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OUR PILGRIMAGE. 
 
 A CHRONICLE 
 
 OF 
 
 4 VISIT TO THE OLD WORLD 
 
 After a Residence of Thirty-Five Years in tlje New, 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 GEORGE H. LUCE, 
 
 Of Honolulu. 
 
 MILWAUKEE, WIS. : 
 THE YOUNG CHURCHMAN COMPANY. 
 
 1889. 
 
KING, POWLE & CO,, PRINTERS, 
 MILWAUKEE. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE narrative of "our pilgrimage" needs no paragraph in- 
 troductory to those readers who have enjoyed the privilege 
 of knowing its writer. Some of them in Honolulu have heard 
 its recital by the dear and honoured friend whose absence 
 they mourn, but whose kind memory requires no cenotaph for 
 its preservation. Its words are an unchanged transcript from 
 the " pilgrim's " journal ; but, except to those who remember 
 his reading of it, this printed record will but poorly indicate 
 the poetic ardour, the artist's enthusiasm, and the affectionate 
 loyalty to his native land, which characterized the writer. 
 
 In 1885, after an absence of thirty-six years from England, 
 during most of which time he had resided in Honolulu, he 
 realized a long-cherished project by setting out with his wife 
 for a visit to their native country ; and this chronicle abounds 
 with expression of the earnest and observant interest in all 
 around him with which he made the journey. He died on 
 February 28, 1888, a little more than two years after his return. 
 
 Mr. Luce was a trustee of the Anglican mission in Hawaii, 
 from the time of its formation in 1866, and a member of the 
 Cathedral Building Committee. He held offices of trust under 
 five successive Hawaiian Kings, and in 1885 received the 
 decoration of the Eoyal order of Kalakaua. 
 
 A man of refined literary taste and much reading, his con- 
 versation was delightful to those who were privileged by his 
 friendship ; his life, quiet and unpretentious, was that of a 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Christian gentleman. His high integrity and unselfish kindness 
 of heart made him respected and beloved by those amongst 
 whom he dwelt, native and foreign, and the warm and sunny 
 hospitality of his household will long be remembered by many 
 a visitor to these shores. 
 
 Honolulu, February, 1889. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 The chronicle closes as it was left by its author. His failing 
 health prevented his completing the record by narrating his 
 return from San Francisco to his home in Honolulu, where he 
 was warmly welcomed, and where his memory will long be 
 dear. 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE. 
 
 A Chronicle of a Visit to the Old World after a 
 Residence of 35 Years in the New. 
 
 ON a bright sunny first of April — ominous day, as some 
 of our friends thought — we left Honolulu in the good 
 ship "Alameda," Captain Morse, on our pilgrimage to the 
 dear old land of our birth, after an absence of thirty-six 
 years — more than half the span allotted to man by the 
 psalmist. But we had an object in view, of which I will 
 tell you hereafter, and, in spite of the rending of cherished 
 ties, we went on our way rejoicing. 
 
 Many kind friends came to bid us God-speed, and, 
 according to the pleasant custom of this pleasant land, 
 where we had spent so many happy years, garlanded us 
 profusely with leis of fragrant " maile " and roses, your 
 humble servant being the recipient of a higher honor, of 
 which more when we meet. As we moved off from the 
 wharf, lined with much-loved and well-known faces, the 
 Royal Band played the noble anthem that ever stirs a Brit- 
 isher's heart, be he where he may. Much waving of hand- 
 kerchiefs, I fear a few silent tears, and sp past the lighthouse, 
 
6 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 out through the well-known channel, into the vast Pacific. 
 Diamond and Koko Heads, with each familiar landmark, 
 were quickly astern ; and as the shades of night were clos- 
 ing round us I must confess that we began to feel we were 
 very lonely, and to wonder at our own temerity in under- 
 taking so long a journey. But we plucked up our spirits, 
 and took comfort in the anticipation of the pleasures we 
 hoped to find at the other end; nor were we disappointed. 
 We were not a large party of voyagers, but a very soci- 
 able one ; and we shall never forget the kindness we re- 
 ceived from Professor W., of Yale, and his most estimable 
 wife, and the pleasant social intercourse never to be for- 
 gotten by us that we enjoyed with them. Our genial 
 captain's smiling face was always refreshing to see ; even 
 if the sea was washing in through the side-ports or the 
 crockery fetching way on the dinner table, he managed to 
 make things go smoothly with a pleasant word or joke 
 and put us all in good humour, sometimes no easy matter 
 at sea, especially on this so-called Pacific. What a misno- 
 mer 'tis ; what were the early voyagers thinking of? I 
 know it pretty well from Lat. 59° south to Lat. 59° north, 
 from the American coast to the Asiatic, and more than 
 once have thought it would be better named the Terrific. 
 Ah, well, the sea anywhere is a strange place to go to for 
 pleasure, and few but of the unimaginative Anglo-Saxon 
 race seek it there. We had a stormy passage, with heavy 
 sea and the ship rolling about a good deal. Good Friday 
 and Easter day both passed unnoticed, although we had 
 two ministers of the gospel on board; but I suppose the 
 troubled waters were too much for them. On the afternoon 
 of the 8th, in the midst of a thunderstorm, we entered the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 7 
 
 Golden Gates, through which so many thousands have 
 gone with high hopes and returned with them all blasted, 
 or not at all, others more fortunate finding an El Dorado 
 in this glorious land. 
 
 How different the scene that meets you now, to my 
 first experience of it on the 10th of July, 1848, when I 
 arrived there from Sitka all unconscious of the wondrous 
 discovery of gold made accidentally while digging a mill- 
 race but a few weeks previously at Sutter's Fort, on the 
 Sacramento river — a discovery which well-nigh changed 
 the commerce of the world, and gave birth to the magnifi- 
 cent fleet of clipper ships of which the " Sovereign of the 
 Seas," " Typhoon," etc., were the types. In those days a 
 lonely ocean, no pilots, no lights, no buoys, I had almost 
 said no charts — in faith, they were very imperfect, and I 
 know the Farralones (I had been in and out several 
 times before I saw them at all) and Blossom rocks were 
 terrible bugbears to me. Inside the heads a few vessels 
 deserted by all hands, and amongst them one whaling 
 bark with both anchors down but sails loose and unfurled , 
 drifting up and down the bay with the ebb and flow of 
 the tide. About a mile of mud-flats between you and the 
 shore at low water, and when it was high water, one mis- 
 erable little boarded wharf — LeidesdorfT's — about twelve 
 or fifteen feet long, to land at. When on shore a few scat- 
 tered stores and houses, generally along the beach, with 
 little pretension to streets, one hotel — the "City," I think — 
 and in the Plaza a long, low, dilapidated adobe building 
 that served for Custom House and various other offices. 
 Captain Folsom was military commandant, and Lieutenant 
 Gilbert, who afterward started the Alia California, and was 
 
8 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 killed in a duel, his second in command — courteous gentle- 
 men, both of them. It was sand, scrub and bushes, with 
 plenty of quail in them, too, almost down to the then water 
 front. Now magnificent and palatial residences, hotels, 
 banks, offices, etc., cover the sand and the mud also, show- 
 ing the power of gold and the energy of a great people. In 
 the days I speak of the town was deserted, save by a few 
 traders ; all were at the mines ; and now see the busy cor- 
 ners on Montgomery, Merchant, Kearney and other streets, 
 whose sites then were principally peopled by long-tailed 
 black birds seeking for food in the sand. 
 
 But I must pull up, or my memory will run away 
 with me, and tire you with the tale oft told by abler pens 
 than mine. To resume : We drove to the Occidental 
 Hotel, much frequented by islanders, to whom I fancy 
 they pay especial attention ; it is certainly a most comfort- 
 able hostelry, with excellent table, and all that the most 
 exacting of mortals could desire. I will not enlarge on 
 San Francisco, with its busy marts and streets, nor on the 
 contrast it now presents to the comparative solitude I 
 once knew as Yerba Buena. But in passing I will say it 
 is, I think, the most cosmopolitan city in the world, with 
 about 200,000 inhabitants, from almost every country 
 under the sun, as a ride in any of their most excellent 
 street tram-cars would show you, for a more polyglot set 
 of passengers it is impossible to imagine, and English is 
 certainly not predominant. Should fate ever take you 
 there, mind you go to the Golden Gate part, once a desert 
 of ever-shifting sand hills, now a noble park with drives, 
 groves and conservatories, and beautifully laid out; also, 
 to the Cliff House for a grand view of the noble bay and 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 9 
 
 ocean,, not forgetting the Seal rocks, almost at your feet, 
 with many monstrous denizens — from whom they are 
 named— disporting on them, and myriads of sea birds 
 mixing their plaintive cries and screams with the deep 
 bellowing of the sea lions. You will not forget the scene 
 in a hurry, especially if there be a brisk breeze blowing, 
 and the sea rushing furiously on the rocks. I trust the 
 authorities will interfere to prevent the erection of a 
 bridge from the shore to the rocks,* as seems to be con- 
 templated, and so the consequent driving away of their 
 present occupants. It would be an awful act of vandal- 
 ism. We met many of our old island friends, and with 
 the traditional "Aloha " all we Kamaainas have for each 
 other, enjoyed their society very much and received great 
 kindness and assistance at their hands. And be sure 
 we felt it, too, for you must bear in mind our usual lotos- 
 eating sort of existence, and almost ignorance of the man- 
 ners and customs, as well as the hurry and bustle, of the 
 busy world. 
 
 Friday, 10th, at 3 p. m., we left San Francisco by ferry 
 for Oakland, which is a fine flourishing town on the oppo- 
 site side of the bay, and starting point of the Central Pacific 
 Railway. It has many charming suburban residences, of 
 which some are owned by San Franciscans, the frequent 
 trips of the large steam ferry-boats making it almost a part 
 of that city. Please to forgive me, ye Oaklanders, jeal- 
 ous for the honor of your pretty town. We took the cars 
 in a depot close to the ferry, in fact built on piles, as is this 
 part of the track. M. did not like it at all, and shut her 
 
 * Note. — This has been prevented. 
 
10 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 eyes while passing over it. A couple of miles or more from 
 shore, should they ever give way, oh ! Here we begin 
 our long transcontinental journey. Nothing very notable 
 in the country we were rushing through, or the sluggish, 
 muddy River Sacramento along whose banks we sped. 
 But about 5 p. m., at Benecia, something notable to me 
 and characteristic of our energetic kinsmen certainly did 
 occur. Without any fuss or bother, smoothly and quietly, 
 so that you hardly knew it, the whole train with its bag- 
 gage cars, etc., was put on board a huge steam ferry-boat, 
 and carried across the mighty river to its right bank. On 
 without delay, and at 7 p.m. the lights of the city of Sacra- 
 mento, capital of the Golden State, were twinkling around 
 us, sparkling in the river, and stretching in long vistas far 
 away. On again, during the night ascending the western 
 slopes of the Sierra Nevada. What a pity, and to us a 
 disappointment, to miss the noble scenery of the moun- 
 tains and the terrific grandeur of the precipice called Cape 
 Horn, round which the track lies. Add to this the stifling 
 atmosphere of the cars while passing through the snow- 
 sheds, kept almost at boiling heat by the colored gentle- 
 men who act as porters and love the warmth, for the air 
 grows keen as we ascend among the snows ; then, too, the 
 jarring and shaking of the train, especially to us unused 
 to travel, and you may fancy we did not get much sleep, 
 and hailed with delight the coming day. Beds and their 
 paraphernalia put away, what a glorious freshness to step 
 out on the platform of your car, see the snowy summits 
 of the Sierras behind you, and the turbulent, dashing 
 Truckee river rushing along to the northward almost be- 
 side you to its bourne in Paradise lake, and final loss 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 11 
 
 in the sinks of the Humboldt, in the Great American 
 Desert. We had not seen snow for many years, except 
 at great distances on the Cascade range in Oregon, 
 Mounts Baker and Hood, or our own grand Maunakea or 
 Maunaloa ; and we drank in long draughts of the fresh 
 morning air so invigorating to us after our " stuffy night." 
 Should I ever travel that way again I trust the cars will 
 go through by daylight, as I understand was once the 
 case. Of course being obliged to close all apertures in 
 order to prevent the entrance of smoke and ashes while 
 passing through the long line of snowsheds is one great 
 cause of the discomfort. But why, oh why, heat them 
 up to 212° or thereabouts ? The summit of the range is 
 attained at Soda Spring, 6,749 feet above sea level, about 
 3:30 a. m., but so good has been the engineering, and so 
 gradual the ascent you do not realize that you have 
 passed over a mighty range of hills, or around the terrible 
 precipices of Cape Horn, 2,000 feet deep ; the only thing 
 to be said in favor of the darkness being that you did not 
 see your danger. Awful and dangerous as it may seem 
 no accident has ever occurred here, great care being 
 always exercised. Well, down we go, and at 6:30 a. m. 
 stop for breakfast at Reno in Nevada. Here we begin 
 to make our acquaintance with the sage brush of which 
 we are to see so much hereafter in the alkali desert, but 
 the thrifty inhabitants are fast digging it out and plant- 
 ing trees and sowing alfalfa in its place. 
 
 We made short stays at several stations, some of which 
 were mere wayside shanties, others more pretentious, 
 with streets, hotels, churches, and post-office — the nucleus 
 of perhaps nourishing towns. We saw bands of Piute 
 
12 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Indians with their squaws and papooses. They were in 
 the early days of Californian emigration the white man's 
 most inveterate, cruel and unrelenting enemy, ever on his 
 track for robbery and murder, now subsisting mostly on 
 his charity and curiosity. The children are carried slung 
 across their mother's back, the poor unfortunate little 
 wretches being swathed up in a sort of box, or bundle, 
 ornamented with bits of gaudy-coloured cloth, looking 
 much like little dirty mummies, and exhibited to the pas- 
 sengers in hopes of a few dimes. The parents, miserable, 
 degraded-looking beings, clad mostly in dirty coloured 
 blankets, an occasional " brave " being painted, and with a 
 bunch of feathers in a dilapidated hat. Oh Uncas, Uncas, 
 thy glory has departed ! 
 
 We shortly after noon reached Humboldt, where we 
 stopped to lunch, or dine, as you may be pleased to call 
 it. 'Tis quite an oasis of trees and grass in the Great 
 Nevada Desert we have been passing through this morn- 
 ing, and made so by a plentiful supply of water brought 
 at no small labour and expense from, I suppose, the Hum- 
 boldt river, the " sinks " of which we passed an hour or 
 so ago. Here we got a fairly good meal, with excellent 
 mountain trout, which the Indians are offering for sale at 
 many of the stations. 
 
 On yet the iron road wends its way ; sometimes it 
 stretches straight as a dart before and behind you into the 
 illimitable, treeless waste ; at others, winding in devious 
 track, almost doubling on itself, this being made necessary 
 by the exigencies of the road when some spur of the low, 
 sterile hills by which the desert is bounded comes near to 
 our line of travel. Behind you as you go westward some 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 13 
 
 snowy peaks are visible, but ahead and around, what a 
 horrid waste ! A vast plain, in some places apparently 
 the scene of a late volcanic cataclysm of fire, and with 
 huge rocks and boulders lying scattered about. Then 
 great and seemingly endless stretches of alkali glittering 
 white in the sun. Sage brush everywhere, and little other 
 sign of life except numerous large long-eared rabbits, one 
 wolf louping along, and an occasional bird, probably a 
 hawk, seen at a distance. No water visible except at the 
 sinks of the Humboldt, which look like a long chain of 
 shallow lakes stretching away to the horizon. Here, how- 
 ever, were many water fowl. At 5 p. m. we got to the 
 palisades of the Humboldt river, some relief from the 
 monotony of to-day's travel. At 7 p. m. we stopped at Elko, 
 a town of some size, for another meal. Here are hot springs 
 showing as high as 185°, and many Shoshone Indians 
 hanging about the station. Thence on through the night 
 thankful that it hides from us the hideous desert, with the 
 glare, heat and dust of the day. 
 
 Next morning, Sunday, 12th, we were in Utah Ter- 
 ritory. It was a glorious sunrise, and the country 
 vastly improved in appearance under the laborious care 
 of these most energetic Mormon people who have made 
 the desert blossom like a rose. At 7 a. m. crossed the 
 Bear river, and soon the Wasatch range of snowy 
 mountains came in sight, with occasional glimpses of 
 the Great Salt Lake, the country improving steadily in 
 appearance as we speed along, villages, snug dwellings and 
 farms, with fields divided and fenced, by hedges of peach- 
 trees blazing pink with blossom in the morning sun. In 
 some places so numerous were they that the distant view 
 
14 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 seemed all of one ruddy hue. What do they do with all 
 the peaches? 
 
 Got to Ogden at 8 a. m. It is a town of some importance 
 on the Weber river, just before its entrance into the 
 Great Salt Lake, and the station where the Central 
 Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads meet.'. We break- 
 fasted here, and at 8:45 left by the Utah Central Railroad 
 for Salt Lake City, which we were very desirous to see, 
 and also as a pleasant break and rest from the jolting of 
 the cars. We got to the Walker House, a capital hotel, 
 with every modern comfort and convenience, including 
 the electric light, in about a couple of hours, and revelled 
 in the luxury of a bath after our long and dusty ride. 
 This city is beautifully situated on a vast plain discov- 
 ered by the Mormon pioneers in 1847, then no doubt a 
 howling wilderness, but a magnificent site for a town with 
 the Great Salt Lake. They did not know it was so in- 
 tensely salt — flashing in the morning sun not many miles 
 away. Here they stayed and commenced to build their 
 Zion and the result is something wondrous, even in the 
 annals of our wondrous race. 
 
 After a rest and some letter writing we sallied forth on 
 foot to see the town and the Tabernacle in particular, but 
 had not gone far when a voice said, " How-d'ye-do, Capt'n 
 L.!" I did not recognize the speaker, but M., whose bump 
 of individuality is larger than, mine, did so at once as that 
 of young H., a Honolulu boy whom you will remember 
 as living in Nemanu Valley. We were mutually pleased 
 at the rencontre and had a pleasant chat over our sunny 
 isles. He was not a resident, but knew the city well and 
 kindly guided us to the Tabernacle, which, after some 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 15 
 
 waiting, we entered by a side door. It is a huge building 
 of wood, 250 feet long by 150 feet wide, with semi-circular 
 ends, the ceiling being 70 feet high. A gallery resting on 
 wooden pillars runs around three sides of the building, 
 and will seat nearly 4,000 people. The whole edifice, it is 
 said, will seat more than 13,000. There is a noble organ with 
 orchestra seats, platform, etc., at the west end, where the 
 bishop, elders and church dignitaries sit. Seen from the 
 outside it has an undignified appearance, and seems to be 
 roofed with a huge dish cover, but inside has a certain air 
 of grandeur, especially when filled with a vast assemblage 
 as it was to-day and with the tones of the great organ 
 mingling with the voices of such a concourse of people 
 " singing heartily to the Lord." After the singing of a 
 hymn, and a prayer or two by some of the occupants of 
 the platform, commenced the celebration of the last sup- 
 per. The sacred elements were represented by several 
 large plated baskets of bread, cut into goodly-sized pieces, 
 and flagons of pure water. These being duly blessed 
 were carried around to the vast assemblage, all of whom, 
 young and old, partook thereof. In the same sitting with 
 us were a family party of three generations, grandmother, 
 father and motherland daughter, whom I knew at once 
 to be Hawaiians, well dressed and apparently very happy. 
 During a pause in the services I whispered our kindly 
 magic Aloba in the mother's ear. I wish you could have 
 seen the delighted look of surprise upon her honest face. 
 Afterwards we had a long chat about Hawaii nei, and of 
 many old Kamaainas now sleeping with their fathers. They 
 were very happy, they said, and lived at the Hot Springs 
 a few miles off, where I should have liked to go had time 
 
16 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 permitted it. Services over. Elder J. I. Carne, delegate 
 to Washington, and just returned from thence, gave an 
 account of his mission. He seemed to think they were 
 very hardly treated by the American government, and 
 were a very ill-used people. He is an eloquent speaker, 
 and said much in defence of the doctrine of polygamy, 
 during his address making one startling proposition, viz., 
 that " prejudice is the child of education !" This he 
 explained by saying that " Gentiles, having been educated 
 in the narrow doctrines of monogamy, were prejudiced 
 against their wider views." Quite right and conclusive 
 from his standpoint. The congregation were a well- 
 dressed, comfortable looking body of people, as indeed are 
 most of the population of this city. And yet there is an 
 indefinable look of care and anxiety on most faces, 
 particular^ of the women ; but this I think is a trait of 
 most of the Western people, attributable perhaps to cli- 
 matic influences. 
 
 Near by they are now building a very handsome edi- 
 fice of grey granite to be called the Temple, and to be used 
 exclusively for religious exercises and worship, the Taber- 
 nacle being used for meetings, etc., as well. It will be a 
 very imposing structure when finished, with three square 
 towers and spires on each end. In the evening we went 
 to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where Bishop Tuttle con- 
 firmed some eight or ten people. 
 
 Next day, having had, as M. says, the first good, 
 comfortable sleep since we left, the sky being grey and 
 cloudy with frequent showers, we got a carriage and went 
 to see the sights of the place. The city lies at " the south- 
 west corner of the foot of a western spur of the Wasatch 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 17 
 
 Mountains on the east bank of the Jordan, twenty miles 
 southeast of the Great Salt Lake." The streets, running 
 with the four points of the compass, are very broad, with 
 sidewalks of twenty feet. A stream of water, and row of 
 trees, line each side of most of them, the houses being sit- 
 uated twenty or more feet back, with well-kept gardens 
 and orchards front and back. In the suburbs this remark 
 does not always apply. Some of the residences are very 
 handsome, particularly that called the Amelia Palace, 
 which President Brigham Young built for his last and 
 favourite wife ; the Lion and Beehive houses, former resi- 
 dences of the president and his family, all adobe structures, 
 and well worthy of a visit, as is also the Eagle Gate, and 
 Zion's Cooperative Store, with its sign of the All-Seeing 
 Eye and "Holiness to the Lord." There are many fine 
 public buildings — as City Hall, Theatre, Assembly Hall, 
 Banks, etc. ; in fact, it is a great wonder in a great wilder- 
 ness. Spite of the rain, we drive up to the Military 
 Station, beautifully situated on a hill at the back of the 
 town. Here are large barracks for both infantry and 
 cavalry, excellent quarters for the officers, and a battery of 
 field pieces commanding the town. The view is magnifi- 
 cent — the city at your feet, with one street, as our driver 
 was pleased to tell us, stretching — hold your breath — 
 thirty miles in a straight line to — I don't know where ! 
 Snowy mountains surrounding two-thirds of the land- 
 scape, and the Great Salt Lake in the distance in front. 
 I thought I should like to be an officer in the army of the 
 United States, and live here. 
 
 Returning, we saw the burial place of Brigham Young 
 
 and of several of his wives. That of the former is covered 
 2 
 
18 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 by a vast mass of granite, in one block, and weighing so 
 many tons that I do not see how they could have got it 
 there. But everything seems possible to these people. I 
 do not want to tire you, and yet I must tell you something 
 of the Great Salt Lake. It is a vast body of intensely salt 
 water some seventy miles long by thirty miles wide, with an 
 average depth of seven or eight feet ; there are several large 
 islands in it near the center, but no living things in it 
 except microscopic life. There are several places of bath- 
 ing resort, much frequented in the summer, and one good 
 thing is that, even if you are not a swimmer, you cannot 
 drown — unless determined to do so — for you cannot sink. 
 There are on the lake a small steamboat and numerous 
 little sailing yachts. The lake was discovered and 
 described by Colonel Fremont in 1843, but I fancy the 
 Mormons were unaware of its existence when it broke on 
 their astonished eyes. We are glad we came to this beau- 
 tiful city, with its wealth of trees and flowers, and promise 
 of the wealth of fruit to come. 
 
 After another good night's rest we left at 7:30 a. m. for 
 Ogden to meet the Eastern-bound express, having tele- 
 graphed the day before for " sleepers." Just before we 
 got to Ogden we saw a heavy squall of wind and rain 
 coming from off the lake, and arrived at the depot just in 
 the height of it, to find all the Pullmans full, and no place 
 secured for us spite of my yesterday's telegram. I was 
 an angry man, for I was wet through running about in the 
 miserable uncovered station — and I fear I said so in very 
 unmistakable language. But there was no help for it, and 
 so with a promise of a " sleeper " at Granger we were 
 forced to get into a second-class coach, wet as I was — and, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO TEE OLD WORLD. 19 
 
 mind you, we had paid first-class fare — the coach full to 
 overflowing with a rough lot of Mormon men, women and 
 children going — I don't kuow where. The cars were 
 abominably stuffy and crowded, and I caught a bad cold, 
 being in my wet clothes ; but minor troubles were soon 
 forgotten in the magnificent scenery of the Weber Canyon, 
 in the Wasatch range. Here the road winds in and out, 
 as it is forced to do by the formation of the canyon, and 
 you have the Weber river first on one side of you and 
 then the other, crossing it often in your passage through 
 the defile. Grand rocks of reddish-coloured stone are tow- 
 ering above, noticeable among which are the weird forms 
 of the witches, dark, grey masses seeming to confer together; 
 the range called Battlement Rocks, and the towering bluff 
 called Eagles' Nest, where, I am told, the eagles build every 
 year. Further on, the Devil's Slide, a curious, slate-look- 
 ing formation cropping out of the hill-side and running in 
 two parallel ledges from a height of 800 feet down into a 
 pool of water at the foot. Soon we come to the Thousand- 
 mile tree, a pine with a board on one of its branches, pro- 
 claiming the distance to be traveled ere you reach Omaha. 
 We are now about 870 miles from San Francisco, and will 
 soon enter the Echo Canyon, another wondrous valley, in 
 places almost a gorge, with the strangest, wildest forms of 
 rocks and pinnacles on all sides of us, and snowy peaks, 
 grand in their desolation on either hand, at short distances 
 from us. 
 
 Speeding along, if I may use the term, for our rate is 
 seldom more than twenty miles an hour, at 4:30 p. m. we 
 arrived at Granger, in Wyoming Territory, and, to our 
 great delight, got a "sleeper," and I was able to change 
 
20 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 my clothes. I think our late companions branched off 
 here to the northward. Beautiful scenery all the way 
 with buttes and bluffs, reminding me much of some of 
 the country near Kahuku, but on a vaster scale. Leaving 
 behind us the distant snow-clad peaks, north and south 
 of Uintah, and Wind and River ranges, glittering in the 
 westering sun, we, at 6:30, arrived at and crossed Green 
 river over a trestle bridge of great length. The river was 
 now full to its utmost banks from the melting snows, trees 
 and bushes marking its course as it flows southward to 
 the Colorado. Oh ! how the souls of former emigrants, 
 leaving behind the vast, arid, treeless plains that are ahead 
 of us, must have been gladdened on seeing this lovely river. 
 Dined here, and very good the dinner was ; I never ate a 
 better beefsteak, and I could not help telling our buxom- 
 looking hostess — evidently our country woman — that I 
 thought so. All the waiters were girls — I did not see a 
 man about the place — and swiftly and deftly they did 
 their work. But it was curious to note how marked was 
 the Celt, Scandinavian, or Anglo-Saxon in each bonnie 
 face. What a treat after the coloured waiter of the great 
 hotel to be attended to by these quiet and unobtrusive 
 damsels ! The former is a capital fellow as porter in a rail- 
 way car or steward of a ship ; but save me from him when 
 black-coated and white-neck-tied in a big hotel ! In pay- 
 ing my bill I gave our hostess a three-dollar American 
 gold piece; she said she should keep it, as she had never 
 seen one before. Well, on our return to the islands, she 
 showed it to me, but alas, there was a man beside her 
 now ! I trust the old serpent has not entered into their 
 Eden. From Echo Canyon, I suppose, we must say that 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 21 
 
 .we have really begun the ascent of the Rocky Mountains; 
 we have now vast stretches of country ahead and around 
 us, with a good deal of snow on both sides of the track, 
 and the air outside is decidedly cool. 
 
 Wednesday, 15th, day breaks on the seemingly bound- 
 less prairie, and we are still ascending the mighty range. 
 At 7:20 a. m. breakfast at Laramie — the most important 
 town in the Rockies, with a garrison at Fort Laramie, not 
 far off — girl waiters again, and at 8:40 we are at Sherman, 
 the highest point on the line, being 8,235 feet above sea 
 level, and yet no ascent apparent to us. True, we have 
 been travelling for days at an elevation of from 4,500 feet 
 to 6,000 feet. What a tftat it is to get out of the train, 
 with its smell of smoke and heated atmosphere, and have 
 a brisk walk to and fro on the platform of the station, 
 drinking in long draughts of the clear, invigorating 
 mountain air, and feeling the blood quicken in your 
 veins with the exercise ! But, mind you, put your over- 
 coat on or you may take cold in the thin, bracing air of 
 these high regions after the heat of the cars. At several 
 of the stations where we have lately stopped for meals 
 were fine trophies, composed of the horns of elk, ante- 
 lope and deer, showing that game was once plentiful; now 
 I fancy it is scarce. We saw none, and only on one occa- 
 sion, I think, had venison on the dinner table. No loss — 
 give me beef. 
 
 Travelling had been smoother and pleasanter since leav- 
 ing Ogden, either from a better laid track or from our 
 becoming more used to it. To relieve the monotony of 
 some part of the journey, our porter used to put the table 
 up and we indulged in an occasional game of bezique. 
 
22 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Much interest was taken in it by our fellow-passengers, to 
 whom it was evidently new, euchre being the universal 
 game. 
 
 What strange specimens of humanity you meet with 
 here ! But I am pleased to say that we always met with 
 the greatest kindness, consideration and courtesy from "all 
 sorts and conditions of men " that fate threw in our way, 
 perhaps because we were old folks and " pilgrims " — any- 
 how, the fact remains. The pistol-carrying, hard-drink- 
 ing, gambling bully we never came across ; I fancy he is 
 of the past. Most of our fellow-travellers seemed honest, 
 self-reliant men, and we never heard an oath, or saw a 
 drunken man in all the West, j^rue, hanging about the 
 platforms at some of the stations, mingling with the In- 
 dians, and an occasional soldier or two, may be seen some 
 hard -looking characters ; but that you must expect in all 
 new countries. One little incident, I think, I must tell 
 you. M. got into conversation with a fine, big, honest- 
 looking fellow, who told her he was going East to see his 
 old mother, after twenty-five years of absence. He had 
 left her' a mere lad, and gone out into the far West to 
 seek his fortune, and was now going to gladden the old 
 woman's declining years. Fortune had been kind to him, 
 and he had left behind at his comfortable home u the 
 best wife in the world," a fine family of boys and girls, a 
 noble ranch, and vast herds of cattle. M. said : "You 
 must be very thankful for all these good things." "No, 
 marm ; not thankful, but proud !" was the answer. Still 
 M. reiterated her views, and still came the same response 
 — " not thankful, but proud." Who can tell the secret 
 springs of the human heart? 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 23 
 
 But I must move on, for if I stop too long at this great 
 altitude you will be getting cold. Now we begin to descend 
 rapidly the eastern slope of the mountains, and I cannot 
 help feeling every moment as if I must see the sea ahead : 
 and so we do— not "old ocean," but a vast, rolling sea of 
 prairie stretching onward before us. At 2:25 p. m. we got a 
 very bad dinner at Sydney, in Nebraska — men waiters. 
 Here again fine trophies of elk, deer, and antelope horns ; 
 but the day has passed when passengers by train used to 
 fire at them and the buffalo as they went along. We saw 
 many burrows of the prairie dog, but, as it had com- 
 menced to rain, the little occupants wisely kept in-doors. 
 On our return we saw lots ol them. During this day on 
 the vast plains, now covered sparsely with thin grass, 
 which on our return was long and dry, and many path- 
 like looking — I suppose — cattle tracks, we saw several 
 parties of emigrants with their wagons, and in some in- 
 stances cattle, going west. We stop at several insignifi- 
 cant stations, and there are occasional small farms, each 
 with its windmill for raising water. No doubt this is a 
 fine grazing country, with lots of stock — fat as we came 
 back again ; but oh ! the bleakness and loneliness of such 
 a sea of grass rolling apparently in endless billows. I 
 fear I could not be induced to live here, notwithstanding 
 the irequent assurance that " This is God's own country, 
 sir," or "The Almighty's pasture grounds." Raining 
 now pretty cheerily, at 8 p. m. crossed the North Platte 
 river — we had now descended more than 5,500 feet — on a 
 long pile bridge. This river, which is shallow, and 
 meanders about the country in a very devious and uncer- 
 tain sort of way, covering at times large tracts, had an 
 
24 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 evil reputation in the old emigrant days on account of the 
 ever-varying and shifting quicksands of its bottom, and 
 was obliged to be forded with great care. Many a team 
 and wagon have come to grief in it. On some fine, bold 
 rocks before we came to this, we saw painted in almost 
 inaccessible places, in huge letters, " Use St. Jacob's Oil !" 
 u Smoke somebody's Cigarettes," " Try so-and-so's Bitters," 
 etc. This vile practice obtains in almost every place 
 where there is anything of the grand or sublime along the 
 whole route. During the night we had a terrific thunder- 
 storm ; it was perfectly magnificent to watch the lightning 
 flashing forth and illuminating the vast expanse around 
 us, and then the boom of the thunder in the dense black- 
 ness over the apparently boundless space. M. did not 
 like it, but I felt irresistibly attracted to the window by 
 its awful grandeur. It was raining too hard to go on 
 the platform. 
 
 " And this in the night 1 '— 
 " Oh night, and storm, and darkness, ye are 
 Wondrous strong, yet lonely in your strength "— 
 • " Not from one lone cloud leaps the live thunder " — 
 " And the big rain comes dancing to the earth, and now again 'tis black. ,, 
 
 The storm continued during the greater part of the 
 night, and morning (Thursday, 16th) broke grey and dis- 
 piriting-looking, with a continual drizzling rain. Farms 
 and homesteads are becoming more numerous as we roll 
 along. We have passed several rising towns and stations 
 during the night of which I know naught. At 8 a. m. we 
 got to Omaha, on the Missouri river. This is a city of 
 importance, many lines of railways converging here, and 
 with the mighty river on its front, making it necessarily 
 the focus of much traffic from east to west and vice versa. 
 
OUR PILGRIMA&E TO THE OLD WORLD. 25 
 
 I do not think I should care to live here if it always 
 looks as it did this morning. However, we had not much 
 time for observation, for in a few minutes we were off 
 again over the huge bridge that carries the Union Pacific 
 Railroad across the turbid stream . This is a wondrous piece 
 of engineering skill, and, previous to its construction, 
 passengers and traffic were carried across in flat-bottomed 
 steamboats, not always safe in the shifting currents and 
 sand-banks of the river. It is an iron bridge, supported 
 on immense hollow iron columns lowered into the bed of 
 the river, and afterwards — solid bottom being obtained by 
 excavating within them — filled with stone and concrete. 
 It is fifty feet above high- water mark, and 2,750 feet long, 
 approached by an embankment at either end. Not many 
 minutes brought us to Council Bluffs, in Iowa, where we 
 changed cars for Chicago via Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
 Paul Railroad. Here let me remark upon the excellent 
 system of checking your heavy baggage right through to 
 your destination, which is adopted upon the American 
 railroads ; you need not trouble yourself at all about it, 
 and will find it safely at your journey's end on production 
 of your check. With small hand-luggage carried with 
 you it is another thing, and you will wisely be liberal with 
 your " tip " to the porter of your car, not only to insure 
 attention while travelling, but assistance in removing your 
 small traps when changing from one line to another, rail- 
 way porters not being so numerous as in England. Civil- 
 ity and attention are, however, the rule everywhere. 
 Council Bluffs, now an important town, with large railway 
 depot, where many lines meet, was not very many years 
 ago the far, far West, and received its name from a great 
 
26 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 council of officers of the United States Government and 
 Indian chiefs, held in its neighborhood, to conclude a 
 treaty as to divisions and occupation of land. There is 
 some very fine and striking scenery on either hand after 
 you leave the depot, but the constant down-pour of rain 
 that fell to our lot made the country look wet, muddy, 
 and lugubrious. Spite of the still often-repeated assur- 
 ance as to the ownership of the country — mentioned before 
 — I could not help thinking it had rather an unfinished 
 look. To-day we had our first experience of a Pull- 
 man dining-car, and an excellent institution it is. As 
 good a dinner is served to you, with " every delicacy of 
 the season," dessert, etc., for the very moderate sum of 
 seventy-five cents — that being the usual price paid at all 
 refreshment places on the route across the continent, from 
 San Francisco to Omaha — as you can obtain in a first- 
 class hotel in any city. Wine or beer is, of course, charged 
 separately. 
 
 Many towns and stations passed, we were stopped 
 at 7 p. m. by a telegram saying there had been a land- 
 slide in a cutting ahead of us, caused by the constant 
 rain, and that the track was blocked from side to side. 
 The same thing had occurred in the same place — some- 
 where in the neighborhood of Tama City — a fortnight 
 previously. Fortunately our dinner-car was with us still.- 
 Between 9 and 10 o'clock some of the officials proposed 
 that we all should get out and walk a mile and a half or 
 two miles to another train beyond the obstacle, as they 
 could not say when it would be cleared away. What a 
 pleasant prospect in the rain, mud, and darkness of the 
 night ! Upon rejection of the proposal, with utter scorn 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 27 
 
 by some, they told us we might go to bed, which you may 
 depend upon few lost time in doing. 
 
 At 4 a. m. on Friday, 17th, the track being pronounced 
 clear, off we went again. Raining yet, and it continued 
 to do so all the livelong day, making the country look 
 water-logged, cold, cheerless and dispiriting. The trees 
 were not yet out in leaf, and M., mindful of our perennial 
 verdure, sorrowfully remarked on the great quantity of 
 dead trees. Remember how long we had been living in 
 eternal summer, and do not laugh ! The scenery would 
 have been charming had the weather been fine, for we 
 passed many snug-looking farms and homesteads, steadily 
 improving in looks of finish and comfort as we went east- 
 ward. One thing strikes a stranger, and he wonders why 
 they invariably paint the barns and out-houses red, and 
 the dwellings all the colors of the rainbow, with green 
 blinds. In many cases the former look better and more 
 substantially built than the latter, and I must confess 
 astonishment at much untidy farming and the dilapida- 
 tion of doors, gates, and fences, to be occasionally seen. 
 
 Crossing the Cedar, Black, Wapsacumma, and other 
 rivers, we, at 10:45 a. m., came to the father of waters, the 
 mighty Mississippi, whither I suppose they too were all 
 bound, and passed over a magnificent bridge from Sabula 
 into Savanna, in the State of Illinois. This is a wondrous 
 structure of iron — as indeed are many of the bridges in 
 this land of big rivers, lakes and forests ; it has a huge 
 swing opening, working smoothly and evenly by hydrau- 
 lic power, to permit the passage of steamboats, many of 
 which we now see up or down the river. I do not know 
 its length, but, with the approaches on either shore, it is 
 
28 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 very great, and the train proceeds over slowly and with 
 much care, for of course the vibration is considerable — 
 especially where the opening, swinging on its axis, occurs. 
 On again at a good speed, past towns and villages, looking 
 wet and desponding, till we got to Elgin, the most impor- 
 tant we saw. This is the great watch manufacturing town, 
 and is certainly another wonder. I heard, but do not 
 remember, some statistics as to the number of hands em- 
 ployed, watches made in the year, etc. ; but I know they all 
 went a long way up into the thousands, and the place is 
 one forest of tall chimneys, that seemed to me to extend 
 almost for miles. There is now a marked improvement 
 in the houses as we approach the queen city of the lakes, 
 many of the merchants having villas out this way. At 
 3:30 p. m. we arrive at the Grand Central depot at Chicago, 
 a noble building in which, I think, all of the numerous 
 lines running to this city concentrate. Much apparent 
 bustle and confusion, but, after a while, we get off and go 
 to the Palmer House. This is a splendid hotel, very big 
 and vast, as everything seems to be here — making up 850 
 beds, with all things on a corresponding scale — the stair- 
 case balustrades, stairs, and a balcony, with seats for 
 guests, and overlooking the great central hall of the build- 
 ing, being of white marble. It is said to be fire-proof, and 
 perhaps it is so. But oh, the noise and din by day and 
 night ! It is the great center for " drummers," and as 
 there seems to be a sort of exchange in the hall, is a 
 pandemonium of noise. Glad to get to bed, with a good, 
 open fire in our room, and, after a much disturbed night, 
 got up on Saturday, the 18th, to find it 'dark, cloudy and 
 raining still. This vast city, although its creation since 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 29 
 
 v 
 
 the great fire is almost a miracle, failed to impress us 
 favorably. It looked wet and dirty, streets being badly 
 kept, and yet it is a wonder. There are many noble 
 streets and buildings, but in the immediate vicinity of 
 some of them, too visible from our room, the eye is 
 offended by miserable shanties of wood, covered with 
 gaudy signs of various kinds, and heaps of dirt and refuse 
 in the public ways. I am told that some of the parks and 
 suburbs are very beautiful, but the weather precludes 
 the opportunity of seeing them, as well as want of time ; 
 however, we took a hack and saw all we could. The place 
 is, I am told, exceptionally wet, caused no doubt by the 
 situation on the great lake ; but it is unrivalled, for the 
 same reason, in its facilities for commerce. At 4:15 p. m. 
 we left Chicago by the Michigan Central Railroad, skirt- 
 ing along the southern end of the great lake of the same 
 name. It was blowing half a gale of wind, with hard 
 squalls of rain, the sea breaking heavily with white caps 
 of foam on its grey waters, and many large schooners 
 were struggling to windward under short sail. This 
 inland sea with its steamboats, sailing craft, lighthouses, 
 and ports, interested me much, this being my first experi- 
 ence of such a scene. Darkness was soon upon us, and 
 we knew naught till about midnight, when, hearing some 
 unusual sounds and bustle, I looked forth, saw the lights 
 of a big town, and found from our porter that we were 
 crossing the Detroit river, at the town of the same name, 
 from the United States into Ontario, Canada. It was all 
 done without any fuss. I fancy we were ferried over, and 
 I found by seeing a paper with the English crown en- 
 graved on it stuck on my valise next morning, that our 
 
30 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 luggage had been " passed " during the night. Now we 
 go on by the Canada Southern, a good line running along 
 the northern shore of Lake Erie. The travelling is excel- 
 lent since leaving Chicago, as indeed it has been from 
 Council Bluffs. 
 
 Day broke on Sunday, 19th, clear, brilliant and invig- 
 orating, but feeling cold to us, and we enjoyed it immense- 
 ly. Caught our first glimpse of Niagara Falls about 7 
 o'clock ; some of our fellow-travellers had professed to 
 hear its roar long previously, but our ears were too dull 
 to do so. Here, at the station, we got out. Taking a hack 
 and rolling ourselves up comfortably in the buffalo-robes, 
 of which every carriage contains plenty, we were soon at 
 Prospect House, a nice — now quiet, for the season has not 
 begun, and rnanj^ hotels are not yet open — comfortable 
 hostelry. It is quite near to the falls ; indeed, the spray 
 from them frequently dashes in showers on the front ver- 
 anda. I felt thankful at arriving when we did, escaping 
 the bustle of a crowd of sight-seers, and getting the best 
 rooms in the house, facing on the river. Glancing through 
 the pages of the registry-book in the office, and seeing the 
 numerous eminent and illustrious names in it made us 
 more thankful still, for what should we quiet islanders 
 have done amongst what Pat calls " the loikes of thim !" 
 Although the sun was shining brightly, there was a good 
 deal of the winter's snow yet lying about on all sides, and 
 the rocks in the river below the falls were vast, shapeless 
 masses of ice from the spray of the cataract. I feel almost 
 afraid to attempt any description, this having been so 
 often more graphically done by many others ; but, as you 
 want to know my impressions, I will try to convey them 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 31 
 
 to you if I can, fearing it will be but imperfectly. Well, 
 then, first picture to yourself a mighty river, the outlet of 
 the three great lakes — Michigan, Huron and Erie — about 
 two-thirds of a mile wide, and as you look up it from the 
 Canada side for a mile or more above the falls, appearing 
 just like the reef at Waikiki inside the surf when a heav- 
 ier roller than usual has broken and is running over the 
 rocks in shallow water toward the beach, only that it is of 
 a greenish huej instead of the blue of the Pacific. We 
 afterwards saw an excellent painting of this in the Royal 
 Academy Exhibition by Colin Hunter. The vast volume 
 of water is divided by an island called Goat's, 500 feet in 
 width, which is attained by bridges from other smaller 
 islands on the American side. The height of the cataract 
 is about 160 feet, and the Horseshoe Fall, on the Canada 
 side, 1,900 across, without a break; the American side 900 
 feet from edge to edge, but broken by rocks. The Horse- 
 shoe Fall is, to me, much the grander of the two. The 
 awful idea of irresistible power of the waters comes, I 
 think, more home to your mind as the river plunges into 
 the boiling torrent at the foot of the falls, and seems to 
 shake the solid earth on which you stand. In fact, while 
 in bed in the quiet of the night we felt the vibration dis- 
 tinctly, but whether of the earth or air I could not under- 
 take to say. The effect of the sun shining on and through 
 the vast liquid mass of green water is very fine, and must 
 be seen to be understood, as well as the rainbow across 
 the torrent below the falls, caused by the spray from 
 them. We did not go behind the falls, as many do, 
 wrapped up in water-proof Oiled clothes. M. did not like 
 the idea, but we saw most of the wonders of the place, 
 
32 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 ' and they are many. Among them are the burning springs 
 through which gas comes bubbling up and flickering in a 
 blue flame on the surface of the water when a lighted 
 paper is applied to it, and the awful whirlpool rapids a 
 mile or more down the river, to which you go down 
 in a hydraulic sort of incline that almost frightened 
 poor M. out of her wits. One great drawback to the per- 
 fect enjoyment of the wondrous scene is, that it is made 
 one " big show " and everybody inhabiting the place 
 seems to think you are fair prey, and stands by to fleece 
 you. I do not by any means apply this remark to the 
 hotel at which we stayed, where the charges were mod- 
 erate, and the people polite and attentive. There is a 
 town of some importance on the American side with 
 many factories of one kind or other, our practical cousins 
 having utilized the great stream. Why the Canadians 
 have not done so is an occult mystery to me, unless it be 
 they have not the go-ahead itiveness of their neighbors. 
 Why not is hard to say ; they are the same race. 
 
 The " show " evil of which I spoke before has grown 
 to very great excess on the American side, and the State 
 of New York has wisely determined to buy up all vested 
 rights, and so put an end to the exorbitant, frequent and 
 annoying demands made on your purse, and make a 
 park for the people. I trust the Canadians will follow suit 
 in very short time, and so infinitely enhance the pleasures 
 of the place. Visitors can then buy Indian curiosities, 
 photographs, etc., if they wish, but will not be continually 
 stopped at gates, or bridges, with a demand for half a 
 dollar for entering this or that place. And be sure your 
 Jehu, who probably gets a commission, insists on taking 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 33 
 
 you to them all. We met here two gentlemen who were 
 friends of our friends Mr. and Mrs. W., and very pleasant 
 it was to chat with them of our island home, and " mut- 
 ual friends." The roar of the mighty waters lulled us to 
 sleep each night we stayed here ; it was not too loud to be 
 unpleasant ; and the blue sky, and bright sun by day, 
 made our visit most enjoyable. We had telegraphed to 
 our friends along the line, and received answers, and now 
 we hear that the Honorable S. P., of Honolulu, and party 
 will be here to-morrow. How I regretted we could not 
 stay to meet them and have a chat over Hawaii nei, but 
 our arrangements were all made, and at 8 a. m. on Tues- 
 day, 21st, we left Niagara with regret, crossing by the won- 
 derful suspension bridge below the falls, and taking a last, 
 long, lingering look at them. The train crosses very 
 slowly, and stops a few minutes to give passengers an 
 opportunity of seeing the cataract. 
 
 We were now traveling by the New York Central & 
 Hudson River Railroad, an excellent line, with much 
 lovely scenery, among which we were particularly struck 
 by the beauties of the valley of the Mohawk. I cannot 
 attempt to enumerate the many fine towns and stations 
 we stopped at, or passed through on our route, but was 
 much struck with Rochester, Syracuse and Utica. About 
 5 p. m. got to Schenectady, and on the platform to our 
 delight saw our old friends Mrs. P., with her daughter 
 and her daughter's husband, whom we had known as 
 Lieutenant-Commander Y., of the United States Navy, 
 and two of their children- How mutually glad to see 
 each other we were I need not dilate on. The ladies got 
 into the train with us, and in five minutes' time we were 
 
 3 
 
34 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 off again, and talking of old times, old things, and old 
 friends, in the sunny isles, to our hearts' content. Oh, it 
 was very pleasant ! 
 
 At 6 p. m., all too quickly we felt it, on our friends' 
 account, we arrived at the noble town of Albany, founded 
 by the early Dutch settlers, and consequently one of 
 the oldest cities in the United States. It is finely sit- 
 uated on the Hudson river, with the beautiful suburb of 
 Green Bush on the opposite bank. We parted here with 
 our kind companions, who had to go back to Schenectady, 
 and with the painful feeling that we were leaving them 
 too abruptly. But we were not quite masters of our own 
 movements, and found awaiting us here with their carriage 
 Mr. and Mrs. P., brother-in-law and sister of Chief Justice 
 J's wife. Although strangers to each other previously, so 
 considerate and genial were they that in a very short time 
 all seemed like old friends. We were soon on our way 
 across the river by a noble swing-bridge, which we saw 
 open easily and expeditiously, to afford passage to a pass- 
 ing vessel, and arrived at their handsome villa on Green 
 Bush Heights, situated in beautiful grounds, and from 
 which you enjoy a charming view. Our host, hostess and 
 family were more than kind to us, and this evening will 
 ever remain as one of the green spots in our existence. 
 Here we met with our first disappointment. We had hoped 
 and planned to go down the river to New York by one of 
 the splendid day -boats that run on this stream. But " the 
 best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley," and as 
 the river was only just clear of ice, and the first day-boat 
 did not start until Monday next, and we were to leave New 
 York on Saturday, our plan had very reluctantly to be 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 35 
 
 abandoned. However, we did the next best thing pos- 
 sible to ns. Leaving with regret our kind friends — our 
 hostess taking us to the station — we, at 10 a. m. on Wed- 
 nesday, 22d, left by Hudson River Railroad for New 
 York. It was a lovely morning. All snow 7 and ice had 
 now disappeared, nature was beginning to put on her 
 vernal array, and we were glad to think that railway trav- 
 elling was nearly over. This beautiful river, down whose 
 left bank we are now rapidly gliding on an excellent road, 
 was discovered by Henry Hudson, an English navigator 
 then in the service of the Dutch East India Company, 
 commanding the good ship " Half Moon," A. D. 1609. He 
 was in search of a northwest passage to " far Cathay," the 
 dream of every mariner in those days, and thought he had 
 found it; what terrible disappointment when he saw his 
 error, as he no doubt soon did. Many fine towns with his- 
 toric and well-known names are on its shores, where, too, 
 lies the scene of Arnold's treachery and Andre's fate. The 
 track nearly all the way is in view of the river, with its 
 beautiful scenery and many islands. Craft of all sizes and 
 rig are passing up or down the stream, and the scene is very 
 animated and lovely, especially as we draw nearer to our 
 destination. The Catskills loom up in distant grandeur, 
 but the Palisades, I regret to say, we could not get a good 
 view of. Past Peekskill, Sing Sing, Tarrytown, Yonkers, 
 Harlem, Spuyten Duyvel, we at 3:30 p. m. arrived at Grand 
 Central depot of New York, and were soon rolling in a 
 hack to our hotel, the Brevoort House, in Fifth avenue. 
 The day had been warm and sunny and all nature looked 
 gay, as did the part of this fine city through which we 
 passed on our way to the hotel. It was founded by the 
 
36 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Dutch in 1621, and then called New Amsterdam ; on its 
 subsequent capture by the British, the name was changed 
 to New York. Being fatigued and M. suffering from a 
 bad cold, we did not go out that night. I should think 
 this must be a capital climate for taking colds, as they 
 tell us that at 4 this morning the thermometer stood 
 at 36° and at the same hour in the afternoon at 86°. 
 Oh, ye islanders, with your even temperature, what do 
 you think of that ? 
 
 Thursday, the 23d, was a lovely day, not so warm as 
 yesterday had been. Soon Mrs. R. H., with her niece, 
 Mrs. J. B., called — the latter, you know, we used to look up- 
 on as almost one of us, as L. B. in the olden days. How 
 mutually glad we were to see each other and how kind 
 they were to us I need hardly tell you. We sallied forth 
 with them to see the sights, the shops, stores and traffic 
 of the city, and noble thoroughfare of Broadway in par- 
 ticular. What a change to us after our quiet island life I 
 It is really a splendid street, but to assert that there is 
 nothing in the world to compare with it, I do not 
 think strictly correct. The lines commencing from the 
 church of the Madeleine, in Paris, and running to the 
 Place de la Bastille, and column of July, or from the 
 Gardens of Tuileries to Neuilly, are, I think, finer. And 
 in London from Regent's Quadrant upwards, and the 
 line of Piccadilly past the parks, or Oxford street, will 
 compare favorably with it. Collins street, in Melbourne, 
 is said to be one-third wider, but none of them are four- 
 teen miles long, as this is, nor do they contain so many 
 stately buildings in one continuous line. The elevated 
 railway is, I think, a serious drawback to the beauty of 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 37 
 
 'many of the New York streets, and what a nuisance it 
 must be to the dwellers in them. Fancy a train of cars 
 with engine rattling at frequent intervals past your draw- 
 ing room or bed-room windows, within a few feet. I 
 cannot think how folks stand it, or how it was ever per- 
 mitted. Underground travelling is bad enough, but it 
 relieves the crowded thoroughfares, and does not block 
 them with unsightly structures. Having letters from 
 our friend McD. to Messrs. W. H. Crossman Bros., 
 we called at their office and received so much kind- 
 ness and assistance from them that we shall ever remem- 
 ber it with gratitude. Really, it seems to me as though 
 people were vying with each other in their considera- 
 tion for us. A young gentleman, one of the sons, took 
 us to the New York Exchange, a very fine and exten- 
 sive building lately erected. We ascended the central 
 tower, one of the highest in the city, by elevator, and 
 from the summit enjoyed an unrivalled view. The vast 
 city seemed to lie at our feet — on one side the East river 
 with its stupendous suspension bridge, one of the mar- 
 vels of the age, connecting it with the twin city of 
 Brooklyn ; on the other the Hudson, or as it is here called, 
 the North river, and on its further bank again Jersey 
 City, connected with this by ferry. The two rivers meet- 
 ing in an apex above the city at Harlem, form the island 
 of Manhattan, on which the town is built. Forests of 
 masts line the inner bank of each river, more particularly 
 the North. Almost beneath us is the Battery with its 
 well laid-out grounds, and in front of us one of the finest 
 harbors in the world, with several islands, most of which 
 are fortified ; and on one, Bedloe's, is to stand Bartholdi's 
 
38 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 great statue of " Liberty Enlightening the World," a torch 
 in her uplifted hand serving for a lighthouse. Away to 
 our left the ocean vast and grey, it and the noble bay 
 being liberally covered with all sorts of crafts, from the 
 tiny yacht to the stately merchantman and magnificent 
 "ocean greyhound." A clear sky, brilliant sun and 
 pleasant breeze combined to make this a never-to-be-for- 
 gotten picture. Taking leave of our kind guide, we 
 returned up town and partook of a most excellent lunch 
 at the Vienna Bakery in Broadway, thence to " do " some 
 more of the sights, and back to our hotel and letter writ- 
 ing. 
 
 Next morning, charming weather again, off with our 
 kind friends for more sight-seeing. I can only speak in 
 general terms of how much we saw and how pleased we 
 were. We travelled by the elevated railroad to the Croton 
 aqueduct, which carries a river across a valley, and were 
 delighted with our trip. We also visited the Roman 
 Catholic Cathedral, and I think some of the windows are 
 among the most exquisite I have ever seen. Lunched 
 with our friends at the Buckingham, a beautiful hotel 
 near Central Park, and where I should like to stay 
 were I to visit New York again. Our hotel, the Brevoort, 
 is a very comfortable house, with an old reputation for 
 it, and in a very quiet part of the Fifth avenue. A 
 strange custom obtains here, of which at first I was loath 
 to avail myself. They help you so bountifully that if you 
 are two in party, as we were, you need only to order your 
 soup, fish, or joint for one, with plates for two, and you 
 get all you can possibly desire. I felt some compunction 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 39 
 
 about it at first, but everybody, they tell me, does it, and 
 'tis considered quite correct. 
 
 Saturday, 25th of April, was our last day in New 
 York, of which we had not seen half we wished to. 
 After breakfast, on a lovely morning, we took a coupe 
 and drove to Central Park. I have lost a card on which 
 I made some notes, but believe it is about six hundred or 
 eight hundred acres in extent ; it is more than two miles 
 long and three-quarters of a mile wide, with many miles 
 of beautiful drives winding in and out among fine trees, 
 now just swelling into leaf, in which the birds are twitter- 
 ing, and an occasional grey squirrel darting in and out. 
 Many fine buildings surround it, with numerous statues, 
 and ornamental . waters with gondolas and small pleas- 
 ure boats thereon, not forgetting the twin obelisk, Cleopa- 
 tra's needle, to the one on the bank of the Thames, and 
 unfortunately like that suffering from an uncongenial cli- 
 mate. All this, and much more, in a place that very 
 few years back was an eyesore of quarries, pits and holes 
 of water, and a sort of general depositary of rubbish. 
 Truly, the New Yorkers are to be congratulated on their 
 park, which we enjoyed and admired much. At 1:30 p. 
 m. embarked on White Star steamship "Celtic," at 2:30 
 casting off and bidding good-by to this fair city. Weather 
 being fine and water smooth ours was for that evening a 
 very merry lot of -passengers. We were about 175 in 
 number in the cabin — prospects of a war with Russia 
 crowding the German steamers at the time — made up of 
 the usual promiscuous people to be met with in travelling. 
 There were returning missionaries from Japan and China; 
 Californians going to Europe; a gay coterie of New York- 
 
40 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 ers ; some nice, quiet Southern ladies, with whom we 
 struck up a great friendship, two sisters being married to 
 officers of the United States Army and Navy ; a lot of 
 Cook's tourists going to " do " Europe, as far as Rome, in 
 sixty days, and they " do " it well and cheaply, too ; a 
 family party from Brazil; also one of Spaniards, from 
 some West India island ; a lady with a fat French 
 " bonne " of much more importance than her mistress ; 
 the residue chiefly composed of individuals of all nation- 
 alities and creeds, travelling for some commercial houses 
 on one side or other of the Altantic, among them one braw 
 Scot who, on sundry occasions, when inspired by usque- 
 baugh, assured me that "though an American citizen, yet 
 he was British down to the grun." 
 
II. 
 
 THE " Celtic " is an exceedingly comfortable ship, but 
 not fast, making on an average about 335 miles a day, 
 and we missed, too, the electric light that we had in our 
 staterooms on board the "Alameda." We got, I think, more 
 than our due share of head winds, and a good deal of very 
 cool, rough weather. It yet remains for me to experience 
 crossing " when the Atlantic is like a mill-pond ;" — per- 
 haps I am a "Jonah." We saw a good many steamers 
 and vessels of one kind or another, and on Wednesday, 
 the 29th, a nice fine day — we having passed the south end 
 of the Banks during the night, as well as several icebergs — 
 the cry was again raised of " ice !" Now I feel I must tell 
 you of the only disagreeable episode that occurred to us 
 in all our " pilgrimage " — except an impertinent answer 
 from a " cabbie " in Bristol, and I bracket them together. 
 You know that I have passed Cape Horn thirteen times, 
 Grossed the Banks of Newfoundland when other ships 
 were beset, and yet had never seen floating ice at sea. We 
 went on deck and there, sure enough, was an enormous 
 long, low, berg on our lee-beam, some miles off, and the 
 weather rather hazy. Our captain, to whom I had never yet 
 spoken — who, in fact, noticed but few of his passengers, as 
 is no doubt correct— was explaining and showing, through 
 his binocular, to a party of ladies and gentlemen, appar- 
 ently friends of his, all about it. Their inspection over, I 
 
 41 
 
42 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 advanced, bowed, and said : " Captain " — I did not know 
 his name, but have since discovered from an article in 
 Harpers Monthly it was Gleadell — " would you kindly loan 
 me your glasses for a minute ?" He seemed astounded at 
 my temerity, looked at me for a second or two, and then 
 answered "NO, Sir!" in the biggest, most emphatic No it 
 has ever been my lot to hear, after a pause adding, " My 
 life depends on this glass." Meekly I replied, " Mine, too, 
 I presume," bowed and left. Poor M. was bursting with 
 indignation. I, too, felt indescribably chagrined, as I 
 probably had commanded a vessel before he ever saw salt 
 water, and it was so gratuitous an insult before so many. 
 This incident caused much remark on board, and was 
 coupled with an idea of collusion entertained by many, 
 but which I do not think could be the case, that on some 
 days when the distance — by dead-reckoning in particular 
 — was posted up, one individual was always the lucky 
 man in the '■ pools " made in the smoking-room. Too 
 much gambling and drinking is allowed, and on Saturday 
 night the smoking-room was a bear-garden of noise long 
 after eight bells, or midnight, the quiet passengers com- 
 plaining of it much. 
 
 Except for the above vexing affair our passage was 
 fairly pleasant. We had some very nice people on board, 
 whose society we enjoyed. One German gentleman, find- 
 ing we were from Hawaii, said, "Where do not you English 
 go to ?" and was much surprised to hear how many of his 
 compatriots I counted among my best friends in our dis- 
 tant island home. We had the usual concert and recita- 
 tions, as well as divine service on Sunday, the doctor, a 
 very gentlemanly man, and good reader, conducting. And 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 43 
 
 both followed by a collection in aid of the Seaman's 
 Orphan Fund, I think. These occasions are very pleas- 
 ant breaks in the monotony of life at sea, there nearly 
 always being some good musicians among the party. 
 Nothing of interest occurred, except strong head winds, 
 and they interested us much then, until Monday, 4th of 
 May, when going on deck at 6 a. m., found many sail of 
 all kinds in sight, and the Irish coast lying along our 
 port beam a few miles off. There is always much excite- 
 ment on board ship at making land, but when it is the 
 old historic world, seen for the first time by natives of the 
 new one, then it is intensified, of course. One young 
 lady of our party seemed quite disappointed on being 
 told that a tower she had discovered on a headland was 
 only a prosaic coast-guard and rocket-station, and not the 
 ruins of a castle "grim and old." 10 a. m. off the beauti- 
 ful harbor of Queenstown, and the eye is charmed at once 
 with the verdant hue of the grass, contrasting with the 
 brilliant gold of the patches of furze seen through the 
 peculiar soft haze usual on this coast. A tug-boat was 
 soon alongside for the mails and passengers to be landed 
 here.. A goodly number of the latter — Hibernian, no 
 doubt, from their light-hearted ness, had come over in the 
 steerage, and now went ashore with every demonstration 
 of joy. One young fellow threw his hat up and overboard 
 in its exuberance, and was immediately imitated in his 
 action by a compatriot who remained on board. I think 
 there was almost a feeling of disappointment at finding 
 that war had not been declared between Russia and Eng- 
 land. Newspapers were eagerly sought for, and some of 
 two days old obtained for sixpence each. Sent telegrams 
 
44 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 ashore to some of our friends, and off we went again, after 
 about half an hour's stay, for Liverpool, parting from 
 our fellow passengers with wild cheers. Steaming along 
 the Irish shore, wind ahead, rather hazy and light showers 
 of rain obscuring the land, we were at 4:30 p. m. off Taskar 
 light, and heading across for the coast of Wales, which 
 the thickness of the weather, I am sorry to say, prevented 
 our seeing. Can it be possible this is May, thermometer 
 showing 49° ? Dark and hazy all night, so it was of no 
 use going on deck to look for the old familiar lights and 
 headlands. I had counted much on the pleasure to be 
 experienced from this, but took my disappointment phil- 
 osophically, and " turned in." At 5 o'clock next morn- 
 ing, 5th, awoke and found we were at anchor in the 
 Mersey. The dear old land was in sight once more, a 
 happiness we had thought would never again be ours, and 
 filling our hearts with thankfulness and emotions I will 
 not attempt to define. Think of it, we had not stood on 
 British soil, except in some of the colonies, for nigh six- 
 and-thirty years, and now here it was in sight again on 
 each side of us. 
 
 " Breathes there a man, with soul so dead, 
 Who never to himself hath said, 
 This is my own, my native land !*' 
 
 Much was familiar. The beautiful tower of old St. Nich- 
 olas Church, with its illuminated dial, where in my youth- 
 ful days the officiating clergyman used to marry sailors 
 and their lasses in batches of twenty or thirty at a time, 
 making one service do for all ; the gilded figure of Brit- 
 annia, shining in the morning light, on the cupola of the 
 Exchange ; and a long stretch of docks filled with the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 45 
 
 commerce of the world. There was much of the unfamil- 
 iar, too. I missed the Bootle landmarks, their site and 
 that of the old fort being long since built over ; and the 
 dock-line on the Liverpool side had actually grown miles. 
 The Cheshire shore, where we had known many detached 
 villages, Tranmae, Birkenhead, Rockferry, Seacomb, Ege- 
 mond, etc., in some cases with waste-land and sand-hills 
 between, was now practically one big town, Birkenhead, 
 with noble docks, and forests of masts within. A steamer 
 was soon alongside — bringing a large packet of letters for 
 us which we were very glad to get, sent off by our tried 
 friend Mr. L. — to take on shofe the mails, passengers and 
 baggage. Disembarking at the landing stage, built on 
 floating caissons of iron, rising and falling with the tide 
 (here some twenty feet), we proceeded to the customs depot 
 — on the stage — our luggage being taken there for exam- 
 ination. We anticipated a severe scrutiny in consequence 
 of the recent dynamite explosions in the Tower and 
 Houses of Parliament, but the officers were satisfied with 
 opening our trunks and a cursory glance at their contents. 
 Did they know, think you, that we were but pilgrims? 
 We had neither scallop-shell, staff or sandalled shoon ; 
 only umbrellas, rugs and multitudinous small things, 
 which avoid when you travel. 
 
 W T e were soon at the Northwestern Hotel, terminus 
 of the London & Northwestern Railway, situated in Lime 
 street, opposite the fine building of St. George's Hall. I 
 do not purpose giving you a description of Liverpool, 
 though the second city of commercial importance in the 
 kingdom. It has some fine streets, and much has been 
 done in the improvement of them of late years. St. 
 
46 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 George's Hall is a superb building in the Corinthian 
 style, with a massive flight of steps in front, guarded by 
 recumbent lions, and equestrian statues of the Queen and 
 Prince Albert. The free public library and museum, the 
 munificent gifts to the town of Sir W. Brown, are noble 
 piles ; Custom House and Exchange, too, are well worth a 
 visit. In front of the former is a statue of Huskisson, M. 
 P. for Liverpool at the time. He was the first victim to rail- 
 way accidents, being killed at the opening of the Liver- 
 pool & Manchester Railway. In the square of the latter 
 building is a bronze monument to Nelson, who is repre- 
 sented as falling in death into the arms of Victory, with 
 the well known inscription around its base, " England 
 expects every man to do his duty," several groups of acces- 
 sory figures making a grand whole. The docks have no 
 equals in the world for magnitude and extent, though 
 there are individual docks larger, being six and a half 
 miles from north to south, with quay frontage of twenty- 
 two miles. Of its cleanliness the Liverpudlians cannot 
 boast much, especially near the docks, but then we must 
 take into account its enormous traffic. I think, too, there 
 are more street Arabs, of both sexes, in their vicinity than 
 I ever saw in any other town. 
 
 Anxious as we were to proceed on our journey, we 
 were forced to remain a couple of days here, being in 
 pretty much the same predicament as " Miss Flora Mc- 
 Flimsy, of Madison square ;" in my case soon surmounted, 
 a call on Sartorius at 10:30 a. m. of one day producing 
 the necessary integuments at 8:30 on the following one. 
 Next day broke with gloomy easterly weather, and some 
 sharp showers of sleet and rain, but clearing about noon 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 47 
 
 we ran down to Southport to visit some friends. The 
 track is uninteresting, running along the estuary of the 
 Mersey and the sea coast, amidst many sand wastes and 
 gorse, but in some places flowers — yes, actually flowers, in 
 this keen weather — in the railway cuttings, and green fields, 
 oh, so green ! I could compare it to nothing but the 
 brilliant hue of young rice. Southport is a pretty place 
 enough when you get to it, many Manchester merchants 
 residing there for the salubrity of its situation ; but it has 
 no " port," and I think it would be difficult to make one, 
 as it appeared to me that the sea receded for miles, leav- 
 ing long stretches of bare sands at low water. We enjoyed 
 our visit to our kind friends much, but had to hurry back 
 to Liverpool to fulfil others to friends there, whom we 
 esteemed much and had known at the islands, and whose 
 kindness to us we shall never forget. Next day about 
 noon we left by Nor-western for Ludlow in Shropshire, 
 the first part of our journey not very cheering in appear- 
 ance, especially the country around Runcorn and Widnes, 
 vegetation looking blighted, and the trees stunted from 
 the effects of the many large chemical works in their 
 vicinities. Crossing the Mersey by a fine bridge at the 
 former place into Cheshire, the prospect rapidly improves. 
 We are soon at Crewe Junction, and from thence into 
 Shropshire. How calm and peaceful it all looks ! In one 
 place I noticed a hen pheasant on the railway- bank, her 
 mate with his gorgeous plumage in the adjoining field, 
 neither of whom flew away as our train passed by. On 
 past Shrewsbury, we at 3 p. m. were at Ludlow, the ven- 
 erable father of our dear friend Mrs. D., whom we had left 
 very ill, meeting us at the station. Arriving soon at his 
 
48 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 charming home on the Teme, we experienced the tradi- 
 tional warm English welcome usually accorded to old 
 Mends. After a stroll in our host's pretty garden, glowing 
 with early flowers, along one side of which the river flows 
 murmuring gently down, on the opposite bank a rook- 
 ery, its denizens cawing a noisy good-night, and where 
 I saw a thrush sitting on her nest in peace, I went 
 in the long spring evening, now lengthening into sum- 
 mer, for a stroll to see some of the beauties of this 
 ancient town. A few minutes' walk brought me to a fine 
 old bridge of " three fay re arches," as Leland says, built 
 in the fourteenth or fifteenth century ; it once had a 
 chapel to St. Catherine on it, and a number of houses 
 also. The view from it up and down the river is charm- 
 ing, and I stayed as long as time would permit and 
 enjoyed its quiet loveliness. From thence up a steep 
 street with an old archway yet standing across it, in which 
 the portcullis grooves and great iron hinges of a former 
 gate still remain, and a few minutes' walk brought me to 
 the fine old Church of St. Lawrence. It was unfortu- 
 nately closed, but I could see from its exterior that it was 
 a beautiful old building, with much fine glass. Some or' 
 the windows are said to be exquisite. They were all taken 
 out and hidden previous to the Protectorate, to save them 
 from the Parliamentary soldiers' fanatic zeal, but have 
 since been fully restored. The castle, one of the finest 
 ruins in England, stands on a hill, the town sloping down 
 on all sides from it. It has much historic interest, having 
 been the residence of several Plantagenet kings, as also 
 of the Lords Marchers of Wales, who held court here in 
 great state. Near to this Caractacus was defeated by the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 49 
 
 Romans. To this castle Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII., 
 brought his young bride Katherine of Arragon, and here 
 he died from illness, it is said, brought on by seeking her, 
 she having been lost in the forest while hunting, all one 
 stormy night, during which she was carried off by a 
 marauding Welshman to his cave. The apartments occu- 
 pied by " Miss Katherine of Arragon " were duly pointed 
 out to me by my aged cicerone, who seemed almost to be 
 a part of the castle itself. From here the two young 
 princes, sons of Edward IV., were taken to the Tower of 
 London by their uncle Richard, to become victims of his 
 ambition. Sir Phillip Sidney resided here as a youth ; 
 Richard Baxter, too, of Saints' Rest renown. In rooms 
 over the principal gate-house Butler wrote his Hudibras ; 
 and in this castle Milton's masque of " Comus " was writ- 
 ten, and first performed in the council chamber of the 
 Court of Marches, the incident that gave rise to it being 
 that the two sons and daughter — lady Alice — of the then 
 governor, were benighted in Hey wood forest near by, the 
 lady for a while lost, but afterwards discovered by her 
 brothers ; they all took part in the representation, as well 
 as the poet himself. As the sun was sinking I ascended 
 the great Norman keep, the massive stone stairs being 
 still in fair repair. My guide begged to be excused; his 
 knees were too stiff, he said. What a lovely prospect lay 
 beneath, and on all sides ! — woods, river, meads, and the 
 old town, with part of its ancient walls, nestling at your 
 feet on one side ; on the other, an almost abrupt precipice. 
 Ah, those old kings and barons looked out for strong places, 
 and no doubt they wanted them, here especially, to keep 
 
50 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 their turbulent and war-like neighbors, the Welsh, in 
 order. I must not weary you with this charming and 
 once important town, but I would fain have spent a 
 month here listening to our host's interesting fund of 
 antiquarian lore. 
 
 At 9 a. m. next morning — lovely weather now, but cool 
 to us — after an excellent night's rest, we left by railway 
 for Gloucester, passing through Leominster, Hereford and 
 Ross, getting to the former place, with its beautiful cathe- 
 dral, but of which we got glimpses in passing, at 2 p. m. 
 Here we changed for Bristol, where we arrived at 4:30 p. m. 
 I cannot make you comprehend the beauty of the country 
 through which we have passed to-day, only that we were 
 anxious to get to our destination, where dear ones were 
 waiting so patiently for us. 1 felt that, had it been pos- 
 sible, I should have liked to walk the whole way. Towns, 
 villages, hamlets, farms, mansions, churches, rivers, the 
 wealth of blossom on the fruit trees and marvelous green 
 of the meadows, making a whole so lovely and so peace- 
 ful, the like few lands can show. And such a finish, such 
 a calm beauty over everything, such wayside cottages and 
 cottage gardens ! But it took many centuries of war r 
 rapine and bloodshed, with toil, labor and strenuous asser- 
 tion of right, before this result was attained and the land 
 had peace. Britons, you have much to be thankful 
 for in the " silver streak " that keeps your " isle inviolate 
 still." 
 
 Well, and this is well-remembered Bristol, once to 
 me the very Phoenix of cities. Old friend, you do not 
 look so imposing as of yore ; still I love you, if you are a 
 little grimy. Many happy boyhood hours were spent in 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 51 
 
 you, and for their sake, Aloha rmi ! Bristol — or Caer Oder 
 of the Britons — is a very ancient city, and once held sec- 
 ond rank in England, its merchant princes being renowned 
 the world over. From it Sebastian Cabot, who was born 
 here about A.J). 1477, set forth on the famous voyage that 
 discovered Newfoundland, with Labrador and the conti- 
 nent of America, on June 24th of the same year. Its his- 
 tory is full of stories of battle, siege and warfare from the 
 time of Alfred, who walled it — probably against the Danes 
 — down to its surrender to the Parliamentary forces. It 
 has many noble charities and schools. Among them may 
 be mentioned Colston's, the boys of which wear a brass 
 dolphin on their breasts. Tradition says a ship of his, 
 laden with a cargo of great value, struck on a rock and 
 began to leak badly. This suddenly ceased, and on her 
 return home it was found a good-natured dolphin had 
 stuck his head in the hole, and saved the ship, and her 
 owner from ruin. Hence his gratitude and the dolphin 
 badge. The cathedral is not remarkable for beauty, but 
 a Norman archery leading into Lower College Green was 
 pronounced by Horace Walpole — no mean judge — the 
 finest in England. Opposite the cathedral, on the other 
 side of College Green, is the Mayor's Chapel, where, 
 during repairs some years ago, a workman by accident 
 knocked some bricks out of a wall, and the result was the 
 discovery of a number of very beautiful tombs and effigies 
 of Crusaders that had probably been nailed up to prevent 
 their destruction by the iconoclastic Puritans, and for- 
 gotten. The gem of Bristol is, however, the Church of St. 
 Mary KedclifTe, which, with its beautiful grained interior 
 and maze of stately columns, was pronounced by Queen 
 
52 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Elizabeth "the fairest and stateliest" parish church in 
 England. The style is early perpendicular, though some 
 exquisite doorways belong to the decorated period. It 
 has been restored in late years, and is a beautiful struc- 
 ture. In a small room near the western entrance we saw 
 a rib of the dun-cow, said to have once supplied all Bris- 
 tol with milk, going from door to door for the people's 
 convenience. It looked to me like a whale's rib, and it is 
 known Cabot presented one to the city on his return 
 from his celebrated voyage in 1497. In the muniment 
 room of this church " the wondrous boy Chatterton " pro- 
 fessed to have found the parchment and MSS., in prose 
 and poetry, beautifully illuminated, of Rowley the priest. 
 He began these wondrous forgeries when little more than 
 twelve years of age. His lamentable death, and story is 
 too well known to need repetition here. He lies in a 
 nameless grave in a London church-yard, but a handsome 
 monument in this one commemorates his brilliant genius 
 and unhappy fate. This city is singularly rich in noted 
 churches and ancient architecture. 
 
 But I must get on and ask you to go with me up Park 
 street to lovely Clifton, and Dunham, and Clifton Downs — 
 in my boyhood, breezy, healthy heights, now being fast 
 covered with crescent terraces, streets and squares, but 
 very beautiful and health-giving still from their command- 
 ing height above the river Avon, here crossed (from St. 
 Vincent's Rocks to Leigh Woods) by one of the highest 
 and most beautiful suspension bridges in the world. Its 
 height above the river is 270 feet and the view from it up 
 and down the lovely winding stream magnificent, with 
 stupendous cliffs on one side and umbrageous woods on 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 53 
 
 the other, and far beneath in the chasm, river, ships, 
 houses and men. 
 
 Bristol was the first city to establish steam communi- 
 cation with America, the "Great Western" being built 
 here. I saw her launched in 1838. Well, they are wait- 
 ing for us in the West, and off we go by the Great West- 
 ern Railway — broad-gauge, and I think the finest line I 
 ever travelled on, and at the greatest speed. While on 
 this subject I want to tell you that we made it a rule to 
 always travel by third-class carriage — not, mind you, the 
 third-class carriage of former years, uncushioned, unven- 
 tilated, and on some lines uncovered, but comfortably 
 upholstered and padded, both seats and backs, as high 
 as your head, and travelling at high speed, on a mixed 
 train of first and second class. Highly respectable people 
 go in them, the rougher class generally using smoking 
 cars, of which there are several in each train. We met 
 on this very journey with two ladies, one of whom was a 
 relative of the Bishop of E. going to visit him, and the 
 other a member of an Anglican Sisterhood, whose brother 
 we discovered was First Lieutenant of N's ship, and 
 several others, evidently ladies and gentlemen, from some 
 of whom we received much information as to the places 
 of interest on our route, and enjoyed their pleasant society 
 and conversation. This remark will fully apply to our 
 many journeys up and down the land ; the day of the 
 traditional taciturn and chilly Englishman who could 
 not speak without an introduction is, I fancy, passed. 
 The school-master has been abroad, and so, too, has the 
 insular Briton, thanks to cheap rail and steam. Leaving 
 Bristol at 9:15 a. m., passing Weston-super-Mare, Bridge- 
 
54 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 water, Taunton, Wellington — from where the great Duke 
 took his title, a tall column being erected on a hill near 
 by in his honor — we passed across the fair county of 
 Somerset into lovely Devon, arriving at Exeter about 
 2 p. m.j catching a passing view of its magnificent cathe- 
 dral, of which I will tell you on a subsequent visit. 
 
 Crossing the river Exe, we speed on through most 
 beautiful and diversified scenery, past Ponderham castles 
 — old and new — seats of the Earls of Devon ; Exmouth, 
 on the estuary of the river, with a glorious view of the sea ; 
 Starcross, a charming seaside place, beneath a spread- 
 ing yew in whose church-yard Bos well made a vow, all 
 too quickly broken, never to get drunk again ; Dawlish, 
 etc., along the seacoast, with red sandstone rocks in 
 most fantastic shapes, and here, turning more inland, past 
 some of the prettiest villages in England, we got to Mut- 
 ley, a suburb of Plymouth, at 4 p. m. N. was awaiting 
 us at the station with his servant, in whose charge our 
 baggage was left. A few minutes' walk brought us to the 
 house ; a row of five little expectant faces, whom we had 
 never seen, at the nursery window ; dear A., who was not 
 well enough to go out at the door, and all our fatigues 
 were quickly forgotten, long years of separation vanished, 
 and the pilgrims were at rest, after their long journey by 
 land and sea. 
 
 Now, to tell you something of this ancient town of 
 Plymouth and its environs. Do not fancy from my 
 use of the term ancient, in what I have to say of English 
 towns, that I by any means desire to convey the idea of 
 decrepitude ; far from it, for nothing astonished me more 
 than the vigorous life displayed in many of these old 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 55 
 
 towns in the way of new streets, fine buildings, and 
 improvements of every kind. In the new suburbs of 
 many, especially, and what pleased me much, was to 
 see little signs, but yet of great significance, pointing to a 
 growing sentiment of kindly feeling between the two 
 great branches of the English-speaking family. I allude 
 to the frequent repetition of the name of the late lamented 
 President Garfield, as here in Plymouth only I noticed 
 several terraces, places and descents bearing his name. 
 
 But to resume : Plymouth's origin is almost lost in 
 the mists of antiquity, its splendid Sound having made it 
 always from the earliest times a noble harbor. Properly 
 it consists of three towns, and is often called by the inhab- 
 itants " The Three Towns," viz., Plymouth, Stonehouse 
 and Davenport ; but, practically, is but one. This, as 
 you are aware, is a great military and naval station, 
 splendidly situated on what is generally known as 
 Plymouth Sound— a noble expanse of water into which 
 the rivers Plym and Tamar fall, and protected from ocean 
 storms in a great measure by the formation of the land 
 on the opposite shore of Mount Edgecomb, and by Drake's 
 Island. Still the entrance to the Sound was open to the 
 heavy seas rolling in from the Atlantic, and a magnificent 
 breakwater has been built, a mile in length, seventy-five 
 yards broad at its base and eleven at its top, and ships 
 now ride within it in perfect safety. It is constructed in 
 from three to seven fathoms of water, has a lighthouse 
 on the entrance end, a pyramidal beacon on the other, 
 and just within it a heavily-armed oval casemated iron- 
 clad fort, said to be one of the strongest in the world. 
 Indeed, the whole place seems to be thoroughly pro- 
 
56 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 tected with the forts of Picklecombe, Bovisand, and Drake's 
 Island seaward, and on the land side by a chain of 
 most formidable works of earth and stone from east to 
 west, surrounding the dockyards and arsenal completely 
 in a ring of fortifications. The stone forts look grim and 
 formidable enough with their heavy guns in casemates, 
 but the earthworks, being covered with soft, green turf, 
 and no cannon grinning in their embrasures, seem inno- 
 cent as Landseer's picture of " Peace." The view from 
 the Hoe, a high shoulder of rock, with a carriage road 
 running along the water's edge below, constituting the 
 sea front of Plymouth, and a most beautiful promenade, 
 is, in my opinion, almost unrivalled, being of considerable 
 extent and liberally provided with seats for the accom- 
 modation of loungers and pedestrians ; no vehicles or 
 horses are allowed on it. On the town side is a pretty 
 park, where one of the bands from the troops in garrison 
 plays at stated times. With fine houses and hotels front- 
 ing the sea, is a commanding bronze statue of Sir Francis 
 Drake, by Boehm. The celebrated Eddystone lighthouse 
 of Smeaton, taken down some time ago as unsafe, has 
 been re-erected here. 
 
 Looking seaward, the vast Atlantic stretches, dim and 
 grey, broken only by the thin line of the breakwater, 
 or long trail of smoke from some marine monster, or, on a 
 clear day, by the beautiful spire of the distant Eddystone 
 lighthouse gleaming like a ray of light. On your right is 
 the Hamoaze with men-of-war of every description, some 
 at anchor there, others in dock — from the old three-deckers 
 of 120 guns, now useless but for schoolships or storeships, 
 to the modern iron-clad monsters with turrets, and smaller 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 57 
 
 vessels of every type. Among the former I may mention 
 the " Royal Adelaide," " Implacable " and " Impregnable," 
 with other historic names; and of the latter " Black 
 Prince," " Defiance," " Bellerophon," " Shannon," "Incon- 
 stant," "Achilles," "Northumberland," "Hotspur," and 
 many others. On the shoreward side of it lies a grand 
 line of docks, basins, storehouses, steam factories, victual- 
 ing yards, marine barracks, hospitals, and other necessary 
 adjuncts of a great naval port and depot, but which I can- 
 not stop to describe — as well as large dock accommoda- 
 tion for merchantmen, giving the beholder an idea of the 
 vast power and wealth of the nation which owns it. 
 
 To your left is Sutton Pool, the old port for merchant- 
 men, and the Catwater, overlooked by the citadel, an 
 imposing structure capable of mounting 150 guns, built in 
 the reign of Charles II. — once, no doubt, considered very 
 formidable, but now, like its builder, obsolete and of little 
 use in modern warfare. 
 
 No Englishman or American can stand on this far- 
 famed Hoe, the fresh breeze from the sea blowing in his 
 face and rippling the waters of the Sound, without a feel- 
 ing of pride of race swelling up in his heart when he 
 thinks of the great deeds of his common ancestry in con- 
 nection with it. From here sailed the great mariners 
 Raleigh, Gilbert, Grenville, Davies, Frobisher, Cavendish, 
 and a host of other " adventurers " to the new-found world. 
 On its height, it is said, Francis Drake was playing his 
 historical game of bowls with some other old sea-dogs, 
 and which he would not leave till finished, when the 
 Spanish Armada was reported in sight. He and other 
 gallant spirits, favoured by the elements, providentially 
 
58 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 destroyed it and made England and America Anglo-Saxon 
 and free, instead of Spanish and oppressed. 
 
 From the step of the Barbican on Sutton's Pool, 
 just below to your left as you stand on the ramparts of 
 the citadel looking out to sea, these heroes and many more 
 sailed to humble the pride of Spain, to plant the cross of 
 St. George in nearly every nook and corner of the world, 
 and to create a newer and a greater Britain in the West ! 
 
 From here, too, on the 6th day of September, A. D. 
 1620, sailed the gallant and devoted band of Pilgrim 
 Fathers in the " Mayflower," to found another Plymouth 
 in a new world, and of their gallant enterprise no man 
 can yet foresee the wondrous results and benefits to 
 unborn generations. 
 
 Of the town itself, I do not purpose saying much, 
 though it is of considerable importance and size, with a 
 population of 80,000. I like it myself as a residence, 
 and some of its suburbs are charming, with many 
 handsome houses and villas, notably that of Mutley, 
 where we stayed. A stroll down the lines of Bedford and 
 George streets, filled with a varied crowd of towns-people, 
 blue-jackets and soldiers in uniform, was always very 
 interesting to me, next only to a brisk walk on the 
 bracing Hoe. The Seaforth Highlander, 60th Rifles, and 
 a red-coated line regiment were in garrison while we were 
 here ; and these with marines, artillery-men and sailors 
 made a gay crowd. The Guild-hall is a handsome modern 
 building, and St. Andrew's Church, nearly opposite, is a 
 fine old one ; on a tablet over the door is a stone with the 
 inscription : " H. VI. R. MCCCCLX." Once, I imagine, 
 the town was but illy supplied with water, and must 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 59 
 
 have often suffered in the many sieges it has sustained. 
 One of its suburbs is called " Penny-come- quick," and 
 the story goes that a noted well once existed there, and 
 that water was sold at a penny a pail ; hence the name 
 when the demand was frequent. Now it has abundance 
 of water brought in " leats," as they are called, from the 
 heights of Dartmoor, a very parent of rivers and brooks, 
 flowing in their necessarily devious sources some thirty 
 miles. The first was brought to Plymouth by the munif- 
 icence of Sir Francis Drake, then representing the 
 borough in Parliament, and its arrival was celebrated by 
 public rejoicing, the Mayor and corporation in their robes 
 going out to meet it. The country folk give another ver- 
 sion. They say that the women, being sorely distressed 
 for water, appealed to Sir Francis, who called for his 
 horse, rode out to " Dartymoor," found a fine spring, 
 which he bewitched with some magic words, and starting 
 back on the gallop the stream followed his horse's heels 
 into the town. Take either story you like, but the old 
 hero's leat is really derived from the river Meavy, and 
 the Mayor and corporation annually visit the source 
 and drink in water from it, " to the pious memory of Sir 
 Francis Drake," and then in wine, " May the descendants 
 of him who brought us water never want wine." 
 
 There is no end of excursions by land or by water to 
 be had from here into either of the counties of Devon or 
 Cornwall. N. and I used frequently to run for a few 
 miles by rail to some country station where we got out 
 and wandered through secluded Devonshire lanes into 
 the woods, or fields, with their green hedge-rows, studded 
 with daisies, cowslips and buttercups ; the cuckoo ever 
 
60 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 repeating his own name, and the skylark invisible in the 
 blue sky trilling his melody, and so back to catch a return- 
 ing train and be home ere dark. To me it seemed as 
 though two or three days were rolled into one, not from 
 weariness, for very existence was exquisite in the lovely, 
 cool bright weather, but from the many hours of daylight 
 and variety of incidents occurring during them. I wish I 
 could make you fully realize the beauty of it all ; the 
 deep, sometimes tortuous, romantic old country lanes that 
 have existed for so many centuries that they are worn far 
 below the surface of the surrounding country. It seems 
 almost a pity that utilitarianism demands their being 
 improved any. How we rejoiced in the noble oaks, elms 
 and beeches growing above them, and the wealth of spring 
 flowers now clothing their banks, with the gold and blue 
 of primroses and bluebells in profusion, violets, ragged - 
 robins, and all the host of spring beauties. Later on 
 flourish the fragrant hawthorn or Mayflower, honeysuckle, 
 wild rose, the gorgeous fox-glove, and in the autumn clus- 
 ters of hazelnuts, and great bunches of blackberries. I 
 was never tired of these rambles. Day after day we took 
 some of them — now to the pretty villages of Plympton 
 and Plympton St. Mary's, where Sir Joshua Reynolds 
 was born — both very ancient, with ruins of an old castle 
 and some remains of monastic buildings that existed before 
 the conquest. Other rambles took us to Horrabridge, 
 Marsh Mills, and many similar places ; but I should only 
 tantalize you with description and my unbounded delight 
 in it all, debarred as you are from the realization. 
 
 I saw some capital steeplechase races at South Brent ; 
 no professional riders or jockeys, but all the horses belong- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 61 
 
 ing to farmers or country gentry, and ridden by their 
 owners. The day was cool and bright, the landscape of 
 the greenest green ; horses, some of them first rate and 
 well ridden, jumping in good style over a much diversified 
 track, with a pale, tea-coloured Dartmoor stream, clear as 
 crystal, bounding one side of the course. It was altogether 
 a most enjoyable day. 
 
 Apropos of racing, I saw for the first time in my life 
 some bicycle races in the drill-yard of the Ragland Bar- 
 racks, a noble pile of buildings, the great event of the 
 day being a five-mile race, time, eighteen minutes, ending 
 in a dead heat. 
 
 One day we embarked at the Barbican in a small 
 steamer, and went up the river Plym, landing at Oreston, 
 and walked far into the country, and through the pretty 
 villages of Turn Chapel, and Hooe ; the beautiful grounds 
 of Radford, where I plucked my first bit of fragrant 
 " May," past some noble fortifications on the breezy up- 
 land overlooking the Sound, and back home, having com- 
 pleted many miles. 
 
 Another trip took us over Brunei's celebrated tubular 
 bridge across the romantic Tainar to the quaint old 
 borough town of Saltash, in Cornwall, whose Mayor takes 
 precedence of the Mayor of Plymouth. Old houses, with 
 balconies and balustrades, rise one above another from 
 the river's brink in streets so steep that iron posts are 
 put at short intervals across some of them to prevent 
 vehicles going down, as they never could come up again. 
 The climate is said to be most salubrious, so clear and 
 bright as often to remind you of the Sunny South. Its 
 old church is most interesting, and contains many tablets 
 
62 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 to naval officers killed in action or lost at sea. The fish- 
 wives of Saltash once bore the reputation of being 
 amongst the best boatmen in the " West Countrie," and 
 have on more than one -occasion borne off the prize in 
 regattas. 
 
 I must now tell you somewhat of longer excursions in 
 which M., A. and the elder children accompanied us, 
 made in a wagonette with a pair of horses, N. officiating 
 as our Jehu, some at this time, and others on a subse- 
 quent visit in the autumn. First of a trip to Leamoor 
 clay-mills, and Dartmoor, celebrated for the production 
 of beautiful porcelain clay found in the form of vast 
 deposits of disintegrated granite, the result of long ages of 
 storm, rain and sunshine, which, after numerous wash- 
 ings, is finally made into large oblong blocks, and shipped 
 to all parts of the world, even, they tell me, to China. 
 Many of the brilliant streams that take their rise on Dart- 
 moor are pressed into the service, and their beauty spoiled 
 by being made to look like streams of milk and water, for 
 the clay-works are numerous. 
 
 It was a lovely day, sunshiny and bright — quite cool 
 enough for us tropical plants, but we were well wrapped 
 up. The horses spun along over splendid roads and 
 country lanes, past villages and country seats, with such a 
 profusion of wild flowers I scarce can convey to you the 
 reality. By noon we were on the open moor, dreary in 
 its awful solitude were it not for the works and houses con- 
 nected therewith dotted here and there over the slope of 
 some hillside. Attaining the summit of the plateau, with 
 the cool, invigorating breeze making the blood dance in 
 our veins, we drove for a few miles on a fair road, by the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 63 
 
 side of which I saw a rude stone cross, said to mark the 
 spot where some poor wretch perished in a storm long 
 years ago. Retracing our track we got under the lee of an 
 old stone wall, on the soft velvety turf of the upland, a 
 crystal stream of water close by, and there we lunched — 
 you may be sure not before we wanted it, for the clear, 
 keen air had made us ravenously hungry. Taking an- 
 other route on our return, we passed through Ivybridge 
 and Plympton — the former one of the most charming 
 villages I have ever seen — and so back to Mutley, just 
 after sunset, having spent a most enjoyable day. While 
 on Dartmoor I may as well tell you of a later excursion, 
 made in the autumn by the same party, and in the same 
 manner. This time our route lay in a different direction, 
 into a vaster expanse of this wild moor, in its desolate 
 grandeur, and among streams not defiled by clay washings, 
 and surrounded with the mighty tors for which it is 
 celebrated. Dartmoor extends twenty-two miles north 
 and south, breadth about twenty miles, and height above 
 the sea ranging from 1 ,500 to over 2,000 feet. It is utterly 
 barren and rocky, with in many places dangerous bogs ; 
 the greater part, except in the valleys, clothed with 
 coarse grass, heather, whortleberry and moss. 
 
 Tradition says it was once covered with a vast forest, 
 but this I doubt. Where could trees have found suste- 
 nance in the boggy, stony and scanty soil? I imagine 
 the story comes from its having been proclaimed a royal 
 forest by the Conqueror, as it once abounded in wild game, 
 especially deer. The Dart, Teign, Tavey, Taw, and 
 numerous other smaller streams drain from this huge 
 store of peat and moss, most of them well stocked with 
 
64 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 speckled trout. The most striking features of Dartmoor 
 are the tors, enormous blocks and masses of granite, 
 crowning the hills around in all sorts of wild, fantastic 
 shapes, with strange names, redolent of the soil and of 
 our "pagan British and Saxon ancestors. Prominent 
 among them are Yes Tor, Cawsand Beacon, Hes Tor, 
 Whiten Tor, and a host of others. On one of the loftiest 
 is the ruin of an ancient hermitage, from whence it is said 
 a beacon -light flashed forth to those on land the arrival 
 of the great Armada. Excellent roads have of late years 
 been made across it in various directions, to Tavistock, 
 Moreton Hampstead, Ashburton, Princetown (the Dart- 
 moor convict establishment), Two Bridges, etc.; the two 
 latter places are on the wild expanse of moor. The 
 day was cool and gusty, with flying scud and an occa- 
 sional shower, blue sky and bright sun flashing in between. 
 I am afraid you and I would have pronounced it stormy ; 
 but, bless you, these English folk do not mind a little 
 rain, and well for them. They just put on an ulster or 
 overcoat, stout walking shoes — no rubbers — and off they 
 go, defying the elements. It was a constant source of 
 surprise to me to see the crowd of well-dressed men and 
 women in the streets in what, to us, was quite inclement 
 weather, the women's cheeks gleaming with health and 
 exercise. 
 
 Well, to resume : Off we went, over good roads, through 
 pretty villages, and ere long attained the plateau of the 
 breezy moor, frequently crossing and re-crossing Sir Fran- 
 cis Drake's Leap. Turning to our right we get to Prince- 
 town, where the celebrated Dartmoor Prison was built 
 for French prisoners in the Napoleonic wars, and of 
 
OUR PIL&RIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 65 
 
 which such wild tales are told. " For seven months in 
 the year," says a French writer, " it is a vraie Siberie, cov- 
 ered with unmelting snow. When the snows go away 
 the mists appear." " Imagine the tyranny of perfide Albion 
 in sending human beings to such a place." Notwith- 
 standing this terrible account, there are some very pretty 
 summer residences in the neighborhood ; but I do not 
 think I should care to live there when a snow-storm was 
 howling across the waste. It is there that many an un- 
 fortunate has been lost on that dreary moor in snow or 
 fog, and that a company of soldiers were once near 
 perishing when marching through this very place. What 
 it was ere roads were made, when travellers not only had 
 to encounter storms and tempests, but bog as well, is 
 awful to contemplate. The prison, which is very vast, 
 has been greatly improved of late years ; little doubt but 
 it was needed much, and a considerable extent of ground 
 on a slope below is in good cultivation. This was not 
 our destination, however, and as we had none of the 
 above trouble to contend with, off we went again to Two 
 Bridges, where is only a roadside inn, two or three cot- 
 tages, and an ancient stone bridge of two arches over the 
 clear, brawling waters of the Dart, here well stocked with 
 trout, and a great resort of lovers of the " gentle craft " in 
 the season, as the numerous fly -rods hanging in the pas- 
 sages of the inn testified. I saw several " whipping the 
 water," but I fancy without much result, the day being 
 too cool and bright. I should like much to spend a 
 couple of weeks here in the season. We lunched on the 
 margin of the stream, the day being fair now, with blue 
 sky, the fleecy clouds driving across it above our heads. 
 
66 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 That important function over, N., I, and M. T. — a bonnie 
 English lass of sixteen summers — started off for a walk 
 of about a mile and a half, over the wild moor, to visit 
 Wistman's Wood, supposed to be part of an ancient 
 Druidical forest, and cursed by one of the former priest- 
 hood, since which time the trees have never grown. Pass- 
 ing through the gate of a small farm-house yard, opened 
 for us by a little flaxen-haired maiden of four or five sum- 
 mers, mindful of prospective pennies, with her ten- 
 year old brother for a guide, off we set over the wild moor 
 and bog. He was active as a mountain sheep, bounding 
 from stone to stone, or from one dry, secure spot to an- 
 other, inviting us in west country Doric to follow, as we 
 did to our best ability ; but, alas ! we were not very suc- 
 cessful, and slipped, floundered, and fell into crevices* 
 between stones concealed by moss or grass, or into soft, 
 boggy places, over our shoes in water, M . T's clear, girl- 
 ish laugh ringing out merrily on the crisp air whenever 
 she herself, or one of her elders, came unmistakably to 
 grief. 
 
 Arrived at the spot we found growing, in the midst of 
 gigantic blocks of granite, a number of very ancient oak 
 trees — I should say several hundred of them — covered 
 with long, parasitical moss, and none of them more than 
 eight or ten feet in height, yet their weird, gnarled old 
 branches stretched out on either side for quite as many 
 feet. How they grow, what they are rooted in, or how 
 they stand the storms of this desolate region, passeth my 
 comprehension. I took one of the largest and grimmest- 
 looking of these by a limb, and was able to rock it to and 
 fro in its stony bed. Curiously enough, there are no 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 67 
 
 young trees coming up to take the place of these ancient 
 monarchs, though the rocks among which they grow are 
 covered with a dense mass of creeping and parasitical 
 plants, and you have to be very careful that you do not 
 slip between the boulders up to your chin — I did up to 
 my waist — in the summer time not very pleasant, as the 
 country folk say the wood is full of snakes and adders — 
 " long cripples " they call them — and is a great resort of 
 foxes. How we did enjoy it all ! Sky blue as sapphire, 
 the vast expanse of Dartmoor, with its grand hills and tors 
 around, and the awful solitude of the place; the fresh 
 breeze, full of health, driving the cloud-shadows across 
 the moorland ; the grim, weird, gnarled old trees, with 
 their secrets of the ages, at our feet, and beneath them 
 the dancing Dart, sparkling in the sunshine and hurrying 
 downward to the sea. 
 
 After an enjoyable cup of tea, with Devonshire cream, 
 at the inn, we started back as usual about sunset, and not 
 an ache or pain resulting from our wet feet or tumbling 
 about amid the granite blocks of Wistman's Wood. " 'Tis 
 a whish old place." 
 
 A few days subsequently the same party started on an 
 excursion to the Duke of Bedford's beautiful cottage and 
 grounds of Endsleigh. The day was decidedly boisterous, 
 with a strong breeze from the westward, and looked rainy 
 enough, but as our time was limited we braved the weather 
 and went. Our route lay for some distance over the same 
 part of Dartmoor as before, till we came to Roboro, thence 
 past Horrabridge and other villages, to the charmingly sit- 
 uated old town of Tavistock. Here we stayed awhile at 
 an excellent inn to rest and bait our horses. 
 
68 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 While they are feeding, I will tell you something of 
 what N. and I saw and learned in a short stroll we took. 
 The town lies in a trough of the hills on the banks of the 
 picturesque Tavy, and formerly was of much importance 
 from a magnificent abbey of Benedictines, founded by 
 Ordgar, Earldorman of Devonshire (son of the infamous 
 Elfrida), in the tenth century, and endowed with vast 
 wealth and lands. Some of the ancient buildings are still 
 to be seen near the inn, and in the yard, used as out- 
 houses, part of the old refectory. At the dissolution the 
 site, and nearly all the manors that belonged to the abbey 
 were bestowed by Henry VIII. upon John Lord Russell, 
 whose descendant, the Duke of Bedford, is now the owner. 
 The church opposite the inn is well worth a visit. The 
 tower, with battlemented parapet and pinnacle, stands on 
 four arches, and is thus a campanile, being one of the 
 three or four to be found in England. Some human 
 bones of great size were shown us, found in a stone coffin 
 in the old abbey, and said to be those of its founder. 
 Also, we saw part of an old Bible (the title page was gone), 
 with the chain still attached to it that used to fasten it in 
 the body of the church, so that it could be " read and 
 understanded of the people." The town is very pretty, 
 and has many charming walks about it, particularly one 
 by the riverside, outside the abbey wall. In this wall is 
 a gateway where, it is said, a duel was fought, in which a 
 former knight of the family of Fitz, slew Sir Nicholas Flan- 
 ning, both, I suppose, west country notables. The place 
 has suffered much in war and siege — probably from the 
 wealth of the abbey — from the time of the Danes, who 
 burnt and plundered it, down to the Parliamentary wars, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 69 
 
 when it was held for the King, but is peaceful as you 
 could wish it now. 
 
 It rained and blew hard enough during our stay here. 
 The ladies of our party did not go out, preferring the cozy 
 warmth of the inn fire, and yet we saw a man trolling for 
 salmon in the river. After noon it cleared up, and the 
 horses being rested, on we went, ascending from the town 
 into a country more beautiful, if possible, than any we 
 had seen, through the villages of Buckland, Monachorum 
 and Milton Abbot, with their charming gardens, pretty 
 cottages, and yew trees cut into the most fantastic shapes 
 I ever saw. Near by — but time would not permit a visit 
 — is Buckland Abbey, the present house built on the ruins 
 of an old Cistercian monastery by the great circumnavi- 
 gator, Sir Francis Drake, whose statue — a replica of that 
 on Plymouth Hoe — stands in Tavistock, where he was 
 born. 
 
 We were soon at the entrance of the beautiful grounds 
 of Endsleigh, anciently Innesleigh, where art and nature 
 have certainly seemed to vie one with the other to make 
 an earthly paradise. The cottage, for it is nothing more, 
 is picturesquely irregular and pretty, and no doubt com- 
 fortable ; but the vast extent of grounds, with miles of 
 roads and paths through them, the charming variety of 
 hill and dale, the perfect landscape gardening ; acres upon 
 acres of rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas, with every 
 variety of flowering shrubs and trees ; the land sloping 
 gently down to the Tamar, winding its circuitous course 
 below, makes a whole it would be hard to excel. Through 
 the larger trees on the higher land are cut vistas, giving 
 exquisite views into the vale below, where, on a terraced 
 
70 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 lawn of turf, now gorgeous with masses of brilliant autumn 
 flowers, stands the cottage, with the rose walk, a long 
 avenue of trailing roses, on the frame-work, arching over- 
 head, and the cypress walk, another one of noble trees, 
 ending in an exceedingly pretty grotto, lined with moss 
 and shells, in which bubbles up the clear stream of the 
 " wishing well." Lower down still, nearly on a level with 
 the river, on the bank of a pretty fish-pond, stands a 
 keeper's cottage, rustic and thatched, the porch covered 
 with honeysuckle and trailing roses. Here you can get 
 your kettle boiled, and every accommodation for picnic- 
 ing. Near by is the dairy dell, named so from the most 
 charming dairy — shaped like a small temple — I ever saw, 
 but I do not imagine it has been much used. All the 
 tables have fine marble slabs covering them, and the milk- 
 pans are of exquisitely painted china ; clear, crystal 
 streams of water running through it in all necessary 
 directions, around tables, and floor paved with Minton 
 tiles. A Swiss cottage, in the upper part of the grounds, 
 was unfortunately closed, as the woman in charge had 
 gone to visit some relatives. It is charmingly situated, 
 and judging from the number of names cut in the tables 
 for the use of visitors, that on the verandas must be a 
 favorite resort in the summer months. Among the names 
 I noticed many of our cousins from the United States of 
 America. Here is shown an antique china jug from which 
 the Queen has drunk, but it has a secret — I suppose im- 
 parted to her — that anyone not knowing it cannot drink 
 from it without spilling the contents over themselves. 
 
 We are charmed almost beyond expression with the 
 beautiful scene; but if so lovely as late as this in the sea- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 71 
 
 son, what must it be when the apparently endless extent 
 of rhododendrons are in bloom, and the wealth of summer 
 flowers ? Admission is obtained by getting an order from 
 the Bedford office at Tavistock, and the people in charge 
 are very civil and attentive. It was a mystery to me how, 
 in such almost inclement weather as I thought it to-day, 
 the dahlias, mignonette, etc., bloom so exquisitely in the 
 cottage gardens, and the cottager's children, looking rosy 
 and bright, run about the lanes seeking hazelnuts and 
 blackberries. If I were a flower I don't think I would 
 bloom at such a time. If you are not weary of excursions 
 (we never were), I think I may as well finish those in the 
 u West countrie " before we leave for " town." 
 
 Well, the same party as before, and by the same means 
 of conveyance, left on an early day in September for a 
 land-cruise into Cornwall, or "down-along," as Cornish 
 folk say. Crossed the Sound by steam ferry-boat — boat 
 hauled along by chain cables lying on the bottom and 
 passing over a peck-drum — from Key ham to Tor Point ; 
 thence passing through Tharouts to St. John's, at the head 
 of lake of the same name; through Auderton and Cremyll, 
 skirting Mount Edgcumbe Park, with its beautiful grounds 
 and herds of deer, up hill to Maker Church. On yet, 
 through the narrowest and most winding lanes we had 
 yet seen, but rich with wild flowers, to the trim villages 
 of Kingsand and Carsand— the home of fisher folk, on 
 Carsand Bay. Had we met any vehicle in these deep, 
 narrow lanes what could we have done? As it was we 
 nearly got into a " pilikia " in the funny, uneven streets 
 of the above quaint villages. A collier schooner was 
 lying in the mud in the bay discharging, and a procession 
 
72 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 of carts from her coming up a steep hill into the town 
 was unseen by us in its crooked street ; but the prescience 
 of a post-office uniform saved us. He had seen us coming, 
 and when the coal carts came in sight, ran back to warn 
 us, so that we were able to pull up in a sort of corner till 
 the unwieldy things had gone by, encroaching on the 
 pavement and nearly into people's parlor windows. Up 
 still we went to the village of Rame, on the head of the 
 same name, with its sturdy old church that has braved 
 centuries of storm, and is one of the principal landmarks 
 for reaching Plymouth Sound. 
 
 What a perfect day it was ! — a pleasant west wind blow- 
 ing ; the vast expanse of land and sea stretching far up the 
 coast of Devon and down the Cornish coast to Falmouth 
 Bay ; blue sky, blue ocean flecked with sunshine, and 
 numerous white sails lying far below us, and the sea birds 
 — tenants of the cliffs — wheeling and sailing around and 
 over us. On a headland near was the ruin of an ancient 
 chapel and hermitage, where a good old monk once trimmed 
 his beacon light to warn the mariner off the rocky coast. 
 The many churches in strange out-of-the-way places, or as 
 central points to scattered country hamlets, show how 
 thoughtful they were for the spiritual as well as the tem- 
 poral wants of their flocks in by-gone days. After an 
 enjoyable couple of hours, amid the varied heaths, yellow 
 gorse and passes of this elevated spot, our horses being 
 rested, down we went again, past farms and orchards, rich 
 with coming grain and fruit, through a country lane, till 
 we came out on the fine military road along the cliffs over 
 Whitsand Bay. What glorious views, and how the 
 horses did spin along, seeming to feel the influence of the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 73 
 
 noble scene and splendid weather ! Many holiday-makers 
 were about the cliffs, and on the beach below in some 
 little coves bordered with rugged rocks— probably towns- 
 folk staying at some of the farm-houses near. I almost 
 envied them the glorious sea, and yet it has sad memories 
 of wrecks and disasters, below us in one place being a 
 monument to the memory of a gentleman and his 
 two sons who were lost in the quicksands. Having left 
 behind us in a secluded bay a small fort and coastguard 
 station, after a few miles' drive we turned inland to the 
 important casemated fort of Teegantle, and thence through 
 the village of Anthony, back to Tor Point and Plymouth. 
 Such exquisite days as this do not often occur in one's 
 existence, so I suppose we appreciate them the more. 
 
 Now I am going to take you on an extended excursion, 
 even to the Land's-end ; and as it was likely to be a more 
 fatiguing trip than either of the preceding, M. and A. 
 decided to stay at home, Mari, N., and I making it alone. 
 So on a clear, bright day in the middle of September, we 
 left the Millbay station at 4 A. m, crossing Brunei's 
 famous bridge, through Saltash, seeing in the grey light 
 the junction of the Tamar and Tary , past Ince Woods and 
 Ince Castle, now a farm house, but once a square mansion 
 with a tower at either angle, in which a member of the 
 Killigrew family is said to have kept four wives at once, 
 each in perfect ignorance of the existence of the other 
 three. On through woods, orchards laden with fruits, by 
 farms and mills, we pass the straggling old towns of St. 
 Germans, Menheniot and Liskeard— close to which is the 
 "Well of St. Keyne," celebrated by Southey— Los Mi- 
 thiel, and lots of other places with queer Cornish names, 
 
74 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 till we come to Truro, a place of some importance. The 
 country has latterly much changed in appearance from 
 the soft beauty of the landscape that greeted oar eyes 
 when the sun rose. It is milder and more broken. Fre- 
 quent tall chimneys, big wheels and ugly piles of earth 
 and refuse, tell that we are among the tin mines of Corn- 
 wall. Time would not permit us to visit Tintagel — for 
 we had but this day — Camelford, said to be the Camelot 
 of the Idylls, and the Arthurian, haunted spots round 
 about us ; so on we rushed, getting to Penzance at 9 a. m. 
 What a charming, quaint old place it is, and so beautifully 
 situated on Mount's Bay. N. fell desperately in love with 
 it, and was for bringing A. and the " little maidens " down 
 here immediately. It was full of visitors and excur- 
 sionists, but as we did not wish to join the motley and 
 rather noisy crowds that start for Land's-end in huge 
 four-horse busses, or brakes, that await them at the sta- 
 tion, we chartered a trap and driver on moderate terms 
 to take us on. 
 
 After a good breakfast at a comfortable inn, near a 
 curious old town-hall, in a steep street named " Jew 
 Market" — everything is curious here — we sallied forth 
 to see the town, and give our before-mentioned friends 
 the start. It did not take us long, but it is very charm- 
 ingly situated on hill-sides, sloping down the beautiful 
 bay, with Mount St. Michael's castle-crowned islet stand- 
 ing about a mile from the beach. There is little doubt 
 but this is the very castle where the renowned " Jack-the- 
 Giant-Killer " slew the great Cornish Giant Blunderbore. 
 Tradition says the Mount was then some five or six miles 
 from shore, and that it was caused by the breaking of 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 75 
 
 Mrs. Blunderbore's apron-strings while carrying an apron- 
 ful of rocks across the bay. Its present possessor, Mr. 
 St. Aubyn, has nothing of the ogre about him, and visitors 
 are always welcome, but not as of yore, for sinister pur- 
 poses. The Mount is attainable at low water by a cause- 
 way, but how folks get to the castle on its summit with- 
 out an elevator — or "lift," as English people call them — 
 passes my comprehension on looking at it from the land. 
 There is a fine Marine Parade built facing the sea, with 
 very nice hotels and lodging houses, their fronts embow- 
 ered in jasmine, fuschias and roses, the climate being so 
 exceedingly mild and salubrious. While strolling here 
 the aforesaid brakes came along with merry crowds of 
 twenty or more in, and on, each of them, and all in turn 
 stayed to be photographed by one or other of the many 
 " artists " lying in wait to pick up 'Arry's stray sixpences. 
 And yet, only a short two hundred and fifty years ago 
 Turkish pirates landed here and carried off about sixty 
 of the people. What a haul they would have had to-day, 
 but how about tbe quality as slaves? No doubt the 
 bonny, rosy-cheeked English lasses would be appreciated 
 by their Moslem captors. 
 
 Our pleasant stroll over, we left, skirting along one 
 side of the bay through a pretty straggling fishing village, 
 and were soon in the open country among the fields, and 
 orchards now laden with fruit. Asking our Jehu if we 
 could purchase some, we got for reply, " Na surj they all 
 goes to Lunnun " — insatiate London. It is so with every- 
 thing, as packages of fish, fruit, etc., at every railway 
 station testify ! Passing some pretty villages, and notic- 
 ing on the roadside some ancient monumental stones, and 
 
76 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 a wayside cross, we came to a steep hill with a notice- 
 board and the inscription, " Cyclists are warned that this 
 hill is dangerous." At the bottom of it is an old inn with 
 thatched roof, bearing the ominous name of Catch-all. 
 Turning to the left we were soon at St. Busyan, where is 
 one of the finest old churches in the country. Outside of 
 the gate is an ancient cross on a walled basement, and 
 in the churchyard another, raised ori steps, bearing a rude 
 figure of the Saviour, and the date IIII. In the building, 
 which has a square, low crenellated tower, probably for 
 defence in wild times past, like most of the Cornish 
 churches, are the remains of what once must have been a 
 magnificently carved wood-screen, some of which, richly 
 painted and gilt with grotesque figures, and demons, amid 
 grapes and foliage, boldly carved, still stands. Within 
 the screen is a row of rude oak stalls, called ' k Misereres," 
 the seats of which are hung on a pivot in their center, so 
 that if the occupant was inattentive, or nodded over his 
 " breviary " on some warm summer afternoon, he was 
 very apt to be deposited upon his face on the chancel 
 flags. On the lower floor is carved a richly floriated cross, 
 with an inscription in old Norman-French, as follows : 
 " Clarice, the wife of Geoffrey de Balleit lies here. God of 
 her soul have mercy. Those who pray for her soul shall 
 have ten days' pardon." 
 
 From here we went on, leaving the leafy lanes, with 
 hedge-rows full of blackberries, behind us, into a much 
 wilder and more desolate-looking country, with the fences 
 formed of stones and turf, large fields, each with a big 
 heap of farm refuse, earth, and manure piled in its center, 
 and covered with gigantic cabbages, to be used, I suppose, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 77 
 
 for fodder in the winter time. Grain was looking poor 
 and stunted, but the root-crops apparently good ; no more 
 trim farm-houses and farming. 
 
 Arriving at Teeryn village, we found our excursionist 
 friends just setting out for Land's-end ; so leaving horse 
 and trap at the little inn, off we walked for the Logan 
 stone, through several fields, and over sundry old stone 
 stiles. Arrived in view of the ocean, the grand headland 
 of Teeryn Dinas, on the summit of which the stone stands, 
 is before you, wild and magnificent in the confused and 
 tumbled masses of granite of which it is composed. To 
 your right a sandy bay where the Indian and French 
 telegraph cables land, and the only place for many miles, 
 available for such a purpose, on this wild coast. 
 
 Preceded by our guide, winding through rocks and 
 boulders of grotesque shapes, we were soon at the foot of the 
 vast mass of granite, on top of which, some forty feet above 
 you, the loggin or rocking stone is poised. It is an enor- 
 mous block weighing about ninety tons, and once said to 
 be so evenly balanced that a mere touch would cause it 
 to rock, and yet supposed to be impossible to be over- 
 turned. Some foolish boast of this sort made a foolish 
 Naval Lieutenant, Goldsmith — nephew of the poet — over- 
 turn it with its cutter's crew, 1824. The admiralty or- 
 dered him to replace it, which he did, the Government 
 lending the necessary machinery, and the expense being 
 defrayed by public subscription. Holes, in which sheer- 
 legs once stood, and bolts to which gyes were fast once, 
 are still to be seen. Of course he did not throw it to the 
 earth, but only off its pivot against another rock ; nor did 
 he succeed in poising it so evenly that it will move as it 
 
78 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 did before. Now you require to put your shoulder against 
 it to make it do so. I did not try it myself, but N. and 
 the guide did. The situation looks altogether too perilous 
 with the small foothold you have, and the awful depth to 
 the boulder-strewn beach below. You have to climb up 
 the almost precipitous faces of two great rocks, worn 
 smooth by many feet, to get at it. A rope fastened some- 
 where above, and a few notches cut in the rock-face, 
 would make it comparatively easy, but of course that 
 would not suit the guides. With assistance from ours, 
 and from N's strong arms, I managed to clamber up, but 
 must confess to an eerie sort of feeling on looking down 
 into the awful chasms between the rocks below, and I 
 felt relief when on terra firma again. And yet some of 
 the plucky English girls clamber up, I think foolishly. 
 Specimens of rare and beautiful ferns are found here in 
 the almost inaccessible crevices of the rocks, one of which 
 we bought from an " old salt," who, as a boy, had " held 
 on" to a hawser when Lieutenant Goldsmith was expiat- 
 ing the consequences of his feats. 
 
 Horse and man refreshed, we resumed our journey 
 into wilder and more desolate regions still, past poor and 
 scattered cottages, with stacks of peat-moss and furze — 
 the latter kept from the fury of the winds, that at times 
 must howl across this waste, by great stones piled on top 
 — intended for winter use. About a mile from our destina- 
 tion is the squalid village of Treviscan, consisting of a 
 few houses built of cyclopean blocks of granite rudely 
 wrought by hammer, the window and door jambs, and 
 lintels being of enormous size. They are thatched with 
 heather or gorse, kept in its place by great stones. I 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 79 
 
 could not have*thought such human residences existed 
 anywhere in England ; they look astf they had been there 
 for centuries, and one wonders who were the builders, and 
 how they raised the heavy stones. We are soon at the 
 famed Land's-end itself, where is a fair inn open in sum- 
 mer only, and the view from here, with the Irish Sea on one 
 hand and the English Channel on the other, over one of 
 the sternest rocky coast scenes imaginable, the wild ocean 
 waves one hundred and twelve feet beneath, is almost 
 indescribably grand. Rocks of most fantastic shapes, and 
 with most fantastic names, run beyond into the sea, but 
 detached from Seal point, on which you may lie flat on 
 your face, and look into and shudder at the awful abyss 
 and turmoil of waters at its base. Before I had got close 
 down I imagined I saw many of the folks who had pre- 
 ceded us, on some of the outer rocks. A nearer view showed 
 me the rocks were detached from the mainland, and my 
 supposed tourists, regiments of great sea fowl standing 
 upright and looking unconcernedly, for they knew they 
 were safe. 
 
 The descent from the elevated land above is not very 
 easy, the short grass and heather being slippery, and yet 
 in 1804 a dragoon officer had the temerity to ride a 
 spirited mare down to the point. The beast growing rest- 
 less, he wisely dismounted, but while leading her back by 
 the bridle she took fright and backed over the precipice. 
 N. would not suffer me to lie on my face and look over 
 it without holding fast to my legs, rather humiliating, 
 wasn't it? We were fortunate in having a beautiful day, 
 with the sunlight dancing and sparkling on the waves at 
 sea, and as they rushed in masses of foam on the weird 
 
80 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 basaltic rocks stretching from the land, or on the slender 
 shaft of the Largesjiips lighthouse beyond — between 
 which and the shore there is a passage, for we saw a trad- 
 ing steamer go through into the Bristol Channel. Clear as 
 it was we could not see the Scilly Islands, which a Cor- 
 nish tradition says were once connected with Cornwall by 
 a tract of land called Lyonese — the Idylls again — contain- 
 ing one hundred and forty parish churches. All this was 
 submerged in one night, a man by the name of Trevillian 
 alone escaping on horseback to tell the tale. On the bluff 
 a short distance above is a small cottage where curiosities 
 in the shape of geological specimens, charms made of 
 serpentine, and photographs, are sold, kettles boiled for 
 picnicers, etc. It bears a sign, on one side of which is 
 the legend " The first house in England," and on the other, 
 " The last house in England." I can hardly analyze my 
 thoughts and feelings as I stood here with the vast Atlan- 
 tic stretching in front, and almost around us. One thought 
 I know was present, that it was the nearest spot of English 
 earth to our sunny home and those we held so dear. 
 
 Returning, we took another route to Sennen, the fine 
 old church being a very conspicuous landmark near four 
 hundred feet above sea level. The front has a Latin in- 
 scription setting forth that " This church was dedicated 
 on the festival of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, 
 1441." In the village, near the church and a few yards 
 from the road, is a large rock called " Table maen," on 
 which tradition says three — or some say seven — Kings 
 once dined together on a journey to the Land's-end, about 
 A. D. 600. Merlin has prophesied that a larger number 
 will meet here for the same purpose previous to the de- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 81 
 
 struction of the world — Pela paha ! Further on, an an- 
 cient wayside stone cross is seen, and several Druidical 
 stones, among them a circle of nineteen, but some are 
 fallen ; these are called the " Dawns Maens," or dancing 
 stones, and said to be young women punished so for danc- 
 ing on Sunday. In a field across the road are two large 
 granite pillars ; these were the " Pipers " on the occasion. 
 
 How full this land of Cornwall is of legend and tradi- 
 tion, and so peculiarly rich in ancient stone crosses, as 
 well as Druidical remains. Every place has its own wild 
 tale, and little wonder, it is so utterly unlike the peaceful, 
 beautiful looking country the traveller must pass through 
 to attain it. Its very wildness and desolateness must have 
 had great influence on the fervid imaginations of its for- 
 mer Celtic inhabitants. 
 
 Leaving the bold sea coast and turning into the more 
 agricultural looking part of the country, we were soon at 
 Penzance. Took train again for Plymouth, where we ar- 
 rived at 8 p. m., rather tired, but having had a day so per- 
 fectly enjoyable and full of interest that I shall never 
 forget it. 
 
 Now I am going to ask you to go back with me for 
 near forty years — don't start — while I explain a little. 
 When M. and I were wed, our bridal trip was to have 
 been to London, but sudden and unexpected orders came 
 down to join my ship, which rendered it impossible. A 
 subsequent chain of events beyond our control had made 
 it equally so until now, but as this had ever been one of 
 our day dreams, we were very thankful its accomplish- 
 ment was near, and on the 29th of May, M's birthday, 
 started for London on our wedding-trip, solacing ourselves 
 
 6 
 
82 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 with " better late than never." It was with no small trep- 
 idation on my part that we began our journey ; neither 
 of us had even visited the " big town," and our quiet life 
 of many years past had, I feared, rather unfitted us for 
 what we were about to experience. Yet, declining with 
 thanks N's offer of placarding us as to where we were to 
 be returned to if lost, off we set by London South- 
 western Railway for town. Skirting the western side of 
 Dartmoor brought us to Tavistock, Okehampton, and 
 Exeter; thence to Yeovil, and Salisbury in Wiltshire, with 
 its beautiful cathedral spire four hundred feet high ; past 
 Salisbury Plain, on which are the vast Druidical remains 
 of Stonehenge, and made classic ground by the genius of 
 Hannah More. Now through Hampshire, past Andover, 
 and Basingstoke, into Surrey. 
 
 Let me pause awhile to express my delight at the beau- 
 tiful country we are rushing through, with its thoroughly 
 cultivated fields, hawthorn hedges, that lend such a charm 
 to the landscape ; dreamy looking cattle in lush pastures 
 by quiet rivers ; and general appearance of high-class 
 finished farming — especially noticeable in well ordered 
 rick-yards and farm buildings — in the several counties on 
 our route. Devon is not noted for the perfect farming of 
 the Midland counties, but mayhap that gives it a charm 
 peculiarly its own. How pretty, too, are the many coun- 
 try stations you pass, or stop at, on the different lines of 
 railways. Trim, well-kept hedges each side of the tracks, 
 tasteful buildings, and gardens full of the most lovely flow- 
 ers ; at some of them in our wanderings up and down the 
 land, we saw the most beautiful roses I think I have ever 
 seen. The reason for the perfection of these gardens is, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 83 
 
 that the railway companies give prizes to the station- 
 masters for the best show. The Metropolitan, and other 
 stations in large towns, though many of them very fine 
 buildings, are rendered hideous by the number of adver- 
 tisements of all kinds plastered over their walls. Colman's 
 Mustard, and Keene's Mustard, seemed to me to be the 
 chief offenders, and I could not help thinking that a 
 foreigner would be of opinion that the English people 
 lived on mustard ! It is often difficult amid the many 
 advertisements to find out the name of a station. A story 
 is told of a lady asking a French gentleman who was her 
 fellow passenger, what station they had arrived at, and he 
 replied : " I believe, madame, it is Colman's Mustard." 
 
 Well, to resume : On we go past Woking, getting into 
 the region of market-gardens, schools, mansions, villages 
 and small towns, so numerous and close together, you 
 cannot exactly tell where one ends and the other begins, 
 till suddenly you find yourselves running over tops of 
 houses and busy streets ! I look at M. and say, can this 
 be London ? A lady fellow-traveller, who had been very 
 kind to M., people seemed intuitively to know that we 
 were pilgrims, and strangers, looks up with a quick smile 
 and says, "Yes, sir, this is London." Little need for the 
 assurance, as looking ahead our eyes caught sight of the 
 noble dome of St. Paul's, to the left the gilded pinnacles 
 of the palace of Westminster, and to the right the grim 
 old Tower, "on the pool." On stopping at Waterloo- 
 road station, I was for a while dazed by the apparent con- 
 fusion, yet there is nothing but most perfect order in 
 these great metropolitan termini ; how, otherwise, could a 
 thousand trains pass in the twenty-four hours through 
 
84 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Clapham Junction and no accident occur ? M. was cooler 
 and more collected than I was, so acting on her advice, 
 to " do as others did," I got a porter to call a cab, and in 
 a few minutes we and our belongings were rolling over 
 Waterloo bridge, across the historic Thames, to Craven 
 street. What a quiet, pleasant street it is, with its com- 
 fortable Queen Anne's houses — in one of which, two or 
 three doors below us, Benjamin Franklin once lived, as an 
 inscription on the wall relates. Its lower end debouches 
 on the Thames embankments and its upper into the roar 
 and traffic of the Strand, consequently it is the center of 
 everything, and close to everywhere, and yet withal so 
 quiet. 
 
III. 
 
 GREETINGS over and ablutions performed, our kind 
 hostess — who seemed to take to us at once — suggested 
 that as we had an hour before dinner, we should stroll 
 down to the river, and back by Trafalgar Square. " No 
 fear of losing our way ?" " Oh, dear, no " — with a merry 
 twinkle in her eye — " If you do, ask a policeman ; he will- 
 set you right." Down the street we went past the mag- 
 nificent Hotel Metropole — opened two days later, and said 
 by good judges to be the finest in the world — and turned 
 into the embankment gardens, adjoining the residence of 
 the Duke of Buccleuch. What a boon, and beauty, these 
 open spaces are — walks, trees, green turf, flowers, garden 
 seats, and in front of you the grand old river with its 
 noble embankments, adorned with rows of trees, statues, 
 seats, and splendid promenade. Leaning over the coping 
 that borders the stream, we could hardly realize that our 
 dream of forty years was fulfilled, and that we were in- 
 deed in the great modern Babylon, the center of the civil- 
 ized world. 
 
 But a glance up and down the " great highway of the 
 nations " which ends at London bridge, a mile and a half 
 down stream, with its crowd of river craft, and the stately 
 buildings on its banks, was incontrovertible evidence that 
 it was so. It was a lovely May evening, and so we strolled 
 nearly up to Westminster bridge, returning to rest awhile 
 
 85 
 
86 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 in the pretty garden ; thence up Northumberland avenue, 
 on the upper end of which the palace of the Percies once 
 stood, with its well-known lion over the entrance, into 
 Trafalgar Square, called by some "the noblest site in 
 Europe." It is certainly a splendid square, with fine 
 buildings around it, among which, on the upper side, is the 
 National Gallery ; a large fountain in its center; many 
 statues adorning it, prominent among them the Nelson 
 column, with Landseer's four great lions at its base. 
 Turning thence into the Strand with its two crowded 
 streams of traffic setting steadily and ceaselessly east and 
 west, and being kindly piloted across them both by a 
 genial blue-coated giant, a few minutes brought us to the 
 quiet haven of Craven street, feeling perfectly at home, 
 from henceforward having no fear of London or the Lon- 
 don streets, and thorough confidence in Bobbie! 
 
 I do not purpose inflicting on you long accounts of all 
 we saw, did, or heard, during our three different visits to 
 fair London town, but as we enjoyed it all so immensely — 
 yes, that's the word — will try to give you some idea why 
 we did so. 
 
 Next morning was a glorious day, and we commenced it, 
 accompanied by one of the kindest and most charming lit- 
 tle cicerones, with a visit to the Houses of Parliament. No 
 admittance ! I began to waver in my faith in Bobbie, 
 who refused us entrance, until I found that both the Pal- 
 ace of Westminster and the Tower of London were closed 
 to the public since the dynamite outrages. Turning back, 
 we entered the noble pile of Westminster Abbey just be- 
 fore the conclusion of matins. Without writing a book 
 I could give you but faint idea of this grand old abbey 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 87 
 
 with its nine chapels, north and south transept, and aisles, 
 nave and choir, absolutely crowded with groups of statu- 
 ary which detract, I think, in some cases from the grandeur 
 of the whole by their numbers. Its early history is 
 almost lost in the mists of ages, but tradition says that 
 Sebert, king of the East Saxons, who died in 616, was 
 about to consecrate the then abbey built by him, but 
 that St. Peter, accompanied by angels and surrounded by 
 glorious light, was beforehand with him, and did it him- 
 self in the night previous to the day appointed for the 
 ceremony. 
 
 One thing is certain, Edward the Confessor built a 
 magnificent structure for that age on this site, and the 
 munificence and piety of many subsequent monarchs has 
 left England the proud possessor of the abbey as it now 
 stands. Its architectural beauty, within and without, you 
 well know from the numerous pictures of it you have seen, 
 so familiar is it to every Briton whether they have been m 
 London or not. But no pictorial representation, however 
 vivid, can convey to your mind the almost awful feeling of 
 reverence you must experience on entering its august 
 portals, and knowing that you are standing amidst so 
 many of a mighty nation's mighty dead. Kings, queens, 
 warriors, statesmen, poets, all that is great " in arms, and 
 art, and song," lie around you. What other nation can 
 show such a Pantheon ? Do not think me rhapsodical, 
 but when I walked silently among them, with the rich 
 light of the painted glass streaming down upon bust, 
 tablet, and " storied urn," in the Poet's corner, my heart 
 came into my throat, almost choking me, and for a while 
 I was oblivious of our work-a-day world. Around us, 
 
88 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 what names from Chaucer, Shakespeare, Spencer, " Rare 
 Ben Jonson," Milton, Addison, and the long list of shining 
 lights in our English literature, down to the familiar 
 names of Macaulay, Thackeray, Dickens and Longfellow, 
 of our own day! All that was mortal of many of these 
 great men was laid here, and you cannot help but feel 
 how insignificant you are in such company, and yet how 
 difficult to tear yourself away. Time and time again I 
 returned to this corner, in the south transept, and never 
 left it but with a feeling that I must go again. 
 
 A few words as to the beautiful chapel of Henry VII., 
 to which you enter by marble steps, through exquisitely 
 wrought gates of brass, rich in design and ornamented 
 with roses, thistles, crowns, the three lions of England 
 and the initials R. H. Its gorgeous ceiling is wrought in 
 stone in such intricate tracery that I cannot describe — 
 looking like fairy stalactites — you are familiar with from 
 pictures; also the beautifully carved stalls with Gothic can- 
 opies, and the banners of the Knights of the Bath above, 
 many dropping to piece3 with age, on either side of the 
 chapel. But I wish you could see the brass chapelry and 
 tomb of Henry VII., and his queen, in the center, with their 
 recumbent figures lying side by side upon it. The gate of 
 this beautiful railing is kept locked, and so very rich is it 
 in all its details of execution that common opinion believes 
 it to be of gold. Most of the English sovereigns from 
 Henry VII. to George III. lie here ; and particularly 
 beautiful is the canopied tomb of Queen Elizabeth, and 
 the superb monument to Mary Queen of Scots, erected by 
 her son James I., who also is buried here. Time will not 
 permit a fuller description, nor do I wish to weary you. 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 89 
 
 Now we will go to the chapel of St. Edward the Con- 
 fessor, containing his shrine, " once the glory of England, 
 but now much defaced, and robbed of its beauty by 
 devotees anxious to possess some stone or dust from his 
 tomb." It is grievous to see how vandals have carved 
 their pigmy names, or initials, on so many of the tombs, 
 or monuments, in this and other parts of the building, but 
 they are too well looked after now for it to be permitted 
 any more. This chapel with its dim religious light, and 
 many monuments of mighty dead, cannot fail to impress 
 deeply the beholder. Beside the ashes of the illustrious 
 king whose shrine it is, it contains the tombs and remains 
 of Henry III., Queen Eleanor, Henry V. — Harry of Mon- 
 mouth, his recumbent figure being headless, supposed to 
 be stolen, as it was said to be of silver — Edward III., 
 Queen Phillipa, Margaret Woodville, Richard II., and his 
 queen ; also the superb tomb and coronation chair of the 
 first Edward. This chair, which has since been used at the 
 coronation of all English sovereigns, has under its seat a 
 stone brought by that king from Scone, in Scotland, on 
 which their ancient monarchs used to be crowned, and 
 said to have been Jacob's pillow during his angelic vision. 
 Many other interesting objects I have not space to describe. 
 
 The seven remaining chapels, beautiful and full of in- 
 terest, as some of them certainly are, you must go and see 
 yourself, as I fear I have lingered too long already. But 
 when you do go, do as we did, dispense with a guide, but 
 get a guide-book, and then you will not be hurried from 
 one object of interest to another, and can linger longest 
 where you feel the greatest attraction. How beautiful it 
 all is ! How gorgeous the many painted windows ! How 
 
90 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 sonorous, and yet how soft and sweet, the tones of its four 
 organs — one at each angle of the transept — all played by 
 one performer at the same time, and the voices of the 
 choristers rolling up and dying away amid the long-drawn 
 aisles, arches and tracery of the roof, I must leave to your 
 imagination ; we thought it sublime. And yet, after wor- 
 shipping here on different occasions, on one of which we 
 heard the Rev. Edwin Price, Minor Canon, preach an ex- 
 cellent sermon, I cannot but confess to a feeling that the 
 services were not as inspiriting, warm or ornate, as the 
 august fane seemed to demand. 
 
 The next church visited by us was the ancient one of 
 the Knights Templars, in Fleet street, now belonging to 
 the Benchers of the Middle and Inner Temples. It has 
 recently been restored and the monumental effigies of its 
 former owners, of which there are many recumbent in the 
 nave, renovated and repaired. It is considered one of the 
 most beautiful relics of Norman architecture in the king- 
 dom ; and also celebrated for the excellence of the singing, 
 and general beauty of the services. It is often difficult 
 to obtain seats, unless you have an order from a Bencher, 
 but our kind friend explaining to a solemn verger in long 
 black gown that we were from the far Sandwich Islands, 
 we were shown to excellent seats in the chancel — M. on 
 one side, I on the other, as the sexes are divided. It 
 was Trinity Sunday, and the church was full, the services 
 choral — with antiphonal singing by a surpliced choir, all 
 male voices — beautiful throughout and the anthem truly 
 sublime. How we did enjoy it, never having heard any- 
 thing so perfect in prayer and praise before. Service ended, 
 we descended through the historic Temple gardens, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 91 
 
 famous for their chrysanthemums, and celebrated by- 
 Shakespeare as the scene of the plucking of the red and 
 white roses — badges of York and Lancaster — on to the 
 Thames embankment ; past Somerset House, formerly the 
 palace of the Protector of that name; Cleopatra's needle; 
 and the river glancing in the sunshine, with its host of 
 holiday-makers, most of whom, poor souls, can get out 
 no other time, back to our quiet street. The afternoon we 
 devoted to two lady friends of ours in Chelsea, both of 
 whom were past the utmost limit of life allotted by the 
 psalmist, and had known us as boy and girl. How cheer- 
 ful and bright they were, and how delighted they and 
 their children were to see us, and we them. We had there 
 and subsequently many happy reminiscences of early days, 
 and many, alas ! all too tender and sad, of dear departed 
 ones. To them we were in kindly imagination boy and 
 girl still, and our Christian names familier in their mouths 
 as household words. 
 
 A subsequent Sunday took us to St. Paul's Cathedral — 
 Sir Christopher Wren's magnificent creation — to matins, 
 where the services were beautifully rendered, with es- 
 pecially excellent chanting and singing, the Rev. Harry 
 Jones preaching a powerful and stirring sermon. This 
 superb structure, whose noble dome is visible all over 
 London, and so well known that it is the first object that 
 strikes a stranger's attention, is situated in the heart of 
 the city — I had almost said in the center of the civilized 
 world, for within a few minutes' walk is Lothbury, where 
 is the Royal Exchange, as well as the residence of the old 
 lady of Threadneedle street, the slightest rise or fall in 
 whose pulse causes a tremor in that of thousands all over 
 
92 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 the globe. It stands on the top of Ludgate Hill, on the 
 site of an ancient Temple of Diana. Since then several 
 Christian churches have occupied the spot, but this, the 
 grandest of them all, was begun in 1675, and finished, but 
 not completely, in 1710. The architect's grand designs 
 have not even yet been fully carried out, and the beautify- 
 ing and painting of the interior of the magnificent dome 
 is still being proceeded with. It is a gorgeous fane, 
 splendid and vast in its proportions, being nearly half a 
 mile in circumference, and the elevation of the cross on 
 its top 404 feet from the foundation. When you enter 
 you are struck by the lofty vaulting and noble concave 
 soaring above you to such a vast height. Like West- 
 minster Abbey, it is full of monuments to the mighty 
 dead, among them John Howard, Dr. Johnson, Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, Sir John Moore, Abercrombie, Nelson, Welling- 
 ton, and a host of others. In the crypt lie the bodies of 
 the last named two, with other eminent men. The tomb 
 of Wren, its builder, has the following inscription in 
 Latin : " Beneath lies Christopher Wren, the architect of 
 this church and city, who lived more than ninety years, 
 not for himself alone, but for the public. Reader, do you 
 seek his monument? Look around!" We did not ascend 
 into the dome, nor did we go down into the crypt ; time 
 was all too short for the latter, and M. does not like dizzy 
 heights, nor had I forgotten our experience at the whirl- 
 pool rapids. 
 
 In the evening our usual custom was to attend vespers 
 at the chapel of St. Mary-le-Savoy, in the Strand. It is 
 what is called a Chapel Royal, but why I do not know ; 
 there are several in London. All the prayer books and 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 93 
 
 hymnals in this one are marked as the property of the 
 Queen. The Savoy, of which this was the chapel, was 
 formerly the palace of the Dukes of Lancaster, and this 
 building has recently been restored by the Queen. It is 
 small and the sittings allotted to parishioners, but our 
 kind friends took us with them and we always heard 
 good sermons, had a calm, pleasant, soothing service — 
 such a contrast to the roar and bustle of the Strand we 
 had but just left — in the quiet chapel with the evening sun 
 streaming in rich light through its beautiful windows, 
 one of ^vhich was a thank-offering for the recovery of the 
 Prince of Wales. 
 
 Hospital Sunday we attended Mr. Spurgeon's Taber- 
 nacle. On entering at the outer gate you are given an en- 
 velope. I do not know if this custom always obtains, or 
 only on this particular Sunday ; in this you enclose your 
 offering and drop it into a box on the wall. Entering the 
 vast edifice, capable of seating many thousands of people, 
 you are directed, if a stranger, to sit on a flap-seat attached 
 to the end of the regular pews in the aisle until the own- 
 ers or usual occupants are all seated, and then shown to 
 your place. We were spared this by the kindness of a 
 lady taking us into her sitting, near the pulpit, for which 
 I felt very grateful. Immense as the building is, it was 
 soon full and prompt to time the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon ap- 
 peared. I should have known him at once by the many 
 photographs I have seen of him, but I thought he looked 
 tired and careworn. This soon passed off, however, when 
 the reverend gentleman began the services of the day. 
 He is a truly wonderful, as well as a good man, and the 
 marvellous flow of his oratory in pure nervous Anglo- 
 
94 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Saxon English, whether in the soft pathos of prayer, or 
 the grand exuberance of praise and thanksgiving, seemed 
 to me an almost godlike gift. The congregational singing 
 by so many voices, aided by a noble organ, was very fine, 
 the hymns and their tunes being given out by the pastor. 
 I did see in the newspapers next day the amount of offer- 
 tory collected on this occasion, but have forgotten ; I know 
 it was large. We should have liked much to have gone 
 to the Foundling, but somehow or other could never 
 manage it. Time seems to pass away so rapidly and there 
 is so much to see and hear. Would you believe it, we 
 never saw the British Museum ! 
 
 On the " glorious first of June," and a glorious day it 
 was too, we strolled into St. James' Park, and on the 
 parade ground in rear of the Horse-Guards, witnessed the 
 "trooping of the columns," by a large body of Royal Horse 
 Guards and about eight hundred infantry. A very im- 
 posing sight it was, and how perfect the evolutions of these 
 splendid troops. At the west end of this charming park, 
 and lying, as it were, between it and the Green Park, is 
 Buckingham Palace. On your right hand the stately 
 Mall, with Marlborough House, residence of the Prince of 
 Wales. Passing along the Mall in front of the palace, and 
 skirting Green Park up Constitution hill — on which the 
 pot-boy Oxford fired at the queen, and Sir Robert Peel 
 was thrown from his horse and killed — we crossed Picca- 
 dilly to Hyde Park Corner, and passed through the prin- 
 cipal entrance, where are five avenues, supported by 
 Ionic pillars, to see the meet of the Four-in-hand club. 
 How beautiful this line of parks is with their grand old 
 trees, noble houses, ornamental water, and verdant grass ; 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD, 95 
 
 and so entering at the " Corner," with Apsley house, late 
 residence of the Iron Duke, to your right and the great 
 statue of Achilles — erected by the women of England 
 from cannon captured in the Peninsular war — almost in 
 front, we came upon a scene perhaps unequalled in the 
 world; at all events, Londoners think so — another spa- 
 cious part stretching away westward past Knightsbridge 
 to Kensington Palace and gardens, with avenues, rides, 
 and drives all planted with stately trees. Numerous stat- 
 ues are scattered about, and a short distance off the 
 rather too ornate Albert Memorial, which you know from 
 pictures ; the Serpentine, with its aquatic fowl ; great 
 masses of rhododendrons and other flowering shrubs, all 
 at this season looking so glorious with their resplendent 
 colours set in the emerald of the grass. But the pride of 
 the Londoner is the Drive and Rotten Row, and hence 
 our visit to-day. We got chairs, of which there are any 
 amount for hire at a penny an hour, and took our seats 
 under the trees bordering the drive, already lined by a 
 double row of carriages on each side, filled with the rank, 
 beauty and fashion of this vast metropolis, and like our- 
 selves waiting for the coming of the coaches. By and by 
 a low, respectful hum among the thousands on foot, 
 horseback and in carriages, a sudden lifting of the gentle- 
 men's hats, and the charming and much loved Princess , 
 of Wales, with three of her daughters passes by, quietly 
 followed by the Duchess of Teck, whom everybody likes ; 
 the grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and many of the 
 nobility and aristocracy whose names are famous in our 
 country's story. Soon came the coaches themselves, on 
 the box seat of one of them the pleasant-smiling Prince of 
 
96 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Wales, looking a thorough Englishman, and bowing right 
 and left to his friends with that peculiar grace that has 
 made him so popular with the English people. We had 
 been here on Saturday and seen the Coaching Club turn 
 out with twenty -two coaches ; to-day there were only 
 eighteen of them, but what splendid turn-outs they are ; 
 built like the old mail-coaches, most elaborately finished, 
 guards' seat, horn and all the other necessary parapher- 
 nalia of a stage-coach and horsed with four magnificent 
 cattle. Some affect bays, some blacks, chestnuts, or greys, 
 and others have wheelers and leaders of different colours. 
 All their occupants, and they were well covered — for there 
 is no one inside — both male and female sit on top, and a 
 gallant show they make driving in procession from the 
 upper part of the park down to the " Corner," and thence 
 in the direction of Kensington. Crossing, a short distance 
 takes you to the Row and Lady's-Mile ; here another vast 
 assemblage of rank, beauty and fashion, on foot and on 
 horse-back. Lounging on the rails, chatting, or perhaps 
 flirting with the fair horse-women, are many of the " gilded 
 youth," others riding up and down at solemn pace ; 
 nearly all well mounted, but the ladies' riding-skirts too 
 short to suit my old-fashioned ideas of elegance, and not 
 many of them sitting their horses with the ease and grace 
 peculiar to our island girls. But I was much struck with 
 a fine aristocratic looking girl, with a natty groom "in 
 tops and cords " behind her, mounted on a splendid 
 trotting grey, and riding him at this difficult pace for a 
 lady, with an ease few, if any of our " Kaikainahines " 
 could attain. All the ladies have escorts, either a jolly 
 looking father, a brother, or a groom. What a gay and 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 97 
 
 splendid crowd it is, and how perfectly managed by the 
 attendant police. When you return to the u Corner " to 
 go out, where the five avenues for the carriages, horse- 
 men, and pedestrians all converge, you notice standing in 
 the central space a policeman quietly controlling the 
 assembled thousands who are moving to and fro, or 
 desirous of going out. When a block occurs, or a number 
 of folks on foot are desirous of passing, Bobbie simply 
 holds up his hand, not a word is spoken, and all the car- 
 riages passing and re-passing at right angles to the gate- 
 way stop instantly, and remain stationary as long as his 
 hand is held up. When the pedestrians are well over, a 
 wave of his hand right and left, equestrians and carriages 
 resume their respective courses, and all goes smoothly 
 till the park is cleared of its vast concourse. 
 
 On a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon, which is by far 
 the best day to go, not being crowded and entrance only 
 obtainable by members' tickets, we went to the Zoological 
 Gardens in the Regents' Park. This large and beautiful 
 park is on the northwest side of the metropolis, sur- 
 rounded with terraces of mansions, villas and private 
 houses, laid out in shrubberies and artificial lakes, being 
 plentifully intersected with roads and promenades. It 
 contains also the Botanic and Zoological Gardens. It 
 was full of people promenading, sitting under the um- 
 brageous trees, or listening to temperance lecturers or 
 field-preachers, several of whom we saw with fair audi- 
 ences. Our time was all too short to see much of the 
 park, and the Botanic Gardens we did not see at all. The 
 u Zoo " was all we had been prepared to see — a most com- 
 plete collection of almost every beast, bird, or reptile 
 
98 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 known to man — in paddock, dens, or aviaries, suited to 
 their respective habits or wants. The reptile house had 
 a particular fascination for me, and the collection was 
 very full and complete. M. soon quitted it, feeling, I 
 fancy, like Arthur Sketchley's Mrs. Brown, who " couldn't 
 abear them nasty, creeping things." The bird and mon- 
 key-houses, too, are large and handsome, with numerous 
 occupants, but we did not affect them much either, the din 
 and screaming being too great to be pleasant. We amused 
 ourselves chiefly by walking about the beautifully laid- 
 out grounds, or seeing the larger mammalia and carnivora, 
 and when fatigued, sitting on some bench and watching the 
 gay crowd of visitors passing to and fro. " Jumbo," alas ! 
 had gone, much, no doubt, to the sorrow of many a juvenile 
 Londoner, but had left some splendid specimens of his 
 race behind him. The collection consists of about two 
 thousand animals, and you may imagine would take no 
 small time to do justice to. Practically there is no limit 
 to the numerous opportunities afforded visitors to the 
 great metropolis for amusement, information, or pleasure. 
 A years' residence, even if one or more of the many 
 places available to the public were visited every day, 
 would not suffice for seeing half of them ; therefore, my 
 notices must necessarily be few and brief. Of course, we 
 saw Madame Tussaud's unrivalled wax-work exhibition, 
 wonderfully improved of late, and in splendid quarters. 
 Every country cousin going to town sees it, and admires 
 the long line of English sovereigns, from the earliest times 
 down to Queen Victoria, with many eminent men and 
 women of all countries and climes, even to Arabi Pasha. 
 We were much amused with Maskeleyne and Cook's per- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 99 
 
 formances, and especially those of the automaton " Zoe," 
 who draws excellent likenesses of prominent people in a 
 very, to me, inexplicable manner. 
 
 We visited several of the numerous theatres, but I will 
 only mention two or three — Drury Lftne, with its vast 
 stage and real water, where we saw Charles Reade's 
 *' Never Too Late to Mend " excellently acted, two scenes 
 in which pleased us much — one of a farm-yard with living 
 ducks swimming about in a pond, and pigeons flying 
 around a dove-cot ; the other, a river at sunrise, with a 
 stream of actual water falling in a cataract over a ledge 
 of rocks. At the pretty little Savoy we saw " The Mikado " 
 on two occasions, and were vastly pleased ; it was so well 
 put upon the stage, the singing, acting, dresses, and scen- 
 ery charming to see and hear. 
 
 We went, too, to the Lyceum, to see Henry Irving and 
 Ellen Terry in the very affecting play of " Olivia," founded 
 on Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield, and were much 
 charmed with their finished and perfect acting. At the 
 two last-named theatres the plays had been running I am 
 afraid to say how long, and yet it was necessary to get 
 your tickets a week or ten days beforehand, so crowded 
 were they every night. One evening at the Princess we saw 
 two of the professional beauties whose names have been 
 so familiar lately : Mrs. Langtry, in the play of " Peril," 
 an adaptation from the French, which we did not like; and 
 in one of the boxes — as a spectator — Miss Fortescue, whose 
 action against Lord Garmoyle made such a stir at the 
 time. The former is a beautifully formed woman, but 
 not so handsome as I had expected to see, and as an 
 actress by no means first rate — the latter, with her class- 
 
100 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 ical face, far the more charming of the two, her profile 
 being lovely. Mary Anderson, who is such a prime 
 favourite with the English people, we did not see, she 
 being in the provinces during our stay in town. 
 
 The Crystal Rfclace at Sydenham was part of our pro- 
 gramme, and twice visited. With its many courts, theatre, 
 great organ, endless variety of objects of interest, including 
 statues and pictures, the beautifully ' laid-out gardens, 
 temples and fountains, it is certainly a delightful place 
 to spend a few hours, or even days, for you cannot see it 
 all in one, the surrounding country adding so much to 
 the charm. Of the truly magnificent South Kensington 
 Museum I have but little to say, as we were only able to 
 afford time for one hasty visit, and certainly a week would 
 be all too short to do it justice. It is a regular embarrass- 
 ment of riches of everything rare, curious and beautiful, 
 and our brief time was principally taken up with the 
 Sheepshank collection, and the Cartoons of Raphael. I 
 am almost ashamed to dismiss the two latter places so 
 quietly, but I have so many more I wish you to accom- 
 pany me to that I cannot linger on as I fain would. 
 
 Now come with me to the " Inventions," and walking 
 through its many vast and lofty aisles, or courts, make 
 the best use time will allow of your eyes in seeing the 
 accumulated wonders and inventions from all the nations 
 of the world. Each quarter of the globe, and the differ- 
 ent peoples inhabiting them, are well represented in the 
 courts called by their respective names. All sorts of arts, 
 manufactures, and indeed almost every necessary of life is 
 exhibited, and can be purchased if required. The daz- 
 zling and wonderfully rich products of Eastern looms, carv- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 101 
 
 ing, cunning work in gold and silver, and handicrafts of 
 every kind ; superb furniture, china and glassware from 
 continental Europe ; magnificent pianos, useful machin- 
 ery of all sorts and kinds from " Our American Cousins," 
 with a literally endless variety of articles useful, as well 
 as beautiful — of which, of course, John Bull contributes 
 his quota — from everywhere, make a whole of which 
 you never seem to have seen enough. All the stupendous 
 machinery exhibited is in motion ; their beautifully 
 polished shafts gleaming in the sunlight streaming 
 through the crystal roof, decorated with myriads of flags, 
 has a charming effect. The whole extent of various 
 buildings and gardens is very vast, and during our fre- 
 quent visits the latter were gorgeous in flowers ; we were 
 ever losing our way in the labyrinth of courts, alleys or 
 paths, but had not long to wait for an official to set us 
 right. The place was always crowded, as many thou- 
 sands come up from the country by cheap excursion- 
 trains daily, during the summer, especially when the 
 gardens and fountains are illuminated by the electric 
 light in the evening. At the risk of being wearisome I 
 must tell you something of this, for I never saw anything 
 so beautiful. Well, picture to yourself a large open place 
 in the spacious gardens ; in the center, issuing from piles 
 of rock-work in an immense basin, are very powerful 
 fountains, throwing, I do not know how many jets of water 
 high into the air ; around the whole, elegantly designed 
 buildings used for conservatories, tea-rooms, band-rooms, 
 and other purposes of the exhibition. Noble trees and 
 shrubs artistically grouped, strolling under which, or sit- 
 ting on the numerous seats and benches, listening to the 
 
102 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 sweet strains of Strauss', or some other celebrated band, 
 are literally thousands of people watching the hands of 
 the clock on an illuminated dial in a tower of the main 
 building as they draw near 9. As the first stroke of 
 the hour falls on the ear what a wondrous change ! In- 
 stantaneously the clear darkness of the summer night is 
 illumined with a wondrous blaze of light ; every cornice, 
 moulding or projection of the buildings are ablaze with 
 coloured lamps ; each tree or shrub has its thousands, or 
 hundreds of them, according to their capacity ; the foun- 
 tains throw their magnificent jets high into the air, some- 
 times of one colour, at others mixed, green, red, blue, pur- 
 ple or white, and underneath the waters of the lakes are 
 shining glass globes of lambent fire of all imaginable col- 
 ours. This flashes on the astonished senses at once, and 
 makes a scene so beautiful and fairyland-like that no de- 
 scription of mine can convey to jour mind its beauties. 
 You are simply entranced by it. No exhibition of fire- 
 works I have ever seen — and we saw some very beautiful 
 the other night at the Crystal Palace — can at all compare 
 with it ; its beauty is unique ! 
 
 With an account of the extensive and well-stocked 
 aquarium I will not trouble you, but I must ask you to 
 come with me for a stroll through the streets of "Old 
 London," a wonderful reproduction, in another part of 
 the exhibition. Entering through a gateway with a bat- 
 tlemented tower on either hand, portcullis and all com- 
 plete, you find yourself in a narrow, crooked paved street, 
 with ancient houses, their second stories overhanging the 
 crowded way ; open shops beneath them, in which 
 artisans or handicraftsmen are seen pursuing their vari- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 103 
 
 cms callings in the habiliments and garb of centuries long 
 past, armourers, workers in brass, wood-carvers, weav- 
 ers, and many other trades. There are plenty of shops, 
 too — all open to the street — in which a variety of pretty 
 and fancy articles are sold, attended to by young women 
 also in ancient costume of fardingale, ruff, slashed sleeve, 
 peaked bodice and strange headgear. In the upper 
 stories of the houses are exposed for sale articles of greater 
 value, such as rarely carved furniture and costly brass- 
 work, than in the street below. An old church with a 
 beautiful chime of bells ; the curious signs with their 
 quaint old English inscriptions ; the men standing in the 
 doors of the shops and crying, What d'ye lack? What 
 d'ye lack? dressed in their old-time garb and cap, 
 makes a charming whole which is very realistic, and I 
 know would please you. One house you enter is called 
 Whittington's parlour, and with its low ceilings, painted 
 walls, and beautiful antique furniture, said to be an exact 
 fac-simile of the renowned Richard's, thrice Lord Mayor of 
 London, was of great interest to us. We were never tired 
 of visiting this interesting exhibition, there being always 
 something new to see, and refreshments of every kind 
 obtainable, from a modest cup of tea with bread and but- 
 ter, costing two-pence, to a gourmand's lunch costing per- 
 haps half a guinea. 
 
 Of the galleries of art and pictures I will only mention 
 three, beginning with the National Gallery in Trafalgar 
 Square. This fine building has a staircase on either side 
 of the main entrance leading into the vast suites of 
 rooms, filled with, I should say thousands of pictures — on 
 the one hand devoted to foreign and ancient masters, on 
 
104 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 the other to British and more modern painters. Of the 
 former I do not feel that I am competent to say anything, 
 nor, indeed, of the latter, for I do not set up for a judge, 
 and only profess to know what pleases me most. Many 
 of them are very beautiful, not a few well known and 
 historical pictures, wonderful in their splendid colouring. 
 There was always a crowd before Raphael's celebrated 
 "Madonna," that occupied a central place on an easel in 
 one of the rooms, and had just been purchased by the 
 nation for £72,000 ! The colouring of this, and face of 
 the Virgin, were exquisite, but the anachronism in dress of 
 the attendant figures absurd. I must confess to some 
 weariness of the crowds of medieval saints, martyrs, madon- 
 nas, and angels, beautiful though they be, and great the 
 names of the painters. On the other or modern side you 
 are struck on entering by the splendid collection of 
 Turner's landscape and sea-pieces ; and yet at a first 
 glance some of them seem almost as if painted with a 
 broom, but their beauty comes out and grows on you 
 as you look. Some of the Italian landscapes in partic- 
 ular are beyond my power to describe, and sea-pieces 
 wondrous ; among the latter I liked " Towing the Fight- 
 ing Temeraire " much. Landscapes of Gainsborough ; 
 " The Rake's Progress," of Hogarth ; " Samuel," of Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds ; " Peace and War," of Landseer — and 
 I must specially mention his exquisite " Shoeing the Bay 
 Mare ;" Rosa Bonheur's " Horse-fair," with hundreds of 
 other well known and often engraved pictures, cover the 
 walls, from the brushes of these and other eminent paint- 
 ers. Indeed, as you wander along, or sit on the comfort- 
 able lounges prepared for visitors, you feel that you are 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 105 
 
 among a host of old friends, and loath to leave. Being 
 close to our lodgings and no entrance fee demanded, we 
 often dropped in when we had a spare half hour. 
 
 In the rooms containing the splendid collection left 
 by the late Sir Robert Peel to the nation, among other 
 gems is the celebrated u Chapeau du paitte" of Rubens. 
 In another room the equestrian picture of Charles I. by 
 Van Dyck, lately bought for £45,000 ! Goodly sums those 
 I have mentioned, but I suppose well laid out. At the 
 Royal Academy Exhibition, Burlington House, with its 
 eleven galleries of oil paintings and water colours, and other 
 rooms, containing between 1,700, and 1,800 subjects — ex- 
 clusive of sculpture — of which, by the by, though much 
 of it is very fine, I have said nothing in the National Gal- 
 lery — I would fain linger long ; but as it cannot be, yet 
 I feel I must mention some of the pictures that struck 
 me most. Ariadne deserted by Theseus — reclining on a 
 rock — by Henrietta Rae. John Knox at Holyrood, reprov- 
 ing Mary Queen of Scots and court, W. P. Frith. " The 
 Queen, God bless her!" J. E. Hodgson — a mid-day halt 
 in the desert, officer bare-headed pledging the Queen. 
 Standard bearer, Sir John Gilbert. A reading from 
 Homer, Alma Tadema. Diadumene, an exquisite nude, 
 E. J. Poynter. St. Eulalia — her body lying exposed in 
 the forum after martyrdom, being covered by a miracu- 
 lous fall of snow — J. W. Waterhouse. After the Arena, 
 a young Christian's body, who has been killed, being 
 lowered into the catacombs to his relations — E. Armitage. 
 And a host of beauties by great modern artists, but as I 
 am not writing a catalogue I must refrain. Let me, 
 however, say there were many splendid portraits by 
 
106 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Millais and other eminent men. At the Grosvenor Gal- 
 lery, in New Bond street, amid the four or five hundred 
 examples of painting, sculpture, and wood-carving ex- 
 hibited, much of which was beautiful, my attention was 
 mostly taken by Alma Tadema's My Doctor, and C. W. 
 Mitchell's Hypatia, from Kingsley's novel, where, pursued 
 by the furious mob, she rushes up the nave to the altar, 
 "appealing to the great still Christ — from man to God." 
 A landscape by V. C. Prinsep. The first warmth of 
 spring, H. Herkomer. And again I must refrain, leaving 
 as before sculpture rooms untouched. At the Dore Gal- 
 lery, among the many beautiful pictures of this most 
 gifted and prolific artist, I most admired Christ Leaving 
 the Praetorium ; Moses before Pharaoh — both magnificent 
 pictures, with life-size figures ; " Ecce Homo ;" Dream 
 of Pilate's Wife, and the Day Dream. There are many 
 other beauties, but these to me were the most striking. 
 
 I have told you that we had been unsuccessful in a 
 former attempt to see the Houses of Parliament, but now, 
 through the kind efforts of a very old friend in the For- 
 eign office, whom we had known in Honolulu, we had got 
 orders, not only for the Palace of Westminster, but for 
 the Tower of London also. So taking our way down 
 Whitehall and Parliament streets, we pass the Admiralty, 
 where I had a few days previously met our old friend 
 Admiral Cator — shabbiest of public offices for this great 
 naval power; the Horse Guards, shabby too, but some- 
 what redeemed by the magnificent mounted sentries on 
 either side the entrance — horse and rider still as a stone 
 statue, and justly considered one of the sights of London. 
 Opposite is the Palace of Whitehall, now used as govern- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 10T 
 
 ment offices, through a window of which the unwise, and 
 unfortunate, Charles I. went to his death on a bitter win- 
 ter's day. Downward still toward the river, and we soon 
 reach the portals of the magnificent structure that is our 
 destination. No difficulty as to entrance now; our 
 friend's talisman, with "Granville" in the corner, had 
 made all easy. This grand and massive pile, occupying, 
 an area of some eight acres, washed on one side by the 
 Thames, stands on the site of a royal palace built by 
 Edward the Confessor, and has been several times more or 
 less destroyed by fire, altered and repaired. After the last 
 great catastrophe of 1834, in which the celebrated tapestry 
 depicting the destruction of the Spanish Armada, that 
 then adorned the walls of the House of Lords, was burnt y 
 it was determined to erect a new palace on the same spot 
 for accommodation of the Houses of Parliament, the 
 present gorgeous building being the result. I do not pur- 
 pose a full description ; I think you know it all pretty 
 well from the many pictures you have seen. 
 
 I find my note-book says we were astonished, gratified, 
 and almost awed, with the grandeur and magnificence of 
 the whole. The beautifully intricate brass gates ; exquisite 
 wood carving ; groups of statuary ; brilliant beauty of 
 the storied windows, and of those containing portraits of 
 the kings and queens of England, from William the Con- 
 queror to William IV.; splendid frescoes of the corridors, 
 depicting events in English history ; numerous bas reliefs 
 in bronze, or richly gilt ; lofty ceilings crossed by carved 
 beams, sumptuously painted and gilded, and general 
 gorgeousness of the vast pile. The Gothic splendour 
 of the House of Lords particularly struck us, but as there 
 
108 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 was some peerage case under discussion by a lot of legal 
 dignitaries in wig and gown, we were not able to see it 
 as thoroughly as we would have liked. The House of 
 Commons is very fine, too, rich in carving and adorn- 
 ment, but lacking in a measure the lavish gold and col- 
 ouring of some other parts of the pile. Of course, we had 
 pointed out to us the accustomed seats of prominent men 
 in either house, and sat in the premier's and speaker's 
 chairs, considered the thing to do. We could not 
 go into Westminster Hall, or St. Stephen's Crypt, both 
 beautiful, and as part of the original palace very interest- 
 ing ; they being under repair from the dynamite explo- 
 sions, were not open to the public ; little mark of damage 
 was now visible in any other part. We met several par- 
 ties of American ladies and gentlemen, sight-seers like 
 ourselves, and were glad to find they obtained admittance 
 as well as we, probably through their minister. Armed 
 with an order from Lord Chelmsford, Constable of the 
 Tower, to admit Captain L. and party, let us now pro- 
 ceed thither, lingering a little on our way to note some of 
 the spots we pass, famous and infamous, " in our proud 
 island story," and annals of this famous London town. 
 
 What splendid pageantries of kings, queens, courtiers 
 and dames ; grim processions of doomed traitors guarded 
 by armed men ; troops of merry-makers going to the May- 
 pole once erected in the Strand — removed by the Puritans 
 — " when England was merry England still," have passed 
 along the route we are about to take. The space called 
 Charing Cross, one of the most central in London, as the 
 numerous busses bearing a golden cross testify, is said 
 to have derived its name from Eleanor, the " chere reine " 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 109 
 
 of Edward I., whose body rested here previous to its in- 
 terment in Westminster Abbey, and in the center of which 
 her husband erected the most beautiful of the nine. crosses 
 built to her memory, in the places where the queen's 
 body rested. It was pulled down by order of the Long 
 Parliament, and the stones used for paving the streets ! 
 
 A later and more liberal generation has built a fac- 
 simile in front of the Charing Cross Hotel. The site of the 
 original monument was made the scene of execution of 
 many of the regicides ; here, too, General Harrison was 
 beheaded, with his face toward Whitehall. Continuing 
 along the Strand with its many memories of Train-Bands, 
 mutinous London apprentices, and other old-time stories, 
 past Somerset House, the Savoy, Exeter Hall, the splen- 
 did pile of the New Law Courts, we come to where once 
 stood the structure known as Temple Bar, on the top of 
 which, as you are aware, it was the gentle custom of our 
 merry forefathers to impale on iron spikes the heads of 
 unfortunates executed for high treason, an event not un- 
 frequently occurring in the good old times. This spot 
 marked the boundaries between the liberties of London 
 and Westminster, and so jealous were the ancient citizens 
 of their rights, that it was customary to close the gates in 
 the face of royalty on occasion of the visit of a monarch 
 to the city, until permission to enter had been demanded 
 of the Lord Mayor, standing on the City side. The last 
 time this ceremony occurred was in 1844, when the Queen 
 opened the Royal Exchange. As the ancient gate-way 
 standing across the street impeded the traffic very much 
 it has been removed, and a bronze griffin — supporter of 
 the arms of the city — standing on a pedestal, marks its 
 
110 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 site. Entering Fleet street, with the beautiful Temple 
 buildings on your right, what a crowd of literary celebrities 
 your imagination conjures up, from Wynkyn-de-Worde, 
 the famous printer, down through the long list of Jonson, 
 Milton, Dr. Johnson, Boswell, Goldsmith, Dryden, Rich- 
 ardson, Dick Steele, and others of their days, to the 
 many brilliant names of contributors to Punch, and other 
 well known journals. The very air seems redolent of 
 literary men, and every street, alley or court branching 
 off it, full of recollections of them. We are now at the 
 foot of Ludgate Hill, said to be called after a British 
 King Lud, before the time of Julius Caesar. Passing under 
 a railway arch here crossing the street, we look up the 
 hill and see the noble pile of St. Paul's, with its magnifi- 
 cent dome, and statue of Queen Anne crowning the sum- 
 mit. Passing along St. Paul's Churchyard, celebrated as 
 the home of so many great publishing houses, with its 
 pretty garden, where rests many a former citizen — no in- 
 terments are permitted now— we pause to think if we 
 shall continue along Watling street, once part of a great 
 military Roman road that extended all across the island, 
 even to the sea, and echoed to the tread of their armed 
 legions, or by Cheapside, Cornhill, Leadenhall street, 
 Aldgate and the Minories, deciding in favour of the latter 
 route. 
 
 How much of the ancient history of this great town 
 clusters about the names of places just written. In Cheap- 
 side, Wat Tyler and Jack Cade set up their respective 
 standards, and slew their victims ; and the great prentice- 
 riot known as Evil May-day took place. Stowe tells us 
 that in the time of Edward III. divers joustings were 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. Ill 
 
 held here, and bluff King Hal, disguised as a yeoman of 
 the guard, once came, halbert on shoulder, to see how they 
 kept watch and ward in his royal city. Cornhill has 
 many memories of famous business houses, and taverns ; 
 among the latter, the Jerusalem, the Jamaica, and Garra- 
 ways. But we must hurry along Leadenhall street ; 
 Aldgate, with its old-fashioned taverns of coaching days, 
 now passed away, and celebrated pump on which so 
 many imaginary orders are drawn ; by the Minories, 
 headquarters of ready-made and " old-clo " merchants, 
 on to Tower lull, grim with recollections of many awful 
 tragedies. Among the host beheaded here I can only 
 stay to mention Lord Guildford Dudley, husband of Lady 
 Jane Grey ; the Earl of Strafford ; Archbishop Laud ; Sir 
 Harry Vane ; Sir Thomas More, great and good ; Algernon 
 Sydney, and Lord Lovet, who suffered for his part in the 
 rising of 1745, and was the last person decapitated in 
 Great Britain. Pausing a moment before we enter, I feel 
 that 1 cannot do better than quote from W. Hepworth 
 Dixon a few lines relative to her Majesty's Tower : " Seen 
 from the hill outside, the Tower appears to be white with 
 age and wrinkled by remorse. The home of our stoutest 
 kings, the grave of our noblest knights, the scene of our 
 gayest revels, the field of our darkest crimes." * * * * 
 *' Set against the Tower of London — with its eight hundred 
 years of historic life, its nineteen hundred years of tradi- 
 ditional fame — all other palaces and prisons appear like 
 things of an hour. The oldest bit of palace in Europe, 
 that of the west front of the Burg in Vienna, is of the 
 time of Henry III. The Kremlin in Moscow, the Doge's 
 Palazzo in Venice, are of the fourteenth century. The 
 
112 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Seraglio in Stamboul was built by Mahommed II. The 
 oldest part of the Vatican was commenced by Borgia, 
 whose name it bears. The old Louvre was commenced in 
 the reign of Henry VIII.; the Tuileries in that of Eliza- 
 beth. In the time of our civil war, Versailles was yet a 
 swamp. Sans Souci and the Escorial belong to the eight- 
 eenth century. The Serail of Jerusalem is a Turkish 
 edifice. The palaces of Athens, of Cairo, of Teheran, are 
 all of modern date." 
 
 What an ocean of thoughts crowd upon your mind as 
 descending the hill toward the river, and passing through 
 an outer court, where are numerous specimens of beauti- 
 ful and ancient cannon captured from the Turk, and other 
 Eastern potentates, you come to the moat — now dry for 
 sanitary reasons, and laid out as a flower garden — crossed 
 by a stone bridge, and defended at the outer end by the 
 Middle Tower, with portcullis, and at the inner by the 
 Byeward Tower. Here, presenting your " order " to the 
 sentry, you are passed on by him across the ballium be- 
 tween the inner and outer walls, to an official at the 
 Bloody Tower, scene of the murder of the two princes by 
 their uncle, Richard III., and are now within the inner 
 defences of the fortress. Here we were put in charge of 
 a Beef-eater in Tudor costume, a noble looking old fellow 
 he was, too, his breasts covered with medals for services 
 in the Crimea, India, and I don't know where else. He 
 was very intelligent, and knew well much of the history 
 of what he showed us; of the illustrious men and women 
 who had landed here at the Queen's Stair or by the 
 Traitor's Gate — Buckingham, Strafford, Anne Boleyn, Lady 
 Jane Grey, Princess Elizabeth, William Wallace, David 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 113 
 
 Bruce, Surrey, Raleigh, Guy Fawkes, and a host of others 
 who'figure in our country's history, and few of whom ever 
 emerged again from within these gloomy walls. The spot 
 on which the gentle nine days' queen suffered is marked 
 by an iron cross, and in St. Peter's Chapel close by she, with 
 Thomas Cromwell, the noble Earl of Surrey, the good 
 Duke of Somerset, the brilliant Devereux, Earl of Essex, 
 Sir Thomas More, and many of her own sex, among them 
 Anne Boleyn, sleep their last sleep. Entering the great 
 White Tower, built by the Conqueror to overawe his rest- 
 less Anglo-Saxon subjects, we visited the different armour- 
 ies with their magnificent collections, ancient and modern, 
 of all nations. Suits of plate armour, chain armour, 
 leathern armour, armour beautifully damascened, or in- 
 laid with gold and silver in richest devices ; cross-bows, 
 long-bows, lances, halberts, pikes, swords and daggers, 
 many of exquisite workmanship, the hilts heavily en- 
 crusted with gems ; helmets, morions, gauntlets, spurs ; 
 in short, every kind of military paraphernalia. 
 
 Nor must I forget the thumb-screws, boots, rack, and 
 other instruments of torture of horrible device, that our 
 gentle progenitors were so addicted to in the " good old 
 times," and in such endless variety they would need a 
 volume to describe. 
 
 The Horse Armoury, a modern building, opening off 
 the White Tower, is a grand collection of equestrian fig- 
 ures in every variety of armour for man and beast, from 
 the earliest times. Among them I may mention in their 
 own actual suits and weapons Henry VIII.; Charles Bran- 
 don, Duke of Suffolk; Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester ; 
 
114 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 and hosts of other knights, and men-at-arms, each in ap- 
 propriate costume. 
 
 Among objects of special interest is the ax and block by 
 which poor Lady Jane Gray was beheaded, and, to show 
 that nothing is new under the sun, several specimens of 
 ancient revolving pistols, as well as cannon. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth's and the Indian armouries, beautiful 
 and interesting as they are, I must pass by, merely men- 
 tioning as I go that off the former of these is a cell in the 
 thickness of the wall, said to have been the prison of Sir 
 Walter Raleigh, and where he wrote his celebrated " His- 
 toric of the Worlde." How he managed it, except he was 
 allowed the privilege of the beautifully vaulted apart- 
 ment from which it opens, I cannot conceive, as it has no 
 light save from the doorway. On the jambs of the same 
 door, cut into the stone, are the inscriptions: 
 
 HE THAT INDVEETH TO THE ENDE 
 SHALL BE SAVID. 
 M. 10. 
 E. EVDSTON, 
 
 DAE., KENT, ANO 1553. 
 BE FAITH FVL UNTO DETH AND I WILL 
 GIVE THEE A CEOWNE OF LIFE. 
 
 T. FANE, 1554. 
 T. CVLPEPPEE, OF DAETFOED. 
 
 These are the work of men taken in " Sir Thomas Wyatt's 
 Rising of the Men of Kent," caused by the proposed 
 marriage of Queen Mary to Philip, King of Spain. Nu- 
 merous other inscriptions are to be seen in this and the 
 outer towers, the work of sorrowing prisoners in weary 
 years. The most elaborate are to be found in the Beau- 
 champ Tower, among them the IANE, of Lord Guildford 
 Dudley, sorrowing for his bride — a large piece consisting 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD, WORLD. 115 
 
 of three wheat-sheaves (arms of the family), a crucifix, 
 skeleton, a bleeding heart, and the word PEVEREL ; and 
 near the fire-place a beautifully executed device of a lion 
 and bear grasping a ragged staff, the family badge of 
 John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, whose work this is said 
 to be. All are carefully protected by metal stanchions 
 sunk into the stone floor, through which a red-covered 
 hand-rope runs, no one being permitted inside, but our 
 good-natured Tudor-clad attendant did not stick rigidly 
 to the rule. Time would not permit me to copy more 
 than I have mentioned, and so return we again to the 
 vaulted room we left in the White Tower, and ascending 
 still by the winding staircase, built around a nowel or 
 circular column, and easily defended by a few resolute 
 men, we come to the story containing the Chapel of St. 
 John, one of the finest and most perfect specimens of 
 Norman architecture in the kingdom : in an adjoining 
 apartment the dynamite explosion occurred, fortunately 
 not doing much damage, or causing loss of life. Here, 
 too, is the ancient Council Chamber of our kings, where 
 the Protector, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, ordered Lord 
 Hastings to instant execution in front of St. Peter's 
 Chapel, for his apparent defence of Jane Shore. 
 
 You have also pointed out to you where John Baliol, 
 King of Scots ; Griffin, Prince of Wales ; the famous 
 troubadour Prince Charles of France ; Ralph Flambard, 
 Bishop of Durham, and numerous others whose names 
 are embalmed in our country's story, were confined for 
 religious or political differences, or too often at the whim 
 of a tyrant. Ascending with a lady friend to the leads 
 above the tower — M., as I have said before, not liking 
 
116 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 giddy heights — what a scene meets the view; the world 
 has not its equal. The crowded, busy river — we are now 
 below bridges — with its forests of masts od both banks; 
 the huge city — pregnant with vast evil and I trust vaster 
 good — its abject poverty and enormous wealth — stretching 
 far as the eye can reach on all sides, and below at your 
 feet the " Green," with its bloody memories. Not here, 
 though, but in old Palace Yard, Westminster, he being 
 removed the day before, fell the " proudest head that ever 
 rolled in English dust," Sir Walter Raleigh's — a victim to 
 the machinations of Spain, and the pusillanimity of a 
 weak Stuart king. Descending again, though loath 
 enough to do so, we were taken to the dungeons beneath 
 the pile, some without a ray of light, and all horrible 
 enough ; among them " Little Ease," the prison of Guy 
 Fawkes. Emerging therefrom thankful for the light of 
 day, and that our lot was cast in happier times, as well as 
 to our guide for his patience with us, we wended our way 
 back to the westward by Eastcheape, our minds full of 
 old-time stories, but failed to see Dame Quickly, Poins, 
 Prince Hal, or the fat Knight, lounging at any tavern 
 door. 
 
 Before I shake off the dust of the town entirely per- 
 haps I ought to tell you that we one evening went to the 
 Albert Hall — the largest in Europe, and capable of seat- 
 ing ten thousand people — to a Balfe Memorial Concert, 
 and heard some splendid singing. Among the artists 
 were Christine Nilsson, Madame Trebelli, Miss Hope 
 Glenn (most charming of songstresses), Mr. Sims Reeves, 
 Mr. Joseph Mass and others. What a treat it was to us 
 to hear such music, so beautifully sung. And how aston- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 117 
 
 ished, too, we were at the flute-like notes of the veteran 
 Sims Reeves, who warbled, " Come Into the Garden, Maud," 
 with cornet obligato, most deliciously. By this time I 
 imagine you have enough of London, and so, learning from 
 the papers that the queen will return to Windsor in a 
 couple of days, let us go down there before the state 
 apartments are closed. 
 
 On Kamehameha's day, then — 11th of June — and as 
 perfect a summer's day as even you can boast in Hawaii 
 nei, off we set through a lovely country, the air rich 
 with the perfume of flowers, past pretty towns, villages, 
 and railway stations — preeminent among the latter 
 Slough, with its rustic arbors, seats and gardens — the 
 silvery Thames winding in devious course through emerald 
 meadows, and covered with every description of pleasure 
 boat, to see the world-renowned palace of a long line of 
 monarchs. On our arrival at Windsor we found that a 
 four-horse coach ran down from town every day during 
 the summer, and regretted we did not know it sooner ; 
 how glorious it would have been to spin along after a 
 good team in the balmy summer air. What a stately pile 
 the castle is ! How grand it looks towering above the 
 streets of the pretty town, and how wonderfully clean, I 
 had almost said new-looking — only that we cannot build 
 anything like it in these degenerate days — free from the 
 dirt and smoke of the great town we lately left ! Advanc- 
 ing up the cleanly street of the pretty ancient town, over 
 which the Curfew and Salisbury towers seem to keep 
 watch and ward, you enter the castle precincts by Henry 
 VIII. gate, but not before you have had many offers of 
 " authorized guides " in uniform — but w T ith whose services 
 
118 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 we dispensed. Proceeding up the paved yard of the castle, 
 having passed the sentry, with the houses of the mili- 
 tary knights on your right; soldiers' quarters, St. George's, 
 and Albert Memorial Chapels, and the beautiful horse- 
 shoe cloisters, built by Edward IV., on your left, you 
 then apply at the Lord Chamberlain's office for gratis 
 tickets to view the State Apartments, armed with which 
 upward still you go ; beautifully laid-out gardens on your 
 right, and to the left the splendid line of the North Ter- 
 race, overlooking the town, school, and playing fields of 
 Eton, separated from you by the silvery Thames. A 
 short walk, and passing through the Norman Tower, grim 
 and solid in its antiquity, you are in the great quadrangle, 
 having left the Round Tower to your right as you came 
 in at the Norman Gate, and the main building with the 
 State Apartments is before you. You are admitted in 
 parties of fifteen or twenty, at intervals of about a quarter 
 of an hour; attendants go round with you, but are strictly 
 forbidden to receive a fee. While waiting near the low 
 postern-gate by which you enter, for our turn to come — 
 walking to and fro past which was a stalwart Highland 
 sentry — I was much struck, and somewhat indignant, to 
 notice one of the " sovereign people " here in the court- 
 yard of the queen's palace, leaning up against its very 
 walls, coolly smoking a short pipe, as if the whole concern 
 belonged to him. Who shall say after that we are not a 
 democratic, and mayhap an ill-bred people. Well, our 
 turn coming we followed our guide through narrow pas- 
 sages, up many stone stairs, and emerged on a fine staircase 
 with numerous paintings, on through the Ante-Room and 
 into the Audience Chamber, the ceiling of which has a 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 119 
 
 beautiful allegorical painting of Queen Catherine as Britan- 
 nia, with attendant nymphs and goddesses, by Verrio ; the 
 walls are covered with Gobelin tapestry representing the 
 story of Esther, portraits of Mary Queen of Scots, and other 
 royalties. Next the Presence Chamber, another allegorical 
 ceiling, in which Catherine of Braganza again is the prin- 
 cipal figure, and the story of Esther continued in the 
 beautiful tapestry on the walls, with more distinguished 
 portraits. The gorgeous furniture heavy with gold, some 
 of it ugly enough though, I will spare you, and now go 
 into the Guard Chamber. This, like the Tower, contains 
 a fine collection of arms and armour, and like it too, very 
 ingeniously arranged in all sorts of curious and beautiful 
 devices. I may mention suits once belonging to Lord 
 Howard of Effingham, the great commander against the 
 Spanish Armada ; Earl of Essex ; Henry, Prince of Wales, 
 and Prince Rupert the dashing cavalier ; and, what in- 
 terested me much, a piece of the " Victory's " foremast shot 
 through at Trafalgar; also an exquisitely wrought shield 
 presented to Henry VIII. by Francis I. of France, at the 
 Field of the Cloth of Gold, by Benvenuto Cellini. Next 
 we enter St. George's Hall, 200 feet long, 34 feet broad, 
 32 feet high, a splendid room, gorgeously painted, both 
 ceiling and walls, with the emblazoned arms of the knights, 
 from its institution to the present time, commencing 
 with Edward III. and the Black Prince, and ending with 
 the Earl of Beaconsfield and Marquis of Salisbury ; at the 
 east end is the sovereign's throne. The grand Reception 
 Room is a gorgeous apartment in the style of Louis XIV., 
 its walls embellished with the story of Jason and Medea, 
 in Gobelin tapestry. The Waterloo Chamber contains 
 
120 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 numerous portraits by Sir Thomas Lawrence, of sover- 
 eigns of Europe, and great statesmen and warriors during 
 the eventful years of 1813-14-15, and in it many of the 
 state banquets are given. Thence through the Grand 
 Vestibule and State Ante- Room, each rich in paintings, 
 sculpture and fine art, into the Zucarelli Room, full of 
 subjects by that artist, and so to the Van Dyck Room, 
 with many splendid portraits by the great master. We 
 leave these interesting apartments by King John's Stairs, 
 and emerge close to where we entered, highly pleased ; 
 but I am ashamed to say having forgotten to mention 
 much exquisite wood-carving by Grinling Gibbons. Re- 
 tracing our steps to the left side of the Norman Arch — 
 on our way out — we enter the Round Tower, built on the 
 highest ground within the walls, and from the top of 
 which the Royal Standard is hoisted when her Majesty 
 is in residence. This tower is very ancient, and looks it, 
 many distinguished state prisoners have been confined 
 here, among whom we may mention King John of France, 
 King David of Scotland, Queen Phillippa, and others. 
 As you enter and go up the stone stairs, you will see an 
 old cannon grinning through a hole in the wall right in 
 your face, and commanding the staircase. Leaving M. 
 in company and conversation with two American ladies — 
 whom we often saw afterwards at different places — sitting 
 on a stone bench on a landing, I, with our " charming 
 little cicerone friend," ascended to the summit of the 
 tower. What a lovely view ! I do not want to go into 
 ecstacies, but I never saw aught so fair, I think. It was a 
 perfect day in earth and sky, twelve counties lay before 
 us, the castle gardens and terraces below, and far as the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 121 
 
 eye could reach the lovely river winding in serpentine 
 fashion like a silver ribbon, and in the vicinity of Eton 
 covered with boats, barges and gondolas, gay with paint 
 and flags. I will spare you the walks on the terraces 
 with the charming views thence and the many objects of 
 interest, because I want you to go with us into the beau- 
 tiful St. George's Chapel. I will be as brief as I can, but 
 it is so grand, and made such an impression on us, I 
 must tell you something of it. I have not attempted any 
 of the ancient history of the castle, for I thought perhaps 
 you were tiring of such things, but the first chapel erected 
 within the walls of Windsor, and on this spot, was by 
 Henry II. in the twelfth century, dedicated to St. Edward, 
 and when Edward III. in 1348 founded the Order of the 
 Garter this present chapel was built for the knights of 
 that order, of which St. George is patron. 
 
 I do not purpose a description of all the beautiful 
 monuments it and the various side chapels contain, but 
 I must mention the cenotaph, by Wyatt, to the Princess 
 Charlotte, so very beautiful is it with its weeping group in 
 white marble ; a monument to the Prince Imperial of 
 France and a tablet to Prince Alamayu, son of King 
 Theodore of Abysinnia — who died in England — placed 
 here by the queen. The windows are very gorgeous, par- 
 ticularly the west window filled with old glass found in 
 the chapel, and containing numerous figures of saints, 
 prophets, kings and knights. Under the window is a 
 scroll with the prayer peculiar to St. George's order — in 
 old black-letter English — " God save Our Gracious Sov- 
 ereign and all the Companions of the Most Honourable and 
 Noble Order of the Garter." You are now looking into 
 
122 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 the choir, remarkable for its exquisite oak carvings of the 
 date of Henry VII. The stalls are arranged on either 
 side and over each hangs the banner, helmet, crest and 
 sword of a Knight of the Garter. There are twenty -five 
 knights, including the sovereign ; princes of blood royal 
 and foreign princes rank as Knight Companions without 
 reference to this number. The stall on your right as you 
 enter is that of the sovereign, gorgeous with canopy and 
 curtains of velvet bordered with gold fringe ; on the left 
 that of the Prince of Wales. The back of the stalls is 
 literally covered with brass plates emblazoned with the 
 arms, names and titles of the knights from earliest dates, 
 and retain their brilliancy of colouring wonderfully. On 
 the death of a knight his banner is removed, but the plate 
 remains, as we saw in the recent case of Earl Beaconsfield. 
 There is a beautiful stained-glass window over the altar to 
 the memory of the late Prince Consort. The Reredos of 
 sculptured alabaster is very fine, representing The Ascen- 
 sion, Christ Appearing to His Disciples, and Meeting of 
 Mary in the Garden. A grey marble slab in center of the 
 choir marks the vault in which lie Henry VIIL, his 
 queen Jane Seymour, and Charles I. Near by is the 
 tomb of Edward IV. and his queen Elizabeth Woodville; 
 to the left of it a most intricate specimen of iron-work, 
 almost lace-like in its fineness, and attributed to Quentin 
 Matsys by some, by others to an English artist. Unfor- 
 tunately for us, visitors were not then admitted to the 
 Albert Memorial Chapel, in consequence of the dynamite 
 outrages, and we were told that probably it would not be 
 open again during the queen's life. The public are now 
 admitted to the Tower and Houses of Parliament as before, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 123 
 
 but I do not know how it is as regards this sumptuous 
 chapel. Next we visited the cloisters of Edward IV. r 
 recently restored, around which are the houses of the lay- 
 clerks of St. George's Chapel. How cool and placid they 
 seemed after the glare of the sun and tread of soldiery in 
 the paved court-yard. Leaving — I may say tearing our- 
 selves away from — the castle we got an open carriage and 
 drove into the park, which, with the forest, contains 13,000 
 acres. We went down the Long Walk, a distance of three 
 miles, with an equestrian statue of George III. at the end. 
 Magnificent elms are planted on either side; on the left is 
 Frogmore House, the Royal Mausoleum containing the 
 body of the Prince Consort, the royal dairy, the royal 
 aviary, and the Prince Consort's farm; on the right, royal 
 tapestry works, Runnemede — scene of the granting of 
 Magna Charta — and Beaumont College, none of which 
 time permitted us to visit. What grand old oaks this fine 
 domain contains ; Heme's oak has fallen, but Queen 
 Elizabeth's and Shakespeare's, with many other monarchs, 
 who have worn their leafy crowns a thousand years, yet 
 remain. Return we now to town, our senses satiated with 
 the many beauties of this to us memorable day. Well may 
 James Russell Lowell say : 
 
 " What is bo rare as a day in June. 
 Then, if ever, come perfect days. 11 
 
 Now let us change our mode of locomotion and proceed 
 by river to Hampton Court Palace ; but ere we start, as I 
 find I have never told you how we often got about the 
 city, I will enlighten you on that matter first. Well, don't 
 be shocked when you hear that if the day was fair and the 
 line of route suited us, we invariably mounted on the top 
 
124 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 of a " bus," they being so arranged that a woman can do it 
 with ease. The advantage of this is that you see all the 
 buildings, busy streets, and thousand-and-one objects of 
 interest around you, much better than you could in any 
 other way. No one knows you, and, if they did, pehea ae 
 nei f Perhaps it would not be altogether correct for a lady 
 to go alone, but if she has a male escort I should counsel, 
 " go by all means." Well, to resume: On another fair June 
 day, but cool enough on the river, our usual party em- 
 barked from a pier at foot of the street we Jived in, on a 
 steamer prying to above-named destination, gay with 
 bunting, music and holiday-makers. The whole way is 
 full of interest from the moment of starting until you 
 arrive at your journey's end. 
 
 On your right hand is the noble Victoria embankment 
 with the gardens and Montague House, opposite the long 
 line of St. Thomas' Hospital and Doulton's celebrated 
 pottery works, extending nearly to Westminster bridge. 
 Passing under this noble structure — our steamer's funnel 
 that works on a hinge being lowered to permit it — with 
 the splendid edifice of the Houses of Parliament, their 
 walls washed by the river, and gilded towers and pin- 
 nacles glistening in the morning sun on your right, you 
 soon come to Chelsea, ever the famous haunt of genius 
 and learned and eminent men ; from Thomas More, great 
 and good Chancellor of our VIII. Henry, to Thomas Car- 
 lyle, sage and grumbler, of the Victorian era. Its fine 
 park, military hospital, the noted Cheyne-walk and botan- 
 ical gardens, are on the Middlesex shore, and on the oppo- 
 site bank the beautiful park and gardens of Battersea. 
 On past numerous shipyards, notably Thorney croft's, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 125 
 
 where are built no end of steam-launches, wicked-looking 
 torpedo boats and other mosquito crafts ; by Kew on the 
 further shore, with its magnificent gardens, perhaps the 
 finest in the world. Now past Brentford, Putney and 
 Twickenham, rich in its memories of "Strawberry Hill," 
 Horace Walpole and Pope ; and who has not heard of the 
 "Ferry?" Richmond, on the other bank, soon claims your 
 attention, the Tivoli of England, as it is called. The 
 scenes here has become almost too exquisite ; the "Hill," 
 so celebrated in song for its " sweet lass," crowned with 
 noble buildings ; the splendid, well-wooded park ; the 
 " silent highway" along which we are travelling ; and 
 the many charming villa residences on its banks, you 
 ought to see to be able to appreciate. The view looking 
 down the river after leaving this I shall never forget the 
 beauty of; nor shall I quickly forget a young rapscallion 
 who joined us here, running along the bank of the river 
 just abreast of our boat, throwing summersaults, making 
 wheels of himself, at every landing steps on the edge of 
 the stream walking down on his hands or standing on 
 his head, and yet managing to keep up with the boat all 
 the way to Hampton. I do not think I ever saw such 
 untiring energy displayed before by one so young — cer- 
 tainly not more than 10 or 12 years of age — and showers 
 of pennies rewarded his exertions at every stopping place 
 we came to. After passing through Teddington Lock, 
 above which there is no tidal water, the now brimming 
 river is, if it be possible, more beautiful still — fringed 
 with willows and alders, noble oaks and elms further back; 
 many small wooded islets studding its bosom ; stately 
 swan6 and cygnets sailing majestically past, unmindful of 
 
126 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 man ; boating and fishing parties — the former enlivening 
 the scene with merry song, laughter and jest ; the latter 
 equally enjoying themselves in the silence best suited to 
 the "gentle craft." Splendid mansions and villas adorn 
 its banks, their well-kept lawns sloping down to the river's 
 edge. Among them I must mention Lion House, formerly 
 an ecclesiastical edifice, now rebuilt by a Duke of North- 
 umberland, and surmounted by the well-known horizon- 
 tal-tailed lion once over the palace of the Percies at Cha- 
 ring Cross, which also occupied the site of the Priory of 
 St. Mary Rouncival, but is now covered by shops and the 
 Grand Hotel. The perfect, quiet beauty of the whole 
 landscape, bright sun and blue sky above, the gleaming 
 river beneath, and the lovely verdure of our surroundings, 
 could not fail to charm and soothe the most misanthrop- 
 ical of mortals, in which category certainly none of our 
 party were this day included. 
 
 After landing, ten minutes' walk through the pretty, 
 clean little town brought us to the entrance gates of the 
 splendid mansion of Hampton Court Palace. Built 
 originally by Cardinal Wolsey for himself — the great 
 churchman had an eye to the picturesque, though little 
 remains of the original structure — it was greatly admired 
 by his royal master, when the cardinal, probably con- 
 sulting his own interests, generously presented it to him ; 
 the king, not to be outdone in generosity, giving him in 
 return the manor of Richmond. Since that time it has 
 remained a royal palace, and been at intervals the resi- 
 dence of several kings. Henry VIII. lived here awhile, 
 his son Edward VI., to whom we as churchmen owe so 
 much, was born here ; and here his mother, Jane Seymour, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 127 
 
 died. Charles I. was confined in this palace for a time, 
 and Cromwell, Charles II., James II. and William III. 
 have all made it their residence, especially the last-named 
 monarch, who laid out the beautiful quaint gardens — con- 
 taining forty-four acres — in Dutch style, with raised 
 terraces, formal flower-beds, now glorious in their rich 
 variety of colour, and trim arcades, not forgetting the 
 celebrated " maze." Here, too, among sculpture, fountains 
 and vases, in an enormous hot-house — with its stem and 
 root outside — you will be shown the far-famed vine, said 
 to be the oldest and largest in Europe. It is of the Black 
 Hamburg variety, its girth three feet, principal branch 
 114 feet long, average yield per annum 2,300 bunches of a 
 pound each, and 'tis surmised that its roots have travelled 
 to the bed of the river some thirty feet distant, hence, its 
 great size and prolificness. This beautiful residence, no 
 longer occupied by royalty is, except the State Apartments, 
 which are open gratis to tbe public, occupied by decayed 
 nobles and court pensioners, of whom we saw several in 
 the gardens and grounds. Entering by the King's Great 
 Staircase — meretriciously magnificent — ceiling and walls 
 covered with gods, goddesses, nymphs, satyrs, muses, 
 zephyrs and cupids, of the time of Charles II., we en- 
 ter the King's Guard Chamber of William III., curiously 
 decorated with old arms, thence into the Presence Cham- 
 ber, with the Canopy of State of the same monarch, and 
 much exquisite w r ood carving over fire-place and doors by 
 Grinling Gibbons, in this and other rooms of the suite ; 
 " nothing can exceed the lightness and delicacy of the 
 festoons of flowers and fruit " — carved by him — " in lime- 
 wood." In the same room, too, are the Hampton Court 
 
128 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Beauties of William and Mary, by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 
 and many other pictures. Next comes the Second Pres- 
 ence Chamber, wood carving by Grinling Gibbons, and 
 many fine paintings by Tintoretto, Velasquez and other 
 ancient masters. King's Audience Chamber, rich again 
 in a perplexity of fine paintings and portraits, by Paul 
 Veronese, Titian, and other great masters. Through 
 the King's Drawing Room, adorned like the last, we enter 
 William III. State Bed-room; this is a very splendid 
 apartment, the lofty ceiling painted with designs emblem- 
 atic of sleep, and said to be one of Verrio's best efforts ; 
 " Endymion " reposing in the lap of " Morpheus," " Diana " 
 in her crescent watching him as he slumbers ; also a fine 
 figure of " Somnus " and attendants. " The St&te bed is 
 not that of the monarch from whom the room is named, 
 but of Queen Caroline, the hangings and coverlet beauti- 
 fully embroidered in lilac satin." The chief attraction of 
 this room being the famous collection by Sir Peter Lely, 
 of Charles II., Beauties formerly known as the " Windsor 
 Beauties," because they hung in the Queen's bed-chamber 
 at Windsor Castle. Many are certainly fair to look upon, 
 and the painter has succeeded in imparting to most of 
 them that air of langour and voluptuousness, much prized 
 in those days, and that no doubt pleased his royal master, 
 and would have told us much of their stories, even had 
 memoir writers been silent. I will not attempt to 
 enumerate them, beautiful though they be, and will just 
 remark in passing that the portrait misnamed " Nell 
 Gwynne," is that of Marie d' Este. Spite of the traditional 
 beauty of these stately dames I could not but contrast 
 them in my own mind, much to their disadvantage, with 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 129 
 
 many lovely pictures of blooming English matrons and 
 maids, charming and fresh in their purity and truthful- 
 ness, adorning the walls of the Royal Academy. 
 
 I must not detain you with attempted description of 
 every room, but will merely name them as we pass, ask- 
 ing you to bear in mind that each and all have gorgeously 
 decorated ceilings, rich antique furniture, rare china, many 
 valuable pictures, exquisite wood carving ; and in some, 
 very beautiful tapestry. The next in order is the King's 
 Dressing Room ; then the King's Writing Closet with a pri- 
 vate door into the garden, and a mirror over the chimney 
 piece so arranged as to afford a view in vista of all the 
 State Apartments this side of the palace. The scene from 
 the windows of this room over grounds, parks and gar- 
 dens, is lovely in the extreme. Next comes Queen Mary's 
 Closet ; then the Queen's Gallery eighty-one feet long by 
 twenty-five broad, beautifully tapestried with the story of 
 "Alexander the Great ;" much and rare blue and white 
 china, and a beautiful looking-glass, brass ornamented. 
 Queen Anne's Bed-room, with all its original furniture 
 worked in elaborate pattern of flowers and roses, on white 
 satin, looks stiff and stately; I think I prefer my own for 
 comfort. Next, the same queen's Drawing-room, the view 
 from which is perhaps more strikingly beautiful than the 
 one mentioned before. This splendid room is devoted to 
 paintings by Benjamin West, among which I can only stay 
 to mention "The Death of the Chevalier Bayard" and "The 
 Death of General Wolfe ;" perhaps I ought not to leave out 
 " Queen Charlotte, aged thirty-six, with her thirteen chil- 
 dren." Now through the Audience Chamber into the Pub- 
 lic Dining-room, where George II. used occasionally to dine 
 
130 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 in public, as did the former kings of France ; through 
 fifteen or sixteen more presence chambers, closets, drawing 
 rooms, bed rooms and galleries, all full of treasures of art 
 and beauty, go we now to the great hall on the ground 
 floor. I am fearful of making you impatient with my 
 raptures, but must ask you to bear with me a few minutes 
 longer in "this magnificent hall built by Henry VIII. 
 which, from its size, its height, its splendid and elaborate 
 roof, its stained glass windows shedding a richly coloured 
 light, and its beautiful tapestries, is the most gorgeous 
 extant example of the internal decoration of a Tudor pal- 
 ace." And I may add to what I have above quoted, must 
 be seen to be realized. Bluff King Hal used it for grand 
 functions of state, plays, masques, and revels, and here 
 Catherine Parr was proclaimed queen. The elaborate 
 workmanship and decoration of the roof is beautiful 
 beyond conception, and the great windows with their gor- 
 geous colouring, and splendid tapestries representing the 
 "Seaven Deadlie Synnes" and the ''Historie of Abraham," 
 make a splendid whole. 
 
 There are other chambers and much more tapestry on 
 this floor, but I spare you, and will only just mention the 
 great astronomical clock which, until a few years ago, had 
 lain neglected in a shed for half a century. It was made 
 for Henry VIII. in 1540. The face is 7 feet 10 inches in 
 diameter, and beside showing the time, it tells the month, 
 day of the month, position of the sun in the ecliptic, phases 
 of the moon, time of high water at London bridge, and I 
 don't know what beside. I cannot linger more in any of 
 the terraces, walks, courts, or gardens, beautiful though 
 they be, and full of historical recollections. We know 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 131 
 
 that in the Privy Garden " Henry VIII. strolled in amorous 
 converse with Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Catherine How- 
 ard and Catherine Parr ; here Philip and Mary walked to- 
 gether during their gloomy honeymoon, and here Eliza- 
 beth had a clandestine meeting at night with the Earl of 
 Arran." Leaving behind us these charming scenes, rich 
 in their summer livery of brilliant colouring, the stately 
 park with its umbrageous trees, herds of deer, and merry 
 groups of holiday-makers and lawn-tennis players, we 
 passed through the Wilderness near the Maze, and out by 
 the beautiful Lion Gates — so called from an enormous figure 
 of that animal surmounting each pier — and crossed the road 
 to Bushy Park. This is another royal demesne with an 
 area of 1,100 acres ; a right of way to the public runs through 
 the park, and is bordered with one of the most superb 
 avenues of horse-chestnuts in the world, unfortunately for 
 us just past the splendour of their blooming, but the car- 
 pet of white petals beneath them showed us what they 
 had been. Groups of picnicers and herds of deer were 
 here just as in the grounds we had left, a stately mansion, 
 too, at some distance up the avenue, but the inexorable 
 railway time-table warned us to depart, and no public ve- 
 hicles being admitted to help our locomotion in the park, 
 we were obliged to leave. So in the soft, slow, gathering 
 gloaming of a lovely summer's eve we returned to London, 
 passing the pretty towns and villages of Twickenham, 
 Richmond, Mortlake, Putney, etc., and wending our way 
 to Gatti's, in the Strand, dined there, and as Mr. Samuel 
 Pepys says, "So to bed, well pleased with our day's enter- 
 tainment. " 
 
IV. 
 
 NOW we will take another river excursion, this time 
 down the stream ; not on so genial a day as our last, 
 for one of Charles Kingley's black nor-easters was blow- 
 ing, that — 
 
 " Strong within us, stirs the Viking's blood' ' 
 
 * * . * ♦ * * # * 
 " And drives our English hearts of oak, 
 Seaward round the world 11 — 
 
 but it was the only day we could arrange to go. So em- 
 barking at the stairs where Hungerford bridge once stood — 
 now the Charing Cross railway bridge, the river here being 
 about three hundred yards wide — we pass quickly with the 
 current down along the line of the superb embankment 
 with its massive walls, statues, and trees, passing through 
 Waterloo bridge of nine arches, said by Canova to be the 
 finest work of the kind in the world, and by Baron Dupin 
 called " a colossal monument worthy of Sesostris, and the 
 Caesars," thence past Temple Gardens, Adelphi, and Som- 
 erset House terraces, through Blackfriars, and South wark 
 bridges, when we come to London bridge, the last on the 
 river on its downward course to the sea. This noble bridge 
 has " five semi-elliptical arches, exceeding in extent of 
 span those of any other stone bridge in Europe." The 
 two streams of traffic on it, to either shore, are con- 
 tinuous and immense, and perhaps unique in the world; 
 from it can be seen the Tower, Monu ment, St. Paul's, Cus- 
 
 132 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 133 
 
 tom-House, the many docks crowded with shipping, and 
 all the concomitants of the center of the world's trade. 
 But the river seen by night from, say Westminster bridge, 
 how beautiful it looks with myriads of lights, stretching up 
 and down, reflected in its waters; but alas ! too often what 
 sad secrets it hides ! Down still with the last of the ebbing 
 tide we go past docks and warehouses, the stream crowded 
 with all sorts of craft going up or down, and widening as 
 it goes, at Woolwich, to which the line of docks extends, 
 its width is four hundred and ninety yards ; at Gravesend, 
 eight hundred yards; and its mouth at the Nore-light, 
 what may be called the estuary of the Thames, and Med- 
 way, six miles. 
 
 Return we now from this digression to our destina- 
 tion, Greenwich Hospital. Landing on a noble stone 
 terrace, with the Ship Tavern on one hand, and on the 
 other the Trafalgar, both great resorts of Londoners for 
 white-bait dinners, and in either case their walls washed 
 by, and windows overlooking the waters of the river, you 
 have the splendid pile before you. It occupies the site of 
 the ancient Royal Palace of Placentia, in which Henry VIII. 
 and his children Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Ed- 
 ward VI. were born, and the latter monarch died. One 
 wing of the present building was erected from a design of 
 Inigo Jones in Charles II. reign, and it was finished, and 
 endowed, by the munificence of William and Mary after 
 the great battle of La Hogue, for maintenance of seamen 
 pensioners of the Royal Navy. In 1732 the forfeited estates 
 of the Earl of Derwentwater aided to enrich its revenues, 
 lately amounting to £150,000 per annum. Not counting 
 officers, medical staff, and nurses, there were maintained 
 
134 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 sixteen hundred pensioners, who beside food and clothing, 
 received a weekly allowance for tobacco, etc., of from three 
 shillings to five shillings each. "Of late the authorities, 
 deeming that the semi-monastic sort of life led by so many 
 men was not beneficial, and that they would be much hap- 
 pier in their country homes, have converted the vast pile 
 into a Royal Naval College for officers, and Free School 
 for one thousand sons of seamen (and two hundred 
 daughters, at other schools), exclusive of the suites of 
 rooms occupied by the Painted Hall, model rooms, muse- 
 ums, etc. Twelve thousand out-pensioners are now receiv- 
 ing at their own homes sums varying from £3 to £57 per 
 annum. In the center of the court-yard of the boys' school 
 is a full-rigged corvette — sunk up to her bends in the earth 
 — on board of which a number of lads sleep and mess, and 
 the regular routine of man-of-war life is fully carried out ; 
 also, they are exercised in reefing and furling sails, sending 
 up and down masts and yards, with all the necessary work 
 of a sailor's life. How strange it looked to see this beauti- 
 ful ship up in the town, among the trees and houses. 
 
 Crossing the quadrangle, on three sides of which the 
 noble structure is erected — the fourth being open to the 
 river — we ascend by a fine flight of sfceps into the Vestibule 
 of the Painted Hall, another flight leading into the Great 
 Hall, formerly the Refectory of the Hospital, the upper 
 chamber being appropriated to the officers, the lower to 
 the pensioners ; but as the revenue and number of inmates 
 increased, new dining-halls were provided in other parts of 
 the building. The two splendid rooms above mentioned 
 are now devoted solely to portraits of eminent naval com- 
 manders, British and foreign, and pictures of great naval 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 135 
 
 fights — their walls being literally covered with them. The 
 ceilings of both are superbly painted in endless allegorical 
 devices by Sir James Thornhill, who married Hogarth's 
 daughter; in the center of one King William and Queen 
 Mary, and of the other Queen Anne and Prince George of 
 Denmark. I could not attempt to enumerate the portraits 
 of great commanders, from Sir Walter Raleigh downward, 
 for they are legion, but among them I noted that of Vasco 
 de Gama, and our brave antagonist, the Dutch Admiral 
 Marten Harpertz Tromp, killed in the fight with the fleet 
 under Monk in 1653. The numerous pictures of noted 
 actions and sea-fights, from La Hogue to Trafalgar, by 
 masters whose fame is as undying as the victories they 
 celebrate, ending with Turner's representation of that great 
 battle, and Benjamin West's Death of Nelson in the cock- 
 pit of the ''Victory," stir up, perhaps too much, the old Norse 
 blood within us. There are many fine busts of great cap- 
 tains, too, but as I am not writing a descriptive catalogue 
 I pray you believe me that it is well named the Painted 
 Hall, and forgive a little pardonable exultation with all 
 these memorials of our country's glory around us. I was 
 much interested in the Nelson relics, among which is the 
 coat worn by him at Trafalgar, with the hole through the 
 epaulette where the fatal bullet passed. Also numerous 
 sad relic3 of Sir John Franklin's expedition, and an astro- 
 labe presented by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Francis Drake. 
 There are many captured flags too, here, as well as in the 
 Tower, and different cathedrals, inclining one to the belief 
 that we are a bellicose race, and our temple of Janus not 
 often shut. Our guide was an intelligent old blue-jacket, 
 with many medals, and no doubt recognizing in me a 
 
136 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 brother " salt," took pains to show and explain to us much 
 that was worthy of notice. Calling my attention to the 
 beautiful effect of the light falling through a coloured win- 
 dow on one side of the great hall, he took us over to exam- 
 ine it more closely, when lo, no window was there, it was 
 merely a painted illusion to make it uniform with the op- 
 posite side. 
 
 Like M., you will not probably care to go with me 
 over the Royal Naval Museum. I own so much sight- 
 seeing is very fatiguing, especially for the gentler sex, 
 when you have many stairs to clamber up and rooms to 
 explore, nor have the numerous diabolical inventions for 
 destroying human life any charms for them ; fortunately 
 there are many and noble inventions here for saving it also. 
 But I will not trouble you with the almost endless variety 
 of models for everything appertaining to " those who go 
 down to the sea in ships." Of men-of-war of every class, 
 from the earliest times to the modern iron monsters and 
 their attendants, there is no end; and I wish you could see 
 how beautifully built some of them are, of ivory, bone, or 
 fine woods. The " Harry-Grace-a-Dieu " (that carried 
 Henry VIII. to meet Francis I.), and the "Soveraigne 
 of ye Seas," with many beautiful frigates, interested me 
 more than their modern successors, who are not so much 
 ships as war machines. 
 
 We lunched at the Trafalgar in a noble room with sev- 
 eral large bow-windows overlooking the busy river, in one 
 of which we sat, the water but a few feet below us, watch- 
 ing the homeward-bounders with their glad hearts going 
 up the now brimming stream, and the outward-bounders, 
 doubtless sad at heart, starting on their long wanderings 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 137 
 
 over the " weary waste of waters." This important func- 
 tion ended we strolled up into the park, and as vehicles 
 are not allowed inside, neither time nor strength permit- 
 ted us to ascend the hills on which the famed observatory- 
 is built from which the world counts its longitude. 
 
 'Tis a noble domain, and like the royal parks previ- 
 ously mentioned, open to the public for picnics, etc., and 
 judging from the debris under many of the majestic trees, 
 they are no way slow in availing themselves of the privi- 
 lege. Here, as in Hampton Court and Bushy Park, dogs 
 are strictly " Kapu" lest they should chase the deer. 
 With visions of a pleasant country ride before us, for the 
 sun was now shining brightly, and eschewing rail or 
 river, we mounted — as was our wont in fair weather — to 
 the top of a " bus " for our return to town. The streets of 
 Greenwich seemed to us to be of inordinate length, and 
 we wondered when the green fields were to appear. A 
 sign-board marked Old Kent Road soon disabused 
 us of our error, and we were forced to reconcile ourselves 
 to the fact that it was all London, from where we left to 
 where we alighted at Westminister bridge. 
 
 We had been desirous (at least I had, M. gently dis- 
 senting) of going down to Sheerness by water to visit 
 our old friend Mrs. C, whom we had known from 
 childhood, and whose husband, a naval officer, had won 
 his bride in Honolulu. Provokingly for me (M., I ex- 
 pect, laughing in her sleeve), the day broke with rain 
 and some fog ; the river was out of the question, and so 
 we left by rail from the Victoria Station, down through 
 the fair county of Kent, rich with waving fields of grain, 
 hops, and lucerne, their varied colours of pale yellow 
 
138 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 corn, green hops, and rich red of the latter, making a won- 
 drously kaleidoscopic picture, divided into irregular pieces 
 by the trim hedge-rows. 
 
 The latter crop puzzled us both very much ; we had 
 never either of us seen it before ; perhaps it is new. Soon 
 we arrived at Rochester, a very old town indeed, and one 
 of the most ancient bishoprics in England, being founded 
 in the year 604. This city, built upon the right bank of 
 the Med way, is nearly surrounded by that river on two 
 sides, and has an ancient cathedral, overlooked, both it 
 and the town, by a massive square Norman Keep erected 
 soon after the conquest. Numerous Martello towers and 
 other fortifications crown the surrounding hills, and form 
 part of the lines of the Chatham defences. It was once a 
 Roman Station, being by them called " Durobrivse " and 
 subsequently by its Saxon occupants Hrofsceaster (from 
 a chieftain of that name), hence its present nomenclature. 
 Passing here all too quickly, for I should have enjoyed 
 a stay very much, we were shortly at our destination, 
 and found our dear old friend, and almost second daugh- 
 ter I. waiting to receive us. Coming as we did so lately 
 from her former home and those she held so dear, and we 
 remembering so vividly happy days passed in their 
 and her society, I leave to your imagination the pleasure 
 of our meeting. 
 
 Captain C. was away with his ship in Egypt, but I. 
 with her two little darlings was at home, and spared no 
 effort to make us happy. Be sure we talked long and 
 late into the night of Honolulu and "auld lang syne." 
 Mr. and Mrs. W., too, came down from Chatham, learning 
 we were there, and mingled their recollections of Hono- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 139 
 
 lulu with kind welcome, and pleasure at meeting us. 
 How nice it is to find kind old friends among so many- 
 strangers ; it strengthens one's belief in the love and 
 brotherhood of our race. This town, with its arsenal, dock- 
 yard and forts, is built on the Isle of Sheppey, at the con- 
 fluence of the Thames and Medway. It has not much to 
 recommend it in the way of beauty, in fact I fear naval 
 men are apt to designate it as Sheer-nasty, but then you 
 know sailors are privileged growlers. 
 
 Opposite our friend's residence (a pretty cottage facing 
 the ocean with the "Buoy at the Nore" in the distance), 
 is a long sea wall and esplanade, extending, I should think, 
 two miles, to prevent the inroad of the sea into the town, 
 but spite of which sometimes in heavy gales from south- 
 ward and eastward the lower streets are flooded. We 
 slept here with the murmur of old ocean in our ears, and 
 next morning being fair, with nice breeze off the water, 
 leaving the ladies to chat of old times and friends, I 
 started for a walk along the esplanade past barracks, life- 
 boat station and a powerful casemated fort, to Garrison 
 Point, and entrance to the dock-yard at the mouth of the 
 Medway. Time did not permit me to enter this great 
 establishment, covering more than sixty acres of ground, 
 so I was fain to be content with the outside of things, and 
 the noble ships lying in the river. 
 
 Far off to the left, on a point of land opposite, heavy 
 guns were continually booming at intervals. This was 
 Shoeburyness, trial and practice ground for great artillery, 
 and farther out the anchorage where the great mutiny (of 
 the fleet) at the Nore occurred in 1798. Sheerness was 
 taken by the Dutch under the brave Admiral De Ruyter 
 
140 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 (whose portrait hangs among the heroes in the Painted 
 Hall at Greenwich), and he sailed for some distance up the 
 river, doing much damage — and in spite of the forts — in 
 1667. Musing on these things and enjoying my " sniff 
 of the briny," time passed quickly away as I sat on one 
 of the many seats on the esplanade provided for ac- 
 commodation of the public, watching the promenaders 
 and the numerous crafts passing up or down the English 
 Channel. 
 
 Leaving with regret our friends we returned through 
 what Kentish men call the garden of England, in the 
 bright glow of a summer's eve, back to London. 
 
 Are you tired of ships and odor of the sea? Well, 
 now let me tell of something that in order of time should 
 have come earlier. On the first Wednesday in June (N. 
 having come up to town from Plymouth), we two started 
 for what Lord Palmerston was wont to call "our Isthmian 
 Games" — the Derby day on Epsom downs. This is a trite 
 subject, I know, and yet I feel I must tell you something 
 of it, so full was it of enjoyment from the lovely weather 
 and novelty of the scene, as well as being one of the sights 
 I had promised myself, if possible, to see. After some 
 discussion as to mode of travel, whether by rail, (crowded 
 trains leaving every ten minutes), bus or hansom, we 
 decided in favour of the latter as affording a better view 
 of the road, being more independent and free from a 
 crowd. So we chartered a trap at Charing Cross for the 
 sum of thirty shillings, to be at our disposal for the whole 
 day, starting about 10 a. m. Soon we got into the crowd 
 of vehicles proceeding like us to Epsom, a small town in 
 Surrey, some fourteen miles from London, celebrated once 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 141 
 
 for its springs of sulphate of magnesia or Epsom salts, 
 but since the institution of the Derby stakes of fifty sov- 
 ereigns each by the Earl of that name, in 1780, more cele- 
 brated still for the great horse-race run on the adjoining 
 down, the prize for which sometimes aggregates £6,000. 
 Long ere reaching Clapham common we made an unit in the 
 triple stream of all kinds of carriages, two-wheeled or four- 
 wheeled, from the lordly drag of a duke with its splendid 
 team and appointments, filled with members of the upper 
 ten of both sexes, to the humble donkey cart of the coster- 
 monger, with his family inside, the owner perched upon 
 the shafts, pipe in mouth, happy as the noble occupants 
 of the drag, and possibly with the freedom and license 
 accorded to this great English holiday, exchanging friendly 
 "chaff" with its noble driver. It was an absolute river, 
 if I may be allowed the term, fourteen miles long, in three 
 separate currents running side by side at the rate of about 
 four miles an hour, the horses' heads of one carriage 
 touching the rear of its predecessor. 
 
 The utmost good humour prevailed, though jokes of 
 divers kinds were freely bandied about, but I am happy 
 to say that the coarse rowdyism, profanity and drunken- 
 ness said to be so prevalent in former years we exper- 
 ienced none of. Indeed, the solitary instance of intoxica- 
 tion that came under notice to-day was, I regret to state, 
 that of a woman at a roadside public house. Neither 
 going nor returning were we pelted with missiles of any 
 kind, as was once the custom, nor subjected to any annoy- 
 ances whatever. All seemed to be enjoying themselves to 
 the utmost, and in every town, village, hamlet or country 
 house the windows, fences, balconies, and on Clapham 
 
142 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 common the railings, had their groups of holiday-makers 
 watching the great procession. Shops and schools are 
 shut along the line of road, and even the Houses of Par-^ 
 liament adjourn for that day. 'Tis a glorious harvest 
 for hosts and hostlers at the public houses on the line of 
 march and much washing of horses' (and doubtless driv- 
 ers') mouths seem necessary ; certainly the dust was great. 
 Numerous vendors of Japanese fans and paper umbrellas, 
 at one penny each, solicit your custom, the little wooden 
 doll of former years seeming to be supplanted by them. 
 
 About 2 p. m. we got to the pretty town, soon wending 
 our waj 7 to the famous downs and entering within the 
 charmed circle of the "ropes," on the payment of five 
 shillings for our carriage. We took up a good position from 
 which to see the heat race and began to look about us. 
 'Twas a glorious, bright, sunny day, tempered by a pleasant 
 breeze, in front of us the winning post, grand stand, royal 
 stand, and I do not know what other stands. Rising 
 gently behind us are the breezy downs, furze-crowned, and 
 now yellow with blossom, where gypsy wagons and tents 
 were standing with black-haired, bright-eyed occupants, 
 whose skill in divination we did not try. Around on all 
 sides booths, shows, gorgeous steam merry-go-rounds, 
 land-and-sea boats (horrible things), mountebanks, negro 
 minstrels, jugglers, aunt Sallies, hit-my-legs-but-miss-my- 
 pegs, and the usual long catalogue of devices to get rid of 
 his cash that the holiday-making Briton affects. Hoarse 
 betting-men are shouting something unintelligible to me, 
 for I am deeply interested in the ever-shifting, wondrous 
 crowd. The carriages as a rule (with their horses taken 
 out, of course), are drawn up in lines as near the winning- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 143 
 
 post as they can get. There are literally thousands of 
 them, tens of thousands of horses and hundreds of thou- 
 sands of human beings, crowding in dense masses along 
 the ropes, in seas of faces in the stands, or perched, as we 
 were, on top of their "crafts." This enormous concourse 
 was said by the morning papers of next day to be the 
 greatest ever gathered on the downs, and the number of 
 people estimated at over two hundred thousand ! No 
 doubt the beautiful weather had much to do with its vast- 
 ness. As the great " event " of the day drew nigh we 
 wandered across the course which lies on the flat of the 
 downs and around the rising ground I mentioned before, 
 to see the start. Well, off they went, passing us at a great 
 pace, a compact body of, I think, thirteen, which we 
 watched nearly up to Tattenham Corner ; and then, fancy 
 it if you can, this ancient mariner, all sail set, tearing 
 back at full speed to regain the vantage of our hansom's 
 top and see the finish ! I accomplished it, too (much out 
 of breath, I must confess), and saw the celebrated Archer, 
 on " Melton, " win by half-a-head, with most consummate 
 riding, and jockeyship unequalled. In the royal stand 
 were the Prince and Princess of Wales, their two sons and 
 three daughters, the Duke of Edinburgh — much changed 
 since his visit to Honolulu — Duke of Cambridge, and 
 numerous other members of the aristocracy, foreign and 
 British. After the great race was over the crowd began 
 sensibly to thin, but we stayed and saw Archer win two 
 more races, and then got under way for our return trip to 
 town. The road was not, as in the morning, a dense pack 
 of vehicles, but a heterogeneous mass of carriages and 
 horsemen, as well as crowds of men and boys on foot, 
 
144 OUR PILQR1MAQE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 good humour prevailing everywhere apparently, for, I 
 suppose like us, they had enjoyed their holiday, the beau- 
 tiful serenity of the summer evening making it perfect. 
 We got back to London about 8 p. m., dined at the Hol- 
 born restaurant, resplendent in gilding and marble, with 
 its excellent band discoursing fine music, and so finished 
 a most enjoyable day with a most enjoyable dinner. 
 
 I feel that I have not done rightly in deferring so long 
 mention of visits from and to some old-time friends whom 
 we met in London, and whose continued kindness to us 
 we shall ever cherish among our brightest recollections. I 
 allude first to a visit from Mr. $., formerly British Com- 
 missioner in Honolulu, who came up from Eastbourne to 
 see us, looking remarkably well, and genial as ever. We 
 were his guests at luncheon at the " Hotel Metropole," 
 his sons also being of the party. I need hardly say what 
 a pleasant meeting it was, and how much we talked of 
 old times, with their pleasant picnics, parties, etc., old 
 friends, and recollections of a score of years ago. Need- 
 less, too, to say that with his catering our meal was 
 excellent in every way, and when finished we inspected 
 some of the rooms of this vast new caravansary making 
 up a thousand beds nightly. The drawing-room (not yet 
 finished, for men were decorating the ceiling) is the most 
 splendid I ever saw in any hotel ; the principal lift is as 
 large as a moderate-sized room, elegantly fitted, and un- 
 like the lifts in American hotels, instead of being sus- 
 pended from above, is raised on a huge polished piston 
 from beneath ; this is the general plan with all of them 
 here. In the afternoon of the same day another old 
 friend, Captain H., formerly Harbormaster in Honolulu, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 145 
 
 came and carried us off by river and rail to dine at his 
 pleasant house at Forest Hill. What an enjoyable evening 
 we had in the society of our esteemed friend, his amiable 
 wife, charming daughter and one son, with his wife and 
 baby. Oh ! the changes time makes ; those we knew as 
 children, now with children of their own. Verily, we are 
 growing old, but let us be thankful for the many mercies 
 left to us still. Later on we went a merry party from 
 Forest Hill (by rail) to the Crystal Palace, it being a 
 grand gala-day — Waterloo — to see the fire- works. It was 
 certainly a most magnificent display, the great scene of 
 the evening being an action by ships on the lake, with a 
 fortified town on its banks, so realistic in its effects as to 
 seem almost to be actual. The evening was very fine, and 
 consequently the crowd so vast that I was fearful we 
 should lose each other on our way out ; but making M's 
 yellow feather our rallying point (as did Henry of 
 Navarre's soldiers his white plume) we finally, after getting 
 mixed up with a big school of boys, met altogether again, 
 said good-night with great regret, and got into our respec- 
 tive trains, they for Forest Hill, and we for town, after a 
 most charming and memorable day. 
 
 Speaking of the above pyrotechnic display, reminds 
 me of the illuminations on the night of the 6th of June, 
 in honor of the Queen's birthday, by all the clubs, houses 
 of the nobility and royal tradesmen. Among the former 
 in Pall Mall, St. James, or other streets, it would be hard 
 to say which excelled in beauty ; of the aristocratic dis- 
 plays, the palm must be given to the Duke of Portland, 
 and among the royal tradesmen to Poole, tailor to the 
 
 Prince of Wales ; the gas alone for one night is said to 
 10 
 
146 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 cost him a thousand pounds. When we did not go out 
 at night (having, as you know, a good collection of 
 Hawaiian photographs) I used to deliver what might 
 almost be called a lecture on Hawaii nei to a very atten- 
 tive and apparently much interested audience, never 
 tired of listening to what I had to tell them, and like 
 Oliver Twist, often asking for more. This surprised me 
 much as the former did Mr. Bumble, for I felt that though 
 the pabulum was good, my mode of cookery and serving 
 up did not do justice to it. However, they seemed as 
 pleased to receive information as I was to give it, and it is 
 astonishing to me, in these days of general enlightenment, 
 how little they know of what they still call the Sandwich 
 Islands, and their surprise at our civilization and progress 
 is boundless. In the provinces it was the same thing, and 
 my collection of photographs travelled by post over much 
 of the land. 
 
 Of the vast system of underground railways I have 
 not spoken, nor of the great sub-way for pedestrians to 
 the Inventions, covered, sides and roof, with white tiles, 
 and brilliantly lighted. Both are noble efforts of engi- 
 neering skill and do much to relieve the traffic and danger 
 of densely crowded thoroughfares, but to me not pleasant 
 travelling, though expeditious and cheap. I prefer the 
 top of a bus, fresh air and sunshine, to a big burrow and 
 gaslight. 
 
 Having detained you so long in and about London, pro- 
 ceed we now on our " pilgrimage," leaving the Padding Sta- 
 tion by the "Flying Dutchman" for Bristol, passing 
 through exquisite scenery and arriving at our destination 
 in two hours fifty-five minutes. On the way down one of 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 147 
 
 our carriage-doors flew open, not having been properly 
 secured, and I was forced to stop the train, now going 
 between sixty and seventy miles an hour. An official 
 soon came and did what he could, and during an eight 
 minutes' stay at Swindon (the only one on the route), car- 
 penters put the split and broken door to rights. After a 
 stroll about the interesting old city we went tired to bed. 
 Next day being Sunday we rested here, attended matins 
 with communion at the beautiful church of St. Mary Red- 
 cliffe. What a pleasure it was, in so grand a structure, 
 with all the adjuncts of fine music, prayer and praise, and 
 how soothing to the souls of the wanderers. During the 
 evening we strolled into the very ancient Temple Church 
 and for the first time witnessed the celebration of the 
 Eucharist at evening prayer. Monday we proceeded on 
 our journey through Gloucestershire to New Passage, at 
 the estuary of the Severn, into which the romantic Wye 
 falls a few miles above. The crossing here was anything 
 but pleasant, as it was nearly low water, and the rise and 
 fall of tide among the greatest in the world. We had to 
 descend long zig-zag flights of steps to gain the water's 
 level and the waiting steamboat. About ten minutes took 
 us across and the operation had to be reversed, this time 
 ascending to the waiting train. This great delay and 
 inconvenience has since been surmounted by a tunnel 
 some five miles long underneath the bed of the river. 
 
 Well, here we are now in my own dear county of Mon- 
 mouth—" Gerddi Gwent," or the Garden of Wales, as old 
 inhabitants delight to call it, now Welsh no more, hav- 
 ing been included in the English Circuit since 1536. Can 
 you imagine my feelings? I could not analyze them, but 
 
148 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 I know that rushing through the lovely summer fields, the 
 scent of new-mown hay in the air, the Bristol channel with 
 numerous sails of ships glinting in the sun, and a bright 
 blue sky above, it was very fair to look upon. Crossing a 
 railway bridge over the Usk at Newport (a flourishing 
 town, with a large shipping trade in coal and iron, and 
 fine docks), a grim old castle built by Robert Fitzroy, son 
 of Henry I., to command the river, is on our right and to 
 our left a fine stone bridge of six arches. This place was 
 the scene of the Chartist riots in the rising of 1839, and 
 the destruction of this bridge and consequent non-arrival 
 or delay of the Welsh mails was to have been the signal 
 of success to their conspirator friends in other parts of 
 the kingdom, there being no telegraph lines in those days. 
 Passing the castle — now, oh sad irony of fate, a brewery! — 
 we enter a commodious station and change carriages for 
 Pontypool. 
 
 Steaming thence up the valley of the "Avon Llwyd," or 
 grey river, which here falls into the Usk, with Caerleon, 
 the idyllic city of King Arthur, on one side of you, and 
 on the other " Twyn Barlwm," or the Tump of Judgment, 
 we are getting deeper and deeper among the everlasting 
 hills filled with legend, story and tradition. 
 
 Caerleon-on-Usk, the " Isca Silurium " of the Romans, 
 was their capital of Britannia Secunda, or Wales, and 
 doubtless a city of great importance. Giraldus Cambren- 
 sis speaks of its immense palaces with gilded roofs, and 
 it was the seat of an Archbishopric prior to A. D. 519. 
 The rather mythical King Arthur is said to have been 
 crowned here in 517, and the city was burned and 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 149 
 
 destroyed by Henry II. in 1171, on defeat of the Welsh 
 prince Jorweth. 
 
 Numerous Roman remains have been discovered here, 
 and in a field which I have visited when a boy, is the 
 remains of an amphitheater, well defined, called the 
 " Round Table," and by tradition attributed to King 
 Arthur, whose capital city this was. Doubtless it was of 
 great importance in the times of the ancient Britons, 
 Romans and Plantagenet kings. On " Twyn Barlwm," 
 which looks like a great mound perched on a mountain- 
 top (evidently an ancient stronghold), and dominates all 
 the land around, " our skin-clad forefathers, under 
 Caractacus, opposed the Romans, and there the men of 
 ' Gwent ' fought against the invasions of Saxons, Danes 
 and mail-clad Normans " successfully, as their descendants 
 proudly claim, and still remain unconquered to this day. 
 Speeding on past tin-works, steel-works and iron-works, 
 how familiar and yet how strange it seems to us. The 
 grand old hills and splendid woods are perhaps looking 
 nobler than ever, but the ramifications of the iron road, 
 with snorting, screeching, black monsters hurrying along, 
 bearing cargoes of coal, tin, iron or steel, by no means add 
 to the beauty of the landscape. In my boyhood the sole 
 means of transport for these commodities from the place 
 of their production to the port of Newport, was by a canal 
 with many locks, along the towing-path of which, through 
 charming scenery, I have often walked from Pontypool on 
 Sunday mornings, arriving at the former place in time for 
 service at the beautiful old church of St. Mary, on Stowe 
 Hill, and back again in the gloaming, doing the eighteen or 
 twenty miles with perfect ease and enjoyment. In this 
 
150 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 churchyard, from which there is a glorious view over 
 town, country and Bristol channel, I remember a quaint 
 epitaph which I transcribe for your edification: 
 
 " 34 years i was a maid, 
 
 9 months 6 days a weded wife, 
 two hours i was a mother, 
 and then i lost my life. " 
 
 In spite of this digression we were soon at Pontypool> 
 the place of my birth and childhood's home, more familiar 
 and yet stranger still. The old town, deep in a hollow 
 among the surrounding hills and glorious woods, which 
 are bold and beautiful as ever, does not show so much 
 change or improvement in itself as I could have anticipated 
 in these many years, but railway stations, bridges crossing 
 the streets, and the well known canal filled in for the iron 
 track to run upon, were changes indeed. Add to this, un- 
 familiar names and faces where once we knew every one* 
 and you can imagine a strain of sadness in our thoughts ; 
 even my niece's son, who met us at the station, was a 
 stranger, but recognized us from our photographs. A few 
 minutes' walk and M. and her dear sister were in each 
 other's arms. Time had wrought great changes, but though 
 the hair was silvery white, the tall form, azure eyes and 
 brilliant pink-and-white complexion as of youth were still 
 there, softened and subdued by the trials of the world. I 
 spare you our meeting or any attempt at defining our feel- 
 ings, only asking you to believe that we were very thank- 
 ful that in God's providence we had been allowed to meet 
 once more. Rain coming on, we had a fire lighted (though 
 in the middle of summer), for we tropic birds felt the 
 damp and coolness of the evening air, and round its cheery 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 151 
 
 blaze talked long into the night of the events and recollec- 
 tions of a generation of men. Next day broke raining 
 still, and we thought with sad forebodings of the traditional 
 wetness of the place, lying as it does so low among the 
 surrounding and in some places densely wooded hills. 
 Wrote some letters, and when to my delight the sun came 
 out, I strolled into the well-remembered streets, leaving 
 the sisters to the enjoyment of each other's society. Neither 
 streets nor houses were as imposing as I once fancied they 
 were ; indeed, I fear I must confess to a feeling of disap- 
 pointment so far as they went, but oh, the noble woods 
 and grand old hills made up for all. I visited our old 
 home — the tenant in possession, a stranger to me, received 
 me very kindly on learning who I was — and sat in my 
 dear mother's accustomed place by the parlour fireside 
 and thought *****, M* kindly leaving me in 
 sole possession for awhile. Next day bright and charm- 
 ing — we had no more bad weather — and our arrival having 
 been bruited abroad, many old friends of both our families 
 came to see us ; but alas ! among them was not one indi- 
 vidual companion of my school-boy days. Some were 
 slumbering beneath the yew trees in the quiet old church- 
 yard on the hill, some prospering in other parts of the 
 kingdom, and some by "the long wash of Australasian 
 seas." This town, once quite important as the nucleus of 
 many large iron works and the market town for the dis- 
 trict, has since the advent of the iron horse among 
 the surrounding hills and valleys, lost much of its im- 
 portance. I remember well when on market days great 
 crowds of colliers, miners, iron and tin-plate workers, 
 with their wives and families, used to throng into the town 
 
152 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 to purchase their week's supply, and ever reckless with 
 their money — for they got high wages, nor thought of 
 saving — bought all the first fruits and delicacies of the 
 season, ere those a little higher in the social scale could 
 think of doing so. The farmers' wives and daughters then 
 brought their produce to market, the former generally in 
 handy, light carts, with a good stepping horse; some of the 
 latter riding on fine nags (I have one in particular in my 
 mind's eye), with baskets of, oh such butter! on their laps. 
 Almost as much Welsh as English was then spoken on 
 market days, and many of the country women wore the 
 tall Welsh hat and flannel bedgown. Now railways bring 
 the produce, the costume has entirely disappeared, and I 
 never heard the Welsh language once in the town; folks 
 speak with almost a London accent, and dress in London 
 style. Whether these may be considered improvements or 
 not, I am hardly prepared to say; but certainly in the 
 almost total absence of the disgusting drunkenness and 
 debauchery of those days, and the utter abolition of pugil- 
 istic encounters, dog-fights, and other degrading exhibi- 
 tions that took place every Saturday (market day) in an 
 open space called the Blue Boar Field, there is great cause 
 for congratulation, and much to be thankful for. Among 
 the "hills," where most of the coal and iron mines and 
 works, are situated, were to be found many desperate char- 
 acters, and the " strikes," or labour riots of those days were 
 brutal in the extreme. Bands of men, led by some villain- 
 ous desperado, more bold and savage than his comrades, 
 but like them with blackened face, and clad in a black 
 bull's hide, the horns upon his head, used to traverse the 
 hills at such times — calling themselves Scotch Cattle — to 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 153 
 
 overawe and intimidate the steady and industrious work- 
 man, their atrocities sometimes culminating in the death 
 of their appointed victim; and on one occasion, not being 
 able to find the man of whom they were in search, the fiend 
 to whom the lot fell actually shot his unoffending wife 
 through her own cottage window. The brutal culprit 
 escaped to America, but an accomplice suffered the full 
 penalty of the law, and I am thankful to say that now the 
 honest artisan is as safe as if in Honolulu, no little boast. 
 The leaders were always strangers from the Black Country, 
 and a curious anomaly in their proceedings was that on 
 entering a house and breaking or destroying all the furni- 
 ture, if they found the table with bread upon it, both were 
 left untouched from a sacrilegious dread. 
 
 On the first day of July — after receipt of letters of con- 
 gratulation from some of our children — perfect in its love- 
 liness as a summer morning, .we two set out for the closing 
 act of our pilgrimage. Crossing the ancient stone bridge 
 over the "Avon Llwyd," at the foot of the hill, past the 
 Shepherd's field, and the George well, we began to ascend 
 to the old parish church of " Trevethrie," a distance of 
 about a mile and a half, through leafy woods and meadows 
 almost unapproachable in beauty. Soon we come to the 
 sequestered cottage on the skirt of the woods, overhung 
 with ancient oaks and elms, where M. spent most of her 
 girlhood's years; to the left lies the dingle that in spring 
 and early summer is carpeted with blue-bells; there is the 
 well-remembered holly-bush which every season in my 
 boyhood's days bore a thrush's nest; a little further up a 
 noble beech without a branch for lorty feet, looking like 
 u some tall Admiral," with a clearly bored hole in it a little 
 
154 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 below its umbrageous crown, and which was always ten- 
 anted by a nest of wood-peckers year after year, and 
 innocuously pelted with stones by the boys of that genera- 
 tion, as, judging from the marks on its bark, it is by those 
 of this. Round the turn in the old road we go under the 
 overhanging trees, and past the Quaker's burying ground, 
 silent and unadorned with grave-stones or monuments, a 
 fitting resting-place for these worthy, unobtrusive people. 
 Ascending still, and emerging from the woods into the brill- 
 iant sunshine, we come to E's modest, old-time looking 
 cottage. A little maiden is waiting in the road with a beau- 
 tiful " posey" of flowers for M., from her sister, whom she 
 says has walked on ; we soon overtake her, when joining 
 us in the carriage we proceed between newly mown fields 
 — under the dry stone-wall of this one on our left I have 
 often found in profusion the loveliest snowdrops — just put- 
 ting on their livery of tender green " lattermath." A short 
 distance further brings us to the lych-gate of the old church 
 surmounting the hill, where C. W., M's dear friend and 
 bridesmaid of former years, is waiting to receive us, accom- 
 panied by a buxom matron bearing a big key and another 
 "posey." Entering the church by the west door we pass 
 the font where our eldest daughter was christened, up the 
 central aisle with long bars of gorgeous colouring from the 
 painted windows chequering the pavement, and gain the 
 altar-steps and rail, where we two knelt together forty years 
 ago to-day when we were wed. 
 
 Our friends silently and considerately withdrew, leaving 
 us alone for awhile to the flooding memories of long, long, 
 years; and I trust I may add sincerely, thankfulness, for 
 the many mercies vouchsafed to us during their passage. 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 155 
 
 After a little lapse of time, during which I put another 
 ring on M's finger, we were joined again by our compan- 
 ions, when we looked with deepest interest over the well- 
 remembered old edifice, sat in the pew in which my parents 
 used to worship, and then emerging by a side door are 
 under the far-spreading branches of a patriarchal yew, 
 beneath whose shade lie father, mother, brother, and sisters, 
 with many more of our kith and kin, and we feel thankful 
 that in God's mercy we have been permitted to visit this 
 much-loved spot once more, and that " Our Pilgrimage " is 
 accomplished. 
 
 This ancient building is the parish church of Trevethie, 
 or Tref-y-ddin, and from its square tower and some lancet- 
 windows, probably dates back to the thirteenth century ; in 
 my boyhood days the carved oaken trestle-work of its vaulted 
 roof was scrupulously whitewashed over by former puri- 
 tanical worthies who favoured that style of adornment. 
 Of late years it has been restored, the wood retains its own 
 colour and the bosses are gilded, greatly, as I think, to its 
 improvement. It has an excellent new organ, a good 
 choir of both sexes (crowded into a corner of the tran- 
 sept), and an eloquent evangelical rector ; but oh ! how I 
 did wish for a little more warmth and ornateness in the 
 services and rendering of our beautiful liturgy. We went 
 from here to the house of a very old friend, Mrs. D., at 
 Glenside, where we spent the remainder of the day, and 
 dined among a circle of family connections very dear to us, 
 and who seemed to endeavour each to outvie the other in 
 kindness to the pilgrims, and by them I trust never to be 
 forgotten. 
 
 I feel that I must tell you of some of our excur- 
 
156 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 sions in this fair county of which we Monmouthshire 
 men are so proud, and justly, as I think, with its beauti- 
 ful diversity of mountain, river, woods, mead and dale, 
 and so will take them in the order I find them in my note- 
 book. 
 
 Our kind friends from Glenside came one day and 
 took us, all three, off for an excursion by rail to the hills, 
 via Abersychan, Talywain and Varteg to Blaenavon, 
 amid bleak, desolate-looking mountains, covered sparsely 
 with heather, but rich in coal, iron and lime, with their 
 respective works vomiting smoke and flame from their 
 tall chimneys and furnaces continuously. In my youth 
 these places were difficult of access, and well do I remem- 
 ber once crossing the Blaenavon mountain on foot in a 
 snow storm, and being fearful lest the track should be 
 obliterated and I lose my way in its wide desolation, 
 no human habitation for miles and only meeting one 
 person on the great bare waste. Now two lines of railway 
 carry the wealth of the hills to the sea, and the villages of 
 those days are thriving towns. Many fearful tales are told 
 of these wild hills, and of unwary travellers lost in fog and 
 tempest, or led to their doom by the "grey woman," 
 Shoey White, and of wicked tricks by elves, the Welsh, 
 as you know, being a very superstitious folk, full of ghost 
 and fairy (Bendy th-y-mamma) stories. Of the latter they 
 always speak well, and their name signifies " Blessing of 
 the Mother." Speeding on we soon leave the bleak moun- 
 tains behind us and descend by an awful incline down into 
 the beautiful vale of Clydach — our route lying along the 
 edge of almost a precipice — said to be the spot that in- 
 spired Shakespeare's " Midsummer Night's Dream." Its 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 157 
 
 sides are wooded down to the meadows below us where 
 the clear but turbulent Clydach is hurrying along to 
 lose itself in the Usk, that is here so peacefully gliding 
 between fields rich in standing corn, or just shorn of their 
 crop of hay, downward to the sea, through thorp and town. 
 Crossing the latter river by a bridge of fifteen arches, 
 we enter the pretty, picturesquely-situated town of Aber- 
 gavenny — the Roman Gobannium — and proceed to the 
 castle erected by "Hammeline de Bohun," soon after the 
 Norman conquest, to keep the Welsh in check. It after- 
 wards became the stronghold of the Neville's, who take 
 their title from it. When I knew the castle formerly it 
 was open to the public, with fine walks around the walls 
 under shady trees, and benches arranged so as to afford 
 charming views of the lovely vale of the Usk, the 
 mountain range of the Blorenge extending in one contin- 
 uous line along the Golden Valley from the " Skivrid," or 
 Holy Mountain, to the Sugar Loaf, and terminating ab- 
 ruptly near the town. Now you pay a small entrance fee. 
 The smooth sward of the court-yard is laid out in lawn- 
 tennis, or croquet ground ; the great hall is floored over 
 for dancing, picnics or tea parties ; rustic stairs are built 
 to ascend to different parts of the ancient edifice, and sen- 
 timentalism is subjected to utilitarianism. With a feeling 
 of some disappointment at the change on my part, we 
 next went to the Abbey Church of St. Mary's, formerly a 
 fine cruciform edifice, but renovated and improved, save 
 the mark ! since my youth. We found a boy-school was 
 being held in among numerous fine old tombs of Crusad- 
 ers, knights and dames, over which, no doubt, from their 
 appearance, the youngsters frolic ; and lying on a stone 
 
158 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 bench was a huge wooden figure of a bearded man or 
 saint, apparently forming part of or growing out a tree, 
 and said to be called a " Jesse Tree," this being one of 
 three known to exist in England. What it really indi- 
 cates I could not discover, perhaps the root of Jesse. The 
 renovated part of the sacred edifice I had no patience for, 
 with its boarded floor, stiff, ugly benches and pews, and 
 general aspect of paint and newness. Thank goodness,, 
 they could not change the outward beauty of wall or 
 tower. In the evening we returned by way of Penper- 
 grom and Nantyderry to Pontypool, after a most enjoyable 
 day. 
 
 Another charming excursion with our kind friends 
 and some other members of their family, was to the 
 last named place (Nantyderry, I mean) by rail, where 
 Mrs. B. met us with her pony carriage, taking the elder 
 ladies of our party up, while the male members and 
 juniors of the softer sex proceeded on foot toward the 
 farm-house where our kind hosts were spending their 
 summer holiday. The day was as brilliant and warm as 
 a day in our sunny isles, and we found the shade of the 
 tall trees and hazel bushes, that bordered the deep narrow 
 county lane through which we had proceeded, very grate- 
 ful. The hedges and banks were full of honeysuckles, 
 foxgloves and other summer flowers, as well as being 
 garnished nearly all their length by bunches of fragrant 
 hay stolen from the laden wains in their passage from the 
 fields. A couple of miles brought us to our destination 
 on the banks of the pellucid Usk, where we were to picnic, 
 and I to enjoy a few hours' fly-fishing, as I had frequently 
 done in the same place in my youth, and on whose quickly 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 159 
 
 gliding waters I have so often seen the degenerate descend- 
 ant of his painted British forefather paddling the frail coracle 
 his sires used. Our host had kindly provided me with a 
 license, rod and line (the rivers now are carefully pre- 
 served, in consequence of the wilful and wasteful destruction 
 of salmon-fry and fish out of season in former years), but 
 as we were nearing the river, on meeting several gentlemen 
 with attendants bearing landing net and gaff returning 
 from salmon fishing, the conviction forced itself upon me 
 there would be no sport to-day. Arrived at the lovely 
 river running here swiftly down through green meadows, 
 and by shady trees, the crystal beauty of its waters and 
 the bright sky above told how futile our efforts w r ould be. 
 However, the spirit of old Isaak was strong within me, and 
 I could not forego an effort to lure the speckled beauties, 
 but to no effect, the only captives being a few salmon-fry 
 called here salmon-pink — being spotted like and scarcely 
 distinguishable from trout — and which the law requires 
 you carefully to remove from your hook and return to the 
 water. We lunched under the shade of some bushes by 
 the stream, the ladies adjourning thence to the quaint old 
 farm-house tenanted by our friends, where, after being 
 convinced of the futility of whipping the water any 
 longer, we men-folk joined them, and had a most refresh- 
 ing cup of tea, with all the delicacies of a country house, 
 under the spreading branches of orchard trees, laden with 
 fast ripening fruit. In the cool evening we returned in 
 the same order that we went, having had an " awfully 
 jolly day," if that phrase means thorough enjoyment. 
 You know how ardent a disciple of "Isaak Walton's" I 
 was in my youth, and will not be surprised to learn that 
 
160 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 I was very desirous to see. again the beautiful Glyn-ponds, 
 two splendid sheets of water lying deep between a bare 
 mountain on one side and high wooded hills on the other, 
 once plentifully stocked with fish, and by whose margins 
 I had spent many happy summer days, and on their 
 frozen bosoms winter ones. They were artificial lakes 
 made by damming across the deep valley catching the 
 mountain streams, and used to supply power for adjacent 
 iron-works. Each was more than a mile long, in some 
 places one-third of a mile broad, very deep, and filled 
 with clear cold water, the surrounding scenery being 
 wild and beautiful in the extreme. Off we set with C, 
 W. and E., enjoying the fresh, bright summer day, and 
 recognizing each familiar object as it came in view ; on 
 our left is the bold outline of heath-covered u Twyn 
 Calch," and opposite the wooded slopes of "Cwm Glyn;" 
 up the hill, past the well-remembered beech-tree, under 
 whose huge branches I once sheltered long years ago in 
 an awful thunderstorm — an idea prevailing with us that 
 you were safe from the electric fluid if beneath a beech — 
 when, topping the hill, I missed the lovely sheet of water, 
 and the sunshine dancing on its surface in the rippling 
 breeze. " Why," I exclaimed, " where is the pond ? " 
 " Did you not know the ponds have both been drained !" 
 The beauty of the landscape was gone for me, the sunlight 
 out of the picture. Sure enough, the dams were broken 
 down, the forge-hammer silent, the works a ruin, and the 
 devouring iron horse on his iron track careering triumph- 
 antly along in what had once been the depths of my 
 beautiful Glyn-ponds, a little water with sedge and 
 rushes alone marking their deeper parts. Wild stories of 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 161 
 
 violence, and sad ones of accident, are connected with 
 these lakes, which I spare you. And so we continue our 
 way on through the wildly romantic valley, becoming 
 more wooded as we advance, when, after passing a gypsy 
 encampment a sudden turn in the road brings us to the 
 summit of a long steep hill, at the foot of which lies the 
 village of Crumlin, a canal, and a brawling river, deep 
 in the vale, and across it the famous railway viaduct we 
 had come here to see, stretching from side to side above it 
 all. "Beautiful? You are right, it is beautiful. From 
 east to west, high above the lovely valley, high above the 
 nestling houses and glittering waters, stretches the lace- 
 like viaduct, light and delicate as if it were the work of 
 the fairy Ariel." *•***.* "So slight does 
 it appear, that even now, though it has stood the test of 
 twenty-nine years, many persons are still too timorous to 
 cross it," that is, on the foot-road under the rails. It^is 
 built entirely of iron, on the lattice work or trestle 
 principle, and carried across the valley on eight spidery- 
 looking piers that support the superstructure. Its length, 
 including abutments, is 1,658 feet, and its heighth 208 feet 
 above the foundation, and the view from it down the 
 luxuriantly wooded slopes must be lovely. Lingering long 
 as time would permit, we at length returned, though loath 
 to leave so much beauty, by the road we came, which in 
 its wilder parts is full of ghost or fairy story. Shall I tell 
 you, to beguile our homeward drive, of the renowned 
 hob-goblin "Gwka 'r Trwyn," who used kindly to assist 
 the farm maidens in their labours, doing their work while 
 they slept ? Some of them by their sluttishness displeased 
 him at last, so one day on a girl letting fall a ball of yarn 
 
 n 
 
162 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 over the hill whose base was then washed by the Glyn- 
 ponds, the "Gwka " said: " I'm going in this ball, and I'll 
 go to the ' Trwyn,' and I'll never come back." Off the 
 ball went, down the hill, across the valley, up the opposite 
 side, over " Mynydd Maen," through heath and whimberry 
 bushes trundling along, and, sure enough, has never come 
 back again. 
 
 One lovely evening when the sun was fast lowering in 
 the West, our usual party made another visit to our dear 
 old parish church and resting place of our loved ones. 
 Here we were joined by our kind friend's daughter, Miss 
 D., bright, intelligent and companionable, who had prom- 
 ised me the pleasure of her society for a walk to the 
 "Folly," a tower on the top of the " Little Mountain," and 
 who subsequently sent me the beautiful manuscript Welsh 
 music you have seen and heard. Parting from the sisters 
 who visited E's former home, we two, I and the maiden, 
 took our wajr over fair meadows, through farm-yards, 
 across wooded valleys and babbling brooks, and soon began 
 the ascent of the hill among fern, heather and furze, 
 emerging after a while on the summit, covered with a 
 carpet of such exquisite, velvet-like emerald turf that you 
 can form no conception of, it being as much superior in 
 beauty to " manienie," as the latter is to Hilo grass. Here 
 we sat down awhile to rest (not that my companion 
 needed it, but I did), and to take our fill in enjoyment 
 of the lovely summer's eve and glorious landscape. 
 From our vantage ground we could see seven counties, 
 stretched before and around us as a lovely piece of 
 embroidery. Beneath our feet villages, churches, farms, 
 rivers and canals glistening like silver streaks, in* the dis- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 163 
 
 tance the towns of Caerleon and Newport, with the last 
 rays of the setting sun flashing on their windows and 
 making diamonds of them ; beyond, the Bristol channel 
 with the " white sails of the ships," and on the further 
 side of it the coast of Somerset, towns and houses gleam- 
 ing white on its shore. To our left the Beaconshire 
 Beacon, and Blorenge range of mountains, to our right 
 the wooded hills and valleys in whose hollows Pontypool 
 lay hid from sight, and at our back a vast billowy range 
 of heath and gorse-clad mountains, stretching till they are 
 lost in the clouds. Oh ! it was fair to look upon by the 
 dying light of day. Can you wonder why we men of 
 " Gwent " love our beautiful country, so glorious in the 
 expanse of its stern, wild mountain scenery, quiet sylvan 
 dales and meads between, with modest, square-towered 
 churehes and cottages peeping out everywhere, rich in 
 feudal and medieval ruins of castles and abbeys, and in 
 river, torrent and sea; that her ancient sons fought so 
 manfully for her, or that the " Royal Welsh Fusileers " 
 (the Monmouthshire Regiment), stands on a high niche in 
 the Temple of Fame? Pardon this digression and an old 
 man's garrulity, but when one looks again, after the lapse 
 of half a century, on such a scene as I have tried so 
 imperfectly to describe, I think you will allow me a little 
 latitude of feeling. At least my kind companion did, for 
 when she thought I had gazed my fill and exhausted my 
 raptures, a quiet voice at my elbow said: " Now, shall we 
 go and see the Roman road ? " Rousing from my reverie, 
 for in thought I was going over the scores of times I had 
 visited the place before and until now had never known 
 how fair it was. We crossed the summit a short distance 
 
164 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 on the beautiful sward, and the everlasting work of the 
 great road builders lay before us, diving down deep under 
 huge overhanging trees into the pastoral country below. 
 Antiquarians are not agreed as to whence this road came, 
 or where it went to. No doubt, it was for conveyance of 
 military stores and march of the legions, and, be sure, went 
 straight to its mark, wherever that was. What enduring 
 work they left behind them ! Even now the road is used 
 at times by the country people, and I question if the solid 
 pavement of deep, flat stones laid on their edges has ever 
 been repaired since that great race left the island, more 
 than one thousand years ago. While gazing on their work 
 and talking of the ages since past, the gathering shades 
 warned us to depart, so we returned down the mountain 
 by another route, through long, shady lanes, when, bidding 
 my fair companion " good night," with many thanks for 
 her kindness, I felt I had experienced an evening of per- 
 fect enjoyment. 
 
 Inexorable time did not permit us to visit, as we would 
 have liked to do, the beautiful ivy-clad castle of Usk, near 
 which " Owen Glendower " was defeated by Henry IV. in 
 1405; taken by Cromwell two centuries and a half later, 
 and in whose green court-yard, as a boy, I have so often 
 played. Or Chepston castle, surrendered to the Parliament 
 forces in 1645. Or Monmouth castle, erected by Walter 
 Fitz-Osborne in 1067 (favourite residence of John of Gaunt), 
 and birthplace of Henry V., hero of Agincourt (Shake- 
 speare's "Prince Hal"), which surrendered to Cromwell 
 in 1646. Or the splendid ruin of "Raglan castle, the last 
 stronghold held for the king in England, by the aged 
 Marquis of Worcester, and surrendered to Fairfax on fam- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 165 
 
 ine and want of powder staring the garrison in the face, in 
 1648, the proud old hero being permitted to march 
 out with colours flying and arms retained. Here was born 
 Edward Somerset, Marquis of Worcester, the famous 
 inventor, by whom the uses of steam as a motive power 
 were first made known. The beautiful and graceful Tin- 
 tern Abbey, situated in a deep wooded vale on the banks 
 of the romantic and winding Wye, we perhaps regretted 
 missing more than all, remembering, as we did, its extreme 
 loveliness and the wondrous stone tracery of the east and 
 west windows, and remains of the gracefully springing 
 arches that once supported the roof. I shall never for- 
 get the almost awful sensation I felt when its sublime 
 beauty first broke on my astonished eyes, in years gone 
 by. It was founded by a body of Cistercians in 1131 and 
 unfortunately destroyed by fire after the suppression of 
 the monasteries. In it is yet to be seen a figure in armour 
 from a tomb, said to be that of Strongbow, Earl of Pem- 
 broke, who overran and conquered Ireland. I am pleased 
 to say that all these beautiful remains of ancient power 
 and piety, situated in fair " Gwent," are kept from falling 
 into further decay, the sward within their courts carefully 
 mown, and are open to the public for picnics or lawn 
 parties. 
 
 Disappointed somewhat in not seeing the above, and 
 the sisters being very desirous of visiting their old home 
 and mother's grave at Otterton in Devonshire, we left 
 by rail one fine morning for that place via New Passage, 
 Bristol and Exeter, arriving at the latter fine old city at 2 
 p. M. This ancient city, in itself a county, stands upon a 
 hill surrounded by loftier heights, with the river Exe at 
 
166 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 its feet. Once a Celtic hill-fort " Caer Isc," afterwards a 
 Koman station, then a stronghold of the Saxons, walled in 
 by King Athelstan, and on it the stern Norman afterwards 
 erected the massive castle of Rougemont, the ruins of 
 which we had not time to visit. " Being near the sea, it 
 was much- harried by the piratical old sea-kings, hence 
 Athelstan's strong walls, within which the mother and 
 sons of Harold found refuge after the disastrous battle of 
 Hastings, and were vigorously but vainly defended by the 
 stout-hearted citizens." Many more battles and sieges fell 
 to its lot in the turbulent medieval times, and during the 
 civil war it stood for the Parliament, was taken by the 
 Royalists and re-taken soon after. When William of Orange 
 landed at Torbay, the citizens received him with joyful 
 acclamation, for his banner bore the motto " The Protest- 
 ant religion and the liberties of England." Many fine old 
 houses are to be found on its streets, particularly the Guild 
 Hall and another ancient building a few doors off. 
 
 But I feel I must confine my remarks to the beautiful 
 cathedral, to which we went for evening service, and staid 
 to see its beauties afterward. The west front is truly mag- 
 nificent, with hundred of statues of saints, martyrs, kings, 
 and heroes in the gorgeous stone-work of its niches. Many, 
 alas ! are empty or defaced, thanks to the fanatic zeal of 
 Cromwell's puritanical soldiery, but are being replaced as 
 fast as the alms of the faithful permit. The chaste stone 
 tracery of the windows, almost lace-like in parts, with the 
 splendour of the glass they contain, passes my descriptive 
 powers. The beautiful and graceful Lady Chapel, with its 
 wealth of monuments and brasses ; the Minstrel Gallery, 
 the finest example jn England, built out from the inner 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 167 
 
 wall, and to which access is gained by a passage in the 
 wall ; and the ornately decorated alabaster Reredos — so 
 denounced by people of low-church tendency on its erec- 
 tion some years ago — almost require a volume to describe 
 their beauties. The wondrous carving of pulpit and stalls, 
 and above all that of the Bishop's Throne— a specimen 
 of fourteenth century work — with its lofty, spire-like 
 canopy, I wish you could see for yourself. The noble 
 rows of massive pillars supporting the superb vaulting of 
 the nave, rich in sculptured and gilded bosses, with much 
 fan-tracery of loveliest description, revelling in ornamenta- 
 tion full of wealth of invention and variety of detail, with 
 many monuments, the rows of tattered banners hanging 
 from the walls, and over all, the dying rays of the setting 
 sun gleaming through 
 
 " Storied windows richly dight, 
 Casting a dim religious light," 
 
 make a whole that cannot but impress one with his own 
 insignificance, and induce a feeling of reverence in so sub- 
 lime a fane. Its outward appearance is very grand, with 
 the two massive Norman towers, and standing as it does 
 upon a hill, gives it a very imposing aspect, viewed from 
 the surrounding country. The building of which the 
 towers were a part was commenced in 1111, but much 
 injured by fire during Stephen's siege of the city in 1136 ; 
 various additions were made under succeeding bishops, 
 and finally it assumed its present form from Bishop 
 Brantyngham, 1369-94. We wandered in the beautiful 
 interior and around its precincts, full of admiration, long 
 as time would permit. Thence through quiet quaint 
 streets to the public-gardens, and finally to our comfortable 
 
168 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 old-fashioned hotel, the Half-Moon, eschewing the modern 
 and more pretentious affair near the railway station, for 
 like the fat knight I prefer " To take mine ease at mine 
 inn," and dislike noise or bustle. 
 
 Next morning after breakfast we left by rail for Exmouth, 
 running down the left bank of the river to Topsham, to 
 which point vessels of some size can come; the passage up 
 to Exeter being effected by means of a ship-canal completed 
 "" in the reign of Henry VIII. Crossing here the river Clyst, 
 which at this point joins the Exe, we continue down its 
 estuary dotted plentifully with sails, and quickly gain the 
 pretty town and watering place of Exmouth, basking in the 
 morning sun, and terminus of the railway. What a pleasure 
 it was to me to see the bright waters of the English channel 
 dancing in the sunlight again, and I mounted with delight 
 to the box-seat of a capital four-horse " bus " for our next 
 stopping place, Budleigh-Salterton. The sisters took inside 
 berths, the sun being warm, so my sole outside travelling 
 companion was a venerable looking man, dressed in black, 
 carrying a small bag of same colour; soon the seat behind 
 us was occupied by a young man and woman, who at first 
 I thought were strangers to each other, as perhaps they 
 were. Crack ! goes our driver's whip, and off we set 
 through lovely coast scenery. Ascending a hill we turn in- 
 land where all looks calm and beautiful on this sunny 
 summer's day. Charming though the scenery be, I can- 
 not help having my attention drawn away at times by the 
 conversation of our friends behind us ; they seem to know 
 each seat, villa, and mansion that we pass, and their talk 
 is full of the " Colonel " and the " General," so that I 
 come to the conclusion they are moving in good society. 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 169 
 
 Of the subject of their dialogue, of course, I take no heed, 
 besides I am fully occupied with beauties of the land- 
 scape Presently the old gentleman at my side opens his 
 bag, takes out two small pamphlets, and turning to our 
 fellow-travellers, says with a peculiar smile, " Would you 
 mind reading the other side of the question?" " Oh, 
 certainly not," from both ot them. "Then please study 
 these little books, and in particular page 145." I was fairly 
 non-plussed. What did all this mean? Shortly after 
 our driver was told to stop at the entrance of a shady 
 lane running up to a very pretty house, where several 
 voung folks were awaiting their guests (for a lawn-tennis 
 party, as I supposed, the young man being in such a cos- 
 tume) and received them with considerable effusion. On 
 proceeding my neighbour turned to me, and with fine scorn 
 said, " Do you know who they were?" Expressing my- 
 self that I had not the slightest idea, he continued, " Why, 
 bless you, sir, only Salvation Army folk," in a most with- 
 ering tone, and then relapsed into silence. An hour or 
 so subsequently I saw him in the little town, distributing 
 most zealously from his black bag, tracts, no doubt incul- 
 cating his own particular "doxy." The destination of 
 our vehicle is now reached and we pull up at the Rolle 
 Arms, in the pretty seaside town of Budleigh-Salterton, 
 It is situated in a narrow dell running obliquely to the 
 sea, and consists mainly of one long street, through one 
 side of which runs a swift, sparkling stream, the villas, 
 houses and gardens on that side being each attained by 
 their own separate bridges. The other side of the street 
 the houses face inward, and their gardens — perfect bowers 
 of myrtles and fuchsias — look out over the sea, access to 
 
170 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 the beach being generally obtained by steps leading down 
 from them. The shore is shingly, bnt I shoul 1 imagine 
 from the number of bathing-machines, there must be 
 sandy bottom a little way out. The situation being so 
 warm and sheltered, and the atmosphere containing so 
 much ozone as it is said to do, makes it a very desirable 
 residence for delicate people. We strolled into the gar- 
 den of the inn, enjoying the charming scenery of ocean 
 and shore while our luncheon was preparing, and after- 
 wards sauntered over the town, happening upon a shop 
 (with the doors closed, as they all are in this quiet coun- 
 try place, and a small bell attached inside) in the win- 
 dows of which was displayed such a variety of beautiful 
 Honiton lace, my companions could not withstand the 
 temptation to enter, and on finding how cheap it was, of 
 making some small purchases. Relating this incident 
 subsequently in a circle of friends, and remarking how 
 costly such articles would be in Honolulu, one of the 
 company who had heard some of my ' ; lectures," and was 
 possessed of a burning desire to see our beautiful islands, 
 thought it would be a capital idea to buy a good parcel 
 of this exquisite lace, carry it there and so pay his 
 expenses. I warned him he had better not try it, brilliant 
 as the idea was, as there was a young man here who 
 would certainly " mark 'em " if he did. 
 
 Our trap being by this time ready, on we went up the 
 hill, past snug villas with thatched roofs, and pretty gar- 
 dens facing the sea, and then struck inland through a 
 charming pastoral country, leaving on our left Hayes Bar- 
 ton (well known to my companions), the house where my 
 great hero Sir Walter Raleigh was born, with thatched 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 171 
 
 and gabled roof, mullioned windows, looking out through 
 masses of myrtles and fuchsias cut so as to permit the 
 view. Passing Bicton, the beautiful residence of the aged 
 Lady Rolle, widow of the "Lord Rolle who was rolling " 
 in Mr. Barney Maguire's account of the coronation, we 
 come to a bridge over the gliding Otter, with its wealth of 
 trout, and enter the village of Otterton. It consists of one 
 long straggling street, more, I fancy, than half a mile in 
 extent ; many of the cottages are built of " cob," as they 
 call it here, but in our parts named wattle-and-daub, 
 that is to say, willows or hazel woven like basket-work 
 and plastered with clay inside and out. As you enter 
 this primitive village you pass a large open space sur- 
 rounded with magnificent horse-chestnut trees, called the 
 "Green;" it is said a May-pole once stood in its center, 
 but that was before my companions' memory. Turning 
 off the main street and proceeding up toward the church 
 we came to the spot where their childhood's home once 
 stood, now, alas ! an indistinguishable mass of crumbled 
 wall and roof-tree, neglected orchard and garden, two stone 
 gate-posts with round stone balls on their tops alone 
 marking the entrance to its former site, legal complica- 
 tions, or disputed memorial claims, being the cause of the 
 decay. From thence we proceeded to the churchyard 
 where, under an elm, lay sleeping the mother, brother and 
 sister of them both, " till the great trump shall sound." Of 
 the church founded soon after the Conquest (and which, 
 with the manor of Otterton, belonged to the wealthy 
 abbey of Mont St. Michel on the coast of Normandy) only 
 the tower remains, it being rebuilt and beautifully restored 
 by the munificence of Lady Rolle. 
 
172 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Our intention had been to remain for a day or two in 
 the quiet village, but finding that no inn accommodation 
 could be obtained — it having degenerated into a mere pot- 
 house since the death of the old lord, who used to hold 
 rent-dinners, etc., there — and the flight of years having 
 gathered old friends to the quiet of the churchyard or 
 scattered them somewhere in that vast empire on which 
 the sun never sets, we were forced to continue our journey 
 with hearts saddened and subdued, yet hopeful and thank- 
 ful still. Disappointed here, we were forced to push on 
 for Sidmouth, through shady roads, past umbrageous 
 woods and crossing purling brooks, many farm-houses 
 lying at short distances back from the way ever since we 
 had left Budleigh-Salterton, their fronts covered with 
 myrtle or climbing roses. Soon we arrive at the foot of 
 High Peak — on the landward side — and toil up the steep 
 ascent among ferns, heaths, and gorse of rare kinds and 
 wondrous beauty. Attaining the summit a glorious view 
 meets our eyes of land and sea, after enjoying which as 
 long as we can, we proceed again and commence the descent 
 of the other side down to the beautiful bay and town 
 of Sidmouth. The road is in some places very steep, 
 mansions and villas, parks and gardens, bordering each side 
 of the way, and all a source of gratification and delight to 
 the sisters, familiar as they are with every inch of ground, 
 in the great natural beauties of which years have effected 
 no change. The town, a very favourite watering-place from 
 its sheltered position and salubrious climate, lies at the 
 mouth of a valley, enclosed at the back by lofty wooded 
 hills facing southward to the sea, and high cliffs of some 
 five hundred feet extending to the eastward and west- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 173 
 
 ward, making it the very ideal home for invalids. The 
 shore is pebbly, and celebrated for chalcedonies, green, 
 yellow and red jaspers, moss agates and agatized wood, to 
 be found upon it. A splendid esplanade runs along the 
 face of the bay to protect the town from the incursions of 
 the sea, but sometimes does not quite succeed in doing so, 
 as during heavy southerly gales the low-lying streets are 
 often flooded. Numerous promenaders are walking here 
 enjoying the balmy evening air, and many invalids in 
 chairs being wheeled about by friends or servants. These 
 folk, I fancy, were either permanent or transient residents, 
 for at the comfortable Royal York Hotel on the esplanade 
 where we stayed, there were few or no guests, the season 
 not having yet commenced, thank goodness ! Many beau- 
 tiful villas adorn the slopes in the vicinity of the town, in 
 one of which the Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, 
 died. Local tradition says that this part of the coast once 
 projected much farther into the sea to the westward, and 
 colour is given to this by early coins and Roman relics 
 frequently washed up by the waves. " In 1841 a remark- 
 able figure — Chiron with Achilles and a dog — probably 
 the head of a Roman ensign, was found here." When we 
 had tired of strolling on the esplanade, drinking in the 
 balmy sea-air, we returned and sat in the bow-window of 
 our hotel watching the groups of promenaders long as the 
 gloaming of the summer evening would permit, and then 
 to rest. 
 
 Next morning, being desirous of seeing the view from 
 the summit of the clifTs, I wandered along the sea-wall, 
 past the life-boat station, until I came to the river Sid, 
 with a bar of shingle across its mouth, similar to so many 
 
174 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 of our rivers in Hawaii, and like them washed away 
 when heavy rains occur in the hills. Crossing it and the 
 low-lying meadows on a long bridge, you come to a steep, 
 zig-zag ascent winding upward through a wooded slope 
 and plentifully furnished with seats, on which fair maid- 
 ens, aye, and even an old salt, were seated reading and 
 enjoying the morning breezes. When gaining the summit 
 what a scene of beauty bursts on your enraptured gaze ! 
 Meadows and woods, fields of ripening corn up here on 
 the level of the cliffs, and below you the pretty town, em- 
 bosomed as it is by the hills, with the gleaming waters of 
 the river stretching up the valley. " Long lines of cliffs" 
 east and west of the bay far as the eye can reach, sheer 
 precipices down to the beach, with flowers and clinging 
 plants adorning their faces, which I longed to gather but 
 feared the dizzy height. The water, flashing in the sun- 
 light, was clear as at Waikiki, but not of the same cerulean 
 hue, and the bottom, at a long distance from the shore, 
 plainly visible. A tall hedge of hawthorn bordered the 
 fields just inside the cliffs, I suppose intended to protect the 
 crops, which, judging from its inward wind-swept appear- 
 ance, no doubt it did, a well-kept path leading up along 
 it to the farms beyond, and for the benefit of strollers 
 like myself. While enjoying the almost superfluity of 
 beauty by which I was surrounded, I was joined by a fine 
 specimen of " West Countrie " farmer who told me he was 
 visiting a friend "up along." Like me, he was enchanted 
 with the view, but unlike me, was learned in root crops, 
 grain, etc., and gifted with most pronounced meteorological 
 views peculiarly his own, which he -promulgated in the 
 richest Doric I heard in England. He lived in Zummerzet- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 175 
 
 shire, between the two u zeas," i. e., the Bristol and English 
 channels, and so accounted for the utter absence of thunder- 
 storms in his favoured locality. His generation of the 
 stalwart sons of the soil is fast passing away, and with it 
 the variety of almost barbarous dialects that in my boy- 
 hood prevailed in some parts of England. Education and 
 steam are fast accomplishing their work. Retracing my 
 steps, full of delight with my stroll, I met M., who had 
 taken courage and attained half way up the ascent and 
 was resting on a bench under a shady tree, for the morning 
 was almost tropical. 
 
 After a farewell stroll through the town, we took the 
 omnibus for the railway station some two miles off, and 
 close to the beautiful house and grounds (now a hotel) 
 formerly occupied by an eccentric Mr. Fish, a most deter- 
 mined misogynist, who used to throw open the place to 
 the public, the sole condition being that the women 
 should be closely veiled, and who was never seen by his 
 guests. Our return track lay through fair scenery past 
 Honiton, famed for its pillow-made lace (which manu- 
 facture is more or less carried on in every village here- 
 abouts), Ottery St. Mary's with a grammar school, founded 
 by Henry VIII., and a fine old church in which Fairfax 
 quartered his men and horses, doing much damage by 
 breaking the monumental figures and stained glass. We 
 soon arrived at Exeter, deciding, contrary to our original 
 intention (which was to have spent Sunday here and go 
 to the cathedral services), to push right on, which we did, 
 arriving at the Pontypool Road station at 10:30 p. m., 
 weary, but gratified. It being imperative that we should 
 hurry, as other dear ones were waiting for us, we now felt 
 
176 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 that the time had come when we must, however unwill- 
 ingly, tear ourselves away. But ere I leave my native 
 town, most likely forever, I pray you, pardon me for 
 transcribing a couple of paragraphs that fell under my 
 notice while there, showing what changes time has 
 wrought, and ot some interest to both of as. " Mr. L." 
 (my father) " had the honor of introducing the first gig, 
 the first chaise (about 1816), and the first four-horse coach 
 (about 1819-20) ever seen in Pontypool. The arrival of the 
 latter caused the streets to be thronged with curious spec- 
 tators, and was as great an event in its way as was the 
 opening of the Monmouthshire Company's Railway from 
 Pontypool to Newport in 1852." The second extract is 
 from the Monmouthshire Merlin — a weekly newspaper — 
 of 14th July, 1849, and refers more particularly to the 
 writer. It says : 
 
 " CALIFORNIA GOLD. 
 
 "There has been much interest felt in this town for 
 some days past in the return of" (my innate modesty 
 steps in here) " Captain G. L., a native of this place, 
 from the golden region of California, with lumps of the 
 precious metal in his pockets as large as two-ounce 
 weights, and a fund of information about that ' El 
 Dorado' on the banks of the Sacramento, as attractive 
 and alluring as are the wondrous tales of the Arabian 
 Entertainments." " Mr. L. is commander of the T., the 
 arrival of which vessel at Liverpool with the first great 
 freight of gold was noticed in the Merlin at the time, 
 and we understand so thoroughly satisfied is he of the 
 overflowing abundance of the precious metal in California 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 177 
 
 — which he says can scarcely be overstated " (alas, not 
 much fell to his share !) " that he intends sailing thither 
 again shortly " (hence this long-winded yarn) "and may 
 success attend him !" 
 
 A farewell visit to the old home, and to St. James' 
 Chapel-of-Ease, where as a boy I had so often gone with 
 my dear mother, and the dreaded day had come when 
 we must say adieu, perhaps forever ! Ah, these partings 
 press the life from out old hearts, as well as young ones. 
 Still we felt we had much to be thankful for in having 
 been permitted to meet at all again. On the 8th of July 
 we left via Newport for Cardiff, the principal seaport of 
 Wales, and great outlet of the coal mining and iron dis- 
 tricts of Glamorganshire. Our way lay down the valleys 
 of the " Avon Lly wd " and Usk, until Newport is reached, 
 which Giraldus Cambrensis tells us was in his day called 
 " Novus Burgus," to distinguish it from the ancient city 
 of Caerleon, out of whose declining greatness it arose. It 
 has a large export trade in coal and iron, with extensive 
 docks, and may be considered a flourishing town. 
 
 Leaving Newport, passing a flat and rather uninterest- 
 ing country bordering on the sea, but surrounded by dis- 
 tant hills, we arrive at Cardiff, and find the Doctor await- 
 ing us at the station. The growth of this town is some- 
 thing marvellous. From it I first went to sea in 1838, 
 when I do not think it had more than ten thousand in- 
 habitants, and vessels laid in a tidal canal, or in Penarth 
 roads, as we did ; now it has some of the most magnificent 
 docks in the world, and its population is set down at one 
 hundred thousand. All this increase of trade and pros- 
 perity is due to the excellence of the Welsh coal for 
 
 12 
 
178 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 steaming purposes, and to the vicinity of the mines from 
 which it is derived, to this port. I used occasionally to 
 amuse myself by an evening stroll — with the Doctor 
 or one of his sons — down to the docks, or pier-head, and 
 was surprised at the number and size of the steamers 
 and sailing vessels of every nationality taking in their 
 cargoes there, and with the rapidity that it is done. Huge 
 wagons or trams, containing four tons each, are run up- 
 on a turn-table, where one man, manipulating a hydraulic 
 lift, raises it high enough above the vessel's rail, whence 
 it is " dumped " into the hold ; this operation goes on 
 uninterruptedly, and the largest vessels are loaded in a 
 couple of days. It was almost hard to believe that in 
 some of the rather unsavory streets through which my 
 rambles took me, that you were in an English town, 
 the languages you heard around you being a polyglot of 
 all the tongues of Europe, and some of Asia, too, and 
 many of the house-signs bearing names decidedly not 
 Anglo-Saxon. Cardiff, or Caer Taff, is with its ancient 
 castle, built on the river Taff, and has always been a place 
 of importance ; successively British, Roman, Saxon and 
 Norman. " The castle was originally built in 1080 by 
 Jestyn-ap-Gwrgant, Lord of Glamorgan" — enlarged and 
 much strengthened by the Normans — " in 1648 besieged 
 by Oliver Cromwell, who obtained possession after three 
 days' fierce assault by the treachery of a deserter, who 
 received for his reward the gallows and a halter, lest it 
 should be said that the Puritans encouraged such coward- 
 ice and treachery." It is now owned by the Marquis of 
 Bute, as are the docks covering seventy-six acres, costing 
 more than a million sterling, and much more property in 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 179 
 
 the vicinity. The father of the present Marquis dying 
 while he was an infant, a large amount of money accumu- 
 lated during his minority, which a clause in his father's 
 will directed was to be spent on, or used in improvement 
 of the estate, hence the splendid docks, and restoration of 
 part of the ancient castle, now used as a residence. 
 
 One fine day the Doctor took us, with my niece S. and 
 Mrs. R., daughter of an old frieod, to see the remains of 
 the former fortress and splendidly restored portion now 
 used as a residence by its noble owner. Entering the 
 ancient gateway leading into the court-yard of the castle 
 you have on your immediate left a tower in which " Henry 
 I. and William Rufus imprisoned their unfortunate brother 
 Robert for twenty-six years," and as I read at school, put 
 out his eyes with a red-hot copper basin. In front at some 
 little distance is the keep preserved with great care from 
 falling into further ruin, and from the summit of which a 
 most beautiful view is obtained of the surrounding country 
 and valley of the Taff. The moat encircling it has been 
 re-dug, filled with water from the river, as of old, and the 
 approaches restored. Much of the ancient walls are intact 
 on two sides of the area, and beneath them, around keep 
 and moat, walks are laid out, overshadowed with noble 
 trees. The inhabited part of the castle, occupying the 
 left side of the space as you enter, has been elaborately 
 restored, preserving as much as is possible, in accordance 
 with the requirements of modern life, its ancient character. 
 The lower apartments are large and lofty, elegantly fur- 
 nished of course, and looking much like ordinary rooms 
 in great mansions, with this exception, that the beams 
 running across to support the stone floors of the rooms 
 
180 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 above, and in some cases the fire-place3, are gorgeous 
 specimens of art in carving, gilding, colour and design. 
 The Banqueting Hal] is a truly splendid apartment, rich 
 in colour and gold, walls and ceilings painted in fresco 
 with the story of Duke Robert of Glo'ster. A small chapel 
 or oratory on this floor, in memory of the present owner's 
 father, who was not a Roman Catholic, as he is, is very 
 rich and beautiful in finish and design, and below the 
 altar, covered with glass, is a Dead Christ in marble, so 
 awfully death-like and real in appearance that it positively 
 made my flesh "creep." Ascending the winding stone 
 stairs you attain suite after suite of fine rooms, all most 
 elaborately finished with gorgeous ceilings, mantel-pieces, 
 coloured windows, and every accessory of great wealth. I 
 do not think that in any of the palaces we saw there was 
 anything more splendid than some of these rooms were. 
 On gaining the summit of the principal tower, which is as 
 elaborately ornamented outside as inside, most charming 
 views are obtained from windows especially placed for the 
 purpose, and through glades and vistas, also specially 
 arranged. The upper part of this tower is open to the sky, 
 has a fountain in its center, small rooms around the sides, 
 from which the views I mentioned are obtained, the central 
 space occupied by flowering plants and shrubs and termed 
 the Winter Garden. When I first saw this castle in the 
 year before mentioned, 1838, I could not obtain entrance 
 into the court-yard, being clad in the round blue jacket of 
 a sailor. There was no residence there in those days, but 
 I suppose such a costume was derogatory to the blue blood 
 of the Butes. Anyhow, the yarn on board ship was that 
 " neither hogs, dogs, or sailors " — mark you, we are last — 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 181 
 
 " were allowed inside the gates," and that a notice to that 
 effect was posted on them. I cannot say I saw it, but I 
 know that with an elder brother we were refused admit- 
 tance. 
 
 As a place of residence Cardiff has not much to rec- 
 ommend it, lying so low, but has pleasant surroundings, 
 good streets and shops, a fine town hall, museum and 
 library, with all the concomitants of a flourishing town. 
 There are many very nice walks and drives to be had in 
 the neighborhood, on some of which I beg your company. 
 First let us go with my niece IS. and her daughter B. to 
 the Sophia Gardens, in part of which a cricket match was 
 in progress. They seem to me to play cricket eternally in 
 this town ; perhaps it was due to holiday time and fair 
 summer weather. These gardens are a large space of 
 ground on the opposite bank of the river — crossed here by 
 a handsome bridge — from the castle, well laid out in walks, 
 shrubberies, lake, etc., with bowling-green and lawn-tennis 
 courts, presented by the Marquis of Bate to the townsfolk 
 on their surrender of an ancient right of way through the 
 castle domain, and named after his mother. It is a pleas- 
 ant place for a stroll under the shady trees, especially when 
 the river is full with the tide. 
 
 Another enjoyable trip by the same party was to the 
 pretty suburb of Penarth, on the opposite side of the 
 bay or roads. Situated on a much higher and more 
 wooded ground than Cardiff, it has superior advantages 
 as a place of residence, as numerous villas, snug cottages 
 and several pretty streets testify. It is very quiet com- 
 pared with its sister-town, and yet has a good dock of 
 its own and fairly filled with shipping. There is also a 
 
182 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 very well laid-out public garden on the side of the hill next 
 the sea, from which a beautiful view is obtained of the 
 British channel, with Barry Island, the Flat and Steep 
 Holms, and the opposite coast of Somersetshire, the houses 
 of Clevedon shining white in the sun. Numerous sailing 
 crafts and steamers give life to the picture, and between 
 us and Cardiff many vessels are lying in Penarth roads 
 waiting for the tide to enter the docks on one side or the 
 other. As I sat here musing, looking at the forest of masts 
 opposite, and on those in " the haven under the hill " on 
 this side, Imogen's words came to my mind, "And by the 
 way, tell me how Wales was made so happy as to inherit 
 such a haven." Pursuing this train of thought, why were 
 these British Isles made so rich in coal, iron and other 
 minerals, with so many fine harbors, " and compassed by 
 the inviolate sea?" I trust it is not presumptuous to believe 
 that Divine wisdom intended them for the home of a great 
 race, mother of mighty nations, whose inborn love of 
 liberty, free institutions, literature and language are des- 
 tined to spread over much of the habitable globe. But let 
 them look to it in their power and wealth, lest like the 
 Israelites of old, they forget whence all these good things 
 come, and like them fall ! 
 
 The day before we left the hospitable town of Cardiff, 
 where people seemed to emulate each other in their kind- 
 ness to us, we made part of a large company at a picnic 
 given in our honor at Dinas Powis. Beside our usual 
 family party, were a charming young Irish lady, a bride, 
 who took a great fancy to M., the amiable Miss D., and 
 her artist cousin, Mr. T., a most entertaining person, who 
 seemed to know the family history and name of every 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 183 
 
 bird, insect, plant and flower ; indeed, a regular " walk- 
 ing Cyclopedia." His company and conversation was a 
 great treat to me, and we trusted that he, with the Doctor, 
 would have been out here ere this, to see the wonders of 
 our great volcano, both being ardent disciples of science. 
 We had a perfectly charming day in every way, boiling 
 our kettle in the woods, and dame Nature kindly doing 
 her best to help us, every one of our party following her 
 good example. 
 
 Before leaving Wales I think I ought to mention that 
 it is said the Marquis of Bute, to whom Caerphilly Castle 
 belongs, offered to restore it on condition that the Prince 
 of Wales would reside in it one month in each year, but 
 that His Royal Highness was forced to decline. Luckily 
 perhaps, for the noble lord's pocket ! 
 
V. 
 
 ^AT'N iach," romantic Morgan wg, " Da boch," my much- 
 1 loved native Gwent, with your wild hills full of untold 
 mineral wealth, your deep sylvan valleys, and flashing 
 mountain streams, subsiding into quiet rivers as they near 
 the sea. On through the warm summer air heavy with 
 the perfume of flowers and hum of insects, over much of 
 the road we have travelled before, into the fair and purely 
 agricultural country of Hereford. 
 
 This section of the country is justly noted for its per- 
 fect farming, as is fully evidenced by comfortable looking 
 farm-houses, well-kept barns and rick-yards, trim hedge- 
 rows, and highly cultivated fields. Orchards and hop- 
 fields are rich with fast ripening crops, and the far-famed 
 white-faced cattle lie complacently chewing the cud in 
 water-meadows under shady trees. On arriving at the 
 Hereford station we find Mrs. D., sister of our kind friend, 
 Mr. T. H. D., waiting to receive us, and are quickly car- 
 ried off to her hospitable home in the pretty, cleanly town. 
 This is another ancient city, charmingly situated on the 
 river Wye. The diocese is of British origin, and as far 
 back as 680 a synod was held here by the Saxons, and 
 subsequently the see was founded, with Gutta as first 
 bishop. The castle, of which but little remains, has 
 undergone the usual sieges common to them all, in Nor- 
 man and Saxon periods, down through feudal ages, to its 
 
 184 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 185 
 
 subsequent destruction at the close of the civil war in 
 1645. The cathedral, an early Norman structure, in the 
 form of a double cross, with a massive central tower richly 
 carved, dates from 1072. The chapter-house, ladye-chapel 
 and cloisters are very fine, and we admired them much. 
 This cathedral was once very rich in fine tombs and mon- 
 umental brasses ; of the former, many have been defaced, 
 and of the latter many are said to have been stolen upon 
 the fall of a tower some two centuries ago, and by the 
 Parliamentary soldiery. There is, however, a goodly col- 
 lection of both still left. Some of the former are quite 
 beautiful ; many of the latter are quaint enough, as well as 
 beautiful. Among them I noticed one of Sir Somebody, 
 I forgot whom, standing with a wife on either hand of 
 him, and below them, on one side, ten sons, on the other 
 side eleven daughters ! 
 
 We spent what time was at our disposal in wandering 
 through this beautiful interior, and around the shady 
 cloisters ; thence for a stroll to see as much as possible of 
 this very nice, clean, quiet town. 
 
 One object of interest here is the house in which Nell 
 Gwynn was born. This city was also the birthplace of 
 David Garrick, its theatre being long managed by the 
 Kemble family, and in it the genius of Clive and Siddons 
 developed. On the evening of our arrival we saw much 
 of the charming scenery by which this place is sur- 
 rounded, in a drive with our kind hostess around the 
 suburbs. I also strolled with one of her sons, a bright 
 little lad, for my guide, through the ruined adjacent 
 monastery of Black Friars, now used as almshouses for aged 
 couples, many of whom we saw wandering in their little 
 
186 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 gardens, among cabbages and scarlet runners, sweet Will- 
 iams, wallflowers, princess feathers, and other good old- 
 fashioned favourites, the men smoking their evening pipes 
 in peace and quiet. Also within the grounds is a fine old 
 stone pulpit, from which the Black Friars used once to 
 preach, and that has been restored of late years. 
 
 The view from the bridge over the Wye — celebrated 
 for its salmon and trout fishery — is very fair to look upon, 
 with the castle meadows, and some remains of its walls 
 on the left hand, down the stream. Nearer to you, on the 
 same side, the noble tower of the cathedral. Everything 
 seems cheap here, and I fancy it would be not only an 
 economical, but a pleasant place to live in, that is, in sum- 
 mer time ; as to winter, deponent is uncertain. We were 
 more than gratified by our all too short stay in this city, 
 and left with great regret, our kind friend accompanying 
 us to the railway station, at about 1 o'clock p. m., for 
 Oxford. 
 
 Three hours' travel, part of it through the beautiful 
 Malvern district, which with its rich hill scenery, pretty 
 villas, splendid hotels, schools, hydropathic establish- 
 ments, gardens, and all the necessary adjuncts of a fash- 
 ionable watering place, combine to make it one of the 
 most charming spots in Europe, and we arrive at the fair 
 Queen City of England. 
 
 I am prepared to say with Hawthorne, " It is a despair 
 to see such a place and ever to leave it, for it would take 
 a lifetime, and more than one, to comprehend and enjoy 
 it satisfactorily." Unfortunately I was anything but well 
 on our arrival here, and glad to seek the rest of the quiet, 
 quaint old hostel called the " Mitre," in High street, with 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 187 
 
 the ancient tower of All Saints' Church shadowing its 
 central court. What a pleasant old inn it is, said to be 
 founded in 1400 ; underneath a window opposite to ours 
 was the date 1625. 
 
 Next morning was bright, warm and sunny, a regular 
 Honolulu da} 7 . How pleasant it is to be awakened on a 
 fair summer's morn by the sweet chiming of the bells 
 from tower and steeple, especially in an ancient town like 
 this, home of " The bonny Christ Church bells," 1, 2, 3, 4, 
 5,6. 
 
 " They eouBd bo wondrous, so woundy sweet, 
 As they trowl so merrily, merrily.'''' 
 
 Ere we sallied forth to see the city the manageress 
 kindly showed me over our hotel. What queer old laby- 
 rinthine passages, rooms in unexpected places, " Up stairs, 
 and down stairs, and in my lady's chamber," but all so 
 comfortable, quiet and restful ; though the massive beams 
 supporting some of the ceilings, and the absence of life, or 
 electric lights, make it very unlike a modern hotel. The 
 day was too warm and our time too limited to allow 
 going on foot, so procuring a carriage, our Jehu acting as 
 guide, we proceeded to see what we could of this interest- 
 ing city. Of its history I have not time to write, though 
 no doubt a British town existed on its site, the junction 
 of the rivers Cherwell and Thames, the latter being here 
 called the Isis. Alfred the Great is said to have founded 
 the University in 872, and early in the tenth century it 
 was surrounded with walls for protection against the 
 Danes, but ultimately succumbed and was burnt by them 
 in 1009. As you know, it stood for the king in the great 
 rebellion, Charles I. held Court and Parliament here, as 
 
188 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 well as coining money for service of the crown, the plate 
 of the various colleges being used for that purpose. 
 
 Leaving our hotel we drove down the fine broad High 
 street, over Magdalen bridge, here crossing two branches 
 of the Cherwell, close to the Magdalen college, from the 
 beautiful tower of which a Latin hymn is sung by the 
 choristers on the first day of May in each year, " at 5 
 o'clock in the morning," called the " Maudlen Grace," 
 that being the pronunciation of the name of the college 
 always used in Oxford. Thence around the suburbs by 
 Keble College, through streets and rows of most charming 
 residences it has ever been my lot to see, and back into 
 town over Folly bridge, crossing the beautiful, clear waters 
 of the Isis near the celebrated Salters' boat-houses. Our 
 Jehu enquiring if I knew why the river was called the 
 Isis, and I answering in the negative, said "It was 
 because it always froze from the bottom first, and never 
 from the top." I did not quite understand the relevancy 
 of this explanation, but was too delighted with all my 
 surroundings to argue or ask for more. 
 
 We now commenced our rounds of the various colleges, 
 twenty-one in number, of all of which, except one, we 
 were only able to see the outer walls and beautiful build- 
 ings, though open and free to the public. The exception 
 was the lovely grounds of the New College, founded by 
 William of Wykeham, in 1379. You enter down a street 
 so narrow that you are forced to leave your vehicle behind 
 you; passing through a gateway rich with gems of the 
 ancient sculptor's art, you cross a paved court, and 
 through another archway with residences above it, into 
 the loveliest and shadiest of college grounds. It is partly 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 189 
 
 surrounded by remains of the old city walls, grand old 
 trees overhang its many charming walks, numerous seats 
 are scattered about beneath them and in quiet nooks and 
 corners, making, with the beautiful, closely-shaven turf 
 and adjacent college buildings, such a haven of rest it 
 would be difficult to excel, and which the many strollers 
 and quiet readers scattered about seemed fully to appre- 
 ciate, as I know we did. The colleges are all incorporated 
 bodies, but the halls, of which there are four, are not ; all 
 are distinct from the University, though subject to its 
 statutes. Near Baliol College, in Broad street — founded in 
 1260 by the father of John Baliol, King of Scotland — an 
 iron cross on the street level, marks the spot where Arch- 
 bishop Cranmer and Bishops Latimer and Ridley were 
 burnt for adhesion to the faith. And at a short distance 
 off, in a more open space, a fine memorial to the memory 
 of those devoted martyrs is erected . We attended vespers 
 at Christ Church — the Cathedral Church of Oxford — 
 where I need hardly say the services were beautifully 
 rendered, and the sublime anthem " I know that my 
 Redeemer liveth," so exquisitely sung that its strains 
 echo in my ears even now, seeming to roll and soar with 
 grand organ accompaniment, among the lofty arches and 
 fretted tracery of the building. 
 
 Returning to our inn, we sat in a large bay window 
 watching the gay crowds passing and re-passing in the 
 street — not being term-time, caps and gowns were absent 
 — on this lovely summer eve, till near sundown, when I 
 went out to see if I could find a chemist's shop open, 
 leaving M. chatting with a lady from the Isle of Wight, 
 who had left her home to be out of the way of the gaieties 
 
190 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 attendant on the Princess Beatrice's wedding. I wandered 
 up High street, and not finding what I sought, turned 
 down St. Aldgate street, past the church of that name, 
 Christ Church College, founded by Cardinal Wolsey, and 
 onward still to the clear, placid Isis, looking more like a 
 piece of artificial water than a river. On either side of it 
 are boat-houses belonging to the celebrated builder, Salter, 
 containing, I should think, hundreds of race-boats, and 
 pleasure-boats of every description. Resting awhile on 
 Folly bridge, taking in the beauty of the scene, for a 
 lovely full moon was now silvering the silent river, I suc- 
 cumbed to its influence and descended to the bank of 
 the stream on the opposite side and walked on and on, 
 past the confluence of the Cherwell and Thames, to the 
 University boat-house, a fine large building on this bank. 
 On the opposite, or town side, are the Christ Church 
 meadows, with their riverside and broad walks, planted 
 with rows of noble trees, and for a great part of the dis- 
 tance the shore is lined with the beautiful University 
 barges, their interiors elegantly fitted up and used as 
 reading rooms, and it appeared to me hundreds of boats 
 of every kind and dimension for racing or pleasure. I 
 confess I was almost entranced with the beauty of the 
 scene and night, and the memories conjured up by this 
 noted spot, when it suddenly struck me that I was behav- 
 ing shabbily to M., and I retraced my steps, getting into 
 St. Aldgate street just as " Great Tom " began to toll out 
 101 ! as it does every night at five minutes past nine, 
 being a signal for closing the various college gates. The 
 bell weighs seven and a half tons, and* was originally 
 hung in Oxney Abbey, but was removed here, and re-cast 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 191 
 
 in 1680. It bears this inscription : " Magnus Thomas 
 Clusius Oxoniensis, renatus April 8, 1680" ("Great Tom, 
 the door-closer of Oxford, renewed April 8, 1680 "). The 
 number of strokes by the bell each night is that of the 
 scholars on the foundation. Making my peace with M., 
 who, with her usual good nature, forgave my lapse of 
 manners, I retired, feeling we had enjoyed a never-to-be- 
 forgotten day. 
 
 I have not told you that on the evening of our arrival 
 we managed to find time to see the picture gallery of 
 Christ Church, with many specimens of the best masters, 
 " including Gainsborough, Holbein, Kneller, Lawrence, 
 Lely, Mengs, Owen, Reynolds, Shee, Vandyke, Van Loo, 
 Walker, Tucchero," etc. And on the morning of our 
 departure we had " a last fond look " and stroll over part 
 of the town ere leaving for London by fast train at 9 a. m. 
 
 Soon we arrive at the pretty, clean town of Reading, 
 on the confluence of the rivers Kennet and Thames, their 
 waters being covered, as in every other place in England 
 where we have seen rivers of any size, with racing and 
 pleasure boats. Well may our continental neighbors say 
 we are a web -footed race. 
 
 Nearing this town, you are struck with the wondrous 
 blaze of colours in the seed-grounds of Messrs. Sutton & 
 Sons, and the great biscuit factory of Messrs. Huntley & 
 Palmer — the latter bringing to my memory the Elgin 
 Watch Manufactory before you enter Chicago from the 
 West. Short time for observation, though the country 
 through which we are passing is very beautiful. Soon 
 the stately towers of Windsor Castle are in sight with the 
 royal standard floating from the keep. Past Slough, and 
 
192 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 to us now other familiar stations, and at 11 a. m. mighty 
 London once more. 
 
 In the afternoon went to see our dear old friends at 
 Chelsea, and from thence, with one of the young ladies 
 as a guide, to the " Dogs' Home," in Battersea, M. having 
 written to me to bring her an English dog when we went 
 to France. What a sight it was, 4;hose hundreds of home- 
 less dogs picked up by the police wandering in the streets 
 of this vast metropolis. The animals are confined in 
 dens or cages similar to those of a menagerie, and the 
 incessant uproar of barking, yelping and howling is almost 
 deafening, except when an attendant, armed with a whip, 
 puts in an appearance, walking boldly into the den, and 
 the storm of noise becomes a calm, but only to be renewed 
 immediately his back is turned. Among the hundreds, 
 and they were many, were some very beautiful dogs, from 
 lordly mastiffs and St. Bernards down to toy terriers, 
 spaniels and pugs — English dog-fanciers don't seem to 
 take to poodles — and many utterly worthless curs of no 
 breed at all. We picked out as our choice a good pug and 
 a pretty fox-terrier, but were much disappointed on learn- 
 ing that both had come in that day, and could not be sold 
 until three days had expired, so as to give their owners time 
 to reclaim them. If not claimed the best dogs are sold 
 after the lapse of that time, and worthless ones quietly 
 asphyxiated in a room specially prepared for the purpose, 
 the carcasses being sold for, I suppose, manure. Next day 
 I was fortunate enough to procure a very beautiful young 
 fox-terrier in Leadenhall Market, the seller assuring me 
 it was "just fresh from the country," to which I responded, 
 "Pelapaha?" 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 193 
 
 On the morning of the 30th of July, dear M's birth- 
 day, our little canine friend having just arrived as per 
 agreement with his former owner — of course he had not 
 been previously paid for — we left the Charing Cross 
 station by the Southeastern Railway for Folkestone, at 
 9:45 a. m. Running down through fair Kent, past Chisel- 
 hurst, residence of the Empress Eugenie, Seven Oaks, 
 Tunbridge, etc., we arrive before noon at our place of 
 embarkation, with its long lines of chalky cliffs, crowned 
 with Martello towers stretching away on either hand. Of 
 this town I can only say it looked pretty, and well situated, 
 for our steamer, the " Princess Beatrice," was waiting for 
 us, puffing and snorting to be off, so our baggage being 
 checked through to Paris, we were soon on board. It was 
 a beautiful summer's day, and the u silver streak " for 
 which Britons ought to be so thankful, smooth and pleas- 
 ant, at least to me. M. was hardly of that opinion. I 
 thought Britannia had heard the cockney schoolmaster's 
 prayer, and as she ruled the waves had ruled them straight 
 for once ! Soon the white cliffs faded from our sight, and 
 Cape Grisnez, basking in the sun, was in view ; villages, 
 churches, farms, growing more distinct each minute, and 
 before 2 p. m. we are running up past the long pier into 
 the harbour of Boulonge. As you approach it from the 
 sea, this ancient city has a very pretty effect, two piers, 
 between which you enter — one of them very long, and 
 crowded with promenaders on the arrival of the English 
 mail-boat, the great event of the day — run out into the 
 sea and form the harbour, beside which there is a floating 
 dock. There are two towns, upper and lower ; the former 
 with its cathedral and Hotel-de-ville, is built upon the 
 
 13 
 
194 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 crest and side of the hill on your left. It was formerly 
 strongly fortified, but the citadel was destroyed in 1690, 
 and the ramparts turned into promenades. On the heights 
 above, from which, in fair weather, the English coast is 
 visible, the Roman Emperor Caligula once assembled a 
 great army for the invasion of Britain ; eighteen centuries 
 later the Emperor Napoleon assembled a vaster one for the 
 same purpose ; both attempts were futile, but a tall marble 
 shaft, called the " Colonne Napoleone," perpetuates the 
 latter event. The lower town, handsomely and regularly 
 built, stretches from the upper to the sea. A large portion 
 of its inhabitants are English, with several English churches 
 and schools. The sands are very fine and the sea-bathing 
 excellent, the climate genial and expense of living moderate; 
 all these good things combined, account for the large 
 English colony resident here. Landing on the bustling, 
 crowded quay of this bright, cheerful-looking town, it was 
 hard to realize that less than two hours ago we were in 
 England. The numerous uniforms, military and civil, 
 crowds of well-dressed loungers, buxom looking fish- wives 
 in white caps and short petticoats, and stranger still, the 
 unfamiliar language almost confused us. I was glad when 
 we were addressed in English by an unmistakable Britisher, 
 seeking a job as porter, and got rid of some of our small 
 baggage. I took the " wee doggie " up in my arms, as he 
 was constantly entangling his chain between the legs of 
 some of the crowd, and off we set for the railway depot, 
 across a perfect network of rails, and were nearly knocked 
 down by a train that was being shunted, causing great 
 fright to M. and a vociferous torrent of French from our 
 attendant. We found our train drawn up outside a large, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 195 
 
 rather gloomy-looking building, and were struck at once 
 with the great height of the carriages from the ground, 
 as in English stations the platforms are nearly level with 
 the floor of the car. While waiting to be shown which was 
 our vehicle, I noticed our porter in most animated discus- 
 sion with an official, and then was informed by him that 
 our dog must be muzzled or it could not be carried on the 
 train. I pleaded, " 'tis such a little one, sir," or offered to 
 pay the guard for taking care of it, as on the other side of the 
 channel ; all to no purpose, he was obdurate, so I was 
 forced to despatch the man up town to buy the indispens- 
 able article. A little later a high official came along and 
 with much kindness and politeness handed M. into a car- 
 riage, telling her to take the source of all our pilikia on 
 her lap, and cover him with her mantle. I was very 
 thankful for this, but alas ! the detention and discussion 
 had prevented our getting any luncheon ; M. was not well 
 enough to eat on board the steamer, where all kinds of 
 refreshments are obtainable, and you can get your Eng- 
 lish money changed for French, or vice versa — so that 
 I was only able to procure a few very nice biscuits. Just 
 before the train moved off our messenger returned with a 
 dog-muzzle big enough for " Bruno," the dog of Montargis, 
 or to put our little fellow into bodily, explaining that he 
 had " run half over the town and could not get a 
 smaller." Judging from his red face and furious perspira- 
 tion I believed him, paid him for his trouble, and was 
 thankful to feel we were safely off, on our way to Paris. 
 The line of railway on which we are travelling is splen- 
 didly laid, and smooth ; the carriages easy, luxurious, 
 and well ventilated. One thing, however, struck me as 
 
196 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 capable of improvement; I refer to the method of com- 
 munication with the guard, or conductor; instead of being 
 by means of a cord running along the inside of the cars, 
 as in the American system (which is the best), or outside, 
 as in England, there is a handle attached to a cord, en- 
 closed behind a small triangular piece of glass, which 
 must be broken ere you can give the alarm. I suppose 
 the idea is to afford time for reflection, so as not to cause 
 unnecessary delays. Fortunately for us, the sole occu- 
 pants of our carriage except ourselves, were an American 
 gentleman who seemed to know all Europe well, and his 
 son, whom he was going to take on a continental trip ere 
 entering one of the Oxford colleges. From him we 
 received much information on our route, and were pleased 
 with his courtesy and characteristic remarks. After mov- 
 ing off slowly through the gay and motley groups assem- 
 bled near the quay to witness the arrival and departure 
 of the English mail-boats, we were detained for some 
 mfnutes at another station, and then dashed off for our 
 destination. The day was warm, bright and sunny, as 
 indeed all our surroundings seemed to be in this fair land 
 of France. The track for some distance lies over low 
 land in vicinity of the sea, of which we caught occasional 
 glimpses through the sand-dunes, as we sped smoothly 
 along. Soon turning more inland the country improves 
 in appearance, though flat still, but lacking the many fine 
 trees, hedges, and brilliant green of an English landscape, 
 with the soft haze usually prevalent there, seemed to lie 
 slumbering in the warm glare of the summer's afternoon. 
 Some of the towns and villages we passed looked very 
 much like their neighbours on the other side " La 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 197 
 
 Manche," as the channel is called here, cozy and snug, 
 with pretty surroundings, the small churches with squat, 
 square towers, surmounted by extinguisher-looking roofs 
 marking the chief difference. One thing that struck us 
 much was the absence of any kind of fences dividing the 
 land. How does each man know his own possessions, or 
 keep his animals from straying or trespassing ? It seemed 
 to be one vast expanse of highly cultivated plain, with 
 every variety of crop, many to us unknown, sown or 
 planted in alternate strips of light or dark green, yellow, 
 red and purple. Occasionally a line of newly-plowed 
 or fallow land intervened, and when the country sloped 
 in low hills, cultivated from their summits down to our 
 fenceless track, the effect of the varied colours, like so 
 many broad ribbons of silk or satin, was very pleasing 
 indeed. Long lines of straight poplars marked much of 
 the way, but in the vicinity of towns or villages the trees 
 are more varied in kind. I do not think we made but 
 one stop on our journey, which was for a short time at the 
 ancient city of Amiens, in a rather dingy station shut out 
 from the town by high walls. Apropos of that, I have 
 remarked as a curious circumstance, that the railway sta- 
 tions of our bright, cheerful neighbours are not, as a rule, 
 so pretty and light, nor have they the bustle and gaiety 
 of ours. On the other hand, they are not rendered hideous 
 by " Colman's Mustard," u Paris Life Pills," and similar 
 inscriptions. Amiens is, I believe, a very fine ancient 
 town, with many splendid buildings, and one of the most 
 beautiful Gothic cathedrals — founded in 1220 — in Europe, 
 of which we caught all too short glimpses in passing. 
 Continuing our journey, deeply interested in all we saw, 
 
198 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 the country becoming greener, villas and fine residences 
 more numerous, we rapidly near the beautiful capital of 
 "La Belle France." Some miles before attaining this 
 I was surprised to see men cutting and stacking peat — for 
 fuel, I suppose — in some low, marshy land we passed 
 through, as I had always thought this practice confined 
 to the British Isles. Quickly the towers, steeples and 
 buildings of Paris begin to show upon the horizon ; our 
 travelling companion points out to us the line of green 
 earthworks surrounding the city, with different prom- 
 inent forts, and so with our senses in a perfect whirl of 
 excitement, and ere we can realize the fact of being here, 
 our train slacks down speed, and we finally come to a 
 stand-still in the huge station of the Chemin de fer du Nord, 
 at 6:30 p. m. We soon distinguish the Professor and our 
 daughter M. among the crowd waiting at the barrier 
 where the baggage is to be examined by the Customs 
 authorities, both looking remarkably well, and their faces 
 beaming with welcome and pleasurable excitement. 
 The luggage is soon arranged on a broad horseshoe-shaped 
 table, marked in divisions with the letters of the alphabet, 
 each person's being within their initial letter. Numerous 
 officers are in attendance to examine your trunks, etc., 
 but if you do not speak French it is apt to be awkward, 
 for although each passenger train from England has an 
 uniformed interpreter go through with it all the way to 
 Paris, or vice versa, he is not always to be found when 
 wanted. Fortunately for us the Professor was on hand* 
 and the presentation of his card, and I fancy the effect 
 of a bit of purple ribbon in the button-hole of his coat 
 (these things go a long way in France), saved us from a 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 199 
 
 good deal of pilikia, for we had somehow or other lost our 
 keys during the dog episode at Boulogne. All was quickly 
 arranged to the satisfaction of both parties, and we rolled 
 away over the stones of Paris to our children's home in 
 Passy. It was a long drive, being almost at the other 
 extremity of the city, but full of interest from the strange 
 sights and sounds around us. Soon we were in the 
 bosom of the family among our dear grand-children, two 
 of whom we had never before seen, and others grown out 
 of recognition, G., the eldest, having actually had the 
 audacity to grow nearly a head taller than his grandsire. 
 But auwe ! auwe ! they had forgotten their noble " mother 
 tongue," the language of Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare 
 and Milton, which was a sad drawback to us, as we did 
 not speak French, and prevented our full expression of all 
 we would have liked to say to them, and they to us. I 
 leave to your imagination our pleasurable talk far into the 
 night, of old reminiscences, and thankfulness at being 
 permitted to meet again after a dozen years of separation. 
 Next day broke bright and fair, when, stepping out through 
 a long French window on to the balcony in front of our 
 room, what a lovely prospect met our astonished eyes ! 
 To make you comprehend more easily our siuation, per- 
 haps I should premise that the houses in Paris are built 
 in stories or flats, sometimes even up to seven or eight, 
 each entirely distinct from the one above or below, and 
 occupied by different families ; but one common staircase, 
 with separate landings, off which the doors open for each, 
 and porter's apartments on the ground floor, where 
 Madame la Concierge is always in attendance, day or 
 night, to admit or let out the various tenants. The house 
 
200 OUR P1LBRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 in which we were guests was a very handsome one, situ- 
 ated at the corner of two streets in the delightful suburb 
 of Passy. Our concierge, living in a sort of exaggerated 
 glass case off the entrance hall, was a good sort of old 
 body, with a good opinion of her own importance ; if a 
 monsieur existed, we never saw him. Our apartments 
 were on the fourth story, and attainable only by sur- 
 mounting eighty -three steps of a fine, broad staircase, but 
 an awful trial to poor M., who never went up or down 
 more than once a day if she could possibty avoid it, and 
 then relied much on G's strong young arm and good 
 nature, always ready to help grandma. 
 
 Now return with me to our balcony, and what a scene 
 lies before us from the vantage ground on which the street 
 is built and our elevation above it. More than two-thirds 
 of the city is within our ken, lying principally below us. 
 Near at hand the gilded pinnacles of the Trocadero, sur- 
 rounded by their beautiful gardens ; farther off across the 
 river, the magnificent dome of the Invalides reflecting the 
 morning sun from its gorgeous convexity ; between us and 
 that the sandy plains of the Champ de Mars, with the 
 Ecole Militaire, and the many beautiful spires, palaces, 
 boulevards and squares of this fair capital. Through it 
 runs the Seine from southeast to southwest, dividing it 
 into two unequal halves, the largest of which is on our 
 side ; as is also to our left, and not far off, the magnificent 
 Bois de Boulogne ; in fact, up here we are almost in the 
 country. Neither of us feeling very well and having much 
 to talk of, we did not go out to-day, but made very frequent 
 visits to our balcony to enjoy the lovely panorama spread 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 201 
 
 out before us, and thinking how fortunate we were in 
 living in such a charming situation. 
 
 The first mention in history of this, one of the most 
 ancient capitals in Europe, is by Caesar in his Commen- 
 taries under the name of Lutetia Parisiorum, then a 
 mere collection of mud-huts on islands in the Seine, 
 which, as I told you, divides the modern city into two 
 parts, and forms about its present center the He St. 
 Louis and He de la Cite, where no doubt the tribes of 
 Parisii dwelt for safety. It grew slowly under Carlo vin- 
 gian kings suffering from incursions of the Northmen 
 until the time of Hugh Capet, when it increased rapidly 
 in wealth, size and importance. From Henri of Navarre 
 it was beautified by each successive Bourbon monarch 
 who ruled it, but on a grander scale by the first Napoleon, 
 for his nephew Napoleon III. being reserved the honor 
 of making it the most beautiful capital in Europe. The 
 river in its course through the city is spanned by twenty- 
 eight bridges, many of them very fine structures and 
 beautifully ornamented with sculpture, and military and 
 naval trophies in bas relief, especially those erected by the 
 Napoleons, notably Pont de la Concorde, Pont du Carrousel, 
 Pont d'Austerlitz, Pont d'Jena, Pont de l'Alma and Pont 
 de Solferino. Pont Notre Dame, built in 1500, connects 
 the right bank of the river with the He de la Cite, on 
 which the magnificent cathedral of that name is erected. 
 Lower down is the celebrated Pont Neuf, built by Henry 
 IV. and renovated in 1852; it is of twelve arches and abuts 
 near the middle on a small peninsula of the He de la Cite 
 which here juts into the river near its middle, the space 
 above being planted with trees and having a fine equestrian 
 
202 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 statue of Henry IV. The river is embanked for its entire 
 course through the city, that is to say, ior some five or six 
 miles on either shore. Fine Quais line it on both sides, 
 planted with rows of stately trees, and frequent flights of 
 stone steps give access to its banks. The method followed 
 for embanking is quite different to that adopted on the 
 Thames, where massive walls of dressed stone, surmounted 
 by a parapet, rise perpendicularly from the water subject 
 to a rise and fall of many feet of tide. Here being tideless, 
 the sides of the stream are built over with their natural 
 slope, which must render escape very difficult to any un- 
 fortunate who chances to fall in; and the Quais are placed 
 some ieet further back and on higher level, I suppose to 
 allow for rising of the river in rainy seasons. Taken 
 altogether, it has not the grand effect of the stately embank- 
 ment on the Thames, and another cause very detrimental 
 to its beauty is the vast array of bath-houses, swimming- 
 schools and wash-houses, moored in long tiers up and 
 down its banks. The former are many of them very gay 
 affairs, especially those for women, with a good deal of 
 ornamentation in the way of pinnacles, painting, gilding 
 and small flags. The latter, like the former, are long 
 structures roofed over but open at the sides, with rows of 
 benches and tubs, at which you see brawny, bare-armed, 
 and I think bare-footed women incessantly washing, 
 pounding and beating your linen to their heart's content, 
 getting their water from the river and throwing their suds 
 into it. During our visit the municipality were discussing 
 the advisability of removing all these structures, the chief 
 reason being they were in the way of the numerous river- 
 boats, and I would add detracting much from its beauty 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 203 
 
 as well as narrowing the water-course, which is about one- 
 third less in width than the Thames at Westminster. 
 The river steamboats, whose name is legion, are smaller 
 in size than the London boats, and narrow in proportion 
 to their length. They are all propellers, and fussy little 
 affairs they are too, but make good time. 
 
 We used frequently to take trips on them up or down 
 the river, as it afforded splendid views of the different 
 stately edifices on its banks, and excellent opportunities 
 for observing the manners and customs of the people. 
 All appear lively, good-tempered and loquacious, but 
 candor forces me to say I did not find the great respect 
 for women that I had expected ; the men smoke among 
 them on the boats, and take the wall on the streets, with- 
 out compunction ; not a bit more chivalrous than John 
 Bull. In justice to the officers of the steamers I must 
 say they are very polite and courteous, and if they do 
 bump them rather hard against their floating piers some- 
 times, what they lack in seamanship is made up in brass 
 buttons, gold lace, and gold-embroidered anchors on their 
 coats. We were always amused in our passages up or 
 down the Seine by the number of anglers ever sitting 
 hour after hour upon its banks, " from morn till dewy 
 eve," and apparently catching nothing, at least I never 
 saw them do so. They were of all ages and conditions, 
 from ragged little urchins with most primitive rod-and- 
 line, to the blue-bloused workman better equipped, and 
 well dressed individuals armed with fine tackle, landing- 
 net, fish basket, and all the paraphernalia of an angler. 
 Occasionally a woman was to be seen among them, and 
 they occupied all points of vantage, such as the spars 
 
204 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 » 
 used to shore the steamboat landings off the bank or the 
 chains that moved them ; some individuals bringing with 
 them a seat arranged to fit the slope of the bank, fastened 
 with ropes to a peg in the earth above. One day M. and 
 I commenced to count them, each taking one side of the 
 river in our passage down, but after passing a few bridges 
 gave it up when the number exceeded two hundred. 
 Well might the Professor ask if after that " I could say the 
 French were not a patient and persevering people?" 
 Such enthusiastic fishermen I never saw before. 
 
 The broad straight streets and thoroughfares, stately bou- 
 levards with rows of trees sometimes as many as six, divid- 
 ing them into roads for carriages, horsemen and pedestrians, 
 with broad pavements on either side, have probably not 
 their equal in the world. The spacious squares, gardens, 
 open places, ornamented with groups of statuary and 
 noble fountains, trees, flowers, lounging seats, with every 
 device of art and luxury in every place possible to put 
 them, combine to make a lovely whole. As a rule, the 
 houses are built of a light coloured limestone easily 
 worked, and with much carving and ornamentation, 
 almost invariably with Mansard roofs, and with no great 
 variety of form, which, perhaps, makes it look a good deal 
 like a toy city, or one built to order — the long, stiff rows 
 of trees in the streets aiding no little to the fancy — as new 
 Paris of which I am speaking really was. As I mentioned 
 before, the houses are usually very high, but the stories 
 not always equal in height. In many of the finest streets 
 the ground-floor, devoted to shops or magasins, is very 
 lofty and handsome; above that comes the entresol, robbed 
 of its proper height, being probably not above seven feet 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 205 
 
 • 
 in favour of the lower story. Above that again the apart- 
 ments resume their fair proportions, and are occupied by 
 a better class of tenants than the entresol, which, judging 
 from what I have seen, is usually peopled by lace workers, 
 artificial flower makers, seamstresses, clear-starchers, and 
 folks of that class ; this arrangement detracting, in my 
 opinion, from its otherwise stately effect. Of the splendid 
 shops for the sale of every conceivable article of use, 
 luxury, or beauty under the sun, I do not feel at all com- 
 petent to speak, but the richness of the jewellers in the 
 Palais Royal, the bric-a-brac magasins of the Rue de 
 Rivoli, and the thousand-and-one novelties of the Bon 
 Marche and Louvre, were, I must confess, sources of pleasure 
 and amusement I cannot do justice to. The scrupulous 
 cleanliness of the streets was a constant source of surprise 
 to me ; I had thought the London streets, where men and 
 boys are employed with brushes and dust-pans to gather 
 up the droppings of the horses, were clean, but these 
 exceed even that. Beside being thoroughly watered and 
 swept, the kennels are every morning copiously flushed 
 with water, which runs off through low-arched apertures 
 in the curb under the pavement to the main sewers 
 below the street. The vaulted sewers of Paris are said to 
 extend in their different ramifications for two hundred 
 and fifty miles, and are considered among the great sights 
 of the city ; all we saw of them was some of their cavernous 
 mouths where they emptied into the river. Every thor- 
 oughfare is kept plentifully sprinkled with water in this 
 warm summer weather, not by water-carts as with us, but 
 large hoses with numerous pairs of small wheels attached 
 to them underneath, are screwed on to a fire-plug and 
 
206 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 easily handled by one man, being by that device moved 
 as requisite. 
 
 Of the many restaurants, cafes, confectionery and ice- 
 cream shops you have read and heard so much that I 
 will not dilate upon them, though they occupy most of 
 the lower stories in many of the best streets. Certainly 
 the cafes in particular are a very marked feature of 
 French or Parisian life, in this warm, fair summer weather, 
 when the people live so much out of doors. The broad 
 pavements in front of them, covered with an awning, and 
 lightly sprinkled with saw-dust, are plentifully supplied 
 with small round tables arid chairs, at which gay groups 
 of two or more are seen sipping their eau-sucre, absinthe, 
 Grogs Americaine, bocks of light, pleasant, foaming bier 
 ^guiltless of malt, I fancy), and other to me incomprehen- 
 sible beverages, chatting, laughing and seeming to be 
 utterly unconscious of observation or of being in a crowded 
 public thoroughfare. It rather grates on your ideas of 
 the " proprieties " at first, but 'tis astonishing how soon 
 you fall into the custom, and think it a very pleasant 
 thing to do. Sometimes parties may be seen partaking 
 of solids, as well as fluids, so fond, are Parisians of this 
 al fresco sort of life. 
 
 The gar con having taken your order, soon returns with 
 it, bringing small wooden footstools for the ladies of the 
 party, and a pile of little earthen plats, similar to those 
 used for butter in Americen households. I was puzzled 
 as to what they were for, and found they were the means 
 by which he kept his score, one being added for any mem- 
 ber of the party whenever their glass was refilled. Another 
 novelty to the ordinary American or English stranger, is 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 207 
 
 the great number of Vespasiennes and Kiosks, pretty orna- 
 mental towers erected in the better and broader streets, 
 covered with advertisements, some of them really artistic, 
 the latter usually occupied by a good-looking girl selling 
 newspapers and light literature. 
 
 The means of locomotion are much the same as in 
 other large cities, but they have no vehicle that can at 
 all compare with the London Hansom Cab, and they 
 even are not as good or elegantly fitted as their Chicago 
 types. The ordinary carriage is a four-wheeled affair, 
 not like a "growler," but with only one seat for two 
 persons, and a small flap that can be turned down in 
 extremities, affording a narrow uncomfortable space for 
 one more. As a rule they are very poorly horsed, fre- 
 quently the animal falling in the streets ; but then 
 the fares are low, I think almost too low, being about the 
 only cheap thing I noticed in Paris, and even that is in 
 some measure made up by your driver, with the invari- 
 able black or white glazed hat like an inverted coal scut- 
 tle, always expecting a pour boire. For the street tram- 
 cars and omnibuses I have nothing but praise, especially 
 the latter. They are well built, commodious, and easy; to 
 prevent crowding, every individual's allotted space (which 
 is regulated by law), being separated from his neigh- 
 bour's by a brass arm or rail. They are finely horsed, 
 each having three noble animals, always of the same 
 colour, driven abreast after the manner of the ancient 
 Roman chariot, the drivers being skilful, the attendants 
 ])olite, and ticket arrangements perfect. 
 
 Of the denizens of these fine streets I have not much to 
 write, the better dressed portion of them being like their 
 
208 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 compeers in any other city, only perhaps a little gayer ; 
 the gommeux or dandies, as their brother dudes or mashers in 
 America or England, but with the rims of their hats so 
 tightly curled up, I fancy it must make their heads ache. 
 The artisan class are almost invariably clad in blouse and 
 flat cap ; their wives, short petticoated, usually hatless or 
 bonnetless, but with close muslin caps, and carrying the in- 
 dispensable large wicker basket. Of the grisette of the Rev. 
 Lawrence Sterne, and other writers, I saw nothing ; mayhap 
 the species is extinct, or in the course of evolution devel- 
 oped into something gayer still. The femme de boulangerie, 
 or bread merchant, with a huge wheelbarrow — nearly as 
 large as a hand-cart — filled with long loaves of bread 
 looking something like so many sticks of fire-wood, and 
 supported by a leathern strap over her shoulders, was a 
 " nu hou " to us. As also was the itinerant Marchand, de 
 Coco, with his shining brass reservoir surmounted by a 
 figure of Fame, or Victory, and adorned with tri-coloured 
 flags, strapped securely to his back, but his beverage I 
 never tried. The nurses, too, of this gay city deserve a 
 passing mention as atoms of the motley crowd ; no insig- 
 nificant ones in their own esteem, take my word for it. 
 They love to perambulate up and down in the shady 
 boulevards, or under the awnings of the cafes, with a little 
 bundle of mortality smothered in fine lace, and gay gar- 
 ments in their arms, themselves being gorgeous in frilled 
 apron and wonderfully constructed cap, from which long 
 streamers of broad, bright coloured ribbons hang down 
 behind to their very heels. Add to these the innumer- 
 able militaires in every conceivable uniform, some of which 
 are exceedingly handsome, and all with bright sun and 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 209 
 
 blue sky overhead, good humour apparently prevalent 
 everywhere, and perhaps you may be able to form some 
 idea of the impression made on us. 
 
 You would be amused, too, with the pictorial signs or 
 representations of what they have for sale within, orna- 
 menting the fronts, door-jambs and counters of the differ- 
 ent shops. The charcuterie or pork-shops, embellished 
 with paintings of sucking pigs, hams, sausages, etc. ; the 
 Marchand de poisson, or fish-mongers, with red-mullet, 
 cray-fish, oysters and salmon ; game-shops with pheasants, 
 partridge and peacocks, illustrated by " finny monsters of 
 the deep," or " feathered songsters of the grove," as our 
 genial friend used to say. Thus on through the long list; 
 even to the shops where fire-wood is sold, with artistic 
 representations of the commodity arranged in arches or 
 grottoes. And mind you, some of these are by no means 
 to be despised, as decorations, being interspersed with 
 flowers and arabesques, and almost claiming position as 
 " works of art." 
 
 I have not mentioned our own compatriots, who make 
 no inconsiderable portion in every crowd, but not of it. M. 
 used indignantly to remark that "the English people 
 seemed to come to Paris to wear their old clothes out, 
 thinking anything apparently good enough for it." And 
 really, I must confess that the plain dresses, flat hats and 
 strong walking shoes of our fair country women do, in 
 some measure, deserve her strictures ; but their lovely 
 complexions, fine forms and quiet, unobtrusive manners 
 make you almost blind to it. Of the British youth in 
 flannel shirts and knickerbockers or rough tweed suit, 
 billy-cock hat, brier pipe in mouth, and big stick in hand, 
 
 14 
 
210 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 who loves to display his manly form in the Boulevard de 
 la Madeline, Boulevard des Italiens or Rue de Rivoli, I 
 am no champion — he can take care of himself. Still the 
 inexplicable fact remains, and it is a puzzle to me also, 
 why people should dress in picnic or country attire in 
 the gayest capital of Europe. 
 
 After all this desultory talk of the gay city and light- 
 hearted race inhabiting it, I suppose you would like to 
 know what we did while making part of its population. 
 Our first day I have already accounted ior, excepting I 
 forgot to mention that in the cool of the evening we 
 strolled through a few of the adjacent shady streets with 
 very handsome villa residences, among them that formerly 
 occupied by Lamartine, into the pleasure-grounds of La 
 Muette. 
 
 Resting here awhile, watching the children at play in 
 the delicious summer evening air, Ave too enjoying it much, 
 thence crossed the Boulevard Suchet, just within the line 
 of fortifications, into the magnificent Bois de Boulogne, 
 where, after a short rest and long admiration of the many 
 fine equipages present, we resumed our homeward track 
 by the Avenue de Victor Hugo, charmed with our first 
 experience of Paris. Now repeating that we seldom faced 
 the stairs more than once a day, come with us in our 
 rambles, bearing in mind that when I use the pronoun we 
 I mean the Prof. 1VL, M. and the writer, unless otherwise 
 expressed. The weather being lovely, we went, as was our 
 wont in London, on top of tram-car and omnibus, to see 
 the streets and street life of the beautiful city, being vastly 
 pleased and amused' with all. We alighted in the splendid 
 and spacious Place de la Concorde, which connects the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 211 
 
 Gardens of the Tuileries with the Champs Elysees, afford- 
 ing on all sides a magnificent view of some of the finest 
 buildings and gardens of Paris. It is of great extent and 
 has two magnificent fountains, decorated with Tritons and 
 allegorical figures, throwing fine jets of water to a great 
 height. At one of them I saw an unmistakable Briton 
 cooling himself in the usual phlegmatic manner of his 
 nation, by washing his head and face on this warm summer 
 day. At regular intervals around the vast square — as we 
 should term it — are rostral columns and eight pavilions, 
 surmounted by colossal female figures symbolical of the 
 chief towns of France, the one representing Strasbourg 
 being invariably covered with votive wreaths of immortelles 
 and tri-coloured flags draped in crape. In the center is 
 the obelisk of Luxor, standing on the site of the revolution- 
 ary guillotine, where perished the unfortunate Louis XVI., 
 Marie Antoinette, Phillip Egalite, Danton, Robespierre 
 and hosts of the two latter's victims. It seemed almost 
 incredible, looking at the fair scene around, with its gay 
 moving panorama of well-dressed men and women, smiling 
 and happy, and the serene blue sky overhead, that such 
 horrors were possible. And yet, gazing down the vista of 
 the Quai de Tuileries to the bare space where the beauti- 
 ful palace of that name once stood, and remembering the 
 horrors of the Commune and the wanton burning of it 
 and many another of the finest edifices of Paris, we are 
 forced almost to paraphrase the first Napoleon's epigram as 
 to a Russian and Cossack and say, " Scratch the civilized 
 man and you will find a savage." Embarking at the Pont 
 de la Concorde on a small steamer or hirondelle, we passed 
 rapidly down the river, feasting our eyes with the beauties 
 
212 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 on its banks ; passed Pont des Invalides, Pont de l'Alma, 
 Pont d'Jena, landing at Pont de Passy, an iron structure 
 for pedestrians, and from thence strolling leisurely home 
 in the cool air of the evening full of admiration and 
 wonder. The Pont d'Jena, built by the first emperor, is a 
 noble bridge of five arches with beautifully sculptured 
 imperial eagles as ornaments, and at each end of the para- 
 pet walls colossal groups of men struggling with wild 
 horses. From it a fine view is obtained of the Palais du 
 Trocadero and grounds on the one side, and on the other 
 of the Champ de Mars and Ecole Militaire. 
 
 Sunday in Paris was not to us a satisfactory sort of 
 day, the English churches were either too distant, their 
 services at hours interfering with domestic arrangements, 
 or some other pilikia, and consequently much to our regret 
 no attendance on divine worship. We missed, too, the 
 sweet chiming of the church bells, the absence of which, 
 with the constant noise of carts in the streets, cries of 
 vendors of different articles, and sight of carpenters and 
 masons at work on a new house directly opposite to us, 
 so unlike the calm quiet of an English Sunday, is diffi- 
 cult to get accustomed to. No doubt folks do in time; in 
 fact, I think we leant somewhat that way before we left, 
 for we needs must do in Rome as Romans do. Most of 
 the shops in the best streets are closed, but the theatres, 
 restaurants, cafes, and exhibitions of all kinds it is a grand 
 day for. No wonder continentals find fault with the dull- 
 ness of the English Sunday ; I think we may learn some- 
 thing from them, especially in favour of our hard- worked 
 artisan class, but I would not like to see them do as their 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 213 
 
 French brother does, work all Sunday, and drink and idle 
 all the Monday. 
 
 One day noticing a large French flag floating from the 
 roof of the above mentioned building, I found it signified 
 the completion of the same, and that it was usual on such 
 occasions for the owner to give the workmen who had 
 been employed on it, a feast in honor of the event. 
 
 To resume : M. having tickets we accompanied her 
 to see the laying of the foundation stone of the new 
 Sorbonne, and distribution of prizes to successful students 
 in the different Lycees of France. The Professor had 
 gone previously to be present in his official capacity. 
 This institution was founded by Robert Sorbon in 1253, 
 subsequently endowed and enlarged by Cardinal Richelieu, 
 for the iaculties of the old university of Paris. It is a 
 fine old pile, containing lecture halls and class rooms, in 
 one of which I heard a poor student of English one day 
 terribly badgered over a passage from the Spectator, " I 
 say that that that that gentleman has advanced is not," 
 etc. ; no one would write such a sentence now. It has 
 also a large library open to the public, but the college not 
 being of sufficient capacity for the growing requirements 
 of the nation, this splendid building with all modern im- 
 provements is being erected. The ceremony took place 
 in a vast amphitheatre built for the occasion, profusely 
 decorated with flags inside and out, and covered with a 
 canvas awning, which served to keep off the direct rays 
 of old Sol, but not much of his fervent heat. A splendid 
 military band was in attendance, and played a beautiful 
 selection of tunes ere the ceremony began, and while the 
 vast space was filling with a gay crowd of the scholars' 
 
214 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 relatives and friends. The pupils themselves, many of 
 them being in the uniform of their particular Lycee, filled 
 the benches in the lower central floor. Soon the band 
 struck up, and a grand procession of, I thought, most of 
 the dignitaries of France, in gorgeous uniform, and caps 
 and gowns of red, yellow, blue and purple, began to pile 
 in and fill the seats allotted to them. These were pro- 
 fessors in different colleges and Lycees, and we soon dis- 
 covered our particular Professor among them. The spec- 
 tacle of so many fine-looking men in gown and hat — the 
 latter in shape a good deal like the Tudor hat of the 
 Tower Beef-eaters — mingled with other official costumes 
 and military and naval uniforms, was very imposing. 
 The meeting was presided over by the Minister of Public 
 Instruction, and the principal prizes distributed by him. 
 They were very numerous, for of course the number of 
 pupils was great, and consisted for the most part of valu- 
 able looking books, but in some instances of laurel 
 wreaths, often awkwardly received and carried in the 
 hand, not placed on the head, nor acknowledged with the 
 naturally graceful bow a native Hawaiian youth would 
 have made. Being ignorant of the language was of course 
 a great drawback to our interest in the proceedings, and 
 a return into the open air grateful after the heat of the 
 place. The street was lined on both sides with a splendid 
 display of military — Cuirassiers with glittering breast- 
 plates, back-pieces and helmets, from which depended 
 large plumes of black horse-hair, nobly mounted on fine 
 black animals — Zouaves in their peculiarly gay uniforms, 
 and soldiers of line infantry in the colours of their respect- 
 ive regiment. Tall Venetian masts supported numerous 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 215 
 
 banners, other flags were in great profusion, and the 
 crowded street was altogether gay with brilliancy and 
 colour. Soon we sought the pleasant shade of a cafe awn- 
 ing, and revelled in the cooling draught of a bock of light 
 refreshing Parisian beer, so grateful to the palate and 
 not intoxicating. You see it does not take long to get into 
 French ways, and many of them are very pleasant, though 
 seeming strange at first. After resting awhile we returned 
 to Passy by the river, enjoying its coolness, and having 
 had a most interesting day. 
 
 The following morning I accompanied the ladies of our 
 party " down town," where they had some shopping to do 
 at the noted Bon Marche, and was much struck with the 
 beauty of the Palace of the Louvre, and its noble front on 
 the Quai of that name. What a truly regal and magnifi- 
 cent line of building it must have been when connected 
 with the Palace of the Tuileries, as it was by Louis Napo- 
 leon, in one vast whole, and ere the wanton destruction of 
 the latter, burned by the demoniac Communists ! Another 
 gaping ruin, the work of the same infuriate wretches, is 
 that of the Cour des Comptes, on the Quai d'Orsay, on the 
 opposite bank of the river. The Tuileries was begun by 
 Catherine de Medici in 1566, and used as a royal residence ■ 
 up to the time of its destruction. It was nearly a quarter 
 of a mile in length, fronting on the Seine, and very beau- 
 tiful. To the eastward, more than a quarter of a mile dis- 
 tant, was the Palace of the Louvre, long used as a museum 
 of antiquities and picture galleries, also facing the river. 
 Between them lay a mass of narrow, squalid streets, the 
 removal of which and connection of the two palaces into 
 one magnificent whole, was one of the earliest of Napoleon 
 
216 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 III.'s improvements, resulting in the most splendid pala- 
 tial structure in the world. Fortunately the Louvre was 
 saved, with its priceless treasures of Egyptian, Greek and 
 Roman antiquities, but the library with its contents was 
 burned. I cannot give you any adequate idea of the 
 beaut} T of the river facade of this edifice, so rich in sculp- 
 ture and ornamentation of every kind, with frieze, cornice 
 and entablature, not forgetting the chimneys, all of such 
 elegant design ; nor of the Place du Carrousel adjoining 
 it, with the Arc de Triomphe built by the first emperor, 
 adorned with statues of soldiers of the time, bas-reliefs of 
 battles, etc., and surmounted by a bronze group represent- 
 ing a car drawn by four horses, directed by a female figure. 
 The Louvre was originally a fortress built by Philip 
 Augustus, and in the inner court white lines traced on the 
 black asphalte portray exactly the plan of the former 
 stronghold. Subsequently enlarged and beautified by 
 many sovereigns of France, down even to Napoleon III. 
 One colonnade faces the Church of Saint Germain l'Aux- 
 errois, from which, on the 24th of August, 1572, rang out 
 the signal for the massacre of St. Bartholomew, and at a 
 window fronting the river sat the miserable Charles IX. — 
 abject tool of his execrable mother Catherine de Medicis — 
 fowling-piece in hand, firing on his Protestant subjects 
 flying in terror through the streets, or plunging in vain 
 hopes of escape into the river. Poor wretch, he died a 
 victim to remorse and horror of this day two years later, 
 at the early age of twenty -four. And for the consumma- 
 tion of this awful deed of blood the pious Gregory XEIL 
 wer^t in solemn procession to return thanks, and struck a 
 medal in honour of the event. With the historian of 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 217 
 
 France I sometimes wonder, " Has that medal been yet 
 thrown out of the collection of the Vatican and broken to 
 pieces by the hangman's ax?" To the eastward of the 
 vacant space formerly occupied by the palace, is the Jar- 
 din des Tuileries, open to the public, and connecting with 
 the Champs Elysees by the Place de la Concorde, makes 
 one of the most lovely scenes imaginable. The garden is 
 of vast extent, stretching about 2,400 feet along the Quai 
 des Tuileries, and 1,000 feet in width, having an area of 
 seventy-five acres. It is terraced to the north and south, 
 laid out beautifully in walks shaded with lime and horse- 
 chestnut trees, superb flower gardens, tennis court, an 
 orangery, and every device that art and skill can imagine 
 to make it beautiful. Splendid statuary in groups and 
 single figures, both of bronze and marble, mostly classic 
 or from the antique, adorns every part of it, the names 
 even of which would fill a catalogue, but all are chaste 
 and graceful. 
 
 One afternoon, with my grandsons G. and T. as guides, 
 the former improving in his English fast, we strolled down 
 to the grounds and gardens of the Palais du Trocadero, 
 built for the International Exhibition of 1878. It is 
 erected on the height of the Trocadero, looking across the 
 Seine, over the Pont d'Jena to the Champ de Mars, and 
 from its site a most perfect panoramic view of great part 
 of the city is obtained. In form it is a large crescent con- 
 sisting of two galleries, one above the other, supported on 
 fine arches, with promenades on both, where refreshments 
 can be had, as in all such places in Paris. In the center 
 is the Salle des Fetes, surmounted by a large dome on 
 which stands a colossal gilt figure of Fame. Two tall 
 
218 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 octagonal towers with gilded pinnacles flank the central 
 part of the building, and add much to its beauty. The 
 eastern one contains a lift or elevator — the only one I saw 
 here — but it was out of order and so we were not able to 
 enjoy the splendid prospect said to be visible from its 
 summit. The main building containing the different 
 museums and for entrance to which no fee is paid, is of 
 various coloured bricks, laid in different designs and pat- 
 terns, and adorned with symbolical figures of industry, 
 arts and sciences, the colonnades, grand central struct- 
 ure and flanking towers being of the light-coloured stone 
 generally used for such purposes in Paris. In front is a 
 fine fountain and cascade, down the sides of which mas- 
 sive flights of stone steps lead into the lovely gardens and 
 grounds. The former are rich in every variety of flower 
 you can mention, and the latter contain almost endless 
 labyrinthine walks shaded by noble trees, sparkling 
 streams and pretty water-falls, on a rustic bench beside 
 which you may pleasantly while away a half-hour. We 
 saw here growing in the open air, kalo and banana plants, 
 red and white oleanders, and the scarlet hibiscus — the 
 three latter flowering beautifully. In one part of the 
 grounds, partly natural and partly excavated out of the 
 soft limestone with much skill, is a very fine subterranean 
 aquarium, well stocked with fresh -water fish, and which 
 afforded the boys and myself a good deal of pleasure. Of 
 the very excellent museum, with its stores of treasures in 
 art, antiquity and curiosities — which we all visited on a 
 subsequent day — I spare you any attempt at description, 
 being much like similar things in other places. These 
 charming grounds, being at but a short distance from our 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 219 
 
 residence in the Rue de la Tour, were often visited by us 
 in the summer evenings, affording as they did, such a 
 beautiful view of the city, a pleasant lounging place, and 
 cool walk back through the noble Boulevard du Trocadero. 
 On another occasion, with the same youthful guides, I 
 started for a visit to the celebrated Arc de Triomphe de 
 l'Etoile, and as our intention was to go to its summit M. 
 did not accompany us. This magnificent arch, which 
 stands on the avenue between the lovely gardens and 
 grounds of the Champs Elysees, now so rich in profusion 
 of flowers, shrubs, gay kiosks, etc., on the one hand, and 
 on the other of the Avenue de la Grande Armee, was 
 built by the first Napoleon to commemorate his victories 
 over the Austrians and Prussians, and to signalize the 
 entry into Paris of Marie Louise, his affianced bride. It 
 is a noble structure, standing in the center of the Place, 
 having one grand central arch and forming a transept in 
 the middle, with smaller arches on the sides. The cen- 
 tral arch is ninety feet high and the total height of the 
 structure 152 feet. Its exterior is profusely decorated 
 with most splendid bas-reliefs and military trophies, rep- 
 resenting war, peace, triumph, resistance of invaders, and 
 other kindred subjects, with many of the battles of the 
 great invader. Within the main arch are engraved the 
 names of the principal battles of the Republic and Empire, 
 and on the sides of the smaller arches those of the generals 
 who commanded in them. The whole is surrounded by 
 posts and chains, only pedestrians being admitted. But 
 oh ! sad humiliation for Paris and the gallant French 
 nation. During the German occupation of 1871 they 
 marched 40,000 men, including Uhlans and other cavalry, 
 
220 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 through the central arch ! Ascending to the summit, on 
 payment of a* small fee to a fine old soldier decorated with 
 many medals and the Legion d'Honneur, what an exquisite 
 bird's-eye view is before you ! The city, with all its splen- 
 did palaces, hotels, churches, squares, gardens and boule- 
 vards, the river winding through it under many bridges, 
 seems to lie in one vast saucer-shaped plain, with a low 
 rim of hills surrounding it. Prominent among the heights, 
 many of which are crowned with forts, are those of Mendon, 
 Mont Valerien and Montmatre, all being more or less 
 wooded. Twelve avenues converge on the Place, of which 
 the Arc is the center, stately and broad, with noble build- 
 ings and lined with many rows of trees. The impression 
 conveyed by all these beauties combined is not easily 
 described. 
 
 On the afternoon of the same day we all visited the 
 superb galleries of the Louvre, and their apparently 
 endless suites of splendid rooms, with painted, gilded and 
 carved ceilings, containing absolutely acres of most cele- 
 brated pictures by the ancient masters, many of them 
 familiar from engravings we had seen, among whom I do 
 not think there can be one great name not represented, 
 and to attempt to particularize would be an endless task. 
 Other rooms are filled with apparently endless collections 
 of ancient sculpture and works of art of every age and 
 nation of antiquity, among which I must mention the 
 celebrated Venus of Milo, not because I think it the most 
 perfect female figure I ever saw, but because sculptors and 
 critics have decided it to be so ; anyhow, she has a Salle 
 devoted to herself and is protected by a bronzed railing. 
 I feel, too, that I ought to notice among the wonders of 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 221 
 
 ceramic art of all people, many exquisite specimens of 
 Bernard Palissys. It would take a month to see all the 
 antique works and beauties of this noble collection, and 
 then you would want to begin again if it made the same 
 impression on you that it did on me. The noble " Salle 
 des Cariatides " affected us much from its great beauty. 
 Like all the other apartments, it is filled with marvels of 
 art, and specially memorable as the room to which Henry 
 IV. was carried after the fatal attack of Ravaillac, and 
 where Moliere played his first piece. But we must tear 
 ourselves away, for the time of closing has come and the 
 gendarmes on duty are growing impatient. 
 
 Of the theatres of Paris, beautiful as some of them are 
 as buildings, of course I can offer no opinion, not knowing 
 the language. We visited only the Grand Opera. This 
 magnificent structure, which occupies the space between 
 the Boulevard des Capucines and Boulevard Haussmann, 
 is a National theatre, that is to say, subsidized by the gov- 
 ernment, and was inaugurated in 1875. It is probably 
 the finest modern building in Paris, not even excepting 
 the sumptuous Hotel de Ville, built on the site of its prede- 
 cessor which was burnt by the Communists in 1871, and 
 the beautiful interior of which we unfortunately had not 
 an opportunity to see. The whole buildings of the Opera 
 cover a space of twelve thousand square yards, and cost, 
 when finished , the vast sum of £1 , 1 20,000 sterling. Its prin- 
 cipal facade rests on a series of arcades opening into a vast 
 hall communicating with the Grand Escalier and every 
 other part of the building ; above this rises the main 
 structure, ornamented with Corinthian columns, with a 
 towering cupola in the center, surmounted by Apollo 
 
222 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 holding above his head a golden lyre. In every place 
 where it was correct and possible to put them, are figures 
 illustrative of song, music, drama, poetry, etc.; but not 
 understanding architecture, I cannot properly describe this 
 splendid theatre, and must beg you to believe it all you 
 could possibly imagine. The interior is even grander than 
 the exterior ; it is perfectly gorgeous in painting, gilding, 
 marble columns, tesselated floors, huge mirrors, magnifi- 
 cent lustres, and silken hangings. The staircase, well 
 termed grand, is of noble proportions, with spacious gal- 
 leries turning off to the right and left of the house, lav- 
 ishly ornamented with carved balustrades and figures, and 
 flooded with light from many lustres, the vaulted ceil- 
 ings everywhere being decorated with allegorical paint- 
 ings. The Grand Foyer or Crush-room, as we term it, is if 
 possible, more strikingly beautiful than the staircase. It 
 is 180 feet in length, 42 feet wide and 27 feet high ; along 
 its sides are decorated Corinthian columns in pairs, each 
 being surmounted by an emblematic statue. A double 
 row of most magnificent lustres throw their effulgence on 
 the inlaid floor, and tall mirrors more than twenty feet 
 high line the spaces between the side columns. The vault 
 is finely decorated with allegorical paintings by Paul Bau- 
 dry, and I leave to your imagination what must be the 
 aspect of this splendid room when filled with a gay crowd 
 promenading up and down between the acts. The House 
 itself, with a stage-opening of forty -eight feet in width, is in 
 perfect keeping with all its other splendours, being gor- 
 geously finished in red and gold ; it is calculated to seat 
 2,200 persons. The central dome is of copper, beautifully 
 painted by Lenepveu with subjects illustrating the hours 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 223 
 
 of Day and Night. A most superb central chandelier, with 
 hundreds of lights and thousands of lustres, illuminates 
 the vast area ; and alas ! alas ! does more than that, for 
 the smoke of the gas has very nearly obliterated the fres- 
 coes of the ceiling. Unfortunately this remark will apply 
 to every decorative space within the building. Our Amer- 
 ican kinsmen would soon have remedied this terrible 
 defect by using the electric light, and not suffered the 
 utter destruction of so much beauty: as I am given to 
 understand, the paintings cannot be cleaned. 
 
 The opera on the evening we attended was " Faust," 
 and as a spectacle 'left nothing to be desired. Scenery, 
 dresses, and all the stage appointments were perfect, par- 
 ticularly where Mephistopheles introduces Faust into 
 the realms of Pluto. I cannot find words to adequately 
 describe the livid grandeur and awful beauty of the scene, 
 enlivened by a varied and intricate ballet, performed by 
 hundreds of female dancers. This elicited rounds of 
 applause from the crowded house, the ballet being to a 
 Parisian audience the most important part of the play. 
 The singing and music as a whole was fairly good, but as 
 it was in French lost much of its interest to us. Only 
 Mephistopheles struck me as having a particularly fine 
 voice, and he looked, sang and acted his part, we thought, 
 to perfection. There are several other theatres subsidized 
 by the State in Paris, probably for the same reasons that 
 induced the ancient Romans to do the like, and so still 
 the popular cry of "Panem et Circenses" both things be- 
 ing in this case as in the elder one, under governmental 
 control. And yet the Parisians grumble that the Repub- 
 lic does not do as much for them in the way of amuse- 
 
224 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 ment as the Empire did, and in its days they complained 
 it did too much. 
 
 Having a great desire to see the ancient metropolis of 
 Normandy, so full of interest to an Englishman from its 
 early intimate connection with our history, the Professor 
 and I left Paris by rail one fine morning for a flying visit 
 to Rouen, leaving M. and M. to rest and enjoy each other's 
 society. Our route lay through a more interesting coun- 
 try than on our journey to Paris, the landscape more 
 diversified in every way, and beautified by the rivers 
 Marne and Seine, the latter in particular being very 
 serpentine in its course, and widening as it neared the 
 city. Numerous towns and villages lay on our route, at 
 many of which we stopped — indeed, so many that though 
 Rouen is but eighty-seven miles from Paris by rail, it took 
 us four and a half hours to accomplish our journey. We 
 travelled by second-class carriage, which I would remark 
 in passing is neither as good nor comfortable as English 
 third-class. I was much interested in the frequent red- 
 tiled, cozy, sleepy-looking villages, each with its tiny 
 conical-roofed church, and surrounded by groves, or rows 
 of tall poplars ; chateaux with small pepper-box turrets 
 at their angles, and farm-houses seemingly prosperous 
 and commodious, some of them surrounded by high 
 walled court-yards, with heavy gates swinging on stone 
 pillars, looking as if built for defence, as probably they 
 were. Large Norman horses harnessed to heavy wains 
 stood dreamily outside some of these, with huge square 
 erections of leather, fringed with red, above their withers ; 
 they, like the white walls and buildings, blinking in the 
 fervent sunlight. Every available spot of ground seemed 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 225 
 
 to be cultivated, and on hill-sides and other places where it 
 was not possible to use a plough grapes were planted, not 
 trained on frames, as is usual with us, but kept short and 
 supported by stakes, as is I believe the general continental 
 custom. A fine brown, healthy-looking peasantry of both 
 sexes were at work in the fields, but the tall white cap of 
 the Norman woman seems to have gone the way of her 
 Welsh sister's tall hat ; it may be they wear them still in 
 villages of the sea-coast. It seemed remarkable to me 
 that though many towns and villages lay on the banks of 
 the Seine and Marne, both rivers admirably adapted for 
 aquatic sports of every kind, that there are so few boats 
 upon them, and those of such clumsy and primitive con- 
 struction; at some places there were none at all, the most 
 we saw being at a village where the patron saint's Fete-day 
 was being celebrated, every town or village being under 
 the tutelage of some individual. 
 
 In England such streams as these would be covered 
 with craft of all kinds; what can have become of the mar- 
 itime spirit of their Norse progenitors ? Nearing the city, 
 the fairness of the landscape increases and the eye is 
 attracted by the fine wooded heights surrounding it, by the 
 masts of many ships, and particularly by the tall lace-like 
 looking spire of the cathedral, piercing up into the blue 
 sky. 
 
 This city of Rouen is built on the right bank of the 
 Seine, the suburb of St. Sever being on the left, and 
 approached from the railway station by a fine stone bridge, 
 the central arches of which, adorned with a statue of Cor- 
 neille, a native of the town, rest on the He Lacroix, in the 
 middle of the river. Once it was strongly fortified, but 
 
 15 
 
226 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 now a great part is laid out for public walks and gardens. 
 Rouen is of very great antiquity, even being mentioned by 
 Ptolemy in the earlier part of the second century, but as I 
 am not writing a history of the place, we will skip the 
 intervening centuries until the tenth, when it was cap- 
 tured by Rollo the Northman, who made it his capital and 
 himself first Duke of Normandy. From that time down 
 to the middle of the fifteenth century, it is more or less 
 connected with English history, undergoing many sieges 
 and often changing masters — now Norman, now English — 
 having been a fortified town from the Roman period, and 
 falling finally into the hands of France in 1449. 
 
 William the Conqueror died in this city from injuries 
 received at the siege of Mantes, by falling from his horse, 
 in 1087. The lion heart of that " flower of chivalry " 
 Richard Coeur de Lion, was deposited in a leaden casket 
 near the high altar of the cathedral, in 1199. It has since 
 been discovered, bearing the following legend : Hie jacet 
 cor Richardi, regis Anglorum, and when opened — was it sac- 
 rilege ? — the once mighty heart looked like a withered 
 leaf. All that now remains of the " puissant Richard " 
 are a few particles of shining whitish dust in a glass box 
 in the museum. 
 
 In the Place la Pucelle Joan of Arc was said to have 
 been burned by the English, who bought her from the 
 Burgundians, into whose hands she had fallen in 1431. 
 Popular belief at the time said that some criminal was 
 executed in her place ; and the modern researches of four 
 French writers assert that she never was burned, and event- 
 ually married a Sieur Robert des Armoise, and lived hap- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 227 
 
 pily. For common humanity's sake, let us hope and 
 believe it was so. 
 
 We put up during our stay at the "Grand Hotel d' 
 Angleterre," pleasantly situated on the Quai, which is 
 lined for some distance down the river with vessels of all 
 nations, conspicuous among them being American, English 
 and Italian flags. This house combines many of the com- 
 forts of an English inn, with the luxuries of a French 
 one, the bed-chambers, etc., being all one could ask. On 
 being shown our respective couches, the Professor suddenly 
 exclaimed, " By Jove ! I must go out and buy matches and 
 soap, for I see M. has forgotten to put any in my valise." 
 On enquiry I found that hotels in France do not furnish 
 their guests with the above indispensables ; candles are 
 supplied, but charged for separately, as in old-fashioned 
 English houses. The view from our windows was very 
 pleasing and lively. The broad, busy quay, finely em- 
 banked river, equal I think to that of Paris ; spacious 
 boulevards, with rows of trees, on the site of what was 
 once the defences of Rouen, stretching far down the noble 
 stream, rendered more beautiful still by being studded 
 near the city with several picturesquely wooded islands. 
 
 We mounted a tram-car and went for a considerable 
 distance down its course, past quais and gardens, into a 
 pretty and populous suburb, as we advanced deteriorating 
 into a long street of small houses, wine-shops, green- 
 grocers, etc., with tall factory chimneys below upon the 
 river's bank. Buxom-looking Norman women with stiff" 
 white caps and long lapels (minus the high caul), were 
 gossiping at doors and windows, men lounging about clad 
 in blouses in front of cabarets, and bonny urchins playing 
 
228 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 in the street. Pretty villas and grounds were of frequent 
 occurrence, and on the wooded heights of the opposite 
 bank of the river the eye caught sight of several snug- 
 looking chateaux and shooting-boxes among the trees. 
 
 I fancy I would like to live in Rouen. There must be 
 quite a large English-speaking colony here, for during an 
 hour spent under the broad awning in front of a cafe on 
 the evening of our arrival, I never heard a word of French, 
 all the conversation of the numerous guests being, to my 
 surprise, in English. So at the dinner-table of the hotel, 
 and most of the waiters speak it also ; no doubt it is neces- 
 sary from the many tourists coming to this interesting town 
 in summer. The lower and more modern part of the city 
 has fine streets and handsome buildings, with large open 
 and airy spaces; but the older streets, narrow and tortuous, 
 with wooden-bound and gabled houses, often rich and 
 quaint carving and latticed windows had much more 
 charm for me. What strange nomenclature abounds in 
 these old places. One street the Professor interpreted as 
 being the " Gate of the Rats ; " no doubt that of the Cats 
 was not far off. 
 
 After a long and pleasant ramble through many an old 
 thoroughfare we visited the cathedral, whose heaven- 
 aspiring spire is one of the first things to attract a visitor's 
 attention on nearing the city, and to disappoint him on 
 closer acquaintance. My impression being that it was 
 built of stone, my admiration was unbounded at the 
 exquisite lightness and tracery of trie work, showing the 
 daylight through it, but finding it to be of iron and con- 
 structed in sections, the charm is gone and a feeling of dis- 
 appointment remains. This structure, which crowns the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 229 
 
 central tower, is the successor of three wooden spires, all of 
 which have been struck by lightning, and the choice of 
 the present material, so attractive to the deadly fluid, 
 seems queer to me. Its summit is 436 feet above the 
 ground, and a stout, portly dame who was knitting at a 
 door- way in one of the courts of the building, presenting 
 a big key, asked if we wished to ascend to it ; declined 
 with thanks ! The finial, which was destined to complete 
 the spire, is still on terra firma, as it is considered doubt- 
 ful if the tower is adequate to sustain its additional weight. 
 The origin of this church is involved in obscurity, but 'tis 
 known that it was pillaged by Northern pirates in the ninth 
 century, and Rollo, first Duke of Normandy, a convert 
 from Scandinavian paganism, received Christian baptism 
 in it in the year 912. 
 
 Much of the edifice was destroyed by fire in 1200, and 
 King John (Sans Terre), of England, supplied funds for its 
 reconstruction. One wonders how he got the money; prob- 
 ably by piously pulling out the teeth of some rich Jew. 
 Subsequent additions were made down to the sixteenth cen- 
 tury, resulting in its present aspect. The ground plan is 
 similar to many of our English cathedrals, the west front 
 being impressive from its vast width and venerable aspect, 
 but has suffered much from time and the hand of man. 
 Its length is 450 feet, height of the nave 90 feet, the 
 whole edifice being lighted by 130 windows, the glass in 
 some of which is very fine, illustrating the lives of sundry 
 Saints; three rose-windows, one at the extremity of each 
 transept, and one over the west portal, are especially beau- 
 tiful. There are no less than twenty-five chapels around 
 the building, some of which have very fine old glass and 
 
230 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 paintings, but to my e}^e the stately beauty and calm 
 grandeur of the place is marred by the tawdry finery, 
 gaudy colouring, and tinsel crowns of some of their saintly 
 occupants, and the numerous little lamps twinkling before 
 their shrines. 
 
 In one of these chapels is the tomb of Rollo, in an 
 opposite one that of William Longue-Epee, killed in 944. 
 Within the choir are three stones, indicating the burial 
 places of Prince Henry, son of Henry II. of England, the 
 heart of Richard Cceur de Lion and John, Duke of Bedford, 
 regent of France under Henry IV. The aisles were once 
 rich in monumental brasses, but the iconoclastic zeal of 
 the Calvinists in the sixteenth century — if no other or 
 more unworthy motive prevailed — has left nothing but the 
 empty matrices from which they were pillaged. I was 
 much interested in noticing amongst the elaborate carving 
 adorning the west front a genealogical device called the 
 " Tree of Jesse " over the grand portal, as it served to 
 throw some light on the statue of the same name I men- 
 tioned before in Abergavenny church, that doubtless being 
 a fragment of a similar design, but of much vaster pro- 
 portions than this. 
 
 From here we went to the church of St. Maclou ; it is 
 of no great size, but seemed to me a perfect gem of beauty. 
 The west front has five large pointed arches, and several 
 of the doors are wonders of wood-carving by the celebrated 
 sculptor Jean Goujon, illustrating scriptural subjects. In 
 the chapel of St. Clair are representations of the Saint 
 carrying his head in his hand after his martyrdom, when 
 he — like St. Denis — 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 231 
 
 " had hie head cut off, 
 
 But did not care for that ; 
 He took it up and carried it 
 Two miles without a hat ! " 
 
 Our next visit was to the abbey church of St. Ouen, 
 said to be the most ancient in Normandy, dating from 
 the sixth century. The present structure is of the four- 
 teenth and fifteenth centuries, very beautiful to my mind, 
 and claimed by the people of Rouen to be the finest 
 church in the world. In plan and general arrangements 
 it is similar to a cathedral, and vast in its proportions, 
 being 450 feet in length, with transepts to correspond. 
 Besides the great central lantern, it has two beautiful 
 towers in the west front, and between them, a magnificent 
 rose- window which, seen from within, is almost beyond 
 compare. Looking along the building inside from the 
 great west door eastward, the purity of its lines, vast 
 altitude, and glorious windows (which number one hun- 
 dred and thirty), make a whole so lovely that it almost 
 defies description ; it is by far the most striking interior 
 I have seen in France, and the exterior corresponds to it 
 in beauty. It is surrounded with beautiful grounds most 
 tastefully laid out, with walks, flowers, and umbrageous 
 trees, occupying the site of what was once the convent 
 garden. It was with difficulty I could tear myself away 
 from the contemplation of the scene. Why does one feel 
 such attraction and satisfaction in these grand efforts of 
 the old builders, when the most gorgeous structures of 
 modern architects fail to produce the same offect? It 
 seems as though the former embodied in the stone of their 
 great creations their very thoughts, aspirations and piety. 
 But how can I venture upon an opinion when on this very 
 
232 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 building eminent critics like Mr. E. A. Freeman and 
 Mr. John Ruskin entertain such opposite views. The 
 former says : " Truly the abbey of St. Ouen may claim 
 the first place among all the edifices that human skill has 
 ever reared. Nothing is introduced which derogates from 
 its claim to be the noblest of Gothic churches, and con- 
 sequently of all human creations." Mr. Ruskin declares 
 the lantern "is one of the basest pieces of Gothic in 
 Europe, the tower of St. Ouen overrated, and the nave a 
 base imitation." "Nothing being fine but the choir, the 
 light triforium, tall clerestory, and circle of eastern 
 chapels !" 
 
 From hence we proceeded to La Palais de Justice, a 
 most elaborate building with much embellishment in 
 pointed steeples, pinnacles, and decorated dormer win- 
 dows, built around a square court-yard ; it is very strik- 
 ing in appearance, and the Assize hall is considered the 
 finest in France. This building was formerly the Parlia- 
 ment House of Normandy. Thence we passed into the 
 Rue de la Grosse-Horloge, where, on an ancient archway 
 that crosses the narrow street, much like the old erection 
 at Temple Bar, is the huge dial of the clock from which 
 it takes its name. The ancient belfry, as appears from a 
 brass plate at the stair-foot, was commenced in 1389, and 
 the great bell, cast in 1447, is rung every night at 9 o'clock 
 as a curfew. The arch is elaborately sculptured on both 
 sides, and the good people of Rouen take no little pride 
 in their Tour de la Grosse-Horloge. 
 
 A short distance brought us to the illy-paved Place 
 de la Pucelle, surrounded by high houses, where Joan of 
 Arc was burned on the last day of May, 1421 . A (to me) 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 233 
 
 unsatisfactory statue of the " Maid " occupies the center 
 of the square, standing on a lofty pedestal, ornamented 
 with grotesque heraldic dolphins at each corner, and the 
 plinth serving as a public fountain. She is represented 
 as clad in flowing classic robes, with her head and arms 
 bare ; the right one holds a sword with its point at her 
 feet, the left being supported on a shield. Much of the 
 pedestal was covered with faded wreaths, detracting not 
 a little from any beauty it might have had. In my 
 mind's eye I had imagined a noble female figure in ar- 
 mour except the helmet, with flowing hair over her 
 shoulders and her celebrated sword held aloft; so you see 
 I was disappointed. 
 
 Another object of interest is the low, round tower, with 
 conical roof, in which it is said she was confined previous 
 to her execution, and called u La tour de Jeanne d'Arc." 
 We were not able to visit it for lack of time, but outwardly 
 it seemed strong and grim enough to hold more than the 
 poor little "Maid." Passing through an archway elabo- 
 rately sculptured, on one side of the Place de la Pucelle, 
 you enter the court-yard of the ancient and interesting 
 Hotel de Bourgtheroulde, built in the fifteenth century, and 
 said to have been the residence of John, Duke of Bedford, 
 regent of France. Its principal front, which has two 
 square towers, is almost covered with bas-reliefs represent- 
 ing the meeting between Francis I. and Henry VIII., 
 known as the "Field of the Cloth of Gold." There are 
 other sculptures poitraying rustic scenes, the whole form- 
 ing a most interesting study. 
 
 I would fain have spent a week in this most charming 
 city and its environs, but imperious time said " No," so we 
 
234 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 left by express train at 1 :30 p. m. for Paris, arriving there 
 at 4 o'clock, more than delighted with my trip. Finding 
 the ladies and children of our party had gone out, we 
 followed as directed, to La Muette, but being Sundav 
 afternoon the crowd was so great in these beautiful 
 though small pleasure grounds, that our search was in 
 vain. We crossed the boulevard, with no better success, 
 into the Bois de Boulogne; so after refreshing ourselves 
 with a hock at a cafe, we were forced to retrace our steps, 
 baffled in our search. 
 
VI. 
 
 WHAT a gay and animated scene these public places 
 present upon any holiday! How these light-hearted 
 French people seem utterly to abandon themselves to the 
 influences of the hour, quite oblivious of their surround- 
 ings or of observations by anybody, being intent only on 
 enjoying themselves to the uttermost. The green turf 
 beneath the shade of the noble trees was covered with 
 groups of picnicers. Here a gay party of both sexes, with 
 snowy table-cloth spread out upon the grass, well covered 
 with creature comforts, and glistening with silver and 
 glass appointments ; at a little distance a comfortable 
 looking couple of bourgeoise with their small family of 
 children — they never have large families in France — look- 
 ing prosperous and happy, and under the next group of 
 trees an ouvrier and his family, whom we have just seen 
 take up their station, the husband carrying under one arm 
 a couple of loaves of bread a yard long, and under the 
 other two bottles, presumably of vin ordinaire, the wife 
 bearing as her share a well-filled basket. The open 
 spaces, too, have their groups of men and women, boys 
 and girls ; fathers of families with their coats thrown off 
 playing at some game of ball with their boys ; mothers, 
 voluble and merry ; girls skipping or chasing each other 
 about, and laughter, good humour and merriment every- 
 where prevalent. No apparent fear of Mrs. Grundy, but a 
 
 235 
 
236 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 sensible appreciation of the good things vouchsafed and 
 determination to make the best of them. 
 
 The following day we betook ourselves to the Hotel des 
 Invalides, which superb edifice was erected by Louis XIV. 
 as a home for wounded or aged soldiers of the nation, and 
 is in every way worthy of the splendour of the Grand 
 Monarque. The principal fagade is 225 yards long, four 
 stories high, adorned with trophies and statues, and sur- 
 mounted by a grand richly -gilt and ornamented dome 
 visible in all parts of Paris. In the paved court in front 
 are fourteen splendid guns, captured in different wars, called 
 the " Batterie Triumphale,'* some of which are of fine 
 workmanship and design. 
 
 Entering by the chief doorwa3 r , we began the examina- 
 tion of the different rooms and galleries, containing the 
 wondrous museum of amour, arms and trophies of all 
 kinds, for which it is so justly celebrated. 'Tis beautiful 
 almost beyond conception in antiquity, variety and rich- 
 ness. 
 
 But as I have enlarged somewhat on a similar collection 
 in the Tower of London, I will not weary you with this. 
 At the same time, candor compels me to admit that this 
 seemed to me the richer, more full and better kept of the 
 two. It may be that the recent dynamite outrage in the 
 Tower at the time of our visit detracted from its usual 
 beauty — especially as one great chamber was entirely 
 empty — but certainly we were struck with the superiority 
 of this collection. 
 
 I feel I must mention one suite of rooms, being what is 
 called the " Musee d'Ethnographie, 1 ' because it is the 
 most perfect thing of the kind I ever saw, and of great 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 237 
 
 interest. They contain a vast collection in groups of two 
 or more, showing every variety of the human race, with 
 the dress, arms and equipments of the era represented, 
 from the primitive man down to the soldier of the empire, 
 each of course taken from the best authorities. Our sav- 
 age forefathers, as well as those of Gaul, are there, stained 
 with ivoad and clad in skins, with their rude stone or 
 bronze weapons of war and chase. The splendid warriors 
 of ancient Greece and Rome, each in their proper equip- 
 ment — the latter bearing the standard victorious over so 
 much of the ancient world, with its magic letters S. P. Q. 
 R. The mailed knights, men-at-arms, bowmen, etc., of the 
 Middle Ages and Crusades, and so down through the cen- 
 turies, with the quaint dresses, arms and equipments, 
 almost to the present day. 'Tis not only the nations of 
 Europe that are represented, but those of Asia, Africa, 
 and America, as well as Australasia, Melanesia, Micro- 
 nesia and Polynesia, a splendid looking Hawaiian war- 
 rior being among them, clad in feather cloak and helmet, 
 armed with long spear, and a canoe-paddle lying at his 
 feet. 
 
 We lingered so long in these interesting rooms that we 
 had not time to visit the pensioners' quarters, but pro- 
 ceeded at once to the church of St. Louis, attached to the 
 building, to see the tomb of the great Napoleon. I do not 
 think I was very much impressed with the beauty or 
 splendour of the edifice ; it may be there was too much of 
 the latter quality to be in accordance with my, perhaps 
 peculiar, taste. Too much gold, marble, colour and light, 
 yet it had a grandeur of its own. You know that the 
 great warrior died and was buried at St. Helena ; in 1840 
 
238 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 his remains were removed to France and deposited in a 
 hugh sarcophagus hewn from a single block of Russian 
 granite — oh ! strange irony of fate — and deposited in the 
 crypt of this church. Part of the pavement above has been 
 removed and railed around to permit a view of it, and is 
 altogether too suggestive of a bear-pit ; much better, I 
 think, had it stood on the upper floor and been supported 
 from beneath. The more so, as around the upper space 
 are several chapels containing richly sculptured tombs of 
 his brothers, and some of the great Marshals of the 
 empire. The ponderous sarcophagus, which I took at 
 first to be of some red wood, did not strike me by its 
 beauty, but I suppose it is classical, and is surrounded by 
 twelve figures finely executed by Pradier, symbolical of 
 twelve great victories of Napoleon; between each a stand 
 of captured flags, and at their feet the name of the battle, 
 inlaid in the marble floor. We descended the stairs of 
 white marble that led into the crypt, but a massive bronze 
 door, flanked by two eolossal statues, being closed, forbade 
 our entrance. Had we been able to obtain admission, no 
 doubt the effect would have been very grand as seen from 
 the floor of the vault. 
 
 From here we walked down the Esplanade des Invalides 
 to the river, and proceeding by steamboat — as we came to 
 this — landed at the Pont Neuf on our way to the church 
 of Notre Dame. In passing some of the party, of whom 
 I was one, turned into the Morgue, which is behind the 
 apsis of the church. M. declined entering. Two poor fel- 
 lows, victims of a falling scaffold, who had j ust been brought 
 in, lay there looking ghastly enough, but I hurried out, not 
 noting details, and feeling sure that it would be my first 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 239 
 
 and last voluntary visit to the dread place. I think I men- 
 tioned before that the noble cathedral and parish-church 
 of Notre Darne — for it is both — is built on the He de la 
 Cite, on a spot formerly occupied by a pagan temple, and 
 subsequently a Christian basilica. The present beautiful 
 Gothic edifice is of the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, 
 and ranks among the noblest specimens of the style. This 
 grand structure is 400 feet long, 150 feet wide, 110 feet 
 high, and the richly ornamented square towers at each side 
 of its principal front 218 feet in height. The facade is 
 divided into three stages, the front and its three ogival 
 bays being surmounted by a gallery rich with statues, a 
 large central rose-window over the principal door, and 
 above a fine open gallery connecting with the towers before 
 mentioned, originally intended to support spires. Niches 
 filled with statuary adorn every available space, those of 
 the first gallery being occupied by a series of kings of 
 France. The apse of this glorious church is very beautiful, 
 too, with its graceful flying buttresses and ornate central 
 spire, especially as seen from the river, and imagination 
 almost deludes one into the belief that you can detect 
 Quasimodo leering from some of its richly ornamented 
 windows. I cannot pass unnoticed the three beautiful 
 entrances and superbly carved doors of the principal 
 front. Above the central arch is sculptured the Last 
 Judgment and a fine statue of Our Saviour, the left door 
 being surmounted by one of the Virgin, and the right by 
 that of St. Marcel. The interior is very grand, rich in 
 paintings, arabesques and bas-reliefs, with most magnifi- 
 cent glass, all looking dim and splendid, but I find I 
 have no note of details, nor can I tell you of the great 
 
240 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 occurrences that have happened within its walls, save that 
 it was here that Napoleon I. crowned himself and Jose- 
 phine emperor and empress of France. 
 
 In the open space in front of the cathedral, surrounded 
 now by fine buildings, Henry of Navarre was married to 
 Margaret, daughter of Catherine de Medicis, in 1572. 
 Catholics and Huguenots both rejoiced at the event, and 
 the concession made to the belief of each by this open-air 
 marriage ; but their joy was of short duration, for two 
 days after occurred the massacre of St. Bartholomew. 
 
 Of course there are many more fine churches in Paris, 
 but space would not permit, even if you did not tire, of 
 descriptions of them all, therefore I will confine myself 
 to a few remarks on some of the most prominent. The 
 church of the Madeleine, at the head of the boulevard of 
 that name, is a grand Christian temple, built after the 
 model of a pagan one, the Parthenon, and intended by 
 Napoleon I. to be devoted to "Glory." It is surrounded 
 front and sides with long rows of magnificent Corinthian 
 columns, and approached by a flight of twenty-eight 
 steps. Under the colonnades are niches filled with fine 
 statues, and the pediment — over the magnificent bronze 
 doors sculptured with scriptural subjects — is embellished 
 with a striking representation of the Last Judgment. Its 
 interior, one vast nave with four bays, is rich with gild- 
 ings, frescoes, carvings, marbles and statues. The vaulted 
 ceiling, divided into cupolas and compartments, is sump- 
 tuous in gold and colour, and the whole effect very strik- 
 ing, but unlike a Christian edifice. The Pantheon, built 
 in the latter part of the eighteenth century as the church 
 of Sainte-Genevieve, was by the Constituent Assembly of 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 241 
 
 the first Republic converted into a temple dedicated to 
 the great men of the nation ; re-consecrated to its former 
 patron saint by the late emperor, and now again secular- 
 ized by the present Republic in order to contain the 
 remains of the arch-apostle of egoism, Victor Hugo. How 
 incomprehensible to my duller Anglo-Saxon imagination 
 are the feelings that sway this people. A large portion of 
 the nation, while admiring with all the world his splendid 
 genius, dislike the man and despise his views on religious 
 subjects, and yet they deify him, and so cover the steps 
 leading to the building that contains his remains with 
 votive wreaths to his memory, that you can scarce find a 
 place to plant your foot. The exterior of this church is 
 very fine; the peristyle, surmounted by a pediment, is sup- 
 ported on a double row of fluted Corinthian columns. 
 The bas-reliefs of the latter, the masterpiece of David 
 d'Angers, represents France between Liberty and History 
 distributing palms to her great men. In the center of the 
 church rises a magnificent dome, with a fine Corinthian 
 colonnade, above this a cupola with a lantern ornament, 
 the whole surmounted by a large gilt cross, which has not 
 been cut off, as stated by some of the newspapers. Ex- 
 ternally it is very imposing; of the interior I cannot speak, 
 as unfortunately the doors were closed on our arrival. 
 The churches of Saint-Etienne du Monte, Saint Eustache, 
 as well as that of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois — of St. Bar- 
 tholomew fame — are all very ancient and interesting, and 
 with many more well worthy of notice, but I must refrain. 
 The Palais du Luxembourg, formerly a royal resi- 
 dence, a prison during the Revolutionary times, subse- 
 quently the palace of the Directory and Consulate, is now 
 
 16 
 
242 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 a museum of modern art, and contains a vast collection of 
 paintings and statuary. It is also used as the palace of 
 the Senate, the Petit Luxembourg, contiguous to it, being 
 the residence of the president of that body. The grounds 
 surrounding the whole are very beautifully laid out, par- 
 ticularly what is called the English garden, and adorned 
 with a fountain and numerous statues. A fine military 
 band was playing during our visit, as is usual on certain 
 days, and we enjoyed it all immensely. I shall not 
 attempt any description of the superb collections of 
 either pictures or statues that we saw in the vast galleries, 
 first, because the catalogues, being in French, were not 
 " understanded " by me, and secondly, the enormous quan- 
 tities of both that we have seen, seem to have somehow 
 or other mixed themselves up in such inextricable con- 
 fusion in my mind, that without a catalogue I cannot 
 clear them, but ask you to believe they are numerous and 
 beautiful, in fact, a regular " embarras du richesse" There 
 were crowds of sight-seers like ourselves, and many copy- 
 ists of both sexes, but principally female, before some of 
 the pictures. Leaving this, we strayed through a good 
 part of the Quartier Latin, celebrated as haunts of students, 
 the Professor showing us his former rooms while making 
 one of their number. 
 
 Of course we saw the Colonne Vendome in the Place of 
 that name, on one side of which stands the Hotel de Bris- 
 tol, well known to English tourists. This column, which 
 is 150 feet high, is modelled after that of Trajan at Rome, 
 its central shaft being of free-stone, round which run 
 spiral bas-reliefs of bronze made from Austrian cannon 
 taken by Napoleon, and depicting memorable incidents in 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 243 
 
 the campaign of 1805. A figure of the great soldier crowns 
 the summit, clad as a Roman emperor. It was thrown 
 down by the Commune in 1871, and rebuilt in 1874. We 
 did not ascend its "giddy height," being quite satisfied 
 with Paris as seen from the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, 
 besides feeling that I had had enough of " going aloft " in 
 my younger days. 
 
 On a fair cool day we mounted outside of one of the 
 very excellent busses in oftler to obtain a good view of 
 the city, and proceeded along street, avenue and boulevard 
 from Passy, on its extreme west, to the Place de la Bastille, 
 almost at the extreme east, a distance of some four miles, 
 and full of interest and beauty all the way we took. This 
 Place occupies the site of the ancient fortress and prison 
 of the Bastile, built by Charles V., and destroyed by the 
 people on the 14th of July, in the revolution of 1789. In 
 the center rises the Colonne de Juillet to commemorate 
 that event, and also the subsequent revolution and abdi- 
 cation of Charles X. in 1830. The column, which is of 
 bronze, is 155 feet in height, surmounted by a gilt figure 
 of the Genius of Liberty, and stands on a massive circular 
 block of stone ; the sub-basement is square and adorned 
 with twenty -four bronze medallions decorated with bas- 
 reliefs and the dates 27th, 28th and 29th July, being the 
 days of the latter revolution. The names of the 645 com- 
 batants who fell at that time, and whose remains are depos- 
 ited in the vaults beneath the structure, are inscribed in 
 letters of gold on its sides. What thoughts crowd upon you 
 when you reflect on the horrors these noble streets and 
 squares have seen; but Louis Napoleon pretty well disposed 
 of the feasibility of further barricades by widening thor- 
 
244 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 oughfares and substituting asphalte for stone paving, be- 
 sides leaving plenty of room for troops to form and cavalry 
 to charge. 
 
 On the Feast of the Assumption, when most of the 
 shops were shut, and the general aspect of the city quieter 
 and more Sabbath-like than the next day — Sunday — we 
 went, most of the way by water, as it was very warm, to 
 the Jardin des Plantes, on the Quai St. Bernard. The 
 grounds — open free to the public — are of great extent, 
 comprising some seventy-seven acres, beautifully laid out 
 in walks, lawns, shrubberies, flower-beds, and avenues of 
 stately trees of all kinds. The menageries, aviaries, etc., 
 said to be very fine and perfect, we did not see, as some 
 special ticket was necessary, with which we were unpro- 
 vided, but as we had seen the magnificent collection at the 
 " Zoo," in Regent's Park, we were not much disappointed. 
 Besides, the day being excessively warm, and the crowd 
 immense — the greatest we had seen in Paris — M. and I being 
 fatigued with the heat and dust, having with some diffi- 
 culty hired a couple of chairs, took up our station beneath 
 some fine shady trees near a basin and fountain, in the 
 former of which a seal and some water-fowl were disport- 
 ing, and while enjoying the coolness of the place watched 
 the motley crowd go by, the junior members of our 
 party meanwhile visiting the cages of such animals as 
 could be seen. 
 
 Judging from our observations to-day, I am not at all 
 inclined to concur with the usually expressed opinion 
 that a French crowd is better dressed or more orderly 
 than a similar gathering in England. I must confess to 
 some disapointment, but certainly the women, especially 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 245 
 
 of the humbler classes, did not, in our opinions, compare 
 favourably either in dress or style with their London sis- 
 ters; and the universal blouse is not an elegant garment 
 for the sterner sex. Only the numerous gay and brilliant 
 military uniforms of one kind or other relieved the crowd 
 from absolute dinginess, but their good humour was per- 
 fect. 
 
 On a subsequent day, as a change from our usual modes 
 of locomotion, we went by Chemin de fer de ceinture to the 
 Place de la Concorde, on our way to the Bois de Boulogne. 
 But before proceeding any further I would like to explain 
 that in some respects it (the railway) is very similar to the 
 "Underground" in London, now plunging into darkness 
 and again flashing into light. Some of the carriages are 
 two tiers or stories high, and are pleasant enough when 
 your route lies almost in line of the fortifications and in 
 the open air, as it often does. The drawback is that the 
 upper ones are low and difficult (to me) of both ingress 
 and egress ; but being open at the sides, and the track 
 encompassing the city, the trip by them is very enjoy- 
 able in fine weather. Taking a fiacre at the above Place, 
 we drove slowly up the beautiful Champs Elysees, now 
 alive with equipages and gay groups at cafes and gardens, 
 through the avenue of that name to the Place de l'Etoile. 
 Here we turned into the splendid Avenue du Bois de 
 Boulogne, 110 yards wide, planted with clumps of fine 
 trees and rarest shrubs, leading up to the Porte Dauphine , 
 by which entrance is obtained into this magnificent 
 pleasaunce. 
 
 The Bois de Boulogne is in extent about 2,000 acres, 
 and occupies the site of the ancient forest of Rouvray. It 
 
246 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 had been suffered to degenerate almost into a stunted 
 wood, but was by Louis Napoleon converted in a great 
 measure to what it now is. Entering where we did a 
 noble avenue of more than half a mile long leads to the 
 great Lake, on your right being the Pavilion Chinois, a 
 cafe-restaurant of Chinese design, as its name indicates. 
 The lakes are of considerable extent, well stocked with a 
 variety of water-fowl and plenty of pleasure boats for hire. 
 One of them contains two islands, joined by a rustic bridge, 
 on the larger of which is a Swiss chalet, or cafe-restaurant. 
 The whole of the space is beautifully laid out, every 
 advantage being taken of the natural formation of the 
 ground to enhance its charms by artificial means. 
 
 Many miles of drives, rides and promenades wander 
 deviously about, the whole extent of the grounds being 
 literally planted with fine trees, shrubs and flowers. The 
 Longchamps river is led through the woods, and made to 
 form an artificial but most realistic cascade, where a sheet 
 of water some fifty feet high, behind which you can walk, 
 falls into a pool and meanders away. Close to this is the 
 Carrefour de Longchamps, a fine cafe-restaurant, pretty 
 liberally supplied with open-air guests regaling them- 
 selves at small tables under the umbrageous shade this 
 fine summer afternoon ; gay groups were scattered beneath 
 the trees almost all over the vast space, and apparently 
 well provided with creature comforts. Many carriages 
 and horsemen, too, were present, but in neither case were 
 the turn-outs, with a few exceptions, very first rate, the 
 reason being, I suppose, that the season was too far 
 advanced and the owners of the finer equipages not vis- 
 ible. Near to this is the celebrated Longchamps race- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 247 
 
 course with its elegant grand-stand and stalls, capable of 
 accommodating five thousand spectators. 
 
 How beautiful all this is, and how much we enjoyed it 
 I leave to your imagination, as well as the spectacle it 
 must have presented some fourteen years ago, when the 
 German army was quartered here. Parisians speak of 
 this with, I suppose, some natural bitterness, charging 
 them with wanton destruction of rare and beautiful trees, 
 shrubs, etc., and all sorts of minor atrocities, without, I 
 think, fairly considering how difficult it must be, even 
 with the sternest discipline, to prevent outrages of some 
 kind among vast bodies of men. Besides, it is said that 
 during the German occupation the Bois was always gay with 
 pleasure parties, and the cafe-restaurants doing a u roar- 
 ing trade." Now all traces of any devastation that may 
 have been committed either by men or horses are obliter- 
 ated, let us trust forever, and only beauty and peace 
 remains. 
 
 I begin to think we have been long enough within the 
 line of fortifications encircling Paris, and so beg your com- 
 pany on a trip— by river — to the Pare de Saint-Cloud. 
 This excursion took place on the 20th of August, being, 
 as you are aware, the writer's birthday, of which he 
 received many valued recognitions from both sides the 
 English channel, and it was made a family party of in 
 honour of the event. Taking boat at the Pont d'Jena 
 we passed quickly down stream by sundry small islands 
 in the river, on which cafe-restaurants were built and 
 holiday-makers enjoying themselves, and at one of which 
 several nice little boats were lying, the name of Robinson 
 above the landing steps accounting to me for the circum- 
 
248 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 stance. Down yet past willow-fringed banks, where laden 
 coal-barges are moored under their shade, and the everlast- 
 ing fishing going on by the family on board. On previous 
 occasions I had seen these same craft waiting in different 
 places, and being without masts and no towing-path visi- 
 ble, had wondered how they get up the stream to the city. 
 To-day the mystery was solved by meeting a huge steam 
 monster coming up the river with along string of them in 
 tow. 'Twas not what we understand as a tug-boat, its 
 mode of proceeding being by a chain laid along the bottom 
 of the river, in its middle, which is taken on board forward, 
 passing over a large drum driven by steam and falling 
 back again over the stern into its original position in the 
 bed of the stream. The plan seems to work well, but 
 would not be practicable in a river filled with shipping. 
 I think Mark Twain mentions a similar mode of procedure 
 with lumber-rafts on a German river, in his " Innocents 
 Abroad." 
 
 We soon landed, and walked up an open paved space in 
 front of the principal entrance into the park. Here we 
 met a large " bus," resplendent in panel and gilt, with 
 four fine horses ; it was filled by a party of Cook's tourists, 
 who had come down from Paris by the right bank of the 
 river, and were now returning. 
 
 Proceeding on foot, carriages not being permitted within 
 the gates, we strolled leisurely up the main avenue, rest- 
 ing occasionally beneath the trees and watching the 
 passers-by. Among them was a wedding party, pro- 
 nounced by the Professor to be of the sewing-girl and arti- 
 san class. They came in a sort of bridal procession of 
 several couples, male and female, led by the bride (a very 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 249 
 
 fine-looking girl) and bridegroom — the former arrayed 
 in a white silk dress, white satin boots, kid gloves of same 
 colour, a huge bouquet in her hand, and depending from 
 her orange-blossom-crowned head a long white veil reach- 
 ing almost to the ground behind. They seemed thor- 
 oughly to enjoy the display they made, and I am told it is 
 the one great ambition of their lives, among girls of this 
 class, to make it, even if it costs a year or more savings 
 and the wedding gown never sees the light again. This 
 was not by any means the first time we had seen similar 
 displays of bridal parties in the streets, but had never 
 before been struck with such exuberance of joy as seemed 
 to possess this one. We took up our quarters beneath a 
 clump of trees contiguous to the Grand Cascade, watch- 
 ing with pleasure the excitement of A's bonnie English- 
 looking face, the gambols of the younger children upon 
 the turf, and their amusement with the little fox-terrier 
 " Snap," who, by the way, was much admired and com- 
 mented on by passers-by for his beauty. 
 
 After a while, leaving the rest of our party under the 
 shade of the trees, the Professor and I walked up the hill 
 to the ruins of the chateau crowning its summit. Much 
 historical interest attaches to this place, the origin of the 
 palace dating from Catherine de Medicis, who had a 
 country-house on its site. During the League Henry III. 
 was assassinated here by Jacques Clement, and in 1690 
 Princess Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orleans, died 
 within its walls, said from poison. In the gallery of 
 Apollo the imperial crown was offered to the first Na- 
 poleon in 1804, and in the same place the last of that 
 name was proclaimed emperor of the French, nearly half 
 
250 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 a century later. Queen Victoria visited the palace in 1855 
 for a few days, and in 1870 that fatal act, the declaration 
 of war against Prussia, was decided on and signed at a 
 council held here. 
 
 The view from the eminence on which the palace stood 
 is very fine indeed, looking either up or down the valley 
 of the Seine, or away to the great city on its farther bank. 
 Immediately below you, and stretching far away, lies the 
 noble park with its fine avenues of trees, gardens, cascades 
 and fountains. In the rear a range of hills, wooded, in 
 some cases, to the summit, prominent among them that 
 crowned by the fortification of Mont Valerien ; in fact, 
 everything necessary to form a perfect landscape, and 
 attract or enchant the eye. 
 
 During the siege of Paris the Prussians occupied this 
 palace at the end of September, 1870, but not being found 
 tenable in consequence of the fire of Mont Valerien, then 
 in possession of the French, they evacuated the place on 
 the 13th of October, having first set fire to it, and destroyed 
 forever the beautiful palace and noble works of art it con- 
 tained. Let us hope the exigencies of war made it imper- 
 atively necessary ; otherwise, as the French people say, it 
 was a most wanton act. 
 
 What a commentary it is on the horrors of war to stand 
 now near these ruined walls, with roof fallen in and blank, 
 sightless window-spaces grinning hideously, and then to 
 look abroad on the fair, peaceful landscape that surrounds 
 you. Will nations or their rulers never cease to refer 
 their disputes to the arbitrament of the sword, by follow- 
 ing the wise and merciful example set them by the two 
 great Anglo-Saxon peoples ? 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 251 
 
 Perhaps I ought to mention that a high board palisade 
 surrounds the ruins, to prevent accidents to persons who 
 may be tempted to enter their precincts. 
 
 After strolling to our heart's content among the still 
 remaining beauties of the place, we took boat again for 
 Paris, having had a most enjoyable day, and the writer a 
 memorable birthday. 
 
 Another occasion saw us en route by river for Sevres to 
 see the celebrated Government Porcelain Manufactory. 
 Landing at the quay, ten minutes' walk brought us to our 
 destination, a large range of buildings with a rather 
 imposing entrance, attained by a flight or broad steps. 
 As the Professor had obtained an official pass, we made 
 part of a party admitted to see the mode of manufacture ; 
 a couple of workmen are set apart specially for the pur- 
 pose, visitors not being admitted into the actual factory, 
 as they are in the Royal Porcelain Works at Worcester. 
 It was very amusing to watch how the lump of plastic 
 clay, whirling round upon a horizontal wheel, revolving 
 fast or slow as the workman required, assumed different 
 forms of grace and beauty under his deft manipulation. 
 The mode of painting, too, where the object operated on 
 sometimes revolvecl also, was interesting, but the whole 
 thing being done in a perfunctory kind of manner rather 
 disappointed me, as I had thought to see some of the 
 exquisite works of art, for which this place is so justly 
 famous, in actual course of manufacture. Our guide took 
 us then to the great ovens where the clay is baked, all 
 vitrified inside by the intense heat. 
 
 From hence we strolled, now without a guide, through 
 vast galleries— with many visitors — all filled with a most 
 
252 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 superb collection of articles of pottery of every age and 
 nation, from early Egyptian, Indian and Greek, down to 
 the present day. Amid so much that was beautiful in 
 form, colour or design it would be difficult to single out 
 any article for special mention, but there was one vase so 
 exquisite in its loveliness that it struck us all, its price 
 being only 60,000 francs ! Another beautifully executed 
 painting was a large plaque representing the sinking of 
 " La Vengeur," a French line of battle ship, in the action 
 with the British off Cape Ushant, on the " glorious 1st of 
 June," 1794. Being deserted by the rest of the fleet, she 
 is going down with all her colours flying, the captain hav- 
 ing refused to strike his flag ; the rendering of the whole 
 is most life-like and realistic. 
 
 I was very desirous of purchasing some small memento 
 of our visit here, but could obtain nothing for less than 
 twelve dollars, for a most trivial article, which was beyond 
 my limit, though sometimes they have cheaper things for 
 sale. 
 
 Leaving the museum highly gratified with its wonder- 
 ful collection, we strolled back to the river's bank to await 
 our boat. Passing a cabaret on our way, I was amused by 
 seeing on a bracket over the doorwa/ a kedge-anchor — 
 of antique shape certainly — with the legend, ' % Relique de 
 la Vengeur," being professedly from the ship mentioned 
 above. How it was obtained from "ocean's illimitable 
 depths," who can say ? 
 
 On the morning of this day I had been with the Pro- 
 fessor on a pedestrian tour to the Halles Centrales or 
 great market of the city, and through many of the older 
 streets. This vast structure is chiefly built of brick, the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 253 
 
 frame-work of the roof and its supports being of iron, and 
 the whole covered in with glass. 'Tis divided by wide 
 arcades into I do not know how many pavilions, where 
 every conceivable product of the animal or vegetable king- 
 doms in Europe, suitable for the food of man, is displayed 
 in tempting profusion. Articles of luxury in the shape 
 of flowers, fruit, etc., are almost without end, and all so 
 beautifully arranged, and in such perfect order. I was 
 utterly disgusted in my reminiscences and comparisons 
 with Covent Garden, except, perhaps, in regard to the 
 flowers, and for them perhaps the season is growing late. 
 Looking at the staid, quiet, matronly women presiding at 
 the different stalls, I wondered were they the descendants 
 of the Dames de la Holies who have erewhile played so 
 awfully prominent a part in the history of French revolu- 
 tions ; it seemed impossible. The thoroughfares in this 
 quarter are full of life, interest and bustle, and the noble 
 old church of St. Eustache, close by, has great attraction 
 for the antiquary. Taken altogether, with its narrow, 
 roughly-paved streets thronged with carts and vehicles 
 for work, you could almost fancy yourself in a part of old 
 London, barring the speech and certain peculiarities of 
 dress among the lower orders. 
 
 One more excursion and I think I shall about have 
 exhausted my Parisian budget. Again we go down the 
 Seine past the wooded and fort-crowned heights of its left 
 bank, with the villages of Mendon, Sevres, St. Cloud and 
 Suresnes on the margin of the stream. At the latter place 
 we landed and proceeded by rail through charming 
 scenery to the fair town of Versailles. This city, so cele- 
 brated from the historical events that have occurred here, 
 
254 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 is very handsome with its long straight streets crossing 
 each other at right angles, and many open spaces. An air 
 of quiet and repose seems to pervade the place, there 
 being little or no trade, and its inhabitants apparently 
 pleasure-seekers, not workers. 
 
 Driving up the spacious street from the railway station, 
 our fiacre soon deposited us within the limits of the park, 
 at the entrance — through the Place d'Armes — of the Cour 
 dSHonneur, leading up to the palace of Versailles. Both 
 of these spaces are paved with cobble-stones, very unpleas- 
 ant for pedestrians, and detracting no little from their enjoy- 
 ment. In the latter place is a large bronze equestrian 
 statue of Louis XIV., and other statues of distinguished 
 soldiers and statesmen 'are ranged on either side of the 
 court. This face of the palace, which is next the city, is 
 not very beautiful or imposing, being part of the ancient 
 chateau ; the facade fronting on the park, gardens and 
 fountains is veiy much finer. Originally this was a 
 hunting-box, erected by Louis XIII. His successor, Louis 
 XIV., lavished enormous sums on its reconstruction and 
 embellishment ; 30,000 soldiers, it is said, were diverted 
 from their martial occupation to assist in digging excava- 
 tions for fountains, raising terraces and laying out the 
 grounds. It was subsequently occupied by Louis XV. 
 and Louis XVI., and sacked by the wild Parisian mob 
 during the revolution occurring in the latter unhappy 
 monarch's reign. Louis Phillipe conceived the idea of 
 transforming this magnificent palace into a museum to 
 contain trophies of the victories of France, as the follow- 
 ing inscription on the east facade testifies : "A toutes les 
 gloires de la France," since which time it has been devoted 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 255 
 
 to that purpose. The superb and apparently endless 
 suites of rooms, salons, galleries and cabinets, gorgeous in 
 gold, painted ceilings and every decoration that art or lux- 
 ury could suggest, exceed in magnificence anything we 
 had seen before. Each room or gallery, whether on the 
 ground-floor or above, is filled with works of art, statuary 
 and paintings, arranged in chronological order, illustrating 
 events in French history, the most celebrated, perhaps, 
 being those of Horace Vernet and of David portraying the 
 career of Napoleon. The Grande gallerie de Louis X/F., 
 called also the Salon des Glaces from the mirrors that line 
 its sides and slope of the ceiling, is sumptuous beyond 
 anything you can imagine in its size and decorations. It 
 is 242 feet long, by 35 feet broad and 43 feet high, and 
 looking down here through apparently endless vistas of 
 similar apartments, you wonder at the temerity of any 
 monarch daring to expend such vast sums as this must 
 have cost, wrung by hard exactions and grinding tyranny 
 from an almost starving people. 
 
 It was in this superb chamber that King William of 
 Prussia was proclaimed emperor of Germany on the 18th 
 of January, 1871. Philip the V. of Spain and several 
 French kings were born within the walls of this palace. 
 
 But what interests us more is that here was signed the 
 treaty by which Great Britain recognized the independence 
 of the United States of America, in 1783, happily, as I 
 think, for both nations. And I trust mother and daughter 
 may continue to advance in amity and mutual respect, the 
 great exponents of freedom, civil and religious liberty and 
 constitutional government to the peoples of the earth. 
 
 Almost satiated with the splendour of these grand 
 
256 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO TEE OLD WORLD. 
 
 state apartments, and bearing in mind what history tells 
 us of the presumption, arrogance, profligacy and luxury 
 of their former occupants, the courtiers and dames of the 
 Grand Monarque and his successor, the feastings, revel- 
 lings, exactions and worse of the royal favourites Madame 
 de Montespan, Madame de Maintenon, Madame de Pom- 
 padour, and Madame du Barri, the people the meanwhile 
 suffering from grinding oppression and poverty, we turn 
 with a feeling almost of relief to the suite of apartments 
 occupied by Marie Antoinette. 
 
 I do not wonder the French people rebelled against the 
 pride, cupidity and iniquity of their monarchs, but it 
 does seem hard that the retribution we would accord to 
 Louis XIV. and Louis XV. fell on their good-natured but 
 meek successor. 
 
 The furnishing and adornments of the poor queen's 
 apartments are not in the gorgeous style of the rest of the 
 palace; her bed-chamber and boudoir were, I think, tapes- 
 tried throughout, the bathing-closet being hung with pale 
 yellow satin and portraits of the royal family of France. 
 On one of the doors we were shown a beautifully chased 
 and finished lock, the work of her husband Louis XVI., 
 who, you know, was more skilled as a locksmith than as 
 statesman, warrior, or king. In one room of the suite is a 
 recess in which a series of mirrors are so arranged that 
 you see yourself headless, and they tell you Marie Antoi- 
 nette always shuddered on entering that room. If so, 
 why were they not removed? She could be imperious 
 enough on occasion, beside which her husband loved her 
 too dearly to thwart her wishes. A narrow staircase lead- 
 ing from the queen's apartments is pointed out as that by 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 257 
 
 which the unfortunate lady vainly attempted to fly when 
 the infuriate mob burst into the palace on the 5th of 
 October, 1789. 
 
 Having devoted as much time as we could spare to the 
 interior of the palace we now went to see what we could 
 of its exterior beauties. In front is a spacious and splen- 
 did terrace embellished with fine statues, and surrounded 
 by gardens containing some of the fountains — issuing 
 from groups of statuary — that have made Versailles so 
 famous. Descending from the terrace in front of the 
 palace a noble avenue, through the Tapis Vert, leads to the 
 Basin of Latona and the Fountain of Apollo beyond, end- 
 ing in the lake at its extreme, and the Grand and Petit 
 Trianon. Time did not permit us to visit either of these, 
 nor the fine fountains called the Basin of Neptune, the 
 Bosquet du Roi, or the Bosquet de la Salle du Bal, where 
 courtiers and fine dames were wont to disport themselves 
 on summer evenings. We were fain to be content with 
 distant views of them, and if the avenues and alleys lead- 
 ing thereto were covered with the same abominable white 
 gravel- stones, like so many small marbles, as the terrace 
 in front of the palace is, it would have been " a pilgrimage " 
 indeed to reach them. How the bewigged, laced and 
 ruffled Strephons, Corydons and Silvios, the bepatched, 
 hooped and painted Delias, Cvrinnas and Amaryllises, the 
 swains and shepherdesses — as in the fantastic language of 
 the day the belles and beaux of the court called them- 
 selves — managed to get along on their high red-heeled 
 shoes over these terraces, if they are similar now to what 
 they were then, is a mystery to me. 
 
 Returning to Paris by rail in the "gloaming," passing 
 
 17 
 
258 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 through fair scenery, my mind was filled with thoughts 
 conjured up by what we had seen to-day, and the in- 
 cidents and events connected therewith. By the time the 
 city was reached they had culminated into a feeling that 
 the French people had through many horrors, much 
 tribulation, and prolonged struggles with their rulers, 
 become possessed of parks, palaces, gardens, museums, 
 theatres and other sources of amusement, free to all, that 
 the most exacting people could demand. Let us hope 
 they know and fully appreciate these privileges and are 
 satisfied with what they have. 
 
 We took a trip by rail one day to the pretty town of 
 Montmorency, to visit our old friends the De V's, whom we 
 had known " lang syne " at the islands, and whom you will 
 remember. We found them living in a regular Hono- 
 lulu-built house constructed of wood, on one floor, and 
 with broad verandas, pleasantly situated in a fine garden 
 of fruit and flowers — the former of fine flavour as we can 
 testify, and the latter of great beauty. The mansion men- 
 tioned is not the only one the ground contains, as all the 
 family, married and unmarried, live together in happy 
 patriarchal fashion, but requiring more room, they built it 
 so out of aloha for happy days spent in Hawaii nei. Be 
 sure the time passed pleasantly and rapidly in talking of 
 old times and old and mutual friends, and as none of 
 them had forgotten their English our conversation was 
 easy and pleasant. Montmorency is charmingly situated 
 among the hills, affording beautiful views of the surround- 
 ing country, and we enjoyed our visit very much, Mon- 
 sieur, Madame, H. — a fine, tall young fellow over six feet 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 259 
 
 —and his sister accompanying us back to the little rail- 
 way station. 
 
 I was rather amused with an incident that occurred on 
 this trip. At one of the stations stopped at, a jolly -looking 
 woman got into the train carrying two baskets full of most 
 tempting and luscious-looking fruit of various kinds. M. 
 remarked, " What beautiful fruit " (with an eye to a prob- 
 able purchase) ; " I suppose they are going in to the Paris 
 market." The owner of the coveted delicacies, looking 
 toward her, replied with an unmistakable British accent: 
 " Oh dear no, madam, they are from our own garden, and 
 not for sale." Subsequent revelations told us she had 
 lived in France for many years, but did not apparently 
 appreciate her compatriots much, for we got none of the 
 fruit. 
 
 Well, all mundane things, pleasant or otherwise, must 
 have an end ; some, alas ! all too soon, as did our visit to 
 Paris, " fair land of France," and our dear children. The 
 dreaded hour had come, and we must depart, but I spare 
 you the details ; they are too painful. The day was bright 
 and sunny, as was our usual luck, and Boulogne looked 
 brighter and sunnier, and the quay more crowded and 
 gayer with fish-wives, soldiers and loungers, even than it 
 did on our former visit. 
 
 We embarked at 2 p. m., got to Folkestone at 3:40, 
 being favoured with a smooth sea and little wind, and 
 arrived at the Charing Cross station in dear old smoky, 
 roaring London at ten minutes past 5, just seven hours 
 from Paris. The customs authorities gave us no trouble 
 about our baggage, all they seemed to care or enquire for 
 being cigars, perfumery, or silverware. Our fair little 
 
260 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 friend, to whose good offices we owe so much, was awaiting 
 us, and we were soon again in the quiet haven of Craven 
 street. 
 
 Now you want to know which city I like best, Paris or 
 London. And I answer, I think without prejudice, but 
 candidly, honestly and unreservedly, London ! Not that 
 you can institute or draw any actual comparison between 
 the two cities, so utterly unlike are they, or perhaps give 
 any very definite reason for the preference. I think the 
 answer of a fair cousin of the Professor's, to whom the same 
 question was addressed, is as good a one as can be made : 
 " Paris is coquette, London is grand ! " A. having come 
 up to town to meet us, we spent a few days in her com- 
 pany, enjoying it much, seeing some of the " sights " and 
 making a few necessary purchases previous to our depar- 
 ture from London. 
 
 Having completed all our arrangements, made our last 
 adieus to our friends at Chelsea and other places, we bade 
 a final farewell with much regret to the great city we had 
 enjoyed so much, and where we had received so many and 
 unexpected kindnesses. 
 
VII. 
 
 ON the last day of August we took our departure from 
 Charing Cross for the "West Countrie," being as we now 
 considered ourselves " homeward bound." A light rain was 
 falling, which our kind friend Mrs. H. says was weeping 
 for the parting. On we speed through •Woking, Basing- 
 stoke, Salisbury — with its beautiful cathedral spire— Yeo- 
 vil, past fair old Exeter, to Tavistock. Here it ceased to 
 rain and the remainder of our journey skirting Dartmoor, 
 or down the beautiful valleys of the Tavy or Plym, was 
 truly a vision of delight. Nature seemed lovelier than 
 ever just emerging from her bath, and the wondrous effects 
 of light and shade on moor, forest and stream, with the 
 brilliant rain-drops hanging from every branch and spray, 
 glittering in the rays of the westering sun, I do not think 
 I ever shall forget, or the freshness and exhilaration of the 
 whole scene. 
 
 A few more days were spent in pleasant Plymouth, but 
 alas! all too short and fleeting, when inexorable time 
 warned us that the hour of departure had come, and we 
 were forced again to tear ourselves away from those we 
 held so dear, with the dim uncertainty of the future be- 
 fore us. I will not dilate on this, it is too painful for con- 
 templation, but assure you we were very thankful for what 
 we had been permitted to enjoy. 
 
 On the 17th of September, the weather now growing 
 
 261 
 
262 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 sensibly cooler, we left the Mutley station by Great 
 Western Railway, passing over what had now become to 
 us familiar ground, and at Exeter met on the platform the 
 Rev. Mr. Blundell, formerly a member of the Anglican 
 Mission in Hawaii, and now rector of some parish in the 
 vicinity. 
 
 We got to Bristol at 3 p. m. and to Worcester at 5:30 p. 
 m., where we decided to stay the night, sleeping at the 
 Great Western Hotel. This ancient city, whose story is 
 full of " the battles, sieges, fortunes, it has passed," is well 
 situated in the lePvely valley of the Severn, the waters of 
 which once washed its walls, and are now crossed by a 
 handsome stone bridge of several arches, the view from 
 whence up and down stream, enlivened as all English 
 rivers are with pleasure-boats of various kinds, is perfectly 
 charming. Lying as the city does in so fertile a valley, 
 will account for its early disturbed state and continuous 
 settlement by various races of men : originally British, 
 then Roman and Saxon, when it was called " Wignorna 
 Ceaster," easily softened into the English Worcester, under 
 which name it is celebrated as one of the most ancient 
 episcopal cities in England, as well as for the great battle 
 of 1651 between the forces of King Charless II. and the 
 Parliamentarians, so disastrous to the former's cause. In 
 the Guildhall, a massive structure of Queen Anne's time, 
 with statues of that queen and the two Charles' adorning its 
 front, we saw a gun and nine suits of armour, with many 
 weapons, all relics from the above fatal field. Our visit to 
 the cathedral was necessarily short, as matins began a few 
 minutes after our entrance, but still we saw sufficient to 
 assure us of its great beauty, and that the accounts we 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 263 
 
 had read of it and its beautiful monuments were by no 
 means overrated. In the vicinity are several ancient man- 
 sions, among them the former Bishop's Palace, and per- 
 vading all, such a sense of quiet calm and repose as, 
 indeed, seemed to us to be the general characteristic of 
 the city. 
 
 We were sorry to be obliged to leave without a visit to 
 the museum and the Royal Porcelain Works — the latter 
 so justly celebrated as to have obtained the Diploma of 
 Honour (the highest award) at the Vienna Exhibition of 
 1873, and at Paris in 1878 the Gold Medal and Legion of 
 Honour. We consoled ourselves by looking over a beau- 
 tiful collection of ceramic art in one of the principal 
 shops, where all seemed to us marvels of cheapness, and 
 purchasing a trifle or two as souvenirs of our visit to this 
 pleasant city. 
 
 Leaving here shortly after noon, a charming ride 
 through the usual beautiful country of an hour and twenty 
 minutes, brought us to what I think is one of the prettiest 
 as well as most interesting market-towns in England, viz., 
 Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of the immortal Shake- 
 speare, and shrine of many pilgrims besides ourselves. 
 How strange it seems that with so beautiful a country 
 surrounding him, and sensitive as he must have been to 
 all the sweet influences of nature, that the place is never 
 once mentioned by the bard in either play or poem. 
 
 A short distance from the railway station, which is just 
 on the skirts of the town, an urchin accosted us with the 
 question, no doubt usual here to all strangers, " Do you 
 want to see Shakespeare's house?" Answering in the 
 affirmative, and following our intelligent little guide down 
 
264 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 sundry clean, well-kept, quiet streets, on the corner of one 
 of them a tablet informs you that this is the way to 
 Shakespeare's house. We turned into Henley street, and 
 soon stood under the gabled porch of the house we sought. 
 A pull at an ancient-looking bell, handle hanging outside, 
 was answered by a very respectable and well-bred man, 
 who, with his two sisters, are custodians of the place, now 
 belonging to the Shakespeare committee, having been pur- 
 chased by them in 1847. It is a half-timbered structure 
 of two stories, with attics, and three gables fronting on trie 
 street. Each gable has a window in it, and they, as well 
 as all the others in the house, are casements, filled with the 
 small lozenge-shaped panes of glass usual in old edifices. 
 In the principal room where "gentle Will Shakespeare" 
 first saw the light through mayhap much of the glass 
 still existing, every pane is literally covered with names 
 of visitors, and among them your guide points with evi- 
 dent pride to that of another great enchanter, Walter 
 Scott. None are allowed to be written now save in the 
 visitors' books, which contain those of many eminent 
 men and women from all lands, notably of our kinsfolk 
 of the Great Republic and the Colonies, who alike with us 
 and all the millions who speak English as their mother 
 tongue, are inheritors of his genius and his fame. There 
 are three rooms on the ground floor, the one you enter first 
 being the ancient kitchen and general living place, with wide, 
 open chimney, in which it is said the poet loved to sit and 
 perhaps to muse on some of his own sweet creations. The 
 floor is of stone, now broken and uneven, having been 
 used for some time as a butcher's shop, but is allowed to 
 remain as when it came into the hands of the committee. 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 265 
 
 The remaining rooms on this floor are fitted up as a 
 Shakespearian museum, and contain much that is of 
 interest, documentary and otherwise, relating to the great 
 bard — some of the earliest folios of his works, his will, 
 and the only known extant letter written by his own hand, 
 on some pecuniary business, for you know even great poets 
 must buy and sell like the rest of us poor ordinary mor- 
 tals. Other memorials of many kinds are pointed out to 
 you by the gentle, well-informed sister in charge of these 
 treasures, among them an undoubted seal-ring of his 
 beautifully engraved, with the initials W. S. entwined in 
 a tasselled true-lover's knot. An ancient arm-chair of 
 carved oak is said to have been the one occupied by 
 Shakespeare when presiding among convivial and con- 
 genial spirits at the " Falcon Inn," in the adjacent village 
 of " Drunken Bidford," mentioned in the epigram attrib- 
 uted to him, and the gilded sign-board of the ancient 
 hostelry bears it company. Ascending by a winding 
 wooden staircase you gain the room where he was born, 
 and which looks out upon the quiet sunny street ; its walls 
 are profusely covered with the names of great and noted 
 personages, among them William Makepeace Thackeray, as 
 well as of those of their humbler brethren, but presume 
 to writejiow and you would " catch it." I merely pointed 
 with my cane to the wide old-fashioned fire-place, when 
 its point was struck down with a frown, but no audible 
 comment made by the un-gentle sister presiding here. 
 The ceilings are of course quite low and do not look very 
 safe, but are prevented from falling by bands of iron 
 stretched across each way. No one is permitted to go into 
 the attics above, they not being considered fit to bear the 
 
266 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 weight of visitors. There are several busts and portraits 
 of " the divine William," all with a certain family like- 
 ness, but the most notable of these is contained in a fire- 
 proof iron safe, built to fit it, in a small adjoining room. 
 Why it is considered the most authentic picture I do not 
 now quite recollect, but I remember being told that it was 
 by an accident it was discovered, as it had been adorned 
 with a huge beard, a wide hat and feathers, and sundry 
 other changes by a later artist, and made to do duty for, 
 perhaps, some local celebrity. This has all been cleverly 
 removed and the original remains in its pristine colours, 
 but not, I must confess, in guise or lineament familiar to 
 my eyes, nor is it as our conductor explained to me, 
 the portrait best liked by Americans. Here he referred to 
 the well known one with bald forehead, long curly hair, 
 peaked beard and broad embroidered collar — not the 
 Chandos or Droeschout — nor do I know to whom this is 
 attributed, but I think he wished to compliment me, 
 thinking I was an American, b}' referring to our better 
 taste in art. 
 
 Having seen and thoroughly enjoyed the treasures of 
 this place, and our little " Mercury " having brought us a 
 carriage, we proceeded through the busier part of the 
 pretty town (the Market-place, being full of jolly-looking, 
 well-mounted farmers, graziers, etc., for it was monthly 
 market-day), and crossing in our way a bridge of nine 
 arches over the Avon, to visit the beautiful parish church 
 where lie his bones, and where, as Washington Irving 
 declares, " The mind refuses to dwell on anything that is 
 not connected with Shakespeare." * * * * The 
 whole place seems but his mausoleum." 'Tis a very beau- 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 267 
 
 tiful structure standing just without the town on the 
 banks of the gently-flowing Avon, which reflects its grace- 
 ful " heaven-directed spire," fine old windows and dense 
 avenue of overhanging lime-trees by which you approach 
 it. The building is of great antiquity. Leland says, " it 
 is supposed it was renewed in buildinge by John de Strat- 
 ford, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the beginninge of the 
 raine of K. E. 3," and doubtless has often been repaired 
 and restored since that time. So let us enter, and passing 
 up an interior quite in keeping with the beauty of the 
 exterior, and adorned with some fine carving and grand 
 old windows, proceed up the church to where, just within 
 the chancel-rails, upon the second step of the altar, are 
 placed side by side the graves of Shakespeare, his wife, 
 daughter, and other members of the family. The poet's 
 is covered by a flat stone engraved with the following 
 verse, said to have been written by himself shortly before 
 his decease : 
 
 u Good frencl for Iesvs sake forbeare, 
 To digg the dvst encloaeed heare ; 
 Bleete be the man that spares thes stones, 
 And cvrst be he that moves my bones.* 1 
 
 An old tradition says that his wife and daughter both 
 desired to be laid in the same grave with him, but no one 
 dared venture to incur the above penalty. And in later 
 times respect for his wishes, if not fear of the anathema, 
 has doubtless prevented what I should be inclined to look 
 upon as sacrilege. On the north wall, just above the 
 poet's grave, is his well-known monument, where he is rep- 
 resented as writing in a scroll, lying on a cushion ; it is 
 coloured and gilded in what appeared to me very 
 doubtful taste. After reading the various inscriptions on 
 
268 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 the graves of his wife, daughter and son-in-law, the west- 
 ering sun glowing through one of the richly-stained glass 
 windows warned us how time was flying, and as we had 
 yet another visit to make, forced us to hurry off. 
 
 A short drive by a winding road bordered with haw- 
 thorn-hedges, occasional tall elms and green fields on both 
 sides, soon brought us to the hamlet of Shottery, where, 
 on the left-hand side of the road, stands the cottage of 
 Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife. Several little rosy- 
 cheeked country children of both sexes were standing at 
 the wicket offering visitors " posies " gathered in the pret- 
 ty old-time garden, and made happy by a few pence. 
 The house itself, which stands facing the garden and end- 
 on to the road, is a long, low timber-framed building, with 
 a thick thatched roof that has been cut away to permit 
 light into the upper chambers, and evidently constructed 
 at different times, as there are two different levels in roof 
 and floor ; but is said to be now just as it was when 
 Shakespeare used to come here courting. A venerable- 
 looking dame who was drawing water with a bucket from 
 the ancient well in front of the house, dropped a curtsy 
 and invited us to enter, which we did by a couple of stone 
 steps leading to an old oak door. The principal living- 
 room is of moderate size, with broad, open fire-place, and 
 seats on each side, the blue sky being visible through its 
 capacious chimney. An ancient dresser pretty well filled 
 with old crockery, a spinning-stool and a high-backed 
 oaken settle, on which 'tis said the future poet used to sit 
 with his sweetheart— doubtless when the old folks were 
 snugly ensconced in the "ingle-newk" — are some of the 
 objects of interest in this room. Ascending from it by a 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 269 
 
 steep and narrow staircase, you attain the room in which 
 Anne was born, with ceiling so low that it as well as the 
 surrounding walls are so covered with inscriptions, names 
 and initials that you would find it difficult to write your 
 own if you wished to, which we didn't. Here is an old 
 carved oak bedstead of the Elizabethan period, with posts 
 and tester of the same material, said to have been an heir- 
 loom of the family from the sixteenth century. On it lies 
 a large home-spun linen sheet and pillow-case, each orna- 
 mented with an open-work lace seam or insertion about 
 an inch and a half wide down their centers. Both are 
 marked " E. H.," and have been used by the Hathaways on 
 special occasions, such as births, deaths and marriages, 
 for centuries — a common custom in Warwickshire, where 
 many families show with pride embroidered bed-linen 
 treasured up in carved oak chests similar to one in this 
 same room. I cannot quite account for it, but somehow 
 this place seemed fuller of interest and pleasant memo- 
 ries, to both M. and me, than did the bard's own birth- 
 place. Perhaps it was partly due to a lovely autumn 
 afternoon, pleasant recollections of our own courting days, 
 and much to the sympathy we felt with the worthy dame 
 in charge, last of the Hathaway blood, from whose pro- 
 prietorship the property has passed away forever. She 
 told us that its present owner permitted her to occupy it 
 during her lifetime, and so, after wishing her a long and 
 happy one, pledged in a glass of clear, cold water from 
 Anne Hathaway 's well, we bid her adieu. 
 
 Should you ask me how I felt when wandering among 
 the different scenes so full of interest that we have wit- 
 nessed to-day, I must confess that I could not at all 
 
270 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 analyze the emotions evoked by them, and must leave to 
 your own imagination to conjure up how you yourself 
 would feel amid surroundings so fully entwined with the 
 glorious literature of our English race. 
 
 Returning to Stratford again by another charming 
 route, we lunched at the Shakespeare Hotel, whose buxom 
 hostess — I wonder why English hostesses are always 
 buxom — took M., and not me, for an American. Follow- 
 ing her directions we wandered back by streets everywhere 
 full of some Shakespearian recollection, to the railway 
 station, and were soon on our way to Birmingham and 
 Shrewsbury, getting to the latter place at 8 p. m., tired and 
 done up. Before we reached this it had begun to rain, 
 and I assure you we were glad of the shelter of our cozy 
 and excellent inn, The Raven, where Farquhar wrote his 
 famous comedy "The Recruiting Officer." 
 
 Next morning broke gray and wet, our good fortune 
 had forsaken us, but as we had no special charter for 
 " Queen's weather " always, we put the best face we could 
 on it by hiring a vehicle and starting off to see the town. 
 It is of great antiquity, and like all border towns, stand- 
 ing as it does on the confines of England and Wales, has 
 " a strange, eventful history," but into which I do not pro- 
 pose to enter very fully, merely noting that it has often 
 changed masters between the conflicting British and Saxon 
 races in the earlier days, and that several parliaments 
 have been held here in subsequent times. Perhaps the 
 most noted battle fought in the vicinity was when Henry 
 IV. defeated the Percies and their allies in 1403, and 
 Falstaff and the valiant Hotspur " fought a long hour by 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 271 
 
 Shrewsbury clock," according to the obese and mendacious 
 knight's account of the affair. 
 
 Shrewsbury is nearly surrounded by the river Severn, 
 and must have been a place of great strength and value to 
 the combatants in former times from that very circum- 
 stance. Some remains of its ancient walls are yet to be 
 seen, and the castle, perched upon a red sandstone rock — 
 overlooking the Great Western railway station and much 
 of the surrounding country — is still partly habitable, hav- 
 ing fared better than many of its compeers in the struggle 
 between the people and the crown, being taken by the 
 Parliamentarians in 1644. Two bridges, called respectively 
 the English and Welsh, cross the river Severn, connecting 
 the ancient with the more modern town and suburbs and 
 giving access to the Principality and the Anglo-Saxon 
 kingdom. 
 
 It formerly possessed several monasteries and a fine old 
 Benedictine Abbey, now known as the Church of Holy 
 Cross. We found the doors closed, but a penny to an 
 urchin in the street soon brought a thrifty dame from 
 somewhere in the neighbourhood with the key. We were 
 much struck with the beauty of its interior, fine glass and 
 ancient monuments, but not able to bestow on it either the 
 time or attention it deserved. The old market-house, with 
 the upper chambers built on rows of massive pillars (in 
 the open spaces between which agricultural produce is 
 sold), is well worthy of a visit, from the quaintness and 
 old-time look of it. Its principal gable-end is adorned 
 with a statue and inscription — of I forget whom — and 
 surmounted by a clock; whether it be the one that told the 
 hour for the Falstaffian duel, neither history nor I record. 
 
272 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO TEE OLD WORLD. 
 
 In the vicinity of the town is a column to the memory 
 of Lieutenant-General Lord Hill, of Peninsular and Water- 
 loo fame, who did the state much service, and was a native 
 of this county. A similar honour is paid to another dis- 
 tinguished Salopian — Robert, Lord Clive — who, entering 
 the East India Company's service in the civil department 
 when their fortunes were at a very low ebb, threw down the 
 pen for the sword and by his indomitable will and courage 
 in the attack on, capture and subsequent defence of Arcot 
 against vastly superior numbers, with other successes cul- 
 minating in the splendid victory of Plassey, laid the 
 foundation of our magnificent empire of the East. In 
 this last fight with a force of three thousand men, only 
 eight hundred of whom were British, he crossed the river 
 and attacked the army of Suraja Dowlah, consisting, of 
 fifty thousand infantry, eighteen thousand cavalry and 
 fifty French allied artillerymen, gaining a most complete 
 victory, and receiving the title of Baron Plassey therefor. 
 
 I feel I have digressed somewhat, and so must hurry on 
 through the rain to perhaps the most picturesque town in 
 England, the ancient episcopal city of Chester. It stands 
 on the right bank of the river, which is crossed by a 
 superb stone arch of two hundred feet span, being some 
 twenty miles from its estuary, where Mary drave the cattle 
 home, etc. As an important Roman station on the great 
 military road called Watling street, leading into North 
 Wales, it was named u Devana Castra," and the two main 
 streets crossing each other at right angles, were by the 
 Romans cut out of the rocky sandstone height on which the 
 city stands, several feet below the level of the houses. The 
 plan of these streets is most curious, and I think unique, 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 273 
 
 not only in England, but in Europe. " The front parts of 
 their second stories, as far back as sixteen feet, form a con- 
 tinuous paved promenade or covered gallery " — very pleas- 
 ant to walk in — " open in front, where there are pillars and 
 steps up from the street below, with private houses above, 
 inferior shops and warehouses beneath and the chief shops 
 of the town within." The dwelling houses occupying the 
 stories above these " Rows," as in local parlance they are 
 called, have their fronts on a line with those of the lower 
 story, and in some instances overhanging the street below. 
 They are half-timbered structures, with curiously carved 
 ornamental gables, some of them being very elaborate, 
 dating from the sixteenth century. One house in par- 
 ticular is pointed out to you, called " God's Providence 
 House." It is very finely carved and bears across its 
 front the inscription, " God's Providence is Mine In- 
 heritance," and tradition affirms it was the only house 
 that escaped the plague during the terrible visitation of 
 1665. The rain having ceased, we enjoyed very much 
 the novelty and strangeness of walking in these covered 
 ways, and purchasing some very excellent photographs of 
 them to aid you in understanding what I fear I have but 
 imperfectly described in words. At the end of one of 
 them, before descending the steps into the lower street, we 
 passed through the campanile of a fine old church, but I 
 have forgotten to whom it was dedicated. The city is 
 nearly enclosed in an oblong quadrangle of ancient walls 
 in excellent preservation ; they are of about two miles in 
 extent, with four gates, some eight feet in thickness, and 
 their summit forming a very pleasant promenade — secured 
 now by parapets, where M. and I walked abreast at ease 
 
 18 
 
274 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 and enjoyed the lookout over the excellent race-course and 
 much of the surrounding country. I also ascended by 
 steps from the street to another part of the walls near the 
 water gate, obtaining a comprehensive view of much of the 
 ancient town. To my right was a tower on the walls 
 called King Charles I.'s Tower, with a moat full of 
 water on one side, and said by our Jehu to have been so 
 named because that monarch witnessed the defeat of his 
 forces from it by the Parliamentary army during the long 
 and stubborn defence of the city ere it finally succumbed 
 to the latter,, but I doubt much if history will bear out 
 this story. 
 
 Our next visit was to the far-famed cathedral, formerly 
 the Abbey of St. Werburgh — a Saxon Saint — and for many 
 centuries one of the richest in the realm, u King Alfred's 
 daughter having brought her remains to Chester and 
 founded a monastic house in her name." No doubt the 
 fame of its great wealth caused the frequent attacks from 
 which this place suffered at the hands of Danes and North- 
 men, and notwithstanding its great strength it was taken 
 by the former in 894. Ethelfrida retook it in 904, and 
 rebuilt the walls. For some centuries after the Norman 
 conquest, the Earls of Chester — a title still borne by the 
 Prince of Wales — kept their own courts and parliaments 
 here, and at the present day the city is a county in itself, 
 and returns two members to Parliament. To revert to the 
 cathedral : It is an irregular but massive-looking struct- 
 ure, unfortunately built of sandstone and crumbling to 
 decay despite frequent restorations in early and later days. 
 The architecture is very varied from the above cause, em- 
 bracing Saxon, Norman, Gothic and Decorated, but the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 275 
 
 effect of the whole, thanks to the genius and skill of the 
 last restorer, Sir Gilbert Scott, is very fine. Its interior 
 struck us as being more solemn and perhaps more sombre 
 than that of any other church we saw ; it may be this 
 effect was produced by the cloudiness of the day, as well 
 as*by the many tattered banners hanging from its walls. 
 I do not remember being struck. by the beauty of its win- 
 dows; indeed, our time was far too short for a satisfactory 
 visit. 
 
 Two other objects of interest I feel that I must men- 
 tion, both of which we visited: the ancient church of Saint 
 John, built, like the cathedral, of sandstone, and partly in 
 ruins, said to have been founded by Ethelred in 698, and 
 the former palace of the Stanleys, a timbered building of 
 great antiquity, but to neither of which could we do jus- 
 tice, and our great regret was we had not a week to spare 
 for this most interesting city, which our American kins- 
 men usually make their first sight-seeing visit to, unless 
 bound straight for London, and I think they are wise. 
 
 Returning again to the handsome and important rail- 
 way station, we took train for Liverpool, passing across the 
 county Palatine of Cheshire, and over the river Mersey, 
 by a fine bridge, at I think Runcorn, whence a few miles 
 through an uninteresting country brought us pretty well 
 fatigued with the day's exertions, to our old quarters at 
 the North-Western Hotel. 
 
 While sitting in the parlor of the hotel this same 
 evening engaged in letter writing, a voice at my elbow 
 enquired if my name was L. Replying that it was, and 
 entering into conversation with my interlocutor, we were 
 very pleased to find that he was one of "our American 
 
276 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 cousins" who had come to England with his mother 
 chiefly to visit the last resting-place of his father, who had 
 died in Liverpool some quarter of a century ago a few 
 days after landing from America, having been recom- 
 mended by his physicians to try what his native air 
 would do for him. He recognized me from a photograph 
 he had seen somewhere among our friends, and we were 
 very pleased to meet him and his mother, and enjoyed 
 their society much during the few days we remained 
 together, they, like us, being homeward bound, and sail- 
 ing for New York the same day we left for Canada. 
 
 Why I mention this incident is from its strangeness 
 that two parties of one family, each ignorant of the other's 
 plans or movements, should, after long years of absence 
 from their native land and in widely separated parts of 
 the earth, meet together in a Liverpool hotel ! Truly, as 
 some say, steam, electricity and the facilities of travel 
 have made the world but a small place in these days. 
 An immediate consequence of above strange rencounter 
 was the finding of other kinsfolk whose kind and affec- 
 tionate manners endeared them to us at once, and fully 
 justified our adoption of the titles of uncle and aunt, with 
 which their love invested us. Dr. M. and his charming 
 wife visited us immediately on being made acquainted 
 with our presence in Liverpool, and, as he remarked, it 
 was truly " an unlooked-for gathering of the clans." It 
 resulted in our running down by rail to visit them at 
 their home in Ormskirk, an ancient town situated on the 
 old road between Liverpool and Preston, some dozen 
 miles from the former place, which was once known, as 
 Ormskirkians tell you with perhaps pardonable pride, as 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 277 
 
 Liverpool near Ormskirk ! Our journey lay through a 
 rather flat but yet a pretty country, and the glorious fresh- 
 ness of a late autumn day, with the geniality of our 
 friends and their charming family, made our visit in every 
 way a memorable one. This is one of those quiet, pleasant 
 towns which you occasionally find in England, robbed of 
 bustle and trade by its vigorous neighbour, and yet per- 
 vaded by such a general air of repose that the thought is 
 borne in upon your mind that it could be a peaceful 
 haven in your declining days, though it has known much 
 of turmoil and warfare, especially during the troublous 
 Parliamentary times. In the principal street is a statue 
 of the late Earl Beaconsfield, said to be an excellent like- 
 ness of that distinguished statesman, but why clad in a 
 Koman toga I know not, and I fancy that, like him, the 
 townsfolk are very conservative and jealous of England's 
 honour and glory. 
 
 An object of great interest to us was the ancient church 
 whose history seems shrouded in much uncertainty as to 
 date of foundation or erection. Tradition attributes church 
 and town to Orm, a Saxon or Danish founder, and it is 
 certain that they both existed in the reign of Richard 
 Cceur de Lion. The present edifice is of various dates and 
 styles, but an undoubted Saxon window exists in the 
 chancel wall. Divided from the church by a screen is the 
 Derby Chapel, the burial place of the house of Stanley for 
 three centuries past, and in the vault beneath lies the 
 coffin containing the remains of the celebrated Countess 
 Charlotte de La Tremouille, whose successful defence of 
 Lathom House against the Parliamentary forces during 
 her husband's enforced absence, has made her name illus- 
 
278 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 trious. In the same place are deposited the two coffins 
 containing the head and body of the "great earl," her 
 husband, who was, during the siege of Lathom House, in 
 his Kingdom of Man by orders of King Charles I., and 
 was subsequently taken and executed at Bolton for his 
 adherence to the royal cause and the part he took in the 
 battle of Worcester. The edifice itself, which stands on a 
 hill in a large " God's Acre," literally paved with grave- 
 stones, is peculiar from the fact of its having at the same end 
 two adjoining towers, one large and square and the other 
 surmounted by a spire, the effect of which is very curious. 
 A local tradition says two maiden sisters erected the 
 building, and being of different opinions as to whether it 
 should have tower or steeple and spire, settled the matter 
 each to her own liking by giving it both. Lathom House, 
 so celebrated for its siege and defence by the gallant 
 Countess, was subsequently destroyed by order of Parlia- 
 ment, and we did not feel interest enough in the present 
 building erected on its site to visit it, but returned to 
 Liverpool after a thoroughly enjoyable " outing." 
 
 We spent a very pleasant day with the Misses S., 
 daughters of our former bishop, at their fine establish- 
 ment in New Brighton, all of us mutually delighted with 
 reminiscences of old Honolulu days. What wondrous 
 changes time has effected in this place, like what is now 
 the city of San Francisco when first I knew it. This was 
 at that time a waste of sand and scrub ; now man's energy 
 and enterprise within forty short years have converted 
 both into flourishing and liandsome cities, but of course 
 the palm for wealth and importance belongs to the latter. 
 
 Our short stay in Liverpool was pretty fully occupied 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 279 
 
 in arranging matters for our homeward trip, bidding adieu 
 to friends, and the multifarious things that crowd upon the 
 traveller on the eve of his journey. 
 
 However unwilling we may be to quit old England's 
 shores, the day will come at last when we must do so, and 
 it broke upon us fair with strong westerly w T inds, but 
 changed after noon to squally weather, with heavy showers 
 of rain. 
 
 At 4 p. m., September 24th, we embarked by tug from 
 the landing-stage to join our ship, the "Polynesian," Capt. 
 Ritchie — of the Allan Line — appropriate name for us, lying 
 off the Princes pier in the river and bound for Quebec. 
 Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather many 
 kind friends came to bid us adieu, among them C. R., 
 whose good offices, with pleasant memories of Honolulu 
 in former years, will always endear him to us. Our newly 
 found " American cousins," too, were there, and like us, 
 also homeward bound, so that the pilgrims who on their 
 arrival in their native land had none of their own kith 
 and kin to welcome them, on their departure from it were 
 cheered by the presence of many. We lay waiting for the 
 tide to serve, until a glorious- full moon arose, and, as Jack 
 says, " scoffed up all the dirt ! " when the evening became 
 fair and we were soon under weigh, crossing the bar at 
 about 7 p. M. It was too dark for us to see our friends' (the 
 Misses S.) promised signal from New Brighton, but the 
 long line of lights on either shore and twinkling from 
 the masts and stays of ships in the river, with the moon 
 making her silver pathway on the broad Mersey, was very 
 fair to look upon. Of course some sadness weighed upon 
 our spirits, even though we were bound to our dear ones 
 
280 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 in the sunny isles, for we were leaving much-loved ones 
 behind us and, too, the dear land of our birth. We lin- 
 gered long by the taffrail till the cool breath of the ocean 
 and increased motion of the ship warned M. to go below, 
 and we were fain to say, " My native land, good-night ! " 
 and to add from the heart, without quoting farther, u God 
 bless you." 
 
 Next morning broke fair with a strong nor-west wind, 
 and we were ploughing away through the North Channel. 
 On our right the shores of Old Scotland were plainly visi- 
 ble, and to our left the Emerald Isle. About half-past 10 
 " Ailsa Craig," rising abruptly in sheer precipice from 
 the sea over 1,000 feet, was on our starboard beam, and 
 three hours later the basaltic columns of the " Giant's 
 Causeway" on our port beam, clear weather and bright 
 sun giving us a good view of each. 
 
 At 2:30 p. m. we entered Lough Foyle, passing the 
 pretty village of Green Castle, its disused fortifications 
 overgrown with ivy, and came to anchor off Moville at 
 3 o'clock, to await the mails from Londonderry. The 
 stillness of the ship in these quiet waters and beauty of 
 the surrounding scenery brought our fellow voyagers on 
 deck, some of whom had friends come off to see them, 
 and we all took advantage of our stay to send last adieus 
 and messages to our loved ones. 
 
 The city of Londonderry, so celebrated for its famous 
 siege and defence, is situated some eighteen miles above 
 where the river Foyle empties into this beautiful sheet of 
 water. We could discern with our glasses its towers and 
 steeples, and would fain have visited so interesting a 
 spot, but the speedy arrival of a steamer with the latest 
 
OUR PILGRIMAaE TO THE OLD WORLD. 281 
 
 mails from the United Kingdom, for which we were wait- 
 ing, precluded the possibility of that, so we were fain to 
 be content with the fair view surrounding us, when our 
 anchor was tripped and off we were again. We were not 
 much more than a good-sized family party, numbering 
 some thirty-five or forty in the saloon, but we were a 
 very genial and pleasant one, and I shall ever look back 
 with pleasure to the days spent on board the good ship 
 "Polynesian." Our captain was a thorough seaman and 
 a kind and courteous gentleman, as all masters of these 
 great ocean steamships should be, these virtues being by 
 no means incompatible with thorough seamanship. 
 
 Our passage across these Northern seas included 
 almost every variety of weather, but with nearly invari- 
 able head winds, and sometimes a sea so heavy as to 
 necessitate the " governor " being put on to prevent racing 
 of the screw. We saw a good many vessels under both 
 steam and sail, otherwise there was but little to relieve 
 the monotony of sea-life, for frequent hazy and foggy 
 weather, with the decline of temperature, the mercury 
 being sometimes down to 40°, precluded the usual ship- 
 board amusement on deck. 
 
 On Friday the 2d of October, a fair, cool day with 
 smooth sea, we sighted Belle Isle, and soon were in the 
 straits, with above land on our starboard quarter, the 
 desolate shores of Labrador on the bow, and along our 
 port beam the island of Newfoundland. All honour to 
 the early navigators who dared these wild, tempestuous 
 and unknown seas, whether in search of Noreast or 
 Norwest passages, or as mere adventurers ; they were 
 truly gallant spirits, the Cabots, Willoughbys, Hawkins, 
 
282 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Frobishers, Gilberts and many more whose names stand 
 high in the estimation of all sailors. They had rot, like 
 us, patent logs, patent sounding-machines — not necessi- 
 tating the stopping of the ship — perfect nautical instru- 
 ments, and elaborate charts ; as to the latter, of course 
 they had none at all, for they went into these wild, foggy 
 and utterly unknown regions simply trusting in their 
 own good seamanship and a bright lookout ; therefore, I 
 say again, all honour to them. 
 
 Next day was thick and foggy, so we did not go at our 
 highest speed, the doleful-sounding steam whistle, patent 
 log and sounding-machine being in constant requisition. 
 Oh ! what a life of anxiety must the captain of one of these 
 great ocean steamers lead, and I greatly fear they are not 
 recompensed accordingly. During the night we passed 
 the Island of Anticosta, Sunday morning coming clear 
 and fair with light westerly winds and the land of Gaspe 
 lying along our port beam some seven or eight miles off. 
 Soon again the envious fog shut down and hid all from our 
 view till about noon, when the glorious sun asserted his 
 supremacy and we found ourselves steaming along the right 
 bank of the noble St. Lawrence, outlet of five great lakes. 
 The shore was dotted all along with French-Canadian 
 villages and tiny churches, surmounted with the same 
 funny-looking extinguisher-shaped roofs that we had been 
 familiar with in France, the bright rays of the midday 
 sun shining on these and the broad river, making a fair 
 landscape indeed. During, the afternoon the weather again 
 assumed a threatening look, so after consultation with 
 our captain, fearing fog might come on, and as we were 
 bound to be in San Francisco on the 14th, we decided 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 283 
 
 to land at Ramouski with the mails. At 6 p. m. we were 
 at this place, when a small steamer came off for the mail- 
 bags to be transmitted by rail to Point Levi, some hun- 
 dred miles above and on the opposite shore from the city 
 of Quebec. 
 
 Our captain, with his usual thoughtful courtesy, had 
 ordered dinner for us an hour before the usual time, so 
 that when the steamer came alongside we were ready to 
 start at once. By this time the usual hour for the saloon 
 passengers' dinner had arrived, but notwithstanding the 
 continual booming of the gong and imperative calls of the 
 inner man, not one of our ''family party " would leave the 
 deck until they had seen us fairly off, amid the parting 
 cheers of the men and waving of handkerchiefs from the 
 gentler sex, for which kindly demonstration I trust we were 
 fully grateful. Stepping on to the crowded and untidy 
 decks of the little steamer, with her queer-looking machin- 
 ery, what a gabble of Canadian-French assailed our ears, 
 and how unlike in sound to that with which we had been 
 familiar in Paris some two months ago ! Surely, said I, this 
 must be the " French of Stratforde atte Bowe," but further 
 acquaintance inclined me to attribute to it a sort of Teu- 
 tonic character and sound which the slow, easy manners 
 and apparent phlegmatic temperament of the speakers, 
 almost devoid of civility, served to illustrate ; not, under- 
 stand me, that I desire to attribute the latter fault to the 
 Teutonic race. 
 
 It was nearly dark when we landed on a miserable 
 wharf, crowded with every possible obstruction in the way 
 of timber, coils of rope and general litter of a badly kept 
 riverside railway, but after nearly tumbling into several 
 
284 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 holes and losing our way in the confusion we were glad to 
 gain the shelter of the cars, as it was just beginning to rain 
 heavily. And this is an express train carrying Her Majesty's 
 mails, and we are in a British colony with no language 
 spoken but a French patois ! Such were my thoughts, given 
 vent to, I fear, in no very amiable language. M's reply was 
 that if " I expected to understand all the dialects spoken 
 in the Queen's dominions my attainments as a linguist 
 would be considerable." I admitted this, but could not 
 be reconciled to our mode or means of transit. Just fancy 
 a bare, dirty car, a good deal like an old wild-beast cara- 
 van, with a few ha r d wooden seats, lighted by a solitary, 
 dirty, smoking oil-lamp, officials all doing the same, and 
 warmed by an open stove in one corner breathing out 
 sulphureous fumes instead of heat, from bad coal, and 
 you have our first impressions of a Canadian railway car- 
 riage, for which we had paid to the captain of the river 
 steamer first-class fare. 
 
 After a while, the mails being got on board, we left this 
 squalid-looking place, but only to pass through many 
 more looking similarly unfinished, water-soaked and bear- 
 ing a strong family likeness to it. I am bound to say that 
 our speed was good, but oh ! the jolting and jumping of 
 the train was only equalled by that of my heart into my 
 mouth, as we plunged onwards during the rain, storm, 
 lightning, thunder and darkness of the night. 
 
 Shortly before midnight we arrived at Point Levi, oppo- 
 site to the city of Quebec, where the mails are trans- 
 shipped, and finding that the ferry-boat was in waiting 
 we decided to cross at once, as fortunately for us it had 
 ceased raining for a while. We were soon on board the 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO TEE OLD WORLD. 285 
 
 huge machine, doubtless well calculated to stem the 
 current of the mighty river and for freighting purposes, 
 but what a contrast to the fine boats crossing from San 
 Francisco to Oakland ; a few bare seats, no upholstery or 
 ornamentation of any kind, and both freight and passen- 
 gers carried on one deck. 
 
 We were soon across, and by this time it was blowing 
 and raining harder than ever ; the captain, who thank 
 goodness spoke English, kindly sent a man on shore to 
 seek for a conveyance, but after a while he returned to say 
 that none could be had. Here was a pretty predicament 
 for the pilgrims, so that we were forced to accept, with 
 thanks, the captain's kind offer of a couple of his hands 
 to carry our valise and pilot us to the St. Louis Hotel. I 
 wonder if we shall ever forget the adventures of that night, 
 the wading through the mud, overflowing kennels and 
 darkness of the lower town, or the incessant climb, climb, 
 climb, necessary to attain the upper town, and all the 
 time raining " cats and dogs." At one point we were con- 
 fronted by a long flight of steep wooden steps, dimly dis- 
 cernible by a flickering lamp, which our guides called a 
 street and a short cut to our destination, but on M's 
 declaring the ascent to be impracticable and impossible in 
 her drenched and tired condition, on we tramped again on 
 our apparently endless march. 
 
 However, all things, good or evil, must have an end and 
 so our arduous task did in time, when a thundering 
 knock at the door of the St. Louis Hotel was answered by 
 a man in his shirt-sleeves and disclosed to our delighted 
 eyes a large hall warmed by a stove and apparently 
 unlimited rows of boots and shoes, so numerous that M. 
 
286 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 thought we had made a mistake and got into a shoe-shop. 
 How thankful we were for this haven of refuge and how 
 quickly we got rid of our drenched outward garments I 
 need hardly tell you, but what was our horror to find on 
 asking for refreshments, so necessary after the benefit we 
 had, to be told that everybody was gone to bed, bar and 
 larder locked up and nothing to be got until the morning. 
 Here was a pretty pilikia, so as there was nothing better to 
 be done we determined to follow the example of the other 
 inmates of the house and go to bed also, solacing our- 
 selves with the idea that fatigue would make us sleep and 
 thankful that we had a little brandy in a flask that we 
 had brought with us from Liverpool. Before, however, we 
 had got to bed came a rap at the door and our friend 
 " Boots " had somehow or other managed to find some 
 bread and cheese, with a jug of milk, off which we made 
 a regular Lucullan supper, and so to rest. Hardly had we 
 got to sleep when we were disturbed by the sonorous 
 striking of apparently a mad church clock, in some adja- 
 cent room or passage ; I say mad, for as we were only in 
 the " wee sma hours ayont the twal," this thing appeared 
 to boom on incessantly and did so at intervals throughout 
 the night, we being too tired to count the strokes. 
 
 On enquiring of the bell-boy in the morning when he 
 came to fill our bath, where the confounded clock was, he 
 assured us that there was nothing of. the kind anywhere 
 near. We hardly knew what to make of this statement ; 
 we could not be mistaken, and scarcely had he left the room 
 when boom ! boom ! boom ! went the thing again, and we 
 discovered that the disturber of our slumbers was our own 
 small travelling-clock, whose time had not been altered 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 287 
 
 since leaving Liverpool, and which I had placed, while 
 unpacking our valise, on the top of a table containing an 
 empty drawer, hence the reverberation and magnitude of 
 sound which we had not noticed during the voyage, as it 
 was always hanging in a leathern case upon a hook in our 
 cabin. We looked at each other and burst into a laugh 
 at our mutual stupidity! And then the beams of the 
 bright morning sun coming streaming through our win- 
 dow, sent us down to breakfast in a good humour and 
 none the worse for the fatigue, wetting and incidents of 
 the previous night. 
 
 This important function ended, and our ticket secured 
 by the Grand Trunk Railway for Chicago, we got a car- 
 riage and started off to see as much of the celebrated city 
 and its environs as time would permit. It was a glorious 
 morning, bright and clear, with a fresh breeze blowing 
 and cold enough to make the buffalo -robes with which 
 our carriage was supplied feel very comfortable ; and 
 while we are bowling along in it I will tell you something 
 of this celebrated town. It is situated on the left bank of 
 St. Lawrence river, on a promontory formed by its junc- 
 tion with the St. Charles, ending in the point called Cape 
 Diamond, which is surmounted by an impregnable-look- 
 ing citadel, the land falling in almost inaccessible rocky 
 precipice down three hundred and forty feet to the river. 
 The old French town which lies along the river banks 
 and around toward the St. Charles, apparently nestling 
 under protection of the fort-crowned rock, with its nar- 
 row, tortuous, and in some places steep streets and ancient- 
 looking houses, does not seem very imposing, gazing 
 down upon it as we did from above, though St. Peter 
 
288 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 street and some others contain many good buildings used 
 as banks, insurance and other offices. 
 
 The ascent to the upper portion of the city I told you 
 something of last night, and I do not care to recapitulate, 
 but when seen as we saw it to-day the view from thence, 
 especially from the Durham and DufTerin Terrace, is 
 truly superb. This splendid promenade, which is partly 
 scarped from the side of the cliff and partly built of 
 timber, in places where it juts out and overhangs the town 
 below, almost enabling you to look down the chimneys 
 of the houses, is 1,400 feet in length, of a noble breadth, 
 and 200 feet above the river, protected by a railing on 
 the outside and furnished with frequent seats, roofed over 
 for convenience of promenaders ; at its upper end is a 
 long flight of steep steps communicating with the citadel 
 above, where on a platform before a postern-gate was a 
 volunteer sentry pacing up and down, the Imperial troops 
 having been withdrawn in 1870. The other extremity 
 has a hydraulic lift, intended to save visitors the climb 
 from the lower town, but our experience of a similar con- 
 trivance at the Whirlpool Rapids on the Niagara River 
 did not induce us to try it. When illumined as it is at 
 night with the electric light the effect is superb, and the 
 prospect from it by day one of the finest in the world ; 
 above, below and at your feet is the noble river rolling 
 majestically to the sea, and liberally sprinkled with every 
 description of craft. Below, the view is bounded, if I 
 may use the term, for it is almost illimitable, by the Isle 
 of Orleans, here dividing the noble stream and containing 
 many villa residences ; above, by a point of land jutting - 
 out and forming one side of what is known as Wolfe's 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 289 
 
 Cove. On the opposite bank is Point Levi, with the 
 wharves and warehouses of the ocean steamers, and the 
 railway station and depot of the Grand Trunk Railway 
 of Canada. Beyond, and at the back of this, far as the 
 eye can reach, is a grand champaign country, stretching 
 into the far distance, plentifully dotted with villages and 
 farms ; go and see it and then you can understand our 
 delight and realize what I cannot find words to tell you. 
 Immediately above the terrace, on a broad, handsome 
 street parallel with it, is the Governor's Garden, looking 
 rather wintry now, but containing a fine monumental 
 obelisk to the memories of Wolfe and Montcalm, who both 
 fell in the great fight. Opposite to our hotel is the house 
 that was the latter's headquarters during the siege, and 
 a short distance off the one where Montgomery, the 
 American general, was laid out after his unsuccessful 
 attack on the place in 1775. 
 
 Well, by this time, I think, we have driven through 
 most of the principal streets in the upper town, and seen 
 some fine buildings, and now we emerge through the 
 St. John's gate, and on to the renowned Plains of Abraham; 
 to our left the grim citadel — which we had not time to 
 visit — and in front and around us the scene of the great 
 battle, but now covered with farms, houses and villas. 
 We were soon standing on the spot where Wolfe, the Vic- 
 tor, fell ; it is marked by a column surmounted with mili- 
 tary trophies, and an inscription recording the fact. I 
 have called it a great battle, not from the number of 
 men engaged or that were slain, but from its results, 
 which left the Anglo-Saxon race masters of the continent 
 
 19 
 
290 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 of America from the frozen North to Florida, and from 
 one sea to another. 
 
 I hardly know how to account for it, but somehow or 
 other the story of this fight excited my imagination in my 
 boyjjood more, I think, than that of any other I had read 
 of ; perhaps from the glamour of Indian warfare about it, 
 combined with the daring of Wolfe's deed, and the fact 
 that both generals, victor and vanquished, fell in the action, 
 Montcalm dying on the day after. And now here we 
 stood on the spot I had so often wished to see, with a 
 grand prospect around us and an exhilarating breeze sweep - 
 * ing across the plain. No wonder the brave fellows fought 
 well after their arduous climb and with no means of retreat 
 left to them, if they had such a day as this. 
 
 Having enjoyed the scene as long as time would admit, 
 we turned to our left, crossing the battle-field in rear of the 
 citadel and beginning the descent from the breezy upland 
 down to the river by a steep and winding road cut along 
 the side of Wolfe's Cove. 
 
 Shall I tell you something of the fight? Well, to begin, 
 the British army had been encamped for about three 
 months on the Isle of Orleans, nearly opposite the city, 
 the brave and vigilant Montcalm being ever on the watch 
 to defeat their ends, when Wolfe, having by some means 
 discovered the place that now bears his name, with a sort 
 of goat-track leading up its side and but feebly defended 
 above, conceived the desperate plan of surprising it by a 
 night attack, driven no doubt to this conclusion by the 
 approach of winter. Accordingly after midnight of Sep- 
 tember 13th, 1759, the British forces embarked on their 
 desperate enterprise, and with muffled oars and in silence 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 291 
 
 dropped on the tide to their destination, but not without 
 being challenged by the French sentries and averting their 
 suspicions by an answer in their own tongue. 'Tis related 
 of Wolfe that while in the boat in conversation with some 
 of his staff on the evanescence of military fame, he is said 
 to have remarked that u he would rather be the author of 
 ' Gray's Elegy in a Country Churchyard ' than win a great 
 victory." Little did he know then that before another 
 night he should gain one that would immortalize him to 
 all time. Landing in silence " they commenced the diffi- 
 cult ascent, supporting themselves by the boughs and 
 shrubs that skirted the narrow path. The Canadian guard 
 on the summit gave way after a few shots, the road to 
 Quebec was gained, and when day dawned Wolfe and his 
 army, inspirited by their success, stood on the Plains of 
 Abraham." Being unsupported by cannon, although in 
 the rear of the fortress, Montcalm determined to attack 
 them. The fight was short but bloody, and the result you 
 know. Somewhere while in England, I am not sure where, 
 for we had seen so many paintings, but I think at Hamp- 
 ton Court, we saw Benjamin West's celebrated picture of 
 the death of Wolfe. How vividly it returned to mem- 
 ory now you can imagine, notwithstanding the difference 
 of its accessories and our surroundings. 
 
 To return to our story: On reaching the beginning of 
 the descent what a beautiful view met our eyes ! Far below 
 was the shining river — hitherto hidden by the height ; we 
 were above it — woods and hills, and down the path we K ' 
 were pursuing its sides were ablaze with the autumn 
 glories of an American landscape — sumach, maple, beech 
 and other trees unknown to us, resplendent in their liver- 
 
292 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 ies of gold, crimson, scarlet, amber and all their inter- 
 mediate shades, blending one into the other. I had 
 alighted through the steepness of the descent and to ease 
 the horses; when near the foot, being engaged in gathering 
 some of the brilliant leaves, a lady accosted us and in- 
 vited us into the grounds of a beautiful house close to the 
 river, with a fine cascade falling into them from the ele- 
 vated land above, where we completed our collection. 
 
 Our return route lay along the river's banks, past tim- 
 ber yards, where vessels were loading and vast rafts of 
 spars, lumber, etc., moored to its sides, through narrow 
 streets of squalid, decaying wooden houses built along the 
 foot of the great, cliff surmounted by the citadel. Its 
 steep sides are here and there scored by fissures down 
 which water was trickling, and in places mounds of shaly- 
 rock, detached by action of the elements, were heaped up. 
 In one place a large board, half way up the precipice, with 
 the inscription, " Here Montgomery fell," marks the spot 
 where that unfortunate American general met his death 
 in the unsuccessful attack on the place in 1775. " Little 
 wonder ! " you involuntarily exclaim ; the only marvel is 
 how any man, brave though he were to the verge of fool- 
 hardiness, could have had the temerity to dare such a feat 
 as attacking this fortress, unreduced by siege, or how he 
 could have got men to follow him unless assured of the 
 cowardice of its defenders or treachery within the gates. 
 
 After driving for some distance along the lower streets 
 of the town we returned by a circuitous route, through 
 the open space whereon the Roman Catholic Cathedral is 
 built, to our hotel. The cathedral is a spacious building, 
 with no great pretensions to beauty of design ; it looks 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 293 
 
 vast in the interior and has in front of the high altar a 
 sort of alcove, resplendent in blue and gold, different from 
 anything I ever saw before. The walls are adorned with 
 some fine paintings, but the effect of the whole was chilling 
 to me for want of worshippers, only one little girl coming 
 rapidly up the steps, laying down her basket, murmuring 
 a short prayer at the shrine of some favourite saint, and 
 out again into the busy paved square. 
 
 The other " sights " of Quebec we were forced to forego, 
 and so returned to rest awhile ere we resumed our 
 long journey. I was awakened from a nap on a sofa by 
 girlish voices and merry laughter, to find that the " Poly- 
 nesian " had arrived, and many of our fellow passengers 
 come up to the St. Louis. The storm of the previous 
 night had detained them some hours, but the course we 
 took had enabled us to see the town, arrange our business 
 matters, and be ready for a start again. 
 
 Accordingly at 9:30 p. m. we re-crossed the river, and 
 took the Grand Trunk Railway for Montreal. All night 
 we rushed along at good speed on this excellent line, 
 passing no doubt many towns of more or less importance, 
 all lost to us, who were making up for the fatigues of the 
 former night in profound sleep. 
 
 Next morning brought a bright, clear, bracing day, 
 with the sun sparkling on grass, trees and shrubs— all 
 covered with the rime of a hoar frost — and on the noble 
 river, which we crossed by the celebrated Victoria bridge, 
 and were in the city of Montreal. This magnificent struct- 
 ure is tubular and built of iron, resting on twenty-four 
 piers of great strength in order to resist the weight of ice 
 in the winter and spring, and with its abutments meas- 
 
294 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 ures over one and three-quarter miles in length, leading 
 to a railway station that would be a credit to any place. 
 
 The site of this city — like that of Quebec — was dis- 
 covered by the celebrated Jacques Cartier, and on his 
 first beholding the beautiful hill at whose foot and on 
 whose slope the town is built, called forth from him the 
 exclamation, " Mont Royale !" hence its present name. 
 It is situated on an island formed by two branches of the 
 Ottawa river falling into the St. Lawrence, and the sur- 
 rounding scenery is very beautiful indeed. The traveller 
 arriving from Quebec cannot fail being struck with the 
 wonderful difference existing between the two towns and 
 their inhabitants. The former seems to be quiet, sleepy, 
 unprogressive, and satisfied with its lot ; this one young, 
 brisk and striving, the bustle of a busy people around 
 you, and the English language — a sure sign of progress — 
 spoken on all sides. 
 
 Longfellow's " Evangeline " and " Psalm of Life " were 
 forcibly presented to my thoughts as I mentally com- 
 pared the two cities. The few streets our limited time 
 permitted us to see were broad and spacious, containing 
 many noble buildings ; at the upper end of one of them, 
 near the government offices (which are very fine), is the 
 Windsor Hotel, a first-rate hostelry with every modern 
 elegance and luxury, where we got an excellent breakfast. 
 The view above is bounded by the " Mountain " — or 
 rather mountains, for there are two — of Jacques Cartier, 
 now laid out with roads and drives around and along 
 each, and their sides adorned with many beautiful villa 
 residences. The woods upon its slopes were looking 
 lovely in their autumn dress, the brilliant tints glowing 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 295 
 
 like fire amid the sombre pines in the bright rays of the 
 morning sun. I am told that along their base the best 
 and most luscious fruit as well as the finest vegetables 
 grown in Canada are produced, and I am quite ready to 
 believe the statement, for I never ate apples that could at 
 all compare with some we purchased here, either for juici- 
 ness or delicacy of flavour ; neither did I ever see such 
 cauliflowers, you could scarcely put some of them into a 
 flour-barrel ! Prominent above the town are the towers 
 of the Roman Catholic Cathedral, said to be the finest 
 ecclesiastical structure in British America ; it has also a 
 handsome Anglican Cathedral, and many other fine 
 churches of different denominations, which, with much of 
 this beautiful city, we were forced unwillingly to forego. 
 
 At 9 o'clock, hurried by the impatient screaming of 
 the locomotive we were oft again, our track lying for the 
 most part along the margin of the shining river, whose 
 surface was enlivened with many craft of different kinds. 
 Soon we entered the Province of Ontario, passing Kings- 
 ton — where you embark to see the Thousand Isles — and 
 many other thriving towns of more or less importance, 
 with the vast lake gleaming bright on the left, and to 
 your right lovely autumnal woods and a varied, charming 
 landscape. This day's ride was a perfect succession of 
 delights, every fresh turn or bend of the iron road calling 
 forth expressions of pleasure as some new beauty was 
 developed. 
 
 What wondrous bodies of water these vast American 
 lakes seem to a native of the British Isles, who dignifies 
 his own small mountain tarns with the same name ; so 
 vast are they that you could almost put the Kingdom of 
 
296 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 Great Britain into them and yet not fill them up. By 
 half-past 10 at night we had reached the city of Toronto, 
 but nature's demand for sleep was so imperative that I 
 was only aware of some extra bustle, a confusion of many 
 tongues, and gleaming lights flashing to and fro. 
 
 Next morning found us at Point Edward, the southern 
 extremity of Lake Huron, where it empties itself by the St. 
 Clair river running down towards Detroit. What a lovely 
 morn it was ! — a gentle breeze, just enough to ripple the 
 surface of the lake, but scarcely to fill the sails of the craft 
 on its broad bosom ; the rays of the early sun glistening 
 on a landscape covered with hoar-frost, upon the placid 
 lake, the sails of vessels, and white shaft of the light- 
 house. It was a perfect vision of beauty. Nature had 
 seemingly done her best to make all things look fair, but 
 man's performances were mean and sordid in the extreme 
 by comparison, and I was astounded to find so poor 
 accommodations and conveniences at the terminus of an 
 important line. While waiting here for the arrival of 
 another train we got a rough but plentiful breakfast, and 
 then were ferried — cars and all — across the St. Clair river 
 into the State of Michigan, United States of America. 
 
 Now occurred the most vexatious incident of our whole 
 journey, which I will relate as briefly as I can, in order 
 to put you on your guard against a similar accident. The 
 agent irom whom I purchased our tickets in Quebec had 
 told me that on this morning our baggage would be 
 examined by the customs officers at Fort Gratiot, on 
 entering the United States. While crossing the river they 
 came on board and looked over our hand-baggage, I sup- 
 posing they would overhaul the remainder when we got 
 
OUR PILGRIMA&E TO THE OLD WORLD. 297 
 
 to the above-named place, for a sign-board at our landing 
 proclaimed it to be Port Huron. Being, perhaps, too 
 much interested in the sights and scenes around us, I did 
 not trouble about the matter till off we went again and 
 shortly passed a station with Fort Gratiot written on its 
 front, in (to me) astoundingly big letters, and the engine 
 increasing in speed every minute. Seeking our porter I 
 asked where our baggage would be examined, and received 
 a reply that it was all over, and that Port Huron and 
 Fort Gratiot were " all the same, sah !" On searching in 
 the baggage-car, he came back with the intelligence that 
 ours was left behind, detained by the customs authori- 
 ties. Here was a pretty fix, our time limited, baggage 
 lost, and we forced to push on at all hazards. From the 
 first station our conductor telegraphed back to forward it 
 to Council Bluffs, and on our arrival in Chicago that 
 night, an hour behind time, and therefore losing the train 
 we had hoped to go on by, I repeated the telegram both 
 from baggage depot and the hotel, paying for return 
 message, and yet got no answer. Vexed and dispirited 
 we retired to rest, but not to much sleep, at the Grand 
 Pacific, a vastly more comfortable and quiet house than 
 the Palmer, where we stayed on our former visit. 
 
 Morning found me on the alert again and going from 
 one office to another in search of information, but in vain. 
 At length, after waiting for an hour for an official who 
 never came, a clerk suggested that I had better perhaps 
 go to the General Ticket and Passenger Department of the 
 Grand Trunk Railway, as they were the most likely to 
 help me. I am afraid that after being kept for so long 
 kicking my heels impatiently, while my interlocutor 
 
298 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 smoked or gossiped with his acquaintances, I was not as 
 grateful for his advice as I ought to have been, for 
 immediately on arrival at above offices I was asked why 
 I had not come previously, assured of their best endeav- 
 ours to serve us, and to rest satisfied of our things turning 
 up all right in San Francisco. Thankful for their courtesy 
 I left, with instructions that if no other mode was possible 
 to forward them in bond to our destination. 
 
 Now to return to Fort Gratiot and our day's ride 
 through this grand State of Michigan : Despite the anxiety 
 we felt about our luggage we could not but admire the 
 fine scenery we were passing through, the many thriving 
 towns on our way, and in some parts of our route its 
 great resemblance to an English landscape. We passed 
 right through one town of apparently considerable im- 
 portance — I think Durand — with fine broad streets filled 
 with life and bustle and all the attributes of a thriving 
 town. Subsequently we passed Lansing, capital of the 
 state, with numerous trim villa residences in its suburbs, 
 the dome of the Capitol or State House gleaming above 
 the town, and a general air of comfort and prosperity 
 everywhere. 
 
 The afternoon was overcast, as were our spirits, and I 
 fear we neither observed nor enjoyed much the remainder 
 of our journey to Chicago, where, as I told you, we arrived 
 an hour late, vexed at having lost our train. As it turned 
 out this was a fortunate circumstance for us after all, for 
 by the delay which we thought vexatious, we at length 
 discovered the proper place to apply to about our mis- 
 sing things, and through them were put in communica- 
 tion with the chief office of the Chicago, Rock Island & 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 299 
 
 Pacific Railroad Company, who promised to aid us all 
 they could, and furnished me with a letter to their agent 
 at Council Bluffs. 
 
 Each time that we have visited this wonderful city of 
 Chicago it has been our misfortune to do so under 
 untoward circumstances. On our former trip it was wet, 
 miserable, muddy weather, the great lake lashed into fury 
 with a gale of wind, and now the little time we might 
 have utilized for seeing something of it was lost in racing 
 about through, I am bound to admit, considerable mud, 
 after our missing effects. 
 
 Shortly after noon we were off again on above-named 
 excellent line of road, passing through the northern end of 
 the State of Illinois, amid much varied park-like scenery, 
 with fine woods, which have not yet so fully assumed 
 their brilliant dress as those of Canada. Many towns and 
 villages lie in our route till at 7 :30 p. m. we cross the 
 " Father of Waters " from Rock Island to Davenport, and 
 are in the State of Iowa. Apparently these towns are both 
 of considerable importance. As we were kept here some 
 time shunting to and fro, for to us some inscrutable 
 reason, we had ample time to observe the many lights 
 of both towns shining in their streets and reflected in the 
 grand Mississippi. Off again through a night brilliant 
 with stars, but not affording sufficient light to see much 
 of our surroundings, only that they were very fair. 
 
 Half-past 9 o'clock next morning, as lovely a day as 
 heart could wish, found us at Council Bluffs. No intelli- 
 gence so far as to our lost trunks, but one little gleam of 
 satisfaction in that we found a valise that had not been 
 locked and could therefore be examined in the baggage 
 
300 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 depot. Here I gave up my " checks " to the authorities, 
 getting a receipt for them and promise of a telegram at 
 Cheyenne, and soon we were crossing the turbid Missouri 
 river over the grand bridge to Omaha. This was without 
 exception the most miserable day of our long wanderings 
 for months past. The streets of the town, ill-paved and 
 uneven, were hot, dry and dusty, and the general unfin- 
 ished look of the place dispiriting. We tried a ride into 
 the suburbs on the street cars only to find things worse, 
 with trees and shrubbery looking dry, wilted and forlorn. 
 Add to this my perturbation of spirit and a vile headache 
 that kept me the greater part of the day on a bed at the 
 Paxton House, and you will not wonder that our reminis- 
 cences of Omaha are anything but pleasant. No doubt 
 the town occupies a grand site for trade and commerce, 
 situated as it is on the banks of the great river and the 
 line of communication from East to West, and yet it did 
 not strike me as being what our American cousins call " a 
 live town." 
 
 In the evening we re-crossed the river to Council Bluffs, 
 and soon after 8 o'clock, glad to get out of this place, started 
 on our long westward journey. 
 
 The following morning on the prairies was perfectly 
 lovely, fresh, clear and invigorating, with the erratic waters 
 of the North Platte flashing in silver light on a network of 
 small channels. All day long our course lay over the roll- 
 ing prairies, gradually ascending, rich with dry grass and 
 herds of fat cattle, enlivened occasionally by the smoke 
 of some lonely homestead or the white-covered wagons of 
 an emigrant party going, ever as they do, toward the set- 
 ting sun. 
 
OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 301 
 
 Arrived at Cheyenne we found a telegram, "Mr. L's 
 luggage not turned up yet; will telegraph to Ogden." So off 
 we went again satisfied that we were not forgotten and 
 that the railroad people would do their best to help us. 
 
 Shortly after 8 p. m. we were at Sherman, summit of 
 the Rocky Mountains, and felt as though we were begin- 
 ning our descent to our own side of the world. 
 
 Another fair day broke upon us, cold enough in the 
 early morn to have large icicles hanging from the water- 
 tanks, but which were soon melted in the sun's ardent 
 rays. The varied landscape of this day's route, with its 
 patches of rocky desert, bright bits of green in vicinity of 
 rivers, grandeur of the canon scenery and the snowy 
 ranges of mountains north, south and ahead of us, glisten- 
 ing in a bright sun, I have told you of before, so need not 
 recapitulate. 
 
 Just before sundown we were among the flourishing 
 fields and homesteads of Mormondom, arriving at Ogden 
 as the god of day was glorifying the amphitheatre of 
 mountains with his departing rays and making all look 
 very fair indeed. Here we got a message, " Baggage all 
 right ; will come on to-night." 
 
 I think by this time you can understand what a relief 
 it was to know that our belongings would be in San 
 Francisco forty-eight hours after us ; so to conclude a 
 long and to you not very interesting episode, such was the 
 case, as it arrived just two hours before we sailed for 
 Honolulu, with the locks forced off, tied up with spun 
 yarn, but all the contents safe. 
 
 Left this place at 7:30 p. m. feeling fortified by our good 
 news to face next day's travel over the alkali desolation of 
 
302 OUR PILGRIMAGE TO THE OLD WORLD. 
 
 the great American desert. Fortunately it was cool, clear 
 and free from dust, as there had been rain recently. All 
 day long we journeyed on, nothing to relieve the horrid 
 monotony save an occasional short stop at some station, or 
 watching, as on our eastward route before, the myriads of 
 long-eared rabbits, that inhabit parts of this sterile waste, 
 sitting on their haunches, unconcernedly gazing at the 
 passing train or bobbing in and out among the sage-brush. 
 Night again hid the glorious scenery of the Sierra 
 Nevada from us, and ere day broke we were descending 
 their western slopes through forests and farms, the recently- 
 shorn vast wheat-lands of the latter looking red, parched 
 and dusty. Breakfasted at Sacramento and soon off once 
 more, coursing down the now low, turbid river. Ere noon 
 of October 13th we were in San Francisco again at the 
 " Occidental" and among many familiar faces, from whom 
 we received kindly welcome after our long journey. 
 
University of 
 Connecticut 
 
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