miles through the domain of France, some fifty 
 miles of the distance being through that portion 
 
Letter from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 277 
 
 lately taken from France and added to Germany. 
 Night comes down upon us, and our view of the 
 country along to Paris is mostly b\' moonlight. 
 
 By seven o'clock Sunday morning we are in 
 nearly the center of Paris city — hungry, of course, 
 having had nothing to eat since four o'clock on Sat- 
 urday. Our first day here, then, is Sunday, and we 
 see shops open as on any other da}^ We walk 
 along the Boulevards in the afternoon and evening 
 to see the gay turn-outs of pleasure-seekers — to' see 
 Punch and Judy shows at every turn. Circuses, 
 shows, and concerts have many visitors; all is ga}^- 
 ety, and one would not have reason to think it was 
 the Lord's-day. A city of two million people can- 
 not be seen in a day; so we shall tarry here nearly 
 a week, and then, perhaps^ material enough for a 
 letter may be gathered, and a whole letter from 
 Paris greet your many readers. Meanwhile, be pa- 
 tient, if a week goes by without a letter. There is 
 an old proverb, "A patient waiter is no loser." 
 
278 A Mbmphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 " Paris is France." — Views on the wicked, beautiful city — 
 Strolls in historic localities, some of which have been bap- 
 tized in blood of saint and sinner. 
 
 Paris, August 12, 1873. 
 
 My last left me finisHng up Switzerland at Lu- 
 cerne. Leaving there at ten o'clock, we passed 
 through a beautiful country to Basle. This is one 
 of the finest cities in Switzerland. The buildings 
 are of a more modern style. The greater part of 
 the city is on the left bank of the Rhine. Our 
 hotel being on the river, we had to pass through 
 the best portion of it from the depot. Owing to 
 its situation at the junction of the frontiers of 
 France, Germany, and Switzerland, it maintains 
 its position as a place of great commercial activity. 
 The cathedral — a monster — is the chief attraction 
 of the place for tourists. It is built of red sand- 
 stone. The older portion dates from 1010, and is 
 of the Byzantine order; but in 1356 a considerable 
 part was destroyed by an earthquake, and it was 
 rebuilt in Gothic style. Among the relics of the 
 ancient structure are the statues of Christ and St. 
 Peter, and the wise and foolish virgins. Great 
 Roman antiquities have been found in this vicinity. 
 It has a population of forty-five thousand. We 
 spent only a few hours here, after partaking of a 
 good dinner at a fine hotel on the margin of the 
 river. 
 
PARIS. 279 
 
 Leaving Basle at five o'clock, we soon enter what 
 was the territory of France. The late unfortunate 
 war with Prussia took this country from her do- 
 minion. ^ It was one of the best and richest depart- 
 ments. We had several hours of daylight, and our 
 train, running some forty miles per hour, gave us a 
 good opportunity to see France. • There are but few 
 line houses, only in the cities. The land here, as 
 almost everywhere we have been, is cut up in small 
 patches, and cultivated by those who live in the 
 adjacent villages. 
 
 The full moon shines brightly, and we sit up to 
 look at this remarkable country, and the places 
 which have witnessed so many changes. Sunday 
 morning opens upon us some five or six miles from 
 this city. The first persons we see are the reapers 
 of wheat, now being harvested. No Sabbath is 
 recognized in town or country, only as a holiday, 
 while many pursue their daily avocations as usual. 
 
 Paris is seen in the distance. All are anxious to 
 get a view of this great city as we approach its en- 
 virons. At the depot we learn that the hotels are 
 full and we must be divided, as rooms cannot be 
 obtained for so large a party at either of those as- 
 signed us. I have comfortable quarters at the St. 
 Petersburg, with about half our party. 
 
 After arranging some things, we are ofi* to the 
 Scotch Presbyterian Church, near the Tuileries. 
 Some thirty-five persons only are present. As we 
 were near the place about which I have read and 
 heard so much, it was the place I most desired to 
 see. What a mass of ruins is here ! At one end 
 all was burnt that could be consumed. The new 
 buildings, extending to the magnificent passage in 
 front of the bridge of St. Peter's, were injured but 
 little. The rooting of the apartments of the ex- 
 Prince Imperial only was damaged. The sculpture, 
 statues, groups, and ornaments of these magnificent 
 
280 A Memphian's Teip to Europe. 
 
 buildings have not been injured. We passed through 
 the former, went across the bridge, and remained 
 for some two hours viewing the most extensive 
 building I ever saw. After dinner we visited a 
 large church in which people were worshiping, and 
 from the front of which there rushed streams of 
 water. 
 
 Paris is the best-planned city we have seen. The 
 extensive boulevards running around and through 
 the city, beautifully shaded, and leading to the focal 
 points, make it easy to comprehend. They run one 
 into another in such a manner that you need not 
 miss your way through the city. It seems to have 
 been arranged for military defense better than any 
 I have ever seen. It has had more occasion to use 
 those streets for that purpose than any in modern 
 times. No place in the world can boast of such 
 thoroughfares as Paris. It is greatly indebted to 
 Louis S"apoleon for its magnificent boulevards. 
 
 Monday morning w^e take a large open carriage, 
 containing twenty-four persons, and spend the day 
 with a guide. The first object of interest is the 
 church La Madeleine, begun by Louis XIY., con- 
 tinued by Napoleon, who intended it as a temple. 
 After the restoration it was finished as a church. 
 It is a beautiful structure, raised on an immense 
 platform three hundred and eighty- eight feet in 
 length by one hundred and thirty feet. Forty-eight 
 Corinthian columns fifty feet high surround it, hav- 
 ing the shape and style of a Grecian temple. It is 
 one of the finest edifices in Europe. As it is near 
 our hotel, I have visited it again and heard its 
 organ. 
 
 We next view the Tuileries, and the immense 
 space where the Exchequer w^as burned by the 
 Commune; then the gardens, statues, and fount- 
 ains; then the triumphal arch of Louis Philippe 
 and the triumphal arch of St. Martin ; the new 
 
!N"oTRE Dame. 281 
 
 theater of 1871, the old Bastile of 1798, the prison 
 of 1830, and the column of Charles X., over the 
 canal, running six miles; this the Commune en- 
 deavored to blow up bj a boat running under it, 
 but it exploded too soon. Here wq see cannon-shot 
 all around, and here the last of the Commune were 
 shot themselves. Here immense quantities of goods 
 were burned by the Commune. Here is the vicinity 
 of the insurrections of Paris, and on this immense 
 column are put inscriptions commemorative of the 
 three days of fighting in 1830. Mercury crowns 
 the column, and an inscription, "To the glory of 
 the citizens who fought for liberty," in memory of 
 the revolution of 1830. 
 
 We then go to the famous prison where the arch- 
 bishop and nine others suffered by the guillotine. 
 It is the place where executions now take place. It 
 is famous for having been where the royal and 
 ecclesiastical blood has been shed freely. 
 
 We also visit the Zoological Gardens, which are 
 very extensive. Every plant, flower, and shrub in 
 the world is said to be here. The animals were 
 eaten during the war, but have been replaced by 
 others. They excel those of London. 
 
 We spent some time viewing J^otre Dame, a 
 church commenced in 522 — the most ancient church 
 in Paris. ITapoleon and Josephine were crowned 
 in it. The Archbishop of Paris was killed at the 
 foot of the column, in 1848, while attempting to 
 pacif}^ the tumult. It is in the form of a Latin 
 cross, with three naves and twenty-four chapels. 
 The cushion on which the crown was deposited 
 when Kapoleon was crowned, a solid gold cross, 
 and two Russian banners, are among the sacred 
 relics that adorn the church. 
 
 E'ear this church is the place where those people 
 who are drowned, or are found dead, are kept until 
 recognized. It was solemn to see it. Our guide 
 
282 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 would not go, but told us to do so if we desired, 
 while he waited for us. 
 
 Our visit to the cemetery was full of interest. 
 Many names with which we were famiUar are seen 
 here — in the department of literature, science, and 
 war. I took the names of many, but have not time 
 to transcribe or comment upon them. lN"apoleon's 
 marshals sleep here. I plucked a flower and an 
 evergreen from Marshal [N'ey's grave. As I looked 
 at these marshals' graves, I could but reflect upon 
 the vanity of earthly glory. This is a great city of 
 the dead, some four or five miles in extent. 
 
 Napoleon's Tomb. — "We go to Napoleon the First's 
 tomb, at the Chapel of the Invalides. This I de- 
 sired to see above all others. A tower crypt occu- 
 pies the center of the dome, and in the middle 
 stands the sarcophagus containing the emperor's 
 remains. The circumference forms an open gallery, 
 the pillars of which are decorated with embossed 
 figures bearing palms, and bearing the symbols of 
 the emperor's victories. The second part of the 
 monument is an altar raised on a basement oppo- 
 site the dome. It is adorned with four columns 
 surmounted with a rich canopy. This work, in- 
 cluding the columns, is of black marble from Egypt. 
 The third part of the monument is a chapel, con- 
 structed under the ground of the dome — a veritable 
 subterranean crypt, lighted with a lamp on a slab 
 of black marble. These immortal words of the 
 emperor are traced in his testament : " I desire that 
 my ashes may rest on the banks of the Seine, 
 among the French nation I loved so much." The 
 sarcophagus measures four yards in length, two in 
 breadth, and four in height, and is formed of four 
 blocks of Fontainebleau quartz of antiquity, which 
 is inestimable. It required a steam-engine to polish 
 it. The last chest, which has received the cedar and 
 leaden coflin brought from St. Helena, is of a ma- 
 
Tomb of ]N"apoleon I. 283 
 
 terial called algila, coming from Corsica. On the 
 7th day of May, 1861, the mortal remains of this 
 most remarkable man were brought from their rest- 
 ing-place and deposited here, in presence of the 
 dignitaries of State. It was on the 12th of May, 
 1840, that the Chamber of Deputies determined to 
 remove them from St. Helena. For twenty years 
 they were deposited in St. Jerome Church of the 
 Invalides Hotel, and now finallj^ rest in a manner 
 no monarch ever did. It is the most gorgeous 
 monument I ever saw. The dome of the church, 
 covered with gold, shines out from every point 
 where you can see the city. The opened part of 
 the crypt is lighted by twelve bronze lamps, the 
 models taken from Pompeii. The succession of 
 basso-relievos is of black marble, and is called the 
 Sword -room. It contains various relics, and the 
 banners taken from the different nations which he 
 conquered- — the golden crown voted by Cherbourg, 
 and sixty banners, coming from the victories he 
 achieved over his enemies. The monument has 
 cost three millions. Crowds go to see it daily. We 
 met a great many — or rather, saw them — as they 
 passed out at another gate. These people glory in 
 the name of I^apoleon. 
 
 We ascend the triumphal arch erected in honor 
 of his many victories. There are twelve avenues 
 meeting here. From the top of this arch we have the 
 finest view of the city and its surroundings I have 
 seen. For miles far away in every direction you 
 can see down these avenues the most magnificent 
 buildings, the finest parks, gardens, statues, fount- 
 ains — in fact, every thing of grandeur and magnifi- 
 cence that the imagination can well picture, to make 
 the most beautiful city in the world. 
 
 I now realize more fully than ever the expression 
 that "Paris is France." The French glory in their 
 splendor and gayety. In this city they have much 
 
284 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 to stimulate their national pride, much of ancient 
 art and modern improvement in science. 
 
 They must have amusements, and they have them 
 to a greater extent than aiiy other people of whom 
 I have any knowledge. To walk out of an evening 
 on any of their boulevards, especially about their 
 gardens, one will see more of some things than in 
 any other place I have ever been. There are many 
 places where they have concerts of various kinds 
 in open air. We were passing one of these last 
 night, and we stopped awhile and saw quite a vari- 
 ety of things, as well as heard some very line music, 
 vocal as well as instrumental. The French feel 
 deeply their present humiliation, at times. We see 
 them in national mourning for their misfortunes. 
 A young lady, dressed in mourning, came out and 
 sang one of their national airs, which moved the 
 crowd to such an extent that, though I did not un- 
 derstand a word she said, yet I found the unbidden 
 tear stealing from my eyes in sympathy for them. 
 
 France will yet recover her lost glory, and, when- 
 ever the time comes, will show that there are re- 
 cuperative energies within her that can and will 
 restore her to the position she has occupied among 
 the nations of earth. 
 
 I did not intend expressing opinions, but merely 
 to give a running sketch of what I have seen as I 
 pass hurriedly through the cities and countries of 
 Europe. 
 
 Lingering in Paris — Sight-seeing in the finest city in the 
 world — Versailles and its antique remains of royalty — 
 The Tuileries — Pantheon — St. Cloud — Gobelin. 
 
 Paris, August 14, 1873. 
 
 Our third day was spent in Versailles, some 
 twelve miles from Paris. This was formerly the 
 
The Grand Trianon. 285 
 
 second town of France, having 100,000 people, 
 mostly nobility and gentry. The splendor of this 
 city under Louis XIV., who had Mansard to build 
 him the palace and lay out the parks and gardens 
 at an average cost of forty million pounds sterling, 
 ceased with the unfortunate Louis XVL, for Paris. 
 Louis Philippe had it devoted to a musei^m for the 
 glories of the illustrations of France. The palace 
 is divided into three great divisions. "We went 
 through some of these once famous buildings, 
 which are filled with the most wonderful collection 
 of paintings, relating to. the history of France. The 
 chapel is one of the finest we have seen. The ceil- 
 ing is eighty-six feet high, with magnificent frescoes 
 and a mosaic pavement of great beauty. 
 
 The Grand Trianon is a small palace four hun- 
 dred feet long, built by order -of Louis XIY. in 
 1683, in the grounds of the park. It was the 
 favorite residence of N'apoleon L, and is the usual 
 residence of Queen Victoria when in Paris. Here 
 are to be seen many of the relics of the former 
 monarchs of France, showing what royalty was in 
 the days of her glory. 
 
 President MacMahon and the Assembly are now 
 in session here, but we could not even look in upon 
 them. Soldiers are seen drilling, cannon are point- 
 ing out, and the surroundings seem warlike. 
 
 The gardens are the most extensive and magnifi- 
 cent I have seen. Sixty miles of ground are occu- 
 pied by them and the parks. There are eighty 
 fountains, some of them the largest ever made. 
 These play only on Sundays — others only once a 
 month, and the whole of them only ouce a year. 
 Tlie gardens are kept in fine order, but the hundreds 
 of groups of statuary around them are neglected, 
 and moss is growing on them. We felt " like one 
 who treads alone some banquet-hall deserted," 
 whenever we went over these antique remains of 
 
286 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 royalty, yet they are grand in their loneliness. The 
 orangery, which was planted as far back as 1421, is 
 artistically arranged in large inclosures, so as to 
 move them in the houses during winter. 
 
 We return to the city by the tramway railroad, 
 which is a large two-story omnibus running within 
 an iron railing. On the top of this we had a fine 
 view of the country along the Seine. It is densely 
 populated, and a good part of the way is a village. 
 
 We pass St. Cloud. It is a pretty little town, 
 celebrated for its palace, which was destroyed during 
 the war. It was the favorite resort of Napoleon I., 
 and has a park ten miles in circumference. As we 
 pass the gate into the city, a halt is made, to see if 
 there is any thing contraband among us. This is a 
 fine boirievard for miles, extending into the city. 
 
 The Siege and Bombardment. — Yesterday morning 
 we went to see the panorama of the siege and bom- 
 bardment of Paris. This is the most astonishing 
 thing we have seen. You go into a large building, 
 ascend a winding staircase, and come out on top of 
 what seems to be a hill overlooking the city, where 
 the battle is raging. You see no painting, no 
 moving of scenes, but the heavens above, with the 
 clouds obscured by the smoke. Around you is the 
 fort the French are defending. Some of the build- 
 ings near are in flames, and appear as natural as if 
 real. The artillery playing upon the Prussians, 
 belching out flames and smoke. The dead and 
 wounded spread out before you as real (seemingly) 
 as if you were in a few steps of them. The Prus- 
 sian camps are seen in the distance. Other forts, 
 also, are attacked. Other buildings are on fire. 
 The fort where you are is in ruins, as perfectly nat- 
 ural as if really before you. Yet you see no paint- 
 ing anywhere, but all is open, as if you were lo )king 
 on the strife all around 3^ou. The city is seen about 
 as it looks from other directions. We are bewij- 
 
The Tuilertes. 287 
 
 dered — overwhelmed witli amazement. Can this be 
 artificial? It is the triumph of art — a delusion 
 such as we have never expected to see. The earth, 
 we know, is real, the broken shells around us are 
 real — and yet the others near it are not. One of 
 the banks of sand-bags was said to be real, but the 
 others seemed as natural as it did. Some one threw 
 a penny near the cannon, and we heard it strike the 
 rock and saw it afterward. This settled the ques- 
 tion of there being some things that were not illu- 
 sions, but the whole scene far surpasses any thing 
 we have seen in this line. Every one who visits 
 Paris to see should see this. 
 
 We go to the Palace of Industry, built in 1854, 
 for the Universal Exhibition. Here are paintings 
 and statues of men eminent in art and science. 
 
 We have passed the Palace of the Tuileries sev- 
 eral times — a terrible mass of ruins, but now being 
 rebuilt. In front is a noble arch of ]N"apoleon, 
 erected in 1806. Here we see a chariot drawn by 
 four horses, copied from those of St. Mark's, at 
 Venice, to which I have referred. Here is a palace 
 constructed by Julian the Apostate, or by his ances- 
 tor Constantius, toward the close of the fourth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 We spent some time in the Pantheon. Louis 
 XV. laid the foundation in 1764. The Assembly 
 (in 1790) converted it into a temple to receive the 
 ashes of the great men of the country. In 1822 it 
 was restored to a church, to become in 1830 a secu- 
 lar institution, and in 1848 the scene of desperate 
 combat between the insurgents and the troops. It 
 is three hundred and two by two hundred and fifty 
 feet, its summit being four hundred and fifty feet 
 high. In the vaults are the tombs of Voltaire, 
 Pousseau, and several of N^apoleon's best officers. 
 
 Gobelin Tapestry. — Tapestry work is done in Paris 
 as at no other place. Some two hundred years since 
 
288 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 it was invented by a Frenchman named Gobelin. 
 The emperor bought the right, and named the estab- 
 lishment after him. Our guide had permission from 
 the authorities to take persons in to see the manu- 
 facture of it. We were taken through the rooms 
 where the most exquisite work was being per- 
 formed. There were carpets requiring ten men 
 twenty years to make, and paintings copied so as to 
 be exactly like the originals. These works are 
 never sold from this establishment, as they are used 
 only for royalty, or presented to such. 
 
 We visited a number of churches and other places 
 of which I cannot now say any thing. I thought 
 Paris needed street railways, but when I went on 
 the steamboats of the Seine, passing swiftly by and 
 stopping at convenient distances, circling through 
 the city, and the many lines of omnibuses, running 
 all around and through the city — sixteen miles for 
 ten cents — I see they have locomotive facilities as 
 cheap as any city I have seen. I took those trips 
 to-day by river several miles, and around the city, 
 at a cost of less than twenty cents. The railroad 
 runs sometimes above the houses, giving a fine view 
 of the city from several points of observation. I 
 think there are twenty-six stations in the circle. 
 When it is above the houses, there are five large 
 stone columns across the road, on which the double- 
 track road is built. Under it is a fine arcade, which 
 can be used for various purposes. 
 
 Upon the whole, I consider Paris the finest city I 
 have ever seen. Nature has done much for the loca- 
 tion, and countless millions have been spent to 
 beautify and adorn it. The Academy of Music, 
 near where I am writing to-night, is said to be the 
 finest building in Europe. It is rapidly recovering 
 from the devastations of the war, and, if MacMahon 
 proves successful in his government, will soon regain 
 its former prosperity. The motto, "Liberty, equal- 
 
Paris — Its Points of Interest. 289 
 
 ity, fraternity," is seen all over the city on the public 
 buildings and many other places. 
 
 The position of Paris is very much the same as 
 that of London. The Seine, over which are built 
 twenty-live bridges, divides it in the same manner 
 that the Thames divides London. The form of 
 Paris is nearly circular. It is entirely surrounded 
 by a fortified wall, at the different gates of which 
 the customs are collected. It has twelve palaces, 
 forty Poman Catholic churches, sixteen Protest- 
 ant churches, one hundred ornamental fountains, 
 thirty-eight markets, and twenty hospitals. Its 
 population is about two millions, one-third having 
 been added in the last twenty years. 
 
 For those whose inclination leads them to fashion, 
 amusement, music, and gayety, Paris affords more 
 facility than any other city. The citizens are intel- 
 ligent, polite, affable, and partial to Americans, 
 who were under many obligations to France for 
 assistance in the time of her greatest need. I gazed 
 on the portrait of the noble La Fayette the other day 
 with much interest. Well do I remember seeing 
 him when he visited our country in 1824, when he 
 was welcomed everywhere as the friend of liberty. 
 He stands prominent in a large painting of the 
 surrender of Yorktown. 
 
 We leave here in the morning for London. I 
 may say something more of Paris before I close 
 these sketches, for much ma}^ be truthfully said of 
 this city without exhausting the subject. 
 
 This is not only the gayest and most fashionable, 
 but the most-beautiful city in the world. The hotels, 
 I think, are not so good as in some other European 
 cities. Furnished apartments are said to be much 
 cheaper than the hotels. 
 
 One of the most interesting monuments in the 
 city is the triumphal arch dedicated by Napoleon I. 
 to the glory of the French armies. It was com- 
 13 
 
290 A Memphian's Trip to Eukope. 
 
 menced on the 15tli of August (which, I think, is 
 his birthday), 1806. The work was interrupted in 
 1814, bnt was continued in 1833, but not completed 
 till 1836. Twelve wide boulevards terminate at it, 
 as a focal point. We ascended to the summit, where 
 we had the best view of this magnificent city we 
 could have. It is delightfully grand in every direc- 
 tion. 
 
 The Egyptian obelisk, given by the viceroy Me- 
 hemet All, and taken from the ruins of Thebes, is, 
 perhaps, the oldest thing of the kind of which we 
 have any knowledge. It once ornamented the en- 
 trance of a palace constructed by Rameses 11. (six- 
 teen centuries before Christ). It was brought to 
 Paris in October, 1836. 
 
 The most frequented and deeply-interesting place 
 in Paris is the garden of the Tuileries, containing 
 about seventy acres. Here congregate tens of thou- 
 sands nightly, to hear the music and witness the 
 performance of many things that interest this fun- 
 loving people. All that money, taste, and genius 
 can do seems to have been done to render these 
 places attractive to all classes who visit them. 
 
 Foremost among the churches of Paris is ]N'otre 
 Dame. This cathedral was commenced in 522 ; was 
 continued, on a much larger scale, to 1160. It is 
 the most ancient church in Paris. In the revolu- 
 tion of 1789 it was made a wine-store, and after- 
 w^ard a hay-loft. In 1802, when Kapoleon ratified 
 the concordat with the pope, it was reestablished as 
 a church. It was in this church that IS'apoleon and 
 Josephine were crowned by Pope Pius YIL, in 
 1804. The Italians are not the only people who 
 have fabulous stories about relics. In this church a 
 piece of the real cross and crown of thorns are to 
 be seen, having been brought by St. Louis from 
 Palestine. They were first placed in the Sainte 
 Chapelle, built for that purpose in 1825, and after- 
 
Cathedral of Notre Dame. 291 
 
 ward moved to the cathedral for greater safety. The 
 time for such stuff, I think, is rapidly passing away, 
 never more to return among intelligent people ; but 
 as I am simply giving a sketch of things as they 
 are, this is one of the many ways by which the ig- 
 norant masses have been blindly deluded to attach 
 importance to the possession of relics. The interior 
 of the cathedral is of the greatest magnificence. 
 The vaulted roof, the three naves, the twenty-four 
 chapels, the high altar, the paintings, the massive 
 pillars and columns, each a single block, will excite 
 the admiration of every beholder of taste. It is in 
 this choir that most of the kings and queens, their 
 sons and daughters, have been baptized, married, 
 and crowned. In the sacristy are to be seen the 
 coronation mantle of IN'apoleon I., and the cushion 
 on which the crown was deposited during the cere- 
 m.ony of their coronation ; also, a solid gold cross, 
 presented by IlTapoleon on that occasion ; two Rus- 
 sian banners, taken in the Crimea ; and a silver vir- 
 gin, presented by Charles X. This magnificent 
 church was condemned by the Commune, but was 
 saved by the students of the Hospital, with the as- 
 sistance of the inhabitants of the island of the city, 
 in the center of which the cathedral stands. Six 
 hundred Communists took possession of it on Good 
 Friday, 1871, at three o'clock in the evening, while 
 the preacher was in the pulpit. Fortunately, the 
 troops of Versailles arrived just in time to prevent 
 its destruction. It was set on fire the night the 
 troops were entering Paris. 
 
 The Pantheon is one of the most magnificent 
 buildings in the city. Its foundation was laid by 
 Louis XV., in 1764. By a decree of the Assembly 
 of 1791, it was converted into a temple to receive 
 the ashes of the great men of the country. In 1822 
 it was restored as a church, to become, in 1830, a 
 secular institution, and in 1848 the scene of some 
 
292 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 desperate combats between the insurgents and the 
 troops, who ravaged the building by firing artillery 
 at the revolutionists. In that dilapidated state the 
 emperor, in 1852, caused the necessary repairs to be 
 made, and restored it to ecclesiastical use. It is 
 three hundred and two feet long, by two hundred 
 and fifty in breadth at the transept. The cupola is. 
 two hundred and sixty feet above the ground. The 
 lantern, which crowns the summit, is four hundred 
 and fifty feet above the Seine. 
 
 The Palace de Luxembourg was begun in 1615, 
 and finished in 1620. It was much enlarged in 
 1804, and great additions made between 1831 and 
 1841. It has served successively as the habitation 
 of princes, as a prison under the first revolution, 
 then as a palace of the Directory and of the Con- 
 sulate; as a palace of the Senate under the first 
 empire; as a palace of the peers under the restora- 
 tion and under Louis Philippe, and again as the 
 palace of the Senate under the second empire. 
 There are several noble saloons in this palace, the 
 principal ones being those of IsTapoleon I. 
 
 The Palace of the Tuileries was built more than 
 three hundred years ago, but underwent, as did a 
 large portion of Paris, many alterations under 'Nsl- 
 poleon III. This is in front of the Triumphal Arch 
 of l^apoleon I. ; but this, and the whole of the Tuile- 
 ries, were entirely destroyed by the Commune, in 
 Ma}^, 1871, but are nov/ being rebuilt. I stepped 
 the width, and found it to be about a quarter of a 
 mile; the length about one-third greater. 
 
 The Palace of Themis was constructed by Julian 
 the Apostate, or by his ancestor, Constantine, to- 
 ward the end of the fourth centur3^ The part of 
 the palace -which remains consists of some subter- 
 raneous passages, altars, urns, and sculpture. 
 
 The military bands play select pieces of music 
 every day, from four to six o'clock, in the principal 
 
Farewell to France. 293 
 
 squares, parks, and wards of Paris, from the second 
 month of spring to the last month of autumn. 
 
 The damage done by the Prussians was small, in 
 comparison with that done by the Commune. The 
 ruins of the Tuileries, the Palais Royal, the Minis- 
 tere de Finances, the Hotel de Yille, and many less 
 important buildings, remain to bear witness of their 
 blind fury. Whole streets, which were razed to the 
 ground, have now been entirely rebuilt, and thou- 
 sands of houses, which were more or less injured, 
 have been so repaired that not a trace of the ruinous 
 condition they were once in can be seen. Eighty 
 square yards of the Gobelin tapestry were consumed, 
 with the building in which it was kept, and the 
 unique collection of tapestries of the time of Louis 
 XIY., was also destro^^ed by the Commune. The 
 city and country are recuperating more rapidly than 
 any which has been so much devastated by the hor- 
 rors of war. One would not suppose, only when he 
 was looking at some of the ruins, that this gay city 
 had been so recently suffering from foreign war, 
 and, far worse, from the dissensions of her own 
 people. Paris will soon be herself again, without a 
 peer, or scarcely a rival, in the world of beauty, 
 grandeur, and glory. 
 
 Farewell to France — Back in London — Dr. Cummings — Bil- 
 lingsgate — The Tower — The docks and the shipping. 
 
 London-, August 19, 1873. 
 Although I have written you three letters from 
 Paris, I feel, as some of our party did, that I am not 
 ready to leave it yet. To go through and around 
 the city and see the devastations made by the Com- 
 mune after the Prussian war was over, makes one's 
 heart sick to think of such destruction by their own 
 people. France has the desire for a republic with- 
 out the capacity to sustain one; and although there 
 
294 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 seems to be peace, I think there are elements of 
 discord, which will soon be manifested publicly. 
 The more intelligent do not desire a republic, but a 
 limited monarchy. If MacMahon does not fill their 
 bill, I think they will have some one in whose veins 
 flows royal blood to reign over them. This party is 
 now in the ascendant, and is increasing its influ- 
 ence, so that I cannot believe the present govern- 
 ment will continue long. I inclose you an editorial 
 from the London Times, which, I think, takes a 
 proper view of the present status of politics in 
 France. 
 
 We left Paris on Friday morning. There is some- 
 thing captivating about that city. Some of our 
 party remained. Two young ladies from Oxford, 
 Mississippi, will be here some months. 
 
 The railroad time here is regulated to suit the 
 tides. Our train was detained a short time. The 
 boat waited, but the tide would not, and we had to 
 await its movements. This is the first detention we 
 have had. It gave us an opportunity to see the 
 whole of the country in daylight. 
 
 Rouen is the most important city on this route. 
 Here, and through all this part of France, we see 
 manufactories of various kinds. The land is not so 
 good as it is in England, nor is it in so high a state 
 of cultivation. 
 
 We spent a few hours at the place of embarkation 
 to cross the Channel. It is an old town, with many 
 who make a living by fishing. We saw the mack- 
 erel-fishing process, with nets. Women are fishers 
 as well as men. It was a grand holiday in France — 
 celebrating the Assumption. We went to a very 
 large cathedral, said to be the oldest in France, to 
 witness the ceremonies. White seemed to be the 
 style of dressing for the occasion. Old women with 
 white caps, young ladies with white head-dresses, 
 young girls in blue and white. They sang with a 
 
Letter from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 295 
 
 vim I have never heard in a Catholic church before. 
 They then formed a grand procession, and marched 
 through the streets. 
 
 At six o'clock we sailed from France. I looked 
 back to her chalk bluffs, extending all along her 
 coast, reminding me of our bluffs, and sighed for 
 France. The sunset, bar, and light-house were the 
 last we saw of that land of revolution and commo- 
 tion. 
 
 We have to wait for the train, so that we pass 
 through this part of England in the morning. Here 
 large herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep are seen, 
 as the train passes at the rate of forty miles an hour. 
 And soon it brings us back to London again. This 
 seems like home. They are our people, and like 
 Americans. Sunday I went to hear Dr. Cummings 
 in the morning, and a celebrated Episcopalian at St. 
 Paul's, in the afternoon. 
 
 Yesterday we passed through that celebrated 
 place. Billingsgate, on our way to the Tower of 
 London; thence to see the docks and shipping, and 
 from there to the British Museum. 
 
 I have not time to say any thing farther, but may 
 before I conclude these sketches. It is breakfast- 
 time, and other matters press upon me. I hope to 
 see my friends in Memphis soon. 
 
 Letter from the Eev. T. W. Hooper, of Lynchburg, Va., 
 written for the News. 
 
 Hotel St. Petersburg, Paris, "I 
 July 16, 1873. J 
 
 Here we are, at last, in this beautiful combination 
 of Sodom and Gomorrah — beautiful in spite of all 
 that the Communists have done to destroy it ; and 
 as we walk its wide and shady boulevards, or prom- 
 enade the magnificent Champs Ely sees, we cannot 
 wonder that some enthusiasts should write, " See 
 
296 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Paris and die." There is one thing certain, and 
 that is, that many of the heroes of the past have 
 seen Paris and died in the streets. We have visited 
 the Place de la Concorde, which marks the spot 
 where the beautiful and virtuous Marie Antoinette 
 was beheaded; and did not grieve much when we 
 remembered that the brutal Eobespierre there 
 plunged into that eternity which he had passed 
 with his victims, who are now ministers to his 
 everlasting remains. But it is not worth while to 
 moralize; for were I to attempt it, just think of the 
 scenes which in three days I have seen, to awaken 
 suggestion — the Madeleine, the tomb of N'apoleon, 
 the Column of July, the Tuileries (in ruins), the 
 Champs Elysees, the Column of Victory, the Col- 
 umn Vendome (in ruins), the Louvre, and a hun- 
 dred other places of historical interest and associa- 
 tion, which would set a salt on fire with enthu- 
 siasm, and exhaust all my French quicker than you 
 can snap your fingers. 
 
 Think of my hearing Catholic music at Notre 
 Dame, where the great I^apoleon was crowned em- 
 peror! Think of m}^ looking at the private apart- 
 ments at the palace of Trianon, and also at the 
 private bed -room and furniture of the deserted 
 Josephine — at the carriage in which she rode away 
 in disgrace, while near it was the one in which he 
 and his new wife rode into Paris on the occasion of 
 the nuptials ! Think of my visiting St. Cloud, 
 where the last Il^apoleon had his favorite residence, 
 and wandering along those shaded, flowering drives 
 where the beautiful Eugenie once rode in all the 
 beauty and dignity of her imperial splendor ! When 
 I think of all these things, mingled as they are with 
 visible marks of the Prussian invasion and the sub- 
 sequent "reign of terror" under the anarchy of the 
 Commune, I seem to have been floating in a dream 
 of the past, and can hardly realize that I am actu- 
 
Letter from Eev. T. W. Hooper. 297 
 
 ally here in the flesh, and that all around me are 
 these wonderful palaces and promenades and boule- 
 vards that are read about at home. 
 
 But this is certainly Paris — there is no mistaking 
 it. IDTone but Parisians can jabber in such uninter- 
 pretable lingo. The men, women, and children all 
 talk French. The horses and dogs understand 
 French. The babies cry in French ; and if I were 
 to live here about a year, I think I could talk 
 enough to learn my way about from one place to 
 another without carrying a map or employing a 
 guide. As it is, we have a jolly time, and have had 
 many ludicrous adventures with these people, who 
 will imagine that we can speak French, and whom 
 we imagine must be deaf, because they shake their 
 heads and mutter something when we talk to them. 
 
 Bat, seriously, American French doesn't pass in 
 Paris much better than greenbacks, and I have not 
 seriously regretted the want of such a language. 
 When I want to study it, I will come over here 
 and get the genuine article. Indeed, I have gotten 
 along remarkably well, for their English is just as 
 bad as my French, and between us we manage with 
 signs, which serve every purpose — with them to 
 cheat, and me to be cheated. 
 
 I am confirmed every day in my impression that 
 Mark Twain is the only man that is fit to write a 
 guide-book, and that what he writes ^bout Paris is 
 true to the letter. We hired his "Fergerson," or 
 one of the family, yesterday and the day before, to 
 guide us. The first day, he charged us five shil- 
 lings apiece, and packed twenty-four on top of a 
 kind of circus band-wagon, and rode us around, to 
 the evident amusement of all Paris. Every now 
 and then he would stop to wet his whistle, and then 
 talk — rather loosely, as might be imagined. He 
 was evidently disgusted, as were some of us, at the 
 tomb of Abelard and Heloise; though some of the 
 13^^ 
 
298 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ancient "marms" almost went into hysterics, and 
 even went so far as to steal flowers from the in- 
 closure, which *'they had n't ought to have done." 
 
 But, after all, beggars mustn't be choosers; and 
 Scotch guides, that speak English, know the ropes, 
 and have to tip a penny to see the great dining- 
 halls and private chapel at Trianon, like our man 
 Cunningham, are not to be despised. And then, 
 he has such a dogmatic way of taking down Yan- 
 kees, who, he says, are the most selfish, uncom- 
 promising, dissatisfied set of people he ever saw, 
 that you are obliged to admire him. And to us, 
 who are so miserably grum, he has proved himself 
 almost invaluable; and I would earnestly recom- 
 mend him to all future tourists who are fortunate 
 enough to travel with our kind and attentive friend 
 Mr. Cook, who, by the way, has done all that a 
 man could do for our comfort and convenience. 
 
 But I must close this hastily-written note, scrib- 
 bled at an hour which I have snatched merely to 
 give our readers some idea of the scenes we have 
 visited while we have been in Paris. 
 
 I would also say, that last Sunday we heard a 
 capital sermon from Eev. Mr. Hitchcock, of the 
 American chapel; but at night I never saw such a 
 Sabbath desecration. The Shah of Persia, who is 
 quite a sharp-looking, gingerbread darkey, is here, 
 and wherever we go we find the people in a stir. 
 Sunday night the city was illuminated in his honor, 
 and millions of gas-lights were blazing all over the 
 immense crowds that swayed in every direction, and 
 crowded all the avenues to get a look at his august 
 majesty. I saw him, and was satisfied that I could 
 beat him on looks at any of your tobacco-factories. 
 
Letter from Key. A. B. Whipple. 299 
 
 Letter from the Eev. A. B. Whipple, President of Lansing- 
 burgh College, N. Y. 
 
 London, August 19, 1873. 
 
 If I remember rightly, my dear friends and Ga- 
 zette readers, I indirectly promised to write a letter 
 concerning Paris, the capital of France, and, as the 
 French think, the capital of the world. It really is 
 a beautiful city, embracing a population of more 
 than two millions. It contains public places and 
 buildings of historic interest, so numerous and so 
 varied as to render a selection for description quite 
 a puzzle; more especially when that description 
 must be quite precise, to enable the reader to see it 
 as the writer does; add to this, all must be con- 
 densed, not into a guide-book, but the narrow col- 
 umns of a newspaper. 
 
 Let me take you, first of all, right into the midst 
 of the city to the Arc d'Etoile, the largest and 
 finest sculptured arch in Europe, built by order of 
 E"apoleon to commemorate his victories of 1805. 
 We pause a moment to admire its size, design, and 
 workmanship, and read the names of the places 
 where his victories were won; we see the engraved 
 honors, but not many of the horrors of war. We 
 learn that its solid concrete underground structure 
 is twenty-five feet in thickness, and that all above 
 is solid stone. Learning so much, we seek its sum- 
 mit by two hundred and forty steps, and find the 
 top is one hundred and fifty feet above the ground, 
 and the ground a hill ; and so Paris lies spread out 
 like a huge living map below us. We are not long 
 in perceiving that the Triumphal Arch is in a con- 
 spicuous position. Twelve boulevards, like spokes 
 of a wheel, radiate from it. Down these grand, 
 doubly-lined and tree-shaded avenues, far into the 
 city, we look with pleasure ; and from these same 
 boulevards the glory -loving Frenchmen can cast 
 
300 A Memphiaj^'s Trip to Europe. 
 
 their eyes up to this Triumphal Arch, and in heart 
 bless the author, and only wait a few months to 
 place the young prince in power, and shout " Yive 
 I'Empereur ! " The French love the I^apoleons. 
 
 Let us look along one boulevard at a time. 
 A down the avenue we see myriads of seemingly 
 happy people. On the right we see a grand build- 
 ing : it is the Industrial Palace — the Crystal Palace 
 — rebuilt for annual home exhibitions. Farther 
 down is the broad street called the Champs Elysees 
 (Elysian Fields), covering some forty acres, and 
 bordering on the Seine. It is finely shaded with 
 horse-chestnut trees laid out in walks, cut through 
 by the avenue bearing its name. Along this the 
 aristocratic drive, going to and returning from the 
 park beyond the Arc. Here, too, are the amuse- 
 ments for the people — singing, cofiee-houses, thea- 
 ters, circuses, and mimic shows in splendid variety. 
 At the lower end of this avenue is the Place de la 
 Concorde, an open space with fountains and fine 
 statuary; and in the midst the great . red-granite 
 obelisk of Luxor, brought from Thebes, in Egypt, 
 at immense expense. It is one granite piece, sev- 
 enty-five feet long, well proportioned, and with 
 Egyptian hieroglyphics. It has been known more 
 than three thousand years. It stands on the very 
 spot where, during the early Reign of Terror, stood 
 the guillotine on which were beheaded Louis XYL, 
 his sister Mary Antoinette, and twenty-eight hun- 
 dred others. Well may a red-grsimte obelisk cover 
 the spot ! Beyond this, in the same direction, are 
 the gardens of the Tuileries — extended and beauti- 
 fully-shaded grounds, lying immediately in front of 
 the palace. Within are fountains and statuary of 
 rare merit, altogether forming one of the favorite 
 promenades to Parisians of all classes and ages — 
 for here children and their nurses do greatly abound. 
 Still farther on is the palace of the Tuileries, now 
 
Letter from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 301 
 
 mostly in ruins ; the building itself, of great extent 
 and many historical associations, also the late impe- 
 rial residence, was destroyed in 1871 by the Com- 
 munal authorities, for a short time in power in 
 Paris. Adjoining the Tuileries is the Louvre — a 
 palace and great national museum. It was partly 
 destroyed by the Commune. Many of the halls 
 remain, and in them are some of the finest pictures 
 in the world ; not paintings only, but statuary of 
 all ages and nations ; models of naval and marine 
 architecture, from early ages to the present ; ethno- 
 logical specimens, embracing the peculiar costumes 
 and implements of all nations — as, for instance, the 
 idols, temples, and car of Juggernaut; halls of 
 vases, halls of medals, halls of dishes, halls of or- 
 naments, halls of arts of all kinds, through which 
 one may travel twelve miles without going over the 
 same hall the second time. I tried it, and it took 
 me all of one day. My eyes were never tired of 
 seeing; but my legs, long ere the day was done, 
 complained bitterly, inasmuch as marble floors and 
 oft-repeated granite steps made even slow walking 
 very hard — and even now my knees tremble at the 
 sight of stairs. 
 
 Still farther on we may enter l^otre Dame, one 
 of the architectural glories of Paris and the world. 
 It has two immense square towers. The whole 
 front and portals are elaborate, and within are some 
 of the finest Gothic arches in Europe. It has a 
 wealth of stained - glass windows, splendid side- 
 chapels, and a most magnificent high-altar, at which 
 ISTapoleon and Josephine were crowned. As an ec- 
 clesiastical object, it is the most impressive in Paris, 
 and in grandeur and historical associations it can 
 hardly be excelled in Europe. Across the Seine, 
 to the right, we find an immense structure, built 
 by Louis XIY. for military hospital purposes, and 
 afterward used by IsTapoleon for the same purpose. 
 
302 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 It is called the Hotel des Invalides. Besides the 
 living remains of many old and scarred veterans, 
 there are old pictures of old wars — a little real and 
 much imaginary. In the chapel are rotting J)attle- 
 flags, from the oriflamme of St. Louis to those 
 taken at Sebastopol. Back of this chapel is a 
 church called the Dome of the Invalides — so named, 
 perhaps, from its conspicuous gilded dome, enabling 
 one to see it and know it from afar — more notewor- 
 thy for what is within and immediately under the 
 dome. In a sunken, circular space, in a large red- 
 granite sarcophagus, surrounded by his moldering 
 battle-flags, between a number of weeping marble 
 maidens, lie the remains of E"apoleon Bonaparte. 
 White marble and nice workmanship make the 
 church very beautiful within; and the high-altar, 
 colored by the light streaming through glass stained 
 with golden color, is rendered peculiarly beautiful. 
 Around in the church are monuments containing 
 the remains of Yauban, Turenne, and Joseph Bona- 
 parte. Two empty rooms indicate the places se- 
 lected by I^apoleon III. and Eugenie as their last 
 resting-place. Whether recent events in French 
 history will keep them out remains to be proven. 
 My judgment is, that ultimately they will be hon- 
 ored with a place among their illustrious relatives, 
 whom at heart the nation loves. Here, as all through 
 Europe, men of great fighting ability are honored 
 after death with admission to the churches, and 
 worshiped as heroes, if not canonized as saints. 
 
 My dear readers, I have only, as it were, run a 
 little way down one avenue in Paris, with brief 
 touches. The gay out-door life, the busy industry, 
 splendid markets, stores, etc., need mention ; but I 
 have used my last sheet. 
 
London's Immensity. 303 
 
 CHAPTER XYII. 
 
 Loitering in London — Prince Albert's memorial monument — 
 Description of its beauties, its grandeur, and sculpture. 
 
 London, August 20, 1873. 
 London's Immensity. — The time allotted for this 
 great city has nearly expired. I feel inclined to 
 say something more of a few things here. The 
 longer I remain here, the more I am impressed 
 with its immensity. It is the only place we have 
 visited that we have not been able to comprehend. 
 Having been composed of qnite a number of towns 
 by filling up the intervening space between them, 
 it does not present that uniformity which it would 
 have done had it been built as one city. This com- 
 plicates the ability to grasp its proportions. It has 
 thus increased its population to about three and a 
 half millions. The wealth and intelligence concen- 
 trates in the cities, as well as the population. 
 
 ' I was more impressed with this after visiting the 
 memorial monument erected to Prince Albert, in 
 Regent's Park. We went out by the underground 
 railroad, and returned by two lines of omnibuses. 
 In this vicinity are the Exposition buildings, and the 
 South Kensington Museum. Here are the historical 
 paintings of England, embracing portraits, not only 
 of her kings and queens, but many of other nations ; 
 also, their great men in theology, science, art, and 
 literature. Here I saw many with whose names I 
 have been familiar from my boyhood. Wesley's 
 was taken at manhood and in old age. There is 
 
304 A Memphian's Teip to Europe. 
 
 scarcely a prominent man in English history whose 
 portrait is not to be found in this gallery. 
 
 There are a great many specimens of printing in 
 the different stages of its progress, and thousands of 
 things collected from England's colonies, showing 
 the vast resources of her territory, on which the 
 sun never sets. 
 
 I am not surprised that Englishmen are proud of 
 their country. They have much of which to boast 
 in her past history, present condition, and future 
 destiny. They have in their government all the 
 civil and religious liberty that they think is neces- 
 sary. Their House of Commons, elected by the 
 people, have a controlling influence in their parlia- 
 ment, so that it may be said the people rule. 
 
 Memorial Monument. — But I am wandering. I 
 started to say something about the most magnificent 
 memorial monument there is perhaps in the world. 
 It is to honor the husband of their queen. The 
 monument is elevated upon a lofty and wide-spread- 
 ing pyramid of steps. From the upper platform 
 rises a continued pedestal surrounded by sculptures, 
 representing historical groups or scenes of the most 
 eminent artists of all ages of the world, the four 
 sides being devoted severally to painting, sculpture, 
 architecture, poetry, and music. The figures are 
 about six feet high. This forms, as it were, the 
 foundation of the monument, and upon it is placed 
 the shrine. This is supported at each of its angles 
 by groups of four pillars of polished granite, bear- 
 ing the four main arches of the shrine. There are 
 one hundred and sixty-nine full-sized marble statues. 
 The whole structure is crowned by a lofty shrine of 
 rich tabernacle-work in gilt and enameled metal, 
 continued in a cross one hundred and eighty feet 
 high. Beneath this vast canopy, and raised upon a 
 lofty pedestal, will be placed the statue of the prince. 
 Besides the sculpture already mentioned there are, 
 
Prince Albert's Memorial Monument. 305 
 
 on pedestals, groups illustrating the industrial arts 
 of agriculture, manufacture, commerce, and engin- 
 eering. Above these, against the pillars, are statues 
 which represent the greater sciences and the Chris- 
 tian virtues. At the angles of the pyramid of steps 
 from which the monument rises are four large 
 pedestals, being groups allegorically relating to the 
 four quarters of the globe and their productions. 
 The figures in the niches idealize the four great 
 Christian virtues — faith, hope, charity, and humil- 
 ity. The four statues at the angle of the second 
 story represent the four great moral virtues — forti- 
 tude, prudence, justice, and temperance. The four 
 angels immediately over these niches suggest aspi- 
 ration after heavenly glory. The monument is 
 intended to commemorate his royal highness the 
 Prince Consort, first in rank and station in the 
 United Kingdom, except the sovereign, as the great 
 promoter of art, science, and the social virtues. It 
 is the most magnificent thing of the kind in the 
 world. It was all made of materials found in Eng- 
 land, and by her own artists. It was paid for by 
 the spontaneous contributions of the people. 
 
 If I had time, I would like to give a description 
 of the eight groups of sculpture — four representing 
 the four continents, the other four the industrial 
 arts — but it would take too much space. I will say, 
 however, that the four lower groups represent 
 Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The figure 
 representing England is seated on a rock, against 
 which the waves are dashing. France, as a mili- 
 tary power, is shown holding a sword in the one 
 hand and in the other a wreath of laurel. Germany, 
 the great home of literature and science, is repre- 
 sented in a thoughtful attitude, with an open vol- 
 ume on her knee. Italy is shown as awakening 
 from a dream, in allusion to her recent union into 
 one kingdom, the broken column on which she ia 
 
306 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 sitting referring to her former greatness. Asia is 
 represented by a figure seated on an elephant, and 
 in the act of raising her veil from her face. The 
 poet represents Persia with his pen and writing- 
 case. In brief : China holding his specimen of 
 porcelain ; the warrior of India and Central Asia 
 with his weapons, and the Arab merchant sitting 
 on his camel's saddle with the Koran beside him. 
 A general feeling of repose seems to pervade this 
 group. Africa is represented by an Egyptian prin- 
 cess seated on a camel. On her right stands a 
 E'ubian, his hand resting on a half-buried statue, in 
 allusion to the monumental glories of the past. 
 The negro, leaning on his bow, is the representa- 
 tive of the uncivilized races of that continent. The 
 camel was chosen for this group, as it is indispen- 
 sable in the African deserts, and is used universally 
 as a means of communication by traders, and has 
 at all times been characteristic of Egypt. 
 
 America is placed on the north angle. The group 
 consists of a central figure of America as a quarter 
 of the globe, mounted on a bison, charging through 
 the long grass of the prairie. Their advance is 
 directed by the United States on the one side, while 
 Canada attends them, pressing the rose of England 
 to her breast. In the other figures of the composi- 
 tion are represented Mexico rising from a trance, 
 and South America equipped for the chase. The 
 figures of America are of the Indian type, in native 
 costumes and feathered head-dresses ; the eagle 
 for the United States, the beaver for Canada, the 
 lone star for Chili, volcano for Mexico, the alpaca 
 for Peru, and the cross for Brazil. In the compo- 
 sition of this group present progress and general 
 onward movement are expressed, and form a con- 
 trast to the other three continents, which are more 
 tranquil in their arrangement. It is the most ex- 
 pressive marble I ever saw. On it you may look 
 
Wesleyan Chapel and Cemetery. 307 
 
 for hours with intense interest. It is in Hyde Park, 
 containing three hundred and ninety acres, beauti- 
 fully laid off, and containing the statue of Wellington, 
 whom England delights to honor. Take it alto- 
 gether, it far surpasses any thing of the kind that 
 has ever been erected. 
 
 Sacred to John Wesley. — A number of our party, 
 who had not visited the City-road Wesleyan Chapel 
 and Cemetery, desiring me, I went with them 
 once more to that hallowed place, made sacred by 
 the life, labors, and triumphant death of one of the 
 most remarkable men in English history. John 
 Wesley not only commenced an organization which 
 has become the largest Protestant Church, but the 
 influence of the doctrines he preached has been felt 
 by the Church of England and other Churches. 
 Here his remains rest in the rear of the church in 
 which he labored, and within a few steps of the 
 house in which he passed from earth to heaven. I 
 am glad the church, parsonage, and his house re- 
 main as they were in his day. I bought some ste- 
 reoscopic views of them, some books, and memorials 
 made out of that part of the pulpit which was taken 
 off when it was lowered five feet. If I venerate 
 any man, and the place where his remains sleep, 
 this would be that place. I saw and heard much of 
 St. Paul's prison, beheading, and burial, both in St. 
 Peter's and St. Paul's Churches in Kome, but I 
 know not whether the places are really the ones 
 they claim to be, but here I know sleep those whose 
 words and works have shaken the world. Dr. 
 Clarke and Richard Watson and others, whom 
 Methodists esteem as pillars of the church, are here 
 together, moldering to their common elements, 
 while they — in the better land — have met countless 
 thousands who have been aided in their upward 
 march by their writings. John Bunyan, whose 
 "Pilgrim's Progress" has been read by more people 
 
308 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 1 
 
 than any book save the Bible, sleeps just across the 
 street, near the mother of the Wesleys. Some 
 Baptists along, no doubt, felt toward him as I did 
 in re2:ard to those to whom I have referred. 
 
 I have visited several other places of interest 
 since I wrote, but I find I shall spin this letter out 
 too long if I give any account of them. My time 
 is swiftly passing, and soon I must leave this world's 
 metropolis for home. I may, how^ever, sketch some 
 items of places and things that may, perhaps, be 
 read with some interest, as they belong to that peo- 
 ple from wdiom we descended, and to whom w^e, as 
 a people, sustain the most important relations, com- 
 mercially, socially, and morally. They feel toward 
 us as brothers, and manifest the most lively interest 
 in our welfare, thinking that — next to themselves — 
 we have the best country and government in the 
 world. 
 
 Letters from the Eev. A. B. Whipple, President of Lansing- 
 burgh College, N. Y. 
 
 H. V. I., October 14, 1873. 
 
 One day while in London I started to find the 
 Patent Of&ce, as I wished to see the models of the 
 many curious machines kept there for sight-seeing 
 and study. I found the office only to learn that the 
 models were kept in the Museum of Arts, at South 
 Kensington. A pleasant ride of an hour brought 
 me there ; and many an hour was spent in looking 
 at the skill of man, as shown in his inventions. 
 Models of almost every contrivance of man are 
 gathered here in various halls and departments. At 
 home I may tell of some things I saw inside the 
 halls of art. 
 
 My purpose in this letter is to describe a work of 
 art which (in its completeness) surpasses any thing 
 else I saw in ray journey; and I fear a single letter 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 309 
 
 will be insufficient to give a full account; neverthe- 
 less, I will begin, and your interest in the subject 
 shall be the token of continuance or discontinuance. 
 "What I am about to describe is called the Prince 
 Consort ITational Memorial. 
 
 In constructing this, two objects seem to have 
 been intended — one to commemorate the love of the 
 nation to the prince; the other, to commemorate 
 the great interest taken by the prince in the ad- 
 vancement of the arts and sciences. To him Eng- 
 land is greatly indebted for the World's Fair of 
 1851, and the present Crystal Palace described in 
 my last letter. As a study, it is hoped that this me- 
 morial will stimulate the development of the deco- 
 rative arts, and so, practically, illustrate and realize 
 the object to which the prince incessantly devoted 
 his energies. I will try and picture the monument 
 in words, askiug only that you will use your fancy 
 somewhat in trying to fill out the picture. 
 
 Fancy you see the base of a granite pyramid two 
 hundred feet square; walk up about twenty-five 
 steps, and you are on the base of the monument. 
 From this upper platform rises a continuous pedes- 
 tal, surrounded by sculptures representing historical 
 groups of the most eminent artists of all ages of the 
 world — one side devoted to painting, one to sculp- 
 ture, one to architecture, and one to poetry and 
 music. The figures, carved in stone, are six feet 
 high, and in number one hundred and sixty-nine — 
 forty-two or forty-three on a side, with the most fa- 
 mous in the center — in poetry. Homer; in painting, 
 Angelo; in architecture, Christopher Wren; in 
 music, Beethoven. All these form, as it were, the 
 foundation of the monument on which the shrine is 
 placed. This is supported by groups of four pol- 
 ished granite pillars, supporting the four main arches 
 of the shriue. Each side terminates with a gable, 
 in the tympanum of which is a large mosaic picture. 
 
310 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 The intersecting roofs are covered with scales of 
 metal richly enameled and gilded. The whole struc- 
 ture is crowned by a lofty spire terminating in a 
 cross one hundred and eighty feet above the ground. 
 Under this vast canopy, on a lofty pedestal, in a sit- 
 ting posture, is the statue of the prince. 
 
 In addition to the sculpture already mentioned, 
 there are, on pedestals projecting from each angle, 
 groups illustrating the industrial arts of agricul- 
 ture, manufactures, commerce and engineering. 
 Above these, against the pillars and in the angles 
 of the gables, are statues representing the greater 
 sciences, and in the work of the spire are figures of 
 angels and of the Christian virtues. At the four 
 corners of the pyramid of steps, from which the 
 monument rises, are four large pedestals, each bear- 
 ing an allegoric group representing the four quar- 
 ters of the globe and their productions. These I 
 will more minutely describe, believing that a specific 
 description will please and instruct more than a 
 general one. 
 
 The group at the south-west corner is called Eu- 
 rope. It is composed of "^ye female figures seated. 
 The central one, typifying the continent, is seated on 
 a bull, in allusion to the ancient mythological fable ; 
 in her right hand a scepter, in her left an orb, indi- 
 cating the influence exercised over the other conti- 
 nents. The figure of England is seated on a rock, 
 against which the waves are dashing; in her right 
 hand a trident, her left hand resting on a shield 
 with the united crosses of St. George and St. An- 
 drew. 
 
 As a military power, France is holding a sword in 
 one hand, and a wreath of laurel in the other. 
 
 The home of literature and science, Germany, is 
 in meditative attitude, with an open volume on her 
 knee. 
 
 Italy seems waking from a dream, signifying hei 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 311 
 
 recent union into one kingdom ; she is seated on a 
 broken column, alluding to her former greatness; 
 and the lyre and the palette acknowledge her ex- 
 cellence in the arts of music and painting. 
 
 The group at the south-east angle represents 
 Asia, the central figure only being a female. She is 
 seated on an elephant, and is in the act of removing 
 her veil. The prostrate elephant signifies the sub- 
 jection of brute force to human intelligence; and 
 the poet of Persia, with his pen and writing-case ; 
 the art-manufacturer of China, holding a specimen 
 of porcelain ; the warrior of India, with his weapons ; 
 and the Arab merchant, resting on his camel-saddle 
 — all suggest learning, industry, courage, and enter- 
 prise, the combined elements of Asia's greatness. 
 A characteristic of this whofe group is the spirit of 
 repose resting, as it seems, on a civilization un- 
 changed for ages, and never hinting of the past, nor 
 anxious for the future. 
 
 On the pedestal, at the north-east, is placed Af- 
 rica. On a camel is seated the principal figure, an 
 Egyptian princess, for the reason that Egypt was 
 the first African power, and forerunner of civiliza- 
 tion. At her right hand stands a I^ubian — her east- 
 ernmost dweller — his hand resting on a half-buried 
 statue, in allusion to her past monumental glories. 
 On her left is a seated figure of her northern mer- 
 chant, with his native products and objects of com- 
 merce near him. As the representative of the un- 
 civilized races of his continent, the negro stands 
 leaning on his bow, listening to the teaching of a 
 female figure, indicating kindly eftbrt to improve 
 the race; while at his feet the broken chains show 
 the part England took in the emancipation of the 
 slaves. 
 
 At the north-west, as it should be, America 
 mounts the pedestal. The group consists of a cen- 
 tral figure, America, mounted on a bison, charging 
 
312 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 through the long prairie-grass. Their advance is 
 directed bj the United States on one side, while on 
 the other Canada attends them, pressing the rose 
 of England to her breast. Other figures represent 
 Mexico rising from a trance, and South America 
 equipped for the chase. A detail of the emblem is 
 as follows: The figure of America is of the Indian 
 type, and in native costume, with feathered head- 
 dress, while the housings of the bison are a grizzly 
 bear's skin. In her right hand is a stone-pointed, 
 feathered lance, with Indian "totems" of the gray 
 squirrel and humming-bird; and on her left arm she 
 bears a shield, with blazons of the principal divis- 
 ions of the hemisphere — the eagle for the States, 
 the beaver for Canada, the lone star for Chili, the 
 volcanoes for Mexico, the alpaca for Peru, and the 
 southern cross for Brazil. In the rear, aroused by 
 the passage of a bison through the grass, is a rattle- 
 snake. The features of the United States are of the 
 ^N^orth American Anglo-Saxon civilized type. Her 
 tresses are surmounted by an eagle's plume and by 
 a star, which is repeated on her baldric — a richly- 
 ornamented belt — at the point of the scepter in her 
 right hand, and on the bracelet round her left arm; 
 in her left hand is a wreath formed by the leaves of 
 the evergreen oak. At her foot lies the Indian's 
 quiver, with but an arrow or two left in it. Her 
 dress is partly thin and partly of a thicker texture, 
 indicating the great range of climate. 
 
 Canada, dressed in furs, has a more English type; 
 w^oven into her head-dress are the maple-leaf of the 
 mainland and the May-flower of I^ova Scotia. In 
 her right hand are ears of wheat; at her feet a pair 
 of snow-shoes and the cone of a pine-tree. Three 
 distinct types of womanhood are thus represented 
 by the artists. Mexico has a somewhat Aztec face, 
 a Mexican head-dress, stafi', feather cincture, and the 
 cochineal cactus at his feet. He seems I'ising from 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 813 
 
 his panther's skin, restless and disturbed, yet look- 
 ing forward with hope. 
 
 South America is represented by a half-breed 
 type — Indians and Spaniards — seated on a rock, 
 habited in a sombrero, poncho, and Indian girdle; in 
 his left hand the short horseman's carbine of the 
 country; in his right, a lasso. By his side is an or- 
 chid of the forests of Brazil, and at his feet a horn 
 of the wild cattle of the plains, and also a blossom 
 of the giant lily of the Amazon. 
 
 In comparing this American group with the 
 others, one can hardly fail to notice that it is quite 
 unlike the others. There is not so much of repose, 
 but more of an onward movement, expressed — a 
 kind of visible unrest quite in contrast with the 
 other more tranquil continents. 
 
 I could not more briejiy describe these four geo- 
 graphical groups, and do them justice. They form 
 a very interesting study, and do honor to the four 
 different artists who designed and executed them. 
 Instructive as they are, they form only a small part 
 of the many alletjcorical statues and mosaics intro- 
 duced into the whole monument; whether I shall 
 describe the others will depend largely on your in- 
 terest in what you have now read. 
 
 H. V. I, March 2, 1874. 
 
 In my last letter I partl}^ described the Prince 
 Albert Memorial, ending with an account of the 
 four lower groups, representing the four quarters of 
 the world. 
 
 Ascending the steps to the podium, we find four 
 more groups of statuary, typifying agriculture, man- 
 ufiicture, commerce, and engineering. The first oc- 
 cupies the south-west corner, having, as the princi- 
 pal figure. Agriculture, cro^vned with a wreath of 
 corn, and directing the husbandmen to the improve- 
 14 
 
314 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ments in farming implements caused by the steam- 
 engine and chemistry; she is pointing from the 
 primitive plow on which the farmer leans, to a steam- 
 cylinder and chemical retort lying below. Seated 
 on the left of Agriculture is a woman having her 
 lap full of corn as a result of the improved means; 
 on the right is a shepherd-boy, with a lamb in his 
 arms and a ewe by his side, suggesting the rearing 
 and breeding of cattle. 
 
 At the south-east angle stands the second group, 
 having the genius of Manufactures for the principal 
 figure. She -is pointing to a bee-hive as the emblem 
 of industry, while an hour-glass indicates the value 
 of time as important in all manufacturing opera- 
 tions. Beside her is a smith, indicating the im- 
 portance of the iron industries to the country in 
 aiding the manufacturer. On the other side is the 
 weaver, and in front the potter, exhibiting their 
 textile and fictile manufactures. 
 
 On the north-east of the podium is the allegorical 
 group of Commerce. The chief figure holds in her 
 left hand a cornucopia showing the result of com- 
 mercial enterprise. In her right hand she holds a 
 balance — emblem of trade — and also a purse and 
 ledger. A ground figure in front brings corn — the 
 great necessity of life — and an oriental merchant 
 has a casket of jewels, indicating objects of luxury 
 imported by means of commerce. 
 
 On the north-west is the fourth group. The ge- 
 nius of Engineering stands above the other figures, 
 resting her hand on a steam-cylinder. In front a 
 youthful figure, with compasses in hand, is noting 
 a design spread on the ground before him. The 
 great agent of all engineering operations, the nav- 
 V}^, is seated on one side, while on the other kneels 
 one holding a cog-wheel, showing that engineering 
 is aided by machinery. Back of the group is a 
 steam-hammer, a blast-furnace, and the Britannia 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 315 
 
 and Menai bridges — triumphs of the engineering 
 art. 
 
 Above the podium, on four large pillars, stands 
 the vaulted memorial. On the outer side, and near 
 the base of the pillars, are four bronze statues, each 
 about eight and one-half feet in height. One rep- 
 resents Astronomy, having her head surrounded 
 with a fillet of stars, and holding in her hand a 
 globe — symbol of the science over which she pre- 
 sides. The second statue is Chemistry, having in 
 her hand a retort, one of the most important chem- 
 ical instruments. The third is Geoloo:v, with ham- 
 mer and pick-ax in her right hand, and in her left 
 the earth partly excavated. At her feet are various 
 ores and the remains of antediluvian animals. Ge- 
 ometry stands at the south-west, holding in one 
 hand the compasses, and in the other a tablet in- 
 scribed with geometric figures. 
 
 Above these, in the four niches of the canopy, are 
 four more bronze statues. The one at the south- 
 east is Rhetoric, with head bent forward as if read- 
 ing a speech which she holds in her hand. In the 
 north-east angle of the canopy is Medicine, holding 
 a cup in her left hand, and a serpent in her right — 
 emblems of Hygeia, the daughter of Esculapius. 
 Philosopy occupies the north-west angle of the can- 
 opy, having in one hand an open book, to which 
 she points with the other, suggesting the develop- 
 ment of philosophy by means of literature. The 
 remaining angle of the canopy is occupied by 
 Physiology, having a new-born babe on her left 
 arm, to teach the highest development of perfect 
 physiological forms. Her right hand points to a 
 microscope as the means of investigating minute 
 organisms. 
 
 Above these, and on the spire, are eight bronze- 
 gilt statues — four in the great niches, and four in 
 the angles of these niches. The four greater, or 
 
316 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Christian virtues, are — Faith, with her chalice and 
 cross; Hope, with upraised look, standing beside 
 her anchor; Charity, a crowned figure, uncovering 
 her bosom with her right hand, and in her left hold- 
 ing the burning heart; and Humilit}^, fully draped, 
 looking down, and holding in her right hand a 
 lighted taper. The four lesser or moral virtues are 
 Fortitude, armed with a shield and club; Prudence, 
 holding the serpent-emblem of wisdom; Justice, 
 holding the sword and scales; Temperance, with a 
 bridle in her hands. Immediately above these, 
 with drooping heads, are four angels, in attitudes 
 suggesting the resignation of worldly honors; while 
 still higher, and at the base of the surmounting 
 cross, four other angels, with uplifted heads and 
 hands, indicate aspirations for heavenly glorj^. 
 
 Underneath the vault of blue mosaic ground, in- 
 wrought with his armorial bearings, is the bronze 
 statue of the Prince Consort, for whom this na- 
 tional memorial has been constructed. He is repre- 
 sented in a sitting posture, in attitude and expxas- 
 sion embodying rank, character, and a responsive 
 intelligence, showing active interest in every thing 
 indicated by the surrounding groups, figures, and 
 relievos. In his right hand is a catalogue of the 
 works collected for the International Exhibition of 
 1851. The dedicatory inscription is in mosaic, the 
 letters of blue glass with black edges on a ground 
 of gold-enameled glass: "Queen Victoria and her 
 people to the memory of Albert, Prince Consort, as 
 a tribute of their gratitude for a life devoted to the 
 public good." 
 
 From this description, thus minutely given, and 
 yet containing only a small part of the whole, one 
 can easily see the great amount of study, as well as 
 work, required to create and execute this remarka- 
 ble memorial. The learning of all ages and climes 
 is here expressed in symbols appreciated by every 
 
Letters from Eev. T. W. Hooper. 317 
 
 visitor in proportion to his knowledge. The whole 
 becomes what artists call a study, and reveals the 
 character and attainments of the prince so honora- 
 ble and honored, and of the men and nation de- 
 signing and constructing it. More and more will it 
 become the honored resort of the learned traveler. 
 If you have read the description carefully, you may 
 have noticed that not a soldier or warrior or great 
 military hero has any mention or symbol to illus- 
 trate his usefulness to the world. The peaceful arts, 
 the moral and Christian virtues, all aim upward and 
 terminate in the cross — a significance which the 
 race would see realized. 
 
 Letters from the Rev. T. W. Hooper, of Lynchburg, Va., 
 written for the News. 
 
 London', August 11, 1873. 
 
 Here we are, once more in this great metropolis, 
 enjoying again the pleasant sound of our mother- 
 tongue, and somewhat familiar with its streets and 
 noted places, from our former visit. You cannot im- 
 agine how pleasant it is to us all to get out of the 
 range of French and German, and understand what 
 is spoken at the depots and on the streets by those 
 who are talking to each other or to us. 
 
 We left Brussels Saturday morning, by rail, and 
 spent several hours very pleasantly at Antwerp, 
 waiting for the steamer. We visited the cathedral, 
 which is most famous for containing the finest 
 paintings of Rubens. "We saw his masterpiece. The 
 Descent from the Cross, and another not much in- 
 ferior, in my judgment, The Elevation on the 
 Cross. Both are worthy of his genius, and the cit- 
 izens of Antwerp are proud of the fact that such a 
 man as Rubens was born there. His statue in the 
 public place represents him as one of the finest- 
 looking men, with a most intellectual brow. At 4 
 
318 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 o'clock p.m. we bade adieu to the continent, on the 
 steamer Pacific, in the midst of a fearful thunder- 
 storm, and glided down the Scheldt, between Bel- 
 gium and Holland, watching with great interest the 
 entrance to the great ship canal that leads up to 
 E-otterdam, the tremendous sea-walls along the 
 shore, which keep back the water from the lowland, 
 with its sluices for drainage at low tide, and its 
 w^indmills for pumping purposes, where the land is 
 lower than the tide, and at about dark we passed 
 Flushing, where we exchanged pilots, and floated 
 out upon the waters of the German Ocean. In 
 the meantime the storm had passed away, and, much 
 to our surprise and gratification, the dreaded ocean 
 was as calm as a Scotch lake, and we slept as 
 soundly as we could have done on shore. 
 
 This evening we reached Harwich, where we 
 landed, and after a formal examination of baggage, 
 we came on rapidly by the cars to London. On 
 reaching the St. Pancras Hotel, said by the proprie- 
 tors to be the largest in the world, we were pleased 
 to be so cordially greeted by the second and third 
 sections, who had preceded us by a few days. It 
 was delightful to meet with these friends, from 
 whom we had parted a month ago, and exchange 
 views as to the different places we had all seen at 
 diiferent times and under dififerent circumstances. 
 But I am sure that all of us are more than delighted 
 with what we have seen, and it is a mystery to us 
 all how Thos. Cook & Son could show us so much, 
 in such a time, and at such a small cost, when we 
 compare notes with other travelers. I have no hes- 
 itation now, after a thorough trial, in advising all 
 my friends who propose a European tour hereafter 
 to purchase Mr. Cook's coupons, and I can conceive 
 of nothing more pleasant in the way of travel than 
 for twenty friends to form a party under his personal 
 superintendence, or conducted by one of his own 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 319 
 
 conductors. We have no trouble about our bag- 
 gage, or rooms at hotels, or payment of bills, or 
 securing seats (extra cars when required). We have 
 sometimes found our trunks in our rooms on our 
 arrival at the hotel, and our rooms are always 
 ready to receive us, and the meal awaiting us when 
 we arrive. 
 
 I am inclined to think, too, that preference has 
 been given to us where there was a crowd, and I 
 am sure that the Messrs. Cook and our conductor, 
 Mr. Tuttshell, have done every thing that lay in 
 their power for our pleasure and our comfort. 
 
 But yesterday ! What pen can describe the 
 pleasure of Protestant worship in a Christian land, 
 after even two Sabbaths on the Continent? As we 
 expect to spend a week or ten days here, we had 
 already secured rooms (four of us) at Mr. Cook's 
 boarding-house, just opposite the British Museum, 
 so we moved around Saturday evening. It may be 
 that the quiet, home-like place, in contrast to busy, 
 bustling hotels, had something to do with it; but 
 yesterday was a calm, beautiful, sunny day, and we 
 certainly made the most of it. At 11 o'clock a.m. 
 we mingled with the 6,500 worshipers at Mr. Spur- 
 geon's Tabernacle. The house is elliptical, with 
 the pulpit, or stand, in one focus, and a double gal- 
 lery all around. Large as it is, I thought as I stood 
 in the pulpit that my voice would till it as easily as 
 it does my own church at home. By the kindness 
 of a member we had a seat near the center of the 
 main auditorium, Mr. C. having secured tickets 
 for the whole party. A little ticket also secured to 
 us admission to the communion-table in the lecture- 
 room below, after the services, and for the first time 
 in ray life I had the pleasure of eating the Lord's 
 Supper with my dear brethren of the Baptist 
 Church. I remembered those at home, as well as 
 the dear people of my own charge, with whom I 
 
820 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 communed the Sunday before I left home, and with 
 one of whom, at least, I shall meet no m.ore, until 
 I meet her in heaven. 
 
 Mr. Spurgeon was more portly than I expected to 
 find him, and his whiskers gave him a difterent 
 appearance from the picture that I have in my 
 study. His manner is plain, simple, earnest, and 
 at times impassioned. His voice is strong, clear, 
 well-modulated, and capable of almost any inflec- 
 tion. He preaches to his vast congregation just as 
 we common men talk at our prayer- meetings. 
 There is the same self-possession, colloquial sim- 
 plicity, directness, point, and homeliness; while 
 now and then come the flashes of genius, and all 
 along is the deep earnestness of a man who wants 
 to save souls and to comfort believers. He is bold 
 in the statement of doctrine, but not dry ; unquali- 
 fied in his renunciation of error, but not personal; 
 candid in the statement of his own trusts, but char- 
 itable to those who difier from him. His text was 
 from Isaiah Ix., and the subject, " Praising God for 
 his loving kindnesses." After the Communion we 
 went up to shake hands, and found him a really 
 pleasant, jovial, warm-hearted Christian man, glad 
 to see everybody from America, and with a warm 
 grasp of the hand, said: ''God bless you, my 
 brother, and take you all back home in safety." 
 
 As we still had several hours before us, we 
 strolled on down across the Thames at London 
 bridge, up through by the monument where the 
 great fire was stayed, through Poultry lane, and 
 other places familiar to every reader of English lit- 
 erature, to the Cathedral of St. Paul, where Canon 
 Lyddon was to preach at 3:15 p.m. We entered the 
 grand old cathedral along with an immense con- 
 course, and secured chairs in the middle aisle just 
 under the dome, and not far from the pulpit, which 
 was placed against one of the central columns. To 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 321 
 
 the music of a splendid organ there carae in a long 
 procession of men with white gowns on, who turned 
 out to be the choral service performers, and who 
 chanted the w^hole service bodily, including the 
 Lord's Prayer, two or three times. This, I must 
 say, I did not think in good taste, not to mention 
 the absence of all that was spiritually beneficial to 
 the people. The boys sang well, but the old man 
 that led reminded me of a Hard-shell Baptist 
 preacher, with his long, wdiining drawl. I wondered 
 what Brother C. would think of such a performance 
 in another St. Paul's, and hope the day will never 
 come when our brethren there will imagine that this 
 is the way to worship God "in the beauty of holi- 
 ness." But after this display of musical praj'ing, 
 amid the burning of tapers, we had a splendid 
 hymn or anthem — the most of it a solo — and then 
 the sermon. It must be a miserable place to preach 
 in, for the speaker's voice echoed among the arches 
 equal to an Alpine horn; but he had preached there 
 before, and knows how to control it. The sermon 
 was based on the lesson of the day — "The unjust 
 steward" — and was a splendid specimen of highly- 
 finished, classic, ornate eloquence, splendidly deliv- 
 ered, and anywhere else and to any other audience 
 would have produced a profound impression. But 
 the nobility are not good listeners, and the cathe- 
 dral, with its stillness, is inviting for a drowsy re- 
 past, and I am afraid several of the lords and ladies 
 I saw were not wide enough awake to take the 
 solemn admonitions which were reenforced by the 
 recent sudden deaths of the Bishop of Winchester 
 and others, to Avhom the speaker alluded. 
 
 Last night we started too late for the whole ser- 
 vice, for it commences at half-past six, but we were 
 directed through several narrow lanes near Covent 
 Garden, to the quaint old church of Dr. Cummins. 
 We found him preaching in his old Scotch gown, iu 
 14* 
 
822 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 a little inverted wine-^lass of a pulpit at the side 
 of the church, to, not a large, but seemingly a very 
 select audience. Indeed, he told me afterwards, 
 when I met him in the "lecture room," that the 
 most of his people were in the country, and those 
 were strangers. He was preaching on " God forbid 
 that I should glory," etc. His style, too, is plain, 
 simple, colloquial, and his sermon very suggestive 
 and rich in illustration. 
 
 But my paper is out. I hope to hear him and 
 Spurgeon again next Sunday, and by that time I 
 shall have made up for the two Sundays I lost on 
 the Continent. 
 
 Although it is after 9 o'clock p.m., and after such 
 tramps as I have taken I ought to be in bed, still, 
 as all of our immediate party are out sight-seeing, 
 and I am weary, I have concluded to write what 
 may be mj last letter to you on this famous tour. 
 The fact is, on such a trip as this a man sees so 
 much, and he becomes so weary with the sight, that 
 it is almost impossible to find time or inclination to 
 write, nor does he know what to write about. 
 
 What interests one person will not interest an- 
 other; and, indeed, in our party of four, we find it 
 more pleasant to go out separately, and just wander 
 about as inclination may suggest. But as far as I 
 am personally concerned, I enjoy wandering along 
 the streets and looking in at the windows about as 
 much as any other amusement. The retail shops 
 here are small, and sometimes, I think, nearly the 
 whole stock will be displayed in the windows. I 
 have just been wandering up and down Tottenham 
 Court road, as it is called, where there are thou- 
 sands of people promenading in the brilliant gas- 
 light and looking in at the brilliant windows, where 
 are displayed all kinds of articles, from a "ha'penny 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 323 
 
 box of matches" to a hundred-dollar gold watch, 
 or from a Scotch herring to the largest salmon. I 
 have spent hours in this way, every day, with great 
 satisfaction. But of course we have not confined 
 ourselves to this kind of amusement. 
 
 On Monday night, by special invitation, we were 
 all regaled at the rooms of the British and Foreign 
 Sabbath-school Union, where a member of parlia- 
 ment presided, and where we had some good Sab- 
 bath-school music that reminded me of home, 
 especially the song, "Work while the day," etc. 
 We also had some good speeches, and closed with 
 a refreshment of ices, cakes, wines, etc. 
 
 Yesterday, J. T and I took a stroll down 
 
 Chancery lane to Fleet street, Ludgate hill, King 
 William street, etc., until we came to London 
 bridge. Here we had our pictures taken, and met 
 with some very pleasant people who were about to 
 sail for Norfolk via Allan Line, and thence to At- 
 lanta. They were very inquisitive about our coun- 
 try, and we referred them to our friend Major Rob- 
 ertson, as there was a young lady in the party. We 
 then went on down through Billingsgate, of which 
 you have heard before. As the market was almost 
 closed, it was too late for much "cussing;" and 
 amid numerous smells we went on through the old 
 city to the Tower. Stopping long enough to visit 
 the Jewel-room, where we saw all the crowns, scep- 
 ters, etc., and the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, we 
 continued our walk to London Dock. Here we 
 found vessels from all quarters of the globe, and 
 stores of merchandise (assafetida included) suffi- 
 cient to stock a large city. We also went into the 
 famous port-wine vault, where there are at this time 
 twenty-two thousand casks of the best port. We 
 tasted it, of course ; and from its effect I am sure 
 I must be constitutionally a "Son of Temperance.'* 
 We then walked through the tunnel under the 
 
824 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 Thames, and crossing at London bridge, we took 
 a "bus" and came on home pretty well used up. 
 
 This morning, I again strolled down to the old 
 city, passing Pudding lane, Threadneedle street, 
 Cheapside, etc., all of which are familiar names to 
 the readers of English literature, went by Newgate 
 Prison, in the Old Bailey, and down to the office of 
 the -London Times. It is, as I expected, a little, in- 
 significant-looking place in Printers' square, and 
 no one could imagine that such a "thunderer" 
 could find its electricity in such a small battery. 
 However, they are building a much larger edifice, 
 and we must excuse them. The front of the old 
 building is very much like the first page of the 
 Times itself, even to the frontispiece; and men who 
 wield such an influence can afi[brd to live without 
 any attempt at display. 
 
 I then visited the rooms of the British and For- 
 eign Bible Society, which has issued the Bible in 
 two hundred dififerent languages, and where I bought 
 for one shilling a Bible that would cost with us 
 seventy -five cents. I then started on up the Thames 
 to the Temple Gardens. Here I hired an escort at 
 sixpence, who conducted me to the Middle and 
 Inner Temple, where I saw^ the great dining-hall 
 where the judges and barristers have a dinner four 
 times a year, during term-time, at which kings are 
 sometimes present. The hall itself is very finely 
 carved, and adorned with most excellent portraits 
 of the most distinguished jurists and kings w?io 
 have been benchers in the Temple. 
 
 Winding around through various old courts and 
 lanes, we entered the old Knight Templar Chapel, 
 where Yaughan is now the chaplain, saw the tombs 
 of some of the most distinguished Crusaders who 
 were buried here, and then went to the grave of 
 Oliver Goldsmith. I do not know that I have had 
 sadder and at the same time more grateful feelings 
 
Letters from Rev. T. W. Hooper. 325 
 
 anywhere, than when standing over the clust of the 
 author of "The Vicar of Wakefield." I gathered 
 a few leaves of ivy and picked up a few stones, and 
 then looked in at the very window out of which he 
 for the last time looked at that nature which he so 
 much admired. I thought of Johnson and Garrick, 
 and Reynolds and Burke, until memory itself was 
 weary; and going out upon the Strand, I went into 
 the former palace of Henry VHI. and Cardinal 
 Wolsey (as the sign asserts), and had my head 
 shampooed by machinery. "To what base uses," 
 etc. That is one difiiculty about England, in con- 
 trast with other countries that we have visited : in 
 Paris every memento of antiquity seems to be pre- 
 served with the greatest veneration ; but here they 
 are all turned to some practical use, or else pulled 
 down, to give way for some modern edifice. I sup- 
 pose the difierence is somewhat due to the differ- 
 ence of nationality; and while the glory of France 
 is in the past, in England they are constantly ad- 
 vancing, and hence have no especial use for these 
 memorials of a past w^hich is now eclipsed by the 
 living present. 
 
 Washington Irving describes his hunt for the old 
 Boar's Head Tavern of Dame Quickly, and states 
 that, after a long ramble through the narrow lanes 
 of the old city, he found nothing but the original 
 " boar's head," and this was built into the wall of a 
 modern building. 
 
 And here, in my case, remember I have taken a 
 bench in the banqueting-room of Crosby Hall, have 
 sipped some wine at a house where Queen Eliza- 
 beth took a lunch on her way from the Tower, and 
 have capped the climax by having my hair sham- 
 pooed in the original palace of Henry YIH. and 
 Cardinal Wolsey ! I think I shall get a "boots " to 
 shine my gaiters on the foundation of old Black- 
 friars, and then close my visit to London by repeat- 
 
326 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ing Mark Twain's soliloquy at the grave of Adam, 
 if I can find where old Bishop Hooper was buried, 
 and then return to Scotland and America. 
 
 I hope that your printers may do better in the 
 way of deciphering my manuscript in this than they 
 did in my first three letters which I have seen, and 
 that soon after this appears I shall meet you "at 
 home." 
 
 Letters from the Eev. A. B. Whipple, President of Lansing- 
 burgh College, N. Y. 
 
 On Board the Victoria, August 29, 1873. 
 
 Once more, kind readers, in the cabin of this 
 good ship, I take the pen to while away the hours 
 of a rainy day. Some are singing " Homeward 
 Bound," and some "A Life on the Ocean Wave," 
 and all are being "Rocked in the Cradle of the 
 Deep " — a sentiment, by the way, more beautiful in 
 song than in sensation, and more than sensational 
 enough for those whose inner life heaves responsive 
 to the sea. Some are playing cards, some chess, 
 some checkers, some lie reading, some are writing, 
 and many are in their berths longing for land. "We 
 are a part of the Educational Party, returning to 
 our friends, who have all along been interested in 
 our passage and welfare; they will expect some- 
 thing, and some will ask this, others that. " What 
 did you see in London?" " O, ever so many 
 things." " Well, what? Did you see the Crystal Pal- 
 ace ? " " Certainly." " Well, tell us something about 
 it." ''Will you have it in mathematics, geography, 
 history, manufactures, or the fine arts?" "Just as 
 you will." Altogether, then. 
 
 Architecturally the palace is modern English, a 
 style unlike any thing ancient, made so by necessity 
 of materials used, and the object of the structure. 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 327 
 
 The materials are iron and glass ; the object, a per- 
 manent palace of art and education. Above the 
 basement floor is one grand central nave, two side 
 aisles, two main galleries, two transepts, and two 
 wings, made wholly of iron and glass, save a little 
 wood paneling on the west front. In length the 
 main building is 1,508 feet, each wing 574, and a 
 colonnade from the railroad station of 720, a total 
 of 3,476 feet, or nearly three-fourths of a mile long, 
 380 feet wide, and, in central transept, 200 feet 
 high, covered with a roof of glass. The iron col- 
 umns, if placed end to end, would reach over six- 
 teen miles, and the glass would cover twenty-live 
 acres, and, if the panes were laid endwise, would 
 reach 242 miles ; add 30,000 superficial feet of glass 
 and sixty tons of iron for the colonnade, and you 
 have the materials above the basement. It is built 
 on a side hill, leaving the lower side as a basement 
 story, fronting the gardens ; w^hile the back side is 
 tunneled by a horizontal brick shaft twenty-four 
 feet wide, connected with the railroad, and used as 
 a roadway to take into the palace heavy materials. 
 Leading out of this tunnel are passages for the fur- 
 naces, boilers, coal-bins, engines, and the heating 
 apparatus, whereby the enormous area of the pal- 
 ace is made to have the genial heat of Madeira 
 through all the damp English winter — thus tropical 
 plants have a li-ving home. In front are two hun- 
 dred acres of gardens and walks, uniform in struc- 
 ture with the palace; ^. e., the width of the walks, 
 the width and length of the basins of the fountains, 
 the length of the terraces, and the breadth of the 
 steps, are all multiples or submultiples of eight. So 
 you will see that mathematics has much to do with 
 the artistic harmony of palace and garden. Though 
 you ask me to describe the palace, let me pause a 
 moment on the broad flight of steps of the first 
 turret, and glance at the prospect. Below are lower 
 
328 A Mbmphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 '^^■j 
 
 terraces, bordered by stone balustrades. Along 
 these, at intervals, are placed statues, and, in front, 
 the broad central walk, doubly lined with plant- 
 trees. On the next terrace the green turf is filled 
 with richly-tinted flowers, watered by fountains jet- 
 ting high in the air. Central is the large circular 
 fountain, surrounded by white marble classic statues 
 of heroic size. On the left, or north, stand cedar 
 trees; below are the water temples, with rushing 
 cataracts on either side, down to the vast basins of 
 the great fountains, lying like lakes in the green 
 turf beyond. Kight and left are pleasant, sloping 
 lawns, dotted here and therewith trees and shades; 
 and far away in the distance is the great garden of 
 nature herself, in rural loveliness unmatched by any 
 skill of man. From all this out-of-door beauty let 
 us turn and enter the very center of the palace, and, 
 looking around, find that it is not, like the Indus- 
 trial Palace of Vienna, a place for the exhibition of 
 modern fabrics and modern arts, but rather what a 
 teacher prefers, a progressive view of civilization 
 for more than 3,000 years, as shown by the restored 
 specimens of architecture, sculpture, and mural 
 decorations. To these let us turn our attention, 
 noting at the outset that a nation's religion has 
 much to do with its architecture and art. Oldest 
 here is the Egyptian, and interesting because of its 
 connection with Bible history, as well as the perfect 
 condition of the remains. We find here, recon- 
 structed, an Egyptian court, giving us an insight 
 into the manner of life thirty centuries ago. We 
 find the style of structure simple, gigantic, and 
 with massive solidity, almost entirely of stone. 
 This solidity, suited to their requirements, seems a 
 permanent feature, because their religion forbade 
 any change in the representations of those gods and 
 kings so frequently carved on teniples and tombs. 
 In the restored court before us, we have the outer 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 329 
 
 walls and colonnades of a temple constrncted 300 
 years B.C., during the Ptolemaic period. On the 
 walls we see colored sunk-reliefs of a kins: makins: 
 offerings or receiving gifts from the gods ; on the 
 capitals of the columns palm and locust leaves, 
 some showing the papyrus in its various stages of 
 development, from the simple bud to the full-blown 
 flower. The frieze above the column has a hiero- 
 glyphic inscription, which, when translated, reads: 
 " In the seventeenth year of the reign of Victoria, 
 the ruler of the waves, this palace was erected and 
 furnished with a thousand statues, a thousand 
 plants, etc., like as a book, for the use of the men 
 of all countries." On the outside of the court, on 
 the cornice, is engraved in character the names of 
 her majesty and the Prince Consort, while within, 
 on lintels and sides, are engraved the different titles 
 of King Ptolemy; and the decorations of the inner 
 walls, in coloring, are taken from actual remains in 
 Egypt. Here we see a large picture copied from 
 the great temple of Rameses III., near Thebes. It 
 represents the counting of 3,000 hands of warriors 
 slain in battle. On the left we see eis^ht ffis-antic 
 figures of Rameses the Great, of date 1300 B.C. 
 Passing on, we enter a dark tomb, copied from one 
 at Beni-Hassan. This is the oldest architectural 
 work in the Crystal Palace — 1660 B.C. We come 
 out to find ourselves among scattered statues, among 
 which we see two circular-headed stones, copies of 
 the celebrated Rosetta stone, from which Dr. Young 
 and Champollion obtained a key for deciphering 
 the hieroglyphics. The stone is engraved in three 
 characters — that of the priests, hieroglyphic; that 
 of the people, enchorial ; and the last in Greek ; the 
 whole is an address to Ptolemy V., the Greek king 
 of Egypt, setting forth his praises. All this repre- 
 sents customs 200 B.C. Farther on is a model of the 
 Temple of Aboo Simbel, cut in the side of a rock in 
 
330 A Mbmphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 j^ubia. Immense sitting figures represent Rameses 
 the Great; and smaller ones his mother, wife, and 
 daughter. The models are one-tenth in size of the 
 original; hence the columns and statues were forty- 
 seven and sixty-two feet in height. Without being 
 more minute, one can learn that in the Crystal Pal- 
 ace we can go to Egypt and see it as it was in its 
 best days. The impression made on our minds is 
 favorable, and henceforth Egypt will suggest pleas- 
 ant thoughts. We have been in her royal palaces, 
 and seen their cheerful surroundings. Like modern 
 cities full of art, there doubtless was much of igno- 
 rance and slavish toil ; and sun-burnt brick, full of 
 straw, recall the labors of the Israelites. We next 
 enter the Greek court, to find that architecture and 
 sculpture have greatly advanced, l^o priestly relig- 
 ion fettered its progress, and so we pass from 
 shadow into sunshine. A religion deifying the in- 
 tellect of man stimulates that intellect to the utmost, 
 and imagination seeks in every realm the highest 
 type of beauty. The court that we enter is of the 
 Doric order, taken from the Temple of Jupiter, at 
 ]N"emea, 300 B.C., the highest period of Greek art. 
 We enter first the forum, used as a market and for 
 political assemblies, and see around the frieze the 
 names of poets, artists, and philosophers. We see 
 Greek monograms, formed of the initial letters of 
 the Muses, Graces, the good, and the wise. We be- 
 hold walls of blue, red, and yellow, blazoned with 
 gold, and causing a beautiful efiect. But we may 
 not describe all the beautiful works of art, as we 
 should need a full knowledge of Greek mythology 
 and a whole book to do the subject justice. Suffice 
 it to say, we visited Greece — the Greece of ancient 
 history — better than the traveler of to-day. In like 
 manner w^e enter the palace of ancient Rome; this, 
 too, after we had been among its ruins, and could 
 the better appreciate Rome as it was in its palmiest 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 331 
 
 days. We notice one thing noteworthy — it is the 
 use of the arch in architecture, a feature -found 
 susceptible of the greatest variety of treatment ; 
 though known by Greek and Assyrian, it seems not to 
 have been much used till by the Romans. The use 
 of the arch produced a marked change in Roman 
 buildings. Leaving the Roman, we enter the Al- 
 hambra, or Saracenic court, an offshoot, or graft of 
 the parent stem, wonderful for its novelty, and ex- 
 citing our highest admiration hy rich and splendid 
 decorations within, while the external structure is 
 plain, simple masonry. Moorish architecture is rich 
 with arabesque work in colored stucco, mosaic pave- 
 ments, marble fountains, and sweet-smelling flowers. 
 The Alhambra — the red — was of the thirteenth 
 century, the scene of luxurious pleasures, and of 
 many fearful crimes. The portions here reproduced 
 are the Court of Lyons, Tribunal of Justice, Hall 
 of the Abencerrages, and the Divan. Outside these 
 courts are diaper-work, consisting of inscriptions in 
 Arabic, representations of bowers and of flowing 
 decorations, over which the qjq wanders, pleased 
 with harmony of color and variety of ornament. 
 The Hall of the Abencerrages is most noteworthy, 
 the splendid fringe of the stalactite roof composed 
 of 5,000 separate pieces, keyed into and supporting 
 each other. These are variously colored and very 
 beautiful. Over the columns in the Court of Lyons 
 we read in Cufic characters, "And there is no Con- 
 queror but God." Lingering here, however long, 
 we discover no statue or paintings of bird and beast ; 
 for Moorish religion forbade the representations of 
 living objects. Despite this law, the Moorish mind 
 has evoked enou2:h artistic skill to arrest and en- 
 chain our pleased attention. But I may not prolong 
 these descriptions, for I should have to take you 
 through the Romanesque, the Byzantine, the Me- 
 diaeval, English, French, German, and Italian varie- 
 
832 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ties, together with the JRenaissance and Elizabethan 
 styles, thus giving the world's progressive archi- 
 tecture. I spent the day alone amid all these; yet 
 they are only part of the studies of this wonder- 
 ful palace of art and education, costing already 
 $7,500,000, and still to be increased. There are in- 
 dustrial compartments of cutlery, porcelain, paper, 
 etc.; collections of pictures, photographs, and casts 
 of medallions; illustrations of mechanics and man- 
 ufactures; botany; ethnology, or illustrations of 
 national characteristics, including our own Ameri- 
 can Indians; palaeontology., or extinct animals; ge- 
 ology; hydraulics, as seen in the fountains; musical 
 facilities of an unprecedented kind; also, a Tech- 
 nological Museum, with collections of home, colo- 
 nial, and foreign products; and finally, the Marine 
 Aquarium, three hundred feet long and fifty wide, 
 with many thousands of sea creatures, vertebrate 
 and invertebrate, in thirty-eight tanks, requiring 
 one hundred and fifty thousand gallons of sea-water. 
 Crabs, lobsters, star-fish, anemones, corals, in all 
 their beauty of coloring, radiation, and motion, 
 catch the eye and stay the footsteps of the many 
 thousand visitors who gaze into the clear and quiet 
 waters, and thus behold the wonders of the deep 
 sea, on w^hose heaving surface we are tossing home- 
 ward. 
 
 Lansixgburgh, March — , 1874. 
 
 My Dear Doctor: — You ask of me — "the quiet 
 man " — for some thoughts not yet in print. Stored 
 away in my note-book I find little seed-thoughts, 
 labeled "odds and oddities." I send you a few at 
 random; may others do likewise! 
 
 Under July 9th I find in my book the word "Pa- 
 cific." It has its lesson. That day we (the Italian 
 party) left London for Harwich; thence, on the 
 
Letters from Rev. A. B. Whipple. 333 
 
 "Pacific," across the German Ocean; a good sup- 
 per before we started. On deck your "quiet man" 
 took to readins^ his Italian volume, with its double 
 alphabet of pages. Such a school-book you never 
 saw. At first it seemed all ! ! ! ; soon these changed 
 to ???; next ,,, followed by ;; ; then :::, and finally 
 came a full . The fly-leaves indicated a threatening 
 calm. The full moon was watching us. Gently 
 then began to play the mirthful waves of the Ger- 
 man sea. Some of our quiet teachers could keep 
 silence no longer. They seemed to have caught the 
 intonations of the German lansruao^e, and made some 
 matter-of-fact ejaculations, directed rather to dol- 
 phins than deities. I think there was as much solid- 
 ity of utterance as is often expressed by "school- 
 masters abroad." The "poetry of motion" seemed 
 exhaustive, while the tones sank lower and lower, 
 till in the ''Hngentes cavernas navis'' they died away 
 in moanings and groanings, to the music of which 
 your quiet man "paced along the deck upon the 
 giddj^ footing of the hatches." 
 
 Under Friday the 11th — unlucky day — I wrote 
 "Penny for a chair." We had been doing Brussels 
 all day; and, just as the sun was setting, a fellow- 
 traveler and myself, walking along the Boulevard 
 de Waterloo, espied a couple of chairs. We thought 
 fortune favored us, as we seated ourselves. Pres- 
 ent\y a little German boy appeared before us with a 
 paper. IsTot being able to read, we shook our heads, 
 and said "iVem." He stuck by like a good boy, as 
 no doubt he was, till we had said "?2ef?i" at least 
 ninety-nine times, when he disappeared, and soon 
 reappeared with about three hundred pounds of 
 mother, red in the face and arms, the hands of 
 which were entreatingly extended toward us. She 
 talked away impatientl}^, as I should judge from her 
 appearance and the appearance of a crowd at the 
 same time about us, a couple of foreigners. She 
 
334 A Memphian's Tkip to Europe. 
 
 did not seem to understand our ^^neins" any better 
 than we did her '^kreiitzers." We seemed to be 
 very attractive — to the crowd. A new thought 
 seemed to be born just then ; for, darting across the 
 street, she shook her fist in the face of a man who 
 wore a sword, and then pointed at us. Pie imme- 
 diately surrounded us, and talked beautifully — I 
 presume — though we did not know a word. We 
 were getting rested, and enjoyed the sights and 
 sounds. Indeed, we did not know till then how 
 much we were thought of. Growing calmer as the 
 army was preparing for a coup de something, we 
 bribed the frau with two cents to open a way of re- 
 treat, and, escaping to our hotel, pondered long on 
 the fashions around, especially that of leaving 
 chairs in the streets to entrap the wandering school- 
 teacher. 
 
 Under July 13th I find "Pendulum Pumps" — to 
 the traveler in Cologne suggesting a curious way by 
 which the tall pumps are made to discharge water. 
 The word itself explains the manner. Where so 
 much beer and wine are used, hydrants are numer- 
 ous, and human ones in public places are far from 
 being infrequent. On our way to the grand old ca- 
 thedral, these water-works often seemed a bar to 
 our farther progress, till some encouraging D.D. 
 would strengthen the wavering footsteps of the eru- 
 bescent creature beside him with the remark, ''In 
 this country we must walk by faith, and not by 
 sight," and so the Americans "move on." 
 
 Friday, 18 — another unlucky day — has the word 
 "Brandy." We — friend Tift and myself — had 
 looked down upon Vienna from the lofty dome of 
 the Exposition building, and wandered among its 
 inside wonders, and by mistake had wandered into 
 a strange part of the city instead of our own hotel, 
 and we could not make ourselves understood, and 
 so left the horse-cars. We sought instruction in 
 
 ( 
 
Letters from Eev. A. B. Whipple. 335 
 
 saloons; no one spoke English or French. .Despair- 
 ing as night drew on, we tried again. I tried my 
 French : ''Parlez-vo/is Francais V ^'Oui, llonsieur." 
 " Oil est r Hotel de Villef'" She smiled, called a little 
 boy, who at her command disappeared for a mo- 
 ment, and then came smiling toward us with a 
 server, on which were two small glasses of brandy. 
 What could two good temperance men do? We 
 looked at the woman, the boy, the brandy; thought 
 what we could, and departed, leaving the '•'•dame'' 
 and '-^garcon''' greatly astonished; and I seem to 
 hear her say, "What did they come in here for, if 
 not to drink?" Sure enough, how could they get 
 ''Hotel de Ville'' out of my ''eau de vie'' f I stopped 
 talking French to Austrians. 
 
 Saturday, 19 — "Paid for." Again we had roamed 
 through the Industrial- Palace, seen the goods and 
 the emperor. We were tired, and wanted to be re- 
 lieved; were ready to be relieved of something 
 more than blood and money. By searching, we 
 found what the Italians call a "Retireta," and the 
 French a "Palace dAlsace." In a central place we 
 found it — a beautiful architectural design, concealed 
 and well watered. We enter, to find a comfortable 
 room, with a table, and two not over-beautiful Aus- 
 trian ladies seated thereat. They rise to receive us, 
 and do us personal favors, inquiring our necessities, 
 even to the utmost, and for a sixpence allow us to 
 depart, greatly relieved and amused at Austrian cus- 
 toms. They gave us their cards, which you may 
 translate at your leisure : 
 
 Die Cassierin ist verpflichtet, nur gegon TJebergabe dieses 
 Ut) Billets den hierauf bezeichneten Betrag in Empfang zu nehmen. 
 jH Es wird hoflichst ersucht, dieses Billet, nachdem es von der 
 CO ii^ Innern aufgestellten Con trolls-Person cou rit ist, bis zum 
 J> Austritt aus der Toilette behufs weiterer Controlle aufzube- 
 wahren. ' O 
 
 Droud von T. B. Ballishauffer. 
 
336 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 July 30. Rome — "Extras." Id the matter of eat- 
 ing we have had but little to say. Breakfast at eight, 
 and dinner at six, with ten intermediate hours for di- 
 gestion, gave us generally a good appetite, and, per- 
 haps, the wonder of the waiters. We also wondered 
 at some of their ways. Almost the first thing they 
 would ask us at table was this: "What is j^our 
 number?" Every thing is charged to the number 
 of the room we occupy; hence, sometimes good 
 temperance men find extras for wine, etc., which 
 they have not had — a plan by which some one has 
 imbibed at another's expense. Such a plan was tried 
 on us at Lucerne; but we would not pay the bill. 
 Well, on the morning of our departure from Rome, 
 we had the usual continental biscuit and one piece 
 of meat. Friend Tift sat at my right; he had 
 taken his allowance. "Number, sir? " inquired the 
 waiter. "I^Tumber one," answered the hungry man. 
 Having a good appetite, he called for another piece 
 of meat. Waiter brought it, saying, "Extra, sir; 
 number, sir?" ''l^umher two! Extra, is it? Glad 
 of it." Soon No. 2 was buried with its prede- 
 cessor, and he called for more. "Extra," said the 
 waiter. " Glad of it ; bring it on, then ; hurry up ! " 
 said the excited man. Soon it came, with the 
 usual question, "Number, sir?" ''l^um.hQY three!" 
 growled the still busy eater. While admiring friends 
 were on the watch, meat No. 3, morsel by morsel, 
 sank to rise no more, and " Waiter! " rang out clear 
 and authoritatively. He came. "More meat! I 
 want one square meal before leaving this eternal 
 city." "Extra, sir." "I know it, sir; so bring it 
 on." "Number, sir?" "Number four! " thun- 
 dered our hero, as the astonished waiter departed. 
 Soon he returned, saying, "Last piece, sir." Amid 
 his admirers sat our man of muscle, unperturbed, 
 and with an inflexible determination "to have one 
 square meal, extra or no extra." He had "seen 
 
FiiOM London to Edinburgh. 337 
 
 every thing in Eome he wished, except meat — 
 enough for once." While we all gloried in his zeal, 
 he bravely attacked his last extra. One enthusiastic 
 admirer of his maxillary power, shouted, "Bully 
 for you ! " as he redeposited upon his plate a morsel 
 that had already been in his mouth ; and, looking 
 sadly at the last speaker, replied, " Altogether too 
 much so." He was satisfied. " IN'ow let us leave 
 Eome in peace," he said. For all this extra enter- 
 tainment, our friend of the Buffalo Dairy paid, over 
 and above his regular bill, in gold, $150, while our 
 extraordinary enjoyment cost us many — a laugh at 
 his expense. To this day there are some fifty living 
 witnesses who would like to see the man who once 
 had enough at Rome. 
 
 Homeward bound — From London to Edinburgh — Interesting 
 sights in the Scottish capital — Castle Eock — Burns's grave — 
 Mary Queen of Scots — Dr. Chalmers — Bunyan. 
 
 Steamship Victoria, August 30, 1873, 
 Omitting, for the present, several places visited 
 In London, I will sketch our route from that city to 
 Edinburgh, Scotland. We left the Midland Grand 
 Hotel early on Thursday morning. This depot, 
 being the largest in the world, is connected with 
 the hotel claiming the same relation. The span of 
 the shed is 243 feet from wall to wall, length 700, 
 height 100, length of roof 690 feet, with a span 
 covering four platforms and eleven lines of rails, 
 and occupying a site of nearly ten acres. Highgate 
 stands 450 feet higher than St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 We pass a picturesque village, in which Lord 
 Bacon lived in 1226. The Bishops of London re- 
 sided there in succession. Hendon is the highest 
 point within ten miles of London. Lord Byron 
 and the late Robert Peel were scholars here. N"ear 
 this is St. Alban's, at the foot of which flows the 
 15 
 
338 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 river Bev. It was remarkable as the scene of bat- 
 tles in the time of Julius Cesar, and subsequent 
 periods of history. Also, the place of the first re- 
 corded English martyrdom, in the third century, 
 when St. Abenus was beheaded by pagans. Por- 
 tions of the old Roman walls of St. Alban's still 
 exist. Tutan and Bourne are near each other. At 
 the former Bunyan preached ; at the latter Dr. Wm. 
 Dodd was born in 1729. Bedford is the place where 
 Bunyan preached for seventeen years, when he was 
 imprisoned, and where he wrote the "Pilgrim's 
 Progress." 
 
 "We now enter the manufacturing district. At 
 Derby the first silk-mill was erected in 1718. 
 
 Sheffield is the place famous for cutlery, and the 
 manufacturing of all kinds of iron and steel goods, 
 plated ware, and metallic instruments. It was here 
 cast steel was first wrought. It was, indeed, " grand, 
 gloomy, and peculiar," to see the hundreds of chim- 
 neys of immense height, belching forth flames and 
 smoke, darkening the whole country round, and the 
 roar of the engines driving the machinery and 
 forges of these establishments. 
 
 From these we pass on to the linen manufactures. 
 Their "bleaching fields" resembled snow-covered 
 grounds. Here also, are wire and needle manufac- 
 tories. One can have but little idea of the extent 
 of these manufactories without seeing them. Just 
 think that there are three hundred and fifty trains 
 of passengers, goods, and minerals arrive and depart 
 in twenty-four hours. This will give a better idea 
 of the extent of the business done in this vicinity. 
 It was in this vicinity — Huntingdon — that Oliver 
 Cromwell was born, April 25, 1699, and was baptized 
 four days afterward, as appears from the parish reg- 
 ister. The house is now called the Cromwell 
 House. 
 
 Miss Nightingale. — Lea Hurst, the home of Miss 
 
On the Road. 839 
 
 I^igtitingale, is in this vicinity. This was her father's 
 residence and estate. She was born in Florence in 
 1820 ; hence her name, Florence I^ightingale. She 
 went to the Crimea with a stafl* of voluntary nurses 
 at the time of the war. In honor of her noble con- 
 duct, a testimonial fund was raised of $250,000 by 
 the people of England, and, at her request, the 
 money was donated to a hospital for training nurses. 
 
 Here at Crawford was the first cotton-mill, built 
 in 1771, by Richard Arkwright, the inventor of the 
 "spinning-jenny." The old frame is still preserved 
 in the present mill as a curiosity. The invention 
 was followed by various improvements for which an 
 enlarged patent was obtained in 1775. 
 
 This was one of the most important inventions 
 ever made. Only one hundred years ! What won- 
 ders have been effected by it ! Cotton, though not 
 a crowned monarch, governs a large portion of the 
 civilized world. Much of England's greatness has 
 been produced by its extensive manufacture. Most 
 of the material prosperity of our own sunny South 
 land has been from its production, and here its man- 
 ufacture first commenced. ITo wonder we looked 
 at this place with much interest. 
 
 The country from London, for near two hundred 
 miles, is rich, and in a high state of cultivation. It 
 then becomes more undulating, and more sparsely 
 settled. We see some fine old castles, on which are 
 windmills, performing a different kind of a service 
 than was originally designed by their founders. 
 Though we travel four hundred miles, we see no 
 soldiers — nothing warlike — only a few cannon at one 
 of the foundries. The railway officials are the only 
 uniformed gentry we find here. Our train runs 
 from fifty to sixty miles an hour. Two large saloon- 
 carriages are assigned to our party — only fourteen 
 now — on which Mr. Thos. Cook has a fine lunch 
 served to us. In the evening we reach the High- 
 
340 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 lands of Scotland, around wliich cluster so much 
 historic interest, with which your readers are 
 familiar. 
 
 We arrive at Edinburgh on time, and we soon 
 domicile at a good hotel, kept by a genuine old 
 Scotchman. Early in the morning we start out to 
 see this venerable old city. I notice every house of 
 every kind is built of stone. The door and window- 
 frames are stone. The city consists mainly of 
 heights, hollows, acclivities, and ravines, in much 
 diversity of character. It is a gem of a landscape, 
 exquisitely beautiful. Castle Eock surveys one of 
 the most gorgeous panoramic views in the world. 
 It is a rugged mass of green stone, about seven hun- 
 dred yards in circumference, and breaks down on 
 three sides of the castle's ramparts — north, west, 
 and south — in faces of bare rock, all precipitous. It 
 is the most interesting natural object in the city. 
 A garrison of soldiers keep the castle. An old 
 State prison surmounts the archway, which has kept 
 many illustrious captives. The armory is capable of 
 storing 30,000 stands of arms. The old Parliament 
 Hall (80 by 33 feet) occupies the south side of the 
 palace yard. This was long the residence of the 
 kings and queens of Scotland. From this castle 
 you have a most magnificent view of the city and 
 its surroundings. In front of it stands Scott's mon- 
 ument, erected in 1840-44. It is 200 feet high, and 
 contains a marble statue of Sir Walter Scott, which 
 cost $10,000, and was inaugurated in 1846. Here 
 is where the great reformer, John Knox, lived and 
 labored, and where his remains rest. His house is 
 resorted to as one of the most interesting objects of 
 antiquity, of which there are many. This is the 
 great center of Scotch Presbyterianism. From 
 all I can learn, they are doing more than any other 
 Protestant Church in the missions. We took the 
 street-car, and went to see their docks and shipping. 
 
Edinburqh~Dr. Chalmers, etc. 341 
 
 These were more extensive than I had supposed. 
 We then took another car through the principal 
 streets and around the city. 
 
 Edinburgh. — It is, perhaps, the most substantially 
 built of any city we have visited. Its population, in- 
 cluding the suburbs, is about 200,000. JN'early all 
 the people you see here have a similar Scotch appear- 
 ance. I have never seen any place where there was 
 such a marked family likeness. Their Scotch 
 brogue seems to be universal. They are pictures of 
 fine health, with vim and activity in their move- 
 ments. They are the most universally educated 
 people (Germany, perhaps, excepted) that we have 
 seen on our tour. There are many things of interest 
 in this city. ]N"elson's monument, on Calton Hill, 
 andBurns's monument, Regent Road, commemorate 
 two men who moved in very different spheres, both 
 honored by this people. Here, too, the immortal 
 Rev. Dr. Chalmers labored, and here his mortal re- 
 mains sleep, while his noble moral heroism lives in 
 the hearts of his countrymen. Here Mary Queen of 
 Scots figured during her eventful life, yet her body 
 sleeps beside her sister. Queen Elizabeth, whose 
 jealousy caused her to be beheaded in the Tower of 
 London. When our guide showed us the two sis* 
 ters, sleeping side by side in Westminster Abbey, I 
 remarked to him that they were more friendly in 
 death than they had been in their lives. Such is the 
 fate of womankind, as well as mankind, in high 
 places. But I will not moralize. 
 
 The steward moves ns all from the table to pre- 
 pare for dinner. So I will close this disconnected 
 scrawl, written while the ship is being tossed by the 
 rolling waves, and most of the passengers are suf- 
 fering from sea-sickness. 
 
842 A Mempiiian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 The rolling deep — Leaving Glasgow, the prosperous city on the 
 Clyde — The pleasures and misfortunes of a life of ten days 
 on the ocean wave. 
 
 Steamship Victoria, September 1, 1873. 
 
 I closed ray last letter rather abruptly. I was 
 writing relative to Edinburgh. While it is a fine 
 old city, abounding in historic interest, it looks to 
 me as though it has attained its growth. There 
 seemed to be but little business being done, only in 
 a small portion of it. I observed several streets, 
 with magnificent buildings, with but few persons to 
 be seen on them. Glasgow, I suppose, has taken a 
 large portion of the business formerly done here. 
 The country between those two cities is very fine, 
 and made to yield all that it can by the high cul- 
 tivation it receives. 
 
 Glasgow is the second city of the United King- 
 dom. Its population, in the city proper, is only 
 about four hundred thousand; but, with what prop- 
 erly belongs to it — with streets extending as one 
 continuous city — it has nearly a million. The 
 Scotch characteristics are not seen here, as in other 
 parts of this country, and especially in the city we 
 had just left. It looks more like New York than 
 any place we have seen. It owes its rapid increase 
 to its ship-building. It was here that the first steam- 
 vessel was built on this side of the Atlantic. It is 
 now the most important place for building steam- 
 ships in the world. It is said that there are more 
 steam-ships built here than in all the world besides. 
 "We saw a vast number of them in process of build- 
 ing, on the stocks. The River Clyde is a very small 
 afl^air; but they have deepened its channel until 
 vessels of the largest class can come up to its docks. 
 Here may be seen representatives from almost every 
 nation among trade's rough sons. 
 
 Glasgow has its great thoroughfiire more dis- 
 tinctly marked, perhaps, than any city we have seen. 
 
Leaving Glasgow. 343 
 
 Along that not only run its 'buses, but a number of 
 street-railways, running out to every part of the city, 
 concentrate here. Here we see, as in Broadway, 
 ^ew York (only more so), the dense crowds of hu- 
 manity passing ea.ch other in every direction. The 
 streets intersect this great thoroughfare at right an- 
 gles, so that a stranger is soon able to understand 
 them, which is a very uncommon thing in European 
 cities. This is more like an American city in sev- 
 eral respects than any other we have visited. We 
 went out at night to see the vast crowds that pass 
 along this, their Broadway. A large amount of 
 business is done after night in their stores and shops. 
 Returning to our hotel, we happened to pass their 
 iish-market. There we met with a larger number 
 of the lower class of humanity than we have ever 
 seen together at one time. It extended Between a 
 quarter and half a mile. The street was filled with 
 women, a large portion of whom were bare-footed, 
 coarsely clad, and seemed to be of the very lowest 
 order of womankind. 
 
 Saturday morning the scattered fragments of our 
 party met at the steamer. At noon our noble ship 
 is loosed, and slowly moves down the Clyde, passing 
 the docks, where many vessels were delivering and 
 receiving their cargoes. On both sides, for miles, 
 we see ships in various stages of progress tov/ard 
 completion. The hills rise in picturesque beauty 
 on both sides. We keep on deck to see the last of 
 Scotland as it fades in the distant horizon from our 
 view. 
 
 Sunday morning finds us at Moville, on the coast of 
 Ireland. Here we met the last of our party, who had 
 come through from London to see Ireland. Here, 
 also, we add about one hundred and fifty to the list 
 of steerage passengers. 1 was very much interested, 
 here and at Glasgow, in the parting of these people 
 from their friends, from whom they were separating, 
 
844 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 perhaps, forever. It was, indeed, very affecting to 
 see and hear how they gave vent to their feelings — - 
 many waving their handkerchiefs and expressing in 
 various ways their interest in their friends, while 
 others, unable to restrain their grief, poured forth 
 lamentations that brought tears from those who 
 were observing the affecting scene. 
 
 We are now fairly out from terra Jirma^ with our 
 bow toward the setting sun. The beautiful hills of 
 the Emerald Isle loom up for miles as we pass along 
 the Irish coast. We gaze with intense interest upon 
 this land, which has furnished so many noble hearts 
 and strong arms to develop the vast resources of 
 our native America. 
 
 We also take on board two Irish ministers, going 
 over to attend the meeting of the Evangelical Al- 
 liance, which meets in E"ew York the 2d proximo. 
 Dr. Thompson, of Kew York, preached in the fore- 
 noon, and Dr. Gregory in the evening. We have 
 prayers every night in the dining-saloon, and grace, 
 or rather a short prayer, at each meal. The petition 
 offered for "appetites to enjoy the food before us," 
 no doubt, met with a hearty response from most of 
 the passengers who were able to fill their seats at 
 the table. 
 
 We have had near a week of bad weather, just 
 the reverse of what we had when we went over in 
 June. The sea has been rough most of the time — 
 no very high waves, but enough to stir the stomachs 
 of most of the passengers. Some of them were not 
 out of their rooms for nearly a week, while some of 
 those who were promptly at their meals had to cast 
 them into the ocean soon after. 
 
 Many years since I was very anxious to be sea- 
 sick, believing it would be conducive to my health. 
 I have several times seen most of the persons on 
 board sick, while I had not the least symptom of it. 
 I think, now, that the virtue of sea-sickness is more 
 
The Homeward VoYAaE. 345 
 
 ill the fasting than any salutary influence it has upon 
 the system. My curiosity and anxiety on this sub- 
 ject have been fully satisfied. 
 
 While this is one of the finest and swiftest ships 
 of the Anchor Line, or any other line, they have 
 studied the most rigid economy in their rooms. At 
 least, we have found it so in the one that has been 
 assigned to four ministers. The Revs. Mr. Baker, 
 Mr. Eichardson, and Mr. Witherspoon, of Virginia, 
 and one from Boston, were given a room less than 
 eight feet square. As I am in the berth which was 
 to have been occupied by my old friend, Wither- 
 spoon, I can speak more of that than any other. To 
 get into it you must stretch yourself out on the rail- 
 ing, and roll in. On arriving at your destination, 
 you find a tolerably close fit all around, your head 
 reaching very near the bottom of the apartment or 
 bin just above you, which is just the same size. 
 There is, however, one advantage in these close 
 quarters. When the ship rolls we have but little 
 room for this unpleasant exercise. These Presby- 
 terian brethren think it rather strange that a "Scot- 
 tish line," from the land of Presbyterianism, should 
 put them in such a room, especially as they have 
 first-class tickets, and their passage had been en- 
 gaged for nearly three months. At their request I 
 mention these facts. Our Irish Presbyterian breth- 
 ren have the room next us, w^hich, I presume, is of 
 the same dimensions. The room we had on the 
 Canada, coming over, w^as one-third larger, with a 
 number of conveniences which we have not here. 
 Two more nights will terminate our occupancy of 
 quarters, and when we cross the ocean again we 
 will know more of the place we are to occupy be- 
 fore leaving port. 
 
 We see several vessels to-day. One came near 
 crossing our track. She had been out from England 
 thirty-six days. We see some whales, and many 
 15* 
 
346 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 porpoises tossing themselves about. Our sick pas- 
 sengers are nearl}^ all well, and are making up for 
 lost time at tlie table. 
 
 Our ministers preached in the morning and even- 
 ing yesterday. We have a missionary from Turkey, 
 who has spent several years there. He has given us 
 two very interesting talks about that country. This 
 ship is steered by steam, so that the labor of the 
 pilot is very trifling. They raise the sail^, as well as 
 load and unload the ship, by steam. 
 
 The most interesting thing is a little machine 
 fastened to a long rope, and thrown out into the 
 ocean. As the ship moves, the machine turns over, 
 so that it tells correctly the distance the ship has 
 sailed every day. This is a very ingenious and im- 
 portant invention; for a ship's navigation is now 
 done with as much precision as if you saw just the 
 place to which you were going. Science has enabled 
 the seaman to strike out from one port to the other 
 in a direct line. After the ship is out at sea, they 
 go direct to their destination. We are making good 
 time, and will be the first of the eight ships that 
 sailed on the day we did to reach Kew York. We 
 learn the Olympic, which left three days before this 
 ship, is only about twenty hours in advance of us. 
 We have a gentlemanly and careful captain and offi- 
 cers, and as clever a set of cabin passengers as could 
 be desired. 
 
 September 2, 1873. 
 A pilot-boat is seen in the distance, and as no sig- 
 nal is given that we have one engaged, it steers for 
 our ship. We had several hundred passengers on 
 board who had never seen a native American at 
 home. These crowded around to see him come on 
 board. He has some ^ew York papers, which are 
 eagerly devoured by those who had known nothing 
 of the outer world for ten days. 
 
Home Once More. 347 
 
 In the evening we see along in the dim, distant 
 horizon some hills on Long Island. Snch rejoicing 
 I have never or rarely seen among so many persons. 
 After prayer and thanksgiving for our safe and 
 speedy passage, there was a very interesting speak- 
 ing meeting held in the dining-saloon. The ti'ish 
 ministers, being called on, gave some very interest- 
 ing facts in regard to their country. The emigrants 
 on board were mostly Scotch-Irish, and many of 
 them were members of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 The condition of Ireland has been greatly im- 
 proved within a few years. In 1841 the population 
 was over eight millions. IlTow it is less than six mil- 
 lions. So said the preacher in his speech. I thought 
 to myself that all the countries of Europe might be 
 greatly improved if a large portion of their people 
 would seek homes on this American soil. 
 
 One of our party said he had heard it said several 
 times that America needed whipping worse than 
 any people in the world. He heard the same thing 
 said the other day in Paris, where there were several 
 nationalities represented. One said that, as the 
 world could not whip the Americans, they had con- 
 cluded to whip each other, and had thus demon- 
 strated the fact, now acknowledged by other nations, 
 that we cannot be whipped by the world. 
 
 The silvery queen of night gives a most lovely 
 view to the rippling waves of the dashing blue sea. 
 We are all out on deck, watching with deepest in- 
 terest as we pass around Sandy Hook. Away in the 
 distant west are seen the lights from Long Branch. 
 The noble ship, without erring from a direct line, 
 has run its three thousand live hundred miles in less 
 than ten days ; and we are safely moored at quaran- 
 tine, some eight miles from the city, at 11 p.m., to 
 wait for the health-officer to pass us into port, while 
 we retire for the last time to our narrow quarters 
 below. 
 
34:8 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 In the morning, after the health-officer permits, 
 we steam up to Gotham. The examination of bag- 
 gage by the United States officers is much more strict 
 than any we had in Europe. I believe, however, 
 they passed free of duty nearly all our party except 
 tho»e who had silk. The friends of the tourists met 
 them gladly, thanking us for the attention given to 
 their lady friends on the tour. 
 
 I cannot close these sketches without bearing my 
 testimony to the complete fulfillment of the agree- 
 ment by Messrs. Cook, Son & Jenkins. Those of 
 us who went on the Canada were met at Liverpool 
 by their agent, Mr. Anderson, who took charge of 
 us and our baggage, and gave us every attention re- 
 quired on our way to London. Mr. Plagge, our con- 
 ductor of the Italian section, discharged his duty 
 faithfully, and relieved us of many annoyances 
 necessarily attending those who take such tours 
 without having some one who understands the lan- 
 guages of the different countries. Every thing was 
 first-class — railroads, steam-boats, hotels — all ready 
 at the right time to accommodate us in the best 
 style of the country. I voluntarily and most cheer- 
 fully recommend all who visit Europe to go under 
 the direction of Messrs. Cook, Son & Jenkins, 261 
 Broadway, New York. 
 
 I take pleasure in copying and indorsing the fol- 
 lowing, from the Rev. C. W. Cushing: 
 
 " The entire expense of this trip w^as five hundred 
 dollars in gold. This included first-class traveling 
 by railway and steam-boat throughout the entire 
 journey ; omnibuses, where necessary, from stations 
 to hotels ; porterage and transportation of baggage; 
 gondolas and guide in Venice ; carriages, and other 
 expenses, such as admission-fees, etc., while under 
 the direction of Mr. "Wood in Rome. In Great 
 Britain, hotel provision included room, lights, and 
 
A Retrospective View. 349 
 
 service, meat-breakfast, dinner at table d'hote^ and 
 plain tea. On the Continent it was the same, except 
 that the breakfast was a plain breakfast of tea, coffee, 
 or chocolate, and bread-and-butter, with the addi- 
 tion of honey in Switzerland, dinner at table d'hote, 
 and additional coupons to the amount of one franc 
 and a half per day, which could be used for a plain 
 tea, or for a meat-breakfast. 
 
 " The hotels selected were intended to be first- 
 class, and were good, though not always the most 
 stylish and expensive in the place. This was par- 
 ticularly true in Paris, while in London the whole 
 party was kept at the best hotel in Europe. 
 
 "Our conductor, who was a well-educated Ger- 
 man, and who met us in New York, and returned 
 there with us, as a rule took the entire charge of 
 our tickets, luggage, etc. Our hotels were engaged 
 days in advance, so that our rooms were assigned us 
 before we reached the hotel, or immediately after, 
 thus savino; all annovance from that source. Car- 
 riages were always awaiting when we reached a 
 station, so that there was no delay. Then our con- 
 ductor was familiar with every place we visited, and 
 knew what was of most interest to see, so that no 
 time was wasted in experimenting. So far as was 
 practicable, the Messrs. Cook had anticipated all 
 our wants, and provided for them. Our money was 
 deposited with them, and we were allowed to diraw 
 upon our conductor as we wanted it for purchases 
 or other purposes, always receiving it in the cur- 
 rency of the country in which we happened to be. 
 
 "Many of the party made more purchases than 
 they had anticipated. Mr. Cook had told us, before 
 wh left London, that it w^ould probably be so, and 
 that we might draw on him for whatever we might 
 want, and remit it when we returned home. This 
 was done by many of the party, in some instances 
 to the amount of several hundred dollars. 
 
350 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 ''And now, looking back upon this most delight- 
 ful and profitable trip, the memory of which is 
 worth many times its cost, it is my impression that, 
 for a party of six or more who want to make the 
 most of their time and money, such an arrangement 
 is a saving of considerable expense, an indefinite 
 amount of annoyance, and at least about one-third 
 of the time. If one has plenty of money and plenty 
 of time — which only very few have — he may possi- 
 bly suit himself better, though this maybe doubted. 
 The name of Mr. Thomas Cook is like a household 
 word all through Europe, and will often secure for a 
 man what he would be unable to get without it. He 
 is a noble old Christian gentleman, and worthy of 
 the respect and confidence he has; and his sons are 
 in a fair way to make his place good. There are not 
 enough of these Cooks yet to spoil the broth." 
 
Our Tour. 351 
 
 OUR TOUR. 
 
 BY A MEMBER OF THE EDUCATIONAL PARTY OF 1873. 
 
 The last farewells are sadly said, each lingering clasp of hand 
 Is loosed, and we have turned our backs upon our native land. 
 Afloat upon the watery waste, her fluttering canvas spread, 
 Y/ith tossing, white-capp'd waves beneath, and blue sky overhead, 
 Our noble ship moves proudly on; we tread her decks in glee, 
 And revel in the joyous thought that we are out at sea. 
 To watch the dolphins at their play, or scan the passing sail. 
 Or rush with one accord when some one shouts, "A v/halel" 
 To walk and talk, to read or write, to hear the sailors sing, 
 Or mark the airy, graceful flight of sea-birds on the wing; 
 To look for phosphorus at night; the ever-changing play 
 Of ocean in his many moods, is new from day to day. 
 But now, these days, so long, so short, so full of charm, are o'er, 
 And in the soft gray light of morn we see a foreign shore. 
 "We test fair Erin's generous heart, upon her emerald stra-nd, 
 The first, with hearty greeting, to welcome us to land. 
 We've looked on Scotland's misty hills, and castles old and gray, 
 And lakes, of fame in many lands, Lochs Katrine and Achray; 
 Through Trosachs' wild, romantic glens of heather and of fern; 
 From Stirling's battlements look out on Teith and Bannockburn. 
 "Eair Melrose," and its ruined walls, with ivy overgrown, 
 Y/here names and dates of long ago survive upon its stone, 
 "While they who builded sleep below, with all their hopes and fears; 
 Their sculptured work has braved the storms of twice three hun- 
 dred years. 
 With loving hearts we seek the spot where trod the noble bard, 
 Whose genius lives and breathes and moves in lovely Abbotsford. 
 Prom Gal ton Hill and Holyrood we wander up and down 
 Among the old historic scenes of "Edinboro' town." 
 And England's summer sun has beamed with welcome as we stood 
 Mid gardens rare, and fountains grand, and gently-rolling wood, 
 Where Alton's generous Lord shall win a more enduring name 
 Than they who tread the battle-field for empire or for fame. 
 We stand within her crowded mart; we traverse street by street; 
 Amid the things of olden times we go with busy feet — 
 The Tower, St. Paul's, and Westminster, where lie, enthroned in 
 
 state, 
 The monarchs of the world of mind beside the earthly great. 
 
352 A Memphian's Trip to Europe. 
 
 "We view them all with sated eyes; and when we next advance, 
 It is among the sunny slopes and vine-clad hills of France. 
 Among her ruined palaces, her splendid works of art, 
 Where kings and emperors, by turns, have borne their fitful part. 
 "We leave her glittering scenes to tread the henceforth hallowed 
 
 ground 
 Where England and America with white -winged peace were 
 
 crowned; 
 While far, yet near, an emblem meet, robed in eternal white — 
 Mont Blanc, in hoary majesty — looked down upon the sight. 
 Our eyes beheld the glory of the Brunig and the Thun, 
 Where hazy, cloud-girt, snow-capp'd peaks seem stretching to the 
 
 sun. 
 We slowly climb the mountain-road, then thunder down its side; 
 We sail upon the dark-green lake, with softly-rippling tide; 
 We look from lofty Alpine heights on beauteous valleys green, 
 Where Swiss chalets^ and harvest fields, and gentle- winding stream, 
 Have landscapes made so fair to see, that years of change and care 
 May not efiace from memory's page the pictures painted there. 
 We've gazed on Jungfrau's lovely head, where shadows come and go, 
 As sunlight breaks or fades upon her crown of purest snow. 
 A peep at Lauterbrunnen's Fall we have from wayside ridge, 
 Because our guide, with wearied brain,* slept at the turning bridge. 
 But mountain glacier tempts us on, mid summits grim and bald, 
 Where lies, upon the lofty plain, long-looked-for Grindelwald. 
 Fair Griesbach, in her highland nest, has welcomed one and all 
 To pure, sweet air, and native woods, and gorgeous waterfall. 
 Again, upon the placid lake, our eyes we fondly turn 
 To where the sunset bathes in gold the beautiful Lucerne. 
 On Rigi's bold and rugged top with reverend feet we've trod, 
 And felt that in His glorious works we nearer drew to God. 
 We watched the sunset's fading glow, and in the early morn 
 Our slumbering ears are sweetly waked by winding Alpine horn. 
 O glorious Alps and lovely lakes! ye pain our happy band; 
 For sadly we shall bid farewell to thee, fair Switzerland. 
 And though we have before us still Vienna and the Ehine, 
 Their tempting shapes and loveliest hues shall not outrival thine. 
 But when we leave these foreign scenes to seek each distant home. 
 We'll give three cheers, with hearty will, for Thomas Cook & SonI 
 Lucerne, July 22, 1873. 
 
 =''-The design was to have gone direct to Grindelwald, omitting Lauterbrnn- 
 nen ; but the"eonductor was taking " forty winks " at the junction of the roads, 
 and the driver had the party near to Lauterbrunnen before the mistake was 
 discovered. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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