* Ov^^ -^^ oVJ^^.- "^^ ^^'^<^. ■^^ V o :^'^ \/ i^i^ X/ /i^^'- ^ ^ 0' % -^^0^ .i5°*. -"^ ^^0^ .♦^^'5- •V ^ x-^ .: ^•^°o -.0 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/ramblesineuropewOOIamb / PRICE, ZS'-CENTS, "•..dftia)Sis5]> AND WHAT I SAW IN GREAT BRITAIN, France and Belgian^ BY WM. N. LAMBDIN. ' Or co,\^7r>- MAR 24 U ALEXANDRIA, VA. ^ '' "^" Ramey's Printing Office and Book Bindery, i8S8. 4 CONTENTS. Chapter IV. — Rambles in Hyde Park — Lovely girls — Alligators — Vastness of London — London at night — Pinching poverty — Enormous wealth — Appetite for drink among English women— Departm*e from London — St. Albans — Leicester — Sheffield — Normantown — Leeds— Settle — Horton — ''Long Meg and her Daughters" — The original Gretna Green — On Scottish soil — Edinburgh again — Roslm Chapel — Loch Lomond — Pictur- esque scenery — Ben Lomond — Trosachs — Leaving Glasgow — Belfast— Giants Causeway^Sail from Larne — "Stowaways" — A stirring incident — Very rough sea— Arrival in New York — Home io6 Appendix. — Remarks — Enroute for Luray — Harper's Ferry — Beau- tiful scenery — Historic region — Luray Inn — Famous Mineral Springs^- Luray Cavern — Its wonderful formations described — Illuminated by electric light — From Luray to the Natural Bridge — Weyer's Cave — Description of the Natural Bridge — Pyrotechnic displays — Places of interest near the Bridge — Home again 143 PREFACE. "Of making many books there is no end" is a truth more apparent now than ever before ; and the first thought of many tourists after their return from abroad is to plunge into print regardless of conse- quences. While there are multiplied copies of books of European travel, most of these have the objection- able feature of being too expensive ; and the writer's apology in sending forth this little volume, is the demand often felt for an inexpensive but faithful *'replica" of the new and strange experiences of the traveller while among his trans-atlantic friends. 6 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. My highest wishes are attained if the reader can find these hasty notes of a too hasty journey worthy the trouble of a hasty reading, and in kindly indul- gence of this my first offense, extend his forgive- ness to The Author. Jaituary, 1888. ''Agents wanted in all parts of the United States for the sale of this Book, to whom liberal rates will be allowed. "'Copies of this Book mailed to any part of the U. S. on re- ceipt of 25 cents. JI^^'For terms to Agents, or copies of this Book, address Wm. N. LAMBDIN, 218 N. Patrick St. Alexandria, Va. Chap.ter I.— Thoughts of an ocean voyage--De]ightful sail on Lake Erie — A visit home — Washington, D. C. to New York — Sails from New York — Dense fog — Music hath charms — Vacant Chairs at the tables— Soup poured into her lap — Paying tribute to old '*Nep." — Nearly rolled out of berth — Two-thirds across the Atlantic — Whales, porpoises, gulls, etc. — Flirtation — Their honey moon aboard — Busy cooks— Shaving under difficulties- Something worse than purgatory — Smoking room on steamer- Tory Island — Arrival at Greenock—Great Eastern steamship — Arrival at Glasgow. It was a sultry day during the latter part of June, as I sat near the window in my room at the Hillman House, Wheeling, West Virginia. I longed for a breath of cool fresh air, but such a blessing as that was entirely out of the question in a manufacturing city with the thermometer dancing up in the nineties. It was then that I bethought me of the delights of a midsummer ocean voyage. Shortly after this 1 had occasion to visit the magnifi- cent city of Cleveland, Ohio, and after enjoying a drive along the entire length of Euclid avenue, the next thing « RAMBLES IN EUROPE. in the programme was a sail on the cool waters of Lake Erie. Flow delightful ! O that I might pass days and nights away from the turmoil, heat, and dust of the busy haunts of men, and allow tired nature to find a §weet restorer in the life giving breeze and freedom from all care, that one would be sure to enjoy on the bosom of the deep while the proud iron steamship, as if eager to reach her destined port, would plough through the mighty waters many knots per hour. Such thoughts as these and more, revolved though my mind while on the Lake, and 1 then and there deter- mined that ere the mellow suns of autumn had tinged the forest trees, the pleasures of a trip across the Atlan- tic should have been tasted. With this object in view I hastened to visit the dear ones at home, in the quiet city of Alexandria, Va., where I had not been for more than six years. Travel is good, but a visit home once in a while is the sweetest thing known, and no man (unless he is sent to the penitentiary) should remain away from his people and kindred for six long years at one time ; however in an **old bach" (such as the writer has the misfortune to be), the case is somewhat pardonable, for often times this class of humanity are so crusty that their absence is more to be desired than their presence. RAMBLES IN EUkOPfi. 9 But 1 am not writing an essay on bachelors and their dispositions, so must hurry on, still I would observe that there are exceptions to every rule (except death and tax paying) and this deponent hopeth he may be an ex- ception to' the crusty state of bachelors generally, but as to that/ of cotirse, the girls must decide. Only a week at home and then, ho ! for New York, from which port our good steamship — State of Nevada— sails July i4thj fof Glasgow. But before we get to Gotham, from Alexandria, let us notice w^hat fine cities v/e pass through on the way. First, there is Washington, a second Pans in beauty, and adorned with such noble public buildings as are scarcely to be found anywhere else upon earth. We notice especially the Washington Monument tow- ering 555 feet high, and the Capitol 306 feet, both built of marble and an honor to the nation. Our time being limited we cannot at present take in the Smithsonian Institution, Corcoran Art Gallery, National Museum, Army Medical Museum, Treasury, State, War, and Navy Departments, White House, and so many other places of interest in the ''City of Mag- nificent Distances. '^ Washington to be admired needs only to be seen. And no person who visits this city should fail to see Mt. Vernon, and Arlington Cemetery. 10 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. One hour's ride on the linnited express from Washing- ton and we are in Baltimore^ Md. Here we have only time to notice the Washington Monument 175 feet high, from the summit of which a fine view of the city can be obtained. Druid Hill and Patterson Parks are delightful resting placesj but then there is no rest for the wicked, and besides, the train is leaving, and so we push on tov/ard Philadelphia, the second largest city in America. A volume could be written of this city, and it v/as the writer's happy privi- lege nearly twelve years ago to visit the great Centen- nial Exposition, and see the sights of the Quaker City ; visit the choice collection of animals at the Zoological Gardens in Fairmount Park, and tak@asail on the river. We pass on and arrive at Jersey City and take the ferry for New York just opposite. From Washington to New York the distance is 230 miles and the express trains makes the run in six hours, mcluding all stoppages. We are now in New York — the largest city in Ameri- ca, and at the docks we may find vessels from every quarter of the globe. In population, this metropolitan and cosmopolitan human hive is exceeded only by Lon- don and Paris. Everything is on a large scale (especially the prices RAIMl'.LES IN EUROPE. 1 1 at hotels) and New York does nothing by halves. Let us saunter out to Central Park and visit the ''Zoo" and have a little boat ride on the lake. This park has an area of 843 acres and abounds in beautiful drives and walks. Madison Square, Union Park, and Washington Square are also delightful promenades. Prospect Park and Greenwood Cemetery are lovely places. The Brooklyn Bridge over East river which cost ^15- 000.000 is doubtless the most costly and handsome one in the world. The elevated railways do an immense passenger traf- fic, and are to New York what the underground railways are to London. The Empire City is replete with places of interest, and the visitor could take in with both pleasure and ])rofit Old Trinity Church, Astor Library, Cooper Union, New General Post Office, Custom House and Stock Exchange, Plymouth Church, and Brooklyn Tab- ernacle, and many other places. Some might desire to visit the Morgue and the Tombs. The great Bible House of the American Bible Society on Astor Place, near Broadway, will richly repay an inspection. This Bible Society is the largest in Amer- ica, and publishes the Scriptures in 242 different langua- 12 RAMBLES IN fiUkOPE* ges and dialects, and has the capacity to print and bind ten thousand Bibles and Testaments each day. There is much good and evil near together in New York, and a stranger ought to be on his guard against pick-pockets and sharpers of all kinds^ especially along the Bowery. Most tourists get their money exchanged at one of the many brokers offices on Wall street. I was no ex- ception to this rule and got £^ 20. 8 shillings for each hundred dollars exchanged. After storing my British and French gold coin in my money-belt, I started like a pilgrim with grip-sack in hand to the State Line pier, foot of Canal street. The vessel was pushing out from the wharf just as I arrived, and had I been one mmute later should have been left, and my first class saloon ticket not worth the paper it was printed on. I was booked for aft berth 19, steamship State of Ne- vada, sailing Thursday, July 14, 1887. The officers on the vessel saw me as I made my ap- pearance, and it was with no small pleasure I beheld the great steamer glide back to the pier again. I hasti- ly bid nay brother who accompanied me— good bye — jumped aboard and the next minute the 3,000 ton ship Was on her way to a foreign land. As the vessel slowly steamed down the bay, those on RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 13 sliorc and the passengers on the steamer greeted one another with handkerchief waving until we were lost from each other's view. The Bartholdi Statue of Liberty is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, and was the center of observation as the Nevada passed by. At Sandy Hook our pilot left us, which seemed like sundering the last link th.at bound us to our native land. The steamer now put on full speed and the sea being perfectly smooth we made very fair progress. There were about 120 cabin passengers and 175 steer- agers. The cabin passengers were not long in forming ac- quaintances, many of v/hich will be remembered with pleasure for years to con)e» There is always some pleasant word to say, some lit- tle service to render to man or woman, and we get ac- quainted in live minutes. Why sliould people go tliroiigh the world keeping their distance from their fellow-creatures, and losing all the benefit or amusement of their society ? For the first few days the weather w^as delightful and many of the passengers were congratulating themselves on having escaped sea-sickness, and indeed the prospect seemed favorable for a plesant trip across. 14 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. But alas ! for human expectations, on the morning of the fifth day out we were enveloped in a fog thick enough to chop with an axe, (so a sailor said)^ and the fog whistle blew almost continuously. The noise of a well developed and healthy fog horn is not of a very soothing and euphonious nature, and the cold heavy fog and the demoniacal blasts of the fog horn combined, had a tendancy to keep all passengers down in the sa- loon. The decks were clear of passengers, the fog was soak- ing wet, and I did not promenade much that evening. Before the **rainy fog'' a person could hardly walk the deck because of the number of reclining chairs strewn in the way, and the pretty girls seemed to vie with each other to see who could remain above the longest. But a few short hours sometimes makes a wondrous change, and it was a dismal sight to stand in the com- panion way and look out upon the wet masts and sails^ and now and then a sailor encased in his oil-cloth suit. After standing in the companion way several hours, I concluded it was getting monotonous to gaze at the fog all day, so went below to see how the ladies and gents were enjoying their enforced stay in the saloon. Music appeared to be the order of the day, and piano, organ^ violin, flute, banjo, and other instruments issued RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 15 forth their melodious Strains in such sweet harmony that I was fairly intoxicated with its soothing influences. — Music hath charms ^o soothe the savage breast. Sing- ing was also indulged in, and a very happy company were the occupants of the cabin that day. Others amused themselves by playing games of chess, checkers, old maid, dominoes, cards, &c., and if any one failed to enjoy himself with music, singing, or playing games, he could select a book from the library and bury him- self in that to his heart's content. The motto of that company seemed to be — let all enjoy themselves to the utmost in their own way. 1 considered the three hours while I stood in the com- panion way gazing upon the rainy, foggy ocean listening to the wild sound of the fog whistle, just so much time lost. However, I am very fond of experience, and it re- quires all sorts of experience to fill up a life time, and besicies, variety is the spice of life. If I had not stood in the cheerless companion way (without a companion), looking at the cheerless pros- pect outside, and listening to the cheerless music of that most cheerless steam fog horn ; how should I have en- joyed so hugely the exhilarating pastime of the saloon ? We must have contrast and for any one to fully enjoy the 16 RAMBLES IN EUROPE* companionship of kindred spirits, he must first know what it is to be lonesome. That night we had a concert interspersed with recitations and essays, and the glory of the hour was so great, that the chairman in the ful- ness of his enthusiasm, proposed to wind up the enter- tainment with a dance, which proposition was soon put into effect, and it was near midnight before the passen- gers sought their respective berths. The next morning I arose late, but not too late to get my breakfast. My conscience sometimes troubles me when I miss a meal, but my stomach generally troubles me still more. On deck everything was yet wet and foggy, and the ocean was getting considerably rougher. At noon the ship rolled a great deal and I saw we were in for a bad day. Some of the passengers had no appetite for dinner and there were plenty of vacant chairs at the tables. The rack apparatus were adjusted to the tables, yet it was with difficulty that the dishes could be kept in their places. One lady near me had half a plate of soup poured in- to her lap by a sudden pitch of the vessel. We all dined very sparingly that noon and I noticed that the rougher the sea became, and the more the ves- sel rocked, the less the passengers wanted to eat. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 17 It cost the State Line Co., but little to board the pairsengers that day, and I saw several ladies and gen- tlemen, who were suffering the qualms of internal com- motion, rush to the lee side of the ship and feed the lit- tle fishes on the very food they had eaten at dinner. Such kindness on the part of the passengers appeared to be contagious, and I counted a dozen persons at one time leaning over the railing, and now and then pay- ing tribute to old Neptune with such an anxious expres- sion on their faces. With every heave of the vessel their breasts seemed to heave with emotion, and m.any aboard the Nevada heaved in sympathy that day with the heaving of the ocean. And still the wild waves dashed higher. That after- noon several waves broke over the decks, and the Ne- vada shipped sea after sea, and it was dangerous out- side. One passenger was washed ten feet and dashed against the rail with such force as to sprain his arm badly. I was in the companion way when a heavy sea rolled over, and half a barrel flowed down the stairs, and came near taking me along with it. An old lady when she saw the water screamed, '^the ship is sinking I" and it was some time before the stew- ard could re-assure her that there was no immediate 18 RAMBLES IN EUROPE, danger. Three-fourths of the passengers were dread-- fully sea-sick, and the saloon resembled a hospital more than any thing else. Some of the sea sick were in their berths^ and the bed-room stewards were kept busy attending to them. The old ship rolled and pitched and groaned, and the sea dashed with such mighty force against her iron sides that she shivered many times from stem to stern. Those who were not sea sick looked as if a few more hours of such weather would put them on the retired list. The bulls-eye windows were all closed and the air of the lower cabins and state rooms almost stifling. I was neither sick nor well, and stood in the companion-way (my favorite place in very rough weather) to get a breath of pure air occasionally. Half the charm of going to sea lies in the pure fresh air, and the healthiest atmosphere in the world comes from the broad Atlantic, but when the bow of the grand old Nevada was under the waves every few minutes, it was almost impossible to go out and fill my lungs with the pure ozone. At supper most all the chairs were vacant and mine was only occupied for appearance sake. Such a thing as an appetite I had not, yet I went through the ceremony enough to partake of a very light supper. I could not help observing the wonderful con- RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 19 trast between the aspect of the saloon and the condi- dition of the passengers that night, and of the preced- ing night when everything and everybody were so gay. Thus it is all through life, one extreme follows another, and joy and sorrow travel only a few hours apart in this mundane sphere. Roll on thou dark and deep blue ocean, roll ! It was still rolling when I retired to my berth, and the deep blue sea well sustained its rollicking reputation as a roller by nearly rolling me out of my couch sev- eral times during the night. The foUovving morning I arose feeling very sore from the constant shaking, but still able to make for the table when the breakfast bell rang. Meeting a friend at the table, he inquired, ^'How did you sleep last night ? " I replied in an offhand way, '*0, I slept like atop," but meant like a top thrown into the Falls of Niagara. **Slept like a top ! why I believe you could sleep on a runaway horse ! " Several others inquired if I had slept any through the night, and to all I replied that I slept like a top. I found upon inquiry that very few had slept any during the previous night, and it was sad yet ludicrous to see what long faces they wore. 20 RAMBLES IN EUROPE, Some of the passengers began to think that life on the ocean wave was not so jolly after all, and one young lady asked the captain if they would ever have any more nice weather again. It was two days of wretchedly rough weather such as a sailor calls *'nasty" and the cold, raw fog which was first encountered off Cape Race still hung like a pall for hundreds of miles around and refused to be lifted. Toward evening the sea quieted a little, and the aw- ful mist would lift once in a while and then envelop everything as completely as before. The following morning the sea was behaving itself tolerably well, and had calmed down so as to give the vessel a graceful rolling motion, and a glimpse of the sun could now and then be seen through the fog. Everything now looked encouraging, and the passen- gers were once more themselves. The worst was over, and it was not long before the decks were again animated by those who were not too sick to indulge in moderate exercise. By noon we had passed through the fog which had been our unpleasant companion for more than half a thousand miles. We had now been out a week, and were two-thirds across the briny deep, having made a run of over two thousand miles during that period. RAMBLES IN EUrOPE. 21 Several ministers were aboard and one of them pro- I)Osed holding an open-air thanksgiving service, which was very largely attended. The Sunday previous there had been two services held in the saloon. That at'ternoon we saw two steamers far in the dis- tance, and could only discern them by their long trail of smoke. Quoits, shovel-board, and other out door games were kept up all day. There were a number of very sociable persons on tlie Nevada, and if any one could not find plenty of agree- able companions for the time being, it was certainly his or her own fault. There are few things more pleasant than a good prom- enade on the long, cleared decks of an ocean steamer. For many hours each day in fair weather, this health- ful and apetizing recreation was enjoyed alike by old and young. Not only the decks, but the gangways and every accessible place was invaded, and several times I got ''clialked" in my rambles around the ship. On the Atlantic, even in mid-summer a person will find great need for j^lenty of warm clothing, gloves, overcoats, wraj)s of all kinds being in great demand, especially at night. 22 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. Many of the ladies remain on deck in their rech'n- ing chairs till near midnight, and watch the scintillat- ing phosphorescent seas with keen pleasure. When the slender keel of the ship glides quickly over the mirrored waters upon the wings of the wind, it cuts for itself a sparkling way, and disturbs in their sleep the monsters of the deep, which whirl and dart quicker than a twelve knot ship ; sweeping and turning around their disturber, they suddenly clothe the dark surface ot the water in brilliancy, while the stars of the first magnitude shine with a feeble light, and the '*Milky Way'* of the heavens is almost totally eclipsed by that through which we are sailing. It is a scene of awful grandeur to watch the foaming, luminous waters as the vessel dashes on her way and leaves the sparkling trail in her wake. Once seen it cannot be forgotten. In going over we saw two whales, and they were both spouting, also saw several sharks, great shoals of porpoises, dozens of mother Carey's chickens, and thousands of gulls. In the bosom of the great deep there is as much life as upon the land. To see a barque in full sail is an attractive sight ; one evening the Nevada passed so near a vessel of this sort, that the officers saluted each other. Altogether we did not get in sight of more than half a dozen vessels RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 23 while going across, and once, for an entire week, we saw not a sail. Some persons may think it rather monotonous and tiresome in crossing the Atlantic, while others will find plenty of variety and amusement, and enjoy the time as a season of pleasure and profit. As for myself I shall always remember with pleasure and the fondest recol- lections, the delightful sojourn on the face of the great deep. There was nothing in the trip tiresome to me, and rarely indeed, if ever, have I enjoyed in the same number of days so much unalloyed pleasure. To see the golden sun set is magnificent, and it has the appearance of a huge ball of fire slowly descending into the cooling waters. One lady said, '^poor sun, it will get drowned and can never shine again." I do not know how the sun looks in rising at sea for *'01d Sol" always got there first. But to see the silvery moon beam down upon the mighty deep is well worth beholding, and I noticed at the same time that many of the young couples were quite ^*moon struck." One night I made the rounds of the ship before retir- ing, and it was a sight for a photographer to picture, here and there little groups in quiet corners, so earnestly engaged in coquetry and flirtation, that it seemed a pity to disturb their bliss. 24 RAMBLES IN EUROPE, The sight was so affecting ( I might say affectionate ) I returned to my state-room with heart beating wildly, and being so unaccustomed to such things, hours elapsed before sweet sleep came to my relief. There were several newly married couples spend- ing their honey-moon on board, and their sweet atten- tions toward each other was enough to encourage the petrified heart of an old bachelor to go and do like wise. In this litte book gentle reader it would be impossible to relate half what was seen, but wait until we chance to meet, and then I can tell you of many things which now I have not time to write. Day and night without cessation the noble steamer dashes through the dark waters. It 7;ii/s^ nomQ to land after awhile. While viewing the vast expanse of waters we have a faint idea of eternity. *'They that go down to the sea in ships, that do busi- ness m great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep." Each day at noon an Observation is taken, which is posted in a conspicuous place for the passengers to read. The passengers are kept posted as to the latitude and longitude of the vessel, and the number of niiles travel- led every 24 hours. Time is divided on ship-board generally into three watches* RAMBLES lx\ KUROPE. ZO A watch is that part of the officers ^as exactly five hours and five minutes slow by Glasgov/ time. Each night there were entertainments of varied char- acter in the saloon, and one especially, called the 28 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. **Breach of Promise Charade'* was a master piece, and to judge of the applause rendered, one would think it must have been the work of professionals, rather than of amateurs. The steeragers had a dance and a parade several times in their portion of the vessel, and despite their hard fare and harder quarters, they seemed to have a good time generally. In crossing from America to Europe the steeragers are not crowded, and can therefore have a compar- atively pleasant time, but woe befall the decent man who takes steerage passage from Europe to America, for then most every steamer is filled with the poorest Hungarians, Bohemians, Italians, and much of the scum of Europe, and the odor from the steerage is like a breath from a sewer. To be kept there ten days would be something worse than purgatory, and besides it is claimed a person w^ould be the purer from having enter- ed purgatory, whereas the opposite is true in regard to sleeping, (if it could be called sleep), in the steerage. The parade of the steeragers attracted more attention than their dances. They would form in line two by two and march a- round and around in their contracted quarters to the tune of an old fiddle that had lost one of its strings. Another man had a huge iron pot which he would I RAMBLE? IN EUROPE. 20 pound most unmercifully, and the more noise he made the better he appeared to enjoy it, and the cWn was al- most sufficient to make an ordinary mortal deaf. — Finally the captain sent word to dispense with the so- called kettle-drum beating, and from that moment the parade lost most of its charm to the steeragers. The smoking room on an ocean steamer is a lively place and generally pretty well patronized. Th.e room all day has the appe'arance of being in a dense fog, and card playing and gambling goes on fro!*n early morn till near midnight. The electric bell in the smoking room does good (or bad) service and each time it is touched the bar-room steward appears, and an order for cham- pagne, wine, whiskey, beer, or stout is the invariable re- sult. It is hard to tell whether the good or the bad over- balances on an ocean steamship. The faithful steamer dashes on and on through the phosphorescent waters and we are nearing the coast of Ireland. The officers tell us that we may see -land before night, and so tv^^ry one wlio is not too busy writing to far a- way friends, are on the quivive to catch the first glimpse o^ the Old World. Nearly all steamers bound from America to Glasgow, direct, now-a-days, take the course known as the ''North 30 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. About'^ and pass around the north of Ireland instead of making it at the south end and passing up through the Irish Channel. Late that afternoon a young lady shout- ed '^O, there's land !'' and true enough, far in the dis- tance, looking like vapor, we could distinguish Tory Island, on the extreme north-west coast of DonegaL Marine glasses were brought into requisition, and all eyes were strained to see what we could see. Shortly after this we got a distant view of the terribly rocky and threatening main-coast, at Malta Head. The next point is the coast of Instrahull off the most northern extremity of all Ireland. It was now dark yet most of the passengers remained on deck for hours looking at the light-houses along the shore. Having something of an owl nature I did not retire till after mid-night, and thus was too sleepy in the morning to arise early enough to take in the pic- turesque scenery of the lower Clyde. When I arose at 8 a. m. the Nevada was lying at anchor at the city of Greenock, Scotland, having made the passage— 3,000 miles in ten days. Health officers came aboard and inquired if every- thing was all right in a sanitary point of view. Custom House inspectors examined into our luggage to see if we bad any dutiable articles. RAMHLKS IN ETRuPE, 31 All the trunks, boxes, valises, and bundles that could pass ins|>ection were chalk-marked, to sliovv that nothing contraband was found therein. The British Custom laws are very strict against pas- sengers having among their effects, spirits of any kind, tobacco, or American re-print of English books, and tliese three articles are liable to seizure and confiscation. So far as I could see nothing liable to confiscation was found and we were all allov/ed to go on our way re- joicing. The climate of Scotland is very raw and cold and it rains nearly seven days each v/eek. One passenger said he had visited Scotland not less than ten different times, and on'y once it was not rain- ing when he landed, but even then the weather was prepariug for a rain, for, said he, *'the next four days it came down solid as in the days of Noah." It was niisty and rainy — regular Scotch weather — when we landed, A gentleman inquired ofaboyin Glasgow if it rained there all the time. "O no sir" re- plied the boy, ''sometimes it snows." The Great Eastern steamship — a second Noah's ark — was lying in the channel at Greenock, and several of ns pai^i iicr a visit. She was at first named tlie Levia- tJian and I think such a vessel well deserves that title. The cost of launcirlng this immense vessel alone a- mounted to ^350,000, 32 RAMBLES IN EUROPKo The length is 700 feet, and the breadth across the paddle-boxes 118 feet, breadth of hull 85 feet, d.^pth 60 feet, and the tonnage 23,500. This ship is propelled by a combination of paddle wheels and screw. For the paddles her engines are of 3,575 indicated horse power: for the screw 4,700 indicated horsepower. — The boilers for all this stupendous machinery are ten in number, each boiler weighing upwards of fifty tons ; four of these drive the paddle engines, and six the screw. It has also powerful auxiliary engines for turning the screw when under sail, and has no less than ten donkey^ engines for pumpmg and for various other purposes. The Great Eastern possesses accommodations for 900 first-class passengers, 2,000 second class, and 1,300 third class. The consumption of coal amounts to 450 tons per day. This is the vessel that gained such fame in laying the great Atlantic and other telegraph cables, — a work for which she is well adapted, and which, indeed, no other vessel could have attempted with success. At the pres- ent time she is idle, and her owners are at a loss to know how she can be profitably employed, so very great is the expense of running her. Greenock is only 22 miles from Glasgow, and the tide being too low to allow the Nevada to proceed fur- ther up the river Clyde before evening, the passengers were all furnished free rail-road tickets to Glasgow, by the State Steamship Company. At Glasgow some of us pat up at the St. Enoch's Ho- tel, and after dinner took a stroll to see the city. RA^ BLES IN EUROPE. 33 CHAPTER II. Chapter 1 1. — Places visited in Glasgovv — Edinburgh — Ineffaceable blood — British railway coaches — Carlisle — London — Its promi- nent places of interest described — Immense grape vine — Lost in the Maze — Sp urgeon-^" Wesley s House" — Underground railways — Excursion to Dublin — Liverpool docks — Choppy, Irish Sea — Many sea-sick — Dublin described — Return to Lon- don. There are many interesting places in and around the ancient city ofGlasp^ow. The old Cathedral is a stately and magnificent edifice, in the Saxon-Gothic style. There are 159 windows in this noble building, and the wonderful paintings on the glass date back to the year 1238. It would require a volume to describe fully this sacred pile, and in these few pages there is only ropni to barely mention the most noted places visited in Eu- rope. Among other places visited during my three days stay at Glasgow, were the Hunterinn Museum, Industrial Museum, Alexandra Park, Botanic Gardens, The Ne- cropolis, Livingstone Monument^ Glasgow University, 34 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. and the A.bert Bridge.. Glasgow and suburbs had a population in the summer of 1887 ^^ 775'^5^ ^^"^d ^s therefore much the largest city in Scotland. With9ut forgetting to pay my hotel bill I hurried on to Edin- burgh, the capital. This '^Modern Athens,'^ as Edinburgh is often termed^ is without doubt the prettiest city of Scotland, and one of the finest in Europe. It has three points of principal interest, all elevations, and lying nearly equidistant from each other, in a triangle, the first being the Calton Hill, the second Arthur's Seat, and the third the Castle. Cal- ton Hill is quite a resort in the afternoon, and from its romantic summit a person can get a splendid view of the city and surrounding country. On this Hill is the Nelson, National, and other fine monuments ; the Observatory is well worth visiting as it affords a charming view over the Firth of Forth. Burns* Monument, a beautiful structure, pillared and Grecian, with winged griffins supporting an hour glass ; and a bust of the poet is one of the attractions of the place. The Palace of Holyrood is a queer but handsome old French-looking chateau, with pointed pepper-box tur- rets, by far the most interesting building in Scotland, and unexcelled by any in Europe. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 35 The Palace was founded by David the First, the Crusader about the year 1130, and it has ever since held a prominent place in Scottish history. The Picture Gallery contains the portraits of David the First, Robert Bruce, Charles the First, James the Fifth, and many of the ancient royal families of Scotland. Lord Darnley's Rooms come next in order of show- ing, with pictures and tapestry ; then the Staircase is seen — that narrow staircase up which the assassins crept to murder David Rizzio, and the spot at the stair-head where Rizzo was dragged to die is yet marked by a dull red stain which is called the ineffaceable blood. One of the most sadly attractive places on earth is Queen Mary's Chamber, where she slept, the room is panelled in ceiling and the walls tapestried, the bed is still standing, while several other remembrances of her ; table, work-box with work, etc. fill up the room just as she left it three hundred years ago. Adjoining the Palace of Holyrood are the ruins of Holyrood Abbey, of which the roofless walls still re- main. Arthur's Seat is the high hill over-looking Edinburgh, with a collar or ruff of rocks under its brow. Many interesting objects present themselves in driving from Hie foot of Arthur's Scat, u[) the Canongate and Castle 36 RAMBLES IN EUROPE, Hill to the Castle. The very tall old houses (same of them twelve stories high !) the narrow alleys or "Wvnrls'* and several ancient charches, among them the Ti^oo Church in which may be seen the altar where Annie Laurie was married. The House of John Knox is visi- ted by many of the tourists who *'do'' Edinburgh. He was one of the greatest Reformers the world has produced, and well deserves the inscription on his- tomb — "Here lies he who never feared the face of man/'' Edinburgh Castle is a rock-throned, commanding andf X^icturesque place, where I remained several hours with- unabated interest. Among the other objects which- should certainly be seen at Edinburgh, is the Scott Mon- ument, on Prince's street, a Gothic structure of more than 200 feet in height, with a magnificent colossal statue of Sir Walter, by Steel, shrined within, many emblematic figures, an inscription by Jeffrey, and alto- gether one of the finest monumental works of the age.^ — - My stay in Edinburgh was limited to a few days, so I could not get to visit many of the Castles, Abbeys, Chapels, etc., for which all that historic region is noted. Edinburgh has a population (1887) of 250,000 inhabi- tants, and the houses are all of stone. It ought to be called the Rock City for no where else on this little globe can be fouxd'^so many quarries as are, RAMDl.KS lx\ EURUl'E. o7 locaUd near the substantial and aristocratic capital city ot" ])t)nn\' Scotland. The dress of the Higlilanders of Scotland, and also of the Scottish soldiers would cause a stranger to think they would be very liable to die of cold in winter. After remaining at the Waverly Hotel in Edinburgh three days, I purchased a ticket for London, over 400 nnles distant. The coaches on the British railways are not as convenient as those in the United States ; each car is divided into three or four compartments, to give more privacy it is said, and the passengers are locked in just before the train starts. And if it should be cold weather a passenger would not feel very comfortable, for there arc no stoves nor heating apparatus, except a pan of hot water to warm your feet, and when the water cools, the traveller would imagine that he was on a train bound for the North Pole. This arrangement ap- pears to be behind the times, still it has this advantage ; in case of a wreck the hot water cannot set the cars on fire like our stoves have done in so many instances. In journeying from Edinburgh to London by the Mid- land Route, the tourist gets a view of the best portion of the Kingdom. The i)anoramic view of the garden of Ijritian as we speed along fifty uiiles per hour is calculated to impress 38 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. itself upon the mind with such vividness as never to be erased. At Carlisle I rernained one day to see the sights of the historic city where King Arthur once held Court. The old castle is an object of great interest and visited by many. On the route from Carlisle to London (300 miles), we pass near the English Lake Region, and a more lovely country is not often found. Railway trains in England make greater speed than in America, and there is no danger of collision, for one road never crosses another except by tunnel or bridge. Even the turn-pike and county roads always cross a- bove or under the railway track. The locomotives never have cow-catchers, for such a thing is not needed. I was telling an Englishman that all the locomotives in America had cow-catchers, and he said, ^^what do they want to catch the poor cows for?'' From Carlisle to London the express only made five stops, and one of these was at Bedford, famous as the place where Rev. John Bunyan was imprisoned for so many long years while he wrote the Pilgrim's Progress. London, the capitol of England is on the River Thames, and the largest city on the earth. The population of this enormous metropolis is nearly five million souls, or about as many inhabitants as the RAAIDLES IN EUK'OrE. o'J cities of New York, Philaclei])hia, Chicago, ]]rooklyn, St. Louis, and soir.e other cities combined. It is a world in miniature. A person could remain in this city for months sight-seeing and then not take it all in. It was my privilege to remain here more than five weeks altogether, and then I had to trot around lively to see the principal objects of interest. If any one were to walk one way through all the streets of London, he would be obliged to go a distance of 3,000 miiles, or as far as it is across the American continent from New York to San Francisco. It is 20 miles long and 12 miles broad. There are more Scotchmen in London than in Edinburgh, more Irishmen than in Dublin, more Jews than in all Pales- tine, more Roman Catholics than in Rome, and more Welshmen than in Cardiff, with foreigners from all parts of the world, including a great number of Americans. Yet there are so many Englishmen in London that one is not likely to notice the presence of these people of other nations. This vast body of citizens eat every year 500,000 oxen, 1,500,000 sheep, 8,000,000 chickens and game birds, not to speak of calves, hogs, and different kinds of fish. They consume 500,000,000 oysters, which although it seems a large numiber, would only give, if ecpially divided among all the peoi)le, one oys- ter every third day to each person. 40 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. There are 300,000 servants in London, enough persons to make a large city ; but as this gives only one servant to each dozen citizens, it is quite evident that a great many people must wait on themselves. In London there is a birth on an average of every four minutes, and a death every six minutes. There are more than 700,000 houses and an average of seven persons to each building. There are 60,000 families in London, each of which cook, sleep, and eat in one room. No where else upon the globe are the extremes of wealth and poverty shown in such contrast as in this city. There are many ways of seeing London ; just according to the taste of the visitor will his steps be led in this or in that direction. If you wish to have a just conception of the magnitude of this city you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey the innumerable little lanes and courts. It is not in the showy evolutions of buildings, but in the multiplicity of human habitations which are crowd- ed together, that the wonderful immensity of London consists. Its size seems to impress itself more and more upon the stranger, and this city is a notable exception to the rule of familiarity breeding contempt. RAMBLlilS IN EUROPE. 41 There is an army of postmen and they deliver mail matter till ten o'clock at night. But then ten p. m. in London during the summer would not seem later than 8 p. m. with us, because of the length of the days in Britian. In London the length of a day in early July is nearly 17 hours ! In Edinburgh the days are still longer, and it often appears as if darkness will never come. One summer morning in Edinburgh 1 awoke and find- ing it broad day-light and the sun shining into the room, thought I would arise. On looking at my watch 1 dis- covered it was only 4 a. m. so I crawled back into bed again for another nap. But in winter the other extreme is the case, and the shortest days are then only about 7 hours long. A man would have a good chance then to sleep all the time, for the sun would scarcely have time enough to penetrate through the London fog before it would be in order for this luminary to retire again. And such fogs as London can get up ! They would take the first premium anywhere ! Now and then we have a little fog in America, but London fog would turn its nose up at such a rival. I saw a big London Fog in all its glory one day, and it just spread itself north, south, east, and west over the city, and there it sat and brooded. 49. RAMBLES Itsr EUROPE. People coaxed and prayed for it to go — but no go it had come to stay. It made London its head-quarters and choked every man who came out of his house. The sun came out to help the people, but with all his might he could not dispel that blackness of darkness which grew thicker and thicker after the sun went down. The fog was determined to remain and black every person that walked the street. It seemed to take par- ticular spite against white shirts, cuffs, and collars. — Strangers in the city said they would leave if the fog didn't, but he never moved an inch. The longer he remained the heavier he got, and all the smoke and soot of the immense city gathered around him and he was then satisfied. The sun hid himself all the next day, and did not so much as make his appearance. The fog still got thick- er and blacker, and the people had to light their lamps, candles and gas to see where they were. Some of the sick people said ^TU die if this awful fog don't leave," but the cruel fog said — *'I didn't come to leave, I came to stay" and so he stuck, and the sick people died. — Finally, when all the strangers had their grip-sacks packed, and were making for the first train, this old London fog said, — ^'This thing is geting to be monoto- nous, I'll take a short vacation now, but don't you for- RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 43 get it, I'll be back again soon, and remain a little long- er next time," and at that I noticed the sun was mak- ing his appearance and everything was a little more comfortable for the time being. The reader can now have a slight idea of what an in- cubus the London fog is. Now that the fog has lifted and we have a period of sunshine, let us make haste to see what is to be seen in this great city. The cab-system of London is the best in the world, or only rivalled by that of Paris. Handsom cabs (two wheelers) and four wheel cabs are to be found every- where. Cab fares are set by law and the rate is one shilling for the first mile, and half a shilling for each additional m.ile travelled within the four mile circle. Outside of the four mile circle the charge is greater. Generally speaking, the cab fares of London are very reasonable. They are the legs of London, so to speak ; and the hurried traveller should use them freely, thus not only saving time and fatigue, but having a guide always at hand in the driver. With their aid the places named may be visited with great rapidity and yet with pleasure and satisfaction. Westminster Abbey is probably the first object of in- terest in London, from the number of great dead lying within its walls. 44 GAMBLES IN EUROPE. It can be comfortably *^done" in one day, the first half devoted to Poet's Corner and the other '^free'^ parts of the Abbey, where stands the long array of tombs and tablets to the British poets, artists, and worthies, from Shakespeare's time to the present, with a few noble no- bodies intermixed ; and the latter half to an hour of listening, to the very fine organ and choral service, with a ramble at an expenditure of six pence to the guide, through the royal chapels and the tombs of the Kings. The objects of most marked interest in the Abbey are the noble building itself, with its wonderful aisles, arches and forests of noble columns ; the tombs of Shakespeare, Ben. Johnson, Dryden and the other poets, in Poet's Cor- ner ; the splendid architecture of Henry the Seventh's Chapel, stalls and banners of the Knights of the Bath, magnificent tombs of Queen Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots, etc. ; the golden mosaicked old altar-tomb of Ed- ward theConfessor, in the Chapel of the same name, with the tombs of Edward the First, Henry the Fifth and other warrior kings, the weapons carried by some of them, and the coronation chair in which every sovereign of Eng- land since William the Conqueror has been crowned. The stained glass windows of Westminster Abbey rep- resent many Scriptural scenes. In the south aisle of the Abbey can be seen a small marble monument with l^AMBLE? IN EUROPE. If) the words ''John Wesley, M. A. Born June 17, 1703 ; Died March 2, 1791," *'Charies Wesley, M. A. Born December 13, 1708; Died March 29, 1788. ^^Th-e best of all is. God is with us". ^'I look upon the world as my parish". *^ God buries His workmen, but carries on His work". Near i)y is another little monument of white marble, t^rected to tlie memory of Dr. Isaac Watts; it is divided l)y a fascia, over which a bust of that eminent divine is exhibited, supported by genii. Underneath, in a cir- cle, is a fine figure of the Doctor sitting on a stool, in Ihe attitude of deep contemplation., which is finely ex- pressed by an Angel opening to him the wonders of creation, while in one hand he holds a pen, and with the other points to a celestial globe. His name, the dates of liis birth and death, are inscribed on the plmch . — '^Isaac Watts, D. D., Born July 17, 1674, Died November 25, 17^1.8." It would be impossible hereto -even mention the long list of noble names with which this sacred building is filled. We pass on now to the next object of interest — the Houses of Parliament— which splendid structure towers -immediately over the Abbey. The Chaml>ers of the .Lords and Commons should 46 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. both be seen, with the Queen's Throne in the former, and the paintings and fine bas reliefs in some of the other rooms ofthe building to all which, if unguided, direction can easily be procured from the attendants and policemen on duty. If Parliament is in session, the use of a small douceur to attendants, or the influence of the Legation will almost always secure admission to the Commons ; to the Lords the access is more difficult, though even that can often be managed in the same way. We will now turn our attention to the Tower of Lon- don, which is situated on the banks of the Thames, near the London Bridge. Visitors are admitted by tickets purchased at a ticket-office without, and ac- companied through (as well as watched) by one of the Queen's yeomen (called **beef-eaters," originally beatc- feters^^ in the costume of the time of Henry the Eighth. The leading attractions in this wonderful cluster of fortifications are to be found in the Traitors' Gate, seen on entering, through which the accused used to be taken in from boats on the river; the window of the Bloody Tower (seen from without,) just within which the two princes are said to have been smothered by Richard the Third ; the Horse Armory (in the White Tower), in which effigies of half the dead sovereigns ride on horse- back in full armor ; Queen Elizabeth's Armory, in the RAMBLES IN EUROPE. . 4? same tower, where Sir Walter Raleigh was so long con- fined, and where the fatal axe and block are yet to be seen, by and on which fell so many royal and noble heads. The Jewel Tower where the regalia of England, crown, sceptre, sword, etc., are shown in an iron cage, will well merit the visitors attention. The Beauchamp Tower, wliere so many noble captives languished away their lives, will cause the visitor to believe the world to be more humane now, and that man's inhumanity to man is growing less year by year. This Tower rep- resents more than 800 years of English history, and not even London has a more powerful attraction to the in- telligent traveller. St. Pauls Cathedral, the Royal Exchange, Mansion House, Bank of England (which I did not buy out), and Guild-hall may all be included within a single half day's visit by cab, St. Pauls is simply the noblest and grandest church -pile it has ever been my privilege to see. Ic is a truly wonderful sight, I miglit say sublime, to stand within and look up into the dome four hundred feet to the painted angels that really seem to be flying in the blue sky above, St. Pauls has some fine monuments, and in the Crypt below are the resting places of both Wellington and 48 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. Nelson, and the funeral car of the former. I walked away up into the Whispering Gallery, and could easily distinguish every word that the attendant spoke in a low whisper from the opposite side of the dome. From the top of St. Pauls Church an excellent view of Lon- don may be obtained, and the sight was so fascinating that I remained there several hours beholding this great city of cities. St. Pauls Cathedral and the Capitol at Washington some what resemble each other in appear- ance, only St. Pauls is blackened and stained by the terrible fogs and smoke of London. Guild-hall is mainly interesting for the sake of the civic banqueting-hall which gives it name, and there are a few costly paintings and statues in some of the rooms. The Mansion House is the residence of the Lord Mayor of the city. The Bank of England covers eight acres of ground and employs more than one thousand clerks^ porters, and ser- vants. It is the greatest monetary establishment in the world. The management of the National Debt which amounts now to about ^^Soo, 000,000 ( near ^4,000,000- 000), is entrusted to this Bank which receives a commis- sion from the British Government for keeping in proper condition the numerous accounts connected with that enormous sum. The Bank of England is altogether a RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 49 private trading establishment like any other banking house in the city. This Bank is on Threadneedle street, and thus the *' old lady in Threadneedle St.," as the Bank is often called, is the richest old lady in the world, being worth over ^i6,ooOjOoo capital. The Royal Exchange is the third building of the name that has stood on the spot which the present one occupies ; the others having been destroyed by fire. — Close to the Royal Exchange, is the statue raised by the admirers of the late George Peabody, who, in 1869 gave half a million pounds ($2, 500, 000) to be spent in build- ing dwellings for the laboring classes of London. May the name of this great man never fade from memory ! The British Museum demands a full day from even the most hurried. It is a noble building, containing the most wonderful and varied collection, from books to statues, medals, re- lics, and objects of natural history, from all ages and all countries, ever gathered together into one place up- on earth. It would be impossible to give a list of the million an- tiquities and curiosities to be found in this the greatest of all museums. There are upwards of 75,000 volumes in the King's 50 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. Library, presented by George the Fourth, in 1823. — Since then the additions to the Library have been very numerous and valuable. The Manuscript Saloon contains objects of rare in- terest — Royal Charters, Royal, Ecclesiastical and other Seals, and many handsomely bound and illuminated books. There are numerous manuscripts, letters, au- tographs, etc, in the different cases. Letters from Katherine of Arragon, Anne Boleyn, and Lady Jane Grey, also Mary Queen of Scots. Here is a letter from Sir Walter Raleigh to his half brother, Sir John Gilbert, directing that the bread furnished for voyaging adven- tures should be in readiness, dated ^^From the Court, 25, August, 1586.'' The Egyptian Room contains numerous mummies of adults, children, and also animals. In this room will be found a large collection of ancient Egyptian sculpture, ranging from B. C. 2,000 to about the seventh century A. D. Here are bronze tablets with very ancient in- scriptions, also rings, seals, and terra cotta lamps, chairs of wood mlaid with ivory from Thebes, cushions, &c. ; beads and bead -work from coverings of the mummies, earrings, gold and jasper rings, curious necklaces and other ornaments ; the Jewel Room contains an exquisite assortment of pure gold, silver and other ornaments, and RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 51 gold and silver coins of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods, and gold coinage of England since the time of the Conquest. There are dozens of other rooms in this mammoth Museum, and they are all filled with valu- able reh"cs from everywhere under the sun. The Crystal Palace, at Sydenham, rivals the British Museum in the wonderful, though different, variety of its collection. This beautiful glass building with its park, pleasure grounds, gardens, and fountains ; its un- equalled architectural courts, its noble series of portrait busts, its statuary, music, and picture ,-alleries, is, par excellence, the greatest sight in London, and the wonder of Europe as a place of popular amusement and instruc- tion. The gardens of the Palace are now among the finest in the world, and the pyrotechnic displays, com- bined with the great fountains, are probably unequalled anywhere. It would be utterly impossible to exagger- ate the beauty and magnificence of the Crystal Palace, and had I gone every day in the month I should have found something new, something to admire, something to learn. This Crystal Palace is ten times the size of the one which was built some years ago in New York. Windsor Castle and Park (some distance out from the city) are visited by nearly all tourists. The castle is shown whenever the Queen is not resident there, and 0-i RAMBLES IN EUROPE. she is generally absent in summer. The castle is ex- quisitely tasteful In location and grand grouping of towers ; and the vievv- from the Terrace is wondrously beautiful. The most notable rooms within, are Stl George's Chapel, where all the Knights of the Garter are installed, and most royal ceremonies take place; St. George's Hall, devoted to the festivities of the order ; the Waterloo Chamber, with portraits connected with the great battle, etc. It is almost needless to &ay that the acme of art and luxury is reached in these regal apartments, and that nowhere else can such glimpses be caught of the state surrounding an English sovereign. A drive of matchless beauty, three miles long and bordered with the noblest elms in England, leads away to the Great Park and the beautiful Lake— Virginia Water, which should be driven to, and the latter walk- ed around, after leaving the castle. Hampton Court, a splendid old palace and park, comes next in the order of visiting. This place once be- longed to Cardinal Wolsey, and afterwards to Henry the Eighth. The park is five miles in circumference, and well stocked with deer, and the walks about the neighborhood may be designated as superb. Picnic parties from London often remain all day and take the late train or steamer back(25 miles) to the city. I went RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 53 mc^re to Hampton Court Palace to see the wonderful grape vine there, than for any other object. This im- mense vine covers nearly an acre of ground and bears at least a ton of grapes every year, and is by far the largest grape vine in the world. I had heard of this giant vine so many different rimes that I was prepared to find a monster one, but upon examination it was found the half had not been told me. Truth is stranger than fic- tion, and this noted grape vine is worth a pilgrimage to see. A green -house is built over it, and two men are there always to watch and care for it. The rich ripe grapes hung in great clusters while I viewed it, but neither for love nor money could a bunch be procured. This vine belongs to the royal family, and the wine made from these grapes is of a superior quality. One of our party asked the attendant if the Queen consumed all the fruit of that vine each year ! Near the Palace is the far famed Maze, and this maze only covers an acre of ground, yet it is so intricate in its arrangement as to appear interminable, especially to the luckless individual who would explore its endless paths. This labyrinth is formed of high hedge and tangled thorn thicket, and the paths through-out are only wide enough to allow one person to walk comfortably, but two can pass each other. Each one who enters this maze must pay a penny 54 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. to the man at the entrance. Well, as I was in for a little experience, thought I would take in this tangle for a few minutes. It looked so simple that I had confidence enough to believe that half a dozen such jungles couldn't puzzle me. It was my intention to walk all through, show several young ladies how to get out, and then ask the gate-keeper if he meant that little thicket to bewilder any one. I walked in a little ways and stopped to see how the maze looked. It looked pretty well, and so I kept right on m one direction. But soon that path came to an end, and I had to retrace my steps and take another path which wound around and around till it also went no further, and again it was necessary to re- trace my steps a little and enter another path, from wdiich there were dozens of other paths leading. Here I met several persons trying to find their way out, to whom I gave full and explicit directions (as I thought), how to find the entrance. On we went and again the path ended, and I had to come back and take another. Several other persons who looked almost tired to death, inquired if I knew the way out. I replied ^'O, yes, no trouble to get out of here" — and in the kindness of my heart was about to show them out, when I thought, probably I had better see the end of this little maze first, and then I would come back in a few minutes, and we RAMBLES IN EUROrK. 55 would all go out together. They waited for me, and so I walked on pretty fast, intending to see all of the maze and get back soon, saying to myself as I went along, I may as well see it all while I'm here, for its only a mat- ter of a few moments at farthest. I met dozens of per- sons and every one asked me if I could tell them how to get out. I was suprised to find so many people lost. On and on I went sometimes travelling in a circle, and sometimes in a straight line and following each path till it came to an end. There seemed to be not less than ten thousand paths. Still I went on, first by one path and then another and the hedge growing eight feet high on either side of me. I thought to myself, this is a pretty good sort of a maze after all, and reflects credit on the man who first conceived it, and laid it off. While I was thinking thus and walking rapidly, I ran into the first party that I had given full directions, how to find their way out. They looked at me and I at them in mutual wonder. I thought they had gotten out long before. One of the party wanted to know what kind of directions I had given him ; and it was hard indeed to make him believe I had not tried to deceive him, and his wife said ; ^'lets follow the gentleman till he goes out himself, and then we will be sure to find the way.^' I could not with good grace object to this, and 56 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. SO they followed me. On and on we went, first coming to the end of one path and then finding another, till I commenced to think I had seen almost enough of the maze. Several times he asked me — ' ^ Are we nearl)^ out ?' ' and I told him I was not hunting the way out, but mere- ly walking through the maze to see it all, but in a short while would be ready to go with him and his family to the entrance. His children began to cry, and one little fellow who looked more dead than alive, said, he had a gravel in his shoe. His father picked him up and carried him. Just as we were about to turn from one path into another, I heard voices ahead, and in another minute' came across the party I had promised to pilot out, and who had been patiently waiting for me. They seemed glad to see me, and one man said he believed he could find the North Pole as quick as he . could the way out of that labyrinth. I inquired why they had left the place I first saw them, and the spokes- man said — '^Left what place, why, we haven't moved one inch since you left." Then for the first time, it dawned upon my mind that I was as much lost as the rest of the party were ! Feeling that an open confession was good for the soul, I said, **Ladies and gentlemen, I am really amazed to find that Vm bewildered by this T^AMP.T.F.S IN nrUOt^K. T) < little niizmaze, but let us hope for the best ; this ]:)larc is only an acre in size, and if you will all follow me I think it won't be long before we can find the entrance. One man said — "We don't want to find the entrancej we are already deep enough in this maze, we want to find the exit," I explained it was all one and the same place, and so off we started, some of the party so tired as to be hardly able to move. After walking about a mile along the different paths, and getting more confused at each step, one man said he could go no further, might as well die where he was as anywhere else, and so we left him to his fate, and still pushed along. Another of the party said, ''I don't believe Satan himself could fine the way out of this jungle," and with that he gave an awful groan, and sat down to rest, but the balance of us kept going. We met two men coming toward us, and just as we were about to inquire the way out, they got in the same question first. Things were getting desperate, and the whole party sat down to rest, and wipe the perspiration from their faces. I left them there, and still toiled through that terribly tangled thicket till I thought I travelled enough to tire three thirsty thread-bare tramps. And still I was in that maze. I wondered to myself whether it would be right to murder tliat penny collector, who invited the innocent to enter his net. ^^9> I^AMBLES IN EUROPE. But the first thing was to get to him. I sat down and pondered and pondered; and drew a pencil and paper from my pocket and tried to draw apian of this maze, but all in vain, no one but the man (or demon) who planned and planted it^ could unravel the complicated and entangled mysteries of those paths. While en- gaged in this delectable and stimulating drawing, I heard some one coming, and looking up saw two young ladies who had been in this trap five hours trying to get out, and had well nigh given up hope. I looked at my watch and was astonished to find I had been in nearly as long, and had left a friend out- side, telling him I would be back in few minutes 1 The sun was sinking towards the west, and I thought I would just as lief be lost in the Great Desert, as in that intob erable maze all night. I was about to make one more final effort when I heard a man say — ^'Svhat will you give me to show you out?" I quickly replied — ^^I gave a penny to get in, but will give a pound to get out." At this, I saw it was the gate-keeper who had come in to show us all out, (which he does every evening at sundown) and thus we all escaped from our terrible prison, and were so thankful at being rescued that we forgot to murder that maze-maker who was the cause of our tire- some experience. RAMi'.LKS IX KIROPK. o!-) On the way from London to Hamilton Court, the pretty little village of Kew is passed. Kew hardens contain perhaps the most splendid collection of jjlants in the world ; and the Palm House, 360 feet long by 90 wide is one ot the largest glass buildings in existence. Here are to be seen the gigantic Victoria Regia lily, the noble series of palms, orchidcX, pelargoniums, roses and evergreens, the flora of every land and clime, and all grov.nng to perfection. Hyde Park, one of the ''lungs of London" covers a s])ace of 400 acres, and is the most fashionable resort of the city. The Albert Memorial Monument, 160 feet high, one of the very finest on the globe, is to be seen in this ])ark. The m.emorial itself reminds one of the Scott monument in Edinburgh. Regents Park is of a circular form and consists of 450 acres laid out in shrubberies, adorned with a line lake, and intersected with beautiful roads and delight- ful promenades. In summer evenings bands dipense music here, as in Hyde Park, till nearly midnight. The Zoological Gar- dens are situated in Regents Park, and contains the largest collection of rare and most beautiful animals to be found on the face of the earth. I remained lliere fiO RAMBLES IN EUROPE. a whole day and then saw only a portion of the three thousand wild beasts. It is quite an event to see the animals fed, and the rapidity with which great masses of meat are devoured^ very forcibly demonstrates that the safest place for the visitor is outside of the cage. From Primrose Hill, near Regents Park, a fine view of the city may be obtained. The residences of the nobility and gentry are princi- pally at the west, south-west, and north-west part of Lon- don, while the south, or **overthe water" as it is called, contains the homes of the middle class. But the poorest and most squalid people to be found anywhere are to be met in East London. One day I took a stroll through the lowest portion of East London, and it did not require much time to realize that the population there were not all saints. I encountered hordes of filthy drunken persons, many of them women, who wanted to monopolize all the side walk. A man who looked like a cut-throat, asked me if I wouldn't have him to show me the rounds of the city. I declined with thanks, but that did not suffice, for he followed me half an hour. After awhile I stopped to see why he followed me ; but no sooner had I halted, than another rough looking customer, with a bottle sticking out of his pocket, asked me the time of day. I saw he was ready to RAMBT,KS IN EUROPE. CI snatch m}- watch, and so walked off witlioiit telling him, which so insulted his dignity that he threatened forth- with to break my neck. The first man then came np and advised him to put his good resolution into effect, but very fortunately at this juncture, a policeman made his appearance, and these two promising fellows disappeared up an alley, I then asked the policeman the name of the street, and he replied-— ^^Christian street" — I came to the con- clusion they were pretty hard Christians in that quarter, and so vacated as speedily as possible; and like the cele- brated Dr. Foster, I never went there again. London Monument w^as erected in commemoration of the Great Fire of i666, which originated but a short distance from this spot, it is a noble, fluted column of the Doric order 202 feet high, including its massive pedestal, and surmounting cippus and blazing urn. Within the column is a flight of 345 steps leading to an iron balcony above the capital, from which the prospect is extremely pleasing. Here I remained several hours and enjoyed another birds-eye view of this great city. While in London I visited the Metropolitan Taberna- cle several times, and heard the Rev. Charles Hadden Spurgeon preach a few of his eloquent sermons. His church is always packed to its utmost capacity, yet each 6^ RAMBLES IN EUROPE. word can be distinctly heard j so clear and penetrating is his voice. Also attended services at St. Pauls, Westminster Ab- bey, City Roads Chapel, The Temple, and several other ancient churches. The British and Foreign Bible Society is the largest on the globe, and issues each year more than 4,000,000 Bibles and Testaments, in hundreds of different langua- ges and dialects, I was kindly shown all through this noble Institution, spending a few hours with more than usual interest and profit. The next place visited was Bunhill Fields Cemetery, where can be seen the vault in which repose the remains of the Rev. John Bunyan ; and near by is a tomb bear- ing the words, ^'Isaac Watts, D. D.," another: ''Daniel De-Foe, Born 1661, Died, 1 731, Author of Robinson Crusoe." George Fox, founder of the Quaker church, is buried at Bunhill, The tombs of the Cromwell^'s are also to be seen here. The old ''City Roads Chapel" where John Wesley used to preach is just opposite this cemetery. Adjoin- ing the Chapel is a four story brick dwelling bearing the words "Wesley's House." Rev. John Wesley's remains are interred in the City Roads Chapel Burial Grounds (opposite Bunhill Fields Cemetery), and on RAMP.r.KS IN EUROPE. G3 hi^ nu^niiment are the words : * 'Sacred to the memory of the venerable Joiin Wesley, A. M., late Fellow of Lin- coln College, Oxford." From here I wended my way to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and saw the place where many were tortured during the Persecutions. The fol- lowing words are written on a tablet inserted in the wall of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. **The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee." '^With- in a few feet of this spot John Rogers, John Bradfoni, John Philpot, and other servants of God, suffered death by fire, for the faith of Christ, in the years 1555, 1556, and 1557. '^Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." It was indeed holy ground ; and helped to confirm and give a new meaning to the truth of the words, — ^-The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." My next move was to Trafalgar Square, and the most conspicuous object there is the Nelson Column, a fine pilhn- 177 feet high, erected in 1843. ^^ ^^'^^-^ Admiral Nelson who used the memorable words at the battle of the Nile, '*01d England e)wpects every man this day to do his duty." Monuments erected to the memory of Lord Nelson, and the Duke of Wellington (The L'on Duke), are to be seen in all the cities of Great Britain, and England does well to honor her heroes. 64 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. The example of such men live in each successive gener- ation. After remaining half an hour at Trafalgar Square ; my next visit was to the famous London Bridge, the most substantial and elegant of all the dozen structures which span the Thames at this city. The scene from here is unique, and there is no bridge on the globe where such a vast concourse of persons cross and recross every day. To stand on this spot at night, and admire the long lines of light up and down the river ; and to see the lines of light crossing the dark water on the other bridges, is a spectacle that cannot be forgotten. My time being hmited, I made quick work in visiting South Kensing- ton Museum, Buckingham Palace, National Gallery, Greenwich Hospital and Park, Woolwich Arsenal, City Mortuary (Morgue), Newgate Prison, Cleopatra's Nee- dle, Duke of York's Column, St. John's Gate, Victoria Embankment and Gardens, Old Roman Wall, Battersea Park, Billingsgate Fish Market, Smithfield Meat Market, London Docks, Royal York E^ths, Soho Bazaar, Charing Cross Hospital, Royal Aquarium, and many other places of note, where I would have remained longer, and seen more thoroughly but for lack of time. The '^great fire at Whiteley's" occurred while I was in RAMBLES IN EUROPE. bO London, and destroyed over four millions of dollars worth of property. Ten persons, (including three fire- men) were burned to death, and I never want to see another fire like it. The sky for miles around was perfectly lurid with showers of blazing sparks, and at one time it seemed as U the entire fire department of the city would be unable to cope with it. This is the third or fourth time that Whiteley's Univ^ersal Store has been destroyed by the inveterate incendiary, but each time, Phoenix like, this store seems to rise again from, its ashes, Mr. Whiteley offered a reward of ten thousand pounds for the apprehension and conviction of the incendiary, and the Lord Mayor of the city likewise offered a heavy reward, but all to no purpose, as the wily ''fire-bug" has so far escaped arrest, and there has not been found the slightest clue as to this most malignant enemy oi Mr. Whiteley. The underground railways of London form an immense net work, and are one of the wonders of the age. During the night the stations are all lit up and trains arriving and departing every few minutes. Altcgether, in reaching the different places of interest, I must have rode not less than 300 miles by the under ground railway of this city, even the river Thames is tunnelled and it 66 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. seems as though nothing can oppose the skill of man. Regent street is the prettiest in London, and reminds the visitor more of a delightful avenue in Paris than anything'else. The buildings are grand and imposing the pave- ment is filled with pedestrians, and the ruad-way filled with the carriages of the nobility and gentry. Picadilly,(said to be named after Pickardtl, a stiff collar worn at the time of James 1.) is also a beautiful street, and one of the most fashionable in the city. Fleet street is celebrated for its association with liter- ature and literary men. Pall Mall is a street cA palaces, and many of the finest buildings of London are located here. Oxford St., Tottenham Court Road, High Holborn, and some other magnificent streets deserves special mention. Between St. Pauls Churchyard and Newgate street on the right hand side, is Paternoster Row, the great mart for booksellers. The Old Roman Baths are said to be more than 2,000 years old, and the pure cold water issuing from the rock there was the best that I drank in London. '^Buffalo Bill" with his great American Exposition seemed to be lionized by the royalty and nobility of RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 67 England, and met with unbounded success with his Wild West Show. Like all true Americans I had to take that in too among the other attractions. 1 was not in London when the Queen was present at the Jubilee, so did not get to see her, but a month later saw the Prince of Wales as he was riding in his carriage towards Buckingham Palace. Quite a number of the nobility at different times T saw in Hyde Park, and this spot is their favorite riding ground. One day as I was reading the Times, I saw an '^Ex- cursion to Dublin" advertised, aud so concluded to take that in. It is about 300 miles from London to Dublin, and a trip that I had always purposed to make. AN EXCURSION TRIP FROM LONDON TO DUBLIN. The sun was shining brightly as the train pulled out of Euston station, and all nature appeared to rejoice that happy summer morn. There were not less than one hundred excursionists in our party, and all appeared to be in the best flow of spirits possible, while one man especially had indulged in enough (alcohol) spirits to 68 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. make him quite familiar with us all. He went first from one passenger to another and wanted to shake hands, and each time the train stopped he got out and entered another part of the car. In Great Britain there is double as much drunkenness as in A.merica, and go where you will, the evil effects of whisky drinking is apparent in all its hideous forms. On and on the train sped, increasing with every mile, we passed Oxford, the great seat of learning, with its wilderness of Colleges and fine grounds. Stratford-on-Avon, the home and burial place of Shakespeare, was also soon left behind, and the next stop was at the great city of Birmingham. It was about noon when the train pulled in at the beautiful station in Liverpool. This city(Liverpool) is situated on the north side of the river Mersey, and is the greatest seaport on the globe, the trade of a whole world literally concentrating here. The docks are seven miles in extent, and cost in their construction more than ^ 20,000,000 — equal to ;^ioo, 000,000. I only had time to see the docks, and then hurried to the steamer which was to take the excursion- ists across the choppy Irish Sea, 100 miles, to Dublin. — Many persons cross the Atlantic without sea-sickness, who succumb to the terribly rough waters of the Chan- RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 69 nel, and besides, the steamers are much smaller than the transatlantic ships, and therefore roll and pitch a great deal more than very heavy vessels. The steamer had not been out -from Liverpqpl more than half an hour before I felt as giddy as a drunken man. .^. soon made for a berth and laid down, as a recum- bent position is better than any other when the vessel is rolling almost enough (it seems) to turn over. The usual number of ordmary passengers were on board, be- sides our excursion party, and so there were not berths sufficient for all. It was **first come first served" and I considered myself very fortunate in securing so good a berth. Indeed, had it not been for that ; I should have been awfully sick, for I afterward learned th^t every one who failed to get a berth, was more dead than alive before the rolling deep was spanned. That same drunken fellow — who wanted to shake hands with all on the train— ^came to my berth and of- fered me a pound if I would get out. I told him I was not able to get out, even if I had the will to do so, and he then wanted to get in with me. When he found there was no chance, he stumbled to the opposite side and offered a pound for a berth, but the occupant of that berth was too sick to talk. I don't believe he could 70 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. have gotten a berth on*that ship for twenty pounds. Even those in their berths were most all sick, and some looked as if they were dying, while nearly all of us thought we were dying. That poor fellow outside clung to the side of a berth for half an hour, till the vessel gave an unusually tre- mendous pitch, and he then fell to the floor. He tried several times to get up but was not able. Being exhausted I fell into a doze, and must have slept^several hours. The clammy perspiration was all over my face when I awoke, and a feeling of great weak- ness came over me. This little trip on the Irish Sea was like the whole Atlantic tour condensed. I was scarcely able to raise my head. I looked down on the floor and an awful sight met*my eyes. With every roll of the ves- sel, that poor drunken creature would roll almost from one side of the steamer to the other. He was as sick as a dog, and vomiting and retching every time he rolled across the ship. I could not take my gaze off him, and several times thought he must be dead, until he would retch again and again. I never saw any mortal so sick, and if any man was ever sick enough to throw up his original sin, that person on the floor was the one. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 71 After about eight hours rocking I heard the steamer whistle blow, and hoped we were reaching our destina- tion. The boat was truly in a filthy condition when we got across, and the passengers looked anything else than an excursion party. The poor fellow whose berth was on the floor, looked as if a week's repairs would hardly put him in shape again. Some of the ladies said ; if they ever got home again, they would never cross that channel until it was bridged, or tunnelled. It was late at night when we arrived at Dublin, and so the first thing to do was to do nothing, simply allow the ubiquitous cab driver take us to a hotel. As for supper, I don't think any of us could touch that ; for my part — felt as if I was a self sustainer for a week or two. Dublin, the capital of Ireland is a handsome city, with very many fine public buildings. Those best de- manding attention are the Castle, famous in both his- tory and romance ; the Bank of Ireland (once the Parliament House ;) Trinity College, Catholic Cathe- dral, and several others. There are a few fine bridges over the Liffey, but none equal to the bridges of London. 72 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. The inevitable Nelson Monument is to be found here as in every other city of Great Britain. PhenixPark, the boast of every Dubliner, is a deb'ght- ful place, and well worthy of its reputation. Notwithstanding the beauty of Dublin generally, there are other portions of the city where filth and foulness reign supreme, and even more so than in many other cities of Europe. My stay in Dublin was of very short duration, and therefore but comparatively few places could be visited. The day after landing here our excursion party took the steamer back for Liverpool, and there was a general scramble this time for berths. There had been tempo- rary berths fixed up for us, and so we were all accom- modated. I nerved myself for the worst, and tried to sleep most of the time going back. We arrived at Liverpool about midnight, and re- mained in our berths till 7 a. m., and then took the train for London, where we arrived at noon, **right side up with care," but in no special hurry to take another trip across the little Irish Sea. After remaining in London a few days, I decided on a week's tour to Paris and Brussels. At Cook's Tourist Office (Ludgate Circus,) I purchased a Tourist Ticket to these two cities, which included hotel accommodation, waiters' fees, carriage drives around the city, and interpreter's services. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 73 CHAPTER IIL Chapter in. — From London to Newhaven — Crossing the English Channel — Dieppe to Rouen— Paris — A gay city- Description of its prominent places of interest — Bundle of contrasts — Seeing Paris to perfection — Open Air Concert — From Paris to Brussels — Its places of interest — Ghent — Bruges Ostend — North Sea — Back again to London. On the evening of the last day of summer (August 31, 1887.) Cook's Tourist Party left London Bridge Station for Paris, in charge of an experienced conductor. A person unacquainted with the French language could not visit the numerous places of interest in Paris with much pleasure unless accompanied by a conductor who is also an interpreter, and thoroughly familiar with the French capital. The ride to Newhaven — 75 miles — was made in two hours, here we waited till midnight, and then boarded the Normandy, a fine iron steamship, and were soon on our way across the English Channel. The Channel here between England and France is sixty miles wide, 74 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. and the water just about as choppy as it is on the St. George's Channel, between England and Ireland. The very first thing I did on entering the steamer was to get a berth and try to sleep all the way across, as I did not want to spoil my record, after crossing the At- lantic and the other channel, without getting sick. In less than two hours from the time the Normandy steamed out from Newhaven, half of the passengers were sea-sick. As I lay in my berth one of the stewards brought a three gallon bucket and set it alongside of me with the remark — **You may need that before getting across.'* I told him I had crossed the Atlantic without getting sick, and his assuring response was, — '*0, that's nothing, that doesn^t signify you won't get sick here." In the berth under me there was a young man who said, he was travelling for pleasure. We often travel for things we never get, and if any one could find pleasure on the English Channel ; such a person would enjoy perfect bliss with a jumping tooth- ache, or neuralgia ; for a channel trip is worse than either. Each passenger had his bucket, and some were for- tunate (or unfortunate) enough to have two, but of all the buckets I saw, that of the young man's was in the greatest demand. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 75 The steward brought him a little brandy once in awhile, but each time, before he could so much as swal- low it, he kindly gave it to his little bucket to keep. We are apt to sympathize with one another in distress, and it was with great effort that I refrained from follow- ing my friend's example. Every passenger on board these channel steamers is supposed to get sea-sick, and those who escape sickness are the exception. We reached Dieppe at 6 a. m., and a sorry lot most of the passengers were, especially those of the third class, who remained on the forward deck all through the night ; these mdeed, presented a very forlorn appearance. Dieppe, the first French city I ever saw, reminded me greatly of Charleston, S. C, but then the Dieppe market lacked the presence of Charleston's turkey- buzzard's which are such a distinguishing feature of the latter named place. Our baggage had to undergo inspection by the Custom House officers at Dieppe, after which we were soon on our way towards Paris — 115 miles. The first place the train stopped at was the beautiful city of Rouen. The excursionists were allowed to stop over half a day here, and so we availed our- selves of that privilege. Rouen is unquestionably the most interesting city in France, with the one exception of Paris. 76 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. This city lies on the north bank of the Seine, and is noted for its numerous churches and monuments. The Cathedral, with its great stained glass windows, is one of the finest in Europe, and next to Notre Dame, the most magnificent in France, This historic city is where Joan of Arc was burned. In the Museum of Antiquities are to be found the heart of Coeur de Lion, in a glass casket. We take the train again and are soon speeding across j the loveliest portion of Normandy, where picturesque hills, valleys, chateaux and cottages, castles, palatial residences, and other beautiful objects are passed in rapid succession. It is a fine panoramic scene to travel by rail between Rouen and Paris, and the run is made in two hours. Upon arriving in Paris our conductor furnishes carriages, and we are driven to a hotel where the proprie- tor speaks English. The visitor is favorably impressed with the beauty of this delightful city from the moment he enters it. Everything so gay and cheerful, it seems as if the only object of the Parisian is, to seek pleasure. Paris is the second city in size on the globe, having a population of 2,500,000, or nearly double the inhab» itants of New York. RAMBLE? IN EUROPE. 77 The French are fond of display ; they feel that the eyes of the world, or, as they prefer grandiosely to say the universe, are upon them. It seems to me that no Frenchman or Frenchwoman ever quite escapes the idea that he or she is standing in the public gaze, and every one, therefore, dresses and makes up for his part. It is the rarest thing in the world to see a ragged or dirty man or woman in Paris. The working people of the humblest callings are always neatly dressed, and never offensive. There is a tendency to grandeur of architecture, and equally to grand names. The smallest hotel in Paris, and one of the smallest houses I have seen, has acrosi' its front the sign of *^Hotel de TUnivers.*' Pairs is a city of gardens, beautiful parks, singing birds, leaping fountains, sunshiny skies, lovely women, and all the charms and attractions that would render this delightful place an Elysium upon earth, and the French are so charmingly polite ! It is a pleasure to get into an omnibus when every one salutes you as if it were a drawing-room, and you had entered for a morning call; and in Paris one is always treated with respect- ful consideration. You are never crowded upon, never insulted. 78 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. On the Continent, from the moment we land all is new and strange. Scenes, languages, costumes, and manners have the excitement of novelty ; and the manners especially many tourists find delightful. Mmd and heart have rest and recuperation. Money is scattered, no doubt, but some finds its way back, and what we want is money's worth. Whatever excitement at the doors of a theatre, no one is ever crowded as in England or America. The beautiful gardens in every open space of Paris are^not Jocked up, as in London, but abundantly pro- vided with comfortable seats ; and all along the miles and miles of shady boulevards there are benches with backs to them, on which you can repose and look upon the ever interesting panorama of Paris life. The beau- tiful creamy stone of which Paris is built, and the stucco- fronts, lend a magnificence and charm that no other city can claim. So very numerous are the places of interest in this gay city, that the hurried traveller can only visit the most prominent ones. The very best way for a stranger to see Paris is by Cook's Carriage Excursions, which start from Rue Scribe daily, at lo o'clock, throughout the summer, and in one week the tourist can take in RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 79 almost as many places of interest, as otherwise in a month. Among the numerous places our party visited, were the following ; beginning with the Grand Boulevards, which extend on the north side of the Seine from the Madeleine at one end to the Place of the Bastile on the other. No spectacle in the world is more brilliant than that presented along these very wide tree bordered streets where open cafes for refreshments are so numerous, and patronized by persons of all nations, dresses, languages and characters, mingling in splendid confusion, and forming one of the attractive features of this '*pink of civilization.'' The Palace of the Tuileries, and the Gardens of the Tuileries were the scene of many historical events includ- ing two attacks and captures by the populace, at the de- throning ofLouisXVI, in 1793 and Louis Philippe in 1848. The delightfully shaded grounds here have been large- ly extended, and are now filled with statuary of rare merit, fountains, etc., and form one of the favorite prom- enades for all classes and ages. A military band plays many national airs, near the broad central walk each afternoon and evening during summer and fall. Place de la Concorde is situated between the Garden 80 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. of the Tuileries, and the Champs Elysees. This site has a tragic history. It was here that the guillotine stood, on which perished Louis XVI., his sister, Marie Antoinette, and twenty-eight hundred others, during the Reign of Terror. Foreign armies have encamped on the Place de la Concorde three times— the allied armies in 1814, and a part of the British army in 1815. In 1871 the Prus- sian army again encamped here, after the capitulation of Paris. Champs Elysees (Elysian Fields), adjoining the Place de la Concorde on the west, was laid out and planted with elms and limes in the 1 7th century. This is the aris- tocratic carnage drive and pleasure ground of Paris. Between two and six p. m. the scene in Champs Ely- sees is one of great animation and gaiety. The prome- nades are densely thronged with fashionably-dressed ladies and gentlemen, and the chairs let out for hire at ten cents each, reap an abundant harvest. In summer evenings the Champs Elysees are the resort of crowds of pleasure seekers. The brilliantly-lighted cafe's chantants, right and left of the road, are a great attraction. Truly the Champs Elysees is one of the most delight- some spots in the fair city, and a pleasure to all who be- hold its beauties. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 81 The next place our carriage stops,, is at the Vendorae Column, constructed by order of Napoleon I., to com- memorate victories over the Russians and Austrians. This wonderful Column is 142 feet high and 13 feet* in diameter, and the metal of which it is composed was procured by melting 1200 cannon captured from the Austrians. Palais Royal, once a royal palace, as its name indicates, ■ has now the appearance of a building that has seen better days. The garden in the centre has lost the prestige it had under the Empire as a fashionable lounge. We did not remain here long, but pushed on to the Tour St. Jacques, a fine square Gothic Tower from the top of which (owing to its central position) an extremely fine view of the city can'be obtained. The Church of St. Germain V Auxerrois has a marked interest from the fact that its bell sounded the signal for the massacre of the Huguenots on the day of St. Bar- tholomew. The Church of St. Roch, is one of those most visited by foreigners, on account of the fine service. The inte- rior is embellished with numerous paintings and sculp- tures, and contains several fine monuments. The ser- vices on Sunday are considered the finest in Paris, and much pomp accompanies the ceremonial on High days. 89. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. The Church of St. Eustache is one of the most impor- tant in France ; the interior is 348 feet long and 108 feet high. It is lofty and graceful, and the chapels, of which ihere are niany, are richly decorated, and contain fine frescoes. But the most impressive ecclesiastical object in Paris, and scarcely excelled in Europe in either grandeur or historical association, is the Cathedral of Notre Dame. This Church is one of the architectural glories of the world — with two immense square towers, wonderful ar- chitectural efforts m the portals and the front, and some of the finest Gothic arches in Europe in the vast inte- rior. Notre Dame has, in addition, a wealth of stained glass windows of rare size and excellence; some splen- did side chapels; and a magnificent High Altar, at which Napoleon and Josephine were crowned. The interior consists of nave, with double aisles, crossed by a transept, the general effect being of a highly aesthetic character. In the Treasury are the relics formerly kept in the Sainte Chapelle. They include fragments of the crown of thorns and of the true cross, a nail from the cross, many ecclesiastical vestments, silver busts of St. Denis and St. Louis, and other curiosities. The Cathedral has a seating capacity for more than twenty thousand persons. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 83 The Place de la Bastile, (where formerly stood the massive Castle of the Bastile St. Antoine), will always remain an interesting spot, because of the bloody con- flict which occurred there during the Revolution, The Monument which now adorns the centre of the Place, is of white marble and 154 feet in height. On the Island of Paris, exactly behind Notre Dame, the visitor will find the Morgue. The bodies of all un- known persons who die either from accident, homicide, or suddenly, are exposed upon marble slabs for three days, unless previously claimed by friends. The clothing worn at the time of death is hung up over each body. While in New York and London, I had visited the Morgue in those cities, but the sight here was the most painful of all. There were seven bodies in the Paris Morgue ; two of them had been murdered, two more were cases of suicide ; a man who had shot himself with a revolver, and a young girl who had taken lauda- num. Another was a woman whose body had been found floating in the Seine, and the city authorities could not say whether it was a case of murder, suicide, or acci- dental drowning, as there were no marks of violence to be found. The other two were case of natural death, or rather, of poverty stricken persons who died of want 84 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. and neglect. There are no sadder pictures to be found anywhere, than at the **House of the Dead'* in a large city. Among the hundred places our excursion party visited during our six days stay in Paris, was the great Ceme- tery of Pere la Chaise. This Cemetery is renowned throughout the world for the vast number of distinguished dead, who repose within its sacred inclosure. There are not less than 18,000 monuments in this mag- nificent burial place, and the fresh flowers and wreathes brought in every day in summer to decorate the graves, can hardly be estimated. The Cemetery is some distance out from the city, and we were longer in visiting this noted place than any other, during our week's sojourn in Paris. The Pantheon is a large and imposing structure, and stands on the highest ground in Paris. The Grand Opera is the largest theatre in the world, and covers, an area of three acres, in the very heart of the city. Between four and five hundred houses were demol- ished to provide the site, which cost 1^2,500,000. The building was commenced in 1861, and finished in 1874 at a cost of ^7,500,000. Nearly every country in Europe contributed material RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 85 for this magnificent construction, and to view this im- mense and elegant structure by electric light, is to study it to the best advantage. Several of our party took in the Opera one evening and found it so crowded that the only vacant seats were away up — up — up — in the fifth gallery, and so we had to sit there and be thankful. I believe there were several other galleries still higher than ours, and one man remarked — it would be a good idea to have a balloon to elevate persons to the top galleries. Each person pays according to the place he occupies, and a first class seat here would cost not less than ^8.00 for each individual. Ours in the fifth gallery cost us 8 francs (^1.60) apiece, and the cheapest seat in the House would be 5 francs. The amount of money taken in each evening is enormous, and almost every stranger who visits the city goes at least once, and some of them every night. The piece we saw played was all French to us, still we could — encore — with as much grace as the Parisians themselves, and thus we appeared to enjoy the play as well as any one there. All the public museums and theatres of Paris are open to the fullest extent on Sunday, and the restaurants and wine shops do their greatest business then. No city on the globe is more immoral ; and the danc- 86 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. ing-saloons, where the Can-can is danced by paid per- formers, have packed houses every Sabbath. The im- modest pictures and views displayed in the shop win- dows of Paris would be tolerated m no city of America. The pamtings in the art galleries, and the statues in all their public buildings, show the indelicacy of these people, whose sole object and aim appears to be cen- tered on pleasure and amusement. The Palace and Museum of the Louvre, is filled with rare paintings, sculpture and curiosities, of which the extent is said to be ten miles, affording one of rhe cost- liest and most celebrated collections — with perhaps the exception of the British Museum — to be found upon earth. The Great Picture Galleries, Royal Antiquity Chamber, and Napoleon Room, are enough to engage the visitor's attention for many days. During the Com- mune the Palace of the Louvre had a very narrow es- cape from destruction. That part next the Tuileries was very much damaged by fire, and the Imperial Li- brary of 100,000 volumes entirely destroyed. Fortu- nately the troops of the Versailes Government arrived in time to save the structure itself. Paris is noted for its Palaces, and one of the largest and finest of the royal reminders is the Palace of Luxem- bourg, which was a royal residence till the first Revolu- RAMBLES IN EUKOPE. 87 tion, when the Convention transformed it into a state prison. The collection of modern paintings and sculp- tures, which are exhibited to the public here, contain a number of works of art of a very high character. The Bois de Boulogne embraces an area of 2, 250 acres, and is doubtless the largest park in France. The boun- teous hand of nature has almost converted this splendid pleasure ground into a fairy land. No more agreeable resting place could be found, and the artificial lakes, with two picturesque islands, connect- ed by a bridge, give the whole place an enchanting ap- pearance. Versailes Palace and Park, considered one of the wonders of the world, even among royal resi- dences, is best seen from the garden, to which it presents a facade, a quarter of a mile long. The building is unequal in appearance, having various styles of architecture. Among the curiosities to be seen at Versailes, are the Great Picture Galleries, (much re- sembling those of the Louvre) filled with exceedingly rare and valuable works in painting, sculpture, and an- tiquities, the rooms measure some eight miles in extent ; the Napoleon and Josephine Rooms, with beds, chairs, tables, and many other memorials of both ; the Gardens and Flower-walks which are not surpassed anywhere, and the Park of wondrous extent and breadth of shade, voted 88 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. as the finest avenue of shade and sward in Europe, and a favorite resort of the beauty and fashion of the city. The ArcdeTriomphe de I'Etoile, (Arch of Triumph) is situated two miles from the Palais Royal, on an emi- nence, and can be seen from nearly every part of the city. It is called TEtoilefrom its position in a centre, whence radiate twelve fine avenues, nearly all of them sloping upward to the Arch. This is the finest triumph- al Arch in existence, and is 160 feet high, 146 feet broad, and 72 feet deep, costmg over ^2,000,000. The beautiful gilded dome, 340 feet high, which sur- mounts the Church of the Invalides, is one of the ob- jects of interest in Paris. The Hotel des Invalides, founded in 1670 by Louis XIV, for decayed veterans, covers an area of thirty-one acres. Our party spent two hours at the Tomb of Napoleon, which magnificent mem- orial is placed in the Church of the Invalides. The Dome of the Invalides consists of a square pile, surmounted by a circular tower, with lofty dome and twelve windows. Immediately below the dome is a cir- cular crypt, 36 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep. The walls are of highly polished granite, adorned with mar- ble reliefs, the efi'ect of which is greatly enhanced by the strong golden flood of light admitted through the stained windows. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 89 The mosaic pavement at the bottom represents a wreath of laurels, and from it rises the sarcophagus which contains the ashes of Napoleon I., thus fulfilling the re- quest embodied in the conqueror's will, as inscribed over the entrance to the vault — **I desire that my ashes may rest on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of the French people, whom I have so well loved/' If a person would obtain the best possible birds-eye- view of Paris, let such an one take the elevator and as- cend one of the Towers of the Trocadero. Here I re- mained an hour (absorbing like a sponge the sublime sight), and my eyes could not tire in looking down up- on the prettiest and gayest capital on earth. While London can boast of being the largest city on the globe, Paris is without a rival so far as beauty and magnificence is concerned. There has always been a jealousy between these two greatest of the world's capi- tals, and they are opposite in most respects. Below will be found a bundle of contrasts, showing the many points of difference between the social customs of the two cities ; Paris is right-handed, London left-handed. The Pa- risian coachman keeps to the right, the London one to his left. The former is seated in front of his carriage, the latter behind. 90 RAMBLES IN EURQPE. The heart of Paris is the Hotel de Ville, that of Lon- don is the Bank. Paris has a girdle of fortifications, and an octroi, London has neither wall nor town duties. Paris is built with light-colored stone, London with dark- colored bricks. Paris has its window shutters outside, London inside. Paris has its portier (door-keeper), London its key. Paris has its public cafes, London its exclusive clubs. Paris takes two meals a day, Lon- bon four. Paris has a hundred sauces and no religion, London has a hundred religions and one sauce. Paris eats boiled meats, London roasted. Paris eats fried po- tatoes, London boiled. Paris loaves are long, London loaves are square. Paris drinks wine, London beer. Paris takes coffee, London tea. Paris at table is sociable, London isolated. Paris has the table d'hote, London the dining-room box. Paris is gay, London dull. Pa- ris whips the horses, London flogs its criminals. Paris makes laws during the day, London during the night. The Paris soldier wears red trousers and a blue coat, the London soldier a red coat and blue trousers. The former is always armed, the latter carries only a short stick. The Paris soldier is a conscipt, the London sol- dier a volunteer. In Paris priests celebrate marriages, in London they themselves get married. In Paris girls are rigidly kept. RAMP.LRS IX E[^R(^PE. 91 in London they are free. In Paris married women are free, in London they are not. Paris opens its museums and tlieatres on Sundays, London on week days. Paris warms herself with w^ood, London with coal. Paris has more suicides, London more homicides. Paris is more of an artist, London more of a merchant. Li Paris men are more lively than horses, in London horses are more frisky than men. And it may be added that the water of the Seine at Paris is perfectly clean and transparent, while that of the Thames at London could not be more Stygian. One evening while strolling along Rue de Rivoli, taking in the sights and looking at the magnificent store windows there, a young Frenchman — perfect stranger, to me — introduced himself in good English and said he would like to show me Paris by gas-light. I told him I could see the city very well alone, and so saying, left him The next evening I was on Rue de Rivoli again ; another specimen of the genus homo, who looked as trim as a French dancing master, approached me with a low bow, and very pleasantly stated he was thoroughly fa- miliar with every jjlace in Paris ; (which I doubt not), had shown many tourists the rounds of the city — which I also doubt ncjt — and if I would only have hmi for a guide for a few hours, he would take me to places I 92 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. could not Otherwise see. Again I excused myself with the best grace possible. All strangers who saunter a- long Rue de Rivoli in the evening, are bored by these persons who gain a livelihood by taking them to low theatres, music-halls, dance^houses, and other question- able places, and for this the visitor is expected to fee his attendant liberally, besides in many instances to tip him with wine, beer, and what ever drinks may be called for. This is looked upon as a legitimate business in Paris, and there is nothing too immoral to be legalized in that fair but frail city. Most every member of our excursion party had at one time or another, fallen into the hands of these oily tongued foreigners, and some of them pretty well fleeced for their experience. Many of the Parisians learn to speak English, simply for the purpose of filching tourists who are always flock- ing to their beautiful city. In fact, it is the tens of thou- sands of visitors who are always sight seeing, and wast: ing money in Paris, that mainly support this city. Each day our party, like a flock of sheep, would fol- low the conductor here and there — everywhere — seeing Paris to perfection. And each night we would scatter out more individually for ourselves, and go where good fortune led us, feeling as free as the air that blows. My last evening in Paris, thought I would enjoy a RAMRLF^^ IN EUROPE. 08 quiet saunter along the Avenue de I'Opera where the su- perb buildings are seen to best advantage by electric light. And how the soft rays of the September moon added a charm that cannot be forgotten ! After feasting my eyes (and soul) on such magnificent views for an hour or two, I turned into Rue de Rivoli, for the pur- pose of making a few purchases. At one store vviiidow, I saw a fine looking graphoscope, (an instrument like a stereoscope) and was about to go in and buy it, v^^hen an English speaking Frencliman, who seemed to know in- tuitively what I wanted, said, "If you want a first ciass graphoscope don't go in here, these are N. G., right a- cross the street is the place where you can get a better one at half the price." So saying, he pointed to the large store directly opposite, where the window was full of graphoscopes, and wc both went over together. I bought one for 25 francs ($5.00) which I thought an ex- tortionate price, but my new found friend assured me it was as cheap as dirt, and less than half what tlie cost would be at other places. He also persuaded me to pur- chase several dozen graphoscopic views, souvenirs of the city, and other remembrancers which would be suitable to present to friends, and all of wliich I [)ai(l two prices for. After spending $12.00 1 went out bcnring my pur. 94 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. chases under my arm, and my friend following me. He overtook me just as I got to an open air concert in one of the gardens, and the place was richly illuminated, the music fascinating, and the whole scene charmingly inviting. He proposed that we go in, adding : **This is where the elite of the city pass their evenings, and besides, it doesn't cost a centime. '' I rather wondered at the time, how a place like this could be supported without requiring an admission price, still I thought that was no business of mine, and so we both went m. After we were seated he said : ''All persons come in here free, but then each one is expected to buy a glass of something, and that is the only charge made." I noticed that each one in the assembly had a glass near at hand; and the waiter soon made his appearance and bowing, as only a Parisian can, inquired of us what we would have. I told my friend to call for two lemon- ades and I would pay for them. Soon the waiter returned with the precious fluid, and I handed him* a ^Nt franc piece (^i.oo) to take his pay from, expecting to receive a little change back. He looked at the silver piece and then at me, and began to talk French at a rapid rate. I asked my friend what the waiter wanted, and he replied^ ''another franc; you only gave him five francs, and lemonade here is three francs per glass.** RAMilLKS IN EUROPE. 95 I handed him another franc and he left, but reap- peared in half a minute, holding a silver tray before my face. Again I inquired of my attendant what the fellow wanted this time, and he said "give the waiter a coin for his services in bringing you the lemonade," and so I had to pay that waiter for charging me ten prices for lemonade. And the open air concert performance ! I think Eve would have blushed to have worn such a scant and airy costume as those ballet girls did that night. I once heard of a very kind hearted old lady who attended a ballet dance one evening, and as soon as she sav/ one of the dancing girls, said : "Poor child, you will catch your death of cold, do have my shawl, and let me wrap you up," and thus speaking started toward the stage with shawl in hand. I thought this old lady's services were greatly needed here. And who could understand the singing except a Frenchman ? And even the music was French. The orchestra started another piece, and 1 started to leave glad to escape from such a swindling place. I had only gotten a square or two before that self-constituted guide overtook me and wanted to know why I left so sud- denly. 96 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. He appeared surprised that I considered the place a swindle, and then waxed eloquent in speaking of another concert which was also free, but I kept straight on toward my hotel. When he found that I would go nowhere else with him, he demanded pay for showing me where to buy the graphoscope, and also for advising me to visit the open air concert. I paid no attention to his demands, but went into the hotel and then he left. I was positive that oily tongued guide had at least fifty per cent, commission on the graplioscope; so in a a few minutes I left the hotel, and went to the store just in time to see the storekeeper hand him several pieces of money from the till. Storekeepers often em- ploy English speaking Frenchmen to bring in visitors from America, and they will not hesitate to charge sev- eral prices for every article purchased. 1 believe if old King Solomon himself was upon the earth, and paid a visit to Paris, he would be ''taken in'' too, just like the rest of mortals; for of all deceptive people, the Parisians are the most skilful, and have become proficient in all manner of ''ways that are dark and tricks that are vain." Before leaving Paris our party made a visit to the RAMBLES IN EUROPE. . 97 Fortifications, which are well deserving of a visit by all who ^*do" the city. These immense defences whicH extend around the city in a circle, 45 kilometres m cir- cumference, w^ere constructed by order of M. Theirs, in 1841, at a cost of $28,000,000. The walls are 33 teet in height, circled by a moat (filled with water in times of danger) 18 feet deep. At various intervals, sixteen detached forts, outsidr the walls; mounted with heavy artillery of the mosf scientific modern construction, form an outer circle of defense. While in Paris our party took in the Panorama of the Battle of Rezonville, — painted by the celebrated artisi3 Detaille and De Neuville. This Panorama was inaug- urated March 30, 1887, and is consequently quite a new work. The immense painting, covering a surface of 115 metres recalls one of the greatest military inci- dents of the Franco-German War of 1870. On that memorable day, nearly 32,000 men were en- gaged on both sides. Nothing could be more striking than the effect of this upon the mind and to the eye, and the visitor can scarcely believe that no part of the Pan- orama is more than thirty feet distant from the point where he stands, the spectator of what appears an actual battle. We saw several other panoramas in Paris, but none so admirably depicted as this. 98 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. In the summer evening it is a delighful recreation to ride up and down the Seine and view the city by gas-lighto Several times I did this, the splendid little steamer travehng at the rate of sixteen miles per hour. From early morning till near midnight these pretty little vessels are filled with tourists, who take this com- fortable method of seeing the many objects of interest on boths sides of the beautiful Seine. The Catacombs of Paris were originally quarries, but in 1786 were converted into a vast charnel house, wherein bodies and bones collected from all parts were thrown in promiscuously. In 18 10 there was an attempt to arrange the skulls and bones, and since then they have been carefully stored in the various galleries and compartments. Several chapels have been constructed of these hideous materials. It is said, the remains of three millions of persons are deposited here ; it is many miles in extent. I remained here only a short time, and was glad to find myself in ^he light of the sun again. After our party had remained a week in Paris, some of them started back for London, direct, while others thought it would be better to return by way of Belgium, and I went with the latter party. It is nearly two hun- dred miles from Paris to Brussels, and through a very interesting country. RAIMHLKS IN EUROPE. \)\) Every hill was covered with low pruned vines, and the \vine of all this region is noted for its fine flavor. Not a square yard of waste land is found. Bits as big as bed blankets by the rail-side are covered with vines. Even the heaps of stone and earth thrown out of a quarr\' were made smooth, covered with soil and planted with vines. There are thousands of acres in England, covered with mounds of cinders and scoria around the coal-pits and iron works of the black country, — now so hideous and desolate, which might be covered over with a rich and profitable vegetation, as in France. After travelling seven hours through a fine broken country, full of hills, fertile valleys, swift running streams, and pretty villages, our train enters the lovely Belgian capital — just another Paris, made very picturesque by a large admixture of Flemish. The two languages, French and Flemish, are posted in the streets, heard in the churches, and read in the newspapers. Brussels has almost half a million population, and is one of the wealthy cities of Euro])e. It well deserves the title "Tittle Paris" for in most everything the peo- ple copy after the gay French capital. Paris has its Palace of the Tuilcries with its fronting gardens, Brussels has its Palace du Roi, with its frontniii 100 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. park. Paris has its Bois de Boulogne, Brussels its Bois de la Cambre. Paris has its Notre Dame, Brussels its Ste. Gudule. Paris has its Latin quarter, its columns, its fountains, its leafy, breezy boulevards, its countless cafes, its attractive shops with repelling prices, its shocking horses and artful cabmen, its gallant and ges- ticulating gendarmerie, its foreign colony and mysteri- ous refugees; these Brussels also reproduces. Brussels, so far as it goes, is the gay, airy, careless, pleasant coun- terpart of its sister city on the Seine. There are several grand Palaces in this superb capital, but the one princi- pally visited by tourists is the Ducal Palace, noted for its fine collection of modern Belgian pictures. Many of the avenues and streets in this delightful city are on a par with those of Paris; and the Rue de la RequencC; one of the finest streets in Brussels, could hardly be dupli- cated anywhere. Adjacent to the King's Palace, and adjoining the Palais de V Industrie, is L'Ancienne Cour, with a collec- tion of old masters, which, after the Antwerp gallery, is the finest in Belgium. Most of the Flemish painters, and many of the Italian masters are represented in this wonderful gallery of art. The interior of the Hotel de Ville is interesting for its historical pictures and banqueting-hall. From the Tow- RAMDLES IN EUKOl'K. l(jl er on a clear afternoon the field of Waterloo can be seen, ten miles distant, where Wellington and Napoleon crossed swords for the first and last time, on that mem- orable Sunday in June. If anything can reconcile one to being reminded ev- ery sixty minutes he is an hour older, surely it is the City Chimes. They haunt you v/aking and sleeping. They play you charmingly into the city; they play you charmingly out, such music could have but one resting place; would be looked for only in that spire of embroid- ered stone, which itself crowms an edifice worthy of its coronet and carillon. Nothing could be more exquisite in its way than the Grande Place, surrounded with those toppling, zigzag, ten-storied buildings, bedizened all over with ornaments and emblems so peculiar to the Netherlands, the bro- caded Hotel de Ville on one side with its impossible spire rising some three hundred and seventy feet into the air, and embroidered to the top with the delicacy of needle work, sugar-work, spider-work, or what you will. There is just sufficient flavor about the old Place to enable one to enter its venerable courts with feelings of admiring awe. One thing in Brussels which a stranger would notice above all others, is the great good-natured dogs that draw the milk-wagons, and many other wagons, all over 102 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. town — the milk being distributed from bright copper cans. The dog has one advantage over pony or donkey. Every time he stops he lays down flat on the ground and rests. At a word he is up and off, pulling like a good fellow, and knowing the whole milk-round, and every place to stop at, quite as well as his mistress. In some Belgian towns men and dogs pull together; here the dogs have it all to themselves, and really are of some use in the world. A ride of thirty-five miles from Brussels, brings us to the city of Ghent, where we stop long enough to notice the famous bell of St. Roland, *^ whose iron tongue from generation to generation had called citizens to arms, to win battles over foreign kings" but happily now is used in proclaiming ^^peace on earth, and good will toward men'* from the belfry of one of the churches in the city. We also notice the Cathedral Church of St. Bavon, which is the glory of Ghent. The crypt in this old Cath- edral was consecrated in the year 941 A. D. As you look up the nave you suspend your breath. On every side you are surrounded by monuments of marble ; the whole of the interior is lined with black marble, relieved at intervals with graceful scrolls and white monuments of Parian purity and delicacy. There are twenty-four chapels within the walls; the RAMBLES IN EUROPE. lOo altars are alternately composed of gold, silver, and mar- ble; the rarest paintings, and the most elaborate sculp- ture teem upon you from all sides. Near the Cathedral is the Belfry, ;^S6 feet high, sur- mounted by the huge gilt dragon brought from St. So- phia, at Constantinople, in 1204, by Count Baldwin IX. The mechanism of the chimes can be examined in the tower, from which the view embraces half of Flanders. The Beguinage of Ghent is the largest in Belgium, and the sisters, though bound by no monastic vow, de- vote themselves to a religious life, w^orks of charity, and self support. This old city of Ghent with its 150,000 inhabitants, is a place where the visitor could profitably spend days, instead of hours. Notwithstanding the cheery modern movement and bustle, with trams and 'busses, it retains an ancient quaintnessand color. A pleasant odor of age clings to the place, as old lavender retains the flower's fresh perfume. Our next stopping point after leaving Ghent is the mediaeval city of Bruges. Bruges is twenty-eight miles distant from Ghent, and contains a population of 50,000 souls. Here our excur- sion party spends only three hours and we must not sleep during that time, even if the town appears sleepy. 104 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. The light of Bruges* other days has indeed faded. Its commerce has gone ; its prosperity long since depart- ed. Once the mart of Europe, the Liverpool of the Middle Ages, it can boast now that it is a memory of old Flanders. There is something weird in its broad old sleepy streets, lined with ancient houses of rich fantastic archi- tecture, grotesque vistas, which take you back a gene- ration with every step, until you breathe and live in the atmosphere of three centuries ago. The quaint figures sitting at the low arched-doors, conjuring cotton into cloudy lace ; the glimpses of an- tique interiors through lattice wmdows; the queer cos- tumes that one meets; the sounding foot-fall through the drowsy ways ; the tinkling melody floating from the belfry, and clinging like a memory to the place — all is very dreamy and demure and old. This drooping sense of age is everywhere. Its Cathedral, of ungainly exte- rior but imposing interior, rich in pictures, monuments and brasses, and choir stalls embossed with the escutch- eons of early Knights of the Golden Fleece, an Order founded in Bruges m 1429, by Philip of Burgundy, dates from the thirteenth century. The adjacent Church of Notre Dame, of the same period, enshrines the sump- tuous marble tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of RAMIII.ES IN EUROPE. 1 Of) l^urgundy, many pictures and the exquisitely wronglit statue of the Virgin and Child attributed to Michael Angelo. But our time in this ancient city has expired, and we are again on the wing, traveling toward Ostend, a com- mercial city on the North Sea. Here we remain just long enough to take the steamer for London, 150 miles by water. The trip on the North Sea is not near so rough as on the Channel, and it is not long before we reach the mouth of the Thames. A few hours later, and the sixty miles up the river is accomplished, passing many beau- tiful summer resorts, and picturesque places, and the noble steamer lands us near London Bridge which looks so familiar to us alL Our excursion party were all pleased with the ^^Circle Tour" from London back to London, and during oar nine days absence had tra- velled (including carriage drives throughout Pans and Brussels, and steamboat rides on the Seine) about one thousand miles. It seemed like getting home again to arrive in London, where we could hear our own language spoken, and not have to depend on the conductor, as the infant would its guardian. One of the sad things in this life is parting, and our pleasant little band bade each other — good bye — and, after a cordial hand-shake, separated, doubtless never to see one another again until we meet — *^where parting is no more." 106 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. CHAPTER IV. Chapter IV. — Rambles in Hyde Park — Lovely girls — Alligators — Vastness of London — London at night — Pinching poverty — - Enormous wealth — Appetite for drink among English women—- Departure from London — St. Albans — Leicester— Sheffield — - Normantown — Leeds — Settle — Horton — *'Long Meg and her Daughters" — The original Gretna Green — On Scottish soil- Edinburgh again — Roslm Chapel — Loch Lomond — Pictur- esque scenery — Ben Lomond — Trpsachs — Leaving Glasgow — » Belfast — Giants Causeway — Sail from Larne — "Stowaways" • — A stirring incident — Very rough sea — Arrival in New York ' — Home. It was now early in September and I had been in the Old World since July. Everything had gone on as smoothly as a marriage ceremony, and each day I ram- bled in Hyde Park to my hearts content. Especially in early autumn the trees are delightfully tinged with variegated colors, and a man has no poetry in his €oul who fails to appreciate the sublime glories of nature in her fulness. The ladies of London have an artistic nature, judging RAMPJ.ES IN EUROPE. ] 07 from the numbers who, every day, visited Hyde Park and Regents Park gathering fall leaves, buying flowers, and looking at the beauties of the forest. One lovely day as I was sitting near the Lake in Regents Park, the twittering of the birds, and the humming of the little busy bees, combined with the soft influence of the sun caused me to fall into a dreamy reverie; and in this state I mused and mused, fancied and fancied, pondered and pondered, thought and thought, studied and studied, and all to no purpose, for I could not settle the matter definitely in my mind. Indeed it was a question that a jury could not decide, and I opine that the judge him- self would be puzzled to answer it. This great and im- portant question which I could not solve and which still perplexes me, is: — Where have I seen the prettiest girls ; m Great Britain, or France, or Belgium ? I bethought me of the bonny lasses of Scotland, none more fair than they ; of old Erin's charming daughters, so light-hearted and so gay; of the merry-maids of Eng- land, with such wealth of auburn hair; and the dark-eyed Parisian damsels, famed for beauty everywhere, while Belgium's charming girls so sweet, are not surpassed by any we meet. But the more I considered this subject, the more con- fused I became, and the more difficult it was to deter- 108 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. mine, and at last was forced to the conclusion that there are some things too high for man — beyond his grasp — and can therefore never be found out. To the stranger, London presents the aspect of inter- minable streets, the greater part of which are of commo- dious width, with houses of a sombre and rather dingy look, caused by the use of large quantities of coal fuel. Probably the most crowded portion of London is at the junction of Oxford St., and Tottenham Court Road. Busses and cabs for all parts of the city start from here. Several policemen are always on duty at this point to keep the way from being blockaded by every sort of ve- hicle. Every few days some one is run over, and occa- sionally several accidents occur at this corner in one day. The number of persons each year killed in the over crowded streets of London by passing vehicles is enor- mous. A visitor's greatest danger while in this city is from the innumerable cabs which are always whirling by, day and night, and there seems to be no limit by law, as to the speed in which the driver should proceed. There are more than 15,000 cabs in this city, besides thousands of every other kind of vehicle imaginable, and they rattle along the streets as if it were a matter of life or death involved in their haste. One day while K AMBLR? IN EUROPK. 1C>\) Standing on the corner of Oxford and Tottenham Sts., a puff of wind blew niy hat off, and before it had finished rolling, half a dozen cabs had gently pressed it with their wheels. Woe be to any man's hat that leaves its ow^ner's head at this crossing. A hat store is fortunately located at this spot, and the proprietor is one of the wealthy men of the city, Inhere are five hundred places of entertainment — such as thea- tres, music-halls, &:c., in which an average of 400,000 persons are amused every lawfiil night. The Police force numbers 15,000 men and yet are scarcely adequate to the requirements of the metropolis. In a word, London is not only the most vast, the most wealthy, the most densely populated, and the most polit- ically important city of the world, but also the most charitable and benevolent, judging from the large num- ber of humane and religious institutions to be foimd in all parts of this capital. The Natural History Museum — a branch of the British Museum — is filled with thousands of specimens of the taxidermist's art. A person here can find every animal stuffed, from an insect to an elephant. Some of the a[)es and baboons are simply hideous. While a party of la- dies and gentlemen were looking at an orang-outang, one 110 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. of the men observed "I have seen persons not near so good looking as many of these specimens'' — at which one of the ladies put on her spectacles, and viewed the speaker with considerable interest. I must not tell who that speaker was. In another room we saw an alligator, said to be the largest on the globe, and what an open countenance ! Such a mild, benevolent expression! An observer down South, says an alligator's throat is an animated sewer. Everything which lodges in his open mouth goes down. He is a lazy dog, and instead of hunting for some- thing to eat, he lets his victuals hunt for him. That is, he lies with his great mouth open, apparently dead, like the 'possum. Soon a bug crawls into it then a fly, then several gnats and a colony of mosquitoes. The alligator dosen't close his mouth yet; he is waiting for a whole drove of things; he does his eating by wholesale, a little later a lizzard will cool himself under the shade of the upper jaw ; then a few frogs will hop up to catch the mosquitoes ; then more mosquitoes and gnats will light on the frogs. Finally a whole village of insects and reptiles settle down for an afternoon pic-nic ; then all at once there is an earthquake ; the big jaw falls, the alligator blinks one eye, gulps down the entire menage- rie and opens his great front door again for more visitors. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. Ill Next to old Rome, London boasts a greater antiquity than any of the existing Capitals of the world. The mere name of London awakens a thousand trains of va- ried reflection. It is the focus of modern civilization — the great capital of the world. To the west, it is a city of palaces, adorned with parks, and ennobled with tri- umphal arches, grand statues, and stately monunnents ; to the east it presents a labyrinth of narrow lanes, dingy counting houses, and huge masses of ware-houses, with doors and cranes ranged one above another, in tower- ing succession. It is a vast bricken multitude — a strange incongruous chaos of wealth and v>'ant, ambition and despair — of the brightest charity and darkest crime — where there are more houses and more houseless, more feasting and famishing, than upon any other spot upon earth. Pampered luxury riots in prodigal excesses, and squalid poverty pines in pitiless penury and wretched- ness. The opulent state of a coroneted aristocracy, and the despised and depraved children of poverty and crime are to be seen in glaring and painful contrast. — It is the grand theatre of life, in which all imaginable characters severally enact their parts. The merchant, eager in his pursuit of gain,- the hire- ling, bending under the pressure of his toil, the devo- tees of science and literature, busily intent upon ex- 112 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. ploring the mysteries of nature and art ; while the proud patrician, and the votaries of pleasure, with butterfly wing, flutter and dazzle amid their splendor and luxury. Those who have only seen London in the day-time, with its flood of life, rushing through its arteries to its restless heart, know it not in its grandest aspect. It is not in the noise and roar of the cataract of com- merce pouring through its streets, nor in its forest of shipSj nor in its vast docks and ware-houses, that its true solemnity is to be seen. To behold it in its greatest sublimity, it must be con- templated by night, afar off from an eminence. One of the noblest prospects in the world, is London viewed from the suburbs on a clear evening. The stars are shining in the heavens; but there is another firmament spread below, with its millions of bright lights glittering at our feet. Line after line spark- les, like the trails left by meteors, cuttmg and crossing one another, till they are lost in the haze of the dis- tance. Over the whole there hangs a lurid cloud, bright as if the monster city were in flames, and looking afar off like the sea by night, made phosphorescent by the million creatures dwelling within it. At night it is that the strange anomalies of London are best seen. Then, as the hum of life ceases, and shops RAMBLES IN EUROPE. Ho darken, and the gaudy gin-palaces tlirust forth their rag- ged, squalid crowds to pace the streets, London puts on its most solemn look of all. On the benches of the parks, in the niches of the bridges, and in the litter of the mar- kets, are huddled together the homeless and the desti- tute. The only living things that haunt the streets, are tlie poor unfortunate beings, who stand shivering in their linery, waiting to catch the drunkard as he goes shout- ing homewards. Here on a door-step crouches some shoeless child, whose day's begging has not brought it enough to purchase even the two-penny bed that its young companions in beggary have gone to. There, where the stones are taken up and piled high in the road, and the gas streams from a tall pipe in the center of the street m a flag of flame — there round the red glowing coke fire, are grouped a rugged crowd, smoking or doz- ing through the night, beside it. Then, as the streets grow blue with the coming light, and the church spires and chimney tops stand out against the sky with a sharp- ness of outline that is seen only in Tondon before its mil- lion fires cover the town with their pall of smoke — then come sauntering forth the unwashed poor, some with greasy wallets on their backs, to hunt over each dirt heap, and eke out life by seeking refuse bones or stray rags and pieces of old iron: others on their way to their 114 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. work gathered at the corner of the street round the break- fast-stall, and blowing saucers of steaming coffee drawn from tall tin cans, with the fire shining crimson through the holes beneath; whilst already the little slattern girl, with her basket slung before her, screams '* water-cress- es" through the sleeping streets. The magnitude of its wretchedness baffles us. Individ- ual cases of extreme suffering move our sympathies, but as their number is increased, the distinctness of misery diminishes in its influence. Yet who, to see the squalor and misery of London by night, would believe that thirty of the London bankers have cleared as much as one thousand mdlion pounds sterlings in o?teyear, the av- erage being more than three millions of money daily- — or that the loans of merely one house in the city through- out the year exceed thirty millions ! Such vast opu- lence and pinching poverty can be found nowhere else. One of the main causes of this poverty is the preva- lent appetite for drink among the English women. It is a vice no effort has been made to conceal, and as flagrantly open with the one sex as it is with the other. Not only the lower classes, by any means, but often well dressed, lady-like, and politely-bred women take their brandy and soda with a matter-of-course air and as suavely as clubmen. RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 115 Seeing these women emerging in such numbers from these houses at ahnost all hours of the day and night is a feature of London life peculiarly repulsive to Ameri- cans. Go where you will in any part of England, and you will find the public tap-rooms equally as well pa- tronized by women and girls as by any other class. — In America it is a rare thing to find a female in a pub- lic bar-room but all through Great Britain it is of com- mon occurrence — an every day affair. But all things must have an end, and so it was with my pleasant London sojourn. On the tenth of September, by the Midland railway I left vast old smoky London far behind as the train dashed along toward Scotland's fair capital — Edinburgh. As the express glided by the ancient city of St. Albans we could see the ruins ot Sopwell Nunnery, founded in the year of 1 140. At Leicester (loo miles from Lon- don,) can be seen the Church of St. Mary de Castro, which contains memorials of Wycliffe, Chaucer, and John of Gaunt. The ruins of Leicester Abbey are worthy of note, for here is where Cardinal Wolsey died just after repeating the words ^'Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness." Our trnin stops a few minutes at Sheffield, (165 miles from h.) famous from very early times for its make of 116 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. cutlery. The old Parish Church of St. Peter, with its beautiful tower and spire, which dates from the begin- ning of the twelfth century, is one of the attractions ot this city. Normantown is a very important junction — no fewer than 350 trains arriving and departing during the 24 hours. At this station the Pullman day express train, each way between England and Scotland, stops to per- mit passengers to dine. Half an hour, is allowed for this purpose, and the tour- ist need not fear the infliction of a hastily swallowed meal. From the platform he enters a spacious and handsome saloon, and finds awaiting him a dinner of five courses, artistically served, such as the most epicu- rean taste must relish. The half-hour and half crown meal form a pleasing feature of the trip that day. On we move again and our next stop is at Woodlesford, a nice village, pleasant- ly situated on the Aire. Lord Darnley — the husband of Mary Queen of Scots — was born at Temple Hall, in the vicinity. It was here that John of Gaunt is said to have killed the last wolf in England. But I will not vouch for that. We soon reach Leeds, the principal seat of the woolen trade of England, and the greatest cloth market in the RAMBLES IN EURUri:. 117 world. There are many fine buildings in this city and special mention should be made of Town Hall, a mag- nificent range of Buildings which cost nearly p/^200,000. \Ve next pass Giant Hill, where are to be seen the ruins of an old Danish fort. As the train flies past Kirkstall, the tourist catches a glimpse of Kirkstall Abbey one of the noblest and most venerable ruins in England, said to have been founded in the year 1157. As the "iron horse" speeds along nearly fifty miles per hour, the attention of the tourist cannot fail to be attracted by the constant succession of viaducts, bridges, tunnels, and embankments. The scenery on this route is of the most impressive character, and in some parts, for stern and majestic grandeur, is not surpassed by anything in the Lake Region of Scot- land or elsewhere, while in other districts — especially in the beautiful valley of the Eden — there are charm- ing "bits " of sylvan beauty, which are the delight of all visitors. The town of Settle is a picturesque old place, situated at the base of Castleberg — a huge mass of rock, which was in the olden times crowned with a castle. Horton (242 miles from L. ) the next station, is a quaint, old fashioned village, situated in the valley of the Ribble. The great hill, Pennegent, 2,275 feet high, 1 18 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. is finely seen from here. The two grand waterfalls are also in full view. As we glide along it v/ould be impos- sible to get even a glimpse of all the numerous fine old castles and churches in the vicinity of the Midland rail- way. Pendragon Castle, a very ancient structure which has passed through many vicissitudes, and was once the homis of the celebrated Countess of Pembroke, can be seen from Kirkby station. Appleby, 280 miles north of London, is a picturesque place of great antiquity, and the county town of Westmoreland. At Salkeld are the remains of a Druid- ical temple, consisting of sixty upright stones arranged in a circle. They are locally known as *^Long Meg arid her Daughters." The scenery in the vicinity of Lazonby is of the most charming description. Vestiges of an old Roman road, and the remains of an ancient castle, are seen from this place. From the car window at Scotby station, can be seen the Saddle-back mountains of the Lake District. On a hill, near the station, is a Druidical circle, con- sisting of eighty-eight stones. Traces of an ancient en- campment are also seen. Castle Hewin, a very ancient fortress now crumbling RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 110 away — completely in nuns — was buik in very early Sax- on, times. Our tireless locomotive now steams into Carlisle station, which looks so familiar, because of hav- ing remained one day in this city (six weeks previous) while enroll te to London. We have only time in Carlisle to notice the venera- ble Cathedral, a splendid edifice, built in the form of a Latin cross. The grave of Paley, the famous theologian is in the north aisle. The car bell rings, the train pushes out, and again we follow the shining rails toward the land of the poets. We pass the original Gretna Green, long notorious for the celebration of clandestine marriages by a blacksmith, whose shop is still pointed out. This place has ceased to be of note since the abolition. by Act of Parliament of these marriages. This is near the border of England and Scotland, and as we pass, we cast a last fond glance to the south, and exclaim, in the words of the distinguished British states- man: ''England, old England with all thyfLXults I love thee still!" We are now on Scottish soil. ''Scotland! thy wild heaths, Famed tor martial deed and. sacred song, To thee I turn." 120 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. As evening approaches, a Scottish mist thickens and settles upon the earth, and many a picturesque glen is passed unseen. We lay back in our comfortable seat, listening to the • musical hum of the car wheels, as the train dashes on like a thing of life. Anon we fall into a doze, only to be awakened by thestop)ping of the train, and the arri- val and departure of passengers. At Melrose, the thoughts of the old x\bbey revived me for a few moments, but the train soon dashed on, and again I was lulled in to a delicious lethargy. It was not long now before the whistle of the locomo- tive acquainted us with the fact of our nearing the his- toric city of Edinburgh. At Edinburgh, a porter of the Ship Hotel meets us at the station, and we are soon ensconced in comfortable quarters for the night. After all, there is nothing more acceptable to the tired traveller than a good night's rest. Most heartily do I endorse Sancho Panza's words : ^'Blessed be the man who first invented sleep." One good thing I can say of Europe — or at least of that portion I was in — there are no bed-bugs, and but very few flies, and I attribute this more to the climate than to the care of the people. My good night's rest and appetizing breakfast put me in fine trim for a day of sight-seeing. v^r RAMBLES IN F.UROPF, l2j A friend and nnself drove out to Ruslin Clinpel, a marvel of beauty, both within and without, \\hi( h shows an antiquit}^ dating back to 1446, Some of the clustered and spiral columns in tlie inter- ior are held to be matchless, especially "I'he 'Prentice Pillar" of which the guide will very readily tell a tough legend. The legendary story of the, 'Prentice Pillar is one which is not peculiar to Roslin Chapel. It is thus : The architect went to Rome to obtain the means of producing one column of surpassing excellence, and on his return discovered to his chagrin, that his apprentice had already done the work in such a style as he could not hope to rival ; whereupon the old man struck the presumptuous youth his death blow with a hammer. In the Chapel, divine service is held each day. The ruins of Roslin Castle (which are near Roslin Chapel), stand by the Esk side, and are most pictures- que — believed to date back to the year 1 100, and cer- tainly the old family seat of the St. Clairs, Earls of Caithness and Orkney. Near the Castle is the *'Glen", immortalized by Sir Walter Scott and a pleasant pbce in which to ramble for a few hours. My stay in Edinburgh durmgthis second visit was of 122 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. such short duration that most of the time was spent at the Royal Antiquarian Museum and National Art Gal- lery. After seeing a few other places of interest, I took the express for Glasgow- — 47 miles — where I arrived one hour later. It had been raining most of tlietime I was in Edin- burgh, and I found Glasgow abundantly supplied with the same sort of weather. . The weather in Scotland was so damp that the hands of my watch rusted, and some books which were left in my room at the hotel began to gather mildew. St. George's square in Glasgow, and the Princes St. Gardens in Edmburgh very much -resemble, and both are delightful places. No visit to Glasgow is complete unless the charming Loch Lomond— the queen of the Scottish Lakes — is seen. This beautiful sheet of water is twenty miles from Glasgow, and lies principally in the county of Dumbarton o Its area is estimated at forty-five square miles, which makes it the largest lake in Great Britain. The depth is variable, in some places sixty feet, while in others it exceeds three hundred feet. Loch Lomond is a mountain lake, and completely cradled among the high hills. TTT RAINinr.E^; IN EITROPE. ] 28 The real wonder of the Loch is to be found in its beautiful scenery, which is that of a fail- inland sea, sur- rounded by a ring of richly picturesque heights. These heights differ widely in character. Towards the head of the Lake they are majestic, im- posing, awful ; with thunder-smitten heads, and broken precipitous descents ; wild, silent ravines, and tum- bling roaring waterfalls ; with the tumult of whirling winds, and the magic of wreathing mists. But towards the south the hills slope into gently rounded outlines, with pastoral lawns, all fair and smooth, and broad stretches of Arcadian meadow ; with pure, sweet, leafy vales, and patches of deep shadowy coppice. The ex- quisite configuration of the shores is a thing which, once seen, can never be forgotten. There are bold promon- tories, w^hich break up the waters into foaming eddies ; and sniooth green headlands where the blue waves rip- ple as on a level strand ; and delightful little coves, fit for the anchorage of "fairy barks". But what shall I say of the Isles Beautiful that stud its bosom ? reposing in the light of an autumn sunset, on the kindling, flashing mirror of the unruffled tide, ''As quietly as spots of sky Among the evening clouds !" It would even be impossible for a poet or painter to ex- 124 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. aggerate their loveliness. I remained on the pretty steamer Prince Consort, half a day admiring the beau- ties of this region. Ben ('^Mountain") Lomond is 3,193 feet above the level of the sea. Its base measures about five miles, from north to south, and three miles and a half from east to west. It ascends on the south with a long gradual rise, un- til it suddenly shoots upward, more abruptly and direct- ly into a huge, bold cone ; then on the north it sinks with equal suddenness for about 2,000 feet in one tre- mendous precipice, after which the declivity becomes less appalling, and the slopes slowly blend with the sur- rounding landscape. Its general outline is very imposing, arid as its west- ern face rises almost immediately from the water, the appearance which it presents to the voyager is much grander than would be supposed from its comparatively moderate elevation. The view from the summit is rich and varied. The Loch, with its numerous islands is spread out beneath the feet of the traveller. The populous cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are seen sparkling in the sunbeams. The whole county of Lanark and the rich vale of the RAMBLES IN EUROPB:. ] 2o Clyde, witli all its towns and villaoes, the little hill of Tinto, and even the distan: mountains of^ Cumberland attract the eye towards the south. To the west are seen the counties ot" Renfrew and Ayr; the Firth of Clyde, with the islands ofArran and Bute; and beyond this, the distant Atlantic and the coast of Ireland. On the east is seen the county of Stirling, with the windings of the Forth, the Lothians, and tiie castles of Edmburgh and Stirling. On the north th.e prospect is sublime ; mountain piled on mountain — *'Crags, knolls, and mounds, confusedly hurled, The fragments, of an earlier world, And mountains, that like giants stand To sentinel enchanted land," Loch Katrine is about half the size of Loch Lo.mond, and the landscape is very different. It is less beautiful, less varied, but perhaps not less inipressive. The si- lence seems deeper, the solitude more complete. Hie wild grandeur and savage splendor of the place are not subdued by any softer elements. All is bare and black and desolate. The mountains are covered with broken rorks and boulders ; the ravines that clear their Hanks are unrelieved by the grace of foliage ; the inter- venmg hollows are filled with no green leaves and smiling m(.Mdows, but with heatherv moors; tlio banks of the 126 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. Lake are steep, dark, abrupt, and rude, repelling the limpid wave instead of wooing it. ' A small steamer conveys passengers from one end of the Loch to the other, and pleasure boats may also be hired for excursions to various points, or for the enjoy- ment of an hour or two of trout fishing. The Trosachs are well worth visiting. The entrance to the Trosachs is about two miles dis- tant_ from the Brig of Turk. To the right, rises the huge bulk of Ben A' an, lySoo feet above the sea, with a bald, rugged summit which looks as if the winds of heaven had used it roughly. On the left Ben Venue towers to a still loftier alti- tude (2,800 feet), and wears a still grander front. The Pass of the Trosachs is about one mile in lengthy extending between the Trosachs Hotel (a stately, turre- ted edifice, which is not altogether out of harmony with the magnificent scenery), and the extreme point of Loch Katrine. This narrow defile forms the heart of the Trosachs. To the west of it we pass through a narrow inlet, and then, a few paces further, suddenly emerge on the broad expanse of Loch Katrine, with its ring of heights closely fencing it around, as if to guard it from unhallow^ed in- trusion. How shall we describe the Trosachs ? What RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 127 shall we say of tins narrow vale, wMth its barriers of rug- ged mountains, and piled up rocks, and hanging copses of rowan, birch, hawthorn, and oak, — all inextricably blended and mingled together with a confusion that seems chaotic, yet with a depth and variety of color, a boldness and multiplicity of form, a general air of savage majesty and over-powering grandeur, which impresses the beholder almost painfully, and awakens in him an over- powering sense of awe and mystery. This wonderful place presents its most favorable aspects on an autumn morning, when the blue sky is occasionally swept by windy shadows, producing fantastic effects of light and shade : or in the glow of a clear sunset ; or, finally, in the pale haunting lustre of a serene and full orbed moon. "So wondrous wild, the whole might seem The scenery of a fairy dream." In going back to Glasgov/ I stopped a while at Bal- loch, Alexandria, Dumbarton, and several other stations. Just before leaving Glasgow for America, I stepped into a tailor shop and inquired if my order could be filled by evening the following day, stating I was to sail for New York then, *'Yes, a dozen suits could be made for you by that time," was the prompt reply and my measure was taken then and there. At noon next day the suit of clothes had hc(jn finish- 12cS RAMBLES IN EUROPE. ed and were awaiting my return, having been made in less than a day, which is pretty quick work. Clothing and candy can be bought in Great Britain for one half the price paid in America. I bought the finest mint lozenges in London and Edinburgh at 4d. (8 cts.) per pound, and the same article in the U. S. would cost at least 25 cts. Sugars are so much cheaper, some grades of it selling as low as id,, — 2 cents — per pound. For my Glasgow suit I paid four guineas — equal to twenty-one dollars. My time in Europe was drawing to its close, and the At. 4,000 ton steamship State of Nebraska was to leave that evening (Sept. 16, 1887), and everything looked lively on board the vessel as the hour for depart- ure arrived. Trunks, boxes, valises and bundles were piled promiscuously on the deck ; and the officers and sailors were as busy as Turks, that is, when the Turks are as busy as those officers and sailors were. Such an enormous cargo was taken on, that the steamer was not ready to leave her dock till ten p.*m. Men bade their friends a long farewell, ladies kissed their dear ones adieu, whilst I with many regrets parted with my venerable friend — Rev. Walter R. Long, who had accompanied me all the way from London, and whose genial presence contributed so greatly to the pleasure of my tour. KAMIJLES IN EUROPE. l'^\} Our vessel steamed slmvly down the Clyde and was Tiot long in jxissing Paisley, a very important manufac- turing town, which has a worldwide celebrity for its shawls and thread. Some of us did not retire until after we liad reached Ayr, the birth-place of Robert Burns, *'Auld Ayr whom ne'er a toon surpasses For honest men and bonnie lasses." \Vhen I arose in the n:iorning the steamer was lying at anchor in the port of Larne, Ireland. Here the Neb- raska was to remain all day taking on cargo and many passengers, mostly steeragers. Taking advantage of the stop here, some of the pas- sengers proposed visiting Belfast (25 miles distant), which was no sooner suggested, than agreed upon. The train left Larne at 9 a. m , and an hour later we were in the commercial city of Belfast, which has prob- ablv the most extensive linen manufactories in the world. Belfast is situated at the head of Belfast Lough, and contains about 225,000 inhabitants. The Cathedral and Post Office are fine buildings. We would have remain- ed in the city till evening had not some of our party expressed a desire to visit the Giant's Causeway while the opportunity afforded. There are two ways of reach- 130 ^ RAMBLES IN EUROPE. / ing the Causeway from Belfast, and we had the choice of steamboat or rail. But being in more than an ordi- nary hurry, took the shortest and quickest route, which is by rail. The distance is about sixty miles and we travelled through some picturesque country, but the towns and villages passed., seemed to be poverty stricken and when any of us got out of the train for a moment at any station, there was always a beggar or two at hand. We reached Portrush early in the afternoon, and from there it is only a six mile ride to the Causeway „ The Giant's Causeway is one of the most stupendous, and wonderful objects in Nature, and located at the northern extremity of the county Antrim. It is formed of more than one thousand feet of upright basaltic columns, enormous in size, and so fitted to each other as no other power but that of the Infinite could have done. When we had walked over them, boated round them, and entered the caves, we felt as if we were repaid a hundred fold for our efforts in getting there. Two hours ride by rail and we were back to Larne again, and just in time for supper. A few saloon pas- sengers were added to our list, and there were not less than four kundred steerage passengers taken on here, and vast quantities of freight. RAMBLES IN EUROPE, 131 One of the steeragers appeared to be the worse lor. Irish whisky, and stumbled against every person in his way. About ten o'cloek that night there was a splash heard, and such a stentorian howl as seldom falls from mortal lips. One of the officers threw out a life-preserver, a boat was immediately lowered, and the man who fell over- board was taken up in a very damp condition. It proved to be that bibulous steerager, and he gave no further trouble after that. At midnight the steamship Nebraska loosed her moor- ings and set sail for her trip across the Atlantic. When the passengers awoke in the morning there was nothing else to be seen, save the placid bosom of the great deep. It seems to uplift the spiritual nature of man to behold the wide expanse of waters, and conten::piate the con- summate wisdom and power of Him, whom even the winds and the sea obey. It is here that a man feels his insignificance and utter dependence, and that he must rely upon a Hand that is wiser and stronger than that of any officer of the ship. There were two hundred and four saloon passengers, and six hundred and ten steeragers on board. Besides these, there were live ''stowaways" who \fere set to work scrubbing the decks, helping the (ook. or what^ ll>2 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. ever else they could do to earn their passage across. Almost every steamship from Europe has a few stowa- ways aboard. There was one poor fellow on board who was neither a stowaway nor a passenger ; who claimed that he got on at Larne only for the purpose of bidding some friends good bye, and the steamship left and was at sea before he knew it had started. He was put down in the hold among the steeragers, and the captain remarked ; it would have been more appropriate had he bid those at home good bye, instead of his friends on the ship. Most of the cabin passengers were Americans who had left New York in the spring or summer, and were now returning home with a slim pocket-book. Each spring there are tens of thousands of persons who leave the United States trying to find pleasure in Europe ; where they are picked and fleeced in the most approved style in each city they visit, and after several months of this delightful experience, these tourists are glad to shake the European dust from their feet, and hasten back to their happy homes, which they now ap- preciate still more than ever. If a man would doubly appreciate the *4and of the free and the home of the brave/* let him see the degra- RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 133 dation and poverty and oppression which afflicts the lower classes in over crowded Europe. He will then wax patriotic and exclaim — **Surely the United States is the grandest country under the sun, and I knew it not." It appears that the peasants of Europe have already found out that America is the best country under the sun, else they would not come over by the hundreds of thousands every year. The visitor to Europe usually follows the beaten path of travel, and sees life there in its brightest phases; charmed by the bright show and glamour of royalty, but back of all this he can — if he takes the trouble — find an over-taxed, impoverished, long suffering people who must pay out of their destitution, every farthing \^hich these scions of nobility choose to waste upon themselves and their favorites. It is a good thing for America that several thousand miles of water lay between her and Europe. The United States Government never will require a large standing army m times of peace, because there are no dangerous neighbors on this side of the water to watch. But those little European nations are packed too close together for their mutual comfort, and watch each other night and day with a jealous eye, and each seems to vie with the other as to who shall have the largest army and 1 34 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. the highest tax-rate. And the larger the army, the less liberty for the people. The United States is favored above all nations. The steamship Nebraska had now been out several days and nothing occured to mar the pleasure of the voyage. An ocean steamship is built these times to rock as little as possible, and when it draws twenty-eight feet of water, as the Nebraska did, that only makes it yet the more steady. Part of the time our noble steamer made sixteen miles per hour, and at this rate would soon span the watery waste. The weather could not have been more propi- tious, and the roseate tints of dawn, the golden glow of the evening, the silvery beams of the moon, and the ra- diance of the star lit night suggested many pleasant things to us as the powerful screw-propeller kept on her way like a thing of life and beauty across the fathom- less abyss. One little passenger was added to our list while on the ocean, and a collection was lifted for the mother (a steerager) who was in very needy circumstances, and about $25,00 realized. One stingy creature when asked to contribute, said, **It's not my baby** and would give not so much as a nickel. It was proposed to raise a collection for this liberal man, which would have been RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 135 done, had wc not thought he would have been only too glad to receive it, and so the matter was dropped, and we cast no pearls before swine. Quite a stirring incident occurred in the saloon one evening which might have resulted in bloodshed. It was during a concert, and after all those whose names were on the program had rendered their pieces, that the chairman called for volunteers to take part in the entertainment. One young man, who had been drink- ing freely during the entire voyage, rose from his seat and attempted to sing a song, but was so drunk that the chairman ordered him to be seated ; whereupon he (the intoxicated passenger) quickly drew a revolver from his pocket, exclaiming, **Do you mean to insult me like a dog" and would have fired at the presiding officer, had not some one immediately snatched the weapon from his hand. This caused the greatest excite- ment, most of the ladies left the saloon, the purser and stewards led the drunken man to his state-room where he was searched, and all his baggage, to see if any dan- gerous weapons could be found. The chairman said he would prosecute the young man when he arrived at New York. This was the most lively — came near being the most deadly — incident that occurred on our trip. We had now been nearly a week on the ocean and 136 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. the weather so far had been perfect. It seemed as if we would reach New York without one day of rough weather. But appearances are often deceitful, and such calm beautiful days at equinoctial times, in many instances are only ** weather breeders/* Off the coast of Newfoundland there is always more or less fog. It was here that the Nevada, in going across, had her roughest experience, and the passengers were mostly sea-sick. So, in coming back on the Nebraska, our worst weather was while in the neighborhood of the great **Banks'' where the Gulf Stream, commg from the tropics, meets the polar current., and the two vast bodies of water having a different temperature, causes almost perpetual fogs, rain and unpleasant weather. There were ice-bergs in ihe vicinity too, for the weather was unusually cold, and with the heaviest clothing we could hardly keep from shivering while on deck. Up to this time there had been but little sea-sickness, but now that the old ship was tossing and pitching in the trough of the sea, and most of the passengers down in the saloon where the air was none too pure, it had a tendency to make them feel anything else than well. If a person can get plenty of fresh air, such an one is all right, but when forced to remain below and breathe the atmosphere from which your friend's lungs have ex- RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 137 tracted the oxygen, and at the same time find yourself rocked up and down, side-vvise, cross-wise and several other directions at once (if possible); and if all this shak- ing does not make the sufferer succumb to a feeling of nausea then it is because he has no such thing as a liver in his make up. The wild waves were dashing over the deck every few minutes, and the ship was laboring heavy, while everything was dark, cold, dismal, and dangerous. A young lady inquired of the doctor if there was any remedy for sea-sickness. *^0, yes" replied the doctor, "a very simply remedy," but the patient's countenance fell when the *'stay at home" remedy was announced. Hold your breath and contract your abdom- inal muscles is the remedy for sea-sickness, suggested by experience. One passenger who was half sick and half well, said'he would soon be one thing or the other^ and drank nearly a pint of sea water, which had the effect of making his mouth resemble the crater of a volcano for about five minutes, after which he felt like a new man altogether. I heard another man say he would cross the Atlantic next time in a balloon, but his friend advised him not to do that — it might be danger- ous — better wait till the ocean is tunnelled, and then he could go through on a Pullman sleeper. About this time it must have been awful down in the 138 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. Steerage, almost enough to make one sea sick to think of it. The weather was not quite rough enough to be call- ed a gale, yet one of the passengers asked the purser if he ever saw a worse storm. This same passenger also inquired the depth of the ocean, — *'0, not very deep'* said the purser, "only about twenty-thousand feet" and at this the poor fellow gave a shudder and started for his berth. This boisterous weather continued for about thirty-six hours, and then abated somewhat. After the waves subsided enough to keep from dashing over the decks, it was a grand sight to sit by the hour, and look at the angry, foaming billows as they beat against each other and formed a thousand beautiful water-falls. The faith- ful steamer had at last gotten through that awful pall- — the fog — and everything began to look bright and sun- shiny as of yore. A person never tires of looking at the ocean, there is something fascinating, not to say exhilarating, on the boundless expanse of waters, and it may well be com- pared to a kaleidoscope, in which new beauties are be- held each time the individual lifts his eye towards it. Our steamer took the pilot aboard four hundred miles out from Sandy-Hook. It is astonishing how far out RAMBLES IN EUROPE. 189 these little pilot boats do go, and now and then they get caught in some fearful weather, and go back to New York looking the worse for wear. As we approached Sandy-Hook, vessels of every de- scription could be seen in all directions, and we felt as if our little ocean trip would soon be a thing of the past. The passengers were busy packing their valises, writ- ing letters to absent friends, and attending to many lit- tle things which make the time pass so rapidly as the steamship nears her port. When within a few miles of New York, we passed the American yacht '^Volunteer,'* which gained such fame lately in successfully defending the gold cup ; by defeat- ing the British yacht * 'Thistle,** in the race for the championship of the world. Arrived at New York after a nine day's sail from Glas- gow. Our luggage was inspected by custom house officers, and so long did this take, that many of us were detained for hours. My watch was only five hours and ^s^ minutes fast, that being the difference between Greenwich and Wash- ington time. After remaining about a week in New York — seeing the wonders of that busy metropolis — I took the express for Washington, reaching that city six hours later, 140 RAMBLES IN EUROPE. having averaged nearly forty miles per hour. It is only a few minutes ride from Washington to Alexandria, and thus I was home again after an absence of nearly three months, an expenditure of four hundred dollars, and a tour of eight thousand five hundred miles. APPENDIX. A TRIP TO THE Caverns of Luray and the Nat- ural Bridge of Virginia. APPENDIX. Appendix. — Remarks — Enroute for Luray — Harper's Ferry — Beau- tiful scenery — Historic region — Luray Inn — Famous Mineral Springs — Luray Cavern — Its wonderful formations described — Illuminated by electric light — From Luray to the Natural Bridge — Weyer's Cave — Description of the Natural Bridge — Pyrotechnic displays — Places of interest near the Bridge- Home again. A few days after my return from Europe, I concluded that it would be a pleasant tour to visit the charming and picturesque Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. This fertile Valley lies between the Allegheny and the Blue Ridge mountains and is the best portion of the state* Especially during the summer season, and as late as the golden month of October, tourists from all parts of the United States visit the noted mineral springs of that region which are not surpassed in any country for me* dicinal virtues. But the greatest of all attractions are the far famed Luray Caverns, which are more completely and profusely 144 APPENDIX. decorated with stalactiticand stalagmitic ornamentatioti than any other cave in the state, and whose equal can probably be found in no country of Europe, or elsewhere for magnificence. I was soon enroute for the Cave, and at the same time taking in the pretty scenery along the way. The run to Harper's Ferry, fifty-five miles from Washington, was made in one and a half hours, and the express only stopped at Rockville, Point of Rocks, and Frederick Junction. Harper's Ferry is one of the romantic spots of the U. S. The scenery on every side is inspiring, and the majestic Shenandoah empties into the Potomac at this point, where their united waters have burst the barriers of the Blue Ridge to find their way to the sea — forming one of the grandest objects m nature to be found on the continent. Here are to be seen the old Armory, and also **John Brown's Fort" which once figured so prominent- ly in the affairs of the nation. The pretty steel bridge which spans the Potomac here looks so light and airy in contrast with the huge moun- tains on either side, yet this beautiful bridge is one of the staunchest and most durable pieces of engineer- ing skill on the B. & O. R. R. APPENDIX. 145 There are two opposing lines of railway traversing the Shenandoah Valley. The Baltimore and Ohio R. R. has a line extending from Harper's Ferry up the Val- ley, past the cities of Winchester and Staunton, and terminating for the present at Lexington, a distance of i6i miles, and through a very fertile region. The other railway is the picturesque Shenandoah Valley R. R., and on this route is situated the Caverns of Luray. From Harper's Ferry to Shenandoah Junction is only six miles ; and here we change cars for Luray, a distance of sixty-six miles from the Junction, and a prettier coun- try the sun never shone upon. * Especially is this latter clause true of Page county, of which Luray is the county seat. For the lover of the beautiful in nature it is endowed with innumera- ble charms. Hemmed in on every side with a rim of blue moun- tains, it is traversed in its western part by the South Branch of the Shenandoah, a beautiful river known in many a story of battle and guerilla adventure during the civil war. It was upon its banks at Front Royal, near its junction with the North Branch, that the first ■^Through the kindness of the Luray Cave and Hotel Company, the writer has been permitted to select many choice extracts from their Guide Book, in describing the Caverns of Luray and vicinity. 146 APPENDIX. battle of Jackson's celebrated Valley campaign was fought. The Hawksbill, a winding and picturesque stream, flows through the centre of the valley, alterna- ting along its upper course with wild mountain cascades and bits of bosky dell, until at length, after watering miles of fertile meadow, it passes beneath the rustic bridge at Luray and loses itself in the Shenandoah. Nor is the village of Luray unknown to fame. It was through its streets that Stonewall Jackson pass- ed in making his movement upon Banks at Strasburg in the spring of 1862. By this way, too, marched General Shields a little later, to intercept the wily Confederate in his retreat before Fremont. After the affair at Port Republic, Luray lay in the line of the Federal general's retreat. Again in July, 1863, Lee's army returning from Gettys- burg to Eastern Virginia, and finding the lower passes of the Blue Ridge held by Meade's troops, came this far up the valley to gain Thornton's Gap, and crossing here, once more confronted its old adversary. Then, as now, the village was famous for its pretty girls and abundant rations, to both of which soldiers are ever devoted, and it became in consequence the scene of many exploits of the partisan soldiery of Harry Gillmore, McNeil, and Mosby — gay fellows who know- APPENDIX. 147 ing well the charms of the place were loth to yield pos- session. During my stay in Luray, I quartered at the L\iray Inn, a fine hotel, built in Queen Anne style, and one of the best summer resorts in the state. The Inn has fifty-four sleeping rooms, all provided with gas and electric bells. There is a tower crowning the Inn from which may be obtained a fine view of the ^[lorious scenery of the Hawksbill valley ; and to watch the setting sun behind the Massanutton; to see the thousand purplish tints that sleep within its winding valleys and glens, while the hea- vens above are glowing with splendors of pink, and red, faintish blue and green, amber and gold, these are no small pleasures; they awaken a thousand echoes to all that is pure, and beautiful and good, and we find in them the pabulum of our highest emotions, inspiration for better living, and nobler thinking, and increased mental and moral strength to renew and accomplish the tasks of life. Luray is a good central point from which the histori- ographer may visit the numerous battle fields of the Valley and Piedmont section of Virginia. Within a few miles are Kernstown, Front Royal, Win- chester, Strasburg, New Market, Cedar Creek, Cross Keys and Port Republic. Charlestown the scene of l48 APPENDIX. John Brown^s trial and execution, is within easy reach. There are several interesting mounds, built perhaps by the famous mound-builders, within two or three miles of Luray. For several years representatives of the Smithsonian Institution have been engaged in examming them. Luray is within easy reach of Raleigh, Capon and Jordan White Sulphur Springs, and is on the direct line from northern cities to the famous Greenbrier White Sulphur, Old Sweet, Red Sweet, Warm Springs, and other prominent Virginia watering places, and the wonderful Natural Bridge of Virginia. Luray Cavern is one mile west of Luray on the New Market pike, and the entrance is on the side of a coni- cal hill known as Cave Hill. A house has been built over this entrance for conven- ience, and the visitor descends a stairway within the house, precisely as if he were going down into a cellar. Within the cave are plank and cement walks, bridges, stairways, railings, etc., in all those parts at present open to the general visitor, so that no special prepara- tion as to dress is needed, and the temperature of the cave atmosphere registers 56^ uniformly. The thirteen electric lights suspended at important points relieve the visitor of the trouble of being his own APPENDIX. 149 torch bearer. Still, if desired, the guides provide each person with a reflector armed with several can- dles. Our first emotion at the abrupt change from outside nature, is one of mute wonder, until the mind accus- toms itself to the monstrous shapes, the silence, and the weird influence of this subterranean world. Our feeling is that we have entered a new state of be- ing. Queer shapes present themselves at every turn, aping grotesquely the things of our past experience. Every object suggests some growth of animal or vege- table life, yet every resemblance proves illusive. Be- fore us are glittering stalactites and fluted columns strong enough to bear a world ; draperies in broad folds and a thousand tints ; cascades of snow white stone ; and beyond, a background of pitchy darkness in which the imagination locates more than the eye can see. Fancy is dazed by the incomprehensible stimulus it receives from a multitude of novel forms ; around us is a silence that speaks, and we imagine we see the me- chanic spirits of this under world, gnomes and imps, who dart from shadow to shadow, behind column and angle, to watch that we do no harm to their marvelous handi- work. Awe and reverence possess us while we examine these 150 APPENDIX. weird objects under the glow of the overhanging elec- tric light. First to attract attention is Washington's Column, a fluted, massive stalagmite about twenty feet in diameter by thirty in height, reaching from, floor to ceiling. Stalactites depend on every side ; from the centre of the roof one descends as aptly as if nature had design- ed it to support a chandelier. Three avenues radiate near here, and we soon reacli the Flower Garden, a space enclosed with a natural stal- agmitic border, and containing bulb-shaped stalagmites resembling vegetable forms, bunches of asparagus, cau- liflower, cabbages, etc. — according to one's fancy. From this point looking forward toward the Fish Market one sees splendid effects from the electric light streaming through the natural arch which spans the Lake, and reflected, in tints of silver and gold, from the formations new and old disclosed by its rays. We pass beneath the arch spanning the site of the Lake to the Fish Market. At the end of the cement walk we see hanging upon our left the fish in a row, black bass and silver perch done up in bunches — rock-fish, according to the terms of our guide's ancient joke. The semblance is perfect. We recognize their bluish APPENDIX. 151 backs, whitish bellies, and forked tails, while, to in- crease the illusion, the trickling water gives them the moist, glossy coating of a catch fresh from the sea. Turning to the right and mounting a flight of steps, we are in the Elfin Ramble, a vast open plateau, estima- ted to be five hundred feet in length by three hundred in breadth. After crossing Elfin Ramble, we reach Pluto's Chasm, the rift through which the god is supposed to have borne Proserpine to the under world. It yawns at our feet in a startling way, attaining a depth of 75 feet and a length of 500 feet. Facing us is a wall of glistening stalactites. At the bottom of the Chasm, some distance to our left is the Spectre, a tall, white, fluted stalactite bedeck- ed about its upper part, with a fringe of snowy dra- peries. Further on we pass Crystal Springs, and Crystal Lake, forty feet long and eight feet deep, where few can resist the temptation to drink of the pellucid nectar. The crystal bottoms sparkle beautifully in the light of our lamps. We now enter Skeleton Gorge where lie embedded in dripstone, at the foot of an ugly precipice, the bones of a man. Only a few of the larger bones of the leg, 152 APPENDIX. p^rt of the skull, and a few vertebras, remain in sight; and these are held firmly in the grip of the stone which has formed over the rest. There has been much dispute between the romantic and the practical over the sex of the unfortunate deceased, the former averring that it was an Indian maiden who, crossed in love, came here to find congenial gloom in which to indulge her reveries. Her neglected torch burning out, she got lost in the darkness and intricacies of the cave, and wandering about stumbled over the edge of the precipice and perished. The place is cold, wet, dark, and dismal, and emi- nently suited for the close of a tragedy. After going through Giant's Hall, and seeing the Sar- acen's Tent, we arrive at the Organ Room. Here we find ourselves face to face with a perpendic- ular barrier of massive stalactites. One, the organ, a mass of dripstone with long sonor- ous stalagmites, upon which a tune may be played, ex- cites the admiration and wonder of all hearers. We emerge at length into a large open space nearly circular and magnificently furnished with all that is striking and attractive in cave scenery. Its size and shape justify the name— Ball Room — which has been given to it. It is floored with cement .\1'im:\1)IX. 1").'] and provided with benches. A bank of stone on one side supplies a suj)port for successive ranges of seats. Formerly on ''Illumination Days," when some five thousand candles were lighted throughout the cave, the lads and lasses of the adjacent counties celebrated the event by assembling here for a dance. The Luray Band with their instruments provided the necessary music. As may be imagined, the effect was both striking and queer. The brilliant lights set off the Ball Room to its best advantage, and the music rever- berated loudly back and forth through Giant's Hall. This apartment, the lowest in the cave, is two hun- dred and sixty feet beneath the surface. Among other objects of interest in the cave are the Angel's Wing, the Throne,. Fallen Column, Frozen Cas- cade, Chalcedony Cascade, Tombs of the Martyrs, the Vault, Lady's Riding Whip, the Idol, the Conical Shot, the Handkerchief, Cinderella, Comet Column, Camel's Head, and the wet blanket — the latter a marvelous piece of imitative stone. Here, too, is the l^ridal Chamber, which has been consecrated by an actual marriage. 1\) visit all the rooms now o|)en in the cave recjuires a journey of over three miles. One who wishes to surrender himself to the emotion 154 APPENDIX. inspired by the place, will allow the rest of the company to precede him, while he remains to keep solitary vigil. In solitude and silence, undistrarted by remin- ders of the outer world, the mind acquires the power of seeing the invisible. The spirits of the under world gain confidence to approach and whisper their incommunicable secrets, and what we had supposed was the monotone of falling drops of water becomes the intelligible voice of the gnome who has shaped the fantastic world around us. The eye gains a keener sight. The imps and goblins who love to lurk in shadows start forth to view in gro- tesque shapes. The electric light, flaring and sputtering, as if im- patient at being brought down from its skyey home to this subterranean w^orld, here exhibits its remarkable power to bring out clearly distant objects. It heightens the contrast of light and shade upon which cave scenery so much depends for its striking character. Under its glow the white formations shine with almost the lus- tre of pearl, while the amber tints of the older and darker ones are changed for the color of gold. We at length realize that the true charm of the place is nameless. That it lies in no one of its qual- ities, but in all — in its silence, its immensity, its myste- APPENDIX. 155 ry, its splendor, its beauty — in the effect of an entour- age altogether novel. The Persian monarch's desire — a new pleasure is se- cured at length to the world in the Luray Cave. NATURAL BRIDGE. From Luray to the great Natural Bridge of Vir- ginia, the distance is one hundred and twelve miles. This stupendous work of nature I had visited the year previous, but never tiring of such wonders I deter- mined to make another pilgrimage there. On the route from Luray to the Natural Bridge the scenery is so inviting that the traveller feels like stopping off for a day or two at each station. At Weyer's Cave station, forty-one miles south of Luray, the tourist is within easy reach of Weyer's Cave^ and Madison Cave, both in the same (Augusta) county, and visited each year by thousands. Weyer's Cave, has an aggregate length of 3,000 ft., with numerous halls and chambers of great beauty when illuminated. At Waynesboro Junction, the Shenandoah Valley R. R. crosses the Newport News and Mississippi Valley R. R. We soon reach Natural Bridge station where a stai^e 156 APPENDIX. awaits us, and conveys passengers to the Bridge two miles distant. The hotel — Forest Inn — at Natural Bridge is one of the best in the country, and on a par with the magnifi- cent Luray Inn. A visitor should allow himself plenty of time at the Bridge, for all that vicinity is of great natural beauty, and replete with places of interest. During my visit a year previous I extended my trip to the White Sulphur Springs, Hawks Nest, Kanawha Falls, Charleston, Hun- tington, and into Kentucky. For wild and rugged mountain views the country a- long the New River in West Virginia is unsurpassed. Another picturesque trip (which I made two years previous,) is from Lynchburg to the mining town of Pocahontas (175 miles,) and in all this country the trav- eller will find pure mountain air, medicinal springs, w^onderful caverns, beautiful forests filled with game, fertile soil, hospitable people, lovely girls, and every- thing that is calculated to make life happy. If all this region is not an El-dorado, then it is only one remove from it. The Natural Bridge is 215 feet high, and the span of its marvelous arch is nearly 100 feet in length and 42 feet thikc. The county of Rockbridge derives its name APPENDIX. 157- -^irom this wonderful handiwork of nature located with- in Its borders. This immense Bridge, 80 feet in width, affords a public and commodious passage over a valley which cannot be crossed elsewhere for a considerable distance. It is on the slope of a hill, which seems to have been cloven through its length by some great convulsion of nature. The arch is of a semi-elliptical form ; and al- though some conjecture as to its shape may be made by looking down from its edge to the waters of Cedar Creek below, still no adequate conception can be obtain- ed without viewing it from underneath. The arch is best seen from the bed of the stream, and from a point just under it. On looking up there is seen a noble vault of one solid mass of stone hanging over head, somewhat curved in its highest part, and al- most like the work of man. The same native rock forms on each side the supports of this enormous arch ; and together they constitute a solid framework of stone, built up by the agencies of nature, which exceeds in height the Monument of Lon- don. Its structure is sound, its architecture is massive and imposing, and its material of that enduring nature which fits it for the convenience of many ages to come. Like many other great works in nature and art, it is 158 ^ APPENDIX. not the first sight of this Bridge that produces the deep- est impression. On a second visit, its grandeur and massive propor- tion are seen more accurately ; an*d beneath it the visi- tor may sit and gaze for hours, with increasing aston- ishment at the majestic arch which nature constructed before man began his work, and which seems likely to outlive the most durable of his monuments. Within a few minutes walk of the Natural Bridge is Salt Petre Cave, and the Lost River. The Cascade a short distance up Cedar Creek from the Bridge — is quite an object of beauty. The Thousand Pines are visited by many. The Observatory commands a magnificent view, and on a clear day the Peaks of Otter can be seen in the distance. Each day in summer the band dispenses mu- sic in the Observatory, which is a delightful place on account of the cool breeze always prevailing there. The gorgeous pyrotechnic display every Saturday- night attracts vast numbers, and it is then that the no- ble old Bridge is seen in all its glory. From the Natural Bridge to Lexington, the county- seat of Rockbridge, the distance is 14 miles ; and the Virginia Military Institute, and Washington and Lee University are located there. The tombs of those APPENDIX. 159 tliree distinguished and pious Virginians — Lee, Jackson, and Maury — are at Lexington. From the Natural Bridge back to Washington, 238 miles, was a ride of about eight hours, and I remained in the Federal Capital long enough to visit the famous Panorama of the Second Battle of Manassas, a magnifi- cent oil painting containing twenty-thousand square feet of canvas. That evening I again found myself at home, where I expect to remain uutil I take my next trip. w h^ -1^ ^^ '^^ '