¦< ^'-i

r,

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

The
EDWIN J. BEINECKE, '07
FREDERICK W. BEINECKE, '098
WALTER BEINECKE, '10
FUND

RECOLLECTIONS

OF

A VISIT TO EUROPE.

IN 1851 AND 18fi2.

BY

. A TRAVELLEil FROM NEW ZEALAND.

AUCKLAND:
J'RtNTKO AND PDBLISHED BY WILLIAMSON & WILSON.

MDCQOLIil,

^Pu.fik/. DaWcf

RECOLLECTIONS

OF

A VISIT TO EUROPE.

IN I85I AND 1852.

BY

A TRAVELLER FROM NEW ZEALAND.

With any profits that may be derived from this publication it is intended (o
commence a fnnd for establishing an Evening Reading Room and Library for
Uie working classes at Anckland.

AUCKLAND:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY WILLIAMSON & WILSON.
UDCccxni.

2 ENGLAND.
The entrance of the Mersey, like that of most other English rivers,
is beset with sand hanks, through which vessels jjass by two narrow
channels, well marked and buoyed. For several miles along the
river side, in front of the town, there are extensive docks, filled
with shipping of all classes and sizes, so that the houses are hidden
fi-om view by a perfect forest of masts. These vast fleets bring
raw materials from every part of the world, or convey them manu
factured by the machinery and industry of England, to the
remotest countries on the globe. We found the streets near the
docks crowded with emigrants, principally Irish, who resort to
Liverpool for the purpose of embarking in splendid American ships
called liners, that carry some thousands every month across the
Atlantic. One of these vessels had come frora New York in
eleven days, under sail. We saw also one of the gigantic
United States mail steamers, seeming too great to be in so confined
a channel, j^et under perfect command, slowly threading her way
amongst the ships and small craft in the busy stream.
The Custom House of Liverpool is a -magnificent freestone
building ; and tliei-e are other liandsome public edifices, but otherwise
there is nothing reraarkable in the appearance of the town or tlie
adjacent country, excepting the cemetery, whii!h is veiy ornamental.
We had scarcely set foot on shore ere we began to experience
proofs of kindly feeling and friendship that we afterwards met
with everywhere in England. A gentleman at the head of a
mercantile firm, caused ns to be aided in all that concerned our
baggage, which enabled us to push on at once to our destination.
Pushing on indeed it was, — ten houi-s by railway being sufficient
to reach Devonshire, a distance of nearly 300 railes.
After long absence, and at the conclusion of a tedious voyage, to
find ourselves amongst relatives and friends, in one of the many
charming little towns on the sea coast of Devon ; to roam along
the shingly beach, watching the ships passing up or down channel, and
the movements of the coast-guard, pleasure yachts, and fishermen ;
or to wander back amongst the green lanes, by cosy farms and pic
turesque cottages in the hollows, or the elegant mansions and villas on
the hills and slopes of that rich and beautiful county, were delights
that made our hearts bound with gratitude to a kind Providence

^^¦llk¦h had bi ought us safely from the ends of the earth to revisit
dear old England. Yet, as in everything connected with this
world, there are deep sorrows mixed with the joys of a return to
one's native land after a protracted absence : — vacant places, where
fond hearts used to be ; the aged passed away, the young
grown up estranged ; the blooming faded ; once happy fami
lies divided ; the opulent becorae poor ; and, far worse, former
friends grown cold and proud, by the acquisition of wealth — sadly
lessen the pleasure of a i-eunion with those that are left.
The rapidity and certainty with which our letters were ansv/ered
from distant parts of Great Britain, and the ease and speed with
which we could move from place to place by railway, appeared
quite wonderful to us. The first class carriages are luxuriously
fitted up ; in them the traveller sits at ease, or reclines amongst
soft cushions. The second are quite respectable, but not so com
fortable ; and in the third class there are only hard benches to sit
upon, and wooden shutters in lieu of glazed windows ; the faro
being only about half of that which is charged to first class
passengers. In fine weather I much prefer journeying by stage coach or in
an open carriage, for tliere is an air of stiffness and newness about
the railroads, and a cheerless want of hedgerows and bordering
trees. The lines are cut throug-li fields and hills, carried by bridges
over valleys and rivers, and under rocks and high hills by tunnels,
some of which are long, dark and dreary caverns that caiise one to
shudder with cold and damp, and are always quitted with feelings
of relief. The eye is wearied with the rapid, passing of objects on
which it cannot rest for a moment, and the ear stunned by the
clanking irony sound of the wheels, and the puffing and screaming
of the locomotive monster that drags long trains of carriages irresistably
onward, but obedient to the least movement of the driver, who
controls the action of the steam upon the pistons of tlie engine.
The speed with which they move creates little feeling of uneasiness
to the passengers ; but when an express train is seen passing- a
station at which it does not stop, tearing along witli a rushing
noise like the wind, and flying past so quickly that the faces of
the persons within cannot be discerned, a stranger is certainly

4 EXULAN'0.
amazed at the boldiuiss of beings who can trust themselves io go at
such a rate on lines of iron rods, of which any flaw or impediment is
sufficient to send the greater number, at one dreadful mangling shock,
into eternity. The country apart from the railroads is as secluded and
quiet as it used to be, and most of the little towns and villages are dull
and cheerless compared with their lively state in coaching days. Once
I went to a place where four roads met, and where formerly many
stage coaches passed every day ; all was changed, the jolly landlord,
buxom landlady, ostlere, stable boys, and idle gazers, were all gone,
and the inn itself degenerated into a mere ale house. On the roads,
once enlivened by vehicles of every description, I saw only one
slowly moving cart, the driver of which was fast asleep, as if be
did not expect to meet anything to care for. Yet there are cross
roads on which stage eoashcs continue to run ; and, in Wales, travel
ling is still chiefly accomplished by means of that conveyance. On
several occasions when visiting friends in the country, our old feelings
were revived at the sound of the guard's horn and the sight of the coach
coming over the hills, or glancing through the rows of limes, elms, or
beech trees that border the highways, and the smart coachman (a
very great man in his way) pulling up his well trained and brightly
harnessed horses at the gate to take us up. Then to feel the fresh
air of an English summer morning, unpolluted by steam or smoke,
and scented by hay or bean fields, blowing against one's face ; to look
over the meadows, gay with daffodils and daisies ; passing by comitiy
seats, amidst wide parks' and stately trees ; cottages with roses and
honeysuckle twined round their bright latticed windows and spot
less white curtains ; village churches with old, grey, and sometimes
ivy-covered, towers, rising over the yew trees in the churchyards;
changing horses at little towns, wliere everything has an air of
cleanliness and comfort peculiarly English ; all this was, to us, very
delightful, and is far more agreeable than railroad travelling to
those whose time admits of dela)' and recreation.
The towns of England are generally inferior to those on the con
tinent of Europe. Even London itself, which, for extent and com
merce, excels all other cities in the world, comes far short of Paris
or St. Petersburg in point of arc'hitectural beauty. The Seine and
Neva are confined by magnificent quays, surmounted by tho finest
pliblic buildings. The Thames is a nobler stream tlmn ciUier of

ENCILAND. a
these ; but its b.mlcs, at tl c metropolis, arc disfigured by manu
factories, dirty \^•hal•ves, and huge brick warehouses, which might
have been confined to the lower part of the city, but are now
almost side by side with the new Houses of Parliament, Somer
set House, and Whitehall. Palace. There was a time when the
great and noble had their mansions by the river side, and took
their diversion on the water ; but commerce and manufacture
have changed all that, London appears to be an endless maze
of shops and brick houses, from which it is difficult to extricate
oneself. The lending thoroughfares are filled with a continuous
flow of omnibuses and other vehicles, and the footwaj's by
crowds of people of which a stranger soon becomes weary.
The parks arc exquisitely beautiful in summer, and the roads
in the suburbs aie everywhere adorned with villas and country
houses, kept in the most perfect condition of order and neatness.
It is to be regretted that the other great towns of England are
generally so badly provided with the means of aifording healthful
recreation to their inhabitants; whereas, in France and Germany,
it is quite a ploa-i ire to witness the enjoyment which the work
ing classes and their families seem to find in public gardens
maintained by government or municipalities for their benefit.
The Great Exiiiljition, which then attracted the attention
of the civilized world, was the first object of interest to us.
Standing neai- a beautiful piece of water, in a wide park, the
glades and slopes of which are shaded by noble trees and orna
mented with brilliant flo«er-beds, the Crj^stal Palace far
exceeded our ideas of what we expected it to be. The vast length
of the glittering edifice, filled, but not overcrowded, with a number
of persons equal to the population of a large town, well dressed,
interesting and happy looking, examining the finest works of art
from every land, of" lingering to rest by the refreshing crystal
fountain amongst statues, trees and shrubs, under the magni
ficent dome of the transept, formed a scene that can never be
forgotten. In that great assemblage it was like meeting old friends
to find the productions of New Zealand in the place assigned
to them.
By the river side, and close to the venerable Abbey of

Westminster, where England's illustrious dead repose in peace
and honor, are the new Houses of Parliament, joined in one
elegant and elaborately decorated building, that has done much
to remove the stigma cast upon the nation for want of tasto
in the architectural embellishments of Loudon. The main en
trance is by Westminster Hall, which one cannot pass through
without thinking of the great state trials and important assem
blages connected with our national history that have taken place
under the wide span of that ancient Gothic roof. On either
hand are the high law courts of the kingdom, and, at the
further end, a magnificent staircase and lobby, ornamented with
marble statues, lead to a beautiful octagonal vaulted room, from
which passages branch off^ to either chamber. In that of the
Commons I had the good fortune to be present at an animated
debate, which was far more interesting and pleasing to me than
any of the grand military spectacles, or the pompous displays of
sovereign power which I saw in the despotic states of the con
tinent. Gentlemen of England, chosen representatives of the
people, were, in powerful but temperate language, calling the
attention of the government to an existing grievance, whilst the
ministers of the crown, in their places, were patiently listening,
and clearly and calmly replying to the demands and assertions of
the various members who sought information on points connected
with the church, the nav}-, and foreign policy, all of which was
iramediately noted down by the reporters for the press, and the
following day communicated to the nation and sent forth to the
world at large. In the richly gilded House of Lords there is an air
of dignified ease and quietness in conducting business that beara a
remarkable contrast to the noisy activity of the Commons. I
was not particularly struck with anything aristocratic in the
appearance of the peers generally, and the la\vn sleeves of the
bishops, which I had been accustomed to see only at the altar
or in the pulpit, seemed strangely out of place on the red
Morocco covered benches of a political assembly. The Duke of
Wellington sat in the centre, looking very aged, but animated and
cheerful. The Duke of Argyle spoke fluently, and at some length ;
the Premier replied with eloquent language and most dignified
demeanor. The Duchess of Sutherland and other noble "ladies

were present. The same evening the Queen, Prince Albert, and
the young Princes were at the Opera, so that in one day, I
had an ojiportilnity of seeing most of the notable personages in
the kingdom.
The British Museum is an institution of which Englishmen
may well be proud. The building itself is ornamented with a
long fagade of large freestone columns, and the court is seen
from the street through a very fine iron railing surmounting
a low ¦\vall. There is enough in it to interest a mere visitor
for several days, and to afford the student or man of science the
best means in the world for becoming acquainted with the
natural productions of every age and clime, together with
marble statues from Greece, and gigantic monuments of Egyptian
and Ninevehan art and religious worship. Many shells and insects
sent by several collectors from New Zealand seem to be much
prized. Books are filled with descriptions of the metropolis, and therefore
I will not weary you with what you know already, or can easily
learn from others sources; but (as I gladly did in reality,) quit
the noisy city for the country. The banks of the Thames above
London are extremely beautiful in their peculiar way, — much art
and labour have made them so. We cordially agreed with some
Frenchmen, who, having come to see the Great Exhibition, were
visiting different parts of England, that the charming villas, verdant
lawns, shrubberies and spreading trees on either side, were magnifiqwe,
and with the German passengers in the steamer who pronounced them
ein Herrlkh gesiclit. At Kew we visited the Royal Bctmical
Garden ; it is well laid out in parterres, pieces of water, and verdant
alleys. The great conservatories and museum contain lofty palm
trees and i-are Botanical curiosities. Richmond rising from the river
side to the summit of a hill encircled by the trees of a noble park from
which there is a celebrated view of the Thames and the rich land
scape beyond, is a favourite resort of the Londoners and strangers.
Early one lovely summer's morning, I walked by the river side to
Twickenham, where I crossed and returned to Richmond ; that
portion of the Tliames is famed from having been the favourite
resort of Pope and other poets ; it is indeed a scene of exquisite
neatness and fertility.

The Roj^al palaces of England have not generally much archi
tectural beauty, but Windsor Castle is an imposing and extensive
structure in the style of the thirteenth century. The walks and
lofty towers are seen from a great distance, for the whole building
is elevated on a mass of chalk-rock above the surounding rich flat
country, teeming with woods and corn fields; from the terrace one
looks down upon Eton College, and the windings of the Thames,
and on the other side of the Castle there is a great park where the
Queen, her consort, and family appear to find healthful exercise
and amusement. We were most kindly treated at Eton where
much interest is felt in the prosperity of New Z-jaland, and had
opportunities of visiting the fine old Gothic chapel, and the extensive
play grounds of that ancient aristocratic school, at which youth of the
first families in England are trained to manly habits, scliolastie
learning, and accomplishments.
Hampton Court Palace is a great square block of brick building,
principally given up to the use of widow ladies who have claims
upon the country. In the galleries there are some excellent portraits
of court-beauties by Kneller and Lely, and the famous cartoons of
Raphael on the staircas.e. The gardens and avenue ;are kept in
beautiful order.
In England some towns, such as Cheltenham, Bath Clifton, and
Leamington, are devoted to the pursuits of health and p leasure. The
houses and terraces are elegantly built, aud the str ets spacious;
there are public gardens, pump-rooms, and assemblies, where retired
East Indians and Valetudinarians meet to drink the mineral waters,
and kill or enjoy the present time in talking over the affairs of
their past lives, and discussing the politics of the day. In such
idle sunny places it is difficult to believe that one is in the same
country which contains towns like iManchester and Birmingham
where all the powers of human energy are devoted to manufacture
and business. There hundreds of tall chimneys aud huf-e dark
masses of brick attest the enterprise which is nivino- labour to
thousands of the population, and producing an amount of wealth
that is overflowing the coff^ers of the nation. The rapidit-^- with
which the operations of carding, spinning, weaving, and printing
cotton goods is performed by the aid of machinery and combinations
of labour is wholly marvellous ; but the pale fiices and hao-o-ard

KXGLAXn.

looks of both sexes employed at the mills show tliat the advantages
of a manufacturing country are attended with sacrifices of health
and morality, to which the j'^oung people of this favored colony
are happily not exposed.
There is another description of towns in England which it gave
us more pleasure to visit than either the crowded metropolis, the
gay watering places, or the stern abodes of grim labour and stifling
toil, I mean the seats of learning. At Cambridge the line of
colleges, superb old Gothic chapels and gardens along the banks of
the Cam are most interesting and venerable. Oxford is even more
so ; the -graving line of univei-sities, public buildings, and
antiquated houses that form the high street is extremely pic
turesque and beautiful. Most of the colleges are built in Gothic
style, each has a spacious court, library, chapel, and hall ; some of
them have gardens, where, amidst retired walks and avenues of noble
trees, reading men find exercise without interruption to their studies.
We were greatly pleased with the appearance of the Oxonians,
arrayed in cap and gown ; they seemed to be fine young men, of
a frank and gentlemanly bearing, without that rollicking fierce
ness of demeanour which characterises the German students of
Heidelberg or Bonn.
A handsome monument has been erected at Oxford to the
memory of the martyred bishops, but not on the precise spot
where they perished in the flames which is marked by a cress ia
the pavement in front of Baliol College.
In several parts of England there are ancient cathedrals of Gothic
or Norman architecture. These venerable edifices are mostly in a
state of good preservation, and the improved taste of the present day
has led to the restoration of many ecclesiastical buildings that had been
suffered to fall into decay. In Flanders, Normandy, and at Strasburg,
I saw cathedrals which certainly are superior in magnitude, but
York Minster, and Westminster Abbey are specimens of the first
order that should make us rightly appreciate the piety, good taste,
and scientific knowledge of our Roman Catholic ancestors, to whom
England is indebted for those cathedrals and numerous elegant parish
churches throughout the country that are to be seen standing in
solemn and imposing beauty amidst the neat dwellings of towns or

30 EXCLANTl.
villages, by the fertile banks of streams, or on the slopes of wooded
hills. I think, however, it is to be regretted by all true Protestants
that in many of them the intonations of the service, and other
practices should bear so much resemblance to those of the Roman
Church, for they appear to have far less effect upon the mind than
the simple but touching melodies of our hymns, and the usual
pure style of reading pi-ayers in our reformed churches, which have
long been freed from a strict observance of obsolete rites and cere
monies that may promote a supei-stitious devotion but check the growth
of spiritual religion in the heart and understanding. The clergy
men of England are generally much respected by rich and poor.
In large towns their duties are extremely arduous, but in the
country districts (those whom we had the pleasure of knowing)
seemed to have a yery enviable lot in life. Their dwellings, the
rectory, vicarage, or parsonage, are often lowly in appearance, but
full of tasteful ornament and comfort within. The good men pass
their time in visiting the poor, comforting the sick and dying, or
looking after schools; in these duties they are joined by the ladies
of their families, whilst the sons may be at the universities, or far
away in the service of the state by sea or land. In such happy
homes we had the good fortune to pass some of our time, and shall
long remember them as bright scenes and pleasant resting places of
our journey.
For comfort, ease, and dignity, no situation in life can vie with
that of the country gentleman, — rural occupations and rural scenery
forming the greatest charms of England.
Oh ! the stalely homes of Engl.-ind, how henutiful Ihey stand.
Amidst their tall ancestoral trees, o'er all the pleasant land.
At one fine old hall, to which amongst other country houses we
were kindly invited, the good squire reminded us of Addison's Sir
Roger de Coverley ; he was aged, yet full of vigour and energy, and
sat amidst his grandchildren at the table, and the portraits of his
ancestors on the walls, doing the honours of his house with the
.utmost courtesy and attention to his guests. In the village nestled
amongst the trees beyond the park, he ruled supreme, and as chair
man of quarter sessions, was greatly respected by the whole county.
No taverns were allowed in the neighbourhood, and railways were
still at a distance. It was delightful to look from our windows upon

ENaiAND. II
the close-shaven lawn, and luxuriant flower-beds, vs-et with the
early dew, in front of the mansion, and farther off, the wide park,
through which herds of deer were scampering- or quietly browzing.
In fine weather we visited the farms or climbed the hills to see
old Roman fortifications ; rainy days are passed in the well stocked
library. The propriety with which the affairs of such households
are conducted, the refined manners of the various members of the
family, and the respectability and civility of the servants, left
upon our minds a most pleasing recollection of English hospitality
and country life.
The tidy appearance of English peasants and their cottages would
lead one to believe that they are far advanced in civilization, yet
education is by no means so generally diffused as iu most other
European countries. The countenances of the labouring classes are
dull and inexpressive, and their answers to questions show little
intelligence. I heard from persons well acquainted with their
condition that in the quietest and most peaceful- looking districts
there is a great amount of vice and immorality.
The poor are received into large and well-regulated workhouses,
one of which serves for several parishes, under the management of
guardians chosen from among the magistrates and country gentle
men. For the maintenance of such institutions, heavy rates are
levied, from which the inhabitants of colonies aie almost entirely
exempted. The great drawb.-ick to life in England is the enormous expense
required to keep a place in society ; although strangers may raeet with
hospitality and kindness, residents are made to feel the want of wealth,
perhaps more bitterly than in any other country in the world.
Very g-reat improvements have lately been made in the
piisons of Great Britain ; forraerly many of them were dismal
dungeons, where hoary felons or novices in crime passed
the time together in obscene conversation, idleness, and gambling ;
now, the great gaols are vast buildings, scrupulously cleaned, well
warmed, and ventilated ; no chains or manacles are heard clanking,
but an awful silence reigns, for each prisoner is in a separate cell, and
in this isolation consists the heaviest punishment. Human beings
were created to live in social intercourse, and however well fed and

iZ E-VilLA.VD.
lodged a prisoner may be, I caunut conceive anything more likely
to deter him from risking a return to confinement than such a system
of discipline which is only too terrible, and if long protracted,,
becomes utterly overwhelming to the strongest mind.
We passed a few pleasant days in Derbyshire ; at Matlock, and
other places in the peak or mountainous part of the county, the
scenery is wild and romantic, in remarkable contrast to the wide
plains and undulating hills of the other midland counties. The
palace of the Peak, Chatsworth, belonging to the Duke of Devon
shire, is a noble pile of buildings in modern style ; it stands in a;
wide park, backed by tree-covered hills ; suites of richly
decorated rooms are filled with good specimens of sculpture and
painting, and the wood-carving is exquisitely beautiful. Out of
dooi-3, gardens adorned with fountains and immense conservatories
danote the wealth ajid taste of their noble owner ; but we were
more delighted by a visit made the same day to Haddon Hall, an
old baronial residence, in good preservation, a few miles distant
from the modern palace. The old gates and towers, courts, chapel,
banquet-hall, ladies' drawingrooms, and terraced gardens are so well
kept up, tliat one has only in imagination to enliven them with
warders, seneschals, knights, and ladles, to have a good idea of a
noble country residence in feudal times. Whilst we wandered
through the old hall, thinking of by-gone days, our ideal pictura
of the long dancing room filled with cavaliers and lovely dames,
attired in rich brocades and point lace, moving gracefully through
the figures of Minuets and other stately dances of olden times, was
somewhat rudely dissipated by two young SheflSeld cutlers, who,
being out for a holiday, burst into the room and commenced a
Polka on the oaken floor, to the music of their own sweet voices.
Times are changed in Haddon Hall, as in other parts of England.
Trade and commerce onee desj/ised by feudal lords are encroaching oa
the exclusive tenures of ancient landed proprietors, many of whose
possessions have lately fallen into the hands of the enei-^etic and
enterprising manufactuviirs and merchants of the present day.
By far the most attractive specimen of feud-U ma"-nificence is,
Warwick Castle, still maintained iu good repair and occupied by
its noble owner. Tho walls aud lofty towers rise fi,-om the rivev

side with most imposing grandeur, amidst the beautiful trees of
the park. The neighbouring country is very picturesque, and
at no great distance are the old town of Kenilvvorth and the ruins
of that magnificent castle of which we have all read so much in
connexion with the history of Queen Elizabeth's reign, and the
gorgeous reception and entertainment given to her court by the
Earl of Leicester. I passed part of a fine summer's day
alone amidst the ivy-covered ruins once filled with the chivalry
and beauty of England. The lake is drained, the fountains dried
up, and the terraces are broken down, but in tho admirable pro
portions of the Gothic banquet-hall and in the massive masonry of
the flanking towers, there is much to interest a visitor, leading
the thoughts to muse ' on by-gone times, and impressing the
oft-repeated lesson taught by such scenes, — the instablity of
earthly grandeur.
Newcastle-on-Tyne is in the centre of the great coal mining
districts of the northern counties. The entrance of the river is
narrow and dangerous, yet hundreds of coUiera enter and depart
with every fair wind. They are so densely cro-v\'ded together in
tiers that it was with difficulty our little steamer could make her
way past the town of Shields, where the lai-ger vessels load. The
town of Newcastle has of late been much improved by new streets
and handsome public buildings ; a stupendous bridge of double
arches carries the railway over the river, without descending to
the banks of the stream like the old bridge, which is seen far below
the modern viaduct. My principal object was to visit one of the
mines, and for this purpose, dressed in miner's clothes, I stepped
into a basket at the mouth of the Wallsend shaft, and holding
fast by the rope to which it was attached, was rapidly lowered
down the dark and damp pit, to the depth of nearly nine hundred
feet. After a little while the motion seemed rather to be upward
than downward, producing a strange nervous feeling, from which I
was soon aroused by the sudden landing of the slight conveyance
at the bottom of the shaft, where two grim miners, with lighted
caudles, received me into their gloomy caverns. T was conducted
for miles through dark passages under the earth and river (perhaps
under the sea also), meeting horses dragging loads of coals on rail
ways to the bottom of the shaft, and then crept into low and

j^ EN6LANB.
narrew cuttings, where the coals were being blasted or dug out,
and drawn by half-naked boys to the larger passages. The heat
and closeness were alraost overpowering, yet the poor miners
appeared to be as cheerful and happy as labourers in the sunshine
above ground ;— thus mercifully has God formed us to be
come creatures of habit, and of such elasticity of spirit that
the miners, though continually liable to fearful accidents, are
in fact, only too careless. In one old worked-out passage, full of
the terrible fire-damp, I was shewn the saving action of Sir H.
Davy's lamp, in a situation where the use of an ordinary
light would have been attended by fearful consequences.
The commercial greatness of England is chiefly owing to this
bountiful provision of carboniferous wealth, stored in the bowels
of the earth in former ages of the world, and it is well that
men are found capable and willing to take advantage of sach
a wonderful gift ; but, for my own part, I felt very happy
when I returned to the light of day, and freed myself fi-om the
coal dust and dirt with which I was covered. The coals are drawn
up by an engine to the pit's mouth, and poured into waggons,
which descend inclined planes to the river side, where a moveable
and well-balanced frame lowera them gently down to the vessels,
lying under the cliffs ; the bottom of the waggon is removed and
the load drops right into the hatchway, when the empty carriage
slowly re-ascends, and is drawn back to the pit bj"^ the counter
weight of another full waggon descending from the mine.
The scenery usually most admired by travellers in England is that
of the Lakes of Cumberland. We reached the shores of Winander-
mere at sunset on a, fine summer's evening, whilst a band of music
was playing on the terrace of a large hotel, overlooking the water.
Early on the following morning I climbed the hills, and met with
a, very friendly reception at an elegant cottage which had once
belonged to Professor Wilson. From his favourite seat I could see
the whole extent of the lake, a prospect which he considered
unequalled in the world. I cannot say quite so much for it : the
scenery is neither so stern as that of the Scottish lakes, nor so
grand as those of Switzerland ; but there is a peculiar style of
mingled richness and wildness about the shores of the English

SCOTLAND. l.J
meres that is very captivating. The banks of Windermere are
adorned with charming country seats and cottages, whose green
lawns and gardens reach to the water's edge. Some wooded islands
seem to invite the landing of happy parties that in summer find
amusement in rowing and sailing on those quiet waters. In the
vicinity of the smaller lakes — Grassraerc, Rydalmere, and Derwent
Water — we saw the tasteful cottages once occupied by Southey,
Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Arnold, fit dwellings for such men ;
for, in the sight of blue mountain tops, fertile valleys, gently
rippling waters and running streams, woods, fields, and flowers,
ardent thoughts and beautiful imagery are awakened in the mind,
which is at the same time filled with love of the Great Being
whose goodness is displayed in the ravishing charms of natural
scenery, heightened by man's taste and art, that meet the gaze on
every side.
The surface oi Ulswater, the next in extent to that of Winder
mere, was so perfectly unrufiled that, whilst driving along one side
of it, we could scarcely discern the division between the water
and the hills on the opposite shore. This lake is deeper embossomed
amongst the hills, and the shores are steeper than at Windermere, but
there is a charming little village called Patterdale in a retired nook at
one end, where a visitor may pass a few days most agreeably, I
have seldom felt so much disposed to linger on my way or moor
my bark, as amidst the sweet lakes and homes of Cumberland.

SCOTLAND.
We crossed the border at Carlisle, where we stopped to visit the
castle of that old town ; it was the prison and place of execution
of those concerned in the rebellion, and, at an earlier period,
of some covenanters, whose memories are revered by the Scottish
people. At present it is kept up as a frontier garrison.
On entering Scotland we were particularly struck with the great
extent of the fields, the regularity of the long furrows, and the

1 0 SCOTLAXD.
admirable state of agriculture generally, which appeared to be
far in advance of English husbandry, in those parts at least
through which we had recently passed, where we found the fields
mostly small in area and surrounded by embankments and rows of
trees that add to tlie beauty of the landscape, but greatly diminish
the gains of the farmer. The homesteads of Scotland are mostly
plain stone buildings, compactly arranged ; not unfrequently a tall
chimney denotes the presence of a steam engine, which is now
generally used on large farms to turn the thrashing-machine. The
farmers themselves are very intelligent, enterprising men, of
good education and respectable standing in society. We were
greatly pleased with our drive by coach along the banks of the
Esk river, through the country of the Grahams, by Netherby Hall
and Cannobie Lee, to the prettily situated town of Langham ;¦ from
thence the road led us over the Cheviot hills, among the sheep
farms, and down into the fertile valley of the Tweed, where we
purposed passing the Sabbath. Roxburgsliire has been called the
arcadia of Scotland, for the Tweed and its tributary streams are
connected with many of the admired poems and simple melodies of
the people. Many Scotchmen of learned and literary farae were
natives of that county, for which, in after life, and in distant lands
they appeared to have retained a most affectionate remembrance.
Unlike the rivers in England, which glide lazily along through
rich meadows and willowy banks, the Scottish streams rush briskly
over rocky beds, sparkling and foaming as they encounter obstacles
or tumble over ledges, sometimes narrowing into deep blue pools
overhung with verdure, and at others expanding into wide sheets
of water, seeming to rest awhile, and again press onward through
narrow glens covered with pines, birches, mountain ash, and
laburnums that form most enchanting pictures. The weather was
beautiful ; I was up at daybreak to ramble by the Tweed, to
bathe in its cool stream, and enjoy the quiet of the day of rest.
A soothing calm on every breeze is borne,
A graver murmur echoes from the hill,
And softer sings the linnet from the thorn—
The skylark -warbles in a tone less shrill.— Leydeh.
The Scottish peasantry are an intelligent class, and generally fond
of imparting information. On my walk I stopped at a neat cottage

Si OtLAND. 17
wliere iin old man was enjoying in his garden the ease of the
bright, calm, Sunday morning. He seemed pleased to be spoken to,
and soon gave me an account of the neighbourhood, which had
been greatly improved in his lifetime, "For," said he, "I knew
the time when thae hills hadna a tree upon them." In the coun
try parts of England only a portion of the villagers, dressed in
clean smock frocks and leathern gaiters, are seen waiting for the
entrance of the squire, at the porch or under the yew trees of the
fine old church-yards. In Scotland, I believe, the attendance of the
¦country people at the parish churches is far greater, and the hum«
blest peasant is dressed in a suit of good broadcloth. Sunday sight
seeing is rigourousiy prohibited by the proprietors of ruined abbeys
on the banks of the Tweed ; and the Sabbath is thus kept un
disturbed bj- the intrusion of strangers who would otherwise come
thither by the railway trains from Newcastle.
A gentleman in the neighbourhood iiot only sent us his carriage
to use in visiting the. ruins, but also kindly invited us to join his
family circle for a few days : although our time did not allow cjf
our accepting the invitation, yet we felt such disinterested hospi
tality to strangers a most agreeable foretaste of the friendship and
kindness we afterwards enjoyed during our sojourn in Scotland.
Melrose Abbey is a fine ruin ; the ornamental work of the
columns and windows being in a wonderfol state of preservation-.
Viewed from a distance it loolcs to great advantage, the tall
gable rising high' above the trees and houses of the town, but it is
so hemmed in by adjoining cottag-es that the effect of its size is
lost in approaching close to it. The interior is very iraposingj
resembling, but not equalling, the beautiful ruins of Tintern
Abbey, in South Wales.
Dryburgh Abbey, a few miles further down the Tweed, is in a
more dilapidated state, but admirably situated on a low pointj
round which the clear stream makes a graceful bend, and so
enshrouded by noble trees that only a small portion of the ivy*
covered ruins can be discerned from the opposite shore. Amongst
those venerable and retiring relics of past ages, in one of the
chapels of a ruined aisle, lies the body of Sir Walter Scott, the
genius oi the land which his writings have rendered interesting to

;jg SCOTLAND.
literary persons of every country. Abbotsford, where he resided, is
not far distant ; we saw it on our way to Edinburgh. Although
it has passed into the possession of a stranger, yet the poet's rooms
are preserved as he left them.
The Lothian Counties, south of the Scottish capital, are ex
tremely fertile and well cultivated ; and, on the banks of the Gala
Water, there are manufactories of woollen cloths and tartans.
In approaching Edinburgh, as in drawing near to Athens, the
attention is attracted by the sight of three remarkable hills. The
highest of those in the former city is Arthur's Seat, from the
summit of which we had an extensive view of the old and new
towns, divided by a valley and public gardens. The Castle, on a ma
jestic rock, seems like the Acropolis of the Greek capital, to be the
guardian of the dwellings and elegant public buildings beneath and
around it. The Calton Hill is studded with monuments and
crowned with several gigantic columns of a temple, intended to
resemble the Parthenon. The Frith of Forth and islands, the
Pentland Hills, and the fertile country on all sides of the city,
form a picture of extreme beauty, which pleases every visitor. In
the old town the streets are narrow and the houses high, with
small apartments, now inhabited by the humblest classes of the
population, yet very interesting, for in the days of Scotland's regal
glory they were the habitations of her proud and fierce nobility,
and the lanes now crowded with the dregs of society were the
resort of the gay gallants and gentle ladies of the court of Holy-
rood. The Palace itself is still kept in good repair, and used by
the Queen when she visits her northern subjects. The rooms for
merly used by Queen Mary, from whence Rizzio was dragged and
assassinated, are especial objects of curiosity to sight-seers. In the
new town, which communicates with the old by means of a hand
some bridge over the separating valley, the streets are long,
regular, and spacious ; the houses are all built of freestone ; some
of the churches, and especially the banks, are very fine buildings.
The squares are ornamented with gardens in the centre, and the
whole aspect of the city is remarkably pleasing. The great monu
ment lately erected to the memory Sir "Walter Scott, stands
immediately on the edge of the valley ; tiie pinnacles, flying

SCOTL.VND. 19
buttresses, and arches, of this beautifully tapering Gothic structure
render it a great ornament to the capital. In the neighbourhood
there are several hospitals for the reception, maintenance, and
education of boys, so richly endowed that the trustees have laid
out vast sums of money in making the buildings look much more
like king's palaces than charitable institutions. There is not much
of public amusement in Edinburgh, and society there seems to be
greatly divided by religious feuds. The respectable inhabitants are,
however, people of refined tastes and accomplishments, and we had
good reason to carry away with us a grateful sense of the hospi
tality and kindness to strangers for which they are renowned.
The old city of St. Andrews, once the seat of ecclesiastical
power in Scotland, and still possessing a university, lies on the
eastem coast of Fife, exposed to the keen winds and lashing waves
of the German Ocean, which have worn away the rocks to the
very base of the Episcopal Palace, where Cardinal Beaton was
assassinated. Near it are the ruins of a large cathedral and a very
ancient square tower, said to have been built by St. Regulus.
The want of a good harbour prevents St. Andrews from sharing
the commercial prosperity of other towns on that coast ; but,
although the grass grows in its quiet streets, there is much in the
old city to interest a student of Scottish history, and, in addition
to the university, there is now a magnificent college, built by the
late Dr. Bell, of Madras, where education is so excellent, and at
so moderate a cost, as to induce many families to chose St.
Andrews for a residence. After passing some tirae at the large and
important manufacturing and shipping town of Dundee, on the
northern side of the estuary of the Tay, we ascended that fine
stream on our way towards the Highlands, passing the famous
Carse of Gowrie, — a broad belt of level land on the northern side,
richly covered with grain crops, and dotted with numerous farms
and country seats.
In approaching Perth, the scenery of- the Tay becomes very
beautiful, steep hills and verdant woods are, in a calm morning, re
flected in the smooth stream which ceases to be navigable beyond
the fair city, so much admired by travellers in Scotland, for the
pleasantness of its situation, and the fine public walks and grounds
by the river side,-

20 acoTLAKiJ-.
Dunkeld is about twelve miles further up the Tay, a little
Highland town, nestling amongst high hills and crag.s, covered with
larch pines and other trees. It is justly considered to be in one of
the finest scenes' of Scotland, or even of Europe. Viewed from,
the hills, the white houses of the town, the old abbey tower rising
above the tall trees of the Duke of Athol's gi-ounds in which it
stands, and the clear stream of the Tay crossed by an elegant bridge,
and overhung with weeping willows planted along the banks, forirn
a charming picture which the rambler amongst the mountains turns
to gaze upon with delight from every eminence.
The most striking scene of the kind that I have e-^er seen i's the
first view of.Taymouth Castle, the seat of Lord Bredalbane, from a
high point of the main road between Dunkeld and Loch Tay i
a door opening on a Sttle gras.sy platfomi suddenly reveals-
a view of the noble castle standing amidst wide parks and
spreading trees in a vale below whioh, backed by some wild hills,
/,.>//_ heighten the beauty of the cultivated foreground. Away to the
left shines the surface of the Loch reposing amongst the mountains
that environ it. Gazing in that direction also, the eye rests with
pleasure on the vilage church bf Kenmore amidst luxuriant trees
l)etvveen the castle and the water.
From Loch Tay we proceeded to visit other far famed lakes of
the Highlands, Their banks are generally scantily clothed with
trees, excepting Loch Katrine, the scene of Sir Walter Scott's,
"Lady of the Lake," which at one end is delightfully verdant.,
The Trossacks glen leading to it is full of towering rocks and wild
woods. Helen's Isle is covered with a grove of trees and shrubs
seeming to float on the water. Loch Lomond is the brightest gem
of the land, it is of considerable extent and studded with romantic
islands. The scenery of the upper part is wild and barren, the
lower end expands to a broad sheet of water, studded with islets,
amidst fertile slopes, ornamented by country seats. We were much
l)leased to see the striking change which has of late years taken
place in the Highland villages and cottages. The cholera and the
efforts of patriotic noblemen have wrought a wonderous im
provement in their structure and cleanliness. The accommodation
for travellers, at one time so wretched, is now of the best description.

StOtLASC, 21
V and with the aid of the coaches on land, aud steamers on the
water, a tour in Scotland is performed with perfect case and comfort.
At Inverary, on Loch Fine, we had lovely weather, and full moon
light, it was the herring fishing season, and the water was covered
with boats, whose owners live in numerous cottages scattered along
the shore. The white-washed houses of the little town stretching
out into the lake on a low poiut, the dark raountains around, and
and the woods and parks of the Duke of Argyle's Castle, forraed »
most beautiful night scene which we greatly enjoyed. Down this long
ami of the sea, we steered to the salubrious isle of Bute, where the
climate is so remarkably mild as to render it tho resort of con
sumptive invalids. The lower part of the Clyde is a wide estuary,
having numerous little towns, villages, and villas on either shore to
which the inhabitants of Glasgow repair during the summer for
healthful recreation and sea bathing. The scenery where the High-
laud lochs join the Frith is remarkably fine. Above Dumbarton
Castle the river becomes very narrow, but it has lately been
deepened, so as to admit of large ships being towed up to Glasgow,
The streets and squares of this large and important manu
facturing and coinmercial city are spacious : there are several
elegant public buildings, and handsome bridges, over the Clyde.
The merchants ^live in elegant houses apart from the business
quarter of the city, and are renownd for their hospitality and mu
nificence. I regret to admit that the lower classes in the manu
facturing towns of Scotland appeared to be more dissolute in
their habits than any other people I have ever seen. Their depravity
is said to be caused by the large mixture of Irish Roman Catholics
who have lately greatly added to the increasing population. But I
am inclined to think, that the love of whiskey is the debasing
cause, which, notwithstanding the advantages of religious training.
and education enjoyed by the youth of Scotland, is manifestly
lowering the standard of morality in that country.
So rapid and so easy has travelling become in Great Britain, that
in less than twenty-four hours after leaving Greenock we were
amongst the mountain scenery of Wales, and at the same time
enjoyed a sound night's rest during the passage in a splendid steam
ship from the Clyde to Liverpool.

WALES.
North Wales has peculiar beauties of scenery. From our residence
we could see the whole of Anglesey, the towns of Beaumaris and
Bangor on either side of the Menai Strait, that separates the island
from the main, and in the foreground the noble castle of Penrin.
The hills and valleys are on a smaller scale than those of
Scotland, and want the sublimity of the Alps or Andes.
The lakes are of small extent, but some of the moun
tain passes are extremely wild and romantic. The prin
cipal charm of Welsh scenery to my mind, lies in the
fertile and well watered vales which present some lovely land
scapes, diversified hy precipices, streams, an'd waterfalls. The
little farms and cottages are tidy and comfortably kept in order by
the good people of whom I conceived a very favourable opinion
from the little which I saw of them during walking- excursions.
They retain a good deal of originality in their manners and costume.
The females still wear a broad round beaver hat over their caps
which gives them a very odd appearance. A great part of the
population is employed at enormous slate quarries which supply the
wants of England and some foreign countries with that valuable
material for roofing. The workmen and their families appear to
be an industrious and orderly set of people, well lodged, clothed,
and fed. There are t-wo bridges over the Menai Strait, high
enough to admit of large vessels passing under them ; one is
the Brittania Suspension Bridge, a stupendous and elegant work of
art. The chains are attached to lofty piers on either side, leaving
a clear space and passage of at least 600 feet wide. But a still more
wonderful accomplishment of human genius and art is the other
bridge at a little distance from the former, for the purpose of con
veying the railway to Holyhead, across the strait. This is an
enormous iron tube, supported by piers at either end, but perfectly
straight and relying for strength to bear up the carriages iu crossing

WALES, 23
SO wide a space entirely upon the nature of its construction on the
principle that a tube will bear nearly as much weight as a solid
mass of the same dimensions. In looking at this tube extending,
through the air, without support, from pier to pier, the imagination
can scai'cely grasp the idea of its strength to bear the enormous
weight of the trains which are heard rumbling through it.
The ruins of the ancient castles of Caernarvon and Conway built
in the times of the first and second Edwards to restrain their tur
bulent Welsh subjects, present picturesque views of lofty towers,
and wide courts, moss-grown and ivy-covered, the effect is heightened
by their being on the sea-shore and they are much resorted to by
artists and antiquaries.
In proceeding southward we came upon the beautiful river Wye,
at Hereford, where there is a fine old cathedral and cloisters by the
river side, and followed the course of this stream through blooming
orchards and snug farms to Ross and Monmouth, both neat and
finely situated towns in that most pleasant and fruitful part of
Great Britain. The Wye presents raany lovely scenes on its course,
but none so interesting as that which includes the ruins of Tintern
Abbey, on a projection of low land by the water side which is
elsewhere hemmed in by precipitous banks. The roof and upper
part of the tower are gone, bu^ the walls and noble columns yet
remain in good preservation — touching memorials of the past, when
these grass-grown choirs and aisles were filled with worshippers,
and the neighbouring refectory, and cells, tenanted by holy
men, friends of the poor in times of feudal tyranny, and
custodians of arts and sciences when learning was neglected by
the ruder laity of by-gone centuries. However much one may
.rejoice and be grateful for our present freedom from the dominion
of a tjrrannical and coiTupt Church, I could never look upon
such ruins without veneration for the good that was in many of
its members, and, until a late period of its history, in the
Church itself, to which the European world is mainly indebted
for the spread of Christianity. As I walked towards Chepstow,
I tumed often to gaze on the old abbey, and took my last look
of the beautiful and impressive scene with regret that' I should
see it no more.

On the opposite side of the stormy Bristol Channel the coasts of
Devonshire and Cornwall are bold and rocky, unlike the gentle
slopes and fertile soil of the English Channel shores of those
counties. The fishing villages, in the little bays and sheltered
coves, are frequented by sea-bathers, and lovers of wild scenery;
but the whole channel is exposed and shelterless. Bristol is reached
by a narrow river, between precipitous rocks, where there is
scarcely room for two vessels to pass each other, and there is a rise
and fall of sixty feet in the tides.
After passing a few days at the pleasant country seat of a
relative in Cornwall, we went on to Plymouth and Devonport, one
of the naval dockyards of England. The anchorage in the
open bay or sound of Plymouth is protected by an artifical
break-water, a mile in length. The surface of this enor
mous mass is covered with ponderous stones, of large dimen
sions, sloping towards the sea — which, in storms, often tears
them from their places as it vents its fury on this wonderful bar
rier, whilst the vessels ride securely on the other side. On the
right shore of the Sound are the mansion and beautiful grounds of
Mount Edgecombe, richly adorned with fine trees and deer-parks.
The ships in ordinary are anchored in Hamoaze, the deep
emboucheur of a river, where they lie like warriors resting
from their toils, amidst farms, and villages, and green fields.
On the left bank there are ship-building yards, immense
docks for steamers, and for repairing the largest ships of war,
founderies, machinery for making blocks, rope-walks, boat-houses,
and vast store-houses, containing every kind of equipment for the
ships, which are enclosed and compactly arranged together under
the superintendance of a commodore, who directs the whole system
of the dockyard, in which several thousand mechanics and artizans
are continually employed, under the skilful managers of various
departments. The Victualling Office is a very handsome group of buildings, at
the entrance of the river, where enorraous supplies of provisions,
spirits, water-tanks, and clothing, are always kept in readiness for
shipment. The biscuit is kneaded and cut out by machinery with .
great rapidity.

Hamoaie and Devonport are strongly protected by batteries and
fortifications. The town of Plymouth covers a considerable
space of ground on the north side of the Sound ; the
citadel and some handsome terraces appear to great advantage from
the water, and the views of the back country range over fertile
hills and dales, covered with country houses, farms, and pastures.
In the whole scene, preparations far war and peace, national
defences, and the security of domestic life^ are blended in a, manner
peculiarly English.

CHAPTER II.

FRANCE.
The usual route to Switzerland is by the Rhine. Having in former
years climbed the hills and explored the rich valleys and tributary
waters of that magnificent river, where every winding presents
romantic scenes of ruined baronial castles on the mountain tops, rich
vineyards on their sunny sides, and populous towns and villages on
the banks, — this time I determined to pursue a much less frequented
route and accordingly embarked at Plymouth for St. Malo, in
Brittany, touching at the islands of Guernsey and Jersey on our
way across the Channel. The latter island resembles Devonshire in
fertility and undulating formation. The chief town — St. Hilliers — ¦
is a pretty place, ranch resorted to by persons of small fortunes.
Freed from the heavy taxes and import duties of England, they
can live at a very cheap rate, and at the same time enjoy the
mild climate and rural beauties of these favored islands.
The little port of St. Malo bristles with guns planted
on the ¦ walls that encircle the town, and on every rock and
island near the coast. The appearance of a place like this is
remarkably different from that of our defenceless and unimposing,
but tidy and comfortable looking towns on the other side of the
Channel. In French towns the houses are lofty and substantial
buildings of several stories ; the streets are narrow, and paved with
round boulder stones. Immediately on arrival, the steamer was
boarded by a party of gens d'armes, or national armed police force,
maintained, to the number of about twenty-five thousand picked
men, throughout the whole country. They are fine-looking, intel
ligent fellows ; their uniform is particularly neat, and they do their

FRANCE. 27
duty with prompt determination and great civility. Our passports
were demanded, and taken to the Mairie for examination, — this was
the only occasion on which I had to produce mine before leaving the
Republic by the Piedmontese frontier.
There is a small river called the Ranee, which falls into the sea,
near St. Malo, somewhat celebrated for the scenery on its banks.
I made a walking excursion by the river side, to the town of
Dinant, — a quaint old place, picturesquely situated on a height
over the stream. Many English persons chose it as a residence to
benefit their fortunes by the extremely cheap i-ate at which they
are enabled to live and enjoy the rich productions and pleasing
scenery of the neighbourhood.
The Bretons are a very industrious, quiet people, retaining much
of their ancient usages and customs. The men are heavy, blunt
fellows, dressed in blue jackets of homespun cloth ; the women
wear various odd shaped muslin caps, which give them a singular
appearance. They are the most pious of all the Roman Catholics
in France. The churches were filled on Sundays, and the village
cabarets and public houses shut up during service. Near Dinant
there is a large lunatic asylum, maintained by a society of religious
gentlemen who devote their lives to the sad but truly christian
duty of ministering to the wants and soothing the irritated feelings
of the insane, without the aid of servants or keepers. Most of the
young Frenchmen whom I met as fellow-travellers were in the
habit of passing jokes and speaking injuriously of the Cures whom
we passed on the roads or in the villages ; but when seriously
questioned they generally admitted that the Roman Catholic clergy
of France are a ver}"- estimable body of men. The roads, which
were formerly paved with large stones in the centre, are now
Macadamized and kept in excellent repair, without turnpikes, as in
England, for in France the highways are maintained by the
Government from the general revenue. I usually travelled outside the
Dilligence, beside the Conducteur ; the seat is sheltered by a hood,
and I could thus get an extended view of the country through
which we passed. The conducteurs are not, always, so civil as
the English guards and coachmen ; but I generally found that the
offer of a prise de tabac, and a few words said in praise of the
country, were sufficient to make them obliging and communicative.

2g fKANCE,
The boasted politesse of France is little perceived by a traveller in
the present day. In many respects the demi-samage people of
England are decidedly more agreeable to deal with than the pert
and brutal republicans of ihe lower classes in the towns of France.
The peasantry have certainly a more intellectual appearance and
more taste and tact than the heavy clod-poles of Britain, but I am
inclined to believe that all classes have greatly degenerated in manners
since the days of the old regime. The dwellings of the country labourers
are very inferior in point of comfort and cleanliness to those of the
English villagers, and, although the fields and vineyards present an
appearance of richness and fertility, the face of the eoontry wears
an aspect of duliiess compared with that of England, where country
houses and fiirms everywhere enli-ven the prospect. In France the
peaked roof of an old chateau surrounded by water may yet occa
sionally be seen over the trees, but since the great revolution most of
the old Seigneurs and their dwellings have passed away, whilst their
lands have been subdivided amongst a race of small proprietors
who live in the villages, and are little raised above the labouring
classes. I do not pretend to pass any opinion as to the results
produced by this subdivision of property ; the good or evil
of such a systera maj- depend chiefly on the education and
habits of the people, and in parts of Switzerland a very pleasing
effect is observable on the appearance of the country, for there, it is
quite delightful to see the substantial and comfortable farms and
dwellings of the small proprietors thickly scattered over the rich
valleys, and shores of the lakes. Pursuing a southerly course I
came to the town of Rennes and soon afterwards reached the small
river Ebre, on which I embarked in a steamer which took us
down the stream to Nantes, where the Ebre joins the Loire.
Like most other towns in France, Nantes is weU built, the houses
are lofty, each story having a balcony, the shops are elegant, and
there are several fine squares and public buildings. All the towns
on the Loire have substantial quays and bridges. Vessels of large
burthen can loid at Nantes but no higher. It was there that
during the dreadful period of the French revolution, hundreds of
human beings were drowned in crowds, at the bidding of monsters
who called themselves champions of liberty. We also saw the
humble apartment in which the celebrated Duchesse de Berri was
taken prieoner by the agents of Louis Phillipe, for plotting against

FRANCE. 29
his Government. On either bank of the Loire the country is low
and the soil extremely fertile. Neat villages are seen amidst the
poplar and willow trees by the river side, and the cottages of the
peasantry in this highly favored portion of France are scattered
amongst luxuriant corn-fields, and half hidden by the rich foliage
and blossoms of vines and fruit trees. At intervals ancient
cities, castles, and country seats, are seen on the heights,
which are all interesting to a traveller, from their con
nexion with some of the most important events in the history
of France. Toure, on the right bank, has a very beautiful Gothic
cathedral, and other sacred edifices, which were desecrated by the
republicans of the 'first revolution, but are again restored to their
proper uses through the renewed influence and power of the
Church in France. On the rising ground near the town there
are many elegant villas, which were formerly occupied by English
residents, most of whom quitted the kingdom at the outbreak of
the last revolution, much to the regret and pecuniary loss of the
people. The last town which I visited on the Loire was Orleans,
where also there is a superb cathedral. A bronze statue of Joan
of Arc has been erected in the public square, and the house where
she lodged is still to be seen in one of the ancient narrow lanes.
One cannot fail to look with deep interest on these scenes associated
with the history of *he English in France, and the exploits of that
wonderful creature whose enthusiasm freed her country from our
invading forefathers. How lamentable it is that the barbaric ignorance
and superstition of the times should have stained our history with
the sacrifice of a female so courageous aud patriotic, yet so gentle,
modest, and virtuous as was the poor Maid of Orleans.
In summer the navigation of the Loire is much impeded by sand
banks, and steameis are now superseded by a railway along the
northern bank, which joins the great central railway from Paris to
Lyons. I proceeded towards the latter city by the way of
Nevers and Moulines. Lyons is the second city of France
in point of population, and the centre of the silk manufacture.
It is built near the junction of two fine rivers, the Rhone
and the Saone, which are confined by spacious and solid quays of
masonry, and crossed by numerous stone and suspension bridges.
There are some fortified heights which command the whole city, and
afford picturesque views of the streets and squares between the courses

go FRANCE.
of two streams. In Paris and other cities of the continent, our
British feelings with respect to the Sabbath are somewhat shocked
by the universal prevalence of gaiety and amusement, but in Lyons it
is far more distressing to see the warehouses open, and goods being
conveyed about the streets, or shipped in barges on the rivers as on
other days, keeping a great number of the inhabitants from
finding either rest or relaxation. The churches are open, and more
masses are performed than on week days, but the whole aspect of
things is widely different from that of an English commercial
or manufacturing city. In maintaining this most important
national religious observance, we have much reason to be
thankful that Great Britain ranks far above the other countries of
Europe. In common with many other persons I am of opinion
that the prosperity, political freedom, and quiet of our native land
is mainly owing to the religious feeling of the people. In France
every idle discontented man thinks to benefit his country and him
self by club-oratory, or street-blood-shedding ; but talent to take a
lead in political matters is rare, and it -would be weU for France, and
for every country or colony if the generality of men would be content
to show their patriotism by using their influence and example to pro
mote the religious and moral welfare of their fellow-men, which is
the best guarantee for good government and national happiness.
In a Protestant Temple (for so the place of heretical woi-ship is
designated by the Lyonese) I found a very large congregation. The
service was much the same as that of the Presbyterian Church, the
music and hymns, simple, touching, and beautiful. The clergyman
after giving out a text, put the Bible aside and preached an ex
temporary sermon with an earnestness and eloquence which I have
rarely heard equalled. How much one is disposed to wish that the
kindly feelings, lively humours, and intelligent minds of the French
people were governed and purified by the influence of our Protestant
faith, which might effect a beneficial revolution in the affairs of
every country in Europe.
Large bodies of troops are garrisoned in the populous town of
France ; the soldiers of the line are small men, dressed in very
plain, but neat and comfortable, blue uniform coats, which, like those
of our pensioners, cover the loins and limbs. They appear to be
less steady under arms and less regular in their manceuvres than
our troops, but there is a degree of energy and intelligence in their

phance. 31
looks, and an ease and activity of movement that plainly shows
their military superiority over the larger and heavier soldiers of
other continental powers. They are generally young- men who have
a character to maintain, and must return to their native villages
with a fair reputation after a short period of service by conscription.
The profession is altogether much more popular than in Eng
land. The Rhone is a noble stream, forming an excellent means of
steam communication between the southern provinces and the centre
of France. The scenery on its banks is of a more romantic
character than that of the Loire. The hills are covered with vine
yards, and like the Rhine, the river passes in its course by many
ancient towers and ruined castles once inhabited by the flower of
the French feudal barons, renowned for chivalrous deeds and
courteous bearing.
I passed a day at Avig-non, formerly the seat of Papal power in
France. The old walls of the city yet remain. The Pontifical
palace is a huge and massive structure, with high square towers.
This imposing edifice is now used as a military barrack. As I
lingered about it, the drums and noisy vociferations of the soldiers
seemed harshly to disturb the echoes of the long galleries and vaulted
courts of this gloomy monument of sacerdotal power and rival fac
tions passed away. The cathedral stands on a high elevation within
the walls, commanding a fine view of the Rhone and the neigh
bouring country as far as Vaucleuse a valley in the nearest
mountains which formed the retreat of the celebrated poet
Petrarch. Marseilles is a populous and handsome to-wn, the streets are
regular, the houses lofty, the shops, cafes, and hotels are very
elegant. The harbour is a natural deep inlet or basin, strongly
fortified at its narrow entrance ; from this port numerous
powerful steamers of a national company carry mails and pas-
sengera to every port of the Mediterranean. I had afterwards
occasion to make voyages in several of them, and invariably found
the captains, officers, and engineers intelligent and highly respectable
persons. Near Marseilles the country has a dry and burnt up
appearance : it is along the shores of the Mediterranean that the
charming Provence, renowned in the stories of feudal times for brave

32 FRANCE.
knights, fair ladies, and wandering troubadours, seems to merit the
praise bestowed upon its gentle climate and lovely scenery. At
Hyeres even palm trees flourish amidst the orange groves, protected
from the cold north wind by a chain of hiUs that leave a belt of
country open only to the genial breezes and sunshine of the
south. The town and naval port of Toulon, like Cape Town in Africa,
is situated at the base of a rocky mountain, the passes of which
are strongly fortified. The Rade or anchorage is an extensive land
locked basin, deemed impregnable on account of the batteries that
carry a cross fire from every point. The town itself, like our own
seaports, is full of naiTow streets occupied by ship chandlers,
slop-shops, and the houses of naval officers. Some of the windows
are ornamented with pictures of French ships of war taking English
ships, or of some small privateers gallantly defending themselves
against large vessels of our nation which must be very gratifying
and encouraging to the aspiring youth of the French marine. The
port is artificially constructed in two divisions, with a third in
progress, these are chiefly occupied by steamers, ships of war in
ordinary, and convict hulks, to which cannon are always pointed,
they contain about 4000 desperate criminals who every night sleep
on the bare decks fastened by the leg to an iron bar. From
Admiral Berard, and other officers formerly on the New Zealand
station, I received much kind attention, and was freely admitted to
every part of the dockyard. The arrangements very much resemble
those of England, with the exception of the victualling department,
which is by no means so complete, the articles being
chiefly supplied by contract. One ship, the Napoleon of 90 guns,
on two decks was fitting out; this extraordinaiy vessel is a full
rigged line of battle ship, with a screw-propeller of 1000 horse
power, and a small auxiliary engine for using when under sail.
The captain considered that for a short passage he could cany
4000 men in addition to his o\vn crew. A French squadron is
always in commission at Toulon, the ships were then on a cruise in
other parts of the Mediterranean.
Whilst walking about the dockyard, one of the convicts begged
me to throw a small piece of money on the ground ; on my doing
so, a fine large rat leapt from his breast, seized the money in his teeth
and ran back to its master, hiding himself in the bosom of his shirt.

FRANCE. 33
The season for travelling being ah-eady advanced, I had purposely
avoided the delay which would have attended a visit to Paris, and
will therefore defer the few observations I may have to make
regarding that gay capital until I come to write about my retum
towards England.

CH AIFTER III.

SWITZERLAND.
TaoM France I passed into Switzerland through a portion of Savoy,
a hilly country, badly cultivated by the inhabitants who appeared
to be very poor and wretchedly lodged in mean villages. From Savoy
very many young boys set out every year to seek their fortunes
with an organ, a hurdy-gurdy, or a monkey, and are found begging.
in the streets of most cities in Europe.
Geneva is approached through a wide and fertile valley teeming
¦with inhabitants, whose comfortable dwellings, and healthy
appearance bear a striking contrast to those of the miserable
Savoyards. Before us in the distance lay the lake, on our left the
mountains of the Jura, and far away on the right we saw for the
first time the grand chain of the Alps extending from Mount Blanc
towards the valley of the Upper Rhone. The passport system is
still maintained in the Helvetian Republic, and mine was demanded
at the gate of the city. Tlie fashionable modem streets of
Geneva are very regular and spacious, resembling those of French
towns, but I much preferred rambling amongst the quaint old streets
and houses of the ancient parts of the city, thinking of those
good Burghers, men of valiant hearts, and pious minds, to whom
the Protestant world is so much indebted. In the court and avenued
walks near the old university, one can imagine Calvin, Knox, and
other worthies of the Reformation, conversing, meditating, form
ing plans, and encouraging each other to maintain the desperate
struggle they were making against the Roman Catholic powers.
There are yet many able and steadfast supportei-s of Protestantism at
Geneva, but the inhabitants have a much more Frencliified ap
pearance, and adopt more of that country's manners than I had
expected to find in Switzerland, The view from the hotel where I

SfSTTZERLAyp. 33
lodged over the lake and adjacent shores, all covered with trees,
gardens, and charming villas, was heightened by the distant
outline of Mount Blanc towards the south, and the beautiful
Canton de Vaud, stretching along the northern side of the Lake,
back to Jura, a scene of fertility, populousness, and beauty, which
is perhaps unequalled in any other part of the world ; latine-
sailed boats on the water, and the clear blue Rhone rushing
with renewed vigour between lines of antiquated houses built
on piles, as it quits the expanse of Lake Leman, gives anima
tion to this magnificent prospect. The fortifications are dismantled
and planted with trees, forming delightful walks; near one
part of them there is an exceUent Botanic Garden in which there
is a statue of the celebrated DecandoUe, who established it.
In gazing on such displays of the grand, the placid, and beautiful
in nature heightened by art, one feels that the charms of Swiss
scenery are not overrated.
At Femey, Coppet, and Lausanne, I could well understand why
Voltaire, Gibbon, and Madame de Stael sought such retreats to
pursue their literary avocations. On the hills behind the tovm of
Vevey, towards the upper end of the lake there is a church, and
beside it a shady terrace, from whence I obtained an enchanting
prospect that has made a very lasting impression on my memory
and feelings. The whole expanse of the clear lake (where, to use
the poet's description "the Rhone hath spread himself a couch,")
lay below me, on the opposite shore the Alps rising in sublimity,
and stem grandeur from the water, their summits covered with
shining snow, and their seared and rocky sides, forming a remark
able contrast to the vine-covered slopes around me. Many travellers
have remarked the feelings of veneration for Him, " whose righteous
ness is as the strong mountains," and the hallowed love of nature
and nature's God which possessed their minds when they visited
this part of Lake Lemen. The placid waters seem to still the
wordly agitations of the heart, and the majestically towering
mountains, raise the thoughts to heaven, pure as the glistening
mantle which reflects the sun's rays from their tapering peaks.
In former years, during a tour in the Highlands of Scotland, I
made the acquaintance of two very gifted and elegant young persons,

36 SWITZERLAND.
both were kno^vn to the public, one as an authoress, the other as
an aqcomplished artist. They met "the doom Heaven gives its
favourites ;" — ^both died young. I found the grave of one
by the little church of Ascog, on a point of the Isle of
Bute, jutting out into the Clyde. The other died at this charm-
ing lake, far from her home and relatives, but amidst scenes that
fill the mind with images of Paradise.
On a fine autumnal evening, I roamed along the shore
from Vevay by Clarens, — sweet Clarens, the retreat of Jean
Jacques, — to the castle of Chillon, celebrated by Lord Byron. It is
still in good repair, ana used as a fortress for a small garrison. The
ancient dungeon is cut out of the rocky base of the islet on which
the castle is built; the roof is supported by gothic columns, in
one of which an iron ring is fixed, and marks of foot-prints are
shown in the stone floor as relics of Bonivart's long imprisonment.
He was a great and good man, who defended his country against
the Duke of Savoy, but history makes no mention about the
brothers, of whose deaths in confinement the poet draws so mourn
ful a picture. At night-fall I entered a fine hotel, built amidst
pleasure grounds, where my meditations on poets and prisoners were
speedily dispelled by the humourous performances of an English
barrister and his friends who were acting a burlesque play of their
own composing, in the saloon, much to the amusement of the other
guests of various nations who were residing for a time at this
delightful retreat.
The last look I had of Lake Leman was from Lausanne: at sun
set, the lights and shadows over the Pays de Vaud are exquisite.
From thence I proceeded towards Berne through rich valleys and
swelling hills, in a state of excellent cultivation. The dwellings of
the small proprietors are large wooden buildings with projecting
eves and galleries along the ends and sides. The cow-houses are in
the basement story, the bams, and other parts of a fami stead
ing being generally all under the same great roof. The town of
Fribourg, is built on the steep and rocky sides of a-deep valley,
through which a river winds at a great depth below the upper
portion of the city. To avoid, the necessity of descending into the
valley to cross the river, two elegant suspension bridges have been
erected, the longest has a span of 900 feet, the suspendei-s are ropes

SWITZERLAND, 37
of wire, and the side railings are of neat lattice work, which gives
the bridge a lightness of appearance compared with that of the
Menai Strait, which is suspended by heavy chains. Although
strong enough to bear the passage of Artillery, the Fribourg bridge
seems to float in the air, and from its romantic position, to be more
a wonderful work of graceful tracery than an object of real utility.
In the Cathedral there is (next to that of Harlem) one of the finest
organs in the world. At dark I joined a party of travellers in pro
curing a specimen of its powers. At one time, rolling thunder-
Uke peals of music, shook the aisles of the dimly-lighted cathedral,
and then died away under tho skilful touch of the organist to the
softest breathings of melody, like the notes of a clear toned
flute. From thence I walked on to Berne in company with an English
clergyman through a continued scene of rural beauty and fertility.
To the southward we had the Jungfrau Peak and the chain of Ober-
land Alps in view all day ; by evening we reached the avenues of lin
den trees, which form elegant approaches to the gates of the Swiss
Capital, Berne is protected on three sides by a river which sweeps
around it. The principal streets have arcades under the houses
and along either side, with quaint old fountains in the middle
which yield a copious supply of water to the inhabitants.
The Swiss towns are quiet places, having few public amusements
or gatherings of the people. One evening, however, there was at
Berne a very curious display of popular feeling in favour of a
public character who had just then been released from confinement
for a political offence, A very long procession paraded the town,
going towards his house with bands of music, each man carrying a
lighted candle in a coloured paper lantern. Viewed from a window,
this continuous stream of party coloured light had a most singular
and striking effect. In the cathedral I heard Protestant service
for the first time in the German language — for hitherto French
only was spoken in those parts through which I had passed. The
clergyman, -was dressed in a velvet tunic and broad ruffles, re
sembled the portrait of some bold reformer of the fifteenth century.
The English embassies at foreign courts have usually a chaplain
attached to them, affording to travellers of our nation frequent
opportunities of attending divine semce. At Berne a little band

38 SWITZERLANi),
of two or three worshippers drew near the altar to partake of
the communion. Although surrounded by strange objects and
unkno^vn faces one feels that in this holy service there is a bond of
union between those whom half the circle of the globe may divide ;
for the same impressive words of confession, self-dedication, and
praise of God, are repeated in our language on the first Sunday of
every month, in an almost unbroken chain, round the world.
Beginning in New Zealand, as the earth rolls on its diurnal course,
they are caught up by worshippers in New Holland, and, passing
onward by India, Egypt, and the various courts of Europe,
burst into a flood of sacred sound in the land fi-om whence
they first went forth, then crossing the American continent, they
die away amongst the evangelized islands of the Pacific Ocean,
One of the most agreeable walks I ever took was fi-om Berne
to the Lake of Thun, about eighteen miles nearer to the Alps,
Autumnal tints beautifully variegated the foliage of plantations on
the swelling hills, and recent rains had cast a bright green hue
over the rich pastures, Swiss peasants of both sexes, dressed as
they are usually represented in pictures, were at work in the fields
of the valley, or about the large comfortable-looking fai-m houses.
Evening closed in before I reached my destination, — labour ceased,
and a deep repose, broken only by the sweet tinkling sounds of
cow bells, stole over this charming scene, which was soon changed,
on my arrival at Thun into a moonlight view of the Lake and the
snowy mountains of the back ground.
On the following moming I went by a steamer to Interlacken, —
a little town situated near the base of the Oberland Alps, between
the Lakes of Thun and Brientz, It is much resorted to by
English persons and others who wish to pass some time enjoying
the beauties of nature, combined with the amusements of fashion
able society. I speedily made my wajr up the valley of the Lan-
terbrun — the first of the long winding narrow gorges peculiar to
the country that I had seen. There the hardy mountaineers take
advantage of every little platform or crevice in the hills to erect
their chalets, and plant some herbage for the cows and goats by
which they live. These cottages, perched upon precipitous shelves
on the mountain sides, have a very romantic appearance, but their

SWITZERLAND. 30
inmates often look sad and sickly, — most of them are de
formed by an imsightly swelling of the neck, called goitres, and
many are idiotic, maladies which are attributed to the hard life
they lead, and to the stagnant air of the confined valleys. It was
in Lanterbrun that I saw the famous staubauch, or dust waterfall :
a cascade falling from the hills — nine hundred feet high — into the
valley ; before reaching the bottom the water assumes a vapory
or rather feathery appearance, which has caused it to be likened
to the tail of a bird of Paradise.
The rain fell heavily on my returning walk ; but a Swiss gen
tleman who overtook me kindly offered me a seat in his conveyance
to Interlacken, an act of courtesy and kindness to a stranger for
which I felt very grateful.
The season being far advanced most of the gay visitors had
sought milder climates. At the large hotel where I lodged there
was a true Cockney left, but not at all of the disagreeable kind
mentioned by fastidious travellers. My companion for the evening
had left the London warehouse to seek for health ; he had climbed
the mountains and explored the valleys with spirit and energy,
and gave me much useful and pleasing information in his own
peculiar style.
The Alps consist of two long mountain ranges, the Rhone flowing
between them towards the Lake of Geneva^ There is no proper pass
or road from Berne over the northern range, therefore travellers to
wards Italy usually ascend the valley of the Rhone from Geneva, and
cross the great Southern range, by the military road over the
Simplon. Being at the base of the lesser chain, I was ex
tremely unwilling to lose time in retracing my way back to the
Lake of Geneva, and making a very long detour to reach the
opposite side of the mountains near me, I resolved therefore
to try a footpath over the Gemmi Alp, which is frequently
used in summer ; but, at the time of my visit, was considered to
be dangerous. My way towards this pass lay over the hiUs along
the shores of the Thun lake, amongst httle hamlets and pastures,
at a considerable elevation. The same evening I reached the town
of Fruchtigen, near the base of the mountains. In these retired
parts of the country I saw more of the people than on the great
routes, and found a little knowledge of the Germaij language, — which
I had acquired in early life, during a winter's residence on tho

40 s-witzerland.
shores of the Baltic— very advantageous to a foot traveller like myself.
Having procured an intelligent and very good-humoured guide, I
begun the ascent of the Girami, very early on a fine October
morning. The sky was clear, the mountains perfectly fi-ee from
clouds, and the air just sharp enough to make exercise agi-eeable.
CUmbing to the height of seven thousand feet by a steep and wind
ing footpath, was a little fatiguing ; but, aided by a good Alpine
stock (a pole pointed with iron), and an occasional smack of
the hirsch wasser, or cherry spirit of the country, with which the
guide was provided, we reached the summit without difficulty,
singing as we went over the frozen snow, and gazing with exhilerated
feelings of delight on the glacier peaks around us, like gigantic
sugar-loaves, towering to a great height above our elevation, until
tiieir tapering points seemed to be lost in the clear blue firmament
M Heaven. From the farther side of the summit of the Gemmi
we looked right down upon the village of Losch, to which we
descended by a zigzag path cut in the face of the terrible precipice.
Some persons prefer being blindfolded and led down this steep
descent, but I think the difficulties and dangers of this pass
are altogether over-rated. I was very glad to have saved
myself the time and expense of going round by Geneva, and
never felt less fatigued from a walk of twenty-five mUes, or derived
so much enjoyment from natural objects as the sight of these
sublime mountains afforded me.
The usual visitors at the warm baths of Losch had all departed,
and the appearance of a stranger was quite unlocked for in that quar
ter at so late a period of the season. The Swiss innkeepers were at
their winter occupations, but I was most kindly received and
hospitably entertained by two brothers, whose concern for »iy
comfort, at the lowest possible cost, was more like the attention
of relatives than landlords. After a bath in the natural warm
springs, and a sound sleep, I continued my journey the following
moming, amongst giant rocks and crags, pine trees and torrents,
into the valley of the Rhone, where I found the wretched appear
ance of the ruinous towns and a squalid poverty-stricken population
bore a sad and unpleasant contrast to the condition of the Swiss
cantons on the other side of the mountains. I had then reached
the base of the great Alpine chain, lying between Switzerland and
Italy.

SAVrrZERLAND. 41
Protestant tra(vellei-s often take this part of Switzerland as a
specimen of the ill effects produced by the Roman Catholic religion,
it is but just to add that where nature is bountiful, the difference
of condition in the various cantons is not so apparent as in tho
wretched valleys of the Rhone : the peasantry generally are said
to partake largely of the vices which degrade the inhabitants of
less interesting countries. Some of the cotton manufactures and
dyes of Switzerland are very superior, but at so great a distance
from the ocean the amount is necessarily very liraited, and as
there is no standing army, great numbers of young men are
obliged to seek employment as domestics in other lands, or to enter
the military service of foreign nations, where they maintain a very
high character for courage and fidelity.
The great road over the Alps, made at the instigation of the Emperor
Napoleon I. called the pass of the Simplon, begins at the town
of Brieg, towards the upper part of the valley : this stupendous
work of engineering skill, and combined labour on both sides of
the mountains, is cut in the rocks along a winding ravine, with
numerous bridges over the streams that pour down from the peal<s
overhead ; near the greatest elevation it is at some parts tunnelled
through the rocks, — these galleries or passages forming covered
ways to protect the road from avalanches of snow. I left Bricg
early one morning to cross the Alps, on foot and alone, and was
again, so fortunate as to have clear weather, — the ascent of
fifteen miles was a little fatiguing, but the wild scenery of
the gorge, — the torrent rushing far beneath me, — the Chalets pitched
on green spots near the very edges of awful precipices, the
splendour of snow-covered mountain peaks, seeming to pierce the
heavens, and the plaintive songs of the herdsmen, kept me continually
amused and delighted. Soon after noon I reached the Hospice, — a sub
stantial building standing amidst the snow on the summit of the pass.
It is the duty of the monks who are of the same order as those on
the St. Bernard to provide for the wants of weary or benighted
travellers, from the funds placed at their disposal : the order being
possessed of properties which enable the good fathers to be very
charitable, in addition to the personal vicissitudes to which, they
devote themselves. One of these worthy men, accompanied by a fine
St. Bei-nard dog, met me on the road and courteously invited me
to enter the hospice, where I was most kindly entertained. The

42 SWITZERLAND.
superior appeared to be a very enlightened person ; learning in the
coui-se of conversation that I had come from the antipodes, books
and maps were brought out and many questions asked regarding
distant countries that I had visited. After a little rest and
refreshment I left the Hospice and began the descent into Italy,
full of pleasing anticipations and thankfulness at the near pros
pect of realizing a long cherished hope of seeing that far-
far-famed land of art, poetry, and music, where a soft climate and
exhuberent soil combine with beautiful scenery and historical
associations to make it not only beloved by its owti children
but by strangers from every country, in spite of the politically
degraded condition in which the once free and flourishing republics
have fallen.
The Diligence overtook me before dark and by it I continued
my journey. Day broke whilst we were among the fields and
vineyards of the Val Dossola. Chapels on the hills with neat
Campaniles or beU-towers, numerous white-washed viUages amongst
rich foliage, vines trained from tree to tree laden with clusters of
ripe purple grapes, the dark eyes, fine features of the people, and
the sound of their charming language, all indicated that the Alps
formed a boundary between nations differing as much as if a wide
ocean divided them.

CHAPTER IV.

ITALY.
On a fine autumnal day I reached the shore of the fair and
Iieautiful Lago Magiore, one of several sheets of water at the base
of the Alps, that receive melting snows from the mountains and
feed large rivers like the Po and the Adige, which fertilise the
plains of Lombardy, on tiieir tortuous way to the Mediteranean. The
weather was remarkably fine, and the air balmy and fleaWiful,
the sun shone brightly on the white waUs of many little to^vns
and viUages, which seem to touch the water, along the verdant
shores of the placid lake. Near the upper part are two islands the
Isola Bella, on which the Conte Borromeo has a noble palace and
gardens open to the public, ahd the Isola Madre laid out as a
Botanic garden with shrubberies and shady bowers, from whence
there are charming views of the lake and the mountains. On that
island I had the good fortune to form acquaintance with a gentle
man and his daughters — one of those English families whose
amiable mannei-s and extreme propriety of deportment excite the
admiration of foreigners and tend to raise our national character,
otherwise too often let down by the purse-proud arrogance and
ignorance of some British travellers on the continent. We met
again in other parts of Italy and to their kindness and courtesy
I owe the pleasing remembrance of some happy hours spent in
their society. English travellers unfortunately seldom take the trouble'
to learn Italian, but content themselves with speaking a little French
which is ill understood by the waiters at hotels and cicerone in the
towns. The Italians generally are very courteous and are flattered
by hearing a foreigner tr}' to speak their language, — at least I found

44 THE LAKES OT* ITALY.
my endeavours to do so most kindly encouraged, and, I am sure
that I passed my time far more agreeably in consequence.
Whilst sailing on the Lago in a light barca, I was forcibly
struck with the resemblance of feeling, which the climate and
clear atmosphere produced, to that which is experienced in fine
weather in New Zealand ; — this similiarity has been noticed by
others who have visited both countries.
On my way to the lake of Como, I had lovely views of the Lago
Varese and the Alpine Chain ; Monte Rosa rising above all others
like a huge dome from whose snow covered cupola the sun's rays
were brilliantly reflected. The inhabitants of the Austrian domin
ions have a much more respectable appearance than the wild
mountaineers of the Appenines, or the ragged brigand looking peasants
of the South. There are no thatched cottages in Italy, the
working classes live in little houses built of stone or brick, plastered
and white-washed : much of their time is spent out of doors, the
men work in the fields or vineyards, and the women aud children
attend to the silk worms, or herds of goats^ and ply the distaff.
Many of them are very handsome, and all have an expression of
intelligence and ardour. Numbers of clergymen are seen every
¦v\'here, some of thera jolly-looking gentlemen, sauntering in groups,
or laughing and chatting with the ladies in the streets and public
promenades, the higher orders fi-equently followed by liveried
servants. The lake of Corao is enclosed by high hills receding towards the
Alps. The town of the same name is of considerable size, with a
well sheltered little port full of strange looking and picturesque
small craft that carry goods and passengers to other towns on the
lake. To this lovely retreat, Pliny, and other celebrated Roman
sages used to resort for study and the enjoyment of nature's beauties.
In the present day it is the favourite country residence of the rich
Milanese, and persons of distinction from other countries. Orna
mental villas and some good hotels are built along the shores,
adorned with lawns, shrubberies, and fountains, the steep slopes
of the hills behind the houses being clothed with olive trees and
trellaced vines.
I made the circuit ef the lake. in a sraall Austrian steamer. Tho

MILAN. 45
gay inhabitants of this Paradiso seemed greatly to enjoy the pleasant
weather of that season ; groups of ladies and gentlemen were on the
water in neatly painted boats, with flags and streamers flying, others
were loitering in parties amongst the trees and flowers of their
viEas on the shore ; excepting the Bosphorus, I suppose that no
scene of the kind in the world presents so many fine pictures as the
Lago di Como in the spring or autumn seasons.
Between Como and Milan there is a good railroad, tlie trains move
slowly, but the carriages are very comfortably fitted up. One is
always appropriated to the police, and is connected with all the
others by platforms on which the officers go from one class to
another examinining passports during the joui-ney.
Milan is situated in the middle of the vast and rich plain of
Lombardy that extends like a sea from the bases of the Alps to the
Appenines. In approaching this city fi-om the northward by a
broad and avenued highway, the traveller enters by a stujjcndous
triumphal arch of pure white marble, sunnounted by enormous
figures and horses in bronze, emblematical of peace, the arch itself
being called the Arco di Pace. Most of the streets are narrow, but
well paved, the houses and ntimerous palaces are lofty and imposing
structures : few descendants of tiieir ancient owners, the powerful
and wealthy Milanese now remain, the last revolution against the
Government of Austria having given the finishing blow to the proud
nobles whose halls are tumed into military barracks, or are occupied
by the generals and high functionaries of that power whose armies
fill the territory, and maintain order and subordination amongst the
Italian inhabitants by a system of military rigour against which
they are at present powerless.
The chief object of interest at Milan, is the glorious Duomo, a
gothic cathedral, 400 feet in length, entirely built of white marble.
The walls and buttresses are covered with thousands of statues
lodged in exquisitely forraed niches, and each of 'the three hundred
pinnacles is surmounted by a figure of Saint or Angel, nearly as
large as life. The roof affords a roomy promenade amidst flowers
of almost every species sculptured in marble ; the beautiful
glistening tower of the same material, 400 feet high, is a light

46 MILAN.
ornaraeiital framework supporting an elaborately worked cir
cular balcony surmounted by a gilded colossal figure of our
Saviour. Internally, noble columns 90 feet high, rich stained
windows. Mosaic pavement, bronze pulpits, and several monuments
and paintings, of a high order, combine with the vastness of the
space to render, this grand marble edifice, one of the world's
wonders. It was begun in the fourteenth century, and was nearly
completed in the time of Napoleon whose power was most
beneficially exercised in furthering great public works in many
parts of Italy ; still many statues are wanting to complete the
marvellous collection.
It is impossible in a sketch like this to give a detailed account of the
museums, libraries, hospitals, and other public institutions which
every Italian city possesses I will therefore only attempt to describe
one or two of the most interesting objects that I saw in the places I
visited. Every town has a collection of paintings, and some churches
deserving attention. The enjoyment afforded by seeing such works
increases with experience, a knowledge of the rules of art is
doubtless a great advantage, but no educated taste is required to
discern and appreciate the superiority and wonderful genius of the
great masters. On the wall of the refectory of an ancient convent
at Milan there is a painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da
Vinci ; the figures are as large as life, hut unfortunately much
injured and obscured by former ill usage and damp : the centre
figure yet reraains perfect, though clouded by a haze of efflorsence
fi-om the plaster. This creation of unrivalled genius, once seen, can
never be forgotten : full of majestic dignity, mixed with gentleness and
human sorrow, our Saviour seems to be a living being for whose
words one is disposed to listen with deep reverence as in the pre
sence of a God, It is impossible for me to describe the feelings
with which I stood before that picture, I had not till then
supposed myself capable of being so much impressed by a work of
art or of being so much delighted with paintings as one becomes in
Italy. I felt indeed truly grateful that I had been permitted to
enjoy the exquisite pleasure afforded by seeing Leonardo's great work,
of which no engraving has succeeded in conveying u just idea.
In addition lo tho admirable specimens of architecture, sculpture

VERONA. 47
and painting, which are met with in all parts of Italy, the chai-ms
of music add to the pleasures of life. The very best singers find
engagements at the opera houses of London, and Paris where they
receive a much greater remuneration than in their own country,
but a respectable amount of talent is found at the opera of the
principal towns in Italy, and this amusement is open to all classes
at a very moderate expense ; a shilling being about the usual price
of a seat in the pit ; the orchestra is always good and the choruses ef
fective. In that fine climate the inhabitants of each town are ac
customed to spend the evening in the streets or public squares where
there are cafes at which they procure cheap and temperate refreshments,
and listen to the music of the garrison bands, or of itinerant
musicians and singers who procure a liveUhood by their per
formances. At Milan I met some very agreeable EngUsh and American
travellers, and agreed to form a party for the continuance
of my journey with an EngUsh barrister, his young wife, and a
gentleman in the civil service of the East India Company. The
usual mode of travelling is by hiring a carriage, called a vettura,
and engaging with the vetturino for conveyance, lodging, and fare
during the journey from one great city to another. Such a mode
with only one pair of horses is necessarily slow, but extremely
cheap and convenient ; and I had much reason to feel satisfied with
the pleasant companions I had the good fortune to meet with.
We directed our course towards Venice through portions of the
country which were alike the scenes of Napoleon's triumphs in Italy,
and of the battles fought during the Revolution of 1848. The roads
and bridges are in excellent order, and the country very well culti
vated. We stayed a short time at Brescia, and passed a day and
night at Verona. That fine old city on the Adige is full of
picturesque streets and bridges, there are some hills near it which
are covered with villas and terraced gardens, and a Roman amphi
theatre at one side of the city, which was partly restored by order
of the French Emperor. Verona was the scene of Shakespere's
Romeo and Juliet ; as I walked through the quiet streets at night,
I almost fancied I should meet with some brawlers of the rival
houses of Montague and Capnlet, but those times have passed

48 VENICE.
away ; at present Austrian troops and police keep the citizens of
Verona in perfect order.
We halted also for a day on the shores of the Lago di Garda, and
enjoyed fine views over the clear water which washed the base of
our hotel under the balcony where we passed the evening. The
lake is extensive, there are many villages on its banks, and like the
other lakes it is bounded by lofty hills on the northern side.
At some di.stance from the far famed queen of the Adriatic, the flat
lands became marshy and uncultivated. The towers and domes of
Venice seem to rise from the sea, for the city is built on a cluster of
islands seperated from the main land by a shallow part of the gulf
called the Lagunes, and as every part of the principal islands is
covered with masonry, the buildings appear to float, or to have their
foundations in the water. When the sun is shining, on the white
walls, the first sight of Venice is truly beautiful ; the Lagunes are
enlivened by numerous boats passing to and from the terra firma as
the main land is called, and a great causeway or viaduct has lately
been erected to convey a railroad into the city. We were con-
conveyed in a gondola to a hotel, which had been a palace, on the
grand canal : the spacious courts, marble staircases, halls and
chambers of the building, which as yet contained only a few guests,
formed just the kind of residence one would wish to occupy in
Venice : our apartments were furnished with crimson-covered and
gilded chairs and couches, and iu every respect we found ourselves
lodged most suitably.
Having hired a gondola, which is indispensable in a city of water
streets. Carlo was always ready with his boat near a flight of
marble steps, ojnamented with orange trees in tubs, at the entrance
of our dwelling. The gondola is a long canoe-shaped boat, with a
high prow, it is rowed by one or two gondoliers who have long oars
which they dip quietly into the water so that the motion along the
canals is a kind of noiseless gliding.
In Venice Tasso's echoes are no more,
And silent rows the songless gondolier.
The passengers sit on Morocco-covered cushions of down under a
black painted hearse-like housing, which, however, can be removed
at pleasure, having fine weather we usually dispensed with it,
even when returning at night from the opera, during that delight
ful season.

VENICE. 49
The grand or principal canal of Venice, passes through the middle
of the city, it is joined laterally by numerous small canals that
wind amongst the thickly populated islands, connected by bridges
of a single areli, high enough for the boats to pass under.
From the balconies of their Sumptuous dwellings on th^ grand
canal the senatoi-s, nobles, and dark-eyed beauties of the proud
Republic used to look upon the gay or busy .^crowds on the water
beneath them ; the palaces still remain, but are somewhat dilapidated
and mostly occupied by strangers, or the officers and soldiers of
the Austrian garrison. The Rialto is a v«ry wide bridge over the
same canal, at either end of it are two narrow streets occupied hy
the market and principal shops of Venice:.
The palace of the Doge, is near the great landing place and magnificent
square of St. Mark at the lower end of the grand canal where
the ships enter from the Adriatic. On the opposite side are the
splendid church and dome of Santa Maria di Salute, and the
Dogana or Custom-house, the whole forming a most imposing
unique and beautiful scene. About sunset I used to take a gondola
and go out alone to gaze upon it, instinctively humming the
modern song, " Beautiful Venice, &c.," whilst I enjoyed the
quiet of the evening and watched the effect of the sun's parting rays
iipon the water and on the cupolas and towers of the city. As it
grew dark I changed that tranquil musing for the Piazza San
Marco, one of the most briUiant and animated scenes in the world.
The whole great quadrangle, paved with flat stones, is lighted by
gas lamps projecting from the walls of the fine buildings which
enclose it, under the arcades round the square are cafe's and
shops richly decorated, and filled with all classes of people
-who resort thither to meet each other and pass their evenings
listening to the splendid Austrian Band that plays in the
centre of the square, or the numerous private musicians who
play the sweetest strains of the best composers until late in the
iiight. During the ten days which we spent at Venice, the sky was
perfectly unclouded, and the temperature delightful. One is there
surrounded with things so different from their ordinary aspect that

so VENICE.
a short stay seems to pass like a pleasant dream, and we feel how-
sad banishment fi-om their beloved city must have been to the Ve
netians of the Republic ; but a visit to the horrible dungeons for
state prisoners, and the courts of the tyranical councils, effectually
lessens the sympathy in which one is inclined to indulge for the
fallen fortunes of the Senators. These dungeons are in the very
palace itself, and a closed bridge — ^the Ponte Sospiri, or Bridge of
Sighs— connects the palace with the building used even now as a
prison. The rooms of the palace are decorated with paintings representing
the setting out of armies for distant war, or their return, victorious,
to the same spots, on which we daily stood. In the evening,
at the opera, the same scenery was represented on the stage, and
the piece performed, " The Two Foscari," brought a striking
passage in Venetian history and the costumes of the time vividly
before us.
The Venetians, during the days of their wealth and power, raised
many fine churches, and richly adorned them -with works of art,
which still remain. The Cathedral of St. Mark, a very ancient
edifice, with Saracenic-looking domes, is full of precious relics.
There is also a valuable collection of paintings at the Museum of
the Academy, principaUy the works of Venetian artists. A figure
of the Virgin ascending to Heaven, by Titian, is one of those sur
prising and beautiful pictures which are sufficient of themselves to repay
one for visiting Italy. Venice has been likened to the cities of
Holland, some of which I have visited, but in them the canals
occupy only the middle of the streets, and the houses of the mer
chant are not marble palaces, but very substantial and comfortable
mansions of brick. There is very little romance in the Netherlands,
but a great amount of well-applied industry and commercial pros
perity which has forsaken the Bride of the Adriatic ; for the
passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope and, latterly, the rise
of Trieste as a port where the water is much deeper, have deprived
Venice of her flourishing trade with the Levant, A few Greek vessels,
and other singular craft from the Dalmatian coast are, however, still to
be seen near tho Dogana, and the inhabitants of the city continue to
occupy themselves with silk and other manufactures. Though faUen from

bolognJv. 51
its higli position, Venice is one of the most interesting places a tra-
veUer can visit : my short sojourn there was like a pleasing reaUza-
tion of childliood's fancies seldom met with in this stern world
of i-eaUties.
On our way from thence towards the south, we continued to pass
through the same rich, level country as before. Maize and corn
fields, shaded by rows of mulberry trees, between which vines were
traced in graceful festoons, were on every side. We halted
at Padua — a city of long streets and arcades, almost destitute of in
habitants, but interesting as an ancient seat of learning. The next
day we came to Ferrara, also much fallen from its former proud
position amongst the Italian RejTubUcs. There, are still to be seen the
house of the Poet Ariosto, the prison of Tasso, and the gloomy Ducal
Palace celebrated in the history of the house of Este, and the scene
of Byron's tragic story of " Hugo and Parasina." We sot)n after
entered the States of the Church, and amved at Bologna, formerly
famed for its coUege, to which the youth of all European nations resorted
when learning and science were chiefly confined to the Italian cities.
Whilst duly -impressed with veneration for past greatness, we were
also sensibly made aware of the lamentable state of neglect of mu
nicipal regulations into which the cities under the government of
the Church have been suffered to fall, Bologna is a large and
important place : but the streets are filthy, without gas, and almost
without lights of any kind. The museum contains many splendid
paintings by Bolognese artists, and Raphael's celebrated picture of
St, CeciUaJ, so often copied and engraved. The colleges of these
cities are handsome quadrangular buildings, with central courts and
double tiers of arcades ; the walls are covered with the arms of stu
dents who have studied there. Several of them are English, some
of our countrymen of learned fame having in past centuries studied
at those celebrated universities.
The public roads are not so much infested by robbers as they
were at an earlier period, yet in the States of the Church they are
not altogether suppressed; for when preparing to proceed on our
journey we were told that the Diligence had that moming been
attacked by brigands, and the passengers robbed of their valuables,
near the gates of Bolog-na,

63 FLORENCE.
The unblushing manner with which the officera of Customs- de
manded bribes, gave us no higher idea of these functionaries than
of the Pontifical police ; in fact, every traveUer is forcibly struck
with the lamentable weakness of the Executive, and the slowness of
the Papal Government to take advantage of those modem inventions
and improvements by which other countries have of late been so
greatly benefitted.
Soon after leaving Bologna, we began to ascend the Appenines, on
Qur way to Florence, and for two days continued our route amongst
the mountains. The people live in scattered villages, which often
present a pleasing appearance at a distance, but afford very little
comfort or accommodation to travellers. Excepting at the best
hotels of large cities, Italian innkeepers are a set of rascals with
whom it is requisite to make a strict agreement, as to charges, be
forehand, or submit to be most unmercifully cheated, and amongst
the Appenines they have no conscience in dealing vplth Englishmen,
The weather was cold, wet, and dreary, the dark looks of the
people, and the air of negligence and discomfort about the village
inns, brought to our recollection tfevellers' stories of murderous bri-.
gands and conniving landlords for which this part of Italy has been
so peculiarly famous. We contri-v^ed, however, to get the lady pretty
well lodged, and, with the help of a blazing fire, passed the evenings
plieei-fuUy, rather amused with the distresses of our Indian friend,
\vho had been little accustomed to cold weather, and such coarse
fere as the Appenines afforded, though these discomforts were trifles
compared with what he afterwards experienced in Sicily.
We were not sorry to enter the Tuscan territory, and to find
ourselves descending towards the banks of the Arno, the country
gradually becoming more populous and cultivated as we drew
near Floreface, which we first saw in the evening, when the domes an4
towei-s of the feir city, and the white villas and cottages scattered
thickly over the surrounding hiUs, were lit up by the rays of the
setting sun, darting between masses of clouds that hung upon the
mountains we were leaving behind us. Florence is a very gay
place, to which persons from other countries resort in great numbers,
for living is good, and extremely inexpensive. We procured excel
lent apartments, at one of the best hotels, where the whole
expenses, including wines, did not exceed seven shillings per diem.

FLORENCE. 53
Persons hiring rooms, and living at restaurants or cafe's, can do so
at much less cost. A very pleasant party assembled daily at the Table
d'hote, where I formed some agreeable acquaintances that added to
the pleasure of my visit to the Tuscan Capital. Most of my readers may
already know that Florence was the birth-place of Gallileo, Dante,
Boccacio, Michael Angelo, and the father of painting in Italy,
Giotto ; and that a great family, the Medici, who, from being wealthy
merchants, rose to be nobles and rulers of Tuscany, spent immense
sums of money in adorning Florence with superb buildings and pro
curing works of art, of which magnificent collections have been
formed that are second only to those of Rome. The galleries occupy
suites of rooms in two palaces, which are open to the public free of
charge, and the Duke's servants, who attend in every apartment,
are prohibited from taking any fees or gratuities whatever. There
one sees the finest of Raphael's wonderful paintings, and numerous
exquisite works of the best masters : the greater number are of
sacred subjects, the grace, beauty, vivid coloring, and soft expressions
of the virgins, Magdalenes, and children, together with the life-like atti
tudes of the various figures, are captivating beyond description. Their
fascinating effect seems to increase with every visit to the galleries.
So it is with the statues, of which there are many hundreds of
specimens at Florence. But on first seeing the far-famed Medician
Venus, I felt completely disappointed ; nor was it until I had paid
several visits to the circular room in which it stands, amongst other
first-rate works of art, that the beautiful proportions and grace of
that wonderful statue revealed themselves to my mind.
The sculptured figures in English churches and national monuments
are correctly executed, and many of them works of superior skill,
yet with few exceptions one feels they are but statues. Into the
marvellous works of ancient Greece, (from whence the best of the
Italian collections are supposed to have been procured by the
Romans,) the artists have contrived to convey expressions of passion
and feeling, that seem to change the cold stone into forms con
taining living souls, which startle at first, but afterwards awaken the
jnost pleasurable emotions in regarding such wonderful effects pro
duced by human genius. The galleries and churches of Florence
also possess some of the best specimens of Michael Angelo's and the
more modem sculptor Canova's admirable works. The cupola of

S4 FLORENCE,
the cathedral was the first ever constructed, from it Michael Angelo
took his idea of St. Peter's, at Rome. Near the cathedral there is a
beautiful square tower built of black and white marble by Giotto,
and several of the churches contained splendid monuments. The
environs of Florence present most lively and charming landscapes.
The soil is extremely rich, and the country covered with villas and
vineyards to the very summits of the hiUs affording pleasant walks,
and drives in all directions. There are also some extensive public
gardens and avenues along the banks of the Arno which are the
fashionable promenades of the Florentines and strangers.
On the morning of our departure I was at the convent of Maria del
Croce, on a hiU near the city, and saw the sun rise upon the
winding Arno, the bridges and buildings of the city, the wide
valley opening towards the west, and the mountains and narrow
valleys towards the east, from whence the stream issues.
There is a monotony in the colours of the olive trees and vines, in
ferior to the black and green of the com fields and pastures of an
English landscape, but the clear atmosphere, and the purple tints of
Italian scenery have a peculiar charm.
In taking that farewell look, I felt inclined to acknowledge that
Firenza la bella well merited the praise which has been so often
bestowed upon it. Of all the fairest cities of the earth,
None is so lair as Florence.
But, alas that bright scene is dimmed hy shades of moral dark
ness; — that lovely city contains dungeons for those of its own in
habitants who dare to l9«4 possess and use the pure word of God. Far
happier are the dwellers in sterner climes, whose consciences are
free, and very careful should we be to maintain this inestimable
privilege procured for us by the determined resolution, sufferings
and sacrifices of our pious and brave forefathers.
There is a good railroad from Florence to Leghorn, passing by
Pisa, a handsome city on the banks of the Arno, Every one has
heard of the wonderful leaning tower, it stands in a wide open
space near the Cathedral, and Baptistry, unique and highly orna
mental buildings. In the same vicinity is a Campo Santo or Holy
Field, composed of soil from Jerusalem, enclosed by a finely

LEGHORN. 65
sculptured waU, and containing many monuments of distinguished
men buried there. The leaning tower is a succession of ornamental
arches, tier over tier, deminishing towards the summit. The whole
mass of masonry, apparently held together by the best of mortar,
has by the sinking of the foundation on one side heeled over like a
ship under a press of sail. On the fii-st floor one feels as if in the
cabin, and on the flat top of the tower, as if on the deck of a
vessel in a strong breeze. It was by dropping balls from thence
that the much persecuted Gallileo confuted a crowd of adversaries
who supported Aristotle's theory of falling bodies. From that
elevation we had an extensive view over the Delta of the Arno.
It is said that Pisa, which is a considerable distance inland, was at
one time a sea port. The Arno is stiU bringing the debris of the
Appenines to the sea, and in time, Leghorn also may cease to affbrd
depth of water for shipping ; even now that harbour is shaUow
and not very secure for large vessels. Indeed, with the exception
of Genoa there are no good harbours on the coasts of Italy, The
town of Livoma or Leghorn is composed of wide and straight streets
the shops are elegant, and there is great appearance of extensive
.commerce on the wharves and quays.
The conveyance of mails and passengers along the coast of
Italy is chiefly in the hands of a powerful French company.
The steamers leave Marseilles nearly twice a-week, and call
at aU the Italian ports on their way to Messina aud Malta,
where they meet other vessels, belonging to the same com
pany, plying to Alexandria, Greece, and Turkey. There is
an Austrian company, also, having excellent large steamers, that
perform the same service between Trieste and those countries. Eng
lish steamers carry the Indian mails betwixt Gibraltar, Marseilles,
Malta, and Egypt. Steaming in the Mediterranean is, however,
much more expensive than travelling on land, and although the
vessels are well found, and the officers very intelligent and superior
men it is sometimes extremely unpleasant, for the placid waters
and sunny skies we read of are not always to be tmsted, especially
in the winter season. My fii-st night on the Mediterranean was one
of the worst I ever spent at sea. Leaving Leghorn, we had scarcely
passed the island of Elba, when a hard gale set in from the west
ward, accompanied by a heavy swell, that tossed the steamer about.

so ROME.-
and broke on board very disagreeably. She was crowded witt pa^^
sengers, whose sickness, groans, and lamentations in divers languages
soon made me prefer the fresh air above-board, where I had an
opportunity of aiding and consoling some of our fair countrywomen^
who chose rather to stay all night on deck, drenched with salt
spray and rain, than to remain in the pent-up cabins below. The
captain sought shelter under the island of Giglio, and when the
storm abated we stood into the harbour of Civita Vecchia, the
nearest port to Rome, whither I was bound ; but no efforts of the
Consul, to whom I applied, could prevaU with the authorities to
permit the landing of the English ladies, whose passports had not
been signed by the Papal Nuncio at Florence. They were, conse
quently forced, in spite of their iUness and discomfort, to proceed
to Naples, the port for which they had at first taken passage. The
delays and inconveniences of this miserable passport system are very
trying and vexatious, and proved so annoying, to my fellow traveller
the Civilian as to counterbalance most of his enjoyments, I was
often much amused at the bitter complaints of Americans, who
loudly declaimed against such interference with their personal free
dom ; they are not much liked on the Continent, and least of aU
by the French, for there is a kind of free and easy manner
about the young southem statesmen that is even more disagreeable
to them than the hauteur and reserve of some English travellers,
I had, however, the good fortune to meet several very amiable
and intelligent persons amongst the great number of American
ladies and gentlemen who were in Europe during the year of the
Exhibition, From Civita Vecchia to Rome is nearly a day's journey, partly
by the sea coast. The country, once populous and cultivated, is now a
gloomy waste, varied by occasional masses of misshapen ruins, and
a few flocks of sheep and goats, attended by savage-looking shep
herds, clad partly in the skins of the animals they watch. Both
the weather and the prospect were extremely dreary ; but aa the
elevated dome of St, Peter's was seen rising between us and the sky^
and the road marks indicated that we were gradually approaching the
Eternal City by the Valerian way, my mind was excited vrith strange,
and pleasurable, yet solemn thoughts. Rome's history is blended
with every schoolboy's and ev«ry Christian's imagination of heroism,

ROME, 57
human glory, and human suffering. The city which had governed
the world and stiU governs the largest body of Christians through
out the world, was before us : surviving ruin, barbaric devasta
tion, and internal war, Rome still maintains a high position, and for
ages to come may continue as in the past to influence the moral
destinies of nations. We passed the gates after dark, and were
driven through Ul-lighted and dismal streets to the custom house,
built between the columns of an ancient temple, where we paid the
usual bribe, demanded almost as if it were a legal fee, and
then proceeded to a hotel near the Pantheon,
The Capitol was one of the first objects towards which
we bent our steps,' The temples of heathen deities that
crowned the hiU are no more, but very handsome pubUc
buUdings, containing coUections of paintings and statues, form
a quadrangle, to which the ascent from the city is by a broad
flight of steps that have a very imposing appearance. From a high
tower over the central building we got a view of Rome and its
environs, which none but very callous hearts could look upon with
out emotion. Turning our backs upon the almost countless domes of
the modern city, occupying the former Campus Martins, we looked
towards the seven hiUs of ancient Rome. Beneath us was the Forum
and the melancholy ruins of temples, whose gorgeous facades adorned
that place of pubUc assemblage, rendered sacred by the memory of
waiTiors, orators, and patriots, whose fame is universal. The Via Tri-
ompha passes through the Forum : three arches stiU remain, — that
under which Titus passed when he retumed from the destruction of
Jerusalem being most conspicuous. On one side of this sacred road is
the Palatine HUl, covered with a shapeless mass of ruins where once
stood the vast palace of the Csesars. The other hiUs are distinguished
by the churches, convents, or palaces erected on their summits ; but
some of the intervening spaces formerly comprising the populous part
¦of Rome are vacant, or occupied by wretched hovels, gardens, and
fields, though within the walls of the city, — a melancholy sight
that brings to mind the touching words of the peasant's song,
" Roma, Roma, Roma, non e piii come era prima."
The principal object that catches the eye in looking beyond the
Forum is the huge Colosseum, or amphitheatre, an eUiptical

S8 ROME.
edifice of such enormous dimensions as to appear quite beyond the efforts
of human labour — accustomed as we are to see the extent of its exer
tions in modern buildings. The external walls are composed of tiers of
arches reared one over another to a great height ; there is no roof,
but internally seats or terraces of masonry following the shape of
the building rise from the ground in a gradual slope to the height
of the walls, leaving a space called the arena in the centre, where
Actors, Gladiators, or Christian Martyrs gave amusement to fifty or
seventy thousand spectators at a time.
The Pantheon is in the midst of the modern city surrounded by
houses : of all the heathen temples in Rome, that alone remains
nearly perfect, a majestic monument of ancient architectural skill.
It is a vast circle with a stupendous convex roof, lighted solely by
an aperture" at the apex. At the entrance is a porch of granite
columns, dark, massive, and of such height as to fill the mind with
an overpowering sense of magnificence and grandeur which seemed
to increase as I passed them every day to reach our dwelling. This
superb edifice is now a Christian church, and like others, decorated
with paintings and monuments.
Turning towards the north side of the city, beyond the Tiber,
two grand objects meet the gaze, one, like " the Pantheon raised in
the air," is the wonderful dome of St, Peter's ; the other is the
Mausoleum of the Emperor Adrian, now called the Castle St, Angelo,
an oval-shaped fort of great size, rising above the houses of the
city, which it commands with its guns, and at present is occupied
by French troops. On the highest part of the castle there is a
gigantic figure in bronze of a destroying Angel sheathing his sword,
which can be seen from a great distance.
In front of St, Peter's there is a large area, part of wliich is taken
up by two grand circular coUonades, which, sweeping from either
flank of the building, embrace a space that contains a central obelisk
from Egypt, and two fountains which throw a number of gracefully
intermingling jets high in the air, recurving and falling into
superb basins of enormous circumference,
•From thence the front of the magnificent temple, and the wide
flight of steps that lead to the eminence on which it is built, are
seen to the greatest advantage, hut the dome, being in the centre of

ROME. 60
the flat roof, is partly hidden from view, and in this respect is much
less effective than that of St. Paul's, in London, where the dome nearly
reaches the edges of the roof, and is comprehended in the view of the
building from the churchyard. The Greek columns and the balconies,
which are the chief ornaments of the facade, might as well
indicate a theatre or any other great public edifice.
Internally St. Peter's does not at first fill the mind with the
same reverential feelings that are experienced amidst the solemn aisles
and lofty but severe columns of a vast Gothic cathedral. The co
lours of the marbles that line the walls are so varied, and the
painting and gilding so fresh and bright, that curiosity — -not awe —
is the first sensation ; and all parts of the structure and embellish
ments are so justly proportioned, that one cannot at first comprehend
its immensity.
The high altar near the tomb of St. Peter is in the centre under
the stupendous dome, over it is a canopy of bronze supported by
piUai-s of the same metal, richly ornamented, and of enormous value.
The lateral chapels, tombs, statues, paintings, and Mosaics are all
gorgeous. After several visits, the mind becomes impressed with
wonder and admiration of the genius that conceived and executed
such a marvellous work, and the piety and energy which reared
this greatest of all humanly-constructed temples. Alas I that
the worahip of the living God should there be mixed with
gross superstition and idolatry. I ata not inclined to censure the
rites of a Church because I do not belong to it, but when I saw
men and women of mature years kissing the feet and kneeling before
a brazen image of the Apostle erected there, I felt that no specious
arguments could remove fi-om my mind feelings of pity mixed
with disgust at such profanation in a building which might be so
well adapted to raise the thoughts from the creature to the Great
Creator. The music and singing of high mass were led by a conductor
with a roU of paper in his hand, and performed as if to please the
audience at an opera. Though they were executed with the power
of combined talent of the highest order, yet I have often been far
more touched by the simple strains of an English hymn, and I have
felt more devoutly impressed amidst a little circle of worshiping New

60 HOME.
Zealandei-s under the canopy of Heaven, than I did under the mag
nificent dome of St. Peter's, or in the presence of the Pope and all
the Cardinals, at the Sistine Chapel, in the palace of the Vatican.
That great palace is close to St, Peter's, part of it is occupied by
the Pope, and other parts given to collections of paintings, and
gaUeries of statues unequalled in the world. In Rome there are
many palaces containing paintings open to the public ; viewing them
affords enjoyment which cannot be described, and must prove
beneficial to the advancement and taste of young artists. The statues
of the Apollo Belvidere and Dying Gladiator are sublime, — the
former showing the fuUness of life, energy, and superhuman beauty ;
the latter, almost melting one to tears, by the sadness and resigna
tion depicted in the countenance of the fallen and sinking victim,
so pathetically described by Lord Byron, whose powerful lines seem
to express the feelings of every one who looks upon this incompara
ble statue ; He leans upon his hand — his manly brow
Consents to death, but conquers agony.
Having been introduced to the venerable Cardinal Franconi, head
of the Propaganda, his Eminence made mention of me to the
Pope, who was so good as to signify by his Cameriere
D'Onore that he would grant me an audience on a certain day.
On presenting myself at the appointed time, I was conducted
through a suite of noble rooms in the palace filled with guards and
groups of officers, to the antechamber where I was received by
secretaries, and chamberlains, clad in the rich velvet dress,
lace ruffles, and massive gold chains of the ancient Italian nobles.
By one of these gentlemen I was led into the presence of Pope Pius
IX. The officer knelt and retired, leaving me alone with His
Holiness, whose personal appearance and affable manners have left
on my mind a pleasing remembrance of that interview. In the
presence of the spiritual ruler of millions, the successor of a long
line of Pontiffs, whose power has survived the shocks of revolutions
and changes that have overthrown many royal dynasties, — a domi
nion that now extends to the utmost limits of the habitable globe,
— I felt impressed with solemn and reverential feelings, unmixed
with the slightest shade of superstition. Knowing I was a Protestant,

ROME. 61
His Holiness made no movement as if he expected me to kiss his
foot, or to pay him any other maik of respect than what is due
to a temporal sovereign. He was dressed in a simple clerical robe
of white kei-seymere, and appeared to wish to place liis visitors at
perfect ease, I passed a little time in the presence-closet, conversing
on various subjects, touching, amongst other matters, upon South
America, which the Pope told me he had visited. On retiring he
gave me his benediction.
The Cardinals drive about the city in large red painted and
gilded coaches, with three or more servants in livery behind them.
The streets swarm with ecclesiastics of all ranks, in the garbs of
their vai-ious orders ; amongst them not a few Englishmen are met
with, and some of those who have lately gone over to the Roman
CathoUc Church lived at the same hotel where I lodged. At the
table we used to meet persons' from every quarter of the world,
attracted to Rome by various motives, — some from religious feelings,
others from love of art and antiquities, and many for the enjoy
ment of cheap living and fashionable ¦ amusements ; the latter class
may be seen every day, in fine weather, driving, riding, or walk
ing in gardens which are laid out with great taste on the Pincean
HiU, dressed in the height of Parisian fashion, as in Hyde Park or
the Bois de Boulogne.
Besides St. Peter's there are several magnificent churches at
Kome ; San Giovanni, on the Latem Hill, ranks next to the
Cathedral, and contains beautiful paintings, statues, gold, silver, and
precious stones of great value. Near it is a building erected to
cover the flight of steps (brought from Palestine) by which our
Saviour ascended to Pilate's judgment-seat ; they are much worn
by the climbing of pilgrims and penitents on their knees to the top,
—one poor man, like a Hindoo devotee, was undergoing the pro
cess when I was there. A table, said to be the real boards on
¦which the Last Supper was laid, is shewn by the Sacristan.
In several squares there are superb Egyptian obelisks, which
were thrown down by the Goths, but restored to their pedestals by
the Popes, and in every part of the city are copious fountains of
excellent water, some of which are supplied by means of the
ancient aqueducts, that look like bridges several miles in length.

62 ROME.
stretching fi-om the hills across the plain to the walls : these pour
whole streams of the pure element into the heart of the city, — a
luxury and benefit to all classes which attest the munificence of the
Roman emperors who constructed them. The principal street (the
Corso) of the modern city is very long and narrow, but regular ; it is
fuU of shops and places of entertainment for the gay society or the
artists who frequent that locality. In it there are several magnifi
cent modern palaces, belonging to princes and nobles, and at
one end a very ornamental area, upon which the Flaminean gate
opens and forms by far the finest entrance into Rome. There are
also some beautiful villas and gardens near the walls ; those on the
side of the city, which the French troops bombarded, were still in
ruins at the period of my visit.
My chief delight was to wander ^t sunset by the banks of the
Tiber, under the Aventine Hill, looking towards the Capitol and
adjacent buildings, the ruins of an ancient bridge over the river,
and a beautiful circular Temple of Vesta, near the house of Rienzi,
on the shore. As it grew dark I passed through the silent and foi-saken
Forum, gazing upon the columns that rose in shadow between me and
the clear sky. I could thus better bring my thoughts to bear upon the
past history of Rome, than amidst the glaring shops, hotels, and thea
tres of the modei-n city. My last evening there was spent in the
Colosseum ; alone, by moonlight, in the arena of that vast structure
I tried to imagine the tiers of seats filled with tens of thousands
of spectators. Royal, Patrician, and Plebeian, who in the fuUness
of life and animation, used to look down upon the spot where I
I stood. In such a place and at such a time, who could be other
wise than impressed with solemnity at the thought of human
greatness utterly passed away, and Rome itself in the possession
of the Gaul whose drums and trumpets sounded hai-shly, echoing
from Trajan's mighty works, or "startling the owl in the- Palace
of the CEesars."
The French are execrated by the Liberal party at Rome, and the
Pope bitterly reviled for accepting their aid. Yet what can be
expected fi-om a people that began to establish fi-ee institutions by
the assassination of the minister who was supposed inimical to them.
The Pope's adherents, with whom I conversed, spoke of the Roman

ENVIRONS OF ROME. 63
populace as the most depraved and vicious people in the
world, but were rather at a loss to answer the question which
it naturally occurred to me to put after such remarks, viz., how it
happened that those who had so long lived at the fountain head of
mfalUbility, and under the paternal rule and guidance of the
Church should have become so degenerate and wicked '.
The private lives of the clergy cannot be properly known, and
ought not to be judged of by a mere visitor to Rome. I certainly
saw nothing unbecoming in any of them, and had opportunities of
listening with delight to their exhortations in the streets and in the
Churches — ^not mere discourses on doctrinal points — but earnest ap
peals in favour of practical Christianity, made with the eloquence
and animation peculiar to the Italian priesthood. I firmly believe
that many of the clergy and laity of the Church of Rome are most
humble and devoted foUowei-s of our Lord and Master, passing
their lives in labours of love and charity. But what I have seen
of that Church, generally, inclines me to think that Protestants
should be very careful not to yield up any portion of the freedom
fi-om priestly authority and spiritual thraldom obtained for us by
our ancestors, or suffer themselves, by any pretext whatever, to be
led into attaching importance to rites and ceremonies that may
appear very becoming and devotional at first, but too often end in raaking
men heartless and superstitious formalists, instead of worshippers in
spirit and in truth. How Englishmen, accustomed to the benefits
which Protestantism has in so large a measure procured for Great
Britain, can either go over to the Church of Rome, or incline to
wards the ignorant superstitions and rites with which she binds her
votaries, entirely surpasses my comprehension.
The Appenines are about fifteen miles from Rome ; between the
city and the mountains is the desolate Campagna, or uncultivated
plain of grass and scattered ruins, become, frora malaria, uninhabit
able. Beyond it, the wild scenery of the mountain slopes is softened
and enlivened by towns and villages, country seats and vineyards.
The wealthy Romans retire thither during the heat of summer, to
enjoy the cool air of the hills, in their beautiful villas near the
towns of Frascati and Albano, I went first to Tivoli, one of the
most picturesque places in the world. It is an ancient town, with

64 ENVIRONS OP HOME.
waUs and towers, situated on the heights at the entrance of a valley
in the Appenines, vrhere a river faUs into a deep and darkly wooded
ravine. On the summit of a precipice that overhangs the waterfaU
are the ruins of an exquisitely beautiful temple, composed of
Grecian columns, in a circular form, tliat greatly adds to the natu
rally romantic beauty of the scene. Being quite alone at the little
inn, I was very glad when a nev^ly-married couple and their
fi-iends arrived from Rome on an excursion of pleasure. We soon
became good friends, and spent a pleasant evening at the fireside.
They had a guitar, and some of the party sang and played weU, for
Italians always mix music with their enjoyments. On the foUowing
day we -visited the neighbouring scenery together, and went over
the ruins of an extensive villa and pleasure-grounds, that belonged
to the Emperor Adrian, He had there coUected theatres and tem
ples where the amusements and religious rites of several nations
were practised, aud many splendid works of art -which have been
conveyed elsewhere or fallen into ruin. My new friends courteously
offered to carry me back to Rome in their carriage, and invited me
to visit them there, I mention this as one of the many proofs that I
received of Italian courtesy and kindly feeling to a stranger, and I
look back upon such chance meetings as not the least pleasing
events of my journeying ; without having endeavoured to acquire a
knowledge of the language I should certainly have missed the
pleasures which arise from such social intercourse in Italy.
At Frascati, there are some charming viUas. In front
of the houses are long and wide tori-aces, ornamented vrith
stone ballustrades, wide flights of steps, vases, fountains, and
statues in a style of magnificence peculiar to Italy. During
my walks over the liiUs I caUed at a Capuchin convent
and was well received by the monks, I had learnt that some
young Englishmen or Irishmen formed part of the brotherhaod, but
they vrere in their novitiate, and not allowed to converse with
strangers. The convent gardens commanded a fine view of the
Campagna and Rome in the distance. Higher up I reached the
ruins of the ancient Tusculem, The amphitheatre, in a wooded
dell, is called the school of Cicero. If the great orator ever lectured
there he certainly chose a spot weU calculated to- impress the minds
of his lieare);g with nature's grandeur and the wondei-s of art, which

Environs of rome — albano. GS
could adorn even these mountain tops with superb buildings of
beautiful ^architecture, which are now overgrown and hidden by
forest trees and plants. The scene even assumes the waste appear
ance of our New Zealand hills. Little did the proud Romans
imagine that strangers would ever come to compare the sites of their
desolate palaces to the wild scenery of unknown islands beyond
the great ocean.
From Frascati I walked along the face of the mountains, by
several vUlages, to Albano, about ten miles distant. On my way
I came to a lake, apparently filling the wide basin of an exhausted
volcano. The Pope's summer palace is on the shore, and the banks
aie fi-inged with trees of varied foliage. With this beautiful scene
on one hand, I had on the other a view of the Campagna from
the mountains to the sea. From thence I took a long and parting gaze
at the eternal city, the dome of St Peter's seeming more like some
upheaved marvel of nature than the work of man's hands, so seldom
has he attempted an elevation of such colossal proportions, I
thought of Rome's early days, and its struggles with the Sabines,
Latins, and Volscians, who inhabited the hills amongst which
I had been wandering; of the mighty armies which had
crossed the plains beneath me, bound for distant conquest
or returning in triumph with the captives and spoils of
victory. Then of savage hordes, pouring from the opposite
hills, encircling the proud city, rending its walls, and demoUshing
the noble buildings whose fragments are yet scattered over the
desolate plain. As thus I gazed and mused, the sun sank into the
Mediterranean, and darkness shrouded these memorable scenes from
my view, leaving an impression on ray mind that will not be easily
effaced, I entered Albano, and in the square found the peasants
clad in their picturesque costumes, kneeling within (and on the
ground outside) a church wh^re evening service was being performed,
The> women wear a peculiar head-dress and red boddice ; they have
fine features and dignified bearing that reminds one of the pictures
which represent Roman matrons. »
Between Albano and the Neapolitan territories the road passes
through the dreary Pontine Marshes, nearly in a line with the ¦
ancient Appian way, which is yet to be seen at many parts of the

GG TERRACINA,
journey. We stopped a short time at Appii Foi-ura, where St.
Paul was met by his friends as he journeyed towards Rome, Very
few persons Iiow are inclined to risk the loss of health by dwell
ing near these pestiferous marshes ; we were glad to get over them
and to reach the sea coast at the frontier town of Terracina,
I had joined company on the road with an American naval
officer, an Italian priest, a French, a Portuguese, and a
Sicilian gentleman. Our progress was slow, and the conversation
of so mixed a party somewhat restrained at first, untU we got
upon Theological subjects, when my fellow travellers became very
animated, excepting the American, who only knew English, and
therefore was silent. Strange to say the others took part against
the Church in which they had been brought up, and
to which they still nominally belonged, so that the poor
priest had tha worst of the discussions. He was a good-natured,
amiable young man, and seemed quite unaccustomed to deal with
such reckless unbelievers, or to hear the dogmas of his Church
treated with so much want of reverence. I did my best to spare
his feelings and to shield him from the coarse remarks that our fellow
travellers, in common -with most young men in Roman Catholic
countries are apt to make upon the doings of the clergy, so that
the poor fellow clung to me, a Protestant, and sought my society
in preference to those professing his own faith. He had been to
Rome to receive ordination and was returning to his duties in
Calabria, where he earnestly pressed me to visit him.
At Terrecina we took care to return from our excursions on the
hills before night fall, warned by the dark and suspicious looks of
the population who have long been renowned for deeds of viUany.
Our passports were rigorously examined at the frontier,
and the American's was found to be wanting the signature of
the NeapoUtan Ambassador at Rome. On being told that he could
not proceed, the young Southern statesman, furious at the idea of
being sent back to Rome, begged me to say for him, that an
American frigate *lay at anchor in the Bay of Naples, and that
the Government would have to bear the consequences of the
complaints he would make to the Commodore. I found
however, that soft words with Sm EewUenm, the Chief

NAPLES. 67
«f Police, were far more effective than threats of American
Vengeance. After two hours delay we were allowed to proceed on
condition that the Lieutenant should be conveyed to the Police
Office on our arrival at Naples, The road along the coast passes
through fruitful vallies, by ancient towns and antique masses of
ruins, between which the peasant drives his plough ; the scenery
is beautiful, and the colours of the mountains tinged with the
soft purple hue peculiar to Italy.
One night we stopt at a hotel on the shores of the Bay of
Gaeta, erected on gi-ound said to have been occupied by one
of Cicero's villas. we spent the evening on a terrace over
looking an orange grove lying between us and the rippling
water. Across the Bay were the white walls of the |forti-ess' and town
of Gaeta, where the Pope took refuge during the revolution,
the moon shed a faint light upon the islands and on the distant
Vesuvius, which we now saw for the first time, and the luxurient
ripening oranges seemed to glow amongst the green
branches beneath the terrace where we stood enjoying
this charming Italian scene until it was time to retire to rest
and prepare for continuing our journey, before sunrise on the
foUowing moi-ning.*
At Capua, we reached the terminus of a railway that passes
for about twenty miles throngh one of the richest valleys in the
world to Naples, on the shores of its wide and magnificent
Bay. During fifteen days which I spent there in the month of
December, the sun shone brightly, and the roads were covered
with dust as in summer. The city was full of strangers some of
whom I had met before, amongst others a rich Armenian
lady and gentleman, who had come fiom Turkey to visit
Italy. We had formed acquaintance at Leghorn, and on
my arrival at Naples they pressed me to accept the use of apart
ments in a large house which they had engaged on the principal quay,
where I was most elegantly and hospitably entertained during
my stay.

* Kennst du das land, wo die Citronen bliiba
Im duakeln laub die gold oraDgen gluliD. — Goethe.

68 Kaples.
Every one has heard of the splendid Bay of Naples^, it is abo-ut
forty miles in extent from point to point, the city and fortified
castles are near the centre, but the whole shoie is enlivened by
towns and villages, whose white walls encompassed by vineyards
and gardens, have a beautiful appearance. Along the beach
there is a very good road connecting these places, and at one
part, that is, from Naples to Castel a Mare there is a railway
that passes Portici and Pompeii. In front of the city a broad and
substantial quay keeps the water from flowing into the streets .
and a harbour has been formed by running a mole or pier to some
distance seaward, which gives protection to moderate sized vessels.
Ships of war chiefly anchor in the open Bay, At the fashionable
quarter of the town the houses are far enough back from the water
to leave room for a Royal garden of considerable extent
between them and the beach. The shady avenues of this
lovely retreat, are the resort of the gay society or health-
seeking visitors to Naples, from thence there are beautiful views
of the Bay, which swarms with fishing boats and divers strange
and elegant craft manned by fine looking fellows in loose dresses
and long red caps, who have quite a romantic and theatrical appear
ance. The principle streets are well paved and ligl^ed, tlie houses
lofty, and the shops and cafes brilliant. Crowds of Lazzaroni
lounge about the quays and streets looking for employment as
porters, messengers, or anything else by which they can earn their
maccheroni, and vehicles are innumerable, from the Carozza
of the grandee, to the Calesa, which is a sort of gig on high
wheels, drawn by one horse, and carrying as many passengers as
can hang on to the shafts, back, sides, or underneath the body, at
the rate of about a penny for several miles. This great city
presents an appearance of bustling activity and gaiety, equal to
Paris ; and there is no lack of theatres and places of amusement,
but in reality] the people are groaning under the rule of a despot,
who fiUs his fortresses with state prisoners, and employs mercenary
troops to suppress the rebellions with which he is continually
threatened, in spite of the numerous spies and police kept to de
nounce the least whisper of discontent.

HERCULANEUM — POMPEII. 69
I saw the king review 16,000 men of all ai-ms, fine looking and
well appointed soldiers; several regiments, are Swiss, on whom he
places his chief reliance. But I little envied the position of such a
monarch, he looked ill at ease, not a word was uttered as
he passed tlirough the streets, and scarcely a hat was raised to
greet him. How different from the enthusiastic reception
always given to our Queen by her free but loyal subjects.
Several of the churches are fine buildings, and there is a highly inte
resting Museum, containing bronze statues, paintings, fui-niture, and
utensils, found in the buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. But
Naples is chiefly sought as a place of residence on account of
the delightful excursions that can be made to the beautiful and
interesting environs, along the shores of the Bay, and in this
pleasing occupation I had the good fortune to join with most
agreeable parties of ladies and gentlemen,
Herculaneum is only a few miles from the city; it is neir the
base of Mount Vesuvius, and entirely covered with volcanic
matter, on which the modern town of Portici is built. It
is only by descending dark caverns, as into a mine that
you can perceive any traces of the city swallowed up and
covered by the molten lava, which has mn into the houses a^
lead into a mould, and hardened there, like the basaltic formations
we see in this country. The marble columns and walls of public
buildings are clearly seen amidst the mass, fiUing the mind with
horror at the thought of such a catastrophe.
Pompeii, which is further from Naples, was covered with ashes
only. JIuch of the ancient city has been uncovered by excavating,
and many of the streets and squares perfectly cleared, so that one
can wander through the same streets as the Romans did in their
day. The ashes-have so well preserved the houses that the colours
on the walls are still bright, and the marks of chariot wheels
are yet seen in the thoroughfares. Once I contrived to get rid of
my guide and wandered alone through the silent streets, forums,
and temples, almost fancying that I ought to meet the shade
of some noble Roman, dressed in a flowing toga, to enquire Uie
latest news from the capital ; but the government guide, whom all

70 VESUVIUS.
persons are obliged to take, too soon returned to disturb
my pleasing reverie. Built on the shores of a lovely bay, with the
picturesque back ground of Vesuvius, Pompeii is even now a beau
tifully situated spot, and in the days of its glory must have been a
charming retreat for the wealthy and voluptuous patricians of
Rome. I climbed to the summit of Vesuvius on foot, with a single guide.
The ascent over crumbling masses of lava and ashes is veiy fatigu
ing, and most persons are dragged up by two or three men with
ropes, an expense which I saved by a little labour and
patience. The present crater has risen in the midst of a vast
exhausted volcano, it is always buming, but eruptions only
take place at rare intervals. Along the edge there are buming
holes, in which eggs were speedily roasted for my breakfast, and a
dense cloud of steam that almost suffocated me when I was going
round to leeward of it, is continually exhaling with more or less
volume from the fiery depths of the huge bowl, into which the
wind can-ied my hat, so that I was obliged to retum to Naples in
the cap of a Mariniero, which seemed to afford the good folks of
Portici, and other villages no little amusement as I passed their
cottage doors, or lingered on the sandy beach looking at the clear
rippling waves of the bay, the fishing-boats, and light-hearted, but
cunning and ever begging viUagers. In vain I enquired for the
house where Tomaso Anello (Massaniello) was born ; no one had
ever heard, or would admit having heard of such a person. In
Scotland every peasant can teU all about a national hero, but the
knowledge of such rebellious characters as the brave fisherman of
Portici is carefuUy excluded from the school-books or legends of the
present race, under the paternal sway of the king of the two Sicilies.
Near the northern point of the wide bay, are the ruins of Baie,
once the Brighton of the Romans, the pleasurable retreat of war
riors, poets, and philosophei-s, whose palaces and villas, built along
the shores, projected also into the sea. Few traces remain of
those abodes given up to voluptuousness and sensuality that had
their effect in bringing ruin upon the mighty nation. From our
boat we could perceive masses of brick work under the clear blue
water, and on the shore we saw the ruins of superb temples as
well as the foundations and walls of private dwellings ;

GROTTO DEL CAXE. 71
in Other respects, nature has slowly but surely resumed her dominion,
...lid the once populous and brilliantly adorned shores of Baie are now
nearly as wild and lonely as the unoccupied bays of New Zealand.
Returning to Naples by land, we visited Puzzeoli, and were
shown the spot where St. Paul landed after his long and dangerous
voyage towards Rome. Near it are the remains of a vast bridge
buUt by the tyrant Caligula, to gratify his vanity.
One day we went to visit the celebrated Grotto del Cane, a little cave
in a cliff on the shores of a small lake, and took our pic-nic breakfast on
the grassy slopes by the water side. Carbonic acid gas is continually
rising from the ground in the Grotto, which instantly ex
tinguishes the light of a torch, and throws a wretched dog, that is
kept for the purpose, into convulsions, upon which he is hauled out
and soon recovers in the open air, to be again subjected to] the
same merciful process on the arrival of another party of strangers.
I left my friends to return to the city in their carriage, and set out
on foot to reach the summit of a very high hill, on which the
Convent of Camindola stands conspicuous. I had a long walk and
fatiguing- climb through the vineyards. A peasant offered me some
wine on the way, and strange to say, did not as usual beg for
money. I was well received at the convent, and got a splendid view
over sea and land as far as Terracina. The Monks of this
order are chiefly gentlemen, each has a little dwelling
apart, they usually maintain perfect silence, one only spoke
to me, and acted as my guide ; the others, some of whom were
handsome and intelligent looking men, saluted me gravely
and silently as I passed them in the gardens. It was night ere I
retui-ned to Naples, and passed through the streets fiUed with the
most motley and animated crowds that can be imagined. The
singers and buffoons are the most unblushingly impudent, and comic
scamps in the world, and groups of Lazzaroni round a Macaroni
staU, afford amusing opportunities of studying the expression of
their countenances so full of roguery, but inimitable humour, and
high animal spirits.
Of all the excvirsions I made in Italy, none pleased me so much

as a visit to the channing little town of Sorrento, near the southern
point of the bay of Naples, where the shores are steep, and the
land mountainous. The road after leaving the beach at Castel a
Mare is cut along the cliffs, and winds through valleys and ravines,
that present scenes of most romantic wildness, and picturesque beauty,
Sorrento was the birth-place of the poet Torquato Tasso. The
houses are built on the very edge of steep cliffs that overhang
the sea, and the back ground sloping to the mountains is covered with
d maze of orange groves and vineyards, amidst which villas, churches,
and convents give variety to the enchanting scene. At daybreak I
Opened the window of my bedroom to look with delight on the calm
-waters, and fishing-boats immediately below me, the whole expanse
of the magnificent bay, the shores fringed by white-walled towns, and
-ViUages, Vesuvius rising over all, and smoking like the chimney
of a great factory, whilst the water was dotted with latine-
saiiled boats, that reflected the brilliant light of the rising sun.
The remembrance of Italy is to me a pleasing retrospect, hap
pily blended with grateful recollections of those to whose
society and friendship I owe much of flie enjoyment I
felt in viewing the beauties of nature, and the wonders of
art, or listening to strains of sweet music, under circumstances to
-which the soft climate, and customs of the country gave a charm that
is not found elsewhere. Yet even there a life of idleness would
soon become unsatisfactory to persons who have been accustomed to
active employment, the far niente may be doke to Italian constitu
tions, but without the hope of returning to usefulness and duty, my
pleasure would have been greatly diminished ; besides it is a fearful
thing to live in a country wliere church and state combine to hold
men's minds in superstitious dread, and ignorance. The church
pretends that strict obedience enforced by coercion is requisite for
the spiritual welfare of Christians; to a certain extent this may be
necessary, but what are the effects of such a system? The greater
part of Italy, like a slumbering volcano, is repressed only
by the fear of Austrian bayonets, and ready to burst forth
into flames of infidelity and rebelUon that may yet scorch and
overwhelm the powers that seek to crash rather than direct the
natui-ally energetic inteUectual character, and passionate tempera
ment of the people,

CHAPTER V.

SICILY.
In steering from Naples towards SicUy we passed near the Lipari
Islands : the -vveather was rainy and the sky obscure, I sat up
during the greater part of the night, watching the eruptions of the
ever-active volcano on Stromboli, one of the group ;-^£|t intervals, of
about ten minutes, the whole horizon was suddenly Ut up, and the
island itself, brilliantly immerging from the previous darkness, was
iUuminated by masses of flames that shot up into the sky from its
summit, and the red fire that streamed Uke a fearful overboiling
flood down the sides of the mountain.
On the foUowing morning the weather was estremely finSj and
the hoary peak of Etna was seen free from clouds in Ijeautiftil
outline on the clear .blue sky. As -we entered the Straits of
Messina we passed ScyUa, a dangerous re^f on the Calabrian shore
under a castle of the same name, and soon after drew near to
Charyhdis, a whirling tide-rip stiU at times dangerous to open
boats, near the entrance of Messina Harbour, and a few miles
beyond the lighthouse,— on a low saniiy point — which marks the
opening of the Straits from the northward, |The port is capacious
^nd safe, defended by strong batteries : the principal streets are
paraUel to the shore, on level ground ; smaUer streets rise in ter
races behind them to the top of a hill, on which there are several
churches and convents. It is a fi-ee port, and a place of consider
able commercial importance ; sulphur, fmits, and wines being ex
ported in great quantities, but we were not freed fi-om tho
annoyance of the passport system, peculiarly rigorous under the
Neapolitajn rule, t was invited to take my. Christmas dinner with

74 SICILY.
an English merchant, but declined, as we were anxious to push on
to Catania at daylight, and had hired a carriage for the purpose.
Our passports were not, however, delivered until afternoon, by
whioh provoking delay we were prevented reaching our destination,
and forced to spend our Christmas evening in a wretched village
tavern on the road. Weary and vexed we could not help thinking of
the comfortable dining-rooms and plum-puddings which our friends
were enjoying in England, and of the hospitalities we had refused at
Messina, whilst a little fish fried in oil, and stale coarse bread were
all the dainties we could procure at our hostelry. I am not very
fastidious, and bush travelling in New Zealand had somewhat ac
customed me to rude accommodations, but the filth and wretched
ness of Sicilian village inns were almost insufferable, and put
my East India friend — who had rejoined me at Naples — out of all
humour for further traveUing, though his miseries were then far
from being ended.
The cultivation that I saw in Italy, and more especially in
Sicily, which greatly resembles some parts of New Zealand in
¦ its formation, inclines me to think more favourably than ever of
this country : for Sicily, formerly called the Granary of Rome,
is -volcanic and hilly, and Mount Etna is not unlike Tongariro,
The vaUeys are filled with orange groves, and the hills covered
with vineyards and corn-fields in terraces. Our climate is not
so favourable to oranges and vines, but, when population
increases, our hiUs may in like manner be covered with
pastures and fields, and this highly favored colony be made to rival
in beauty and productiveness the most fertile shores of the
Mediterranean.* Along the coast there is a good road from Messina to Syracuse.
Spurs of the hills jut out into the sea, forming- narrow passes
which are defended by fortifications built during the periods when
Sicily was in the possession of the Roman, Turkish, and even
the English armies. On one of these projecting cliffs of great
height the ruins of the Amphitheatre of Taormina, are to be seen

• Although gales of wind and heavy rains are not unfrequent in all parts of the Mediter
ranean. £till the weather of Italy and Sicily is much less variable than iu the boisterous, but
salubrious atmospliere of this colony. In summer, however, those countries are too warm for
Engbsh constitutions; and duriug winter some districts are subjected to sudden and extreme
changes of temperature, whicli are perhaps more trying to delicate persons than the com
paratively equable climate of New Zealand.

MOUNT ETNA. 75
standing alone, and at some distance back there is a smaU town, —
the miserable substitute for an extensive city, which at one time
• covered several square miles of that i-ugged country. We left the
o'arriage and climbed the cliffs to the ruin. Never have I seen a
position so well chosen to give effect to dramatic representation:
from the seats of the Amphitheatre the spectators could
enjoy the amusements of the arena and at the same time look out
upon the blue sea below, the Calabrian shore in the distance,
the noble peak of Etna and the rich slopes of that unequalled
and once sacred mountain, teeming with luxuriant vegetation
and population. The crushed giant still struggles, and the ham
mers of the Cyclops resound fi-om time to time ; but Etna is
no longer invested with supernatural dread, though it is calcu
lated to fill the mind with sublime and delightful feelings. The
noble dome, covered with shining snow, reaching far above the
clouds that hang in brilUant masses along the sides, might weU be
deemed a fitting throne for a Deity, and the belt of land, — fifteen
miles broad, from the base of the dome to the sea shore, appear^
to be the most charming abode of mortals. Iimumerable viUages,
convents, and churches peep forth from the foliage of the fruit
trees and vines which cover the whole northern face of the
mountain. I ascended from Catania to the highest village, intend
ing there to procure a guide to accompany me to the summit.
At such an elevation the air is piercingly cold, and the Uttle inn
where strangers are received, at rare intervals, had no fireplace.
The landlord was a kind-hearted feUow, and did aU he could to
make me comfortable. We sat shivering together over a pan of
charcoal; but as he could only speak SicUian, with the excep
tion of one sentence in Italian—" Fa malto Freddo"— whioh he
kept repeating every few minutes, his society was not particu
larly enUvening. On the foUowing morning the guide informed
me that the ascent to the summit of the peak was, on account of the
snow, utterly impracticable, so that I was obliged to return to Catania
without attainmg my chief object in visiting Sicily, yet not without
enjoying my walk thus far up the famous mountain.
The vUlages and churches are entirely buUt of scoriae, and
the vineyards or orchards are formed by gathering the same material
from the surface, and building waUs and terraces, which leave
the rich volcanic soU fit for cultivation, as it is ia this neigh-

76 CATANIA.
bourhood. The vines are .planted close together and kept short,
Uke those of France.
Catania, which has been several times destroyed by erup
tions of Mount Etna, is still a very neat town, possessing
some handsome churches, and a monastry so extensive and
and elegant as to be more like a palace than the abode of a religious
fratei-nity. We reached Syracuse late at night, and were kept waiting
at the gates for a long time before the officer of the guard sent
permission for our entrance.
The present fortified town is on an island connected by a bridge to
the main land. It is the ancient Ortygia, and a small portion only
of the three cities that covered the whole shores of the spacious cir
cular harbour, of which Ortygia forms the seaward protection.
There is Uttle to be seen in the dirty modern town but the rujns
of an ancient temple, and the Fountain of Arethu?a, whioh has
its rise on the island, flows through limestone caverns under the
streets, and empties itself into a circular pool near the shore, 3Jhe
fabulous accounts of this stream, connected with the loyes of
Arethusa and Alpheus invest it with romantic interest. Modern
superstition has changed the source of the fountain from Olympus
to Jerusalem, and the lideal has given place to the useful, for at
present the clear waters are resorted to by all the washer-women of
the town.
One of the Monks of a Carethusian -Convent near Syracuse,
walked with me to a rising ground which over-looks the noble
port, and the verdant, but vacant shores, once covered with
magnificent temples and dwellings now only to be recognized by a
mined column here and there, an acqueduct, a Greek theatre, and a
Roman amphitheatre. From thence also we could look over the
plains between Mount Hybla and Syracuse where furious battles
were fought between the Athenians and the inhabitants.
Discoursing of these wars, and of the sea fights with the Roman
GalUes that took place on the waters before us, our conversation
tumed towards the present poUtical state of Europe, The SicUians
bum for freedom; but since the French, who butchered each
other for Liberie et la Patrie have, in a few short montlis placed. them
selves under the mle of one man, the hopes with which ithey had in
spired Other nations of Europe-have been cast down, and the y<?.ke of

SYRACUSE, 77
the oppressor only more firmly fixed by the despicable termination of
that ephemereal Repieblique.
Under the site of the ancient city there are extensive catacombs into
which I descended with a guide and lights. The underground streets
hewn out of the limestone rock, are a maze of caverns branching in every
du-ection, and .intersecting each other in numerous ramifications,
that ai-e said to extend for many miles, and are so very intricate
that a stranger would lose himself at the first turning. On either
hand are horizontal niches or receptacles for bodies cut in the stone
about twenty or thirty deep. It is said that the early Christians
of Syracuse hid themselves from persecution in these gloomy
labyrinths. In a perpendicular cliff near the Greek theatre, there is
a famous winding cavern of great height, caUed the Ear of DIony
sius the Tyrant. It is so constructed that words spoken in a
-whisper belov/ can be heard distinctly at a small opening above,
and it is said state jirisoners were confined there that their
conversation might be overheard.
My companion hired an open boat called a sparronera to cross over
to Malta, but as I did not like the look of the Weather, I preferred
returning to Messina and making the passage by a French
steamer, which, in the end proved by far the most speedy and
least expensive. The sparronera in which my friend embarked
seemed to have been under the power of the Sirens, without their be-
-witching attractions, for, after being out for some days in a gale they
were obliged to put back to a creek in Sicily, where they lay
some time without proper food or the least comfort, and again en
countered stormy weather before they reachedMalta. He declared
that Jonah in the whale's beUy must have been far better off
than he was in the wretched boat, and that the adventures of
Ulysses weye tarts and cheesecakes compared to his straits and
misfortunes. Before leaving Ortygia I wandered for some hours by moonlight
along the rocks on which the walls were built that Archimedes
so long defended from the attacks of the Roman Galleys. There
is stiU a rampart to defend the town from seaward, but the strength
of former years is departed, and the commodious haven occupied
oiliy by a few small craft of strange rig, that carry provisions to
Malta or other neighbouring ports, for even commerce has all but
forsaken the once rich, powerful, and magnificent Syi'acuse,

CHAPTER VI.

MALTA.
The appearance of Malta from the sea is little in accordance with
the romantic descriptions of Calypso's Isle given by the poets.
In place of luxuriant foliage and refreshing verdure, the moderately
elevated shore presents an aspect of forbidding sterility, the houses
of the towns being- of the same colour as the rocks on which they
are built. There are two noble harbours on the northern side, the
entrances of whioh are close to each othar, the town of Valetta
occupying the space between them. One harbour is the usual
port, containing a naval dock yard; the other is chiefly used for
purposes of quarantine, the entrances of both are narrow and deep,
strongly fortified by powerful batteries on the rocks that render
them impregnable. We found Admiral Parker's squadron of six
line of battle ships, besides frigates and steamers, moored in the
harbour of Valetta, presenting an appearance of order and readiness
for active service, which could scarcely be surpassed. To reach the
main streets of Valetta from either harbour, it is necessary to ascend
flights of stairs cut in the rocks which lead to the sqiiSre and very
handsome Cathedral of St. John, near to which there is another
open space in front of the palace of the Grand Master, now the
residence of the British Governors.
Coming from Italy and Sicily I was particularly struck -with the
cleanliness of the streets and the tidy appearance of the houses
which have balconies, enclosed by glass, overlooking passers bve.
The shops are neat and apparently well supplied, the hotela are

MALTA. 79
good and charges very moderate. The Palaces formerly occupied by
various national bodies of knights are now used as private
residences, one for military purposes, and another as a club-house,
which is well kept up by the officers of the garrison and the fleet.
The country outside the fortifications is not altogether void of cul
tivation, for the surface of the rocks has been broken, — aground to
po-n-der — and exposed to the action of the atmosphere, or mixed
with soil brought from Sicily, so as to produce crops of cotton and
vegetables, but the fields are all enclosed with yellow-coloured stones,
and trees are so entirely wanting that the eye is soon fatigued with
the reflected glare of the sun's rays, A walk there even in winter is
little refreshing, nevertheless, I made several excursions from
Valetta, First to Citta Vecchia, a small town in the middle of the
island, where there are one or two handsome churches, and
some catacombs that resemble those I saw in Syracuse.
Near the town I was shown a cave, said to be that in which St,
Paul and his companions found refuge after their shipwreck. A
chapel is built over it, and an altar cut out of the rock on -which
the Romish Ecclesiastic, who accompanied me, declared that St. Paul
had performed Mass. As I felt inclined to dispute the fact of there
being any Mass in those early days, he stoutly maintained that our
Saviour himself instituted that service. This was said in the presence
of a Maltese -workman, on whom, I suppose, it was necessary to impress
the antiquity of their church's rites, but as the good man was at the
same time anxious to appear well-informed on such subjects, he soon after
took me aside, saying, he did not mean that either our Saviour
or the Apostles used exactly the same form of worship as the Mass
of the present day. On another occasion I walked to the bay where
it is believed St. Paul landed from the wrecked and broken-up
vessel which had run a-ground, perhaps in one of the same north
easterly gales which now sometimes severely scourge the shores of Malta,
The bay is open to the northward, and there is an island in the
entrance ; through one of the passages an eddy current flows,
which may cause a meeting of two seas, as described in the sacred
narrative. A fountain is built on the spot where the Apostle is
said to have set foot on shore. The bay is not otherwise remarkable,
partaking of the same sterile appearance that characterises the whole

iO MALTA.
island, with the exception of an extensive garden at St, Antonio
(made from imported soil) which is planted with orange trees
and beautiful shrubs, shaded by cypresses, and cooled by fountains
— a charming oasis in the surrounding desert. An officer with a
ship-of-war's boat, was so kind as to come round and carry me
back from St, Paul's Bay to Valetta, for I found the walk one
way, over such a country, quite sufficient.
Nearly all the churches in the island are elegant structures,
St, John's Cathedral contains several fine monuments of knignts,
the keys of their former fortress at Rhodes, and the silver gates
which were preserved fi-om the French by being painted over ; it is
chiefly worth visiting on account of the great beauty and richness
of the pavement, composed of black marble, inlaid with the arms
of deceased knights in coloured marbles and precious stones. By the
bounty of Queen Adelaide, a very handsome Protestant church has
lately been buUt, and there is a college near Valetta for the purpose
of training youths from all parts of the east, in Christianity and
useful knowledge, chiefly supported by philanthropic persons in
England. There is so little to interest a stranger at Malta, that I should
have found the time I had to wait there for an opportunity of
proceeding to Greece, hang very heavily on my hands, had it
not been for the very kind attentions and hospitalities I received
from the Govemor, Sir WiUiam Reid,and his family, as well as from
several officers of the fleet. The Maltese families are hospitable, and
the ladies are great favourites with the officers. Where there
is so large a garrison and fleet, society is very gay, and the
balls given in the magnificent rooms of the palace are ex
tremely brilUant. The captain of a fine frigate was so kind as to offer
me a passage to Corfu, but as my time was Umited I was obliged to
decline the tempting invitation, and proceed in a more direct manner
to Greece by a French steamer.

CHAPTER VII

GEEECE AND TURKEY.
We had a perfect calm at sea, and made the land near Navarh
on the third day after leaving Malta. Steering along the coai,t
of Peloponnesus, we passed close to Cape Matapan, the ancient
Tenarus, on which stood a temple of Neptune, where festivals were
held in honour of the god. Inland the snow-covered peak of Mount
Tagetus is a beautiful sight, the ancient Lacademon was situated
near its base, and Orgies of Bacchus were celebrated on the mountain.
Here and there a green patch of cultivation or a flock of sheep give
signs of inhabitants, but in general the aspect of Greece sadly betokens
the ravages of war, and the overwhelmning vicissitudes that have
changed the face of this once beautiful land, claiming
sympathy from all who' reverfi the sources of art, poetry,
patriotism and philosophy. The isles of Greece so replete
with classical associations, are in appearance far below those of
the Indian Seas. From the hUls of Syra, where we touched, I counted
twenty-five of the Cyclades, Delos the birth place of ApoUo and
Diana which was respected even by the Persians, looks sterile com
pared with the ever-verdant islands of the east, where gracefuUy
waving palms, clusters of feathering bamboos, and countless shrubs
of varied foliage, fed by life-giving streams, fill the mind with au
over-powering sense of nature's fulness, and even now afford me
most pleasing recollections of their charming scenery, and of the kind
friends with whom, in former years, I sojourned in various parts of the

82 GREECE AND TURKEY.
extensive Indian Archipelago. ''¦¦ The Greek islands still produce
considerable quantities of corn and wine, and the inhabitants
possess numerous vessels which carry on the greater part of the
coasting trade in the Mediterranean. Syra, the ancient Saros is a
port of considerable commerce, and the coaling- station for steamers
proceeding to the Levant. In steering towards Athens, we
passed close to Cape Collonna, the ancient Suniam ; some
columns of the great temple of Minerva still mark the spot where
Plato used to lead his disciples, and where Falconer laid the scene
of his touching shipwreck. We lay to in the Saronic Gulf waiting
for the dawn, to pass the very narrow entrance of the Pireus ; and from
the bridge between the paddle-boxes of the steamer, I watched the
spread of light over remarkable objects that are associated with
all we have read and heard of the renowned capital of Greece. The
Acropolis, the Pentelicus (a lofty conical mount) and Hymettus (a
range of hiUs in the background) struck me forcibly by their
resemblance to the Castle Rock, Arthur's Seat, and the Pentland
Hills near Edinburgh, indeed the whole scene has a very similar ap
pearance to the neighbourhood of the Scottish capital viewed fi-om
Frith of Forth. I lost no time in getting on shore, and speedily
climbed the heights between the Pireus and the ancient Philerum,
an adjoining port or sheltered bay. The morning was clear and
beautiful, the rising sun threw a brilliant light over land and sea,
sparklingly reflected from the white marble columns of the glorious
Parthenon or temple of Minerva, that crowns the flat summit of the
massive and steep Acropolis, standing in the plain about six miles
* Note. — The Sunda and Molucca islands possess ricli soils and exquisite natural scenery.
"Where the inhabitants arc industrious as in Java, they are extremely productive. Of tlie
thousand small isliinds which form the Indian Archipelago some are inhabited and others
unoccupied, but all are verdant and beautiful. As a speciraen, I may mention, tijat long ago whilst
conveying troops from one part of India to another circumstances led us to approach the
coast of Sumatra where we were becalmed for several days, and took advantage of our
position to visit an island near the coast: an excursion which aflForded the military officers of
the detachment wlio landed with me, an unexpected enjoyment. We found it skirted
round by a coral reef like a submarine shrubbery, and a white sandy beach between the
water and the luxuriant vegetation with which the whole island was covered. The inhabi
tants were dwelling in little villages of bamboo houses, hidden amidist fruit and palm trees,
and counected with each other by umbrageous paths. A fountain on an elevation in the
centre of the island, yeilded a plentiful supply of water, which some good-looking Malay
girls, in nymph-like simplicity of dress, were bearing in jars to tlie villages. The men seemed
to supply their wants -with little labour, by lishing, and eultivating some rice fields on the
main land. The Rajah, or chief, lived in a wooden house, he received us very graciously,
and appeared to be greatly pleased with the proposal which some of us jokingly made, to
forsake_ tlie busy world, and fix our abode amidst the charms of his Sylvan territory, and
that primitive state of society. The courteous and hospitable treatment which I received
from the chiefs and native people in the interior of Java and Celebts, would scarcely be
credited. ' '^

ATHENS. 83
from the sea, and marking the site of the once extensive and
magnificent city. At a short distance from the shore, to the west
ward of the Pireus are the island of Salamis and the intervening
waters where the Persian host was overthrown by the Grecian
warriors of the fleet wnich set out from the port beneath where I
stood ; a cliff overlooking the sea is pointed out as the spot from
whence Xerxes beheld the destruction of his ships, and a fragment of
the tomb of Themlstocles, the great leader of the Greeks is
stUl to be seen on the right side of the harbour's entrance. Before
me in the distance lay Egea, assylum of the banished Aristides,
and far away to the west I could see the hills of Corinth.
The actual sight of such scenes and objects seems to give a reality
to the events of a history with which every school boy is familiar,
and excites thoughts and feelings which it would be difficult
to describe. The patriotism, courage, oratory, poetry, and
wonderful architecture of the ancient Greeks, fill the mind with
admiration, which rises into a kind of enthusiastic veneration when
we tread the soil and gaze upon the remnants of their mighty
works But such excitement soon yields to the subduing aspect
of the present forlorn condition of Athens. Depopulated and waste
lands, in lieu of smiling fields and Academic groves, ruins in the
place of gorgeous temples, and a few modem houses and dirty
streets occupying the site of the most renowned city in the world,
where, — even in its decay, — the youth of Rome were proud
to resort for leaming and accomplishments, cause melan
choly musing over the fate of aU things earthly. No altar
is more calculated to excite pure devotion, and turn our thoughts
with earnestness towards eternity than the wrecks of human great
ness, and a glance upwards at the stedfast heavens and the same sun
rejoicing as of old to run his course, leads the mind at such times
to regard with peculiar awe and reverence the Being who changeth
not, and in whose sight "a thousand years are but as yesterday,"
I got over the distance from the Pireus to Athens, on foot, before
breakfast ; some traces still remain of the long walls adorned with
statuary that reached from the city to the port in the days of
Athenian glory ; and the plain is partially cultivated, or planted with
sombre looking olive trees and vines. In approaching the modem
town I paEsad by the temple of Theseus, standing on a moderate

Si ATHENS.
elevation, at a short distance from the base of the Acropolis. This
very ancient and beautiful temple is built of white marble, little
injured by the long lapse of years, forming a model for most of
those imitations of Greek porticoes, and other ornamental parts of
public buUdings that are seen in the principle cities of modei-n Europe.
The Govemment has made it a receptacle for fi-agments
of statuary that have been discovered in various parts of Greece.
In the modern streets of Athens there are some French shops and cafes,
several good houses, chiefly belonging to the foreign ambassadors,
and at a little fdistance the Palace of king Otho, a large rect-
angvUar block, built of marble, which in its plainness bears a remarkable
contrast to the elegance and grandeur of the ancient temples. Whilst
wandering amongst the uninteresting lanes of the town, I came upon the
ancient Agora, or market place. The marble columns of the entrance
are still standing, with a kind of tariff of prices enscribed en their
shafts. Not far from the Agora is an exquisite little temple commonly
called the Lantern of Demosthenes, which has formed a model for several
monuments to the memory of great men in modei-n times. It
would seem that the finest buildings of the city were situated
around the base of the Acropolis on which I spent the greater
portion of my time, viewing with feelings of delight and veneration
the majestic and beautiful ruins which occupy the broad summit
of that citadel. At the southem side a grand flight of steps led to
the Propylea or entrance ; rows of marble columns still
remain flanking a doorway that admits to the wide area,
where the Parthenon stands, filling the mind with glowing
admiration and wonder at the work of man's hand, which
neither time nor the rage and wanton efforts of barbarians
have been able to destroy. Cannon balls have shattered but could
scarcely move the enormous blocks of uncemented but closely
joining marble which compose the noble columns and entablatures
of that exquisitly proportioned and enchanting temple.
The Parthenon was erected in" the time of Pericles, it is a rect
angular edifice, upwards of two hundred feet in length, and about
one hundred in breadth. Rows of elegant columns of the Doric
order along the sides and across the ends, support a massive entablature
which was— aud in part still is— adorned with the finest sculptures in

ATHENS. 85
as relief. On one side, this building has been much injured by the
cplosion of a Turkish powder magazine.
At a little distance from the base of the AcropoUs on a platform
iwards the banks of the lUysus (now a naked and unimposing
ivulet) there are sixteen gigantic fluted marble columns, the remains
)f a hundred or more, that composed the Fagade of the Temple of
Jupiter. They are about sixty feet high and eighteen in circumference,
so grand in their magnitude, so beautiful in their proportions, that
I could scarcely bring myself to leave the classical spot where they
stand, for there is a kind of awful fascination in these stupendous
monuments of past ages that almost invests them with supematurarat-
tractions. There are many other monuments of the architectural
greatness of ancient Greece on the Acropolis and at its sides, which
are extremely interesting ; but I must pass them to notice natural
objects, that evei-y reader of ancient history and of the New Tes
tament must regard with veneration. On the southern side of the
Acropolis towards the sea, a massive ridge of rocks rises above the
level of the adjoining fields, one part of these is the Pynx HiU
— where orators were accustomed to address the people. On
that elevated spot looking over the fertile plain to the sea, and
distant islands on one hand, and on the other towards the superb
city and gorgeous temples of their gods, I could well imagine the
enthusiasm which filled the minds of Demosthenes and the listening
crowds of Athenians as he strove in buming language to inflame
their patriotism and excite resistance to the encroachments of the
Macedonian king. Another division of the rocky ridge is fraught
with associations still more deeply interesting, it is Mars hiU, the
court of the Areopagites, where justice was administered in the sight
of all the people, and were the courageous Apostle of the Gentiles
declared the Lord of heaven and earth to the idolatrous multitude
in fuU view of the superb temples which they had reared in honor
of the very deities whom he boldly cast into the shade of super-
utition. I stood alone at sunset beneath the spot from whence St. Paul
delivered his inspired address to the Athenian crowd, and almost
fancied I could hear his awful words thundering in my ears, " whom
therefore ye ignorantly worship him declare I unto you." Not far
from thence there is a cell quarried in the rock which is said to have
been the prison where the heathen sage Socrates met the death to which

86 GREECE AND TURKE-?.
he was doomed for being more enlightened and virtuous than his
judges and accusers.
Some of the modern Greeks wear the picturesque and very costly
Albanian costume, the king himself adopts it, and has a guard
clothed in the dress of these mountaineers. At Syra I saw a few
ladies in their fanciful and graceful national dress, but at Athens
they generally appear a la Francaise with the exception of a gay
little skull cap, over which their plaited hair is wound in orna
mental circles. The ladies look — as ladies do in every country — the
women of the lower classes have regular features, a very intellectual
expression, and a certain elegance of carriage peculiar to themselves.
I did not see enough of the Greeks to warrant my passing any
opinion upon tlieii moral and social condition ; they appear to be
a keen race of merchants and mariners, but if report speaks truly,
their good faith is as little to be relied on as in the days when
the various states — with all their glory and farae — were ready to cir
cumvent each other to gain either public or private advantages.
Long subjected to oppression and the ravages of war, the country
is depopulated and impoverished, but should the people continue
satisfied with their present form of government, capital may be
amassed to be usefully employed, and population increase so as in
time, to restore Greece to a respectable position amongst the nations
of Europe.
The time fixed for the departure of an Austrian steamer going
to Turkey, prevented rae seeing so much of Greece as I could have
wished. On my way back to the Pireus, I stopped at a kind of
half-way-house to procure some refreshments. Whilst sitting under
the trees at the door enjoying my coffee, a handsome Greek,
in a scarlet jacket, embroidered with gold, a white kilt, embroidered
leggings, red cap and dangling tassel, with a long gun in his hand,
came from the fields, where he had been in pursuit of game, and sat
down beside me, offering a cigarette, and entering into conversation
in Italian with great politeness and intelligence, our in
terview left on my mind a pleasing impression of the last
of his race with whom I held converse in Attica. That night
we_ passed Cape Colonna, and two days afterwards entered the wide
bay of Smyrna, enclosed by mountains, of which the slopes are
fertile, and the low shores embellished with cultivation.

GREECE ANt) TURKE*. 8?
The houses and stores of the European merchants, are built along
the sea front of this oft-destroyed but ever-reviving cit)^. The
Consular residences are distinguished by the flags of nearly aU the
maratime nations in the world. Numerous boats are continually
plying between the wharves in front of those buildings, and the
men-of-war, or numerous merchant ships and steamers at anchor in
the bay. The dwellings of the Merchants are^ spacious, and I be
Ueve they live in good style, but the streets are very narrow and
dirty, particularly in tho Turkish and Jewish quarters in rear of
the Franks,
In Eastem cities, as almost every one knows, places are set tmait
for the exclusive use of dealers in various articles, or workers at
certajin trades. These bazaars are composed of lanes, full of little
shops with broad benches before them, on which goods are dispLwed
and the owners sit at work, or, as is most usual with the Turks
sit cross-legged, smoking long pipes, v,-ith countenances expressive
of great er|uanimitjr, the keen glances of their dark eyes only show
ing their anxiety to have your custom. The Jews and Greeks who
also throng "ftie bazaars call out' loudly to the passers-by in com-'
mendation of their wares". Reserving my inspection of oriental manu
factures for the markets of Constantinople, 1 passed on to fhe
Caravan Bridge, on the road from the town to the adjacent country
and was just in time to see a long string of Camels laden with
huge bales of cotton enter by that road from the interior. There is
a Turkish burying-place near the Bridge planted with cypress trees
and a flat space of ground on which the weary animals rest after
their long journeys. They are watched by wild-looking Turcomans
of Kurds whose rude tents were pitched near some groups of the
patient and gentle brutes, reposing by the side of the stream at the
time of my visit,*
Symrna is the reputed hirth-place of Homer, and intei-estiflo- to
Christians as the site of one of the Seven Churches of Asia.
Durin T mv short stay there, one of the gentlemen belonging to the
American Mission showed me great kindnesSj he pointed out the

' A drawing of the Caravan Bridge near Symrna was executed by Mr. C. Clarke, as an
ornament to tne Anckland Masonic Ball Room. 1 easily recognized the various .obiebts
Which were faithfully depicted' hy the artist,

88 GREECE AND TURKEY.
spot where St. Polycarp suffered martyrdom, near the ancient
Stadium on the side of a hill, crowned by the ruined walls of a
fortress that is very conspicuous frora the bay. It is believed that
St, John passed some time at Symrna after his return from Patmos,
The ancient Ephesus was about sixteen miles inland.
Although Mosques and Minarets show that the prevailing faith is thai
of the Crescent rather than the Cross, Christianity still lingers in
Asia Minor, and a few pious Missionaries are now labouring to re
store simplicity of form, and truth of doctrine to those early
nurseries of our religion which were planted by the Apostles them
selves, but,— fallen away frorh the fervour of their first love, — have
long been trodden down and left desolate.
I found the Austrian Packet from Trieste, a large and well ap
pointed steamer, and by it determined to continue my route to the
capital of Turkey, We took in some cargo and many passengers at
Synirna ; part of the qdarter-deck was immediately railed off and
covered in with sails to forih a Harem for the females and children.
The ladies were all veiled and wrapped in white clothes, like so
mariy animated corpses, piercing raj's, however, shot from their
black eyes through the holes of their hideous face-curtains, and they
had no objection to chat a little with a GiouT. I have seldom
been at a loss for a means of exchanging ideas in any other country
where I have been, but I confess that the Turkish ladies fairly
puzzeUed rne, for excepting the word Stambml which they -very
frequently pronounced, pointing at the same time to tlie north, I had
little understanding pf the subjects On which thSy Were So condesendiiig
as to address riie. The Tm-ks, their Isids, were good looking,
bearded, and turbanned fellowsj who sat smoking tiieir pipes, re
peating jprayers, and eating food specially prepared fcir themselves,
but which they very courteously and hospitably invited me to par
take of. When I first arrived in India, at an early age, I was
much struck with the devotion of the Mahomedan Boatmen on the
Hooghly, who are aJways to be seen prostrate on the deck of their
boats, saying their pi-ayers to Allah at sunrise, before begining
their labours on the river ; but these quiet worshippers by the banks
of the Indian stream, were completely outdone in zeal by my fel
low travelleis in the steamer, for although our decks were crowded
by passengers and seamen moving lo and fro, confusion and noise

GREECE AND TURKEY. 89
seemed ,to have no effcict upon the Turks, who regularly spread
tiieir carpets and went through the ceremonies of their stated devo
tions, apparently unconscious of all else but the solemnity of the
duties in which they were engaged. Whether Christians do or do
not adhere to our Saviour's precept of praying daily, in secret, it is
certain that Mahomedans generally fulfil their prophet's injunction
to pray frequently in public. As to the influence which their re
ligion has upon tjieir conduct, a mere visitor to Turkey for a brief
period cannot be a judge, but I certainly felt much more pleasui^e
in dealing with Turkish boatipen and persons of that sort than with
any of the same class in Christendom. The Greeks, Italians, and
Jews, wl^o swarm about tli,e po^s of the Levant are a crafty set,
who cannot bear comparison with the blunt but jhonest Moslems.
On our way to-prajjds the Dard^eU.^^ ,w;e jassed .b^twee;n the
^riiitful island ,of iLesbos,
¦Where .bni:ning Sappho Joyed aud aung,
and the coast, touching at Mitylene (which St. Paul -visited on his
journey from Greece to Syria,) and from thence proceeded on to
Tenedos, where we alsp ancjiwed for a .s]v)rt <time. These valuable
islands are in the possessjion of Ahe Turjcs, governed hy Pachas.
The towns and villages have little of interest about them, but the
coasting vessels and boats of singular and varied (jonstruotion, manned
by strange mariners in fancifiil dresses, and of la&er piratical re
putations, are animated aud picturesque.
The celebrated plains of Troy are on the main land, nearly op
posite Tenedos. From the shore where the Greeks landed, and
Like a deluge covering all axoand
The .shining armies swept al*>ng the ground,
the open country rises gradually to tJie hiHs. Tie snowy peak of
Mount Ida, from whence the gods beheld the strife, and
Clouda burst dreadfal o'er the Grecian heads,
forming .the back ground of ,that remarkable ^d extensive vjiew.
A ,fe\f mounds pjresume^l to mark the graves of the ,Greci^p .Readers
in the seige are the only traces that time has ^Ipft of the famous lUon.
Like the sites of Rpine, Syracuse, and 4-*i^^ ^^^
^)ea.utiftil e?cpanse of cou^trjr and adjacent rapunt^ius e,nqomij>a^g
the situation of Troy near the entrance of the Hjellespopt-

90 GREECE AND rURKEf.
or Dardanelles fully satisfied me as to the natural gran
deur, of a spot with whioh our very earliest classical ideas
are connected. In approaching the entrance of the Strait we passed
the little town of Troas where the .Apostle raised to life the young
man who fell from the window of an upper chamber. The uncul
tivated shores of the Hellespont, present a desolate appearance
relieved only by Fortifications or strong Castles which guard
the passage at various points on either side. The current sets so
strongly towards the Mediterranean, that we made slow progress,
and sailing vessels can do nothing v,-ithout a brisk fair -wind. Mid
way we stopped between Sestos and Abydos, where Firmans and
Passports are examined by the Turkish functionaries. During the
delay the only other Englishman on board (a Queen's Messenger)
and myself found amusement in conjecturing which of the garden
houses near the beach at the little town of Abydos, Lord Byron
had in view as the ocene of Zuleika's abode and tragical attempt to
fly with Selim. The star hath set that shone on Helle's stream.
« • » *
And there by night reclined, 'tis said,
Is seen a ghastly tuiban'd head,
And hence extended by the billow,
'Tis named the Pirate Phantom's Pillow.
At that place Byron, and a naval ofhcer, following Leander's ex
ample, swam across the strait, — a very difficult feat, for the passage
is nearly as broad as the Waitemata, at Auckland, and the current
twice as strong.
We were a whole night in the sea of Marmora, and at dawn of
the following day, were close to three islands, to which the inhabi
tants of Constantinople make summer excursions ; all eyes were .
turned with eager gaze to the entrance of the Bosphoi-ous, for there
the great city of the Sultan and ancient capital of the eastem empire,
presents a dazzling and unrivaUed scene. A deep inlet of tho
strait forms the Golden Horn, oi harbour of Constantinople, the
shores on either side ai-e hilly and covered with densely crowded
houses rising tier over tier to heights which, on the left, or Turkish
side, are crowned with huge domes of Mosques, guarded by tapering
Minarets or towers with slender sbafts, supporting light circular bal
conies, and termLnating in gilded points that glitter in the sun-light.
Ou the right shore is the mass of houses sui-mounted by the Palaces of

CONSTANIOIPLK. 91
the European Ambassadoi-s, and the dwellings of the Franks called
Pera. The port below is covered ivith vessels of all nations, and the
celebrated old Palace caUed the Seraglio is at the point which forms
the angle between the Harbour and the Strait. The buildings are
close to the water's edge, whilst lofty trees, gardens and towers
behind, add to the beauty of the scene. The sultan now occupies
a fai- more magnificent new Palace on the shores of the Strait above
the city where in the summer season he has the gratification of look
ing out upon his fleet anchored in order before the windows of his
truly princely residence.
Once on shore, and immersed in the motly crowd which throngs
the dh-ty lanes and thoroughfares, all the romantic visions of oriental
splendour, that a distant view of Istamboul is calculated to awaken,
speedily vanish ; for with all his zeal for reform the sultan has not yet
succeeded in effecting much improvement in the paving, lighting pr
cleansing of his capital ; a mayor and corppratipn seem to be greatly
needed. Li rainy weather the streets are absplutely impassable ex
cepting to those who encase their limbs in jack boots (a very com
mon practise with the Franks) and even then ong runs a continual
risk of being bespattered from head to fopt by horses, or tumbling over
swarms of wretched dogs that infest every part of the city. In the
main street of Pera there are some good houses and French shops, a
Hotel, and a Theatre, but in point of order it is abput as bad as the rest.
The Frankish ambassadors and A ttacMs live in a very gay style and give
splendid parties. The British ambassador seemed to be much respected
both by the inhabitants of Pera and the Turijish -Govemment, Thanks
to the good Sultan Mahmoiid and his amiable son the present Sultan
Abdul-Mejid, a christian has nothing to fear for Ms perspnal safety
except from the dogs at night. Tlie haughty and brutal Jannizaries,
who kept every one in terror of theu- Scimitars and Pistols, met the
.doom which their overbearing conduct provoked. The barracks where
the greater number perished in the flames .or sank under tlie mi-
jii-aiUe of the Sultan's ai'tiUery yet remain a heap of blackened ruins,
and every e.ffort is made by the Government of the Sublime Porte to
give justice and protectipii to all plasses. The Sultan seldom exercises
his despotic power over the lives of his subjects, and inferipr officers
are no longer permitted to cut off heads at theu- pleasure ; but vrt.iere a

92 CONSTANTINOPLE,
corrupt sj^stem has so long existed the work of reform proceeds
¦but slowly especiaUy in financial a,ffairs. All religions fire tolera
ted, and although attomjits to convert JMoselms are rigidly forbidden
yet 't^ie Sultan has interposed his authority to save converts to Pro-
(testantism from the presecutions of tiie Greek and Armenian clergy.
Some of the Mosques are vast, and imposing structures .enclosed .>vif|Iiin
spacious and elegantly adorned courts ; they are frequented eyei-y
day, foi the faithful seem to be more isittentive to tlie voice of the
Muezzins who from the balconies of the Minarets call them to prayers at
stated hours, than Christians are to the sound pf the chui;cll bell, on
week days. Every Friday the Sultan embarks in a splendid boat, or
rides a richly caparisoned horse, with bit and stirrups of massive gold,
to one of the Mosques. I was very near to him on one occasion as he
proceeded along, the streets accompanied ty the principal officers of
the Fleet, Army, and State, with a guard of honour and a band of
military music. His Highness is still young and rather delicate
looking ; he was dressed like his officers, in a red cap vrith pendant
tassel and a richly embroidered blue surtout, but though he has good
features and a fine black beard, he is not much like the pictures of the
Grand Seignor, in jewelled Turban and flowing robes, which we used
tp see. Those -who are not in public office continue to wear the
oriental costumes of their forefathei-s.
Standing one day near the Seraglio, I observed a carriage accom
panied by mounted -Police coming up the street ; as the cortege
passed, a portly Turk, with long grey moustaches, smiled and bowed
to me in a most benevolent manner, fi^m the window ; I -lost no time
in returning the unexpected courtesy, only regretting -that I was not
beforehand with the old gentleman who was no less & personage
than the Grand Vizier. The Prisons and Hospitals of the city
are greatly improved from what they are said to have been in
former days. The Turks are very charitable and the funds of the
various Mosques provide support to thousands of the sidt and
destitute. As -the city is not now well supplied with water
beautiful marble fountains have been erected by pious Sultans in
various streets where thirsty passengers may drink, and bless the
munificence of the donor. These fountains and the highly orna
mental and elegant Masoleums of deceased Sultans are next to the

CONSTANTINOPLE, 93
Mosques the most remarkable objects in the streets of the city.
There is an ancient subteranean reservoir of gi-eat extent partly
filled up with earth but the upper part of the columns which
support the roof are still to be seen, and another vast underground
basin, of which marvellous stories are related, is said to continue full
of water, but that I did not see. Portions of the ancient waUs
and towers of Byzantium still remain to attest the strength of
fhe ancient capital of the East and the desperate resistance made
by the last of the Emperors against the attacks Of the conquering
hordes of Moslems, The greslt Bazaar covers a considerable area, it
is enclosed, and the numerous passages are covered in by lofty
vaulted roofs; they are usually filled with crowds of Turks, Jews,
and Greeks, Tartars, Persians, Egyptians, Arabs, and Franks in
varioiis and very remarkable costumes. Dealers in arms, furs, silks,
tobacco, or other articles have divisions appropriated to their mer
chandize or craft. Some of the goods displayed are extremely
valuable and very interesting, both to dealers and traveUers. The
Turkisii ladies seem to find as much amusement amongst the jewellers
and sellers of costly stuffs, as the English ladies in Shopping at the
West end of London, I was glad to see that the thick cloth Ya.sh-
mack is amongst the higher ranks giving place to a veil of fine
muslin, which enables one to form an idea of the delicate complexion
and soft eyes, fringed by long eyelashes, peculiar to the Osmanlee
beauties. The slave-market exists no more, but there is a large
building apart from the Bazaar where I saw a number of stout
Nubian girls waiting purchasers. The girls themselves had no ob
jection to be looked at, and appeared to be cheg,rful and happy, but
their Arab owners seeing that I only came no gaze and not to
purchase, quickly shut them up, and looked'alme with expressions
of the strongest aversion and liktred. I Shmild have been very
sorry to meet silch fellows in their own country, but excepting on
that occasion, or when I lingered too near the doors of a Mosque,
I had no proofs of the bitter hatred which true Moslems are said
to bear to NazarenSi.
The ordinary enjoyments of the Turks are the long cherry sticked
Chibouque, their coffee, and their baths. In every part of the city
and suburbs there are coffee shops, where persons of all classes sit
cross-legged on benches along the wails, smoking in gxave silence or

94 COSSTANT-INOPLE.
listening to- the long-winded tales of some public story-teller ; the
tobacco is light and excellent in flavor, but the coffee served with
out straining, and without sugar or milk, is poor stuff. The baths
are extensive buildings, containing a suite of rooms with high dome-
shaped roofs. Tlis first into which one is ushered is matted and
furnished with comfortable sofas or ottomans,, where numerous
Turks are seen reclining to cool after having been parboiled in the
inner chambers. There we st-ript and were furnished with^ a
wra.pping cloth and wooden clogs, with which we followed the
attendants into the second division, where the vapour rising from
below, and the warmth of the marble floor appeared to act sufr-
ficiently upon our senses, but it was nothing to the third room
into which we passed after due preparation. On first entering it, the
heat and vapour produced a stifling sensation that was alarmingly
oppressive, but soon changed into a most agreeable feeling ; we laid
ourselves Upon a marble dais in the middle of the large circular
apartment, and were luxuriously shampooed by the boys in vi'aiting,
after which we sat ourselves under some fountains pouring forth
mingled hot and cold water ; and being covered with a lather of
perfumed soap, and rubbed with camels hair cloths, that brought oft"
every particle of the waste cuticle and exhalations from the pores
of the' skin ; we seemed to come out thoroughly renovated, and were
gradually cooled down again into a fit state for encountering the
open air. To me not only the bath itself, but the pipes, lemonade,
coffee, and conversation, (for I had English companions on that
occasion) were delightful, and, as far as I could judge, the operation
is beneficial to health as well as a luxury which I should be very
willing to repeat if I had an opportunity. One day of the week
the baths are set apart for the exclusive benefit of the ladies on
'which occasions men are kept at a respectable distance.
For some days I was confined to my room at Pera by ill health
(at such times one truly feels what it is to be absent from home
and relatives) ; and, as soon as I could get abroad again, I gladly
quitted the dirty streets and noisy hotel, for the pure air and
charming scenery of the Bospherous, which at some parts contracts
to narrow passages Uke a river, and at others expands into scenes
resembling romantic lakes, or branches into deep calm bays, where nu
merous vessels lie sheltered from the winds and ever-rushing current of

THE BOSPHEP.OUS. 9.*)
fclear water from the Black Sea. Both the European and Asiatic
shores of the Strait are elevated into swelling hills, intersected by
lovely valleys in some of which there are villages inhabited by
Turks, Greeks, and Armenians which resemble the picturesque
dwellings of Switzerland. The wealthy classes and high ofl^cers
of the Turkish Government, pass the summer in elegant houses
built on stone quays that project into the water, and are adorned
with terraced gardens and fine trees on the hills behind them.
These houses of grotesque architecture are gaily painted, and have
projecting Upper stories, where the ladies, hidden from observation
by the close lattice work of the windows, can see all that passes
On the water. Judging from a house that I saw after the Turkisii
family had quitted it, the rooms are very tastefully painted inside,
and are furnished with rich carpets and a most comfortable low and
broad seat or couch against the walls, round the greater part of
each apartment, where the fair Islamites prefer reclining on soft
Cushions to the prettiest chairs or sofas of our drawing-rooms. The
Foreign Ambassadors and wealthy Franks chiefly have their villas
and country houses at the towns of Therapia and Bujukdeie,
within a few miles of the entrance to the Black Sea, and little
steamers carry thera to and from the city daily. The Strait swarms
with skiffs, shaped like mussel shells, which flit from place to
place propelled at great speed, by good-looking sturdy Turkish
boatmen. These skiffs^ or kaicis, are extremely pretty boats, but
rather ticklish, stepping on the gunwale is out of the question
and a careful equipoise must be maintained by the passengers,
who sit on carpets at the bottom of the fi-agile conveyance.
One look of the gloomy Black Sea was quite sufficient to repress any
desire I might have had to go farther in that direction. I was out of
health and weary ; therefore, turning my face homewards from
Bujukdere, I took a JcaicJc, and dropt with the current down the
Strait, leisurely examining its beauties, and touching at the Valley
of Sweet Waters, on the Asiatic shore. A marble fountain, near
the beach, and the whole grassy dell, are encompassed by tall spreading
trees, under the shade of which groups of Turkish ladies, with their
children and attendants, may be seen on Fridays and holidays, enjoy
ing the pleasures of society and the charming scenery of their beloved

96 AMERICAN MISSIONARIES.
Bospherous. The traveller who desires to see a " blending of all beau
ties," should go, in Spring or Autumn, to Istamboul, and view the villas,
gardens, mosques, and minarets, castles, trees, verdure, and blue
waters of the Bospherous, by daylight and moonlight; to my
taste, they appeared superior to the charms of the Rhine, the Bay
of Naples, or any other pf the most lauded scenes in the world.
Having heard that a little body ot Christian Missionaries were
living at Bebec, a vUlage nearly opposite the Valley of Sweet Waters,
I went thither on Sunday in time to join their meeting for morning
service, and was most kindly and hospitably received by the worthy
people, who are sent by the American Board of Missions to introduce
Protestant Christianity amongst the Jews, Greeks, and Armenians of
Asia Minor. They perceived that I was unwell and a stranger ;
and, without any other introduction, cordially invited me to pass a day
or two at the village. I was taken into the family circle of a highly
intelligent German clergyman,- one of their raerabers, whose homely
but comfortable style of living made me at tiraes fancy myself back
amongst some of our missionary friends in this colony, regarding
whom they asked many questions, appearing to be greatly interested
by the favourable accounts of our missions which it was in my power
to give them. At Constantinople I met with another German gen
tleman, sent by the Free Church of Scotland as a missionary to the
Jews, who assembled a party of converts to hear what I could tell
them of the progress of Christianity in our islands. The efforts
of these missionaries, aided by several ladies, are chiefly directed to the
management pf schools for Jewish children, many of whom attend ;
but (as one of the ladies adraitted) more for the sake of the secular
instruction than for the religious training they obtain. Romish Mis
sionaries, too, are at work in that quarter, assisted by Sisters of Mercy,
who maintain a hospital for the sick, visit the prisons, and spare no
pains to make proselytes to their faith. To all their exertions for doing
good, Protestant missionaries and teachers ever experience the aid of
the British Ambassadors, who have used their influence with the
Sultan in behalf of the converts in his dominions.

CONCLUSION.

On reaching Malta I found to my great regret that the steamer fi-om
Egypt had sailed for Gibraltar and England a day before her usual
time, by which I lost an opportunity that I had much wished to take
advantage pf for visiting the South of Spain, and was unwillingly
obliged to proceed to England through France, where I found a con
siderable change in political affairs since the previous year. Amongst
the better classes, fears of anarchy had given place to the dread of
despotic tyranny ; but in the capital the Parisians were as usual aban
doning thenfselves to all the frivolities and absurdities of the Carnival,
although the streets crowded with masks and buffoons, were
also lined with soldiers and glittering bayonets, ready to be used,
as recent eyents had shewn, against the citizens at the bidding of
their chief. On Sunday evenings the numerous theatres and public
dancing-rooms of Paris are particularly well attended, indeed, the
whole city appears to be given up to amusement ; but in a protestant
chapel I found one little assembly listening to the words of an
eloquent preacher. The serious air of the men, and the modest
looks of the females forming the congregation, gave them the ap
pearance of a different race from the noisy revellers in the streets
without, making one wish that the great body of the French
people, were such as that little band of Christians seemed to be.
The French capital has been much improved of late, and further
extensive embellishments are projected. The Place de la Concorde
between the gardens of the TniUeries and the magnificent avenue of
the Champs d'Elysee near the river side, is a superb public square,
from which the finest modem buildings of the city can be seen ;
an Egyptian obelisk in the centre, flanked by two beautiful and
cppious fountains, adds to the effect produced by the noble edifices

98 PARIS.
and works of art on every side, even the lamp posts are massive
Corinthian columns of gilded bronze. The site of the old walls
of Paris is now a broad street, forming a semicircle between the
houses of the Faubourg and the city. This splendid promenade con
tains some of the best shops, brilliant cafes,- and hotels, and is the
general resort of the Parisians of all classes ; unfortunately the
trees, which formerly added much to the beauty of these Boulevardes,
were destroyed during the frenzy of the last revolution, young trees
have been planted in their stead, but it will be a long time before
they can afford a shade like the old ones. Paris is well provided
with excellent hospitals for the sick, the indigent, and insane, as
well as colleges and seminaries of every kind. The galleries of the
Louvre and Luxembourg palaces, contain admirable and valuable
paintings jby the great Flemish and Dutch masters as well as those of
French artists. The modern paintings of the French school are exhibited
at the Louvre periodically ; but I believe very few modern pictures
excel those of the English artists which are seen annually at the
Exhibition of the Art Union, in London. There are several fine palaces
in the neighbourhood of Paris. The chateau of Versailles, stands on a
wide terrace, over-looking a great extent of ground laid out into avenues,
beautifulParteiTes of flowers, and hidden temples ornamented with statues
and fountains ; but, there are not many villas and pretty cottages be
longing to private persons in the environs of Paris, like those which
are so nuraerous, and form such pleasant places of retirement for
the citizens around London.
The banks of the Seine are more pleasing to English people than
the scenery of other French rivers, for the villages and cottages are
more in accordance with our tastes, and the towns of Normandy are
extremely interesting from the antiquated appearance of their streets
and the specimens of Gothic architecture presented by their Cathedrals
and public buildings. Havre at the entrance of the river is an impor
tant commercial town possessing docks that contain large vessels trading
to India and America. I embarked there in an English steamer for
Southampton; whilst the ^ens (?' orrocs were on board examiniag our
passports, the passengers were quiet enough, but no sooner were we out
of the harbour, and they found themselves safe under a British flag.

C0NCLU.SI0N. 99
then they gave. loose to their tongues in a hearty abuse of the dictator
Louis Napoleon.
The want of comforts to which they are accustomed, and the annoy
ances arising from the Passport Sysiem, and other restrictive measur es
of Continental Governraents, make English people" generally very happy
to return to the freedora and security of their own island, notwithstand
ing its defects of climate, and heavy taxes: Though no longer my home
the sight of the British coast was most cheering ; for, with all the
conveniences of modern days, travelling is still attended by fatigues
and discomforts : the eye and the heart become wearied of strange
scenes, and of strange people, with whom we have no bonds of sympathy
beyond those of our common humanity. I landed in time to pass the
Sabbath at a Uttle town on the coast of Dorsetshire where the quietness
and order that prevailed in the streets, and the respectable appearance of
the inhabitants repairing in crowds to the house of God, forciblyimpressed
me (as it has often impressed others) with the feeling, that the national
prosperity and stability of England arise chiefly from the influence which
sound Protestant Christianity has upon the principles and affections of
the people.
After prolonged wandirings, and with a voyage half round the
globe still in prospect, a season of rest in the society of
friends and relatives was truly delightful. The Spring
climate of the South of England was much milder than
in the centre of France, the pastures were already green, the trees
bursting into leaf and blossom, the plough at work in rich loamy
soil, and the birds beginning to warble in copses and sheltered dells,
Happy and highly favoured country ! few can leave its shores without
regret ; although the interests and sympathies of colonists are chiefly
connected with an off-shoot, stiU our regard for the venerable and yet
vigorious parent stem, whose widely spreading branches afford us
shelter and protection at the remotest regions of the earth, need not bo
diminished ; in our own case the kindness and hospitaUty that we ex
perienced frora the first hour of our landing in Great Britain to the very
moment of our final departure, have left on our rainds the most pleas
ing and grateful recollections of a visit to europe.
TJIE end.

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