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OVER THE OCEAN, . ^^3 
 
 OR 
 
 GLIMPSES OF TRAVEL IN MANY LANDS, 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS. C. T. CROMWELL. 
 
 Peregrination charms our senses with such unspeakable and sweet 
 varietie. — Burton. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 CADY & BURGESS, 60 JOHN STREET. 
 
 1849. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congres.s, in the year 1845, by 
 
 Paine & Burgess, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United Statt-s, for 
 the Southern District of New York. 
 
EDITOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 The letters contained in the following pages were hastily 
 written at the places where they are dated, and addressed 
 and sent to partial friends at home. The object of the writer 
 of them, was to convey to those she loved, some share of the 
 pleasm*e felt by her in looking for the first time upon foreign 
 lands. With her friends she succeeded in doing this ; how 
 it will be with others into whose hands this book may chance 
 to fall, they who read it can best answer. 
 
 What she wrote was not intended for publication at the 
 time it was written, and is now given to the public as it left 
 her pen, when she believed that among only the circle of 
 her intimate acquaintance, these impressions of what she 
 had seen, would be read. 
 
 She has been induced to allow them to be printed not 
 from any vain desire to become known as the author of a 
 book, but to gratify the wishes of many whose good-will she 
 values, who have requested that her observations should be 
 put in some convenient form. 
 
 The first of the letters was dated at Liverpool soon after 
 the author's arrival at that great commercial port ; and 
 the others followed, at such periods, and in such order as 
 the exigencies of a traveller's life permitted. Being ad- 
 dressed to several persons, there is not in them that conti- 
 nuity of narrative, they might have possessed, had they been 
 sent to a single correspondent ; if then she sometimes turns 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 back oib her path, that is the reason. But it is believed that 
 there is no such repetition of description or incident as will 
 make it necessary for the reader to indulge in what Scott 
 calls "the laudable practice of skipping," whatever other 
 reason he may find for so doing. 
 
 It may be thought that an apology is due for publishing a 
 new book of travels through countries, so well-known as 
 some of those whose features are described in these volumes. 
 Not such is our opinion, however. We remember a tale of 
 two travellers, who discoursing of what they had seen in other 
 climes, at last fell into a conversation upon the nature, hab- 
 its, form and color of the chameleon. One of the twain 
 spoke of it as being red — the other asserted that it was green. 
 There was a dispute — and a reference of it to the umpirage 
 of a mutual frieiid, who declared its hue was blacky and in 
 proof of his declaration produced the animal, and lo ! 'twas 
 white. They were all right, however, for each had seen the 
 anomalous creature under different circumstances. So it is 
 with travellers in the present day — no two of them look upon 
 strange lands in the same light ; — and supposing the coun- 
 tries themselves do not change like chameleons — which sup- 
 position, by the way, is untrue — yet those who visit them 
 see through mediums so various, that there is but little pro- 
 bability of a sameness in their descriptions. So thinking, 
 the writer of these lines cannot but believe there are a few 
 at least who will find in the pages sequent, somewhat to 
 amuse, interest and instruct, concerning the lands the fair 
 author has visited, " Over the Ocean," 
 
OVER THE OCEAN, 
 
 OR 
 
 GLIMPSES OF TRAVEL IN MANY LANDS. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 ANGLESEA ITS COPPER WORKS THE RIVER MERSEY THE 
 
 ROAD SIDE EATON HALL CHESTER ITS CATHEDRAL* 
 
 &;C. LIVERPOOL DOCKS STREETS MANCHESTER YORK 
 
 CATHEDRAL INNS, DURHAM NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE 
 
 CHEVIOT HILLS. 
 
 Liverpool, June 8. 
 Yesterday, after passing the green fields of Anglesea, its 
 copper works and wind-mill, we first set foot on English 
 ground, and no sooner had we passed our baggage at the 
 custom-house than we commenced sight seeing, and \dsited 
 the public buildings, the exchange, town hall, &;c. To- 
 day we may say our travel truly began, for we have 
 been to the very old town of Chester, and to Eaton Hall, 
 three miles beyond. We first crossed the Mersey, in a 
 ferry boat much larger than any we have, and like all 
 vessels of every description here, every part was painted 
 black, on account of their burning sea-coal, whose smoky 
 atmosphere turns every thing to its own hue in a short time. 
 The whole of the machinery is always below deck, so that 
 you see nothing above but a tall pipe, which is constantly 
 belching forth the blackest and densest smoke imaginable. 
 
THE ROAD SIDE. 
 
 The Mersey will at low tide admit the largest ships, and has 
 a rise of twenty feet, but it is a very difficult river to navi- 
 gate, owing to the many sand-bars at its mouth. The banks 
 of the river are dotted with beautiful villas and cottages — 
 with lawns and terraces, separated by the only fence known 
 here, a beautiful hedge. On the other side of the river we 
 were taken by an omnibus to the railroad station, and thence 
 in most elegant and comfortable cars sixteen miles to Ches- 
 ter ; and oh, what an Eden, we passed through ! It seems 
 as if I could write nothing but exclamations ; but I will try. 
 The foliage of the trees here is dark green, universally of 
 one shade differing from our American forests, in which you 
 see every tint and variety of that color. Here what we call 
 grass-green is hardly known. The trees are constantly trim- 
 med, so that the branches are more scattered, and the growth 
 being luxuriant, the foliage on all seems to be in clumps 
 over the tree, and is more picturesque than ours, though not 
 so full of leaves. The fields, divided fi'om each other, and 
 the road by hedges, which at some seasons are full of flow- 
 ers perfuming the air, are beautiful beyond description, and 
 the luxuriance exceeds every thing but our golden West, 
 Every house and cottage by the road-side has its vines running 
 over the porch, and the windows filled with pots of flowers, 
 while every inch of ground was covered with plants and 
 flowers. Even the thatched roofed cottage had beds of 
 flowers and vegetables extending along the road side. In- 
 stead of banks of yellow sand, as with us, the sides of the 
 railroad are covered with rich grass, and not only grass, but 
 wild flowers of every color of the rainbow. Looking over 
 this wide-spread garden, you here see a tall wind-mill paint- 
 ed white or brown, and its large arms turning round and 
 round as if battling with the air, and then through another open- 
 ing, an old brown church, with its gothic spire and windows, 
 and its steeple ever verdant with " that rare old plant, the Ivy 
 
EATON HALL. 
 
 Green." I could have cried as I gazed with the excess and 
 variety of my emotions, for we were whirled past these ob- 
 jects with such rapidity, that it was painful for the mind to 
 grasp them as they were presented to the eye. I can com- 
 pare it to nothing but a moving panorama. They have 
 forests, too, as thick and dense, though not as extensive as 
 the American ; and the body of every tree of any size was 
 from root to branch covered with Ivy. (Oh, how I wish I 
 could send the tiiink of one to cousin H.) And then in 
 contrast were here and there the gentlemen's parks, with 
 the noble oaks standing separate and apart, cleared of all 
 underwood, with a beautiful green sward beneath. And 
 there was a canal, which instead of being straight as with 
 us, is beautifully serpentine, winding in and out like a self- 
 willed river, with nothing to hinder its going where it listeth. 
 The tow path was about four feet wide, with a border of 
 grass, a foot and a half wide on the side next the water, and 
 shaded all along by a hedge of trees. 
 
 At the termination of the railroad, we took an open car- 
 riage and rode to Chester. We thought the houses in, Liv- 
 erpool dark and dingy, but they have not the appearance of 
 antiquity that strikes you here, and of the strength and soli- 
 dity of every thing on this side of the Atlantic, you can form 
 no idea without seeing. Even the bridges of the streets 
 passing over the railroad, seem to <^ntain all the materials 
 of one of our city stone churches. The^streets of the sub- 
 urbs of the town are lined with little low thatched roof 
 stone-houses, and scarce a window but had a thick curtain 
 of plants and flowers in pots, in every house we passed. 
 The views we send, will give you a good idea of Eaton 
 Hall, which we have seen to-day, but I do assure you, the 
 reality surpasses it The proprietor (the Marquis of West- 
 minster,) is held to be one of the richest peers, and to have, 
 in some respects, the handsomest place in the whole king- 
 
8 EATON HALL. 
 
 dom. Its interior finish and fiirniture are said to excel even 
 Buckingham Palace. No written desci'iption could give an 
 idea of its magnificence. But this was my first "entree" 
 among the great, and I was bewildered amid paintings and 
 sculpture, and tessellated floors of marble and oak, and pave- 
 ments of mosaic. East India Cabinets, knights in armor, 
 armorial bearings, coats of arms and strange devices, beau- 
 tifully portrayed in the stained glass of the windows, sur- 
 mounting full length figures of warriors, knights and mitred 
 bishops, and immense mirrors to multiply all these- — ^per- 
 spective views of the long galleries and lofty ceilings, paint- 
 ed in Fresco ; the walls hung, some with crimson, some 
 with blue damask, bordered with rich gimp, the draperies of 
 the windows of velvet, the furniture looking like solid gold. 
 All seemed like a fairy vision. But in the library, amid the 
 dead and living on the book-shelves, surrounded by beauti- 
 ful stuffed birds, and splendid specimens of mineralogy and 
 various antiques, I was brought to the sober realities of 
 life by the sight of a goodly row of Harper's Family Library 
 in their plain drab bindings. 
 
 The park is very extensive, and there are gravel roads 
 running in various directions, where you may drive some 
 sixteen miles, seeing every variety of tree, with deer *graz- 
 ing under them, and now and then a hare tripping merrily 
 over the grass. The garden, too, is in keeping with every 
 thing else. There are graperies, fig-trees and the largest 
 peaches, nectarines and cherries, that I remember ever to 
 have seen, all in full bearing, and what is very singular, 
 the peach-trees are some twenty years old, and hanging like 
 vines ; their fruit, as Mrs. T. says, " would make you feel 
 sad for a week after." The gardener gave Mrs. T. and my- 
 self each a small bouquet which I intend to press and keep 
 as a memento of Eaton Hall. The Roman Altar, of which 
 you see an engraving in the book I send describing the Hall, 
 
CHESTER. 
 
 is fifteen hundred years 'old, but in good preservation as you 
 see it in this picture. 
 
 At Chester, we visited the Cathedral. This, with the 
 Exchange here, has more the appearance of antiquity than 
 any thing I have yet seen. The steps of the different en- 
 trances are worn in the centre at least half a foot from their 
 original depth, and a large figure of the Lion and Unicorn 
 on either side of a niche, containing an immense statue of 
 hewn stone in the old Exchange, is nearly obliterated by the 
 pieces that have scaled off, though it was once in very deep 
 has relief. The cathedral is in form of a cross, and the 
 sides of the interior lined with monumental marble. Ches- 
 ter proper, or what was formerly the city, is surrounded by 
 a high wall, and we mounted the steps nmning to the top, 
 which steps you find at short intervals leading from the 
 crest of the wall, where is a fine walk, from whence you 
 have a wide view of the surrounding objects both within and 
 without the city walls, as you pass on it around the city 
 about a mile and three quarters. While standing on the 
 summit of the arched gateway, which is very massive, 
 we saw a temperance procession pass through under us, 
 with music playing and banners flying, the ends of the 
 staves are surmounted with a crown, (instead of a liberty 
 cap as with us,) and all looking very much as our proces- 
 sions do, save that the females predominated. From the top 
 of this gate -way we saw also a canal, made some sev- 
 enty or eighty years ago, and which, for a long distance, 
 seemed cut through the solid rock. From here, we went to 
 visit the Roman Baths, which are situated under an inn ; 
 but the entrance to them is through a little low vegetable 
 shop, dirty and filthy enough. A woman brought a light, 
 and back of the rooms in which they lived, descending a 
 few steps, we entered a kind of vault, on one side of which 
 is a sort of tank, and at the bottom a spring. Near it, is a 
 
 1* 
 
10 LIVERPOOL DOCKS. 
 
 narrow door leading to the subterranean passages, which 
 only were discovered a few years since. The entrance to 
 them seems very complicated, made so by numerous low 
 pillars of brick, between M^hich you have to crawl, but after 
 a short distance you can walk upright through three pas- 
 sages — one to St. Michael's church, and one to the cloister 
 of a nunnery, three-fourths of a mile distant. The air of 
 the passage is so poisonous at present, that no one has been 
 through them for a length of time, and we were not an- 
 tiquarians enough to venture upon any researches. The 
 day being spent, we bent our foot- steps to the railway and 
 took our seats, glad of a place of rest ; for we were weary 
 with being constantly on our feet since ten in the morning. 
 It is now six P. M., but where the day-light lasts so long, 
 we have more time to see things, for dining at six we care 
 not for tea till ten, hardly candlelight, and though wearied 
 with constant travel, seldom retire until twelve or one. 
 Then only six hours darkness make us rise early in the 
 morning, for it is sun-rise here much earlier than with you. 
 
 We had a very intelligent English gentleman as a com- 
 panion in the cars from Liverpool to Manchester. He, like 
 most others here, spoke with much bitterness of such men 
 as the baron of Eaton Hall, (though the noble Marquis is 
 admitted to be a very amiable man,) with whom the wealth 
 of the country is piled in heaps, while others are obliged to 
 dig and delve for a few coppers ; paying much less taxes 
 than the poorer gentry, though better able to pay more. 
 
 On our return to Liverpool we visited the famous docks, 
 for which this city is so deservedly noted. There is a dock 
 within a dock for a great distance, forming large basins 
 between them, with locks like a canal, through which ves- 
 sels make their entrance and exit. The outer face of the 
 docks is a smooth solid wall, with steps descending to the 
 water, by means of which you enter the ferry boats and 
 
HOAD TO MANCHESTER. 11 
 
 small craft — the shipping all lying within the docks, and 
 only the forests of masts and rigging visible. 
 
 The next morning we walked through some of the prin- 
 cipal streets, and in Bold street, the Broadway of Liverpool, 
 there is certainly some fine stores, with a great display of 
 elegant goods of the most gaudy colors. You see a great 
 many ladies walking, dressed in what we should call outr6 
 taste — ^the dresses and shawls of the gayest and brightest 
 colors, and enormously large figures, but the materials not 
 so rich as ours, nor put on or arranged with half as good 
 taste. Nor did we see any of the beauties — all looked 
 dowdy. We took a carriage, and drove from place to place 
 to see the outside of different public buildings, but I shall 
 not describe them. AVe took seats in the cars for Manches- 
 ter, but instead of being enlightened as we expected, were 
 put very much in the dark, by passing at the very outset 
 from the depot into a tunnel, cut through rock, and more than 
 a mile and a quarter long. Afler getting once more into day- 
 light, we found pretty much the same country I have de= 
 scribed from Liverpool to Chester. The same beds of flow= 
 ers and patches of vegetables on either side wherever there 
 was a toll-house, station, or cottage, the same beautiful 
 hedges and turf fences, and one universal garden outspread 
 before us. The country we passed through was very flat 
 and tame, the eye took in a perfect sea of land to the very 
 horizon, as it had lately gazed upon the ocean where was 
 nought but sky and w^ater. There was no high mountain 
 for a background, no noble forests to relieve the eye from 
 the perpetual sameness of the garden. God has done more 
 for our country, man more for this. Ours is noble and mag- 
 nificent, carrying the thoughts to the Creator, this beautifully 
 picturesque, and our thoughts are of the earth earthy. As 
 far as I have yet found, there is a great deficiency of water 
 in all English scenery. But the hand of man has done ss 
 
12 RIDE TO YOEK. 
 
 a vast deal, and every thing is built strong and enduring, and 
 kept with perfect neatness and order. This is noticed even 
 in the streets and docks of Liverpool, and at the departure 
 of cars and boats all is orderly and quiet ; there is none of the 
 bustle and confusion that we have on such occasions. In 
 place of the tall wind-mills, with their giant arms, so re- 
 markable on our first ari'ival at Liverpool, we have here at 
 the different villages, immense buildings for factories, and 
 chimnies extending from the gi'ound to the height of a steeple, 
 ever straight, either round or square, pouring forth clouds of 
 smoke or steam. We remained at Manchester long enough, 
 as we found there was no access to the manufacturies with- 
 out waiting longer than we cared to stay in the smoke. 
 They are very shy of admitting strangers into their facto- 
 ries. You require an introduction to some of the proprie- 
 tors, who live ten or twelve miles from the city, at least to 
 those of the silk and printed calicoes, and silk and lace em- 
 broideries, which we cared most to see. 
 
 We seated ourselves in the cars for York, passing through 
 a more variegated country than I have yet seen. There are 
 more hills and valleys, and now and then a high ridge by the 
 road side covered with trees like those on the banks of the 
 Hudson. All the rivers here are very small, not wider than 
 our canals, and have not the beautifully wooded banks of 
 ours. The Ayr has a tow path, and is used as a canal. We 
 passed some of the most beautiful little dells with hamlets 
 situated delightfully on the rising ground. There would be 
 a neat stone farm house looking superior to the tiled ones 
 about it, and then the good substantial barns and out-houses 
 surrounding it, and last but not least, a little stone church 
 with its square tower and turrets, and perhaps a little rivulet 
 which we should not deem worthy a bridge of any kind, 
 spanned by a single arch, built of stone, with its sides over- 
 grown with vines and grass. The men employed in the 
 
YORK MINSTER. 13 
 
 railroad depots have here a kind of livery, a red frock coat 
 with gilt buttons, yellow facings, and bands on their hats ; 
 and the post coaches have a postillion who rides on the back 
 of one of the horses, and wears a scarlet jacket, drab vest, 
 and small clothes, white -top boots, gilt band and buttons. As 
 soon as we arrived at York and had stored away our lug- 
 gage into our room at the hotel, we sallied forth impatient to 
 obtain a view of the famous cathedral of York, or Minster, 
 as it is more generally called. And O ! what a glorious 
 sight. It is one I never can forget. I think it has the most 
 elaborate work within and without, the most beautifld stained 
 glass, and the most beautiful carving and statuary that I could 
 have conceived. The groimd it covers I should think equal 
 to that covered by one of our blocks in New York. One 
 window in it is as lagre as the whole gable end of one of our 
 country churches, and all the windows are of stained glass, 
 the secret of which is not now known. The organ has five 
 thousand pipes, and the organ screen is most elaborately 
 carved, and at the bottom are full length statues of the kings 
 from William the Conqueror to Henry VII. Under the large 
 window I mentioned, on the outside, are the head of om- Sa- 
 vior and the twelve Apostles, carved in stone, and on all the 
 projections outside and in, are carved heads and images, and 
 in the niches full length statues. Within the church in the 
 centre you look up a tower two hundred and thirty two feetj 
 with nothing to break the \ie\v save the power, or rather 
 want of power of seeing. We attended service, and heard 
 a sermon from the Dean on the 24th of June, (St John the 
 Baptist's day,) in the choir, which is ninety nine feet from 
 floor to roof. In the cloisters were very many monuments, 
 and very ancient knights in armor, and bishops and arch- 
 bishops in their robes, reclining under beautiflil canopies ; 
 and nobles and their ladies, in full court dress and standing 
 erect, and beautifully carved in white marble. At the altar, 
 
14 YORK MINSTER. 
 
 in one of the Chapels, we were shown the sexton's chair, 
 more than a thousand years old, in which were crowned 
 James VL, Richard III., and some other sovereigns. In 
 another place we were shown the robes King James was 
 crowned in, and some things older than the chair. Under- 
 neath the church we saw the pillars of the old Norman 
 church, over which the present one was built. There is one 
 circular window called the Marygold, twenty-seven feet in 
 diameter, and also one called the " ^ve Sisters." It is in five 
 divisions, and was painted or copied from the embroidery of 
 five sisters, (each division being different,) painted at their 
 expense and given to the Minster. It is nearly as high 
 as the large one I before mentioned, but not so wide. I 
 cannot call this a description ; it is merely a catalogue 
 of wonders. It would be impossible, I think, for any one 
 without more than mortal gifts to give a satisfactory descrip- 
 tion of this immense and elaborate pile. It has no rival 
 in the kingdom. There is here a museum containing the 
 Roman antiquities and remains that have been dug up in 
 various parts, and around the city. Near the museum are 
 the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, only one side remaining 
 perfect, with the Gothic arched windows and large pillars 
 formed from small ones united. There are broken pillars 
 and parts of the walls, so that you can trace the extent of 
 what was the interior — ^wdthin which are the stumps of trees, 
 some twelve or fifteen feet in circumference, that have grown 
 and decayed, since the Abbey has been deserted and a ruin. 
 It seemed very strange when we entered York by rail- 
 road, to pass under the walls with a steam engine, but I sup- 
 pose wonders will never cease. We crossed the Ouse in a 
 row boat used to ferry passengers over, and then walked 
 around the walls, quite a circuit, passing over Micklegate 
 bar, on which used to be stuck the heads of traitors and those 
 slain in war, and then crossing the river again, visited York 
 
Clifford's tower. 15 
 
 Castle, now a prison for capital offenders, and like every 
 thing else here, it is the picture of neatness itself. The 
 building is round, and half of it is divided into w^ards wdth 
 paved courts or yards between, in which the prisoners take 
 their exercise together. They are allow^ed to converse with 
 each other, and there is a schoolmaster who comes every 
 day to set them copies, and they amuse themselves in read- 
 ing and writing, ha^ang no work to do but to keep them- 
 selves and their apartments clean. The cells in which they 
 sleep are quite roomy, more so than our state-rooms in the 
 ship, the sides, top and bottom of them are each one solid 
 stone, and the door plates of iron, and bolts and locks to 
 make them fast. The prison relics were rather disgusting 
 than interesting, consisting o^ various instruments wdth which 
 crimes have been committed, and plaster busts of famous 
 murderers. We were shown the skull of the man whom 
 Eugene Aram murdered, and the different irons usedto con- 
 fine the famous Dick Turpin. 
 
 There is little left of the old Castle, the present one 
 being built upon its fragments. The Clifford's Towner 
 of Ivanhoe, w here Isaac the Jew of York was confined, is 
 enclosed in a wall to preserve it, and w^hich you ascend by 
 a wdnding stair to the top, where you can walk round and 
 have a fair view of the city, the Minster, the Abbey ruins, 
 the walls and the country beyond. I gathered some sweet 
 wall flowers and ivy growing between the stones, as a me- 
 mento of Clifford Tower, and descending, we wended our 
 way homewards. The inn, after the old English fashion, 
 has a place for loaded carriages and wagons to drive to in 
 the rear to unload, where w ere the post-boys, ostlers, and 
 grooms, all busy in their different occupations, the stables ex- 
 tending some distance on either side in the rear. 
 
 They have a very comfortable way at the inns here. Hav- 
 ing no public drawing room, you are shown into a parlor whch 
 
16 DURHAM. 
 
 you have to yourself; and when they set a table for you, the 
 lady traveller not only pours the tea, but makes it on the table, 
 on which they always place the caddy ; and a boiling kettle 
 simmers on the hob of the grate. The waiter, when he has 
 placed all on the table, retires, and you have it all to your- 
 self, quite like home. And they give you in England such 
 fine bread and butter, hot muffins for tea and breakfast, 
 fresh eggs, delicious tea, and for dinner the juciest lamb 
 and mutton, and the "roast beef of England." I think we 
 have as good beef, but we have no Cheshire cheese, and the 
 cream cheese (what we call pot cheese) is here most ex- 
 quisite. I have certainly realized the comfort of an English 
 inn. Every thing about York bears the stamp of age. The 
 sti-ucture, material, and color of the houses, the narrow and 
 irregular streets, all betoken an age gone by. The second 
 story projects over the lower, and if there is one above, that 
 projects over the second, so that in a narrow street you may 
 almost shake hands across it from the upper windows. The 
 side walks are only wide enough for one, and the red-tiled 
 roofs, in ridges with troughs between, all look strange, and 
 I begin to feel very antique myself. I fancy when I look in 
 the glass, I have grown old, and certainly feel older than I 
 did, having lived a year in the past week ; I know not what 
 is yet before me, yet I feel a great regret in leaving York. 
 
 I am now at Durham, and have attended church in the 
 Cathedral to-day (Sunday.) This is another relic of by gone 
 times. It was built 4n the 11th century, and the body of the 
 patron saint (St. Cuthbert) is entombed here. He was first 
 buried in some other place in the 6th century, but afterwards 
 his body was removed hither and the clothes in which he 
 was interred, being at the time of the removal in a perfect 
 state. His body was again taken up in 1837, when but little 
 remained of the holy Saint Cuthbert. In the Cathedra], are 
 many old monuments ; one to the venerable Bede, and se- 
 
NEWCASTLE. 17 
 
 veral knights in armor reclining, but very much broken and 
 mutilated. On the side of one of the towers, in a niche, is 
 carved a cow, and two milk-maids, connected with which is 
 a legend telling how Durham came l^y its name. There are 
 some fine buildings connected with the Cathedral, the Dean's 
 Palace, the prebendaries, the Hospital, and old Durham 
 Castle, ten years since converted into a college. They all 
 stand on the banks of the Wier, which are very high and 
 covered on both sides of the narrow river with beautiful w^oods, 
 through which are fine walks, like our Hoboken, and ex- 
 tending some three miles up the river. The houses in both 
 York and Durham are built with the upper stories projecting 
 over the under. Here in Newcastle -upon-Tjiie, (where I 
 am now waiting, ) the houses are some six or seven stories 
 high, having one wide projecting window in front, the win- 
 dow's in each story jutting a little over the under, having the 
 appearance of high boxes piled on each other. The roads 
 and streets throughout England are all Macadamized as 
 smooth as a floor, and the coaches roll over them at the rate 
 of ten miles an hour. The street in which we are, at New- 
 castle-upon-Tyne, is called Grey-street, and is lined with 
 buildings on either side like palaces, extending near half a 
 mile, and at the head of it, on a high hill, is a tall monu- 
 ment surmounted with a statue of Earl Grey. 
 
 Tuesday, To-day, between Newcastle and Melrose 
 Abbey, we have passed a most delightM country. The 
 English coaches are made to carry sixteen outside and four 
 within, but those who sit inside are shut out entirely from 
 a view of the country. So we took our places on the top, 
 and though it was very cold, with a specimen of the Scotch 
 mist, I did not regret my choice. Four horses to each 
 coach, and a change every six miles, enable them to travel 
 at great speed. We saw many fine places on our way, and 
 then they have such pretty names. There was Belle Cas- 
 
18 tJiiE viols. 
 
 tie, Otterbay Tower, Ankram, Rutherford, Ravensworth and 
 Guernsey Place—do they not sound well ? 
 
 The hedges here are in full bloom, some with white, some 
 pink blossoms, and as thickly clustered as our flowering 
 almond. When we came in sight of the Cheviot hills, the 
 face of the country materially changed from beautifully cul- 
 tivated fields, to bleak barren moor, extending for miles 
 around, and covei-ed with a thick black bushy grass, which 
 is the Scotch heather. The country here has no fences to 
 divide it, and is only separated from the road by white paint- 
 ed posts, tipped with black, to guide the drivers when the 
 ground is covered with snow. On the tops of the Cheviots 
 are cairns or stones, piled up in a pyramidal form, to serve 
 as land-marl'is to the shepherds in winter. The sides of 
 these hills, or rather mountains, are dotted over with innu- 
 merable flocks of sheep, with their shepherds tending them. 
 They wear a grey woollen cap, a plaid thrown over the 
 shoulders, then brought around the waist, and tied under the 
 lefl; arm, a crook in their hands, and a dog at their feet ; and 
 you see frequently circular enclosures of stone wall for 
 sheep folds. This is realizing the romance of story books ; 
 but it seems to me more beautiful in reality than I ever 
 dreamed of in imagination. 
 
 Before ascending the mountains, is a tract of country very 
 much resembling Connecticut. At the top of the ridge is a 
 white stick, which marks the boundary between England 
 and Scotland. It is sixteen hundred feet above the sea, and 
 very cold, but the view is rich indeed. For here are 
 the Cheviot hills not covered with shrubs and trees 
 like ours, but with grass which feeds the flocks of sheep 
 scattered all over their sides. Those in the distance 
 are enveloped in mist, which gives to them a blue color, 
 and others are cultivated, and exhibit different hues ac- 
 according to the vegetation with which they are clad. 
 
TEVIOT. 19 
 
 On the Scottish side, the country is much more magnificent 
 — more like America. The ridges of the mountains are 
 seen on every side as you wind through the vallies between ; 
 and Teviot's stream meanders through these vallies, its 
 sides covered with beautiful trees, by which you can trace 
 its course for miles. Among these is the Laburnum, as high 
 and as large as our pear-trees, its branches drooping with 
 the weight of its golden blossoms ; and long narrow strips of 
 pine groves, with their dark sombre green, that seem like 
 our American forests. The foliage of the trees is of every 
 shade of verdure, adding in my view much to the beauty of 
 the landscape. We have arrived at Edinburgh, of which you 
 may expect some account in my next ; as well of Dryburgh 
 Abbey, Melrose and Abbotsford. 
 
20 DRYBURGH ABBEY. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 DRYBURGH ABBEY- 
 
 MELROSE ABBEY- — EDINBURGH STIRLING CASTLE 
 
 THE HIGHLANDS LOCH KATRINE LOCH LOMOND DUM- 
 BARTON STERLING CASTLE THE HIGHLANDS. 
 
 " Edinburgh, July. 
 
 I commence this at Edinburgh, Tuesday the 4th of July, 
 at the house of Mrs. B., where, in the course of an hour, 
 are expected Mr. and Mrs. T., and some others to dine. 
 At what place and time this may be finished and sent is 
 beyond the ken o' any o' us at the present. To-day you 
 are no doubt keeping in some way the jubilee of our Na- 
 tional Independence, that glorious day, the nation's holiday. 
 Weell, in Scottish parlance, joy be wi' you all. 
 
 Now I will give you a description of the obJQcts of inter- 
 est we passed on our way from Newcastle to Edinburgh. 
 From the top of the coach called " the Chevy Chase," near 
 Jedburgh, and a little way from the road, we saw a spiral 
 monument, which the guard told us was placed there to 
 mark the spot where Douglas fell at the battle of Chevy 
 Chase. Four miles south of Melrose is Dryburgh Abbey 
 in ruins. We left the coach here, and walked a long mile 
 to the grounds of the Duke of Buchan on whose estate the 
 ruins are. A woman was our guide, and after taking a 
 view of the whole from a little distance, she led us to a part 
 of the ruins called St. Mary's Aisle. Within an arch-^yay 
 inclosed with an iron railing she pointed to a mound of 
 earth where was no mark or sign, and said, "there lies Sir 
 
DRYBURGH ABBEY. 21 
 
 Walter Scott." This was the first intimation we had 
 that he had been buried here. We only visited the place 
 as the location of a beautiful ruin, and it was with sad and 
 yet pleasant surprise we found ourselves by the grave of 
 this great and much loved author. I pulled a sprig or two 
 of the vine growing over the archway of his tomb ; and 
 passed on to the other parts of the ruin, but though they 
 were beautiful, they were nothing to me in comparison with 
 St. Mary's Aisle. Our next visit was to the residence of 
 this great man, Abbotsford, where we were shown many 
 curious relics, and interesting mementoes of his collecting. 
 We saw his breakfast and dining rooms, (in the latter of 
 which he died,) his study in which he wrote, and the chair 
 in which he sat, and the clothes which he last wore. 
 There was one chair upon which he sat to write, and a 
 great favorite with him, made from the beams of the house 
 in which Sir William Wallace was betrayed. There was a 
 grate belonging to Archbishop Sharpe, and an old iron camp 
 kettle of the Romans, two thousand years old ; a shirt of mail 
 worn by Oliver Cromwell when receiving his troops, as a 
 security against assassination ; a flask belonging to James 
 I. ; a pair of pistols belonging to Napoleon ; a sword of 
 Claverhouse ; a set of beautifully carv^ed ebony chairs pre- 
 sented by George IV., and a cabinet of the same material 
 that once belonged to George III. ; a beautiful marble 
 table and vase presented by Lord Byron ; excellent por- 
 traits of himself, wife and daughters ; an original portrait 
 of Oliver Cromwell taken when young, and one of Gen. 
 Fairfax ; the head of Mary Queen of Scots in a charger, 
 painted immediately after she was beheaded ; a marble 
 figure of his favorite dog, and many more things which 
 interested me much, the description of which could not be 
 comprised in a letter. There was an arch way in one of 
 the passages of his house, built in imitation of one in MeK 
 
22 MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 rose Abbey. We visited the latter after we left Abbotsford, 
 which we found as beautiful as he himself describes it. 
 We were however unable to view it, as he says, "aright,"- 
 for we did not see it "% the pale moon light. ^'' We here 
 saw the grave of Alexander II. ; the wizard stone which 
 Scott describes in the "Lay of the Last Minstrel;" the 
 grave also of Douglas, whose monument we passed on the 
 wayside, near Jedburgh. The poet has so beautiflilly des. 
 cribed Melrose, that I cannot do better than to refer you to 
 his description of 
 
 " The slender shafts of shapely stone. 
 By foliage tracery confined." 
 
 And there still remains the beautifully fretted and sculptured 
 roof, of which he says : 
 
 " The key stone, that lock'd each ribb'd aisle, 
 Was ajleur de lys, or a quatre feuille.^^ 
 
 And the pillars, 
 
 ** With base and with capital flourish'd around, 
 Seem'd bundles of lances which garlands had bound." 
 
 It is astonishing how well the carving is preserved, so 
 that you may still distinguish the strawberry, the ivy, and 
 the shamrock, as distinctly as if wrought but yesterday — 
 whose leaves you may find growing about the ruins. Time, 
 the destroyer of all things, has laid his hand gently upon 
 these beautiful ruins ; but man was not so lenient. They 
 suffered more from the ravages of the border wars, mostly 
 from those of the reformation, and particularly from the big- 
 otry of John Knox and Cromwell. At Edinburgh, we saw 
 many remains of the first named stern Reformer. We were 
 shown the window where he placed himself to assail Mary 
 as she passed by on her way to mass — heaping upon her 
 every term of reprobation. At Holyrood Palace, the cha- 
 pel still remains as the fire left it, when that and the palace 
 
HOLYKOOD. ' ' 23 
 
 were fired bj his orders. Tlie palace has since been re- 
 stored, but the chapel is a heap of rubbish, with some of the 
 walls standing, ivy and wild flowers filling the crevices, and 
 beautifying the whole. We were shown here the tapestry 
 Mary brought with her from France, worked by nuns, (sham- 
 ing the embroidery of modern days,) several pieces of an- 
 tique furniture also brought by her ; a beautiful miniature 
 painted in France of herself, which is a fine specimen of the 
 art in those days ; the bed she slept in, with all its tapestry 
 faded and torn, is exhibited, and a work-box with a cover, 
 broidered by herself, and a basket which held the infant 
 clothes of James VI. These are all simple, yet interesting 
 mementoes. We saw, also, the room in which the Queen 
 was supping with Rizzio, when he was dragged forth to be 
 murdered. The bloody marks still remain, and the stairs 
 up w4iich the conspirators came, to do the dreadful deed, 
 which were secret, and to the Queen unknown, though lead- 
 ing to her dressing room. Our friend, Mr. B., being an old^ 
 resident, had it in his power to point out to us many spots 
 made interesting either by historic association, or from be- 
 ing the scene of some incident described by Sir Walter 
 Scott in his delightful fictions, which will be read by us with 
 increased interest when we return, from having been over 
 all the ground he so delightfully describes. We saw the 
 house in which Robinson wrote the history of Scotland, and 
 the place where he was buried. He took us through Cow- 
 gate, Harrowgate, Cannongate, High street, Westbow and 
 Grass Market — all streets in the old to^\^l where the ancient 
 nobility formerly lived, but which are now filled with the 
 vilest of the vile, and where the people of the mofZem Athens 
 never come. There are in the old town, houses from eight 
 to eleven stories high ; and some few that number even six- 
 teen stories. There are bridges in the new town not over 
 water as with us, but from one hill to another, (for Edin- 
 
S4 EDINBURGH. 
 
 burgh is all up hill and down,) and you stand on one of these 
 bridges and look upon the houses and streets beneath, filled 
 with a busy population, who carry on an Israelitish traffic, and 
 who are called Scotch Jews. There a,re some among them 
 who arrive at the age of one hundred and twenty, and even 
 one hundred and fifty, for they are remarkable for their great 
 longevity, and yet have never during their life -time visited the 
 new town, though it is only about ten minutes' walk. 
 
 Edinburgh Castle adds much to the beauty as well as to 
 the interest of this unique city. Among the objects of in- 
 terest, exhibited here, are the regalia and Mons Meg ; the 
 former, consistmg of a crown, a sceptre, and a sword of 
 state. There is also the badge of the Order of the Garter 
 with its star, and one of the thistle, both beautifully set with 
 brilliants and other precious stones. The crown is placed 
 on a scarlet-velvet cushion trimmed with gold cord and tas- 
 sels, and all of them are dazzling to behold. They are ex- 
 hibited in a small round room, with no lights, save those 
 kept burning to display them to visiters from twelve to three 
 every day ; and though one cannot view them without great 
 interest, as belonging to a nation unquestionably brave, and 
 capable of governing themselves, yet to see them exhibiting 
 a crown without a king, seems something like a burlesque 
 upon royalty ; as if in the crown and not in the head, lay 
 the objects of adoration. These insignia of kings and 
 queens have been recently discovered in an old iron chest 
 in the room in which they are now shown, after having 
 been lost to the world a hundred years or more. There is 
 a long story attached to them which I have not time to re- 
 late. Mons Meg is a very old cannon, so called because 
 made at Mons, in Flanders. It is formed of iron hoops bat- 
 tered together, and made about the year 1480, of course be- 
 fore America was discovered, and it is a famous one in size. 
 
 I think Edinburgh should be called the Monumental City, 
 
greyfriae's church. 25 
 
 for there are many monmnents and statues on Calton hill, (a 
 summit in the midst of the city,) from the top of which you 
 have a fine A^ew of Edinburgh and all the surrounding re- 
 gion. There is a very tall column surmounted with the 
 statue of Nelson ; three in the form of temples ; one to 
 Burns, one to Playfair, the mathematician, and one to Dugald 
 Stewart. There is one also called the national Monument, 
 intended to commemorate the heroes who fell at the battle 
 of Waterloo. It is a fac simile of the Parthenon at Athens, 
 but for want of flmds not completed. There is also a 
 splendid one erecting now in memory of Sir Walter Scott — 
 a sort of gothic temple, with a statue of himself within. In 
 every public square, and before every public building, there 
 are equestrian and other statues. We visited Greyfriar's 
 church-yard, (the oldest probably in Scotland,) where are 
 seen the graves of George Buchanan, (the stern preceptor of 
 James VI.,) Allen Ramsey, the Poet ; Dr. Black, the chemist ; 
 Dr. Blair, the rhetorician ; and last but not least, the graves 
 of the Scottish martyrs who were slain and buried between 
 the years 1660 and 1668, eighteen thousand in number — very 
 many buried in one spot to whom a monument is erected. 
 It is supposed that the ground of this burial place has been 
 raised upon an average ten feet, and in some places eighteen, 
 by the dust of the millions*who have mouldered beneath the 
 sods of the valley, and you descend some ten steps to the 
 door of Gre}-friar's Church, which stands in the midst of this 
 city of the illustrious dead. It is supposed that the church- 
 yard was once level with the green sward about it. It cer- 
 tainly was a most interes^^^ing spot, surrounded by the monu- 
 ments, arms and escutcheons of all the ancient nobility of 
 Scotland. 
 
 We were ad\ised by our friends in Edinburgh to go by 
 water to Stirling, twenty-nine miles distant, to enjoy the 
 beautiful scenery of the Forth. Unfortunately for us it com- 
 
 2 
 
26 STIRLING. 
 
 menced raining, and as it not unusually happens here, a Scotch 
 mist accompanied the shower, so that, however willing to 
 encounter the rain for the sake of the scenery, we could 
 not see through the impenetrable mist, and were obliged to 
 content ourselves with a comfortable seat in the cabin 
 throughout the whole passage, for the rain fell unceasingly 
 long after we arrived at Stirling. Stirling castle stands on a 
 rocky eminence like that of Edinburgh, though on a smaller 
 scale, and is approached on one side by shady walks beau- 
 tifully laid out from the town up the eminence to the Castle. 
 On one side, from the ramparts, you see mounds and ditches 
 overgrown with grass, which were once beautiful gar- 
 dens, the pleasure grounds of the Jameses. On another side 
 is a strong eminence called the Lady's Rock, where the 
 queen and ladies of the court used to sit to see the tourna- 
 ments held in the field below. A short distance beyond is 
 the field of Bannockburn, "the Marathon" of the North, on 
 which was fought the battle between Edward IL and Robert 
 Bruce. This ground is all made classic by Scott, as the 
 "Bens," "Lochs," and " Friths" of the Highlands are hal- 
 lowed by his muse. The Castle has been the birth-place of 
 some of the Scottish kings, and in the chapel stands the pulpit 
 from which John Knox preached at the baptism of Prince 
 Henry, son of James VL The- Palace is quite a splendid 
 building, ornamented on all sides with huge, and some of 
 them, grotesque statues. The date of the castle is lost in 
 antiquity, but the Palace was built by James V., (father of 
 the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots.) A^vindow is shown 
 in the south part of the castle fi'om which James H. shot 
 Earl Douglas. On the east side you have a view of the 
 Forth winding in and out in the most crooked manner imagi- 
 nable. We descended in a contrary direction from that of 
 our ascent, and passed by a spacious and handsome building 
 called Argyle's lodging, built by the Earl of Stirling, and 
 
scott's poems. 27 
 
 now a hospital. Half way down the hill is Greyfriar's 
 Church, erected by James IV., in 1494, and still used for 
 public worship. 
 
 The ground over which we passed on our way from Stir- 
 ling to the Highlands may be called the Thermopylae of Scot- 
 land ; the fields of so many battles, where the independence 
 of Scotland was bravely contested. There is Cambus- 
 Kenneth Abbey, near which, on a bridge, was fought the 
 terrible battle between Sir William Wallace, and the Eng- 
 lish commanded by Cressingham, who was slain in the en- 
 gagement, and who had made himself so detestable to the 
 Scotch that they took his skin and made girths for their 
 horses. Nine miles fi'om Stirling, in the village of Doune, 
 is pointed out a very ancient fortress situated on a green 
 bank, washed on one side by the Teith. It was garrisoned 
 in the rebellion for Prince Charles, and among the prisoners 
 placed there was Home, the author of the tragedy of Doug- 
 las. It was in this neighborhood that Sii- Walter Scott 
 spent much time in his younger days, and acquired his 
 knowledge of Highland character, and his love for their 
 beautiful scenery. With his "Lady of the Lake" in your 
 hand, you follow these creatures of his imagination, step by 
 step, through these Highland passes, and need no other guide. 
 It is delightful to find how well the lowest classes in these 
 parts are acquainted with all the scenes described in his 
 poems, and how familiar they are with his poetry. To 
 hear them repeat, (with Scotch accent,) page after page, 
 as we did, descriptive of the scene, and point to the spot 
 where the incident described took place, was indeed de- 
 lightful. They show you the mountain where Fitz James 
 lost his horse and laments over him. 
 
 " Wo worth the chase, wo worth the day, 
 That cost thy life, my gallant Grey." 
 
 My powers of memory will not suffice to give you the long 
 
28 LOCH KATRINE. 
 
 description as our peasant did to us. We passed, too, Coil- 
 antogle Ford, the scene of the combat between Fitz James 
 and Roderick Dhu. The road close on the borders of the 
 Lochs Vennacher and Achory is so narrow, that we had our 
 wheels entangled in each of the three vehicles we passed 
 on the way, but as we were brought safely through, it served 
 only to give us a little excitement, which, with our awe and 
 admiration, was in perfect keeping with the wildness of the 
 landscape. In the afternoon w^e arrived at Trosachs, the 
 romantic avenue to Loch Katrine, and here 
 
 " High on the south huge Benvenue 
 
 Down to the Lake in masses threw 
 
 Crags, knolls and mounds, the fragments of an earlier world, 
 
 While on the north, through middle air 
 
 Ben-an heaved high his forehead bare.'' 
 
 We climbed a mountain which looks down upon Glen 
 Finlas, once a royal hunting ground, and the scene of Scott's 
 ballad of that name. In the morning we gave preference 
 over a little steamer of three horse power, to a little row 
 boat, to cross Loch Katrine, which with seven rowers 
 beats the steamer. 
 
 " The rowers then bending to the oar 
 With equal strokes their burden bore." 
 
 "Ellen's Isle" was pointed out to us, and "the silver 
 strand" where stood Fitz James when first he saw Ellen 
 Douglas, when — 
 
 *' The maid alarmed with hasty oar 
 
 Pushed her light shallop from the shore, 
 
 And then though safe, yet half amazed, 
 
 She paused and on the stranger gazed." 
 
 "The Goblin's Den,' ' and also the birth-place of Rob Roy 
 McGregor, was shown. After crossing Loch Katrine, we 
 took ponies over a rugged pathway five miles long. I think 
 J. and H. would have been amused to see mother mounted 
 
SAIL UP THE CLYDE. 29 
 
 on a little pony, with a long brown cloak and hood drawn 
 over her bonnet as protection against the rain, and her gay 
 velvet dress peeping out through the openings of the cloak. 
 And they would have been pleased, too, with the sheep in 
 this romantic region, the fleeces being very thick and white, 
 while their heads, tails and legs were very black. On the 
 side of this rugged road are the ruins of Inversnaid fort, 
 built to keep the McGregors in awe. At Inversnaid mill, 
 where we leave our ponies, is a small waterfall — the scen- 
 ery wild and beautiful, and the scene of Wordsworth poem, 
 the "Highland Girl," &c. Here we took a steamer to sail 
 up and down Loch Lomond, (a lake, an expanse full of isl- 
 ands of every varying form,) and the pride of Scottish lakes, 
 its northern extremity narrowing until it is lost among the 
 retreating mountains, and -gradually widening as it extends 
 southward. Its scenery resembles our own Highlands and 
 other portions of the Hudson. There are some beautiful 
 country seats, and at Balloch we land. At this southern 
 extremity of the lake are three or four fine castellated 
 buildings on each side, and very near each other, the ruins 
 of Balloch Castle, Castle Lenox, and Tallaquean Castle, 
 the seat of Sir William Campbell. 
 
 We took coach to Dumbarton, about eight miles, where a 
 steamer is in readiness to proceed up the Clyde to Glas- 
 gow. Dumbarton Rock, on which the Castle is situated, 
 seems like those on which the Castle of Edinburgh and 
 Stirling are built, to have been 7}iade by the Almighty for 
 the purposes of fortification and defence, and the mind of 
 man, or the necessity of the times, have caused them to be 
 applied to the express purpose for which they were created. 
 The sail up the Clyde is very beautiful, and the scenery, 
 too, if we may judge by the glimpses we had between the 
 showers of rain which poured almost incessantly. The 
 river at Glasgow, Mr. B. says, when he was a child, was 
 
30 GLASGOW. 
 
 SO narrow and so shallow that he could wade across by 
 holding up his kilt, and now it has been so deepened and 
 widened that it is a port and harbor for ships of the largest 
 class. Glasgow is altogether a commercial and manufac- 
 turing city ; there is not much here to interest the stranger. 
 We have in a handsome square in front of our hotel, a col- 
 umn eighty feet high, with a statue of Scott on the top, and 
 some smaller ones scattered around. There is a fine old 
 Cathedral, back of which is the "Bridge of Sighs," lea(fing 
 to a beautiful cemetery called the Necropolis of Glasgow. 
 It is laid out on the side of a steep hill, in terraces and 
 walks, one above the other, like an an amphitheatre, and 
 embellished with innumerable beautiful statues and monu- 
 ments ; among the most conspicuous is a tall column with 
 a statue of John Knox on the top. I will take my leave of 
 you at Glasgow, leaving our tour through Ireland and 
 Wales for my next. With much love for yourself and a 
 blessing for my little ones — Farewell, 
 
ENGLISH INNS. 31 
 
 LETTER IIL 
 
 WAY NORTH OF IRELAND. 
 
 Glasgow, July 9th. 
 The letters I have as yet written, like a guide book, have 
 been mostly filled with landmarks, finger-posts, and the 
 statistics of the country. I will endeavor to have this upon 
 a different plan, with desultory remarks upon the people of 
 these parts — -their manners and customs — -a thing of " shreds 
 and patches." In my last from Newcastle-upon-the-Tyne, 
 I asked you, (if I did not, I will,) to look at us seated in a 
 small parlor of our inn, about as large as M's. bedroom, 
 with a blazing coal fire, (for though the 25th of June, how- 
 ever warm with you, it was cold there, and I have had all 
 my winter clothes in requisition ever since I left New York,) 
 by which Mr. C. was seated in an arm-chair, reading a ca- 
 lender of the Newcastle races, that were to take place on 
 the morrow ; myself writing on the other side by the win- 
 dow, scribbling as fast as pen could go. And I invited you 
 to make yourself at home, and take a seat at the tea-table 
 with us ; in w^hich is comprised a good p?a't of the comfort of 
 an English inn. The tea and breakfast are alx>ut alike. 
 You have always a server with the necessary china, a tea- 
 caddy, out of which a lady of the party makes the tea, with 
 the aid of a copper tea-kettle on the hob of the grate, sing- 
 ing most merrily — a plate of muffins, hot and buttered — a 
 plate of thin bread and butter — a stand of dry toast — a,sfar 
 north as this, a dish of orange marmalade, and at the end of 
 
32 ENGLISH IjVNS. 
 
 the table, one of cold roast beef. All these being placed on 
 the table a right, the waiter retires, and you are left to enjoy 
 yonr tea and your o^mi society. If you want any thing more, 
 a bell near, soon brings back the waiter. There, seated at 
 the table, distributing the fragrant tea, I feel quite at home, 
 I might now add to these comforts the splendor with which 
 in the first part of our tour, our table was always graced. 
 The china used here, is generally, very beautiful. The cups 
 and saucers, plates, dishes, and egg-cups, are of the old fash» 
 ioned pai1i-colored ware, in imitation of the Dresden. The 
 urn, tea and coflee-pot, sugar dish, milk-pot, spoons and forks, 
 castors and salt-cellars, are all of silver, generally beauti- 
 fully chased. 
 
 In our bedroom we have always handsome cm'tains to bed 
 and windows — ^the window drapery of moreen, and the fall- 
 ing curtain each side of white tamboured nuislin. The bed 
 upon which 3Ir. C. is now readmg, is garnished with moreen 
 curtains, sky-blue and white ; the valence of the same, with 
 a drapery at the top trimmed with handsome bullion fringe 
 of blue, and a border of handsome curtain lace, of blue silk 
 round the whole. The bedstead is a square high post, of 
 beautiflil mahogany, and the foot-board has a cushion nearly 
 as thick as the board is high, covered \Wth the same blue mo- 
 reen. In the morning when the bed is made, the curtains 
 are dra\^^l to the head of the bed, to display the white coun- 
 terpane and pillows, the ends being placed in neat folds 
 across them ; at night when you retire, the clothes are turned 
 do^m on either side, and curtains closely dra\\Ti, so that 
 your slmnbers may not be disturbed by the long twilight or 
 the early dawn. Indeed, at this season of the yeai', they 
 have scarce three hours' darkness. 
 
 The butter here is bi-ought to market in rolls about the 
 diameter of a Bologna suasage — a foot long — and then cut 
 into little pais, and stamped in divers shapes, and placed in 
 
BALLYCASTLE. 33 
 
 a deep glass dish filled with water, and a cover placed over 
 it. It looks very nice, and is always fresh, in one sense — 
 it is never salted. The chambermaids in the inns, no mat- 
 ter how young, all wear caps, with such wide frill borders, 
 that their faces are almost concealed. The ladies univer- 
 sally have their bonnets filled with flowers, at least a box of 
 them on each side of the face. 
 
 Crossing the Cheviots, from Newcastle, the hills and 
 mountains were covered with sheep, clothed ^vith thick soft 
 wool, looking beautiflilly white, except the tips of the legs, 
 head and tail, which were jet black, giving them quite a 
 grotesque appearance. Fifty thousand in a flock, we were 
 told, was not an unusual thing. We saw many shepherds 
 with their plaid scarfs and caps, crooks and dogs ; and peat 
 fields in great extent, with the turf cut up in squares, like 
 brick, and piled in stacks to dry. 
 
 Ballycastle, North of Ireland, July. 
 It is now late, but before retiring, I must give you an ac- 
 count of what we have seen to-day, which, I think, will interest 
 you. We left Glasgow in the evening at ten. You wiU 
 remember that it is no darker here at ten than with you at 
 half-past seven. We sat round the table in the cabin of the 
 steamer Londonderry, and finished a quart of fine strawber- 
 ries, and then betook ourselves to the berths, and were soon 
 asleep, passing down the Clyde, and up the Irish Channel. 
 We awoke earlv in the mominff, findincj ourselves in the 
 Atlantic, on the north coast of Ireland, with a hea\y swell, 
 and very sea-sick. We landed, however, at ten, at Porte 
 Rush, passing on the way the Giant's Causeway — the ob- 
 ject of our ^isit here. The Giant's Causeway is some nine 
 miles from Porte Rush. For ten or twelve miles before our 
 landing-place, the sea beats against a very high perpendicu- 
 
 2* 
 
34 THE giant's causeway. 
 
 lar cliff, formed of the same basaltic rocks as the Causeway, 
 though the columns are not so distinctly marked ; resem- 
 bling much our palisades. There seemed to be a succession 
 of little bays or recesses, like horse-shoes, with huge white 
 chalk cliffs projecting out into the sea, standing almost by 
 themselves, and forming a strong contrast to the black rocks 
 in the rear. As we progressed, these projections seemed to 
 take all manner of shapes — ^temples and thrones — sea-gods 
 and all sorts of beings ; and at short distances the yawning 
 mouths of huge caverns presented themselves to view. At 
 Porte Rush we took breakfast, and a jaunting car for the 
 Causeway. These cars are very little larger than our 
 hand-carts, and yet they are contrived to carry six — I can't 
 say very comfortably. The seats run lengthwise of the 
 car, over each wheel, and the passengers sit back to back, 
 with their feet within a foot of the ground. A seat in front 
 accommodates the driver, and this is the only means of con- 
 veyance, in rain or shine, for the North of Ireland. The 
 grand Causeway extends seven hundred feet in length along 
 the shore, and three hundred in breadth. The parts of the 
 columns visible, above ground, being from four to nine feet 
 in height. There is one of which you see the whole length, 
 wdth thirty-eight distinct joints or parts, fitting into each 
 other, the one concave, the other convex. These columns 
 vary in shape from triangular to nonagon or nine-sided, and 
 yet are as regular, and fit each other more closely than if 
 made by the square and rule of the mason. They show 
 themselves in columns from one to nine feet, rising one 
 above another ; and there is a vast space, where you walk 
 over the tops of them like a pavement, the surface being 
 comparatively smooth, with the exception that the tops are 
 either convex or concave. There is a tradition among the Irish, 
 that a giant who dwelt in the cave of Staffa, formerly walked 
 on this species of pavement, from Staffa in Scotland across 
 
VISIT TO THE CAVE. 35 
 
 to Ireland, and back as he found occasion, and hence its 
 name. And present appearances do indicate that once a line 
 of similar formation of column, a rock did indeed extend 
 across from Ireland to Scotland. You perceive the same 
 identical pointed columns, we were told, on the opposite 
 sides of a small island, midway between Staffa and the 
 Causeway, extending into the sea, on one side in the direc- 
 tion of Staffa, and on the other towards the Causeway. And 
 then again at Staffa, are found the same colunms, extending 
 into the sea in the direction of this little island. To our 
 astonishment, a spring of very delightful water, which we 
 drank from, called the Giant's well, was pointed out to us 
 amid these columns, within a few paces of, and almost 
 washed by the ocean. 
 
 There is also a number of caves extending far under 
 the rocks near by, where the ocean washes in, and the 
 breakers dash about most awfully. I think I never in my 
 life felt so much awed as when inside of one of these im- 
 mense ocean caves. The mouth is a perfect archway ; the 
 height of the arch being ninety feet, and the length, or ra- 
 ther depth of the cave, being six hundred and sixty-six feet. 
 The entrance is extremely dangerous — the waves run very 
 high, and dashing against the sides of the cave, created a 
 white sea of foam within. Mr. R., of Philadelphia, observed, 
 there was not one lady in a hundred wOuld dare venture in 
 that cave, and I assure you, I gave heartfelt thanks when I 
 found myself safe out and on terra firma. We entered upon 
 a billow, watching a favorable one, that in an instant swept 
 us a hundred feet within the cave, and made our exit with 
 the aid of a tremendous receding wave. The skill of the 
 four Irish oarsmen fully equalled that of the gondoliers of 
 Venice, and it was nothing but their tact and extraordinary 
 presence of mind that brought us out safe from our perils. 
 
 We visited one other curiosity after leaving the Cause- 
 
36 IRISH BEGGARS. 
 
 way. Some eight miles farther north towards Ballycastle, 
 there is a stupendous high cliff against which the ocean 
 beats, and some hundred feet distant in the sea, is an island 
 cliff of equal height, called " Carriek-a-ride." Between 
 these two cliffs extends a ladder of ropes, with a plank two 
 feet wide upon them ; and across this narrow bridge the 
 fishermen run with their baskets of salmon on their backs, 
 which are caught in abundance on this little sea-girt isle. 
 It made the head dizzj to gaze into the depth below, and 
 beneath we heard the breaker's sullen roar, holding by 
 each other's hands through involuntary fear. And if you 
 could have seen our escort to this bridge, your sides would 
 have ached with laughter. As we passed through the vil- 
 lage in our car all the ragamuflians of the place turned out, 
 and began calling, " a scramble for half-pence, bonny gen- 
 tlemen" — and when we threw them one afler another, there 
 was a scramble indeed. Such tatterdemalions, I am sure, 
 can no where be seen except in Ireland. As they ran 
 along, their rags fluttered in the wind, each seemed bidding 
 good day to the other, as if not sure which part would take 
 its leave first. One old man who headed the escort, (twenty- 
 three in number,) wore a coat that would have been a curi- 
 osity in any of our museums — it was literally, as I told you, 
 this letter should be, a thing of " shreds and patches," a 
 hundred at the least. It was curious to see them run by the 
 side of the cars for a six-pence. One girl, about twelve 
 years old, ran some five miles, and kept even with us up 
 hill and down, though the horse was at his full trotting speed, 
 and she had coursed the same ground with another party 
 that day. I don't know where you would find man, woman, 
 or child, in our country, to do the same for a six-pence. The 
 dirt and filth of their low thatched huts exceed all belief. 
 Pigs, chickens, and children mix promiscuously inside and 
 
FACE OF THE COUNTRY. - 37 
 
 out — a child with a clean face would have been a curiosity 
 — a marvel in the neighborhood. But enough of this. 
 
 For miles after leaving the Causeway, all the stone for 
 fences and building are of the balsatic rock, and as far 
 south as Belfast, one hundred miles distant, there is a high 
 cliff by the road side, with perpendicular columns of rock 
 some sixty feet high. The road from the Causeway to Bel- 
 fast is most excellent, and the ride one of exceeding beauty 
 and interest. It leads the whole distance, following the in- 
 dentations of the land, close upon the margin of the ocean. 
 For iifty miles or more, travelling from the Causeway to- 
 wards Belfast, there is not a tree nor a bush that a snake 
 could hide in, save the ha^\thorn hedges which divide the 
 fields ; and yet in the peat bogs in this country, you may 
 distinctly see decayed trunks of trees, and stumps, with fibres 
 of the roots. The peat seems expressly calculated by Pro- 
 vidence to supply the deficiency of other fuel here, where 
 they have neither wood nor coal. Though ordinarily we 
 had seen the peat to smoke and smoulder away, rather than 
 burn on the cottage fire-place, on arriving at Ballycastle, 
 after a long cold ride, we found a blazing fire of it in the 
 the parlor quite delightful. I will now conclude. 
 
38 ROUTE. 
 
 LETTER IV 
 
 ROUTE MENAI BRIDGE COAL MINES OXFORD LONDON 
 
 GRAND REVIEW PARKS OPERA TOWER DOCKS 
 
 THAMES TUNNEL WINDSOR PALACE WESTMINSTER AB- 
 BEY MADAME TUSSAUd's EXHIBITION FOUNDLING HOS- 
 PITAL. 
 
 London, July. 
 
 My dear J , I am now in this great mart of the world, 
 
 London — this modern Babylon of which Whittington says, 
 "where all the streets are paved with gold, and all the maid- 
 ens 'pretty,^'' which lastl believe is generally acknowledged to 
 be true, and as we are willing to accede to the truth that " all 
 is not gold that glitters," so I think will those who go through 
 the streets of this vast metropolis truly exclaim, there is a 
 great deal of gold that makes no shine. But before I go on to 
 describe to you the wonders that I see on every side, and as 
 this ends our tour through Great Britain, and will be our 
 starting point for the continent, I propose now to give you a 
 list of the principal places through which we have passed, 
 and the principal objects visited. This is the more neces- 
 sary, as in writing my letters to you and to B. alternately, I 
 have given you no account of things described in my letters 
 to friends there, and it will also enable you to follow us more 
 closely and correctly as far as we have now travelled. We 
 landed at Liverpool, Tuesday, June 20th. We passed one 
 day in visiting Chester and Eaton Hall, which I have de- 
 scribed to you. We left Liverpool, Thursday, at seven, P. M., 
 and reached Manchester about ten in the evening. We 
 
ROUTE. 39 
 
 visited the Cathedral, and all the public buildings of note ; 
 left there by railroad, for York. At York we visited the Ca- 
 thedral, Museum, Castle, the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, 
 and walked round the city walls. From York to Durham 
 by railroad. This I have described to you. We left the 
 next day about six, and rode fourteen miles to Newcastle, 
 where we remained the night and day attending the races ; 
 from there we started by coach, visiting Jedburgh, Dryburgh, 
 Melrose Abbey and Abbotsford, remaining here one night, 
 and the next day arrived at Edinburgh, where we remained 
 a week. I gave you some account of this, too. We left 
 Edinburgh, sailing up the Forth to Stirling. Left this about 
 one, A. M., after visiting the Castle, and walking about the 
 town, and reached the inn at the Trossacks about seven, 
 P. M. The next we sailed across Loch Katrine, and down 
 Loch Lomond to Balloch, thence to Dmnbarton, and up the 
 Clyde to Glasgow, there remaining three days ; left in a 
 steamer at nine, P. M., and landed at Porte Rush, ^n the 
 north coast of Ireland, eleven, A. M. Here we breakfasted, 
 and then took a, jaunting-car to the Giant's Causeway, where 
 we rambled about, and then journeyed on to Ballycastle, stop- 
 ping to see the Bridge at Carrick-a-ride. 
 
 Thence in a jaunting-car, passing through Cushingdale, 
 Glenden, Glenarm, Larme, and some other places, to Bel- 
 fast ; left here by coach, passed through the old town of 
 Swords and Drogheda, and found ourselves at Dublin. 
 
 And thence across the Channel to Holyhead, took dinner 
 and proceeded on to Bangor, reaching this in time to visit 
 the celebrated suspension bridge over the Menai Straits, 
 connecting the Isle of Anglesea with North Wales. 
 
 Thence through a most beautiful country, diversified by 
 mountains and valleys, passing the beautiful " Vale of Llan- 
 golyn" and by Snowden, the highest mountain inWales, near 
 four thousand feet high, and after a ride of one hundred and 
 
40 BIRMINGHAM. 
 
 thirty-five miles, to Birmingham. For many miles before 
 reaching Birmingham, you pass over immense mines of iron 
 and coal, and the pipes of the iron-works are pouring forth 
 volumes of flame and smoke, lighting up all the country 
 around, and turning darkness into day. In some places they 
 are mining under the road, and as the coach passed over the 
 ground there was a noise like distant thunder, and in the 
 town we saw some of the houses bound round with iron 
 chains to keep them from tumbling down, as they were min- 
 ing underneath even here. We left Birmingham, and rode 
 twenty miles to Warwick. 
 
 We visited Leamington, one of the fashionable watering- 
 places of England, two miles distant, then to Warwick Castle, 
 in the town of Warwick, where, beside the magnificent re- 
 mains of feudal and baronial times, we saw the celebrated 
 Warwick vase and the porridge pot, armour and other relics 
 of " Guy of Warwick." Then to the ruins of Kenilworth 
 Castle, five miles distant, and on our return visited " Guy's 
 Cliff," the seat of the Hon. Bertie Percy, and where we 
 were shown the well or spring of Guy of Warwick, and the 
 cell in which he died, and where he lived as a hermit for 
 many years. Over the spring is a stone, placed there by 
 order of Henry H. Leaving Warwick, we rode twenty- 
 eight miles to Stratford-upon-Avon, in time to visit the room 
 in which Shakspeare \^'^s born. The house in which he 
 died has been pulled down. Next morning we visited the 
 church in which himself and wife are buried, and then went 
 to take another look at his birth-place. On our way to 
 Stratford we passed the park and mansion of Sir Thomas 
 Lucy, where the poet was tried for deer-shooting. We left 
 Stratford and were at Oxford at three, P. M. ; visited three 
 of the colleges, of which there are no less than twenty-four 
 immensely large ones, each covering as much or more 
 ground than Yale at New^ Haven. We visited the Bodleian 
 
loi^ftJOiV. 4i 
 
 Library and the theatre, where they confer the degrees upon 
 the students. We left O.vford and took raUroad to London, 
 where we arrived pretty well tired. 
 
 And now of London. We were told there was to be a 
 grand parade the next morning at ten^ — the Coldstream, Fu« 
 silier and Grenadier Guards, the crack regiments of the king- 
 dom, composed of the sons of the nobility, were to be reviewed 
 by the Duke of Wellington, before the King of Hanover and 
 the Duke of Cambridge. So we sallied forth to Hyde Park, 
 and took our places among a crowd of people, and a glorious 
 sight we had ! Two thousand soldiers in their scarlet 
 coats, high fui- caps, and white pants, beside a vast num- 
 ber of the horse-guard, all mounted on black horses, and the 
 Duke and his staff in splendid uniforms. We had a very 
 good look at the Duke, who was cheered by the crowd most 
 heartily, which he acknowledged by bowing and raising his 
 finger to his hat. They Ment through the different evolu- 
 tions and a sham battle admirably, and the music from the 
 three bands was most delightful. They all stood in one 
 place before us, and played while the regiments were per- 
 forming their part in the distance. We counted thirty-six 
 drummers standing together in threes. This lasted some 
 three hours, after which we walked through the Park in 
 fi'ont of Buckingham Palace, and through Kensington Gar- 
 dens ; and oh, what magnificent parks they do have here, 
 so many, so extensive, and so beautifiilly laid out and orna- 
 mented ! In Kensington Gardens there are large plots, 
 each devoted to a species of flower or plant, and in each 
 plot is a board with the botanical name in Latin, and then 
 the common English name, with the country of which it is 
 a native, thus forming a botanical school, and this all free 
 to the public. In the evening, according to announcement, 
 the queen went to the opera in state, a thing which does not 
 happen once in three years, and this was the first time with 
 
42 
 
 the present queen. We were too tired, so the gentlemen 
 of our party sallied forth to get a sight of their majesties 
 and the royal "cortege," in which they were successful, 
 having a good look at the Queen and Prince Albert. Mr. 
 C. and one of the gentlemen were so fortunate as to procure 
 two tickets for the opera. The Barber of Seville was the 
 play, and they had the pleasure of hearing Grisi, La Blache, 
 and two or three others of the most celebrated singers of the 
 day, and saw Ellsler, Cerito and many others dance, and 
 all was got up in the most brilliant manner to honor the 
 royalty. At the close they sang " God save the Queen," 
 the whole house standing, an orchestra of seventy-five 
 playing, and a corps on the stage of between one hundred 
 and fifty and two hundred, singing, and between each verse 
 the whole audience cheering ; the Queen and Prince Albert 
 standing up and bowing in acknowledgment. The next 
 morning we went first to Guildhall, where are the famous 
 Gog and Magog, and where the Mayor and Corporation 
 dine once a year — thence to and through the Bank of Eng- 
 land, an immense building. Our next visit was to the 
 Tower, in itself a dark and bloody history of England. The 
 book we had to guide us through it will serve when I return 
 instead of a relation now. As we were riding along by the 
 docks, the gentleman who accompanied us told us that the 
 ground over which we were passing, for an immense dis- 
 tance, was occupied underneath as wine vaults, and that he 
 knew of one there occupying a space of nine acres, and then 
 pointing upwards, asked if we had ever seen railroads on 
 the tops of houses, and surely over the roofs of the houses, 
 three and four stories high, was carried a railroad and 
 bridges over the streets from house to house, and thus do 
 they make use of every thing above and below, round and 
 about. Shortly after this we alighted at the entrance of the 
 Thames Tunnel, which is now completed and used by foot 
 
THAMES TUNNEL. 43 
 
 passengers, a penny toll through. As yet there is no way 
 for carriages to descend to it, but one is being excavated. 
 
 Only to think of all these marvels ! my mind aches with 
 thinking, as does my head and eyes with seeing ; and what 
 an accumulation of wonders of the world might we now 
 have if the days of wonders as well as miracles had not 
 ceased. The Tunnel itself is a wonderful creation ; stand- 
 ing in the centre, and looking each way, you get a fine idea 
 of its extent, you see about a quarter of a mile each way, and 
 the perspective is very good ; the arches are small at the bot- 
 tom and larger at the top — a division running between the 
 two archways forms a footpath, and a place for the stands of 
 the venders of different articles, among which we purchased 
 a candlestick of the Derbyshii-e spar, and a medal, with the 
 view of the Timnel on one side, and Brunei the projector's 
 head on the other. We visited the monument built to com- 
 memorate the great fire of 1666, but took an outside view 
 only, not caring to ascend the top, and then returned to our 
 home well pleased with having accomplished so much in the 
 day, as well as with all we had seen. Yesterday we spent 
 the day in visiting Windsor Palace, the queen's country resi- 
 dence, about twenty miles from town. Here we saw a great 
 deal of splendor and magnificence, carved and gilded ceilings, 
 oak wainscots, inlaid floors. Gobelin tapestries, and suits of 
 rooms filled with paintings of one master alone. From the 
 top of the round tower is the most extensive view that I have 
 ever kno^vn ; twelve counties may be seen, and though not the 
 most magnificent, it certainly was most beautiful. What 
 pleased me most was the monument in the chapel over the 
 tomb of the Princess Charlotte, daughter of George IV., 
 sculptured by Wyatt. The dead body of the Princess is re- 
 presented as lying upon a bier, one arm hangmg lifeless over 
 the side, the whole covered by a sheet, through which you 
 see the outlines of the figure, and even the features of the face ; 
 
44 MADAME TUSSAUd's EXHIBITION 
 
 four figures seated on a step beneath are bending in grief, 
 and on either side a little above them an angel, one of which 
 holds the infant in her arms. Behind the bier is a curtain of 
 marble, the drapery falling on either side, and in the centre 
 just over the bier is the spirit of the princess ascending, and 
 so beautifully poised in air, that though large as life you can 
 scarce believe it to be marble. There are many others, but 
 none that seemed worthy of attention after this. We were 
 shown a stone which covered the remains of Henry the VII. 
 and his queen, Jane Seymour, and the unfortunate Charles I. 
 Many other royal personages are also interred in this chapel. 
 There are some very fine painted glass windows, the design 
 by Benjamin West, and the " Last Supper," painted by him, 
 and placed behind the communion table. There is also some 
 of the most beautiful carved oak — a complete pictorial Bible, 
 most beautifially cut, on the sides and doors of the pews and 
 stalls. In the evening we went to Madame Tussaud's cele- 
 brated exhibition of wax figures ; she is one who lived in the 
 midst of the horrors of the " reign of terror," and being a mo- 
 deler in wax, was compelled by the leaders of the revolution 
 to take models from the heads of those guillotined, and the 
 heads were sent to her reeking in their own blood, and in this 
 condition she obtained busts of the nobility, sometimes of her 
 own friends, and at the last of the revolutionists themselves. 
 She published a book giving an account of scenes she had 
 herself witnessed, and which I had read some three or four 
 years ago. I must say I looked upon her as the great curio- 
 sity of the exhibition ; for she is still living, and you see her 
 seated in an arm-chair in the ante-room, very aged, but they 
 say very conversible as well as conversant ; her rooms exceed 
 in the gorgeousness of the gilded ceilings and velvet hang- 
 ings even Windsor Palace. She not only has many of the 
 great men of modern times, but they all appear in their splen. 
 did court dresses. On a raised platform in the middle of the 
 
OF WAX FIGURES. 45 
 
 room, is the coronation of Queen Victoria, and the great ones 
 present, twenty.five figures or more, all in their robes of state, 
 satins, velvets, Bnissel's lace, paste substituted for diamonds, 
 but seeming equally brilliant. Behind this on another platform 
 stands George IV. in his coronation robes, the very ones he 
 stood in, and at the other end stands Napoleon surrounded by 
 the King of Prussia, the Emperors of Austria and Russia, 
 Talleyrand, Blucher, Murat, Ney, and some others. Then 
 there is Louis XVI. and family, Malibran, the singer, Mary 
 Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth, John Knox, Wesley, Cal- 
 vin, Luther and a host of others, good, wise, great and illustri- 
 ous. In one room was the carriage of Napoleon, taken at the 
 battle of Waterloo, containing all sorts of conveniences — in 
 this we were allowed to take a seat. Then another room, 
 devoted entirely to things belonging to Napoleon, himself 
 standing as if alive, by the side of the magnificent cradle in 
 which his son was actually nursed, and in it a wax figure of the 
 infant — an infant of Napoleon, the image of its father, and 
 opposite the very bed on which Napoleon died at St. Helena, 
 and his figure lying dead upon it. On every side of the room 
 were portraits of himself, Josephine, Maria Louise, his sister 
 Caroline, and some others, all painted for Napoleon by Da- 
 vid, and some others of the best French paintdls. There was 
 also a large round table with a border of miniature likeness 
 in porcelain, valued at 8T0,000, and divers small things not 
 so valuable ; all the figures seemed to give you a good idea of 
 the persons represented, and I came away highly delighted 
 with all I had seen tWs evening. Sunday evening I went to 
 the Foundling Hospital, when I attended their chapel. I was 
 told that we should hear at this place some of the finest music 
 of any place in the kingdom, and we obtained a seat where 
 we had a fine view of the children who occupy the centre of 
 the gallery on either side of the organ ; the girls together 
 on' one side, and the boys on the other. The dress of the 
 
46 - THE FOUNDLING 
 
 boys is a blue jacket with gilt buttons, a red vest with the 
 same buttons, and white trousers. In winter they wear 
 blue breeches and yellow stockings. The girls are dressed 
 in black stuff dresses, white aprons made with belt and 
 waist, a white cap close in the neck, short sleeves, with a 
 band or cuff, and white cambric caps without borders, but 
 with very high crowns. I noticed that many of them had a 
 broad red ribbon round the neck with a medal attached, I 
 suppose a reward of merit. I counted one hundred and 
 seven boys, and think I did not get them all, and the girls 
 seemed more numerous. When the priest comes in he is 
 always preceded by the sexton, wearing a black gown and 
 with a rod in his hand, the priest wearing a white gown 
 with a black scarf, and an immense large hood of black, 
 lined with red. He is followed by the clerk, wearing 
 also a black gown, the first reads the service and the latter 
 says amen, and makes all the responses very loud. After 
 the service is through, the sexton again walks up the aisle, 
 followed by another priest in a black gown, and the sexton 
 opens the door for him to ascend the pulpit, where he deli- 
 vers the sermon, each of the others having a separate desk 
 or lesser pulpit, one a little below the other. In making 
 the responses^ the children all speaking together as if by 
 one loud voice, and all ceasing at the same time as if by 
 some mechanical means, has a very singular effect. In the 
 church of England, they chant much more of the service 
 than we do, and sing anthems instead of psalms in metre. 
 There were six hired singers in front of the organ who acted 
 , as leaders, and then to hear more than two hundred children 
 raise their infant voices, and join with them in most exact 
 time and tune, was delightful and almost overpowering — it 
 was sublime ! I think there was not a boy among them 
 larger than J., but among the girls some fifteen or sixteen — 
 I presume the boys are put to a trade, while the girls are 
 
HOSPITAL. 47 
 
 retanied as being useful in the institution. In the front 
 room which was the longest, they were all about the size of 
 H., and when they stood up, all had their little bare arms 
 folded over each other, and when they knelt, they put their 
 hands under their white aprons and raised them to the face, 
 and looked like so many kneeling nuns — we were highly 
 pleased with their appearance and singing, but I could not 
 look upon them without feelings of sadness and compassion, 
 to think of their being so many who had never known a 
 father or mother, or experienced the kindness and affection 
 of a parent. 
 
48 BRUSSELS. 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 BRUSSELS ITS LACE AND LACE MANUFACTURE SINGULAR 
 
 APPENDAGE TO THE HOUSES ITS USE HARLEM VISIT 
 
 TO ITS CELEBRATED ORGAN ITS POWER, PERFORMANCE, 
 
 CONSTRUCTION, ORGANIST, &;C. ROTTERDAM AMSTER- 
 DAM THEIR CANALS, SHIPPING, WATER HAMBURGH 
 
 ALTONA BERLIN, ITS GARDENS DRESDEN, ITS GALLE- 
 
 RIES, &;c. 
 
 August 3d. 
 
 We are now at Antwerp, after a stay of three days at 
 Brussels, very delightfully spent. One thing we saw there 
 which was very curious — the manufacture of the celebrated 
 Brussells lace. It is all made by hand, the foundation and 
 figures ; a piece of two fingers' breadth and thrice as long 
 is the work of a day. The figures are separately formed, 
 and afterwards sewed on. A bunch of flowers requires the 
 labor of two or three weeks to form it ; and one piece 
 shown us, about three inches square, but of exceeding fine- 
 ness and beauty, had employed the time of one person 
 nearly three months. No wonder, then, it is expensive. 
 The work is very trying to the eyes, and most of the opera- 
 tives lose their sight when young. We saw, however, two 
 old w^omen still engaged upon the costly fabric, who were 
 apparently near sixty ; but were told they w^ere rare excep- 
 tions — ^two among thousands whose sight was lost. 
 
 One singular appendage to the houses here struck us in 
 our walks from its odd appearance. This is something that 
 I can only compare to shallow black saucepans, with han- 
 dles some three feet long, fastened to some of the most re- 
 
THE HARLAEM ORGAN. 49 
 
 spectable houses near the windows. On mquiry, I found 
 that these odd looking aftairs contained looking glasses, 
 and reflected to the- inhabitants within the dwellings all that 
 was passing in the street without — themselves being hid. 
 
 We reached Harlaem about noon. Towards evening 
 we bent our steps towards the Cathedral for the purpose of 
 hearing the organ par excellence. The edifice was once 
 possessed by the Roman Catholics, but is now a place of 
 worship for Protestants. It is very plain, with nothing to 
 break the vast space of the interior, has fine lofty arches, 
 and so much space as to give fine effect to tones of the 
 wonderflil instrument it contains. While some one went 
 for the organist, we mounted to the belfry to see the town, 
 and were well paid ; but the organ, after all, is the lion of 
 Harlaem — and I must say, that when the performer arrived 
 soon after our descent, and struck the keys, the volume of 
 sweet sounds surpassed all my imagination, and, I fear, all 
 description. At first, he called forth all its power and tones, 
 and ceasing suddenly, w^ heard its echoes answering and 
 reverberating through the long-drawn aisles and fretted 
 vaults around and above us. Then in tones imitating the 
 human voice, he gave tenor, treble, and bass solos, with a 
 chorus as if from a v/hole choir ; — you would scarcely 
 believe there were no human voices assisting him. It 
 seemed to me, indeed, in the dim twilight, almost supernat- 
 ural — as if I listened to spirit-tongues. Then came a re- 
 veille with a trumpet, drum, and fife, with a trumpet echo in 
 the distance ; then music for dancing, with the patter of" twink- 
 ling feet ;" then a merry peal of bells worthy a Fourth of 
 July morning in Manhattan ; and lastly, an imitation of a 
 storm, with the most natural thunder imaginable ; begin. 
 *ning with low mutterings at a distance, rising gradually 
 nearer, and finally crashing immediately above us with a 
 terrific loudness that made us tremble for the next blinding 
 
50 ROTTERDAM. 
 
 flash to come. The organist played about an hour, and 
 then invited us to go up and look at the interior of this 
 mighty instrument. There were three rows of keys which 
 he struck with his hands, and two of pedals, which he 
 played upon with his feet. His seat was about a yard and 
 a half long, and the way he slid about upon this to manage 
 the keys, the stops and the pedals, was a curiosity. It was 
 really hard labor, and the performer was pale with exertion 
 and covered with perspiration. This man plays for the 
 congregation, and then of course strangers can hear him 
 for nothing ; but when he performs, as to-day, to display his 
 powers and those of the instrument, he charges five dollars. 
 I can only say that I would willingly have given five more 
 had it not been too late. The organ itself is curious for its 
 great beauty, size, and tone, but owes much to the ability 
 of the performer in drawing forth its deep, majestic, solemn 
 notes ; and both are in a measure indebted to the vastness 
 of the structure in which it is placed. 
 
 The most unique place we have yet seen is Rotterdam. 
 Canals run in all directions through the city, with a car- 
 riage road on either side, and along the banks of the canal, 
 rows of trees, which are planted not so much for beauty 
 as utility — as the roots form a sort of net work, beneath the 
 soil, giving strength to the dykes and preventing their being 
 washed away by the sudden rush of the rising waters. As 
 there are so many canals there must be a multitude of 
 bridges ; but the most singular sight was the vessels of all 
 sizes and kinds, and from all parts of the world, filling 
 these watery thoroughfares. Though not so large a city as 
 New York, having but 80,000 inhabitants, yet as far as it 
 does extend it is quite as thickly settled. Imagine then 
 Broadway lined on each side with trees, and a canal run- • 
 ning through it covered with shipping, and you have a good 
 idea of Rotterdam. It was a pleasing thing to see among 
 
AMSTERDAM. 51 
 
 tKe green tree tops and tall chimney stacks how were min- 
 gled the taper masts, each giving forth the flag of its nation 
 to the breeze, and none more frequently or more beautifully 
 than our own " stars and stripes." One does not know 
 how to love and be proud of our own beautiHil star-spang- 
 led banner, till he has seen its folds rolling out in the 
 skies of a foreign land, where all else is strange. The 
 canals in many parts of the city, with their pleasant walks 
 and shady trees, would have a rather picturesque effect, 
 were it not for the filthy vegetable matter floating upon the 
 surface of the water. This same water is filtered and 
 drank by the people here, but even after filtering, it looks 
 about the color of stagnant rain-water. They might repeat 
 the process for ever, ere it would become palatable to those 
 used to our delightflil Croton. 
 
 Amsterdam is a large city, with 200,000 busy inhabitants, 
 many of whom are Jews. The canals, though not so nu- 
 merous, as in Rotterdam, are very broad and deep. One, 
 the ship canal, is one hundred and twenty feet wide, and 
 deep enough for ships of the largest class. The water in 
 them is either salt, coming from the sea, or brackish, so 
 that all is used for culinary purposes and for drinking, is 
 brought from a distance and retailed from carts and boats. 
 They give a shilling for a jar full of about eight quarts, and 
 in the winter, when the canals are frozen over, it is sold at 
 a much higher price. 
 
 We left Amsterdam in a steamer for Hamburgh, sailing 
 up the Zuyder Zee and the North Sea, and eighty miles up 
 the Elbe, landing at Hamburgh about three o'clock Friday 
 afternoon, in the midst of a pouring rain. Hamburgh is 
 altogether a business place, containing little that is beautful 
 or ornamental, and it still shows the effects of the destroy- 
 ing element which raged here so violently some fourteen 
 months since, levelling most of its largest and most beauti- 
 
52 HAMBUEGH. 
 
 fill buildings. It has, however, some delightful walks and 
 drives, and some fine Jidews of the Elbe and the Elster, at 
 the junction of which two rivers Hamburgh is located. 
 They have here some of the prettiest costumes of any which 
 we have anywhere seen, that of the maids who attend upon 
 the children or go to market particularly. They have their 
 hair combed smoothly down on either side of the face ; and 
 it is neatly braided behind, and tasteflilly arranged low 
 down on the neck. On the back part of the head they wear 
 a close fitting cap of gold or silver tissue, fastened on with 
 broad bands of gay ribbon floating in long streamers be- 
 hind — a tight fitting bodice of some bright color, with a 
 frill at the waist behind — a skirt with broad gay stripes, 
 short sleeves, and long black lace gloves ; a long narrow 
 basket carried under the arm, concealed by a large hand- 
 some shawl of bright gay colors, in which they seem to de- 
 light, completes the costume. Then there are the Dutch 
 Flower girls from Vierland, who wear velvet slippers, red, 
 blue or striped hose, a short full skirt of bright green, red 
 or blue, with a border of black velvet round the bottom ; a 
 bodice of some dark color is laid over a vest of different 
 shade or color ; a small round straw hat with black bows 
 and streamers falling from beneath it, and their loose white 
 hanging sleeves, give a pretty effect. We passed one even- 
 ing at a pavilion or cafe, where Avere a thousand people at 
 least, sitting around little tables eating, chatting and listen- 
 ing to an orchestra of some of the first German performers. 
 Sunday we rode a few miles out of town to a place of great 
 resort, called Blankenhese, which is in the kingdom of Den- 
 mark. Parties were eating their breakfasts under the trees 
 and in the saloons, and here, too, they had music. On the 
 way, at the town of Altona, we passed the tomb of Klopstock, 
 in front of the church, under a fine large shady tree. We 
 went into a cemetery on our way ; it was divided into plots 
 
SAIL UP THE ELBE. 53 
 
 by walks, like a garden path, each plot (devoted to a family) 
 was covered v/ith green turf and ornamented with flowering 
 shrubs. Green moss mingled Avith bright flowers formed 
 into wreaths, crosses, letters, and baskets of flowers, &;c., 
 ornamented the head-stones of almost every grave, some 
 withered and dead, some fresh and green, but all testifying 
 that those beneath had not been, while living, unloved or un- 
 honored, and though dead, were not unremembered or for- 
 gotten. Soon after leaving the cemetery, we met a funeral 
 procession bending their steps towards it, consisting not as 
 with us of the friends of the departed, but of some sixteen or 
 twenty hired mourners, who always perform upon these oc- 
 casions as well as at marriage festivals. They were all 
 dressed in black, with plaited rufl^es round the neck, curled 
 and powdered wigs, no hats, shorts, Spanish cloaks and 
 swords. The hearse was shaped like a huge cantelope 
 melon, black, and streaked with gold. It Avas borne by 
 eight meg, who walked with a slow and measured tread, but 
 with a swaggering gait, making the hearse swing to and fro 
 like a hammock ; and this was all — ^no carriages or other 
 procession. We rode out again after tea ; the people were 
 returning — the streets were filled — the windows of the 
 shops displayed all kinds of tempting things ; and the peo- 
 ple instead of going to church, were bending their steps 
 towards the opera, which commences at six o'clock and 
 closes at one, A. M., and this not in a Catholic country, 
 but where the inhabitants are mostly Lutherans, or of the 
 Greek church. Monday morning we left Hamburgh at four 
 o'clock in a steamer. The sail up the Elbe is rather unin- 
 teresting, though up to Hamburgh it was very beautiful. It 
 is navigable about two hundred and forty miles. The only 
 things new to me were the immense rafts of timber which 
 were floating do^vn the river. We saw often some twelve 
 or fifteen men towing a sloop up the river by a rope attached 
 
54 POTSDAM. 
 
 to the top of the mast, as our horses tow canal-boats, and 
 in passing a boat or town they fire a cannon from the boat 
 by way of salute, which is very disagreeable. One princi- 
 pal cause of a sail on the Elbe above Hamburgh being un- 
 interesting, is the high dykes or embankments built on either 
 side of the river, to prevent its Qverflowing the adjacent 
 towns and villages, thus preventing our seeing any thing 
 but their roofs and chimnies. After a sail of thirty-six 
 hours we arrived at Potsdam (the Prussian Versailles, situ- 
 ated on the right bank of the Havel, a branch of the Elbe) 
 about two, P. M. Potsdam is a kingly city, made up of pa- 
 laces and magnificent buildings, and splendid gateways. It 
 was the favorite residence of Frederick the Great — here he 
 lived and died. We visited one of his palaces, built imme- 
 ciately after "the seven years' war," as a sort of braga- 
 docio to the world that his coffers were not exhausted. It 
 is truly a fairy place, exceeding in richness any royal palace 
 we have visited, with its gilded ceilings, floors, pillars and 
 tables of the most beautiful marbles. The entrance hall is 
 like a fairy's grotto, though large enough to hold a myriad 
 of fairies. The pillars and sides are filled in with the most 
 beautiful specimens of mineralogy and precious stones that 
 it was possible to procure, divided into compartments by 
 every kind of shells, and the ceiling is beautifiiUy painted in 
 fresco. In the grounds of the palace, we visited a mauso- 
 leum, containing the statue of the beautiful Queen Louisa, 
 of Prussia, wife of the late king — all pronounced it the most 
 exquisite piece of sculpture we had yet seen. We were 
 shown also the room occupied by the Great Frederick, and 
 the furniture used by him — ^visited the tomb, and touched the 
 coffin containing all that remains of himself, placed under the 
 pulpit, on a marble sarcophagus, in the Garrison church. We 
 saw also his manuscript writing with the comments of Vol- 
 taire. There are three or four royal palaces, but it is al- 
 
BERLIN. 55 
 
 most impossible to describe each one. It would seem as if 
 there was nothing but soldiers here, the King of Prussia 
 having a standing army of 600,000, and can at any time 
 raise one of a million, so that the streets in all the cities 
 seem gay from the number and variety of the uniforms, and 
 the fine martial music heard every now and then. They 
 are fine looking soldiers, in appearance, less for show and 
 more for service than the English. Our next place was 
 Berlin, (the capital of Prussia,) twelve miles distant. Ber- 
 lin is literally a city of palaces. The Great Frederick de- 
 termined to have a splendid capital, enclosed a large titict, 
 and ordered, it to be built upon, and it was done in a man- 
 ner worthy of royalty. There is a great display here of 
 dress and equipage, and apparently a good deal of courtly 
 style. On the evening of our arrival, we had the pleasure 
 and good fortune to hear Garcia sing, (the sister of Mali- 
 bran,) the gems of several different operas in the king's 
 opera house, and in presence of the king and queen and 
 other members of the royal household, which afforded us a 
 fine opportunity of seeing them all. There is a beautiful 
 park commencing without the walls, half a mile in width, 
 and extending four miles, with streets running through it in 
 every direction, and beautiful villas here and there in every 
 part. We visited the studio of Professor Rauch, the sculptor 
 of the two celebrated statues of the queen. He is now busy 
 in making a corresponding one of the late king, her husband, 
 and also of Frederick the Great. We considered ourselves 
 very fortimate in obtaining a sight of the sculptor, a fine 
 looking man, himself a model for a statue. We went 
 through the king's library, where Ave were sho^^^l " some 
 antiques. ^^ They were no less than a Bible in manuscript 
 belonging to Luther, and written by himself, with comments 
 and corrections in red ink, made by himself at a laler time. 
 It was in the German text on parchment, and the ink as 
 
66' BURNING OF THE OPEKA HOOSfic. 
 
 black as if done yesterday, and the text as troe and more 
 beautiful than print. We saw also Luther's Album, con- 
 taining full length miniature likenesses of some half dozen 
 of his friends, taken in their robes, and the Elector Fred- 
 erick of Saxony, in full dress, and underneath each a verse 
 from scripture, with their names in their own handwrit- 
 ing. Another curiosity, was an illuminated prayer book of 
 the ninth century. The redletter parts were raised, and the 
 pictures were beautifully colored, and filled in with gold. The 
 last evening we were in Berlin, about half-past ten, we were 
 alarmed by a cry of fire, which was very near us. In a short 
 time we were told that it was the opera house, where, so 
 lately we had seen the royal family, and listened to the 
 thrilling notes of Garcia. It was a magnificent sight ; 
 the building itself one of the most beautiful of this beautiful 
 city, and an immense pile, ornamented with statuary and 
 stucco work on all sides, made an illumination which showed 
 off with fine effect the magnificent palaces about it. Thou- 
 sands of people were at the scene — women crying while 
 the other sex stood in awe— -no noise ; while one man went 
 about the streets blowing a trumpet for the alarm, another 
 beat a drum. We were particularly struck with the manner 
 they manage fires, so different from our own. In fact, if we 
 should do the same, our city would be consumed before as- 
 sistance could arrive. The only engines they had were 
 sledges drawn by horses, with a half hogshead of water 
 upon each, and so unusual is it in this part of the world to 
 have a fire, that the people appeared frightened to death. 
 The military were called out to preserve order, but there 
 was no saving the opera house, which fortunately stood on 
 an open square, with a space on each side nearly as large as 
 our Park, or the conflagration would have been much greater. 
 In the morning when we left, this noble pile was a smoking 
 
AN ACQUAINTANCE. 57 
 
 ruin, with its fallen statues lying about it. We left Berlin 
 at six in the morning by railroad. 
 
 On the passage from Amsterdam to Hamburgh, which 
 took us some thirty-six hours, we had two Venetian gentle- 
 men among the passengers, with whom Mr. C. by aid of 
 his French and a little Italian, formed a speaking acquaint- 
 ance. At Hamburgh we met them at a cafe, (or public 
 garden,) where we went like the rest of the world to get our 
 tea and hear good music. They joined themselves to our 
 party, and we made ourselves as sociable as our broken 
 French and their broken English would admit. We found 
 they were going on in the steamer with us to Potsdam, and 
 we continued together to Berlin, and were soon domes- 
 ticated in the same hotel. By this time the acquaintance 
 had progressed considerably, and as Mr. C. was enabled to 
 converse with them, he soon became quite a favorite, and 
 was frequently admitted to their apartments, and treated in 
 the most cordial and friendly manner. I will premise to 
 you that they were both young, handsome, fine looking men, 
 not quite as old as Mr. C. By this time cards had been ex- 
 changed, and we had discovered that they were Austrian 
 officers, one a physician and the other " Le noble Compte 
 Etienne Medin," one of his Majesty's Guards of Honor, 
 (of the highest rank,) and ever polite, affable and talkative, 
 and seemingly very much pleased with our acquaintance. 
 Mr. C. and myself -passed every evening with them, either 
 at a cafe or public garden, and one evening as we were re- 
 turning together in a carriage, L'Compte said he wished me 
 when I went to Venice, to see his infant son — he being a 
 widower, and the little Count Medin three years' old, and 
 was travelling apparently for the purpose of driving away 
 melancholy. He was very polite to us during our stay, and 
 wrote for us the night before we left, a letter of introduction 
 to his brother at Venice, and rose at six in the morning to 
 
 3* 
 
5S FEELINGS TOWARDS AMERICANS. 
 
 see us off, and make his adieu. He dined with the king at 
 Potsdam, and brought me a " bon-ho7i" from thence, saying 
 perhaps I would value it as coming from ^^ la table dii roi." 
 There is one thing I am happy to find in my travels, and 
 that is the kindness and good feeling with which Americans 
 are received by persons of all nations, and am happy to find 
 that American manner does in a great measure counter- 
 act the sour feelings caused by the (as they consider it) na- 
 tional repudiation, which galled them very much. Even in 
 England we found as soon as they discovered that we 
 were "Yankee English," they opened themselves to us di- 
 rectly, and came out of their shells, where, like snails, they 
 had kept themselves, while they supposed us English ; for 
 they are more reserved, and shy of each other, whether at 
 home or abroad, than they are of any other people. With 
 the American it is different — he owns a countryman for a 
 brother wherever and whoever he may be. The Venetians 
 I spoke of, told us we should always proclaim ourselves 
 Americans ; for, from our language, we would be naturally 
 taken for English — the English having made themselves 
 very disagreeable in their travels on the continent, are 
 every where disliked for their arrogance and pomposity ; but 
 Americans are welcomed by all. We told him our own experi- 
 ence had taught us to do so, and it is scarcely credible what 
 a change comes over the 'manner of those with whom we 
 enter into conversation, when they ffnd we are English 
 from the other side of the Atlantic. They are always civil 
 to answer any inquiries or remarks we make, but when we 
 proclaim ourselves by some remark alluding to-our country, 
 they directly, instead of waiting for questions, are as com- 
 municative as one could desire, and are very free with their 
 services in aiding us on our way, or at times acting as our 
 interpreters. When we find those who talk French, which 
 we generally do, we have no difficulty, for Mr. C. is quite 
 
LEIPSIC. 59 
 
 " au fait," but when we come to the German he gets a bit 
 puzzled. You would be much amused, as well as pleased, 
 to visit the public gardens and cafes. There is at the lat- 
 ter a handsomely ornamented builded with a large room, 
 with tables and seats placed around them ; then there is an 
 orchestra, from which you always hear good music. At the 
 public gardens you sit around tables under the trees, the 
 band having a handsome temple-like music-stand, which 
 they occupy. At these places, all the town it would seem 
 come to take their tea — parents with their children, where 
 they meet their acquaintances, and seem very happy and 
 sociable. All the ladies bring their knitting-work, and " are 
 as busy as bees," for they do not stop for any thing but to 
 eat. They keep their bonnets on, but here they all wear 
 short sleeves, and most of them display very handsome 
 arms. To hear them all chatting so merrily in an unknown 
 tongue is very amusing, though it makes one feel somewhat 
 sad to see so many happy together, and feel that there is 
 none among them that care for you, or with whom you can 
 exchange a word of kind feeling, and it was with somewhat 
 of this feeling that I left Berlin. I was much pleased with 
 the princely magnificence and beauty of the city, and we 
 were leaving behind those in this strange land who had been 
 as friends, and thus it has happened before ; for we meet with 
 much kindness and civility, which we know how to appre- 
 ciate, and though the friendship and intercourse is short and 
 transitory, we cannot part with our only friends without re- 
 gret We had formed high anticipations of Leipsic, but after 
 Berlin it looked decidedly shabby. The reputation it has 
 from its fairs and books had excited too high expectations. 
 The only object that interested us was the battle field, which 
 in 1813 contained 136,000 French troops under Napoleon, 
 and 230,000 Russian, Austrian and Prussian troops against 
 him, and where, after a conflict of three days, Bonaparte 
 
60 DRESDEN. 
 
 was obliged to retreat. We saw the bridge which was 
 blown up by Napoleon's order, and the river which was 
 choked with the bodies of those who were fording it at the 
 time. 
 
 We are now at Dresden, from whence we send thise 
 From here we go to Prague and thence to Vienna, where 
 we hope to find letters from home, and if they contain no- 
 thing unfavorable, shall turn our faces eastward to Constan- 
 tinople. Dresden is the capital of the King of Saxony, and 
 thanks to our lucky star, we had the pleasure of seeing the 
 king and queen in an open carriage on our way to the 
 picture gallery, and they both returned our salutations, the 
 king taking oif his hat very politely to u& republicans. The 
 collection of paintings here is large and valuable. They 
 are nearly 2000 in number, and all either originals of the 
 "great masters," or copies by iheir pupils, or other nearly 
 as celebrated painters. We spent about two hours there 
 to-day, and saw only about a third of them. To-morrow 
 we go again at ten, A. M. and stay till three, P. M., when, 
 the exhibition closes, and then we visit the green vaults, 
 where is a collection of jewels and precious stones exceed- 
 ing any in Europe. The queen wore a necklace yesterday, 
 worth more than a million dollars. We saw among the 
 curiosities at Dresden, a little city as large as a tea-table^ 
 made of silver and gold, which it took thirteen men seven 
 years to make, and cost between sixty and seventy thousand 
 dollars. The diamonds and precious stones in the collection 
 here, exceed all conception, unless aided by Aladdin's wonder- 
 ful lamp — diamonds in profusion, and other precious stones^ 
 made into every variety of beautiful as well as uncouth 
 shapes. 
 
 How you would enjoy these works of art. I spent three 
 hours again to-day at the picture gallery, where I never tire 
 of gazing. There is one drawback upon one's satisfaction* 
 
THE SABBATH. 61 
 
 and that is the desecration of the Sabbath. One does not 
 feel quite satisfied, brought up as we all were in the " land 
 of steady habits," to spend it as we are in fact compelled to 
 here. If we go to church we cannot understand the 
 preacher, though we might tolerate the form, while that of 
 the Catholic church here is so much more a matter of form 
 than with us, that you cannot be pleased. Then the custom 
 here of devoting part of the day to amusement, prevails not 
 only in Catholic countries, but even where Lutheran and 
 Greek are the established churches. Goods are displayed 
 in their shops, and they spend the day and evening as I have 
 described at the cafes, with their knitting and music. It 
 seems to me nothing will give me a more joyful feeling on 
 my return to America than tlie " sound of the church going 
 bell." I was last night at one of the cafes, where all seemed 
 so sociable and happy, that it made me feel very sad that I 
 had not my friends around to chat to. To be sure we are 
 five, but being always together, our topics are generally ex- 
 hausted, and there is none of the novelty and excitement 
 that there is attendant upon the meeting of one's friends 
 and acquaintances. I sometimes feel that my letters afford 
 you little satisfaction, and hardly repay you for reading 
 through such intricate and puzzling writing — the descrip- 
 tions I give, written in such haste, when ready to fall asleep 
 with fatigue, fall so far short of the reality. It is now a 
 month since we have had any letters, and we are anxious to 
 reach Vienna, where they are awaiting us, and I trust with 
 nought but good news ; but there are always very anxious 
 feelings among us antecedent to the receipt of our letters. 
 
62 SAXONY. 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 KONIGSTEIN PRAGUE BOHEMIA SMOKERS NOVEL RAIL- 
 ROAD LINTZ ISCHL FETE DAY AT GMUNDEN DRESS OF 
 
 THE PEASANTRY THE SALTSKAMMERGAT LIFE AT THE 
 
 BATHS MARIA LOUISA PRISON OF RICHARD CCEUR DE 
 
 LION STRAUSS AND LANNA NAVIGATION OF THE DA- 
 NUBE. 
 
 We purpose on leaving here to go to Munich through 
 some beautiful mountain scenery, that of Salzburg and the 
 Styrian Alps, and after seeing Switzerland, direct our course 
 through the northeastern part of Italy to Trieste, when we 
 shall take passage for Greece, and after making some stay 
 there, proceed to •Constantinople. We left Dresden in 
 a steamer up the Elbe ; the scenery all the way is most en- 
 chanting, exceeding in beauty any river upon which we 
 have sailed. The captain says he thinks it exceeds even that 
 of the Rhine. After leaving Dresden, the Elbe passes through 
 Saxon Switzerland, the high and rocky banks of which are 
 celebrated for the quantity of half precious stones they con- 
 tain. About two hours' sail brought us to an exceeding high 
 mountain, Konigstein, or King's Rock, on whose summit is 
 a natural fortification called the " Virgin Fortress," from its 
 having never been taken. Even the walls at the top and the 
 round and square towers at the angles are all natural, as if 
 hewn out of the solid rock. It is capable of sustaining a very 
 long siege — the ground within the enclosure is sufficient to 
 produce a vast quantity of provisions, and the vaults under- 
 neath are capacious enough to contain, and deep and cool 
 enough to preserve a supply for a great length of time. At 
 present they are living on provisions placed there in 1831. 
 
BOHEMIA BEAUTIES OP THE ELBE. 63 
 
 It is here that in troublesome times, the king sends all his 
 regalia, pictures and other valuables. The banks of the 
 Elbe are truly grand and magnificent ; the time-worn rocks 
 seem as if broken and indented by many a flood and deluge, 
 and formed by them into all sorts of fantastic shapes — for- 
 tresses and castles high in air. Villages are planted in the 
 gorges of the mountains, dark ravines extend farther than 
 the eye can reach, while richly cultivated upland glades 
 stretch far in the distance to the sky. After leaving Saxon 
 Switzerland, we enter Bohemia, and see thickly scattered 
 around the villages many a cross and shrine, the latter stand- 
 ing high upon some lofty mound, or almost hidden in some 
 green and shady dell. The women, too, who are busy in 
 the fields, are dressed very neat and gay, contrasting well 
 with the rich bright green of the fields and trees, and adding 
 much to the beauty of the landscape, while some are trudg- 
 ing along under the loaded baskets they carry on their 
 backs. And such delicious fruits as we were tempted to buy 
 at the landing, bright red apples and yellow apricots, purple 
 and yellow plums of a delicious flavor ! On our way, we 
 passed some fine old castles, ruined and deserted, (save by 
 some peasant or shepherd who tills the ground or watches 
 his fold hard by,) perched upon some apparently inaccessi- 
 ble mountain, having an entire command of the river, whfch 
 in some parts is very rapid. In one place there is such a 
 descent as to cause a fall of some ten feet, which makes the 
 upward navigation of the river very tedious. The crosses 
 and crucifixes thickened as we proceeded farther into this 
 Catholic country, (Bohemia.) Many of them are placed 
 upon the highest peak of the mountains, and now and 
 then a little chapel, and sometimes a small church, with 
 its tapering spire, surmounted by a glittering cross, and 
 low brown huts clustering around it, like chickens under 
 the wing of the mother hen. We arrived at our place 
 
64 PRAGUE. 
 
 of debarkation at three, A. M., and were roused to take 
 our places in the omnibus that was to convey us twenty- 
 two miles to Prague, where we arrived at half-past seven. 
 Prague is delightfully situated on the river Moldau, sur- 
 rounded on all sides by lovely scenery. Vineyards cover 
 the hills along the If^nk of the river, which is crossed at the 
 city by two fine bridges, one an iron suspension bridge, and 
 the other stone, having upon it twenty-eight statues of the 
 size of life. The cathedral contains a silver shrine in ho- 
 nor of the city's patron, St. John. It has seven figures, life 
 size, and as many more half as large, besides rhany vases 
 and other ornaments, all of pure silver. The dome or tower 
 of this cathedral served as a target to Frederick the Great in 
 his seven years' war, and still bears the marks of the balls, 
 as well as some of the balls themselves, embedded in the 
 walls of the tower, and in its battered and ruined sides. 
 There are many fine palaces here, but all deserted by their 
 princely owners, and many of them let out to poor people. 
 Prague is called one of the finest cities of Europe. It 
 certainly shows many remains of former grandeur, but must 
 be numbered with " the things that were," with its silent 
 and grass-grown streets, its empty palaces — 
 " Their banquet halls deserted, 
 
 The lights all fled, the garlands dead, 
 And all their guests departed." 
 
 In fact the glory of Prague is no more. But with its mag- 
 nificent but dilapidated churches, its historical associations, 
 its beautiful location, the lovely scenery of the river Moldau, 
 on each side of which it is built, it forms altogether a pic- 
 ture not easily forgotten, upon which the memory will long 
 love to dwell. We left at eight, A. M. in a travelling car- 
 riage, which our party and baggage contrived to fill. The 
 day was oppressively warm ; still we enjoyed the fine coun- 
 try, surrounded on all sides by high mountains, and found at 
 
MOUNTAIN RAILROAD. 65 
 
 every step mementoes of Popery, in crosses, crucifixes, 
 shrines and chapels. 
 
 Bohemia is called the " kettle land," from its being one 
 continued plain, surrounded on all sides by mountains, with 
 Prague in the middle. The people here have a dress pecu- 
 liar to themselves — the female costume being a jacket, skirtj 
 and apron, each of a different color, bright red stock- 
 ings, short skirts to display their very thick ankles, and 
 shawls tied over their heads, with the ends streaming out 
 behind. The men have jackets of velvet, short leather 
 breeches, (black or yellow,) Napoleon boots, and gay cock- 
 ades stuck upon their hats — children the same. We find 
 things in the most primitive style at our stopping places. 
 The Germans and Bohemians are inveterate smokers ; the 
 men when they travel all wear, suspended by a string from 
 a strap over their shoulders, a leather bag, calculated to contain 
 tobacco for a month's jaunt, and their pipes suspended from 
 a button of their coats. They ornament their horses in 
 a singular manner, with peaked collars, at least a foot 
 high, and large brass plates of different sizes strung along on 
 the harness. Afler two days' travel from Prague, we reached 
 Budwies at half-past eight, P. M. 
 
 We travelled to-day over a mountain on a rail-road, 
 in a coach drawn by horses, the road winding in a zig-zag 
 manner, (like the turnpike up the Catskills,) and through the 
 most beautiful country imaginable. On reaching an eleva- 
 tion of 1400 feet above the level of Lintz (the capital of Up- 
 per Austria) our destination, we began to descend in a still 
 more wandering and crooked manner, through a still more 
 beautiful country. High mountains covered with dark 
 forests, or cultivated and built upon to the very top ; deep 
 dark ravines and smiling valleys beneath and between — it 
 certainly exceeded all the railroad travel of my experience. 
 At six, P. M,, from the side of this beautiful mountain, we 
 
66 -Liwrz. 
 
 caught our first glimpse of the Danube, with the white 
 houses of JLintz gleaming up from amidst its waves, and al- 
 though we were apparently within ten minutes drive of it, 
 we were more than an hour playing " bo peep" with it be- 
 fore we arrived within its mountain-locked valley. " Oh, 
 how beautiful !" was the exclamation of us all ; nor did we 
 tire of gazing, but endeavored to catch a glimpse at every 
 opening. 
 
 Lintz is a pretty town with a population of about twenty 
 five thousand, the capital of Upper Austria, and on the 
 upper side of the Danube. Our hotel is in the great market- 
 place, in the centre of which is a large handsome monu- 
 ment called the " Trinity Column," placed there to comme- 
 morate the escape of the town from the threatened attacks 
 of the Turks and the plague. The women here wear a very 
 singular head-dress (shapad like a helmet) of gold tissue or 
 black lace. Some wear black silk shawls tied about the head, 
 with the ends falling down behind. We left Lintz at seven 
 A.M., by railroad for Ischl, a German watering place much 
 frequented during the summer by all the court as well as 
 all the " beau monde''' of Austria, to bathe in and drink the 
 salt water of the mine, as well as the sulphurous water of the 
 springs of the mountains of the Saltskammergat. It is a 
 small place consisting principally of hotels and lodging 
 houses, cafes and bathing houses, with a place similar to the 
 one at Saratoga, where they go before breakfast to drink 
 the salt water, and a species of whey made of milk and salt 
 water. Though the town (Ischl) is small, its location is most 
 delightful, situated in a richly cultivated valley, bounded 
 on every side by immense high mountains. The eye in 
 every direction rests on the snow-clad chain of the Salzburg 
 and Styrian Alps. Conspicuous among them is the Trauji- 
 stein, whose rugged face looks down, and sees itself reflecled 
 in the beautiflil- waters of the Traun Lake, one of the love- 
 
GMUNDEN. 67 
 
 liest scenes which the Saltskammergat presents. On our 
 way from Lintz to Ischl, we went a few miles off the road to 
 see the falls of the Traun, beautiful and picturesque, which, 
 though somewhat diminutive to American eyes, were well 
 worth a visit. The water falls from a height of forty-two 
 feet over a projecting ledge " a la Niagara," so that from 
 the extreme end you may see behind the sheet falling 
 over. Its waters, I think, are the most beautiful color of any 
 that I have ever seen ,ofa clear transparent "beryl-green." 
 By the side of the fall, along the bank, is a curious 
 wooden canal, an aquatic inclined plane or water railway, 
 by which boats descend the fall. The descent is made 
 almost in the twinkling of an eye, and with perfect safety, 
 though the boat is tossed and tumbled about not a little. 
 
 The railroad takes us to Gmunden, a pretty town whose 
 houses the guide book tells us look quite English, but in my 
 opinion more American, with their neat white exterior, green 
 blinds and doors, and pretty grass plats and flowers in front. 
 At this place we take a steamboat to cross the Traun lake, 
 the approach to which is magnificent. The mountains rise 
 one above another to a towering height in the form of an 
 amphitheatre, and the light feathery clouds of evening were 
 veiling them from the base to the summit, ks far as the eye 
 could reach, tall forest trees covered the sides of some, while 
 others presented a bare and rugged face of stone, particu- 
 larly the Traunstein, which has the appearance of having 
 been cleft in twain. At Gmunden the streets were almost 
 impassable from the number of people gathered in them. It 
 was a fete day, and all were attired in their holiday dress, 
 the women in their prettiest helmets with gay colors, jacket, 
 skirt, apron and shawl, each different in color. The men 
 in their black or yellow leather breeches, steeple crowned 
 hats of green felt, with a broad green ribbon band, with 
 sometimes a bouquet of flowers, and others with a bunch of 
 
68 TRAUN LAKE. 
 
 feathers like the wing of a partridge, stuck with a jaunty 
 air in the band, a little one side. They all looked happy 
 and merry, but I am sorry to say many of them were disfig- 
 ured by that hideous deformity the Goitre, caused, it is said, 
 by drinking the melted snow-waters of the mountains, the 
 summits of most of them being covered with a perpetual 
 snow, through which, on the tops of some of the highest, 
 grows a pretty flower which is gathered and brought to Ischl 
 to sell. The Traun lake is about eight miles long, its sides 
 are one continued range of mountains, with here and there 
 an opening, where smiles a lovely valley rich in vegetation. 
 The waters of the lake, as well as the Traun river, are of 
 the same beautiful green as the fall. It is not so transpar- 
 ent as to admit of seeing the bottom like Lake George, but 
 seems sufficiently cool and lucid to be drinkable. Near the 
 centre of the lake is a beautiful island, on w^hich is a chateau* 
 a church and a chapel, shrine and crucifix, each placed on 
 a separate knoll, rising one above the other, all painted 
 white, which, contrasted with the rich green island, has a 
 pretty effect. There is a pretty story attached to it, similar 
 to that of Hero and Leander, and which is also the subject 
 of a German Poem. 
 
 As we neared the other extremity of the lake, we passed 
 a number of rocks above the water, on which were placed 
 crucifixes, to these the Catholic passengers with us, took off" 
 their hats and inclined their heads. At the end of the lake 
 we took an omnibus coach, and passed through a continua- 
 tion of the same beautiful mountain scenery, said to equal 
 that of Switzerland. The road is on the banks of the Traun 
 river all the way to Ischl, twelve miles. There is an im- 
 mense quantity of timber and lumber floated down this river. 
 It is cut on the sides of the mountains, from whence they 
 slide it down into the river, where the current is very strong 
 and rapid, which takes its floating in this loose way to the 
 
THE SALTSKAMMERGAT. 60 
 
 lake ; here long booms are fastened together, extending 
 from the mouth of the river to the other extremity of the 
 lake, one on either side, then another across the lake col- 
 lects it together, and so it is secured. The Saltskammergat, 
 as it is called, is a mountainous country, in which mountains 
 a vast quantity of salt abounds. Kammergat means " cham- 
 ber money," equivalent to " pin money." It is the pro- 
 perty of the Emperor, from which he receives an immense 
 income for his own private use, and for which he is not ex- 
 pected to account. The country all about this region abounds 
 in beautiful and picturesque scenery, but we had not time to 
 explore it. A lady who had spent three weeks in making 
 excursions, told me she had seen no less than eleven lakes 
 in the vicinity, and that on some of the mountains they had 
 been in snow up to the breasts of their horses. Our Min- 
 ister to Austria told me he had been on some of these moun- 
 tains and looked down upon valleys where the snow was 
 one hundred feet deep. The mode of life at these springs 
 is similar to that at Saratoga. The ladies betimes in the 
 morning, walk to the saloon, where there is a boy in attend- 
 ance to hand them whey or salt water as they choose. They 
 take a few turns on the piazza of this saloon, or on an es- 
 planade near by, where a band of music is sditioned every 
 morning for an hour. They then take another glass, which 
 seems to suffice — they then repair to mass in the cathedral 
 opposite, after which they breakfast about nine. Then 
 some go to ride, some take a book or their work, and sit or 
 walk on the esplanade, and others, whose health requires it 
 take a bath, which is only done by order, and with the pres- 
 cription of a physician, and which is diluted according to 
 his direction. They are either salt alone, salt and sulphur 
 mixed, and a kind called mud baths, the draining, slime and 
 sediment from the chambers of the salt mines. They have 
 no gathering place within the hotels, they dine at table d\ 
 
70 NOTABLES. 
 
 hdte from one to three, then ride or walk as they chocse. 
 Those who remain for a length of time make excursions into 
 the mountains, and there is very good fishing for gentlemen. 
 There is also a theatre, and sometimes balls. We had the 
 good fortune while here to see the Ex-Empress, Maria 
 Louisa, daughter of the late Emperor Francis, and widow 
 of Napoleon. We looked upon her as part of the history 
 of Europe, and a great curiosity, though, in fact, both in 
 looks and character, she is very common place. She has 
 been married three times. Of the second marriage there 
 were three children, two of whom are living. Her third 
 marriage is private, that is, not generally known. In these 
 countries they have among the royal family a kind of left- 
 handed marriage called "Morganatic," which does not allow 
 her children of the third to be heirs. The late king of 
 Prussia had two wives at once, and both on good terms and 
 of rank and station. The Ex-Empress is 53 years old — old 
 and ugly, and though rich, goes in no state, and dresses very 
 plainly. — She was carried about in an open sedan chair, and 
 has a hotel for herself and suite and two soldiers as guards 
 at the entrance. We likewise here saw Prince Schwart- 
 zeriberg the son of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied 
 Armies at the battle of Leipsic, and Prince Shonborn, son- 
 in-law of Prince Metternich, both of whom wore green stee- 
 ple crowned hats with a' heron's plume, and huge mustaches. 
 We were also so fortunate as to see the Archduke Charles, 
 the heir presumptive of the throne of Austria, and his son the 
 heir apparent. Neither the King of Prussia or Saxony, or 
 the Emperor of Austria, have any children, and the brother 
 of each is h eir to their respective thrones. These salt 
 mines produce an immense quantity of salt. At one of the 
 turn-outs on the railroad we counted twenty-seven wagon 
 loads, as large as any loads of barrels we see going to and 
 from our mills, and at others apparently as many more. We 
 
SAIL DOWN THE DANUBE. 71 
 
 saw at Ischl two peasants from the vale of Ouseiy, dressed 
 in the Swiss style, white skirts, pretty aprons and tight fit- 
 ting bodices, immense large brimmed hats, with low flat 
 crowns and gay plaid streamers behind. We returned from 
 Ischl to Lintz. and from thence on the morning of the first of 
 September took steamer down the Danube to Vienna. We 
 were detained in the boat for an hour on account of a thick 
 fog, but as, when leaving, the sun came out, it was dispersed, 
 above we had a beautiful view of the citadel of Lintz, with 
 its towers and its beautiful chateau, church and fortifications. 
 The top of the mountain upon w^hich they are placed was 
 enveloped in light fleecy clouds, the base in an impenetra- 
 ble mist, so there was nothing seen of it until the sun shin- 
 ing above brought out the citadel distinctly like a Chateau 
 d'Espagne, literally " a castle in the air." The sail down 
 the Danube to Vienna is gVery beautiful ; high mountains 
 on either side, with their sides covered with vineyards, ex- 
 tending upwards till they are lost to the eye in the vegeta- 
 tion at the top. At their base are pretty parterres planted 
 with melons, vegetables and vines, wherever the slope will 
 admit, and clusters of houses with their odd and antique 
 looking churches, entirely unique, diflering from any we have 
 yet seen. Beautiful monasteries of great extent, more like 
 palaces than aught else, and convents equally magnificent, 
 possess, as we were told, the country around them for miles 
 and miles. 
 
 There are very many ruins of castles, monasteries and 
 churches, in different stages of dilapidation and decay. One 
 of the most interesting, as well as picturesque, is the castle 
 of Durenstein, the prison of " Richard Cceur de Lion," where 
 he was kept in "durance vile" fifteen months by the treacher- 
 ous and vindictive Leopold of Austria. It is literally a ruin, 
 its fissured top standing in beautiful relief against the sky, 
 perched as it is on the topmost peak of a high hill, from 
 
72 VIENNA. 
 
 the summit of which long lines of battlemented walls stretch 
 themselves to the water's edge. 
 
 The navigation of the Danube is extremely difficult. In 
 some parts of the river there are rapid eddies and whirlpools, 
 in passing which, the boat seemed to struggle and bend, as 
 if hardly able to contend against such unequal and unusual 
 tactics in aquatic warfare. At other times it shoals so that 
 her keel grated for a long distance against the pebbles at 
 the bottom, and there was an eager and watchful suspense 
 lest we should ground. It is said that the bars and shoals 
 shift their position between the trips of the boat up and 
 down, so that the captain has to depend on his judgment as 
 well as upon his knowledge of the river. The current is 
 very strong, enabling the boat to go at the rate of sixteen 
 or twenty miles an hour, and the voyage down is made in 
 eight hours, while they are twenty-six going up. We 
 reached the landing about five, but with the delay at the 
 barrier, by the custom-house officers, who are very strict, 
 where w^e underwent the most rigid scrutiny and overhaul- 
 ing our baggage, which is excessively annoying, and then 
 going from one hotel to another before we could find lodg- 
 ings, it was nine o'clock before we were settled. 
 
 Vienna is a charming city; and here too our "lucky star" 
 has been in the ascendant, for we have seen the Emperor, 
 and heard Strauss Lannas, and his magnificent band, and 
 Lanna's too. Lanna himself is dead, but his band in num- 
 ber, twenty-five, still keep together. They play somewhere 
 every night, and we hear them frequently. Notwithstand- 
 ing this is an absolute government — the people governed by 
 the Emperor, Metternich, and one other individual, are very 
 happy, contented and sociable, and the sovereign very much 
 beloved, as was his father Francis I., " the father of his 
 people," as he was called. We find the better classes 
 whom we meet in the public gardens very afl^able, courteous 
 
PICTURE GALLERIES. 73 
 
 and conversable. Even the English have to allow that the 
 people here seem to be happier than in England, which 
 to all other eyes is plain to be seen. 
 
 All the picture galleries of the palaces of the Emperor 
 and Princes are open every day to the public, free of charge, 
 save a small donation to the servant who takes charge of 
 umbrellas, canes, &c., and opens the doors of the different 
 rooms. 
 
74 
 
 ZURICH. 
 
 LETTER VIL 
 
 ZURICH, ITS LAKE MAXIMILIAN TOWNS OF LINTZ THS! 
 
 JESUITS SALZBURG, ITS CATHEDRAL—PEASANTRY, FOUN- 
 TAIN AND SCENERY. 
 
 Zurich, (Switzerland,) September 14. 
 " On the margin of fair Zurich's waters" this is commenc- 
 ed, to be sent from Milan. I would that the beauty of the 
 charming scenery round the loveliest lake we have yet seen, 
 could inspire me with words adequate to the description, 
 but I might exhaust all the epithets of the beautiful, and then 
 fail. I do not think it possible to give by description any 
 satisfactory idea of a beautiful landscape. It must be see3fj 
 to be realized. I will, however, give you some of the main 
 features, and your vivid imagination must fill up the picture. 
 The town is situated on both banks of the Linmoth, a 
 small river, the outlet of the lake, which divides the town 
 into two unequal parts. The lake is about twenty miles 
 long, and one and a half wide, and opens directly in the 
 front of the town, within view from which lies, at a little 
 distance from the land, a little isle, prettily planted with trees, 
 under which are placed tables and seats, which serve as a 
 place of resort during the warm days of summer. Around, 
 between the island and the shore, float a number of Gondo- 
 la-like boats, with their gay canopies, and striped pennons, 
 floating in the air. As far as the eye can distinguish, vil= 
 lages and hamlets are scattered along the banks. Far in 
 the distance, opposite the town, is a range of young moun- 
 tains covered with the verdure of pastures, and vineyards, ox 
 
DEPARTURE FROM VIENNA. 75 
 
 fir-trees. High above these the patriarchs of the mountains 
 rear their frosty summits, some still retaining enough of the 
 raven hue of youth, to show that they were not always thus 
 grizzled or covered with the hoar frost of age. One lofty 
 peak of the Jungfrau in particular, was one mass of white, as 
 if covered with new-fallen snow, and seemed to glisten even 
 at this distance, while gilded with the rays of the setting 
 sun, by which we viewed it from a high point of what was 
 formerly the bastions, now converted into a botanical gar- 
 den. While I am writing, some one passing, is trilling one 
 of the Swiss airs, like the " Rans deVache," with the pecu- 
 liar intonations which are given to the parts repeated. 
 
 On our return from our walk to the bastions to view the 
 distant mountains, we were shown the house where Lavater 
 lived, and the church opposite in which he preached. The 
 finest church in outward appearance in Zurich was pointed 
 out, the first story of which was built by Charlemagne, the up- 
 per part added by Zuingle (or Zuinglius) one of the great Pro- 
 testant reformers, and the two towers since added by the citi- 
 zens. The Canton of Zurich is a Protestant government and 
 people, surrounded by Catholics. Their form of worship is 
 similar to the Church of England, and all, and everything 
 show improvement entering it from a country, (Austria,) ex- 
 hibiting marks and mementoes of Popery on every side. 
 I must, however, leave, as T said, the rest to your imagina- 
 tion, which I am sure can in no way exceed the reality, and 
 go back to trace the course we have taken. 
 
 We left Vienna Thursday, September 14th, after a stay of 
 two weeks, enjoying ourselves exceedingly. We returned 
 to Lintz up the Danube, taking twenty-six hours to perform 
 what is accomplished in eight hours going down the river. 
 We made the acquaintance of a very pleasant gentlemanly 
 man, Mr, P., of Vienna, who spoke English very well, and 
 had with him his little son, who also spoke English. We 
 
76 NEW FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 arrived at Lintz about eleven A.M., Friday, and as we could 
 not leave there till the next morning, we all of us whiled 
 away the time visiting one of the towers which were built 
 by the Prince Maximilian, brother of the Emperor, on a plan 
 of his own, and as yet an untried experiment in the way of 
 fortification. They were built at great cost, and at his own 
 expense. The citadel I described to you in my last has one 
 of these towers at each of its angles, and there are no less 
 than thirty-three of them in a circumference of nine miles. 
 They are circular, consisting of four stories, two below the 
 ground and two above. The ground floor is the magazine, 
 the two lower stories the barracks, where they may cook for 
 one hundred and twenty men. Each has a bakery com- 
 plete, a pump, engine, &;c. In the third story are the sleep- 
 ing apartments, and the fourth (the roof of which is removed 
 when they proceed to action) is the battery, where are can- 
 non pointing in every direction, and a machine in the centre 
 to draw or hoist things from below. There are also cannon 
 in the third story pointing more downwards to protect the 
 immediate vicinity. The cannon of the fourth story of all 
 the towers cross or bear upon each other, so that nothing can 
 pass them with impunity. This mode of fortification, as I 
 have said, has never been proved, but the city of Paris, in 
 building its new fortifications, has adopted the plan with the 
 improvement of subterranean passages from one tower to 
 another. Leaving this we went to see the Jesuits' College, 
 from the top of which is a fine view of the town, the Danube, 
 and the surrounding country. The society is allowed by go- 
 vernment, and is the only one in Austria of this order. Mr. 
 P. said he believed their rules forbade the admittance of 
 females into the interior, but I might put on my most inno- 
 cent looks and we would try ; but when the gentleman re- 
 quested for the sake of the prospect, to ascend to the top, 
 the monk who opened the door very civilly granted the re- 
 
THE JESUITS. 77 
 
 quest to all but the dame^ so I was obliged to stand behind 
 the outer door and wait the return of the rest — the absur- 
 dity of which so overcame Mr. C's. risibilities, as he followed 
 the monks up stairs, with a number of others who were as- 
 cending, loaded with books, that he laughed out-right, much 
 to the embarrassment of Mr. P. as well as to the surprise 
 and wonder of the monks. Mr. P. told me afterwards that 
 I only wanted a lighted candle in my hand as I stood behind 
 the door to complete the penance which they sometimes in- 
 flict upon naughty women, and we all laughed heartily as we 
 walked away, the monks taking good care to see all they 
 could without committing themselves. The Jesuits wear a 
 long black dress, confined at the waist with a broad band, 
 the ends of which are fringed, and have attached on one side 
 a rosary and cross. Their heads have a place on the crown 
 about the size of a dollar closely shaven. Over this, out of 
 doors, they wear a black silk skull cap, and when they ex- 
 tend their walks, they wear a broad brimmed black beaver 
 hat, looped up on either side with a cord. The ground is 
 very elevated here, giving a fine view of a beautiful land 
 scape. Near the tower, or college as it is now, the society 
 have a church in the Byzantine style, and the two form a 
 very pretty feature in the scenery of Lintz. Early the next 
 morning we took our places in the rail-car, and proceeded 
 with our agreeable companions as far as Lambech, where 
 we parted from them — they continued on to Ischl, we 
 taking our route to Salzburg. We had not been long seated 
 when two priests of the Jesuits took their seats behind us. 
 They were by no means young or handsome, and lest some 
 evil might occur to them from my propinquity, I as much as 
 possible turned my back upon them. When we began to 
 move on, Mr. C, however, commenced a conversation with 
 them, and they seemed affable, well-informed and agreeable. 
 One of them was the director of the college or society. He 
 
SALZBURG. 
 
 had his beads and cross attached to his belt, and around his 
 neck, suspended by a silk cord, a bronze crucifix near a foot 
 long. The dress of both was the same as those we saw at 
 the college. When we stopped to dine, they had a table and 
 a fast day dinner prepared for themselves. Before and after 
 eating they stood behind their chairs, and making the sign of 
 the cross on their foreheads and breast and in the air, they 
 clasped their hands and muttered a prayer. 
 
 At Frankenmark, where we stopped to change horses, we 
 found the main street of the village filled with people, and 
 on inquiring learned there was to be a confirmation in the 
 church ; the Archbishop of Salzburg was coming, and they 
 were going out to meet him. Presently bells began to ring, 
 cannon were fired, the procession, consisting of men and 
 women, with the school children two and two bearing reli- 
 gious banners, and headed by a number of priests holding a 
 handsome crimson silk canopy over the head of the Bishop 
 of Lintz, passed us by, and in a few minutes returned with 
 the Archbishop. As we left the town we saw a very pretty 
 archway which had been erected for the occasion, made of 
 wood, but covered with the green leaves of the fir tree, 
 mingled with bright flowers and gay ribbons, wreaths and 
 festoons, and surmounted by three gilt crosses. We saw 
 also during our ride the same day, a Catholic funeral — the 
 coffin borne by men ; at the sides walked the priests in their 
 rich robes, two at the head bearing each of them a large 
 cross ; behind came the friends of the departed, all ages and 
 sexes, with books in their hands, singing prayers and chants 
 — the passengers as they rode past all lifting their hats and 
 inclining their heads. We did not reach Salzburg till eleven 
 in the evening. The next morning we visited its beautiful 
 cathedral, built in the Italian style, admirably proportioned 
 and chastely ornamented in the interior. The altar and 
 shrines were elaborately ornamented with pictures, marble 
 
FOUNTAINS. T9 
 
 and gilding. The stucco ornaments of the ceiling were very 
 beautiful, and it had no less than five organs. In the or- 
 chestra of one was a band of music assisting in the service. 
 It being Sunday, and during service, we could not view the 
 interior to so good advantage ; but had a fine opportunity of 
 seeing the people. The women of the peasantry had on their 
 singular helmet-shaped head dress of gold tissue or black 
 lace, the shape similar to that of the shell of the Nautilus. 
 They were most of them horribly disfigured with the goitre, 
 as is the case in^all these mountainous countries, and one 
 thing unaccountable to me, is that more of the women seem 
 to have these, and have them larger than the men. It may 
 be that the men, as in most countries, drink less v/ater, and 
 more drink of a stronger kind than the women, as it is said 
 to be the snow water that causes the sv/elling in the throat, 
 and the peasantry are much more afHicted th3.n those of the 
 better classes. 
 
 On one side of the cathedral is a beautiful fountain, said 
 to be the most beautiful of any in Europe north of the Alps. 
 There are four colossal figures, each representing Atlas, bear- 
 ing on their shoulders a huge shell, on which are carved with 
 much truth and nature, amphibious and aquatic animals- 
 turtles, frogs, eels and shell fish. On the four sides of the 
 grotto are arched doorways, or openings, out of which come 
 enormous sea-horses spouting water from their mouths and 
 nostrils, and each of the four in a different attitude or posi- 
 tion. A few paces distant is a fine bronze statue of Mozart, 
 who was born and buried at Salzburg. The city is, howe- 
 ever, more celebrated for its external than internal beauties. 
 It is said to be the most beautiful spot in Germany, and many 
 prefer the scenery of its mountains, lakes and valleys, to the 
 finest scenery of Switzerland. It is the " Iraavia" of the 
 Romans situated on the river Salza between two precipitous 
 heights ; on one of these is the castle, an irregular feudal cita- 
 
80 CAPUCHIJSS. 
 
 del, commanding the town and surrounding country, built in 
 the eleventh century. It resembles much the height and 
 castle of Edinburgh, but the surrounding scenery is super- 
 ior to the highlands of Scotland. From the convent terrace, 
 on the brow of the Capu Cineburgh, we had one of the most 
 splendid views that I remember ever to have seen. The 
 ascent is fatiguing and difficult. From the base to the sum- 
 mit are placed shrines illustrating incidents in the life of the 
 Savior. At the top of the pathway is a calvary, and at the 
 entrance of the convent is the sepulchre, with our Savior in 
 the tomb, and on another compartment the vacant tomb 
 with an angel seated by it, the three Marys at the door, 
 while the guards are lying around near the entrance. The 
 view from the convent terrace is beautiful in the extreme, 
 according to Mr. C's description, but the monk would not 
 admit the " vrow," (wife,) and so I had to wait outside. This 
 convent belongs to the Capuchins, whose dress is of brown 
 stuff; some of them permit their beards to grow a foot, and 
 all have long ones. They wear a knotted cord about the 
 waist, with their rosary and beads attached — the sides of the 
 head are shaven so as to have only a rim or circle of hair 
 around the head. I was not permitted a view here, so we 
 walked to the summit half a mile further, from one side 
 of which you look upon mountains covered with snow and 
 glaciers ; in the distance the castle on its rocky height, and 
 the town below with its centre, and the whole enclosed on 
 this side by one chain of mountains rising above the other 
 till their snow clad summits are lost in the clouds. From 
 the other side of the sunnwit you have scarcely a vestige of 
 the mountains on the former side, but look down upon the 
 valley of the Salza, tracing its course for miles and miles 
 till it dwindles into a silver thread. Such a transition from 
 mountain to valley, from snow-clad heights to green and 
 verdant pastures, is rarely to be met with, and this was but 
 
MARTYRS. 81 
 
 a foretaste of the delightful and picturesque scenery of the 
 vales and mountains of " the Tyrol" towards which we 
 were speeding. Among other things Salzburg is memor- 
 able for the sufferings of its people in the cause of Protest- 
 antism. They were persecuted in every way, but still clung 
 to their faith. At last, in 1727, they were expatriated to the 
 number of thirty thousand, and found a refuge in Russia, Po- 
 land and America, while to crown their sufferings, parents 
 were torn from their children, they being to the number of 
 one thousand taken to be educated in the Roman Catholic 
 faith. We left this charming place at one P.M. and were 
 at Munich at six the next morning, where we spent three 
 days viewing all the novelties of this unique city. 
 
82 MUNICH. 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 MUNICH A CITY OF FRESCO, ITS CHURCHES, PALACES— 
 
 GLYPTOTHEK AND PINACOTHEK ENGLISH GARDEN TY- 
 ROL, ITS SCENERY AND PEASANTRY VALLEY OF THE INN 
 
 THE HOUSES, COSTUMES, PRODUCTS THE TYROLESE 
 
 ALPS INSPRUCK HOFER PATRIOTISM OF TYROLESE, 
 
 &c., &;c. 
 
 Milan, September. 
 
 We arrived at Munich early on the morning of Monday, 
 September 18, and commenced our sight-seeing in company 
 with a Russian officer, who had been our travelling com- 
 panion from Salzburg, and whose society we found very 
 pleasant and agreeable, especially as he spoke English per- 
 fectly. I had heard many of the English express their ad- 
 miration of Munich, and all as it seemed to me because 
 it was new, this unique city having been renovated during 
 the reign of the present King Lewis I, of Bavaria, father of 
 Otho, King of Greece. I thought to myself, if you wish to 
 see new cities built in a day, you had best go to America, 
 but I soon found that it was not the newness of creation but 
 of style, that so charmed them, everything was so entirely 
 different from anything their previous travel had offered. 
 The King of Bavaria is very rich, and has at his own ex- 
 pense built many fine churches, palaces and theatres, as well 
 as temples for paintings and sculpture. Everything here is 
 alfresco. The exterior of his buildings, generally, is ex- 
 ceedingly plain, in the Byzantine style, while the interior is 
 brilliant and gorgeous beyond description. His own palace 
 is mostly painted in imitation of the buried ones at Pompeii, 
 
THE CATHEDRAL. 83 
 
 and contains a fine collection of antiquities, dug fi-om that 
 city and Herculaneum, under his inspection, and at great ex- 
 pense ; also some fine antique mosaic pavements. It contains 
 an innumerable seriesof rooms, the walls of which are filled 
 with frescoes or variegated marble, the ceilings are fresco 
 and gold, the floors, pillars and staircases of rich marble. 
 Very many of the floors are a mosaic of different colored 
 wood, very beautiful, and with a surface so polished and 
 slippery that 3'ou seem to be walking on ice, and you may 
 think yourself fortunate to go through them, and keep your- 
 self perpendicular. The ground hall contains a series of statues 
 of gilt bronze, fourteen in number, representing princes anjd 
 electors of Bavaria, each in the costume of the time in which 
 he lived. They are each ten feet high, and cost five thou- 
 sand dollars each, and the same for gilding ; they were de- 
 signed by Schwanthaler. The cathedral built of brick is 
 four hundred years' old, has two tall dome-capped towers 
 three hundred and thirty-six feet high. It contains a very 
 imposing monument to the Emperor Lewis. Four Bavarian 
 knights are kneeling at the corners, and two dukes standing 
 on either side, all in bronze. Over the tomb is suspended 
 from the wall the hat of Cardinal Cleselius, who began the 
 world as a baker's apprentice. St. Mi chad's or the Je- 
 suits church, built in the Italian style, is remarkable for its 
 lofty arched roof, unsupported by any pillars. It contains 
 Thorwaldsen's monument to Eugene Beauharnais, Duke of 
 Leuchtenberg ; a full length statue of the Duke attended by 
 a muse and the Genii of life and death. The church of St. 
 Lewis just completed, not yet consecrated, has two towers, 
 and is built of brick, faced with white marble. The pillars, 
 altars and pavements are of a composition in imitation of 
 marble. Behind the altar is a fine fresco of the last judg- 
 ment, by Cornelius, one of the best things about the church. 
 The windows, though of superbly painted glass, are too 
 
84 PICTURES- 
 
 small for the size of the edifice, the ceilings are too gaudy, 
 and the altars and stalls comparatively too plain, still the 
 effect of the whole is extremely rich and gorgeous. The 
 chapel of All Saints is very rich and beautiful. The sides 
 and ceiling are fresco paintings on a gold ground, the pillars 
 and pavement are all of marble, of different kinds and color. 
 There is a church in one of the suburbs beyond the river, 
 exceedingly beautiful. The ceiling is painted blue with 
 gold stars, and there are nineteen gothic windows, painted or 
 stained after the modern improvement of this ancient art, 
 which has been brought to great perfection in Munich. 
 Each window represents some scene in the life of the virgin, 
 and the church is named after and dedicated to her. The 
 altars, pulpits and stalls, all of wood in its natural color, beau- 
 tifully carved in statues, 6lc. This pleased me more than 
 any church we had visited. That of St. Boniface, now 
 building, will exceed all the others. It has seventy-two 
 columns of Tyrolean marble, each twenty feet high. There 
 are two series of paintings al fresco, the first representing 
 scenes and events in the lives of the saints and martyrs ; 
 the lower devoted to the history of the holy missionary, St. 
 Boniface. These are by Hess and his pupils. There is 
 also a small chapel in the old palace called the rich, on ac- 
 count of the precious metal and stones expended in its deco- 
 ration, its floor being of jasper, porphyry, and amethyst, its 
 walls of Florentine mosaic, and the altar with all attached 
 to it, as well as the pipes of the organ, being of solid silver. 
 It has also a small portable altar, said to have belonged to 
 Mary Queen of Scots, and which she carried with her to 
 the block, and after serving in her last devotions, was given 
 by her to one of her attendants. So much for the churches. 
 The Glyptothek or gallery of sculpture, is a beautiful build- 
 ing inside and out. The portico is ornamented with twenty- 
 four statues, and the distribution of the interior is such that 
 
THE PIXACOTHEK. 85 
 
 a separate apartment is allotted to the works of each distinct 
 epoch of the art. The ceilings are decorated with stucco, 
 gilding and fresco, the walls are scagliola, the floors of mar- 
 ble, and the stair-cases of polished granite. The ground 
 floor is filled with Egyptian and Etruscan antiquities, with a 
 great many from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and these are 
 arranged on shelves with mirrors behind them, so that you 
 are enabled to see them on every side. The hall of modern 
 sculpture contains some exquisite works by Canova, Scha- 
 dow andThorwaldsen. The Pinacothek or picture gallery, 
 the most magnificent edifice for that purpose in Europe, is 
 also a splendid building, much larger than the other, and 
 contains some 1500 paintings of all the different schools — 
 among them are some fineMurillos — we have scarcely seen 
 them in any collection so good. The corridor is beautifully 
 painted in arabesque fresco, each compartment painted to 
 illustrate some incident in the life of different eminent paint- 
 ers of every country. The collection of the Duke cf Leu- 
 chtenberg is here, and though not large, contains some very 
 beautiful pictures, and two or three exquisite statues. Paint- 
 ing both on glass and porcelain is wrought here in the great- 
 est perfection. We visited the manufactories and were 
 shown most exquisite specimens. The windows of many of 
 the shops, too, make a great display of these, which, with 
 the beautiful cut glass, colored every hue of the rainbow, 
 make a gay and glittering show. There is one fine open 
 square enclosed by these beautiful shops, similar to the Pa- 
 lais Royal at Paris, with a covered walk or open corridor, 
 the sides of it decorated with fresco paintings, depicting his- 
 torical incidents, battle scenes, &c. One afternoon we 
 drove a little out of town to see a plaster model of a colos- 
 sal statue emblematic of Bavaria, which is to be of bronze, 
 and erected in one of the most conspicuous squares of the 
 city. It has an immense building to protect it like ships 
 
86 ATTRACTIONS OP MUNICH. 
 
 in a navy yard. Bavaria is represented by a female figure, 
 beautifully shaped, one hand resting on a huge lion, the 
 other raised upward, holds a scroll with some inscription, 
 but really this last was so high above us, that it was difficult 
 to divine what. I can only give you an idea of the magni- 
 tude of the figure, by the amusing illustration, that Mr. C. 
 could barely span the large toe of the lady's large foot with 
 the thumb and the finger of his two hands. Methinks this 
 would almost rival the Colossus of Rhodes, the metal of 
 ■which, it is said, when sold to a Jew, was sufficient to load 
 nine hundred camels. On our return, we drove through 
 the English garden, so called from its extent, and the man- 
 ner in which it is laid out, having more similitude to an 
 English park, than most things of the continent called Eng- 
 lish. The grounds were given by Count Rumford, and cer- 
 tainly he could not have left the city a richer legacy, or 
 himself a more substantial memorial. There is a pretty 
 little temple in the park, situated on an artificial hill, the 
 height of which would command a fine view if there were 
 any such here, but thougli Munich is one of the most elevated 
 situations of any of the cities of Europe, it is on a flat, ste- 
 rile, dusty plain ; there is no business in the town, conse- 
 quently no life in the streets. The king has made it a sort 
 of repository of the arts, thereby drawing artists and ama- 
 teurs from all parts of the world. Aside from this, Munich 
 has no attractions, and though one cannot but admire and 
 be pleased, both mind and eye seem at last to be weary with 
 the brilliant and gorgeous sameness. One tires of the ever- 
 lasting red and blue frescoes, and would think them more beau- 
 tiful were there not so many. Leaving Munich, we turned 
 our faces towards the Tyrol. The scenery was grand, high 
 mountains robed in snow, with lesser ones covered with fir- 
 trees, and many of them crowned with picturesque churches, 
 or ruined castles, were around us all the way, and amid 
 
THE TYROL HARVEST. 87 
 
 them, dark and deep passes, where the Tyrolese had fought 
 for their liberty and to repel the invader. All the morning 
 till we reached Inspruck, we were in the valley of the Inn, 
 and very lovely it is. Their summers here are very short ; 
 the snow falls low down on the mountains in September, and 
 does not leave them till June. It is harvest now, and 
 everything seems to be ripe at once. The people of the 
 Tyrol are very hardy and industrious, as the shortness of 
 their summers makes necessary ; at this time, men, women* 
 and children find constant employment in the fields. Some 
 are threshing grain, some beating and drying flax, others 
 making hay, mowing, raking, and carting it, and gathering 
 corn and potatoes, while the bean vines were loaded as well 
 as the apple, pear and plum, in such profusion, as to require 
 props to support the heavily laden branches, all seeming to 
 bide their time. Every green thing that grows, seems to be 
 carefully gathered, and stored for themselves and their cattle 
 during the long winter. It was probably owing to their con- 
 stant occupation in the fields during the summer, that neither 
 the dwellings or the house-wives looked tidy, and the buildings 
 themselves, though picturesque and a la Suisse, were rough 
 and rude in outward appearance. The houses here are as 
 large as factories, and seem intended not only for the family 
 but for all the cattle in the winter, as well as the stores of 
 provender for each. They have long sloping roofs, to let 
 slide the snow in winter, the eaves projecting all g,round, 
 forming a shade from the sun's warm rays in summer, the 
 edges ornamented by a rude, yet pretty carving. Women 
 and men both wear steeple-crowned hats, with a flower or 
 tassel at the side. The men wear short breeches with stock- 
 ings, and a short jacket with a coatee, or pigeon-tail behind. 
 The women wear a kind of stays laced outside the dress, 
 each part of the dress of a different color. The cows and 
 goats are driven by herdsmen up the mountains higher and 
 
88 THE TYROL. 
 
 more high, as the season advances in the spring, and after 
 eating their way up the mountain tops, commence eating 
 their way down again as the winter approaches. We met 
 as they were being driven to water, or to be milked, some 
 thirty cows, and as many as fifty goats in a herd, each with a 
 bell that tinkled musically and merrily as they passed us by, 
 and I can assure you, chimed in admirably with the roman- 
 tic and picturesque scenery about us. In one place we saw 
 a boy standing on the slope of a green hill, with his rustic 
 horn of the mountains, a sort of trumpet, made of wood or 
 reeds, and as he sent forth his " wood-notes wild," we could 
 hear the sound of the bells of the herd more and more 
 distinctly as they drew near in obedience to the call. 
 
 Leaving Inspruck, our course still followed the Inn through 
 the delightful pass of Insterspitzen, and over the Arlberg or 
 Eagle's Mount. The river rushes rapidly by, making a noise 
 like a cascade all through its course — many a wild pass was 
 pointed out to us, signalized by the brave defence of the 
 liberty-loving Tyrolese, and many a ruined castle on some 
 high point, commanding the pass and the river. Early in 
 the afternoon, we passed a point on which is placed 
 the picturesque castle of Wissberg, at the junction of the 
 Rosanna and Trisanna with the Inn, commanding the river 
 and the side valley, through which we enter the romantic 
 pass of the Ober Inthall. Qpr course now followed the Ro- 
 sanna, a rushing rapid torrent, fed by innumerable mountain 
 rivulets and cascades. Here and there a rise in the bed of 
 the river, divided it into two, and even three separate streams 
 — then overcoming all lesser obstacles, it rushed on its 
 course like a high mettled charger, that would no longer be 
 stayed in its onward way. The country here bears quite a 
 resemblance to our own, that is, in the products. Exten- 
 sive orchards of the apple and pear trees, with corn-fields, 
 and bright yellow pumpkins covering the ground, looked 
 
FELDKIHCH, 89 
 
 like Yankee land, and the road was bordered on either side 
 with large luxuriant bushes of the barberry, the branches 
 weighed to the ground with their clusters of scarlet berries. 
 Then, too, at dinner to-day we had cider, but being the pro= 
 duct of the last autumn, I must confess it was somewhat 
 hard and sour. We had quite a merry postillion, who, in 
 his gay and fanciful uniform, seemed truly a character ; how 
 he made the woods and mountains re-echo with the sharp 
 crack of his long lash, and the wild alpine notes he managed 
 to draw from his post-horn. Every part of the valley w^as cul» 
 tivated, and even the sides of the hills and mountains as far 
 as practicable. The women of this part of the Tyrol, wear 
 a head dress of black fur, some conical, others large in cir- 
 cumference, and flat like a cheese. We reached Feldkirch 
 at a late hour, and were obliged to resume our journey at a 
 very early hour in the morning. As soon as it was light 
 enough to see distinctly, w^e found the mountains not so high, 
 and becoming gradually more distant. A number of the 
 heights were surmounted by old castles, under which were 
 planted pretty villages, that here began to assume a more 
 smiling and cheerful aspect. The houses, too, w^ere built, 
 and ornamented with muc;h taste. There were the same 
 long sloping roofs, with the eaves ornamented with cover- 
 ing, but more taste was displayed, and both within and 
 without, showed the handiwork of woman. The houses 
 have all of them either a portico over each window or 
 a balcony beneath, the sides being covered with shin- 
 gles, cut in scollops about the size of a dollar, and the 
 panes of the windovv^s all in a circular form not much 
 larger. Within, the dwellings looked more tidy and com- 
 fortable, while around them was a large space devoted to and 
 filled with flowers, dahlias, in the richest and greatest pro- 
 fusion, and even roses at this late season, while upon the 
 sides of the house or on arbors, were trained grape vines. 
 
90 CONSTANCE. 
 
 loaded with their rich clusters, and along the way-side vine- 
 yards of the same, were growing luxuriantly. The women 
 in this part of the Tyrol, do more in-door work ; their time is 
 mostly occupied in embroidering muslin and spinning. 
 There is also considerable manufacturing. The head-dress 
 here is still more singular than those we had seen beyond 
 the Arlberg. It is composed of a thin transparent black ma- 
 terial, fastened over a frame, in form like a fan, but instead 
 of projecting over the face, is placed on the crown of the head, 
 and extended backwards. The rim of some of them have a 
 circumference of near three feet, bound with a band of black 
 velvet, fitted to the crown of the head ; behind is a silver 
 headpiece, quite ornamental, and in which they seem to 
 take great pride. We reached Briguenz on the eastern side of 
 the lake of Constance, at an early hour in the morning, and 
 left at noon in a steamer for the other extremity of the lake, 
 and the beautifully situated and lovely town of Constance. 
 We had a delightful sail of some six hours across this 
 charming sheet of water, with the Austrian Alps on one 
 side, and those of Switzerland on the other. The hill sides 
 were rich in vegetation as far as the eye could reach, while 
 pretty towns and villages were thickly planted on both 
 sides of the margin. On the north, stands a magnificent 
 palace of the King of Wirtemberg, formerly a Benedictine 
 Convent. At Constance, the object that most interested me 
 was the old Council Hall, where John Huss and Jerome of 
 Prague were condemned and burnt. It is celebrated, too, for 
 the many councils held, and treaties signed, so vital to civil 
 and religous liberty. Leaving Constance, our road lay for 
 some distance along the shores of the lake, and by the " ar- 
 rowy Rhine." The scenery seemed tame and fiat, in com- 
 parison with that we had just left in the Tyrol, but it was 
 still beautiful, added to which the weather was most propi- 
 tious ; there was the same hazy atmosphere that accompa^ 
 
LUCERNE. 91 
 
 nies our mild fall weather, giving to the landscape that deli- 
 cious softness that is so beautifully depicted in the pictures 
 of Claude Lorraine. The costumes of the people differed 
 little from what we had elsewhere seen, and though in Swit- 
 zerland, the houses had gradually left the Swiss-like appear- 
 ance of those of the Tyrol. Here most of them were of 
 stucco, painted white. Beams of wood running in every 
 direction, so as to form diamonds, squares and other forms, 
 were left unplastered, but painted red, blue, yellow, or green, 
 clothing them in a harlequin dress, and presenting a fanci- 
 ful appearance. After visiting the lakes and towns of Zurich, 
 Lucerne and Zug, we landed at Fluellen. Between Zurich 
 and Zug, we had in the carriage with us three young Swiss 
 farmers, just returning from disposing of their stock or pro- 
 duce, with well filled leather money belts, fastened around 
 their bodies. They seemed very joyous and happy, and en- 
 tertained themselves and us, with a number of the melodious 
 airs, peculiar to the Swiss, giving the quick and varied gut- 
 tural intonation in which they so excel. Lucerne, with its 
 antique and ruined towers and walls, its high mountains and 
 lovely lake, is very picturesque. From one of its bridges, 
 you have a magnificent view of the exceeding high moun- 
 tains of this beautiful region, the recent fall of snow had 
 brightened their beauty, and gilded by the rays of the set- 
 ting sun, as they were when we looked our last upon them, 
 were gorgeous and grand. We went to see a bas-relief 
 of the mountains of this part of Switzerland made by Gen- 
 eral Phyffr, giving a correct idea of their comparative 
 heights, and respective localities, and their irregularities, as 
 you look upon a surface of mountain tops. From this we 
 walked a short distance to see a monument erected here to 
 the brave Swiss Guards, killed at the Tuilleries, August 
 10th, 1792, in defence of Louis XVI. It is a beautiful thing. 
 There is a high natural rock, and in its face, after a design 
 
92 VALLEY OF THE INN. 
 
 of Thorwaldsen, cut by Lewis Ahorn, is a dying lion. He 
 has been pierced in the side by a spear, the broken part 
 of which is just visible above the wound, from which the 
 blood is flowing, and the expression of grief portrayed 
 in the face, and the lifelessness of the paw that falls over 
 the rock, is as indescribable as it is beautiful. The coat of 
 arms of Switzerland is under his head and one paw, while 
 that of France reclines near by. And now farewell to these 
 beautiful lakes of Switzerland. I sigh to leave them, for 
 methinks each place exceeds in beauty the last, which I 
 thought unsurpassable. 
 
 We left Munich on the afternoon of the 20th of Septem- 
 ber, and the next morning entered the valley of the Inn (in 
 the Tyrol) and the road over the Tyrolese Alps. This pas- 
 sage is of great antiquity, having first been constructed by 
 the Romans. The pass was formerly commanded by a fort, 
 Scorbia, also Roman, and was kept in a state of defence till 
 in the year 1806. Marshal Ney, after two repulses, suc- 
 ceeded in taking it, and then spent twelve thousand florins 
 in blowi ng it up, so that nought but ruins now remains. At 
 Inspruck we saw in a church the statue and grave of Hofer, 
 and another to the brave Tyrolese who fell in the war with 
 the French in the defence of their father-land. Five times 
 in the course of one year did they clear their country of the 
 invaders. The mountainous character of the country ren- 
 ders Tyrol a natural rock fortress, the main chain of the Alps, 
 the granite backbone or frame work of Europe, as it is 
 called, running entirely through it ; and as the men are ex- 
 pert riflemen, amid their mountain passes, they needed little 
 tactics or drilling to make them bad enemies to encounter. 
 In fact their well known patriotism has exempted them from 
 service during peace. The Tyrolese are remarkable for their 
 strong religious feeling. Among other insigna of their re- 
 ligion, as you pass along, you will often see a cross by the 
 
THE ARLBERG. 
 
 way-side marking the spot where some fellow-being has lost 
 his life, and on a board or cross is a record of his fate, and 
 an entreaty to the passer by to say a " Pater Noster" for 
 the good of his soul. From the nature of the country and 
 the shortness of the summer, they are obliged to labor very 
 hard, and be very economical of their time as well as the 
 produce of their labor. They are noted for their laborious 
 and industrious habits, the upright honesty and integrity of 
 their character, but above all for love of their country and 
 their God. Noble characteristics, are they not ? But how 
 can it be otherwise amid this grand, wild and awfully im- 
 posing scenery ? No where can man be more impressed 
 with his dependence upon the Ruler of the elements. The 
 pine riven by the lightning — the cottage burnt by it — the 
 the winter's avalanche remaining through the heats of sum- 
 mer unmelted in the depths of the valley--.the line of 
 desolation it has caused in its course marked by the pros- 
 trate forest — the hamlets swept away by the mountain 
 torrent or buried by the land slips which sometimes fill up 
 valleys or even lakes, are things of frequent occurrence, and 
 which we have seen in our course, and even passing casu- 
 ally through this magnificent country, one cannot but feel 
 his thoughts carried from Nature up to Nature's God. 
 
 In passing over the Arlberg (Eagle's Mount) the tops of 
 the mountains near us were covered with snow ; in some of 
 the clefts it seemed to be fifty feet deep, and on the Arlberg 
 it lies from September till June, though fortunately for us it 
 had none now. It takes two and a half hours to ascend, and 
 at the summit we are six thousand two hundred feet above 
 the level of the sea. At the top of the mountain is a Hos- 
 pice inhabited by a brother of the order of St. Christopher, 
 " Its original founder was a poor foundling who served in 
 the family of a farmer as coAvherd, and on Sundays followed 
 the farmer to church, bearing his sword. The sight of many 
 
94 TRAVELLING APPRENTICES. 
 
 dead persons who had perished in the snows of the Arlberg, 
 whose eyes and bodies the birds had eaten, affected the boy 
 so deeply that he began with the help of God and St. Chris- 
 topher (as he himself recorded) and with no other pecuniary 
 means than about eight dollars, the earnings of ten years' 
 service, to devote himself exclusively to the preservation of 
 wayfarers, and saved the first winter, seven men's lives. 
 Henry Findelkind from this time devoted himself to this 
 charitable object, and before his death had saved no less than 
 fifty lives, traversing Europe to obtain alms to carry on this 
 good work, and enrolled among the brotherhood of St. 
 Christopher the names of many princes and nobles, who I 
 believe, still continue it." 
 
 The Austrian Government does more for the education of 
 her subjects, and the establishment of schools than any other 
 government in Europe except Prussia, and for the last cen- 
 tury has been ceaselessly employed in establishing schools 
 throughout its extensive dominions ; and the number of per- 
 sons who understand the common branches of education is 
 beyond comparision greater than in France or England. No 
 person can marry, or set up a trade, without producing a cer- 
 tificate of having attended school a certain number of years, 
 and even after they have learned a trade, they are required 
 before they establish themselves, to travel three years to gain 
 experience in the world, as well asthe ways and inventions 
 appertaining to their different trades. All through the coun- 
 trywe have met these travelling apprentices, with a pack on 
 their backs, footing it along, sometimes coming up to the car- 
 riage, holding their caps for a gratuity, though they never 
 beg — if not given readily they depart. 
 
MOUNT RIGHIc 95 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 ASCENT OF MOUNT-KIGHI— TELL's CHAPEL— LAGO MAG- 
 GIORE---CATHOLIC FUNERAL — -FRUITS— THE PASS OF THE 
 SIMPLON, 
 
 Switzerland, September. 
 My Dear M— : 
 
 I have given you an account of our journeyings to the 
 lovely lake of Zurich, along the banks of the Zug Lake, to 
 where \Ye last took horses to ascend Mount Righi, " the ob~ 
 servatory," as it is called, of Switzerland. The ascent is 
 made, most of the way, by stairs formed by placing logs up 
 the side of the mountain ; and " such a gittin' up stairs," on 
 horseback, I never before attempted. Where it was too 
 steep, or too stony to fix the logs, our poor beasts had to 
 scramble up the face of the rocks as they best could ; and as 
 I sat on the back of one, as he v»^as thus clinging, as it were, 
 to the face of the mountain, it really seemed as if he must 
 fall backwards. I could not see myself, nor dared I turn to 
 look at those behind, but fancied there was a resemblance 
 to the pictures that represent Bonaparte in his passage up 
 the Alps ; and though the horses were as used to it as mill 
 horses to their daily round, they were almost drowned in 
 their own perspiration, and shook and trembled as if in an 
 ague, either from fear or fatigue — perhaps both. 
 
 Near the foot of the mountain we passed the buried town 
 of Goldau, which in 1806 was destroyed by a land-slide 
 from the top of a summit named Gniepen, which formed part 
 of Mount Righi. Four hundred and fifty-seven persons were 
 
96 CANTON OF ZUG. 
 
 killed by it, and the whole valley was covered with earth and 
 blocks of stone to the depth of some hundred feet, besides 
 filling up a part of the Lake Laverne. The grass has now 
 grown over the ruins, and a road passes through the valley 
 to Schwiz ; where Goldau was, they have built a chapel, a 
 parsonage, and an inn. The view, as you ascend, is finely 
 varied ; at different turns you see the beautiful, the pictu- 
 resque, and the sublime. Mount Righi stands almost apart 
 and sepa.rated on all sides from the peaks that surround it. 
 It is washed at its base by three lakes — the Zug, Laverne, 
 and Lucerne : the two first you view alternately as you fol- 
 low the windings of the zig-zag path from Art or rather 
 Goldau. Near the summit is a bit of table-land on the edge 
 of a precipice, from whence you look down, and immedi- 
 ately under you, at an immense depth below, lies the lake 
 of Lucerne ; and at the foot of the mountain, on the banks 
 of the lake, in a little bay, is the berg of Kussnacht. There 
 are two or three inns at different stations as you ascend, a 
 convent occupied by some monks of the Capuchins, and a 
 convent of " Notre Dame de Niege,^^ (Our Lady of the 
 Snow.) When we had accomplished two -thirds of the as- 
 cent it commenced raining, and ere we reached the top w^e 
 were enveloped in a thick mist, in which there was really 
 danger of losing our way, or each other. At the summit, 
 near seven thousand feet above the level ofthe sea, is a good 
 hotel, and this we reached at a late hour — cold, wet, and 
 hungry. 
 
 In the morning we were awakened by the rain and sleet 
 pattering against the panes, and on looking out, found the 
 ground covered with snow. On descending to the salle-a- 
 manger, we found every one preparing for his departure, in 
 spite of wind and weather, from a dread of the threatened 
 embargo. I am sorry to disappoint you by depriving you of 
 mv observations from the " observatory" of Switzerland, but 
 
LAKE LUCERNE. 97 
 
 were influenced by the motions of the rest, and by eight 
 
 o'clock we were winding our way down again : P with 
 
 his long mountain pole, with a sharp pike in one end, to 
 help him in the steep descents, and I seated in a sedan- 
 chair, well wrapped up, with two hardy mountaineers as 
 bearers — -horses not being deemed safe in descending. We 
 descended by a path leading to Kussnacht, near which place 
 is Tell's Chapel, erected on the spot where Tell killed Ges- 
 ler ; a road winds past it, and it was by this road he was 
 passing when he fell : and on a grassy bank by the road- 
 side, is a clump of trees in which Tell was concealed when 
 he sent the fatal shaft. It is a pretty little chapel, in a pic- 
 turesque situation, and, with all its associations of tale and 
 history, calculated to please the most fastidiously romantic . 
 I remained in the porch of the chapel, gazing upon the paint- 
 ing above the door, illustrative of the incidents the chapel 
 was built to commemorate, until my bearers were rested. 
 We then resumed our way along a level road, and in a short 
 time my good conductors set me down within the door of 
 the inn at Kussnacht. where, after taking a schnap and re-, 
 ceiving their pay, they wished us bon voyage and left us. 
 
 On the morning we left Lucerne, we cast many a linger- 
 ing look behind ; but soon found new and beautiful ob- 
 jects for all our glances, in the grand and imposing scenery 
 of this lovely lake. The morning was chilly, owing to the 
 rain that had lately fallen, and which had covered the 
 mountain tops in the vicinity with snow ; and owing to its 
 being a little cloudy, this last, with the height and grandeur 
 of the mountains on every side, gave to the lake an air of 
 stillness and solemnity very imposing. We were shown, in 
 passing, the spot where Tell leaped from the boat in which 
 he was a prisoner, and thus escaped his captors. On this 
 spot, too, a chapel is built, though not so pretty a one as that 
 at the foot of Righi, Near this, at Grutz, is the place where 
 
 5 
 
ye TELLS COUNTRY DEVIL'S BRIDGE. 
 
 the three confederates, Walther, Uri, and Werner, held their 
 meetings and took their oaths. 
 
 The scenery of this lake is very varied, and exceeds, I 
 think, all the others that I have seen, and which I thought 
 impossible to be surpassed : it is like a moving panorama of 
 the beautiful, the lovely, the picturesque, and the magnifi- 
 cently grand and imposing. We landed at Fuellan, and at 
 Altorf took coach for the ascent of Mount St. Gothard, which 
 commences soon after leaving the village of Altorf, Both 
 these last places are interesting from their association with 
 many incidents in the life of William Tell. It was at Altorf 
 that the scene took place of his shooting the apple from the 
 head of his child, and they have in the public squares one 
 or two statues and paintings illustrative of the event ; indeed, 
 the whole country through which we have lately passed is 
 called " Tell's Country." The commencement of this won- 
 derful mountain-road is comparatively easy. We followed 
 the course of the Ruisse, all the way up the mountain, first 
 on one side, then on the other, crossing it by five bridges ; 
 and I think we did not lose sight or sound of it all the way 
 to the summit, where it has its course with the Rhine, the 
 Rhone, and the Tercino. The Ruisse, like all rivers fed by 
 the snows of the mountains, is a rushing torrent, forming a 
 number of whirling rapids and cascades ; over one of the 
 largest of these is the Devil's Bridge, around which the sce- 
 nery is grand and horrific. There are still seen the remains 
 of the old bridge, blown up by the French, in 1799, causing 
 such havoc of human life. Notwithstanding its dilapidated 
 condition, Suwarrow contrived to pass over it shortly after, 
 by means of beams of wood fastened together with the offi- 
 cers' scarfs, though at the cost of many lives. The bridge 
 seems to connect the stupendous mountains rising abruptly 
 from a gorge, through which thunders a roaring, rushing and 
 rapid waterfall, forming a scene of wild and savage gran- 
 
THE ST. GOTHARD. 99 
 
 deur. The ascent here is very steep, made by galleries in 
 the face of the mountain. As we neared the summit we 
 found the road, as well as all around us, covered with snow, 
 and pretty flowers peeping through. There are villages 
 scattered along this mountain pass, churches, and solitary 
 houses ; yet there is not a tree, and scarce a shrub, any 
 where to be seen : and though on the summit there is a 
 village, and even a good inn, it is impossible to imagine 
 where they procure fuel enough to warm them through the 
 bitter cold of the long, dreary winters they must experience 
 here. 
 
 At the summit, we are nine thousand feet above the sea. 
 Certainly I have never been so near heaven in point of alti- 
 tude as here, and one's thoughts and feelings cannot do 
 otherwise than ascend when surrounded with the wonders 
 of the Almighty hand. I found myself sighing several times 
 with the intensity of my feelings, as I looked upwards from 
 these dark mountain passes ; and once, when wrapped in 
 wonder, and I may say devotion, I was almost startled out 
 of my propriety by the shrill bark of a little dog breaking in 
 upon the silence, and I certainly thought him a bad name, 
 though I did not utter it. It has a singular appearance, when 
 thus high to look down and around upon the surface of the 
 clefts and ridges of other promontories, and it seemed to me 
 now that Mount Righi and the Arlberg were but half grown 
 mountains. Like as a man who, by some little talent, but 
 more by the aid of cdventitious circumstances, reaching the 
 highest point of his ambitious aspirings, passes regardless 
 by those who, in the innocence and artlessness of boyhood, 
 he looked up to with respect and veneration. Our moun- 
 tains will have to grow some time yet before they are as tall 
 as those of this country. Ours seem, like the country, young 
 and new, while these seem coeval with time itself; and you 
 cannot but experience a feeling of awe and veneration when 
 
100 THE PASS OF ST. GOTHARD. 
 
 you look upon these hoary patriarchs as they rear their 
 " frosty pows" skyward : and the effect is beautiful, as you 
 see them sometimes through a light transparent haze, in 
 which apparently a third of them is enveloped. 
 
 There was formerly a road over this mountain, but when 
 the pass of the Simplon was completed, its superiority gave 
 it a preference, and this fell to decay ; but since then another 
 has been constructed, by the inhabitants of Tercino, in Italy, 
 and of Altorf, Shortly after its completion, however, a storm 
 destroyed a large portion of it; but with the aid of the Em- 
 peror Joseph II., it was finally completed, and does credit 
 to the skilful engineer who constructed it. The steepest 
 part of the ascent and descent is made by galleries. The 
 road winding in a zig-zag manner up the size or face of the 
 mountain, is supported by stone walls, guarded at the outer 
 edge by short stone pillars ; and as you view them from 
 below, it has the appearance of a fortress — the fortifications 
 with their turrets and battlements, rising one above the other. 
 In the descent, on the Italian side, there is a succession of 
 waterfalls, six of them at short distances, one below the other, 
 each falling from twelve to thirty feet ; and as we turned, 
 in the windings of the gallery, we were vis-a-vis and dos-a- 
 dos with them for some twenty times ; till at last, in cross- 
 ing a bridge, we had the whole in view at once, with the 
 dark valley behind extending far beyond. 
 
 At Bellinzona we took steamer and sailed along the Lago 
 Maggiore, so celebrated for its beautiful scenery and its 
 lovely isles Borromeo ; and unspeakably lovely it is, with 
 charming Isola Bella, Isola Madre, Piscana, and Giovanni, 
 which have not been too much extolled, for no pen, however 
 graphic, can do justice to a truly beautiful landscape : it 
 cannot present the ripple of the wave, the changeful and 
 varying tints of the evening sky, or the movements of ani- 
 mate and inanimate nature, that give life and beauty to the 
 
LOMBARD Y. 101 
 
 scene. We landed at Cesto Callende, and arrived in Milan 
 at eight o'clock, having enjoyed a magnificent sunset. I have 
 just been into a church near by, to see the Catholic funeral 
 service performed over the body of a young girl that was 
 borne past the hotel. The procession was headed by a num- 
 ber of sisters of charity, with blue dresses, white aprons, and 
 white muslin veils over the head ; next came a long line of 
 priests, with long black dresses and short lace ones ; then 
 the coffin, covered with a rich pall of white satin, embroid- 
 ered in silk and gold, and bordered with a heavy fringe of 
 gold, and tassels of the same ; then followed friends and rela- 
 tives, with black veils, bearing in their hands lighted wax 
 candles, very long ; and all chanting, the men and the 
 women alternately ; and now as I write, the rich strains of 
 the organ, mingled with the music of mournful voices, is 
 heard distinctly from the church — for we could not stay to 
 see the whole, having this letter to dispatch. 
 
 In the land of the vine, olive and fig-tree — a land literally 
 flowing with milk and honey — I take my leave. En verito, 
 what a feast I could send you, if there were ways and means 
 expedient. Such luscious grapes — white, purple, and red — • 
 so sweet and juicy ! Such exquisite figs, that grow by the 
 way-side and on the mountain ; delicious peaches and plums 
 as large as eggs ; good apples, and pears in the greatest 
 variety and abundance I have ever seen, with oranges and 
 lemons, brought from a little farther south ; add to these 
 gi-een hazle nuts, chesnuts, and Madeira nuts, fresh from the 
 tree, and something you have never tasted, chamois' meat 
 and goat's cheese, fresh, and I think I have given a very 
 good set off to Mr. S's list of lonnes houches that he sent 
 to tempt us home. Wishing you much enjoyment of the 
 same, I bid you adieu. 
 
102 CAVE OF ADELSBERG. 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 CAVE OF ADELSBERG THE RIVER POIK BALL ROOM 
 
 UNDER GROUND PROTEUS ANGUINUS THE BORER. 
 
 Trieste, October, 
 As Mr. C. will send from this point, I have determined to 
 finish my letter, giving you instead of Greece, a description 
 of the cave of Adelsberg, which I think will equally please 
 you. Adelsberg is about thirty-six miles from Trieste. The 
 grotto is said to be the most wonderful and extensive, as well 
 as beautiful, in all Europe, perhaps in the whole world. We 
 had with us all day the Sirocco or south wind, which blows 
 from the S. E., coming from the Levant, and is at times very 
 hot and oppressive. Leaving the busy town of Trieste, we 
 entered upon a barren, arid and mountainous region, not 
 altogether uninteresting however, for the face of the country 
 is very singular in its appearance. On the sides or banks of 
 the road where the different strata were perceptible, you 
 see alternate layers of earth and lime-stone, the latter vary- 
 ing from one to six inches in thickness. These layers run 
 in every direction through the ground perpendicularly, hor- 
 izontally and diagonally, and being broken or separated into 
 small pieces, resemble rows of brickwork. On the sur- 
 face the ground is covered with stone that has the appear- 
 ance of having been melted. It would almost seem that by 
 some convulsion of nature, a mountain had crumbled and 
 fallen to pieces, scattering its fragments over the whole 
 country. About three P. M. we reached the entrance of 
 the cave, an archway or opening in the face of the rock to 
 which the road ascends. Below, at a short distance from 
 
GROTTO OF ADELSBERG. 103 
 
 this, is another cavernous opening, through which the river 
 Poik enters and disappears beneath the mountain. As soon 
 as we were fairly in the mouth of the cave, the guides lighted 
 their torches, and with baskets filled with candles and 
 matches, were prepared to lead the way, and we commenced 
 our march "into the bowels of the land." Near the en- 
 trance is a deep ravine where the guide told us by building 
 steps, thus enabling them to descend some two hundred feet, 
 they could enter another cavern that extended a mile farther, 
 in a direction not yet explored. Not far from this we enter 
 a lofty chamber, called the Duomo. Here the river Poik 
 makes its appearance, rushing like a torrent far below, los- 
 ing itself again in the bowels of the mountains, reappearing 
 at Platina, being, as is supposed, identical with the river 
 Unz. Planks of wood, it is said, thrown into the stream of 
 the cavern appear in that river after ten or twelve hours. 
 This chamber is more than a hundred feet high, and the 
 river is crossed in one place by a natural bridge of one 
 arch; another passage is made by an artificial bridge 
 erected for the purpose. Crossing this we descend by steps 
 of wood to a great depth, and on the other side again ascend, 
 and enter an extensive range of chambers. As we looked 
 back before entering, the effect was beautiful, aided by the 
 brilliant light of some one hundred candles which the guides 
 that preceded us had placed there. The lofty dome with its 
 beautiful chrystal pillars of stalactite, glittered like diam- 
 onds, the rushing of the subterranean torrent in the depth 
 below, and the long row of lights winding along the cause- 
 way, steps and bridge, produced an effect indescribable and 
 incomparable. We stood half frightened, half amazed, with 
 the exclamations — wonderful ! beautiful ! bursting from us 
 at every respiration, till the guides motioned us on to new 
 beauties and greater marvels. Stalactites had formed them- 
 selves into every shape that was curious, fantastic or beau- 
 
104 GROTTO OF ADELSBER0. 
 
 tiful, with stalagmites rising to make good any deficiency? 
 or to add new beauties to the whole. There were organs, 
 whose pipes when struck, sent forth notes of liquid harmony 
 or sonorous bass ; bells whose sounds reverberated through 
 the windings of this mysterious grot. Gardens filled with 
 petrified flowers, and trees to which had been given names 
 according to their likeness, the rose, the cauliflower, the 
 Cyprus, and the banyan. Many a beautiful clustered col- 
 umn and painted archway reminded us of the gothic tracery 
 of the most magnificent cathedrals. One beautiful curtain 
 or flag of the many that we saw, fell in folds so easy, grace- 
 ful and natural, as would have immortalized the chisel of a 
 modern sculptor. All within is vast and magnificent, and 
 so easy of access and exploration, there is scarce a place 
 that requires you to stoop, and your admiration is constant 
 and unceasing from the continued variety and novelty of the 
 objects that present themselves successively to the mind and 
 eye. One of the largest of the chambers is converted once 
 a year into a ball-room, and here all the peasants of the 
 country for miles around assemble to enjoy themselves? 
 making the vaults resound with the notes of music and re- 
 velry. The cave is in most parts damp, drops of water 
 hanging pendant from the point of every stalactite. Many 
 are of a rich yellow, some of a beautiful rose color, others 
 white as the purest alabaster and as transparent — the 
 drapery, too, which in many parts of the grot is beautifully 
 transparent and bordered with an inch or two of stripes 
 of red, yellow and white, when seen with lights placed 
 behind it, appears like the work of magic. I fancy 'twas 
 here that Aladdin found his wonderful lamp. We were 
 nearly three hours exploring the grot, and at a pretty quick 
 pace, as we had had a long ride and as yet no dinner. It 
 is reckoned two miles in length. We were constantly walk- 
 ing, and from the time spent, and the fatigue we experienced, 
 
THE PROTEUS. 105 
 
 I should judge we had accomplished at least five miles before 
 we made our exit. The surrounding country abounds in 
 caves, one would almost think that the mountains here had 
 at some prior time been submitted to the action of fire till 
 they boiled and congealed in bubbles. At the inn where 
 we dined, we were shown an animal that is only found in 
 one of the caves, called " Proteus Anguinus." It is in ap- 
 pearance between a fish and a lizard ; it is of a flesh color, 
 and its respiratory organs combine both internal lungs and 
 gills, to enable it to breathe both in air and water. The 
 gills placed on each side of the head as in a fish, are of a 
 bright red color resembling small branches of coral. It has 
 no eyes, but small points in the place of them. It has been 
 sometimes found at Sittich, about thirty miles distant, and is 
 supposed to exist in Sicily, but is known in no other part of 
 the world. It cannot bear the light, and requires to be kept 
 in an equal temperature. And now I have done with the 
 cave, how does it compare with those you have seen in 
 America ? We were obliged to ride two hours in a driving 
 rain to reach our sleeping place, with a boreas or north 
 wind from the Alps blowing cold and fierce all the way, so 
 fierce indeed is this borer, as it is called here, that we are 
 told that the heavy travelling wagons of the country are 
 not unfrequently overturned by it, utterly unable to contend 
 with it, and are wrecked on land. The next morning after 
 passing over the blank and dreary space that intervenes, the 
 town of Trieste opened upon us most beautifully, situated as 
 it is along the shores of its fine bay or gulf, its white houses 
 spreading over the hill sides, that enclose the town and ex- 
 tend themselves in points and promontories on either side of 
 its fine harbor, filled with vessels from all parts of the world ; 
 while the eye rests with delight upon the white capped 
 waves of the Adriatic, with its waters so " darkly, deeply, 
 beautifully blue," its wide expanse stretching outward till it 
 
 5* 
 
106 TRIESTE. 
 
 is lost in the lighter blue of the sky above, and to this lovely 
 picture, the Alps ofStyria, and the mountains of Istria, form 
 a beautiful blackground. Trieste is a busy, active, bust- 
 ling seaport, and the hum of human voices on the quay in 
 front of our hotel, is constant and unceasing. We leave 
 here to-morrow in the steamer for Athens, touching at An- 
 cona, Corfu, Patras, and Corinth, spending some days at 
 each place. 
 
CARLO BORROMEO. 107 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 CARLO BORROMEO DUOMO OF MILAN VENICE ANCONA 
 
 CORFU IONIAN ISLES PATRAS ATHENS. 
 
 Athens. 
 I MUST retrograde a little to where I left you in my last, 
 which I believe was in or about Milan. I mentioned 
 our descent on the Italian side of the Alps, our sail along 
 the Lago Maggiore, the beautiful Borromeo Isles, on the 
 shores of which is a collossal statue about eighty feet high 
 of St. Carlo Borromeo, who, by his good and holy life, 
 raised to himself a pillar of fame cemented by many a pious 
 work, and by his deeds of charity alone, secured to himself 
 (in the esteem of the Milanese) a crown of glory, and so 
 much was he loved in life and worshipped after death by 
 them, that they have enshrined him in that ecclesiastical 
 wonder, the Cathedral of Milan. This shrine is a circular 
 room, sides and ceiling entirely lined with silver and gilt, 
 and ornamented with various beautiful devices of the same 
 precious metals. The sides of the room are divided into 
 many compartments, beautifully embossed and chased, de- 
 picting the remarkable incidents in his life — one where he 
 is distributing an enormous sum as alms to the poor during 
 a famine — in another he is administering the sacrament in 
 the streets of Milan, to the populace dying of the plague, 
 which he is thought by his prayers to have stayed, standing 
 like Aaron between them and the destroying angel. After 
 this your attention is called to an immense casket of silver 
 and gilt, richly embossed, when, by the aid of a windlass, 
 the front of it is raised, and in a chrystal case, bound to. 
 
108 DUOMO OF MILAN. 
 
 gether with bands of gold, and hung with the richest votive 
 offerings, the gifts of kings and princes, you see the body of 
 St. Carlo himself, his black and almost fleshless skull in 
 horrid contrast with the magnificent drapery of his rich pon- 
 tifical robes, his gorgeous mitre and crosier, and the crown 
 of gold suspended over his head. Poor, poor humanity ! 
 what a frail tenement is its earthly tabernacle ! But we 
 will ascend again to the temple above, and which is itself 
 in the form of a shrine rather than of the usual Greek or 
 Latin cross. Methinks in its exterior beauty and elaborate 
 workmanship it might compare with the temple of Solomon 
 in all its glory. The wisdom of many a Solomon during 
 five centuries has been exercised in the design of its archi- 
 tecture, and the artificers of many lands have exerted their 
 utmost taste and skill in its beauty and ornaments. They 
 are still at work, and when its fifteen thousand statues shall 
 all be completed, whoever lives to see it, may well pro- 
 nounce it a miracle of the work of men's hands. Its ins- 
 terior strikes you with awe and admiration, from its not 
 being divided into shrines or chapels, but left in one wide 
 expansive space, and as you stand under its lofty dome, the 
 light streaming through its richly stained windows, and re- 
 flecting their variegated hues on the beautifully tessellated 
 pavement below, and list to the rich strains of the organ 
 pealing and reverberating through the vaulted arches, while 
 clouds of perfumed incense are wafted around you, there is 
 a spirit of awe that makes you feel that you are in the 
 temple of the Lord, and that " the Lord is in His holy tem- 
 ple," and bids you "keep silence before him." But I must 
 pass on. We visited Como's Lake, and leaving Milan^ 
 passed through Brescia and Verona, visiting the fine amphi- 
 theatre of the latter said to be the most perfect now re- 
 maining of its very ancient tombs and monuments; thence 
 to Vicenza and Padua, where we remained long enough to 
 
PADUA VENICE. 109 
 
 visit the tomb of Antenor, its founder, likewise of Livy ; saw 
 the Egyptian figures brought by Belzoni the traveller, and 
 with a young Italian gentleman, our fellow traveller, and 
 who had been a student here, visited its ancient university, 
 so renowned in former and in the present time, and walked 
 through a beautiful grove not only shaded by many fine 
 trees, but containing some fifty statues of the learned men 
 of Padua and others, who had made themselves a name by 
 earning fame. A rail-road conveyed us from Padua to the 
 gulf of Venice, where a gondola awaited us, and we were 
 soon gliding across the Lagoons, and Venice with her thous- 
 and isles rose from the bosom of the sea. With it a thou- 
 sand years came rushing by filled with the history of the past, 
 and we have sailed along its grand canal, past its many 
 palaces so sad, so ruined, so deserted, and yet so beautiful 
 without, " as if the wealth within them had run o'er ;" past 
 its dark and sombre prison replete with death and mournful 
 memories, sighed on its " Bridge of Sighs," crawled through 
 the " dripping vaults," and in the " plombed cells," seated 
 myself in the doge's chair in the hall of inquisition, walked 
 through the chamber of the " Council of Ten," those of the 
 Senate and the " Grand Council," ascended the Scaladero, 
 and descended the marble steps " down which the grizzly 
 head of old Faliero rolled" — have seen the " winged lion" 
 and its many mouths, the proud symbols of Venice in her 
 power and glory — the stone of shame on which debtors were 
 absolved, and that on which criminals atoned for their crimes 
 by pouring out their blood, and have stood on the porphyry 
 stone, marking the spot in old St. Mark's where once an 
 emperor knelt — the proud Frederick Barbarossa, to receive 
 on his bended neck the foot of the haughty Pontiflf Alexan- 
 der III., and have moved almost entranced before the portal 
 of this gorgeous, mystical and mosque-like pile, with its five 
 hundred columns of precious marbles, and its mosaics of rich 
 
110 IONIAN ISLES. 
 
 vivid hues on their glittering field of gold, have climbed its 
 tall Campanile, and viewed its many isles, each crowned 
 with its sainted church, and last of all, have gondoliered by 
 moonlight. 
 
 I must not omit to mention that I have had a visit from 
 the young Count Medin, and oh ! how sweet and beautiful 
 he is, with his soft dark eyes, and long dark and silken ring- 
 lets. He does look like our little H., as his father said when 
 we showed him her miniature at Berlin — a resemblance 
 which made me heartily homesick. At four P. M., we left 
 Trieste in a steamer, and the next morning, after a rough 
 and boisterous night, were anchored in the harbor ofAn- 
 cona. I was too ill, or rather weak, from the effects of sea- 
 sickness, to land, which we were obliged to do in a small 
 boat over a sea still very rough. But all told me I had 
 much the best view where I was. The city is built on 
 two conical hills, the houses rising in tiers till they reach 
 the apex of each — one being crowned by a fine old 
 church, the other by a convent. From each of these hills 
 a mole extended out on either side the harbor, one built by 
 Trajan, the other by Pope Clement VII. On each of these 
 was an arch, one erected by the wife and sister of Trajan, 
 to commemorate his landing, and which is still in good pre- 
 servation and very beautiful, the other, in comparison, dark, 
 heavy and cumbersome. About seven in the evening we 
 moved out of the harbor, the lights in the many houses on 
 the hill sides glittering like fire-fiies in the darkness, and 
 giving the town a beautiful appearance. On the eve of 
 Thursday we were at anchor under the citadel of the Isle 
 of Corfu, (one of the Ionian Isles,) which is built on the 
 summit of a high and steep rock overhanging the side. 
 The next morning we landed early and took a carriage. A 
 drive of two hours enabled us to see the most interesting 
 parts of the island — groves of olive trees with their pretty 
 
CORPTJ. Ill 
 
 fruit and beautiful leaves, emblems of peace — -the dark green 
 of the foliage in wonderful contrast with the time-worn, 
 venerable trunks ; mingled with these were oranges and 
 lemons with their golden fruit, fig-trees, pomegranates, and 
 the bamboo waving its slender and graceful leaf, hedges of 
 the Cactus (a century plant) of an enormous size, and more 
 beautiful still Avere the hedges of roses and geraniums in 
 full bloom. Dahlias and other flowers in rich profusion, 
 and myriads of singing birds filling the air with their joyous 
 notes rejoiced as did we in the balmy atmosphere. A soft 
 haze enveloped the sky, mountain and water, giving even to 
 the rocky coasts of Albania, that " rugged nurse of savage 
 men," a softness and beauty of coloring that nothing but ac 
 tual observation can do justice, or give credence to. It is 
 all one lovely, dreamy vision. We returned to the esplan- 
 ade in front of the Governor's, to see a review and hear 
 some fine music from the band, our boat which left next 
 day at one P. M., passing by the little Isle of Vido and 
 " Ulysses' sail," which, overtaken by Neptune, was " here 
 rooted down to everlasting rock." We had the Albanian 
 coast in sight till dark, and I counted nineteen Greek boats 
 with their tall, slanting lanteen sails ranged along its 
 rocky sides. Next morning we had the pleasure of a 
 ramble in the town of Patras, which we had reached in 
 the night, passing the islands of Zante and Cephalonia. 
 This town suffered extremely during the Greek revolution, 
 having been burnt by the Turks, as they fled, on the rising 
 of the inhabitants, to the fortress, on a hill behind the town, 
 which still remains, though much dilapidated. We climbed 
 its heights, however, and had a fine view of the surrounding 
 scenery of mountain, sky and water, while the new town 
 lay like a model at our feet. Both here and at Corfu we 
 were amid a Greek population, but I must reserve till some 
 
112 LEPANTO — CORINTH. 
 
 future time the description of their beautiful Albanian cos- 
 tume. 
 
 Athens. 
 
 Shortly after leaving Patras we enter the gulf of Lepanto 
 or Corinth, guarded on either side of its narrow entrance by 
 handsome fortifications of recent construction. Soon after this 
 we were opposite the town of Lepanto, near which was fought 
 the celebrated naval battle by the combined fleets of the 
 christian states of the Miditerranean, under Don John of Aus- 
 tria, 1571, against the Ottoman fleet, the first signal defeat 
 experienced by the latter. The town itself, (like all Greek 
 towns,) is built on the hill side flanked by walls, which enclose 
 both town and harbor, running up to a point, and surmounted 
 on the summit by a castle. During our voyage across the 
 gulf, we have seen myriads of swordfish, their bright sides 
 gleaming in the sunshine, and their painted beak-like 
 mouths looking very singular. Two dolphins likewise 
 leaped from the sea, aflbrding a momentary glance. 
 
 We had a view of the summit of Mount Parnassus, but I 
 would have given much to have stood at the base, and drank 
 from the Castalian fount still existing there, but time and 
 circumstances would not permit. We landed here, and rode 
 across the Isthmus of Corinth, five miles, to the port of the 
 ^gean gulf, Calamachi, the ancient Cenchrea, where St. 
 Paul shaved his head because he had a vow, and where re- 
 sided Phebe, sister of the church, by whom he sent his epis- 
 tle to the Romans. It is a poor miserable dirty village now, 
 and swarms of Greeks covered the landing, and fill ed the 
 main street on our arrival. The Greeks are very curious. 
 You can never stop to buy a thing but you are immediately 
 surrounded by a swarm of inquisitive faces. But in my 
 opinion, " Madame," curiosity has been very much abused 
 and belied. What is a thirst after knowledge but curiosity 
 educated and refined ? Leaving Cenchrea, we were soon 
 
ATHENS. 113 
 
 making for the port of Piraeus, about five miles distant from 
 Athens. We counted fourteen ships of war of different na- 
 tions, now hovering about Greece, in consequence of the 
 late revolution, of which, of course, the papers have more 
 fully apprised you than I could. I only know that the 
 revolution was a bloodless one, and that the Greeks ob- 
 tained from the king what they required, a constitution : it has 
 been brought about, and all is now quiet as if nothing had 
 happened. We were soon comfortably settled in the " Ho- 
 tel des Strangers," and as soon as we had breakfasted, we, 
 with our Greek guide, bent our steps towards the heights, 
 which rise behind the new town, and which are so replete 
 with historic interest. We went first to the Temple of The- 
 sens, about the most perfect remains in Athens. Near this 
 are placed the marble chairs of the Areopagus. The Tem- 
 ple of Theseus is now used as a museum, and contains the 
 fragments and remains of many statues, pillars, tombs, in- 
 scriptions and various other relics, that can scarce be de- 
 cided upon, but are beautiful even in their broken and scat- 
 tered parts. Next, after ascending the Hill of Mars, we 
 found ourselves at the point where the council sat in the 
 open air in these marble chairs, still white and pure, and sat 
 during the hours of darkness, that they might not be preju- 
 diced by the sight of the criminal ; and here, too, are the two 
 stones on which sat the accuser and the accused. Sixteen 
 steps in the rock lead to it. 
 
 After making a descent, and winding round a short dis- 
 tance, we came to that point of the Hill of Mars where they 
 brought Paul to listen to his preaching of the " unknown 
 God," whom in their ignorance they worshipped, and here 
 I may say, that for once in my life, I have trodden in the 
 footsteps of St. Paul ; for here on this very stone-platform, 
 he stood when he delivered to the Athenians that beautiful 
 discourse, commencing " Ye men of Athens, &c," and you 
 
1X4 ATHENS. 
 
 can have no idea with what interest and pleasure I turnedto 
 the 17th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and read it on 
 my return from this holy spot. A cross deeply cut in the 
 rock behind, marks the spot, wide and long enough to con- 
 tain my humble self. Near this are enough of the remams 
 to mark the site of the church built to commemorate the 
 conversion of Dyonysius the Areopagite, by St. Paul. 
 After this we visited the prison of Socrates, hewn out of 
 the solid rock, and which at that time was only en- 
 tered from above. That entrance still remains as then ; 
 but another has since been made in the side, from this spot 
 you distinctly see the place of the council of the Areopagus 
 on the sides of the hill, by which he was tried and sentenced, 
 and here in this dismal spot he submitted to the sentence 
 and drank the fatal poison. I could give you an immense 
 catalogue of beautiful temples and places of much thril- 
 ling interest, but that would not suffice for you without 
 a description, which alone of any one of them would fill a 
 letter. One circumstance particularly struck us, as showmg 
 the wonderful changes in and about Athens. The bed of 
 the river Ilissus, which once admitted their vessels of war, 
 (of course not three deckers,) and which was crossed by a 
 bridge of a single arch of seventy feet in the span, the solid 
 and substantial piers of which still remain, is dry and gra- 
 velly and narrow as our rivulets, and even this slight remnant 
 is almost obliterated, and if I had not been told that there was 
 once a river here, I should have passed it regardless by. 
 
 We wandered amid the splendid ruins of the Parthenon 
 —the most beautiful building on the most beautiful site 
 in the world. There, too, is the Temple of Victory 
 without wings, which has been excavated and rebuilt, 
 piece by piece. Then there is the Odeon or theatre of 
 Herodes Atticus, erected in honor of his wife ; the theatre 
 and grotto of Bacchus, which we also visited. As we en- 
 
THE ACROPOLIS. 115 
 
 tered the Acropolis, through the Propylea— Mr. King said, 
 " remember you are now treading in the footsteps of the 
 great and learned Athenians ; for it was by this vestibule 
 they all ascended and entered." The Acropolis is enclosed 
 by walls, the foundations of which are generally attributed 
 to Themistocles, and contain a circuit of fifteen hundred feet 
 in length and five hundred in breadth, and all this space 
 within is covered with enormous masses of marble ruins. 
 From this height Mr. King pointed to the site of the Aca- 
 demy of Aristotle— the gardens of Plato, and we could dis- 
 tinctly see the little gulf in which was fought the great 
 naval battle between the fleet of Xerxes and the Athenians, 
 and the very point on which he is supposed to have been 
 seated to witness the battle. 
 
 Athens. 
 Two days have elapsed since my last writing, and those 
 we have spent in an an excursion to Marathon. " The 
 mountains look on Marathon, and Marathon on the sea," 
 and so did Mr. C. and his lady, and I shall from this time 
 forth dub myself a heroine, not alone that I have looked 
 on Marathon, but from the arduous and somewhat perilous 
 undertaking it was for me to accomplish. You may ima- 
 gine what a road it was when it takes eight hours to go 
 twenty-eight miles, and we went as expeditiously as possible 
 in seven. It is a mountain path so narrow, that even 
 two horses cannot pass, and the donkies and their drivers 
 that we met, had to scramble up the banks to allow 
 us to go on. In the valleys the road is over a bushy heath 
 or moor, and I can say now that " I know a bank whereon 
 the wild thyme grows," for the air was filled with the fra- 
 grance exhaled by the odorous herbs crushed beneath our 
 horses' feet. Byron, and so many other pens, have described 
 Marathon that it would be preposterous for me to attempt 
 it. I will only add my testimony, that it cannot be de- 
 
116 MARATHON. 
 
 scribed more beautifully than it is as a battle-field, with the 
 beautiful landscape that surrounds it. 
 
 It is enclosed on all sides by mountains, from the foot of 
 which it extends to the sea or gulf of Marathon, as that part 
 is called which washes the shores of the plain. We rode 
 over this plain, visiting the remains of the tomb of Miltiades, 
 the mound which was raised over the three hundred Atheni- 
 ans who fell in the battle— and along the shores of the blue 
 waters of its gulf, which is formed by the most graceful bend, 
 like the curve of a sickle. In the gulf were some lovely 
 islands, and on the opposite shore, at a short distance, the 
 mountains and lands of Negropont. When we retraced 
 our steps across the plain, the murky shades of evening 
 were fast gathering over the field, and enveloping all in twi- 
 light's dusky hues, save where the light of the departed sun 
 still lingered, reflected on the clouds which hovered over the 
 mountains, and as we passed the remains of the crumbling 
 monuments, we felt most sensibly, " where'er we trod, 
 'twas haunted, holy ground." On our way home we made 
 a " detour" to Mount Pentelicus, where are the quarries from 
 which ancient Athens was built, and where you see with 
 what labor they procured the immense blocks for build- 
 ing, by the chisel and hammer alone, gunpowder being 
 then unknown. I think we have now seen all that is most 
 interesting in Greece. We have visited mountain, hill and 
 ruin, till our senses ache with gazing to behold "the scenes 
 our earliest dreams have dwelt upon.'* , 
 
GREEK COSTUME. 117 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 GREEK COSTUME ISLAND OF SCIO—- RAVAGES OF THE 
 
 GREEK REVOLUTION SMYRNA CARAVAN OF CAMELS 
 
 VISIT TO THE SLAVE MARKET THE GOLDENHORN 
 
 CAIQUES PLEASURE COSTS, &;C. 
 
 Constantinople, November. 
 From the "city of the Sultan," within view of the "sub- 
 lime porte," in the town of Pera, amid a motley conglome- 
 ration of " Franks" from all parts of the world, and speak- 
 ing as many languages as must have formed a good part of 
 the confusion of tongues at the tower of Babel ; within 
 sound of the muezzin, (or call to prayer of the musselman,) 
 and withal, I may say, in the midst of a " city of the dead," 
 (for an extensive Turkish cemetery is beneath our window, 
 filled, as they all are, with a forest of the dark funeral cy- 
 press and an army of the turbaned tomb-stones, gleaming 
 like " sheeted ghosts" beneath their dark shadows,) my let- 
 ter from the far east is addressed. I omitted in my last 
 from Athens to describe the beautiful Albanian costume, of 
 which I can give you a specimen in the dress worn by our 
 guide Antonio Nicolaki, (who is considered the best cice- 
 rone in Athens,) when he came to us in his fete dress the 
 day we left. On his head was a high red cloth cap, with a 
 large gold ornament on the top of the crown, from which 
 hung a blue tassel of twisted silk cord, more than a quarter 
 of a yard long, and thick in proportion. The cap comes 
 quite low in the forehead, beneath it gleams the bright and 
 sparkling eye of black, with the arched brow and fierce 
 mustache. The snow-white cambric shirt is worn, Byron- 
 
 L 
 
118 GREEK COSTUME. 
 
 like — its collar and front thrown open to expose the throat 
 and chest. Next comes a vest of blue, (or any other color 
 that suits the wearer,) fastened across the breast with loose 
 braids, so as not to hide the shirt, and over this a jacket of 
 blue, and usually this is covered with embroidery of braid of 
 the same color ; but this of to-day was loaded with silver 
 braid, mixed with the blue, with a great deal of taste. The 
 sleeves are open all the way down, with buttons and loops 
 to fasten them together just as they like, which is generally 
 in the bend of the elbow, leaving the loose white sleeve of 
 the shirt free as well as the dark swarthy arm it exposes. 
 The bottom of the sleeve is cut pointed, and hangs loose 
 from the elbow, swinging gracefully to and fro with every 
 motion of the body. About the waist, which they pride 
 themselves in having very small, is bound a scarf of silk, 
 corresponding in color to the rest of the dress. Antonio's 
 was blue and white. This serves to confine the " fusten- 
 ella" (a skirt of fine white cotton, extending to the garter,) 
 made exceedingly full. Antonio said his contsrined one 
 hundred and fifteen breadths, and I should think it possible. 
 They wear drawers of red or white flannel or cotton, ac- 
 cording to the season. These are met at the knee by a 
 gaiter which meets the red sharp pointed slipper, and be- 
 low the knee the gaiter is confined by a crimson silk cord 
 or braid, wound round the leg till it forms a band as broad 
 as the hand, and these gaiters are by no means the least 
 ornamented part of the dress, being covered with embroidery 
 of braid, and ornamented on the calf with a huge rosette in 
 addition. To complete the costume, they have ever in their • 
 hand a string of beads, a yard long, fastened together at the 
 ends, which serve as a play-thing, and to say their prayers 
 by. Antonio's were of amber, and you may imagine, if my 
 description answers at all to the truth, that he was as he 
 thought himself, irresistible. I could not forbear expressing 
 
SMYRNA. 119 
 
 my admiration of his dress, and my strong desire to pack 
 him up and send him to America, to which he expressed his 
 ready will and strong desire to go, and seemed quite de- 
 lighted with the drift of my compliment. The picture cannot 
 be complete till you have seen a Grecian walk. They carry 
 themselves as if all the blood of their noble and warlike an- 
 cestors flowed in the veins of each individually, and the 
 motion of their loose flowing dress, gives to their movements 
 an indescribable grace. " Grace is in every limb, in every 
 motion dignity and ease," even in the lowest co w-herd, with his 
 goat-skin covering, the same is remarkable, and you cannot 
 but repeat your renewed admiration. Their King Otho, 
 with whom Mr. C. was much pleased, has the good sense 
 to adopt the Albanian costume. 
 
 Among the many beautiful islands of the Archipelago 
 which we passed, none, I think, was so lovely in appear- 
 ance as Scio, and none so interesting from the dreadful suf- 
 fering of its inhabitants, during that terrible and bloody re- 
 volution, and unsuccessful struggle for liberty, of these brave 
 Sciotes. Out of one hundred and twenty thousand only 
 nine hundred remained, the greater part were murdered, 
 some fled, and forty thousand were sold as slaves. The 
 island is rich and verdant, and towns and villages extend for 
 miles and miles along its coast, which are now almost, and 
 in some places totally deserted, and only the outer walls of 
 buildings standing. I know nothing that could have caused 
 such sad and mournful feelings as did the sight of these 
 ruined dwellings, scattered over hill and dale, and even the 
 thickly built towns, tenantless and deserted. 
 
 At Smyrna we were received with great kindness by the 
 Dutch consul, to whom we had letters, and equally well by 
 our own, to whom we had none, and on whom we had no 
 other claim, but that of a common country. There was a 
 presentation of sweetmeats and coffee at the Dutch consul's, 
 
120 A CARAVAN. 
 
 which I must describe to you. One servant offers a silver 
 waiter, on which is an empty silver cup, and on either 
 side, a silver dish containing sweetmeats. Spoons are 
 placed around the waiter, with which you taste one mouth- 
 ful of the sweets, and put the spoon you have used into the 
 empty silver cup. Another servant then steps up with a 
 waiter and hands you a cup of coffee in a little china cup, 
 about the size of H.'s toy cups. The little cups are held in 
 little stands, like egg cups of silver, of the most beautiful 
 filigree work you can possibly conceive. The coffee is 
 black and strong, with sugar, but no milk. Our consul, at 
 Smyrna, is a bachelor, but he gave us an excellent dinner, 
 and entertained us very kindly. We here, too, were served 
 with coffee in the same little fairy cups, with their exquisite 
 stands ; and better than all, as our boat put off to take us 
 to the steamer, he ran up our nation's banner to the top 
 of the flag-staff, near his dwelling, cheering our hearts and 
 eyes with the stripes and stars of our country's flag. While 
 at Smyrna, there arrived a caravan of camels, and the nar- 
 row streets were filled with these meek and patient crea- 
 tures, and their huge burdens looking about as oriental as 
 anything we have seen. You see a vast number of turbaned 
 Turks, seated cross-legged on their shop-boards, smoking 
 universally either the chibouk, with its stick some six feet 
 long, or the argila with its flexile and snake-like tube, and 
 the women with their yellow papooshes (or boots) with thin 
 soles, over which they wear in the streets mestlers or slip- 
 pers of the same color. A long loose robe, called a,feridgee, 
 with loose hanging sleeves, entirely covers the figure, (form 
 I believe they have none, for they are almost shapeless,) 
 while the face is enveloped in folds of thin muslin, through 
 which they see without being seen. Over this is thrown a 
 yashmac or veil of white cambric. Occasionally you can 
 get a glimpse of a face, when anything excites the wearer's 
 
THE SLAVE MARKET. 121 
 
 curiosity, and entices her to open the folds, and I must say, 
 that so far as I have seen, they may as well conceal them 
 out of pity to mankind, lest they should fright them with 
 their ugliness. They have usually fine eyes, but are very 
 pale and sallow, and all look alike, both in age and features. 
 Were I to meet twenty different ones singly, at intervals, I 
 should never know but that I had seen the same one at 
 every different turn. They lead such a dull life, poor 
 things, that, if like christian women, they are born with 
 souls, I should think it quite possible, according to the mus- 
 sufman creed, they would be soulless when they die. 
 
 We visited at Smyrna a slave market, but there were 
 only six or eight poor blacks, blacker than any I have ever 
 seen in America, yet withal better featured, and quite good 
 looking, but as savage and untamed as a wild Arab. They 
 approached us as we entered with loud cries and threaten- 
 ing gestures, and even laid hands on one of the gentlemen, 
 but the master came and restored order. We went into the 
 large square court, and looked into the wretched stalls with 
 which it is surrounded, all empty but one, whose tenant was 
 stretched out on his wooden bedstead eating some coarse 
 bread, but who, on seeing us, came violently forward and 
 shut the door in our faces. For my part I was glad to with- 
 draw from the sickening spectacle. Mr. C. has since visited 
 one here, where he says there were some four hundred, about 
 one hundred Circassians, very fair, but so closely veiled that 
 he could not judge of their beauty. The rest were blacks, 
 seeming very happy, laughing and chatting, and all came 
 forward offering themselves for sale. 
 
 We were all on deck on the morning of November 3d, 
 gazing with delight on the beautiful scenery of the Darda- 
 nelles, lined all the way on either side with minarets, forts and 
 fortifications. Near their entrance from the Archipelago we 
 passed the Isle of Tenedos, opposite to which are the plains of 
 
 6 
 
122 THE GOLDEN HORN. 
 
 Troy with its ancient mounds. We discussed the wondrous 
 feats of Leander and Lord Byron as w^e rounded Sestos and 
 Abydos, as well as the most feasible point for Xerxes' bridge, 
 listened with curious ear to the first muezzin we had heard, 
 as " Allah el Allah," (there is but one God and Mahomet is 
 his prophett) sounded from a tall minaret on our right, and 
 gazed with equally curious eye on the blood red flag with 
 its white star and crescent, as it fluttered in brightness on 
 the green bank amid a cluster of cypress which shadowed 
 the grave of a holy Turk. Among our passengers were 
 Turks with their shaven heads and long beards, and turbans 
 of various hues, at the hour of prayer turning their faces 
 towards Mecca, bowing their heads repeatedly to the ground 
 in prayer. I had before no idea of the size and vast 
 extent of this great city of the sultan. Entering from the 
 sea of Marmora we were sailing in the steamer nearly an 
 hour ere we turned the Seraglio point, and anchored in the 
 *' Golden Horn," and passing by all that time a thickly built 
 city, with houses literally crow^ding upon each other ; for 
 the streets are so narrow that the projecting flat roofs meet 
 over head. We passed first St. Stephana, a sort of sporting 
 ground — game abounding in the vicinity. Here the inha- 
 bitants of this great city of the east possess country seats, 
 and resort to enjoy the pleasures of the chase. A pretty 
 white house was pointed out as having been the residence 
 of Com. Porter, whose remains have recently been conveyed 
 to America. Then you pass the powder magazines and 
 barracks, both very handsome as well as extensive. Then 
 come the seven towers, and the thick, solid, handsomely or- 
 namented wall, built by Constantino, and now somewhat di- 
 lapidated, showing the marks of neglect and " decay's effac- 
 ing fingers," — which enclose the city of Stamboul, and extend 
 along the water's edge some twelve or thirteen miles. This, 
 as I have mentioned, is built along a gently rising ground, 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 123 
 
 with mosques and minarets, sprinkled plentifully among the 
 low and flat roofed dwellings. Along the ridge, alone, with 
 a beautiful sky for a back ground, I counted nearly thirty of 
 these immense mosques, with their huge and swelling domes 
 and cupolas, and along the water's edge as many more see 
 themselves mirrored in the glassy wave beneath, and all 
 throughout the city they mingle with the common dwellings. 
 The mosques have generally two minarets ; St. Sophia 
 has four, and that of Solyman the magnificent, six. These 
 minarets resemble much our tallest monuments, like that 
 of Washington at Baltimore, and are as high above the 
 mosques as that is above ordinary dwellings. They are of 
 uniform diameter until near the top, when they taper to a 
 point, and this part is painted black or slate color — the rest is 
 of a marble whiteness. Just below where this division is made 
 by the two colors, there is a gallery in which is an opening 
 whence the muezzin issues to announce the hour of prayer. 
 This he does in a singing monotonous tone four times, turn- 
 ing himself north, south, east and west, that all the nations 
 of the world may turn to the true God. 
 
 '* Allah el Allah" is cried five times a day, and then the 
 faithful wherever they may be, perform their ablutions, 
 washing their arms, feet and head, and kneel with their faces 
 towards Mecca, and bow their heads to the ground very 
 many times, sometimes till they are very much exhausted. 
 You know that it is not allowed a Mussulman to taste wine, 
 but it is said they now drink champagne and rum, which 
 Mahomet did not forbid, for the same reason that he did not 
 prohibit their traveling on railroads, as such things neither 
 existed or were dreamt of in his philosophy. These Turks 
 have such beautiful names for their beautiful things — the 
 " Golden Horn" for their harbor, filled with the ships of all 
 nations, whose thick and towering masts form a forest of 
 themselves. 
 
124 THE CAIQUES. 
 
 One of the prettiest sights here are the caiques dancing 
 on the waves in the " Golden Horn" in every direction. 
 They are in form like our Indian canoes, sharp at both ends, 
 long and narrow, and much ornamented with pretty carving, 
 though without paint. They have no seats, and you place 
 yourself in the bottom, and are so light that you must give 
 warning when you would change from one side to the other, 
 lest in an unguarded moment you topple the boat over. 
 These boats are in the place of carriages,of which there are 
 but few and until lately none, and it is said they number no 
 less than eighty thousand. Another of these places with 
 beautiful names is the " Valley of Sweet Waters," where 
 they go to pass their fete and holidays, and being at some 
 distance, the women go in a gilded cart, with a canopy over 
 the top, drawn by oxe«. I intend to have a ride in one 
 before I leave. I was conveyed from the steamer to our 
 lodgings in a palanquin, two men sustaining it behind, and 
 one before. The Turkish women, dressed like those in 
 Smyrna, with their feridgee of green, and notwithstanding 
 that they could not be seen, made use of their own eyes, 
 and stretched themselves in every way to get a view of the 
 interior of my unique conveyance. 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 125 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 FIRE TOWERS CEMETERIES " SWEE TWATERS OF EUROPE" 
 
 ROYAL BURIAL PLACE THE SULTAN CURIOUS WO- 
 MEN DOGS DERVISHES SAIL UP THE BOSPHORUS DR. 
 
 WOLFE VISIT TO ALI BEY INTERIOR OF HIS HAREM 
 
 CONVERSATION WITH HIS WIVES. 
 
 On one excursion we mounted a high tower — the fire 
 tower of Galata, from which the alarm of fire is given, as 
 well as information in what part of the city it has com- 
 menced. There are others at each extremity of the Golden 
 Horn, and these towers, like the minarets, are of uniform 
 circumference till within a few feet of the top, when like 
 them they taper to a point, the tapering part being painted 
 black, and surmounted by a gilt crescent. From their sum- 
 mits you have a most extensive view of the city, its beau- 
 tiful waters and lovely environs. Our road to the tower 
 lay through the extensive cemetery near our lodgings in 
 Pera, giving us therefore an opportunity of viewing more 
 closely one of these Turkish cities of the dead. Thousands 
 who once, like us, gazed upon these enchanting scenes, 
 were sleeping beneath the green turf pressed by our feet, 
 their dark and dreary tenements as thickly clustered as the 
 habitations of the living surrounding them. These ceme- 
 teries, some more extensive than others, are all alike in 
 other respects, filled with the tall dark funeral cypress, 
 seemingly the mournful sentinels of the dead, keeping their 
 lonely watch over the silent sleepers beneath the green 
 turf, which their tall shadows darken, as if they still mourn- 
 
126 THE CEMETERIES. 
 
 ed those forgotten by the living. They seem to be thor- 
 oughfares to all, and are in summer much resorted to as 
 places of enjoyment, where the inhabitants of this great city 
 repair and seat themselves on the green and verdant carpet 
 of nature's weaving, to chat, laugh, and eat ices and fruits. 
 The crowded pillars, with various head pieces, denote the 
 rank of those who sleep below, while a plain white painted 
 slab, with sometimes a simple rose, marks the resting place 
 of one of the gentler sex, while many other are richly gilt 
 or gaily painted. Now and then a temple-like building 
 forms a mausoleum for some modern Dives, and on the 
 steps of one, Major G. and myself seated ourselves, shel- 
 tered from wind and shaded from sun, awaiting the return 
 of Mr. C. and our dragoman Demetrius, who had gone to 
 procure some refreshments and warmer clothing, as v/e had 
 found the weather so promising in descending the tower 
 that we resolved to take a caique and go to the " Sweet 
 Waters of Europe," a lovely valley, one of the favorite 
 places here of resort to people of all nations. While await- 
 ing their return, we saw at a short distance, a number of 
 men bearing a body to the tomb. They do not put the dead 
 in coffins, but place the body on aplank, and cover it with 
 light thin boards, over which is thrown a gay looking pall. 
 They believe the soul is suffering from the time it leaves 
 the body until it is buried, and therefore the burial takes 
 place as soon as possible, and the men walk at a very hur- 
 ried pace while conveying it to the grave, believing, too, 
 that he who carries a body forty paces procures for himself 
 expiation for a great crime.They never open a grave to bury 
 another, and dig it but two feet deep, so as literally to 
 verify the antique wish, "May the earthrest lightly on him." 
 It is their custom also to plant a tree at the birth and another 
 at the death, of each member of a family, and a cypress is 
 always pla;nted at the head of a Moslem's grave, the aro- 
 
EYOUB. 127 
 
 matic odor of which is supposed to do away the effects of 
 pestilential vapors naturally consequent on burying so closely 
 together, and so near the surface, as is the custom here. 
 These cities of the dead, with their groves of cypress, are 
 marked and distinguishing features of a Turkish city. Sail- 
 ing along the Golden Horn we stopped at Eyoub, where is 
 a beautiful mosque, erected to Eyoub, or Job, the prophet 
 or companion of Mahomet. The court-yard was filled with 
 beautiful roses and other flowers in full bloom, but there was 
 no admittance into this Mahometan Holy of Holies for the 
 Giaour. Here the Sultan Mahmoud H., the Lion-Hearted, 
 was girded with the royal sabre by MoUah Hunkier one of 
 the Meolevea Dervishes with whom the office is hereditary, 
 and who was at the time only seven years old ; and here is 
 usually held the coronation of the sultans, the Westminster 
 Abbey of the Byzantic city. We went into the court of 
 the mosque and gathered some of the beautiful roses grow- 
 ing in profusion there, to which no objection was made, but 
 when we approached the other side of the Mosque, and drew 
 as near as we dared to get a view of the interior, we found 
 we could see only an inner sort of court in which grew an 
 immense tree, and asking our dragoman if money would 
 not here as elsewhere gain us admittance, he begged us 
 not to make the experiment. A venerable looking old 
 Mussulman with his long white beard and flowing robes 
 came forward, saying " we could gain entrance to other 
 mosques, but to this no christian was ever admitted.'" Near 
 the mosque is a sort of royal cemetery, containing the mau- 
 soleum of the unfortunate Selim who was murdered by 
 his cousin, the brother of the late Mahmoud, and who was 
 afterwards himself murdered by Mahmoud. He is here 
 iAterred with two of his wives in richly ornamented huge 
 coffins, covered with rich palls, and enclosed by magnificent 
 railings of mother of pearl. The walls are richly decorated 
 
128 THE SWEET WATERS OP EUR01*JE:. 
 
 with large gold Turkish characters, and around the enclos- 
 ure, on low stands, at short intervals, is placed the Koran 
 covered with a green baize. All this you see by looking 
 through the gilt lattice of the octagonal temple containing 
 the mausoleum itself. Opposite, with a street intervening 
 between, we entered an extensive enclosure, the burial 
 place of the Pachas, rich in marble, gaily painted and gilt, 
 made more beautiful still by the quantity and profusion of 
 roses and creeping vines it contained. A mausoleum con- 
 taining the remains of some of the present sultan's relatives 
 and friends, and a beautiful marble fountain in the form of a 
 temple with gilded lattices, complete the interesting and 
 beautiful collection in the suburb of Eyoub, We proceeded 
 on our way to the Sweet Waters of Europe, a pleasing 
 resort for the haut-ton of Pera, during the warm season, but 
 such places, calculated for the gay throng, have always a 
 desolate appearance at that season of the year when they 
 are deserted. Here is a mosque, a kiosk, and a harem, but 
 now all shut up and empty, and no one to open unto us, and 
 so after walking about these pleasant haunts for a short time,, 
 we returned home again, having a fine view of the city as 
 we approached. I enjoyed most, the sail up and down 
 the Golden Horn, of whose beauties one can never tire. 
 The sultan has some beautiful ships of war at anchor here, 
 with three or four tier of ^uns, fine vessels, but no sailors. 
 In the midst of these grim monsters of the deep is a beau- 
 tiful fairy like steam boat presented by Mehemet Ali a short 
 time since to the sultan. It is as gay as paint and gold can 
 make it, the after deck hung with rich hangings of green 
 brocade, (the royal color,) trimmed with gold lace and bul- 
 lion fringe, while the awning in front is crimson silk with 
 the same rich trimmings. The interior of the cabin is 
 fitted up in the richest style, and over the sultan's seat is 
 his name in Turkish characters set in diamonds. 
 
TUEKISH WOMEN. 129 
 
 Last Friday (the Mahomedan Sabbath) we went to the 
 palace gate to obtain a sight of the sultan on his way to the 
 mosque. From the gate of the palace to the corner of the 
 street opposite, a double file of soldiers, partly composed of 
 a band of fine musicians, were drawn up, all Turks. As 
 this is almost the only opportunity the people have of be- 
 holding their sovereign, they are permitted to improve it 
 by making known their wants and grievances through writ- 
 ten petitions, which they hold up as he passes by, and which 
 those about him receive ; and it is said that they are all 
 noticed, and an answer returned according as may be deemed 
 expedient by the higher powers. The petitioners ranged 
 themselves in the rear of the soldiers, and afler these was 
 a crowd of lookers on. On one side of the street, on a 
 sidewalk, a little raised, were some thirty Turkish women, 
 dressed as described in my last, nothing to be seen of their 
 faces but their eyes and part of the nose. I placed myself 
 in front of these, and soon found by their laughing and chat- 
 ting I had attracted their attention. I had heard that they 
 are always very curious to examine the dress of Frank la- 
 dies ; so at first I did not much regard them. Soon they 
 began asking questions of the guide, wishing to know if I 
 were the gentleman's wife. This inquiry was perhaps in- 
 duced by Mr. C. standing with his arm around to keep me 
 in my place in the crowd. 
 
 To enable myself to see the sultan better, I threw back 
 my veil, when directly I felt some one behind pull my man- 
 tilla, and press my arm to induce me to turn about. I had 
 been told the women were sometimes a little wicked, call- 
 ing hard names, and even striking, as they had done twice to the 
 wife of one of the British ministers. I hesitated, unwilling 
 to submit to such indignity, but as they all seemed to be 
 laughing and chatting very good naturedly among them- 
 selves, I ventured to turn round and^look some half dozen 
 
 6* 
 
J30 THE SrLTAN. 
 
 in the face, whereupon they nodded and smiled very gra- 
 ciously, and said something in Turkish which I took to im- 
 ply that they were gratified with my humouring them, and 
 they wanted nothing more. Presently the clock struck 
 twelve, the muezzin's call to prayer sounded from the tall 
 minaret near by, but the sultan did not obey the call very 
 promptly, whom all were on tiptoe to see. After some five 
 minutes or more there was a flourish of music, the double 
 file of soldiers guarding the street on either side presented 
 arms, two eunuchs, black as ebony, rode past on handsome 
 horses, finely caparisoned ; then came some officers of state, 
 in a costume half Frank, half Turk, followed by four fine 
 horses with their rich housings, led past. The music ceased, 
 and all was still as the Sultan Abdal Medjid issued forth on 
 a splendid black horse, recently presented by Mehemet All. 
 He is a young man of twenty-three, but looks at least ten 
 years older, being very feeble from the effeminate and indo. 
 lent life he leads. To-day, however, he looked finely, sit. 
 tin., erect onhishorse,carryinghimself ashandsomely as any 
 .oilier If in good health he would be decidedly handsome, 
 having good features, and fine eyes, which he fastened upon 
 us as he rode slowly along, while we returned the gaze as 
 earnestly. His dress was plain, but rich; a blue frock 
 coat, of which only the collar, richly embroidered with 
 gold, was seen, over this a cloak of blue cloth, fastened by 
 a clasp of precious stones ; on his head the fez or red cap, 
 with the heavy tassel of blue silk, which is worn by al the 
 soldiers, and on the front of his own cap a crescent of bril- 
 Hants. As soon as he had passed, the petitions were taken 
 by the ofiicers, and the crowd dispersed. As we walked 
 away, two or three of the Turkish women. stopped me, one 
 of them nodding and smiling, patted me, while I. smiled in 
 return, quite pleased that I had made so agreeable an im- 
 pression. After this, we took a walk in the bazaars, but 
 
THE BAZAARS. 131 
 
 they did not strike me with the splendor I anticipated 
 from the descriptions I had read. The streets here are all 
 narrow, dark, and filthy, and badly paved, and slippery with 
 mud, which as the sun cannot penetrate so far, is never 
 dry ; and then they are completely filled with horses, don- 
 keys, and men-camels, as the porters are called, bearing 
 such huge panniers, that you can scarce squeeze along, 
 without coming within an ace of being knocked over every 
 minute. 
 
 The dogs here, like New York pigs, are the city scaven- 
 gers, and allowed therefore to increase and multiply, and 
 from neglect and exposure many of them are diseased and 
 mangy. They lie stretched along by the houses, sleeping 
 all day, and barking and howling all night, to the great 
 annoyance of new comers. This is what you have to go 
 through to see these fine bazaars, or anything else here in 
 fact. Then the shops are small, low, and dingy, and the 
 keepers always sit cross-legged on the counter, smoking, 
 almost too lazy to wait upon a customer. In addition to 
 this, each branch or department of trade has its separate 
 quarter ; one portion being devoted entirely to leather, be- 
 side it, in vivid contrast, windows glittering with diamonds — 
 here a shop filled with pipes and tobacco, there one filled 
 with beautiful silver work, or rich silks and embroideries, 
 and so on to the end of the chapter. Leaving these, we 
 crossed in a caique to Pera, the Frank quarter, and our 
 home, near which is the place where the dancing Dervishes 
 perform their singular worship. When we entered they 
 were all hard at it. A wooden railing encloses a space of 
 some twenty-five feet diameter, the floor of which is pol- 
 ished either by wax, or more likely the frequent rubbing of 
 the feet. They are a sect of Mahometan monks, of which 
 there are different orders. Their dress is very singular. 
 The hat is of drab wool or felt, of a high conical shape, 
 
132 DANCING DERVISHES. 
 
 without a brim. The color of the dress varies from dark to 
 pea-green, and from dark to light brown, with a tight 
 jacket. From the waist to the feet, they wear a full bias 
 skirt, the feet being bare. They were eighteen in number 
 besides the high priest, who stands on one side on a carpet, 
 on which was placed a sheepskin. Opposite to him was 
 the orchestra raised about the height of a man. This con- 
 sisted of singers and instruments that sounded like a tam- 
 borine, and some wind instruments, and the music produced 
 was not bad, though strange to our untutored ears. The 
 high priest had, in addition to his cap, a green cloth wound 
 round it like a turban, and shoes upon his feet, he taking no 
 part in the dancing. The dancers were in two circles, one 
 within the other, all dancing at once, but each by himself. 
 Then with arms held high in air, their eyes closed, and the 
 most grave and solemn expression of countenance, they 
 commenced turning round, not at all unlike our waltzers, 
 except they take great pains to turn in their toes, and to 
 put one foot over the other a la pigeon. They go quite 
 rapidly, and their full skirts fill and stand out like huge fun- 
 nels, and they continue thus for twenty minutes, when at a 
 given signal they all stop— the high priest addresses them, 
 or says something, they reply bowing three times, then 
 kneel and kiss the floor between sentences which they ut- 
 ter, then rise and bow three times, and commence whirling 
 again for ten minutes more. After this, one of them called 
 a sheik, delivers an address for five minutes, after which they 
 place themselves in a line, one behind the other before the 
 high priest, and then walking up one after the other, they 
 bow before him, kiss his hand, and receive his blessing, 
 which he gives by putting his fore-flnger to his lips, and 
 then towards them, the foremost standing a little on one 
 side ; as the others come up they kiss, and give the blessing 
 in the same way to each other, till all have gone through 
 
DR. woirE. 133 
 
 the ceremony, which ends the performance. Then, covered 
 with warm cloaks to guard them from cold, they depart, and 
 the lookers-on disperse. 
 
 We have spent one day in sailing up the Bosphorus to 
 the Black Sea, but this is too beautiful for description. I 
 should mar its beauties by an attempt. We visited on our 
 return the Sweet Waters of Asia, or as the Turks call it, 
 "the Valley of Heavenly Water," of which so many beau- 
 tiful views are given in oriental landscapes. 
 
 To-day I have been to hear Dr. Wolfe, the celebrated 
 philanthropist and converted Jew, preach. He is now on 
 his way to Persia, to seek out two Englishmen who went 
 there, and not returning are supposed to be held in captiv- 
 ity, perhaps in slavery. I spent the evening at the house 
 of Mr. Goodell, the Congregational missionary. 
 
 Yesterday I went with Mr. and Mrs. Brown, our Charge 
 d'Affaires, to visit the harem of AliBey, or rather on a visit 
 to the Pacha himself, though the harem was what I was 
 most anxious to see. We arrived at the house or palace, ex- 
 tending a long way on the shores of the sea of Marmora, 
 and leaving our cloaks and shoes at the entrance, ascended 
 a stair-case, at the top of which was the eldest son about 
 thirty years of age, (dressed in a blue frock coat, much 
 braided, and the trousers and fez worn by all the Turks of 
 the higher orders.) He received Mr. and Mrs. Brown by 
 shaking hands, bowing to us as we were introduced. We 
 were led across the ante-room to an inner one, before the 
 door of which was a drop curtain. This was held aside 
 till we passed through. The Pacha, a man perhaps of fifty, 
 not more, met us, and motioned us to be seated, express- 
 ing his pleasure at seeing us, and inquiring after our health 
 in Turkish, Mr. B. interpreting, when anything was said to 
 interest us, or which required a reply. In the mean time 
 we looked around and saw what was to be seen, which was 
 
134 VISIT TO ALI BEY. 
 
 not much — the houses of the Turks are generally furnished 
 more with regard to comfort than show. In the first place, 
 as usual, there were many windows. Three sides of the 
 room were lined with divans or sofas, with very wide seats, 
 covered with light chintz covers. The floor was covered 
 with matting, and in the centre was a brazier, or vase of 
 bright copper, with ashes and coal, which made a pleasant 
 warmth in the room. There were three other sons in the 
 room, the youngest a beautiful boy of eight years old, dressed 
 the same as the elder ones, save that he wore over his dress 
 a cloak with a fur collar. We had not been long seated, (the 
 Pacha seating himself in the Frank manner beside us, his 
 son curling himself on the seat of the sofa opposite,) when 
 as many slaves as there were persons present, entered, each 
 with a long pipe, with amber mouth-pieces and arabesque 
 ornaments, all filled and lighted, and presented each of 
 the gentlemen with one ; placing at the same time a little 
 brass pan on the floor, under the pipe-head, to catch the 
 ashes or any fire that might fall ; they then retired backwards 
 to the door, where they remained standing till the ceremony 
 of smoking was over. 
 
 In a few moments we were invited to visit the ladies, one of 
 the sons leading the way, while the other gentlemen remained 
 with the Pacha, they being inadmissible. We passed 
 through a succession of empty rooms, and at last the young 
 man, who was some ways in advance, stepped forward, and 
 raised the curtain, and fort a issued four young and rather 
 pretty females, who came forward to meet us, each taking 
 us by the hand in turn, and bowing as they did so, showing, 
 however, by a little awkwardness, that they were not much 
 used to the Frank custom of shaking hands. In the ante- 
 room, where we were received, there were a dozen or more 
 blacks, habited in like costume to the ladies, except while 
 the dresses of the latter were rich silk, those of the former 
 
THE HAREM. 135 
 
 were cotton — the variety and brightness of the colors, with 
 the large gay patterns, making from the whole assembly a 
 pretty show. After the ceremony of shaking hands was 
 over, they stepped aside, and motioned with the hand for us 
 to enter the door, through which they came, two preceding 
 us, and the rest with some of the slaves following. Not 
 thinking of picking my steps, I was all at once brought to 
 a stand by finding myself in the train of one of the ladies' 
 dresses, but stepping back some two or three steps, I extri- 
 cated both her and myself from the dilemma, delighted that 
 no dire misfortune had accrued to the dress of the lady, who 
 passed it off with grace, leaving all the embarrassment to 
 my poor self. This room was in many respects like the one 
 we entered first, save there was a sort of pier table, on which 
 was a pretty French clock, with vases of artificial flowers. On 
 the walls were hung some Turkish characters, framed like pic- 
 tures, being verses from the Koran. The ladies seated them- 
 selves, two on one side and two on the other, while Mrs. B. 
 and myself, and Mrs. B.'s pretty Greek maid, who was to be 
 our interpreter, took the remaining sofa. Conversation 
 was carried on at a brisk rate, we, however, showing more 
 curiosity than they did. Two of them were habited in dark 
 dresses, two in light, very nearly alike, and in answer to 
 Mrs. B.'s questions, we were informed the two in dark 
 dresses were the Pacha's ladies, the other two his eldest 
 son's. When asked, if they often went to sail, one*said, 
 " no, never," she had never been out in six years, except in 
 the garden belonging to the Pacha, who would not permit 
 their going elsewhere. In two corners of the room, by the 
 divans, were placed on the floor, a sort of matrass and 
 cushion, one the Pacha's place, the other his son's, who 
 now came in and seated himself upon his, where he remained 
 during our visit, apparently much pleased with our questions 
 and remarks, laughing heartily at times. Coffee was 
 
136 DRESS OF THE LADIES. 
 
 brought in by the slaves, of which all partook. I suppose I 
 must say something of the dresses. Their heads were en- 
 veloped in a gay shawl, turban fashion, their hair braided, 
 and drawn through the folds, some of it hanging in loose curls 
 — their eye brows were stained, and joined together as if in 
 one, and their fingers tipped with henna, which, I think, 
 has a pretty effect, though I cannot say as much of the beauty 
 of the hands Ihemselves. They had a muslin chemisette 
 embroidered in colors, merely fastened at the throat, and 
 entirely open in front. Over this, they wear a rich silk 
 dress, the waist and sleeves perfectly tight and plain, the 
 skirt so scant as only to go plain about the body, open in 
 front, and at each side, near the bottom, open full half a 
 yard ; from this point extended the train, some three yards 
 long behind. The dress was of very rich silk, bordered 
 with a rich fringe, formed of WTeaths of woven flowers. 
 On their feet were slippers of velvet, embroidered in silver 
 and gold, or beautifully in pearls and colored stones, which, 
 if not precious, look quite as well. The colors are red, blue, 
 purple and black, with immense rosette tassels at the heels 
 and'toes, the latter being very pointed, and turning up some 
 two inches. Full trousers of yellow, blue and pink silk, 
 completed their costume. As it was a little cool, they all 
 had quilted silk jackets over their waist, light and plain, but 
 rather pretty. When they seated themselves, they tucked 
 up their trains, and trousers, too, for that matter, and left 
 their slippers on the floor. Those belonging to the son, 
 were much the prettiest, indeed, were quite pretty, and had 
 more intelligence in their faces than I expected to find, and 
 behaved with dignity and ease, instead of the childishness 
 which I had been told the inmates of the harem sometimes 
 display. They next asked us to walk in the garden, which was 
 a small space, with high walls, and overgrown with weeds, 
 and nothing else. We were shown through their different 
 
TALE OF A PACHA. 137 
 
 apartments and the baths, all devoid of any thing like splen- 
 dor, though neat and comfortable. On our return, coffee 
 was again handed. I forgot to mention that each one had 
 an infant which was exhibited to us, the oldest not more than 
 two years' old, who dress like their mamas, long trains and 
 all. They seemed very proud and fond of them — poor 
 things, it is all they have to love or amuse them. The Pa- 
 cha now entered to announce that the gentlemen were com- 
 ing to the harem ; but though they were permitted to see the 
 cage, it was not till the birds were flown — the ladies being 
 hurried off* to another apartment, where they remained dur- 
 ing the rest of our stay. We sent to be admitted to them, 
 and found them all in one room, looking out into the garden 
 where the gentle men were, taking good care, however, not 
 to be seen themselves. We remained with them till called 
 to a repast, prepared for us in the harem. We took our leave 
 of them here, expressing to them the pleasure the visit had 
 given us, telling them how happy it would make us to re- 
 ceive a visit from them in return, and to be permitted to show 
 them our houses in America. They again referred us to 
 the will of the Pacha, expressing their desire to visit us. 
 
 After a collation of sweetmeats, sweet cakes, and other 
 confectionary, which the Turks have in great variety, 
 (accompanied with lemonade,) we rose to take leave, 
 havinsr made a visit of about three hours. The Pacha led 
 us first, however, to his conservatory, where he had quite a 
 collection of plants and flowers, presenting us each with a 
 bouquet, and taking leave of us very kindly. And now I 
 will tell you a story connected with the dwelling of the Pa- 
 cha, as related by Mr. Brown. The former owner was a 
 Pacha, who had a slave, whom he caught exchanging glances 
 with his favorite wife. His jealousy was roused, and the 
 slave dismissed, who, however, succeeded in obtaining ano- 
 ther situation, in which he rose, and was very successful, 
 but the hatred of his former master pursued him, and owing 
 
138 TURKISH MODESTY. 
 
 to his misrepresentations he was again dismissed. This 
 continued again and again, until at last, in want of bread, 
 and rendered desperate, he one day followed his former 
 master on his way to the mosque, and entering with him, 
 stabbed him while at his devotions. The slave was be- 
 headed, and the property of the Pacha, (as is customary, in 
 such cases,) fell to the sultan, when the sultan either re- 
 moves the inmates or they die. This was given to its pre- 
 sent possessor, with a good pension, which I should think 
 necessary for a household of forty-three persons. Now-a-days 
 they do not cut off the heads of those in office, whom they 
 wish to be rid of, but send them to distant provinces, and at 
 the same time scatter all their friends and relatives to prevent 
 intrigues. 
 
 To give you an idea of the peculiar modesty of the Turk- 
 ish and other eastern ladies, and also to illustrate the freedom 
 of conversation acquired by a few years' residence abroad,let 
 
 me relate to you a story told byMr. B., our Charge at , 
 
 to a circle of acqaintance, of which I was one. He said, 
 that while sailing with a friend in a small boat, down the 
 Nile, they espied, at some distance, a group of females, 
 in the river, who were clad simply in their chemises, with- 
 out veils or other ordinary coverings for the head and face. 
 Pleased with the opportunity — one rarely afforded — of see- 
 ing them unveiled, Mr. B. directed the boatmen to proceed 
 as noiselessly as possible, that they might approach them 
 unperceived. They succeeded admirably, and were almost 
 in the bathers' midst, before being discovered. But no 
 sooner were the intruders seen by the alarmed females, 
 than anxious to hide themselves from the rude gaze of 
 strangers, they threw over their faces the only covering they 
 possessed, and stood blindfolded; like the ostrich who 
 thrusts her head in the sand and fancies her whole body 
 hidden. 
 
MALTA. 139 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 LAZARETTO AT MALTA VISIT TO THE MOSQUE OF ST. 
 
 SOPHIA THE SLAVE MARKET THE CISTERN OF THE 
 
 THOUSAND AND ONE COLUMNS CUTTING CAPERS SER- 
 
 ASKIEr's tower MOSQUE OF BAJAZET PIGEONS 
 
 MONUMENTS, &;C. 
 
 Malta. 
 My Dear J. — You need not be under any apprehen- 
 sion from this being written in the Lazaretto at Malta, and 
 within quarantine accommodations, which I can assure you 
 are by no means bad, though to us new and strange ; and 
 if the ravenous appetites brought with us after a week spent 
 on the Mediterranean, together with being sound in health 
 and sane in mind, could warrant our egress from the strong 
 walls of Fort Manoel, (where we are in admeasure honora- 
 ble prisoners,) we should be exploring this rocky Isle and 
 its curious forts and fortifications. As it is, we are not sorry 
 to have a little time to read and acknowledge letters re- 
 ceived. I must take you back again to Stamboul, as the 
 Turks always denominate their city of the sultan, Constan- 
 tinople being the name usually applied by the Franks, but 
 it is too much of an infidel cognomen to suit the Mussul- 
 man. My last Avas written after a week's illness, which of 
 course I had not the opportunity to devote to sight-seeing, 
 but when I giye you an account of next day's explorations, 
 you will admit I improved my time to the utmost. Unable 
 from indisposition to avail myself of the Firman issued on 
 our first arrival, and fearful there would not be another 
 while we remained, I gladly accepted the kind offer of our 
 
140 THE MOSQUE 01* SOLYMAN 
 
 Charge, Mr. B., to accompany us with the " Crevasse" (a 
 the soldier in the costume of former Janizaries,) who, 
 armed with two stout pistols and a cimiter, act as guards to 
 the several legations ; each having one or two who serve as 
 protection as well as passport to many places to which we 
 could not otherwise gain access. By a little after ten A.M. 
 we were all mounted, five of us, forming quite a cavalcade 
 for the narrow streets of Pera and Stamboul, directing our 
 course first to the most splendid of all the mosques, that of 
 Solyman the magnificent, the only one thought to surpass 
 that of St. Sophia in size and beauty, which last when fin- 
 ished by Justinian its founder, in the sixth century, for a 
 christian church, so delighted him that he exclaimed, " I 
 have conquered thee, O Solomon," thinking the temple he 
 had lived to complete exceeded that of the wise king : while 
 Solyman might exclaim with equal justice, "I have sur- 
 passed thee, O Justinian." A description of this splendid 
 mosque will answer for all, as in their main features they 
 are all alike. 
 
 In front is a large quadrangle called the harem, from 
 the fountain always placed in the centre where the faithful 
 perform their ablutions prior to their devotions, which occur 
 five times a day. These marble fountains are either oblong, 
 octagon, or square in form, with a sloping, indented roof, 
 and much ornamented with arabesque carving, which is 
 painted and gilded. This court is enclosed by a colonnade 
 supported by light pretty arches, surmounted by small domes, 
 twenty-eight in number. The doors of the mosque have a 
 beautiful arched recess, gothic in form, but with Saracenic 
 carving, having much the appearance of stalactites sus- 
 pended from the roof of a grotto, giving an unique and 
 pretty effect. Before entering, you are required to take off 
 your shoes, or put on slippers over those you wear, that 
 nothing impure may be brought within the sacred walls. 
 
141 
 
 A heavy curtain hangs before the door, which is held for- 
 ward for your admittance : you enter a spacious temple with 
 its lofty and numerous domes. The walls are a pure white, 
 the Turks allowing no pictures or images in their places of 
 worship. There are some beautiful specimens of Persian 
 stained glass in the windows, which last, though small, are 
 numerous. The altar, pulpit and praying place for the 
 sultan are of white marble, and there is a beautiful temple - 
 like enclosure, specially for those who have performed the 
 pilgrimage to Mecca. From the vault of the dome, lamps 
 are suspended by wires, so long that they nearly reach the 
 heads of the worshippers. They are of glass, globular in 
 form, and in every variety of arrangement and color ; and 
 intermingled with them are a great number of ostrich eggs, 
 having some astrological meaning, also horses' tails, usually 
 the standard of a Pacha ; but why placed here, T know not. 
 Over the whole floor is thick India matting, which prevents 
 noise, and is perfectly clean and neat. Within the altar are 
 numerous candlesticks as large as a man, holding wax can- 
 dles of a proportionate size. During the Ramazan, (or 
 Turkish fasts) which last twenty-eight days, and at which 
 time they worship during the night, these candles as well as 
 the innumerable little lamps are lighted, forming a beauti- 
 ful and brilliant spectacle. In the wall, near the floor, at 
 short intervals, are strong iron boxes, where the Turks leave 
 their money and valuables when going on a pilgrimage or 
 long journey, having no banks or other places of security 
 for them from fires, which, owing to the houses being all of 
 wood, are frequent and extensive. Around the whole build- 
 ing, near the floor, is a stone platform, raised about half a 
 foot. On this the faithful squat themselves, while perusing 
 the Koran, portions of which are read daily, and these are 
 so allotted to the priests of the different mosques, that the 
 whole Koran is read every day, it being one of the requisi- 
 
142 THE SLAVE MARKET. 
 
 tions of the prophet ; and it is not unusual for the followers 
 of Mahomet to know the whole Koran by heart. Children 
 may be seen learning portions of it, which they do in a sing- 
 ing, monotonous tone, bowing themselves towards the book 
 placed on a low wooden stand before them, but which they 
 never touch, Neai*the dome are two galleries running 
 entirely around, and half way down is the gallery appro- 
 priated to females, with its pretty gilded net work lattice. 
 Pigeons, for which the Turks have a great fondness, were 
 flying about over our heads, quite a novel, though pretty 
 sight. We lingered here till near the hour of prayer, at 
 which no infidel is allowed to be present, and then departed 
 with a good idea of the exterior and interior of a Mahome- 
 tan temple, which, from its spaciousness, as well as loftiness, 
 and the purity of all within, has an imposing and solemn 
 efl^ect, aided by the utmost stillness and total silence, arising 
 partly from its matted floors and slippered worshippers. 
 
 Our next point was the slave market — a large square, 
 cevering perhaps two acres, surrounded on all sides by a 
 range of low small rooms for the captives, and a few in the 
 centre for the buyers. I should think there were two hun- 
 dred of the former, nearly all black, and all females with 
 the exception of a few boys, the females being enveloped in 
 veils and coverings after the Turkish custom. There were 
 a few Circassians in inner apartments, but these are gener- 
 ally bargained for at private sale. They all seemed happy 
 and contented, laughing, chattering, and making fun, and 
 anxious to be sold, as their treatment and fare is much 
 better after than before that event. There were Turkish 
 women barganing for one or two. They are allowed to 
 take them on trial and return them if not satisfied. One lady 
 was chafiering for five days, not content with three, and 
 another came to bring one back after a short trial. The ob- 
 jection was that she snored so loud that the mistress herself 
 
THE UISTERN OP COLUMNS. 148 
 
 could not sleep, and as she wanted the slave to be always 
 near, and about her, this was, of course, a fault not to be 
 mended. Another slave was taken back to her quarters, 
 having been put up for sale without any one offering to buy 
 her. Slavery here, however, is not so great an evil as with 
 us we are apt to imagine, except being torn from country 
 and kindred, which, perhaps, in this instance, is not much 
 regretted. They are kindly treated, and well cared for ; 
 often adopted as children, and frequently promoted to offices 
 in the household, which entitle them to authority and res- 
 pect. The Koran requires that they shall be freed after a 
 term of seven years, and the Turks are proverbially a kind- 
 hearted people, when custom or policy does not require 
 them to be otherwise — which does not often happen in these 
 latter days. The Circassians sell themselves, or are sold 
 by their parents*. As any one here may rise to the highest 
 rank, family having nothing to do with the matter, they of 
 course have the same opportunity to rise as others. The 
 son-in-law of the late sultan was an. instance of this, and 
 indeed it is not unusual for slaves to rise to high stations. 
 
 From the slave market we went to the cistern of the 
 thousand- and- one columns, an immense reservoir under 
 ground, the roof a kind of brick-work supported by a double 
 row of columns, one tier above the other, the pediments of 
 the upper and capitals of the lower row coming together. 
 Half of the lower ones had become buried in the ground, 
 two hundred and twenty four in all, and in good preserva- 
 tion. They were supposed to be the work of Constantine, 
 whose name we were shown in Greek characters, on one 
 of them. It is now dry and useless as a cistern, but is occu- 
 pied by a number of people employed in spinning and twist- 
 ing silk, to be used in making the blue tassels to the fez, or 
 red cap worn by the order of the late Sultan Mahomed, in 
 place of the turban formerly used by the Turkish soldiers. 
 
144 CUTTING CAPERS. 
 
 There are two or three other of these subterranean cisterns; 
 we only visited this one, being the largest and most inter- 
 esting of all. But the pleasure and interest was much di- 
 minished, by the pale and sickly looks ofthe people moving 
 to and fro in the bowels of the earth. And the sound of 
 their voices, together with the hum of their busy wheels, 
 issuing from the apertures above, made to admit light and 
 air, one might almost fancy to come from the realms of 
 Pluto. 
 
 I have just been out for a little air and exercise, which 
 was obtained by walking up and down and around the bas- 
 tions of our pleasant prison, and I could not refrain from 
 "cutting capers." But which capers, lest you should think 
 much travel " hath made me mad," I will inform you, grow 
 abundantly on all parts of said walls, and are of spontaneous 
 growth on this rocky isle, and are the same berry brought 
 to us pickled in bottles, and forming so good a sauce to the 
 leg of mutton of which J. and H. are so fond. I formed quite 
 a pretty bouquet of these and white fox glove, and a pretty 
 flower growing in clusters, and a curious plant reared in 
 pots by us, and known by the name of " powdered beau.'' 
 This, while you are shivering over the fire, will give you 
 an idea of the temperature we are in — enjoying the sea-air 
 coming in from the open windows ; and when called to dinner, 
 I think you would have been delighted with the dish of Maltese 
 oranges, with their fresh green leaves and stems, and deli- 
 cious melons, with which we were regaled at dessert. But 
 now, instead of, as the French say, " returning to our mut- 
 tons," let us leave our muttons and go back to the far east. 
 
 Once more breathing the free, fresh air, after visiting the 
 cisterns, we mounted our Rosinantes, and soon found our- 
 selves at what was formerly the Janizaries', now the " Se- 
 raskier's tower — a title with us equivalent to generalissimo 
 or commander-in-chief ofthe army. The tower is situated 
 
145 
 
 at one end of a large square, forming a fine parade ground 
 for the troops, and is white, large, and lofty ; from the top, 
 affording the most extensive view of any point. Here, in- 
 deed, the whole of this enchanted ground, with its fairy- 
 land scenery, was spread beneath our view. On our right, 
 the sea of Marmora, on our left, the Golden Horn ; while 
 before us, was the Bosphorus, all opening wide their sev- 
 eral beauties, the shores of each sprinkled with palaces, 
 kiosks and innumerable mosques, with their clustered domes 
 piled one above the other, and arched by the blue vault 
 above ; multitudes of tall, white, slender minarets, extending 
 far upward, seeming to touch the heavens, forts and fortifi- 
 cations, walls and tall towers, both ancient and modern ; 
 fleets of merchant vessels, with their white sails spread ; im- 
 mense war ships, with their threatening ports ; myriads of 
 light caiques bounding over the waves, intermingled with 
 which, and adding so much beauty to any scene, here are 
 the green banks forming a part of every view, along the 
 shores of the different waters ; the houses having always a 
 back-ground, formed by a pretty garden, with tall rose- 
 bushes, coi'ered even at this late season, with a profusion of 
 flowers. Above them, rise terrace afler terrace, to the top 
 of the high ridge, on which they are built, ornamented with 
 a species of pine, called here the terebinth — the foliage of 
 a bright green, of a peculiar softness, like velvet. In vivid 
 contrast are the extensive and constantly recurring forests 
 of dark cypress, with the white and turbaned tomb-stones 
 gleaming beneath. From this height, too, you look upon 
 the palaces and gardens of the seraglio, extending three 
 miles, which are very beautiful. Immediately beneath the 
 tower, a regiment of soldiers were under review, and a fine 
 band of music regaling us with martial airs. The Turks 
 are said to be very fond of music, and to exhibit quite an 
 aptitude to learn, having for the last fifteen years been under 
 
 7 
 
146 MOSQUE OF BAJAZET. 
 
 the instruction of a brother of the celebrated Italian compo- 
 ser, Donizetti, who has not only formed a fine band, but 
 made them competent to instruct others. A salute was 
 played as an open carriage passed, which Mr. B. said con- 
 tained the Seraskier, who drove rapidly by, followed by 
 two men on horses, which danced and pranced most gaily. 
 We descended the steps of the tower much more easily, I 
 assure you, than we ascended. It is of great height, and is 
 called the Fire tower, as it is from the top of this, the alarm 
 is first given by hanging out an illuminated balloon, (similar 
 to those used in the good city of Gotham as oyster signs,) in 
 the direction of the fire, without any sound save the cry, 
 " yangoin var," " yangoin var," (there is a fire) which is 
 caught up by others, till all are aware of thefrighful yet fre- 
 quent occurrence. We walked, while our horses were led, 
 a short distance to the mosque of Bajazet, which is remark- 
 able for the great number of pigeons, some say ten thousand, 
 which there congregate, owing to the bequest made by some 
 pious Turk, to be applied to feeding them there. Fortu- 
 nately we arrived just as they were being fed, and the 
 ground of the court or harem, was covered with this beau- 
 tiful species of the feathered tribe, which was, indeed, a 
 curious, pretty, and novel sight. After walking through 
 the corridor, where are venders of perfumes, scented wood, 
 Turkish carpeting, pipes, &;c., we again mounted and rode 
 to the Admeidon or Hippodrome, a large square, formed by 
 the Emperor Severus, and originally much larger than at 
 present, the sultan Achmet having appointed portions of it 
 as the site of a mosque, which now bears his own name. 
 Most of the monuments, which formerly adorned it, hav^ 
 been demolished or carried away by the various conquerors 
 ordespoilers of the Byzantine city. Among these were the 
 four famous bronze horses, now on the church of St. Mark's, 
 Venice, cast originally at Corinth, carried thence to Rome, 
 
THE HIPPODROME. 147 
 
 and placed at the four corners of Hippodrome, where they 
 remained till carried by blind old Dandolo to Venice, from 
 whence they made a visit to Paris during Napoleon's sway, 
 and after eight years, they have returned to their former sta- 
 tion at St. Mark's. Among the ornaments remaining, is 
 an obelisk of red granite, sixty feet high, and covered with 
 Egyptian hieroglyphics. It has a marble pediment in bas 
 relief, of more modern date, and it was to me a great curiosity, 
 being the first Egyptian pyramid I have ever looked upon out 
 of print, though this is rather an obelisk than a pyramid. 
 At the opposite end of the Hippodrome is a tall, square pil- 
 lar, composed of eighty-three layers of blocks of stone, which 
 were formerly covered with plates of brass, the clamps which 
 fastened them still remaining. The plates were filled with 
 Greek inscriptions, and served as a meta in the chariot 
 races, which took place here. In the centre between these 
 two, is the celebrated brazen column of three serpents en- 
 twined, brought by Constantino from Delphi, where it is 
 supposed to have supported the golden tripod, in the temple 
 of Apollo, on which, the Pythoness used to seat herself after 
 bathing in the Castalian fount, to pronounce those oracles 
 which guided and directed the action of kings and warriors. 
 All the heads of these serpents have been broken off, and 
 carried no one knows whither, even if they are in existence. 
 Not far off is another called the " burnt column," from its 
 having suffered so severely from the effects of the frequent 
 fires in its vicinity. 
 
148 BURIAL-PLACE OF MAHMOUD II. 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 MAHMOUd's mausoleum THE BAZAARS PALACE OF THE 
 
 SULTAN MADAME JUSSIPPINI ADIEU TO "THE CITY 
 
 OF THE SULTAN." 
 
 Malta, Nov. 
 We next visited the mausoleum of Mahmoud II., the late 
 sultan, in appearance a palace, of white marble, with gilded 
 railings and lattices. An octagonal temple contains the re- 
 mains of the sultan, his sister, and another person, who are 
 buried beneath, while above the bodies, in a room hand- 
 somely carpeted, and hung with long narrow pieces of stuff 
 made holy from having been awhile in the temple at Mecca, 
 are huge empty coffins, covered with crimson and purple 
 velvet, most elaborately wrought in gold, and over which a 
 number of the richest Cashmere shawls are thrown. That 
 of the sultan is the richest, having at its^head the fez which 
 he wore, ornamented with a heron's plume, attached to it 
 by a crescent of brilliants. On the low stands at its head, 
 are placed two Korans, most brilliantly illuminated. The 
 Turkish characters are written in gold, on colored satin-like 
 paper, and otherwise much ornamented ; one of these vol- 
 umes was made by the sultan himself, the other by his sis- 
 ter, who is buried here. There is a beautiful garden at- 
 tached, with pretty fountains in the form of temples, and 
 numerous drinking cups, looking like gold, though, I be- 
 lieve, they are only so in semblance. We finished the day 
 by a ramble through the bazaars, where we were some two 
 hours much amused by the novelty, variety, and richness, of 
 articles presented. It is certainly a singular and motley 
 
THE BAZAARS. 149 
 
 scene. The buildings are of immense extent, with narrow 
 passages running in every direction, forming a perfect laby- 
 rinth, covered and lighted by innumerable small domes, most 
 singular in appearance, viewed either from within or with- 
 out ; the shops arranged on either side of the passages are 
 very small and low, quite the reverse of fine. There were 
 some beautiful embroideries in gold and silver and silk, 
 Cashmere shawls, and delicate perfumes, Persian and Da- 
 mascus silks, mingled with all sorts of English goods, made 
 expressly for this market, with their large figures, and bright 
 gay colors, to suit the oriental taste. The prettiest show 
 was the slipper bazaar, containing such as are worn by the 
 ladies of the harem and seraglio, of velvet embroidered in 
 silver and gold, and some more beautifully with pearls and 
 colored stones, such as I described in my last, as worn by 
 the ladies of AliBey. One might easily lose one's self here, 
 and I think we should have been unable to have extricated 
 ourselves from the labyrinthian paths, but for Mr. B., who 
 seemed perfectly familiar with them. This finished the 
 day's exploits, and taking our road through the grand ceme- 
 tery of Pera, we reached our temporary domicil at five, 
 P. M. As through the kindness of Mr. B. I had been pro- 
 vided with a horse so gentle and easy, I did not feel the least 
 fatigued, but passed a delightful evening at the house of the 
 American missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. H., where I met Mr. 
 and Mrs. O., the latter a daughter of Dr. S., of New York, 
 married to Mr. O,, an American. The next day we sailed 
 across the Golden Horn, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. H., 
 took a walk outside the walls of Constantine, passed the 
 "Seven Towers,'-' and an immense city of the dead, where, 
 I should suppose, a million may have been buried. In it 
 were five tombs in a row, marking the place where were in- 
 terred the heads of Ali Pacha, (Governor of Albania,) his 
 three sons and grandson, beheaded by the sultan's order, 
 
150 SAIL UP THE BOSPHORUS. 
 
 and their heads sent to Constantinople. A simple stone 
 with its turban, is placed at the head of each grave, no foot- 
 stones being allowed. We passed through the Adrianople 
 gate, and turned inside the walls, by a road parallel to the 
 one we came, which brought us to the palace of Constan- 
 tine, the habitation likewise of his successors the Christian 
 emperors, while they possessed the city. Nothing now re- 
 mains of the palace but the walls, within which a number 
 of Jewish families have built their dwellings, and through 
 one of which we were admitted and guided to the top, from 
 whence we had the usual beautiful view. 
 
 On our way to the landing, we entered a Jewish syna- 
 gogue, and into the church of the Greek patriarch ; but 
 there was nothing remarkable in either. During our stay, 
 as I have before mentioned, we took a caique, with plenty 
 of cushions spread on the bottom and sides of the light bark, 
 and seating ourselves on the bottom, as unlike Turks as possi- 
 ble, (for in the space which would only seat us two comfort- 
 ably, four Turks could have been well accommodated after 
 their fashion,) prepared for a sail up the Bosphorus to the 
 Black Sea. These boats, although so long and narrow, are 
 so skilfully managed that they rarely upset. . The boatmen 
 are hardy and powerful men, and the hinder oarsman al- 
 ways takes upon himself to blow like a porpoise with every 
 stroke of the oar. This. is thought to relieve the chest, and 
 to serve also as a guide in the simultaneous sweep of the 
 oars. Despairing, as I remarked before, of giving you any 
 idea of the beauty of the scenery of the Bosphorus, " all 
 lined with palaces from sea to sea," (and which loses none 
 of its charms by familiarity.) I would note down a few ob- 
 jects as landmarks to memory. The stream is just so wide 
 that you lose nothing of either side when sailing up the 
 middle of it. It is one continuation of villages on the Euro- 
 pean side, each commencing where another ends ; palaces, 
 
THE GIANT MOUNTAIN. 151 
 
 mosques and minarets bordering the water's edge, to which 
 beautiful terraces, with trees and flowers, form a lovely back- 
 ground ; kiosks and country seats crowning the knolls and 
 hill-tops of the beautifully undulating ridge on their side, 
 while lovely valleys, and a succession of beautiful bays, filled 
 each with a fleet of ships, serve to diversify the scene. On 
 the European side is the new palace of the late sultan. It 
 is of wood, painted white, with the exception of the basement 
 and the steps, and numerous Ionic pillars, which are all of 
 white marble. It extends along the water's edge more than 
 half a mile, and is certainly the most chaste and beautiful 
 palace we have yet seen. The Asiatic side has always 
 been the favorite of the sultans, and has more palaces. 
 There is one opposite the new one, of wood, and painted 
 cream color, with stucco ornaments, painted white ; but the 
 gardens and terraces behind, of which we had a view 
 through the high gilt railing and doors, looked like a fairy 
 scene on a stage, only as much more beautiful as nature 
 ever is than all imitation. There are also numerous palaces 
 of the Pachas, and foreign ambassadors ; those of the former 
 having large gateways of wood cut into various pretty and 
 fantastic forms^ — stars, crescents, musical and warlike instru- 
 ments, &;c., for all illuminations on fetes and grand occasions. 
 On the Asiatic side is the Giant Mountain, on the summit 
 of which is a huge grave, twenty feet long, where, accord- 
 ing to tradition, the head only of the giant is buried ; and that 
 on the top of the mountain he used to sit, to lave his feet 
 in the Bosphorus. The Turks pretend to say that this giant 
 was none other than Joshua, the son of Nun, and that it was 
 on this mountain he commanded the sun and moon to stand 
 still. It is a place of resort for Mahommedan pilgrims, ex- 
 hibiting many votive offerings in the shape of rags and torn 
 garments. We had a great desire to sail upon the waters 
 of the Black Sea, but our guide and the boatmen were too 
 
152 BIRDS AND DOGS. 
 
 timid to venture, though it seemed very calm, and we could 
 only prevail upon them to go as far as the two forts, that 
 guard its entrance at the mouth of the Bosphorus, some 
 three miles from the open sea, and we can, therefore, only say 
 we have seen it. On our return by the Asiatic shore, (hav- 
 ing ascended by the European,) we stopped, as I said in my 
 last, at the " Valley of Heavenly Waters." We met on our 
 return a number of caiques conveying the sultan's ladies 
 from one harem to another, accompanied by black eunuchs 
 with bastinodoes to keep all unwelcome intruders away. 
 One of the most beautiful features of these water prospects is 
 the great number of wild birds that cover every sheet of 
 water ; the Bosphorus, Marmora, and the Golden Horn, 
 literally teeming with beautiful gulls with their white bodies, 
 brown wings, and yellow beaks ; and a species of large black- 
 bird, and some smaller ones add to the variety, and are so 
 tame as only to move aside for the pretty caique, floating as 
 lightly as themselves on these lovely waters. The Turks 
 never permit a gun to be fired among them, not only for 
 their protection, but for that of human life, which would be 
 much endangered were indiscriminate firing allowed so near 
 the city as they are found. 
 
 The dogs I have mentioned before, but they form so pro- 
 minent a feature amid the many novelties that surround us, 
 that one cannot help allowing them more than would be 
 elsewhere their due share of attention. The Turks are too 
 humane to destroy them, and though extremely filthy in their 
 dress, have still so great a regard for cleanliness, as never to 
 admit them within their domiciles. Owing to this doubtful 
 humanity, they are allowed to accumulate to an excess ex- 
 tremely disagreeable, for they and their litters are left to 
 take care of themselves, and the older ones holding, as they 
 do, the honorable posts of "city scavengers," and feeding on 
 all kinds of refuse matter, become some of them diseased 
 
LAWS IN DOGDOM. 153 
 
 and dreadfully disgusting ; while others drag after them their 
 broken limb or limbs, which they have gained by being 
 trodden upon or run over, while sleeping all day, when they 
 should have been watching. As for the young ones, no one 
 knows how they get on in the world — you may see them lying 
 in bunches, neglected and apparently deserted, and they 
 must be wise pups indeed, if they know their own mother ; 
 for, in truth, they do not seem to have any. Thus you may 
 see them, all sizes, lining either side of the street, each 
 curled in a heap with their noses wrapped up in their tails, 
 and as soon as it is dark, they make night hideous with their 
 baying, howling and barking. Each troop has its district, 
 and if any unfortunate dog strays out of his into another, the 
 whole fall foul of him, and he is soon made to know his place, 
 and find it, too. But they are not as they have been, as we 
 were told by an old resident, who said that when he first 
 came here to reside, it was necessary to fee them by throw- 
 ing them pieces of meat, in order to pass safely through 
 them ; but now they are, like their masters, broken in spi- 
 rit, and tame. Some of their battles are interesting and 
 amusing, as described by eye-witnesses, and it is astonishing 
 what a host of them (dogs) will collect in a few minutes to 
 see a fight, and take part in it, too. But the metal most at- 
 tractive to them, is a carcass of some animal left on the 
 landing, like to the body of a poor horse we saw, and which 
 was half devoured before it was quite cold ; and the next 
 day nothing but the bones, white, as if bleached by the sun, 
 (so clean had they been licked,) remained to tell the horrid 
 tale, and the horde that collected at this place 
 " To hold o'er the dead their carnival, 
 
 Gorging and growling o'er carcass and limb," 
 
 was really frightful. And the day we left, I saw a man 
 standing on a bank above us in the midst of a countless pack, 
 catch up one of them by the tail, and turn round and round 
 
 7* 
 
154 A TALE OP SORROW. 
 
 with him till my head grew giddy with his movements ; then 
 he put him down amid the yelling clan, and lashed them all 
 around, making them yell louder than ever. Now we'll 
 throw physic to these dogs if you like, for they need it 
 enough, and I will relate the story of our landlady, as she 
 told it to us, and which I doubt not, she has told to her many 
 boarders ; but as you are not among these fortunate beings, 
 perhaps you will like it even second-hand. Madame Jussip- 
 pini is a Hydriote of that little isle, "theVenice ofthe Egean," 
 that made itself so conspicuous in the Greek revolution, 
 being in fact the hot-bed of the strife, and which furnished 
 so many heroes to Greece. Among the most disinterested 
 was Miaulius, an uncle of Madame Jussippini. Her father 
 was a ship-builder for the sultan, employed by one of the 
 Pachas. She had five brothers, some of whom were in the 
 Turkish navy, which was manned chiefly by Hydriote 
 sailors. On the rising ofthe islanders, his family were im- 
 prisoned, and himself put to death. Soon the five brothers, 
 a nephew and son-in-law, were beheaded, and one, the 
 youngest, a brave little fellow, of thirteen years, resisted so 
 stoutly, and fought so fiercely, that he was cut and mangled 
 horribly before he was conquered. They then went t o the 
 prison, and bade the mother come and take her children. 
 She followed where they led, to find the seven heads placed 
 side by side in a row. The poor thing went wild with sor- 
 row, and they even tortured her by showing her the man- 
 gled and disfigured face, and asking if she knew him for her 
 son, or could recognize her youngest born ? To end the tra- 
 gedy, they threw her at last from a steep place into the 
 water, thus closing at once her life and sufferings. Madame 
 Jussippini, too young at the time to attract notice or atten- 
 tion, was compassionated by a Greek family, about making 
 their escape from these horrors, and was carried by them 
 to a small town on the Black Sea, where they remained till 
 
ADIEU TO STAMBOUL. 155 
 
 the struggle was over, and all things quiet. She has since 
 lived many years at Constantinople, has a son married to a 
 Greek, and seems prosperous, contented and happy, and is 
 to us a kind and hospitable hostess. She is a fine looking 
 woman, a noble specimen of the Grecian, as you will say 
 when you see her lithographic portrait, which she has pre- 
 sented me, (taken by VVilkie, the celebrated Scotch artist, now 
 dead,) and to which, I hope, some day to have the pleasure 
 of introducing you. 
 
 Our many friends came the last afternoon of our stay to 
 take leave of us, Mr, C, the British consul, who has been 
 exceedingly polite, called to bid us farewell, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Holmes, giving us a letter to a young artist at Rome ; Mr, 
 B., our Charge, with one to our consul at Malta ; Mr. S, the 
 Episcopal missionary, to the Lord Bishop of Gibraltar, and 
 Mr. P., son of the late Commodore P., one to our Minister 
 at Naples. Freighted thus richly with these last proofs of 
 the friendship of those from whom we had received un- 
 bounded kindness and attention while here, we bade a final 
 adieu to the city of the Sultan ; and now, after this long, long 
 letter, you will, I think, hardly be sorry to have me say fare- 
 well to you. 
 
156 THE DARDANELLES. 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 VOYAGE TO MALTA DANGERS OF SHIPWRECK SMYRNA 
 
 THE FIG SEASON ISLE OF TENOS MOTLEY PASSENGERS 
 
 FORT MANOEL ST. PAUL's VOYAGE. 
 
 Naples, December. 
 My last letter was mailed to you from the Lazaretto at 
 Malta, and like all my communications, of a retrospective 
 character. I am still somewhat in advance of my last letter, 
 and I will therefore retrograde to where I left you. This 
 eastern expedition I would not have abandoned for all we 
 had previously seen, or are yet to see upon the continent. 
 In Greece and in other places there is many a " Mecca of 
 the mind," to which memory will make frequent pilgrim- 
 ages, and which I shall ever rejoic6 at having visited. The 
 Byzantine city alone would amply repay us for the great 
 expense and unpleasant encounters by sea we have incurred 
 on our way; for it exceeded all we had anticipated, and I 
 will venture to say, that no person, however vivid their im- 
 agination, could in their fancy portray anything so beautiful. 
 In short, our whole excursion from Trieste to Naples has 
 been through a perfect paradise, where there were, not one, 
 but many Edens. We left Constantinople late in the after- 
 noon of the 17th of November, and remained upon deck 
 gazing upon its varied beauties, till darkness rendered all 
 invisible. We were at our post betimes in the morning, 
 and found we had passed the Sea of Marmora, and nearly 
 through the Dardanelles ; the weather was cloudy and 
 threatening, but I remained till we had passed the castles 
 
A MAN OVERBOARD. 157 
 
 of Europe and Asia at the entrance, looking farewell on the 
 plains of Troy, with its seemingly imperishable monuments, 
 the mounds of Ajax, Patroclus, Achilles, -iEsyetes, and of 
 Antilochus, which, whether they be the tombs of the several 
 heroes whose names they bear, or not, are landmarks that 
 attract the eye for a long distance, and will ever rivet the 
 wondering gaze of the idly curious, as well as of the lover 
 of classic lore. We had no sooner reached Tenedos, than 
 we were forced to seek shelter in the cabin from the rain 
 which had commenced falling — the precursor of a storm, of 
 which ere long we felt the full effect. By five P. M., the 
 wind had risen to a perfect hurricane. I secured a dish of 
 soup, and fearing to lose it, left the table and retired to my 
 berth. The night w^s very dark ; there was no moon, and 
 we were sailing under a starless canopy — the wind blew 
 furiously, and the waves dashed over the bows of the vessel 
 at a fearful rate. The captain did not like to venture in 
 the channel between the island and the main land, and so 
 took his course outside of Mitylene, which, though safest, was 
 to us the most uncomfortable. We had been in our berths a 
 few hours astonishingly quiet, too ill to speak, when all at once 
 there was a bustling and trampling upon deck ; the boat was 
 suddenly still ; loud voices were heard above the roar of the 
 wind and waves ; then there was a rush of those below to the 
 deck above. Mr. C. got up, opened the door, and inquired 
 of the maid " what was the matter ?" " A sailor had been 
 washed overboard, and they were endeavoring to save him." 
 Poor fellow ! he with another were doing something to the 
 anchor in the bow of the boat ; a terrible wave carried them 
 over — one caught by the anchor, and held fast ; but the other 
 must have fallen just in front of the wheel-house, and was 
 probably carried under. Nothing could be seen of him, 
 and it is most likely he never knew aught after the wave 
 struck him that bore him to a watery grave. This was a 
 
158 A STORM. 
 
 sad beginning to a stormy night ; there was no sleeping by 
 any one, and though our boat proved staunch and strong^ 
 she was ill fitted to keep out the waves. There being only 
 an open brass-work round the gangways, over which at 
 night was spread a tarpaulin, there was nothing to prevent 
 the water rushing down the cabin, which it did at times 
 with the noise of a waterfall ; the men were at the pumps 
 all night, with four feet of water in the hold, and the waiters 
 were as constantly at work bailing and swabbing in the 
 cabin. One poor negro woman who had her bed near the 
 gangway, on a sort of shelf, was so deluged with the water 
 that poured in upon her, that she was nearly drowned be- 
 fore they discovered her. She had been a slave at Con- 
 stantinople, and as her seven years had,expired, was now on a 
 pilgrimage to Mecca^lhence as a missionary to her people, 
 to preach to them " the only true God and Mahomet as his 
 prophet." In the middle of the night a wave dashed open 
 our port, which had not been properly secured, and deluged 
 us with a little of the " briny sea." It ran through Mr. C.'s 
 cot into mine, but I could only move a little to one side. I 
 raised myself once, and reached my hand to the floor to feel 
 if there was any water. I found the carpet wet, but we 
 were by no means afloat. I could do no more, but sunk 
 back with sea-sickness, and thought if death were to stare 
 me in the face I might rise to meet him, or to escape if pos- 
 sible, but only such an emergency could give me strength. 
 I thought, too, of the poor sailor so suddenly called to his 
 dread account, and breathed a prayer for his soul, and the 
 preservation of all in danger. 
 
 The morning at length broke upon this, to us, sleepless 
 and troubled night ; but the captain finding he could make 
 no headway, put into a little port on the north side of Mity- 
 lene, where we remained till one o'clock at night, all glad 
 of a respite from the tossing and tumbling we had experi- 
 
SMYRNA. 159 
 
 enced for the last twelve hours, and all complaining of head- 
 aches and lame backs. Byron says : 
 
 *' There's not a sea the traveller e'er pukes in, 
 Throws up such dangerous billows as the Euxine." 
 
 I have only been near enough to look upon the Black 
 Sea, our light caique being too frail a bark to tempt its tra- 
 montane storms, but from three weeks' experience I can 
 vouch for the waves of the Mediterranean being sufficiently 
 nauseating, though I cannot say of them as the New York 
 skipper did of the Atlantic, " that he knew every wave by 
 sight ;" for in fact I cannot tell one from another, save that 
 those seemingly of high estate wear a white feather in their 
 cap. We reached Smyrna at mid-day, but the twelve hours 
 we were wind-bound was the time we should have passed 
 here. There was no time for delay, and as soon as the 
 mails were in readiness we were to be off. We were thus 
 deprived the pleasure of dining with the Dutch consul, as we 
 had promised. Very few of the passengers ventured to 
 land ; but Mr. C. being bearer of despatches to our consul, 
 as well as to one of the missionaries, thought it necessary 
 to deliver them in person, so he hastened ashore. Those 
 who remained on board were by no means at a loss for 
 amusement. We had a swarm of boats around us, and 
 • pretty boats they were, too ; they are sharp at both ends, 
 light like the caique, but broader, and furnished with seats ; 
 then they are painted with bright gay stripes, and have each 
 a pretty flag floating at one end, and with the novel and 
 unique costumes of their Greek and Turkish occupants, 
 formed a motley and lively spectacle. One of the latter, 
 in particular, who amid some difficulty occurring in his boat, 
 lost off" his turban, and whose passionate manner, voice and 
 gesture, were like those of a maniac, with his shaven pate, 
 long beard, his red and almost copper complexion, you may 
 imagine, afforded a ludicrous^ picture, causing amusement 
 
160 THE FIG SEASON. 
 
 to his own people as well as to ourselves. Then on land 
 was a scene truly oriental ; a multitude of camels filing 
 along by the water side. We were told that three hundred 
 had arrived that morning with their load of sweets, (this 
 being the fig season,) to be shipped from this, to the various 
 ports all over the world. A gentleman has described to 
 me a part of the process of packing the figs, no doubt with 
 the idea that they would ever after taste more sweet. He 
 says the women and girls all congregate around a pile of 
 the fruit, and first spitting on their hands, place a fig on one 
 hand, then pat it with the other, giving it the impress of their 
 pretty palms, which they retain until received into our own. 
 I read lately a ludicrous account of a traveller who had taken 
 his passage in a vessel laden with figs, and at night quietly 
 ensconced himself in his berth, where he had not remained 
 long, ere he felt, as he thought, all manner of creeping 
 things passing over him. He called out lustily for a light, 
 which the cabin-boy brought, with a grin on his face, as if 
 anticipating the summons. The gentleman took the light 
 to examine his quarters, when, lo and behold ! suspended 
 from above, and filling every crevice around, were myriads 
 of white worms near an inch long. He inquired of the 
 boy the meaning of this, who replied, " they were worms 
 from the figs, that they didn't hurt any, they only tickled 
 some." The gentleman profited by the experience of this 
 voyage, resolving never to be caught in any craft during the 
 fig season. I was writing in the cabin, when an English 
 gentleman came to tell me that the American flag was 
 waving over the consul's mansion, in honor of Mr. C.'s 
 visit. My heart bounded, and so did my feet as quickly, 
 and I was soon on the deck, gazing upon its beautiful " stars 
 and stripes," and I felt well assured in that moment, that no 
 country in the world could ever supplant my own dear land 
 in my first af^^ctions. Indeed, I even found myself the other 
 
VOYAGE FROM SMYRNA. 161 
 
 day longing after the "flesh pots of Egypt." I was so sur- 
 feited with the rich made dishes of French and German 
 cookery, that I began thinking over the plainer ones of 
 dear New England, an enumeration that would excite your 
 risibles, and is re ally too ridiculous to give ; but if you could 
 have seen with what a gusto I paid my " devoirs" to a dish 
 of bacon and beans, the first day of our landing, you would 
 say there was little danger of my being spoiled abroad. 
 For myself, I am more and more convinced that I shall be 
 no way inclined to follow Rosalind's advice : " Farewell, 
 Monsieur Traveller ; look, you lisp, and wear strange suits ; 
 disable all the benefits of your country; be out of love with 
 your nativity, and almost chide God for making you that 
 countenance you are, or I shall scarce think you have swam 
 in a gondola." 
 
 We left Smyrna at three P. M., the sea tolerably smooth, 
 but the weather not altogether settled. In the evening we had 
 a shower, accompanied with thunder and lightning. 
 
 It was the captain's intention to have gone inside the 
 island of Scio. This was much the shorter way, and being 
 protected on either side by land, would have been much 
 smoother, and of course more agreeable ; but the pilot, who 
 had been ashore at Smyrna to see his son, had tasfed too 
 deeply of the " doch and dorrich," and quite unfitted him- 
 self to guide us through the narrow and perilous straits. 
 He made the attempt, however, and came very near run- 
 ning upon a point of land, where, as the captain said, noth- 
 ing could have saved us. Finding the pilot utterly incapa- 
 ble, he retraced his steps, and went outside in the open sea, 
 keeping the deck all night himself. The next morning it 
 was cloudy and unpleasant, and though at times rainy, on 
 the distant hill-tops of the Asiatic shore, the sun shone 
 brightly down between the dark shadows of the heavy 
 clouds. At one point a fleecy fringe fell from the clouds 
 
162 THE TOWN OP SYRA. 
 
 upon the mountain top, while a soft rich coloring was over 
 all below, and the effect was very beautiful. At one P. M., 
 we passed very near the Isle of Tenos ; on our left, far in 
 the distance, was Delos. On the former, we counted on 
 the mountains, on the hill-sides, and ifi the valleys, no less 
 than seven large villages in sight at one time. The houses 
 seemingly of chalk or plaster, white as new-fallen snow, 
 and built in the eastern manner, square, with the roofs 
 perfectly flat and smooth, which in summer are terraced 
 and formed into pretty artificial gardens, and clustered to- 
 gether as they were upon the hill-sides, looked in the dis- 
 tance not unlike flocks of sheep browsing on the vejjdure 
 that covered them from base to summit. To add to this 
 picturesque view, might be seen here a small but pretty 
 mosque, with its tall minaret and gilded crescent, and there 
 an equally beautiful Greek church, with its high gothic tower 
 surmounted by the holy cross, pointing like a finger upward 
 towards the heavens, and one high pyramidal hill, with its 
 old fortress, seeming the acropolis of the town it protected, 
 and to which it formed so fine a back-ground . At three P. M., 
 we anchored once again in front of the town of Syra, which 
 looked as beautiful as when it first greeted our admiring 
 eyes. It was once a bare rock rising out of the sea, and 
 has been settled and built by refugees from various places 
 destroyed during the Greek revolution, who fled here with 
 only the clothes they wore, and their hands to work with. 
 It is now a large, flourishing place. A multitude of wind- 
 mills, round stone towers, with their thin transparent arms 
 whirled rapidly round by the strong wind that was blowing 
 at the time, might be seen covering every hill-top and rising 
 ground in all directions, while along the sea-side I counted 
 eleven vessels on the stocks in different stages of progress, 
 and most of them of a large size. This, with the rapid clink 
 of the hammer borne to us over the water, betokened a busy 
 
OUR DEPARTURE. 163 
 
 and thriving population. The houses are built upon the 
 sides of two high hills that slope down to the water's edge, 
 and are ranged tier above tier, nearly to the top. Just back 
 of the valley, between the two hills that front the sea, rises 
 another cone-like mound, also covered with houses, and sur- 
 mounted by a pretty church, filling up the gap most beauti- 
 fully. We were told that there are at the back of the 
 town (according to the record for taxes) more than two 
 thousand gardens ; from the water, however, these are not 
 seen, and all appears one glare of white. A number of 
 vessels in the harbor had the suspicious yellow flag floating 
 from their masts, denoting them as coming from the suspected, 
 though at present not infected district, the East, and as be- 
 ing in quarantine like ourselves, who were under the same 
 ban. This of course prohibited landing. We parted here 
 with regret from nearly all our English passengers, (a party 
 of five who were going to Alexandria,) as well as with all 
 our orientals, Turks, Greeks, and Arabs. The last I cannot 
 say I was favorably impressed with. They certainly had to 
 me an expression decidedly fiendish, and a la cannibal. One 
 in particular grinned such a horrid ghastly smile, as made 
 me shudder. Much to our satisfaction, we remained sta- 
 tionary till dinner was over, and at seven moved off*. Syra, 
 as we left, was brilliant with the innumerable lights scattered 
 over its upper and lower town ; which, with its white houses 
 gleaming in the darkness, had a magical effect. A youth- 
 ful Miss Moon was admiring her pretty face in the smooth 
 waters, and coquetting with the waves that raised them- 
 selves to meet, and glistened with, the brightness of her 
 smile, while the whole expanse above was 
 *' Bespangled with those isles of light, 
 So darkly, spiritually bright." 
 
 We had a quiet, comfortable night, and though at day-break 
 it rained violently, the sun came out bright and clear ; the 
 
164 CAPE MATAPAN. 
 
 decks were soon dry, and looked white and nice ; the brass 
 ornaments which were in profusion, were cleaned, and for 
 the first time since we had been on board, glittered in the 
 sunshine. We had a good run for fifteen hours, then the 
 wind changed, though the weather was still pleasant. We 
 passed this day Cape Malea and the island of Cerigo, cele- 
 brated as the birthplace of Helen, and as one of the haunts 
 of Venus, where was a temple erected to her. .We could 
 distinguish the ruins and columns of one as we passed, but 
 there is no certainty as to whom it was erected. 
 
 " There is a temple in ruin stands, 
 Fashioned by long forgotten hands ; 
 Two or three columns, and many a stone, 
 Marble and granite with grass o'ergrown ;" 
 
 and that is all. " Out upon time" that cheats us so. 
 
 After this, we rounded Cape Matapan, the most southern 
 point of the Peloponessus, and then took our last look of 
 Greece. We saw many pretty villages situated upon the 
 slopes and hills of the cape, and passed and left behind 
 several sail vessels that were rocking and tossing in a man- 
 ner not at all enviable. An hour after, we passed the gulf' 
 where was fought the memorable battle of Navarino, Oct. 
 20th, 1827, which terminated the Greek war, and took 
 Greece from the Ottoman power. The harbor is shut in 
 by an island, the ancient Sphacteria, famous for the signal 
 defeat the Spartans sustained here from the Athenians, and 
 also as the scene of Byron's Corsair. Within the walls of 
 the ancient fortress which surmounts the promontory above 
 the town, was killed the gallant Count Santa Rosa, a Pied- 
 montese refugee, August, 1825, and his tomb, with that of 
 young Lucien Bonaparte, are shown on the island of Sphac- 
 teria. Leaving these islands and the rocky heights of the 
 peninsula, we saw no more of land, the wind became more 
 and more adverse, and by five o'clock was quite sickening. 
 
A SUNSET. 165 
 
 I succeeded, hov/ever, in remaining at table, and was much 
 the better for my dinner. An empty stomach is a great aid 
 to sea-sickness ; a full one I often find a preventive. I sat 
 upon deck all of the following day with my book and " ever-^ 
 lasting worsted work ;" no land in sight, our prospect was 
 extensive, for it was over a boundless sea, the air was soft 
 and pleasant, but I was wishing for land, which was to bring 
 letters ; so the day seemed tediously long. About four I 
 went below, but had not been long there when I was called 
 to come up and see the sun set. I had been wishing the 
 "Weather would admit of seeing a fine sunset on the Mediter- 
 ranean. So I hastened up, and the west was truly gorgeous 
 with the blaze of living light of the all-glorious sun. It was 
 not, however, an unclouded blaze ; there were clouds above 
 and around, but this rather added to than detracted from the 
 exceeding splendor of the magnificent scene, for each and 
 every one was lighted and colored by the brilliancy of the 
 departing rays ; and as the twilights are of very short dura- 
 tion, the majestic orb seemed to drop at once into the blue 
 waters beneath, whilst the brilliancy of the hues above 
 passed in quick and constant succession, almost in a glance, 
 till in a few moments both sky and water were enveloped 
 in night's dusky mantle, and all was sombre grey. Ere 
 long, the clouds which had been hovering about the sun 
 brought upon us a shower ; but notwithstanding this, our 
 eyes w^ere gladdened in the morning by the prospect of 
 another day of sunshine. The major called out to us from 
 the gangway, " land ahead," always a cheering sound. 
 We hastened to pack our loose articles and have all in rea- 
 diness to debark, and nothing to do on our approach but gaze 
 upon the unique and beautifully fortified island, made so fa- 
 mous in former ages by the Knight Templars of St. John. 
 We seemed to be still in the open sea ; the land looked like 
 a blue haze in the distance. Nought met the view save the 
 
166 ST. Paul's voyage. 
 
 numerous sail which dotted the horizon, accumulating rap- 
 idly as we neared our harbor.* Soon the barren and rocky- 
 coasts of Malta were visible, beautified by the verdure of 
 ^,its Sicilian soil, and as we drew near and more near, we 
 could not but be struck with wonder and admiration at the 
 extent and grandeur of its lofty and massive fortifications, 
 that have so long withstood the attacks of war and the 
 ravages of time, and are yet seemingly as entire and per- 
 fect as when first created. They are built of a hard lime- 
 stone, which has gradually assumed a creamy whiteness, 
 giving a softness and delicacy extremely pleasing to the eye. 
 We had scarce taken possession of our apartments in Fort 
 Manoel, ere we were visited by the guardians, who required 
 of us to take everything out of our trunks, bags and boxes, 
 and spread them on wooden frames, given us for the pur- 
 pose. The next morning another came to see that it was 
 done, and to place his hands on each article, to imbibe any 
 infection they might contain ; after this, we were left to 
 amuse ourselves as we could best find ways and means. I 
 took my Bible, turned to the Acts of the Apostles, and read 
 from the twenty-third to the twenty-eighth chapter, where 
 is given the account of St. Paul's being made prisoner at 
 Jerusalem, his appeal as a Roman to Caesar, his speech 
 before Agrippa, and his voyage from Cesarea, and his ship- 
 wreck on the island of Melita, every word of which seems 
 so much more impressive after following as we have done 
 his track along the sea. 
 
 I had just finished reading it aloud to Mr. C when Major 
 G. came in. I gave the book to him. He retired to his 
 room with it, and when he returned said, " I think an infidel 
 could not but believe, if he travelled over these places, and 
 read as he went." It seems easy for a believer to believe, 
 but, alas, the infidel will doubt. After this, I amused myself 
 gazing out upon the prospect afforded from my window and 
 
167 
 
 the open corridor adjoining our apartments. On our left was 
 a small but safe and pretty harbor, where vessels from the 
 north flee for shelter from the coming storm, guarded on one 
 side by Fort Tighe, and on the other by our residence. Fort 
 Manoel. These also guard the quarantine harbor on our 
 right, which we look down upon from the bastions, and can 
 almost grasp the yellow flags that are fluttering from the 
 masts of the many vessels lying quietly in its basin. On a 
 point in front of this is the Castle St. Elmo, which has taken 
 so prominent a part in the various sieges of the island. Ves- 
 sels of all kinds, and from all countries, are constantly pass- 
 ing and repassing, and it is delightful to watch the huge 
 waves, way off* in the open sea, and see them roll onward 
 till they dash and break themselves where — 
 
 The rock unworn its base doth bare. 
 
 And the fringe of the foam is seen 
 
 On the line left ages long ago. 
 
168 ISLAND OP MALTA. 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 VALETTA CHURCHES CASTLE BELLS SICKNESS OP THE 
 
 ARCHBISHOP PROCESSION AN EXCURSION SCENE OF 
 
 ST, Paul's shipwreck. 
 
 Naples, Dec. 
 While in quarantine, I could only give you a little 
 insight obtained from our windows of this interesting island. 
 Between our egress from Fort Manoel, and our departure in 
 the steamer, we had three entire days in which we were 
 enabled to witness the most curious objects and places, in the 
 vicinity and environs of Valetta, the modern capital of the 
 island. The island itself, when taken possession of by the 
 knights of St. John, was a bed of barren rocks just rising 
 from the sea ; (I had ever imagined it a high rocky cliff, 
 not a Gibraltar exactly, but still somewhat of a natural for- 
 tress in itself;) but through the instrumentality of the inde- 
 fatigable knights, it was covered and enriched with the 
 fruitful soil of Sicily, ^o that now the irregularities of its 
 rocky surface are entirely covered with beautiful and ver- 
 dant terraces, rising one above the other, throughout the 
 island ; the only trees visible in any part, are the groves of 
 olive, fig and orange, which of course are cultivated, not in- 
 digenous. The ancient capital, Notabili, the Medina of the 
 Sarecens, now Cita Vecchia, (or old city,) is eight miles 
 back of Valetta and of the sea. It was formerly the resi- 
 dence of the knights till the foundation of Valetta by the 
 grand master. La Valette, the year after the famous siege 
 of Solyman the Magnificent, 1565. It is now a city of 
 deserted palaces, built with great taste and magnificence, 
 
KNIGHTS OP MALTA. 169 
 
 as are all their works ; has a splendid cathedral, strong and 
 extensive walls with castles, forts and gateways. But its 
 streets are silent all — its dwellings deserted, and the aspect 
 of the place mournful and desolate. Valetta, at that time 
 only a strongly fortified outpost, is now a well-built city, 
 beautifully paved, but from its streets following the irregu- 
 larities of the rocks, is for the most part paved in steps, and 
 may well be called the "city of stairs." The Island fur- 
 nishes from its own rocky foundation beautiful building ma- 
 terial of yellow limestone, so soft that it may be cut with an 
 axe or hatchet into blocks, and almost carved with a pen- 
 knife, yet so durable that the buildings formed from it have 
 remained perfect for centuries. From its being so easily 
 cut, the buildings are much and beautifully ornamented with 
 tasteful carving. The entire sides of the interior of the 
 church of St. John is made of this stone, carved so that the 
 figures stand out in relief, and are gilt, with the ground 
 work painted blue, having the finest effect imaginable. On 
 either side are chapels appropriated to the languages into 
 which the order was divided, according to the different 
 countries from whence they came, eight in all. These cha- 
 pels contain splendid monuments to the Grand Masters — 
 altars, rich in precious and variegated marbles and fine 
 paintings — one, that of the Madonna, contains the keys of 
 the gates of Jerusalem, Acre and Rhodes, guarded in front 
 by a railing of solid and massive silver, and which only 
 escaped the rapacity of the French by being painted over. 
 The ceilings are painted in fresco, with rich gilded com- 
 partments, and the pavement is composed of tablets of 
 marble with inscriptions to the memory of the many knights 
 of the order ; each slab or tablet exhibiting a beautiful 
 specimen of rich mosaic of many colored stones, each 
 forming the armorial bearing of the knight whose remains 
 they cover, and many curious figures and emblems. We 
 
 8 
 
 ^ 
 
170 PALACE OF THE GRAND MASTER. 
 
 went through the palace of the Grand Masters, now occu- 
 pied by the English governor, where was some of the most 
 
 exquisite gobelin tapestry we have seen in any country ; 
 — beautiful antique clocks, vases and tables, as well as some 
 
 fine portraits of the Grand Masters. A portion of the palace 
 is appropriated as an armory, and contains suits of armor, 
 coats of mail, and implements of war used by the knights. 
 During our stay the archbishop of Malta was at the point 
 of death, and every bell in the city (and no place is so noted 
 for the number and excellence of its bells as this) was ring- 
 ing from early in the morning until mid-day ; and as a last 
 resource the host was carried through the streets preceded 
 by a procession composed of monks of the different orders, 
 and ecclesiastics of every description. The monks wore 
 the different habits of their order or fraternity, which are 
 many and various, each one having a crucifix of massive gold 
 or silver, before which the assembled populace bowed with 
 uncovered heads as they were borne slowly past ; and when 
 at last the host was seen to approach with the old bishop, 
 the expectant successor of the sick man, all, both men and 
 women, knelt upon the bare wet ground, (it had rained all 
 night,) bowed their heads and concealed their faces, that 
 they might not profane by their looks the Holy of Holies. 
 All were muttering prayers, which, mingled with the musi- 
 cal chanting of the monks, and the slow tolling of many 
 bells, had an impressive effect. Even the Protestants who 
 stood looking on, uncovered their heads as the Host was 
 carried by. You may have some idea of this procession 
 when I tell you that it is estimated that there is here one 
 priest to every ten inhabitants, and that the Island is more 
 populous in proportion to its surface than even Great Britain, 
 having one hundred and twenty thousand souls, with twelve 
 thousand priests. These, with the many soldiers, among 
 whom is a Highland regiment, in their beautiful national 
 
ST. PAUL S SHIPWRECK. 171 
 
 dress, and the costume of the Maltese ladies, (a black silk 
 mantilla similar to the Moorish and Spanish,) form a pictures- 
 que assemblage. The language of the Maltese is an impure 
 Arabic ; but many of them have learned the English from 
 their constant intercourse with the English soldiers and resi- 
 dents. 1 received a call while at Malta, from the Rev. Mr. 
 and Mrs. B., American missionaries. I must omit men- 
 tioning many curious objects and places, (having now so 
 many other scenes to describe,) but will give you an ac 
 count of a day's excursion. The carriages here are like 
 the body of our cabs, placed in front of two immense wheels, 
 drawn by one horse, guided by a man, who runs by his side, 
 and keeps pace with him, as ours did to-day, though we 
 went about twenty miles. The vehicle is calculated for 
 four persons, but is only comfortable for two on a long ex- 
 cursion ; and though it is now the third of December, we 
 had the carriage all open, and I was sufficiently warm with 
 only the cape to my dress, requiring no shawl or cloak. 
 
 Our first point was the scene of St. Paul's shipwreck, 
 about nine miles' distant. It is a pretty bay, with two or 
 three small islands, and some small but strong fortifications, 
 which add much to the beauty of the scene. On the shore 
 of the bay is a small chapel, erected on the spot where the 
 barbarians built a fire, and where St. Paul shook oft' the 
 viper that fastened on his hand. From this we went to the 
 former capital of the Templars, Cita Vecchia, entering by 
 the gateway of its massive fortifications. The palace-like 
 edifices are large and handsomely ornamented with the 
 rich and elaborate carving of which the Maltese stone is so 
 susceptible. The cathedral is magnificent in its interior 
 decorations, its ceiling containing beautiful frescoes, en- 
 riched with gilded stucco ornaments, as well as a fine mosaic 
 pavement, while its many altars are composed of a variety 
 of precious marble, more rich and abundant even than in 
 
172 MALTA CITA VECCHIA. 
 
 the cathedral at Valetta. It has also a crucifix brought by 
 the Knights from Rhodes. From the roof or terrace, which 
 is very spacious and formed of large smooth stones, we had 
 a fine extensive view of the whole island, with its numerous 
 villages scattered over it, each vieing with the other in the 
 splendor of its cathedral, M^hose towers and domes form a 
 beautiful feature in the surrounding scenery. When riding 
 or walking you are on a level with the terraces which cover 
 the island, and generally see only the stone breastwork that 
 supports the terrace, which presents, on the whole, rather a 
 barren aspect ; but viewed from such a height as we were 
 now beholding it, you look only upon a carpet of vegetation, 
 that seems to overspread the country around. This is varied 
 by the extensive groves of olive, fig, and orange trees, which, 
 with the different shades of their foliage, afford a pleasing 
 relief to the eye. Valetta and its fortifications were dis- 
 tinctly visible, and afar off" we could distinguish iEtna with 
 its snowy top, and the waters of the Mediterranean rolling 
 between, forming altogether 
 
 " A scene, where, if a god should cast his sight, 
 A god might gaze and wonder with delight." 
 This cathedral is said to stand on the site of the house of 
 Publius, the Roman governor, who entertained the apostles 
 so courteously, and whose father St. Paul healed of a griev- 
 ous illness. We next visited, near by, the grotto of St. 
 Paul, where, according to tradition, himself and St. Luke 
 dwelt three months. A chapel has been built over this spot 
 too ; and in the grot is a statue of Paul, of exquisite work- 
 manship. Pieces of the limestone of the grot are con- 
 stantly carried away as mementos, yet, like the widow's 
 cruse of oil, it never diminishes— so we were told. In the 
 vicinity of the grotto are extensive catacombs, which are 
 shown by torch-light. Here are many places of interment, 
 large and small, supposed to have been formed by the Phoe- 
 
MALTA CATACOMBS. 173 
 
 nicians, and afterwards used by the early christians as hid- 
 ing places in the days of persecution, when they had fallen 
 into disuse, as places of sepulchre, from the Greek custom 
 of burning the bodies of the dead. There were some very 
 primitive kind of mills for grinding their corn, and places 
 well calculated for storehouses or magazines for provisions. 
 These catacombs extend some five miles under ground, but 
 many of the passages have been closed to prevent people 
 from getting bewildered and lost, as has sometimes hap- 
 pened. On our return to Valetta we stopped at San Anto- 
 nio, where is a villa of the Grand Masters, now the country 
 seat of the governor. Besides many choice flowers, it con- 
 tains many hundred orange and lemon trees, and all now 
 full of fruit. 
 
174 SICILY. 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 SYRACUSE TEMPLE OF MINERVA EAR OF DIONYSIUS 
 
 DEAD MONKS TOMB OF ARCHIMEDES CATACOMBS 
 
 ARETHUSa's FOUNTAIN MESSINA FIRST SIGHT OF VE- 
 SUVIUS. 
 
 Naples, December. 
 We left Malta in the evening by the Neapolitan steamer 
 for Sicily and Naples, and the next morning, at nine 
 o'clock, landed at Syracuse, where the boat remained 
 twelve hours ; so we had the day before us to devote 
 to all that was interesting in this ancient city. We pro- 
 cured an exceedingly good guide — one Jack Robinson, 
 an Englishman, who had lived so long in foreign countries, 
 that he could scarce speak his native \aY\gua.ge, his French 
 being much more intelligible than his English. Ancient 
 Syracuse was once destroyed by an earthquake, and every 
 thing seems to have been toppled down and swept away, 
 either by this wonderful convulsion of nature, or by the ra- 
 vages of time since it occurred. The city was built on an 
 island, separated from the main island ; the dismember- 
 ment probably caused by a prior volcanic convulsion. The 
 modern town is well built, handsomely paved, and con- 
 tains many fine, large and handsome public edifices, 
 among which are the theatre and the cathedral. This last, 
 was once a temple dedicated to Minerva, the old columns of 
 the temple still form the sides of the building, but they have 
 been filled in between with plaster, and the fine stone of 
 which they were composed, is covered with many coats of 
 white-wash. The mosaic or finely tesselated pavement, also 
 
ANCIENT SYRACUSE. 175 
 
 belonged to the old temple ; and we were shown a white 
 marble font, said to have been found in the first christian 
 church in Christendom, which they assert to have been in Si- 
 cily. The front of the temple was destroyed by an earthquake, 
 but is replaced by one exceedingly beautiful, having some fine 
 Corinthian columns, with the most beautifully carved capitals 
 I have ever seen. We rode upon the site of the ancient 
 city, where vestiges of its former grandeur may still be seen. 
 In one place, a solitary cotumn stands, as if mourning the 
 desolation around ; this is supposed to have belonged to a 
 temple of Ceres and Proserpine. On another spot, midway 
 in the plain, stand two gigantic pillars, all that remain of 
 the once magnificent temple of Olympian Jove, which con- 
 tained his statue, with a mantle of gold, wrought from the 
 spoils of the Carthagenians, but which Dionysius the elder 
 took from him, saying, " the son of Saturn has a garment 
 too heavy for summer, and too cold for winter, and should 
 be provided with one suitable for both seasons." Near by, 
 are the remains of a large reservoir, probably used for puri- 
 fying water ; and in the distance, we could discern the an- 
 cient aqueduct, which led to it. Our road led to a convent 
 of Capuchins, who, though it is contrary to their order to 
 admit females, do not hesitate to admit English ladies, al- 
 leging that they are not christians. Attached to the con- 
 vent are quarries, supposed to be the experimental excava- 
 tions of Dionysius, seeking a good conductor of sound for 
 his famous ear. They were used as prisons, and contained 
 at one time fourteen thousand prisoners, but are now sub- 
 terranean gardens — every thing growing without care, wild, 
 yet luxuriant — orange, lemon, fig and olive trees, and some of 
 the most delicious citrons I have ever eaten. The rock was 
 beautifully draped with a vine, which the monks told us was 
 the laurel leaf of the poets ; so I took care to bear away a 
 sprig. These rocks seemed composed almost entirely of 
 
176 DEAD MONKS. 
 
 petrified shells, and other marine substances, having a sin- 
 gular appearance, and in many of the crevices, olive trees 
 are growing, their pliant trunks twisting and flattening 
 themselves to the shape of the chasm, and showing the anti- 
 quity both of the tree and of the cleft in the rock. These 
 quarries have not only served as prisons, but as places of in- 
 terment in ancient and modern times ; some ancient sarco- 
 phagi still remaining ; among the modern stones, is a tablet, 
 with an inscription to the memory of an American midship- 
 man, shot here in a duel in 1822, at the early age of eight- 
 een. An old monk and a young one, conducted us through 
 the quarries, after which they asked if we would like to go 
 into the chapel and see the monks, at least, so we inter- 
 preted their Italian, This we had not dared hoped for, yet 
 we readily assented. They led the way into the church, 
 and then to a long, wide chamber beneath, to which he de- 
 scended by means of a trap-door, and narrow steps. Into 
 this the sun was streaming brightly, lighting up a long row 
 of niches on either side, in which were standing the skele- 
 tons of a ghastly array of dead brethren in the dress of their 
 order, and other pious men, whose friends paid for their ad- 
 mittance. Many of them had a crown of thorns upon their 
 bare and fleshless skulk, and ropes about their necks, fas- 
 tened to a nail behind, to keep them perpendicular, and a 
 label attached to their joined hands, on which was written 
 their name, age, &;c. It was a hideous spectacle, and one 
 entirely new, but after it was over I did not regret that I had 
 seen it. 
 
 Our next visit was more agreeable, being to another of 
 these subterranean prisons, owned by a marquis, and formed 
 into a lovely garden of fruits and flowers, under excellent 
 cultivation. We were presented by the gardener with 
 oranges and lemons, besides a beautiful bouquet of roses, jes- 
 samine, lavender, heliotrope and orange flowers. These 
 
DIONYSIUS'S EAR. 177 
 
 all growing in the open air in December, and we eating 
 oranges under the trees from which they were plucked, and 
 in our summer apparel ; can you imagine aught more de- 
 lightful ? Among the most curious and interesting of the 
 antiquities here, is the prison of the tyrant, called " Diony- 
 sius' ear." It is in the form of a letter S, seventeen feet 
 wide, eighty feet high, and one hundred and twenty long. 
 The sides slope gradually to the summit, terminating in a 
 channel along its roof, which conveys every sound to an 
 aperture midway, communicating with a private chamber, 
 where the tyrant used to sit listening to the conversation of 
 his prisoners. The power of conveying sound here is truly 
 wonderful ; a whisper from one end may be distinctly heard 
 at the other, and a pistol fired makes a report like a cannon 
 — the reverberations continuing ten seconds ; even tearing 
 or crumbling a piece of paper may be heard in every part. 
 Adjoining this prison, are the quarries where the prisoners 
 worked, and whence the huge and solid pillars for their 
 many beautiful temples were taken. A part of this, is now 
 occupied by men and children, weaving a beautiful kind of 
 twine, such as is used for fish-lines and nets, all active and 
 noisy, and all clamoring for " quelque-cosa," and " piccola- 
 moneta," as soon as we came in sight. Adjoining this is a 
 singular kind of salt-works, where saltpetre is made by boil- 
 ing the earth on the spot, which seemed curious enough to 
 us, and for which the gentlemen accounted, by supposing it 
 to be the ashes of the ancient city, mingled with volcanic 
 substances. The earth is put into tubs of water for twenty- 
 four hours ; they then draw it off, and boil it twenty-four, 
 after which it is placed in the sun an equal length of time, 
 which converts it into saltpetre. The article of salt is a mo- 
 nopoly of the king, and the source of great wealth to him. More 
 than fifty feet above our heads, yet some twenty below the sur- 
 face, is seen the remains of a pipe or conduit, which is sup- 
 
 8* 
 
178 CATACOMBS OF SYRACUSE. 
 
 posed to have conveyed water for the use of the prisoners. 
 We visited the tomb of Archimedes, then ascended the 
 heights of the ancient city, where are the remains of its 
 theatre, (supposed the most ancient of Grecian theatres,) its 
 ampitheatre, fountains, and aqueducts. Descending the hill, 
 we followed the ancient road to Tyche, cut out of solid rock, 
 having a place on either side, worn by the wheels, and in 
 the centre by the horse ; each side is lined with tombs or 
 sepulchres, cut in the rock in the same manner as those 
 in the catacombs. There were recesses cut in the rock 
 in which were inserted marble slabs with inscriptions. 
 Our guide led us next to the old church of San Giovanni. 
 A monk lives here like a hermit, upon the donations he re- 
 ceives for showing the catacombs, and the remains of a very 
 ancient church, (underneath that of San Giovanni,) called 
 San Matthieu, in which was found the font shown us in the 
 cathedral, and is the church said by the people to have 
 been the first built in Christendom. In a chapel, is the 
 tomb of the first bishop, San Matthieu ; some old sculptures 
 and frescoes still remain, but are not very attractive. The 
 catacombs are exceeding curious and interesting, extending 
 from fourteen to twenty-two miles, having passages and gal- 
 leries running like streets in every direction, with large 
 openings or cells on either side, arched above, the flooring 
 divided into lesser cells or coffins, as if intended for a family 
 mausoleum ; there were small ones for children, and a few 
 larger ones separate, as if intended for persons of distinction. 
 The passages were narrow, and in some places so low, that 
 Giovanni, our guide, called out to us, in his broken English^ 
 to •' lay heads." The main passage, however, is six feet 
 wide and eight feet high, and crossed by numerous others. 
 In one of the sepulchral chambers, we counted seventeen di- 
 visions, and at one place we could see a passage leading to 
 a tier above the one we were in, but there is now no ac- 
 
FONT OF ARETHUSA. 179 
 
 cess to it. On our return to modern Syracuse, we overtook a 
 party of Englishmen, coming from ^tna, whoin answer to our 
 inquiries, said there was nothing more to be seen than 
 at an ordinary time at Vesuvius ; the eruption had entirely 
 ceased, and the mountain was covered with snow, so low 
 down, that it was only practicable to ascend a short dis- 
 tance. Their account threw cold water on our project ; 
 having heard of a terrible eruption lately occurring, we had 
 hoped to have been in time to see something of it ; we did 
 not yet give it up however. We paused before the city 
 walls, to look upon ^Etna, which was very distinct ; the set- 
 ting sun shone full upon its snow-clad summit, gilding the 
 sky behind with its bright tints, and showing the huge black 
 peak of the volcano, with its column of smoke in beautiful 
 relief; dark and heavy masses of clouds gathered around, fad- 
 ing and lessening till they were lost in the pale azure of the sky 
 above. We continued gazing upon this lovely scene till we 
 had passed the moat with its bridge, and portcullis, and 
 under its magnificently carved gateway, which dropped like 
 a curtain before our eyes, and shut out all behind. Inside 
 the walls was a large tank or reservoir, filled with women 
 washing clothes ; here was formerly a fountain dedicated to 
 Arethusa, who, according to mythology, was transformed by 
 Diana into this stream, and in this form rceived divine honors 
 from the Syracusans as their patroness. We had only time to 
 dine, returning on board at six, P. M., the city gate closing 
 after us, having spent a day delightfully interesting, and with 
 very little fatigue. I carried with me some papyrus, such 
 as was used by the ancients before the invention of paper ; 
 also some of the plant of which it is made, which grows 
 abundantly here. 
 
 At seven the next morning, we anchored in the beautiful 
 harbor of Messina. The place contains few curiosities of 
 any kind, and little to interest a stranger. It is, however, a 
 
180 MESSINA. 
 
 handsome town, the houses fine and large, though not high, 
 (from their liability to be toppled down by an earthquake, )e very 
 window having its pretty balcony. Its streets are ofgood width, 
 finely paved, and ornamented with many beautiful fountains. 
 But its chief beauty consists in its lovely environs, and the 
 charming harbor of a crescent form, along which runs a 
 fine quay or street, a mile and a quarter in length, following 
 the curved line of the bay, and lined with magnificent build- 
 ings, fronting the water, ornamented, too, with numerous fine, 
 large statues, and along the shore are vessels side by side, 
 as close and thick as they can be placed. We took a car- 
 riage and drove about town ; visited the cathedral, which 
 has a singular front of brick-work mosaic, and contains 
 twenty-six huge pillars of Egyptian granite taken from va- 
 rious heathen temples, some very good sculpture, beautiful 
 specimens of the Florentine mosaic, and the cupola under 
 which the high altar stands, is encrusted with well preserved 
 mosaic of another kind. The cathedral stands on the Piazza 
 del Duomo, where, is a magnificent fountain, and collossal 
 statue of Carlo II. We next ascended a high hill to the 
 church of San Gregorio, to which is attached a ladies' con- 
 vent. It stands on a lofty eminence which you ascend by 
 many steps, and commands an extensive view of the city, 
 its beautiful harbor, and the rich and verdant country which 
 surrounds it ; it was indeed very lovely. The church is re- 
 markable for the splendid mosaics with which it is com- 
 pletely lined ; it is Florentine mosaic, of a rare and costly 
 pietra dura, representing figures and flowers in all the bril- 
 liancy of their natural colors. It is surmounted by a singu- 
 lar tower, spiral in form, the ornaments of which wind 
 round and round like a cork-screw, after the fashion of the 
 Tower of Babel, as we see it represented in pictures. We 
 passed a delightful evening at the house of our consul, with 
 its charming host and hostess, Mr. and Mrs. P. and an Ame- 
 
STROMBOLI. 181 
 
 rican gentleman, a captain of a vessel, now in harbor. We 
 slept on shore, leaving the next morning at nine. Passed 
 soon the Scylla and Charybdis, so formidable to ancient na- 
 vigators ; nothing is to be seen above water, the waves 
 having only the appearance of a counter current or rapid. In 
 a few hours we came in sight of the volcanic islands, mid- 
 way between Sicily and the main land, the largest ot which, 
 Stromboli, stands like an out-post between the two larger 
 volcanoes, ^tna and Vesuvius, perhaps serving as a commu- 
 nication to either, or mayhap as a safety-valve to both, for it 
 i|l;, never altogether quiet, but always issuing smoke and 
 flame. After this we neared the Calabrian coast, stopping 
 at a small town to land and take in passengers. We were 
 soon surrounded by a swarm of well-filled boats ; in them 
 were the Calabrian peasants, with their narrow brim, sugar 
 loaf hats and velvet bands. The town was built on high 
 walls, on the summit of the cliff rising out of the water, and 
 the vines, variegated by the impress of Jack Frost's fingers, 
 made the hills look very pretty. The country along the 
 coast has an irregular appearance, as if it might, at some prior 
 time, have suffered from volcanic convulsions, but is beauti- 
 fully verdant, well cultivated and fertile. Stromboli rising 
 abruptly from the water, with nothing to obscure the view, 
 its huge cone with its column of smoke streaming incessantly 
 from its pointed summit, forming many clouds, extending and 
 carried by the winds to a long distance, was a remarkable 
 and interesting object all day, and which we did not tire of 
 watching, and I shall not soon forget its appearance by the 
 glowing light of the setting sun, or the still softer light of the 
 young moon which made all beautiful at night. 
 
 The next morning we rose early that we might lose no- 
 thing on our entrance into the beautiful bay of Naples, but 
 alas, though it was pleasant, and there was some blue sky 
 visible, still it was cloudy, and there was a good deal of 
 
182 BAY OP NAPLES. 
 
 haze which prevented our seeing at a distance, and we were 
 in the bay, and close to the beautiful city, before its beau- 
 ties and wonders broke upon us. It was more beautiful 
 than I at first thought, for I was bent upon making invidious 
 comparisons between it and the lovely bay of New York ; 
 but there is such a decided difference in the features of the 
 scenery of each, that both may be called most beautiful, nor 
 need the praise of one detract at all from the merits of the 
 other. The summit of Vesuvius was enveloped in clouds, 
 looking very quiet and peaceable, and not at all the sleep- 
 ing lion it actually is. The bay is a perfect crescent, com- 
 pletely lined with palaces, churches and other fine buildings 
 diversified with arches and towers ; and high up, reaching 
 midway to the clouds, was a fine old convent, having more 
 the appearance of a fortress, than the dwelling of such a 
 quiet and peaceful order. Then the beautiful islands Ischia, 
 Capri, and others, which so relieve the watery waste, when 
 you look out upon the blue and boundless sea, with the ex- 
 tensive line of coast, and its green undulating hills, dotted 
 with villas, far and near, is a transcendantly lovely scene. 
 Vesuvius, too, can never cease to be an object novel and 
 unique to a stranger's eye, nor to call forth feelings of won- 
 der and awe, filled as it is with mysteries it neither loses or 
 reveals. Enwrap all this, and more in your imagination, 
 as it is enveloped in the soft transparent haze of this deli- 
 cious clime, beautifying and mistifying all around, and you 
 may fancy somewhat of the reality. I cannot take leave of 
 you in a niore beautiful spot, so now adieu. 
 
NAPLES. 183 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 DRIVE OF THE TOLEDO KING OF NAPLES ANTIQUITIES 
 
 FROM POMPEII EXCURSION TO VESUVIUS ITS ASCENT 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF ITS APPEARANCE, &C. 
 
 In my last I had brought you with me fairly into " La 
 bella Italia," — 
 
 " Land of departed fame ! whose classic plains 
 Have proudly echoed to immortal strains ; 
 Home of the arts ! where glory's faded smile 
 Sheds lingering light o'er many a mouldering pile." 
 
 I detained you so long on the waters of the Mediterranean, 
 and amid the novel scenes of Malta and Sicily, that I fear 
 you almost despaired of reaching this land of sunshine and 
 song. What stores have I not in anticipation ? Rome, 
 Florence and Genoa are yet before me ; and amid scenes 
 so fraught with interest as surround me in this " city of the 
 waves," how can I dwell sufficiently on those by-past. What 
 time is given me to reflect on all I have left behind, that 
 they may be stamped upon my mind, and leave an impress 
 on my memory that the coming ones shall not efface. But, 
 not to keep you longer waiting, I will give you the events 
 and scenes of each successive day of our sojourn in lovely 
 Naples, "queen of the summer sea." 
 
 While I was arranging my own matters and things to 
 make myself comfortable in our pleasant quarters at the 
 Villa de Roma, Mr. C, went out to see after our letters, 
 which are usually the first steps taken on our arrival at any 
 city. Learning that it was a grand fete day he returned to 
 tell me ; and despatching a man for our letters, that we 
 
184 BIRTH-DAY OF THE VIRGIN. 
 
 might have them on om* return, we sallied forth to see the 
 gayeties. It was the birth-day of the Virgin, and there had 
 been a temporary chapel erected for the occasion, where 
 mass was to be performed at one, and at which the king, 
 with his household and numerous escort, were to be present. 
 It was now two ; taking a carriage we drove slowly up the 
 Toledo, one of the principal streets, now filled with a crowd 
 of people, some on foot and others in carriages ; every 
 window has its balcony, and these, too, were filled with 
 ladies and gentlemen, all looking gay and joyous. After 
 driving half the length of the street, we paused, that we 
 might better see the troops as they passed, and also the king, 
 who was to review them. The troops themselves, upwards 
 of forty thousand men, were a splendid sight, dressed in 
 every variety of color and uniform ; and as our lucky star 
 seems always in the ascendant when any royalty is to be 
 seen, the king and his cortege, all handsomely mounted, 
 reined in their horses on the side of the street directly op- 
 posite to us. He, with a few that accompanied him, dis- 
 mounted and stood immediately before us. An old man 
 stepped from the crowd, knelt at the king's feet, presenting 
 a written petition, kissing his hand at the same time. An 
 old woman also came with a petition, and some others, all 
 of which he received very graciously, placing them inside 
 the breast of his coat. He addressed some words to the 
 soldiers as they passed by, and seemed very affable and 
 familiar with those around him. He is a handsome, portly, 
 happy looking personage, but is not much liked, either by 
 his subjects or the generality of strangers who ever throng 
 his beautiful capital. He was dressed in a handsome unifom, 
 with glittering stars and badges of various orders on the 
 breast of his coat. Presently there drove along a carriage 
 with the queen and the uncle of his majesty, the Prince of 
 Salerno. The latter descended from the carriage, resigning 
 
ANTIQUITIES OP POMPEII. 185 
 
 his seat to the king, who placed himself by the side of his 
 consort, both bowing graciously to the assemblage as they 
 drove off. The prince, mounting the horse of the king, 
 followed their majesties, having afforded us a view of all. 
 We remained to review the rest of the soldiers, and then 
 drove to the hotel to read letters from home. 
 
 One of our visits the next day was at the Museum, to ex- 
 amine the antiquities taken from Pompeii — things of all 
 kinds and for all purposes. Among them were the contents 
 of an artist's studio and of a paint shop, bread, cake, grain, 
 fruit, nuts, &;c., in a charred state, all sorts of cooking uten- 
 sils, scales, steelyards, stoves, and personal ornaments ; many 
 things very similar to those in use at the present day, some 
 of them very beautiful ; also a great number of statues'in 
 marble and bronze, and magnificent vases in Terra Cotta. 
 These, with a glance at the splendid collection of paintings 
 and statuary in t he same building, filled up the day. 
 
 Fearing the rainy season might set in and prevent our 
 having an opportunity of seeing Vesuvius to advantage, we 
 determined to avail ourselves of the first day of sunshine 
 for this excursion. To take advantage of the fine view of 
 the city, bay, and the beautiful environs of Naples, which 
 the ascent of Vesuvius affords, it is desirable to have a clear 
 atmosphere, which is not always the case, even when fav- 
 ored with the clear and cloudless sky, accompanied by the 
 bright and glorious sunshine of this lovely clime, for it is to 
 the combination of these we are indebted for that lovely 
 veil of haze, so soft and dreamy in itself, and beautifying all 
 that it envelopes. But at the same time that it adds so 
 much to the beauty of the view, it prevents a very extensive 
 one. Under these circumstances, we considered ourselves 
 highly favored in the benefits arising from a cool, frosty 
 morning, which so rarified the air as to present every thing 
 clear and distinct. We were on our way at an early hour, 
 
1S6 NEAPOLITAN VEHICLES. 
 
 passing through the market-place, the scene of Massaniello's 
 insurrection, and alighting from the carriage, we entered 
 the church where is the pillar and stone, on which were 
 beheaded Conradin and his cousin Frederick. Their re- 
 mains are placed behind the great altar, and there is an 
 inscription which can only be read by the aid of a lamp, so 
 obscure is the place and writing. Once more " en route," 
 we passed an immense building more than a mile long, 
 intended as a barrack for soldiers, and capable, as our guide 
 informed us, of accommodating fifty thousand men. It is 
 now used as a sort of store-house, or huge granary. I have 
 mentioned in my letters to some of you, the great number 
 of donkies which form so amusing a spectacle in the streets 
 here. They have usually a huge pannier or basket, which 
 generally contains a ludicrous assortment. You will some- 
 times see them filled with children, whom the mother can 
 not leave behind, and is obliged to take in this way when 
 she goes to market to buy or sell. Sometimes you may see 
 two men sitting face to face, one on the neck, the other on 
 the hinder part of the animal, while chaffering about or 
 bargaining for the chickens who are popping their heads 
 out of the panniers, as if they too had a wo rd to say, as to 
 the exchange of owners. Besides these, you will see a kind 
 of " one horse shay," gaily painted with bright colors and 
 glittering with the gold with which it is richly ornamented, 
 universally used by the people of the neighboring villages ; 
 and though drawn by only one poor horse or more miserable 
 mule, and calculated for but two persons and the driver, it is 
 quite common to see ten, and not at all uncommon to see fif- 
 teen persons of various sizes, clinging to different parts of the 
 vehicle, and to each other to obtain a ride. We are told that 
 the first glory of a Neapolitan peasant, when he receives any 
 money, is to fill himself with macaroni ; the second, to treat 
 himself to a ride ; these are his life and luxury. 
 
HIDE TO VESUVIUS. 1S7 
 
 Leaving Naples in a carriage, our course lay along the 
 crescent of its beautiful hay. Palaces, fortresses, castles, 
 convents, churches, towers and domes, form the prominent 
 features on the land side ; while the isles of Ischia, Procida 
 and Capri, the mountains of Calabria, and the Appenines 
 loom up from the waters of its beautiful gulf — 
 " And from on high Vesuvius rears his peak, 
 Furrowed and dark with many a lava streak." 
 
 You roll along the street paved with lava, the houses you 
 pass are built of the same, while walls of this once burning, 
 moving flood, now solid and granitic stone, form the divi- 
 sions of their beautiful gardens. A drive of two hours 
 brings you to the busy bustling village of Portici, and your 
 ride has been through a succession of houses, so that you 
 are unable to discover where the city ended or where the 
 village began. Even in this short ride an insight is given 
 you of the ignorance and superstition of the people, from the 
 great number of rams' horns and dead birds fastened over 
 the entrance of their houses, the first to keep out his Sa- 
 tanic majesty, the other to set at defiance witches and other 
 spirits. As an evidence, too, of how much, as well as how 
 rigidly they are taxed, salt being an article of royal mono- 
 poly, they are not suffered to take a pail of the element 
 from the salt waters of their own beautiful bay. Tobacco, 
 too, is a monopoly of the king, and these articles are sold 
 in mean, dirty shops, with the words " licensed to sell to- 
 bacco and salt" under the royal arms, but let us on. Pass- 
 ing through the streets of this lively village with its noisy 
 population, you may wonder, but can scarce realize that your 
 wheels are rolling over the buried streets and houses of the 
 once splendid and populous Herculaneum, its now half exca- 
 vated theatre, and the few dwellings and temples brought 
 to light, evidencing the former wealth and luxury of its 
 inhabitants, and the grandeur and magnificence of their city. 
 
188 DONKEY-RIDING. 
 
 At the town of Resina, which is near and seemingly a 
 part of Portici, we alighted from our carriage at the house of 
 Salvatora, the well-knovvn and far-famed guide of all pil- 
 grims to Vesuvius. Here we take horses to ascend the 
 stony and circuitous path, that leads up the side of the outer 
 cone. Having the reputation of being more sure-footed, 
 and more accomplished in mountain travel, donkies are usu- 
 ally provided for ladies ; but from the experience I have had, 
 I would recommend to all lady travellers, the noble horse in 
 preference to the meek and patient donkey, as being quicker 
 in their movements, more agreeable in motion, and where 
 accustomed to it equally sure-footed, or sufficiently so for 
 short excursions. I had a seat with sides and back, like a 
 chair, and a board whereon to rest my feet ; to add to the 
 awkwardness of my position, I was placed on the right in- 
 stead of the left side, as is the custom with us, and so much 
 on the side of the animal, that in order to look forward to 
 see where I was going, I was obliged to turn my head so 
 far and so constantly to one side, that I became very stiff- 
 necked. Our road seemed to follow the windings of a river 
 of lava, which formed a firm and solid pavement, at the same 
 time that its uneven surface afforded a safe and sure foot- 
 hold to the animals that bore us ; each having a man to guide 
 them. I soon found they needed no help from the guides, 
 but rather extended it to them ; for when we came to 
 the parts most steep (the drudgery usually falling to the 
 lot of the meek and patient,) I found all five hanging 
 to the tail of my little quadruped. I could not help 
 laughing, for I had previously thought I bore no slight 
 resemblance to the figures exhibited in the china shops 
 in Broadway, labelled "Madame Trollop on her travels;" 
 but with this addition to the picture, I could think of no com- 
 parison. We met a party who had passed the night upon 
 the summit to see the sun rise ; they cheered us by saying 
 
ASCENT OF THE CONE. 189 
 
 we should enjoy a fine sight, as the volcano was unusually 
 active, and themselves had been highly delighted. Another 
 party passed us soon after at a quick pace, keeping their 
 guides as well as their horses on a brisk trot. When we 
 started in the morning, the air was so frosty and chill, that 
 cloaks and coats were necessary, but instead of finding the 
 cold increase as is usual in ascending mountains, it was 
 more and more warm as we neared the summit, and we 
 were obliged to throw ofFsome of our thick covering. Two 
 thirds of the way up is a convent, where we halted, and 
 without dismounting, drank some of the " lachryma 
 christi," for which the vineyards of Vesuvius are so famous. 
 Half a mile beyond this we dismounted, leaving our horses 
 (who could go no farther) with the guides. From this 
 point the gentlemen proceeded on foot, aided by good stout 
 walking-sticks, and a guide who preceded each,with a leathern 
 strap over their shoulder, to which the gentlemen held fast, 
 and I in a chair fastened to poles, and borne on the should- 
 ers of four men. We could see those who had gone before, 
 some near the top, and others midway, looking like ants 
 toiling up an ant-hill. Our pathway led over a bed of bro- 
 ken lava, the overflowings of the volcano during the erup- 
 tion of 1839, five years before. The line of march was up 
 the face of the cone, stepping from one large block to ano- 
 ther, which afforded firm footing to say the least ; but as we 
 neared the summit, it became more and moresteep, and con- 
 sequently tiresome. This is, however, but a small part of 
 the whole, and stopping to breathe occasionally, we at last 
 attained the height of our ambition. I had apparently an 
 easy time of it. My sympathy with my bearers, however, was 
 so great, that to me the journey was a toilsome one, and I have 
 made many a long walk with less fatigue, and certainly less 
 pain ; were I to attempt the ascent again, I would prepare 
 myself with a pair of stout walking shoes, and accomplish it 
 
190 THE CRATER FROM OUTER CONE. 
 
 on foot. I am sure my bearers were not more rejoiced or 
 relieved than myself, when I was permitted to take my stand 
 with the rest on the summit of the cone. 
 
 The captain of our guides pointed out a cave on a shelv- 
 ing rock, asking me to take a seat within. I did so, and 
 found the smoke and vapor issuing from its side and roof, the 
 earth warm to the hand, and the temperature delightful- 
 The gentlemen who had passed us, from being well mounted, 
 as well as from our party having to adapt their speed to the 
 motions of my little donkey, determined to go his own slow 
 pace in spite of the energetic "ahsand ughs" of the guides, 
 who would sometimes in their impatience, give him a lift 
 behind that almost sent him heels over head, and me with 
 him, had far out-stripped us. We found them seated on the 
 ground, cooking eggs in the warm sand, and gazing de- 
 lighted upon the workings of the volcano below. We drew 
 near the edge of the crater, whence we could look upon 
 the inner cone, and joining ourselves to their party, were 
 soon participating in their delight. You will readily be- 
 lieve that in the vicinity where we now stood, the tempera- 
 ture was some twenty degrees warmer than at Naples in 
 the morning. We were seated on the inner side of the outer 
 cone. The mouth or crater, is three miles in circumfer- 
 ence, and from where we were to the depth below, more 
 than three hundred feet. In the centre of this yawning gulf, 
 arose another cone ninety or one hundred feet in height — 
 this may be called the lip of the volcano. During our visit 
 it was very lively and active. The explosions were inces- 
 sant, like the firing of artillery, and every few seconds there 
 was a noise loud as the report of a cannon, accompanied 
 with an eruption. A volume of smoke, red at the base, 
 and black as it rose, issued from the glowing caldron of the 
 fiery crater. At each of these loud reports, which seemed 
 like the bursting of a bomb, within the huge furnace, a 
 
VESUVIUS. l&l 
 
 quantity of red hot stones, some of them two or three feet 
 square, were thrown up to a great height, and were continually- 
 adding to th-e pile of loose and broken lava of which this in- 
 ner cone is composed, a self-raised monument to its own fiery 
 deeds. These, though red and glowing, when thrown up 
 from its burning orifice of living fire, fall dark and black 
 amid the heap of debris around. On the side of this inner 
 crater, at the time of our visit, were two openings as large 
 as a man's head, from which issued a fiery smoke. These, 
 though frequently changing their locality, continued always 
 in the same proximity to each other. 
 
 A gentleman who was of our party, visited the volcano 
 again a few days after, and then these openings had united, 
 forming a lesser crater in the side of the cone, throwing up 
 fiery stones and smoke like the larger one. While seated 
 quietly and calmly on the inside of the outer cone, looking 
 with an intensity of wonder and admiration at the mysteri- 
 ous workings of this singular phenomena, I felt within me 
 the workings of that quality, which men attribute peculiarly 
 to females, and call curiosity, but which I, quite willing to 
 admit the property, am more disposed to denominate a lau- 
 dable desire for the acquisition of knowledge. I really 
 could scarce restrain my inclination to explore these inner 
 regions, and discover what was doing below there to 
 cause such a commotion above ; but as I have not the fame 
 of a Pliny to leave behind, I concluded it best not to tempt 
 his fate, by too near an approach to the yawning burn- 
 ing pit, so contented myself with gazing upon it from the 
 secure position in wnich I was very composedly and com- 
 fortably eating some of the eggs that the guides had roasted 
 in the burning sands liear by, when, as if on purpose to dis- 
 turb our delightful tranquillity, the wind suddenly changed, 
 and blew the whole stream of sulphurous vapor directly in 
 our faces, so that for a few moments we were almost sufTo- 
 
192 DESCENT TO THE CRATER. 
 
 cated. Our collation consisted of bread, eggs and fruit, and 
 what was perhaps better, a draught of the real " Lachryma 
 Christi," (what a drink for sinners, is it not ? " the tears of 
 Christ ;" and what a name for wine, but they take strange 
 liberties here with the Saviour and Virgin Mother.) The 
 gentleman determined to descend to the depths below, and 
 have a nearer view of the doings there . I remained above 
 with Major G., who was not quite well, and some of the 
 guides ; in about ten minutes we looked down upon our ven- 
 turesome companions, the two English gentlemen and Mr. 
 C, who were standing near the two edifices, midway up 
 the cone. Between the base of the outer and inner cone is 
 a channel, or bed of lava, perhaps one hundred and fifty feet 
 wide, which they told us had mostly formed during the last 
 month. This was filled with cracks and crevices, and it 
 was over this they walked to reach the inner cone. They 
 put their sticks into these crevices, and they blazed instan- 
 taneously. Then putting pennies, and enclosing them in 
 the still soft and yielding lava, they raised it in a portion of 
 the lava with their sticks, and this feat performed, returned 
 to us with their trophies. It looked venturesome, as we re- 
 garded them near four hundred feet below us, the red h( 
 stones apparently falling around them, and when thej 
 reached us, bearing the proofs of their progress, the penniesi 
 enveloped in lava, were still so warm, that we could not bear| 
 them in our hands. They said some of the stones fell with- 
 in three feet of them, and suspecting there was " malaria" 
 in the neighborhood, thought it advisable to withdraw. TheJ 
 inner ascent is quite as fatiguing as the outer ones, and the 
 gentlemen required a little time to recover their breath and! 
 strength. We then, with the two Englishmen, commenced* 
 our descent. Instead of going over the broken lava, byj 
 which we ascended, our descent was made on the part co-?^ 
 
DESCENT FROM VESUVIUS. 193 
 
 vered with ashes or sand, mingled with blocks of lava. We 
 amused ourselves with rolling some of these down the 
 side of the volcano's peak, and so steep and precipi- 
 tous is it, that they did not stop in their headlong course 
 until some distance on the level at its base. The descent 
 is accomplished \vith ease and safety if you go slowly ; but 
 every step you sink fa,r above the ancle in ashes, and your 
 feet being thus shackled, any attempt to go fast, brings you to 
 the ground. One of the Englishmen with us, yielded to the 
 force that impels you downwards, and from walking fast, 
 was soon obliged to run. He could not stop himself, nor 
 could his greatest speed answer to the greater impetus that 
 impelled him on. He was at last precipitated forward many 
 feet, falling upon his face among the stones and sand, w^here 
 he lay like one dead. I cannot describe to you with what 
 anxiety we had watched his rapid career with such rash 
 and daring speed, expecting every moment to see him dashed 
 to pieces, We hastened to the spot where he lay, and 
 on raising him, found his face dreadfully cut and bruised, 
 and bleeding profusely, as were also his hands. He soon 
 Ij^ recovered, and after a little time was able to assure us that 
 i'l scratches and bruises v/ere all the injury he hai received, 
 ? though there were enough of them, and his really handsome 
 face was sadly disfigured. He was quite sure he had seen 
 more volcanoes than any of us, and said there was any 
 quantity of fire where he first struck. We offered him our 
 travelling companion- — a flask of brandy — with which we 
 are always provided, to use in case of sickness or accidents ; 
 with this he bathed his wounds, bearing it like a hero, but 
 his friends would not allow of any inward application, nor 
 did we think it advisable. They assisted him to rise, and 
 after a little while he was able to proceed without assist- 
 ance. 
 
 We did not forget in our descent to look upon the lovely 
 9 
 
194 SCENE FROM VESUVIUS. 
 
 landscape below. Lovely it always is ; but though the 
 pureness of the atmosphere allowed us a clear and distinct 
 view of the islands and mountains stretching far away into 
 the blue waters of the Mediterranean, the pretty villages 
 scattered over the amphitheatre of hills which form the en- 
 virons, and the whole of the palace-lined crescent of the bay, 
 all outspread below us, I did not admire it as much as other 
 less extensive but more beautiful views which you have from 
 many points about Naples, particularly from the heights of 
 the " Campo Santa," the new cemetery. Near the place 
 where we regain our horses, government is erecting a hand- 
 some building from the huge blocks of lava around, which 
 is to serve as a place of refreshment for man and beast, and 
 as a station from whence telegraphic notice is to be given 
 when an eruption takes place, that all may come out to see* 
 
HERCULANEUM. 195 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 HERCULANEUM THE CAMPO-SARITA A BURIAL THE 
 
 GROTTO OF CAPRI, &;C. 
 
 Naples. 
 We paused on our return from Vesuvius to witness at 
 Herculaneum the effects of its mysterious and marvellous 
 workings. Its theatre is half excavated, but owing to its 
 being immediately under the king's palace at Portici, cannot 
 be altogether disinterred. It has been sufficiently cleared, 
 however, to give one an idea of its size, form and magnifi- 
 cence ; and as it has to be viewed by torchlight, you may 
 fancy our singular procession, each bearing a light, thread- 
 ing the subterranean windings of this huge imbedded edifice. 
 Every space and crevice seems to have been filled with the 
 melted lava which consolidated into a firm and solid cement, 
 enveloping all and every thing ; and the skill and labor 
 evinced in clearing the beautiful statues found here from the 
 hard and rocky substance enwrapping them, seem equal to 
 their first creation by the sculptor. In the neighborhood of 
 this, they have cleared quite a space, and brought to the 
 light of day and the open air, a square with streets, houses, 
 and the beautiful colonnade of a large and handsome temple, 
 which, surrounded with the dark, dirty, and dingy houses of 
 the modern Italians, had a strange and singular aspect. 
 The sun had set when we left these dwellings of a by-gone 
 age, but the west was glowing with the reflection of his 
 parting rays, of which we caught glimpses between the 
 houses as we drove rapidly past. On reaching our hotel, we 
 • were gratified to find an invitation from our Charge, Mr. B., 
 
196 POMPEII. 
 
 to his box at the opera, and as " II Puritani" was to be per- 
 formed, we hastened our preparations, and passed a delightful 
 evening listening to fine music and the conversation of Mr. 
 B. and a friend to whom he introduced us. When this was 
 over, you may imagine we were glad enough to retire aft^r 
 a day of so much pleasure, excitement and fatigue. 
 
 After this, I think I cannot do better than give you an ac- 
 count of a day spent at Pompeii. The excavations at Her- 
 culaneum require so much time, labor, and expense, that a 
 long time will elapse before much will be accomplished, while 
 Pompeii, being covered only with ashes, has a great portion 
 of it already disinterred. You walk through quite a city of 
 ruined and rooffless dwellings, — you behold the manner in 
 which they divided their houses, their fine open court-yards, 
 with cisterns at the corners, and reservoirs for fish in the 
 centre of each, and their numerous large and commodious 
 baths, considered not only a luxury, but a necessity. Then 
 the beautiful frescoes of the walls, the colors still fresh and 
 the figures distinct, which embellished every room ; the 
 niches for statues that ornamented many, and the fine mo- 
 saics forming the beautiful pavements of the lower apart- 
 ments ; these, with the gardens beautified with terraces, 
 fountains, reservoirs, and marble ornaments, especially those 
 attached to the villas of Cicero, Sallust, and the rich Dio- 
 medes, attest the luxury of these wealthy cits, as the mag- 
 nificent temples, the splendid monuments, and the fountains 
 at the corner of every street, give evidence of the splendor 
 and elegance of the city which they inhabited. We spent 
 some five hours in walking through these ancient dwellings 
 and streets. In the latter may still be seen the marks worn 
 by the wheels which rolled over them near eighteen hun- 
 dred years ago. At intervals are raised stones for the con- 
 venience of foot-passengers in crossing. It is curious to 
 see in the collection of the museum at Naples, taken from 
 
A DAY AT POMPEII. 197 
 
 • 
 
 this entombed city, how many things of every-day use they 
 had, to which those of the present time bear close resem- 
 blance ; many, too, that have been considered modern in- 
 ventions. How wonderful is it to look upon things which 
 formed part of the household furniture of beings who had 
 their existence centuries ago — things that were necessary 
 to their ordinary every-day life ; objects which made a part 
 of their domestic comforts ; beautiful creations contributing 
 to their enjoyment and delight — so many things thought 
 essential to actual or ideal happiness. Here you walk past 
 the dwellings of those who lived, with its number to dis- 
 tinguish it, and perhaps a name and some simple insignia, 
 denoting the handicraft of the occupant — here is the grind- 
 stone and hopper of the miller, there the oven of the baker 
 — in one the study of the poet, in another the studio of the 
 artist ; while all are decorated with beautiful imaginings of 
 the painter and the sculptor. Extending your walk beyond 
 the gates of the city, you see the kind provision for belated 
 and benighted travellers arriving too late to enter, in the 
 large caravansary erected just without the walls. And along 
 the way-side, on either hand, denoting the dwellings of their 
 dead, are monuments, vaults and tablets, with memorial 
 inscriptions written by those who lived and loved. A little 
 beyond the precincts of the exhumed city, you ascend a high 
 mound where, still hidden as it were in the bowels of the 
 earth, lie unrevealed yet other mysteries of the age in which 
 they were engulphed. How imposing and awe-inspiring 
 are the scenes here presented ! Mysterious and awful are 
 the convulsions of nature — strange and wonderful in their 
 effects ! What a field does Naples afford to the geologist, 
 naturalist, and mineralogist! On one of the promontories 
 of its bay, one point of its crescent, are two cones, one 
 probably the crater of a volcano now extinct. Between 
 this and the present active crater, Vesuvius, is a valley. On 
 
198 CATACOMBS. 
 
 the sides and base of both are nestling beautiful villages, 
 the soil of their fruitful vineyards warmed by the slumbering 
 fires beneath. Many of them are planted on the site of 
 some long buried village once fair and lovely as themselves, 
 and nearly all of which have suffered more or less from their 
 near vicinity to this great safety-valve of the earth. On 
 the opposite side of the bay, the other point of the crescent, 
 are the ruined cities of Baise, Puozzioli, Cumse, and Triper- 
 gola, the two last altogether hidden from human sight or 
 ken. Turn where we may, beauty and destruction meet the 
 eye ; and we feel as if treading on a mine that may at any 
 moment burst upon us with all its horrors. We had our 
 picnic amid the remains of one of its fair and ruined tem- 
 ples, then drove some distance and took our leave of buried 
 Pompeii from the same place whence it is supposed the 
 Pompeiians themselves looked their last upon the city of their 
 love, buried and hidden before their tearful gaze. This 
 was their amphitheatre, still quite perfect in its form, giving 
 us a correct idea of the size and manner of constructing 
 the ancient theatres. On our return, there was still time 
 to devote to some other object we had not yet seen, so we 
 drove first to the catacombs. As I have already described 
 others, it will be necessary only to mention some points of 
 difierence. Those of Naples are superior to those of Malta 
 or Syracuse ; — they consist of three stories or ranges, one 
 above the other, are quite lofty, with fine wide passages 
 beautifully arched, and are ornamented with frescoes. The 
 places for interment are in chambers ; but the divisions, 
 instead of being placed side by side, are one above the other ; 
 they are much more regular, built with more order and 
 method, than any we have seen, and are also still more ex- 
 tensive. Many of them contain bones and skulls, and there 
 6 a large pit, where are bones thickly mingled with the 
 earth, in which they buried those who died of the plague. 
 
CAMPO SANTA. 199 
 
 Leaving this, we visited the different cemeteries. First is the 
 new " Campo Santa," beautifully laid out, and handsomely 
 ornamented v/ith plants and flowers, forming a delightful re- 
 sort for the inhabitants for a walk or ride, and commanding 
 from its highest point one of the most charming views to be 
 had from any part of Naples. There are very many ele- 
 gant mausoleums and other monuments, with a profusion of 
 flowers and shrubs to beautify and adorn them. Attached 
 to this, is a cemetery for such of the poor as can afford to 
 pay for their burial. It is a large and spacious square, en- 
 closed by high walls, with a smooth and solid stone pave- 
 ment. Underneath is a huge vault divided into cells. A 
 stone in the pavement made to raise, is the entrance into 
 these huge graves, some of which are owned by associations, 
 or a number of families. 
 
 Leaving these cities of the wealthy dead, we drove to the 
 old Campo Santa, where the paupers, or those who cannot 
 pay for their burial, are interred. This is an enclosure 
 exactly similar to the one we have just visited. The vault 
 beneath is divided into three hundred and sixty-five cells, 
 answering in number to the days in the year. These are 
 each sixteen feet square and twenty deep, which will give 
 you some idea of the size of the enclosure. 
 
 These cells have each an opening in the pavement like a 
 trap-door. Every morning one is opened, and at eight in 
 the evening the burials, in number from ten to twenty, take 
 place. The man raised the stone to give us a view of the 
 interior ; it had been closed just a year, and nothing was to 
 be seen within but a few bones mingled with the earth on 
 which they lay, and all the odor perceptible was a damp 
 earthy smell. While we were there, a body was brought 
 in a gaily painted box, from the hospital of the poor, and the 
 man who bore it on his head, after setting it down, offered 
 to show it us, and I suppose would have gladly done so for a 
 
200 THE GROTTO OF CAFRI. 
 
 carlini, (about eight cents) but we had no such desire. 
 The boxes are made to open at one end, which is placed at 
 the mouth of the cell, and the bodies slide into it uncoffined 
 and unknelled, though a priest reads the prayers, and sprin- 
 kles holy water over them. Quick-lime is then thrown into 
 the cell, when it is closed, to be opened again on the same 
 day of the next year. 
 
 Before closing this long letter, I will mention an excur- 
 sion from which we have just returned. This morning we 
 availed ourselves of an opportunity that does not often 
 occur, of a steamer excursion to Capri, to visit the rocky 
 looking islet celebrated chiefly for the picturesque views 
 afforded by its lofty cliffs, and the ruins of the palace of Ti- 
 berius, with other of his splendid constructions, now, how- 
 ever, too ruinous to afford any certainty of their original 
 nature. A singular grotto, discovered a few years ago,, 
 seems to be at present the great attraction. It is called the 
 " azure grot," from the deep and peculiar blue of its waters ; 
 and when the sun shines into it, the reflection upon its sta- 
 lactited roof is very beautiful. It was a good two hours' sail, 
 and there was suflicient motion to make many sick, and all 
 uncomfortable. The day was, however, warm and clear, 
 and we had a fine view of Naples, its bay, and beautiful 
 environs. As soon as we reached Capri, and were station- 
 ary, the passengers all put off in boats for the grotto ; and, 
 after rowing half an hour over tossing waves, we reached 
 the small entrance of the ocean cave. The entrance was 
 through a long and narrow arch, so small that only boats of 
 a peculiar construction can make their way — but two per- 
 sons can go in them, and these must placet hemselves in the 
 bottom of the boat in a horizontal position. A great degree 
 of skill and address is necessary to pass through, and we 
 were sometime tossing about the entrance, the waves dash- 
 ing furiously against our frail bark as we entered. Within 
 
A DISAPPOINTMEXT. 201 
 
 is a long, low vaulted chamber, blue above and blue beneath, 
 and all the animate within were of the same true blue. In 
 the summer months, there is a boy who swims in for the 
 amusement and pleasure of visiters, and his appearance is 
 likened to a silver frog. For my part, I was glad to beat a 
 retreat, and get safely out ; many got well sprinkled, and one 
 gentleman of our party was completely drenched from his 
 hat to his boots, which was unfortunate, as there was no pos- 
 sibility of a change till our return to Naples. Returning, 
 we landed at the village of Capri, and with a guide com- 
 menced our ascent by a narrow mule-path leading to the 
 ruins ; after we had toiled up to a pretty good height, and 
 supposed we had reached our journey's end, we were told 
 it was still an hour farther, and would take an hour to de- 
 scend. This was a disappointment, as the steamer's return 
 would not allow us time to go on, so without more ado we 
 retraced our steps, unable to see the palace of the Emperor 
 — contenting ourselves with the fine views our toilsome 
 walk had obtained for us. 
 
 9* 
 
202 LAKE AVERNUS. 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 MONTE NUOVO THE SYBIl's GROTTO THE BATHS OF 
 
 NERO THE PISCENA ARCO FELICE TEMPLE OF JUPI- 
 TER SERAPIS SOLFATARA GROTTO DEL CANE POSIL- 
 
 LIPPO PJESTUaM " KNOCKING OFF THE CHURCHEs" 
 
 ST. JANUARIUS. 
 
 My Dear Brother : — I put no date at the commence- 
 ment of this, but will merely premise that I am writing it 
 on a rainy day at Rome, where we arrived the last day of 
 the year 1843. The weather precludes all sight-seeing, 
 and, for my part, I am in a state particularly eligible for a 
 day 'of quiet enjoyment within, after fifteen days of constant 
 sight-seeing and marvel-hunting. Here, by the by, I think 
 I have already committed a bull, (an Irish one, at least,) 
 and you will not require much cyphering to make out the 
 date of my letter. Anything of this kind need not surprise 
 you, hailing as I do from the heart of the Papal dominions, 
 and inhaling as I do, the "malaria" of the Vatican. I 
 have given, in my last letter, an account of my excursion to 
 Vesuvius, and some other matters, and now instead of giv- 
 ing a detail of the ruins of the eternal city, I intend writing 
 my " Souvenirs of Naples," and dedicating them to yourself. 
 So now we will set out at once upon our excursion to 
 the environs of that city. In one of these, we paused at 
 the lake Avernus, the Tartarus of Virgil, a lake formed in 
 the mouth of an extinct volcano, and so poisonous, that birds 
 were said to fall in flying over it ; but it is now a beautiful, 
 placid sheet of water, and can possess no such deleterious 
 qualities, as myriads of birds were resting upon the surface 
 
sybil's grot. 203 
 
 of its quiet waters. Near this is Monte Nuovo, formed in 
 three days during the earthquake of 1538, which filled up 
 part of the Lucrene lake, driving its waters for a time upon 
 the site of the temple of Jupiter Serapis. Wending our 
 way along the shores of the lake, a short walk brings us to 
 the Sybil's Grot. On the opposite side of the lake, are the 
 picturesque ruins of the temple of Diana. Entering the 
 archway of the grot, we found ourselves in a long, vaulted 
 passage ; I should judge, near a quarter of a mile in length. 
 There are doubts as to the original use of the passage ; but 
 the most plausible purpose seems to be, that of a subterra- 
 nean canal for the conveyance of water to some baths or 
 temple in its neighborhood. After traversing the passages 
 to near its exti^mity, we turned into a side entrance, and 
 descending a few paces, our guides plunged into water near 
 three feet deep, then turning their backs, desired us to 
 mount ; and in this novel manner, we were carried through 
 rooms where day-light never entered, and, by the aid of 
 torch lights, viewed the different apartments and baths, said 
 to_have been Used by the Cumaean Sybil ; but to me they 
 seemed more like the apartments and compartments in the 
 catacombs of Malta and Syracuse, The water which now 
 fills the apartments was not formerly here, but was driven 
 in by the same earthquake that filled up the Lucrene lake. 
 I was heartily glad when we were well through with this, 
 and began to retrace our steps, as the guide did not hold me 
 at all, and I was obliged to cling with all my strength by 
 my arms round his neck, and felt in danger every moment 
 of slipping off* the back of my "good jack," as he called 
 himself, into the water, through which I was borne like 
 Sinbad the sailor. Monte Nuovo, though it has remained 
 perfectly extinct since its first formation, still retains its con- 
 ical shape, and the form of its crater is distinctly seen, 
 but it is said to be gradually diminishing. Leaving this, we 
 
204 BATHS OF WEEO. 
 
 drove along a level space once covered by the sea, which 
 has retreated to a short distance only. We passed the ru- 
 ined temples of Mercury and Venus, their huge remains 
 giving an idea of their form, extent and grandeur, but none 
 of their beauty or magnificence. On our right, rising ab- 
 ruptly to a great height, are the immense mounds of ashes, 
 containing the ruins of the village of Tripergola, which 
 ruins protrude themselves from the face of the high ground 
 all along the roadside ; and you may trace in the broken 
 banks of earth, the pavements of streets, the division of 
 their houses, and even the frescoes that embellished the 
 walls. Following this road, half an hour brought us to the 
 baths of Nero, the entrance to which is by an opening in 
 the face of the rock, some twelve or fifteen feet above the 
 road, and from this opening, clouds of vapor might be seen 
 rolling from within. We ascended by a footpath which led 
 from the road, and no sooner had we entered, than the 
 " man of the cave," stripping himself of his clothes, with 
 the exception of a pair of thin trowsers, took a lighted torch, 
 a couple of eggs, and a wooden pail, and disappeared 
 through a narrow passage, into which we followed. I, how- 
 ever, had not proceeded more than two rods, when, over- 
 powered by the heat, and suffocated by the vapor, I begged 
 to be allowed to return, and made my way out ; and it was 
 not long before my companions were obliged to do likewise. 
 In about three minutes, we heard the man returning at a 
 pretty quick pace, gasping and moaning ; and presently he 
 rushed into the cave, his torch in one hand, and the pail filled 
 with steaming water, and the eggs in the other ; these he 
 quickly disposed of, then sat down and began wiping off the 
 vapor and perspiration which was pouring off him in 
 streams ; but happily, as our cicerone said, he soon recovered 
 his " sang froid," and claimed his usual bonus. The water 
 in the pail was so hot that we could not bear our fingers in 
 
CUMiE. 205 
 
 it an instant, and the eggs were sufficiently cooked to eat. 
 Leaving the cave, we went a few rods on the opposite side 
 of the road to the shore Avashed by the waves of the Med- 
 iterranean, and at the water's edge, dug away the sand to 
 the depth of the hand ; the sands were so hot that we could 
 not hold them, and dropped them instantly; and this so near 
 the sea, that the waves dashed upon our feet. After visit- 
 ing the Piscena, a huge subterranean reservoir which fur- 
 nished water and kept fish for the fleet stationed at Misena, 
 the principal Roman station in the Mediterranean, we look- 
 ed into the " hundred chambers," supposed to have been the 
 prisons of Nero, then visited another grot of the Cumaean 
 Sybil. From these we drove to the temple of Apollo, situ- 
 ated on the heights of the ancient Cumas, from whence we 
 had a fine view of the seas, the bays, and towns along the 
 Mediterranean shores, besides a good idea of the extent 
 and grandeur of this ancient city, now in ruins in the earth 
 beneath us. We could follow the traces of its ancient 
 walls, and at some distance beheld the Arco Felice, the an- 
 cient gate of the city, still in perfect preservation. Every- 
 thing around betokened a volcanic region; the height on 
 which we stood, the buried ruins beneath our feet, the many 
 conical shaped hills and crater-like declivities, the subter- 
 ranean heat we had so lately witnessed, with Vesuvius be- 
 fore us, pouring forth fire and smoke, at this very time, were 
 all each tangible and ocular demonstration of the danger- 
 ous ground on which we stood. 
 
 Of all the places which we have yet visited, there is none 
 where I have been more deeply interested, and where the in- 
 terest has been so constant, so true and so lasting, as at Na- 
 ples. I have looked with delight upon the varied beauties 
 of its landscape, and dwelt with awe and admiration upon 
 the natural wonders with which it is invested, and with 
 
206 THE TEMPLE OF 
 
 which its very site and foundations are teeming, arising 
 from, and peculiar to, the volcanic nature of the country. 
 
 Among the objects most interesting, is the temple of Ju- 
 piter Serapis. I was perhaps more desirous to see this, 
 from having so often heard it spoken of, from having fre- 
 quently read of it, and also from having heard Professor Ly- 
 ell introduce and describe it in his lecture upon volcanoes 
 and earthquakes. All the whys and wherefore, causes and 
 effects, pros and cons, as to its submergence and upheaval, 
 have been so frequently discussed by those able and com- 
 petent to the task, I will give you only a matter-of-fact des- 
 cription, which may convey to you some idea of its present 
 appearance. It has, like very many other things here, been 
 enclosed, to insure its better preservation and a fee. You 
 descend a few steps from the road or street, and entering 
 through the gate of a broad enclosure, spread out before 
 you is an immense platform of white marble — the pavement 
 of this magnificent temple ; magnificent in its ruin, how 
 splendid may it not have been in its perfection? and this 
 pavement, though covered now with two feet of water, still 
 retains the singular purity and whiteness of its original col- 
 or. Raised footpaths, or narrow bridges of mason-work, 
 have been constructed in various directions over this plat- 
 form, to enable visiters to see and examine its every part ; 
 remains of four flights of marble steps descend from its rais- 
 ed centre, and near one of these are still remaining the 
 rings to which the animals about to be sacrificed were fas- 
 tened, as are also the receptacles of their blood and ashes. 
 Three only of its tall and massive pillars of Cipolene re- 
 main erect, though the broken and mutilated fragments of 
 many lie scattered around ; most of them have been taken 
 to ornament the palaces of the kings of Naples and of Spain. 
 In those remaining, it is curious to observe the holes bored 
 in them by a species of muscle while submerged, and there 
 
JUPITER SEEAPIS. 207 
 
 is also distinctly seen the watermark, showing that they re- 
 mained partly above water for some time, and that one ef- 
 fort or convulsion of nature, did not effect its total submer- 
 sion. All these are spoken of by Lyell, and treated accord- 
 ing to his opinion, though doctors do and will differ. I am 
 not quite sure, but think I have somewhere read that this 
 was the last temple erected by the fire-worshippers, and that 
 from its destruction, together with the progress Christianity 
 had made, this form of worship declined, and the majestic 
 orb of day ceased to be an object of adoration, his lesser 
 glory being absorbed or extinguished by the superior efful- 
 gence of the Sun of righteousness ; this, if true, adds to the 
 interest with which we view these picturesque ruins. It 
 was also supposed there were baths attached to the temple, 
 where those of its worshippers who were ill or feeble, were 
 brought to bathe in its consecrated waters, and it was to me 
 a cause of wonder to see these baths, notwithstanding the 
 alleged submergence and upheaval of the temple, still in 
 use, resorted to by invalids, and pouring forth volumes of va- 
 por, caused by the great natural internal heat. It is the 
 geological phenomena associated with this temple that most 
 attract us to it, and force us to regard it with mixed feelings 
 of wonder and admiration, though enough remains of its for- 
 mer grandeur and magnificence, together with the field of 
 marble ruins which formerly composed its sides and roof, its 
 broken columns, with their scattered pediments and capitals, 
 to induce us to look upon it with delight, as a beautiful and 
 majestic specimen of man's creation. 
 
 But we must not linger longer here. You must go with 
 me now to the extinct volcano, the Solfatara ; it is a good 
 mile, and all up-hill work. I, as one of the weaker vessels, 
 am provided with a donkey ; all the rest, being good pedes- 
 trians, make their way on foot. Soon tiring, however, with 
 the dull progress of my slow, but sure-footed little drudge, I 
 
208 THE SOLFATARA. 
 
 took to my feet, and led off the file with good speed and spir- 
 it, leaving the patient animal to take his time. We ascend- 
 ed to the summit of the cone, now a beautifully green and 
 verdant hill, the crater forming a hollow within almost to 
 its base, as if all its former varied contents had been scoop- 
 ed out, leaving it a huge bowl, covered within as without 
 with a bright and vivid green. But as if to give evidence 
 of its ci-devant dangerous concomitant and vicious propensi- 
 ties, and belying its present calm and placid seeming, a thick 
 sulphurous smoke was seen to issue from fissures in its gras- 
 sy bed, and on one side a heap of chalky and sulphurous 
 rubbish had been thrown from the bowels of the cone, while 
 a dense white vapor was pouring from its midst. This 
 was all that presented itself here, but another day we made 
 an excursion to a part near the base of the cone, where 
 were several pits dug in its side, from whence is procured 
 sulphur, mercury, vitriol, ammonia, alum, and a beautiful 
 chalk used by the soldiers in cleaning their trappings. 
 What a perfect laboratory nature has here of her own ! and 
 affording her productions in such quantities that loaded don- 
 keys were constantly passing us by. Our cicerone next 
 took us to a small building constructed of rough boards 
 against the side of the cone ; this was a sulphur bath, and 
 standing as we did on the ground parallel with its roof, 
 were enabled to apply an ear to the top of the low chimney, 
 and could distinctly hear the bubbling of the hot boiling 
 spring beneath ; near this were fissures or openings to which 
 the guide applied blazing matches, which were instantly ex- 
 tinguished. We extended our walk still farther to visit the 
 remains of an amphitheatre, then returned to the town, pass- 
 ing through a square ornamented with antique statues, to 
 the water-side. Puozzioli, where St. Paul landed on his 
 way from Syracuse, had formerly one of the finest ports in 
 Italy ; and on the arches of its superb mole was constructed 
 
THE TOMB OF VIRGIL. 209 
 
 Caligula's famous bridge. Remains of the huge piers of the 
 mole may still be discerned above the water. This finish- 
 ed the day ; our drive to Naples along the shore of its bay, 
 by the glowing light of a true Italian sunset, was delightful. 
 The morning after, we were early " en route'^ on our way 
 to the Grotto del Cane. Our way going and returning, took 
 us through the wonderful grotto of Posillipo, once perhaps 
 a natural grot, but from modern improvements an almost in- 
 terminable tunnel. . Being near the city, and serving as a 
 common thoroughfare for the people of the neighboring vil- 
 lages, it is always filled with a motley assemblage of horses, 
 mules and donkeys, the dun ox, or dunner buffalo, goats and 
 dogs, with an equal variety of bipeds, men, women and chil- 
 dren, carriages, carts, and the unique Neapolitan one-horse 
 chaise ; and from its pitchy darkness, being necessarily light- 
 ed by small glimmering lamps, one might aptly fancy him- 
 self, not in the hunting grounds of the rising sun that our 
 Indians dream of, but in some place in the netherworld, ap- 
 propriated peculiarly to the noisy Neapolitans. On the sum- 
 mit of this grot, at the end toward Naples, the eye lights up- 
 on a beautiful and picturesque object, no less than the tomb 
 of Virgil. It is, as I said, situated upon the arch of entrance. 
 When viewed from the street below, the eye measures a 
 long distance upward, before it rests upon the huge grassy 
 mound, crowned by a tall holm oak, festooned with luxuri- 
 ant vines of the ivy and laurel, which cover the resting-place 
 of the poet. The ascent is steep, and somewhat difficult; 
 but after attaining the height, and before entering the house 
 of the dead, your glance is directed to the crowded dwellings 
 of the living, which lie clustered on the level beneath, with 
 many a beautiful adjunct, lending loveliness to the charming 
 landscape, which extends itself far into the distance ; and the 
 name of the spot bears this beautiful signification, *' Cessa- 
 tion from sorrow." The scene within the mausoleum is 
 
SIO GttOfTO D^L CANfi. 
 
 vastly different ; I can compare it to nothing better than a 
 large oven. It is a dome, the interior of which is covered 
 with a brown stucco. There are two square doors opposite 
 each other ; by one of these, you enter; before the other, on the 
 inside, is placed a plain white slab of marble, with an inscrip- 
 tion, the name of the poet, and the man who placed it there. 
 Around the sides of the dome are niches for cinerary urns, 
 but empty all ; and with the associations arising from the 
 ashes of the great songster, you have .the whole. You may 
 be sure I did not leave the spot without bearing with me a 
 memorial from the "Ilex canopy of Virgil's Tomb." 
 
 Arrived at the Grotto del Cane, we found the owner 
 awaiting us, and ready to go through with the usual experi- 
 ments. This grotto is of a height at the entrance sufficient 
 to allow a man to stand upright; but its interior is so dark, 
 that I could not, standing outside, judge of its extent. The 
 exhibitions here are as painful as curious. The keeper has 
 two dogs, who go through the experiment alternately, when 
 called upon, for the gratification of visiters. One of them 
 is brought just within the mouth of the cave ; he is then- 
 made to lie down, near to the place whence the mephitic 
 air proceeds. In a few seconds, he is grasping as if in the 
 agonies of death ; in a few more, he froths at the mouth, 
 and writhes on the ground, twitching convulsively in every 
 part ; half a minute is as long as they are submitted to the 
 trial, and I suppose another half minute would suffice to put 
 the finishing stroke to their existence. They are then with- 
 drawn, and in less than a minute, are sufficiently recovered 
 to demand the piece of bread with which they knew their 
 master to be provided, as their customary fee ; they are not 
 yet, however, able to eat it; but remain sometime weak, 
 faint, and trembling. I asked if the dogs lived long who 
 were subjected to these experiments. He replied, that the 
 one who had just gone through the experiment, had been 
 
EXCURSION TO PiESTUMa 211 
 
 through the same for twelve years. He next lighted a large 
 torch or flambeau, placing it blazing near the ground, when 
 it was immediately extinguished, repeating it a number of 
 times, always with the same effect ; while, when held aloft, 
 it burned freely. The smoke caused by the burning torch, 
 soon settled in that part of the grot where the gas was 
 most powerful, and covered the ground a foot in depth, hav- 
 ing a very singular appearance. A loaded gun will not go 
 off at all, and this closed the series of experiments. I have 
 seen something of this kind, when attending chemical lec- 
 tures, but never from natural causes, and have read of them 
 almost as fables. This terminated the duties of ^e day, 
 and one other excursion will close the chapter. 
 
 Early on a bright and beautiful morning we set out 
 for Pgestum, an excursion that was to occupy three days. 
 The weather was clear and cool ; we were well provid- 
 ed for the inner man with roast chickens, hard boiled 
 eggs, and Lachryma Christi ; and for the outer, with 
 plenty of cloaks and a warm blanket, the travelling compa- 
 nion of one of our party. Our road was along the water- 
 side, the same I described on our way to Vesuvius. We 
 alighted at Portici, and were shown through the king's pal- 
 ace, and its beautiful grounds, once the favorite residence of 
 Queen Caroline and Murat, the gardens of which she did 
 much to beautify. The fanciful and pretty fort, where mi- 
 mic tournaments were held, was of her creation. The pal- 
 ace contains some fine old paintings, and antique mosaic 
 pavements from Pompeii. We passed through Torre del 
 Greece, which has been once covered with lava, the present 
 town being built upon the site of the buried one ; — La Nun- 
 ziata, at the foot of Vesuvius, where are the Neapolitan 
 powder-mills and magazines, rather a dangerous proximity, 
 and La Cava, one of the most picturesquely situated towns 
 on the way, " It is a Swiss valley, with the olives, the sea, 
 
212 RIDE TO PJESTUM. 
 
 and the sun of Naples;" all the country around is beautifully 
 interspersed with monasteries and terraced vineyards, beau- 
 tiful villas, with hanging gardens and orange groves ; and 
 perched on the many heights, are fine old ruined castles. 
 On the side of mount Ferrestra, is the monastery of La 
 Trinita, formerly one of the many asylums of letters which 
 Italy contained. It is embowered in woods and groves, en- 
 closed by high mountains, and still contains historic docu- 
 ments, charters, titles, and deeds of gift of those sovereigns, 
 who, not only themselves, but whose kingdoms have passed 
 away. It had also acquired the title of the penitentiary of 
 anti-p^es, fromha ving been the asylum of a number of dis- 
 carded or exiled legates. We stopped at the little village 
 of Nocera, and walked some distance down a by-road to a 
 church, containing some fine marble columns, brought from 
 Paestum ; they were, however, only interesting from their 
 antiquity — the greater part of their beauty had departed. A 
 peasant girl presented herself as our cicerone through the 
 church, but when we came out, a fat old priest stood ready to 
 take the fee. The major gave him the customary fee, but 
 this did not content him, he followed us grumbling, and beg- 
 ging for more. Upon this one of the gentlemen turned, and 
 taking it from him, ga,ve it to the girl ; this was, of course, 
 rank heresy, and I have no doubt of our excommunication. 
 The girl, however, did not dare keep the money, but handed 
 it again to the priest, who was obliged to be content. We 
 arrived at Salerno about four, P. M. The country, before 
 reaching it, was beautifully undulating, and richly cultivated, 
 and there were a great many high proud towers scattered 
 over the hill-tops and declivities, concerning which, we could 
 obtain no information from our Vetturino, and could there- 
 fore only surmise they were used in former days, as watch- 
 towers, to espy the landing of an enemy, and in modern 
 times, as guard-stations, to look out for smugglers. Salerno 
 
SALERNO. 213 
 
 and its fine port looked very lovely from the heights we de- 
 scended, just before reaching it, the beauties of which were 
 enhanced by the light haze which softened the glowing light 
 of the setting sun. There is a fine walk on the mole which 
 follows the shores of the gulf, and it was filled with a crowd 
 of people of all classes, enjoying the air and evening, as 
 well as the beautiful prospect. We mingled ourselves 
 with the motley group, and entered its ancient cathedral, 
 which is almost a museum, so numerous are the fine bas-re- 
 liefs and columns taken from Psestum ; it has also an outer 
 court lined on each of its four sides with arches, supported 
 by double columns of various kinds of marble, and different 
 styles of architecture, also from Psestum. Long before 
 light, the next morning, we were on our way ; it was clear 
 and pleasant, but quite cool. The country through which 
 we passed to-day, was not so beautiful or interesting, though 
 fruitful and well cultivated. Large fields of peas, beans, and 
 artichokes, were growing thriftily, and looked like ours in 
 the summer months; but the people have to work very hard 
 to raise sufficient to pay the heavy land-tax of thirty per 
 cent on their productions, and to secure to themselves any 
 profit. At the early hour in which we commenced our jour- 
 ney, we could see them working in the fields, and along the 
 roadside by fire-light, so soon had commenced the labors of 
 the day. We reached Psestum about noon, and spent two 
 hours in wandering around, and gazing on the ruins of its 
 three beautiful temples, one to Neptune, one to Ceres, the 
 third a basilica, or temple of justice. The wonderful pre- 
 servation in which they still remain, considering their great 
 antiquity, is truly astonishing ; in the days of Rome, they 
 were visited by the Caesars, and admired as beautiful ruins ; 
 their origin then, as now, lost in antiquity. The immensity 
 and solidity of its columns and blocks of Travertino are re- 
 markable, and you cannot but wonder how they have re- 
 
214 
 
 P^STUM. 
 
 mained and sustained themselves, without cement, iron, or 
 any of the contrivances of modern invention, for so many 
 ages. But aside from their other claims to our admiration, 
 they are sublime and majestic from their loneliness, and 
 from the utter desolation that surrounds them. You may 
 trace in the uneven and serrated sod of the plain about them, 
 the compartments and divisions of the dwellings that formed 
 the ancient city ; but of their occupants, none can tell. Suf- 
 ficent remains of the ancient city walls to give a perfect idea 
 of their plan, and the space covered by the city, which ex- 
 tended to the waters of its noble port ; there is also still in 
 use an ancient paved road, and an arched gateway in the 
 walls of the ancient Psestum. Traces also of a smaller tem- 
 ple, and of an amphitheatre, may be seen. A small miser- 
 able village in the vicinity, is inhabited by the most sickly, 
 haggard, wan, and dwarfish-looking people we have ever 
 met with. We were glad to buy ourselves off, and make as 
 hasty a retreat as possible from them and the place. We 
 retraced our steps to Salerno, where we spent the night, and 
 the next morning journeyed back to Naples, passing through 
 the same delightful country as on the first day. We made 
 a circuit two miles out of our way to see the pretty little 
 town of Castelamare. It has a fine port, which was well 
 filled with vessels, and the people seemed very active and 
 bustling. The place is also celebrated for its mineral wa- 
 ters, for which it is much resorted to in summer by the Nea- 
 politan gentry, as well as the king, who has a casino here. 
 We arrived safely at our hotel, highly gratified with our 
 three days' jaunt, and the next day set about "knocking off 
 the churches." Do not take this for an Americanism ; it is 
 pure English. An Englishman was asked if he had seen 
 all he wished at Rome. " Yes, he said, he had done every- 
 thing but the churches ; to-morrow, he should knock them 
 off, and then be ready to depart." The first we entered, 
 
CHURCHES. 215 
 
 was chiefly remarkable for the variety and richness of the 
 marbles, with svhich its whole interiorwas encrusted. The 
 next, for a splendid fresco painting, covering the greater 
 part of the central ceiling. The cathedral of St. Januarius, 
 the patron saint of Naples— (we asked our guide, who spoke 
 very good English, who this Januarius was. He replied, "all 
 he could tell, was, that he was the greatest man in Naples, 
 the head devil of all"; he, however, had spent eight years in 
 America, and had, perhaps, learned some heresy there)— 
 contains in its treasury forty silver busts of different saints, 
 all of life size, and richly wrought. Here, too, is kept a 
 vial containing some of St. Januarius's blood; the vial is in 
 a box, behind the altar, kept always locked with two keys, 
 one held by the archbishop, the other by the king, or a de. 
 puty appointed by him, and cannot be opened but in their 
 presence. On a certain day of the year, it is shown to the 
 people ; when first taken out, it is seen black and dry, but 
 soon liquifies, and becomes fresh and red, as if just shed. 
 Thousands crowd to see this miracle, which occurs yearly. 
 But one must have faith for all this ; to be at these exhibi- 
 tions without faith, is like eating beef-steak without gravy, 
 very dry and unprofitable. At the church of St, Paul, are 
 some mutilated columns and statues, taken from the ancient 
 temple of Castor and Pollux, and as usual, fine frescoes and 
 marbles. St. Clair is the burial-place of the reigning 
 family, and considered the most richly ornamented church 
 in Naples. In one of its chapels, that of San Felice, is a 
 magnificent picture of « David playing the harp, and danc 
 ing before the ark," by Conca. At the chapel of Santa 
 Maria della Pieta, we saw some most exquisite pieces 
 of statuary ; one, a dead Christ, with a sheet, seemingly 
 wet with the damps of death, so closely did it cling to 
 the form, showing the body, limbs, and every feature of the 
 face ; even the wounds in the hand are distinctly seen, so 
 
216 BEAUTIFUL STATUES, 
 
 transparent is this marble sheet that covers it. The others 
 are allegorical ; one, a female, representing Modesty, The 
 figure, covered from head to foot with a veil, is very beauti- 
 ftd. Another is, " vice undeceived ;" a man entangled in a 
 net, from which a good spirit is teaching him to extricate 
 himself. The meshes of the net, and the body seen through 
 it, are admirable. In one of the churches, of which I forget 
 the name, is a figure of the Virgin, which has a fine growth 
 of hair every year. On a certain day, this is cut off' by the 
 priest before the people. She is then withdrawn till the 
 ensuing anniversary, when it has grown again, miracu- 
 lously, of course, and is again cut. But enough of these. My 
 letter has acquired such a length, that I cannot trespass up- 
 on your patience, to give a description of a court ball, which 
 we attended, where we had an opportunity of seeing much 
 of royalty, wealth and beauty. This last closed the scene 
 for us at Naples, and after a delightful sojourn of three 
 weeks, during which, we had not a drop of rain, but ever a 
 bright and cloudless sky, with a pure and delightful temper- 
 ature, I think we may ever recall Naples as the " daughter 
 of sunshine." Adieu. 
 
A "holy family." 217 
 
 LETTER XXIir. 
 
 PALACE OF THE KING— CAPUA— MOLA DE G^TA— INN OF 
 TERRACINA — VELLETKI — BATH OF DIANA — CUSTOM 
 HOUSE— WEATHER AT R03IE— ITALIAN SKIES. 
 
 Rome, January. 
 
 MydearC , We left Naples early on the morning of 
 
 the twenty.eighth of December, and went a little out of our 
 road to visit the palace of the king at Caserta, said to be 
 the largest and most imposing in appearance of any in Eu- 
 rope. Its splendid vestibule is filled with columns of the 
 richest Sicilian marble, from which you ascend a noble 
 staircase, lined with the same material of varied kinds, with 
 balustrades of equal richness and beauty. It has a theatre, 
 and chapel ornamented also with rich marble, and a profu- 
 sion of gilding ; in the latter, to grace the Christmas festi- 
 val, there had been placed a representation of the holy fa- 
 mily in the stable of Bethlehem. Numerous figures of the 
 size of an ordinary doll, dressed in the most picturesque cos- 
 tume, and seemingly true to the life, were threading the moun- 
 tain passes of Judea ; some were seated in beautiful groups 
 under a cluster of palm-trees, that waved their graceful 
 leaves above them, while over the humble birth-place ofthe 
 Savior, hovered a heavenly host, and round it, crowded a 
 humble throng, with their offerings of sheep and doves. The 
 whole scene was truly oriental, and in perfect keeping with 
 the times and country it depicted, and is said to ha °e cost 
 two thousand pounds. It was open to the public for three 
 days, and attracted crowds of people from all the region 
 around. In the grounds of the palace, and directly in front 
 
 10 
 
218 THE TOWN OP CAPUA. 
 
 of it, there is a succession of cascades, nineteen in number, 
 each ornamented with grottos and statuary, forming a most 
 beautiful perspective. Situated on the beautiful amphitheatre 
 behind, is a large and flourishing silk factory, established by 
 King Ferdinand in 1789 ; and forming a part of the domain, 
 is the pretty casino, called the Belvidere. Leading from 
 these mountains, is a noble aqueduct, built by Charles III., 
 which conveys water to the cascades, and ornaments the 
 grounds of the palace and the villages in its vicinity. We 
 spent near two hours looking at the various beauties of the 
 place, and received a famous scolding for our dilpioriness 
 from our vetturino, who had a real or pretended fear of ban- 
 dits, and sadly lamented the delay which would keep us on 
 our way till after dark. We reached ere long the site of 
 ancient Capua, passing the fine remains of its amphitheatre, 
 and through a triumphal arch over the road. Two miles 
 farther brought us to the modern town of Capua, where we 
 breakfasted. Our road all day was through continued vine- 
 yards, with groves of fig and olive trees, and no fences to 
 mar their beauty. At dusk, we passed a guard-house, and 
 our vetturino directed our attention to a soldier just mount- 
 ing his horse — whose duty it was to pace up and down a cer- 
 tain portion of the road as night patrol — to support his alle- 
 gation, that there was much to fear from robbers. We, 
 however, arrived at our destination without let or hindrance, 
 and were glad on reaching the inn of St. Agatha, to find a 
 bright fire blazing in the dining room, where an English 
 family were already enjoying their dinner. The next morn- 
 ing we had partaken of an excellent breakfast, and were 
 fairly en route at half-past five. Our vetturino. Monsieur 
 Charles, was now in high spirits, and could hardly praise 
 sufficiently our laudable effort, to aid him in cheating the 
 robbers by early rising. The day was delightfully warm 
 and pleasant, and the country richly cultivated. Vineyards 
 
MOLA DE G.ETA. 219 
 
 With the branches of the vine trained from tree to tree, and 
 orchards of the olive, fig and orange, sometimes all mingled 
 together, with verdant crops of grain or vegetables growing- 
 underneath, formed altogether a lovely sight for the eye to 
 dwell upon. They are exceedingly economical of the 
 ground here, and it is rare that they do not produce five 
 crops from one field, that is, including the fruit. We had a 
 pretty peasantry in picturesque costume, who exhibited 
 a consciousness of their beauty, by their curling hair of a 
 rich brown, tastefully arranged about the face, and bright 
 gay ribbons mingled in their dresses behind-travelling, too 
 over a ground fraught with historic and poetic association,' 
 every moment was rich enjoyment. We saw many ruins, 
 some of them so ruinous indeed, as to be more interesting to 
 the imagination than to the sight, all trace of their origin or 
 purpose being lost, or at least doubtful. There were, how- 
 ever, beautiful remains of an ancient aqueduct, that formerly 
 crossed the road by which we passed, and which still ex- 
 tends a long distance. Near it are also the remains of an 
 amphitheatre, and the walls of a city. All these once formed 
 a part of Minturn^, whose reeds and marshes concealed 
 Marius ; and we had at least the certainty of knowino- that 
 we were on the Via Appia, the.t)nce queen of Roman roads. 
 We breakfasted at Mola de G^ta, beautifully situated on the 
 sea-side ; its hotel almost embowered by thick groves of the 
 orange, laden with fruit. A little boy presented me with 
 abeautiful bouquet of orange blossoms, roses and other sweet 
 flowers. From the rear of the house, in the midst of this 
 grove, you have a view of a high promontory, on which are 
 two or three pretty villages, and the citadel of Gsta, cele- 
 brated for two great defences, one by, and one against the 
 i^rench. The garden extends to, and is washed by the 
 waves of the Mediterranean, and contains the remains of 
 Cicero's villa, and of an amphitheatre. After breakfast we 
 
230 THE INN AT TEREACINA. 
 
 left our vetturino to follow, and walked on about a mile to 
 see a tomb, which is called Cicero's, but with some doubt as 
 to its being such, and doubts detract very much from the 
 pleasure and interest with which we would otherwise view 
 so interesting an object. 
 
 The whole country through which we passed to-day was 
 also covered with the vine, olive and fig tree. In the alter- 
 noon we saw immense herds of buffaloes, guarded by men 
 on horseback with long lances or spears. About the mid- 
 die of the afternoon, we were called upon for our passports, 
 to see if we were all right for going out of the dommions of 
 Naples, and shortly after we v ere inspected by the emissa- 
 ries of the Pope, to know if we were right and proper per- 
 sons to enter the patrimony of St. Peter. AH being " e« 
 re^/e,"wewere permitted to go ourway, each oificial claim- 
 inl as if by right, the " boutiUia," (bottle of wine.) Monsieur 
 Charles said, laughingly, that the Pope, having to take care 
 of the church, could not do as much to protect the country 
 as the King of Naples did. He had, however, three soldiers 
 on the Pontine marshes, but they, poor fellows, had the ague 
 and fever, and excited more pity than fear. We passed 
 many ruins along the road, giving one no idea of what 
 they were originally, but e^dencing a once populous and 
 thickly settled country. At five we reached the inn of Terra- 
 cina, so famed for robbers, and made to figure soconspicu- 
 ously in the beautiful opera of "FraDiavolo." I could trace 
 little resemblance between the real and the fancied one I 
 had seen represented on the stage, but the country around 
 cave one a good idea of a r. sort of bandits. Immediately 
 fn front of the inn, rises a huge rock, separate and dis- 
 tinct from the higher one behind it, in form, like a huge 
 tower, and making a natural fortress. Midway up, cling- 
 ing to the face of the rock, is the old hermitage, which is 
 also made to play a part in the opera, but now converted 
 
A FUNERAL PROCE^ION. 221 
 
 into a station for the officers of the Pope to watch for smug- 
 glers. The port of Terracina was once large and well 
 built, but is now filled with sand and useless, from want of 
 water. On the top of an exceeding high mountain, over- 
 looking the village, are the remains of a palace of the Em- 
 peror Theodoric, but too high for ordinary travellers, and 
 quite out of reach of weary ones like ourselves. We again 
 gladdened the heart of Monsieur Charles, by our early rising 
 in the morning ; he said the English family had arrived 
 quite late in the evening, scolding and fuming at their vettu- 
 rino for being so tardy. The morning was chilly, and there 
 was nothing in the scenery to interest us, being on the 
 dreary road over the Pontine marshes, which, after many 
 centuries, and through the means of the Emperors and 
 Popes, have at last been so well drained, as to make arable 
 and good pasture land. Hundreds of buffaloes were feeding 
 on its pastures, and in the still unredeemed marshy ground, 
 an abundance of game of all kinds, from some of which, 
 woodcock and snipe, we made a delicious breakfast. We 
 had still less to interest us to-day, no fine scenery to glad our 
 eyes, not many ruins, and the few we saw, we knew nothing 
 of, and with much satisfaction we reached our resting place, 
 Velletri, at four, P. M. We had not been long here when a 
 funeral procession passed the inn. There were some twenty 
 mourners, entirely in black, their faces covered with the 
 same, with holes cut for the eyes and nose, each carrying 
 lighted candles in their hands. Behind them was borne, 
 the blef, covered with a velvet pall, bordered with gold — on 
 this reposed the dead body, dressed in a robe of black, 
 similar to that vv'orn by our clergy, with white bands at his 
 neck, and on his head a small black cloth cap. The head 
 was supported by a black pillow or cushion, the face of 
 the corpse, that of an old man, entirely exposed, and rolling 
 from side to side with the motion of the bearers, which was 
 
 r^.' 
 
222 AN 'EXTINCT VOLCANO. 
 
 any thing but steady or equal. The gentlemen followed it 
 into the church near by, where, after a short service and 
 sprinkling of holy water, it was stripped of its robes, and 
 tumbled neck and heels into the vault on one side of the 
 church, and thus closed the mournful mummery. 
 
 We left Velletri at the usual early hour, and by half-past 
 nine we were at Albano, just before reaching which, we 
 passed the remains of a huge monument, the tomb of the 
 Horatii and Curatii ; though it is also said, to be one con- 
 secrated by Cornelia to Pompey, and the five cones or py- 
 ramids which it presents, are supposed to allude to the five 
 victories of the Roman captain. The hotel, at which we 
 breakfasted at Albano, was as large and handsome as a pal- 
 ace, with a beautiful tei raced garden, filled with flow- 
 ering shrubs and ornamented with pretty fountains, com- 
 manding also a fine view of all the country beyond ; and 
 as the town is the summer resort of the Pope and Roman 
 citizens, it is no doubt at that season well filled. 
 
 After breakfast we walked a mile to see the huge crater 
 of an extinct volcano, now filled by a quiet placid lake, but 
 still retaining much of its former height and form. On one 
 side of it is a convent of Franciscan monks, and on the 
 heights opposite are the ruins of a temple of Jupiter, and a 
 singular rock called the Pope's rock, thickly covered with 
 villages. The lake has an outlet by means of a tunnel cut 
 through the mountains two hundred years ago, by the Ro- 
 mans, in obedience to an oracle, though suggested to the 
 oracle by the senate. , Near to this is a grotto called the 
 bath of Diana. On a mountain in the vicinity is the pretty 
 village of Castel-Gandolfo where the Pope has a palace, his 
 only summer retreat — leading from Albano to this is a fine 
 avenue of evergreen oaks. At the foot of the volcano in the 
 gardens of the Barberini villa are many remains of a coun- 
 try house and baths built by Domitian. Leaving Albano 
 we pass another ruin called the tomb of Ascanius, founder 
 
THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR. 223 
 
 of Alba Longa. From this point our road was the Via Appia 
 through the Campania da Romi, literally sown with ruins 
 and fragments of ruins. Three or four fine aqueducts may 
 be seen leading from different quarters, and though remains 
 of a time long past, are still useful to the citizens of modern 
 Rome. Beautiful parts and scattered fragments of temples, 
 towns and tombs, show the site and extent of the " Niobe 
 of Nations." We passed the ordeal of the custom-house by 
 the payment of two Pauls and entered the gates of the eter- 
 nal city. And it is something of a memorial to have en- 
 tered Rome on the last day of the year — it will serve as a 
 memento of the ending of the year. My thoughts reverted 
 to scenes of home, and returned tinged with sadness ; vis- 
 ions of merry meetings passed before my " mind's eye," and 
 happy greetings sounded in the ear of my heart ; it was 
 Sunday too, and I felt that the incense of my prayers min- 
 gled with those offered for all who " travel by land or by 
 water," and there was a pleasure in my sadness, which 
 could not but be diverted by the beautiful temples of olden 
 as u^ell as modern times ; and above all the Coliseum, past 
 which we were rapidly whirled to the hotel. I suppose you 
 would not care to read, any more than I to write, a full des- 
 cription of the many ruins which all must see who visit 
 Rome, but I intend giving you an account of such days as 
 were most interesting, of the month passed here. Unfor- 
 tunately coming to Rome as we did, afler passing through 
 so many far countries, and so much that was in fact more 
 unique and strange, antiquities that were really more an- 
 cient — our ardour and enthusiasm had much abated, and 
 our appetites were in a measure satisfied with what had 
 gone before, so that we were all of us languid and indiffer- 
 ent, and it was quite an effort that we commenced our sight 
 seeing. I must, however, attribute our indifference in a 
 great degree to the chilling atmosphere which we encoun- 
 
224 WEATHER AT ROME, 
 
 tered on our first arrival at Rome. Coming as we did from 
 more southern latitudes, where we had found it one con- 
 tinued summer, and after basking in three weeks' sunshine 
 at Naples, we reached Rome one hundred and fifty miles 
 northward, at the height of its coldest season, and where 
 instead of the eternal sunshine we had been enjoying, we 
 had chilly drizzling rains — and I have never suffered so 
 much from cold in America as in Rome. We have much 
 colder weather, but we are better prepared for it ; the 
 houses here are of stone, but the ceilings lofty, and the 
 rooms have many of them only canvass partitions (hand- 
 somely frescoed) dividing them from each other, and the 
 cold passages without. Then the cold stone floors are very 
 chilling, though covered with carpets ; the wood for fuel too 
 is poor and dear, and the fire-places excellently well calcu- 
 lated to convey the heat up chimney and the smoke into 
 the room. The cold at this season, is of a different nature 
 from ours, there seems always a dampness even when 
 the sun shines, owing to the narrowness of the streets and 
 great height of the houses, while with us it is usually clear 
 and dry ; here the cold is benumbing — with us it is exhilir- 
 ating — here it is enervating ; w^ith us exciting. I have never 
 suffered so with chilblains as while here — my hands look as 
 if I had the inflammatory rheumatism, and my feet are crip- 
 pled ; even my face shows the impress of Jack's frosty fin- 
 gers. It is thus with all who expose themselves much, 
 whether foreigners or natives. Invalids who are confined 
 to a sunny room may escape. And yet it is not so cold as 
 to destroy vegetation — the grass looks as green as with us 
 in April or September. The trees that are leafless are 
 those of the hardy kind like the oak and other large trees, 
 while the orange, olives and flowering trees, are filled with 
 fruits and flow^ers ; vegetables are growing luxuriantly in the 
 fields ; roses and peas blossom in the open air, in the gar- 
 dens and by the way side. 
 
■:r 
 
 THE SIXTINE CHAPEL. 225 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 HIGH MASS DRESS CEREMONIES ST. PETEr's ASCENT 
 
 TO THE DOME, 6lC. 
 
 Rome, January. 
 The morning after our arrival, New- Year's morn, high 
 mas was to be celebrated in the Sixtine chapel, and the Pope 
 would assist. At an early hour, therefore, we drove to the 
 Vatican, the palace of his holiness, and found our way to the 
 entrance of this his private chapel. We had been told that 
 ladies would not be admitted with bonnets, but must dress 
 in black, with a black veil upon the head ; in this respect I 
 must say I highly approve the Pope's taste ; for I think it an 
 exceedingly pretty and becoming costume. Gentlemen, too, 
 must go in ordinary full dress, and so particular were they 
 in this respect, that the Major was refused admittance be- 
 cause he had on a frock coat, and was obliged to return to 
 the hotel a mile distant, to change it for a dress coat. We 
 were somewhat in advance of the hour, and were obliged to 
 stand a long time waiting. By the time they were ready to 
 admit us, we had made the acquaintance of a family whom 
 we had divined to be Americans, and with whom we had 
 subsequently delightful intercourse. The heavy curtain was 
 at length held aside for the numerous assemblage to enter. 
 A file of halberdiers, Swiss soldiers, habited like harlequins, 
 preceded us. They wore a dress of red, yellow and blue 
 stripes, consisting of a doublet with slashed sleeves, loose 
 short breeches of the same, a small low-crowned black hat 
 rolled up on one side with a red feather like the mane 
 of a horse extending fromvthe front to the back, a ruff 
 
 10* 
 
226 INTERIOR APPEARANCE. 
 
 round the neck composed of four fluted ruffles, white stock- 
 ings, with buckles both at the knee and shoes, a broad 
 yellow band over the shoulder, to which was attached a 
 glittering sword, with white gloves, completed this unique 
 and yet pretty costume. A long pole with halberds at the end 
 was carried upright. As soon as they had taken their proper 
 stations within, the master-at-arms held aside the curtains 
 and the ladies entered and were furnished with seats, but 
 they were very ungallantly stationed in the rear, and obliged 
 to look through a gilded grating, while. the gentlemen were 
 admitted within the pale ; and had very good seats on the 
 inside. 
 
 T was so much occupied with gazing at the assemblage 
 and the ceremonies, that I can give no description of the 
 chapel, save that it contains some fine frescoes by the great 
 master Michael Angelo, much injured, however, by age and 
 humidity. The altar piece, the last judgment, is also by 
 him. The high altar is richly draped with crimson velvet 
 with trimmings of gold, and before it were six immense 
 golden candlesticks, in which were burning wax-lights near 
 six feet high. On one side was a rich square canopy of 
 crimson velvet embroidered with gold, and the canopy to 
 the ground the same rich material ; over this latter, but so 
 as not to conceal it altogether, was hung white silk, em- 
 broidered with gold figures, and this last covered and fell 
 over the large chair placed under the canopy on a platform 
 raised some five or six steps ; this was the throne of his 
 holiness who had not yet arrived. The cardinals now 
 began to arrive by the same door we had entered, passing 
 by where we were seated. It is said taking them as a body 
 they are the most learned society in the world ; they num- 
 ber in all seventy, the same in number as the elders chosen 
 by Moses for his grand council during a rebellion in the 
 wilderness, as well as of the Jewish Sanhedrim. One of the 
 
THE CARDINALS. 227 
 
 cardinals, Mezzafonta, though not yet an old man, is per- 
 fect master of forty different languages- At this ceremony 
 there were present about forty, they were dressed in robes 
 of crimson silk, lined with purple, with trains I should judge 
 five yards in length. On their shoulders were hoods lined 
 with ermine that came round in front like a cape ; about 
 their necks were bands of the richest lace with sleeves and 
 ruffles of the same, and on their heads small red silk caps 
 fitting the scalp very closely. They did not enter in a 
 body, but singly or two at a time, each with a body guard 
 of the clergy; those who preceded them wore black silk 
 gowns, black cocked hats ornamented with feather fringe, 
 rich lace bands, broad massive chains of gold suspended 
 round their necks, and swords at their sides. Four of these 
 preceded each cardinal while two behind bore his train. 
 These last were dressed in robe and cassock of royal purple 
 silk, fastened with small buttons from the neck to the feet 
 down the front, and on their heads small black silk caps. 
 Each cardinal as he entered knelt in the centre of the 
 chapel ; those who had already entered and taken their 
 seats rose and remained standing till he had performed his 
 devotions, when after making a reverence to them and they 
 to him, he took his seat, and they resumed theirs, and this 
 was repeated on every new arrival till all had entered. The 
 last one was accompanied by a guard of about a dozen sol- 
 diers in rich scarlet uniforms and cocked hats. These we 
 were told were all young Italian nobles. At last came the 
 Pope himself, entering by a private door at the opposite end 
 of the chapel on the platform of the high altar. He was pre- 
 ceded by a long procession of priests ; and wore along robe of 
 white silk profusely embroidered with gold, and was crowned 
 with the golden mitre. Three priests officiating at the 
 altar, wore white robes almost covered with gold ornaments 
 and embroidery ; and the one performing mass wore a siL 
 
228 ELEVATION OF THE HOST. 
 
 ver mitre. The choir was composed of priests, no female 
 voices, and the music was exquisite. I think I have rarely 
 if ever heard it excelled. The services consisted chiefly in 
 chanting by the orchestra, the responses being chanted by 
 the whole body of clergy and cardinals, and there was a 
 short discourse delivered in Italian. When the Pope took 
 part in the ceremony, a priest knelt before him having a 
 laige book opened, while another, also kneeling, held a 
 lighted candle. In the midst of the service the cardinals 
 all, one after another, ascended the front of the platform, 
 and kneeling kissed the Pope's hand and the cross on his 
 slipper ; then descended at the side, and it was quite amus- 
 ing to see the train of each as they ascended and descended 
 passed from the hands of a long file of priests till they 
 reached their seats each in^their turn. After this the priests 
 one after the other made obeisance at the foot of the plat- 
 form without ascending it. This to a mere looker-on was 
 all very fanciful and amusing as you may imagine ; the only 
 really impressivfe part of the gorgeous ceremony being when 
 the Pope knelt before the altar, and held aloft the Host — the 
 whole assemblage prostrating themselves to the ground, bow- 
 ing themselves before the Lord of Hosts, and keeping silence 
 before him. All this occupied about two hours, and then 
 such a display of cardinal's carriages as was exhibited 
 around the court of the Vatican when we descended ! each 
 with three footmen behind and a coachman in front, they 
 as well as the horses and carriages in liveries and trappings 
 as rich as gay colors and gold and silver could make them. 
 So closed our first morning in Rome. 
 
 Afler a few days spent in making -purchases and such ar- 
 rangements as would most contribute to our comfort during 
 our stay here, we commenced visiting some of the many in- 
 teresting objects we most wished to look upon, and I at least 
 
IVY-CLAD RUINS. 229 
 
 felt my ardor renewed and began to realize that ws were 
 indeed in Rome— 
 
 " Lone mother of dead empires, there she stands 
 An empty urn within her withered hands." 
 
 Methinks a fit emblem for her would be " Rachael mourn» 
 ing for her children, and would not be comforted because 
 they were not." How sad it is to look upon so many wrecks 
 of what was once beautiful, grand and magnificent. And 
 in Rome there is not one but history, " hoar chronicler of 
 time," has marked it for her own. Standing too as they do 
 surrounded by the dwellings of modern Rome, they still look 
 so sad, so lonely, so apart. Among them but not of them, 
 yet they have one friend in their desolation, they are not 
 deserted quite ; there is that " rare old plant" — that garland 
 of eternity, the ivy-green, clinging to and becoming as one 
 body — you may destroy but cannot part them. They en- 
 twine and gird themselves about each part, forming a shel- 
 ter against the storms of adversity, and a protection against 
 their fell destroyer. Time. I can hardly single out any of 
 these for a minute description, and to only enumerate them 
 would not only be tedious and uninteresting, but useless ; so 
 leaving these reflected glories of the past, we will turn to 
 one of the most perfectrealitiesof modern times, St. Peter's, 
 Ah, how beautifully do these Romanists appeal to the feel- 
 ings, the senses and the imagination, by their exquisite per- 
 fections in the various departments of art, by their gorgeous 
 decorations, their imposing ceremonies, seraphic music and 
 fragrant floating clouds of incense ; the worship is beauti- 
 ful, but as for their religion 
 
 But it is with the beautiful temple we have now to do — 
 " And thou of temples old cr altars new, 
 Standest alone, with nothing like to thee 
 Worthiest of God the Holy and the true." 
 
 One cannot enter here and cast their eyes over its spacious 
 
230 
 
 tesselated pavement, and upwards to its vast and lofty dome, 
 enriched with mosaics of bright and varied hue, in which 
 the figures represented seem starting into life ; and then 
 along its many chapels and shrines, forming of themselves a 
 holy city ; where all that is most rare and costly in art or 
 nature has been brought to enrich aad beautify these temples 
 of the Lord, without feeling his heart fill with pride on wit- 
 nessing so many marvellous creations of man's handy work, 
 and with gratitude to man's Creator that he has endowed 
 his noble master-piece with the genius capable of producing 
 such exquisite and beautiful specimens in every department 
 of art. There are those who find faults and defects in this 
 beautiful temple, but for me I could not if I would, and 
 would not if I could. 
 
 " Majesty, power, glory, strength and beauty, all are aisled 
 In this eternal ark of worship undefiled." 
 
 Some say that its very perfection is a fault; it is of such rare 
 proportion that its magnitude and grandeur is lost, or rather 
 does not strike, and this called a defect. Byron says — 
 " Its grandeur overwhelms thee not ; 
 
 And why ? it is not lessened ; but thy mind, 
 
 Expanded by the genius of the spot, 
 
 Has grown collossal." 
 
 But it was not thus with me, my mind was not sufficiently 
 expansive, at least, to contain all the fullness of my delight, 
 — my heart was full, my eyes o'erflowing. It would be im- 
 possible for me to describe all that is beautiful here, and if 
 I did, the description would give you no adequate idea of the 
 reality. There is first its many brilliant mosaics, the im- 
 perishable copies of the masterpieces of Raphael, Domeni- 
 chino and others, the originals of which are in the Vatican ; 
 the numerous magnificent monuments of its many Popes, 
 of sovereigns and other of the illustrious great chefd^auvres 
 of the master sculptors, Bernini, Canova, Thorwaldsen and 
 
THE DOME. 231 
 
 others, the splendid baldachino of bronze by Bernini over 
 the bodies of Saints Peter and Paul, an exquisite temple in 
 itself; and the elaborate bronze pulpit of St. Peter, also by- 
 Bernini, who was employed upon the principal works of art 
 under nine Popes. There is also a bronze statue of St. 
 Peter, seated in a chair, holding in his hands the keys, 
 which is of great antiquity, and by some supposed to have 
 been a statue of Jupiter, and to have once adorned some 
 heathen temple ; the foot of it has been kissed so oft and 
 with so much devotion that the toes are nearly worn off. 
 All these with the ordinary decorations of the church and 
 the splendor of its many shrines, form a combinatioUgWhich 
 requires frequent visits and close study to appreciate. There 
 is also one peculiarity about this beautiful edifice noticed 
 by all who enter it, and that is the climate or temperature 
 within it, which is uniform throughout the year. In winter 
 it is of a warm genial and delicious softness, and in sum- 
 mer delightfully cool. During one of our visits with some 
 friends we ascended to its immense cupola, the work of 
 Michael Angelo in his eighty-seventh year. I, with the gen- 
 tlemen, went into the very ball which is of a size capable of 
 holding sixteen persons. The view from this great height 
 is very fine, giving one a good idea of the extent of modern 
 Rome, the situation of the ancient city, the position of the 
 most interesting of its ancient buildings as well as the rela- 
 tive positions of its many hills and the windings of the Tiber 
 at their base. We obtain also a more just and accurate 
 idea of the extent and dimensions of this immense building. 
 On one of its roofs there is quite a colony of workshops of 
 the men employed in keeping the edifice in repair, which 
 repairs are said to cost forty thousand dollars yearly ; there 
 is also an overflowing fountain of good water on this part of 
 the roof. Most of the ascent is made by an inclined plane, 
 which renders it comparatively easy. In the interior there 
 
232 THE MAUSOLEUMS. 
 
 is a gallery running round the base of the huge dome, and 
 where one seems suspended like Mahomet's coffin midway 
 between Heaven and earth. The view of the interior of 
 the church from this giddy height is wonderful ; the people 
 below seem like pigmies, while the huge mosaic figures 
 with which the vault of the dome is encrusted, which when 
 seen from below appear only the size of life, are here gigan- 
 tic ; and though when viewed thus near, the pen in the 
 hand of St. Mark appears only a foot long, it is actually four. 
 When we descended, while the gentlemen went into the 
 crypt to see the mausoleums of Peter and Paul, which ladies 
 are not allowed to desecrate by their presence, we amused 
 ourselves with again viewing many beauties and wonders of 
 this magnificent temple, upon which I feel I can hardly look 
 enoughr and shall never cease to admire. To-day it has 
 raine°d unceasingly, and as the gentlemen had some business 
 matters to attend to, I was allowed to remain quietly at 
 home much to my satisfaction, passing the day in domestic 
 occupations, reading, writing, and needlework ; in the even- 
 ing an American artist, who has rooms next to us and the 
 Major, passed the evening with us, so that it has been quite 
 like home in comparison with other days so replete with 
 active occupation both of mind and body as ours usually are. 
 
THE VATICAN. ggg 
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 THE VATICAIV—LOVE LETTERS— THE HALL OF ANIMALS- 
 PAINTINGS— PIAZZA DEL POPOLO—MINERVA MEDICA— 
 THE PORUM— TRIUMPHAL ARCHES, dcC, &C. 
 
 Rome, January. 
 Dear H.— I no sooner despatch one letter than I com- 
 mence another ; for these long epistles of mine are not writ- 
 ten all at one time, I can assure you, but each day teems 
 with scenes new and strange, and I take note of them as 
 they pass, or as I think they will most interest you. My 
 husband laughs, and tells me they will never be read by any 
 of you; but if you find them too puzzling to decipher, or te- 
 dious to peruse, leave them for me when I return. I .should 
 not, perhaps, be half so observing of things, or scrutinize 
 them so closely, were it not for my wish to describe what I 
 see, to those I have left at home, and whom I wish should 
 share the pleasure I am so much enjoying. It serves, too, 
 to impress upon my mind, things which would otherwise be 
 soon obliterated by the constant succession of novelties, and 
 will be an aid to memory when I review them afterwards. 
 
 We will now go to the Vatican, the splendid pontifical 
 palace from whence issued the thunders that commanded 
 and overawed in former times, the whole of Christendom. 
 It is said to contain eleven thousand rooms ; eight principal, 
 and two hundred small staircases. A very small portion of it, 
 however, is now occupied by his Holiness, the greater part be- 
 ing appropriated to the various collections of art and anti- 
 quities. It contains wonders and marvels enough for many 
 a day's delight and admiration. The library occupies a 
 
«^34 WONDERS OP ART. 
 
 good portion, and contains, as you may imagine, many liter- 
 ary curiosities, but curious most to the learned and wise. 
 You would hardly fancy the Vatican a repository for love 
 letters ; yet its library contains seventeen, written by Hen- 
 ry VIII. to Ann Boleyn, nine in French, and eight in En- 
 glish. It has been said by some one, that there were m 
 ancient Rome more statues than inhabitants ; and it is cal- 
 culated, that there have been dug up in and about Rome at 
 least seventy thousand ; and very many of these stone shadows 
 of humanity now people the Vatican. Of these, the Laocoon 
 and the Apollo Belvidere are familiar, in name at least, to 
 all the world. I am not artistical enough to praise or crit- 
 icise, but I do admire. The Hall of Animals, I think one 
 of the most attractive in the whole collection ; every thing 
 here seems so true to nature and to life ; not only the anat- 
 omy and action, but even the spots and stripes are some- 
 times represented in the marble, you would think miracu- 
 louslv. There is a long gallery, too, filled with beautiful 
 candelabra in bronze and marble, ancient and modern ; 
 one suite of rooms devoted to Egyptian Antiquities, another 
 to Etruscan. Some of the long galleries are ornamented 
 with ancient geographical maps painted on their walls-- 
 some with bright and vivid frescoes from the glowing pencil 
 of Raphael, and others are hung with tapestry executed m 
 the Flemish towns from his designs. Besides these, are 
 rooms, the walls and ceilings of which are covered with 
 paintino-s by the divine artist and his pupils, a train of fifty 
 of whom always attended him here. The Vatican contains 
 few paintings ; but among these few, are the master-pieces 
 of the world. The Transfiguration, by Raphael, the Com- 
 munion of St. Jerome, by Domenichino, are first. The 
 Transfiguration is one destined to remain in the memory of 
 the observer longer than other of the great chef d'cBuvres. 
 The Madonna di Foligno, by Raphael, is exquisite. In Ma- 
 
HAJHAEL. 
 
 283 
 
 donnas he excelled ; his Madonnas ^e always so spiritual, 
 fit ever to be enthroned on clouds! his models were not of 
 the earth, earthy ; but drawn from his own beautiful imag. 
 inings Ah ! how exquisitely beautiful they are ! I reaUy 
 feel sad to think how great a deprivation it will be, in mv 
 own dear land, not to have any of these exquisite produc- 
 tions of the chisel and pencil to look upon, one does so love 
 to dwell and hnger where they are. I have heard it esti- 
 mated, that the corridor leading from the entrance of the 
 Vatican to that of the Museum, is from half to three quar- 
 ters of a mile ; with this long walk, and standing for hours 
 upon marble floors, amid these stone figures that seem to ra- 
 diate cold, as the sun does heat, you may fancy, notwith- 
 standuig we are surrounded by things most wonderful and 
 beautiful the animal quite overcomes the mental and intel- 
 lectual of our nature. The base alloy of our composition 
 begins to be perceptible ; cold and hunger drive us home, 
 and as vve found, on our exit from the palace, that it was 
 cloudy, damp and chilly, we were glad enough to be at 
 home and within reach of creature comforts, fire and food. 
 
 Friday was the first day that we really made a business 
 of sight-seeing; and when I have closed my account of the 
 day, you will say we have indeed explored a wide field, and 
 have accomplished much. We went first to the Piazza del 
 Popolo, where is an ancient Egyptian obelisk. We visited 
 here two churches, no ways remarkable, except that they 
 serve as places of sanctuary to criminals ; from this, to the 
 Piazza di Spagnia, on the Pincian Hill, whence you obtain 
 a fine view ; next to the Monte Caballo, where are two col- 
 lossa statues, one by Praxiteles, and the other by Phidias. 
 I he latter is more generally admired ; but the first pleased 
 me most—Then to the beautiful fountain in the Piazza del 
 Termini We visited the church of St. Bernard, supposed 
 to have formed part of Dioclesian's baths, and that of San- 
 
236 CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA. ^ 
 
 ta Maria della Angqji, said to have been the place where 
 the wrestlers exercised in bad weather ; but now converted 
 into a beautiful church, and containing some exquisite paint- 
 ings, and some stupendous pillars of oriental granite. This 
 church also formed part of Dioclesian's baths, which were 
 built by Christians, who afterwards suffered martyrdom. It 
 is in the form of a Greek Cross. The entrance was a Cal- 
 darium belonging to the baths, and contains now the monu. 
 ments of Carlo Muratti and Salvator Rosa. From this we 
 went to the gardens of Saliust, at this time covered with 
 snow sufficient for us to leave our foot prints in our wander- 
 ings through them. Near it was the temple of the \ estals, 
 where is still seen the place in which were entombed alive 
 the vestals who were unfaithful to their vows. The church 
 of Santa Maria Maggiore has two beautiful fronts ; on the 
 piazza of one rises an obelisk of red Egyptian granite, and 
 in the centre of the other, a Corinthian fluted column of Pa- 
 rian marble, at least eighty feet high, said to have been ta- 
 ken from the temple of Peace. This church stands on the 
 Esquiline Hill, on the site of the temple of Juno Lucina : 
 the nave is supported by thirty-six columns of white marble, 
 and forty of granite; and the baldachino, by antique col- 
 umns of porphyry. Its chapels are richly and elaborately 
 ornamented; some painted by Michael Angelo, others by 
 Guido, and decorated with fine bas reliefs, and inlaid with 
 precious marbles in great profusion. We went next to the 
 church of San Giovanni in Laterano, called the Mother 
 Church of Rome. Its piazza presents one of the finest and 
 largest obelisks here, consisting of one single block of red 
 granite, one hundred-feet high, without the pediment. The 
 church contains numerous fine paintings and statues, and has 
 a richly decorated front. Opposite to it is the Scala Santa, the 
 stairs of Pilate's judgment-hall, which the Savior descend- 
 ed, when he was led away to be crucified. Three women 
 
PRIESTS AND PENITENTS. 237 
 
 and a man were ascending them on their knees, kissing 
 each step first, and saying a pater noster at every one. The 
 steps are of marble, but have been so much worn as to 
 make it necessary to cover them with wood, and this cover- 
 ing has been many times renewed. 
 
 After this, we left the carriage, and took a long walk to 
 see a "ruinous old ruin" of the temple of Minerva Medica, 
 whence many beautiful statues have been taken, and are 
 now in the Vatican. From the site of the church of Santa 
 Croce de Gerusaleme, we obtain a fine view and idea of 
 the Amfiteatro Castreuse, and the remains of the Claudian 
 Aqueduct, and of the temple of Venus and Cupid. At the 
 church of St. Bilbas was shown us the pillar at which the 
 saint suffered martyrdom by fire. We entered the church 
 of St. Proxede, merely to see its internal ornaments and rel- 
 ics, expecting to find it nearly, or quite empty. Usually 
 there are, here and there, a few kneeling at some of the 
 many shrines, each to his favorite or patron saint, or at 
 some one of the confessional boxes, whispering to the care- 
 less and indifferent looking priest, a catalogue of the petty 
 sins and transgressions of the past week or month. Instead 
 of the vacant, empty space which with us is always filled 
 with seats or pews, the whole body of the church was occu- 
 pied by some two or three companies of soldiers in uniform: 
 one knee was bent to the cold marble pavement, their hands 
 clasped together on the breast, their heads bare, and their 
 military caps on the floor beside them. Their faces were 
 all turned towards the grand altar, where a single priest in 
 his simple black and white robes, officiated. Before the 
 steps of the altars of the different shrines or chapels, along 
 the sides of the church, kftelt their officers, their heads un- 
 covered, but their cloth cloaks a la militaire, gracefully 
 wrapped about them. The priest chanted something like a 
 litany, and the soldiers with one voice sang the response. 
 
538 ANCIENT TEMPLES. 
 
 The music and the time were admirable, and they seemed 
 familiar with both. The effect and tout ensemble were in- 
 describably beautiful, and appeared to me the height of sol- 
 emnity and sublimity. We made our way to the rear of the 
 church, where we remained standing and listening, till the 
 service was over, when they defiled by us, and passed out 
 of the church. Among the treasures of this church, is the 
 pillar taken from Pilate's judgment-hall, to which the Sa- 
 vior was bound, while being scourged by his soldiers : this 
 is in a private chapel, which is kept locked, and where lights 
 are always burning, and though gentleman Protestants are 
 admitted within to see it, ladies are only allowed to look at 
 it through a grating. 
 
 After this we directed our course to the forum, where are 
 concentrated the most interesting of Rome's ruins. Here 
 may still be seen a few of the arches of the tabularium, in 
 whose acrhives the public acts were kept on tables of 
 bronze ; portions of the temples of Concord and Fortune, 
 and three fine Corinthian columns of Jupiter Stator, or as 
 others suppose, of a building — "a vast diplomatic tribune," 
 used for the reception of various foreign ambassadors ; the 
 cura hostilia, where the senate assembled, and near which 
 stood the famous fig-tree, under whose branches Remus and 
 Romulus were suckled by the wolf. Closing the scene with 
 the beautiful and majestic arch of Septimius Severus, we 
 proceeded along the ancient Via Sacra, passing by the tem- 
 ple of Antoninus and Faustina — of Romulus and Remus, the 
 three beautifully stuccoed arcades of the temple of Peace, 
 the temples of Venus and Rome, we reach at last the Coli- 
 seum ; the arches of Constantine, and of Titus ; the three 
 most imposing and interesting remains of ancient Rome. 
 The two triumphal arches are very perfect, and both seem 
 loaded with the heavy bas relief which ornaments them. 
 
239 
 
 That of Titus has on one side of the interior of the arch, 
 the conqueror in a car ofvictory ; on the other, Jewish cap- 
 tives, the table, the seven-branched golden candlestick, and 
 representations of other spoils from the temple of Jerusalem. 
 It certainly detracts somewhat from our admiration, even 
 when standing within its portals, that it was erected as a 
 triumph over the downfall of Jerusalem, the Holy Hill of 
 Sion, and of those favored nations whom the Almighty had 
 chosen as His own peculiar people. And in our lamenta- 
 tions over the fall of the once glorious city, we almost 
 forget that the ch^en people had become unworthyto dwell 
 within its sacred precincts. We closed the day with these, 
 but took advantage of the fine moon-light evening that suc- 
 ceeded, to behold the Coliseum by the brilliant, but chasten- 
 ing light of a broad full moon. We wandered over its differ- 
 ent stages, rising one tier above the other, and through its 
 many arcades, obtaining through the open arches beautiful 
 views from without ; and the effect of the moon-light stream- 
 ing through the various openings, into the vast area within, 
 was extremely beautiful. In the delicious stillness that 
 reigned around, the imagination had; full play, and after 
 gazing as we had, upon the life-like images of the dying and 
 falling gladiator, and the disc players in their various atti- 
 tudes, it was not difficult to people it with the voluptuous 
 populace that once filled the immensity ot space before us ; 
 not forgetting the poor persecuted christians, who were also 
 here made to play their part, for the amusement of the 
 blood-thirsty multitudes, who thronged to glut their appe- 
 tites with these cruel entertainments. How great the con- 
 trast now ! the scene so quiet and peaceful ; shrines and cru- 
 cifixes line the area where the victims played their part ; 
 and where thousands once rushed in to enjoy the bloody 
 spectacle, soldiers guard the entrance, that now visitors 
 
240 THE COLISErM BY MOONLIGHT. 
 
 may enjoy the scene safely, and without interruption from 
 bandits or assassins ; 
 
 *' The moonbeams shine, 
 As 'twere its natural torches, for divine 
 Should be the light which streams here, to illume 
 This long explored, but still exhaustless mine 
 Of contemplation, and the azure gloom 
 Of an Italian night, where the deep skies assume 
 Hues which have words and speak to you of heav'n, 
 Floats o'er the vast and wondrous monument, 
 And shadows forth its glory." 
 
 I consider this evening an era in my life, tWscenes of which 
 are for the feeling, and not for description ; such as secure 
 a resting place in the memory for ever. 
 
THE BATHS OF TITUS. 241 
 
 LETTER XXVL 
 
 STATUARY EXHIBITION AT THE PROPAGANDA THE QUI- 
 
 RINAL PALACE THE PANTHEON CAPITAL TARPEIAN 
 
 ROCK STREETS, THEIR SINGULAR NAMES THE BARBE- 
 
 RINI PALACE VESPER SERVICE. 
 
 Rome. 
 
 The next day v^as passed in a similar manner, riding 
 from ruin to ruin, and churcli to church. We visited again 
 the forum, and the many ruined temples that once beautified 
 and adorned it — at the Coliseum, the arch of Titus and 
 of Constantino we remained to study — thence to Tra- 
 jan's column, covered with beautiful bas reliefs, and stand- 
 ing amid the mighty ruins of a temple that formed a 
 part of his forum — then to the palace of the Caesars, which 
 covers with a mass of ruins and heaps of rubbish the whole 
 of the Palatine Hill — to the baths of Caracalla, showing still 
 beautiful remains of the mosaic that once formed its ceiling 
 and pavement, and where is an immense hall, used by the 
 bathers to swim. At the baths of Titus, some of the fres- 
 coes are as fresh and perfect, as if lately done. Here was 
 found the celebrated group of the Laocoon, and the huge 
 granite basin now in the Vatican. Here, too, was the pal- 
 ace of Nero, and the house of Horace and Virgil. But I 
 feel that we see too much and too many things of interest, 
 to enjoy them as we ought. They will prove, however, a 
 sure provision for after reflection. 
 
 The next day being Sunday, we went with some friends 
 to a large room, which the English have been allowed to fit 
 up as a place of worship outside the city walls, near the Fi- 
 
 11 
 
242 THE QUIRINAL PALACE. 
 
 azzo del Popolo ; and I do not remember to have seen a 
 place of worship, except on an extraordinary occasion, so 
 well filled. After church, w^e took the road leading to the 
 Pincian Hill near by, where is the public promenade of 
 Rome. It affords a lovely view, a fine promenade, and a 
 good carriage road, and is much frequented, particularly on 
 a Sunday, between the hours of twelve and four. A little 
 farther on, near the place d'Espagne, are the houses once 
 occupied by Poussin, Salvator Rosa, and Claude Lorraine. 
 On the steps descending to the place d'Espagne, were 
 seated a picturesqus group of Calabrian peasants, M'ith their 
 novel costume, and primitive looking bag-pipes, composed 
 of reeds and the skin of a pig. 
 
 In the afternoon, Mr. C. with a friend, made use of their 
 tickets of admission to the exhibition at the propaganda. 
 The students were from almostevery partof the world, each 
 delivering a short oration in his native tongue — altogether 
 about forty different languages. There was one from Wash- 
 ington, United States, one from China, and also from all the 
 intermediate countries. They returned very well pleased, if 
 not edified. 
 
 Another day, we accepted an invitation of some friends to 
 share their permit to «ee the Quirinal palace, and the pope's 
 private collection of Etruscan antiquities at the Vatican ; 
 both which require a special permission. Being the pope's 
 summer residence, it was at this time divested of some of its 
 furniture and garnishing. There was no great degree of 
 splendor— some fine specimens of the arts, such as paint- 
 ings, bas reliefs, a very pretty chapel for his private devo- 
 lions, and a profusion of crosses, crucifixes, &c., in the dif- 
 ferent apartments. A billiard table in one of the apartments, 
 struck us as singular ; but upon inquiry, we were told it 
 was placed there by Napoleon, and had been suffered tore- 
 main as a memento of him. Leaving these, we drove to 
 
THE PANTHEON. 243 
 
 the Vatican to see the Etruscan antiquities. Many things 
 were similar to a multitude of the same kind we had al- 
 ready visited. The personal ornaments of fine gold, beau- 
 tifully wrought, were the most novel and curious, and showed 
 the perfection of the art in that early day. A.n ancient 
 chariot or car interested me, as did the interior of some 
 ancient sepulchres or tombs, with everything found in them. 
 We were shown also the gardens of the palace, which are 
 extensive, affording from many points fine views ; but laid 
 out in that quaint and formal style that is rather outre and 
 strange, than beautiful. We took leave here of our friends, 
 and after visiting a fountain, a church, and an ancient thea- 
 tre, drove to the Pantheon, perhaps the most beautiful, and 
 certainly the most perfect monument of ancient Rome, and 
 to me more interesting than any other. It still retains its 
 original form and dimensions, and the finish of the interior 
 remains the same, though robbed of its exterior decorations 
 of gold and bronze. It has no windows, but is lighted by a 
 circular opening in the centre of its dome. The body of 
 the building is circular, supported inside by beautiful columns 
 of precious marble, resting on a pavement rich in porphyry 
 and granite. The whole interior is encrusted with rare and 
 costly marble, and contained originally three rows of niches, 
 the lower intended for statues of the infernal deities, the se- 
 cond for terrestrial heroes, and the higher for the celestial 
 divinities. Its piazza is a market-place, with a pretty foun- 
 tain, and an obelisk of Egyptian granite, covered with hie- 
 roglyphics. The Pantheon serves as a tomb for the re- 
 mains of Raphael, Annibale Carracci, and some Cardinals 
 of note. "A sanctuary and home of art and piety," a " re- 
 lic of nobler days and nobler arts." 
 
 The next day we visited the capitol, " despoiled yet per- 
 fect," and the collection of paintings and statuary it con- 
 tains. Here, we find the celebrated dying Gladiator, An- 
 
244 THE DUNGEON OF ST. PETER. 
 
 t incus ; a fawn celebrated for its beauty ; a Venus, by some 
 thought more beautiful than the Venus di Medici, and the 
 bronze statue of a boy extracting a thorn from his foot ; this 
 last is exquisite, so full of truth, beauty and nature. The 
 boy seems so intent, and as you stand regarding him so 
 unsuccessful, that you feel induced to offer him assistance. 
 Here also is the " thunder stricken nurse of Rome," the 
 brazen image of the wolf that suckled the men of iron, Ro- 
 mulus and Remus, and which was struck by lightning when 
 great Caesar fell. There is an apartment filled with Egyp- 
 ian statues, taken from Adrian's villa ; and another called 
 the hall of philosophers, contains busts, not only of the cele- 
 brated Greek and Roman philosophers, but of their poets 
 and historians. What a field for the phrenologist is here ! 
 What food for the antiquarian amid the "domes of thought, 
 these palaces of the soul." The pictures of this collection 
 are more in number than, and (though some of them are 
 very beautiful and of great reputation,) are unlike those 
 of the Vatican, which, though few, are each the chefd'oeuvres 
 of the masters, and celebrated over the world. 
 
 From the capitol we went to the Tarpeian rock, the pro- 
 montory whence the traitor's leap cured all ambition. It is 
 somewhat diminished from the time that the conspirator, 
 Cassius, was thrown from its dizzy height ; but still affords 
 depth sufficient to deter one from risking a leap, unless he 
 had a desire to throw off this mortal coil. Near to this is 
 the Mamertine prison, in whose dim, drear light, many illus- 
 trious persons have pined in agony. We were shown the 
 dungeon where St. Peter was confined, and where is still 
 the spring, said to have appeared miraculously in the floor 
 of his prison-house, furnishing water wherewith to baptize 
 his jailer and fellow-prisoner. This closed another day, 
 and we turned towards our temporary home. The house in 
 which we at present live, is in the " street of lobsters." 
 
THE DEVIL AND THE WIND. 245 
 
 Our breakfast is brought to us through the " mouth of the 
 lion." To get to the restaurant, where we occasionally 
 dine, we go by the "way of the converted." Near by us 
 is the " altar of heaven," the " street of the Saviour," the 
 " way of truth," and the "street of the cross," and many 
 others quite as curious, but w^hich I cannot now remember. 
 I intended to have made out a list of some of the streets we 
 daily pass through, their names are so very singular. Be- 
 sides these, there is a corner they call the " place of the 
 wind," where the Jesuits' college is located. The story 
 goes that the devil and the wind were taking a walk toge- 
 ther one day, and when passing the college, the devil said, 
 " wait for me a bit ; I have a little business in here." So 
 he went in and never came out again, and the wind has 
 been waiting for him ever since. 
 
 The next day, we drove out of the Porta Sebastiana, and 
 stopped first at the mausoleum of the Scipios, which, though 
 it has been stripped of its beautiful sarcophagi, busts, 
 and bas reliefs, still contains numerous tablets with the 
 names of different members of the family, and inscrip- 
 tions to their memory. We next visited the burial-place 
 of the Caesars, or as some suppose, only of their freed- 
 men. It is but three years since this last was discovered, 
 and having been left, with its contents, in the state in 
 which it was found, is the most interesting thing of the 
 kind one can visit, as it gives a perfect idea of the manner 
 of the burial, and of preserving the burnt remains of the 
 dead. The vault is frescoed and otherwise embellished 
 and bas shelves and niches filledwith cinerary urns, contain 
 ing ashes and bones, with inscriptions and names of differ 
 ent individuals upon them. From this we went to the cir 
 cus of Romulus, the most perfect remains of a circus exist 
 ing. Close by it, is the tomb of Cicilia Metalla, a massive 
 tower-like structure ; having been in modern times turreted 
 and fortified, it has quite the appearance of a fortress. We 
 
246 THE CATACOMBS. 
 
 then crossed to the grotto of the nymph Egevia, so long and 
 often sung by poets and historians. It is pretty and ro- 
 mantic in its situation. The grotto itself is covered and 
 lined with ivy and water-plants ; the water pours in the 
 interior of the grot, from marble spouts, over a broken sta- 
 tue reclining underneath. We walked along the valley of 
 the Ovidian Almo, pausing to look at the ancient temple of 
 the Ridicolo, built of brick and mortar, but exhibiting some 
 beautiful friezes and capitols to its pilaster columns. At 
 the church of St. Sebastian, is a fine statue, representing 
 the saint after his martyrdom. Underneath the church, is 
 the entrance to the extensive and well known catacombs of 
 Rome — interesting like others, for having served the early 
 christians for hiding places, during the days of their perse- 
 cution ; where the faithful worshipped while living, and 
 where they and the martyrs are supposed to have rested 
 when dead. The tombs bearing inscriptions in Greek, sig- 
 nifying "Pro Christi," are supposed to be the resting places 
 of those who suffered death for Christ's sake. Here was 
 found the body of St. Cecilia, with an inscription certifying 
 the same. We paused on our return to see the huge pyra- 
 midal monument of Caius Sextus, and thence drove to the 
 church of St. Paul, built over the tomb of the apostle. Hav- 
 ing suffered much by fire, it is now being rebuilt at great 
 cost, and with great splendor and magnificence. 
 
 Some of our days have been spent in visiting the nume- 
 rous palaces, all of which contain collections, large or 
 small, of pictures, and all with great liberality open to visi- 
 tors. Some of the collections are large, and have in them 
 many fine paintings ; others are smaller, but the few are 
 very choice. The Barberini palace has not many; but 
 among them is the celebrated Cenci, by Guido ; so lovely, 
 it seems almost divine — such a combination of the mortal 
 and spiritual in expression, I have never seen in a picture. 
 
THE VESPER SERVICE. 247 
 
 Raphael's Foriiarini equally celebrated; but which I do not 
 admire. As a painting, there is perhaps no fault ; but it 
 looks, as ft, represents Raphael's mistress, as if of the 
 earth earthy. So much, doubtless, for association — as when 
 regarding the Cenci, one feels a sympathy while looking up- 
 on her pure, sweet face, as with one who has suffered in 
 virtue's cause. There is also here a sweet portrait, by Ti- 
 tian. The Farnese palace was built from the Coliseum. It 
 contains some fine frescoes, but no paintings. The palace 
 Spadahas a good collection by celebrated painters; but the 
 treasure of the palace is the statue of Pompey, " at whose 
 base great Caesar fell." We found ourselves at leisure, 
 after visiting one other palace — so concluded to hie us to 
 St. Peter's, and contemplate its wonders over again. As 
 we drew near the bridge which passes over old Tiber's 
 sluggish stream, we noticed carriages one afler another 
 driving rapidly towards the church. On entering and in- 
 quiring, we were told that it was the anniversary of the con- 
 secration of the chair of St. Peter's. The services had 
 been performed in the morning with great ceremony ; but 
 not being aware of it, we had missed it. Vespers were 
 now about to be performed in the capella del coro, the cha- 
 pel where morning mass is performed by the Cardinals. 
 The vesper service is all music ; and at Rome, the music in 
 many of the churches far exceeds that of the opera. Oppo- 
 site the door by which you enter the chapel, is the altar 
 richly decorated with all that is beautiful and precious. 
 Above is a splendid mosaic of the conception, forming a back 
 ground to the altar. At each end of the chapel is an organ, 
 which we should call a large one ; each has an orchestra, 
 composed of about twenty vocal performers, with some in- 
 strumental. The arched vault above is divided into small 
 compartments, containing fine bas reliefs, all richly gilt. 
 And now if you could hear the angelic strains which filled 
 
248 THRILLING MUSIC. 
 
 this magnificent little temple, (one of the many in St. Peter's,) 
 you mi^ht well fancy yourself in the spheres above. The 
 singers were all, or nearly all, priests. Among them were 
 two Soprano voices that took part alternately ; and one in 
 particular, I could scarce believe was not the voice of a fe- 
 male. It was so rich, full, and melodious, that methinks I 
 never heard it equalled. And in some of the solos there 
 was so much pathos, that my heart truly ached with delight 
 and sadness. Occasionally, a fine tenor sung a duet with 
 one of these ; then the whole choir joined in the chorus, 
 and those in the opposite side took up the swelling strains ; 
 the organ's pealing notes reverberated from side to side, 
 and it was more than harmony ; it was ecstacy — at least, 
 such was the cause and effect. The only drawback was, 
 that no seats were provided for any but the priests ; and we 
 were obliged to remain standing through the whole, and 
 from fatigue, we found a seat in the carriage, quite a relief. 
 
EXCURSION TO TIVOLI. 249 
 
 LETTER XXVII. 
 
 THE OPERA TIVOLI ITS CASCADES PRESENTATION TO 
 
 THE POPE HIS MODE OF DILUTING WINE HIS APPEAR 
 
 ANCE BLESSING HORSES CRAWFORD, THE SCULPTOR, 
 
 TERRY AND FREEMAN, &;C. 
 
 In the evening, Mr. C. with a friend, went to the Opera. 
 I from choice remained at home, considering a quiet even- 
 ing by the fire-side a luxury above all others. The other 
 day Mr. C. had sent home to me a collection of mosaics, 
 from which to select one for myself. There were very many 
 beautiful ones, and I should have found the choice very dif- 
 ficult, and perhaps been scarcely satisfied with any selection 
 I might have made ; but among them one caught my eye 
 directly, and my choice was fixed. It was no other than 
 the celebrated landscape of Gaspar Poussin, taken from the 
 road to Tivoli, including thePonte de Lucano, and the tomb 
 of Plautius Lucanus, the same that hangs behind the parlor 
 door at home, and with which I have been familiar from 
 childhood. It really seemed to me the most lovely thing of 
 the kind I have ever looked upon, and I have since thought 
 whether it be in reality so beautiful as it seems to me, or if 
 my admiration is ov/ing to association and attachment. At 
 all events, it is the copy of a celebrated picture by a master 
 hand, as also a true copy of nature, as I had an opportunity 
 of judging, when we made an excursion to Tivoli ; which I 
 was desirous of doing, chiefly to see this view. 
 
 Our excursion to Tivoli occupied a long day, and was 
 very delightful. The road makes some steep and high 
 
 11* 
 
250 ARTIFICIAL CASCADES. 
 
 ascents, affording extensive and delightful views over lovely 
 vallies and a beautiful campania. We passed on the road a 
 canal leading from a sulphur lake, about a mile distant, and 
 the smell coming from it was dreadful. The water in the 
 canal is of a milky whiteness. The town of Tivoli is beau- 
 tifully situated on an exceeding high cliff, steep and preci- 
 pitous, yet covered with a rich verdure even at this cold 
 season, and looks upon the old city of the Sabines, and upon 
 a valley sufficiently lovely to be the Arcadia of Rasselas. 
 From these heights, and into this vale, fall the cascades of 
 Tivoli. These are artificial, the water being brought from 
 the river Almo, or rather the river itself is turned from its 
 natural course, and led by a subterranean canal to the ledge 
 of rocks, and precipitates itself down its verdant and grassy 
 sides, into the valley below. The rock itself is said to be 
 formed of a deposition from the water, mixed with the bran- 
 ches and roots of trees petrified ; in the neighborhood of 
 TivO'i is a small lake, possessing this petrifying quality to a 
 great degree, and in these rocks near the different cascades, 
 (for there are many,) you will see grottoes with large and 
 beautiful stalactites ornamenting their roof and sides. The 
 waters of these cascades are led by canals or aqueducts, to 
 different places. In one place, it is made to fall from the 
 windows of a magnificent villa ; in another, it is brought 
 through two subterranean tunnels, which unite their waters 
 into one cascade. There are several of these cascades one 
 after another, at short intervals, and you view them from the 
 opposite side of a narrow valley, or gorge, and the view of 
 the town on its rocky heights, with these beautiful cascades 
 rolling down its grassy cliffs, is lovely beyond description. 
 I had the nicest little donkey it has ever been my lot to ride 
 upon ; I could mount from the ground without assistance, 
 he was so small ; yet he was so ambitious, that he would 
 allow neither man nor beast to be in advance of him. There 
 
POPE GREGORY XVI. 251 
 
 was an inundation of the river in 1826, that carried away a 
 bridge, and destroyed the largest and most beautiful cas- 
 cade, by forcing away the rocks over which the water fell. 
 On the summit, overlooking this cidevant grand cascade, are 
 two beautiful ancient temples, one of the Tibertine Sybil, 
 and the other of Vesta. 
 
 The road commanding all these fine views takes us a 
 round of about four miles, and passes the ancient villas of 
 Quintillius Varus, Mycse, and Horace. I know not when 
 or where we have seen finer scenery, or passed a more de- 
 lightful day ; and such verdure in the middle of winter, 
 seems to us almost magical. Leaving Tivoli, we returned 
 through a grove of thickly planted and luxuriant olives, ex- 
 tending many miles. We stopped at Adrian's Villa, and 
 went over every portion of its field of ruins. Every thing 
 that was valuable or curious, has been carried to Rome and 
 other places, to decorate palaces or fill museums. The 
 different parts and portions have all been named, but they 
 are so very ruinous as to afford little pleasure or interest, 
 save to the antiquarian and historian. It is an extensive 
 mass of brick and mortar, and the reflections and associa- 
 tions arising from these, by past glories of the great de- 
 parted, is all that gives them interest. 
 
 This is our last day in Rome. To-morrow we leave for 
 Florence, after a stay of over a month in the Eternal 
 City — little enough, too, in a place where every inch of 
 ground is fraught with interest. We have one memento of 
 our visit here, which, I think, will not soon be forgotten — 
 our presentation to Pope Gregory XVJ., which took place 
 yesterday afternoon. We were honored with a private and 
 particular audience, which is considered very complimen- 
 tary. There is no such thing as a public presentation, as 
 at other European courts. Persons requesting a presenta- 
 tion, send in their names through the proper authorities, 
 
252 PRESENTATION TO THE POPE. 
 
 their respective ambassadors, &;c. It is made known to the 
 Pope, and when a sufficient number of names have been 
 received, so that he can lump them, and go through with a 
 good many at once, he names a day and hour for the cere- 
 mony. A friend who is with us, had letters from the highest 
 Catholic authorities in Canada, the Superior of the St. Sul- 
 spice, to the Cardinals and clergy generally here. These 
 have acquired us greater facilities than we should other- 
 wise have had. It was announced to us that we were to 
 have an audience on Sunday, three P. M. A young Roman, 
 to whom we bore a letter of introduction, and who is the 
 private Secretary to the Pope's Secretary of State, was 
 to present us to his Holiness. Gentlemen are expected to 
 appear dressed entirely in black, ladies in black or dark 
 dresses, without bonnets, but covered with a veil of white 
 or black. So ourselves, our friend, and an American artist, 
 who has rooms next to us, were accompanied by the Signor 
 P. and our valet, who was to take care of cloaks and hats. 
 We alighted at the Vatican, passed the Swiss guards in 
 their unique costume, ascended the private staircase, then 
 through many lobbies and corridors, to the Sixtine Chapel, 
 where were other officers of the household, stationed, some 
 dressed in black velvet and silk, others in crimson damask. 
 We passed through the chapel, and out of the private door, 
 by which the Pope enters ; then through other apartments 
 to a long gallery. Here we remained till announced to his 
 Santita, amusing ourselves in the meanwhile in studying the 
 antique maps, painted all frescoe on either side, and admir- 
 ing the beautiful fresco paintings from the pencil of Raphael, 
 which cover its ceilings. In fifteen minutes, we were 
 ushered out of this, into a small room near by. The signor 
 requested the gentlemen to remove their white gloves, which 
 they had considered so essential ; as they must appear with 
 heads and hands uncovered. This done, we entered. The 
 
HIS MANNER AND APPEARANCE. 253 
 
 usual ceremony is to kneel on entering the door, in the 
 middle of the room, and again at his feet ; besides which, 
 all good Catholics kiss the gold cross on his slipper, as well 
 as the ring on his hand, the stone of which bears some holy- 
 symbol. This the Signer did, both on entering and going 
 out. Considering it only as a court etiquette, Protestants 
 generally are willing to go through the necessary genuflex- 
 ions. One young English girl persisted in an unbending 
 stiffness, despite the remonstrances of her friends ; when the 
 Pope said, " Urge her not ; we do not exact it — but we 
 think an old man's blessing can do her no harm." The 
 room of reception was not large — longer than wide — - 
 the floor covered simply with green baize — the windows 
 draped with crimson silk and embroidered muslin. There 
 was no other furniture than a large table covered with 
 scarlet cloth reaching to the floor. On this was a large, 
 rich, and heavy gold writing establishment. Behind the 
 table was a platform, on which was a large chair, both co- 
 vered with scarlet cloth. This was at the end, opposite the 
 door of entrance ; and in front of this, with his back against 
 the table, stood his holiness to receive us. We each bent 
 the knee on entering ; but he immediately motioned with 
 his hands to have us rise and come forward. We obeyed, 
 bending and bowing as awkwardly as stiff*-necked republi- 
 cans might be expected to do. Mr. being in advance, 
 
 knelt at his feet ; but the Pope reached out his hand to 
 prevent him. He, however, not understanding it thus, took 
 hold of it, and rising, gave it a hearty, friendly shake, quite 
 a la American. We were introduced severally by name, 
 and the place each came from named. He then addressed 
 each se])arate]y, asked questions, related anecdotes, was 
 perfectly affable and easy, and quite garrulous ; conversing 
 in Italian ; though he understands French. He was dressed 
 in a long robe of white cloth, buttoned all the way down in 
 
254 NEW MODE OF DILUTING WINE. 
 
 front, a cape and loose hanging sleeves over tight ones, all 
 of the same — on his head a skull cap of the same white 
 cloth, and on his feet red morocco slippers, with a cross of 
 gold embroidered on each. His scarlet cardinal's hat lay 
 on the table behind him. And this is his ordinary costume, 
 and is the dress of the fraternity to which he belonged — I 
 believe, the Franciscan. We took an opportunity to offer 
 for his blessing, a box filled with rosaries, crucifixes and 
 crosses, intended for distribution on our return, among some 
 whom we know will value them. Our interview had lasted 
 about twenty minutes, when the old man lifted up his hands 
 over us, and murmured a blessing ; then turned, and taking 
 from the escritoire a golden bell, he rang it. The atten- 
 dants without, held aside the heavy curtain, and we retro- 
 graded, making one obeisance as on entering. 
 
 Gregory XVI. cannot be called a handsome man, save 
 the beauty of expression. His face beams with benevo- 
 lence and kindness, and his body shows none of the infir- 
 mities 'of seventy nine, which age they say he bears. They 
 tell of him, that it is his usual practice to empty two bottles 
 of champaigne at dinner ; but on his physician remonstrat- 
 ing with him, assuring him it would be greatly to the injury 
 of his health, if he continued it, he said, in future he would 
 only drink one, and would dilute that with a bottle oforvietto. 
 Another " on dit" is, that a lady asked her cicerone if the 
 Pope was a good man. He replied, "Yes, very indeed ; he 
 is so good, he is good for nothing." I had forgotten to 
 mention, that on our way to this audience, we passed a long 
 procession of splendid carriages, but all empty ; and on 
 inquiry, ascertained that they all belonged to the Pope, and 
 had been to be blessed. I forget the name of the Saint 
 who is the patron of horses ; but it is true that this cere- 
 mony has occupied five days during the past week, from 
 the multitude of horses, mules and donkies that have been 
 
AMERICAN ARTISTS. 255 
 
 brought to him to be blessed. The ceremony consists in 
 prayers being said over them, and holy water sprinkled in 
 the faces of each, by means of a small brush, A gentle- 
 man who witnessed the performance, said, the poor animals 
 appeared not at all devotional, but winked, and blinked, 
 and shook their heads very perversely. 
 
 We have just returned from a ride. We have been driv- 
 ing about, to look our last upon Rome's most beautiful ruins, 
 to the Capitoline Museum, to gaze once more upon the dy- 
 ing Gladiator, the Venus, &;c., and to muse awhile in the 
 hall of the philosophers, amid the busts of philosophers, his- 
 torians, poets and orators, whose names and works seem 
 imperishable. This, our last evening, is to be passed in 
 the family of General D., one of the many delightful ac- 
 quaintances found during our long travel ; and Mrs. D. is 
 one of whom it may be truly said, 
 
 *' None know her but to love her, 
 Or name her but to praise." 
 
 One other thing I would mention, before I close. Wo 
 have spent one day in visiting the studies of the different 
 American artists — sculptors and painters, at Rome. And 
 here again my heart swelled with pride and exultation, for 
 them and for my country. I began to realize how great a 
 deprivation it will be, when I return to the land I truly love, 
 to have none of those exquisite productions to delight one 
 in gazing upon. These are the luxuries of wealth ; but it 
 requires taste to appreciate them. This we have yet to 
 acquire, and it is a thing that grows by indulgence. I trust, 
 ho wever, the time is coming, and will be here anon, when 
 we shall have not only the taste, but the wherewith to 
 gratify it. Mr. Crawford has an " expulsion of Adam and 
 Eve from Paradise" ; the conception is very beautiful ; but 
 as yet, it is only in clay. The attitudes and expression 
 seem to me beyond criticism. Mr. Terry has a magnifi- 
 
256 MR. FREEMAN. 
 
 cent painting of Christ disputing with the Doctors. Mr. 
 Freeman, too, has some very beautiful pictures, and all, of 
 his own designing. I like to see that there is still some 
 originality existing among us. I must stop now ; for here 
 is an end to my paper. If my farewells were as long as my 
 letters, you might hope for some rest ; but for me, when I 
 commence a sheet, and look upon its field of white, I wish 
 it were an acre. Adieu. 
 
RADICOFANI. 257 
 
 LETTER XXVIIL 
 
 JOURNEY FROM ROME THE LILY OF ITALY THE BA- 
 ZAAR THE DUOMO SANTA CROCE BALL AT THE BOR- 
 
 GHESE PALACE THE BOBOLI GARDENS TYROLEAN PEAS- 
 ANTS MANUFACTORY OF PIETRA DURA CANDLEMAS- 
 BALL AT THE PITTI PALACE. 
 
 Florence, Friday. 
 
 My Dear H.— We left the Eternal City and its many 
 hills with far more regret than I could have anticipated on 
 my first arrival. We left about noon, the weather bright 
 and pleasant, though a little cold ; but having the coupee of 
 the diligence to ourselves, we found it very comfortable and 
 agreeable. The country through which we passed was de- 
 cidedly uninteresting ; the trees bare, all things wearing 
 their winter apparel ; and the whole day's ride was without 
 interest or incident. We stopped to dine at Ronciglione, 
 and then continued on our way through the dark hours of 
 the night. About ten in the morning we reached Radico- 
 fani, on the borders of Tuscany, where we breakfasted. 
 
 The scenery to-day was fine, and needed only the rich 
 verdure of summer to make it beautiful. The Appenines, 
 with their snow-clad summits, were before us, and when 
 tinged by the rays of the rising and setting sun, were beau- 
 tiful. The town of Radicofani is situated on a verWiigh 
 hill, which we were some two hours in ascending, and on 
 two neighboring hills were other villages, forming together 
 a picturesque view. When we had nearly attained the 
 summit of the hill, the diligence proceeding Very slowly, 
 three or four little boys from the village walked beside us, 
 
258 THE LILY OF ITALY. 
 
 and gave us some very good music, all singing together, and 
 keeping most excellent time and tune, and picking up bioc 
 cis that were thrown to them, as they walked along. Our 
 journey from Rome seemed to be an almost continued as- 
 cent. We had always six, and sometimes nine horses : in 
 ascending Radicofani, we had eight horses and four oxen. 
 The difference between the Papal dominions and Tuscany, 
 is immediately perceptible on passing the frontiers. The 
 country here is better cultivated, the people in better condi- 
 tion ; the roads are far better, and all things look more thri- 
 ving and comfortable. The landscape became more inter- 
 esting from the many pretty villages we passed and saw in 
 the distance ; and the pretty villas and ruined castles ren- 
 dered it more picturesque. 
 
 We arrived at Florence at an early hour in the morning, 
 and had all things arranged, and were in readiness to see 
 what was to be seen in the Lily of Italy, as the Florentines 
 call their charming city. The galleries of Florence are of 
 course the first and greatest attractions; but they have been 
 so often described, that their contents are, from descriptions 
 and copies, familiar to most. The Bazaar here is a curious 
 place, and contains a multifarious assortment of things. It 
 is a large enclosure, with passages running in all directions, 
 on either side of which, are stands with long glass show-ca- 
 ses ; in these are arranged a great variety of things, and a 
 card put up over each case, with the price of the articles 
 marked on it. In one case, all the articles will be one paul 
 each ; in the next, two pauls ; and so on. You are thus 
 saved the trouble of asking, and the vender of telling, the 
 price? I know of no more amusing place of passing a few 
 hours. The assortment and variety is so complete, that I 
 think one would not be at a loss for anything, from a " pul- 
 pit to a coon skin." We went next to the Duomo or Cathe- 
 dral, the dome of which is said to be the largest in the 
 
THE CATHEDRAL OP FLORENCE. 259 
 
 world, and to have served Michael Angelo as the model of 
 St. Peter's. The Cathedral is immense, and covers a great 
 extent of ground : its whole exterior is encrusted with mar- 
 ble ; the white still retaining much of its originial purity of 
 color, while the dark marble has become quite black, and 
 being in mosaic, gives it very much the appearance of hav- 
 ing been built of large dominoes, most singular and unique. 
 The interior is large, spacious and gloomy, with very little 
 ornament. It has in the centre a large enclosure called the 
 Tribune, with a ballustrade of white marble and fine bas re- 
 liefs. Close by, is its tall campanile and the baptistery, 
 both encrusted with the same marble mosaic as the duomo, 
 and all having the same outward appearance. The baptis- 
 tery is in form octagonal, and is supposed to have been orig- 
 inally a heathen temple dedicated to Mars. Its dome is 
 lined with gold mosaic like- those of St. Mark at Venice. 
 It has antique columns around the interior forming the al- 
 tars and niches, containing statues of many different saints. 
 Its three celebrated bronze doors, with exquisite bas reliefs, 
 were so beautitul, indeed, as to cause Michael Angelo to 
 say of them, that they were fit to be the gates of Paradise. 
 
 We went next to the Church of Santa Croce, which con- 
 tains the monuments of Michael Angelo, Dante, Alfieri, 
 Machiavelli, and the " Starry Galileo" — each monument a 
 fine specimen of sculpture, as well as a memorial of great 
 men. We had still an hour to spare, and so went to the 
 Uffiji, one of the principal galleries. The most interesting 
 room is that called the Hall of Niobe, from a statue of Ni- 
 obe standing in attitude of shelter and protection over her 
 daughter. The room is large, and filled with other statues, 
 all expressive of grief, but each in a different manner, and 
 in the figure of a dead child, there is something so awfully 
 fascinating, that one can scarce withdraw themselves from 
 it. One room here is filled with gems, beautifiil things 
 
260 THE BOBOLI GARDENS. 
 
 wrought with great skill, of gold and precious stones. One 
 of the curiosities is a large circular table, its top a mosaic of 
 ■^ rare and precious stones, which occupied four men constant- 
 ly twenty-two years in its formation. In the evening, Mr. 
 C. and a friend went to a splendid ball given by the citizens 
 of Florence, and patronized by the nobility. It was given 
 in the Borghese palace, which has been purchased for the 
 purpose. There had been six thousand tickets given out, 
 and forty rooms were to be open for the reception and en- 
 tertainment of the guests. There were card rooms, billiard 
 rooms, and a " Salle a manger," where a table was furnish- 
 ed throughout the evening, three dancing rooms, with each 
 a band, and everything splendidly magnificent. The Court 
 arrived at eleven, and retired at twelve, but the company con- 
 tinued dancing till two. It was, altogether,' a grand affair, 
 and the gentlemen were quite delighted. Sunday afternoon, 
 we drove to the Boboli gardens, the grounds of the Pitti pal- 
 ace. They are very lovely, the most beautiful we have seen, 
 Schonbrun hardly excepted. The grounds are very exten- 
 sive, laid out with much taste, and ornamented with a pro- 
 fusion of statuary and many fine fountains. Its heights com- 
 mand views of one of the most lovely campagnas in the 
 world, enclosed by the Appenines, whose lofty summits are 
 covered with snow, while its sides and base are carpeted 
 with verdure ; this was lighted in some parts by the rays of 
 the sun, and darkened in others by the shadow of a passing 
 cloud ; and over the whole, as far as the eye can reach, are 
 spread some of the loveliest villas it is possible to imagine. 
 
 Leaving here, we drove to the Porto Gallo, the triumph- 
 al arch of Francis II., said to have been built after the style of 
 that of Constantine at Rome. It is not so light and beautiful, 
 though perhaps equally magnificent. We next visited the 
 Cacino, a beautiful resort of the Florentines, where is a fine 
 drive of some three miles, and a lovely promenade along the 
 
THE GRAND DtTKE OP TUSCANY. 261 
 
 banks of the Arno. Being Sunday, there were very many 
 people of all classes ; the Grand Duke and family had left 
 their carriage, and were walking up and down, mingling 
 not only with the nobility, but with the humblest of his sub- 
 jects. He seems very affable and courteous, like a father 
 among his people. He walks daily through the streets, un- 
 attended, save by his little son, a boy of a,bout twelve ; and 
 the spontaneous tribute of respect that he meets with, seems 
 the voluntary offspring of affection. 
 
 On our return to the hotel, we met a party in masks, 
 dressed as Tyrolean peasants, with musical instruments, 
 bent on merry-making, and announcing to us that the Car- 
 nival had commenced. We devoted one day, as is our cus- 
 tom, to the churches. The first we entered, was that of 
 San Lorenzo, the burial place of the Royal Family. In it 
 has been lately erected a chapel, called the Chapel of the 
 Medici, not yet finished. It is building at the expense of 
 the present Duke Leopold II., and is very rich. The dome 
 is painted in beautiful fresco, by an artist still living. The 
 whole of its sides are encrusted with precious marbles, with 
 niches all around for statues and monuments, and between 
 them are the arms of the different cities of Tuscany, in mo- 
 saic of Pietra Dura. The pavement is not yet begun ; but 
 is also to be a mosaic of precious marbles. There is an- 
 other chapel, where are unfinished statues by Michael An- 
 gelo ; two figures representing Day and Night, and two oth- 
 others Morning and Evening. One of the monuments is 
 surmounted by a statue of Lorenzo, Duke of Arbino, father 
 of Catharine de Medici. He is seated, and with such an 
 expression of thoughtfulness and study, both in the face and 
 attitude, as to have acquired for it the name of " The Thought 
 of Michael Angelo." It is certainly one of the rnost expres- 
 sive statues I have seen. In the church is a monument 
 and inscription to Cosmo di Medici, called the Father of his 
 
262 A FOUNDLING HOSPITAL* 
 
 Country. Attached to this Church, is the Laurentian Li- 
 brary, containing many ancient and curious manuscripts. 
 We were shown a Virgil of the fourth century, the Pan- 
 dects of Justinian of the seventh, the Gospels in Syriac, a 
 Homer, a Cicero, a Petrarch, with colored portraits of him- 
 self, and Laura ; a beautiful missal, with exquisite minia- 
 tures and illuminations — all curious and interesting. The 
 manuscripts are bound in heavy bindings, and fastened to 
 reading desks by long iron chains — prisoners all. 
 
 From this, we went to the church of the Annunciata, 
 which is loaded with ornaments of every description ; paint- 
 ings and groups of statuary, precious marbles and gilded 
 stucco. Its cloisters contain some beautiful frescos, by An- 
 drea del Sarto, and a small chapel contains his body, and 
 that of Benvenuto Cellini. Attached to this church is a 
 foundling hospital. We saw the grated windows and cush- 
 ion where the infants are left at night ; a bell cord near it 
 serves to summon some of the inmates, always in readiness, 
 to their little charge. Our next visit w^as to the grand 
 duke's private manufactory of pietra dura. We were shown 
 the designs, the stones in a rough state, the unfinished parts, 
 and some beautiful finished specimens. A number of very 
 tine ones intended for the altar in the new chapel of the 
 Medici, were shown us. There was a large collection of 
 precious stones, very beautiful ; and the utmost pains is 
 taken, and politeness shown by the attendants to all visitors, 
 without any remuneration being permitted or expected. 
 Such is the liberality of the grand duke, not only in this, 
 but all other objects of interest to a stranger. On our re- 
 turn home, we crossed the Arno by a bridge called the Jew- 
 eller's bridge, from its being lined on each side by shops oc- 
 cupied by jewellers and goldsmiths, whose windows make 
 an attractive and tempting display. 
 
 The next morning we found it was raining ; but we de- 
 
CAADLEMAS, 263 
 
 termined, like good and energetic travellers, to be nothing 
 daunted by the falling water ; so bent our steps towards the 
 Piazza Ducal, and entered the loggia of the palace Vecchia, 
 the residence of the Medicis ; and during the republic, the 
 rostrum of Florence, where public assemblies were held, 
 and public business and ceremonies took place. We en- 
 tered its vestibule, a quadrangle, with a large basin of por- 
 phyry, forming a fountain in the centre ; around were beau- 
 tiful arches — the ceilings are ornamented with arabesque 
 frescos, after the school of Raphael, and supported by large 
 columns, covered with beautiful stucco ornaments, on what 
 was formerly a gold ground ; it must have been once rich 
 and beautiful, though now defaced by time and dampness. 
 In front of the entrance on either side, are two coUossal sta- 
 tues, one a David, by Michael Angelo ; the other Hercules, 
 by Bandinelli ; both very celebrated. At one corner of the 
 palace is a magnificent fountain, with a group of beautiful 
 statuary, and a tall campanile opposite, towers above all, 
 and stands like a sentinel to guard the place. The loggia 
 of the guard-house, which also fronts on the square, is filled 
 with beautiful groups of statuary ; and though we pass here 
 frequently, it is difficult ever to traverse this square without 
 pausing before some one of the works of art which embel- 
 lish it on every side. 
 
 This was a fete day, candlemas, or the purification of the 
 virgin. In all the churches, they bless the candles that are 
 to be used during the ensuing year ; that is, as many as they 
 can procure ; each one giving to the church in size and 
 number, according to their means. The streets are filled 
 with people wending their way to the church, each with a 
 bundle of candles in his hand ; and I observed also a man 
 dressed in white surplice, knocking at the doors of differ- 
 ent houses. In one hand he held a small brass bowl, to 
 take contributions of money ; in the other, he had a quantity 
 
S64 BALL AT THE PITTI PALACE. 
 
 of candles, which he had already collected. We entered 
 one church that we happened to be passing, it was quite 
 curious to see the multitude of candles on and around the 
 different altars. Some were lighted, but most of them were 
 held in reserve. 
 
 And now I will close my letter, by giving you a descrip- 
 tion of a ball, v/hich we have attended during our stay ; the 
 only one I cared about, though the gentlemen of our party 
 have attended two others. This was one given by the 
 grand duke in the Pitti palace, which, besides affording a 
 residence to the Ducal household, contains one of those ex- 
 quisite collections of two paintings, for which Florence is 
 so celebrated. The palace is located on high ground, and 
 the road through the grounds leading to it, was brilliantly 
 illuminated. Men in handsome liveries stood waiting to re- 
 ceive us, as we alighted. The floors of the vestibule, the 
 halls and galleries were all carpeted, and every part illumi- 
 nated. In the guard-room, were soldiers and servants in 
 livery, to take our cloaks, &;c. In the ante -room were 
 the consuls and ambassadors of different countries, to 
 introduce to the grand chamberlain their several coun- 
 trymen. The representatives of the different countries 
 waited upon the ladies into the ball room, seating them in a 
 line, to await the grand- duke's entrance for their presenta- 
 tion, the gentlemen of their party standing near them. There 
 was a great number to be presented, and the room was soon 
 filled with ladies, glittering in jewels and satins, and gentle- 
 men brilliant with their many and different stars and orders. 
 The ball-room was very splendid. The walls were hung 
 with blue damask, the ceilings and cornice adorned with 
 beautiful stucco figures, representing dancing and games ; 
 the furniture was white and gold, with cushions of rich blue 
 damask, and the floor covered with green baize. On all 
 sides of the room were immense mirrors reflecting and mul- 
 
THE BALL-ROOM. 265 
 
 tiplying all within, and on each side of every mirror, a can- 
 delabra ; a golden tree, with green branches tapering like 
 a cypress tree, each bearing a hundred wax lights. Other 
 lights were placed in magnificent girandoles and chande- 
 liers, making in all six hundred and twenty lights. A fine 
 orchestra was stationed aloft, in the recesses of three arches 
 on one side of the room ; and rich curtains of blue and 
 white, draped the windows opposite. On one side of the 
 ball-room was the guard-room, and on the other was the salle- 
 a-manger, where was a table spread with plates and dishes 
 of massive silver. Ranged on the shelves on one side were 
 the edibles of every description, and on the other liqueurs and 
 wines of every kind and clime ; with glasses of every form 
 and color interspersed. In the centre of these delicious 
 viands, surrounded by flowers, which filled the room with 
 fragrance, was a beautiful marble statue of a dancing girl, 
 who seemed to have just bounded from some other sphere, 
 and lighted in the midst. Beyond this room was one 
 smaller and more priv'ate, where was a table spread with 
 cakes and tea, glittering with gold and silver ; and in both 
 were attendants in rich liveries, to do the honors. After 
 waiting half an hour, the grand duke ajid royal family en- 
 tered, and all rose to receive them. They each in turn 
 conversed with gentlemen stationed near each other ; all of 
 whom wore badges of some order, until they came near 
 those who were to be presented ; then the grand chamber- 
 lain, profusely decorated with different stars and badges, 
 drew near to name each one, and each one was noticed, 
 and had some conversation addressed to them, by the differ- 
 ent members of the family, in turn. This was somewhat 
 stiff and formal, and occupying considerable time, proved not 
 a little fatiguing to those unused to court ceremonies. The 
 grand duke himself wore three superb stars on the breast of 
 his coat ; but otherwise was habited in a plain and simple 
 
 12 
 
266 THE GRAND DUCHESS. 
 
 dress. He is very affable and unassuming in manner, mov- 
 ing about among all, seeming to delight in the enjoy- 
 ment of those around, visiting the different rooms, and ap- 
 pearing quite gratified with the provision made for the en- 
 tertainment of his numerous guests. The grand duchess is 
 a fine looking woman, and was very richly dressed with a 
 tiara, necklace, and stomacher of superb ^diamonds. The 
 arch-duchess, who is engaged to the young prince of Bava- 
 ria, is very pretty ; and the two betrothed seemed very fond 
 of each other, dancing together all the evening. The young 
 prince wore one brilliant star ; and though looking very 
 good natured and happy, is not at all handsome. 
 
 The ladies of the court, the dames d'honneur, were 
 dressed very richly, each with their badge of honor fastened 
 near the left shoulder. And no where have I seen such a 
 display of dress, diamonds, and other splendid ornaments ; 
 and there was, too, quite a display of beauty. The music 
 was fine ; the ices and other refreshments excellent and am- 
 ple ; and the ducal family and their honored guests, seemed 
 all to enjoy themselves exceedingly. We left about two ; 
 and then, though many had previously departed, they seemed 
 at the height of enjoyment. The card-rooms were still 
 filled with players, and the drawing-rooms occupied with 
 those fatigued with dancing, or who did not dance at all. 
 
 And now we take leave of Florence — the lovely and the 
 beautiful — one of the few places that will cause one to cast 
 many a longing, lingering look behind ; and leaving such an 
 impress upon the memory, as to induce us to wish to be 
 again oir the banks of its beautiful Arno. We remember 
 it with more affection ; but our thoughts do not revert to it, 
 with that interest that is ever called forth by the " pyramid 
 of empires," Rome ! 
 
 " There is given 
 Unto the things of earth, which time hath bent. 
 
FAREWELL. 267 
 
 A spirit's feeling, and where he h? . leant 
 
 His hand, but broke his scythe, there is a power 
 
 And magfc in the ruined battlement, 
 
 For which the palace of the present hour, 
 
 Must yield its pomp, and wait till ages are its dower.' 
 
268 PISA. 
 
 LETTER XXIX. 
 
 TUSCANY THE PEASANTRY PISA THE CATHEDRAL 
 
 C;*MPO SANTA LEGHORN THE CARNIVAL WOMEN SPIN 
 
 NING CARRARA, 
 
 February, 1844. 
 
 At Pisa, I commence this letter, fearing, unless I begin 
 thus early, I shall not find time to say all I wish, as our 
 movements will be somewhat rapid between this and the 
 20th, when we intend to sail from Toulon for Algiers ; re- 
 turning thence, we hope to reach the poi t of Marseilles, and 
 there take steamer, and sail along the coast of Spain, visit- 
 ing such cities as the steamer touches at, without ventur- 
 ing in the present disturbed state of the country much into 
 the interior. 
 
 With the " Etrurian Athens," we have been quite de- 
 lighted, literally charmed and are fully prepared to coincide 
 with the assertion, that as Italy is the garden of Europe, so 
 Tuscany is the garden of Italy, and Florence the fairest lily 
 of the garden. The city seems placed in the bottom of a 
 huge bowl, the green and sloping hills that environ it, are 
 the sides, and the points, peaks and cones of the Appenines 
 enclosing the whole, form a beautiful turretted edge. These 
 verdant hills are rolling and undulating, and besides being 
 covered with groves of olive, fig trees and vineyards, are 
 studded all over with the beautiful villas of the nobility, and 
 the lovely village of Tuscany. These snow-capped moun- 
 tains, rearing their heads upwards into the clear blue sky, 
 bounding as they do, the horizon on every side, the lovely 
 Arno winding itself in graceful bends through the centre of 
 the city, with its many beautiful, light-arched bridges cross- 
 
LEGHORN BONNETS. 269 
 
 ing it at frequent intervals, form altogether, when spread 
 before you from the heights of the " Bellas Guardas," as 
 lovely a picture as the eye could wish to dwell on. Leav- 
 ing Florence, you pass through these pretty villages, and 
 view more closely the handsome villas ; and go which way 
 you will, all Tuscany seems one beautiful garden. There, 
 as in all the old and large cities of the continent, but espe- 
 cially of Italy, the roads leading to the neighboring villages 
 are lined with houses, so that you scarce perceive the ter- 
 mination of one, or beginning of the other. There is another 
 striking peculiarity, both in the palaces of the rich, and the 
 dwellings of the poor, — all the windows of the lower story 
 are guarded by heavy iron cross bars, like those of a prison ; 
 and as if this were not sufficient to keep out the most for- 
 midable house-breakers, many of them have besides a close 
 net-work of wire. This, I have no doubt, was adopted as 
 a defence in feudal times ; but is still retained from, as we 
 were told, the danger of thieves and burglars. The dwell- 
 ings of the poor are large, affording accommodations to 
 many families ; but they have nothing attractive in their 
 exterior appearance, like the English cottages and farm- 
 houses, or our own small, but comfortable houses of the 
 poor, or those in moderate circumstances* The view of 
 their interior, which you obtain in passing, is any thing but 
 inviting, from the disorder and filth that seems universal, 
 and the palaces themselves are without, more extensive and 
 grand than beautiful ; and though within, they are lofty and 
 spacious, and filled with marks of luxury, are mostly com- 
 fortless and dreary. Still, what meets the eye of the pass- 
 ing traveller, seems very beautiful. In passing through the 
 villages between Florence and Pisa, we saw groups of the 
 peasant girls and women sitting round their doors, their 
 fingers busy in plaiting the straw for the bonnets, for which 
 Florence and Leghorn are so famous. Possessing a pecu- 
 
270 WHEAT FIELDS. 
 
 liar fancy for bright colors, their costume is beautifully pic- 
 ;turesque, when viewed at a little > distance, though it may 
 prove coarse and somewhat dirty, on closer examination. 
 The dress is usually blue or green, stockings of blue, apron 
 of bright red, with a kerchief of some gay color, meeting 
 the skirt before and behind. About their houses, they gen- 
 erally wear a red shawl over the head, tied under the chin, 
 but in the streets a broad brimmed leghorn, with bright gay 
 streamers. Yellow seems the favorite color, and with their 
 bright black eyes beaming beneath, they look like so many 
 gipsies. So much for the people. The country is charming. 
 You ride hundreds of miles through groves of olives, which 
 even at this season, retain their beautiful and luxurious 
 foliage, contrasting strangely with their gnarled, knotty and 
 time worn trunks. In contrast to these, are the fig trees. 
 These grow to the size of our peach trees ; their trunks 
 smooth and well shaped ; though with branches the most 
 craggy, knotty and misshapen that it is possible to imagine. 
 They really seem "the hunch-back" among trees, (though 
 made so, I believe, from the manner of pruning and trim- 
 ming,) and being at this season leafless and bare, expose 
 all their deformity. These latter are planted at regular 
 intervals, affording a beautiful support to the grape vines 
 planted beside them, fit companions, with their crabbed, 
 knotted trunks and twigs, and they twine and wind them- 
 selves about every branch of the fig, then leap from tree to 
 tree, forming a canopy that art can in no wise surpass. 
 They grow here, too, Indian corn, and immense fields of 
 wheat. The last is sown in beds, and the fields look beau- 
 tifully. The beds are formed by ditches for irrigating the 
 land, and on either side of the ditches enclosing the field are 
 planted the vine and fig tree. Can you imajrine a more 
 beautiful fence or hedge wherewith to enclose these lovely 
 fields of green? The straw, too, of this wheat it is, that 
 
THE LEANING TOWER. 271 
 
 makes the beautiful bonnet. Is not this another Canaan, 
 or land of corn, wine and oil ? Then to see the lovely vil- 
 las clothing every knoll and declivity, and along the verdant 
 hill sides ! Besides these, the whole country is studded with 
 turretted towers and ruined castles, remains of the feudal 
 age, and they have ever a striking peculiarity or appear- 
 ance that makes them an interesting, as well as beautiful 
 object in landscape. 
 
 Every village church, too, besides its tower, has generally 
 its tall campanile, a huge square tower, rearing itself to 
 equal, and sometimes greater height than the tower of the 
 church. This contains in its summit, the bells that call the 
 christian faithful to prayer ; and standing alone and apart, 
 like the minarets of an eastern mosque, their apparent 
 height is greater than their real. Then, too, the mountains 
 with their summits enveloped in snow, and their base in a 
 beautiful blue haze, give additional beauty to the whole. To 
 me, all was charming ; and I can but regret, that my des- 
 cription falls so far short of the reality, as to afford you an 
 inadequate idea of its exceeding loveliness, unless you put 
 forth all the powers of your imagination, to fill up the de- 
 ficiencies. Winding round and round, as we made some 
 steep ascent, the same beautiful view would meet us at many 
 a turn, till in much too short a time, we entered through 
 the port of the ancient walls of Pisa, once containing one 
 hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants, though now but 
 twenty thousand. 
 
 The square encompassing the Duomo, the Baptistry, its 
 celebrated leaning tower, and its Campo Santa, are very 
 beautiful, and certainly evidence the by-gone power and 
 greatness of Pisa. The Duomo — tower and Baptistry are 
 built mostly of the s^poils taken from Grecian and Egyptian 
 cities, and the temples of Rome during the Republic. In 
 the interior of the Duomo, I counted fifty eight marble 
 
272 THE DUOMO. 
 
 columns, suppoiiing the arches of the interior cross. There 
 were others in different parts of the church, many inserted 
 in the sides. These columns show ■ plainly, that many a 
 beautiful temple has been robbed to adorn this. They are 
 all of a different length and diameter. Their capitals afford 
 specimens of every order, and the marbles are of many dif- 
 ferent kinds, besides the pediments being of different height, 
 according to the shortness or length of the pillar. The ceil- 
 ings are of massive gold stucco on the ground. Many of the 
 altars were brilliantly illuminated, when we were there, and 
 strains of rich music came from behind a screen back of the 
 high altar, where priests and boys seemed to be practising 
 the Catholic service. The light is admitted through a hun- 
 dred windows of richly stained glass, and the whole building 
 within and without, as well as the Baptistry and tower, are 
 encrusted with black and white marbles in mosaic. The 
 Duomo, both in its interior and exterior, shows more per- 
 fectly the form of the Latin Cross than any church I have 
 seen, — standing inside, in the centre of the cross, looking 
 each way, the effect is very fine. The most famous sculp- 
 tors and painters have aided in its adornment, and the Pisans 
 may well be proud of it. The Baptistry stands facing the 
 Duomo, at a short distance, its front, as well as that of the 
 Dnomo, ornamented with columns of white marble brought 
 from Egypt. These are literally covered with a fine and 
 beautiful tracery work of vines and foliage. On the front of 
 the Duomo, tier above tier of beautiful columns, supporting 
 light arches, rise to the roof, and these are antique, precious 
 marbles, those of porphyry being easily distinguished. The 
 Baptistry seems a huge dome rising from the ground. It 
 contains a font of different colored marbles, the centre 
 part large enough for total immersion, with four lesser fonts 
 at the sides. It has also an exquisitely carved pulpit of 
 white marble, so beautiful, that an officer and guard are 
 
THE CAMPO SANTA. 273 
 
 sent to protect it, on days of ceremony, when the church is 
 very crowded. On the left of the Duomo, rises its tall cam- 
 panile, the leaning tower of Pisa; and it really seemed to 
 me to lean more than it is represented in pictures. Unlike 
 the generality of campaniles, this is round ; its interior 
 encrusted with black and white marble, is surrounded, tier 
 above tier to the very top, with small light arches, supported 
 by short slender columns, giving to the whole an appear- 
 ance so light and airy, that it seems as if one's individual 
 support v/as sufficient to counteract its liability to fall. On 
 the right of the Duomo is the Campo Santa. This is a 
 burial place formed in the thirteenth century, and conse- 
 crated to the great men of the Pisan Republic. It is an 
 oblong piece of ground enclosed by a covered walk, or open 
 corridor, one side of which is, or rather was, (for now they 
 are almost obliterated,) ornamented with beautiful frescoes 
 by the most celebrated painters of the fourteenth and fif- 
 teenth centuries. The sides of the corridor fronting on the 
 enclosure, are open, and supported by light gothic arches 
 with beautiful slender columns and tracery work of stone 
 that reminded me of Melrose Abbey. The earth of this 
 enclosure was brought from the holy places of Jerusalem, 
 in fifty vessels of the republic, and possessed the remark- 
 able property of destroying the bodies inhumed, in twelve 
 hours. It has, however, lost this quality in a measure, re- 
 quiring now twenty.four hours. These are all that Pisa 
 contains, that is much worth a traveller's notice ; but we 
 passed the afternoon in delightful contemplation of these 
 wonderful as well as beautiful objects. 
 
 February 6. 
 
 We went j'^esterday afternoon to Leghorn, to see the place ; 
 
 but chiefly to facilitate the transportation to New York, of 
 
 some things purchased at Florence. There was not much 
 
 to see. It is a busy, bustling, noisy, dirty, commercial sea- 
 
 12* 
 
274 A MUSICAL PEOPLE. 
 
 port, with its fine harb or and inland canal. I was pleased 
 with the appearance of the women of Leghorn, enveloped 
 in their white lace veils, which seem the general costume 
 of the middle and lower classes. Being Carnival, too, we 
 saw some amusing groups in the streets. Men and women 
 dress themselves in all kinds of fantastic habiliments, and 
 with masques over their faces, go about playing tricks 
 upon their acquaintances. And « they may do or say what 
 they please in this disguise ; no one has a right to take 
 offence. Even children play their part. We saw some not 
 more than ^ix years old, dressed like little clowns or harle- 
 quins — high steeple-crowned paper hats as tall as them- 
 selves, ornamented with gay ribbands and tinsel, with parti- 
 colored clothes, gave them a ludicrous appearance. 
 
 We arrived at Leghorn about four in the afternoon, and 
 had time to see the most interesting portions of the city ; 
 and it was well we did ; for notwithstanding the lady moon 
 looked so saucily in my face, that I was obliged to rise in 
 the night, and darken the windows, when we awoke in the 
 morning, it was raining, and continued pouring in torrents, 
 all day till our return to Pisa. 
 
 I think the Pisans a remarkably musical people ; for we 
 remarked, during our ramble through the city, wherever 
 there were a number working, they were singing, At one 
 place, we stopped before the door of a factory, f ttracted by 
 the music of the workmen within, and remained listening, 
 till they finished their song. And now some one is passing, 
 trolling one of those delightful Swiss-like airs, full of sudden, 
 changing intonations. Indeed, all seem to sing, as they 
 walk in numbers or alone. 
 
 We left Pisa at an early hour in the morning, and cast a 
 long, lingering, and delightful gaze upon its Duomo, Baptis- 
 try and tower, as we passed through the massive gateway 
 of its old walls, probably for ever. Our road to-day has been 
 
OLIVE-TREES. 275 
 
 through portions of Tuscany, Lucca, Modena, and Pied- 
 mont, four different governments, and of course, as man; 
 custom-houses, which are usually the bug-bears of travellers 
 We have hitherto escaped marvellously ; though to-day we 
 had some little annoyance on account of some Constanti- 
 nople tobacco, for which Mr. C. was obliged to pay three 
 times its cost, rather than give it up, after bringing it thus 
 far. Although it has been all day cloudy and some times 
 rainy, I have enjoyed the ride exceedingly. We had a car- 
 riage called Jiere a bagatello, similar to our cabs, except that 
 the sides and fronts are all of glass, calculated for two only, 
 and drawn by one horse. We left Pisa at half-past seven, 
 and arrived at Sarzanna, where we are now, at half-past 
 four — nearly fifty miles — only changing horses once. 
 
 We passed through the same beautiful paradise of a coun- 
 try as I described between Florence and Pisa ; but this 
 bordering on the Mediterranean on the south, and sheltered 
 by the range of the Appenines on the north. The grass 
 was more green, and all things more verdant. This range 
 was not sufficiently high to be covered with snow, like those 
 near Florence ; but were cultivated to the very tops. Groves 
 of olive fringed their summits, and the beautiful pine-tree, 
 with its soft lively green foliage, contrasted well with the 
 tall, dark and stately cypress that made here and there a 
 long dark line from the base to the summit of the hills. The 
 sides were terraced and planted with various things, and the 
 roadside was lined with tall trees, with the luxuriant vine 
 trained from one to the other in diamonds, circles and a va- 
 riety of other forms. In the valleys were pretty villages, each 
 with their extensive groves of orange and lemon trees laden 
 with their golden fruit ; sometimes the trees were trained 
 against the sides of the houses, looking very tempting ; but 
 the oranges here are of an inferior kind, more pleasant 
 to the eye than the taste. Here and there, too, the hill-tops 
 
276 SPINNING. 
 
 were surmounted with a city, a proud palace, or lonely villa ; 
 and occasionally a ruined castle or fortress of the olden time, 
 frowned upon us with its once threatening but now harm- 
 less battlements. Sometimes the olive groves on either side 
 the road were so thick as to make it dark like twilight ; and 
 underneath them, were groups of women and children ga- 
 thering the olives from the ground ; for this seems to be the 
 harvest of the olives. And here, instead of plaiting strav/, 
 you would see the women walking along, or standing to- 
 gether chatting, some knitting, others spinning (street yarn ?) 
 not with the wheel as with us or the Dutch, which would 
 require them to be stationary ; but in a more primitive 
 manner, with the distaff of flax in one hand, and the spindle 
 in the other. This last they let fall, giving it a twirl at the 
 same time, and thus continue drawing out the flax, and 
 twisting as they go along. It seems very simple and easy ; 
 and even children of six years old, spin in the same way, 
 though of a coarser kind. We passed through the town of 
 Carrara, and saw the mountains and quarries from whence 
 they procure the beautiful white marble for statues. We 
 peeped into many of the studios, and saw statues in every 
 stage of progress, as we passed through the main street of 
 the town. 
 
 I take my leave of you now in the " city of palaces," 
 Genoa, of which I will give you some account in my next* 
 For the present, Adieu. 
 
NICE. 277 
 
 LETTER XXX. 
 
 MARITIME ALPS CORNICE, OR MOUNTAIN ROAD OF NICE— ' 
 
 NICE TOULON ITS HARBOR AND NAVAL DEPOT MAR- 
 SEILLES ENTRY INTO SPAIN. 
 
 My Dear Brother : — To-day is our little C's birthday, 
 and we have been thinking and talking of him, of you, and 
 of all at home. How do you like college life ? Do you 
 have many sprees, or kick up any rows ? Too much of a 
 student for that, I trow. Well, go on, and prosper, my dear 
 boy, and may all go well with you, and as merry as a 
 " Christmas bell." You are often in our thoughts, one and 
 all, when passing along through these lovely scenes. The 
 eye dwells with delight upon the beauties of Nature, but 
 the thoughts are sometimes far from the scenes we are roll- 
 ing by. It was thus during our ride from Genoa to Nice, 
 (where I am writing at this present,) a ride of three days, 
 and through some of the most charming scenes the imagi- 
 nation can conceive. The road itself, a master-work of 
 man, calls forth at every step, wonder and admiration. It 
 was made by Napoleon, and is called the " Cornice of Nice ;" 
 more properly I think, the " Cornice of the Maritime Alps." 
 How nobly has that great man left the impress of his mighty 
 hand through every country that he made his own. Not in 
 columns, statues, triumphal arches, or trophies of his mar- 
 tial deeds alone, but in such stupendous works of utility as 
 will last till the countries will have ceased to exist, or so 
 long as the mountains themselves endure ! Had he con- 
 tented himself with the first, they would have been long ago 
 destroyed by those who rose with the turn of the wheel that 
 
278 A SUNRISE. 
 
 crushed at once him and his greatness, though not his glory. 
 This road is like a shelf cut in the mountain, midway be- 
 tween the summit and the base ; and though carried thus 
 along the brow of the Alps, it is as smooth as a garden walk. 
 You have all the way, the sea on one hand, and the moun- 
 tain on the other, for a distance of one hundred and fifty 
 miles, winding round the many bays, inlets and promonto- 
 ries of the Mediterranean's crooked shores. Every shelter- 
 ed nook or rocky cliff has its town, or village, tower or for- 
 tress. At one time, you are on the brink of an awful pre- 
 cipice, so steep that you may drop a biscuit into the waves 
 below ; then you descend, and drive awhile along the 
 smooth, sandy beach, where the waves with their snowy 
 crests are rolling towards you, bringing from old ocean's bed 
 their spoil of sand and pebbles, and casting them at your 
 feet— 
 
 " And the blue-lipped wave steals up the beach, 
 Its red, polluted sand to bleach." 
 
 And the sea is such a lovely blue, and the glorious sunrise, 
 too, seen from these rocky heights ! We gain this at least 
 from the early hours required by ourvetturino. One morn- 
 ing, in particular, a long line of clouds rested upon the wa- 
 ter, along the horizon. Out of these issued the glorious orb, 
 tinging all with a golden hue, and casting a blaze of living 
 light across the sea. He^i-e and there arose a mass of clouds, 
 and bending forward toward the sun, seemed to be doing 
 homage to the king of day, and he, seemingly pleased with 
 their respectful adoration, smiled like a benignant sovereign 
 upon all. 
 
 The first day, we passed through the extensive tunnels, 
 cut through rock that seemjed of the hardest granite. In 
 some places, a huge slice had been taken out of the moun- 
 tain, allowing the road to pass, leaving a steep, smooth wall 
 ol rock on either side, displaying stratum after stratum, each 
 
THE ITALIAN PEASANTRY. 279 
 
 differing from the other, as far as the vision could extend 
 upward, and these strata seemed like the leaves of a book, 
 where you may turn over leaf after leaf, and find new won- 
 ders on every page. Sometimes the mountain extended out 
 into the sea, and on the high promontory might be seen a 
 high tower, a station for a watch, a sort of advance guard 
 to an immense foriress, somewhat in the rear, half buried in 
 a forest of pine trees, of a kind peculiar to these countries, 
 and whose soft, lovely green, contrasts beautifully with the 
 sombre hue of the stately and mournful cypress. Some- 
 times the immense castles were only extensive ruins of what 
 had once been formidable fortifications. Every valley and 
 hill-side was covered with groves of the fruitful olive, whose 
 branches were even now being shorn of their pretty fruit. 
 Groups of women and children beneath them, in their bright 
 gay costume, formed a picturesque scene. These thick 
 groves, with their dark green verdure, formed again an 
 agreeable contrast to the extensive plantation of orange and 
 lemon trees, loaded with their golden fruit and heavy foliage 
 of bright, lively green, that increased the beauty of every 
 town and village. On the water, at all times, we could 
 count as many as a dozen feluccas, with their long, lateen 
 sails running up to a point ; and along the shores of the vil- 
 lages near the sea, were fisher-boats drawn up on the beach, 
 the fishermen busy among them with their bright red caps 
 and sashes. There is one thing you may at all times ob- 
 serve among the Italian peasantry, and in all places ; it is 
 somewhat amusing, and at the same time, extremely dis- 
 gusting. Whenever they have any spare moments, (aiid 
 these are not rare,) you will see them seated, perhaps a fa- 
 ther with a child between his knees, examining its head, 
 while the mother or an older child is performing the same 
 operation on the head of the father, and so on, through the 
 family. And they afford good hunting ground, for they seem 
 
280 WET THE ROPES. 
 
 to " scare up" any quantity of " game," and run them down, 
 too, in no time. Always, too, in Italy, whenever you come 
 to the foot of a hill that requires the horse to walk, you are 
 assailed by a horde that would fain persuade you that the 
 town hospital or infirmary had turned out to greet you. The 
 lame, the halt, and the blind, the decrepid and deformed, 
 the most hideous and misshapen forms, limbs distorted in ev- 
 ery way ; their chant and chorus, " bella signora, quelqua 
 cosa" — " brave Signori, piccola monata" — " pauvri miser- 
 abli" — " moite di fama ;" and they coll upon you by the love 
 of your father, mother, sister, brother, and all the saints in 
 the calendar. Scarce a hill but has this accompaniment. 
 You have heard of the miller, who, when asked how he 
 could live in such a constant noise, replied, " Oh, the noise 
 don't trouble me ; I never hear it unless the mill stops." So 
 I find these beggars brought more forcibly to my mind by 
 their very absence. The peasantry hereabouts are so nice 
 and tidy in their dress, so busy and industrious in their hab- 
 its, and as a sequence, are happy and cheerful in their looks. 
 Our last day's ride would have almost led us to imagine 
 ourselves in some Asiatic or tropical clime, from the great 
 number of palm trees waving their long branches amid the 
 varied foliage of this Italian verdure. It is said, that in rais- 
 ing the Egyptian pyramid in front of St. Peter's at Rome, 
 it was considered such a difficult w^ork, that great multitudes 
 had gathered to see it. The Pope, who was present, gave 
 orders that perfect^silence should be kept, that the orders of 
 the director might be surely heard, and to insure the order, 
 pronounced death upon the one that should offend. When 
 the pyramid had been drawn up to the necessary height, the 
 ropes had stretched so much that it could not be placed up- 
 on the pedestal, and would soon have fallen, when a man in 
 the crowd called out, " Aqua alle corde," and then stepped 
 forward to give himself up. The director immediately gave 
 
A CITY OF INVALIDS. 281 
 
 the necessary orders, the ropes were wet, they contracted, 
 and drew the pillar to the required position. The man was 
 not only pardoned, but the privilege granted to him and his 
 descendants, of furnishing from his estate the palms required 
 for the churches at Rome on Palm Sunday. And every 
 year since that, a vessel has been sent from San Remo to 
 Rome, freighted with palms, and two hundred and fifty ves- 
 sels have arrived safely, none having been lost. 
 
 When about ten miles distant from Nice, we were high 
 up on the side of the mountain, from whence we had a fine 
 view of the pretty town, its fine bay, and the lovely plain 
 that extended from the shore of the sea, tp the base of the 
 mountains enclosing the whole. We descended the moun- 
 tain at a rapid rate, and crossing the plain on a smooth lev- 
 el road, which, as we neared the town, was lined on either 
 side with the beautiful oleander, (or, as they call them here, 
 laurel rose,) soon found ourselves amid a gay and motley 
 crowd, in their holiday and masquerade dresses ; it being 
 the last Sunday of the Carnival, all classes at this time amuse 
 themselves with these follies. By the time we had found 
 lodgings and taken possession, it was dark ; the next 
 day, we walked about to observe all that was worth no- 
 tice, and this was not worth much, Nice being almost a 
 city of invalids, the resort of health seekers from the 
 neighboring towns, and far distant countries. The houses 
 seem all like hotels, many of them new, and very many 
 now building. The town is sheltered behind. high moun- 
 tains, that are still not so high as to be covered with 
 snow, and built upon the shore of the Mediterraaiean, it 
 looks upon the open sea, receiving the full benefit of its 
 healthful breezes. It was a bright, warm day, and there 
 were a great number of these poor invalids walking slowly 
 along the pebbly beach ; or seated upon a mound of stones 
 raised by the constant rolling of the sea, they watched 
 
282 THE BOULEVARDS OF NICE. 
 
 the far distant waves, moving, rolling, and bounding to the 
 shore, dashing and breaking themselves at the feet, and cast- 
 ing their spray upon the quiet and admiring gazer. Can 
 you imagine a more delightful occupation for an invalid, than 
 to sit thus for hours, with the bright, warm sun looking up- 
 on them, a balmy atmosphere surrounding them, inhaling 
 healthful breezes, gazing upon 
 
 " That glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form glass es itself in tem- 
 pests." 
 
 or listening to hear 
 
 '* The silver waves 
 Make music in earth's dark and winding caves." 
 
 There is just enough excitement for an invalid, and of the 
 most agreeable and pleasurable kind, causing no fatigue in 
 the enjoyment, and having no ill effects. Then, too, there 
 is so much food for meditation and reflection in this dread 
 symbol of eternity, immensity and power. But I must leave 
 it to these poor, sickly ones. I will not rob them of any of 
 their delights. Here is a row of houses built along the 
 bend of the bay; their roofs are flat, and plastered smoothly 
 over, forming a fine promenade called the Boulevards. On 
 one side, is the ever-restless, changing sea, and on the other, 
 you look down upon a street lined with trees, and filled with 
 people constantly passing and repassing. On an eminence 
 overlooking the town and commanding the port, are extensive 
 remains of an old fortress, and on a bank near the sea, is a 
 large round tower, with its foundation buried in the rock, 
 seemingly half excavated. We remained at Nice one day, 
 leaving early in the morning for Toulon. The road was 
 now more distant from the sea, and we had left the moun- 
 tain " Cornice." Still, there were somethings novel and 
 interesting. 
 
 We were now in France, and in the appearance of the 
 people, there was a decided change for the better. They 
 
CURIOUS COINCIDENCE. 283 
 
 were, too, very industrious. You would see all along the 
 road, the peasant women with their short, full skirts, dis- 
 playing, if not a pretty foot and ankle, good strong stockings 
 and stout shoes. All had their tidy aprons, «vith capacious 
 pockets; a dark jacket with a little frill falling over the hips, 
 laced in front with a bright red ribbon ; and what struck me 
 the most, were the neat white caps, with their fluted borders 
 of lace or muslin, forming a vivid contrast to the untidy, un- 
 combed heads of the Italian peasantry ; and to crown the 
 whole, a straw bonnet with a low crown and broad brim, 
 served to shade their pretty faces. Sometimes they would 
 carry large and heavy burdens on their heads, with a state- 
 ly, steady step, or drive a herd of obstinate, and at times, un- 
 ruly donkies ; but never did we meet any one, whatever 
 other occupation she might have, that was not also knitting 
 as she walked. Beside the olive, orange, lemon, fig and 
 vines, the verdure was to day still more diversified by the 
 almond and cork trees. The first were in full bloom, and 
 with their delicate pink flowers covering the leafless boughs, 
 bear a striking resemblance to our peach-tree, when cov- 
 ered with its spring blossoms. The cork-tree was to me 
 more singular. What a happy coincidence that there should 
 grow a tree furnishing stoppers to the bottle, in the same 
 soil that yields the wine to fill them ! It is the bark of the 
 tree that makes the corks. They peel the bark from the 
 trunk, leaving the body bare from the branches, nearly to 
 the ground. In three years, there grows a new covering of 
 equal thickness with the old ; the only difference is, that 
 the new is of a lighter color than the old, like a new patch 
 upon an old garment. Every three years it is robbed of its 
 coat, and again a new one covers it, each new one better 
 than the last. The corks for bottles are cut lengthwise of 
 the bark ; the large flat ones, transversely. 
 
 About noon, we passed the little town of Cannes, where 
 
284 TOULON. 
 
 Napoleon landed, on his arrival from Elba, and we saw on the 
 small tavern, painted in large black letters, that Napoleon 
 supped and slept (?) there the night of his landing. At 
 sunset, we passed through a village, where the peasantry- 
 were all dancing in the main street, to the music of a drum 
 and tambourine. The men in their clean blue blonzes and 
 glazed hats, and the women in their neat becoming caps ; 
 old and young mingled, and all seemed happy together ; 
 showing that with their industrious habits they find time for 
 enjoyment. 
 
 Toulon, the principal French naval station, has one of the 
 finest and prettiest ports in the Mediterranean. It is deep 
 and spacious, at the same time that its entrance is narrow, 
 and easily defended. On a height on one side, is the fortress 
 Eguilette, that Napoleon took possession of in 1793 — his 
 coup d'essai — and from whence he cannonaded the Bri- 
 tish fleet, forcing them to evacuate the town and harbor. 
 Our consular agent here is a Frenchman. He was very 
 polite and kind, procuring us admission to and through the 
 arsenal. We had for our guide an old marine, who had 
 lost an arm at the battle of Navarino. I have never wit- 
 nessed any thing of the kind so extensive as this, and was 
 very much interested, in the two hours we spent in going 
 through the various departments. Here were ships of 
 every kind and size, both for sail and steam, from the skele- 
 ton frame on the stocks, to the mammoth ship of one hundred 
 and twenty guns, fully armed and equipped. There was a 
 smith shop of eighty furnaces, with the bellows made to 
 blow by steam. These were occupied in making the ma- 
 chinery and iron work of the steamers. In another, they 
 made the boilers. One large building was devoted to rope- 
 making, from the hetcheling of the flax, to the tarring and 
 twisting of the ropes. Then there was an immense maga- 
 zine or depot, for all the raw material. Besides these, were 
 
GALLEY SLAVES. 285 
 
 the cannon foundry and the arsenal. Amid all this, was 
 one painful sight ; the great number of galley slaves, (more 
 than three thousand,) being employed here, mostly in the 
 out-of-door work, and to the eternal music of their clanking 
 chains. They have a uniform, a long red jacket, with yel- 
 low pantaloons, buttoned down the sides, and the color of 
 the cap denotes the duration of their punishment. The 
 green caps are sentenced for life ; the red and yellow, ten 
 and twenty years. Some of the old ships are turned into 
 prison ships, others into baths for the galley slaves. Some 
 of them are very expert in carving snuff-boxes, and other 
 things from the hard shell of the cocoa-nut, and they are in- 
 deed exquisitely wrought. Toulon is a pleasant, pretty 
 city, with a deal of life and activity. Its streets broad and 
 well paved, with good side-walks, which last are not common 
 in any European city, and they are remarkably clean. 
 The people are lively and sprightly, and seem not only to 
 have plenty to do, but to love to do it. The street along 
 the water-side called the Quai, was filled with a motley and 
 animated multitude, with now and then a group of masque- 
 raders, looking like merry-andrews. One group in parti- 
 cular amused me ; a man dressed as a woman, with cap and 
 curls, beating a drum through the streets, followed by a 
 small regiment fantastically dressed, with their faces black- 
 ened like negroes, They cracked their jokes upon the peo- 
 ple, who paid them in the same coin, affording merriment 
 as they went ; and not only witty, but the cause of wit. All 
 along the Quai, are vessels with their prows projecting far 
 into the wide street ; and though all are lading and unlad- 
 ing, the street is clean, and free from all encumbrance, fur- 
 nishing a delightful promenade to the gay and fashionable, 
 as well as to the man of business, and the laborer. 
 
 Marseilles was our next stopping place, and I was very much 
 pleased with the town. We saw it pretty well, however, 
 
286 LA GARDE DE LA VIEEGE. 
 
 by riding, walking, and climbing high places, to obtain 
 a good view. We were told by our banker here, that 
 there is in Toulon a very excellent school. Among its 
 students, are two American boys, placed there by their father, 
 a lieutenant in the navy, two years' since. The first year, 
 they had of course the language to acquire ; but the second, 
 they both carried off the highest prizes in the school. Pretty 
 well for Yankee boys ! is it not ? There is a very hand- 
 some triumphal arch or gate, erected in honor of Napoleon 
 and the glories of France. As we passed through it, a 
 military band were stationed within, discoursing most elo- 
 quently on their various instruments. The sweet sounds 
 followed us, while we strolled along the winding ways of 
 Napoleon's walk, as it is called. After a long and tedious 
 ascent, we reached the summit of a rocky cliff, on which 
 is a chapel, called " La Garde de la Vierge," to which the 
 sailors resort to petition for a blessing on their voyage, be- 
 fore they put to sea ; or to render their thank-offerings in 
 gratitude for a safe return. Strangers resort to it, for the 
 fine view obtained both of the city and port ; which last is 
 formed by a long slip of the Mediterranean, running like a 
 river, up into the heart of the city. Its blue waters are 
 concealed by the immense number of vessels that fill it. 
 The long lateen sail of the Levant, mingling with the flags 
 of every nation, whose ships fill the streets with a variegated 
 multitude of Jews, Turks, Greeks, Arabs and others, from 
 countries termed more civilized. At the Table d'Hote, we 
 had two Arab chiefs, and a young lad, a son of one of them, 
 as guests at dinner. They had just returned from Paris, so 
 were not quite green. They were Algerines, and had been 
 to pay a friendly visit to their conqueror, the French king. 
 They wore their native costumes, a red velvet jacket, cov- 
 ered with embroidery of gold and silver braid. Small but- 
 tons were placed thickly down the front, and down the 
 
MALAGA. 287 
 
 seams of the sleeves. A rich sash round the waist, held 
 their many weapons, and over all, they wore a covering of 
 thin white silk, like crape, in which their forms were com- 
 pletely enveloped. Some of the same was thrown over 
 their heads like a veil, confined by a rich sash or shawl, 
 fringed with little gold "jingles" — I don't know what else 
 to call them — but very like what our Indians ornament their 
 tobacco and game-bags with, except they are not of tin like 
 those ; but apparently of more precious metal. In the even- 
 ing, they were at the opera, (Masiniello,) and seemed very 
 much pleased, and to please in their turn ; for they were 
 really the observed of all observers. 
 
 And now, my dear brother, where do you think I am 
 writing at this moment ? I commenced this at Nice, and 
 am at this present, at Malaga, in the south of Spain. 
 I cannot say that what I have written are desultory 
 thoughts ; but certainly it is a desultory description. I 
 cannot tell you how many times I have seated me down, 
 wrote a few lines, and then left you in the most ab- 
 rupt and unceremonious manner. It seems surprising, 
 and I can scarce myself realize that we should, in the 
 present disturbed state of the country, be in Spain. The 
 last steamer that arrived at Marseilles before we left, had 
 been detained twenty-three days at Alicante, by the insur- 
 gents. Alicante is in a state of blockade by sea and land ; 
 so that instead of being able to visit it, as we had hoped, 
 the captain thought best to keep out of sight. And if what 
 we heard at Valencia be true, at the time we passed Ali- 
 cante, the royalists were bombarding the town, to bring it 
 to terms. Carthagena was also in possession of the insur- 
 gents ; so that we were disappointed in not seeing that, too. 
 At Barcelona, when we were there, workmen were busy in 
 repairing the houses injured by the balls during the siege, 
 when the insurgents had possession of the town, and held it 
 
288 BOMBARDING. 
 
 from September to November. The royalists firing from a 
 fortress on a height above, forced them at last to succumb. 
 It was very interesting to me to see a town, so shortly after 
 it had been a scene of warfare, to look upon the houses and 
 walls battered and defaced. Even in the public promenade, 
 the trees still give evidence of their suffering, having nearly 
 all of them one or more holes made in their trunks by the 
 cannon balls. Though there is risk, and even danger, in 
 travelling here at this time, yet there is a deal of excitement 
 in it, that I like. We arrived on the 4th, and shall leave on 
 the 10th, for Gibraltar; from thence to Cadiz, thence to Se- 
 ville, then to Madrid, then over the Pyrenees to France — 
 going through the heart of the country, and what is a little 
 funny (?) without being able to speak or understand a word 
 of the language, except as we glean ^and gather a word as 
 we go on. What harum scarums ! Well, we are rejoic- 
 ing in a sunny clime ; the air soft and balmy, like our plea- 
 sant days in June. Green peas, tomatoes, radishe§, lettuce, 
 with all other kinds of vegetables, are in great profusion, 
 and have been, I suppose, all winter ; for they have no cold 
 weather here. And such piles of oranges in the market 
 place ; not like those of Italy, fair to the eye, but sour to the 
 taste ; but these are large, sweet, juicy and luscious. I wish 
 I could roll a great heap into your college room. What a 
 row you would raise among them ! Fresh dates and sugar- 
 canes, too ! Ah ! we are in the land of dates and palms at 
 last ! How I do scribble ! I wonder if you will ever make 
 it out. This will be sent from Gibraltar, when I will write 
 a few words on the back, to tell you of our latest welfare ; 
 but can only, on this edge of the sheet, bid you affection- 
 ately — adieu I 
 
SPAIN COINCIDENCES. 289 
 
 LETTER XXXI. 
 
 VOYAGE TO BARCELONA ENTRANCE TO THAT CITY TROU- 
 BLES IN SPAIN PUBLIC PROMENADE THE QUEEN MO- 
 THER — -SHOPS DEPARTURE. 
 
 It will not surprise you, my dear coz, to find this dated from 
 the southern coast of Spain, if you have received our last 
 letter advising you of our intentions, as doubtless will be the 
 case ere you are in receipt of this. But for myself, though 
 we have been for some time talking and thinking of push- 
 ing our adventures thus far, I can scarcely realize that the 
 truth is as it is, and that we should, in the present disordered 
 state of the country, have ventured into Spain. Yet, though 
 there is danger, there is also excitement and novelty in 
 travelling through a country under martial law, and ^vhere 
 one may at any moment be in the midst of an insur- 
 rection or an "emeute." 
 
 You will remember, a few years since, during the rebel- 
 lion in Canada, we had a steamer burnt in the month of De- 
 cember ; we chose the following summer to make a tour of 
 the Canadas, notwithstanding we were thought to run much 
 risk. We had a delightful tour, we were treated with much 
 politeness by the British officers, and encountered nothing 
 unpleasant or in the least dangerous. 
 
 When in England, last spring, they said to us : " are you 
 not afraid to enter into Ireland, where there is so much dis- 
 order and discontent ?" We were nothing daunted, and 
 passed through the whole eastern portion, seeing a deal of 
 poverty, misery, and degradation, but meeting with no dis- 
 aster or impediment ; on the contrary, much that was agree- 
 
 13 
 
290 INSURRECTIONS. 
 
 able, and more interesting^, perhaps, from the state of the 
 times. 
 
 At Venice, last fall, just as we were on the point of em- 
 barking for the east, news came that there was a revolution 
 in Greece ; that the people had risen in a body, demanding 
 of the king a constitution. We hesitated, and had doubts of 
 the wisdom of proceeding ; but ere other tidings had been 
 received, we had decided, and were on our way ; and per- 
 haps could not have visited Greece at a more interesting 
 period. 
 
 When in the south of Italy, we first heard of the insurrec- 
 tion at Barcelona, of which place the insurgents had pos- 
 session two months, from September to November. We 
 were not altogether discouraged, though we had some fear, 
 from the general disorder throughout the whole country. Be- 
 fore reaching Marseilles, where we expected to take the 
 steamer for Spain, we had intelligence of the insurrection at 
 Terragona, an old and interesting town south of Barcelona, 
 that we hoped to have seen ; this being one of the places the 
 steamer advertised to stop at. Arrived at Marseilles, we 
 heard that the last boat that came in was detained twenty 
 days at Carthagena, by order of the insurgents, who were in 
 possession of that place. Passengers, cargo, &;c., all were 
 obliged to stay, for no other boat came to take them on. 
 
 It so happened that the person who received the order to 
 detain the boat was one of the consignees, and he at last 
 took an opportunity to get the boat off. No boat had left 
 Marseilles for Spain for three weeks, not daring to venture 
 until they had received certain intelligence. One was now 
 to sail the morning after our arrival. We took passage and 
 went aboard, but did not leave till the following morning, 
 owing to the weather. The captain was obliged, by the 
 laws of Spain, to go a day's sail out of his way, to the little 
 port of Centa, east of Toulon, to obtain his papers of clear- 
 
291 
 
 ance ; and here bad weather and strong head winds de- 
 tained us another twenty-four hours. This was somewhat 
 disheartening, but at last the sun shone out brightly, which 
 was cheering, though the wind was too strong to admit of re- 
 maining long upon deck. The passengers were a mixture 
 of French, English, Spanish, Arabs, and Moors, we be- 
 ing the only Americans. Many spoke English, and all 
 French, and were pleasant and polite. 
 
 We had a little Spanish boy, of six years, quite a musical 
 prodigy. He played upon the violin exquisitely, so that it 
 was really delightful, as well as marvellous, to listen. He 
 was a pretty, sprightly lad, held his instrument well, and 
 handled his bow admirably. He has played before the 
 queen mother, and receives from her an annuity of forty 
 dollars, to be expended upon his musical education. We 
 had also a large basket of carrier-pigeons from Antwerp, 
 destined for Valencia, and a company of actors, on their way 
 to Havana. These last enlivened our moonlight evenings 
 upon deck, with singing and playing on the guitar. At 
 times the passengers (Spaniards) would gather round, and 
 while the musician played some national or familiar air, 
 they would successively improvise a stanza, sometimes call- 
 ing forth rapturous applause. 
 
 We reached Barcelona at eleven, P. M. the following 
 day, the weather rainy, and the wind blowing from the same 
 adverse quarter ; and though at anchor, there was a deal of 
 unpleasant motion all night. The next morning, as soon 
 as we had obtained ^^free pratique,^' we prepared to land. 
 While C. was upon deck, sifaquino, or porter, came aft, and 
 asked if he had anything to take ashore. He replied 
 "no," and turned away to be rid of his importunities ; when 
 hearing a noise, he turned again, and saw the soldier who 
 was there as a guard, pushing and driving the man from the 
 quarter-deck ; the porter, going backwards, fell ; when the 
 
292 EFFECTS OF A SIEGE. 
 
 soldier struck him a blow with his sword across the upper 
 part of his arm, cutting a terrible gash, from which the 
 blood gushed in a torrent. He then hustled him off, and 
 got rid of him ; no one interfering. What a state must a 
 country be in, when one of these ignorant common soldiers 
 can thus take the law in his own hands ! 
 
 The steamer lay at some distance from the landing, and 
 our passage was made over a rough sea. The landing-place, 
 too, was some distance from the hotel ; but the walk was 
 along the ramparts, (the wall of the sea,) and afforded a 
 fine view of both town and harbor. The first thing that 
 struck us on going ashore, was the marks of the balls on 
 the outside oi the wall, and the gate through which you en- 
 ter from the port. We passed through the grand square 
 just within the gate, where is the palace of the governor ; 
 formerly that of the kings of Arragon ; the Hotel de Ville, 
 the exchange, and custom-house, with many palaces of the 
 nobility ; all large and splendid edifices, beautifully orna- 
 mented with rich carvings and pretty balconies, forming 
 altogether a noble square, with one side open to the sea. 
 
 Here the workmen were busy repairing the injuries these 
 handsome buildings received during the siege ; large blocks 
 of stone were being replaced, as well as marble columns 
 and panes of glass. A beautiful walk on the top of the wall 
 that defends the city on the sea-side, following the bend of 
 its fine port, led to the ''^ Fonda de Quatres Naciones" where 
 we intended to breakfast and remain till the boat sailed. 
 On the inner side of this wall were large and handsome 
 dwellings, but very many of them, for a long distance, bore 
 evidence of the warfare of which they had been the scene. 
 Some of them were entirely battered down, with only a 
 mass of ruined wall and rubbish remaining ; in some, the can- 
 non balls had made their passage quite through, and the win- 
 dows were all, even now, void of glass. It was a novel 
 
BARCELONA. 293 
 
 sight to me to witness these marks of actual bombardment ; 
 and I could scarcely convince myself that I was looking on 
 in propria personcB. 
 
 The city of Barcelona is situated on a plain and on a 
 high promontory, overlooking and commanding it, stands 
 the fortress of Mont Jouy now in possession of the royalists. 
 At the time of the last siege, the royalists held the fort by 
 the sea-side, near the gate by which we entered, and it 
 was the balls from thence that so battered the houses on the 
 square and quay. It was the captain's intention to leave in the 
 evening, if possible ; so we resolved to be very busy, and 
 see all in the course of the day. We had a number of our 
 fellow-passengers breakfasting with us, forming so singular 
 a collection that I cannot forbear mentioning them. The 
 party consisted of two English, one Frenchman, one Prus- 
 sian, one Swedfe, one Spaniard, ourselves American, and 
 the waiter Italian. Each of the party spoke more or less 
 French and English ; and it was amusing enough to hear the 
 broken English, and quite as disabled French with which 
 the conversation was carried on, interspersed with here and 
 there a jet of Spanish and Italian. 
 
 The hotel was situated on the public promenade, called 
 here the " Rambla." This has a wide gravel walk in the 
 centre, shaded on either hand by fine large trees. On 
 each side is a paved road for vehicles, the whole lined 
 by handsome buildings ; dwellings, churches, theatres, and 
 palaces. There is always a balcony to every window, 
 where you may stand, shaded by an awning of matting, and 
 look down upon the multitude constantly passing up and 
 down. Spanish dons with their ample cloaks, that none 
 know how to wear so gracefully. Donnas with their 
 silk mantillas, trimmed with lace, always black, as well as 
 the dress, with the universal accompaniment — a fan — that 
 they are continually opening, shutting, and flirting about 
 
294 CATALONIAN COSTUMES. 
 
 Then, the walk and carriage of the donnas is as easy and 
 graceful as that of the dons is lordly and majestic. There 
 is the Catalonian peasant, wearing a large square blanket, 
 striped with red and other bright colors, its ample folds 
 thrown over his shoulder, and its gay fringe of colored balls 
 or tassels dangling hither and thither as he walks. On the 
 head they wear a woollen cap of some bright color, with a 
 long end hanging down the back, or folded back and forth 
 upon the head. Some among them wear black velvet hats, 
 with low pointed crowns, garnished at the top and bottom of 
 the crown with two huge rosettes. Many wear handsomely 
 ornamented buckskin gaiters, laced up behind; others im- 
 mense boots, reaching above the knee. 
 
 At this time there was an unusual degree of life and bustle, 
 for all were on the qui vive in expectation of the arrival of 
 Marie Christine, the queen mother, now on*her return from 
 Paris, where she fled three years since. They are erect- 
 ing a triumphal arch near the hotel ; it is made of wood and 
 painted canvass, surmounted by an immense gilt crown, 
 and, though not yet complete, it bids fair to make a very good 
 appearance. In the grand square they were raising an 
 Egyptian obelisk, also of canvass, covered with hierogly- 
 phics, at night to be illuminated by two thousand lights. 
 The churches and other public buildings were ornamented 
 with hangings of crimson and gold, or blue and white, with 
 silver ornaments. Troops of soldiers were continually 
 marching up and down, others in squads of a dozen or so, I 
 suppose to awe the people ; for all this is done, of course, by 
 the royalists. The military will probably receive her with 
 open arms, but it is doubtful if even they will with open 
 hearts. The people, gathered in little knots, seemed en- 
 gaged in interesting discussions, showing letters and papers 
 to eath other ; all apparently in too great excitement to set- 
 tie to their ordinary occupations. 
 
THE RAMBLA. 295 
 
 Instead of leaving the next morning, as we expected on 
 our landing, the captain received an order from the gov- 
 ernor detaining the boat till an express could be sent to the 
 queen mother, at Perpignan, to know if she would wish to 
 use our steamer ; in which case the passengers and cargo 
 would be left here till the queen was conveyed to Valencia, 
 when the boat would return for the passengers. This was 
 provoking, and we wished her majesty out of our way, at 
 least ; but there was no help for it, and we were forced to 
 wait and abide the answer the express might bring. 
 
 In the meantime we had to while away the hours as we 
 best could. We walked, as did half of Barcelona, up and 
 down the "Rambla." At the end of it are some splendid 
 edifices. One, formerly the college — suppressed in the mid- 
 dle of the eighteenth century, by Phillip V. — is now a ca- 
 serne, a barrack for soldiers. At one end of it is a fine church, 
 probably the chapel of the university; it is carved all over 
 in diamonds, giving it an unique and singular effect. Not 
 far distant is a ci-devant convent, now converted into a place 
 for dog-fights. Near this is a palace of the kings of iVrra- 
 gon, ornamented with rich carving over the doors, win- 
 dows, and along the balcony of the top. On the opposite 
 side were other fine buildings — palaces of the nobility — 
 painted all over in fresco. Very many of the houses are 
 ornamented with frescoes of different kinds. Some are 
 painted in colors, like oil pictures ; others in black and 
 white, like engravings ; while others are different from any 
 we have ever seen, and seem to be made by having the 
 figures scratched when the plaster was fresh, like a semi-bas 
 relief. We walked through a number of streets where there 
 were fine shops, but filled mostly with French goods. The 
 ladies are really beautiful, and walk and carry themselves 
 with a great deal of grace. 
 
 The first evening, hearing there was to be an opera, we 
 
296 SPAIN MOUNT JOUY. 
 
 with the Frenchman and Swede, took a lodge at the thea- 
 tre ; but we were disappointed, there being only a comedy 
 and vaudeville, and being unable to understand a word, were 
 all of us very sleepy. We had, however, very good music, 
 and a national dance — el bolero — after which we left. The 
 next morning we passed playing cards with the Frenchman 
 and Swede, and parted, hoping the morning would bring a 
 summons to depart. But it not coming, we the next day sal- 
 lied out for a walk to the fortress of Mont Joiiy. This be- 
 ing the highest ground in the neighborhood, afforded us a 
 delightful view of the city, as well as of the harbor, and far 
 out into the open sea. A richly-cultivated plain extends 
 from the city to the mountain that rose abruptly with a 
 ridge of snow-capped Pyrenees, enclosing a plain dotted 
 throughout with villages and towns, (ws could count at least a 
 dozen,) and the roads leading to them were as distinct as 
 the lines on a chart. Turning at intervals to see the 
 changes in the scenery that every step in our progress 
 seemed to make, we reached at length the gate of the cita- 
 del. The sentinel would not allow us to enter, ])ut a 
 young officer politely came forward, and inquired if we had 
 an order of admission. We said " no;" but upon telling him 
 we were passengers in the steamer just arrived, he said if 
 we would wait a moment, he would send and endeavor to 
 obtain us admittance ; he was unsuccessful, so without much 
 regret on my part, we retraced our steps. 
 
 While at dinner, the captain called to say that an answer 
 had arrived from the queen, who, not wishing to go on so 
 soon, would take the next steamer ; so we were at liberty 
 to depart. We left the next morning at ten. The wind 
 was high, and the sea rough — at least, sufficiently so to 
 cause an unpleasant feeling, and make a horizontal position 
 the most comfortable. We sailed near the coast, and were 
 
ADIEU. 297 
 
 charmed with the scenery and the color of the mountains ; 
 but the wind and sun were too much for me, and fairly 
 drove me below, where I remained till after dinner, and 
 then went on deck to see a fine sunset. 
 
298 
 
 A SPANISH OMNIBUS. 
 
 LETTER XXXII. 
 
 THE PORT OF VALENCIA THE CITY VEHICLE OF THE 
 
 COUNTRY CONVENTS PRIESTS TROUBLES OF SPAIN 
 
 VOYAGE TO MALAGA APPEARANCE OP THE COAST OF 
 
 ANDALUSIA ENTRANCE TO MALAGA. 
 
 Valentia, Spain, March. 
 
 This morning we anchored in the harbor of Grao, the 
 port of Valencia ; the city being situated some three miles 
 distant from the sea. We were landed by a large row-boat 
 filled with a motley assortment of luggage and passengers. 
 The vehicle that conveyed us to Valencia was primitive 
 enough, and anything else than inviting, but it would not 
 do to be fastidious where there was no choice. Though 
 there was no variety, there certainly was no deficiency in 
 number; they are constantly conveying people to and fro, 
 from the port to the city, and number, we are told, four 
 thousand. In appearance, they are much like our ice -carts ; 
 drawn by one horse, the driver having a seat on the hinder 
 part of the right shaft. You enter in the rear by means of 
 a crooked stick placed across from one side of the vehicle 
 to the other, the floor is a netting made of ropes, and the 
 seats, running like those in an omnibus, from end to end, 
 are hung on leather straps. The horse goes only on a 
 walk, for the vehicle, being without springs, a faster gait 
 would jolt the life out of all within. There were seven of 
 our party, drawn by a miserable, raw-boned beast, that 
 looked as if he might claim indisputably to be a lineal des- 
 cendant of Don Quixotte's Rosinante. 
 
 Near the landing, we passed a long row of government 
 
VALENCIA. 
 
 299 
 
 Stores, closed in by a gateway, with strong, heavy doors ; 
 passing these, we entered the village by another gateway, 
 and were soon on the high-road to Valencia. The road 
 itself is unique ; it is straight and level, and lined the whole 
 distance with immense trees, whose tops meet, forming an 
 arch above, and when covered with their summer foliage, 
 must form a delightful shade. At this time, they were just 
 putting out a curious blossom, long, red and pendant, and in 
 the field were almond trees, filled with pretty, pink blossoms. 
 The trees by the way-side, grow in a deep trench, that is 
 every day filled with water, during the dry season. They 
 have had no rain now since last October, and the soil is 
 like lime, it is so white and dry ; the trunks and branches 
 of the trees are white with the powdered earth, as well as 
 the grass and bushes in the vicinity of the road. But when 
 it does rain, they say it comes like a deluge ; rendering the 
 streets of the city, and the roads about it impassable from 
 the mud and water. 
 
 Just before entering the city, we crossed a fine bridge 
 over the Tauro or Gaudelite ; it has ten fine arches, ^nd 
 two very good statues stand under a pretty tower, one on 
 each side, near the centre of the bridge. The massive 
 structure, at this time seemed quite misplaced, for there 
 was no water beneath it ; the bed of the river being as dry 
 as all the region round, so that people were crossing it 
 at various points, dry-shod. From this point we had a fine 
 view of the city. The country around is irrigated by dig- 
 ging trenches, and letting in water from reservoirs, filled 
 from wells, by means of a wheel kept constantly turning by 
 a horse, in the same manner as is seen in Greece. This 
 keeps the herbage green and luxuriant, so that the country 
 does not present the dry and arid aspect you might fancy, 
 from the long droughts to which they are subject. 
 
 Valencia looks magnificent as you approach it ; it is 
 
300 THE CITY WALLS. 
 
 walled, has several fine bridges, and its beautiful domes, 
 pagoda-like towers, with its rich verdure, and here and there 
 a waving palm tree, give it a truly Asiatic aspect. On en- 
 tering the city, a pretty garden greets the eye, filled with 
 shrubbery, and flowers of various kinds, among which I 
 could distinguish a profusion of roses. Here, too, they were 
 preparing for the Queen's arrival, by erecting a column, 
 surmounted by a statue, with wreaths and garlands, in the 
 midst of this beautiful garden. 
 
 After breakfasting, we walked through the city ; having 
 for our cicerone a young Englishman, born at Gibraltar, 
 who had been seven years in the Spanish service, attained 
 the rank of major, and won three ribbons, and three stars 
 or medals, which he wore on the left breast of his neat and 
 handsome uniform. He is now ordered to Morocco, to do 
 battle with the Moors. We entered the cathedral ; it has 
 a finely carved doorway, and is in the interior rii;hly decor- 
 ated with gilding, marble, paintings, &c., but will hardly 
 compare with the beautiful Italian ones we have so lately 
 seen. We went outside the gates leading to Saragossa, 
 and saw all along the marks of the balls fired by the 
 French. These walls were built by the Moors, and have, 
 at intervals, narrow openings, for the swift- winged messen- 
 ger of deat'i then used, the arrow. The top of the wall has 
 a pretty and fanciful ornament peculiar to the Moors, and 
 which gives them an appearance different from those of 
 walled cities generally. The streets are all very narrow 
 and crooked, and will not compare in this respect, nor in 
 the number of its public walks with Barcelona. But it has 
 retained its air of antiquity, that Barcelona has lost in the 
 more modern improvements it has acquired in its commer- 
 cial intercourse with the French and Italian ports of the 
 Mediterranean. 
 
 There are very many palaces, and buildings formerly 
 
A LIFT FOR COBBLEES. 301 
 
 convents, still retaining their latticed windows, as when the 
 nuns inhabited them. The palaces are many of them orna- 
 mented w^iih fine carving and frescoes, but the possessors 
 are very poor. The nobility of Valencia are said to be the 
 poorest in Spain ; their pride and their poverty have become 
 a by- word and proverb. Here, as at Barcelona, we noticed 
 the barber's sign, a huge brass basin hung out on each side 
 of the door ; such as v/e read of in Don Quixotte, as serving 
 the attendant of the dolorous knight, for a helmet in a case 
 of need. Our cicerone, the young officer, tells us, that in all 
 parts of Spain a shoemaker is looked down upon, and con- 
 sidered the lowest of human-kind, while the cobbler is a man 
 of consequence, and looked up to by all classes ; though 
 the first has a shop well filled with the results of his in- 
 dustry, the other only a seat near a wall in the street ; but 
 being a great gossip and newsmonger, he no doubt acquires 
 a knowledge that is power. The hats of the Spanish priests 
 differ from those of other countries ; they are what are 
 called shovel hats, with low crowns, and very broad brims, 
 fastened on the top of the crown, one side lapping over the 
 other. Our cicerone was a very kind and obliging one, 
 but he only knew of the exterior of the city, and could tell 
 us nothing of what was best worth seeing within its many 
 churches and other buildings, so that I have no doubt there 
 were many things lost to us only for want of proper di- 
 rection. 
 
 The captain having lost so much time at Barcelona, was 
 determined to lose none here; so by six o'clock, P. M., we 
 were again afloat. A number of laborers were busily em« 
 ployed in clearing the mud trom a part of the harbor, that 
 her Majesty might more easily effect a landing on her 
 arrival. Our young officer paid his respects to his former 
 general at Valencia, who told him that in ten days they 
 would bombard Alicant, now in the possession of the insur- 
 
 I 
 
302 CARTHAGENA. 
 
 gents, and blockaded by sea and land. They will bring 
 all their artillery to bear upon it, and bring the town down 
 about their ears, if there be no other way of forcing them to 
 terms. One of the steamers was, not long since, detained 
 here some time, then proceeding as far as Barcelona, she 
 was taken possession of by the other party, the Royalists, 
 who filled her with troops, and sent her back to Valencia ; 
 after which she was permitted to go on her way rejoicing. 
 A short time since the royalists did a high-handed thing in 
 seizing upon the mails at Madrid, and taking possession of 
 the letters, which of course will do injury to the merchants 
 and men of business, cause disappointments to those expect- 
 ing letters from friends afar, and, what is far worse, bring 
 death to many who are but suspected now. 
 
 The next day, in passing Alicant, the captain was careful 
 to keep out of sight, though our course, with the exception 
 of this and Carthagena, was close in shore, within almost a 
 stone's throw of the land. We had delightful weather, the 
 moon was at its full, and shone bright and beautiful ; the 
 air was so soft and warm, that we could sit upon deck at 
 evening, listening to the light guitar, which nearly all on 
 board could play, and very many seemed to possess the 
 talent of improvising, these gathered round the player, sing- 
 ing stanzas indiscriminately ; the captain, as much a boy as 
 any, sang and played in his turn. 
 
 Early on the morning of the fifth, we passed Carthagena, 
 but at too great a distance to see much of the place ; we 
 could distinguish a Spanish vessel of war, and two smaller 
 ones of the felucca kind, belonging to the insurgents. We 
 had now reached the Andalusian coast, (next to Catalonia, 
 the richest in Spain,) and looked upon a lovely scene. The 
 whole coast had hitherto been bold, high, and rapid ; here 
 the mountains were not steep, but had a gradual slope to 
 the sea. The surface was broken, and beautifully undulat- 
 
VIEW OF MALAGA. 303 
 
 ing, being made up of mounds and declivities, dotted all 
 over with trees, and pretty white houses, villas and country- 
 seats, each one having a little knoll to itself, and the whole 
 carpeted with a verdure of every shade of green, and en- 
 veloped in a dreamy atmosphere, and a coloring so soft, rich 
 and varied, as to seem almost prismatic. Along the whole 
 coast, at short intervals, sometimes on a hillock, overlooking 
 the sea, or on the shore washed by its waves, was a Moorish 
 tower or fortress, and there — 
 
 '* On yon long, level plain, at distance crowned 
 With crags, whereon those Moorish turrets rest, 
 Wide scattered hoof-marks dint the wounded ground ; 
 And scathed by fire, the green-sward's darkened vest, 
 Tells that the foe was Andalusia's guest." 
 
 The scene continued, if possible, increasing in loveliness, 
 till Malaga broke upon our view, the most striking features of 
 the town looming up while we were yet afar off. These were 
 its large and magnificent Cathedral, that may vie in beauty 
 and grandeur with any in Europe ; its tall light-house, stand- 
 ing like a sentinel at the extremity of one of the fine moles 
 of its pretty port, where the vessels are all ranged in rows, 
 one behind the other, like a company of soldiers ; the high 
 mountains on the north, covered by an ancient and exten- 
 sive Moorish fortress, from which a wall leads down the 
 sides of the mountain, to a mass of ruins, formerly towers 
 and fortifications, but now mingled with the houses of the 
 town, and formed into habitations for many a poor family. 
 
 We landed on the mole opposite to that on which the light- 
 house stands (for the harbor has a mole on either side). It 
 was a lively and busy scene, filled with boatmen, ready to 
 ply their numerous little craft, and peasantry, busy in their 
 out-of-door traflic. Here, too, was a sight that would have 
 gladdened the eyes of some little-folk, I trow; great piles of 
 oranges, in cart-loads on the ground, the largest a penny a 
 
304 ORANGES. 
 
 piece, and the small ones a penny a dozen. Stacks of su- 
 gar-cane, too, so sweet, fresh, and juicy, I cannot partake of 
 them without wishing to share them with those I love. We 
 have here, too, a currency to which we have been accus- 
 tomed at home, and this is pleasant, as is anything of home. 
 But I am tired now ; in my next you shall have more of Mal- 
 aga. Adieu. 
 
MALAGA. 805 
 
 LETTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE GHIBELFARO ALAMEDA BEAUTIFUL WOMETs' CATHE- 
 DRAL ENVIRONS OF MALAGA MODE OF IRRIGATION. 
 
 Malaga, Spain, March. 
 
 We have now been here a sufficient time to enable me to 
 give you some account of this delightful city. Its appear- 
 ance from the water, I have already described. It has a 
 good port, but at present not very well fillod with shipping. 
 On one of the points of its crescent, is a fine, large light- 
 house ; the other point has a good mole or landing, constant- 
 ly filled with a busy, trafficking people. Along the bend of 
 the crescent is a fine street, lined with stores and dwellings, 
 not very high, but uniform, plain, and neat, with balconies 
 looking upon the water, and having a bright and cheerful 
 sun lighting their fronts. 
 
 On a height, at the north end of the town, is an old for- 
 tress — the Ghibelfaro — apparently in a state of ruin, but in 
 reality it is at present in good repair. From this fortress, a 
 wall runs along the side of the hill down to the old part of 
 the town, which seems mingled with old fortifications and 
 towers, built long ago by the Moors. Turning, and follow- 
 ing this street south, you enter the Alameda, or public prom- 
 enade. This is a broad gravel walk, shaded by orange trees 
 and laurel. It is ornamented also, at short intervals, 
 with handsome marble pillars, surmounted with busts, 
 and at each end by a marble fountain. On either side 
 is a carriage road, and elegant mansions front on both sides : 
 one long range of these handsome dwellings, was built by 
 
806 THE ANDALIJSIANS. 
 
 an American, Mr. Loring. A^boutfive or six o'clock, P. M., 
 all classes come here to walk or drive. 
 
 We sav/ very many beautiful donnas, and the children of 
 Spain seem ever beautiful. In no country have we found so 
 many lovely women as in Spain. The black eyes of the 
 Italian signoras and the Turkish dames, are far excelled by 
 the softer ones of Andalusia. And in no country have we 
 seen the national characteristics or the local peculiarities so 
 marked and distinct as here. The costume of the peasant 
 is a velvet chapeau, with round, square, or conical crowns, 
 all ornamented with two large rosettes or tassels ; velvet or 
 cloth jackets, much ornamented with braid, and fastened in 
 front with clasps of gold or silver ; a bright red vest and sash ; 
 velvet breeches, fastened down the sides with pretty, bright 
 metal buttons, thickly set, that make a merry jingling as 
 they walk ; these, with handsome leggins of yellow leather 
 stamped or embossed, complete the whole. All classes wear 
 a cloak of some sort, and all wear it with a grace unequal- 
 led in any other part of the world. The women wear the 
 mantilla ; the better orders have them trimmed with broad, 
 rich lace, which they at times allow to fall over the face. 
 Always, when dressed for church or the promenade, they 
 carry a fan ; even the beggar that solicits your alms, peti- 
 tions with her fan and mantilla. Then, too, they have all 
 such a noble, graceful carriage ; all walk well, and general- 
 ly have small feet. And to see these cumbrous Spanish 
 coaches, drawn by two sleek-bodied, long-tailed mules, as 
 they wind their slow length along, is amusing ; look at any 
 old picture that gives a representation of them, and you will 
 see them mirrored there, for they have never altered or im- 
 proved. In all the balconies are plants and flowers, with 
 cages of singing birds, mingling their cheerful notes with 
 the lively ones of the guitar, heard at all hours, near or 
 more distant. 
 
INTERIOR OP THE CATHEDRAL. 30t 
 
 Our first morning was passed in viewing the magnificent 
 cathedral rising fi'om the centre of the town, and seeming to 
 crown, as with a diadem, the low buildings around, and it may 
 certainly bear comparison with some of the most magnifi- 
 cent in Europe. It has a tower at each side of its front, one 
 of which is unfinished, but the other shows a beautiful style 
 of architecture, and is admirably proportioned. Fluted mar- 
 ble columns, with- Corinthian capitals, rise one above the 
 other, growing gradually less to the summit. The entrance 
 is ornamented with rich carving and statues in bas-relief; 
 the interior is equally rich and beautiful, and at the same 
 time strikes one by its elegant simplicity. A row of arches 
 line the cathedral all around, in each of which is a hand- 
 some altar, with columns of rich marble, and some paintings. 
 A row of arches extend along on either side of the centre, 
 enclosing the choir and the grand altar ; these arches are 
 supported by four large fluted columns, united so as to form 
 one immense pillar, those of the grand altar having the cap- 
 itals and fluting gilt ; and between these hang magnificent 
 chandeliers of massive silver, richly chased. Opposite the 
 high altar, enclosed by the same grand arches, is the choir, 
 the entire sides of which are lined with a rich dark wood, 
 elaborately carved ; over each seat a niche, containing a 
 statue three feet high, beautifully carved in the same dark 
 wood. 
 
 On each side of the choir, filling up one of the wide arch- 
 es and reaching nearly to the top of the edifice, is a superb 
 organ of bronze and gilt ; the rich and harmonious chords 
 of one was reverberating through the immense building du- 
 ring our visit. The ceiling is richly carved, apparently of 
 stone, but of this we could not be sure from its great height : 
 the pavement is composed of alternate blocks of red and 
 white marble. The outside is equally grand and imposing, 
 and we found on walking around it, there were four small 
 
308 THE ENVIRONS OF MALAGA. 
 
 towers beside the two large ones in front. At the left of 
 the front is a splendid building, the archbishop's palace, and 
 before this are two fountains, which though small have 
 a pretty effect. After this we returned for rest and a lunch- 
 eon, and then sallied forth again, accompanied by our kind 
 and gentlemanly Consul. The streets are narrow and most 
 of them badly paved, but are infinitely cleaner in appear- 
 ance than the generality of Italian cities ; they are drained 
 by sewers under ground, but from the frequent openings in 
 the pavements issues at times a terrrible effluvium. We vis- 
 ited a manufactory of terra cotta figures, which they make 
 here wdth great taste, giving an exact representation of the 
 costume and peculiarities of the people of the different prov- 
 inces. We extended our walk to one of the Moorish tow- 
 ers forming now a habitation, and situated upon an eminence 
 commanding the whole extent of town and harbor as well 
 as far out into the open sea, where we could discern a long 
 line of vessels skirting the horizon. 
 
 The environs beyond the city are very lovely ; the plain 
 between the town and the mountains is beautifully cultiva- 
 ted and rich with vegetation of every shade of green, and 
 the sides of the mountain are so broken and undulating that 
 they have a singular and striking effect. The market is 
 clean and nice, and filled with vegetables, green pease, to- 
 matoes, asparagus and radishes being nearly out of season, 
 but to us of course a great treat. Immense piles of oranges 
 cover the ground of the market-place, and on these, I assure 
 you, we luxuriated. We went also to the corn-market, a 
 square enclosure with arches around the sides forming a 
 covered way, while the smoothly paved ground serves to dis- 
 play the different samples, and here the produce of the 
 neighboring country is bought and sold. We went also to 
 see a bull-ring, where the bull-fights take place — with this 
 we shall have to content ourselves, as it is not the season 
 
A BULL-RING. 309 
 
 for them, nor will be while we are in the country. They 
 usually take place during the warm weather not earlier than 
 May. The building itself is very similar to the Amphithea- 
 tres of the ancient Greeks and Romans, but are built of wood 
 instead of stone. Only such towns as contain twelve thou- 
 sand inhabitants are allowed by law to luxuriate in a bull- 
 ring. There is a large circle around which are ranged 
 tiers of seats rising one above the other and receding to- 
 wards the top. In the area are screens behind which the 
 Matadore can retire when the animal turns upon him ; there 
 is the entrance for the spectators and the one through which 
 the animals are brought from their stalls. We were shown 
 the pointed stick with which the man fights, and the sharp 
 stick filled with fire -works thrown at the bull to enrage and 
 goad him on. To a novice, or one unused to them, the 
 spectacle is described as sickening and horrible in the ex- 
 treme, but to see all this array of seats filled with the popu- 
 lace, both high and low, that throng to enjoy the bloody 
 scene, must be a glorious sight. The ring we visited occu- 
 pies the ground formerly the garden of a convent, the chap- 
 el of which has been converted, the lower part into a car- 
 riage. house, the upper into a room for concerts, exhibitions, 
 &c., while the cloisters and refectories make fine baths and 
 reading-rooms. " To what base uses do we come at last." 
 
 After dinner, Mr. R, came again for us to take a walk out 
 of town. We went about two miles into the country and 
 were delighted with the beauties and novelties that met us 
 at every step. We passed fields filled with a species of 
 prickly-pear, cultivated chiefly for the cochineal insect found 
 upon it, and made a source of great profit ; though past the 
 season, we succeeded in finding a few of the insects, which 
 most assuredly in their ugliness give no promise of the beau- 
 tiful dye formed from them. The hedges dividing the fields 
 from each other and from the road, were of geranium filled 
 
310 GHIBELFARO. 
 
 with bright scarlet flowers ; other hedges were of prickly- 
 pear ; these form an almost impenetrable barrier and bear 
 a fruit much esteemed by the natives. On our way we 
 stepped into a mill, the machinery of which was all of the 
 most simple and primitive kind, at the same time sufficient 
 for the purpose. At length, we reached a point where an 
 enchanting view broke upon us ; behind us were the moun- 
 tains, "nature's palaces," rising one above the other till 
 they were lost in the blue sky that was their canopy, or in 
 the soft veil of haze that draped their sides. These were 
 richly cultivated and beautifully undulating : each knoll and 
 hillock, too, bore its pretty villa as a crown, while houses, 
 purely white, gemmed their sides, contrasting richly with 
 the emerald verdure that crowned every spot of the moun- 
 tains from their towering summits to their very foot ; "deep- 
 clad in the green sandals of the freshful Spring." 
 
 Before us, at a little distance, was the town, its harbor 
 filled with vessels in orderly array : at one point its fine, tall 
 light-house towering above the masts ; the long mole ex- 
 tending out on the opposite side, enclosed and gave shelter 
 to the port. The beautiful cathedral seemed distinct and 
 apart from all, and made a magnificent appearance. On 
 the heights above, the fortress of Ghibelfaro formed a pic- 
 turesque feature, retaining, as it does, sufficient of its an- 
 cient formation to show its Moorish origin. Far as the eye 
 could reach, stretched the trackless and immeasurable main, 
 its cerulean surface dotted with many a snowy sail ; while 
 the sun, throwing his departing beams from behind a mass 
 of clouds, made every thing still more beautiful. Very near to 
 us, but on lower ground, so that we may look down into it, was 
 the cemetery, unlike any we have seen in any country. A 
 large, square piece of ground is enclosed by Myalls of per- 
 haps eight or nine feet in thickness, painted within and with- 
 out in white. On the inside of these walls were four rows 
 
SPANISH CEMETERY. 811 
 
 of small niches, resembling pigeon-holes in a dove-cot ; and 
 in these are placed lengthwise the coffins containing the 
 bodies of the dead, which when thus filled, are closed up with 
 mortar. This is kept of the purest white, and contrasts well 
 with the green sod of the enclosure, in the centre of which 
 is a round building, with a dome, or spire, and two wings, 
 very similar to the mausoleums of the sultans at Constanti- 
 nople. This serves both as a chapel and a dead-house, prior 
 to the interment. There were also one or two columns 
 within the square, and the v/hole formed one of the most 
 singular objects I have in a long time seen ; and things 
 must be exceedingly curious and novel, to strike with much 
 force after having seen so much that is strange and new. I 
 inquired of Mr. R. if no one was buried in the ground of the 
 enclosure. He said " Yes, perhaps a few too poor to buy a 
 niche." Ceries — I envied the poor man his poverty that al- 
 lowed him the privilege of being covered by the green sod 
 of the valley, and to have his grave waved o'er by the soft 
 boughs of the evergreen pine. But now 
 
 " The night is stealing on, 
 And the day takes its farewell, like the last tone 
 Of hallow'd music in a minster's aisles, 
 Heard when it floats along the shade of elms, 
 In the still place of graves." 
 
 So looking our adieux upon the silent resting-place before 
 us, we turned our faces towards the city of the living. Mr. 
 R. led us through orange groves, the trees of which are now 
 laden with fruit, ripe and ready to fall, at the same time that 
 the branches are filled with buds just opening into pretty 
 white ftowers, and sending forth an odor that fills the air 
 with fragrance. In one of these orchards a man was busy 
 irrigating his field. Trenches are dug in every direction, 
 and by means of these, water is conveyed to all the trees : 
 a little embankment is raised at the various turnings, and 
 
812 NATURAL SCENERY. 
 
 these are removed and replaced, as they fill with water or 
 require filling. Oh ! how delightfiil every thing was ; en- 
 joying nature in such a way is luxury indeed. So great in- 
 deed had been my delight that though our walk had been a 
 long one in addition to the fatigues of the day, I felt not a 
 whit weary. 
 
 " We had seen in the vast and the minute, 
 The unambiguous footsteps of the God 
 Who gives its lustre to an insect's wing, 
 And wheels His throne upon the rolling worlds." 
 
VIEW OF THE TOWN. 313 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. 
 
 ROYALISTS SHOT SPANISH REVENUE CUTTERS SERVICE 
 
 IN THE CATHEDRAL DEPARTURE FROM MALAGA GIB- 
 RALTAR SOLDIERS THE GALLERIES A DRIVE ON THE 
 
 ALAMEDA. 
 
 Cadiz, March. 
 
 We had been in Malaga long enough to see all that was 
 most desirable, and in fact to have the time hang somewhat 
 heavy in expectation of the arrival of the steamer, that was 
 to bring us letters and bear us onward ; and at dinner on 
 Saturday the good tidings were brought us that she was in 
 sight. As soon as she had anchored, Mr. C, accompanied 
 by the consul, went on board to secure berths, and see if 
 there was any possibility of obtaining our letters ; but as 
 they were directed to Gibraltar, they were enclosed for that 
 place, and we must wait till our arrival there. The steamer 
 brought news of the surrender of Alicant ; the chief of the 
 insurgents had deserted, but was taken and shot by the 
 royalists. Forty-two of the insurgents were killed, and a 
 Spanish steamer that was in port was much damaged by 
 the shot. After their return we sallied out together, and ex- 
 tended our walk to the extremity of the mole, on which the 
 light-house stands, whence we had a fine view of the whole 
 extent of the town, and of the bay within and without the 
 mole ; we then descended the rocks that form the foundation 
 of the warning light; awhile 
 
 " We wandered on the pebbled beach, 
 
 Marking the sunlight of the evening hour, 
 And hearkened to the thoughts the waters teach — 
 Eternity — Eternity and Power !" 
 14 
 
814 SPANISH HORSES. 
 
 Mr. R. directed our attention to some Spanish revenue 
 cutters that were in port, their foremast raking forward, the 
 mainmast quite perpendicular ; each had one or two long 
 booms extending from the bowsprit far up above the topmast, 
 running transversely^ and bearing one or more lateen sails. 
 They sail with incredible velocity, and can overtake any 
 craft whatever. On our return we paused at the other end 
 of the mole, to watch the embarking of a company of soldiers 
 in various boats waiting to receive them, on their way, I 
 believe, to Morocco. As we walked along the quay, we 
 noticed some beautiful Spanish horses apparently for sale, 
 very fancifully tricked out, and as beautiful as Spanish horses 
 only are. Some of these were magnificent ; they have all 
 the beauty and spirit of the Arabian, but are larger. Sun- 
 day morning we went to the cathedral in hopes to hear 
 some good music, but were too late. A priest was edifying 
 a pretty full audience with a sermon in, I have no doubt, 
 very good Spanish ; but unfortunately not understanding it, 
 we could not benefit by his good advice. It was a novel 
 sight, such a multitude of donnas in their black mantillas 
 kneeling on the pavement beneath the pulpit, flirting their 
 fans even here. The dons surrounded them with a triple 
 ring, seeming to stand as sentinels over them, the only ap. 
 pearance of devotion being their serious demeanor and 
 uncovered heads. The ladies remained kneeling, and the 
 men in their standing posture, till the service was over. In 
 entering any Spanish church, it is expected that the lady 
 separate herself from the gentleman who accompanies her — 
 that is, not to enter arm in arm ; and though it is not re- 
 quired, it is considered much, more respectful for the lady to 
 doff her bonnet, as well aS the gentleman his hat. The'first 
 is not only expected, but required, in all Catholic churches 
 of every country. Late in the afternoon the consul called 
 for us to walk ; and passing along the quay, we came to a 
 
THE REST OF THE WEARY. 815 
 
 road that led us beyond the city, to a pretty enclosure situa. 
 ted on an eminence overlooking the port and the town, and 
 in the midst of grounds prettily laid out and ornamented with 
 flowery shrubs, and a profusion of geraniums, covered with 
 bright scarlet flowers, that grow here in the greatest luxu- 
 riance. This was the English cemetery, containing some 
 twenty graves, each mound covered with a variety of pretty 
 shells, and between and all around was a hard smooth pave- 
 ment filled with pots of flower plants ; the entire wall of the 
 enclosure was beautifully draped with vines trained over 
 them. A pile of earth and an open chasm told that " na- 
 ture's last bed-maker," the sexton, had been busy here. 
 His services were required for a friend of Mr. R.'s, by 
 whose sick bed he had spent many watchful hours during 
 our stay, but who had the night before been gathered by the 
 hand of the reaper death, and was soon to be consigned 
 " to the dark vestibule of departed souls," the tomb. The 
 woman who opened the gate for us, gathered me a lovely 
 bouquet from the flowers growing in this small, yet pretty 
 dwelling of the stranger dead, most of whom have given up 
 life far from their friends and home. Peace to their manes. 
 The next day, Monday, was our last ; and I had full occu- 
 pation in making preparations for our departure, pottering, 
 as Fanny Kemble says, among my things, which I found 
 had been pretty well tumbled by the various custom-house 
 officers through whose hands they have passed since they 
 were last packed. Mr. R., notwithstanding the sad duties 
 in which he was at this time engaged, found time to pro- 
 cure and send me a large bunch of orange flowers, with 
 their pretty white buds and lovely green leaves filling my 
 room with fragrance ; a fragrance almost overpowering. We 
 left Malaga precisely at nine P. M., in company with a 
 French gentleman who had been our fellow-passenger from 
 Valencia, and with whom we had made a pleasant acquain- 
 
 I 
 
316 GIBRALTAR. 
 
 tance after a week's stay in the same hotel. Reached Gib- 
 raltar by four next morning, but had to wait gazing upon 
 those old pillars of Hercules, those huge keys of the Medi- 
 terranean, till the health-officer came to us and gave us a 
 free pratique, which was not till eight o'clock. Then we 
 had all to stand on the landing till the roll was called, and 
 each answered to his name, delivered up his passport, gave 
 security for his good behavior, and received a permit to 
 enter the gates, — this being a garrison, and in the hands of 
 the English, who not only have strict regulations, but enforce 
 them ; which last, however, I like, much as I may tempo- 
 rarily suffer in consequence. 
 
 We despatched a letter and card by a messenger to our 
 consul, that our entrance and other matters might through 
 him be facilitated, and his son soon came to our relief, and 
 escorted us to the hotel. This is a free port, so that you 
 have no difficulty with custom-house officers ; but as our stay 
 was only for the day, we brought nothing on shore. The 
 hotel to which we were conducted looked out upon an open 
 square, that is used as an auction mart. The people from 
 all the neighboring Spanish towns, as well as those on the 
 opposite coast of Africa, come here to make purchases of the 
 various produce and manufactures that find their way hither 
 from all parts of the world, and afford a motley and amusing 
 scene. Besides the different Spanish costumes I have before 
 described, you see the Moors and Arabs habited somewhat 
 after the Turkish fashion, except their dress is better and 
 cleaner than is usual with the Turks. I have never seen 
 more beautiful turbans than those worn by these men ; they 
 are so white and clean, of the finest cambric, ample and 
 well-proportioned in size, with folds so innumerable and 
 well arranged. Then there are the Barbary Jews, with 
 their loose wrappers of woollen stuff, striped with white and 
 black, reaching only to the knee, and displaying their naked 
 
ROCK OF GIBRALTAR. 317 
 
 legs and feet thrust into loose slippers ; their long beards, 
 that have never known a razor, giving them the air of" wise 
 and potent signors." and the reverend look of age, without 
 its years. Women wear a bright scarlet cloak and hood, 
 bordered all around with a broad fold of black velvet, which 
 contrasts well wdth the graceful and sombre mantilla ; be- 
 sides these, a plentiful sprinkling of soldiers in every variety 
 of uniform ; the most conspicuous are the Scotch regiment, 
 in full Highland costume, with their kilts and scarfs of gray 
 piaid, and their heavy black plumes waving and nodding 
 above the crowd. With all this, and some other concomi- 
 tants to aid the ludicrous, as well as the interesting, you may 
 fancy the scene amusing to any one gazing upon it from 
 a balcony near at hand. In the breakfast-room we found 
 three American gentlemen occupying one end of the table, 
 and placing ourselves at the other, we soon claimed them as 
 countrymen ; for our conversation being in French, to suit 
 our companion, they had not recognized us as hailing from 
 the same land. They were arranging to go to Tangiers, 
 and almost tempted us to join them ; but the mode of con- 
 veyance is so disagreeable, being in boats that are used to 
 bring over cattle, and without any sort of accommodation, 
 that the temptation was not quite irresistible ; besides, in 
 returning, we have to company with the cattle, and this was 
 a serious drawback. About noon our consul with his lady 
 called to see us ; we had heard of them so often, and so 
 highly spoken of, that I was most happy to make their ac- 
 quaintance, and regretted exceedingly that our short stay 
 would not permit us to see more of them, or receive their 
 many and cordially proffered offers of kindness. Mr. S, pro- 
 cured us a permit to ascend the rock, but at present, as 
 workmen are busy in the galleries, no person is admitted 
 to see the excavations. At tvt'o, we, accompanied by the 
 Frenchman, took horses and ascended to the signal station, 
 
318 A GARRISON TOWN AFRICA. 
 
 whence you have an extensive view — it is said, forty leagues. 
 We could distinguish the houses of the town of Ceuta, on 
 the African coast, very plainly, the channel here being very 
 narrow, only seven or eight miles ; to Tangiers is only 
 sixteen miles, so that we may truly say that we have seen 
 Africa. We could see, too, among the highlands that bound 
 the Afric coast, some peaks covered with snow. The cli- 
 mate here is delightful ; they have no ice in the winter, and 
 the whole surface of the rock is covered with verdure, and a 
 great variety of beautiful wild-flowers. The keeper of the 
 station said he had seen that morning three large monkeys 
 on the high peak that rises just behind the signal station ; 
 they are natives here, but are not often seen, now that the 
 rock is so much inhabited. The great height attained so 
 immediately above the town, gives a fine insight into it, and 
 the plan of its fortifications; just above the town are the 
 remains of an old Moorish tower, castle and wall, forming 
 quite a conspicuous object both from above and below. We 
 descended by a different road, some parts of which were so 
 narrow, and so near the edge of the precipice, that we dis- 
 mounted, and led our horses a long distance. As we entered 
 the town, we passed the Alameda, where is the parade- 
 ground, on which we could see the soldiers going through 
 their exercises. I like a garrison town ; I like to hear the 
 sound of the drum, the notes of the bugle, the fine music of 
 the band, and now and then the firing of cannon, as it comes 
 booming over the water. We dismounted at the house of 
 Mr. S., who had kindly offered to drive with us through the 
 town. We found him reading his paper in a comfortable 
 chair by the fire, his eldest daughter taking a lesson at the 
 piano, and everything looked domestic, happy, and cheerful, 
 even to the huge St. Bernard dog and the pretty gazelle 
 that was gambolling about the parlor ; and from the court- 
 yard came the sound of happy children's voices, that drew 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 319 
 
 from me a sigh ; but whether it reached from this far dis- 
 tance those in my thoughts at the time, is doubtful. Mrs. 
 S. and the carriage were soon in readiness, and as we drove 
 along she pointed out, as we passed, the court-house, the 
 governor's house and gardens, and the handsome English 
 church. We drove through the Alameda, but our time would 
 not allow of our walking through the beautiful grounds orna- 
 menting it ; so, after a delightful drive, we alighted at our 
 hotel. Mr. C. purchased some mementos in specimens of 
 this singular rock, and at six, P. M., we left in the steamer, 
 while the guns of the fort were firing a salute to an English 
 frigate just entering the harbor. We were soon out of the 
 harbor, and in Calpe's straits, where 
 
 " Europe and Afric on each other gaze, 
 
 Land of the dark-eyed maid and dusky Moor ;" 
 
 and we turned from one side of the boat to the other to look, 
 now upon Europa point, and now upon the coast of Africa ; 
 both of which seemed, with the darkness to aid the decep. 
 tion, very close. We had soon passed the straits, and found 
 ourselves gazing upon the broad Atlantic, whose far-ofT waves 
 were washing the shores of our own dear land ; and as I 
 looked upon them, I felt more at home, and as if we were, 
 as we now are, truly " homeward bound." 
 
320 CADIZ. 
 
 LETTER XXXV. 
 
 CADIZ- — ITS HOUSES, TOWEES, BALCONIES, WALLS, HARBOR 
 AND SITUATION THE CATHEDRAL EXTINCTION OF MON- 
 ASTERIES AND CONVENTS MURILLO AND HIS PAINTINGS 
 
 SANTA MAKIA AND SIDONIA MEDINA. 
 
 Cadiz, March. 
 
 The next morning after leaving Gibraltar, we found our- 
 selves at an early hour in the port of Cadiz, and oh ! how 
 beautiful it looked from our deck ! The water is so very- 
 blue that washes the walls which extend all around the city, 
 and the sky so very bright and clear, that the dazzling white- 
 ness of the whole city seemed more beautiful, if possible, 
 from the contrast. All the houses are large and well built ; 
 ail have the appearance of palaces, for even the habitations 
 of the poor are extensive, affording accommodations to 
 many families. The city is built on a point of land, almost 
 an island, near the mouth of the Guadelquiver, and connected 
 with the island of Leon by a beautiful beach, or narrow 
 causeway of sand ; this is guarded by forts, and the whole 
 city enclosed by high walls, a large portion of which are 
 formed into a public walk, or alameda, the top being paved, 
 affording a delightful promenade along the water's edge, 
 and from their great height a fine sea view. 
 
 Located in the house of Donna Antonia, (who had been 
 highly recommended to us by a friend,) and refreshed by a 
 good and plentiful breakfast, Mr. C. walked out to call on 
 the consul, Mr. B., and deliver his letters. At two o'clock Mr.B. 
 came to walk with us. We went first to the cathedral, an 
 immense pile, not yet finished outside, and but just completed 
 
CADIZ BALCONIED WINDOWS. 321 
 
 within. It is very handsome, particularly the interior ; but 
 the style of it does not please me as well as that of Malaga. 
 It contains one or two paintings, by Murillo, and a few by 
 Spagnoletto — is richly ornamented with the beautiful mar- 
 bles of Granada, and has a handsome pulpit of white marble. 
 We next bent our steps to the signal station, and mounted 
 to the top, from whence we looked down upon the entire 
 city. The houses present a singular and unique appearance 
 at this point ; none have what we call yards, but are built 
 around a square court, sometimes closed at the top, at 
 others left open to the rains and winds of heaven. Some of 
 the houses join others in the rear, but most of them extend 
 from one street to the other. Every house, too, has a tall 
 tower or look-out ; these, in the palmy days of Cadiz, as 
 well as of Spain, served the merchant-princes of this pros- 
 perous city as observatories, from whence they could watch 
 the return of the ships, whose precious freights were to add 
 to their golden stores. The tops of the towers are indented 
 or turreted ; the roofs are terraced, and serve as gardens, 
 enclosed by a fanciful balustrade, ornamented at intervals by 
 huge vases, in which grow the cactus, aloe, and other 
 plants. These, with the stacks of chimneys, viewed ensem- 
 ble from a height like that of the signal-tower, have a curi- 
 ous and novel effect. There are balconies to every win- 
 dow, shaded in summer by awnings, where the ladies may 
 sit seeing all, themselves unseen ; some of the balconies are 
 filled with flowers and plants, and, with the painted jalou- 
 sies, afford the only green thing that the eye lights on ; for, 
 as I told you before, Cadiz is built on sand — a soil calcu- 
 lated only to grow houses. Besides the balconies, most of 
 the houses have a projection in front, shut in with glass, 
 where the inmates may sit when the weather is too cool to 
 sit in the open air. The whole city being so purely white 
 gives it a beautiful appearance, and Washington Irving, 
 
 14* 
 
322 A SPANISH FATHER. 
 
 when speaking of it, likened it to a " silver cup" — but when 
 seen from the water, as on our arrival, it seemed to me like 
 a pearly shell which the waves had bleached and cast up- 
 on the yellovi^ sands, with which it contrasts so beautifully. 
 Cadiz is dependent on the neighboring country, not only 
 for meat and vegetables, but even for the water drank by 
 its inhabitants ; but having a water-conveyance that never 
 fails them, there is no deficiency, nor are things dear. Every- 
 thing is more plentiful and less costly than in many parts of 
 the interior, where mules and donkeys are the only means 
 of transportation. The streets are all narrow; in the old 
 or Moorish quarter they are most so, and very crooked ; but 
 in the more modern part of the city they are more straight 
 and wide. There is on the sides, and through the middle of 
 each street, a row of smooth paving-stones, only wide 
 enough for one to walk, so that single file is the order of 
 march. In the true Spanish style, the ladies all walk one 
 after the other, the old don marching in the rear, to see that 
 all goes straight before him. We met a gentleman with 
 his wife and daughter walking in this fashion ; the daughter 
 was the most beautiful creature methinks I ever met ; but 
 the father, as if to repel any passing glance of admiration, 
 looked as grim as a dragon, and reminded me of the words : 
 " Ay, Pedro ! come you here with mask and lantern, 
 Ladder of ropes, and other moonshine tools ? 
 Why, youngster, thou may'st cheat the old duenna, 
 Flatter the waiting-woman, bribe the valet; 
 But know that I, her father, play the gryphon — 
 Tameless and sleepless, proof to fraud or bribe — 
 And guard the hidden treasure of her beauty." 
 
 Our consul showed us the market-place, a fine large 
 square, beautifully paved and very clean ; all four sides hav- 
 ing a raised covered walk lined with arches. We visited 
 also an old monastery, which had been converted into a 
 work-house for vagrant boys. The object of our visit was 
 
CADIZ A STROLL ON THE RAMPARTS. 323 
 
 a fine painting, by Murillo, in the chapel. It is said to be 
 the last of his works, he having, soon after its completion, 
 fallen from a scaffold, receiving injuries that subsequently 
 caused his death. The subject was the marriage of St. Ca- 
 therine : there were two others, but none so good as some 
 of his that we have seen out of Spain ; there was a Virgin 
 in glory, that pleased me much more. 
 
 The next day at sunset we strolled out on the ramparts : 
 there were very few walking ; but we had the good fortune 
 to meet the consul, who joined us and led us outside the 
 "vvalls, passing through a massive gateway and two portcul- 
 lises at a short distance from each other. Cadiz is well and 
 strongly fortified ; its walls are high, of great thickness, and 
 in perfect order. The consul said the ground beneath us 
 for a great distance was mined. Outside of all this is a 
 plain called the glacis ; here we paused to see the soldiers 
 go through their evening exercise, and were highly amused 
 at the blunders of some raw recruits taking their first lesson. 
 Directly in front of us was the causeway or beach of sand, 
 which connects the point of land on which the city is built 
 to the Island of Leon. The road is very straight and 
 smooth, with nothing to obstruct the view till it rests on 
 Fort Sebastian, three miles distant. From one point here 
 we had a good view of the bay, with the towns of Santa 
 Maria and Rosa ; rising behind these was a conical hill, on 
 which was the town of Sidonia Medina, very ancient, built 
 by the Phoenicians, and called by them Sidon ; the name 
 Medina was added by the Moors when they conquered it. 
 Here was confined and murdered the unfortunate Blanche, 
 wife of Peter the Cruel. At sunset the gates are closed — 
 so we took care not to give the governor of the city any 
 trouble on our account by gazing so long on the beautiful 
 scene before us as to be locked out ; an appeal to him being 
 the only remedy in such a case. 
 
324 CONVENTS AND NUNS CADIZ. 
 
 The convents here seem innumerable ; many of them are 
 still occupied, the nuns being allowed to spend their days 
 in them, though none are now permitted to become nuns. 
 The convents and monasteries throughout Spain have been 
 all suppressed, their property confiscated, and the monks 
 and priests turned on the wide world to starve and die. The 
 monasteries have all been converted to other purposes : the 
 garden of one of these now makes a beautiful public square. 
 But the convents present a deserted and saddened aspect : 
 from their property being taken from the nuns they were de- 
 prived of their means of support, and most of them have re- 
 turned again to their friends ; those who remain are sup- 
 ported by the contributions of the citizens. When a 
 daughter chose the convent instead of marrying, she took 
 with her as a means of support the same fortune that would 
 have been her dowry if she had married ; so that the prop- 
 erty thus confiscated and taken by the government, under 
 Ferdinand VII. and Espartero, w^as private and individual 
 property. One cannot but sympathise with the fate of these 
 poor nuns, however much we abhor their delusion. 
 " The sacred tapers' lights are gone, 
 
 Gray moss has clad the altar-stone, 
 
 The holy image is o'erthrown, 
 The bell has ceased to toll : 
 
 The long-ribbed aisles are burst and shrunk, 
 
 The holy shrines to ruin sunk. 
 
 Departed is the pious monk — 
 God's blessing on his soul I" 
 
 We left Cadiz at nine in the morning, after a stay of three 
 days and a half, and took our last view (as our first) of the 
 beautiful city from the waters of its lovely bay. In a short 
 time we were breasting the waves of the broad Atlantic ; 
 our little steamer performed her duty well, and we were 
 soon in the Guadalquiver, having the current with us. Here, 
 too, we made rapid progress ; made but one stoppage, at the 
 
SEVILLE ORANGE GROVES. 325 
 
 little town of San Lucca, where we took in a number of pas- 
 sengers, among them was a pretty Senorita. The river 
 is very serpentine all the way to Seville ; the land on either 
 side, nearly the whole distance, is perfectly flat, unvaried, and 
 uninteresting. These flats, however, afibrd good pasturage 
 for immense herds of horses and black cattle, as well as 
 numerous flocks of sheep with long white wool. 
 
 As we approached the city, the beautiful and extensive 
 groves of orange and lemon trees, laden with fruit, formed 
 an agreeable contrast to the flat and sterile-looking country 
 through which we had been all day sailing. On either side 
 of the river, here, were many aroas, at short intervals, for 
 irrigating the land, and the country is rich, verdant and 
 beautiful. 
 
 At four o'clock, proud Seville's towers rose up before us, 
 and we were in a short time in comfortable quarters at the 
 Locanda of Donna Louise, where our French companion 
 had secured us rooms. 
 
326 "the light fantastic toe. 
 
 LETTER XXXVI. 
 
 SPANISH DANCES CATHEDRAL GIRALDA MOORISH PALACE 
 
 THE LONJA MURILLO'S PICTURES. 
 
 Seville, March. 
 
 On our passage from Cadiz to Seville, Mr. C. was inform- 
 ed by an Englishman, that they could, by a sufficient remu- 
 neration, see the different Spanish dances performed. The 
 Englishman had but little time to stay, and was bent upon 
 seeing these, if he saw nought else. So Mr. C. gladly 
 united with him ; the Englishman undertaking the necessary 
 arrangements for the exhibition, the evening of our arrival. 
 I was so excessively fatigued, that I could not be induced 
 to leave the house ; so Mr. C. went without me, and re- 
 turned highly gratified himself, though well pleased that I 
 had not been present, as many of the dances were of a na- 
 ture ill-calculated for the presence of a lady, especially of a 
 prudish American. There were in all, he said, about fifty 
 dancers, each with a pair of castanets ; they were dressed 
 in a variety of costumes, and performed the numerous na- 
 tional dances, all expressive of character and sentiment, in- 
 teresting and amusing, if not intelligible to the beholder. 
 Some of the dances permitted the whole number to perform 
 together, and then the clatter of the castanets was almost 
 deafening. The room was of good size, and the spectators 
 such as had collected from the immediate neighborhood, 
 though the house was supported for the time being by Mr. 
 C.and the Englishman, the whole proceeds being, I believe, 
 about six dollars. 
 
 The next morning we sallied forth to see some of the 
 
CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE. 327 
 
 lions of Seville, the cathedral — the Giralda, and the Moorish 
 palace — all exceedingly beautiful. The cathedral is an im- 
 mense pile, one of the largest in the world ; its roof is sur- 
 mounted with innumerable towers, round, square, and spiral, 
 tall and short, all beautifully ornamented with rich carving 
 and tracery work, in marble that was once white, but is 
 now covered with moss and mould. All its numerous en- 
 trances are ornamented with elaborate carving, and fine 
 baso- relievo. Attached to the church is an enclosure, sur- 
 rounded by a kind of cloister, with a colonnade and arches 
 all around. The enclosure is filled with fine orange-trees 
 and greensward, with stone crossings to walk on. The 
 edifice is four hundred and thirty-one feet long, and three 
 hundred and fifteen feet wide ; it is in the Gothic style, and 
 stands on the site of an ancient Moorish mosque. It has 
 five naves and sixty-six altars, enclosed in chapels, each of 
 which are as large as a small church. There are one hun- 
 dred and twenty silver lamps suspended, and two magnifi- 
 cent organs, with five thousand stops ; these last are pro- 
 fusely ornamented with the most beautiful carving in wood, 
 of statues, flowers, and a variety of other ornaments. The 
 grand altar is ornamented in the same manner, with carved 
 wood ; richly gilt gratings enclose it, and some of the larger 
 chapels, extending from the pavement to the vault above. 
 The naves are supported by thirty-two pillars, each of which 
 are thirteen feet in circumference. Numerous paintings 
 and statues adorn the chapels, and every variety of orna- 
 ment seemed scattered throughout. The campanile of the 
 cathedral is three hundred feet high, the whole of its ex- 
 terior covered with a small mosaic work, giving it a de- 
 cidedly Moorish aspect. It is called the Tower de Giralda ; 
 we ascended only as far as the belfry, where we counted 
 twenty-five bells, each named after some male or female 
 saint. The view from this height is commanding and beau- 
 
328 SEVILLE— MOORISH PALACE. 
 
 tiful in the extreme ; we could here overlook the whole 
 city and its lovely environs ; could distinguish the most re- 
 markable edifices, and trace the walls of the city, and could see 
 the pretty courts and fountains which are attached to almost 
 every house. From the cathedral we went to the Alcazar, 
 the ancient palace of the Moorish kings. This was like a 
 fairy palace, and seemed to be the realization of the Ara- 
 bian Nights, and other eastern stories. The carving that 
 ornaments the ceilings, the top of the walls, arches, door- 
 ways and windows, was so exquisitely fine, that it seemed 
 more the work of some industrious little insect, than of the 
 hand of man, and of men, too, whom some are used to deem 
 almost barbarians. We have seen nothing similar to it, 
 unless it be the fountains of Stamboul, nor can I think of 
 anything so delicately fine, except the ivory carving of the 
 Chinese. About four feet from the floor, running round the 
 different rooms, was a mosaic work of tiles, every side dif- 
 ferent, and it seemed to be the study throughout to have as 
 great a variety in form and color as possible. The ceilings 
 were exceedingly rich and curious, sometimes of carved 
 wood-work, left in its natural color, sometimes divided into 
 small compartments, beautifully painted and gilt, showing a 
 great variety of patterns, as brilliant and varied, indeed, 
 as those seen through a kaleidoscope. Over some of the 
 entrances to the apartments were lattices of white marble, 
 to admit light and air, and these were carved in patterns 
 the most beautiful as well as delicate. There were very 
 many little courts in different parts of the palace, with foun- 
 tains in the centre, some of them dried up and blackened, 
 others with standing pools of brackish-looking water. Work- 
 men are now busy with their renovations and restoratives, 
 viyng, in my opinion, not with the departing glories of the 
 Moors' handiwork, but almost with that of the despoiler. 
 The gardens of the Alcazar are most lovely ; they are filled 
 
GARDENS OF "THE ALCAZAR." 329 
 
 with fountains and reservoirs of water, hedges of box or 
 myrtle, cut into all sorts of fantastic forms, a variety of flow- 
 ers and sweet shrubs, numerous grottos and cool retreats, 
 in the form of temples and pagoda-like buildings, with gra- 
 vel-walks and verdant terraces; and enclosing the whole is 
 a high wall, brilliant with modern frescoes, and one is al- 
 most tempted to believe themselves dreaming in some lovely 
 Arcadia. Leaving this, we bent our steps homeward, tak- 
 ing on our way, the Lonja, or exchange, a modern edifice, 
 but very handsome, and the Hotel de Ville, a very ancient 
 structure, looking so old and quaint, and so decidedly Spa- 
 nish, and seeming fairly weighed down and overloaded with 
 the profusion of carving lavished upon it, that I fancied the 
 wealth within it had run over, and I felt well disposed to 
 hold up my dress to catch the riches seeming ready to fall. 
 Around very many of the public buildings you may see nu- 
 merous columns of a very antique appearance, and of every 
 size and height. These have been brought from an ancient 
 city (Italica,) near Seville, said to have been the birth-place 
 of Trajan, and the two Senecas. We visited the cathedral 
 here on Sunday ; there was service being performed in dif- 
 ferent chapels, and the pavement was so filled with the many 
 different kneeling donnas, and men standing around them, 
 that it was difficult making our way through them. We 
 succeeded in finding the splendid picture of Murillo's guar- 
 dian angel, and then leaving the cathedral went to an old 
 convent, now a museum, but retaining enough of its former 
 splendor and ornament, to give it the air of a palace rather 
 than a dwelling of plain, pious, and austere monks, such as 
 doubtless those of Spain were not. Here we found a num- 
 ber of Murillo's paintings, collected from many different 
 monasteries. They were sadly defaced by time, and still 
 more by neglect and ill-treatment, but they are jet beauti- 
 ful in spite of the mildew of time and weather. Three of 
 
330 MURILLO A PAINTING OF DEATH. 
 
 these were exceedingly beautiful ; one in particular, repre- 
 senting a monk or bishop distributing alms, in that style in 
 which Murillo is so happy, for with beggars he seemed per- 
 fectly at home. In the chapel, is one representing a dead 
 body, the flesh putrifying, and the worms that destroy the 
 body after death, were lazily mumbling the flesh of the dead ; 
 and so horribly natural is it depicted, that it is said when 
 the pupil called his master to view his work, he no sooner 
 cast his eye upon it, than he put his handkerchief to his face, 
 and turned quickly away, saying, "pah! how it stinks." 
 The pretty court of the monastery was quite refreshing after 
 this; in the centre of it was a beautiful fountain, and around 
 it were planted willows, whose long branches laved them- 
 selves in its limpid waters, or on the other side kissed the 
 pouting lips of a profusion of roses, that blushed in wild lux- 
 uriance around. 
 
HOUSES OF SEVILLE. 331 
 
 LETTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE STANDISH GALLERY A BLIND MUSICIAN ROYAL TO- 
 BACCO MANUFACTORY OF SEVILLE MURILLo's CHEF- 
 
 d'cEUVRE of la CARIDAD THE MOUNTAIN BRIGANDS 
 
 OF SPAIN. 
 
 Seville. 
 The locanda we are now in was formerly occupied by an 
 Englishman, Colonel Standish, who formed quite a collec- 
 tion of drawings and paintings, now in the Louvre, at Paris, 
 and known as the Standish Gallery. He had offered them 
 to his own government, on condition that a title to which he 
 laid claim should be bestowed upon him ; but the British 
 peers scorned to have their nobility bribed, and refused ; so 
 in a fit of pique, they were willed to and are enjoyed by the 
 French king, Louis Philippe. The house, like the gener- 
 ality of houses in Seville, is built round an open square, with 
 an open colonnade running round the square. The rooms 
 on the ground floor are occupied in summer, as the coolest 
 and most agreeable during the warm weather. The corri- 
 dor of the story above is arched, supported by columns of 
 marble, and guarded by a balustrade of the same ; this, in 
 winter, is closed with glass. In the centre of the court is a 
 fountain, and the cool, gushing sound, is delightful. Around 
 it are plants and shrubs, with odoriferous flowers, and the 
 almond tree, now full of bright pink blossoms, like our peach 
 trees in April. At dinner, an old blind man is led in by a 
 little girl, and regales us with the music of the guitar, ac- 
 companied by his really fine voice, and his manner of play- 
 ing the guitar exceeds any thing I have ever heard. I never 
 
332 SPANISH CIGARS. 
 
 knew before of what the instrument was capable, but thought 
 it only calculated for serenades and roundelays. 
 
 Through the kindness of an influential Spanish gentleman, 
 to whom we had a letter of introduction, we obtained a per- 
 mit to visit the royal manufactory of tobacco ; so early on 
 Monday morning we set forth. Our way lay through the 
 new Alameda, or public walk, called the Christina. It re- 
 sembles a handsome garden, laid out in pretty walks, plant- 
 ed with orange trees laden with fruit and their sweet-smell- 
 ing flowers, and with a profusion of roses, and a shrub filled 
 with golden blossoms. There is also a tree very common 
 here, so full of a deep pink blossom, that they seem among 
 the others like a rosy cloud ; gushing fountains are plenti- 
 fully scattered throughout, with here and there a temple, and 
 seats for the contemplative or weary. On one side of the 
 garden runs the Guadalquiver, and a fine promenade, shaded 
 with trees, along the river bank, from which is seen a por- 
 tion of the city, and a fine bridge of boats. Fronting on the 
 garden is the Marine College, a large, plain building, but 
 having one of the most magnificent portals I have ever seen, 
 so elaborately ornamented is it with rich, heavy carving, 
 pillars, and bas-relief. 
 
 From this we made our way to the tobacco manufactory. 
 Here are mills, with mules turning them, to cut the tobac- 
 co for smoking, and grinding it into snuffl On the ground 
 floor were large rooms, filled with immense ropes or cables 
 of tobacco, in a state of fermentation, which is a part of the 
 process ; and above they were forming these rolls or ropes 
 of the wet leaves. In one immense saloon were two thou- 
 sand six hundred women and girls rolling the leaves into 
 cigars ; in another they were weighing the tobacco for 
 smoking, and putting it up in packages. Those who make 
 the cigars get two and a half cents a day ; the others get 
 three cents for a hundred packages. This gives constant 
 
TOBACCO FACTORY OP ANDALUSIA. 333 
 
 employment to about three thousand females, which is an 
 admirable thing in a country where nearly all the men are 
 soldiers, either for government or on their own account. 
 We ascended to the roof of the building, where we got an 
 idea of its immense extent ; there were twenty-eight large 
 courts, with even paved streets running between some of 
 the departments, for the mules to come and receive or dis- 
 charge their loads ; and the edifice is not only large, but 
 handsome. The roof is flat, and of fine large smooth stone, 
 affording a beautiful terrace to walk on, and a fine view of 
 the city and country surrounding. Descending, we again 
 passed through the saloon full of women folk ; and to have 
 any idea of the hubbub and clatter of human voices, you 
 must have, been present in the confusion of tongues at the 
 Babylonish tower: eager looks and glances of curiosity 
 were not a few, I can assure you, from this myriad of Span- 
 ish eyes. The monopoly of this factory for Andalusia alone, 
 was sold a few days ago at Madrid for about five millions 
 and a half of dollars per annum. 
 
 On our return, we passed through a fine gateway, the 
 jporto de Regina ; and went in an opposite direction to visit 
 Signer Brano's collection of paintings, some four hundred in 
 number, among which are many of Murillo's and those of 
 other masters. His rooms are, however, small, and badly 
 lighted : the pictures were not well placed, nor seen to ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 The last day of our stay here opened with what seemed a 
 decidedly hopeless ram, and I made up my mind to a day 
 within doors, devoted to packing and final preparations. Mr. 
 C, however, could not rest content, without seeing the pic- 
 tures in the Caritad and the bridge of boats ; so he sallied 
 out alone, and, in spite of the pouring floods, made his way 
 to this hospital, once a monastery, where, it is said, Murillo 
 was at one time confined, during which the monks kept him 
 
334 MURiLLo's chef-d'ceuvre. 
 
 constantly at work painting for their chapel ; where a few 
 of the best — indeed, his masterpieces — -have been suffered 
 to remain. Mr. C. was so delighted that he came back for 
 me, and the sun unexpectedly showing his face, afforded me 
 an opportunity of which I gladly availed myself. 
 
 One of these pictures is called his chef-cFoeiivre : the 
 subject is Moses striking the Rock and causing the waters 
 to flow, and the thirsty Israelites are eagerly quenching their 
 thirst at the gushing stream. There certainly could not be 
 a subject affording richer material for a painter than this, 
 with the splendid oriental costume of the men, and the vo- 
 luptuous and graceful flow of the dresses of the women ; the 
 eager and intense expression excited by their burning thirst, 
 depicted even in the countenances of the camels and asses 
 that form so picturesque a portion of the group, and the va- 
 rious and antique forms of the drinking vessels displayed upon 
 the occasion. The picture is of immense size, and has a 
 pendant to it, illustrating the miracle of the loaves and fishes, 
 and though very beautiful, it is excelled, in my opinion, by the 
 first ; which is one of the few calculated to rest in the me- 
 mory for ever, and to rise before the mind's eye with all the 
 vividness and freshness of its actual presence : methinks I 
 shall never recall it, without seeing the sparkling of the wa- 
 ter, and hearing the gushing sound as it burst from its rocky 
 bondage. 
 
 We did not venture out of our road for other sights, but 
 the Exchange being on our way, we entered it and ascend- 
 ed its noble staircase to the halls, where are kept the 
 city's records of many centuries, as well as manuscripts 
 and other valuable papers, and where our countrymen, 
 Irving and Prescott, found ample references to assist them 
 in their works. These halls are wide and lofty, and ex- 
 tend round the four sides of a court. Some small rooms 
 
MOUNTAIN BRIGANDS, 335 
 
 contain portraits of Ferdinand VII., Hernando Cortez, and 
 others. 
 
 I have forgotten to mention to you, that when Mr. C. and 
 the Frenchman Avent, soon after our arrival here, to the of- 
 fice of the diligencia, to secure our places for Madrid, they 
 received the comfortable and comforting information that the 
 last diligencia that had arrived from Madrid, three days be- 
 fore, had been stopped and plundered by the brigands of the 
 mountains. These same robbers, by the by, are supposed 
 to be the peasantry, who, " far from the busy haunts of men," 
 till the ground and lead the very innocent life of farmers du- 
 ring the day, but at night make a descent from their seclu- 
 ded domiciles in the mountains, and spoil the traveller who 
 unwarily trusts himself to a diligencia. They bring with 
 them mules, and come in numbers ; so that in an incredible 
 short time they unload the vehicle, relieve the inmates of 
 any unnecessary incumbrances they may have about them, 
 load their mules, and flee again to the passes of the moun- 
 tains. There were live gentlemen in the interior of this, 
 among them a French marquis and an American ; the mar- 
 quis saved his watch and a valuable diamond ring, by cut- 
 ting the lining of his coat and slipping them in, before his 
 turn came to be searched ; the American lost everything, 
 even to his books, letters, and papers. There was but one 
 lady, and her they treated with great gallantry ; only de- 
 manding her purse, without causing her to descend fi-om her 
 seat. 
 
 After giving me this intelligence, Mr. C. says : " And 
 now what shall we do ? For my part, I have a great mind 
 to return by the same track we came." But I do not like 
 retrograding in any way, nor going over old ground when 
 there is a new way open before me ; so I asked what the 
 Frenchman thought, and what he was in favor of doing. 
 Oh ! he says, he is on business, and must go on ; and he 
 
336 BRIGANDS OF SPAIN. 
 
 thinks, as the last diligence was robbed, they will let the 
 next pass free, not daring to stop two in succession. I was 
 decidedly of this opinion, and told him to have no fears on 
 my account, for I thought we could never go more safely : 
 so we decided to go on, though you will not doubt that the 
 intelligence made necessary some small changes in my usu- 
 al packing arrangements, some of them amusing enough, I 
 can assure you I had a pretty valuable cargo aboard of me, 
 and told Mr. C. I had made of myself a very dear wife, and 
 well worth his coming after, in case the robbers took me 
 away bodily. This last does sometimes happen, let me tell 
 you, and did happen a few years since to one of our coun- 
 trymen. He was carried ofi^ to the mountains, and obliged 
 to send a draft on his bankers, at Madrid, for a good round 
 sum. The messenger who was despatched, returned with 
 the tale, perhaps not an over true one, that he had been 
 plundered of the ransom money, and another draft was sent 
 and answered ; but the detention had been such as to cause, 
 with the exposure and privations, serious injury to the gen- 
 tleman's health, from which he never recovered. 
 
 In the evening we had a call from the Spanish gentleman 
 to whom we had brought letters ; he remained two or three 
 hours, talking constantly, and in very good English, which 
 he had acquired in his. youth in London. He gave us a 
 great deal of interesting information about the religion of 
 the country, the suppression of the convents, of the govern- 
 ment, the causes of discontent, and other affairs ; told us of 
 the terrible desolation made by the cholera in this devoted 
 city, causing some fifty thousand deaths ; and gave us quite 
 a history of the attack of the French on the city, and their 
 situation during the siege ; and from what he related of the 
 departed glories of his country, "could valor aught avail, or 
 people's love," Spain had not been the disordered and bloody 
 
ADIEU TO SEVILLE. 337 
 
 theatre it. now is, but for the want of good and righteous 
 governors. Now they may well exclaim : 
 
 " Our ancient crown, in these wild times, 
 Oft stands upon a cast — the gamester's ducat, 
 So often staked and lost, and then regained, 
 Scarce knows so many hazards." 
 
 But now adieu to you and fair Seville. 
 
 15 
 
338 THE DILIGENCIA. 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. 
 
 SEVILLE TO VAL-DE-PENAS A SPANISH DILIGENCIA— CRE- 
 MONA COSTUME SHAVING THEIR MULES SPANISH SMO- 
 KING METHOD OF TRAVELLING CORDOVA ITS AN- 
 CIENT MOORISH MOSQUE LEAVING ANDALUSIA ENTER- 
 ING THE SIERRA MORENA. 
 
 Val-dc-Penas, Spain. 
 In my last I bade adieu to you and fair Seville ; to Se- 
 ville a long and probably a last adieu, though to you my pen 
 at least will say some few farewells, ere the sound of wel- 
 come greets my ears in that loved home to which we are 
 now tending. On the morning of the nineteenth, ere the 
 lids of dawn had oped to day, we were seated in the coupee 
 of the diligencia, and making our way through the narrow 
 streets of the city. This sort of navigation you may ima- 
 gine somewhat difficult, and in its process amusing, if you will 
 picture to yourself a huge, cumbersome vehicle, of a length 
 equal to ano rdinary railroad car, to which is attached 
 from ten to fourteen mules, two abreast, and these of every 
 size and color ; one of the foremost is ridden by a boy or 
 man, as postillion ; and besides him, seated in front of the ve- 
 hicle, are three personages who take an active part in its 
 movements. One is the coachman par excellence, and holds 
 the reins at least ; another is the mayoral — in French, con- 
 ducteur — English, guard — whose duty it is to attend to the 
 passengers and their luggage ; the third is a man of all 
 work, or more truly a running footman, and has the most 
 arduous duties to perform, the chief of which is, to keep the 
 mules upon a trot, and when in sight of a hill, to set them 
 
SPAIN TONSORED MULES. 339 
 
 into a gallop, and keep them thus till they attain the sum- 
 mit, when they are permitted to descend at their leisure, 
 (quite the reverse of our practice, where they walk up a toil- 
 some ascent and rattle down as if for neck or nothing,) for 
 if the descent were made rapidly, the heavy vehicle would 
 be too much for the mules to hold back, and an overturn the 
 consequence. The manner in which the third man per- 
 forms his part is, by jumping to the ground, with a loud shout, 
 which he continues, and is joined in by the others, accompa- 
 nied by the cracking of their several whips, throwing stones 
 at those mules he cannot reach, and belaboring with a club 
 those he can ; and away they go like mad, and with a noise 
 as of so many mad devils after them ; and to this there are 
 only short intermissions night or day. These men have 
 each a uniform, or rather a costume. They wear the vel- 
 vet bonnet, sometimes with a steeple crown ; their breeches 
 are of velvet plush or leather, and are met at the knee by 
 leather gaiters, which are never the least ornamental part 
 of their dress, but are embossed or stamped in various devi- 
 ces ; bright scarlet vests, with bright metal buttons ; and 
 over this a jacket that seems, indeed, the pride of their hearts, 
 and must afford ample field lor a fond sister, or one dearer 
 still, to exhibit their love and pride in its garniture. The 
 jacket itself is of some dark cloth, with a bright facing and 
 collar ; the back and sleeves of this are ornamented by 
 pieces of cloth, red, blue, yellow and green, laid on in every 
 variety of form and figure, the likeness of which is neither 
 in the heavens above, nor in the earth beneath, nor in the 
 waters under the earth, and they may therefore glory in 
 them without breaking the second commandment. This 
 fancy is extended even to the coats of the mules, for they are 
 divested of every particle of hair, even of their manes and 
 tails, (the latter having only a little brush at the end,) save 
 where it is left in points, stars, diamonds, &;c., on either side 
 
340 SMOKE. 
 
 the crupper : for the rest, they look as if they wore mackin- 
 toshes, their close shaven hides resembling coats of India 
 rubber more than anything. 
 
 As for the inmates, they are here as in other countries in 
 the like manner of travelling, a heterogeneous body, divided 
 into three separate classes, by the Rotunde,the Interior and 
 the Coupee. I do not think the Spanish so taciturn a peo- 
 pie as we generally suppose them to be ; certainly not as 
 much so as a travelling Englishman, for even their inces- 
 sant smoking does not hinder their volubility. They are 
 certainly the most incessant smokers, though not more in- 
 veterate, perhaps, than the Germans. The German fills the 
 huge bowl of his pipe, and smokes awaj^ in the most busi- 
 ness-like manner possible, till it is exhausted or consumed, 
 and then rests awhile from his labors. But the Spaniard 
 pulls out his little book of tissue paper, and tearing thence 
 a leaf, folds it in the proper manner, fills it with tobacco 
 from his box or pouch, then lights and smokes, and after it 
 another and another in quick succession, resting only to eat, 
 and even at dinner smoking between the courses ; for if he 
 finishes his dish before his companions, he fumes away the 
 time till the next appears. I ou will scarce meet with a 
 Spaniard who has not the thumb and forefinger of his left 
 hand deeply stained and discolored by the smoke of the pa- 
 per and tobacco ; and very many have a deep indentation in 
 the thumb, from so constantly holding a cigaritto. But I 
 must say this for them, that, with scarce an exception, they 
 have all beautiful teeth. The smoke of the cigarittos is not 
 so disagreeable as the German pipe or the Havana cigar, 
 even when you are sitting in the midst ; but separated as w© 
 were in the coupee, we were in no wise annoyed. 
 
 Our journey to Madrid was to occupy four days and nights 
 of almost constant travel, the only rest allowed us being an 
 hour for breakfast, at any hour in the forenoon when we 
 
SPANISH COOKERY. 341 
 
 should reach our morning stage, varying from seven to elev- 
 en ; and at night we usually halted at from four to six, and 
 had from that till eleven or twelve to dine and sleep. 
 At or before midnight we were roused from our heavy slum- 
 bers to resume them en route in the diligencia. We took 
 our first breakfast in Cremona, at about eleven, though we 
 had, as the Irish say, backened our appetites, by some of the 
 contents of our travelling pantry ; for we had found it neces- 
 sary in the commencement of our travels, to be provided 
 with a basket, and this we have kept constantly filled with 
 fruit, fresh or dry, and such edibles as are most portable ; 
 and I can assure you our provisions are seldom allowed to 
 get dry or musty. 
 
 Our short stay in this neat and pretty town, allowed us to 
 see it only in passing through with the diligencia ; but from 
 its windows we had a good view of its fine Roman gateway, 
 the old Moorish tower and fortress, and its fine campanile, 
 in imitation of the Giralda at Seville. The country through 
 which we passed was one of unvaried beauty and loveliness, 
 well cultivated, rich and productive. We passed through 
 immense groves of olives, that looked as if they might have 
 been planted immediately after the deluge. Most of their 
 time-worn trunks were rent asunder in two, three, and even 
 four parts, and these parts separated by a distance of six and 
 eight feet, and each a luxuriant and thrifty tree. 
 
 At six in the afternoon we reached Acieja, a pretty place, 
 with a fine bridge, fine gateways, some columns with sta- 
 tues, and one that appeared decidedly Moorish. To enjoy, 
 or even partake, a Spanish dinner, to one unaccustomed, it 
 needs a travel- worn appetite, so impregnated is everything 
 with all-powerful garlic : neither eggs or salad could, with- 
 out difficulty, be exempt. I have never spoken of this before, 
 but I have sometimes amused myself with the thought, that if 
 any of the many of my home-bound sighs reached their desti. 
 
342 A MOORISH MOSQUE. 
 
 nation, you would know whose they were, and whence they 
 came, by the pervading effluvia of garlic. Here we never 
 think of refraining, for fear of offence : for all are alike of- 
 fensive, and we must be so, nolens volens. 
 
 At an early hour on the second day, we reached Cordo- 
 va, and requesting the mayoral to set us down at the ancient 
 Moorish mosque, we, with our French companion, alighted 
 there, and proceeded to view this immense, magnificent, and 
 wonderful edifice. It was built about the eighth century, by 
 a Moorish emperor, (Abdoulrahman,) who determined to have 
 it the largest and most sumptuous mosque in the world : it 
 has since been converted into a Christian church, and of 
 course received additional embellishments. It is in the 
 form of a parallelogram, seven hundred and twenty feet 
 long, five hundred and thirty broad ; it has twenty-seven 
 naves or aisles, in its length, and nineteen in its breath. 
 These are supported by eight hundred and fifty columns of 
 marble, and, including others within and without, there are 
 one thousand and eighteen, and all of different marbles, mod- 
 els, and orders of architecture. There is in it a Moorish 
 chapel, left in its original state, retaining still the beautifully 
 carved marble, the Arabic characters, and the gold mosaic 
 of its vaulted roof. 
 
 The modern embellishments of the church are exceeding- 
 ly rich and beautifijl : the grand altar is of massive and rich- 
 ly wrought silver ; pulpits of colored marble, supported by 
 finely-executed figures ; wood-work, exquisitely carved, and 
 other ornaments of great richness and beauty. But it is the 
 great number of columns that is its chief beauty, and give 
 to the interior an air of solemnity and mystery almost be- 
 wildering : you seem walking in a labyrinth, or an immense 
 forest, from whence you can see no outlet. It gives one the 
 best idea of the Moorish grandeur that once prevailed here, 
 of any edifice or ruin extant. One that has crossed its 
 
SPAIN A ROMAN BRIDGE. 343 
 
 threshold, never loses the impression of awe and magnifi- 
 cence with which he is nearly paralyzed. In front of this 
 immense pile is a great court, one hmidred and eighty feet 
 long, with a fine large fountain in the centre, and contain- 
 ing a grove of orange-trees, said to have been planted by 
 the Moors. On the north side of the court, and opposite the 
 cathedral, rises a tall tower or campanile. It is fifty-one 
 feet square, with numerous columns, and nearly a hundred 
 windows. The whole is enclosed by a high wall, orna- 
 mented with pretty Moorish turrets, and is altogether of a 
 size and magnificence to vie with any church in Christen- 
 dom. 
 
 Our short stay allowed us to see little more of this inter- 
 esting city ; and after a hurried breakfast, we were once 
 more on our way, and through a country that bore the al 
 ways smiling appearance of Andalusia. Everything was 
 green and lovely, and the undulating ridge of the Sierra Mo- 
 rena, before us, was beautifiilly colored. 
 
 A short distance from Cordova we passed over a fine 
 bridge, built of black marble, with ten arches, of most solid 
 and substantial construction — another monument of the Ro- 
 mans. In entering on the Sierra Morena, we leave behind 
 beautiful, lovely Andalusia, the most charming and interest- 
 ing portion of Spain : the richest and best cultivated, with 
 the exception of Catalonia ; and the people are as neat and 
 cleanly abovit their houses, as the gude vrows of Holland, or 
 our own New England housewives. They sweep and dust, 
 wash and whitewash, quite as much, and every thing affords 
 a striking contrast to the dirt and filth of Italian inns. 
 
 And now I will take my leave of you and the lovely An- 
 dalusians together ; but in my next we will journey again, 
 without asking if you are weary, and giving you no more 
 rest or respite than these merciless mayorals do us. 
 
344 ANDUJAR. 
 
 LETTER XXXIX. 
 
 ROBBERS OF ANDUJAR STERILITY OF THE TABLE LAND 
 
 OF SPAIN SUFFERINGS OF THE PEASANTRY THEIR MAN- 
 
 NER OF LIVING ENTRY OF THE QUEEN MOTHER INTO 
 
 THE CAPITAL PREPARATIONS TO RECEIVE HER, 
 
 Madrid, March. 
 At the close of our second day^s journey from Seville, we 
 felt that we were fast leaving behind us the lovely south of 
 Spain — sweet Andalusia, land of the chivalric Moor, whence 
 " Afric's echoes thrilled with Moorish matrons' waiL" It 
 had taken us longer to perform the diurnal quantum of our 
 journey, and was dark when our heavy diligence lumbered 
 into the court-yard of the inn at Andujar. The dinner was 
 on the table ; and the hungry inmates of a diligence just 
 arrived from Madrid were already doing their " devoir" at 
 the board, and our keen appetites induced us unceremoni- 
 ously to join. I cannot say that the viands were rendered 
 more palatable by the conversation which seemed to enliven 
 all ; the subject was the late robbery of the diligence (men- 
 tioned in my last,) a few miles from this place, at a point 
 which we had yet to pass. But we had little time to devote 
 to sleep, and were warned to separate and make the most 
 of it. 
 
 *' A sleep without dreams, after a rough day 
 Of toil, is what we envy most ; and yet" 
 
 I will wager something that brigands and robbers played 
 their parts before the " mind's eye" of some of the sleepers 
 in the inn of Andujar that night. But it did not prevent sleep 
 
robbers' signals. 345 
 
 altogether, as I can answer from the reluctance as well as 
 difficulty with which I roused myself at the midnight call of 
 our mayoral. Once in the diligence, and wide awake, we 
 had nought to do but lie in wait for the robbers, as we feared 
 they were doing for us. 
 
 We had been progressing about an hour, when, at half- 
 past one in the morning, I fancied I could see a bright light 
 glimmering in the fields, while yet a far way off. I watched 
 it silently ; my husband being apparently in a deep sleep. 
 As ^ve came nearer, the light increased in size and bright- 
 ness, and I could soon see that it was a large bonfire a little 
 distance on the road, on our right. With my excited fancy, 
 I readily made this out to be a signal of the robbers, and I 
 held my breath with fear, but still had presence of mind to 
 endeavor to remove such personal ornaments as 1 had about 
 me, and to put them in some place more secure. We went 
 rolling, rolling on, yet it seemed as if we made no progress. 
 At last we reached it, passed it, and were safe ; yet it was 
 some time ere my breath came naturally. 
 
 My feelings had scarcely subsided to a calm, when — oh, 
 horror! — I espied another light. It was on the opposite 
 side, about the same distance from the road ; and this I sup- 
 posed the answer to the signal, and that at this spot we were 
 to meet our fate. My fears you may be sure were increased 
 ten-fold, and my feelings I will not attempt to describe. 
 Minutes seemed hours again, till we left this fire also behind 
 us, and our peril was over. 
 
 All this time I had remained perfectly still, and supposed 
 my husband unconscious of all ; but the next day, when I 
 began to relate my past experience of the night, I found he 
 had been as wide awake as myself, having the same suspi- 
 cions of the lights, and taking the same precautions with his 
 valuables. And his belief still is, that the lights were what 
 we thought them — the banditti's signals ; but that, through 
 
 15* 
 
346 ASCENT OF THE SIERRA. 
 
 some misunderstanding or misadventure on their part, their 
 plans failed, and we escaped. 
 
 We met, this and the day before, a number of mounted 
 patrol, who had been sent out since the robbery to guard 
 the road ; but when one reflects upon the real necessity of 
 their being there, it takes from the fancied security which 
 their well-mounted and armed appearance at first sight gives. 
 
 We woke from a broken and unrefreshing sleep, and 
 looked out upon a landscape that was desolate and drear in 
 comparison with that through which we had been journey- 
 ing ; and there was nought to relieve the eye save where 
 " the dark sierras rose in craggy pride." We breakfasted 
 at La Carolina ; and here commenced an ascent of the Si- 
 erra Morena. The distant mountains of Castile were cov- 
 ered with snow, the wind blew a perfect hurricane, and the 
 rain came furiously at limes, adding to the gloom of the 
 utter barrenness of the country ; and, making up for our 
 wakeful night, we slept away the day. 
 
 We rested at night at Val de Penas, a most unpromising 
 town in appearance, containing about three thousand inhab- 
 bitants and actually without a pane of glass in the place ! 
 It is celebrated for the excellence of its wines, and nowhere 
 have we tasted so bad. At midnight we were again roused, 
 and continued all night our winding way up the " Morena's 
 dusky height," suffering severely from excessive cold. The 
 country, during this our last day's ride, was desolate in the 
 extreme ; the people of the villages seemed miserably poor, 
 the face of the country barren, and so utterly devoid of tree 
 or shrub as to afford nothing for fuel, so that the poor crea- 
 tures must suffer immeasurably from cold. 
 
 In the afternoon we passed through a village where the 
 inhabitants live like rabbits or swallows in the earth, having 
 their habitations in the side of the hills around, composed of 
 a clay or tuffa soil ; and those who presented themselves to 
 
THE aUEEN-MOTHER. 347 
 
 solicit charity, while we were changing horses, were the 
 most deformed and miserable looking human beings we have 
 yet encountered, exceeding even the Poverty-stricken Irish 
 or Italians. 
 
 It is a little singular, that in no part of Spain did we see 
 a solitary windmill, till having attained the table-land of the 
 Sierra Morena, and entered upon old Castile — when we saw 
 numbers of them swinging their giant arms, seeming to 
 challenge and defy ali crack-brained errant-knights ; one 
 could not help thinking of that unfortunate wight, the knight 
 of La Mancha. 
 
 All the centre of Spain is occupied by a high table-land, 
 a dreary desert waste, barren of everything like vegetation, 
 and perfectly denuded of trees. On this barren upland plain, 
 Madrid is placed, and cold and dreary is the situation ; with 
 the snowy peaks of Toledo enclosing it, relieved only by the 
 blue sky around. We reached it on the fifth morning, after 
 a journey of four successive days and nights, and despite our 
 fatigue, and the desolation of the country through which we 
 travelled, Madrid appeared truly vegal and magnificent, per- 
 haps the more so from contrast. We crossed the river 
 Guadalaxara, which at this time had little or no water, by a 
 bridge that is massive, magnificent and stupendous ; the means 
 certainly more than the necessity in this case. We learned 
 at Araguez that the Queen-Mother slept at that place the 
 night previous, the young Queen coming thus far to meet 
 and welcome her royal mother, whom she had not seen for 
 nearly four years. They arrived at Madrid Saturday even- 
 ing, we Sunday morning, so that we had all the benefit of 
 the decorations and gala scenes got up to honor majesty. 
 We passed through a beautifully decorated arch, outside 
 of which was an amphitheatre of seats with an awning 
 of rich silks and velvets, where were stationed the digni- 
 taries and nobility of the city, to receive and welcome 
 
348 FOUNTAINS MADRID. 
 
 the royal cortege, and whom all the people came out to see. 
 Passing through the arch, we entered upon the Prada or 
 Alameda, which has at one end a fountain representing Nep- 
 tune standing in a car drawn by sea-horses, and at the other 
 end a female figure sitting in a chariot drawn by lions ; in 
 the centre is an obelisk with a statue on the top ; four other 
 statues are on either side, each pouring forth their quota of 
 limpid water. There are, beside, four lesser fountains, very 
 pretty and graceful ; and near by is an obelisk, erected 
 to the memory of the three hundred Spaniards shot by 
 order of Murat, for rebellion and massacre of the French, 
 while they had possession of Madrid. 
 
 In my next, I will give you a description of Madrid in 
 gala dress* 
 
MADRID GALA DAYS. 349 
 
 LETTER XL. 
 
 KEJOICINGS OF MADRID ON THE ARRIVAL OF THE aUEEN- 
 MOTHER THE PALACE ANCIENT ARMORY THE GAL- 
 LERY OF THE RETIRO THE ESCURIAL AND MAUSOLEUM 
 
 OF THE KINGS OF SPAIN. 
 
 Madrid, April. 
 I HAVE been told by a friend, who had lived much of his 
 life among the Spaniards, that there are no people that excel 
 them in the splendor of their civil or religious ceremonies ; 
 and I consider it one of the most fortunate events of our long 
 journey, to have witnessed the three days' jubilee in honor 
 of Marie Christine's return to Madrid. Arriving, as we did, 
 the morning after the entrance of the Queen-Mother, we 
 found the whole city arrayed in its gala dress. Every house 
 was hung with drapery of some kind — the poorer ones had 
 hangings of colored muslin, ornamented with gold and silver 
 fringe, and flowers of tinsel ; those of the better sort had 
 their balconies draped with rich damask and other silks, 
 while the palaces were decorated with the richest speci- 
 mens of Gobelin tapestry, (which is manufactured here in 
 the greatest perfection,) intermingled with portraits, crowns, 
 and other insignia of royalty. One palace indeed had twenty- 
 four of these woven pictures, as largo as a counterpane, 
 having the arms of the family in the centre of each, with a 
 rich border surmounting them. The public buildings were 
 hung with a profusion of rich crimson velvet, sometimes in- 
 termingled with flags and banners, and silks of various hues ; 
 sometimes of velvet only, but decorated with heavy gold 
 fringe, cords and tassels, with immense gilt crowns, and por- 
 
350 SPLENDID ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 traits of the Queen, Queen-Mother, and the Infanta, and many 
 favorite or favored individuals of the court. Temporaiy build- 
 ings of a fanciflil kind have been erected in various parts of 
 the city. Near our hotel is an immense old German castle, 
 with sentinels in ancient armor walking to and fro amid the 
 towers and turrets above, or on the walls beneath ; and 
 though only of painted canvass, it makes a fine appearance? 
 and would do no discredit to the " castellated Rhine." A 
 company of some fifty peasants, men and women, dressed in 
 the most picturesque of Spanish costume, accompanied by a 
 band of music, danced the different national dances in the 
 squares, or wherever there was a sufficient space to admit of 
 it in any part of the city. Then, at night, every house in the 
 city was illuminated ; outside, the public buildings, some of 
 which are immense, were entirely covered with colored lamps, 
 and several literally one blaze of light, too dazzling to look 
 upon. On some, the lights were arranged in a variety of 
 tasteflil forms ; as crowns, stars, banners, ships, &;c. Bands of 
 music, too, were stationed almost within sound of each other, 
 in every part ; regiments of soldiers filled the streets, and the 
 entire population were all out star-gazing. During certain 
 hours of the day were to be seen the Dons and Donnas, with 
 dignitaries of every degree, going to the Queen's levee, in 
 their fine court dresses — ^the gentlemen in white cassimere 
 pants, with a broad gold band down either side, their coats 
 richly embroidered with gold, the flaps lined with crimson 
 silk ; stars and orders on the breast ; frills of rich lace ; 
 cocked hats with gold lace and white feathers, with rich 
 swords and gilt^ spurs. The Donnas in silks, velvets, and 
 jewels, hide half their charms and beauty with their coquet- 
 tish veils. All this, continually for three days and nights, kept 
 us and our eyes busy enough, I can assure you ; in fact I 
 began to tire of it — 
 
MADRID THE ARMORY. 351 
 
 *' So much I felt my genial spirits droop, 
 
 Nature within me seem'd, 
 In all her functions, weary of herself." 
 
 It was quite a relief to turn to other things. The royal 
 palace is magnificent and elegant in its exterior, but of the in- 
 terior we could not judge, it being at present occupied. It 
 was intended to have been very much larger ; only one- 
 eighth of it, according to the original plan, has been com- 
 pleted, and even one -third of the present building is below 
 ground. Methinks if it had been built according to the size 
 of the plan, it would have held the nation. While standing 
 in the court-yard of the palace, we had an opportunity of 
 seeing the Queen, with her mother and sister, the Infanta, as 
 they entered an open carriage, and drove off for their after- 
 noon ride. 
 
 The armory is one of the most interesting places to visit 
 here, especially if one could always have as mtelligent a com- 
 panion as we had in Mr. H , whose explanations made 
 
 our visit perfectly delightflil. The armor, most of it, is known 
 to have been owned and worn by the kings' generals, and 
 other great men, who have figured as the chivalry of Spanish 
 history. Madrid, too, can boast perhaps the finest and largest 
 collection of paintings in the world ; it equals in size and 
 number that of Dresden, and in beauty that of Florence ; and 
 it can boast what none other can, a multitude of Murillo's, 
 worth in themselves a visit to Spain. Here you may see him 
 in perfection ; and there are those who consider him equal, 
 if not superior, to Raphael. This collection having been 
 formed when Spain had dominion over the greater part of 
 Europe, it has some of every school. A part of the Retiro, 
 or old palace, is set apart for the gallery, and they are most 
 admirably well arranged — 
 
 " For, ever and anon, to sooth your vision. 
 There rose a Carlo Dolce or a Titian, 
 Or wilder groups, of savage Salvatore's : 
 
352 THE ESCURIAL. 
 
 Here danced Albano's boys, and here the seas shone 
 In VeTnet's ocean lights ; and there the stories 
 Of martyrs awed, as Spognoletti tainted 
 His brush with all the blood of all the sainted." 
 
 We have devoted three days to an excursion to the Escu- 
 rial, the ci-devant court of Spain. It is some twenty-five or 
 thirty nmiles from Madrid, situated among the mountains, and 
 suiTOunded by a country that, however gay and smiling it 
 may have seemed with the presence and amusements of a 
 splendid court, is, without it, sad and desolate in the extreme. 
 It is an immense palace ^nd convent combined, built by Phi- 
 lip II., in accordance with a vow he made, if he gained the 
 battle of St. Quentin. This occurring on St. Lawrence's 
 day, it is dedicated to San Lorenzo, and he and his gridiron 
 are seen in all paits of the building. The building itself is 
 in form of a gridiron. The palace being no longer a resi- 
 dence of the court, has been despoiled of most of its furniture, 
 paintings, and other decorations, and, from the suppression of 
 the monasteries, the monks have been driven forth, w^th the 
 exception of some half-dozen, who attend to the services of 
 the truly rich and beautiful chapel, and perform the duties of 
 religion to those in the neighborhood w'ho have need. The 
 best of the paintings have been removed, but some of the 
 apartments contain splendid pictures of Gobelin tapestry ; the 
 best pictures of the great masters have, many of them, been 
 most skilfully wrought, and shine forth in the brightest and 
 most vivid colors of the loom. In a part of the convent we 
 were shown some holy relics ; among them was one of the 
 jars that held the wine at the marriage at Cana, empty, of 
 course, for monks are not apt to let good wine spoil ; and, 
 on a small bed of white satin, amid tinsel and flow ers, was 
 the naked skeleton of one of the innocents murdered by Herod 
 — (a modern Herod, I fancy,) — and these things were dis- 
 played and the relation given by the priest, and looked at and 
 
SPAIN THE MAUSOLEUM. 353 
 
 listened to by a Spaniard who accompanied us, with the 
 greatest gravity and solemnity ; while I dared scarcely glance 
 at them, for fear the absm-dity would overcome my sobriety. 
 Underneath the chapel is the royal Mausoleum ; it is of 
 marble, octagonal in form, with shelves on all sides, on which 
 are ranged the marble or bronze sarcophagi, containing the 
 mouldering remains of royal humanity — for divine and anoin- 
 ted as it is, it comes to be food for womis, like all others. 
 
 To-morrow we once more take flight, on our way to Paris, 
 passing through Burgos, Vittoria, Bayonne, Bordeaux, An- 
 gouleme, Poictiers, Tours, and Orleans ; a portion of France, 
 interesting, from tale and history ; the stage on which the 
 actors of Quentin Durward played their parts ; the scene of 
 Edward the Black Prince's glory ; the loves of Agnes So- 
 relle, Diana de Poictiers, of Gabrielie d'Estelle, and of that 
 true and perfect heroine, Joan d'Arc, of all of which you shall 
 have a hasty sketch in my next. 
 
354 LEAVING MADRID. 
 
 LETTER XLI. 
 
 LEAVING MADRID APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY BUR- 
 GOS ITS CATHEDRAL VITTORIA THE BIDASSOA BOUN- 
 DARY BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN THE BASQUES BA- 
 
 YONNE. 
 
 Bayonne, April. 
 
 On the last day of March we left Madrid, passing along 
 its lovely Prada, with its noble fountains and dropsical trees. 
 I do not think I have mentioned this to you before, but we 
 were told by a gentleman, that, owing to the unnatural man- 
 ner of watering the trees, made necessary by the dr3mess of 
 the climate and the long intervals without rain, the trunks, 
 after a time, swell, until, like the frog in the fable, they 
 can swell no more ; they then burst and die. I have said 
 not a word of the churches of Madrid, for the simple reason 
 that they are not at all the lions of the place. Madrid has 
 little to boast of in the way of ecclesiastical architecture ; 
 though the churches are sufficiently numerous for all the pur- 
 poses of religion ; we will therefore leave them, with the 
 charitable conclusion that they are more for use than dis- 
 play. 
 
 Our journey from Madrid was most of it a dull, uninterest- 
 ing and fatiguing one. We had missed it very much in not 
 securing the coupee of the diligence, as we could have done ; 
 but we suffered so much from cold, crossing the Sierra Mo- 
 rena, and supposing it would be still more severe in crossing 
 the Pyrenees, that had still, as we could discern, " snowy 
 capes to their mantles blue," we concluded to take seats in 
 the interior, and this, unfortunately, which had been nearly 
 
BURGOS. 355 
 
 empty fi'om Seville, was now filled with Spaniards, who 
 smoked incessantly, much to my annoyance ; while a young 
 Italian count, returning to Genoa with his young and rather 
 pretty Portuguese bride, enjoyed the snugness and solitude 
 of the coupee. 
 
 The country above Madrid is much better cultivated and 
 not so barren, arid and naked as south of it ; but in order to 
 make the earth bring forth her increase, the people are 
 obliged to expend much toil and labor, and show in their 
 persons that they are a hard-working people. Their imple- 
 ments of husbandry are very primitive : the wheels of their 
 carts are without spokes, formed of an almost solid piece of 
 wood, with a hole in the centre for the axle. We have been 
 told, indeed, that these carts are almost fac-similes of those 
 that have been disinterred at Pompeii ; and if so, there can 
 scarce have been any improvement for the last two thousand 
 years, or since their first invention. 
 
 The second night brought us to Burgos, earl}- enough to 
 see its fine cathedral and some other parts of this interest- 
 ing old city, the ancient seat of the kings of Spain, till 
 Charles V. removed it to Madrid. The cathedral is truly a 
 mass of magnificence, and contains, like all the churches of 
 Spain, splendid specimens of their skill in carving wood. 
 In the chapter, or vestry-room, we were shown some relics of 
 the Cid ; some of his armor, and an old worm-eaten trunk or 
 chest, bound with strong bands of iron, and fastened with 
 cumbrous, heavy padlocks. From the heights near by, a fine 
 old castle looks down upon the place, and in the large mar- 
 ket-place was a motley assemblage and assortment. The 
 next night we reached Vittoria, but I had got scarcely bro- 
 ken into the fatigue of constant travel, and was this day too 
 tired to see more than what I obtained in the view from my 
 windows, and this was really beautiful, the whole city being 
 suiTounded by a diversified plain, shut in by high hills. Mr. 
 
356 THE PYRENEES. 
 
 -, who ascended the tower of the church to obtain his 
 
 view, said he counted upward of forty villages. 
 
 Left Vittoria at the usual early hour, and continued our 
 way through a country interesting as well as beautiful, for 
 here commenced the ramifications of the Pyrenees, and here 
 was the seat of the civil war between the Royalists and Car- 
 lists, as well as the war of Independence, between the Span- 
 iards, assisted by the English, against the French. But as 
 we could not speak the language, we could ask no ques- 
 tions, nor gain any information from the conversation, evi- 
 dently made interesting and exciting by the scenes through 
 which we were passing. The guide-book we had, too, bore 
 the stamp of antiquity, being some twelve or fifteen years 
 old, by no means a recommendation to a guide-book for trav- 
 ellers. If we had Sir John Froissart in our company, we 
 might be tempted to linger here, and while away the time 
 with his delightful anecdotes of these scenes and places. We 
 had all day a constant succession of hills and valleys ; lovely 
 and smiling were the latter, and the former being cultivated 
 to their summits, looked equally joyous. The Pyrenees, un- 
 like most mountains in Europe, are covered with immense 
 forests, composed of different trees, whose varied foliage 
 shows every variety of green, and, at this season, they were 
 in their full and newest livery ; while the verdant hill-sides 
 were richly gemmed by " flower-producing spring." The 
 odor of sweet flowers scented the air, and bouquets of wild 
 flowers were thrown in to us by children along the road ; 
 we had, however, a powerful drawback to all this, in the 
 clouds of dust that enveloped and almost suffocated us all 
 day. A place was pointed out to us near the road, as the 
 spot on which the General of the Carlists and the com- 
 mander of the Royalists met, embraced, and parted, when 
 Don Carlos abandoned his claims, thus closing the war ; 
 and on it is to be erected a monument in commemoration of 
 
THE BASQUES. SSt 
 
 that event. About four in the afternoon we reached our rest- 
 ing-place, Tolosi, prettily situated in a beautiful valley, and 
 after we had undergone a thorough ablution, to divest us of 
 the coat of dust that had accumulated and penetrated every 
 part, we sallied out for a walk, and followed the river which 
 runs through the place, a long distance up the valley. But 
 we soon found that riding three days and nights left us little 
 strength for walking, and less spirit for sight -seeing. By the 
 time we reached Yrun, the last Spanish town, we had left 
 nearly all our passengers, and after having submitted our- 
 selves to the custom-house officers here, we journeyed on 
 quite comfortably and pleasantly. We crossed the little river 
 Bidassoa, the boundary line between France and Spain ; and 
 then, in the little town or isle of Behobia, went through an- 
 other tedious custom-house ceremony. At breakfast we were 
 waited upon by a beautiful Basque girl, one of that singular 
 people called the aborigines of western Europe, " who have 
 seen Carthagenians, Celts, Romans, Goths, Saracens, pass 
 before them, and still remain in possession of their mountain 
 home, part in France, part in Spain, speaking a language 
 which has nothing in common with any other of Europe." 
 
 Immediately on entering France, you are surrounded by 
 groves of cork trees, denuded of their bark, alternated with 
 forests of pine, every tree of which has a strip of its bark ta- 
 ken off from root to branch, to force it to yield its pitchy sap, 
 that exudes in great quantities, and is then gathered for tur- 
 pentine. About two in the afternoon we reached Bayonne, 
 but had not been long here before it commenced raining, 
 which prevented any very extensive researches. We walked, 
 however, through its arcade of fine shops, and along the 
 banks of the Adour, where is a beautifiil walk, handsomely 
 laid out, and planted with trees. Bayonne is situated at the 
 junction of the Nive with the Adour ; these two fine rivers di- 
 vide the place into three parts, and with the pleasant walks 
 
858 BAYONNE. 
 
 along their banks, add much to its beauty. It is a strongly 
 fortified place, having double fortifications ; and it was near 
 this, that the battle took place between Wellington and Mar- 
 shal Soult, which terminated the Peninsular war. We en- 
 tered Bayonne by the Port d'Espagne, through which Napo- 
 leon poured his army of locusts into Spain, and we left it by 
 a stone and wire bridge, over the Nive, and by a bridge of 
 boats over the Adour, passing by the citadel and the English 
 cemetery, where lie the soldiers and officers who fell in the 
 sortie fi-om Bayonne, 1814. 
 
BORDEAUX. '669 
 
 LETTER XLII. 
 
 RIDE FROM BAYONNE TO BORDEAUX BORDEAUX A BEAU- 
 TIFUL SEAPORT ITS QUAY SUSPENSION BRIDGE HEAD- 
 DRESS OF THE PEASANTRY ANGOULEME POICTIERS 
 
 ITS HISTORIC INTERST APPEARANCES OF COUNTRY 
 
 TRIMMING OF TREES, 
 
 April. 
 We left Bayonne at six in the morning, breakfasting at 
 Dax, a small place, celebrated for its hot-baths, but more 
 strongly impressed upon our memory by the delicious fast- 
 day-breakfast we enjoyed ; so much heightened, especially, 
 by our recent participation in the oil and garlic of Spain. 
 It was Lent, and the dishes served were various productions 
 of the sea, with others composed of eggs, milk and vege- 
 tables, cooked in every form and manner ; but each so deli- 
 cious, that for my part, if I could always have such a table 
 spread, I would consent to fast continually. The road was 
 finely macadamized, and lined with trees ; the country 
 through which we passed exceedingly beautiful, but the 
 towns seemed so few and far between, that one could not 
 but wonder to whom so much fine land belonged, and how 
 they could be enabled, at such a distance, to take so good 
 care of it. We spent one day at Bordeaux, and devoted as 
 much time as the rain would permit in driving through and 
 along the fine quay of this truly handsome city. Its quay is 
 one of its chief beauties, stretchii^g along the left bank of 
 the Garonne, and curving with the bend of the river ; with 
 noble dwellings and warehouses ranged on one side, front- 
 ing to the water, and shaded by rows of fine trees. It does 
 
360 DORDOGNE— SUSPENSION BRIDGE. 
 
 not, however, present the bustle and activity that is gener- 
 ally observable in a large commercial seaport town, and 
 which I had thought to see in this Liverpool of France. 
 The houses are large and handsome, mostly built of a 
 dark-colored-stone, like granite ; ornamented with rich carv- 
 ing, and with pretty balconies, with tasty iron -railings. Its 
 theatre is truly magnificent ; built upon a square isolated on 
 all sides, and placed beside any other in Europe, would be 
 excelled by none. Its streets and squares derive their chief 
 beauty from the great number of trees which ornament and 
 shade them; and the dress of the people, as well as the shop 
 windows, show that we are drawing near to Paris. The ca. 
 thedral and Hotel de Ville were built by subjects of the kings 
 of England, and from its being for a long time the seat and 
 stronghold of the English power on the continent, still re- 
 tains mementos of the striking events of the history of the 
 thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when that of England 
 and France was so intimately mingled. 
 
 Leaving the city fairly behind us, we reach a fine iron 
 suspension bridge, that spans the Dordogne, (emptying into 
 the Garonne at Cubzac.) It is the largest in Europe, and 
 though it has not the solid, substantial appearance of the 
 Menai bridge, it exceeds all of the kind I have seen in 
 beauty ; it is so exceedingly light and airy, that one might 
 fancy its builders had been fairies. It was Sunday when we 
 left Bordeaux, and though I feel always some scruples about 
 travelling on the Sabbath, still I must say there is pleasure 
 in journeying through strange lands on that day ; for, being 
 the fete-day of these Catholic countries, the people of all 
 classes are in holiday attire ; and where there is any pecu- 
 liarity of costume, you see it on that day in great perfection ; 
 and the high Norman caps, worn by the peasant women, 
 were very striking in their appearance. In the vicinity of 
 Bordeaux, the crowns were round, and immensely large; and 
 
ANGOULEME A WEDDING PARTY. 361 
 
 cushions were worn on the head, to keep them extended to 
 their full proportions ; these had broad lace borders, fluted, 
 falling in deep lappels on either side, and it was curious, as 
 we advanced, to note the variations and increased propor- 
 tions of these quaint-looking head-dresses. Their size was 
 immense, so that it would require a good-sized bandbox to 
 accommodate a full-blown one ; the largest we saw were of 
 lace, and were supported by a framework of wire ; and tier 
 after tier of fluted border rose, one above the other, to the 
 summit of the tower ; then, some were lined with fancy co- 
 lors — blue, pink, &;c. ; now the form was triangular ; and, 
 as we receded from Bordeaux, it became reduced in size, 
 and changed its shape to quadrangular. 
 
 Near Angouleme, late in the afternoon, we met a wedding 
 party, walking two and two ; the first couple leading off 
 with a violin, all looking merry and joyous, though, as usual 
 in such cases, some of them blushing and foolish. But these 
 caps appear most curious on the young girls, for even those 
 of six years old mount them. About six in the afternoon 
 we reached the beautifully situated town of Angouleme, 
 built upon a high mound, from the summit of which you 
 have an extensive view of the rich and lovely plain below, 
 filled with pretty villages ; and of the river Charante, wind- 
 ing, and enriching the plain through which it flows. The 
 crown of the hill is surrounded by ramparts, formerly the 
 fortifications of the city, but now terraced, and forming a 
 delightful promenade. On entering the town, we noted a 
 column, dedicated in 1815 to the Duchess d'Angouleme, 
 and in 1836 re-dedicated a la Liberte. In France, things 
 have to turn their coats often, to suit the political changes 
 of the times, and an instance may be cited in the stone pil- 
 lars that serve as mile-stones along the road. Besides the 
 distance graved upon them, they usually bear the insignia of 
 royalty — the fleur-de-lis ; this has been erased, and re-cut, 
 
 16 
 
362 POICTIERS. 
 
 so many times, as to form a hole, where the birds of the air 
 may build their nests ; at present they bear the' fleur-de-lis, 
 but how long it may flourish is yet to be revealed. Angou- 
 leme furnishes the best paper in France ; numerous manu- 
 factories are constantly in operation, and one alone manu- 
 factures twenty-four thousand pounds per day. They make 
 paper of straw, tt)o, and you may see the bundle of straw 
 placed in at one end, and, following it with your eye, see it 
 pass through many stages till it comes out paper, sufficiently 
 fine to write upon. Much brandy, too, is manufactured 
 here. Near the hotel, we saw the only tower remaining of 
 what was formerly a castle, the birth-place of Margaret of 
 ' Valois, the residence and at times the retreat of royalty. 
 
 We were at Poictiers at a very early hour in the morn- 
 ing, and, as our conducteur would only allow us time for a 
 hurried breakfast, we were obliged to content ourselves 
 with what little we could see of the place in the streets 
 through which.the diligence passed. Like Angouleme, it is 
 situated on a mound-like eminence, with streets sweeping 
 down its steep slope. It had formerly ramparts and fortifi- 
 cations ; the rivers Claire and Boirse forming a natural fosse 
 — but these have all been swept away, and it has become a 
 place of minor importance, having neither commerce nor 
 manufactures. It is fraught, however, with historic interest, 
 and no one ever thinks of Poictiers without calling to mind 
 the famous battle of Edward the Black Prince, in which 
 he was victorious, King John made prisoner, and so 
 many of the chivalry of France laid low — or, of that as fa- 
 mous one, long, long ago, between the great Saracen, Ab- 
 dehram.e and Charles Martel ; or, as the scene of the defeat 
 of Alaric, king of the Visigoths, by Clovis, still farther 
 agone. 
 
 I noted more peculiarities in France than I had antici- 
 pated ; such as I imagine they will long retain, as tiiey are 
 
FRENCH CHATEAUX. 
 
 of a nature to please all, rather than offend the tastes of any. 
 We had exchanged our fourteen mules, two abreast, for six 
 strong, heavy-built horses, placed three abreast ; and, free 
 from the hullabaloos of the Spanish propellers, the coach- 
 man, mayoral, postillion, etc., we now jogged pleasantly and 
 comfortably, as well as noiselessly on. We had passed out 
 of the country of steeple-crowned hats, into that of steeple- 
 crowned houses, for I fancy a French chateau would be in 
 no wise complete or in character, with less than two, or 
 more than six steeple-crowned towers, rising from every 
 angle of the building, like so many pepper-boxes, or extin- 
 guishers. No tree is suffered to grow naturally, and by an 
 American eye can scarce be recognized as such ; indeed, it 
 would not be atallinconsistent,nor be considered in any way 
 a libel, to label them with " this is a tree." Our compag- 
 nons du voyage were very chatty and sociable ; we shared our 
 stores and stories with each other ; and, with fine weather, the 
 time passed rapidly and delightfully. The road was smooth 
 as a garden walk, and through a country beautifully wooded 
 and picturesque — first along the valley of the Claire, then 
 that of the Vienne ; passing by scenes with which tale and 
 story have made us familiar. First was Chatelherault, be- 
 stowed by Henry II. upon Hamilton, to bribe from him his 
 young ward, Mary, Queen of Scots, for the Dauphin, Fran- 
 cis ; then the chateau de Guerche, built by Charles VII. for 
 Agnes Sorel ;, after, we pass Sovigny, where is the chapel 
 whither Joan of Arc sent to procure the sacred sword, which 
 she bore ever after in her battles; with many others, not 
 nameless, though to us unknown. 
 
364 BANKS OF THE LOIRE. 
 
 LETTER XLIII. 
 
 TOURS THE LOIRE MASSACRE OF HUGUENOTS ORLEANS 
 
 ^JOAN d'aRC PARIS SUNDAY WALKS AND GARDENS 
 
 THEATRES. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 We dined to-day at Tours, which is really a gay, lively 
 city, with fine streets, lined w^ith finer shops ; and is a great 
 resort of the English, many of whom are residents of the 
 town and its vicinity. The main street, filled with gayly 
 dressed ladies, officers in splendid uniforms, and fine equi- 
 pages rolling along, reminded me of the corso at Rome. 
 We had time for a little turn, and accompanied by a French 
 officer, one of our companions of the diligence, we visited 
 the cathedral, a fine old Romanesque edifice, with rich has 
 reliefs without and richly stained glass windows within. At 
 Tours resided Tristam L'Hermite, the executioner to Louis 
 XIL, and his house is still to be seen, ornamented with knots 
 carved in form of a noose. Returning, we passed along the 
 river side, through a pretty public walk, and reached the ho- 
 tel just as the diligence w^as in readiness to depart. 
 
 Leaving Tours, our road lay along the lefl bank of the 
 Loire, and I was much interested with the curious appear- 
 ance of the houses along the banks of the river. These are 
 dug or cut out of the limestone or tufa rock that borders the 
 river, sometimes on one side, then on the other ; they are of 
 one, two, and even three stories, with windows, doors and 
 balconies, and prettily ornamented couits in front ; and it is 
 most unique to see the chimneys springing like mushrooms 
 from amid the grassy covering of the summit of the ridge. 
 
PARIS. 365 
 
 An hour's ride brought us to St. Amboise, where is an an- 
 cient chateau, now the property of Louis Philippe, once the 
 residence of kings, and the scene of a bloody tragedy — a se- 
 cond St. Bartholomew, where many hundred Huguenots 'were 
 butchered, until the streets ran with blood, and the wearied 
 executioner, unable longer to wield his axe, was obliged to 
 resign his task to others. 
 
 Night here drew her curtain over the scene as well as our 
 eyes, and we awoke at an early hour of the morning in the 
 streets of Orleans. As soon as we had breakfasted, we took 
 a hurried walk, to see the beautiflil front of the old cathedral, 
 its two fine towers, and large round window : then walked 
 round the bronze statue of Joan d'Arc, modeled by the ta- 
 lented daughter of Louis Philippe ; admiring it as much as 
 the time would admit. Then resuming our seats in the dili- 
 gence, we were conveyed to the railroad depot, where, by 
 some mechanical process, we were raised high in air, sepa- 
 rated from the wheels that had borne us so long and faith- 
 fully, and placed upon the railway ; four others were served 
 in like manner, and then we commenced our rapid flight 
 through a country like most of those through which railroads 
 are carried ; not remarkably interesting in appearance. 
 Reaching the depot at Paris, we, in like manner, resimied our 
 former wheels, or others like them, and were soon rolling 
 along in its wilderness of streets. And we were really in 
 Paris, that ^^ paradise des dames^'' as a Frenchman told me, 
 and I do not know that I should dispute it, were it not that I 
 have children and a home in that blessed, happy country, in 
 which I am grateful that I can claim a birthright. The Pa- 
 risians flatter themselves in their belief. America is the 
 paradise of woman. In no coimtry is om- sex treated with 
 such tenderness and devotion, and at the same time with such 
 deference and respect as in our own land. I would not ex-= 
 change my paradise for any I know, convinced as I am that 
 
 16* 
 
S66 . THE TUILERIES. 
 
 ours is the true Eden. May we never do aught to forfeit it. 
 We have not the great wealth of many nations this side the 
 Atlantic, nor the grandeur and display which wealth affords ; 
 neither have we the poverty, misery and degradation that is 
 always seen in such sad contrast. " Give me neither 
 poverty nor riches," is a prayer as well suited to national 
 as individual happiness ; and a competency is more condu- 
 cive to national as well as individual enjojTnent and health 
 than an overgro^\Ti fortune misapplied, or prosperity not pro- 
 perly appreciated — but I have no time here to moralize. I 
 hope you do not expect a description of Paris from me ; I will 
 take it for granted that you are as weary as myself of these 
 descriptions ; I will only say of it that it is 
 
 " a curious sight, 
 And very much unlike what people write." 
 
 I will add a few words only of those places here that I af- 
 fect most. It is on Sunday that I am now writing ; hand or- 
 gans are playing in the streets — pianos are sounding all 
 around me, and the shops are open as on week-day. We 
 have been walking in the Tuileries gardens, and how much 
 I mshed my little ones were among the multitude of children 
 playing there ; some with hoops, balls, and jumping ropes; 
 and some wee, toddling things, dressed in velvet, and sent 
 here with their wooden shovel, to play in the dirt, making 
 dirt-pies and building mud forts ; and such sport as they do 
 have, and such a noise of happy voices ; I wish you could 
 hear them, but I tiust soon to hear as happy ones, and those 
 that are far dearer. 
 
 The great beauty and boast of Paris is its beautiilil walks 
 and gardens ; and they excel those of London in that they 
 are the daily resort of all classes, for 'enjoyment and recrea- 
 tion; with seats provided for the infirm or weaiy. Hyde 
 Park does admirably for those who keep their cai*riage ; but 
 as no hired carriage is allowed to enter, you are obliged to 
 
THE CHAMPS ELYSEES. 367 
 
 foot it ; and this from its great extent is somewhat fatiguing 
 to those not possessed of an English constitution. I think we 
 could never have visited Paris at a more delightful season, for 
 the whole country about is so beautifully verdant, and the trees 
 are not only in full foliage, but covered with their spring blos- 
 soms, the whole country seems in bloom — and these immense 
 horse chestnuts of the Tuileries look magnificent, filled with 
 their beautiful clusters of white flowers. 
 
 I think no place in the world can exceed the Champs 
 Elysees. It is in the centre of what may be called an im- 
 mense park ; large pillars of bronze gilt support lari^e lamps, 
 and enclose a circle, otherwise ornamented with fine foun- 
 tains, and beautiful statues emblematic of the different pro- 
 vinces. From this circle you pass through the Tuileries 
 gardens to that portion of the palace forming the royjtl resi- 
 dence, and which presents to you its quaint and antique 
 front. This road continues a mile and a half in the opposite 
 direction, and is closed by one of the most magnificent 
 arches in the world ; certainly the largest, and presenting 
 from its top one of the most lovely panoramas in the world ; 
 the whole of Paris, and the innumerable villages which are 
 so many beautiful adjuncts to the whole. Standing in this 
 circle, with your back very disrespectfully turned upon the 
 royal residence, you have before you this splendid arch of 
 triumph, closing a long perspective ; on your right a wide 
 and beautiful avenue shows the church of the Madeleine, 
 and another on your left is closed by the magnificent cham- 
 ber of deputies. Then you have the Seine, with its many 
 bridges, winding along at your left ; and before and around 
 you are pretty buildings, ornamenting this extensive park ; 
 theatres, cafes, palaces, and other handsome edifices, scat- 
 tered throughout, and forming a whole nowhere to be ex- 
 ceeded. 
 
 Paris abounds in theatres ; withm the city bounds there 
 
368 THE PALAIS ROYAL. 
 
 are twenty-one, besides many small ones in the compart- 
 ments without ; but its churches in comparison are few. 
 The most conspicuous are the beautiful Madeleine, built by 
 Napoleon, Notre-Dame, St. Sulpice, St. Denis, the burial- 
 place of their kings, and the Pantheon of their great and 
 distinguished men. But one does not need to go lion- 
 hunting here ; scarce a street you pass along but has been 
 the stage of some tragic acting, and your notice is too often 
 directed to spots which are pointed out as the scene of some 
 horrid deed, where " men got drunk with blood to vomit 
 crime." 
 
 I turn from these to another of my chosen resorts, the 
 Palais Royal, where is a scene that seems ever changing, 
 ever new, and yet always the same ; where one may well 
 say 
 
 '* A rich confusion form'd a disarray 
 
 In such sort, that the eye along it cast 
 
 Could hardly carry anything away, 
 
 Object on object flashed so bright and fast ; 
 
 A dazzling mass of gems, and gold and glitter 
 
 Magnificently mingled in a litter." 
 
 And now do you know anything of Paris ? No, and you 
 would not but with the acquaintanceship of years; and then, 
 only as a great Babylon, a concentrated world, an assem- 
 blage of the universe, a place where all extremes meet, a 
 bazaar of all things animate and inanimate, beautiful, curi- 
 ous and fantastic ; and where one may find all that heart can 
 desire, save friends and home. And now a last adieu. 
 
 THE END. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 LETTER I. PAGE 
 
 Anglesea — Its Copper Works — The River Mersey — The Roadside — 
 Eaton Hall — Chester — Its Cathedral — Liverpool Docks — Streets 
 — Manchester — York Cathedral — Inns — Durham — Newcastle. 
 upon-Tyne — Cheviot Hills, 5 
 
 LETTER IL 
 
 Dryburgh Abbey — Walter Scott's Tomb — Abbotsford — ?rlelrose 
 Abbey— Edinburgh— Stirling Castle — The Highlands — Loch Ka- 
 trine — Loch Lomond — Dumbarton, . . . . . .20 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Newcastle-upon-Tyne — English Inns — Giants' Cause way — North of 
 Ireland, 31 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Route — Menai Bridge — Coal Mines — Oxford — London — Grand 
 Review — Parks — Opera — Tower — Docks' — Thames Tunnel — < 
 Windsor Palace — Westminster Abbey — Madame Tussaud's Ex- 
 hibition — Foundling Hospital, 38 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 Brussels — Its Lace, and Lace Manufacture — Singular Appendage 
 to the Houses — Its Use — Harlaem — Visit to its Celebrated Organ 
 — Its Power, Performance, Construction, Organist, &c. — Rotter- 
 dam — Amsterdam — Their Canals — Shipping — Water — Ham. 
 burgh — Altona — Berlin, its Gardens — Dresden, its Galleries, &c. 48 
 
 LETTER VL 
 
 Konigstein — Prague — Bohemia — Smokers — Novel Railroad — 
 Lintz — Ischl — Fete Day at Gmunden — Dress of the Peasantry — 
 The Saltskammergat — Life at the Baths — Maria Louisa — Prison 
 of Richard Coeur de Lion — Strauss and Lanner — Navigation of 
 the Danube, 62 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 Zurich, its Lake — Maximilian's Towers — Lintz — Jesuits — Salzburg, 
 its Cathedral — Peasantry — Fountains — Capuchins — Martyrs, . 74 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Munich — A City of Fresco, its Churches — Palaces — Glyptothek 
 and Pinacothek — English Garden — The Tyrol, its Scenery and 
 Peasantry — Valley of the Inn — The Houses — Costumes — Pro- 
 ducts — Tyrolese Alps — Inspmck — Hofer — Tyrolese Patriotism, . 82 
 
370 CONTENTS. 
 
 * LETTER X. PAGE 
 
 Ascent of Mount Righi — Tell's Chapel — Lago Maggiore— Catho- 
 lic Funeral — Fruits — The Pass of the Simplon, . . .95 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 Cave of Adelsburg — The River Poik — Ball-room under Ground — 
 Proteus Anguinus — The Borer, 102 
 
 LETTER XIL 
 
 Carlo Borromeo — Duomo of Milan — Venice — Ancona — Corfu — 
 Ionian Isles — Patras — Athens, 107 
 
 LETTER XIIL 
 
 Greek Costume — Island of Scio — Ravages of the Greek Revolu- 
 tion — Smyrna — Caravan of Camels — Visit to the Slave Market — 
 The Golden Horn — Caiques — Pleasure Carts, . . . .117 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 Fire Towers — Cemeteries — " Sweet Waters of Europe" — Royal 
 Burial-Place — Curious Women — Dogs — Dervishes — Sail up the 
 Bosphorus — Dr. Wolfe — Visit to Ali Bey — Interior of his Harem 
 — Conversation with his Wives, 125 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Lazaretto at Malta — Visit to the Mosque at St. Sophia — The Slave 
 Market — The Cistern of the Thousand and One Columns — Cut. 
 ting Capers — Seraskier's Tower — Mosque of Bajazet — Pigeons — 
 Monuments, &c., 139 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 Mahmoud's Mausoleum — The Bazaars — Palace of the Sultan — 
 Madame Jussippini— Adieu to the City of the Sultan, . . 148 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 Voyage to Malta — Dangers of Shipwreck — Smyrna — The Fig Sea- 
 son — Isle of Tenos — Motley Passengers — Fort Manoel — St. 
 
 Paul's Voyage, 156 
 
 LETTER XVIIL 
 
 Valetta — Churches — Castle — Bells — Sickness of the Archbishop — 
 Procession — An Excursion — Scene of St. Paul's Shipwreck, . 168 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 Syracuse — Temple of Minerva — Ear of Dionysius — Dead Monks 
 — Tomb of Archimedes — Catacombs — Arethusa's Fountain — 
 Messina — First Sight of Vesuvius, 174 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 Drive of the Toledo — King of Naples — Antiquities from Pompeii — 
 Excursion to Vesuvius — Its Ascent — its Appearance, &c.,. . 183 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 Herculaneum — The Campo Santa — A Burial — The Grotto of Ca- 
 pri, &c., 195 
 
CONTENTS. 371 
 
 LETTER XXII. . PAaE 
 
 Monte Nuovo— The Sybil's Grotto— The Baths of Nero— The Pis- 
 cena — Arco Felice — Temple of Jupiter Serapis — Soifatara — 
 Grotto del Cane — Posillippo — Psestum — " Knocking off the 
 Churches" — St. Januarius, 202 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 Palace of the King — Capua — Mola de Gaeta — Inn of Terracina — 
 Velletri — Bath of Diana — Custom-House — Weather at Rome — 
 Italian Skies, 217 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 High Mass — Dress — Ceremonies — St. Peters — Ascent to Dome, 
 &c., 225 
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 The Vatican — Love Letters — The Hall of Animals — Paintings — 
 Piazza del Popolo — Minerva Medica — The Forum — Triumphal 
 Arches, &c., 233 
 
 LETTER XXVI. 
 
 Statuary — Exhibition at the Propaganda — The Quirinal Palace — 
 The Pantheon — Capital — Tarpeian Rock — Streets, their Singular 
 Names — The Barberini Palace — Vesper Service, . . . 241 
 
 LETTER XXVII. 
 
 The Opera — Tivoli, its Cascades — Presentation to the Pope — His 
 Mode of Diluting Wine — Blessing Horses — Crawford, the Sculp- 
 tor, Terry and Freeman, &c., 249 
 
 LETTER XXVIII. 
 
 Journey from Rome — The Lily of Italy — The Bazaar — The Duo- 
 mo — Santa Croce — Ball at the Borghese Palace — The Boboli 
 Gardens — Tyrolean Peasants — Manufactory of Pietra Dura — 
 Candlemas — Ball at the Pitti Palace, 257 
 
 LETTER XXIX. 
 
 Tuscany — The Peasantry — Pisa — The Cathedral — Campo Santa — 
 Leghorn — The Carnival — Women Spinning — Carrara, . . 268 
 
 LETTER XXX. 
 
 Maritime Alps — Cornice, or Mountain Road of Nice — Toulon, its 
 Harbor and Naval Depot — Marseilles — Entry into Spain, . . 277 
 
 LETTER XXXI. 
 
 Voyage to Barcelona — Entrance to that City — Troubles in Spain — 
 Public Promenade — The Queen-Mother — Shops — Departure, . 289 
 
 LETTER XXXII. 
 
 The Port of Valencia — The City — Vehicle of the Country — Con- 
 vents — Priests — Troubles of Spain — Voyage to Malaga — Appear- 
 ance of the Coast of Andalusia — Entrance to Malaga, . . 298 
 
372 CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XXXIII. page 
 The Ghibelfaro — Alameda — Beautiful Women — Cathedral — Envi- 
 rons of Malaga — Mode of Irrigation, 305 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. 
 
 Royalists Shot — Spanish Revenue Cutters — Service in the Cathedral 
 — Departure from Malaga — Gibraltar — Soldiers — The Galleries — 
 A Drive on the Alameda, . 313 
 
 LETTER XXXV. 
 
 Cadiz — its Houses, Towers, Balconies, Walls, Harbor, and Situation 
 — The Cathedral — Extinction of Monasteries and Convents — 
 Murillo and his Paintings — Santa Maria and Sidonia Medina, . 320 
 
 LETTER XXXVI. 
 
 Spanish Dances — Cathedral Giralda — Moorish Palace — The Lonja 
 — Murillo's Pictures, 326 
 
 LETTER XXXVII. 
 
 The Standish Gallery — A Blind Musician — Royal Tobacco Manu- 
 factory of Seville — Murillo's Chef-d'ceuvre of La Caridad — The 
 Mountain Brigands of Spain, 331 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. 
 Seville to Val-de-Penas — A Spanish Diligencia — Cremona — Cos- 
 tume — Shaving their Mules — Spanish Smoking — Method of Tra- * 
 veiling — Cordova — its Ancient Moorish Mosque — Leaving An- 
 dalusia — Entering the Sierra Morena, 338 
 
 LETTER XXXIX. 
 
 Robbers of Andujar — Sterility of the Table Land of Spain — Suf- 
 ferings of the Peasantry — Their Manner of Living — Entry of the 
 Queen-Mother into the Capital — Preparations to receive her, . 344 
 
 LETTER XL. 
 
 Rejoicings of Madrid on the Arrival of the Queen-Mother — The 
 Palace — Anci(!nt Armory- — The Gallery of the Retire — The Es- 
 curial and Mausoleum of the Kings of Spain, .... 349 
 
 LETTER XLI. 
 
 Leaving Madrid — Appearance of the Country — Burgos — its Cathe- 
 dral — Vittoria — The Bidassoa — Boundary between France and 
 Spain — The Basques — Bayonne, 354 
 
 LETTER XLII. 
 
 Ride from Bayonne to Bordeaux — Bordeaux — A Beautiful Seaport 
 — Its Quay — Suspension Bridge — Head-Dress of the Peasantry — 
 Angouleme — Poictiers — its Historic Interest — Appearances of 
 Country— Trimming of Trees, 359 
 
 LETTER XLIII. 
 
 Tours — T';:e Loire — Massacre of Huguenots — Orleans — Joan d'Arc 
 — Paris — Sunday — Walks and Gardens — Theatres, . . . 364 
 
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