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MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PRINCIPAL NATIONS 
 
 THE GLOBE. 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 PETER PARLEY’S TALES. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 C . n . PEIRCE AND G . C . R A X D , 
 No. 3 Corn hill. 
 
 1 8 4 8 . 
 
 r 
 
G^£Z'^ 
 
 ms 
 
 — 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOE. 
 
 5 
 
 Introduction, 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 America, 
 
 Polar Regions, 
 
 The Esquimaux, 
 
 British America, 
 
 United States, 20 
 
 Mexico, 
 
 West Indies, 25 
 
 South America, 27 
 
 2Q 
 
 Europe, . . 
 
 England, 
 
 Wales, 
 
 Scotland, . . • • • • • .9/ 
 
 Ireland, .••••••• 108 
 
 France, .••••••» 
 
 Spain, 1^0 
 
 Portugal, 1^0 
 
 The Gypsies, 100 
 
 Switzerland, 1®^ 
 
 The Tyrol, 103 
 
 Italy, ■ • 100 
 
 Greece, 210 
 
 Turkey, 214 
 
 Germany, 231 
 
 
IV 
 
 CONTE^^TS. 
 
 Holland, . • . . * 
 
 Belgium, . • . . 
 
 Denmark, , • . • 
 
 Sweeden, .... 
 
 Norway, .... 
 
 Lapland, .... 
 
 Russia, 
 
 Poland, * . . . . 
 
 Africa, 
 
 The Moors and Arabs of Africa, 
 The Negroes, 
 
 Abyssinia, .... 
 
 Egypt, .... 
 
 Asia, 
 
 Russia in Asia, 
 
 Circassia, 
 
 Georgia, .... 
 
 Siberia, .... 
 
 Kamschatka, .... 
 
 Turkey, 
 
 Arabia, .... 
 
 Persia, 
 
 Afghanistan, . . . 
 
 Tartary, .... 
 
 Hindustan, .... 
 
 Farther India, . . . 
 
 China, .... 
 
 J apan, . . . • 
 
 OCEANICA, ..... 
 
 . 241 
 
 . 243 
 
 . 245 
 
 247 
 250 
 . 252 
 
 . 256 
 
 . 277 
 
 . 280 
 . 282 
 . 286 
 . 294 
 
 . 297 
 
 . 311 
 
 . 313 
 
 . 314 
 
 . 315 
 
 . 316 
 
 . 322 
 
 . 323 
 
 . 325 
 
 . 326 
 
 . 328 
 
 . 329 
 
 . 330 
 
 . 339 
 
 . 342 
 
 . 347 
 
 . 351 
 
 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF NATIONS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The Manners and Customs of Nations ejnbrace 
 their various modes of thought, feeling and action, 
 more especially as these are manifested in religion, 
 marriage, burials, dress, dwellings, food, drink, amuse- 
 ments, &c. 
 
 Though mardvind, in all ages and countries, possess 
 the same elements of character, these are modified or 
 
6 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 controlled by the potent influences of climate^ religion^ 
 and government. There is, doubtless, such a thing 
 as inherent character in nations, which belongs to the 
 race, and may be traced back as far as we can investi- 
 gate their records. Without entering into details, we 
 may refer to the five grand divisions of the human 
 family — the Caucasian, or European; the Mongolian, 
 including the Chinese, Japanese, &c. ; the Malaysian, 
 embracing most of the South Sea Islanders ; the 
 African ; and the American, including our Indians, 
 Though the individuals of these have each the same 
 faculties and features, in number and kind, yet their 
 forms, aptitudes, capacities and powers are widely dif- 
 ferent. Still, the remark holds good, that national 
 character is mainly dependent upon the transforming 
 power of the three great circumstances above men- 
 tioned. 
 
 Let us look a moment at the influence of climate. 
 In a cold country, like that of New England, the in- 
 clemency of the season, for six months in the year, 
 compels the inhabitants, during the other six, to make 
 provision for this period, by industry, frugality and 
 providence. Necessity thus becomes the parent of 
 these qualities : and it may be observed that while the 
 habits of the people are thus drawn into the paths of 
 virtue, the physical system is braced, the intellectual 
 faculties stimulated, and the moral qualities elevated 
 and ennobled. 
 
 Let us look at this process a little more in detail ; 
 and, in the first place, we may consider the subject of 
 dwellings. In a severe climate, these must be sub- 
 stantial, to withstand the effects of hail, frost and snow; 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 7 
 
 and they must be tight, to exclude the blasts of winter. 
 So far, stern necessity is a dictator, that enforces its 
 demands with despotic authority. The house, then, 
 becomes a matter of the first importance, and naturally 
 engrosses a large share of attention and care. When 
 at last it is completed, it becomes the point around 
 which many lively feelings revolve. It is associated 
 with ideas of shelter from the severities of winter ; of 
 peace, comfort and protection. It affords these bless- 
 ings to the wife and the children. A fire is kindled 
 upon the ample hearth, and while the tempest rages 
 without, light and warmth are dispensed upon the 
 family circle. Day by day, new thoughts and feel- 
 ings spring up here, and associate themselves with the 
 place in which we dwell, until at last the full idea of 
 home is formed in the heart. When once we have 
 bestowed this title upon our dwelling, it possesses an 
 invincible claim upon our affections. 
 
 An object thus cherished cannot' be permitted to 
 decay, or to linger in a state of barbarism. Year by 
 year it will be improved ; new comforts and con- 
 veniences will be added, as taste demands or means 
 allow. When the claims of comfort are satisfied, plans 
 of embellishment and notions of luxury succeed. At 
 first, a rough wall of plaster was sufficient for the 
 sides of a room — for then the object was to exclude 
 the weather; but now, these must be papered, and 
 finally, they must be hung with pictures. A naked 
 floor of plank was sufficient in the infancy of society, 
 but now, carpets, decorated with graceful figures, and 
 made pleasant to the foot and eye by a soft nap and 
 harmonious colors, are indispensable. Nor are these 
 
8 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 palpable advantages enough : the proportions of the 
 rooms must satisfy a cultivated taste in architecture, 
 and even the exterior of the edifice must gratify that 
 fine perception of blended utility and beauty, which 
 springs up in the bosom of refined society. Such are 
 the wonderful results of climate, operating upon man- 
 kind ; necessity, which seems a severe task-master, 
 becomes, in fact, the benignant parent of a thousand 
 thrifty virtues, as well as the source of those tastes, 
 powers and privileges, which belong only to the high- 
 est stages of civilization. 
 
 To illustrate more fully the force of climate, in 
 forming the manners and customs of nations, let us 
 consider the subject of dwellings in a tropical region. 
 Here no stern winter comes to wrap the blighted 
 leaves and flowers in a winding sheet of snow ; to 
 lock up the bosom of our mother earth, and freeze the 
 fountains of nature. On the contrary, the fruits and 
 flowers go on unchecked in endless rotation. The 
 breeze is always balmy, and one may safely sleep in 
 the open air, without shelte^. What need of industry, 
 forecast, frugality here ? Why build an expensive 
 dwelling, when a slight fabric of cane poles, covered 
 with leaves of the palm, are sufficient to provide 
 against every attack of the season in this genial cli- 
 mate ? We can see that mankind would naturally 
 reason thus ; and every one who has been in a warm 
 country has had abundant evidence that they do reason 
 thus. The m^^ss of the dwellings, in all tropical re- 
 gions, are slight structures, small and inconvenient. 
 They are objects of little cost and little consideration. 
 The ideas which cluster around a northern home, never 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 9 
 
 enter there. They are like the lair of the wild beast 
 or the nest of the bird, always temporary, and only 
 regarded as a transient necessity. 
 
 A similar train of observations might be made in 
 respect to dress — though it is proper to notice a prin- 
 ciple here, that does not belong to the subject just 
 noticed. It would s^m that among all animated be- 
 ings there is an inherent affection founded upon per- 
 sonal appearance^ if we may be allowed the term. 
 The gaudy decoration of the feathered and insect 
 tribes ; their diversified forms, attitudes and move- 
 ments, are doubtless, to some extent at least, designed 
 to attract attention and excite interest among the mem- 
 bers of their several species. There is no more reason 
 to doubt that the modest pea hen looks with approba- 
 tion upon the gaudy peagantry of her lord and master, 
 with his expanded tail glittering in the sunbeam, than 
 that the Indian maiden admires the young warrior in 
 his paint, or that the city lass approves the smart at 
 tire and glistening soap-locks of her lover. 
 
 This hint is sufficient, at least, to indicate that uni 
 versal regard to appearance, which belongs to animat- 
 ed nature, and more especially to the human species. 
 Everywhere, and in all stages of society, personal ap- 
 pearance is significant of feelings and character. Looks 
 are a kind of language understood in all countries, 
 which appeal with more or less .effect to every bosom. 
 Conscious of this, personal appearance becomes an ob- 
 ject of study in the very rudest stages^f society. At 
 first, tattooing is adopted, as aiding the expression of 
 the features ; though this often runs at last into a kind 
 of hieroglyphic language, to mark the tribe to which 
 
10 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the wearer belongs. Next, paint is adopted, and 
 at last, certain ornaments, as beads, rings, caps 
 feathers, &c. Thus far the main idea is that of decora- 
 tion, with a desire to give a favorable effect to personal 
 appearance. Among warlike tribes, the embellish- 
 ments of the men are designed to render their aspect 
 fearful and appalling, and they% are thought to be 
 beautiful in proportion as they appear terrible. 
 
 In considering dress, then, we must not overlook 
 this eternal foppery of our race. But allowing due 
 influence to this, we may still repeat, that climate 
 operates upon human attire much as it does upon 
 human dwellings. In a stern wintry zone, a leading 
 idea in dress ever must be protection from the cold. 
 Ample garments, under such circumstances, are indis- 
 pensable. The supply of these, demands care, indus- 
 try, providence. Objects obtained at such cost will 
 be prized, and in proportion as they are prized, they 
 will become important and interesting. Made thus 
 the subject of thought and study, they will gradually 
 become improved. At first the sheep-skin, with its 
 native covering of wool, will be suflicient ; and every 
 man may then be his own tailor : but in the progress 
 of society, the taste rises step by step, until at last the 
 wool must be shorn off and wrought into a delicate 
 fabric ,* a glossy nap must be raised with infinite art 
 upon the outer side;. the garment must be cut with 
 a profound knowledge of human anatomy, and 
 finally, it must^ossess that indescribable air, which 
 bespeaks an appearance of the most subtle, shifting 
 and shadowy of all existences — fashion. Such is the 
 career of society, in respect to dress, where it begins 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 11 
 
 in ideas of simple necessity. It is climate which is 
 the law-giver, — harsh and stern, it might seem, as the 
 blood-written code of Draco ; but if we look at results, 
 we shall observe that they are truly beneficent, and 
 afford one, among the thousand proofs of benign watch- 
 fulness in providence, by thus affording a compensa- 
 tion to the inhabitants of the frigid regions of the earth, 
 in the energy of character and refinements of life, 
 which spring up in the soil of necessity. If we look 
 at the condition of society in hot countries, and see the 
 indolence, weakness and raggedness, which pervade 
 the mass of society, we shall, by strong contrast, be 
 made to feel the force of these observations. Let a per- 
 son turn round an artificial globe, and mark the coun- 
 tries which lie within the tropics, and observe that 
 there is not one among them all where the spirit of 
 liberty, the light of learning, the love of industry, the 
 voice of piety, or the arts of refined life, pervade 
 society — and he may then bless Providence that his lot 
 is cast in the chill regions of the Pilgrims. 
 
 We have not space to consider this subject more in 
 detail, and with these suggestions, we must leave it to 
 the reflections of the reader, only remarking that the 
 descriptions of manners and customs in the following 
 pages will afford ample illustrations of these views. 
 
 In respect to religion, we may remark that not only 
 the ceremonies of worship, but those which belong to 
 births and burials, courtship and marriage, as well as 
 many others, are shaped or modified its potent in- 
 fluence. Nor is government less efficient in moulding 
 the manners of nations. If it be despotic, it crushes 
 the thoughts and feelings into a common mould, re- 
 
12 
 
 INTRODTjCTION. 
 
 presses personal independence, and diffuses a sort of 
 uniform livery, mental and moral, over the nation. 
 In such a country, society is divided into castes, each 
 one of which is marked with its significant badges. 
 Here, the son follows the trade of the father, and pos- 
 sessions, estates, titles, descend unto the third and 
 fourth generation. Each man is a tool in the hand 
 of the despot, and he never dreams that he can do 
 otherwise than work in the grooves to which he is 
 fitted. 
 
 On the other hand, if the government be free, if 
 every man is allowed to choose his own path of life ; 
 to think, feel, speak and act as he pleases, having no 
 check but the law, which requires him to regard the 
 rights of others, — it is clear that society will assume a 
 very different character from that in the case we have 
 just considered. 
 
 There are other modes in which the power of 
 government upon national character is made manifest, 
 but we have not space to notice them here. Our 
 purpose, in these introductory remarks, is but to sug- 
 gest these topics, and leave the obvious principles laid 
 down, to the application of the reader, as he peruses 
 the succeeding pages. 
 
AMERICA. 
 
 ^ Tkis portion of the globe embraces about 15,000,000 
 square miles, and a population of nearly 50,000,000, 
 thus distributed : 
 
 N. America, West Indies and Guiana. 
 
 Russian America, 
 Danish America, 
 British America, 
 United States, 
 Spanish Islands, 
 Hayti, 
 
 French America, 
 Dutch America, 
 Mexico, 
 
 Texas, 
 
 Guatemala, 
 
 50,000 
 
 110,000 
 
 2 . 150.000 
 20,000,000 
 
 1 . 050.000 
 600,000 
 
 240.000 
 
 114.000 
 8 , 000,000 
 
 100.000 
 2,000,000 
 
 South America. 
 
 New Grenada, 
 
 Venezuela, 
 
 Equator, 
 
 Peru, 
 
 Bolivia, 
 
 Chili, 
 
 La Plata, 
 
 Uraguay, 
 
 Paraguay, 
 
 Brazil, 
 
 Independent Indies, 
 
 1 , 680,000 
 
 900.000 
 
 650.000 
 
 1 . 700.000 
 
 1 . 300.000 
 
 1 . 400.000 
 
 1 . 800.000 
 90,000 
 
 250.000 
 5 , 000,000 
 1 , 400,000 
 
 34 , 314,000 16 , 170,000 
 
 Of this number, about 20,000,000 are whites ; 
 10,000,000 of the aboriginal race ; 9,000,000 negroes, 
 and the remainder, mixed races ; the latter, called 
 mestizos being chiefly within the Spanish settlements. 
 
 The Indians of the American Continent were marked 
 with shades of difference ; yet, exclusive of the Es- 
 quimaux, who doubtless belong to the Mongolian 
 family, and are of the same stock as the Samoides of 
 Asia, there is a striking resemblance between them all. 
 Within the British provinces, and the United States, 
 they are still numerous ; but they generally preserve 
 their variginal independence, and savage habits. Some 
 XIX. — 2 
 
14 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 of the tribes have partially adopted agricultural pur- 
 suits. In the Spanish and Portuguese settlements, 
 most of them have submitted to the government, and 
 occupy settled abodes ; yet they are generally poor 
 and depressed.^ In Mexico and Peru, they consti- 
 tute one half of the inhabitants. 
 
 The negroes, for the most part, are in a state of 
 slavery, and though the cheerful temperament of the 
 race prevents them from becoming gloomy and despe- 
 rate, they are still reduced to the lo^yest scale in 
 respect to whatever may dignify and ennoble human 
 nature. 
 
 The whites, in America, are descended from Eu- 
 ropeans, and still bear distinct traces of their origin, 
 in person, manners and customs. In many cases, es- 
 pecially in the Spanish settlements, there is little to 
 distinguish the people from those of the mother coun- 
 try. In the following pages, we shall, for these rea- 
 sons, treat briefly of American manners, that we may 
 give more ample details respecting the leading nations 
 of the globe which seem to have given law to the rest 
 of mankind. 
 
 * For a full view of this subject, see “ Manners, Customs, 
 and Antiquities of the American Indians.” 
 
THE POLAR REGIONS. 
 
 Human society in this bleak extremity of the earth, 
 exists in the rudest form, and on the most limited 
 scale. The ungrateful soil refuses to man any sup- 
 port ; but the huge amphibia, particularly the seal and 
 the walrus, with which the shores are crowded, being 
 attacked with a skill and diligence prompted by neces- 
 sity, yield a precarious but not scanty subsistence. 
 All the arctic regions are peopled by that peculiar race 
 called Esquimaux. The greater number of them, not 
 belonging to America, are found on that extensive 
 mass of land called West Greenland. The dominion 
 of this region is claimed by Denmark, which maintains 
 along the shores a few scattered settlements, occupied 
 each by a handful of Danes, who often intermarry 
 with the natives. They employ themselves in cap- 
 turing the seal, and in exchanging with the people 
 some European goods for skins, blubber, feathers, and 
 the tusks of the narwhal. A vessel comes annu- 
 ally from the mother country, bringing provisions and 
 the materials of trade, and receiving the above articles. 
 A few missionaries, chiefly Moravian, have employed 
 their pious labors in the conversion of the natives, but 
 their success has been limited. 
 
 In height, the Greenlanders seldom exceed five feet ; 
 they have flat faces with high cheek bones, and very 
 
6 
 
 GHEE N LAND. 
 
 full cheeks. From their manner of life they are much 
 inclined to fat. Their eyes are small and black, but 
 with little lustre ; and their hair is long and black. 
 They have little beard, which they carefully eradicate. 
 A life of alternate plenty and want in a severe climate 
 ;js so little favorable to longevity, that few males live 
 to above fifty years ; the females, who endure less 
 hardship, sometimes attain to eighty years. 
 
 The Greenlanders generally dress in the skins of 
 seals ; their winter houses are built of straw and mud, 
 near the sea ; in summer they dwell in tents. The 
 pursuit of the seal, is the chief pleasure and employ- 
 ment of the men ; the common drudgery is performed 
 by the women. Their sports are wrestling and danc- 
 ing, the latter being performed with many ludicrous 
 grimaces. They have some obscure notions of a 
 future state, and many superstitions, by means of 
 which the jugglers practise gross impositions upon the 
 people. Moravian missionaries have some stations 
 among them, and a few have been converted to Chris- 
 tianity. There is no formal magistracy in Greenland, 
 and custom furnishes the law of the land. 
 
 THE ESQUIMAUX. 
 
 This race of people, which is spread over nearly the 
 whole of the northern coast of America, differs much 
 in form, manners and customs from any other tribes 
 of the continent. They resemble more some of the 
 natives of the north of Europe than the American 
 Indians. In stature, they are below the Europeans 
 generally. Those to the northwest of Hudson’s 
 Bay are of a larger size than those of Labrador, but 
 
THE ESQUIMAUX. 
 
 17 
 
 all are dwarfish. Although they are diminutive, they 
 are well-formed and hardy. Their faces are round 
 and full, their eyes small and black, and in some, the 
 cheeks were as prominent as the nose. Their eyes 
 are not horizontal, but the lowest point is nearest the 
 nose. Their teeth are short and regular, and in the 
 young very white. Their complexions are clear, and 
 their skins smooth. Their hair is black and straight ; 
 the men wear it long and loose ; hut the women who 
 take pride in it separate it into two portions, and tie it 
 so that one part hangs over each shoulder. Some of 
 the men wear the beard on the upper lip and chin, and 
 cut the hair on the crown, like the tonsure of a monk. 
 Many of the females and children have pleasing coun- 
 tenances, even after the strictness of the European 
 standard. The old, however, are generally exceed- 
 Ingly ugly. 
 
 The dress is of skins, with little variety of form. 
 Along the shores the houses are of driftwood ; in the 
 interior they are tents of skins. In winter they build 
 edifices of snow and ice. Their food is of ||sh, or the 
 flesh of the seal and walrus. They often, migrate, 
 having no crops or permanent dwellings to bind them 
 to one spot. They have vigorous dogs, which draw 
 their sledges over the snow with the speed of the rein- 
 deer. They are fond of dancing, and display much 
 affection for their children. On the whole, the Esqui 
 maux are a gentle, simple and ignorant race, content- 
 ed, if not happy, in the midst of a desolate and sterile 
 extremity of the globe. 
 
 2 * 
 
BRITISH AMERICA. 
 
 The extensive colonies of Great Britain in North 
 America are chiefly inhabited by emigrants from Eng- 
 land, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and their descend- 
 ants. The Irish brogue, the Scotch bagpipe and the 
 ruddy English complexion are common in every part 
 of the Provinces. Society has little to distinguish it 
 that is not brought from the mother country, excepting, 
 indeed, a bitterness of party spirit, not to be found 
 in Great Britain, and surpassing anything to be met 
 with in the United States. 
 
 In Canada and the interior of Nova Scotia and 
 New Brunswick, the descendants of the early French 
 settlers are numerous, and present some interesting 
 aspects in their society. They are called Habitans 
 and possess much of the courtesy and contentment of 
 their nations. They speak French, though it has 
 become a species of patois. They enjoy a happy 
 mediocrity of condition, possessing in abundance the 
 necessaries of life and some of its luxuries. They 
 are a contented, gay, harmless, ignorant, superstitious 
 gossiping race. They emigrate reluctantly and rarely, 
 adhering to their paternal spot, and dividing it as long 
 as possible among the members of their family. 
 
 In religion the habitans have always adhered to their 
 original Catholic profession. In this the British hav<r 
 
BHITISH AMERICA. 
 
 19 
 
 fully protected them, continuing to support the estab- 
 lishment, and levying a small land-tax to defray the 
 expense. The Canadian clergy are represented as 
 exemplary in their conduct, diligent in the discharge 
 of their functions, and by no means possessed of that 
 violent spirit of proselytism, which has been often 
 ascribed to them. Catholics are admitted to the . house 
 of assembly and to all offices, and are perfectly loyal. 
 
 The amusements of Canada are not various. The 
 French, always fond of dancing and of social parties, 
 gave to the towns the character of being gay and hos- 
 pitable ; but Mr. Lambert says, “ that since British 
 residents have multiplied, a spirit of party, a propen- 
 sity to scandal and jealousy as to rank, have consider- 
 ably marred this harmonious disposition.” 
 
 The food of the rural Canadian is chiefly pork, 
 boiled in pea soup, which is the standing dish at break- 
 fast, dinner, and supper. During Lent, fish, vegeta- 
 bles and sour milk, supply its place. Knives and forks 
 are accounted superfluous ; and to meals which can be 
 eaten with a spoon, the whole party sit round and 
 help themselves, from one general dish. Tea and 
 coffee are only occasional treats. Unfortunately from 
 its cheering influence, rum is much in request, and 
 the habitant seldom returns from market without rather 
 an undue portion. At certain seasons, and espe- 
 cially after Lent, they have their jours gras,"^^ in 
 which fifty or a hundred sit down to a table cov- 
 ered with enormous joints, huge dishes of fruits and 
 fowl and vast tureens of milk and soup. Dancing 
 concludes the merriment. 
 
UNITED STATES. 
 
 The mass of the people of the United States are 
 the descendants of English people who settled in the 
 country at various periods within the last two cen- 
 turies. There have, indeed, been settlements formed 
 here from France, Sweden and Holland, and emi- 
 grants from these countries, as well as Ireland, Ger- 
 many, and other portions of Europe, have been and 
 still are pouring into the country. Still, the nation is 
 essentially English, the tide of emigration hardly 
 serving to tinge, certainly not to change, the general 
 character of society. 
 
 One of the most striking peculiarities of this coun- 
 try, is, that from Maine to Louisiana, the people all 
 talk better English than can be heard from the mass, in 
 the city of London. For a space 1500 miles in extent, 
 and among 15,000,000 of people, the traveller will 
 hear nothing like the provincial dialects of Lancashire, 
 Northumberland, Yorkshire, &:c., which render it 
 difficult for the people of one county in England to 
 understand those of another. There is not, probably, 
 on the globe, an example of another nation, so popu- 
 lous and so widely extended, that speaks any language 
 so correctly, and with such uniformity, as do the 
 Americans their English mother tongue. 
 
 The freedom from those distinctions of rank which 
 
tJNITED STATES. 
 
 21 
 
 strike the traveller in other countries, is a peculiarity 
 of our manners. We have no privileged classes, and 
 none of the badges and liveries which follow in their 
 train. All classes dress alike ; all travel in the same 
 vehicles ; all meet on the same footing of equality- 
 before the law, and, for the most part, before society. 
 The tendency to exclusiveness is checked and repress- 
 ed by public opinion, which is exercised more to 
 secure equality than even liberty. For this reason, 
 American life appears to foreigners to be uniform, flat 
 and insipid ; as in costume, we are deflcient in those 
 picturesque dresses, which please the eye of a painter, 
 so in thought and feeling we are regarded as wanting 
 those contrasts which give interest and dramatic effect 
 to society in Europe. We are looked upon as all en- 
 grossed in the single pursuit of wealth, not allowing 
 time for those reflections and emotions which dignify 
 and refine society. 
 
 We are, doubtless, a busy, enterprising people ; the 
 ample fields of prosperity, which lie open before us, are 
 calculated to urge us steadily forward in the race of 
 life. It may be admitted too, that society wears an 
 aspect of uniformity among us. But both of these 
 points seem resolved into this — that we are an un- 
 interesting people, because we are generally well off. 
 We can easily afford to admit that we have no courtly 
 standard of manners, and therefore are, perhaps, be- 
 hind some classes, in European nations, in artificial re- 
 finements — while, as an offset, we may claim that we 
 have few paupers, and no beggars, except those that 
 come from foreign lands. When it is said, however, 
 that we are wholly engrossed in the chase of money. 
 
 B 
 
22 
 
 UNITED STATES. 
 
 we deny tlie charge, and challenge the world to pro- 
 duce another instance in history, in which so young a 
 country has done so much for literature, learning, re- 
 ligion and humanity, as these United States. 
 
 One of the first things that strikes an American, in 
 most foreign countries, is the constant appearance of 
 military force in town and country. Such a thing 
 would not be endured here. The few soldiers with us 
 are confined to regular garrisons. The bristling of the 
 bayonet, as a signal to the people, of their servitude 
 and the necessity of their obedience, is revolting to 
 every sentiment of an American bosom. 
 
 Another peculiarity of our country, is that we have 
 no national church, no connection between church and 
 state. Every individual supports that worship which 
 he prefers. It might have been supposed, that under 
 such a system, religion would pass into neglect, but 
 there is, probably, no part of the world where religion 
 is better supported, and where it exercises a deeper in- 
 flupnce upon society. 
 
 In dress, the people follow the fashions of Europe. 
 Paris gives the law in millinery and mantua- 
 making, and the tailors of London are dictators as to 
 male attire. We have no provincial costumes; law- 
 yers and judges wear neither wigs nor gowns. The 
 Catholic and Episcopal clergymen dress as in Europe, 
 but those of other sects wear a common black citizen’s 
 dress, and sometimes a black gown in the pulpit. 
 
 Qur houses are chiefly of wood, and though the 
 general arrangement is the same as in the houses of 
 England, yet the aspect is very different. Mr. Dick- 
 ens, accustomed to the heavy stone architecture and 
 
UNITED STATES. 
 
 23 
 
 sombre hues of the houses in that country, was very 
 much struck with the sharp outlines and white paint, 
 of our New England dwellings. 
 
 The American people are generally admitted by 
 foreigners to display great energy and enterprise, and 
 a remarkable power of mechanical invention. They 
 are, doubtless, what might be expected of an Anglo- 
 Saxon race, placed in circumstances to call every 
 thrifty faculty into full exercise. “ The United 
 States,” says an able English writer, “ was colonized a 
 century later than Spanish America ; but their brilliant 
 and rapid progress shows, in a striking light, how 
 much more the prosperity of nations depends on moral 
 than on physical advantages. The North Americans 
 had no gold mines, and a territory of only indifferent 
 fertility, covered with impenetrable woods ; but they 
 brought with them intelligence, industry, a love of 
 freedom, habits of order, and a pure and severe mo- 
 rality. Armed with these gifts of the soul, they have 
 converted the wilderness into a land teeming with life 
 and smiling with plenty ; and they have built up a 
 social system so preeminently calculated to promote 
 the happiness and moral improvement of mankind, 
 that it has become, truly, the envy of nations.” 
 
MEXICO. 
 
 In this republic there are four distinct classes, viz. : 
 the native Spaniards, called Chapetones ; Spaniards 
 born in America, called Creoles ; mixed races, called 
 Mestizos ; and the Indians. 
 
 The greater part of the first class have been ex- 
 pelled ; and the mestizos are chiefly in the lower sta- 
 tions of life. The Indians constitute nearly one half 
 the population, and excepting a few wild and savage 
 tribes to the north, they have submitted to the govern- 
 ment, have adopted the habits of civilized life, and 
 are a poor, quiet and inoffensive race. 
 
 The Creoles, or Americans, as they choose to call 
 themselves, form a privileged class in comparison with 
 the other inhabitants. Retaining the general manners 
 and customs of their Spanish ancestors, they are fond 
 of splendor, and delight in riding horses richly capar- 
 isoned. Many of them, descended from the first 
 conquerors, or enriched by speculation in the mines, 
 enjoy fortunes almost more than princely. Two or 
 three hundred thousand dollars a year is not an un- 
 common income for many of these families. These 
 immense fortunes, however, are often dissipated in 
 mining speculations, to which the owners are tempted 
 by one successful adventure, and in which they often 
 squander all that they have gained. An ostentatious 
 mode of living, a rage for gaming and an ill-arranged 
 domestic economy, are also causes which involve the 
 \^richest families in embarrassment. ] 
 
WEST INDIES. 
 
 These islands, situated within the tropics, enjoy a 
 delicious climate, and abound in the richest produc- 
 tions of the vegetable kingdom. The original inhabit- 
 ants — the first possessors of the soil, are swept away, 
 and their sunny homes are parcelled out among 
 various European nations, who hold them as colonies. 
 
 Cuba, one of the finest islands on the face of the 
 globe^ has continued in the hands of Spain since the 
 days of Columbus. Its population is 800,000, three 
 eighths of which are whites, three eighths slaves, and 
 the remainder free blacks and mulattoes. Among the 
 white population, the manners of Spain, modified by 
 condition and climate, prevail. Hospitality is a prom- 
 inent virtue with the planters, and a general character 
 of luxury and indolence pervades society. The Cath- 
 olic religion is predominant, and displays its customary 
 pageantry. The slaves are severely tasked, uned- 
 ucated and degraded. The cock-pit is common in 
 Cuba, and the priest may be often seen there with his 
 bantam. Gambling is a prevalent vice. 
 
 Jamaica is also a fine island, having a population of 
 380,000, and belonging to the British. About 40,000 
 are whites, the remainder are blacks and mulattoes. 
 The slaves have been recently emancipated, and, ac- 
 cording to the testimony of numerous individuals, the 
 
 XIX.— 3 
 
26 
 
 WEST INDIES. 
 
 result is likely to prove favorable to the planters as 
 well as the negroes. English manners prevail among 
 the settlers, though the reserve and haughtiness of 
 John Bull are exchanged for the hospitality and amen- 
 ity which spring from a luxurious climate and the 
 isolation of an insular position. 
 
 Hayti, formerly called St. Domingo, has a popula- 
 tion of 800,000, most of whom are blacks and mulat- 
 toes. After a series of convulsions from 1791 to 1825, 
 the independence of the country was acknowledged 
 by France, in consideration of 30,000,000 of dollars, to 
 be paid by instalments. Since the latter period, the 
 country has possessed a regular government of a re- 
 publican form. Thus Hayti presents the only exam- 
 ple of an independent negro nation in the western 
 hemisphere. The hopes of the friends of Hayti have 
 not been realized under its state of emancipation. The 
 people are indolent, and the products of their fertile 
 island have dwindled to a shadow of what they once 
 were. It is said, however, that very recently the 
 industry of the people has revived, and thus the pros- 
 pects of the country are improving. The state of 
 morals is low ; the government has slid into a kind of 
 practical despotism ; and the religion, which is Catho- 
 lic, is slightly regarded. 
 
 It may be remarked, that the benefits of independ- 
 ence have hardly been more conspicuous in Mexico 
 and Buenos Ayres than in Hayti. We may therefore 
 look to other sources than the negro character of the 
 people for the partial success of their institutions. 
 
SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Tins portion of the Western Continent, embracing 
 about seven million square miles, and about fifteen 
 millions of inhabitants, is now parcelled out among 
 independent nations, with the exception of Guiana, 
 which is divided between Holland, France and Eng- 
 land. Over such an immense extent of surface, there 
 must be ^me diversity of manners, yet the whole 
 may be grouped under two divisions. 
 
 Peru, Bolivia, Chili, Buenos Ayres, and the three 
 states of Colombia were Spanish colonies for three 
 centuries. The white population was derived from 
 Spain, and here Spanish manners, in dress, religion, 
 arts, tastes and opinions, became established. These 
 may be still found in Caraccas, Quito, Lima, Chuqui- 
 saca, Valparaiso, and Buenos Ayres. In all these places 
 may be seen cathedrals, monks, crosses, pictures of the 
 virgin, and religious processions. The Spanish cos- 
 tume is also common with both men and women. 
 The stateliness of Castilian manners is, however, 
 somewhat relaxed, and commercial habits are tending 
 to introduce the arts and fashions of the great centres 
 of European and American civilizatidn. The tone of 
 morals is by no means elevated, and the general as- 
 pect of society presents little that inspires respect. 
 The Indians, who constitute 'about one half the pop- 
 
28 
 
 SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 ulation, are even more depressed and degraded than 
 in Mexico. 
 
 The other division of South America embraces the 
 extensive and fertile empire of Brazil ; a portion of 
 the world peculiarly favored by its delicious climate 
 and its varied productions. But the state of society 
 furnishes a sad contrast to these bounties of nature. 
 The population is about 5,000,000, one fourth of whom 
 are whites, and the remainder Indians and negroes. 
 Of the latter, a large portion are slaves, and in no 
 country does slavery possess a more revolting aspect 
 than in Brazil. The country is now independent, 
 being governed by an emperor, who exercises almost 
 despotic sway. The religion is Catholic, and its im- 
 posing ceremonials furnish a large part of the amuse- 
 ments of the people. In the cities, the manners of 
 Lisbon still linger in respect to costume and the gen- 
 eral intercourse of society, though these are yielding 
 to the general customs of Europe, which are every- 
 where tending to an equilibrium. In morals and in- 
 telligence the Brazilians stand even below the other 
 nations of South America. The colored population 
 is in a state of extreme degradation ; many of the In- 
 dians still preserve their independence, while those 
 who submit to the government and are regarded as 
 within the pale of religion and civilization, appear to 
 have derived little advantage from this condition, — for 
 while they have lost the vigor and independence of 
 savages, they have adopted the degrading vices and 
 superstitions of artificial society. 
 
EUROPE. 
 
 This division of the world, though smaller in extent 
 than either of the other four, must still be regarded as 
 taking the lead in the arts and sciences, in literature 
 and knowledge. Though it was settled long after 
 Asia ; though it is less extensive, less populous, and. 
 less fertile than that cradle of the human family, still 
 it has greatly outstripped it in all that belongs to civi- 
 lization. 
 
 The present population of Europe is about 250,000,- 
 000. The principal cities are London, Paris, Vienna, 
 Berlin, St. Petersburg, Kome and Constantinople. 
 
 The means of communication throughout all parts 
 of Europe are so easy and abundant, that the manners 
 of the people are becoming more and more assimilat- 
 ed. The fashions of London and Paris, in respect to 
 dress, take the lead in all the commercial towns, ex- 
 cept Constantinople. In general, the dress of the men 
 in Europe is close, strongly contrasting with the loose 
 and flowing costumes of Asia^. The latter are more 
 picturesque than the former, and are suited to an in- 
 dolent and luxurious people, while the former are 
 adapted to the active business habits of Europe. 
 Nothing more incongruous could he imagined than 
 the full dress of a Turk upon a brisk shopkeeper of 
 London or Paris. 
 
 3 * 
 
80 
 
 EUROPE. 
 
 The leading nations of Europe, with their popula- 
 tion, are exhibited in the following table. 
 
 Great Britain and Ireland, - 
 
 
 
 26,863,957 
 
 France, - - - - 
 
 - 
 
 
 34,000,000 
 
 Spain, - - - - 
 
 
 
 12,000,000 
 
 Portugal, - - - - 
 
 
 
 3,400,000 
 
 Italy, - - - . 
 
 
 
 21,800,000 
 
 Greece, - - . - 
 
 
 
 180,000 
 
 Turkey, - - - - 
 
 
 
 10,000,000 
 
 Switzerland, - - - 
 
 
 
 2,200,000 
 
 Austria, - - - - 
 
 
 
 35,000,000 
 
 Germany, - - - 
 
 
 
 38,204,000 
 
 Prussia, - - - - 
 
 
 
 14,500,000 
 
 Holland, - - - - 
 
 
 
 2,545,000 
 
 Belgium, - - - - 
 
 
 
 4,230,000 
 
 Denmark, - - - 
 
 Norway and Sweden, 
 
 
 
 2,150,000 
 
 
 
 4,300,000 
 
 Russia, - - - - 
 
 
 
 54,000,000 
 
 265,372,957 
 
 The energy of European nations has been remark- 
 ably displayed within the present century, and pro- 
 mises speedily to change the aspect of the other por- 
 tions of the eastern continent. Africa is occupied at 
 numerous maritime points by English, French and 
 Portuguese colonies, and the light of civilization is 
 rapidly encroaching upon the gloom of barbarism that 
 has shrouded the country for ages. The exclusive 
 systems of Asia are giving way before the arts and 
 arms of Great Britain and Russia, and even China, 
 with its 340,000,000 of people, has, in our own day, 
 been made accessible to the civilized world. The 
 changes that will follow, before the close of the pre- 
 sent century, will probably be in the highest degree 
 interesting and important to the world at large. 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 In external appearance, the English resemble the 
 Americans. Their general mode of dress is what we 
 adopt in the United States, though some of the ex- 
 tremes of English costume do not cross the Atlantic. 
 In high life the fashions are constantly changing, 
 though more in details than in general forms. The 
 varieties of English dress seem to have been exhaust- 
 ed, and there is nothing new in it that has not once 
 been old. The same garments have been used at 
 every era for a long period, and the mutations operate 
 chiefly on the forms of these. 
 
 The greatest change in English fashions was ex- 
 perienced during the period of the French revolution. 
 In the ten years from 1790 to 1800, a more complete 
 alteration was effected in costume by the spontaneous 
 action of the people than had taken place at any pre- 
 vious period during a century. This change began 
 in France, and arose partly from a desire to show a 
 contempt for old court usages, and partly from an 
 imitation of certain classes in England, whose attire 
 the French mistook for that of the nation generally. 
 This new French costume was introduced by the party 
 who were styled Sans Culottes, It consisted of a 
 round hat, a short coat, a light waistcoa^ and pan- 
 taloons \ a handkerchief was tied loosely round the 
 
32 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 neck, with the ends long and hanging down, and 
 showing the shirt-collar above ; the hair was cut short, 
 without powder ; shoe-buckles were discarded for 
 leather strings. “ Ah, Monsieur ! all is lost ! ” ex- 
 claimed one of the old regime, when the minister, 
 Roland, appeared at court in shoe-strings. 
 
 The comparatively simple dress of the Sans Culottes 
 found many admirers in England, and soon became 
 common among young men there. The change from 
 antique fashions was also greatly facilitated by the im- 
 position of a tax upon hair-powder, which, from that 
 time, fell into disuse. ) Tight pantaloons remained in 
 pretty common use till about 1814, when trousers, 
 already introduced into the army, became fashionable. 
 The general use of white neckcloths continued till the 
 reign of George the Fourth, when that monarch’s 
 taste for wearing a black silk kerchief or stock, and 
 also the use of black stocks in the army, caused a .very 
 quick abandonment of the white neckcloth for the 
 black one ; this happened about the year 1825. The 
 disbanding of the army after the peace of 1815, led to 
 various other changes. While pantaloons were the 
 fashionable dress, it was customary to wear Hessian 
 boots : these, which had originated among the Hessian 
 troops, were without tops, and were worn with small 
 silk tassels dangling from a cut in front, and being 
 drawn over the lower part of the pantaloons, they had 
 a neat appearance. When trousers were introduced, 
 from the practice of the army, the use of Welling- 
 ton boots, to go beneath them, also became common. 
 About the same time the surtout was also introduced. 
 When the collarless and broad-skirted coat disappeared 
 
t' 
 
 English farm-house* 
 
34 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 at the commencement of the present century, the 
 fashion of coats changed in various ways till the 
 above-mentioned period, when the loose frock coat or 
 surtout was added to the list of garments. The sack^ 
 now in vogue as an outside garment, has been recently 
 Introduced. 
 
 A man of fashion in England is compelled to devote 
 a great portion of his time to putting on and off his 
 clothes. Putting on the cravat, when cravats are in 
 vogue, is an affair of great consequence. When Beau 
 Brummell’s valet came down stairs with twenty or 
 thirty rumpled cravats in his hand, and was asked 
 what he had got there, he replied, “ These are our 
 failures,'''^ A well-dressed man, we are told, requires 
 per week twenty shirts, twenty-four pocket handker- 
 chiefs, nine or ten pairs of summer trousers, a dozen 
 waistcoats, and neck-kerchiefs and stockings without 
 number. He cannot get on without dressing three 
 or four times a day. ) 1st. At breakfast his toilette is a 
 chintz dressing-gown and Turkish slippers. 2d. 
 Morning riding-dress : a frock coat, hoots and spurs. 
 3d. Dinner dress : dress coat and shoes. 4th. Ball 
 dress. England is the paradise of tailors : one of the 
 fashionables of London has been known to wear three 
 new suits every day for years. At his death, his old 
 clothes sold at auction for fifteen thousand pounds ! 
 
 js proper to remark, however, that neatness is the 
 most striking feature of English dress. Men of high 
 rank aremsually fastidiously neat and simple in their 
 common attire. A diamond of ‘‘ purest ray serene ” 
 glitters upon the bosom, and a costly stone upon the 
 finger ; but a display of gold chains, satin neckcloths, 
 
36 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 velvet collars and facings, is esteemed vulgar. The 
 most rehned taste rejects everything that appears to 
 court admiration. 
 
 As to the dress of ladies, we can hardly venture to 
 speak. To paint the rainbow, is a task which demands 
 a livelier pencil than ours — for while we are catching 
 the form, the hues change, or perhaps have vanished 
 from the view. It may be said, in general, however, 
 that the ladies of England dress nearly in the fashion 
 of ours. Both imitate the French, which is the Mecca 
 of milliners and mantuamakers throughout Christen- 
 dom. Yet the English ladies consult comfort and 
 health, in their dress, more than ours. They wear 
 thick shoes, and comfortable garments, when the 
 season demands it, and do not sacrifice health and life, 
 to the Vain desire of showing a pretty foot in a pretty 
 slipper, even though it be December. If the beauty of 
 the English women is of a more masculine character 
 than that of ours, they at least show a sound and 
 wise regard for the other sex in preserving it as long 
 as they can. 
 
 In England, as well as most other countries in Eu- 
 rope, a particular costume is appropriated to some of 
 the professions. The gown is common in all pulpits, 
 even out of the establishment. A hat turned up behind, 
 is the mark of a bishop. The scholars at Oxford and 
 Cambridge wear a gown, and cap with a square top. 
 Judges and lawyers wear gowns and wigs. The phy- 
 sicians have no peculiar costume. When sitting in the 
 House of Lords, the bishops appear in white surplices. 
 
 In their habits and modes of life, the English may 
 be called a domestic people, especially when compared 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 37 
 
 with the French. In regard to food, their taste is 
 inclined to that which is solid and substantial. Roast 
 beef, or other viands, cooked in the plainest manner, 
 accord with their unsophisticated taste, and the repast 
 is despatched more rapidly than on the continent, 
 though not with the ravenous haste which is common 
 in the United States. The English are fond of dining 
 together in large companies on any public occasion 
 which can afford a plausible pretext for such an enter- 
 tainment. A great dinner, followed by a long train 
 of toasts, forms the bond of union to all political par- 
 ties, and to all patriotic, benevolent, and even religious 
 associations. In the metropolis, various anniversaries 
 are celebrated by persons who are natives of the same 
 county, or have been educated at the same university. 
 It is not an uncommon thing for the stewards or com- 
 mittees of these meetings to dine together on some day 
 previous to the dinner, for the purpose of ordering it, 
 and again on some day after it, for the purpose of dis- 
 charging the bill. In common with other northern 
 nations, the English retain a taste for fermented and 
 distilled liquors, which, however, has been in a great 
 measure corrected and subdued in the higher and 
 middle classes. Beer and porter constitute the staple 
 drink of the great body of the people ; but vast quan- 
 tities of gin are also consumed by the lower orders, 
 especially in the metropolis, where it exercises a most 
 pernicious effect upon their morals, the government 
 making no exertion to check the consumption of it, as 
 the excise upon this article constitutes a material item 
 in the revenue. Among the middle classes, the wines 
 of Spain, Portugal, and Madeira, are in general use ; 
 c XIX. — 4 
 
38 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 but the cellars of the rich are stored with the choicest 
 products of the French vineyards. 
 
 The dinner hour is usually five ; the laboring part 
 of the community dine at one, the highest rank at 
 seven or eight, or even nine. The English eat more 
 meat than the French, but their tables are not heaped 
 with the immense loads common at American dinners. 
 The roast beef of Old England is much superior to 
 that of the continent, and is also better than the ave- 
 rage of beef in the United States, but the best beef in 
 England is in no respect superior, if it be indeed quite 
 equal, to that of our own country. None but those in 
 comparatively easy circumstances can enjoy much of 
 this luxury in England. The poorest of the laborers 
 and manufacturers cannot have in a week as much 
 animal food as the American laborer consumes in a 
 day. With the rich, of course, the case is different. 
 All parts of the globe are ransacked for an English- 
 man’s table. Turtle are brought alive from the West 
 Indies, and their arrival is of so much consequence, 
 that notices are immediately sent to the newspapers, 
 particularly stating that they are “ in fine order and 
 lively !” India supplies sauces and curry powder ; they 
 have hams from Portugal, Westphalia, and the United 
 States ; reindeer’s tongues from Lapland, caviare from 
 Eussia, sausages from Bologna, macaroni from Na- 
 ples, and cheese from Parma. Fish come packed in ice 
 from Scotland for the London market, and the epicures 
 will eat no mutton but what is killed in Wales. 
 
 The English inns afford the most perfect exhibition 
 of the manners of the middle classes. Every man 
 shows himself. here as he is, and seems to feel himself 
 alone. The English traveller usually passes his time, 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 39 
 
 when not out of doors, in what is called the coffee-room. 
 In the evening the room is lighted with lamps ; can- 
 dles are carried, if ordered, to the gentlemen who sit 
 at separate little tables, and it is amusing to observe 
 the perfect uniformity with which they all behave, as if 
 they were machines out of one workshop. This is par- 
 ticularly to be seen in their eating : though placed at 
 separate tables, and no individual taking the slightest 
 notice of any other, they all seem to have exactly the 
 same usages and the same gastronomic tastes. A 
 large joint of meat is sometimes carried from one to 
 another, and each cuts off what he likes ; this is 
 accompanied by potatoes and other vegetables : sauces 
 are placed on every table, and beer is poured out, and 
 here commonly ends the dinner. Only the luxurious 
 eat fish before meat ; and soup is not to be had unless 
 bespoken beforehand. 
 
 Now follows the second stage. The table-cloth is 
 removed, a clean plate, knife and fork are laid ; wine 
 and a wine glass, a few wretched apples or pears, with 
 hard biscuits, are brought on ; and now the diner seems 
 to enjoy tranquillity and comfort. His countenance 
 assumes a placid expression ; apparently sunk in pro- 
 found meditation, leaning back in his chair and look- 
 ing fixedly straight before him, he suffers a sip of wine 
 to glide down his throat from time to time, only break- 
 ing the death-like silence by now and then laboriously 
 crunching his stony biscuit. When the wine is 
 finished, succeeds stage the third : that of digestion. 
 All motion now ceases ; his appetite being satisfied, 
 he falls into a sort of magnetic sleep with his eyes 
 open. After this has lasted for half an hour or an 
 
40 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 hour, all at once it ceases : he cries out, as if under 
 the influence of some sudden passion, “ Waiter, my 
 slippers ! ” and, seizing a candle, walks off gravely to 
 his chamber, to meet his slippers and repose. With 
 the exception of the last item, pretty nearly the same 
 scene is acted over in the first clubs of the metropolis. 
 An Englishman shows more animation at breakfast 
 than at dinner ; this meal consists of tea, bread and 
 butter, eggs and cold meat. Custom enjoins it upon 
 him to read the newspaper at breakfast, though she 
 rigidly prohibits it at dinner, and at every sip of his 
 tea he turns over the Times or the Morning Chronicle. 
 The breakfast sometimes lasts for hours, and the sixth 
 or seventh cup is drank cold. 
 
 An English traveller is excusable for complaining 
 of the inconveniences of travelling in other countries, 
 and he should be allowed some license in criticizing 
 the accommodations for travellers in the United States. 
 In England, the roads are excellent, the coaches easy, 
 and the speed great — not only on the railroads, by 
 which almost every part of the country is now inter- 
 sected, but on the highways and turnpike roads. In 
 particular, the inns are much superior to those of any 
 other country the houses are commodious, the furni- 
 ture is good, the servants are prompt and attentive, and 
 the host civil and obliging. All this is crowned with 
 the neatness and propriety of arrangement that distin- 
 guish the private dwellings of the English. As all 
 these conveniences are for hire, it is but natural that 
 the traveller whose appearance denotes most wealth 
 should receive the greatest attention. The passenger 
 who arrives in a stage-coach will not encounter such 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 11 
 
 a rush of servants to welcome his arrival as he who 
 comes in a post-chaise, and the pedestrian may often 
 be left to wait upon himself, if he is even so fortunate 
 as to be admitted to the house. The English travel 
 much, and the life of the higher classes is almost 
 migratory, being passed between London, the country, 
 the watering places, and the continent. There are 
 even among the yeomanry few of any substance who 
 have not been at London. 
 
 The English servants are excellent, both in the inns 
 and elsewhere, and they are easily obtained, as it is 
 considered no discredit to serve. At the inns the 
 servants have no wages, and depend for support on the 
 liberality of the guests. Of course they are obsequious 
 and obliging ; they are always well dressed, and many 
 of them are coxcombs. Some of them give a premium 
 for their places instead of receiving a salary for their 
 services. On the arrival of a coach there is a great 
 rush of servants to assist the passengers in alighting. 
 Two footmen stand at the door and proffer an elbow ; 
 the chambermaid comes to show the rooms, and even 
 “ Boots,” who gets his title from what he brushes, shares 
 in the hospitable impulse. On the departure, the ser- 
 vants range themselves in a line, and if any guest 
 forgets a douceur, he is gently requested to “ remember 
 the chambermaid, Boots, &;c.” It may be observed 
 that every chambermaid is called Sally. Every one 
 remembers Dr. Johnson’s panegyric of the English 
 inns, where “ the more trouble you give, the more 
 welcome you are.” To this we may add the com- 
 mendation of Shenstone, which is so often found 
 scribbled upon the wainscot and windows — 
 
 4 ^ 
 
42 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 Whoe’er has travelled life’s dull round; 
 
 Whate’er his stages may have been, 
 
 Must sigh to think he still has found 
 His warmest welcome at an inn. 
 
 The more numerous class of travellers, however, 
 who cannot afford the luxuries of the inns, resort to 
 the alehouses ; and these are often neat and commodi- 
 ous. A traveller who desires to see the unsophisti- 
 cated English character, will find it perhaps more at 
 the alehouse than at the inns. 
 
 i In the establishment of an English gentleman, the 
 men-servants are divided into two distinct classes : 
 servants in livery, and servants out of livery. The 
 servants who wear no livery, and who are considered 
 superior to the others, are the butler, the under-butler, 
 and the gentleman’s valet. The livery servants are 
 the coachman, the footman, and the grooms. To all 
 families of any consequence, a certain livery belongs. 
 
 A livery is a coat and small-clothes of a particular 
 color and stuff. The coat is of fine cloth, and the 
 small-clothes of plush. Some wear a silyer or gold 
 epaulette on the left shoulder, or an aiguillette, which 
 is a long silver or gold cord depending from the shoul- 
 ders, and looped up with a gold or silver pin ; also a 
 hat with a gold or silver band. When a family is in 
 mourning, the footmen wear black livery with a black 
 epaulette or aiguillette on the shoulder. If the master 
 of the house is a military man, or the lord lieutenant 
 of a county, his footmen wear black cockades in their 
 hats. There is one livery which may be adopted by 
 any family, as belonging to no peculiar one ; this is a 
 white cloth coat and scarlet plush small-clothes. Many 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 43 
 
 families who dislike the color of their own liveries, 
 dress their servants in this. The livery servants leave 
 their liveries when they leave their places. The foot- 
 men must wear powder ; so generally does the butler. 
 
 The king’s livery is crimson and gold ; so also is 
 that of the Duke of Hamilton. The Fife livery is 
 green and crimson with gold lace ; that of the Earl of 
 Weymess, dark blue and yellow with a profusion of 
 silver. Pale blue and silver is the livery of several 
 noble families. The coats are lined and faced with 
 silk the color of the small-clothes. The dress of the 
 grooms is a frock coat, top boots, and white corduroy 
 small-clothes. When they ride as postilions their 
 dress is altered from a frock coat to a colored jacket 
 agreeing with the livery, and the hat is changed to a 
 black velvet cap, called a jockey cap. The under 
 grooms, who are usually very small, light boys, are 
 those chosen as postilions. The coachman wears the 
 same livery as the footman, but is distinguished by his 
 frock coat. To this is added, when he mounts the 
 box, a bag wig powdered and curled like that of a 
 judge, to increase his dignified appearance ; also a 
 cloth great coat with seven capes, three of the same 
 color as his coat, the other four the same as his small- 
 clothes. 
 
 The duty of the coachman is to superintend the 
 carriage and horses, to see that the grooms do their 
 duty, and to drive with grace and dexterity. The 
 duty of the grooms is to rub down and feed the horses, 
 and keep them in good condition ; to brighten the 
 harness, and keep the saddles, bits, stirrups, &c. in 
 order. They are usually assisted by stable boys and 
 
44 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 helpers. When the coachman mounts his box, two 
 grooms should be in readiness to place his whip in his 
 hands, and to hold the reins for him while he puts on 
 his white gloves. A coachman of taste seldom ap- 
 pears without a large bouquet in his coat. The busi- 
 ness of the butler is to take charge ofdhe cellar, to see 
 that the under-butler and footmen do their duty, and 
 to superintend at the serving of the table, upon which 
 he usually places the first dish. The duty of an under- 
 butler is nearly the same. The>^entfeman’s valet 
 attends solely to the personal appearance ot.his master. 
 It is his duty to keep the gentleman’s \%rdrobe in 
 order ; to curl his hair ; atange his whiske,|jf ; remind 
 him of his engagements ; and to take care that his 
 dress and appearance are exactly according to the last 
 fashion. In a large establishment there are usually 
 several footmen. Of these one belongs exclusively to 
 the lady. He attends her wherever she goes, with a 
 cane in his hand, silk stockings, and a nosegay in his 
 coat. He stands behind her carriage ; attends her to 
 the opera, theatre. See. Sec., and walks behind her in 
 the Park ; stands behind her chair at table, and should 
 be six feet high. Footmen of this altitude are in great 
 demand. The other footmen stand behind the car- 
 riage, serve at table, clean the plate, and keep every- 
 thing appertaining to the table in order. A separate 
 table is usually kept for the upper and under servants, 
 as the butler and gentleman’s personal servant con- 
 sider it a degradation to eat with the footmen or 
 grooms. 
 
 Ladies of high rank in London are frequently at- 
 tended by chasseurs and hussars, especially by the 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 45 
 
 former. The dress of a chasseur is very splendid. It* 
 is either green and gold, or green and silver. He 
 wears a dress-coat covered with gold lace, loose trou- 
 sers striped with gold, a cocked hat, and an enormous 
 black plume and moustaches ; also, half boots of cha- 
 mois colored leather, and gloves of the same, with a 
 gold belt, in which is stuck a couteau-de-chasse. The 
 tallest men are chosen for this office, and they are 
 usually Italians. The hussar wears the dress of a 
 hussar officer, with a cap, cloak, and boots. It is the 
 duty both of the hussar and chasseur to stand behind 
 the carriage, and attend upon the lady, supplying the 
 place and doing the office of a lady’s footman. 
 
 Architecture has received distinguished patronage 
 from the successive sovereigns, and the principal 
 nobility of England ; and many recent specimens, 
 both in the classic and Gothic styles, reflect honor on 
 the living professors of the art. London, the capital, 
 is a well built city, yet the foreigner who visits it dis- 
 covers that utility, not ornament, is the main charac- 
 teristic of the place. The manner of building among 
 the rich in England is not so much national as it is a 
 collection of all that is national in other countries, and 
 of what remains of former ages. Costly and magnifi- 
 cent piles of architecture are spread over the whole 
 country, and there is scarcely a neighborhood which 
 has not some edifice that attracts the visits of travel- 
 lers. The Gothic, the Grecian, the Chined, the 
 Saracenic, the Egyptian, and various othe^ styles of 
 building, for which art has no name, are found in 
 England. The convenience of an Englishman’s house 
 is unrivalled ; everything is perfect in its kind ; con- 
 
46 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 venience is more studied than economy, and there is 
 not a door nor a window that is not jointed with the 
 nicest art. The very farmhouses have an air of neat- 
 ness and comfort that makes no part of the picture of 
 a farmer’s dwelling in the United States. The walls 
 are covered with creeping and flowering plants. The 
 roofs are frequently thatched with straw ; and in some 
 of the older towns, whole streets of thatched houses 
 may be seen. England is the country of unequal 
 wealth, and the cottage of the poor is strongly con- 
 trasted with the mansion of the rich ; yet if there is 
 luxury in the one, there is often comfort in the other. 
 The cottages are both of brick and stone, and though 
 small, they are neat. The villages are generally old 
 and dingy. It is in the country mansion that the 
 wealthy part of the English are seen to the best 
 advantage. 
 
 The traveller in England is struck with the beauty 
 of the external aspect of England. Every house, 
 every farm, seems to be kept with the utmost neat- 
 ness. Nothing is seen unfinished ; nothing is left 
 as a blemish to the landscape ; there are no heaps 
 of rubbish ; no spectacles of dilapidation ; no works 
 begun and abandoned as evidences of abortive schemes 
 and ruinous enterprises. Whatever is begun seems 
 to be carried on to completion. 
 
 The lands are cultivated to the highest pitch of per- 
 fection ; the cattle are of fine breeds and are well 
 kept ; the sheep are clean and fat ; the horses well 
 groomed, and generally in high condition. The 
 houses, though often old and meanly built, still bear 
 the marks of care so as to be kept tight and dura- 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 47 
 
 ble. Everywliere is displayed a taste for vines and 
 flowers and shade-trees, about the houses. The num- 
 ber of stately country seats is amazing, and the care 
 and skill bestowed upon them are worthy of admiration^ 
 
 To account for this external aspect of wealth and 
 happiness, which strikes the traveller in England, we 
 must bear in mind that a very large share of the soil 
 belongs to rich proprietors. Each one of them is 
 solicitous to preserve the family estate in good con- 
 dition, and to hand it down to his successor even 
 improved and embellished. To his cultivated taste, it 
 is as important that his house and grounds should pre- 
 sent a tasteful aspect, as to afford convenient shelter or 
 ample income. Thus a large part of the lands in the 
 kingdom are subjected to the cherishing influence of 
 men of cultivated taste and abundant means. Nor is 
 this all — the examples thus set are likely to establish 
 a taste — a fashion — which will surely be followed by 
 others. In respect to the humble tenements, it must 
 be remembered that even these are usually the property 
 of wealthy landlords, who are not likely to permit them 
 to offend against the general notion of propriety. If 
 they are thatched, they must be well thatched,, and 
 brought near to the standard of perfection, in that style 
 to which they belong. 
 
 The greater number of the houses in London are 
 of the following description. They are built of brick 
 of a dingy brown color, and are of a pretty uniform 
 style of architecture, plain and unornamented. They 
 are narrow, and four or five stories in height ; one of 
 which contains the dining-room, another the sleeping 
 apartments, a third the drawing-room, a fourth is 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 49 
 
 under ground for the kitchen, and the garret is for the 
 servants. The ease and agility with which the indi- 
 viduals of the family run up and down and perch on 
 the different stories, give the idea of a cage with its 
 birds hopping from roost to roost. The plan of these 
 houses is very simple : there are two rooms on each 
 story, one in the front with two oj three windows 
 looking on the street, the other on a^'yard behind, 
 often very small, the stairs being generally taken out 
 of the breadth of the back room. The ground floor is 
 usually elevated a few feet above the level of the 
 street, and separated from it by what is called the area^ 
 a sort of ditch a few feet wide, and six or eight feet 
 deep, inclosed by an iron railing ; the windows of the 
 kitchen are in this area, and a bridge of stone or brick 
 passes over it to the front door of the house. 
 
 A favorite sport of the English is fox-hunting ; and 
 as foxes are scarce in the south of England, they are 
 imported from France and turned loose upon the coast 
 to keep up the breed for hunting. There is no race of 
 people, not even the hunting tribes of savages, who 
 delight so passionately as the English in this sport. 
 The fox-hunter of the last generation was a character 
 as utterly unlike any other in society, and as totally 
 absorbed in his own pursuits, as the alchymist. All 
 his thoughts ran upon his hounds and his horses ; his 
 whole anxiety was that the weather might be favora- 
 ble for the sport ; his whole conversation was of the 
 kennel and stable, and history of his chases. This 
 race, however, has much declined, and now exists 
 only in a few families, in which the passion has so 
 long been handed down from father to son that it 
 XIX. — 5 
 
50 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 has become a sort of hereditary disease. The great 
 alteration in society which has taken place during the 
 present century, tends to obliterate all strong contrasts 
 of character. The agriculturist has caught the spirit 
 of commerce ; the merchant is educated like the noble- 
 man ; the sea-officer has the polish of high life ; and 
 London is now so often visited, that the manners of 
 the metropolis are to be found in every country gen- 
 tleman’s house. But though hunting is less prevalent 
 than formerly, it is still pursued with keen ardor and 
 desperate perseverance, beyond even that of savages. 
 The prey is the object for which these set their snares 
 or lie patiently in wait ; but with the English sports- 
 man, the pleasure is in the pursuit. It is no uncom- 
 mon thing to read in the newspapers of a chase of 
 thirty or forty miles, and all this at full speed and 
 without intermission ; dogs, men and horses equally 
 eager and equally delighted, if not equally fatigued. 
 
 The grand resort of fox-hunters at the present day 
 is at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, a place which 
 has sprung up within thirty years from an insignifi- 
 cant village into a thriving town, where fifty thousand 
 pounds sterling are annually spent in sporting. This 
 place generally contains from two to three hundred 
 hunting horses in the hands of the most experienced 
 grooms which England can produce the average 
 number of animals being ten to each sportsman, though 
 some of them maintain double this number. A horse 
 requires five days’ rest after a moderate run with the 
 hounds, and seven or eight after a severe one. The 
 stables and other conveniences here are on a superb 
 scale. The horses, being of the first quality, cost at 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 Ol 
 
 least two hundred guineas each, and the annual 
 expense of a stud of twelve hunters is not less than 
 one thousand pounds. The wear and tear of horse- 
 flesh is considerable, as one horse out of every five or 
 six, on an average, is lame, diseased or in some way 
 unfit for work. Melton Mowbray is the metropolis of 
 the fox-hunting world ; and the style ot the sportsman 
 here has long distinguished him above his brethren of 
 what be calls the 'provincial chase. When turned out 
 of the hands of his valet, he exhibits the perfection of 
 his caste. The exact, Stultz-like fit of his coat, his 
 superlatively well-cleaned leather breeches and boots, 
 and the generally obvious high breeding of the man 
 can seldom be matched elsewhere. The reader would 
 be surprised by an enumeration of the persons of rank, 
 wealth and fashion, who, during several months of 
 every year, resign the comforts and elegances of their 
 family mansions for a small house in some paltry 
 town of Leicestershire, — to the eye of any but a sports- 
 man, one of the most uninviting of all the counties 
 of England. 
 
 The most marvellous feats are recorded in the 
 annals of sporting. We are told bow a hunted animal, 
 unable to escape, has sprung from a precipice, and 
 somd of the hounds have followed ; of a stag which, 
 after one of these unmerciful pursuits, returned to its 
 own lair, and, leaping a high boundary wfith its last 
 effort, dropped down dead, — the only hound which had 
 kept up with it to the last, dying in like manner. It 
 is said hunting was the only English custom which 
 William of Orange thoroughly and heartily adopted, 
 as if he had been an Englishman himself. He was a 
 
52 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 very bold rider, making it a point of honor never to 
 be outdone in any leap, however perilous. A certain 
 Mr. Cherry, who was devoted to the exiled family, 
 took advantage of this to form perhaps the most pardon- 
 able design which was ever projected against a king’s 
 life. He regularly joined the royal hounds, put him- 
 self foremost, and took the most dangerous leaps, in 
 the hope that William might break his neck in follow- 
 ing him. One day, however, he accomplished a feat 
 so imminently hazardous, that the king,* when he came 
 to the spot, shook his head, and drew back. 
 
 Shooting is pursued with the same zeal. Many a 
 man who, if a walk of seven or eight miles were pro- 
 posed to him, would shrink from it as an exertion 
 beyond his strength, will walk from sunrise till a late 
 dinner hour, with a gun upon his shoulder, over heath 
 and mountain, never thinking of distance, and never 
 feeling fatigue. A game-book, as it is called, is one 
 of the regular publications in which the sportsman 
 may keep an account of all the game he kills, the 
 time when, the place where, and chronicle the whole 
 history of his campaigns. The preservation of the 
 game becomes necessarily an object of peculiar inter- 
 est to the gentry, and the laws upon this subject are 
 enforced with a rigor unknown in any other part of 
 Europe. In spite of this, it is becoming scarcer every 
 year. Poaching, that is, killing game without a 
 license to do so, is made a regular occupation ; from 
 this source, the stage coaches carry hares, partridges, 
 *&c. from all parts of the kingdom to the metropolis 
 for sale, and the larders of all the great inns are thus 
 regularly supplied ; they who would eagerly punish 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 53 
 
 the poacher, never failing to encourage him by pur- 
 chasing from his employers. 
 
 Music and dancing can hardly be reckoned among 
 the popular amusements of the English. Christmas, 
 Easter and Whitsuntide, the only seasons of festival 
 in England, are always devoted by the artificers and 
 peasantry to riot and intoxication. Bull-baiting is a 
 favorite sport of the vulgar, but nothing interests them 
 more than a boxing-match, — although it is less in 
 vogue than formerly. Pugilism, as it is scientifically 
 called, seems to be peculiar to the English. This 
 barbarous practice might easily be suppressed ; it is 
 against the laws ; the magistrates may interfere if 
 they please ; yet exhibitions of this sort are frequent. 
 When a match is made between two prize-fighters, 
 the tidings are immediately communicated to the public 
 in what are called the flash newspapers, and paragraphs 
 occasionally appear, stating the rivals to be in training, 
 what exercise they take, and what diet, — for sometimes 
 they feed upon raw beef as a preparative. Meantime, 
 the amateurs and gamblers choose' their party, and the 
 state of the betting appears also in the newspapers 
 from time to time ; not unfrequently the whole is a 
 concerted scheme, that a few rogues may cheat a great 
 many fools. When the combat at length takes place, 
 a regular report is prepared for the newspapers, as if 
 it were an affair of national concern ; the particulars 
 are recorded with a minuteness at once ridiculous and 
 disgraceful, for every movement has its technical or 
 slang name, and the unprecedented science of the 
 successful combatant becomes the theme of general 
 admiration. 
 
 D 
 
 5 * 
 
54 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 The Clubs form a main feature in the social system 
 of the richer classes in London. Formerly they were 
 merely the resort of gamesters, politicians, or men 
 given to the pleasures of the table ; at present they 
 have assumed a more intellectual character ; and every 
 calling has its peculiar club, from the soldier to the 
 scholar. The effect which this multiplicity of clubs 
 has produced is thought to be highly beneficial ; it has 
 begun to counteract the reserved and solitary disposi- 
 tion of the people : it opens a ready intercourse with 
 foreign guests, who are usually admitted as honorary 
 members. It has been thought that the clubs render 
 men less domestic ; but in fact they render them less un- 
 social, and form a cheap mode of intellectual relaxation, 
 and unbend the mind while improving it. But these 
 are their least advantages ; they contain the germ of a 
 great improvement in the condition of the humbler 
 classes, who will sooner or later adopt institutions so 
 peculiarly favorable to their condition. By this species 
 of cooperation, a man with £200 a year can, at pres- 
 ent, command the luxuries of a man of £5,000 a year, — 
 airy and spacious apartments, the comforts of the table, 
 lights, fires, a library, and intellectual society. The 
 same principle, on a humbler scale, would procure the 
 same advantages for the shopkeeper or the artisan. 
 
 All that luxury and convenience demand is found 
 at the club-houses in as great perfection as in private 
 dwellings. The stairs and rooms are covered with 
 fresh and handsome carpets ; marble chimney-pieces, 
 superb mirrors, and a profusion of furniture, adorn the 
 rooms. Numerous servants, neatly dressed, are in 
 attendance ; and a porter is always at his post, to take 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 5S 
 
 charge of great coats and umbrellas. In the elegant 
 and well furnished library there is a person always 
 ready to fetch you what books you want ; all the 
 magazines, newspapers, &:c. are provided in the 
 reading-room ; a large collection of maps and charts 
 are arranged in a separate apartment ; — in short, every 
 convenience for study may be found in these estab- 
 lishments. The arrangements of the first-rate London 
 clubs have now arrived at such a point of perfection, 
 that young men of fashion not only spend the greater 
 part of their time there, but care little for any other 
 society than they find there. Newspapers, billiards, 
 conversation upon sport, gaiety or politics, lounging at 
 the windows and quizzing the passers-by, usually fill 
 up their morning hours, and dispose of those dull 
 moments during which no votary of fashion can with 
 propriety be seen out of doors. Eeturning either from 
 his attendance at parliament, or from a fatiguing ride, 
 a Member has the satisfaction of having a dinner at a 
 moment’s warning, without the troublesome necessity 
 of diessing or pulling off his boots. If he gives a dinner 
 to a party of his fashionable friends, a private apart- 
 ment is provided for him, together with every luxury 
 and delicacy that London can afford, — the most perfect 
 attendance, the best cookery and the rarest wines. 
 
 The English are unquestionably the greatest gam- 
 blers in Christendom. London abounds with gaming 
 houses, great and small. The most famous is Crock- 
 ford’s : it is situated in the fashionable part of the city, 
 and is probably the most extensive and splendid gam- 
 ing establishment in the world. The house and fur- 
 niture are supposed to have cost £100,000 sterling. 
 
56 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 The most sumptuous dinners are here given, free of 
 charge, and the choicest wines are added in profusion. 
 Young noblemen who have just succeeded to their 
 estates, and others who have large expectancies, are 
 sought out and taken by the arm by some person in 
 the pay of the establishment, whose business it is to 
 hunt for victims. By this agent they are invited to 
 dine at Crockford's, but not a word is said about cards 
 or dice. They feel flattered by the invitation and 
 accept it. After the sumptuous dinner a liberal supply 
 of choice wines will often inspire a disposition for 
 gaming where it did not previously exist. It is- a 
 great object to dupe one of these “ flats,” as they are 
 called, and a regular plan is concerted to effect it. 
 All the skill and cunning of experienced gamblers are 
 put in requisition. The victim is treated with the 
 utmost courtesy and attention, and for the first few 
 nights he is allowed almost invariably to win. During 
 the interval, the proprietor of the establishment has 
 informed himself of the amount of his property, and 
 he has been inspired with confidence in his own skill 
 and a deeper passion for play* The road to ruin is 
 made smooth : all his desires are gratified ; he seems 
 to have everything in his own way : his purse is filled 
 with unexpected gold, and he dashes into the fashion- 
 able world with exultation and display. 
 
 The wine-cellar is the great agent that ensures suc- 
 cess to the establishment. This is an enormous vault 
 filled with the choicest liquors in the world. The 
 cook has a salary of a thousand guineas a year, and 
 spreads an entertainment as exquisite as the most fas- 
 tidious epicure could desire. After the young prac- 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 57 
 
 titioner has enjoyed his good luck and good dinners 
 for some time the tables are turned, and he begins to 
 lose. But he considers it only the fortune of the 
 game : no man can expert, to have all the luck on his 
 side, and the play goes on. His ready money is gone ; 
 what shall he do ? The embarrassment cannot be 
 borne : it must not be whispered in the circles of 
 fashion and rank, where he has already; -made a sen- 
 sation, that the young lord can no longer keep up his 
 establishment ; but he has no money. This matters 
 not, since Crockford’s bank, which is always full, will 
 advance him cash to the amount of his property. He 
 is now ready for a deeper and more exciting game, 
 with the belief that the luck will turn, and he feels 
 that he must win back his money or fall from his 
 elevation in disgrace. In this state of mind he is 
 introduced to a private room, where the French 
 hazard-table stands, and here the work of plunder and 
 robbery is prosecuted on a grand scale. The stakes 
 are usually high : the first he wins ; and then, per- 
 suaded that the tide of fortune has turned in his favor, 
 he grows more daring. The next stake is higher, 
 and this also he wins. The delicious wines sparkle 
 on the table afresh, for it is only under the maddening 
 influence of the bottle that these deeds of desperation 
 are performed, and the game once more goes on. An 
 immense stake is laid, exceeding the aggregate of all 
 that had gone before, — the throw is made and he loses 
 it ! He now feels that unless he can recover himself 
 by a single fortunate stake he is a ruined man ; and 
 in the madness of desperation he resolves to make or 
 mar his fortune forever : he stakes his all : and the next 
 cast of the dice makes the young nobleman a beggar * 
 
58 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 Such is the manner in which the most princely for 
 tunes are dissipated. If a man, whose estate is known 
 to be sufficiently large, offers to play for a stake of 
 £100,000 at Crockford’s, the proffer is instantly accepted. 
 
 oung noblemen under age have been known to con- 
 tract “ debts of honor ” here to the amount of more 
 than the above sum, which they paid off at the expira- 
 tion of their minority. It is morally certain that every 
 man who frequents this establishment will come off a 
 beggar at last, unless he is a sharer in the gains of the 
 house ; and when his money and lands are gone, he 
 is no longer wanted there, and is generally turned 
 away with little ceremony. Crockford, the proprietor 
 of this establishment, died during the present year 
 (1844,) leaving an immense fortune of a million and a 
 half sterling, the whole obtained by his gaming tables. 
 
 He was originally a fishmonger, and during his whole 
 lifetime was to the last degree illiterate, coarse and 
 vulgar ; yet he was supreme lord among the crowds 
 of noblemen who flocked to his club-house. It is esti- 
 mated that the sums annually lost in the different 
 gaming houses in London, or “ hells ” as they are very 
 appropriately termed, amount to eight millions sterlino-, 
 annually. 
 
 IN or are the hells of London the only places where 
 gambling is carried on. Betting at horse races, the' 
 cock pit, the sparring match and the ring, is practised 
 by all classes, from the lord to the lackey. Betting, '* 
 in fact, constitutes, at all these amusements, the pre- 
 dominant source of interest. As the horses, at a race 
 course, approach the stand of the judges, the whole 
 mass of spectators seems to writhe with an intensity of 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 59 
 
 feeling only to be accounted for by the fact, that in 
 addition to the excitement produced by a spectacle of 
 strife, a lively pecuniary interest is felt by thousands 
 disti'ibuted through the multitude. Lords and ladies 
 are present, and as they bet thousands of pounds, it 
 must be expected that men and women will follow their 
 imposing example, and where pounds are beyond their 
 means, they will risk shillings or pence. Even boys 
 catch the spirit of the occasion, and risk their money 
 as bravely as their betters. 
 
 Of all offences against the laws of good breeding in 
 England, v/e are told that the three following are the 
 greatest, viz. : to put the knife to the mouth in eating ; 
 to take up sugar or asparagus with the fingers, and to 
 spit anywhere in a room. These may be laudable 
 prohibitions in England, though manners differ greatly 
 in different countries. A perfectly well-bred French- 
 man uses his fingers where an Englishman does not. 
 Marshal Richelieu detected an adventurer who pre- 
 tended to be a man of rank, by the single circumstance 
 of his taking up an olive with his fork. Eating with 
 a knife is pretty common in the United States, owing, 
 perhaps, to the fact that the food is of a more liquid 
 character than in England. *There is apparently an 
 undue importance attached to these matters, but trivial 
 things are always of the highest moment in what 
 relates to etiquette. A person who has seen much of 
 the world, gives the following advice to a young tra- 
 veller. “ In Naples, treat the people brutally : in 
 Rome, be natural : in Austria, never talk politics ; in 
 France, give yourself no airs : in Germany, assume a 
 great many : and in England, don^t spit^ A Dutch- 
 
60 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 man who was very uneasy on account of the last pro- 
 hibition, declared that an Englishman’s only spitting- 
 box was his stomach. 
 
 A traveller in England cannot fail to admire the 
 well-adapted arrangement of everything belonging to 
 the economy of life ; and especially that of the public 
 establishments. The systematic rigor with which 
 whatever has been determined on, is executed, is a 
 striking national characteristic. In the United States 
 our habits of change, our love of novelty, sometimes 
 lead us to overturn a good institution without scruple ; 
 it is the new broom only that sweeps clean. In Eng- 
 land, the people go even to the opposite extreme. A 
 thing is often maintained, when it has become useless 
 — perhaps pernicious — merely because it has been long 
 established. 
 
 The complete division of labor and occupation, in 
 that country, affords a strong contrast to the state of 
 things here. A man there is not expected to know 
 anything beyond his own particular vocation. We 
 Yankees must know and do a little of everything. An 
 Englishman confines himself strictly to his own voca- 
 tion, and in this he is generally perfect. Everything, 
 there, is not required of th*e same person, but exactly so 
 much, and no more, as falls within his own depart- 
 ment. 
 
 The treatment of servants is as excellent as the per- 
 formance of their duties ; each has his prescribed field 
 of activity, in which, however, the strictest and most 
 punctual execution of orders is required ; and in any 
 case of neglect, the master knows who is to be called 
 to account. At the same time, the servants enjoy a 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 61 
 
 reasonable freedom, and have certain portions of time 
 allotted to them which the master carefully respects. 
 They are, however, entirely excluded from all familiar- 
 ity, and such profound respect is exacted from them, 
 that they appear to be considered rather as machines 
 than as beings of the same order with their masters. 
 This, and their high wages, are no doubt the causes 
 why the servants really possess more external dignity, 
 considering their station, than any other class in Eng- 
 land. In many cases it would be a very pardonable 
 blunder in a foreigner to mistake the valet for the lord, 
 especially if he happens to imagine that courtesy and 
 a good address are the distinguishing marks of a man 
 of quality. Such a test is by no means applicable in 
 England, where these advantages are not to be found 
 among the majority of persons of the higher classes. 
 
 One of the most repulsive features of the character 
 of the English is that haughty aversion which they 
 show to addressing a stranger ; and if the latter 
 should venture to address them, they receive it with 
 the air of an insult, or treat him as if they suspected a 
 design upon their purse. They sometimes laugh at 
 themselves for this strange incivility, but no one at- 
 tempts to correct his manners. There is a story — made 
 perhaps to illustrate this national characteristic — that a 
 lady saw a man fall into the water, and earnestly en- 
 treated the dandy who accompanied her, and who was 
 known to be a good swimmer, to save his life. The 
 exquisite raised his eye-glass with the deliberation and 
 phlegm indispensable to a man of fashion, looked ear- 
 nestly at the drowning man, whose head rose for the last 
 time, and calmly replied, “ It is impossible. Madam, — I 
 
 XIX. — 6 
 
62 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 was never introduced to that gentleman ! ” We are 
 told that two young Englishmen, on their travels, who 
 had studied together at Oxford without an introduc- 
 tion, met accidentally at the top of Mount Vesuvius — 
 they looked foolishly at each other, and walked down 
 the mountain in opposite directions, without speaking. 
 
 The first impression which the foreigner receives 
 in England, is that of its wealth ; and the first thing 
 that strikes us when we inquire into the social system 
 of the country, is the respect in which wealth is held. 
 In some countries Pleasure is the idol ; in others Glo- 
 ry and the prouder desires of the world ; but with the 
 English, Mammon holds the ascendancy. A notorious 
 characteristic of their society is the universal market- 
 ing of their unmarried women ; — a marketing to he 
 found nowhere else in Christendom, and which a dis- 
 tinguished writer of that country says is rivalled only 
 by the slave merchants of the East. The English 
 may be called a match-making nation, and their novels 
 give a lively and generally an unexaggerated picture 
 of the intrigues, the manoeuvres, the plotting and coun- 
 ter-plotting that make the staple of matronly ambition. 
 In what is called “ good society,’’ the heart is remark- 
 ably prudent, and seldom falls violently in love with- 
 out a sufficient “ settlement.” 
 
 The middle classes of the English interest them- 
 selves in grave matters ; the aggregate of their senti- 
 ments is called opinion. The higher classes interest 
 themselves in frivolities, and the aggregate of their 
 sentiments is termed fashion. The former represents 
 the popular mind, the latter the aristocratic. English 
 fashion is a strange thing, often contradictory not only 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 63 
 
 to common sense, but contradictory to itself. It has a 
 respect for wealth, with an affected disdain for it. The 
 man of title has generally either sprung from the class 
 of rich citizens, acknowledging, as the founder of his 
 rank, some thriving merchant, banker, or lawyer, or he 
 has maintained his station by intermarriage with that 
 class. On the one hand, therefore, he is driven to re- 
 spect and to seek connexion with the wealthy, while 
 on the other, the natural exclusiveness of titular pride 
 creates in him or in his wife a desire to maintain 
 closely an intimacy with that select circle into which 
 mere wealth is never allowed to intrude. The Eng- 
 lish allow the opulent to possess power, but they deny 
 them fashion. But the wheel is constantly turning 
 round, and in the next generation, the wealthy cit is 
 transformed into the titled exclusive. Some one in 
 Dr. Johnson’s company was asking the question, 
 “ Where is the spirit of the ancient aristocracy ? ” 
 “ Sir,” replied the Doctor, “ I will tell you : — it is gone 
 into the city to seek a fortune.” 
 
 In our country we have no privileged classes, but 
 in England the nobility constitute an important feature 
 of society and an unfailing source of interest to all. 
 The movements of persons belonging to this superior 
 race of beings are watched by the people with the live- 
 liest interest, and their doings, good or bad, constitute 
 a large share of the staple for town and country gos- 
 sip. A thing which would be wholly indifferent, if 
 done by a plebeian, possesses a thrilling interest if it 
 is the work of my lord or my lady. In describing 
 English manners, it would be unpardonable to leave 
 out these high and mighty personages. 
 
64 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 Owing to the meeting of parliament, the London 
 season, as it is called, takes place during the finest 
 months in the year. No sooner has the spring begun 
 to put forth her blossoms, than carriages and four may 
 be seen hastening in every direction towards the me- 
 tropolis. Green fields are exchanged for smoky streets, 
 the lowing of cattle for the voices of statesmen, and the 
 song of the lark for the warbling of Grisi or Persiani. 
 The noble mansions in Cavendish or Grosvenor 
 Square, and the elegant fabrics in Park-Lane and 
 May-Fair, which all winter have looked forlorn and 
 deserted, now begin to assume an appearance of busi- 
 ness and gaiety. The unmarried nobleman usually 
 hastens to his favorite hotel, in Berkeley or St. James’s 
 square, Albemarle street or Piccadilly. The bowing 
 waiters welcome the arrival of the coroneted carriage. 
 The Morning Post announces his lordship’s arrival, 
 and his fashionable friends hasten to welcome his re- 
 turn to the metropolis. In an incredibly short period, 
 his table is covered with petitions from authors who 
 request the permission of dedicating their works to 
 him ; from actresses who request his patronage on a 
 benefit night ; from half-starved younger sons wishing 
 for promotion in the army or navy ; from men out of 
 place who are desirous of preferment; tickets from 
 Almack’s, tradesmen’s bills, showers of invitations, let- 
 ters from his agents, from his steward, &c. It is sel- 
 dom that the noble lord has either time or inclination 
 to attend to these multifarious matters. While taking 
 his chocolate in dressing gown and slippers, he opens 
 a few, answers those from ladies, commits a proportion 
 to the flames, and intrusts the rest to the discretion of 
 his secretary or confidential valet. 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 66 
 
 If he is a man of political consequence, his society 
 is courted by men in power, by ministers to whom his 
 vote may be of service, and who endeavor by invita- 
 tions to their select dinners, and other marks of atten- 
 tion, to draw him over to their party. If parliament 
 has met, his lordship drives to the House of Lords, 
 and takes his seat amongst his peers. When the de- 
 bate is over, he mounts his horse, and gallops to the 
 park ; renews his acquaintance with the ladies of his 
 own circle ; makes his appearance at the windows of 
 the most fashionable club ; chooses his box at the 
 opera ; patronizes the new singer, or ballet dancer, 
 and repairs from thence to a select supper at lady 
 J y’s, or perhaps terminates the evening by dis- 
 
 posing of some of his loose cash at Crockford’s. A 
 soiree at H — House, is one which his lordship would 
 by no means omit. This splendid mansion is situated 
 in Park-Lane. On festive occasions nothing can be 
 more brilliant than the appearance it presents. The 
 stair is an inclined plane, winding through the house 
 by a gentle ascent, and richly covered with Turkey 
 carpet. The light is inclosed in pillars of crystal, 
 which have a very brilliant and novel effect. The 
 rooms are magnificently furnished ; and even the 
 dressing room and boudoir of the marchioness are 
 thrown open on gala nights for the inspection of the 
 curious. The furniture of the boudoir is composed 
 entirely of Indian shawls of immense value. The 
 chairs and sofas are covered with the borders of these 
 shawls. All the toilette ornaments are massive gold * 
 and pages dressed in pink and silver are in constant 
 attendance. If the nobleman is married, he prefers 
 6 * 
 
66 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 his family maDsion to an hotel. His society is more 
 extensive, yet more recherchee. The duke of D. 
 though an unmarried nobleman, yet being of a certain 
 age, and possessed of a stupendous fortune, is in the 
 habit of giving balls, suppers, and private theatricals, 
 to which ladies of the highest rank consider it a dis- 
 tinction to be invited. They do not even expect his 
 grace to exert his memory so far as to call upon them, 
 but leave their cards with his porter, who inscribes 
 their names in his book. It is also the duty of a no- 
 bleman to attend the levees and drawing-rooms at 
 court, on which occasion he displays every possible 
 magnificence in dress, equipage, and liveries. 
 
 But parliament at length is up, London gaiety ends, 
 
 “ And tradesmen, with long bills, and longer faces, 
 
 Sigh as the post-boys fasten on the traces.^’ 
 
 Every one who has the least pretensions to fashion 
 hastens from town, as if the plague or cholera morbus 
 had suddenly made their appearance in its populous 
 streets. As Lord Byron says. 
 
 The English winter — ending in July 
 To recommence in August — now was done, 
 
 ’T is the postilion’s paradise j wheels fly j 
 On roads, east, south, north, west, there is a run.’’ 
 
 The Morning Post announces the departure of the 
 noble lord and his family for his seat in the county of 
 
 , as the shooting-season is about to commence. 
 
 His lordship, however numerous his estates, gives the 
 preference to that where the best sport can be furnish- 
 ed. But to enliven the solitude of the country, a se- 
 lect and numerous party of his fashionable and^ sporting 
 friends are invited to join him. Dukes and duchesses, 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 67 
 
 earls and countesses, foreigners of distinction, Greek 
 counts, and Polish princes, sporting characters, men 
 of talent and literature, or who wish to pass for such ; 
 wits, poets, and hangers on, of every description, and 
 frequently the last celebrated actress or singer, who 
 has consented to w’arble a few notes at an enormous 
 expense, all follow in his train ; some to amuse, and 
 some to be amused, some to kill time, and others to 
 kill birds ; fortune-hunters and fox-hunters, some from 
 the love of gaming, and others from the love of game. 
 A French cook, an Italian confectioner, and a German 
 courier have been sent down to prepare for the recep- 
 tion of the guests. The country squires and their 
 wives look out anxiously for the arrival of the noble- 
 man and his London train ; the ladies in hopes of see- 
 ing the last London fashions and London airs, gay 
 breakfasts and county balls ; the gentlemen in the 
 more substantial expectation of good dinners and 
 choice wines. The villagers rejoice at seeing the 
 curling smoke once more ascend from the chimneys 
 of the great house. The gamekeepers clean their 
 rusty firelocks and shot belts. The grooms look well 
 to the condition of their stud, and the gardeners ar- 
 range their hot-houses, conservatories, and pineries 
 for my lady’s approbation. The family seat of an 
 English nobleman usually combines ancient grandeur 
 with modern elegance. 
 
 The principal entries are guarded by gates of solid 
 iron, with porter’s lodges constructed with much taste ; 
 sometimes castellated to suit the architecture of the 
 house itself, or low Grecian buildings with rows of 
 marble pillars, entwined with jasmine and roses. The 
 
68 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 avenue winds through the park, which is a vast in- 
 closure, frequently twenty miles in circumference, and 
 adorned with scattered clumps of noble trees, oaks 
 which are the growth of centuries. 
 
 And oaks, as olden as their pedigree, 
 
 Told of their sires, a tomb in every tree.’’ 
 
 Summer-houses, cottage-ornees, and temples are 
 scattered in every direction. Perhaps a noble river 
 winds its course through the grounds, with wooded 
 banks sloping downward to its brink ; or a broad trans- 
 parent lake with islands and pleasure-boats, adds to 
 the variety of the scenery. Numerous herds of deer 
 may be seen lying under the forest-trees, startling at 
 the slightest sound, and sweeping by to hide them- 
 selves in the thickest shade. Then there are gardens 
 with heated-walls, shrubberies and plantations of vast 
 extent, green-houses and hothouses, graperies, pine- 
 ries and aviaries ; yet little rural beauty is enjoyed 
 by the proprietor of the estate ; for the flowers have fad- 
 ed, and the leaves grown yellow with the autumnal 
 tint, before fashion permits him to pay any lengthened 
 visit to his country seat. Within the mansion there 
 are long suites of rooms, furnished with all the reflne- 
 ment of modern luxury, Turkey carpets, low ottomans, 
 damask hangings, and walls draped with silk, and 
 panelled with mirrors ; statues, vases, and candelabras, 
 tables of mosaic and or-molu ; long galleries, and huge 
 halls which retain a more ancient and feudal taste ; 
 the walls hung with family-portraits, descended from 
 generations long since passed away, — barons in steel, 
 and ladies in antique court-dresses ; judges in ermine, 
 and generals in armor ; beauties from the pencil of 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 69 
 
 Vandyke and Sir Peter Lely — frequently mingled 
 with paintings from still greater masters ; — Claude Lor- 
 raines, Titians, and Salvators. It might be thought 
 from the heterogeneous mixture of guests assembled 
 at the nobleman’s villa, that little harmony would sub- 
 sist among them. But there is one rule observed by 
 the host which is seldom broken in upon. He never 
 interferes with the pursuits of his guests, but leaves 
 them to follow the bent of their own inclinations whe- 
 ther grave or gay. 
 
 The m.an of literature and the sportsman, follow 
 their respective tastes undisturbed. Here is a library 
 for the studious, music-rooms for the lover of harmony ; 
 for the connoisseur there is the gallery of paintings, 
 and billiards for those who prefer that amusement. 
 Horses ready saddled are at the disposal of all who 
 wish for exercise ; and numerous servants are in waiting 
 to attend the call of those who remain in their apart- 
 ments, and prefer their own society to that of others. 
 If the morning is fine, and fitted for the enjoyment of 
 the chase, his lordship rises betimes, and joins the 
 sportsmen. The court now presents an animated 
 scene ; there are game-keepers ; gentlemen in shooting- 
 jackets or hunting-coats ; grooms giving gentle exer- 
 cise to the hunters ; grey-hounds in leashes ; pointers, 
 &;c. A substantial breakfast is spread for the keen 
 appetite of the sportsmen. The side-tables are cover- 
 ed with game, cold meat, and wine. A hasty break- 
 fast is interrupted by the shrill blast of the horn. The 
 huntsman rides round at the head of his yelling pack 
 of fox-hounds, cracks his whip, and calls each dog to 
 order by name. The nobleman and his sporting 
 
70 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 guests hurry out, mount their hunters, and gallop after 
 the hounds. But if the morning is dark and rainy, 
 and no sport can be enjoyed out of doors, other 
 amusements are resorted to. The breakfast-room is 
 filled with idlers and loungers. 
 
 The first interesting moment is the arrival of the 
 newspapers and letters. The eagerness with which 
 the bag is opened, and the avidity with which its con- 
 tents are received, would lead one to suspect, that 
 wherever the guests may have strayed, their thoughts 
 are in London. As his lordship enjoys the same lib- 
 erty that he leaves to his guests, he probably passes 
 the morning in his apartment, receives his steward, 
 looks over his bills, listens to the complaints of his 
 tenantry, or consults with his architect in regard to 
 the repairing or embellishing his mansion. Perhaps 
 an hour at billiards, or a visit to the stables, passes 
 away the time till luncheon, when the ladies meet to 
 eat, and the gentlemen to look at them, for no true 
 gourmand will spoil his dinner by an intervening 
 m.eal. But the dinner hour in the country is the time 
 for sociability, when English reserve thaws, when the 
 company meet together probably for the first time in 
 the day, and the courteous host presides at his table 
 with the cares of the morning erased from his brow. 
 
 The large hall is brilliantly lighted up, and a cheer- 
 ful fire blazes in the grate. The tables and side- 
 board shine in all the luxury of massive gold plate, 
 with the family arms emblazoned in every direction. 
 The refined French cookery is mingled with more 
 solid fare for the hungry sportsman and the county 
 squire. The conversation sparkles like the cham- 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 71 
 
 paigne ; and brilliant wit, which has been corked up 
 all day, now flows unchecked. In the evening, the 
 long suite of rooms are in a blaze of light, and the del- 
 icate exotics of the conservatory shining in the light of 
 the lamps produce a kind of artificial summer. Music 
 and dancing, cards and conversation, are resorted to by 
 turns. The sportsmen recount their feats ; the gourmand 
 discusses the merits of the dinner ; and the politicians 
 sit in a nook apart, calculating upon the probabilities 
 of a continental war. The company usually disperse 
 by midnight, the ladies to recruit their looks for the 
 next London season, the gentlemen to recruit their 
 strength for the next pheasant hattue^ or fox-chase. 
 When the sporting season is over, the guests disperse, 
 and his lordship is left at liberty to dispose of his time, 
 either in remaining to cultivate the acquaintance of his 
 country neighbors, or in visiting his other estates. 
 The Christmas festivities bring a renewal of country 
 gaiety. A tour to the continent frequently disposes of 
 the remaining months till politics and pleasure recall 
 the noble lord to London. 
 
 Among his graceful sketches of foreign manners, 
 Mr. Willis gives us the following description of a visit 
 which he paid the Duke of Gordon at his castle. 
 Though this was situated in the north of Scotland, the 
 society there was English, and the delineations may 
 be regarded as generally descriptive of the country 
 life of the higher nobility of Great Britain. We be- 
 gin our extract at a point when the traveller has been 
 shown by the servant to his room in the castle. 
 
 “ It was a mild, bright afternoon, quite warm for the 
 end of an English September, and with a fire in the 
 
72 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 room, and a soft sunshine pouring in at the windows 
 a seat by the open casement was far from disagreeable. 
 I passed the time till the sun set, looking out on the 
 park. Hill and valley lay between my eye and the 
 horizon ; sheep fed in picturesque flocks ; and small 
 fallow deer grazed near them ; the trees were planted, 
 and the distant forest shaped by the hand of taste ; and 
 broad and beautiful as was the expanse taken in by 
 the eye, it was evidently one princely possession. A 
 mile from the castle wall, the shaven sward extended 
 in a carpet of velvet softness, as bright as emerald, 
 studded by clumps of shrubbery, like flowers wrought 
 elegantly on tapestry ; and across it bounded occasion- 
 ally a hare, and the pheasants fed undisturbed near 
 the thickets, or a lady with flowing riding-dress and 
 flaunting feather, dashed into sight upon her fleet 
 blood-palfrey, and was lost the next moment in the 
 woods, or a boy put his pony to its mettle up the 
 ascent, or a gamekeeper idled into sight with his gun 
 in the hollow of his arm, and his hound at his heels 
 — and all this little world of enjoyment and luxury, 
 and beauty, lay in the hand of one man, and was 
 created by his wealth in these northern wilds of Scot- 
 land, a day’s journey almost from the possession of 
 another human being. I never realized so forcibly the 
 splendid result of wealth and primogeniture. 
 
 “ The sun set in a blaze of fire among the pointed 
 firs crowning the hills, and by the occasional prance 
 of a horse’s feet on the gravel, and the roll of rapid 
 wheels, and now and then a gay laugh and merry 
 voices, the different parties were returning to the 
 castle. Soon after, a loud gong sounded through the 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 73 
 
 gallery, the signal to dress, and I left my musing occu- 
 pation unwillingly to make my toilet for an appearance 
 in a formidable circle of titled aristocrats, not one of 
 whom I had ever seen, the duke himself a stranger to 
 me, except through the kind letter of invitation lying 
 upon the table. 
 
 “ I was sitting by the fire imagining forms and faces 
 for the different persons who had been named to me, 
 when there was a knock at the door, and a tall, white- 
 haired gentleman, of noble physiognomy, but singu- 
 larly cordial address, entered, with the broad red riband 
 of a duke across his breast, and welcomed me most 
 heartily to the castle. The gong sounded at the next 
 moment, and, in our way down, he named over his 
 other guests, and prepared me in a measure for the 
 introductions which followed. The drawing-room was 
 crowded like a soiree. The duchess, a very tall and 
 very handsome woman, with a smile of the most win- 
 ning sweetness, received me at the door, and I was 
 presented successively to every person present. Din- 
 ner was announced immediately, and the difficult 
 question of precedence being sooner settled than I had 
 ever seen it before in so large a party, we passed 
 through files of servants to the dining-room. 
 
 “ It was a large and very lofty hall, supported at the 
 ends by marble columns, within which was stationed a 
 band of music, playing delightfully. The walls were 
 lined with full-length family pictures, from old knights 
 in armor to the modern dukes in kilt of the Gordon 
 plaid; and on the sideboards stood services of gold 
 plate, the most gorgeously massive, and the most beau- 
 tiful in workmanship I have ever seen. There werCi 
 XIX. — 7 
 
74 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 among the vases, several large coursing-cups, won by 
 the duke’s hounds, of exquisite shape and ornament. 
 
 “ I fell into my place between a gentleman and a very 
 beautiful woman, of perhaps twenty-two, neither of 
 whose names I remembered, though I had but just 
 been introduced. The duke probably anticipated as 
 much, and as I took my seat he called out to me, from 
 the top of the table, that I had upon my right Lady 
 
 , ‘ the most agreeable woman in Scotland.’ It 
 
 was unnecessary to say that she was the most lovely. 
 
 “I have been struck everywhere in England with the 
 beauty of the higher classes, and as I looked around 
 me upon the aristocratic company at the table, I thought 
 I never had seen ‘ heaven’s image double-stamped as 
 man and noble ’ so unequivocally clear. There were 
 two young men and four or five young ladies of rank 
 — and five or six people of more decided personal 
 attractions could scarcely be found ; the style of form 
 and face at the same time being of that cast of superi- 
 ority which goes by the expressive name of ‘ thorough- 
 bred.’ There is a striking difference in this respect' 
 between England and the countries of the continent, 
 — the pay sans of France and the contadini of Italy 
 being physically far superior to their degenerate mas- 
 ters ; while the gentry and nobility of England differ 
 from the peasantry in limb and feature as the racer 
 differs from the dray-horse, or the greyhound from the 
 cur. The contrast between the manners of English 
 and French gentlemen is quite as striking. The em- 
 pr^ssement, the warmth, the shrug and gesture of the 
 Parisian ; and the working eyebrow, dilating or con- 
 tracting eye, and conspirator-like action of the Italian 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 75 
 
 in the most common conversation, are the antipodes 
 of English high breeding. I should say a North 
 American Indian, in his more dignified phrase, ap- 
 proached nearer to the manner of an English nobleman 
 than any other person. The calm repose of person 
 and feature, the self-possession under all circumstances, 
 that incapability of surprise or deregUment^ and that 
 decision about the slightest circumstance, and the 
 apparent certainty that he is acting absolutely comme 
 il faut^ is equally “gentlemanlike” and Indianlike. 
 You cannot astonish an English gentleman. If a man 
 goes into a fit at his side, or a servant drops a dish 
 upon his shoulder, or he hears that the house is on 
 fire, he sets down his wine-glass with the same delib- 
 eration. He has made up his mind what to do in all 
 possible cases, and he does it. He is cold at a first 
 introduction, and may bow stiffly (which he always 
 does) in drinking wine with you, but it is his manner ; 
 and he would think an Englishman out of his senses, 
 who should bow down to his very* plate and smile as 
 a Frenchman does on a similar occasion. Rather 
 chilled by this, you are a little astonished, when the 
 ladies have left the table, and he closes his chair up 
 to you, to receive an invitation to pass a month with 
 him at his country house, and to discover that at the 
 very moment he bowed so coldly he was thinking how 
 he should contrive to facilitate your plans for getting 
 to him or seeing the country to advantage on the way. 
 
 “ The band ceased playing when the ladies left the 
 table, the gentlemen closed up, conversation assumed 
 a merrier cast, coffee and chasse-cafe were brought in 
 when the wines began to be circulated more slowly ; 
 
76 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 and at eleven, there was a general move to the draw- 
 ing-room. Cards, tea and music filled up the time 
 till twelve, and then the ladies took their departure 
 and the gentlemen sat down to supper. I got to bed 
 somewhere about two o’clock; and thus ended an 
 evening which I had anticipated as stiff and embar- 
 rassing, but which is marked in my tablets as one of 
 the most social and kindly I have had the good fortune 
 to record on my travels. 
 
 “ I arose late on the first morning after my arrival 
 at Gordon Castle, and found the large party already 
 assembled about the breakfast-table. I was struck on 
 entering with the different air of the room. The deep 
 windows, opening out upon the park, had the effect 
 of sombre landscapes in oaken frames ; the troops of 
 liveried servants, the glitter of plate, the music, that 
 had contributed to the splendor of the scene the night 
 before, were gone ; the duke sat laughing at the head 
 of the table, with a newspaper in his hand, dressed 
 in a coarse shooting jacket and colored cravat; the 
 duchess was in a plain morning-dress and cap of the 
 simplest character ; and the high-born women about 
 the table, whom I had left glittering with jewels and 
 dressed in all the attractions of fashion, appeared with 
 the simplest coiffure and a toilet of studied plainness. 
 The ten or twelve noblemen present were engrossed 
 with their letters or newspapers over tea and toast ; 
 and in them, perhaps, the transformation was still 
 greater. The soigne man of fashion of the night 
 before, faultless in costume and distinguished in his 
 appearance, in the full force of the term, was envel- 
 oped now in a coat of fustian^ with a coarse waistcoat 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 77 
 
 of plaid, a gingham cravat, and hob-nailed shoes (for 
 shooting,) and in place of the gay hilarity of the sup- 
 per-table, wore a face of calm indifference, and ate his 
 breakfast and read the paper in a rarely broken silence. 
 I wondered, as I looked about me, what would be the 
 impression of many people in my own country, could 
 they look in upon that plain party, aware that it was 
 composed of the proudest nobility and the highest 
 fashion of England. 
 
 “ Breakfast in England is a confidential and uncere- 
 monious hour, and servants are generally dispensed 
 with. This is to me, I confess, an advantage it has 
 over every other meal. I detest eating with twenty 
 tall fellows standing opposite, whose business it is to 
 watch me. The coffee and tea were on the table, with 
 toast, muffins, oat-cakes, marmalade, jellies, fish, and 
 all the paraphernalia of a Scotch breakfast ; and on the 
 sideboard stood cold meats for those who liked them, 
 and they were expected to go to it and help themselves. 
 Nothing could be more easy, unceremonious and affa- 
 ble, than the whole tone of the meal. One after 
 another rose and fell into groups in the windows, or 
 walked up and down the long room, and, with one or 
 two others, I joined the duke at the head of the table, 
 who gave us some interesting particulars of the 'Salmon 
 fisheries in the Spey. The privilege of fishing the 
 river within his lands, is bought of him at the pretty 
 sum of eight thousand pounds a year ! A salmon was 
 brought in for me to see, as of remarkable size, which 
 was not more than half the weight of our common 
 American salmon. 
 
 “ The ladies went off unaccompanied to their walks 
 7 * 
 
78 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 in the park and other avocations ; those hound for the 
 covers joined the game-keepers, who were waiting 
 with their dogs in the leash at the stables ; some paired 
 off to the billiard-room, and I was left with Lord 
 Aberdeen in the breakfast room alone. The tory ex- 
 minister made a thousand inquiries, with great appa- 
 rent interest, about America. When secretary for 
 foreign affairs in the Wellington cabinet, he had known 
 Mr. McLane intimately. He said he seldom had been 
 so impressed with a man’s honesty and straight- 
 forwardness, and never did public business with any 
 one with more pleasure. He admired Mr. McLane, 
 and hoped he enjoyed his friendship. He wished he 
 might return as our minister to England. One such 
 honorable, uncompromising man, he said, was worth 
 a score of practised diplomatists. He spoke of Galla- 
 tin and Kush in the same flattering manner, but 
 recurred continually to Mr. McLane, of whom he 
 could scarcely say enough. His politics would natu- 
 rally lead him to approve of the administration of 
 General Jackson, but he seemed to admire the presi- 
 dent very much as a man. 
 
 “ Lord Aberdeen has the name of being the proud- 
 est and coldest aristocrat of England. It is amusing 
 to see the person who bears such a character. He is 
 of the middle height, rather clumsily made, with an 
 address more of sober dignity than of pride or reserve. 
 With a black coat much worn, and always too large 
 for him, a pair of coarse check trousers very ill made, 
 a waistcoat buttoned up to his throat, and a cravat of 
 the most primitive neglige^ his aristocracy is certainly 
 not in his dress. His manners are of absolute simpli- 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 79 
 
 city, amounting almost to want of style. He crosses 
 his hands behind him, and balances on his heels ; in 
 conversation his voice is low and cold, and he seldom 
 smiles. Yet there is a certain benignity in his counte- 
 nance, and an indefinable superiority and high breed- 
 ing in his simple address, that would betray his rank 
 after a few minutes’ conversation to any.shrewd obser- 
 ver. It is only in his manner toward the ladies of the 
 party that he would be immediately distinguishable 
 from men of lower rank in society. 
 
 “ Still suffering from lameness, I declined all invita- 
 tions to the shooting parties-, who started across the 
 park, with the dogs leaping about them in a phrensy 
 of delight, and accepted the duchess’s kind offer of a 
 pony phaeton to drive down to the kennels. The 
 duke’s breed, both of setters and hounds, is celebrated 
 throughout the kingdom. They occupy a spacious 
 building in the centre of a wood, a quadrangle enclos- 
 ing a court, and large enough for a respectable poor- 
 house. The chief huntsman and his family, and 
 perhaps a gamekeeper or two, lodge on the premises, 
 and the dogs are divided by palings across the court 
 I was rather startled to be introduced into the small 
 enclosure with a dozen gigantic blood-hounds, as high 
 as my breast, the keeper’s whip in my hand the only 
 defence. I was not easier for the man’s assertion that, 
 without it, they would ‘ hae the life oot o’ me in a 
 crack.’ They came around me very quietly, and one 
 immense fellow, with a chest like a horse, and a head 
 of the finest expression, stood up and laid his paws 
 on my shoulders, Avith the deliberation of a friend 
 about to favor me with some grave advice. One can 
 
so 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 scarce believe these noble creatures have not reason 
 like ourselves. Those slender, thorough-bred heads, 
 large, speaking eyes, and beautiful limbs and graceful 
 action should be gifted with more than mere animal 
 instinct. The greyhounds were the beauties of the 
 kennel, however. I never had seen such perfect crea- 
 tures. ‘ Dinna tak pains to caress ’em, sir,’ said the 
 huntsman, ‘ they ’ll only be hangit for it.’ I asked 
 for an explanation, and the man, with an air as if I was 
 uncommonly ignorant, told me that a hound was hung 
 the moment he betrayed attachment to any one, or in 
 any way showed signs of superior sagacity. In cours- 
 ing the hare, for instance, if the dog abandoned the 
 scent to cut across and intercept the poor animal, he 
 was considered as spoiling the sport. Greyhounds are 
 valuable only as they obey their mere natural instinct, 
 and if they leave the track of the hare, either in their 
 own sagacity, or to follow their master, in intercepting 
 it, they spoil the pack, and are hung without mercy. 
 It is an object, of course, to preserve them what they 
 usually are, the greatest fools as well as the hand- 
 somest of the canine species, and on the first sign of 
 attachment to their master, their death-warrant is 
 signed. They are too sensible to live. The duchess 
 told me afterward that she had the greatest difficulty 
 in saving the life of the finest hound in the pack, who 
 had committed the sin of showing pleasure once or 
 twice when she appeared. 
 
 “ The setters were in the next division, and really 
 they were quite lovely. The rare tan and black dog 
 of this race, with his silky, floss hair, intelligent muz- 
 zle, good-humored face and caressing fondness (lucky 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 81 
 
 dog ! that affection is permitted in his family !) quite 
 excited my admiration. There were thirty or forty 
 of these, old and young ; and a friend of the duke’s 
 would as soon ask him for a church living as for the 
 present of one of them. The former would be by 
 much the smaller favor. Then there were terriers of 
 four or five breeds, of one family of which (long-haired, 
 long-hodied, short-legged and perfectly white little 
 wretches) the keeper seemed particularly proud. I 
 evidently sunk in his opinion for not admiring them. 
 
 “ I passed the remainder of the morning in threading 
 the lovely alleys and avenues of the park, miles after 
 miles of gravel-walk, extending away in every direc- 
 tion, with every variety of turn and shade, now a deep 
 wood, now a sunny opening upon a glade, here along 
 the bank of a stream, and there around the borders of 
 a small lagoon, the little ponies flying on over the 
 smoothly-rolled paths, and tossing their mimicking 
 heads, as if they too enjoyed the beauty of the prince- 
 ly domain. This, I thought to myself, as I sped on 
 through light and shadow, is very like what is called 
 happiness ; and this (if to be a duke were to enjoy it 
 as I do with this fresh feeling of novelty and delight) 
 is a condition of life it is not quite irrational to envy. 
 And giving my little steeds the rein, I repeated to my- 
 self Scott’s graphic description, which seems written 
 for the park of Gordon castle, and thanked Heaven for 
 one more day of unalloyed happiness. 
 
 ^ And there soft swept in velvet green, 
 
 The plain with many a glade between, 
 
 Whose tangled alleys far invade 
 The depths of the brown forest shide j 
 
82 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 And the tall fern obscured the lawn, 
 
 Fair shelter for the sportive fawn. 
 
 There, tufted close with copse- wood green, 
 
 Was many a swelling hillock seen, 
 
 And all around was verdure meet 
 For pressure of the faries’ feet. 
 
 The glossy valley loved the park. 
 
 The yew-tree lent its shadows dark. 
 
 And many an old oak worn and bare 
 With all its shivered boughs was there.’ ” 
 
 Such is the alluring and seductive aspect which 
 life assumes with the English nobility. {But there is 
 still one step higher in the gradations of rank. Roy- 
 alty is above mere nobility. Educated in a species 
 of every-day protestantism against kings, queens, and 
 princes, we Americans can hardly comprehend the 
 depth and energy of English loyalty. It is unques- 
 tionably the strongest sentiment in an Englishman’s 
 bosom. He will hear profanity toward God with 
 more equanimity than contempt of the king or queen. 
 This will enable us to understand the livel};^ and lov- 
 ing interest with which the whole nation read ac- 
 counts of the most trifling incidents in relation to the 
 royal family. 
 
 To us it is amazing as well as'umusing to look over 
 the English papers, and remark the regular bulletins 
 which are issued, setting forth the proceedings of the 
 queen, her babies, and her royal consort. It is said 
 that three hundred thousand dollars have been expend- 
 ed in pictures of the queen alone ; and it may be easily 
 believed, for not only are there pictures of her without 
 num.ber, but almost every event of her life is represented 
 by wood cuts in the illustrated newspapers. Nor is this 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 83 
 
 all — we have pictures of Prince Albert and the little 
 Prince of Wales ; of the queen’s ponies, poodles, and 
 pigeons ; of her hens and chickens ; her coaches and 
 costumes — everything indeed that belongs to her, of 
 which a visible representation can he made. 
 
 The greediness with which these things are read, 
 leads the editors of the papers to seize upon every in- 
 cident fit for pictorial representation, and the ready art- 
 ist furnishes a lively and effective sketch, of course 
 ^Haken on the spot^ The following fact will shoAV the 
 quackery resorted to to gratify the public appetite for 
 Victoriana. The “ Illustrated News ” recently pub- 
 lished a “ correct view,” as they said, of a shearing in 
 Scotland, at which the queen was stated to have been 
 present. There were the sheep, in the act of being 
 denuded of their natural overcoats, and the queen, 
 looking sympathizingly at the undressed mutton — as 
 well she might, the season being the latter end of Sep- 
 tember. It appeared afterwards, however, that the 
 shea/ring at which her majesty was present was a 
 reaping — shearing being the Scotch for that operation. 
 The conductor of the “News” saw from the Scotch 
 papers that the queen had been at a shearing, and 
 concluding that the word related to sheep, perpetrated 
 this gross blunder. The engraving was said to be 
 “ from a drawing made on the spot ! ” 
 
 In our brief space, we cannot furnish a better idea of 
 the pomp and circumstance surrounding the throne of 
 England, than by giving the following account from a 
 recent English paper. 
 
 “ Lofty was the ceremonial, splendid the feast, in 
 Windsor Castle last night; when Queen Victoria’s 
 
Altar for the Christening . 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 85 
 
 second son was christened. Eoyal visiters began to 
 arrive early in the afternoon, — the Duchess of Kent, 
 the Queen Dowager, with Prince Edward of Saxe 
 Weimar, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the 
 Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Meck- 
 lenberg Strelitz, the Duchess of Gloucester, Prince 
 William of Prussia ; all suitably attended. Many 
 more distinguished visiters also came — foreign minis- 
 ters, cabinet ministers, and others, and were admitted 
 to seats in the chapel. The sacred place was gor- 
 geously fitted up for the occasion : the altar covered 
 with crimson velvet and gold, and illumined by wax 
 lights in golden candlesticks. The Archbishop of 
 Canterbury presided at the altar, aided by the Bishop 
 of Norwich and the Bishop of Oxford, with the 
 Queen’s and Prince Albert’s chaplains. After six 
 o’clock all was ready, and the royal procession entered 
 the chapel. This was distinguished from previous 
 pageants by the presence of the elder children. First 
 came some officers of the household. Then the spon- 
 sors — namely, the Duke of Cambridge, proxy for 
 Prince George ; the Duchess of Kent, proxy for the 
 Duchess of Saxe Coburg Gotha ; the Duke of Wel- 
 lington, proxy for the Prince of Leiningen : followed 
 by the ladies and gentlemen of their suites. More 
 officers of the household. The Queen, leading the 
 Princess Royal, walked with Prince William of Prus- 
 sia by her side : Prince Albert was beside the Queen 
 Dowager, and led the Prince of Wales. Then came 
 the rest of the royal visiters ; and lastly, more officers. 
 The Queen wore a Avhite satin dress trimmed with 
 Honiton lace, a diamond tiara on her head, with the 
 
 F XIX. — 8 
 
S6 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 insignia of the Garter : the little children were dress- 
 ed in white satin and lace ; the princes in military 
 uniforms. ] The service began with Palestrina’s ‘ 0 be 
 joyful.’ When the music ceased, Prince Albert’s 
 Groom of the Stole conducted into the chapel the 
 Dowager Lady Lyttleton, bearing the royal infant; 
 who was baptized by the Archbishop ; the Duke of 
 Cambridge giving the name — “ Alfred-Ernest- Albert.” 
 His Royal Highness Prince Alfred was carried out of 
 the chapel to the sound of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus 
 from Judas Maccabceus. A benediction closed the 
 service, at seven o’clock ; and the procession withdrew 
 in the order of its entrance. 
 
 “ Within half an hour afterwards, a bevy of guests 
 entered St. George’s Hall for the banquet. Number- 
 less wax-lights made it brighter than day ; the tables 
 and sideboards, covered with the riches of the house- 
 hold treasury, ‘ shone all with gold and stones that 
 flame-like blazed.’ The Queen sat at one end of the 
 table. Prince William on her right, the Duke her un- 
 cle on her left ; Prince Albert sat at the other end, be- 
 tween Queen Adelaide and the Duchess of Kent. 
 More royal guests, the clergy, cabinet and foreign 
 ministers, ladies and gentlemen of the household and 
 of the several suites, surrounded the board. The 
 Steward of the Household gave the toasts, beginning 
 with ‘ His Royal Highness Prince Alfred music 
 playing at the meal and between the toasts. 
 
 “ After dinner, the Queen led the way to the Wa- 
 terloo Chamber ; where a concert was performed of 
 instrumental music by Beethoven, Haydn, Mayerbeer, 
 Spohr, Mendelssohn, Bartholdy, and Weber. Spohr’s 
 piece was a manuscript symphony, describing the 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 87 
 
 moral career of man — the bright innocence of child- 
 hood, the age of passion, and the reign of mature vir- 
 tue : it was composed for two orchestras, and was per- 
 formed accordingly, by eleven solo-players in the east 
 gallery, and a numerous orchestra in the west gallery, 
 more than a hundred feet distant ; seventy performers 
 in all. Thus the rejoicings terminated.’’ 
 
 The preceding sketches will enable the reader to 
 form some idea of the gorgeous and imposing attributes 
 with which royalty is clothed in England. Though the 
 good sense of the people forbid the Asiatic belief that 
 the sovereign is a divinity, there is still an habitual idol- 
 atry toward the king and queen, which is scarcely less 
 profound. The present sovereign is seen to revolve 
 in an orbit of peculiar splendor, and her sex, youth, 
 and fair fame, have added a lively personal interest to 
 the usual attractions of the occupant of the throne. 
 
 It would be painful to turn from this glittering spec- 
 tacle, to what are termed the loioer classes of England. 
 While the brilliant train of those who are called noble, 
 are rushing by in wealth and splendor, there are mil- 
 lions of suffering beings crushed beneath the relentless 
 wheels of pomp and power. It is not within the scope 
 of these pages to exhibit the condition of the people of 
 England, and if it were, the subject is too familiar to 
 require enlargement here. We need only say that 
 the pictures of poverty, degradation and misery, 
 throughout the three kingdoms, which are brought to 
 us in the English papers, by every steamer, are in- 
 deed frightful — and it would seem that even the mu- 
 sical voice of adulation which fills the ear of majesty, 
 must be drowned by the groans of suffering millions 
 throughout the realm. 
 
WALES. 
 
 The Welsh, as a relic of an ancient Celtic people, 
 possess few external marks of their origin. They 
 have, to a great extent, become Anglicised in costume, 
 and we should in vain search among them for the 
 hreacan^ or chequered clothing of their Scythian an- 
 cestors. The general material of dress is home made, 
 or, at least, a common kind of woollen cloth and flannel. 
 The women wear close-fitting jackets and dark brown 
 or striped linsey-woolsey petticoats. The most re- 
 markable part of the Welsh costume is the hat worn 
 by the women. All females in the parts of the country 
 not modernized, wear round black hats, like those of 
 the men, and this usage is countenanced to some 
 extent, by ladies of the higher ranks. The fashion is 
 derived from England, but it is two or three centuries 
 old. Young women wear mob caps pinned under the 
 chin ; the older ones wrap up their heads in two 
 or three colored handkerchiefs. Both young and old 
 throw a scarlet whittle over their shoulders, except in 
 North Wales, where this is replaced by a large blue 
 cloak descending to the feet, which is worn at all sea- 
 sons, even in the hottest weather. Linen is rarely 
 used, flannel being substituted in its place. Neither 
 are shoes or stockings worn, except sometimes in fine 
 weather, and then they are carried in the hand if the 
 
WALES. 
 
 89 
 
 woman be going any distance, and put on near the 
 place of destination. 
 
 The Welsh peasantry live in cottages, which are in 
 general equally wretched without and within. There 
 is a scantiness of furniture, and a great absence of 
 comfort in the rooms. One small apartment with an 
 uneven mud floor contains the family and effects. A 
 miserably small window, half covered with paper 
 panes, admits a scanty portion of light : a bed in one 
 corner, and one or two turn-up bedsteads, looking like 
 chests of drawers by day, show the room to be both 
 dormitory and kitchen. The bed is an enormous 
 square thing like a closet, opening with a kind of door 
 at the side, and generally containing six or seven 
 sleepers. The rest of the furniture consists of a table, 
 a chair, a stool or a bench, a pitcher, bucket, &:c. 
 The more ornamental furniture consists of a little 
 earthenware on a rickety shelf or dresser. From the 
 ground floor you not unfrequently look into the loft, 
 which is reached by a ladder leading to an opening in 
 the ceiling, if the rafters have any ceiling at all. This 
 loft is rarely occupied, being commonly used as a 
 receptacle for lumber. It is surprising to see the num- 
 ber of persons who live in these small dwellings. 
 Nine or ten children are sometimes counted at the 
 door of a cottage scarcely larger than a sizeable closet, 
 all of whom, with their parents, eat, drink and sleep 
 within : these creatures, however, look ruddy and 
 healthy, and seem not to know that they are packed 
 almost as closely as bees in a hive. A recent traveller 
 in Wales observes, “ I have seen two old women living 
 together in a room that many a dainty well-styed pig 
 8 * 
 
90 
 
 WALES. 
 
 would grunt and turn up his nose at. Two beds 
 entirely filled one side of the long, narrow apartment ; 
 a little table, a chair and an old chest lined the other, 
 whilst a mere passage in the middle led from the 
 door to the fire-place, by which the poor creatures sat. 
 There was no symptom of a window. Did they require 
 light in the depth of winter, when frost and snow were 
 biting them, they were obliged to open the door to 
 perform their necessary duties, even though the white 
 flakes darted in upon their scanty furniture, and the 
 cold blast whistled through the hovel, whilst their 
 aged limbs shook and vibrated to it.” 
 
 The Welsh market-women are exceedingly good 
 riders ; they sit on their horses as squarely and easily 
 as they would in an arm chair. They wear large red 
 cloaks and shawls ; and a ludicrous incident once 
 occurred of a body of French invaders being seized 
 with a panic and retreating to the coast, at the sight 
 of a phalanx of mounted Welsh wives descending a 
 hill. The horse is commonly well laden ; the tips of 
 his ears and of his tail, with a portion of his legs and 
 feet, are alone visible on one side. In front sits a jolly 
 farmer’s wife, with a round face and a broad hat ; 
 each cheek discovers the flap of a very stiff* cap, the 
 borders of which nearly meet under the chin. A red 
 cloak falls from her shoulders and almost covers the 
 horse ; beneath the cloak, a dark striped petticoat of 
 coarse woollen material reaches nearly to the shoes, 
 which are very substantial although ill-shaped. One 
 hand carelessly holds the bridle, the other grasps 
 with care a huge basket. The dame disdains a whip, 
 or the horse requires none — as he jogs on at a steady. 
 
 I 
 
WALES. 
 
 91 
 
 untiring pace. Behind, on the same horse, sits a 
 ruddy-faced, strapping girl of about eighteen, the age 
 at which Welsh females mature into prettiness. There 
 is more attention to show in her costpme. Her 
 rounded figure is shrouded by no cloak, hut a neat 
 crimson handkerchief is pinned tightly over her 
 shoulders, and as the loose outer skirt of her gown 
 falls back, it displays a petticoat of fine material striped 
 with red. Look a little further up the road, and you 
 will see a similar pair, the hindermost of which has a 
 baby in her lap, whose disposition is none of the 
 quietest, for he claps his little hands with glee at every 
 jog of the animal they are riding. 
 
 At a marriage among the lower classes in Wales 
 there must be a staffell^ which corresponds with the 
 trousseau of the French, though it embraces a greater 
 number of articles than that fashionable appendage to 
 a lady’s bridal. The generosity and attachment of the 
 man, do not, generally speaking, make him unmindful 
 of his household comforts, which he expects his in- 
 tended wife to provide for him before he takes her for 
 better or worse. The earliest and most earnest desire 
 of a Welsh woman is to procure a good staffell. For 
 instance : a girl enters service at the age of sixteen, 
 and she may remain at service till thirty, before she 
 has completed her staffell. With the first five shillings 
 of her earnings she buys two cups with red and yellow 
 birds upon them, a jug, a pictured plate, a teacup and 
 saucer. It is true she is in want of a new gown, and 
 is obliged to go without stockings, except on Sundays, 
 but what of that? Two cups, a jug, &:c. are the 
 beginning of a staffell, and she knows that without a 
 
92 
 
 WALES. 
 
 stafTell she can never get a husband. Year after year 
 she is constantly adding to these articles of earthen- 
 ware. Not a fair or market does she visit without 
 picking up something. There seems to be a strange 
 fancy for jugs in this business. The traveller above 
 quoted says, “ Upon a certain shelf in her mother’s 
 house, and under lock and key, may be seen some 
 twenty or thirty jugs of all forms, and ornamented 
 with every species of device ; large jugs and small 
 jugs, tall jugs and short jugs, some painted over with 
 flowers, trees, birds and houses, and others with men, 
 horses and hounds. She has tea cups and saucers 
 without end ; plates with little similarity of form or 
 size ; drinking ciips in equal profusion ; one or two 
 choice glasses ; several little china sheep and lambs, 
 with trees growing out of their tails, and not, like the 
 one which sheltered Baron Munchausen, proceeding 
 from the back of the animals ; spoons that try to per- 
 suade you they are silver ; a deep blue thick glass 
 teapot, (fee. All these she has, and much more, 
 which has absorbed her income, or a considerable part 
 of it, from the age of sixteen to thirty. Wonder not, 
 oh ye damsels ! at Sally’s early efforts at staffell-mak- 
 ing. I know a respectable old maid who has been 
 keeping company with a smart widower for the last 
 twenty years, and whose banns have actually been 
 published half a dozen times, yet whose devoted lover 
 will not marry her because her staffell has not yet 
 attained the size and substance he thinks necessary for 
 domestic comfort.” 
 
 It has often been observed that civilization and 
 knowledge have not made the same advances in the 
 
WALES. 
 
 93 
 
 Highlands as in the Lowlands of Scotland ; and the 
 observation is as applicable, perhaps, to Wales and 
 England ; in other words, the Highlanders are to the 
 Lowlanders what the Welsh are to the English, al- 
 though knowledge is gradually dispelling the dark- 
 ness in which the inhabitants of both countries were 
 so long benighted. It is worthy of remark that there 
 are few absurd superstitions or ridiculous customs be- 
 lieved or observed by the Welsh, to which analogies 
 may not be found in the mountains of Caledonia. The 
 Welsh “raptures” and the “second sight” of the 
 Highlanders derive their origin from the same source, 
 and both may be traced to the period of the Druids. 
 The Welsh prophets, or poets or rhapsodists, are call- 
 ed Awenddion : they are a class of persons who in- 
 dulge in poetical raptures, and like the ancient sibyls, 
 prophesy in incoherent rhapsodies. The prophet is 
 carried out of himself, or is possessed by a spirit, and 
 the only difficulty consists in attaching a meaning to 
 his wild utterances ; for as soon as he returns to his 
 usual state, he is supposed to forget all his poetic or 
 insane effusions. It is but right to add that such ora- 
 cles are now seldom consulted, and only in the most 
 sequestered and thinly peopled parts of the country. 
 
 Among a variety of Welsh customs, those in court- 
 ship, marriage, and at funerals, excite particular atten- 
 tion. Hymenial negotiations are frequently carried 
 on by the Welsh peasantry in bed. The young swain 
 goes sometimes several miles to visit the object of his 
 choice at her residence — the lovers retire to a bed- 
 chamber, and between two blankets converse on those 
 subjects which the occasion suggests. This usage is 
 
94 
 
 WALES. 
 
 confined to the laboring classes of the community, and 
 is scarcely ever productive of those improprieties 
 which might naturally be expected. Previous to the 
 celebration of a wedding, a friend undertakes the 
 office of a bidder, and goes round the neighborhood to 
 invite all persons of nearly the same situation of life 
 as the contracting parties. In consequence, the friends 
 and neighbors for a great distance round, make a point 
 of attending the wedding, laden with presents of money, 
 butter, cheese, &c. ; these are carefully recorded by 
 the clerk of the wedding, opposite to each respective 
 name, and are to be repaid in the same public manner 
 when occasion offers. This ancient custom is consid- 
 ered as established by law, and the sums may be legally 
 recovered in court, but a sense of the reciprocal duty 
 generally prevents litigation. 
 
 The funerals in Wales are attended by greater 
 crowds of people than even the weddings. When the 
 procession sets out, every person kneels, and the min- 
 ister repeats the Lord’s Prayer. At every cross way 
 the same ceremony is repeated, till they arrive at the 
 church, the intervals of time being filled by singing 
 psalms and hymns. A remarkable custom prevails in 
 some parts of Wales, of planting the graves of depart- 
 ed friends with various evergreens and flowers. Box, 
 and other plants fit for edging, are planted round in 
 the shape of the grave for a border, and the flowers are 
 placed within, so that the taste of the living may be 
 known by the manner of embellishing these mansions 
 of the dead. The snow-drop, violet, and primrose de- 
 note the infant dust ; the rocket, rose, and woodbine 
 show maturer years ; while tansy, rue, and star-wort 
 
WALES. 
 
 95 
 
 mark declining years. Each grave has its little ever- 
 green — fond emblem of that perennial state where 
 change is known no more. 
 
 It has been observed that mountainous scenery is 
 peculiarly friendly to those aerial and imaginary exis- 
 tences which constitute the objects of superstition. 
 This is exemplified in Wales. The belief in witchcraft 
 is still strong ; many are the fatal effects supposed to 
 be produced by supernatural agents ; and many are the 
 charms which are believed to be more or less efficacious 
 in averting the wrath of these unfriendly bjeings. A 
 horse-shoe, a cross, or a circular stone, may be seen 
 in almost every house, and the hypericum, or St. John’s 
 wort, which has now almost as many mystical virtues 
 as were formerly attributed to the veronica of the 
 Druids, is scattered at the entrance of many a cottage 
 on the vigil of St. John. Witches are believed to be 
 malevolent, and it is of much consequence to conciliate 
 them, for they are dreaded as having the power to 
 commit great mischief. Many old women, on account 
 of their age or deformity, bear the odium of preventing 
 the cows from yielding milk, the butter from forming 
 in the churn, and of spreading diseases among men 
 and cattle. The spirits of the mountains, celebrated 
 by the Welsh bards, are, on the contrary, benevolent 
 beings — they protect the good and punish the wicked ; 
 and the same may be said of the elves, fays or fairies, 
 that are supposed still to dance by the light of the 
 moon, and describe their circles on the green hills of 
 Wales. In some degree connected with fairies is 
 another species of supernatural beings called knockers. 
 These, the Welsh miners say, are not to be seen, but 
 
96 
 
 WALES. 
 
 are heard under ground, in or near the mines, and by 
 their noises, which represent the different stages in the 
 progress of mining, generally point out to the work- 
 men a rich vein of ore. An opinion is prevalent with- 
 in the diocese of St. David’s, that previous to the 
 death of a person, a light is sometimes seen to pro- 
 ceed from the house and pursue its way to the church, 
 precisely in the track that the funeral will afterwards 
 follow. This is traditionally ascribed to the special 
 prayer of St. David, that no one in his diocese should 
 die without this intimation of departure, which is call- 
 ed canwyll corple^ or the “ corpse candle.” 
 
SCOTLAND. 
 
 Very little of the ancient national costume of the 
 Scotch remains at the present day. The inhabitants 
 of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other cities and towns 
 of Scotland, are dressed in precisely the same fashion 
 as those of London. The original dress of the Scotch 
 Highlanders resembled that of other Celtic tribes, and 
 XIX. — 9 
 
98 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 consisted of little else than a woollen garment of va- 
 riegated colors wrapped round the body and loins, 
 with a portion hanging down to cover the thighs. In 
 process of time this rude fashion was superseded by a 
 distinct piece of cloth forming a philibeg or kilt, while 
 another piece was thrown loosely as a mantle over 
 the body and shoulders. The ciolh was variegat- 
 ed in conformity with the prescribed symbol of the 
 clan. 
 
 As modernized and improved by the Highland regi- 
 ments, this dress is one of the most picturesque and 
 graceful in the world ; though it leaves the limbs bare 
 about the knee, the Highlanders never suffer any in- 
 convenience from it, even in the coldest weather. The 
 bonnet has been for ages a part of the Highland cos- 
 tume, as it was formerly of the Lowlanders. The full 
 dress of the Highland chiefs and gentlemen is liberally 
 adorned with sword, baldric, dirk, large brooches, 
 buckles, shot-pouch and purse. The purse or sporan 
 is a most important part of the costume ; it is formed 
 of the skin of a wild animal with the hair on, and tied 
 to the waste by a band ; it hangs down in front so as 
 to fall easily upon the lap. It is usually ornamented 
 with silver tags or tassels, and a flap covering the 
 mouth of the purse is sometimes decorated with the 
 vizard of a fox. 
 
 After a period of indifference as to the preservation 
 of this beautiful costume, there has latterly sprung up 
 a more national tone of feeling on the subject, both 
 among the Lowlanders and Highlanders. Encour- 
 aged by prizes liberally awarded by the Caledonian 
 Society of London, a public exhibition takes place tri- 
 
SCOTLAND. 
 
 99 
 
 ennially at Edinburgh, at which there is a competition 
 of skill in playing the Highland bagpipes, dancing, 
 and taste in dressing in proper holiday costume. A 
 hundred or more men generally attend from all parts 
 of the Highlands in their respective clan tartans ; and 
 the exhibition, as a surviving relic of manners and 
 customs among the most ancient in the world, is high- 
 ly interesting. 
 
 In the Lowlands, the gray checked plaid has resist- 
 ed all innovations, and is universally worn by shep- 
 herds and other persons in rural districts of the coun- 
 try. The chequering is very simple, consisting only 
 of small cross bars of white and black, and the general 
 effect is gray. The length is greater than the breadth, 
 to enable the wearer to wrap one end round his body 
 and shoulders, and allow the other to hang gracefully 
 down the back. The right arm is generally left dis- 
 engaged. The dress of the females consists of a white 
 mob cap, a short gown of coarse print, and a coarse 
 woollen petticoat, either dark blue or red. The sleeves 
 are usually tucked up above the elbow. Sometimes 
 they have coarse shoes and stockings, but great num- 
 bers go barefoot. Sam Foote once told a story of his 
 attending at kirk in Scotland where the preacher 
 was declaiming against luxury, and, says he, “ there 
 was not a pair of shoes in the whole congregation.” 
 
 The gentlemen in the Highlands, especially in time 
 of war, wear the tartan, the peculiar dress of that 
 country. Among the other classes, the Scottish bon- 
 net is now rarely seen except in the Highlands ; it 
 was the usual covering for the head all over Europe, 
 till towards the end of the sixteenth century, when the 
 
100 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 hat, formerly worn only in riding or hunting, came 
 into general use. The Scotch peasantry are now 
 generally clothed in good broadcloth, worsted stock- 
 ings and stout shoes, instead of the homespun garments, 
 and nudity of the lower extremities. This last singu- 
 larity, common in Wales, and even in England about 
 two centuries ago, is mostly abandoned, even by the 
 Scotch lasses. In the Highlands, the distinction of 
 dress which still prevails, proves the most fatal imped- 
 iment to the progress of civilization by fostering na- 
 tional prejudices. 
 
 In the luxuries of the table, the superior classes of 
 the Scotch rival the English, and the gentlemen are 
 perhaps rather more fond of wine. The abundance 
 and beauty of the table-linen are highly praised by 
 strangers. Several national dishes, formerly served 
 up at the best tables, and originating from the French 
 cooking in the reign of Mary, are now either neglect- 
 ed or abandoned to the lower classes, such as the hag- 
 gis or hachis ; the cock-a-leekie^ or capon boiled with 
 leeks ; crapped heads or stewed haddocks, the heads 
 being stuffed with a kind of forced-meat balls, &c. 
 The diet of the lower classes deteriorates in a gradual 
 transition from the English border northward. The 
 chief food is parritch, a thick porridge made of oat- 
 meal, savored with a relish of milk, ale, or butter ; in 
 a hard, lumpy form it is called brose. With this the 
 laborer is generally contented twice or thrice in the 
 day, with a little bit of meat for Sunday. He envies 
 not the English laborer his bacon, it being a food 
 which he commonly detests, for the Scotch have an 
 old antipathy to swine as impure animals, into which 
 
SCOTLAND. 
 
 101 
 
 the demons passed, as mentioned in the New Testa- 
 ment. A similar antipathy prevails against eels, from 
 their resemblance to a snake, and particularly to the 
 old serpent. A great luxury to a Scotchman is a 
 singed sheep’s head. In the matter of drink, the low- 
 er classes of Scotland were little given to intemper- 
 ance till a series of injudicious laws and regulations 
 reduced the wholesome malt liquors to little better 
 than mere water, and in a manner compelled the com- 
 mon people to resort to the noxious beverage of whis- 
 ky. In general, however, their sobriety is exemplary, 
 and the Scotch laborer, instead of wasting his weekly 
 gains at an alehouse, is ambitious to appear with his fam- 
 ily in decent clothes on Sundays and other holidays. 
 This may be regarded as a striking characteristic of 
 the Scotch peasantry, who generally prefer the lasting 
 decencies of life to momentary gratifications. 
 
 The amusements of the rich are similar to those 
 of the English, but those of the peasantry have many 
 variations. The game of curling consists in roll- 
 ing large stones with iron handles upon the ice, to- 
 ward a fixed mark, a favorite and healthy diversion in 
 the winter. The English quoits are supplied by^e?z- 
 ny-stones, or round, flat stones, which are tossed in the 
 same manner. 
 
 If the Scotch are not cheerful they are even-tem- 
 pered, and at times they are given to merriment. At 
 Edinburgh, on the last night of the year, it is the cus- 
 tom to sup abroad. At midnight, on the striking of 
 the bells, the people sally forth in such numbers, that 
 all the inhabitants seem to be out of doors. It is a 
 night of revelry ; the watchmen retire fron^ their 
 G 9 * 
 
102 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 rounds, and anybody who is abroad, by accident or de- 
 sign, is liable to be saluted with a kiss, and the severi- 
 ty of the custom is seldom relaxed in favor of any 
 rank. The Highlanders are very social, and their 
 suppers are delightful meetings ; they are held about 
 nine o’clock, and the compan^r separate before mid- 
 night. These meetings have little formality, but great 
 freedom and cheerfulness. When they separate, they 
 join hands and sing some little favorite song. 
 
 The manners and customs of the Scotch have lately 
 begun to assimilate more closely with those of the 
 English. In their religious ceremonies attending bap- 
 tism and marriage, there are variations arising from 
 the Presbyterian form, which does not admit of god- 
 fathers or godmothers, but renders the parents alone 
 answerable for the education of the child. The cler- 
 gyman does not attend at funerals, nor is there any reli- 
 gious service, but generally great decency. The hearse 
 seems a more appropriate machine than the close 
 wagon so called in England, being a light and lofty 
 carriage of trellis-work, painted black and spotted with 
 the resemblance of falling tears, an idea derived from 
 the ancient French ceremonies, as may be observed in 
 Montfaucon’s collection. Among the lower classes the 
 funerals are generally far more numerously attended 
 than in England ; nor is black an indispensable color 
 of dress on such occasions. 
 
 The houses of the opulent have long been erected 
 on the English plan, which can hardly be surpassed 
 for interior elegance or convenience. Even the habi- 
 tations of the poor have been greatly improved within 
 these few years, and instead of the mud hovel thatched 
 
SCOTLAND, 
 
 :o3 
 
 with straw, there often appears the neat stone cottage 
 covered with tile or slate. Whence the ancient custom 
 arose of placing the dunghill in front of the house, 
 cannot well be imagined. Perhaps it was intended 
 as a defence ; and if so, it is useless in pacific times. 
 Some persons are of opinion that it was meant as a 
 display of opulence. 
 
 Among the Scottish superstitions, the most remark- 
 able is that in relation to what is called second sight — 
 a power believed to be possessed by certain persons in 
 the Highlands of Scotland, and the isles of the western 
 coast, of foreseeing future events, particularly of a 
 disastrous kind, by means of a spectral exhibition of 
 the persons to whom these events relate, accompanied 
 with such emblems as denote their fate. This power 
 has been attested by many credible authors, among 
 whom is Mr. Martin, author of the natural history of 
 the Western Islands, and however strange it may 
 appear, many have steadily believed it. The second 
 sight is a faculty of seeing things to come, or things 
 done at a great distance, represented to the imagination 
 as if actually visible and present. Thus if a man be 
 dying, or about to die, his image, it is pretended, will 
 appear distinctly in its natural shape, in a shroud, with 
 other funeral apparatus, to a second-sighted person, 
 who, perhaps, never saw his face before, immediately 
 after which the person so seen certainly dies. This 
 power, they say, is not hereditary ; the person who 
 has it cannot exert it at pleasure, nor can he prevent 
 it, nor communicate it to another ; but it comes on him 
 involuntarily, and exercises itself on him arbitrarily, 
 and often, especially in the younger seers, to their 
 
104 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 great trouble and terror. At the sight of a vision the 
 eyelids of the person are erected, and the eyes con- 
 tinue staring till the object vanishes. The seer knows 
 neither the object, time, nor place of a vision before it 
 appears, and the same object is often seen by different 
 persons living at a considerable distance from each 
 other. 
 
 If an object is seen early in the morning, which is 
 not common, the event will be accomplished within a 
 few hours. If at noon, it will take place some time 
 during the day. If in the evening, perhaps that night. 
 If later, in a certain number of weeks, months or 
 years, according to the lateness of the hour. When a 
 shroud is perceived about a person, it is a sure prog- 
 nostic of death ; the time is judged according to the 
 height of it upon an individual : if it is not seen 
 above the middle, death is not expected within a year ; 
 the higher it ascends towards the head, the nearer the 
 event is judged to be at hand. If a woman is seen 
 standing at a man’s left hand, it is a presage that she 
 will be his wife. Visiters are seen coming to houses 
 before their arrival, and the seers give accurate de- 
 scriptions of their stature, complexion, dress, &;c., which 
 are sure to be verified by the event, as we are assured 
 by Martin, who says, “ I have been seen thus myself 
 by seers of both sexes, at some hundred miles’ distance ; 
 some that saw me in this manner had never seen me 
 personally, and it happened according to their visions, 
 without any previous design of mine to go to those 
 places, my coming there being purely accidental.” It 
 is common with these persons to see houses, gardens 
 and trees, in places void of these objects. Thus at 
 
SCOTLAND. 
 
 105 
 
 Mogstot, in the Isle of Sky, as we are informed by 
 the above author, such things were visible to a seer, 
 although there were hone such on the spot ; hut a few 
 years after, several good houses were built, and 
 orchards planted there. A person might exercise this 
 species of second sight in the United States, without 
 gaining the reputation of a necromancer. 
 
 Children, horses and cows have the faculty of 
 second sight, as well as men and women. “ That 
 children see,” says Martin, “ it is plain, from their 
 crying aloud at the very instant that a corpse or any 
 other vision appears to an ordinary seer. I was pres- 
 ent in a house where a child cried out of a sudden, 
 and being asked the reason of it, he answ^ered that he 
 had seen a great white thing lying on the hoard w^hich 
 was in the corner ; hut he was not believed until a 
 seer, who was present, told them that the child was in 
 the right, ‘ For,’ said he, ‘ I saw a corpse and the shroud 
 about it, and the board will be used as part of a coffin, 
 or some way employed about a corpse,’ and accord- 
 ingly it was made into a coffin for one who was in 
 perfect health at the time of the vision ! That horses 
 see, it -is likewise plain from their violent and sudden 
 starting, when the rider or seer in company with him 
 sees a vision of any kind, night or day. It is observ- 
 able of the horse that he will not go forward that way 
 until he be led about at some distance from the com- 
 mon road, and then he is in a sweat. A horse fastened 
 Oy the common road, on the side of Loch Skeriness, 
 in Sky, did break his rope at noon day and run up 
 and down without the least visible cause. But two of 
 the neighborhood that happened to be at a little dis- 
 
106 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 tance, and in view of the horse, did at the same time 
 see a considerable number of men about a corpse direct- 
 ing their course to the church of Snisort ; and this was 
 accomplished within a few days after, by the death of 
 a gentlewoman who lived thirteen miles from that 
 church, and came from another parish, from whence 
 very few came to Snisort to be buried. That cows 
 see the second sight appears from this : that when a 
 woman is milking a cow and then happens to see the 
 second sight, the cow runs away in a great fright at 
 the same time, and will not be pacified for some time 
 after.” Martin relates minutely a great number of 
 stories similar to the above, in all of which he appears 
 to have reposed implicit belief. Yet Doctor Johnson, 
 who was ready to believe in almost anything of a 
 supernatural character, after carefully examining the 
 subject of the second sight, could find no good evi- 
 dence of its reality. We scarcely need to add that it 
 deserves to be classed with the exploded fables of 
 witchcraft and ghosts, so long prevalent in most 
 countries. 
 
 According to the faith of the people, there is a way of 
 foretelling death by a cry which they call TaisJc. This 
 is heard without doors, and resembles the voice of 
 the particular person, whose death is foretold. A 
 spirit, by the country people called Broioney, is fre- 
 quently seen in the isles and the northern parts of 
 Scotland ; he appears in the shape of a tall man, but 
 his visits are not so common as formerly. There are 
 spirits also that appear in the shape of women, horses, 
 swine, cats, and fiery balls, which follow men in the 
 fields. These spirits make sounds in the air resem- 
 
SCOTLAND. 
 
 107 
 
 bling those of a harp, pipe, the crowing of a cock, and 
 the grinding of mills. Sometimes they sing Irish 
 songs which relate to the condition of the dead in the 
 other world. Such are some of the superstitions 
 which still linger in the Highlands. Mountain 
 scenery, it has been remarked, is the favorite locality 
 of such wonders. It is certainly not unfavorable to 
 such delusions — for mountain scenery in most cases 
 must be regarded as implying want of communications, 
 want of intercourse, and want of the means by which 
 knowledge is diffused, and education is extended to 
 every order of the community. 
 
IRELAND. 
 
 The Irish at an early period wore the same Celtic 
 fashion of attire as was preserved in recent times, in 
 the Scotch Highlands, but everything of the kind dis- 
 appeared as the country became Anglicised. A prim- 
 itive species of attire, including colored mantles, kir- 
 tles, and other fanciful garments, remained in use till 
 the sixteenth century, when laws were made by Henry 
 VIII., enjoining the use of caps, cloaks, coats, doublets 
 and hose, of English forms. 
 
 The general dress in Ireland at the present day rare- 
 ly varies from that in England. There are, however, 
 some interesting peculiarities of costume among the 
 peasantry of the southern and western counties. A 
 brown stuff gown and green petticoat is the popular 
 female dress, sometimes with stockings of the bright- 
 est blue ; but stockings are seldom seen, and shoes 
 are scarcely ever worn except on Sundays and other 
 holidays. Silver buckles and cloak clasps are much 
 prized, and are handed down from mother to daughter. 
 Bonnets are unknown, but the high-cauled mob-cap 
 is sometimes worn under the hood. The general cos- 
 tume of the male peasantry exhibits a round black 
 hat bound with a rope of straw ; a rough short coat ; 
 corduroy small-clothes, open at the knees ; gray stock- 
 ings most commonly hanging loose on the legs : — add 
 
IRELAND. 
 
 109 
 
 a short black pipe, stuck in the side of the mouth, 
 which is ever ready for a joke, and you have the gen- 
 uine Paddy. 
 
 The manners of the superior classes in Ireland ap- 
 proach nearly to the English standard, except that the 
 former drink deeper. The Irish gentry are less given 
 to the cultivation of literature and the arts, but amuse 
 themselves with hunting and other robust pursuits. 
 Hence their superiority in health and spirits. The man- 
 ners of the middle class differ widely from those of the 
 English. The former are composed of men of small 
 estates, who generally live beyond their income, and 
 landholders known by the name of middle-men^ who 
 take large districts of land from the owners of great 
 estates, for the purpose of raising sheep and cattle, or 
 re-let them at extravagant rents to the indigent and 
 wretched cottagers. The general characteristics of 
 this class are dissipation, idleness and vanity. Every 
 man with a few acres of land and a moderate revenue 
 is dignified, as a matter of course, with the title of 
 Esquire, and I’et his family be ever so numerous, and 
 the incumbrances on his property ever so considerable, 
 he must support a pack of hounds, entertain his guests 
 with claret, or at least with whisky, keep a post-chaise 
 and livery servants, and in short, ape his superiors in 
 every respect. Meanwhile his debts are increasing, 
 his creditors growing clamorous, and every indus- 
 trious occupation, which might relieve his distresses, 
 is neglected, as utterly beneath the dignity of a 
 gentleman. 
 
 To this source is to be traced the origin of another 
 class called htchs and huckeens* These are either 
 XIX. — 10 
 
110 
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 the eldest sons of gentlemen of small property, or 
 the younger children of those of larger, who have 
 received their scanty pittance, which they never dream 
 of augmenting by any industrious means. To stand 
 behind a counter, superintend a farm, or write in a 
 counting-house, would be beneath the dignity of such 
 exalted beings, and disgrace the memory of their gen- 
 tlemen ancestors. The same general aversion to indus- 
 try and tendency to dissipation, together with family 
 vanity, cause the gentry to educate their children in 
 the genteel professions. Hence the country is over- 
 stocked with curates of scanty salaries or none, law- 
 yers preying on the public, ensigns without the means 
 of rising higher, physicians without patients, &:c. 
 
 Two leading and naturally allied features in the 
 character of the lower Irish are idleness and inquisi- 
 tiveness, especially where they are hired to perform 
 work for others. The moment an overseer quits them, 
 they are sure to drop their work, take snuff, and fall 
 to chatting about the news of the day. No traveller 
 can pass them without diverting their attention from 
 the business in hand, and giving rise to numerous 
 guesses as to his person, errand and destination. The 
 most trivial occurrence, especially of the sporting char- 
 acter, will hurry them from their occupations. In 
 passing through the country, a stranger will be struck 
 by the crowds that attend funerals, and by the cries of 
 the mourners, though these are less clamorous than 
 formerly. 
 
 The houses of the Irish, if we except those of the 
 rich, or those in towns, which are formed after the 
 English model, are hovels or cabins of the most 
 
IRELAND. 
 
 Ill 
 
 wretched character. The walls are of stone or earth, 
 taken out of the ground on which they stand, whence 
 the floor is a foot below the outer level, and becomes 
 a receptacle for all the superfluous moisture. The 
 cabin is roofed with sods or heath, and is destitute of 
 a chimney. There is no flooring, and the bed is 
 merely a heap of straw spread on the ground. Many 
 have no windows, and few have more than a single pane. 
 The furniture is equally scanty and wretched ; and 
 the door is often nothing more than a straw mat. 
 There is but one room, and this is free, like an Indian 
 wigwam, to any person to enter without knocking ; it 
 is also inhabited by pigs, fowls, &:c., and even by the 
 cow, if the family are so rich as to own one. The 
 villages often consist of nothing but streets of cab- 
 ins of this description. The city of Dublin, the centre 
 of which is hardly surpassed in Europe for the beauty 
 and splendor of its architecture, is surrounded by 
 wretched hovels, inferior in comfort to the dwelling of 
 a western savage. 
 
 A great part of the Irish have no other food than 
 potatoes and milk. The free use of whisky, which is 
 cheap in this country, leads, of course, to a great de- 
 gree of intemperance ; and as one consequence, the 
 lower Irish are proverbially riotous. Their fairs are 
 scenes of confusion, disturbance and bloodshed. Com- 
 binations, risings, and outrages among tradesmen, 
 are of frequent occurrence, and often on pretexts that 
 are truly ridiculous. They are also, to a remarkable 
 degree, lawlessly inclined. Instead of exerting them- 
 selves to apprehend offenders, and assist in the execu- 
 tion of the laws, they are in general ready to give the 
 
112 
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 criminal every assistance in escaping, and to resist au- 
 thority, unless awed by superior force. 
 
 It is proper to state, however, that in what relates 
 to drink, a wonderful change has recently been effect- 
 ed by Father Mathew, a Catholic priest, who has 
 preached temperance among the lower Irish with 
 almost miraculous effect. It might seem problematical 
 whether this will be of long continuance, as any 
 great and sudden mutation in the habits of a people 
 can hardly be expected to be permanent, particularly 
 in a people so prone to act from impulse as the Irish ; 
 yet we cannot but indulge the hope that the revolu- 
 tion which has been effected may become estab- 
 lished. The nation is now making an earnest move- 
 ment for the amelioration of its political condition, and 
 it already appears that their desire to vindicate their 
 rights is operating not only to establish the Cause of 
 temperance with the people, but to give an unwonted 
 steadiness, dignity and self-command to their char- 
 acter. 
 
 The business of illicit distillation is carried on in no 
 other country, perhaps, to such an extent as in Ireland. 
 In defiance of law and government, it has given birth 
 to a great contraband system, alike destructive of mor- 
 als and of public order. All the mountains, bogs, and 
 deep valleys of the north abound with illicit stills, in 
 spots where the most diligent search can scarcely dis- 
 cover them ; and when detected, they can scarcely be 
 seized without the aid of an armed force. When the 
 troops are seen advancing, concerted signals are made, 
 and the small light stills are soon conveyed to a dis- 
 tant quarter. The farmers and land -proprietors en- 
 
IRELAND. 
 
 113 
 
 courage illicit distillation as the most ready mode of 
 obtaining a market for their grain. The quality of 
 the spirit was for a long time much superior to that 
 produced by the legal distillery, so that in selling, it 
 was considered the highest possible recommendation 
 to give assurance that it never paid duty. 
 
 Although there are carriages of all descriptions in 
 Ireland, the jaunting car is the national vehicle, and 
 Ireland, it is said, would scarcely be Ireland without 
 it. This carriage may be said to supersede, as a pri- 
 vate vehicle, the whole of the gig family, and to be a 
 formidable rival to the coach as a public conveyance. 
 Throughout nearly all the country, travellers, as well 
 as the mails, are conveyed by it. It is drawn gener- 
 ally by a single horse, and is so constructed that two, 
 four, or six persons sit back to back. How a vehicle so 
 unsociable should ever have been established, is diffi- 
 cult to understand ; but when the car is not full, there 
 is an easy, lounging way of sitting, not utterly incom- 
 patible with social intercourse. The great advantage 
 it possesses is the facility afforded by it of getting up 
 and sitting down, which in travelling on a hilly road 
 is very desirable. 
 
 Few things attract a stranger’s notice in Ireland 
 more than the excellence of the roads, even in the 
 wilds of Kerry and Connaught, and that without any 
 perceptible repairs. In England, it is true, the roads 
 are also good, but the traveller is constantly annoyed 
 by troops of workmen armed with pickaxes, tearing up 
 the roads, and forcing him to grind over granite dur- 
 ing a great part of his journey. There is nothing of 
 this sort in the Emerald Isle. The highway, once 
 10 * 
 
114 
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 constructed, seems to defy the operations of time and 
 travel. The cause is easily explained. There is 
 Very little wear and tear on the Irish roads. A few 
 English tourists in the summer and autumn, with their 
 jaunting-cars, and a few bare-footed natives at other 
 times, cannot effect much in cutting up the roads. 
 One may often travel ten, fifteen or twenty miles in 
 the country without meeting a single cart, carriage, or 
 car. 
 
 The Irish character presents very strongly marked 
 features, many of which are amiable, and even admira- 
 ble. They are brave, and hospitable to such a degree 
 that in some counties the door is regularly kept open 
 during meals. This virtue is much enhanced by the 
 scantiness of the portion which is thus liberally shared 
 with the passing stranger. The Irish .are lively, merry 
 and witty, and even the Jowest ranks have a courteous 
 and polite address. They are celebrated for warmth 
 of heart, and for strong attachments of kindred and 
 friendship, which lead them, out of their scanty means, 
 to support their aged relations with the purest kind- 
 ness. Benevolence is a distinguishing characteristic 
 of the higher ranks. The Irish have, also, great curi- 
 osity, intelligence and eagerness for information. But 
 with these good qualities are mixed up many faults. 
 They are deficient in cleanliness, have little taste for 
 conveniences or luxuries, and are destitute of that sober 
 and steady spirit of enterprise which distinguishes the 
 English. The love of fighting seems a rooted infirm- 
 ity, and the club, under the 'name of shillala, is a gen- 
 eral accompaniment at fairs. Among all nations not 
 wholly civilized, this is indeed a favorite mode of ter- 
 
IRELAND. 
 
 115 
 
 minating differences, but the Irish may be said to sur- 
 pass every other people in the extreme promptitude 
 with which they resort to it. Fighting appears their 
 congenial element, into which they plunge whenever 
 their spirits are roused. It would seem, indeed, to 
 have been formerly almost a regular termination of 
 the social feast. The fairs, which in every town and 
 village in Ireland are regular and of long duration, 
 afford the grand theatres, first of unbounded mirth, and 
 ultimately of bloody conflict. The Irish do not fight 
 single-handed, but in bands, and on a great scale. On 
 receiving a supposed injury, they go round to their 
 companions, friends and townsmen, and collect a mul- 
 titude, with which they make a joint attack on the 
 objects of their wrath. It need scarcely be added that 
 they show no reluctance to engage in schemes of 
 general and national conflict ; and it is remarked that 
 when these are in contemplation, there is a pause of 
 casual and private battle. The other blemishes of the 
 Irish may be comprised under the name of frailties. 
 They are vain, loquacious, and prompt to speak as 
 well as act without deliberation. This disposition, 
 with their thoughtless gaiety, betrays them into that 
 peculiar sort of blunder denominated a hull^ which their 
 neighbors have so long held forth as a national char- 
 acteristic. 
 
 It is amusing to. observe that in the wretched mud 
 cabins of the most barbarous districts in Ireland, the 
 preliminary stipulations for matrimony, as far as re- 
 gards pecuniary arrangements, are as formal as in the 
 mansions of the West End of London. Alliances 
 among the noble and genteel families of England, as 
 
116 
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 is well known, are preceded by abundance of negotia- 
 tion ; attorneys and conveyancers are employed to see 
 that the family of the bridegroom does not overreach 
 that of the bride ; and a huge parchment is covered 
 with a barbarous mixture of Old English, Norman 
 French and monkish Latin, to make all safe. Among 
 the bogs of Ireland, the fathers of the proposed couple 
 hold a formal negotiation, over a bowl of hot whisky 
 punch, respecting the doiories of the bride and bride- 
 groom, while the property of both families would not 
 sell for twenty pounds. Matches have been broken 
 off because the bride’s father would not give his 
 daughter a hed^ as an equivalent to a pig and her 
 litter proposed to be given to the bridegroom by his 
 father. 
 
 The favorite time for celebrating weddings is just 
 before Lent. The guests are always numerous, and 
 consist of all ranks, from the lord and lady of the 
 manor, through the intermediate grades of gentlemen, 
 squireens,” and farmers, down to the common labor- 
 ers, wives, of course, included. Perfect equality pre- 
 vails on these occasions, yet the natural courtesy of 
 the Irish prevents any disturbance of social order; 
 every one keeps his place, while, at the same time, 
 perfect freedom reigns. The dinner is usually at the 
 expense of the bride’s family ; nothing is spared in 
 procuring the materials, and the neighboring gentry 
 allow their cooks and servants to assist. The priest 
 sits at the head of the table ; near him are the bride 
 and bridegroom, the coadjutors of the clergyman, and 
 the more respectable guests ; the others occupy the 
 remainder of the table, which extends the whole length 
 
IRELAND. 
 
 117 
 
 of the barn in which the dinner is usually given. 
 Immediately on the removal of the cloth, the priest 
 marries the couple ; the bridecake is brought in and 
 placed before the priest, who, putting on his stole, 
 blesses it and cuts it up into small slices, which are 
 handed round on a large dish among the guests. Each 
 one takes a slice of the cake, and lays down in place 
 of it a donation for the priest, consisting of pounds, 
 crowns or shillings, according to the ability of the 
 donor. After this, wine and punch go round, as at an 
 ordinary dinner party. 
 
 Every one has heard of the Irish loalce^ in which, 
 on the death of a person, the friends and neighbors 
 assemble to howl over the corpse. This strange scene 
 is often more noisy and boisterous than the wedding ; 
 the bowlings of the mourners being frequently drowned 
 in the uproar and bacchanalian merriment of the rabble 
 who assemble from far and near to celebrate the death 
 of their neighbor. Owing to the exertions of Father 
 Mathew and other causes, we are told that whisky has 
 now almost disappeared from the house of mourning, 
 and tobacco and snuff have usurped its place. Still 
 the Irish wake presents a strange and repulsive medley 
 of indecent mirth, fictitious wailing and real grief, 
 instead of the silent sorrow that becomes the solemn 
 scene. 
 
 H 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 The manners and customs of the French have 
 perhaps been oftener described than those of any other 
 people. The most pleasing parts of the portrait are 
 vivacity, gaiety, politeness, a strong propensity toward 
 social enjoyments, and that knowledge of the art of 
 living, which enables a man to dispose of his occupa- 
 tions and pleasures in an agreeable succession, free 
 from listlessness and fatigue. In general, Frenchmen 
 regard care as a mortal poison, and study to avoid, if 
 possible, its most distant approach. On the other hand, 
 ancient and recent events conspire to affix a sangui- 
 nary stain on the national character, which one would 
 little expect amid so much gaiety and seeming benev- 
 olence. The ancient and rooted enmity between 
 France and England nourished many prejudices 
 against the French character in the latter country, 
 which have since been dissipated. Yet with travellers 
 accustomed to the elegance of English life, many of 
 the French manners and customs cannot be reconciled 
 to ideas of physical purity, and the example of the 
 personal and domestic cleanliness of the English must 
 still be recommended to their neighbors for imitation. 
 The houses of the French frequently display a strange 
 mixture of magnificence and dirt ; while even the cot- 
 tage in England will show a regard for the comforts 
 and conveniences of its inhabitants. 
 
120 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 A species of Anglomania has lately prevailed in 
 France to a considerable extent. The French have 
 begun to appreciate and imitate many of the habits of 
 English life ; their horses, carriages, furniture, liveries, 
 table-linen, &;c. daily more and more resemble those 
 which are generally seen in London. Some few 
 houses combine in their interior a mixture of the old 
 French grandeur with modern English ease and com- 
 fort, which defies all competition. The natural good 
 taste in dress which has always characterized the 
 French women, still remains unrivalled; they give 
 the acknowledged law to all Europe in every branch 
 of the toilet, which their imitators find less difficult 
 to copy than the graceful ease and elegance of their 
 manners. With respect to the men, who have only 
 of late years paid much attention to their dress, they 
 have gone from one extreme to the other, and have 
 surpassed in eccentricity their brother dandies on the 
 other side of the Channel. That class of them consti- 
 tuting what is called la jeune France^ wear poniards 
 in the coat-sleeve, smoke cigars, and drink deep in 
 imitation of Lord Byron. The higher classes also 
 produce their types of modern innovation in dress and 
 appearance, while the bushy beard, and hair d la 
 Raphael^ would lead a stranger to imagine that combs 
 and razors were become altogether superfluous. 
 
 Since the overthrow of Napoleon, the French and 
 English seem in a great measure to have changed 
 characters with each other : that of the French is 
 become grave and serious, while that of the English 
 is now proverbially frivolous and thoughtless. The 
 former seem from habit to live under the constant 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 121 
 
 dread of returning adversity ; while the memory of 
 the brilliant successes of their arms tempts the latter 
 to believe that their supremacy and prosperity must 
 endure forever. The luxury, dissipation, and bound- 
 less extravagance which exist among the higher classes 
 in England are strongly contrasted with the opposite 
 habits of their neighbors in France. The French 
 are become cautious, prudent and economical, and 
 there is a certain atmosphere of good sense and good 
 taste to be found in the better classes which prevents 
 them from being foolish, ridiculous or vicious. ) 
 
 At the present day, the fortunes in France, with a 
 few exceptions, are not large, and the law of inherit- 
 ance tends to diminish them ; no cases occur of men 
 of rank and family plunging headlong into ruin. The 
 temptations to extravagance and luxury are certainly 
 as alluring at Paris as in any other capital, but not 
 only every father of a family, but every young man 
 who enjoys independence seems anxious to regulate 
 his expenses by the scale of order and prudence. It 
 would be considered an act of very bad taste to incur 
 large debts without the immediate means of paying 
 them. That reckless profusion which, in England, 
 consigns whole estates to the hammer of the auctioneer, 
 and entails poverty on future generations, is almost 
 unknown in France. 
 
 The French families of distinction live more on 
 their estates than formerly : la vie du chateau is not 
 without its charms ; the example of England has 
 given a taste for agriculture, and when the economy 
 of a country life is combined with projects for the im- 
 provement of landed property, a four months’ residence 
 XIX. — 11 
 
122 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 in Paris may be deemed quite sufficient for all the 
 purposes of gaiety and pleasure. The French are 
 comparatively a very contented people : they enjoy 
 whatever comforts are within their reach, and neither 
 imitate nor envy those who possess superior advan- 
 tages of rank and fortune. Above all, they are free 
 from that rivalry with each other in luxury and ex- 
 pense, which proves the bane of so many families in 
 England. 
 
 There is another amiable trait in the French charac- 
 ter which foreigners seldom condescend to notice, or 
 perhaps few have had the opportunity to appreciate. 
 This is the great harmony and affection which gene- 
 rally subsist among the different members of each 
 family, long after they have entered on the pursuits of 
 active life ; a circumstance which may be attributed 
 to the patriarchal manner in which they often continue 
 to dwell under the same roof with their parents. In 
 England, and especially in the United States, when 
 sons and daughters marry, they remove at once to 
 another and perhaps distant residence, flushed with 
 ideas of independence, and anxious to form new inti- 
 macies more congenial to their youthful tastes, than 
 the sober family party which they have left at home. 
 Thus parents and children, brothers and sisters are 
 inevitably thrown into different spheres : each having 
 their own objects in view, whether of pleasure or am- 
 bition, till at last their meetings dwindle down to 
 casual visits, they see less of each other, while con- 
 tinual absence gradually dissolves all the early ties of 
 duty and affection. In France, they have no such 
 worldly-minded separations : the son introduces his 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 123 
 
 youthful bride to the paternal mansion, which then 
 becomes doubly his home ; they have their separate 
 independent apartments and servants, they visit or 
 receive their friends separately, but at the hour of 
 dinner all assemble round the head of the house, and 
 keep up that confidential intimacy, that bond of union, 
 which continues through life to endear them to each 
 other. 
 
 A recent traveller pronounces the opinion that mar- 
 riages in F ranee are generally happy ; and when it 
 is considered that they are’ in almost every instance 
 concluded by the parents without any decided previous 
 partiality between the contracting parties, it may be- 
 come an interesting question why the so called love 
 matches in England are often productive of such very 
 different results. If the French marriages are happier 
 than the English, it may perhaps be owing to thQ com- 
 parative ascendancy which the French wives possess 
 over 'their husbands, or more properly speaking, the 
 equality which subsists between husband and wife. 
 There is a proverbial prejudice in. an English domestic 
 establishment against the interference of the female in 
 anything that regards the husband’s conduct, which 
 has driven many a weak and self-willed man to cause 
 the misery both of himself and of his partner, rather 
 than listen to advice which a moment’s cool reflection 
 would have taught him to approve. In what is called 
 fashionable life, the regular habits of a French family, 
 the prudent administration of a moderate fortune, and 
 the sober enjoym-ent of quiet society are better calcu- 
 lated to ensure happiness than nights spent at Crock- 
 ford’s, under the fascination of play and excitement, 
 
124 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 which inevitably bring in their train loss of fortune, 
 loss of character, and loss of internal peace. The vice 
 of gambling is almost unknown in French society; 
 since the suppression of the gaming-houses, all games 
 of chance are strictly prohibited by law ; and indeed, 
 for the last few years of their existence, those houses 
 were little frequented by men who were much known 
 in the world. 
 
 It has frequently been remarked by foreigners, but 
 more particularly by the English, that the French are 
 deficient in hospitality to strangers ; and with the 
 exception of some few families the charge is not with- 
 out foundation. But, at the same time, allowance 
 should be made for national habits, and also the posi- 
 tion in which they are accidentally placed with regard 
 to their foreign visiters. Society in France is now 
 split Jnto two sections, the partizans of the late, and 
 those of the present monarchy ; these are separated by 
 a barrier of antipathy which prevents all communica- 
 tion with each other. Political distinctions are here 
 an inseparable bar to general intercourse, and those 
 promiscuous crowds of tory, whig, and radical, which 
 overflow the halls and staircases of a great house in 
 London, are never seen at Paris. Then the system of 
 giving large formal dinners, which constitutes the 
 groundwork of all London society, is quite a secondary 
 consideration with the French. It would be impossi- 
 ble, where large families are constantly assembled, to 
 invite a number of strangers to their table : this cere- 
 mony is not even in general use among themselves ; a 
 few intimate friends find there a constant welcome, 
 hut the enjoyment of general society is reserved for 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 125 
 
 the evening meetings, which take place without for- 
 mality and without invitation. 
 
 Few traits are more conspicuous in the French 
 character than vanity and self-confidence. There is 
 no contrast more striking, when w^e compare the 
 English with the French, than that exhibited by the 
 reserve approaching to timidity, of the former, and the 
 full confidence in themselves displayed by the latter. 
 A shrewd and experienced foreigner has remarked, 
 that if a hundred persons, indiscriminately, were 
 stopped .in the streets of London, and the same num- 
 ber in the streets of Paris, and a proposal were made 
 to each individual to undertake the government of his 
 country, ninety-nine would accept the offer at Paris, 
 and ninety-nine would refuse it in London. A 
 Frenchman believes that wit supplies the place of 
 everything; the Englishman thinks that nothing can 
 be done without both knowledge and practice. A 
 Frenchman being asked if he could play on the harp- 
 sichord, replied, “ I do not know, for I never tried, but 
 I will go and see.” This reckless confidence is car- 
 ried into the most serious matters, and may be pointed 
 out as one of the chief causes which led to the calami- 
 ties of the French revolution. Each member of the 
 National Assembly thought himself equal to anything. 
 Never were so many men congregated together wLo 
 fancied themselves legislators capable of repairing the 
 faults of the past, finding a remedy for all the errors 
 of the human mind, and securing the happiness of 
 future generations. Doubt of their own powers 
 never once found its way into their bosoms. 
 
 The most common mode of travelling in France is 
 11 * 
 
126 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 by the Diligence, which is one of the cheapest, although 
 at the same time one of the slowest methods. This 
 vehicle is something between a wagon and a coach. 
 It goes night and day till the journey is ended, stop- 
 ping only for meals and the change of horses. There 
 are usually five of these : one is within a heavy pair of 
 shafts ; another is harnessed without the shafts at the 
 side of the first, and the three others are harnessed 
 with ropes abreast. The postilion is a peculiar char- 
 acter : he wears a little round hat, a green jacket, 
 hair en queue^ and a pair of enormously large jack- 
 boots. The nature of his equipments calls upon him 
 for constant expedients, and he seems to be always 
 joining a bridle, knotting a whip, or knocking on a 
 saddle with a stone. He is off and on his horse’s back 
 many times in a stage without stopping the vehicle. 
 If a passenger calls, he dismounts, pops his head into 
 the window, or runs by the side. The diligence has 
 a conductor who sleeps in the cabriolet^ or forward 
 apartment, and who sits at the head of the table with 
 the passengers. There are three apartments in the 
 vehicle, with an upper story, called the imperial, 
 where the passengers commonly lie down. 
 
 Another mode of travelling in France is by the 
 voiture, which is a more comfortable method of con- 
 veyance than by the diligence. When a single party 
 engage the whole voiture, it differs in no respect from 
 travelling in a private vehicle, except that the right 
 of property in the horses and carriage is but tempo- 
 rary, and the coachman does not wear a livery. In 
 France, there are but few stage-coaches, and no good 
 ones except between Paris and the towns on the Brit- 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 127 
 
 ish Channel. The post-houses furnish no carriages, 
 but horses only. In every great town, there are per 
 sons whose trade is to keep carriages for those who 
 wish to travel, but have no carriage of their own. 
 Two or three places being engaged, the voiturier 
 makes up his cargo as he can ; and rather than have 
 any vacant seat in his carriage, he will sell it at a low 
 rate to such as can afford to pay but a low price. He 
 then makes up with dead lumber what is wanting in 
 weight of live stock, and the company, being assem- 
 bled, proceed as they can under the auspices of the 
 conductor, who presides at their meals, a bargain hav- 
 ing been made with him previously, to furnish food 
 as well as lodgings. Some of these men, of course, 
 are ready to employ any means of overreaching their 
 customers ; all the precaution that can be taken against 
 them is, to see everything, write down everything, 
 even to the number of the dishes, and above all, to 
 have time at command. 
 
 A French innkeeper of the dishonest class always 
 takes care to keep some cracked china vase or broken 
 pane of glass on hand, for which payment is demanded 
 when the carriage is at the door. It is to no purpose 
 that you examine the fractured articles and point out 
 that the edges of the fractures are rounded by use, and 
 dirt is seen in the interstices, plainly showing that the 
 damage is not of recent date ; the innkeeper knows 
 that you wish to depart immediately, and that you 
 will rather submit to the imposition than lose your 
 time. A travelling Englishman once, on leaving his 
 apartment, was stopped by a demand for a cracked 
 pane of glass ; his conscience acquitted him of the 
 
128 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 deed : after having for some time fruitlessly pleaded 
 his innocence, he quietly raised his cane and broke in 
 pieces the cause of the altercation. ‘‘ This pane shall 
 be paid for no more,” said he, patriotically mindful of 
 the interests of his successors. 
 
 The French have in their climate an aid to enjoy- 
 ment which is not within the reach of their neighbors 
 the English, and which goes far to account for the 
 superiority of the Frenchman in cheerfulness and 
 sociality. The sources of pleasurable and healthful 
 pursuit are open to all classes, and even a tyrannical 
 government cannot deprive them of this advantage. 
 The English people, on the contrary, are the prisoners 
 of their climate ; their pleasures must be bought, 
 and their unhealthy and unnatural excitements — sub- 
 ject to the grasp of taxation — are dearly purchased or 
 painfully foregone. Instead^ of a cheerful sun, they 
 seek the comfort of a coal-fire, and even this enjoyment 
 is meted but to poverty in the smallest quantities, and at 
 the dearest price ; and when the rigor of the season 
 drives the population to the use of fermented liquors, 
 the government with its grinding taxation stands be- 
 tween the cup and the lip, and renders the question- 
 able draught, without any figure of speech, a more 
 than deadly poison. 
 
 Among the many pleasures which offer themselves in 
 Paris, those afforded by its numerous and beautiful pub- 
 lic gardens, are perhaps the cheapest and the best. The 
 gardens of Tivoli, the Luxembourg, the Tuileries, the 
 Garden of Plants, the Champs Ely sees, the Bois de 
 Boulogne, and the gardens and grounds of the many 
 royal villas in the neighborhood of the capital, exercise 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 129 
 
 a beneficial influence, not only on the health and enjoy- 
 ment, but also on the character and temperament, of 
 the citizens of Paris. The taste for out-of-doors amuse- 
 ment thus engendered, by turning the public from an 
 habitual indulgence in artificial excitements, favors 
 that cheerful and elastic temperament which develops 
 intellect, promotes courtesy and creates fixed habits of 
 good breeding. The common people, always in the 
 presence of nature, are more awakened and alert than 
 the citizen of another country who is perpetually pent 
 up in narrow streets or the walls of a tap-room, where, 
 besotted with strong liquors, he has neither food for 
 his mind nor organs in a state fitted for reflection. 
 
 In the Champs Elysees, on a fine summer evening, 
 the lively French temperament is seen in all its force, 
 and to the greatest possible advantage. Here the sim 
 plicity of the old French character is visible in the 
 amusements and recreations of the lower orders, min- 
 gled with the pursuits opened to them by modern 
 improvements, while the social qualities of the higher 
 orders come out in the most pleasing relief, and in the 
 brightest light. The noble avenue of Neuilly, which 
 is but a prolongation of the great alley of the Tuileries, 
 is crowded with carriages, either drawn up, while 
 their owners are seated under the trees, or in motion 
 with those who are too indolent to descend, or too full 
 dressed to encounter the dust. Groups of persons are 
 listening to musicians of every country, performing 
 their national airs, while the true French bands are 
 chanting their vaudevilles and airs de theatre. These 
 musical troops move in succession from circle to circle^ 
 till a certain hour, when they assemble before the 
 
130 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 pavilions of their respective cafes, by the glittering 
 lights of which, seen through the cross avenues, they 
 show with a fairy effect. The multitudes seated on the 
 lawn, taking ices and lemonades, are of the middle 
 and lower ranks, and are listening to the exquisite 
 music of Eossini, Auber and Pacini, with whose 
 master-pieces they are as familiar as a New England 
 psalm-singer with Old Hundred and Little Marl- 
 borough. 
 
 While pleasure and the arts are thus enjoyed at 
 smaller prices than can purchase them in any other 
 country in the world, a still lower range of amuse- 
 ments at a still lower rate, are offered to those who are 
 fond of the swing, the roundabout, and sailing through 
 the air in a ship, which produces all the agreeable 
 effects of sea-sickness without the danger of drowning. 
 Meantime, Punch and Judy announce the commence- 
 ment of their performances, by lighting the solitary 
 candle in front of their little theatre, and take their 
 chance of remuneration from the munificent sous which 
 indigent gaiety freely bestows in return for its hearty 
 laugh. The weighing-chair, with its tempting white 
 cushions, is always in readiness ; and a course of nat- 
 ural philosophy is given on the green sward by an 
 Armenian conjuror, who expounds the mysteries of 
 nature to a class of listeners, quite as intent on his ex- 
 periments as if they proceeded from the Sorbonne. 
 
 The French females have exercised a greater influ- 
 ence than any of their sex since the time of the Baby- 
 lonians and Egyptians. No country has produced a 
 race of women so remarkable, or one which affords 
 history so many great names and great examples. 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 131 
 
 Without going back into remote times, we may re- 
 cord the names of Madame Roland and Madame de 
 Stael. These two women, alone, without protection, 
 save that of their own talent, boldly vindicated the 
 power of the mind before its two most terrible adver- 
 saries, the Mountain party and the despotic Napoleon ; 
 and they have triumphed with posterity even over the 
 guillotine and the sword. There is an energy, a de- 
 sire for action, a taste and a capacity for business, 
 among the females of France, the more remarkable 
 from the elegance, the grace, and the taste for pleasure 
 and amusement with which this sterner nature is com- 
 bined. From the moment that women were admitted 
 into society in France, they have claimed their share 
 in public affairs. Excluded from the throne and the 
 sceptre by the laws, they have frequently ruled by a 
 power stronger than all laws : and amidst a people 
 vain, frivolous, gallant, chivalric and fond of pleasure, 
 — a people among whom the men have in their char- 
 acter something of the woman, — the women have 
 taken their place in life by the side of the men. 
 
 Whenever the French armies have been engaged in 
 the neighborhood of France, there have always been 
 found many of those delicate and graceful females who 
 adorn the saloons of Paris, slain on the field of battle, 
 to which they had been led, not so much by a violent 
 passion for their lovers, — French women do not love 
 so violently, — as by a passion for that action and ad- 
 venture which they are willing to seek, even in a 
 camp. At the battle of Jemappes, General Dumourier 
 had for his aides-de-camp two of the most beautiful, 
 accomplished and delicate young women in the so- 
 
132 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 ciety of that time. Equally chaste and warlike, these 
 modem Camillas felt a veneration for the profession 
 of arms : they delighted in the smoke of the cannon 
 and the sound of the trumpet. In the most desperate 
 charges of the battle, their slender but animated voices 
 were heard rallying the flying regiments, and urging 
 on the attack ; and their waving plumes and Amazo- 
 nian garb were seen in the thickest of the fire. 
 
 It is not only in high society and “ good society ” 
 that we find the female in France taking an important 
 position. It is the same in the compting-room, the 
 cq/e, and the shop. She is there also the chief per- 
 sonage ; she is book-keeper, cash-keeper, and general 
 superintendent of the business. Go even into the 
 shop of a sword-maker or gunsmith, and it is an equal 
 chance that you will be waited on by a female, who 
 will handle the sword and recommend the gun ; and 
 there is a mixture of womanly gentleness and mas- 
 culine decision in the little creature, so easy, so un- 
 embarrassed, so prettily dressed and so delicately 
 shaped, which you are at a loss to reconcile with all 
 your preconceived notions of effrontery on the one 
 hand and efieminacy on the other. 
 
 In the eyes of Frenchmen, especially of the old 
 school, la helle France is the centre of all that is re- 
 fined and polished in human existence, and whatever 
 lies beyond its sphere is marked with a deep taint of 
 barbarism ; while their rougher neighbors brand them 
 as artificial, effeminate and fantastic. The art of liv- 
 ing in society certainly appears to be carried to a 
 greater perfection in F ranee than in any other country, 
 and the manners are characterized by a peculiar gaiety, 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 133 
 
 amenity and courtesy. The polish of the higher ranks 
 seems to have descended to the lowest circles. The 
 man who breaks stones upon the road takes off his hat 
 to the woman who leads a cow in a string. The tinker 
 and the shoe-black whip off their caps to each other. 
 A certain openness and kindness of disposition, called 
 honhommie^ is evinced in the custom which we have de- 
 scribed, of whole families with married sons and daugh- 
 ters continuing to dwell under the paternal roof. The 
 Frenchman lives, as it were, in public ; his house for 
 a part of the day, is open to a large circle of acquaint- 
 ance. He enjoys society without expense and cere- 
 mony. He resorts habitually to the theatre, spec- 
 tacles, and places of public amusement. In more 
 serious points of view, the French possess estimable 
 qualities. Intoxication is a vice confined to the lowest 
 ranks, and swearing is repelled, at least, as a mark of 
 barbarism. They are ingenious, acute, active and in- 
 telligent ; and if they ^lave not what can strictly be 
 called patriotism, they have, at least, a very strong 
 national feeling. 
 
 In speaking of the French people, we are too apt 
 only , to think of ParS, and to forget that the character 
 and condition of the nation at large is to be sought in 
 the great mass of the people throughout the country. 
 While the ladies of » the metropolis are perpetually 
 changing their dress, the costumes of the middle and 
 lower ranks are fixed by usage, and are subject to little 
 change. Every station has, indeed, its peculiar cos- 
 tume. The wife of a shopkeeper, or a milliner’s girl, 
 wears a dress equally distinct from that of a peasant 
 or a lady. A bonnet is considered as the exclusive 
 I XIX. — 12 
 
134 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 privilege of a lady, and no severity of weather would 
 induce a Frenchwoman, not entitled to this article of 
 attire, to adopt it. A cap, generally of an established 
 form, is the covering of the head which takes the 
 place of the bonnet. 
 
 The peasants in the different departments of France 
 have a costume peculiar to themselves. The most re- 
 markable variety is that of the women of Upper Nor- 
 mandy, who wear caps of starched muslin, sometimes 
 half a yard in height. They stand up perpendicularly, 
 and are ornamented with long lace lappets, called co~ 
 quilles. The hair is braided in front, and gathered up 
 in a mass behind. A short scarlet petticoat, black 
 jacket, colored apron, long gold earrings, and gold 
 hearts or crosses fastened to a black velvet ribbon 
 around the neck, complete the costume. Other styles 
 of dress, which have descended from generation to 
 generation, are to be found in different sections of the 
 country. Wooden shoes, called sabots^ though exceed- 
 ingly clumsy, are common with both sexes. 
 
 The peasantry, who constitute a great majority of 
 the people, are a truly respectable body. Many of 
 them are poor ; but their condition has been greatly 
 improved by the revolution, and their frugal habits 
 generally place them above want. Every cottage has 
 its cow, and a woman or boy maybe often seen attend- 
 ing this cherished animal while it is feeding along the 
 highway. 
 
 The women work in the fields with the men, even 
 more than in England, but it is hardly the toil of com- 
 pulsion or poverty. They are allowed to feel an equal- 
 ity, at least, in matters of property, and in many cases, 
 
FRANCE. 
 
 135 
 
 they have a leading share in the management of the 
 garden and the farm. ^ 
 
 Though Paris is the centre of gaiety, the same love 
 of amusement is observable throughout every part of 
 France. Great attention is paid to the religious fetes, 
 and nearly all the spare money of the laboring classes 
 is spent in these ceremonials. Almost every amuse- 
 ment and occasion of festivity is terminated by dancing. 
 In the most remote parts of the country, groups of 
 peasants may be seen at evening performing quadrilles 
 and waltzing under the trees, to the sound of a rustic 
 violin, and frequently singing in chorus. While the 
 gayer part of the people are thus engaged, the village 
 politicians assemble at the inn, where they take light 
 wines, engage in fierce debates, and sing convivial 
 songs. 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 At the period when Spain discovered the New 
 World, and conquered the rich and populous empires 
 of Mexico and Peru ; and when, not contented with 
 domineering over a great part of Europe, she agitated 
 and convulsed the remaining part by her intrigues and 
 military enterprises, the Spaniards became intoxicated 
 with national pride, which they exhibited in their 
 dress, language and writings. Spain is now one of 
 the weakest and poorest nations of Europe, but the 
 modern Spaniard still preserves in his air and gesture 
 the marks of his anhient greatness. Whether he 
 speaks or writes, his expressions have an exaggerated 
 turn, which approaches to bombast. He still retains 
 an exalted idea of his nation and of himself, and ex- 
 presses this without disguise. His vanity does not 
 show itself off with those pleasant exaggerations which 
 in the mouth of a Gascon provoke laughter rather than 
 anger ; but when he boasts, it is done gravely, and 
 with all the pomp of language. In a word, the Span- 
 iard is a Gascon who has put on the buskin. 
 
 But this loftiness and self-conceit are balanced by 
 some very estimable qualities, or rather are the source 
 of them. Individual as well as national pride elevates 
 the mind, so far as to guard against meanness ; and such 
 is the effect of Spanish haughtiness. In Spain there 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 137 
 
 are vices and crimes as in all other countries, but in gen- 
 eral, they bear this national characteristic, which may 
 be observed in the most obscure classes, in dungeons, 
 and even under rags and misery. The Spanish gravity, 
 which is proverbial, excludes what we call affability. 
 The politeness of the Spaniard does not anticipate, but 
 waits for you ; yet this austere covering frequently 
 conceals good feelings which a slight examination 
 may discover. Strangers to the grimace and ostenta- 
 tion of French politeness, the Spaniards are sparing 
 of professions ; their smile of benevolence is not merely 
 a courtesy, for their hearts commonly answer to their 
 features. The great among them have no dignity, if 
 by that word be meant a circumspection that fears to 
 provoke familiarity, and which looks less for affection 
 than respect ; they make no mortifying distinction of 
 classes, nor disdain to form connections with those 
 beneath them in rank. 
 
 Assassination was formerly common in Spain. 
 Every man of respectability had his assassins at com- 
 mand, who were regularly hired in the kingdom of 
 Valencia. This dreadful custom was in some measure 
 cherished by the species of weapon then in use, a trian- 
 gular poniard, c#ncealed under the cloak, and which 
 was drawn forth for vengeance in the moment of re- 
 sentment. The practice of carrying the poniard still 
 continues in some parts of Spain, but it is confined to 
 the lowest ranks. 
 
 It is seldom that the manners of a people are cor- 
 rected by violent and precipitate measures ; but in the 
 reign of Charles III. such an experiment was made in 
 Spain. The minister, Squillaci, determined to reform 
 12 * 
 
138 
 
 sPAm. 
 
 the national dress, which consisted of a long cloak and 
 slouched hat pulled over the face. In this dress, a 
 man could hardly recognize his most intimate friend, 
 and it was therefore favorable to the most dangerous 
 excesses. In order to abolish the use of these cloaks 
 in Madrid, the minister resorted to open force. Men 
 were posted at the corners of the streets, furnished 
 with shears, who clipped all such cloaks as exceeded 
 the prescribed length. Squillaci believed he should find 
 the Castilians as submissive as were the Russians in 
 the time of Peter the Great ; but the people mutinied, 
 the king was frightened, and sacrificed his minister. 
 The fashion of dress, so suddenly attacked, was in 
 part continued after his disgrace ; but milder and 
 slower measures, and the example of the court, added 
 to the activity of a vigilant police, have contributed 
 much to effect the desired object. 
 
 Almost every considerable town in Spain is provid- 
 ed with a public walk, where the better classes assem- 
 ble in the afternoon. These places are called Ala- 
 medas, from Alamo, a common name for the elm and 
 poplar — the trees which shade such places. Large 
 stone benches run in the direction of the alleys, where 
 people sit, either to rest themselves ^r to carry on a 
 long talk in whispers with the next lady, an amuse- 
 ment which, in the idiom of the country, is expressed 
 by the odd phrase of “ plucking the hen-turkey.’’ The 
 company in these walks presents a motley crowd of 
 officers in their regimentals, clergymen in their cas- 
 socks, black coats and broad-brimmed hats. The 
 ladies’ walking-dress is susceptible of little variety. 
 Nothing short of the house being on fire would oblige 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 139 
 
 a Spanish woman to step out of doors without a black 
 petticoat called a hasquina or saya, and a broad black 
 veil hanging from the head over the shoulders, and 
 crossed on the breast like a shawl, which they call 
 mantilla ; this being generally of silk, trimmed rou nd 
 with broad lace. In summer evenings some white 
 mantillas are seen ; but no lady would wear them in 
 the morning, much less venture into a church in so 
 profane a dress. 
 
 A showy fan is indispensable in all seasons, both 
 in and out of doors ; an Andalusian lady might as 
 well be without her tongue as without her fan. It has 
 this advantage over the natural organ of speech, that 
 it conveys thought to a greater distance. A dear 
 friend at the farthest end of the public walk is greeted 
 and cheered by a quick, tremulous motion of the 
 fan, accompanied with significant nods. An object of 
 indifference is dismissed with a slow, formal inclina- 
 tion of the fan, which makes his blood run cold. The 
 fan now screens the titter and whisper, now condenses 
 a smile into the dark, sparkling eyes, vvhich take aim 
 just above it. A gentle tap of the fan commands the 
 attention of the careless ; a waving motion calls the 
 distant ; a certain twirl between the fingers betrays 
 doubt and anxiety ; a quick closing and displaying the 
 folds indicate eagerness or joy. In perfect combina- 
 tion with the expressive features of the Spanish wo- 
 men, the fan is a magic wand whose power is more 
 easily felt than described. 
 
 The Spanish priesthood sometimes claim and exer- 
 cise a right to exclude from church such females as by 
 a showy dress might disturb the abstracted yet suscep- 
 
140 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 tible minds of the clergy ; consequently, the women, 
 especially those of the better class, are careful not to 
 venture to church in any dress but such as habit has 
 made familiar to the eyes of the zealots. Whatever 
 be the feelings that produce it, there is in Spain a sort 
 of standing crusade against the fair sex, which the 
 priests, except such as have been secretly gained over 
 to the enemy, carry on incessantly, though not with 
 the same vigor at all times. The main subject of 
 contention is a right claimed by the clergy to regulate 
 the dress of the ladies, and prevent the growth of such 
 arts of charming as might endanger the peace of the 
 church. Upon the appearance of a new fashion, the 
 ‘‘ drum ecclesiastic ” never fails to sound the war-note. 
 Innumerable were the sermons preached some years 
 ago against silk shoes — for the Spanish ladies are so 
 extravagant as to wear them out of doors, — the wear- 
 ing of which, especially if embroidered with silk or 
 gold, was declared by the soundest divines to be a 
 mortal sin. Patience, however, and that watchful 
 perseverance with which nature has armed the weaker 
 sex against the tyranny of the stronger, have gradually 
 obtained a toleration for silk shoes, while taste has ex- 
 tenuated the sin by banishing the embroidery. Yet 
 the demon of millinery had lately set up another 
 stumbling-block by slily suggesting to the ladies that 
 their dress was inconveniently long, and concealed 
 those fairy feet and ankles which are the pride of An- 
 dalusia. The evil was the more dangerous as its 
 progress was gradual and imperceptible. The petti- 
 coats shrunk at first by barleycorns ; half an inch was 
 then pared off by some bolder sempstress, till at length 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 141 
 
 the ground, the former place of safety for consecrated 
 eyes, was found thickset with snares. In vain have 
 the most powerful preachers thundered against this 
 abomination ; the case was hopeless. A point gained 
 upon petticoats was sure to he lost upon top-knots, and 
 when the pious were triumphing on the final subjec- 
 tion of projecting stays, a pin threw them into utter 
 confusion by altering its position on the orthodox 
 neck-kerchief. 
 
 The general style of architecture in Spain is that 
 adapted to hot countries, though there is some varia- 
 tion in the different kingdoms. The most common 
 form of houses is a quadrangle, with flat roofs, and an 
 area in the middle surrounded with colonnades or gal- 
 leries. In the centre is commonly a fountain, and in 
 summer a canopy is drawn over the top, and kept wet 
 to cool the air. Sometimes the lower windows have 
 iron grates. There are few chimneys in the south, 
 and the rooms are warmed by a pan or brazier of char- 
 coal. There are many noble Gothic and Arabic struc- 
 tures in Spain, and some remains of Eoman magnifi- 
 cence. 
 
 At the head of the amusements of the Spanish nation 
 must be placed one which belongs almost exclusively 
 to this country, and to which the Spaniards are sin- 
 gularly attached, notwithstanding its condemnation by 
 all the rest of Europe — namely, the bull fights. These 
 are exhibited mostly in summer, as the spectators are 
 obliged to remain in the open air, and the animals are 
 then more vigorous. Peculiar breeds are set apart for 
 this species of sacrifice. A list is delivered to the 
 spectators, in which are described the number and the 
 
142 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 country of the victims whose torture is intended for 
 their amusement. The exhibition takes place in an 
 amphitheatre with twenty rows of benches, the high- 
 est of which is most coveted; above these are the 
 boxes. In some cities where there is no regular 
 building for the bull-fights, a temporary amphitheatre 
 is erected in the public square. The sight of the peo- 
 ple of every class assembled, expecting the signal for 
 battle, and exhibiting in their countenances every sign 
 of joy and impatience, has a very animating effect. 
 
 The exhibition begins by a sort of procession, in 
 which the champions, on horseback and on foot, who 
 are to attack the fierce animal, make their appearance, 
 dressed in all the elegance of Spanish costume. The 
 picadores wear a round hat, and are half covered with 
 a short cloak, the sleeves of which float in the air ; 
 they have white skin gaiters, and are mounted on 
 horseback. Those on foot are dressed in the lightest 
 and neatest manner, and wear pumps. Both have 
 bright silk jackets, trimmed wfith ribands, and scarfs 
 of different colors. Their hair is bound up in large 
 silk nets, the fringes of which hang down to the mid- 
 dle. After the procession is finished, two alguazils on 
 horseback, in wigs and black robes, gravely advance to 
 the president of the fight for an order to begin. The 
 signal is immediately given. The bull, until then 
 shut up in a kind of pen, the door of which opens into 
 the circle, makes his appearance. The animal is at 
 first stunned by the shouts and noisy expressions of 
 w’^elcome uttered by the multitude. His first combat 
 is with the picadores, who wait for him, armed with 
 long lances. This exercise, which requires address. 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 143 
 
 strength and courage, has nothing in it degrading. 
 Formerly, the highest among the nobility did not dis- 
 dain to take a part in it. 
 
 The bull frequently attacks the picadores without 
 being provoked, and in this case, the spectators con- 
 ceive a high opinion of his courage. If, notwithstand- 
 ing the pointed steel which repels his attack, he again 
 returns to the charge, the cries are redoubled, and 
 pleasure rises to enthusiasm. But if the animal be 
 pacific, disconcerted and cowardly, and runs round the 
 circle, avoiding his persecutors, murmurs and hissing 
 resound throughout the amphitheatre. If nothing can 
 rouse his courage, he is judged unworthy of being 
 tormented by men, and the^ repeated cries of “ dogs ! 
 dogs ! bring on him new enemies. These are let 
 loose, and they seize him by the neck and ears. The 
 bull then applies his horns : the dogs are thrown into 
 the air, fall, rise again, renew the attack, and com- 
 monly overthrow their adversary, who thus ignobly 
 perishes. 
 
 On the other hand, if he behaves with courage, his 
 career is more glorious, but longer and more painful. 
 The first act of the tragedy belongs to the combatants 
 on horseback ; this is the most animated, but the most 
 bloody and disgusting part of the whole. The irritat- 
 ed animal braves the steel, which makes deep wounds 
 in his neck, falls furiously upon the horse, gores his 
 sides, and overturns him with his rider, who, in this 
 case, dismounted and disarmed, is in imminent dan- 
 ger, until the combatants on foot come to him and pro- 
 voke the animal, by shaking before him cloths of dif- 
 ferent colors. But it is not without danger to them- 
 
144 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 selves that they save the dismounted horseman ; the 
 bull often pursues them, and they have need of all 
 their agility to effect their escape. This is done by 
 dropping the piece of cloth, which is their only wea- 
 pon, and upon which the fury of the deceived animal 
 is exhausted. But it sometimes happens that he is 
 not thus imposed upon, and the champion has no other 
 resource than leaping over the barrier, six feet high, 
 which forms the interior of the circle. In some cases 
 the bull also leaps over this, when the alarm of the 
 spectators, and their crowding upon the upper benches, 
 create indescribable confusion. Sometimes he returns 
 to the charge ; his dismounted adversary having had 
 time to recover himself, immediately mounts his horse 
 again, provided he be not seriously wounded, and the 
 attack is renewed ; but the cavalier is frequently 
 obliged to change his horse ; sometimes seven or 
 eight horses have their bowels torn out by the same 
 bull, and fall dead on the field of battle. No words 
 can then sufficiently celebrate these acts of prowess, 
 which for several days are the favorite subjects of 
 conversation. The horses, astonishing examples of 
 patience, courage and docility, at times, before they 
 die, present a sight most revolting to humanity : they 
 tread under their feet the bloody entrails which fall 
 from their lacerated sides, yet still obey the hand 
 which guides them. 
 
 A new act in the piece now succeeds. When the bull 
 is deemed sufficiently tormented by the combatants on 
 horseback, these withdraw and leave him to the cham- 
 pions on foot, called banderillos, who meet the animal, 
 and at the moment when he attacks them, stick into 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 145 
 
 his neck a sort of arrows, pointed like fish-hooks and 
 ornamented with little streamers of colored paper. 
 The fury of the bull redoubles ; he roars and bellows, 
 but his vain efforts serve but to increase the anguish 
 occasioned by these weapons. This last torment gives 
 a fine opportunity for a display of the agility of his 
 new adversaries. The spectators at first tremble for 
 their safety, when they see them so near the horns of 
 the animal ; but their skilful hands inflict so sure a 
 blow, and they escape so nimbly from the danger, that 
 it appears little more than pastime. When the 
 strength of the bull appears almost exhausted, and his 
 blood, flowing from twenty wounds, pours from his 
 neck, the fury of the spectators is at last satiated. 
 The president now gives the sig"'^^ the animal's 
 death, which is announced by the sound of drums 
 and trumpets. The matador^ or slayer, advances and 
 remains alone in the circle ; in one hand he holds a 
 long knife, and in the other a sort of flag which he 
 waves before his enemy. At first, each stops and 
 looks at the other. The impetuosity of the bull is 
 several times avoided by the agility of the matador, 
 and the pleasure of the spectators is rendered more 
 lively by their suspense. 
 
 Sometimes the animal remains immoveable, scrap- 
 ing the ground with his feet, and seeming to meditate 
 vengeance. The bull in this situation, and the mata- 
 dor, who penetrates his design and carefully observes 
 his slightest motion, form a striking picture. The 
 assembly contemplate this dumb scene in silence. 
 
 At length the matador gives the fatal blow, and if 
 the animal immediately falls, the triumph of the con- 
 XIX.— 13 
 
146 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 queror is celebrated by a thousand exclamations ; but 
 if the blow be not decisive and the bull survive, the 
 murmurs are equally emphatic, and the matador is 
 looked upon as a clumsy butcher. He instantly re- 
 solves to retrieve his reputation ; his zeal becomes blind 
 fury, and his partizans tremble for his life. At length 
 he gives a successful blow ; the animal vomits streams 
 of blood, staggers and falls dead. The amphitheatre 
 rings with applauses, then mules covered with bells 
 and banners terminate the exhibition, dragging the 
 bull by his horns out of the arena. 
 
 Sometimes eighteen or twenty bulls are thus killed 
 in a single day. The last three are left exclusively 
 to the matador, who, deprived of all assistance from 
 the picadore.;^ ^’^’^^oys his dexterity to vary the 
 pleasure of the spectators. He sometimes allows an 
 intrepid stranger, mounted upon another bull, to com- 
 bat them ; at other times he turns a bear against them. 
 The last bull is particularly devoted to the entertain- 
 ment of the populace : the tips of his horns are covered 
 with a round case, which diminishes the effect of his 
 strokes ; the spectators descend in crowds to torment 
 him, each after his own way, and often pay for their 
 cruel pleasure by violent contusions : but the animal 
 always falls at last under the blows of the matador. 
 
 The Spaniards look upon the bull-fights as one 
 means of preserving in their nation a courageous and 
 energetic spirit : yet it is difficult to imagine how 
 these qualities can be nourished by a spectacle, where 
 those who look on are exposed to no danger, and 
 where the actors prove by the rarity of accidents, that 
 the hazard they run is not of a nature to excite much 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 147 
 
 concern. Spanish gentlemen sometimes fight in pub- 
 lic with the hulls ; hut this does not often take place, 
 except at the coronation of the kings and in their pres- 
 ence. Such noblemen as are able to engage in the 
 perilous sport, volunteer their services for the sake of 
 the reward, which is some valuable place under gcv- 
 ernment, if they prefer this to an order of knighthood. 
 They appear on horseback, attended by the first pro- 
 fessional fighters on foot. 
 
 The city corporation of Seville enjoy the singular 
 privilege of being the exclusive butchers of the place. 
 They alone have a right to kill and sell meat, which, — 
 passing through their noble hands, for this government 
 is entailed on the first Andalusian families — is the 
 worst and dearest in all Spain. Two droves of lean 
 cattle are brought every week, to a large slaughter- 
 house near one of the city gates. To walk in that 
 neighborhood when the cattle approach, is dangerous, 
 for notwithstanding the emaciated condition of the ani- 
 mals, and though many are oxen and cows, a crowd is 
 sure to collect, and by the waving of their cloaks, and 
 a sharp whistling, which they make through their fin- 
 gers, they generally succeed in dispersing the drove 
 in order to single out the fiercest for their amusement. 
 Nothing but the Spanish cloak is used on these occa- 
 sions. Holding it gracefully at arm’s length before 
 the body, so as to conceal the person from the breast 
 to the feet, they wave it in the eyes of the animal, 
 shaking their heads with an air of defiance, calling 
 out, “ Ha ! Toro, Toro ! ” The bull pauses a moment 
 before he rushes upon the nearest object, and shuts his 
 eyes, it is said, at the instant of pushing with his 
 
148 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 horns. The man, keeping his cloak suspended, flings 
 it over the head of the animal, while he glances his 
 body to the left just when the bull, urged forward by the 
 original impulse, must run on a few yards without 
 being able to turn upon his adversary, whom, upon 
 wheeling round, he finds prepared to delude him as 
 before. This sport is exceedingly lively, and when 
 practised by proficients in the art, is seldom attended 
 with danger. Within the walls of the slaughter-house, 
 however, is the place where the bull-fighters by profes- 
 sion are allowed to practise for improvement. A mem- 
 ber of the city corporation presides, and admits, gratis, 
 his friends, among whom, notwithstanding the filth 
 natural to such places, ladies do not disdain to appear. 
 The slaughter-house is so well known as a school for 
 bull-fighting that it bears the cant appellation of the 
 College, Many of the first noblesse have frequented 
 no other seminary : but this fashion is now wearing 
 away. 
 
 Among the amusements of the Spaniards may be 
 reckoned the festivals of the Catholic church, which 
 are so numerous that we have not room to specify 
 them. Many of the ceremonies do not yield in mag- 
 nificence and imposing effect, to those of any country 
 in Christendom. The attachment of the Spaniard to 
 J,lle external forms of his religion, is notorious. At 
 Seville, the Passion Week is celebrated with such a 
 degree of pomp and enthusiasm that the people have a 
 standing joke on the subject at the expense of the Se- 
 villians, and affirm that, on the arrival of the king in 
 that city during summer, it was moved by a worthy 
 member of the municipality to get up a Passion Week 
 extra, for the amusement of his majesty. 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 149 
 
 The attachment of the Spaniards to the Catholic 
 religion has long been such as to form a striking 
 national characteristic. The numbers of the clergy 
 and of the monastic orders have been proportionably 
 greater than in any other country. According to an 
 official statement drawn up in 1812, one fourth of the 
 landed property of the kingdom, beside tithes, and other 
 casual sources of income, belonged to the ecclesiastical 
 body, and their whole annual revenue was not less than 
 fifty-four millions of dollars. The income of some of 
 the higher clergy was immense, and the archbishop of 
 Toledo received at least three hundred and fifty thousand 
 dollars a year. 
 
 A revolution has, however, been effected in respect 
 to these abuses. The church property has been con- 
 fiscated, and the government has undertaken to support 
 the clergy. At the same time, by the constitution of 
 1836, the monasteries have been suppressed, at least 
 so far as to derive no support from law. It may be 
 proper, however, to give a sketch of one of the most 
 interesting circumstances connected with monastic in- 
 stitutions — that which withdraws a youthful female 
 from the active service of life, and consigns her forever 
 to the vigils of the cloister. 
 
 With profound sagacity the church has disguised these 
 awful rites with the pomp and gayety which mankind 
 have unanimously bestowed on the triumph of legitimate 
 love. The whole process is studiously made to represent 
 a wedding. The subject, generally in her fifteenth year, 
 finds herself, for some time previous to her taking the 
 veil, the queen, nay, the idol, of the whole monas- 
 tic community which has obtained her preference, 
 j 13* 
 
150 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 She is constantly addressed by the name of Iride^ and 
 sees nothing but gay preparations for the expected day 
 of her spiritual nuptials. 
 
 Attired in a splendid dress, and decked with the 
 jewels of her family and friends, she takes public leave 
 of her acquaintances, visits, on her way to the convent, 
 several other nunneries, to be seen and admired by 
 the recluse inhabitants, and even the crowds which 
 collect in her progress follow her with tears and bless- 
 ings. As she approaches the church of her monas- 
 tery, the dignified ecclesiastic who is to perform the 
 ceremony meets the intended novice at the door, and 
 leads her to the altar amid the sounds of bells and 
 musical instruments. The monastic weeds are blessed 
 by the priest in her presence ; and, having embraced 
 her parents and nearest relations, she is led by the 
 lady who acts as bride’s-maid to the small door next 
 to the double grating which separates the nuns’ choir 
 from the body of the church. A curtain is drawn, 
 while the abbess cuts off the hair of the novice, and 
 strips her of her worldly ornaments. On the removal 
 of the curtain, she appears in the monastic garb, sur- 
 rounded by the nuns bearing lighted tapers, her face 
 covered with the white- veil of probationship, fixed on 
 the head by a wreath of flowers. After the Te Deum^ 
 or some other hymn of thanksgiving, the friends of 
 the family partake' of a collation of ices and sweet- 
 meats, which are served up in the presence of the 
 seeming bride, who, with the principal nuns, attends 
 behind the grating which separates the visitors from 
 the inmates of the convent. In the more rigid estab- 
 lishments, the parting visit is omitted, and the sight of 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 151 
 
 the novice in the white veil, immediately after having 
 her hair cut olf, is the last which, for a whole year, is 
 granted to the parents. They again see her on the 
 day when she binds herself with the irrevocable vows, 
 never to behold her more, unless they should live to 
 see her again crowned with flowers when she is laid 
 in the grave. 
 
 Instances of novices quitting the convent during the 
 year of probation are extremely rare. The ceremony 
 of taking the veil is too solemn, and bears too much 
 the character of a public engagement, to allow full 
 liberty of choice during the subsequent novitiate. The 
 timid mind of a girl shrinks from the idea of appearing 
 again in the world under the tacit reproach of fickle- 
 ness and relaxed devotion. The nuns, besides, do not 
 forget their duty during the nominal trial of the novice, 
 and she lives a whole year the object of their caresses. 
 The vow once taken, the devotee bids an eternal adieu 
 to the world. 
 
 The severity of the discipline, to which the nuns are 
 subjected, varies in different institutions. Their dress 
 is a tunic of sackcloth, tied round the waist with a 
 knotted rope. The general rule allows them no linen, 
 either for clothing or bedding. Woollen of the coarsest 
 kind frets their bodies day and night, even during the 
 burning heats of summer. A mantle of the same 
 sackcloth is the only addition which the nuns make to 
 their dress in winter ; while their feet, shod with open 
 sandals, and without either socks or stockings, are 
 exposed to the sharp winter blasts, and the deadening 
 chill of the brick floors. A band of coarse linen, two 
 inches in breadth, is worn by the Capuchin nuns, 
 
152 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 bound six or eight times round the head, in remem- 
 brance, it is said, of the crown of thorns. The utmost 
 indulgence, as to communication with parents and 
 brothers, extends to a short conversation once a month, 
 in the presence of one of the elder nuns, behind a 
 thick curtain spread on the inner side of an iron 
 grating, which completely intercepts the view. Even 
 this was not allowed among the Capuchin nuns, and 
 the religious vows put a final end to all intercourse 
 between the child “ given up to God ” and her earthly 
 parents. 
 
 Such was the character of the nunneries of Spain, 
 up to a recent date. The ecclesiastical establishments 
 of the country are still in an unsettled state, and the 
 final issue of the late changes cannot yet be foreseen ; 
 but there is good reason to hope that the harsh features 
 of these institutions will soon disappear before the 
 softening influence of civilization, already advancing, 
 even in that country, with rapid strides. 
 
 Nothing contrasts more strongly with the general 
 gravity of the Spaniards than their favorite dance, the 
 fandango — a pastime truly national, and full of ex- 
 pression, and one which foreigners at first behold with 
 disapprobation, but with which they become fascinated 
 at last. No sooner does the music of the fandango 
 strike up, than every countenance becomes animated, 
 and even those among the spectators who, from their 
 age and profession, are most inclined to gravity, have 
 much difficulty in preventing themselves from joining 
 in the cadence. It is related that the court of Rome, 
 scandalized that a country renowned for the purity of 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 153 
 
 Its faith, should tolerate this profane dance, resolved to 
 pronounce its formal condemnation. An ecclesiastical 
 consistory was assembled, the prosecution of the fan- 
 dango was begun, and sentence was about to be thun- 
 dered against it, when one of the judges observed that 
 a criminal ought not to be condemned 'without being 
 heard. This suggestion was approved by the assem- 
 bly : two persons were brought in and there exhibited 
 all the graces of the fandango, to the sound of music. 
 The severe temper of the judges was not proof against 
 the exhibition ; their austere countenances began by 
 degrees to relax ; they rose from their seats ; their 
 limbs began to move in cadence with the tune ; the 
 court of consistory was suddenly changed into a hall 
 of dancers, and the fandango was acquitted. 
 
 After such a triumph it may be imagined that com- 
 mon scruples have but little effect against this bewitch- 
 ing dance, and its empire seems to be fully established. 
 It is, however, different in different places. It is fre- 
 quently called for at the theatre, and generally closes 
 private dances. In these cases, the peculiar character 
 is no more than lightly indicated ; but on other occa- 
 sions, where a few persons assembled, shake off all 
 scruples, the meaning is then so marked that the ex- 
 hibition approaches at least the limits of modesty. 
 They have in Spain, a dance yet more voluptuous 
 than the fandango, called the Bolero^ but it belongs 
 rather to the provinces than to the capital. Andalusia,, 
 in particular, appears to be its natural country ; a rem- 
 nant of decency has banished it generally from private 
 balls ; it is, however, given on the stage. A third 
 dance peculiar to the Spaniards is the Sequidilla. A 
 
154 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 Spanish female practising this dance, dressed in char- 
 acter, accompanying the instruments with castanets, 
 and marking the measures with uncommon precision, 
 is esteemed one of the most seducing objects which 
 love can employ to extend his empire. The Spaniards 
 have a decided taste for dancing, and private balls are 
 very frequent. They have a sort of president, called 
 bastonero, whose duty it is to see that good order 
 reigns in the midst of pleasure. 
 
 The Spaniards in general seldom assemble to dine 
 or sup at each other’s houses. They are little ac- 
 quainted with the innocent and healthful pleasures of 
 the country ; and few among them are fond even of 
 the chase, which in England is pursued with a fond- 
 ness amounting to a passion. The rich Spaniards con- 
 centrate all their pleasures within the cities. Music 
 is one of those for which all classes have the greatest 
 taste,- and they cultivate this art with success ; not 
 that their national music has made any great progress : 
 it is to be found mostly in little detached airs called 
 toriadillos and seguidillas : these are sometimes agree- 
 able melodies, but the modulations are little varied, 
 and show that the art of composition is still in its 
 infancy. 
 
 Balls and concerts are not the only entertainments 
 at which the Spaniards assem.ble. They have their 
 tertuUas and refrescos. The former are assemblies 
 similar to the Italian conversazioni. Women in gene- 
 ral seek occasions to meet together : each ftspires to 
 be the centre of a tertulia, and exclusive pretensions 
 contribute to banish from Spanish society what is 
 called French gallantry. The refrescos contribute no 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 155 
 
 less than the tertulias to facilitate the intercourse be- 
 tween the sexes. In general, these are only light 
 repasts, prepared for persons from whom visits are 
 received, and are a sort of prelude to the tertulias : but 
 on great occasions, as when a wedding, christening, 
 or the birth-day of the head of the family is to be cele- 
 brated, the refresco becomes an important and expen- 
 sive affair. All the family acquaintances are invited, 
 and as they arrive, the men are separated from the 
 women. The latter take their seats in a particular 
 room, and etiquette requires that they should remain 
 alone till all the company be assembled, or at least 
 until the men stand up without approaching them. The 
 lady of the house waits for the company under a canopy 
 in a place set apart in the hall. The appearance of 
 refreshments at length enlivens every countenance and 
 infuses joy into every heart : conversation becomes 
 animated, and the two sexes approach each other. 
 The company are first offered great glasses of water, 
 in which sugar has been dissolved ; these are succeed- 
 ed by chocolate, the favorite refreshment, twice a day, 
 of the Spaniards. After the chocolate comes confec- 
 tionary of all sorts. People are not only cloyed with 
 it in the house of festivity, but they carry away quanti- 
 ties in papers, and even in their hats and handkerchiefs. 
 A stranger admitted for the first time to this sort of 
 festival, in which intoxicating liquors only are spared, 
 can hardly believe the Spaniards to be the grave and 
 sober people which he has imagined them. A ball or 
 card-table commonly follows the refresco, and the enter- 
 tainment is sometimes concluded with a supper. 
 
 Breakfast in Spain is not a regular meal. It gene- 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 lo6 
 
 rally consists of chocolate, and buttered toast or muf- 
 fins. Irish salt butter is very much in use, as the heat 
 of the climate does not allow the luxuries of the dairy, 
 except in the mountainous tracts in the north. Every 
 one calls for his chocolate whenever it suits him, and 
 most people take it when they come from m.ass, a 
 ceremony seldom omitted, even by those who cannot 
 he reckoned among the highly religious. After break- 
 fast, the gentlemen repair to their occupations ; and the 
 ladies, who seldom call upon one another, often enjoy 
 the amusement of music, and a sermon at church. 
 About noon the ladies are “ at home,” where, employ- 
 ed at their needle, they expect the morning calls of 
 their friends. Supper is a frugal repast, and one at 
 which the family rarely assemble. 
 
 The cookery of the Spaniards, such as they received 
 it from their ancestors, is not of a nature to please 
 strangers. They are fond of high seasonings ; pepper, 
 pimento and saffron season or color most of their 
 dishes. One of them, only, has found favor out of 
 Spain, and the French kitchen has not disdained to 
 adopt it. This is the olla podrida, a sort of hotch- 
 potch of every kind of meat cooked together. There 
 is, however, generally a mixture in Spanish cookery, 
 except in some obscure families attached to ancient 
 customs; in most houses, it participates of the French 
 mode, and in some, this has wholly supplanted that 
 of Spain. When a Spaniard gives a dinner, which 
 is a rare occurrence, it is cooked at the inn, and knives, 
 forks and dishes are sent with it ; for there is no very 
 abundant supply of these articles in Spanish houses. 
 It is not considered proper for a guest to accept at 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 157 
 
 once an invitation to dine ; he replies by giving 
 “ a thousand thanks,” which is equivalent to declining 
 respectfully. On the invitation being repeated, he 
 says, “ Do not engage in such a concern ; ” and it is 
 only the third invitation which he thinks it decent to 
 accept. 
 
 The wines of Spain are excellent, but the best of 
 them are hardly known out of the country, as they are 
 the produce of the interior of a territory that is with- 
 out roads or canals. The wdnes of the interior are 
 generally transported in lorrachos, or bags of skins, 
 which communicate an unpleasant taste to the liquor. 
 Notwithstanding the abundance and cheapness of wine 
 and brandy, such a thing as intoxication is hardly 
 known among the people. 
 
 The Spaniards travel but little. The roads are bad, 
 the vehicles are bad, and the inns are bad ; to which 
 may be added, the danger from robbers. The incon- 
 venience and hazard, as well as the expense attending 
 journeys are such, that hardly any one travels for 
 pleasure or curiosity. Most Spaniards pass the whole 
 of their lives within their own province, and few among 
 the females ever lose sight of the town that gave them 
 birth. The most comfortable mode of travelling, on 
 the whole, is on horseback or on mules. Travellers 
 commonly provide themselves with a short loose jacket 
 and small clothes of brown serge ; thick leather gait- 
 ers ; a cloak tied up in a roll on the pommel of the 
 saddle, and a stout spencer. Each man is armed with 
 a musket, hanging by a hook on a ring, which all trav- 
 elling saddles are furnished with for that purpose. 
 Robbers seldom attack people on horseback, provided 
 XIX. — 14 
 
158 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 they take care never to pass any wooded ground with- 
 out separating to the distance of a musket shot from 
 each other. 
 
 The best sort of country inn consists of a large hall 
 contiguous to the street or road, and paved with 
 round stones. At one end of this hall is a large hearth, 
 raised about a foot from the ground. A wood, fire is 
 constantly burning upon it, and travellers of all ranks 
 and degrees are glad to take a seat near it, where they 
 enjoy the wit and humor of the carriers, coachmen and 
 clowns, and a close view of the hostess, or her maid, 
 dressing successively in the same frying-pan, now an 
 omelet of eggs and onions, now a dish of fried fish 
 with oil and tomatos, or, it may be, the limbs of a 
 tough fowl, which but a few moments before had been 
 strutting about the house. The doors of the bed- 
 rooms, as well as that of the stable yard, all open into 
 the hall. Leaving a sufficient space for carriages and 
 horses to cross from the front door to the stables, the 
 Spanish carriers, who travel in parties of twenty or 
 thirty men and double that number of mules, range 
 themselves at night along the walls, each upon his 
 large pack-saddle, with no other covering than a kind 
 of horse-cloth. In some inns, the traveller may find a 
 meal, but in others they can only cook such provisions 
 as he has carried with him. 
 
 On some of the roads there are diligences drawn by 
 mules, affording a tolerably comfortable conveyance ; 
 another vehicle is called a galera, or galley, a long 
 covered wagon for passengers and merchandize. No 
 part of Spain is free from robbers; and if they find little 
 to plunder on a traveller, they usually give him a 
 
SPAIN. 
 
 159 
 
 severe beating ; it is therefore not uncommon to carry 
 a silver watch of small value, and a few dollars in 
 silver, to be surrendered as a peace-offering. This is 
 considered as one of the regular expenses of the road, 
 and the rest of the money is taken in drafts. There 
 are often guards to the diligences, but they have some- 
 times an understanding with the robbers, and the dan- 
 ger of the traveller is thought to be in proportion to 
 the strength of his escort. Some diligences compound 
 with the robbers, who are often well known, by pay- 
 ing black mail for security. 
 
 Spain is little visited by those who travel for health 
 or pleasure ; the inhabitants do not receive foreigners 
 with a welcome, especially those of the Protestant reli- 
 gion. Improvement, and innovations of every sort, 
 have been systematically opposed by the government, 
 and the condition of the people has been kept so sta- 
 tionary, that the Spanish character has suffered less 
 change for many centuries than, perhaps, that of any 
 other nation in Christendom. There is a saying that 
 Adam once returned to the earth, where he recognised 
 no country but Spain. “ Ah,’’ said he, “ this is 
 exactly as I left it.” 
 
 The manners and customs of the Portuguese are 
 so similar to those of Spain, that in a general work, 
 like the present, it seems unnecessary to notice them 
 separately. The language of Portugal is so similar to 
 Spanish, that it may be regarded as a dialect of that 
 tongue. 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 The Gypsies are a singular phenomenon in Europe. 
 They are a people scattered among almost all the 
 continental nations, hut entirely distinct from the rest 
 of the population. What appears particularly worthy 
 of remark is, that neither lapse of time, nor climate, 
 nor the example or institutions of the nations ammng 
 whom they dwell, seem to exert the slightest influence 
 upon them. For a period of more than four hundred 
 years they have been strolling over Europe like 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 161 
 
 foreigners and strangers ; they are found in the east- 
 ern and western countries, among rude and indolent, 
 as well as among civilized and active people ; yet they 
 remain everywhere what their fathers were. Africa 
 makes them no blacker, nor Europe whiter ; they 
 neither learn to be lazy in Spain, nor diligent in Ger- 
 many ; they neither reverence Christ in Christendom, 
 nor Mahomet in Turkey. Around them, on every side, 
 they see fixed dwellings with settled inhabitants : they, 
 nevertheless, go on in their own way, and continue 
 for the most part unsettled, roving pilferers and 
 robbers. 
 
 When we search for similar cases among races of 
 men who have quitted their mother country and 
 inhabited a foreign land, we do not meet with a single 
 instance parallel to this. History, indeed, informs us 
 of people who have migrated to strange countries, 
 hut they have either been expelled by conquerors, or 
 have been the conquerors themselves, and in all cases, 
 have adopted, more or less, the manners of their new 
 homes. The Franks became Gauls in the country 
 which they conquered. The Mantchoo Tartars van- 
 quished the Chinese, hut were themselves vanquished 
 by the civilization of China. It is difficult to explain, 
 therefore, how the Gypsies, who never established 
 themselves in any country by force, and, being bigoted 
 to their manners and customs by religion, never obtained 
 toleration from government, remain unchanged, and 
 resemble each other exactly in every place. It is no- 
 where recorded, in what year, or in what part of 
 Europe, the Gypsies made their first appearance ; hut 
 it is clear that they did not originate in this quarter of 
 14 * 
 
162 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 the globe. The names by which they are known differ 
 according to the country in which they reside, though, 
 with one or two exceptions, not materially. In Russia 
 they are styled Zigani ; in Turkey and Persia, Zin- 
 garri ; in Germany, Zigeuner ; and in Spain, Zincali. 
 The meaning of this last word is believed to be the 
 black men of Zend or Ind, In Spain they are also 
 called Gitanos, and in England, Gypsies, from a gen- 
 eral belief that they were originally Egyptians. In 
 France they are known by the name of Bohemians, 
 from the circumstance that Bohemia was the first 
 country in civilized Europe where they attracted 
 attention, though there is reason for supposing that 
 they had been wandering in the remote regions of 
 Sclavonia for a considerable time previous. But the 
 Gypsies generally style themselves, and the language 
 which they speak, Rommany, a word of Sanscrit 
 origin, signifying The Husbands, or what belongs to 
 them. 
 
 Mention is made of them in Germany as early as 
 the year 1417, when they appeared in the vicinity of 
 the North Sea ; the next year we find them in Swit- 
 zerland. In 1422 they were known in Italy, and a few 
 years after, in France and Spain. They did not travel 
 in a single body, but in separate hordes, each having 
 its leader, sometimes called a count ; others gave 
 themselves out for dukes and kings of Lesser Egypt. 
 People believed them to be Egyptians and pilgrims, who 
 were constrained to wander on some religious account. 
 The Gypsies told fabulous stories to spread this belief, 
 and these were received with such credulity, that they 
 were everywhere allowed free passage. This golden 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 163 
 
 age of the Gypsies lasted half a century, when their 
 impostures were exposed, and they were discovered to 
 he vagabonds and robbers. From this period they be- 
 gan to suffer persecution. 
 
 From an examination of their language, there 
 seems little doubt that the Gypsies came originally 
 from Hindostan, and that they left that country at the 
 time of the invasion of Timour. They seem to have 
 belonged to one of the very lowest of the classes of Hin- 
 doos, which resemble them at the present day in their 
 appearance and habits, especially in their fondness for 
 carrion and other unclean food. The Gypsies have 
 no traditions or records concerning their origin, and 
 are as ignorant on this subject as the American 
 Indians. They have, however, many eastern notions, 
 and are strongly attached to their own habits ; every 
 custom, every fancy, which has once been current 
 among them, be it ever so noxious or absurd, is invaria- 
 bly preserved ; and any affection which has once pre- 
 dominated in their minds, retains its dominion for ages. 
 
 A traveller who has had opportunities of observing 
 these people in almost every country where they exist, 
 assures us that the Gypsy race is by nature the most 
 beautiful, perhaps, in the world ; but exposure to the 
 rays of the burning sun, the biting of the frost, and 
 the pelting of the rain and snow, destroys their beauty 
 at a very early age ; and if in infancy their personal 
 advantages are remarkable, their ugliness at an ad- 
 vanced age is no less so ; for then it is loathsome, and 
 even appalling, verifying the adage that it requires an 
 angel to make a demon. 
 
 We may begin our description with the Gypsies of 
 
164 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 Russia, who are found in all parts of that country, 
 excepting at St. Petersburg, from which they have been 
 banished. In most of the provincial towns they are to 
 be found, in a half civilized state, supporting themselves 
 by trafficking in horses and doctoring those animals ; 
 but the greater part reject a settled life, and traverse 
 the country in bands, — the immense grassy plains of 
 Russia affording pasturage for their herds of cattle, on 
 which, and the produce of the chase, they chiefly de- 
 pend for subsistence ; they also practise fortune-telling, 
 and sometimes robbery. Their power of resisting cold 
 is wonderful : it is not uncommon to find them encamp- 
 ed in the midst of the snow, in slight canvas tents, 
 when the weather is twenty-five or thirty degrees 
 below zero. 
 
 Russia exhibits a phenomenon in the history of this 
 strange people unparalleled in any other quarter. 
 Among the Gypsies of Moscow there are many who 
 inhabit stately houses, go abroad in elegant equipages, 
 and are not behind the higher order of Russians, either 
 in appearance or mental acquirements. To the female 
 part of the Gypsy colony of Moscow is to be attrib- 
 uted the merit of this partial rise from degradation. 
 They had for a long time so successfully cultivated 
 the vocal art, that the Gypsy choirs there were un- 
 rivalled in excellence. It is a fact well known in 
 Russia, that the famous Catalani was so enchanted 
 with the performance of one of these songsters — (who, 
 after the former had displayed her noble Italian talent 
 before a splendid audience at Moscow, stepped for- 
 ward and with an astonishing burst of almost angelic 
 melody, enraptured every ear) — that she tore from her 
 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 165 
 
 own shoulders a Cashmere shawl, which had been 
 presented to her by the Pope, and, embracing the 
 Gypsy, insisted on her acceptance of the splendid gift. 
 The sums obtained by these Gypsy females in the 
 exercise of their art, enable them to support their rel- 
 atives in affluence. Some of them are married to 
 Russians of character and standing in society. 
 
 The Gypsy, wherever you find him, is an incom- 
 prehensible being, but nowhere more so than in Hun- 
 gary, where, in the midst of slavery, he is free, though 
 apparently one step lower than the lowest slave. The 
 habits of the Hungarian Gypsies are abominable ; their 
 hovels are sinks of the vilest filth, their dress is rags, 
 and their food the vilest carrion ; — yet no people are 
 merrier : they sing and dance perpetually, and play 
 the violin with great skill. They are addicted to 
 horse-dealing, and are likewise tinkers and smiths in 
 a small way ; the women tell fortunes ; of course, both 
 sexes are thieves of the first rank. They roam wher- 
 ever they please, and in a country where the actions 
 of all other people are strictly watched, nobody seems 
 to care for these vagabonds. They make foreign ex- 
 cursions for plunder, which frequently last three or four 
 years ; if no mischance befalls them, they return very 
 rich, and squander their wealth, in mad festivals. 
 When Napoleon invaded Spain, there were many 
 Hungarian Gypsies in his armies, and some strange 
 encounters occurred on the field of battle, between 
 these people and the Spanish Gitanos. When they 
 were quartered in the Spanish towns, the Hungarians 
 invariably sought out their peninsular brethren, to 
 whom they revealed themselves, kissing and embra- 
 
 K 
 
166 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 cing most affectionately. The Gitanos were astonished 
 at tne proficiency of the strangers in thievish arts, and 
 looked upon them almost as superior beings. “ They 
 knew the whole reckoning,” is still a common expres- 
 sion among them. The Hungarian Gypsies have a 
 peculiar accent when speaking the language of the 
 country, by which they can be instantly distinguished ; 
 the same is true of the Gitanos of Spain, in speaking 
 Spanish. In no part of the world is the Gypsy lan- 
 guage preserved better than in Hungary. 
 
 The Gypsies appeared in England three centuries 
 ago ; but shortly after their arrival, a dreadful perse- 
 cution was raised against them, the aim of which was 
 their utter extermination. The gallows groaned under 
 the weight of their carcasses, and the miserable sur- 
 vivors were obliged literally to creep into the earth, 
 in order to save their lives. But these days passed 
 by ; their persecutors became weary of pursuing them ; 
 they showed their heads from the holes and caves in 
 which they had hidden themselves ; they ventured 
 forth, increased in numbers, and each tribe or family 
 taking a particular circuit, they fairly divided the land 
 among them. 
 
 In England the Gypsy men are all horse-jockeys, 
 and sometimes devote their leisure to tinkering ; the 
 women tell fortunes. They usually pitch their tents 
 in the neighborhood of a yillage or small town, by the 
 road side, under the shelter of the hedges and trees. 
 The English Gypsies are the handsomest of all their 
 race ; they speak English with fluency, and in their 
 gait and demeanor are easy and graceful. Their 
 native dialect is mixed with many English words, yet 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 167 
 
 it may be considered as tolerably pure, from tbe fact 
 that it is intelligible to the Gipsy race in the heart of 
 Russia. The English Gypsies are constant attendants 
 at the race-course, and they are fond of resorting to 
 the prize-ring. 
 
 In France the Gypsies are not numerous, having 
 been almost entirely extirpated by the rigid police of 
 that country. In Italy there is, or was, a general law, 
 directing that no Gypsies shall remain longer than two 
 nights in any one place. They are scattered, though 
 not in great numbers, over Germany, Denmark and 
 Sweden. In the east, they are either found wander- 
 ing among the deserts and mountains, or settled in 
 towns, supporting themselves by horse-dealing, jug- 
 glery, music and singing. In no part of the east are 
 they more numerous than in Turkey, especially in 
 Constantinople, where the females frequently enter the 
 harems of the great, pretending to cure children of the 
 “ evil eye,” and to interpret the dreams of the women. 
 They are not unfrequently seen in coffee-houses, 
 exhibiting their figures in the dance. Many are deal- 
 ers in precious stones, and some of them vend poisons. 
 In no part of the world are they found engaged in the 
 cultivation of the earth, or in the service of a regular 
 master; but in all lands they are thieves, jockeys or 
 cheats, and any trade which they may assume, amounts 
 in substance to one of these. • They may be found in 
 the most desert parts of Spain, in the heart of a wild 
 mountain, hammering iron, and manufacturing from it 
 instruments either for their own use or that of the 
 neighboring towns and villages. They may be seen 
 employed in the same manner in the plains of Russia, 
 
168 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 or in the bosom of its eternal forests ; and whoever 
 inspects the site where a horde of Gypsies has en^ 
 camped in the grassy lanes beneath the hazel bushes 
 of England, is generally sure to find relics of tin and 
 other metals, showing that they have been there exer- 
 cising the art of the tinker or smith. Perhaps nothing 
 speaks more forcibly for the antiquity of this people 
 than the tenacity with which they have uniformly 
 held on to their peculiar customs since the period of 
 their becoming generally known. 
 
 Of the Spanish Gypsies we have a more minute 
 and satisfactory account than of those in any other 
 country. Their numbers at present are estimated at 
 forty thousand. It seems that for many years after 
 ^their arrival in the peninsula, their manners and hab- 
 its underwent no change ; they were Avanderers in the 
 strictest sense of the word, and lived much in the same 
 way as their brethren exist at the present day in Eng- 
 land, Russia, and other countries, with the exception, 
 perhaps, of being more reckless and mischievous, and 
 having less respect for the laws. Arriving in Spain 
 with a predisposition to every species of crime and 
 villany, they were not likely to be reclaimed or im- 
 proved by the example of the natives, nor was it pro- 
 bable that they would entertain much respect for laws 
 which, from time immemorial, have principally served, 
 not '^to protect the honest and useful members of soci- 
 ety, but to enrich those intrusted with the administra- 
 tion of them. Thus, if they became thieves, it was 
 not probable that they Avould be ashamed of the title of 
 thief in Spain, where the officers of justice were ever 
 willing to shield an offender on receiving the largest 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 169 
 
 portion of the booty obtained. If on their arrival, they 
 held the lives of others in low estimation, could it be 
 expected that they would become gentle as lambs in a 
 country where blood had its price, and where the 
 shedder of blood was seldom punished unless he was 
 poor and friendless, and unable to bribe the magistrates ? 
 Therefore, if the Spanish Gypsies have been worse than 
 the others of their race, it must be ascribed to their 
 residence among a people unsound in every part of 
 their civil polity, and with whom right has ever been 
 held in less regard, and wrong in less disrespect, than 
 in any other part of the world. 
 
 It was not uncommon for a large band or tribe to 
 encarnp in the neighborhood of a remote* village, scant- 
 ily peopled, and to remain there till, like a swarm of 
 locusts, they had consumed everything which the 
 inhabitants possessed for their support ; or until they 
 were scared away by the officers of justice, or by an 
 army of rustics assembled from the surrounding coun- 
 try. Then followed a hurried march ; the women 
 and children, mounted on lean but spirited asses, 
 scoured along the plains fleeter than the wind ; ragged 
 and savage-looking men, wielding the scourge and 
 goad, scampered by their side or close behind, whilst 
 a small party, on strong horses, armed with rusty 
 matchlocks and sabres, brought up the rear, threaten- 
 ing the distant foe, and now and then saluting them 
 with a hoarse blast from a Gypsy horn. 
 
 Let us for a moment suppose some unfortunate tra- 
 veller, mounted on a handsome mule or a beast of 
 some value, meeting, unarmed and alone, such a rab- 
 ble rout at the close of the day, in the wildest part, for 
 XIX. — 15 
 
170 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 example, of La Mancha : we will suppose that he is 
 journeying from Seville to Madrid, and that he has, 
 left at a considerable distance behind him, the gloomy 
 and horrible passes of the Sierra Morena. His bosom, 
 which, for some time past, has been contracted with 
 dreadful forebodings, is beginning to expand ; his 
 blood, which had been chilled in his veins, is begin- 
 ning to circulate warmly and freely; he is fondly 
 anticipating the distant inn and savory omelet. The 
 sun is sinking rapidly behind the wild mountains in 
 his rear ; he has reached the bottom of a small valley 
 where runs a rivulet, at which he allows his tired 
 animal to drink ; he is about to ascend the side of the 
 hill; his eyes are turned upwards; suddenly he be- 
 holds strange and uncouth forms at the top of the 
 : ascent ; the descending sun slants his rays upon 
 red cloaks, with here and there a turbaned head, or 
 long streaming hair. The traveller hesitates ; but, 
 reflecting that he is no longer in the mountains, and 
 that in the open road there is no danger of banditti, 
 he advances. In a moment he is in the midst of a 
 Gypsy group, and there is a general halt ; fiery eyes 
 are turned upon him, full of intense expression ; he 
 hears a jabbering in a language unintelligible to his 
 ears. At length an ugly looking urchin springs from 
 the crupper of a halting mule, and in a lisping accent, 
 entreats charity in the name of the Virgin. The 
 traveller, with a faltering hand, produces his purse. 
 In an instant, a huge knotted club from an unseen 
 hand, strikes him headlong from his mule. Next 
 morning, a naked corse, smeared with blood and brains, 
 is found upon the road, and within a week a simple 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 171 
 
 cross marks the spot, and records the event, according 
 to the custom of Spain. Such are the anecdotes 
 related, by the old Spanish writers, of these people. 
 It is singular that, although the Gypsies have always 
 rejected the Christian faith, yet the Inquisition, which 
 burnt so many Jews and Moors, and conscientious 
 Christians, seems to have exhibited the greatest clem- 
 ency and forbearance toward these vagrant unbe- 
 lievers. There is not a single instance known of their 
 interference with them. The duty of restraining their 
 excesses, was abandoned entirely to the secular author- 
 ities, more particularly to the Holy Brotherhood, a 
 kind of police instituted for the purpose of clearing the 
 roads of robbers. It has been suggested that most of 
 the persecutions which have arisen in Spain against 
 Jews, Moors, and Protestants, sprang from avarice — 
 religion being assumed as a mask to conceal the 
 basest motives which ever led to the commission of 
 crying injustice. Tihe Gypsies were too poor to 
 attract the attention of the Holy Office. 
 
 The Spanish Gypsies have, to a considerable de- 
 gree, renounced their wandering life, and their name 
 is no longer a sound of terror to the peaceable travel- 
 ler. By residing in towns, they have insensibly be- 
 come more civilized than their ancestors, Avho passed 
 the greater part of their time among the deserts and 
 mountains. Their habits and manners are less fero- 
 cious, for all wandering tribes may be ranked among 
 the savage people of the earth, whose very reason 
 is little better than instinct. The culture of their 
 minds has not been entirely neglected, and on the 
 whole their education and acquirements are not infe- 
 
172 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 rior to those of the lower classes of the Spaniards. It is 
 not uncommon to find among the men, especially of the 
 rising generation, individuals able to read and write. 
 Among the women, such instances do not occur, hut 
 the great majority of the Spanish females are en- 
 tirely uneducated, many even of respectable station 
 being quite ignorant of letters. During the last five 
 or six years,* owing to the civil wars, the ties which 
 unite society have been considerably relaxed in Spain ; 
 the law has been trampled under foot, and the greater 
 part of the country overrun with robbers and mis- 
 creants, who, under pretence of carrying on partisan 
 warfare, have committed the most frightful excesses, 
 plundering and murdering the defenceless inhabitants. 
 Such a state of things would have aflforded the Gyp- 
 sies a favorable opportunity to resume their former 
 mode of life, and wander about stealing and robbing. 
 But it is certain that they have not sought to repeat 
 their ancient excesses ; but ha\e gone on, with a few 
 exceptions, quietly pursuing that part of their system 
 to which they still cling, namely, their jockey ism. 
 Though this is based on fraud and robbery, it is far pre- 
 ferable to wandering brigandage, which necessarily 
 leads to the frequent shedding of blood. The law, 
 indeed, forbids them to be jockeys, or to follow the 
 trade of trimming and shearing animals, without some 
 other visible means of subsistence. This provision, 
 however, they contrive to evade. The chief evils of 
 their system which still remain, consist in the frauds 
 of the Gypsy jockeys, and the tricks of the women. 
 It is incurring considerable risk to purchase a horse or 
 mule even from the most respectable of the tribe with- 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 173 
 
 out a previous knowledge of the animal and his former 
 possessor, the chance being that he is either unsound, 
 or stolen from a distance. The Gypsies are, in gene- 
 ral, very poor, a pair of large shears and various scis- 
 sors of a smaller description, constituting their whole 
 capital. Occasionally some uncommon piece of good 
 luck befalls them ; but the money does not last long, 
 being quickly squandered in feasting and revelry. 
 He who owns a couple of donkeys is regarded as a 
 thriving man. There are some, however, who are 
 quite rich, and carry on a large trade in horses and 
 mules. In their habits and manners they are much 
 less cleanly than the Spaniards. The hovels in which 
 they reside exhibit none of the neatness which is ob- 
 servable in the habitations even of the poorest of the 
 other race. The floors are unswept, and abound in 
 filth and mud, and in their persons they are scarcely 
 less vile. Inattention to cleanliness is a characteristic 
 of the race in all parts of the world. 
 
 The Gypsy dress is prohibited by the Spanish laws, 
 as well as the Gypsy language and manner of life ; 
 but these laws also are evaded. The men generally 
 wear a high-peaked, narrow-brimmed hat, a coat of 
 sheepskin in winter, and during summer, a jacket of 
 brown cloth : beneath this they are fond of exhibiting 
 a red plush waistcoat, somewhat after the fashion of 
 the English jockeys, with numerous buttons and 
 clasps. A girdle of crimson silk surrounds the waist, 
 and in this is not unfrequently stuck a pair of shears. 
 Pantaloons of coarse cloth or leather, descend to the 
 knees : woollen stockings or spatterdashes of leather 
 are worn below ; and stout shoes complete the equip- 
 15 * 
 
174 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 merit. Such is also the dress of the Spanish horse- 
 jockeys and muleteers, except that the latter wear 
 broad-brimmed hats to shield, them from the sun. 
 This dress appears to be of Andalusian origin, and yet 
 it becomes the Gypsy better than the Spaniard. He 
 wears it with more negligence or jauntiness, by which 
 he may be recognised at some distance. 
 
 The Gypsy women of Spain do not wear the large 
 red cloaks and immense bonnets of coarse beaver, 
 which distinguish their sisters of England. They 
 have no other head-gear than a handkerchief, which 
 is occasionally used as a defence against the weather : 
 their hair is sometimes confined by a comb, but more 
 frequently is permitted to stray dishevelled down their 
 shoulders : they are fond of large earrings of gold, 
 silver and other metals. There is little to distinguish 
 them from the Spanish women, save the absence of 
 the mantilla, which they never wear. Ladies of 
 fashion not unfrequently take pleasure in dressing d la 
 Gitana, as it is called : but this female Gypsy fashion, 
 like that of the men, more properly belongs to 
 Andalusia, the principal characteristic of which is the 
 saya, or skirt, which is exceedingly short, with many 
 rows of flounces. But the original dress of the Gypsies, 
 whatever it was, may have had some share in forming 
 the Andalusian fashion, owing to the great number of 
 these wanderers who found their way to that province 
 at an early period. The Andalusians are a mixed 
 breed of various nations, Eomans, Goths, Moors, and 
 perhaps a slight sprinkling of Gypsy blood in their 
 veins, and of Gypsy fashion in their garb. 
 
 Whilst their husbands are engaged in their jockey 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 175 
 
 vocation, the Gypsy females are seldom idle. The 
 richest among them are generally smugglers, and in 
 the large towns go from house to house with contra- 
 band goods, especially silk and cotton, and occasionally 
 with tobacco. They likewise trade in old clothes. 
 Gypsies of this description rank as the most respecta- 
 ble class : the others, provided they do not sell roasted 
 chestnuts, or grass mats, seek a livelihood by tricks 
 more or less fraudulent ; such as fortune-telling, &:c. 
 This way of extracting money from the credulity of 
 dupes is, of all those practised by the Gypsies, the 
 easiest : promises are the only capital requisite, and 
 the whole art of fortune-telling consists in properly 
 adapting these promises to the age and condition of 
 the parties who seek for information. The Gypsies 
 are clever enough in the accomplishment of this, and 
 in most cases afford perfect satisfaction. Their prac- 
 tice lies chiefly among females : to the young maidens 
 they promise lovers, handsome invariably, and some- 
 times rich ; to wives, children, and perhaps another 
 husband ; for their eyes are so penetrating that they 
 will occasionally find out your most secret thoughts 
 and wishes. To the old they promise riches and 
 nothing but riches, for they have sufficient knowledge 
 of the human heart to be aware that avarice is the last 
 passion that becomes extinct in the human breast. 
 These riches are to proceed either from the discovery 
 of hidden treasures, or from America, a land to which 
 the Spaniards still look with hope, as there is no indi- 
 vidual in Spain, however poor, but has some relative 
 or friend in that region of silver and gold, at whose 
 death he considers it probable that he may succeed to 
 a brilliant fortune. 
 
176 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 The Gypsy fortune-tellers find dupes almost as 
 readily among the superior classes as among the very 
 dregs of the population. It is their boast that the best 
 houses in Spain are open to them ; and perhaps in the 
 space of one hour they will predict the future to a 
 duchess in one of the hundred palaces of Madrid, and 
 to half a dozen laundresses who are washing linen in 
 the stream of the Manzanares. One great advantage 
 which the Gypsies possess over all other people is an 
 utter absence of what the French call mauvaise honte ; 
 their speech is as fiuent, and their eyes are as una- 
 bashed in the presence of royalty as among the lowest 
 of the populace, and the consequence is that most 
 minds quail before them, and they sport with what 
 would be fatal to others. 
 
 Among their other frauds, the Hokkano Baro, or 
 great trick,” stands preeminent. When the Gypsy 
 has met with some credulous female whom she sus- 
 pects to be rich, she will tell her that she knows a 
 method by which she can make her fortune : it is 
 neither more nor less than, at a certain hour and place, 
 to deposit a sum of money, the more the better ; as 
 the Gypsy assures her that if not looked at until a cer- 
 tain time, it will increase a thousand fold. Some per- 
 sons might find it difficult to believe that in the nine- 
 teenth century any people can be found sufficiently 
 credulous to be duped by so clumsy a trick. But 
 experience proves that such persons are by no means 
 rare, either in Spain, France, or enlightened England. 
 The most subtle method of practising the Hokkano 
 Baro is the following. When the dupe consents to 
 make the experiment, the Gypsy demands of her whe- 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 177 
 
 ther she has in the house some strong chest with a 
 safe lock and key. On receiving an affirmative 
 answer, she will request to see all the gold and silver 
 of every description which she may have in her pos- 
 session. The money is shown to her, and v/hen she 
 has carefully inspected and counted it, she produces a 
 white handkerchief, saying, “ Lady, I give you this 
 handkerchief, which is blessed. It is now necessary 
 that you place in it your gold and silver, tying it with 
 three knots. I will then depart for three days, when 
 I will return. In the mean time you must keep the 
 bundle which contains your treasure beneath your pil- 
 low, permitting no one to go near it, and observing 
 the greatest secrecy, otherwise the money will take 
 wing and fly away. Every morning during the three 
 days it will be well to open the bundle for your own 
 satisfaction, to see that no misfortune has befallen your 
 treasure ; be always careful, however, to fasten it with 
 three knots. On my return we will place the bundle, 
 after having inspected it, in the chest, which you your- 
 self shall lock, retaining the key in your possession. 
 But thenceforward for three weeks, you must by no 
 means unlock the chest, nor touch the treasure, but 
 pray night and morning to St. Antonio that it be mul- 
 tiplied, otherwise it will fly away.” 
 
 The Gypsy departs, and during the three days 
 prepares a bundle as similar as possible to the one 
 which contains the money of her dupe, save that instead 
 of doubloons, dollars and plate, its contents consist of 
 copper money and pewter. With this bundle conceal- 
 ed beneath her cloak, she returns at the end of three 
 days. The bundle of real treasure is produced and 
 
178 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 inspected, and again tied up by the Gypsy, who then 
 requests the other to open the chest ; which done, she 
 formally places a bundle in it ; but in the mean time 
 she has dexterously substituted her own for the true 
 one. The chest is then locked, the lady retaining the 
 key. The Gypsy promises to return at the end of 
 three weeks to open the chest, assuring her dupe that 
 if it be kept locked till that period it will be found 
 filled with gold and silver, but that if it be opened, the 
 money deposited will vanish. She then walks off 
 with great deliberation, bearing away the spoil. It is 
 needless to say that she never returns. 
 
 The Gypsies have some very singular customs con- 
 nected with the marriage festival, the most remarkable 
 of which we must pass over without further notice. 
 One of these festivals is thus described by Mr. Bor- 
 row : — “ After much feasting, drinking and yelling in 
 the Gypsy house, the bridal train sallied forth, — a fran- 
 tic spectacle. First of all marched a villanous look- 
 ing fellow, holding in his hands uplifted a long pole, 
 at the top of which fluttered in the morning air — 
 what ? — ^ ^ Then came the betrothed pair, fol- 
 lowed by their nearest friends ; then a rabble rout of 
 Gypsies screaming and shouting and discharging guns 
 and pistols, till all around rang with the din, and the 
 village dogs barked. On arriving at the church gate, 
 the fellow who bore the pole, stuck it into the ground 
 with a loud huzza, and the train forming two ranks, 
 defiled into the church on either side of the pole and 
 its strange ornaments. On the conclusion of the cere- 
 mony they returned in the same manner in which they 
 had come. Throughout the day there was nothing 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 179 
 
 going on but singing, drinking, feasting and dancing ; 
 but the most singular part of the festival was reserved 
 for the dark night. Nearly a ton weight of sweet- 
 meats had been prepared at an enormous expense, not 
 for the gratification of the palate, but for a purpose purely 
 Gypsy. These sweetmeats of all kinds, and of all 
 forms, but principally yemas^ or yolks of eggs, prepared 
 with a crust of sugar, — a delicious bonne houche ^ — were 
 strewn on the floor of a large room, at least to the 
 depth of three inches. Into this room, at a given sig- 
 nal, tripped the bride and bridegroom, dancing romalis, 
 followed amain by all the Gypsies dancing. To convey 
 a slight idea of the scene is almost beyond the power 
 of words. In a few minutes the sweetmeats were re- 
 duced to a powder, or rather to a mud, and the dancers 
 were soiled to the knees with sugar, fruits and yolks 
 of eggs. Still more terrific became the lunatic merri- 
 ment. The men sprang high into the air, neighed, 
 brayed and crowed ; whilst the Gypsies snapped their 
 fingers, in their own fashion, louder than castanets, , 
 distorting their forms, &c. The festival endures 
 three days, at the end of which the greater part of the 
 property of the bridegroom, even if he were previously 
 in easy circumstances, has been wasted in this strange 
 kind of riot and dissipation. Paco, the Gypsy of Bad- 
 ajos, attributed his ruin to the extravagance of his 
 marriage festival ; and many other Gypsies have con- 
 fessed the same thing of themselves. They said that 
 throughout the three days, they appeared to be under 
 the influence of infatuation, having no other wish or 
 thought but to make away with their substance. 
 Some have gone so far as to cast money by handfuls 
 into the street.’’ 
 
180 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 The Gypsies are almost entirely ignorant of the 
 grand points of morality ; they seem not to under- 
 stand that to lie, to steal, and to murder, are crimes 
 which are sure eventually to yield bitter fruits to those 
 who perpetrate them. But on one point, and that one 
 of no little importance as far as temporal happiness is 
 concerned, they are capable of distinguishing good 
 from evil. They know that chastity is a jewel of high 
 price, and that conjugal fidelity may occasionally fling 
 a ray of sunshine over the dreary hours of a life 
 passed in the contempt of almost all laws, human and 
 divine. 
 
 Whatever might have been the religious belief of 
 the Gypsies in Hindostan, it is certain that they arriv- 
 ed at the confines of Europe without any precise or 
 rooted faith. Though cloudy ideas of the Indian dei- 
 ties might be occasionally floating in their minds, 
 these, doubtless, quickly passed away when they ceas- 
 ed to behold the pagodas and temples of Indian wor- 
 ship, and were no longer in contact with the enthu- 
 siastic adorers of the idols of the east. At present 
 they are utterly destitute of religion, believing neither 
 in the immortality of the soul, nor, according to their 
 own declarations, in a Supreme Being. 
 
 The poetry of the Spanish Gypsies is, in almost 
 every respect, such as might be expected to originate 
 among people of their class ; a set of Ishmaelites, sub- 
 sisting by cheating and villany of every description ; 
 hating the rest of the human species, and bound to 
 each other by the bonds of common origin, language 
 and pursuits. The themes of this poetry are the 
 various incidents of Gypsy life — cattle-stealing, prison 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 181 
 
 adventures, assassination, revenge, &c. Amongst 
 these effusions are sometimes found tender and beau- 
 tiful thoughts, for even Thugs and Gypsies have their 
 moments of gentleness ; but they are few and far be- 
 tvveen, as a flower or a shrub is seen here and there 
 springing up among the rugged and frightful crags 
 of the Spanish sierras. Their poetry exists in mere 
 scraps, commonly not extending beyond four lines. 
 We subjoin a few specimens. 
 
 0 when I sit my courser bold, 
 
 My bantling in my rear. 
 
 And in my hand my musket hold, 
 
 0 how they quake with fear. 
 
 There runs a swine down yonder hill, 
 
 As fast as e’er he can, 
 
 And as he runs he crieth still, 
 
 Come, steal me, Gypsy man ! 
 
 1 sallied forth upoh my gray, 
 
 With him my hated foe. 
 
 And when we reach’d the narrow way, 
 
 1 dealt a dagger blow. 
 
 I walk’d the street, and there I spied 
 A goodly gallows tree • 
 
 And in my ear methought it cried, 
 
 Gypsy, beware of me ! ” 
 
 I slouch my beaver o’er my brow. 
 
 As down the street I rove. 
 
 For fear thy mother keen should know 
 That I her daughter love. 
 
 Extend to me thy hand so small, 
 
 Wherein I see thee weep, 
 
 L XIX. — 16 
 
 / 
 
182 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 For 0 thy balmy tear-drops all 
 I would collect and keep. 
 
 Tho girl I love more dear than life, 
 
 Should other gallant woo, 
 
 I ^d straight unsheath my dudgeon knife 
 And cut his weasand through, 
 
 Or he, the conqueror in the strife, 
 
 The same to me should do. 
 
 A G 5 rpsy stripling’s sparkling eye 
 Has pierced my bosom’s core, 
 
 A feat no eye beneath the sky 
 Could e’er effect before. 
 
 Loud sang the Spanish cavalier, 
 
 And thus his ditty ran — 
 
 God send the Gypsy lassie here. 
 
 And not the Gypsy man. 
 
 We shall close this chapter with an account of a su- 
 perstition of a singular nature, current not only among 
 the Gypsies, but among the people of almost every 
 country in Europe, and in many parts of Asia and 
 Africa ; — namely, the evil eye. 
 
 The Gypsies pretend to the power of casting the 
 evil eye, that is, of making people sick by throwing a 
 glance at them, especially children, who, from the 
 tenderness of their age, are supposed to be more easily 
 blighted than grown people. After receiving the evil 
 glance, according to the common belief, they fall sick, 
 and die in a few hours. This superstition is very 
 prevalent in Spain, particularly in Andalusia, among 
 the lower orders. A stag’s horn is considered a 
 safeguard, and on that account, a small horn, tipped 
 with silver, is frequently attached to children’s necks 
 by means of a cord braided from the hair of a black 
 
THE GYPSIES. 
 
 183 
 
 mare’s tail. Should the evil glance be cast, it is 
 imagined that the horn receives it and instantly snaps 
 asunder. The Gypsies sell remedies for the evil eye, 
 but they can give no account of the manner in which 
 they perform this fatal spell. 
 
 This superstition is prevalent among all oriental 
 people, whether Turks, Arabs or Hindoos ; but per- 
 haps there is no nation in the world among whom the 
 belief is so firmly rooted, and from so ancient a period, 
 as the Jews ; it being a subject treated of in the 
 gravest manner by the old rabbinical writers. This 
 has led to the conclusion that this illusion is as old 
 almost as the Hebrew race. The evil eye is men- 
 tioned in Scripture, but, of course, not in the false and 
 superstitious sense. The Rabbins have said, “For 
 one person who dies of sickness, there are ten who die 
 by the evil eye ; ” and as the Jews, especially those of 
 the east and of Barbary, place implicit confidence in 
 all that the Rabbins have written, we can scarcely 
 wonder, if at the present day, they dread this visitation 
 worse than the plague. “ The leech,” they say, “ can 
 cure other disorders, but who can cure the evil eye ? ” 
 It is imagined that this blight is most easily inflicted 
 when a person is enjoying himself, with little or no 
 care for the future ; when he is reclining in the sun 
 before the door, or when he is in full health and 
 spirits, but principally when he is eating and drinking ; 
 on which account the Jews and Moors are jealous of 
 the appearance of strangers when they are taking 
 their meals. The evil eye may be cast by an ugly or 
 ill-favored person, either designedly or not, and the 
 same effect may be produced by an inadvertent word. 
 It is deemed unlucky to say to a person diverting 
 
184 
 
 THE GYPSIES. 
 
 himself, ‘‘ How merry you are ! ” or to one while 
 eating, “ How fat you are ! ” — for it may cause him 
 to receive a sudden blight and immediately perish. It 
 is never safe among Jews or Mahometans, nor indeed 
 among any eastern people, to stop and gaze on a 
 child, or to caress it, for it will be thought you 
 are about to give it the evil eye. To prevent this, the 
 modern Egyptians, even of the wealthiest class, keep 
 their children shabbily clad, while abroad, that their 
 beauty may not attract notice. The cures for the evil 
 eye are numerous, and consist of amulets, charms, and 
 all sorts of quack medicines. 
 
 After all, the evil eye, like most other superstitions, 
 is, perhaps, founded on a physical reality. It is in 
 hot countries, where the sun and moon are particularly 
 dazzling, that the belief in the evil eye is most preva- 
 lent. If we turn to Scripture, we shall perhaps find 
 allusion to the origin of it. In Psalms, cxxi. v. 6, we 
 read — ‘‘ The sun shall not smite thee by day^ nor the 
 moon by night'"' It is said that both these luminaries 
 have their dangers in tropical climates. A sun-stroke 
 produces brain-fevers, and the glance of the full moon 
 is reputed to cause itching in the eye, and not un^ 
 frequently blindness. The northern nations have a 
 superstition which bears some resemblance to the evil 
 eye. They have, indeed, not the same brilliant sun 
 and moon to addle the brain ; but the gray north has 
 its marshes and fenny grounds and fetid mists, which 
 produce agues, low fevers, and moping madness, and 
 are as fatal to cattle as to man. Such disorders are 
 attributed to elves and fairies. This superstition still 
 lingers in some parts of England under the name of 
 elf‘Shot, and in other countries it is called fairy-wild. 
 
SWITZERLAND. 
 
 The Swiss enjoy the reputation of being a plain, 
 honest, brave and simple people, among whom linger 
 the last remnants of antique and primitive manners. 
 Their fond attachment to their native country is con- 
 spicuous, even under the necessity that compels them 
 to quit it. Many Swiss emigrate, but they generally 
 return, when they have acquired a competency, to their 
 wild and rugged mountains. It is observed, that no 
 sooner is the 'Ranz des Vaches^ a simple mountain air, 
 played in their hearing, than even the hardy soldiers, 
 remote from tlieir homes, melt into tears. An ardent 
 16 * 
 
186 
 
 SWITZERLAND. 
 
 love of liberty, ever since the grand epoch of their 
 liberation, has distinguished the Swiss people, who 
 have often defended their country against fearful odds. 
 
 In matters of dress, the higher classes generally fol- 
 low the French fashions ; but the common people have 
 many peculiar forms, which are mostly simple and 
 convenient. The national costume is confined to the 
 females ; it consists partly of a short petticoat, which 
 shows the stockings as high as the knee, and a wide, 
 flat hat, tied under the chin. Near Bern, the hat gives 
 place to a strange-looking black cap, standing off the 
 face, and in shape resembling the two wings of a but- 
 terfly. In some parts, the hair is plaited behind, often 
 reaching down to the heels. In Appenzell, it is said 
 that the modern invention of suspenders is not yet 
 adopted by the men ; the dress is a scanty jacket and 
 short breeches, and there is a preposterous interval be- 
 tween the two garments, which the wearer makes fre- 
 quent but ineffectual hitches to close. 
 
 A Swiss dwelling on the High Alps is thus describ- 
 ed by a traveller. “ The chalet was, like an American 
 log-honse, of the rudest construction ; the roof, com- 
 posed of clumsy shingles, gave vent to the smoke in 
 the absence of a chimney ; this roof, projecting eight or 
 ten feet, formed a sort of piazza, called the melkgang, 
 a German word, which, like many others in that lan- 
 guage, needs no English translation. The bed-room 
 of the shepherds in these summer chalets, is a wooden 
 gallery hung up over the melkgang^ close to the pro- 
 jecting roof ; they go up to it by a ladder, and all herd 
 together on a little straw never changed. The cows 
 come home to be milked, attracted from the most dis- 
 
SWITZERLAND. 
 
 187 
 
 tant pastures by a handful of salt, which the shepherd 
 draws out of the leathern pouch hanging across his 
 shoulder. The ground round the chalet is so broken 
 and filthy by the treading of cattle, that without step- 
 ping-stones it would be difficult to reach the door. 
 To finish the picture, a herd of swine ranges about, 
 waiting for their allotted portion of buttermilk and 
 curds. All this is, no doubt, very difierent from Rous- 
 seau’s charming description ; but the chalets about 
 Heloise’s residence were family dwellings, inhabited 
 the whole year round, and such as are found on 
 lower mountains only ; these are kept perfectly clean 
 and comfortable, and are in all respects difierent from 
 those on the High Alps, constructed for mere tem- 
 porary shelter during a few months. No women dwell 
 in the latter.” 
 
 Chamois-hunting is not only one of the sports, but 
 one of the favorite occupations of the Swiss, though it 
 is less practised than formerly. When the French 
 held possession of the country, all restrictions on hunt- 
 ing were removed, in consequence of which the 
 number of the chamois was greatly reduced. The hunt- 
 ing of these animals is both laborious and hazardous, 
 yet the attachment of the Swiss to this national sport 
 is unconquerable. The hunter must have an excel- 
 lent constitution, particularly such as to enable him to 
 bear the extreme of cold after being heated by exer- 
 cise, to sleep on the damp ground, to endure hunger 
 and thirst, and every other hardship and privation. 
 He must have great muscular strength, to climb the 
 mountains all day with a heavy gun across his shoul- 
 der, with ammunition and provisions, and, at last, the 
 
188 
 
 SWITZERLAND. 
 
 game he kills. He must also have a keen sight, a 
 steady foot and head, and, finally, patience equal to 
 his courage. 
 
 The chamois are very timid and shy, and certainly 
 not without cause ; their sense of smell and sight 
 being most acute, it is extremely difficult to approach 
 them within gun-shot. They are sometimes hunted 
 with dogs, but oftener without, as these drive them to 
 places where it is difficult to follow them. The hunt- 
 ers, two or three in company, carry a sharp hoe to cut 
 steps in the ice, a rifle to each man, hooks to fasten to 
 their shoes, a mountain-stick shod with iron, a short 
 spy-glass, barley-cakes, cheese and brandy. Sleeping 
 the first night at some of those upper chalets^ o/Alpine 
 huts, which are left open at all times, and are always 
 provided with a little dry wood for kindling a fire, 
 they reach their hunting-grounds at day-light. Here, 
 on some commanding situation, they generally find a 
 place ready prepared, of two stones standing up- 
 right, with sufficient space between to see through, 
 without being seen. To this spot one of the hunters 
 creeps unperceived, without his gun, and carefully 
 looking every way with his glass, directs his com- 
 panions by signs. 
 
 The utmost circumspection and patience are requi- 
 site on the part of a hunter when approaching his 
 game. A windward situation would infallibly betray 
 him by the scent ; he creeps on from one hiding rock 
 to another, with his shirt over his clothes, and lies 
 motionless in the snow, often for half an hour, when 
 the herd appears alarmed and ready to take flight. 
 When he is near enough to distinguish the bending 
 
SWITZERLAND. 
 
 189 
 
 the horns, that is, at the distance of 200 or 250 
 paces, he takes aim ; but if, at the moment of raising 
 his piece, the chamois should look towards him, he 
 must remain perfectly still ; the least motion would 
 put them to flight before he could fire, and he is too 
 far distant to risk a shot without resting his piece. In 
 taking aim he endeavors to pick out the darkest coat, 
 which always indicates the fattest animal. Accus- 
 tomed as the chamois are to frequent and loud detona- 
 tions among the glaciers, they do not mind the report 
 of arms so much as the smell of gunpowder, or the 
 sight of a man. There are instances of the hunter 
 having time to load again and fire a second time, after 
 missing the first, if not seen. No one but a sportsman 
 can understand the joy of the hunter, who, after so 
 much toil, sees his prey fall. With shouts of savage 
 triumph, he springs forward to seize it, up to his 
 knees in snow ; despatches the victim if he finds he is 
 not quite dead, and often swallows a draught of warm 
 blood, which is deemed a specific against giddiness. 
 He then takes out the entrails to lessen the weight of 
 his prize, ties the feet together in such a manner as to 
 pass his arms through on each side, and then proceeds 
 down the mountain — much lighter for the additional 
 load which he carries. 
 
 Not unfrequently the best marksman is selected to 
 lie in wait for the game, while his associates, leaving 
 their rifles loaded by hm, and acting the part of 
 hounds, drive it toward the spot. Sometimes, when 
 the passage is too narrow, a chamois, reduced to the 
 last extremity, will rush headlong on his foe, whose 
 only resource is to avoid the encounter, which, on the 
 
190 
 
 SWITZERLAND. 
 
 brink of precipices, would be fatal. He must, there- 
 fore, lie down immediately, and let the frightened ani- 
 mal pass over him. An instance is related of a herd 
 of fourteen chamois, who, being hard pressed, rushed 
 down a fatal precipice, rather than be taken. It is 
 wonderful to see them climb abrupt and naked rocks, 
 and leap from one narrow cliff to another ; the small- 
 est projection serving them for a point of rest, upon 
 which they alight but to take another spring. The 
 agility of these animals led to the popular belief that 
 they could support themselves by means of their 
 crooked horns. 
 
 The leader of the herd is always an old female, 
 never a male. She stands watching when the others 
 lie down, and rests while they are up and feeding. 
 She listens to every sound, and looks round anxiously. 
 She often ascends a fragment of rock or heap of drift- 
 ed snow, for a wide field of observation, making a sort 
 of gentle hissing noise when she suspects any danger. 
 When the sound rises to. a sharper note, the whole 
 troop flies at once, like the wind, to some more remote 
 and lofty part of the mountain. The death of this old 
 leader is commonly fatal to the herd. Their fondness 
 for salt makes them frequent salt springs and salt 
 marshes, where hunters lie in wait for them. These 
 men practise a very singular stratagem : having ob- 
 served that the chamois v/ill approach cattle in the 
 pastures and graze near them, a hunter will crawl on 
 all-fours with salt spread on his back to attract the cat- 
 tle ; he is immediately surrounded and hidden by 
 them so completely that he finds no difficulty in ad- 
 vancing very near the chamois and taking a sure aim. 
 
SWITZERLAND. 
 
 191 
 
 At other times, a hunter when discovered will drive 
 his stick into the snow and place his hat on the top oi 
 it, then creeping off, go round another way, while the 
 game remains intent on the strange object he has left 
 behind. 
 
 The manners of the Swiss are a mixture of French 
 and German. No city is blessed with soirees to a 
 greater extent than Geneva. They go on multiplying 
 from November till the approach of spring, when the 
 superior attractions of the country put an end to them. 
 Neither carriages nor sedan chairs are used, and the 
 beau monde repair on foot to their parties. Soon after 
 eight in the evening, the ladies sally forth wrapped up 
 in cloaks and hoods, and walk on tiptoe through the 
 streets, preceded by their maid, who carries a lantern. 
 When they reach their destination, the cloak and 
 double shoes are thrown off in an ante-room appro- 
 priated to the purpose ; their dress is arranged by the 
 attendant, and then they glide in lightly, to appear- 
 ance quite unconscious of looks, make their curtsy, 
 take their seat, and try to be agreeable with their next 
 neighbors. After music and gossip, tea is brought 
 in, with cakes and confections. A few card parties are 
 arranged, and when the clock strikes eleven or twelve, 
 the maid and lantern are announced in a whisper to 
 each of the fair visiters. 
 
 Saturday night visits, among young people, consti- 
 tute a peculiarity of Swiss manners. Of course, this 
 is a favorite time for courtship. The young Swiss 
 comes under the window of the fair lady to whom he 
 intends paying his addresses, or with whom he wishes 
 to become acquainted. As it is visiting night, and she 
 
192 
 
 SWITZERLAND. 
 
 expects company, she is at the window, neatly dressed, 
 and admits or rejects the petition, which is always 
 drawn up in a regular form, generally in verse, and 
 learned by heart. Permission being granted, the 
 young man climbs up to the window, which is com- 
 monly in the third story, and as the houses are con- 
 structed with conveniences for this purpose, he runs 
 little risk of breaking his neck. He sits on the win- 
 dow, and is regaled with gingerbread and cherry 
 bounce. According as his views are more or less 
 serious, and he proves more or less acceptable, he is 
 allowed to enter the room, or suffered to remain out- 
 side. Frequently, the conversation is protracted till 
 the dawn gives the signal for departure : yet to depart 
 is not always safe, for it not unfrequently happens that 
 a less favored lover waylays his rival, violent battles 
 ensue, and murder is sometimes committed : for this 
 reason young men are in the habit of escorting one 
 another on such occasions. 
 
THE TYROL. 
 
 The Tyrolese, though under the government of 
 Austria, may be properly noticed after their neighbors 
 the Swiss. Like them they inhabit an Alpine coun- 
 try — blending something of Italy and Germany in their 
 customs. The language and general aspect of the 
 people in the north, is German. The varieties of cos- 
 tume which have, for centuries, marked and distin- 
 guished the inhabitants of the different valleys, strongly 
 arrest the notice of the traveller. Some of the women 
 wear a singular head-dress, consisting of a conical 
 mp of very fine dressed wool, either white or black. 
 It looks like the softest fur or down, is very expensive, 
 and an article in which they take great pride. A 
 stranger, however, would pronounce it a more fitting 
 head-gear for a Tartar chief, gallopping on his native 
 steppes, than for the peasant woman of these romantic 
 vales. Others wear a small round black hat with a 
 high crown and nearly conical, with their long hair 
 rolled up behind it, in a glossy knot. Others wear 
 broad green hats tasseled or fringed with gilt thread. 
 Their corsets, their aprons, their petticoats, their stock- 
 ings, are of various colors, rustic and coarse, but pro- 
 ducing an effect most pleasing and picturesque. The 
 men are magnificent alike in costume and appearance : 
 \hey are remarkably well made, and have an open, 
 XIX. — 17 
 
194 
 
 THE TYROL. 
 
 fearless expression of countenance. They wear hats, 
 some broad, some narrow, some of green beaver, some 
 of black, with green ribands, or bands of black velvet ; 
 and jackets of brown, green or black, worked with lace 
 and adorned at the sleeve and waist by frogs of bright 
 colored cloth. Their waistcoats are commonly red, 
 and they generally wear very broad green braces 
 outside the waistcoat, as also broad belts of black lea- 
 ther round the middle, on which are usually worked 
 the initial letters of the owner’s name. Many of them 
 show the bare knee, and wear only a half stocking, 
 and a light shoe on the naked foot. 
 
 In the Tyrolese inns, the traveller remarks an im- 
 portant female personage called the Keller in^ or “ cel- 
 lar-keeper.” She wears black petticoats of ample 
 folds, and keys enough, in number and size, for the 
 warder of a castle. Her guardianship, however, is 
 not over turrets and dungeons, but over closets and 
 cellars, wines and meats, fruits and preserves, and all 
 household comforts. She makes all change, and 
 receives all payments, for which purpose she wears a 
 large leathern pocket, which, like the tradesman’s till, 
 is emptied every evening. She is intrusted with 
 the household stores ; she brings each traveller his 
 meal, and blesses it : she brings him his wine-cup, and 
 it is yet the custom with the older Tyrolese that she 
 should at least put her lips to it. She is always ad- 
 dressed with kindness. “ Mein Kind^'* “ my child,” 
 is the common phrase, and it is varied in warmth 
 and tenderness, according to circumstances: some- 
 times it is ‘‘ my pretty child,” “ my heart,” or “ my 
 treasure.” In general, though there are some of her 
 
THE TYROL. 
 
 195 
 
 class of great beauty, the Kellerin is a stout, coarse, 
 active woman, with a frank readiness of service in her 
 manner, and a plain pride of station — the pride of 
 being trustworthy. It may be supposed that the com- 
 plimentary phrases we have m.entioned are not always 
 used with discretion by youthful travellers, yet there 
 is a manner of employing them without any impro- 
 priety ; and the very utterance is a pleasure, they bege 
 so much kindliness and good humor. 
 
ITALY 
 
 No country of the same extent exhibits so great a 
 'variety of dress as Italy. The higher classes, indeed, 
 copy the French fashions in a great measure, but the 
 costume of the middle and lower classes varies re- 
 markably from one district to another. The fashions 
 differ even in small districts and towns. In the king- 
 dom of Naples, the shepherds wear the skins of their 
 flock, with the wool outward in summer and inward 
 
ITALY. 
 
 197 
 
 in winter : these garments are rudely formed, and 
 have sometimes only holes pierced for the head and 
 arms. In the Koman States, the female peasantry are 
 distinguished for a peculiar sort of head dress of white 
 cotton, which lies flat on the top of the head, hanging 
 down behind and fastened by an enormous silver pin 
 or rather skewer ; this appears to he a relic of the clas- 
 sical ages. In Tuscany, the women of the ordinary 
 class wear black beaver hats with high crowns, and 
 stiff plumes of black feathers. On holidays they are 
 streaming with ribands. The country women of 
 Rome wear round hats, like those of the men ; the 
 ordinary dress of the males is a velvet roundabout and 
 small clothes, with white stockings. In the southern 
 part of the kingdom of Sardinia, the women wear a 
 sort of apology for a bonnet, in the shape of a disk of 
 plaited straw of about a hand’s breadth in diameter, 
 stuck jauntily on one side of the head. In Genoa, the 
 females of all ranks wear very gracefully the mazzaro^ 
 a kind of shawl thrown over the head and shoulders, 
 and folded round the arms. A remnant of the antique 
 Greek costume is to be found in the island of Procida 
 in the bay of Naples, where it has been preserved from 
 very ancient times. In Sicily, the peasantry wear 
 caps of white cotton, as a defence against a sun-stroke, 
 to which they are liable in that hot climate. Through- 
 out all Italy, the females even of the lowest classes 
 evince a great fondness for ornament ; pearls, coral 
 and gold are common among those who are poor in 
 everything else. In Tuscany, the country women 
 wear earrings a foot in length. 
 
 Almost every species of building may be found in 
 M 17* 
 
198 
 
 ITALY. 
 
 Italy, from the straw- thatched hovel to the lordly 
 palace, and' no country exhibits a greater variety of 
 edifices, nor more splendid and costly specimens of 
 architecture. The churches are the most expensive 
 > and magnificent in the world, and the convents and 
 
 palaces are unrivalled. Architecture, painting, carv- 
 ing, sculpture, mosaic-work and other arts are ex- 
 hausted on the churches, and many of them have a 
 minuteness of finish that is truly worthy of admira- 
 tion. The pillars and walls of some are encrusted 
 with mosaic pictures, or fac-simile copies in precious 
 stone of the masterpieces of Italian painting; the 
 ceilings are covered with frescoes, and the doors are 
 inimitably carved in bronze. 
 
 All the Italian cities are well built. Genoa is so 
 abundant in palaces that it is Termed^ by the Italians 
 “ the lordly.” In Florence, pak|es :are;^so very nu- 
 merous, but they are of a peci^nar char^ter, exhibit- 
 ing strong, solid and massy^walls, which* indicate a 
 time when factions convulsed the* city, and every 
 house was designed to resist an assault and stand a 
 siege. At Rome are reckoned three hundred churches 
 and as many palaces, worthy of admiration. St. Pe- 
 ter’s church is the most magnificent and costly struc- 
 ture ever raised by the^ihand of man. The Roman 
 palaces are very elegant, bging generally quadrangles, 
 with an area within, and a wide staircase. At Na- 
 ples, the churches, though rich internally, present an 
 inferior appearance outside. The palaces are impos- 
 ing ; their roofs are flat, and Covered with a cement 
 that endures the climate. At some seasons the peo- 
 ple sleep upon them. Every window has its balcony. 
 
ITALY. 
 
 199 
 
 Few chimneys are seen either here or at Rome; the 
 climate is so mild that a brazier of charcoal is sufficient 
 to warm the rooms. There are many specimens of 
 fantastic architecture in Italy, among which are the 
 leaning towers of Pisa and Bologna, which project 
 over their foundations, and seem threatening to fall 
 every moment, yet they have stood storms and earth- 
 quakes and many centuries of time. These struc- 
 tures were erected during the middle ages, and their 
 singular fashion was, doubtless, the result of design, 
 although some persons have imagined that it was oc- 
 casioned by the accidental sinking of the foundations. 
 
 Travelling is exceedingly pleasant in Italy. The 
 roads, in general, are good, and the scenery is roman- 
 tic and varied. The roads across the Alps, by Mount 
 Cenis and the Simplon, constructed under the auspices 
 of Napoleon,- rank ^ong the greatest productions of 
 human en^fg}’' aWdiBbor in modern times. There arc 
 few cross roads^ and; these are hardly passable. Ii. 
 Sicily there is a carriage road along part of the east- 
 ern and northern coast, but nothing except mule-paths 
 in the interior of the island. The most common way 
 of travelling in Italy is in a vettura^ or coach with 
 four horses. The vetturino^ or driver, looks out 
 among foreigners for his passengers, to each of whom 
 he tenders a crown in plecfge, to be forfeited in case 
 he should fail to go ; but if the passenger should fail 
 to be ready, he forfeits the like amount. The bargain 
 with the vetturino generally includes the passage and 
 accommodations at ^the inns, and this arrangement 
 saves the traveller much overcharging and wrangling. 
 A written contract is drawn up and signed if required. 
 
200 
 
 ITALY. 
 
 If he has been civil and obliging, it is customary to give 
 him, at the end of the journey, a buona mano^ or gratuity 
 of half a dollar or a dollar. The custom-houses and 
 passports are great annoyances. The former are at 
 the frontiers of the states, and at the gates of the cities. 
 The officers well know how to visit the traveller with 
 manifold vexations if he should fail to purchase their 
 forbearance with half a dollar or so. The passport is 
 taken at all the police stations on the road, and at the 
 gates of all considerable towns, carried to the com- 
 mandant, endorsed, and returned by a soldier, whose 
 low bow is generally rewarded by a small piece of 
 coin. In Tuscany, unless a stranger resides in a city, 
 he surrenders his passport, and receives a written per- 
 mission to remain a certain time, and this must be 
 renewed when that is expired. Before quitting one in- 
 dependent state for another, it is necessary to have the 
 permission of the minister or consul of the state to 
 which the traveller is going. These various endorse- 
 ments and seals on a passport soon cover every part 
 of it, and new paper must be added to it, which in 
 time becomes a long roll. 
 
 In Sicily, for the most part, the traveller must pro- 
 ceed upon a mule, or in a lettiga^ which is a sort of 
 sedan, borne by two mules with long poles, one be- 
 fore and one behind. This they carry in perfect 
 safety over steep and rocky paths, where a horse 
 would be sure to break his neck. Robbers were for- 
 merly very numerous in Sicily and Calabria, and 
 even in the Roman States ; but they are now in a 
 great measure suppressed, the roads being guarded 
 by gend'annes. 
 
ITALY. 
 
 201 
 
 The national character and state of society in Italy 
 are marked by prominent and striking features. The 
 people, in some respects, are perhaps the most polished 
 and refined in the world. Music, painting, poetry and 
 assemblies for conversation form the delight of the 
 Italians. They have ardent temperaments and poetic 
 imaginations. No people who have lived since the 
 best days of Athens have had so much perception for 
 the beautiful as these. The skies are so soft and clear, 
 that it has been said almost without hyperbole, that the 
 moon of Naples is brighter than the sun of England. 
 Every distant mountain and headland is bathed in 
 purple light, and every sun rises and sets, “ trailing 
 clouds of glory.’’ The language in which the infant 
 Italian utters his first lispings is like the murmur of 
 music ; every sound is open and labial. The first 
 landscape over which his eye ranges is unsurpassed 
 on the earth ; it has festoons of vines purple with 
 gushing grapes, and groves of oranges bending with 
 golden fruit. The churches where the youth pays 
 his wondering devotions are the perfection of human 
 art, the most splendid and “ solemn temples ” ever 
 erected by the hand of man. The ruins in which he 
 plays with his mates are remains of which no time 
 can obliterate the beauty ; and the paintings and 
 sculptures that often chain his attention, all combine 
 to direct his genius to the graceful, the beautiful and 
 the ideal. The statues, those calm and majestic in- 
 telligences, the impressive congregation of the silent, 
 exert a magic influence over the soul. Feeling and 
 .thoughts they have not, but they unlock in the beholder 
 the fountains of both. 
 
202 
 
 ITALY. 
 
 The lower ranks form the mass of the Italian popu- 
 lation, with scarcely any intervening class between 
 them and the nobles. They share in some degree the 
 refined tastes and manners of the higher ranks. The 
 common shopkeepers of Florence and Kome possess a 
 taste in the fine arts and in poetry, which is unknown 
 even in the most polished circles beyond the Alps. 
 They delight also in conversation, which they support 
 with peculiar liveliness, and with gesticulations the 
 most varied and expressive of any European people. 
 The peasantry are, on the whole, a poor, quiet, con- 
 tented, orderly race, spending, not very wisely, all 
 their little savings in finery for their wives and daugh- 
 ters. The lazzaroni of Naples are a singular class of 
 beings, existing almost wholly out of the pale of regu- 
 lar society. The mild' climate enables them to live 
 without houses, almost without clothes, and with only 
 a daily handful of macaroni for food. Having obtained 
 this by theft, by begging, or by some little occasional 
 work, they abandon themselves to luxurious indolence 
 or the indulgence of wayward humors. They are a 
 set of wild, merry rogues, with all the rude energy 
 of savages, full of humor, address, ready argument 
 and quick repartee. 
 
 The population of Naples has no parallel upon earth. 
 The streets are constantly overflowing with a tide of 
 human beings, rolling up and down, and in the midst 
 of this tide are a hundred eddies. In one place you 
 are swept away by the current ; in another, you are 
 wheeled round by a vortex. All sorts of trades and 
 mechanic arts are carried on in the streets ; the car- 
 penter, the shoemaker, the tailor, the baker, dispute 
 
ITALY. 
 
 203 
 
 your passage with their benches, stalls, pots and pans. 
 In this region of caricature, every bargain sounds like 
 a battle ; the popular exhibitions are full of the gro- 
 tesque, and the religious processions would startle a 
 war-horse. The Mole, or “ Long Wharf,” seems, on 
 holidays, an epitome of the city, and exhibits most of 
 its humors. You may see in one place a methodisti- 
 cal friar preaching to a knot of lazzaroni ; in another, 
 Punch, the representative of the nation, holds forth to 
 a crowd. Farther on, another orator recounts the 
 miracles performed by a sacred wax-work, on which 
 he rubs his agnus dei^ and sells it, thus impregnated 
 with grace, for half a cent. Beyond him are quacks, 
 in military uniform, puffing their nostrums. Next is 
 a dancing dog, a learned pig, &:c., each with a little 
 circle of admirers. There are seen fellows fiddling 
 and singing to the music of crazy guitars ; and groups 
 congregate around a tragicomic Jilosofo^ who recites 
 passages of Ariosto and Tasso, and sings and gesticu- 
 lates old Gothic tales of Orlando and his Paladins. 
 The Neapolitans are perhaps the only people on earth 
 that do not pretend to virtue. On their own stage, 
 they suffer the hero of the drama always to he a rogue. 
 When detected in theft, a lazzarone will ask you with 
 impudent surprise how you could possibly expect a 
 poor man to be an angel. 
 
 The Romans are the most reserved and taciturn of 
 all the Italians, and the contrast between the popula- 
 tion of Rome and that of Naples is very striking. The 
 tradespeople are, in general, honest and civil, not alto- 
 gether cheerful, but yet not sullen. The higher classes 
 are courteous and accessible ; in no part of Italy are 
 

 View of Borne, 
 
ITALY. 
 
 205 
 
 the conversazioni more elegant, more various, or more 
 free from aristocratkal stiffness. Whether general 
 gaiety or literature, painting or music, or politics or 
 buffoonery be your object, in one house or other you 
 may be gratified every evening. The character of the 
 common people has some strange anomalies. Thou- 
 sands almost starve themselves during the whole 
 month of September, to . provide for one extravagant 
 feast in October, at the Monte Testaccio. Though 
 timidly cautious in common transactions, they are des- 
 perate at play. This passion, pervading every rank, 
 finds all the lotteries of Italy open at Rome, and many 
 call in religion to the aid of gambling. They resort 
 to San Giovanni Decollato, a church devoted to con- 
 demned criminals, and try to catch in prayer certain 
 divine intimations of the lucky ticket. Their resent- 
 ments can lie brooding for many years, waiting for an 
 opportunity of fulfilment. Boys fly to stones, and men 
 to the clasp-knife, but the most desperate ruffian ab- 
 stains from fire-arms. To shoot your enemy is held 
 atrocious ; to plunge a stiletto into his back is a proof 
 of spirit. A first murder establishes the reputation of 
 a young man, like a first duel in other countries. 
 
 Both at Rome and Naples, beggars are abundant, 
 and many of them are genteel, well-dressed people. A 
 marchioness comes to your lodgings, recounts the for- 
 tunes of her noble house, its rank, its loyalty, its dis- 
 asters, its fall, and then relieves your “ most illustrious 
 excellency” from embarrassment, by begging sixpence 
 or a shilling. An old abate steals on your evening 
 walk, and twitching you with affected secrecy, whis- 
 pers that he is starving. On the dirty pavements you 
 XIX. — 18 
 
206 
 
 ITALY. 
 
 see genteel beggars, kneeling silently, in masks. In 
 Venice you are accosted by well-dressed beggars, who 
 have no scruple in telling you that they are poveri 
 nohilL 
 
 The Tuscans are the New-En glanders of Italy. 
 They exc^l all their neighbors in thrift, ingenuity, in- 
 dustry, the neatness of their towns, and the general 
 comforts of life. They are also remarkably amiable, 
 good-tempered and kind to strangers. Florence is the 
 most agreeable residence in all Italy. The humanity 
 and benevolence of the Tuscans are also conspicuous. 
 They have an institution called the Misericordia, 
 which extends throughout the whole Grand Duchy. 
 In Florence, it comprises four hundred persons, many 
 of them of high rank. These individuals devote them- 
 selves to personal attendance on the sick, superintend- 
 ing the hospitals, distributing food to the patients, and 
 watching the manner in which they are treated. 
 These duties they perform under the disguise of long 
 black vestments which conceal the face. There is 
 another society for searching out and relieving the 
 poor, who have seen better days, and are ashamed to 
 beg. 
 
 In the middle of the day, at Florence, all business 
 is suspended, and the shops are shut during the hours 
 allotted to the siesta, or after-dinner nap. In the 
 evening, the streets are swarming with population : 
 and now the workman, having finished his daily task, 
 instead of expending his little gains at the wine-shop, 
 as he would do at Rome, takes his guitar, and sallies 
 forth in the character of a rhapsodist or gallant. From 
 night-fall to daybreak, the streets resound with music. 
 
ITALY. 
 
 207 
 
 No country is rnore famous than Italy for religious 
 festivals. The amusements of the Carnival, though 
 somewhat on the wane, are sufficient to draw seven 
 or eight thousand English annually to Kome, where 
 the Piazza di Spagna has the appearance of an Eng- 
 lish town. The sports of the Carnival are ushered in 
 by a public execution, for which a malefactor, or more 
 than one, is reserved. The Corso, or principal street 
 of Rome, is the scene of the show. The windows and 
 balcoYiies are filled with people, and there is in the 
 street a dense and ever-moving crowd, all in masquer- 
 ade. The carriages are, many of them, devised for 
 the occasion, and some represent ships, temples, and 
 classical pageants ; the coachmen are commonly dis- 
 guised as old women. All dresses and characters are 
 allowed except those of the clergy. The masks are 
 worn for defence as well as concealment, for the grand 
 sport is to pelt everybody, male and female, with su- 
 gar plums, which rain in an incessant tempest. The 
 people carry bags and baskets of them, and shower 
 them by the handful, right and left. Childish as this 
 may seem, it is followed with so much zeal that it is 
 highly amusing. At the close of the day there is a 
 horse-race. Several spirited horses without riders are 
 started from the head of the Corso, and spurred on by 
 bullets stuck full of sharp points, which are fastened 
 to their backs, and made to flap against their flanks as 
 they run. The crowd opens to the right and left as 
 they pass, and the horses are stopped at the end of 
 about a mile. After this scene, each one of the im- 
 mense concourse lights a candle, with which he has 
 furnished himself, and a scene of uproar commenceSj 
 
208 
 
 ITALY. 
 
 every man trying to extinguish his neighbor’s light. 
 These amusements of the Carnival last three days, and 
 are the same in all the cities. It is extremely credit- 
 able to the Italians, that in these saturnalia, where 
 all ranks of people are mingled, there is seldom any 
 breach of order or decorum. 
 
 There are certain remnants of mercantile habits in 
 some of the principal Italian cities, which have excited 
 the ridicule of the English, although practices hardly 
 more creditable are not unknown in Great Britain. 
 Ostentatious magnificence is combined with sordid 
 economy. The most superb equipages and apartments 
 are let out to foreigners, who are not even quite sure 
 of honest dealing. On the ground floor of many of 
 the Florentine palaces is a little shop, where the pro- 
 prietor sells the wine and oil from his estates. 
 
 The deepest reproach of Italian manners seems to 
 be the established system of cicisheism, by which every 
 married lady is allowed her lover, or cavalier servente, 
 who imposes on himself the duty, wherever she is or 
 goes, to dangle after her as her devoted slave. This 
 connexion is said to be not decidedly criminal, as our 
 manners would lead us to suppose, but rather to form 
 a certain state into which it is necessary to enter, on 
 pain of expulsion from the fashionable circles, and 
 which is continued according to a routine of almost 
 mechanical observance, the gallant speaking, not of 
 the mistress whom he loves, but of her whom he 
 serves. This system certainly sanctions the public 
 display of apparent, if not of real infidelity, to the most 
 important and religious obligation of domestic life. 
 But it is happily confined to the higher classes, and, 
 
ITALY. 
 
 209 
 
 even among them, examples are not unfrequent of 
 conjugal virtue. 
 
 In Piedmont, the character, manners and dress 
 strongly resemble those of France. The inhabitants, 
 like all mountaineers, are much attached to their 
 country ; and though many of them wander over Eu- 
 rope with a hand-organ, a marmot, or a dancing-bear, 
 they return when, after many years, their frugality 
 has obtained a small sum which is independence in 
 their own indigent country. 
 
 Florence and Venice are the two places in Italy 
 where we find popular drollery in its greatest perfec- 
 tion, and of that gay and natural cast which marks 
 the humor of the Irish. This is more or less dif- 
 fused over all Italy. The wit of the Venetians has its 
 peculiar character ; it is lighter than the Florentine, 
 and shows itself in practical jokes and repartees. 
 Moliere’s best bufibonery is borrowed from the Vene- 
 tian drama. The Neapolitan humor is more broad 
 and coarse, and more nearly allied to farce and ribald- 
 ry. Some of the traits of the Venetians may be 
 traced to their ancient intercourse with the Ottomans, 
 from whom they borrowed many of their customs ; to 
 this day their cofiee-houses are more Oriental than 
 Italian. 
 
 18 * 
 
GEEECE. 
 
 The national traits of the ancient Greeks are as 
 plain in their descendants as the cast of countenance 
 that has come down to us in medals and statues. 
 There is a great national similarity among all the 
 Greeks, however widely scattered. They prove their 
 descent by possessing some of the virtues, and all the 
 faults, of their ancestors ; yet their character, both be- 
 fore and after the revolution, has been painted in, per- 
 haps, too unfavorable colors. They are represented 
 
GREECE. 
 
 211 
 
 as addicted to the vices incident to every despised and 
 oppressed people — avarice, intrigue, cunning, servility, 
 and as being almost entirely governed by motives of 
 self-interest. The peasantry are allowed to be a very 
 fine race ; and, indeed, the great actions performed in 
 the course of the late contest, must silence those who 
 pretend that the nation has lost all its energies. 
 
 The dress of the Greeks is formed on the model of 
 the Turkish. Since their independence, they have 
 even made it a kind of a triumph to display the green 
 turban and other symbols which Moslem bigotry had 
 prohibited from being worn by an infidel. In general, 
 the attire of all who can afford it is gaudy and glitter- 
 ing, covered with gold and silver embroidery, and the 
 most brilliant colors. Above all, the arms of the chief 
 are most profusely adorned, mounted with silver and 
 even jewels. The Greek female walks abroad in a 
 robe of red or blue cloth, over which is spread a thin, 
 flowing veil of muslin. At home she is, as it were, 
 uncased ; and when the traveller is admitted into her 
 apartment, he finds the girl, like Thetis, treading on a 
 soft carpet, her white and delicate feet naked, and her 
 nails tinged with red. Her veil is of silk, exactly 
 suited to the form of the body, which it covers rather 
 than conceals. A rich zone encompasses her waist, 
 fastened before by clasps of silver gilded. She wears 
 bracelets of gold, and a necklace of golden zecchins. 
 
 The food of the Greeks, through the combined influ- 
 ence of poverty, and the long fasts enjoined by their 
 religion, is composed in a great measure of fish, vege- 
 tables and fruit. Caviare is the national ragout, and 
 like other fish dishes, is eaten seasoned with aromatic 
 
212 
 
 GREECE. 
 
 herbs. Snails dressed in garlic are also a favorite 
 dish. Their most valued fruits are olives, melons and 
 gourds, of which last they are extravagantly fond. 
 Their pastry is combined of honey and oil, which with 
 any one but a Greek is indigestible. 
 
 The Greek chieftains and the higher classes, in their 
 country seats, maintain a dignified and courteous hos- 
 pitality, and a paternal kindness toward their retainers, 
 resembling what is occasionally seen among the old 
 lairds of Scotland. The female sex enjoy greater 
 liberty, and are treated with much more respect, than 
 among the Turks. They are distinguished by beauty, 
 and by a remarkable delicacy of features and com- 
 plexion. The Greeks of the cities, on the contrary, 
 when they acquire riches, study to imitate the manners 
 and customs of the Turkish pashas, the only models 
 of grandeur which they have ever seen. They sit 
 cross-legged, in the Turkish fashion ; eat pilau a la 
 Turque ; smoke with long pipes, write with the 
 left hand, walk out accompanied with a large troop of 
 armed people, salute, sleep, loiter about — all d la 
 Turque, 
 
 Among the amusements of this people, the dance 
 seems to stand foremost. They scarcely meet without 
 this entertainment ; it is frequently enjoyed, according 
 to ancient custom, in the open air, or in the areas of 
 their churches. Many of their dances have a classic 
 character, and are probably of antique origin. They 
 have a grand circular dance, one of a very intricate 
 figure in celebration of the vintage, and one called the 
 creene^ supposed to have been invented by Theseuo. 
 Their dances are often choral, accompanied by songs, 
 
GREECE. 
 
 213 
 
 and the taste for music is very general. Foot-races, 
 wrestling, and throwing the disc, undoubtedly handed 
 down from antiquity, still maintain their places among 
 the youth. The athletoi pursue the exercise of wrest- 
 ling in a manner entirely similar to the ancient 
 practices at the Olympic games. 
 
 The religion of the Greeks is that which was des- 
 ignated by their name, to distinguish it from the Eoman 
 Catholic, after the great schism of the eastern and 
 western churches. The lower ranks have a religion 
 of mere forms, while the upper ranks are said to have 
 no religion at all. The most respectable of the clergy 
 are the monks or caloyers^ out of whom are chosen the 
 bishops, and the Patriarch — a general head of the 
 church. Some of them are men of theological learn- 
 ing, who lead regular lives, but a violent spirit of 
 intrigue prevails in pursuit of the dignities of the 
 church, which are bestowed by election. The secular 
 clergy consist of the 'papas^ or village priests, who, as 
 is usual among an unenlightened people, exercise 
 the most unbounded influence over the lower ranks. 
 It is said that some of these priests have no scruple in 
 joining bands of robbers and sharing in their booty. 
 
 N 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 Interior of a Turkish house. 
 
 The Turks are an Asiatic people, and though they 
 have been established in Europe for about four centu- 
 ries, they still maintain the manners and character of 
 the country in which they originated. They therefore 
 bear a marked contrast in respect to religion, manners 
 and customs to the people around them. In external 
 appearance they have been thought to excel the inhabit- 
 ants of northern and western Europe : but this seems 
 to be rather owing to the fashion of their dress than 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 215 
 
 to any physical superiority. The Turkish dress com- 
 pletely hides all deformity of person, and the variety 
 of colors which it exhibits, as well as the weapons and 
 the long beard worn by the men, serve to divert the 
 attention of the observer from a close examination of 
 the form and features. 
 
 The Turk wears a calico shirt, and over it a loose 
 robe descending to the feet and fastened round the 
 waist by a girdle. Large white trousers are worn 
 underneath, and the feet are covered with light slip- 
 pers. A sword and pistols are stuck in the girdle, and 
 a tobacco-box, pocket-book, &c., are carried in the bo- 
 som. The head is covered with a large turban com- 
 posed of a long strip of muslin, wound round in 
 repeated bandages. The material of the dress varies 
 according to the taste and wealth of the individual. 
 Sometimes the robe is of red silk, and sometimes of 
 French or English broadcloth, trimmed with various 
 furs. The attire of the women differs little from that 
 of the men, except in being composed of finer mate- 
 rials and exhibiting more ornament. The female 
 head-dress is a bonnet shaped like an inverted basket, 
 formed of pasteboard, covered with cloth of gold or 
 other elegant stuff, with a veil extending to the eye- 
 brows, while a fine handkerchief conceals the under 
 parts of the face. 
 
 The Turkish manner of building is thought by 
 persons who have long resided in that country to 
 be very convenient and well adapted to their country. 
 The Turks are not solicitous to beautify the outsides 
 of their houses, which are generally built of wood ; 
 from this circumstance arises the frequency of fires at 
 Constantinople. Every house, on the death of the 
 
216 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 owner, becomes the property of the grand Signior, and 
 therefore no man is disposed to indulge in unnecessary 
 expense in building. All he aims at is to erect a 
 commodious house which will last his lifetime ; and it 
 is a matter of indifference to him if it falls down the 
 year after. Every house, great and small, is divided 
 into two distinct parts, connected only by a narrow 
 passage. The first portion has a large court before it, 
 and open galleries all around. The gallery leads to 
 the chambers, which are commonly large and with two 
 rows of windows, the first being of painted glass. 
 The house has seldom more than two stories, with gal- 
 leries to each. This is the building inhabited by the 
 master. The adjoining one is the harem or the apart- 
 ment of the women. This has also a gallery running 
 round it towards the garden, to which all the windows 
 are turned. It has the same number of chambers as the 
 other, but they are more gay and splendid, both in furni- 
 ture and decorations. The second row of windows is 
 very low, with grates like those of convents. The rooms 
 are all spread with Persian carpets, and raised at one 
 end about two feet ; this is the divan or sofa, which is 
 laid with a richer sort of carpet, and all around it is a 
 species of couch, raised half a foot, covered with rich 
 silk according to the fancy or magnificence of the owner. 
 There the Turks generally make their most imposing 
 display ; and Lady Montagu informs us that nothing 
 can have a more gay and splendid appearance. The 
 ceiling is of wood, generally inlaid or painted with 
 flowers. Between the windows are little arches in 
 which to set pots of perfume or baskets of flowers. 
 In the lower part of the room are marble fountains 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 217 
 
 which throw up jets of water, giving at the same time 
 an agreeable coolness and a pleasant dashing sound, 
 as the water falls from one basin to another. Each 
 house has a bagnio consisting of two or three little 
 rooms, leaded on the top, paved with marble, with ba- 
 sins and every convenience for bathing, either in hot 
 or cold water. 
 
 In their diet, the Turks are very moderate, and their 
 meals are despatched with great haste. Rice is the 
 favorite food, and is dressed for the most part in three 
 different ways : the pilau is rice boiled with mutton or 
 fowl ; the lappa is plain boiled rice ; and the tchorha 
 is a sort of broth. In boiling, the meat is cut in small 
 pieces, and in roasting, still smaller — a bit of flesh and 
 an onion being placed alternately on a very long spit. 
 The fish of the Archipelago are excellent ; the beef 
 is tolerable, except that of the buffalo, which is hard. 
 The hares, partridges and other game, are of a superior 
 flavor. The dishes are very highly seasoned ; soup is 
 served for the last course, and the variety of ragouts is 
 as great as in France. The meal is usually spread on 
 a low wooden table, and the master of the house pro- 
 nounces a short prayer before the commencement of 
 the repast. No knives and forks are used ; the fingers 
 supply their place ; yet the Turks manage to eat in a 
 manner much more cleanly than would be supposed 
 from this custom. Coffee is taken at the conclusion 
 of the repast, and sometimes fruits and cold water fol- 
 low the tobacco-pipe. 
 
 The use of wine is formally interdicted by the Ko- 
 ran, yet the Turks drink it. “Achmet Bey,” says Lady 
 Montagu, “ made no scruple of deviating from some 
 
 XIX. — 19 
 
218 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 part of Mahomet’s law by drinking wine with the same 
 freedom we did. When I asked him how he came to 
 allow himself that liberty, he made answer that all 
 the creatures of God are good, and designed for the use 
 of man ; however, that the prohibition of wine was a 
 very wise maxim, and meant for the common people, 
 wine being the source or all disorders among them ; 
 but that the prophet never designed to restrict those 
 that knew how to use it with moderation. Neverthe- 
 less he said that scandal ought to be avoided, and that 
 he never drank it in public. This is the general way 
 of thinking among these Turks, and very few forbear 
 drinking wine that are able to afford it.” 
 
 A Turkish lady of fashion is wooed by an invisible 
 lover. In the progress of the courtship, a hyacinth is 
 occasionally dropped in her path by an unknown hand, 
 and the female attendant at the bath does the office of 
 a Mercury, and talks of a certain Effendi demanding 
 a lady’s love, as a nightingale aspiring to the affec- 
 tions of a rose. The Turkish woman cannot write or 
 read ; a lillet doux is therefore beyond her capacity. 
 A clove wrapped up in an embroidered handkerchief 
 is the least token of condescension which the nightin- 
 gale can exhibit. The father of the lady is at length 
 solicited for her hand, and he orders her to give it, 
 and to love, honor and obey her husband. They are 
 married by proxy, before the Cadi, and the light of her 
 lord’s countenance first beams on her in the nuptial 
 chamber. This change in her condition is one which 
 every spinster envies. If she be the only wife, she 
 reigns in the harem over a host of slaves ; if there 
 be two or three more wives, she shares with them the 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 219 
 
 delights of domestic sway. Every week, at least, 
 she is blest with a return of her husband’s love. 
 He enters the harem at noon-day, and at sun-set, after 
 the fatigue of sauntering from one bazaar to another, 
 he performs his evening ablutions : one obsequious 
 lady fetches a vial of rosewater to perfume his beard ; 
 another bears a looking-glass with a mother-of-pearl 
 handle ; another carries an embroidered napkin. Sup- 
 per is brought in by a host of slaves and servants. 
 The women stand before him while he eats ; and 
 when he has finished, a number of additional dishes 
 are brought in for them. One of the female slaves 
 generally presents the pipe on one knee, and some- 
 times one of the wives brings the coffee, and kisses 
 the hand of her lord. This ceremony every wife goes 
 through in the morning, none daring to sit down in 
 his presence, except such as have the honor of being 
 mothers. 
 
 The women vie with one another in soliciting the 
 smiles of their common lord. One shows the rich 
 silk she has been embroidering for his vest ; another 
 regales him with music, and a third displays the 
 beauty of her form in the dance. Some one is gene- 
 rally the favorite, and till she is supplanted by another, 
 she is treated with superior respect by all the family. 
 When she goes to the bath, she is to be distinguished 
 by the importance of her air; the strutting gait attests 
 her quality. Woe betide the unlucky Christian who 
 crosses her path : women of quality are more prone to 
 insult strangers than any other class of Turks ; their 
 fanaticism is in the ratio with their rank. Marriage 
 is only a civil contract, which either party may annul. 
 
220 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 A man may take as many wives as he pleases, not 
 exceeding four. The Turks have long been accus- 
 tomed to choose their wives from the fairest women of 
 Georgia and Circassia, and latterly of Greece. As 
 beauty is the only quality required, it may be well 
 imagined that lovelier women are nowhere to be 
 found, nor more beautiful children, than here. 
 
 Where personal charms are all that makes a woman 
 valuable, it is to be supposed that every care is taken 
 to heighten them. Cosmetics are used in abundance. 
 The ladies tinge their eyelids with a metallic powder 
 which the Turks call surfne^ and the Egyptians hohol. 
 They smear a little ebony rod with this and apply it 
 to the eyelids, which they bring in contact, and squeez- 
 ing the rod between them, a small black line is left on 
 the edge of either lid, which adds greatly to the beauty 
 of the long eyelashes, and to the brilliancy of the eye. 
 They also stain their nails and finger-ends red with the 
 juice of henna. The lower classes of women rouge 
 their cheeks, but fashionable ladies seldom apply it 
 except to the lips. 
 
 The confinement to the harem is not, perhaps, so 
 irksome as is generally imagined. The women visit 
 one another frequently, and once a week they revel 
 in the bath, which is their terrestrial paradise. They 
 pass the entire day there, breakfast, dine and sup in 
 the outer apartments, and seem as happy as possible. 
 They have plenty of looking-glasses and sugar-plums, 
 and gossip to their heart’s content. 
 
 A Constantinople man of quality is a slow-paced 
 biped of a grave aspect and haughty carriage, with an 
 , indolent air and a shuffling gait. He wears his turban 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 221 
 
 over his right eye, carries a nosegay in his bosom, 
 and is generally distinguished from the million by the 
 magnitude of his trousers. He sits for hours smoking 
 his chibouque^ wrapped in a reverie, the delight of 
 which consists in the absence of thought. A recent 
 traveller observes, “ I have asked Turks repeatedly 
 what they have been thinking of during their smoking- 
 trance, and they reply, ‘ Of nothing.’ I could not 
 remind them of a single idea having occupied their 
 minds ; and in the consideration of the Turkish char- 
 acter, there is no more curious circumstance connected 
 with their moral condition.” The reverie consequent 
 upon the indulgence of the pipe differs from that pro- 
 duced by opium : the pleasure of the former consists 
 in a temporary annihilation of thought ; that of the 
 latter, in exciting a rapid succession of delectable 
 ideas. 
 
 Another recent traveller affords us the following 
 sketch ; “ Having just landed at Constantinople, and 
 being utterly unacquainted with the Turkish language, 
 we entered the first cafe we encountered, with our inter- 
 preter. Two venerable-looking Turks were squatted 
 on a sofa smoking their long pipes, and exchanging, 
 from time to time, words uttered with the greatest 
 solemnity. The nobleness of their appearance and 
 gravity of their deportment immediately attracted our 
 attention, and our curiosity was so excited that we 
 asked our interpreter to tell us what was the subject 
 of their conversation. He laughed at our request, 
 but, after being several times pressed, said smilingly, 
 
 “ Well! well! I will give you a literal translation of 
 their conversation. The older Turk, with the green 
 19 ♦ 
 
222 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 turban, is an emir, that is tc say, a relation of the 
 Prophet ; and the one opposite to you is one of the 
 magistrates. 
 
 “ Effendi,” said the emir, “ fish has been very 
 dear for several days.” 
 
 “ You are right,” replied the magistrate. 
 
 “ Effendi,” said the relation of the Prophet, “ why 
 has the fish been so dear lately ? ” 
 
 “ I don’t know exactly ; perhaps the weather has 
 been unfavorable.” 
 
 “ Would you believe that I paid six piastres for 
 a fish that I could have had the day before for one ? ” 
 
 “ And I, alas ! gave seven.” 
 
 “ The rest of the dialogue was of a similar nature. 
 Before we left Constantinople, we had every reason to 
 believe that our interpreter had given us a literal 
 translation, although it astonished us for the time.” 
 
 The Turkish grandee sometimes relaxes from the 
 fatigues of his dignity. He perambulates the streets 
 with an amber rosary dangling from his wrist, looking 
 neither to the right nor left ; even a dead corpse, or 
 the head of a slaughtered Greek, cannot divert his 
 attention. He shuffles aside the unwary Frank whom 
 he meets ; for it is too troublesome to kick him. He 
 reaches the coffee-house before noon ; here an abject 
 Christian salaams him to the earth, spreads the newest 
 mat for the Effendi, presents the richest cup, and 
 cringes by his side to kiss the hem of his garment, or 
 at least his hand. The coffee, perad venture, is not 
 good; the Effendi storms; the poor Armenian trem- 
 bles ; he swears by his father’s beard that he made 
 the very best ; in all probability he gets the cup thrown 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 223 
 
 at his head, and a score of maledictions, not on him- 
 self, but on his mother. A friend of the EfTendi enters, 
 and after ten minutes’ silence they salute and ex- 
 change salaams, A conversation is carried on in mono- 
 syllables at long intervals. The grandee exhibits an 
 English penknife ; his friend examines it, back and 
 blade, smokes another pipe, and exclaims, “ God is 
 great.” Pistols are next produced ; their value is an 
 exhaustless theme. A learned Ulema at length talks 
 of astronomy and politics ; how the sun shines in the 
 east and in the west, and wherever he shines, how he 
 beams on a land of Mussulmans ; — how all the kings 
 of Europe pay tribute to the Sultan ; — how the English 
 infidels are greater than the French infidels, because 
 they make better pistols and penknives ; — how the 
 Christian ambassadors come like dogs to the footstool 
 of the Sultan to feed on his imperial bounty, &c. 
 After this, the Effendi takes his leave with the pious 
 ejaculation of “ Mashalla ! — how wonderful is God.” 
 
 Intoxication with opium is the prominent vice of the 
 Turks. The cofTee-houses, where the Tkeriokis, or 
 opium-eaters of Constantinople assemble, are situated 
 in a large square ; and on a bench outside the door 
 they await the wished-for reveries which present to 
 their glowing imaginations the forms of the celestial 
 houris, and the enjoyments of their own paradise in 
 all its voluptuousness. The dose of opium varies 
 from three grains to a drachm : the effect is produced 
 in two hours, and lasts four or five. When completely 
 ^under its influence, the Theriokis talk incoherently , 
 their gestures are frightful ; their features are flushed , 
 their eyes have an unnatural brilliancy, and the ex- 
 
224 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 pression of their countenances is horribly wild. Some 
 of them fee] a high poetical inspiration, and compose 
 excellent verses : others address the bystanders in the 
 most eloquent discourses, imagining themselves to be 
 emperors and kings, and to have all the harems in the 
 world at their command. The pleasure of this condi- 
 tion seems to depend on a universal expansion of mind 
 and matter. The faculties appear enlarged, every- 
 thing that is looked upon is apparently increased in 
 volume ; every external object is magnified into an 
 image of pleasure. In walking, one is hardly sensible 
 of the feet’s touching the ground ; he seems to be slid- 
 ing along impelled by some invisible agent, and feels 
 as if his blood were composed of some etherial fluid 
 which renders his body lighter than air. The debility, 
 both moral and physical, which fallows this excite- 
 ment, is terrible. The appetite is soon destroyed, 
 every fibre in the body trembles, the nerves of the neck 
 become affected, the muscles grow rigid, and the limbs 
 distorted. The sufferers, however, cannot abandon the 
 custom ; they are miserable till the hoar arrives for 
 taking their daily dose, and when its delightful influ- 
 ence begins, they are once more all fire and animation. 
 Their lives are short : an opium-eater rarely lives 
 beyond thirty years, if he begins the practice early. 
 
 The Turks repeat five prayers daily : one before 
 sunrise, one at dawn, one at noon, one at four in the 
 afternoon, and one at sunset. Their posture during 
 prayer is erect with their arms folded over the breast, 
 and apparently in serious contemplation of the duty 
 they are performing Their faces are turned to the 
 east ; nothing is heard but a short ejaculation as they 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 225 
 
 place themselves cross-legged for a few minutes- and 
 then salute the ground with their foreheads : this 
 prostration occurs nine times. There are no bells in 
 the mosques ; the muezzin ascends the minaret five 
 times a day and calls the faithful to prayer ; he tells 
 them at daybreak that prayer is better than sleep, and 
 at dinner hour that prayer is better than food. The 
 Dervishes correspond to the monks of Italy : they are 
 
 Dervishes dancing, 
 
 lazy and uncleanly, professing to live a life of abstb 
 nence, but indulging freely in rum and opium. The 
 
226 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 whirling Dervishes spin round and round in acts of 
 devotion, with such velocity that they sometimes drop 
 to the ground, and there in a state of intoxication they 
 pretend to have celestial visions, and edify the sur- 
 rounding multitude with marvellous descriptions, not 
 unlike those which Don Quixote gave of what he saw 
 in the cave of Montesinos. There is a sect called 
 howling Dervishes,” who repeat for hours the ninety- 
 nine names of God. They hold red-hot irons between 
 their teeth, and apparently thrust daggers into their 
 arms and necks. Their pious fury endures for about 
 half an hour, and he who pretends to thrust the blade 
 deepest into his flesh is reckoned the greatest saint, 
 and receives the highest applause. Dr. Clarke con- 
 siders their practices to be a remnant of the heathen 
 ceremonies of the priests of Baal. They treat the 
 Franks with great civility, and sometimes confess to 
 them that they live on the credulity of fools. 
 
 In the Mahometan religion, nothing is inculcated 
 more strictly than the observance of the fast of the 
 Ramazan, which continues during a whole lunar 
 month. From sunrise to sunset, the table, the pipe 
 and the harem are forbidden. It is not permitted to 
 taste a morsel of food nor a drop of water, all day 
 long. After this comes the great feast of the Bairam^ 
 a festival corresponding to Easter. This is a time of 
 universal rejoicing; every one is dressed in his richest 
 apparel. Even the ladies are permitted to visit their 
 friends, and to receive the visits of their nearest male 
 relations, namely, their fathers, brothers and uncles ; 
 but they are allowed this privilege at no other period, 
 and it is, in general, short and ceremonious. 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 227 
 
 The sixth commandment, that which enjoins the 
 pilgrimage to Mecca, is of such vital importance to all 
 Mussulmans, that no one is exempt from its obligations 
 except the Sultan, and he must perform it by proxy. 
 After the Ramazan feast the caravans set out for the 
 Holy City. In different years the number of pilgrims 
 varies from 60,000 to 100,000, and the number of 
 camels from 80,000 to 150,000. The pilgrim or hadgi 
 walks seven times round the House of Abraham, as 
 they call the chief mosque in Mecca, kisses a black 
 stone which they pretend fell white from heaven, 
 plunges into the well Zem-zen and takes a draught of 
 its fetid water. For this, infatuated multitudes tra- 
 verse the burning deserts of Arabia, and hundreds of 
 them annually leave their bones to bleach in the wide 
 wilderness. As no man has any honor till he becomes 
 a hadgi, every one endeavors to visit the Holy City, 
 whatever may be his circumstances. 
 
 On the birth of a child, the father himself gives the 
 name, putting at the same time a grain of salt into its 
 mouth. The dead are perfumed with incense, and 
 buried in a cloth, open at the top and bottom, that the 
 deceased may be able to sit up and answer the ques- 
 tions of the angels of death. The women howl over 
 the dead as at an Irish wake. No sooner is the breath 
 out of a man’s body than all the females in the neigh- 
 borhood resort to the house and howl for a quarter 
 of an hour. When the corpse is laid in the grave, the 
 Koran says it is visited by two black angels of a terrible 
 appearance : these make the dead person sit upright, 
 and examine him concerning his faith in the Koran; 
 if he answers rightly, his body is refreshed witli the 
 
228 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 air of Paradise, but if otherwise, they beat him on the 
 temples with iron maces, and make him roar with 
 anguish. The burial grounds are near the highways, 
 and stones are placed at the heads of the graves, with 
 carved turbans denoting the sex. As they never 
 encroach upon a former grave, the cemeteries are very 
 extensive. 
 
 The Turk, stretched at his ease in his pavilion on 
 the banks of the Bosphorus, glides down the stream 
 of existence without reflection on the past, and with- 
 out anxiety for the future. His life is one continued 
 and unvaried reverie. To his imagination the whole 
 universe appears occupied in procuring him pleasure. 
 The luxuriance of nature, and the labors of a tributary 
 people spread out before him whatever can excite or 
 gratify the senses ; and every wind wafts to him the 
 productions of the world, enriched by the arts and 
 improved by the taste of industrious Europeans. 
 The luxuries of a Turkish life would sink, however, 
 in the estimation of most people, on a comparison with 
 the artificial enjoyments of Europe. The houses of 
 the Turks are built in contempt of the rules of archi- 
 tecture, their gardens are laid out without order, and 
 with little taste ; their furniture is simple, and suited 
 rather to the habits of a military or vagrant people 
 than to the usages of settled life ; their meals are fru- 
 gal and generally unenlivened either by wine or con- 
 versation. Every custom invites to repose, and every 
 object inspires an indolent voluptuousness. Their 
 delight is to recline on soft verdure under the 
 shade of trees, and to muse without fixing their 
 attention, lulled by the trickling of a fountain or the 
 
TURKEY. 
 
 229 
 
 iPMrmuring uf a rivulet, and inhaling through their 
 pipe a gently inebriating vapor. Such pleasures, the 
 highest that the rich can enjoy, are equally within the 
 reach of the artizan or the peasant. 
 
 The Turks, notwithstanding, have some points of 
 character which indicate the gentle feelings of hu- 
 manity lurking in the heart. The same species of 
 benevolence which restrains the Hindoo from depriv- 
 ing animals of life, appears to exist among them. In 
 the Turkish towns, dogs and cats enjoy an abundance 
 which the beggars of Christendom might envy. 
 Flocks of pigeons traversing the air light on vessels 
 loaded with grain to levy a tribute which is seldom 
 denied them. Water fowl swarm on the banks of the 
 Bosphorus, and their nests are respected even by chil- 
 dren. This benevolence is extended even to trees. 
 A useful and commendable prejudice prevents the 
 most avaricious proprietor from depriving the village 
 or the field of their pleasing and salubrious shade. 
 The rich take a pride in adorning the public walks 
 with fountains and seats, two things which are ren- 
 dered necessary by the frequent ablutions and prayers 
 enjoined by their religion. 
 
 The khans, or caravanserais, are public inns, in 
 which travellers and working people are lodged with- 
 out payment. In the houses of the Turks in various 
 parts of the empire, several travellers concur in re- 
 marking purity of manners, domestic happiness, and a 
 patriarchal hospitality. But the extreme pride of the 
 Turks, rendered more offensive by the harshness cf 
 their manners, has so wounded the feelings of most 
 travellers, that they have seen nothing in the whole 
 o XIX. — 20 
 
230 
 
 TURKEY. 
 
 race except a ferocity, an ignorance, and a grossness, 
 which are proof against all the means of civilization. 
 
 A Caravansera. 
 
GEKMANY 
 
 Vim on the Danube 
 
 The state of society in Germany exhibits two very 
 distinct portions, not running into or blending with 
 each other, as in most of the other civilized modern 
 states. The class of the population which are of 
 noble birth, hold themselves separated by the most 
 marked and decided line from the body of the nation. 
 They have divided themselves into high and low nobil- 
 
232 
 
 GERMANY. 
 
 ity. The former are those who either possess sovereign 
 sway or are descended from those who once did, and 
 are called ‘ mediatized ’ princes. The low or feudato- 
 ry nobles are those who cannot boast that any sovereign 
 power ever resided in their families. There is anoth- 
 er distinction, that of the old nobility, who must be able 
 to count a line of sixteen noble ancestors, and that of the 
 young or short nobility. The cities too, especially 
 those that once ranked either as Hanse Towns or as 
 Imperial cities, contain a class enjoying hereditary 
 distinction as patricians or city nobles. The petty 
 princes and great nobles of Germany thus retain 
 many of the feudal habits, and their courts display 
 rather rude baronial pride, and forms of empty pomp,, 
 than the polish and elegance of the great European 
 courts. The character of the Germans is strongly 
 military, a quality partly derived from their feudal 
 ancestors, and partly from their country having been T 
 the theatre of nearly all the great wars which have i| 
 ravaged Europe. The common sounds in the cities fl 
 of Germany are the clangor of military bands, the 
 ringing of iron boot-heels and the measured tread 
 ' of stately soldiers. The military character is said to 
 rank higher here than in any other nation. 
 
 The dress of the Germans has now few peculiarities 
 to distinguish it from that which has become general 
 over civilized Europe. The higher classes follow 
 English and French fashions. The lower classes dress 
 in a manner convenient for their occupations. Caps : 
 are nearly universal with the men ; they are made of 
 cloth, with low crowns, two or three inches only in 
 height, and have a small shade for the eyes. The 
 
GERMANY. 
 
 233 
 
 female peasants and domestics wear on holidays, gaudy 
 caps of gold stuffs, and those who are too poor to 
 wear these, adorn their heads and arms with a few 
 flowers. The pomp and array among the Austrian 
 and Hungarian nobles, and the blaze of jewels which 
 they display, dazzle the other people of Europe. 
 
 The Germans eat more than their neighbors of the 
 South of Europe, who stigmatize them as gluttons. 
 Their food is of a plain, substantial kind, and the cook- 
 ery is inferior to the French. They have some hard 
 and harsh articles which are national favorites, such as 
 ham, sausage, raw herring, sour krout and acid wine. 
 They are much addicted to the use of intoxicating 
 liquors, and this was a characteristic of the nation in 
 ancient times. Great quantities of ale, beer and por- 
 ter are consumed, particularly in the north, where 
 alehouses are abundant : the sign over many of the 
 doors is ‘‘Welcome, friend,” and few coachmen pass 
 without taking a ‘ schnapp^^ or a dram. The Germans 
 are inveterate smokers. The pipe is ever at hand, 
 and seldom out of use ; the bowls are commonly of 
 porcelain, large and ornamented with views of Ger- 
 man scenery. The atmosphere of an alehouse is sp 
 filled with the smoke of numerous pipes, that the smok- 
 ers are hardly visible. 
 
 The students at the German universities have many 
 peculiarities. Their dress is affectedly uncouth, and is 
 worn with negligence. The coat is shapeless : the 
 hair is worn long, and a wide shirt-collar is turned 
 over the shoulders. Boots are worn, with spurs of 
 enormous size. One or more rings, as large as watch 
 seals, generally adorn the fingers, and no student in full 
 
234 GERMANY. 
 
 dress is without a ruffle of unreasonable length, though 
 many have no shirts. A pipe, four or five feet long> 
 completes the equipment. The moustache is permit- 
 ted to grow several inches long and is twisted to a 
 point. The students call themselves “ Burschen ” or 
 “ young fellows,” and the town’s people they call Phil- 
 istines. In the north they are great consumers of 
 beer ; in the south, they drink much wine. In their 
 evening potations each one has several tankards, be- 
 fore him, sometimes as many as eight or nine, so that 
 a line of students on each side of a table may look 
 down upon eighteen rows of tankards. 
 
 The students unite in clubs called Landsmannschaf- 
 which are composed of individuals of the same 
 county or district, and their club is generally indicated 
 by the color or trimming of the cap. They pay a 
 few dollars on entering, for the expenses of the club, 
 though the money thus raised is generally applied to 
 the purpose of procuring duelling apparatus, and each 
 Landsmannschaft has a complete armory. Duelling 
 may be said to be universal : of course it is not attend- 
 .<,ed with much peril. It is an example of moderation 
 to have passed several years at a university without 
 fighting. The party challenged has not the privilege 
 of choosing his weapons ; he must fight according to 
 the established mode. The weapon is a straight 
 sword about three feet in length, with a double edge 
 near the point. The combats are generally performed 
 in rooms, and fevv^ of them are fatal. Several friends 
 and a surgeon are present, with the two seconds and 
 an umpire chosen by them. The hands and arms are 
 covered with thick gloves, and a stufifed leathern 
 
GERMANY. 
 
 235 
 
 breastplate completely protects the body ; the face only 
 is exposed. For a trifling offence twelve blows are 
 struck, and if no blood be drawn, the parties shake 
 hands and separate. For a greater offence, blood 
 must be drawn. On its first appearance the umpire 
 orders a cessation of hostilities and the surgeon exam- 
 ines the wound. If it be two inches in length and 
 opens of itself a quarter of an inch, enough has been 
 done for glory and the parties are reconciled. The 
 seconds are dressed like the combatants ; they stand 
 by the side of their principals and are permitted to 
 ward off the blows. The duellists sometimes lose an 
 eye or a nose ; many have scars on their faces, and 
 some are miserably hacked. The Landsmannschaften 
 are the nurseries of duelling, each club being exceed- 
 ingly tenacious of its own dignity. Fencing, very 
 improperly, makes a part of the regular university in- 
 struction. All the details of the duel are fixed in the 
 Comment or Burschen Pandects. 
 
 The German character, it must be remembered, is 
 somewhat various in the different kingdoms and states, 
 and it has been said that it is as much parcelled out 
 as the land, though there are certain traits that run 
 through the whole. The difference is greatest between 
 the north and south, and between the literary and the 
 commercial cities. The Germans of the south are, in 
 general, less favorably distinguished for morality and 
 intelligence than those of the north, and much less 
 has been done in the former part of the country to- 
 wards enlightening the great mass of the people ; yet 
 there are many exceptions to this remark. In many 
 quarters of the country, the moral condition of the 
 
236 
 
 GERMANY 
 
 peasantry is in the lowest state : ignorant, supersti- 
 tious, dull, indolent, and dirty in their habits, and 
 slovenly and unthrifty in their mode of cultivation, 
 they still bear the traces of their long servitude. 
 
 With a few exceptions, Germany is not a country 
 remarkable for the elegancies of domestic life. Its 
 very palaces are of simple decoration : its luxuries of 
 a home-bred and inartificial kind, and its tastes not of 
 the most exalted rank. There is still a shade of the 
 Gothic in the habits and opinions of these people, who 
 seem to cultivate the subtile refinements of the mind 
 in preference to the more obvious and material enjoy- 
 ments which address themselves to the senses. They 
 are hardy, brave, and attached to their country, and 
 are distinguished for great individual and personal 
 independence. Although they are quarrelsome, they 
 seldom come to blows, for a blow is an indignity that 
 nothing but the offender’s blood can atone for, and a 
 man in common life would appeal to arms to avenge 
 it. Hard words are applied in profusion, and to scold 
 is a common way of quarrelling. 
 
 Many of the amusements, are those which are 
 common in England and France. The favorite active 
 sport is the chase of the wild boar, and though the 
 game privileges may be, as in England, distinct from 
 the soil, yet all classes are permitted to attend the 
 Prince in the chase, but not otherwise to engage in 
 the amusement. Hares are exceedingly numerous, and 
 they are hunted, not with greyhounds, but with pea- 
 sants ; these form a large circle, and with great vocif- 
 eration, close by degrees upon a centre, driving the 
 hares before them. The hunters shoot them down in 
 
GERMANY. 237 
 
 great numbers, and a random sjiot sometimes hits one 
 of those who act as the pack. 
 
 Dancing is a favorite amusement, and it is pursued 
 with more enthusiasm than in France. The waltz is 
 the national dance, and it is introduced into most of 
 the foreign figures that prevail in Germany. F athers 
 and sons are seen in the same set : all classes partici- 
 pate in this amusement, except those which have the 
 dignity of royalty to support. Eoyal personages only 
 polonaise, in the light, airy step between a dance and a 
 walk. 
 
 The Germans of both town and country, the soldiers 
 and laborers, are all acquainted with music. Almost 
 everywhere upon market days, they have players on 
 wind-instruments placed in the balcony of the town- 
 house, which overlooks the public square. The schol- 
 ars walk through the streets singing psalms in chorus. 
 Often when the traveller enters a small cottage black- 
 ened by tobacco-smoke, he finds the master or the 
 mistress playing voluntaries upon a harpsichord. The 
 poor Bohemians, as they wander, followed by their 
 wives and children, carry on their backs a clumsy harp, 
 made of common wood, from which they draw harmo- 
 nious music. They play upon it while they rest at 
 the foot of a tree on the high road, or near the post- 
 houses, endeavoring to awaken the attention of trav- 
 ellers to the ambulatory concert of the little wandering 
 family. In Austria, the flocks are kept by shepherds, 
 ^\^o play charming airs on instruments at once simple 
 and sonorous. Instrumental music is as generally 
 cultivated throughout Germany as is vocal music in 
 Italy. 
 
238 
 
 GERMANY. 
 
 The love of title is universal among the Germans. 
 Their complaisance in addressing each other in their 
 billets and letters is to us extremely ludicrous. The 
 titles with which an Italian addresses his correspond- 
 ent are sufficiently pompous to a plain republican, but 
 before the superscription of a German letter he stands 
 confounded. Not to speak of the interminably long 
 titles bestowed upon those who have any pretension to 
 rank, the plainest citizen is addressed in lofty style. 
 Some must be called High born, others High-well 
 born, others High-nobly born. If you want a suit of 
 clothes, you must write to the tailor, addressing him 
 as the High-nobly born Mr. Snip, Tailor. Were this 
 title omitted, and Mr. Snip a tailor of any reputation, it 
 is ten to one, you would not get your clothes of him. 
 In the German language, there is a feminine substan- 
 tive corresponding to every masculine title ; and when 
 they address each other, they not only give the hus- 
 band his title, but also confer it upon his wife, as the 
 Lady Generaless, the Lady Professoress, the Lady 
 Counselloress, &c. The titles and honorary epithets 
 are so numerous, that it takes months to learn them, 
 and this is a very serious embarrassment to a stranger 
 in his intercourse with the German society. 
 
 Previous to a marriage, the engagement between 
 the parties is published in a newspaper. When a 
 married couple leave the city to reside at a distance, 
 they not only take leave of their* friends in person, but 
 on the day of departure, they publish in the Gazette 
 an advertisement in the following words, to which they 
 affix their signatures : — ‘‘ On our marriage, which 
 took place this day, we commend ourselves respect- 
 
GERMANY. 
 
 239 
 
 fully to our friends and relations. As we are on the 
 point of departure for 'Kdnigsberg, we wish them, from 
 our hearts, prosperity,” &c. In the north of Germany, 
 when a person is sick, the friends of the family call 
 and ring at the door. On entering, they find in the 
 parlor a book lying on the table, in which, every 
 morning and evening, is written the state of the 
 patient’s: health, with all the particulars which would 
 interest the inquirers. Under this morning and even- 
 ing bulletin, the visiters write their names, to apprize 
 the family of their sympathy ; they never see the 
 members of it, unless they have some other business 
 than inquiring after the state of the patient. 
 
 The long peace since 1815 has effected wonders in 
 making the nations of Europe better acquainted with 
 each other, and will destroy a thousand petty pre- 
 judices, and awaken generous and useful sympathies. 
 In many ways, this work is silently going on, by prints 
 and engravings, descriptions and anecdotes in news- 
 papers, small articles of cheap luxury — nay, Warren’s 
 blacking contributes its part : you may buy a bottle, 
 with the label at least, in any large city in Europe. 
 But there is one remarkable triumph which, during 
 this period of tranquillity, has been achieved by genius. 
 Sir Walter Scott has made a moral conquest of Ger- 
 many. There is hardly a bookseller’s shop where 
 you may not find his works for sale, and vast numbers 
 of the people have learned the English language solely 
 for the pleasure of reading the Waverley novels in the 
 original. 
 
 The coffee-house aspect of Germany is in general 
 idle and profligate ; but the traveller would be deceived 
 
240 
 
 GERMANY. 
 
 who should judge of the private life of the Ger- 
 mans from that peculiar class of persons who form, as 
 it were, a race of themselves, and are found floating 
 on the surface of society, all over that extensive coun- 
 try. Vast numbers of men in Germany seem to live 
 only among cards and billiard balls, a mark, and one 
 of the worst, which a very long war and long inter- 
 course with the French armies have left behind. A 
 great number of these are unemployed military men, 
 of originally idle and dissipated habits ; others are of 
 a class which made money enough during the war, in 
 their trades and occupations, to put on the coats, with- 
 out the character, of gentlemen, and who live loosely 
 about at hotels and restaurateurs, where they are little 
 known, as to their early history, but welcome for what 
 they spend. 
 
 The attention which has been paid to popular edu- 
 cation in Prussia, within the last twenty years, has 
 excited the admiration of Europe, and several of the 
 German universities have acquired great celebrity for 
 their success in teaching the higher branches of know- 
 ledge. The intellectual character and history of the 
 great Germanic nation is a subject of the deepest inter- 
 est, especially at the present moment, when every 
 point of Christendom is beginning to feel and acknow- 
 ledge their power, as displayed in German literature. 
 
HOLLAND. 
 
 If we were to form our opinions of the people of 
 this country, who are called Dutch, from the descrip- 
 tions of the English, we should do them injustice ; for 
 the commercial islanders are never just to commercial 
 competitors, and the former have often been their suc- 
 cessful rivals. 
 
 The Dutch are distinguished for frugality, neatness 
 and industry. They are of a cold, phlegmatic tem- 
 perament, but when roused to passion, have as much 
 ardor as any other people. They are grave and heavy 
 in appearance, and even children are sedate. They are 
 quiet and domestic, and enjoy much happiness in their 
 family circles. Generally they prefer gain to am- 
 bition, but in their dealings they are honest. The 
 very soil they till is a monument of their perseverance 
 and industry. They live in a country of meadows, 
 reclaimed from the sea, and the acquisition is main- 
 tained only by continual vigilance, toil, and expense. 
 
 In Holland, neatness is carried to excess. In their 
 kitchens every metallic utensil is as bright as scouring 
 can make it, and hung upon the walls for show ; for 
 neatness here is ostentatious. The very tongs and 
 shovel are “ hung up for monuments.’’ The principal 
 utensils are of pewter and copper. One room in the 
 house is held too sacred for common intrusion : and 
 XIX. — 21 
 
242 
 
 HOLLAND. 
 
 the neatness and arrangement of this, is a peculiar 
 study.' In some of the villages, wagons are not per- 
 mitted to pass through the streets ; the front walks are 
 scrubbed, sanded, and marked out in fanciful figures. 
 The doors and porches are burnished, and the trees 
 that shade them, do not escape the brush. Little ad- 
 mittance is granted at the front door ; and even at the 
 back entrance, a shoe not perfectly satisfactory to the 
 genius of the place, must be laid aside, and a slipper, 
 which is kept for this purpose, worn during the visit. 
 
 The Dutch are profuse of time, but economical of 
 money. All their conveyances by sea or land, are 
 slow, and “ Dutch speed ” has grown into a saying for 
 tardiness. Their economy, however, is not to be dis- 
 covered in the public establishments, which are on a 
 princely scale. 
 
 The leading peculiar amusements of the Dutch, 
 are skating, and dancing at the licensed houses, 
 where the most infamous class resort. It is common 
 for staid and respectable people, in family groups, to 
 mingle in the dance, with those who have neither 
 character nor modesty to lose. Skating* is followed 
 by both sexes : it is a graceful and healthful amuse * 
 ment. The females are generally dressed in white 
 and each one is attended by a man ; generally they 
 move with each a hand resting on the other’s shoul- 
 der. They step simultaneously, as in marching. It 
 is an interesting spectacle, to see many females with 
 florid complexions, and dressed in white, moving 
 swiftly and apparently without efibrt, like Camilla 
 When like a passing thought, she fled 
 In light, away.^’ 
 
BELGIUM. 
 
 The Belgians are in part Flemings, of German 
 origin, and in part Walloons, of the Latin race, and 
 closely allied to the French. The former resemble 
 the Dutch in their character and manners ; the latter 
 are more like the French. The language of the 
 higher classes is French; the lower classes speak 
 Flemish, a dialect of the Low German, or the Wal- 
 loon dialect, a sort of rustic French. 
 
 The modes of dress, manner of building, habits of 
 intercourse, food and drink, generally present little that 
 is peculiar, but rather exhibit a mixture of French 
 and Dutch customs. A black hooded cloak is worn 
 by the women in many places, a remnant of the old 
 Spanish sway over these provinces. The common 
 people generally wear wooden shoes, as in many other 
 parts of Europe. Some of the Belgian towns are hardly 
 rivalled in any country for the neatness and generally 
 pleasing effect of the buildings. As to the character 
 of the Belgians it may be observed, that, long subject to 
 a foreign yoke, and in constant intercourse with 
 foreigners, they seem to have lost in a great measure 
 the original Flemish traits, and to present no very 
 distinctive features. A strong national antipathy 
 existed between the Dutch and Belgians while they 
 were under the same crown, and the latter attempted 
 
244 
 
 BELGIUM. 
 
 to adopt the F rench customs and manners ; yet, on the 
 wnole, they have a greater resemblance to their north- 
 ern than their southern neighbors. The amusements 
 are much like those of Holland ; the great Flemish 
 kermes or fairs, though no longer subservient to com- 
 merce, exist still as festivals, at which there is a great 
 display of humor and character, such as we find hap- 
 pily illusrated in the works of the Flemish painters. 
 
 The fine arts were cultivated with zeal and success 
 in the Belgic provinces, during the days of their opu- 
 lence and prosperity. Wealthy merchants liberally 
 patronized the arts of design; and the gentry and 
 land-holders, being induced by the constant wars, of 
 which the Low Countries were the theatre, to live 
 much in towns, acquired more refined tastes than 
 could have been formed in a country life. Antwerp, 
 during its prosperous period, became, in some measure, 
 a Belgic Athens. The Flemish school of painting, 
 under its great masters, Rubens and Vandyke, display- 
 ed great splendor of coloring, grandeur of composition, 
 and force of expression, although it never reached that 
 grandeur of design and pure taste which were formed 
 in Italy. 
 
 The Belgians are mostly Catholics, the number of 
 Protestants not exceeding 10,000. The Catholic cler- 
 gy have shown an intolerant spirit here, but the great 
 possessions of the church have been forfeited, and the 
 monasteries suppressed ; only a few nunneries being 
 allowed to exist. 
 
DENMAEK. 
 
 The Danes, like most of the northern nations, are 
 fair in complexion, of middle stature, and hardy in 
 constitution. The women have blue eyes, and auburn 
 hair, and many of them are beautiful. There is a 
 nobility, which though reduced from its ancient splen- 
 dor, contains many who live in elegance, if not in 
 ostentation. There are two orders of knighthood. 
 The Germans occupy Holstein, Lubec, and the most 
 of Sleswic, and there are a few Gypsies. 
 
 The women of the middle classes are very fond of 
 show in their dress, which is composed of many colors, 
 red being the most prevalent. In summer many of the 
 people retain their great-coats, and in winter they as- 
 sume furs. The French fashions are common in the 
 cities. The Danish language is allied to the Swedish 
 Aiid. Norwegian. The Frisish is used in some of the 
 islands, and the German in Holstein, Lubec, and a 
 part of Sleswic. The houses in the cities are gene- 
 rally of brick ; in the country they are of wood with 
 piazzas ; few of them have much pretension to ele- 
 gance. The general food of the lower class is oat- 
 cake, rye-bread, potatoes, fish and cheese. Much beer 
 and spirits, chiefly brandy, are consumed, and the use 
 of tobacco is general, but less so than in Germany. 
 The mode of travelling is not so convenient as further 
 
 P 21* 
 
246 
 
 DENMARK. 
 
 south, and few foreigners visit Denmark. The com- 
 mon post vehicles do not exceed four or five miles an 
 hour. 
 
 The Danes are brave, but not adventurous. They 
 would do more for defence than for glory. They are 
 less cordial than the Germans, and less cheerful than 
 their northern neighbors. They are faithful and 
 honest, but not strongly marked with national pecu- 
 liarities. They are addicted to the use of spirituous 
 liquors, and the proverbial expression of a “ drunken 
 Dane ” has some foundation in the national character. 
 Cards and dancing are the most common amusements* 
 but these are not followed with much spirit. 
 
 There are several universities, and every town has 
 a primary school ; most of these are on the Lancas- 
 terian plan. There is a library of four hundred and 
 ten thousand volumes at Copenhagen, with several 
 learned societies. The arts are not in a fiourishing 
 state, though Thorwaldsen, the sculptor, was a native 
 of Denmark. The sciences are cultivated with suc- 
 cess, but the literature is limited. There are some 
 good popular songs and tolerable dramas. The gov- 
 ernment is despotic in form, but mild in its adminis- 
 tration. The laws are equitable and well administer- 
 ed. The religion is chiefiy Lutheran, and the church 
 government partakes of the Episcopal form. 
 
SWEDEN. 
 
 The Swedes are of the middle size, and few of them 
 are corpulent. They have ruddy complexions, and 
 flaxen hair, though the women often have auburn hair 
 and blue eyes. The females are distinguished for 
 beauty. There is little diversity of appearance in the 
 Swedes ; and they seem to a foreigner, rather as 
 members of the same family than natives of a large 
 country. All have a very composed demeanor. There 
 are four orders in the state : nobles, clergy, peasants 
 and burghers, or citizens of towns. 
 
 The Swedes have a national dress, established by 
 law, about sixty years ago. The females, however, 
 have little scruple to break this ordinance. The gen- 
 eral color is black, but on gala days, it is blue, lined 
 with white. The dress of ladies is somewhat like the 
 English, except in the sleeves, which are Spanish. 
 Veils are common. The coats of the men are short 
 and close. They are fastened around the body with 
 a sash. The cloak is black, but lined with gayer 
 colors. Galoches^ or outward shoes, are worn in win- 
 ter, and a fur, or sheep* skin over dress, is then indis- 
 pensable and universal. The peasantry in Dalecarlia 
 are called lohite or blacky as they are dressed in either 
 color : and almost all wear one or the other. They 
 wear huge shoes, with thick wooden soles, and a hat 
 
248 
 
 SWEDEN. 
 
 like a Quaker’s. Generally, the hats are each decorated 
 with a feather, and no gentleman is in full dress without 
 a sword. The Swedes, for the most part, are comfort- 
 ably and neatly clad. 
 
 The dwellings, except at Stockholm, and in Scania, 
 are of wood. The peasants have log houses, and fill 
 the interstices with moss. The roof is covered with 
 birchen bark and turf. In summer the floors are some- 
 times strewed with odorous twigs. Many of the 
 country-houses are of several stories, and make a good 
 appearance. Some of them are so constructed, that 
 they may be taken down and removed in a short time. 
 The beds of the common people are placed cne above 
 another, on shelves, as in the berths of a ship. 
 
 The roads of Sweden are hardly inferior to those of 
 England, and the facilities for travelling are better 
 than in the other northern countries. The roads are 
 kept in repair by the peasants ; each family of which 
 has its portion marked with bounds. The inns have 
 few comforts, though all have a “ traveller’s room ” 
 with a bed, or at least, a berth of boards. The horses 
 are small, but active and sure footed. They go at full 
 speed down the steepest and largest hills, and are sel- 
 dem known to stumble, though in the busy seasons, 
 they are driven by bqys or women. 
 
 The Swedes have many amiable traits in their 
 character, though they do not lack energy. They are 
 kind, cheerful and faithful. They love their country, 
 and are much attached to free institutions, and prin- 
 ciples of equality. In this and in other respects, they 
 somewhat resemble the Swiss. The mountains of 
 Dalecarlia have always been the abode of freedom and 
 
SWEDEN. 
 
 249 
 
 simplicity of character. The Swedes are gentle, though 
 brave and warlike ; and the peasants are uncommonly 
 civil and obliging. The people are hospitable to a 
 great degree, and the character of a stranger is a ready 
 passport to their houses. When the richer families 
 leave their country residences, a room and attendance 
 are still appropriated to travellers, who receive as much 
 care as if the master were present. The Swedes 
 are descended from the hordes that overran the Roman 
 empire, and they are no less brave and adventurous 
 than their ancestors. In modern times they have 
 been the bulwark of the Protestant faith ; and one of 
 their sovereigns has, with an inconsiderable army, 
 conquered armies as numerous and brave as the north 
 ever sent forth, to pillage the fertile south. 
 
 The first of May and midsummer day are celebrat- 
 ed with general joy. On the latter occasion the young 
 men and women dance around a pole till morning. 
 Dancing is common, and all classes join in the sport 
 with great animation. Cards are a general amuse- 
 ment, though the Swedes are not addicted to gaming. 
 All ranks play games at cards, the most common of 
 which is that called Boston. It is said (to illustrate 
 the national fondness for play) that a nobleman, when 
 his dinner hour had arrived without the dinner, went 
 into the kitchen to learn the reason of the delay, when 
 he found all the domestics engrossed in a game. He 
 admitted the characteristic' excuse that the game was 
 at its most critical point, and could not therefore be 
 deferred even for dinner ; but he took the cook’s hand, 
 and played it, while that domestic performed his duty 
 
NORWAY. 
 
 The inhabitants of Norway are hardy and robust, 
 and the women, like those of Sweden, are many of 
 them beautiful. The dress is plain, and generally of 
 a stone color, with white metal buttons and red but- 
 tonholes. Furs are much worn in winter. The lan- 
 guage has an affinity with the Danish and Swedish 
 The usual food of the peasants is milk, cheese and 
 fish. Flesh and oat-bread, made hard as in Sweden, 
 are more rare. In times of scarcity the bark of fir 
 trees is mixed with the oatmeal. A common soup is 
 made of oatmeal or barley meal, seasoned with a 
 pickled herring or salted mackerel. The Norwegians, 
 like the Swedes, are much addicted to the use of 
 spirits, though without suffering the injurious effects 
 produced by intemperance in warmer climates. The 
 use of tobacco is general. The people are far more 
 sprightly than the Danes, and it would not be easy to 
 find a nation more cheerful than the Norwegians. 
 They are brave, energetic, and patriotic. The pea- 
 sants are frank and hospitable, and have great inde- 
 pendence. Their mode of salutation, even to superi- 
 ors, is by shaking hands, and this is the way also in 
 which they return thanks for a favor. 
 
 The Norwegians have some of the amusements 
 common in Sweden, and they delight also in recount- 
 
NORWAY. 
 
 251 
 
 mg tales of their ancestors, which in their social meet- 
 ings they often do, by turns. Skating upon the snow 
 is a practice very common in this country. The 
 skates are made of wood and are very large. The 
 snow is frozen so hard that the skaters pass over it as 
 swiftly as upon ice. At Drontheim is a regiment of 
 soldiers called skate -runners. They carry a rifle, 
 sword and a long climbing staff, shod with iron. 
 They go two or three hundred paces apart, and move 
 so swiftly that no cavalry can approach them. 
 
 Without a great many establishments for education, 
 the people nevertheless are not illiterate, and there are 
 few peasants who cannot read and write. There are 
 two seminaries for the instruction of teachers. There 
 are many itinerant schoolmasters, who stay in a ham- 
 let about two weeks at a time. There is not much 
 national literature ; mathematics is the favorite study. 
 
 The religion is Protestant, and there are some ves- 
 tiges of paganism. At funerals a violin is played at 
 the head of the coffin, and questions, as in various 
 other countries, are addressed to the corpse, in the 
 course of which, it is customary to ask pardon for hav- 
 ing injured or offended the deceased during life. 
 
The Laplanders are generally short in stature, and 
 they have sharp chins and prominent cheek bones. 
 They differ from the Finns in having dark hair, though 
 their complexions are frequently light. They have a 
 tolerable share of strength, with great suppleness and 
 agility, and they endure much hardship with patience. 
 The materials for dress are generally the skins of ani- 
 mals ; though the Laplanders who have permanent 
 habitations, wear in summer, woollen stuffs, and shirts, 
 which the wandering inhabitants have not. The men 
 
LAPLAND. 
 
 253 
 
 wear a conical cap, and in hunting, a hood, covering 
 the breast and shoulders, and with only a small open- 
 ing for the eyes. They rarely wear any covering 
 round their necks, which are exposed in the severest 
 weather, or defended only by a piece of narrow cloth, 
 going once round. They wear a tunic or short coat 
 of sheep-skin, with the wool inwards, and close before 
 except on the breast. Over this, which is worn next 
 the skin, is a similar garment of woollen, or skins, with 
 a stiff collar. The Laplander has no pocket, but 
 hangs a small bag at his breast, in which he puts his 
 little implements. The gloves are of skins, and lined 
 with cypress grass. There are no stockings, and the 
 pantaloons do not reach to the ancle: Instead of 
 stockings, straw and rushes are stuffed into the shoe, 
 around the foot and ancle. The men wear leathern 
 belts. The dress of the women is not very dissimilar 
 to that of the men. At night, even when the cold is 
 most intense, the mountain Laplanders go to bed 
 naked, and cover themselves with their dress and 
 skins ; putting their feet within a bag. 
 
 The Laplanders live in huts, or, in summer, in tents. 
 The huts are so small, that the people cannot stand 
 upright, except in the centre. They are built of sods 
 and stone, and covered with bushes, turf, and earth. 
 The household furniture consists of iron or copper 
 kettles, and wooden cups, bowls, and spoons. Some 
 of the wealthy have tin, and even silver basins. 
 
 The reindeer supplies the chief articles of food, 
 though something is obtained by fishing and hunting. 
 In summer, the reindeer’s milk is boiled with sorrel to 
 a consistence, and is thus preserved ; in winter it is 
 XIX. — 22 
 
254 
 
 LAPLAND. 
 
 kept frozen in the paunch of a reindeer, and mixed 
 with cranberries. Tt is broken up with a hatchet. 
 When cheese is made, the milk is mixed with water ; 
 otherwise it is too rich to curdle. 
 
 The Laplanders travel on sledges, drawn by the 
 reindeer. In descending hills, in winter, long skates 
 are worn. With these the Laplanders glide down the 
 steep mountains so swiftly, that the air whistles in 
 their ears, and their hair becomes erect with the 
 downward motion. 
 
 In Lapland, society exists in its primitive elements ; 
 men live in a state differing from that of highly civil- 
 ized countries ; there are few crimes, and there is a 
 perfect security of property. The settlements are not 
 near to each other ; and whoever erects a hut without 
 the limits of another, becomes possessed of the land 
 for six miles around. There is no temptation to com- 
 mit the crimes of violence or fraud, that are so com- 
 mon in other countries, and a lock as a security to 
 property is unknown in Lapland. The people 
 are gentle and hospitable, and, like the Esquimaux, 
 they have the greatest aversion to war, A Laplander 
 has never been known as a soldier. They resist all 
 inducements to leave their country. They are not 
 without sensitive feelings, and are known to weep 
 from sympathy and compassion. The Laplanders 
 are expert wrestlers, and they have several athletic 
 sports. They throw javelins at a mark, leap over 
 sticks held by two persons, &c. They have the game 
 of fox and geese, which is in great request. 
 
 The Laplanders have renounced their pagan creed, 
 though some of its rites and superstitions remain. 
 
LAPLAND. 
 
 255 
 
 Marriages and funerals are not conducted with much 
 ceremony. The family and friends of a young man, 
 go in a body to solicit the lady in behalf of the lover, and 
 presents are made. Should the parents of the female 
 retract their consent, the presents are restored, and 
 even the brandy that was drank, is replaced. The 
 Laplanders make professions of sorcery, and the fe- 
 males sometimes are distinguished as witches. Their 
 mode of divination is with the Runic drum, and by a 
 system of omens. The pagan superstitions are, how- 
 over, gradually becoming extinct. 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 An observing traveller has remarked that the ap- 
 pearance of the Russians struck him as more singular 
 than that of any other people which he had seen. In 
 the other countries of Europe, a traveller passing from 
 state to state, remarks comparatively a slight change at 
 each transition ; but in Russia he finds everything 
 changed ; — dress, features, manners, pursuits — all are 
 new. The first impression of a stranger in a Russian 
 crowd is that he must be in some city of Asia, so truly 
 oriental is the air of a great part of the population. At 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 257 
 
 another time, the long beard, flowing robes and col- 
 ored girdles which abound, give them a resemblance to 
 a population of Jews ; but their hair and eyes want 
 the deep dark hue of the children of Israel. 
 
 ' The above remarks relate chiefly to the inhabitants 
 of the cities. The great mass of the people, both in 
 town and country, wear a coarse sheep-skin dress, 
 consisting of a short, tight surtout, the wool turned in, 
 and the outside black with filth. Every laborer has a 
 beard flowing rough and grisly on his bosom. Instead 
 of the sheep-skin coat, a short frock of red-striped cot- 
 ton, made much in the same shape, is often worn by 
 shop-boys and apprentices. But the most common 
 dress of all who have not the axe or oar in their hand, 
 is a long, blue, swaddling coat. They add a long sash 
 about the middle, generally yellow or red. They sel- 
 dom wear anything about the neck, the collar of the 
 coat being very low, and the shirt without a collar. The 
 head projects above a long tract of skin, which, from 
 constant exposure to sun and wind, looks as horny as 
 the hide of a rhinoceros. Instead of shaving the chin, 
 the Russian shaves the back of his head. Beauty, ac- 
 cording to his notion, consists in having the head raised 
 as far as possible above the body ; accordingly, he shaves 
 away a large portion of the hair at the top of the neck, 
 and cuts the remainder so as to make the head resem- 
 ble a turnip. He generally wears a small low-crowned 
 hat, with a broad brim. If the Russian’s dress be 
 scanty above, it is long enough below. It reaches to 
 the ground, and laps closely over the limbs, so that he 
 has a long, waving appearance as he moves through 
 the streets with a solemn pace. The dress below the 
 9 , 2 * 
 
258 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 coat is often very slight ; no flannels are worn ; their 
 trousers of striped cotton are thrust into long black 
 boots at the foot, and thus the costume is complete. 
 
 A stranger would say that one half the people must 
 be freezing, even in summer, so thin and slight are, 
 their garments. Yet there is a singular contradiction 
 in the dress of the other half of the crowd in the street. 
 Even in the warmest daj’-s, when the stranger from 
 the south is scarcely able to walk for the heat, he sees 
 Russians wrapped up as if for winter. While foreign- 
 ers are glad to fan themselves with their hats, the na- 
 tives may be seen with large fur cloaks worn over 
 thick great-coats, with other garments sufficient to 
 load a giant. This custom arises from the variable- 
 ness of the climate. In the course of the same day, 
 there are great changes of temperature at St. Peters- 
 burg ; at noon, in summer, the air is burning : before 
 night it is almost freezing. It is affirmed, that out of 
 the sun, it is always cold there ; the damps of the 
 river, and the breezes sweeping from Lake Ladoga, 
 penetrate everywhere ; on the sunny side of the street 
 you are comfortably warm or perhaps melting, but 
 pass to the shade, and you shiver. 
 
 The females of the higher classes imitate the fash- 
 ions of Paris and London, and are said to indulge in 
 the greatest extravagance in ornaments, sometimes 
 lavishing a whole fortune upon a single dress. 
 
 Throughout Russia, a house is hardly ever seen 
 standing by itself. The peasantry are all collected in 
 small villages, containing from thirty to a hundred 
 houses, ranged in lines by the highway. Between 
 the road and the houses is a space of seven or eight 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 259 
 
 yards, a perfect quagmire of mud. The gable end of 
 the house faces the road : the roof is sharp, and cover- 
 ed with boards, fantastically carved, or with straw and 
 reeds. One corner of the gable is usually occupied 
 by a door, and the upper portion displays six or eight 
 small windows, with folding shutters, gaudily painted. 
 Every house has a bench, sheltered by the projecting 
 roof, where young and old sit to enjoy the sun on holi- 
 days. Scarcely a cottage is without its large draw- 
 well, with wheel and rope before it. No part of a 
 house is painted except the shutters, consequently, all 
 the villages have a dingy, decaying appearance. 
 There is no want of comfort, however, that is, of Rus- 
 sian comfort, which never includes cleanliness. 
 
 Such is the genuine Russian domestic architecture. 
 Of the great cities, we may give a different account. 
 Moscow, whose terrible catastrophe in 1812 is known 
 to every one, has risen from its ashes in greater splen- 
 dor than ever ; scarcely a trace of the great conflagra- 
 tion is now to he seen, and it would seem to have suf- 
 fered on that occasion only to make way for improve- 
 ments. The Russians were always proud of Moscow, 
 and its destruction being connected with the overthrow 
 of a hated invader, made them still more proud of it ; 
 every one bearing the name of Russian, from the Em- 
 peror to the lowest peasant, felt honored in contribut- 
 ing to the patriotic work of its restoration. The view 
 of this city at a distance has excited the admiration of 
 all travellers. The countless number of towers, some 
 with cupolas, either gilt or painted green, and others 
 rising in the form of minarets, and the many gardens 
 and trees intermixed with the houses, give the city a 
 
RUSSIA. 261 
 
 perfectly oriental appearance. The towers are said 
 to amount to six hundred, nearly every church having 
 several besides the steeple. The cupolas or domes 
 are in the form of a bulb or onion, surmounted by a 
 crescent, with the cross above it. The towers vary 
 considerably in form and color, and give the city its 
 characteristic appearance ; they are all built of stone, 
 and most of them are situated in open squares, in con- 
 sequence of which they escaped the fire of 1812 . 
 Hence Moscow has lost little or nothing of its original 
 aspect. In the palaces and public buildings, almost 
 every style of architecture has been copied. The 
 Kremlin is the most famous building in the city — it is 
 a fortified palace of vast extent, adorned with numer- 
 ous towers and minarets, and is a most singular and 
 magnificent pile of architecture. 
 
 St. Petersburg strikes every visiter with astonish- 
 ment by the splendor of its architecture. Its long 
 lines of houses and palaces are generally of a uniform 
 plan, and have a freshness of appearance that indi- 
 cates the recent origin of the city. “ The united mag- 
 nificence of all the cities of Europe,” says Dr. Clarke, 
 since whose time it has been very much improved, 
 “could but equal St. Petersburg.” There is nothing- 
 mean or little to offend the eye ; all is grand, exten- 
 sive, large and open ; the streets seem to consist en- 
 tirely of palaces ; the structures are lofty and elegant. 
 The public buildings, quays, piers, ramparts, See. are 
 composed of masses of solid granite ; and our ad- 
 miration is increased, when we reflect that not two 
 centuries have elapsed since the foundation of the 
 city. Palaces, cathedrals, triumphal arches and monu- 
 Q 
 
262 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 mental statues, all of most tasteful design and cost- 
 ly workmanship, stand in thick and fair array on a 
 spot which was recently covered with marshes and 
 forests. The plasterer’s trowel and the painter’s 
 brush are kept in constant activity throughout the 
 city, so that there is no appearance of decay in any 
 quarter. Repairs are not left to the caprice or indo- 
 lence of the owners of houses ; the government imme- 
 diately steps in and orders them to he made. It can 
 create also as well as preserve, for much of St. Peters- 
 burg has been built by compulsion ; it would never 
 have attained to half its present magnitude but for the 
 interference of the authorities, who were accustomed 
 to say to a man in very plain terms, “ You who have 
 this income or that, or this or that number of houses, 
 are hereby called upon to build forthwith so many 
 more.” 
 
 In spite, however, of the magnificence of this city, 
 there are deficiencies which deprive it of the charac- 
 ter of a great capital, and cause it to rank no higher 
 than an enormous country village. Of mere bulk, 
 wealth and population, it has enough, but this splen- 
 did city, built to order” by the commands of a des- 
 pot, wants the indescribable something which makes 
 the capitals of France and England the capitals also of 
 the intellect and fashion of Europe. The Russian 
 metropolis has filled the nations with wonder by its 
 sudden rise, and it may fill them with greater wonder 
 by its yet more sudden fall. The proud monarch of 
 the north may have it said of that stately city as was 
 said of Jonah’s gourd, that it came up in a night and 
 perished in a night. Such a calamity, if we may be- 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 263 
 
 lieve those who have long resided there, is by no 
 means improbable. The ground is so low, that the 
 Neva at times sweeps irresistibly over a great part of 
 the city ; and the inundations have often risen so high 
 as to threaten the complete subversion of the finest 
 quarters. Should a rise of the river happen simul- 
 taneously with a strong wind blowing up the Gulf of 
 Finland, nothing can save the city from total destruc- 
 tion. 
 
 The Russian peasant is satisfied with the plainest 
 food. No people in Europe are so coarsely fed. Their 
 diet consists of all the sour things that can be procured ; 
 pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage, or pickled mush- 
 rooms, with a piece of black bread, are their daily fare. 
 At rare intervals they may taste a little fish, or even 
 butcher’s meat, but these also, the fish at all events, 
 are likely to be excessively acrid. To gratify this 
 taste for sours, cucumbers are raised in amazing quan- 
 tities ; every market-place in the empire displays 
 heaps of them on the right hand and on the left. In 
 the country towns, a hundred good ones may be 
 bought for six cents. At the tables of the middle 
 classes, they are seen almost every day. The pickled 
 cabbage of the Russians is not unlike the German sour 
 krout. The pickled mushrooms are beyond all endur- 
 able sourness. In short, the Russian peasant lives 
 upon acids, and unless his food burn his palate it has 
 no relish for him. As may easily be inferred, it is 
 also very unwholesome. The Russians are undoubt- 
 edly more liable to scorbutic diseases than any nation 
 in Europe. 
 
 The wealthy classes adopt the French style of 
 
264 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 cookery, yet they preserve some of the national dishes. 
 One of these the Russians consider as the most exquis- 
 ite of luxuries. It is a soup called hatinia, which, to 
 the palate of a stranger, is the most horrible compound 
 of burning poisons, ever invented. The use of mush- 
 rooms is universal, from the Emperor to the beggar ; 
 and it is remarkable that the very kinds which are 
 poisonous in the west of Europe, are eaten by the 
 Russians with perfect impunity. All classes have a 
 great fondness for raw turnips. 
 
 The extravagance of the Russians with regard to wine 
 is worthy of remark. Their own country produces this, 
 but a Russian affects to care for nothing that can be got 
 at home ; you almost insult him by asking for a bottle 
 of the wine of the Crimea, if it be only to say that you 
 had drank Russian vrine in Russia. The government 
 has been at great pains to promote the cultivation of 
 the vine in the south, but as yet with no very decided 
 success. Some of the wines of the Crimea are toler- 
 able, but the greater part of them are little better than 
 red ink with sugar in it. French wines are chiefly 
 used, and these of the most expensive quality. Cham- 
 pagne is the favorite ; at home or abroad the Russian 
 is steady in his affection for this beverage, and it is 
 almost the only one which he thinks fit for rational 
 beings ; 400,000 bottles of it are consumed annually 
 in the country. 
 
 With all the partiality of the Russians, however, for 
 imported luxuries, there is a home-made liquor, their 
 love for which nothing can shake, and that is hmss^ 
 In vain have the English tempted them by establishing 
 breweries of ale ; they still keep by their national 
 
RXJSSU. 
 
 265 
 
 drink. It is a thin and very sour beverage, yet the 
 people think they cannot live without it, and it is pat- 
 ronized by all ranks and denominations. There is a 
 vessel of it in every peasant’s hut, from which the 
 family are sipping the whole day long, and you find 
 it in bottles on the same table with champagne. It is 
 made of rye, boiled in a large quantity of water, which 
 being afterwards fermented, acquires a sourish and not 
 disagreeable taste, and is most effectual in allaying 
 thirst. The vodki or brandy in which the poor Eus- 
 sian indulges to a most debasing excess, is a harsh 
 and fiery liquor, distilled from rye, oats and barley. 
 None but the lower classes use this drink freely, but 
 these consume it to an incredible extent, and with the 
 most pernicious effects. There is something remark- 
 able in a Russian’s way of getting intoxicated. Some 
 nations drink for amusement, and for sociality, but the 
 Russian drinks for drunkenness. A Frenchman 
 spends his holiday at the guinguette, over a pint of 
 wine, and even if it be a quart, he walks home very 
 decently at night. He went there to talk, to dance, or 
 to see his friend ; the wine was a mere secondary 
 consideration, a means, not the end of his amusement. 
 The Englishman goes to the tavern or alehouse to 
 read the newspaper, smoke his pipe and abuse the 
 ministry ; he may come away merry, but it was for 
 the company and the talk that he went thither, and 
 not mainly for the liquor. Even when a Frenchman 
 or an Englishman does get intoxicated, he spends 
 hours in reaching that state ; but the Russian gets 
 drunk in a moment. He enters a brandy-shop, counts 
 down his copecs, seizes the measure, and at one 
 draught swallows enough to make him a beast. 
 
 XIX. — 23 
 
266 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 Travelling is attended with peculiar inconveniences 
 in Russia. Every person about to leave the capital 
 for a foreign country is under the necessity of adver- 
 tising his intention in the newspapers at least three 
 different times. The professed object of this regula- 
 tion is to prevent people from running away without 
 ' paying their debts ; but the real object is to give the 
 police time to ascertain privately whether the traveller 
 may have any motives of a political nature. Owing 
 to this arrangement, the stated time required for get- 
 ting a passport ready is about a fortnight; so that 
 , travellers who go to St. Petersburg on a flying visit 
 must begin advertising themselves as soon as they ar- 
 rive. For a merchant or other person who has been 
 long settled in the country, the process is more protract- 
 ed, and indeed the formalities in this case are so trouble- 
 some, that it is difficult to get away at all. Strangers 
 leaving St. Petersburg for the interior, designing to 
 leave Russia without returning to the capital, must 
 also advertise themselves. The expense of advertis- 
 ing and passports is a heavy tax upon travelling. 
 
 A few years since, no kind of public conveyance 
 was known in Russia ; at present, there are diligences 
 running between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and 
 there is in other parts of the empire a posting system 
 called the padoroshna. The Russian diligence has a 
 general resemblance to its French namesake, but is 
 much more comfortable. It is drawn by four horses 
 yoked abreast. The driver and the postilion sit in 
 front, the one over the other. The hinder part of the 
 diligence is occupied by a covered bench, closed in 
 with leather cushions, for three persons. The body 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 267 
 
 is divided into two compartments for two persons 
 each ; this is much the most comfortable part of the 
 machine ; each passenger has a seat fenced off for 
 himself, where he sits as in an arm-chair, conversing 
 with his neighbor at his elbow, but never incommod- 
 ing him. Each has a small looking-gllss before him, 
 very convenient to a Russian, who is always trimming 
 his beard. There is also a small folding table in front 
 of each person, not without its use in a country where 
 the natives always lay in stores for a journey, that 
 they may be independent of taverns by the way. 
 Their meals of sausage and bread are eaten from this 
 table as the horses move on. The road from St. Pe- 
 tersburg to Moscow is one of the finest in the world. 
 It is a work of recent construction, very broad, with 
 gutters on each side, and embellished by rows of trees 
 for a considerable distance. The Emperor takes a 
 pride in keeping it as neat as a garden walk. 
 
 Beyond Moscow there is nothing properly de- 
 serving the name of a road in any direction; nothing 
 but irregular tracks through fields and forests, some- 
 times tolerably good, but when rain has fallen, almost 
 impassable. Beside bad roads, the traveller must en- 
 counter bad inns, without cooks, without beds, and 
 destitute of comforts of any kind. The natives almost 
 always employ the telega on long journeys, from its 
 being almost the only vehicle of Russian construction 
 which can stand the obstructions of the roads. With 
 an open front to let the traveller see the country by 
 day, and bed and blankets for the night, it is, perhaps, 
 the best, and certainly the cheapest vehicle of all. It has 
 no springs, but the wood which it rests upon is so elastic 
 
268 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 that the jolting is not much worse than in a carriage; 
 and it has the advantage of being strong and clumsy 
 enough to howl safely through the ruts, which few 
 carriages could do. 
 
 The padoroshna is an order from a magistrate on 
 the postmasters along the intended route of the trav- 
 eller, by which he may always obtain a specified num- 
 ber of horses. The fee for this document is pretty 
 heavy, but there is nothing lost by it, as a portion of 
 the sum is deducted from every charge for horses. 
 The podoroshna is exhibited at every stage, and the 
 postmaster is compelled to furnish the number of 
 horses ordered in it, and he is at liberty to give more 
 if necessary from the state of the highways. Every 
 Russian is taxed 25 copecs a-year for the maintenance 
 of the roads : but it would seem that this money is not 
 wholly appropriated to its right object. 
 
 A Russian postilion is a singular creature. In his 
 greasy sheepskin, faded sash, and low round hat, with 
 bright buckles or a few peacock’s feathers twisted in 
 the band, he flies off the moment he has mounted the 
 vehicle, at the rate of eight miles an hour, whistling, 
 singing, shouting and talking to his horses, making as 
 much noise as an Irishman at a fair, his whip, like the 
 shillalati, flourishing fiercely round his head, but sel- 
 dom coming down with the same fatal violence. In 
 fact, it is by his tongue more than by his whip, that 
 he impels his horses. He reasons with them, remon- 
 strates, conjures and upbraids, all the time. If you 
 tell him that your head aches with his noise, he shrugs 
 his shoulders, raises his eyebrows, and gives you to 
 understand that the horses, which he fondly terms his 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 269 
 
 pigeons, his rabbits, his darlings, and his turtle-doves, 
 are so fond of talk and so well accustomed to his voice, 
 that they would never move if he were silent. 
 
 The Russian drosky is described by travellers as 
 one of the most absurd vehicles ever invented. It 
 consists of a low, narrow seat, covered with black lea- 
 ther, not much larger than a dragoon saddle, and sup- 
 ported on four small wheels, between the two foremost 
 of which is a box for the driver. It is something like 
 a velocipede ; and the passenger sits astride with his 
 feet touching the ground on each side, or resting in a 
 sort of stirrups, which brush the mud below. There 
 is room for two passengers, but they must sit face to 
 face, as comfortable as a pair who should mount a 
 horse together in that style. Sometimes, however, 
 the passengers sit sideways, or one in the other’s lap, 
 but always most awkwardly. It is difficult to under- 
 stand why the Russians make use of so ill-contrived a 
 machine. 
 
 The temptations to journey in Russia must be few. 
 According to the testimony of travellers, this great 
 empire covers the least beautiful portion of the habit- 
 able globe. With the exception of the Crimea, which 
 may be called the Russian Italy, there is hardly a spot 
 in it that can be deemed picturesque. One may travel 
 five hundred miles without having the sight ever 
 attracted by a romantic landscape, — not a single beau- 
 tiful mountain, beetling cliff, brawling stream, or fresh 
 green dell, will arrest his attention. He finds nothing 
 but the dead, wearisome, ceaseless monotony of plain 
 and forest. 
 
 The Russians have remarkable imitative powers, 
 23 * 
 
270 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 and these are very strikingly exhibited in their national 
 amusements and pastimes. The fun and drollery 
 which they display when two or three persons chance 
 to meet upon an idle holiday, are inexhaustible. On 
 such occasions, dancing is a favorite amusement : and 
 they sing constantly, whether it be a holiday or not : 
 the singing is generally bad, but when taught, the 
 Russians make excellent musicians. So strong is 
 their natural turn for music that a lad taken from the 
 plough will, at the end of six months, play the most 
 difficult pieces on any instrument that may be selected 
 for him. These qualities of imitation and liveliness 
 make them excellent actors : they are born comedians ; 
 even those of the lowest rank show a strong passion 
 for everything dramatic. On the stage, consequently, 
 they are extremely natural, and keep the audience in 
 constant laughter. The national dance is described 
 by travellers as very pretty. 
 
 The genuine unsophisticated Russian exhibits no- 
 where a more strongly marked character than in his 
 devotions. Follow him into the church and you find 
 him on his knees repeating his prayers after the priest, 
 with a fluency which nothing can arrest, and a devo- 
 tion which nothing can distract. Pass him or jostle 
 him as you may, he is too deeply engaged in his pious 
 work to take the least notice of you. On entering the 
 church he kisses the sacred picture near the door, or 
 tries to reach that hanging on the wall, to which, as it 
 is of more than ordinary sanctity, you may see the 
 parents raising their little infants, that they too may 
 touch it with their lips. This salutation over, he 
 selects a place for himself on the floor, as near the 
 
RUSSU. 
 
 271 
 
 priest as possible. There is a woman in one of the 
 aisles with a small table or basket before her, selling 
 long slender tapers ; from her the more devout make 
 a purchase, and lighting it, set their offering on one 
 of the little triangular frames of wood planted among 
 the pillars, and stuck all over with nails to receive 
 these gifts. The mutterings and prostrations of the 
 worshippers are most singular. Some on the outskirts 
 of the assembly may remain standing, but the greater 
 part have their knees bent to the naked floor ; at cer- 
 tain words, however, both those who are standing, 
 and those who kneel, strike their foreheads on the 
 pavement with great vehemence, uttering at the same 
 time, some words after the priest : this is repeated 
 several times before the service is finished. Some 
 poor old women are always most conspicuous in these 
 violent agitations ; but all ages and classes, and both 
 sexes, join with more or less ardor. In short, the 
 mummery of the Russian worship surpasses every- 
 thing of the kind in Catholic countries, and can be 
 compared only to the violence of some of the Hindoos. 
 The ignorance of the Russian boor is extreme ; his 
 religion is little better than superstition. Of a Su- 
 preme Being he has the most imperfect notions : he 
 imagines God to be only something a little higher than 
 the emperor, regarding him not as an omnipotent 
 spiritual being, but as one residing he knows not 
 where, whb will punish him for neglecting church 
 nearly in the same way as the emperor would punish 
 him for disobeying a mandate. 
 
 In short, as has been often said, the Russian’s reli- 
 gion consists in being able to make the sign of the 
 
272 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 cross. He is crossing himself all day long. When 
 he first comes abroad in the morning, if no church be 
 in sight from his own door, he listens for the first 
 sound of some bell, then turning towards it, crosses 
 nimself with great fervor to insure a blessing on the 
 undertakings of tbe day. He crosses himself before 
 and after each meal. When you make a bargain with 
 him he crosses himself that it may prosper. When 
 his countryman spits upon him, by way of anathema, 
 he meekly crosses himself to avert the curse. When 
 the peasant, who is to drive your carriage, takes the 
 reins, he crosses himself to keep away accidents, and 
 every steeple on the road gets the same mark of re- 
 spect. Sometimes the edifice thus saluted is so far off 
 that the stranger wonders at the quickness shown in 
 discovering it, and is often at a loss to spy the distant 
 hamlet, where it stands. The passenger crosses him- 
 self every time he starts with new horses. What the 
 old do thus frequently, the young, of course, imitate. 
 If you give a child a piece of money, its little hand is 
 up in a moment to make the sign of the cross, by way 
 of blessing and thanks. 
 
 Another very remarkable part of the religion of the 
 Russians is their respect for hells. The air resounds 
 with them from morning to night. Every church is 
 furnished with several, and many are very expensive. 
 They have not the deep, solemn sound of English and 
 American bells, but a rich and indescribable sweetness, 
 never heard but in Russia, and said by some to be 
 caused by the predominance of silver in their compo- 
 sition. They are not swung as with us, but only the 
 tongue is moved. The reverence of the Russian for 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 273 
 
 bells begins even when they are in the hands of the 
 founder. The child casts its mite into the melting 
 mass, and the beggar his alms ; the bride gives her 
 
 ornaments, and the princess her jewels : all are eager 
 to aid the pious work. Gold and silver are, in conse- 
 quence, so profusely contributed on these occasions, 
 that some of these bells are the monarchs of their 
 tribe. Russia boasts of having the largest bells in the 
 world. The day on which a bell is consecrated is 
 always marked with great solemnity and rejoicing. 
 We need not wonder that these objects are so much 
 beloved, for perhaps the happiest and most romantic 
 associations of the Russian are linked with the history 
 of his village bell. In a country where there is so 
 little bordering on romance, this trait of national cha- 
 racter is not unwelcome. But if we attempt to ascer- 
 
274 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 tain what it is which the Eussians worship in their bells, 
 the result will be far from distinct. Travellers have 
 been unable to learn whether the salute in passing a 
 church is made to the building or to the metal. 
 
 Easter eve in Russia is celebrated with great rejoic- 
 ing. The steps of the churches are loaded with eat- 
 ables of every kind, which are brought to be blessed 
 by the priest, before the people can break their long 
 fast. The poor people bring large quantities of eggs 
 boiled hard, and painted on the shell with different 
 colors. Some of them are gilt, and painted with 
 figures of saints and other devices. Every one who 
 goes into the street takes a few of these in his pocket, 
 to keep up the following singular custom. 
 
 Ivan and Alexis meet in the street ; the two friends 
 stop, and each pulls out an egg. These are arranged 
 so that only the end is allowed to be seen, the hand 
 being closed over the rest. After some manoeuvring, 
 the two eggs are knocked together ; the one whose 
 egg is broken loses ; the victor pockets both, and says, 
 “ Christ is risen the other replies, “ He is indeed 
 risen.” They then take off their hats, kiss three 
 times, make a most profound bow, and part, to repeat 
 the same ceremony at the corner of the next street 
 with some other person. 
 
 The Russians place great reliance on fortune tellers. 
 Gypsies are consequently a privileged race, and carry 
 on a thriving trade in the land. In short, the instances 
 of credulity and weakness met with among the lower 
 classes, and not unknown even among the higher 
 ranks, are most melancholy. The belief in lucky and 
 unlucky days for setting out on a journey, or com- 
 
RUSSIA. 
 
 275 
 
 mencing an undertaking, — the evil consequences of 
 meeting certain kinds of people, such as a monk, — the 
 danger of having thirteen at dinner, or of spilling salt — 
 in fact all the absurdities which were formerly preva- 
 lent in many parts of Western Europe, still reign 
 among the Kussians with undiminished authority. 
 They have also a reluctance to insure houses, or pro- 
 perty of any description. It is long since attempts 
 were made to establish insurance companies, but, until 
 very lately, such schemes never met with encourage- 
 ment. In fact, they are half Turks in their practice, 
 if not in their faith, and act as if it were impious to 
 struggle against fate. 
 
 The Eussian peasant seems to be at the mercy of 
 all who choose to lift their arm against him. His 
 lord orders him stripes as many and as often as he 
 pleases. The poor creature is made to stoop on his 
 hands and knees while a man smites him with a rod 
 the prescribed number of times. Though degrading 
 however, this chastisement is not often severe ; it is 
 quite distinct from the terrible knotCt, which is inflicted 
 only by the sentence of a judge, and lacerates the suf- 
 ferer so dreadfully that it is long before he recovers, if 
 at all. Nobles and military men, all who wear a 
 government uniform of any kind, seem to possess the 
 privilege of beating the people of the lower orders 
 whenever they feel offended with any of them. Even 
 the servants of the latter classes claim the privilege 
 of beating those beneath them ; but it is only to be 
 themselves beaten in their turn by the master himself, 
 or by his executioner, who, though he may not bear 
 this name, is an indispensable appendage to every 
 
276 
 
 RUSSIA. 
 
 great establishment. Generally speaking, nothing 
 can be more brutal than the conduct of every man 
 wearing an uniform, whenever he has it in his power ; 
 it is in this way that the underling revenges himself 
 for the contumelious treatment he is doomed to endure 
 from those above him. 
 
 The politeness and pacific temper of the Eussian 
 lower orders are remarkable ; fighting is hardly known, 
 but scenes of hugging and kissing are wonderfully fre- 
 quent among the long-bearded populace. Two fellows 
 in sheepskins, when they happen to be friends, bow 
 to each other in passing as profoundly as a couple of 
 French Academicians. This bowing propensity, 
 however, is not so indiscriminate as among the 
 French, who bow to all, friend and foe, but more 
 especially to their superiors. The Russian, on the 
 contrary, seldom takes notice of those he does not 
 know : it is only to his woolly friend that his ragged 
 hat comes off in passing along the road. To the 
 stranger who asks his assistance, he is most polite and 
 friendly. Duplidty and treachery seem to be ex- 
 tremely rare among them. In short, there is every 
 reason to look upon the great mass of the Eussian 
 people as of an excellent natural disposition, patient 
 under wrongs and sufferings, amiable and warm- 
 hearted, and grateful to those who treat them well. 
 Could the emperor Nicholas but cure them of their 
 besotting vice, of the love of drink, he w’^ould do more 
 for his empire than by the capture of Constantinople. 
 
POLAND. 
 
 Although the whole of Poland, with the exception 
 of the small territory of Cracow, has been divided be- 
 tween Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and become politi- 
 cally incorporated into those monarchies, yet the 
 national spirit and. the national manners still remain, 
 and we have witnessed with what eagerness and 
 enthusiasm they have grasped at every chance, how- 
 ever small or desperate, of regaining their national 
 independence ; such a result, however, is now far dis- 
 tant, if indeed it can be deemed within the bounds of 
 possibility. 
 
 The Poles are a lively people, and use much action 
 in their common discourse. When they salute each 
 other they usually incline the head and strike the 
 breast with one hand, while they stretch the other 
 towards the ground ; but when a common person 
 meets a superior, he bows his head almost to the earth, 
 at the same time waving his hand, with which he 
 touches the leg near the heel of the person to whom 
 he pays obeisance. The men of all ranks generally 
 wear whiskers and shave their heads, leaving only a 
 circle of hair near the crown. The summer dress of 
 the peasants consists of a shirt and drawers of coarse 
 linen, without shoes or stockings, and round caps or 
 hats. The women of the lower class wear upon their 
 R XIX — 24 
 
278 
 
 POLAND. 
 
 heads a wrapper of white linen, under which their 
 hair *is braided, hanging down to the middle. The 
 dress of the higher orders, both men and women, is 
 very elegant. That of the gentlemen is a waistcoat 
 without sleeves, with an upper robe of a different color, 
 which reaches below the knee, and is fastened round 
 the waist with a sash or girdle. The sleeves, in warm 
 weather, are tied behind the shoulders. In summer, 
 the robe is of silk ; in winter, of woollen or velvet, 
 edged with fur. A sabre is a necessary appendage of 
 the dress, as a mark of nobility. F ur caps or bonnets 
 are worn, and buskins of yellow leather, the heels of 
 which are plated with iron or steel. The dress of the 
 ladies is a simple •polonaise^ or long robe, edged with 
 fur. 
 
 The Poles, in their features, aspect, customs, dress, 
 and general appearance, resemble Asiatics rather than 
 Europeans, and are unquestionably descended from 
 Tartar ancestors. The manner in which they wear 
 their hair is a striking token of their origin. As early 
 as the fifth century, some nations, comprehended under 
 the name of Scythians, had a similar practice. 
 
 All the nobles or gentry are, in the strict letter of 
 the law, equal by birth, so that honors and titles are 
 supposed to add nothing to th^r real dignity. The 
 Polish nobility display great elegance and luxury in 
 their houses and villas. In their decorations and fur- 
 niture, they seem to have happily blended the French 
 and English modes. In their entertainments they are 
 highly refined, and as they spare no expense, and have 
 a good taste, the effect upon a stranger is both sur- 
 prising and captivating. The Polish ladies are said 
 to be the most fascinating in the world. 
 
POLAND. 
 
 279 
 
 Jews abound in Poland, particularly in the province 
 of Lithuania. If you ask for an interpreter, they bring 
 you a Jew ; if you come to an inn, the landlord is a 
 Jew ; if you want post-horses, a Jew procures them, 
 and a Jew drives them ; if you wish to make a pur- 
 chase, a Jew is your agent ; and this is perhaps the 
 only country in Europe where the Jews cultivate the 
 ground. The peasantry in Poland, generally speak- 
 ing, are in a wretched state, with little of the improve- 
 ment of civilization and the arts. Their carts are put 
 together without iron ; their bridles and traces are 
 generally braided from the bark of trees, or composed 
 of twisted branches. They have no other tool than a 
 hatchet to construct their huts, their furniture, and 
 their carts. Their dress is a thick linen shirt and 
 drawers, a long coarse drugget coat, or a sheepskin 
 cloak, a round black felt hat lined with wool, and 
 shoes made from the bark of trees. Their huts are 
 built with trunks of trees heaped on each other, and 
 look like mere wood-piles. 
 
AFRICA. 
 
 This quarter of the globe contains 11,500,000 square 
 miles, and a population of 60,000,000. The Arabs 
 and Moors, who chiefly occupy the northern parts, are 
 of Asiatic origin ; but there are four great families of 
 nations, strongly marked by physical characteristics, 
 who appear to be indigenous to this quarter of the globe. 
 These are the Berbers^ who are mixed with the Arabs 
 and Moors ; the Negroes, who pervade Central Africa ; 
 and the Hottentots, and the Caffres, of the south. 
 
 Although the northeastern part of Africa, or the 
 valley of the Nile, was once inhabited by civilized 
 nations, who had carried the arts and sciences to a 
 high degree of improvement, and the northern coasts 
 were at subsequent periods settled by numerous 
 Phcenician, Greek and Roman colonies, and still later 
 have been the seat of refined and polished Arab states, 
 yet the great mass of this continent has remained a 
 stranger to the arts of improved life. The natives 
 nowhere have the art of writing ; no alphabet is found 
 among them, and there is nothing to indicate that they 
 have reached beyond some of the simplest useful arts. 
 
 To the Berber race belong the Shilloos, Kabyls, 
 Tuaries, Surhas, Tibboos, &c., of the Atlas mountains 
 and the regions to the south and east. There is a 
 great diversity, however, among the nations referred 
 
AFRICA. 
 
 281 
 
 to this race. The light colored nations in the upper 
 valley of the Nile are, by some, referred to this, and 
 by others to a distinct race ; the Nubians, Abyssinians, 
 Gallas, Ababdehs, Shihas, &c. are of this number. 
 The Foulahs, Fellatahs, or Fouls, are by some in- 
 cluded among the negro races, and by some considered 
 as quite distinct, both from them and from the Berbers. 
 
 The negroes are physically characterized by woolly 
 hair, black skin, projecting lips, flattened nose, low and 
 retreating forehead, and the peculiar form of the legs. 
 Morally, they are indolent, harmless, easy, and friend- 
 ly in their disposition ; but even in their more civilized 
 states, many barbarous usages and savage customs 
 prevail. For ages, the blacks have been sought for as 
 slaves in the other parts of the world, and even at 
 home, the greater part of the population is the property 
 of the rest. Many of the negroes live in the most 
 degraded state, without government, without any re- 
 ligion but the most absurd superstitions, without the 
 decencies and proprieties of life, naked and without 
 habitations. Others are wandering shepherds, and 
 still others have organized regular governments, built 
 towns, and cultivated the arts. 
 
 24 * 
 
THE MOORS AND ARABS OF AFRICA. 
 
 An Arab chief or scheik. 
 
 Among the inhabitants of Africa, the Moors hold a 
 prominent place. The import of the name, however, 
 though so widely diffused throughout Africa, is ex- 
 ceedingly vague. During the middle ages, the profes- 
 sors of the Mahometan faith were divided into Turks 
 
THE MOORS AND ARABS OF AFRICA. 
 
 283 
 
 and Moors. At present the latter title seems chiefly 
 confined to the inhabitants of the cities of Barbary. 
 
 All Mussulman towns exhibit an extreme similarity. 
 They present the same exterior of gravity, stillness 
 and decorum ; the same absence of all assemblages for 
 purposes of gaiety or social intercourse ; and the gloom 
 which necessarily arises from the entire exclusion of 
 female society. Habitual indolence is here interrupt- 
 ed by the mechanical round of religious ceremonies. 
 A total want of all knowledge and curiosity respecting 
 the arts and sciences characterizes the whole of this 
 once enlightened region. The outward aspect of the 
 streets is as gloomy as that of the persons by whom 
 they are tenanted. They are narrow and dirty : the 
 walls of the houses are of earth, and destitute of win- 
 dows : gloom and nakedness are without, and a bar- 
 barous splendor is within. In general, the Moors 
 when compared with the Turks, appear an inferior 
 race. They have the same rudeness and austerity, 
 while former piratical habits, and an unsettled govern- 
 ment, have rendered them more mean, turbulent and 
 treacherous. 
 
 The Arabs inhabit nearly all the great Desert of 
 Zahara. They are divided into various tribes, who 
 live almost entirely on the milk of their camels, and 
 wander from valley to valley, travelling nearly every 
 day in search of food for their beasts, and also for 
 themselves. They live in tents, formed of coarse cloth 
 of camel’s hair, which they pull off from the animals, 
 and spin with a hand spindle. The richer Arabs 
 have one, two, and three slaves a-piece, who are 
 allowed to sleep on the same mat with their masters 
 
284 
 
 THE MOORS AND ARABS OF AFRICA. 
 
 and mistresses, and are treated in all respects like the 
 children of the family as to dress, &:c. They are not 
 permitted, however, to marry with the Arab women, 
 and are obliged to tend the camels and do other 
 drudgery. After a slave has served his master for a 
 long time, or has done him some essential service, he 
 is made free, and enters into all the privileges of that 
 condition. 
 
 The Arabs of the desert are a lean and bony race. 
 They have coarse, thick, black hair, which the men 
 cut off with knives, and leave sticking out in every di- 
 rection from the head. Their beard is worn long ; their 
 limbs are straight, and they can endure hunger, thirst, 
 and fatigue better, perhaps, than any other people in 
 the world. Their dress is, in general, nothing more 
 than a piece of coarse camel’s hair cloth tied round 
 the waist, and hanging down to the knees : sometimes 
 they wear nothing but a goatskin apron. Some of the 
 more opulent wear a linen or cotton cloth over their 
 shoulders, hanging round them something like a shirt 
 without sleeves. Others have besides, a haick, or 
 woollen blanket, four feet wide and four yards long, 
 which they wrap round them. The women wear a 
 dress of camel’s hair cloth without sleeves : this dress 
 contains a sack or large pocket, in which they carry 
 their little children. Both men and women go bare- 
 foot. 
 
 Of government and laws, they can hardly be said 
 to possess any. The father of the family is its abso- 
 lute chief in all respects : his wives and daughters are 
 considered mere slaves. He deals out the milk to 
 each of them, nor dare any one touch it until it is thus 
 
THE MOORS AND ARABS OF AFRICA. 
 
 285 
 
 divided. He assists in milking the camels, and 
 then puts the milk into a large wooden bowl, which 
 has probably been in the family for ages. When 
 there is sufficient for a good drink all round, he takes 
 the small bowls, of which they generally have two or 
 three, and distributes the milk to the family. These 
 vessels, with a mat, comprise nearly the whole amount 
 of furniture belonging to a household. 
 
 The Arabs are Mahometans, and are very strict ob- 
 servers of the precepts of the Koran. Their ablutions, 
 for want of water, are performed with sand. While 
 pursuing their journeys, and going in the greatest 
 haste, when the hour of prayer arrives, they halt, make 
 the camels lie down, take up sand in both their hands 
 and rub themselves all over ; then facing toward the 
 east and bowing their heads, they repeat the customary 
 invocations. This is performed five times a-day ; nor 
 does any business cause them to neglect it. 
 
 The life of the Arab, although spent in wandering 
 from place to place, is exceedingly monotonous, and 
 almost destitute of everything deserving the name of 
 amusement, unless we can so call habitual idleness. 
 The recitation of tales and poetic compositions, during 
 the periods of leisure, in which many of them excels 
 furnishes one of their chief sources of recreation. 
 
THE NEGEOES 
 
 WheiJ ) ve pass to the south of the Great Desert, we 
 find Central Africa filled with a population peculiarly 
 African. Among the tribes belonging to the negro ^ 
 race, a few are found who have been converted to the 
 Mahometan faith : this new profession, however, is ^ 
 always qualified with a large mixture of their ancient 
 
THE NEGROES. 
 
 287 
 
 superstitions. In particular, it is never accompanied 
 with those recluse and austere habits which form the 
 essence, as it were, of a genuine Mussulman. Im- 
 providence, gentleness, and thoughtless gaiety, appear 
 to compose the leading features of the negro charac- 
 ter. In a fertile soil which supplies the necessaries 
 of life^ with little labor ; with few natural wants, and 
 strangers to artificial ones, they devote themselves 
 wholly to pleasure. Music and dancing are amuse- 
 ments that are pursued with passion throughout all 
 Africa. “From the period of sunset,” says Golbery, 
 “ all Africa dances.” 
 
 Polygamy is still more characteristic of Pagan than 
 of Mahometan Africa ; but it is not accompanied with 
 that jealous and immuring system which prevails 
 among the Moors. In most parts of Africa, according 
 to the best informed travellers, the sex possess nearly 
 the same degree of liberty as in Europe, without, in 
 general, abusing it. That exemption from labor in- 
 deed, which is enjoyed by the inmates of Moorish 
 harems, is unknown here. All the laborious tasks are 
 devolved upon the females, as upon slaves. Each, 
 however, has a house, that is, a small cottage of her 
 own, and all which it contains, being the fruit of her 
 industry, is considered as her property. 
 
 Architecture, as an art, may be said to be wholly 
 unknown in this part of Africa. The habkqlions con- 
 sist merely of huts, with walls of earth, ano^r^K^fs com- 
 posed of leaves and twigs interwoven, iftnore ac- 
 commodation is wanted, more huts are • i^yilt, and a 
 circular enclosure is drawn round them. The palaces of 
 African monarchs consist merely of large collections of 
 
288 
 
 THE NEGROES. 
 
 such cottages, forming a species of village, and enclosed 
 with a mud wall. A residence composed of such 
 slight materials is easily moved. A week builds an 
 African city, and an hour destroj^s it. Hence, the 
 slightest motives of caprice, the dread of an enemy, or 
 the exhaustion of the surrounding country, are suf- 
 ficient to transfer their largest towns from one spot to 
 another. Agriculture forms another art by which the pro- 
 gress of a people in civilization may be very accurately 
 measured. The negroes, with very few exceptions, 
 cultivate the ground to a certain extent ; they are not, 
 however, acquainted with the plough, nor have they 
 skill sufficient to draw any service from the lower an- 
 imals. The human hand, aided by some rude imple- 
 ment, forms the only power employed in cultivation. 
 Generally speaking, only a certain spot round every 
 town or village is cleared ; the rest belongs to the do- 
 main of the forest. There are few districts which do 
 not afford large tracts of unoccupied land that are 
 considered the property of the sovereign or community, 
 and are readily granted to those who will undertake 
 the labor of clearing and cultivating them. 
 
 The negroes appear to entertain some vague notions 
 of the principles of natural religion ; but in general, 
 their sole reliance is placed upon fetiches or charms, 
 and the use of inanimate and insignificant objects as a 
 panoply against all the evils to which human nature 
 is liable. ^ k.VL impression so deeply rooted in the hu- 
 man mind as that of supernatural agency, joined to 
 the ignorance which prevails in this state of society, 
 leaves open a wide field for imposture. Accordingly, 
 we find that individuals of that class are numerous 
 
THE NEGROES. 
 
 289 
 
 who, by a pretence to superhuman powers, maintain a 
 high influence, and extort ample gifts from their un- 
 enlightened countrymen. 
 
 The natives of Guinea live under a sort of federal 
 republic, in which a secret association, resembling the 
 Black Tribunal of the middle ages, maintains order 
 and dispenses justice. This is called the poorrah. 
 The principal members of the inferior poorrahs, above 
 fifty years of age, form the supreme poorrah. The 
 mysteries of initiation, accompanied with some dreadful 
 test of merit, are celebrated in the midst of a sacred 
 forest. All the elements are put in requisition to try 
 the courage of the candidate. It is said that he finds 
 himself assaulted by roaring lions, who are restrained 
 by concealed chains ; while a dreadful howling is kept 
 up over the whole forest, and a devouring fire flames 
 around the inclosure. Any member who has commit- 
 ted a crime, or betrays the secrets of the body, finds 
 himself visited by armed and masked emissaries. On 
 the utterance of the ominous words, ‘‘ The poorrah 
 sends thee death,” his relations and friends desert him, 
 and he is left to the avenging sword. Even entire 
 tribes which make war in contempt of the orders of 
 the great poorrah^ are laid under the ban, and 
 oppressed by the united attacks of armed deputations 
 from all the neutral tribes. 
 
 The Papels are a nation on the coast of Guinea, 
 who are pagans, worshipping trees, cows, horses, and 
 many other visible objects. When their king dies, ac- 
 cording to the report of a traveller, the grandees range 
 themselves round his coffin, which is tossed high up 
 in the air by some sturdy negroes, and the individual 
 XIX. — 25 
 
290 
 
 THE NEGROES. 
 
 on whom the cofRn falls, if not killed by the weight of 
 it, succeeds to the throne. 
 
 According to Oldendorp, the kingdom of Loango 
 contains black Jews scattered throughout the country. 
 They are despised by the negroes, who do not deign 
 even to eat with them. They are occupied in trade, 
 and keep the Sabbath so strictly that they do not even 
 talk on that day. They have a separate burying- 
 ground very far from any habitation. The tombs are 
 constructed with masonry, and ornamented with He- 
 brew inscriptions, the singularity of which excites the 
 laughter of the negroes, who discern in them only 
 serpents, lizards and other reptiles. In the kingdom 
 of Congo is an order of magicians, who pretend to the 
 power of raising the dead ; and their juggles, practised 
 upon a dead corpse, in the presence of the Christian 
 missionaries, so far imposed upon them, that they 
 imagined they saw the dead move, and heard in- 
 articulate sounds proceeding from the mouth of the 
 corpse. It has been conjectured that this was a gal- 
 vanic operation. 
 
 The Hottentots dress in sheep-skins with the wool 
 on. They smear themselves with fat and soot, and 
 are so used to it, that when washed, a Hottentot feels 
 that he has lost his clothes. Yet this coating is said 
 to be really useful, in defending them from the solar 
 rays, and preventing cutaneous disorders. All their 
 habits of life are slovenly and filthy. When a sheep 
 or an ox is killed, they indulge in beastly gluttony, 
 ripping open the belly of the animal while yet half alive, 
 and tearing out the entrails, which they throw on the 
 coals and greedily devour. Their kraals or villages 
 
THE NEGROES. 
 
 291 
 
 compose a labyrinth of little conical hovels, formed of 
 twigs and earth, and so low that the inmates cannot 
 stand upright. They have an aspect of sluggish stu- 
 pidity which seems, in a great measure, caused by the 
 degrading bondage in which they are held. They 
 pursue wild animals with swiftness and dexterity, di- 
 recting with a sure aim their darts and arrows. They 
 carry on various little manufactures, tanning and dress- 
 ing skins, forming mats of flags and bulrushes, bow- 
 strings from the sinews of animals, and even mould- 
 ing iron into knives. 
 
 A Bushman. 
 
 The Bosjesmans or Bushmen appear to belong to 
 the same original race with the Hottentots, but from 
 
292 
 
 THE NEGROES. 
 
 the rude haunts which they occupy, they have pre- 
 served a precarious independence. Of all human be- 
 ings, their condition appears to be one of the most for- 
 lorn. Their food is obtained only by scrambling over 
 the rocks in pursuit of wild animals, swallowing the 
 larvae of ants and locusts, or carrying off cattle in wild 
 forays from the plantations in the plain beneath. Yet 
 they display energy, activity and even gaiety. Con- 
 siderable ingenuity is shown in the pictures of animals 
 drawn by them upon the rocks. On moonlight nights 
 they dance without intermission from sunset till dawn, 
 and sometimes, when cheered by the prospect of fine 
 weather, continue this exercise for several days and 
 nights. They live in a state of continual warfare 
 with the European settlers at tlie Cape, not only car- 
 rying off their cattle, but putting to death in a cruel 
 manner all persons who fall into their power. The 
 Bushmen have been described as the most degraded of 
 the human race. Campbell, the traveller, met a horde, 
 in which only one had a name, and he was called the 
 “ Old Boy.” A missionary asked one of them, — 
 What is the chief end of man?” The answer was, 
 “To steal oxen.” 
 
 The Caffres are, perhaps, of all nations the most 
 completely pastoral. They lead a roaming life, ill- 
 suited to agriculture ; they have not applied themselves 
 to fishing, and game is scarce in the country they in- 
 habit; but they understand thoroughly the manage- 
 ment of cattle. The men not only tend, but milk the 
 cows, and have the skill, by a particular modulation 
 of the voice, either to send out a herd to graze, or re- 
 call it to the enclosures. They subsist generally on 
 
THE NEGROES. 
 
 293 
 
 milk, and never kill a cow but on high occasions. 
 They dress in leather, which they have the art to ren- 
 der very pliant ; and they wear many ornaments of 
 beads, rings, carved bones, &c. In their huts, they 
 sil on the skulls of oxen, with the horns attached. 
 They hold hospitality as sacred, and are very kind to 
 each other. A whole kraal takes an interest in ac- 
 commodating a difference between two individuals. 
 The government is that of chiefs, whose authority, 
 however, is very limited. They punish offences by 
 whipping with rods, by exposure to clusters of black 
 ants, by burning with hot stones, by inclosing the of- 
 fender in the cleft of a tree, and by death from clubs, 
 spears or drowning. 
 
 Madagascar, a large and fertile island, lies upon the 
 eastern coast of Africa, and contains a population of 
 2,000,000 souls. Among these there are white, black 
 and tawny tribes, apparently embracing the descend- 
 ants of Arabs, Negroes and Malays. The latter con- 
 stitute the bulk of the inhabitants, and are the ruling 
 people. They are all in a state of extreme barbarism ; 
 the dress is slight, and the dwellings are mere huts. 
 They have no temples or mosques ; their religion 
 seems to consist in various superstitions, blended with 
 some Jewish rites, such as sacrifices, circumcision, &:c. 
 
 In 1828, nearly the whole island was subject to a 
 powerful prince, who had established a regular gov- 
 ernment, and introduced some European arts ; but he 
 was poisoned by his queen, and his death became the 
 signal for a return to anarchy. 
 
 25 * 
 
ABYSSINIA. 
 
 The manners of the Abyssinians, under a slight 
 semblance of civilization derived from Arabia and 
 Egypt, present indications of the deepest barbarism. 
 Indeed their domestic life is marked by some habits 
 more gross and revolting than any that have been wit- 
 nessed among the most savage tribes. 
 
 Their dress consists chiefly of a large cotton mantle, 
 with close drawers, and a girdle. Eound the head they 
 put a white wrapper, which leaves the crown exposed. 
 Many chiefs, as a mark of dignity, wear an ornament 
 in the shape of a horn, projecting from their forehead, 
 which, with their long beard, gives them a very wild 
 and rough appearance. All their houses are built in a 
 conical form, and with thatched roofs. Some attempt 
 at magnificence is made in their churches, also roofed 
 with thatch, but surrounded by an arcade formed of 
 pillars of cedar ; and being placed on the summits of 
 little hills, they give the country a picturesque appear- 
 ance. The Abyssinians are extremely fond of paint- 
 ings, or rather daubings, made on the walls of the 
 churches and of the houses of the great. 
 
 As respects food, tbiiey have a most revolting cus- 
 tom : that of devouring raw flesh. Their manners 
 are not less distinguished by licentiousness than by 
 cruelty. Intoxication is very prevalent, produced 
 
THE ABYSSINIANS. 
 
 295 
 
 partly by hydromel, but chiefly by houza^ a liquor pe 
 culiar to the country. Marriage hardly exists at all 
 in Abyssinia. The lover consults only the parents of 
 the bride, and having obtained their consent, seizes 
 her and carries her home on his shoulders. Some- 
 times it is rendered a little more formal by the couple 
 going to church two or three weeks afterward and 
 taking the sacrament together. A traveller met a 
 lady at Gondar in company with six persons who had 
 been her husbands. 
 
 The Abyssinians profess the same form of Chris- 
 tianity with the Copts of Egypt, and even own the 
 supremacy of the Patriarch of Cairo. From him the 
 Abuna, or head of the Abyssinian church, receives his 
 investiture. They combine with their Christian pro- 
 fession many Judaical tenets ; at the same time they 
 share amply in the Catholic superstitions. Their 
 churches are numerous, and adorned with paintings ; 
 but images and sculptured forms of any description 
 are considered as unlawful. They have monaste- 
 ries, but the inmates are not immured in such strict 
 seclusion as in Europe. On the whole, they are little 
 under the influence of Christian principles. 
 
 The Galla are a ferocious tribe, dwelling on the 
 skirts of Abyssinia proper, and presenting an aspect 
 of barbarism surpassing even that of the people we 
 have just described. Their favorite ornament is com- 
 posed of the entrails of their oxen, which, without any 
 .superfluous care in cleaning them, are plaited in the 
 hair, and tied as girdles round the waist. The be- 
 smearing the body with melted grease completes the 
 embellishment. Their career is marked by indiscrim- 
 
296 
 
 THE ABYSSINIANS. 
 
 n 
 
 inate massacre ; they spare neither sex nor age, unless 
 from the anticipation of gain by carrying off and sell- 
 ing prisoners. In Europe, their soldiers would be 
 considered as a species of light cavalry ; they perform 
 immense marches, swim rivers, and endure incredible 
 fatigues. Being almost destitute of iron, their arms 
 consist of little more than wooden javelins, with the 
 points hardened in the fire. They make a most furious 
 onset, with shrieks and savage cries, which strike ter- 
 ror into all but the firmest adversaries ; but if this first 
 shock be withstood, they are ill fitted to sustain a reg- 
 ular battle. They have neither priests nor temples ; 
 but they have been observed to hold certain trees as 
 sacred, to worship the moon and stars, and they are 
 said to have some notion of a future state. 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 Mosque at Cairo, 
 
 Egypt is inhabited by a mixed population of Mos- 
 lem Arabs and Copts, or descendants of the ancient 
 
298 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 Egyptians. The dress does not differ essentially from 
 that of the Turks in Europe and Asia Minor. The 
 Copts distinguish themselves from the Moslems by the 
 color of their turbans. The few Christians and Jews 
 whom the country contains, preserve the same dis- 
 tinction. 
 
 The Egyptian generally takes his pipe with him 
 wherever he goes, except to the mosque, or he has a 
 servant to carry it, though it is not a common custom 
 to smoke while riding or walking. The tobacco- 
 pouch he crams into his bosom. A handkerchief, em- 
 broidered with colored silks and gold, and neatly fold- 
 ed, is also placed in the bosom. Many persons of the 
 middle orders, who wish to avoid being thought rich, 
 wear a long black gown of cotton over the common 
 Turkish dress of more gay and costly materials. 
 
 It is difficult to describe the different costumes of the 
 females, some of which are not devoid of elegance. 
 The walking-dress is furnished with a long veil, 
 which leaves the eyes exposed, while the face is stu- 
 diously concealed. It is said that the fashions of the 
 females have varied so little, that from the days of the 
 patriarchs to those of the pashas, it is doubtful whether 
 a single flounce has been taken away from their gowns 
 or added to them. 
 
 The houses of Cairo are generally built with a 
 foundation story of soft calcareous stone, painted with 
 stripes of red and white. The superstructure, the 
 front of which generally projects about two feet, and 
 is supported by corbels or piers, is of brick, sometimes 
 plastered. The roof is flat, and covered with a coat 
 of plaster. The front door is often highly ornamented. 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 '299 
 
 The ground-floor apartments next the street have 
 small wooden grated windows placed sufficiently high 
 to render it impossible for a person passing by in the 
 street, even on horseback, to see through them. The 
 
 House at Cairo. 
 
 windows of the upper apartments generally project a 
 foot or two, and are formed of turned wooden lattice- 
 work, which is so close that it shuts out much of the 
 light and sun, and screens the inmates of the house 
 from the view of persons without, while at the same 
 time it admits the air. The houses for the most part 
 are two or three stories high, and almost every house 
 that is sufficiently large, encloses an open, unpaved 
 court. The principal apartments look into this. 
 Every house has a fountain. No chambers are fur- 
 nished as bed-rooms ; the bed in the daytime is rolled 
 up and placed on one side, or in an adjoining closet ; 
 
300 ' 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 in summer many people sleep on the house-top. For 
 meals, a round tray is brought in and placed upon a 
 low stool, and the company sit around it on the floor. 
 The supply of furniture is very scanty. There is no 
 fire-place except in the kitchen ; the room is warmed, 
 when necessary, by burning charcoal in a chafing-dish. 
 Many houses have at the top, a sloping shed of boards 
 directed toward the north or north-west, to convey be- 
 low the cool breezes which blow from those quarters. 
 
 In the plan of almost every house there is an utter 
 want of regularity. The apartments are generally of 
 different heights, so that a person must ascend one, 
 two, or more steps to pass from one chamber to the 
 next. The principal aim of the architect is to render 
 the house as private as possible, particularly that part 
 of it which is inhabited by the women ; and not to 
 make any window in such a situation as to overlook 
 the apartments of another house. Another object of 
 the architect in building a house for a person of wealth 
 or rank, is to make a secret door from which the 
 tenant may make his escape in case of danger from 
 an arrest or an attempt at assassination, — or by which 
 to give access and egress to a paramour. It is also 
 common to make a hiding-place for treasure in some 
 part of the house. 
 
 Very few large or handsome houses are to be seen 
 in Egypt, except in the metropolis, and a few other 
 towns. The dwellings of the lower orders, particu- 
 larly those of the peasants, are of a very mean descrip- 
 tion ; they are mostly built of unbaked bricks cement- 
 ed together with mud. The greater number comprise 
 two or more apartments, though very few are two 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 301 
 
 stories high. One apartment contains a great oven, 
 on the top of which the inhabitants sleep in winter, 
 after lighting a fire within. The roofs of the houses 
 are thatched with palm-leaves or millet-stalks. Large 
 pigeon-houses are sometimes built upon the housetops. 
 
 The Egyptian is a very early rise?, and he retires 
 to Sleep at an early hour : it is his dv.ty to be up and 
 dressed before day-break, when he should say the 
 morning prayers. In general, while the master of a 
 family is performing the religious ablution and saying 
 his prayers, his wife or slave is preparing for him a 
 cup of coffee, and filling his pipe, which she presents 
 to him as soon as he has acquitted himself of his 
 religious duties. Many Egyptians take nothing before 
 noon but the cup of coffee and the pipe ; others take a 
 light meal at an early hour. The breakfast consists 
 of bread, eggs., butter, cheese, milk, cream, &c., and a 
 very common dish for breakfast is stewed beans. The 
 Egyptians are very fond of pure and strong coffee. 
 
 If he can com^enienily afford to keep a horse, mule, 
 or ass, or to hire an ass, the Egyptian is seldom seen 
 walking far beyond the threshold of his own house. 
 But very few people of Cairo, or of the other towns, 
 venture to expose themselves to the suspicion of pos- 
 sessing great wealth. Asses are most generally used 
 for riding through the narrow and crowded streets of 
 Cairo, and there are many for hire ; their pace is an 
 easy amble. A horseman is usually preceded by a 
 servant or two to clear the and for the same pur- 
 pose a servant generally runs beside or behind the ass, 
 calling out to the passengers to move out of the way 
 to the right or left, and to take care of their feet, 
 
 XIX. — 26 
 
302 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 heels, &c. If he have no regular business to employ 
 him, the Egyptian spends the greater part of the day 
 in riding, paying visits or making purchases ; or in 
 smoking and sipping coffee ; chatting with a friend at 
 home ; or he passes an hour or more of the morning 
 in the public bath. At noon, he again says his pray- 
 ers, or at least, such is his duty. Directly after mid- 
 day, he dines ; then takes a pipe and a cup of coffee, 
 and in hot weather, a nap. Often he retires to recline 
 in the harem, where a wife or female slave watches 
 over his repose, or rubs the soles of his feet with her 
 hands. On such occasions, and at other times when 
 he wishes to enjoy privacy, every visiter is told by the 
 servant that he is in the harem ; and no friend expects 
 him to be called thence unless on very urgent business. 
 Smoking and coffee fill up the afternoon, and at sun- 
 set he takes supper. The Egyptians eat fast, though 
 in moderation as to quantity : their only drink at 
 meals is the water of the Nile, or at the tables of the 
 rich, sherbet. At other times, like the European 
 Mussulmans, they indulge in wine. 
 
 The Egyptian tradesman repairs soon after break- 
 fast, to his shop or warehouse, and continues there till 
 near sunset. He has leisure to smoke as much as he 
 likes, and his customers often smoke with him. A 
 great portion of the day is spent in chatting with them 
 or with his next or opposite neighbor. When he 
 leaves his shop for half an hour, he either relies for 
 the protection of his property upon his neighbors, or 
 he hangs a net before the door. He seldom thinks it 
 necessary to close and fasten the shutters, except at 
 night, or when he goes to the mosque. Making a 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 303 
 
 purchase is a very tiresome process, and is never ac- 
 complished without a vast deal of higgling. When a 
 bargain is concluded, the servant of the purchaser 
 receives from the shop-keeper a small piece of money, 
 which, if not offered, he scruples not to demand. 
 
 Cairo contains above a thousand coffee-houses, to 
 which the people resort to smoke and drink. They 
 have an intoxicating beverage called hashish^ brewed 
 from hemp-seed ; this last is also smoked like opium ; 
 either way it produces exhilaration that leads to bois- 
 terous mirth. The word hashashin^ which signifies 
 smokers or eaters of hemp, is applied to noisy and 
 riotous people as an appellation of obloquy, and is the 
 origin of our word assassin, a name first applied to a 
 tribe of Arab warriors in Syria in the time of the Cru- 
 sades, who made use of intoxicating and soporiferous 
 dnigs to render their enemies insensible. The use of 
 opium is not so common in Egypt as in many other 
 couniries of the East. 
 
 Bathing is the great luxury. Cairo has sixty or 
 seventy public baths ; these buildings contain each 
 several apartments, all paved with marble ; the inner 
 rooms are covered with domes, having round, glazed 
 windows. The bather is first exposed to a steaming 
 process, after which he is taken in hand by an opera- 
 tor, who cracks almost every joint in his frame. He 
 wrings the body first one way and then the other, to 
 make the joints of the backbone crack. Even the 
 neck is made to crack twice by wrenching the head 
 round each way, which produces a sensation rather 
 alarming to an inexperienced person ; and each ear is 
 generally twisted round till it cracks. The limbs are 
 
304 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 wrested with apparent violence, but with so much skill 
 that no injury is ever done ; the main object of this 
 process is to render the joints supple. The operator 
 then kneads or shampoos the bather’s flesh and rasp? 
 the soles of his feet. After bathing, coffee and a pipe 
 are introduced. 
 
 Many modern writers upon Egypt have given sur- 
 prising accounts of a class of men in this country sup^ 
 posed, like the ancient Psylli of Cyrenaica, to possess 
 a secret art, mentioned in the Bible, enabling them to 
 secure themselves from the poison of serpents. These 
 men travel over every part of Egypt, and find abun- 
 dant employment. The serpent-charmer professes to 
 discover, without the use of his eyes, — perhaps by a 
 peculiar smell, whether there are any serpents in a 
 house, and if there be, to attract them to him, as the 
 fowler, by the fascination of his voice, allures the bird 
 into his net. As the serpent seeks the darkest places 
 in which to hide himself, the charmer has in most 
 cases to exercise his skill in an obscure chamber, 
 where he might easily take a serpent from his bosom, 
 bring it to the door, and affirm that he found it in the 
 apartment, for no one would venture to enter with him 
 after having bee a assured of the presence of one of 
 these reptiles within. But he is often required to per- 
 form in the full light of day, surrounded by spectators ; 
 and incredulous persons have searched him before 
 hand, and even stripped him naked, yet his success 
 has been complete. He assumes an air of mystery, 
 strikes the walls with a short stick, whistles, makes a 
 chuckling noise with his tongue, spits on the ground, 
 and generally says, “ I adjure you by Allah, if ye be 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 305 
 
 above, or if ye be below, that ye come forth. I adjure 
 you by the most great name, if ye be obedient, come 
 forth, and if ye be disobedient, die, die, die ! ” The 
 serpent is generally dislodged by his stick from a fis- 
 sure in the wall, or drops from the ceiling of the room. 
 There appears little doubt that these persons are gene- 
 rally acquainted with some real physical means of 
 discovering the presence of serpents without seeing 
 them, and of attracting them from their lurking-places. 
 Some of them eat live serpents of a venomous kind at 
 religious festivals ; but this practice is now prohibited 
 by authority, as contrary to the injunctions of the 
 Koran. 
 
 Marriage procession. 
 
 In religion, the Egyptians are Mahometans, though 
 the Copts profess Christianity. A day or two before 
 a wedding, the bride elect goes in procession to the 
 26 * 
 
306 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 public bath — a canopy of silk being borne over hjr 
 head by four men. On returning, she takes a lump of 
 henna, and going round to her guests solicits a contri- 
 bution of money. Each person generally sticks a 
 small piece of gold in this, which she appropriates, 
 and then applies the henna to her feet. The evening 
 of this ceremony is called the night of the henna. 
 The next day she proceeds to the harem of her lord, 
 being escorted by her friends. 
 
 When a person dies, the Egyptians sprinkle the dead 
 body with rosewater, camphor, and other perfumes ; 
 stuff the ears and nostrils with cotton, bind the ankles, 
 and lay the hands on the breast. Being placed on a 
 bier, it is borne to the burial ground by a procession 
 of choristers, with the relations and domestics of the 
 
 deceased. Passages from the Koran, with a dirge, 
 are recited during the way. The bier is first carried 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 307 
 
 to the mosques, where prayers are repeated over it. 
 After a few minor rites, the funeral train proceeds and 
 deposits the body in the tomb. 
 
 One of the most remarkable traits in the modem 
 Egyptian superstition is the belief in written charms. 
 The composition of most of these amulets is founded 
 upon magic, and occasionally employs the pen of 
 almost every village schoolmaster in the country. A 
 person of this profession, however, seldom pursues the 
 study of magic further than to acquire the formulae of 
 a few charms, most commonly consisting of passages 
 of the Koran, and names of God, together with those 
 of spirits, genii, prophets, or eminent saints, intermixed 
 with combinations of numerals, and with diagrams, all 
 of which are supposed to have great secret virtues. 
 The ninety-nine names or epithets of God, comprising 
 all the divine attributes, written on paper, frequently 
 repeated, and worn on the person, are supposed to 
 make the wearer a particular object for the exercise of 
 divine beneficence. In like manner, it is believed that 
 the ninety-nine names or titles, &c. of the Prophet, 
 written upon anything, compose a charm which, if 
 placed in a house, and frequently read from beginning 
 to end, will keep away every misfortune, all diseases, 
 infirmity, the evil eye, enchantment, burning, anxiety, 
 grief and trouble. Similar virtues are ascribed to a 
 charm composed of the names of the Seven Sleepers 
 or companions of the cave, together with the name of 
 their dog, whose history has figured under different 
 shapes in various agreeable fictions, from the age of 
 Epimenides the Cretan to that of Rip Van Winkle. 
 These names are sometimes engraved on the round 
 
308 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 tray of tinned copper, which, placed on a stool, forms 
 the table for dinner and supper. Another charm sup- 
 posed to have similar efficacy, is composed of the 
 names of those paltry articles of property which the 
 Prophet left at his decease, namely his rosaries, his 
 staff, toothpick, sandals, coat, wash-bowl, white mule, 
 camel, &c. 
 
 The belief of the Egyptians in the evil eye, is an 
 established superstition. It is a custom among the 
 higher and middle classes in Cairo, on the occasion of 
 a marriage, to hang a chandelier in the street before 
 the bridegroom’s house ; and it often happens that a 
 crowd is collected to see this suspended. In such a 
 case it is a common practice to divert the attention of 
 spectators by throwing down and breaking a large jar, 
 or by some other artifice, lest an “ envious eye,” ma- 
 lignantly exercised, should cause the chandelier to fall. 
 Mr. Lane relates an anecdote to the following effect. 
 A friend of his told him one day, that just before, he 
 saw a camel carrying two very large jars of oil : a 
 woman stopped before it and exclaimed, “ God preserve 
 us ! what big jars ! ” The driver of the camel did not 
 tell her to bless the Prophet, as he should have done, 
 and the camel, a few minutes after, fell down and 
 broke both the jars and one of its own legs. 
 
 Most of the respectable Moslem Egyptians, both at 
 Cairo and Alexandria, approach pretty near to Eu- 
 ropean manners in the externals of behavior, such as 
 sitting on chairs, eating with knives and forks, making 
 use of porcelain, glass, &c. Ibrahim Pacha has, or 
 had, a French cook. 
 
 One of the principal Egyptian amusements consists 
 
EGYPT. 
 
 309 
 
 in firing at a target ; they are good marksmen, but 
 take a long time in aiming. Mehemet All himself 
 can strike an earthen pot a hundred paces out at sea, 
 and Ibrahim has been known to lounge on a cushion 
 in the upper apartments of his palace, and amuse him- 
 self by firing with a rifle at the water-skins carried by 
 the sakas^ or water-bearers. If he pierced the skin 
 and let out all the water, he enjoyed the surprise and 
 vexation of the poor saka ; but if he happened to 
 wound the man, he would promise, with apparent con- 
 trition, that the sufferer should never want bread while 
 he himself had any to eat, though it is said he never 
 was known to keep his word. The pastimes of des- 
 potism sometimes bear a strange resemblance in dif- 
 ferent countries. The Duke of Charolois amused 
 himself with bringing down plumbers and tilers from 
 the roofs of houses in a similar way. The man- 
 ners of the Egyptian princes, however, are said to 
 have lately improved in this respect. 
 
 At Cairo, as in ail other capital cities, the inhabit- 
 ants, engaged in a great variety of occupations, com- 
 pelled to exercise a superior degree of ingenuity, and 
 brought into frequent contact with strangers, displaj^ 
 considerable sociability and politeness ; and the arti- 
 zans and shopkeepers are distinguished for their indus- 
 try and attention to business. When not engaged in 
 the exercise of their professions, or in their religious 
 duties, they are generally found in the coffee-houses 
 listening to the relation of the story-teller, or at the 
 public places, where mountebanks, jugglers and danc- 
 ing girls exhibit their performances. 
 
 The public recitation of romances affords a favorite 
 
 T 
 
310 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 amusement to the Egyptian idler. The reciter sits on 
 a raised seat in the coffee-house, and his auditors on 
 stools around him, sipping their coffee, smoking their 
 pipes, listening to the story, and all highly amused, 
 not only with the tale, but also with the lively and 
 dramatic manner of the narrator. He receives a small 
 sum of money from the keeper of the coffee-house for 
 attracting customers : his hearers are not obliged to 
 contribute anything, though some of them give him a 
 trifle. A favorite romance is the Life of Abu Zeyd, a 
 tale said to be founded upon events which happened 
 in the third century of the Hejira ; and is believed to 
 have been written not long after that period, though it 
 has been subsequently much altered. It is a long 
 story, half prose and half poetry, partly narrative, and 
 partly dramatic. As a literary work it is thought to 
 have little merit by Europeans, but from its being so 
 general a favorite, it must certainly possess strong at- 
 tractions. It also bus considerable value and interest 
 as illustrative of the manners and customs of the 
 Beduin Arabs. The narrator always commits his 
 subject to memory, and recites without a book. The 
 poetry he chants, and after each verse he plays a few 
 notes on a viol with a single chord, which is called the 
 Abu Zeydee viol, from its being used only in these 
 recitations. There are about fifty of the professed 
 Abu Zeydee rhapsodists in Cairo. 
 
ASIA 
 
 Asia was the cradle of the human family, and to 
 this quarter we must look for the origin of the various 
 tribes which now inhabit the earth ; yet two of the 
 great races of mankind — the Negro and the American 
 Indian — are not now to be found within its limits. 
 Still, there is no quarter of the globe where human 
 society presents such a diversity of aspects as here. 
 
 Amid its population of five hundred millions, we 
 find every form and shade of superstition ; every sys- 
 tem and degree of despotism ; and every stage of civi- 
 lization from the barbaric pomp of the Indian and 
 Chinese courts to the skin-clad Samoide of the arctic 
 shores. As compared with the standing of Christen- 
 
312 
 
 ASIA. 
 
 dom, Asia presents a gloomy picture of moral, mental, 
 and social darkness, where ideas of civil liberty are 
 unknown, where true religion casts only here and 
 there a strip of sunlight, and where science has scarcely 
 begun its dawn. ' 
 
 Asia contains nearly one third part of the land sur- 
 face of the earth ; the following table exhibits its gene- 
 ral divisions, with the population of each. 
 
 Russia in Asia, - - . 
 
 Turkey in Asia, - - . 
 
 Arabia, / * “ * * 
 
 Persia, - - . - 
 
 Afghanistan and Beloochistan, 
 Independent Tartary, - 
 Chinese Empire, - - - 
 
 Japan, - - - - 
 
 Hindostan, - - - - 
 
 Farther India, - - - 
 
 7.000. 000 
 12,000,000 
 10,000,000 
 12,000,000 
 
 10 . 000 . 000 
 7,000,000 
 
 340.000. 000 
 12,000,000 
 
 140.000. 000 
 20,000,000 
 
 Total, - - - . 570,000,000 
 
 It may be proper to state that there is great diversity 
 in the estimates of Chinese population, some authors 
 rating it as low as 200,000,000. Several recent 
 writers, however, of high authority, give it as in the 
 preceding table. 
 
 It may be remarked in general that the manners 
 and customs of Asia are transmitted from one age to 
 another with little change. All over Western Asia 
 the beard is worn long, and is treated with a kind of 
 reverence. The dress is loose and flowing — turbans 
 take the place of hats, and sandals of shoes. They 
 are fond of external pomp, which is displayed in their 
 dress and military costumes. In writing they are 
 addicted to a figurative style and extravagant hyper- 
 bole. Polygamy is general, and the female sex are in 
 a degraded state. 
 
RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 Circassians. 
 
 This immense region, stretching from the Ural 
 mountains on the west, to Behring’s Straits on the 
 east, and embracing about one third part of this quar- 
 ter of the globe, though generally cold and barren, 
 presents at least one spot of great fertility. To the 
 east of, and bordering on, European Russia are the Cau- 
 casian mountains, whose bosoms enclose territories 
 peculiarly gifted with richness and beauty. The 
 highest peaks are clad in perpetual snow ; beneath is 
 XIX. — 27 
 
314 
 
 RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 the black region of rocks and precipices ; while the 
 lower declivities contain a number of well- watered 
 valleys, forming fine pastoral districts; and, though 
 not capable of high culture, yielding plentifully the 
 inferior products, maize and millet. In these moun- 
 tain valleys dwell the Circassians. This race have 
 been long celebrated for their physical qualities. The 
 men, though spare, are tall, handsome, and athletic. 
 But it is the fine form and delicate complexion of the 
 female Circassians, which constitute so wide a theme 
 of Eastern panegyric. In these high valleys, with a 
 northern exposure, they do not suffer that intense heat 
 of the sun, which produces, generally, the dark tints 
 of Asia. The daughters of all above the rank of 
 slaves are exempted from oppressive or degrading 
 labor, and merely occupy themselves in sewing, em- 
 broidery, and the plaiting of straw. Their beauty 
 seems to be in part the result of a careful study of all 
 the circumstances which tend to produce or preserve 
 female charms. The face is carefully shaded from the 
 sun ; they are fed moderately on milk and pastry ; 
 their feet are protected from injury by a species of 
 wooden shoe ; and their hands by the use of gloves. 
 Some even make use of paint, but this is considered 
 discreditable. 
 
 The distinctions of rank and birth are observed in 
 Circassia with all the strictness of highland pride. 
 Under the prince, or sovereign, are the uzdens^ or 
 nobles, who attend him in war or foray, but exercise a 
 sway almost absolute over their own immediate vas- 
 sals. They are of two kinds, — bondsmen, who culti- 
 vate the glebe, and armed retainers, who attend him 
 
RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 315 
 
 to the field ; which last have often been raised, on this 
 condition, from the inferior ranks. The arrangements 
 for marriage and education are of a most peculiar 
 character, founded on a sort of Spartan apathy, which 
 tramples upon every tender and domestic tie. Until 
 after the birth of the first child, the husband and wife 
 live ostensibly separate, and never see each other, unless 
 by stealth ; the husband considers it an insult if the 
 wife be even named in his presence. The child, 
 v/hen born, is never reared in the house, or under the 
 eye of its parents. At the age of three or four, some 
 friendly nobleman receives it, and undertakes the 
 sole task of educating and rearing it. Under him 
 the sons are trained in all manly exercises, and the 
 females in those which belong to their sex, until the 
 former is ready to take the field, and the latter to 
 receive a husband, which this foster father is bound to 
 provide. 
 
 On the southern declivity of the Caucasus extends 
 the famous and once powerful kingdom of Georgia. 
 The world, perhaps, does not contain a region more 
 profusely gifted both with richness and beauty. Num- 
 berless streams, flowing from the central and loftiest 
 parts of the chain, irrigate and fertilize all its borders. 
 On the sides of the mountains hang magnificent forests 
 of beech, ash, chestnut, oak, and pine ; and the ground 
 is covered with vines growing wild in vast profusion. 
 On its successive stages are raised all the varieties of 
 fruit and grain, both of the temperate and tropical cli- 
 mates. The woods abound with game ; and the 
 mountains contain in their bosom mines of considera- 
 ble value. 
 
316 
 
 RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 The human race flourishes in an equal degree ; the 
 men are distinguished for vigor; and the females, 
 with the single exception of a darker complexion, are 
 as famed for beauty as those of Circassia. All these 
 bounties of nature, however, have been rendered un- 
 availing by the oppressions of a feudal government, 
 and by the continual wars which have desolated Geor- 
 gia for more than a century. The nobles, who have 
 reduced the prerogative of the king within very narrow 
 limits, possess over their vassals the power of life and 
 death, and extract from them the whole produce of 
 their lands beyond what may afford the most scanty 
 subsistence. The unfortunate husbandman is more- 
 over exposed to the continual inroad of the Losghians 
 and other tribes from the upper heights of Caucasus, 
 and is often obliged to plough with arms in his hands. 
 
 Siberia is thinly peopled, yet it possesses a great 
 diversity of inhabitants. The Kussian inhabitants 
 consist, for the most part, of exiles who have fallen 
 under the displeasure of the Czar. The two great capi- 
 tals, Tobolsk and Irkoutsk, have somewhat the aspects 
 of European cities. Hospitality, the virtue of recluse 
 regions, is said to prevail among the Russians of 
 Siberia, and their love of liquor has also followed them 
 to this region of penance. The accompanying vices 
 of indolence and improvidence, are said to pfevail to a 
 lamentable extent. 
 
 Of the native tribes of Siberia we may notice the 
 Tartars, who live a wandering life, being almost en- 
 tirely occupied in rearing horses. Their great luxuries 
 are horse’s flesh and fermented mare’s milk. In reli- 
 
RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 317 
 
 gion they are divided between Mahomedanism and 
 the worship of the Grand Lama. 
 
 Tartars 
 
 The Tunguses are found in the extensive region 
 watered by the Yenisei and its tributary the Toun- 
 gouska. Unlike the Tartars, they possess no herds, 
 except those of rein-deer ; and their sole employments 
 are hunting and fishing along the frozen plains and 
 the bleak shores of the great Siberian rivers. They 
 use no arms in the chase except the bow and arrow, 
 in which they are so skilful, that they fear not to at- 
 tack the strongest and fiercest animals. As it is very 
 desirable, however, not to injure the precious skins of 
 the fur-bearing species, they are rather desirous to 
 ■SI* 
 
318 
 
 RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 take them by art or stratagem, and show wonderful 
 ingenuity in the contrivances which they employ for 
 that purpose. They are not less skilful in tracing 
 out by scent, or by the faintest track, the animals 
 which they pursue. In fishing, they use little boats 
 composed of the rind of the birch or of the larch tree. 
 They have no settled abodes, but wander from place 
 to place, guided by the abundance of fish and game, 
 or by the mere love of change. 
 
 It costs them very little trouble to construct tem- 
 porary abodes. The yourt^ or summer hut, is formed 
 merely by arranging in a circular shape a number of 
 wooden poles, and giving them a conical roof of the 
 bark of the birch tree. Their winter abodes also 
 consist of a single apartment, the wooden walls of 
 which are more strongly put together, and the win- 
 dows are formed of expanded bladder. The oven 
 which heats the apartment and cooks the victuals is 
 placed in a corner ; and round the room are benches, 
 on which the family sit, eat, and sleep ; and which, 
 being hollow, contain their stores and provisions. 
 The smoke makes its way through an aperture in the 
 roof stuffed with dry grass to exclude the cold ; in its 
 way thither it fills the entire hut, but, its own light- 
 ness causing it to ascend, there is left a space near the 
 floor not absolutely enveloped. The Tunguses are of 
 a brownish tint, derived, perhaps, from the atmosphere 
 of smoky huts ; their features are flat, and their eyes 
 small ; though neither of these characters occurs to 
 nearly the same extent as in the Mongol race, nor 
 have they its peculiar physiognomy. They are de- 
 scribed, by those who have held intercourse with them, 
 
RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 319 
 
 in terms of praise, as frank, stout, honest, and brave. 
 Though professed votaries of the Shaman creed, they 
 combine it with magical observances and other native 
 superstitions. 
 
 The Ostiaks are a numerous Siberian tribe, occupy- 
 ing the banks of the Lower Obi with its tributaries, 
 and the plains which extend far on each side of it. 
 Their size is somewhat diminutive ; their hair, of a 
 yellow or reddish tint, floats on their shoulders ; and 
 their features are destitute of all beauty. Their habi- 
 tations, both of summer and winter, are nearly similar 
 to those of the Tunguses, except that the latter fre- 
 quently contain two or three families, divided by 
 slight partitions, and having one common fireplace. 
 They depend for subsistence chiefly on Ashing, though 
 they give chase to the bear and various fur-bearing 
 animals ; the finest of which, however, are now found 
 only in the eastern regions. In these pursuits they 
 display indefatigable activity. They are said to be 
 distinguished by great simplicity ‘of manners, good- 
 ness of heart, and open hospitality. Their supersti- 
 tion is entirely that of the old rude paganism, without 
 any Hindoo or Mahometan admixture. In their tents 
 they have many little images, before which they place 
 a table, and lay upon it snuff, willow bark, fish oil, 
 and whatever commodities they themselves consider 
 most valuable. In return for these gifts, they consid- 
 er as due a prosperous fishing and hunting ; and 
 when, in spite of lavish donation, these fail, their 
 wrath is sometimes kindled against their divinities, 
 whom they even dash on the floor, and break in 
 pieces. The bear is the object of a sort of fearful 
 
320 
 
 RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 worship ; and, in their oath of allegiance to the Eus- 
 sian government, they wish that, if it be not fulfilled, 
 they may be devoured by that formidable animal. 
 Their favorite amusement consists in a species of 
 dance, in which they imitate to the life the motions 
 and cries of the beasts, birds, and fishes with which 
 they are^ daily conversant. 
 
 To the north, on the extreme shores of the Arctic 
 Ocean, wander the Samoides, whom the poet deno- 
 minates “ the last of men.” They present nearly the 
 same original form as the Tunguses, but want and 
 hardship have sunk them into a meagre and stunted 
 race. They have a flat, round, and broad face, large, 
 thick lips, a wide and open nose, little beard, black 
 and rough hair in small quantity. Their territory, 
 along these dreary shores, extends for nearly 2000 
 miles, from the European frontier to the Olensk, and 
 almost to the Lena. Placed in the same situation 
 with the Laplanders, their habits and modes of life 
 are almost entirely the same. All their wants are 
 similarly supplied by the rein-deer; but the herds 
 which they have tamed are employed solely for the 
 purpose of conveyance ; those only which are caught 
 in the chase are used as food, and their skins convert- 
 ed into clothing. On the sea-coast they attack the 
 bear, and feed on his flesh, as well as on that af 
 the whales which are cast ashore. Fishing on the 
 rivers is considered by them an easy and Juxurious 
 occupation. In autumn they are chiefly employed in 
 hunting the white fox, the fur of which affbrds the 
 only medium by which they can obtain foreign lux- 
 uries. 
 
RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 321 
 
 There are still other tribes in Siberia, but we can- 
 not notice them in detail; yet we must say a few 
 words of Kamtchatka, which forms the eastern limit 
 of Asia. Though a cold and tempestuous region, it 
 seems to abound in animal life. A sportsman who 
 should be willing to sacrifice to his favorite amuse- 
 ment the pleasures of civilized life would find Kamt- 
 chatka a paradise. The land animals afford a val- 
 uable prize, being all covered with rich furs, and 
 very abundant. Though not quite so fine as those 
 of Siberia, they form the basis of a considerable 
 trade. The coasts swarm with seals and other ma- 
 rine animals ; the rocks are coated with shellfish ; 
 the bays are almost choked with herrings, and the 
 rivers with salmon. Flocks of grouse, wood-cocks, 
 wild geese, and ducks darken the air. Thus the 
 inhabitants obtain in abundance not only food, but full 
 materials for that gluttonous indulgence to which 
 they are addicted. They form a peculiar race, with 
 flat features, small eyes, thin lips, and scarcely any 
 beard. Their stature is diminutive, with large head 
 and short legs. Since the Russian sway put an end 
 to the wars which they were wont to wage with con- 
 siderable fury, they have passed into a peaceable, 
 honest, lazy, drunken, servile race, careless of the 
 future, and addicted to coarse sensuality. 
 
 They have houses both for winter and summer. 
 The former, composed of branches of trees, plastered 
 with clay, or half sunk in the ground ; and in the in- 
 terior one lamp, fed with train oil, lights, warms, and 
 cooks the victuals of two families. The summer- 
 house has a peculiar structure, its floor being raised 
 
322 
 
 RUSSIA IN ASIA. 
 
 by posts, twelve or thirteen feet from the ground, and 
 leaving beneath an empty space, in which the fish is 
 hung up to dry. In their domestic habits, the most 
 remarkable peculiarity is the use of dogs harnessed to 
 the sledges and employed to draw them. These dogs 
 are of no peculiar size or strength, but resemble 
 mountain or shepherd dogs. They are fed on the 
 offal of fish, and in summ^er are turned out to find 
 their own food ; their return being certain at the ap- 
 proach of the inclement season. In travelling, the 
 driver yokes them two and two abreast, and from four 
 to ten in one vehicle, according to the weight to be 
 drawn. He then places himself in the sledge, which 
 is in the form of a basket, with two ends turned up ; 
 but no ordinary skill is required to prevent both rider 
 and carriage from being overturned on the rugged 
 ground over which it is frequently dragged. 
 
 At their high festivals, the Kamtchadales give them- 
 selves up to an almost frantic mirth, which astonishes 
 those who have viewed the sluggishness of their ordi- 
 nary deportment. Their favorite dance is one in 
 which all the actions and motions of the bear are re- 
 presented to the life ; and the violent and uncouth at- 
 titudes assumed for this purpose excite in the specta- 
 tors rapturous admiration. 
 
 In closing our view of the Polar regions, it may be 
 remarked that a short and feeble race, bearing through- 
 out a strong resemblance, seems to occupy this frigid 
 portion of both continents. The sterile soil and the 
 repulsive climate, allow but a stinted vegetation, and 
 deny to man, both the means of improvement and the 
 inducements to exertion, which operate with such force 
 to civilize society in the temperate zones. 
 
TURKEY, ARABIA, PERSIA, ETC 
 
 This region contains several remarkable tribes, such 
 as the Druses, a warlike people, who occupy the 
 northern slopes of Mount Lebanon ; the Marionites, 
 a sect of Christians who dwell upon the southern sides 
 of Mount Lebanon ; the Armenians, who profess 
 Cliristianity, and are the chief merchants in many of 
 the large towns ; the Koords, inhabiting the moun- 
 
324 
 
 TURKEY, ARABIA, PERSIA, ETC, 
 
 tainous districts of Koordistan, and often descending 
 from their strongholds to make incursions upon the 
 fertile plains below ; and the Turcomans, who are a 
 pastoral tribe of nomades, in the interior of Asia Minor. 
 
 It is impossible, in the brief compass of this volume, 
 to enter into detailed descriptions of the customs of 
 these various nations. It may be remarked, generally, 
 that the Turkish manners prevail, though each country 
 has its peculiarities. 
 
 The Turks of Asia Minor and Syria are scarcely 
 to be distinguished from those of Europe, whom we 
 have already described. In dress, religion, and modes 
 of life they are everywhere the same. 
 
 Within the territory which we are now considering 
 is the most celebrated spot on the face of the globe — 
 the Holy Land — whose capital is Jerusalem. If we 
 
TURKEY, ARABIA, PERSIA, ETC. 325 
 
 were now to visit that city we should find it inhabited 
 chiefly by Turks, among whom there are numerous 
 monks, Greeks, Abyssinians, Copts, Armenians, Ma- 
 rionites, &c. It has been said that in the churcli of 
 the holy sepulchre, “ from the arches above, where 
 they nestle like pigeons, from the chapel below, and 
 subterranean vaults, their songs are heard at all hours, 
 both of day and night. The organ of the Latin monks, 
 the cymbals of the Abyssinian, the voice of the Greek 
 caloyer, the prayer of the solitary Armenian, the plain- 
 tive accents of the Coptic priest, alternately, or all at 
 once, assail your ears ; you know not whence these . 
 concerts proceed ; you inhale the perfume of incense 
 without perceiving the hand that burns it ; you merely 
 perceive the pontiff who is going to celebrate the most 
 awful of mysteries on the very spot where they were 
 accomplished.” 
 
 The general aspect and leading traits of the Arabs 
 have been described under the head of Africa. They 
 have black eyes and hair, a sallow complexion, straight 
 limbs, and great activity. The Bedoweens are pas- 
 toral, and wander from place to place in search of pas- 
 turage for their flocks. The great deserts of Arabia 
 are peopled by these wandering tribes, who are gene- 
 rally robbers, and often capture such travellers as fall 
 in their way. ^ 
 
 The Arabs who live in cities adopt the manners of 
 the Turks. Little animal food is eaten ; dates, milk, 
 butter, oil and coffee are the common articles of con- 
 sumption. Lizards and locusts are sometimes eaten. 
 Education seldom goes beyond the reading of the 
 Koran. In religion these people are bigoted Mahome- 
 u XIX. — ^28 
 
326 TURKEY, ARABIA, PERSIA, ETC. 
 
 dans. The sheiks are the chiefs, but their authority 
 is limited. The only safe way of travelling is in large 
 
 Caravan in the Desert. 
 
 companies called caravans. The general character of 
 the Arabs is founded upon that of Ishmael; it is said 
 that ‘‘ in the desert they are robbers, and in cities 
 cheating is a substitute for robbery.” They are, how- 
 ever, courteous, polite and hospitable to a proverb. 
 
 The Persian nation is a mingled population ; the 
 Parsees, or original inhabitants, being a small part of 
 the people. The Turkish is the spoken language, the 
 Persian being used in books. The dress has been 
 
TURKEY, ARABIA, PERSIA, ETC. 327 
 
 considered effeminate. The men wear a long robe 
 reaching nearly to the feet, and under this a vest tight 
 to the hips, and then flowing like a petticoat. They 
 wear wide trowsers and silk or calico shirts. Eobes 
 of various kinds are common, and a long muslin sash 
 is worn over the whole dress. In this is stuck a dag- 
 gier, and no Persian considers himself fully dressed 
 without his sword. All classes wear a black lambskin 
 cap, about a foot in height. The head is shaved 
 except a tuft on the head and behind the ears. The 
 beard is dyed black. The dress of the females is 
 simple. In winter a close-bodied robe, reaching to 
 the knees and buttoned in front, is worn over the rest. 
 In summer, a silk or muslin shift is worn, loose velvet 
 trowsers, and a vest. The head is covered with a 
 black turban, over which a cashmere shawl is thrown 
 as a veil. 
 
 The general food of the Persians is simple. Coffee 
 is general, and tobacco is smoked by all classes. The 
 delicious wines of Persia are much used in spite of 
 the prohibition of the Koran. The Persians have been 
 called, probably by a Frenchman, the Parisians of the 
 East, but they have more resemblance to the Greeks. 
 They are volatile, cheerful, cunning, lying and dis- 
 honest, but eminently social. They show great re- 
 spect for age. They abound in complimentary phrases, 
 and their politeness, like that of the other Asiatics, is 
 formal, though less grave than that of the Turks. 
 They are affable and fond of conversation, in which 
 fables and apologues abound. Their manner of salu- 
 tation is to touch the hands and then ra’se them to the 
 forehead. The king, however, and great officers are 
 
328 
 
 TURKEY, ARABIA, PERSIA, ETC. 
 
 saluted by thrice bowing to the ground. There is 
 much difference between the manner of life and cha- 
 racter of the inhabitants of the towns and the country. 
 The latter are brave and hardy, while the former are 
 timid and effeminate. The females are generally 
 instructed in reading, embroidery, and household af 
 fairs, of which they have the sole management. 
 
 The Persian amusements are hunting, which they 
 follow with great zeal, and various exhibitions of 
 dancing, juggling, and story telling, &c. Antelopes 
 are hunted with hawks and gTeyhounds. The hawk 
 alights upon the head, disordering the motions of the 
 antelope, which the hound is therefore able to overtake. 
 Education is generally diffused, and most children are 
 taught to read and write, but there is little instruction 
 in the higher branches. The arts and sciences have 
 hardly an existence. The most general and popular 
 literature is comprised in poems,, and rom.antic tales. 
 Firdusi, Hafiz, and Saadi, are poets admired in Euro- 
 pean translations, and the two former are as well 
 known to the common people, as Burns to the same 
 class in Scotland. The religion is Mahometan of the 
 sect of Ali. 
 
 The inhabitants of Afghanistan are made up of 
 PersiansL, Indians, and descendants of the native races. 
 The latter are addicted to war, the chase, and rearing 
 cattle. They are rude, rapacious and vindictive, but 
 brave, open and faithful. Their religion is Mahome 
 danism, but they are not bigoted. Education is care 
 fully provided for, there being a school in every village 
 
 Beloochistan is occupied by several confederated 
 tribes, who chiefly lead a wandering and feudatory 
 
TURKEY, ARABIA, PERSIA, ETC. 
 
 329 
 
 life. In the chase, or in their plundering expeditions, 
 they are active and energetic, but at other times, they 
 are indolent and dissipated. 
 
 Independent Tartary is an extensive region, west of 
 Chinese Tartary. The inhabitants are chiefly a pas- 
 toral people, living in tents, and wandering from place 
 to place with their flocks and herds. The common 
 dress is a cotton robe, and drawers ; red is the favorite 
 color. Garments of skins are often worn. Horse 
 flesh, and kourrms^ a liquor made from mare’s milk, are 
 favorites. The people have, generally, neither regu- 
 lar government, nor settled habitations. Many of the 
 tribes live by robbery and plunder, and others delight 
 in the chase. The religion is Mahometan, and the 
 laws are chiefly drawn from the Koran. The chiefs 
 are called Khans^ and these acknowledge a great 
 Khan, who styles himself king of kings. 
 
 
HINDOSTAN * 
 
 Hindoo pagoda. 
 
 This extensive and populous country, though chiefly 
 under British sway, retains its peculiar manners, 
 
 *For more ample notices of the Hindoos, see Lights and 
 Shadows of Asiatic History.’^ 
 
HINDOSTAN. 
 
 331 
 
 which have stamped the people as a peouliar race, 
 from the earliest periods of history. In person they 
 are dark, slender and graceful, and their expression 
 is soft and retiring. The common dress consists of 
 a turban, drawers, and a long robe tied with a scarf. 
 The poorer classes have often but a piece of cotton 
 tied around the loins. The head is usually shaved, 
 leaving a lock behind. The dress of the females is a 
 light jacket with half sleeves, and a piece of silk 
 or cotton wrapped gracefully around the middle, and 
 falling so as to display a part of one of the ankles. 
 
 The common dwellings consist of slight fabrics 
 of split bamboo, covered with mats. The walls of 
 some are of mud, hardened like bricks. In towns the 
 architecture is Moorish, and some of the nobles have 
 magnificent palaces. The English residents adopt a 
 mixed style, partaking of the Asiatic and European 
 architecture. In the cities of Calcutta, Madras, and 
 Delhi, there is much splendor in the edifices. 
 
 The food is simple, rice and other vegetables con- 
 stituting the chief articles of consumption. The infe- 
 rior castes only, eat all kinds of animal food, and use 
 intoxicating drinks. Travelling is generally by palan- 
 quins, though the rich sometimes perform journeys on 
 elephants. The religion is Bramanism, the chief doc- 
 trine of which is that of the metempsychosis, or trans- 
 migration of souls. It is a part of their ecclesiastical 
 as well as civil system, to divide the people into castes, 
 which are hereditary. These are the Bramins, or 
 priests ; the Rajah-pootras^ or soldiers ; Vaisyas, or 
 merchants and farmers, and the Sudras, or laborers. 
 These do not eat or drink together or intermarry 
 
332 
 
 HINDOSTAN. 
 
 Though many of the doctrines of the Hindoo faith are 
 pure, yet their system practically runs into the most de- 
 grading superstition, and the priests take advantage of 
 their superior dignity, to practise every species of impo- 
 sition upon the people. Some of the diabolical practices 
 inculcated by the priests, such as drowning children 
 in the Ganges, burning the widow upon the funeral 
 pile of the husband, &c., are universally known. 
 
 The amusements of the Hindoos are found, to a 
 large extent, in the multitudinous ceremonies imposed 
 by religion ; in the dancing of girls trained to the art ; 
 in jugglery, which their adepts have carried to a 
 wonderful degree of perfection ; in wrestling, and in 
 the performances of the cockpit, where they exhibit 
 spiders, bugs and quails, trained to fighting. Not- 
 withstanding their oppressed condition, and the gloomy 
 traits which belong to their religion, the Hindoos ap- 
 pear to be a happy, or at least a cheerful and contented 
 people. 
 
 The general manners and customs of the Hindoos 
 have been rendered familiar to most readers, but the 
 Thugs are less known, and from their extraordinary 
 character, deserve a more particular description. 
 These consist of an extensive and organized fraternity 
 of murderers, which has spread itself over the whole 
 country from Cape Comorin to the Himmaleh moun- 
 tains, and has subsisted for ages, defying the muta- 
 tions which swept away thrones and dynasties. 
 
 This extraordinary people are divided into Buricas, 
 or persons fully instructed in the art, and Kuboolas, or 
 novices. These are by no means nominal distinc- 
 tions. No Thug is allowed to take his degree as a 
 
HINDOSTAN. 
 
 333 
 
 Burka, or to assume the office of a strangler, until ke 
 has been on many expeditions, and acquired the re- 
 quisite courage and insensibility, by slow degrees. 
 They are first employed as scouts, then as sextons, 
 then as shumseeas or holders of hands, and lastly as 
 Bhurtotes or stranglers. When a man feels that he 
 has sufficient courage and insensibility for the purpose, 
 he solicits the oldest and most renowned Thug to 
 make him his disciple. The Thug agrees to become 
 his gooroo or spiritual interpreter ; and when the gang 
 falls in with a man of respectability and moderate 
 strength, fitted for the purpose, he tells the gooroo that 
 he is prepared, with his permission, to try his hands 
 upon him. While the traveller is asleep, with the gang, 
 at their quarters, the gooroo takes his disciple into a 
 neighboring field, followed by three or four old mem- 
 bers of the society. On reaching the spot chosen, they 
 all face to the direction in which the gang intend to 
 move, and the gooroo says, “ OA, khalee, kunkalee^^^ &c. 
 &:c., if it seemeth to thee fit that the traveller now 
 at our lodging, should die by the hands of this thy slave, 
 vouchsafe us the Thibaoo.” If they get the auspices 
 on the right side within half an hour, it signifies the 
 sanction of the deity ; but if they have no sign, or 
 it comes on the left, some other Thug must put the 
 traveller to death, and. the candidate for honor must 
 wait for another time. 
 
 If the sign is auspicious they return to their quar- 
 ters ; the gooroo takes a handkerchief, and facing to 
 the west, ties a knot at one end, with a rupee or other 
 piece of silver inserted. This knot they call the goor- 
 knat, or classic knot ; and no man who has not been 
 
334 
 
 HINDOSTAN. 
 
 thus ordained by the high priest, is permitted to tie 
 it. The disciple receives it respectfully from the sacred 
 officer, in his right hand, and stands over the victim 
 with a shumseea, or holder of hands, by his side. 
 The traveller is roused on some pretence or other, and 
 the disciple passes the handkerchief over his neck at 
 the signal given by the leader of the gang, and 
 strangles him with the aid of the shumseea. Having 
 finished his work, he bows down before his gooroo 
 and touches his feet with both hands, and does the 
 same to all his relatives and friends present, in grati- 
 tude for the honor he has attained. He opens the 
 knot, takes out the rupee and gives it with all the 
 other silver he has, to his gooroo, who lays it out in 
 materials for a sacrifice. On the return of the novice 
 after his expedition, he gives a feast to his gooroo and 
 his family, and if he has the means, to all his rela- 
 tions ; and he presents to the gooroo a new suit of 
 clothes, another to his wife, and if he can afford it, to 
 his other relations. The gooroo, after a certain inter- 
 val, returns the compliment to him and his family; 
 and the relation between them is ever after respected 
 as the most sacred that can subsist. A Thug will 
 often rather betray his father than the gooroo. by whom 
 he has been thus knighted. 
 
 The Thugs travel along the roads under various 
 assumed characters, in parties varying from ten or 
 twelve to several hundreds. They appear as traders, 
 pilgrims, as sepoys seeking or returning from ser- 
 vice ; and sometimes one of their number figures as a 
 Rajah or prince, with all the appropriate equipments of 
 tents, carriage, &.c. ; and the rest act the part of his 
 
niNDOSTAN. 
 
 335 
 
 obsequious followers. If the gang is numerous they 
 are divided into separate parties, who follow each other 
 at some distance, or, taking different routes, rendez- 
 vous at some appointed place in advance. Their vic- 
 tims are almost always travellers. The most expert 
 members of the gang are employed to collect informa- 
 tion, and insinuate themselves into the confidence of 
 strangers whom they find at the resting-places, or 
 overtake on the road. They usually propose to them 
 to join company for mutual safety ; and if the travel- 
 ler suspects one party, he soon falls in with another, 
 who pretend to enter into his feelings of distrust. A 
 person is sent before to select a proper place for the mur- 
 der, and scouts are employed to prevent interruption. 
 The travellers are generally induced to sit down under 
 pretence of resting themselves, and they are strangled 
 at once on a given signal. The bodies are then 
 buried, after having been mangled to expedite dissolu- 
 tion, and to prevent their swelling and causing cracks 
 in the ground. Two Thugs are employed in the 
 murder of each individual, one of whom holds his 
 legs or hands while the other applies the noose. If 
 the traveller have a dog, he is also killed, lest he 
 might cause the discovery of the murdered body. In 
 Bengal, which is much intersected by rivers, the plan 
 is modified to suit the country. The practice there is 
 to inveigle travellers on hoard pretended passage- 
 boats, which are manned entirely by Thugs, and then 
 to strangle them and throw their bodies into the river. 
 Several of these boats follow each other at short inter- 
 vals, so that if the traveller escapes one snare he may 
 fall into another. 
 
336 
 
 HINDOSTAN. 
 
 A pickaxe is consecrated by each gang before set- 
 ting out on an expedition, and is regarded by a Thug 
 in much the same light as is his sword by a soldier. 
 It is the mark of his profession; he swears by it, under 
 the firm belief that if he forswear himself, he will, with- 
 in two or three days, die a horrid death ; that his head 
 will turn round, his face towards his back, and he will 
 writhe in tortures till he expires. The sound of the con- 
 secrated pickaxe is never heard in digging a grave, by 
 any one except a Thug. It is carried by the shrewd- 
 est, cleverest, and most sober and careful man of the 
 party, in his waist-belt. While in camp he buries it 
 in a secure place, with its point in the direction they 
 intend to march ; and if another direction will be 
 better, it is believed that its point will be found 
 changed. Formerly it used to be thrown into a well, 
 whence it was said to come up of itself when summoned 
 with the appropriate ceremonies ; but since the northern 
 Thugs have begun to do what is forbidden, and neglect 
 what is enjoined, it has, with them, lost its imputed 
 virtue. In the Deccan, where the primitive spirit 
 of Thuggee has not been departed from, this is 
 believed to be still the case. “ During a whole expedi- 
 tion that I made with^ them,” says a northern Thug, 
 who served a campaign with the people of his own 
 profession in the south, “ Imam Khan and his brother 
 carried the pickaxes, and I heard them repeatedly in 
 the morning call them from the well into which they 
 had thrown them overnight, and saw the pickaxes come 
 of themselves from the well and fall into their aprons.” 
 
 The most ordinary and effectual mode in which the 
 tutelary goddess of the Thugs interferes in behalf of 
 
HINDOSTAN. 
 
 337 
 
 her votaries, is by omens. These are considered by 
 them as signs expressly appointed to guide them to 
 their prey, or to warn them of approaching danger ; 
 and no member of the fraternity doubts, that if these 
 omens had been attended to, and the other prescribed 
 rules observed, the system of Thuggee must have 
 flourished under the auspices of its divine patroness in 
 spite of all the efforts of the British for its suppression. 
 The coincidence between the rules of augury ob- 
 served by the Thugs and those of ancient Greece 
 and Rome must strike every one. These omens are 
 the sounds or the voices of animals on the right or 
 left ; wolves crossing the road, or howling at .certain 
 hours of the day or night ; the hooting of the owl ; 
 the cry of the hare ; the braying of the ass, &:c. 
 
 The Thugs are not wanting in gratitude to the divine 
 patroness for her favors. A chosen portion of each 
 spoil is set aside for her, and numerous rites are ob- 
 served in her honor. To the Thugs, murder is an act 
 of religion, just as much as the practice of charity, to 
 a Christian. When by favorable omens, their patron- 
 ess is supposed to have revealed her will for the sacri- 
 fice of travellers, those of the stricter sort dare not 
 disobey. As the Thugs have a religion of their own, 
 they are regarded among themselves as religious, or 
 otherwise, according to the degree of strictness with 
 which they observe the rules of their peculiar faith. 
 In our eyes all killing is wrong which is not sanctioned 
 by the laws of the country; in theirs it is wrong 
 not to kill, when enjoined by the divine law of their 
 patroness Kalee. 
 
 The Thugs are forbidden by their rules to slay 
 women of any description, and either men or women 
 
 3 IX. — ^29 
 
338 
 
 HINDOSTAN. 
 
 of the following classes : — fakirs, bards, musicians, 
 dancers, washerwomen, sweepers, oil-venders, black- 
 smiths, and carpenters, maimed or leprous persons, 
 men with cows, and Ganges water-carriers, except 
 when their pots are empty. 
 
 The whole system of Thuggee is made for secrecy. 
 Acting upon the maxim that “ dead men tell no tales,” 
 they never rob without first murdering. They hardly 
 ever shed blood. The bodies of their victims are 
 buried with the utmost care, and fires are made over 
 the graves that it may be supposed travellers have 
 been cooking victuals there, and no appearance be left 
 to excite suspicion. They never put them to death 
 till they have a safe opportunity, even if it should be 
 necessary to follow them hundreds of miles. In 
 speaking of matters relating to their profession, they 
 use a slang, understood only by themselves. There 
 are circumstances peculiar to India which enable 
 them to carry on the practice with much greater facility 
 than would be the case in most other places. These 
 are, the usage all over the country, of sending remit- 
 tances in the precious metals and jewels, by men on 
 foot without any guard or arms to defend them ; the 
 unreserved manner in which travellers mix and com- 
 municate ; the long tracts of grass and wood-jungle 
 through which the roads pass, &c. Moreover, the 
 same religious feeling which leads the Thugs to be- 
 lieve that they are performing a laudable action in 
 murdering travellers who are thrown in their way, 
 while the auspices are favorable, causes them to be 
 regarded without horror by the other Hindoos. They 
 are supposed to be only doing their duty in that state 
 nf life to which God has called them. 
 
FARTHER INDIA. 
 
 View of Rangoon 
 
 To the south of China and Hindostan, is a reg’ion 
 which passes under the titles of Farther India, India 
 beyond the Ganges, or Chin India. This region 
 embraces the modem empires of Birmah and Anam, 
 the kingdom of Siam, and the States of Malacca. 
 The inhabitants of this fertile and populous region 
 exhibit all the degrees of barbarism in the state of 
 society. Their religion is that of Buddha, and dis- 
 plays itself in gilded and gorgeous temples or pagodas. 
 
340 
 
 FAR'/HER INDIA. 
 
 The governments are stern despotisms, in which the 
 lives and fortunes of the people are subject to the 
 caprices of their rulers. 
 
 The Burmese are, divided into seven castes, and the 
 women are shut up as in Mahomedan countries. The 
 houses are slight, and the .dress of the poorer classes 
 very scanty. The wealthy indulge in rich and splendid 
 robes. The principal food is rice, roots, leaves, seeds 
 and blossoms, though entrails, reptiles and fish, are 
 eaten. The nobles are fond of display, and the em- 
 peror, in his processions, exhibits a while elephant, 
 which is held sacred. 
 
 The empire of Anam, has risen within the present 
 century, and comprises Tonquin, Cochin China, and 
 Cambodia. The late emperor, Chang Shung, orga- 
 nized a powerful army and navy, and constructed 
 strong military works on the European plan. Hue, 
 the capital, is a place of great strength. The people 
 resemble the Chinese, in person, and many of their 
 manners and customs. Morals are at a low ebb, and 
 the women are hardly better than slaves, being obliged 
 to perform nearly all the common drudgery of life. 
 
 The people of Siam resemble the Burmese ; they 
 are described as sluggish, boastful, arrogant and false. 
 The most abject submission is required by the supe- 
 riors of those beneath them. We are told that Laku, 
 one of the former sovereigns, being awakened from 
 sleep and saved from assassination by the braying of 
 an ass, commanded, in the ardor of his gratitude, that 
 all mankind should be called asses. We are fur- 
 ther informed that whenever an ambassador from 
 China came to the Siamese court, the master of the 
 
FARTHER INDIA. 
 
 341 
 
 ceremonies proclaimed the fact in these words, “ Most 
 potent Laku, absolute Lord of the Universe, King of 
 the White Elephants, and Keeper of the Sacred Tooth! 
 a great jackass from China has come to speak with 
 your majesty ! ” 
 
 The peninsula of Malacca, is inhabited by several 
 independent tribes, who belong to the race of Malays. 
 They are a barbarous people, of the Mahomedan faith, 
 following the various professions of robbers, merchants 
 and pirates. In person they are short, squat and ro- 
 bust. Their legs and arms are stout ; the face round, 
 the mouth wide, the teeth remarkably white. The 
 cheek bones are high, the nose short, the nostrils 
 wide ; the eyes small and black ; the hair black, lank 
 and straight. Their color is brown, and varies not in 
 different climates. 
 
 The Malays have great mental activity, and have 
 made some progress in civilization in the islands of 
 Java and Sumatra, but not in Malacca. They are 
 Mahomedans, but the women are not doomed to se- 
 clusion in the harem. Their revenge is terrible. 
 
 Such are the Malays in their native land — a race 
 which has spread itself over the Oceanic isles, and 
 constitutes one of the five great divisions of the human 
 family. 
 
 V 
 
 29 * 
 
CHINA 
 
 Though the Chinese have systematically excluded 
 foreigners from their country, the prying eye of curi- 
 osity has discovered most of their peculiarities, and 
 with these the world at large have been made ac- 
 (^uainted* Every one is familiar with their dress. 
 
CHINA. 
 
 343 
 
 personal appearance, and aspect of their houses, from 
 the drawings on their porcelain. Their complexion 
 is olive, their hair black and straight, and their eyes 
 small, and like all of the Mongolian family, set 
 obliquely to the nose. The dress consists of short full 
 trowsers, a short shirt, and over all a loose flowing 
 robe. The materials are silk or cotton, according to 
 the condition of the wearer. The hair of the men is 
 shaven, except behind, where it is braided into two 
 long cues. A fan is a necessary article in the hand 
 of male and female. 
 
 The dress of the Chinese dandy is composed of 
 crapes and silks of great price ; his feet are covered 
 with high-heeled boots of the most beautiful nankin 
 satin, and his legs are encased in gaiters, richly em- 
 broidered and reaching to the knee. Add to this, an 
 acorn-shaped cap of the latest taste, an elegant pipe, 
 richly ornamented, in which burns the purest tobacco of 
 the Fokien, an English watch, a toothpick suspended 
 to a button by a string of pearls, a nankin fan, exhaling 
 the perfume of the tcholane — a Chinese flower — and 
 you will have an exact idea of a fashionable Chinese. 
 
 This being, like dandies of all times and all coun- 
 tries, is seriously occupied with trifles. He belongs 
 either to the Snail Club, or the Cricket Club. Like 
 the ancient Romans, the Chinese train quails, which 
 are quarrelsome birds, to be intrepid duellists ; and 
 their combats form a source of great amusement. In 
 imitation of the rich, the poorer Chinese place at the 
 bottom of an earthen basin, two field crickets ; these 
 insects are excited and provoked until they grow 
 angry, attack each other, and the narrow field of battle 
 
344 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 is soon strewed with their claws, antennae and corslets, 
 the spectators seeming to experience the most lively 
 sensations of delight. 
 
 The general amusements of the Chinese are greatly 
 diversified, and their arts are numerous and ingenious. 
 The government is despotic, and rules by fear. Pa- 
 rents exercise the most unlimited sway over their chil- 
 dren, and a son is a minor during the life of the father. 
 The husband does not see his wife till she is sent to 
 his harem in a palanquin ; if she does not please him, 
 he may send her back. Divorces are easily obtained, 
 and loquacity is sufficient to cause a wife to be sent 
 hom.e to her parents. The chief beauty of a woman is 
 small feet, and these are bandaged from childhood to 
 ensure this desirable charm. 
 
 The national character of the Chinese has been very 
 differently regarded, and perhaps there has prevailed 
 a disposition to rate it too low. Quietness, industry, 
 order and regularity, qualities which a despotic go- 
 vernment seeks always to foster, seem to be peculiarly 
 conspicuous. A general good humor and courtesy 
 reign in their aspect and behavior. Even when they 
 jostle and come into collision with each other, the 
 extrication is effected without any of that noise and 
 exchange of turbulent and abusive language which are 
 commonly witnessed on such occasions in European 
 cities. Flagrant crimes and open violations of the 
 laws are by no means common. The attachments of 
 kindred are exchanged and cherished with peculiar 
 force, particularly towards parents and ancestry in 
 general. The support of the aged and infirm is incul- 
 cated as a sacred duty, which appears to be very 
 
CHINA. 
 
 345 
 
 strictly fulfilled. It is surely a phenomenon in na- 
 tional economy that in a nation so eminently populous, 
 and so straitened for food, there should be neither 
 begging nor pauperism. The wants of the most des- 
 titute are relieved within the circle of their family and 
 kindred. It is said to be customary that a whole 
 family for several generations, with all its members, 
 married and unmarried, live under one roof, and with 
 only two apartments, one for sleeping, and the other 
 for eating, a fact which implies a great degree of tran- 
 quillity and harmony of temper. 
 
 In regard to religion, China is peculiar in having 
 none connected with, or supported by, the government. 
 No creed is made a matter of state except the abstract 
 belief of the existence of a supreme being, and of the 
 emperor as his sole vicegerent on earth. As to every 
 other creed and rite, the people adopt any or none, as 
 they may judge expedient. The learned, indeed, gen- 
 erally affect indifference upon the subject, and limit 
 themselves to the above simple belief, joined to a 
 superstitious reverence for ancestry, and for the ancient 
 sages of the empire. The people, however, require 
 some more sensible objects of worship, and the vacant 
 place has been chiefly occupied by the sect of Fo, 
 essentially the same with that of Budh, which rules 
 in Thibet, and has spread thence through all the neigh- 
 boring regions of Tartary. It appears there with its 
 doctrine of transmigration, its numerous images, its 
 monastic institutions, its bells and beads, its noisy 
 music, and its peculiar dress ; all giving it such a re- 
 semblance to the Catholic worship that the mission- 
 aries of the church of Eome fill their journals with 
 
346 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 perpetual lamentations on the impossibility of distin- 
 guishing between the two. Although jealous, in 
 general, of every foreign system, the Tartar dynasties 
 have been inclined to protect this religion of Tartar 
 origin. The same favor has not been extended to 
 Christianity, which has repeatedly made some pro- 
 gress. The precise religious faith of the Chinese may 
 be gathered from the following conversation, recently 
 held by Dr. Abeel, with persons in that country : 
 
 “ When you are very ill, what do you do ?” An- 
 swer — “ We pray to Budh for recovery.” 
 
 “ But when you find yourselves fast failing, and 
 most likely to die, what do you then ?” Ans. — “We 
 vow to Budh to burn quantities of gold paper, if he 
 will restore us.” 
 
 “ But when you are certain you cannot recover, 
 what then ? ” Ans. — “ Why, then there is nothing to 
 be done.” 
 
 “ Do you never pray, after the conviction that you 
 must die takes possession of your minds?” Ans. — 
 “ No, there is then nothing to pray for.” 
 
 “ But do you never pray for the future happiness of 
 your souls?” Ans. — “No, we know nothing of the 
 future state of our souls.” 
 
 “ Do you believe in their immortality ? ” Ans. — 
 “ Yes ; but whither they wander, and what they be- 
 come, we cannot tell — here all is dark, dark I” 
 
JAPAN. 
 
 The empire of Japan is little known, but sufficient 
 has been ascertained to show that it is extremely popu- 
 lous, and that civilization has reached a higher point 
 than among most other Asiatic nations. In person 
 and dress, the people resemble the Chinese. They 
 are cleanly in their habits, and profuse of civilities in 
 social intercourse. Women are educated as carefully 
 as the men, and enjoy the same liberty as in Christian 
 countries. 
 
 The national character of the Japanese is strongly 
 marked, and strikingly contrasted with that which 
 generally prevails throughout Asia. The people differ 
 most especially from the Chinese, their nearest neigh- 
 bors, notwithstanding the resemblance in form and 
 lineaments. Instead of that tame, quiet, orderly, ser- 
 vile disposition which makes them the prepared and 
 ready subjects of despotism, the Japanese have a charac- 
 ter marked by energy, independence, and a lofty sense 
 of honor. Although they are said to make good suh 
 jects, even to the severe government under which the"} 
 live, they yet retain an impatience of control, and a 
 force of public opinion, which render it impossible for 
 any ruler wantonly to tyrannize over them. Instead 
 of that mean, artful, truckling disposition so general 
 among Asiatics, their manners are distinguished by a 
 
348 
 
 JAPAN. 
 
 manly frankness, and all their proceedings by honor 
 and good faith. They are habitually kind and good 
 humored when nothing occurs to rouse their hostile 
 passions, and they carry the ties of friendship even to 
 a romantic height. To defend and serve a friend in 
 every peril, and to meet torture and death rather than 
 betray him, are considered duties which nothing can 
 abolish. Their good sense appears particularly in 
 their dress, which they seek only to render substan- 
 tial and suitable, despising those glittering ornaments 
 which are so eagerly sought over the rest of Asia. Their 
 greatest defect seems to be a haughty pride, which 
 runs through all classes, rising to the highest pitch 
 among the great, and leading them to display an extra- 
 vagant pomp in their retinue and establishments. 
 
 The Japanese also differ from the Chinese in being 
 'of a deeply religious character. There are two reli- 
 gions in Japan, one native, called the Sinto, at the 
 head of which is the Dairi : the other the Budh, 
 called here Budso, the same which prevails over all 
 eastern Asia. The Budso gains ascendancy by ming- 
 lling with the original system those attractive accesso- 
 ries which it possesses in common with the Catholic 
 monasteries, processions, beads, drums, noisy music, 
 and the belief in Purgatory, which, though condemned 
 by the pure and orthodox Sintoists, has a general in- 
 fluence over the people. The Sintos profess to believe 
 in a supreme ruler of the universe, and among their 
 number is distinguished a class of pure and philosophic 
 worshippers, who entertain lofty conceptions of the 
 deity, and cultivate the practice of virtue as the chie£ 
 means of gaining his favor. Their belief, however, 
 
JAPAN. 
 
 349 
 
 being thought to resemble the Christian, fell into some 
 discredit when the latter became the object of deadly 
 persecution. The mass of the nation, for whom such 
 tenets were far too refined, have always been addicted 
 to gross and varied superstition. 
 
 The religion of the Japanese deals much in festivals, 
 of which they have five great annual ones, besides 
 three smaller which are celebrated every month, rather 
 with visiting, eating, drinking and somewhat disor- 
 derly mirth like the bacchanals of the ancients, than 
 with any observance that can properly be called reli- 
 gious. But pilgrimage is the custom to which they 
 adhere with the greatest zeal, and from which they 
 promise themselves the greatest benefit, temporal and 
 spiritual. No one can be accounted at all eminent in 
 sanctity, or have any assurance of the forgiveness of 
 his sins, who has not been once a year at Isje, the 
 grand temple of the Tensio Da Sir, or first of the 
 celestial spirits. The roads in summer are completely 
 choked with the crowds of devout worshippers on their 
 way to the sacred shrine. As many have not the 
 means of paying their own way, a large proportion 
 betake themselves to begging, and prostrate on the 
 ground, call out to the rich passengers, “ A mite to 
 carry me to Isje ! ” In order to draw notice and favor, 
 they exhibit images of a many-headed idol, and of 
 various deities and demons. Others seek to gain ac- 
 ceptance by praying, singing, playing on fiddles, gui- 
 tars and other musical instruments, or by the perform- 
 ance of juggling tricks. On meeting with success in 
 any of these departments, they often apply themselves 
 wholly to the pursuit ; and make a permanent increase 
 XIX. — 30 
 
350 
 
 JAPAN. 
 
 to the crowds of beggars by which the country is 
 infested. Such a step they consider themselves fully 
 privileged to take after they have shaved their heads 
 and devoted themselves to a particular religious order. 
 Isje, the object of all these pilgrimages, presents nothing 
 that corresponds to its fame, or the magnificence of 
 the empire. It is rather held forth as a monument 
 of antique poverty and simplicity. It is a mere low, 
 wooden hut with a flat thatched roof, and the interior 
 contains only a mirror of cast metal and some cut 
 paner, to both of which a mythological character is 
 as^^ ed. In the surrounding plain are about a hun- 
 dred chapels of equally poor materials, and so small 
 that a man cannot stand upright in them. To each 
 of these is attached ja priest, under one of whom the 
 newly arrived pilgrim places himself. After a due 
 round of prostrations, supplications, and above all, of 
 gfifts to the amount of his real or supposed ability, he 
 is gratified with an indulgence, consisting of a small 
 oblong box filled with little pieces of wood, wrapped 
 in white paper, which is supposed to insure the pardon 
 of sins, and exemption from temporal evil for a year 
 to come ; at the end of which period, no zealous Sin- 
 toist is satisfied, unless he can undertake another pil- 
 grimage. 
 
 The Budso temples are much more magnificent 
 than those of the Sintos. They are usually placed on 
 elevated spots, surrounded with beautiful groves. 
 
OCEANICA. 
 
 Bread-fruit tree. 
 
 Under this title are embraced the numerous islands 
 of the Pacific, which contains a population of perhaps 
 20,000,000 of people. Among them, there are two 
 leading races — the Malays, who inhabit most of the 
 islands, and a peculiar kind of negroes, who are 
 widely scattered, but are most numerous in Australia 
 and New Guinea. 
 
352 
 
 OCEANICA. 
 
 The Malay race of Oceanicas have a brown com- 
 plexion, long lank hair, thin beard, high cheek bones, 
 large mouths, short noses and wide nostrils. In sta- 
 ture they are short and robust. Some of these people, 
 as those of Java, Sumatra, and Celebes, have attained 
 a secondary degree of civilization, but in general they 
 remain in a savage state. The success of the Mis- 
 sionaries in the Sandwich Islands, Taheita, New 
 Zealand, &c., gives assurance that most of them may 
 be brought within the fold of enlightened society. 
 
 The Oceanic negro race are small, ill shaped, and 
 to the last degree stupid and degraded. They go 
 naked, and inhabit hollow trees, caves, or slightly built 
 huts. Their weapons are spears and bows and arrows ,* 
 force is their only law ; and cannibalism is but one of 
 their savage customs. They paint their bodies with 
 horrid figures, and seem not disgusted with the stench 
 of the foetid fish oil they use. The treatment of 
 women is in the highest degree atrocious. Their 
 religion is only a belief in omens and witchcraft. All 
 attempts to wean them from savage life have proved 
 abortive. 
 
 The natives of New Zealand furnish a fair example 
 of the Oceanic islanders of the Malay stock. They 
 are intelligent, have made some advancement in the 
 arts of life, and to their friends and each other are 
 courteous and friendly. But they are subject to ter- 
 rific impulses of passion, and still devour the flesh of 
 their captives, taken in war. 
 
 THE END,