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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Views a-foot, by J. Bayard Taylor
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Views a-foot
+
+Author: J. Bayard Taylor
+
+Release Date: March 10, 2004  [eBook #11535]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VIEWS A-FOOT***
+
+
+
+Produced by Maria Paola Andreoni, Carlo Traverso
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+This file was produced from images generously made available by the
+Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr. 
+
+
+
+
+
+                            VIEWS A-FOOT;
+
+                                  OR
+
+                 EUROPE SEEN WITH KNAPSACK AND STAFF.
+
+                                  BY
+
+                          J. BAYARD TAYLOR.
+
+                    WITH A PREFACE BY N.P. WILLIS.
+
+
+                 "Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way,
+                    And merrily hent the stile-a;
+                   A merry heart goes all the day,
+                     Your sad tires in a mile-a."
+
+                                      _Winter's Tale_.
+
+
+
+                            IN TWO PARTS.
+
+                               PART I.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+      Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by
+
+                          WILEY AND PUTNAM,
+
+ in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for
+                  the Southern District of New York.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+BY N.P. WILLIS.
+
+
+The book which follows, requires little or no introduction. It tells its
+own story, and tells it well. The interest in it, which induces the
+writer of this preface to be its usher to the public, is simply that of
+his having chanced to be among the first appreciators of the author's
+talent--an appreciation that has since been so more than justified, that
+the writer is proud to call the author of this book his friend, and
+bespeak attention to the peculiar energies he has displayed in travel
+and authorship. Mr. Taylor's poetical productions while he was still a
+printer's apprentice, made a strong impression on the writer's mind, and
+he gave them their due of praise accordingly in the newspaper of which
+he was then Editor. Some correspondence ensued, and other fine pieces of
+writing strengthened the admiration thus awakened, and when the young
+poet-mechanic came to the city, and modestly announced the bold
+determination of visiting foreign lands--with means, if they could be
+got, but with reliance on manual labor if they could not--the writer,
+understanding the man, and seeing how capable he was of carrying out his
+manly and enthusiastic scheme, and that it would work uncorruptingly for
+the improvement of his mind and character, counselled him to go. He
+went--his book tells how successfully for all his purposes. He has
+returned, after two years' absence, with large knowledge of the world,
+of men and of manners, with a pure, invigorated and healthy mind, having
+passed all this time abroad, and seen and accomplished more than most
+travelers, _at the cost of only $500, and this sum earned on the road_.
+This, in the writer's opinion, is a fine instance of character and
+energy. The book, which records the difficulties and struggles of a
+printer's apprentice achieving this, must be interesting to Americans.
+The pride of the country is in its self-made men.
+
+What Mr. Taylor is, or what he is yet to become, cannot well be touched
+upon here, but that it will yet be written, and on a bright page, is, of
+course, his own confident hope and the writer's confident expectation.
+The book, which is the record of his progress thus far, is now cordially
+commended to the public, and it will be read, perhaps, more
+understandingly after a perusal of the following outline sketch of the
+difficulties the author had to contend with--a letter written in reply
+to a note from the writer asking for some of the particulars of his
+start and progress:
+
+  _To. Mr. Willis_,--
+
+  MY DEAR SIR:--
+
+  Nearly three years ago (in the beginning of 1844) the time for
+  accomplishing my long cherished desire of visiting Europe, seemed to
+  arrive. A cousin, who had long intended going abroad, was to leave
+  in a few months, and although I was then surrounded by the most
+  unfavorable circumstances, I determined to accompany him, at
+  whatever hazard. I had still two years of my apprenticeship to serve
+  out; I was entirely without means, and my project was strongly
+  opposed by my friends, as something too visionary to be
+  practicable. A short time before, Mr.  Griswold advised me to
+  publish a small volume of youthful effusions, a few of which had
+  appeared in Graham's Magazine, which he then edited; the idea struck
+  me, that by so doing, I might, if they should be favorably noticed,
+  obtain a newspaper correspondence which would enable me to make the
+  start.
+
+  The volume was published; a sufficient number was sold among my
+  friends to defray all expenses, and it was charitably noticed by the
+  Philadelphia press. Some literary friends, to whom I confided my
+  design, promised to aid me with their influence. Trusting to this, I
+  made arrangements for leaving the printing-office, which I succeeded
+  in doing, by making a certain compensation for the remainder of my
+  time. I was now fully confident of success, feeling satisfied, that
+  a strong will would always make itself a way. After many
+  applications to different editors and as many disappointments, I
+  finally succeeded, about two weeks before our departure, in making a
+  partial engagement.  Mr. Chandler of the United States Gazette and
+  Mr. Patterson of the Saturday Evening Post, paid me fifty dollars,
+  each, in advance for twelve letters, to be sent from Europe, with
+  the probability of accepting more, if these should be
+  satisfactory. This, with a sum which I received from Mr. Graham for
+  poems published in his Magazine, put me in possession of about a
+  hundred and forty dollars, with which I determined to start,
+  trusting to future remuneration for letters, or if that should fail,
+  to my skill as a compositor, for I supposed I could at the worst,
+  work my way through Europe, like the German hand werker.  Thus, with
+  another companion, we left home, an enthusiastic and hopeful trio.
+
+  I need not trace our wanderings at length. After eight months of
+  suspense, during which time my small means were entirely exhausted,
+  I received a letter from Mr. Patterson, continuing the engagement
+  for the remainder of my stay, with a remittance of one hundred
+  dollars from himself and Mr. Graham. Other remittances, received
+  from time to time, enabled me to stay abroad two years, during which
+  I traveled on foot upwards of three thousand miles in Germany,
+  Switzerland, Italy and France. I was obliged, however, to use the
+  strictest economy--to live on pilgrim fare, and do penance in rain
+  and cold. My means several times entirely failed; but I was always
+  relieved from serious difficulty through unlooked-for friends, or
+  some unexpected turn of fortune. At Rome, owing to the expenses and
+  embarrassments of traveling in Italy, I was obliged to give up my
+  original design of proceeding on foot to Naples and across the
+  peninsula to Otranto, sailing thence to Corfu and making a
+  pedestrian journey through Albania and Greece. But the main object
+  of my pilgrimage is accomplished; I visited the principal places of
+  interest in Europe, enjoyed her grandest scenery and the marvels of
+  ancient and modern art, became familiar with other languages, other
+  customs and other institutions, and returned home, after two years'
+  absence, willing now, with satisfied curiosity, to resume life in
+  America.
+
+  Yours, most sincerely,
+
+  J. BAYARD TAYLOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+I.--The Voyage
+
+II.--A Day in Ireland
+
+III.--Ben Lomond and the Highland Lakes
+
+IV.--The Burns' Festival
+
+V.--Walk from Edinburgh over the Border and arrival at London
+
+VI.--Some of the "Sights" of London
+
+VII.--Flight through Belgium
+
+VIII.--The Rhine to Heidelberg
+
+IX.--Scenes in and around Heidelberg
+
+X.--A Walk through the Odenwald
+
+XI.--Scenes in Frankfort--An American Composer--The Poet Freiligrath
+
+XII.--A week among the Students
+
+XIII.--Christmas and New Year in Germany
+
+XIV.--Winter in Frankfort--A Fair, an Inundation and a Fire
+
+XV.--The Dead and the Deaf--Mendelssohn the Composer
+
+XVI.--Journey on Foot from Frankfort to Cassel
+
+XVII.--Adventures among the Hartz
+
+XVIII.--Notes in Leipsic and Dresden
+
+XIX.--Rambles in the Saxon Switzerland
+
+XX.--Scenes in Prague
+
+XXI.--Journey through Eastern Bohemia and Moravia to the Danube
+
+XXII.--Vienna
+
+XXIII.--Up the Danube
+
+XXIV.--The Unknown Student
+
+XXV.--The Austrian Alps
+
+XXVI.--Munich
+
+XXVII.--Through Wurtemberg to Heidelberg
+
+XXVIII.--Freiburg and the Black Forest
+
+XXIX.--People and Places in Eastern Switzerland
+
+XXX.--Passage of the St Gothard and descent into Italy
+
+XXXI.--Milan
+
+XXXII.--Walk from Milan to Genoa
+
+XXXIII.--Scenes in Genoa, Leghorn and Pisa
+
+XXXIV.--Florence and its Galleries
+
+XXXV.--A Pilgrimage to Vallombrosa
+
+XXXVI.--Walk to Siena and Pratolino--Incidents in Florence
+
+XXXVII.--American Art in Florence
+
+XXXVIII.--An Adventure on the Great St. Bernard--Walks around Florence
+
+XXXIX.--Winter Traveling among the Appenines
+
+XL.--Rome
+
+XLI.--Tivoli and the Roman Campagna
+
+XLII.--Tivoli and the Roman Campagna (_continued_)
+
+XLIII.--Pilgrimage to Vaucluse and Journey up the Rhone
+
+XLIV.--Traveling in Burgundy--The Miseries of a Country Diligence
+
+XLV.--Poetical Scenes in Paris
+
+XLVI.--A Glimpse of Normandy
+
+XLVII.--Lockhart, Bernard Barton and Croly--London Chimes and Greenwich
+Fair
+
+XLVIII.--Homeward Bound--Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+TO
+
+FRANK TAYLOR,
+
+THESE RECORDS OF THE PILGRIMAGE,
+
+WHOSE TOILS AND ENJOYMENTS WE HAVE SHARED TOGETHER,
+
+ARE
+
+AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED,
+
+BY
+
+HIS RELATIVE AND FRIEND.
+
+
+
+
+VIEWS A-FOOT.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+THE VOYAGE.
+
+An enthusiastic desire of visiting the Old World haunted me from early
+childhood. I cherished a presentiment, amounting almost to belief, that
+I should one day behold the scenes, among which my fancy had so long
+wandered. The want of means was for a time a serious check to my
+anticipations; but I could not content myself to wait until I had slowly
+accumulated so large a sum as tourists usually spend on their travels.
+It seemed to me that a more humble method of seeing the world would
+place within the power of almost every one, what has hitherto been
+deemed the privilege of the wealthy few. Such a journey, too, offered
+advantages for becoming acquainted with people as well as places--for
+observing more intimately, the effect of government and education, and
+more than all, for the study of human nature, in every condition of
+life. At length I became possessed of a small sum, to be earned by
+letters descriptive of things abroad, and on the 1st of July, 1844, set
+sail for Liverpool, with a relative and friend, whose circumstances were
+somewhat similar to mine. How far the success of the experiment and the
+object of our long pilgrimage were attained, these pages will show.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+    LAND AND SEA.
+
+    There are springs that rise in the greenwood's heart,
+      Where its leafy glooms are cast,
+    And the branches droop in the solemn air,
+      Unstirred by the sweeping blast.
+    There are hills that lie in the noontide calm,
+      On the lap of the quiet earth;
+    And, crown'd with gold by the ripened grain,
+      Surround my place of birth.
+
+    Dearer are these to my pining heart,
+      Than the beauty of the deep,
+    When the moonlight falls in a bolt of gold
+      On the waves that heave in sleep.
+    The rustling talk of the clustered leaves
+      That shade a well-known door,
+    Is sweeter far than the booming sound
+      Of the breaking wave before.
+
+    When night on the ocean sinks calmly down,
+      I climb the vessel's prow,
+    Where the foam-wreath glows with its phosphor light,
+      Like a crown on a sea-nymph's brow.
+    Above, through the lattice of rope and spar,
+      The stars in their beauty burn;
+    And the spirit longs to ride their beams,
+      And back to the loved return.
+
+    They say that the sunset is brighter far
+      When it sinks behind the sea;
+    That the stars shine out with a softer fire--
+      Not thus they seem to me.
+    Dearer the flush of the crimson west
+      Through trees that my childhood knew.
+    When the star of love with its silver lamp,
+      Lights the homes of the tried and true!
+
+Could one live on the sense of beauty alone, exempt from the necessity
+of "creature comforts," a sea-voyage would be delightful. To the
+landsman there is sublimity in the wild and ever-varied forms of the
+ocean; they fill his mind with living images of a glory he had only
+dreamed of before. But we would have been willing to forego all this and
+get back the comforts of the shore. At New York we took passage in the
+second cabin of the Oxford, which, as usual in the Liverpool packets,
+consisted of a small space amid-ships, fitted up with rough, temporary
+berths. The communication with the deck is by an open hatchway, which in
+storms is closed down. As the passengers in this cabin furnish their
+own provisions, we made ourselves acquainted with the contents of
+certain storehouses on Pine St. wharf, and purchased a large box of
+provisions, which was stowed away under our narrow berth. The cook, for
+a small compensation, took on himself the charge of preparing them, and
+we made ourselves as comfortable as the close, dark dwelling would
+admit.
+
+As we approached the Banks of Newfoundland, a gale arose, which for two
+days and nights carried us on, careering Mazeppa-like, up hill and down.
+The sea looked truly magnificent, although the sailors told us it was
+nothing at all in comparison with the storms of winter. But we were not
+permitted to pass the Banks, without experiencing one of the calms, for
+which that neighborhood is noted. For three days we lay almost
+motionless on the glassy water, sometimes surrounded by large flocks of
+sea-gulls. The weed brought by the gulf stream, floated around--some
+branches we fished up, were full of beautiful little shells. Once a
+large school of black-fish came around the vessel, and the carpenter
+climbed down on the fore-chains, with a harpoon to strike one. Scarcely
+had he taken his position, when they all darted off in a straight line,
+through the water, and were soon out of sight. He said they smelt the
+harpoon.
+
+We congratulated ourselves on having reached the Banks in seven days, as
+it is considered the longest third-part of the passage. But the hopes of
+reaching Liverpool in twenty days, were soon overthrown. A succession of
+southerly winds drove the vessel as far north as lat. 55 deg., without
+bringing us much nearer our destination. It was extremely cold, for we
+were but five degrees south of the latitude of Greenland, and the long
+northern twilights came on. The last glow of the evening twilight had
+scarcely faded, before the first glimmering of dawn appeared. I found it
+extremely easy to read, at 10 P.M., on the deck.
+
+We had much diversion on board from a company of Iowa Indians, under the
+celebrated chief "White Cloud," who are on a visit to England. They are
+truly a wild enough looking company, and helped not a little to relieve
+the tedium of the passage. The chief was a very grave and dignified
+person, but some of the braves were merry enough. One day we had a
+war-dance on deck, which was a most ludicrous scene. The chief and two
+braves sat upon the deck, beating violently a small drum and howling
+forth their war-song, while the others in full dress, painted in a
+grotesque style, leaped about, brandishing tomahawks and spears, and
+terminating each dance with a terrific yell. Some of the men are very
+fine-looking, but the squaws are all ugly. They occupied part of the
+second cabin, separated only by a board partition from our room. This
+proximity was any thing but agreeable. They kept us awake more than half
+the night, by singing and howling in the most dolorous manner, with the
+accompaniment of slapping their hands violently on their bare breasts.
+We tried an opposition, and a young German student, who was returning
+home after two years' travel in America, made our room ring with the
+chorus from Der Freischütz--but in vain. They _would_ howl and beat
+their breasts, and the pappoose _would_ squall. Any loss of temper is
+therefore not to be wondered at, when I state that I could scarcely turn
+in my berth, much less stretch myself out; my cramped limbs alone drove
+off half the night's slumber.
+
+It was a pleasure, at least, to gaze on their strong athletic frames.
+Their massive chests and powerful limbs put to shame our dwindled
+proportions. One old man, in particular, who seemed the patriarch of the
+band, used to stand for hours on the quarter deck, sublime and
+motionless as a statue of Jupiter. An interesting incident occurred
+during the calm of which I spoke. They began to be fearful we were
+doomed to remain there forever, unless the spirits were invoked for a
+favorable wind. Accordingly the prophet lit his pipe and smoked with
+great deliberation, muttering all the while in a low voice. Then, having
+obtained a bottle of beer from the captain, he poured it solemnly over
+the stern of the vessel into the sea. There were some indications of
+wind at the time, and accordingly the next morning we had a fine breeze,
+which the Iowas attributed solely to the Prophet's incantation and
+Eolus' love of beer.
+
+After a succession of calms and adverse winds, on the 25th we were off
+the Hebrides, and though not within sight of land, the southern winds
+came to us strongly freighted with the "meadow freshness" of the Irish
+bogs, so we could at least _smell_ it. That day the wind became more
+favorable, and the next morning we were all roused out of our berths by
+sunrise, at the long wished-for cry of "land!" Just under the golden
+flood of light that streamed through the morning clouds, lay afar-off
+and indistinct the crags of an island, with the top of a light-house
+visible at one extremity. To the south of it, and barely
+distinguishable, so completely was it blended in hue with the veiling
+cloud, loomed up a lofty mountain. I shall never forget the sight! As we
+drew nearer, the dim and soft outline it first wore, was broken into a
+range of crags, with lofty precipices jutting out to the sea, and
+sloping off inland. The white wall of the light-house shone in the
+morning's light, and the foam of the breakers dashed up at the foot of
+the airy cliffs. It was worth all the troubles of a long voyage, to feel
+the glorious excitement which this herald of new scenes and new
+adventures created. The light-house was on Tory Island, on the
+north-western coast of Ireland. The Captain decided on taking the North
+Channel, for, although rarely done, it was in our case nearer, and is
+certainly more interesting than the usual route.
+
+We passed the Island of Ennistrahul, near the entrance of Londonderry
+harbor, and at sunset saw in the distance the islands of Islay and Jura,
+off the Scottish coast. Next morning we were close to the promontory of
+Fairhead, a bold, precipitous headland, like some of the Palisades on
+the Hudson; the highlands of the Mull of Cantire were on the opposite
+side of the Channel, and the wind being ahead, we tacked from shore to
+shore, running so near the Irish coast, that we could see the little
+thatched huts, stacks of peat, and even rows of potatoes in the fields.
+It was a panorama: the view extended for miles inland, and the fields of
+different colored grain were spread out before us, a brilliant mosaic.
+Towards evening we passed Ailsa Crag, the sea-bird's home, within sight,
+though about twenty miles distant.
+
+On Sunday, the 28th, we passed the lofty headland of the Mull of
+Galloway and entered the Irish Sea. Here there was an occurrence of an
+impressive nature. A woman, belonging to the steerage, who had been ill
+the whole passage, died the morning before. She appeared to be of a very
+avaricious disposition, though this might indeed have been the result of
+self-denial, practised through filial affection. In the morning she was
+speechless, and while they were endeavoring to persuade her to give up
+her keys to the captain, died. In her pocket were found two parcels,
+containing forty sovereigns, sewed up with the most miserly care. It was
+ascertained she had a widowed mother in the north of Ireland, and
+judging her money could be better applied than to paying for a funeral
+on shore, the captain gave orders for committing the body to the waves.
+It rained drearily as her corpse, covered with starred bunting, was held
+at the gangway while the captain read the funeral service; then one
+plunge was heard, and a white object, flashed up through the dark
+waters, as the ship passed on.
+
+In the afternoon we passed the Isle of Man, having a beautiful view of
+the Calf, with a white stream tumbling down the rocks into the sea; and
+at night saw the sun set behind the mountains of Wales. About midnight,
+the pilot came on board, and soon after sunrise I saw the distant spires
+of Liverpool. The Welsh coast was studded with windmills, all in motion,
+and the harbor spotted with buoys, bells and floating lights. How
+delightful it was to behold the green trees on the banks of the Mersey,
+and to know that in a few hours we should be on land! About 11 o'clock
+we came to anchor in the channel of the Mersey, near the docks, and
+after much noise, bustle and confusion, were transferred, with our
+baggage, to a small steamboat, giving a parting cheer to the Iowas, who
+remained on board. On landing, I stood a moment to observe the scene.
+The baggage-wagons, drawn by horses, mules and donkeys, were
+extraordinary; men were going about crying "_the celebrated Tralorum
+gingerbread!_" which they carried in baskets; and a boy in the
+University dress, with long blue gown and yellow knee-breeches, was
+running to the wharf to look at the Indians.
+
+At last the carts were all loaded, the word was given to start, and
+then, what a scene ensued! Away went the mules, the horses and the
+donkeys; away ran men and women and children, carrying chairs and
+trunks, and boxes and bedding. The wind was blowing, and the dust
+whirled up as they dashed helter-skelter through the gate and started
+off on a hot race, down the dock to the depot. Two wagons came together,
+one of which was overturned, scattering the broken boxes of a Scotch
+family over the pavement; but while the poor woman was crying over her
+loss, the tide swept on, scarcely taking time to glance at the mishap.
+
+Our luggage was "passed" with little trouble; the officer merely opening
+the trunks and pressing his hands on the top. Even some American
+reprints of English works which my companion carried, and feared would
+be taken from him, were passed over without a word. I was agreeably
+surprised at this, as from the accounts of some travellers, I had been
+led to fear horrible things of custom-houses. This over, we took a
+stroll about the city. I was first struck by seeing so many people
+walking in the middle of the streets, and so many gentlemen going about
+with pinks stuck in their button-holes. Then, the houses being all built
+of brown granite or dark brick, gives the town a sombre appearance,
+which the sunshine (when there is any) cannot dispel. Of Liverpool we
+saw little. Before the twilight had wholly faded, we were again tossing
+on the rough waves of the Irish Sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+A DAY IN IRELAND.
+
+
+On calling at the steamboat office in Liverpool, to take passage to Port
+Rush, we found that the fare in the fore cabin was but two shillings and
+a half, while in the chief cabin it was six times as much. As I had
+started to make the tour of all Europe with a sum little higher than is
+sometimes given for the mere passage to and fro, there was no
+alternative--the twenty-four hours' discomfort could be more easily
+endured than the expense, and as I expected to encounter many hardships,
+it was best to make a beginning. I had crossed the ocean with tolerable
+comfort for twenty-four dollars, and was determined to try whether
+England, where I had been told it was almost impossible to breathe
+without expense, might not also be seen by one of limited means.
+
+The fore _cabin_ was merely a bare room, with a bench along one side,
+which was occupied by half a dozen Irishmen in knee-breeches and heavy
+brogans. As we passed out of the Clarence Dock at 10 P.M., I went below
+and managed to get a seat on one end of the bench, where I spent the
+night in sleepless misery. The Irish bestowed themselves about the floor
+as they best could, for there was no light, and very soon the Morphean
+deepness of their breathing gave token of blissful unconsciousness.
+
+The next morning was misty and rainy, but I preferred walking the deck
+and drying myself occasionally beside the chimney, to sitting in the
+dismal room below. We passed the Isle of Man, and through the whole
+forenoon were tossed about very disagreeably in the North Channel. In
+the afternoon we stopped at Larne, a little antiquated village, not far
+from Belfast, at the head of a crooked arm of the sea. There is an old
+ivy-grown tower near, and high green mountains rise up around. After
+leaving it, we had a beautiful panoramic view of the northern coast.
+Many of the precipices are of the same formation as the Causeway;
+Fairhead, a promontory of this kind, is grand in the extreme. The
+perpendicular face of fluted rock is about three hundred feet in height,
+and towering up sublimely from the water, seemed almost to overhang our
+heads.
+
+My companion compared it to Niagara Falls petrified; and I think the
+simile very striking. It is like a cataract falling in huge waves, in
+some places leaping out from a projecting rock, in others descending in
+an unbroken sheet.
+
+We passed the Giant's Causeway after dark, and about eleven o'clock
+reached the harbor of Port Rush, where, after stumbling up a strange old
+street, in the dark, we found a little inn, and soon forgot the Irish
+Coast and everything else.
+
+In the morning when we arose it was raining, with little prospect of
+fair weather, but having expected nothing better, we set out on foot for
+the Causeway. The rain, however, soon came down in torrents, and we were
+obliged to take shelter in a cabin by the road-side. The whole house
+consisted of one room, with bare walls and roof, and earthen floor,
+while a window of three or four panes supplied the light. A fire of peat
+was burning on the hearth, and their breakfast, of potatoes alone, stood
+on the table. The occupants received us with rude but genuine
+hospitality, giving us the only seats in the room to sit upon; except a
+rickety bedstead that stood in one corner and a small table, there was
+no other furniture in the house. The man appeared rather intelligent,
+and although he complained of the hardness of their lot, had no sympathy
+with O'Connell or the Repeal movement.
+
+We left this miserable hut, as soon as it ceased raining--and, though
+there were many cabins along the road, few were better than this. At
+length, after passing the walls of an old church, in the midst of older
+tombs, we saw the roofless towers of Dunluce Castle, on the sea-shore.
+It stands on an isolated rook, rising perpendicularly two hundred feet
+above the sea, and connected with the cliffs of the mainland by a narrow
+arch of masonry. On the summit of the cliffs were the remains of the
+buildings where the ancient lords kept their vassals. An old man, who
+takes care of it for Lord Antrim, on whose property it is situated,
+showed us the way down to the castle. We walked across the narrow arch,
+entered the ruined hall, and looked down on the roaring sea below. It
+still rained, the wind swept furiously through the decaying arches of
+the banqueting hall and waved the long grass on the desolate
+battlements. Far below, the sea foamed white on the breakers and sent up
+an unceasing boom. It was the most mournful and desolate picture I ever
+beheld. There were some low dungeons yet entire, and rude stairways,
+where, by stooping down, I could ascend nearly to the top of one of the
+towers, and look out on the wild scenery of the coast.
+
+Going back, I found a way down the cliff, to the mouth of a cavern in
+the rock, which extends under the whole castle to the sea. Sliding down
+a heap of sand and stones, I stood under an arch eighty feet high; in
+front the breakers dashed into the entrance, flinging the spray half-way
+to the roof, while the sound rang up through the arches like thunder. It
+seemed to me the haunt of the old Norsemen's sea-gods!
+
+We left the road near Dunluce and walked along the smooth beach to the
+cliffs that surround the Causeway. Here we obtained a guide, and
+descended to one of the caves which can be entered from the shore.
+Opposite the entrance a bare rock called Sea Gull Isle, rises out of the
+sea like a church steeple. The roof at first was low, but we shortly
+came to a branch that opened on the sea, where the arch was forty-six
+feet in height. The breakers dashed far into the cave, and flocks of
+sea-birds circled round its mouth. The sound of a gun was like a
+deafening peal of thunder, crashing from arch to arch till it rolled out
+of the cavern.
+
+On the top of the hill a splendid hotel is erected for visitors to the
+Causeway; after passing this we descended to the base of the cliffs,
+which are here upwards of four hundred feet high, and soon began to
+find, in the columnar formation of the rocks, indications of our
+approach. The guide pointed out some columns which appeared to have been
+melted and run together, from which Sir Humphrey Davy attributed the
+formation of the Causeway to the action of fire. Near this is the
+Giant's Well, a spring of the purest water, the bottom formed by three
+perfect hexagons, and the sides of regular columns. One of us observing
+that no giant had ever drunk from it, the old man answered--"Perhaps
+not: but it was made by a giant--God Almighty!"
+
+From the well, the Causeway commences--a mass of columns, from
+triangular to octagonal, lying in compact forms, and extending into the
+sea. I was somewhat disappointed at first, having supposed the Causeway
+to be of great height, but I found the Giant's Loom, which is the
+highest part of it, to be but about fifty feet from the water. The
+singular appearance of the columns and the many strange forms which they
+assume, render it nevertheless, an object of the greatest interest.
+Walking out on the rocks we came to the Ladies' Chair, the seat, back,
+sides and footstool, being all regularly formed by the broken columns.
+The guide said that any lady who would take three drinks from the
+Giant's Well, then sit in this chair and think of any gentleman for whom
+she had a preference, would be married before a twelvemonth. I asked him
+if it would answer as well for gentlemen, for by a wonderful coincidence
+we had each drank three times at the well! He said it would, and thought
+he was confirming his statement.
+
+A cluster of columns about half-way up the cliff is called the Giant's
+Organ--from its very striking resemblance to that instrument, and a
+single rock, worn by the waves into the shape of a rude seat, is his
+chair. A mile or two further along the coast, two cliffs project from
+the range, leaving a vast semicircular space between, which, from its
+resemblance to the old Roman theatres, was appropriated for that purpose
+by the Giant. Halfway down the crags are two or three pinnacles of rock,
+called the Chimneys, and the stumps of several others can be seen,
+which, it is said, were shot off by a vessel belonging to the Spanish
+Armada, in mistake for the towers of Dunluce Castle. The vessel was
+afterwards wrecked in the bay below, which has ever since been called
+Spanish Bay, and in calm weather the wreck may be still seen. Many of
+the columns of the Causeway have been carried off and sold as pillars
+for mantels--and though a notice is put up threatening any one with the
+rigor of the law, depredations are occasionally made.
+
+Returning, we left the road at Dunluce, and took a path which led along
+the summit of the cliffs. The twilight was gathering, and the wind blew
+with perfect fury, which, combined with the black and stormy sky, gave
+the coast an air of extreme wildness. All at once, as we followed the
+winding path, the crags appeared to open before us, disclosing a yawning
+chasm, down which a large stream, falling in an unbroken sheet, was lost
+in the gloom below. Witnessed in a calm day, there may perhaps be
+nothing striking about it, but coming upon us at once, through the gloom
+of twilight, with the sea thundering below and a scowling sky above, it
+was absolutely startling.
+
+The path at last wound, with many a steep and slippery bend, down the
+almost perpendicular crags, to the shore, at the foot of a giant
+isolated rock, having a natural arch through it, eighty feet in height.
+We followed the narrow strip of beach, having the bare crags on one side
+and a line of foaming breakers on the other. It soon grew dark; a
+furious storm came up and swept like a hurricane along the shore. I then
+understood what Horne means by "the lengthening javelins of the blast,"
+for every drop seemed to strike with the force of an arrow, and our
+clothes were soon pierced in every part.
+
+Then we went up among the sand hills, and lost each other in the
+darkness, when, after stumbling about among the gullies for half an
+hour, shouting for my companions, I found the road and heard my call
+answered; but it happened to be two Irishmen, who came up and said--"And
+is it another gintleman ye're callin' for? we heard some one cryin', and
+didn't know but somebody might be kilt."
+
+Finally, about eleven o'clock we all arrived at the inn, dripping with
+rain, and before a warm fire concluded the adventures of our day in
+Ireland.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+BEN LOMOND AND THE HIGHLAND LAKES.
+
+
+The steamboat Londonderry called the next day at Port Rush, and we left
+in her for Greenock. We ran down the Irish coast, past Dunluce Castle
+and the Causeway; the Giant's organ was very plainly visible, and the
+winds were strong enough to have sounded a storm-song upon it. Farther
+on we had a distant view of Carrick-a-Rede, a precipitous rock,
+separated by a yawning chasm from the shore, frequented by the catchers
+of sea-birds. A narrow swinging bridge, which is only passable in calm
+weather, crosses this chasm, 200 feet above the water.
+
+The deck of the steamer was crowded with Irish, and certainly gave no
+very favorable impression of the condition of the peasantry of Ireland.
+On many of their countenances there was scarcely a mark of
+intelligence--they were a most brutalized and degraded company of
+beings. Many of them were in a beastly state of intoxication, which,
+from the contents of some of their pockets, was not likely to decrease.
+As evening drew on, two or three began singing and the others collected
+in groups around them. One of them who sang with great spirit, was
+loudly applauded, and poured forth song after song, of the most rude and
+unrefined character.
+
+We took a deck passage for three shillings, in preference to paying
+twenty for the cabin, and having secured a vacant place near the
+chimney, kept it during the whole passage. The waves were as rough in
+the Channel as I ever saw them in the Atlantic, and our boat was tossed
+about like a plaything. By keeping still we escaped sickness, but we
+could not avoid the sight of the miserable beings who filled the deck.
+Many of them spoke in the Irish tongue, and our German friend (the
+student whom I have already mentioned) noticed in many of the words a
+resemblance to his mother tongue. I procured a bowl of soup from the
+steward, but as I was not able to eat it, I gave it to an old man whose
+hungry look and wistful eyes convinced me it would not be lost on him.
+He swallowed it with ravenous avidity, together with a crust of bread,
+which was all I had to give him, and seemed for the time as happy and
+cheerful as if all his earthly wants were satisfied.
+
+We passed by the foot of Goat Fell, a lofty mountain on the island of
+Arran, and sped on through the darkness past the hills of Bute, till we
+entered the Clyde. We arrived at Greenock at one o'clock at night, and
+walking at random through its silent streets, met a policeman, whom we
+asked to show us where we might find lodgings. He took my cousin and
+myself to the house of a poor widow, who had a spare bed which she let
+to strangers, and then conducted our comrade and the German to another
+lodging-place.
+
+An Irish strolling musician, who was on board the Dumbarton boat,
+commenced playing soon after we left Greenock, and, to my surprise,
+struck at once into "Hail Columbia." Then he gave "the Exile of Erin,"
+with the most touching sweetness; and I noticed that always after
+playing any air that was desired of him, he would invariably return to
+the sad lament, which I never heard executed with more feeling. It might
+have been the mild, soft air of the morning, or some peculiar mood of
+mind that influenced me, but I have been far less affected by music
+which would be considered immeasurably superior to his. I had been
+thinking of America, and going up to the old man, I quietly bade him
+play "Home." It thrilled with a painful delight that almost brought
+tears to my eyes. My companion started as the sweet melody arose, and
+turned towards me, his face kindling with emotion.
+
+Dumbarton Rock rose higher and higher as we went up the Clyde, and
+before we arrived at the town I hailed the dim outline of Ben Lomond,
+rising far off among the highlands. The town is at the head of a small
+inlet, a short distance from the rock, which was once surrounded by
+water. We went immediately to the Castle. The rock is nearly 500 feet
+high, and from its position and great strength as a fortress, has been
+called the Gibraltar of Scotland. The top is surrounded with
+battlements, and the armory and barracks stand in a cleft between the
+two peaks. We passed down a green lane, around the rock, and entered the
+castle on the south side. A soldier conducted us through a narrow cleft,
+overhung with crags, to the summit. Here, from the remains of a round
+building, called Wallace's Tower, from its having been used as a
+look-out station by that chieftain, we had a beautiful view of the whole
+of Leven Vale to Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and the Highlands, and on the
+other hand, the Clyde and the Isle of Bute. In the soft and still
+balminess of the morning, it was a lovely picture. In the armory, I
+lifted the sword of Wallace, a two-handed weapon, five feet in length.
+We were also shown a Lochaber battle-axe, from Bannockburn, and several
+ancient claymores.
+
+We lingered long upon the summit before we forsook the stern fortress
+for the sweet vale spread out before us. It was indeed a glorious walk,
+from Dumbarton to Loch Lomond, through this enchanting valley. The air
+was mild and clear; a few light clouds occasionally crossing the sun,
+chequered the hills with sun and shade. I have as yet seen nothing that
+in pastoral beauty can compare with its glassy winding stream, its mossy
+old woods, and guarding hills--and the ivy-grown, castellated towers
+embosomed in its forests, or standing on the banks of the Leven--the
+purest of rivers. At a little village called Renton, is a monument to
+Smollett, but the inhabitants seem to neglect his memory, as one of the
+tablets on the pedestal is broken and half fallen away. Further up the
+vale a farmer showed us an old mansion in the midst of a group of trees
+on the bank of the Leven, which he said belonged to Smollett--or
+Roderick Random, as he called him. Two or three old pear trees were
+still standing where the garden had formerly been, under which he was
+accustomed to play in his childhood.
+
+At the head of Leven Vale, we set off in the steamer "Water Witch" over
+the crystal waters of Loch Lomond, passing Inch Murrin, the deer-park of
+the Duke of Montrose, and Inch Caillach,
+
+    ----"where gray pines wave
+    Their shadows o'er Clan Alpine's grave."
+
+Under the clear sky and golden light of the declining sun, we entered
+the Highlands, and heard on every side names we had learned long ago in
+the lays of Scott. Here were Glen Fruin and Bannochar, Ross Dhu and the
+pass of Beal-ma-na. Further still, we passed Rob Roy's rock, where the
+lake is locked in by lofty mountains. The cone-like peak of Ben Lomond
+rises far above on the right, Ben Voirlich stands in front, and the
+jagged crest of Ben Arthur looks over the shoulders of the western
+hills. A Scotchman on board pointed out to us the remarkable places, and
+related many interesting legends. Above Inversnaid, where there is a
+beautiful waterfall, leaping over the rock and glancing out from the
+overhanging birches, we passed McFarland's Island, concerning the origin
+of which name, he gave a history. A nephew of one of the old Earls of
+Lennox, the ruins of whose castle we saw on Inch Murrin, having murdered
+his uncle's cook in a quarrel, was obliged to flee for his life.
+Returning after many years, he built a castle upon this island, which
+was always after named, on account of his exile, _Far-land_. On a
+precipitous point above Inversnaid, are two caves in the rock; one near
+the water is called Rob Roy's, though the guides generally call it
+Bruce's also, to avoid trouble, as the real Bruce's Cave is high up the
+hill. It is so called, because Bruce hid there one night, from the
+pursuit of his enemies. It is related that a mountain goat, who used
+this probably for a sleeping place, entered, trod on his mantle, and
+aroused him. Thinking his enemies were upon him, he sprang up, and saw
+the silly animal before him. In token of gratitude for this agreeable
+surprise, when he became king, a law was passed, declaring goats free
+throughout all Scotland--unpunishable for whatever trespass they might
+commit, and the legend further says, that not having been repealed, it
+continues in force at the present day.
+
+On the opposite shore of the lake is a large rock, called "Bull's Rock,"
+having a door in the side, with a stairway cut through the interior to a
+pulpit on the top, from which the pastor at Arroquhar preaches a monthly
+discourse. The Gaelic legend of the rock is, that it once stood near the
+summit of the mountain above, and was very nearly balanced on the edge
+of a precipice. Two wild bulls, fighting violently, dashed with great
+force against the rock, which, being thrown from its balance, was
+tumbled down the side of the mountain, till it reached its present
+position. The Scot was speaking with great bitterness of the betrayal of
+Wallace, when I asked him if it was still considered an insult to turn a
+loaf of bread bottom upwards in the presence of a Montieth. "Indeed it
+is, sir," said he, "I have often done it myself."
+
+Until last May, travellers were taken no higher up the lake than Rob
+Roy's Cave, but another boat having commenced running, they can now go
+beyond Loch Lomond, two miles up Glen Falloch, to the Inn of Inverarnan,
+thereby visiting some of the finest scenery in that part of the
+Highlands. It was ludicrous, however, to see the steamboat on a river
+scarcely wider than herself, in a little valley, hemmed in completely
+with lofty mountains. She went on, however, pushing aside the thickets
+which lined both banks, and I almost began to think she was going to
+take the shore for it, when we came to a place widened out for her to be
+turned around in; here we jumped ashore in a green meadow, on which the
+cool mist was beginning to descend.
+
+When we arose in the morning, at 4 o'clock, to return with the boat, the
+sun was already shining upon the westward hills, scarcely a cloud was in
+the sky, and the air was pure and cool. To our great delight Ben Lomond
+was unshrouded, and we were told that a more favorable day for the
+ascent had not occurred for two months. We left the boat at Rowardennan,
+an inn at the southern base of Ben Lomond. After breakfasting on Loch
+Lomond trout, I stole out to the shore while my companions were
+preparing for the ascent, and made a hasty sketch of the lake.
+
+We purposed descending on the northern side and crossing the Highlands
+to Loch Katrine; though it was represented as difficult and dangerous by
+the guide who wished to accompany us, we determined to run the risk of
+being enveloped in a cloud on the summit, and so set out alone, the path
+appearing plain before us. We had no difficulty in following it up the
+lesser heights, around the base. It wound on, over rock and bog, among
+the heather and broom with which the mountain is covered, sometimes
+running up a steep acclivity, and then winding zigzag round a rocky
+ascent. The rains two days before, had made the bogs damp and muddy, but
+with this exception, we had little trouble for some time. Ben Lomond is
+a doubly formed mountain. For about three-fourths of the way there is a
+continued ascent, when it is suddenly terminated by a large barren
+plain, from one end of which the summit shoots up abruptly, forming at
+the north side, a precipice 500 feet high. As we approached the summit
+of the first part of the mountain, the way became very steep and
+toilsome; but the prospect, which had before been only on the south
+side, began to open on the east, and we saw suddenly spread out below
+us, the vale of Menteith, with "far Loch Ard and Aberfoil" in the
+centre, and the huge front of Benvenue filling up the picture. Taking
+courage from this, we hurried on. The heather had become stunted and
+dwarfish, and the ground was covered with short brown grass. The
+mountain sheep, which we saw looking at us from the rock above, had worn
+so many paths along the side, that we could not tell which to take, but
+pushed on in the direction of the summit, till thinking it must be near
+at hand, we found a mile and a half of plain before us, with the top of
+Ben Lomond at the farther end. The plain was full of wet moss, crossed
+in all directions by deep ravines or gullies worn in it by the mountain
+rains, and the wind swept across with a tempest-like force.
+
+I met, near the base, a young gentleman from Edinburgh, who had left
+Rowardennan before us, and we commenced ascending together. It was hard
+work, but neither liked to stop, so we climbed up to the first resting
+place, and found the path leading along the brink of a precipice. We
+soon attained the summit, and climbing up a little mound of earth and
+stones, I saw the half of Scotland at a glance. The clouds hung just
+above the mountain tops, which rose all around like the waves of a
+mighty sea. On every side--near and far--stood their misty summits, but
+Ben Lomond was the monarch of them all. Loch Lomond lay unrolled under
+my feet like a beautiful map, and just opposite, Loch Long thrust its
+head from between the feet of the crowded hills, to catch a glimpse of
+the giant. We could see from Ben Nevis to Ayr--from Edinburgh to Staffa.
+Stirling and Edinburgh Castles would have been visible, but that the
+clouds hung low in the valley of the Forth and hid them from our sight.
+
+The view from Ben Lomond is nearly twice as extensive as that from
+Catskill, being uninterrupted on every side, but it wants the glorious
+forest scenery, clear, blue sky, and active, rejoicing character of the
+latter. We stayed about two hours upon the summit, taking refuge behind
+the cairn, when the wind blew strong. I found the smallest of flowers
+under a rock, and brought it away as a memento. In the middle of the
+precipice there is a narrow ravine or rather cleft in the rock, to the
+bottom, from whence the mountain slopes regularly but steeply down to
+the valley. At the bottom we stopped to awake the echoes, which were
+repeated four times; our German companion sang the Hunter's Chorus,
+which resounded magnificently through this Highland hall. We drank from
+the river Forth, which starts from a spring at the foot of the rock, and
+then commenced descending. This was also toilsome enough. The mountain
+was quite wet and covered with loose stones, which, dislodged by our
+feet, went rattling down the side, oftentimes to the danger of the
+foremost ones; and when we had run or rather slid down the three miles,
+to the bottom, our knees trembled so as scarcely to support us.
+
+Here, at a cottage on the farm of Coman, we procured some oat cakes and
+milk for dinner, from an old Scotch woman, who pointed out the direction
+of Loch Katrine, six miles distant; there was no road, nor indeed a
+solitary dwelling between. The hills were bare of trees, covered with
+scraggy bushes and rough heath, which in some places was so thick we
+could scarcely drag our feet through. Added to this, the ground was
+covered with a kind of moss that retained the moisture like a sponge, so
+that our boots ere long became thoroughly soaked. Several considerable
+streams were rushing down the side, and many of the wild breed of black
+Highland cattle were grazing around. After climbing up and down one or
+two heights, occasionally startling the moorcock and ptarmigan from
+their heathery coverts, we saw the valley of Loch Con; while in the
+middle of the plain on the top of the mountain we had ascended, was a
+sheet of water which we took to be Loch Ackill. Two or three wild fowl
+swimming on its surface were the only living things in sight. The peaks
+around shut it out from all view of the world; a single decayed tree
+leaned over it from a mossy rock, which gave the whole scene an air of
+the most desolate wildness. I forget the name of the lake; but we
+learned afterwards that the Highlanders consider it the abode of the
+fairies, or "men of peace," and that it is still superstitiously shunned
+by them after nightfall.
+
+From the next mountain we saw Loch Ackill and Loch Katrine below, but a
+wet and weary descent had yet to be made. I was about throwing off my
+knapsack on a rock, to take a sketch of Loch Katrine, which appeared
+very beautiful from this point, when we discerned a cavalcade of ponies
+winding along the path from Inversnaid, to the head of the lake, and
+hastened down to take the boat when they should arrive. Our haste turned
+out to be unnecessary, however, for they had to wait for their luggage,
+which was long in coming. Two boatmen then offered to take us for two
+shillings and sixpence each, with the privilege of stopping at Ellen's
+Isle; the regular fare being two shillings. We got in, when, after
+exchanging a few words in Gaelic, one of them called to the travellers,
+of whom there were a number, to come and take passage at two
+shillings--then at one and sixpence, and finally concluded by requesting
+them all to step on board the shilling boat! At length, having secured
+nine at this reduced price, we pushed off; one of the passengers took
+the helm, and the boat glided merrily over the clear water.
+
+It appears there is some opposition among the boatmen this summer, which
+is all the better for travelers. They are a bold race, and still
+preserve many of the characteristics of the clan from which they sprung.
+One of ours, who had a chieftain-like look, was a MacGregor, related to
+Rob Roy. The fourth descendant in a direct line, now inhabits the Rob
+Roy mansion, at Glengyle, a valley at the head of the lake. A small
+steamboat was put upon Loch Katrine a short time ago, but the boatmen,
+jealous of this new invasion of their privilege, one night towed her out
+to the middle of the lake and there sunk her.
+
+Near the point of Brianchoil is a very small island with a few trees
+upon it, of which the boatman related a story that was new to me. He
+said an eccentric individual, many years ago, built his house upon
+it--but it was soon beaten down by the winds and waves. Having built it
+up with like fortune several times, he at last desisted, saying, "bought
+wisdom was the best;" since when it has been called the Island of
+Wisdom. On the shore below, the boatman showed us his cottage. The whole
+family were out at the door to witness our progress; he hoisted a flag,
+and when we came opposite, they exchanged shouts in Gaelic. As our men
+resumed their oars again, we assisted in giving three cheers, which made
+the echoes of Benvenue ring again. Some one observed his dog, looking
+after us from a projecting rock, when he called out to him, "go home,
+you brute!" We asked him why he did not speak Gaelic also to his dog.
+
+"Very few dogs, indeed," said he, "understand Gaelic, but they all
+understand English. And we therefore all use English when speaking to
+our dogs; indeed, I know some persons, who know nothing of English, that
+speak it to their dogs!"
+
+They then sang, in a rude manner, a Gaelic song. The only word I could
+distinguish was Inch Caillach, the burying place of Clan Alpine. They
+told us it was the answer of a Highland girl to a foreign lord, who
+wished to make her his bride. Perhaps, like the American Indian, she
+would not leave the graves of her fathers. As we drew near the eastern
+end of the lake, the scenery became far more beautiful. The Trosachs
+opened before us. Ben Ledi looked down over the "forehead bare" of Ben
+An, and, as we turned a rocky point, Ellen's Isle rose up in front. It
+is a beautiful little turquoise in the silver setting of Loch Katrine.
+The northern side alone is accessible, all the others being rocky and
+perpendicular, and thickly grown with trees. We rounded the island to
+the little bay, bordered by the silver strand, above which is the rock
+from which Fitz-James wound his horn, and shot under an ancient oak
+which flung its long grey arms over the water; we here found a flight of
+rocky steps, leading to the top, where stood the bower erected by Lady
+Willoughby D'Eresby, to correspond with Scott's description. Two or
+three blackened beams are all that remain of it, having been burned down
+some years ago, by the carelessness of a traveler.
+
+The mountains stand all around, like giants, to "sentinel this enchanted
+land." On leaving the island, we saw the Goblin's Cave, in the side of
+Benvenue, called by the Gaels, "Coirnan-Uriskin." Near it is
+Beal-nam-bo, the pass of cattle, overhung with grey weeping birch trees.
+Here the boatmen stopped to let us hear the fine echo, and the names of
+"Rob Roy," and "Roderick Dhu," were sent back to us apparently as loud
+as they were given. The description of Scott is wonderfully exact,
+though the forest that feathered o'er the sides of Benvenue, has since
+been cut down and sold by the Duke of Montrose. When we reached the end
+of the lake it commenced raining, and we hastened on through the pass of
+Beal-an-Duine, scarcely taking time to glance at the scenery, till Loch
+Achray appeared through the trees, and on its banks the ivy-grown front
+of the inn of Ardcheancrochan, with its unpronounceable name.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE BURNS FESTIVAL.
+
+
+We passed a glorious summer morning on the banks of Loch Katrine. The
+air was pure, fresh and balmy, and the warm sunshine glowed upon forest
+and lake, upon dark crag and purple mountain-top. The lake was a scene
+in fairy-land. Returning over the rugged battle-plain in the jaws of the
+Trosachs, we passed the wild, lonely valley of Glenfinlas and Lanric
+Mead, at the head of Loch Vennachar, rounding the foot of Ben Ledi to
+Coilantogle Ford. We saw the desolate hills of Uam-var over which the
+stag fled from his lair in Glenartney, and keeping on through Callander,
+stopped for the night at a little inn on the banks of the Teith. The
+next day we walked through Doune, over the lowlands to Stirling.
+Crossing Allan Water and the Forth, we climbed Stirling Castle and
+looked on the purple peaks of the Ochill Mountains, the far Grampians,
+and the battle-fields of Bannockburn and Sheriff Muir. Our German
+comrade, feeling little interest in the memory of the poet-ploughman,
+left in the steamboat for Edinburg; we mounted an English coach and rode
+to Falkirk, where we took the cars for Glasgow in order to attend the
+Burns Festival, on the 6th of August.
+
+This was a great day for Scotland--the assembling of all classes to do
+honor to the memory of her peasant-bard. And right fitting was it, too,
+that such a meeting should be hold on the banks of the Doon, the stream
+of which he has sung so sweetly, within sight of the cot where he was
+born, the beautiful monument erected by his countrymen, and more than
+all, beside "Alloway's witch-haunted wall!" One would think old Albyn
+would rise up at the call, and that from the wild hunters of the
+northern hills to the shepherds of the Cheviots, half her honest
+yeomanry would be there, to render gratitude to the memory of the sweet
+bard who was one of them, and who gave their wants and their woes such
+eloquent utterance.
+
+For months before had the proposition been made to hold a meeting on the
+Doon, similar to the Shakspeare Festival on the Avon, and the 10th of
+July was first appointed for the day, but owing to the necessity of
+further time for preparation, it was postponed until the 6th of August.
+The Earl of Eglintoun was chosen Chairman, and Professor Wilson
+Vice-Chairman; in addition to this, all the most eminent British authors
+were invited to attend. A pavilion, capable of containing two thousand
+persons, had been erected near the monument, in a large field, which was
+thrown open to the public. Other preparations were made and the meeting
+was expected to be of the most interesting character.
+
+When we arose it was raining, and I feared that the weather might dampen
+somewhat the pleasures of the day, as it had done to the celebrated
+tournament at Eglintoun Castle. We reached the station in time for the
+first train, and sped in the face of the wind over the plains of
+Ayrshire, which, under such a gloomy sky, looked most desolate. We ran
+some distance along the coast, having a view of the Hills of Arran, and
+reached Ayr about nine o'clock. We came first to the New Bridge, which
+had a triumphal arch in the middle, and the lines, from the "Twa Brigs
+of Ayr:"
+
+    "Will your poor narrow foot-path of a street,
+    Where twa wheel-barrows tremble when they meet,
+    Your ruin'd, formless bulk o' stane and lime,
+    Compare wi' bonnie brigs o' modern time?"
+
+While on the arch of the 'old brig' was the reply:
+
+    "I'll be a brig when ye're a shapeless stane."
+
+As we advanced into the town, the decorations became more frequent. The
+streets were crowded with people carrying banners and wreaths, many of
+the houses were adorned with green boughs and the vessels in the harbor
+hung out all their flags. We saw the Wallace Tower, a high Gothic
+building, having in front a statue of Wallace leaning on his sword, by
+Thom, a native of Ayr, and on our way to the green, where the procession
+was to assemble, passed under the triumphal arch thrown across the
+street opposite the inn where Tarn O'Shanter caroused so long with
+Souter Johnny. Leaving the companies to form on the long meadow
+bordering the shore, we set out for the Doon, three miles distant.
+Beggars were seated at regular distances along the road, uttering the
+most dolorous whinings. Both bridges were decorated in the same manner,
+with miserable looking objects, keeping up, during the whole day, a
+continual lamentation. Persons are prohibited from begging in England
+and Scotland, but I suppose, this being an extraordinary day, license
+was given them as a favor, to beg free. I noticed that the women, with
+their usual kindness of heart, bestowed nearly all the alms which these
+unfortunate objects received. The night before, as I was walking through
+the streets of Glasgow, a young man of the poorer class, very scantily
+dressed, stepped up to me and begged me to listen to him for a moment.
+He spoke hurriedly, and agitatedly, begging me, in God's name, to give
+him something, however little. I gave him what few pence I had with me,
+when he grasped my hand with a quick motion, saying: "Sir, you little
+think how much you have done for me." I was about to inquire more
+particularly into his situation, but he had disappeared among the crowd.
+
+We passed the "cairn where hunters found the murdered bairn," along a
+pleasant road to the Burns cottage, where it was spanned by a
+magnificent triumphal arch of evergreens and flowers. To the disgrace of
+Scotland, this neat little thatched cot, where Burns passed the first
+seven years of his life, is now occupied by somebody, who has stuck up a
+sign over the door, "_licensed to retail spirits, to be drunk on the
+premises_;" and accordingly the rooms were crowded full of people, all
+drinking. There was a fine original portrait of Burns in one room, and
+in the old fashioned kitchen we saw the recess where he was born. The
+hostess looked towards us as if to inquire what we would drink, and I
+hastened away--there was profanity in the thought. But by this time, the
+bell of Old Alloway, which still hangs in its accustomed place, though
+the walls only are left, began tolling, and we obeyed the call. The
+attachment of the people for this bell, is so great, that a short time
+ago, when it was ordered to be removed, the inhabitants rose en masse,
+and prevented it. The ruin, which is close by the road, stands in the
+middle of the church-yard, and the first thing I saw, on going in the
+gate, was the tomb of the father of Burns. I looked in the old window,
+but the interior was filled with rank weeds, and overshadowed by a young
+tree, which had grown nearly to the eaves.
+
+The crowd was now fast gathering in the large field, in the midst of
+which the pavilion was situated. We went down by the beautiful monument
+to Burns, to the "Auld Brig o' Doon," which was spanned by an arch of
+evergreens, containing a representation of Tam O'Shanter and his grey
+mare, pursued by the witches. It had been arranged that the procession
+was to pass over the old and new bridges, and from thence by a temporary
+bridge over the hedge into the field. At this latter place a stand was
+erected for the sons of Burns, the officers of the day, and
+distinguished guests. Here was a beautiful specimen of English
+exclusiveness. The space adjoining the pavilion was fenced around, and
+admittance denied at first to any, except those who had tickets for the
+dinner, which, the price being fifteen shillings, entirely prevented the
+humble laborers, who, more than all, should participate on the occasion,
+from witnessing the review of the procession by the sons of Burns, and
+hearing the eloquent speeches of Professor Wilson and Lord Eglintoun.
+Thus, of the many thousands who were in the field, but a few hundred who
+were crowded between the bridge and the railing around the pavilion,
+enjoyed the interesting spectacle. By good fortune, I obtained a stand,
+where I had an excellent view of the scene. The sons of Burns were in
+the middle of the platform, with Eglintoun on the right, and Wilson on
+their left. Mrs. Begg, sister of the Poet, with her daughters, stood by
+the Countess of Eglintoun. She was a plain, benevolent looking woman,
+dressed in black, and appearing still active and vigorous, though she is
+upwards of eighty years old. She bears some likeness, especially in the
+expression of her eye, to the Poet. Robert Burns, the oldest son,
+appeared to me to have a strong resemblance of his father, and it is
+said he is the only one who remembers his face. He has for a long time
+had an office under Government, in London. The others have but lately
+returned from a residence of twenty years in India. Professor Wilson
+appeared to enter into the spirit of the scene better than any of them.
+He shouted and waved his hat, and, with his fine, broad forehead, his
+long brown locks already mixed with gray, streaming over his shoulders,
+and that eagle eye glancing over the vast assemblage, seemed a real
+Christopher North, yet full of the fire and vigor of youth--"a
+gray-haired, happy boy!"
+
+About half of the procession consisted of lodges of masons, all of whom
+turned out on the occasion, as Burns was one of the fraternity. I was
+most interested in several companies of shepherds, from the hills, with
+their crooks and plaids; a body of archers in Lincoln green, with a
+handsome chief at their head, and some Highlanders in their most
+picturesque of costumes. As one of the companies, which carried a
+mammoth thistle in a box, came near the platform, Wilson snatched a
+branch, regardless of its pricks, and placed it on his coat. After this
+pageant, which could not have been much less than three miles long, had
+passed, a band was stationed on the platform in the centre of the field,
+around which it formed in a circle, and the whole company sang, "Ye
+Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon." Just at this time, a person dressed to
+represent Tam O'Shanter, mounted on a gray mare, issued from a field
+near the Burns Monument and rode along towards Alloway Kirk, from which,
+when he approached it, a whole legion of witches sallied out and
+commenced a hot pursuit. They turned back, however, at the keystone of
+the bridge, the witch with the "cutty sark" holding up in triumph the
+abstracted tail of Maggie. Soon after this the company entered the
+pavilion, and the thousands outside were entertained, as an especial
+favor, by the band of the 87th Regiment, while from the many liquor
+booths around the field, they could enjoy themselves in another way.
+
+We went up to the Monument, which was of more particular interest to us,
+from the relics within, but admission was denied to all. Many persons
+were collected around the gate, some of whom, having come from a great
+distance, were anxious to see it; but the keeper only said, such were
+the orders and he could not disobey them. Among the crowd, a grandson of
+the original Tam O'Shanter was shown to us. He was a raw-looking boy of
+nineteen or twenty, wearing a shepherd's cap and jacket, and muttered
+his disapprobation very decidedly, at not being able to visit the
+Monument.
+
+There were one or two showers during the day, and the sky, all the time,
+was dark and lowering, which was unfavorable for the celebration; but
+all were glad enough that the rain kept aloof till the ceremonies were
+nearly over. The speeches delivered at the dinner, which appeared in the
+papers next morning, are undoubtedly very eloquent. I noticed in the
+remarks of Robert Burns, in reply to Professor Wilson, an acknowledgment
+which the other speakers forgot. He said, "The Sons of Burns have
+grateful hearts, and to the last hour of their existence, they will
+remember the honor that has been paid them this day, by the noble, the
+lovely and the talented, of their native land--by men of genius and
+kindred spirit from our sister land--and lastly, they owe their thanks
+to the inhabitants of the far distant west, a country of a great, free,
+and kindred people! (loud cheers.)" In connexion with this subject, I
+saw an anecdote of the Poet, yesterday, which is not generally known.
+During his connexion with the Excise, he was one day at a party, where
+the health of Pitt, then minister, was proposed, as "his master and
+theirs." He immediately turned down his glass and said, "I will give you
+the health of a far greater and better man--GEORGE WASHINGTON!"
+
+We left the field early and went back through the muddy streets of Ayr.
+The street before the railway office was crowded, and there was so dense
+a mass of people on the steps, that it seemed almost impossible to get
+near. Seeing no other chance, I managed to take my stand on the lowest
+steps, where the pressure of the crowd behind and the working of the
+throng on the steps, raised me off my feet, and in about a quarter of an
+hour carried me, compressed into the smallest possible space, up the
+steps to the door, where the crowd burst in by fits, like water rushing
+out of a bottle. We esteemed ouvselves fortunate in getting room to
+stand in an open car, where, after a two hours' ride through the wind
+and pelting rain, we arrived at Glasgow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+WALK FROM EDINBURG OVER THE BORDER AND ARRIVAL AT LONDON.
+
+
+We left Glasgow on the morning after returning from the Burns Festival,
+taking passage in the open cars for Edinburg, for six shillings. On
+leaving the depot, we plunged into the heart of the hill on which
+Glasgow Cathedral stands and were whisked through darkness and sulphury
+smoke to daylight again. The cars bore us past a spur of the Highlands,
+through a beautiful country where women were at work in the fields, to
+Linlithgow, the birth-place of Queen Mary. The majestic ruins of its
+once-proud palace, stand on a green meadow behind the town. In another
+hour we were walking through Edinburg, admiring its palace-like
+edifices, and stopping every few minutes to gaze up at some lofty
+monument. Really, thought I, we call Baltimore the "Monumental City" for
+its two marble columns, and here is Edinburg with one at every
+street-corner! These, too, not in the midst of glaring red buildings,
+where they seem to have been accidentally dropped, but framed in by
+lofty granite mansions, whose long vistas make an appropriate background
+to the picture.
+
+We looked from Calton Hill on Salisbury Crags and over the Firth of
+Forth, then descended to dark old Holyrood, where the memory of lovely
+Mary lingers like a stray sunbeam in her cold halls, and the fair,
+boyish face of Rizzio looks down from the canvass on the armor of his
+murderer. We threaded the Canongate and climbed to the Castle; and
+finally, after a day and a half's sojourn, buckled on our knapsacks and
+marched out of the Northern Athens. In a short time the tall spire of
+Dalkeith appeared above the green wood, and we saw to the right, perched
+on the steep banks of the Esk, the picturesque cottage of Hawthornden,
+where Drummond once lived in poetic solitude. We made haste to cross the
+dreary waste of the Muirfoot Hills before nightfall, from the highest
+summit of which we took a last view of Edinburg Castle and the Salisbury
+Crags, then blue in the distance. Far to the east were the hills of
+Lammermuir and the country of Mid-Lothian lay before us. It was all
+_Scott_-land. The inn of Torsonce, beside the Gala Water, was our
+resting-place for the night. As we approached Galashiels the next
+morning, where the bed of the silver Gala is nearly emptied by a number
+of dingy manufactories, the hills opened, disclosing the sweet vale of
+the Tweed, guarded by the triple peak of the Eildon, at whose base lay
+nestled the village of Melrose.
+
+I stopped at a bookstore to purchase a view of the Abbey; to my surprise
+nearly half the works were by American authors. There wore Bryant,
+Longfellow, Channing, Emerson, Dana, Ware and many others. The
+bookseller told me he had sold more of Ware's Letters than any other
+book in his store, "and also," to use his own words, "an immense number
+of the great Dr. Channing." I have seen English editions of Percival,
+Willis, Whittier and Mrs. Sigourney, but Bancroft and Prescott are
+classed among the "standard _British_ historians."
+
+Crossing the Gala we ascended a hill on the road to Selkirk, and behold!
+the Tweed ran below, and opposite, in the midst of embowering trees
+planted by the hand of Scott, rose the grey halls of Abbotsford. We went
+down a lane to the banks of the swift stream, but finding no ferry,
+B---- and I, as it looked very shallow, thought we might save a long
+walk by wading across. F---- preferred hunting for a boat; we two set
+out together, with our knapsacks on our backs, and our boots in our
+hands. The current was ice-cold and very swift, and as the bed was
+covered with loose stones, it required the greatest care to stand
+upright. Looking at the bottom, through the rapid water, made my head so
+giddy, I was forced to stop and shut my eyes; my friend, who had firmer
+nerves, went plunging on to a deeper and swifter part, where the
+strength of the current made him stagger very unpleasantly. I called to
+him to return; the next thing I saw, he gave a plunge and went down to
+the shoulder in the cold flood. While he was struggling with a
+frightened expression of face to recover his footing, I leaned on my
+staff and laughed till I was on the point of falling also. To crown our
+mortification, F---- had found a ferry a few yards higher up and was on
+the opposite shore, watching us wade back again, my friend with dripping
+clothes and boots full of water. I could not forgive the pretty Scotch
+damsel who rowed us across, the mischievous lurking smile which told
+that she too had witnessed the adventure.
+
+We found a foot-path on the other side, which led through a young forest
+to Abbotsford. Rude pieces of sculpture, taken from Melrose Abbey, were
+scattered around the gate, some half buried in the earth and overgrown
+with weeds. The niches in the walls were filled with pieces of
+sculpture, and an antique marble greyhound reposed in the middle of the
+court yard. We rang the bell in an outer vestibule, ornamented with
+several pairs of antlers, when a lady appeared, who, from her
+appearance, I have no doubt was Mrs. Ormand, the "Duenna of Abbotsford,"
+so humorously described by D'Arlincourt, in his "Three Kingdoms." She
+ushered us into the entrance hall, which has a magnificent ceiling of
+carved oak and is lighted by lofty stained windows. An effigy of a
+knight in armor stood at either end, one holding a huge two-handed sword
+found on Bosworth Field; the walls were covered with helmets and
+breastplates of the olden time.
+
+Among the curiosities in the Armory are Napoleon's pistols, the
+blunderbuss of Hofer, Rob Roy's purse and gun, and the offering box of
+Queen Mary. Through the folding doors between the dining-room,
+drawing-room and library, is a fine vista, terminated by a niche, in
+which stands Chantrey's bust of Scott. The ceilings are of carved
+Scottish oak and the doors of American cedar. Adjoining the library is
+his study, the walls of which are covered with books; the doors and
+windows are double, to render it quiet and undisturbed. His books and
+inkstand are on the table and his writing-chair stands before it, as if
+he had left them but a moment before. In a little closet adjoining,
+where he kept his private manuscripts, are the clothes he last wore, his
+cane and belt, to which a hammer and small axe are attached, and his
+sword. A narrow staircase led from the study to his sleeping room above,
+by which he could come down at night and work while his family slept.
+The silence about the place is solemn and breathless, as if it waited to
+be broken by his returning footstep. I felt an awe in treading these
+lonely halls, like that which impressed me before the grave of
+Washington--a feeling that hallowed the spot, as if there yet lingered a
+low vibration of the lyre, though the minstrel had departed forever!
+
+Plucking a wild rose that grew near the walls, I left Abbotsford,
+embosomed among the trees, and turned into a green lane that led down to
+Melrose. We went immediately to the Abbey, in the lower part of the
+village, near the Tweed. As I approached the gate, the porteress came
+out, and having scrutinized me rather sharply, asked my name. I told
+her;--"well," she added, "there is a _prospect_ here for you." Thinking
+she alluded to the ruin, I replied: "Yes, the view is certainly very
+fine." "Oh! I don't mean that," she replied, "a young gentleman left a
+prospect here for you!"--whereupon she brought out a spy-glass, which I
+recognized us one that our German comrade had given to me. He had gone
+on, and hoped to meet us at Jedburgh.
+
+Melrose is the finest remaining specimen of Gothic architecture in
+Scotland. Some of the sculptured flowers in the cloister arches are
+remarkably beautiful and delicate, and the two windows--the south and
+east oriels--are of a lightness and grace of execution really
+surprising. We saw the tomb of Michael Scott, of King Alexander II, and
+that of the Douglas, marked with a sword. The heart of Bruce is supposed
+to have been buried beneath the high altar. The chancel is all open to
+the sky, and rooks build their nests among the wild ivy that climbs over
+the crumbling arches. One of these came tamely down and perched upon the
+hand of our fair guide. By a winding stair in one of the towers we
+mounted to the top of the arch and looked down on the grassy floor. I
+sat on the broken pillar, which Scott always used for a seat when he
+visited the Abbey, and read the disinterring of the magic book, in the
+"Lay of the Last Minstrel." I never comprehended its full beauty till
+then: the memory of Melrose will give it a thrilling interest, in the
+future. When we left, I was willing to say, with the Minstrel:
+
+    "Was never scene so sad and fair!"
+
+After seeing the home and favorite haunt of Scott, we felt a wish to
+stand by his grave, but we had Ancrum Moor to pass before night, and the
+Tweed was between us and Dryburgh Abbey. We did not wish to try another
+watery adventure, and therefore walked on to the village of Ancrum,
+where a gate-keeper on the road gave us lodging and good fare, for a
+moderate price. Many of this class practise this double employment, and
+the economical traveller, who looks more to comfort than luxury, will
+not fail to patronize them.
+
+Next morning we took a foot-path over the hills to Jedburgh. From the
+summit there was a lovely view of the valley of the Teviot, with the
+blue Cheviots in the distance. I thought of Pringle's beautiful
+farewell:
+
+    "Our native land, our native vale,
+       A long, a last adieu,
+     farewell to bonny Teviot-dale,
+       And Cheviot's mountains blue!"
+
+The poet was born in the valley below, and one that looks upon its
+beauty cannot wonder how his heart clung to the scenes he was leaving.
+We saw Jedburgh and its majestic old Abbey, and ascended the valley of
+the Jed towards the Cheviots. The hills, covered with woods of a
+richness and even gorgeous beauty of foliage, shut out this lovely glen
+completely from the world. I found myself continually coveting the
+lonely dwellings that were perched on the rocky heights, or nestled,
+like a fairy pavilion, in the lap of a grove. These forests formerly
+furnished the wood for the celebrated Jedwood axe, used in the Border
+forays.
+
+As we continued ascending, the prospect behind us widened, till we
+reached the summit of the Carter Fell, whence there is a view of great
+extent and beauty. The Eildon Hills, though twenty-five miles distant,
+seemed in the foreground of the picture. With a glass, Edinburgh Castle
+might be seen over the dim outline of the Muirfoot Hills. After crossing
+the border, we passed the scene of the encounter between Percy and
+Douglass, celebrated in "Chevy Chase," and at the lonely inn of
+Whitelee, in the valley below, took up our quarters for the night.
+
+Travellers have described the Cheviots as being bleak and uninteresting.
+Although they are bare and brown, to me the scenery was of a character
+of beauty entirely original. They are not rugged and broken like the
+Highlands, but lift their round backs gracefully from the plain, while
+the more distant ranges are clad in many an airy hue. Willis quaintly
+and truly remarks, that travellers only tell you the picture produced in
+their own brain by what they see, otherwise the world would be like a
+pawnbroker's shop, where each traveller wears the cast-off clothes of
+others. Therefore let no one, of a gloomy temperament, journeying over
+the Cheviots in dull November, arraign me for having falsely praised
+their beauty.
+
+I was somewhat amused with seeing a splendid carriage with footmen and
+outriders, crossing the mountain, the glorious landscape full in view,
+containing a richly dressed lady, _fast asleep!_ It is no uncommon thing
+to meet carriages in the Highlands, in which the occupants are
+comfortably reading, while being whirled through the finest scenery. And
+_apropos_ of this subject, my German friend related to me an incident.
+His brother was travelling on the Rhine, and when in the midst of the
+grandest scenes, met a carriage containing an English gentleman and
+lady, both asleep, while on the seat behind was stationed an artist,
+sketching away with all his might. He asked the latter the reason of his
+industry, when he answered, "Oh! my lord wishes to see every night what
+he has passed during the day, and so I sketch as we go along!"
+
+The hills, particularly on the English side, are covered with flocks of
+sheep, and lazy shepherds lay basking in the sun, among the purple
+heather, with their shaggy black dogs beside them. On many of the hills
+are landmarks, by which, when the snow has covered all the trucks, they
+can direct their way. After walking many miles through green valleys,
+down which flowed the Red Water, its very name telling of the conflicts
+which had crimsoned its tide, we came to the moors, and ten miles of
+blacker, drearier waste I never saw. Before entering them we passed the
+pretty little village of Otterburn, near the scene of the battle. I
+brought away a wild flower that grew on soil enriched by the blood of
+the Percys. On the village inn, is their ancient coat of arms, a lion
+rampant, on a field of gold, with the motto, "_Esperance en Dieu_."
+Scarcely a house or a tree enlivened the black waste, and even the road
+was marked on each side by high poles, to direct the traveller in
+winter. We were glad when at length the green fields came again in
+sight, and the little village of Whelpington Knowes, with its old
+ivy-grown church tower, welcomed us after the lonely walk.
+
+As one specimen of the intelligence of this part of England, we saw a
+board conspicuously posted at the commencement of a private road,
+declaring that "all persons travelling this way will be _persecuted_."
+As it led to a _church_, however, there may have been a design in the
+expression.
+
+On the fifth day after leaving Edinburgh, we reached a hill, overlooking
+the valley of the Tyne and the German Ocean, as sunset was reddening in
+the west. A cloud of coal-smoke made us aware of the vicinity of
+Newcastle. On the summit of the hill a large cattle fair was being held,
+and crowds of people were gathered in and around a camp of gaudily
+decorated tents. Fires were kindled here and there, and drinking,
+carousing and horse-racing were flourishing in full vigor.
+
+We set out one morning to hunt the Roman Wall. Passing the fine
+buildings in the centre of the city and the lofty monument to Earl Grey,
+we went towards the western gate and soon came to the ruins of a
+building, about whose origin there could be no doubt. It stood there,
+blackened by the rust of ages, a remnant of power passed away. There was
+no mistaking the massive round tower, with its projecting ornaments,
+such as are often seen in the ruder works of the Romans. On each side a
+fragment of wall remained standing, and there appeared to be a chamber
+in the interior, which was choked up with rubbish. There is another
+tower, much higher, in a public square in another part of the city, a
+portion of which is fitted up as a dwelling for the family which takes
+care of it; but there was such a ridiculous contrast between the
+ivy-grown top, and the handsome modern windows and doors of the lower
+story, that it did not impress me half as much as the other, with all
+its neglect. These are the farthest limits of that power whose mighty
+works I hope hereafter to view at the seat of her grandeur and glory.
+
+I witnessed a scene at Newcastle that cannot soon be forgotten; as it
+showed more plainly than I had before an opportunity of observing, the
+state to which the laboring classes of England are reduced. Hearing
+singing in the street, under my window, one morning, I looked out and
+saw a body of men, apparently of the lower class, but decent and sober
+looking, who were singing in a rude and plaintive strain some ballad,
+the purport of which I could not understand. On making inquiry, I
+discovered it was part of a body of miners, who, about eighteen weeks
+before, in consequence of not being able to support their families with
+the small pittance allowed them, had "struck" for higher wages. This
+their employers refused to give them, and sent to Wales, where they
+obtained workmen at the former price. The houses these laborers had
+occupied were all taken from them, and for eighteen weeks they had no
+other means of subsistence than the casual charity given them for
+singing the story of their wrongs. It made my blood boil to bear those
+tones, wrung from the heart of poverty by the hand of tyranny. The
+ignorance, permitted by the government, causes an unheard amount of
+misery and degradation. We heard afterwards in the streets, another
+company who played on musical instruments. Beneath the proud swell of
+England's martial airs, there sounded to my ears a tone whose gathering
+murmur will make itself heard ere long by the dull cars of Power.
+
+At last at the appointed time, we found ourselves on board the "London
+Merchant," in the muddy Tyne, waiting for the tide to rise high enough
+to permit us to descend the river. There is great competition among the
+steamboats this summer, and the price of passage to London is reduced to
+five and ten shillings. The second cabin, however, is a place of
+tolerable comfort, and as the steward had promised to keep berths for
+us, we engaged passage. Following the windings of the narrow river, we
+passed Sunderland and Tynemouth, where it expands into the German Ocean.
+The water was barely stirred by a gentle wind, and little resembled the
+stormy sea I expected to find it. We glided over the smooth surface,
+watching the blue line of the distant shore till dark, when I went below
+expecting to enjoy a few hours' oblivion. But the faithless steward had
+given up the promised berth to another, and it was only with difficulty
+that I secured a seat by the cabin table, where I dozed half the night
+with my head on my arms. It grew at last too close and wearisome; I
+went up on deck and lay down on the windlass, taking care to balance
+myself well before going to sleep. The earliest light of dawn awoke me
+to a consciousness of damp clothes and bruised limbs. We were in sight
+of the low shore the whole day, sometimes seeing the dim outline of a
+church, or group of trees over the downs or flat beds of sand, which
+border the eastern coast of England. About dark, the red light of the
+Nore was seen, and we hoped before many hours to be in London. The
+lights of Gravesend were passed, but about ten o'clock, as we entered
+the narrow channel of the Thames, we struck another steamboat in the
+darkness, and were obliged to cast anchor for some time. When I went on
+deck in the gray light of morning again, we were gliding up a narrow,
+muddy river, between rows of gloomy buildings, with many vessels lying
+at anchor. It grew lighter, till, as we turned a point, right before, me
+lay a vast crowd of vessels, and in the distance, above the wilderness
+of buildings, stood a dim, gigantic dome in the sky; what a bound my
+heart gave at the sight! And the tall pillar that stood near it--I did
+not need a second glance to recognize the Monument. I knew the majestic
+bridge that spanned the river above; but on the right bank stood a
+cluster of massive buildings, crowned with many a turret, that attracted
+my eye. A crowd of old associations pressed bewilderingly upon the mind,
+to see standing there, grim and dark with many a bloody page of
+England's history--the Tower of London! The morning sky was as yet but
+faintly obscured by the coal-smoke, and in the misty light of coming
+sunrise, all objects seemed grander than their wont. In spite of the
+thrilling interest of the scene, I could not help thinking of Byron's
+ludicrous but most expressive description:
+
+    "A mighty mass of brick and smoke and shipping,
+    Dirty and dusky, but as wide as eye
+    Can reach; with here and there a sail just skipping
+    In sight, then lost amidst the forestry
+    Of masts; a wilderness of steeples peeping
+    On tiptoe through their sea-coal canopy;
+    A huge dun cupola, like a fool's-cap crown
+    On a fool's head,--and there is London town."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+SOME OF THE "SIGHTS" OF LONDON.
+
+
+In the course of time we came to anchor in the stream; skiffs from the
+shore pulled alongside, and after some little quarrelling, we were
+safely deposited in one, with a party who desired to be landed at the
+Tower Stairs. The dark walls frowned above us as we mounted from the
+water and passed into an open square on the outside of the moat. The
+laborers were about commencing work, the fashionable _day_ having just
+closed, but there was still noise and bustle enough in the streets,
+particularly when we reached Whitechapel, part of the great
+thoroughfare, extending through the heart of London to Westminster Abbey
+and the Parliament buildings. Further on, through Leadenhall street and
+Fleet street--what a world! Here come the ever-thronging, ever-rolling
+waves of life, pressing and whirling on in their tumultuous career. Here
+day and night pours the stream of human beings, seeming amid the roar
+and din and clatter of the passing vehicles, like the tide of some great
+combat. How lonely it makes one to stand still and feel that of all the
+mighty throng which divides itself around him, not a being knows or
+cares for him! What knows he too of the thousands who pass him by? How
+many who bear the impress of godlike virtue, or hide beneath a goodly
+countenance a heart black with crime? How many fiery spirits, all
+glowing with hope for the yet unclouded future, or brooding over a
+darkened and desolate past in the agony of despair? There is a sublimity
+in this human Niagara that makes one look on his own race with something
+of awe.
+
+We walked down the Thames, through the narrow streets of Wapping, Over
+the mouth of the Tunnel is a large circular building, with a dome to
+light the entrance below. Paying the fee of a penny, we descended by a
+winding staircase to the bottom, which is seventy-three feet below the
+surface. The carriage-way, still unfinished, will extend further into
+the city. From the bottom the view of the two arches of the Tunnel,
+brilliantly lighted with gas, is very fine; it has a much less heavy and
+gloomy appearance than I expected. As we walked along under the bed of
+the river, two or three girls at one end began playing on the French
+horn and bugle, and the echoes, when not too deep to confuse the melody,
+were remarkably beautiful. Between the arches of the division separating
+the two passages, are shops, occupied by venders of fancy articles,
+views of the Tunnel, engravings, &c. In the middle is a small printing
+press, where, a sheet containing a description of the whole work is
+printed for those who desire it. As I was no stranger to this art, I
+requested the boy to let me print one myself, but he had such a bad
+roller I did not succeed in getting a good impression. The air within is
+somewhat damp, but fresh and agreeably cool, and one can scarcely
+realize in walking along the light passage, that a river is rolling
+above his head. The immense solidity and compactness of the structure
+precludes the danger of accident, each of the sides being arched
+outwards, so that the heaviest pressure only strengthens the whole. It
+will long remain a noble monument of human daring and ingenuity.
+
+St. Paul's is on a scale of grandeur excelling every thing I have yet
+seen. The dome seems to stand in the sky, as you look up to it; the
+distance from which you view it, combined with the atmosphere of London,
+give it a dim, shadowy appearance, that perfectly startles one with its
+immensity. The roof from which the dome springs is itself as high as the
+spires of most other churches--blackened for two hundred years with the
+coal-smoke of London, it stands like a relic of the giant architecture
+of the early world. The interior is what one would expect to behold,
+after viewing the outside. A maze of grand arches on every side,
+encompasses the dome, which you gaze up at, as at the sky; and from
+every pillar and wall look down the marble forms of the dead. There is
+scarcely a vacant niche left in all this mighty hall, so many are the
+statues that meet one on every side. With the exceptions of John Howard,
+Sir Astley Cooper and Wren, whose monument is the church itself, they
+are all to military men. I thought if they had all been removed except
+Howard's, it would better have suited such a temple, and the great soul
+it commemorated.
+
+I never was more impressed with the grandeur of human invention, than
+when ascending the dome. I could with difficulty conceive the means by
+which such a mighty edifice had been lifted into the air. That small
+frame of Sir Christopher Wren must have contained a mind capable of vast
+conceptions. The dome is like the summit of a mountain; so wide is the
+prospect, and so great the pile upon which you stand. London lay beneath
+us, like an ant-hill, with the black insects swarming to and fro in
+their long avenues, the sound of their employments coming up like the
+roar of the sea. A cloud of coal-smoke hung over it, through which many
+a pointed spire was thrust up; sometimes the wind would blow it aside
+for a moment, and the thousands of red roofs would shine out clearer.
+The bridged Thames, covered with craft of all sizes, wound beneath us
+like a ringed and spotted serpent. The scene was like an immense
+circular picture in the blue frame of the hills around.
+
+Continuing our way up Fleet street, which, notwithstanding the gaiety of
+its shops and its constant bustle, has an antique appearance, we came to
+the Temple Bar, the western boundary of the ancient city. In the inside
+of the middle arch, the old gates are still standing. From this point we
+entered the new portion of the city, which wore an air of increasing
+splendor as we advanced. The appearance of the Strand and Trafalgar
+Square is truly magnificent. Fancy every house in Broadway a store, all
+built of light granite, the Park stripped of all its trees and paved
+with granite, and a lofty column in the centre, double the crowd and the
+tumult of business, and you will have some idea of the view.
+
+It was a relief to get into St. James's Park, among the trees and
+flowers again. Here, beautiful winding walks led around little lakes, in
+which were hundreds of water-fowl, swimming. Groups of merry children
+were sporting on the green lawn, enjoying their privilege of roaming
+every where at will, while the older bipeds were confined to the regular
+walks. At the western end stood Buckingham Palace, looking over the
+trees towards St. Paul's; through the grove on the eminence above, the
+towers of St. James's could be seen. But there was a dim building, with
+two lofty square towers, decorated with a profusion of pointed Gothic
+pinnacles, that I looked at with more interest than these appendages of
+royalty. I could not linger long in its vicinity, but going back again
+by the Horse Guards, took the road to _Westminster Abbey_.
+
+We approached by the general entrance, Poet's Corner. I hardly stopped
+to look at the elaborate exterior of Henry VIIth's Chapel, but passed on
+to the door. On entering, the first thing that met my eyes were the
+words, "OH RARE BEN JONSON," under his bust. Near by stood the monuments
+of Spenser and Gay, and a few paces further looked down the sublime
+countenance of Milton. Never was a spot so full of intense interest. The
+light was just dim enough to give it a solemn, religious appearance,
+making the marble forms of poets and philosophers so shadowy and
+impressive, that I felt as if standing in their living presence. Every
+step called up some mind linked with the associations of my childhood.
+There was the gentle feminine countenance of Thompson, and the majestic
+head of Dryden; Addison with his classic features, and Gray, full of the
+fire of lofty thought. In another chamber, I paused long before the
+ashes of Shakspeare; and while looking at the monument of Garrick,
+started to find that I stood upon his grave. What a glorious galaxy of
+genius is here collected--what a constellation of stars whose light is
+immortal! The mind is completely fettered by their spirit. Everything is
+forgotten but the mighty dead, who still "rule us from their urns."
+
+The Chapel of Henry VII., which we next entered, is one of the most
+elaborate specimens of Gothic workmanship in the world. If the first
+idea of the Gothic arch sprung from observing the forms of trees, this
+chapel must resemble the first conceptions of that order, for the fluted
+columns rise up like tall trees, branching out at the top into spreading
+capitals covered with leaves, and supporting arches of the ceiling
+resembling a leafy roof.
+
+The side-chapels are filled with tombs of knightly families, the husband
+and wife lying on their backs on the tombs, with their hands clasped,
+while their children, about the size of dolls, are kneeling around.
+Numberless are the Barons and Earls and Dukes, whose grim effigies stare
+from their tombs. In opposite chapels are the tombs of Mary and
+Elizabeth, and near the former that of Darnley. After having visited
+many of the scenes of her life, it was with no ordinary emotion that I
+stood by the sepulchre of Mary. How differently one looks upon it and
+upon that of the proud Elizabeth!
+
+We descended to the Chapel of Edward the Confessor, within the splendid
+shrine of which repose his ashes. Here we were shown the chair on which
+the English monarchs have been crowned for several hundred years, Under
+the seat is the stone, brought from the Abbey of Scone, whereon the
+Kings of Scotland were crowned. The chair is of oak, carved and hacked
+over with names, and on the bottom some one has recorded his name with
+the fact that, he once slept in it. We sat down and rested in it without
+ceremony. Passing along an aisle leading to the grand hall, we saw the
+tomb of Aymer de Valence, a knight of the Crusades. Near here is the
+hall where the Knights of the order of Bath met. Over each seat their
+dusty banners are still hanging, each with its crest, and their armor is
+rusting upon the wall. It seemed like a banqueting hall of the olden
+time, where the knights had left their seats for a moment vacant.
+Entering the nave, we were lost in the wilderness of sculpture. Here
+stood the forms of Pitt, Fox, Burke, Sheridan and Watts, from the
+chisels of Chantry, Bacon and Westmacott. Further down were Sir Isaac
+Newton and Sir Godfrey Kneller--opposite Andre, and Paoli, the Italian,
+who died here in exile. How can I convey an idea of the scene?
+Notwithstanding all the descriptions I had read, I was totally
+unprepared for the reality, nor could I have anticipated the hushed and
+breathless interest with which I paced the dim aisles, gazing, at every
+step, on the last resting place of some great and familiar name. A place
+so sacred to all who inherit the English tongue, is worthy of a special
+pilgrimage across the deep. To those who are unable to visit it, a
+description may be interesting; but so far does it fall short of the
+scene itself, that if I thought it would induce a few of our wealthy
+idlers, or even those who, like myself, must travel with toil and
+privation to come hither, I would write till the pen dropped from my
+hand.
+
+More than twenty grand halls of the British Museum are devoted to
+antiquities, and include the Elgin Marbles--the spoils of the
+Parthenon--the Fellows Marbles, brought from the ancient city of
+Xanthus, and Sir William Hamilton's collection of Italian antiquities.
+It was painful to see the friezes of the Parthenon, broken and defaced
+as they are, in such a place. Rather let them moulder to dust on the
+ruin from which they were torn, shining through the blue veil of the
+Grecian atmosphere, from the summit of the Acropolis!
+
+The National Gallery, on Trafalgar Square, is open four days in the
+week, to the public. The "Raising of Lazarus," by Sebastian del Piombo,
+is considered the gem of the collection, but my unschooled eyes could
+not view it as such. It is also remarkable for having been transferred
+from wood to canvass, without injury. This delicate operation was
+accomplished by gluing the panel on which it was painted, flat on a
+smooth table, and planing the wood gradually away till the coat of
+hardened paint alone remained. A proper canvass was then prepared,
+covered with a strong cement, and laid on the back of the picture, which
+adhered firmly to it. The owner's nerves must have had a severe trial,
+if he had courage to watch the operation. I was enraptured with
+Murillo's pictures of St. John and the Holy Family. St. John is
+represented as a boy in the woods, fondling a lamb. It is a glorious
+head. The dark curls cluster around his fair brow, and his eyes seem
+already glowing with the fire of future inspiration. There is an
+innocence, a childish sweetness of expression in the countenance, which
+makes one love to gaze upon it. Both of these paintings wore constantly
+surrounded by ladies, and they certainly deserved the preference. In the
+rooms devoted to English artists, there are many of the finest works of
+West, Reynolds, Hogarth and Wilkie.
+
+We spent a day in visiting the _lungs of London_, as the two grand parks
+have been called. From the Strand through the Regent Circus, the centre
+of the fashionable part of the city, we passed to Piccadilly, culling on
+our way to see our old friends, the Iowas. They were at the Egyptian
+Hall, in connexion with Catlin's Indian collection. The old braves knew
+us at once, particularly Blister Feet, who used often to walk a linweon
+deck with me, at sea. Further along Piccadilly is Wellington's mansion
+of Apsley House, and nearly opposite it, in the corner of Hyde Park,
+stands the colossal statue of Achilles, cast from cannon taken at
+Salamanca and Vittoria. The Park resembles an open common, with here and
+there a grove of trees, intersected by carriage roads, it is like
+getting into the country again to be out on its broad, green field, with
+the city seen dimly around through the smoky atmosphere. We walked for a
+mile or two along the shady avenues and over the lawns, having a view of
+the princely terraces and gardens on one hand, and the gentle outline of
+Primrose Hill on the other. Regent's Park itself covers a space of
+nearly four hundred acres!
+
+But if London is unsurpassed in splendor, it has also its corresponding
+share of crime. Notwithstanding the large and efficient body of police,
+who do much towards the control of vice, one sees enough of degradation
+and brutality in a short time, to make his heart sick. Even the public
+thorough fares are thronged at night with characters of the lowest
+description, and it is not expedient to go through many of the narrow
+bye-haunts of the old city in the day-time. The police, who are ever on
+the watch, immediately seize and carry off any offender, but from the
+statements of persons who have had an opportunity of observing, as well
+as from my own slight experience, I am convinced that there is an untold
+amount of misery and crime. London is one of the wonders of the world,
+but there is reason to believe it is one of the curses of the world
+also; though, in fact, nothing but an active and unceasing philanthropy
+can prevent any city from becoming so.
+
+_Aug. 22._--I have now been six days in London, and by making good use
+of my feet and eyes, have managed to become familiar with almost every
+object of interest within its precincts. Having a plan mapped out for
+the day, I started from my humble lodgings at the Aldgate Coffee House,
+where I slept off fatigue for a shilling a night, and walked up
+Cheapside or down Whitechapel, as the case might be, hunting out my way
+to churches, halls and theatres. In this way, at a trifling expense, I
+have perhaps seen as much as many who spend here double the time and
+ten times the money. Our whole tour from Liverpool hither, by way of
+Ireland and Scotland, cost us but twenty-five dollars each! although,
+except in one or two cases, we denied ourselves no necessary comfort.
+This shows that the glorious privilege of looking on the scenes of the
+old world need not be confined to people of wealth and leisure. It may
+be enjoyed by all who can occasionally forego a little bodily comfort
+for the sake of mental and spiritual gain. We leave this afternoon for
+Dover. Tomorrow I shall dine in Belgium!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+FLIGHT THROUGH BELGIUM.
+
+
+_Bruges._--On the Continent at last! How strangely look the century-old
+towers, antique monuments, and quaint, narrow streets of the Flemish
+cities! It is an agreeable and yet a painful sense of novelty to stand
+for the first time in the midst of a people whose language and manners
+are different from one's own. The old buildings around, linked with many
+a stirring association of past history, gratify the glowing
+anticipations with which one has looked forward to seeing them, and the
+fancy is busy at work reconciling the _real_ scene with the _ideal_; but
+the want of a communication with the living world about, walls one up
+with a sense of loneliness he could not before have conceived. I envy
+the children in the streets of Bruges their childish language.
+
+Yesterday afternoon we came from London through the green wooded lawns
+and vales of England, to Dover, which we reached at sunset, passing by a
+long tunnel through the lofty Shakspeare Cliff. We had barely time
+before it grew dark to ascend the cliff. The glorious coast view looked
+still wilder in the gathering twilight, which soon hid from our sight
+the dim hills of France. On the cliff opposite frowned the massive
+battlements of the Castle, guarding the town, which lay in a nook of the
+rocks below. As the Ostend boat was to leave at four in the morning, my
+cousin aroused us at three, and we felt our way down stairs in the dark.
+But the landlord was reluctant to part with us; we stamped and shouted
+and rang bells, till the whole house was in an uproar, for the door was
+double-locked, and the steamboat bell began to sound. At last he could
+stand it no longer; we gave a quick utterance to our overflowing wrath,
+and rushed down to the boat but a second or two before it left.
+
+The water of the Channel was smooth as glass and as the sun rose, the
+far chalky cliffs gleamed along the horizon, a belt of fire. I waved a
+good-bye to Old England and then turned to see the spires of Dunkirk,
+which were visible in the distance before us. On the low Belgian coast
+we could see trees and steeples, resembling a mirage over the level
+surface of the sea; at length, about ten o'clock, the square tower of
+Ostend came in sight. The boat passed into a long muddy basin, in which
+many unwieldy, red-sailed Dutch craft were lying, and stopped beside a
+high pier. Here amid the confusion of three languages, an officer came
+on board and took charge of our passports and luggage. As we could not
+get the former for two or three hours, we did not hurry the passing of
+the latter, and went on shore quite unincumbered, for a stroll about the
+city, disregarding the cries of the hackney-coachmen on the pier,
+"_Hotel d'Angleterre_," "_Hotel des Bains!_" and another who called out
+in English, "I recommend you to the Royal Hotel, sir!"
+
+There is little to be seen in Ostend. We wandered through long rows of
+plain yellow houses, trying to read the French and low Dutch signs, and
+at last came out on the wall near the sea. A soldier motioned us back as
+we attempted to ascend it, and muttering some unintelligible words,
+pointed to a narrow street near. Following this out of curiosity, we
+crossed the moat and found ourselves on the great bathing beach. To get
+out of the hands of the servants who immediately surrounded us, we
+jumped into one of the little wagons and were driven out into the surf.
+
+To be certain of fulfilling the railroad regulations, we took our seats
+quarter of an hour before the time. The dark walls of Ostend soon
+vanished and we were whirled rapidly over a country perfectly level, but
+highly fertile and well cultivated. Occasionally there was a ditch or
+row of trees, but otherwise there was no division between the fields,
+and the plain stretched unbroken away into the distance. The twenty
+miles to Bruges we made in forty minutes. The streets of this antique
+city are narrow and crooked, and the pointed, ornamented gables of the
+houses, produce a novel impression on one who has been accustomed to the
+green American forests. Then there was the endless sound of wooden shoes
+clattering over the rough pavements, and people talking in that most
+unmusical of all languages, low Dutch. Walking at random through the
+streets, we came by chance upon the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I shall
+long remember my first impression of the scene within. The lofty gothic
+ceiling arched far above my head and through the stained windows the
+light came but dimly--it was all still, solemn and religious. A few
+worshippers were kneeling in silence before some of the shrines and the
+echo of my tread seemed like a profaning sound. On every side were
+pictures, saints gilded shrines. A few steps removed one from the bustle
+and din of the crowd to the stillness and solemnity of the holy retreat.
+
+We learned from the guide, whom we had engaged because he spoke a few
+words of English, that there was still a _treckshuyt_ line on the
+canals, and that one boat leaves to-night at ten o'clock for Ghent.
+Wishing to try this old Dutch method of travelling, he took us about
+half a mile along the Ghent road to the canal, where a moderate sized
+boat was lying. Our baggage deposited in the plainly furnished cabin, I
+ran back to Bruges, although it was beginning to grow dark, to get a
+sight of the belfry; for Longfellow's lines had been running through my
+head all day:
+
+"In the market place of Bruges, stands the belfry old and brown,
+Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches o'er the town."
+
+And having found the square, brown tower in one corner of the open
+market square, we waited to hear the chimes, which are said to be the
+finest in Europe. They rang out at last with a clear silvery tone, most
+beautifully musical indeed. We then returned to the boat in the
+twilight. We were to leave in about an hour, according to the
+arrangement, but as yet there was no sound to be heard, and we were the
+only tenants. However, trusting to Dutch regularity, we went to sleep in
+the full confidence of awakening in Ghent.
+
+I awoke once in the night and saw the dark branches of trees passing
+before the window, but there was no perceptible sound nor motion; the
+boat glided along like a dream, and we were awakened next morning by its
+striking against the pier at Ghent. After paying three francs for the
+whole night journey, the captain gave us a guide to the railroad
+station, and as we had nearly an hour before the train left, I went to
+see the Cathedral of St. Bavon. After leaving Ghent, the road passes
+through a beautiful country, cultivated like a garden. The Dutch passion
+for flowers is displayed in the gardens around the cottages; even every
+vacant foot of ground along the railway is planted with roses and
+dahlias. At Ghent, the morning being fair, we took seats in the open
+cars. About noon it commenced raining and our situation was soon
+anything but comfortable. My cousin had fortunately a water-proof Indian
+blanket with him, which he had purchased in the "Far West," and by
+wrapping this around all three of us, we kept partly dry. I was much
+amused at the plight of a party of young Englishmen, who were in the
+same car; one of them held a little parasol which just covered his hat,
+and sent the water in streams down on his back and shoulders.
+
+We had a misty view of Liege, through the torrents of rain, and then
+dashed away into the wild, mountain scenery of the Meuse. Steep, rocky
+hills, covered with pine and crowned with ruined towers, hemmed in the
+winding and swollen river, and the wet, cloudy sky seemed to rest like a
+canopy on their summits. Instead of threading their mazy defiles, we
+plunged directly into the mountain's heart, flew over the narrow valley
+on lofty and light-sprung arches, and went again into the darkness. At
+Verviers, our baggage was weighed, examined and transferred, with
+ourselves, to a Prussian train. There was a great deal of disputing on
+the occasion. A lady, who had a dog in a large willow basket, was not
+allowed to retain it, nor would they take it as baggage. The matter was
+finally compromised by their sending the basket, obliging her to carry
+the dog, which was none of the smallest, in her arms! The next station
+bore the sign of the black eagle, and here our passports were obliged to
+be given up. Advancing through long ranges of wooded hills, we saw at
+length, in the dull twilight of a rainy day, the old kingly city of Aix
+la Chapelle on a plain below us. After a scene at the custom-house,
+where our baggage was reclaimed with tickets given at Verviers, we drove
+to the _Hotel du Rhin_, and while warming our shivering limbs and drying
+our damp garments, felt tempted to exclaim with the old Italian author:
+"O! holy and miraculous tavern!"
+
+The Cathedral with its lofty Gothic tower, was built by the emperor
+Otho in the tenth century. It seems at present to be undergoing repairs,
+for a large scaffold shut out the dome. The long hall was dim with
+incense smoke as we entered, and the organ sounded through the high
+arches with an effect that startled me. The windows glowed with the
+forms of kings and saints, and the dusty and mouldering shrines which
+rose around were colored with the light that came through. The music
+pealed out like a triumphal march, sinking at times into a mournful
+strain, as if it celebrated and lamented the heroes who slept below. In
+the stone pavement nearly under my feet was a large square marble slab,
+with words "CAROLO MAGNO." It was like a dream, to stand there on the
+tomb of the mighty warrior, with the lofty arches of the Cathedral
+above, filled with the sound of the divine anthem. I mused above his
+ashes till the music ceased and then left the Cathedral, that nothing
+might break the romantic spell associated with that crumbling pile and
+the dead it covered. I have always revered the memory of Charlemagne. He
+lived in a stern age, but he was in mind and heart a man, and like
+Napoleon, who placed the iron crown which had lain with him centuries in
+the tomb, upon his own brow, he had an Alpine grandeur of mind, which
+the world was forced to acknowledge.
+
+At noon we took the _chars-à-banc_, or second-class carriages, for fear
+of rain, and continued our journey over a plain dotted with villages and
+old chateaux. Two or three miles from Cologne we saw the spires of the
+different churches, conspicuous among which were the unfinished towers
+of the Cathedral, with the enormous crane standing as it did when they
+left off building, two hundred years ago or more. On arriving, we drove
+to the Bonn railway, where finding the last train did not leave for four
+hours, we left our baggage and set out for the Cathedral. Of all Gothic
+buildings, the plan of this is certainly the most stupendous; even ruin
+as it is, it cannot fail to excite surprise and admiration. The King of
+Prussia has undertaken to complete it according to the original plan,
+which was lately found in the possession of a poor man, of whom it was
+purchased for 40,000 florins, but he has not yet finished repairing what
+is already built. The legend concerning this plan may not be known to
+every one. It is related of the inventor of it, that in despair of
+finding any sufficiently great, he was walking one day by the river,
+sketching with his stick upon the sand, when he finally hit upon one
+which pleased him so much that he exclaimed: "This shall be the plan!"
+"I will show you a better one than that!" said a voice suddenly behind
+him, and a certain black gentleman who figures in all German legends
+stood by him, and pulled from his pocket a roll containing the present
+plan of the Cathedral. The architect, amazed at its grandeur, asked an
+explanation of every part. As he knew his soul was to be the price of
+it, he occupied himself while the devil was explaining, in committing
+its proportions carefully to memory. Having done this, he remarked that
+it did not please him and he would not take it. The devil, seeing
+through the cheat, exclaimed in his rage: "You may build your Cathedral
+according to this plan, but you shall never finish it!" This prediction
+seems likely to be verified, for though it was commenced in 1248, and
+built for 250 years, only the choir and nave and one tower to half its
+original height, are finished.
+
+We visited the chapel of the eleven thousand virgins, the walls of which
+are full of curious grated cells, containing their bones, and then
+threaded the narrow streets of Cologne, which are quite dirty enough to
+justify Coleridge's lines:
+
+    "The river Rhine, it is well known
+    Doth wash the city of Cologne;
+    But tell me nymphs, what power divine
+    Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+THE RHINE TO HEIDELBERG.
+
+
+HEIDELBERG, August 30. Here at last! and a most glorious place it is.
+This is our first morning in our new rooms, and the sun streams warmly
+in the eastern windows, as I write, while the old castle rises through
+the blue vapor on the side of the Kaiser-stuhl. The Neckar rushes on
+below; and the Odenwald, before, me, rejoices with its vineyards in the
+morning light. The bells of the old chapel near us are sounding most
+musically, and a confused sound of voices and the rolling of vehicles
+comes up from the street. It is a place to live in!
+
+I must go back five or six days and take up the record of our
+journeyings at Bonn. We had been looking over Murray's infallible
+"Handbook," and observed that he recommended the "Star" hotel in that
+city, as "the most moderate in its prices of any on the Rhine;" so when
+the train from Cologne arrived and we were surrounded, in the darkness
+and confusion, by porters and valets, I sung out: "_Hotel de l'Etoile
+d'or!_" our baggage and ourselves were transferred to a stylish omnibus,
+and in five minutes we stopped under a brilliantly-lighted archway,
+where Mr. Joseph Schmidt received us with the usual number of smiles and
+bows bestowed upon untitled guests. We were furnished with neat rooms in
+the summit of the house, and then descended to the _salle à manger_. I
+found a folded note by my plate, which I opened--it contained an
+engraving of the front of the hotel, a plan of the city and catalogue of
+its lions, together with a list of the titled personages who have, from
+time to time, honored the "Golden Star" with their custom. Among this
+number were "Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,
+Prince Albert," etc. Had it not been for fatigue, I should have spent
+an uneasy night, thinking of the heavy bill which was to be presented on
+the morrow. We escaped, however, for seven francs apiece, three of which
+were undoubtedly for the honor of breathing an aristocratic atmosphere.
+
+I was glad when we were really in motion on the swift Rhine, the next
+morning, and nearing the chain of mountains that rose up before us. We
+passed Godesberg on the right, while on our left was the group of the
+seven mountains which extend back from the Drachenfels to the
+Wolkenberg, or Castle of the Clouds. Here we begin to enter the
+enchanted land. The Rhine sweeps around the foot of the Drachenfels,
+while opposite the precipitous rock of Rolandseek, crowned with the
+castle of the faithful knight, looks down upon the beautiful Island of
+Nonnenwerth, the white walls of the convent still gleaming through the
+trees, as they did when the warrior's weary eyes looked upon them for
+the last time. I shall never forget the enthusiasm with which I saw this
+scene in the bright, warm sunlight, the rough crags softened in the haze
+which filled the atmosphere, and the wild mountains springing up in the
+midst of vineyards, and crowned with crumbling towers, filled with the
+memories of a thousand years.
+
+After passing Andernach, we saw in the distance the highlands of the
+middle Rhine, which rise above Coblentz, guarding the entrance to its
+wild scenery, and the mountains of the Moselle. They parted as we
+approached; from the foot shot up the spires of Coblentz, and the
+battlements of Ehrenbreitstein crowning the mountain opposite, grew
+larger and broader. The air was slightly hazy, and the clouds seemed
+laboring among the distant mountains to raise a storm. As we came
+opposite the mouth of the Moselle and under the shadow of the mighty
+fortress, I gazed up with awe at its massive walls. Apart from its
+magnitude and almost impregnable situation on a perpendicular rock, it
+is filled with the recollections of history and hallowed by the voice of
+poetry. The scene went past like a panorama, the bridge of boats opened,
+the city glided behind us and we entered the highlands again.
+
+Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels
+everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come
+back upon the mind with irresistible force. I sat upon the deck the
+whole afternoon, as mountains, towns and castles passed by on either
+side, watching them with a feeling of the most enthusiastic enjoyment.
+Every place was familiar to me in memory, and they seemed like friends I
+had long communed with in spirit and now met face to face. The English
+tourists, with whom the deck was covered, seemed interested too, but in
+a different manner. With Murray's Handbook open in their hands, they sat
+and read about the very towns and towers they were passing, scarcely
+lifting their eyes to the real scenes, except now and then, to observe
+that it was "_very nice_."
+
+As we passed Boppart, I sought out the Inn of the "Star," mentioned in
+"Hyperion"; there was a maiden sitting on the steps who might have been
+Paul Flemming's fair boat-woman. The clouds which had here gathered
+among the hills, now came over the river, and the rain cleared the deck
+of its crowd of admiring tourists. As we were approaching Lurlei Berg, I
+did not go below, and so enjoyed some of the finest scenery on the Rhine
+alone. The mountains approach each other at this point, and the Lurlei
+Rock rises up for six hundred feet from the water. This is the haunt of
+the water nymph, Lurlei, whose song charmed the ear of the boatman while
+his barque was dashed to pieces on the rocks below. It is also
+celebrated for its remarkable echo. As we passed between the rocks, a
+guard, who has a little house built on the road-side, blew a flourish on
+his bugle, which was instantly answered by a blast from the rocky
+battlements of Lurlei. The German students have a witty trick with this
+echo: they call out, "Who is the Burgomaster of Oberwesel?" a town just
+above. The echo answers with the last syllable "Esel!" which is the
+German for _ass_.
+
+The sun came out of the cloud as we passed Oberwesel, with its tall
+round tower, and the light shining through the ruined arches of
+Schonberg castle, made broad bars of light and shade in the still misty
+air. A rainbow sprang up out of the Rhine, and lay brightly on the
+mountain side, coloring vineyard and crag, in the most singular beauty,
+while its second reflection faintly arched like a glory above the high
+summits. In the bed of the river were the seven countesses of Schonberg,
+turned into seven rocks for their cruelty and hard-heartedness towards
+the knights whom their beauty had made captive. In front, at a little
+distance was the castle of Pfalz, in the middle of the river, and from
+the heights above Caub frowned the crumbling citadel of Gutenfels.
+Imagine all this, and tell me if it is not a picture whose memory should
+last a life-time!
+
+We came at last to Bingen, the southern gate of the Highlands. Here, on
+an island in the middle of the stream, is the old Mouse tower where
+Bishop Hatto of Mayence was eaten up by the rats for his wicked deeds.
+Passing Rudesheim and Geissenheim, celebrated for their wines, at
+sunset, we watched the varied shore in the growing darkness, till like a
+line of stars across the water, we saw before us the bridge of Mayence.
+
+The next morning I parted from my friends, who were going to Heidelberg
+by way of Mannheim, and set out alone for Frankfort. The cars passed
+through Hochheim, whose wines are celebrated all over the world; there
+is little to interest the traveler till he arrives at Frankfort, whose
+spires are seen rising from groves of trees as he approaches. I left the
+cars, unchallenged for my passport, greatly to my surprise, as it had
+cost me a long walk and five shillings in London, to get the signature
+of the Frankfort Consul. I learned afterwards it was not at all
+necessary. Before leaving America, N.P. Willis had kindly given me a
+letter to his brother, Richard S. Willis, who is now cultivating a
+naturally fine taste for music in Frankfort, and my first care was to
+find the American Consul, in order to learn his residence. I discovered
+at last, from a gentleman who spoke a little French, that the Consul's
+office was in the street _Bellevue_, which street I not only looked for
+through the city, but crossed over the bridge to the suburb of
+Sachsenhausen, and traversed its narrow, dirty alleys three several
+times, but in vain. I was about giving up the search, when I stumbled
+upon the office accidentally. The name of the street had been given to
+me in French and very naturally it was not to be found. Willis received
+me very kindly and introduced me to the amiable German family with whom
+he resides.
+
+After spending a delightful evening with my newly-found friends, I left
+the next morning in the omnibus for Heidelberg. We passed through
+Sachsenhausen and ascended a long hill to the watch-tower, whence there
+is a beautiful view of the Main valley. Four hours' driving over the
+monotonous plain, brought me to Darmstadt. The city wore a gay look,
+left by the recent _fêtes_. The monument of the old Duke Ludwig had just
+been erected in the centre of the great square, and the festival
+attendant upon the unveiling of it, which lasted three days, had just
+closed. The city was hung with garlands, and the square filled with the
+pavilions of the royal family and the musicians, of whom there were a
+thousand present, while everywhere were seen red and white flags--the
+colors of Darmstadt. We met wagons decorated with garlands, full of
+pleasant girls, in the odd dress which they have worn for three hundred
+years.
+
+After leaving Darmstadt we entered upon the Bergstrasse, or
+Mountain-way, leading along the foot of the mountain chain which extends
+all the way to Heidelberg on the left, while on the right stretches far
+away the Rhine-plain, across which we saw the dim outline of the
+Donnersberg, in France. The hills are crowned with castles and their
+sides loaded with vines; along the road the rich green foliage of the
+walnut trees arched and nearly met above us. The sun shone warm and
+bright, and every body appeared busy and contented and happy. All we met
+had smiling countenances. In some places we saw whole families sitting
+under the trees shelling the nuts they had beaten down, while others
+were returning from the vineyards, laden with baskets of purple and
+white grapes. The scene seemed to realize all I had read of the
+happiness of the German peasantry, and the pastoral beauty of the German
+plains.
+
+With the passengers in the omnibus I could hold little conversation.
+One, who knew about as much French as I did, asked me where I came from,
+and I shall not soon forget his expression of incredulity, as I
+mentioned America. "Why," said he, "you are white--the Americans are all
+black!"
+
+We passed the ruined castles of Auerback and Starkenburg, and Burg
+Windeck, on the summit of a mountain near Weinheim, formerly one of the
+royal residences of Charlemagne, and finally came to the Heiligenberg or
+Holy Mountain, guarding the entrance into the Odenwald by the valley of
+the Neckar. As we wound around its base to the river, the Kaiserstuhl
+rose before us, with the mighty castle hanging upon its side and
+Heidelberg at its feet. It was a most strikingly beautiful scene, and
+for a moment I felt inclined to assent to the remark of my bad-French
+acquaintance--"America is not beautiful--Heidelberg is beautiful!" The
+sun had just set as we turned the corner of the Holy Mountain and drove
+up the bank of the Neckar; all the chimes of Heidelberg began suddenly
+to ring and a cannon by the riverside was fired off every minute--the
+sound echoing five times distinctly from mountain back to mountain, and
+finally crashing far off, along the distant hills of the Odenwald. It
+was the birthday of the Grand Duke of Baden, and these rejoicings were
+for the closing _fête_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+SCENES IN AND AROUND HEIDELBERG.
+
+
+_Sept. 30._--There is so much to be seen around this beautiful place,
+that I scarcely know where to begin a description of it. I have been
+wandering among the wild paths that lead up and down the mountain side,
+or away into the forests and lonely meadows in the lap of the Odenwald.
+My mind is filled with images of the romantic German scenery, whose real
+beauty is beginning to displace the imaginary picture which I had
+painted with the enthusiastic words of Howitt. I seem to stand now upon
+the Kaiser-stuhl, which rises above Heidelberg, with that magnificent
+landscape around me, from the Black Forest and Strasburg to Mainz, and
+from the Vosges in France to the hills of Spessart in Bavaria. What a
+glorious panorama! and not less rich in associations than in its natural
+beauty. Below me had moved the barbarian hordes of old, the triumphant
+followers of Arminius, and the Cohorts of Rome; and later, full many a
+warlike host bearing the banners of the red cross to the Holy
+Land,--many a knight returning with his vassals from the field, to lay
+at the feet of his lady-love the scarf he had worn in a hundred battles
+and claim the reward of his constancy and devotion. But brighter spirits
+had also toiled below. That plain had witnessed the presence of Luther,
+and a host who strove with him to free the world from the chains of a
+corrupt and oppressive religion. There had also trodden the master
+spirits of German song--the giant twain, with their scarcely less
+harmonious brethren: they, too, had gathered inspiration from those
+scenes--more fervent worship of nature and a deeper love for their
+beautiful fatherland! Oh! what waves of crime and bloodshed have swept
+like the waves of a deluge down the valley of the Rhine! War has laid
+his mailed hand on those desolate towers and ruthlessly torn down what
+time has spared, yet he could not mar the beauty of the shore, nor could
+Time himself hurl down the mountains that guard it. And what if I feel a
+new inspiration on beholding the scene? Now that those ages have swept
+by, like the red waves of a tide of blood, we see not the darkened
+earth, but the golden sands which the flood has left behind. Besides, I
+have come from a new world, where the spirit of man is untrammeled by
+the mouldering shackles of the past, but in its youthful and joyous
+freedom, goes on to make itself a noble memory for the ages that are to
+come!
+
+Then there is the Wolfsbrunnen, which one reaches by a beautiful walk up
+the bank of the Neckar, to a quiet dell in the side of the mountain.
+Through this the roads lead up by rustic mills, always in motion, and
+orchards laden with ripening fruit, to the commencement of the forest,
+where a quaint stone fountain stands, commemorating the abode of a
+sorceress of the olden time, who was torn in pieces by a wolf. There is
+a handsome rustic inn here, where every Sunday afternoon a band plays in
+the portico, while hundreds of people are scattered around in the cool
+shadow of the trees, or feeding the splendid trout in the basin formed
+by the little stream. They generally return to the city by another walk
+leading along the mountain side, to the eastern terrace of the castle,
+where they have fine views of the great Rhine plain, terminated by the
+Alsatian hills, stretching along the western horizon like the long
+crested swells on the ocean. We can even see these from the windows of
+our room on the bank of the Neckar; and I often look with interest on
+one sharp peak, for on its side stands the Castle of Trifels, where
+Coeur de Lion was imprisoned by the Duke of Austria, and where Blondel,
+his faithful minstrel, sang the ballad which discovered the retreat of
+the noble captive.
+
+The people of Heidelberg are rich in places of pleasure and amusement.
+From the Carl Platz, an open square at the upper end of the city, two
+paths lead directly up to the castle. By the first walk we ascend a
+flight of steps to the western gate, passing through which, we enter a
+delightful garden, between the outer walls of the Castle, and the huge
+moat which surrounds it. Great linden, oak and beech trees shadow the
+walk, and in secluded nooks, little mountain streams spring from the
+side of the wall into stone basins. There is a tower over the moat on
+the south side, next the mountain, where the portcullis still hangs with
+its sharp teeth as it was last drawn up; on each side stand two grim
+knights guarding the entrance. In one of the wooded walks is an old tree
+brought from America in the year 1618. It is of the kind called _arbor
+vitæ_, and uncommonly tall and slender for one of this species; yet it
+does not seem to thrive well in a foreign soil. I noticed that persons
+had cut many slips off the lower branches, and I would have been tempted
+to do the same myself if there had been any I could reach. In the curve
+of the mountain is a handsome pavilion, surrounded with beds of flowers
+and fountains; here all classes meet together in the afternoon to sit
+with their refreshments in the shade, while frequently a fine band of
+music gives them their invariable recreation. All this, with the scenery
+around them, leaves nothing unfinished to their present enjoyment. The
+Germans enjoy life under all circumstances, and in this way they make
+themselves much happier than we, who have far greater means of being so.
+
+At the end of the terrace built for the princess Elizabeth, of England,
+is one of the round towers, which was split in twain by the French. Half
+has fallen entirely away, and the other semicircular shell which joins
+the terrace and part of the Castle buildings, clings firmly together,
+although part of its foundation is gone, so that its outer ends actually
+hang in the air. Some idea of the strength of the castle may be obtained
+when I state that the walls of this tower are twenty-two feet thick, and
+that a staircase has been made through them to the top, where one can
+sit under the lindens growing upon it, or look down from the end on the
+city below with the pleasant consciousness that the great mass upon
+which he stands is only prevented from crashing down with him by the
+solidity of its masonry. On one side, joining the garden, the statue of
+the Archduke Louis, in his breastplate and flowing beard, looks out from
+among the ivy.
+
+There is little to be seen about the Castle except the walls themselves.
+The guide conducted us through passages, in which were heaped many of
+the enormous cannon balls which it had received in sieges, to some
+chambers in the foundation. This was the oldest part of the Castle,
+built in the thirteenth century. We also visited the chapel, which is in
+a tolerable state of preservation. A kind of narrow bridge crosses it,
+over which we walked, looking down on the empty pulpit and deserted
+shrines. We then went into the cellar to see the celebrated Tun. In a
+large vault are kept several enormous hogsheads, one of which is three
+hundred years old, but they are nothing in comparison with the tun,
+which itself fills a whole vault. It is as high as a common two story
+house; on the top is a platform upon which the people used to dance
+after it was filled, to which one ascends by two flights of steps. I
+forgot exactly how many casks it holds, but I believe eight hundred. It
+has been empty for fifty years.
+
+We are very pleasantly situated here. My friends, who arrived a day
+before me, hired three rooms (with the assistance of a courier) in a
+large house on the banks of the Neckar. We pay for them, with
+attendance, thirty florins--about twelve dollars--a month, and Frau Dr.
+Grosch, our polite and talkative landlady, gives us a student's
+breakfast--coffee and biscuit--for about seven cents apiece. We are
+often much amused to hear her endeavors to make us understand. As if to
+convey her meaning plainer, she raises both thumbs and forefingers to
+her mouth and pulls out the words like a long string; her tongue goes so
+fast that it keeps my mind always on a painful stretch to comprehend an
+idea here and there. Dr. S----, from whom we take lessons in German, has
+kindly consented to our dining with his family for the sake of practice
+in speaking. We have taken several long walks with them along the banks
+of the Neckar, but I should be puzzled to repeat any of the
+conversations that took place. The language, however, is fast growing
+more familiar, since _women_ are the principal teachers.
+
+Opposite my window rises the Heiligenberg, on the other side of the
+Neckar. The lower part of it is rich with vineyards, and many cottages
+stand embosomed in shrubbery among them. Sometimes we see groups of
+maidens standing under the grape arbors, and every morning the peasant
+women go toiling up the steep paths with baskets on their heads, to
+labor among the vines. On the Neckar below us, the fishermen glide about
+in their boats, sink their square nets fastened to a long pole, and haul
+them up with the glittering fish, of which the stream is full. I often
+lean out of the window late at night, when the mountains above are
+wrapped in dusky obscurity, and listen to the low, musical ripple of the
+river. It tells to my excited fancy a knightly legend of the old German
+time. Then comes the bell, rung for closing the inns, breaking the spell
+with its deep clang, which vibrates far away on the night air, till it
+has roused all the echoes of the Odenwald. I then shut the window, turn
+into the narrow box which the Germans call a bed, and in a few minutes
+am wandering in America. Half way up the Heiligenberg runs a beautiful
+walk, dividing the vineyards from the forest above. This is called the
+Philosopher's Way, because it was the favorite ramble of the old
+Professors of the University. It can be reached by a toilsome, winding
+path among the vines, called the Snake-way, and when one has ascended to
+it he is well rewarded by the lovely view. In the evening, when the sun
+has got behind the mountain, it is delightful to sit on the stone steps
+and watch the golden light creeping up the side of the Kaiser-stuhl,
+till at last twilight begins to darken in the valley and a mantle of
+mist gathers above the Neckar.
+
+We ascended the mountain a few days ago. There is a path which leads up
+through the forest, but we took the shortest way, directly up the side,
+though it was at an angle of nearly fifty degrees. It was hard enough
+work, scrambling through the thick broom and heather, and over stumps
+and stones. In one of the stone-heaps I dislodged a large orange-colored
+salamander, seven or eight inches long. They are sometimes found on
+these mountains, as well as a very large kind of lizard, called the
+_eidechse_, which the Germans say is perfectly harmless, and if one
+whistles or plays a pipe, will come and play around him. The view from
+the top reminded me of that from Catskill Mountain House, but is on a
+smaller scale. The mountains stretch off sideways, confining the view to
+but half the horizon, and in the middle of the picture the Hudson is
+well represented by the lengthened windings of the "abounding Rhine."
+Nestled at the base below us, was the little village of Handschuhheim,
+one of the oldest in this part of Germany. The castle of its former
+lords has nearly all fallen down, but the massive solidity of the walls
+which yet stand, proves its antiquity. A few years ago, a part of the
+outer walls which was remarked to have a hollow sound, was taken down,
+when there fell from a deep niche built therein, a skeleton, clad in a
+suit of the old German armor. We followed a road through the woods to
+the peak on which stand the ruins of St. Michael's chapel, which was
+built in the tenth century and inhabited for a long time by a sect of
+white monks. There is now but a single tower remaining, and all around
+is grown over with tall bushes and weeds. It had a wild and romantic
+look, and I sat on a rock and sketched at it, till it grew dark, when we
+got down the mountain the best way we could.
+
+We lately visited the great University Library. You walk through one
+hall after another, filled with books of all kinds, from the monkish
+manuscript of the middle ages, to the most elegant print of the present
+day. There is something to me more impressive in a library like this
+than a solemn Cathedral. I think involuntarily of the hundreds of mighty
+spirits who speak from these three hundred thousand volumes--of the
+toils and privations with which genius has ever struggled, and of his
+glorious reward. As in a church, one feels as it were, the presence of
+God; not because the place has been hallowed by his worship, but because
+all around stand the inspirations of his spirit, breathed through the
+mind of genius, to men. And if the mortal remains of saints and heroes
+do not repose within its walls, the great and good of the whole earth
+are there, speaking their counsels to the searcher for truth, with
+voices whose last reverberation will die away only when the globe falls
+into ruin.
+
+A few nights ago there was a wedding of peasants across the river. In
+order to celebrate it particularly, the guests went to the house where
+it was given, by torchlight. The night was quite dark, and the bright
+red torches glowed on the surface of the Neckar, as the two couriers
+galloped along the banks to the bridegroom's house. Here, after much
+shouting and confusion, the procession was arranged, the two riders
+started back again with their torches, and the wagons containing the
+guests followed after with their flickering lights glancing on the
+water, till they disappeared around the foot of the mountain. The
+choosing of Conscripts also took place lately. The law requires one
+person out of every hundred to become a soldier, and this, in the city
+of Heidelberg, amounts to nearly 150. It was a sad spectacle. The young
+men, or rather boys, who were chosen, went about the city with cockades
+fastened on their hats, shouting and singing, many of them quite
+intoxicated. I could not help pitying them because of the dismal,
+mechanical life they are doomed to follow. Many were rough, ignorant
+peasants, to whom nearly any kind of life would be agreeable; but there
+were some whose countenances spoke otherwise, and I thought
+involuntarily, that their drunken gaiety was only affected to conceal
+their real feelings with regard to the lot which had fallen upon them.
+
+We are gradually becoming accustomed to the German style of living,
+which is very different from our own. Their cookery is new to us, but
+is, nevertheless, good. We have every day a different kind of soup, so I
+have supposed they keep a regular list of three hundred and sixty-five,
+one for every day in the year! Then we have potatoes "done up" in oil
+and vinegar, veal flavored with orange peel, barley pudding, and all
+sorts of pancakes, boiled artichokes, and always rye bread, in loaves a
+yard long! Nevertheless, we thrive on such diet, and I have rarely
+enjoyed more sound and refreshing sleep than in their narrow and
+coffin-like beds, uncomfortable as they seem. Many of the German customs
+are amusing. We never see oxen working here, but always cows, sometimes
+a single one in a cart, and sometimes two fastened together by a yoke
+across their horns. The women labor constantly in the fields; from our
+window we can hear the nut-brown maidens singing their cheerful songs
+among the vineyards on the mountain side. Their costume, too, is odd
+enough. Below the light-fitting vest they wear such a number of short
+skirts, one above another, that it reminds one of an animated hogshead,
+with a head and shoulders starting out from the top. I have heard it
+gravely asserted that the wealth of a German damsel may be known by
+counting the number of her "kirtles." An acquaintance of mine remarked,
+that it would be an excellent costume for falling down a precipice!
+
+We have just returned from a second visit to Frankfort, where the great
+annual fair filled the streets with noise and bustle. On our way back,
+we stopped at the village of Zwingenberg, which lies at the foot of the
+Melibochus, for the purpose of visiting some of the scenery of the
+Odenwald. Passing the night at the inn there, we slept with one bed
+under and two above, and started early in the morning to climb up the
+side of the Melibochus. After a long walk through the forests, which
+were beginning to change their summer foliage for a brighter garment, we
+reached the summit and ascended the stone tower which stands upon it.
+This view gives one a better idea of the Odenwald, than that from the
+Kaiser-stuhl at Heidelberg. In the soft autumn atmosphere it looked even
+more beautiful. After an hour in that heaven of uplifted thought, into
+which we step from the mountain-top, our minds went with the path
+downward to earth, and we descended the eastern side into the wild
+region which contains the _Felsenmeer_, or Sea of Rocks.
+
+We met on the way a student from Fulda--a fine specimen of that
+free-spirited class, and a man whose smothered aspiration was betrayed
+in the flashing of his eye, as he spoke of the present painful and
+oppressed condition of Germany. We talked so busily together that
+without noticing the path, which had been bringing us on, up hill and
+down, through forest and over rock, we came at last to a halt in a
+valley among the mountains. Making inquiries there, we found we had gone
+wrong, and must ascend by a different path the mountain we had just come
+down. Near the summit of this, in a wild pine wood, was the
+Felsenmeer--a great collection of rocks heaped together like pebbles on
+the sea shore, and worn and rounded as if by the action of water: so
+much do they resemble waves, that one standing at the bottom and looking
+up, cannot resist the idea, that they will flow down upon him. It must
+have been a mighty tide whose receding waves left these masses piled up
+together! The same formation continues at intervals, to the foot, of the
+mountains. It reminded me of a _glacier_ of rocks instead of ice. A
+little higher up, lies a massive block of granite called the "Giant's
+Column." It is thirty-two feet long and three to four feet in diameter,
+and still bears the mark of the chisel. When or by whom it was made,
+remains a mystery. Some have supposed it was intended to be erected for
+the worship of the Sun, by the wild Teutonic tribes who inhabited this
+forest; it is more probably the work of the Romans. A project was once
+started, to erect it as a monument on the battle-field of Leipsic, but
+it was found too difficult to carry into execution.
+
+After dining at the little village of Reichelsdorf in the valley below,
+where the merry landlord charged my friend two kreutzers less than
+myself because he was not so tall, we visited the Castle of Schönberg,
+and joined the Bergstrasse again. We walked the rest of the way here;
+long before we arrived, the moon shone down on us over the mountains,
+and when we turned around the foot of the Heiligenberg, the mist
+descending in the valley of the Neckar, rested like a light cloud on the
+church spires.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+A WALK THROUGH THE ODENWALD.
+
+
+B---- and I are now comfortably settled in Frankfort, having, with Mr.
+Willis's kind assistance, obtained lodgings with the amiable family,
+with whom he has resided for more than two years. My cousin remains in
+Heidelberg to attend the winter course of lectures at the University.
+
+Having forwarded our baggage by the omnibus, we came hither on foot,
+through the heart of the Odenwald, a region full of interest, yet little
+visited by travellers. Dr. S---- and his family walked with us three or
+four miles of the way, and on a hill above Ziegelhausen, with a splendid
+view behind us, through the mountain-door, out of which the Neckar
+enters on the Rhine-plain, we parted. This was a first, and I must
+confess, a somewhat embarrassing experience in German leave-taking.
+After bidding adieu three or four times, we started to go up the
+mountain and they down it, but at every second step we had to turn
+around to acknowledge the waving of hands and handkerchiefs, which
+continued so long that I was glad when we were out of sight of each
+other. We descended on the other side into a wild and romantic valley,
+whose meadows were of the brightest green; a little brook which wound
+through them, put now and then its "silvery shoulder" to the wheel of a
+rustic mill. By the road-side two or three wild-looking gipsies sat
+around a fire, with some goats feeding near them.
+
+Passing through this valley and the little village of Schönau, we
+commenced ascending one of the loftiest ranges of the Odenwald. The side
+of the mountain was covered with a thick pine forest. There was no wind
+to wake its solemn anthem; all was calm and majestic, and even awful.
+The trees rose all around like the pillars of a vast Cathedral, whose
+long arched aisles vanished far below in the deepening gloom.
+
+    "Nature with folded hands seemed there,
+    Kneeling at her evening prayer,"
+
+for twilight had already begun to gather. We went on and up and ever
+higher, like the youth in "Excelsior;" the beech and dwarf oak took the
+place of the pine, and at last we arrived at a cleared summit whose long
+brown grass waved desolately in the dim light of evening. A faint glow
+still lingered over the forest-hills, but down in the valley the dusky
+shades hid every vestige of life, though its sounds came up softened
+through the long space. When we reached the top a bright planet stood
+like a diamond over the brow of the eastern hill, and the sound of a
+twilight bell came up clearly and sonorously on the cool damp air. The
+white veil of mist slowly descended down the mountain side, but the
+peaks rose above it like the wrecks of a world, floating in space. We
+made our way in the dusk down the long path, to the rude little dorf of
+Elsbach. I asked at the first inn for lodging, where we were ushered
+into a great room, in which a number of girls who had been at work in
+the fields, were assembled. They were all dressed in men's jackets, and
+short gowns, and some had their hair streaming down their back. The
+landlord's daughter, however, was a beautiful girl, whose modest,
+delicate features contrasted greatly with the coarse faces of the
+others. I thought of Uhland's beautiful little poem of "The Landlady's
+Daughter," as I looked on her. In the room hung two or three pair of
+antlers, and they told us deer were still plenty in the forests.
+
+When we left the village the next morning, we again commenced ascending.
+Over the whole valley and halfway up the mountain, lay a thick white
+frost, almost like snow, which contrasted with the green trees and
+bushes scattered over the meadows, produced the most singular effect. We
+plucked blackberries ready iced from the bushes by the road-side, and
+went on in the cold, for the sun shone only on the top of the opposite
+mountain, into another valley, down which rushed the rapid Ulver. At a
+little village which bears the beautiful name _Anteschönmattenwag_, we
+took a foot-path directly over a steep mountain to the village of
+Finkenbach. Near the top I found two wild-looking children, cutting
+grass with knives, both of whom I prevailed upon for a few kreutzers to
+stand and let me sketch them. From the summit the view on the other side
+was very striking. The hills were nearly every one covered with wood,
+and not a dwelling in sight. It reminded me of our forest scenery at
+home. The principal difference is, that our trees are two or three times
+the size of theirs.
+
+At length, after scaling another mountain, we reached a wide, elevated
+plain, in the middle of which stood the old dorf of Beerfelden. It was
+then crowded with people, on account of a great cattle-fair being held
+there. All the farmers of the neighborhood were assembled, clad in the
+ancient country costume--broad cocked hats and blue frocks. An orchard
+near the town was filled with cattle and horses, and near by, in the
+shade, a number of pedlars had arranged their wares. The cheerful
+looking country people touched their hats to us as we passed. This
+custom of greeting travellers, universal in Germany, is very expressive
+of their social, friendly manners. Among the mountains, we frequently
+met groups of children, who sang together their simple ballads as we
+passed by.
+
+From Beerfelden we passed down the valley of the Mimling to Erbach, the
+principal city in the Odenwald, and there stopped a short time to view
+the Rittersaal in the old family castle of the Counts of Erbach. An
+officer, who stood at the gates, conducted us to the door, where we were
+received by a noble-looking, gray-headed steward. He took us into the
+Rittersaal at once, which was like stepping back three hundred years.
+The stained windows of the lofty Gothic hall, let in a subdued light
+which fell on the forms of kings and knights, clad in the armor they
+wore during life. On the left as we entered, were mail-covered figures
+of John and Cosmo do Medici; further on stood the Emperor Maximilian,
+and by his side the celebrated dwarf who was served up in a pie at one
+of the imperial feasts. His armor was most delicate and beautiful, but
+small as it was, General Thumb would have had room in it. Gustavus
+Adolphus and Wallenstein looked down from the neighboring pedestals,
+while at the other end stood Goetz von Berlichingen and Albert of
+Brunswick. Guarding the door were Hans, the robber-knight of Nuremberg,
+and another from the Thüringian forest. The steward told me that the
+iron hand of Goetz was in possession of the family, but not shown to
+strangers; he pointed out, however, the buckles on the armor, by which
+it was fastened. Adjoining the hall is an antique chapel, filled with
+rude old tombs, and containing the sarcophagus of Count Eginhard of
+Denmark, who lived about the tenth century. There were also monkish
+garments five hundred years old hanging up in it.
+
+The collection of antiquities is large and interesting; but it is said
+that the old Count obtained some of them in rather a questionable
+manner. Among other incidents, they say that when in Rome he visited the
+Pope, taking with him an old servant who accompanied him in all his
+travels, and was the accomplice in most of his antiquarian thefts. In
+one of the outer halls, among the curiosities, was an antique shield of
+great value. The servant was left in this hall while the Count had his
+audience, and in a short time this shield was missed. The servant who
+wore a long cloak, was missed also; orders were given to close the gates
+and search every body, but it was too late--the thief was gone.
+
+Leaving Erbach we found out the direction of Snellert, the Castle of the
+Wild Huntsman, and took a road that led us for two or three hours along
+the top of a mountain ridge. Through the openings in the pine and larch
+forests, we had glimpses of the hills of Spessart, beyond the Main. When
+we finally left the by-road we had chosen it was quite dark, and we
+missed the way altogether among the lanes and meadows. We came at last
+to a full stop at the house of a farmer, who guided us by a foot path
+over the fields to a small village. On entering the only inn, kept by
+the Burgomaster, the people finding we were Americans, regarded us with
+a curiosity quite uncomfortable. They crowded around the door, watching
+every motion, and gazed in through the windows. The wild huntsman
+himself could scarcely have made a greater sensation. The news of our
+arrival seemed to have spread very fast, for the next morning when we
+stopped at a prune orchard some distance from the village to buy some
+fruit, the farmer cried out from a tree, "they are the Americans; give
+them as many as they want for nothing!"
+
+With the Burgomaster's little son for a guide, we went back a mile or
+two of our route to Snellert, which we had passed the night before, and
+after losing ourselves two or three times in the woods, arrived at last
+at the top of the mountain, where the ruins of the castle stand. The
+walls are nearly level with the ground. The interest of a visit rests
+entirely on the romantic legend, and the wild view over the hills
+around, particularly that in front, where on the opposite mountain are
+the ruins of Rodenstein, to which the wild Huntsman was wont to ride at
+midnight--where he now rides no more. The echoes of Rodenstein are no
+longer awakened by the sound of his bugle, and the hoofs of his demon
+steed clanging on the battlements. But the hills around are wild enough,
+and the roar of the pine forests deep enough to have inspired the simple
+peasants with the romantic tradition.
+
+Stopping for dinner at the town of Rheinheim, we met an old man, who, on
+learning we were Americans, walked with us as far as the next village.
+He had a daughter in America and was highly gratified to meet any one
+from the country of her adoption. He made me promise to visit her, if I
+ever should go to St. Louis, and say that I had walked with her father
+from Rheinheim to Zwangenburg. To satisfy his fears that I might forget
+it, I took down his name and that of his daughter. He shook me warmly by
+the hand at parting, and was evidently made happier for that day.
+
+We reached Darmstadt just in time to take a seat in the omnibus for
+Frankfort. Among the passengers were a Bavarian family, on their way to
+Bremen, to ship from thence to Texas. I endeavored to discourage the man
+from choosing such a country as his home, by telling him of its heats
+and pestilences, but he was too full of hope to be shaken in his
+purpose. I would have added that it was a slave-land, but I thought on
+our own country's curse, and was silent. The wife was not so sanguine;
+she seemed to mourn in secret at leaving her beautiful fatherland. It
+was saddening to think how lonely they would feel in that far home, and
+how they would long, with true German devotion, to look again on the
+green vintage-hills of their forsaken country. As night drew on, the
+little girl crept over to her father for his accustomed evening kiss,
+and then sank back to sleep in a corner of the wagon. The boy, in the
+artless confidence of childhood, laid his head on my breast, weary with
+the day's travel, and soon slept also. Thus we drove on in the dark,
+till at length the lights of Frankfort glimmered on the breast of the
+rapid Main, as we passed over the bridge, and when we stopped near the
+Cathedral, I delivered up my little charge and sent my sympathy with the
+wanderers on their lonely way.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+SCENES IN FRANKFORT--AN AMERICAN COMPOSER--THE POET FREILIGRATH.
+
+
+_Dec. 4._--This is a genuine old German city. Founded by Charlemagne,
+afterwards a rallying point of the Crusaders, and for a long time the
+capital of the German empire, it has no lack of interesting historical
+recollections, and notwithstanding it is fast becoming modernized, one
+is every where reminded of the Past. The Cathedral, old as the days of
+Peter the Hermit, the grotesque street of the Jews, the many quaint,
+antiquated dwellings and the mouldering watch-towers on the hills
+around, give it a more interesting character than any German city I have
+yet seen. The house we dwell in, on the Markt Platz, is more than two
+hundred years old; directly opposite is a great castellated building,
+gloomy with the weight of six centuries, and a few steps to the left
+brings me to the square of the Roemerberg, where the Emperors were
+crowned, in a corner of which is a curiously ornamented house, formerly
+the residence of Luther. There are legends innumerable connected with
+all these buildings, and even yet discoveries are frequently made in old
+houses, of secret chambers and staircases. When you add to all this, the
+German love of ghost stories, and, indeed, their general belief in
+spirits, the lover of romance could not desire a more agreeable
+residence.
+
+I often look out on the singular scene below my window. On both sides of
+the street, leaving barely room to enter the houses, sit the market
+women, with their baskets of vegetables and fruit. The middle of the
+street is filled with women buying, and every cart or carriage that
+comes along, has to force its way through the crowd, sometimes rolling
+against and overturning the baskets on the side, when for a few minutes
+there is a Babel of unintelligible sounds. The country women in their
+jackets and short gowns go backwards and forwards with great loads on
+their heads, sometimes nearly as high as themselves. It is a most
+singular scene, and so varied that one never tires of looking upon it.
+These women sit here from sunrise till sunset, day after day, for years.
+They have little furnaces for cooking and for warmth in winter, and when
+it rains they sit in large wooden boxes. One or two policemen are
+generally on the ground in the morning to prevent disputing about their
+places, which often gives rise to interesting scenes. Perhaps this kind
+of life in the open air is conducive to longevity; for certainly there
+is no country on earth that has as many old women. Many of them look
+like walking machines made of leather; and to judge from what I see in
+the streets here, I should think they work till they die.
+
+On the 21st of October a most interesting fete took place. The
+magnificent monument of Goethe, modelled by the sculptor Schwanthaler,
+at Munich, and cast in bronze, was unveiled. It arrived a few days
+before, and was received with much ceremony and erected in the destined
+spot, an open square in the western part of the city, planted with
+acacia trees. I went there at ten o'clock, and found the square already
+full of people. Seats had been erected around the monument for ladies,
+the singers and musicians. A company of soldiers was stationed to keep
+an entrance for the procession, which at length arrived with music and
+banners, and entered the enclosure. A song for the occasion was sung by
+the choir; it swelled up gradually, and with such perfect harmony and
+unity, that it seemed like some glorious instrument touched by a single
+hand. Then a poetical address was delivered; after which four young men
+took their stand at the corners of the monument; the drums and trumpets
+gave a flourish, and the mantle fell. The noble figure seemed to rise
+out of the earth, and thus amid shoutings and the triumphal peal of the
+band, the form of Goethe greeted the city of his birth. He is
+represented as leaning on the trunk of a tree, holding in his right hand
+a roll of parchment, and in his left a wreath. The pedestal, which is
+also of bronze, contains bas reliefs, representing scenes from Faust,
+Wilhelm Meister and Egmont. In the evening Goethe's house, in a street
+near, was illuminated by arches of lamps between the windows, and hung
+with wreaths of flowers. Four pillars of colored lamps lighted the
+statue. At nine o'clock the choir of singers came again in a procession,
+with colored lanterns, on poles, and after singing two or three songs,
+the statue was exhibited in the red glare of the Bengal light. The trees
+and houses around the square were covered with the glow, which streamed
+in broad sheets up against the dark sky.
+
+Within the walls the greater part of Frankfort is built in the old
+German style--the houses six or seven stones high, and every story
+projecting out over the other, so that those living in the upper part
+can nearly shake hands out of the windows. At the corners figures of men
+are often seen, holding up the story above on their shoulders and making
+horrible faces at the weight. When I state that in all these narrow
+streets which constitute the greater part of the city, there are no
+sidewalks, the windows of the lower stories with an iron grating
+extending a foot or so into the street, which is only wide enough for
+one cart to pass along, you can have some idea of the facility of
+walking through them, to say nothing of the piles of wood, and
+market-women with baskets of vegetables which one is continually
+stumbling over. Even in the wider streets, I have always to look before
+and behind to keep out of the way of the fiacres; the people here get so
+accustomed to it, that they leave barely room for them to pass, and the
+carriages go dashing by at a nearness which sometimes makes me shudder.
+
+As I walked across the Main, and looked down at the swift stream on its
+way from the distant Thuringian forest to join the Rhine, I thought of
+the time when Schiller stood there in the days of his early struggles,
+an exile from his native land, and looking over the bridge, said in the
+loneliness of his heart, "That water flows not so deep as my
+sufferings!" In the middle, on an iron ornament, stands the golden cock
+at which Goethe used to marvel when a boy. Perhaps you have not heard
+the legend connected with this. The bridge was built several hundred
+years ago, with such strength and solidity that it will stand many
+hundred yet. The architect had contracted to build it within a certain
+time, but as it drew near, without any prospect of fulfilment, the devil
+appeared to him and promised to finish it, on condition of having the
+first soul that passed over it. This was agreed upon end the devil
+performed his part of the bargain. The artist, however, on the day
+appointed, drove a cook across before he suffered any one to pass over
+it. His majesty stationed himself under the middle arch of the bridge,
+awaiting his prey; but enraged at the cheat, he tore the unfortunate
+fowl in pieces and broke two holes in the arch, saying they should never
+be built up again. The golden cock was erected on the bridge as a token
+of the event, but the devil has perhaps lost some of his power in these
+latter days, for the holes were filled up about thirty years ago.
+
+From the hills on the Darmstadt road, I had a view of the country
+around--the fields were white and bare, and the dark Tannus, with the
+broad patches of snow on his sides, looked grim and shadowy through the
+dim atmosphere. It was like the landscape of a dream--dark, strange and
+silent. The whole of last month we saw the sun but two or three days,
+the sky being almost continually covered with a gloomy fog. England and
+Germany seem to have exchanged climates this year, for in the former
+country we had delightfully clear weather.
+
+I have seen the banker Rothschild several times driving about the city.
+This one--Anselmo, the most celebrated of the brothers--holds a mortgage
+on the city of Jerusalem. He rides about in style, with officers
+attending his carriage. He is a little bald-headed man, with marked
+Jewish features, and is said not to deceive his looks. At any rate, his
+reputation is none of the best, either with Jews or Christians. A
+caricature was published some time ago, in which he is represented as
+giving a beggar woman by the way-side, a kreutzer--the smallest German
+coin. She is made to exclaim, "God reward you, a thousand fold!" He
+immediately replies, after reckoning up in his head: "How much have I
+then?--sixteen florins and forty kreutzers!"
+
+I have lately heard one of the most perfectly beautiful creations that
+ever emanated from the soul of genius--the opera of Fidelio. I have
+caught faint glimpses of that rich world of fancy and feeling, to which
+music is the golden door. Surrendering myself to the grasp of
+Beethoven's powerful conception, I read in sounds far more expressive
+than words, the almost despairing agony of the strong-hearted, but
+still tender and womanly Fidelio--the ecstatic joy of the wasted
+prisoner, when he rose from his hard couch in the dungeon, seeming to
+fuel, in his maniac brain, the presentiment of a bright being who would
+come to unbind his chains--and. the sobbing and wailing, almost-human,
+which came from the orchestra, when they dug his grave, by the dim
+lantern's light. When it was done, the murderer stole into the dungeon,
+to gloat on the agonies of his victim, ere he gave the death-blow. Then,
+while the prisoner is waked to reason by that sight, and Fidelio throws
+herself before the uplifted dagger, rescuing her husband with the
+courage which love gives to a woman's heart, the storm of feeling which
+has been gathering in the music, swells to a height beyond which it
+seemed impossible for the soul to pass. My nerves were thrilled till I
+could bear no more. A mist seemed to come before my eyes and I scarcely
+knew what followed, till the rescued kneeled together and poured forth
+in the closing hymn the painful fullness of their joy. I dreaded the
+sound of voices after the close, and the walk home amid the harsh
+rattling of vehicles on the rough streets. For days afterwards my brain
+was filled with a mingled and confused sense of melody, like the
+half-remembered music of a dream.
+
+Why should such magnificent creations of art be denied the new world?
+There is certainly enthusiasm and refinement of feeling enough at home
+to appreciate them, were the proper direction given to the popular
+taste. What country possesses more advantages to foster the growth of
+such an art, than ours? Why should not the composer gain mighty
+conceptions from the grandeur of our mountain scenery, from the howling
+of the storm through our giant forests, from the eternal thunder of
+Niagara? All these collateral influences, which more or less tend to the
+development and expansion of genius, are characteristics of our country;
+and a taste for musical compositions of a refined and lofty character,
+would soon give birth to creators.
+
+Fortunately for our country, this missing star in the crown of her
+growing glory, will probably soon be replaced. Richard S. Willis, with
+whom we have lived in delightful companionship, since coming here, has
+been for more than two years studying and preparing himself for the
+higher branches of composition. The musical talent he displayed while
+at college, and the success following the publication of a set of
+beautiful waltzes he there composed, led him to choose this most
+difficult but lofty path; the result justifies his early promise and
+gives the most sanguine anticipations for the future. He studied the
+first two years here under Schnyder von Wartensee, a distinguished Swiss
+composer; and his exercises have met with the warmest approval from
+Mendelsohn, at present the first German composer, and Rinck, the
+celebrated organist. The enormous labor and application required to go
+through the preparatory studies alone, would make it seem almost
+impossible for one with the restless energy of the American character,
+to undertake it; but as this very energy gives genius its greatest
+power, we may now trust with confidence that Willis, since he has nearly
+completed his studies, will win himself and his country honor in the
+difficult path he has chosen.
+
+One evening, after sunset, we took a stroll around the promenades. The
+swans were still floating on the little lake, and the American poplar
+beside it, was in its full autumn livery. As we made the circuit of the
+walks, guns were firing far and near, celebrating the opening of the
+vintage the next day, and rockets went glittering and sparkling up into
+the dark air. Notwithstanding the late hour and lowering sky, the walks
+were full of people and we strolled about with them till it grew quite
+dark, watching the fire-works which arose from the gardens around.
+
+The next day, we went into the Frankfort wood. Willis and his
+brother-in-law, Charles F. Dennett, of Boston, Dr. Dix and another young
+gentleman from the same city, formed the party--six Americans in all; we
+walked over the Main and through the dirty suburbs of Sachsenhausen,
+where we met many peasants laden with the first day's vintage, and
+crowds of people coming down from the vineyards. As we ascended the
+hill, the sound of firing was heard in every direction, and from many
+vineyards arose the smoke of fires where groups of merry children were
+collecting and burning the rubbish. We became lost among the winding
+paths of the pine forest, so that by the time we came out upon the
+eminence overlooking the valley of the Main, it was quite dark. From
+every side, far and near, rockets of all sizes and colors darted high
+up into the sky. Sometimes a flight of the most brilliant crimson and
+gold lights rushed up together, then again by some farm-house in the
+meadow, the vintagers would burn a Roman candle, throwing its powerful
+white light on the gardens and fields around. We stopped under a garden
+wall, by which a laughing company were assembled in the smoke and red
+blaze, and watched several comets go hissing and glancing far above us.
+The cracking of ammunition still continued, and when we came again upon
+the bridge, the city opposite was lighted as if illuminated. The full
+moon had just risen, softening and mellowing the beautiful scene, while
+beyond, over the tower of Frankfort, rose and fell the meteors that
+heralded the vintage.
+
+Since I have been in Frankfort, an event has occurred, which shows very
+distinctly the principles at work in Germany, and gives us some
+foreboding of the future. Ferdinand Freiligrath, the first living poet
+with the exception of Uhland, has within a few weeks published a volume
+of poems entitled, "My Confession of Faith, or Poems for the Times." It
+contains some thrilling appeals to the free spirit of the German people,
+setting forth the injustice under which they labor, in simple but
+powerful language, and with the most forcible illustrations, adapted to
+the comprehension of everyone. Viewed as a work of genius alone, it is
+strikingly powerful and original: but when we consider the effect it is
+producing among the people--the strength it will add to the rising tide
+of opposition to every form of tyranny, it has a still higher interest.
+Freiligrath had three or four years before, received a pension of three
+hundred thalers from the King of Prussia, soon after his accession to
+the throne: he ceased to draw this about a year ago, stating in the
+preface to his volume that it was accepted in the belief the King would
+adhere to his promise of giving the people a new constitution, but that
+now since free spirit which characterises these men, who come from
+among the people, shows plainly the tendency of the times; and it is
+only the great strength with which tyranny here has environed himself,
+and the almost lethargic _slowness_ of the Germans, which has prevented
+a change ere this.
+
+In this volume of Freiligrath's, among other things, is a translation of
+Bryant's magnificent poem "The Winds," and Burns's "A man's a man for a'
+that;" and I have translated one of his, as a specimen of the spirit in
+which they are written:
+
+    FREEDOM AND RIGHT.
+
+    Oh! think not she rests in the grave's chilly slumber
+      Nor sheds o'er the present her glorious light,
+    Since Tyranny's shackles the free soul incumber
+      And traitors accusing, deny to us Right!
+    No: whether to exile the sworn ones are wending,
+    Or weary of power that crushed them unending,
+    In dungeons have perished, their veins madly rending,[*]
+      Yet Freedom still liveth, and with her, the Right!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    A single defeat can confuse us no longer:
+      It adds to the combat's last gathering might,
+    It bids us but doubly to struggle, and stronger
+      To raise up our battle-cry--"Freedom and Right!"
+    For the Twain know a union forever abiding,
+    Together in Truth and in majesty striding;
+    Where Right is, already the free are residing
+      And ever, where dwell the free, governeth Right!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    And this is a trust: never made, us at present,
+      The glad pair from battle to battle their flight;
+    Never breathed through the soul of the down-trodden peasant,
+      Their spirit so deeply its promptings of light!
+    They sweep o'er the earth with a tempest-like token;
+    From strand unto strand words of thunder are spoken:
+    Already the serf finds his manacles broken,
+      And those of the negro are falling from sight
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    Yes, every where wide is their war-banner waving.
+      On the armies of Wrong their revenge to requite;
+    The strength of Oppression they boldly are braving
+      And at last they will conquer, resistless in might!
+    Oh, God! what a glorious wreath then appearing
+    Will blend every leaf in the banner they're bearing--The
+    olive of Greece and the shamrock of Erin,
+      And the oak-bough of Germany, greenest in light!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    And many who suffered, are now calmly sleeping,
+      The slumber of freemen, borne down by the fight;
+    While the Twain o'er their graves still a bright watch are keeping,
+      Whom we bless for their memories--Freedom and Right!
+    Meanwhile lift your glasses! to those who have striven!
+    And striving with bold hearts, to misery were driven!
+    Who fought for the Right and but Wrong then were given!
+      To Right, the immortal--to Freedom through Right!
+                                            Freedom through Right!
+
+[Footnote *: This allusion is to Weidig, who, imprisoned for years at
+Darmstadt on account of his political principles, finally committed
+suicide by cutting his throat with the glass of his prison-window.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A WEEK AMONG THE STUDENTS.
+
+
+Receiving a letter from my cousin one bright December morning, the idea
+of visiting him struck me, and so, within an hour, B---- and I were on
+our way to Heidelberg. It was delightful weather; the air was mild as
+the early days of spring, the pine forests around wore a softer green,
+and though the sun was but a hand's breadth high, even at noon, it was
+quite warm on the open road. We stopped for the night at Bensheim; the
+next morning was as dark as a cloudy day in the north can be, wearing a
+heavy gloom I never saw elsewhere. The wind blew the snow down from the
+summits upon us, but being warm from walking, we did not heed it. The
+mountains looked higher than in summer, and the old castles more grim
+and frowning. From the hard roads and freezing wind, my feet became very
+sore, and after limping along in excruciating pain for a league or two,
+I filled my boots with brandy, which deadened the wounds so much, that I
+was enabled to go on in a kind of trot, which I kept up, only stopping
+ten minutes to dinner, till we reached Heidelberg.
+
+The same evening there was to be a general _commers_, or meeting of the
+societies among the students, and I determined not to omit witnessing
+one of the most interesting and characteristic features of student-life.
+So borrowing a cap and coat, I looked the student well enough to pass
+for one of them, though the former article was somewhat of the
+_Philister_ form. Baader, a young poet of some note, and president of
+the "Palatia" Society, having promised to take us there, we met at
+eight o'clock at an inn frequented by the students, and went to the
+rendezvous, near the Markt Platz.
+
+A confused sound of voices came from the inn, as we drew near; groups of
+students were standing around the door. In the entry we saw the Red
+Fisherman, one of the most conspicuous characters about the University.
+He is a small, stout man, with bare neck and breast, red hair, whence
+his name, and a strange mixture of roughness and benevolence in his
+countenance. He has saved many persons at the risk of his own life, from
+drowning in the Neckar, and on that account is leniently dealt with by
+the faculty whenever he is arrested for assisting the students in any of
+their unlawful proceedings. Entering the room I could scarcely see at
+first, on account of the smoke that ascended from a hundred pipes. All
+was noise and confusion. Near the door sat some half dozen musicians who
+were getting their instruments ready for action, and the long room was
+filled with tables, all of which seemed to be full and the students were
+still pressing in. The tables were covered with great stone jugs and
+long beer glasses; the students were talking and shouting and
+drinking.--One who appeared to have the arrangement of the meeting,
+found seats for us together, and having made a slight acquaintance with
+those sitting next us, we felt more at liberty to witness their
+proceedings. They were all talking in a sociable, friendly way, and I
+saw no one who appeared to be intoxicated. The beer was a weak mixture,
+which I should think would make one fall over from its _weight_ before
+it would intoxicate him. Those sitting near me drank but little, and
+that principally to make or return compliments. One or two at the other
+end of the table were more boisterous, and more than one glass was
+overturned on the legs below it. Leaves containing the songs for the
+evening lay at each seat, and at the head, where the President sat, were
+two swords crossed, with which he occasionally struck upon the table to
+preserve order. Our President was a fine, romantic-looking young man,
+dressed in the old German costume, which is far handsomer than the
+modern. I never saw in any company of young men, so many handsome, manly
+countenances. If their faces were any index of their characters, there
+were many noble, free souls among them. Nearly opposite to me sat a
+young poet, whose dark eyes flashed with feeling as he spoke to those
+near him. After some time passed in talking and drinking together,
+varied by an occasional air from the musicians, the President beat order
+with the sword, and the whole company joined in one of their glorious
+songs, to a melody at the same time joyous and solemn. Swelled by so
+many manly voices it rose up like a hymn of triumph--all other sounds
+were stilled. Three times during the singing all rose up, clashed their
+glasses together around the tables and drank to their Fatherland, a
+health and blessing to the patriot, and honor to those who struggle in
+the cause of freedom, at the close thundering out their motto:
+
+    "Fearless in strife, to the banner still true!"
+
+After this song the same order as before was continued, except that
+students from the different societies made short speeches, accompanied
+by some toast or sentiment. One spoke of Germany--predicting that all
+her dissensions would be overcome, and she would rise up at last, like a
+phoenix among the nations of Europe; and at the close gave 'strong,
+united, regenerated Germany!' Instantly all sprang to their feet, and
+clashing the glasses together, gave a thundering "_hoch!_" This
+enthusiasm for their country is one of the strongest characteristics of
+the German students; they have ever been first in the field for her
+freedom, and on them mainly depends her future redemption.
+
+Cloths were passed around, the tables wiped off, and preparations made
+to sing the "_Landsfather_" or consecration song. This is one of the
+most important and solemn of their ceremonies, since by performing it
+the new students are made _burschen_, and the bands of brotherhood
+continually kept fresh and sacred. All became still a moment, then they
+commenced the lofty song:
+
+    "Silent bending, each one lending
+      To the solemn tones his ear,
+    Hark, the song of songs is sounding--
+    Back from joyful choir resounding,
+      Hear it, German brothers, hear!
+
+    "German proudly, raise it loudly,
+      Singing of your fatherland--
+    Fatherland! thou land of story,
+    To the altars of thy glory
+      Consecrate us, sword in hand!
+
+    "Take the beaker, pleasure seeker,
+      With thy country's drink brimmed o'er!
+    In thy left the sword is blinking.
+    Pierce it through the cap, while drinking
+      To thy Fatherland once more!"
+
+With the first line of the last stanza, the Presidents sitting at the
+head of the table, take their glasses in their right hands, and at the
+third line, the sword in their left, at the end striking their glasses
+together and drinking.
+
+    "In left hand gleaming, thou art beaming,
+      Sword from all dishonour free!
+    Thus I pierce the cap, while swearing,
+    It in honor ever wearing,
+      I a valiant Bursch will be!"
+
+They clash their swords together till the third line is sung, when each
+takes his cap, and piercing the point of the sword through the crown,
+draws it down to the guard. Leaving their caps on the swords, the
+Presidents stand behind the two next students, who go through the same
+ceremony, receiving the swords at the appropriate time, and giving it
+back loaded with their caps also. This ceremony is going on at every
+table at the same time. These two stanzas are repeated for every pair of
+students, till all have gone through with it, and the Presidents have
+arrived at the bottom of the table, with their swords strung full of
+caps. Here they exchange swords, while all sing:
+
+    "Come thou bright sword, now made holy,
+      Of free men the weapon free;
+    Bring it solemnly and slowly,
+      Heavy with pierced caps, to me!
+    From its burden now divest it;
+      Brothers be ye covered all,
+      And till our next festival,
+    Hallowed and unspotted rest it!
+
+    "Up, ye feast companions! ever
+      Honor ye our holy band!
+    And with heart and soul endeavor
+      E'er as high-souled men to stand!
+    Up to feast, ye men united!
+      Worthy be your fathers' fame,
+      And the sword may no one claim,
+    Who to honor is not plighted!"
+
+Then each President, taking a cap of his sword, reached it to the
+student opposite, and they crossed their swords, the ends resting on the
+two students' heads, while they sang the next stanza:
+
+    "So take it back; thy head I now will cover
+      And stretch the bright sword over.
+    Live also then this Bursche, hoch!
+      Wherever we may meet him,
+      Will we, as Brother greet him--
+    Live also this, our Brother, hoch!"
+
+This ceremony was repeated till all the caps were given back, and they
+then concluded with the following:
+
+    "Rest, the Bursehen-feast is over,
+      Hallowed sword and thou art free!
+    Each one strive a valiant lover
+      Of his fatherland to be!
+    Hail to him, who, glory-haunted,
+      Follows still his fathers bold;
+      And the sword may no one hold
+    But the noble and undaunted!"
+
+The Landsfather being over, the students were less orderly; the smoking
+and drinking began again and we left, as it was already eleven o'clock,
+glad to breathe the pure cold air.
+
+In the University I heard Gervinus, who was formerly professor in
+Göttingen, but was obliged to leave on account of his liberal
+principles. He is much liked by the students and his lectures are very
+well attended. They had this winter a torchlight procession in honor of
+him. He is a stout, round-faced man, speaks very fast, and makes them
+laugh continually with his witty remarks. In the room I saw a son of
+Rückert, the poet, with a face strikingly like his father's. The next
+evening I went to hear Schlosser, the great historian. Among his pupils
+are the two princes of Baden, who are now at the University. He came
+hurriedly in, threw down his portfolio and began instantly to speak. He
+is an old, gray-headed man, but still active and full of energy. The
+Germans find him exceedingly difficult to understand, as he is said to
+use the English construction almost entirely; for this reason, perhaps,
+I understood him quite easily. He lectures on the French Revolution, but
+is engaged in writing a Universal History, the first numbers of which
+are published.
+
+Two or three days after, we heard that a duel was to take place at
+Neuenheim, on the opposite side of the Neckur, where the students have a
+house hired for that purpose. In order to witness the spectacle, we
+started immediately with two or three students. Along the road were
+stationed old women, at intervals, as guards, to give notice of the
+approach of the police, and from these we learned that one duel had
+already been fought, and they were preparing for the other. The Red
+Fisherman was busy in an outer room grinding the swords, which are made
+as sharp as razors. In the large room some forty or fifty students were
+walking about, while the parties were preparing. This was done by taking
+off the coat and vest and binding a great thick leather garment on,
+which reached from the breast to the knees, completely protecting the
+body. They then put on a leather glove reaching nearly to the shoulder,
+tied a thick cravat around the throat, and drew on a cap with a large
+vizor. This done, they were walked about the room a short time, the
+seconds holding out their arms to strengthen them; their faces all this
+time betrayed considerable anxiety.
+
+All being ready, the seconds took their stations immediately behind
+them, each armed with a sword, and gave the words: "_ready--bind your
+weapons--loose!_" They instantly sprang at each other, exchanged two or
+three blows, when the seconds cried "halt!" and struck their swords up.
+Twenty-four rounds of this kind ended the duel, without either being
+hurt, though the cap of one of them was cut through and his forehead
+grazed. All their duels do not end so fortunately, however, as the
+frightful scars on the faces of many of those present, testified. It is
+a gratification to know that but a small portion of the students keep up
+this barbarous custom. The great body is opposed to it; in Heidelberg,
+four societies, comprising more than one half the students, have been
+formed against it. A strong desire for such a reform seems to prevail,
+and the custom will probably be totally discontinued in a short time.
+
+This view of the student-life was very interesting to me; it appeared in
+a much better light than I had been accustomed to view it. Their
+peculiar customs, except duelling and drinking, of course, may be the
+better tolerated when we consider their effect on the liberty of
+Germany. It is principally through them that a free spirit is kept
+alive; they have ever been foremost to rise up for their Fatherland, and
+bravest in its defence. And though many of their customs have so often
+been held up to ridicule, among no other class can one find warmer,
+truer or braver hearts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR IN GERMANY.
+
+
+_Jan. 2, 1845._--I have lately been computing how much my travels have
+cost me up to the present time, and how long I can remain abroad to
+continue the pilgrimage, with my present expectations. The result has
+been most encouraging to my plan. Before leaving home, I wrote to
+several gentlemen who had visited Europe, requesting the probable
+expense of travel and residence abroad. They sent different accounts; E.
+Joy Morris said I must calculate to spend at least $1500 a year; another
+suggested $1000, and the most moderate of all, said that it was
+_impossible_ to live in Europe a year on less than $500. Now, six months
+have elapsed since I left home--six months of greater pleasure and
+profit than any _year_ of my former life--and my expenses, in full,
+amount to $130! This, however, nearly exhausts the limited sum with
+which I started, but through the kindness of the editorial friends who
+have been publishing my sketches of travel, I trust to receive a
+remittance shortly. Printing is a business attended with so little
+profit here, as there are already so many workmen, that it is almost
+useless for a stranger to apply. Besides, after a tough grapple, I am
+just beginning to master the language, and it seems so necessary to
+devote every minute to study, that I would rather undergo some
+privation, than neglect turning these fleeting hours into gold, for the
+miser Memory to stow away in the treasure-vaults of the mind.
+
+We have lately witnessed the most beautiful and interesting of all
+German festivals--Christmas. This is here peculiarly celebrated. About
+the commencement of December, the Christmarkt or fair, was opened in the
+Roemerberg, and has continued to the present time. The booths, decorated
+with green boughs, were filled with toys of various kinds, among which
+during the first days the figure of St. Nicholas was conspicuous. There
+were bunches of wax candles to illuminate the Christmas tree,
+gingerbread with printed mottos in poetry, beautiful little earthenware,
+basket-work, and a wilderness of playthings. The 5th of December, being
+Nicholas evening, the booths were lighted up, and the square was filled
+with boys, running from one stand to another, all shouting and talking
+together in the most joyous confusion. Nurses were going around,
+carrying the smaller children in their arms, and parents bought presents
+decorated with sprigs of pine and carried them away. Some of the shops
+had beautiful toys, as for instance, a whole grocery store in miniature,
+with barrels, boxes and drawers, all filled with sweetmeats, a kitchen
+with a stove and all suitable utensils, which could really be used, and
+sets of dishes of the most diminutive patterns. All was a scene of
+activity and joyous feeling.
+
+Many of the tables had bundles of rods with gilded bands, which were to
+be used that evening by the persons who represented St. Nicholas. In the
+family with whom we reside, one of our German friends dressed himself
+very comically, with a mask, fur robe and long tapering cap. He came in
+with a bunch of rods and a sack, and a broom for a sceptre. After we all
+had received our share of the beating, he threw the contents of his bag
+on the table, and while we were scrambling for the nuts and apples, gave
+us many smart raps over the fingers. In many families the children are
+made to say, "I thank you, Herr Nicolaus," and the rods are hung up in
+the room till Christmas to keep them in good behavior. This was only a
+forerunner of the Christ-kindchen's coming. The Nicolaus is the
+punishing spirit, the Christ-kindchen the rewarding one.
+
+When this time was over, we all began preparing secretly our presents
+for Christmas. Every day there were consultations about the things which
+should be obtained. It was so arranged that all should interchange
+presents, but nobody must know beforehand what he would receive. What
+pleasure there was in all these secret purchases and preparations!
+Scarcely anything was thought or spoken of but Christmas, and every day
+the consultations became more numerous and secret. The trees were bought
+sometime beforehand, but as we were to witness the festival for the
+first time, we were not allowed to see them prepared, in order that the
+effect might be as great as possible. The market in the Roeinerberg
+Square grew constantly larger and more brilliant. Every night it was lit
+up with lamps and thronged with people. Quite a forest sprang up in the
+street before our door. The old stone house opposite, with the traces of
+so many centuries on its dark face, seemed to stand in the midst of a
+garden. It was a pleasure to go out every evening and see the children
+rushing to and fro, shouting and seeking out toys from the booths, and
+talking all the time of the Christmas that was so near. The poor people
+went by with their little presents hid under their cloaks, lest their
+children might see them; every heart was glad and every countenance wore
+a smile of secret pleasure.
+
+Finally the day before Christmas arrived. The streets were so full I
+could scarce make my way through, and the sale of trees went on more
+rapidly than ever. These wore commonly branches of pine or fir, set
+upright in a little miniature garden of moss. When the lamps were
+lighted at night, our street had the appearance of an illuminated
+garden. We were prohibited from entering the rooms up stairs in which
+the grand ceremony was to take place, being obliged to take our seats in
+those arranged for the guests, and wait with impatience the hour when
+Christ-kindchen should call. Several relations of the family came, and
+what was more agreeable, they brought with them five or six children. I
+was anxious to see how they would view the ceremony. Finally, in the
+middle of an interesting conversation, we heard the bell ringing up
+stairs. We all started up, and made for the door. I ran up the steps
+with the children at my heels, and at the top met a blaze of light
+coming from the open door, that dazzled me. In each room stood a great
+table, on which the presents were arranged, amid flowers and wreaths.
+From the centre, rose the beautiful Christmas tree covered with wax
+tapers to the very top, which made it nearly as light as day, while
+every bough was hung with sweetmeats and gilded nuts. The children ran
+shouting around the table, hunting their presents, while the older
+persons had theirs pointed out to them. I had qui'e a little library of
+German authors as my share; and many of the others received quite
+valuable gifts.
+
+But how beautiful was the heart-felt joy that shone on every
+countenance! As each one discovered he embraced the givers, and all was
+a scene of the purest feelings. It is a glorious feast, this Christmas
+time! What a chorus from happy hearts went up on that evening to Heaven!
+Full of poetry and feeling and glad associations, it is here anticipated
+with joy, and leaves a pleasant memory behind it. We may laugh at such
+simple festivals at home, and prefer to shake ourselves loose from every
+shackle that bears the rust of the Past, but we would certainly be
+happier if some of these beautiful old customs were better honored. They
+renew the bond of feeling between families and friends, and strengthen
+their kindly sympathy; even life-long friends require occasions of this
+kind to freshen the wreath that binds them together.
+
+New Year's Eve is also favored with a peculiar celebration in Germany.
+Every body remains up and makes himself merry till midnight. The
+Christmas trees are again lighted, and while the tapers are burning
+down, the family play for articles which they have purchased and hung on
+the boughs. It is so arranged that each one shall win as much as he
+gives, which change of articles makes much amusement. One of the ladies
+rejoiced in the possession of a red silk handkerchief and a cake of
+soap, while a cup and saucer and a pair of scissors fell to my lot! As
+midnight drew near, it was louder in the streets, and companies of
+people, some of them singing in chorus, passed by on their way to the
+Zeil. Finally three-quarters struck, the windows were opened and every
+one waited anxiously for the clock to strike. At the first sound, such a
+cry arose as one may imagine, when thirty or forty thousand persons all
+set their lungs going at once. Every body in the house, in the street,
+over the whole city, shouted, _"Prosst Neu Jahr?"_ In families, all the
+members embrace each other, with wishes of happiness for the new year.
+Then the windows are thrown open, and they cry to their neighbors or
+those passing by.
+
+After we had exchanged congratulations, Dennett, B---- and I set out for
+the Zeil. The streets were full of people, shouting to one another and
+to those standing at the open windows. We failed not to cry, _"Prosst
+Neu Jahr!"_ wherever we saw a damsel at the window, and the words came
+back to us more musically than we sent them. Along the Zeil the
+spectacle was most singular. The great wide street was filled with
+companies of men, marching up and down, while from the mass rang up one
+deafening, unending shout, that seemed to pierce the black sky above.
+The whole scene looked stranger and wilder from the flickering light of
+the swinging lamps, and I could not help thinking it must resemble a
+night in Paris during the French Revolution. We joined the crowd and
+used our lungs as well as any of them. For some time after we returned
+home, companies passed by, singing "with us 'tis ever so!" but at three
+o'clock all was again silent.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+WINTER IN FRANKFORT--A FAIR, AN INUNDATION AND A FIRE.
+
+
+After New Year, the Main, just above the city, and the lakes in the
+promenades, were frozen over. The ice was tried by the police, and
+having been found of sufficient thickness, to the great joy of the
+schoolboys, permission was given to skate. The lakes were soon covered
+with merry skaters, and every afternoon the banks were crowded with
+spectators. It was a lively sight to see two or three hundred persons
+darting about, turning and crossing like a flock of crows, while, by
+means of arm-chairs mounted on runners, the ladies were enabled to join
+in the sport, and whirl around among them. Some of the broad meadows
+near the city, which were covered with water, were the resort of the
+schools. I went there often in my walks, and always found two or three
+schools, with the teachers, all skating together, and playing their
+winter games on the ice. I have often seen them on the meadows along the
+Main; the teachers generally made quite as much noise as the scholars in
+their sports.
+
+In the Art Institute I saw the picture of "Huss before the Council of
+Constance," by the painter Lessing. It contains upwards of twenty
+figures. The artist has shown the greatest skill in the expression and
+grouping of these. Bishops and Cardinals in their splendid robes are
+seated around a table, covered with parchment folios, and before them
+stands Huss alone. His face, pale and thin with long imprisonment, he
+has lain one hand on his breast, while with the other he has grasped one
+of the volumes on the table; there is an air of majesty, of heavenly
+serenity on his lofty forehead and calm eye. One feels instinctively
+that he has truth on his side. There can be no deception, no falsehood
+in those noble features. The three Italian cardinals before him appear
+to be full of passionate rage; the bishop in front, who holds the
+imperial pass given to Huss, looks on with an expression of scorn, and
+the priests around have an air of mingled curiosity and hatred. There is
+one, however, in whose mild features and tearful eye is expressed
+sympathy and pity for the prisoner. It is said this picture has had a
+great effect upon Catholics who have seen it, in softening the bigotry
+with which they regarded the early reformers; and if so, it is a
+triumphant proof how much art can effect in the cause of truth and
+humanity. I was much interested in a cast of the statue of St. George,
+by the old Italian sculptor Donatello. It is a figure full of youth and
+energy, with a countenance that seems to breathe. Donatello was the
+teacher of Michael Angelo, and when the young sculptor was about setting
+off for Rome, he showed him the statue, his favorite work. Michael gazed
+at it long and intensely, and at length, on parting, said to Donatello,
+"It wants but one thing." The artist pondered long over this expression,
+for he could not imagine in what could fail the matchless figure. At
+length, after many years, Michael Angelo, in the noon of his renown,
+visited the death-bed of his old master. Donatello begged to know,
+before he died, what was wanting to his St. George. Angelo answered,
+"_the gift of speech!_" and a smile of triumph lighted the old man's
+face, as he closed his eyes forever.
+
+The Eschernheim Tower, at the entrance of one of the city gates, is
+universally admired by strangers, on account of its picturesque
+appearance, overgrown with ivy and terminated by the little pointed
+turrets, which one sees so often in Germany, on buildings three or four
+centuries old. There are five other watch towers of similar form, which
+stand on different sides of the city, at the distance of a mile or two,
+and generally upon an eminence overlooking the country. They were
+erected several centuries ago, to discern from afar the approach of an
+enemy, and protect the caravans of merchants, which at that time
+travelled from city to city, from the attacks of robbers. The
+Eschernheim Tower is interesting from another circumstance, which,
+whether true or not, is universally believed. When Frankfort was under
+the sway of a prince, a Swiss hunter, for some civil offence, was
+condemned to die. He begged his life from the prince, who granted it
+only on condition that he should fire the figure 9 with his rifle
+through the vane of this tower. He agreed, and did it; and at the
+present lime, one can distinguish a rude 9 on the vane, as if cut with
+bullets, while two or three marks at the side appear to be from shots
+that failed.
+
+The promise of spring which lately visited us, was not destined for
+fulfilment. Shortly afterwards it grew cold again, with a succession of
+snows and sharp northerly winds. Such weather at the commencement of
+spring is not uncommon at home; but here they say there has not been
+such a winter known for 150 years. In the north of Prussia many persons
+have been starved to death on account of provisions becoming scarce.
+Among the Hartz also, the suffering is very great. We saw something of
+the misery even here. It was painful to walk through the streets and see
+so many faces bearing plainly the marks of want, so many pale,
+hollow-eyed creatures, with suffering written on every feature. We were
+assailed with petitions for help which could not be relieved, though it
+pained and saddened the heart to deny. The women, too, labor like
+brutes, day after day. Many of them appear cheerful and contented, and
+are no doubt, tolerably happy, for the Germans have all true, warm
+hearts, and are faithful to one another, as far as poverty will permit;
+but one cannot see old, gray-headed women, carrying loads on their heads
+as heavy as themselves, exposed to all kinds of weather and working from
+morning till night, without pity and indignation.
+
+So unusually severe has been the weather, that the deer and hares in the
+mountains near, came nearly starved and tamed down by hunger, into the
+villages to hunt food. The people fed them everyday, and also carried
+grain into the fields for the partridges and pheasants, who flew up to
+them like domestic fowls. The poor ravens made me really sorry; some lay
+dead in the fields and many came into the city perfectly tame, flying
+along the Main with wings hardly strong enough to boar up their skeleton
+bodies. The storks came at the usual time, but went back again. I hope
+the year's blessing has not departed with them, according to the old
+German superstition.
+
+_March 26._--We have hopes of spring at last. Three days ago the rain
+began and has continued with little intermission till now. The air is
+warm, the snow goes fast, and every thing seems to announce that the
+long winter is breaking up. The Main rises fast, and goes by the city
+like an arrow, whirling large masses of ice upon the banks. The hills
+around are coming out from under the snow, and the lilac-buds in the
+promenades begin to expand for the second time.
+
+The Fair has now commenced in earnest, and it is a most singular and
+interesting sight. The open squares are filled with booths, leaving
+narrow streets between them, across which canvas is spread. Every booth
+is open and filled with a dazzling display of wares of all kinds.
+Merchants assemble from all parts of Europe. The Bohemians come with
+their gorgeous crystal ware; the Nuremborgers with their toys, quaint
+and fanciful as the old city itself; men from the Thuringian forest,
+with minerals and canes, and traders from Berlin, Vienna, Paris and
+Switzerland, with dry goods and wares of all kinds. Near the Exchange
+are two or three companies of Tyrolese, who attract much of my
+attention. Their costume is exceedingly picturesque. The men have all
+splendid manly figures, and honor and bravery are written on their
+countenances. One of the girls is a really handsome mountain maiden, and
+with her pointed, broad-brimmed black hat, as romantic looking as one
+could desire. The musicians have arrived, and we are entertained the
+whole day long by wandering bands, some of whom play finely. The best,
+which is also the favorite company, is from Saxony, called "The Mountain
+Boys." They are now playing in our street, and while I write, one of the
+beautiful choruses from Norma comes up through the din of the crowd. In
+fact, music is heard over the whole city, and the throngs that fill
+every street with all sorts of faces and dresses, somewhat relieve the
+monotony that was beginning to make Frankfort tiresome.
+
+We have an ever-varied and interesting scene from our window. Besides
+the motley crowd of passers-by, there are booths and tables stationed
+thick below. One man in particular is busily engaged in selling his
+store of blacking in the auction style, in a manner that would do credit
+to a real Down-caster. He has flaming certificates exhibited, and
+prefaces his calls to buy with a high-sounding description of his
+wonderful qualities. He has a bench in front, where he tests on the
+shoes of his customers, or if none of those are disposed to try it, he
+rubs it on his own, which shine like mirrors. So he rattles on with
+amazing fluency in French, German and Italian, and this, with his black
+beard and moustache and his polite, graceful manner, keeps a crowd of
+customers around him, so that the wonderful blacking goes off as fast as
+he can supply it.
+
+_April 6._--Old Winter's gales are shut close behind us, and the sun
+looks down with his summer countenance. The air, after the long cold
+rain, is like that of Paradise. All things are gay and bright, and
+everybody is in motion. Spring commenced with yesterday in earnest, and
+lo! before night the roads were all dry and fine as if there had been no
+rain for a month; and the gardeners dug and planted in ground which,
+eight days before, was covered with snow!
+
+After having lived through the longest winter here, for one hundred and
+fifty years, we were destined to witness the greatest flood for sixty,
+and little lower than any within the last three hundred years. On the
+28th of March, the river overflooded the high pier along the Main, and
+rising higher and higher, began to come into the gates and alleys.
+Before night the whole bank was covered and the water intruded into some
+of the booths in the Römerberg. When I went there the next morning, it
+was a sorrowful sight. Persons were inside the gate with boats; so
+rapidly had it risen, that many of the merchants had no time to move
+their wares, and must suffer great damage. They were busy rescuing what
+property could bo seized in the haste, and constructing passages into
+the houses which were surrounded. No one seemed to think of buying or
+selling, but only on the best method to escape the danger. Along the
+Main it was still worse. From the measure, it had risen seventeen feet
+above its usual level, and the arches of the bridge were filled nearly
+to the top. At the Upper-Main gate, every thing was flooded--houses,
+gardens, workshops, &c.; the water had even overrun the meadows above
+and attacked the city from behind, so that a part of the beautiful
+promenades lay deep under water. On the other side, we could see houses
+standing in it up to the roof. It came up through the sewers into the
+middle of Frankfort; a large body of men were kept at work constructing
+slight bridges to walk on, and transporting boats to places where they
+were needed. This was all done at the expense of the city; the greatest
+readiness was everywhere manifested to render all possible assistance.
+In the Fischergasse, I saw them taking provisions to the people in
+boats; one man even fastened a loaf of bread to the end of a broomstick
+and reached it across the narrow street from an upper story window, to
+the neighbor opposite. News came that Hausen, a village towards the
+Taunus, about two miles distant, was quite under water, and that the
+people clung to the roofs and cried for help; but it was fortunately
+false. About noon, cannon shots were heard, and twenty boats were sent
+out from the city.
+
+In the afternoon I ascended the tower of the Cathedral, which commands a
+wide view of the valley, up and down. Just above the city the whole
+plain was like a small lake--between two and three miles wide. A row of
+new-built houses stretched into it like a long promontory, and in the
+middle, like an island, stood a country-seat with large out-buildings.
+The river sent a long arm out below, that reached up through the meadows
+behind the city, as if to clasp it all and bear it away together. A
+heavy storm was raging along the whole extent of the Taunus; but a
+rainbow stood in the eastern sky. I thought of its promise, and hoped,
+for the sake of the hundreds of poor people who were suffering by the
+waters, that it might herald their fall.
+
+We afterwards went over to Sachsenhausen, which was, if possible, in a
+still more unfortunate condition. The water had penetrated the passages
+and sewers, and from these leaped and rushed up into the streets, as out
+of a fountain. The houses next to the Main, which were first filled,
+poured torrents out of the doors and windows into the street below.
+These people were nearly all poor, and could ill afford the loss of time
+and damage of property it occasioned them. The stream was filled with
+wood and boards, and even whole roofs, with the tiles on, went floating
+down. The bridge was crowded with people; one saw everywhere mournful
+countenances, and heard lamentations over the catastrophe. After sunset,
+a great cloud, filling half the sky, hung above; the reflection of its
+glowing crimson tint, joined to the brown hue of the water, made it seem
+like a river of fire.
+
+What a difference a little sunshine makes! I could have forgotten the
+season the next day, but for the bare trees and swelling Main, as I
+threaded my way through the hundreds of people who thronged its banks.
+It was that soft warmth that comes with the first spring days, relaxing
+the body and casting a dreamy hue over the mind. I leaned over the
+bridge in the full enjoyment of it, and listening to the roaring of the
+water under the arches, forgot every thing else for a time. It was
+amusing to walk up and down the pier and look at the countenances
+passing by, while the phantasy was ever ready, weaving a tale for all.
+My favorite Tyrolese were there, and I saw a Greek leaning over the
+stone balustrade, wearing the red cap and white frock, and with the long
+dark hair and fiery eye of the Orient. I could not but wonder, as he
+looked at the dim hills of the Odenwald, along the eastern horizon,
+whether they called up in his mind the purple isles of his native
+Archipelago.
+
+The general character of a nation is plainly stamped on the countenances
+of its people. One who notices the faces in the streets, can soon
+distinguish, by the glance he gives in going by, the Englishman or the
+Frenchman from the German, and the Christian from the Jew. Not less
+striking is the difference of expression between the Germans themselves;
+and in places where all classes of people are drawn together, it is
+interesting to observe how accurately these distinctions are drawn. The
+boys have generally handsome, intelligent faces, and like all boys, they
+are full of life and spirit, for they know nothing of the laws by which
+their country is chained down, and would not care for them, if they did.
+But with the exception of the students, who _talk_, at least, of Liberty
+and Right, the young men lose this spirit and at last settle down into
+the calm, cautious, _lethargic_ citizen. One distinguishes an Englishman
+and I should think an American, also, in this respect, very easily; the
+former, moreover, by a certain cold stateliness and reserve. There is
+something, however, about a Jew, whether English or German, which marks
+him from all others. However different their faces, there is a family
+character which runs through the whole of them. It lays principally in
+their high cheek-bones, prominent nose and thin, compressed lips; which,
+especially in elderly men, gives a peculiar miserly expression that is
+unmistakeable. I regret to say, one looks almost in vain, in Germany,
+for a handsome female countenance. Here and there, perhaps, is a woman
+with regular features, but that intellectual expression, which gives
+such a charm to the most common face, is wanting. I have seen more
+beautiful women in one night, in a public assembly in America, than
+during the seven months I have been on the Continent. Some of the young
+Jewesses, in Frankfort, are considered handsome, but their features soon
+become too strongly marked. In a public walk the number of positively
+ugly faces is really astonishing.
+
+About ten o'clock that night, I heard a noise of persons running in the
+street, and going to the Römerberg, found the water had risen, all at
+once, much higher, and was still rapidly increasing. People were setting
+up torches and lengthening the rafts, which had been already formed. The
+lower part of the city was a real Venice--the streets were full of boats
+and people could even row about in their own houses; though it was not
+quite so bad as the flood in Georgia, where they went _up stairs to bed_
+in boats! I went to the bridge. Persons were calling around--"The water!
+the water! it rises continually!" The river rushed through the arches,
+foaming and dashing with a noise like thunder, and the red light of the
+torches along the shore cost a flickering glare on the troubled waves.
+It was then twenty-one feet above its usual level. Men were busy all
+around, carrying boats and ladders to the places most threatened, or
+emptying cellars into which it was penetrating. The sudden swelling was
+occasioned by the coming down of the floods from the mountains of
+Spessart.
+
+Part of the upper quay cracked next morning and threatened to fall in,
+and one of the projecting piers of the bridge sunk away from the main
+body three or four inches. In Sachsenhausen the desolation occasioned by
+the flood is absolutely frightful; several houses have fallen into total
+ruin. All business was stopped for the day; the Exchange was even shut
+up. As the city depends almost entirely on pumps for its supply of
+water, and these were filled with the flood, we have been drinking the
+muddy current of the Main ever since. The damage to goods is very great.
+The fair was stopped at once, and the loss in this respect alone, must
+be several millions of florins. The water began to fall on the 1st, and
+has now sunk about ten feet, so that most of the houses are again
+released, though in a bad condition.
+
+Yesterday afternoon, as I was sitting in my room, writing, I heard all
+at once an explosion like a cannon in the street, followed by loud and
+continued screams. Looking out the window, I saw the people rushing by
+with goods in their arms, some wringing their hands and crying, others
+running in all directions. Imagining that it was nothing less than the
+tumbling down of one of the old houses, we ran down and saw a store a
+few doors distant in flames. The windows were bursting and flying out,
+and the mingled mass of smoke and red flame reached half way across the
+street. We learned afterwards it was occasioned by the explosion of a
+jar of naphtha, which instantly enveloped the whole room in fire, the
+people barely escaping in time. The persons who had booths near were
+standing still in despair, while the flames were beginning to touch
+their property. A few butchers who first came up, did almost everything.
+A fire engine arrived soon, but it was ten minutes before it began to
+play, and by that time the flames were coming out of the upper stories.
+Then the supply of water soon failed, and though another engine came up
+shortly after, it was sometime before it could be put in order, so that
+by the time they got fairly to work, the fire had made its way nearly
+through the house. The water was first brought in barrels drawn by
+horses, till some officer came and opened the fire plug. The police were
+busy at work seizing those who came by and setting them to work; and as
+the alarm had drawn a great many together, they at last began to effect
+something. All the military are obliged to bo out, and the officers
+appeared eager to use their authority while they could, for every one
+was ordering and commanding, till all was a scene of perfect confusion
+and uproar. I could not help laughing heartily, so ludicrous did the
+scene appear. There were little, miserable engines, not much bigger than
+a hand-cart, and looking as if they had not been used for half a
+century, the horses running backwards and forwards, dragging barrels
+which were emptied into tubs, after which the water was finally dipped
+up in buckets, and emptied into the engines! These machines can only
+play into the second or third story, after which the hose was taken up
+in the houses on the opposite side of the street, and made to play
+across. After four hours the fire was overcome, the house being
+thoroughly burnt out; it happened to have double fire walls, which
+prevented those adjoining from catching easily.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+THE DEAD AND THE DEAF--MENDELSSOHN THE COMPOSER.
+
+
+It is now a luxury to breathe. These spring days are the perfection of
+delightful weather. Imagine the delicious temperature of our Indian
+summer joined to the life and freshness of spring, add to this a sky of
+the purest azure, and a breeze filled with the odor of violets,--the
+most exquisite of all perfumes--and you have some idea of it. The
+meadows are beginning to bloom, and I have already heard the larks
+singing high up in the sky. Those sacred birds, the storks, have
+returned and taken possession of their old nests on the chimney-tops;
+they are sometimes seen walking about in the fields, with a very grave
+and serious air, as if conscious of the estimation in which they are
+held. Everybody is out in the open air; the woods, although they still
+look wintry, are filled with people, and the boatmen on the Main are
+busy ferrying gay parties across. The spring has been so long in coming,
+that all are determined to enjoy it well, while it lasts.
+
+We visited the cemetery a few days ago. The dead-house, where corpses
+are placed in the hope of resuscitation, is an appendage to cemeteries
+found only in Germany. We were shown into a narrow chamber, on each side
+of which were six cells, into which one could distinctly see, by means
+of a large plate of glass. In each of these is a bier for the body,
+directly above which hangs a cord, having on the end ten thimbles, which
+are put upon the fingers of the corpse, so that the slightest motion
+strikes a bell in the watchman's room. Lamps are lighted at night, and
+in winter the rooms are warmed. In the watchman's chamber stands a clock
+with a dial-plate of twenty-four hours, and opposite every hour is a
+little plate, which can only be moved two minutes before it strikes. If
+then the watchman has slept or neglected his duty at that time, he
+cannot move it afterwards, and his neglect, is seen by the
+superintendent. In such a case, he is severely lined, and for the second
+or third offence, dismissed. There are other rooms adjoining, containing
+beds, baths, galvanic battery, &c. Nevertheless, they say there has been
+no resuscitation during the fifteen years it has been established.
+
+We afterwards went to the end of the cemetery to see the bas-reliefs of
+Thorwaldsen, in the vault of the Bethmann family. They are three in
+number, representing the death of a son of the present banker, Moritz
+von Bethmann, who was drowned in the Arno about fourteen years ago. The
+middle one represents the young man drooping in his chair, the beautiful
+Greek Angel of Death standing at his back, with one arm over his
+shoulder, while his younger brother is sustaining him, and receiving the
+wreath that drops from his sinking hand. The young woman who showed us
+these, told us of Thorwaldsen's visit to Frankfort, about three years
+ugo. She described him as a beautiful and venerable old man, with long
+white locks hanging over his shoulders, still vigorous and active for
+his years. There seems to have been much resemblance between him and
+Dannecker--not only in personal appearance and character, but, in the
+simple and classical beauty of their works.
+
+The cemetery contains many other monuments; with the exception of one or
+two by Launitz, and an exquisite Death Angel in sandstone, from a young
+Frankfort sculptor, they are not remarkable. The common tomb-stone is a
+white wooden cross; opposite the entrance is a perfect forest of them,
+involuntarily reminding one of a company of ghosts, with outstretched
+arms. These contain the names of the deceased with mottoes, some of
+which are beautiful and touching, as for instance: "_Through darkness
+unto light_;" "_Weep not for her; she is not dead, but sleepeth_"
+"_Slumber sweet!_" etc. The graves are neatly bordered with grass, and
+planted with flowers, and many of the crosses have withered wreathes
+hanging upon them. In summer it is a beautiful place; in fact, the very
+name of cemetery in German--_Friedhuf_ or Court of Peace--takes away the
+idea of death; the beautiful figure of the youth, with his inverted
+torch, makes one think of the grave only us a place of repose.
+
+On our way back we stopped at the Institute for the Deaf; for by the
+new method of teaching they are no longer dumb. It is a handsome
+building in the gardens skirting the city. We applied, and on learning
+we were strangers, they gave us permission to enter. On finding we were
+Americans, the instructress immediately spoke of Dr. Howe, who had
+visited the Institute a year or two before, and was much pleased to find
+that Mr. Dennett was acquainted with him. She took us into a room where
+about fifteen small children were assembled, and addressing one of the
+girls, said in a distinct tone: "These gentlemen are from America; the
+deaf children there speak with their fingers--canst thou speak so?" To
+which the child answered distinctly, but with some effort: "No, we speak
+with our mouths." She then spoke to several others with the same
+success; one of the boys in particular, articulated with astonishing
+success. It was interesting to watch their countenances, which were
+alive with eager attention, and to see the apparent efforts they made to
+utter the words. They spoke in a monotonous tone, slowly and
+deliberately, but their voices had a strange, sepulchral sound, which
+was at first unpleasant to the ear. I put one or two questions to a
+little boy, which he answered quite readily; as I was a foreigner, this
+was the best test that could be given of the success of the method. We
+conversed afterwards with the director, who received us kindly, and
+appointed a day for us to come and witness the system more fully. He
+spoke of Dr. Howe and Horace Mann, of Boston, and seemed to take a great
+interest in the introduction of his system in America.
+
+We went again at the appointed time, and as their drawing teacher was
+there, we had an opportunity of looking over their sketches, which were
+excellent. The director showed us the manner of teaching them, with a
+looking-glass, in which they were shown the different positions of the
+organs of the mouth, and afterwards made to feel the vibrations of the
+throat and breast, produced by the sound. He took one of the youngest
+scholars, covered her eyes, and placing her hand upon his throat,
+articulated the second sound of A. She followed him, making the sound
+softer or louder as he did. All the consonants were made distinctly, by
+placing her hand before his mouth. Their exercises in reading, speaking
+with one another, and writing from dictation, succeeded perfectly. He
+treated them all like his own children, and sought by jesting and
+playing, to make the exercise appear as sport. They call him father and
+appear to be much attached to him.
+
+One of the pupils, about fourteen years old, interested me through his
+history. lie and his sister were found in Sachsenhausen, by a Frankfort
+merchant, in a horrible condition. Their mother had died about two years
+and a half before, and during all that time their father had neglected
+them till they were near dead through privation and filth. The boy was
+placed in this Institute, and the girl in that of the Orphans. He soon
+began to show a talent for modelling figures, and for some time he has
+been taking lessons of the sculptor Launitz. I saw a beautiful copy of a
+bas-relief of Thorwaldsen which he made, as well as an original, very
+interesting, from its illustration of his history. It was in two parts;
+the first represented himself and his sister, kneeling in misery before
+a ruined family altar, by which an angel was standing, who took him by
+one hand, while with the other he pointed to his benefactor, standing
+near. The other represented the two kneeling in gratitude before a
+restored altar, on which was the anchor of Hope. From above streamed
+down a light, where two angels were rejoicing over their happiness. For
+a boy of fourteen, deprived of one of the most valuable senses, and
+taken from such a horrible condition of life, it is a surprising work
+and gives brilliant hopes for his future.
+
+We went lately into the Roemerberg, to see the Kaisersaal and the other
+rooms formerly used by the old Emperors of Germany, and their Senates.
+The former is now in the process of restoration. The ceiling is in the
+gorgeous illuminated style of the middle ages; along each side arc rows
+of niches for the portraits of the Emperors, which have been painted by
+the best artists in Berlin, Dresden, Vienna and Munich. It is remarkable
+that the number of the old niches in the hall should exactly correspond
+with the number of the German Emperors, so that the portrait of the
+Emperor Francis of Austria, who was the last, will close the long rank
+coming down from Charlemagne. The pictures, or at least such of them as
+are already finished, are kept in another room; they give one a good
+idea of the changing styles of royal costumes, from the steel shirt and
+helmet to the jewelled diadem and velvet robe. I looked with interest on
+a painting of Frederic Barbarossa, by Leasing, and mused over the
+popular tradition that he sits with his paladins in a mountain cave
+under the Castle of Kyffhäuser, ready to come forth and assist his
+Fatherland in the hour of need. There was the sturdy form of Maximilian;
+the martial Conrad; and Ottos, Siegfrieds and Sigismunds in plenty--many
+of whom moved a nation in their day, but are now dust and forgotten.
+
+I yesterday visited Mendelssohn, the celebrated composer. Having heard
+rame of his music this winter, particularly that magnificent creation,
+the "Walpurgisnacht," I wished to obtain his autograph before leaving,
+and sent a note for that purpose. He sent a kind note in answer, adding
+a chorus out of the Walpurgisnacht from his own hand. After this, I
+could not repress the desire of speaking with him. lie received me with
+true German cordiality, and on learning I was an American, spoke of
+having been invited to attend a musical festival in New York. He invited
+me to call on him if he happened to bo in Leipsic or Dresden when we
+should pass through, and spoke particularly of the fine music there. I
+have rarely seen a man whose countenance bears so plainly the stamp of
+genius. He has a glorious dark eye, and Byron's expression of a "dome of
+thought," could never be more appropriately applied than to his lofty
+and intellectual forehead, the marble whiteness and polish of which arc
+heightened by the raven hue of his hair. He is about forty years of age,
+in the noon of his fame and the full maturity of his genius. Already as
+a boy of fourteen he composed an opera, which was played with much
+success at Berlin; he is now the first living composer of Germany. Moses
+Mendelssohn, the celebrated Jewish philosopher, was his grandfather; and
+his father, now living, is accustomed to say that in his youth he was
+spoken of as the son of the great Mendelssohn; now he is known as the
+father of the great Mendelssohn!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+JOURNEY ON FOOT FROM FRANKFORT TO CASSEL.
+
+
+The day for leaving Frankfort came at last, and I bade adieu to the
+gloomy, antique, but still quaint and pleasant city. I felt like leaving
+a second home, so much had the memories of many delightful hours spent
+there attached me to it: I shall long retain the recollection of its
+dark old streets, its massive, devil-haunted bridge and the ponderous
+cathedral, telling of the times of the Crusaders. I toiled up the long
+hill on the road to Friedberg, and from the tower at the top took a last
+look at the distant city, with a heart heavier than the knapsack whose
+unaccustomed weight rested uneasily on my shoulders. Being
+alone--starting out into the wide world, where us yet I know no one,--I
+felt much deeper what it was to find friends in a strange land. But such
+is the wanderer's lot.
+
+We had determined on making the complete tour of Germany on foot, and in
+order to vary it somewhat, my friend and I proposed taking different
+routes from Frankfort to Leipsic. He choose a circuitous course, by way
+of Nuremberg and the Thuringian forests; while I, whose fancy had been
+running wild with Goethe's witches, preferred looking on the gloom and
+grandeur of the rugged Hartz. We both left Frankfort on the 23d of
+April, each bearing a letter of introduction to the same person in
+Leipsic, where we agreed to meet in fourteen days. As we were obliged to
+travel as cheaply as possible, I started with but seventynine florins,
+(a florin is forty cents American) well knowing that if I took more, I
+should, in all probability, spend proportionally more also. Thus, armed
+with my passport, properly _visèd_, a knapsack weighing fifteen pounds
+and a cane from the Kentucky Mammoth Cave, I began my lonely walk
+through Northern Germany. The warm weather of the week before had
+brought out the foliage of the willows and other early trees--violets
+and cowslips were springing up in the meadows. Keeping along the foot of
+the Taunus, I passed over great, broad hills, which were brown with the
+spring ploughing, and by sunset reached Friedberg--a, largo city, on the
+summit of a hill. The next morning, after sketching its old, baronial
+castle, I crossed the meadows to Nauheim, to see the salt springs there.
+They are fifteen in number; the water, which is very warm, rushes up
+with such force as to leap several feet above the earth. The buildings
+made for evaporation are nearly two miles in length; a walk along the
+top gives a delightful view of the surrounding valleys. After reaching
+the _chaussée_ again, I was hailed by a wandering journeyman, or
+_handwerker_, as they are called, who wanted company. As I had concluded
+to accept all offers of this kind, we trudged along together very
+pleasantly, He was from Holstein, on the borders of Denmark and was just
+returning home, after an absence of six years, having escaped from
+Switzerland after the late battle of Luzerne, which he had witnessed. He
+had his knapsack and tools fastened on two wheels, which he drew after
+him quite conveniently. I could not help laughing at the adroit manner
+in which he begged his way along, through every village. He would ask me
+to go on and wait for him at the other end; after a few minutes he
+followed, with a handful of small copper money, which he said he had
+_fought for_,--the handworker's term for _begged._
+
+We passed over long ranges of hills, with an occasional view of the
+Vogelsgebirge, or Bird's Mountains, far to the cast. I knew at length,
+by the pointed summits of the hills, that we were approaching Giessen
+and the valley of the Lahn. Finally, two sharp peaks appeared in the
+distance, each crowned with a picturesque fortress, while the spires of
+Giessen rose from the valley below. Parting from my companion, I passed
+through the city without stopping, for it was the time of the university
+vacation, and Dr. Liebeg, the world-renowned chemist, whom I desired to
+see, was absent.
+
+Crossing a hill or two, I came down into the valley of the Lahn, which
+flows through meadows of the brightest green, with redroofed cottages
+nestled among gardens and orchards upon its banks. The women here wear
+a remarkable costume, consisting of a red boddice with white sleeves,
+and a dozen skirts, one above another, reaching only to the knees. I
+slept again at a little village among the hills, and started early for
+Marburg. The meadows were of the purest emerald, through which the
+stream wound its way, with even borders, covered to the water's edge
+with grass so smooth and velvety, that a fairy might have danced along
+on it for miles without stumbling over an uneven tuft. This valley is
+one of the finest districts in Germany. I thought, as I saw the peaceful
+inhabitants at work in their fields, I had most probably, on the
+battle-field of Brandywine, walked over the bones of some of their
+ancestors, whom a despotic prince had torn from their happy homes, to
+die in a distant land, fighting against the cause of freedom.
+
+I now entered directly into the heart of Hesse Cassel. The country
+resembled a collection of hills thrown together in confusion--sometimes
+a wide plain left between them, sometimes a clustre of wooded peaks, and
+here and there a single pointed summit rising above the rest. The
+vallies were green as ever, the hill-sides freshly ploughed and the
+forests beginning to be colored by the tender foliage of the larch and
+birch. I walked two or three hours at a "stretch," and then, when I
+could find a dry, shady bank, I would rest for half an hour and finish
+some hastily sketched landscape, or lay at full length, with my head on
+my knapsack, and peruse the countenances of those passing by. The
+observation which every traveller excites, soon ceases to be
+embarrassing. It was at first extremely unpleasant; but I am now so
+hardened, that the strange, magnetic influence of the human eye, which
+we cannot avoid feeling, passes by me as harmlessly as if turned aside
+by invisible mail.
+
+During the day several showers came by, but as none of them penetrated
+further than my blouse, I kept on, and reached about sunset a little
+village in the valley. I chose a small inn, which had an air of neatness
+about it, and on going in, the tidy landlady's "be you welcome," as she
+brought a pair of slippers for my swollen feet, made me feel quite at
+home. After being furnished with eggs, milk, butter and bread, for
+supper, which I ate while listening to an animated discussion between
+the village schoolmaster and some farmers, I was ushered into a clean,
+sanded bedroom, and soon forgot all fatigue. For this, with breakfast in
+the morning, the bill was six and a half groschen--about sixteen cents!
+Tin air was freshened by the rain and I journeyed over the hills at a
+rapid rate. Stopping for dinner at the large village of Wabern, a boy at
+the inn asked me if I was going to America? I said no, I came from
+there. He then asked me many silly questions, after which he ran out and
+told the people of the village. When I set out again, the children
+pointed at me and cried: "see there! he is from America!" and the men
+took off their hats and bowed!
+
+The sky was stormy, which added to the gloom of the hills around, though
+some of the distant ranges lay in mingled light and shade--the softest
+alternation of purple and brown. There were many isolated, rocky hills,
+two of which interested me, through their attendant legends. One is said
+to have been the scene of a battle between the Romans and Germans,
+where, after a long conflict the rock opened and swallowed up the
+former. The other, which is crowned with a rocky wall, so like a ruined
+fortress, as at a distance to be universally mistaken for one, tradition
+says is the death-place of Charlemagne, who still walks around its
+summit every night, clad in complete armor. On ascending a hill late in
+the afternoon, I saw at a great distance the statue of Hercules, which
+stands on the Wilhelmshöhe, near Cassel. Night set in with a dreary
+rain, and I stopped at an inn about five miles short of the city. While
+tea was preparing a company of students came in and asked for a separate
+room. Seeing I was alone, they invited me up with them. They seemed much
+interested in America, and leaving the table gradually, formed a ring
+around me, where I had enough to do to talk with them all at once. When
+the omnibus came along, the most of them went with it to Cassel; but
+five remained and persuaded me to set out with them on foot. They
+insisted on carrying my knapsack the whole way, through the rain and
+darkness, and when I had passed the city gate with them, unchallenged,
+conducted me to the comfortable hotel, "_Zur Krone_."
+
+It is a pleasant thing to wake up in the morning in a strange city.
+Every thing is new; you walk around it for the first time in the full
+enjoyment of the novelty, or the not less agreeable feeling of surprise,
+if it is different from your anticipations. Two of my friends of the
+previous night called for me in the morning, to show me around the city,
+and the first impression, made in such agreeable company, prepossessed
+me very favorably. I shall not, however, take up time in describing its
+many sights, particularly the Frederick's Platz, where the statue of
+Frederick the Second, who sold ten thousand of his subjects to England,
+has been re-erected, after having lain for years in a stable where it
+was thrown by the French.
+
+I was much interested in young Carl K----, one of my new acquaintances.
+His generous and unceasing kindness first won my esteem, and I found on
+nearer acquaintance, the qualities of his mind equal those of his heart.
+I saw many beautiful poems of his which were of remarkable merit,
+considering his youth, and thought I could read in his dark, dreamy eye,
+the unconscious presentiment of a power he does not yet possess. He
+seemed as one I had known for years.
+
+He, with a brother student, accompanied me in the afternoon, to
+Wilhelmshöhe, the summer residence of the Prince, on the side of a range
+of mountains three miles west of the city. The road leads in a direct
+line to the summit of the mountain, which is thirteen hundred feet in
+height, surmounted by a great structure, called the Giant's Castle, on
+the summit of which is a pyramid ninety-six feet high, supporting a
+statue of Hercules, copied after the Farnese, and thirty-one feet in
+height. By a gradual ascent through beautiful woods, we reached the
+princely residence, a magnificent mansion standing on a natural terrace
+of the mountain. Near it is a little theatre built by Jerome Buonaparte,
+in which he himself used to play. We looked into the green house in
+passing, where the floral splendor of every zone was combined. There
+were lofty halls, with glass roofs, where the orange grew to a great
+tree, and one could sit in myrtle bowers, with the brilliant bloom of
+the tropics around him. It was the only thing there I was guilty of
+coveting.
+
+The greatest curiosity is the water-works, which are perhaps unequalled
+in the world. The Giant's Castle on the summit contains an immense tank
+in which water is kept for the purpose; but unfortunately, at the time
+I was there, the pipes, which had been frozen through the winter, were
+not in condition to play. From the summit an inclined plane of masonry
+descends the mountain nine hundred feet, broken every one hundred and
+fifty feet by perpendicular descents. These are the Cascades, down which
+the water first rushes from the tank. After being again collected in a
+great basin at the bottom, it passes into an aqueduct, built like a
+Roman ruin, and goes over beautiful arches through the forest, where it
+falls in one sheet down a deep precipice. When it has descended several
+other beautiful falls, made in exact imitation of nature, it is finally
+collected and forms the great fountain, which rises twelve inches in
+diameter from the middle of a lake to the height of one hundred and
+ninety feet! We descended by lovely walks through the forest to the
+Löwenburg, built as the ruin of a knightly castle, and fitted out in
+every respect to correspond with descriptions of a fortress in the olden
+time, with moat, drawbridge, chapel and garden of pyramidal trees.
+Farther below, are a few small houses, inhabited by the descendants of
+the Hessians who fell in America, supported here at the Prince's
+expense!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+ADVENTURES AMONG THE HARTZ.
+
+
+On taking leave of Carl at the gate over the Göttingen road, I felt
+tempted to bestow a malediction upon traveling, from its merciless
+breaking of all links, as soon as formed. It was painful to think we
+should meet no more. The tears started into his eyes, and feeling a mist
+gathering over mine, I gave his hand a parting pressure, turned my back
+upon Cassel and started up the long mountain, at a desperate rate. On
+the summit I passed out of Hesse into Hanover, and began to descend the
+remaining six miles. The road went down by many windings, but I
+shortened the way considerably by a foot-path through a mossy old
+forest. The hills bordering the Weser are covered with wood, through
+which I saw the little red-roofed city of Münden, at the bottom. I
+stopped there for the night, and next morning walked around the place.
+It is one of the old German cities that have not yet felt the effect of
+the changing spirit of the age. It is still walled, though the towers
+are falling to ruin. The streets are narrow, crooked, and full of ugly
+old houses, and to stand in the little square before the public
+buildings, one would think himself born in the sixteenth century. Just
+below the city the Werra and Fulda unito and form the Weser. The
+triangular point has been made into a public walk, and the little
+steamboat was lying at anchor near, waiting to start for Bremen.
+
+In the afternoon I got into the omnibus for Göttingen. The ride over the
+wild, dreary, monotonous hills was not at all interesting. There were
+two other passengers inside, one of whom, a grave, elderly man, took a
+great interest in America, but the conversation was principally on his
+side, for I had been taken with a fever in Münden. I lay crouched up in
+the corner of the vehicle, trying to keep off the chills which
+constantly came over me, and wishing only for Göttingen, that I might
+obtain medicine and a bed. We reached it at last, and I got out with my
+knapsack and walked wearily through half a dozen streets till I saw an
+inn. But on entering, I found it so dark and dirty and unfriendly, that
+I immediately went out again and hired the first pleasant looking boy I
+met, to take me to a good hotel. He conducted me to the first one in the
+city. I felt a trepidation of pocket, but my throbbing head plead more
+powerfully, so I ordered a comfortable room and a physician. The host,
+Herr Wilhelm, sent for Professor Trefurt, of the University, who told me
+I had over-exerted myself in walking. He made a second call the next
+day, when, as he was retiring, I inquired the amount of his fee. He
+begged to be excused and politely bowed himself out. I inquired the
+meaning of this of Herr Wilhelm, who said it was customary for
+travellers to leave what they chose for the physician, as there was no
+regular fee. He added, moreover, that twenty groschen, or about sixty
+cents, was sufficient for the two visits!
+
+I stayed in Göttingen two dull, dreary, miserable days, without getting
+much better. I took but one short walk through the city, in which I saw
+the outsides of a few old churches and got a hard fall on the pavement.
+Thinking that the _cause_ of my illness might perhaps become its _cure_,
+I resolved to go on rather than remain in the melancholy--in spite of
+its black-eyed maidens, melancholy--Göttingen. On the afternoon of the
+second day, I took the post to Nordheim, about twelve miles distant. The
+Göttingen valley, down which we drove, is green and beautiful, and the
+trees seem to have come out all at once. we were not within sight of the
+Hartz, but the mountains along the Weser were visible on the left. The
+roads were extremely muddy from the late rains, so that I proceeded but
+slowly.
+
+A blue range along the horizon told me of the Hartz, as I passed;
+although there were some fine side-glimpses through the hills, I did not
+see much of them till I reached Osterode, about twelve miles further.
+Here the country begins to assume a different aspect. The city lies in a
+narrow valley, and as the road goes down a steep hill towards it, one
+sees on each side many quarries of gypsum, and in front the gloomy pine
+mountains are piled one above another in real Alpine style. But alas!
+the city, though it looks exceedingly romantic from above, is one of
+the dirtiest I ever saw. I stopped at Herzberg, six miles farther, for
+the night. The scenery was very striking; and its effect was much
+heightened by a sky full of black clouds, which sent down a hail-storm
+as they passed over. The hills are covered with pine, fir and larch. The
+latter tree, in its first foliage, is most delicate and beautiful. Every
+bough is like a long ostrich plume, and when one of them stands among
+the dark pines, it seems so light and airy that the wind might carry it
+away. Just opposite Herzberg, the Hartz stands in its gloomy and
+mysterious grandeur, and I went to sleep with the pleasant thought that
+an hour's walk on the morrow would shut me up in its deep recesses.
+
+The next morning I entered them. The road led up a narrow mountain
+valley, down which a stream was rushing--on all sides were magnificent
+forests of pine. It was glorious to look down their long aisles, dim and
+silent, with a floor of thick green moss. There was just room enough for
+the road and the wild stream which wound its way zigzag between the
+hills, affording the most beautiful mountain-view along the whole route.
+As I ascended, the mountains became rougher and wilder, and in the shady
+hollows were still drifts of snow. Enjoying every thing very much, I
+walked on without taking notice of the road, and on reaching a wild,
+rocky chasm called the "Schlucht," was obliged to turn aside and take a
+footpath over a high mountain to Andreasberg, a town built on a summit
+two thousand feet above the sea. It is inhabited almost entirely by the
+workmen in the mines.
+
+The way from Andreasberg to the Brocken leads along the Rehberger
+Graben, which carry water about six miles for the oreworks. After going
+through a thick pine wood, I came out on the mountain-side, where rough
+crags overhung the way above, and through the tops of the trees I had
+glimpses into the gorge below. It was scenery of the wildest character.
+Directly opposite rose a mountain wall, dark and stern through the
+gloomy sky; far below the little stream of the Oder foamed over the
+rocks with a continual roar, and one or two white cloud-wreaths were
+curling up from the forests.
+
+I followed the water-ditch around every projection of the mountain,
+still ascending higher amid the same wild scenery, till at length I
+reached the Oderteich, a great dam, in a kind of valley formed by some
+mountain peaks on the side of the Brocken. It has a breastwork of
+granite, very firm, and furnishes a continual supply of water for the
+works. It began to rain soon, and I took a foot-path which went winding
+up through the pine wood. The storm still increased, till everything was
+cloud and rain, so I was obliged to stop about five o'clock at
+Oderbruch, a toll-house and tavern on the side of the Brocken, on the
+boundary between Brunswick and Hanover--the second highest inhabited
+house in the Hartz. The Brocken was invisible through the storm and the
+weather forboded a difficult ascent. The night was cold, but by a warm
+fire I let the winds howl and the rain beat. When I awoke the next
+morning, we were in clouds. They were thick on every side, hiding what
+little view there was through the openings of the forest. After
+breakfast, however, they were somewhat thinner, and I concluded to start
+for the Brocken. It is not the usual way for travellers who ascend,
+being not only a bad road but difficult to find, as I soon discovered.
+The clouds gathered around again after I set out, and I was obliged to
+walk in a storm of mingled rain and snow. The snow lay several feet deep
+in the forests, and the path was, in many places, quite drifted over.
+The white cloud-masses were whirled past by the wind, continually
+enveloping me and shutting out every view. During the winter the path
+had become, in ninny places, the bed of a mountain torrent, so that I
+was obliged sometimes to wade kneedeep in snow, and sometimes to walk
+over the wet, spongy moss, crawling under the long, dripping branches of
+the stunted pines. After a long time of such dreary travelling, I came
+to two rocks called the Stag Horns, standing on a little peak. The
+storm, now all snow, blew more violently than ever, and the path became
+lost under the deep drifts.
+
+Comforting myself with the assurance that if I could not find it, I
+could at least make my way back, I began searching, and after some time,
+came upon it again. Here the forest ceased; the way led on large stones
+over a marshy ascending plain, but what was above, or on either side, I
+could not see. It was solitude of the most awful kind. There was nothing
+but the storm, which had already wet me through, and the bleak gray
+waste of rocks. It grew sleeper and steeper; I could barely trace the
+path by the rocks which were worn, and the snow threatened soon to cover
+these. Added to this, although the walking and fresh mountain air had
+removed my illness, I was still weak from the effects of it, and the
+consequences of a much longer exposure to the storm were greatly to be
+feared. I was wondering if the wind increased at the same rate, how much
+longer it would be before I should be carried off, when suddenly
+something loomed up above me through the storm. A few steps more and I
+stood beside the Brocken House, on the very summit of the mountain! The
+mariner, who has been floating for days on a wreck at sea, could
+scarcely be more rejoiced at a friendly sail, than I was on entering the
+low building. Two large Alpine dogs in the passage, as I walked in,
+dripping with wet, gave notice to the inmates, and I was soon ushered
+into a warm room, where I changed my soaked garments for dry ones, and
+sat down by the fire with feelings of comfort not easily imagined. The
+old landlord was quite surprised, on hearing the path by which I came,
+that I found the way at all. The summit was wrapped in the thickest
+cloud, and he gave me no hope for several hours of any prospect at all,
+so I sat down and looked over the Stranger's Album.
+
+I saw but two names from the United States--B.F. Atkins, of Boston, and
+C.A. Hay, from York, Pa. There were a great many long-winded German
+poems--among them, one by Schelling, the philosopher. Some of them spoke
+of having seen the "Spectre of the Brocken." I inquired of the landlord
+about the phenomenon; he says in winter it is frequently seen, in summer
+more seldom. The cause is very simple. It is always seen at sunrise,
+when the eastern side of the Brocken is free from clouds, and at the
+same time, the mist rises from the valley on the opposite side. The
+shadow of every thing on the Brocken is then thrown in grand proportions
+upon the mist, and is seen surrounded with a luminous halo. It is
+somewhat singular that such a spectacle can be seen upon the Brocken
+alone, but this is probably accounted for by the formation of the
+mountain, which collects the mist at just such a distance from the
+summit as to render the shadow visible.
+
+Soon after dinner the storm subsided and the clouds separated a little.
+I could see down through the rifts on the plains of Brunswick, and
+sometimes, when they opened a little more, the mountains below us to the
+east and the adjoining plains, as far as Magdeburg. It was like looking
+on the earth from another planet, or from some point in the air which
+had no connection, with it; our station was completely surrounded by
+clouds, rolling in great masses around us, now and then giving glimpses
+through their openings of the blue plains, dotted with cities and
+villages, far below. At one time when they were tolerably well
+separated, I ascended the tower, fifty feet high, standing near the
+Brocken House. The view on three sides was quite clear, and I can easily
+imagine what a magnificent prospect it must be in fine weather. The
+Brocken is only about four thousand feet high, nearly the same as the
+loftiest peak of the Catskill, but being the highest mountain in
+Northern Germany, it commands a more extensive prospect. Imagine a
+circle described with a radius of a hundred miles, comprising thirty
+cities, two or three hundred villages and one whole mountain district!
+We could see Brunswick and Magdeburg, and beyond them the great plain
+which extends to the North Sea in one direction and to Berlin in the
+other, while directly below us lay the dark mountains of the Hartz, with
+little villages in their sequestered valleys. It was but a few moments I
+could look on this scene--in an instant the clouds swept together again
+and completely hid it. In accordance with a custom of the mountain, one
+of the girls made me a "Brocken nosegay," of heather, lichens and moss.
+I gave her a few pfennings and stowed it away carefully in a corner of
+my knapsack.
+
+I now began descending the east side, by a good road over fields of bare
+rock and through large forests of pine. Two or three bare brown peaks
+rose opposite with an air of the wildest sublimity, and in many places
+through the forest towered lofty crags. This is the way by which Goethe
+brings Faust up the Brocken, and the scenery is graphically described in
+that part of the poem. At the foot of the mountain is the little village
+of Schiercke, the highest in the Hartz. Here I took a narrow path
+through the woods, and after following a tediously long road over the
+hills, reached Elbingerode, where I spent the night, and left the next
+morning for Blankenburg. I happened to take the wrong road, however, and
+went through Rubeland, a little village in the valley of the Bode. There
+are many iron works here, and two celebrated caves, called "Baumann's
+Höhle," and "Biel's Höhle." I kept on through the gray, rocky hills to
+Huttenrode, where I inquired the way to the Rosstrappe, but was directed
+wrong, and after walking nearly two hours in a heavy rain, arrived at
+Ludwigshütte, on the Bode, in one of the wildest and loneliest corners
+of the Hartz. I dried my wet clothes at a little inn, ate a dinner of
+bread and milk, and learning that I was just as far from the Rosstrappe
+as ever, and that the way was impossible to find alone, I hunted up a
+guide.
+
+We went over the mountains through a fine old forest, for about two
+hours, and came out on the brow of a hill near the end of the Hartz,
+with a beautiful view of the country below and around. Passing the
+little inn, the path led through thick bushes along the summit, over a
+narrow ledge of rocks that seemed to stretch out into the air, for on
+either side the foot of the precipice vanished in the depth below.
+
+Arrived at last at the end, I looked around me. What a spectacle! I was
+standing on the end of a line of precipice which ran out from the
+mountain like a wall for several hundred feet--the hills around rising
+up perpendicularly from the gorge below, where the Bode pressed into a
+narrow channel foamed its way through. Sharp masses of gray rock rose up
+in many places from the main body like pillars, with trees clinging to
+the clefts, and although the defile was near seven hundred feet deep,
+the summits, in one place, were very near to one another. Near the point
+at which I stood, which was secured by a railing, was an impression in
+the rock like the hoof of a giant horse, from which the place takes its
+name. It is very distinct and perfect, and nearly two feet in length.
+
+I went back to the little inn and sat down to rest and chat awhile with
+the talkative landlady. Notwithstanding her horrible Prussian dialect, I
+was much amused with the budget of wonders, which she keeps for the
+information of travelers. Among other things, she related to me the
+legend of the Rosstrappe, which I give in her own words: "A great many
+hundred years ago, when there were plenty of giants through the world,
+there was a certain beautiful princess, who was very much loved by one
+of them. Now, although the parents of this princess were afraid of the
+giant, and wanted her to marry him, she herself hated him, because she
+was in love with a brave knight. But, you see, the brave knight could do
+nothing against the great giant, and so a day was appointed for the
+wedding of the princess. When they were married, the giant had a great
+feast and he and all his servants got drunk. So the princess mounted his
+black horse and rode away over the mountains, till she reached this
+valley. She stood on that square rock which you see there opposite to
+us, and when she saw her knight on this side, where we are, she danced
+for joy, and the rock is called the _Tanzplatz_, to this very day. But
+when the giant found she had gone, he followed her as fast as he might;
+then a holy bishop, who saw the princess, blessed the feet of her horse,
+and she jumped on it across to this side, where his fore feet made two
+marks in the rock, though there is only one left now. You should not
+laugh at this, for if there were giants then, there must have been very
+big horses too, as one can see from the hoofmark, and the valley was
+narrower then than it is now. My dear man, who is very old now, (you see
+him through the bushes, there, digging,) says it was so when he was a
+child, and that the old people living then, told him there were once
+four just such hoof-tracks, on the _Tanzplatz_, where the horse stood
+before he jumped over. And we cannot doubt the words of the good old
+people, for there were many strange things then, we all know, which the
+dear Lord does not let happen now. But I must tell you, lieber Herr,
+that the giant tried to jump after her and fell away down into the
+valley, where they say he lives yet in the shape of a big black dog,
+guarding the crown of the princess, which fell off as she was going
+over. But this part of the story is perhaps not true, as nobody, that I
+ever heard of, has seen either the black dog or the crown!"
+
+After listening to similar gossip for a while, I descended the
+mountain-side, a short distance to the Bülowshöhe. This is a rocky shaft
+that shoots, upward from the mountain, having from its top a glorious
+view through the door which the Bode makes in passing out of the Hartz.
+I could see at a great distance the towers of Magdeburg, and further,
+the vast plain stretching away like a sea towards Berlin. From Thale,
+the village below, where the air was warmer than in the Hartz and the
+fruit-trees already in blossom, it was four hours' walk to Halberstadt,
+by a most tiresome road over long ranges of hills, all ploughed and
+planted, and extending as far as the eye could reach, without a single
+fence or hedge. It is pleasant to look over scenes where nature is so
+free and unshackled; but the _people_, alas! wear the fetters. The
+setting sun, which lighted up the old Brocken and his snowy top, showed
+me also Halberstadt, the end of my Hartz journey; but its deceitful
+towers fled as I approached, and I was half dead with fatigue on
+arriving there.
+
+The ghostly, dark and echoing castle of an inn (the Black Eagle) where I
+stopped, was enough to inspire a lonely traveller, like myself, with
+unpleasant fancies. It looked heavy and massive enough to have been a
+stout baron's stronghold in some former century; the taciturn landlord
+and his wife, who, with a solemn servant girl, were the only tenants,
+had grown into perfect keeping with its gloomy character. When I groped
+my way under the heavy, arched portal into the guests' room--a large,
+lofty, cheerless hall--all was dark, and I could barely perceive, by the
+little light which came through two deep-set windows, the inmates of the
+house, sitting on opposite sides of the room. After some delay, the
+hostess brought a light. I entreated her to bring me something
+_instantly_ for supper, and in half an hour she placed a mixture on the
+table, the like of which I never wish to taste again. She called it
+_beer-soup_! I found, on examination, it was _beer_, boiled with meat,
+and seasoned strongly with pepper and salt! My hunger disappeared, and
+pleading fatigue as an excuse for want of appetite, I left the table.
+When I was ready to retire, the landlady, who had been sitting silently
+in a dark corner, called the solemn servant girl, who took up a dim
+lamp, and bade me follow her to the "sleeping chamber." Taking up my
+knapsack and staff, I stumbled down the steps into the arched gateway;
+before me was a long, damp, deserted court-yard, across which the girl
+took her way. I followed her with some astonishment, imagining where the
+sleeping chamber could be, when she stopped at a small, one-story
+building, standing alone in the yard. Opening the door with a rusty key,
+she led me into a bare room, a few feet square, opening into another,
+equally bare, with the exception of a rough bed. "Certainly," said I, "I
+am not to sleep here!" "Yes," she answered, "this is the sleeping
+chamber," at the same time setting down the light and disappearing. I
+examined the place--it smelt mouldy, and the walls were cold and damp;
+there had been a window at the head of the bed, but it was walled up,
+and that at the foot was also closed to within a few inches of the top.
+The bed was course and dirty; and on turning down the ragged covers, I
+saw with horror, a dark brown stain near the pillow, like that of blood!
+For a moment I hesitated whether to steal out of the inn, and seek
+another lodging, late as it was; at last, overcoming my fears, I threw
+my clothes into a heap, and lay down, placing my heavy staff at the head
+of the bed. Persons passed up and down the courtyard several times, the
+light of their lamps streaming through the narrow aperture up against
+the ceiling, and I distinctly heard voices, which seemed to be near the
+door. Twice did I sit up in bed, breathless, with my hand on the cane,
+in the most intense anxiety; but fatigue finally overcame suspicion, and
+I sank into a deep sleep, from which I was gladly awakened by daylight.
+In reality, there may have been no cause for my fears--I may have
+wronged the lonely innkeepers by them; but certainly no place or
+circumstances ever seemed to me more appropriate to a deed of robbery or
+crime. I left immediately, and when a turn in the street hid the
+ill-omened front of the inn, I began to breathe with my usual freedom.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+NOTES IN LEIPSIC AND DRESDEN.
+
+
+_Leipsic, May 8._--I have now been nearly two days in this wide-famed
+city, and the more I see of it the better I like it. It is a pleasant,
+friendly town, old enough to be interesting, and new enough to be
+comfortable. There in much active business life, through which it is
+fast increasing in size and beauty. Its publishing establishments are
+the largest in the world, and its annual fairs attended by people from
+all parts of Europe. This is much for a city to accomplish, situated
+alone in the middle of a great plain, with no natural charms of scenery
+or treasures of art to attract strangers. The energy and enterprise of
+its merchants have accomplished all this, and it now stands, in
+importance, among the first cities of Europe.
+
+The bad weather obliged me to take the railroad at Halberstadt, to keep
+the appointment with my friend, in this city. I left at six for
+Magdeburg, and after two hours' ride over a dull, tiresome plain, rode
+along under the mounds and fortifications by the side of the Elbe, and
+entered the old town. It was very cold, and the streets were muddy, so I
+contented myself with looking at the Broadway, (_der breite Weg_,) the
+Cathedral and one or two curious old churches, and in walking along the
+parapet leading to the fortress, which has a view of the winding Elbe.
+The Citadel was interesting from having been the prison in which Baron
+Trenck was confined, whose narrative I read years ago, when quite a
+child.
+
+We were soon on the road to Leipsic. The way was over one great,
+uninterrupted plain--a more monotonous country, even, than Belgium. Two
+of the passengers in the car with me were much annoyed at being taken by
+the railway agents for Poles. Their movements were strictly watched by
+the gens d'arme at every station we passed, and they were not even
+allowed to sit together! At Kothen a branch track went off to Berlin. We
+passed by Halle without being able to see anything of it or its
+University, and arrived here in four hours after leaving Magdeburg.
+
+On my first walk around the city, yesterday morning, I passed the
+_Augustus Platz_--a broad green lawn, on which front the University and
+several other public buildings. A chain of beautiful promenades
+encircles the city, on the site of its old fortifications. Following
+their course through walks shaded by large trees and bordered with
+flowering shrubs, I passed a small but chaste monument to Sebastian
+Bach, the composer, which was erected almost entirely at the private
+cost of Mendelssohn, and stands opposite the building in which Bach once
+directed the choirs. As I was standing beside it, a glorious choral,
+swelled by a hundred voices, came through the open windows, like a
+tribute to the genius of the great master.
+
+Having found my friend we went together to the _Stern Warte_, or
+Observatory, which gives a fine view of the country around the city, and
+in particular the battle field. The Castellan who is stationed there, is
+well acquainted with the localities, and pointed out the position of the
+hostile armies. It was one of the most bloody and hard-fought battles
+which history records. The army of Napoleon stretched like a semicircle
+around the southern and eastern sides of the city, and the plain beyond
+was occupied by the allies, whose forces met together here.
+Schwarzenberg, with his Austrians, came from Dresden; Blucher, from
+Halle, with the Emperor Alexander. Their forces amounted to three
+hundred thousand, while those of Napoleon ranked at one hundred and
+ninety-two thousand men. It must have been a terrific scene. Four days
+raged the battle, and the meeting of half a million of men in deadly
+conflict was accompanied by the thunder of sixteen hundred cannon. The
+small rivers which flow through Leipsic were swollen with blood, and the
+vast plain was strewed with more than fifty thousand dead. It is
+difficult to conceive of such slaughter, while looking at the quiet and
+tranquil landscape below. It seemed more like a legend of past ages,
+when ignorance and passion led men to murder and destroy, than an event
+which the last half century witnessed. For the sake of humanity it is
+to be hoped that the world will never see such another.
+
+There are some lovely walks around Leipsic. We went yesterday afternoon
+with a few friends to the Rosenthal, a beautiful meadow, bordered by
+forests of the German oak, very few of whose Druid trunks have been left
+standing. There are Swiss cottages embowered in the foliage, where every
+afternoon the social citizens assemble to drink their coffee enjoy a few
+hours' escape from the noisy and dusty streets, One can walk for miles
+along these lovely paths by the side of the velvet meadows, or the banks
+of some shaded stream. We visited the little village of Golis, a short
+distance off, where, in the second story of a little white house, hangs
+the sign: "Schiller's Room." Some of the Leipsic literati have built a
+stone arch over the entrance, with the inscription above: "Here dwelt
+Schiller in 1795, and wrote his Hymn to Joy." Every where through
+Germany the remembrances of Schiller are sacred. In every city where he
+lived, they show his dwelling. They know and reverence the mighty spirit
+who has been among them. The little room where he conceived that sublime
+poem is hallowed as if by the presence of unseen spirits.
+
+I was anxious to see the spot where Poniatowsky fell. We returned over
+the plain to the city and passed in at the gate by which the Cossacks
+entered, pursuing the flying French. Crossing the lower part, we came to
+the little river Elster, in whose waves the gallant prince sank. The
+stone bridge by which we crossed was blown up by the French, to cut off
+pursuit. Napoleon had given orders that it should not be blown up till
+the Poles had all passed over, as the river, though narrow, is quite
+deep, and the banks are steep. Nevertheless, his officers did not wait,
+and the Poles, thus exposed to the fire of the enemy, were obliged to
+plunge into the stream to join the French army, which had begun the
+retreat towards Frankfort. Poniatowsky, severely wounded, made his way
+through a garden near and escaped on horseback into the water. He became
+entangled among the fugitives and sank. By walking a little distance
+along the road towards Frankfort, we could see the spot where his body
+was taken out of the river; it is now marked by a square stone, covered
+with the names of his countrymen who have visited it. We returned
+through the narrow arched way, by which Napoleon fled when the battle
+was lost.
+
+Another interesting place in Leipsic is Auerback's Cellar, which, it is
+said, contains an old manuscript history of Faust, from which Goethe
+derived the first idea of his poem. He used to frequent this cellar, and
+one of his scenes in "Faust" is laid in it. We looked down the arched
+passage; not wishing to purchase any wine, we could find no pretence for
+entering. The streets are full of book stores and one half the business
+of the inhabitants appears to consist in printing, paper-making and
+binding. The publishers have a handsome Exchange of their own, and
+during the Fairs, the amount of business transacted is enormous. The
+establishment of Brockhaus is contained in an immense building,
+adjoining which stands his dwelling, in the midst of magnificent
+gardens. That of Tauchnitz is not less celebrated. His edition of the
+classics, in particular, are the best that have ever been made; and he
+has lately commenced publishing a number of English works, in a cheap
+form. Otto Wigand, who has also a large establishment, has begun to
+issue translations of American works. He has already published Prescott
+and Bancroft, and I believe intends giving out shortly, translations
+from some of our poets and novelists. I became acquainted at the Museum,
+with a young German author who had been some time in America, and was
+well versed in our literature. He is now engaged in translating American
+works, one of which--Hoffman's "Wild Scenes of the Forest and
+Prairie"--will soon appear. In no place in Germany have I found more
+knowledge of our country, her men and her institutions, than in Leipsic,
+and as yet I have seen few that would be preferable as a place of
+residence. Its attractions lie not in its scenery, but in the social and
+intellectual character of its inhabitants.
+
+_May 11._--At last in this "Florence of the Elbe," as the Saxons have
+christened it. Exclusive of its glorious galleries of art, which are
+scarcely surpassed by any in Europe, Dresden charms one by the natural
+beauty of its environs. It stands in a curve of the Elbe, in the midst
+of green meadows, gardens and fine old woods, with the hills of Saxony
+sweeping around like an amphitheatre, and the craggy peaks of the
+Highlands looking at it from afar. The domes and spires at a distance
+give it a rich Italian look, which is heightened by the white villas,
+embowered in trees, gleaming on the hills around. In the streets there
+is no bustle of business--nothing of the din and confusion of traffic
+which mark most cities; it seems like a place for study and quiet
+enjoyment.
+
+The railroad brought us in three hours from Leipsic, over the eighty
+miles of plain that intervene. We came from the station through the
+_Neustadt_, passing the Japanese Palace and the equestrian statue of
+Augustus the Strong, The magnificent bridge over the Elbe was so much
+injured by the late inundation as to be impassable; we worn obliged to
+go some distance up the river bank and cross on a bridge of boats. Next
+morning my first search was for the picture gallery. We set off at
+random, and after passing the Church of Our Lady, with its lofty dome of
+solid stone, which withstood the heaviest bombs during the war with
+Frederick the Great, came to an open square, one side of which was
+occupied by an old, brown, red-roofed building, which I at once
+recognized, from pictures, as the object of our search.
+
+I have just taken a last look at the gallery this morning, and left it
+with real regret; for, during the two visits, Raphael's heavenly picture
+of the Madonna and child had so grown into my love and admiration, that
+it was painful to think I should never see it again. There are many more
+which clung so strongly to my imagination, gratifying in the highest
+degree the love for the Beautiful, that I left them with sadness, and
+the thought that I would now only have the memory. I can see the
+inspired eye and god-like brow of the Jesus-child, as if I were still
+standing before the picture, and the sweet, holy countenance of the
+Madonna still looks upon me. Yet, though this picture is a miracle of
+art, the first glance filled me with disappointment. It has somewhat
+faded, during the three hundred years that have rolled away since the
+hand of Raphael worked on the canvass, and the glass with which it is
+covered for better preservation, injures the effect. After I had gazed
+on it awhile, every thought of this vanished. The figure of the virgin
+seemed to soar in the air, and it was difficult to think the clouds were
+not in motion. An aerial lightness clothes her form, and it is
+perfectly natural for such a figure to stand among the clouds. Two
+divine cherubs look up from below, and in her arms sits the sacred
+child. Those two faces beam from the picture like those of angels. The
+wild, prophetic eye and lofty brow of the young Jesus chains one like a
+spell. There is something more than mortal in its expression--something
+in the infant face which indicates a power mightier than the proudest
+manhood. There is no glory around the head; but the spirit which shines
+from those features, marks his divinity. In the sweet face of the mother
+there speaks a sorrowful foreboding mixed with its tenderness, as if she
+knew the world into which the Saviour was born, and foresaw the path in
+which he was to tread. It is a picture which one can scarce look upon
+without tears.
+
+There are in the same room six pictures by Correggio, which are said to
+be among his best works; one of them his celebrated Magdalen. There is
+also Correggio's "Holy Night," or the virgin with the shepherds in the
+manger, in which all the light comes from the body of the child. The
+surprise of the shepherds is most beautifully expressed. In one of the
+halls there is a picture by Van der Werff, in which the touching story
+of Hagar is told more feelingly than words could do it. The young
+Ishmael is represented full of grief at parting with Isaac, who, in
+childish unconsciousness of what has taken place, draws in sport the
+corner of his mother's mantle around him, and smiles at the tears of his
+lost playmate. Nothing can come nearer real flesh and blood than the two
+portraits of Raphael Mengs, painted by himself when quite young. You
+almost think the artist has in sport crept behind the frame, and wishes
+to make you believe he is a picture. It would be impossible to speak of
+half the gems of art contained in this unrivalled collection. There are
+twelve large halls, containing in all nearly two thousand pictures.
+
+The plain, south of Dresden, was the scene of the hard-fought battle
+between Napoleon and the allied armies, in 1813. On the heights above
+the little village of Räcknitz, Moreau was shot on the second day of the
+battle. We took a foot-path through the meadows, shaded by cherry trees
+in bloom, and reached the spot after an hour's walk. The monument is
+simple--a square block of granite, surmounted by a helmet and sword,
+with the inscription: "_The hero Moreau fell here by the side of
+Alexander, August 17th, 1813_." I gathered, as a memorial, a few leaves
+of the oak which shades it.
+
+By applying an hour before the appointed time, we obtained admission to
+the Royal Library. It contains three hundred thousand volumes--among
+them the most complete collection of historical works in existence. Each
+hall is devoted to a history of a separate country, and one large room
+is filled with that of Saxony alone. There is a large number of rare and
+curious manuscripts, among which are old Greek works of the seventh and
+eighth centuries; a Koran which once belonged to the Sultan Bajazet; the
+handwriting of Luther and Melancthon; a manuscript volume with pen and
+ink sketches, by Albert Durer, and the earliest works after the
+invention of printing. Among these latter was a book published by Faust
+and Schaeffer, at Mayence, in 1457. There were also Mexican manuscripts,
+written on the Aloe leaf, and many illuminated monkish volumes of the
+middle ages.
+
+We were fortunate in seeing the _Grüne Gewölbe_, or Green Gallery, a
+collection of jewels and costly articles, unsurpassed in Europe. The
+entrance is only granted to six persons at a time, who pay a fee of two
+thalers. The customary way is to employ a _Lohnbedienter_, who goes
+around from one hotel to another, till he has collected the number, when
+he brings them together and conducts them to the person in the palace,
+who has charge of the treasures. As our visit happened to be during the
+Pentecost holidays, when every body in Dresden goes to the mountains,
+there was some difficulty in effecting this, but after two mornings
+spent in hunting up curious travelers, the servant finally conducted us
+in triumph to the palace. The first hall into which we were ushered,
+contained works in bronze. They were all small, and chosen with regard
+to their artistical value. Some by John of Bologna were exceedingly
+fine, as was also a group in iron, _cut_ out of a single block; perhaps
+the only successful attempt in this branch. The next room contained
+statues, and vases covered with reliefs, in ivory. The most remarkable
+work was the fall of Lucifer and his angels, containing ninety-two
+figures in all, carved out of a single piece of ivory sixteen inches
+high! It was the work of an Italian monk, and cost him many years of
+hard labor. There were two tables of mosaic-work, that would not be out
+of place in the fabled halls of the eastern genii, so much did they
+exceed my former ideas of human skill. The tops were of jasper, and each
+had a border of fruit and flowers, in which every color was represented
+by some precious stone, all with the utmost delicacy and truth to
+nature! It is impossible to conceive the splendid effect it produced.
+Besides some fine pictures on gold by Raphael Mengs, there was a
+Madonna, the largest specimen of enamel painting in existence.
+
+However costly the contents of these halls, they were only an
+introduction to those which followed. Each one exceeded the other in
+splendor and costliness. The walls were covered to the ceiling with rows
+of goblets, vases, &c., of polished jasper, agate and lapiz lazuli.
+Splendid mosaic tables stood around, with caskets of the most exquisite
+silver and gold work upon them, and vessels of solid silver, some of
+them weighing six hundred pounds were placed at the foot of the columns.
+We were shown two goblets, each prized at six thousand thalers, made of
+gold and precious stones; also the great pearl called the Spanish Dwarf,
+nearly as large as a pullet's egg; globes and vases cut entirely out of
+the mountain crystal; magnificent Nuremberg watches and clocks, and a
+great number of figures, made ingeniously of rough pearls and diamonds.
+The officer showed us a hen's egg of silver. There was apparently
+nothing remarkable about it, but by unscrewing, it came apart, and
+disclosed the yelk of gold. This again opened and a golden chicken was
+seen; by touching a spring, a little diamond crown came from the inside,
+and the crown being again taken apart, out dropped a valuable diamond
+ring! The seventh hall contains the coronation robes of Augustus II., of
+Poland, and many costly specimens of carving in wood, A cherry stone is
+shown in a glass case, which has one hundred and twenty-five faces, all
+perfectly finished, carved upon it! The next room we entered sent back a
+glare of splendor that perfectly dazzled us. It was all gold, diamond,
+ruby and sapphire! Every case sent out such a glow and glitter that it
+seemed like a cage of imprisoned lightnings. Wherever the eye turned it
+was met by a blaze of broken rainbows. They were there by hundreds, and
+every gem was a fortune. Whole cases of swords, with hilts and scabbards
+of solid gold, studded with gems; the great two-handed coronation sword
+of the German emperors; daggers covered with brilliants and rubies;
+diamond buttons, chains and orders, necklaces and bracelets of pearl and
+emerald, and the order of the Golden Fleece made in gems of every kind.
+We were also shown the largest known onyx, nearly seven inches long and
+four inches broad! One of the most remarkable works is the throne and
+court of Aurungzebe, the Indian king, by Dinglinger, a celebrated
+goldsmith of the last century. It contains one hundred and thirty-two
+figures, all of enamelled gold, and each one most perfectly and
+elaborately finished. It was purchased by Prince Augustus for
+fifty-eight thousand thalers,[**] which was not a high sum, considering
+that the making of it occupied Dinglinger and thirteen workmen for seven
+years!
+
+It is almost impossible to estimate the value of the treasures these
+halls contain. That of the gold and jewels alone must bo many millions
+of dollars, and the amount of labor expended on these toys of royalty is
+incredible. As monuments of patient and untiring toil, they are
+interesting: but it is sad to think how much labor and skill and energy
+have been wasted, in producing things which are useless to the world,
+and only of secondary importance as works of art. Perhaps, however, if
+men could be diverted by such play-things from more dangerous games, it
+would be all the better.
+
+[Footnote **: A Prussian or Saxon thaler is about 70 cts.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+RAMBLES IN THE SAXON SWITZERLAND.
+
+
+After four days' sojourn in Dresden we shouldered our knapsacks, not to
+be laid down again till we reached Prague. We were elated with the
+prospect of getting among the hills again, and we heeded not the
+frequent showers which had dampened the enjoyment of the Pentecost
+holidays, to the good citizens of Dresden, and might spoil our own. So
+we trudged gaily along the road to Pillnitz and waved an adieu to the
+domes behind us as the forest shut them out from view. After two hours'
+walk the road led down to the Elbe, where we crossed in a ferry-boat to
+Pillnitz, the seat of a handsome palace and gardens, belonging to the
+King of Saxony. He happened to be there at the time, on an afternoon
+excursion from Dresden; as we had seen him before, in the latter place,
+we passed directly on, only pausing to admire the flower-beds in the
+palace court. The King is a tall, benevolent looking man, and is
+apparently much liked by his people. As far as I have yet seen, Saxony
+is a prosperous and happy country. The people are noted all over Germany
+for their honest, social character, which is written on their cheerful,
+open countenances. On our entrance into the Saxon Switzerland, at
+Pillnitz, we were delighted with the neatness and home-like appearance
+of every thing. Every body greeted us; if we asked for information, they
+gave it cheerfully. The villages were all pleasant and clean and the
+meadows fresh and blooming. I felt half tempted to say, in the words of
+an old ballad, which I believe Longfellow has translated:
+
+    "The fairest kingdom on this earth,
+    It is the Saxon land!"
+
+Going along the left bank of the Elbe, we passed over meadows purple
+with the tri-colored violet, which we have at home in gardens, and every
+little bank was bright with cowslips. At length the path led down into a
+cleft or ravine filled with trees, whose tops were on a level with the
+country around. This is a peculiar feature of Saxon scenery. The country
+contains many of these clefts, some of which are several hundred feet
+deep, having walls of perpendicular rock, in whose crevices the mountain
+pine roots itself and grows to a tolerable height without any apparent
+soil to keep it alive. We descended by a foot-path into this ravine,
+called the Liebethaler Grund. It is wider than many of the others,
+having room enough for a considerable stream and several mills. The
+sides are of sandstone rock, quite perpendicular. As we proceeded, it
+grew narrower and deeper, while the trees covering its sides and edges
+nearly shut out the sky. An hour's walk brought us to the end, where we
+ascended gradually to the upper level again.
+
+After passing the night at the little village of Uttewalde, a short
+distance further, we set out early in the morning for the Bastei, a
+lofty precipice on the Elbe. The way led us directly through the
+Uttewalder Grund, the most remarkable of all these chasms. We went down
+by steps into its depths, which in the early morning were very cold.
+Water dripped from the rocks, which but a few feet apart, rose far above
+us, and a little rill made its way along the bottom, into which the sun
+has never shone. Heavy masses of rock, which had tumbled down from the
+sides lay in the way, and tall pine trees sprung from every cleft. In
+one place the defile is only four feet wide, and a large mass of rock,
+fallen from above, has lodged near the bottom, making an arch across,
+under which the traveller has to creep. After going under two or three
+arches of this kind, the defile widened and an arrow cut upon a rock
+directed us to a side path, which branched off from this into a
+mountain. Here the stone masses immediately assumed another form. They
+projected out like shelves sometimes as much as twenty feet from the
+straight side, and hung over the way, looking as if they might break off
+every moment. I felt glad when we had passed under them. Then as we
+ascended higher, we saw pillars of rock separated entirely from the side
+and rising a hundred feet in height, with trees growing on their
+summits. They stood there gray and limeworn, like the ruins of a Titan
+temple.
+
+The path finally led us out into the forest and through the clustering
+pine trees, to the summit of the Bastei. An inn has been erected in the
+woods and an iron balustrade placed around the rock. Protected by this,
+we advanced to the end of the precipice and looked down to the swift
+Elbe, more than seven hundred feet below! Opposite through the blue
+mists of morning, rose Königstein, crowned with an impregnable fortress,
+and the crags of Lilienstein, with a fine forest around their base,
+frowned from the left bank. On both sides were horrible precipices of
+gray rock, with rugged trees hanging from the crevices. A hill rising up
+from one side of the Bastei, terminates suddenly a short distance from
+it, in on abrupt precipice. In the intervening space stand three or four
+of those rock-columns, several hundred feet high, with their tops nearly
+on a level with the Bastei. A wooden bridge has been made across from
+one to the other, over which the traveller passes, looking on the trees
+and rocks far below him, to the mountain, where a steep zigzag path
+takes him to the Elbe below.
+
+We crossed the Elbe for the fourth time at the foot of the Bastei, and
+walked along its right bank towards Königstein. The injury caused by the
+inundation was everywhere apparent. The receding flood had left a
+deposit of sand, in many places several feet deep on the rich meadows,
+so that the labor of years will be requisite to remove it and restore
+the land to an arable condition. Even the farm-houses on the hillside,
+some distance from the river, had been reached, and the long grass hung
+in the highest branches of the fruit trees. The people wore at work
+trying to repair their injuries, but it will fall heavily upon the
+poorer classes.
+
+The mountain of Königstein is twelve hundred feet high. A precipice,
+varying from one to three hundred feet in height, runs entirely around
+the summit, which is flat, and a mile and a half in circumference. This
+has been turned into a fortress, whose natural advantages make it
+entirely impregnable. During the Thirty Years' War and the late war with
+Napoleon, it was the only place in Saxony unoccupied by the enemy. Hence
+is it used as a depository for the archives and royal treasures, in
+times of danger. By giving up our passports at the door, we received
+permission to enter; the officer called a guide to take us around the
+battlements. There is quite a little village on the summit, with
+gardens, fields, and a wood of considerable size. The only entrance is
+by a road cut through the rock, which is strongly guarded. A well seven
+hundred feet deep supplies the fortress with water, and there are
+storehouses sufficient to hold supplies for many years. The view from
+the ramparts is glorious--it takes in the whole of the Saxon Highlands,
+as far as the lofty Schneeberg in Bohemia. On the other side the eye
+follows the windings of the Elbe, as far as the spires of Dresden.
+Lilienstein, a mountain of exactly similar formation, but somewhat
+higher, stands directly opposite. On walking around, the guide pointed
+out a little square tower standing on the brink of a precipice, with a
+ledge, about two feet wide, running around it, just below the windows.
+He said during the reign of Augustus the Strong, a baron attached to his
+court, rose in his sleep after a night of revelry, and stepping out the
+window, stretched himself at full length along the ledge. A guard
+fortunately observed his situation and informed Augustus of it, who had
+him bound and secured with cords, and then awakened by music. It was a
+good lesson, and one which no doubt sobered him for the future.
+
+Passing through the little city of Königstein, we walked on to Schandau,
+the capital of the Saxon Switzerland, situated on the left bank. It had
+sustained great damage from the flood, the whole place having been
+literally under water. Here we turned up a narrow valley which led to
+the Kuhstall, some eight miles distant. The sides, as usual, were of
+steep gray rock, but wide enough apart to give room to some lovely
+meadows, with here and there a rustic cottage. The mountain maidens, in
+their bright red dresses, with a fanciful scarf bound around the head,
+made a romantic addition to the scene. There were some quiet secluded
+nooks, where the light of day stole in dimly through the thick foliage
+above and the wild stream rushed less boisterously over the rocks. We
+sat down to rest in one of these cool retreats, and made the glen ring
+with a cheer for America. The echoes repeated the name as if they had
+heard it for the first time, and I gave them a strict injunction to
+give it back to the next countryman who should pass by.
+
+As we advanced further into the hills the way became darker and wilder.
+We heard the sound of falling water in a little dell on one side, and
+going nearer, saw a picturesque fall of about fifteen feet. Great masses
+of black rock were piled together, over which the mountain-stream fell
+in a snowy sheet. The pines above and around grew so thick and close,
+that not a sunbeam could enter, and a kind of mysterious twilight
+pervaded the spot. In Greece it would have been chosen for an oracle. I
+have seen, somewhere, a picture of the Spirit of Poetry, sitting beside
+just such a cataract, and truly the nymph could choose no more
+appropriate dwelling. But alas for sentiment! while we were admiring its
+picturesque beauty, we did not notice a man who came from a hut near by
+and went up behind the rocks. All at once there was a roar of water, and
+a real torrent came pouring down. I looked up, and lo! there he stood,
+with a gate in his hand which had held the water imprisoned, looking
+down at us to observe the effect, I motioned him to shut it up again,
+and he ran down to us, lest he should lose his fee for the "sight!"
+
+Our road now left the valley and ascended through a forest to the
+Kuhstall, which we came upon at once. It is a remarkable natural arch,
+through a rocky wall or rampart, one hundred and fifty feet thick. Going
+through, we came at the other end to the edge of a very deep precipice,
+while the rock towered precipitously far above. Below lay a deep
+circular valley, two miles in diameter, and surrounded on every side by
+ranges of crags, such as we saw on the Bastei. It was entirely covered
+with a pine forest, and there only appeared to be two or three narrow
+defiles which gave it a communication with the world. The top of the
+Kuhstall can be reached by a path which runs up through a split in the
+rock, directly to the summit. It is just wide enough for one person to
+squeeze himself through; pieces of wood have been fastened in as steps,
+and the rocks in many places close completely above. The place derives
+its name from having been used by the mountaineers as a hiding-place for
+their cattle in time of war.
+
+Next morning we descended by another crevice in the rock to the lonely
+valley, which we crossed, and climbed the Little Winterberg on the
+opposite side. There is a wide and rugged view from a little tower on a
+precipitous rock near the summit, erected to commemorate the escape of
+Prince Augustus of Saxony, who, being pursued by a mad stag, rescued
+himself on the very brink, by a lucky blow. Among the many wild valleys
+that lay between the hills, we saw scarcely one without the peculiar
+rocky formation which gives to Saxon scenery its most interesting
+character. They resemble the remains of some mighty work of art, rather
+than one of the thousand varied forms in which Nature delights to clothe
+herself.
+
+The Great Winterberg, which is reached by another hour's walk along an
+elevated ridge, is the highest of the mountains, celebrated for the
+grand view from its summit. We found the handsome Swiss hotel recently
+built there, full of tourists who had come to enjoy the scone, but the
+morning clouds hid every thing. We ascended the tower, and looking
+between them as they rolled by, caught glimpses of the broad landscape
+below. The Giant's Mountains in Silesia were hidden by the mist, but
+sometimes when the wind freshened, we could see beyond the Elbe into
+Bohemian Switzerland, where the long Schneeberg rose conspicuous above
+the smaller mountains. Leaving the other travellers to wait at their
+leisure for clearer weather, we set off for the Prebisehthor, in company
+with two or three students from the Polytechnic School in Dresden. An
+hour's walk over high hills, whose forest clothing had been swept off by
+fire a few years before, brought us to it.
+
+The Prebisehthor is a natural arch, ninety feet high, in a wall of rock
+which projects at right angles from the precipitous side of the
+mountain. A narrow path leads over the top of the arch to the end of the
+rock, where, protected by a railing, the traveller seems to hang in the
+air. The valley is far below him--mountains rise up on either side--and
+only the narrow bridge connects him with the earth. We descended by a
+wooden staircase to the bottom of the arch, near which a rustic inn is
+built against the rock, and thence into the valley below, which we
+followed through rude lonely scenery, to Hirnischkretschen (!) on the
+Elbe.
+
+Crossing the river again for the sixth and last time, we followed the
+right bank to Neidergrund, the first Austrian village. Here our
+passports were visèd for Prague, and we were allowed to proceed without
+any examination of baggage. I noticed a manifest change in our fellow
+travelers the moment we crossed the border. They appeared anxious and
+careful; if we happened to speak of the state of the country, they
+always looked around to see if anybody was near, and if we even passed a
+workman on the road, quickly changed to some other subject. They spoke
+much of the jealous strictness of the government, and from what I heard
+from Austrians themselves, there may have been ground for their
+cautiousness.
+
+We walked seven or eight miles along the bank of the Elbe, to Tetschen,
+there left our companions and took the road to Teplitz. The scenery was
+very picturesque; it must be delightful to float down the swift current
+in a boat, as we saw several merry companies do. The river is just small
+enough and the banks near enough together, to render such a mode of
+travelling delightful, and the strength of the current would carry one
+to Dresden in a day.
+
+I was pleasantly disappointed on entering Bohemia. Instead of a dull,
+uninteresting country, as I expected, it is a land full of the most
+lovely scenery. There is every thing which can gratify the eye--high
+blue mountains, valleys of the sweetest pastoral look and romantic old
+ruins. The very name of Bohemia is associated with wild and wonderful
+legends, of the rude barbaric ages. Even the chivalric tales of the
+feudal times of Germany grow tame beside these earlier and darker
+histories. The fallen fortresses of the Rhine, or the robber-castles of
+the Odenwald had not for me so exciting an interest as the shapeless
+ruins cumbering these lonely mountains. The civilized Saxon race was
+left behind; I saw around me the features and heard the language of one
+of those rude Sclavonic tribes, whose original home was on the vast
+steppes of Central Asia. I have rarely enjoyed traveling more than our
+first two days' journey towards Prague. The range of the Erzgebirge ran
+along on our right; the snow still lay in patches upon it, but the
+valleys between, with their little clusters of white cottages, were
+green and beautiful. About six miles before reaching Teplitz, we passed
+Kulm, the great battle-field, which in a measure decided the fate of
+Napoleon. He sent Vandamme with 40,000 men to attack the allies before
+they could unite their forces, and thus effect their complete
+destruction. Only the almost despairing bravery of the Russian guards
+under Ostermann, who held him in check till the allied troops united,
+prevented Napoleon's design. At the junction of the roads, where the
+fighting was hottest, the Austrians have erected a monument to one of
+their generals. Not far from it is that of Prussia, simple and tasteful.
+A woody hill near, with the little village of Kulm at its foot, was the
+station occupied by Vandamme at the commencement of the battle. There is
+now a beautiful chapel on its summit, which can be seen far and wide. A
+little distance further, the Emperor of Russia has erected a third
+monument to the memory of the Russians who fell. Four lions rest on the
+base of the pedestal, and on the top of the shaft, forty-five feet high,
+Victory is represented as engraving the date, "Aug. 30, 1813," on a
+shield. The dark, pine-covered mountains on the right, overlook the
+whole field and the valley of Teplitz; Napoleon rode along their crests
+several days after the battle, to witness the scene of his defeat.
+
+Teplitz lies in a lovely valley, several miles wide, bounded by the
+Bohemian mountains on one side, and the Erzgebirge on the other. One
+straggling peak near is crowned with a picturesque ruin, at whose foot
+the spacious bath-buildings lie half hidden in foliage. As we went down
+the principal street, I noticed nearly every house was a hotel; we
+learned afterwards that in summer the usual average of visitors is five
+thousand. The waters resemble those of the celebrated Carlsbad; they are
+warm and particularly efficacious in rheumatism and diseases of like
+character. After leaving Teplitz, the road turned to the east, towards a
+lofty mountain, which we had seen the morning before. The peasants as
+they passed by, saluted us with "Christ greet you!"
+
+We stopped for the night at the foot of the peak called the
+Milleschauer, and must have ascended nearly 2,000 feet, for we had a
+wide view the next morning, although the mists and clouds hid the half
+of it. The weather being so unfavorable, we concluded not to ascend,
+and taking leave of the Jena student who came there for that purpose,
+descended through green fields and orchards snowy with blossoms, to
+Lobositz, on the Elbe. Here we reached the plains again, where every
+thing wore the luxuriance of summer; it was a pleasant change from the
+dark and rough scenery we left. The road passed through Theresienstadt,
+the fortress of Northern Bohemia. The little city is surrounded by a
+double wall and moat, which can be filled with water, rendering it
+almost impossible to be taken. In the morning we were ferried over the
+Moldau, and after journeying nearly all day across barren, elevated
+plains, saw late in the afternoon the sixty-seven spires of Prague below
+us! The dark clouds which hung over the hills, gave us little time to
+look upon the singular scene; and we were soon comfortably settled in
+the half-barbaric, half-Asiatic city, with a pleasant prospect of seeing
+its wonders on the morrow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+SCENES IN PRAGUE.
+
+
+_Prague._--I feel as if out of the world, in this strange, fantastic,
+yet beautiful old city. We have been rambling all morning through its
+winding streets, stopping sometimes at a church to see the dusty tombs
+and shrines, or to hear the fine music which accompanies the morning
+mass. I have seen no city yet that so forcibly reminds one of the past,
+and makes him forget everything but the associations connected with the
+scenes around him. The language adds to the illusion. Three-fourths of
+the people in the streets speak Bohemian and many of the signs are
+written in the same tongue, which is not at all like German. The palace
+of the Bohemian kings still looks down on the city from the western
+heights, and their tombs stand in the Cathedral of the holy Johannes.
+When one has climbed up the stone steps lending to the fortress, there
+is a glorious prospect before him. Prague, with its spires and towers,
+lies in the valley below, through which curves the Moldau with its green
+islands, disappearing among the hills which enclose the city on every
+side. The fantastic Byzantine architecture of many of the churches and
+towers, gives the city a peculiar oriental appearance; it seems to have
+been transported from the hills of Syria. Its streets are full of
+palaces, fallen and dwelt in now by the poorer classes. Its famous
+University, which once boasted forty thousand students, has long since
+ceased to exist. In a word, it is, like Venice, a fallen city; though as
+in Venice, the improving spirit of the age is beginning to give it a
+little life, and to send a quicker stream through its narrow and winding
+arteries. The railroad, which, joining that to Brünn, shall bring it in
+connection with Vienna, will be finished this year; in anticipation of
+the increased business which will arise from this, speculators are
+building enormous hotels in the suburbs and tearing down the old
+buildings to give place to more splendid edifices. These operations, and
+the chain bridge which spans the Moldau towards the southern end of the
+city, are the only things which look modern--every thing else is old,
+strange and solemn.
+
+Having found out first a few of the locations, we hunted our way with
+difficulty through its labyrinths, seeking out every place of note or
+interest. Reaching the bridge at last, we concluded to cross over and
+ascend to the Hradschin--the palace of the Bohemian kings. The bridge
+was commenced in 1357, and was one hundred and fifty years in building.
+That was the way the old Germans did their work, and they made a
+structure which will last a thousand years longer. Every pier is
+surmounted with groups of saints and martyrs, all so worn and
+time-beaten, that there is little left of their beauty, if they ever had
+any. The most important of them, at least to Bohemians, is that of the
+holy "Johannes of Nepomuck," now considered as the patron-saint of the
+land. He was a priest many centuries ago, whom one of the kings threw
+from the bridge into the Moldau, because he refused to reveal to him
+what the queen confessed. The legend says the body swam for some time on
+the river, with five stars around its head. The 16th of May, the day
+before we arrived, was that set apart for his particular honor; the
+statue on the bridge was covered with an arch of green boughs and
+flowers, and the shrine lighted with burning tapers. A railing was
+erected around it, near which numbers of the believers were kneeling,
+and a priest stood in the inside. The bridge was covered with
+passers-by, who all took their hats off till they had passed. Had it
+been a place of public worship, the act would have been natural and
+appropriate, but to uncover before a statue seemed to us too much like
+idolatry, and we ventured over without doing it. A few years ago it
+might have been dangerous, but now we only met with scowling looks.
+There are many such shrines and statues through the city, and I noticed
+that the people always took off their hats and crossed themselves in
+passing. On the hill above the western end of the city, stands a chapel
+on the spot where the Bavarians put an end to Protestantism in Bohemia
+_by the sword_, and the deluded peasantry of the land make pilgrimages
+to this spot, as if it were rendered holy by an act over which Religion
+weeps!
+
+Ascending the broad flight of steps to the Hradschin, I paused a moment
+to look at the scene below. A slight blue haze hung over the clustering
+towers, and the city looked dim through it, like a city seen in a dream.
+It was well that it should so appear, for not less dim and misty are the
+memories that haunt its walls. There was no need of a magician's wand to
+bid that light cloud shadow forth the forms of other times. They came
+uncalled for, even by fancy. Far, far back in the past, I saw the
+warrior-princess who founded the kingly city--the renowned Libussa,
+whose prowess and talent inspired the women of Bohemia to rise at her
+death and storm the land that their sex might rule where it obeyed
+before. On the mountain opposite once stood the palace of the bloody
+Wlaska, who reigned with her Amazon band for seven years over half
+Bohemia. Those streets below had echoed with the fiery words of Huss,
+and the castle of his follower--the blind Ziska, who met and defeated
+the armies of the German Empire--moulders on the mountain above. Many a
+year of war and tempest has passed over the scene. The hills around have
+borne the armies of Wallenstein and Frederic the Great; the war-cry of
+Bavaria, Sweden and Poland has echoed in the valley, and the red glare
+of the midnight cannon or the flames of burning palaces have often
+gleamed along the "blood-dyed waters" of the Moldau!
+
+But this was a day-dream. The throng of people coming up the steps waked
+me out of it. We turned and followed them through several spacious
+courts, till we arrived at the Cathedral, which is magnificent in the
+extreme. The dark Gothic pillars, whose arches unite high above, are
+surrounded with gilded monuments and shrines, and the side chapels are
+rich in elaborate decorations. A priest was speaking from a pulpit in
+the centre, in the Bohemian language, which not being the most
+intelligible, I went to the other end to see the shrine of the holy
+Johannes of Nepomuck. It stands at the end of one of the side aisles and
+is composed of a mass of gorgeous silver ornaments. At a little
+distance, on each side, hang four massive lamps of silver, constantly
+burning. The pyramid of statues, of the same precious metal, has at
+each corner a richly carved urn, three feet high, with a crimson lamp
+burning at the top. Above, four silver angels, the size of life, are
+suspended in the air, holding up the corners of a splendid drapery of
+crimson and gold. If these figures were melted down and distributed
+among the poor and miserable people who inhabit Bohemia, they would then
+be angels indeed, bringing happiness and blessing to many a ruined home-
+altar. In the same chapel is the splendid burial-place of the Bohemian
+kings, of gilded marble and alabaster. Numberless tombs, covered with
+elaborate ornamental work, fill the edifice. It gives one a singular
+feeling to stand at one end and look down the lofty hall, dim with
+incense smoke and dark with the weight of many centuries.
+
+On the way down again, we stepped into the St. Nicholas Church, which
+was built by the Jesuits. The interior has a rich effect, being all of
+brown and gold. The massive pillars are made to resemble reddish-brown
+marble, with gilded capitals, and the statues at the base are profusely
+ornamented in the same style. The music chained me there a long time.
+There was a grand organ, assisted by a full orchestra and large choir of
+singers. It was placed above, and at every sound of the priest's bell,
+the flourish of trumpets and deep roll of the drums filled the dome with
+a burst of quivering sound, while the giant pipes of the organ breathed
+out their full harmony and the very air shook under the peal. It was
+like a triumphal strain; the soul became filled with thoughts of power
+and glory--every sense was changed into one dim, indistinct emotion of
+rapture, which held the spirit as if spell-bound. I could almost forgive
+the Jesuits the superstition and bigotry they have planted in the minds
+of men, for the indescribable enjoyment that music gave. When it ceased,
+we went out to the world again, and the recollection of it seems now
+like a dream--but a dream whose influence will last longer than many a
+more palpable reality.
+
+Not far from this place is the palace of Wallenstein, in the same
+condition as when he inhabited it, and still in the possession of his
+descendants. It is a plain, large building, having beautiful gardens
+attached to it, which are open to the public. We went through the
+courtyard, threaded a passage with a roof of rough stalactitic rock, and
+entered the garden where a revolving fountain was casting up its
+glittering arches. Among the flowers at the other end of the garden
+there is a remarkable fountain. It is but a single jet of water which
+rises from the middle of a broad basin of woven wire, but by some means
+it sustains a hollow gilded ball, sometimes for many minutes at a time.
+When the ball drops, the sloping sides of the basin convey it directly
+to the fountain again, and it is carried up to dance a while longer on
+the top of the jet. I watched it once, thus supported on the water, for
+full fifteen minutes.
+
+There is another part of Prague which is not less interesting, though
+much less poetical--the Jews' City. In our rambles we got into it before
+we were aware, but hurried immediately out of it again, perfectly
+satisfied with one visit. We came first into a dark, narrow street,
+whose sides were lined with booths of old clothes and second-hand
+articles. A sharp featured old woman thrust a coat before my face,
+exclaiming, "Herr, buy a fine coat!" Instantly a man assailed me on the
+other side, "Here are vests! pantaloons! shirts!" I broke loose from
+them and ran on, but it only became worse. One seized me by the arm,
+crying, "_Lieber_ Herr, buy some stockings!" and another grasped my
+coat: "Hats, Herr! hats! _buy something, or sell me something!_" I
+rushed desperately on, shouting "no! no!" with all my might, and finally
+got safe through. My friend having escaped their clutches also, we
+hunted the way to the old Jewish cemetery. This stands in the middle of
+the city, and has not been used for a hundred years. We could find no
+entrance, but by climbing upon the ruins of an old house near, I could
+look over the wall. A cold shudder crept over me, to think that warm,
+joyous Life, as I then felt it, should grow chill and pass back to clay
+in such a foul charnel-house. Large mounds of earth, covered with black,
+decaying grave-stones, which were almost hidden under the weeds and rank
+grass, filled the inclosure. A few dark, crooked alder-trees grew among
+the crumbling tombs, and gave the scene an air of gloom and desolation,
+almost fearful. The dust of many a generation lies under these
+mouldering stones; they now scarcely occupy a thought in the minds of
+the living; and yet the present race toils and seeks for wealth alone,
+that it may pass away and leave nothing behind--not even a memory for
+that which will follow it!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+JOURNEY THROUGH EASTERN BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA TO THE DANUBE.
+
+
+Our road the first two days after leaving Prague led across broad,
+elevated plains, across which a cold wind came direct from the summits
+of the Riesengebirge, far to our left. Were it not for the pleasant view
+we had of the rich valley of the Upper Elbe, which afforded a delightful
+relief to the monotony of the hills around us, the journey would have
+been exceedingly tiresome. The snow still glistened on the distant
+mountains; but when the sun shone out, the broad valley below, clad in
+the luxuriance of summer, and extending for at least fifty miles with
+its woods, meadows and white villages, looked like a real Paradise. The
+long ridges over which we travelled extend for nearly a hundred and
+fifty miles--from the Elbe almost to the Danube. The soil is not
+fertile, the inhabitants are exceedingly poor, and from our own
+experience, the climate must be unhealthy. In winter the country is
+exposed to the full sweep of the northern winds, and in summer the sun
+shines down on it with unbroken force. There are few streams running
+through it, and the highest part, which divides the waters of the Baltic
+from those of the Black Sea is filled for a long distance with marshes
+and standing pools, whose exhalations must inevitably subject the
+inhabitants to disease. This was perceptible in their sallow, sickly
+countenances; many of the women are afflicted with the _goitre_, or
+swelling of the throat; I noticed that towards evening they always
+carefully muffled up their faces. According to their own statements, the
+people suffer much from the cold in winter, as the few forests the
+country affords are in possession of the noblemen to whom the land
+belongs, and they are not willing to let them be cut down. The dominions
+of these petty despots are marked along the road with as much precision
+as the boundaries of an empire; we saw sometimes their stalely castles
+at a distance, forming quite a contrast to the poor scattering villages
+of the peasants.
+
+At Kollin, the road, which had been running eastward in the direction of
+Olmutz, turned to the south, and we took leave of the Elbe, after
+tracing back his course from Magdeburg nearly to his home in the
+mountains of Silesia. The country was barren and monotonous, but a
+bright sunshine made it look somewhat cheerful. We passed, every few
+paces, some shrine or statue by the roadside. This had struck me,
+immediately on crossing the border, in the Saxon Switzerland--it seemed
+as if the boundary of Saxony was that of Protestantism. But here in the
+heart of Bohemia, the extent to which this image worship is carried,
+exceeds anything I had imagined. There is something pleasing as well as
+poetical in the idea of a shrine by the wayside, where the weary
+traveller can rest, and raise his heart in thankfulness to the Power
+that protects him; it was no doubt a pious spirit that placed them
+there; but the people appear to pay the reverence to the picture which
+they should give to its spiritual image, and the pictures themselves are
+so shocking and ghastly, they seem better calculated to excite horror
+than reverence. It was really repulsive to look on images of the Saviour
+covered with blood, and generally with swords sticking in different
+parts of the body. The Almighty is represented as an old man, wearing a
+Bishop's mitre, and the image of the Virgin is always drest in a gay
+silk robe, with beads and other ornaments. From the miserable painting,
+the faces often had an expression that would have been exceedingly
+ludicrous, if the shock given to our feelings of reverence were not
+predominant. The poor, degraded peasants always uncovered or crossed
+themselves when passing by these shrines, but it appeared to be rather
+the effect of habit than any good impulse, for the Bohemians are noted
+all over Germany for their dishonesty; we learned by experience they
+deserve it. It is not to be wondered at either; for a people so poor and
+miserable and oppressed will soon learn to take advantage of all who
+appear better off than themselves. They had one custom which was
+touching and beautiful. At the sound of the church bell, as it rung the
+morning, noon and evening chimes, every one uncovered, and repeated to
+himself a prayer. Often, as we rested at noon on a bank by the roadside,
+that voice spoke out from the house of worship and every one heeded its
+tone. Would that to this innate spirit of reverence were added the light
+of Knowledge, which a tyrannical government denies them!
+
+The third night of our journey we stopped at the little village of
+Stecken, and the next morning, after three hours' walk over the ridgy
+heights, reached the old Moravian city of Iglau, built on a hill. It
+happened to be _Corpus Christi_ day, and the peasants of the
+neighborhood were hastening there in their gayest dresses. The young
+women wore a crimson scarf around the head, with long fringed and
+embroidered ends hanging over the shoulders, or falling in one smooth
+fold from the back of the head. They were attired in black velvet vests,
+with full white sleeves and skirts of some gay color, which were short
+enough to show to advantage their red stockings and polished
+shoe-buckles. Many of them were not deficient in personal beauty--there
+was a gipsy-like wildness in their eyes, that combined with their rich
+hair and graceful costume, reminded me of the Italian maidens. The towns
+too, with their open squares and arched passages, have quite a southern
+look; but the damp, gloomy weather was enough to dispel any illusion of
+this kind.
+
+In the neighborhood of Iglau, and, in fact, through the whole of
+Bohemia, we saw some of the strangest teams that could well be imagined.
+I thought the Frankfort milkwomen with their donkeys and hearse-like
+carts, were comical objects enough, but they bear no comparison with
+these Bohemian turn-outs. Dogs--for economy's sake, perhaps--generally
+supply the place of oxen or horses, and it is no uncommon thing to see
+three large mastiffs abreast, harnessed to a country-cart. A donkey and
+a cow together, are sometimes met with, and one man, going to the
+festival at Iglau, had his wife and children in a little wagon, drawn by
+a dog and a donkey. These two, however, did not work well together; the
+dog would bite his lazy companion, and the man's time was constantly
+employed in whipping him off the donkey, and in whipping the donkey away
+from the side of the road. Once I saw a wagon drawn by a dog, with a
+woman pushing behind, while a man, doubtless her lord and master, sat
+comfortably within, smoking his pipe with the greatest complacency! The
+very climax of all was a woman and a dog harnessed _together_, taking a
+load of country produce to market! I hope, for the honor of the country,
+it was not emblematic of woman's condition there. But as we saw hundreds
+of them breaking stone along the road, and occupied at other laborious
+and not less menial labor, there is too much reason to fear that it is
+so.
+
+As we approached Iglau, we heard cannon firing; the crowd increased, and
+following the road, we came to an open square, where a large number were
+already assembled; shrines were erected around it, hung with pictures
+and pine boughs, and a long procession of children was passing down the
+side as we entered. We went towards the middle, where Neptune and his
+Tritons poured the water from their urns into two fountains, and stopped
+to observe the scene. The procession came on, headed by a large body of
+priests, in white robes, with banners and crosses. They stopped before
+the principal shrine, in front of the Rathhaus, and began a solemn
+religious ceremony. The whole crowd of not less than ten thousand
+persons, stood silent and uncovered, and the deep voice of the
+officiating priest was heard over the whole square. At times the
+multitude sang responses, and I could mark the sound, swelling and
+rolling up like a mighty wave, till it broke and slowly sank down again
+to the deepest stillness. The effect was marred by the rough voice of
+the officers commanding the soldiery, and the volleys of musquetry which
+were occasionally discharged. It degraded the solemnity of the pageant
+to the level of a military parade.
+
+In the afternoon we were overtaken by a travelling _handwerker_, on his
+way to Vienna, who joined company with us. We walked several miles
+together, talking on various matters, without his having the least
+suspicion we were not Germans. He had been at Trieste, and at length
+began speaking of the great beauty of the American vessels there. "Yes,"
+said I, "_our_ vessels are admired all over the world." He stared at me
+without comprehending;--"_your_ vessels?" "Our country's," I replied;
+"we are Americans!" I can see still his look of incredulous astonishment
+and hear the amazed tone with which he cried: "_You_ Americans--it is
+impossible!" We convinced him nevertheless, to his great joy, for all
+through Germany there is a curiosity to see our countrymen and a kindly
+feeling towards them. "I shall write down in my book," said he, "so that
+I shall never forget it, that I once travelled with two Americans!" We
+stopped together for the night at the only inn in a large, beggarly
+village, where we obtained a frugal supper with difficulty, for a
+regiment of Polish lancers was quartered there for the night, and the
+pretty _Kellnerin_ was so busy in waiting on the officers that she had
+no eye for wandering journeymen, as she took us to be. She even told us
+the beds were all occupied and we must sleep on the floor. Just then the
+landlord came by. "Is it possible, Herr Landlord," asked our new
+companion, "that there is no bed here for us? Have the goodness to look
+again, for we are not in the habit of sleeping on the floor, like dogs!"
+This speech had its effect, for the _Kellnerin_ was commanded to find us
+beds. She came back unwillingly after a time and reported that _two_,
+only, were vacant. As a German bed is only a yard wide, we pushed these
+two together, but they were still too small for three persons, and I had
+a severe cold in the morning, from sleeping crouched up against the damp
+wall.
+
+The next day we passed the dividing ridge which separates the waters of
+the Elbe from the Danube, and in the evening arrived at Znaim, the
+capital of Moravia. It is built on a steep hill looking down on the
+valley of the Thaya, whose waters mingle with the Danube near Pressburg.
+The old castle on the height near, was formerly the residence of the
+Moravian monarchs, and traces of the ancient walls and battlements of
+the city are still to be seen. The handwerker took us to the inn
+frequented by his craft--the leather-curriers--and we conversed together
+till bed-time. While telling me of the oppressive laws of Austria, the
+degrading vassalage of the peasants and the horrors of the conscription
+system, he paused as in deep thought, and looking at me with a
+suppressed sigh, said: "Is it not true, America is free?" I told him of
+our country and her institutions, adding that though we were not yet as
+free as we hoped and wished to be, we enjoyed far more liberty than any
+country in the world. "Ah!" said he, "it is hard to leave one's
+fatherland oppressed as it is, but I wish I could go to America!"
+
+We left next morning at eight o'clock, after having done full justice
+to the beds of the "Golden Stag," and taken leave of Florian Francke,
+the honest and hearty old landlord. Znaim appears to great advantage
+from the Vienna road; the wind which blew with fury against our backs,
+would not permit us to look long at it, but pushed us on towards the
+Austrian border. In the course of three hours we were obliged to stop at
+a little village; it blew a perfect hurricane and the rain began to soak
+through our garments. Here we stayed three hours among the wagoners who
+stopped on account of the weather. One miserable, drunken wretch, whom
+one would not wish to look at more than once, distinguished himself by
+insulting those around him, and devouring like a beast, large quantities
+of food. When the reckoning was given him, he declared he had already
+paid, and the waiter denying it, he said, "Stop, I will show you
+something!" pulled out his passport and pointed to the name--"Baron von
+Reitzenstein." It availed nothing; he had fallen so low that his title
+inspired no respect, and when we left the inn they were still
+endeavoring to get their money and threatening him with a summary
+proceeding if the demand was not complied with.
+
+Next morning the sky was clear and a glorious day opened before us. The
+country became more beautiful as we approached the Danube; the hills
+were covered with vineyards, just in the tender green of their first
+leaves, and the rich valleys lay in Sabbath stillness in the warm
+sunshine. Sometimes from an eminence we could see far and wide over the
+garden-like slopes, where little white villages shone among the
+blossoming fruit-trees. A chain of blue hills rose in front, which I
+knew almost instinctively stood by the Danube; when we climbed to the
+last height and began to descend to the valley, where the river was
+still hidden by luxuriant groves, I saw far to the southwest, a range of
+faint, silvery summits, rising through the dim ether like an airy
+vision. There was no mistaking those snowy mountains. My heart bounded
+with a sudden thrill of rapturous excitement at this first view of _the
+Alps!_ They were at a great distance, and their outline was almost
+blended with the blue drapery of air which clothed them. I gazed till my
+vision became dim and I could no longer trace their airy lines. They
+called up images blended with the grandest events in the world's
+history. I thought of the glorious spirits who have looked upon them and
+trodden their rugged sides--of the storms in which they veil their
+countenances, and the avalanches they hurl thundering to the valleys--of
+the voices of great deeds, which have echoed from their crags over the
+wide earth--and of the ages which have broken, like the waves of a
+mighty sea, upon their everlasting summits!
+
+As we descended, the hills and forests shut out this sublime vision, and
+I looked to the wood-clothed mountains opposite and tried to catch a
+glimpse of the current that rolled at their feet. We here entered upon a
+rich plain, about ten miles in diameter, which lay between a backward
+sweep of the hills and a curve of the Danube. It was covered with the
+richest grain; every thing wore the luxuriance of summer, and we seemed
+to have changed seasons since leaving the dreary hills of Bohemia.
+Continuing over the plain, we had on our left the fields of Wagram and
+Essling, the scene of two of Napoleon's blood-bought victories. The
+outposts of the Carpathians skirted the horizon--that great mountain
+range which stretches through Hungary to the borders of Russia.
+
+At length the road came to the river's side, and we crossed on wooden
+bridges over two or three arms of the Danube, all of which together were
+little wider than the Schuylkill at Philadelphia. When we crossed the
+last bridge, we came to a kind of island covered with groves of the
+silver ash. Crowds of people filled the cool walks; booths of
+refreshment stood by the roadside, and music was everywhere heard. The
+road finally terminated in a circle, where beautiful alleys radiated
+into the groves; from the opposite side a broad street lined with
+stately buildings extended into the heart of the city, and through this
+avenue, filled with crowds of carriages and people on their way to those
+delightful walks, we entered Vienna!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+VIENNA.
+
+
+_May 31._--I have at last seen the thousand wonders of this great
+capital--this German Paris--this connecting link between the
+civilization of Europe and the barbaric magnificence of the East. It
+looks familiar to be in a city again, whose streets are thronged with
+people, and resound with the din and bustle of business. It reminds me
+of the never-ending crowds of London, or the life and tumult of our
+scarcely less active New York. Although the end may be sordid for which
+so many are laboring, yet the very sight of so much activity is
+gratifying. It is peculiarly so to an American. After residing in a
+foreign land for some time, the peculiarities of our nation are more
+easily noticed; I find in my countrymen abroad a vein of restless
+energy--a love for exciting action--which to many of our good German
+friends is perfectly incomprehensible. It might have been this which
+gave at once a favorable impression of Vienna.
+
+The morning of our arrival we sallied out from our lodgings in the
+Leopoldstadt, to explore the world before us. Entering the broad
+Praterstrasse, we passed down to the little arm of the Danube, which
+separates this part of the new city from the old. A row of magnificent
+coffee-houses occupy the bank, and numbers of persons were taking their
+breakfasts in the shady porticoes. The Ferdinand's Bridge, which crosses
+the stream, was filled with people; in the motley crowd we saw the
+dark-eyed Greek, and Turks in their turbans and flowing robes. Little
+brown Hungarian boys were going around, selling bunches of lilies, and
+Italians with baskets of oranges stood by the side-walk. The throng
+became greater as we penetrated into the old city. The streets were
+filled with carts and carriages, and as there are no side-pavements, it
+required constant attention to keep out of their way. Splendid shops,
+fitted up with great taste, occupied the whole of the lower stories, and
+goods of all kinds hung beneath the canvass awnings in front of them.
+Almost every store or shop was dedicated to some particular person or
+place, which was represented on a large panel by the door. The number of
+these paintings added much to the splendor of the scene; I was gratified
+to find, among the images of kings and dukes, one dedicated "_to the
+American_," with an Indian chief in full costume.
+
+The _Altstadt_, or old city, which contains about sixty thousand
+inhabitants, is completely separated from the suburbs, whose population,
+taking the whole extent within the outer barrier, numbers nearly half a
+million. It is situated on a small arm of the Danube, and encompassed by
+a series of public promenades, gardens and walks, varying from a quarter
+to half a mile in length, called the Glacis. This formerly belonged to
+the fortifications of the city, but as the suburbs grew up so rapidly on
+all sides, it was changed appropriately to a public walk. The city is
+still surrounded with a massive wall and a deep wide moat; but since it
+was taken by Napoleon in 1809, the moat has been changed into a garden,
+with a beautiful carriage road along the bottom, around the whole city.
+It is a beautiful sight, to stand on the summit of the wall and look
+over the broad Glacis, with its shady roads branching in every
+direction, and filled with inexhaustible streams of people. The
+Vorstaedte, or new cities, stretch in a circle around, beyond this; all
+the finest buildings front on the Glacis, among which the splendid
+Vienna Theatre and the church of San Carlo Borromeo are conspicuous. The
+mountains of the Vienna Forest bound the view, with here and there a
+stately castle on their woody summits. I was reminded of London as seen
+from Regent's Park, and truly this part of Vienna can well compare with
+it. On penetrating into the suburbs, the resemblance is at an end. Many
+of the public thoroughfares are still unpaved, and in dry weather one is
+almost choked by the clouds of fine dust. A furious wind blows from the
+mountains, sweeping the streets almost constantly and filling the eyes
+and ears with it, making the city an unhealthy residence for strangers.
+
+There is no lack of places for pleasure or amusement. Beside the
+numberless walks of the Glacis, there are the Imperial Gardens, with
+their cool shades and flowers and fountains; the Augarten, laid out and
+opened to the public by the Emperor Joseph: and the Prater, the largest
+and most beautiful of all. It lies on an island formed by the arms of
+the Danube, and is between two and three miles square. From the circle
+at the end of the Praterstrasse, broad carriage-ways extend through its
+forests of oak and silver ash, and over its verdant lawns to the
+principal stream, which bounds it on the north. These roads are lined
+with stately horse chesnuts, whose branches unite and form a dense
+canopy, completely shutting out the sun. Every afternoon the beauty and
+nobility of Vienna whirl through the cool groves in their gay equipages,
+while the sidewalks are thronged with pedestrians, and the numberless
+tables and seats with which every house of refreshment is surrounded,
+are filled with merry guests. Here, on Sundays and holidays, the people
+repair in thousands. The woods are full of tame deer, which run
+perfectly free over the whole Prater. I saw several in one of the lawns,
+lying down in the grass, with a number of children playing around or
+sitting beside them. It is delightful to walk there in the cool of the
+evening, when the paths are crowded, and everybody is enjoying the
+release from the dusty city. It is this free, social life which renders
+Vienna so attractive to foreigners and draws yearly thousands of
+visitors from all parts of Europe.
+
+St. Stephen's Cathedral, in the centre of the old city, is one of the
+finest specimens of Gothic architecture in Germany. Its unrivalled
+tower, which rises to the height of four hundred and twenty-eight feet,
+is visible from every part of Vienna. It is entirely of stone, most
+elaborately ornamented, and is supposed to be the strongest in Europe.
+If the tower was finished, it might rival any church in Europe in
+richness and brilliancy of appearance. The inside is solemn and grand;
+but the effect is injured by the number of small chapels and shrines. In
+one of these rests, the remains of Prince Eugene of Savoy, "_der edle
+Ritter_," known in a ballad to every man, woman and child in Germany.
+
+The Belvidere Gallery fills thirty-five halls, and contains three
+thousand pictures! It is absolutely bewildering to walk through such
+vast collections; you can do no more than glance at each painting, and
+hurry by face after face, and figure after figure, on which you would
+willingly gaze for hours and inhale the atmosphere of beauty that
+surrounds them. Then after you leave, the brain is filled with their
+forms--radiant spirit-faces look upon you, and you see constantly, in
+fancy, the calm brow of a Madonna, the sweet young face of a child, or
+the blending of divine with mortal beauty in an angel's countenance. I
+endeavor, if possible, always to make several visits--to study those
+pictures which cling _first_ to the memory, and pass over those which
+make little or no impression. It is better to have a few images fresh
+and enduring, than a confused and indistinct memory of many.
+
+From the number of Madonnas in every European gallery, it would almost
+seem that the old artists painted nothing else. The subject is one which
+requires the highest genius to do it justice, and it is therefore
+unpleasant to see so many still, inexpressive faces of the virgin and
+child, particularly by the Dutch artists, who clothe their figures
+sometimes in the stiff costume of their own time. Raphael and Murillo
+appear to me to be almost the only painters who have expressed what,
+perhaps, was above the power of other masters--the combined love and
+reverence of the mother, and the divine expression in the face of the
+child, prophetic of his mission and godlike power.
+
+There were many glorious old paintings in the second story, which is
+entirely taken up with pictures; two or three of the halls were devoted
+to selected works from modern artists. Two of these I would give every
+thing I have to possess. One of them is a winter scene, representing the
+portico of an old Gothic church. At the base of one of the pillars a
+woman is seated in the snow, half-benumbed, clasping an infant to her
+breast, while immediately in front stands a boy of perhaps seven or
+eight years, his little hands folded in prayer, while the chill wind
+tosses the long curls from his forehead. There is something so pure and
+holy in the expression of his childish countenance, so much feeling in
+the lip and sorrowful eye, that it moves one almost to tears to look
+upon it. I turned back half a dozen times from the other pictures to
+view it again, and blessed the artist in my heart for the lesson he
+gave. The other is by a young Italian painter, whose name I have
+forgotten, but who, if he never painted anything else, is worthy a high
+place among the artists of his country. It represents some scene from
+the history of Venice. On an open piazza, a noble prisoner, wasted and
+pale from long confinement, has just had an interview with his children.
+He reaches his arm toward them as if for the last time, while a savage
+keeper drags him away. A lovely little girl kneels at the feet of the
+Doge, but there is no compassion in his stern features, and it is easy
+to see that her father is doomed.
+
+The Lower Belvidere, separated from the Upper by a large garden, laid
+out in the style of that at Versailles, contains the celebrated
+_Ambraser Sammlung_, a collection of armor. In the first hall I noticed
+the complete armor of the Emperor Maximilian, for man and horse--the
+armor of Charles V., and Prince Moritz of Saxony, while the walls were
+filled with figures of German nobles and knights, in the suits they wore
+in life. There is also the armor of the great "Baver of Trient," trabant
+of the Archduke Ferdinand. He was nearly nine feet in stature, and his
+spear, though not equal to Satan's, in Paradise Lost, would still make a
+tree of tolerable dimensions.
+
+In the second hall we saw weapons taken from the Turkish army who
+besieged Vienna, with the horse-tail standards of the Grand Vizier, Kara
+Mustapha. The most interesting article was the battle-axe of the
+unfortunate Montezuma, which was probably given to the Emperor Charles
+V., by Cortez. It is a plain instrument of dark colored stone, about
+three feet long.
+
+We also visited the _Bürgerliche Zeughaus_, a collection of arms and
+weapons, belonging to the citizens of Vienna. It contains sixteen
+thousand weapons and suits of armor, including those plundered from the
+Turks, when John Sobieski conquered them and relieved Vienna from the
+siege. Besides a great number of sabres, lances and horsetails, there is
+the blood-red banner of the Grand Vizier, as well as his skull and
+shroud, which is covered with sentences from the Koran. On his return to
+Belgrade, after the defeat at Vienna, the Sultan sent him a bow-string,
+and he was accordingly strangled. The Austrians having taken Belgrade
+some time after, they opened his grave and carried off his skull and
+shroud, as well as the bow-string, as relics. Another large and richly
+embroidered banner, which hung in a broad sheet from the ceiling, was
+far more interesting to me. It had once waved from the vessels of the
+Knights of Malta, and had, perhaps, on the prow of the Grand Master's
+ship, led that romantic band to battle against the Infidel.
+
+A large number of peasants and common soldiers were admitted to view the
+armory at the same time. The grave _custode_ who showed us the
+curiosities, explaining every thing in phrases known by heart for years
+and making the same starts of admiration whenever he came to any thing
+peculiarly remarkable, singled us out as the two persons most worthy of
+attention. Accordingly his remarks were directed entirely to us, and his
+humble countrymen might as well have been invisible, for the notice he
+took of them. On passing out, we gave him a coin worth about fifteen
+cents, which happened to be so much more than the others gave him, that,
+bowing graciously, he invited us to write our names in the album for
+strangers. While we were doing this, a poor handwerker lingered behind,
+apparently for the same object, whom he scornfully dismissed, shaking
+the fifteen cent piece in his hand, and saying: "The album is not for
+such as you--it is for noble gentlemen!"
+
+On our way through the city, we often noticed a house on the southern
+side of St. Stephen's Platz, dedicated to "the Iron Stick." In a niche
+by the window, stood what appeared to be the limb of a tree, completely
+filled with nails, which were driven in so thick that no part of the
+original wood is visible. We learned afterwards the legend concerning
+it. The Vienna Forest is said to have extended, several hundred years
+ago, to this place. A locksmith's apprentice was enabled, by the devil's
+help, to make the iron bars and padlock which confine the limb in its
+place; every locksmith's apprentice who came to Vienna after that, drove
+a nail into it, till finally there was room for no more. It is a
+singular legend, and whoever may have placed the limb there originally,
+there it has remained for two or three hundred years at least.
+
+We spent two or three hours delightfully one evening in listening to
+Strauss's band. We went about sunset to the Odeon, a new building in the
+Leopoldstadt. It has a refreshment hall nearly five hundred feet long,
+with a handsome fresco ceiling and glass doors opening into a garden
+walk of the same length. Both the hall and garden were filled with
+tables, where the people seated themselves as they came, and conversed
+sociably over their coffee and wine. The orchestra was placed in a
+little ornamental temple in the garden, in front of which I stationed
+myself, for I was anxious to see the world's waltz-king, whose magic
+tones can set the heels of half Christendom in motion. After the band
+had finished tuning their instruments, a middle-sized, handsome man
+stepped forward with long strides, with a violin in one hand and bow in
+the other, and began waving the latter up and down, like a magician
+summoning his spirits. As if he had waved the sound out of his bow, the
+tones leaped forth from the instruments, and guided by his eye and hand,
+fell into a merry measure. The accuracy with which every instrument
+performed its part, was truly marvellous. He could not have struck the
+measure or the harmony more certainly from the keys of his own piano,
+than from that large band. The sounds struggled forth, so perfect and
+distinct, that one almost expected to see them embodied, whirling in
+wild dance around him. Sometimes the air was so exquisitely light and
+bounding, the feet could scarcely keep on the earth; then it sank into a
+mournful lament, with a sobbing tremulousness, and died away in a
+long-breathed sigh. Strauss seemed to feel the music in every limb. He
+would wave his fiddle-bow awhile, then commence playing with desperate
+energy, moving his whole body to the measure, till the sweat rolled from
+his brow. A book was lying on the stand before him, but he made no use
+of it. He often glanced around with a kind of half-triumphant smile at
+the restless crowd, whose feet could scarcely be restrained from
+bounding to the magic measure. It was the horn of Oberon realized. The
+composition of the music displayed great talent, but its charm consisted
+more in the exquisite combination of the different instruments, and the
+perfect, the wonderful exactness with which each performed its part--a
+piece of art of the most elaborate and refined character.
+
+The company, which consisted of several hundred, appeared to be full of
+enjoyment. They sat under the trees in the calm, cool twilight, with the
+stars twinkling above, and talked and laughed sociably together between
+the pauses of the music, or strolled up and down the lighted alleys. We
+walked up and down with them, and thought how much we should enjoy such
+a scene at home, where the faces around us would be those of friends,
+and the language our mother tongue!
+
+We went a long way through the suburbs one bright afternoon, to a little
+cemetery about a mile from the city, to find the grave of Beethoven. On
+ringing at the gate a girl admitted us into the grounds, in which are
+many monuments of noble families who have vaults there. I passed up the
+narrow walk, reading the inscriptions, till I came to the tomb of Franz
+Clement, a young composer, who died two or three years ago. On turning
+again, my eye fell instantly on the word "BEETHOVEN," in golden letters,
+on a tombstone of gray marble. A simple gilded lyre decorated the
+pedestal, above which was a serpent encircling a butterfly--the emblem
+of resurrection to eternal life. Here then, mouldered the remains of
+that restless spirit, who seemed to have strayed to earth from another
+clime, from such a height did he draw his glorious conceptions. The
+perfection he sought for here in vain, he has now attained in a world
+where the soul is freed from the bars which bind it in this. There were
+no flowers planted around the tomb by those who revered his genius; only
+one wreath, withered and dead, lay among the grass, as if left long ago
+by some solitary pilgrim, and a few wild buttercups hung with their
+bright blossoms over the slab. It might have been wrong, but I could not
+resist the temptation to steal one or two, while the old grave-digger
+was busy preparing a new tenement. I thought that other buds would open
+in a few days, but those I took would be treasured many a year as sacred
+relics. A few paces off is the grave of Schubert, the composer, whose
+beautiful songs are heard all over Germany.
+
+It would employ one a week to visit all the rich collections of art in
+Vienna. They are all open to the public on certain days of the week, and
+we have been kept constantly in motion, running from one part of the
+city to another, in order to arrive at some gallery at the appointed
+time. Tickets, which have to be procured often in quite different parts
+of the city, are necessary for admittance to many; on applying after
+much trouble and search, we frequently found we came at the wrong hour,
+and must leave without effecting our object. We employed no guide, but
+preferred finding every thing ourselves. We made a list every morning,
+of the collections open during the day, and employed the rest of the
+time in visiting the churches and public gardens, or rambling through
+the suburbs.
+
+We visited the Imperial Library a day or two ago. The hall is 245 feet
+long, with a magnificent dome in the centre, under which stands the
+statue of Charles V., of Carrara marble, surrounded by twelve other
+monarchs of the house of Hapsburg. The walls are of variegated marble,
+richly ornamented with gold, and the ceiling and dome are covered with
+brilliant fresco paintings. The library numbers 300,000 volumes, and
+16,000 manuscripts, which are kept in walnut cases, gilded and adorned
+with medallions. The rich and harmonious effect of the whole cannot
+easily be imagined. It is exceedingly appropriate that a hall of such
+splendor, should be used to hold a library. The pomp of a palace may
+seem hollow and vain, for it is but the dwelling of a man; but no
+building can be too magnificent for the hundreds of great and immortal
+spirits to dwell in, who have visited earth during thirty centuries.
+
+Among other curiosities preserved in the collection, we were shown a
+brass plate, containing one of the records of the Roman Senate, made 180
+years before Christ, Greek manuscripts of the fifth and sixth centuries,
+and a volume of Psalms, printed on parchment, in the year 1457, by Faust
+and Schaeffer, the inventors of printing. There were also Mexican
+manuscripts, presented by Cortez; the prayer-book of Hildegard, wife of
+Charlemagne, in letters of gold; the signature of San Carlo Borromeo,
+and a Greek testament of the thirteenth century, which had been used by
+Erasmus in making his translation and contains notes in his own hand.
+The most interesting article was the "Jerusalem Delivered" of Tasso, in
+the poet's own hand, with his erasions and corrections.
+
+We also visited the Cabinet of Natural History, which is open twice a
+week "to all _respectably dressed_ persons," as the notice at the door
+says. But Heaven forbid that I should attempt to describe what we saw
+there. The Mineral Cabinet had a greater interest to me, inasmuch as it
+called up the recollections of many a school-boy ramble over the hills
+and into all kinds of quarries, far and near. It is said to be the most
+perfect collection in existence. I was pleased to find many old
+acquaintances there, from the mines of Pennsylvania; Massachusetts and
+New York were also very well represented. I had no idea before, that the
+mineral wealth of Austria was so great. Besides the iron and lead mines
+among the hills of Styria and the quicksilver of Idria, there is no
+small amount of gold and silver found, and the Carpathian mountains are
+rich in jasper, opal and lapiz lazuli. The largest opal ever found, was
+in this collection. It weighs thirty-four ounces and looks like a
+condensed rainbow.
+
+In passing the palace, we saw several persons entering the basement
+story under the Library, and had the curiosity to follow them. By so
+doing, we saw the splendid equipages of the house of Austria. There must
+have been near a hundred carriages and sleds, of every shape and style,
+from the heavy, square vehicle of the last century to the most light and
+elegant conveyance of the present day. One clumsy, but magnificent
+machine, of crimson and gold, was pointed out as being a hundred and
+fifty years old. The misery we witnessed in starving Bohemia, formed a
+striking contrast to all this splendor.
+
+Beside the Imperial Picture Gallery, there are several belonging to
+princes and noblemen in Vienna, which are scarcely less valuable. The
+most important of these is that of Prince Liechtenstein, which we
+visited yesterday. We applied to the porter's lodge for admittance to
+the gallery, but he refused to open it for two persons; as we did not
+wish a long walk for nothing, we concluded to wait for other visitors.
+Presently a gentleman and lady came and inquired if the gallery was
+open. We told him it would probably be opened now, although the porter
+required a larger number, and he went to ask. After a short time he
+returned, saying: "He will come immediately; I thought best to put the
+number a little higher, and so I told him there were _six_ of us!"
+Having little artistic knowledge of paintings, I judge of them according
+to the effect they produce upon me--in proportion as they gratify the
+innate love for the beautiful and the true. I have been therefore
+disappointed in some painters whose names are widely known, and
+surprised again to find works of great beauty by others of smaller fame.
+Judging by such a standard, I should say that "Cupid sleeping in the
+lap of Venus," by Correggio, is the glory of this collection. The
+beautiful limbs of the boy-god droop in the repose of slumber, as his
+head rests on his mother's knee, and there is a smile lingering around
+his half-parted lips, as if he was dreaming new triumphs. The face is
+not that of the wicked, mischief-loving child, but rather a sweet
+cherub, bringing a blessing to all he visits. The figure of the goddess
+is exquisite. Her countenance, unearthly in its loveliness, expresses
+the tenderness of a young mother, as she sits with one finger pressed on
+her rosy lip, watching his slumber. It is a picture which "stings the
+brain with beauty."
+
+The chapel of St. Augustine contains one of the best works of
+Canova--the monument of the Grand Duchess, Maria Christina, of
+Sachsen-Teschen. It is a pyramid of gray marble, twenty-eight feet high,
+with an opening in the side, representing the entrance to a sepulchre. A
+female figure personating Virtue bears in an urn to the grave, the ashes
+of the departed, attended by two children with torches. The figure of
+Compassion follows, leading an aged beggar to the tomb of his
+benefactor, and a little child with its hands folded. On the lower step
+rests a mourning Genius beside a sleeping lion, and a bas-relief on the
+pyramid above represents an angel carrying Christina's image, surrounded
+with the emblem of eternity, to Heaven. A spirit of deep sorrow, which
+is touchingly portrayed in the countenance of the old man, pervades the
+whole group. While we looked at it, the organ breathed out a slow,
+mournful strain, which harmonized so fully with the expression of the
+figures, that we seemed to be listening to the requiem of the one they
+mourned. The combined effect of music and sculpture, thus united in
+their deep pathos, was such, that I could have sat down and wept. It was
+not from sadness at the death of a benevolent though unknown
+individual,--but the feeling of grief, of perfect, unmingled sorrow, so
+powerfully represented, came to the heart like an echo of its own
+emotion, and carried it away with irresistible influence. Travellers
+have described the same feeling while listening to the Miserere in the
+Sistine Chapel, at Rome. Canova could not have chiseled the monument
+without tears.
+
+One of the most interesting objects in Vienna, is the Imperial Armory.
+We were admitted through tickets previously procured from the Armory
+Direction; as there was already one large company within, we were told
+to wait in the court till our turn came. Around the wall on the inside,
+is suspended the enormous chain which the Turks stretched across the
+Danube at Buda, in the year 1529, to obstruct the navigation. It has
+eight thousand links and is nearly a mile in length. The court is filled
+with cannon of all shapes and sizes, many of which were conquered from
+other nations. I saw a great many which were cast during the French
+Revolution, with the words "_Liberté! Egalité!_" upon them, and a number
+of others bearing the simple letter "N."
+
+Finally the first company came down and the forty or fifty persons who
+had collected during the interval, were admitted. The Armory runs around
+a hollow square, and must be at least a quarter of a mile in length. We
+were all taken into a circular hall, made entirely of weapons, to
+represent the four quarters of the globe. Here the crusty old guide who
+admitted us, rapped with his stick on the shield of an old knight who
+stood near, to keep silence, and then addressed us: "When I speak every
+one must be silent. No one can write or draw anything. No one shall
+touch anything, or go to look at anything else, before I have done
+speaking. Otherwise, they shall be taken immediately into the street
+again!" Thus in every hall he rapped and scolded, driving the women to
+one side with his stick and the men to the other, till we were nearly
+through, when the thought of the coming fee made him a little more
+polite. He had a regular set of descriptions by heart, which he went
+through with a great flourish, pointing particularly to the common
+military caps of the late Emperors of Prussia and Austria, as "treasures
+beyond all price to the nation!" Whereupon, the crowd of common people
+gazed reverently on the shabby beavers, and I verily believe, would have
+devoutly kissed them, had the glass covering been removed. I happened to
+be next to a tall, dignified young man, who looked on all this with a
+displeasure almost amounting to contempt. Seeing I was a foreigner, he
+spoke, in a low tone, bitterly of the Austrian government. "You are not
+then an Austrian?" I asked. "No, thank God!" was the reply: "but I have
+seen enough of Austrian tyranny. I am a Pole!"
+
+The first wing contains banners used in the French Revolution, and
+liberty trees with the red cap; the armor of Rudolph of Hapsburg,
+Maximilian I., the Emperor Charles V., and the hat, sword and order of
+Marshal Schwarzenberg. Some of the halls represent a fortification, with
+walls, ditches and embankments, made of muskets and swords. A long room
+in the second wing contains an encampment, in which twelve or fifteen
+large tents are formed in like manner. Along the sides are grouped old
+Austrian banners, standards taken from the French, and horsetails and
+flags captured from the Turks. "They make a great boast," said the Pole,
+"of a half dozen French colors, but let them go to the Hospital des
+Invalides, in Paris, and they will find _hundreds_ of the best banners
+of Austria!" They also exhibited the armor of a dwarf king of Bohemia
+and Hungary, who died, a gray-headed old man, in his twentieth year; the
+sword of Marlborough; the coat of Gustavus Adolphus, pierced in the
+breast and back with the bullet which killed him at Lützen; the armor of
+the old Bohemian princess Libussa, and that of the amazon Wlaska, with a
+steel visor made to fit the features of her face. The last wing was the
+most remarkable. Here we saw the helm and breastplate of Attila, king of
+the Huns, which once glanced at the head of his myriads of wild hordes,
+before the walls of Rome; the armor of Count Stahremberg, who commanded
+Vienna during the Turkish siege in 1529, and the holy banner of Mahomet,
+taken at that time from the Grand Vizier, together with the steel
+harness of John Sobieski of Poland, who rescued Vienna from the Turkish
+troops under Kara Mustapha; the hat, sword and breastplate of Godfrey of
+Bouillon, the Crusader-king of Jerusalem, with the banners of the cross
+the Crusaders had borne to Palestine, and the standard they captured
+from the Turks on the walls of the Holy City! I felt all my boyish
+enthusiasm for the romantic age of the Crusaders revive, as I looked on
+the torn and mouldering banners which once waved on the hills of Judea,
+or perhaps followed the sword of the Lion Heart through the fight on the
+field of Ascalon! What tales could they not tell, those old standards,
+cut and shivered by spear and lance! What brave hands have carried them
+through the storm of battle, what dying eyes have looked upwards to the
+cross on their folds, as the last prayer was breathed for the rescue of
+the Holy Sepulchre!
+
+I must now close the catalogue. This morning we shall look upon Vienna
+for the last time. Our knapsacks are repacked, and the passports
+(precious documents!) visèd for Munich. The getting of this visè,
+however, caused a comical scene at the Police Office, yesterday. We
+entered the Inspector's Hall and took our stand quietly among the crowd
+of persons who were gathered around a railing which separated them from
+the main office. One of the clerks came up, scowling at us, and asked in
+a rough tone, "What do you want here?" We handed him our tickets of
+sojourn (for when a traveler spends more than twenty-four hours in a
+German city, he must take out a permission and pay for it) with the
+request that he would give us our passports. He glanced over the
+tickets, came back and with constrained politeness asked us to step
+within the railing. Here we were introduced to the Chief Inspector.
+"Desire Herr---- to come here," said he to a servant; then turning to
+us, "I am happy to see the gentlemen in Vienna." An officer immediately
+came up, who addressed us in fluent English. "You may speak in your
+native tongue," said the Inspector:--"excuse our neglect; from the
+facility with which you speak German, we supposed you were natives of
+Austria!" Our passports were signed at once and given us with a gracious
+bow, accompanied by the hope that we would visit Vienna again before
+long. All this, of course, was perfectly unintelligible to the wondering
+crowd outside the railing. Seeing however, the honors we were receiving,
+they crowded back and respectfully made room for us to pass out. I kept
+a grave face till we reached the bottom of the stairs, when I gave way
+to restrained laughter in a manner that shocked the dignity of the
+guard, who looked savagely at me over his forest of moustache. I would
+nevertheless have felt grateful for the attention we received as
+Americans, were it not for our uncourteous reception as suspected
+Austrians.
+
+We have just been exercising the risible muscles again, though from a
+very different cause, and one which, according to common custom, ought
+to draw forth symptoms of a lachrymose nature. This morning B----
+suggested an examination of our funds, for we had neglected keeping a
+strict account, and what with being cheated in Bohemia and tempted by
+the amusements of Vienna, there was an apparent dwindling away. So we
+emptied our pockets and purses, counted up the contents, and found we
+had just ten florins, or four dollars apiece. The thought of our
+situation, away in the heart of Austria, five hundred miles from our
+Frankfort home, seems irresistibly laughable. By allowing twenty days
+for the journey, we shall have half a florin a day, to travel on. This
+is a homoeopathic allowance, indeed, but we have concluded to try it. So
+now adieu, Vienna! In two hours we shall be among the hills again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+UP THE DANUBE.
+
+
+We passed out of Vienna in the face of one of the strongest winds it was
+ever my lot to encounter. It swept across the plain with such force that
+it was almost impossible to advance till we got under the lee of a range
+of hills. About two miles from the barrier we passed Schoenbrunn, the
+Austrian Versailles. It was built by the Empress Maria Theresa, and was
+the residence of Napoleon in 1809, when Vienna was in the hands of the
+French. Later, in 1832, the Duke of Reichstadt died in the same room
+which his father once occupied. Behind the palace is a magnificent
+garden, at the foot of a hill covered with rich forests and crowned with
+an open pillared hall, 300 feet long, called the _Gloriette_. The
+colossal eagle which surmounts it, can be seen a great distance.
+
+The lovely valley in which Schoenbrunn lies, follows the course of the
+little river Vienna into the heart of that mountain region lying between
+the Styrian Alps and the Danube, and called the Vienna Forest. Into this
+our road led, between hills covered with wood, with here and there a
+lovely green meadow, where herds of cattle were grazing. The third day
+we came to the Danube again at Melk, a little city built under the edge
+of a steep hill, on whose summit stands the palace-like abbey of the
+Benedictine Monks. The old friars must have had a merry life of it, for
+the wine-cellar of the abbey furnished the French army 50,000 measures
+for several days in succession. The shores of the Danube here are
+extremely beautiful. The valley where it spreads out, is filled with
+groves, but where the hills approach the stream, its banks are rocky and
+precipitous, like the Rhine. Although not so picturesque as the latter
+river, the scenery of the Danube is on a grander scale. On the south
+side the mountains bend down to it with a majestic sweep, and there
+must be delightful glances into the valleys that lie between, in passing
+down the current.
+
+But we soon left the river, and journeyed on through the enchanting
+inland vales. To give an idea of the glorious enjoyment of traveling
+through such scenes, let me copy a leaf out of my journal, written as we
+rested at noon on the top of a lofty hill:--"Here, while the delightful
+mountain breeze that comes fresh from the Alps cools my forehead, and
+the pines around are sighing their eternal anthem, I seize a few moments
+to tell what a paradise is around me. I have felt an elevation of mind
+and spirit, a perfect rapture from morning till night, since we left
+Vienna. It is the brightest and balmiest June weather; an ever fresh
+breeze sings through the trees and waves the ripening grain on the
+verdant meadows and hill-slopes. The air is filled with bird-music. The
+larks sing above us out of sight, the bullfinch wakes his notes in the
+grove, and at eve the nightingale pours forth her thrilling strain. The
+meadows are literally covered with flowers--beautiful purple salvias,
+pinks such as we have at home in our gardens and glowing buttercups,
+color the banks of every stream. I never saw richer or more luxuriant
+foliage. Magnificent forests clothe the hills, and the villages are
+imbedded in fruit trees, shrubbery and flowers. Sometimes we go for
+miles through some enchanting valley, lying like a paradise between the
+mountains, while the distant, white Alps look on it from afar; sometimes
+over swelling ranges of hills, where we can see to the right the valley
+of the Danube, threaded by his silver current and dotted with white
+cottages and glittering spires, and farther beyond, the blue mountains
+of the Bohemian Forest. To the left, the range of the Styrian Alps
+stretches along the sky, summit above summit, the farther ones robed in
+perpetual snow. I could never tire gazing on those glorious hills. They
+fill the soul with a conception of sublimity, such as one feels when
+listening to triumphal music. They seem like the marble domes of a
+mighty range of temples, where earth worships her Maker with an
+organ-anthem of storms!
+
+"There is a _luxury_ in traveling here. We walk all day through such
+scenes, resting often in the shade of the fruit trees which line the
+road, or on a mossy bank by the side of some cool forest. Sometimes for
+enjoyment as well as variety, we make our dining-place by a clear spring
+instead of within a smoky tavern; and our simple meals have a relish an
+epicure could never attain. Away with your railroads and steamboats and
+mail-coaches, or keep them for those who have no eye but for the sordid
+interests of life! With my knapsack and pilgrim-staff, I ask not their
+aid. If a mind and soul full of rapture with beauty, a frame in glowing
+and vigorous health, and slumbers unbroken even by dreams, are blessings
+any one would attain, let him pedestrianize it through Lower Austria!"
+
+I have never been so strongly and constantly reminded of America, as
+during this journey. Perhaps the balmy season, the same in which I last
+looked upon the dear scenes of home, may have its effect; but there is
+besides a richness in the forests and waving fields of grain, a wild
+luxuriance over every landscape, which I have seen nowhere else in
+Europe. The large farm houses, buried in orchards, scattered over the
+valleys, add to the effect. Everything seems to speak of happiness and
+prosperity.
+
+We were met one morning by a band of wandering Bohemian gipsies--the
+first of the kind I ever saw. A young woman with a small child in her
+arms came directly up to me, and looking full in my face with her wild
+black eyes, said, without any preface: "Yes, he too has met with sorrow
+and trouble already, and will still have more. But he is not false--he
+is true and sincere, and will also meet with good luck!" She said she
+could tell me three numbers with which I should buy a lottery ticket and
+win a great prize. I told her I would have nothing to do with the
+lottery, and would buy no ticket, but she persisted, saying: "Has he a
+twenty kreutzer piece?--will he give it? Lay it in his hand and make a
+cross over it, and I will reveal the numbers!" On my refusal, she became
+angry, and left me, saying: "Let him take care--the third day something
+will happen to him!" An old, wrinkled hag made the same proposition to
+my companion with no better success. They reminded me strikingly of our
+Indians; their complexion is a dark brown, and their eyes and hair are
+black as night. These belonged to a small tribe who wander through the
+forests of Bohemia, and support themselves by cheating and stealing.
+
+We stopped the fourth night at Enns, a small city on the river of the
+same name, which divides Upper from Lower Austria. After leaving the
+beautiful little village where we passed the night before, the road
+ascended one of those long ranges of hills, which stretch off from the
+Danube towards the Alps. We walked for miles over the broad and uneven
+summit, enjoying the enchanting view which opened on both sides. If we
+looked to the right, we could trace the windings of the Danube for
+twenty miles, his current filled with green, wooded islands; white
+cities lie at the foot of the hills, which, covered to the summit with
+grain fields and vineyards, extended back one behind another, till the
+farthest were lost in the distance. I was glad we had taken the way from
+Vienna to Linz by land, for from the heights we had a view of the whole
+course of the Danube, enjoying besides, the beauty of the inland vales
+and the far-off Styrian Alps. From the hills we passed over we could see
+the snowy range as far as the Alps of Salzburg--some of them seemed
+robed to the very base in their white mantles. In the morning the
+glaciers on their summit glittered like stars; it was the first time I
+saw the sun reflected at a hundred miles' distance!
+
+On descending we came into a garden-like plain, over which rose the
+towers of Enns, built by the ransom money paid to Austria for the
+deliverance of the Lion-hearted Richard. The country legends say that
+St. Florian was thrown into the river by the Romans in the third
+century, with a millstone around his neck, which, however, held him
+above the water like cork, until he had finished preaching them a
+sermon. In the villages we often saw his imago painted on the houses, in
+the act of pouring a pail of water on a burning building, with the
+inscription beneath--"Oh, holy Florian, pray for us!" This was supposed
+to be a charm against fire. In Upper Austria, it is customary to erect a
+shrine on the road, wherever an accident has happened, with a painting
+and description of it, and an admonition to all passers-by to pray for
+the soul of the unfortunate person. On one of them, for instance, was a
+cart with a wild ox, which a man was holding by the horns; a woman
+kneeling by the wheels appeared to be drawing a little girl by the feet
+from under it, and the inscription stated: "By calling on Jesus, Mary
+and Joseph, the girl was happily rescued." Many of the shrines had
+images which the people no doubt, in their ignorance and simplicity,
+considered holy, but they were to us impious and almost blasphemous.
+
+From Enns a morning's walk brought us to Linz. The peasant girls in
+their broad straw hats were weeding the young wheat, looking as cheerful
+and contented as the larks that sung above them. A mile or two from Linz
+we passed one or two of the round towers belonging to the new
+fortifications of the city. As walls have grown out of fashion, Duke
+Maximilian substituted an invention of his own. The city is surrounded
+by thirty two towers, one to three miles distant from it, and so placed
+that they form a complete line of communication and defence. They are
+sunk in the earth, surrounded with a ditch and embankments, and each is
+capable of containing ten cannon and three hundred men. The pointed
+roofs of these towers are seen on all the hills around. We were obliged
+to give up our passports at the barrier, the officer telling us to call
+for them in three hours at the City Police Office; we spent the
+intervening time very agreeably in rambling through this gay,
+cheerful-looking town. With its gilded spires and ornamented houses,
+with their green lattice blinds, it reminds one strongly of Italy, or at
+least, of what Italy is said to be. It has now quite an active and
+business-like aspect, occasioned by the steamboat and railroad lines
+which connect it with Vienna, Prague, Ratisbon and Salzburg. Although we
+had not exceeded our daily allowance by more than a few kreutzers, we
+found that twenty days would be hardly sufficient to accomplish the
+journey, and our funds must therefore be replenished. Accordingly I
+wrote from Linz to Frankfort, directing a small sum to be forwarded to
+Munich, which city we hoped to reach in eight days.
+
+We took the horse cars at Linz for Lambach, seventeen miles on the way
+towards Gmunden. The mountains were covered with clouds as we approached
+them, and the storms they had been brewing for two or three days began
+to march down on the plain. They had nearly reached us, when we crossed
+the Traun and arrived at Lambach, a small city built upon a hill. We
+left the next day at noon, and on ascending the hill after crossing the
+Traun, had an opportunity of seeing the portrait on the Traunstein, of
+which the old landlord told us. I saw it at the first glance--certainly
+it is a most remarkable freak of nature. The rough back of the mountain
+forms the exact profile of the human countenance, as if regularly hewn
+out of the rock. What is still more singular, it is said to be a correct
+portrait of the unfortunate Louis XVI. The landlord said it was
+immediately recognized by all Frenchmen. The road followed the course of
+the Traun, whose green waters roared at the bottom of the glen below us;
+we walked for several miles through a fine forest, through whose
+openings we caught glimpses of the mountains we longed to reach.
+
+The river roared at last somewhat louder, and on looking down the bank,
+I saw rocks and rapids, and a few houses built on the edge of the
+stream. Thinking it must be near the fall, we went down the path, and
+lo! on crossing a little wooden bridge, the whole affair burst in sight!
+Judge of our surprise at finding a fall of fifteen feet, after we had
+been led to expect a tremendous leap of forty or fifty, with all the
+accompaniment of rocks and precipices. Of course the whole descent of
+the river at the place was much greater, and there were some romantic
+cascades over the rocks which blocked its course. Its greatest beauty
+consisted in the color of the water--the brilliant green of the waves
+being broken into foam of the most dazzling white--and the great force
+with which it is thrown below.
+
+The Traunstein grew higher as we approached, presenting the same profile
+till we had nearly reached Gmunden. From the green upland meadows above
+the town, the view of the mountain range was glorious, and I could
+easily conceive the effect of the Unknown Student's appeal to the people
+to fight for those free hills. I think it is Howitt who relates the
+incident--one of the most romantic in German history. Count Pappenheim
+led his forces here in the year 1626, to suppress a revolution of the
+people of the whole Salzburg region, who had risen against an invasion
+of their rights by the Austrian government. The battle which took place
+on these meadows was about being decided in favor of the oppressors,
+when a young man, clad as a student, suddenly appeared and addressed the
+people, pointing to the Alps above them and the sweet lake below, and
+asking if that land should not be free. The effect was electrical; they
+returned to the charge and drove back the troops of Pappenheim, who were
+about taking to flight, when the unknown leader fell, mortally wounded.
+This struck a sudden panic through his followers, and the Austrians
+turning again, gained a complete victory. But the name of the brave
+student is unknown, his deed unsung by his country's bards, and almost
+forgotten.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE UNKNOWN STUDENT.
+
+
+    Ha! spears on Gmunden's meadows green,
+      And banners on the wood-crowned height!
+    Rank after rank, their helmets' sheen
+      Sends back the morning light!
+    Where late the mountain maiden sang,
+    The battle-trumpet's brazen clang
+      Vibrates along the air;
+    And wild dragoons wheel o'er the plain.
+    Trampling to earth the yellow grain,
+    From which no more the merry swain
+      His harvest sheaves shall bear.
+
+    The eagle, in his sweep at morn,
+      To meet the monarch-sun on high,
+    Heard the unwonted warrior's horn
+      Peal faintly up the sky!
+    He saw the foemen, moving slow
+    In serried legions, far below,
+      Against that peasant-band,
+    Who dared to break the tyrant's thrall
+    And by the sword of Austria fall,
+    Or keep the ancient Right of all,
+      Held by their mountain-land;
+
+    They came to meet that mail-clad host
+      From glen and wood and ripening field;
+    A brave, stout arm, each man could boast--
+      A soul, unused to yield!
+    They met: a shout, prolonged and loud,
+    Went hovering upward with the cloud
+      That closed around them dun;
+    Blade upon blade unceasing clashed,
+    Spears in the onset shivering crashed,
+    And the red glare of cannon flashed
+      Athwart the smoky sun!
+
+    The mountain warriors wavered back,
+      Borne down by myriads of the foe,
+    Like pines before the torrent's track
+      When spring has warmed the snow.
+    Shall Faith and Freedom vainly call,
+    And Gmunden's warrior-herdsmen fall
+      On the red field in vain?
+    No! from the throng that back retired,
+    A student boy sprang forth inspired,
+    And while his words their bosoms fired,
+      Led on the charge again!
+
+    "And thus your free arms would ye give
+      So tamely to a tyrant's band,
+    And with the hearts of vassals live
+      In this, your chainless land?
+    The emerald lake is spread below,
+    And tower above, the hills of snow--
+      Here, field and forest lie;
+    This land, so glorious and so free--
+    Say, shall it crushed and trodden be?
+    Say, would ye rather bend the knee
+      Than for its freedom die?
+
+    "Look! yonder stand in mid-day's glare
+      The everlasting Alps of snow,
+    And from their peaks a purer air
+      Breathes o'er the vales below!
+    The Traun his brow is bent in pride--
+    He brooks no craven on his side--
+      Would ye be fettered then?
+    There lifts the Sonnenstein his head,
+    There chafes the Traun his rocky bed
+    And Aurach's lovely vale is spread--
+      Look on them and be men!
+
+    "Let, like a trumpet's sound of fire,
+      _These_ stir your souls to manhood's part--
+    The glory of the Alps inspire
+      Each yet unconquered heart!
+    For, through their unpolluted air
+    Soars fresher up the grateful prayer
+      From freemen, unto God;--
+    A blessing on those mountains old!
+    On to the combat, brethren bold!
+    Strike, that ye free the valleys hold,
+      Where free your fathers trod!"
+
+    And like a mighty storm that tears
+      The icy avalanche from its bed,
+    They rushed against th' opposing spears--
+      The student at their head!
+    The bands of Austria fought in vain;
+    A bloodier harvest heaped the plain
+      At every charge they made;
+    Each herdsman was a hero then--
+    The mountain hunters stood like men,
+    And echoed from the farthest glen
+      The clash of blade on blade!
+
+    The banner in the student's hand
+      Waved triumph from the fight before;
+    What terror seized the conq'ring band?--
+      It fell, to rise no more!
+    And with it died the lofty flame,
+    That from his lips in lightning came
+      And burned upon their own;
+    Dread Pappenheim led back the foe,
+    The mountain peasants yielded slow,
+    And plain above and lake below
+      Were red when evening shone!
+
+    Now many a year has passed away
+      Since battle's blast rolled o'er the plain,
+    The Alps are bright in morning's ray--
+      The Traunstein smiles again.
+    But underneath the flowery sod,
+    By happy peasant children trod,
+      A hero's ashes lay.
+    O'er him no grateful nation wept,
+    Fame, of his deed no record kept,
+    And dull Forgetfulness hath swept
+      His very name away!
+
+    In many a grave, by poets sung,
+      There falls to dust a lofty brow,
+    But he alone, the brave and young,
+      Sleeps there forgotten now.
+    The Alps upon that field look down,
+    Which won his bright and brief renown,
+       Beside the lake's green shore;
+    Still wears the land a tyrant's chain--
+    Still bondmen tread the battle-plain,
+    Culled by his glorious soul in vain
+      To win their rights of yore.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+THE AUSTRIAN ALPS.
+
+
+It was nearly dark when we came to the end of the plain and looked on
+the city at our feet and the lovely lake that lost itself in the
+mountains before us. We were early on board the steamboat next morning,
+with a cloudless sky above us and a snow-crested Alp beckoning on from
+the end of the lake. The water was of the most beautiful green hue, the
+morning light colored the peaks around with purple, and a misty veil
+rolled up the rocks of the Traunstein. We stood on the prow and enjoyed
+to the fullest extent the enchanting scenery. The white houses of
+Gmunden sank down to the water's edge like a flock of ducks; halfway we
+passed castle Ort, on a rock in the lake, whose summit is covered with
+trees.
+
+As we neared the other extremity, the mountains became steeper and
+loftier; there was no path along their wild sides, nor even a fisher's
+hut nestled at their feet, and the snow filled the ravines more than
+half-way from the summit. An hour and a quarter brought us to Ebensee,
+at the head of the lake, where we landed and plodded on towards Ischl,
+following the Traun up a narrow valley, whose mountain walls shut out
+more than half the sky. They are covered with forests, and the country
+is inhabited entirely by the woodmen who fell the mountain pines and
+float the timber rafts down to the Danube. The steeps are marked with
+white lines, where the trees have been rolled, or rather _thrown_ from
+the summit. Often they descend several miles over rooks and precipices,
+where the least deviation from the track would dash them in a thousand
+pieces. This generally takes place in the winter when the sides are
+covered with snow and ice. It must be a dangerous business, for there
+are many crosses by the way-side where the pictures represent persons
+accidentally killed by the trees; an additional painting represents
+them as burning in the flames of purgatory, and the pious traveler is
+requested to pray an Ave or a Paternoster for the repose of their souls.
+
+On we went, up the valley of the Traun, between mountains five and six
+thousand feet high, through scenes constantly changing and constantly
+grand, for three or four hours. Finally the hills opened, disclosing a
+little triangular valley, whose base was formed by a mighty mountain
+covered with clouds. Through the two side angles came the Traun and his
+tributary the Ischl, while the little town of Ischl lay in the centre.
+Within a few years this has become a very fashionable bathing place, and
+the influx of rich visitors, which in the summer sometimes amounts to
+two thousand, has entirely destroyed the primitive simplicity the
+inhabitants originally possessed. From Ischl we took a road through the
+forests to St. Wolfgang, on the lake of the same name. The last part of
+the way led along the banks of the lake, disclosing some delicious
+views. These Alpine lakes surpass any scenery I have yet seen. The water
+is of the most beautiful green, like a sheet of molten beryl, and the
+cloud-piercing mountains that encompass them shut out the sun for nearly
+half the day. St. Wolfgang is a lovely village in a cool and quiet nook
+at the foot of the Schafberg. The houses tire built in the picturesque
+Swiss style, with flat, projecting roofs and ornamented balconies, and
+the people are the very picture of neatness and cheerfulness.
+
+We started next morning to ascend the Schafberg, which is called the
+Righi of the Austrian Switzerland. It is somewhat higher than its Swiss
+namesake, and commands a prospect scarcely less extensive or grand. We
+followed a footpath through the thick forest by the side of a roaring
+torrent. The morning mist still covered the lake, but the white summits
+of the Salzburg and Noric Alps opposite us, rose above it and stood pure
+and bright in the upper air. We passed a little mill and one or two
+cottages, and then wound round one of the lesser heights into a deep
+ravine, down in whose dark shadow we sometimes heard the axe and saw of
+the mountain woodmen. Finally the path disappeared altogether under a
+mass of logs and rocks, which appeared to have been whirled together by
+a sudden flood. We deliberated what to do; the summit rose several
+thousand feet above us, almost precipitously steep, but we did not like
+to turn back, and there was still a hope of meeting with the path again.
+Clambering over the ruins and rubbish we pulled ourselves by the limbs
+of trees up a steep ascent and descended again to the stream. We here
+saw the ravine was closed by a wall of rock and our only chance was to
+cross to the west side of the mountain, where the ascent seemed somewhat
+easier. A couple of mountain maidens whom we fortunately met, carrying
+home grass for their goats, told us the mountain could be ascended on
+that side, by one who could climb _well_--laying a strong emphasis on
+the word. The very doubt implied in this expression was enough to decide
+us; so we began the work. And work it was, too! The side was very steep,
+the trees all leaned downwards, and we slipped at every step on the dry
+leaves and grass. After making a short distance this way with the
+greatest labor, we came to the track of an avalanche, which had swept
+away the trees and earth. Here the rock had been worn rough by torrents,
+but by using both hands and feet, we clomb directly up the side of the
+mountain, sometimes dragging ourselves up by the branches of trees where
+the rocks were smooth. After half an hour of such work we came above the
+forests, on the bare side of the mountain. The summit was far above us
+and so steep that our limbs involuntarily shrunk from the task of
+climbing. The side ran up at an angle of nearly sixty degrees, and the
+least slip threw us flat on our faces. We had to use both hand and foot,
+and were obliged to rest every few minutes to recover breath.
+Crimson-flowered moss and bright blue gentians covered the rocks, and I
+filled my books with blossoms for friends at home.
+
+Up and up, for what seemed an age, we clambered. So steep was it, that
+the least rocky projection hid my friend from sight, as he was coming up
+below me. I let stones roll sometimes, which went down, down, almost
+like a cannonball, till I could see them no more. At length we reached
+the region of dwarf pines, which was even more difficult to pass
+through. Although the mountain was not so steep, this forest, centuries
+old, reached no higher than our breasts, and the trees leaned downwards,
+so that we were obliged to take hold of the tops of those above us, and
+drag ourselves up through the others. Here and there lay large patches
+of snow; we sat down in the glowing June sun, and bathed our hands and
+faces in it. Finally the sky became bluer and broader, the clouds seemed
+nearer, and a few more steps through the bushes brought us to the summit
+of the mountain, on the edge of a precipice a thousand feet deep, whose
+bottom stood in a vast field of snow!
+
+We lay down on the heather, exhausted by five hours' incessant toil, and
+drank in like a refreshing draught, the sublimity of the scene, The
+green lakes of the Salzburg Alps lay far below us, and the whole
+southern horizon was filled with the mighty range of the Styrian and
+Noric Alps, their summits of never-melting snow mingling and blending
+with the clouds. On the other side the mountains of Salzburg lifted
+their ridgy backs from the plains of Bavaria and the Chiem lake lay
+spread out in the blue distance. A line of mist far to the north
+betrayed the path of the Danube, and beyond it we could barely trace the
+outline of the Bohemian mountains. With a glass the spires of Munich,
+one hundred and twenty miles distant, can be seen. It was a view whose
+grandeur I can never forget. In that dome of the cloud we seemed to
+breathe a purer air than that of earth.
+
+After an hour or two, we began to think of descending, as the path was
+yet to be found. The summit, which was a mile or more in length,
+extended farther westward, and by climbing over the dwarf pines for some
+time, we saw a little wooden house above us. It stood near the highest
+part of the peak, and two or three men were engaged in repairing it, as
+a shelter for travelers. They pointed out the path which went down on
+the side toward St. Gilgen, and we began descending. The mountain on
+this side is much less steep, but the descent is fatiguing enough. The
+path led along the side of a glen where mountain goats were grazing, and
+further down we saw cattle feeding on the little spots of verdure which
+lay in the forest. My knees became so weak from this continued descent,
+that they would scarcely support me; but we were three hours, partly
+walking and partly running down, before we reached the bottom. Half an
+hour's walk around the head of the St. Wolfgang See, brought us to the
+little village of St. Gilgen.
+
+The valley of St. Gilgen lies like a little paradise between the
+mountains. Lovely green fields and woods slope gradually from the
+mountain behind, to the still greener lake spread out before it, in
+whose bosom the white Alps are mirrored. Its picturesque cottages
+cluster around the neat church with its lofty spire, and the simple
+inhabitants have countenances as bright and cheerful as the blue sky
+above them. We breathed an air of poetry. The Arcadian simplicity of the
+people, the pastoral beauty of the fields around and the grandeur of the
+mountains which shut it out from the world, realized my ideas of a
+dwelling place, where, with a few kindred spirits, the bliss of Eden
+might almost be restored.
+
+We stopped there two or three hours to relieve our hunger and fatigue.
+My boots had suffered severely in our mountain adventure, and I called
+at a shoemaker's cottage to get them repaired. I sat down and talked for
+half an hour with the family. The man and his wife spoke of the
+delightful scenery around them, and expressed themselves with
+correctness and even elegance. They were much pleased that I admired
+their village so greatly, and related every thing which they supposed
+could interest me. As I rose to go, my head nearly touched the ceiling,
+which was very low. The man exclaimed: "Ach Gott! how tall!" I told him
+the people were all tall in our country; he then asked where I came
+from, and I had no sooner said America, than he threw up his hands and
+uttered an ejaculation of the greatest surprise. His wife observed that
+"it was wonderful how far man was permitted to travel." They wished me a
+prosperous journey and a safe return home.
+
+St. Gilgen was also interesting to me from that beautiful chapter in
+"Hyperion"--"Footsteps of Angels,"--and on passing the church on my way
+back to the inn, I entered the graveyard mentioned in it. The green turf
+grows thickly over the rows of mounds, with here and there a rose
+planted by the hand of affection, and the white crosses were hung with
+wreaths, some of which had been freshly laid on. Behind the church,
+under the shade of a tree, stood a small chapel,--I opened the
+unfastened door, and entered. The afternoon sun shone through the side
+window, and all was still around. A little shrine, adorned with flowers,
+stood at the other end, and there were two tablets on the wall, to
+persons who slumbered beneath, I approached these and read on one of
+them with feelings not easily described: "Look not mournfully into the
+past--it comes not again; wisely improve the present--it is thine; and
+go forward to meet the shadowy future, without fear, and with a manly
+heart!" This then was the spot where Paul Flemming came in loneliness
+and sorrow to muse over what he had lost, and these were the words whose
+truth and eloquence strengthened and consoled him, "as if the unknown
+tenant of the grave had opened his lips of dust and spoken those words
+of consolation his soul needed." I sat down and mused a long time, for
+there was something in the silent holiness of the spot, that impressed
+me more than I could well describe.
+
+We reached a little village on the Fuschel See, the same evening, and
+set off the next morning for Salzburg. The day was hot and we walked
+slowly, so that it was not till two o'clock that we saw the castellated
+rocks on the side of the Gaissberg, guarding the entrance to the valley
+of Salzburg. A short distance further, the whole glorious panorama was
+spread out below us. From the height on which we stood, we looked
+directly on the summit of the Capuchin Mountain, which hid part of the
+city from sight; the double peak of the Staufen rose opposite, and a
+heavy storm was raging along the Alpine heights around it, while the
+lovely valley lay in sunshine below, threaded by the bright current of
+the Salza. As we descended and passed around the foot of the hill, the
+Untersberg came in sight, whose broad summits lift themselves seven
+thousand feet above the plain. The legend says that Charlemagne and his
+warriors sit in its subterraneous caverns in complete armor, and that
+they will arise and come forth again, when Germany recovers her former
+power and glory.
+
+I wish I could convey in words some idea of the elevation of spirit
+experienced while looking on these eternal mountains. They fill the soul
+with a sensation of power and grandeur which frees it awhile from the
+cramps and fetters of common life. It rises and expands to the level of
+their sublimity, till its thoughts stand solemnly aloft, like their
+summits, piercing the free heaven. Their dazzling and imperishable
+beauty is to the mind an image of its own enduring existence. When I
+stand upon some snowy summit--the invisible apex of that mighty
+pyramid--there seems a majesty in my weak will which might defy the
+elements. This sense of power, inspired by a silent sympathy with the
+forms of nature, is beautifully described--as shown in the free,
+unconscious instincts of childhood--by the poet Uhland, in his ballad of
+the "Mountain Boy." I have attempted a translation.
+
+    THE MOUNTAIN BOY.
+
+    A herd-boy on the mountain's brow,
+    I see the castles all below.
+    The sunbeam here is earliest cast
+    And by my side it lingers last--
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    The mother-house of streams is here--
+    I drink them in their cradles clear;
+    From out the rock they foam below,
+    I spring to catch them as they go!
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    To me belongs the mountain's bound,
+    Where gathering tempests march around;
+    But though from north and south they shout,
+    Above them still my song rings out--
+       "I am the boy of the mountain!"
+
+    Below me clouds and thunders move;
+    I stand amid the blue above.
+    I shout to them with fearless breast:
+    "Go, leave my father's house in rest!"
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    And when the loud bell shakes the spires
+    And flame aloft the signal-fires,
+    I go below and join the throng
+    And swing my sword and sing my song:
+       "I am the boy of the mountain!"
+
+Salzburg lies on both sides of the Salza, hemmed in on either hand by
+precipitous mountains. A large fortress overlooks it on the south, from
+the summit of a perpendicular rock, against which the houses in that
+part of the city arc built. The streets are narrow and crooked, but the
+newer part contains many open squares, adorned with handsome fountains.
+The variety of costume among the people, is very interesting. The
+inhabitants of the salt district have a peculiar dress; the women wear
+round fur caps, with little wings of gauze at the side. I saw other
+women with headdresses of gold or silver filagree, something in shape
+like a Roman helmet, with a projection at the back of the head, a foot
+long. The most interesting objects in Salzburg to us, were the house of
+Mozart, in which the composer was born, and the monument lately erected
+to him. The St. Peter's Church, near by, contains the tomb of Haydn, the
+great composer, and the Church of St. Sebastian, that of the renowned
+Paracelsus, who was also a native of Salzburg.
+
+Two or three hours sufficed to see every thing of interest in the city.
+We had intended lo go further through the Alps, to the beautiful vales
+of the Tyrol, but our time was getting short, our boots, which are the
+pedestrian's _sole_ dependence, began to show symptoms of wearing out,
+and our expenses among the lakes and mountains of Upper Austria, left us
+but two florins apiece, so we reluctantly turned our backs upon the
+snowy hills and set out for Munich, ninety miles distant. After passing
+the night at Saalbruck, on the banks of the stream which separates the
+two kingdoms, we entered Bavaria next morning. I could not help feeling
+glad to leave Austria, although within her bounds I had passed scones
+whose beauty will long haunt me, and met with many honest friendly
+hearts among her people. We noticed a change as soon as we had crossed
+the border. The roads were neater and handsomer, and the country people
+greeted us in going by, with a friendly cheerfulness that made us feel
+half at home. The houses are built in the picturesque Swiss fashion,
+their balconies often ornamented with curious figures, carved in wood.
+Many of them, where they are situated remote from a church, have a
+little bell on the roof which they ring for morning and evening prayers;
+we often heard these simple monitors sounding from the cottages as we
+passed by.
+
+The next night we stopped at the little village of Stein, famous in
+former times for its robber-knight, Hans von Stein. The ruins of his
+castle stand on the rock above, and the caverns hewn in the sides of the
+precipice, where he used to confine his prisoners, are still visible.
+Walking on through a pleasant, well-cultivated country, we came to
+Wasserburg, on the Inn. The situation of the city is peculiar. The Inn
+has gradually worn his channel deeper in the sandy soil, so that he now
+flows at the bottom of a glen, a hundred feet below the plains around.
+Wasserburg lies in a basin, formed by the change of the current, which
+flows around it like a horseshoe, leaving only a narrow neck of land
+which connects it with the country above.
+
+We left the little village where we were quartered for the night and
+took a foot path which led across the country to the field of
+Hohenlinden, about six miles distant. The name had been familiar to me
+from childhood, and my love for Campbell, with the recollection of the
+school-exhibitions where "On Linden when the sun was low" had been so
+often declaimed, induced me to make the excursion to it. We traversed a
+large forest, belonging to the King of Bavaria, and came out on a plain
+covered with grain fields and bounded on the right by a semi-circle of
+low hills. Over the fields, about two miles distant, a tall,
+minaret-like spire rose from a small cluster of houses, and this was
+Hohenlinden! To tell the truth, I had been expecting something more. The
+"hills of blood-stained snow" are very small hills indeed, and the
+"Isar, rolling rapidly," is several miles off; it was the spot, however,
+and we recited Campbell's poem, of course, and brought away a few wild
+flowers as memorials. There is no monument or any other token of the
+battle, and the people seem to endeavor to forget the scene of Moreau's
+victory and their defeat.
+
+From a hill twelve miles off we had our first view of the spires of
+Munich, looking like distant ships over the sea-like plain. They kept in
+sight till we arrived at eight o'clock in the evening, after a walk of
+more than thirty miles. We crossed the rapid Isar on three bridges,
+entered the magnificent Isar Gate, and were soon comfortably quartered
+in the heart of Munich.
+
+Entering the city without knowing a single soul within it, we made
+within a few minutes an agreeable acquaintance. After we passed the
+Isar Gate, we began looking for a decent inn, for the day's walk was
+very fatiguing. Presently a young man, who had been watching us for some
+time, came up and said, if we would allow him, he would conduct us to a
+good lodging-place. Finding we were strangers, he expressed the greatest
+regret that he had not time to go with us every day around the city. Our
+surprise and delight at the splendor of Munich, he said, would more than
+repay him for the trouble. In his anxiety to show us something, he took
+us some distance out of the way, (although it was growing dark and we
+were very tired,) to see the Palace and the Theatre, with its front of
+rich frescoes.
+
+END OF PART I.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+        VIEWS A-FOOT; OR EUROPE SEEN WITH KNAPSACK AND STAFF.
+
+                         BY J. BAYARD TAYLOR.
+
+                    WITH A PREFACE BY N.P. WILLIS.
+
+
+
+                 "Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way,
+                    And merrily hent the stile-a;
+                   A merry heart goes all the day,
+                     Your sad tires in a mile-a."
+
+                                      _Winter's Tale._
+
+
+
+                            IN TWO PARTS.
+
+                               PART II.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+MUNICH.
+
+
+_June 14._--I thought I had seen every thing in Vienna that could excite
+admiration or gratify fancy; here I have my former sensations to live
+over again, in an augmented degree. It is well I was at first somewhat
+prepared by our previous travel, otherwise the glare and splendor of
+wealth and art in this German Athens might blind me to the beauties of
+the cities we shall yet visit. I have been walking in a dream where the
+fairy tales of boyhood were realized, and the golden and jeweled halls
+of the Eastern genii rose glittering around me--"a vision of the brain
+no more." All I had conceived of oriental magnificence, all descriptions
+of the splendor of kingly halls and palaces, fall far short of what I
+here see. Where shall I begin to describe the crowd of splendid edifices
+that line its streets, or how give an idea of the profusion of paintings
+and statues--of marble, jasper and gold?
+
+Art has done every thing for Munich. It lies on a large, flat plain,
+sixteen hundred feet above the sea, and continually exposed to the cold
+winds from the Alps. At the beginning of the present century it was but
+a third-rate city, and was rarely visited by foreigners. Since that time
+its population and limits have been doubled, and magnificent edifices in
+every style of architecture erected, rendering it scarcely secondary in
+this respect to any capital in Europe. Every art that wealth or taste
+could devise, seems to have been spent in its decoration. Broad,
+spacious streets and squares have been laid out, churches, halls and
+colleges erected, and schools of painting and sculpture established,
+which draw artists from all parts of the world. All this was principally
+brought about by the taste of the present king, Ludwig I., who began
+twenty or thirty years ago, when he was Crown Prince, to collect the
+best German artists around him and form plans for the execution of his
+grand design. He can boast of having done more for the arts than any
+other living monarch, and if he had accomplished it all without
+oppressing his people, he would deserve an immortality of fame.
+
+Now, if you have nothing else to do, let us take a stroll down the
+Ludwigstrasse. As we pass the Theatiner Church, with its dome and
+towers, the broad street opens before us, stretching away to the north,
+between rows of magnificent buildings. Just at this southern end, is the
+_Schlusshalle_, an open temple of white marble terminating the avenue.
+To the right of us extend the arcades, with the trees of the Royal
+Garden peeping above them; on the left is the spacious concert building
+of the Odeon, and the palace of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, son of Eugene
+Beauharnois. Passing through a row of palace-like private buildings, we
+come to the Army Department, on the right--a neat and tasteful building
+of white sandstone. Beside it stands the Library, which possesses the
+first special claim on our admiration. With its splendid front of five
+hundred and eighteen feet, the yellowish brown cement with which the
+body is covered, making an agreeable contrast with the dark red
+window-arches and cornices, and the statues of Homer, Hippocrates,
+Thucydides and Aristotle guarding the portal, is it not a worthy
+receptacle for the treasures of ancient and modern lore which its halls
+contain?
+
+Nearly opposite stands the Institute for the Blind, a plain but large
+building of dark red brick, covered with cement, and further, the
+Ludwig's Kirche, or Church of St. Louis. How lightly the two square
+towers of gray marble lift their network of sculpture! And what a novel
+and beautiful effect is produced by uniting the Byzantine style of
+architecture to the form of the Latin cross! Over the arched portal
+stand marble statues by Schwanthaler, and the roof of brilliant tiles
+worked into mosaic, looks like a rich Turkey carpet covering the whole.
+We must enter to get an idea of the splendor of this church. Instead of
+the pointed arch which one would expect to see meeting above his head,
+the lofty pillars on each side bear an unbroken semicircular vault,
+which is painted a brilliant blue, and spangled with silver stars. These
+pillars, and the little arches above, which spring from them, are
+painted in an arabesque style with gold and brilliant colors, and each
+side-chapel is a perfect casket of richness and elegance. The windows
+are of silvered glass, through which the light glimmers softly on the
+splendor within. The whole end of the church behind the high altar, is
+taken up with Cornelius's celebrated fresco painting of the "Last
+Judgment,"--the largest painting in the world--and the circular dome in
+the centre of the cross contains groups of martyrs, prophets, saints and
+kings, painted in fresco on a ground of gold. The work of Cornelius has
+been greatly praised for sublimity of design and beauty of execution, by
+many acknowledged judges; I was disappointed in it, but the fault lay
+most probably in me and not in the painting. The richness and elegance
+of the church took me all "aback;" it was so entirely different from
+anything I had seen, that it was difficult to decide whether I was most
+charmed by its novelty or its beauty. Still, as a building designed to
+excite feelings of worship, it seems to me inappropriate. A vast, dim
+Cathedral would be far preferable; the devout, humble heart cannot feel
+at home amid such glare and brightness.
+
+As we leave the church and walk further on, the street expands suddenly
+into a broad square. One side is formed by the new University building
+and the other by the Royal Seminary, both displaying in their
+architecture new forms of the graceful Byzantine school, which the
+architects of Munich have adapted in a striking manner to so many varied
+purposes. On each side stands a splendid colossal fountain of bronze,
+throwing up a great mass of water, which falls in a triple cataract to
+the marble basin below. A short distance beyond this square the
+Ludwigstrasse terminates. It is said the end will be closed by a
+magnificent gate, on a style to correspond with the unequalled avenue to
+which it will give entrance. To one standing at the southern end, it
+would form a proper termination to the grand vista. Before we leave,
+turn around and glance back, down this street, which extends for half a
+mile between such buildings as we have just viewed, and tell me if it is
+not something of which a city and a king may boast, to have created all
+this within less than twenty years!
+
+We went one morning to see the collection of paintings formerly
+belonging to Eugene Beauharnois, who was brother-in-law to the present
+king of Bavaria, in the palace of his son, the Duke of Leuchtenberg. The
+first hall contains works principally by French artists, among which are
+two by Gerard--a beautiful portrait of Josephine, and the blind
+Belisarius carrying his dead companion. The boy's head lies on the old
+man's shoulder; but for the livid paleness of his limbs, he would seem
+to be only asleep, while a deep and settled sorrow marks the venerable
+features of the unfortunate Emperor. In the middle of the room are six
+pieces of statuary, among which Canova's world-renowned group of the
+Graces at once attracts the eye. There is also a kneeling Magdalen,
+lovely in her woe, by the same sculptor, and a very touching work of
+Schadow, representing a shepherd boy tenderly binding his sash around a
+lamb which he has accidentally wounded with his arrow.
+
+We have since seen in the St. Michael's Church, the monument to Eugene
+Beauharnois, from the chisel of Thorwaldsen. The noble, manly figure of
+the son of Josephine is represented in the Roman mantle, with his helmet
+and sword lying on the ground by him. On one side sits History, writing
+on a tablet; on the other, stand the two brother-angels, Death and
+Immortality. They lean lovingly together, with arms around each other,
+but the sweet countenance of Death has a cast of sorrow, as he stands
+with inverted torch and a wreath of poppies among his clustering locks.
+Immortality, crowned with never-fading flowers, looks upwards with a
+smile of triumph, and holds in one hand his blazing torch. It is a
+beautiful idea, and Thorwaldsen has made the marble eloquent with
+feeling.
+
+The inside of the square formed by the Arcades and the New Residence, is
+filled with noble old trees, which in summer make a leafy roof over the
+pleasant walks. In the middle, stands a grotto, ornamented with rough
+pebbles and shells, and only needing a fountain to make it a perfect
+hall of Neptune. Passing through the northern Arcade, one comes into the
+magnificent park, called the English Garden, which extends more than
+four miles along the bank of the Isar, several branches of whose milky
+current wander through it, and form one or two pretty cascades. It is a
+beautiful alternation of forest and meadow, and has all the richness and
+garden-like luxuriance of English scenery. Winding walks lead along the
+Isar, or through the wood of venerable oaks, and sometimes a lawn of
+half a mile in length, with a picturesque temple at its further end,
+comes in sight through the trees. I was better pleased with this park
+than with the Prater in Vienna. Its paths are always filled with persons
+enjoying the change from the dusty streets to its quiet and cool
+retirement.
+
+The New Residence is not only one of the wonders of Munich, but of the
+world. Although commenced in 1826 and carried on constantly since that
+time by a number of architects, sculptors and painters, it is not yet
+finished; if art were not inexhaustible it would be difficult to imagine
+what more could be added. The north side of the Max Joseph Platz is
+taken up by its front of four hundred and thirty feet, which was nine
+years in building, under the direction of the architect Klenze. The
+exterior is copied after the Palazzo Pitti, in Florence. The building is
+of light brown sandstone, and combines an elegance and even splendor,
+with the most chaste and classic style. The northern front, which faces
+on the Royal Garden, is now nearly finished. It has the enormous length
+of eight hundred feet; in the middle is a portico of ten Ionic columns;
+instead of supporting a triangular facade, each pillar stands separate
+and bears a marble statue from the chisel of Schwanthaler.
+
+The interior of the building does not disappoint the promise of the
+outside. It is open every afternoon in the absence of the king, for the
+inspection of visitors; fortunately for us, his majesty is at present on
+a journey through his provinces on the Rhine. We went early to the
+waiting hall, where several travelers were already assembled, and at
+four o'clock, were admitted into the newer part of the palace,
+containing the throne hall, ballroom, etc. On entering the first hall,
+designed for the lackeys and royal servants, we were all obliged to
+thrust our feet into cloth slippers to walk over the polished mosaic
+floor. The walls are of scagliola marble and the ceilings ornamented
+brilliantly in fresco. The second hall, also for servants, gives tokens
+of increasing splendor in the richer decorations of the walls and the
+more elaborate mosaic of the floor. We next entered the receiving
+saloon, in which the Court Marshal receives the guests. The ceiling is
+of arabesque sculpture, profusely painted and gilded. Passing through a
+little cabinet, we entered the great dancing saloon. Its floor is the
+richest mosaic of wood of different colors, the sides are of polished
+scagliola marble, and the ceiling a dazzling mixture of sculpture,
+painting and gold. At one end is a gallery for the orchestra, supported
+by six columns of variegated marble, above which are six dancing nymphs,
+painted so beautifully that they appear like living creatures. Every
+decoration which could be devised has been used to heighten its
+splendor, and the artists appear to have made free use of the Arabian
+Nights in forming the plan.
+
+We entered next two smaller rooms containing the portraits of beautiful
+women, principally from the German nobility. I gave the preference to
+the daughter of Marco Bozzaris, now maid of honor to the Queen of
+Greece. She had a wild dark eye, a beautiful proud lip, and her rich
+black hair rolled in glossy waves down her neck from under the red
+Grecian cap stuck jauntily on the side of her head. She wore a scarf and
+close-fitting vest embroidered with gold, and there was a free, lofty
+spirit in her countenance worthy the name she bore. These pictures form
+a gallery of beauty, whose equal cannot easily be found.
+
+Returning to the dancing hall, we entered the dining saloon, also called
+the Hall of Charlemagne. Each wall has two magnificent fresco paintings
+of very large size, representing some event in the life of the great
+emperor, beginning with his anointing at St. Deny's as a boy of twelve
+years, and ending with his coronation by Leo III. A second dining
+saloon, the Hall of Barbarossa, adjoins the first. It has also eight
+frescoes as the former, representing the principal events in the life of
+Frederic Barbarossa. Then comes a _third_, called the Hapsburg Hall,
+with four grand paintings from the life of Rudolph of Hapsburg, and a
+triumphal procession along the frieze, showing the improvement in the
+arts and sciences which was accomplished under his reign. The drawing,
+composition and rich tone of coloring of these glorious frescoes, are
+scarcely excelled by any in existence.
+
+Finally we entered the Hall of the Throne. Here the encaustic
+decoration, so plentifully employed in the other rooms, is dropped, and
+an effect even more brilliant obtained by the united use of marble and
+gold. Picture a long hall with a floor of polished marble, on each side
+twelve columns of white marble with gilded capitals, between which stand
+colossal statues of gold. At the other end is the throne of gold and
+crimson, with gorgeous hangings of crimson velvet. The twelve statues in
+the hall are called the "Wittlesbach Ancestors," and represent renowned
+members of the house of Wittlesbach from which the present family of
+Bavaria is descended. They were cast in bronze by Stiglmaier, after the
+models of Schwanthaler, and then completely covered with a coating of
+gold, so that they resemble solid golden statues. The value of the
+precious metal on each one is about $3,000, as they arc nine feet in
+height! What would the politicians who made such an outcry about the new
+papering of the President's House, say to such a palace as this?
+
+Going back to the starting point, we went to the other wing of the
+edifice and joined the party who came to visit the apartments of the
+king. Here we were led through two or three rooms, appropriated to the
+servants, with all the splendor of marble doors, floors of mosaic, and
+frescoed ceilings. From these we entered the king's dwelling. The
+entrance halls are decorated with paintings of the Argonauts and
+illustrations of the Hymns of Hesiod, after drawings by Schwanthaler.
+Then came the Service Hall, containing frescoes illustrating Homer, by
+Schnorr, and the Throne Hall, with Schwanthaler's bas-reliefs of the
+songs of Pindar, on a ground of gold. The throne stands under a splendid
+crimson canopy. The Dining Room with its floor of polished wood is
+filled with illustrations of the songs of Anacreon. To these follow the
+Dressing Room, with twenty-seven illustrations of the Comedies of
+Aristophanes, and the sleeping chamber with frescoes after the poems of
+Theocritus, and two beautiful bas-reliefs representing angels bearing
+children to Heaven. It is no wonder the King writes poetry, when he
+breathes, eats, and even sleeps in an atmosphere of it.
+
+We were shown the rooms for the private parties of the Court, the
+school-room, with scenes from the life of the Ancient Greeks, and then
+conducted down the marble staircases to the lower story, which is to
+contain Schnorr's magnificent frescoes of the Nibelungen Lied--the old
+German Iliad. Two halls are at present finished; the first has the
+figure of the author, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, and those of
+Chriemhilde, Brunhilde, Siegfried and the other personages of the poem;
+and the second, called the Marriage Hall, contains the marriage of
+Chriemhilde and Siegfried, and the triumphal entry of Siegfried into
+Worms.
+
+Adjoining the new residence on the east, is the Royal Chapel, lately
+finished in the Byzantine style, under the direction of Klenze. To enter
+it, is like stepping into a casket of jewels. The sides are formed by a
+double range of arches, the windows being so far back as to be almost
+out of sight, so that the eye falls on nothing but painting and gold.
+The lower row of arches is of alternate green and purple marble,
+beautifully polished; but the upper, as well as the small chancel behind
+the high altar, is entirely covered with fresco paintings on a ground of
+gold! The richness and splendor of the whole church is absolutely
+incredible. Even after one has seen the Ludwig's Kirche and the
+Residence itself, it excites astonishment. I was surprised, however, to
+find at this age, a painting on the wall behind the altar, representing
+the Almighty. It seems as if man's presumption has no end. The simple
+altar of Athens, with its inscription "_to the Unknown God_," was more
+truly reverent than this. As I sat down awhile under one of the arches,
+a poor woman came in, carrying a heavy basket, and going to the steps
+which led up to the altar, knelt down and prayed, spreading her arms out
+in the form of a cross. Then, after stooping and kissing the first step,
+she dragged herself with her knees upon it, and commenced praying again
+with outspread arms. This she continued till she had climbed them all,
+which occupied some time; then, as if she had fulfilled a vow she turned
+and departed. She was undoubtedly sincere in her piety, but it made me
+sad to look upon such deluded superstition.
+
+We visited yesterday morning the Glyptothek, the finest collection of
+ancient sculpture except that in the British Museum, I have yet seen,
+and perhaps elsewhere unsurpassed, north of the Alps. The building which
+was finished by Klenze, in 1830, has an Ionic portico of white marble,
+with a group of allegorical figures, representing Sculpture and the
+kindred arts. On each side of the portico, there are three niches in the
+front, containing on one side, Pericles, Phidias and Vulcan; on the
+other, Hadrian, Prometheus and Dædalus. The whole building forms a
+hollow square, and is lighted entirely from the inner side. There are in
+all twelve halls, each containing the remains of a particular era in the
+art, and arranged according to time, so that, beginning with the clumsy
+productions of the ancient Egyptians, one passes through the different
+stages of Grecian art, afterwards that of Rome, and finally ends with
+the works of our own times--the almost Grecian perfection of Thorwaldsen
+and Canova. These halls are worthy to hold such treasures, and what more
+could be said of them? The floors are of marble mosaic, the sides of
+green or purple scagliola, and the vaulted ceilings covered with raised
+ornaments on a ground of gold. No two are alike in color and decoration,
+and yet there is a unity of taste and design in the whole, which renders
+the variety delightful.
+
+From the Egyptian Hall, we enter one containing the oldest remains of
+Grecian sculpture, before the artists won power to _mould_ the marble to
+their conceptions. Then follow the celebrated Egina marbles, from the
+temple of Jupiter Panhellenius, on the island of Egina. They formerly
+stood in the two porticoes, the one group representing the fight for the
+body of Laomedon, the other the struggle for the dead Patroclus. The
+parts wanting have been admirably restored by Thorwaldsen. They form
+almost the only existing specimens of the Eginetan school. Passing
+through the Apollo Hall, we enter the large hall of Bacchus, in which
+the progress of the art is distinctly apparent. A satyr, lying asleep on
+a goat-skin which he has thrown over a rock, is believed to be the work
+of Praxiteles. The relaxation of the figure and perfect repose of every
+limb, is wonderful. The countenance has traits of individuality which
+led me to think it might have been a portrait, perhaps of some rude
+country swain.
+
+In the Hall of Niobe, which follows, is one of the most perfect works
+that ever grew into life under a sculptor's chisel. Mutilated as it is,
+without head and arms, I never saw a more expressive figure. Ilioneus,
+the son of Niobe, is represented as kneeling, apparently in the moment
+in which Apollo raises his arrow, and there is an imploring supplication
+in his attitude which is touching in the highest degree. His beautiful
+young limbs seem to shrink involuntarily from the deadly shaft; there is
+an expression of prayer, almost of agony, in the position of his body.
+It should be left untouched. No head could be added, which would equal
+that one pictures to himself, while gazing upon it.
+
+The Pinacothek is a magnificent building of yellow sandstone, five
+hundred and thirty feet long, containing thirteen hundred pictures,
+selected with great care from the whole private collection of the king,
+which amounts to nine thousand. Above the cornice on the southern side,
+stand twenty-five colossal statues of celebrated painters, by
+Schwanthaler. As we approached, the tall bronze door was opened by a
+servant in the Bavarian livery, whose size harmonized so well with the
+giant proportions of the building, that, until I stood beside him and
+could mark the contrast, I did not notice his enormous frame. I saw then
+that he must be near eight feet high, and stout in proportion. He
+reminded me of the great "Baver of Trient," in Vienna. The Pinacothek
+contains the most complete collection of works by old German artists,
+anywhere to be found. There are in the hall of the Spanish masters, half
+a dozen of Murillo's inimitable beggar groups. It was a relief, after
+looking upon the distressingly stiff figures of the old German school,
+to view these fresh, natural countenances. One little black-eyed boy has
+just cut a slice out of a melon and turns with a full mouth to his
+companion, who is busy eating a bunch of grapes. The simple, contented
+expression on the faces of the beggars is admirable. I thought I
+detected in a beautiful child, with dark curly locks, the original of
+his celebrated Infant St. John. I was much interested in two small
+juvenile works of Raphael and his own portrait. The latter was taken
+most probably after he became known as a painter. The calm, serious
+smile which we see on his portrait as a boy, had vanished, and the thin
+features and sunken eye told of intense mental labor.
+
+One of the most remarkable buildings now in the course of erection is
+the Basilica, or Church of St. Bonifacius. It represents another form of
+the Byzantine style, a kind of double edifice, a little like a North
+River steamboat, with a two story cabin on deck. The inside is not yet
+finished, although the artists have been at work on it for six years,
+but we heard many accounts of its splendor, which is said to exceed
+anything that has been yet done in Munich. We visited to-day the
+atelier of Sohwanthaler, which is always open to strangers. The sculptor
+himself was not there, but five or six of his scholars were at work in
+the rooms, building up clay statues after his models and working out
+bas-reliefs in frames. We saw here the original models of the statues on
+the Pinacothek, and the "Wittelsbach Ancestors" in the Throne Hall of
+the palace. I was glad also to find a miniature copy in plaster, of the
+Herrmannsschlacht, or combat of the old German hero, Herrmann, with the
+Romans, from the frieze of the Walhalla, at Ratisbon. It is one of
+Schwanthaler's best works. Herrmann, as the middle figure, is
+represented in fight with the Roman general; behind him the warriors are
+rushing on, and an old bard is striking the chords of his harp to
+inspire them, while women bind up the wounds of the fallen. The Roman
+soldiers on the other side are about turning in confusion to fly. It is
+a lofty and appropriate subject for the portico of a building containing
+the figures of the men who have labored for the glory and elevation of
+their Fatherland.
+
+Our new-found friend came to visit us last evening and learn our
+impressions of Munich. In the course of conversation we surprised him by
+revealing the name of our country. His countenance brightened up and he
+asked us many questions about the state of society in America. In
+return, he told us something more about himself--his story was simple,
+hut it interested me. His father was a merchant, who, having been ruined
+by unlucky transactions, died, leaving a numerous family without the
+means of support. His children were obliged to commence life alone and
+unaided, which, in a country where labor is so cheap, is difficult and
+disheartening. Our friend chose the profession of a machinist, which,
+after encountering great obstacles, he succeeded in learning, and now
+supports himself as a common laborer. But his position in this respect
+prevents him from occupying that station in society for which he is
+intellectually fitted. His own words, uttered with a simple pathos which
+I can never forget, will best describe how painful this must be to a
+sensitive spirit. "I tell you thus frankly my feelings," said he,
+"because I know you will understand me. I could not say this to any of
+my associates, for they would not comprehend it, and they would say I
+am proud, because I cannot bring my soul down to their level. I am poor
+and have but little to subsist upon; but the spirit has needs as well as
+the body, and I feel it a duty and a desire to satisfy them also. When I
+am with any of my common fellow-laborers, what do I gain from them?
+Their leisure hours are spent in drinking and idle amusement, and I
+cannot join them, for I have no sympathy with such things. To mingle
+with those above me, would be impossible. Therefore I am alone--I have
+no associate!"
+
+I have gone into minute, and it may be, tiresome detail, in describing
+some of the edifices of Munich, because it seemed the only way in which
+I could give an idea of their wonderful beauty. It is true that in
+copying after the manner of the daguerreotype, there is danger of
+imitating its _dullness_ also, but I trust to the glitter of gold and
+rich paintings, for a little brightness in the picture. We leave
+to-morrow morning, having received the sum written for, which, to our
+surprise, will be barely sufficient to enable us to reach Heidelberg.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+THROUGH WURTEMBERG TO HEIDELBERG.
+
+
+We left Munich in the morning train for Augsburg. Between the two cities
+extends a vast unbroken plain, exceedingly barren and monotonous. Here
+and there is a little scrubby woodland, and sometimes we passed over a
+muddy stream which came down from the Alps. The land is not more than
+half-cultivated, and the villages are small and poor. We saw many of the
+peasants at their stations, in their gay Sunday dresses; the women wore
+short gowns with laced boddices, of gay colors, and little caps on the
+top of their heads, with streamers of ribbons three feet long. After two
+hours' ride, we saw the tall towers of Augsburg, and alighted on the
+outside of the wall. The deep moat which surrounds the city, is all
+grown over with velvet turf, the towers and bastions are empty and
+desolate, and we passed unchallenged under the gloomy archway.
+Immediately on entering the city, signs of its ancient splendor are
+apparent. The houses are old, many of them with quaint, elaborately
+carved ornaments, and often covered with fresco paintings. These
+generally represent some scene from the Bible history, encircled with
+arabesque borders, and pious maxims in illuminated scrolls. We went into
+the old _Rathhaus_, whose golden hall still speaks of the days of
+Augsburg's pride. I saw in the basement a bronze eagle, weighing sixteen
+tons, with an inscription on the pedestal stating that it was cast in
+1606, and formerly stood on the top of an old public building, since
+torn down. In front of the Rathhaus is a fine bronze fountain, with a
+number of figures of angels and tritons.
+
+The same afternoon, we left Augsburg for Ulm. Long, low ranges of hills,
+running from the Danube, stretched far across the country, and between
+them lay many rich, green valleys. We passed, occasionally, large
+villages, perhaps as old as the times of the crusaders, and looking
+quite pastoral and romantic from the outside; but we were always glad
+when we had gone through them and into the _clean_ country again. The
+afternoon of the second day we came in sight of the fertile plain of the
+Danube; far, far to the right lay the field of Blenheim, where
+Marlborough and the Prince Eugene conquered the united French and
+Bavarian forces and decided the war of the Spanish succession.
+
+We determined to reach Ulm the same evening, although a heavy storm was
+raging along the distant hills of Wurtemberg. The dark mass of the
+mighty Cathedral rose in the distance through the twilight, a perfect
+mountain in comparison with the little houses clustered around its base.
+We reached New Ulm, finally, and passed over the heavy wooden bridge
+into Wurtemberg, unchallenged for passport or baggage. I thought I could
+feel a difference in the atmosphere when I reached the other side--it
+breathed of the freer spirit that ruled through the land. The Danube is
+here a little muddy stream, hardly as large as my native Brandywine, and
+a traveler who sees it at Ulm for the first time would most probably be
+disappointed. It is not until below Vienna, where it receives the Drave
+and Save, that it becomes a river of more than ordinary magnitude.
+
+We entered Ulm, as I have already said. It was after nine o'clock,
+nearly dark, and beginning to rain; we had walked thirty-three miles,
+and being of course tired, we entered the first inn we saw. But, to our
+consternation, it was impossible to get a place--the fair had just
+commenced, and the inn was full to the roof. We must needs hunt another,
+and then another, and yet another, with like fate at each. It grew quite
+dark, the rain increased, and we were unacquainted with the city. I grew
+desperate, and at last, when we had stopped at the _eighth_ inn in vain,
+I told the people we _must_ have lodgings, for it was impossible we
+should walk around in the rain all night. Some of the guests interfering
+in our favor, the hostess finally sent a servant with us to the first
+hotel in the city. I told him on the way we were Americans, strangers in
+Ulm, and not accustomed to sleeping in the streets. "Well," said he, "I
+will go before, and recommend you to the landlord of the Golden Wheel."
+I knew not what magic he used, but in half an hour our weary limbs were
+stretched in delightful repose and we thanked Heaven more gratefully
+than ever before, for the blessing of a good bed.
+
+Next morning we ran about through the booths of the fair, and gazed up
+from all sides at the vast Cathedral. The style is the simplest and
+grandest Gothic; but the tower, which, to harmonize, with the body of
+the church, should be 520 feet high, was left unfinished at the height
+of 234 feet. I could not enough admire the grandeur of proportion in the
+great building. It seemed singular that the little race of animals who
+swarmed around its base, should have the power to conceive or execute
+such a gigantic work.
+
+There is an immense fortification now in progress of erection behind
+Ulm. It leans on the side of the hill which rises from the Danube, and
+must be nearly a mile in length. Hundreds of laborers are at work, and
+from the appearance of the foundations, many years will be required to
+finish it. The lofty mountain-plain which we afterwards passed over, for
+eight or ten miles, divides the waters of the Danube from the Rhine.
+From the heights above Ulm, we bade adieu to the far, misty Alps, till
+we shall see them again in Switzerland. Late in the afternoon, we came
+to a lovely green valley, sunk as it were in the earth. Around us, on
+all sides, stretched the bare, lofty plains; but the valley lay below,
+its steep sides covered with the richest forest. At the bottom flowed
+the Fils. Our road led directly down the side; the glen spread out
+broader as we advanced, and smiling villages stood beside the stream. A
+short distance before reaching Esslingen, we came upon the banks of the
+Neckar, whom we hailed as an old acquaintance, although much smaller
+here in his mountain home than when he sweeps the walls of Heidelberg.
+
+Delightful Wurtemberg! Shall I ever forget thy lovely green vales,
+watered by the classic current of the Neckar, or thy lofty hills covered
+with vineyards and waving forests, and crowned with heavy ruins, that
+tell many a tale of Barbarossa and Duke Ulric and Goetz with the Iron
+Hand! No--were even the Suabian hills less beautiful--were the Suabian
+people less faithful and kind and true, still I would love the land for
+the great spirits it has produced; still would the birth-place of
+Frederick Schiller, of Uhland and Hauff, be sacred. I do not wonder
+Wurtemberg can boast such glorious poets. Its lovely landscapes seem to
+have been made expressly for the cradle of genius; amid no other scenes
+could his infant mind catch a more benign inspiration. Even the common
+people are deeply imbued with a poetic feeling. We saw it in their
+friendly greetings and open, expressive countenances; it is shown in
+their love for their beautiful homes and the rapture and reverence with
+which they speak of their country's bards. No river in the world, equal
+to the Neckar in size, flows for its whole course through more
+delightful scenery, or among kinder and happier people.
+
+After leaving Esslingen, we followed its banks for some time, at the
+foot of an amphitheatre of hills, covered to the very summit, as far as
+the eye could reach, with vineyards. The morning was cloudy, and white
+mist-wreaths hung along the sides. We took a road that led over the top
+of a range, and on arriving at the summit, saw all at once the city of
+Stuttgard, lying beneath our feet. It lay in a basin encircled by
+mountains, with a narrow valley opening to the south-east, and running
+off between the hills to the Neckar. The situation of the city is one of
+wonderful beauty, and even after seeing Salzburg, I could not but be
+charmed with it.
+
+We descended the mountain and entered it. I inquired immediately for the
+monument of Schiller, for there was little else in the city I cared to
+see. We had become tired of running about cities, hunting this or that
+old church or palace, which perhaps was nothing when found. Stuttgard
+has neither galleries, ruins, nor splendid buildings, to interest the
+traveler; but it has Thorwaldsen's statue of Schiller, calling up at the
+same time its shame and its glory. For the poet in his youth was obliged
+to fly from this very same city--from home and friends, to escape the
+persecution of the government on account of the free sentiments
+expressed in his early works. We found the statue, without much
+difficulty. It stands in the Schloss Platz, at the southern end of the
+city, in an unfavorable situation, surrounded by dark old buildings. It
+should rather be placed aloft on a mountain summit, in the pure, free
+air of heaven, braving the storm and the tempest. The figure is fourteen
+feet high and stands on a pedestal of bronze, with bas reliefs on the
+four sides. The head, crowned with a laurel wreath, is inclined as if in
+deep thought, and all the earnest soul is seen in the countenance.
+Thorwaldsen has copied so truly the expression of poetic reverie, that I
+waited, half-expecting he would raise his head and look around him.
+
+As we passed out the eastern gate, the workmen were busy near the city,
+making an embankment for the new railroad to Heilbroun, and we were
+obliged to wade through half a mile of mud. Finally the road turned to
+the left over a mountain, and we walked on in the rain, regardless of
+the touching entreaties of an omnibus-driver, who felt a great concern
+for our health, especially as he had two empty seats. There is a
+peculiarly agreeable sensation in walking in a storm, when the winds
+sweep by and the rain-drops rattle through the trees, and the dark
+clouds roll past just above one's head. It gives a dash of sublimity to
+the most common scene. If the rain did not finally soak through the
+boots, and if one did not lose every romantic feeling in wet garments, I
+would prefer storm to sunshine, for visiting some kinds of scenery. You
+remember, we saw the North Coast of Ireland and the Giant's Causeway in
+stormy weather, at the expense of being completely drenched, it is true;
+but our recollections of that wild day's journey are as vivid as any
+event of our lives--and the name of the Giant's Causeway calls up a
+series of pictures as terribly sublime as any we would wish to behold.
+
+The rain at last did come down a little too hard for comfort, and we
+were quite willing to take shelter when we reached Ludwigsburg. This is
+here called a new city, having been laid out with broad streets and
+spacious squares, about a century ago, and is now about the size of our
+five-year old city of Milwaukie! It is the chief military station of
+Wurtemberg, and has a splendid castle and gardens, belonging to the
+king. A few miles to the eastward is the little village where Schiller
+was born. It is said the house where his parents lived is still
+standing.
+
+It was not the weather _alone_, which prevented our making a pilgrimage
+to it, nor was it _alone_ a peculiar fondness for rain which induced us
+to persist in walking in the storm. Our feeble pockets, if they could
+have raised an audible jingle, would have told another tale. Our scanty
+allowance was dwindling rapidly away, in spite of a desperate system of
+economy. We left Ulm with a florin and a half apiece--about sixty
+cents--to walk to Heidelberg, a distance of 110 miles. It was the
+evening of the third day, and this was almost exhausted. As soon
+therefore as the rain slackened a little, we started again, although the
+roads were very bad. At Betigheim, where we passed the night, the people
+told us of a much nearer and more beautiful road, passing through the
+Zabergau, a region fumed for its fertility and pastoral beauty. At the
+inn we were charged higher than usual for a bed, so that we had but
+thirteen kreutzers to start with in the morning. Our fare that day was a
+little bread and water; we walked steadily on, but owing to the wet
+roads, made only thirty miles.
+
+A more delightful region than the Zabergau I have seldom passed through.
+The fields were full of rich, heavy grain, and the trees had a
+luxuriance of foliage that reminded me of the vale of the Jed, in
+Scotland. Without a single hedge or fence, stood the long sweep of
+hills, covered with waving fields of grain, except where they were steep
+and rocky, and the vineyard terraces rose one above another. Sometimes a
+fine old forest grew along the summit, like a mane waving back from the
+curved neck of a steed, and white villages lay coiled in the valleys
+between. A line of blue mountains always closed the vista, on looking
+down one of these long valleys; occasionally a ruined castle with donjon
+tower, was seen on a mountain at the side, making the picture complete.
+As we lay sometimes on the hillside and looked on one of those sweet
+vales, we were astonished at its Arcadian beauty. The meadows were as
+smooth as a mirror, and there seemed to be scarcely a grass-blade out of
+place. The streams wound through ("_snaked_ themselves through," is the
+German expression,) with a subdued ripple, as if they feared to displace
+a pebble, and the great ash trees which stood here and there, had lined
+each of their leaves as carefully with silver and turned them as
+gracefully to the wind, us if they were making their toilettes for the
+gala-day of nature.
+
+That evening brought us into the dominions of Baden, within five hours'
+walk of Heidelberg. At the humblest inn in an humble village, we found
+a bed which we could barely pay for, leaving a kreutzer or two for
+breakfast. Soon after starting the next morning, the distant Kaiserstuhl
+suddenly emerged from the mist, with the high tower on its summit, where
+nearly ten months before, we sat and looked at the summits of the Vosges
+in France, with all the excitement one feels on entering a foreign land.
+_Now_, the scenery around that same Kaiserstuhl was nearly as familiar
+to us as that of our own homes. Entering the hills again, we knew by the
+blue mountains of the Odenwald, that we were approaching the Neckar. At
+length we reached the last height. The town of Neckargemünd lay before
+us on the steep hillside, and the mountains on either side were scarred
+with quarries of the rich red sandstone, so much used in building. The
+blocks are hewn out, high up on the mountain side, and then sent rolling
+and sliding down to the river, where they are laden in boats and floated
+down with the current to the distant cities of the Rhine.
+
+We were rejoiced on turning around the corner of a mountain, to see on
+the opposite side of the river, the road winding up through the forests,
+where last fall our Heidelberg friends accompanied us, as we set out to
+walk to Frankfort, through the Odenwald. Many causes combined to render
+it a glad scene to us. We were going to meet our comrade again, after a
+separation of months; we were bringing an eventful journey to its close;
+and finally, we were weak and worn out from fasting and the labor of
+walking in the rain. A little further we saw Kloster Neuburg, formerly
+an old convent, and remembered how we used to look at it every day from
+the windows of our room on the Neckar; but we shouted aloud, when we saw
+at last the well-known bridge spanning the river, and the glorious old
+castle lifting its shattered towers from the side of the mountain above
+us. I always felt a strong attachment to this matchless ruin, and as I
+beheld it again, with the warm sunshine falling through each broken
+arch, the wild ivy draping its desolate chambers, it seemed to smile on
+me like the face of a friend, and I confessed I had seen many a grander
+scene, but few that would cling to the memory so familiarly.
+
+While we were in Heidelberg, a student was buried by torch-light. This
+is done when particular honor is shown to the memory of the departed
+brother. They assembled at dark in the University Square, each with a
+blazing pine torch three feet long, and formed into a double line.
+Between the files walked at short distances an officer, who, with his
+sword, broad lace collar, and the black and white plumes in his cap,
+looked like a cavalier of the olden time. Persons with torches walked on
+each side of the hearse, and the band played a lament so deeply
+mournful, that the scene, notwithstanding its singularity, was very sad
+and touching. The thick smoke from the torches filled the air, and a
+lurid, red light was cast over the hushed crowds in the streets and
+streamed into the dark alleys. The Hauptstrasse was filled with two
+lines of flame, as the procession passed down it; when they reached the
+extremity of the city, the hearse went on, attended with torch-bearers,
+to the Cemetery, some distance further, and the students turned back,
+running and whirling their torches in mingled confusion. The music
+struck up a merry march, and in the smoke and red glare, they looked
+like a company of mad demons. The presence of death awed them to silence
+for awhile, but as soon as it had left them, they turned relieved to
+revel again and thought no more of the lesson. It gave me a painful
+feeling to see them rushing so wildly and disorderly back. They
+assembled again in the square, and tossing their torches up into the air
+cast them blazing into a pile; while the flame and black smoke rose in a
+column into the air, they sang in solemn chorus, the song "_Gaudeamus
+igitur_," with which they close all public assemblies.
+
+I shall neglect telling how we left Heidelberg, and walked along the
+Bergstrasse again, for the sixth time; how we passed the old Melibochus
+and through the quiet city of Darmstadt; how we watched the blue summits
+of the Taunus rising higher and higher over the plain, as a new land
+rises from the sea, and finally, how we reached at last the old
+watch-tower and looked down on the valley of the Main, clothed in the
+bloom and verdure of summer, with the houses and spires of Frankfort in
+the middle of the well-known panorama. We again took possession of our
+old rooms, and having to wait for a remittance from America, as well as
+a more suitable season for visiting Italy, we sat down to a month's rest
+and study.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+FREIBURG AND THE BLACK FOREST.
+
+
+_Frankfort, July 29, 1845._--It would be ingratitude towards the old
+city in which I have passed so many pleasant and profitable hours, to
+leave it, perhaps forever, without a few words of farewell. How often
+will the old bridge, with its view up the Main, over the houses of
+Oberrad to the far mountains of the Odenwald, rise freshly and
+distinctly in memory, when I shall have been long absent from them! How
+often will I hear in fancy as I now do in reality, the heavy tread of
+passers-by on the rough pavement below, and the deep bell of the
+Cathedral, chiming the swift hours, with a hollow tone that seems to
+warn me, rightly to employ them! Even this old room, with its bare
+walls, little table and chairs, which I have thought and studied in so
+long, that it seems difficult to think and study anywhere else, will
+crowd out of memory images of many a loftier scene. May I but preserve
+for the future the hope and trust which have cheered and sustained me
+here, through the sorrow of absence and the anxiety of uncertain toil!
+It is growing towards midnight and I think of many a night when I sat
+here at this hour, answering the spirit-greeting which friends sent me
+at sunset over the sea. All this has now an end. I must begin a new
+wandering, and perhaps in ten days more I shall have a better place for
+thought, among the mountain-chambers of the everlasting Alps. I look
+forward to the journey with romantic, enthusiastic anticipation, for
+afar in the silvery distance, stand the Coliseum and St. Peter's,
+Vesuvius and the lovely Naples. Farewell, friends who have so long given
+us a home!
+
+_Aug. 9._--The airy, basket-work tower of the Freiburg Minster rises
+before me over the black roofs of the houses, and behind stand the
+gloomy, pine-covered mountains of the Black Forest. Of our walk to
+Heidelberg over the oft-trodden Bergstrasse, I shall say nothing, nor
+how we climbed the Kaiserstuhl again, and danced around on the top of
+the tower for one hour, amid cloud and mist, while there was sunshine
+below in the valley of the Neckar. I left Heidelberg yesterday morning
+in the _stehwagen_ for Carlsruhe. The engine whistled, the train
+started, and although I kept my eyes steadily fixed on the spire of the
+Hauptkirche, three minutes hid it, and all the rest of the city from
+sight. Carlsruhe, the capital of Baden, which we reached in an hour and
+a half, is unanimously pronounced by travelers to be a most dull and
+tiresome city. From a glance I had through one of the gates, I should
+think its reputation was not undeserved. Even its name, in German,
+signifies a place of repose.
+
+I stopped at Kork, on the branch road leading to Strasbourg, to meet a
+German-American about to return to my home in Pennsylvania, where he had
+lived for some time. I inquired according to the direction he had sent
+me to Frankfort, but he was not there; however, an old man, finding who
+I was, said Herr Otto had directed him to go with me to Hesselhurst, a
+village four or five miles off, where he would meet me. So we set off
+immediately over the plain, and reached the village at dusk.
+
+At the little inn, were several of the farmers of the neighborhood, who
+seemed to consider it as something extraordinary to see a real, live,
+native-born American. They overwhelmed me with questions about the state
+of our country, its government, etc. The hostess brought me a supper of
+fried eggs and _wurst_, while they gathered around the table and began a
+real category in the dialect of the country, which is difficult to
+understand. I gave them the best information I could about our mode of
+farming, the different kinds of produce raised, and the prices paid to
+laborers; one honest old man cried out, on my saying I had worked on a
+farm, "Ah! little brother, give me your hand!" which he shook most
+heartily. I told them also something about our government, and the
+militia system, so different from the conscription of Europe, when a
+farmer becoming quite warm in our favor, said to the others with an air
+of the greatest decision: "One American is better than twenty Germans!"
+What particularly amused me, was, that although I spoke German with
+them, they seemed to think I did not understand what they said among
+one another, and therefore commented very freely over my appearance. I
+suppose they had the idea that we were a rude, savage race, for I
+overheard one say: "One sees, nevertheless, that he has been educated!"
+Their honest, unsophisticated mode of expression was very interesting to
+me, and we talked together till a late hour.
+
+My friend arrived at three o'clock the next morning, and after two or
+three hours' talk about _home_, and the friends whom he expected to see
+so much sooner than I, a young farmer drove me in his wagon to
+Offenburg, a small city at the foot of the Black Forest, where I took
+the cars for Freiburg. The scenery between the two places is grand. The
+broad mountains of the Black Forest rear their fronts on the east, and
+the blue lines of the French Vosges meet the clouds on the west. The
+night before, in walking over the plain, I saw distinctly the whole of
+the Strasbourg Minster, whose spire is the highest in Europe, being four
+hundred and ninety feet, or but twenty-five feet lower than the Pyramid
+of Cheops.
+
+I visited the Minster of Freiburg yesterday morning. It is a grand,
+gloomy old pile, dating from the eleventh century--one of the few Gothic
+churches in Germany that have ever been completed. The tower of
+beautiful fretwork, rises to the height of three hundred and ninety-five
+feet, and the body of the church including the choir, is of the same
+length. The interior is solemn and majestic. Windows stained in colors
+that burn, let in a "dim, religious light" which accords very well with
+the dark old pillars and antique shrines. In two of the chapels there
+are some fine altar-pieces by Holbein and one of his scholars; and a
+very large crucifix of silver and ebony, which is kept with great care,
+is said to have been carried with the Crusaders to the Holy Land. This
+morning was the great market-day, and the peasantry of the Black Forest
+came down from the mountains to dispose of their produce. The square
+around the Minster was filled with them, and the singular costume of the
+women gave the scene quite a strange appearance. Many of them wore
+bright red head-dresses and shawls, others had high-crowned hats of
+yellow oil-cloth; the young girls wore their hair in long plaits,
+reaching nearly to their feet. They brought grain, butter and cheese
+and a great deal of fine fruit to sell--I bought some of the wild,
+aromatic plums of the country, at the rate of thirty for a cent.
+
+The railroad has only been open to Freiburg within a few days, and is
+consequently an object of great curiosity to the peasants, many of whom
+never saw the like before. They throng around the station at the
+departure of the train and watch with great interest the operations of
+getting up the steam and starting. One of the scenes that grated most
+harshly on my feelings, was seeing yesterday a company of women employed
+on the unfinished part of the road. They were digging and shoveling away
+in the rain, nearly up to their knees in mud and clay!
+
+I called at the Institute for the Blind, under the direction of Mr.
+Müller. He showed me some beautiful basket and woven work by his pupils;
+the accuracy and skill with which everything was made astonished me.
+They read with amazing facility from the raised type, and by means of
+frames are taught to write with ease and distinctness. In music, that
+great solace of the blind, they most excelled. They sang with an
+expression so true and touching, that it was a delight to listen. The
+system of instruction adopted appears to be most excellent, and gives to
+the blind nearly every advantage which their more fortunate brethren
+enjoy.
+
+I am indebted to Mr. Müller, to whom I was introduced by an acquaintance
+with his friend, Dr. Rivinus, of West Chester, Pa., for many kind
+attentions. He went with us this afternoon to the Jägerhaus, on a
+mountain near, where we had a very fine view of the city and its great
+black Minster, with the plain of the Briesgau, broken only by the
+Kaiserstuhl, a long mountain near the Rhine, whose golden stream
+glittered in the distance. On climbing the Schlossberg, an eminence near
+the city, we met the Grand Duchess Stephanie, a natural daughter of
+Napoleon, as I have heard, and now generally believed to be the mother
+of Caspar Hauser. Through a work lately published, which has since been
+suppressed, the whole history has come to light. Caspar Hauser was the
+lineal descendant of the house of Baden, and heir to the throne. The
+guilt of his imprisonment and murder rests, therefore, upon the present
+reigning family.
+
+A chapel on the Schönberg, the mountain opposite, was pointed out as
+the spot where Louis XV., if I mistake not, usually stood while his army
+besieged Freiburg. A German officer having sent a ball to this chapel
+which struck the wall just above the king's head, the latter sent word
+that if they did not cease firing he would point his cannons at the
+Minster. The citizens thought it best to spare the monarch and save the
+cathedral.
+
+We attended a meeting of the _Walhalla_, or society of the students who
+visit the Freiburg University. They pleased me better than the
+enthusiastic but somewhat unrestrained Burschenschaft of Heidelberg.
+Here, they have abolished duelling; the greatest friendship prevails
+among the students, and they have not that contempt for every thing
+_philister_, or unconnected with their studies, which prevails in other
+universities. Many respectable citizens attend their meetings; to-night
+there was a member of the Chamber of Deputies at Carlsruhe present, who
+delivered two speeches, in which every third word was "freedom!" An
+address was delivered also by a merchant of the city, in which he made a
+play upon the word _spear_, which signifies also in a cant sense,
+_citizen_, find seemed to indicate that both would do their work in the
+good cause. He was loudly applauded. Their song of union was by Charles
+Follen, and the students were much pleased when I told them how he was
+honored and esteemed in America.
+
+After two days, delightfully spent, we shouldered our knapsacks and left
+Freiburg. The beautiful valley, at the mouth of which the city lies,
+runs like an avenue for seven miles directly into the mountains, and
+presents in its loveliness such a contrast to the horrid defile which
+follows, that it almost deserves the name which has been given to a
+little inn at its head--the "Kingdom of Heaven." The mountains of the
+Black Forest enclose it on each side like walls, covered to the summit
+with luxuriant woods, and in some places with those forests of gloomy
+pine which give this region its name. After traversing its whole length,
+just before plunging into the mountain-depths, the traveler rarely meets
+with a finer picture than that which, on looking back, he sees framed
+between the hills at the other end. Freiburg looks around the foot of
+one of the heights, with the spire of her cathedral peeping above the
+top, while the French Vosges grew dim in the far perspective.
+
+The road now enters a wild, narrow valley, which grows smaller as we
+proceed. From Himmelreich, a large rude inn by the side of the green
+meadows, we enter the Höllenthal--that is, from the "Kingdom of Heaven"
+to the "Valley of Hell!" The latter place better deserves its
+appellation than the former. The road winds between precipices of black
+rock, above which the thick foliage shuts out the brightness of day and
+gives a sombre hue to the scene. A torrent foams down the chasm, and in
+one place two mighty pillars interpose to prevent all passage. The
+stream, however, has worn its way through, and the road is hewn in the
+rock by its side. This cleft is the only entrance to a valley three or
+four miles long, which lies in the very heart of the mountains. It is
+inhabited by a few woodmen and their families, and but for the road
+which passes through, would be as perfect a solitude as the Happy Valley
+of Rasselas. At the farther end, a winding road called "The Ascent,"
+leads up the steep mountain to an elevated region of country, thinly
+settled and covered with herds of cattle. The cherries which, in the
+Rhine-plain below, had long gone, were just ripe here. The people spoke
+a most barbarous dialect; they were social and friendly, for everybody
+greeted us, and sometimes, as we sat on a bank by the roadside, those
+who passed by would say "Rest thee!" or "Thrice rest!"
+
+Passing by the Titi Lake, a small body of water which was spread out
+among the hills like a sheet of ink, so deep was its Stygian hue, we
+commenced ascending a mountain. The highest peak of the Schwarzwald, the
+Feldberg, rose not far off, and on arriving at the top of this mountain,
+we saw that a half hour's walk would bring us to its summit. This was
+too great a temptation for my love of climbing heights; so with a look
+at the descending sun to calculate how much time we could spare, we set
+out. There was no path, but we pressed directly up the steep side,
+through bushes and long grass, and in a short time reached the top,
+breathless from such exertion in the thin atmosphere. The pine woods
+shut out the view to the north and east, which is said to be
+magnificent, as the mountain is about five thousand feet high. The
+wild, black peaks of the Black Forest were spread below us, and the sun
+sank through golden mist towards the Alsatian hills. Afar to the south,
+through cloud and storm, we could just trace the white outline of the
+Swiss Alps. The wind swept through the pines around, and bent the long
+yellow grass among which we sat, with a strange, mournful sound, well
+suiting the gloomy and mysterious region. It soon grew cold, the golden
+clouds settled down towards us, and we made haste to descend to the
+village of Lenzkirch before dark.
+
+Next morning we set out early, without waiting to see the trial of
+archery which was to take place among the mountain youths. Their booths
+and targets, gay with banners, stood on a green meadow beside the town.
+We walked through the Black Forest the whole forenoon. It might be owing
+to the many wild stories whose scenes are laid among these hills, but
+with me there was a peculiar feeling of solemnity pervading the whole
+region. The great pine woods are of the very darkest hue of green, and
+down their hoary, moss-floored aisles, daylight seems never to have
+shone. The air was pure and clear, and the sunshine bright, but it
+imparted no gaiety to the scenery: except the little meadows of living
+emerald which lay occasionally in the lap of a dell, the landscape wore
+a solemn and serious air. In a storm, it must be sublime.
+
+About noon, from the top of the last range of hills, we had a glorious
+view. The line of the distant Alps could be faintly traced high in the
+clouds, and all the heights between were plainly visible, from the Lake
+of Constance to the misty Jura, which flanked the Vosges of the west.
+From our lofty station we overlooked half Switzerland, and had the air
+been a little clearer, we could have seen Mont Blanc and the mountains
+of Savoy. I could not help envying the feelings of the Swiss, who, after
+long absence from their native land, first see the Alps from this road.
+If to the emotions with which I then looked on them were added the
+passionate love of home and country which a long absence creates, such
+excess of rapture would be almost too great to be borne.
+
+In the afternoon we crossed the border, and took leave of Germany with
+regret, after near a year's residence within its bounds. Still it was
+pleasant to know we were in a republic once more: the first step we took
+made us aware of the change. There was no policeman to call for our
+passports or search our baggage. It was just dark when we reached the
+hill overlooking the Rhine, on whose steep banks is perched the antique
+town of Schaffhausen. It is still walled in, with towers at regular
+intervals; the streets are wide and spacious, and the houses rendered
+extremely picturesque by the quaint projecting windows. The buildings
+are nearly all old, as we learned by the dates above the doors. At the
+inn, I met with one of the free troopers who marched against Luzerne. He
+was full of spirit, and ready to undertake another such journey. Indeed
+it is the universal opinion that the present condition of things cannot
+last much longer.
+
+We took a walk before breakfast to the Falls of the Rhine, about a mile
+and a half from Schaffhausen. I confess I was somewhat disappointed in
+them, after the glowing descriptions of travelers. The river at this
+place is little more than thirty yards wide, and the body of water,
+although issuing from the Lake of Constance, is not remarkably strong.
+For some distance above, the fall of the water is very rapid, and as it
+finally reaches the spot where, narrowed between rocks, it makes the
+grand plunge, it has acquired a great velocity. Three rocks stand in the
+middle of the current, which thunders against and around their bases,
+but cannot shake them down. These and the rocks in the bed of the
+stream, break the force of the fall, so that it descends to the bottom,
+about fifty feet below, not in one sheet, but shivered into a hundred
+leaps of snowy foam. The precipitous shores, and the tasteful little
+castle which is perched upon the steep just over the boiling spray, add
+much to its beauty, taken as a picture. As a specimen of the
+picturesque, the whole scene is perfect. I should think Trenton Falls,
+in New York, must excel these in wild, startling effect; but there is
+such a scarcity of waterfalls in this land, that the Germans go into
+raptures about them, and will hardly believe that Niagara itself
+possesses more sublimity.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+PEOPLE AND PLACES IN EASTERN SWITZERLAND.
+
+
+We left Schaffhausen for Zurich, in mist and rain, and walked for some
+time along the north bank of the Rhine. We could have enjoyed the
+scenery much better, had it not been for the rain, which not only hid
+the mountains from sight, but kept us constantly half soaked. We crossed
+the rapid Rhine at Eglisau, a curious antique village, and then
+continued our way through the forests of Canton Zurich, to Bülach, with
+its groves of lindens--"those tall and stately trees, with velvet down
+upon their shining leaves, and rustic benches placed beneath their
+overhanging eaves."
+
+When we left the little village where the rain obliged us to stop for
+the night, it was clear and delightful. The farmers were out, busy at
+work, their long, straight scythes glancing through the wet grass, while
+the thick pines sparkled with thousands of dewy diamonds. The country
+was so beautiful and cheerful, that we half felt like being in America.
+The farm-houses were scattered over the country in real American style,
+and the glorious valley of the Limmat, bordered on the west by a range
+of woody hills, reminded me of some scenes in my native Pennsylvania.
+The houses were neatly and tastefully built, with little gardens around
+them--and the countenances of the people spoke of intelligence and
+independence. There was the same air of peace and prosperity which
+delighted us in the valleys of Upper Austria, with a look of freedom
+which those had not. The faces of a people are the best index to their
+condition. I could read on their brows a lofty self-respect, a
+consciousness of the liberties they enjoy, which the Germans of the
+laboring class never show. It could not be imagination, for the recent
+occurrences in Switzerland, with the many statements I heard in Germany,
+had prejudiced me somewhat against the land; and these marks of
+prosperity and freedom were as surprising as they were delightful.
+
+As we approached Zurich, the noise of employment from mills, furnaces
+and factories, came to us like familiar sounds, reminding us of the
+bustle of our home cities. The situation of the city is lovely. It lies
+at the head of the lake, and on both sides of the little river Limmat,
+whose clear green waters carry the collected meltings of the Alps to the
+Rhine. Around the lake rise lofty green hills, which, sloping gently
+back, bear on their sides hundreds of pleasant country-houses and farms,
+and the snowy Alpine range extends along the southern sky. The Limmat is
+spanned by a number of bridges, and its swift waters turn many mills
+which are built above them. From these bridges one can look out over the
+blue lake and down the thronged streets of the city on each side, whose
+bright, cheerful houses remind him of Italy.
+
+Zurich can boast of finer promenades than any other city in Switzerland.
+The old battlements are planted with trees and transformed into pleasant
+walks, which being elevated above the city, command views of its
+beautiful environs. A favorite place of resort is the Lindenhof, an
+elevated court-yard, shaded by immense trees. The fountains of water
+under them are always surrounded by washerwomen, and in the morning
+groups of merry school children may be seen tumbling over the grass. The
+teachers take them there in a body for exercise and recreation. The
+Swiss children are beautiful, bright-eyed creatures; there is scarcely
+one who does not exhibit the dawning of an active, energetic spirit. It
+may be partly attributed to the fresh, healthy climate of Switzerland,
+but I am partial enough to republics to believe that the influence of
+the Government under which they live, has also its share in producing
+the effect.
+
+There is a handsome promenade on an elevated bastion which overlooks the
+city and lakes. While enjoying the cool morning breeze and listening to
+the stir of the streets below us, we were also made aware of the social
+and friendly politeness of the people. Those who passed by, on their
+walk around the rampart, greeted us, almost with the familiarity of an
+acquaintance. Simple as was the act, we felt grateful, for it had at
+least the seeming of a friendly interest and a sympathy with the
+loneliness which the stranger sometimes feels. A school-teacher leading
+her troop of merry children on their morning walk around the bastion,
+nodded to us pleasantly and forthwith the whole company of
+chubby-cheeked rogues, looking up at us with a pleasant archness, lisped
+a "_guten morgen_" that made the hearts glad within us. I know of
+nothing that has given me a more sweet and tender delight than the
+greeting of a little child, who, leaving his noisy playmates, ran across
+the street to me, and taking my hand, which he could barely clasp in
+both his soft little ones, looked up in my face with an expression so
+winning and affectionate, that I loved him at once. The happy, honest
+farmers, too, spoke to us cheerfully everywhere. We learned a lesson
+from all this--we felt that not a word of kindness is ever wasted, that
+a simple friendly glance may cheer the spirit and warm the lonely heart,
+and that the slightest deed, prompted by generous sympathy, becomes a
+living joy in the memory of the receiver, which blesses unceasingly him
+who bestowed it.
+
+We left Zurich the same afternoon, to walk to Stafa, where we were told
+the poet Freiligrath resided. The road led along the bank of the lake,
+whose shores sloped gently up from the water, covered with gardens and
+farm-houses, which, with the bolder mountains that rose behind them,
+made a combination of the lovely and grand, on which the eye rested with
+rapture and delight. The sweetest cottages were embowered among the
+orchards, and the whole country bloomed like a garden. The waters of the
+lake are of a pale, transparent green, and so clear that we could see
+its bottom of white pebbles, for some distance. Here and there floated a
+quiet boat on its surface. The opposite hills were covered with a soft
+blue haze, and white villages sat along the shore, "like swans among the
+reeds." Behind, we saw the woody range of the Brunig Alp. The people
+bade us a pleasant good evening; there was a universal air of
+cheerfulness and content on their countenances.
+
+Towards evening, the clouds which hung in the south the whole day,
+dispersed a little and we could see the Dodiberg and the Alps of Glarus.
+As sunset drew on, the broad summits of snow and the clouds which were
+rolled around them, assumed a soft rosy hue, which increased in
+brilliancy as the light of day faded. The rough, icy crags and snowy
+steeps were fused in the warm light and half blended with the bright
+clouds. This blaze, as it were, of the mountains at sunset, is called
+the _Alp-glow_, and exceeds all one's highest conceptions of Alpine
+grandeur. We watched the fading glory till it quite died away, and the
+summits wore a livid, ashy hue, like the mountains of a world wherein
+there was no life. In a few minutes more the dusk of twilight spread
+over the scene, the boatmen glided home over the still lake and the
+herdsmen drove their cattle back from pasture on the slopes and meadows.
+
+On inquiring for Freiligrath at Stafa, we found he had removed to
+Rapperschwyl, some distance further. As it was already late, we waited
+for the steamboat which leaves Zurich every evening. It came along about
+eight o'clock, and a little boat carried us out through rain and
+darkness to meet it, as it came like a fiery-eyed monster over the
+water. We stepped on board the "Republican," and in half an hour were
+brought to the wharf at Rapperschwyl.
+
+There are two small islands in the lake, one of which, with a little
+chapel rising from among its green trees, is Ufnau, the grave of Ulrich
+von Hutten, one of the fathers of the German Reformation. His fiery
+poems have been the source from which many a German bard has derived his
+inspiration, and Freiligrath who now lives in sight of his tomb, has
+published an indignant poem, because an inn with gaming tables has been
+established in the ruins of the castle near Creuznach, where Hutten
+found refuge from his enemies with Franz von Sickingen, brother-in-law
+of "Goetz with the iron Hand." The monks of Einsiedeln, to whom Ufnau
+belongs, have carefully obliterated all traces of his grave, so that the
+exact spot is not known, in order that even a tombstone might be denied
+him who once strove to overturn their order. It matters little to that
+bold spirit whose motto was: "_The die is cast--I have dared it!_"--the
+whole island is his monument, if he need one.
+
+I spent the whole of the morning with Freiligrath, the poet, who was
+lately banished from Germany on account of the liberal principles his
+last volume contains. He lives in a pleasant country-house on the
+Meyerberg, an eminence near Rapperschwyl, overlooking a glorious
+prospect. On leaving Frankfort, R.S. Willis gave me a letter to him, and
+I was glad to meet with a man personally whom I admired so much through
+his writings, and whose boldness in speaking out against the tyranny
+which his country suffers, forms such a noble contrast to the cautious
+slowness of his countrymen. He received me kindly and conversed much
+upon American literature. He is a warm admirer of Bryant and Longfellow,
+and has translated many of their poems into German. He said he had
+received a warm invitation from a colony of Germans in Wisconsin, to
+join them and enjoy that freedom which his native land denies, but that
+his circumstances would not allow it at present. He is perhaps
+thirty-five years of age. His brow is high and noble, and his eyes,
+which are large and of a clear gray, beam with serious, saddened
+thought. His long chesnut hair, uniting with a handsome beard and
+moustache, gives a lion-like dignity to his energetic countenance. His
+talented wife, Ida Freiligrath, who shares his literary labors, and an
+amiable sister, are with him in exile, and he is happier in their
+faithfulness than when he enjoyed the favors of a corrupt king.
+
+We crossed the long bridge from Rapperschwyl, and took the road over the
+mountain opposite, ascending for nearly two hours along the side, with
+glorious views of the Lake of Zurich and the mountains which enclose it.
+The upper and lower ends of the lake were completely hid by the storms,
+which, to our regret, veiled the Alps, but the part below lay spread out
+dim and grand, like a vast picture. It rained almost constantly, and we
+were obliged occasionally to take shelter in the pine forests, whenever
+a heavier cloud passed over. The road was lined with beggars, who
+dropped on their knees in the rain before us, or placed bars across the
+way, and then took them down again, for which they demanded money.
+
+At length we reached the top of the pass. Many pilgrims to Einsiedeln
+had stopped at a little inn there, some of whom came a long distance to
+pay their vows, especially as the next day was the Ascension day of the
+Virgin, whose image there is noted for performing many miracles. Passing
+on, we crossed a wild torrent by an arch called the "Devil's Bridge."
+The lofty, elevated plains were covered with scanty patches of grain
+and potatoes, and the boys tended their goats on the grassy slopes,
+sometimes trilling or _yodling_ an Alpine melody. An hour's walk brought
+us to Einsiedeln, a small town, whose only attraction is the
+Abbey--after Loretto, in Italy, the most celebrated resort for pilgrims
+in Europe.
+
+We entered immediately into the great church. The gorgeous vaulted roof
+and long aisles were dim with the early evening; hundreds of worshippers
+sat around the sides, or kneeled in groups on the broad stone pavements,
+chanting over their Paternosters and Ave Marias in a shrill, monotonous
+tone, while the holy image near the entrance was surrounded by persons,
+many of whom came in the hope of being healed of some disorder under
+which they suffered. I could not distinctly make out the image, for it
+was placed back within the grating, and a strong crimson lamp behind it
+was made to throw the light around, in the form of a glory. Many of the
+pilgrims came a long distance. I saw some in the costume of the Black
+Forest, and others who appeared to be natives of the Italian Cantons;
+and a group of young women wearing conical fur caps, from the forests of
+Bregenz, on the Lake of Constance.
+
+I was astonished at the splendor of this church, situated in a lonely
+and unproductive Alpine valley. The lofty arches of the ceiling, which
+are covered with superb fresco paintings, rest on enormous pillars of
+granite, and every image and shrine is richly ornamented with gold. Some
+of the chapels were filled with the remains of martyrs, and these were
+always surrounded with throngs of believers. The choir was closed by a
+tall iron grating; a single lamp, which swung from the roof, enabled me
+to see through the darkness, that though much more rich in ornaments
+than the body of the church, it was less grand and impressive. The
+frescoes which cover the ceiling, are said to be the finest paintings of
+the kind in Switzerland.
+
+In the morning our starting was delayed by the rain, and we took
+advantage of it to hear mass in the Abbey and enjoy the heavenly music.
+The latter was of the loftiest kind; there was one voice among the
+singers I shall not soon forget. It was like the warble of a bird who
+sings out of very wantonness. On and on it sounded, making its clear,
+radiant sweetness heard above the chant of the choir and the thunder of
+the orchestra. Such a rich, varied and untiring strain of melody I have
+rarely listened to.
+
+When the service ceased, we took a small road leading to Schwytz. We had
+now fairly entered the Alpine region, and our first task was to cross a
+mountain. This having been done, we kept along the back of the ridge
+which bounds the lake of Zug on the south, terminating in the well known
+Rossberg. The scenery became wilder with every step. The luxuriant
+fields of herbage on the mountains were spotted with the picturesque
+_chalets_ of the hunters and Alp-herds; cattle and goats were browsing
+along the declivities, their bells tinkling most musically, and the
+little streams fell in foam down the steeps. We here began to realize
+our anticipations of Swiss scenery. Just on the other side of the range,
+along which we traveled, lay the little lake of Egeri and valley of
+Morgarten, where Tell and his followers overcame the army of the German
+Emperor; near the lake of Lowertz, we found a chapel by the roadside,
+built on the spot where the house of Werner Stauffacher, one of the
+"three men of Grütli," formerly stood. It bears a poetical inscription
+in old German, and a rude painting of the Battle of Morgarten.
+
+As we wound around the lake of Lowertz, we saw the valley lying between
+the Rossberg and the Righi, which latter mountain stood full in view. To
+our regret, and that of all other travelers, the clouds hung low upon
+it, as they had done for a week at least, and there was no prospect of a
+change. The Rossberg, from which we descended, is about four thousand
+feet in height; a dark brown stripe from its very summit to the valley
+below, shows the track of the avalanche which, in 1806, overwhelmed
+Goldau, and laid waste the beautiful vale of Lowertz. We could trace the
+masses of rock and earth as far as the foot of the Righi. Four hundred
+and fifty persons perished by this catastrophe, which was so sudden that
+in five minutes the whole lovely valley was transformed into a desolate
+wilderness. The shock was so great that the lake of Lowertz overflowed
+its banks, and part of the village of Steinen at the upper end was
+destroyed by the waters.
+
+An hour's walk through a blooming Alpine vale brought us to the little
+town of Schwytz, the capital of the Canton. It stands at the foot of a
+rock-mountain, in shape not unlike Gibraltar, but double its height. The
+bare and rugged summits seem to hang directly over the town, but the
+people dwell below without fear, although the warning ruins of Goldau
+are full in sight. A narrow blue line at the end of the valley which
+stretches westward, marks the lake of the Four Cantons. Down this valley
+we hurried, that we might not miss the boat which plies daily, from
+Luzerne to Fluelen. I regretted not being able to visit Luzerne, as I
+had a letter to the distinguished Swiss composer, Schnyder von
+Wartensee, who resides there at present. The place is said to present a
+most desolate appearance, being avoided by travelers, and even by
+artisans, so that business of all kinds has almost entirely ceased.
+
+At the little town of Brunnen, on the lake, we awaited the coming of the
+steamboat. The scenery around it is exceedingly grand. Looking down
+towards Luzerne, we could see the dark mass of Mount Pilatus on one
+side, and on the other the graceful outline of the Righi, still wearing
+his hood of clouds. We put off in a skiff to meet the boat, with two
+Capuchin friars in long brown mantles and cowls, carrying rosaries at
+their girdles.
+
+Nearly opposite Brunnen is the meadow of Grütli, where the union of the
+Swiss patriots took place, and the bond was sealed that enabled them to
+cast off their chains. It is a little green slope on the side of the
+mountain, between the two Cantons of Uri and Unterwalden, surrounded on
+all sides by precipices. A little crystal spring in the centre is
+believed by the common people to have gushed up on the spot where the
+three "linked the hands that made them free." It is also a popular
+belief that they slumber in a rocky cavern near the spot, and that they
+will arise and come forth when the liberties of Switzerland are in
+danger. She stands at present greatly in need of a new triad to restore
+the ancient harmony.
+
+We passed this glorious scene, almost the only green spot on the bleak
+mountain-side, and swept around the base of the Axenberg, at whose foot,
+in a rocky cave, stands the chapel of William Tell. This is built on the
+spot where he leaped from Gessler's boat during the storm. It sits at
+the base of the rock, on the water's edge, and can be seen far over the
+waves. The Alps, whose eternal snows are lifted dazzling to the sky,
+complete the grandeur of a scene so hallowed by the footsteps of
+freedom. The grand and lonely solemnity of the landscape impressed me
+with an awe, like that one feels when standing in a mighty cathedral,
+when the aisles are dim with twilight. And how full of interest to a
+citizen of young and free America is a shrine where the votaries of
+Liberty have turned to gather strength and courage, through the storms
+and convulsions of five hundred years!
+
+We stopped at the village of Fluelen, at the head of the lake, and
+walked on to Altorf, a distance of half a league. Here, in the
+market-place, is a tower said to be built on the spot where the linden
+tree stood, under which the child of Tell was placed, while, about a
+hundred yards distant, is a fountain with Tell's statue, on the spot
+from whence he shot the apple. If these localities are correct, he must
+indeed have been master of the cross-bow. The tower is covered with rude
+paintings of the principal events in the history of Swiss liberty. I
+viewed these scenes with double interest from having read Schiller's
+"Wilhelm Tell," one of the most splendid tragedies ever written. The
+beautiful reply of his boy, when he described to him the condition of
+the "land where there are no mountains," was sounding in my ears during
+the whole day's journey:
+
+    "Father, I'd feel oppressed in that broad land,
+    I'd rather dwell beneath the avalanche!"
+
+The little village of Burglen, whose spire we saw above the forest, in a
+glen near by, was the birth-place of Tell, and the place where his
+dwelling stood, is now marked by a small chapel. In the Schachen, a
+noisy mountain stream that comes down to join the Reuss, he was drowned,
+when an old man, in attempting to rescue a child who had fallen in--a
+death worthy of the hero! We bestowed a blessing on his memory in
+passing, and then followed the banks of the rapid Reuss. Twilight was
+gathering in the deep Alpine glen, and the mountains on each side,
+half-seen through the mist, looked like vast, awful phantoms. Soon they
+darkened to black, indistinct masses; all was silent except the
+deepened roar of the falling floods; dark clouds brooded above us like
+the outspread wings of night, and we were glad, when the little village
+of Amstegg was reached, and the parlor of the inn opened to us a more
+cheerful, if not so romantic scene.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+PASSAGE OF THE ST. GOTHARD AND DESCENT INTO ITALY.
+
+
+Leaving Amstegg, I passed the whole day among snowy, sky-piercing Alps,
+torrents, chasms and clouds! The clouds appeared to be breaking up as we
+set out, and the white top of the Reassberg was now and then visible in
+the sky. Just above the village are the remains of Zwing Uri, the castle
+begun by the tyrant Gessler, for the complete subjugation of the canton.
+Following the Reuss up through a narrow valley, we passed the
+Bristenstock, which lifts its jagged crags nine thousand feet in the
+air, while on the other side stand the snowy summits which lean towards
+the Rhone Glacier and St. Gothard. From the deep glen where the Reuss
+foamed down towards the Lake of the Forest Cantons, the mountains rose
+with a majestic sweep so far into the sky that the brain grew almost
+dizzy in following their outlines. Woods, chalets and slopes of herbage
+covered their bases, where the mountain cattle and goats were browsing,
+while the herd-boys sang their native melodies or woke the ringing
+echoes with the loud, sweet sounds of their wooden horns; higher up, the
+sides were broken into crags and covered with stunted pines; then
+succeeded a belt of bare rock with a little snow lying in the crevices,
+and the summits of dazzling white looked out from the clouds nearly
+three-fourths the height of the zenith. Sometimes when the vale was
+filled with clouds, it was startling to see them parting around a
+solitary summit, apparently isolated in the air at an immense height,
+for the mountain to which it belonged was hidden to the very base!
+
+The road passed from one side of the valley to the other, crossing the
+Reuss on bridges sometimes ninety feet high. After three or four hours
+walking, we reached a frightful pass called the Schollenen. So narrow is
+the defile that before reaching it, the road seemed to enter directly
+into the mountain. Precipices a thousand feet high tower above, and the
+stream roars and boils in the black depth below. The road is a wonder of
+art; it winds around the edge of horrible chasms or is carried on lofty
+arches across, with sometimes a hold apparently so frail that one
+involuntarily shudders. At a place called the Devil's Bridge, the Reuss
+leaps about seventy feet in three or four cascades, sending up
+continually a cloud of spray, while a wind created by the fall, blows
+and whirls around, with a force that nearly lifts one from his feet.
+Wordsworth has described the scene in the following lines:
+
+    "Plunge with the Reuss embrowned by terror's breath,
+    Where danger roofs the narrow walks of Death;
+    By floods that, thundering from their dizzy height,
+    Swell more gigantic on the steadfast sight,
+    Black, drizzling crags, that, beaten by the din,
+    Vibrate, us if a voice complained within,
+    Loose hanging rocks, the Day's blessed eye that hide,
+    And crosses reared to Death on every side!"
+
+Beyond the Devil's Bridge, the mountains which nearly touched before,
+interlock into each other, and a tunnel three hundred and seventy-five
+feet long leads through the rock into the vale of Urseren, surrounded by
+the Upper Alps. The little town of Andermatt lies in the middle of this
+valley, which with the peaks around is covered with short,
+yellowish-brown grass. We met near Amstegg a little Italian boy walking
+home, from Germany, quite alone and without money, for we saw him give
+his last kreutzer to a blind beggar along the road. We therefore took
+him with us, as he was afraid to cross the St. Gothard alone.
+
+After refreshing ourselves at Andermatt, we started, five in number,
+including a German student, for the St. Gothard. Behind the village of
+Hospiz, which stands at the bottom of the valley leading to Realp and
+the Furca pass, the way commences, winding backwards and forwards,
+higher and higher, through a valley covered with rocks, with the mighty
+summits of the Alps around, untenanted save by the chamois and mountain
+eagle. Not a tree was to be seen. The sides of the mountains were
+covered with loose rocks waiting for the next torrent to wash them down,
+and the tops were robed in eternal snow. A thick cloud rolled down over
+us as we went on, following the diminishing brooks to their snowy source
+in the peak of St. Gothard. We cut off the bends of the road by
+footpaths up the rocks, which we ascended in single file, one of the
+Americans _going ahead_ and little Pietro with his staff and bundle
+bringing up the rear. The rarefied air we breathed, seven thousand feet
+above the sea, was like exhilarating gas. We felt no fatigue, but ran
+and shouted and threw snowballs, in the middle of August!
+
+After three hours' walk we reached the two clear and silent lakes which
+send their waters to the Adriatic and the North Sea. Here, as we looked
+down the Italian side, the sky became clear; we saw the top of St.
+Gothard many thousand feet above, and stretching to the south, the
+summits of the mountains which guard the vales of the Ticino and the
+Adda. The former monastery has been turned into an inn; there is,
+however, a kind of church attached, attended by a single monk. It was so
+cold that although late, we determined to descend to the first village.
+The Italian side is very steep, and the road, called the Via Trimola, is
+like a thread dropped down and constantly doubling back upon itself. The
+deep chasms were filled with snow, although exposed to the full force of
+the sun, and for a long distance there was scarcely a sign of
+vegetation.
+
+We thought as we went down, that every step was bringing us nearer to a
+sunnier land--that the glories of Italy, which had so long lain in the
+airy background of the future, would soon spread themselves before us in
+their real or imagined beauty. Reaching at dusk the last height above
+the vale of the Ticino, we saw the little village of Airolo with its
+musical name, lying in a hollow of the mountains. A few minutes of
+leaping, sliding and rolling, took us down the grassy declivity, and we
+found we had descended from the top in an hour and a half, although the
+distance by the road is nine miles! I need not say how glad we were to
+relieve our trembling knees and exhausted limbs.
+
+I have endeavored several times to give some idea of the sublimity of
+the Alps, but words seem almost powerless to measure these mighty
+mountains. No effort of the imagination could possibly equal their real
+grandeur. I wish also to describe the _feelings_ inspired by being
+among them,--feelings which can best be expressed through the warmer
+medium of poetry.
+
+    SONG OF THE ALP.
+    I.
+
+    I sit aloft on my thunder throne,
+    And my voice of dread the nations own
+       As I speak in storm below!
+    The valleys quake with a breathless fear,
+    When I hurl in wrath my icy spear
+       And shake my locks of snow!
+    When the avalanche forth like a tiger leaps,
+      How the vassal-mountains quiver!
+    And the storm that sweeps through the airy deeps
+      Makes the hoary pine-wood shiver!
+    Above them all, in a brighter air,
+    I lift my forehead proud and bare,
+    And the lengthened sweep of my forest-robe
+    Trails down to the low and captured globe,
+    Till its borders touch the dark green wave
+    In whose soundless depths my feet I lave.
+    The winds, unprisoned, around me blow,
+    And terrible tempests whirl the snow;
+    Rocks from their caverned beds are torn,
+    And the blasted forest to heaven is borne;
+    High through the din of the stormy band,
+    Like misty giants the mountains stand,
+    And their thunder-revel o'er-sounds the woe,
+    That cries from the desolate vales below!
+    I part the clouds with my lifted crown,
+    Till the sun-ray slants on the glaciers down,
+    And trembling men, in the valleys pale,
+    Rejoice at the gleam of my icy mail!
+
+    II.
+
+    I wear a crown of the sunbeam's gold,
+    With glacier-gems en my forehead old--
+       A monarch crowned by God!
+    What son of the servile earth may dare
+    Such signs of a regal power to wear,
+       While chained to her darkened sod?
+    I know of a nobler and grander lore
+      Than Time records on his crumbling pages,
+    And the soul of my solitude teaches more
+      Than the gathered deeds of perished ages!
+    For I have ruled since Time began
+    And wear no fetter made by man.
+    I scorn the coward and craven race
+    Who dwell around my mighty base,
+    For they leave the lessons I grandly gave
+    And bend to the yoke of the crouching slave.
+    I shout aloud to the chainless skies;
+    The stream through its falling foam replies,
+    And my voice, like the sound of the surging sea,
+    To the nations thunders: "_I am free!_"
+    I spoke to Tell when a tyrant's hand
+    Lay heavy and hard on his native land,
+    And the spirit whose glory from mine he won
+    Blessed the Alpine dwellers with Freedom's sun!
+    The student-boy on the Gmunden-plain
+    Heard my solemn voice, but he fought in vain;
+    I called from the crags of the Passeir-glen,
+    When the despot stood in my realm again,
+    And Hofer sprang at the proud command
+    And roused the men of the Tyrol land!
+
+    III.
+
+    I struggle up to the dim blue heaven,
+    From the world, far down in whose breast are driven
+        The props of my pillared throne;
+    And the rosy fires of morning glow
+    Like a glorious thought, on my brow of snow,
+        While the vales are dark and lone!
+    Ere twilight summons the first faint star,
+    I seem to the nations who dwell afar
+    Like a shadowy cloud, whose every fold
+    The sunset dyes with its purest gold,
+    And the soul mounts up through that gateway fair
+    To try its wings in a loftier air!
+    The finger of God on my brow is pressed--
+    His spirit beats in my giant breast,
+    And I breathe, as the endless ages roll,
+    His silent words to the eager soul!
+    I prompt the thoughts of the mighty mind,
+    Who leaves his century far behind
+    And speaks from the Future's sun-lit snow
+    To the Present, that sleeps in its gloom below!
+    I stand, unchanged, in creation's youth--
+    A glorious type of Eternal Truth,
+    That, free and pure, from its native skies
+    Shines through Oppression's veil of lies,
+    And lights the world's long-fettered sod
+    With thoughts of Freedom and of God!
+
+When, at night, I looked out of my chamber-window, the silver moon of
+Italy, (for we fancied that her light was softer and that the skies were
+already bluer) hung trembling above the fields of snow that stretched in
+their wintry brilliance along the mountains around. I heard the roar of
+the Ticino and the deepened sound of falling cascades, and thought, if I
+were to take those waters for my guide, to what glorious places they
+would lead me!
+
+We left Airolo early the next morning, to continue our journey down the
+valley of the Ticino. The mists and clouds of Switzerland were exchanged
+for a sky of the purest blue, and we felt, for the first time in ten
+days, uncomfortably warm. The mountains which flank the Alps on this
+side, are still giants--lofty and bare, and covered with snow in many
+places. The limit of the German dialect is on the summit of St. Gothard,
+and the peasants saluted us with a "_buon giorno_" as they passed. This,
+with the clearness of the skies and the warmth of the air, made us feel
+that Italy was growing nearer.
+
+The mountains are covered with forests of dark pine, and many beautiful
+cascades come tumbling over the rocks in their haste to join the Ticino.
+One of these was so strangely beautiful, that I cannot pass it without a
+particular description. We saw it soon after leaving Airolo, on the
+opposite side of the valley. A stream of considerable size comes down
+the mountain, leaping from crag to crag till within forty or fifty feet
+of the bottom, where it is caught in a hollow rock, and flung upwards
+into the air, forming a beautiful arch as it falls out into the valley.
+As it is whirled up thus, feathery curls of spray are constantly driven
+off and seem to wave round it like the fibres on an ostrich plume. The
+sun shining through, gave it a sparry brilliance which was perfectly
+magnificent. If I were an artist, I would give much for such a new form
+of beauty.
+
+On our first day's journey we passed through two terrific mountain
+gorges, almost equalling in grandeur the defile of the "Devil's Bridge."
+The Ticino, in its course to Lago Maggiore has to make a descent of
+nearly three thousand feet, passing through three valleys, which lie
+like terraces, one below the other. In its course from one to the other,
+it has to force its way down in twenty cataracts through a cleft in the
+mountains. The road, constructed with the utmost labor, threads these
+dark chasms, sometimes carried in a tunnel through the rock, sometimes
+passing on arches above the boiling flood. The precipices of bare rock
+rise far above and render the way difficult and dangerous. I here
+noticed another very beautiful effect of the water, perhaps attributable
+to some mineral substance it contained. The spray and foam thrown up in
+the dashing of the vexed current, was of a light, delicate pink,
+although the stream itself was a soft blue; and the contrast of these
+two colors was very remarkable.
+
+As we kept on, however, there was a very perceptible change in the
+scenery. The gloomy pines disappeared and the mountains were covered, in
+their stead, with picturesque chesnut trees, with leaves of a shining
+green. The grass and vegetation was much more luxuriant than on the
+other side of the Alps, and fields of maize and mulberry orchards
+covered the valley. We saw the people busy at work reeling silk in the
+villages. Every mile we advanced made a sensible change in the
+vegetation. The chesnuts were larger, the maize higher, the few
+straggling grape-vines increased into bowers and vineyards, while the
+gardens were filled with plum, pear and fig-trees, and the stands of
+delicious fruit which we saw in the villages, gave us promise of the
+luxuriance that was to come.
+
+The vineyards are much more beautiful than the German fields of stakes.
+The vines are not trimmed, but grow from year to year over a frame
+higher than the head, supported through the whole field on stone
+pillars. They interlace and form a complete leafy screen, while the
+clusters hang below. The light came dimly through the green, transparent
+leaves, and nothing was wanting to make them real bowers of Arcadia.
+Although we were still in Switzerland, the people began to have that
+lazy, indolent look which characterizes the Italians; most of the
+occupations were carried on in the open air, and brown-robed, sandalled
+friars were going about from house to house, collecting money and
+provisions for their support.
+
+We passed Faidò and Giornico, near which last village are the remains of
+an old castle, supposed to have been built by the ancient Gauls, and
+stopped for the night at Cresciano, which being entirely Italian, we had
+an opportunity to put in practice the few words we had picked up from
+Pietro. The little fellow parted from us with regret a few hours before,
+at Biasco, where he had relations. The rustic landlord at Cresciano was
+an honest young fellow, who tried to serve us as well as he could, but
+we made some ludicrous mistakes through our ignorance of the language.
+
+Three hours' walk brought us to Bellinzona, the capital of the canton.
+Before reaching it, our road joined that of the Splügen which comes down
+through the valley of Bernardino. From the bridge where the junction
+takes place we had a triple view, whose grandeur took me by surprise,
+even after coming from Switzerland. We stood at the union of three
+valleys--that leading to St. Gothard, terminated by the glaciers of the
+Bernese Oberland, that running off obliquely to the Splügen, and finally
+the broad vale of the Ticino, extending to Lago Maggiore, whose purple
+mountains closed the vista. Each valley was perhaps two miles broad and
+from twenty to thirty long, and the mountains that enclosed them from
+five to seven thousand feet in height, so you may perhaps form some idea
+what a view down three such avenues in this Alpine temple would be.
+Bellinzona is romantically situated, on a slight eminence, with three
+castles to defend it, with those square turreted towers and battlements,
+which remind one involuntarily of the days of the Goths and Vandals.
+
+We left Bellinzona at noon, and saw, soon after, from an eminence, the
+blue line of Lago Maggiore stretched across the bottom of the valley. We
+saw sunset fade away over the lake, but it was clouded, and did not
+realize my ideal of such a scene in Italy. A band of wild Italians
+paraded up and down the village, drawing one of their number in a
+hand-cart. They made a great noise with a drum and trumpet, and were
+received everywhere with shouts of laughter. A great jug of wine was not
+wanting, and the whole seemed to me a very characteristic scene.
+
+We were early awakened at Magadino, at the head of Lago Maggiore, and
+after swallowing a hasty breakfast, went on board the steamboat "San
+Carlo," for Sesto Calende. We got under way at six o'clock, and were
+soon in motion over the crystal mirror. The water is of the most lovely
+green hue, and so transparent that we seemed to bo floating in mid-air.
+Another heaven arched far below us; other chains of mountains joined
+their bases to those which surrounded the lake, and the mirrored
+cascades leaped upward to meet their originals at the surface. It may be
+because I have seen it more recently, that the water of Lago Maggiore
+appears to be the most beautiful in the world. I was delighted with the
+Scotch lakes, and enraptured with the Traunsee and "Zurich's waters,"
+but this last exceeds them both. I am now incapable of any stronger
+feeling, until I see the Egean from the Grecian Isles.
+
+The morning was cloudy, and the white wreaths hung low on the mountains,
+whose rocky sides were covered every where with the rank and luxuriant
+growth of this climate. As we advanced further over this glorious
+mirror, the houses became more Italian-like; the lower stories rested on
+arched passages, and the windows were open, without glass, while in the
+gardens stood the solemn, graceful cypress, and vines, heavy with
+ripening grapes, hung from bough to bough through the mulberry orchards.
+Half-way down, in a broad bay, which receives the waters of a stream
+that comes down with the Simplon, are the celebrated Borromean Islands.
+They are four in number, and seem to float like fairy creations on the
+water, while the lofty hills form a background whose grandeur enhances
+by contrast their exquisite beauty. There was something in the scene
+that reminded me of Claude Melnotte's description of his home, by
+Bulwer, and like the lady of Lyons, I answer readily, "I like the
+picture."
+
+On passing by Isola Madre, we could see the roses in its terraced
+gardens and the broad-leaved aloes clinging to the rocks. Isola Bella,
+the loveliest of them all, as its name denotes, was farther off; it rose
+like a pyramid from the water, terrace above terrace to the summit, and
+its gardens of never fading foliage, with the glorious panorama around,
+might make it a paradise, if life were to be dreamed away. On the
+northern side of the bay lies a large town (I forget its name,) with a
+lofty Romanesque tower, and noble mountains sweep around as if to shut
+out the world from such a scene. The sea was perfectly calm, and groves
+and gardens slept mirrored in the dark green wave, while the Alps rose
+afar through the dim, cloudy air. Towards the other end the hills sink
+lower, and slope off into the plains of Lombardy. Near Arona, on the
+western side, is a large monastery, overlooking the lower part of the
+lake. Beside it, on a hill, is a colossal statue of San Carlo Borromeo,
+who gave his name to the lovely islands above.
+
+After a seven hours' passage, we ran into Sesto Calende, at the foot of
+the lake. Here, passengers and baggage were tumbled promiscuously on
+shore, the latter gathered into the office to be examined, and the
+former left at liberty to ramble about an hour until their passports
+could be signed. We employed the time in trying the flavor of the grapes
+and peaches of Lombardy, and looking at the groups of travelers who had
+come down from the Alps with the annual avalanche at this season. The
+custom house officers were extremely civil and obliging, as they did not
+think necessary to examine our knapsacks, and our passports being soon
+signed, we were at liberty to enter again into the dominions of His
+Majesty of Austria. Our companion, the German, whose feet could carry
+him no further, took a seat on the top of a diligence for Milan; _we_
+left Sesto Calende on foot, and plunged into the cloud of dust which was
+whirling towards the capital of Northern Italy.
+
+Being now really in the "sunny land," we looked on the scenery with a
+deep interest. The first thing that struck me was a resemblance to
+America in the fields of Indian corn, and the rank growth of weeds by
+the roadside. The mulberry trees and hedges, too, looked quite familiar,
+coming as we did, from fenceless and hedgeless Germany. But here the
+resemblance ceased. The people were coarse, ignorant and savage-looking,
+the villages remarkable for nothing except the contrast between splendid
+churches and miserable, dirty houses, while the luxurious palaces and
+grounds of the rich noblemen formed a still greater contrast to the
+poverty of the people. I noticed also that if the latter are as lazy as
+they are said to be, they make their horses work for them, as in a walk
+of a few hours yesterday after noon, we saw two horses drawing heavy
+loads, drop down apparently dead, and several others seemed nearly ready
+to do the same.
+
+We spent the night at the little village of Casina, about sixteen miles
+from Milan, and here made our first experience in the honesty of Italian
+inns. We had taken the precaution to inquire beforehand the price of a
+bed; but it seemed unnecessary and unpleasant, as well as evincing a
+mistrustful spirit, to do the same with every article we asked for, so
+we concluded to leave it to the host's conscience not to overcharge us.
+Imagine our astonishment, however, when at starting, a bill was
+presented to us, in which the smallest articles were set down at three
+or four times their value. We remonstrated, hut to little purpose; the
+fellow knew scarcely any French, and we as little Italian, so rather
+than lose time or temper, we paid what he demanded and went on, leaving
+him to laugh at the successful imposition. The experience was of value
+to us, however, and it may serve as a warning to some future traveler.
+
+About noon, the road turned into a broad and beautiful avenue of
+poplars, down which we saw, at a distance, the triumphal arch
+terminating the Simplon road, which we had followed from Sesto Calende.
+Beyond it rose the slight and airy pinnacle of the Duomo. We passed by
+the exquisite structure, gave up our passports at the gates, traversed
+the broad Piazza d'Armi, and found ourselves at liberty to choose one of
+the dozen streets that led into the heart of the city.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+MILAN.
+
+
+_Aug. 21._--While finding our way at random to the "Pension Suisse,"
+whither we had been directed by a German gentleman, we were agreeably
+impressed with the gaiety and bustle of Milan. The shops and stores are
+all open to the street, so that the city resembles a great bazaar. It
+has an odd look to see blacksmiths, tailors and shoemakers working
+unconcernedly in the open air, with crowds continually passing before
+them. The streets are filled with venders of fruit, who call out the
+names with a long, distressing cry, like that of a person in great
+agony. Organ-grinders parade constantly about and snatches of songs are
+heard among the gay crowd, on every side.
+
+In this lively, noisy Italian city, nearly all there is to see may be
+comprised in four things: the Duomo, the triumphal arch over the
+Simplon, La Scala and the Picture Gallery. The first alone is more
+interesting than many an entire city. We went there yesterday afternoon
+soon after reaching here. It stands in an irregular open place, closely
+hemmed in by houses on two sides, so that it can be seen to advantage
+from only one point. It is a mixture of the Gothic and Romanesque
+styles; the body of the structure is entirely covered with statues and
+richly wrought sculpture, with needle-like spires of white marble rising
+up from every corner. But of the exquisite, airy look of the whole mass,
+although so solid and vast, it is impossible to convey an idea. It
+appears like some fabric of frost-work which winter traces on the
+window-panes. There is a unity of beauty about the whole, which the eye
+takes in with a feeling of perfect and satisfied delight.
+
+Ascending the marble steps which lead to the front, I lifted the folds
+of the heavy curtain and entered. What a glorious aisle! The mighty
+pillars support a magnificent arched ceiling, painted to resemble
+fretwork, and the little light that falls through the small windows
+above, enters tinged with a dim golden hue. A feeling of solemn awe
+comes over one as he steps with a hushed tread along the colored marble
+floor, and measures the massive columns till they blend with the
+gorgeous arches above. There are four rows of these, nearly fifty in
+all, and when I state that they are eight feet in diameter, and sixty or
+seventy in height, some idea may be formed of the grandeur of the
+building. Imagine the Girard College, at Philadelphia, turned into one
+great hall, with four rows of pillars, equal in size to those around it,
+reaching to its roof, and you will have a rough sketch of the interior
+of the Duomo.
+
+In the centre of the cross is a light and beautiful dome; he who will
+stand under this, and look down the broad middle aisle to the entrance,
+has one of the sublimest vistas to be found in the world. The choir has
+three enormous windows, covered with dazzling paintings, and the ceiling
+is of marble and silver. There are gratings under the high altar, by
+looking into which, I could see a dark, lonely chamber below, where one
+or two feeble lamps showed a circle of praying-places. It was probably a
+funeral vault, which persons visited to pray for the repose of their
+friends' souls. The Duomo is not yet entirely finished, the workmen
+being still employed in various parts, but it is said, that when
+completed there will be four thousand statues on the different parts of
+it.
+
+The design of the Duomo is said to be taken from Monte Rosa, one of the
+loftiest peaks of the Alps. Its hundreds of sculptured pinnacles, rising
+from every part of the body of the church, certainly bear a striking
+resemblance to the splintered ice-crags of Savoy. Thus we see how Art,
+mighty and endless in her forms though she be, is in every thing but the
+child of Nature. Her most divine conceptions are but copies of objects
+which we behold every day. The faultless beauty of the Corinthian
+capital--the springing and intermingling arches of the Gothic aisle--the
+pillared portico or the massive and sky-piercing pyramid--are but
+attempts at reproducing, by the studied regularity of Art, the
+ever-varied and ever-beautiful forms of mountain, rock and forest. But
+there is oftentimes a more thrilling sensation of enjoyment produced by
+the creations of man's hand and intellect than the grander effects of
+Nature, existing constantly before our eyes. It would seem as if man
+marvelled more at his own work than at the work of the Power which
+created him.
+
+The streets of Milan abound with priests in their cocked hats and long
+black robes. They all have the same solemn air, and seem to go about
+like beings shut out from all communion with pleasure. No sight lately
+has saddened me so much as to see a bright, beautiful boy, of twelve or
+thirteen years, in those gloomy garments. Poor child! he little knows
+now what he may have to endure. A lonely, cheerless life, where every
+affection must be crushed as unholy, and every pleasure denied as a
+crime! And I knew by his fair brow and tender lip, that he had a warm
+and loving heart. I could not help regarding this class as victims to a
+mistaken idea of religious duty, and if I am not mistaken, I read on
+more than one countenance the traces of passions that burned within. It
+is mournful to see a people oppressed in the name of religion. The
+holiest aspirations of man's nature, instead of lifting him up to a
+nearer view of Christian perfection, are changed into clouds and shut
+out the light of heaven. Immense treasures, wrung drop by drop from the
+credulity of the poor and ignorant, are made use of to pamper the luxury
+of those who profess to be mediators between man and the Deity. The poor
+wretch may perish of starvation on a floor of precious mosaic, which
+perhaps his own pittance has helped to form, while ceilings and shrines
+of inlaid gold mock his dying eye with their useless splendor. Such a
+system of oppression, disguised under the holiest name, can only be
+sustained by the continuance of ignorance and blind superstition.
+Knowledge--Truth--Reason--these are the ramparts which Liberty throws up
+to guard her dominions from the usurpations of oppression and wrong.
+
+We were last night in La Scala. Rossini's opera of William Tell was
+advertised, and as we had visited so lately the scene where that
+glorious historical drama was enacted, we went to see it represented in
+sound. It is a grand subject, which in the hands of a powerful composer,
+might be made very effective, but I must confess I was disappointed in
+the present case. The overture is, however, very beautiful. It begins
+low and mournful, like the lament of the Swiss over their fallen
+liberties. Occasionally a low drum is heard, as if to rouse them to
+action, and meanwhile the lament swells to a cry of despair. The drums
+now wake the land; the horn of Uri is heard pealing forth its summoning
+strain, and the echoes seem to come back from the distant Alps. The
+sound then changes for the roar of battle--the clang of trumpets, drums
+and cymbals. The whole orchestra did their best to represent this combat
+in music, which after lasting a short time, changed into the loud,
+victorious march of the conquerors. But the body of the opera, although
+it had several fine passages, was to me devoid of interest; in fact,
+unworthy the reputation of Rossini.
+
+The theatre is perhaps the largest in the world. The singers are all
+good; in Italy it could not be otherwise, where everybody sings. As I
+write, a party of Italians in the house opposite have been amusing
+themselves with going through the whole opera of "_La fille du
+Regiment_," with the accompaniment of the piano, and they show the
+greatest readiness and correctness in their performance. They have now
+become somewhat boisterous, and appear to be improvising. One young
+gentleman executes trills with amazing skill, and another appears to
+have taken the part of a despairing lover, but the lady has a very
+pretty voice, and warbles on and on, like a nightingale. Occasionally a
+group of listeners in the street below clap them applause, for as the
+windows are always open, the whole neighborhood can enjoy the
+performance.
+
+This forenoon I was in the Picture Gallery. It occupies a part of the
+Library Building, in the Palazzo Cabrera. It is not large, and many of
+the pictures are of no value to anybody but antiquarians; still there
+are some excellent paintings, which render it well worthy a visit. Among
+these, a marriage, by Raphael, is still in a very good state of
+preservation, and there are some fine pictures by Paul Veronese and the
+Caracci. The most admired painting, is "Abraham sending away Hagar," by
+Guercino. I never saw a more touching expression of grief than in the
+face of Hagar. Her eyes are red with weeping, and as she listens in an
+agony of tears to the patriarch's command, she still seems doubting the
+reality of her doom. The countenance of Abraham is venerable and calm,
+and expresses little emotion; but one can read in that of Sarah, as she
+turns away, a feeling of pity for her unfortunate rival.
+
+Next to the Duomo, the most beautiful specimen of architecture in Milan
+is the ARCH OF PEACE, on the north side of the city, at the commencement
+of the Simplon Road. It was the intention of Napoleon to carry the road
+under this arch, across the Piazza d'Armi, and to cut a way for it
+directly into the heart of the city, but the fall of his dynasty
+prevented the execution of this magnificent design, as well as the
+completion of the arch itself. This has been done by the Austrian
+government, according to the original plan; they have inscribed upon it
+the name of Francis I., and changed the bas-reliefs of Lodi and Marengo
+into those of a few fields where their forces had gained the victory. It
+is even said that in many parts which were already finished, they
+altered the splendid Roman profile of Napoleon into the haggard and
+repulsive features of Francis of Austria.
+
+The bronze statues on the top were made by an artist of Bologna, by
+Napoleon's order, and are said to be the finest works of modern times.
+In the centre is the goddess of Peace, in a triumphal car, drawn by six
+horses, while on the corners four angels, mounted, are starting off to
+convey the tidings to the four quarters of the globe. The artist has
+caught the spirit of motion and chained it in these moveless figures.
+One would hardly feel surprised if the goddess, chariot, horses and all,
+were to start off and roll away through the air.
+
+With the rapidity usual to Americans we have already finished seeing
+Milan, and shall start to-morrow morning on a walk to Genoa.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+WALK FROM MILAN TO GENOA.
+
+
+It was finally decided we should leave Milan, so the next morning we
+arose at five o'clock for the first time since leaving Frankfort. The
+Italians had commenced operations at this early hour, but we made our
+way through the streets without attracting quite so much attention as on
+our arrival. Near the gate on the road to Pavia, we passed a long
+colonnade which was certainly as old as the times of the Romans. The
+pillars of marble were quite brown with age, and bound together with
+iron to keep them from falling to pieces. It was a striking contrast to
+see this relic of the past standing in the middle of a crowded
+thoroughfare and surrounded by all the brilliance and display of modern
+trade.
+
+Once fairly out of the city we took the road to Pavia, along the banks
+of the canal, just as the rising sun gilded the marble spire of the
+Duomo. The country was a perfect level, and the canal, which was in many
+places higher than the land through which it passed, served also as a
+means of irrigation for the many rice-fields. The sky grew cloudy and
+dark, and before we reached Pavia gathered to a heavy storm. Torrents of
+rain poured down, accompanied with heavy thunder; we crept under an old
+gateway for shelter, as no house was near. Finally, as it cleared away,
+the square brown towers of the old city rose above the trees, and we
+entered the gate through a fine shaded avenue. Our passports were of
+course demanded, but we were only detained a minute or two. The only
+thing of interest is the University, formerly so celebrated; it has at
+present about eight hundred students.
+
+We have reason to remember the city from another circumstance--the
+singular attention we excited. I doubt if Columbus was an object of
+greater curiosity to the simple natives of the new world, than we three
+Americans were to the good people of Pavia. I know not what part of our
+dress or appearance could have caused it, but we were watched like wild
+animals. If we happened to pause and look at anything in the street,
+there was soon a crowd of attentive observers, and as we passed on,
+every door and window was full of heads. We stopped in the marketplace
+to purchase some bread and fruit for dinner, which increased, if
+possible, the sensation. We saw eyes staring and fingers pointing at us
+from every door and alley. I am generally willing to contribute as much
+as possible to the amusement or entertainment of others, but such
+attention was absolutely embarrassing. There was nothing to do but to
+appear unconscious of it, and we went along with as much nonchalance as
+if the whole town belonged to us.
+
+We crossed the Ticino, on whose banks near Pavia, was fought the first
+great battle between Hannibal and the Romans. On the other side our
+passports were demanded at the Sardinian frontier and our knapsacks
+searched, which having proved satisfactory, we were allowed to enter the
+kingdom. Late in the afternoon we reached the Po, which in winter must
+be quarter of a mile wide, but the summer heats had dried it up to a
+small stream, so that the bridge of boats rested nearly its whole length
+in sand. We sat on the bank in the shade, and looked at the chain of
+hills which rose in the south, following the course of the Po, crowned
+with castles and villages and shining towers. It was here that I first
+began to realize Italian scenery. Although the hills were bare, they lay
+so warm and glowing in the sunshine, and the deep blue sky spread so
+calmly above, that it recalled all my dreams of the fair clime we had
+entered.
+
+We stopped for the night at the little village of Casteggio, which lies
+at the foot of the hills, and next morning resumed our pilgrimage. Here
+a new delight awaited us. The sky was of a heavenly blue, without even
+the shadow of a cloud, and full and fair in the morning sunshine we
+could see the whole range of the Alps, from the blue hills of Friuli,
+which sweep down to Venice and the Adriatic, to the lofty peaks which
+stretch away to Nice and Marseilles! Like a summer cloud, except that
+they were far more dazzling and glorious, lay to the north of us the
+glaciers and untrodden snow-fields of the Bernese Oberland; a little to
+the right we saw the double peak of St. Gothard, where six days before
+we shivered in the region of eternal winter, while far to the north-west
+rose the giant dome of Mount Blanc. Monte Rosa stood near him, not far
+from the Great St. Bernard, and further to the south Mont Cenis guarded
+the entrance from Piedmont into France. I leave you to conceive the
+majesty of such a scene, and you may perhaps imagine, for I cannot
+describe the feelings with which I gazed upon it.
+
+At Tortona, the next post, a great market was being held; the town was
+filled with country people selling their produce, and with venders of
+wares of all kinds. Fruit was very abundant--grapes, ripe figs, peaches
+and melons were abundant, and for a trifle one could purchase a
+sumptuous banquet. On inquiring the road to Novi, the people made us
+understand, after much difficulty, that there was a nearer way across
+the country, which came into the post-road again, and we concluded to
+take it. After two or three hours' walking in a burning sun, where our
+only relief was the sight of the Alps and a view of the battle-field of
+Marengo, which lay just on our right, we came to a stand--the road
+terminated at a large stream, where workmen were busily engaged in
+making a bridge across. We pulled off our boots and waded through, took
+a refreshing bath in the clear waters, and walked on through by-lanes.
+The sides were lined with luxuriant vines, bending under the ripening
+vintage, and we often cooled our thirst with some of the rich bunches.
+
+The large branch of the Po we crossed, came down from the mountains,
+which we were approaching. As we reached the post-road again, they were
+glowing in the last rays of the sun, and the evening vapors that settled
+over the plain concealed the distant Alps, although the snowy top of the
+Jungfrau and her companions the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn, rose above
+it like the hills of another world. A castle or church of brilliant
+white marble glittered on the summit of one of the mountains near us,
+and as the sun went down without a cloud, the distant summits changed in
+hue to a glowing purple, amounting almost to crimson, which afterwards
+darkened into a deep violet. The western half of the sky was of a pale
+orange, and the eastern a dark red, which blended together in the blue
+of the zenith, that deepened as twilight came on. I know not if it was a
+fair specimen of an Italian sunset, but I must say, without wishing to
+be partial, that though certainly very soft and beautiful, there is no
+comparison with the splendor of such a scene in America. The day-sky of
+Italy better deserves its reputation. Although no clearer than our own,
+it is of a far brighter blue, arching above us like a dome of sapphire
+and seeming to sparkle all over with a kind of crystal transparency.
+
+We stopped the second night at Arquato, a little village among the
+mountains, and after having bargained with the merry landlord for our
+lodgings, in broken Italian, took a last look at the plains of Piedmont
+and the Swiss Alps, in the growing twilight. We gazed out on the
+darkening scene till the sky was studded with stars, and went to rest
+with the exciting thought of seeing Genoa and the Mediterranean on the
+morrow. Next morning we started early, and after walking some distance
+made our breakfast in a grove of chesnuts, on the cool mountain side,
+beside a fresh stream of water. The sky shone like a polished gem, and
+the glossy leaves of the chesnuts gleamed in the morning sun. Here and
+there, on a rocky height, stood the remains of some knightly castle,
+telling of the Goths and Normans who descended through these mountain
+passes to plunder Rome.
+
+As the sun grew high, the heat and dust became intolerable, and this, in
+connection with the attention we raised everywhere, made us somewhat
+tired of foot-traveling in Italy. I verily believe the people took us
+for pilgrims on account of our long white blouses, and had I a scallop
+shell I would certainly have stuck it into my hat to complete the
+appearance. We stopped once to ask a priest the road; when he had told
+us, he shook hands with us and gave us a parting benediction. At the
+common inns, where we stopped, we always met with civil treatment,
+though, indeed, as we only slept in them, there was little chance of
+practising imposition. We bought our simple meals at the baker's and
+grocer's, and ate them in the shade of the grape-bowers, whose rich
+clusters added to the repast. In this manner, we enjoyed Italy at the
+expense of a franc, daily. About noon, after winding about through the
+narrow defiles, the road began ascending. The reflected heat from the
+hills on each side made it like an oven; there was not a breath of air
+stirring; but we all felt, although no one said it, that from the summit
+we could see the Mediterranean, and we pushed on as if life or death
+depended on it. Finally, the highest point came in sight--we redoubled
+our exertions, and a few minutes more brought us to the top, breathless
+with fatigue and expectation. I glanced down the other side--there lay a
+real sea of mountains, all around; the farthest peaks rose up afar and
+dim, crowned with white towers, and between two of them which stood
+apart like the pillars of a gateway, we saw the broad expanse of water
+stretching away to the horizon--
+
+To where the blue of heaven on bluer waves shut down!"
+
+It would have been a thrilling sight to see any ocean, when one has
+rambled thousands of miles among the mountains and vales of the inland,
+but to behold this sea, of all others, was glorious indeed! This sea,
+whose waves wash the feet of Naples, Constantinople and Alexandria, and
+break on the hoary shores where Troy and Tyre and Carthage have
+mouldered away!--whose breast has been furrowed by the keels of a
+hundred nations through more than forty centuries--from the first rude
+voyage of Jason and his Argonauts, to the thunders of Navarino that
+heralded the second birth of Greece! You cannot wonder we grew romantic;
+but short space was left for sentiment in the burning sun, with Genoa to
+be reached before night. The mountain we crossed is called the Bochetta,
+one of the loftiest of the sea-Alps (or Apennines)--the road winds
+steeply down towards the sea, following a broad mountain rivulet, now
+perfectly dried up, as nearly every stream among the mountains is. It
+was a long way to us; the mountains seemed as if they would never unfold
+and let us out on the shore, and our weary limbs did penance enough for
+a multitude of sins. The dusk was beginning to deepen over the bay and
+the purple hues of sunset were dying away from its amphitheatre of
+hills, as we came in sight of the gorgeous city. Half the population
+were out to celebrate a festival, and we made our entry in the triumphal
+procession of some saint.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+SCENES IN GENOA, LEGHORN AND PISA.
+
+
+Have you ever seen some grand painting of a city, rising with its domes
+and towers and palaces from the edge of a glorious bay, shut in by
+mountains--the whole scene clad in those deep, delicious, sunny hues
+which you admire so much in the picture, although they appear unrealized
+in Nature? If so, you can figure to yourself Genoa, as she looked to us
+at sunset, from the battlements west of the city. When we had passed
+through the gloomy gate of the fortress that guards the western
+promontory, the whole scene opened at once on us in all its majesty. It
+looked to me less like a real landscape than a mighty panoramic
+painting. The battlements where we were standing, and the blue mirror of
+the Mediterranean just below, with a few vessels moored near the shore,
+made up the foreground; just in front lay the queenly city, stretching
+out to the eastern point of the bay, like a great meteor---this point,
+crowned with the towers and dome of a cathedral representing the
+nucleus, while the tail gradually widened out and was lost among the
+numberless villas that reached to the top of the mountains behind. A
+mole runs nearly across the mouth of the harbor, with a tall light-house
+at its extremity, leaving only a narrow passage for vessels. As we
+gazed, a purple glow lay on the bosom of the sea, while far beyond the
+city, the eastern half of the mountain crescent around the gulf was
+tinted with the loveliest hue of orange. The impressions which one
+derives from looking on remarkable scenery, depend, for much of their
+effect, on the time and weather. I have been very fortunate in this
+respect in two instances, and shall carry with me through life, two
+glorious pictures of a very different character--the wild sublimity of
+the Brocken in cloud and storm, and the splendor of Genoa in an Italian
+sunset.
+
+Genoa has been called the "city of palaces." and it well deserves the
+appellation. Row above row of magnificent structures rise amid gardens
+along the side of the hills, and many of the streets, though narrow and
+crooked, are lined entirely with the splendid dwellings of the Genoese
+nobles. All these speak of the republic in its days of wealth and power,
+when it could cope successfully with Venice, and Doria could threaten to
+bridle the horses of St. Mark. At present its condition is far
+different; although not so fallen as its rival, it is but a shadow of
+its former self--the life and energy it possessed as a republic, has
+withered away under the grasp of tyranny.
+
+We entered Genoa, as I have already said, in a religious procession. On
+passing the gate we saw from the concourse of people and the many
+banners hanging from the windows or floating across the streets, that it
+was the day of a festa. Before entering the city we reached the
+procession itself, which was one of unusual solemnity. As it was
+impossible in the dense crowd, to pass it, we struggled through till we
+reached a good point for seeing the whole, and slowly moved on with it
+through the city. First went a company of boys in white robes; then
+followed a body of friars, dressed in long black cassocks, and with
+shaven crowns; then a company of soldiers with a band of music; then a
+body of nuns, wrapped from head to foot in blue robes, leaving only a
+small place to see out of--in the dusk they looked very solemn and
+ghost-like, and their low chant had to me something awful and sepulchral
+in it; then followed another company of friars, and after that a great
+number of priests in white and black robes, bearing the statue of the
+saint, with a pyramid of flowers, crosses and blazing wax tapers, while
+companies of soldiery, monks and music brought up the rear. Armed guards
+walked at intervals on each side of the procession, to keep the way
+clear and prevent disturbance; two or three bands played solemn airs,
+alternating with the deep monotonous chanting of the friars. The whole
+scene, dimly lighted by the wax tapers, produced in me a feeling nearly
+akin to fear, as if I were witnessing some ghostly, unearthly spectacle.
+To rites like these, however, which occur every few weeks, the people
+must be well accustomed.
+
+Among the most interesting objects in Genoa, is the Doria palace, fit
+in its splendor for a monarch's residence. It stands in the _Strada
+Nova_, one of the three principal streets, and I believe is still in the
+possession of the family. There are many others through the city,
+scarcely less magnificent, among which that of the Durazzo family may be
+pointed out. The American consulate is in one of these old edifices,
+with a fine court-yard and ceilings covered with frescoes. Mr. Moro, the
+Vice Consul, did us a great kindness, which I feel bound to acknowledge,
+although it will require the disclosure of some private, and perhaps
+uninteresting circumstances. On leaving Frankfort, we converted--for the
+sake of convenience--the greater part of our funds into a draft on a
+Saxon merchant in Leghorn, reserving just enough, as we supposed, to
+take us thither. As in our former case, in Germany, the sum was too
+small, which we found to our dismay on reaching Milan. Notwithstanding
+we had traveled the whole ninety miles from that city to Genoa for three
+francs each, in the hope of having enough, left to enable _one_ at least
+to visit Leghorn, the expenses for a passport in Genoa (more than twenty
+francs) prevented this plan. I went therefore to the Vice Consul to
+ascertain whether the merchant on whom the draft was drawn, had any
+correspondents there, who might advance a portion of it. His secretary
+made many inquiries, but without effect; Mr. Moro then generously
+offered to furnish me with means to reach Leghorn, whence I could easily
+remit a sufficient sum to my two comrades. This put an end to our
+anxiety, (for I must confess we could not help feeling some), and I
+therefore prepared to leave that evening in the "Virgilio."
+
+The feelings with which I look on this lovely land, are fast changing.
+What with the dust and heat, and cheating landlords, and the dull plains
+of Lombardy, my first experience was not very prepossessing. But the
+joyous and romantic anticipation with which I looked forward to
+realizing the dream of my earliest boyhood, is now beginning to be
+surpassed by the exciting reality. Every breath I drew in the city of
+Columbus and Doria, was deeply tinctured with the magic of history and
+romance. It was like entering on a new existence, to look on scenes so
+lovely by nature and so filled with the inspiring memories of old.
+
+    "Italia too, Italia! looking on thee,
+    Full flashes on the soul the light of ages,
+    Since the fierce Carthagenian almost won thee,
+    To the last halo of the chiefs and sages
+    Who glorify thy consecrated pages!
+    Thou wert the throne and grave of empires."
+
+The _Virgilio_ was advertised to leave at six o'clock, and I accordingly
+went out to her in a little boat half an hour beforehand; but we were
+delayed much longer, and I saw sunset again fade over the glorious
+amphitheatre of palaces and mountains, with the same orange glow--the
+same purple and crimson flush, deepening into twilight--as before. An
+old blind man in a skiff, floated around under the bows of the boat on
+the glassy water, singing to the violin a plaintive air that appeared to
+be an evening hymn to the virgin. There was something very touching in
+his venerable countenance, with the sightless eyes turned upward to the
+sunset heaven whose glory he could never more behold.
+
+The lamps were lit on the tower at the end of the mole as we glided out
+on the open sea; I stood on deck and watched the receding lights of the
+city, till they and the mountains above them, were blended with the
+darkened sky. The sea-breeze was fresh and cool, and the stars glittered
+with a frosty clearness, which would have made the night delicious had
+not a slight rolling of the waves obliged me to go below. Here, besides
+being half seasick, I was placed at the mercy of many voracious fleas,
+who obstinately stayed, persisting in keeping me company. This was the
+first time I had suffered from these cannibals, and such were my
+torments, I almost wished some blood-thirsty Italian would come and put
+an end to them with his stiletto.
+
+The first ray of dawn that stole into the cabin sent me on deck. The
+hills of Tuscany lay in front, sharply outlined on the reddening sky;
+near us was the steep and rocky isle of Gorgona; and far to the
+south-west, like a low mist along the water, ran the shores of
+Corsica--the birth place of Columbus and Napoleon![***] As the dawn
+brightened we saw on the southern horizon a cloud-like island, also
+imperishably connected with the name of the latter--the prison-kingdom
+of Elba! North of us extended the rugged mountains of Carrarra--that
+renowned range whence has sprung many a form of almost breathing beauty,
+and where yet slumber, perhaps, in the unhewn marble, the god-like
+shapes of an age of art, more glorious than any the world has ever yet
+beheld!
+
+[Footnote ***: By recent registers found in Corsica, it has been
+determined that this island also gave birth to the discoverer of the new
+world.]
+
+
+The sun rose from behind the Apennines and masts and towers became
+visible through the golden haze, as we approached the shore. On a flat
+space between the sea and the hills, not far from the foot of Montenero,
+stands Leghorn. The harbor is protected by a mole, leaving a narrow
+passage, through which we entered, and after waiting two hours for the
+visit of the health and police officers, we were permitted to go on
+shore. The first thing that struck me, was the fine broad streets; the
+second, the motley character of the population. People were hurrying
+about noisy and bustling--Greeks in their red caps and capotes; grave
+turbaned and bearded Turks; dark Moors; the Corsair-looking natives of
+Tripoli and Tunis, and seamen of nearly every nation. At the hotel where
+I stayed, we had a singular mixture of nations at dinner:--two French,
+two Swiss, one Genoese, one Roman, one American and one Turk--and we
+were waited on by a Tuscan and an Arab! We conversed together in four
+languages, all at once.
+
+To the merchant, Leghorn is of more importance than to the traveler. Its
+extensive trade, not only in the manufactures of Tuscany, but also in
+the productions of the Levant, makes it important to the former, while
+the latter seeks in vain for fine buildings, galleries of art, or in
+interesting historical reminiscences. Through the kind attention of the
+Saxon Consul, to whom I had letters, two or three days went by
+delightfully.
+
+The only place of amusement here in summer is a drive along the sea
+shore, called the Ardenza, which is frequented every evening by all who
+can raise a vehicle. I visited it twice with a German friend. We met one
+evening the Princess Corsini, wife of the Governor of Leghorn, on
+horseback--a young, but not pretty woman. The road leads out along the
+Mediterranean, past an old fortress, to a large establishment for the
+sea bathers, where it ends in a large ring, around which the carriages
+pass and re-pass, until sunset has gone out over the sea, when they
+return to the city in a mad gallop, or as fast as the lean horses can
+draw them.
+
+In driving around, we met two or three carriages of Turks, in one of
+which I saw a woman of Tunis, with a curious gilded head-dress, eighteen
+inches in height.
+
+I saw one night a Turkish funeral. It passed me in one of the outer
+streets, on its way to the Turkish burying ground. Those following the
+coffin, which was covered with a heavy black pall, wore white turbans
+and long white robes--the mourning color of the Turks. Torches were
+borne by attendants, and the whole company passed on at a quick pace.
+Seen thus by night, it had a strange and spectral appearance.
+
+There is another spectacle here which was exceedingly revolting to me.
+The condemned criminals, chained two and two, are kept at work through
+the city, cleaning the streets. They are dressed in coarse garments of a
+dirty red color, with the name of the crime for which they were
+convicted, painted on the back. I shuddered to see so many marked with
+the words--"_omicidio premeditato_." All day they are thus engaged,
+exposed to the scorn and contumely of the crowd, and at night dragged
+away to be incarcerated in damp, unwholesome dungeons, excavated under
+the public thoroughfares.
+
+The employment of criminals in this way is common in Italy. Two days
+after crossing St. Gothard, we saw a company of abject-looking
+creatures, eating their dinner by the road-side, near Bellinzona. One of
+them had a small basket of articles of cotton and linen, and as he rose
+up to offer them to us, I was startled by the clank of fetters. They
+were all employed to labor on the road.
+
+On going down to the wharf in Leghorn, in the morning, two or three days
+ago, I found F---- and B---- just stepping on shore from the steamboat,
+tired enough of the discomforts of the voyage, yet anxious to set out
+for Florence as soon as possible. After we had shaken off the crowd of
+porters, pedlars and vetturini, and taken a hasty breakfast at the _Cafe
+Americano_, we went to the Police Office to get our passports, and had
+the satisfaction of paying two francs for permission to proceed to
+Florence. The weather had changed since the preceding day, and the
+sirocco-wind which blows over from the coast of Africa, filled the
+streets with clouds of dust, which made walking very unpleasant. The
+clear blue sky had vanished, and a leaden cloud hung low on the
+Mediterranean, hiding the shores of Corsica and the rooky isles of
+Gorgona and Capraja.
+
+The country between Leghorn and Pisa, is a flat marsh, intersected in
+several places by canals to carry off the stagnant water which renders
+this district so unhealthy. It is said that the entire plain between the
+mountains of Carrarra and the hills back of Leghorn has been gradually
+formed by the deposits of the Arno and the receding of the
+Mediterranean, which is so shallow along the whole coast, that large
+vessels have to anchor several miles out. As we approached Pisa over the
+level marsh, I could see the dome of the Cathedral and the Leaning Tower
+rising above the gardens and groves which surround it.
+
+Our baggage underwent another examination at the gate, where we were
+again assailed by the vetturini, one of whom hung on us like a leech
+till we reached a hotel, and there was finally no way of shaking him off
+except by engaging him to take us to Florence. The bargain having been
+concluded, we had still a few hours left and set off to hunt the
+Cathedral. We found it on an open square near the outer wall, and quite
+remote from the main part of the town. Emerging from the narrow and
+winding street, one takes in et a glance the Baptistery, the Campo
+Santo, the noble Cathedral and the Leaning Tower--forming altogether a
+view rarely surpassed in Europe for architectural effect. But the square
+is melancholy and deserted, and rank, untrampled grass fills the
+crevices of its marble pavement.
+
+I was surprised at the beauty of the Leaning Tower. Instead of all old,
+black, crumbling fabric, as I always supposed, it is a light, airy,
+elegant structure, of white marble, and its declension, which is
+interesting as a work of art (or accident,) is at the same time pleasing
+from its novelty. There have been many conjectures as to the cause of
+this deviation, which is upwards of fourteen feet from the
+perpendicular; it is now generally believed that the earth having sunk
+when the building was half finished, it was continued by the architects
+in the same angle. The upper gallery, which is smaller than the others,
+shows a very perceptible inclination back towards the perpendicular, as
+if in some degree to counterbalance the deviation of the other part.
+There are eight galleries in all, supported by marble pillars, but the
+inside of the Tower is hollow to the very top.
+
+We ascended by the same stairs which were trodden so often by Galileo in
+going up to make his astronomical observations; in climbing spirally
+around the hollow cylinder in the dark, it was easy to tell on which
+side of the Tower we were, from the proportionate steepness of the
+staircase. There is a fine view from the top, embracing the whole plain
+as far as Leghorn on one side, with its gardens and grain fields spread
+out like a vast map. In a valley of the Carrarrese Mountains to the
+north, we could see the little town of Lucca, much frequented at this
+season on account of its baths; the blue summits of the Appenines shut
+in the view to the east. In walking through the city I noticed two other
+towers, which had nearly as great a deviation from the perpendicular. We
+met a person who had the key of the Baptistery, which he opened for us.
+Two ancient columns covered with rich sculpture form the doorway, and
+the dome is supported by massive pillars of the red marble of Elba. The
+baptismal font is of the purest Parian marble. The most remarkable thing
+was the celebrated musical echo. Our cicerone stationed himself at the
+side of the font and sang a few notes. After a moment's pause they were
+repeated aloft in the dome, but with a sound of divine sweetness--as
+clear and pure as the clang of a crystal bell. Another pause--and we
+heard them again, higher, fainter and sweeter, followed by a dying note,
+as if they were fading far away into heaven. It seemed as if an angel
+lingered in the temple, echoing with his melodious lips the common
+harmonies of earth. Even thus does the music of good deeds, hardly noted
+in our grosser atmosphere, awake a divine echo in the far world of
+spirit.
+
+The Campo Santo, on the north side of the Cathedral, was, until lately,
+the cemetery of the city; the space enclosed within its marble galleries
+is filled to the depth of eight or ten feet, with earth from the Holy
+Land. The vessels which carried the knights of Tuscany to Palestine were
+filled at Joppa, on returning, with this earth as ballast, and on
+arriving at Pisa it was deposited in the Cemetery. It has the peculiar
+property of decomposing all human bodies, in the space of two days. A
+colonnade of marble encloses it, with windows of the most exquisite
+sculpture opening on the inside. They reminded me of the beautiful
+Gothic oriels of Melrose. At each end are two fine, green cypresses,
+which thrive remarkably in the soil of Palestine. The dust of a German
+emperor, among others, rests in this consecrated ground. There are other
+fine churches in Pisa, but the four buildings I have mentioned, are the
+principal objects of interest. The tower where Count Ugolino and his
+sons were starved to death by the citizens of Pisa, who locked them up
+and threw the keys into the Arno, has lately been destroyed.
+
+An Italian gentleman having made a bargain in the meantime with our
+vetturino, we found every thing ready on returning to the hotel. On the
+outside of the town we mounted into the vehicle, a rickety-looking
+concern, and as it commenced raining, I was afraid we would have a bad
+night of it. After a great deal of bargaining, the vetturino agreed to
+take us to Florence that night for five francs a piece, provided one
+person would sit on the outside with the driver. I accordingly mounted
+on front, protected by a blouse and umbrella, for it was beginning to
+rain dismally. The miserable, bare-boned horses were fastened with
+rope-traces, and the vetturino having taken the rope-lines in his hand,
+gave a flourish with his whip; one old horse tumbled nearly to the
+ground, but he jerked him up again and we rattled off.
+
+After riding ten miles in this way, it became so wet and dreary, that I
+was fain to give the driver two francs extra, for the privilege of an
+inside seat. Our Italian companion was agreeable and talkative, but as
+we were still ignorant of the language, I managed to hold a scanty
+conversation with him in French. He seemed delighted to learn that we
+were from America; his polite reserve gave place to a friendly
+familiarity and he was loud in his praises of the Americans. I asked him
+why it was that he and the Italians generally, were so friendly towards
+us. "I hardly know," he answered; "you are so different from any other
+nation; and then, too, you have so much sincerity!"
+
+The Appenines were wreathed and hidden in thick mist, and the prospect
+over the flat cornfields bordering the road was not particularly
+interesting. We had made about one-third of the way as night set in,
+when on ascending a hill soon after dark, F---- happened to look out,
+and saw one of the axles bent and nearly broken off. we were obliged to
+get out and walk through the mud to the next village, when after two
+hours' delay, the vetturino came along with another carriage. Of the
+rest of the way to Florence, I cannot say much. Cramped up in the narrow
+vehicle, we jolted along in the dark, rumbling now and then through some
+silent village, where lamps were burning before the solitary shrines.
+Sometimes a blinding light crossed the road, where we saw the
+tile-makers sitting in the red glare of their kilns, and often the black
+boughs of trees were painted momentarily on the cloudy sky. If the
+jolting carriage had even permitted sleep, the horrid cries of the
+vetturino, urging on his horses, would have prevented it; and I decided,
+while trying to relieve my aching limbs, that three days' walking in sun
+and sand was preferable to one night of such travel.
+
+Finally about four o'clock in the morning the carriage stopped; my
+Italian friend awoke and demanded the cause. "Signor," said the
+vetturino, "we are in Florence!" I blessed the man, and the city too.
+The good-humored officer looked at our passports and passed our baggage
+without examination; we gave the gatekeeper a paul and he admitted us.
+The carriage rolled through the dark, silent streets--passed a public
+square--came out on the Arno--crossed and entered the city again--and
+finally stopped at a hotel. The master of the "Lione Bianco" came down
+in an undress to receive us, and we shut the growing dawn out of our
+rooms to steal that repose from the day which the night had not given.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+FLORENCE AND ITS GALLERIES.
+
+
+_Sept. 11._--Our situation here is as agreeable as we could well desire.
+We have three large and handsomely furnished rooms, in the centre of the
+city, for which we pay Signor Lazzeri, a wealthy goldsmith, ten scudo
+per month--a scudo being a trifle more than an American dollar. We live
+at the _Cafès_ and _Trattone_ very conveniently for twenty-five cents a
+day, enjoying moreover, at our dinner in the Trattoria del Cacciatore,
+the company of several American artists with whom we have become
+acquainted. The day after our arrival we met at the table d'hote of the
+"Lione Bianco," Dr. Boardman of New York, through whose assistance we
+obtained our present lodgings. There are at present ten or twelve
+American artists in Florence, and we promise ourselves much pleasure and
+profit from their acquaintance. B---- and I are so charmed with the
+place and the beautiful Tuscan dialect, that we shall endeavor to spend
+three or four months here. F---- returns to Germany in two weeks, to
+attend the winter term of the University at his favorite Heidelberg.
+
+Our first walk in Florence was to the Royal Gallery--we wished to see
+the "goddess living in stone" without delay. Crossing the neighboring
+_Piazza del Granduca_, we passed Michael Angelo's colossal statue of
+David, and an open gallery containing, besides some antiques, the
+master-piece of John of Bologna. The palace of the _Uffizii_, fronting
+on the Arno, extends along both sides of an avenue running back to the
+Palazzo Vecchio. We entered the portico which passes around under the
+great building, and after ascending three or four flights of steps, came
+into a long hall, filled with paintings and ancient statuary. Towards
+the end of this, a door opened into the Tribune--that celebrated room,
+unsurpassed by any in the world for the number and value of the gems it
+contains. I pushed aside a crimson curtain and stood in the presence of
+the Venus.
+
+It may be considered heresy, but I confess I did not at first go into
+raptures, nor perceive any traces of superhuman beauty. The predominant
+feeling, if I may so express it, was satisfaction; the eye dwells on its
+faultless outline with a gratified sense, that nothing is wanting to
+render it perfect. It is the ideal of a woman's form--a faultless
+standard by which all beauty may be measured, but without striking
+expression, except in the modest and graceful position of the limbs. The
+face, though regular, is not handsome, and the body appears small, being
+but five feet in height, which, I think, is a little below the average
+stature of women. On each side, as if to heighten its elegance by
+contrast with rude and unrefined nature, are the statues of the
+Wrestlers, and the slave listening to the conspiracy of Catiline, called
+also The Whetter.
+
+As if to correspond with the value of the works it holds, the Tribune is
+paved with precious marbles and the ceiling studded with polished
+mother-of-pearl. A dim and subdued light fills the hall, which throws
+over the mind that half-dreamy tone necessary to the full enjoyment of
+such objects. On each side of the Venus de Medici hangs a Venus by
+Titian, the size of life, and painted in that rich and gorgeous style of
+coloring which has been so often and vainly attempted since his time.
+
+Here are six of Raphael's best preserved paintings. I prefer the "St.
+John in the Desert" to any other picture in the Tribune. His glorious
+form, in the fair proportions of ripening boyhood--the grace of his
+attitude, with the arm lifted eloquently on high--the divine inspiration
+which illumines his young features--chain the step irresistibly before
+it. It is one of those triumphs of the pencil which few but Raphael have
+accomplished--the painting of _spirit_ in its loftiest and purest form.
+Near it hangs the Fornarina, which he seems to have painted in as deep a
+love as he entertained for the original. The face is modest and
+beautiful, and filled with an expression of ardent and tender
+attachment. I never tire looking upon either of these two.
+
+Let me not forget, while we are in this peerless hall, to point out
+Guercino's Samian Sybil. It is a glorious work. With her hands clasped
+over her volume, she is looking up with a face full of deep and
+expressive sadness. A picturesque turban is twined around her head, and
+bands of pearls gleam amidst her rich, dark brown tresses. Her face
+bears the softness of dawning womanhood, and nearly answers my ideal of
+female beauty. The same artist has another fine picture here--a sleeping
+Endymion. The mantle has fallen from his shoulders, as he reclines
+asleep, with his head on his hand, and his crook beside him. The silver
+crescent of Dian looks over his shoulder from the sky behind, and no
+wonder if she should become enamored, for a lovelier shepherd has not
+been seen since that of King Admetus went back to drive his chariot in
+the heavens.
+
+The "Drunken Bacchus" of Michael Angelo is greatly admired, and indeed
+it might pass for a relic of the palmiest times of Grecian art. The
+face, amidst its half-vacant, sensual expression, shows traces of its
+immortal origin, and there is still an air of dignity preserved in the
+swagger of his beautiful form. It is, in a word, the ancient idea of _a
+drunken god_. It may be doubted whether the artist's talents might not
+have been employed better than in ennobling intoxication. If he had
+represented Bacchus as he really is--degraded even below the level of
+humanity--it might be more beneficial to the mind, though less beautiful
+to the eye. However, this is a question on which artists and moralists
+cannot agree. Perhaps, too, the rich blood of the Falernian grape
+produced a more godlike delirium than the vulgar brandy which oversets
+the moderns!
+
+At one end of the gallery is a fine copy in marble of the Laocoon, by
+Bandinelli, one of the rivals of Michael Angelo. When it was finished,
+the former boasted it was better than the original, to which Michael
+made the apt reply: "It is foolish for those who walk in the footsteps
+of others, to say they go before them!"
+
+Let us enter the hall of Niobe. One starts back on seeing the many
+figures in the attitude of flight, for they seem at first about to
+spring from their pedestals. At the head of the room stands the
+afflicted mother, bending over the youngest daughter who clings to her
+knees, with an upturned countenance of deep and imploring agony. In
+vain! the shafts of Apollo fall thick, and she will soon be childless.
+No wonder the strength of that woe depicted on her countenance should
+change her into stone. One of her sons--a beautiful, boyish form,--is
+lying on his back, just expiring, with the chill langour of death
+creeping over his limbs. We seem to hear the quick whistling of the
+arrows, and look involuntarily into the air to see the hovering figure
+of the avenging god. In a chamber near is kept the head of a faun, made
+by Michael Angelo, at the age of fourteen, in the garden of Lorenzo de
+Medici, from a piece of marble given him by the workmen.
+
+The portraits of the painters are more than usually interesting. Every
+countenance is full of character. There is the pale, enthusiastic face
+of Raphael, the stern vigor of Titian, the majesty and dignity of
+Leonardo da Vinci, and the fresh beauty of Angelica Kauffmann. I liked
+best the romantic head of Raphael Mengs. In one of the rooms there is a
+portrait of Alfieri, with an autograph sonnet of his own on the back of
+it. The house in which he lived and died, is on the north bank of the
+Arno, near the Ponte Caraja, and his ashes rest in Santa Croce.
+
+Italy still remains the home of art, and it is but just she should keep
+these treasures, though the age that brought them forth has passed away.
+They are her only support now; her people are dependent for their
+subsistence on the glory of the past. The spirits of the old painters,
+living still on their canvass, earn from year to year the bread of an
+indigent and oppressed people. This ought to silence those utilitarians
+at home, who oppose the cultivation of the fine arts, on the ground of
+their being useless luxuries. Let them look to Italy, where a picture by
+Raphael or Correggio is a rich legacy for a whole city. Nothing is
+useless that gratifies that perception of beauty, which is at once the
+most delicate and the most intense of our mental sensations, binding us
+by an unconscious link nearer to nature and to Him, whose every thought
+is born of Beauty, Truth and Love. I envy not the one who looks with a
+cold and indifferent spirit on these immortal creations of the old
+masters--these poems written in marble and on the canvass. They who
+oppose every thing which can refine and spiritualize the nature of man,
+by binding him down to the cares of the work-day world alone, cheat life
+of half its glory.
+
+The eighth of this month was the anniversary of the birth of the Virgin,
+and the celebration, if such it might be called, commenced the evening
+before, It is the custom, and Heaven only knows how it originated, for
+the people of the lower class to go through the streets in a company,
+blowing little penny whistles. We were walking that night in the
+direction of the Duomo, when we met a band of these men, blowing with
+all their might on the shrill whistles, so that the whole neighborhood
+resounded with one continual, piercing, ear-splitting shriek. They
+marched in a kind of quick trot through the streets, followed by a crowd
+of boys, and varying the noise occasionally by shouts and howls of the
+most horrible character. They paraded through all the principal streets
+of the city, which for an hour sent up such an agonizing scream that you
+might have fancied it an enormous monster, expiring in great torment.
+The people seemed to take the whole thing as a matter of course, but it
+was to us a novel manner of ushering in a religious festival.
+
+The sky was clear and blue, as it always is in this Italian paradise,
+when we left Florence a few days ago for Fiesole. In spite of many
+virtuous efforts to rise early, it was nine o'clock before we left the
+Porta San Gallo, with its triumphal arch to the Emperor Francis,
+striding the road to Bologna. We passed through the public walk at this
+end of the city, and followed the road to Fiesole along the dried-up bed
+of a mountain torrent. The dwellings of the Florentine nobility occupy
+the whole slope, surrounded with rich and lovely gardens. The mountain
+and plain are both covered with luxuriant olive orchards, whose foliage
+of silver gray gives the scene the look of a moonlight landscape.
+
+At the base of the mountain of Fiesole we passed one of the summer
+palaces of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and a little distance beyond, took a
+foot-path overshadowed by magnificent cypresses, between whose dark
+trunks we looked down on the lovely Val d'Arno. But I will reserve all
+description of the view till we arrive at the summit.
+
+The modern village of Fiesole occupies the site of an ancient city,
+generally supposed to be of Etrurian origin. Just above, on one of the
+peaks of the mountain, stands the Acropolis, formerly used as a
+fortress, but now untenanted save by a few monks. From the side of its
+walls, beneath the shade of a few cypresses, there is a magnificent view
+of the whole of Val d'Arno, with Florence--the gem of Italy--in the
+centre. Stand with me a moment on the height, and let us gaze on this
+grand panorama, around which the Apennines stretch with a majestic
+sweep, wrapped in a robe of purple air, through which shimmer the villas
+and villages on their sides! The lovely vale lies below us in its garb
+of olive groves, among which beautiful villas are sprinkled as
+plentifully as white anemones in the woods of May. Florence lies in
+front of us, the magnificent cupola of the Duomo crowning its clustered
+palaces. We see the airy tower of the Palazzo Vecchio--the new spire of
+Santa Croce--and the long front of the Palazzo Pitti, with the dark
+foliage of the Boboli Gardens behind. Beyond, far to the south, are the
+summits of the mountains near Siena. We can trace the sandy bed of the
+Arno down the valley till it disappears at the foot of the Lower
+Apennines, which mingle in the distance with the mountains of Carrara.
+
+Galileo was wont to make observations "at evening from the top of
+Fiesole," and the square tower of the old church is still pointed out as
+the spot. Many a night did he ascend to its projecting terrace, and
+watch the stars as they rolled around through the clearest heaven to
+which a philosopher ever looked up.
+
+We passed through an orchard of fig trees, and vines laden with
+beautiful purple and golden clusters, and in a few minutes reached the
+remains of an amphitheatre, in a little nook on the mountain side. This
+was a work of Roman construction, as its form indicates. Three or four
+ranges of seats alone, are laid bare, and these have only been
+discovered within a few years. A few steps further we came to a sort of
+cavern, overhung with wild fig-trees. After creeping in at the entrance,
+we found ourselves in an oval chamber, tall enough to admit of our
+standing upright, and rudely but very strongly built. This was one of
+the dens in which the wild beasts were kept; they were fed by a hole in
+the top, now closed up. This cell communicates with four or five others,
+by apertures broken in the walls. I stepped into one, and could see in
+the dim light, that it was exactly similar to the first, and opened into
+another beyond.
+
+Further down the mountain we found the ancient wall of the city, without
+doubt of Etrurian origin. It is of immense blocks of stone, and extends
+more or less dilapidated around the whole brow of the mountain. In one
+place there stands a solitary gateway, of large stones, which looks as
+if it might have been one of the first attempts at using the principle
+of the arch. These ruins are all gray and ivied, and it startles one to
+think what a history Earth has lived through since their foundations
+were laid!
+
+We sat all the afternoon under the cypress trees and looked down on the
+lovely valley, practising Italian sometimes with two young Florentines
+who came up to enjoy the "_bell'aria_" of Fiesole. Descending as sunset
+drew on, we reached the Porta San Gallo, as the people of Florence were
+issuing forth to their evening promenade.
+
+One of my first visits was to the church of Santa Croce. This is one of
+the oldest in Florence, venerated alike by foreigners and citizens, for
+the illustrious dead whose remains it holds. It is a plain, gloomy pile,
+the front of which is still unfinished, though at the base, one sees
+that it was originally designed to be covered with black marble. On
+entering the door we first saw the tomb of Michael Angelo. Around the
+marble sarcophagus which contains his ashes are three mourning figures,
+representing Sculpture, Painting and Architecture, and his bust stands
+above--a rough, stern countenance, like a man of vast but unrefined
+mind. Further on are the tombs of Alfieri and Machiavelli and the
+colossal cenotaph lately erected to Dante. Opposite reposes Galileo.
+What a world of renown in these few names! It makes one venerate the
+majesty of his race, to stand beside the dust of such lofty spirits.
+
+Dante's monument may be said to be only erected to his memory; he sleeps
+at the place of his exile,
+
+    "Like Scipio, buried by the upbraiding shore!"
+
+It is the work of Ricci, a Florentine artist, and has been placed there
+within a few years. The colossal figure of Poetry weeping over the empty
+urn, might better express the regret of Florence in being deprived of
+his ashes. The figure of Dante himself, seated above, is grand and
+majestic; his head is inclined as if in meditation, and his features
+bear the expression of sublime thought. Were this figure placed there
+alone, on a simple and massive pedestal, it would be more in keeping
+with his fame than the lumbering heaviness of the present monument.
+
+Machiavelli's tomb is adorned with a female figure representing History,
+bearing his portrait. The inscription, which seems to be somewhat
+exaggerated, is: _tanto nomini nullum par elogium_. Near lies Alfieri,
+the "prince of tragedy," as he is called by the Italians. In his life he
+was fond of wandering among the tombs of Santa Croce, and it is said
+that there the first desire and presentiment of his future glory stirred
+within his breast. Now he slumbers among them, not the least honored
+name of that immortal company.
+
+Galileo's tomb is adorned with his bust. His face is calm and dignified,
+and he holds appropriately in his hands, a globe and telescope. Aretino,
+the historian, lies on his tomb with a copy of his works clasped to his
+breast; above that of Lanzi, the historian of painting, there is a
+beautiful fresco of the angel of fame; and opposite to him is the
+scholar Lamio. The most beautiful monument in the church is that of a
+Polish princess, in the transept. She is lying on the bier, her features
+settled in the repose of death, and her thin, pale hands clasped across
+her breast. The countenance wears that half-smile, "so coldly sweet and
+sadly fair," which so often throws a beauty over the face of the dead,
+and the light pall reveals the fixed yet graceful outline of the form.
+
+In that part of the city, which lies on the south bank of the Arno, is
+the palace of the Grand Duke, known by the name of the Palazzo Pitti,
+from a Florentine noble of that name, by whom it was first built. It is
+a very large, imposing pile, preserving an air of lightness in spite of
+the rough, heavy stones of which it is built. It is another example of a
+magnificent failure. The Marquis Strozzi, having built a palace which
+was universally admired for its beauty, (which stands yet, a model of
+chaste and massive elegance,) his rival, the Marquis Pitti, made the
+proud boast that he would build a palace, in the court-yard of which
+could bo placed that of Strozzi. These are actually the dimensions of
+the court-yard; but in building the palace, although he was liberally
+assisted by the Florentine people, he ruined himself, and his
+magnificent residence passed into other hands, while that of Strozzi is
+inhabited by his descendants to this very day.
+
+The gallery of the Palazzo Pitti is one of the finest in Europe. It
+contains six or seven hundred paintings, selected from the best works of
+the Italian masters. By the praiseworthy liberality of the Duke, they
+are open to the public, six hours every day, and the rooms are thronged
+with artists of all nations.
+
+Among Titian's works, there is his celebrated "Bella," a half-length
+figure of a young woman. It is a masterpiece of warm and brilliant
+coloring, without any decided expression. The countenance is that of
+vague, undefined thought, as of one who knew as yet nothing of the
+realities of life. In another room is his Magdalen, a large, voluptuous
+form, with her brown hair falling like a veil over her shoulders and
+breast, but in her upturned countenance one can sooner read a prayer for
+an absent lover than repentance for sins she has committed.
+
+What could excel in beauty the _Madonna della Sedia_ of Raphael? It is
+another of those works of that divine artist, on which we gaze and gaze
+with a never-tiring enjoyment of its angelic beauty. To my eye it is
+faultless; I could not wish a single outline of form, a single shade of
+color changed. Like his unrivalled Madonna in the Dresden Gallery, its
+beauty is spiritual as well as earthly; and while gazing on the glorious
+countenance of the Jesus-child, I feel an impulse I can scarcely
+explain--a longing to tear it from the canvas as if it were a breathing
+form, and clasp it to my heart in a glow of passionate love. What a
+sublime inspiration Raphael must have felt when he painted it! Judging
+from its effect on the beholder, I can conceive of no higher mental
+excitement than that required to create it.
+
+Here are also some of the finest and best preserved pictures of Salvator
+Rosa, and his portrait--a wild head, full of spirit and genius. Besides
+several landscapes in his savage and stormy style, there are two large
+sea-views, in which the atmosphere is of a deep and exquisite softness,
+without impairing the strength and boldness of the composition. "A
+Battle Scene," is terrible. Hundreds of combatants are met in the shock
+and struggle of conflict. Horses, mailed knights, vassals are mixed
+together in wild confusion; banners are waving and lances flashing amid
+the dust and smoke, while the wounded and dying are trodden under foot
+in darkness and blood. I now first begin to comprehend the power and
+sublimity of his genius. From the wildness and gloom of his pictures, he
+might almost be called the Byron of painters.
+
+There is a small group of the "Fates," by Michael Angelo, which is one
+of the best of the few pictures which remain of him. As is well known,
+he disliked the art, saying it was only fit for women. This picture
+shows, however, how much higher he might have gone, had he been so
+inclined. The three weird sisters are ghostly and awful--the one who
+stands behind, holding the distaff, almost frightful. She who stands
+ready to cut the thread as it is spun out, has a slight trace of pity on
+her fixed and unearthly lineaments. It is a faithful embodiment of the
+old Greek idea of the Fates. I have wondered why some artist has not
+attempted the subject in a different way. In the Northern Mythology they
+are represented as wild maidens, armed with swords and mounted on fiery
+coursers. Why might they not also be pictured as angels, with
+countenances of a sublime and mysterious beauty--one all radiant with
+hope and promise of glory, and one with the token of a better future
+mingled with the sadness with which it severs the links of life?
+
+There are many, many other splendid works in this collection, but it is
+unnecessary to mention them. I have only endeavored, by taking a few of
+the best known, to give some idea of them as they appear to me. There
+are hundreds of pictures here, which, though gems in themselves, are by
+masters who are rarely heard of in America, and it would be of little
+interest to go through the Gallery, describing it in guide-book fashion.
+Indeed, to describe galleries, however rich and renowned they may be, is
+in general a work of so much difficulty, that I know not whether the
+writer or the reader is made most tired thereby.
+
+This collection possesses also the celebrated statue of Venus, by
+Canova. She stands in the centre of a little apartment, filled with the
+most delicate and graceful works of painting. Although undoubtedly a
+figure of great beauty, it by no means struck me as possessing that
+exquisite and classic perfection which has been ascribed to it. The
+Venus de Medici far surpasses it. The head is larger in proportion to
+the size of the body, than that of the latter, but has not the same
+modest, virgin expression. The arm wrapped in the robe which she is
+pressing to her breast, is finely executed, but the fingers of the other
+hand are bad--looking, as my friend said, as if the ends were _whittled_
+off! The body is, however, of fine proportions, though, taken as a
+whole, the statue is inferior to many other of Canova's works.
+
+Occupying all the hill back of the Pitti Palace, are the Boboli Gardens,
+three times a week the great resort of the Florentines. They are said to
+be the most beautiful gardens in Italy. Numberless paths, diverging from
+a magnificent amphitheatre in the old Roman style, opposite the
+court-yard, lend either in long flights of steps and terraces, or gentle
+windings among beds sweet with roses, to the summit. Long avenues,
+entirely arched and interwoven with the thick foliage of the laurel,
+which here grows to a tree, stretch along the slopes or wind in the
+woods through thickets of the fragrant bay. Parterres, rich with flowers
+and shrubbery, alternate with delightful groves of the Italian pine,
+acacia and laurel-leaved oak, and along the hillside, gleaming among the
+foliage, are placed statues of marble, some of which are from the
+chisels of Michael Angelo and Bandinelli. In one part there is a little
+sheet of water, with an island of orange-trees in the centre, from which
+a broad avenue of cypresses and statues leads to the very summit of the
+hill.
+
+We often go there to watch the sun set over Florence and the vale of the
+Arno. The palace lies directly below, and a clump of pine-trees on the
+hillside, that stand out in bold relief on the glowing sky, makes the
+foreground to one of the loveliest pictures this side of the Atlantic. I
+saw one afternoon the Grand Duke and his family get into their carriage
+to drive out. One of the little dukes, who seemed a mischievous imp, ran
+out on a projection of the portico, where considerable persuasion had to
+be used to induce him to jump into the arms of his royal papa. I turned
+from these titled infants to watch a group of beautiful American
+children playing, for my attention was drawn to them by the sound of
+familiar words, and I learned afterwards they were the children of the
+sculptor Powers. I contrasted involuntarily the destinies of each;--one
+to the enjoyment and proud energy of freedom, and one to the confining
+and vitiating atmosphere of a court. The merry voices of the latter, as
+they played on the grass, came to my ears most gratefully. There is
+nothing so sweet as to hear one's native tongue in a foreign land from
+the lips of children!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+A PILGRIMAGE TO VALLOMBROSA.
+
+
+A pilgrimage to Vallombrosa!--in sooth it has a romantic sound. The
+phrase calls up images of rosaries, and crosses, and shaven-headed
+friars. Had we lived in the olden days, such things might verily have
+accompanied our journey to that holy monastery. We might then have gone
+barefoot, saying prayers as we toiled along the banks of the Arno and up
+the steep Appenines, as did Benevenuto Cellini, before he poured the
+melted bronze into the mould of his immortal Perseus. But we are
+pilgrims to the shrines of Art and Genius; the dwelling-places of great
+minds are our sanctuaries. The mean dwelling, in which a poet has
+battled down poverty with the ecstacy of his mighty conceptions, and the
+dungeon in which a persecuted philosopher has languished, are to us
+sacred; we turn aside from the palaces of kings and the battle-fields of
+conquerors, to visit them. The famed miracles of San Giovanni Gualberto
+added little, in our eyes, to the interest of Vallombrosa, but there
+were reverence and inspiration in the names of Dante, Milton, and
+Ariosto.
+
+We left Florence early, taking the way that leads from the Porta della
+Croce, up the north bank of the Arno. It was a bright morning, but there
+was a shade of vapor on the hills, which a practised eye might have
+taken as a prognostic of the rain that too soon came on. Fiesole, with
+its tower and Acropolis, stood out brightly from the blue background,
+and the hill of San Miniato lay with its cypress groves in the softest
+morning light. The _Contadini_ were driving into the city in their
+basket wagons, and there were some fair young faces among them, that
+made us think Italian beauty was not altogether in the imagination.
+
+After walking three or four miles, we entered the Appenines, keeping
+along the side of the Arno, whose bed is more than half dried up from
+the long summer heats. The mountain sides were covered with vineyards,
+glowing with their wealth of white and purple grapes, but the summits
+were naked and barren. We passed through the little town of Ponte Sieve,
+at the entrance of a romantic valley, where our view of the Arno was
+made more interesting by the lofty range of the Appenines, amid whose
+forests we could see the white front of the monastery of Vallombrosa.
+But the clouds sank low and hid it from sight, and the rain came on so
+hard that we were obliged to take shelter occasionally in the cottages
+by the wayside. In one of these we made a dinner of the hard, black
+bread of the country, rendered palatable by the addition of mountain
+cheese and some chips of an antique Bologna sausage. We were much amused
+in conversing with the simple hosts and their shy, gipsy-like children,
+one of whom, a dark-eyed, curly-haired boy, bore the name of Raphael. We
+also became acquainted with a shoemaker and his family, who owned a
+little olive orchard and vineyard, which they said produced enough to
+support them. Wishing to know much a family of six consumed in a year,
+we inquired the yield of their property. They answered, twenty small
+barrels of wine, and ten of oil. It was nearly sunset when we reached
+Pellago, and the wet walk and coarse fare we were obliged to take on the
+road, well qualified us to enjoy the excellent supper the pleasant
+landlady gave us.
+
+This little town is among the Appenines, at the foot of the magnificent
+mountain of Vallombrosa. What a blessing it was for Milton, that he saw
+its loveliness before his eyes closed on this beautiful earth, and
+gained from it another hue in which to dip his pencil, when he painted
+the bliss of Eden! I watched the hills all day as we approached them,
+and thought how often his eyes had rested on their outlines, and how he
+had carried their forms in his memory for many a sunless year. The
+banished Dante, too, had trodden them, flying from his ungrateful
+country; and many another, whose genius has made him a beacon in the
+dark sea of the world's history. It is one of those places where the
+enjoyment is all romance, and the blood thrills as we gaze upon it.
+
+We started early next morning, crossed the ravine, and took the
+well-paved way to the monastery along the mountain side. The stones are
+worn smooth by the sleds in which ladies and provisions are conveyed up,
+drawn by the beautiful white Tuscan oxen. The hills are covered with
+luxuriant chesnut and oak trees, of those picturesque forms which they
+only wear in Italy: one wild dell in particular is much resorted to by
+painters for the ready-made foregrounds it supplies. Further on, we
+passed the _Paterno_, a rich farm belonging to the Monks. The vines
+which hung from tree to tree, were almost breaking beneath clusters as
+heavy and rich as those which the children of Israel bore on staves from
+the Promised Land. Of their flavor, we can say, from experience, they
+were worthy to have grown in Paradise. We then entered a deep dell of
+the mountain, where little shepherd girls were sitting on the rocks
+tending their sheep and spinning with their fingers from a distaff, in
+the same manner, doubtless, as the Roman shepherdesses two thousand
+years ago. Gnarled, gray olive trees, centuries old, grew upon the bare
+soil, and a little rill fell in many a tiny cataract down the glen. By a
+mill, in one of the coolest and wildest nooks I ever saw, two of us
+acted the part of water-spirits under one of these, to the great
+astonishment of four peasants, who watched us from a distance.
+
+Beyond, our road led through forests of chesnut and oak, and a broad
+view of mountain and vale lay below us. We asked a peasant boy we met,
+how much land the Monks of Vallombrosa possessed. "_All that you see_!"
+was the reply. The dominion of the good fathers reached once even to the
+gates of Florence. At length, about noon, we emerged from the woods into
+a broad avenue leading across a lawn, at whose extremity stood the
+massivs buildings of the monastery. On a rock that towered above it, was
+the _Paradisino_, beyond which rose the mountain, covered with forests--
+
+    "Shade above shade, a woody theatre.
+    Of stateliest view"--
+
+as Milton describes it. We were met at the entrance by a young monk in
+cowl and cassock, to whom we applied for permission to stay till the
+next day, which was immediately given. Brother Placido (for that was his
+name) then asked us if we would not have dinner. We replied that our
+appetites were none the worse for climbing the mountain; and in half an
+hour sat down to a dinner, the like of which we had not seen for a long
+time. Verily, thought I, it must be a pleasant thing to be a monk, after
+all!--that is, a monk of Vallombrosa.
+
+In the afternoon we walked through a grand pine forest to the western
+brow of the mountain, where a view opened which it would require a
+wonderful power of the imagination for you to see in fancy, as I did in
+reality. From the height where we stood, the view was uninterrupted to
+the Mediterranean, a distance of more than seventy miles; a valley
+watered by a brunch of the Arno swept far to the east, to the mountains
+near the Luke of Thrasymene; northwestwards the hills of Carrara
+bordered the horizon; the space between these wide points was filled
+with mountains and valleys, all steeped in that soft blue mist which
+makes Italian landscapes more like heavenly visions than realities.
+Florence was visible afar off, and the current of the Arno flashed in
+the sun. A cool and almost chilling wind blew constantly over the
+mountain, although the country below basked in summer heat. We lay on
+the rocks, and let our souls luxuriate in the lovely scene till near
+sunset. Brother Placido brought us supper in the evening, with his
+ever-smiling countenance, and we soon after went to our beds in the
+neat, plain chambers, to get rid of the unpleasant coldness.
+
+Next morning it was damp and misty, and thick clouds rolled down the
+forests towards the convent. I set out for the "Little Paradise," taking
+in my way the pretty cascade which falls some fifty feet down the rocks.
+The building is not now as it was when Milton lived here, having been
+rebuilt within a short time. I found no one there, and satisfied my
+curiosity by climbing over the wall and looking in at the windows. A
+little chapel stands in a cleft of the rock below, to mark the
+miraculous escape of St. John Gualberto, founder of the monastery. Being
+one day very closely pursued by the Devil, he took shelter under the
+rock, which immediately became soft and admitted him into it, while the
+fiend, unable to stop, was precipitated over the steep. All this is
+related in a Latin inscription, and we saw a large hollow in the rock
+near, which must have been intended for the imprint left by his sacred
+person.
+
+One of the monks told us another legend, concerning a little chapel
+which stands alone on a wild part of the mountain, above a rough pile of
+crags, called the "Peak of the Devil." "In the time of San Giovanni
+Gualberto, the holy founder of our order," said he, "there was a young
+man, of a noble family in Florence, who was so moved by the words of the
+saintly father, that he forsook the world, wherein he had lived with
+great luxury and dissipation, and became monk. But, after a time, being
+young and tempted again by the pleasures he had renounced, he put off
+the sacred garments. The holy San Giovanni warned him of the terrible
+danger in which he stood, and at length the wicked young man returned.
+It was not a great while, however, before he became dissatisfied, and in
+spite all holy counsel, did the same thing again. But behold what
+happened! As he was walking along the peak where the chapel stands,
+thinking nothing of his great crime, the devil sprang suddenly from
+behind a rock, and catching the young man in his arms, before he could
+escape, carried him with a dreadful noise and a great red flame and
+smoke over the precipice, so that he was never afterwards seen."
+
+The church attached to the monastery is small, but very solemn and
+venerable. I went several times to muse in its still, gloomy aisle, and
+hear the murmuring chant of the Monks, who went through their exercises
+in some of the chapels. At one time I saw them all, in long black
+cassocks, march in solemn order to the chapel of St. John Gualberto,
+where they sang a deep chant, which to me had something awful and
+sepulchral in it. Behind the high altar I saw their black, carved chairs
+of polished oak, with ponderous gilded foliants lying on the rails
+before them. The attendant opened one of these, that we might see the
+manuscript notes, three or four centuries old, from which they sung.
+
+We were much amused in looking through two or three Italian books, which
+were lying in the traveler's room. One of these which our friend Mr.
+Tandy, of Kentucky, read, described the miracles of the patron saint
+with an air of the most ridiculous solemnity. The other was a
+description of the Monastery, its foundation, history, etc. In
+mentioning its great and far-spread renown, the author stated then even
+an English poet, by the name of Milton, had mentioned it in the
+following lines, which I copied verbatim from the book:
+
+    "Thick as autumnal scaves that strow she brooks
+    In vallombrosa, whereth Etruian Jades
+    Stigh over orch d'embrover!"
+
+In looking over the stranger's book, I found among the names of my
+countrymen, that of S. V. Clevenger, the talented and lamented sculptor
+who died at sea on his passage home. There were also the names of Mrs.
+Shelley and the Princess Potemkin, and I saw written on the wall, the
+autograph of Jean Reboul, the celebrated modern French poet. We were so
+delighted with the place we would have stayed another day, but for fear
+of trepassing too much on the lavish and unceasing hospitality of the
+good fathers.
+
+So in the afternoon we shook hands with Brother Placido, and turned our
+backs regretfully upon one of the loneliest and loveliest spots of which
+earth can boast. The sky became gradually clear as we descended, and the
+mist raised itself from the distant mountains. We ran down through the
+same chesnut groves, diverging a little to go through the village of
+Tosi, which is very picturesque when seen from a distance, but extremely
+dirty to one passing through. I stopped in the ravine below to take a
+sketch of the mill and bridge, and as we sat, the line of golden
+sunlight rose higher on the mountains above. On walking down the shady
+side of this glen, we were enraptured with the scenery. A brilliant yet
+mellow glow lay over the whole opposing height, lighting up the houses
+of Tosi and the white cottages half seen among the olives, while the
+mountain of Vallombrosa stretched far heavenward like a sunny painting,
+with only a misty wreath floating and waving around its summit. The
+glossy foliage of the chesnuts was made still brighter by the warm
+light, and the old olives softened down into a silvery gray, whose
+contrast gave the landscape a character of the mellowest beauty. As we
+wound out of the deep glen, the broad valleys and ranges of the
+Appenines lay before us, forests, castles and villages steeped in the
+soft, vapory blue of the Italian atmosphere, and the current of the Arno
+flashing like a golden belt through the middle of the picture.
+
+The sun was nearly down, and the mountains just below him were of a
+deep purple hue, while those that ran out to the eastward wore the most
+aerial shade of blue. A few scattered clouds, floating above, soon put
+on the sunset robe of orange and a band of the same soft color encircled
+the western horizon. It did not reach half way to the zenith, however;
+the sky above was blue, of such a depth and transparency, that to gaze
+upward was like looking into eternity. Then how softly and soothingly
+the twilight came on! How deep a hush sank on the chesnut glades, broken
+only by the song of the cicada, chirping its "good-night carol!" The
+mountains, too, how majestic they stood in their deep purple outlines!
+Sweet, sweet Italy! I can feel now how the soul may cling to thee, since
+thou canst thus gratify its insatiable thirst for the Beautiful. Even
+thy plainest scene is clothed in hues that seem borrowed of heaven! In
+the twilight, more radiant than light, and the stillness, more eloquent
+than music, which sink down over the sunny beauty of thy shores, there
+is a silent, intense poetry that stirs the soul through all its
+impassioned depths. With warm, blissful tears filling the eyes and a
+heart overflowing with its own bright fancies, I wander in the solitude
+and calm of such a time, and love thee as if I were a child of thy soil!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WALK TO SIENA AND PRATOLINO--INCIDENTS IN FLORENCE.
+
+
+_October 16._--My cousin, being anxious to visit Rome, and reach
+Heidelberg before the commencement of the winter semestre, set out
+towards the end of September, on foot. We accompanied him as far as
+Siena, forty miles distant. As I shall most probably take another road
+to the Eternal City, the present is a good opportunity to say something
+of that romantic old town, so famous throughout Italy for the honesty of
+its inhabitants.
+
+We dined the first day, seventeen miles from Florence, at Tavenella,
+where, for a meagre dinner the hostess had the assurance to ask us seven
+pauls. We told her we would give but four and a half, and by assuming a
+decided manner, with a plentiful use of the word "Signora" she was
+persuaded to be fully satisfied with the latter sum. From a height near,
+we could see the mountains coasting the Mediterranean, and shortly
+after, on descending a long hill, the little town of Poggibonsi lay in
+the warm afternoon light, on an eminence before us. It was soon passed
+with its dusky towers, then Stagia looking desolate in its ruined and
+ivied walls, and following the advice of a peasant, we stopped for the
+night at the inn of Querciola. As we knew something of Italian by this
+time, we thought it best to inquire the price of lodging, before
+entering. The _padrone_ asked if we meant to take supper also. We
+answered in the affirmative; "then," said he, "you will pay half a paul
+(about five emits) apiece for a bed." We passed under the swinging bunch
+of boughs, which in Italy is the universal sign of an inn for the common
+people, and entered the bare, smoky room appropriated to travelers. A
+long table, with well-worn benches, were the only furniture; we threw
+our knapsacks on one end of it and sat down, amusing ourselves while
+supper was preparing, in looking at a number of grotesque charcoal
+drawings on the wall, which the flaring light of our tall iron lamp
+revealed to us. At length the hostess, a kindly-looking woman, with a
+white handkerchief folded gracefully around her head, brought us a dish
+of fried eggs, which, with the coarse black bread of the peasants and a
+basket full of rich grapes, made us an excellent supper. We slept on
+mattresses stuffed with corn husks, placed on square iron frames, which
+are the bedsteads most used in Italy. A brightly-painted caricature of
+some saint or a rough crucifix, trimmed with bay leaves, hung at the
+head of each bed, and under their devout protection we enjoyed a safe
+and unbroken slumber.
+
+Next morning we set out early to complete the remaining ten miles to
+Siena. The only thing of interest on the road, is the ruined wall and
+battlements of Castiglione, circling a high hill and looking as old as
+the days of Etruria. The towers of Siena are seen at some distance, but
+approaching it from this side, the traveler does not perceive its
+romantic situation until he arrives. It stands on a double hill, which
+is very steep on some sides; the hollow between the two peaks is
+occupied by the great public square, ten or fifteen feet lower than the
+rest of the city. We left our knapsacks at a _cafè_ and sought the
+celebrated Cathedral, which stands in the highest part of the town,
+forming with its flat dome and lofty marble tower, an apex to the
+pyramidal mass of buildings.
+
+The interior is rich and elegantly perfect. Every part is of black and
+white marble, in what I should call the _striped_ style, which has a
+singular but agreeable effect. The inside of the dome and the vaulted
+ceilings of the chapels, are of blue, with golden stars; the pavement in
+the centre is so precious a work that it is kept covered with boards and
+only shown once a year. There are some pictures of great value in this
+Cathedral; one of "The Descent of the Dove," is worthy of the best days
+of Italian art. In an adjoining chamber, with frescoed walls, and a
+beautiful tesselated pavement, is the library, consisting of a few huge
+old volumes, which with their brown covers and brazen clasps, look as
+much like a collection of flat leather trunks as any thing else. In the
+centre of the room stands the mutilated group of the Grecian Graces,
+found in digging the foundation of the Cathedral. The figures are still
+beautiful and graceful, with that exquisite curve of outline which is
+such a charm in the antique statues. Canova has only perfected the idea
+in his celebrated group, which is nearly a copy of this.
+
+We strolled through the square and then accompanied our friend to the
+Roman gate, where we took leave of him for six months at least. He felt
+lonely at the thought of walking in Italy without a companion, but was
+cheered by the anticipation of soon reaching Rome. We watched him
+awhile, walking rapidly over the hot plain towards Radicofani, and then,
+turning our faces with much pleasure towards Florence, we commenced the
+return walk. I must not forget to mention the delicious grapes which we
+bought, begged and stole on the way. The whole country is like one
+vineyard--and the people live, in a great measure, on the fruit, during
+this part of the year. Would you not think it highly romantic and
+agreeable to sit in the shade of a cypress grove, beside some old
+weather-beaten statues, looking out over the vales of the Appenines,
+with a pile of white and purple grapes beside you, the like of which can
+scarcely be had in America for love or money, and which had been given
+you by a dark-eyed peasant girl? If so, you may envy us, for such was
+exactly our situation on the morning before reaching Florence.
+
+Being in the Duomo, two or three days ago, I met a German traveler, who
+has walked through Italy thus far, and intends continuing his journey to
+Rome and Naples. His name is Von Raumer. He was well acquainted with the
+present state of America, and I derived much pleasure from his
+intelligent conversation. We concluded to ascend the cupola in company.
+Two black-robed boys led the way; after climbing an infinite number of
+steps, we reached the gallery around the foot of the dome. The glorious
+view of that paradise, the vale of the Arno, shut in on all sides by
+mountains, some bare and desolate, some covered with villas, gardens,
+and groves, lay in soft, hazy light, with the shadows of a few light
+clouds moving slowly across it. They next took us to a gallery on the
+inside of the dome, where we first saw the immensity of its structure.
+Only from a distant view, or in ascending it, can one really measure its
+grandeur. The frescoes, which from below appear the size of life, are
+found to be rough and monstrous daubs; each figure being nearly as many
+fathoms in length as a man is feet. Continuing our ascent, we mounted
+between the inside and outside shells of the dome. It was indeed a bold
+idea for Brunelleschi to raise such a mass in air. The dome of Saint
+Peter's, which is scarcely as large, was not made until a century after,
+and this was, therefore, the first attempt at raising one on so grand a
+scale. It seems still as solid as if just built.
+
+There was a small door in one of the projections of the lantern, which
+the sacristan told us to enter and ascend still higher. Supposing there
+was a fine view to be gained, two priests, who had just come up, entered
+it; the German followed, and I after him. After crawling in at the low
+door, we found ourselves in a hollow pillar, little wider than our
+bodies. Looking up, I saw the German's legs just above my head, while
+the other two were above him, ascending by means of little iron bars
+fastened in the marble. The priests were very much amused, and the
+German said:--"This is the first time I ever learned chimney-sweeping!"
+We emerged at length into a hollow cone, hot and dark, with a rickety
+ladder going up somewhere; we could not see where. The old priest, not
+wishing to trust himself to it, sent his younger brother up, and we
+shouted after him:--"What kind of a view have you?" He climbed up till
+the cone got so narrow he could go no further, and answered back in the
+darkness:--"I see nothing at all!" Shortly after he came down, covered
+with dust and cobwebs, and we all descended the chimney quicker than we
+went up. The old priest considered it a good joke, and laughed till his
+fat sides shook. We asked the sacristan why he sent us up, and he
+answered:--"To see _the construction of the Church_!"
+
+I attended service in the Cathedral one dark, rainy morning, and was
+never before so deeply impressed with the majesty and grandeur of the
+mighty edifice. The thick, cloudy atmosphere darkened still more the
+light which came through the stained windows, and a solemn twilight
+reigned in the long aisles. The mighty dome sprang far aloft, as if it
+enclosed a part of heaven, for the light that struggled through the
+windows around its base, lay in broad bars on the blue, hazy air. I
+would not have been surprised at seeing a cloud float along within it.
+The lofty burst of the organ, that seemed like the pantings of a
+monster, boomed echoing away through dome and nave, with a chiming,
+metallic vibration, that shook the massive pillars which it would defy
+an earthquake to rend. All was wrapped in dusky obscurity, except where,
+in the side-chapels, crowns of tapers were burning around the images.
+One knows not which most to admire, the genius which could conceive, or
+the perseverance which could accomplish such a work, On one side of the
+square, the colossal statue of the architect, glorious old Brunelleschi,
+is most appropriately placed, looking up with pride at his performance.
+
+The sunshine and genial airs of Italy have gone, leaving instead a cold,
+gloomy sky and chilling winds. The autumnal season has fairly commenced,
+and I suppose I must bid adieu to the brightness which made me in love
+with the land. The change has been no less sudden than unpleasant, and
+if, as they say, it will continue all winter with little variation, I
+shall have to seek a clearer climate. In the cold of these European
+winters, there is, as I observed last year in Germany, a dull, damp
+chill, quite different from the bracing, exhilarating frosts of America.
+It stagnates the vital principle and leaves the limbs dull and heavy,
+with a lifeless feeling which can scarcely be overcome by vigorous
+action. At least, such has been my experience.
+
+We lately made an excursion to Pratolino, on the Appenines, to see the
+vintage and the celebrated colossus, by John of Bologna. Leaving
+Florence in the morning, with a cool, fresh wind blowing down from the
+mountains, we began ascending by the road to Bologna. We passed Fiesole
+with its tower and acropolis on the right, ascending slowly, with the
+bold peak of one of the loftiest Appenines on our left. The abundant
+fruit of the olive was beginning to turn brown, and the grapes were all
+gathered in from the vineyards, but we learned from a peasant boy that
+the vintage was not finished at Pratolino.
+
+We finally arrived at an avenue shaded with sycamores, leading to the
+royal park. The vintagers were busy in the fields around, unloading the
+vines of their purple tribute, and many a laugh and jest among the merry
+peasants enlivened the toil. We assisted them in disposing of some fine
+clusters, and then sought the "Colossus of the Appenines." He stands
+above a little lake, at the head of a long mountain-slope, broken with
+clumps of magnificent trees. This remarkable figure, the work of John of
+Bologna, impresses one like a relic of the Titans. He is represented as
+half-kneeling, supporting himself with one hand, while the other is
+pressed upon the head of a dolphin, from which a little stream falls
+into the lake. The height of the figure when erect, would amount to more
+than sixty feet! We measured one of the feet, which is a single piece of
+rock, about eight feet long; from the ground to the top of one knee is
+nearly twenty feet. The limbs are formed of pieces of stone, joined
+together, and the body of stone and brick. His rough hair and eyebrows,
+and the beard, which reached nearly to the ground, are formed of
+stalactites, taken from caves, and fastened together in a dripping and
+crusted mass. These hung also from his limbs and body, and gave him the
+appearance of Winter in his mail of icicles. By climbing up the rocks at
+his back, we entered his body, which contains a small-sized room; it was
+even possible to ascend through his neck and look out at his ear! The
+face is in keeping with the figure--stern and grand, and the architect
+(one can hardly say sculptor) has given to it the majestic air and
+sublimity of the Appenines. But who can build up _an image of the Alp_?
+
+We visited the factory on the estate, where wine and oil are made. The
+men had just brought in a cart load of large wooden vessels, filled with
+grapes, which they were mashing with heavy wooden pestles. When the
+grapes were pretty well reduced to pulp and juice, they emptied them
+into an enormous tub, which they told us would be covered air-tight, and
+left for three or four weeks, after which the wine would be drawn off at
+the bottom. They showed us also a great stone mill for grinding olives;
+this estate of the Grand Duke produces five hundred barrels of wine and
+a hundred and fifty of oil, every year. The former article is the
+universal beverage of the laboring classes in Italy, or I might say of
+all classes; it is, however, the pure blood of the grape, and although
+used in such quantities, one sees little drunkenness--far less than in
+our own land.
+
+Tuscany enjoys at present a more liberal government than any other part
+of Italy, and the people are, in many respects, prosperous and happy.
+The Grand Duke, although enjoying almost absolute privileges, is
+disposed to encourage every measure which may promote the welfare of his
+subjects. The people are, indeed, very heavily taxed, but this is less
+severely felt by them, than it would be by the inhabitants of colder
+climes. The soil produces with little labor all that is necessary for
+their support; though kept constantly in a state of comparative poverty,
+they appear satisfied with their lot, and rarely look further than the
+necessities of the present. In love with the delightful climate, they
+cherish their country, fallen as she is, and are rarely induced to leave
+her. Even the wealthier classes of the Italians travel very little; they
+can learn the manners and habits of foreigners nearly as well in their
+own country as elsewhere, and they prefer their own hills of olive and
+vine to the icy grandeur of the Alps or the rich and garden-like beauty
+of England.
+
+But, although this sweet climate, with its wealth of sunlight and balmy
+airs, may enchant the traveler for awhile and make him wish at times
+that his whole life might be spent amid such scenes, it exercises a most
+enervating influence on those who are born to its enjoyment. It relaxes
+mental and physical energy, and disposes body and mind to dreamy
+inactivity. The Italians, as a race, are indolent and effeminate. Of the
+moral dignity of man they have little conception. Those classes who are
+engaged in active occupation seem even destitute of common honesty,
+practising all kinds of deceits in the most open manner and apparently
+without the least shame. The state of morals is lower than in any other
+country of Europe; what little virtue exists is found among the
+peasants. Many of the most sacred obligations of society are universally
+violated, and as a natural consequence, the people are almost entire
+strangers to that domestic happiness, which constitutes the true
+enjoyment of life.
+
+This dark shadow in the moral atmosphere of Italy hangs like a curse on
+her beautiful soil, weakening the sympathies of citizens of freer lands
+with her fallen condition. I often feel vividly the sentiment which
+Percival puts into the mouth of a Greek in slavery:
+
+    "The spring may here with autumn twine
+    And both combined may rule the year,
+    And fresh-blown flowers and racy wine
+    In frosted clusters still be near--
+    Dearer the wild and snowy hills
+    Where hale and ruddy Freedom smiles."
+
+No people can ever become truly great or free, who are not virtuous. If
+the soul aspires for liberty--pure and perfect liberty--it also aspires
+for everything that is noble in Truth, everything that is holy in
+Virtue. It is greatly to be feared that all those nervous and impatient
+efforts which have been made and are still being made by the Italian
+people to better their condition, will be of little avail, until they
+set up a better standard of principle and make their private actions
+more conformable with their ideas of political independence.
+
+_Oct. 22._--I attended to-day the fall races at the _Cascine_. This is a
+dairy farm of the Grand Duke on the Arno, below the city; part of it,
+shaded with magnificent trees, has been made into a public promenade and
+drive, which extends for three miles down the river. Towards the lower
+end, on a smooth green lawn, is the race-course. To-day was the last of
+the season, for which the best trials had been reserved; on passing out
+the gate at noon, we found a number of carriages and pedestrians going
+the same way. It was the very perfection of autumn temperature, and I do
+not remember to have ever seen so blue hills, so green meadows, so fresh
+air and so bright sunshine combined in one scene before. All that gloom
+and coldness of which I lately complained has vanished.
+
+Traveling increases very much one's capacity for admiration. Every
+beautiful scene appears as beautiful as if it had been the first; and
+although I may have seen a hundred times as lovely a combination of sky
+and landscape, the pleasure which it awakens is never diminished. This
+is one of the greatest blessings we enjoy--the freshness and glory which
+Nature wears to our eyes forever. It shows that the soul never grows
+old--that the eye of age can take in the impression of beauty with the
+same enthusiastic joy that leaped through the heart of childhood.
+
+We found the crowd around the race-course but thin; half the people
+there, and _all_ the horses, appeared to be English. It was a good place
+to observe the beauty of Florence, which however, may be done in a
+short time, as there is not much of it. There is beauty in Italy,
+undoubtedly, but it is either among the peasants or the higher class of
+nobility. I will tell our American women confidentially, for I know they
+have too much sense to be vain of it, that they surpass the rest of the
+world as much in beauty as they do in intelligence and virtue. I saw in
+one of the carriages the wife of Alexander Dumas, the French author. She
+is a large, fair complexioned woman, and is now, from what cause I know
+not, living apart from her husband.
+
+The jockeys paced up and down the fields, preparing their beautiful
+animals for the approaching heat, and as the hour drew nigh the mounted
+dragoons busied themselves in clearing the space. It was a one-mile
+course, to the end of the lawn and back. At last the bugle sounded, and
+off went three steeds like arrows let fly. They passed us, their light
+limbs bounding over the turf, a beautiful dark-brown taking the lead. We
+leaned over the railing and watched them eagerly. The bell rang--they
+reached the other end--we saw them turn and come dashing back, nearer,
+nearer; the crowd began to shout, and in a few seconds the brown one had
+won it by four or five lengths. The fortunate horse was led around in
+triumph, and I saw an English lady, remarkable for her betting
+propensities, come out from the crowd and kiss it in apparent delight.
+
+After an interval, three others took the field--all graceful, spirited
+creatures. This was a more exciting race than the first; they flew past
+us nearly abreast, and the crowd looked after them in anxiety. They
+cleared the course like wild deer, and in a minute or two came back, the
+racer of an English nobleman a short distance ahead. The jockey threw up
+his hand in token of triumph as he approached the goal, and the people
+cheered him. It was a beautiful sight to see those noble animals
+stretching to the utmost of their speed, as they dashed down the grassy
+lawn. The lucky one always showed by his proud and erect carriage, his
+consciousness of success.
+
+Florence is fast becoming modernized. The introduction of gas, and the
+construction of the railroad to Pisa, which is nearly completed, will
+make sad havoc with the air of poetry which still lingers in its silent
+streets. There is scarcely a bridge, a tower, or a street, which is not
+connected with some stirring association. In the Via San Felice, Raphael
+used to paint when a boy; near the Ponte Santa Trinita stands Michael
+Angelo's house, with his pictures, clothes, and painting implements,
+just as he left it three centuries ago; on the south side of the Arno is
+the house of Galileo, and that of Machiavelli stands in an avenue near
+the Ducal Palace. While threading my way through some dark, crooked
+streets in an unfrequented part of the city, I noticed an old,
+untenanted house, bearing a marble tablet above the door. I drew near
+and read:--"In this house of the Alighieri was born the Divine Poet!" It
+was the birth-place of Dante!
+
+_Nov. 1._--Yesterday morning we were apprised of the safe arrival of a
+new scion of the royal family in the world by the ringing of the city
+bells. To-day, to celebrate the event, the shops were closed, and the
+people made a holiday of it. Merry chimes pealed out from every tower,
+and discharges of cannon thundered up from the fortress. In the evening
+the dome of the Cathedral was illuminated, and the lines of cupola,
+lantern, and cross were traced in flame on the dark sky, like a crown of
+burning stars dropped from Heaven on the holy pile. I went in and walked
+down the aisle, listening for awhile to the grand choral, while the
+clustered tapers under the dome quivered and trembled, as if shaken by
+the waves of music which burst continually within its lofty concave.
+
+A few days ago Prince Corsini, Prime Minister of Tuscany, died at an
+advanced age. I saw his body brought in solemn procession by night, with
+torches and tapers, to the church of Santa Trinita. Soldiers followed
+with reversed arms and muffled drums, the band playing a funeral march.
+I forced myself through the crowd into the church, which was hung with
+black and gold, and listened to the long drawn chanting of the priests
+around the bier.
+
+We lately visited the Florentine Museum. Besides the usual collection of
+objects of natural history, there is an anatomical cabinet, very
+celebrated for its preparations in wax. All parts of the human frame are
+represented so wonderfully exact, that students of medicine pursue their
+studies here in summer with the same facility as from real "subjects."
+Every bone, muscle, and nerve in the body is perfectly counterfeited,
+the whole forming a collection as curious as it is useful. One chamber
+is occupied with representations of the plague of Rome, Milan, and
+Florence. They are executed with horrible truth to nature, but I
+regretted afterwards having seen them. There are enough forms of beauty
+and delight in the world on which to employ the eye, without making it
+familiar with scenes which can only be remembered with a shudder.
+
+We derive much pleasure from the society of the American artists who are
+now residing in Florence. At the houses of Powers, and Brown, the
+painter, we spend many delightful evenings in the company of our gifted
+countrymen. They are drawn together by a kindred, social feeling as well
+as by their mutual aims, and form among themselves a society so
+unrestrained, American-like, that the traveler who meets them forgets
+his absence for a time. These noble representatives of our country, all
+of whom possess the true, inborn spirit of republicanism, have made the
+American name known and respected in Florence. Powers, especially, who
+is intimate with many of the principal Italian families, is universally
+esteemed. The Grand Duke has more than once visited his studio and
+expressed the highest admiration of his talents.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+AMERICAN ART IN FLORENCE.
+
+
+I have seen Ibrahim Pacha, the son of old Mehemet Ali, driving in his
+carriage through the streets. He is hero on a visit from Lucca, where he
+has been spending some time on account of his health. He is a man of
+apparently fifty years of age; his countenance wears a stern and almost
+savage look, very consistent with the character he bears and the
+political part he has played. He is rather portly in person, the pale
+olive of his complexion contrasting strongly with a beard perfectly
+white. In common with all his attendants, he wears the high red cap,
+picturesque blue tunic and narrow trowsers of the Egyptians. There is
+scarcely a man of them whose face with its wild, oriental beauty, does
+not show to advantage among us civilized and prosaic Christians.
+
+In Florence, and indeed through all Italy, there is much reason for our
+country to be proud of the high stand her artists are taking. The sons
+of our rude western clime, brought up without other resources than their
+own genius and energy, now fairly rival those, who from their cradle
+upwards have drawn inspiration and ambition from the glorious
+masterpieces of the old painters and sculptors. Wherever our artists are
+known, they never fail to create a respect for American talent, and to
+dissipate the false notions respecting our cultivation and refinement,
+which prevail in Europe. There are now eight or ten of our painters and
+sculptors in Florence, some of whom, I do not hesitate to say, take the
+very first rank among living artists.
+
+I have been highly gratified in visiting the studio of Mr. G.L. Brown,
+who, as a landscape painter, is destined to take a stand second to few,
+since the days of Claude Lorraine. He is now without a rival in
+Florence, or perhaps in Italy, and has youth, genius and a plentiful
+stock of the true poetic enthusiasm for his art, to work for him far
+greater triumphs. His Italian landscapes have that golden mellowness and
+transparency of atmosphere which give such a charm to the real scenes,
+and one would think he used on his pallette, in addition to the more
+substantial colors, condensed air and sunlight and the liquid crystal of
+streams. He has wooed Nature like a lover, and she has not withheld her
+sympathy. She has taught him how to raise and curve her trees, load
+their boughs with foliage, and spread underneath them the broad, cool
+shadows--to pile up the shattered crag, and steep the long mountain
+range in the haze of alluring distance.
+
+He has now nearly finished, a large painting of "Christ Preaching in the
+Wilderness," which is of surprising beauty. You look upon one of the
+fairest scenes of Judea. In front, the rude multitude are grouped on one
+side, in the edge of a magnificent forest; on the other side, towers up
+a rough wall of rock and foliage that stretches back into the distance,
+where some grand blue mountains are piled against the sky, and a
+beautiful stream, winding through the middle of the picture, slides away
+out of the foreground. Just emerging from the shade of one of the
+cliffs, is the benign figure of the Saviour, with the warm light which
+breaks from behind the trees, falling around him as he advances. There
+is a smaller picture of the "Shipwreck of St. Paul," in which he shows
+equal skill in painting a troubled sea and breaking storm. He is one of
+the young artists from whom we have most to hope.
+
+I have been extremely interested in looking over a great number of
+sketches made by Mr. Kellogg, of Cincinnati, during a tour through
+Egypt, Arabia Petræa and Palestine. He visited many places out of the
+general route of travelers, and beside the great number of landscape
+views, brought away many sketches of the characters and costumes of the
+Orient. From some of these he has commenced paintings, which, as his
+genius is equal to his practice, will be of no ordinary value. Indeed,
+some of these must give him at once an established reputation in
+America. In Constantinople, where he resided several months, he enjoyed
+peculiar advantges for the exercise of his art, through the favor and
+influence of Mr. Carr, the American, and Sir Stratford Canning, the
+British Minister. I saw a splendid diamond cup, presented to him by
+Riza Pacha, the late Grand Vizier. The sketches he brought from thence
+and from the valleys of Phrygia and the mountain solitudes of old
+Olympus, are of great interest and value. Among his later paintings, I
+might mention an angel, whose countenance beams with a rapt and glorious
+beauty. A divine light shines through all the features and heightens the
+glow of adoration to an expression all spiritual and immortal. If Mr.
+Kellogg will give us a few more of these heavenly conceptions, we will
+place him on a pedestal, little lower than that of Guido.
+
+Greenough, who has been sometime in Germany, returned lately to
+Florence, where he has a colossal group in progress for the portico of
+the Capitol. I have seen part of it, which is nearly finished in the
+marble. It shows a backwoodsman just triumphing in the struggle with an
+Indian; another group to be added, will represent the wife and child of
+the former. The colossal size of the statues gives a grandeur to the
+action, as if it were a combat of Titans; there is a consciousness of
+power, an expression of lofty disdain in the expansion of the hunter's
+nostril and the proud curve of his lip, that might become a god. The
+spirit of action, of breathing, life-like exertion, so much more
+difficult to infuse into the marble than that of repose, is perfectly
+attained. I will not enter into a more particular description, as it
+will probably be sent to the United States in a year or two. It is a
+magnificent work; the best, unquestionably, that Greenough has yet made.
+The subject, and the grandeur he has given it in the execution, will
+ensure it a much more favorable reception than a false taste gave to his
+Washington.
+
+Mr. C.B. Ives, a young sculptor from Connecticut, has not disappointed
+the high promise he gave before leaving home. I was struck with some of
+his busts in Philadelphia, particularly those of Mrs. Sigourney and
+Joseph R. Chandler, and it has been no common pleasure to visit his
+studio here in Florence, and look on some of his ideal works. He has
+lately made two models, which, when finished in marble, will be works of
+great beauty. They will contribute greatly to his reputation here and in
+America. One of these represents a child of four or five years of age,
+holding in his hand a dead bird, on which he is gazing, with childish
+grief and wonder, that it is so still and drooping. It is a beautiful
+thought; the boy is leaning forward as he sits, holding the lifeless
+playmate close in his hands, his sadness touched with a vague
+expression, as if he could not yet comprehend the idea of death.
+
+The other is of equal excellence, in a different style; it is a bust of
+"Jephthah's daughter," when the consciousness of her doom first flashes
+upon her. The face and bust are beautiful with the bloom of perfect
+girlhood. A simple robe covers her breast, and her rich hair is gathered
+up behind, and bound with a slender fillet. Her head, of the pure
+classical mould, is bent forward, as if weighed down by the shock, and
+there is a heavy drooping in the mouth and eyelids, that denotes a
+sudden and sickening agony. It is not a violent, passionate grief, but a
+deep and almost paralyzing emotion--a shock from which the soul will
+finally rebound, strengthened to make the sacrifice.
+
+Would it not be better for some scores of our rich merchants to lay out
+their money on statues and pictures, instead of balls and spendthrift
+sons? A few such expenditures, properly directed, would do much for the
+advancement of the fine arts. An occasional golden blessing, bestowed on
+genius, might be returned on the giver, in the fame he had assisted in
+creating. There seems, however, to be at present a rapid increase in
+refined taste, and a better appreciation of artistic talent, in our
+country. And as an American, nothing has made me feel prouder than this,
+and the steadily increasing reputation of our artists.
+
+Of these, no one has done more within the last few years, than Powers.
+With a tireless and persevering energy, such as could have belonged to
+few but Americans, he has already gained a name in his art, that
+posterity will pronounce in the same breath with Phidias, Michael Angelo
+and Thorwaldsen. I cannot describe the enjoyment I have derived from
+looking at his matchless works. I should hesitate in giving my own
+imperfect judgment of their excellence, if I had not found it to
+coincide with that of many others who are better versed in the rules of
+art. The sensation which his "Greek Slave" produced in England, has
+doubtless ere this been breezed across the Atlantic, and I see by the
+late American papers that they are growing familiar with his fame. When
+I read a notice seven or eight years ago, of the young sculptor of
+Cincinnati, whose busts exhibited so much evidence of genius, I little
+dreamed I should meet him in Florence, with the experience of years of
+toil added to his early enthusiasm, and every day increasing his renown.
+
+You would like to hear of his statue of Eve, which men of taste
+pronounce one of the finest works of modern times. A more perfect figure
+never filled my eye. I have seen the masterpieces of Thorwaldsen,
+Dannecker and Canova, and the Venus de Medici, but I have seen nothing
+yet that can exceed the beauty of this glorious statue. So completely
+did the first view excite my surprise and delight, and thrill every
+feeling that awakes at the sight of the Beautiful, that my mind dwelt
+intensely on it for days afterwards. This is the Eve of Scripture--the
+Eve of Milton--mother of mankind and fairest of all her race. With the
+full and majestic beauty of ripened womanhood, she wears the purity of a
+world as yet unknown to sin. With the hearing of a queen, there is in
+her countenance the softness and grace of a tender, loving woman;
+
+    "God-like erect, with native honor clad
+    In naked majesty."
+
+She holds the fatal fruit extended in her hand, and her face expresses
+the struggle between conscience, dread and desire. The serpent, whose
+coiled length under the leaves and flowers entirely surrounds her, thus
+forming a beautiful allegorical symbol, is watching her decision from an
+ivied trunk at her side. Her form is said to be fully as perfect as the
+Venus de Medici, and from its greater size, has an air of conscious and
+ennobling dignity. The head is far superior in beauty, and soul speaks
+from every feature of the countenance. I add a few stanzas which the
+contemplation of this statue called forth. Though unworthy the subject,
+they may perhaps faintly shadow the _sentiment_ which Powers has so
+eloquently embodied in marble:
+
+    THE "EVE" OF POWERS.
+
+    A faultless being from the marble sprung,
+         She stands in beauty there!
+    As when the grace of Eden 'round her clung--
+         Fairest, where all was fair!
+
+    Pure, as when first from God's creating hand
+         She came, on man to shine;
+    So seems she now, in living stone to stand--
+         A mortal, yet divine!
+
+    The spark the Grecian from Olympus caught,
+         Left not a loftier trace;
+    The daring of the sculptor's hand has wrought
+         A soul in that sweet face!
+    He won as well the sacred fire from heaven.
+         God-sent, not stolen down,
+    And no Promethean doom for him is given,
+         But ages of renown!
+
+    The soul of beauty breathes around that form
+         A more enchanting spell;
+    There blooms each virgin grace, ere yet the storm
+         On blighted Eden fell!
+    The first desire upon her lovely brow,
+         Raised by an evil power;
+    Doubt, longing, dread, are in her features now--
+         It is the trial-hour!
+
+    How every thought that strives within her breast,
+         In that one glance is shown!
+    Say, can that heart of marble be at rest,
+         Since spirit warms the stone?
+    Will not those limbs, of so divine a mould,
+         Move, when her thought is o'er--
+    When she has yielded to the tempter's hold
+         And Eden blooms no more?
+
+    Art, like a Phoenix, springs from dust again--
+         She cannot pass away!
+    Bound down in gloom, she breaks apart the chain
+         And struggles up today!
+    The flame, first kindled in the ages gone,
+         Has never ceased to burn,
+    And _westward_ now, appears the kindling dawn,
+         Which marks the day's return!
+
+The "Greek Slave" is now in the possession of Mr. Grant, of London, and
+I only saw the clay model. Like the Eve, it is a form that one's eye
+tells him is perfect, unsurpassed; but it is the budding loveliness of a
+girl, instead of the perfected beauty of a woman. In England it has been
+pronounced superior to Canova's works, and indeed _I_ have seen nothing
+of his, that could be placed beside it.
+
+Powers has now nearly finished a most exquisite figure of a fisher-boy,
+standing on the shore, with his net and rudder in one hand, while with
+the other he holds a shell to his ear and listens if it murmur to him of
+a gathering storm. His slight, boyish limbs are full of grace and
+delicacy--you feel that the youthful frame could grow up into nothing
+less than an Apollo. Then the head--how beautiful! Slightly bent on one
+side, with the rim of the shell thrust under his locks, lips gently
+parted, and the face wrought up to the most hushed and breathless
+expression, he listens whether the sound be deeper than its wont. It
+makes you hold your breath and listen, to look at it. Mrs. Jameson
+somewhere remarks that repose or suspended motion, should be always
+chosen for a statue that shall present a perfect, unbroken impression to
+the mind. If this be true, the enjoyment must be much more complete
+where not only the motion, but almost breath and thought are suspended,
+and all the faculties wrought into one hushed and intense sensation. In
+gazing on this exquisite conception, I feel my admiration filled to the
+utmost, without that painful, aching impression, so often left by
+beautiful works. It glides into my vision like a form long missed from
+the gallery of beauty I am forming in my mind, and I gaze on it with an
+ever new and increasing delight.
+
+Now I come to the last and fairest of all--the divine Proserpine. Not
+the form, for it is but a bust rising from a capital of acanthus leaves,
+which curve around the breast and arms and turn gracefully outward, but
+the face, whose modest maiden beauty can find no peer among goddesses or
+mortals. So looked she on the field of Ennæ--that "fairer flower," so
+soon to be gathered by "gloomy Dis." A slender crown of green
+wheatblades, showing alike her descent from Ceres and her virgin years,
+circles her head. Truly, if Pygmalion stole his fire to warm such a form
+as this, Jove should have pardoned him. Of Powers' busts it is
+unnecessary for me to speak. He has lately finished a very beautiful one
+of the Princess Demidoff, daughter of Jerome Bonaparte.
+
+We will soon, I hope, have the "Eve" in America. Powers has generously
+refused many advantageous offers for it, that he might finally send it
+home; and his country, therefore, will possess this statue, his first
+ideal work. She may well be proud of the genius and native energy of her
+young artist, and she should repay them by a just and liberal
+encouragement.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+AN ADVENTURE ON THE GREAT ST. BERNARD--WALKS AROUND FLORENCE.
+
+
+_Nov. 9._--A few days ago I received a letter from my cousin at
+Heidelberg, describing his solitary walk from Genoa over the Alps, and
+through the western part of Switzerland. The news of his safe arrival
+dissipated the anxiety we were beginning to feel, on account of his long
+silence, while it proved that our fears concerning the danger of such a
+journey were not altogether groundless. He met with a startling
+adventure on the Great St. Bernard, which will be best described by an
+extract from his own letter:
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Such were my impressions of Rome. But leaving the 'Eternal City,' I
+must hasten on to give you a description of an adventure I met with in
+crossing the Alps, omitting for the present an account of the trip from
+Rome to Genoa, and my lonely walk through Sardinia. When I had crossed
+the mountain range north of Genoa, the plains of Piedmont stretched out
+before me. I could see the snowy sides and summits of the Alps more than
+one hundred miles distant, looking like white, fleecy clouds on a summer
+day. It was a magnificent prospect, and I wonder not that the heart of
+the Swiss soldier, after years of absence in foreign service, beats with
+joy when he again looks on his native mountains.
+
+"As I approached nearer, the weather changed, and dark, gloomy clouds
+enveloped them, so that they seemed to present an impassible barrier to
+the lands beyond them. At Ivrea, I entered the interesting valley of
+Aosta. The whole valley, fifty miles in length, is inhabited by
+miserable looking people, nearly one half of them being afflicted with
+goitre and cretinism. They looked more idiotic and disgusting than any I
+have ever seen, and it was really painful to behold such miserable
+specimens of humanity dwelling amid the grandest scenes of nature.
+Immediately after arriving in the town of Aosta, situated at the upper
+end of the valley, I began, alone, the ascent of the Great St. Bernard.
+It was just noon, and the clouds on the mountains indicated rain. The
+distance from Aosta to the monastery or hospice of St. Bernard, is about
+twenty English miles.
+
+"At one o'clock it commenced raining vary hard, and to gain shelter I
+went into a rude hut; but it was filled with so many of those idiotic
+cretins, lying down on the earthy floor with the dogs and other animals,
+that I was glad to leave them as soon as the storm had abated in some
+degree. I walked rapidly for three hours, when I met a traveler and his
+guide descending the mountain. I asked him in Italian the distance to
+the hospice, and he undertook to answer me in French, but the words did
+not seem to flow very fluently, so I said quickly, observing then that
+he was an Englishman: 'Try some other language, if you please, sir!' He
+replied instantly in his vernacular: 'You have a d--d long walk before
+you, and you'll have to hurry to get to the top before night!' Thanking
+him, we shook hands and hurried on, he downward and I upward. About
+eight miles from the summit, I was directed into the wrong path by an
+ignorant boy who was tending sheep, and went a mile out of the course,
+towards Mont Blanc, before I discovered my mistake. I hurried back into
+the right path again, and soon overtook another boy ascending the
+mountain, who asked me if he might accompany me as he was alone, to
+which I of course answered, yes; but when we began to enter the thick
+clouds that covered the mountains, he became alarmed, and said he would
+go no farther. I tried to encourage him by saying we had only five miles
+more to climb, but, turning quickly, he ran down the path and was soon
+out of sight.
+
+"After a long and most toilsome ascent, spurred on as I was by the storm
+and the approach of night, I saw at last through the clouds a little
+house, which I supposed might be a part of the monastery, but it turned
+out to be only a house of refuge, erected by the monks to take in
+travelers in extreme cases or extraordinary danger. The man who was
+staying there, told me the monastery was a mile and a half further, and
+thinking therefore that I could soon reach it, I started out again,
+although darkness was approaching. In a short time the storm began in
+good earnest, and the cold winds blew with the greatest fury. It grew
+dark very suddenly and I lost sight of the poles which are placed along
+the path to guide the traveler. I then ran on still higher, hoping to
+find them again, but without success. The rain and snow fell thick, and
+although I think I am tolerably courageous, I began to be alarmed, for
+it was impossible to know in what direction I was going. I could hear
+the waterfalls dashing and roaring down the mountain hollows on each
+side of me; in the gloom, the foam and leaping waters resembled
+streaming fires. I thought of turning back to find the little house of
+refuge again, but it seemed quite as dangerous and uncertain as to go
+forward. After the fatigue I had undergone since noon, it would have
+been dangerous to be obliged to stay, out all night in the driving
+storm, which was every minute increasing in coldness and intensity.
+
+"I stopped and shouted aloud, hoping I might be somewhere near the
+monastery, but no answer came--no noise except the storm and the roar of
+the waterfalls. I climbed up the rocks nearly a quarter of a mile
+higher, and shouted again. I listened with anxiety for two or three
+minutes, but hearing no response, I concluded to find a shelter for the
+night under a ledge of rocks. While looking around me, I fancied I heard
+in the distance a noise like the trampling of hoofs over the rocks, and
+thinking travelers might be near, I called aloud for the third time.
+After wailing a moment, a voice came ringing on my ears through the
+clouds, like one from Heaven in response to my own. My heart beat
+quickly; I hurried in the direction from which the sound came, and to my
+joy found two men--servants of the monastery--who were driving their
+mules into shelter. Never in my whole life was I more glad to hear the
+voice of man. These men conducted me to the monastery, one-fourth of a
+mile higher, built by the side of a lake at the summit of the pass,
+while on each side, the mountains, forever covered with snow, tower some
+thousands of feet higher.
+
+"Two or three of the noble St. Bernard dogs barked a welcome as we
+approached, which brought a young monk to the door. I addressed him in
+German, but to my surprise he answered in broken English. He took me
+into a warm room and gave me a suit of clothes, such as are worn by the
+monks, for my dress, as well as my package of papers, were completely
+saturated with rain. I sat down to supper in company with till the monks
+of the Hospice, I in my monkish robe looking like one of the holy order.
+You would have laughed to have seen me in their costume. Indeed, I felt
+almost satisfied to turn monk, as everything seemed so comfortable in
+the warm supper room, with its blazing wood fire, while outside raged
+the storm still more violently. But when I thought of their voluntary
+banishment from the world, up in that high pass of the Alps, and that
+the affection of woman never gladdened their hearts, I was ready to
+renounce my monkish dress next morning, without reluctance.
+
+"In the address book of the monastery, I found Longfellow's 'Excelsior'
+written on a piece of paper and signed 'America.' You remember the
+stanza:
+
+    At break of clay, as heavenward,
+    The pious monks of St. Bernard
+    Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,
+    A voice cried through the startled air:
+                                     Excelsior!
+
+It seemed to add a tenfold interest to the poem, to read it on old St.
+Bernard. In the morning I visited the house where are kept the bodies of
+the travelers, who perish in crossing the mountain. It is filled with
+corpses, ranged in rows, and looking like mummies, for the cold is so
+intense that they will keep for years without decaying, and are often
+recognized and removed by their friends.
+
+"Of my descent to Martigny, my walk down the Rhone, and along the shores
+of Lake Leman, my visit to the prison of Chilian and other wanderings
+across Switzerland, my pleasure in seeing the old river Rhine again, and
+my return to Heidelberg at night, with the bright moon shining on the
+Neckar and the old ruined castle, I can now say no more, nor is it
+necessary, for are not all these things 'written in my book of
+Chronicles,' to be seen by you when we meet again in Paris?
+
+Ever yours, FRANK."
+
+_Dec. 16._--I took a walk lately to the tower of Galileo. In company
+with three friends, I left Florence by the _Porta Romana_, and ascended
+the _Poggie Imperiale_. This beautiful avenue, a mile and a quarter in
+length, leading up a gradual ascent to a villa of the Grand Duke, is
+bordered with splendid cypresses and evergreen oaks, and the grass banks
+are always fresh and green, so that even in winter it calls up a
+remembrance of summer. In fact, winter does not wear the scowl here that
+he has at home; he is robed rather in a threadbare garment of autumn,
+and it is only high up on the mountain tops, out of the reach of his
+enemy, the sun, that he dares to throw it off, and bluster about with
+his storms and scatter down his snow-flakes. The roses still bud and
+bloom in the hedges, the emerald of the meadows is not a whit paler, the
+sun looks down lovingly as yet, and there are only the white helmets of
+some of the Appenines, with the leafless mulberries and vines, to tell
+us that we have changed seasons.
+
+A quarter of an hour's walk, part of it by a path through an olive
+orchard, brought us to the top of a hill, which was surmounted by a
+square, broken, ivied tower, forming part of a storehouse for the
+produce of the estate. We entered, saluted by a dog, and passing through
+a court-yard, in which stood two or three carts full of brown olives,
+found our way to the rickety staircase. I spared my sentiment in going
+up, thinking the steps might have been renewed since Galileo's time, but
+the glorious landscape which opened around us when we reached the top,
+time could not change, and I gazed upon it with interest and emotion, as
+my eye took in those forms which had once been mirrored in the
+philosopher's. Let me endeavor to describe the features of the scene.
+
+Fancy yourself lifted to the summit of a high hill, whose base slopes
+down to the valley of the Arno, and looking northward. Behind you is a
+confusion of hill and valley, growing gradually dimmer away to the
+horizon. Before and below you is a vale, with Florence and her great
+domes and towers in its lap, and across its breadth of five miles the
+mountain of Fiesole. To the west it stretches away unbroken for twenty
+miles, covered thickly with white villas--like a meadow of daisies,
+magnified. A few miles to the east the plain is rounded with mountains,
+between whose interlocking bases we can see the brown current of the
+Arno. Some of their peaks, as well as the mountain of Vallombrosa,
+along the eastern sky, are tipped with snow. Imagine the air filled
+with a thick blue mist, like a semi-transparent veil, which softens
+every thing into dreamy indistinctness, the sunshine falling slantingly
+through this in spots, touching the landscape here and there as with a
+sudden blaze of fire, and you will complete the picture. Does it not
+repay your mental flight across the Atlantic.
+
+One evening, on coming out of the cafè, the moon was shining so brightly
+and clearly, that I involuntarily bent my steps towards the river; I
+walked along the _Lung'Arno_, enjoying the heavenly moonlight--"the
+night of cloudless climes and starry skies!" A purer silver light never
+kissed the brow of Endymion. The brown Arno took into his breast "the
+redundant glory," and rolled down his pebbly bed with a more musical
+ripple; opposite stretched the long mass of buildings--the deep arches
+that rose from the water were filled with black shadow, and the
+irregular fronts of the houses touched with a mellow glow. The arches of
+the upper bridge were in shadow, cutting their dark outline on the
+silvery sweep of the Appenines, far up the stream. A veil of luminous
+gray covered the hill of San Miniato, with its towers and cypress
+groves, and there was a crystal depth in the atmosphere, as if it shone
+with its own light. The whole scene affected me as something too
+glorious to be real--painful from the very intensity of its beauty.
+Three moons ago, at the foot of Vallombrosa, I saw the Appenines flooded
+with the same silvery gush, and thought also, then, that I had seen the
+same moon amid far dearer scenes, but never before the same dreamy and
+sublime glory showered down from her pale orb. Some solitary lights were
+burning along the river, and occasionally a few Italians passed by,
+wrapped in their mantles. I went home to the Piazza del Granduca as the
+light, pouring into the square from behind the old palace, fell over the
+fountain of Neptune and sheathed in silver the back of the colossal god.
+
+Whoever looks on the valley of the Arno from San Miniato, and observes
+the Appenine range, of which Fiesole is one, bounding it on the north,
+will immediately notice to the northwest a double peak rising high above
+all the others. The bare, brown forehead of this, known by the name of
+_Monte Morello_, seemed so provokingly to challenge an ascent, that we
+determined to try it. So we started early, the day before yesterday,
+from the Porta San Gallo, with nothing but the frosty grass and fresh
+air to remind us of the middle of December. Leaving the Prato road, at
+the base of the mountain, we passed Careggi, a favorite farm of Lorenzo
+the Magnificent, and entered a narrow glen where a little brook was
+brawling down its rocky channel. Here and there stood a rustic mill,
+near which women were busy spreading their washed clothes on the grass.
+Following the footpath, we ascended a long eminence to a chapel where
+some boys were amusing themselves with a common country game. They have
+a small wheel, around which they wind a rope, and, running a little
+distance to increase the velocity, let it off with a sudden jerk. On a
+level road it can be thrown upwards of a quarter of a mile.
+
+From the chapel, a gradual ascent along the ridge of a hill brought us
+to the foot of the peak, which rose high before us, covered with bare
+rocks and stunted oaks. The wind blew coldly from a snowy range to the
+north, as we commenced ascending with a good will. A few shepherds were
+leading their flocks along the sides, to browse on the grass and
+withered bushes, and we started up a large hare occasionally from his
+leafy covert. The ascent was very toilsome; I was obliged to stop
+frequently on account of the painful throbbing of my heart, which made
+it difficult to breathe. When the summit was gained, we lay down awhile
+on the leeward side to recover ourselves.
+
+We looked on the great valley of the Arno, perhaps twenty-five miles
+long, and five or six broad, lying like a long elliptical basin sunk
+among the hills. I can liken it to nothing but a vast sea; for a dense,
+blue mist covered the level surface, through which the domes of Florence
+rose up like a craggy island, while the thousands of scattered villas
+resembled ships, with spread sails, afloat on its surface. The sharp,
+cutting wind soon drove us down, with a few hundred bounds, to the path
+again. Three more hungry mortals did not dine at the _Cacciatore_ that
+day.
+
+The chapel of the Medici, which we visited, is of wonderful beauty. The
+walls are entirely encrusted with _pietra dura_ and the most precious
+kinds of marble. The ceiling is covered with gorgeous frescoes by
+Benevenuto, a modern painter. Around the sides, in magnificent
+sarcophagi of marble and jasper, repose the ashes of a few Cosmos and
+Ferdinands. I asked the sacristan for the tomb of Lorenzo the
+Magnificent. "Oh!" said he, "he lived during the republic--he has no
+tomb; these are only for Dukes!" I could not repress a sigh at the
+lavish waste of labor and treasure on this one princely chapel. They
+might have slumbered unnoted, like Lorenzo, if they had done as much for
+their country and Italy.
+
+_December 19._--It is with a heavy heart, that I sit down tonight to
+make my closing note in this lovely city and in the journal which has
+recorded my thoughts and impressions since leaving America. I should
+find it difficult to analyze my emotions, but I know that they oppress
+me painfully. So much rushes at once over the mind and heart--memories
+of what has passed through both, since I made the first note in its
+pages--alternations of hope and anxiety and aspiration, but _never_
+despondency--that it resembles in a manner, the closing of a life. I
+seem almost to have lived through the common term of a life in this
+short period. Much spiritual and mental experience has crowded into a
+short time the sensations of years. Painful though some of it has been,
+it was still welcome. Difficulty and toil give the soul strength to
+crush, in a loftier region, the passions which draw strength only from
+the earth. So long as we listen to the purer promptings within us, there
+is a Power invisible, though not unfelt, who protects us--amid the toil
+and tumult and soiling struggle, there is ever an eye that watches, ever
+a heart that overflows with Infinite and Almighty Love! Let us trust
+then in that Eternal Spirit, who pours out on us his warm and boundless
+blessings, through the channels of so many kindred human hearts!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+WINTER TRAVELING AMONG THE APPENINES.
+
+
+_Valley of the Arno, Dec 22._--It is a glorious morning after our two
+days' walk, through rain and mud, among these stormy Appenines. The
+range of high peaks, among which is the celebrated monastery of
+Camaldoli, lie just before us, their summits dazzling with the new
+fallen snow. The clouds are breaking away, and a few rosy flushes
+announce the approach of the sun. It has rained during the night, and
+the fields are as green and fresh as on a morning in spring.
+
+We left Florence on the 20th, while citizens and strangers were vainly
+striving to catch a glimpse of the Emperor of Russia. He is, from some
+cause, very shy of being seen, in his journeys from place to place,
+using the greatest art and diligence to prevent the time of his
+departure and arrival from being known. On taking leave of Powers, I
+found him expecting the Autocrat, as he had signified his intention of
+visiting his studio; it was a cause of patriotic pride to find that
+crowned heads know and appreciate the genius of our sculptor. The sky
+did not promise much, as we set out; when we had entered the Appenines
+and taken a last look of the lovely valley behind us, and the great dome
+of the city where we had spent four delightful months, it began to rain
+heavily. Determined to conquer the weather at the beginning, we kept on,
+although before many miles were passed, it became too penetrating to be
+agreeable. The mountains grew nearly black under the shadow of the
+clouds, and the storms swept drearily down their passes and defiles,
+till the scenery looked more like the Hartz than Italy. We were obliged
+to stop at Ponte Sieve and dry our saturated garments: when, as the rain
+slackened somewhat, we rounded the foot of the mountain of Vallombrosa,
+above the swollen and noisy Arno, to the little village of Cucina.
+
+We entered the only inn in the place, followed by a crowd of wondering
+boys, for two such travelers had probably never been seen there. They
+made a blazing fire for us in the broad chimney, and after the police of
+the place satisfied themselves that we were not dangerous characters,
+they asked many questions about our country. I excited the sympathy of
+the women greatly in our behalf by telling them we had three thousand
+miles of sea between us and our homes. They exclaimed in the most
+sympathising tones: "_Poverini!_ so far to go!--three thousand miles of
+water!"
+
+The next morning we followed the right bank of the Arno. At Incisa, a
+large town on the river, the narrow pass broadens into a large and
+fertile plain, bordered on the north by the mountains. The snow storms
+were sweeping around their summits the whole day, and I thought of the
+desolate situation of the good monks who had so hospitably entertained
+us three months before. It was weary traveling; but at Levane our
+fatigues were soon forgotten. Two or three peasants were sitting last
+night beside the blazing fire, and we were amused to hear them talking
+about us. I overheard one asking another to converse with us awhile.
+"Why should I speak to them?" said he; "they are not of our
+profession--we are swineherds, and they do not care to talk with us."
+However, his curiosity prevailed at last, and we had a long conversation
+together. It seemed difficult for them to comprehend how there could be
+so much water to cross, without any land, before reaching our country.
+Finding we were going to Rome, I overheard one remark we were pilgrims,
+which seemed to be the general supposition, as there are few
+foot-travelers in Italy. The people said to one another as we passed
+along the road:--"They are making a journey of penance!" Those peasants
+expressed themselves very well for persons of their station, but they
+were remarkably ignorant of everything beyond their own olive orchards
+and vine fields.
+
+_Perugia, Dec. 24._--On leaving Levane, the morning gave a promise, and
+the sun winked at us once or twice through the broken clouds, with a
+watery eye; but our cup was not yet full. After crossing one or two
+shoulders of the range of hills, we descended to the great upland plain
+of Central Italy, watered by the sources of the Arno and the Tiber. The
+scenery is of a remarkable character. The hills appear to have been
+washed and swept by some mighty flood. They are worn into every
+shape--pyramids, castles, towers--standing desolate and brown, in long
+ranges, like the ruins of mountains. The plain is scarred with deep
+gulleys, adding to the look of decay which accords so well with the
+Cyclopean relics of the country.
+
+A storm of hail which rolled away before us, disclosed the city of
+Arezzo, on a hill at the other end of the plain, its heavy cathedral
+crowning the pyramidal mass of buildings. Our first care was to find a
+good trattoria, for hunger spoke louder than sentiment, and then we
+sought the house where Petrarch was born. A young priest showed it to us
+on the summit of the hill. It has not been changed since he lived in it.
+
+On leaving Florence, we determined to pursue the same plan as in
+Germany, of stopping at the inns frequented by the common people. They
+treated us here, as elsewhere, with great kindness and sympathy, and we
+were freed from the outrageous impositions practised at the greater
+hotels. They always built a large fire to dry us, after our day's walk
+in the rain, and placing chairs in the hearth, which was raised several
+feet above the floor, stationed us there, like the giants Gog and Magog,
+while the children, assembled below, gazed up in open-mouthed wonder at
+our elevated greatness. They even invited us to share their simple meals
+with them, and it was amusing to hear their goodhearted exclamations of
+pity at finding we were so far from home. We slept in the great beds
+(for the most of the Italian beds are calculated for a man, wife, and
+four children!) without fear of being assassinated, and only met with
+banditti in dreams.
+
+This is a very unfavorable time of the year for foot-traveling. We were
+obliged to wait three or four weeks in Florence for a remittance from
+America, which not only prevented our leaving as soon as was desirable,
+but, by the additional expense of living, left us much smaller means
+than we required. However, through the kindness of a generous
+countryman, who unhesitatingly loaned us a considerable sum, we were
+enabled to start with thirty dollars each, which, with care and
+economy, will be quite sufficient to take us to Paris, by way of Rome
+and Naples, if these storms do not prevent us from walking. Greece and
+the Orient, which I so ardently hoped to visit, are now out of the
+question. We walked till noon to-day, over the Val di Chiana to
+Camuscia, the last post-station in the Tuscan dominions. On a mountain
+near it is the city of Cortona, still enclosed within its Cyclopean
+walls, built long before the foundation of Rome. Here our patience gave
+way, melted down by the unremitting rains, and while eating dinner we
+made a bargain for a vehicle to bring us to this city. We gave a little
+more than half of what the vetturino demanded, which was still an
+exorbitant price--two scudi each for a ride of thirty miles.
+
+In a short time we were called to take our seats; I beheld with
+consternation a rickety, uncovered, two-wheeled vehicle, to which a
+single lean horse was attached. "What!" said I; "is that the carriage
+you promised?" "You bargained for a _calesino_," said he, "and there it
+is!" adding, moreover, that there was nothing else in the place. So we
+clambered up, thrust our feet among the hay, and the machine rolled off
+with a kind of saw-mill motion, at the rate of five miles an hour.
+
+Soon after, in ascending the mountain of the Spelunca, a sheet of blue
+water was revealed below us--the Lake of Thrasymene! From the eminence
+around which we drove, we looked on the whole of its broad surface and
+the mountains which encompass it. It is a magnificent sheet of water, in
+size and shape somewhat like New York Bay, but the heights around it are
+far higher than the hills of Jersey or Staten Island. Three beautiful
+islands lie in it, near the eastern shore.
+
+While our _calesino_ was stopped at the papal custom-house, I gazed on
+the memorable field below us. A crescent plain, between the mountain and
+the lake, was the arena where two mighty empires met in combat. The
+place seems marked by nature for the scene of some great event. I
+experienced a thrilling emotion, such as no battle plain has excited,
+since, when a schoolboy, I rambled over the field of Brandywine. I
+looked through the long arcades of patriarchal olives, and tried to
+cover the field with the shadows of the Roman and Carthaginian myriads.
+I recalled the shock of meeting legions, the clash of swords and
+bucklers, and the waving standards amid the dust of battle, while stood
+on the mountain amphitheatre, trembling and invisible, the protecting
+deities of Rome.
+
+    "Far other scene is Thrasymene now!"
+
+We rode over the plain, passed through the dark old town of Passignano,
+built on a rocky point by the lake, and dashed along the shore. A dark,
+stormy sky bent over us, and the roused waves broke in foam on the
+rocks. The winds whistled among the bare oak boughs, and shook the
+olives till they twinkled all over. The vetturino whipped our old horse
+into a gallop, and we were borne on in unison with the scene, which
+would have answered for one of Hoffman's wildest stories.
+
+Ascending a long hill, we took a last look in the dusk at Thrasymene,
+and continued our journey among the Appenines. The vetturino was to have
+changed horses at Magione, thirteen miles from Perugia, but there were
+none to be had, and our poor beast was obliged to perform the whole
+journey without rest or food. It grew very dark, and a storm, with
+thunder and lightning, swept among the hills. The clouds were of pitchy
+darkness, and we could see nothing beyond the road, except the lights of
+peasant-cottages trembling through the gloom. Now and then a flash of
+lightning revealed the black masses of the mountains, on which the solid
+sky seemed to rest. The wind and cold rain swept wailing past us, as if
+an evil spirit were abroad on the darkness. Three hours of such
+nocturnal travel brought us here, wet and chilly, as well as our driver,
+but I pitied the poor horse more than him.
+
+When we looked out the window, on awaking, the clustered house-tops of
+the city, and the summits of the mountains near were covered with snow.
+But on walking to the battlements we saw that the valleys below were
+green and untouched. Perugia, for its "pride of place," must endure the
+storms, while the humbler villages below escape them. As the rain
+continues, we have taken seats in a country diligence for Foligno and
+shall depart in a few minutes.
+
+_Dec. 28._--We left Perugia in a close but covered vehicle, and
+descending the mountain, crossed the muddy and rapid Tiber in the
+valley below. All day we rode slowly among the hills; where the ascent
+was steep, two or four large oxen were hitched before the horses. I saw
+little of the scenery, for our Italian companions would not bear the
+windows open. Once, when we stopped, I got out and found we were in the
+region of snow, at the foot of a stormy peak, which towered sublimely
+above. At dusk, we entered Foligno, and were driven to the "Croce
+Bianca"--glad to be thirty miles further on our way to Rome.
+
+After some discussion with a vetturino, who was to leave next morning,
+we made a contract with him for the remainder of the journey, for the
+rain, which fell in torrents, forbade all thought of pedestrianism. At
+five o'clock we rattled out of the gate, and drove by the waning moon
+and morning starlight, down the vale of the Clitumnus. As the dawn stole
+on, I watched eagerly the features of the scene. Instead of a narrow
+glen, as my fancy had pictured, we were in a valley, several miles
+broad, covered with rich orchards and fertile fields. A glorious range
+of mountains bordered it on the north, looking like Alps in their winter
+garments. A rosy flush stole over the snow, which kindled with the
+growing morn, till they shone like clouds that float in the sunrise. The
+Clitumnus, beside us, was the purest of streams. The heavy rains which
+had fallen, had not soiled in the least its limpid crystal.
+
+When it grew light enough, I looked at our companions for the three
+days' journey. The two other inside seats were occupied by a tradesman
+of Trieste, with his wife and child; an old soldier, and a young dragoon
+going to visit his parents after seven years' absence, occupied the
+front part. Persons traveling together in a carriage are not long in
+becoming acquainted--close companionship soon breeds familiarity. Before
+night, I had made a fast friend of the young soldier, learned to bear
+the perverse humor of the child with as much patience as its father, and
+even drawn looks of grim kindness from the crusty old vetturino.
+
+Our mid-day resting place was Spoleto. As there were two hours given us,
+we took a ramble through the city, visited the ruins of its Roman
+theatre and saw the gate erected to commemorate the victory gained here
+over Hannibal, which stopped his triumphal march towards Rome. A great
+part of the afternoon was spent in ascending among the defiles of Monte
+Somma, the highest pass on the road between Ancona and Rome. Assisted by
+two yoke of oxen we slowly toiled up through the snow, the mountains on
+both sides covered with thickets of box and evergreen oaks, among whose
+leafy screens the banditti hide themselves. It is not considered
+dangerous at present, but as the dragoons who used to patrol this pass
+have been sent off to Bologna, to keep down the rebellion, the robbers
+will probably return to their old haunts again. We saw many suspicious
+looking coverts, where they might have hidden.
+
+We slept at Terni and did not see the falls--not exactly on Wordsworth's
+principle of leaving Yarrow "unvisited," but because under the
+circumstances, it was impossible. The vetturino did not arrive there
+till after dark; he was to leave before dawn; the distance was five
+miles, and the roads very bad. Besides, we had seen falls quite as
+grand, which needed only a Byron to make them as renowned--we had been
+told that those of Tivoli, which we shall see, were equally fine. The
+Velino, which we crossed near Terni, was not a large stream--in short,
+we hunted as many reasons as we could find, why the falls need not be
+seen.
+
+Leaving Terni before day, we drove up the long vale towards Narni. The
+roads were frozen hard; the ascent becoming more difficult, the
+vetturino was obliged to stop at a farm-house and get another pair of
+horses, with which, and a handsome young contadino as postillion, we
+reached Narni in a short time. In climbing the hill, we had a view of
+the whole valley of Terni, shut in on all sides by snow-crested
+Appenines, and threaded by the Nar, whose waters flow "with many
+windings, through the vale!"
+
+At Otricoli, while dinner was preparing, I walked around the crumbling
+battlements to look down into the valley and trace the far windings of
+the Tiber. In rambling through the crooked streets, we saw everywhere
+the remains of the splendor which this place boasted in the days of
+Rome. Fragments of fluted pillars stood here and there in the streets;
+large blocks of marble covered with sculpture and inscriptions were
+built into the houses, defaced statues used as door-ornaments, and the
+steppingstone to our rude inn, worn every day by the feet of grooms and
+vetturini, contained some letters of an inscription which may have
+recorded the glory of on emperor.
+
+Traveling with a vetturino, is unquestionably the pleasantest way of
+seeing Italy. The easy rate of the journey allows time for becoming well
+acquainted with the country, and the tourist is freed from the annoyance
+of quarrelling with cheating landlords. A translation of our written
+contract, will best explain this mode of traveling:
+
+  "CARRIAGE" FOR ROME.
+
+  "Our contract is, to be conducted to Rome for the sum of twenty
+  francs each, say 20f. and the _buona mano_, if we are well
+  served. We must have from the vetturino, Giuseppe Nerpiti, supper
+  each night, a free chamber with two beds, and fire, until we shall
+  arrive at Rome.
+
+  "I, Geronymo Sartarelli, steward of the Inn of the White Cross, at
+  Foligno, in testimony of the above contract."
+
+Beyond Otricoli, we passed through some relics of an age anterior to
+Rome. A few soiled masses of masonry, black with age, stood along the
+brow of the mountain, on whose extremity were the ruins of a castle of
+the middle ages. We crossed the Tiber on a bridge built by Augustus
+Cæsar, and reached Borghetto as the sun was gilding with its last rays
+the ruined citadel above. As the carriage with its four horses was
+toiling slowly up the hill, we got out and walked before, to gaze on the
+green meadows of the Tiber.
+
+On descending from Narni, I noticed a high, prominent mountain, whose
+ridgy back, somewhat like the profile of a face, reminded me of the
+Traunstein, in Upper Austria. As we approached, its form gradually
+changed, until it stood on the Campagna
+
+    "Like a long-swept wave about to break,
+    That on the curl hangs pausing"--
+
+and by that token of a great bard, I recognized Monte Soracte. The
+dragoon took us by the arms, and away we scampered over the Campagna,
+with one of the loveliest sunsets before us, that ever painted itself on
+my retina. I cannot portray in words the glory that flooded the whole
+western heaven. It was like a sea of melted ruby, amethyst and
+topaz--deep, dazzling and of crystal transparency. The color changed in
+tone every few minutes, till in half an hour it sank away before the
+twilight to a belt of deep orange along the west.
+
+We left Civita Castellana before daylight. The sky was red with dawn as
+we approached Nepi, and we got out to walk, in the clear, frosty air. A
+magnificent Roman aqueduct, part of it a double row of arches, still
+supplies the town with water. There is a deep ravine, appearing as if
+rent in the ground by some convulsion, on the eastern side of the city.
+A clear stream that steals through the arches of the aqueduct, falls in
+a cascade of sixty feet down into the chasm, sending up constant wreaths
+of spray through the evergreen foliage that clothes the rocks. In
+walking over the desolate Campagna, we saw many deep chambers dug in the
+earth, used by the charcoal burners; the air was filled with sulphureous
+exhalations, very offensive to the smell, which rose from the ground in
+many places.
+
+Miles and miles of the dreary waste, covered only with flocks of grazing
+sheep, were passed,--and about noon we reached Baccano, a small post
+station, twenty miles from Rome. A long hill rose before us, and we
+sprang out of the carriage and ran ahead, to see Rome from its summit.
+As we approached the top, the Campagna spread far before and around us,
+level and blue as an ocean. I climbed up a high bank by the roadside,
+and the whole scene came in view. Perhaps eighteen miles distant rose
+the dome of St. Peter's, near the horizon--a small spot on the vast
+plain. Beyond it and further east, were the mountains of Albano--on our
+left Soracte and the Appenines, and a blue line along the west betrayed
+the Mediterranean. There was nothing peculiarly beautiful or sublime in
+the landscape, but few other scenes on earth combine in one glance such
+a myriad of mighty associations, or bewilder the mind with such a crowd
+of confused emotions.
+
+As we approached Rome, the dragoon, with whom we had been walking all
+day, became anxious and impatient. He had not heard from his parents
+for a long time, and knew not if they were living. His desire to be at
+the end of his journey finally became so great, that he hailed a peasant
+who was driving by in a light vehicle, left our slow carriage and went
+out of sight in a gallop.
+
+As we descended to the Tiber in the dusk of evening, the domes and
+spires of Rome came gradually into view, St. Peter's standing like a
+mountain in the midst of them. Crossing the yellow river by the Ponte
+Molle, two miles of road, straight as an arrow, lay before us, with the
+light of the _Porta del Popolo_ at the end. I felt strangely excited as
+the old vehicle rumbled through the arch, and we entered a square with
+fountains and an obelisk of Egyptian granite in the centre. Delivering
+up our passports, we waited until the necessary examinations were made,
+and then went forward. Three streets branch out from the square, the
+middle one of which, leading directly to the Capitol, is the Corso, the
+Roman Broadway. Our vetturino chose that to the left, the Via della
+Scrofa, leading off towards the bridge of St. Angelo. I looked out the
+windows as we drove along, but saw nothing except butcher-shops,
+grocer-stores, etc.--horrible objects for a sentimental traveler!
+
+Being emptied out on the pavement at last, our first care was to find
+rooms; after searching through many streets, with a coarse old Italian
+who spoke like an angel, we arrived at a square where the music of a
+fountain was heard through the dusk and an obelisk cut out some of the
+starlight. At the other end I saw a portico through the darkness, and my
+heart gave a breathless bound on recognizing the _Pantheon_--the
+matchless temple of Ancient Rome! And now while I am writing, I hear the
+gush of the fountain--and if I step to the window, I see the time-worn
+but still glorious edifice.
+
+On returning for our baggage, we met the funeral procession of the
+Princess Altieri. Priests in white and gold carried flaming torches, and
+the coffin, covered with a magnificent golden pall, was borne in a
+splendid hearse, guarded by four priests. As we were settling our
+account with the vetturino, who demanded much more _buona mano_ than we
+were willing to give, the young dragoon returned. He was greatly
+agitated. "I have been at home!" said he, in a voice trembling with
+emotion. I was about to ask him further concerning his family, but he
+kissed and embraced us warmly and hurriedly, saying he had only come to
+say "addio!" and to leave us. I stop writing to ramble through Rome.
+This city of all cities to me--this dream of my boyhood--giant,
+god-like, fallen Rome--is around me, and I revel in a glow of
+anticipation and exciting thought that seems to change my whole state of
+being.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+ROME.
+
+
+_Dec. 29._--One day's walk through Rome--how shall I describe it? The
+Capitol, the Forum, St. Peter's, the Coliseum--what few hours' ramble
+ever took in places so hallowed by poetry, history and art? It was a
+golden leaf in my calendar of life. In thinking over it now, and drawing
+out the threads of recollection from the varied woof of thought I have
+woven to-day, I almost wonder how I dared so much at once; but within
+reach of them all, how was it possible to wait? Let me give a sketch of
+our day's ramble.
+
+Hearing that it was better to visit the ruins by evening or moonlight,
+(alas! there is no moon now) we started out to hunt St. Peter's. Going
+in the direction of the Corso, we passed the ruined front of the
+magnificent Temple of Antoninus, now used as the Papal Custom House. We
+turned to the right on entering the Corso, expecting to have a view of
+the city from the hill at its southern end. It is a magnificent street,
+lined with palaces and splendid edifices of every kind, and always
+filled with crowds of carriages and people. On leaving it, however, we
+became bewildered among the narrow streets--passed through a market of
+vegetables, crowded with beggars and contadini--threaded many by-ways
+between dark old buildings--saw one or two antique fountains and many
+modern churches, and finally arrived at a hill.
+
+We ascended many steps, and then descending a little towards the other
+side, saw suddenly below us the _Roman Forum_! I knew it at once--and
+those three Corinthian columns that stood near us--what could they be
+but the remains of the temple of Jupiter Stator? We stood on the
+Capitoline Hill; at the foot was the Arch of Septimus Severus, brown
+with age and shattered; near it stood the majestic front of the Temple
+of Fortune, its pillars of polished granite glistening in the sun, as if
+they had been erected yesterday, while on the left the rank grass was
+waving from the arches and mighty walls of the Palace of the Cæsars! In
+front, ruin upon ruin lined the way for half a mile, where the Coliseum
+towered grandly through the blue morning mist, at the base of the
+Esquiline Hill!
+
+Good heavens, what a scene! Grandeur, such as the world never saw, once
+rose through that blue atmosphere; splendor inconceivable, the spoils of
+a world, the triumphs of a thousand armies had passed over that earth;
+minds which for ages moved the ancient world had thought there, and
+words of power and glory, from the lips of immortal men, had been
+syllabled on that hallowed air. To call back all this on the very spot,
+while the wreck of what once was, rose mouldering and desolate around,
+aroused a sublimity of thought and feeling too powerful for words.
+
+Returning at hazard through the streets, we came suddenly upon the
+column of Trajan, standing in an excavated square below the level of the
+city, amid a number of broken granite columns, which formed part of the
+Forum dedicated to him by Rome, after the conquest of Dacia. The column
+is one hundred and thirty-two feet high, entirely covered with
+bas-reliefs representing his victories, winding about it in a spiral
+line to the top. The number of figures is computed at two thousand five
+hundred, and they were of such excellence that Raphael used many of them
+for his models. They are now much defaced, and the column is surmounted
+by a statue of some saint. The inscription on the pedestal has been
+erased, and the name of Sixtus V. substituted. Nothing can exceed the
+ridiculous vanity of the old popes in thus mutilating the finest
+monuments of ancient art. You cannot look upon any relic of antiquity in
+Rome, but your eyes are assailed by the words "PONTIFEX MAXIMUS," in
+staring modern letters. Even the magnificent bronzes of the Pantheon
+were stripped to make the baldachin under the dome of St. Peter's.
+
+Finding our way back again, we took a fresh start, happily in the right
+direction, and after walking some time, came out on the Tiber, at the
+Bridge of St. Angelo. The river rolled below in his muddy glory, and in
+front, on the opposite bank, stood "the pile which Hadrian retired on
+high"--_now_, the Castle of St. Angelo. Knowing that St. Peter's was to
+he seen from this bridge, I looked about in search of it. There was only
+one dome in sight, large and of beautiful proportions. I said at once,
+"surely _that_ cannot be St. Peter's!" On looking again, however, I saw
+the top of a massive range of building near it, which corresponded so
+nearly with the pictures of the Vatican, that I was unwillingly forced
+to believe the mighty dome was really before me. I recognized it as one
+of those we saw from the Capitol, but it appeared so much smaller when
+viewed from a greater distance, that I was quite deceived. On
+considering we were still three-fourths of a mile from it, and that we
+could see its minutest parts distinctly, the illusion was explained.
+
+Going directly down the _Borgo Vecchio_, towards it, it seemed a long
+time before we arrived at the square of St. Peter's; when at length we
+stood in front with the majestic colonnade sweeping around--the
+fountains on each side sending up their showers of silvery spray--the
+mighty obelisk of Egyptian granite piercing the sky--and beyond, the
+great front and dome of the Cathedral, I confessed my unmingled
+admiration. It recalled to my mind the grandeur of ancient Rome, and
+mighty as her edifices must have been, I doubt if there were many views
+more overpowering than this. The façade of St. Peter's seemed close to
+us, but it was a third of a mile distant, and the people ascending the
+steps dwindled to pigmies.
+
+I passed the obelisk, went up the long ascent, crossed the portico,
+pushed aside the heavy leathern curtain at the entrance, and stood in
+the great nave. I need not describe my feelings at the sight, but I will
+tell the dimensions, and you may then fancy what they were. Before me
+was a marble plain six hundred feet long, and under the cross four
+hundred and seventeen feet wide! One hundred and fifty feet above,
+sprang a glorious arch, dazzling with inlaid gold, and in the centre of
+the cross there were four hundred feet of air between me and the top of
+the dome! The sunbeam, stealing through the lofty window at one end of
+the transept, made a bar of light on the blue air, hazy with incense,
+one-tenth of a mile long, before it fell on the mosaics and gilded
+shrines of the other extremity. The grand cupola alone, including
+lantern and cross, is two hundred and eighty-five feet high, or sixty
+feet higher than the Bunker Hill Monument, and the four immense pillars
+on which it rests are each one hundred and thirty-seven feet in
+circumference! It seems as if human art had outdone itself in producing
+this temple--the grandest which the world ever erected for the worship
+of the Living God! The awe felt in looking up at the giant arch of
+marble and gold, did not humble me; on the contrary, I felt exalted,
+ennobled--beings in the form I wore planned the glorious edifice, and it
+seemed that in godlike power perseverance, they were indeed but "a
+little lower than the angels!" I felt that, if fallen, my race was still
+mighty and immortal.
+
+The Vatican is only open twice a week, on days which are not _festas_;
+most fortunately, to-day happened to be one of these, and we took a
+_run_ through its endless halls. The extent and magnificence of the
+gallery of sculpture is perfectly amazing. The halls, which are filled
+to overflowing with the finest works of ancient art, would, if placed
+side by side, make a row more than two miles in length! You enter at
+once into a hall of marble, with a magnificent arched ceiling, a third
+of a mile long; the sides are covered for a great distance with
+inscriptions of every kind, divided into compartments according to the
+era of the empire to which they refer. One which I examined, appeared to
+be a kind of index of the roads in Italy, with the towns on them; and we
+could decipher on that time-worn block, the very route I had followed
+from Florence hither.
+
+Then came the statues, and here I am bewildered, how to describe them.
+Hundreds upon hundreds of figures--statues of citizens, generals,
+emperors and gods--fauns, satyrs and nymphs--children, cupids and
+tritons--in fact, it seemed inexhaustible. Many of them, too, were forms
+of matchless beauty; there were Venuses and nymphs, born of the loftiest
+dreams of grace; fauns on whose faces shone the very soul of humor, and
+heroes and divinities with an air of majesty worthy the "land of lost
+gods and godlike men!"
+
+I am lost in astonishment at the perfection of art attained by the
+Greeks and Romans. There is scarcely a form of beauty, that has ever met
+my eye, which is not to be found in this gallery. I should almost
+despair of such another blaze of glory on the world, were it not my
+devout belief that what has been done may be done again, and had I not
+faith that the dawn in which we live will bring another day equally
+glorious. And why should not America, with the experience and added
+wisdom which three thousand years have slowly yielded to the old world,
+joined to the giant energy of her youth and freedom, re-bestow on the
+world the divine creations of art? Let Powers answer!
+
+But let us step on to the hemicycle of the Belvidere, and view some
+works greater than any we have yet seen, or even imagined. The adjoining
+gallery is filled with masterpieces of sculpture, but we will keep our
+eyes unwearied and merely glance along the rows. At length we reach a
+circular court with a fountain flinging up its waters in the centre.
+Before us is an open cabinet; there is a beautiful, manly form within,
+but you would not for an instant take it for the Apollo. By the Gorgon
+head it holds aloft, we recognize Canova's Perseus--he has copied the
+form and attitude of the Apollo, but he could not breathe into it the
+same warming fire. It seemed to me particularly lifeless, and I greatly
+preferred his Boxers, who stand on either side of it. One, who has drawn
+back in the attitude of striking, looks as if he could fell an ox with a
+single blow of his powerful arm. The other is a more lithe and agile
+figure, and there is a quick fire in his countenance which might
+overbalance the massive strength of his opponent.
+
+Another cabinet--this is the far-famed Antinous. A countenance of
+perfect Grecian beauty, with a form such as we would imagine for one of
+Homer's heroes. His features are in repose, and there is something in
+their calm, settled expression, strikingly like life.
+
+Now we look on a scene of the deepest physical agony. Mark how every
+muscle of old Laocoon's body is distended to the utmost in the mighty
+struggle! What intensity of pain in the quivering, distorted, features!
+Every nerve, which despair can call into action, is excited in one giant
+effort, and a scream of anguish seems just to have quivered on those
+marble lips. The serpents have rolled their strangling coils around
+father and sons, but terror has taken away the strength of the latter,
+and they make but feeble resistance. After looking with indifference on
+the many casts of this group, I was the more moved by the magnificent
+original. It deserves all the admiration that has been heaped upon it.
+
+I absolutely trembled on approaching the cabinet of the Apollo, I had
+built up in fancy a glorious ideal, drawn from all that bards have sung
+or artists have rhapsodized about its divine beauty. I feared
+disappointment--I dreaded to have my ideal displaced and my faith in the
+power of human genius overthrown by a form less than perfect. However,
+with a feeling of desperate excitement, I entered and looked upon it.
+
+Now what shall I say of it? How make you comprehend its immortal beauty?
+To what shall I liken its glorious perfection of form, or the fire that
+imbues the cold marble with the soul of a god? Not with sculpture, for
+it stands alone and above all other works of art--nor with men, for it
+has a majesty more than human. I gazed on it, lost in wonder and
+joy--joy that I could, at last, take into my mind a faultless ideal of
+godlike, exalted manhood. The figure appears actually to possess a
+spirit, and I looked on it, not as on a piece of marble, but a being of
+loftier mould, and half expected to see him step forward when the arrow
+had reached its mark. I would give worlds to feel one moment the
+sculptor's mental triumph when his work was completed; that one exulting
+thrill must have repaid him for every ill he might have suffered on
+earth! With what divine inspiration has he wrought its faultless lines!
+There is a spirit in every limb which mere toil could not have given. It
+must have been caught in those lofty moments.
+
+    "When each conception was a heavenly guest--a
+    ray of immortality--and stood
+    star-like, around, until they gathered to a god?"
+
+We ran through a series of halls, roofed with golden stars on a deep
+blue, midnight sky, and filled with porphyry vases, black marble gods,
+and mummies. Some of the statues shone with the matchless polish they
+had received from a Theban artisan before Athens was founded, and are,
+apparently, as fresh and perfect as when looked upon by the vassals of
+Sesostris. Notwithstanding their stiff, rough-hewn limbs, there were
+some figures of great beauty, and they gave me a much higher idea of
+Egyptian sculpture. In an adjoining hall, containing colossal busts of
+the gods, is a vase forty-one feet in circumference, of one solid block
+of red porphyry.
+
+The "Transfiguration" is truly called the first picture in the world.
+The same glow of inspiration which created the Belvidere, must have been
+required to paint the Saviour's aerial form. The three figures hover
+above the earth in a blaze of glory, seemingly independent of all
+material laws. The terrified Apostles on the mount, and the wondering
+group below, correspond in the grandeur of their expression to the awe
+and majesty of the scene. The only blemish in the sublime perfection of
+the picture is the introduction of the two small figures on the left
+hand; who, by-the-bye, were Cardinals, inserted there by command. Some
+travelers say the color is all lost, but I was agreeably surprised to
+find it well preserved. It is, undoubtedly, somewhat imperfect in this
+respect, as Raphael died before it was entirely finished; but "take it
+all in all," you may search the world in vain to find its equal.
+
+_January 1, 1846._--New Year's Day in the Eternal City! It will be
+something to say in after years, that I have seen one year open in
+_Rome_--that, while my distant friends were making up for the winter
+without, with good cheer around the merry board, I have walked in
+sunshine by the ruins of the Coliseum, watched the orange groves
+gleaming with golden fruitage in the Farnese gardens, trodden the
+daisied meadow around the sepulchre of Caius Cestius, and mused by the
+graves of Shelley, Keats and Salvator Rosa! The Palace of the Cassars
+looked even more mournful in the pale, slant sunshine, and the yellow
+Tiber, as he flowed through the "marble wilderness," seemed sullenly
+counting up the long centuries during which degenerate slaves have
+trodden his banks. A leaden-colored haze clothed the seven hills, and
+heavy silence reigned among the ruins, for all work was prohibited, and
+the people were gathered in their churches. Rome never appeared so
+desolate and melancholy as to-day.
+
+In the morning I climbed the Quirinal Hill, now called Monte Cavallo,
+from the colossal statues of Castor and Pollux, with their steeds,
+supposed to be the work of Phidias and Praxiteles. They stand on each
+side of an obelisk of Egyptian granite, beside which a strong stream of
+water gushes up into a magnificent bronze basin, found in the old Forum.
+The statues, entirely browned by age, are considered masterpieces of
+Grecian art, and whether or not from the great masters, show in all
+their proportions, the conceptions of lofty genius.
+
+We kept on our way between gardens filled with orange groves, whose
+glowing fruit reminded me of Mignon's beautiful reminiscence--"Im
+dunkeln Laub die Gold Orangen glühn!" Rome, although subject to cold
+winds from the Appenines, enjoys so mild a climate that oranges and palm
+trees grow in the open air, without protection. Daisies and violets
+bloom the whole winter, in the meadows of never-fading green. The
+basilic of the Lateran equals St. Peter's in splendor, though its size
+is much smaller. The walls are covered with gorgeous hangings of velvet
+embroidered with gold, and before the high altar, which glitters with
+precious stones, are four pillars of gilt bronze, said to be those which
+Augustus made of the spars of Egyptian vessels captured at the battle of
+Actium.
+
+We descended the hill to the Coliseum, and passing under the Arch of
+Constantine, walked along the ancient triumphal way, at the foot of the
+Palatine Hill, which is entirely covered with the ruins of the Cæsars'
+Palace. A road, rounding its southern base towards the Tiber, brought us
+to the Temple of Vesta--a beautiful little relic which has been
+singularly spared by the devastations that have overthrown so many
+mightier fabrics. It is of circular form, surrounded by nineteen
+Corinthian columns, thirty-six feet in height; a clumsy tiled roof now
+takes the place of the elegant cornice which once gave the crowning
+charm to its perfect proportions. Close at hand are the remains of the
+temple of Fortuna Virilis, of which some Ionic pillars alone are left,
+and the house of Cola di Rienzi--the last Tribune of Rome.
+
+As we approached the walls, the sepulchre of Caius Cestius came in
+sight--a single solid pyramid, one hundred feet in height. The walls are
+built against it, and the light apex rises far above the massive gate
+beside it, which was erected by Belisarius. But there were other tombs
+at hand, for which we had more sympathy than that of the forgotten
+Roman, and we turned away to look for the graves of Shelley and Keats.
+
+They lie in the Protestant burying ground, on the side of a mound that
+slopes gently up to the old wall of Rome, beside the pyramid of Cestius.
+The meadow around is still verdant and sown thick with daisies, and the
+soft green of the Italian pine mingles with the dark cypress above the
+slumberers. Huge aloes grow in the shade, and the sweet bay and bushes
+of rosemary make the air fresh and fragrant. There is a solemn, mournful
+beauty about the place, green and lonely as it is, beside the tottering
+walls of ancient Rome, that takes away the gloomy associations of death,
+and makes one wish to lie there, too, when his thread shall be spun to
+the end.
+
+We found first the simple head-stone of Keats, alone, in the grassy
+meadow. Its inscription states that on his death-bed, in the bitterness
+of his heart, at the malice of his enemies, be desired these words to be
+written on his tombstone: "_Here lies one whose name was written in
+water_." Not far from him reposes the son of Shelley.
+
+Shelley himself lies at the top of the shaded slope, in a lonely spot by
+the wall, surrounded by tall cypresses. A little hedge of rose and bay
+surrounds his grave, which bears the simple inscription--
+
+    "PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY; _Cor Cordium_."
+
+      "Nothing of him that doth fade,
+      But doth suffer a sea-change
+      Into something rich and strange."
+
+Glorious, but misguided Shelley! He sleeps calmly now in that silent
+nook, and the air around his grave is filled with sighs from those who
+mourn that the bright, erratic star should have been blotted out ere it
+reached the zenith of its mounting fame. I plucked a leaf from the
+fragrant bay, as a token of his fame, and a sprig of cypress from the
+bough that bent lowest over his grave; and passing between tombs shaded
+with blooming roses or covered with unwithered garlands, left the lovely
+spot.
+
+Amid the excitement of continually changing scenes, I have forgotten to
+mention our first visit to the Coliseum. The day after our arrival we
+set out with two English friends, to see it by sunset. Passing by the
+glorious fountain of Trevi, we made our way to the Forum, and from
+thence took the road to the Coliseum, lined on both sides with the
+remains of splendid edifices. The grass-grown ruins of the Palace of the
+Cæsars stretched along on our right; on our left we passed in succession
+the granite front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, the three
+grand arches of the Temple of Peace and the ruins of the Temple of Venus
+and Rome. We went under the ruined triumphal arch of Titus, with broken
+friezes representing the taking of Jerusalem, and the mighty walls of
+the Coliseum gradually rose before us. They grew in grandeur as we
+approached them, and when at length we stood in the centre, with the
+shattered arches and grassy walls rising above and beyond one another,
+far around us, the red light of sunset giving them a soft and melancholy
+beauty, I was fain to confess that another form of grandeur had entered
+my mind, of which I before knew not.
+
+A majesty like that of nature clothes this wonderful edifice. Walls rise
+above walls, and arches above arches, from every side of the grand
+arena, like a sweep of craggy, pinnacled mountains around an oval lake.
+The two outer circles have almost entirely disappeared, torn away by the
+rapacious nobles of Rome, during the middle ages, to build their
+palaces. When entire, and filled with its hundred thousand spectators,
+it must have exceeded any pageant which the world can now produce. No
+wonder it was said--
+
+    "While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand;
+    When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall;
+    And when Rome falls, the world!"
+
+--a prediction, which time has not verified. The world is now going
+forward, prouder than ever, and though we thank Rome for the legacy she
+has left us, we would not wish the dust of her ruin to cumber our path.
+
+While standing in the arena, impressed with the spirit of the scene
+around me, which grew more spectral and melancholy as the dusk of
+evening began to fill up the broken arches, my eye was assailed by the
+shrines ranged around the space, doubtless to remove the pollution of
+paganism. In the middle stands also a cross, with an inscription,
+granting an absolution of forty days to all who kiss it. Now, although a
+simple cross in the centre might be very appropriate, both as a token of
+the heroic devotion of the martyr Telemachus and the triumph of a true
+religion over the barbarities of the Past, this congregation of shrines
+and bloody pictures mars very much the unity of association so necessary
+to the perfect enjoyment of any such scene.
+
+We saw the flush of sunset fade behind the Capitoline Hill, and passed
+homeward by the Forum, as its shattered pillars were growing solemn and
+spectral through the twilight. I intend to visit them often again, and
+"meditate amongst decay." I begin already to grow attached to their
+lonely grandeur. A spirit, almost human, speaks from the desolation, and
+there is something in the voiceless oracles it utters, that strikes an
+answering chord in my own breast.
+
+In the _Via de' Pontefici_, not far distant from the Borghese Palace, we
+saw the Mausoleum of Augustus. It is a large circular structure somewhat
+after the plan of that of Hadrian, but on a much smaller scale. The
+interior has been cleared out, seats erected around the walls, and the
+whole is now a summer theatre, for the amusement of the peasantry and
+tradesmen. What a commentary on greatness! Harlequin playing his pranks
+in the tomb of an Emperor, and the spot which nations approached with
+reverence, resounding with the mirth of beggars and degraded vassals!
+
+I visited lately the studio of a young Philadelphian, Mr. W. B.
+Chambers, who has been here two or three years. In studying the legacies
+of art which the old masters left to their country, he has caught some
+of the genuine poetic inspiration which warmed them. But he is modest as
+talented, and appears to undervalue his works, so long as they do not
+reach his own mental ideal. He chooses principally subjects from the
+Italian peasant-life, which abounds with picturesque and classic beauty.
+His pictures of the shepherd boy of the Albruzzi, and the brown maidens
+of the Campagna are fine illustrations of this class, and the fidelity
+with which he copies nature, is an earnest of his future success.
+
+I was in the studio of Crawford, the sculptor; he has at present
+nothing finished in the marble. There were many casts of his former
+works, which, judging from their appearance in plaster, must be of no
+common excellence--for the sculptor can only be justly judged _in
+marble_. I saw some fine bas-reliefs of classical subjects, and an
+exquisite group of Mercury and Psyche, but his masterpiece is
+undoubtedly the Orpheus. There is a spirit in this figure which
+astonished me. The face is full of the inspiration of the poet, softened
+by the lover's tenderness, and the whole fervor of his soul is expressed
+in the eagerness with which he gazes forward, on stepping past the
+sleeping Cerberus. Crawford is now engaged on the statue of an Indian
+girl, pierced by an arrow, and dying. It is a simple and touching
+figure, and will, I think, be one of his best works.
+
+We are often amused with the groups in the square of the Pantheon, which
+we can see from our chamber-window. Shoemakers and tinkers carry on
+their business along the sunny side, while the venders of oranges and
+roasted chesnuts form a circle around the Egyptian obelisk and fountain.
+Across the end of an opposite street we get a glimpse of the
+vegetable-market, and now and then the shrill voice of a pedlar makes
+its nasal solo audible above the confused chorus. As the beggars choose
+the Corso, St. Peter's, and the ruins for their principal haunts, we are
+now spared the hearing of their lamentations. Every time we go out we
+are assailed with them. "_Maladetta sia la vostra testa_!"--"Curses be
+upon your head!"--said one whom I passed without notice. The priests
+are, however, the greatest beggars. In every church are kept offering
+boxes, for the support of the church or some unknown institution; they
+even go from house to house, imploring support and assistance in the
+name of the Virgin and all the saints, while their bloated, sensual
+countenances and capacious frames tell of anything but fasts and
+privations. Once, as I was sitting among the ruins, I was suddenly
+startled by a loud, rattling sound; turning my head, I saw a figure
+clothed in white from head to foot, with only two small holes for the
+eyes. He held in his hand a money-box, on which was a figure of the
+Virgin, which he held close to my lips, that I might kiss it. This I
+declined doing, but dropped a baiocco into his box, when, making the
+sign of the cross, he silently disappeared.
+
+Our present lodging (Trattoria del Sole) is a good specimen of an
+Italian inn for mechanics and common tradesmen. Passing through the
+front room, which is an eating-place for the common people--with a
+barrel of wine in the corner, and bladders of lard hanging among orange
+boughs in the window--we enter a dark court-yard filled with heavy
+carts, and noisy with the neighing of horses and singing of grooms, for
+the stables occupy part of the house. An open staircase, running all
+around this hollow square, leads to the second, third, and fourth
+stories,
+
+On the second story is the dining-room for the better class of
+travelers, who receive the same provisions as those below for double the
+price, and the additional privilege of giving the waiter two baiocchi.
+The sleeping apartments are in the fourth story, and are named according
+to the fancy of a former landlord, in mottos above each door. Thus, on
+arriving here, the Triester, with his wife and child, more fortunate
+than our first parents, took refuge in "Paradise," while we Americans
+were ushered into the "Chamber of Jove." We have occupied it ever since,
+and find a paul (ten cents) apiece cheap enough for a good bed and a
+window opening on the Pantheon.
+
+Next to the Coliseum, the baths of Caracalla are the grandest remains of
+Rome. The building is a thousand feet square, and its massive walls look
+as if built by a race of giants. These Titan remains are covered with
+green shrubbery, and long, trailing vines sweep over the cornice, and
+wave down like tresses from architrave and arch. In some of its grand
+halls the mosaic pavement is yet entire. The excavations are still
+carried on; from the number of statues already found, this would seem to
+have been one of the most gorgeous edifices of the olden time.
+
+I have been now several days loitering and sketching among the ruins,
+and I feel as if I could willingly wander for months beside these
+mournful relics, and draw inspiration from the lofty yet melancholy lore
+they teach. There is a spirit haunting them, real and undoubted. Every
+shattered column, every broken arch and mouldering wall, but calls up
+more vividly to mind the glory that has passed away. Each lonely pillar
+stands as proudly as if it still helped to bear up the front of a
+glorious temple, and the air seems scarcely to have ceased vibrating
+with the clarions that heralded a conqueror's triumph.
+
+    "--the old majestic trees
+    Stand ghost-like in the Cæsar's home,
+      As if their conscious roots were set
+    In the old graves of giant Rome,
+      And drew their sap all kingly yet!"
+
+           *       *       *       *       *
+
+    "There every mouldering stone beneath
+      Is broken from some mighty thought,
+    And sculptures in the dust still breathe
+      The fire with which their lines were wrought,
+    And sunder'd arch and plundered tomb
+    Still thunder back the echo--'_Rome!_'"
+
+In Rome there is no need that the imagination be excited to call up
+thrilling emotion or poetic reverie--they are forced on the mind by the
+sublime spirit of the scene. The roused bard might here pour forth his
+thoughts in the wildest climaces, and I could believe he felt it all.
+This is like the Italy of my dreams--that golden realm whose image has
+been nearly chased away by the earthly reality. I expected to find a
+land of light and beauty, where every step crushed a flower or displaced
+a sunbeam--whose very air was poetic inspiration, and whose every scene
+filled the soul with romantic feelings. Nothing is left of my picture
+but the far-off mountains, robed in the sapphire veil of the Ausonian
+air, and these ruins, amid whose fallen glory sits triumphant the spirit
+of ancient song.
+
+I have seen the flush of morn and eve rest on the Coliseum; I have seen
+the noon-day sky framed in its broken loopholes, like plates of polished
+sapphire; and last night, as the moon has grown into the zenith, I went
+to view it with her. Around the Forum all was silent and spectral--a
+sentinel challenged us at the Arch of Titus, under which we passed and
+along the Cæsar's wall, which lay in black shadow. Dead stillness
+brooded around the Coliseum; the pale, silvery lustre streamed through
+its arches, and over the grassy walls, giving them a look of shadowy
+grandeur which day could not bestow. The scene will remain fresh in my
+memory forever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+TIVOLI AND THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA.
+
+
+_Jan. 9._--A few days ago we returned from an excursion to Tivoli, one
+of the loveliest spots in Italy. We left the Eternal City by the Gate of
+San Lorenzo, and twenty minutes walk brought us to the bare and bleak
+Campagna, which was spread around us for leagues in every direction.
+Here and there a shepherd-boy in his woolly coat, with his flock of
+browsing sheep, were the only objects that broke its desert-like
+monotony.
+
+At the fourth mile we crossed the rapid Anio, the ancient Teverone,
+formerly the boundary between Latium and the Sabine dominions, and at
+the tenth, came upon some fragments of the old Tibertine way, formed of
+large irregular blocks of basaltic lava. A short distance further, we
+saw across the plain the ruins of the bath of Agrippa, built by the side
+of the Tartarean Lake. The wind, blowing from it, bore us an
+overpowering smell of sulphur; the waters of the little river Solfatara,
+which crosses the road, are of a milky blue color, and carry those of
+the lake into the Anio. A fragment of the old bridge over it still
+remains.
+
+Finding the water quite warm, we determined to have a bath. So we ran
+down the plain, which was covered with a thick coat of sulphur, and
+sounded hollow to our tread, till we reached a convenient place, where
+we threw off our clothes, and plunged in. The warm wave was delightful
+to the skin, but extremely offensive to the smell, and when we came out,
+our mouths and throats were filled with the stifling gas.
+
+It was growing dark as we mounted through the narrow streets of Tivoli,
+but we endeavored to gain some sight of the renowned beauties of the
+spot, before going to rest. From a platform on a brow of the hill, we
+looked down into the defile, at whose bottom the Anio was roaring, and
+caught a sideward glance of the Cascatelles, sending up their spray
+amid the evergreen bushes that fringe the rocks. Above the deep glen
+that curves into the mountain, stands the beautiful temple of the
+Sybil--a building of the most perfect and graceful proportion. It crests
+the "rocky brow" like a fairy dwelling, and looks all the lovelier for
+the wild caverns below. Gazing downward from the bridge, one sees the
+waters of the Anio tumbling into the picturesque grotto of the Sirens;
+around a rugged corner, a cloud of white spray whirls up continually,
+while the boom of a cataract rumbles down the glen. All these we marked
+in the deepening dusk, and then hunted an albergo.
+
+The shrill-voiced hostess gave us a good supper and clean beds; in
+return we diverted the people very much by the relation of our sulphur
+bath. We were awakened in the night by the wind shaking the very soul
+out of our loose casement. I fancied I heard torrents of rain dashing
+against the panes, and groaned in bitterness of spirit on thinking of a
+walk back to Rome in such weather. When morning came, we found it was
+only a hurricane of wind which was strong enough to tear off pieces of
+the old roofs. I saw some capuchins nearly overturned in crossing the
+square, by the wind seizing their white robes.
+
+I had my fingers frozen and my eyes filled with sand, in trying to draw
+the Sybil's temple, and therefore left it to join my companions, who had
+gone down into the glen to see the great cascade. The Anio bursts out of
+a cavern in the mountain-side, and like a prisoner giddy with recovered
+liberty, reels over the edge of a precipice more than two hundred feet
+deep. The bottom is hid in a cloud of boiling spray, that shifts from
+side to side, and driven by the wind, sweeps whistling down the narrow
+pass. It stuns the ear with a perpetual boom, giving a dash of grandeur
+to the enrapturing beauty of the scene. I tried a footpath that appeared
+to lead down to the Cascatelles, but after advancing some distance along
+the side of an almost perpendicular precipice, I came to a corner that
+looked so dangerous, especially as the wind was nearly strong enough to
+carry me off, that it seemed safest to return. We made another vain
+attempt to get down, by creeping along the bed of a torrent, filled with
+briars. The Cascatelles are formed by that part of the Anio, which is
+used in the iron works, made out of the ruins of Mecænas' villa. They
+gush out from under the ancient arches, and tumble more than a hundred
+feet down the precipice, their white waters gleaming out from the dark
+and feathery foliage. Not far distant are the remains of the villa of
+Horace.
+
+We took the road to Frascati, and walked for miles among cane-swamps and
+over plains covered with sheep. The people we saw, were most degraded
+and ferocious-looking, and there were many I would not willingly meet
+alone after nightfall. Indeed it is still considered quite unsafe to
+venture without the walls of Rome, after dark. The women, with their
+yellow complexions, and the bright red blankets they wear folded around
+the head and shoulders, resemble Indian Squaws.
+
+I lately spent three hours in the Museum of the Capitol, on the summit
+of the sacred hill. In the hall of the Gladiator I noticed an exquisite
+statue of Diana. There is a pure, virgin grace in the classic outlines
+of the figure that keeps the eye long upon it. The face is full of cold,
+majestic dignity, but it is the ideal of a being to be worshipped,
+rather than loved. The Faun of Praxiteles, in the same room, is a
+glorious work; it is the perfect embodiment of that wild, merry race the
+Grecian poets dreamed of. One looks on the Gladiator with a hushed
+breath and an awed spirit. He is dying; the blood flows more slowly from
+the deep wound in his side; his head is sinking downwards, and the arm
+that supports his body becomes more and more nerveless. You feel that a
+dull mist is coming over his vision, and almost wait to see his relaxing
+limbs sink suddenly on his shield. That the rude, barbarian form has a
+soul, may be read in his touchingly expressive countenance. It warms the
+sympathies like reality to look upon it. Yet how many Romans may have
+gazed on this work, moved nearly to tears, who have seen hundreds perish
+in the arena without a pitying emotion! Why is it that Art has a voice
+frequently more powerful than Nature?
+
+How cold it is here! I was forced to run home to-night, nearly at full
+speed, from the Café delle _Belle Arti_ through the Corso and the Piazza
+Colonna, to keep warm. The clear, frosty moon threw the shadow of the
+column of Antoninus over me as I passed, and it made me shiver to look
+at the thin, falling sheet of the fountain. Winter is winter
+everywhere, and even the sun of Italy cannot always scorch his icy
+wings.
+
+Two days ago we took a ramble outside the walls. Passing the Coliseum
+and Caracalla's Baths, we reached the tomb of Scipio, a small sepulchral
+vault, near the roadside. The ashes of the warrior were scattered to the
+winds long ago, and his mausoleum is fast falling to decay. The old arch
+over the Appian way is still standing, near the modern _Porta San
+Sebastiano_ through which we entered on the far-famed road. Here and
+there it is quite entire, and we walked over the stones once worn by the
+feet of Virgil and Horace and Cicero. After passing the temple of
+Romulus--a shapeless and ivy-grown ruin--and walking a mile or more
+beyond the walls, we reached the Circus of Caracalla, whose long and
+shattered walls fill the hollow of one of the little dells of the
+Campagna. The original structure must have been of great size and
+splendor, but those twin Vandals--Time and Avarice--have stripped away
+everything but the lofty brick masses, whose nakedness the pitying ivy
+strives to cover.
+
+Further, on a gentle slope, is the tomb of "the wealthiest Roman's
+wife," familiar to every one through Childe Harold's musings. It is a
+round, massive tower, faced with large blocks of marble, and still
+bearing the name of Cecilia Metella. One side is much ruined, and the
+top is overgrown with grass and wild bushes. The wall is about thirty
+feet thick, so that but a small round space is left in the interior,
+which is open to the rain and filled will rubbish. The echoes pronounced
+hollowly after us the name of the dead for whom it was built, but they
+could tell us nothing of her life's history--
+
+    "How lived, how loved, how died she?"
+
+I made a hurried drawing of it, and we then turned to the left, across
+the Campagna, to seek the grotto of Egeria. Before us, across the brown
+plain, extended the Sabine Mountains; in the clear air the houses of
+Tivoli, twenty miles distant, were plainly visible. The giant aqueduct
+stretched in a long line across the Campagna to the mountain of Albano,
+its broken and disjointed arches resembling the vertebræ of some mighty
+monster. With the ruins of temples and tombs strewing the plain for
+miles around it, it might be called the _spine_ to the skeleton of Rome.
+
+We passed many ruins, made beautiful by the clinging ivy, and reached a
+solemn grove of ever-green oak, overlooking a secluded valley. I was
+soon in the meadow, leaping ditches, rustling through cane-brakes, and
+climbing up to mossy arches to find out the fountain of Numa's nymph;
+while my companion, who had less taste for the romantic, looked on
+complacently from the leeward side of the hill. At length we found an
+arched vault in the hill-side, overhung with wild vines, and shaded in
+summer by umbrageous trees that grow on the soil above. At the further
+end a stream of water gushed out from beneath a broken statue, and an
+aperture in the wall revealed a dark cavern behind. This, then, was
+"Egeria's grot." The ground was trampled by the feet of cattle, and the
+taste of the water was anything but pleasant. But it was not for Numa
+and his nymph alone, that I sought it so ardently. The sunbeam of
+another mind lingers on the spot. See how it gilds the ruined and
+neglected fount!
+
+    "The mosses of thy fountain still are sprinkled
+      With thine Elysian water-drops; the face
+    Of thy cave-guarded spring, with years unwrinkled,
+      Reflects the meek-eyed genius of the place,
+    Whose wild, green margin, now no more erase
+      Art's works; no more its sparkling waters sleep,
+    Prisoned in marble; bubbling from the base
+      Of the cleft statue, with a gentle leap,
+    The rill runs o'er, and 'round, fern, flowers and ivy creep,
+      Fantastically tangled."
+
+I tried to creep into the grotto, but it was unpleasantly dark, and no
+nymph appeared to chase away the shadow with her lustrous eyes. The
+whole hill is pierced by subterranean chambers and passages.
+
+I spent another Sunday morning in St. Peter's. High mass was being
+celebrated in one of the side Chapels, and a great number of the
+priesthood were present. The music was simple, solemn, and very
+impressive, and a fine effect was produced by the combination of the
+full, sonorous voices of the priests, and the divine sweetness of that
+band of mutilated unfortunates, who sing here. They sang with a full,
+clear tone, sweet as the first lispings of a child, but it was painful
+to hear that melody, purchased at the expense of manhood.
+
+Near the dome is a bronze statue of St. Peter, which seems to have a
+peculiar atmosphere of sanctity. People say their prayers before it by
+hundreds, and then kiss its toe, which is nearly worn away by the
+application of so many thousand lips. I saw a crowd struggle most
+irreverently to pay their devotion to it. There was a great deal of
+jostling and confusion; some went so far as to thrust the faces of
+others against the toe as they were about to kiss it. What is more
+remarkable, it is an antique statue of Jupiter, taken, I believe, from
+the Pantheon. An English artist, showing it to a friend, just arrived in
+Rome, remarked very wittily that it was the statue of _Jew-Peter_.
+
+I went afterwards to the Villa Borghese, outside the Porta del Popolo.
+The gardens occupy thirty or forty acres, and are always thronged in the
+afternoon with the carriages of the Roman and foreign nobility. In
+summer, it must be a heavenly place; even now, with its musical
+fountains, long avenues, and grassy slopes, crowned with the fan-like
+branches of the Italian pine, it reminds one of the fairy landscapes of
+Boccaccio. We threaded our way through the press of carriages on the
+Pincian hill, and saw the enormous bulk of St. Peter's loom up against
+the sunset sky. I counted forty domes and spires in that part of Rome
+that lay below us--but on what a marble glory looked that sun eighteen
+centuries ago! Modern Rome--it is in comparison, a den of filth, cheats
+and beggars!
+
+Yesterday, while taking a random stroll through the city, I visited the
+church of St. Onofrio, where Tasso is buried. It is not far from St.
+Peter's, on the summit of a lonely hill. The building was closed, but an
+old monk admitted us on application. The interior is quite small, but
+very old, and the floor is covered with the tombs of princes and
+prelates of a past century. Near the end I found a small slab with the
+inscription:
+
+        "TORQUATI TASSI
+             OSSA
+          HIC JACENT."
+
+That was all--but what more was needed? Who knows not the name and fame
+and sufferings of the glorious bard? The pomp of gold and marble are not
+needed to deck the slumber of genius. On the wall, above, hangs an old
+and authentic portrait of him, very similar to the engravings in
+circulation. A crown of laurel encircles the lofty brow, and the eye has
+that wild, mournful expression, which accords so well with the
+mysterious tale of his love and madness.
+
+Owing to the mountain storms, which imposed on us the expense of a
+carriage-journey to Rome, we shall be prevented from going further. One
+great cause of this is the heavy fee required for passports in Italy. In
+most of the Italian cities, the cost of the different visès amounts to
+$4 or $5; a few such visits as these reduce our funds very materially.
+The American Consul's fee is $2, owing to the illiberal course of our
+government, in withholding all salary from her Consuls in Europe. Mr.
+Brown, however, in whose family we spent last evening very pleasantly,
+on our requesting that he would deduct something from the usual fee,
+kindly declined accepting anything. We felt this kindness the more, as
+from the character which some of our late Consuls bear in Italy, we had
+not anticipated it. We shall remember him with deeper gratitude than
+many would suppose, who have never known what it was to be a
+_foreigner_.
+
+To-morrow, therefore, we leave Rome--here is, at last, the limit of our
+wanderings. We have spent much toil and privation to reach here, and
+now, after two weeks' rambling and musing among the mighty relics of
+past glory, we turn our faces homeward. The thrilling hope I cherished
+during the whole pilgrimage--to climb Parnassus and drink from Castaly,
+under the blue heaven of Greece (both far easier than the steep hill and
+hidden fount of poesy, I worship afar off)--to sigh for fallen art,
+beneath the broken friezes of the Parthenon, and look with a pilgrim's
+eye on the isles of Homer and of Sappho--must be given up, unwillingly
+and sorrowfully though it be. These glorious anticipations--among the
+brightest that blessed my boyhood--are slowly wrung from me by stern
+necessity. Even Naples, the lovely Parthenope, where the Mantuan bard
+sleeps on the sunny shore, by the bluest of summer seas, with the
+disinterred Pompeii beyond, and Pæstum amid its roses on the lonely
+Calabrian plain--even this, almost within sight of the cross of St.
+Peter's, is barred from me. Farewell then, clime of "fame and eld,"
+since it must be! A pilgrim's blessing for the lore ye have taught him!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+
+_Palo._--The sea is breaking in long swells below the window, and a
+glorious planet shines in the place of the sunset that has died away.
+This is our first resting-place since leaving Rome. We have been walking
+all day over the bare and dreary Campagna, and it is a relief to look at
+last on the broad, blue expanse of the Tyrrhene Sea.
+
+When we emerged from the cool alleys of Rome, and began to climb up and
+down the long, barren swells, the sun beat down on us with an almost
+summer heat. On crossing a ridge near Castel Guido, we took our last
+look of Rome, and saw from the other side the sunshine lying like a
+dazzling belt on the far Mediterranean. The country is one of the most
+wretched that can be imagined. Miles and miles of uncultivated land,
+with scarcely a single habitation, extend on either side of the road,
+and the few shepherds who watch their flocks in the marshy hollows, look
+wild and savage enough for any kind of crime. It made me shudder to see
+every face bearing such a villainous stamp.
+
+_Civita Vecchia, Jan. 1._--We left Palo just after sunrise, and walked
+in the cool of the morning beside the blue Mediterranean. On the right,
+the low outposts of the Appenines rose, bleak and brown, the narrow
+plain between them and the shore resembling a desert, so destitute was
+it of the signs of civilized life. A low, white cloud that hung over the
+sea, afar off, showed us the locality of Sardinia, though the land was
+not visible. The sun shone down warmly, and with the blue sky and bluer
+sea we could easily have imagined a milder season. The barren scenery
+took a new interest in my eyes, when I remembered that I was spending
+amidst it that birth-day which removes me, in the eyes of the world,
+from dependant youth to responsible manhood.
+
+In the afternoon we found a beautiful cove in a curve of the shore, and
+went to bathe in the cold surf. It was very refreshing, but not quite
+equal to the sulphur-bath on the road to Tivoli. The mountains now ran
+closer to the sea, and the road was bordered with thickets of myrtle. I
+stopped often to beat my staff into the bushes, and inhale the fragrance
+that arose from their crushed leaves. The hills were covered with this
+poetical shrub, and any acre of the ground would make the fortune of a
+florist at home.
+
+The sun was sinking in a sky of orange and rose, as Civita Vecchia came
+in sight on a long headland before us. Beyond the sea stretched the dim
+hills of Corsica. We walked nearly an hour in the clear moonlight, by
+the sounding shore, before the gate of the city was reached. We have
+found a tolerable inn, and are now enjoying the pleasures of supper and
+rest.
+
+_Marseilles, Jan. 16._--At length we tread the shore of France--of sunny
+Provence--the last unvisited realm we have to roam through before
+returning home. It is with a feeling of more than common relief that we
+see around us the lively faces and hear the glib tongues of the French.
+It is like an earnest that the "roughing" we have undergone among
+Bohemian boors and Italian savages is well nigh finished, and that,
+henceforth, we shall find civilized sympathy and politeness, if nothing
+more, to make the way smoother. Perhaps the three woful days which
+terminated at half-past two yesterday afternoon, as we passed through
+the narrow strait into the beautiful harbor which Marseilles encloses in
+her sheltering heart, make it still pleasanter. Now, while there is
+time, I must describe those three days, for who could write on the wet
+deck of a steamboat, amid all the sights and smells which a sea voyage
+creates? Description does not flourish when the bones are sore with
+lying on planks, and the body shivering like an aspen leaf with cold.
+
+About the old town of Civita Vecchia there is not much to be said,
+except that it has the same little harbor which Trajan dug for it, and
+is as dirty and disagreeable as a town can well be. We saw nothing
+except a little church, and the prison-yard, full of criminals, where
+the celebrated bandit, Gasparoni, has been now confined for eight years.
+
+The Neapolitan Company's boat, _Mongibello_, was advertised to leave the
+12th, so, after procuring our passports, we went to the office to take
+passage. The official, however, refused to give us tickets for the third
+place, because, forsooth, we were not servants or common laborers! and
+words were wasted in trying to convince him that it would make no
+difference. As the second cabin fare was nearly three times as high, and
+entirely too dear for us, we went to the office of the Tuscan Company,
+whose boat was to leave in two days. Through the influence of an Italian
+gentleman, secretary to Bartolini, the American Consul, whom we met,
+they agreed to take us for forty-five francs, on deck, the price of the
+Neapolitan boat being thirty.
+
+Rather than stay two days longer in the dull town, we went again to the
+latter Company's office and offered them forty-five francs to go that
+day in _their_ boat. This removed the former scruples, and tickets were
+immediately made out. After a plentiful dinner at the albergo, to
+prepare ourselves for the exposure, we filled our pockets with a supply
+of bread, cheese, and figs, for the voyage. We then engaged a boatman,
+who agreed to row us out to the steamer for two pauls, but after he had
+us on board and an oar's length from the quay, he said two pauls
+_apiece_ was his bargain. I instantly refused, and, summoning the best
+Italian I could command, explained our agreement; but he still persisted
+in demanding double price. The dispute soon drew a number of persons to
+the quay, some of whom, being boatmen, sided with him. Finding he had us
+safe in his boat, his manner was exceedingly calm and polite. He
+contradicted me with a "pardon, Signore!" accompanying the words with a
+low bow and a graceful lift of his scarlet cap, and replied to my
+indignant accusations in the softest and most silvery-modulated Roman
+sentences. I found, at last, that if I was in the right, I cut the worse
+figure of the two, and, therefore, put an end to the dispute by desiring
+him to row on at his own price.
+
+The hour of starting was two, but the boat lay quietly in the harbor
+till four, when we glided out on the open sea, and went northward, with
+the blue hills of Corsica far on our left. A gorgeous sunset faded away
+over the water, and the moon rose behind the low mountains of the
+Italian coast. Having found a warm and sheltered place near the chimney,
+I drew my beaver further over my eyes, to keep out the moonlight, and
+lay down on the deck with my knapsack under my head. It was a hard bed,
+indeed; and the first time I attempted to rise, I found myself glued to
+the floor by the pitch which was smeared along the seams of the boards!
+Our fellow-sufferers were a company of Swiss soldiers going home after a
+four years' service under the King of Naples, but they took to their
+situation more easily than we.
+
+Sleep was next to impossible, so I paced the deck occasionally, looking
+out on the moonlit sea and the dim shores on either side. A little after
+midnight we passed between Elba and Corsica. The dark crags of Elba rose
+on our right, and the bold headlands of Napoleon's isle stood opposite,
+at perhaps twenty miles' distance. There was something dreary and
+mysterious in the whole scene, viewed at such a time--the grandeur of
+his career, who was born on one and exiled to the other, gave it a
+strange and thrilling interest.
+
+We made the light-house before the harbor of Leghorn at dawn, and by
+sunrise were anchored within the mole. I sat on the deck the whole day,
+watching the picturesque vessels that skimmed about with their lateen
+sails, and wondering how soon the sailors, on the deck of a Boston brig
+anchored near us, would see my distant country. Leaving at four o'clock,
+we dashed away, along the mountain coast of Carrara, at a rapid rate.
+The wind was strong and cold, but I lay down behind the boiler, and
+though the boards were as hard as ever, slept two or three hours. When I
+awoke at half-past two in the morning, after a short rest, Genoa was
+close at hand. We glided between the two revolving lights on the mole,
+into the harbor, with the amphitheatre on which the superb city sits,
+dark and silent around us. It began raining soon, the engine-fire sank
+down, and as there was no place of shelter, we were shortly wet to the
+skin.
+
+How long those dreary hours seemed, till the dawn came! All was cold and
+rainy and dark, and we waited in a kind of torpid misery for daylight.
+The entire day, I passed sitting in a coil of rope under the stern of
+the cabin, and even the beauties of the glorious city scarce affected
+me. We lay opposite the Doria palace, and the constellation of villas
+and towers still glittered along the hills; but who, with his teeth
+chattering and limbs numb and damp, could feel pleasure in looking on
+Elysium itself?
+
+We got under way again at three o'clock. The rain very soon hid the
+coast from view, and the waves pitched our boat about in a manner not at
+all pleasant. I soon experienced sea-sickness in all its horrors. We had
+accidentally made the acquaintance of one of the Neapolitan sailors, who
+had been in America. He was one of those rough, honest natures I like to
+meet with--their blunt kindness, is better than refined and oily-tongued
+suavity. As we were standing by the chimney, reflecting dolefully how we
+should pass the coming night, he came up and said; "I am in trouble
+about you, poor fellows! I don't think I shall sleep three hours
+to-night, to think of you. I shall tell all the cabin they shall give
+you beds, because they shall see you are gentlemen!" Whether he did so
+or the officers were moved by spontaneous commiseration, we knew not,
+but in half an hour a servant beckoned us into the cabin, and berths
+were given us.
+
+I turned in with a feeling of relief not easily imagined, and forgave
+the fleas willingly, in the comfort of a shelter from the storm. When I
+awoke, it was broad day. A fresh breeze was drying the deck, and the sun
+was half-visible among breaking clouds. We had just passed the Isle of
+the Titan, one of the _Isles des Hyères_, and the bay of Toulon opened
+on our right. It was a rugged, rocky coast, but the hills of sunny
+Provence rose beyond. The sailor came up with a smile of satisfaction on
+his rough countenance, and said: "You did sleep better, I think; I did
+tell them all!" coupling his assertion with a round curse on the
+officers.
+
+We ran along, beside the brown, bare crags till nearly noon, when we
+reached the eastern point of the Bay of Marseilles. A group of small
+islands, formed of bare rocks, rising in precipices three or four
+hundred feet high, guards the point; on turning into the Gulf, we saw on
+the left the rocky islands of Pomegues, and If, with the castle crowning
+the latter, in which Mirabeau was confined. The ranges of hills which
+rose around the great bay, were spotted and sprinkled over with
+thousands of the country cottages of the Marseilles merchants, called
+_Bastides_; the city itself was hidden from view. We saw apparently the
+whole bay, but there was no crowd of vessels, such as would befit a
+great sea-port; a few spires peeping over a hill, with some
+fortifications, were all that was visible. At length we turned suddenly
+aside and entered a narrow strait, between two forts. Immediately a
+broad harbor opened before us, locked in the very heart of the hills on
+which the city stands. It was covered with vessels of all nations; on
+leaving the boat, we rowed past the "Aristides," bearing the blue cross
+of Greece, and I searched eagerly and found, among the crowded masts,
+the starry banner of America.
+
+I have rambled through all the principal parts of Marseilles, and am
+very favorably impressed with its appearance. Its cleanliness and the
+air of life and business which marks the streets, are the more pleasant
+after coming from the dirty and depopulated Italian cities. The broad
+avenues, lined with trees, which traverse its whole length, must be
+delightful in summer. I am often reminded, by its spacious and crowded
+thoroughfares, of our American cities. Although founded by the Phoceans,
+three thousand years ago, it has scarcely an edifice of greater
+antiquity than three or four centuries, and the tourist must content
+himself with wandering through the narrow streets of the old town,
+observing the Provençal costumes, or strolling among Turks and Moors on
+the _Quai d'Orléans_.
+
+We have been detained here a day longer than was necessary, owing to
+some misunderstanding about the passports. This has not been favorable
+to our reduced circumstances, for we have, now but twenty francs each,
+left, to take us to Paris. Our boots, too, after serving us so long,
+begin to show signs of failing in this hour of adversity. Although we
+are somewhat accustomed to such circumstances, I cannot help shrinking
+when I think of the solitary napoleon and the five hundred miles to be
+passed. Perhaps, however, the coin will do as much as its great
+namesake, and achieve for us a Marengo in the war with fate.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+PILGRIMAGE TO VAUCLUSE AND JOURNEY UP THE RHONE.
+
+
+We left Marseilles about nine o'clock, on a dull, rainy morning, for
+Avignon and the Rhone, intending to take in our way the glen of
+Vaucluse. The dirty _faubourgs_ stretch out along the road for a great
+distance, and we trudged through them, past foundries, furnaces and
+manufactories, considerably disheartened with the prospect. We wound
+among the bleak stony hills, continually ascending, for nearly three
+hours. Great numbers of cabarets, frequented by the common people, lined
+the roads, and we met continually trains of heavy laden wagons, drawn by
+large mules. The country is very wild and barren, and would have been
+tiresome, except for the pine groves with their beautiful green foliage.
+We got something to eat with difficulty at an inn, for the people spoke
+nothing but the Provençal dialect, and the place was so cold and
+cheerless we were glad to go out again into the storm. It mattered
+little to us, that we heard the language in which the gay troubadours of
+king René sung their songs of love. We thought more of our dripping
+clothes and numb, cold limbs, and would have been glad to hear instead,
+the strong, hearty German tongue, full of warmth and kindly sympathy for
+the stranger. The wind swept drearily among the hills; black, gusty
+clouds covered the sky, and the incessant rain filled the road with
+muddy pools. We looked at the country chateaux, so comfortable in the
+midst of their sheltering poplars, with a sigh, and thought of homes
+afar off, whose doors were never closed to _us_.
+
+This was all forgotten, when we reached Aix, and the hostess of the Café
+d'Afrique filled her little stove with fresh coal, and hung our wet
+garments around it, while her daughter, a pale-faced, crippled child,
+smiled kindly on us and tried to talk with us in French. Putting on our
+damp, heavy coats again, B---- and I rambled through the streets, while
+our frugal supper was preparing. We saw the statue of the _Bon Roi
+René_, who held at Aix his court of shepherds and troubadours--the dark
+Cathedral of St. Saveur--the ancient walls and battlements, and gazed
+down the valley at the dark, precipitous mass of Mont St. Victor, at
+whose base Marius obtained a splendid victory over the barbarians.
+
+After leaving next morning, we saw at some distance to the south, the
+enormous aqueduct now being erected for the canal from the Rhone to
+Marseilles. The shallow, elevated valleys we passed in the forenoon's
+walk were stony and barren, but covered with large orchards of almond
+trees, the fruit of which forms a considerable article of export. This
+district borders on the desert of the Crau, a vast plain of stones,
+reaching to the mouth of the Rhone and almost entirely uninhabited. We
+caught occasional glimpses of its sea-like waste, between the summits of
+the hills. At length, after threading a high ascent, we saw the valley
+of the Durance suddenly below us. The sun, breaking through the clouds,
+shone on the mountain wall, which stood on the opposite side, touching
+with his glow the bare and rocky precipices that frowned far above the
+stream. Descending to the valley, we followed its course towards the
+Rhone, with the ruins of feudal bourgs crowning the crags above us.
+
+It was dusk, when we reached the village of Senas, tired with the day's
+march. A landlord, standing in his door, on the lookout for customers,
+invited us to enter, in a manner so polite and pressing, we could not
+choose but do so. This is a universal custom with the country
+innkeepers. In a little village which we passed towards evening, there
+was a tavern, with the sign: "_The Mother of Soldiers_." A portly woman,
+whose face beamed with kindness and cheerfulness, stood in the door and
+invited us to stop there for the night. "No, mother!" I answered; "we
+must go much further to-day." "Go, then," said she, "with good luck, my
+children! a pleasant journey!" On entering the inn at Senas, two or
+three bronzed soldiers were sitting by the table. My French vocabulary
+happening to give out in the middle of a consultation about eggs and
+onion-soup, one of them came to my assistance and addressed me in
+German. He was from Fulda, in Hesse Cassel, and had served fifteen years
+in Africa. Two other young soldiers, from the western border of Germany,
+came during the evening, and one of them being partly intoxicated,
+created such a tumult, that a quarrel arose, which ended in his being
+beaten and turned out of the house.
+
+We met, every day, large numbers of recruits in companies of one or two
+hundred, on their way to Marseilles to embark for Algiers. They were
+mostly youths, from sixteen to twenty years of age, and seemed little to
+forebode their probable fate. In looking on their fresh, healthy faces
+and bounding forms, I saw also a dim and ghastly vision of bones
+whitening on the desert, of men perishing with heat and fever, or
+stricken down by the aim of the savage Bedouin.
+
+Leaving next morning at day-break, we walked on before breakfast to
+Orgon, a little village in a corner of the cliffs which border the
+Durance, and crossed the muddy river by a suspension bridge a short
+distance below, to Cavaillon, where the country people were holding a
+great market. From this place a road led across the meadow-land to
+L'Isle, six miles distant. This little town is so named, because it is
+situated on an island formed by the crystal Sorgues, which flows from
+the fountains of Vaucluse. It is a very picturesque and pretty place.
+Great mill-wheels, turning slowly and constantly, stand at intervals in
+the stream, whose grassy banks are now as green as in spring-time. We
+walked along the Sorgues, which is quite as beautiful and worthy to be
+sung as the Clitumnus, to the end of the village, to take the road to
+Vaucluse. Beside its banks stands a dirty, modern "Hotel de Petrarque et
+Laure." Alas, that the names of the most romantic and impassioned lovers
+of all history should be desecrated to a sign-post to allure
+gormandizing tourists!
+
+The bare mountain in whose heart lies the poet's solitude, now rose
+before us, at the foot of the lofty Mont Ventoux, whose summit of snows
+extended beyond. We left the river, and walked over a barren plain,
+across which the wind blew most drearily. The sky was rainy and dark,
+and completed the desolateness of the scene, which in no wise heightened
+our anticipations of the renowned glen. At length we rejoined the
+Sorgues and entered a little green valley running up into the mountain.
+The narrowness of the entrance entirely shut out the wind, and except
+the rolling of the waters over their pebbly bed, all was still and
+lonely and beautiful. The sides of the dell were covered with olive
+trees, and a narrow strip of emerald meadow lay at the bottom. It grew
+more hidden and sequestered as we approached the little village of
+Vaucluse. Here, the mountain towers far above, and precipices of grey
+rock, many hundred feet high, hang over the narrowing glen. On a crag
+over the village are the remains of a castle; the slope below this, now
+rugged and stony, was once graced by the cottage and garden of Petrarch.
+All traces of them have long since vanished, but a simple column,
+bearing the inscription; "À PETRARQUE," stands beside the Sorgues.
+
+We ascended into the defile by a path among the rocks, overshadowed by
+olive and wild fig trees, to the celebrated fountains of Vaucluse. The
+glen seems as if struck into the mountain's depths by one blow of an
+enchanter's wand; and just at the end, where the rod might have rested
+in its downward sweep, is the fathomless well whose overbrimming fulness
+gives birth to the Sorgues. We climbed up over the mossy rocks and sat
+down in the grot, beside the dark, still pool. It was the most absolute
+solitude. The rocks towered above and over us, to the height of six
+hundred feet, and the gray walls of the wild glen below shut out all
+appearance of life. I leaned over the rock and drank of the blue crystal
+that grew gradually darker towards the centre, till it became a mirror,
+and gave back a perfect reflection of the crags above it. There was no
+bubbling--no gushing up from its deep bosom--but the wealth of sparkling
+waters continually welled over, as from a too-full goblet.
+
+It was with actual sorrow that I turned away from the silent spot. I
+never visited a place to which the fancy clung more suddenly and fondly.
+There is something holy in its solitude, making one envy Petrarch the
+years of calm and unsullied enjoyment which blessed him there. As some
+persons, whom we pass as strangers, strike a hidden chord in our
+spirits, compelling a silent sympathy with them, so some landscapes have
+a character of beauty which harmonizes thrillingly with the mood in
+which we look upon them, till we forget admiration in the glow of
+spontaneous attachment. They seem like abodes of the Beautiful, which
+the soul in its wanderings long ago visited, and now recognizes and
+loves as the home of a forgotten dream. It was thus I felt by the
+fountains of Vaucluse; sadly and with weary steps I turned away, leaving
+its loneliness unbroken as before.
+
+We returned over the plain in the wind, under the gloomy sky, passed
+L'Isle at dusk, and after walking an hour with a rain following close
+behind us, stopped at an _auberge_ in Le Thor, where we rested our tired
+frames and broke our long day's fasting. We were greeted in the morning
+with a dismal rain and wet roads, as we began the march. After a time,
+however, it poured down in such torrents, that we were obliged to take
+shelter in a _remise_ by the road, side, where a good woman, who
+addressed us in the unintelligible Provençal, kindled up a blazing fire.
+On climbing a long hill, when the storm had abated, we experienced a
+delightful surprise. Below us lay the broad valley of the Rhone, with
+its meadows looking fresh and spring-like after the rain. The clouds
+were breaking away; clear blue sky was visible over Avignon, and a belt
+of sunlight lay warmly along the mountains of Languedoc. Many villages,
+with their tall, picturesque towers, dotted the landscape, and the
+groves of green olive enlivened the barrenness of winter. Two or three
+hours' walk over the plain, by a road fringed with willows, brought us
+to the gates of Avignon.
+
+We walked around its picturesque turreted wall, and rambled through its
+narrow streets, washed here and there by streams which turn the old
+mill-wheels lazily around. We climbed up to the massive palace, which
+overlooks the city from its craggy seat, attesting the splendor it
+enjoyed, when for thirty years the Papal Court was held there, and the
+gray, weather-beaten, irregular building, resembling a pile of
+precipitous rocks, echoed with the revels of licentious prelates. We
+could not enter to learn the terrible secrets of the Inquisition, here
+unveiled, but we looked up at the tower, from which the captive Rienzi
+was liberated at the intercession of Petrarch.
+
+After leaving Avignon, we took the road up the Rhone for Lyons, turning
+our backs upon the _rainy_ south. We reached the village of Sorgues by
+dusk, and accepted the invitation of an old dame to lodge at her _inn_,
+which proved to be a _blacksmith's shop_! It was nevertheless clean and
+comfortable, and we sat down in one corner, out of the reach of the
+showers of sparks, which flew hissing from a red-hot horseshoe, that the
+smith and his apprentice were hammering. A Piedmontese pedlar, who
+carried the "Song of the Holy St. Philomène" to sell among the peasants,
+came in directly, and bargained for a sleep on some hay, for two sous.
+For a bed in the loft over the shop, we were charged five sous each,
+which, with seven sous for supper, made our expenses for the night about
+eleven cents! Our circumstances demanded the greatest economy, and we
+began to fear whether even this spare allowance would enable us to reach
+Lyons. Owing to a day's delay in Marseilles, we had left that city with
+but fifteen francs each; the incessant storms of winter and the worn-out
+state of our shoes, which were no longer proof against water or mud,
+prolonged our journey considerably, so that by starting before dawn and
+walking till dark, we were only able to make thirty miles a day. We
+could always procure beds for five sous, and as in the country inns one
+is only charged for what he chooses to order, our frugal suppers cost us
+but little. We purchased bread and cheese in the villages, and made our
+breakfasts and dinners on a bank by the roadside, or climbed the rocks
+and sat down by the source of some trickling rill. This simple fare had
+an excellent relish, and although we walked in wet clothes from morning
+till night, often laying down on the damp, cold earth to rest, our
+health was never affected.
+
+It is worth all the toil and privation we have as yet undergone, to
+gain, from actual experience, the blessed knowledge that man always
+retains a kindness and brotherly sympathy towards his fellow--that under
+all the weight of vice and misery which a grinding oppression of soul
+and body brings on the laborers of earth, there still remain many bright
+tokens of a better nature. Among the starving mountaineers of the
+Hartz--the degraded peasantry of Bohemia--the savage _contadini_ of
+Central Italy, or the dwellers on the hills of Provence and beside the
+swift Rhone, we almost invariably found kind, honest hearts, and an
+aspiration for something better, betokening the consciousness that such
+brute-like, obedient existence was not their proper destiny. We found
+few so hardened as to be insensible to a kind look or a friendly word,
+and nothing made us forget we were among strangers so much as the many
+tokens of sympathy which met us when least looked for. A young
+Englishman, who had traveled on foot from Geneva to Rome, enduring many
+privations on account of his reduced circumstances, said to me, while
+speaking on this subject: "A single word of kindness from a stranger
+would make my heart warm and my spirits cheerful, for days afterwards."
+There is not so much evil in man as men would have us believe; and it is
+a happy comfort to know and feel this.
+
+Leaving our little inn before day break next morning, we crossed the
+Sorgues, grown muddy since its infancy at Vaucluse, like many a young
+soul, whose mountain purity goes out into the soiling world and becomes
+sullied forever. The road passed over broad, barren ranges of hills, and
+the landscape was destitute of all interest, till we approached Orange.
+This city is built at the foot of a rocky height, a great square
+projection of which seemed to stand in its midst. As we approached
+nearer, however, arches and lines of cornice could be discerned, and we
+recognized it as the celebrated amphitheatre, one of the grandest Roman
+relics in the south of France.
+
+I stood at the foot of this great fabric, and gazed up at it in
+astonishment. The exterior wall, three hundred and thirty-four feet in
+length, and rising to the height of one hundred and twenty-one feet, is
+still in excellent, preservation, and through its rows of solid arches
+one looks on the broken ranges of seats within. On the crag above, and
+looking as if about to topple down on it, is a massive fragment of the
+fortress of the Princes of Orange, razed by Louis XIV. Passing through
+the city, we came to the beautiful Roman triumphal arch, which to my eye
+is a finer structure than that of Constantino at Rome. It is built of a
+rich yellow marble and highly ornamented with sculptured trophies. From
+the barbaric shields and the letters MARIO, still remaining, it has been
+supposed to commemorate the victory of Marius over the barbarians, near
+Aix. A frieze, running along the top, on each side, shows, although
+broken and much defaced by the weather, the life and action which once
+marked the struggling figures. These Roman ruins, scattered through
+Provence and Languedoc, though inferior in historical interest, equal
+in architectural beauty the greater part of those in the Eternal City
+itself.
+
+The rest of the day the road was monotonous, though varied somewhat by
+the tall crags of Mornas and Mont-dragon, towering over the villages of
+the same name. Night came on as the rock of Pierrelatte, at whose foot
+we were to sleep, appeared in the distance, rising like a Gibraltar from
+the plain, and we only reached it in time to escape the rain that came
+down the valley of the Rhone.
+
+Next day we passed several companies of soldiers on their way to Africa.
+One of them was accompanied by a young girl, apparently the wife of the
+recruit by whose side she was marching. She wore the tight blue jacket
+of the troop, and a red skirt, reaching to the knees, over her soldier
+pantaloons; while her pretty face showed to advantage beneath a small
+military cap. It was a "Fille du Regiment" in real life. Near
+Montelimart, we lost sight of Mont Ventoux, whose gleaming white crest
+had been visible all the way from Vaucluse, and passed along the base of
+a range of hills running near to the river. So went our march, without
+particular incident, till we bivouacked for the night among a company of
+soldiers in the little village of Loriol.
+
+Leaving at six o'clock, wakened by the trumpets which called up the
+soldiery to their day's march, we reached the river Drome at dawn, and
+from the bridge over its rapid current, gazed at the dim, ash-colored
+masses of the Alps of Dauphiné, piled along the sky, far up the valley.
+The coming of morn threw a yellow glow along their snowy sides, and
+lighted up, here and there, a flashing glacier. The peasantry were
+already up and at work, and caravans of pack-wagons rumbled along in the
+morning twilight We trudged on with them, and by breakfast-time had made
+some distance of the way to Valence. The road, which does not approach
+the Rhone, is devoid of interest and tiresome, though under a summer
+sky, when the bare vine-hills are latticed over with green, and the
+fruit-trees covered with blossoms and foliage, it might be a scene of
+great beauty.
+
+Valence, which we reached towards noon, is a commonplace city on the
+Rhone; and my only reasons for traversing its dirty streets in
+preference to taking the road, which passes without the walls, were--to
+get something for dinner, and because it _might_ have been the
+birth-place of Aymer de Valence, the valorous Crusader, chronicled in
+"Ivanhoe," whose tomb I had seen in Westminster Abbey. One of the
+streets which was marked "_Rue Bayard_," shows that my valiant
+namesake--the knight without fear and reproach--is still remembered in
+his native province. The ruins of his chateau are still standing among
+the Alps near Grenoble.
+
+In the afternoon we crossed the Isère, a swift, muddy river, which rises
+among the Alps of Dauphiné, We saw their icy range, among which is the
+desert solitude of the Grand Chartreuse, far up the valley; but the
+thick atmosphere hid the mighty Mont Blanc, whose cloudy outline, eighty
+miles distant in a "bee line," is visible in fair weather. At Tain, we
+came upon the Rhone again, and walked along the base of the hills which
+contract its current. Here, I should call it beautiful. The scenery has
+a wildness that approaches to that of the Rhine. Rocky, castellated
+heights frown over the rushing waters, which have something of the
+majesty of their "exulting and abounding" rival. Winding around the
+curving hills, the scene is constantly varied, and the little willowed
+islets clasped in the embrace of the stream, mingle a trait of softened
+beauty with its sterner character.
+
+After passing the night at a village on its banks, we left it again at
+St. Vallier, the next morning. At sunset, the spires of Vienne were
+visible, and the lofty Mont Pilas, the snows of whose riven summits feed
+the springs of the Loire on its western side, stretched majestically
+along the opposite bank of the Rhone. In a meadow, near Vienne, stands a
+curious Roman obelisk, seventy-six feet in height. The base is composed
+of four pillars, connected by arches, and the whole structure has a
+barbaric air, compared with the more elegant monuments of Orange and
+Nismes. Vienne, which is mentioned by several of the Roman historians
+under its present name, was the capital of the Allobroges, and I looked
+upon it with a new and strange interest, on calling to mind my
+school-boy days, when I had become familiar with that war-like race, in
+toiling over the pages of Cæsar. We walked in the mud and darkness for
+what seemed a great distance, and finally took shelter in a little inn
+at the northern end of the city. Two Belgian soldiers, coming from
+Africa, were already quartered there, and we listened to their tales of
+the Arab and the desert, while supper was preparing.
+
+The morning of the 25th was dull and rainy; the road, very muddy and
+unpleasant, led over the hills, avoiding the westward curve of the
+Rhone, directly towards Lyons. About noon, we came in sight of the broad
+valley in which the Rhone first clasps his Burgundian bride--the Saone,
+and a cloud of impenetrable coal-smoke showed us the location of Lyons.
+A nearer approach revealed a large flat dome, and some ranges of tall
+buildings near the river. We soon entered the suburb of La Guillotière,
+which has sprung up on the eastern bank of the Rhone. Notwithstanding
+our clothes were like sponges, our boots entirely worn out, and our
+bodies somewhat thin with nine days exposure to the wintry storms in
+walking two hundred and forty miles, we entered Lyons with suspense and
+anxiety. But one franc apiece remained out of the fifteen with which we
+left Marseilles. B---- wrote home some time ago, directing a remittance
+to be forwarded to a merchant at Paris, to whom he had a letter of
+introduction, and in the hope that this had arrived, he determined to
+enclose the letter in a note, stating our circumstances, and requesting
+him to forward a part of the remittance to Lyons. We had then to wait at
+least four days; people are suspicious and mistrustful in cities, and if
+no relief should come, what was to be done?
+
+After wading through the mud of the suburbs, we chose a common-looking
+inn near the river, as the comfort of our stay depended wholly on the
+kindness of our hosts, and we hoped to find more sympathy among the
+laboring classes. We engaged lodgings for four or five days; after
+dinner the letter was dispatched, and we wandered about through the
+dark, dirty city until night. Our landlord, Monsieur Ferrand, was a
+rough, vigorous man, with a gloomy, discontented expression; his words
+were few and blunt; but a certain restlessness of manner, and a secret
+flashing of his cold, forbidding eye betrayed to me some strong hidden
+excitement. Madame Ferrand was kind and talkative, though passionate;
+but the appearance of the place gave me an unfavorable impression, which
+was heightened by the thought that it was now impossible to change our
+lodgings until relief should arrive. When bed-time came, a ladder was
+placed against a sort of high platform along one side of the kitchen; we
+mounted and found a bed, concealed from the view of those below by a
+dusty muslin curtain. We lay there, between heaven and earth--the dirty
+earth of the brick floor and the sooty heaven of the ceiling--listening
+until midnight to the boisterous songs, and loud, angry disputes in the
+room adjoining. Thus ended our first day in Lyons.
+
+Five weary days, each of them containing a month of torturing suspense,
+have since passed. Our lodging-place grew so unpleasant that we
+preferred wandering all day through the misty, muddy, smoky streets,
+taking refuge in the covered bazaars when it rained heavily. The gloom
+of every thing around us, entirely smothered down the lightness of heart
+which made us laugh over our embarrassments at Vienna. When at evening,
+the dull, leaden hue of the clouds seemed to make the air dark and cold
+and heavy, we walked beside the swollen and turbid Rhone, under an
+avenue of leafless trees, the damp soil chilling our feet and striking a
+numbness through our frames, and _then_ I knew what those must feel who
+have _no_ hope in their destitution, and not a friend in all the great
+world, who is not wretched as themselves. I prize the lesson, though the
+price of it is hard.
+
+"This morning," I said to B----, "will terminate our suspense." I felt
+cheerful in spite of myself; and this was like a presentiment of coming
+good luck. To pass the time till the mail arrived we climbed to the
+chapel of _Fourvières_, whose walls are covered with votive offerings to
+a miraculous picture of the Virgin. But at the precise hour we were at
+the Post Office. What an intensity of suspense can be felt in that
+minute, while the clerk is looking over the letters! And what a
+lightning-like shock of joy when it _did_ come, and was opened with
+eager, trembling hands, revealing the relief we had almost despaired of!
+The city did not seem less gloomy, for that was impossible, but the
+faces of the crowd which had appeared cold and suspicious, were now kind
+and cheerful. we came home to our lodgings with changed feelings, and
+Madame Ferrand must have seen the joy in our faces, for she greeted us
+with an unusual smile.
+
+We leave to-morrow morning for Chalons. I do not feel disposed to
+describe Lyons particularly, although I have become intimately
+acquainted with every part of it, from _Presqu' isle Perrache to Croix
+Rousse_. I know the contents of every shop in the Bazaar, and the
+passage of the Hotel Dieu--the title of every volume in the bookstores
+in the Place Belcour--and the countenance of every boot-block and
+apple-woman on the Quais on both sides of the river. I have walked up
+the Saone to _Pierre Seise_--down the Rhone to his muddy
+marriage--climbed the Heights of _Fourvières_, and promenaded in the
+_Cours Napoleon_! Why, men have been presented with the freedom of
+cities, when they have had far less cause for such an honor than this!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+TRAVELING IN BURGUNDY--THE MISERIES OF A COUNTRY DILIGENCE.
+
+
+_Paris, Feb. 6, 1840._--Every letter of the date is traced with an
+emotion of joy, for our dreary journey is over. There was a magic in the
+name that revived us during a long journey, and now the thought that it
+is all over--that these walls which enclose us, stand in the heart of
+the gay city--seems almost too joyful to be true. Yesterday I marked
+with the whitest chalk, on the blackest of all tablets to make the
+contrast greater, for I got out of the cramped diligence at the Barrière
+de Charenton, and saw before me in the morning twilight, the immense
+groy mass of Paris. I forgot my numbed and stiffened frame, and every
+other of the thousand disagreeable feelings of diligence traveling, in
+the pleasure which that sight afforded.
+
+We arose in the dark at Lyons, and after bidding adieu to morose
+Monsieur Ferrand, traversed the silent city and found our way in the
+mist and gloom to the steamboat landing on the Saone. The waters were
+swollen much above their usual level, which was favorable for the boat,
+as long as there was room enough left to pass under the bridges. After a
+great deal of bustle we got under way, and were dashing out of Lyons,
+against the swift current, before day-break. We passed _L'Isle Barbe_,
+once a favorite residence of Charlemagne, and now the haunt of the
+Lyonnaise on summer holidays, and going under the suspension bridges
+with levelled chimneys, entered the picturesque hills above, which are
+covered with vineyards nearly to the top; the villages scattered over
+them have those square, pointed towers, which give such a quaintness to
+French country scenery.
+
+The stream being very high, the meadows on both sides were deeply
+overflowed. To avoid the strong current in the centre, our boat ran
+along the banks, pushing aside the alder thickets and poplar shoots; in
+passing the bridges, the pipes were always brought down flat on the
+deck. A little after noon, we passed the large town of Macon, the
+birth-place of the poet Lamartine. The valley of the Saone, no longer
+enclosed among the hills, spread out to several miles in width. Along
+the west lay in sunshine the vine-mountains of Côte d'Or, and among the
+dark clouds in the eastern sky, we could barely distinguish the outline
+of the Jura. The waters were so much swollen as to cover the plain for
+two or three miles. We seemed to be sailing down a lake, with rows of
+trees springing up out of the water, and houses and villages lying like
+islands on its surface. A sunset that promised better weather tinged the
+broad brown flood, as Chalons came in sight, looking like a city built
+along the shore of a lake. We squeezed through the crowd of porters and
+diligence men, declining their kind offers, and hunted quarters to suit
+ourselves.
+
+We left Chalons on the morning of the 1st, in high spirits at the
+thought that there were but little more than two hundred miles between
+us and Paris. In walking over the cold, muddy plain, we passed a family
+of strolling musicians, who were sitting on a heap of stones by the
+roadside. An ill-dressed, ill-natured man and woman, each carrying a
+violin, and a thin, squalid girl, with a tamborine, composed the group.
+Their faces bore that unfeeling stamp, which springs from depravity and
+degradation. When we had walked somewhat more than a mile, we overtook a
+little girl, who was crying bitterly. By her features, from which the
+fresh beauty of childhood had not been worn, and the steel triangle
+which was tied to her belt, we knew she belonged to the family we had
+passed. Her dress was thin and ragged and a pair of wooden shoes but ill
+protected her feet from the sharp cold. I stopped and asked her why she
+cried, but she did not at first answer. However, by questioning, I found
+her unfeeling parents had sent her on without food; she was sobbing with
+hunger and cold. Our pockets were full of bread and cheese which we had
+bought for breakfast, and we gave her half a loaf, which stopped her
+tears at once. She looked up and thanked us, smiling; and sitting down
+on a bank, began to eat as if half famished.
+
+The physiognomy of this region is very singular. It appears as if the
+country had been originally a vast elevated plain, and some great power
+had _scooped_ out, as with a hand, deep circular valleys all over its
+surface. In winding along the high ridges, we often looked down, on
+either side, into such hollows, several miles in diameter, and sometimes
+entirely covered with vineyards. At La Rochepot, a quaint, antique
+village, lying in the bottom of one of these dells, we saw the finest
+ruin of the middle ages that I have met with in France. An American lady
+had spoken to me of it in Rome, and I believe Willis mentions it in his
+"Pencillings," but it is not described in the guide books, nor could we
+learn what feudal lord had ever dwelt in its halls. It covers the summit
+of a stately rock, at whose foot the village is crouched, and the green
+ivy climbs up to the very top of its gray towers.
+
+As the road makes a wide curve around the side of the hill, we descended
+to the village by the nearer foot-path, and passed among its low, old
+houses, with their pointed gables and mossy roofs. The path led close
+along the foot of the rock, and we climbed up to the ruin, and stood in
+its grass-grown courtyard. Only the outer walls and the round towers at
+each corner are left remaining; the inner part has been razed to the
+ground, and where proud barons once marshalled their vassals, the
+villagers now play their holiday games. On one side, several Gothic
+windows are left standing, perfect, though of simple construction, and
+in the towers we saw many fire-places and door-ways of richly cut stone,
+which looked as fresh as if just erected.
+
+We passed the night at Ivry (not the Ivry which gained Henri Quatre his
+kingdom) and then continued our march over roads which I can only
+compare to our country roads in America during the spring thaw. In
+addition to this, the rain commenced early in the morning and continued
+all day, so that we were completely wet the whole time. The plains, too
+high and cold to produce wine, were varied by forests of beech and oak,
+and the population was thinly scattered over them in small villages.
+Travelers generally complain very much of the monotony of this part of
+France, and, with such dreary weather, we could not disagree with them.
+
+As the day wore on, the rain increased, and the sky put on that dull,
+gray cast, which denotes a lengthened storm. We were fain to stop at
+nightfall, but there was no inn near at hand--not even a hovel of a
+_cabaret_ in which to shelter ourselves, and, on enquiring of the
+wagoners, we received the comforting assurance that there was yet a
+league and a half to the nearest stopping place. On, then, we went, with
+the pitiless storm beating in our faces and on our breasts, till there
+was not a dry spot left, except what our knapsacks covered. We could not
+have been more completely saturated if we had been dipped in the Yonne.
+At length, after two hours of slipping and sliding along in the mud and
+wet and darkness, we reached Saulieu, and, by the warm fire, thanked our
+stars that the day's dismal tramp was over.
+
+By good or bad luck (I have not yet decided which) a vehicle was to
+start the next morning for Auxerre, distant sixty miles, and the fare
+being but five francs, we thought it wisest to take places. It was
+always with reluctance that we departed from our usual mode of
+traveling, but, in the present instance, the circumstances absolutely
+compelled it.
+
+Next morning, at sunrise, we took our seats in a large, square vehicle
+on two wheels, calculated for six persons and a driver, with a single
+horse. But, as he was fat and round as an elephant, and started off at a
+brisk pace, and we were well protected from the rain, it was not so bad
+after all, barring the jolts and jarred vertebræ. We drove on, over the
+same dreary expanse of plain and forest, passing through two or three
+towns in the course of the day, and by evening had made somewhat more
+than half our journey. Owing to the slowness of our fresh horse, we were
+jolted about the whole night, and did not arrive at Auxerre until six
+o'clock in the morning. After waiting an hour in a hotel beside the
+rushing Yonne, a lumbering diligence was got ready, and we were given
+places to Paris for seven francs. As the distance is one hundred and ten
+miles, this would be considered cheap, but I should not want to travel
+it again and be paid for doing so. Twelve persons were packed into a box
+not large enough for a cow, and no cabinet-maker ever dove-tailed the
+corners of his bureaus tighter than we did our knees and nether
+extremities. It is my lot to be blessed with abundance of stature, and
+none but tall persons can appreciate the misery of sitting for hours
+with their joints in an immovable vice. The closeness of the
+atmosphere--for the passengers would not permit the windows to be opened
+for fear of taking cold--combined with loss of sleep, made me so drowsy
+that my head was continually falling on my next neighbor, who, being a
+heavy country lady, thrust it indignantly away. I would then try my best
+to keep it up awhile, but it would droop gradually, till the crash of a
+bonnet or a smart bump against some other head would recall me, for a
+moment, to consciousness.
+
+We passed Joigny, on the Yonne, Sens, with its glorious old cathedral,
+and at dusk reached Montercau, on the Seine. This was the scene of one
+of Napoleon's best victories, on his return from Elba. In driving over
+the bridge, I looked down on the swift and swollen current, and hoped
+that its hue might never be darkened again so fearfully as the last
+sixty years have witnessed. No river in Europe has such an association
+connected with it. We think of the Danube, for its majesty, of the
+Rhine, for its wild beauty, but of the Seine--for its blood!
+
+In coming thus to the last famed stream I shall visit in Europe, I might
+say, with Barry Cornwall:
+
+    "We've sailed through banks of green,
+      Where the wild waves fret and quiver;
+    And we've down the Danube been--
+      The dark, deep, thundering river!
+    We've thridded the Elbe and Rhone,
+      The Tiber and blood dyed Seine,
+    And we've been where the blue Garonne
+      Goes laughing to meet the main!"
+
+All that night did we endure squeezing and suffocation, and no morn was
+ever more welcome than that which revealed to us Paris. With matted
+hair, wild, glaring eyes, and dusty and dishevelled habiliments, we
+entered the gay capital, and blessed every stone upon which we placed
+our feet, in the fulness of our joy.
+
+In paying our fare at Auxerre, I was obliged to use a draft on the
+banker, Rougemont de Lowenberg. The ignorant conductor hesitated to
+change this, but permitted us to go, on condition of keeping it until we
+should arrive. Therefore, on getting out of the diligence, after
+forty-eight hours of sleepless and fasting misery, the _facteur_ of the
+office went with me to get it paid, leaving B---- to wait for us. I knew
+nothing of Paris, and this merciless man kept me for three hours at his
+heels, following him on all _his_ errands, before he did mine, in that
+time traversing the whole length of the city, in order to leave a
+_chèvre-feuille_ at an aristocratic residence in the Faubourg St.
+Germain. Yet even combined weariness and hunger could not prevent me
+from looking with vivid interest down a long avenue, at the Column of
+the place Vendôme, in passing, and gazing up in wonder at the splendid
+portico of the Madeleine. But of anything else I have a very faint
+remembrance. "You can eat breakfast, now, I think," said he, when we
+returned, "we have walked more than four leagues!"
+
+I know we will be excused, that, instead of hurrying away to Notre Dame
+or the Louvre, we sat down quietly to a most complete breakfast. Even
+the most romantic must be forced to confess that admiration does not sit
+well on an empty stomach. Our first walk was to a bath, and then, with
+complexions several shades lighter, and limbs that felt us if lifted by
+invisible wings, we hurried away to the Post Office. I seized the
+welcome missives from my far home, with a beating heart, and hastening
+back, read till the words became indistinct in the twilight.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+POETICAL SCENES IN PARIS.
+
+
+What a gay little world in miniature this is! I wonder not that the
+French, with their exuberant gaiety of spirit, should revel in its
+ceaseless tides of pleasure, as if it were an earthly Elysium. I feel
+already the influence of its cheerful atmosphere, and have rarely
+threaded the crowds of a stranger city, with so light a heart as I do
+now daily, on the thronged banks of the Seine. And yet it would be
+difficult to describe wherein consists this agreeable peculiarity. You
+can find streets as dark and crooked and dirty anywhere in Germany, and
+squares and gardens as gay and sunny beyond the Alps, and yet they would
+affect you far differently. You could not, as here, divest yourself of
+every particle of sad or serious thought and be content to gaze for
+hours on the showy scene, without an idea beyond the present moment. It
+must be that the spirit of the croud is _magnetically_ contagious.
+
+The evening of our arrival we walked out past the massive and stately
+_Hotel de Ville_, and took a promenade along the Quais. The shops facing
+the river presented a scene of great splendor. Several of the Quais on
+the north bank of the Seine are occupied almost entirely by jewellers,
+the windows of whose shops, arranged in a style of the greatest taste,
+make a dazzling display. Rows of gold watches and chains are arranged
+across the crystal panes, and heaped in pyramids on long glass slabs;
+cylindrical wheels of wire, hung with jewelled breastpins and earrings,
+turn slowly around by some invisible agency, displaying row after row of
+their glittering treasures.
+
+From the centre of the Pont Neuf, we could see for a long distance up
+and down the river. The different bridges traced on either side a dozen
+starry lines through the dark air, and a continued blaze lighted the
+two shores in their whole length, revealing the outline of the Isle da
+la Cité. I recognized the Palaces of the Louvre and the Tuileries in the
+dusky mass beyond. Eastward, looming against the dark sky, I could
+faintly trace the black towers of Notre Dame, The rushing of the swift
+waters below mingled with the rattling of a thousand carts and
+carriages, and the confusion of a thousand voices, till it seemed like
+some grand nightly festival.
+
+I first saw Notre Dame by moonlight. The shadow of its stupendous front
+was thrown directly towards me, hiding the innumerable lines of the
+ornamental sculpture which cover its tall, square towers. I walked
+forward until the interlacing, Moorish arches between them stood full
+against the moon, and the light, struggling through the quaint openings
+of the tracery, streamed in silver lines down into the shadow. The
+square before it was quite deserted, for it stands on a lonely part of
+the Isle de la Cité, and it looked thus far more majestic and solemn
+than in the glaring daylight.
+
+The great quadrangle of the Tuileries encloses the Place du Carrousel,
+in the centre of which stands a triumphal arch, erected by Napoleon
+after his Italian victories. Standing in the middle of this arch, you
+look through the open passage in the central building of the palace,
+into the Gardens beyond. Further on, in a direct line, the middle avenue
+of the Gardens extends away to the _Place de la Concorde_, where the
+Obelisk of Luxor makes a perpendicular line through your vista; still
+further goes the broad avenue through the Elysian Fields, until afar
+off, the Arc de l'Etoile, _two miles distant_, closes this view through
+the palace doorway.
+
+Let us go through it, and on, to the Place de la Concorde, reserving the
+Gardens for another time. What is there in Europe--nay, in the
+world,--equal to this? In the centre, the mighty obelisk of red granite
+pierces the sky,--on either hand showers of silver spray are thrown up
+from splendid bronze fountains--statues and pillars of gilded bronze
+sweep in a grand circle around the square, and on each side magnificent
+vistas lead the eye off, and combine the distant with the near, to
+complete this unparalleled view! Eastward, beyond the tall trees in the
+garden of the Tuileries, rises the long front of the Palace, with the
+tri-color floating above; westward, in front of us, is the Forest of the
+Elysian Fields, with the arch of triumph nearly a mile and a half
+distant, looking down from the end of the avenue, at the Barriere de
+Neuilly. To the right and left are the marble fronts of the Church of
+the Madeleine and the Chamber of Deputies, the latter on the other side
+of the Seine. Thus the groves and gardens of Paris--the palace of her
+kings--the proud monument of her sons' glory--and the masterpieces of
+modern French architecture are all embraced in this one splendid _coup
+d'oeil_.
+
+Following the motley multitude to the bridge, I crossed and made my way
+to the Hotel des Invalides. Along the esplanade, playful companies of
+children were running and tumbling in their sports over the green turf,
+which was as fresh as a meadow; while, not the least interesting feature
+of the scene, numbers of scarred and disabled veterans, in the livery of
+the Hospital, basked in the sunshine, watching with quiet satisfaction
+the gambols of the second generation they have seen arise. What tales
+could they not tell, those wrinkled and feeble old men! What visions of
+Marengo and Austerlitz and Borodino shift still with a fiery vividness
+through their fading memories! Some may have left a limb on the Lybian
+desert; and the sabre of the Cossack may have scarred the brows of
+others. They witnessed the rising and setting of that great meteor,
+which intoxicated France with such a blaze of power and glory, and now,
+when the recollection of that wonderful period seems almost like a
+stormy dream, they are left to guard the ashes of their ancient General,
+brought back from his exile to rest in the bosom of his own French
+people. It was to me a touching and exciting thing, to look on those
+whose eyes had witnessed the filling up of such a fated leaf in the
+world's history.
+
+Entrance is denied to the tomb of Napoleon until it is finished, which
+will not be for three or four yours yet. I went, however, into the
+"Church of the Banners"--a large chapel, hung with two or three hundred
+flags taken by the armies of the Empire. The greater part of them were
+Austrian and Russian. It appeared to be empty when I entered, but on
+looking around, I saw an old gray-headed soldier kneeling at one side.
+His head was bowed over his hands, and he seemed perfectly absorbed in
+his thoughts. Perhaps the very tattered banners which hung down
+motionless above his head, he might have assisted in conquering. I
+looked a moment on those eloquent trophies, and then noiselessly
+withdrew.
+
+There is at least one solemn spot near Paris; the laughing winds that
+come up from the merry city sink into sighs under the cypress boughs of
+Pere Lachaise. And yet it is not a gloomy place, but full of a serious
+beauty, fitting for a city of the dead. I shall never forget the sunny
+afternoon when I first entered its gate and walked slowly up the hill,
+between rows of tombs, gleaming white amid the heavy foliage, while the
+green turf around them was just beginning to be starred by the opening
+daisies, From the little chapel on its summit I looked back at the blue
+spires of the city, whose roar of life dwindled to a low murmur.
+Countless pyramids, obelisks and urns, rising far and wide above the
+cedars and cypresses, showed the extent of the splendid necropolis,
+which is inhabited by pale, shrouded emigrants from its living sister
+below. The only sad part of the view, was the slope of the hill alloted
+to the poor, where legions of plain black crosses are drawn up into
+solid squares on its side and stand alone gloomy--the advanced guard of
+the army of Death! I mused over the tombs of Molière and La Fontaine;
+Massena, Mortier and Lefebre; General Foy and Casimir Perier; and
+finally descended to the shrine where Abelard reposes by the side of his
+Heloise. The old sculptured tomb, brought away from the Paraclete, still
+covers their remains, and pious hands (of lovers, perhaps,) keep fresh
+the wreaths of _immortelles_ above their marble effigies.
+
+In the Theatre Français, I saw Rachel, the actress. She appeared in the
+character of "Virginia," in a tragedy of that name, by the poet Latour.
+Her appearance as she came upon the stage alone, convinced me she would
+not belie her renown. She is rather small in stature, with dark,
+piercing eyes and rich black hair; her lips are full, but delicately
+formed, and her features have a marked yet flexible outline, which
+conveys the minutest shades of expression. Her voice is clear, deep and
+thrilling, and like sonic grand strain of music, there is power and
+meaning in its slightest modulations. Her gestures embody the very
+spirit of the character; she has so perfectly attained that rare harmony
+of thought, sound and action, or rather, that unity of feeling which
+renders them harmonious, that her acting seems the unstudied,
+irrepressible impulse of her soul. With the first sentence she uttered,
+I forgot Rachel. I only saw the innocent Roman girl; I awaited in
+suspense and with a powerful sympathy, the developement of the oft-told
+tragedy. My blood grew warm with indignation when the words of Appius
+roused her to anger, and I could scarcely keep back my tears, when, with
+a voice broken by sobs, she bade farewell to the protecting gods of her
+father's hearth.
+
+Among the bewildering variety of ancient ornaments and implements in the
+Egyptian Gallery of the Louvre, I saw an object of startling interest. A
+fragment of the Iliad, written nearly three thousand years ago! One may
+even dare to conjecture that the torn and half-mouldered slip of
+papyrus, upon which he gazes, may have been taken down from the lips of
+the immortal Chiun. The eyes look on those faded characters, and across
+the great gulf of Time, the soul leaps into the Past, brought into
+shadowy nearness by a mirage of the mind. There, as in the desert,
+images start up, vivid, yet of a vague and dreamy beauty. We see the
+olive groves of Greece--white-robed youths and maidens sit in the shade
+of swaying boughs--and one of them reads aloud, in words that sound like
+the clashing of shields, the deeds of Achilles.
+
+As we step out the western portal of the Tuileries, a beautiful scene
+greets us. We look on the palace garden, fragrant with flowers and
+classic with bronze copies of ancient sculpture. Beyond this, broad
+gravel walks divide the flower-bordered lawns and ranks of marble
+demigods and heroes look down on the joyous crowd. Children troll their
+hoops along the avenues or skip the rope under the clipped lindens,
+whose boughs are now tinged a pale yellow by the bursting buds. The
+swans glide about on a pond in the centre, begging bread of the
+bystanders, who watch a miniature ship which the soft breeze carries
+steadily across. Paris is unseen, but _heard_, on every side; only the
+Column of Luxor and the Arc de Triomphe rise blue and grand above the
+top of the forest. What with the sound of voices, the merry laughter of
+the children and a host of smiling faces, the scene touches a happy
+chord in one's heart, and he mingles with it, lost in pleasant reverie,
+till the sounds fade away with the fading light.
+
+Just below the Baths of the Louvre, there are several floating barges
+belonging to the washer-women, anchored at the foot of the great stone
+staircase leading down to the water. They stand there day after day,
+beating their clothes upon flat boards and rinsing them in the Seine.
+One day there seemed to have been a wedding or some other cause of
+rejoicing among them, for a large number of the youngest were talking in
+great glee on one of the platforms of the staircase, while a handsome,
+German-looking youth stood near, with a guitar slung around his neck. He
+struck up a lively air, and the girls fell into a droll sort of a dance.
+They went at it heavily and roughly enough, but made up in good humor
+what they lacked in grace; the older members of the craft looked up from
+their work with satisfaction and many shouts of applause wore sent down
+to them from the spectators on the Quai and the Pont Neuf. Not content
+with this, they seized on some luckless men who were descending the
+steps, and clasping them with their powerful right arms, spun them
+around like so many tops and sent them whizzing off at a tangent. Loud
+bursts of laughter greeted this performance, and the stout river maidens
+returned to their dance with redoubled spirit.
+
+Yesterday, the famous procession of the "_boeuf gras_" took place for
+the second time, with great splendor. The order of march had been duly
+announced beforehand, and by noon all the streets and squares through
+which it was to pass, were crowded with waiting spectators. Mounted gens
+d'armes rode constantly to and fro, to direct the passage of vehicles
+and keep an open thoroughfare. Thousands of country peasants poured into
+the city, the boys of whom were seen in all directions, blowing
+distressingly through hollow ox-horns. Altogether, the spirit of
+nonsense which animated the crowd, displayed itself very amusingly.
+
+A few mounted guards led the procession, followed by a band of music.
+Then appeared Roman lictors and officers of sacrifice, leading
+Dagobert, the famous bull of Normandy, destined to the honor of being
+slaughtered as the Carnival beef. He trod rather tenderly, finding, no
+doubt, a difference between the meadows of Caen and the pavements of
+Paris, and I thought he would have been willing to forego his gilded
+horns and flowery crown, to get back there again. His weight was said to
+be four thousand pounds, and the bills pompously declared that he had no
+rival in France, except the elephant in the _Jardin des Plantes_.
+
+After him came the farmer by whom he was raised, and M. Roland, the
+butcher of the carnival, followed by a hundred of the same craft,
+dressed as cavaliers of the different ages of France. They made a very
+showy appearance, although the faded velvet and soiled tinsel of their
+mantles were rather too apparent by daylight.
+
+After all these had gone by, came an enormous triumphal car, very
+profusely covered with gilding and ornamental flowers. A fellow with
+long woollen hair and beard, intended to represent Time, acted as
+driver. In the car, under a gilded canopy, reposed a number of persons,
+in blue silk smocks and yellow "fleshtights," said to be Venus, Apollo,
+the Graces, &c. but I endeavored in vain to distinguish one divinity
+from another. However, three children on the back seat, dressed in the
+same style, with the addition of long flaxy ringlets, made very passable
+Cupids. This closed the march; which passed onward towards the Place de
+la Concorde, accompanied by the sounds of music and the shouts of the
+mob. The broad, splendid line of Boulevards, which describe a
+semi-circle around the heart of the city, were crowded, and for the
+whole distance of three miles, it required no slight labor to make one's
+way. People in masks and fancy costumes were continually passing and
+re-passing, and I detected in more than one of the carriages, checks
+rather too fair to suit the slouched hunter's hats which shaded them. It
+seemed as if all Paris was taking a holiday, and resolved to make the
+most of it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+A GLIMPSE OF NORMANDY.
+
+
+After a residence of five weeks, which, in spite of some few troubles,
+passed away quickly and delightfully, I turned my back on Paris. It was
+not regret I experienced on taking my seat in the cars for Versailles,
+but that feeling of reluctance with which we leave places whose
+brightness and gaiety force the mind away from serious toil. Steam,
+however, cuts short all sentiment, and in much less time than it takes
+to bid farewell to a German, we had whizzed past the Place d'Europe,
+through the barrier, and were watching the spires start up from the
+receding city, on the way to St. Cloud.
+
+At Versailles I spent three hours in a hasty walk through the palace,
+which allowed but a bare glance at the gorgeous paintings of Horace
+Vernet. His "Taking of Constantine" has the vivid look of reality. The
+white houses shine in the sun, and from the bleached earth to the blue
+and dazzling sky, there seems to hang a heavy, scorching atmosphere. The
+white smoke of the artillery curls almost visibly off the canvass, and
+the cracked and half-sprung walls look as if about to topple down on the
+besiegers. One series of halls is devoted to the illustration of the
+knightly chronicles of France, from the days of Charlemagne to those of
+Bayard and Gaston de Foix. Among these pictured legends, I looked with
+the deepest interest on that of the noble girl of Orleans. Her
+countenance--the same in all these pictures and in a beautiful statue of
+her, which stands in one of the corridors--is said to be copied from an
+old and well-authenticated portrait. United to the sweetness and purity
+of peasant beauty, she has the lofty brow and inspired expression of a
+prophetess. There is a soft light in her full blue eye that does not
+belong to earth. I wonder not the soldiery deemed her chosen by God to
+lead them to successful battle; had I lived in those times I could have
+followed her consecrated banner to the ends of the earth. In the statue,
+she stands musing, with her head drooping forward, as if the weight of
+the breastplate oppressed her woman's heart; the melancholy soul which
+shines through the marble seems to forebode the fearful winding-up of
+her eventful destiny.
+
+The afternoon was somewhat advanced, by the time I had seen the palace
+and gardens. After a hurried dinner at a restaurant, I shouldered my
+knapsack and took the road to St. Germain. The day was gloomy and
+cheerless, and I should have felt very lonely but for the thought of
+soon reaching England. There is no time of the year more melancholy than
+a cold, cloudy day in March; whatever may be the beauties of pedestrian
+traveling in fairer seasons, my experience dictates that during winter
+storms and March glooms, it had better be dispensed with. However, I
+pushed on to St. Germain, threaded its long streets, looked down from
+the height over its magnificent tract of forest and turned westward down
+the Seine. Owing to the scantiness of villages, I was obliged to walk an
+hour and a half in the wind and darkness, before I reached a solitary
+inn. As I opened the door and asked for lodging, the landlady inquired
+if I had the necessary papers. I answered in the affirmative and was
+admitted. While I was eating supper, they prepared their meal on the
+other end of the small table and sat down together. They fell into the
+error, so common to ignorant persons, of thinking a foreigner could not
+understand them, and began talking quite unconcernedly about me. "Why
+don't he take the railroad?" said the old man: "he must have very little
+money--it would be bad for us if he had none." "Oh!" remarked his son,
+"if he had none, he would not be sitting there so quiet and
+unconcerned." I thought there was some knowledge of human nature in this
+remark. "And besides," added the landlady, "there is no danger for us,
+for we have his passport." Of course I enjoyed this in secret, and
+mentally pardoned their suspicions, when I reflected that the high roads
+between Paris and London are frequented by many imposters, which makes
+the people naturally mistrustful. I walked all the next day through a
+beautiful and richly cultivated country. The early fruit trees were
+bursting into bloom, and the farmers led out their cattle to pasturage
+in the fresh meadows. The scenery must be delightful in summer--worthy
+of all that has been said or sung about lovely Normandy. On the morning
+of the third day, before reaching Rouen, I saw at a distance the remains
+of Chateau Galliard, the favorite castle of Richard Coeur de Lion. Rouen
+breathes everywhere of the ancient times of Normandy. Nothing can be
+more picturesque than its quaint, irregular wooden houses, and the low,
+mossy mills, spanning the clear streams which rush through its streets.
+The Cathedral, with its four towers, rises from among the clustered
+cottages like a giant rook, split by the lightning and worn by the rains
+of centuries is into a thousand fantastic shapes.
+
+Resuming my walk in the afternoon, I climbed the heights west of the
+city, and after passing through a suburb four or five miles in length,
+entered the vale of the Cailly. This is one of the sweetest scenes in
+France. It lies among the woody hills like a Paradise, with its velvet
+meadows and villas and breathing gardens. The grass was starred with
+daisies and if I took a step into the oak and chesnut woods, I trampled
+on thousands of anemones and fragrant daffodils. The upland plain,
+stretching inward from the coast, wears a different character. As I
+ascended, towards evening, and walked over its monotonous swells, I felt
+almost homesick beneath its saddening influence. The sun, hazed over
+with dull clouds, gave out that cold and lifeless light which is more
+lonely than complete darkness. The wind, sweeping dismally over the
+fields, sent clouds of blinding dust down the road, and as it passed
+through the forests, the myriads of fine twigs sent up a sound as deep
+and grand as the roar of a roused ocean. Every chink of the Norman
+cottage where I slept, whistled most drearily, and as I looked out the
+little window of my room, the trees were swaying in the gloom, and long,
+black clouds scudded across the sky. Though my bed was poor and hard, it
+was a sublime sound that cradled me into slumber. Homer might have used
+it as the lullaby of Jove.
+
+My last day on the continent came. I rose early and walked over the
+hills towards Dieppe. The scenery grew more bleak as I approached the
+sea, but the low and sheltered valleys preserved the pastoral look of
+the interior. In the afternoon, as I climbed a long, elevated ridge,
+over which a strong northwester was blowing, I was struck with a
+beautiful rustic church, in one of the dells below me. While admiring
+its neat tower I had gained unconsciously the summit of the hill, and on
+turning suddenly around, lo! there was the glorious old Atlantic
+stretching far before and around me! A shower was sweeping mistily along
+the horizon and I could trace the white line of the breakers that foamed
+at the foot of the cliffs. The scene came over me like a vivid electric
+shock, and I gave an involuntary shout, which might have been heard in
+all the valleys around. After a year and a half of wandering over the
+continent, that gray ocean was something to be revered and loved, for it
+clasped the shores of my native America.
+
+I entered Dieppe in a heavy shower, and after finding an inn suited to
+my means and obtaining a _permis d'embarquement_ from the police office,
+I went out to the battlements and looked again on the sea. The landlord
+promised to call me in time for the boat, but my anxiety waked me
+sooner, and mistaking the strokes of the cathedral bell, I shouldered my
+knapsack and went down to the wharf at one o'clock. No one was stirring
+on board the boat, and I was obliged to pace the silent, gloomy streets
+of the town for two hours. I watched the steamer glide out on the rainy
+channel, and turning into the topmost berth, drew the sliding curtain
+and strove to keep out cold and sea-sickness. But it was unavailing; a
+heavy storm of snow and rain rendered our passage so dreary that I did
+not stir until we were approaching the chain pier of Brighton.
+
+I looked out on the foggy shores of England with a feeling of relief; my
+tongue would now be freed from the difficult bondage of foreign
+languages, and my ears be rejoiced with the music of my own. After two
+hours' delay at the Custom House, I took my seat in an open car for
+London. The day was dull and cold; the sun resembled a milky blotch in
+the midst of a leaden sky. I sat and shivered, as we flew onward, amid
+the rich, cultivated English scenery. At last the fog grew thicker; the
+road was carried over the tops of houses; the familiar dome of St.
+Paul's stood out above the spires; and I was again in London!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+LOCKHART, BERNARD BARTON AND CROLY--LONDON CHIMES AND GREENWICH FAIR.
+
+
+My circumstances, on arriving at London, were again very reduced. A
+franc and a half constituted the whole of my funds. This, joined to the
+knowledge of London expenses, rendered instant exertion necessary, to
+prevent still greater embarrassment. I called on a printer the next
+morning, hoping to procure work, but found, as I had no documents with
+me to show I had served a regular apprenticeship, this would be
+extremely difficult, although workmen were in great demand. Mr. Putnam,
+however, on whom I had previously called, gave me employment for a time
+in his publishing establishment, and thus I was fortunately enabled to
+await the arrival of a remittance from home.
+
+Mrs. Trollope, whom I met in Florence, kindly gave me a letter to
+Murray, the publisher, and I visited him soon after my arrival. In his
+library I saw the original portraits of Byron, Moore, Campbell and the
+other authors who were intimate with him and his father. A day or two
+afterwards I had the good fortune to breakfast with Lockhart and Bernard
+Barton, at the house of the former. Mr. Murray, through whom the
+invitation was given, accompanied me there. As it was late when we
+arrived at Regent's Park, we found them waiting, and sat down
+immediately to breakfast.
+
+I was much pleased with Lockhart's appearance and manners. He has a
+noble, manly countenance--in fact, the handsomest English face I ever
+saw--a quick, dark eye and an ample forehead, shaded by locks which
+show, as yet, but few threads of gray. There is a peculiar charm in his
+rich, soft voice; especially when reciting poetry, it has a clear,
+organ-like vibration, which thrills deliciously on the ear. His
+daughter, who sat at the head of the table, is a most lovely and amiable
+girl.
+
+Bernard Burton, who is now quite an old man, is a very lively and
+sociable Friend. His head is gray and almost bald, but there is still
+plenty of fire in his eyes and life in his limbs. His many kind and
+amiable qualities endear him to a large circle of literary friends. He
+still continues writing, and within the last year has brought out a
+volume of simple, touching "Household Verses." A picture of cheerful and
+contented old age has never been more briefly and beautifully drawn,
+than in the following lines, which he sent me, in answer to my desire to
+possess one of his poems in his own hand:
+
+    STANZAS.
+
+    I feel that I am growing old,
+       Nor wish to hide that truth;
+    Conscious my heart is not more cold
+       Than in my by-gone youth.
+
+    I cannot roam the country round,
+       As I was wont to do;
+    My feet a scantier circle bound,
+       My eyes a narrower view.
+
+    But on my mental vision rise
+       Bright scenes of beauty still:
+    Morn's splendor, evening's glowing skies,
+       Valley, and grove, and hill.
+
+    Nor can infirmities o'erwhelm
+       The purer pleasures brought
+    From the immortal spirit's realm
+       Of feeling and of Thought!
+
+    My heart! let not dismay or doubt
+       In thee an entrance win!
+    Thou _hast_ enjoyed thyself _without_--
+       _Now seek thy joy within_!
+
+During breakfast he related to us a pleasant anecdote of Scott. He once
+wrote to the poet in behalf of a young lady, who wished to have the
+description of Melrose, in the "Lay of the last Minstrel," in the poet's
+own writing. Scott sent it, but added these lines to the conclusion:
+
+    "Then go, and muse with deepest awe
+    On what the writer never saw;
+    Who would not wander 'neath the moon
+    To see what he could see at noon!"
+
+We went afterwards into Lockhart's library, which was full of
+interesting objects. I saw the private diary of Scott, kept until within
+a short time of his death. It was melancholy to trace the gradual
+failing of all his energies in the very wavering of the autograph. In a
+large volume of his correspondence, containing letters from Campbell,
+Wordsworth, Byron, and all the distinguished characters of the age, I
+saw Campbell's "Battle of the Baltic" in his own hand. I was highly
+interested and gratified with the whole visit; the more so, as Mr.
+Lockhart had invited me voluntarily, without previous acquaintance. I
+have since heard him spoken of in the highest terms of esteem.
+
+I went one Sunday to the Church of St. Stephen, to hear Croly, the poet.
+The service, read by a drowsy clerk, was long and monotonous; I sat in a
+side-aisle, looking up at the dome, and listening to the rain which
+dashed in torrents against the windowpanes. At last, a tall, gray-haired
+man came down the passage. He bowed with a sad smile, so full of
+benevolence and resignation, that it went into my heart at once, and I
+gave him an involuntary tribute of sympathy. He has a heavy affliction
+to bear--the death of his gallant son, one of the officers who were
+slain in the late battle of Ferozeshaw. His whole manner betrays the
+tokens of subdued but constant grief.
+
+His sermon was peculiarly finished and appropriate; the language was
+clear and forcible, without that splendor of thought and dazzling
+vividness of imagery which mark "Salathiel." Yet I could not help
+noticing that he delighted to dwell on the spiritualities of religion,
+rather than its outward observances, which he seemed inclined to hurry
+over as lightly as possible. His mild, gray eye and lofty forehead are
+more like the benevolent divine than the poet. I thought of Salathiel,
+and looked at the dignified, sorrowful man before me. The picture of the
+accursed Judean vanished, and his own solemn lines rang on my ear:
+
+             "The mighty grave
+              Wraps lord and slave,
+    Nor pride, nor poverty dares come
+    Within that prison-house, that tomb!"
+
+Whenever I hear them, or think of them again, I shall see, in memory,
+Croly's calm, pale countenance.
+
+    "The chimes, the chimes of Mother-land,
+       Of England, green and old;
+    That out from thane and ivied tower
+       A thousand years have tolled!"
+
+I often thought of Coxe's beautiful ballad, when, after a day spent in
+Waterloo Place, I have listened, on my way homeward, to the chimes of
+Mary-le-bone Chapel, sounding sweetly and clearly above all the din of
+the Strand. There is something in their silvery vibration, which is far
+more expressive than the ordinary tones of a bell. The ear becomes weary
+of a continued toll--the sound of some bells seems to have nothing more
+in it than the ordinary clang of metal--but these simple notes,
+following one another so melodiously, fall on the ear, stunned by the
+ceaseless roar of carriages or the mingled cries of the mob, as gently
+and gratefully as drops of dew. Whether it be morning, and they ring out
+louder and deeper through the mist, or midnight, when the vast ocean of
+being beneath them surges less noisily than its wont, they are alike
+full of melody and poetry. I have often paused, deep in the night, to
+hear those clear tones, dropping down from the darkness, thrilling, with
+their full, tremulous sweetness, the still air of the lighted Strand,
+and winding away through dark, silent lanes and solitary courts, till
+the ear of the care-worn watcher is scarcely stirred with their dying
+vibrations. They seemed like those spirit-voices, which, at such times,
+speak almost audibly to the heart. How delicious it must be, to those
+who dwell within the limits of their sound, to wake from some happy
+dream and hear those chimes blending in with their midnight fancies,
+like the musical echo of the promised bliss. I love these eloquent
+bells, and I think there must be many, living out a life of misery and
+suffering, to whom their tones come with an almost human consolation.
+The natures of the very cockneys, who never go without the horizon of
+their vibrations, is, to my mind, invested with _one_ hue of poetry!
+
+A few days ago, an American friend invited me to accompany him to
+Greenwich Fair. We took a penny steamer from Hungerford Market to London
+Bridge, and jumped into the cars, which go every live minutes. Twelve
+minutes' ride above the chimneys of London and the vegetable-fields of
+Rotherhithe and Deptford brought us to Greenwich, we followed the stream
+of people which was flowing from all parts of the city into the Park.
+
+Here began the merriment. We heard on every side the noise of the
+"scratchers," or, as the venders of these articles denominated
+them--"the fun of the fair." By this is meant a little notched wheel,
+with a piece of wood fastened on it, like a miniature watchman's rattle.
+The "fun" consists in drawing them down the back of any one you pass,
+when they make a sound precisely like that of ripping cloth. The women
+take great delight in this, and as it is only deemed politeness to
+return the compliment, we soon had enough to do. Nobody seemed to take
+the diversion amiss, but it was so irresistibly droll to see a large
+crowd engaged in this singular amusement, that we both burst into hearty
+laughter.
+
+As we began ascending Greenwich Hill, we were assailed with another kind
+of game. The ground was covered with smashed oranges, with which the
+people above and below were stoutly pelting each other. Half a dozen
+heavy ones whizzed uncomfortably near my head as I went up, and I saw
+several persons get the full benefit of a shot on their backs and
+breasts. The young country lads and lasses amused themselves by running
+at full spend down the steep side of a hill. This was, however, a feat
+attended with some risk; for I saw one luckless girl describe an arc of
+a circle, of which her feet was the centre and her body the radius. All
+was noise and nonsense. They ran to and fro under the long, hoary bough
+of the venerable oaks that crest the summit, and clattered down the
+magnificent forest-avenues, whose budding foliage gave them little
+shelter from the passing April showers.
+
+The view from the top is splendid. The stately Thames curves through the
+plain below, which loses itself afar off in the mist; Greenwich, with
+its massive hospital, lies just at one's feet, and in a clear day the
+domes of London skirt the horizon. The wood of the Park is entirely
+oak--the majestic, dignified, English oak--which covers, in picturesque
+clumps, the sides and summits of the two billowy hills. It must be a
+sweet place in summer, when the dark, massive foliage is heavy on every
+mossy arm, and the smooth and curving sward shines with thousands of
+field-flowers.
+
+Owing to the showers, the streets were coated with mud, of a consistence
+as soft and yielding as the most fleecy Persian carpet. Near the gate,
+boys were holding scores of donkeys, which they offered us at threepence
+for a ride of two miles. We walked down towards the river, and came at
+last to a group of tumblers, who with muddy hands and feet were throwing
+somersets in the open street. I recognized them as old acquaintances of
+the Rue St. Antoine and the Champs Elysées; but the little boy who cried
+before, because he did not want to bend his head and foot into a ring,
+like a hoop-snake, had learned his part better by this time, so that he
+went through it all without whimpering and came off with only a fiery
+red face. The exercises of the young gentlemen were of course very
+graceful and classic, and the effect of their _poses_ of strength was
+very much heightened by the muddy foot-marks which they left on each
+other's orange-colored skins.
+
+The avenue of booths was still more diverting. Here under sheets of
+leaky awning, were exposed for sale rows of gilded gingerbread kings and
+queens, and I cannot remember how many men and women held me fast by the
+arms, determined to force me into buying a pound of them. We paused at
+the sign: "SIGNOR URBANI'S GRAND MAGICAL DISPLAY." The title was
+attractive, so we paid the penny admission, and walked behind the dark,
+mysterious curtain. Two bare brick walls, three benches and a little boy
+appeared to us. A sheet hung before us upon which quivered the shadow of
+some terrible head. At my friend's command, the boy (also a spectator)
+put out the light, when the awful and grinning face of a black woman
+became visible. While we were admiring this striking production, thus
+mysteriously revealed, Signor Urbani came in, and seeing no hope of any
+more spectators, went behind the curtain and startled our sensitive
+nerves with six or seven skeleton and devil apparitions, winding up the
+wonderful entertainment with the same black head. We signified our
+entire approbation by due applause and then went out to seek further
+novelties.
+
+The centre of the square was occupied by swings, where some eight or ten
+boat-loads of persons were flying topsy-turvy into the air, making one
+giddy to look at them, and constant fearful shrieks arose from the lady
+swingers, at finding themselves in a horizontal or inverted position,
+high above the ground. One of the machines was like a great wheel, with
+four cars attached, which mounted and descended with their motley
+freight. We got into the boat by way of experiment. The starting motion
+was pleasant, but very soon it flew with a swiftness and to a height
+rather alarming. I began to repent having chosen such a mode of
+amusement, but held on as well as I could, in my uneasy place. Presently
+we mounted till the long beam of our boat was horizontal; at one
+instant, I saw three young ladies below me, with their heads downward,
+like a shadow in the water--the next I was turned heels up, looking at
+thorn as a shadow does at its original. I was fast becoming sea-sick,
+when, after a few minutes of such giddy soaring, the ropes were
+slackened and we all got out, looking somewhat pale, and feeling
+nervous, if nothing else.
+
+There were also many great tents, hung with boughs and lighted with
+innumerable colored lamps, where the people danced their country dances
+in a choking cloud of dry saw-dust. Conjurors and gymnastic performers
+were showing off on conspicuous platforms, and a continual sound of
+drums, cymbals and shrill trumpets called the attention of the crowd to
+some "Wonderful Exhibition"--some infant phenomenon, giant, or
+three-headed pig. A great part of the crowd belonged evidently to the
+very worst part of society, but the watchfulness of the police prevented
+any open disorder. We came away early and in a quarter of an hour were
+in busy London, leaving far behind us the revel and debauch, which was
+prolonged through the whole night.
+
+London has the advantage of one of the most gloomy atmospheres in the
+world. During this opening spring weather, no light and scarcely any
+warmth can penetrate the dull, yellowish-gray mist, which incessantly
+hangs over the city. Sometimes at noon we have for an hour or two a
+sickly gleam of sunshine, but it is soon swallowed up by the smoke and
+drizzling fog. The people carry umbrellas at all times, for the rain
+seems to drop spontaneously out of the very air, without wailing for the
+usual preparation of a gathering cloud. Professor Espy's rules would be
+of little avail here.
+
+A few days ago we had a real fog--a specimen of November weather, as the
+people said. If November wears such a mantle, London, during that sober
+month, must furnish a good idea of the gloom of Hades. The streets wore
+wrapped in a veil of dense mist, of a dirty yellow color, as if the air
+had suddenly grown thick and mouldy. The houses on the opposite sides of
+the street were invisible, and the gas lamps, lighted in the shops,
+burned with a white and ghastly flame. Carriages ran together in the
+streets, and I was kept constantly on the look-out, lest some one should
+come suddenly out of the cloud around me, and we should meet with a
+shock like that of two knights at a tournament. As I stood in the centre
+of Trafalgar Square, with every object invisible around me, it reminded
+me, (hoping the comparison will not be accepted in every particular) of
+Satan resting in the middle of Chaos. The weather sometimes continues
+thus for whole days together.
+
+_April 26._--An hour and a half of land are still allowed us, and then
+we shall set foot on the back of the oak-ribbed leviathan, which will be
+our home until a thousand leagues of blue ocean are crossed. I shall
+hear the old Aldgate clock strike for the last time--I shall take a last
+walk through the Minories and past the Tower yard, and as we glide down
+the Thames, St. Pauls, half-hidden in mist and coal-smoke, will probably
+be my last glimpse of London.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+HOMEWARD BOUND----CONCLUSION.
+
+
+We slid out of St. Katharine's Dock at noon on the appointed day, and
+with a pair of sooty steamboats hitched to our vessel, moved slowly down
+the Thames in mist and drizzling rain. I stayed on the wet deck all
+afternoon, that I might more forcibly and joyously feel we were again in
+motion on the waters and homeward bound! My attention was divided
+between the dreary views of Blackwall, Greenwich and Woolwich, and the
+motley throng of passengers who were to form our ocean society. An
+English family, going out to settle in Canada, were gathered together in
+great distress and anxiety, for the father had gone ashore in London at
+a late hour, and was left behind. When we anchored for the night at
+Gravesend, their fears were quieted by his arrival in a skiff from the
+shore, as he had immediately followed us by railroad.
+
+My cousin and B---- had hastened on from Paris to join me, and a day
+before the sailing of the "Victoria," we took berths in the second
+cabin, for twelve pounds ten shillings each, which in the London line of
+packets, includes coarse but substantial fare for the whole voyage. Our
+funds were insufficient to pay even this; but Captain Morgan, less
+mistrustful than my Norman landlord, generously agreed that the
+remainder of the fare should be paid in America. B---- and I, with two
+young Englishmen, took possession of a State-room of rough boards,
+lighted by a bull's-eye, which in stormy weather leaked so much that our
+trunks swam in water. A narrow mattrass and blanket, with a knapsack for
+a pillow, formed a passable bed. A long entry between the rooms, lighted
+by a feeble swinging lamp, was filled with a board table, around which
+the thirty-two second cabin passengers met to discuss politics and salt
+pork, favorable winds and hard sea-biscuit.
+
+We lay becalmed opposite Sheerness the whole of the second day. At dusk
+a sudden squall came up, which drove us foaming towards the North
+Foreland. When I went on deck in the morning, we had passed Dover and
+Brighton, and the Isle of Wight was rising dim ahead of us. The low
+English coast on our right was bordered by long reaches of dazzling
+chalky sand, which glittered along the calm blue water.
+
+Gliding into the Bay of Portsmouth, we dropped anchor opposite the
+romantic town of Ryde, built on the sloping shore of the green Isle of
+Wight. Eight or nine vessels of the Experimental Squadron were anchored
+near us, and over the houses of Portsmouth, I saw the masts of the
+Victory--the flag-ship in the battle of Trafalgar, on board of which
+Nelson was killed. The wind was not strong enough to permit the passage
+of the Needles, so at midnight we succeeded in wearing back again into
+the channel, around the Isle of Wight. A head wind forced us to tack
+away towards the shore of France. We were twice in sight of the rocky
+coast of Brittany, near Cherbourg, but the misty promontory of Land's
+End was our last glimpse of the old world.
+
+On one of our first days at sea, I caught a curlew, which came flying on
+weary wings towards us, and alighted on one of the boats. Two of his
+brethren, too much exhausted or too timid to do likewise, dropped flat
+on the waves and resigned themselves to their fate without a struggle. I
+slipped up and caught his long, lank legs, while he was resting with
+flagging wings and half-shut eyes. We fed him, though it was difficult
+to get anything down his reed-shaped bill; but he took kindly to our
+force-work, and when we let him loose on the deck, walked about with an
+air quite tame and familiar. He died, however, two days afterwards. A
+French pigeon, which was caught in the rigging, lived and throve during
+the whole of the passage.
+
+A few days afterwards, a heavy storm came on, and we were all sleepless
+and sea-sick, as long as it lasted. Thanks, however, to a beautiful law
+of memory, the recollection of that dismal period soon lost its
+unpleasantness, while the grand forms of beauty the vexed ocean
+presented, will remain forever, as distinct and abiding images. I kept
+on deck as long as I could stand, watching the giant waves over which
+our vessel took her course. They rolled up towards us, thirty or forty
+feet in height--dark gray masses, changing to a beautiful vitriol tint,
+wherever the light struck through their countless and changing crests.
+It was a glorious thing to see our good ship mount slowly up the side of
+one of these watery lulls, till her prow was lifted high in air, then,
+rocking over its brow, plunge with a slight quiver downward, and plough
+up a briny cataract, as she struck the vale. I never before realized the
+terrible sublimity of the sea. And yet it was a pride to see how
+man--strong in his godlike will--could bid defiance to those whelming
+surges, and bravo their wrath unharmed.
+
+We swung up and down on the billows, till we scarcely knew which way to
+stand. The most grave and sober personages suddenly found themselves
+reeling in a very undignified manner, and not a few measured their
+lengths on the slippery decks. Boxes and barrels were affected in like
+manner; everything danced around us. Trunks ran out from under the
+berths; packages leaped down from the shelves; chairs skipped across the
+rooms, and at table, knives, forks and mugs engaged in a general waltz
+and _break down_. One incident of this kind was rather laughable. One
+night, about midnight, the gale, which had been blowing violently,
+suddenly lulled, "as if," to use a sailor's phrase, "it had been chopped
+off!" Instantly the ship gave a tremendous lurch, which was the signal
+for a general breaking loose. Two or three others followed, so violent,
+that for a moment I imagined the vessel had been thrown on her beam
+ends. Trunks, crockery and barrels went banging down from one end of the
+ship to the other. The women in the steerage set up an awful scream, and
+the German emigrants, thinking we were in terrible danger, commenced
+praying with might and main. In the passage near our room stood several
+barrels, filled with broken dishes, which at every lurch went banging
+from side to side, jarring the board partition and making a horrible
+din. I shall not soon forget the Babel which kept our eyes open that
+night.
+
+The 19th of May a calm came on. Our white wings flapped idly on the
+mast, and only the top-gallant sails were bent enough occasionally to
+lug us along at a mile an hour. A barque from Ceylon, making the most of
+the wind, with every rag of canvass set, passed us slowly on the way
+eastward. The sun went down unclouded, and a glorious starry night
+brooded over us. Its clearness and brightness were to me indications of
+America. I longed to be on shore. The forests about home were then
+clothed in the delicate green of their first leaves, and that bland
+weather embraced the sweet earth like a blessing of heaven. The gentle
+breath from out the west seemed made for the odor of violets, and as it
+came to me over the slightly-ruflled deep, I thought how much sweeter it
+were to feel it, while "wasting in wood-paths the voluptuous hours."
+
+Soon afterwards a fresh wind sprung up, which increased rapidly, till
+every sail was bent to the full. Our vessel parted the brine with an
+arrowy glide, the ease and grace of which it is impossible to describe.
+The breeze held on steadily for two or three days, which brought us to
+the southern extremity of the Banks. Here the air felt so sharp and
+chilling, that I was afraid we might be under the lee of an iceberg, but
+in the evening the dull gray mass of clouds lifted themselves from the
+horizon, and the sun set in clear, American beauty away beyond Labrador.
+The next morning we were enveloped in a dense fog, and the wind which
+bore us onward was of a piercing coldness. A sharp look-out was kept on
+the bow, but as we could see but a short distance, it might have been
+dangerous had we met one of the Arctic squadron. At noon it cleared away
+again, and the bank of fog was visible a long time astern, piled along
+the horizon, reminding me of the Alps, as seen from the plains of
+Piedmont.
+
+On the 31st, the fortunate wind which carried us from the Banks, failed
+us about thirty-five miles from Sandy Hook. We lay in the midst of the
+mackerel fishery, with small schooners anchored all around us. Fog,
+dense and impenetrable, weighed on the moveless ocean, like an
+atmosphere of wool. The only incident to break the horrid monotony of
+the day, was the arrival of a pilot, with one or two newspapers,
+detailing the account of the Mexican War. We heard in the afternoon the
+booming of the surf along the low beach of Long Island--hollow and
+faint, like the murmur of a shell. When the mist lifted a little, we
+saw the faint line of breakers along the shore. The Germans gathered on
+deck to sing their old, familiar songs, and their voices blended
+beautifully together in the stillness.
+
+Next morning at sunrise we saw Sandy Hook; at nine o'clock we were
+telegraphed in New York by the station at Coney Island; at eleven the
+steamer "Hercules" met us outside the Hook; and at noon we were gliding
+up the Narrows, with the whole ship's company of four hundred persons on
+deck, gazing on the beautiful shores of Staten Island and agreeing
+almost universally, that it was the most delightful scene they had ever
+looked upon.
+
+And now I close the story of my long wandering, as I began it--with a
+lay written on the deep.
+
+    HOMEWARD BOUND.
+
+
+    Farewell to Europe! Days have come and gone
+    Since misty England set behind the sea.
+    Our ship climbs onward o'er the lifted waves,
+    That gather up in ridges, mountain-high,
+    And like a sea-god, conscious in his power,
+    Buffets the surges. Storm-arousing winds
+    That sweep, unchecked, from frozen Labrador,
+    Make wintry music through the creaking shrouds.
+    Th' horizon's ring, that clasps the dreary view,
+    Lays mistily upon the gray Atlantic's breast.
+    Shut out, at times, by bulk of sparry blue,
+    That, rolling near us, heaves the swaying prow
+    High on its shoulders, to descend again
+    Ploughing a thousand cascades, and around
+    Spreading the frothy foam. These watery gulfs,
+    With storm, and winds far-sweeping, hem us in,
+    Alone upon the waters!
+
+                               Days must pass--
+    Many and weary--between sea and sky.
+    Our eyes, that long e'en now for the fresh green
+    Of sprouting forests, and the far blue stretch
+    Of regal mountains piled along the sky,
+    Must see, for many an eve, the level sun
+    Sheathe, with his latest gold, the heaving brine,
+    By thousand ripples shivered, or Night's pomp
+    Brooding in silence, ebon and profound,
+    Upon the murmuring darkness of the deep,
+    Broken by flashings, that the parted wave
+    Sends white and star-like throujch its bursting foam.
+    Yet not more dear the opening dawn of heaven
+    Poured on the earth in an Italian May,
+    When souls take wings upon the scented air
+    Of starry meadows, and the yearning heart
+    Pains with deep sweetness in the balmy time,
+    Than these gray morns, and days of misty blue,
+    And surges, never-ceasing;--for our prow
+    Points to the sunset like a morning ray,
+    And o'er the waves, and through the sweeping storms,
+    Through day and darkness, rushes ever on,
+    Westward and westward still! What joy can send
+    The spirit thrilling onward with the wind,
+    In untamed exultation, like the thought
+    That fills the Homeward Bound?
+
+                              Country and home!
+    Ah! not the charm of silver-tongued romance,
+    Born of the feudal time, nor whatsoe'er
+    Of dying glory fills the golden realms
+    Of perished song, where heaven-descended Art
+    Still boasts her later triumphs, can compare
+    With that one thought of liberty inherited--
+    Of free life giv'n by fathers who were free,
+    And to be left to children freer still!
+    That pride and consciousness of manhood, caught
+    From boyish musings on the holy graves
+    Of hero-martyrs, and from every form
+    Which virgin Nature, mighty and unchained,
+    Takes in an empire not less proudly so--
+    Inspired in mountain airs, untainted yet
+    By thousand generations' breathing--felt
+    Like a near presence in the awful depths
+    Of unhewn forests, and upon the steep
+    Where giant rivers take their maddening plunge--
+    Has grown impatient of the stifling damps
+    Which hover close on Europe's shackled soil.
+    Content to tread awhile the holy steps
+    Of Art and Genius, sacred through all time,
+    The spirit breathed that dull, oppressive air--
+    Which, freighted with its tyrant-clouds, o'erweighs
+    The upward throb of many a nation's soul--
+    Amid those olden memories, felt the thrall.
+    But kept the birth-right of its freer home,
+    Here, on the world's blue highway, comes again
+    The voice of Freedom, heard amid the roar
+    Of sundered billows, while above the wave
+    Rise visions of the forest and the stream.
+    Like trailing robes the morning mists uproll,
+    Torn by the mountain pines; the flashing rills
+    Shout downward through the hollows of the vales;
+    Down the great river's bosom shining sails
+    Glide with a gradual motion, while from all--
+    Hamlet, and bowered homestead, and proud town--
+    Voices of joy ring up into heaven!
+
+    Yet louder, winds! Urge on our keel, ye waves,
+    Swift as the spirit's yearnings! We would ride
+    With a loud stormy motion o'er your crests,
+    With tempests shouting like a sudden joy--
+    Interpreting our triumph! 'Tis your voice,
+    Ye unchained elements, alone can speak
+    The sympathetic feeling of the free--
+    The arrowy impulse of the Homeward Bound!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Although the narrative of my journey, "with knapsack and staff," is now
+strictly finished, a few more words of explanation seem necessary, to
+describe more fully the method of traveling which we adopted. I add them
+the more willingly, as it is my belief that many, whose circumstances
+are similar to mine, desire to undertake the same romantic journey. Some
+matter-of-fact statements may be to them useful as well as interesting.
+
+We found the pedestrian style not only by far the best way to become
+acquainted with the people and sceneryof a country, but the pleasantest
+mode of traveling. To be sure, the knapsack was, at first, rather heavy,
+our feet were often sore and our limbs weary, but a few days walking
+made a great difference, and after we had traveled two weeks, this
+disappeared altogether. Every morning we rose as fresh and strong as if
+it had been the first day--even after a walk of thirty miles, we felt
+but little fatigue. We enjoyed slumber in its fullest luxury, and our
+spirits were always light and joyous. We made it a rule to pay no regard
+to the weather, unless it was so bad as to render walking unhealthy.
+Often, during the day, we rested for half an hour on the grassy bank,
+or sometimes, if it was warm weather, lay at full length in the shade
+with our knapsacks under our heads. This is a pleasure which none but
+the pedestrian can comprehend.
+
+We always accepted a companion, of whatever kind, while walking--from
+chimney-sweeps to barons. In a strange country one can learn something
+from every peasant, and we neglected no opportunity, not only to obtain
+information, but impart it. We found everywhere great curiosity
+respecting America, and we were always glad to tell them all they wished
+to know. In Germany, we were generally taken for Germans from some part
+of the country where the dialect was a little different, or, if they
+remarked our foreign peculiarities, they supposed we were either Poles,
+Russians, or Swiss. The greatest ignorance in relation to America,
+prevails among the common people. They imagine we are a savage race,
+without intelligence and almost without law. Persons of education, who
+had some slight knowledge of our history, showed a curiosity to know
+something of our political condition. They are taught by the German
+newspapers (which are under a strict censorship in this respect) to look
+only at the evil in our country, and they almost invariably began by
+adverting to Slavery and Repudiation. While we admitted, often with
+shame and mortification, the existence of things so inconsistent with
+true republicanism, we endeavored to make them comprehend the advantages
+enjoyed by the free citizen--the complete equality of birth--which
+places America, despite her sins, far above any other nation on earth. I
+could plainly see, by the kindling eye and half-suppressed sigh, that
+they appreciated a freedom so immeasurably greater than that which they
+enjoyed.
+
+In large cities we always preferred to take the second or third-rate
+hotels, which are generally visited by merchants and persons who travel
+on business; for, with the same comforts as the first rank, they are
+nearly twice as cheap. A traveler, with a guide-book and a good pair of
+eyes, can also dispense with the services of a _courier_, whose duty it
+is to conduct strangers about the city, from one lion to another. We
+chose rather to find out and view the "sights" at our leisure. In small
+villages, where we were often obliged to stop, we chose the best hotels,
+which, particularly in Northern Germany and in Italy, are none too
+good. But if it was a _post_, that is, a town where the post-chaise
+stops to change horses, we usually avoided the post-hotel, where one
+must pay high for having curtains before his windows and a more elegant
+cover on his bed. In the less splendid country inns, we always found
+neat, comfortable lodging, and a pleasant, friendly reception from the
+people. They saluted us on entering, with "Be you welcome," and on
+leaving, wished us a pleasant journey and good fortune. The host, when
+he brought us supper or breakfast, lifted his cap, and wished us a good
+appetite--and when he lighted us to our chambers, left us with "May you
+sleep well!" We generally found honest, friendly people; they delighted
+in telling us about the country around; what ruins there were in the
+neighborhood--and what strange legends were connected with them. The
+only part of Europe where it is unpleasant to travel in this manner, is
+Bohemia. We could rarely find a comfortable inn; the people all spoke an
+unknown language, and were not particularly celebrated for their
+honesty. Beside this, travelers rarely go on foot in those regions; we
+were frequently taken for traveling handworker, and subjected to
+imposition.
+
+With regard to passports, although they were vexatious and often
+expensive, we found little difficulty when we had acquainted ourselves
+with the regulations concerning them. In France and Germany they are
+comparatively little trouble; in Italy they are the traveler's greatest
+annoyance. Americans are treated with less strictness, in this respect,
+than citizens of other nations, and, owing to the absence of rank among
+us, we also enjoy greater advantages of acquaintance and intercourse.
+
+The expenses of traveling in England, although much greater than in our
+own country, may, as we learned by experience, be brought, through
+economy, within the same compass. Indeed, it is my belief, from
+observation, that, with few exceptions, throughout Europe, where a
+traveler enjoys the same comfort and abundance as in America, he must
+pay the same prices. The principal difference is, that he only pays for
+what he gets, so that, if he be content with the necessities of life,
+without its luxuries, the expense is in proportion. I have given, at
+times, through the foregoing chapters, the cost of travel and residence
+in Europe, yet a connected estimate will better show the _minimum_
+expense of a two years' pilgrimage:
+
+    Voyage to Liverpool, in the second cabin . . . . . . . . . . .  $24.00
+    Three weeks' travel in Ireland and Scotland  . . . . . . . . .   25.00
+    A week in London, at three shillings a day . . . . . . . . . .    4.50
+    From London to Heidelberg  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    A month at Heidelberg, and trip to Frankfort . . . . . . . . .   20.00
+    Seven months in Frankfort, at $10 per month  . . . . . . . . .   70.00
+    Fuel, passports, excursions and other expenses . . . . . . . .   30.00
+    Tour through Cassel, the Hartz, Saxony, Austria, Bavaria, etc.   40.00
+    A month in Frankfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   10.00
+    From Frankfort through Switzerland, and over the Alps
+       to Milan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    From Milan to Genoa  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      60
+    Expenses from Genoa to Florence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   14.00
+    Four months in Florence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   50.00
+    Eight day's journey from Florence to Rome, two weeks in
+       Rome, voyage to Marseilles and journey to Paris . . . . . .   40.00
+    Five weeks in Paris  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    From Paris to London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    8.00
+    Six weeks in London, at three shillings a day  . . . . . . . .   31.00
+    Passage home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   60.00
+                                                                    ------
+                                                                   $472.00
+
+The cost for places of amusement, guides' fees, and other small
+expenses, not included in this list, increase the sum total to $500, for
+which the tour may be made. Now, having, I hope, established this to the
+reader's satisfaction, I respectfully take leave of him.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
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+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <meta content="pg2html (binary v0.17)" name="linkgenerator" />
+    <title>
+      Views A-foot by J. Bayard Taylor
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+    body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .75em; margin-bottom: .75em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
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+    .foot { margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%; text-align: justify; font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;}
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    .xx-small {font-size: 60%;}
+    .x-small {font-size: 75%;}
+    .small {font-size: 85%;}
+    .large {font-size: 115%;}
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+    .indent10  { margin-left: 10%;}
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+    .indent30  { margin-left: 30%;}
+    .indent35  { margin-left: 35%;}
+    .indent40  { margin-left: 40%;}
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+    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
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+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
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+                font-variant: normal; font-style: normal;
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+               font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border:        solid 1px;}
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+               text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;
+               font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border:        solid 1px;}
+    p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0}
+    span.dropcap         { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 0.8 }
+    pre        { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+</style>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre>
+
+
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Views a-foot, by J. Bayard Taylor
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Views a-foot
+
+Author: J. Bayard Taylor
+
+Release Date: March 10, 2004  [eBook #11535]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VIEWS A-FOOT***
+
+
+
+Etext produced by Maria Paola Andreoni, Carlo Traverso
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+HTML file produced by David Widger
+
+This file was produced from images generously made available by the
+Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr.
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+    <div style="height: 8em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      VIEWS A-FOOT;
+    </h1>
+    <h4>
+      OR
+    </h4>
+    <h2>
+      EUROPE SEEN WITH KNAPSACK AND STAFF.
+    </h2>
+    <h2>
+      By J. Bayard Taylor.
+    </h2>
+    <h2>
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      WITH A PREFACE BY N.P. WILLIS.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                 "Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way,
+                    And merrily hent the stile-a;
+                   A merry heart goes all the day,
+                     Your sad tires in a mile-a."
+
+                                      <i>Winter's Tale</i>.
+</pre>
+    <h3>
+      IN TWO PARTS.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkpart1" id="linkpart1"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PART I.
+    </h2>
+    <h5>
+      Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by
+    </h5>
+    <h5>
+      WILEY AND PUTNAM,
+    </h5>
+    <h5>
+      in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the
+      Southern District of New York.
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PREFACE.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      BY N.P. WILLIS.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The book which follows, requires little or no introduction. It tells its
+      own story, and tells it well. The interest in it, which induces the writer
+      of this preface to be its usher to the public, is simply that of his
+      having chanced to be among the first appreciators of the author's talent&mdash;an
+      appreciation that has since been so more than justified, that the writer
+      is proud to call the author of this book his friend, and bespeak attention
+      to the peculiar energies he has displayed in travel and authorship. Mr.
+      Taylor's poetical productions while he was still a printer's apprentice,
+      made a strong impression on the writer's mind, and he gave them their due
+      of praise accordingly in the newspaper of which he was then Editor. Some
+      correspondence ensued, and other fine pieces of writing strengthened the
+      admiration thus awakened, and when the young poet-mechanic came to the
+      city, and modestly announced the bold determination of visiting foreign
+      lands&mdash;with means, if they could be got, but with reliance on manual
+      labor if they could not&mdash;the writer, understanding the man, and
+      seeing how capable he was of carrying out his manly and enthusiastic
+      scheme, and that it would work uncorruptingly for the improvement of his
+      mind and character, counselled him to go. He went&mdash;his book tells how
+      successfully for all his purposes. He has returned, after two years'
+      absence, with large knowledge of the world, of men and of manners, with a
+      pure, invigorated and healthy mind, having passed all this time abroad,
+      and seen and accomplished more than most travelers, <i>at the cost of only
+      $500, and this sum earned on the road</i>. This, in the writer's opinion,
+      is a fine instance of character and energy. The book, which records the
+      difficulties and struggles of a printer's apprentice achieving this, must
+      be interesting to Americans. The pride of the country is in its self-made
+      men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What Mr. Taylor is, or what he is yet to become, cannot well be touched
+      upon here, but that it will yet be written, and on a bright page, is, of
+      course, his own confident hope and the writer's confident expectation. The
+      book, which is the record of his progress thus far, is now cordially
+      commended to the public, and it will be read, perhaps, more
+      understandingly after a perusal of the following outline sketch of the
+      difficulties the author had to contend with&mdash;a letter written in
+      reply to a note from the writer asking for some of the particulars of his
+      start and progress:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+  <i>To. Mr. Willis</i>,&mdash;
+
+  MY DEAR SIR:&mdash;
+
+  Nearly three years ago (in the beginning of 1844) the time for
+  accomplishing my long cherished desire of visiting Europe, seemed to
+  arrive. A cousin, who had long intended going abroad, was to leave
+  in a few months, and although I was then surrounded by the most
+  unfavorable circumstances, I determined to accompany him, at
+  whatever hazard. I had still two years of my apprenticeship to serve
+  out; I was entirely without means, and my project was strongly
+  opposed by my friends, as something too visionary to be
+  practicable. A short time before, Mr.  Griswold advised me to
+  publish a small volume of youthful effusions, a few of which had
+  appeared in Graham's Magazine, which he then edited; the idea struck
+  me, that by so doing, I might, if they should be favorably noticed,
+  obtain a newspaper correspondence which would enable me to make the
+  start.
+
+  The volume was published; a sufficient number was sold among my
+  friends to defray all expenses, and it was charitably noticed by the
+  Philadelphia press. Some literary friends, to whom I confided my
+  design, promised to aid me with their influence. Trusting to this, I
+  made arrangements for leaving the printing-office, which I succeeded
+  in doing, by making a certain compensation for the remainder of my
+  time. I was now fully confident of success, feeling satisfied, that
+  a strong will would always make itself a way. After many
+  applications to different editors and as many disappointments, I
+  finally succeeded, about two weeks before our departure, in making a
+  partial engagement.  Mr. Chandler of the United States Gazette and
+  Mr. Patterson of the Saturday Evening Post, paid me fifty dollars,
+  each, in advance for twelve letters, to be sent from Europe, with
+  the probability of accepting more, if these should be
+  satisfactory. This, with a sum which I received from Mr. Graham for
+  poems published in his Magazine, put me in possession of about a
+  hundred and forty dollars, with which I determined to start,
+  trusting to future remuneration for letters, or if that should fail,
+  to my skill as a compositor, for I supposed I could at the worst,
+  work my way through Europe, like the German hand werker.  Thus, with
+  another companion, we left home, an enthusiastic and hopeful trio.
+
+  I need not trace our wanderings at length. After eight months of
+  suspense, during which time my small means were entirely exhausted,
+  I received a letter from Mr. Patterson, continuing the engagement
+  for the remainder of my stay, with a remittance of one hundred
+  dollars from himself and Mr. Graham. Other remittances, received
+  from time to time, enabled me to stay abroad two years, during which
+  I traveled on foot upwards of three thousand miles in Germany,
+  Switzerland, Italy and France. I was obliged, however, to use the
+  strictest economy&mdash;to live on pilgrim fare, and do penance in rain
+  and cold. My means several times entirely failed; but I was always
+  relieved from serious difficulty through unlooked-for friends, or
+  some unexpected turn of fortune. At Rome, owing to the expenses and
+  embarrassments of traveling in Italy, I was obliged to give up my
+  original design of proceeding on foot to Naples and across the
+  peninsula to Otranto, sailing thence to Corfu and making a
+  pedestrian journey through Albania and Greece. But the main object
+  of my pilgrimage is accomplished; I visited the principal places of
+  interest in Europe, enjoyed her grandest scenery and the marvels of
+  ancient and modern art, became familiar with other languages, other
+  customs and other institutions, and returned home, after two years'
+  absence, willing now, with satisfied curiosity, to resume life in
+  America.
+
+  Yours, most sincerely,
+
+  J. BAYARD TAYLOR.
+</pre>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <b>CONTENTS</b>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> VIEWS A-FOOT. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#linkpart1"> <b>PART 1.</b> </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. &mdash; THE VOYAGE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. &mdash; A DAY IN IRELAND. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. &mdash; BEN LOMOND AND THE HIGHLAND
+      LAKES. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. &mdash; THE BURNS FESTIVAL. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. &mdash; WALK FROM EDINBURG OVER THE
+      BORDER AND ARRIVAL AT LONDON. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. &mdash; SOME OF THE "SIGHTS" OF
+      LONDON. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. &mdash; FLIGHT THROUGH BELGIUM. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. &mdash; THE RHINE TO HEIDELBERG.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. &mdash; SCENES IN AND AROUND
+      HEIDELBERG. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. &mdash; A WALK THROUGH THE ODENWALD.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. &mdash; SCENES IN FRANKFORT&mdash;AN
+      AMERICAN COMPOSER&mdash;THE POET FREILIGRATH. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. &mdash; A WEEK AMONG THE STUDENTS.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII. &mdash; CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR IN
+      GERMANY. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV. &mdash; WINTER IN FRANKFORT&mdash;A
+      FAIR, AN INUNDATION AND A FIRE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. &mdash; THE DEAD AND THE DEAF&mdash;MENDELSSOHN
+      THE COMPOSER. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#linkpart2"> <b>PART 2.</b> </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. &mdash; JOURNEY ON FOOT FROM
+      FRANKFORT TO CASSEL. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII. &mdash; ADVENTURES AMONG THE HARTZ.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII. &mdash; NOTES IN LEIPSIC AND
+      DRESDEN. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX. &mdash; RAMBLES IN THE SAXON
+      SWITZERLAND. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. &mdash; SCENES IN PRAGUE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. &mdash; JOURNEY THROUGH EASTERN
+      BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA TO THE DANUBE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII. &mdash; VIENNA. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII. &mdash; UP THE DANUBE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV. &mdash; THE UNKNOWN STUDENT. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV. &mdash; THE AUSTRIAN ALPS. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI. &mdash; MUNICH. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII. &mdash; THROUGH WURTEMBERG TO
+      HEIDELBERG. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER XXVIII. &mdash; FREIBURG AND THE BLACK
+      FOREST. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER XXIX. &mdash; PEOPLE AND PLACES IN
+      EASTERN SWITZERLAND. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0030"> CHAPTER XXX. &mdash; PASSAGE OF THE ST. GOTHARD
+      AND DESCENT INTO ITALY. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER XXXI. &mdash; MILAN. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0032"> CHAPTER XXXII. &mdash; WALK FROM MILAN TO GENOA.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0033"> CHAPTER XXXIII. &mdash; SCENES IN GENOA, LEGHORN
+      AND PISA. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0034"> CHAPTER XXXIV. &mdash; FLORENCE AND ITS
+      GALLERIES. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0035"> CHAPTER XXXV. &mdash; A PILGRIMAGE TO
+      VALLOMBROSA. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0036"> CHAPTER XXXVI. &mdash; WALK TO SIENA AND
+      PRATOLINO&mdash;INCIDENTS IN FLORENCE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0037"> CHAPTER XXXVII. &mdash; AMERICAN ART IN FLORENCE.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0038"> CHAPTER XXXVIII. &mdash; AN ADVENTURE ON THE
+      GREAT ST. BERNARD&mdash;WALKS AROUND FLORENCE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0039"> CHAPTER XXXIX. &mdash; WINTER TRAVELING AMONG THE
+      APPENINES. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0040"> CHAPTER XL. &mdash; ROME </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0041"> CHAPTER XLI. &mdash; TIVOLI AND THE ROMAN
+      CAMPAGNA. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0042"> CHAPTER XLII. &mdash; </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0043"> CHAPTER XLIII. &mdash; PILGRIMAGE TO VAUCLUSE AND
+      JOURNEY UP THE RHONE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0044"> CHAPTER XLIV. &mdash; TRAVELING IN BURGUNDY&mdash;THE
+      MISERIES OF A COUNTRY DILIGENCE. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0045"> CHAPTER XLV. &mdash; POETICAL SCENES IN PARIS.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0046"> CHAPTER XLVI. &mdash; A GLIMPSE OF NORMANDY. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0047"> CHAPTER XLVII. &mdash; LOCKHART, BERNARD BARTON
+      AND CROLY&mdash;LONDON CHIMES AND GREENWICH FAIR. </a>
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <a href="#link2HCH0048"> CHAPTER XLVIII. &mdash; HOMEWARD BOUND&mdash;&mdash;CONCLUSION.
+      </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      TO
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      FRANK TAYLOR,
+    </h3>
+    <h3>
+      THESE RECORDS OF THE PILGRIMAGE,
+    </h3>
+    <h3>
+      WHOSE TOILS AND ENJOYMENTS WE HAVE SHARED TOGETHER,
+    </h3>
+    <h3>
+      ARE
+    </h3>
+    <h3>
+      AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED,
+    </h3>
+    <h3>
+      BY
+    </h3>
+    <h3>
+      HIS RELATIVE AND FRIEND.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      VIEWS A-FOOT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I. &mdash; THE VOYAGE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      An enthusiastic desire of visiting the Old World haunted me from early
+      childhood. I cherished a presentiment, amounting almost to belief, that I
+      should one day behold the scenes, among which my fancy had so long
+      wandered. The want of means was for a time a serious check to my
+      anticipations; but I could not content myself to wait until I had slowly
+      accumulated so large a sum as tourists usually spend on their travels. It
+      seemed to me that a more humble method of seeing the world would place
+      within the power of almost every one, what has hitherto been deemed the
+      privilege of the wealthy few. Such a journey, too, offered advantages for
+      becoming acquainted with people as well as places&mdash;for observing more
+      intimately, the effect of government and education, and more than all, for
+      the study of human nature, in every condition of life. At length I became
+      possessed of a small sum, to be earned by letters descriptive of things
+      abroad, and on the 1st of July, 1844, set sail for Liverpool, with a
+      relative and friend, whose circumstances were somewhat similar to mine.
+      How far the success of the experiment and the object of our long
+      pilgrimage were attained, these pages will show.
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    LAND AND SEA.
+
+    There are springs that rise in the greenwood's heart,
+      Where its leafy glooms are cast,
+    And the branches droop in the solemn air,
+      Unstirred by the sweeping blast.
+    There are hills that lie in the noontide calm,
+      On the lap of the quiet earth;
+    And, crown'd with gold by the ripened grain,
+      Surround my place of birth.
+
+    Dearer are these to my pining heart,
+      Than the beauty of the deep,
+    When the moonlight falls in a bolt of gold
+      On the waves that heave in sleep.
+    The rustling talk of the clustered leaves
+      That shade a well-known door,
+    Is sweeter far than the booming sound
+      Of the breaking wave before.
+
+    When night on the ocean sinks calmly down,
+      I climb the vessel's prow,
+    Where the foam-wreath glows with its phosphor light,
+      Like a crown on a sea-nymph's brow.
+    Above, through the lattice of rope and spar,
+      The stars in their beauty burn;
+    And the spirit longs to ride their beams,
+      And back to the loved return.
+
+    They say that the sunset is brighter far
+      When it sinks behind the sea;
+    That the stars shine out with a softer fire&mdash;
+      Not thus they seem to me.
+    Dearer the flush of the crimson west
+      Through trees that my childhood knew.
+    When the star of love with its silver lamp,
+      Lights the homes of the tried and true!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Could one live on the sense of beauty alone, exempt from the necessity of
+      "creature comforts," a sea-voyage would be delightful. To the landsman
+      there is sublimity in the wild and ever-varied forms of the ocean; they
+      fill his mind with living images of a glory he had only dreamed of before.
+      But we would have been willing to forego all this and get back the
+      comforts of the shore. At New York we took passage in the second cabin of
+      the Oxford, which, as usual in the Liverpool packets, consisted of a small
+      space amid-ships, fitted up with rough, temporary berths. The
+      communication with the deck is by an open hatchway, which in storms is
+      closed down. As the passengers in this cabin furnish their own provisions,
+      we made ourselves acquainted with the contents of certain storehouses on
+      Pine St. wharf, and purchased a large box of provisions, which was stowed
+      away under our narrow berth. The cook, for a small compensation, took on
+      himself the charge of preparing them, and we made ourselves as comfortable
+      as the close, dark dwelling would admit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we approached the Banks of Newfoundland, a gale arose, which for two
+      days and nights carried us on, careering Mazeppa-like, up hill and down.
+      The sea looked truly magnificent, although the sailors told us it was
+      nothing at all in comparison with the storms of winter. But we were not
+      permitted to pass the Banks, without experiencing one of the calms, for
+      which that neighborhood is noted. For three days we lay almost motionless
+      on the glassy water, sometimes surrounded by large flocks of sea-gulls.
+      The weed brought by the gulf stream, floated around&mdash;some branches we
+      fished up, were full of beautiful little shells. Once a large school of
+      black-fish came around the vessel, and the carpenter climbed down on the
+      fore-chains, with a harpoon to strike one. Scarcely had he taken his
+      position, when they all darted off in a straight line, through the water,
+      and were soon out of sight. He said they smelt the harpoon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We congratulated ourselves on having reached the Banks in seven days, as
+      it is considered the longest third-part of the passage. But the hopes of
+      reaching Liverpool in twenty days, were soon overthrown. A succession of
+      southerly winds drove the vessel as far north as lat. 55 deg., without
+      bringing us much nearer our destination. It was extremely cold, for we
+      were but five degrees south of the latitude of Greenland, and the long
+      northern twilights came on. The last glow of the evening twilight had
+      scarcely faded, before the first glimmering of dawn appeared. I found it
+      extremely easy to read, at 10 P.M., on the deck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We had much diversion on board from a company of Iowa Indians, under the
+      celebrated chief "White Cloud," who are on a visit to England. They are
+      truly a wild enough looking company, and helped not a little to relieve
+      the tedium of the passage. The chief was a very grave and dignified
+      person, but some of the braves were merry enough. One day we had a
+      war-dance on deck, which was a most ludicrous scene. The chief and two
+      braves sat upon the deck, beating violently a small drum and howling forth
+      their war-song, while the others in full dress, painted in a grotesque
+      style, leaped about, brandishing tomahawks and spears, and terminating
+      each dance with a terrific yell. Some of the men are very fine-looking,
+      but the squaws are all ugly. They occupied part of the second cabin,
+      separated only by a board partition from our room. This proximity was any
+      thing but agreeable. They kept us awake more than half the night, by
+      singing and howling in the most dolorous manner, with the accompaniment of
+      slapping their hands violently on their bare breasts. We tried an
+      opposition, and a young German student, who was returning home after two
+      years' travel in America, made our room ring with the chorus from Der
+      Freischütz&mdash;but in vain. They <i>would</i> howl and beat their
+      breasts, and the pappoose <i>would</i> squall. Any loss of temper is
+      therefore not to be wondered at, when I state that I could scarcely turn
+      in my berth, much less stretch myself out; my cramped limbs alone drove
+      off half the night's slumber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a pleasure, at least, to gaze on their strong athletic frames.
+      Their massive chests and powerful limbs put to shame our dwindled
+      proportions. One old man, in particular, who seemed the patriarch of the
+      band, used to stand for hours on the quarter deck, sublime and motionless
+      as a statue of Jupiter. An interesting incident occurred during the calm
+      of which I spoke. They began to be fearful we were doomed to remain there
+      forever, unless the spirits were invoked for a favorable wind. Accordingly
+      the prophet lit his pipe and smoked with great deliberation, muttering all
+      the while in a low voice. Then, having obtained a bottle of beer from the
+      captain, he poured it solemnly over the stern of the vessel into the sea.
+      There were some indications of wind at the time, and accordingly the next
+      morning we had a fine breeze, which the Iowas attributed solely to the
+      Prophet's incantation and Eolus' love of beer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a succession of calms and adverse winds, on the 25th we were off the
+      Hebrides, and though not within sight of land, the southern winds came to
+      us strongly freighted with the "meadow freshness" of the Irish bogs, so we
+      could at least <i>smell</i> it. That day the wind became more favorable,
+      and the next morning we were all roused out of our berths by sunrise, at
+      the long wished-for cry of "land!" Just under the golden flood of light
+      that streamed through the morning clouds, lay afar-off and indistinct the
+      crags of an island, with the top of a light-house visible at one
+      extremity. To the south of it, and barely distinguishable, so completely
+      was it blended in hue with the veiling cloud, loomed up a lofty mountain.
+      I shall never forget the sight! As we drew nearer, the dim and soft
+      outline it first wore, was broken into a range of crags, with lofty
+      precipices jutting out to the sea, and sloping off inland. The white wall
+      of the light-house shone in the morning's light, and the foam of the
+      breakers dashed up at the foot of the airy cliffs. It was worth all the
+      troubles of a long voyage, to feel the glorious excitement which this
+      herald of new scenes and new adventures created. The light-house was on
+      Tory Island, on the north-western coast of Ireland. The Captain decided on
+      taking the North Channel, for, although rarely done, it was in our case
+      nearer, and is certainly more interesting than the usual route.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed the Island of Ennistrahul, near the entrance of Londonderry
+      harbor, and at sunset saw in the distance the islands of Islay and Jura,
+      off the Scottish coast. Next morning we were close to the promontory of
+      Fairhead, a bold, precipitous headland, like some of the Palisades on the
+      Hudson; the highlands of the Mull of Cantire were on the opposite side of
+      the Channel, and the wind being ahead, we tacked from shore to shore,
+      running so near the Irish coast, that we could see the little thatched
+      huts, stacks of peat, and even rows of potatoes in the fields. It was a
+      panorama: the view extended for miles inland, and the fields of different
+      colored grain were spread out before us, a brilliant mosaic. Towards
+      evening we passed Ailsa Crag, the sea-bird's home, within sight, though
+      about twenty miles distant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On Sunday, the 28th, we passed the lofty headland of the Mull of Galloway
+      and entered the Irish Sea. Here there was an occurrence of an impressive
+      nature. A woman, belonging to the steerage, who had been ill the whole
+      passage, died the morning before. She appeared to be of a very avaricious
+      disposition, though this might indeed have been the result of self-denial,
+      practised through filial affection. In the morning she was speechless, and
+      while they were endeavoring to persuade her to give up her keys to the
+      captain, died. In her pocket were found two parcels, containing forty
+      sovereigns, sewed up with the most miserly care. It was ascertained she
+      had a widowed mother in the north of Ireland, and judging her money could
+      be better applied than to paying for a funeral on shore, the captain gave
+      orders for committing the body to the waves. It rained drearily as her
+      corpse, covered with starred bunting, was held at the gangway while the
+      captain read the funeral service; then one plunge was heard, and a white
+      object, flashed up through the dark waters, as the ship passed on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon we passed the Isle of Man, having a beautiful view of the
+      Calf, with a white stream tumbling down the rocks into the sea; and at
+      night saw the sun set behind the mountains of Wales. About midnight, the
+      pilot came on board, and soon after sunrise I saw the distant spires of
+      Liverpool. The Welsh coast was studded with windmills, all in motion, and
+      the harbor spotted with buoys, bells and floating lights. How delightful
+      it was to behold the green trees on the banks of the Mersey, and to know
+      that in a few hours we should be on land! About 11 o'clock we came to
+      anchor in the channel of the Mersey, near the docks, and after much noise,
+      bustle and confusion, were transferred, with our baggage, to a small
+      steamboat, giving a parting cheer to the Iowas, who remained on board. On
+      landing, I stood a moment to observe the scene. The baggage-wagons, drawn
+      by horses, mules and donkeys, were extraordinary; men were going about
+      crying "<i>the celebrated Tralorum gingerbread!</i>" which they carried in
+      baskets; and a boy in the University dress, with long blue gown and yellow
+      knee-breeches, was running to the wharf to look at the Indians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last the carts were all loaded, the word was given to start, and then,
+      what a scene ensued! Away went the mules, the horses and the donkeys; away
+      ran men and women and children, carrying chairs and trunks, and boxes and
+      bedding. The wind was blowing, and the dust whirled up as they dashed
+      helter-skelter through the gate and started off on a hot race, down the
+      dock to the depot. Two wagons came together, one of which was overturned,
+      scattering the broken boxes of a Scotch family over the pavement; but
+      while the poor woman was crying over her loss, the tide swept on, scarcely
+      taking time to glance at the mishap.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our luggage was "passed" with little trouble; the officer merely opening
+      the trunks and pressing his hands on the top. Even some American reprints
+      of English works which my companion carried, and feared would be taken
+      from him, were passed over without a word. I was agreeably surprised at
+      this, as from the accounts of some travellers, I had been led to fear
+      horrible things of custom-houses. This over, we took a stroll about the
+      city. I was first struck by seeing so many people walking in the middle of
+      the streets, and so many gentlemen going about with pinks stuck in their
+      button-holes. Then, the houses being all built of brown granite or dark
+      brick, gives the town a sombre appearance, which the sunshine (when there
+      is any) cannot dispel. Of Liverpool we saw little. Before the twilight had
+      wholly faded, we were again tossing on the rough waves of the Irish Sea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II. &mdash; A DAY IN IRELAND.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      On calling at the steamboat office in Liverpool, to take passage to Port
+      Rush, we found that the fare in the fore cabin was but two shillings and a
+      half, while in the chief cabin it was six times as much. As I had started
+      to make the tour of all Europe with a sum little higher than is sometimes
+      given for the mere passage to and fro, there was no alternative&mdash;the
+      twenty-four hours' discomfort could be more easily endured than the
+      expense, and as I expected to encounter many hardships, it was best to
+      make a beginning. I had crossed the ocean with tolerable comfort for
+      twenty-four dollars, and was determined to try whether England, where I
+      had been told it was almost impossible to breathe without expense, might
+      not also be seen by one of limited means.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The fore <i>cabin</i> was merely a bare room, with a bench along one side,
+      which was occupied by half a dozen Irishmen in knee-breeches and heavy
+      brogans. As we passed out of the Clarence Dock at 10 P.M., I went below
+      and managed to get a seat on one end of the bench, where I spent the night
+      in sleepless misery. The Irish bestowed themselves about the floor as they
+      best could, for there was no light, and very soon the Morphean deepness of
+      their breathing gave token of blissful unconsciousness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next morning was misty and rainy, but I preferred walking the deck and
+      drying myself occasionally beside the chimney, to sitting in the dismal
+      room below. We passed the Isle of Man, and through the whole forenoon were
+      tossed about very disagreeably in the North Channel. In the afternoon we
+      stopped at Larne, a little antiquated village, not far from Belfast, at
+      the head of a crooked arm of the sea. There is an old ivy-grown tower
+      near, and high green mountains rise up around. After leaving it, we had a
+      beautiful panoramic view of the northern coast. Many of the precipices are
+      of the same formation as the Causeway; Fairhead, a promontory of this
+      kind, is grand in the extreme. The perpendicular face of fluted rock is
+      about three hundred feet in height, and towering up sublimely from the
+      water, seemed almost to overhang our heads.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My companion compared it to Niagara Falls petrified; and I think the
+      simile very striking. It is like a cataract falling in huge waves, in some
+      places leaping out from a projecting rock, in others descending in an
+      unbroken sheet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed the Giant's Causeway after dark, and about eleven o'clock
+      reached the harbor of Port Rush, where, after stumbling up a strange old
+      street, in the dark, we found a little inn, and soon forgot the Irish
+      Coast and everything else.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the morning when we arose it was raining, with little prospect of fair
+      weather, but having expected nothing better, we set out on foot for the
+      Causeway. The rain, however, soon came down in torrents, and we were
+      obliged to take shelter in a cabin by the road-side. The whole house
+      consisted of one room, with bare walls and roof, and earthen floor, while
+      a window of three or four panes supplied the light. A fire of peat was
+      burning on the hearth, and their breakfast, of potatoes alone, stood on
+      the table. The occupants received us with rude but genuine hospitality,
+      giving us the only seats in the room to sit upon; except a rickety
+      bedstead that stood in one corner and a small table, there was no other
+      furniture in the house. The man appeared rather intelligent, and although
+      he complained of the hardness of their lot, had no sympathy with O'Connell
+      or the Repeal movement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left this miserable hut, as soon as it ceased raining&mdash;and, though
+      there were many cabins along the road, few were better than this. At
+      length, after passing the walls of an old church, in the midst of older
+      tombs, we saw the roofless towers of Dunluce Castle, on the sea-shore. It
+      stands on an isolated rook, rising perpendicularly two hundred feet above
+      the sea, and connected with the cliffs of the mainland by a narrow arch of
+      masonry. On the summit of the cliffs were the remains of the buildings
+      where the ancient lords kept their vassals. An old man, who takes care of
+      it for Lord Antrim, on whose property it is situated, showed us the way
+      down to the castle. We walked across the narrow arch, entered the ruined
+      hall, and looked down on the roaring sea below. It still rained, the wind
+      swept furiously through the decaying arches of the banqueting hall and
+      waved the long grass on the desolate battlements. Far below, the sea
+      foamed white on the breakers and sent up an unceasing boom. It was the
+      most mournful and desolate picture I ever beheld. There were some low
+      dungeons yet entire, and rude stairways, where, by stooping down, I could
+      ascend nearly to the top of one of the towers, and look out on the wild
+      scenery of the coast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Going back, I found a way down the cliff, to the mouth of a cavern in the
+      rock, which extends under the whole castle to the sea. Sliding down a heap
+      of sand and stones, I stood under an arch eighty feet high; in front the
+      breakers dashed into the entrance, flinging the spray half-way to the
+      roof, while the sound rang up through the arches like thunder. It seemed
+      to me the haunt of the old Norsemen's sea-gods!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left the road near Dunluce and walked along the smooth beach to the
+      cliffs that surround the Causeway. Here we obtained a guide, and descended
+      to one of the caves which can be entered from the shore. Opposite the
+      entrance a bare rock called Sea Gull Isle, rises out of the sea like a
+      church steeple. The roof at first was low, but we shortly came to a branch
+      that opened on the sea, where the arch was forty-six feet in height. The
+      breakers dashed far into the cave, and flocks of sea-birds circled round
+      its mouth. The sound of a gun was like a deafening peal of thunder,
+      crashing from arch to arch till it rolled out of the cavern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the top of the hill a splendid hotel is erected for visitors to the
+      Causeway; after passing this we descended to the base of the cliffs, which
+      are here upwards of four hundred feet high, and soon began to find, in the
+      columnar formation of the rocks, indications of our approach. The guide
+      pointed out some columns which appeared to have been melted and run
+      together, from which Sir Humphrey Davy attributed the formation of the
+      Causeway to the action of fire. Near this is the Giant's Well, a spring of
+      the purest water, the bottom formed by three perfect hexagons, and the
+      sides of regular columns. One of us observing that no giant had ever drunk
+      from it, the old man answered&mdash;"Perhaps not: but it was made by a
+      giant&mdash;God Almighty!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the well, the Causeway commences&mdash;a mass of columns, from
+      triangular to octagonal, lying in compact forms, and extending into the
+      sea. I was somewhat disappointed at first, having supposed the Causeway to
+      be of great height, but I found the Giant's Loom, which is the highest
+      part of it, to be but about fifty feet from the water. The singular
+      appearance of the columns and the many strange forms which they assume,
+      render it nevertheless, an object of the greatest interest. Walking out on
+      the rocks we came to the Ladies' Chair, the seat, back, sides and
+      footstool, being all regularly formed by the broken columns. The guide
+      said that any lady who would take three drinks from the Giant's Well, then
+      sit in this chair and think of any gentleman for whom she had a
+      preference, would be married before a twelvemonth. I asked him if it would
+      answer as well for gentlemen, for by a wonderful coincidence we had each
+      drank three times at the well! He said it would, and thought he was
+      confirming his statement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A cluster of columns about half-way up the cliff is called the Giant's
+      Organ&mdash;from its very striking resemblance to that instrument, and a
+      single rock, worn by the waves into the shape of a rude seat, is his
+      chair. A mile or two further along the coast, two cliffs project from the
+      range, leaving a vast semicircular space between, which, from its
+      resemblance to the old Roman theatres, was appropriated for that purpose
+      by the Giant. Halfway down the crags are two or three pinnacles of rock,
+      called the Chimneys, and the stumps of several others can be seen, which,
+      it is said, were shot off by a vessel belonging to the Spanish Armada, in
+      mistake for the towers of Dunluce Castle. The vessel was afterwards
+      wrecked in the bay below, which has ever since been called Spanish Bay,
+      and in calm weather the wreck may be still seen. Many of the columns of
+      the Causeway have been carried off and sold as pillars for mantels&mdash;and
+      though a notice is put up threatening any one with the rigor of the law,
+      depredations are occasionally made.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Returning, we left the road at Dunluce, and took a path which led along
+      the summit of the cliffs. The twilight was gathering, and the wind blew
+      with perfect fury, which, combined with the black and stormy sky, gave the
+      coast an air of extreme wildness. All at once, as we followed the winding
+      path, the crags appeared to open before us, disclosing a yawning chasm,
+      down which a large stream, falling in an unbroken sheet, was lost in the
+      gloom below. Witnessed in a calm day, there may perhaps be nothing
+      striking about it, but coming upon us at once, through the gloom of
+      twilight, with the sea thundering below and a scowling sky above, it was
+      absolutely startling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The path at last wound, with many a steep and slippery bend, down the
+      almost perpendicular crags, to the shore, at the foot of a giant isolated
+      rock, having a natural arch through it, eighty feet in height. We followed
+      the narrow strip of beach, having the bare crags on one side and a line of
+      foaming breakers on the other. It soon grew dark; a furious storm came up
+      and swept like a hurricane along the shore. I then understood what Horne
+      means by "the lengthening javelins of the blast," for every drop seemed to
+      strike with the force of an arrow, and our clothes were soon pierced in
+      every part.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then we went up among the sand hills, and lost each other in the darkness,
+      when, after stumbling about among the gullies for half an hour, shouting
+      for my companions, I found the road and heard my call answered; but it
+      happened to be two Irishmen, who came up and said&mdash;"And is it another
+      gintleman ye're callin' for? we heard some one cryin', and didn't know but
+      somebody might be kilt."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally, about eleven o'clock we all arrived at the inn, dripping with
+      rain, and before a warm fire concluded the adventures of our day in
+      Ireland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III. &mdash; BEN LOMOND AND THE HIGHLAND LAKES.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The steamboat Londonderry called the next day at Port Rush, and we left in
+      her for Greenock. We ran down the Irish coast, past Dunluce Castle and the
+      Causeway; the Giant's organ was very plainly visible, and the winds were
+      strong enough to have sounded a storm-song upon it. Farther on we had a
+      distant view of Carrick-a-Rede, a precipitous rock, separated by a yawning
+      chasm from the shore, frequented by the catchers of sea-birds. A narrow
+      swinging bridge, which is only passable in calm weather, crosses this
+      chasm, 200 feet above the water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The deck of the steamer was crowded with Irish, and certainly gave no very
+      favorable impression of the condition of the peasantry of Ireland. On many
+      of their countenances there was scarcely a mark of intelligence&mdash;they
+      were a most brutalized and degraded company of beings. Many of them were
+      in a beastly state of intoxication, which, from the contents of some of
+      their pockets, was not likely to decrease. As evening drew on, two or
+      three began singing and the others collected in groups around them. One of
+      them who sang with great spirit, was loudly applauded, and poured forth
+      song after song, of the most rude and unrefined character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We took a deck passage for three shillings, in preference to paying twenty
+      for the cabin, and having secured a vacant place near the chimney, kept it
+      during the whole passage. The waves were as rough in the Channel as I ever
+      saw them in the Atlantic, and our boat was tossed about like a plaything.
+      By keeping still we escaped sickness, but we could not avoid the sight of
+      the miserable beings who filled the deck. Many of them spoke in the Irish
+      tongue, and our German friend (the student whom I have already mentioned)
+      noticed in many of the words a resemblance to his mother tongue. I
+      procured a bowl of soup from the steward, but as I was not able to eat it,
+      I gave it to an old man whose hungry look and wistful eyes convinced me it
+      would not be lost on him. He swallowed it with ravenous avidity, together
+      with a crust of bread, which was all I had to give him, and seemed for the
+      time as happy and cheerful as if all his earthly wants were satisfied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed by the foot of Goat Fell, a lofty mountain on the island of
+      Arran, and sped on through the darkness past the hills of Bute, till we
+      entered the Clyde. We arrived at Greenock at one o'clock at night, and
+      walking at random through its silent streets, met a policeman, whom we
+      asked to show us where we might find lodgings. He took my cousin and
+      myself to the house of a poor widow, who had a spare bed which she let to
+      strangers, and then conducted our comrade and the German to another
+      lodging-place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An Irish strolling musician, who was on board the Dumbarton boat,
+      commenced playing soon after we left Greenock, and, to my surprise, struck
+      at once into "Hail Columbia." Then he gave "the Exile of Erin," with the
+      most touching sweetness; and I noticed that always after playing any air
+      that was desired of him, he would invariably return to the sad lament,
+      which I never heard executed with more feeling. It might have been the
+      mild, soft air of the morning, or some peculiar mood of mind that
+      influenced me, but I have been far less affected by music which would be
+      considered immeasurably superior to his. I had been thinking of America,
+      and going up to the old man, I quietly bade him play "Home." It thrilled
+      with a painful delight that almost brought tears to my eyes. My companion
+      started as the sweet melody arose, and turned towards me, his face
+      kindling with emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dumbarton Rock rose higher and higher as we went up the Clyde, and before
+      we arrived at the town I hailed the dim outline of Ben Lomond, rising far
+      off among the highlands. The town is at the head of a small inlet, a short
+      distance from the rock, which was once surrounded by water. We went
+      immediately to the Castle. The rock is nearly 500 feet high, and from its
+      position and great strength as a fortress, has been called the Gibraltar
+      of Scotland. The top is surrounded with battlements, and the armory and
+      barracks stand in a cleft between the two peaks. We passed down a green
+      lane, around the rock, and entered the castle on the south side. A soldier
+      conducted us through a narrow cleft, overhung with crags, to the summit.
+      Here, from the remains of a round building, called Wallace's Tower, from
+      its having been used as a look-out station by that chieftain, we had a
+      beautiful view of the whole of Leven Vale to Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and
+      the Highlands, and on the other hand, the Clyde and the Isle of Bute. In
+      the soft and still balminess of the morning, it was a lovely picture. In
+      the armory, I lifted the sword of Wallace, a two-handed weapon, five feet
+      in length. We were also shown a Lochaber battle-axe, from Bannockburn, and
+      several ancient claymores.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We lingered long upon the summit before we forsook the stern fortress for
+      the sweet vale spread out before us. It was indeed a glorious walk, from
+      Dumbarton to Loch Lomond, through this enchanting valley. The air was mild
+      and clear; a few light clouds occasionally crossing the sun, chequered the
+      hills with sun and shade. I have as yet seen nothing that in pastoral
+      beauty can compare with its glassy winding stream, its mossy old woods,
+      and guarding hills&mdash;and the ivy-grown, castellated towers embosomed
+      in its forests, or standing on the banks of the Leven&mdash;the purest of
+      rivers. At a little village called Renton, is a monument to Smollett, but
+      the inhabitants seem to neglect his memory, as one of the tablets on the
+      pedestal is broken and half fallen away. Further up the vale a farmer
+      showed us an old mansion in the midst of a group of trees on the bank of
+      the Leven, which he said belonged to Smollett&mdash;or Roderick Random, as
+      he called him. Two or three old pear trees were still standing where the
+      garden had formerly been, under which he was accustomed to play in his
+      childhood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the head of Leven Vale, we set off in the steamer "Water Witch" over
+      the crystal waters of Loch Lomond, passing Inch Murrin, the deer-park of
+      the Duke of Montrose, and Inch Caillach,
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    &mdash;&mdash;"where gray pines wave
+    Their shadows o'er Clan Alpine's grave."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Under the clear sky and golden light of the declining sun, we entered the
+      Highlands, and heard on every side names we had learned long ago in the
+      lays of Scott. Here were Glen Fruin and Bannochar, Ross Dhu and the pass
+      of Beal-ma-na. Further still, we passed Rob Roy's rock, where the lake is
+      locked in by lofty mountains. The cone-like peak of Ben Lomond rises far
+      above on the right, Ben Voirlich stands in front, and the jagged crest of
+      Ben Arthur looks over the shoulders of the western hills. A Scotchman on
+      board pointed out to us the remarkable places, and related many
+      interesting legends. Above Inversnaid, where there is a beautiful
+      waterfall, leaping over the rock and glancing out from the overhanging
+      birches, we passed McFarland's Island, concerning the origin of which
+      name, he gave a history. A nephew of one of the old Earls of Lennox, the
+      ruins of whose castle we saw on Inch Murrin, having murdered his uncle's
+      cook in a quarrel, was obliged to flee for his life. Returning after many
+      years, he built a castle upon this island, which was always after named,
+      on account of his exile, <i>Far-land</i>. On a precipitous point above
+      Inversnaid, are two caves in the rock; one near the water is called Rob
+      Roy's, though the guides generally call it Bruce's also, to avoid trouble,
+      as the real Bruce's Cave is high up the hill. It is so called, because
+      Bruce hid there one night, from the pursuit of his enemies. It is related
+      that a mountain goat, who used this probably for a sleeping place,
+      entered, trod on his mantle, and aroused him. Thinking his enemies were
+      upon him, he sprang up, and saw the silly animal before him. In token of
+      gratitude for this agreeable surprise, when he became king, a law was
+      passed, declaring goats free throughout all Scotland&mdash;unpunishable
+      for whatever trespass they might commit, and the legend further says, that
+      not having been repealed, it continues in force at the present day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the opposite shore of the lake is a large rock, called "Bull's Rock,"
+      having a door in the side, with a stairway cut through the interior to a
+      pulpit on the top, from which the pastor at Arroquhar preaches a monthly
+      discourse. The Gaelic legend of the rock is, that it once stood near the
+      summit of the mountain above, and was very nearly balanced on the edge of
+      a precipice. Two wild bulls, fighting violently, dashed with great force
+      against the rock, which, being thrown from its balance, was tumbled down
+      the side of the mountain, till it reached its present position. The Scot
+      was speaking with great bitterness of the betrayal of Wallace, when I
+      asked him if it was still considered an insult to turn a loaf of bread
+      bottom upwards in the presence of a Montieth. "Indeed it is, sir," said
+      he, "I have often done it myself."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Until last May, travellers were taken no higher up the lake than Rob Roy's
+      Cave, but another boat having commenced running, they can now go beyond
+      Loch Lomond, two miles up Glen Falloch, to the Inn of Inverarnan, thereby
+      visiting some of the finest scenery in that part of the Highlands. It was
+      ludicrous, however, to see the steamboat on a river scarcely wider than
+      herself, in a little valley, hemmed in completely with lofty mountains.
+      She went on, however, pushing aside the thickets which lined both banks,
+      and I almost began to think she was going to take the shore for it, when
+      we came to a place widened out for her to be turned around in; here we
+      jumped ashore in a green meadow, on which the cool mist was beginning to
+      descend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When we arose in the morning, at 4 o'clock, to return with the boat, the
+      sun was already shining upon the westward hills, scarcely a cloud was in
+      the sky, and the air was pure and cool. To our great delight Ben Lomond
+      was unshrouded, and we were told that a more favorable day for the ascent
+      had not occurred for two months. We left the boat at Rowardennan, an inn
+      at the southern base of Ben Lomond. After breakfasting on Loch Lomond
+      trout, I stole out to the shore while my companions were preparing for the
+      ascent, and made a hasty sketch of the lake.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We purposed descending on the northern side and crossing the Highlands to
+      Loch Katrine; though it was represented as difficult and dangerous by the
+      guide who wished to accompany us, we determined to run the risk of being
+      enveloped in a cloud on the summit, and so set out alone, the path
+      appearing plain before us. We had no difficulty in following it up the
+      lesser heights, around the base. It wound on, over rock and bog, among the
+      heather and broom with which the mountain is covered, sometimes running up
+      a steep acclivity, and then winding zigzag round a rocky ascent. The rains
+      two days before, had made the bogs damp and muddy, but with this
+      exception, we had little trouble for some time. Ben Lomond is a doubly
+      formed mountain. For about three-fourths of the way there is a continued
+      ascent, when it is suddenly terminated by a large barren plain, from one
+      end of which the summit shoots up abruptly, forming at the north side, a
+      precipice 500 feet high. As we approached the summit of the first part of
+      the mountain, the way became very steep and toilsome; but the prospect,
+      which had before been only on the south side, began to open on the east,
+      and we saw suddenly spread out below us, the vale of Menteith, with "far
+      Loch Ard and Aberfoil" in the centre, and the huge front of Benvenue
+      filling up the picture. Taking courage from this, we hurried on. The
+      heather had become stunted and dwarfish, and the ground was covered with
+      short brown grass. The mountain sheep, which we saw looking at us from the
+      rock above, had worn so many paths along the side, that we could not tell
+      which to take, but pushed on in the direction of the summit, till thinking
+      it must be near at hand, we found a mile and a half of plain before us,
+      with the top of Ben Lomond at the farther end. The plain was full of wet
+      moss, crossed in all directions by deep ravines or gullies worn in it by
+      the mountain rains, and the wind swept across with a tempest-like force.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I met, near the base, a young gentleman from Edinburgh, who had left
+      Rowardennan before us, and we commenced ascending together. It was hard
+      work, but neither liked to stop, so we climbed up to the first resting
+      place, and found the path leading along the brink of a precipice. We soon
+      attained the summit, and climbing up a little mound of earth and stones, I
+      saw the half of Scotland at a glance. The clouds hung just above the
+      mountain tops, which rose all around like the waves of a mighty sea. On
+      every side&mdash;near and far&mdash;stood their misty summits, but Ben
+      Lomond was the monarch of them all. Loch Lomond lay unrolled under my feet
+      like a beautiful map, and just opposite, Loch Long thrust its head from
+      between the feet of the crowded hills, to catch a glimpse of the giant. We
+      could see from Ben Nevis to Ayr&mdash;from Edinburgh to Staffa. Stirling
+      and Edinburgh Castles would have been visible, but that the clouds hung
+      low in the valley of the Forth and hid them from our sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The view from Ben Lomond is nearly twice as extensive as that from
+      Catskill, being uninterrupted on every side, but it wants the glorious
+      forest scenery, clear, blue sky, and active, rejoicing character of the
+      latter. We stayed about two hours upon the summit, taking refuge behind
+      the cairn, when the wind blew strong. I found the smallest of flowers
+      under a rock, and brought it away as a memento. In the middle of the
+      precipice there is a narrow ravine or rather cleft in the rock, to the
+      bottom, from whence the mountain slopes regularly but steeply down to the
+      valley. At the bottom we stopped to awake the echoes, which were repeated
+      four times; our German companion sang the Hunter's Chorus, which resounded
+      magnificently through this Highland hall. We drank from the river Forth,
+      which starts from a spring at the foot of the rock, and then commenced
+      descending. This was also toilsome enough. The mountain was quite wet and
+      covered with loose stones, which, dislodged by our feet, went rattling
+      down the side, oftentimes to the danger of the foremost ones; and when we
+      had run or rather slid down the three miles, to the bottom, our knees
+      trembled so as scarcely to support us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here, at a cottage on the farm of Coman, we procured some oat cakes and
+      milk for dinner, from an old Scotch woman, who pointed out the direction
+      of Loch Katrine, six miles distant; there was no road, nor indeed a
+      solitary dwelling between. The hills were bare of trees, covered with
+      scraggy bushes and rough heath, which in some places was so thick we could
+      scarcely drag our feet through. Added to this, the ground was covered with
+      a kind of moss that retained the moisture like a sponge, so that our boots
+      ere long became thoroughly soaked. Several considerable streams were
+      rushing down the side, and many of the wild breed of black Highland cattle
+      were grazing around. After climbing up and down one or two heights,
+      occasionally startling the moorcock and ptarmigan from their heathery
+      coverts, we saw the valley of Loch Con; while in the middle of the plain
+      on the top of the mountain we had ascended, was a sheet of water which we
+      took to be Loch Ackill. Two or three wild fowl swimming on its surface
+      were the only living things in sight. The peaks around shut it out from
+      all view of the world; a single decayed tree leaned over it from a mossy
+      rock, which gave the whole scene an air of the most desolate wildness. I
+      forget the name of the lake; but we learned afterwards that the
+      Highlanders consider it the abode of the fairies, or "men of peace," and
+      that it is still superstitiously shunned by them after nightfall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the next mountain we saw Loch Ackill and Loch Katrine below, but a
+      wet and weary descent had yet to be made. I was about throwing off my
+      knapsack on a rock, to take a sketch of Loch Katrine, which appeared very
+      beautiful from this point, when we discerned a cavalcade of ponies winding
+      along the path from Inversnaid, to the head of the lake, and hastened down
+      to take the boat when they should arrive. Our haste turned out to be
+      unnecessary, however, for they had to wait for their luggage, which was
+      long in coming. Two boatmen then offered to take us for two shillings and
+      sixpence each, with the privilege of stopping at Ellen's Isle; the regular
+      fare being two shillings. We got in, when, after exchanging a few words in
+      Gaelic, one of them called to the travellers, of whom there were a number,
+      to come and take passage at two shillings&mdash;then at one and sixpence,
+      and finally concluded by requesting them all to step on board the shilling
+      boat! At length, having secured nine at this reduced price, we pushed off;
+      one of the passengers took the helm, and the boat glided merrily over the
+      clear water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It appears there is some opposition among the boatmen this summer, which
+      is all the better for travelers. They are a bold race, and still preserve
+      many of the characteristics of the clan from which they sprung. One of
+      ours, who had a chieftain-like look, was a MacGregor, related to Rob Roy.
+      The fourth descendant in a direct line, now inhabits the Rob Roy mansion,
+      at Glengyle, a valley at the head of the lake. A small steamboat was put
+      upon Loch Katrine a short time ago, but the boatmen, jealous of this new
+      invasion of their privilege, one night towed her out to the middle of the
+      lake and there sunk her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Near the point of Brianchoil is a very small island with a few trees upon
+      it, of which the boatman related a story that was new to me. He said an
+      eccentric individual, many years ago, built his house upon it&mdash;but it
+      was soon beaten down by the winds and waves. Having built it up with like
+      fortune several times, he at last desisted, saying, "bought wisdom was the
+      best;" since when it has been called the Island of Wisdom. On the shore
+      below, the boatman showed us his cottage. The whole family were out at the
+      door to witness our progress; he hoisted a flag, and when we came
+      opposite, they exchanged shouts in Gaelic. As our men resumed their oars
+      again, we assisted in giving three cheers, which made the echoes of
+      Benvenue ring again. Some one observed his dog, looking after us from a
+      projecting rock, when he called out to him, "go home, you brute!" We asked
+      him why he did not speak Gaelic also to his dog.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Very few dogs, indeed," said he, "understand Gaelic, but they all
+      understand English. And we therefore all use English when speaking to our
+      dogs; indeed, I know some persons, who know nothing of English, that speak
+      it to their dogs!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They then sang, in a rude manner, a Gaelic song. The only word I could
+      distinguish was Inch Caillach, the burying place of Clan Alpine. They told
+      us it was the answer of a Highland girl to a foreign lord, who wished to
+      make her his bride. Perhaps, like the American Indian, she would not leave
+      the graves of her fathers. As we drew near the eastern end of the lake,
+      the scenery became far more beautiful. The Trosachs opened before us. Ben
+      Ledi looked down over the "forehead bare" of Ben An, and, as we turned a
+      rocky point, Ellen's Isle rose up in front. It is a beautiful little
+      turquoise in the silver setting of Loch Katrine. The northern side alone
+      is accessible, all the others being rocky and perpendicular, and thickly
+      grown with trees. We rounded the island to the little bay, bordered by the
+      silver strand, above which is the rock from which Fitz-James wound his
+      horn, and shot under an ancient oak which flung its long grey arms over
+      the water; we here found a flight of rocky steps, leading to the top,
+      where stood the bower erected by Lady Willoughby D'Eresby, to correspond
+      with Scott's description. Two or three blackened beams are all that remain
+      of it, having been burned down some years ago, by the carelessness of a
+      traveler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mountains stand all around, like giants, to "sentinel this enchanted
+      land." On leaving the island, we saw the Goblin's Cave, in the side of
+      Benvenue, called by the Gaels, "Coirnan-Uriskin." Near it is Beal-nam-bo,
+      the pass of cattle, overhung with grey weeping birch trees. Here the
+      boatmen stopped to let us hear the fine echo, and the names of "Rob Roy,"
+      and "Roderick Dhu," were sent back to us apparently as loud as they were
+      given. The description of Scott is wonderfully exact, though the forest
+      that feathered o'er the sides of Benvenue, has since been cut down and
+      sold by the Duke of Montrose. When we reached the end of the lake it
+      commenced raining, and we hastened on through the pass of Beal-an-Duine,
+      scarcely taking time to glance at the scenery, till Loch Achray appeared
+      through the trees, and on its banks the ivy-grown front of the inn of
+      Ardcheancrochan, with its unpronounceable name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV. &mdash; THE BURNS FESTIVAL.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We passed a glorious summer morning on the banks of Loch Katrine. The air
+      was pure, fresh and balmy, and the warm sunshine glowed upon forest and
+      lake, upon dark crag and purple mountain-top. The lake was a scene in
+      fairy-land. Returning over the rugged battle-plain in the jaws of the
+      Trosachs, we passed the wild, lonely valley of Glenfinlas and Lanric Mead,
+      at the head of Loch Vennachar, rounding the foot of Ben Ledi to
+      Coilantogle Ford. We saw the desolate hills of Uam-var over which the stag
+      fled from his lair in Glenartney, and keeping on through Callander,
+      stopped for the night at a little inn on the banks of the Teith. The next
+      day we walked through Doune, over the lowlands to Stirling. Crossing Allan
+      Water and the Forth, we climbed Stirling Castle and looked on the purple
+      peaks of the Ochill Mountains, the far Grampians, and the battle-fields of
+      Bannockburn and Sheriff Muir. Our German comrade, feeling little interest
+      in the memory of the poet-ploughman, left in the steamboat for Edinburg;
+      we mounted an English coach and rode to Falkirk, where we took the cars
+      for Glasgow in order to attend the Burns Festival, on the 6th of August.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was a great day for Scotland&mdash;the assembling of all classes to
+      do honor to the memory of her peasant-bard. And right fitting was it, too,
+      that such a meeting should be hold on the banks of the Doon, the stream of
+      which he has sung so sweetly, within sight of the cot where he was born,
+      the beautiful monument erected by his countrymen, and more than all,
+      beside "Alloway's witch-haunted wall!" One would think old Albyn would
+      rise up at the call, and that from the wild hunters of the northern hills
+      to the shepherds of the Cheviots, half her honest yeomanry would be there,
+      to render gratitude to the memory of the sweet bard who was one of them,
+      and who gave their wants and their woes such eloquent utterance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For months before had the proposition been made to hold a meeting on the
+      Doon, similar to the Shakspeare Festival on the Avon, and the 10th of July
+      was first appointed for the day, but owing to the necessity of further
+      time for preparation, it was postponed until the 6th of August. The Earl
+      of Eglintoun was chosen Chairman, and Professor Wilson Vice-Chairman; in
+      addition to this, all the most eminent British authors were invited to
+      attend. A pavilion, capable of containing two thousand persons, had been
+      erected near the monument, in a large field, which was thrown open to the
+      public. Other preparations were made and the meeting was expected to be of
+      the most interesting character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When we arose it was raining, and I feared that the weather might dampen
+      somewhat the pleasures of the day, as it had done to the celebrated
+      tournament at Eglintoun Castle. We reached the station in time for the
+      first train, and sped in the face of the wind over the plains of Ayrshire,
+      which, under such a gloomy sky, looked most desolate. We ran some distance
+      along the coast, having a view of the Hills of Arran, and reached Ayr
+      about nine o'clock. We came first to the New Bridge, which had a triumphal
+      arch in the middle, and the lines, from the "Twa Brigs of Ayr:"
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Will your poor narrow foot-path of a street,
+    Where twa wheel-barrows tremble when they meet,
+    Your ruin'd, formless bulk o' stane and lime,
+    Compare wi' bonnie brigs o' modern time?"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      While on the arch of the 'old brig' was the reply:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "I'll be a brig when ye're a shapeless stane."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      As we advanced into the town, the decorations became more frequent. The
+      streets were crowded with people carrying banners and wreaths, many of the
+      houses were adorned with green boughs and the vessels in the harbor hung
+      out all their flags. We saw the Wallace Tower, a high Gothic building,
+      having in front a statue of Wallace leaning on his sword, by Thom, a
+      native of Ayr, and on our way to the green, where the procession was to
+      assemble, passed under the triumphal arch thrown across the street
+      opposite the inn where Tarn O'Shanter caroused so long with Souter Johnny.
+      Leaving the companies to form on the long meadow bordering the shore, we
+      set out for the Doon, three miles distant. Beggars were seated at regular
+      distances along the road, uttering the most dolorous whinings. Both
+      bridges were decorated in the same manner, with miserable looking objects,
+      keeping up, during the whole day, a continual lamentation. Persons are
+      prohibited from begging in England and Scotland, but I suppose, this being
+      an extraordinary day, license was given them as a favor, to beg free. I
+      noticed that the women, with their usual kindness of heart, bestowed
+      nearly all the alms which these unfortunate objects received. The night
+      before, as I was walking through the streets of Glasgow, a young man of
+      the poorer class, very scantily dressed, stepped up to me and begged me to
+      listen to him for a moment. He spoke hurriedly, and agitatedly, begging
+      me, in God's name, to give him something, however little. I gave him what
+      few pence I had with me, when he grasped my hand with a quick motion,
+      saying: "Sir, you little think how much you have done for me." I was about
+      to inquire more particularly into his situation, but he had disappeared
+      among the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed the "cairn where hunters found the murdered bairn," along a
+      pleasant road to the Burns cottage, where it was spanned by a magnificent
+      triumphal arch of evergreens and flowers. To the disgrace of Scotland,
+      this neat little thatched cot, where Burns passed the first seven years of
+      his life, is now occupied by somebody, who has stuck up a sign over the
+      door, "<i>licensed to retail spirits, to be drunk on the premises</i>;"
+      and accordingly the rooms were crowded full of people, all drinking. There
+      was a fine original portrait of Burns in one room, and in the old
+      fashioned kitchen we saw the recess where he was born. The hostess looked
+      towards us as if to inquire what we would drink, and I hastened away&mdash;there
+      was profanity in the thought. But by this time, the bell of Old Alloway,
+      which still hangs in its accustomed place, though the walls only are left,
+      began tolling, and we obeyed the call. The attachment of the people for
+      this bell, is so great, that a short time ago, when it was ordered to be
+      removed, the inhabitants rose en masse, and prevented it. The ruin, which
+      is close by the road, stands in the middle of the church-yard, and the
+      first thing I saw, on going in the gate, was the tomb of the father of
+      Burns. I looked in the old window, but the interior was filled with rank
+      weeds, and overshadowed by a young tree, which had grown nearly to the
+      eaves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The crowd was now fast gathering in the large field, in the midst of which
+      the pavilion was situated. We went down by the beautiful monument to
+      Burns, to the "Auld Brig o' Doon," which was spanned by an arch of
+      evergreens, containing a representation of Tam O'Shanter and his grey
+      mare, pursued by the witches. It had been arranged that the procession was
+      to pass over the old and new bridges, and from thence by a temporary
+      bridge over the hedge into the field. At this latter place a stand was
+      erected for the sons of Burns, the officers of the day, and distinguished
+      guests. Here was a beautiful specimen of English exclusiveness. The space
+      adjoining the pavilion was fenced around, and admittance denied at first
+      to any, except those who had tickets for the dinner, which, the price
+      being fifteen shillings, entirely prevented the humble laborers, who, more
+      than all, should participate on the occasion, from witnessing the review
+      of the procession by the sons of Burns, and hearing the eloquent speeches
+      of Professor Wilson and Lord Eglintoun. Thus, of the many thousands who
+      were in the field, but a few hundred who were crowded between the bridge
+      and the railing around the pavilion, enjoyed the interesting spectacle. By
+      good fortune, I obtained a stand, where I had an excellent view of the
+      scene. The sons of Burns were in the middle of the platform, with
+      Eglintoun on the right, and Wilson on their left. Mrs. Begg, sister of the
+      Poet, with her daughters, stood by the Countess of Eglintoun. She was a
+      plain, benevolent looking woman, dressed in black, and appearing still
+      active and vigorous, though she is upwards of eighty years old. She bears
+      some likeness, especially in the expression of her eye, to the Poet.
+      Robert Burns, the oldest son, appeared to me to have a strong resemblance
+      of his father, and it is said he is the only one who remembers his face.
+      He has for a long time had an office under Government, in London. The
+      others have but lately returned from a residence of twenty years in India.
+      Professor Wilson appeared to enter into the spirit of the scene better
+      than any of them. He shouted and waved his hat, and, with his fine, broad
+      forehead, his long brown locks already mixed with gray, streaming over his
+      shoulders, and that eagle eye glancing over the vast assemblage, seemed a
+      real Christopher North, yet full of the fire and vigor of youth&mdash;"a
+      gray-haired, happy boy!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About half of the procession consisted of lodges of masons, all of whom
+      turned out on the occasion, as Burns was one of the fraternity. I was most
+      interested in several companies of shepherds, from the hills, with their
+      crooks and plaids; a body of archers in Lincoln green, with a handsome
+      chief at their head, and some Highlanders in their most picturesque of
+      costumes. As one of the companies, which carried a mammoth thistle in a
+      box, came near the platform, Wilson snatched a branch, regardless of its
+      pricks, and placed it on his coat. After this pageant, which could not
+      have been much less than three miles long, had passed, a band was
+      stationed on the platform in the centre of the field, around which it
+      formed in a circle, and the whole company sang, "Ye Banks and Braes o'
+      Bonnie Doon." Just at this time, a person dressed to represent Tam
+      O'Shanter, mounted on a gray mare, issued from a field near the Burns
+      Monument and rode along towards Alloway Kirk, from which, when he
+      approached it, a whole legion of witches sallied out and commenced a hot
+      pursuit. They turned back, however, at the keystone of the bridge, the
+      witch with the "cutty sark" holding up in triumph the abstracted tail of
+      Maggie. Soon after this the company entered the pavilion, and the
+      thousands outside were entertained, as an especial favor, by the band of
+      the 87th Regiment, while from the many liquor booths around the field,
+      they could enjoy themselves in another way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We went up to the Monument, which was of more particular interest to us,
+      from the relics within, but admission was denied to all. Many persons were
+      collected around the gate, some of whom, having come from a great
+      distance, were anxious to see it; but the keeper only said, such were the
+      orders and he could not disobey them. Among the crowd, a grandson of the
+      original Tam O'Shanter was shown to us. He was a raw-looking boy of
+      nineteen or twenty, wearing a shepherd's cap and jacket, and muttered his
+      disapprobation very decidedly, at not being able to visit the Monument.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were one or two showers during the day, and the sky, all the time,
+      was dark and lowering, which was unfavorable for the celebration; but all
+      were glad enough that the rain kept aloof till the ceremonies were nearly
+      over. The speeches delivered at the dinner, which appeared in the papers
+      next morning, are undoubtedly very eloquent. I noticed in the remarks of
+      Robert Burns, in reply to Professor Wilson, an acknowledgment which the
+      other speakers forgot. He said, "The Sons of Burns have grateful hearts,
+      and to the last hour of their existence, they will remember the honor that
+      has been paid them this day, by the noble, the lovely and the talented, of
+      their native land&mdash;by men of genius and kindred spirit from our
+      sister land&mdash;and lastly, they owe their thanks to the inhabitants of
+      the far distant west, a country of a great, free, and kindred people!
+      (loud cheers.)" In connexion with this subject, I saw an anecdote of the
+      Poet, yesterday, which is not generally known. During his connexion with
+      the Excise, he was one day at a party, where the health of Pitt, then
+      minister, was proposed, as "his master and theirs." He immediately turned
+      down his glass and said, "I will give you the health of a far greater and
+      better man&mdash;GEORGE WASHINGTON!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left the field early and went back through the muddy streets of Ayr.
+      The street before the railway office was crowded, and there was so dense a
+      mass of people on the steps, that it seemed almost impossible to get near.
+      Seeing no other chance, I managed to take my stand on the lowest steps,
+      where the pressure of the crowd behind and the working of the throng on
+      the steps, raised me off my feet, and in about a quarter of an hour
+      carried me, compressed into the smallest possible space, up the steps to
+      the door, where the crowd burst in by fits, like water rushing out of a
+      bottle. We esteemed ouvselves fortunate in getting room to stand in an
+      open car, where, after a two hours' ride through the wind and pelting
+      rain, we arrived at Glasgow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V. &mdash; WALK FROM EDINBURG OVER THE BORDER AND ARRIVAL AT
+      LONDON.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We left Glasgow on the morning after returning from the Burns Festival,
+      taking passage in the open cars for Edinburg, for six shillings. On
+      leaving the depot, we plunged into the heart of the hill on which Glasgow
+      Cathedral stands and were whisked through darkness and sulphury smoke to
+      daylight again. The cars bore us past a spur of the Highlands, through a
+      beautiful country where women were at work in the fields, to Linlithgow,
+      the birth-place of Queen Mary. The majestic ruins of its once-proud
+      palace, stand on a green meadow behind the town. In another hour we were
+      walking through Edinburg, admiring its palace-like edifices, and stopping
+      every few minutes to gaze up at some lofty monument. Really, thought I, we
+      call Baltimore the "Monumental City" for its two marble columns, and here
+      is Edinburg with one at every street-corner! These, too, not in the midst
+      of glaring red buildings, where they seem to have been accidentally
+      dropped, but framed in by lofty granite mansions, whose long vistas make
+      an appropriate background to the picture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We looked from Calton Hill on Salisbury Crags and over the Firth of Forth,
+      then descended to dark old Holyrood, where the memory of lovely Mary
+      lingers like a stray sunbeam in her cold halls, and the fair, boyish face
+      of Rizzio looks down from the canvass on the armor of his murderer. We
+      threaded the Canongate and climbed to the Castle; and finally, after a day
+      and a half's sojourn, buckled on our knapsacks and marched out of the
+      Northern Athens. In a short time the tall spire of Dalkeith appeared above
+      the green wood, and we saw to the right, perched on the steep banks of the
+      Esk, the picturesque cottage of Hawthornden, where Drummond once lived in
+      poetic solitude. We made haste to cross the dreary waste of the Muirfoot
+      Hills before nightfall, from the highest summit of which we took a last
+      view of Edinburg Castle and the Salisbury Crags, then blue in the
+      distance. Far to the east were the hills of Lammermuir and the country of
+      Mid-Lothian lay before us. It was all <i>Scott</i>-land. The inn of
+      Torsonce, beside the Gala Water, was our resting-place for the night. As
+      we approached Galashiels the next morning, where the bed of the silver
+      Gala is nearly emptied by a number of dingy manufactories, the hills
+      opened, disclosing the sweet vale of the Tweed, guarded by the triple peak
+      of the Eildon, at whose base lay nestled the village of Melrose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I stopped at a bookstore to purchase a view of the Abbey; to my surprise
+      nearly half the works were by American authors. There wore Bryant,
+      Longfellow, Channing, Emerson, Dana, Ware and many others. The bookseller
+      told me he had sold more of Ware's Letters than any other book in his
+      store, "and also," to use his own words, "an immense number of the great
+      Dr. Channing." I have seen English editions of Percival, Willis, Whittier
+      and Mrs. Sigourney, but Bancroft and Prescott are classed among the
+      "standard <i>British</i> historians."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Crossing the Gala we ascended a hill on the road to Selkirk, and behold!
+      the Tweed ran below, and opposite, in the midst of embowering trees
+      planted by the hand of Scott, rose the grey halls of Abbotsford. We went
+      down a lane to the banks of the swift stream, but finding no ferry, B&mdash;&mdash;
+      and I, as it looked very shallow, thought we might save a long walk by
+      wading across. F&mdash;&mdash; preferred hunting for a boat; we two set
+      out together, with our knapsacks on our backs, and our boots in our hands.
+      The current was ice-cold and very swift, and as the bed was covered with
+      loose stones, it required the greatest care to stand upright. Looking at
+      the bottom, through the rapid water, made my head so giddy, I was forced
+      to stop and shut my eyes; my friend, who had firmer nerves, went plunging
+      on to a deeper and swifter part, where the strength of the current made
+      him stagger very unpleasantly. I called to him to return; the next thing I
+      saw, he gave a plunge and went down to the shoulder in the cold flood.
+      While he was struggling with a frightened expression of face to recover
+      his footing, I leaned on my staff and laughed till I was on the point of
+      falling also. To crown our mortification, F&mdash;&mdash; had found a
+      ferry a few yards higher up and was on the opposite shore, watching us
+      wade back again, my friend with dripping clothes and boots full of water.
+      I could not forgive the pretty Scotch damsel who rowed us across, the
+      mischievous lurking smile which told that she too had witnessed the
+      adventure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We found a foot-path on the other side, which led through a young forest
+      to Abbotsford. Rude pieces of sculpture, taken from Melrose Abbey, were
+      scattered around the gate, some half buried in the earth and overgrown
+      with weeds. The niches in the walls were filled with pieces of sculpture,
+      and an antique marble greyhound reposed in the middle of the court yard.
+      We rang the bell in an outer vestibule, ornamented with several pairs of
+      antlers, when a lady appeared, who, from her appearance, I have no doubt
+      was Mrs. Ormand, the "Duenna of Abbotsford," so humorously described by
+      D'Arlincourt, in his "Three Kingdoms." She ushered us into the entrance
+      hall, which has a magnificent ceiling of carved oak and is lighted by
+      lofty stained windows. An effigy of a knight in armor stood at either end,
+      one holding a huge two-handed sword found on Bosworth Field; the walls
+      were covered with helmets and breastplates of the olden time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among the curiosities in the Armory are Napoleon's pistols, the
+      blunderbuss of Hofer, Rob Roy's purse and gun, and the offering box of
+      Queen Mary. Through the folding doors between the dining-room,
+      drawing-room and library, is a fine vista, terminated by a niche, in which
+      stands Chantrey's bust of Scott. The ceilings are of carved Scottish oak
+      and the doors of American cedar. Adjoining the library is his study, the
+      walls of which are covered with books; the doors and windows are double,
+      to render it quiet and undisturbed. His books and inkstand are on the
+      table and his writing-chair stands before it, as if he had left them but a
+      moment before. In a little closet adjoining, where he kept his private
+      manuscripts, are the clothes he last wore, his cane and belt, to which a
+      hammer and small axe are attached, and his sword. A narrow staircase led
+      from the study to his sleeping room above, by which he could come down at
+      night and work while his family slept. The silence about the place is
+      solemn and breathless, as if it waited to be broken by his returning
+      footstep. I felt an awe in treading these lonely halls, like that which
+      impressed me before the grave of Washington&mdash;a feeling that hallowed
+      the spot, as if there yet lingered a low vibration of the lyre, though the
+      minstrel had departed forever!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Plucking a wild rose that grew near the walls, I left Abbotsford,
+      embosomed among the trees, and turned into a green lane that led down to
+      Melrose. We went immediately to the Abbey, in the lower part of the
+      village, near the Tweed. As I approached the gate, the porteress came out,
+      and having scrutinized me rather sharply, asked my name. I told her;&mdash;"well,"
+      she added, "there is a <i>prospect</i> here for you." Thinking she alluded
+      to the ruin, I replied: "Yes, the view is certainly very fine." "Oh! I
+      don't mean that," she replied, "a young gentleman left a prospect here for
+      you!"&mdash;whereupon she brought out a spy-glass, which I recognized us
+      one that our German comrade had given to me. He had gone on, and hoped to
+      meet us at Jedburgh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Melrose is the finest remaining specimen of Gothic architecture in
+      Scotland. Some of the sculptured flowers in the cloister arches are
+      remarkably beautiful and delicate, and the two windows&mdash;the south and
+      east oriels&mdash;are of a lightness and grace of execution really
+      surprising. We saw the tomb of Michael Scott, of King Alexander II, and
+      that of the Douglas, marked with a sword. The heart of Bruce is supposed
+      to have been buried beneath the high altar. The chancel is all open to the
+      sky, and rooks build their nests among the wild ivy that climbs over the
+      crumbling arches. One of these came tamely down and perched upon the hand
+      of our fair guide. By a winding stair in one of the towers we mounted to
+      the top of the arch and looked down on the grassy floor. I sat on the
+      broken pillar, which Scott always used for a seat when he visited the
+      Abbey, and read the disinterring of the magic book, in the "Lay of the
+      Last Minstrel." I never comprehended its full beauty till then: the memory
+      of Melrose will give it a thrilling interest, in the future. When we left,
+      I was willing to say, with the Minstrel:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Was never scene so sad and fair!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      After seeing the home and favorite haunt of Scott, we felt a wish to stand
+      by his grave, but we had Ancrum Moor to pass before night, and the Tweed
+      was between us and Dryburgh Abbey. We did not wish to try another watery
+      adventure, and therefore walked on to the village of Ancrum, where a
+      gate-keeper on the road gave us lodging and good fare, for a moderate
+      price. Many of this class practise this double employment, and the
+      economical traveller, who looks more to comfort than luxury, will not fail
+      to patronize them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning we took a foot-path over the hills to Jedburgh. From the
+      summit there was a lovely view of the valley of the Teviot, with the blue
+      Cheviots in the distance. I thought of Pringle's beautiful farewell:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Our native land, our native vale,
+       A long, a last adieu,
+     farewell to bonny Teviot-dale,
+       And Cheviot's mountains blue!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The poet was born in the valley below, and one that looks upon its beauty
+      cannot wonder how his heart clung to the scenes he was leaving. We saw
+      Jedburgh and its majestic old Abbey, and ascended the valley of the Jed
+      towards the Cheviots. The hills, covered with woods of a richness and even
+      gorgeous beauty of foliage, shut out this lovely glen completely from the
+      world. I found myself continually coveting the lonely dwellings that were
+      perched on the rocky heights, or nestled, like a fairy pavilion, in the
+      lap of a grove. These forests formerly furnished the wood for the
+      celebrated Jedwood axe, used in the Border forays.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we continued ascending, the prospect behind us widened, till we reached
+      the summit of the Carter Fell, whence there is a view of great extent and
+      beauty. The Eildon Hills, though twenty-five miles distant, seemed in the
+      foreground of the picture. With a glass, Edinburgh Castle might be seen
+      over the dim outline of the Muirfoot Hills. After crossing the border, we
+      passed the scene of the encounter between Percy and Douglass, celebrated
+      in "Chevy Chase," and at the lonely inn of Whitelee, in the valley below,
+      took up our quarters for the night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Travellers have described the Cheviots as being bleak and uninteresting.
+      Although they are bare and brown, to me the scenery was of a character of
+      beauty entirely original. They are not rugged and broken like the
+      Highlands, but lift their round backs gracefully from the plain, while the
+      more distant ranges are clad in many an airy hue. Willis quaintly and
+      truly remarks, that travellers only tell you the picture produced in their
+      own brain by what they see, otherwise the world would be like a
+      pawnbroker's shop, where each traveller wears the cast-off clothes of
+      others. Therefore let no one, of a gloomy temperament, journeying over the
+      Cheviots in dull November, arraign me for having falsely praised their
+      beauty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was somewhat amused with seeing a splendid carriage with footmen and
+      outriders, crossing the mountain, the glorious landscape full in view,
+      containing a richly dressed lady, <i>fast asleep!</i> It is no uncommon
+      thing to meet carriages in the Highlands, in which the occupants are
+      comfortably reading, while being whirled through the finest scenery. And
+      <i>apropos</i> of this subject, my German friend related to me an
+      incident. His brother was travelling on the Rhine, and when in the midst
+      of the grandest scenes, met a carriage containing an English gentleman and
+      lady, both asleep, while on the seat behind was stationed an artist,
+      sketching away with all his might. He asked the latter the reason of his
+      industry, when he answered, "Oh! my lord wishes to see every night what he
+      has passed during the day, and so I sketch as we go along!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The hills, particularly on the English side, are covered with flocks of
+      sheep, and lazy shepherds lay basking in the sun, among the purple
+      heather, with their shaggy black dogs beside them. On many of the hills
+      are landmarks, by which, when the snow has covered all the trucks, they
+      can direct their way. After walking many miles through green valleys, down
+      which flowed the Red Water, its very name telling of the conflicts which
+      had crimsoned its tide, we came to the moors, and ten miles of blacker,
+      drearier waste I never saw. Before entering them we passed the pretty
+      little village of Otterburn, near the scene of the battle. I brought away
+      a wild flower that grew on soil enriched by the blood of the Percys. On
+      the village inn, is their ancient coat of arms, a lion rampant, on a field
+      of gold, with the motto, "<i>Esperance en Dieu</i>." Scarcely a house or a
+      tree enlivened the black waste, and even the road was marked on each side
+      by high poles, to direct the traveller in winter. We were glad when at
+      length the green fields came again in sight, and the little village of
+      Whelpington Knowes, with its old ivy-grown church tower, welcomed us after
+      the lonely walk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As one specimen of the intelligence of this part of England, we saw a
+      board conspicuously posted at the commencement of a private road,
+      declaring that "all persons travelling this way will be <i>persecuted</i>."
+      As it led to a <i>church</i>, however, there may have been a design in the
+      expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the fifth day after leaving Edinburgh, we reached a hill, overlooking
+      the valley of the Tyne and the German Ocean, as sunset was reddening in
+      the west. A cloud of coal-smoke made us aware of the vicinity of
+      Newcastle. On the summit of the hill a large cattle fair was being held,
+      and crowds of people were gathered in and around a camp of gaudily
+      decorated tents. Fires were kindled here and there, and drinking,
+      carousing and horse-racing were flourishing in full vigor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We set out one morning to hunt the Roman Wall. Passing the fine buildings
+      in the centre of the city and the lofty monument to Earl Grey, we went
+      towards the western gate and soon came to the ruins of a building, about
+      whose origin there could be no doubt. It stood there, blackened by the
+      rust of ages, a remnant of power passed away. There was no mistaking the
+      massive round tower, with its projecting ornaments, such as are often seen
+      in the ruder works of the Romans. On each side a fragment of wall remained
+      standing, and there appeared to be a chamber in the interior, which was
+      choked up with rubbish. There is another tower, much higher, in a public
+      square in another part of the city, a portion of which is fitted up as a
+      dwelling for the family which takes care of it; but there was such a
+      ridiculous contrast between the ivy-grown top, and the handsome modern
+      windows and doors of the lower story, that it did not impress me half as
+      much as the other, with all its neglect. These are the farthest limits of
+      that power whose mighty works I hope hereafter to view at the seat of her
+      grandeur and glory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I witnessed a scene at Newcastle that cannot soon be forgotten; as it
+      showed more plainly than I had before an opportunity of observing, the
+      state to which the laboring classes of England are reduced. Hearing
+      singing in the street, under my window, one morning, I looked out and saw
+      a body of men, apparently of the lower class, but decent and sober
+      looking, who were singing in a rude and plaintive strain some ballad, the
+      purport of which I could not understand. On making inquiry, I discovered
+      it was part of a body of miners, who, about eighteen weeks before, in
+      consequence of not being able to support their families with the small
+      pittance allowed them, had "struck" for higher wages. This their employers
+      refused to give them, and sent to Wales, where they obtained workmen at
+      the former price. The houses these laborers had occupied were all taken
+      from them, and for eighteen weeks they had no other means of subsistence
+      than the casual charity given them for singing the story of their wrongs.
+      It made my blood boil to bear those tones, wrung from the heart of poverty
+      by the hand of tyranny. The ignorance, permitted by the government, causes
+      an unheard amount of misery and degradation. We heard afterwards in the
+      streets, another company who played on musical instruments. Beneath the
+      proud swell of England's martial airs, there sounded to my ears a tone
+      whose gathering murmur will make itself heard ere long by the dull cars of
+      Power.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last at the appointed time, we found ourselves on board the "London
+      Merchant," in the muddy Tyne, waiting for the tide to rise high enough to
+      permit us to descend the river. There is great competition among the
+      steamboats this summer, and the price of passage to London is reduced to
+      five and ten shillings. The second cabin, however, is a place of tolerable
+      comfort, and as the steward had promised to keep berths for us, we engaged
+      passage. Following the windings of the narrow river, we passed Sunderland
+      and Tynemouth, where it expands into the German Ocean. The water was
+      barely stirred by a gentle wind, and little resembled the stormy sea I
+      expected to find it. We glided over the smooth surface, watching the blue
+      line of the distant shore till dark, when I went below expecting to enjoy
+      a few hours' oblivion. But the faithless steward had given up the promised
+      berth to another, and it was only with difficulty that I secured a seat by
+      the cabin table, where I dozed half the night with my head on my arms. It
+      grew at last too close and wearisome; I went up on deck and lay down on
+      the windlass, taking care to balance myself well before going to sleep.
+      The earliest light of dawn awoke me to a consciousness of damp clothes and
+      bruised limbs. We were in sight of the low shore the whole day, sometimes
+      seeing the dim outline of a church, or group of trees over the downs or
+      flat beds of sand, which border the eastern coast of England. About dark,
+      the red light of the Nore was seen, and we hoped before many hours to be
+      in London. The lights of Gravesend were passed, but about ten o'clock, as
+      we entered the narrow channel of the Thames, we struck another steamboat
+      in the darkness, and were obliged to cast anchor for some time. When I
+      went on deck in the gray light of morning again, we were gliding up a
+      narrow, muddy river, between rows of gloomy buildings, with many vessels
+      lying at anchor. It grew lighter, till, as we turned a point, right
+      before, me lay a vast crowd of vessels, and in the distance, above the
+      wilderness of buildings, stood a dim, gigantic dome in the sky; what a
+      bound my heart gave at the sight! And the tall pillar that stood near it&mdash;I
+      did not need a second glance to recognize the Monument. I knew the
+      majestic bridge that spanned the river above; but on the right bank stood
+      a cluster of massive buildings, crowned with many a turret, that attracted
+      my eye. A crowd of old associations pressed bewilderingly upon the mind,
+      to see standing there, grim and dark with many a bloody page of England's
+      history&mdash;the Tower of London! The morning sky was as yet but faintly
+      obscured by the coal-smoke, and in the misty light of coming sunrise, all
+      objects seemed grander than their wont. In spite of the thrilling interest
+      of the scene, I could not help thinking of Byron's ludicrous but most
+      expressive description:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "A mighty mass of brick and smoke and shipping,
+    Dirty and dusky, but as wide as eye
+    Can reach; with here and there a sail just skipping
+    In sight, then lost amidst the forestry
+    Of masts; a wilderness of steeples peeping
+    On tiptoe through their sea-coal canopy;
+    A huge dun cupola, like a fool's-cap crown
+    On a fool's head,&mdash;and there is London town."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI. &mdash; SOME OF THE "SIGHTS" OF LONDON.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      In the course of time we came to anchor in the stream; skiffs from the
+      shore pulled alongside, and after some little quarrelling, we were safely
+      deposited in one, with a party who desired to be landed at the Tower
+      Stairs. The dark walls frowned above us as we mounted from the water and
+      passed into an open square on the outside of the moat. The laborers were
+      about commencing work, the fashionable <i>day</i> having just closed, but
+      there was still noise and bustle enough in the streets, particularly when
+      we reached Whitechapel, part of the great thoroughfare, extending through
+      the heart of London to Westminster Abbey and the Parliament buildings.
+      Further on, through Leadenhall street and Fleet street&mdash;what a world!
+      Here come the ever-thronging, ever-rolling waves of life, pressing and
+      whirling on in their tumultuous career. Here day and night pours the
+      stream of human beings, seeming amid the roar and din and clatter of the
+      passing vehicles, like the tide of some great combat. How lonely it makes
+      one to stand still and feel that of all the mighty throng which divides
+      itself around him, not a being knows or cares for him! What knows he too
+      of the thousands who pass him by? How many who bear the impress of godlike
+      virtue, or hide beneath a goodly countenance a heart black with crime? How
+      many fiery spirits, all glowing with hope for the yet unclouded future, or
+      brooding over a darkened and desolate past in the agony of despair? There
+      is a sublimity in this human Niagara that makes one look on his own race
+      with something of awe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We walked down the Thames, through the narrow streets of Wapping, Over the
+      mouth of the Tunnel is a large circular building, with a dome to light the
+      entrance below. Paying the fee of a penny, we descended by a winding
+      staircase to the bottom, which is seventy-three feet below the surface.
+      The carriage-way, still unfinished, will extend further into the city.
+      From the bottom the view of the two arches of the Tunnel, brilliantly
+      lighted with gas, is very fine; it has a much less heavy and gloomy
+      appearance than I expected. As we walked along under the bed of the river,
+      two or three girls at one end began playing on the French horn and bugle,
+      and the echoes, when not too deep to confuse the melody, were remarkably
+      beautiful. Between the arches of the division separating the two passages,
+      are shops, occupied by venders of fancy articles, views of the Tunnel,
+      engravings, &amp;c. In the middle is a small printing press, where, a
+      sheet containing a description of the whole work is printed for those who
+      desire it. As I was no stranger to this art, I requested the boy to let me
+      print one myself, but he had such a bad roller I did not succeed in
+      getting a good impression. The air within is somewhat damp, but fresh and
+      agreeably cool, and one can scarcely realize in walking along the light
+      passage, that a river is rolling above his head. The immense solidity and
+      compactness of the structure precludes the danger of accident, each of the
+      sides being arched outwards, so that the heaviest pressure only
+      strengthens the whole. It will long remain a noble monument of human
+      daring and ingenuity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      St. Paul's is on a scale of grandeur excelling every thing I have yet
+      seen. The dome seems to stand in the sky, as you look up to it; the
+      distance from which you view it, combined with the atmosphere of London,
+      give it a dim, shadowy appearance, that perfectly startles one with its
+      immensity. The roof from which the dome springs is itself as high as the
+      spires of most other churches&mdash;blackened for two hundred years with
+      the coal-smoke of London, it stands like a relic of the giant architecture
+      of the early world. The interior is what one would expect to behold, after
+      viewing the outside. A maze of grand arches on every side, encompasses the
+      dome, which you gaze up at, as at the sky; and from every pillar and wall
+      look down the marble forms of the dead. There is scarcely a vacant niche
+      left in all this mighty hall, so many are the statues that meet one on
+      every side. With the exceptions of John Howard, Sir Astley Cooper and
+      Wren, whose monument is the church itself, they are all to military men. I
+      thought if they had all been removed except Howard's, it would better have
+      suited such a temple, and the great soul it commemorated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I never was more impressed with the grandeur of human invention, than when
+      ascending the dome. I could with difficulty conceive the means by which
+      such a mighty edifice had been lifted into the air. That small frame of
+      Sir Christopher Wren must have contained a mind capable of vast
+      conceptions. The dome is like the summit of a mountain; so wide is the
+      prospect, and so great the pile upon which you stand. London lay beneath
+      us, like an ant-hill, with the black insects swarming to and fro in their
+      long avenues, the sound of their employments coming up like the roar of
+      the sea. A cloud of coal-smoke hung over it, through which many a pointed
+      spire was thrust up; sometimes the wind would blow it aside for a moment,
+      and the thousands of red roofs would shine out clearer. The bridged
+      Thames, covered with craft of all sizes, wound beneath us like a ringed
+      and spotted serpent. The scene was like an immense circular picture in the
+      blue frame of the hills around.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Continuing our way up Fleet street, which, notwithstanding the gaiety of
+      its shops and its constant bustle, has an antique appearance, we came to
+      the Temple Bar, the western boundary of the ancient city. In the inside of
+      the middle arch, the old gates are still standing. From this point we
+      entered the new portion of the city, which wore an air of increasing
+      splendor as we advanced. The appearance of the Strand and Trafalgar Square
+      is truly magnificent. Fancy every house in Broadway a store, all built of
+      light granite, the Park stripped of all its trees and paved with granite,
+      and a lofty column in the centre, double the crowd and the tumult of
+      business, and you will have some idea of the view.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a relief to get into St. James's Park, among the trees and flowers
+      again. Here, beautiful winding walks led around little lakes, in which
+      were hundreds of water-fowl, swimming. Groups of merry children were
+      sporting on the green lawn, enjoying their privilege of roaming every
+      where at will, while the older bipeds were confined to the regular walks.
+      At the western end stood Buckingham Palace, looking over the trees towards
+      St. Paul's; through the grove on the eminence above, the towers of St.
+      James's could be seen. But there was a dim building, with two lofty square
+      towers, decorated with a profusion of pointed Gothic pinnacles, that I
+      looked at with more interest than these appendages of royalty. I could not
+      linger long in its vicinity, but going back again by the Horse Guards,
+      took the road to <i>Westminster Abbey</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We approached by the general entrance, Poet's Corner. I hardly stopped to
+      look at the elaborate exterior of Henry VIIth's Chapel, but passed on to
+      the door. On entering, the first thing that met my eyes were the words,
+      "OH RARE BEN JONSON," under his bust. Near by stood the monuments of
+      Spenser and Gay, and a few paces further looked down the sublime
+      countenance of Milton. Never was a spot so full of intense interest. The
+      light was just dim enough to give it a solemn, religious appearance,
+      making the marble forms of poets and philosophers so shadowy and
+      impressive, that I felt as if standing in their living presence. Every
+      step called up some mind linked with the associations of my childhood.
+      There was the gentle feminine countenance of Thompson, and the majestic
+      head of Dryden; Addison with his classic features, and Gray, full of the
+      fire of lofty thought. In another chamber, I paused long before the ashes
+      of Shakspeare; and while looking at the monument of Garrick, started to
+      find that I stood upon his grave. What a glorious galaxy of genius is here
+      collected&mdash;what a constellation of stars whose light is immortal! The
+      mind is completely fettered by their spirit. Everything is forgotten but
+      the mighty dead, who still "rule us from their urns."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Chapel of Henry VII., which we next entered, is one of the most
+      elaborate specimens of Gothic workmanship in the world. If the first idea
+      of the Gothic arch sprung from observing the forms of trees, this chapel
+      must resemble the first conceptions of that order, for the fluted columns
+      rise up like tall trees, branching out at the top into spreading capitals
+      covered with leaves, and supporting arches of the ceiling resembling a
+      leafy roof.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The side-chapels are filled with tombs of knightly families, the husband
+      and wife lying on their backs on the tombs, with their hands clasped,
+      while their children, about the size of dolls, are kneeling around.
+      Numberless are the Barons and Earls and Dukes, whose grim effigies stare
+      from their tombs. In opposite chapels are the tombs of Mary and Elizabeth,
+      and near the former that of Darnley. After having visited many of the
+      scenes of her life, it was with no ordinary emotion that I stood by the
+      sepulchre of Mary. How differently one looks upon it and upon that of the
+      proud Elizabeth!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We descended to the Chapel of Edward the Confessor, within the splendid
+      shrine of which repose his ashes. Here we were shown the chair on which
+      the English monarchs have been crowned for several hundred years, Under
+      the seat is the stone, brought from the Abbey of Scone, whereon the Kings
+      of Scotland were crowned. The chair is of oak, carved and hacked over with
+      names, and on the bottom some one has recorded his name with the fact
+      that, he once slept in it. We sat down and rested in it without ceremony.
+      Passing along an aisle leading to the grand hall, we saw the tomb of Aymer
+      de Valence, a knight of the Crusades. Near here is the hall where the
+      Knights of the order of Bath met. Over each seat their dusty banners are
+      still hanging, each with its crest, and their armor is rusting upon the
+      wall. It seemed like a banqueting hall of the olden time, where the
+      knights had left their seats for a moment vacant. Entering the nave, we
+      were lost in the wilderness of sculpture. Here stood the forms of Pitt,
+      Fox, Burke, Sheridan and Watts, from the chisels of Chantry, Bacon and
+      Westmacott. Further down were Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Godfrey Kneller&mdash;opposite
+      Andre, and Paoli, the Italian, who died here in exile. How can I convey an
+      idea of the scene? Notwithstanding all the descriptions I had read, I was
+      totally unprepared for the reality, nor could I have anticipated the
+      hushed and breathless interest with which I paced the dim aisles, gazing,
+      at every step, on the last resting place of some great and familiar name.
+      A place so sacred to all who inherit the English tongue, is worthy of a
+      special pilgrimage across the deep. To those who are unable to visit it, a
+      description may be interesting; but so far does it fall short of the scene
+      itself, that if I thought it would induce a few of our wealthy idlers, or
+      even those who, like myself, must travel with toil and privation to come
+      hither, I would write till the pen dropped from my hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More than twenty grand halls of the British Museum are devoted to
+      antiquities, and include the Elgin Marbles&mdash;the spoils of the
+      Parthenon&mdash;the Fellows Marbles, brought from the ancient city of
+      Xanthus, and Sir William Hamilton's collection of Italian antiquities. It
+      was painful to see the friezes of the Parthenon, broken and defaced as
+      they are, in such a place. Rather let them moulder to dust on the ruin
+      from which they were torn, shining through the blue veil of the Grecian
+      atmosphere, from the summit of the Acropolis!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The National Gallery, on Trafalgar Square, is open four days in the week,
+      to the public. The "Raising of Lazarus," by Sebastian del Piombo, is
+      considered the gem of the collection, but my unschooled eyes could not
+      view it as such. It is also remarkable for having been transferred from
+      wood to canvass, without injury. This delicate operation was accomplished
+      by gluing the panel on which it was painted, flat on a smooth table, and
+      planing the wood gradually away till the coat of hardened paint alone
+      remained. A proper canvass was then prepared, covered with a strong
+      cement, and laid on the back of the picture, which adhered firmly to it.
+      The owner's nerves must have had a severe trial, if he had courage to
+      watch the operation. I was enraptured with Murillo's pictures of St. John
+      and the Holy Family. St. John is represented as a boy in the woods,
+      fondling a lamb. It is a glorious head. The dark curls cluster around his
+      fair brow, and his eyes seem already glowing with the fire of future
+      inspiration. There is an innocence, a childish sweetness of expression in
+      the countenance, which makes one love to gaze upon it. Both of these
+      paintings wore constantly surrounded by ladies, and they certainly
+      deserved the preference. In the rooms devoted to English artists, there
+      are many of the finest works of West, Reynolds, Hogarth and Wilkie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We spent a day in visiting the <i>lungs of London</i>, as the two grand
+      parks have been called. From the Strand through the Regent Circus, the
+      centre of the fashionable part of the city, we passed to Piccadilly,
+      culling on our way to see our old friends, the Iowas. They were at the
+      Egyptian Hall, in connexion with Catlin's Indian collection. The old
+      braves knew us at once, particularly Blister Feet, who used often to walk
+      a linweon deck with me, at sea. Further along Piccadilly is Wellington's
+      mansion of Apsley House, and nearly opposite it, in the corner of Hyde
+      Park, stands the colossal statue of Achilles, cast from cannon taken at
+      Salamanca and Vittoria. The Park resembles an open common, with here and
+      there a grove of trees, intersected by carriage roads, it is like getting
+      into the country again to be out on its broad, green field, with the city
+      seen dimly around through the smoky atmosphere. We walked for a mile or
+      two along the shady avenues and over the lawns, having a view of the
+      princely terraces and gardens on one hand, and the gentle outline of
+      Primrose Hill on the other. Regent's Park itself covers a space of nearly
+      four hundred acres!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But if London is unsurpassed in splendor, it has also its corresponding
+      share of crime. Notwithstanding the large and efficient body of police,
+      who do much towards the control of vice, one sees enough of degradation
+      and brutality in a short time, to make his heart sick. Even the public
+      thorough fares are thronged at night with characters of the lowest
+      description, and it is not expedient to go through many of the narrow
+      bye-haunts of the old city in the day-time. The police, who are ever on
+      the watch, immediately seize and carry off any offender, but from the
+      statements of persons who have had an opportunity of observing, as well as
+      from my own slight experience, I am convinced that there is an untold
+      amount of misery and crime. London is one of the wonders of the world, but
+      there is reason to believe it is one of the curses of the world also;
+      though, in fact, nothing but an active and unceasing philanthropy can
+      prevent any city from becoming so.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Aug. 22.</i>&mdash;I have now been six days in London, and by making
+      good use of my feet and eyes, have managed to become familiar with almost
+      every object of interest within its precincts. Having a plan mapped out
+      for the day, I started from my humble lodgings at the Aldgate Coffee
+      House, where I slept off fatigue for a shilling a night, and walked up
+      Cheapside or down Whitechapel, as the case might be, hunting out my way to
+      churches, halls and theatres. In this way, at a trifling expense, I have
+      perhaps seen as much as many who spend here double the time and ten times
+      the money. Our whole tour from Liverpool hither, by way of Ireland and
+      Scotland, cost us but twenty-five dollars each! although, except in one or
+      two cases, we denied ourselves no necessary comfort. This shows that the
+      glorious privilege of looking on the scenes of the old world need not be
+      confined to people of wealth and leisure. It may be enjoyed by all who can
+      occasionally forego a little bodily comfort for the sake of mental and
+      spiritual gain. We leave this afternoon for Dover. Tomorrow I shall dine
+      in Belgium!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII. &mdash; FLIGHT THROUGH BELGIUM.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Bruges.</i>&mdash;On the Continent at last! How strangely look the
+      century-old towers, antique monuments, and quaint, narrow streets of the
+      Flemish cities! It is an agreeable and yet a painful sense of novelty to
+      stand for the first time in the midst of a people whose language and
+      manners are different from one's own. The old buildings around, linked
+      with many a stirring association of past history, gratify the glowing
+      anticipations with which one has looked forward to seeing them, and the
+      fancy is busy at work reconciling the <i>real</i> scene with the <i>ideal</i>;
+      but the want of a communication with the living world about, walls one up
+      with a sense of loneliness he could not before have conceived. I envy the
+      children in the streets of Bruges their childish language.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yesterday afternoon we came from London through the green wooded lawns and
+      vales of England, to Dover, which we reached at sunset, passing by a long
+      tunnel through the lofty Shakspeare Cliff. We had barely time before it
+      grew dark to ascend the cliff. The glorious coast view looked still wilder
+      in the gathering twilight, which soon hid from our sight the dim hills of
+      France. On the cliff opposite frowned the massive battlements of the
+      Castle, guarding the town, which lay in a nook of the rocks below. As the
+      Ostend boat was to leave at four in the morning, my cousin aroused us at
+      three, and we felt our way down stairs in the dark. But the landlord was
+      reluctant to part with us; we stamped and shouted and rang bells, till the
+      whole house was in an uproar, for the door was double-locked, and the
+      steamboat bell began to sound. At last he could stand it no longer; we
+      gave a quick utterance to our overflowing wrath, and rushed down to the
+      boat but a second or two before it left.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The water of the Channel was smooth as glass and as the sun rose, the far
+      chalky cliffs gleamed along the horizon, a belt of fire. I waved a
+      good-bye to Old England and then turned to see the spires of Dunkirk,
+      which were visible in the distance before us. On the low Belgian coast we
+      could see trees and steeples, resembling a mirage over the level surface
+      of the sea; at length, about ten o'clock, the square tower of Ostend came
+      in sight. The boat passed into a long muddy basin, in which many unwieldy,
+      red-sailed Dutch craft were lying, and stopped beside a high pier. Here
+      amid the confusion of three languages, an officer came on board and took
+      charge of our passports and luggage. As we could not get the former for
+      two or three hours, we did not hurry the passing of the latter, and went
+      on shore quite unincumbered, for a stroll about the city, disregarding the
+      cries of the hackney-coachmen on the pier, "<i>Hotel d'Angleterre</i>," "<i>Hotel
+      des Bains!</i>" and another who called out in English, "I recommend you to
+      the Royal Hotel, sir!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is little to be seen in Ostend. We wandered through long rows of
+      plain yellow houses, trying to read the French and low Dutch signs, and at
+      last came out on the wall near the sea. A soldier motioned us back as we
+      attempted to ascend it, and muttering some unintelligible words, pointed
+      to a narrow street near. Following this out of curiosity, we crossed the
+      moat and found ourselves on the great bathing beach. To get out of the
+      hands of the servants who immediately surrounded us, we jumped into one of
+      the little wagons and were driven out into the surf.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To be certain of fulfilling the railroad regulations, we took our seats
+      quarter of an hour before the time. The dark walls of Ostend soon vanished
+      and we were whirled rapidly over a country perfectly level, but highly
+      fertile and well cultivated. Occasionally there was a ditch or row of
+      trees, but otherwise there was no division between the fields, and the
+      plain stretched unbroken away into the distance. The twenty miles to
+      Bruges we made in forty minutes. The streets of this antique city are
+      narrow and crooked, and the pointed, ornamented gables of the houses,
+      produce a novel impression on one who has been accustomed to the green
+      American forests. Then there was the endless sound of wooden shoes
+      clattering over the rough pavements, and people talking in that most
+      unmusical of all languages, low Dutch. Walking at random through the
+      streets, we came by chance upon the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I shall long
+      remember my first impression of the scene within. The lofty gothic ceiling
+      arched far above my head and through the stained windows the light came
+      but dimly&mdash;it was all still, solemn and religious. A few worshippers
+      were kneeling in silence before some of the shrines and the echo of my
+      tread seemed like a profaning sound. On every side were pictures, saints
+      gilded shrines. A few steps removed one from the bustle and din of the
+      crowd to the stillness and solemnity of the holy retreat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We learned from the guide, whom we had engaged because he spoke a few
+      words of English, that there was still a <i>treckshuyt</i> line on the
+      canals, and that one boat leaves to-night at ten o'clock for Ghent.
+      Wishing to try this old Dutch method of travelling, he took us about half
+      a mile along the Ghent road to the canal, where a moderate sized boat was
+      lying. Our baggage deposited in the plainly furnished cabin, I ran back to
+      Bruges, although it was beginning to grow dark, to get a sight of the
+      belfry; for Longfellow's lines had been running through my head all day:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "In the market place of Bruges, stands the belfry old and brown, Thrice
+      consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches o'er the town."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And having found the square, brown tower in one corner of the open market
+      square, we waited to hear the chimes, which are said to be the finest in
+      Europe. They rang out at last with a clear silvery tone, most beautifully
+      musical indeed. We then returned to the boat in the twilight. We were to
+      leave in about an hour, according to the arrangement, but as yet there was
+      no sound to be heard, and we were the only tenants. However, trusting to
+      Dutch regularity, we went to sleep in the full confidence of awakening in
+      Ghent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I awoke once in the night and saw the dark branches of trees passing
+      before the window, but there was no perceptible sound nor motion; the boat
+      glided along like a dream, and we were awakened next morning by its
+      striking against the pier at Ghent. After paying three francs for the
+      whole night journey, the captain gave us a guide to the railroad station,
+      and as we had nearly an hour before the train left, I went to see the
+      Cathedral of St. Bavon. After leaving Ghent, the road passes through a
+      beautiful country, cultivated like a garden. The Dutch passion for flowers
+      is displayed in the gardens around the cottages; even every vacant foot of
+      ground along the railway is planted with roses and dahlias. At Ghent, the
+      morning being fair, we took seats in the open cars. About noon it
+      commenced raining and our situation was soon anything but comfortable. My
+      cousin had fortunately a water-proof Indian blanket with him, which he had
+      purchased in the "Far West," and by wrapping this around all three of us,
+      we kept partly dry. I was much amused at the plight of a party of young
+      Englishmen, who were in the same car; one of them held a little parasol
+      which just covered his hat, and sent the water in streams down on his back
+      and shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We had a misty view of Liege, through the torrents of rain, and then
+      dashed away into the wild, mountain scenery of the Meuse. Steep, rocky
+      hills, covered with pine and crowned with ruined towers, hemmed in the
+      winding and swollen river, and the wet, cloudy sky seemed to rest like a
+      canopy on their summits. Instead of threading their mazy defiles, we
+      plunged directly into the mountain's heart, flew over the narrow valley on
+      lofty and light-sprung arches, and went again into the darkness. At
+      Verviers, our baggage was weighed, examined and transferred, with
+      ourselves, to a Prussian train. There was a great deal of disputing on the
+      occasion. A lady, who had a dog in a large willow basket, was not allowed
+      to retain it, nor would they take it as baggage. The matter was finally
+      compromised by their sending the basket, obliging her to carry the dog,
+      which was none of the smallest, in her arms! The next station bore the
+      sign of the black eagle, and here our passports were obliged to be given
+      up. Advancing through long ranges of wooded hills, we saw at length, in
+      the dull twilight of a rainy day, the old kingly city of Aix la Chapelle
+      on a plain below us. After a scene at the custom-house, where our baggage
+      was reclaimed with tickets given at Verviers, we drove to the <i>Hotel du
+      Rhin</i>, and while warming our shivering limbs and drying our damp
+      garments, felt tempted to exclaim with the old Italian author: "O! holy
+      and miraculous tavern!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Cathedral with its lofty Gothic tower, was built by the emperor Otho
+      in the tenth century. It seems at present to be undergoing repairs, for a
+      large scaffold shut out the dome. The long hall was dim with incense smoke
+      as we entered, and the organ sounded through the high arches with an
+      effect that startled me. The windows glowed with the forms of kings and
+      saints, and the dusty and mouldering shrines which rose around were
+      colored with the light that came through. The music pealed out like a
+      triumphal march, sinking at times into a mournful strain, as if it
+      celebrated and lamented the heroes who slept below. In the stone pavement
+      nearly under my feet was a large square marble slab, with words "CAROLO
+      MAGNO." It was like a dream, to stand there on the tomb of the mighty
+      warrior, with the lofty arches of the Cathedral above, filled with the
+      sound of the divine anthem. I mused above his ashes till the music ceased
+      and then left the Cathedral, that nothing might break the romantic spell
+      associated with that crumbling pile and the dead it covered. I have always
+      revered the memory of Charlemagne. He lived in a stern age, but he was in
+      mind and heart a man, and like Napoleon, who placed the iron crown which
+      had lain with him centuries in the tomb, upon his own brow, he had an
+      Alpine grandeur of mind, which the world was forced to acknowledge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At noon we took the <i>chars-à-banc</i>, or second-class carriages, for
+      fear of rain, and continued our journey over a plain dotted with villages
+      and old chateaux. Two or three miles from Cologne we saw the spires of the
+      different churches, conspicuous among which were the unfinished towers of
+      the Cathedral, with the enormous crane standing as it did when they left
+      off building, two hundred years ago or more. On arriving, we drove to the
+      Bonn railway, where finding the last train did not leave for four hours,
+      we left our baggage and set out for the Cathedral. Of all Gothic
+      buildings, the plan of this is certainly the most stupendous; even ruin as
+      it is, it cannot fail to excite surprise and admiration. The King of
+      Prussia has undertaken to complete it according to the original plan,
+      which was lately found in the possession of a poor man, of whom it was
+      purchased for 40,000 florins, but he has not yet finished repairing what
+      is already built. The legend concerning this plan may not be known to
+      every one. It is related of the inventor of it, that in despair of finding
+      any sufficiently great, he was walking one day by the river, sketching
+      with his stick upon the sand, when he finally hit upon one which pleased
+      him so much that he exclaimed: "This shall be the plan!" "I will show you
+      a better one than that!" said a voice suddenly behind him, and a certain
+      black gentleman who figures in all German legends stood by him, and pulled
+      from his pocket a roll containing the present plan of the Cathedral. The
+      architect, amazed at its grandeur, asked an explanation of every part. As
+      he knew his soul was to be the price of it, he occupied himself while the
+      devil was explaining, in committing its proportions carefully to memory.
+      Having done this, he remarked that it did not please him and he would not
+      take it. The devil, seeing through the cheat, exclaimed in his rage: "You
+      may build your Cathedral according to this plan, but you shall never
+      finish it!" This prediction seems likely to be verified, for though it was
+      commenced in 1248, and built for 250 years, only the choir and nave and
+      one tower to half its original height, are finished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We visited the chapel of the eleven thousand virgins, the walls of which
+      are full of curious grated cells, containing their bones, and then
+      threaded the narrow streets of Cologne, which are quite dirty enough to
+      justify Coleridge's lines:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "The river Rhine, it is well known
+    Doth wash the city of Cologne;
+    But tell me nymphs, what power divine
+    Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII. &mdash; THE RHINE TO HEIDELBERG.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      HEIDELBERG, August 30. Here at last! and a most glorious place it is. This
+      is our first morning in our new rooms, and the sun streams warmly in the
+      eastern windows, as I write, while the old castle rises through the blue
+      vapor on the side of the Kaiser-stuhl. The Neckar rushes on below; and the
+      Odenwald, before, me, rejoices with its vineyards in the morning light.
+      The bells of the old chapel near us are sounding most musically, and a
+      confused sound of voices and the rolling of vehicles comes up from the
+      street. It is a place to live in!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I must go back five or six days and take up the record of our journeyings
+      at Bonn. We had been looking over Murray's infallible "Handbook," and
+      observed that he recommended the "Star" hotel in that city, as "the most
+      moderate in its prices of any on the Rhine;" so when the train from
+      Cologne arrived and we were surrounded, in the darkness and confusion, by
+      porters and valets, I sung out: "<i>Hotel de l'Etoile d'or!</i>" our
+      baggage and ourselves were transferred to a stylish omnibus, and in five
+      minutes we stopped under a brilliantly-lighted archway, where Mr. Joseph
+      Schmidt received us with the usual number of smiles and bows bestowed upon
+      untitled guests. We were furnished with neat rooms in the summit of the
+      house, and then descended to the <i>salle à manger</i>. I found a folded
+      note by my plate, which I opened&mdash;it contained an engraving of the
+      front of the hotel, a plan of the city and catalogue of its lions,
+      together with a list of the titled personages who have, from time to time,
+      honored the "Golden Star" with their custom. Among this number were "Their
+      Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Albert," etc.
+      Had it not been for fatigue, I should have spent an uneasy night, thinking
+      of the heavy bill which was to be presented on the morrow. We escaped,
+      however, for seven francs apiece, three of which were undoubtedly for the
+      honor of breathing an aristocratic atmosphere.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was glad when we were really in motion on the swift Rhine, the next
+      morning, and nearing the chain of mountains that rose up before us. We
+      passed Godesberg on the right, while on our left was the group of the
+      seven mountains which extend back from the Drachenfels to the Wolkenberg,
+      or Castle of the Clouds. Here we begin to enter the enchanted land. The
+      Rhine sweeps around the foot of the Drachenfels, while opposite the
+      precipitous rock of Rolandseek, crowned with the castle of the faithful
+      knight, looks down upon the beautiful Island of Nonnenwerth, the white
+      walls of the convent still gleaming through the trees, as they did when
+      the warrior's weary eyes looked upon them for the last time. I shall never
+      forget the enthusiasm with which I saw this scene in the bright, warm
+      sunlight, the rough crags softened in the haze which filled the
+      atmosphere, and the wild mountains springing up in the midst of vineyards,
+      and crowned with crumbling towers, filled with the memories of a thousand
+      years.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After passing Andernach, we saw in the distance the highlands of the
+      middle Rhine, which rise above Coblentz, guarding the entrance to its wild
+      scenery, and the mountains of the Moselle. They parted as we approached;
+      from the foot shot up the spires of Coblentz, and the battlements of
+      Ehrenbreitstein crowning the mountain opposite, grew larger and broader.
+      The air was slightly hazy, and the clouds seemed laboring among the
+      distant mountains to raise a storm. As we came opposite the mouth of the
+      Moselle and under the shadow of the mighty fortress, I gazed up with awe
+      at its massive walls. Apart from its magnitude and almost impregnable
+      situation on a perpendicular rock, it is filled with the recollections of
+      history and hallowed by the voice of poetry. The scene went past like a
+      panorama, the bridge of boats opened, the city glided behind us and we
+      entered the highlands again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels
+      everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come
+      back upon the mind with irresistible force. I sat upon the deck the whole
+      afternoon, as mountains, towns and castles passed by on either side,
+      watching them with a feeling of the most enthusiastic enjoyment. Every
+      place was familiar to me in memory, and they seemed like friends I had
+      long communed with in spirit and now met face to face. The English
+      tourists, with whom the deck was covered, seemed interested too, but in a
+      different manner. With Murray's Handbook open in their hands, they sat and
+      read about the very towns and towers they were passing, scarcely lifting
+      their eyes to the real scenes, except now and then, to observe that it was
+      "<i>very nice</i>."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we passed Boppart, I sought out the Inn of the "Star," mentioned in
+      "Hyperion"; there was a maiden sitting on the steps who might have been
+      Paul Flemming's fair boat-woman. The clouds which had here gathered among
+      the hills, now came over the river, and the rain cleared the deck of its
+      crowd of admiring tourists. As we were approaching Lurlei Berg, I did not
+      go below, and so enjoyed some of the finest scenery on the Rhine alone.
+      The mountains approach each other at this point, and the Lurlei Rock rises
+      up for six hundred feet from the water. This is the haunt of the water
+      nymph, Lurlei, whose song charmed the ear of the boatman while his barque
+      was dashed to pieces on the rocks below. It is also celebrated for its
+      remarkable echo. As we passed between the rocks, a guard, who has a little
+      house built on the road-side, blew a flourish on his bugle, which was
+      instantly answered by a blast from the rocky battlements of Lurlei. The
+      German students have a witty trick with this echo: they call out, "Who is
+      the Burgomaster of Oberwesel?" a town just above. The echo answers with
+      the last syllable "Esel!" which is the German for <i>ass</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun came out of the cloud as we passed Oberwesel, with its tall round
+      tower, and the light shining through the ruined arches of Schonberg
+      castle, made broad bars of light and shade in the still misty air. A
+      rainbow sprang up out of the Rhine, and lay brightly on the mountain side,
+      coloring vineyard and crag, in the most singular beauty, while its second
+      reflection faintly arched like a glory above the high summits. In the bed
+      of the river were the seven countesses of Schonberg, turned into seven
+      rocks for their cruelty and hard-heartedness towards the knights whom
+      their beauty had made captive. In front, at a little distance was the
+      castle of Pfalz, in the middle of the river, and from the heights above
+      Caub frowned the crumbling citadel of Gutenfels. Imagine all this, and
+      tell me if it is not a picture whose memory should last a life-time!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We came at last to Bingen, the southern gate of the Highlands. Here, on an
+      island in the middle of the stream, is the old Mouse tower where Bishop
+      Hatto of Mayence was eaten up by the rats for his wicked deeds. Passing
+      Rudesheim and Geissenheim, celebrated for their wines, at sunset, we
+      watched the varied shore in the growing darkness, till like a line of
+      stars across the water, we saw before us the bridge of Mayence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next morning I parted from my friends, who were going to Heidelberg by
+      way of Mannheim, and set out alone for Frankfort. The cars passed through
+      Hochheim, whose wines are celebrated all over the world; there is little
+      to interest the traveler till he arrives at Frankfort, whose spires are
+      seen rising from groves of trees as he approaches. I left the cars,
+      unchallenged for my passport, greatly to my surprise, as it had cost me a
+      long walk and five shillings in London, to get the signature of the
+      Frankfort Consul. I learned afterwards it was not at all necessary. Before
+      leaving America, N.P. Willis had kindly given me a letter to his brother,
+      Richard S. Willis, who is now cultivating a naturally fine taste for music
+      in Frankfort, and my first care was to find the American Consul, in order
+      to learn his residence. I discovered at last, from a gentleman who spoke a
+      little French, that the Consul's office was in the street <i>Bellevue</i>,
+      which street I not only looked for through the city, but crossed over the
+      bridge to the suburb of Sachsenhausen, and traversed its narrow, dirty
+      alleys three several times, but in vain. I was about giving up the search,
+      when I stumbled upon the office accidentally. The name of the street had
+      been given to me in French and very naturally it was not to be found.
+      Willis received me very kindly and introduced me to the amiable German
+      family with whom he resides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After spending a delightful evening with my newly-found friends, I left
+      the next morning in the omnibus for Heidelberg. We passed through
+      Sachsenhausen and ascended a long hill to the watch-tower, whence there is
+      a beautiful view of the Main valley. Four hours' driving over the
+      monotonous plain, brought me to Darmstadt. The city wore a gay look, left
+      by the recent <i>fêtes</i>. The monument of the old Duke Ludwig had just
+      been erected in the centre of the great square, and the festival attendant
+      upon the unveiling of it, which lasted three days, had just closed. The
+      city was hung with garlands, and the square filled with the pavilions of
+      the royal family and the musicians, of whom there were a thousand present,
+      while everywhere were seen red and white flags&mdash;the colors of
+      Darmstadt. We met wagons decorated with garlands, full of pleasant girls,
+      in the odd dress which they have worn for three hundred years.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After leaving Darmstadt we entered upon the Bergstrasse, or Mountain-way,
+      leading along the foot of the mountain chain which extends all the way to
+      Heidelberg on the left, while on the right stretches far away the
+      Rhine-plain, across which we saw the dim outline of the Donnersberg, in
+      France. The hills are crowned with castles and their sides loaded with
+      vines; along the road the rich green foliage of the walnut trees arched
+      and nearly met above us. The sun shone warm and bright, and every body
+      appeared busy and contented and happy. All we met had smiling
+      countenances. In some places we saw whole families sitting under the trees
+      shelling the nuts they had beaten down, while others were returning from
+      the vineyards, laden with baskets of purple and white grapes. The scene
+      seemed to realize all I had read of the happiness of the German peasantry,
+      and the pastoral beauty of the German plains.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the passengers in the omnibus I could hold little conversation. One,
+      who knew about as much French as I did, asked me where I came from, and I
+      shall not soon forget his expression of incredulity, as I mentioned
+      America. "Why," said he, "you are white&mdash;the Americans are all
+      black!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed the ruined castles of Auerback and Starkenburg, and Burg
+      Windeck, on the summit of a mountain near Weinheim, formerly one of the
+      royal residences of Charlemagne, and finally came to the Heiligenberg or
+      Holy Mountain, guarding the entrance into the Odenwald by the valley of
+      the Neckar. As we wound around its base to the river, the Kaiserstuhl rose
+      before us, with the mighty castle hanging upon its side and Heidelberg at
+      its feet. It was a most strikingly beautiful scene, and for a moment I
+      felt inclined to assent to the remark of my bad-French acquaintance&mdash;"America
+      is not beautiful&mdash;Heidelberg is beautiful!" The sun had just set as
+      we turned the corner of the Holy Mountain and drove up the bank of the
+      Neckar; all the chimes of Heidelberg began suddenly to ring and a cannon
+      by the riverside was fired off every minute&mdash;the sound echoing five
+      times distinctly from mountain back to mountain, and finally crashing far
+      off, along the distant hills of the Odenwald. It was the birthday of the
+      Grand Duke of Baden, and these rejoicings were for the closing <i>fête</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX. &mdash; SCENES IN AND AROUND HEIDELBERG.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Sept. 30.</i>&mdash;There is so much to be seen around this beautiful
+      place, that I scarcely know where to begin a description of it. I have
+      been wandering among the wild paths that lead up and down the mountain
+      side, or away into the forests and lonely meadows in the lap of the
+      Odenwald. My mind is filled with images of the romantic German scenery,
+      whose real beauty is beginning to displace the imaginary picture which I
+      had painted with the enthusiastic words of Howitt. I seem to stand now
+      upon the Kaiser-stuhl, which rises above Heidelberg, with that magnificent
+      landscape around me, from the Black Forest and Strasburg to Mainz, and
+      from the Vosges in France to the hills of Spessart in Bavaria. What a
+      glorious panorama! and not less rich in associations than in its natural
+      beauty. Below me had moved the barbarian hordes of old, the triumphant
+      followers of Arminius, and the Cohorts of Rome; and later, full many a
+      warlike host bearing the banners of the red cross to the Holy Land,&mdash;many
+      a knight returning with his vassals from the field, to lay at the feet of
+      his lady-love the scarf he had worn in a hundred battles and claim the
+      reward of his constancy and devotion. But brighter spirits had also toiled
+      below. That plain had witnessed the presence of Luther, and a host who
+      strove with him to free the world from the chains of a corrupt and
+      oppressive religion. There had also trodden the master spirits of German
+      song&mdash;the giant twain, with their scarcely less harmonious brethren:
+      they, too, had gathered inspiration from those scenes&mdash;more fervent
+      worship of nature and a deeper love for their beautiful fatherland! Oh!
+      what waves of crime and bloodshed have swept like the waves of a deluge
+      down the valley of the Rhine! War has laid his mailed hand on those
+      desolate towers and ruthlessly torn down what time has spared, yet he
+      could not mar the beauty of the shore, nor could Time himself hurl down
+      the mountains that guard it. And what if I feel a new inspiration on
+      beholding the scene? Now that those ages have swept by, like the red waves
+      of a tide of blood, we see not the darkened earth, but the golden sands
+      which the flood has left behind. Besides, I have come from a new world,
+      where the spirit of man is untrammeled by the mouldering shackles of the
+      past, but in its youthful and joyous freedom, goes on to make itself a
+      noble memory for the ages that are to come!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then there is the Wolfsbrunnen, which one reaches by a beautiful walk up
+      the bank of the Neckar, to a quiet dell in the side of the mountain.
+      Through this the roads lead up by rustic mills, always in motion, and
+      orchards laden with ripening fruit, to the commencement of the forest,
+      where a quaint stone fountain stands, commemorating the abode of a
+      sorceress of the olden time, who was torn in pieces by a wolf. There is a
+      handsome rustic inn here, where every Sunday afternoon a band plays in the
+      portico, while hundreds of people are scattered around in the cool shadow
+      of the trees, or feeding the splendid trout in the basin formed by the
+      little stream. They generally return to the city by another walk leading
+      along the mountain side, to the eastern terrace of the castle, where they
+      have fine views of the great Rhine plain, terminated by the Alsatian
+      hills, stretching along the western horizon like the long crested swells
+      on the ocean. We can even see these from the windows of our room on the
+      bank of the Neckar; and I often look with interest on one sharp peak, for
+      on its side stands the Castle of Trifels, where Coeur de Lion was
+      imprisoned by the Duke of Austria, and where Blondel, his faithful
+      minstrel, sang the ballad which discovered the retreat of the noble
+      captive.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The people of Heidelberg are rich in places of pleasure and amusement.
+      From the Carl Platz, an open square at the upper end of the city, two
+      paths lead directly up to the castle. By the first walk we ascend a flight
+      of steps to the western gate, passing through which, we enter a delightful
+      garden, between the outer walls of the Castle, and the huge moat which
+      surrounds it. Great linden, oak and beech trees shadow the walk, and in
+      secluded nooks, little mountain streams spring from the side of the wall
+      into stone basins. There is a tower over the moat on the south side, next
+      the mountain, where the portcullis still hangs with its sharp teeth as it
+      was last drawn up; on each side stand two grim knights guarding the
+      entrance. In one of the wooded walks is an old tree brought from America
+      in the year 1618. It is of the kind called <i>arbor vitæ</i>, and
+      uncommonly tall and slender for one of this species; yet it does not seem
+      to thrive well in a foreign soil. I noticed that persons had cut many
+      slips off the lower branches, and I would have been tempted to do the same
+      myself if there had been any I could reach. In the curve of the mountain
+      is a handsome pavilion, surrounded with beds of flowers and fountains;
+      here all classes meet together in the afternoon to sit with their
+      refreshments in the shade, while frequently a fine band of music gives
+      them their invariable recreation. All this, with the scenery around them,
+      leaves nothing unfinished to their present enjoyment. The Germans enjoy
+      life under all circumstances, and in this way they make themselves much
+      happier than we, who have far greater means of being so.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the end of the terrace built for the princess Elizabeth, of England, is
+      one of the round towers, which was split in twain by the French. Half has
+      fallen entirely away, and the other semicircular shell which joins the
+      terrace and part of the Castle buildings, clings firmly together, although
+      part of its foundation is gone, so that its outer ends actually hang in
+      the air. Some idea of the strength of the castle may be obtained when I
+      state that the walls of this tower are twenty-two feet thick, and that a
+      staircase has been made through them to the top, where one can sit under
+      the lindens growing upon it, or look down from the end on the city below
+      with the pleasant consciousness that the great mass upon which he stands
+      is only prevented from crashing down with him by the solidity of its
+      masonry. On one side, joining the garden, the statue of the Archduke
+      Louis, in his breastplate and flowing beard, looks out from among the ivy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is little to be seen about the Castle except the walls themselves.
+      The guide conducted us through passages, in which were heaped many of the
+      enormous cannon balls which it had received in sieges, to some chambers in
+      the foundation. This was the oldest part of the Castle, built in the
+      thirteenth century. We also visited the chapel, which is in a tolerable
+      state of preservation. A kind of narrow bridge crosses it, over which we
+      walked, looking down on the empty pulpit and deserted shrines. We then
+      went into the cellar to see the celebrated Tun. In a large vault are kept
+      several enormous hogsheads, one of which is three hundred years old, but
+      they are nothing in comparison with the tun, which itself fills a whole
+      vault. It is as high as a common two story house; on the top is a platform
+      upon which the people used to dance after it was filled, to which one
+      ascends by two flights of steps. I forgot exactly how many casks it holds,
+      but I believe eight hundred. It has been empty for fifty years.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We are very pleasantly situated here. My friends, who arrived a day before
+      me, hired three rooms (with the assistance of a courier) in a large house
+      on the banks of the Neckar. We pay for them, with attendance, thirty
+      florins&mdash;about twelve dollars&mdash;a month, and Frau Dr. Grosch, our
+      polite and talkative landlady, gives us a student's breakfast&mdash;coffee
+      and biscuit&mdash;for about seven cents apiece. We are often much amused
+      to hear her endeavors to make us understand. As if to convey her meaning
+      plainer, she raises both thumbs and forefingers to her mouth and pulls out
+      the words like a long string; her tongue goes so fast that it keeps my
+      mind always on a painful stretch to comprehend an idea here and there. Dr.
+      S&mdash;&mdash;, from whom we take lessons in German, has kindly consented
+      to our dining with his family for the sake of practice in speaking. We
+      have taken several long walks with them along the banks of the Neckar, but
+      I should be puzzled to repeat any of the conversations that took place.
+      The language, however, is fast growing more familiar, since <i>women</i>
+      are the principal teachers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Opposite my window rises the Heiligenberg, on the other side of the
+      Neckar. The lower part of it is rich with vineyards, and many cottages
+      stand embosomed in shrubbery among them. Sometimes we see groups of
+      maidens standing under the grape arbors, and every morning the peasant
+      women go toiling up the steep paths with baskets on their heads, to labor
+      among the vines. On the Neckar below us, the fishermen glide about in
+      their boats, sink their square nets fastened to a long pole, and haul them
+      up with the glittering fish, of which the stream is full. I often lean out
+      of the window late at night, when the mountains above are wrapped in dusky
+      obscurity, and listen to the low, musical ripple of the river. It tells to
+      my excited fancy a knightly legend of the old German time. Then comes the
+      bell, rung for closing the inns, breaking the spell with its deep clang,
+      which vibrates far away on the night air, till it has roused all the
+      echoes of the Odenwald. I then shut the window, turn into the narrow box
+      which the Germans call a bed, and in a few minutes am wandering in
+      America. Half way up the Heiligenberg runs a beautiful walk, dividing the
+      vineyards from the forest above. This is called the Philosopher's Way,
+      because it was the favorite ramble of the old Professors of the
+      University. It can be reached by a toilsome, winding path among the vines,
+      called the Snake-way, and when one has ascended to it he is well rewarded
+      by the lovely view. In the evening, when the sun has got behind the
+      mountain, it is delightful to sit on the stone steps and watch the golden
+      light creeping up the side of the Kaiser-stuhl, till at last twilight
+      begins to darken in the valley and a mantle of mist gathers above the
+      Neckar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We ascended the mountain a few days ago. There is a path which leads up
+      through the forest, but we took the shortest way, directly up the side,
+      though it was at an angle of nearly fifty degrees. It was hard enough
+      work, scrambling through the thick broom and heather, and over stumps and
+      stones. In one of the stone-heaps I dislodged a large orange-colored
+      salamander, seven or eight inches long. They are sometimes found on these
+      mountains, as well as a very large kind of lizard, called the <i>eidechse</i>,
+      which the Germans say is perfectly harmless, and if one whistles or plays
+      a pipe, will come and play around him. The view from the top reminded me
+      of that from Catskill Mountain House, but is on a smaller scale. The
+      mountains stretch off sideways, confining the view to but half the
+      horizon, and in the middle of the picture the Hudson is well represented
+      by the lengthened windings of the "abounding Rhine." Nestled at the base
+      below us, was the little village of Handschuhheim, one of the oldest in
+      this part of Germany. The castle of its former lords has nearly all fallen
+      down, but the massive solidity of the walls which yet stand, proves its
+      antiquity. A few years ago, a part of the outer walls which was remarked
+      to have a hollow sound, was taken down, when there fell from a deep niche
+      built therein, a skeleton, clad in a suit of the old German armor. We
+      followed a road through the woods to the peak on which stand the ruins of
+      St. Michael's chapel, which was built in the tenth century and inhabited
+      for a long time by a sect of white monks. There is now but a single tower
+      remaining, and all around is grown over with tall bushes and weeds. It had
+      a wild and romantic look, and I sat on a rock and sketched at it, till it
+      grew dark, when we got down the mountain the best way we could.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We lately visited the great University Library. You walk through one hall
+      after another, filled with books of all kinds, from the monkish manuscript
+      of the middle ages, to the most elegant print of the present day. There is
+      something to me more impressive in a library like this than a solemn
+      Cathedral. I think involuntarily of the hundreds of mighty spirits who
+      speak from these three hundred thousand volumes&mdash;of the toils and
+      privations with which genius has ever struggled, and of his glorious
+      reward. As in a church, one feels as it were, the presence of God; not
+      because the place has been hallowed by his worship, but because all around
+      stand the inspirations of his spirit, breathed through the mind of genius,
+      to men. And if the mortal remains of saints and heroes do not repose
+      within its walls, the great and good of the whole earth are there,
+      speaking their counsels to the searcher for truth, with voices whose last
+      reverberation will die away only when the globe falls into ruin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few nights ago there was a wedding of peasants across the river. In
+      order to celebrate it particularly, the guests went to the house where it
+      was given, by torchlight. The night was quite dark, and the bright red
+      torches glowed on the surface of the Neckar, as the two couriers galloped
+      along the banks to the bridegroom's house. Here, after much shouting and
+      confusion, the procession was arranged, the two riders started back again
+      with their torches, and the wagons containing the guests followed after
+      with their flickering lights glancing on the water, till they disappeared
+      around the foot of the mountain. The choosing of Conscripts also took
+      place lately. The law requires one person out of every hundred to become a
+      soldier, and this, in the city of Heidelberg, amounts to nearly 150. It
+      was a sad spectacle. The young men, or rather boys, who were chosen, went
+      about the city with cockades fastened on their hats, shouting and singing,
+      many of them quite intoxicated. I could not help pitying them because of
+      the dismal, mechanical life they are doomed to follow. Many were rough,
+      ignorant peasants, to whom nearly any kind of life would be agreeable; but
+      there were some whose countenances spoke otherwise, and I thought
+      involuntarily, that their drunken gaiety was only affected to conceal
+      their real feelings with regard to the lot which had fallen upon them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We are gradually becoming accustomed to the German style of living, which
+      is very different from our own. Their cookery is new to us, but is,
+      nevertheless, good. We have every day a different kind of soup, so I have
+      supposed they keep a regular list of three hundred and sixty-five, one for
+      every day in the year! Then we have potatoes "done up" in oil and vinegar,
+      veal flavored with orange peel, barley pudding, and all sorts of pancakes,
+      boiled artichokes, and always rye bread, in loaves a yard long!
+      Nevertheless, we thrive on such diet, and I have rarely enjoyed more sound
+      and refreshing sleep than in their narrow and coffin-like beds,
+      uncomfortable as they seem. Many of the German customs are amusing. We
+      never see oxen working here, but always cows, sometimes a single one in a
+      cart, and sometimes two fastened together by a yoke across their horns.
+      The women labor constantly in the fields; from our window we can hear the
+      nut-brown maidens singing their cheerful songs among the vineyards on the
+      mountain side. Their costume, too, is odd enough. Below the light-fitting
+      vest they wear such a number of short skirts, one above another, that it
+      reminds one of an animated hogshead, with a head and shoulders starting
+      out from the top. I have heard it gravely asserted that the wealth of a
+      German damsel may be known by counting the number of her "kirtles." An
+      acquaintance of mine remarked, that it would be an excellent costume for
+      falling down a precipice!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have just returned from a second visit to Frankfort, where the great
+      annual fair filled the streets with noise and bustle. On our way back, we
+      stopped at the village of Zwingenberg, which lies at the foot of the
+      Melibochus, for the purpose of visiting some of the scenery of the
+      Odenwald. Passing the night at the inn there, we slept with one bed under
+      and two above, and started early in the morning to climb up the side of
+      the Melibochus. After a long walk through the forests, which were
+      beginning to change their summer foliage for a brighter garment, we
+      reached the summit and ascended the stone tower which stands upon it. This
+      view gives one a better idea of the Odenwald, than that from the
+      Kaiser-stuhl at Heidelberg. In the soft autumn atmosphere it looked even
+      more beautiful. After an hour in that heaven of uplifted thought, into
+      which we step from the mountain-top, our minds went with the path downward
+      to earth, and we descended the eastern side into the wild region which
+      contains the <i>Felsenmeer</i>, or Sea of Rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We met on the way a student from Fulda&mdash;a fine specimen of that
+      free-spirited class, and a man whose smothered aspiration was betrayed in
+      the flashing of his eye, as he spoke of the present painful and oppressed
+      condition of Germany. We talked so busily together that without noticing
+      the path, which had been bringing us on, up hill and down, through forest
+      and over rock, we came at last to a halt in a valley among the mountains.
+      Making inquiries there, we found we had gone wrong, and must ascend by a
+      different path the mountain we had just come down. Near the summit of
+      this, in a wild pine wood, was the Felsenmeer&mdash;a great collection of
+      rocks heaped together like pebbles on the sea shore, and worn and rounded
+      as if by the action of water: so much do they resemble waves, that one
+      standing at the bottom and looking up, cannot resist the idea, that they
+      will flow down upon him. It must have been a mighty tide whose receding
+      waves left these masses piled up together! The same formation continues at
+      intervals, to the foot, of the mountains. It reminded me of a <i>glacier</i>
+      of rocks instead of ice. A little higher up, lies a massive block of
+      granite called the "Giant's Column." It is thirty-two feet long and three
+      to four feet in diameter, and still bears the mark of the chisel. When or
+      by whom it was made, remains a mystery. Some have supposed it was intended
+      to be erected for the worship of the Sun, by the wild Teutonic tribes who
+      inhabited this forest; it is more probably the work of the Romans. A
+      project was once started, to erect it as a monument on the battle-field of
+      Leipsic, but it was found too difficult to carry into execution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After dining at the little village of Reichelsdorf in the valley below,
+      where the merry landlord charged my friend two kreutzers less than myself
+      because he was not so tall, we visited the Castle of Schönberg, and joined
+      the Bergstrasse again. We walked the rest of the way here; long before we
+      arrived, the moon shone down on us over the mountains, and when we turned
+      around the foot of the Heiligenberg, the mist descending in the valley of
+      the Neckar, rested like a light cloud on the church spires.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X. &mdash; A WALK THROUGH THE ODENWALD.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      B&mdash;&mdash; and I are now comfortably settled in Frankfort, having,
+      with Mr. Willis's kind assistance, obtained lodgings with the amiable
+      family, with whom he has resided for more than two years. My cousin
+      remains in Heidelberg to attend the winter course of lectures at the
+      University.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having forwarded our baggage by the omnibus, we came hither on foot,
+      through the heart of the Odenwald, a region full of interest, yet little
+      visited by travellers. Dr. S&mdash;&mdash; and his family walked with us
+      three or four miles of the way, and on a hill above Ziegelhausen, with a
+      splendid view behind us, through the mountain-door, out of which the
+      Neckar enters on the Rhine-plain, we parted. This was a first, and I must
+      confess, a somewhat embarrassing experience in German leave-taking. After
+      bidding adieu three or four times, we started to go up the mountain and
+      they down it, but at every second step we had to turn around to
+      acknowledge the waving of hands and handkerchiefs, which continued so long
+      that I was glad when we were out of sight of each other. We descended on
+      the other side into a wild and romantic valley, whose meadows were of the
+      brightest green; a little brook which wound through them, put now and then
+      its "silvery shoulder" to the wheel of a rustic mill. By the road-side two
+      or three wild-looking gipsies sat around a fire, with some goats feeding
+      near them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Passing through this valley and the little village of Schönau, we
+      commenced ascending one of the loftiest ranges of the Odenwald. The side
+      of the mountain was covered with a thick pine forest. There was no wind to
+      wake its solemn anthem; all was calm and majestic, and even awful. The
+      trees rose all around like the pillars of a vast Cathedral, whose long
+      arched aisles vanished far below in the deepening gloom.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Nature with folded hands seemed there,
+    Kneeling at her evening prayer,"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      for twilight had already begun to gather. We went on and up and ever
+      higher, like the youth in "Excelsior;" the beech and dwarf oak took the
+      place of the pine, and at last we arrived at a cleared summit whose long
+      brown grass waved desolately in the dim light of evening. A faint glow
+      still lingered over the forest-hills, but down in the valley the dusky
+      shades hid every vestige of life, though its sounds came up softened
+      through the long space. When we reached the top a bright planet stood like
+      a diamond over the brow of the eastern hill, and the sound of a twilight
+      bell came up clearly and sonorously on the cool damp air. The white veil
+      of mist slowly descended down the mountain side, but the peaks rose above
+      it like the wrecks of a world, floating in space. We made our way in the
+      dusk down the long path, to the rude little dorf of Elsbach. I asked at
+      the first inn for lodging, where we were ushered into a great room, in
+      which a number of girls who had been at work in the fields, were
+      assembled. They were all dressed in men's jackets, and short gowns, and
+      some had their hair streaming down their back. The landlord's daughter,
+      however, was a beautiful girl, whose modest, delicate features contrasted
+      greatly with the coarse faces of the others. I thought of Uhland's
+      beautiful little poem of "The Landlady's Daughter," as I looked on her. In
+      the room hung two or three pair of antlers, and they told us deer were
+      still plenty in the forests.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When we left the village the next morning, we again commenced ascending.
+      Over the whole valley and halfway up the mountain, lay a thick white
+      frost, almost like snow, which contrasted with the green trees and bushes
+      scattered over the meadows, produced the most singular effect. We plucked
+      blackberries ready iced from the bushes by the road-side, and went on in
+      the cold, for the sun shone only on the top of the opposite mountain, into
+      another valley, down which rushed the rapid Ulver. At a little village
+      which bears the beautiful name <i>Anteschönmattenwag</i>, we took a
+      foot-path directly over a steep mountain to the village of Finkenbach.
+      Near the top I found two wild-looking children, cutting grass with knives,
+      both of whom I prevailed upon for a few kreutzers to stand and let me
+      sketch them. From the summit the view on the other side was very striking.
+      The hills were nearly every one covered with wood, and not a dwelling in
+      sight. It reminded me of our forest scenery at home. The principal
+      difference is, that our trees are two or three times the size of theirs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length, after scaling another mountain, we reached a wide, elevated
+      plain, in the middle of which stood the old dorf of Beerfelden. It was
+      then crowded with people, on account of a great cattle-fair being held
+      there. All the farmers of the neighborhood were assembled, clad in the
+      ancient country costume&mdash;broad cocked hats and blue frocks. An
+      orchard near the town was filled with cattle and horses, and near by, in
+      the shade, a number of pedlars had arranged their wares. The cheerful
+      looking country people touched their hats to us as we passed. This custom
+      of greeting travellers, universal in Germany, is very expressive of their
+      social, friendly manners. Among the mountains, we frequently met groups of
+      children, who sang together their simple ballads as we passed by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From Beerfelden we passed down the valley of the Mimling to Erbach, the
+      principal city in the Odenwald, and there stopped a short time to view the
+      Rittersaal in the old family castle of the Counts of Erbach. An officer,
+      who stood at the gates, conducted us to the door, where we were received
+      by a noble-looking, gray-headed steward. He took us into the Rittersaal at
+      once, which was like stepping back three hundred years. The stained
+      windows of the lofty Gothic hall, let in a subdued light which fell on the
+      forms of kings and knights, clad in the armor they wore during life. On
+      the left as we entered, were mail-covered figures of John and Cosmo do
+      Medici; further on stood the Emperor Maximilian, and by his side the
+      celebrated dwarf who was served up in a pie at one of the imperial feasts.
+      His armor was most delicate and beautiful, but small as it was, General
+      Thumb would have had room in it. Gustavus Adolphus and Wallenstein looked
+      down from the neighboring pedestals, while at the other end stood Goetz
+      von Berlichingen and Albert of Brunswick. Guarding the door were Hans, the
+      robber-knight of Nuremberg, and another from the Thüringian forest. The
+      steward told me that the iron hand of Goetz was in possession of the
+      family, but not shown to strangers; he pointed out, however, the buckles
+      on the armor, by which it was fastened. Adjoining the hall is an antique
+      chapel, filled with rude old tombs, and containing the sarcophagus of
+      Count Eginhard of Denmark, who lived about the tenth century. There were
+      also monkish garments five hundred years old hanging up in it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The collection of antiquities is large and interesting; but it is said
+      that the old Count obtained some of them in rather a questionable manner.
+      Among other incidents, they say that when in Rome he visited the Pope,
+      taking with him an old servant who accompanied him in all his travels, and
+      was the accomplice in most of his antiquarian thefts. In one of the outer
+      halls, among the curiosities, was an antique shield of great value. The
+      servant was left in this hall while the Count had his audience, and in a
+      short time this shield was missed. The servant who wore a long cloak, was
+      missed also; orders were given to close the gates and search every body,
+      but it was too late&mdash;the thief was gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving Erbach we found out the direction of Snellert, the Castle of the
+      Wild Huntsman, and took a road that led us for two or three hours along
+      the top of a mountain ridge. Through the openings in the pine and larch
+      forests, we had glimpses of the hills of Spessart, beyond the Main. When
+      we finally left the by-road we had chosen it was quite dark, and we missed
+      the way altogether among the lanes and meadows. We came at last to a full
+      stop at the house of a farmer, who guided us by a foot path over the
+      fields to a small village. On entering the only inn, kept by the
+      Burgomaster, the people finding we were Americans, regarded us with a
+      curiosity quite uncomfortable. They crowded around the door, watching
+      every motion, and gazed in through the windows. The wild huntsman himself
+      could scarcely have made a greater sensation. The news of our arrival
+      seemed to have spread very fast, for the next morning when we stopped at a
+      prune orchard some distance from the village to buy some fruit, the farmer
+      cried out from a tree, "they are the Americans; give them as many as they
+      want for nothing!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the Burgomaster's little son for a guide, we went back a mile or two
+      of our route to Snellert, which we had passed the night before, and after
+      losing ourselves two or three times in the woods, arrived at last at the
+      top of the mountain, where the ruins of the castle stand. The walls are
+      nearly level with the ground. The interest of a visit rests entirely on
+      the romantic legend, and the wild view over the hills around, particularly
+      that in front, where on the opposite mountain are the ruins of Rodenstein,
+      to which the wild Huntsman was wont to ride at midnight&mdash;where he now
+      rides no more. The echoes of Rodenstein are no longer awakened by the
+      sound of his bugle, and the hoofs of his demon steed clanging on the
+      battlements. But the hills around are wild enough, and the roar of the
+      pine forests deep enough to have inspired the simple peasants with the
+      romantic tradition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stopping for dinner at the town of Rheinheim, we met an old man, who, on
+      learning we were Americans, walked with us as far as the next village. He
+      had a daughter in America and was highly gratified to meet any one from
+      the country of her adoption. He made me promise to visit her, if I ever
+      should go to St. Louis, and say that I had walked with her father from
+      Rheinheim to Zwangenburg. To satisfy his fears that I might forget it, I
+      took down his name and that of his daughter. He shook me warmly by the
+      hand at parting, and was evidently made happier for that day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We reached Darmstadt just in time to take a seat in the omnibus for
+      Frankfort. Among the passengers were a Bavarian family, on their way to
+      Bremen, to ship from thence to Texas. I endeavored to discourage the man
+      from choosing such a country as his home, by telling him of its heats and
+      pestilences, but he was too full of hope to be shaken in his purpose. I
+      would have added that it was a slave-land, but I thought on our own
+      country's curse, and was silent. The wife was not so sanguine; she seemed
+      to mourn in secret at leaving her beautiful fatherland. It was saddening
+      to think how lonely they would feel in that far home, and how they would
+      long, with true German devotion, to look again on the green vintage-hills
+      of their forsaken country. As night drew on, the little girl crept over to
+      her father for his accustomed evening kiss, and then sank back to sleep in
+      a corner of the wagon. The boy, in the artless confidence of childhood,
+      laid his head on my breast, weary with the day's travel, and soon slept
+      also. Thus we drove on in the dark, till at length the lights of Frankfort
+      glimmered on the breast of the rapid Main, as we passed over the bridge,
+      and when we stopped near the Cathedral, I delivered up my little charge
+      and sent my sympathy with the wanderers on their lonely way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI. &mdash; SCENES IN FRANKFORT&mdash;AN AMERICAN COMPOSER&mdash;THE
+      POET FREILIGRATH.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Dec. 4.</i>&mdash;This is a genuine old German city. Founded by
+      Charlemagne, afterwards a rallying point of the Crusaders, and for a long
+      time the capital of the German empire, it has no lack of interesting
+      historical recollections, and notwithstanding it is fast becoming
+      modernized, one is every where reminded of the Past. The Cathedral, old as
+      the days of Peter the Hermit, the grotesque street of the Jews, the many
+      quaint, antiquated dwellings and the mouldering watch-towers on the hills
+      around, give it a more interesting character than any German city I have
+      yet seen. The house we dwell in, on the Markt Platz, is more than two
+      hundred years old; directly opposite is a great castellated building,
+      gloomy with the weight of six centuries, and a few steps to the left
+      brings me to the square of the Roemerberg, where the Emperors were
+      crowned, in a corner of which is a curiously ornamented house, formerly
+      the residence of Luther. There are legends innumerable connected with all
+      these buildings, and even yet discoveries are frequently made in old
+      houses, of secret chambers and staircases. When you add to all this, the
+      German love of ghost stories, and, indeed, their general belief in
+      spirits, the lover of romance could not desire a more agreeable residence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I often look out on the singular scene below my window. On both sides of
+      the street, leaving barely room to enter the houses, sit the market women,
+      with their baskets of vegetables and fruit. The middle of the street is
+      filled with women buying, and every cart or carriage that comes along, has
+      to force its way through the crowd, sometimes rolling against and
+      overturning the baskets on the side, when for a few minutes there is a
+      Babel of unintelligible sounds. The country women in their jackets and
+      short gowns go backwards and forwards with great loads on their heads,
+      sometimes nearly as high as themselves. It is a most singular scene, and
+      so varied that one never tires of looking upon it. These women sit here
+      from sunrise till sunset, day after day, for years. They have little
+      furnaces for cooking and for warmth in winter, and when it rains they sit
+      in large wooden boxes. One or two policemen are generally on the ground in
+      the morning to prevent disputing about their places, which often gives
+      rise to interesting scenes. Perhaps this kind of life in the open air is
+      conducive to longevity; for certainly there is no country on earth that
+      has as many old women. Many of them look like walking machines made of
+      leather; and to judge from what I see in the streets here, I should think
+      they work till they die.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 21st of October a most interesting fete took place. The magnificent
+      monument of Goethe, modelled by the sculptor Schwanthaler, at Munich, and
+      cast in bronze, was unveiled. It arrived a few days before, and was
+      received with much ceremony and erected in the destined spot, an open
+      square in the western part of the city, planted with acacia trees. I went
+      there at ten o'clock, and found the square already full of people. Seats
+      had been erected around the monument for ladies, the singers and
+      musicians. A company of soldiers was stationed to keep an entrance for the
+      procession, which at length arrived with music and banners, and entered
+      the enclosure. A song for the occasion was sung by the choir; it swelled
+      up gradually, and with such perfect harmony and unity, that it seemed like
+      some glorious instrument touched by a single hand. Then a poetical address
+      was delivered; after which four young men took their stand at the corners
+      of the monument; the drums and trumpets gave a flourish, and the mantle
+      fell. The noble figure seemed to rise out of the earth, and thus amid
+      shoutings and the triumphal peal of the band, the form of Goethe greeted
+      the city of his birth. He is represented as leaning on the trunk of a
+      tree, holding in his right hand a roll of parchment, and in his left a
+      wreath. The pedestal, which is also of bronze, contains bas reliefs,
+      representing scenes from Faust, Wilhelm Meister and Egmont. In the evening
+      Goethe's house, in a street near, was illuminated by arches of lamps
+      between the windows, and hung with wreaths of flowers. Four pillars of
+      colored lamps lighted the statue. At nine o'clock the choir of singers
+      came again in a procession, with colored lanterns, on poles, and after
+      singing two or three songs, the statue was exhibited in the red glare of
+      the Bengal light. The trees and houses around the square were covered with
+      the glow, which streamed in broad sheets up against the dark sky.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Within the walls the greater part of Frankfort is built in the old German
+      style&mdash;the houses six or seven stones high, and every story
+      projecting out over the other, so that those living in the upper part can
+      nearly shake hands out of the windows. At the corners figures of men are
+      often seen, holding up the story above on their shoulders and making
+      horrible faces at the weight. When I state that in all these narrow
+      streets which constitute the greater part of the city, there are no
+      sidewalks, the windows of the lower stories with an iron grating extending
+      a foot or so into the street, which is only wide enough for one cart to
+      pass along, you can have some idea of the facility of walking through
+      them, to say nothing of the piles of wood, and market-women with baskets
+      of vegetables which one is continually stumbling over. Even in the wider
+      streets, I have always to look before and behind to keep out of the way of
+      the fiacres; the people here get so accustomed to it, that they leave
+      barely room for them to pass, and the carriages go dashing by at a
+      nearness which sometimes makes me shudder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I walked across the Main, and looked down at the swift stream on its
+      way from the distant Thuringian forest to join the Rhine, I thought of the
+      time when Schiller stood there in the days of his early struggles, an
+      exile from his native land, and looking over the bridge, said in the
+      loneliness of his heart, "That water flows not so deep as my sufferings!"
+      In the middle, on an iron ornament, stands the golden cock at which Goethe
+      used to marvel when a boy. Perhaps you have not heard the legend connected
+      with this. The bridge was built several hundred years ago, with such
+      strength and solidity that it will stand many hundred yet. The architect
+      had contracted to build it within a certain time, but as it drew near,
+      without any prospect of fulfilment, the devil appeared to him and promised
+      to finish it, on condition of having the first soul that passed over it.
+      This was agreed upon end the devil performed his part of the bargain. The
+      artist, however, on the day appointed, drove a cook across before he
+      suffered any one to pass over it. His majesty stationed himself under the
+      middle arch of the bridge, awaiting his prey; but enraged at the cheat, he
+      tore the unfortunate fowl in pieces and broke two holes in the arch,
+      saying they should never be built up again. The golden cock was erected on
+      the bridge as a token of the event, but the devil has perhaps lost some of
+      his power in these latter days, for the holes were filled up about thirty
+      years ago.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the hills on the Darmstadt road, I had a view of the country around&mdash;the
+      fields were white and bare, and the dark Tannus, with the broad patches of
+      snow on his sides, looked grim and shadowy through the dim atmosphere. It
+      was like the landscape of a dream&mdash;dark, strange and silent. The
+      whole of last month we saw the sun but two or three days, the sky being
+      almost continually covered with a gloomy fog. England and Germany seem to
+      have exchanged climates this year, for in the former country we had
+      delightfully clear weather.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have seen the banker Rothschild several times driving about the city.
+      This one&mdash;Anselmo, the most celebrated of the brothers&mdash;holds a
+      mortgage on the city of Jerusalem. He rides about in style, with officers
+      attending his carriage. He is a little bald-headed man, with marked Jewish
+      features, and is said not to deceive his looks. At any rate, his
+      reputation is none of the best, either with Jews or Christians. A
+      caricature was published some time ago, in which he is represented as
+      giving a beggar woman by the way-side, a kreutzer&mdash;the smallest
+      German coin. She is made to exclaim, "God reward you, a thousand fold!" He
+      immediately replies, after reckoning up in his head: "How much have I
+      then?&mdash;sixteen florins and forty kreutzers!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have lately heard one of the most perfectly beautiful creations that
+      ever emanated from the soul of genius&mdash;the opera of Fidelio. I have
+      caught faint glimpses of that rich world of fancy and feeling, to which
+      music is the golden door. Surrendering myself to the grasp of Beethoven's
+      powerful conception, I read in sounds far more expressive than words, the
+      almost despairing agony of the strong-hearted, but still tender and
+      womanly Fidelio&mdash;the ecstatic joy of the wasted prisoner, when he
+      rose from his hard couch in the dungeon, seeming to fuel, in his maniac
+      brain, the presentiment of a bright being who would come to unbind his
+      chains&mdash;and. the sobbing and wailing, almost-human, which came from
+      the orchestra, when they dug his grave, by the dim lantern's light. When
+      it was done, the murderer stole into the dungeon, to gloat on the agonies
+      of his victim, ere he gave the death-blow. Then, while the prisoner is
+      waked to reason by that sight, and Fidelio throws herself before the
+      uplifted dagger, rescuing her husband with the courage which love gives to
+      a woman's heart, the storm of feeling which has been gathering in the
+      music, swells to a height beyond which it seemed impossible for the soul
+      to pass. My nerves were thrilled till I could bear no more. A mist seemed
+      to come before my eyes and I scarcely knew what followed, till the rescued
+      kneeled together and poured forth in the closing hymn the painful fullness
+      of their joy. I dreaded the sound of voices after the close, and the walk
+      home amid the harsh rattling of vehicles on the rough streets. For days
+      afterwards my brain was filled with a mingled and confused sense of
+      melody, like the half-remembered music of a dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Why should such magnificent creations of art be denied the new world?
+      There is certainly enthusiasm and refinement of feeling enough at home to
+      appreciate them, were the proper direction given to the popular taste.
+      What country possesses more advantages to foster the growth of such an
+      art, than ours? Why should not the composer gain mighty conceptions from
+      the grandeur of our mountain scenery, from the howling of the storm
+      through our giant forests, from the eternal thunder of Niagara? All these
+      collateral influences, which more or less tend to the development and
+      expansion of genius, are characteristics of our country; and a taste for
+      musical compositions of a refined and lofty character, would soon give
+      birth to creators.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fortunately for our country, this missing star in the crown of her growing
+      glory, will probably soon be replaced. Richard S. Willis, with whom we
+      have lived in delightful companionship, since coming here, has been for
+      more than two years studying and preparing himself for the higher branches
+      of composition. The musical talent he displayed while at college, and the
+      success following the publication of a set of beautiful waltzes he there
+      composed, led him to choose this most difficult but lofty path; the result
+      justifies his early promise and gives the most sanguine anticipations for
+      the future. He studied the first two years here under Schnyder von
+      Wartensee, a distinguished Swiss composer; and his exercises have met with
+      the warmest approval from Mendelsohn, at present the first German
+      composer, and Rinck, the celebrated organist. The enormous labor and
+      application required to go through the preparatory studies alone, would
+      make it seem almost impossible for one with the restless energy of the
+      American character, to undertake it; but as this very energy gives genius
+      its greatest power, we may now trust with confidence that Willis, since he
+      has nearly completed his studies, will win himself and his country honor
+      in the difficult path he has chosen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One evening, after sunset, we took a stroll around the promenades. The
+      swans were still floating on the little lake, and the American poplar
+      beside it, was in its full autumn livery. As we made the circuit of the
+      walks, guns were firing far and near, celebrating the opening of the
+      vintage the next day, and rockets went glittering and sparkling up into
+      the dark air. Notwithstanding the late hour and lowering sky, the walks
+      were full of people and we strolled about with them till it grew quite
+      dark, watching the fire-works which arose from the gardens around.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next day, we went into the Frankfort wood. Willis and his
+      brother-in-law, Charles F. Dennett, of Boston, Dr. Dix and another young
+      gentleman from the same city, formed the party&mdash;six Americans in all;
+      we walked over the Main and through the dirty suburbs of Sachsenhausen,
+      where we met many peasants laden with the first day's vintage, and crowds
+      of people coming down from the vineyards. As we ascended the hill, the
+      sound of firing was heard in every direction, and from many vineyards
+      arose the smoke of fires where groups of merry children were collecting
+      and burning the rubbish. We became lost among the winding paths of the
+      pine forest, so that by the time we came out upon the eminence overlooking
+      the valley of the Main, it was quite dark. From every side, far and near,
+      rockets of all sizes and colors darted high up into the sky. Sometimes a
+      flight of the most brilliant crimson and gold lights rushed up together,
+      then again by some farm-house in the meadow, the vintagers would burn a
+      Roman candle, throwing its powerful white light on the gardens and fields
+      around. We stopped under a garden wall, by which a laughing company were
+      assembled in the smoke and red blaze, and watched several comets go
+      hissing and glancing far above us. The cracking of ammunition still
+      continued, and when we came again upon the bridge, the city opposite was
+      lighted as if illuminated. The full moon had just risen, softening and
+      mellowing the beautiful scene, while beyond, over the tower of Frankfort,
+      rose and fell the meteors that heralded the vintage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Since I have been in Frankfort, an event has occurred, which shows very
+      distinctly the principles at work in Germany, and gives us some foreboding
+      of the future. Ferdinand Freiligrath, the first living poet with the
+      exception of Uhland, has within a few weeks published a volume of poems
+      entitled, "My Confession of Faith, or Poems for the Times." It contains
+      some thrilling appeals to the free spirit of the German people, setting
+      forth the injustice under which they labor, in simple but powerful
+      language, and with the most forcible illustrations, adapted to the
+      comprehension of everyone. Viewed as a work of genius alone, it is
+      strikingly powerful and original: but when we consider the effect it is
+      producing among the people&mdash;the strength it will add to the rising
+      tide of opposition to every form of tyranny, it has a still higher
+      interest. Freiligrath had three or four years before, received a pension
+      of three hundred thalers from the King of Prussia, soon after his
+      accession to the throne: he ceased to draw this about a year ago, stating
+      in the preface to his volume that it was accepted in the belief the King
+      would adhere to his promise of giving the people a new constitution, but
+      that now since free spirit which characterises these men, who come from
+      among the people, shows plainly the tendency of the times; and it is only
+      the great strength with which tyranny here has environed himself, and the
+      almost lethargic <i>slowness</i> of the Germans, which has prevented a
+      change ere this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this volume of Freiligrath's, among other things, is a translation of
+      Bryant's magnificent poem "The Winds," and Burns's "A man's a man for a'
+      that;" and I have translated one of his, as a specimen of the spirit in
+      which they are written:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    FREEDOM AND RIGHT.
+
+    Oh! think not she rests in the grave's chilly slumber
+      Nor sheds o'er the present her glorious light,
+    Since Tyranny's shackles the free soul incumber
+      And traitors accusing, deny to us Right!
+    No: whether to exile the sworn ones are wending,
+    Or weary of power that crushed them unending,
+    In dungeons have perished, their veins madly rending,[*]
+      Yet Freedom still liveth, and with her, the Right!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    A single defeat can confuse us no longer:
+      It adds to the combat's last gathering might,
+    It bids us but doubly to struggle, and stronger
+      To raise up our battle-cry&mdash;"Freedom and Right!"
+    For the Twain know a union forever abiding,
+    Together in Truth and in majesty striding;
+    Where Right is, already the free are residing
+      And ever, where dwell the free, governeth Right!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    And this is a trust: never made, us at present,
+      The glad pair from battle to battle their flight;
+    Never breathed through the soul of the down-trodden peasant,
+      Their spirit so deeply its promptings of light!
+    They sweep o'er the earth with a tempest-like token;
+    From strand unto strand words of thunder are spoken:
+    Already the serf finds his manacles broken,
+      And those of the negro are falling from sight
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    Yes, every where wide is their war-banner waving.
+      On the armies of Wrong their revenge to requite;
+    The strength of Oppression they boldly are braving
+      And at last they will conquer, resistless in might!
+    Oh, God! what a glorious wreath then appearing
+    Will blend every leaf in the banner they're bearing&mdash;The
+    olive of Greece and the shamrock of Erin,
+      And the oak-bough of Germany, greenest in light!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    And many who suffered, are now calmly sleeping,
+      The slumber of freemen, borne down by the fight;
+    While the Twain o'er their graves still a bright watch are keeping,
+      Whom we bless for their memories&mdash;Freedom and Right!
+    Meanwhile lift your glasses! to those who have striven!
+    And striving with bold hearts, to misery were driven!
+    Who fought for the Right and but Wrong then were given!
+      To Right, the immortal&mdash;to Freedom through Right!
+                                            Freedom through Right!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+   <p>
+      * [ This allusion is to Weidig,
+      who, imprisoned for years at Darmstadt on account of his political
+      principles, finally committed suicide by cutting his throat with the glass
+      of his prison-window.]
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII. &mdash; A WEEK AMONG THE STUDENTS.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Receiving a letter from my cousin one bright December morning, the idea of
+      visiting him struck me, and so, within an hour, B&mdash;&mdash; and I were
+      on our way to Heidelberg. It was delightful weather; the air was mild as
+      the early days of spring, the pine forests around wore a softer green, and
+      though the sun was but a hand's breadth high, even at noon, it was quite
+      warm on the open road. We stopped for the night at Bensheim; the next
+      morning was as dark as a cloudy day in the north can be, wearing a heavy
+      gloom I never saw elsewhere. The wind blew the snow down from the summits
+      upon us, but being warm from walking, we did not heed it. The mountains
+      looked higher than in summer, and the old castles more grim and frowning.
+      From the hard roads and freezing wind, my feet became very sore, and after
+      limping along in excruciating pain for a league or two, I filled my boots
+      with brandy, which deadened the wounds so much, that I was enabled to go
+      on in a kind of trot, which I kept up, only stopping ten minutes to
+      dinner, till we reached Heidelberg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same evening there was to be a general <i>commers</i>, or meeting of
+      the societies among the students, and I determined not to omit witnessing
+      one of the most interesting and characteristic features of student-life.
+      So borrowing a cap and coat, I looked the student well enough to pass for
+      one of them, though the former article was somewhat of the <i>Philister</i>
+      form. Baader, a young poet of some note, and president of the "Palatia"
+      Society, having promised to take us there, we met at eight o'clock at an
+      inn frequented by the students, and went to the rendezvous, near the Markt
+      Platz.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A confused sound of voices came from the inn, as we drew near; groups of
+      students were standing around the door. In the entry we saw the Red
+      Fisherman, one of the most conspicuous characters about the University. He
+      is a small, stout man, with bare neck and breast, red hair, whence his
+      name, and a strange mixture of roughness and benevolence in his
+      countenance. He has saved many persons at the risk of his own life, from
+      drowning in the Neckar, and on that account is leniently dealt with by the
+      faculty whenever he is arrested for assisting the students in any of their
+      unlawful proceedings. Entering the room I could scarcely see at first, on
+      account of the smoke that ascended from a hundred pipes. All was noise and
+      confusion. Near the door sat some half dozen musicians who were getting
+      their instruments ready for action, and the long room was filled with
+      tables, all of which seemed to be full and the students were still
+      pressing in. The tables were covered with great stone jugs and long beer
+      glasses; the students were talking and shouting and drinking.&mdash;One
+      who appeared to have the arrangement of the meeting, found seats for us
+      together, and having made a slight acquaintance with those sitting next
+      us, we felt more at liberty to witness their proceedings. They were all
+      talking in a sociable, friendly way, and I saw no one who appeared to be
+      intoxicated. The beer was a weak mixture, which I should think would make
+      one fall over from its <i>weight</i> before it would intoxicate him. Those
+      sitting near me drank but little, and that principally to make or return
+      compliments. One or two at the other end of the table were more
+      boisterous, and more than one glass was overturned on the legs below it.
+      Leaves containing the songs for the evening lay at each seat, and at the
+      head, where the President sat, were two swords crossed, with which he
+      occasionally struck upon the table to preserve order. Our President was a
+      fine, romantic-looking young man, dressed in the old German costume, which
+      is far handsomer than the modern. I never saw in any company of young men,
+      so many handsome, manly countenances. If their faces were any index of
+      their characters, there were many noble, free souls among them. Nearly
+      opposite to me sat a young poet, whose dark eyes flashed with feeling as
+      he spoke to those near him. After some time passed in talking and drinking
+      together, varied by an occasional air from the musicians, the President
+      beat order with the sword, and the whole company joined in one of their
+      glorious songs, to a melody at the same time joyous and solemn. Swelled by
+      so many manly voices it rose up like a hymn of triumph&mdash;all other
+      sounds were stilled. Three times during the singing all rose up, clashed
+      their glasses together around the tables and drank to their Fatherland, a
+      health and blessing to the patriot, and honor to those who struggle in the
+      cause of freedom, at the close thundering out their motto:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Fearless in strife, to the banner still true!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      After this song the same order as before was continued, except that
+      students from the different societies made short speeches, accompanied by
+      some toast or sentiment. One spoke of Germany&mdash;predicting that all
+      her dissensions would be overcome, and she would rise up at last, like a
+      phoenix among the nations of Europe; and at the close gave 'strong,
+      united, regenerated Germany!' Instantly all sprang to their feet, and
+      clashing the glasses together, gave a thundering "<i>hoch!</i>" This
+      enthusiasm for their country is one of the strongest characteristics of
+      the German students; they have ever been first in the field for her
+      freedom, and on them mainly depends her future redemption.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cloths were passed around, the tables wiped off, and preparations made to
+      sing the "<i>Landsfather</i>" or consecration song. This is one of the
+      most important and solemn of their ceremonies, since by performing it the
+      new students are made <i>burschen</i>, and the bands of brotherhood
+      continually kept fresh and sacred. All became still a moment, then they
+      commenced the lofty song:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Silent bending, each one lending
+      To the solemn tones his ear,
+    Hark, the song of songs is sounding&mdash;
+    Back from joyful choir resounding,
+      Hear it, German brothers, hear!
+
+    "German proudly, raise it loudly,
+      Singing of your fatherland&mdash;
+    Fatherland! thou land of story,
+    To the altars of thy glory
+      Consecrate us, sword in hand!
+
+    "Take the beaker, pleasure seeker,
+      With thy country's drink brimmed o'er!
+    In thy left the sword is blinking.
+    Pierce it through the cap, while drinking
+      To thy Fatherland once more!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      With the first line of the last stanza, the Presidents sitting at the head
+      of the table, take their glasses in their right hands, and at the third
+      line, the sword in their left, at the end striking their glasses together
+      and drinking.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "In left hand gleaming, thou art beaming,
+      Sword from all dishonour free!
+    Thus I pierce the cap, while swearing,
+    It in honor ever wearing,
+      I a valiant Bursch will be!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      They clash their swords together till the third line is sung, when each
+      takes his cap, and piercing the point of the sword through the crown,
+      draws it down to the guard. Leaving their caps on the swords, the
+      Presidents stand behind the two next students, who go through the same
+      ceremony, receiving the swords at the appropriate time, and giving it back
+      loaded with their caps also. This ceremony is going on at every table at
+      the same time. These two stanzas are repeated for every pair of students,
+      till all have gone through with it, and the Presidents have arrived at the
+      bottom of the table, with their swords strung full of caps. Here they
+      exchange swords, while all sing:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Come thou bright sword, now made holy,
+      Of free men the weapon free;
+    Bring it solemnly and slowly,
+      Heavy with pierced caps, to me!
+    From its burden now divest it;
+      Brothers be ye covered all,
+      And till our next festival,
+    Hallowed and unspotted rest it!
+
+    "Up, ye feast companions! ever
+      Honor ye our holy band!
+    And with heart and soul endeavor
+      E'er as high-souled men to stand!
+    Up to feast, ye men united!
+      Worthy be your fathers' fame,
+      And the sword may no one claim,
+    Who to honor is not plighted!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Then each President, taking a cap of his sword, reached it to the student
+      opposite, and they crossed their swords, the ends resting on the two
+      students' heads, while they sang the next stanza:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "So take it back; thy head I now will cover
+      And stretch the bright sword over.
+    Live also then this Bursche, hoch!
+      Wherever we may meet him,
+      Will we, as Brother greet him&mdash;
+    Live also this, our Brother, hoch!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      This ceremony was repeated till all the caps were given back, and they
+      then concluded with the following:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Rest, the Bursehen-feast is over,
+      Hallowed sword and thou art free!
+    Each one strive a valiant lover
+      Of his fatherland to be!
+    Hail to him, who, glory-haunted,
+      Follows still his fathers bold;
+      And the sword may no one hold
+    But the noble and undaunted!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The Landsfather being over, the students were less orderly; the smoking
+      and drinking began again and we left, as it was already eleven o'clock,
+      glad to breathe the pure cold air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the University I heard Gervinus, who was formerly professor in
+      Göttingen, but was obliged to leave on account of his liberal principles.
+      He is much liked by the students and his lectures are very well attended.
+      They had this winter a torchlight procession in honor of him. He is a
+      stout, round-faced man, speaks very fast, and makes them laugh continually
+      with his witty remarks. In the room I saw a son of Rückert, the poet, with
+      a face strikingly like his father's. The next evening I went to hear
+      Schlosser, the great historian. Among his pupils are the two princes of
+      Baden, who are now at the University. He came hurriedly in, threw down his
+      portfolio and began instantly to speak. He is an old, gray-headed man, but
+      still active and full of energy. The Germans find him exceedingly
+      difficult to understand, as he is said to use the English construction
+      almost entirely; for this reason, perhaps, I understood him quite easily.
+      He lectures on the French Revolution, but is engaged in writing a
+      Universal History, the first numbers of which are published.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two or three days after, we heard that a duel was to take place at
+      Neuenheim, on the opposite side of the Neckur, where the students have a
+      house hired for that purpose. In order to witness the spectacle, we
+      started immediately with two or three students. Along the road were
+      stationed old women, at intervals, as guards, to give notice of the
+      approach of the police, and from these we learned that one duel had
+      already been fought, and they were preparing for the other. The Red
+      Fisherman was busy in an outer room grinding the swords, which are made as
+      sharp as razors. In the large room some forty or fifty students were
+      walking about, while the parties were preparing. This was done by taking
+      off the coat and vest and binding a great thick leather garment on, which
+      reached from the breast to the knees, completely protecting the body. They
+      then put on a leather glove reaching nearly to the shoulder, tied a thick
+      cravat around the throat, and drew on a cap with a large vizor. This done,
+      they were walked about the room a short time, the seconds holding out
+      their arms to strengthen them; their faces all this time betrayed
+      considerable anxiety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All being ready, the seconds took their stations immediately behind them,
+      each armed with a sword, and gave the words: "<i>ready&mdash;bind your
+      weapons&mdash;loose!</i>" They instantly sprang at each other, exchanged
+      two or three blows, when the seconds cried "halt!" and struck their swords
+      up. Twenty-four rounds of this kind ended the duel, without either being
+      hurt, though the cap of one of them was cut through and his forehead
+      grazed. All their duels do not end so fortunately, however, as the
+      frightful scars on the faces of many of those present, testified. It is a
+      gratification to know that but a small portion of the students keep up
+      this barbarous custom. The great body is opposed to it; in Heidelberg,
+      four societies, comprising more than one half the students, have been
+      formed against it. A strong desire for such a reform seems to prevail, and
+      the custom will probably be totally discontinued in a short time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This view of the student-life was very interesting to me; it appeared in a
+      much better light than I had been accustomed to view it. Their peculiar
+      customs, except duelling and drinking, of course, may be the better
+      tolerated when we consider their effect on the liberty of Germany. It is
+      principally through them that a free spirit is kept alive; they have ever
+      been foremost to rise up for their Fatherland, and bravest in its defence.
+      And though many of their customs have so often been held up to ridicule,
+      among no other class can one find warmer, truer or braver hearts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII. &mdash; CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR IN GERMANY.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Jan. 2, 1845.</i>&mdash;I have lately been computing how much my
+      travels have cost me up to the present time, and how long I can remain
+      abroad to continue the pilgrimage, with my present expectations. The
+      result has been most encouraging to my plan. Before leaving home, I wrote
+      to several gentlemen who had visited Europe, requesting the probable
+      expense of travel and residence abroad. They sent different accounts; E.
+      Joy Morris said I must calculate to spend at least $1500 a year; another
+      suggested $1000, and the most moderate of all, said that it was <i>impossible</i>
+      to live in Europe a year on less than $500. Now, six months have elapsed
+      since I left home&mdash;six months of greater pleasure and profit than any
+      <i>year</i> of my former life&mdash;and my expenses, in full, amount to
+      $130! This, however, nearly exhausts the limited sum with which I started,
+      but through the kindness of the editorial friends who have been publishing
+      my sketches of travel, I trust to receive a remittance shortly. Printing
+      is a business attended with so little profit here, as there are already so
+      many workmen, that it is almost useless for a stranger to apply. Besides,
+      after a tough grapple, I am just beginning to master the language, and it
+      seems so necessary to devote every minute to study, that I would rather
+      undergo some privation, than neglect turning these fleeting hours into
+      gold, for the miser Memory to stow away in the treasure-vaults of the
+      mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have lately witnessed the most beautiful and interesting of all German
+      festivals&mdash;Christmas. This is here peculiarly celebrated. About the
+      commencement of December, the Christmarkt or fair, was opened in the
+      Roemerberg, and has continued to the present time. The booths, decorated
+      with green boughs, were filled with toys of various kinds, among which
+      during the first days the figure of St. Nicholas was conspicuous. There
+      were bunches of wax candles to illuminate the Christmas tree, gingerbread
+      with printed mottos in poetry, beautiful little earthenware, basket-work,
+      and a wilderness of playthings. The 5th of December, being Nicholas
+      evening, the booths were lighted up, and the square was filled with boys,
+      running from one stand to another, all shouting and talking together in
+      the most joyous confusion. Nurses were going around, carrying the smaller
+      children in their arms, and parents bought presents decorated with sprigs
+      of pine and carried them away. Some of the shops had beautiful toys, as
+      for instance, a whole grocery store in miniature, with barrels, boxes and
+      drawers, all filled with sweetmeats, a kitchen with a stove and all
+      suitable utensils, which could really be used, and sets of dishes of the
+      most diminutive patterns. All was a scene of activity and joyous feeling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Many of the tables had bundles of rods with gilded bands, which were to be
+      used that evening by the persons who represented St. Nicholas. In the
+      family with whom we reside, one of our German friends dressed himself very
+      comically, with a mask, fur robe and long tapering cap. He came in with a
+      bunch of rods and a sack, and a broom for a sceptre. After we all had
+      received our share of the beating, he threw the contents of his bag on the
+      table, and while we were scrambling for the nuts and apples, gave us many
+      smart raps over the fingers. In many families the children are made to
+      say, "I thank you, Herr Nicolaus," and the rods are hung up in the room
+      till Christmas to keep them in good behavior. This was only a forerunner
+      of the Christ-kindchen's coming. The Nicolaus is the punishing spirit, the
+      Christ-kindchen the rewarding one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When this time was over, we all began preparing secretly our presents for
+      Christmas. Every day there were consultations about the things which
+      should be obtained. It was so arranged that all should interchange
+      presents, but nobody must know beforehand what he would receive. What
+      pleasure there was in all these secret purchases and preparations!
+      Scarcely anything was thought or spoken of but Christmas, and every day
+      the consultations became more numerous and secret. The trees were bought
+      sometime beforehand, but as we were to witness the festival for the first
+      time, we were not allowed to see them prepared, in order that the effect
+      might be as great as possible. The market in the Roeinerberg Square grew
+      constantly larger and more brilliant. Every night it was lit up with lamps
+      and thronged with people. Quite a forest sprang up in the street before
+      our door. The old stone house opposite, with the traces of so many
+      centuries on its dark face, seemed to stand in the midst of a garden. It
+      was a pleasure to go out every evening and see the children rushing to and
+      fro, shouting and seeking out toys from the booths, and talking all the
+      time of the Christmas that was so near. The poor people went by with their
+      little presents hid under their cloaks, lest their children might see
+      them; every heart was glad and every countenance wore a smile of secret
+      pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally the day before Christmas arrived. The streets were so full I could
+      scarce make my way through, and the sale of trees went on more rapidly
+      than ever. These wore commonly branches of pine or fir, set upright in a
+      little miniature garden of moss. When the lamps were lighted at night, our
+      street had the appearance of an illuminated garden. We were prohibited
+      from entering the rooms up stairs in which the grand ceremony was to take
+      place, being obliged to take our seats in those arranged for the guests,
+      and wait with impatience the hour when Christ-kindchen should call.
+      Several relations of the family came, and what was more agreeable, they
+      brought with them five or six children. I was anxious to see how they
+      would view the ceremony. Finally, in the middle of an interesting
+      conversation, we heard the bell ringing up stairs. We all started up, and
+      made for the door. I ran up the steps with the children at my heels, and
+      at the top met a blaze of light coming from the open door, that dazzled
+      me. In each room stood a great table, on which the presents were arranged,
+      amid flowers and wreaths. From the centre, rose the beautiful Christmas
+      tree covered with wax tapers to the very top, which made it nearly as
+      light as day, while every bough was hung with sweetmeats and gilded nuts.
+      The children ran shouting around the table, hunting their presents, while
+      the older persons had theirs pointed out to them. I had qui'e a little
+      library of German authors as my share; and many of the others received
+      quite valuable gifts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But how beautiful was the heart-felt joy that shone on every countenance!
+      As each one discovered he embraced the givers, and all was a scene of the
+      purest feelings. It is a glorious feast, this Christmas time! What a
+      chorus from happy hearts went up on that evening to Heaven! Full of poetry
+      and feeling and glad associations, it is here anticipated with joy, and
+      leaves a pleasant memory behind it. We may laugh at such simple festivals
+      at home, and prefer to shake ourselves loose from every shackle that bears
+      the rust of the Past, but we would certainly be happier if some of these
+      beautiful old customs were better honored. They renew the bond of feeling
+      between families and friends, and strengthen their kindly sympathy; even
+      life-long friends require occasions of this kind to freshen the wreath
+      that binds them together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      New Year's Eve is also favored with a peculiar celebration in Germany.
+      Every body remains up and makes himself merry till midnight. The Christmas
+      trees are again lighted, and while the tapers are burning down, the family
+      play for articles which they have purchased and hung on the boughs. It is
+      so arranged that each one shall win as much as he gives, which change of
+      articles makes much amusement. One of the ladies rejoiced in the
+      possession of a red silk handkerchief and a cake of soap, while a cup and
+      saucer and a pair of scissors fell to my lot! As midnight drew near, it
+      was louder in the streets, and companies of people, some of them singing
+      in chorus, passed by on their way to the Zeil. Finally three-quarters
+      struck, the windows were opened and every one waited anxiously for the
+      clock to strike. At the first sound, such a cry arose as one may imagine,
+      when thirty or forty thousand persons all set their lungs going at once.
+      Every body in the house, in the street, over the whole city, shouted, <i>"Prosst
+      Neu Jahr?"</i> In families, all the members embrace each other, with
+      wishes of happiness for the new year. Then the windows are thrown open,
+      and they cry to their neighbors or those passing by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After we had exchanged congratulations, Dennett, B&mdash;&mdash; and I set
+      out for the Zeil. The streets were full of people, shouting to one another
+      and to those standing at the open windows. We failed not to cry, <i>"Prosst
+      Neu Jahr!"</i> wherever we saw a damsel at the window, and the words came
+      back to us more musically than we sent them. Along the Zeil the spectacle
+      was most singular. The great wide street was filled with companies of men,
+      marching up and down, while from the mass rang up one deafening, unending
+      shout, that seemed to pierce the black sky above. The whole scene looked
+      stranger and wilder from the flickering light of the swinging lamps, and I
+      could not help thinking it must resemble a night in Paris during the
+      French Revolution. We joined the crowd and used our lungs as well as any
+      of them. For some time after we returned home, companies passed by,
+      singing "with us 'tis ever so!" but at three o'clock all was again silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV. &mdash; WINTER IN FRANKFORT&mdash;A FAIR, AN INUNDATION AND A
+      FIRE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      After New Year, the Main, just above the city, and the lakes in the
+      promenades, were frozen over. The ice was tried by the police, and having
+      been found of sufficient thickness, to the great joy of the schoolboys,
+      permission was given to skate. The lakes were soon covered with merry
+      skaters, and every afternoon the banks were crowded with spectators. It
+      was a lively sight to see two or three hundred persons darting about,
+      turning and crossing like a flock of crows, while, by means of arm-chairs
+      mounted on runners, the ladies were enabled to join in the sport, and
+      whirl around among them. Some of the broad meadows near the city, which
+      were covered with water, were the resort of the schools. I went there
+      often in my walks, and always found two or three schools, with the
+      teachers, all skating together, and playing their winter games on the ice.
+      I have often seen them on the meadows along the Main; the teachers
+      generally made quite as much noise as the scholars in their sports.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the Art Institute I saw the picture of "Huss before the Council of
+      Constance," by the painter Lessing. It contains upwards of twenty figures.
+      The artist has shown the greatest skill in the expression and grouping of
+      these. Bishops and Cardinals in their splendid robes are seated around a
+      table, covered with parchment folios, and before them stands Huss alone.
+      His face, pale and thin with long imprisonment, he has lain one hand on
+      his breast, while with the other he has grasped one of the volumes on the
+      table; there is an air of majesty, of heavenly serenity on his lofty
+      forehead and calm eye. One feels instinctively that he has truth on his
+      side. There can be no deception, no falsehood in those noble features. The
+      three Italian cardinals before him appear to be full of passionate rage;
+      the bishop in front, who holds the imperial pass given to Huss, looks on
+      with an expression of scorn, and the priests around have an air of mingled
+      curiosity and hatred. There is one, however, in whose mild features and
+      tearful eye is expressed sympathy and pity for the prisoner. It is said
+      this picture has had a great effect upon Catholics who have seen it, in
+      softening the bigotry with which they regarded the early reformers; and if
+      so, it is a triumphant proof how much art can effect in the cause of truth
+      and humanity. I was much interested in a cast of the statue of St. George,
+      by the old Italian sculptor Donatello. It is a figure full of youth and
+      energy, with a countenance that seems to breathe. Donatello was the
+      teacher of Michael Angelo, and when the young sculptor was about setting
+      off for Rome, he showed him the statue, his favorite work. Michael gazed
+      at it long and intensely, and at length, on parting, said to Donatello,
+      "It wants but one thing." The artist pondered long over this expression,
+      for he could not imagine in what could fail the matchless figure. At
+      length, after many years, Michael Angelo, in the noon of his renown,
+      visited the death-bed of his old master. Donatello begged to know, before
+      he died, what was wanting to his St. George. Angelo answered, "<i>the gift
+      of speech!</i>" and a smile of triumph lighted the old man's face, as he
+      closed his eyes forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Eschernheim Tower, at the entrance of one of the city gates, is
+      universally admired by strangers, on account of its picturesque
+      appearance, overgrown with ivy and terminated by the little pointed
+      turrets, which one sees so often in Germany, on buildings three or four
+      centuries old. There are five other watch towers of similar form, which
+      stand on different sides of the city, at the distance of a mile or two,
+      and generally upon an eminence overlooking the country. They were erected
+      several centuries ago, to discern from afar the approach of an enemy, and
+      protect the caravans of merchants, which at that time travelled from city
+      to city, from the attacks of robbers. The Eschernheim Tower is interesting
+      from another circumstance, which, whether true or not, is universally
+      believed. When Frankfort was under the sway of a prince, a Swiss hunter,
+      for some civil offence, was condemned to die. He begged his life from the
+      prince, who granted it only on condition that he should fire the figure 9
+      with his rifle through the vane of this tower. He agreed, and did it; and
+      at the present lime, one can distinguish a rude 9 on the vane, as if cut
+      with bullets, while two or three marks at the side appear to be from shots
+      that failed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The promise of spring which lately visited us, was not destined for
+      fulfilment. Shortly afterwards it grew cold again, with a succession of
+      snows and sharp northerly winds. Such weather at the commencement of
+      spring is not uncommon at home; but here they say there has not been such
+      a winter known for 150 years. In the north of Prussia many persons have
+      been starved to death on account of provisions becoming scarce. Among the
+      Hartz also, the suffering is very great. We saw something of the misery
+      even here. It was painful to walk through the streets and see so many
+      faces bearing plainly the marks of want, so many pale, hollow-eyed
+      creatures, with suffering written on every feature. We were assailed with
+      petitions for help which could not be relieved, though it pained and
+      saddened the heart to deny. The women, too, labor like brutes, day after
+      day. Many of them appear cheerful and contented, and are no doubt,
+      tolerably happy, for the Germans have all true, warm hearts, and are
+      faithful to one another, as far as poverty will permit; but one cannot see
+      old, gray-headed women, carrying loads on their heads as heavy as
+      themselves, exposed to all kinds of weather and working from morning till
+      night, without pity and indignation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So unusually severe has been the weather, that the deer and hares in the
+      mountains near, came nearly starved and tamed down by hunger, into the
+      villages to hunt food. The people fed them everyday, and also carried
+      grain into the fields for the partridges and pheasants, who flew up to
+      them like domestic fowls. The poor ravens made me really sorry; some lay
+      dead in the fields and many came into the city perfectly tame, flying
+      along the Main with wings hardly strong enough to boar up their skeleton
+      bodies. The storks came at the usual time, but went back again. I hope the
+      year's blessing has not departed with them, according to the old German
+      superstition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>March 26.</i>&mdash;We have hopes of spring at last. Three days ago the
+      rain began and has continued with little intermission till now. The air is
+      warm, the snow goes fast, and every thing seems to announce that the long
+      winter is breaking up. The Main rises fast, and goes by the city like an
+      arrow, whirling large masses of ice upon the banks. The hills around are
+      coming out from under the snow, and the lilac-buds in the promenades begin
+      to expand for the second time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Fair has now commenced in earnest, and it is a most singular and
+      interesting sight. The open squares are filled with booths, leaving narrow
+      streets between them, across which canvas is spread. Every booth is open
+      and filled with a dazzling display of wares of all kinds. Merchants
+      assemble from all parts of Europe. The Bohemians come with their gorgeous
+      crystal ware; the Nuremborgers with their toys, quaint and fanciful as the
+      old city itself; men from the Thuringian forest, with minerals and canes,
+      and traders from Berlin, Vienna, Paris and Switzerland, with dry goods and
+      wares of all kinds. Near the Exchange are two or three companies of
+      Tyrolese, who attract much of my attention. Their costume is exceedingly
+      picturesque. The men have all splendid manly figures, and honor and
+      bravery are written on their countenances. One of the girls is a really
+      handsome mountain maiden, and with her pointed, broad-brimmed black hat,
+      as romantic looking as one could desire. The musicians have arrived, and
+      we are entertained the whole day long by wandering bands, some of whom
+      play finely. The best, which is also the favorite company, is from Saxony,
+      called "The Mountain Boys." They are now playing in our street, and while
+      I write, one of the beautiful choruses from Norma comes up through the din
+      of the crowd. In fact, music is heard over the whole city, and the throngs
+      that fill every street with all sorts of faces and dresses, somewhat
+      relieve the monotony that was beginning to make Frankfort tiresome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have an ever-varied and interesting scene from our window. Besides the
+      motley crowd of passers-by, there are booths and tables stationed thick
+      below. One man in particular is busily engaged in selling his store of
+      blacking in the auction style, in a manner that would do credit to a real
+      Down-caster. He has flaming certificates exhibited, and prefaces his calls
+      to buy with a high-sounding description of his wonderful qualities. He has
+      a bench in front, where he tests on the shoes of his customers, or if none
+      of those are disposed to try it, he rubs it on his own, which shine like
+      mirrors. So he rattles on with amazing fluency in French, German and
+      Italian, and this, with his black beard and moustache and his polite,
+      graceful manner, keeps a crowd of customers around him, so that the
+      wonderful blacking goes off as fast as he can supply it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>April 6.</i>&mdash;Old Winter's gales are shut close behind us, and the
+      sun looks down with his summer countenance. The air, after the long cold
+      rain, is like that of Paradise. All things are gay and bright, and
+      everybody is in motion. Spring commenced with yesterday in earnest, and
+      lo! before night the roads were all dry and fine as if there had been no
+      rain for a month; and the gardeners dug and planted in ground which, eight
+      days before, was covered with snow!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After having lived through the longest winter here, for one hundred and
+      fifty years, we were destined to witness the greatest flood for sixty, and
+      little lower than any within the last three hundred years. On the 28th of
+      March, the river overflooded the high pier along the Main, and rising
+      higher and higher, began to come into the gates and alleys. Before night
+      the whole bank was covered and the water intruded into some of the booths
+      in the Römerberg. When I went there the next morning, it was a sorrowful
+      sight. Persons were inside the gate with boats; so rapidly had it risen,
+      that many of the merchants had no time to move their wares, and must
+      suffer great damage. They were busy rescuing what property could bo seized
+      in the haste, and constructing passages into the houses which were
+      surrounded. No one seemed to think of buying or selling, but only on the
+      best method to escape the danger. Along the Main it was still worse. From
+      the measure, it had risen seventeen feet above its usual level, and the
+      arches of the bridge were filled nearly to the top. At the Upper-Main
+      gate, every thing was flooded&mdash;houses, gardens, workshops, &amp;c.;
+      the water had even overrun the meadows above and attacked the city from
+      behind, so that a part of the beautiful promenades lay deep under water.
+      On the other side, we could see houses standing in it up to the roof. It
+      came up through the sewers into the middle of Frankfort; a large body of
+      men were kept at work constructing slight bridges to walk on, and
+      transporting boats to places where they were needed. This was all done at
+      the expense of the city; the greatest readiness was everywhere manifested
+      to render all possible assistance. In the Fischergasse, I saw them taking
+      provisions to the people in boats; one man even fastened a loaf of bread
+      to the end of a broomstick and reached it across the narrow street from an
+      upper story window, to the neighbor opposite. News came that Hausen, a
+      village towards the Taunus, about two miles distant, was quite under
+      water, and that the people clung to the roofs and cried for help; but it
+      was fortunately false. About noon, cannon shots were heard, and twenty
+      boats were sent out from the city.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon I ascended the tower of the Cathedral, which commands a
+      wide view of the valley, up and down. Just above the city the whole plain
+      was like a small lake&mdash;between two and three miles wide. A row of
+      new-built houses stretched into it like a long promontory, and in the
+      middle, like an island, stood a country-seat with large out-buildings. The
+      river sent a long arm out below, that reached up through the meadows
+      behind the city, as if to clasp it all and bear it away together. A heavy
+      storm was raging along the whole extent of the Taunus; but a rainbow stood
+      in the eastern sky. I thought of its promise, and hoped, for the sake of
+      the hundreds of poor people who were suffering by the waters, that it
+      might herald their fall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We afterwards went over to Sachsenhausen, which was, if possible, in a
+      still more unfortunate condition. The water had penetrated the passages
+      and sewers, and from these leaped and rushed up into the streets, as out
+      of a fountain. The houses next to the Main, which were first filled,
+      poured torrents out of the doors and windows into the street below. These
+      people were nearly all poor, and could ill afford the loss of time and
+      damage of property it occasioned them. The stream was filled with wood and
+      boards, and even whole roofs, with the tiles on, went floating down. The
+      bridge was crowded with people; one saw everywhere mournful countenances,
+      and heard lamentations over the catastrophe. After sunset, a great cloud,
+      filling half the sky, hung above; the reflection of its glowing crimson
+      tint, joined to the brown hue of the water, made it seem like a river of
+      fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What a difference a little sunshine makes! I could have forgotten the
+      season the next day, but for the bare trees and swelling Main, as I
+      threaded my way through the hundreds of people who thronged its banks. It
+      was that soft warmth that comes with the first spring days, relaxing the
+      body and casting a dreamy hue over the mind. I leaned over the bridge in
+      the full enjoyment of it, and listening to the roaring of the water under
+      the arches, forgot every thing else for a time. It was amusing to walk up
+      and down the pier and look at the countenances passing by, while the
+      phantasy was ever ready, weaving a tale for all. My favorite Tyrolese were
+      there, and I saw a Greek leaning over the stone balustrade, wearing the
+      red cap and white frock, and with the long dark hair and fiery eye of the
+      Orient. I could not but wonder, as he looked at the dim hills of the
+      Odenwald, along the eastern horizon, whether they called up in his mind
+      the purple isles of his native Archipelago.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The general character of a nation is plainly stamped on the countenances
+      of its people. One who notices the faces in the streets, can soon
+      distinguish, by the glance he gives in going by, the Englishman or the
+      Frenchman from the German, and the Christian from the Jew. Not less
+      striking is the difference of expression between the Germans themselves;
+      and in places where all classes of people are drawn together, it is
+      interesting to observe how accurately these distinctions are drawn. The
+      boys have generally handsome, intelligent faces, and like all boys, they
+      are full of life and spirit, for they know nothing of the laws by which
+      their country is chained down, and would not care for them, if they did.
+      But with the exception of the students, who <i>talk</i>, at least, of
+      Liberty and Right, the young men lose this spirit and at last settle down
+      into the calm, cautious, <i>lethargic</i> citizen. One distinguishes an
+      Englishman and I should think an American, also, in this respect, very
+      easily; the former, moreover, by a certain cold stateliness and reserve.
+      There is something, however, about a Jew, whether English or German, which
+      marks him from all others. However different their faces, there is a
+      family character which runs through the whole of them. It lays principally
+      in their high cheek-bones, prominent nose and thin, compressed lips;
+      which, especially in elderly men, gives a peculiar miserly expression that
+      is unmistakeable. I regret to say, one looks almost in vain, in Germany,
+      for a handsome female countenance. Here and there, perhaps, is a woman
+      with regular features, but that intellectual expression, which gives such
+      a charm to the most common face, is wanting. I have seen more beautiful
+      women in one night, in a public assembly in America, than during the seven
+      months I have been on the Continent. Some of the young Jewesses, in
+      Frankfort, are considered handsome, but their features soon become too
+      strongly marked. In a public walk the number of positively ugly faces is
+      really astonishing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About ten o'clock that night, I heard a noise of persons running in the
+      street, and going to the Römerberg, found the water had risen, all at
+      once, much higher, and was still rapidly increasing. People were setting
+      up torches and lengthening the rafts, which had been already formed. The
+      lower part of the city was a real Venice&mdash;the streets were full of
+      boats and people could even row about in their own houses; though it was
+      not quite so bad as the flood in Georgia, where they went <i>up stairs to
+      bed</i> in boats! I went to the bridge. Persons were calling around&mdash;"The
+      water! the water! it rises continually!" The river rushed through the
+      arches, foaming and dashing with a noise like thunder, and the red light
+      of the torches along the shore cost a flickering glare on the troubled
+      waves. It was then twenty-one feet above its usual level. Men were busy
+      all around, carrying boats and ladders to the places most threatened, or
+      emptying cellars into which it was penetrating. The sudden swelling was
+      occasioned by the coming down of the floods from the mountains of
+      Spessart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Part of the upper quay cracked next morning and threatened to fall in, and
+      one of the projecting piers of the bridge sunk away from the main body
+      three or four inches. In Sachsenhausen the desolation occasioned by the
+      flood is absolutely frightful; several houses have fallen into total ruin.
+      All business was stopped for the day; the Exchange was even shut up. As
+      the city depends almost entirely on pumps for its supply of water, and
+      these were filled with the flood, we have been drinking the muddy current
+      of the Main ever since. The damage to goods is very great. The fair was
+      stopped at once, and the loss in this respect alone, must be several
+      millions of florins. The water began to fall on the 1st, and has now sunk
+      about ten feet, so that most of the houses are again released, though in a
+      bad condition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yesterday afternoon, as I was sitting in my room, writing, I heard all at
+      once an explosion like a cannon in the street, followed by loud and
+      continued screams. Looking out the window, I saw the people rushing by
+      with goods in their arms, some wringing their hands and crying, others
+      running in all directions. Imagining that it was nothing less than the
+      tumbling down of one of the old houses, we ran down and saw a store a few
+      doors distant in flames. The windows were bursting and flying out, and the
+      mingled mass of smoke and red flame reached half way across the street. We
+      learned afterwards it was occasioned by the explosion of a jar of naphtha,
+      which instantly enveloped the whole room in fire, the people barely
+      escaping in time. The persons who had booths near were standing still in
+      despair, while the flames were beginning to touch their property. A few
+      butchers who first came up, did almost everything. A fire engine arrived
+      soon, but it was ten minutes before it began to play, and by that time the
+      flames were coming out of the upper stories. Then the supply of water soon
+      failed, and though another engine came up shortly after, it was sometime
+      before it could be put in order, so that by the time they got fairly to
+      work, the fire had made its way nearly through the house. The water was
+      first brought in barrels drawn by horses, till some officer came and
+      opened the fire plug. The police were busy at work seizing those who came
+      by and setting them to work; and as the alarm had drawn a great many
+      together, they at last began to effect something. All the military are
+      obliged to bo out, and the officers appeared eager to use their authority
+      while they could, for every one was ordering and commanding, till all was
+      a scene of perfect confusion and uproar. I could not help laughing
+      heartily, so ludicrous did the scene appear. There were little, miserable
+      engines, not much bigger than a hand-cart, and looking as if they had not
+      been used for half a century, the horses running backwards and forwards,
+      dragging barrels which were emptied into tubs, after which the water was
+      finally dipped up in buckets, and emptied into the engines! These machines
+      can only play into the second or third story, after which the hose was
+      taken up in the houses on the opposite side of the street, and made to
+      play across. After four hours the fire was overcome, the house being
+      thoroughly burnt out; it happened to have double fire walls, which
+      prevented those adjoining from catching easily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV. &mdash; THE DEAD AND THE DEAF&mdash;MENDELSSOHN THE COMPOSER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It is now a luxury to breathe. These spring days are the perfection of
+      delightful weather. Imagine the delicious temperature of our Indian summer
+      joined to the life and freshness of spring, add to this a sky of the
+      purest azure, and a breeze filled with the odor of violets,&mdash;the most
+      exquisite of all perfumes&mdash;and you have some idea of it. The meadows
+      are beginning to bloom, and I have already heard the larks singing high up
+      in the sky. Those sacred birds, the storks, have returned and taken
+      possession of their old nests on the chimney-tops; they are sometimes seen
+      walking about in the fields, with a very grave and serious air, as if
+      conscious of the estimation in which they are held. Everybody is out in
+      the open air; the woods, although they still look wintry, are filled with
+      people, and the boatmen on the Main are busy ferrying gay parties across.
+      The spring has been so long in coming, that all are determined to enjoy it
+      well, while it lasts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We visited the cemetery a few days ago. The dead-house, where corpses are
+      placed in the hope of resuscitation, is an appendage to cemeteries found
+      only in Germany. We were shown into a narrow chamber, on each side of
+      which were six cells, into which one could distinctly see, by means of a
+      large plate of glass. In each of these is a bier for the body, directly
+      above which hangs a cord, having on the end ten thimbles, which are put
+      upon the fingers of the corpse, so that the slightest motion strikes a
+      bell in the watchman's room. Lamps are lighted at night, and in winter the
+      rooms are warmed. In the watchman's chamber stands a clock with a
+      dial-plate of twenty-four hours, and opposite every hour is a little
+      plate, which can only be moved two minutes before it strikes. If then the
+      watchman has slept or neglected his duty at that time, he cannot move it
+      afterwards, and his neglect, is seen by the superintendent. In such a
+      case, he is severely lined, and for the second or third offence,
+      dismissed. There are other rooms adjoining, containing beds, baths,
+      galvanic battery, &amp;c. Nevertheless, they say there has been no
+      resuscitation during the fifteen years it has been established.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We afterwards went to the end of the cemetery to see the bas-reliefs of
+      Thorwaldsen, in the vault of the Bethmann family. They are three in
+      number, representing the death of a son of the present banker, Moritz von
+      Bethmann, who was drowned in the Arno about fourteen years ago. The middle
+      one represents the young man drooping in his chair, the beautiful Greek
+      Angel of Death standing at his back, with one arm over his shoulder, while
+      his younger brother is sustaining him, and receiving the wreath that drops
+      from his sinking hand. The young woman who showed us these, told us of
+      Thorwaldsen's visit to Frankfort, about three years ugo. She described him
+      as a beautiful and venerable old man, with long white locks hanging over
+      his shoulders, still vigorous and active for his years. There seems to
+      have been much resemblance between him and Dannecker&mdash;not only in
+      personal appearance and character, but, in the simple and classical beauty
+      of their works.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cemetery contains many other monuments; with the exception of one or
+      two by Launitz, and an exquisite Death Angel in sandstone, from a young
+      Frankfort sculptor, they are not remarkable. The common tomb-stone is a
+      white wooden cross; opposite the entrance is a perfect forest of them,
+      involuntarily reminding one of a company of ghosts, with outstretched
+      arms. These contain the names of the deceased with mottoes, some of which
+      are beautiful and touching, as for instance: "<i>Through darkness unto
+      light</i>;" "<i>Weep not for her; she is not dead, but sleepeth</i>" "<i>Slumber
+      sweet!</i>" etc. The graves are neatly bordered with grass, and planted
+      with flowers, and many of the crosses have withered wreathes hanging upon
+      them. In summer it is a beautiful place; in fact, the very name of
+      cemetery in German&mdash;<i>Friedhuf</i> or Court of Peace&mdash;takes
+      away the idea of death; the beautiful figure of the youth, with his
+      inverted torch, makes one think of the grave only us a place of repose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On our way back we stopped at the Institute for the Deaf; for by the new
+      method of teaching they are no longer dumb. It is a handsome building in
+      the gardens skirting the city. We applied, and on learning we were
+      strangers, they gave us permission to enter. On finding we were Americans,
+      the instructress immediately spoke of Dr. Howe, who had visited the
+      Institute a year or two before, and was much pleased to find that Mr.
+      Dennett was acquainted with him. She took us into a room where about
+      fifteen small children were assembled, and addressing one of the girls,
+      said in a distinct tone: "These gentlemen are from America; the deaf
+      children there speak with their fingers&mdash;canst thou speak so?" To
+      which the child answered distinctly, but with some effort: "No, we speak
+      with our mouths." She then spoke to several others with the same success;
+      one of the boys in particular, articulated with astonishing success. It
+      was interesting to watch their countenances, which were alive with eager
+      attention, and to see the apparent efforts they made to utter the words.
+      They spoke in a monotonous tone, slowly and deliberately, but their voices
+      had a strange, sepulchral sound, which was at first unpleasant to the ear.
+      I put one or two questions to a little boy, which he answered quite
+      readily; as I was a foreigner, this was the best test that could be given
+      of the success of the method. We conversed afterwards with the director,
+      who received us kindly, and appointed a day for us to come and witness the
+      system more fully. He spoke of Dr. Howe and Horace Mann, of Boston, and
+      seemed to take a great interest in the introduction of his system in
+      America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We went again at the appointed time, and as their drawing teacher was
+      there, we had an opportunity of looking over their sketches, which were
+      excellent. The director showed us the manner of teaching them, with a
+      looking-glass, in which they were shown the different positions of the
+      organs of the mouth, and afterwards made to feel the vibrations of the
+      throat and breast, produced by the sound. He took one of the youngest
+      scholars, covered her eyes, and placing her hand upon his throat,
+      articulated the second sound of A. She followed him, making the sound
+      softer or louder as he did. All the consonants were made distinctly, by
+      placing her hand before his mouth. Their exercises in reading, speaking
+      with one another, and writing from dictation, succeeded perfectly. He
+      treated them all like his own children, and sought by jesting and playing,
+      to make the exercise appear as sport. They call him father and appear to
+      be much attached to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of the pupils, about fourteen years old, interested me through his
+      history. lie and his sister were found in Sachsenhausen, by a Frankfort
+      merchant, in a horrible condition. Their mother had died about two years
+      and a half before, and during all that time their father had neglected
+      them till they were near dead through privation and filth. The boy was
+      placed in this Institute, and the girl in that of the Orphans. He soon
+      began to show a talent for modelling figures, and for some time he has
+      been taking lessons of the sculptor Launitz. I saw a beautiful copy of a
+      bas-relief of Thorwaldsen which he made, as well as an original, very
+      interesting, from its illustration of his history. It was in two parts;
+      the first represented himself and his sister, kneeling in misery before a
+      ruined family altar, by which an angel was standing, who took him by one
+      hand, while with the other he pointed to his benefactor, standing near.
+      The other represented the two kneeling in gratitude before a restored
+      altar, on which was the anchor of Hope. From above streamed down a light,
+      where two angels were rejoicing over their happiness. For a boy of
+      fourteen, deprived of one of the most valuable senses, and taken from such
+      a horrible condition of life, it is a surprising work and gives brilliant
+      hopes for his future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We went lately into the Roemerberg, to see the Kaisersaal and the other
+      rooms formerly used by the old Emperors of Germany, and their Senates. The
+      former is now in the process of restoration. The ceiling is in the
+      gorgeous illuminated style of the middle ages; along each side arc rows of
+      niches for the portraits of the Emperors, which have been painted by the
+      best artists in Berlin, Dresden, Vienna and Munich. It is remarkable that
+      the number of the old niches in the hall should exactly correspond with
+      the number of the German Emperors, so that the portrait of the Emperor
+      Francis of Austria, who was the last, will close the long rank coming down
+      from Charlemagne. The pictures, or at least such of them as are already
+      finished, are kept in another room; they give one a good idea of the
+      changing styles of royal costumes, from the steel shirt and helmet to the
+      jewelled diadem and velvet robe. I looked with interest on a painting of
+      Frederic Barbarossa, by Leasing, and mused over the popular tradition that
+      he sits with his paladins in a mountain cave under the Castle of
+      Kyffhäuser, ready to come forth and assist his Fatherland in the hour of
+      need. There was the sturdy form of Maximilian; the martial Conrad; and
+      Ottos, Siegfrieds and Sigismunds in plenty&mdash;many of whom moved a
+      nation in their day, but are now dust and forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I yesterday visited Mendelssohn, the celebrated composer. Having heard
+      rame of his music this winter, particularly that magnificent creation, the
+      "Walpurgisnacht," I wished to obtain his autograph before leaving, and
+      sent a note for that purpose. He sent a kind note in answer, adding a
+      chorus out of the Walpurgisnacht from his own hand. After this, I could
+      not repress the desire of speaking with him. lie received me with true
+      German cordiality, and on learning I was an American, spoke of having been
+      invited to attend a musical festival in New York. He invited me to call on
+      him if he happened to bo in Leipsic or Dresden when we should pass
+      through, and spoke particularly of the fine music there. I have rarely
+      seen a man whose countenance bears so plainly the stamp of genius. He has
+      a glorious dark eye, and Byron's expression of a "dome of thought," could
+      never be more appropriately applied than to his lofty and intellectual
+      forehead, the marble whiteness and polish of which arc heightened by the
+      raven hue of his hair. He is about forty years of age, in the noon of his
+      fame and the full maturity of his genius. Already as a boy of fourteen he
+      composed an opera, which was played with much success at Berlin; he is now
+      the first living composer of Germany. Moses Mendelssohn, the celebrated
+      Jewish philosopher, was his grandfather; and his father, now living, is
+      accustomed to say that in his youth he was spoken of as the son of the
+      great Mendelssohn; now he is known as the father of the great Mendelssohn!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI. &mdash; JOURNEY ON FOOT FROM FRANKFORT TO CASSEL.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The day for leaving Frankfort came at last, and I bade adieu to the
+      gloomy, antique, but still quaint and pleasant city. I felt like leaving a
+      second home, so much had the memories of many delightful hours spent there
+      attached me to it: I shall long retain the recollection of its dark old
+      streets, its massive, devil-haunted bridge and the ponderous cathedral,
+      telling of the times of the Crusaders. I toiled up the long hill on the
+      road to Friedberg, and from the tower at the top took a last look at the
+      distant city, with a heart heavier than the knapsack whose unaccustomed
+      weight rested uneasily on my shoulders. Being alone&mdash;starting out
+      into the wide world, where us yet I know no one,&mdash;I felt much deeper
+      what it was to find friends in a strange land. But such is the wanderer's
+      lot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We had determined on making the complete tour of Germany on foot, and in
+      order to vary it somewhat, my friend and I proposed taking different
+      routes from Frankfort to Leipsic. He choose a circuitous course, by way of
+      Nuremberg and the Thuringian forests; while I, whose fancy had been
+      running wild with Goethe's witches, preferred looking on the gloom and
+      grandeur of the rugged Hartz. We both left Frankfort on the 23d of April,
+      each bearing a letter of introduction to the same person in Leipsic, where
+      we agreed to meet in fourteen days. As we were obliged to travel as
+      cheaply as possible, I started with but seventynine florins, (a florin is
+      forty cents American) well knowing that if I took more, I should, in all
+      probability, spend proportionally more also. Thus, armed with my passport,
+      properly <i>visèd</i>, a knapsack weighing fifteen pounds and a cane from
+      the Kentucky Mammoth Cave, I began my lonely walk through Northern
+      Germany. The warm weather of the week before had brought out the foliage
+      of the willows and other early trees&mdash;violets and cowslips were
+      springing up in the meadows. Keeping along the foot of the Taunus, I
+      passed over great, broad hills, which were brown with the spring
+      ploughing, and by sunset reached Friedberg&mdash;a, largo city, on the
+      summit of a hill. The next morning, after sketching its old, baronial
+      castle, I crossed the meadows to Nauheim, to see the salt springs there.
+      They are fifteen in number; the water, which is very warm, rushes up with
+      such force as to leap several feet above the earth. The buildings made for
+      evaporation are nearly two miles in length; a walk along the top gives a
+      delightful view of the surrounding valleys. After reaching the <i>chaussée</i>
+      again, I was hailed by a wandering journeyman, or <i>handwerker</i>, as
+      they are called, who wanted company. As I had concluded to accept all
+      offers of this kind, we trudged along together very pleasantly, He was
+      from Holstein, on the borders of Denmark and was just returning home,
+      after an absence of six years, having escaped from Switzerland after the
+      late battle of Luzerne, which he had witnessed. He had his knapsack and
+      tools fastened on two wheels, which he drew after him quite conveniently.
+      I could not help laughing at the adroit manner in which he begged his way
+      along, through every village. He would ask me to go on and wait for him at
+      the other end; after a few minutes he followed, with a handful of small
+      copper money, which he said he had <i>fought for</i>,&mdash;the
+      handworker's term for <i>begged.</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed over long ranges of hills, with an occasional view of the
+      Vogelsgebirge, or Bird's Mountains, far to the cast. I knew at length, by
+      the pointed summits of the hills, that we were approaching Giessen and the
+      valley of the Lahn. Finally, two sharp peaks appeared in the distance,
+      each crowned with a picturesque fortress, while the spires of Giessen rose
+      from the valley below. Parting from my companion, I passed through the
+      city without stopping, for it was the time of the university vacation, and
+      Dr. Liebeg, the world-renowned chemist, whom I desired to see, was absent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Crossing a hill or two, I came down into the valley of the Lahn, which
+      flows through meadows of the brightest green, with redroofed cottages
+      nestled among gardens and orchards upon its banks. The women here wear a
+      remarkable costume, consisting of a red boddice with white sleeves, and a
+      dozen skirts, one above another, reaching only to the knees. I slept again
+      at a little village among the hills, and started early for Marburg. The
+      meadows were of the purest emerald, through which the stream wound its
+      way, with even borders, covered to the water's edge with grass so smooth
+      and velvety, that a fairy might have danced along on it for miles without
+      stumbling over an uneven tuft. This valley is one of the finest districts
+      in Germany. I thought, as I saw the peaceful inhabitants at work in their
+      fields, I had most probably, on the battle-field of Brandywine, walked
+      over the bones of some of their ancestors, whom a despotic prince had torn
+      from their happy homes, to die in a distant land, fighting against the
+      cause of freedom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I now entered directly into the heart of Hesse Cassel. The country
+      resembled a collection of hills thrown together in confusion&mdash;sometimes
+      a wide plain left between them, sometimes a clustre of wooded peaks, and
+      here and there a single pointed summit rising above the rest. The vallies
+      were green as ever, the hill-sides freshly ploughed and the forests
+      beginning to be colored by the tender foliage of the larch and birch. I
+      walked two or three hours at a "stretch," and then, when I could find a
+      dry, shady bank, I would rest for half an hour and finish some hastily
+      sketched landscape, or lay at full length, with my head on my knapsack,
+      and peruse the countenances of those passing by. The observation which
+      every traveller excites, soon ceases to be embarrassing. It was at first
+      extremely unpleasant; but I am now so hardened, that the strange, magnetic
+      influence of the human eye, which we cannot avoid feeling, passes by me as
+      harmlessly as if turned aside by invisible mail.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During the day several showers came by, but as none of them penetrated
+      further than my blouse, I kept on, and reached about sunset a little
+      village in the valley. I chose a small inn, which had an air of neatness
+      about it, and on going in, the tidy landlady's "be you welcome," as she
+      brought a pair of slippers for my swollen feet, made me feel quite at
+      home. After being furnished with eggs, milk, butter and bread, for supper,
+      which I ate while listening to an animated discussion between the village
+      schoolmaster and some farmers, I was ushered into a clean, sanded bedroom,
+      and soon forgot all fatigue. For this, with breakfast in the morning, the
+      bill was six and a half groschen&mdash;about sixteen cents! Tin air was
+      freshened by the rain and I journeyed over the hills at a rapid rate.
+      Stopping for dinner at the large village of Wabern, a boy at the inn asked
+      me if I was going to America? I said no, I came from there. He then asked
+      me many silly questions, after which he ran out and told the people of the
+      village. When I set out again, the children pointed at me and cried: "see
+      there! he is from America!" and the men took off their hats and bowed!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sky was stormy, which added to the gloom of the hills around, though
+      some of the distant ranges lay in mingled light and shade&mdash;the
+      softest alternation of purple and brown. There were many isolated, rocky
+      hills, two of which interested me, through their attendant legends. One is
+      said to have been the scene of a battle between the Romans and Germans,
+      where, after a long conflict the rock opened and swallowed up the former.
+      The other, which is crowned with a rocky wall, so like a ruined fortress,
+      as at a distance to be universally mistaken for one, tradition says is the
+      death-place of Charlemagne, who still walks around its summit every night,
+      clad in complete armor. On ascending a hill late in the afternoon, I saw
+      at a great distance the statue of Hercules, which stands on the
+      Wilhelmshöhe, near Cassel. Night set in with a dreary rain, and I stopped
+      at an inn about five miles short of the city. While tea was preparing a
+      company of students came in and asked for a separate room. Seeing I was
+      alone, they invited me up with them. They seemed much interested in
+      America, and leaving the table gradually, formed a ring around me, where I
+      had enough to do to talk with them all at once. When the omnibus came
+      along, the most of them went with it to Cassel; but five remained and
+      persuaded me to set out with them on foot. They insisted on carrying my
+      knapsack the whole way, through the rain and darkness, and when I had
+      passed the city gate with them, unchallenged, conducted me to the
+      comfortable hotel, "<i>Zur Krone</i>."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is a pleasant thing to wake up in the morning in a strange city. Every
+      thing is new; you walk around it for the first time in the full enjoyment
+      of the novelty, or the not less agreeable feeling of surprise, if it is
+      different from your anticipations. Two of my friends of the previous night
+      called for me in the morning, to show me around the city, and the first
+      impression, made in such agreeable company, prepossessed me very
+      favorably. I shall not, however, take up time in describing its many
+      sights, particularly the Frederick's Platz, where the statue of Frederick
+      the Second, who sold ten thousand of his subjects to England, has been
+      re-erected, after having lain for years in a stable where it was thrown by
+      the French.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was much interested in young Carl K&mdash;&mdash;, one of my new
+      acquaintances. His generous and unceasing kindness first won my esteem,
+      and I found on nearer acquaintance, the qualities of his mind equal those
+      of his heart. I saw many beautiful poems of his which were of remarkable
+      merit, considering his youth, and thought I could read in his dark, dreamy
+      eye, the unconscious presentiment of a power he does not yet possess. He
+      seemed as one I had known for years.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He, with a brother student, accompanied me in the afternoon, to
+      Wilhelmshöhe, the summer residence of the Prince, on the side of a range
+      of mountains three miles west of the city. The road leads in a direct line
+      to the summit of the mountain, which is thirteen hundred feet in height,
+      surmounted by a great structure, called the Giant's Castle, on the summit
+      of which is a pyramid ninety-six feet high, supporting a statue of
+      Hercules, copied after the Farnese, and thirty-one feet in height. By a
+      gradual ascent through beautiful woods, we reached the princely residence,
+      a magnificent mansion standing on a natural terrace of the mountain. Near
+      it is a little theatre built by Jerome Buonaparte, in which he himself
+      used to play. We looked into the green house in passing, where the floral
+      splendor of every zone was combined. There were lofty halls, with glass
+      roofs, where the orange grew to a great tree, and one could sit in myrtle
+      bowers, with the brilliant bloom of the tropics around him. It was the
+      only thing there I was guilty of coveting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The greatest curiosity is the water-works, which are perhaps unequalled in
+      the world. The Giant's Castle on the summit contains an immense tank in
+      which water is kept for the purpose; but unfortunately, at the time I was
+      there, the pipes, which had been frozen through the winter, were not in
+      condition to play. From the summit an inclined plane of masonry descends
+      the mountain nine hundred feet, broken every one hundred and fifty feet by
+      perpendicular descents. These are the Cascades, down which the water first
+      rushes from the tank. After being again collected in a great basin at the
+      bottom, it passes into an aqueduct, built like a Roman ruin, and goes over
+      beautiful arches through the forest, where it falls in one sheet down a
+      deep precipice. When it has descended several other beautiful falls, made
+      in exact imitation of nature, it is finally collected and forms the great
+      fountain, which rises twelve inches in diameter from the middle of a lake
+      to the height of one hundred and ninety feet! We descended by lovely walks
+      through the forest to the Löwenburg, built as the ruin of a knightly
+      castle, and fitted out in every respect to correspond with descriptions of
+      a fortress in the olden time, with moat, drawbridge, chapel and garden of
+      pyramidal trees. Farther below, are a few small houses, inhabited by the
+      descendants of the Hessians who fell in America, supported here at the
+      Prince's expense!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII. &mdash; ADVENTURES AMONG THE HARTZ.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      On taking leave of Carl at the gate over the Göttingen road, I felt
+      tempted to bestow a malediction upon traveling, from its merciless
+      breaking of all links, as soon as formed. It was painful to think we
+      should meet no more. The tears started into his eyes, and feeling a mist
+      gathering over mine, I gave his hand a parting pressure, turned my back
+      upon Cassel and started up the long mountain, at a desperate rate. On the
+      summit I passed out of Hesse into Hanover, and began to descend the
+      remaining six miles. The road went down by many windings, but I shortened
+      the way considerably by a foot-path through a mossy old forest. The hills
+      bordering the Weser are covered with wood, through which I saw the little
+      red-roofed city of Münden, at the bottom. I stopped there for the night,
+      and next morning walked around the place. It is one of the old German
+      cities that have not yet felt the effect of the changing spirit of the
+      age. It is still walled, though the towers are falling to ruin. The
+      streets are narrow, crooked, and full of ugly old houses, and to stand in
+      the little square before the public buildings, one would think himself
+      born in the sixteenth century. Just below the city the Werra and Fulda
+      unito and form the Weser. The triangular point has been made into a public
+      walk, and the little steamboat was lying at anchor near, waiting to start
+      for Bremen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon I got into the omnibus for Göttingen. The ride over the
+      wild, dreary, monotonous hills was not at all interesting. There were two
+      other passengers inside, one of whom, a grave, elderly man, took a great
+      interest in America, but the conversation was principally on his side, for
+      I had been taken with a fever in Münden. I lay crouched up in the corner
+      of the vehicle, trying to keep off the chills which constantly came over
+      me, and wishing only for Göttingen, that I might obtain medicine and a
+      bed. We reached it at last, and I got out with my knapsack and walked
+      wearily through half a dozen streets till I saw an inn. But on entering, I
+      found it so dark and dirty and unfriendly, that I immediately went out
+      again and hired the first pleasant looking boy I met, to take me to a good
+      hotel. He conducted me to the first one in the city. I felt a trepidation
+      of pocket, but my throbbing head plead more powerfully, so I ordered a
+      comfortable room and a physician. The host, Herr Wilhelm, sent for
+      Professor Trefurt, of the University, who told me I had over-exerted
+      myself in walking. He made a second call the next day, when, as he was
+      retiring, I inquired the amount of his fee. He begged to be excused and
+      politely bowed himself out. I inquired the meaning of this of Herr
+      Wilhelm, who said it was customary for travellers to leave what they chose
+      for the physician, as there was no regular fee. He added, moreover, that
+      twenty groschen, or about sixty cents, was sufficient for the two visits!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I stayed in Göttingen two dull, dreary, miserable days, without getting
+      much better. I took but one short walk through the city, in which I saw
+      the outsides of a few old churches and got a hard fall on the pavement.
+      Thinking that the <i>cause</i> of my illness might perhaps become its <i>cure</i>,
+      I resolved to go on rather than remain in the melancholy&mdash;in spite of
+      its black-eyed maidens, melancholy&mdash;Göttingen. On the afternoon of
+      the second day, I took the post to Nordheim, about twelve miles distant.
+      The Göttingen valley, down which we drove, is green and beautiful, and the
+      trees seem to have come out all at once. we were not within sight of the
+      Hartz, but the mountains along the Weser were visible on the left. The
+      roads were extremely muddy from the late rains, so that I proceeded but
+      slowly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A blue range along the horizon told me of the Hartz, as I passed; although
+      there were some fine side-glimpses through the hills, I did not see much
+      of them till I reached Osterode, about twelve miles further. Here the
+      country begins to assume a different aspect. The city lies in a narrow
+      valley, and as the road goes down a steep hill towards it, one sees on
+      each side many quarries of gypsum, and in front the gloomy pine mountains
+      are piled one above another in real Alpine style. But alas! the city,
+      though it looks exceedingly romantic from above, is one of the dirtiest I
+      ever saw. I stopped at Herzberg, six miles farther, for the night. The
+      scenery was very striking; and its effect was much heightened by a sky
+      full of black clouds, which sent down a hail-storm as they passed over.
+      The hills are covered with pine, fir and larch. The latter tree, in its
+      first foliage, is most delicate and beautiful. Every bough is like a long
+      ostrich plume, and when one of them stands among the dark pines, it seems
+      so light and airy that the wind might carry it away. Just opposite
+      Herzberg, the Hartz stands in its gloomy and mysterious grandeur, and I
+      went to sleep with the pleasant thought that an hour's walk on the morrow
+      would shut me up in its deep recesses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next morning I entered them. The road led up a narrow mountain valley,
+      down which a stream was rushing&mdash;on all sides were magnificent
+      forests of pine. It was glorious to look down their long aisles, dim and
+      silent, with a floor of thick green moss. There was just room enough for
+      the road and the wild stream which wound its way zigzag between the hills,
+      affording the most beautiful mountain-view along the whole route. As I
+      ascended, the mountains became rougher and wilder, and in the shady
+      hollows were still drifts of snow. Enjoying every thing very much, I
+      walked on without taking notice of the road, and on reaching a wild, rocky
+      chasm called the "Schlucht," was obliged to turn aside and take a footpath
+      over a high mountain to Andreasberg, a town built on a summit two thousand
+      feet above the sea. It is inhabited almost entirely by the workmen in the
+      mines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The way from Andreasberg to the Brocken leads along the Rehberger Graben,
+      which carry water about six miles for the oreworks. After going through a
+      thick pine wood, I came out on the mountain-side, where rough crags
+      overhung the way above, and through the tops of the trees I had glimpses
+      into the gorge below. It was scenery of the wildest character. Directly
+      opposite rose a mountain wall, dark and stern through the gloomy sky; far
+      below the little stream of the Oder foamed over the rocks with a continual
+      roar, and one or two white cloud-wreaths were curling up from the forests.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I followed the water-ditch around every projection of the mountain, still
+      ascending higher amid the same wild scenery, till at length I reached the
+      Oderteich, a great dam, in a kind of valley formed by some mountain peaks
+      on the side of the Brocken. It has a breastwork of granite, very firm, and
+      furnishes a continual supply of water for the works. It began to rain
+      soon, and I took a foot-path which went winding up through the pine wood.
+      The storm still increased, till everything was cloud and rain, so I was
+      obliged to stop about five o'clock at Oderbruch, a toll-house and tavern
+      on the side of the Brocken, on the boundary between Brunswick and Hanover&mdash;the
+      second highest inhabited house in the Hartz. The Brocken was invisible
+      through the storm and the weather forboded a difficult ascent. The night
+      was cold, but by a warm fire I let the winds howl and the rain beat. When
+      I awoke the next morning, we were in clouds. They were thick on every
+      side, hiding what little view there was through the openings of the
+      forest. After breakfast, however, they were somewhat thinner, and I
+      concluded to start for the Brocken. It is not the usual way for travellers
+      who ascend, being not only a bad road but difficult to find, as I soon
+      discovered. The clouds gathered around again after I set out, and I was
+      obliged to walk in a storm of mingled rain and snow. The snow lay several
+      feet deep in the forests, and the path was, in many places, quite drifted
+      over. The white cloud-masses were whirled past by the wind, continually
+      enveloping me and shutting out every view. During the winter the path had
+      become, in ninny places, the bed of a mountain torrent, so that I was
+      obliged sometimes to wade kneedeep in snow, and sometimes to walk over the
+      wet, spongy moss, crawling under the long, dripping branches of the
+      stunted pines. After a long time of such dreary travelling, I came to two
+      rocks called the Stag Horns, standing on a little peak. The storm, now all
+      snow, blew more violently than ever, and the path became lost under the
+      deep drifts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Comforting myself with the assurance that if I could not find it, I could
+      at least make my way back, I began searching, and after some time, came
+      upon it again. Here the forest ceased; the way led on large stones over a
+      marshy ascending plain, but what was above, or on either side, I could not
+      see. It was solitude of the most awful kind. There was nothing but the
+      storm, which had already wet me through, and the bleak gray waste of
+      rocks. It grew sleeper and steeper; I could barely trace the path by the
+      rocks which were worn, and the snow threatened soon to cover these. Added
+      to this, although the walking and fresh mountain air had removed my
+      illness, I was still weak from the effects of it, and the consequences of
+      a much longer exposure to the storm were greatly to be feared. I was
+      wondering if the wind increased at the same rate, how much longer it would
+      be before I should be carried off, when suddenly something loomed up above
+      me through the storm. A few steps more and I stood beside the Brocken
+      House, on the very summit of the mountain! The mariner, who has been
+      floating for days on a wreck at sea, could scarcely be more rejoiced at a
+      friendly sail, than I was on entering the low building. Two large Alpine
+      dogs in the passage, as I walked in, dripping with wet, gave notice to the
+      inmates, and I was soon ushered into a warm room, where I changed my
+      soaked garments for dry ones, and sat down by the fire with feelings of
+      comfort not easily imagined. The old landlord was quite surprised, on
+      hearing the path by which I came, that I found the way at all. The summit
+      was wrapped in the thickest cloud, and he gave me no hope for several
+      hours of any prospect at all, so I sat down and looked over the Stranger's
+      Album.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I saw but two names from the United States&mdash;B.F. Atkins, of Boston,
+      and C.A. Hay, from York, Pa. There were a great many long-winded German
+      poems&mdash;among them, one by Schelling, the philosopher. Some of them
+      spoke of having seen the "Spectre of the Brocken." I inquired of the
+      landlord about the phenomenon; he says in winter it is frequently seen, in
+      summer more seldom. The cause is very simple. It is always seen at
+      sunrise, when the eastern side of the Brocken is free from clouds, and at
+      the same time, the mist rises from the valley on the opposite side. The
+      shadow of every thing on the Brocken is then thrown in grand proportions
+      upon the mist, and is seen surrounded with a luminous halo. It is somewhat
+      singular that such a spectacle can be seen upon the Brocken alone, but
+      this is probably accounted for by the formation of the mountain, which
+      collects the mist at just such a distance from the summit as to render the
+      shadow visible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon after dinner the storm subsided and the clouds separated a little. I
+      could see down through the rifts on the plains of Brunswick, and
+      sometimes, when they opened a little more, the mountains below us to the
+      east and the adjoining plains, as far as Magdeburg. It was like looking on
+      the earth from another planet, or from some point in the air which had no
+      connection, with it; our station was completely surrounded by clouds,
+      rolling in great masses around us, now and then giving glimpses through
+      their openings of the blue plains, dotted with cities and villages, far
+      below. At one time when they were tolerably well separated, I ascended the
+      tower, fifty feet high, standing near the Brocken House. The view on three
+      sides was quite clear, and I can easily imagine what a magnificent
+      prospect it must be in fine weather. The Brocken is only about four
+      thousand feet high, nearly the same as the loftiest peak of the Catskill,
+      but being the highest mountain in Northern Germany, it commands a more
+      extensive prospect. Imagine a circle described with a radius of a hundred
+      miles, comprising thirty cities, two or three hundred villages and one
+      whole mountain district! We could see Brunswick and Magdeburg, and beyond
+      them the great plain which extends to the North Sea in one direction and
+      to Berlin in the other, while directly below us lay the dark mountains of
+      the Hartz, with little villages in their sequestered valleys. It was but a
+      few moments I could look on this scene&mdash;in an instant the clouds
+      swept together again and completely hid it. In accordance with a custom of
+      the mountain, one of the girls made me a "Brocken nosegay," of heather,
+      lichens and moss. I gave her a few pfennings and stowed it away carefully
+      in a corner of my knapsack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I now began descending the east side, by a good road over fields of bare
+      rock and through large forests of pine. Two or three bare brown peaks rose
+      opposite with an air of the wildest sublimity, and in many places through
+      the forest towered lofty crags. This is the way by which Goethe brings
+      Faust up the Brocken, and the scenery is graphically described in that
+      part of the poem. At the foot of the mountain is the little village of
+      Schiercke, the highest in the Hartz. Here I took a narrow path through the
+      woods, and after following a tediously long road over the hills, reached
+      Elbingerode, where I spent the night, and left the next morning for
+      Blankenburg. I happened to take the wrong road, however, and went through
+      Rubeland, a little village in the valley of the Bode. There are many iron
+      works here, and two celebrated caves, called "Baumann's Höhle," and
+      "Biel's Höhle." I kept on through the gray, rocky hills to Huttenrode,
+      where I inquired the way to the Rosstrappe, but was directed wrong, and
+      after walking nearly two hours in a heavy rain, arrived at Ludwigshütte,
+      on the Bode, in one of the wildest and loneliest corners of the Hartz. I
+      dried my wet clothes at a little inn, ate a dinner of bread and milk, and
+      learning that I was just as far from the Rosstrappe as ever, and that the
+      way was impossible to find alone, I hunted up a guide.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We went over the mountains through a fine old forest, for about two hours,
+      and came out on the brow of a hill near the end of the Hartz, with a
+      beautiful view of the country below and around. Passing the little inn,
+      the path led through thick bushes along the summit, over a narrow ledge of
+      rocks that seemed to stretch out into the air, for on either side the foot
+      of the precipice vanished in the depth below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arrived at last at the end, I looked around me. What a spectacle! I was
+      standing on the end of a line of precipice which ran out from the mountain
+      like a wall for several hundred feet&mdash;the hills around rising up
+      perpendicularly from the gorge below, where the Bode pressed into a narrow
+      channel foamed its way through. Sharp masses of gray rock rose up in many
+      places from the main body like pillars, with trees clinging to the clefts,
+      and although the defile was near seven hundred feet deep, the summits, in
+      one place, were very near to one another. Near the point at which I stood,
+      which was secured by a railing, was an impression in the rock like the
+      hoof of a giant horse, from which the place takes its name. It is very
+      distinct and perfect, and nearly two feet in length.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I went back to the little inn and sat down to rest and chat awhile with
+      the talkative landlady. Notwithstanding her horrible Prussian dialect, I
+      was much amused with the budget of wonders, which she keeps for the
+      information of travelers. Among other things, she related to me the legend
+      of the Rosstrappe, which I give in her own words: "A great many hundred
+      years ago, when there were plenty of giants through the world, there was a
+      certain beautiful princess, who was very much loved by one of them. Now,
+      although the parents of this princess were afraid of the giant, and wanted
+      her to marry him, she herself hated him, because she was in love with a
+      brave knight. But, you see, the brave knight could do nothing against the
+      great giant, and so a day was appointed for the wedding of the princess.
+      When they were married, the giant had a great feast and he and all his
+      servants got drunk. So the princess mounted his black horse and rode away
+      over the mountains, till she reached this valley. She stood on that square
+      rock which you see there opposite to us, and when she saw her knight on
+      this side, where we are, she danced for joy, and the rock is called the <i>Tanzplatz</i>,
+      to this very day. But when the giant found she had gone, he followed her
+      as fast as he might; then a holy bishop, who saw the princess, blessed the
+      feet of her horse, and she jumped on it across to this side, where his
+      fore feet made two marks in the rock, though there is only one left now.
+      You should not laugh at this, for if there were giants then, there must
+      have been very big horses too, as one can see from the hoofmark, and the
+      valley was narrower then than it is now. My dear man, who is very old now,
+      (you see him through the bushes, there, digging,) says it was so when he
+      was a child, and that the old people living then, told him there were once
+      four just such hoof-tracks, on the <i>Tanzplatz</i>, where the horse stood
+      before he jumped over. And we cannot doubt the words of the good old
+      people, for there were many strange things then, we all know, which the
+      dear Lord does not let happen now. But I must tell you, lieber Herr, that
+      the giant tried to jump after her and fell away down into the valley,
+      where they say he lives yet in the shape of a big black dog, guarding the
+      crown of the princess, which fell off as she was going over. But this part
+      of the story is perhaps not true, as nobody, that I ever heard of, has
+      seen either the black dog or the crown!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After listening to similar gossip for a while, I descended the
+      mountain-side, a short distance to the Bülowshöhe. This is a rocky shaft
+      that shoots, upward from the mountain, having from its top a glorious view
+      through the door which the Bode makes in passing out of the Hartz. I could
+      see at a great distance the towers of Magdeburg, and further, the vast
+      plain stretching away like a sea towards Berlin. From Thale, the village
+      below, where the air was warmer than in the Hartz and the fruit-trees
+      already in blossom, it was four hours' walk to Halberstadt, by a most
+      tiresome road over long ranges of hills, all ploughed and planted, and
+      extending as far as the eye could reach, without a single fence or hedge.
+      It is pleasant to look over scenes where nature is so free and unshackled;
+      but the <i>people</i>, alas! wear the fetters. The setting sun, which
+      lighted up the old Brocken and his snowy top, showed me also Halberstadt,
+      the end of my Hartz journey; but its deceitful towers fled as I
+      approached, and I was half dead with fatigue on arriving there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The ghostly, dark and echoing castle of an inn (the Black Eagle) where I
+      stopped, was enough to inspire a lonely traveller, like myself, with
+      unpleasant fancies. It looked heavy and massive enough to have been a
+      stout baron's stronghold in some former century; the taciturn landlord and
+      his wife, who, with a solemn servant girl, were the only tenants, had
+      grown into perfect keeping with its gloomy character. When I groped my way
+      under the heavy, arched portal into the guests' room&mdash;a large, lofty,
+      cheerless hall&mdash;all was dark, and I could barely perceive, by the
+      little light which came through two deep-set windows, the inmates of the
+      house, sitting on opposite sides of the room. After some delay, the
+      hostess brought a light. I entreated her to bring me something <i>instantly</i>
+      for supper, and in half an hour she placed a mixture on the table, the
+      like of which I never wish to taste again. She called it <i>beer-soup</i>!
+      I found, on examination, it was <i>beer</i>, boiled with meat, and
+      seasoned strongly with pepper and salt! My hunger disappeared, and
+      pleading fatigue as an excuse for want of appetite, I left the table. When
+      I was ready to retire, the landlady, who had been sitting silently in a
+      dark corner, called the solemn servant girl, who took up a dim lamp, and
+      bade me follow her to the "sleeping chamber." Taking up my knapsack and
+      staff, I stumbled down the steps into the arched gateway; before me was a
+      long, damp, deserted court-yard, across which the girl took her way. I
+      followed her with some astonishment, imagining where the sleeping chamber
+      could be, when she stopped at a small, one-story building, standing alone
+      in the yard. Opening the door with a rusty key, she led me into a bare
+      room, a few feet square, opening into another, equally bare, with the
+      exception of a rough bed. "Certainly," said I, "I am not to sleep here!"
+      "Yes," she answered, "this is the sleeping chamber," at the same time
+      setting down the light and disappearing. I examined the place&mdash;it
+      smelt mouldy, and the walls were cold and damp; there had been a window at
+      the head of the bed, but it was walled up, and that at the foot was also
+      closed to within a few inches of the top. The bed was course and dirty;
+      and on turning down the ragged covers, I saw with horror, a dark brown
+      stain near the pillow, like that of blood! For a moment I hesitated
+      whether to steal out of the inn, and seek another lodging, late as it was;
+      at last, overcoming my fears, I threw my clothes into a heap, and lay
+      down, placing my heavy staff at the head of the bed. Persons passed up and
+      down the courtyard several times, the light of their lamps streaming
+      through the narrow aperture up against the ceiling, and I distinctly heard
+      voices, which seemed to be near the door. Twice did I sit up in bed,
+      breathless, with my hand on the cane, in the most intense anxiety; but
+      fatigue finally overcame suspicion, and I sank into a deep sleep, from
+      which I was gladly awakened by daylight. In reality, there may have been
+      no cause for my fears&mdash;I may have wronged the lonely innkeepers by
+      them; but certainly no place or circumstances ever seemed to me more
+      appropriate to a deed of robbery or crime. I left immediately, and when a
+      turn in the street hid the ill-omened front of the inn, I began to breathe
+      with my usual freedom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII. &mdash; NOTES IN LEIPSIC AND DRESDEN.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Leipsic, May 8.</i>&mdash;I have now been nearly two days in this
+      wide-famed city, and the more I see of it the better I like it. It is a
+      pleasant, friendly town, old enough to be interesting, and new enough to
+      be comfortable. There in much active business life, through which it is
+      fast increasing in size and beauty. Its publishing establishments are the
+      largest in the world, and its annual fairs attended by people from all
+      parts of Europe. This is much for a city to accomplish, situated alone in
+      the middle of a great plain, with no natural charms of scenery or
+      treasures of art to attract strangers. The energy and enterprise of its
+      merchants have accomplished all this, and it now stands, in importance,
+      among the first cities of Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bad weather obliged me to take the railroad at Halberstadt, to keep
+      the appointment with my friend, in this city. I left at six for Magdeburg,
+      and after two hours' ride over a dull, tiresome plain, rode along under
+      the mounds and fortifications by the side of the Elbe, and entered the old
+      town. It was very cold, and the streets were muddy, so I contented myself
+      with looking at the Broadway, (<i>der breite Weg</i>,) the Cathedral and
+      one or two curious old churches, and in walking along the parapet leading
+      to the fortress, which has a view of the winding Elbe. The Citadel was
+      interesting from having been the prison in which Baron Trenck was
+      confined, whose narrative I read years ago, when quite a child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were soon on the road to Leipsic. The way was over one great,
+      uninterrupted plain&mdash;a more monotonous country, even, than Belgium.
+      Two of the passengers in the car with me were much annoyed at being taken
+      by the railway agents for Poles. Their movements were strictly watched by
+      the gens d'arme at every station we passed, and they were not even allowed
+      to sit together! At Kothen a branch track went off to Berlin. We passed by
+      Halle without being able to see anything of it or its University, and
+      arrived here in four hours after leaving Magdeburg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On my first walk around the city, yesterday morning, I passed the <i>Augustus
+      Platz</i>&mdash;a broad green lawn, on which front the University and
+      several other public buildings. A chain of beautiful promenades encircles
+      the city, on the site of its old fortifications. Following their course
+      through walks shaded by large trees and bordered with flowering shrubs, I
+      passed a small but chaste monument to Sebastian Bach, the composer, which
+      was erected almost entirely at the private cost of Mendelssohn, and stands
+      opposite the building in which Bach once directed the choirs. As I was
+      standing beside it, a glorious choral, swelled by a hundred voices, came
+      through the open windows, like a tribute to the genius of the great
+      master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having found my friend we went together to the <i>Stern Warte</i>, or
+      Observatory, which gives a fine view of the country around the city, and
+      in particular the battle field. The Castellan who is stationed there, is
+      well acquainted with the localities, and pointed out the position of the
+      hostile armies. It was one of the most bloody and hard-fought battles
+      which history records. The army of Napoleon stretched like a semicircle
+      around the southern and eastern sides of the city, and the plain beyond
+      was occupied by the allies, whose forces met together here. Schwarzenberg,
+      with his Austrians, came from Dresden; Blucher, from Halle, with the
+      Emperor Alexander. Their forces amounted to three hundred thousand, while
+      those of Napoleon ranked at one hundred and ninety-two thousand men. It
+      must have been a terrific scene. Four days raged the battle, and the
+      meeting of half a million of men in deadly conflict was accompanied by the
+      thunder of sixteen hundred cannon. The small rivers which flow through
+      Leipsic were swollen with blood, and the vast plain was strewed with more
+      than fifty thousand dead. It is difficult to conceive of such slaughter,
+      while looking at the quiet and tranquil landscape below. It seemed more
+      like a legend of past ages, when ignorance and passion led men to murder
+      and destroy, than an event which the last half century witnessed. For the
+      sake of humanity it is to be hoped that the world will never see such
+      another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are some lovely walks around Leipsic. We went yesterday afternoon
+      with a few friends to the Rosenthal, a beautiful meadow, bordered by
+      forests of the German oak, very few of whose Druid trunks have been left
+      standing. There are Swiss cottages embowered in the foliage, where every
+      afternoon the social citizens assemble to drink their coffee enjoy a few
+      hours' escape from the noisy and dusty streets, One can walk for miles
+      along these lovely paths by the side of the velvet meadows, or the banks
+      of some shaded stream. We visited the little village of Golis, a short
+      distance off, where, in the second story of a little white house, hangs
+      the sign: "Schiller's Room." Some of the Leipsic literati have built a
+      stone arch over the entrance, with the inscription above: "Here dwelt
+      Schiller in 1795, and wrote his Hymn to Joy." Every where through Germany
+      the remembrances of Schiller are sacred. In every city where he lived,
+      they show his dwelling. They know and reverence the mighty spirit who has
+      been among them. The little room where he conceived that sublime poem is
+      hallowed as if by the presence of unseen spirits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was anxious to see the spot where Poniatowsky fell. We returned over the
+      plain to the city and passed in at the gate by which the Cossacks entered,
+      pursuing the flying French. Crossing the lower part, we came to the little
+      river Elster, in whose waves the gallant prince sank. The stone bridge by
+      which we crossed was blown up by the French, to cut off pursuit. Napoleon
+      had given orders that it should not be blown up till the Poles had all
+      passed over, as the river, though narrow, is quite deep, and the banks are
+      steep. Nevertheless, his officers did not wait, and the Poles, thus
+      exposed to the fire of the enemy, were obliged to plunge into the stream
+      to join the French army, which had begun the retreat towards Frankfort.
+      Poniatowsky, severely wounded, made his way through a garden near and
+      escaped on horseback into the water. He became entangled among the
+      fugitives and sank. By walking a little distance along the road towards
+      Frankfort, we could see the spot where his body was taken out of the
+      river; it is now marked by a square stone, covered with the names of his
+      countrymen who have visited it. We returned through the narrow arched way,
+      by which Napoleon fled when the battle was lost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another interesting place in Leipsic is Auerback's Cellar, which, it is
+      said, contains an old manuscript history of Faust, from which Goethe
+      derived the first idea of his poem. He used to frequent this cellar, and
+      one of his scenes in "Faust" is laid in it. We looked down the arched
+      passage; not wishing to purchase any wine, we could find no pretence for
+      entering. The streets are full of book stores and one half the business of
+      the inhabitants appears to consist in printing, paper-making and binding.
+      The publishers have a handsome Exchange of their own, and during the
+      Fairs, the amount of business transacted is enormous. The establishment of
+      Brockhaus is contained in an immense building, adjoining which stands his
+      dwelling, in the midst of magnificent gardens. That of Tauchnitz is not
+      less celebrated. His edition of the classics, in particular, are the best
+      that have ever been made; and he has lately commenced publishing a number
+      of English works, in a cheap form. Otto Wigand, who has also a large
+      establishment, has begun to issue translations of American works. He has
+      already published Prescott and Bancroft, and I believe intends giving out
+      shortly, translations from some of our poets and novelists. I became
+      acquainted at the Museum, with a young German author who had been some
+      time in America, and was well versed in our literature. He is now engaged
+      in translating American works, one of which&mdash;Hoffman's "Wild Scenes
+      of the Forest and Prairie"&mdash;will soon appear. In no place in Germany
+      have I found more knowledge of our country, her men and her institutions,
+      than in Leipsic, and as yet I have seen few that would be preferable as a
+      place of residence. Its attractions lie not in its scenery, but in the
+      social and intellectual character of its inhabitants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>May 11.</i>&mdash;At last in this "Florence of the Elbe," as the Saxons
+      have christened it. Exclusive of its glorious galleries of art, which are
+      scarcely surpassed by any in Europe, Dresden charms one by the natural
+      beauty of its environs. It stands in a curve of the Elbe, in the midst of
+      green meadows, gardens and fine old woods, with the hills of Saxony
+      sweeping around like an amphitheatre, and the craggy peaks of the
+      Highlands looking at it from afar. The domes and spires at a distance give
+      it a rich Italian look, which is heightened by the white villas, embowered
+      in trees, gleaming on the hills around. In the streets there is no bustle
+      of business&mdash;nothing of the din and confusion of traffic which mark
+      most cities; it seems like a place for study and quiet enjoyment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The railroad brought us in three hours from Leipsic, over the eighty miles
+      of plain that intervene. We came from the station through the <i>Neustadt</i>,
+      passing the Japanese Palace and the equestrian statue of Augustus the
+      Strong, The magnificent bridge over the Elbe was so much injured by the
+      late inundation as to be impassable; we worn obliged to go some distance
+      up the river bank and cross on a bridge of boats. Next morning my first
+      search was for the picture gallery. We set off at random, and after
+      passing the Church of Our Lady, with its lofty dome of solid stone, which
+      withstood the heaviest bombs during the war with Frederick the Great, came
+      to an open square, one side of which was occupied by an old, brown,
+      red-roofed building, which I at once recognized, from pictures, as the
+      object of our search.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have just taken a last look at the gallery this morning, and left it
+      with real regret; for, during the two visits, Raphael's heavenly picture
+      of the Madonna and child had so grown into my love and admiration, that it
+      was painful to think I should never see it again. There are many more
+      which clung so strongly to my imagination, gratifying in the highest
+      degree the love for the Beautiful, that I left them with sadness, and the
+      thought that I would now only have the memory. I can see the inspired eye
+      and god-like brow of the Jesus-child, as if I were still standing before
+      the picture, and the sweet, holy countenance of the Madonna still looks
+      upon me. Yet, though this picture is a miracle of art, the first glance
+      filled me with disappointment. It has somewhat faded, during the three
+      hundred years that have rolled away since the hand of Raphael worked on
+      the canvass, and the glass with which it is covered for better
+      preservation, injures the effect. After I had gazed on it awhile, every
+      thought of this vanished. The figure of the virgin seemed to soar in the
+      air, and it was difficult to think the clouds were not in motion. An
+      aerial lightness clothes her form, and it is perfectly natural for such a
+      figure to stand among the clouds. Two divine cherubs look up from below,
+      and in her arms sits the sacred child. Those two faces beam from the
+      picture like those of angels. The wild, prophetic eye and lofty brow of
+      the young Jesus chains one like a spell. There is something more than
+      mortal in its expression&mdash;something in the infant face which
+      indicates a power mightier than the proudest manhood. There is no glory
+      around the head; but the spirit which shines from those features, marks
+      his divinity. In the sweet face of the mother there speaks a sorrowful
+      foreboding mixed with its tenderness, as if she knew the world into which
+      the Saviour was born, and foresaw the path in which he was to tread. It is
+      a picture which one can scarce look upon without tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are in the same room six pictures by Correggio, which are said to be
+      among his best works; one of them his celebrated Magdalen. There is also
+      Correggio's "Holy Night," or the virgin with the shepherds in the manger,
+      in which all the light comes from the body of the child. The surprise of
+      the shepherds is most beautifully expressed. In one of the halls there is
+      a picture by Van der Werff, in which the touching story of Hagar is told
+      more feelingly than words could do it. The young Ishmael is represented
+      full of grief at parting with Isaac, who, in childish unconsciousness of
+      what has taken place, draws in sport the corner of his mother's mantle
+      around him, and smiles at the tears of his lost playmate. Nothing can come
+      nearer real flesh and blood than the two portraits of Raphael Mengs,
+      painted by himself when quite young. You almost think the artist has in
+      sport crept behind the frame, and wishes to make you believe he is a
+      picture. It would be impossible to speak of half the gems of art contained
+      in this unrivalled collection. There are twelve large halls, containing in
+      all nearly two thousand pictures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The plain, south of Dresden, was the scene of the hard-fought battle
+      between Napoleon and the allied armies, in 1813. On the heights above the
+      little village of Räcknitz, Moreau was shot on the second day of the
+      battle. We took a foot-path through the meadows, shaded by cherry trees in
+      bloom, and reached the spot after an hour's walk. The monument is simple&mdash;a
+      square block of granite, surmounted by a helmet and sword, with the
+      inscription: "<i>The hero Moreau fell here by the side of Alexander,
+      August 17th, 1813</i>." I gathered, as a memorial, a few leaves of the oak
+      which shades it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By applying an hour before the appointed time, we obtained admission to
+      the Royal Library. It contains three hundred thousand volumes&mdash;among
+      them the most complete collection of historical works in existence. Each
+      hall is devoted to a history of a separate country, and one large room is
+      filled with that of Saxony alone. There is a large number of rare and
+      curious manuscripts, among which are old Greek works of the seventh and
+      eighth centuries; a Koran which once belonged to the Sultan Bajazet; the
+      handwriting of Luther and Melancthon; a manuscript volume with pen and ink
+      sketches, by Albert Durer, and the earliest works after the invention of
+      printing. Among these latter was a book published by Faust and Schaeffer,
+      at Mayence, in 1457. There were also Mexican manuscripts, written on the
+      Aloe leaf, and many illuminated monkish volumes of the middle ages.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were fortunate in seeing the <i>Grüne Gewölbe</i>, or Green Gallery, a
+      collection of jewels and costly articles, unsurpassed in Europe. The
+      entrance is only granted to six persons at a time, who pay a fee of two
+      thalers. The customary way is to employ a <i>Lohnbedienter</i>, who goes
+      around from one hotel to another, till he has collected the number, when
+      he brings them together and conducts them to the person in the palace, who
+      has charge of the treasures. As our visit happened to be during the
+      Pentecost holidays, when every body in Dresden goes to the mountains,
+      there was some difficulty in effecting this, but after two mornings spent
+      in hunting up curious travelers, the servant finally conducted us in
+      triumph to the palace. The first hall into which we were ushered,
+      contained works in bronze. They were all small, and chosen with regard to
+      their artistical value. Some by John of Bologna were exceedingly fine, as
+      was also a group in iron, <i>cut</i> out of a single block; perhaps the
+      only successful attempt in this branch. The next room contained statues,
+      and vases covered with reliefs, in ivory. The most remarkable work was the
+      fall of Lucifer and his angels, containing ninety-two figures in all,
+      carved out of a single piece of ivory sixteen inches high! It was the work
+      of an Italian monk, and cost him many years of hard labor. There were two
+      tables of mosaic-work, that would not be out of place in the fabled halls
+      of the eastern genii, so much did they exceed my former ideas of human
+      skill. The tops were of jasper, and each had a border of fruit and
+      flowers, in which every color was represented by some precious stone, all
+      with the utmost delicacy and truth to nature! It is impossible to conceive
+      the splendid effect it produced. Besides some fine pictures on gold by
+      Raphael Mengs, there was a Madonna, the largest specimen of enamel
+      painting in existence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      However costly the contents of these halls, they were only an introduction
+      to those which followed. Each one exceeded the other in splendor and
+      costliness. The walls were covered to the ceiling with rows of goblets,
+      vases, &amp;c., of polished jasper, agate and lapiz lazuli. Splendid
+      mosaic tables stood around, with caskets of the most exquisite silver and
+      gold work upon them, and vessels of solid silver, some of them weighing
+      six hundred pounds were placed at the foot of the columns. We were shown
+      two goblets, each prized at six thousand thalers, made of gold and
+      precious stones; also the great pearl called the Spanish Dwarf, nearly as
+      large as a pullet's egg; globes and vases cut entirely out of the mountain
+      crystal; magnificent Nuremberg watches and clocks, and a great number of
+      figures, made ingeniously of rough pearls and diamonds. The officer showed
+      us a hen's egg of silver. There was apparently nothing remarkable about
+      it, but by unscrewing, it came apart, and disclosed the yelk of gold. This
+      again opened and a golden chicken was seen; by touching a spring, a little
+      diamond crown came from the inside, and the crown being again taken apart,
+      out dropped a valuable diamond ring! The seventh hall contains the
+      coronation robes of Augustus II., of Poland, and many costly specimens of
+      carving in wood, A cherry stone is shown in a glass case, which has one
+      hundred and twenty-five faces, all perfectly finished, carved upon it! The
+      next room we entered sent back a glare of splendor that perfectly dazzled
+      us. It was all gold, diamond, ruby and sapphire! Every case sent out such
+      a glow and glitter that it seemed like a cage of imprisoned lightnings.
+      Wherever the eye turned it was met by a blaze of broken rainbows. They
+      were there by hundreds, and every gem was a fortune. Whole cases of
+      swords, with hilts and scabbards of solid gold, studded with gems; the
+      great two-handed coronation sword of the German emperors; daggers covered
+      with brilliants and rubies; diamond buttons, chains and orders, necklaces
+      and bracelets of pearl and emerald, and the order of the Golden Fleece
+      made in gems of every kind. We were also shown the largest known onyx,
+      nearly seven inches long and four inches broad! One of the most remarkable
+      works is the throne and court of Aurungzebe, the Indian king, by
+      Dinglinger, a celebrated goldsmith of the last century. It contains one
+      hundred and thirty-two figures, all of enamelled gold, and each one most
+      perfectly and elaborately finished. It was purchased by Prince Augustus
+      for fifty-eight thousand thalers,[**] which was not a high sum,
+      considering that the making of it occupied Dinglinger and thirteen workmen
+      for seven years!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is almost impossible to estimate the value of the treasures these halls
+      contain. That of the gold and jewels alone must bo many millions of
+      dollars, and the amount of labor expended on these toys of royalty is
+      incredible. As monuments of patient and untiring toil, they are
+      interesting: but it is sad to think how much labor and skill and energy
+      have been wasted, in producing things which are useless to the world, and
+      only of secondary importance as works of art. Perhaps, however, if men
+      could be diverted by such play-things from more dangerous games, it would
+      be all the better.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+
+   </p>
+      ** [ A Prussian or Saxon
+      thaler is about 70 cts.]
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX. &mdash; RAMBLES IN THE SAXON SWITZERLAND.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      After four days' sojourn in Dresden we shouldered our knapsacks, not to be
+      laid down again till we reached Prague. We were elated with the prospect
+      of getting among the hills again, and we heeded not the frequent showers
+      which had dampened the enjoyment of the Pentecost holidays, to the good
+      citizens of Dresden, and might spoil our own. So we trudged gaily along
+      the road to Pillnitz and waved an adieu to the domes behind us as the
+      forest shut them out from view. After two hours' walk the road led down to
+      the Elbe, where we crossed in a ferry-boat to Pillnitz, the seat of a
+      handsome palace and gardens, belonging to the King of Saxony. He happened
+      to be there at the time, on an afternoon excursion from Dresden; as we had
+      seen him before, in the latter place, we passed directly on, only pausing
+      to admire the flower-beds in the palace court. The King is a tall,
+      benevolent looking man, and is apparently much liked by his people. As far
+      as I have yet seen, Saxony is a prosperous and happy country. The people
+      are noted all over Germany for their honest, social character, which is
+      written on their cheerful, open countenances. On our entrance into the
+      Saxon Switzerland, at Pillnitz, we were delighted with the neatness and
+      home-like appearance of every thing. Every body greeted us; if we asked
+      for information, they gave it cheerfully. The villages were all pleasant
+      and clean and the meadows fresh and blooming. I felt half tempted to say,
+      in the words of an old ballad, which I believe Longfellow has translated:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "The fairest kingdom on this earth,
+    It is the Saxon land!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Going along the left bank of the Elbe, we passed over meadows purple with
+      the tri-colored violet, which we have at home in gardens, and every little
+      bank was bright with cowslips. At length the path led down into a cleft or
+      ravine filled with trees, whose tops were on a level with the country
+      around. This is a peculiar feature of Saxon scenery. The country contains
+      many of these clefts, some of which are several hundred feet deep, having
+      walls of perpendicular rock, in whose crevices the mountain pine roots
+      itself and grows to a tolerable height without any apparent soil to keep
+      it alive. We descended by a foot-path into this ravine, called the
+      Liebethaler Grund. It is wider than many of the others, having room enough
+      for a considerable stream and several mills. The sides are of sandstone
+      rock, quite perpendicular. As we proceeded, it grew narrower and deeper,
+      while the trees covering its sides and edges nearly shut out the sky. An
+      hour's walk brought us to the end, where we ascended gradually to the
+      upper level again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After passing the night at the little village of Uttewalde, a short
+      distance further, we set out early in the morning for the Bastei, a lofty
+      precipice on the Elbe. The way led us directly through the Uttewalder
+      Grund, the most remarkable of all these chasms. We went down by steps into
+      its depths, which in the early morning were very cold. Water dripped from
+      the rocks, which but a few feet apart, rose far above us, and a little
+      rill made its way along the bottom, into which the sun has never shone.
+      Heavy masses of rock, which had tumbled down from the sides lay in the
+      way, and tall pine trees sprung from every cleft. In one place the defile
+      is only four feet wide, and a large mass of rock, fallen from above, has
+      lodged near the bottom, making an arch across, under which the traveller
+      has to creep. After going under two or three arches of this kind, the
+      defile widened and an arrow cut upon a rock directed us to a side path,
+      which branched off from this into a mountain. Here the stone masses
+      immediately assumed another form. They projected out like shelves
+      sometimes as much as twenty feet from the straight side, and hung over the
+      way, looking as if they might break off every moment. I felt glad when we
+      had passed under them. Then as we ascended higher, we saw pillars of rock
+      separated entirely from the side and rising a hundred feet in height, with
+      trees growing on their summits. They stood there gray and limeworn, like
+      the ruins of a Titan temple.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The path finally led us out into the forest and through the clustering
+      pine trees, to the summit of the Bastei. An inn has been erected in the
+      woods and an iron balustrade placed around the rock. Protected by this, we
+      advanced to the end of the precipice and looked down to the swift Elbe,
+      more than seven hundred feet below! Opposite through the blue mists of
+      morning, rose Königstein, crowned with an impregnable fortress, and the
+      crags of Lilienstein, with a fine forest around their base, frowned from
+      the left bank. On both sides were horrible precipices of gray rock, with
+      rugged trees hanging from the crevices. A hill rising up from one side of
+      the Bastei, terminates suddenly a short distance from it, in on abrupt
+      precipice. In the intervening space stand three or four of those
+      rock-columns, several hundred feet high, with their tops nearly on a level
+      with the Bastei. A wooden bridge has been made across from one to the
+      other, over which the traveller passes, looking on the trees and rocks far
+      below him, to the mountain, where a steep zigzag path takes him to the
+      Elbe below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We crossed the Elbe for the fourth time at the foot of the Bastei, and
+      walked along its right bank towards Königstein. The injury caused by the
+      inundation was everywhere apparent. The receding flood had left a deposit
+      of sand, in many places several feet deep on the rich meadows, so that the
+      labor of years will be requisite to remove it and restore the land to an
+      arable condition. Even the farm-houses on the hillside, some distance from
+      the river, had been reached, and the long grass hung in the highest
+      branches of the fruit trees. The people wore at work trying to repair
+      their injuries, but it will fall heavily upon the poorer classes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mountain of Königstein is twelve hundred feet high. A precipice,
+      varying from one to three hundred feet in height, runs entirely around the
+      summit, which is flat, and a mile and a half in circumference. This has
+      been turned into a fortress, whose natural advantages make it entirely
+      impregnable. During the Thirty Years' War and the late war with Napoleon,
+      it was the only place in Saxony unoccupied by the enemy. Hence is it used
+      as a depository for the archives and royal treasures, in times of danger.
+      By giving up our passports at the door, we received permission to enter;
+      the officer called a guide to take us around the battlements. There is
+      quite a little village on the summit, with gardens, fields, and a wood of
+      considerable size. The only entrance is by a road cut through the rock,
+      which is strongly guarded. A well seven hundred feet deep supplies the
+      fortress with water, and there are storehouses sufficient to hold supplies
+      for many years. The view from the ramparts is glorious&mdash;it takes in
+      the whole of the Saxon Highlands, as far as the lofty Schneeberg in
+      Bohemia. On the other side the eye follows the windings of the Elbe, as
+      far as the spires of Dresden. Lilienstein, a mountain of exactly similar
+      formation, but somewhat higher, stands directly opposite. On walking
+      around, the guide pointed out a little square tower standing on the brink
+      of a precipice, with a ledge, about two feet wide, running around it, just
+      below the windows. He said during the reign of Augustus the Strong, a
+      baron attached to his court, rose in his sleep after a night of revelry,
+      and stepping out the window, stretched himself at full length along the
+      ledge. A guard fortunately observed his situation and informed Augustus of
+      it, who had him bound and secured with cords, and then awakened by music.
+      It was a good lesson, and one which no doubt sobered him for the future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Passing through the little city of Königstein, we walked on to Schandau,
+      the capital of the Saxon Switzerland, situated on the left bank. It had
+      sustained great damage from the flood, the whole place having been
+      literally under water. Here we turned up a narrow valley which led to the
+      Kuhstall, some eight miles distant. The sides, as usual, were of steep
+      gray rock, but wide enough apart to give room to some lovely meadows, with
+      here and there a rustic cottage. The mountain maidens, in their bright red
+      dresses, with a fanciful scarf bound around the head, made a romantic
+      addition to the scene. There were some quiet secluded nooks, where the
+      light of day stole in dimly through the thick foliage above and the wild
+      stream rushed less boisterously over the rocks. We sat down to rest in one
+      of these cool retreats, and made the glen ring with a cheer for America.
+      The echoes repeated the name as if they had heard it for the first time,
+      and I gave them a strict injunction to give it back to the next countryman
+      who should pass by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we advanced further into the hills the way became darker and wilder. We
+      heard the sound of falling water in a little dell on one side, and going
+      nearer, saw a picturesque fall of about fifteen feet. Great masses of
+      black rock were piled together, over which the mountain-stream fell in a
+      snowy sheet. The pines above and around grew so thick and close, that not
+      a sunbeam could enter, and a kind of mysterious twilight pervaded the
+      spot. In Greece it would have been chosen for an oracle. I have seen,
+      somewhere, a picture of the Spirit of Poetry, sitting beside just such a
+      cataract, and truly the nymph could choose no more appropriate dwelling.
+      But alas for sentiment! while we were admiring its picturesque beauty, we
+      did not notice a man who came from a hut near by and went up behind the
+      rocks. All at once there was a roar of water, and a real torrent came
+      pouring down. I looked up, and lo! there he stood, with a gate in his hand
+      which had held the water imprisoned, looking down at us to observe the
+      effect, I motioned him to shut it up again, and he ran down to us, lest he
+      should lose his fee for the "sight!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our road now left the valley and ascended through a forest to the
+      Kuhstall, which we came upon at once. It is a remarkable natural arch,
+      through a rocky wall or rampart, one hundred and fifty feet thick. Going
+      through, we came at the other end to the edge of a very deep precipice,
+      while the rock towered precipitously far above. Below lay a deep circular
+      valley, two miles in diameter, and surrounded on every side by ranges of
+      crags, such as we saw on the Bastei. It was entirely covered with a pine
+      forest, and there only appeared to be two or three narrow defiles which
+      gave it a communication with the world. The top of the Kuhstall can be
+      reached by a path which runs up through a split in the rock, directly to
+      the summit. It is just wide enough for one person to squeeze himself
+      through; pieces of wood have been fastened in as steps, and the rocks in
+      many places close completely above. The place derives its name from having
+      been used by the mountaineers as a hiding-place for their cattle in time
+      of war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning we descended by another crevice in the rock to the lonely
+      valley, which we crossed, and climbed the Little Winterberg on the
+      opposite side. There is a wide and rugged view from a little tower on a
+      precipitous rock near the summit, erected to commemorate the escape of
+      Prince Augustus of Saxony, who, being pursued by a mad stag, rescued
+      himself on the very brink, by a lucky blow. Among the many wild valleys
+      that lay between the hills, we saw scarcely one without the peculiar rocky
+      formation which gives to Saxon scenery its most interesting character.
+      They resemble the remains of some mighty work of art, rather than one of
+      the thousand varied forms in which Nature delights to clothe herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Great Winterberg, which is reached by another hour's walk along an
+      elevated ridge, is the highest of the mountains, celebrated for the grand
+      view from its summit. We found the handsome Swiss hotel recently built
+      there, full of tourists who had come to enjoy the scone, but the morning
+      clouds hid every thing. We ascended the tower, and looking between them as
+      they rolled by, caught glimpses of the broad landscape below. The Giant's
+      Mountains in Silesia were hidden by the mist, but sometimes when the wind
+      freshened, we could see beyond the Elbe into Bohemian Switzerland, where
+      the long Schneeberg rose conspicuous above the smaller mountains. Leaving
+      the other travellers to wait at their leisure for clearer weather, we set
+      off for the Prebisehthor, in company with two or three students from the
+      Polytechnic School in Dresden. An hour's walk over high hills, whose
+      forest clothing had been swept off by fire a few years before, brought us
+      to it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prebisehthor is a natural arch, ninety feet high, in a wall of rock
+      which projects at right angles from the precipitous side of the mountain.
+      A narrow path leads over the top of the arch to the end of the rock,
+      where, protected by a railing, the traveller seems to hang in the air. The
+      valley is far below him&mdash;mountains rise up on either side&mdash;and
+      only the narrow bridge connects him with the earth. We descended by a
+      wooden staircase to the bottom of the arch, near which a rustic inn is
+      built against the rock, and thence into the valley below, which we
+      followed through rude lonely scenery, to Hirnischkretschen (!) on the
+      Elbe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Crossing the river again for the sixth and last time, we followed the
+      right bank to Neidergrund, the first Austrian village. Here our passports
+      were visèd for Prague, and we were allowed to proceed without any
+      examination of baggage. I noticed a manifest change in our fellow
+      travelers the moment we crossed the border. They appeared anxious and
+      careful; if we happened to speak of the state of the country, they always
+      looked around to see if anybody was near, and if we even passed a workman
+      on the road, quickly changed to some other subject. They spoke much of the
+      jealous strictness of the government, and from what I heard from Austrians
+      themselves, there may have been ground for their cautiousness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We walked seven or eight miles along the bank of the Elbe, to Tetschen,
+      there left our companions and took the road to Teplitz. The scenery was
+      very picturesque; it must be delightful to float down the swift current in
+      a boat, as we saw several merry companies do. The river is just small
+      enough and the banks near enough together, to render such a mode of
+      travelling delightful, and the strength of the current would carry one to
+      Dresden in a day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was pleasantly disappointed on entering Bohemia. Instead of a dull,
+      uninteresting country, as I expected, it is a land full of the most lovely
+      scenery. There is every thing which can gratify the eye&mdash;high blue
+      mountains, valleys of the sweetest pastoral look and romantic old ruins.
+      The very name of Bohemia is associated with wild and wonderful legends, of
+      the rude barbaric ages. Even the chivalric tales of the feudal times of
+      Germany grow tame beside these earlier and darker histories. The fallen
+      fortresses of the Rhine, or the robber-castles of the Odenwald had not for
+      me so exciting an interest as the shapeless ruins cumbering these lonely
+      mountains. The civilized Saxon race was left behind; I saw around me the
+      features and heard the language of one of those rude Sclavonic tribes,
+      whose original home was on the vast steppes of Central Asia. I have rarely
+      enjoyed traveling more than our first two days' journey towards Prague.
+      The range of the Erzgebirge ran along on our right; the snow still lay in
+      patches upon it, but the valleys between, with their little clusters of
+      white cottages, were green and beautiful. About six miles before reaching
+      Teplitz, we passed Kulm, the great battle-field, which in a measure
+      decided the fate of Napoleon. He sent Vandamme with 40,000 men to attack
+      the allies before they could unite their forces, and thus effect their
+      complete destruction. Only the almost despairing bravery of the Russian
+      guards under Ostermann, who held him in check till the allied troops
+      united, prevented Napoleon's design. At the junction of the roads, where
+      the fighting was hottest, the Austrians have erected a monument to one of
+      their generals. Not far from it is that of Prussia, simple and tasteful. A
+      woody hill near, with the little village of Kulm at its foot, was the
+      station occupied by Vandamme at the commencement of the battle. There is
+      now a beautiful chapel on its summit, which can be seen far and wide. A
+      little distance further, the Emperor of Russia has erected a third
+      monument to the memory of the Russians who fell. Four lions rest on the
+      base of the pedestal, and on the top of the shaft, forty-five feet high,
+      Victory is represented as engraving the date, "Aug. 30, 1813," on a
+      shield. The dark, pine-covered mountains on the right, overlook the whole
+      field and the valley of Teplitz; Napoleon rode along their crests several
+      days after the battle, to witness the scene of his defeat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Teplitz lies in a lovely valley, several miles wide, bounded by the
+      Bohemian mountains on one side, and the Erzgebirge on the other. One
+      straggling peak near is crowned with a picturesque ruin, at whose foot the
+      spacious bath-buildings lie half hidden in foliage. As we went down the
+      principal street, I noticed nearly every house was a hotel; we learned
+      afterwards that in summer the usual average of visitors is five thousand.
+      The waters resemble those of the celebrated Carlsbad; they are warm and
+      particularly efficacious in rheumatism and diseases of like character.
+      After leaving Teplitz, the road turned to the east, towards a lofty
+      mountain, which we had seen the morning before. The peasants as they
+      passed by, saluted us with "Christ greet you!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We stopped for the night at the foot of the peak called the Milleschauer,
+      and must have ascended nearly 2,000 feet, for we had a wide view the next
+      morning, although the mists and clouds hid the half of it. The weather
+      being so unfavorable, we concluded not to ascend, and taking leave of the
+      Jena student who came there for that purpose, descended through green
+      fields and orchards snowy with blossoms, to Lobositz, on the Elbe. Here we
+      reached the plains again, where every thing wore the luxuriance of summer;
+      it was a pleasant change from the dark and rough scenery we left. The road
+      passed through Theresienstadt, the fortress of Northern Bohemia. The
+      little city is surrounded by a double wall and moat, which can be filled
+      with water, rendering it almost impossible to be taken. In the morning we
+      were ferried over the Moldau, and after journeying nearly all day across
+      barren, elevated plains, saw late in the afternoon the sixty-seven spires
+      of Prague below us! The dark clouds which hung over the hills, gave us
+      little time to look upon the singular scene; and we were soon comfortably
+      settled in the half-barbaric, half-Asiatic city, with a pleasant prospect
+      of seeing its wonders on the morrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX. &mdash; SCENES IN PRAGUE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Prague.</i>&mdash;I feel as if out of the world, in this strange,
+      fantastic, yet beautiful old city. We have been rambling all morning
+      through its winding streets, stopping sometimes at a church to see the
+      dusty tombs and shrines, or to hear the fine music which accompanies the
+      morning mass. I have seen no city yet that so forcibly reminds one of the
+      past, and makes him forget everything but the associations connected with
+      the scenes around him. The language adds to the illusion. Three-fourths of
+      the people in the streets speak Bohemian and many of the signs are written
+      in the same tongue, which is not at all like German. The palace of the
+      Bohemian kings still looks down on the city from the western heights, and
+      their tombs stand in the Cathedral of the holy Johannes. When one has
+      climbed up the stone steps lending to the fortress, there is a glorious
+      prospect before him. Prague, with its spires and towers, lies in the
+      valley below, through which curves the Moldau with its green islands,
+      disappearing among the hills which enclose the city on every side. The
+      fantastic Byzantine architecture of many of the churches and towers, gives
+      the city a peculiar oriental appearance; it seems to have been transported
+      from the hills of Syria. Its streets are full of palaces, fallen and dwelt
+      in now by the poorer classes. Its famous University, which once boasted
+      forty thousand students, has long since ceased to exist. In a word, it is,
+      like Venice, a fallen city; though as in Venice, the improving spirit of
+      the age is beginning to give it a little life, and to send a quicker
+      stream through its narrow and winding arteries. The railroad, which,
+      joining that to Brünn, shall bring it in connection with Vienna, will be
+      finished this year; in anticipation of the increased business which will
+      arise from this, speculators are building enormous hotels in the suburbs
+      and tearing down the old buildings to give place to more splendid
+      edifices. These operations, and the chain bridge which spans the Moldau
+      towards the southern end of the city, are the only things which look
+      modern&mdash;every thing else is old, strange and solemn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having found out first a few of the locations, we hunted our way with
+      difficulty through its labyrinths, seeking out every place of note or
+      interest. Reaching the bridge at last, we concluded to cross over and
+      ascend to the Hradschin&mdash;the palace of the Bohemian kings. The bridge
+      was commenced in 1357, and was one hundred and fifty years in building.
+      That was the way the old Germans did their work, and they made a structure
+      which will last a thousand years longer. Every pier is surmounted with
+      groups of saints and martyrs, all so worn and time-beaten, that there is
+      little left of their beauty, if they ever had any. The most important of
+      them, at least to Bohemians, is that of the holy "Johannes of Nepomuck,"
+      now considered as the patron-saint of the land. He was a priest many
+      centuries ago, whom one of the kings threw from the bridge into the
+      Moldau, because he refused to reveal to him what the queen confessed. The
+      legend says the body swam for some time on the river, with five stars
+      around its head. The 16th of May, the day before we arrived, was that set
+      apart for his particular honor; the statue on the bridge was covered with
+      an arch of green boughs and flowers, and the shrine lighted with burning
+      tapers. A railing was erected around it, near which numbers of the
+      believers were kneeling, and a priest stood in the inside. The bridge was
+      covered with passers-by, who all took their hats off till they had passed.
+      Had it been a place of public worship, the act would have been natural and
+      appropriate, but to uncover before a statue seemed to us too much like
+      idolatry, and we ventured over without doing it. A few years ago it might
+      have been dangerous, but now we only met with scowling looks. There are
+      many such shrines and statues through the city, and I noticed that the
+      people always took off their hats and crossed themselves in passing. On
+      the hill above the western end of the city, stands a chapel on the spot
+      where the Bavarians put an end to Protestantism in Bohemia <i>by the sword</i>,
+      and the deluded peasantry of the land make pilgrimages to this spot, as if
+      it were rendered holy by an act over which Religion weeps!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ascending the broad flight of steps to the Hradschin, I paused a moment to
+      look at the scene below. A slight blue haze hung over the clustering
+      towers, and the city looked dim through it, like a city seen in a dream.
+      It was well that it should so appear, for not less dim and misty are the
+      memories that haunt its walls. There was no need of a magician's wand to
+      bid that light cloud shadow forth the forms of other times. They came
+      uncalled for, even by fancy. Far, far back in the past, I saw the
+      warrior-princess who founded the kingly city&mdash;the renowned Libussa,
+      whose prowess and talent inspired the women of Bohemia to rise at her
+      death and storm the land that their sex might rule where it obeyed before.
+      On the mountain opposite once stood the palace of the bloody Wlaska, who
+      reigned with her Amazon band for seven years over half Bohemia. Those
+      streets below had echoed with the fiery words of Huss, and the castle of
+      his follower&mdash;the blind Ziska, who met and defeated the armies of the
+      German Empire&mdash;moulders on the mountain above. Many a year of war and
+      tempest has passed over the scene. The hills around have borne the armies
+      of Wallenstein and Frederic the Great; the war-cry of Bavaria, Sweden and
+      Poland has echoed in the valley, and the red glare of the midnight cannon
+      or the flames of burning palaces have often gleamed along the "blood-dyed
+      waters" of the Moldau!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But this was a day-dream. The throng of people coming up the steps waked
+      me out of it. We turned and followed them through several spacious courts,
+      till we arrived at the Cathedral, which is magnificent in the extreme. The
+      dark Gothic pillars, whose arches unite high above, are surrounded with
+      gilded monuments and shrines, and the side chapels are rich in elaborate
+      decorations. A priest was speaking from a pulpit in the centre, in the
+      Bohemian language, which not being the most intelligible, I went to the
+      other end to see the shrine of the holy Johannes of Nepomuck. It stands at
+      the end of one of the side aisles and is composed of a mass of gorgeous
+      silver ornaments. At a little distance, on each side, hang four massive
+      lamps of silver, constantly burning. The pyramid of statues, of the same
+      precious metal, has at each corner a richly carved urn, three feet high,
+      with a crimson lamp burning at the top. Above, four silver angels, the
+      size of life, are suspended in the air, holding up the corners of a
+      splendid drapery of crimson and gold. If these figures were melted down
+      and distributed among the poor and miserable people who inhabit Bohemia,
+      they would then be angels indeed, bringing happiness and blessing to many
+      a ruined home- altar. In the same chapel is the splendid burial-place of
+      the Bohemian kings, of gilded marble and alabaster. Numberless tombs,
+      covered with elaborate ornamental work, fill the edifice. It gives one a
+      singular feeling to stand at one end and look down the lofty hall, dim
+      with incense smoke and dark with the weight of many centuries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the way down again, we stepped into the St. Nicholas Church, which was
+      built by the Jesuits. The interior has a rich effect, being all of brown
+      and gold. The massive pillars are made to resemble reddish-brown marble,
+      with gilded capitals, and the statues at the base are profusely ornamented
+      in the same style. The music chained me there a long time. There was a
+      grand organ, assisted by a full orchestra and large choir of singers. It
+      was placed above, and at every sound of the priest's bell, the flourish of
+      trumpets and deep roll of the drums filled the dome with a burst of
+      quivering sound, while the giant pipes of the organ breathed out their
+      full harmony and the very air shook under the peal. It was like a
+      triumphal strain; the soul became filled with thoughts of power and glory&mdash;every
+      sense was changed into one dim, indistinct emotion of rapture, which held
+      the spirit as if spell-bound. I could almost forgive the Jesuits the
+      superstition and bigotry they have planted in the minds of men, for the
+      indescribable enjoyment that music gave. When it ceased, we went out to
+      the world again, and the recollection of it seems now like a dream&mdash;but
+      a dream whose influence will last longer than many a more palpable
+      reality.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not far from this place is the palace of Wallenstein, in the same
+      condition as when he inhabited it, and still in the possession of his
+      descendants. It is a plain, large building, having beautiful gardens
+      attached to it, which are open to the public. We went through the
+      courtyard, threaded a passage with a roof of rough stalactitic rock, and
+      entered the garden where a revolving fountain was casting up its
+      glittering arches. Among the flowers at the other end of the garden there
+      is a remarkable fountain. It is but a single jet of water which rises from
+      the middle of a broad basin of woven wire, but by some means it sustains a
+      hollow gilded ball, sometimes for many minutes at a time. When the ball
+      drops, the sloping sides of the basin convey it directly to the fountain
+      again, and it is carried up to dance a while longer on the top of the jet.
+      I watched it once, thus supported on the water, for full fifteen minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is another part of Prague which is not less interesting, though much
+      less poetical&mdash;the Jews' City. In our rambles we got into it before
+      we were aware, but hurried immediately out of it again, perfectly
+      satisfied with one visit. We came first into a dark, narrow street, whose
+      sides were lined with booths of old clothes and second-hand articles. A
+      sharp featured old woman thrust a coat before my face, exclaiming, "Herr,
+      buy a fine coat!" Instantly a man assailed me on the other side, "Here are
+      vests! pantaloons! shirts!" I broke loose from them and ran on, but it
+      only became worse. One seized me by the arm, crying, "<i>Lieber</i> Herr,
+      buy some stockings!" and another grasped my coat: "Hats, Herr! hats! <i>buy
+      something, or sell me something!</i>" I rushed desperately on, shouting
+      "no! no!" with all my might, and finally got safe through. My friend
+      having escaped their clutches also, we hunted the way to the old Jewish
+      cemetery. This stands in the middle of the city, and has not been used for
+      a hundred years. We could find no entrance, but by climbing upon the ruins
+      of an old house near, I could look over the wall. A cold shudder crept
+      over me, to think that warm, joyous Life, as I then felt it, should grow
+      chill and pass back to clay in such a foul charnel-house. Large mounds of
+      earth, covered with black, decaying grave-stones, which were almost hidden
+      under the weeds and rank grass, filled the inclosure. A few dark, crooked
+      alder-trees grew among the crumbling tombs, and gave the scene an air of
+      gloom and desolation, almost fearful. The dust of many a generation lies
+      under these mouldering stones; they now scarcely occupy a thought in the
+      minds of the living; and yet the present race toils and seeks for wealth
+      alone, that it may pass away and leave nothing behind&mdash;not even a
+      memory for that which will follow it!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI. &mdash; JOURNEY THROUGH EASTERN BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA TO THE
+      DANUBE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Our road the first two days after leaving Prague led across broad,
+      elevated plains, across which a cold wind came direct from the summits of
+      the Riesengebirge, far to our left. Were it not for the pleasant view we
+      had of the rich valley of the Upper Elbe, which afforded a delightful
+      relief to the monotony of the hills around us, the journey would have been
+      exceedingly tiresome. The snow still glistened on the distant mountains;
+      but when the sun shone out, the broad valley below, clad in the luxuriance
+      of summer, and extending for at least fifty miles with its woods, meadows
+      and white villages, looked like a real Paradise. The long ridges over
+      which we travelled extend for nearly a hundred and fifty miles&mdash;from
+      the Elbe almost to the Danube. The soil is not fertile, the inhabitants
+      are exceedingly poor, and from our own experience, the climate must be
+      unhealthy. In winter the country is exposed to the full sweep of the
+      northern winds, and in summer the sun shines down on it with unbroken
+      force. There are few streams running through it, and the highest part,
+      which divides the waters of the Baltic from those of the Black Sea is
+      filled for a long distance with marshes and standing pools, whose
+      exhalations must inevitably subject the inhabitants to disease. This was
+      perceptible in their sallow, sickly countenances; many of the women are
+      afflicted with the <i>goitre</i>, or swelling of the throat; I noticed
+      that towards evening they always carefully muffled up their faces.
+      According to their own statements, the people suffer much from the cold in
+      winter, as the few forests the country affords are in possession of the
+      noblemen to whom the land belongs, and they are not willing to let them be
+      cut down. The dominions of these petty despots are marked along the road
+      with as much precision as the boundaries of an empire; we saw sometimes
+      their stalely castles at a distance, forming quite a contrast to the poor
+      scattering villages of the peasants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At Kollin, the road, which had been running eastward in the direction of
+      Olmutz, turned to the south, and we took leave of the Elbe, after tracing
+      back his course from Magdeburg nearly to his home in the mountains of
+      Silesia. The country was barren and monotonous, but a bright sunshine made
+      it look somewhat cheerful. We passed, every few paces, some shrine or
+      statue by the roadside. This had struck me, immediately on crossing the
+      border, in the Saxon Switzerland&mdash;it seemed as if the boundary of
+      Saxony was that of Protestantism. But here in the heart of Bohemia, the
+      extent to which this image worship is carried, exceeds anything I had
+      imagined. There is something pleasing as well as poetical in the idea of a
+      shrine by the wayside, where the weary traveller can rest, and raise his
+      heart in thankfulness to the Power that protects him; it was no doubt a
+      pious spirit that placed them there; but the people appear to pay the
+      reverence to the picture which they should give to its spiritual image,
+      and the pictures themselves are so shocking and ghastly, they seem better
+      calculated to excite horror than reverence. It was really repulsive to
+      look on images of the Saviour covered with blood, and generally with
+      swords sticking in different parts of the body. The Almighty is
+      represented as an old man, wearing a Bishop's mitre, and the image of the
+      Virgin is always drest in a gay silk robe, with beads and other ornaments.
+      From the miserable painting, the faces often had an expression that would
+      have been exceedingly ludicrous, if the shock given to our feelings of
+      reverence were not predominant. The poor, degraded peasants always
+      uncovered or crossed themselves when passing by these shrines, but it
+      appeared to be rather the effect of habit than any good impulse, for the
+      Bohemians are noted all over Germany for their dishonesty; we learned by
+      experience they deserve it. It is not to be wondered at either; for a
+      people so poor and miserable and oppressed will soon learn to take
+      advantage of all who appear better off than themselves. They had one
+      custom which was touching and beautiful. At the sound of the church bell,
+      as it rung the morning, noon and evening chimes, every one uncovered, and
+      repeated to himself a prayer. Often, as we rested at noon on a bank by the
+      roadside, that voice spoke out from the house of worship and every one
+      heeded its tone. Would that to this innate spirit of reverence were added
+      the light of Knowledge, which a tyrannical government denies them!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The third night of our journey we stopped at the little village of
+      Stecken, and the next morning, after three hours' walk over the ridgy
+      heights, reached the old Moravian city of Iglau, built on a hill. It
+      happened to be <i>Corpus Christi</i> day, and the peasants of the
+      neighborhood were hastening there in their gayest dresses. The young women
+      wore a crimson scarf around the head, with long fringed and embroidered
+      ends hanging over the shoulders, or falling in one smooth fold from the
+      back of the head. They were attired in black velvet vests, with full white
+      sleeves and skirts of some gay color, which were short enough to show to
+      advantage their red stockings and polished shoe-buckles. Many of them were
+      not deficient in personal beauty&mdash;there was a gipsy-like wildness in
+      their eyes, that combined with their rich hair and graceful costume,
+      reminded me of the Italian maidens. The towns too, with their open squares
+      and arched passages, have quite a southern look; but the damp, gloomy
+      weather was enough to dispel any illusion of this kind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the neighborhood of Iglau, and, in fact, through the whole of Bohemia,
+      we saw some of the strangest teams that could well be imagined. I thought
+      the Frankfort milkwomen with their donkeys and hearse-like carts, were
+      comical objects enough, but they bear no comparison with these Bohemian
+      turn-outs. Dogs&mdash;for economy's sake, perhaps&mdash;generally supply
+      the place of oxen or horses, and it is no uncommon thing to see three
+      large mastiffs abreast, harnessed to a country-cart. A donkey and a cow
+      together, are sometimes met with, and one man, going to the festival at
+      Iglau, had his wife and children in a little wagon, drawn by a dog and a
+      donkey. These two, however, did not work well together; the dog would bite
+      his lazy companion, and the man's time was constantly employed in whipping
+      him off the donkey, and in whipping the donkey away from the side of the
+      road. Once I saw a wagon drawn by a dog, with a woman pushing behind,
+      while a man, doubtless her lord and master, sat comfortably within,
+      smoking his pipe with the greatest complacency! The very climax of all was
+      a woman and a dog harnessed <i>together</i>, taking a load of country
+      produce to market! I hope, for the honor of the country, it was not
+      emblematic of woman's condition there. But as we saw hundreds of them
+      breaking stone along the road, and occupied at other laborious and not
+      less menial labor, there is too much reason to fear that it is so.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we approached Iglau, we heard cannon firing; the crowd increased, and
+      following the road, we came to an open square, where a large number were
+      already assembled; shrines were erected around it, hung with pictures and
+      pine boughs, and a long procession of children was passing down the side
+      as we entered. We went towards the middle, where Neptune and his Tritons
+      poured the water from their urns into two fountains, and stopped to
+      observe the scene. The procession came on, headed by a large body of
+      priests, in white robes, with banners and crosses. They stopped before the
+      principal shrine, in front of the Rathhaus, and began a solemn religious
+      ceremony. The whole crowd of not less than ten thousand persons, stood
+      silent and uncovered, and the deep voice of the officiating priest was
+      heard over the whole square. At times the multitude sang responses, and I
+      could mark the sound, swelling and rolling up like a mighty wave, till it
+      broke and slowly sank down again to the deepest stillness. The effect was
+      marred by the rough voice of the officers commanding the soldiery, and the
+      volleys of musquetry which were occasionally discharged. It degraded the
+      solemnity of the pageant to the level of a military parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon we were overtaken by a travelling <i>handwerker</i>, on
+      his way to Vienna, who joined company with us. We walked several miles
+      together, talking on various matters, without his having the least
+      suspicion we were not Germans. He had been at Trieste, and at length began
+      speaking of the great beauty of the American vessels there. "Yes," said I,
+      "<i>our</i> vessels are admired all over the world." He stared at me
+      without comprehending;&mdash;"<i>your</i> vessels?" "Our country's," I
+      replied; "we are Americans!" I can see still his look of incredulous
+      astonishment and hear the amazed tone with which he cried: "<i>You</i>
+      Americans&mdash;it is impossible!" We convinced him nevertheless, to his
+      great joy, for all through Germany there is a curiosity to see our
+      countrymen and a kindly feeling towards them. "I shall write down in my
+      book," said he, "so that I shall never forget it, that I once travelled
+      with two Americans!" We stopped together for the night at the only inn in
+      a large, beggarly village, where we obtained a frugal supper with
+      difficulty, for a regiment of Polish lancers was quartered there for the
+      night, and the pretty <i>Kellnerin</i> was so busy in waiting on the
+      officers that she had no eye for wandering journeymen, as she took us to
+      be. She even told us the beds were all occupied and we must sleep on the
+      floor. Just then the landlord came by. "Is it possible, Herr Landlord,"
+      asked our new companion, "that there is no bed here for us? Have the
+      goodness to look again, for we are not in the habit of sleeping on the
+      floor, like dogs!" This speech had its effect, for the <i>Kellnerin</i>
+      was commanded to find us beds. She came back unwillingly after a time and
+      reported that <i>two</i>, only, were vacant. As a German bed is only a
+      yard wide, we pushed these two together, but they were still too small for
+      three persons, and I had a severe cold in the morning, from sleeping
+      crouched up against the damp wall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next day we passed the dividing ridge which separates the waters of
+      the Elbe from the Danube, and in the evening arrived at Znaim, the capital
+      of Moravia. It is built on a steep hill looking down on the valley of the
+      Thaya, whose waters mingle with the Danube near Pressburg. The old castle
+      on the height near, was formerly the residence of the Moravian monarchs,
+      and traces of the ancient walls and battlements of the city are still to
+      be seen. The handwerker took us to the inn frequented by his craft&mdash;the
+      leather-curriers&mdash;and we conversed together till bed-time. While
+      telling me of the oppressive laws of Austria, the degrading vassalage of
+      the peasants and the horrors of the conscription system, he paused as in
+      deep thought, and looking at me with a suppressed sigh, said: "Is it not
+      true, America is free?" I told him of our country and her institutions,
+      adding that though we were not yet as free as we hoped and wished to be,
+      we enjoyed far more liberty than any country in the world. "Ah!" said he,
+      "it is hard to leave one's fatherland oppressed as it is, but I wish I
+      could go to America!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left next morning at eight o'clock, after having done full justice to
+      the beds of the "Golden Stag," and taken leave of Florian Francke, the
+      honest and hearty old landlord. Znaim appears to great advantage from the
+      Vienna road; the wind which blew with fury against our backs, would not
+      permit us to look long at it, but pushed us on towards the Austrian
+      border. In the course of three hours we were obliged to stop at a little
+      village; it blew a perfect hurricane and the rain began to soak through
+      our garments. Here we stayed three hours among the wagoners who stopped on
+      account of the weather. One miserable, drunken wretch, whom one would not
+      wish to look at more than once, distinguished himself by insulting those
+      around him, and devouring like a beast, large quantities of food. When the
+      reckoning was given him, he declared he had already paid, and the waiter
+      denying it, he said, "Stop, I will show you something!" pulled out his
+      passport and pointed to the name&mdash;"Baron von Reitzenstein." It
+      availed nothing; he had fallen so low that his title inspired no respect,
+      and when we left the inn they were still endeavoring to get their money
+      and threatening him with a summary proceeding if the demand was not
+      complied with.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning the sky was clear and a glorious day opened before us. The
+      country became more beautiful as we approached the Danube; the hills were
+      covered with vineyards, just in the tender green of their first leaves,
+      and the rich valleys lay in Sabbath stillness in the warm sunshine.
+      Sometimes from an eminence we could see far and wide over the garden-like
+      slopes, where little white villages shone among the blossoming
+      fruit-trees. A chain of blue hills rose in front, which I knew almost
+      instinctively stood by the Danube; when we climbed to the last height and
+      began to descend to the valley, where the river was still hidden by
+      luxuriant groves, I saw far to the southwest, a range of faint, silvery
+      summits, rising through the dim ether like an airy vision. There was no
+      mistaking those snowy mountains. My heart bounded with a sudden thrill of
+      rapturous excitement at this first view of <i>the Alps!</i> They were at a
+      great distance, and their outline was almost blended with the blue drapery
+      of air which clothed them. I gazed till my vision became dim and I could
+      no longer trace their airy lines. They called up images blended with the
+      grandest events in the world's history. I thought of the glorious spirits
+      who have looked upon them and trodden their rugged sides&mdash;of the
+      storms in which they veil their countenances, and the avalanches they hurl
+      thundering to the valleys&mdash;of the voices of great deeds, which have
+      echoed from their crags over the wide earth&mdash;and of the ages which
+      have broken, like the waves of a mighty sea, upon their everlasting
+      summits!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we descended, the hills and forests shut out this sublime vision, and I
+      looked to the wood-clothed mountains opposite and tried to catch a glimpse
+      of the current that rolled at their feet. We here entered upon a rich
+      plain, about ten miles in diameter, which lay between a backward sweep of
+      the hills and a curve of the Danube. It was covered with the richest
+      grain; every thing wore the luxuriance of summer, and we seemed to have
+      changed seasons since leaving the dreary hills of Bohemia. Continuing over
+      the plain, we had on our left the fields of Wagram and Essling, the scene
+      of two of Napoleon's blood-bought victories. The outposts of the
+      Carpathians skirted the horizon&mdash;that great mountain range which
+      stretches through Hungary to the borders of Russia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length the road came to the river's side, and we crossed on wooden
+      bridges over two or three arms of the Danube, all of which together were
+      little wider than the Schuylkill at Philadelphia. When we crossed the last
+      bridge, we came to a kind of island covered with groves of the silver ash.
+      Crowds of people filled the cool walks; booths of refreshment stood by the
+      roadside, and music was everywhere heard. The road finally terminated in a
+      circle, where beautiful alleys radiated into the groves; from the opposite
+      side a broad street lined with stately buildings extended into the heart
+      of the city, and through this avenue, filled with crowds of carriages and
+      people on their way to those delightful walks, we entered Vienna!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. &mdash; VIENNA.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>May 31.</i>&mdash;I have at last seen the thousand wonders of this
+      great capital&mdash;this German Paris&mdash;this connecting link between
+      the civilization of Europe and the barbaric magnificence of the East. It
+      looks familiar to be in a city again, whose streets are thronged with
+      people, and resound with the din and bustle of business. It reminds me of
+      the never-ending crowds of London, or the life and tumult of our scarcely
+      less active New York. Although the end may be sordid for which so many are
+      laboring, yet the very sight of so much activity is gratifying. It is
+      peculiarly so to an American. After residing in a foreign land for some
+      time, the peculiarities of our nation are more easily noticed; I find in
+      my countrymen abroad a vein of restless energy&mdash;a love for exciting
+      action&mdash;which to many of our good German friends is perfectly
+      incomprehensible. It might have been this which gave at once a favorable
+      impression of Vienna.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The morning of our arrival we sallied out from our lodgings in the
+      Leopoldstadt, to explore the world before us. Entering the broad
+      Praterstrasse, we passed down to the little arm of the Danube, which
+      separates this part of the new city from the old. A row of magnificent
+      coffee-houses occupy the bank, and numbers of persons were taking their
+      breakfasts in the shady porticoes. The Ferdinand's Bridge, which crosses
+      the stream, was filled with people; in the motley crowd we saw the
+      dark-eyed Greek, and Turks in their turbans and flowing robes. Little
+      brown Hungarian boys were going around, selling bunches of lilies, and
+      Italians with baskets of oranges stood by the side-walk. The throng became
+      greater as we penetrated into the old city. The streets were filled with
+      carts and carriages, and as there are no side-pavements, it required
+      constant attention to keep out of their way. Splendid shops, fitted up
+      with great taste, occupied the whole of the lower stories, and goods of
+      all kinds hung beneath the canvass awnings in front of them. Almost every
+      store or shop was dedicated to some particular person or place, which was
+      represented on a large panel by the door. The number of these paintings
+      added much to the splendor of the scene; I was gratified to find, among
+      the images of kings and dukes, one dedicated "<i>to the American</i>,"
+      with an Indian chief in full costume.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The <i>Altstadt</i>, or old city, which contains about sixty thousand
+      inhabitants, is completely separated from the suburbs, whose population,
+      taking the whole extent within the outer barrier, numbers nearly half a
+      million. It is situated on a small arm of the Danube, and encompassed by a
+      series of public promenades, gardens and walks, varying from a quarter to
+      half a mile in length, called the Glacis. This formerly belonged to the
+      fortifications of the city, but as the suburbs grew up so rapidly on all
+      sides, it was changed appropriately to a public walk. The city is still
+      surrounded with a massive wall and a deep wide moat; but since it was
+      taken by Napoleon in 1809, the moat has been changed into a garden, with a
+      beautiful carriage road along the bottom, around the whole city. It is a
+      beautiful sight, to stand on the summit of the wall and look over the
+      broad Glacis, with its shady roads branching in every direction, and
+      filled with inexhaustible streams of people. The Vorstaedte, or new
+      cities, stretch in a circle around, beyond this; all the finest buildings
+      front on the Glacis, among which the splendid Vienna Theatre and the
+      church of San Carlo Borromeo are conspicuous. The mountains of the Vienna
+      Forest bound the view, with here and there a stately castle on their woody
+      summits. I was reminded of London as seen from Regent's Park, and truly
+      this part of Vienna can well compare with it. On penetrating into the
+      suburbs, the resemblance is at an end. Many of the public thoroughfares
+      are still unpaved, and in dry weather one is almost choked by the clouds
+      of fine dust. A furious wind blows from the mountains, sweeping the
+      streets almost constantly and filling the eyes and ears with it, making
+      the city an unhealthy residence for strangers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is no lack of places for pleasure or amusement. Beside the
+      numberless walks of the Glacis, there are the Imperial Gardens, with their
+      cool shades and flowers and fountains; the Augarten, laid out and opened
+      to the public by the Emperor Joseph: and the Prater, the largest and most
+      beautiful of all. It lies on an island formed by the arms of the Danube,
+      and is between two and three miles square. From the circle at the end of
+      the Praterstrasse, broad carriage-ways extend through its forests of oak
+      and silver ash, and over its verdant lawns to the principal stream, which
+      bounds it on the north. These roads are lined with stately horse chesnuts,
+      whose branches unite and form a dense canopy, completely shutting out the
+      sun. Every afternoon the beauty and nobility of Vienna whirl through the
+      cool groves in their gay equipages, while the sidewalks are thronged with
+      pedestrians, and the numberless tables and seats with which every house of
+      refreshment is surrounded, are filled with merry guests. Here, on Sundays
+      and holidays, the people repair in thousands. The woods are full of tame
+      deer, which run perfectly free over the whole Prater. I saw several in one
+      of the lawns, lying down in the grass, with a number of children playing
+      around or sitting beside them. It is delightful to walk there in the cool
+      of the evening, when the paths are crowded, and everybody is enjoying the
+      release from the dusty city. It is this free, social life which renders
+      Vienna so attractive to foreigners and draws yearly thousands of visitors
+      from all parts of Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      St. Stephen's Cathedral, in the centre of the old city, is one of the
+      finest specimens of Gothic architecture in Germany. Its unrivalled tower,
+      which rises to the height of four hundred and twenty-eight feet, is
+      visible from every part of Vienna. It is entirely of stone, most
+      elaborately ornamented, and is supposed to be the strongest in Europe. If
+      the tower was finished, it might rival any church in Europe in richness
+      and brilliancy of appearance. The inside is solemn and grand; but the
+      effect is injured by the number of small chapels and shrines. In one of
+      these rests, the remains of Prince Eugene of Savoy, "<i>der edle Ritter</i>,"
+      known in a ballad to every man, woman and child in Germany.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Belvidere Gallery fills thirty-five halls, and contains three thousand
+      pictures! It is absolutely bewildering to walk through such vast
+      collections; you can do no more than glance at each painting, and hurry by
+      face after face, and figure after figure, on which you would willingly
+      gaze for hours and inhale the atmosphere of beauty that surrounds them.
+      Then after you leave, the brain is filled with their forms&mdash;radiant
+      spirit-faces look upon you, and you see constantly, in fancy, the calm
+      brow of a Madonna, the sweet young face of a child, or the blending of
+      divine with mortal beauty in an angel's countenance. I endeavor, if
+      possible, always to make several visits&mdash;to study those pictures
+      which cling <i>first</i> to the memory, and pass over those which make
+      little or no impression. It is better to have a few images fresh and
+      enduring, than a confused and indistinct memory of many.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the number of Madonnas in every European gallery, it would almost
+      seem that the old artists painted nothing else. The subject is one which
+      requires the highest genius to do it justice, and it is therefore
+      unpleasant to see so many still, inexpressive faces of the virgin and
+      child, particularly by the Dutch artists, who clothe their figures
+      sometimes in the stiff costume of their own time. Raphael and Murillo
+      appear to me to be almost the only painters who have expressed what,
+      perhaps, was above the power of other masters&mdash;the combined love and
+      reverence of the mother, and the divine expression in the face of the
+      child, prophetic of his mission and godlike power.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were many glorious old paintings in the second story, which is
+      entirely taken up with pictures; two or three of the halls were devoted to
+      selected works from modern artists. Two of these I would give every thing
+      I have to possess. One of them is a winter scene, representing the portico
+      of an old Gothic church. At the base of one of the pillars a woman is
+      seated in the snow, half-benumbed, clasping an infant to her breast, while
+      immediately in front stands a boy of perhaps seven or eight years, his
+      little hands folded in prayer, while the chill wind tosses the long curls
+      from his forehead. There is something so pure and holy in the expression
+      of his childish countenance, so much feeling in the lip and sorrowful eye,
+      that it moves one almost to tears to look upon it. I turned back half a
+      dozen times from the other pictures to view it again, and blessed the
+      artist in my heart for the lesson he gave. The other is by a young Italian
+      painter, whose name I have forgotten, but who, if he never painted
+      anything else, is worthy a high place among the artists of his country. It
+      represents some scene from the history of Venice. On an open piazza, a
+      noble prisoner, wasted and pale from long confinement, has just had an
+      interview with his children. He reaches his arm toward them as if for the
+      last time, while a savage keeper drags him away. A lovely little girl
+      kneels at the feet of the Doge, but there is no compassion in his stern
+      features, and it is easy to see that her father is doomed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Lower Belvidere, separated from the Upper by a large garden, laid out
+      in the style of that at Versailles, contains the celebrated <i>Ambraser
+      Sammlung</i>, a collection of armor. In the first hall I noticed the
+      complete armor of the Emperor Maximilian, for man and horse&mdash;the
+      armor of Charles V., and Prince Moritz of Saxony, while the walls were
+      filled with figures of German nobles and knights, in the suits they wore
+      in life. There is also the armor of the great "Baver of Trient," trabant
+      of the Archduke Ferdinand. He was nearly nine feet in stature, and his
+      spear, though not equal to Satan's, in Paradise Lost, would still make a
+      tree of tolerable dimensions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the second hall we saw weapons taken from the Turkish army who besieged
+      Vienna, with the horse-tail standards of the Grand Vizier, Kara Mustapha.
+      The most interesting article was the battle-axe of the unfortunate
+      Montezuma, which was probably given to the Emperor Charles V., by Cortez.
+      It is a plain instrument of dark colored stone, about three feet long.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We also visited the <i>Bürgerliche Zeughaus</i>, a collection of arms and
+      weapons, belonging to the citizens of Vienna. It contains sixteen thousand
+      weapons and suits of armor, including those plundered from the Turks, when
+      John Sobieski conquered them and relieved Vienna from the siege. Besides a
+      great number of sabres, lances and horsetails, there is the blood-red
+      banner of the Grand Vizier, as well as his skull and shroud, which is
+      covered with sentences from the Koran. On his return to Belgrade, after
+      the defeat at Vienna, the Sultan sent him a bow-string, and he was
+      accordingly strangled. The Austrians having taken Belgrade some time
+      after, they opened his grave and carried off his skull and shroud, as well
+      as the bow-string, as relics. Another large and richly embroidered banner,
+      which hung in a broad sheet from the ceiling, was far more interesting to
+      me. It had once waved from the vessels of the Knights of Malta, and had,
+      perhaps, on the prow of the Grand Master's ship, led that romantic band to
+      battle against the Infidel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A large number of peasants and common soldiers were admitted to view the
+      armory at the same time. The grave <i>custode</i> who showed us the
+      curiosities, explaining every thing in phrases known by heart for years
+      and making the same starts of admiration whenever he came to any thing
+      peculiarly remarkable, singled us out as the two persons most worthy of
+      attention. Accordingly his remarks were directed entirely to us, and his
+      humble countrymen might as well have been invisible, for the notice he
+      took of them. On passing out, we gave him a coin worth about fifteen
+      cents, which happened to be so much more than the others gave him, that,
+      bowing graciously, he invited us to write our names in the album for
+      strangers. While we were doing this, a poor handwerker lingered behind,
+      apparently for the same object, whom he scornfully dismissed, shaking the
+      fifteen cent piece in his hand, and saying: "The album is not for such as
+      you&mdash;it is for noble gentlemen!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On our way through the city, we often noticed a house on the southern side
+      of St. Stephen's Platz, dedicated to "the Iron Stick." In a niche by the
+      window, stood what appeared to be the limb of a tree, completely filled
+      with nails, which were driven in so thick that no part of the original
+      wood is visible. We learned afterwards the legend concerning it. The
+      Vienna Forest is said to have extended, several hundred years ago, to this
+      place. A locksmith's apprentice was enabled, by the devil's help, to make
+      the iron bars and padlock which confine the limb in its place; every
+      locksmith's apprentice who came to Vienna after that, drove a nail into
+      it, till finally there was room for no more. It is a singular legend, and
+      whoever may have placed the limb there originally, there it has remained
+      for two or three hundred years at least.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We spent two or three hours delightfully one evening in listening to
+      Strauss's band. We went about sunset to the Odeon, a new building in the
+      Leopoldstadt. It has a refreshment hall nearly five hundred feet long,
+      with a handsome fresco ceiling and glass doors opening into a garden walk
+      of the same length. Both the hall and garden were filled with tables,
+      where the people seated themselves as they came, and conversed sociably
+      over their coffee and wine. The orchestra was placed in a little
+      ornamental temple in the garden, in front of which I stationed myself, for
+      I was anxious to see the world's waltz-king, whose magic tones can set the
+      heels of half Christendom in motion. After the band had finished tuning
+      their instruments, a middle-sized, handsome man stepped forward with long
+      strides, with a violin in one hand and bow in the other, and began waving
+      the latter up and down, like a magician summoning his spirits. As if he
+      had waved the sound out of his bow, the tones leaped forth from the
+      instruments, and guided by his eye and hand, fell into a merry measure.
+      The accuracy with which every instrument performed its part, was truly
+      marvellous. He could not have struck the measure or the harmony more
+      certainly from the keys of his own piano, than from that large band. The
+      sounds struggled forth, so perfect and distinct, that one almost expected
+      to see them embodied, whirling in wild dance around him. Sometimes the air
+      was so exquisitely light and bounding, the feet could scarcely keep on the
+      earth; then it sank into a mournful lament, with a sobbing tremulousness,
+      and died away in a long-breathed sigh. Strauss seemed to feel the music in
+      every limb. He would wave his fiddle-bow awhile, then commence playing
+      with desperate energy, moving his whole body to the measure, till the
+      sweat rolled from his brow. A book was lying on the stand before him, but
+      he made no use of it. He often glanced around with a kind of
+      half-triumphant smile at the restless crowd, whose feet could scarcely be
+      restrained from bounding to the magic measure. It was the horn of Oberon
+      realized. The composition of the music displayed great talent, but its
+      charm consisted more in the exquisite combination of the different
+      instruments, and the perfect, the wonderful exactness with which each
+      performed its part&mdash;a piece of art of the most elaborate and refined
+      character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The company, which consisted of several hundred, appeared to be full of
+      enjoyment. They sat under the trees in the calm, cool twilight, with the
+      stars twinkling above, and talked and laughed sociably together between
+      the pauses of the music, or strolled up and down the lighted alleys. We
+      walked up and down with them, and thought how much we should enjoy such a
+      scene at home, where the faces around us would be those of friends, and
+      the language our mother tongue!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We went a long way through the suburbs one bright afternoon, to a little
+      cemetery about a mile from the city, to find the grave of Beethoven. On
+      ringing at the gate a girl admitted us into the grounds, in which are many
+      monuments of noble families who have vaults there. I passed up the narrow
+      walk, reading the inscriptions, till I came to the tomb of Franz Clement,
+      a young composer, who died two or three years ago. On turning again, my
+      eye fell instantly on the word "BEETHOVEN," in golden letters, on a
+      tombstone of gray marble. A simple gilded lyre decorated the pedestal,
+      above which was a serpent encircling a butterfly&mdash;the emblem of
+      resurrection to eternal life. Here then, mouldered the remains of that
+      restless spirit, who seemed to have strayed to earth from another clime,
+      from such a height did he draw his glorious conceptions. The perfection he
+      sought for here in vain, he has now attained in a world where the soul is
+      freed from the bars which bind it in this. There were no flowers planted
+      around the tomb by those who revered his genius; only one wreath, withered
+      and dead, lay among the grass, as if left long ago by some solitary
+      pilgrim, and a few wild buttercups hung with their bright blossoms over
+      the slab. It might have been wrong, but I could not resist the temptation
+      to steal one or two, while the old grave-digger was busy preparing a new
+      tenement. I thought that other buds would open in a few days, but those I
+      took would be treasured many a year as sacred relics. A few paces off is
+      the grave of Schubert, the composer, whose beautiful songs are heard all
+      over Germany.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would employ one a week to visit all the rich collections of art in
+      Vienna. They are all open to the public on certain days of the week, and
+      we have been kept constantly in motion, running from one part of the city
+      to another, in order to arrive at some gallery at the appointed time.
+      Tickets, which have to be procured often in quite different parts of the
+      city, are necessary for admittance to many; on applying after much trouble
+      and search, we frequently found we came at the wrong hour, and must leave
+      without effecting our object. We employed no guide, but preferred finding
+      every thing ourselves. We made a list every morning, of the collections
+      open during the day, and employed the rest of the time in visiting the
+      churches and public gardens, or rambling through the suburbs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We visited the Imperial Library a day or two ago. The hall is 245 feet
+      long, with a magnificent dome in the centre, under which stands the statue
+      of Charles V., of Carrara marble, surrounded by twelve other monarchs of
+      the house of Hapsburg. The walls are of variegated marble, richly
+      ornamented with gold, and the ceiling and dome are covered with brilliant
+      fresco paintings. The library numbers 300,000 volumes, and 16,000
+      manuscripts, which are kept in walnut cases, gilded and adorned with
+      medallions. The rich and harmonious effect of the whole cannot easily be
+      imagined. It is exceedingly appropriate that a hall of such splendor,
+      should be used to hold a library. The pomp of a palace may seem hollow and
+      vain, for it is but the dwelling of a man; but no building can be too
+      magnificent for the hundreds of great and immortal spirits to dwell in,
+      who have visited earth during thirty centuries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among other curiosities preserved in the collection, we were shown a brass
+      plate, containing one of the records of the Roman Senate, made 180 years
+      before Christ, Greek manuscripts of the fifth and sixth centuries, and a
+      volume of Psalms, printed on parchment, in the year 1457, by Faust and
+      Schaeffer, the inventors of printing. There were also Mexican manuscripts,
+      presented by Cortez; the prayer-book of Hildegard, wife of Charlemagne, in
+      letters of gold; the signature of San Carlo Borromeo, and a Greek
+      testament of the thirteenth century, which had been used by Erasmus in
+      making his translation and contains notes in his own hand. The most
+      interesting article was the "Jerusalem Delivered" of Tasso, in the poet's
+      own hand, with his erasions and corrections.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We also visited the Cabinet of Natural History, which is open twice a week
+      "to all <i>respectably dressed</i> persons," as the notice at the door
+      says. But Heaven forbid that I should attempt to describe what we saw
+      there. The Mineral Cabinet had a greater interest to me, inasmuch as it
+      called up the recollections of many a school-boy ramble over the hills and
+      into all kinds of quarries, far and near. It is said to be the most
+      perfect collection in existence. I was pleased to find many old
+      acquaintances there, from the mines of Pennsylvania; Massachusetts and New
+      York were also very well represented. I had no idea before, that the
+      mineral wealth of Austria was so great. Besides the iron and lead mines
+      among the hills of Styria and the quicksilver of Idria, there is no small
+      amount of gold and silver found, and the Carpathian mountains are rich in
+      jasper, opal and lapiz lazuli. The largest opal ever found, was in this
+      collection. It weighs thirty-four ounces and looks like a condensed
+      rainbow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In passing the palace, we saw several persons entering the basement story
+      under the Library, and had the curiosity to follow them. By so doing, we
+      saw the splendid equipages of the house of Austria. There must have been
+      near a hundred carriages and sleds, of every shape and style, from the
+      heavy, square vehicle of the last century to the most light and elegant
+      conveyance of the present day. One clumsy, but magnificent machine, of
+      crimson and gold, was pointed out as being a hundred and fifty years old.
+      The misery we witnessed in starving Bohemia, formed a striking contrast to
+      all this splendor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beside the Imperial Picture Gallery, there are several belonging to
+      princes and noblemen in Vienna, which are scarcely less valuable. The most
+      important of these is that of Prince Liechtenstein, which we visited
+      yesterday. We applied to the porter's lodge for admittance to the gallery,
+      but he refused to open it for two persons; as we did not wish a long walk
+      for nothing, we concluded to wait for other visitors. Presently a
+      gentleman and lady came and inquired if the gallery was open. We told him
+      it would probably be opened now, although the porter required a larger
+      number, and he went to ask. After a short time he returned, saying: "He
+      will come immediately; I thought best to put the number a little higher,
+      and so I told him there were <i>six</i> of us!" Having little artistic
+      knowledge of paintings, I judge of them according to the effect they
+      produce upon me&mdash;in proportion as they gratify the innate love for
+      the beautiful and the true. I have been therefore disappointed in some
+      painters whose names are widely known, and surprised again to find works
+      of great beauty by others of smaller fame. Judging by such a standard, I
+      should say that "Cupid sleeping in the lap of Venus," by Correggio, is the
+      glory of this collection. The beautiful limbs of the boy-god droop in the
+      repose of slumber, as his head rests on his mother's knee, and there is a
+      smile lingering around his half-parted lips, as if he was dreaming new
+      triumphs. The face is not that of the wicked, mischief-loving child, but
+      rather a sweet cherub, bringing a blessing to all he visits. The figure of
+      the goddess is exquisite. Her countenance, unearthly in its loveliness,
+      expresses the tenderness of a young mother, as she sits with one finger
+      pressed on her rosy lip, watching his slumber. It is a picture which
+      "stings the brain with beauty."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chapel of St. Augustine contains one of the best works of Canova&mdash;the
+      monument of the Grand Duchess, Maria Christina, of Sachsen-Teschen. It is
+      a pyramid of gray marble, twenty-eight feet high, with an opening in the
+      side, representing the entrance to a sepulchre. A female figure
+      personating Virtue bears in an urn to the grave, the ashes of the
+      departed, attended by two children with torches. The figure of Compassion
+      follows, leading an aged beggar to the tomb of his benefactor, and a
+      little child with its hands folded. On the lower step rests a mourning
+      Genius beside a sleeping lion, and a bas-relief on the pyramid above
+      represents an angel carrying Christina's image, surrounded with the emblem
+      of eternity, to Heaven. A spirit of deep sorrow, which is touchingly
+      portrayed in the countenance of the old man, pervades the whole group.
+      While we looked at it, the organ breathed out a slow, mournful strain,
+      which harmonized so fully with the expression of the figures, that we
+      seemed to be listening to the requiem of the one they mourned. The
+      combined effect of music and sculpture, thus united in their deep pathos,
+      was such, that I could have sat down and wept. It was not from sadness at
+      the death of a benevolent though unknown individual,&mdash;but the feeling
+      of grief, of perfect, unmingled sorrow, so powerfully represented, came to
+      the heart like an echo of its own emotion, and carried it away with
+      irresistible influence. Travellers have described the same feeling while
+      listening to the Miserere in the Sistine Chapel, at Rome. Canova could not
+      have chiseled the monument without tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of the most interesting objects in Vienna, is the Imperial Armory. We
+      were admitted through tickets previously procured from the Armory
+      Direction; as there was already one large company within, we were told to
+      wait in the court till our turn came. Around the wall on the inside, is
+      suspended the enormous chain which the Turks stretched across the Danube
+      at Buda, in the year 1529, to obstruct the navigation. It has eight
+      thousand links and is nearly a mile in length. The court is filled with
+      cannon of all shapes and sizes, many of which were conquered from other
+      nations. I saw a great many which were cast during the French Revolution,
+      with the words "<i>Liberté! Egalité!</i>" upon them, and a number of
+      others bearing the simple letter "N."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally the first company came down and the forty or fifty persons who had
+      collected during the interval, were admitted. The Armory runs around a
+      hollow square, and must be at least a quarter of a mile in length. We were
+      all taken into a circular hall, made entirely of weapons, to represent the
+      four quarters of the globe. Here the crusty old guide who admitted us,
+      rapped with his stick on the shield of an old knight who stood near, to
+      keep silence, and then addressed us: "When I speak every one must be
+      silent. No one can write or draw anything. No one shall touch anything, or
+      go to look at anything else, before I have done speaking. Otherwise, they
+      shall be taken immediately into the street again!" Thus in every hall he
+      rapped and scolded, driving the women to one side with his stick and the
+      men to the other, till we were nearly through, when the thought of the
+      coming fee made him a little more polite. He had a regular set of
+      descriptions by heart, which he went through with a great flourish,
+      pointing particularly to the common military caps of the late Emperors of
+      Prussia and Austria, as "treasures beyond all price to the nation!"
+      Whereupon, the crowd of common people gazed reverently on the shabby
+      beavers, and I verily believe, would have devoutly kissed them, had the
+      glass covering been removed. I happened to be next to a tall, dignified
+      young man, who looked on all this with a displeasure almost amounting to
+      contempt. Seeing I was a foreigner, he spoke, in a low tone, bitterly of
+      the Austrian government. "You are not then an Austrian?" I asked. "No,
+      thank God!" was the reply: "but I have seen enough of Austrian tyranny. I
+      am a Pole!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first wing contains banners used in the French Revolution, and liberty
+      trees with the red cap; the armor of Rudolph of Hapsburg, Maximilian I.,
+      the Emperor Charles V., and the hat, sword and order of Marshal
+      Schwarzenberg. Some of the halls represent a fortification, with walls,
+      ditches and embankments, made of muskets and swords. A long room in the
+      second wing contains an encampment, in which twelve or fifteen large tents
+      are formed in like manner. Along the sides are grouped old Austrian
+      banners, standards taken from the French, and horsetails and flags
+      captured from the Turks. "They make a great boast," said the Pole, "of a
+      half dozen French colors, but let them go to the Hospital des Invalides,
+      in Paris, and they will find <i>hundreds</i> of the best banners of
+      Austria!" They also exhibited the armor of a dwarf king of Bohemia and
+      Hungary, who died, a gray-headed old man, in his twentieth year; the sword
+      of Marlborough; the coat of Gustavus Adolphus, pierced in the breast and
+      back with the bullet which killed him at Lützen; the armor of the old
+      Bohemian princess Libussa, and that of the amazon Wlaska, with a steel
+      visor made to fit the features of her face. The last wing was the most
+      remarkable. Here we saw the helm and breastplate of Attila, king of the
+      Huns, which once glanced at the head of his myriads of wild hordes, before
+      the walls of Rome; the armor of Count Stahremberg, who commanded Vienna
+      during the Turkish siege in 1529, and the holy banner of Mahomet, taken at
+      that time from the Grand Vizier, together with the steel harness of John
+      Sobieski of Poland, who rescued Vienna from the Turkish troops under Kara
+      Mustapha; the hat, sword and breastplate of Godfrey of Bouillon, the
+      Crusader-king of Jerusalem, with the banners of the cross the Crusaders
+      had borne to Palestine, and the standard they captured from the Turks on
+      the walls of the Holy City! I felt all my boyish enthusiasm for the
+      romantic age of the Crusaders revive, as I looked on the torn and
+      mouldering banners which once waved on the hills of Judea, or perhaps
+      followed the sword of the Lion Heart through the fight on the field of
+      Ascalon! What tales could they not tell, those old standards, cut and
+      shivered by spear and lance! What brave hands have carried them through
+      the storm of battle, what dying eyes have looked upwards to the cross on
+      their folds, as the last prayer was breathed for the rescue of the Holy
+      Sepulchre!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I must now close the catalogue. This morning we shall look upon Vienna for
+      the last time. Our knapsacks are repacked, and the passports (precious
+      documents!) visèd for Munich. The getting of this visè, however, caused a
+      comical scene at the Police Office, yesterday. We entered the Inspector's
+      Hall and took our stand quietly among the crowd of persons who were
+      gathered around a railing which separated them from the main office. One
+      of the clerks came up, scowling at us, and asked in a rough tone, "What do
+      you want here?" We handed him our tickets of sojourn (for when a traveler
+      spends more than twenty-four hours in a German city, he must take out a
+      permission and pay for it) with the request that he would give us our
+      passports. He glanced over the tickets, came back and with constrained
+      politeness asked us to step within the railing. Here we were introduced to
+      the Chief Inspector. "Desire Herr&mdash;&mdash; to come here," said he to
+      a servant; then turning to us, "I am happy to see the gentlemen in
+      Vienna." An officer immediately came up, who addressed us in fluent
+      English. "You may speak in your native tongue," said the Inspector:&mdash;"excuse
+      our neglect; from the facility with which you speak German, we supposed
+      you were natives of Austria!" Our passports were signed at once and given
+      us with a gracious bow, accompanied by the hope that we would visit Vienna
+      again before long. All this, of course, was perfectly unintelligible to
+      the wondering crowd outside the railing. Seeing however, the honors we
+      were receiving, they crowded back and respectfully made room for us to
+      pass out. I kept a grave face till we reached the bottom of the stairs,
+      when I gave way to restrained laughter in a manner that shocked the
+      dignity of the guard, who looked savagely at me over his forest of
+      moustache. I would nevertheless have felt grateful for the attention we
+      received as Americans, were it not for our uncourteous reception as
+      suspected Austrians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have just been exercising the risible muscles again, though from a very
+      different cause, and one which, according to common custom, ought to draw
+      forth symptoms of a lachrymose nature. This morning B&mdash;&mdash;
+      suggested an examination of our funds, for we had neglected keeping a
+      strict account, and what with being cheated in Bohemia and tempted by the
+      amusements of Vienna, there was an apparent dwindling away. So we emptied
+      our pockets and purses, counted up the contents, and found we had just ten
+      florins, or four dollars apiece. The thought of our situation, away in the
+      heart of Austria, five hundred miles from our Frankfort home, seems
+      irresistibly laughable. By allowing twenty days for the journey, we shall
+      have half a florin a day, to travel on. This is a homoeopathic allowance,
+      indeed, but we have concluded to try it. So now adieu, Vienna! In two
+      hours we shall be among the hills again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIII. &mdash; UP THE DANUBE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We passed out of Vienna in the face of one of the strongest winds it was
+      ever my lot to encounter. It swept across the plain with such force that
+      it was almost impossible to advance till we got under the lee of a range
+      of hills. About two miles from the barrier we passed Schoenbrunn, the
+      Austrian Versailles. It was built by the Empress Maria Theresa, and was
+      the residence of Napoleon in 1809, when Vienna was in the hands of the
+      French. Later, in 1832, the Duke of Reichstadt died in the same room which
+      his father once occupied. Behind the palace is a magnificent garden, at
+      the foot of a hill covered with rich forests and crowned with an open
+      pillared hall, 300 feet long, called the <i>Gloriette</i>. The colossal
+      eagle which surmounts it, can be seen a great distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lovely valley in which Schoenbrunn lies, follows the course of the
+      little river Vienna into the heart of that mountain region lying between
+      the Styrian Alps and the Danube, and called the Vienna Forest. Into this
+      our road led, between hills covered with wood, with here and there a
+      lovely green meadow, where herds of cattle were grazing. The third day we
+      came to the Danube again at Melk, a little city built under the edge of a
+      steep hill, on whose summit stands the palace-like abbey of the
+      Benedictine Monks. The old friars must have had a merry life of it, for
+      the wine-cellar of the abbey furnished the French army 50,000 measures for
+      several days in succession. The shores of the Danube here are extremely
+      beautiful. The valley where it spreads out, is filled with groves, but
+      where the hills approach the stream, its banks are rocky and precipitous,
+      like the Rhine. Although not so picturesque as the latter river, the
+      scenery of the Danube is on a grander scale. On the south side the
+      mountains bend down to it with a majestic sweep, and there must be
+      delightful glances into the valleys that lie between, in passing down the
+      current.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But we soon left the river, and journeyed on through the enchanting inland
+      vales. To give an idea of the glorious enjoyment of traveling through such
+      scenes, let me copy a leaf out of my journal, written as we rested at noon
+      on the top of a lofty hill:&mdash;"Here, while the delightful mountain
+      breeze that comes fresh from the Alps cools my forehead, and the pines
+      around are sighing their eternal anthem, I seize a few moments to tell
+      what a paradise is around me. I have felt an elevation of mind and spirit,
+      a perfect rapture from morning till night, since we left Vienna. It is the
+      brightest and balmiest June weather; an ever fresh breeze sings through
+      the trees and waves the ripening grain on the verdant meadows and
+      hill-slopes. The air is filled with bird-music. The larks sing above us
+      out of sight, the bullfinch wakes his notes in the grove, and at eve the
+      nightingale pours forth her thrilling strain. The meadows are literally
+      covered with flowers&mdash;beautiful purple salvias, pinks such as we have
+      at home in our gardens and glowing buttercups, color the banks of every
+      stream. I never saw richer or more luxuriant foliage. Magnificent forests
+      clothe the hills, and the villages are imbedded in fruit trees, shrubbery
+      and flowers. Sometimes we go for miles through some enchanting valley,
+      lying like a paradise between the mountains, while the distant, white Alps
+      look on it from afar; sometimes over swelling ranges of hills, where we
+      can see to the right the valley of the Danube, threaded by his silver
+      current and dotted with white cottages and glittering spires, and farther
+      beyond, the blue mountains of the Bohemian Forest. To the left, the range
+      of the Styrian Alps stretches along the sky, summit above summit, the
+      farther ones robed in perpetual snow. I could never tire gazing on those
+      glorious hills. They fill the soul with a conception of sublimity, such as
+      one feels when listening to triumphal music. They seem like the marble
+      domes of a mighty range of temples, where earth worships her Maker with an
+      organ-anthem of storms!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There is a <i>luxury</i> in traveling here. We walk all day through such
+      scenes, resting often in the shade of the fruit trees which line the road,
+      or on a mossy bank by the side of some cool forest. Sometimes for
+      enjoyment as well as variety, we make our dining-place by a clear spring
+      instead of within a smoky tavern; and our simple meals have a relish an
+      epicure could never attain. Away with your railroads and steamboats and
+      mail-coaches, or keep them for those who have no eye but for the sordid
+      interests of life! With my knapsack and pilgrim-staff, I ask not their
+      aid. If a mind and soul full of rapture with beauty, a frame in glowing
+      and vigorous health, and slumbers unbroken even by dreams, are blessings
+      any one would attain, let him pedestrianize it through Lower Austria!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have never been so strongly and constantly reminded of America, as
+      during this journey. Perhaps the balmy season, the same in which I last
+      looked upon the dear scenes of home, may have its effect; but there is
+      besides a richness in the forests and waving fields of grain, a wild
+      luxuriance over every landscape, which I have seen nowhere else in Europe.
+      The large farm houses, buried in orchards, scattered over the valleys, add
+      to the effect. Everything seems to speak of happiness and prosperity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were met one morning by a band of wandering Bohemian gipsies&mdash;the
+      first of the kind I ever saw. A young woman with a small child in her arms
+      came directly up to me, and looking full in my face with her wild black
+      eyes, said, without any preface: "Yes, he too has met with sorrow and
+      trouble already, and will still have more. But he is not false&mdash;he is
+      true and sincere, and will also meet with good luck!" She said she could
+      tell me three numbers with which I should buy a lottery ticket and win a
+      great prize. I told her I would have nothing to do with the lottery, and
+      would buy no ticket, but she persisted, saying: "Has he a twenty kreutzer
+      piece?&mdash;will he give it? Lay it in his hand and make a cross over it,
+      and I will reveal the numbers!" On my refusal, she became angry, and left
+      me, saying: "Let him take care&mdash;the third day something will happen
+      to him!" An old, wrinkled hag made the same proposition to my companion
+      with no better success. They reminded me strikingly of our Indians; their
+      complexion is a dark brown, and their eyes and hair are black as night.
+      These belonged to a small tribe who wander through the forests of Bohemia,
+      and support themselves by cheating and stealing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We stopped the fourth night at Enns, a small city on the river of the same
+      name, which divides Upper from Lower Austria. After leaving the beautiful
+      little village where we passed the night before, the road ascended one of
+      those long ranges of hills, which stretch off from the Danube towards the
+      Alps. We walked for miles over the broad and uneven summit, enjoying the
+      enchanting view which opened on both sides. If we looked to the right, we
+      could trace the windings of the Danube for twenty miles, his current
+      filled with green, wooded islands; white cities lie at the foot of the
+      hills, which, covered to the summit with grain fields and vineyards,
+      extended back one behind another, till the farthest were lost in the
+      distance. I was glad we had taken the way from Vienna to Linz by land, for
+      from the heights we had a view of the whole course of the Danube, enjoying
+      besides, the beauty of the inland vales and the far-off Styrian Alps. From
+      the hills we passed over we could see the snowy range as far as the Alps
+      of Salzburg&mdash;some of them seemed robed to the very base in their
+      white mantles. In the morning the glaciers on their summit glittered like
+      stars; it was the first time I saw the sun reflected at a hundred miles'
+      distance!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On descending we came into a garden-like plain, over which rose the towers
+      of Enns, built by the ransom money paid to Austria for the deliverance of
+      the Lion-hearted Richard. The country legends say that St. Florian was
+      thrown into the river by the Romans in the third century, with a millstone
+      around his neck, which, however, held him above the water like cork, until
+      he had finished preaching them a sermon. In the villages we often saw his
+      imago painted on the houses, in the act of pouring a pail of water on a
+      burning building, with the inscription beneath&mdash;"Oh, holy Florian,
+      pray for us!" This was supposed to be a charm against fire. In Upper
+      Austria, it is customary to erect a shrine on the road, wherever an
+      accident has happened, with a painting and description of it, and an
+      admonition to all passers-by to pray for the soul of the unfortunate
+      person. On one of them, for instance, was a cart with a wild ox, which a
+      man was holding by the horns; a woman kneeling by the wheels appeared to
+      be drawing a little girl by the feet from under it, and the inscription
+      stated: "By calling on Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the girl was happily
+      rescued." Many of the shrines had images which the people no doubt, in
+      their ignorance and simplicity, considered holy, but they were to us
+      impious and almost blasphemous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From Enns a morning's walk brought us to Linz. The peasant girls in their
+      broad straw hats were weeding the young wheat, looking as cheerful and
+      contented as the larks that sung above them. A mile or two from Linz we
+      passed one or two of the round towers belonging to the new fortifications
+      of the city. As walls have grown out of fashion, Duke Maximilian
+      substituted an invention of his own. The city is surrounded by thirty two
+      towers, one to three miles distant from it, and so placed that they form a
+      complete line of communication and defence. They are sunk in the earth,
+      surrounded with a ditch and embankments, and each is capable of containing
+      ten cannon and three hundred men. The pointed roofs of these towers are
+      seen on all the hills around. We were obliged to give up our passports at
+      the barrier, the officer telling us to call for them in three hours at the
+      City Police Office; we spent the intervening time very agreeably in
+      rambling through this gay, cheerful-looking town. With its gilded spires
+      and ornamented houses, with their green lattice blinds, it reminds one
+      strongly of Italy, or at least, of what Italy is said to be. It has now
+      quite an active and business-like aspect, occasioned by the steamboat and
+      railroad lines which connect it with Vienna, Prague, Ratisbon and
+      Salzburg. Although we had not exceeded our daily allowance by more than a
+      few kreutzers, we found that twenty days would be hardly sufficient to
+      accomplish the journey, and our funds must therefore be replenished.
+      Accordingly I wrote from Linz to Frankfort, directing a small sum to be
+      forwarded to Munich, which city we hoped to reach in eight days.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We took the horse cars at Linz for Lambach, seventeen miles on the way
+      towards Gmunden. The mountains were covered with clouds as we approached
+      them, and the storms they had been brewing for two or three days began to
+      march down on the plain. They had nearly reached us, when we crossed the
+      Traun and arrived at Lambach, a small city built upon a hill. We left the
+      next day at noon, and on ascending the hill after crossing the Traun, had
+      an opportunity of seeing the portrait on the Traunstein, of which the old
+      landlord told us. I saw it at the first glance&mdash;certainly it is a
+      most remarkable freak of nature. The rough back of the mountain forms the
+      exact profile of the human countenance, as if regularly hewn out of the
+      rock. What is still more singular, it is said to be a correct portrait of
+      the unfortunate Louis XVI. The landlord said it was immediately recognized
+      by all Frenchmen. The road followed the course of the Traun, whose green
+      waters roared at the bottom of the glen below us; we walked for several
+      miles through a fine forest, through whose openings we caught glimpses of
+      the mountains we longed to reach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The river roared at last somewhat louder, and on looking down the bank, I
+      saw rocks and rapids, and a few houses built on the edge of the stream.
+      Thinking it must be near the fall, we went down the path, and lo! on
+      crossing a little wooden bridge, the whole affair burst in sight! Judge of
+      our surprise at finding a fall of fifteen feet, after we had been led to
+      expect a tremendous leap of forty or fifty, with all the accompaniment of
+      rocks and precipices. Of course the whole descent of the river at the
+      place was much greater, and there were some romantic cascades over the
+      rocks which blocked its course. Its greatest beauty consisted in the color
+      of the water&mdash;the brilliant green of the waves being broken into foam
+      of the most dazzling white&mdash;and the great force with which it is
+      thrown below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Traunstein grew higher as we approached, presenting the same profile
+      till we had nearly reached Gmunden. From the green upland meadows above
+      the town, the view of the mountain range was glorious, and I could easily
+      conceive the effect of the Unknown Student's appeal to the people to fight
+      for those free hills. I think it is Howitt who relates the incident&mdash;one
+      of the most romantic in German history. Count Pappenheim led his forces
+      here in the year 1626, to suppress a revolution of the people of the whole
+      Salzburg region, who had risen against an invasion of their rights by the
+      Austrian government. The battle which took place on these meadows was
+      about being decided in favor of the oppressors, when a young man, clad as
+      a student, suddenly appeared and addressed the people, pointing to the
+      Alps above them and the sweet lake below, and asking if that land should
+      not be free. The effect was electrical; they returned to the charge and
+      drove back the troops of Pappenheim, who were about taking to flight, when
+      the unknown leader fell, mortally wounded. This struck a sudden panic
+      through his followers, and the Austrians turning again, gained a complete
+      victory. But the name of the brave student is unknown, his deed unsung by
+      his country's bards, and almost forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV. &mdash; THE UNKNOWN STUDENT.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    Ha! spears on Gmunden's meadows green,
+      And banners on the wood-crowned height!
+    Rank after rank, their helmets' sheen
+      Sends back the morning light!
+    Where late the mountain maiden sang,
+    The battle-trumpet's brazen clang
+      Vibrates along the air;
+    And wild dragoons wheel o'er the plain.
+    Trampling to earth the yellow grain,
+    From which no more the merry swain
+      His harvest sheaves shall bear.
+
+    The eagle, in his sweep at morn,
+      To meet the monarch-sun on high,
+    Heard the unwonted warrior's horn
+      Peal faintly up the sky!
+    He saw the foemen, moving slow
+    In serried legions, far below,
+      Against that peasant-band,
+    Who dared to break the tyrant's thrall
+    And by the sword of Austria fall,
+    Or keep the ancient Right of all,
+      Held by their mountain-land;
+
+    They came to meet that mail-clad host
+      From glen and wood and ripening field;
+    A brave, stout arm, each man could boast&mdash;
+      A soul, unused to yield!
+    They met: a shout, prolonged and loud,
+    Went hovering upward with the cloud
+      That closed around them dun;
+    Blade upon blade unceasing clashed,
+    Spears in the onset shivering crashed,
+    And the red glare of cannon flashed
+      Athwart the smoky sun!
+
+    The mountain warriors wavered back,
+      Borne down by myriads of the foe,
+    Like pines before the torrent's track
+      When spring has warmed the snow.
+    Shall Faith and Freedom vainly call,
+    And Gmunden's warrior-herdsmen fall
+      On the red field in vain?
+    No! from the throng that back retired,
+    A student boy sprang forth inspired,
+    And while his words their bosoms fired,
+      Led on the charge again!
+
+    "And thus your free arms would ye give
+      So tamely to a tyrant's band,
+    And with the hearts of vassals live
+      In this, your chainless land?
+    The emerald lake is spread below,
+    And tower above, the hills of snow&mdash;
+      Here, field and forest lie;
+    This land, so glorious and so free&mdash;
+    Say, shall it crushed and trodden be?
+    Say, would ye rather bend the knee
+      Than for its freedom die?
+
+    "Look! yonder stand in mid-day's glare
+      The everlasting Alps of snow,
+    And from their peaks a purer air
+      Breathes o'er the vales below!
+    The Traun his brow is bent in pride&mdash;
+    He brooks no craven on his side&mdash;
+      Would ye be fettered then?
+    There lifts the Sonnenstein his head,
+    There chafes the Traun his rocky bed
+    And Aurach's lovely vale is spread&mdash;
+      Look on them and be men!
+
+    "Let, like a trumpet's sound of fire,
+      <i>These</i> stir your souls to manhood's part&mdash;
+    The glory of the Alps inspire
+      Each yet unconquered heart!
+    For, through their unpolluted air
+    Soars fresher up the grateful prayer
+      From freemen, unto God;&mdash;
+    A blessing on those mountains old!
+    On to the combat, brethren bold!
+    Strike, that ye free the valleys hold,
+      Where free your fathers trod!"
+
+    And like a mighty storm that tears
+      The icy avalanche from its bed,
+    They rushed against th' opposing spears&mdash;
+      The student at their head!
+    The bands of Austria fought in vain;
+    A bloodier harvest heaped the plain
+      At every charge they made;
+    Each herdsman was a hero then&mdash;
+    The mountain hunters stood like men,
+    And echoed from the farthest glen
+      The clash of blade on blade!
+
+    The banner in the student's hand
+      Waved triumph from the fight before;
+    What terror seized the conq'ring band?&mdash;
+      It fell, to rise no more!
+    And with it died the lofty flame,
+    That from his lips in lightning came
+      And burned upon their own;
+    Dread Pappenheim led back the foe,
+    The mountain peasants yielded slow,
+    And plain above and lake below
+      Were red when evening shone!
+
+    Now many a year has passed away
+      Since battle's blast rolled o'er the plain,
+    The Alps are bright in morning's ray&mdash;
+      The Traunstein smiles again.
+    But underneath the flowery sod,
+    By happy peasant children trod,
+      A hero's ashes lay.
+    O'er him no grateful nation wept,
+    Fame, of his deed no record kept,
+    And dull Forgetfulness hath swept
+      His very name away!
+
+    In many a grave, by poets sung,
+      There falls to dust a lofty brow,
+    But he alone, the brave and young,
+      Sleeps there forgotten now.
+    The Alps upon that field look down,
+    Which won his bright and brief renown,
+       Beside the lake's green shore;
+    Still wears the land a tyrant's chain&mdash;
+    Still bondmen tread the battle-plain,
+    Culled by his glorious soul in vain
+      To win their rights of yore.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV. &mdash; THE AUSTRIAN ALPS.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It was nearly dark when we came to the end of the plain and looked on the
+      city at our feet and the lovely lake that lost itself in the mountains
+      before us. We were early on board the steamboat next morning, with a
+      cloudless sky above us and a snow-crested Alp beckoning on from the end of
+      the lake. The water was of the most beautiful green hue, the morning light
+      colored the peaks around with purple, and a misty veil rolled up the rocks
+      of the Traunstein. We stood on the prow and enjoyed to the fullest extent
+      the enchanting scenery. The white houses of Gmunden sank down to the
+      water's edge like a flock of ducks; halfway we passed castle Ort, on a
+      rock in the lake, whose summit is covered with trees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we neared the other extremity, the mountains became steeper and
+      loftier; there was no path along their wild sides, nor even a fisher's hut
+      nestled at their feet, and the snow filled the ravines more than half-way
+      from the summit. An hour and a quarter brought us to Ebensee, at the head
+      of the lake, where we landed and plodded on towards Ischl, following the
+      Traun up a narrow valley, whose mountain walls shut out more than half the
+      sky. They are covered with forests, and the country is inhabited entirely
+      by the woodmen who fell the mountain pines and float the timber rafts down
+      to the Danube. The steeps are marked with white lines, where the trees
+      have been rolled, or rather <i>thrown</i> from the summit. Often they
+      descend several miles over rooks and precipices, where the least deviation
+      from the track would dash them in a thousand pieces. This generally takes
+      place in the winter when the sides are covered with snow and ice. It must
+      be a dangerous business, for there are many crosses by the way-side where
+      the pictures represent persons accidentally killed by the trees; an
+      additional painting represents them as burning in the flames of purgatory,
+      and the pious traveler is requested to pray an Ave or a Paternoster for
+      the repose of their souls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On we went, up the valley of the Traun, between mountains five and six
+      thousand feet high, through scenes constantly changing and constantly
+      grand, for three or four hours. Finally the hills opened, disclosing a
+      little triangular valley, whose base was formed by a mighty mountain
+      covered with clouds. Through the two side angles came the Traun and his
+      tributary the Ischl, while the little town of Ischl lay in the centre.
+      Within a few years this has become a very fashionable bathing place, and
+      the influx of rich visitors, which in the summer sometimes amounts to two
+      thousand, has entirely destroyed the primitive simplicity the inhabitants
+      originally possessed. From Ischl we took a road through the forests to St.
+      Wolfgang, on the lake of the same name. The last part of the way led along
+      the banks of the lake, disclosing some delicious views. These Alpine lakes
+      surpass any scenery I have yet seen. The water is of the most beautiful
+      green, like a sheet of molten beryl, and the cloud-piercing mountains that
+      encompass them shut out the sun for nearly half the day. St. Wolfgang is a
+      lovely village in a cool and quiet nook at the foot of the Schafberg. The
+      houses tire built in the picturesque Swiss style, with flat, projecting
+      roofs and ornamented balconies, and the people are the very picture of
+      neatness and cheerfulness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We started next morning to ascend the Schafberg, which is called the Righi
+      of the Austrian Switzerland. It is somewhat higher than its Swiss
+      namesake, and commands a prospect scarcely less extensive or grand. We
+      followed a footpath through the thick forest by the side of a roaring
+      torrent. The morning mist still covered the lake, but the white summits of
+      the Salzburg and Noric Alps opposite us, rose above it and stood pure and
+      bright in the upper air. We passed a little mill and one or two cottages,
+      and then wound round one of the lesser heights into a deep ravine, down in
+      whose dark shadow we sometimes heard the axe and saw of the mountain
+      woodmen. Finally the path disappeared altogether under a mass of logs and
+      rocks, which appeared to have been whirled together by a sudden flood. We
+      deliberated what to do; the summit rose several thousand feet above us,
+      almost precipitously steep, but we did not like to turn back, and there
+      was still a hope of meeting with the path again. Clambering over the ruins
+      and rubbish we pulled ourselves by the limbs of trees up a steep ascent
+      and descended again to the stream. We here saw the ravine was closed by a
+      wall of rock and our only chance was to cross to the west side of the
+      mountain, where the ascent seemed somewhat easier. A couple of mountain
+      maidens whom we fortunately met, carrying home grass for their goats, told
+      us the mountain could be ascended on that side, by one who could climb <i>well</i>&mdash;laying
+      a strong emphasis on the word. The very doubt implied in this expression
+      was enough to decide us; so we began the work. And work it was, too! The
+      side was very steep, the trees all leaned downwards, and we slipped at
+      every step on the dry leaves and grass. After making a short distance this
+      way with the greatest labor, we came to the track of an avalanche, which
+      had swept away the trees and earth. Here the rock had been worn rough by
+      torrents, but by using both hands and feet, we clomb directly up the side
+      of the mountain, sometimes dragging ourselves up by the branches of trees
+      where the rocks were smooth. After half an hour of such work we came above
+      the forests, on the bare side of the mountain. The summit was far above us
+      and so steep that our limbs involuntarily shrunk from the task of
+      climbing. The side ran up at an angle of nearly sixty degrees, and the
+      least slip threw us flat on our faces. We had to use both hand and foot,
+      and were obliged to rest every few minutes to recover breath.
+      Crimson-flowered moss and bright blue gentians covered the rocks, and I
+      filled my books with blossoms for friends at home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Up and up, for what seemed an age, we clambered. So steep was it, that the
+      least rocky projection hid my friend from sight, as he was coming up below
+      me. I let stones roll sometimes, which went down, down, almost like a
+      cannonball, till I could see them no more. At length we reached the region
+      of dwarf pines, which was even more difficult to pass through. Although
+      the mountain was not so steep, this forest, centuries old, reached no
+      higher than our breasts, and the trees leaned downwards, so that we were
+      obliged to take hold of the tops of those above us, and drag ourselves up
+      through the others. Here and there lay large patches of snow; we sat down
+      in the glowing June sun, and bathed our hands and faces in it. Finally the
+      sky became bluer and broader, the clouds seemed nearer, and a few more
+      steps through the bushes brought us to the summit of the mountain, on the
+      edge of a precipice a thousand feet deep, whose bottom stood in a vast
+      field of snow!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We lay down on the heather, exhausted by five hours' incessant toil, and
+      drank in like a refreshing draught, the sublimity of the scene, The green
+      lakes of the Salzburg Alps lay far below us, and the whole southern
+      horizon was filled with the mighty range of the Styrian and Noric Alps,
+      their summits of never-melting snow mingling and blending with the clouds.
+      On the other side the mountains of Salzburg lifted their ridgy backs from
+      the plains of Bavaria and the Chiem lake lay spread out in the blue
+      distance. A line of mist far to the north betrayed the path of the Danube,
+      and beyond it we could barely trace the outline of the Bohemian mountains.
+      With a glass the spires of Munich, one hundred and twenty miles distant,
+      can be seen. It was a view whose grandeur I can never forget. In that dome
+      of the cloud we seemed to breathe a purer air than that of earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After an hour or two, we began to think of descending, as the path was yet
+      to be found. The summit, which was a mile or more in length, extended
+      farther westward, and by climbing over the dwarf pines for some time, we
+      saw a little wooden house above us. It stood near the highest part of the
+      peak, and two or three men were engaged in repairing it, as a shelter for
+      travelers. They pointed out the path which went down on the side toward
+      St. Gilgen, and we began descending. The mountain on this side is much
+      less steep, but the descent is fatiguing enough. The path led along the
+      side of a glen where mountain goats were grazing, and further down we saw
+      cattle feeding on the little spots of verdure which lay in the forest. My
+      knees became so weak from this continued descent, that they would scarcely
+      support me; but we were three hours, partly walking and partly running
+      down, before we reached the bottom. Half an hour's walk around the head of
+      the St. Wolfgang See, brought us to the little village of St. Gilgen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The valley of St. Gilgen lies like a little paradise between the
+      mountains. Lovely green fields and woods slope gradually from the mountain
+      behind, to the still greener lake spread out before it, in whose bosom the
+      white Alps are mirrored. Its picturesque cottages cluster around the neat
+      church with its lofty spire, and the simple inhabitants have countenances
+      as bright and cheerful as the blue sky above them. We breathed an air of
+      poetry. The Arcadian simplicity of the people, the pastoral beauty of the
+      fields around and the grandeur of the mountains which shut it out from the
+      world, realized my ideas of a dwelling place, where, with a few kindred
+      spirits, the bliss of Eden might almost be restored.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We stopped there two or three hours to relieve our hunger and fatigue. My
+      boots had suffered severely in our mountain adventure, and I called at a
+      shoemaker's cottage to get them repaired. I sat down and talked for half
+      an hour with the family. The man and his wife spoke of the delightful
+      scenery around them, and expressed themselves with correctness and even
+      elegance. They were much pleased that I admired their village so greatly,
+      and related every thing which they supposed could interest me. As I rose
+      to go, my head nearly touched the ceiling, which was very low. The man
+      exclaimed: "Ach Gott! how tall!" I told him the people were all tall in
+      our country; he then asked where I came from, and I had no sooner said
+      America, than he threw up his hands and uttered an ejaculation of the
+      greatest surprise. His wife observed that "it was wonderful how far man
+      was permitted to travel." They wished me a prosperous journey and a safe
+      return home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      St. Gilgen was also interesting to me from that beautiful chapter in
+      "Hyperion"&mdash;"Footsteps of Angels,"&mdash;and on passing the church on
+      my way back to the inn, I entered the graveyard mentioned in it. The green
+      turf grows thickly over the rows of mounds, with here and there a rose
+      planted by the hand of affection, and the white crosses were hung with
+      wreaths, some of which had been freshly laid on. Behind the church, under
+      the shade of a tree, stood a small chapel,&mdash;I opened the unfastened
+      door, and entered. The afternoon sun shone through the side window, and
+      all was still around. A little shrine, adorned with flowers, stood at the
+      other end, and there were two tablets on the wall, to persons who
+      slumbered beneath, I approached these and read on one of them with
+      feelings not easily described: "Look not mournfully into the past&mdash;it
+      comes not again; wisely improve the present&mdash;it is thine; and go
+      forward to meet the shadowy future, without fear, and with a manly heart!"
+      This then was the spot where Paul Flemming came in loneliness and sorrow
+      to muse over what he had lost, and these were the words whose truth and
+      eloquence strengthened and consoled him, "as if the unknown tenant of the
+      grave had opened his lips of dust and spoken those words of consolation
+      his soul needed." I sat down and mused a long time, for there was
+      something in the silent holiness of the spot, that impressed me more than
+      I could well describe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We reached a little village on the Fuschel See, the same evening, and set
+      off the next morning for Salzburg. The day was hot and we walked slowly,
+      so that it was not till two o'clock that we saw the castellated rocks on
+      the side of the Gaissberg, guarding the entrance to the valley of
+      Salzburg. A short distance further, the whole glorious panorama was spread
+      out below us. From the height on which we stood, we looked directly on the
+      summit of the Capuchin Mountain, which hid part of the city from sight;
+      the double peak of the Staufen rose opposite, and a heavy storm was raging
+      along the Alpine heights around it, while the lovely valley lay in
+      sunshine below, threaded by the bright current of the Salza. As we
+      descended and passed around the foot of the hill, the Untersberg came in
+      sight, whose broad summits lift themselves seven thousand feet above the
+      plain. The legend says that Charlemagne and his warriors sit in its
+      subterraneous caverns in complete armor, and that they will arise and come
+      forth again, when Germany recovers her former power and glory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I wish I could convey in words some idea of the elevation of spirit
+      experienced while looking on these eternal mountains. They fill the soul
+      with a sensation of power and grandeur which frees it awhile from the
+      cramps and fetters of common life. It rises and expands to the level of
+      their sublimity, till its thoughts stand solemnly aloft, like their
+      summits, piercing the free heaven. Their dazzling and imperishable beauty
+      is to the mind an image of its own enduring existence. When I stand upon
+      some snowy summit&mdash;the invisible apex of that mighty pyramid&mdash;there
+      seems a majesty in my weak will which might defy the elements. This sense
+      of power, inspired by a silent sympathy with the forms of nature, is
+      beautifully described&mdash;as shown in the free, unconscious instincts of
+      childhood&mdash;by the poet Uhland, in his ballad of the "Mountain Boy." I
+      have attempted a translation.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    THE MOUNTAIN BOY.
+
+    A herd-boy on the mountain's brow,
+    I see the castles all below.
+    The sunbeam here is earliest cast
+    And by my side it lingers last&mdash;
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    The mother-house of streams is here&mdash;
+    I drink them in their cradles clear;
+    From out the rock they foam below,
+    I spring to catch them as they go!
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    To me belongs the mountain's bound,
+    Where gathering tempests march around;
+    But though from north and south they shout,
+    Above them still my song rings out&mdash;
+       "I am the boy of the mountain!"
+
+    Below me clouds and thunders move;
+    I stand amid the blue above.
+    I shout to them with fearless breast:
+    "Go, leave my father's house in rest!"
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    And when the loud bell shakes the spires
+    And flame aloft the signal-fires,
+    I go below and join the throng
+    And swing my sword and sing my song:
+       "I am the boy of the mountain!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Salzburg lies on both sides of the Salza, hemmed in on either hand by
+      precipitous mountains. A large fortress overlooks it on the south, from
+      the summit of a perpendicular rock, against which the houses in that part
+      of the city arc built. The streets are narrow and crooked, but the newer
+      part contains many open squares, adorned with handsome fountains. The
+      variety of costume among the people, is very interesting. The inhabitants
+      of the salt district have a peculiar dress; the women wear round fur caps,
+      with little wings of gauze at the side. I saw other women with headdresses
+      of gold or silver filagree, something in shape like a Roman helmet, with a
+      projection at the back of the head, a foot long. The most interesting
+      objects in Salzburg to us, were the house of Mozart, in which the composer
+      was born, and the monument lately erected to him. The St. Peter's Church,
+      near by, contains the tomb of Haydn, the great composer, and the Church of
+      St. Sebastian, that of the renowned Paracelsus, who was also a native of
+      Salzburg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two or three hours sufficed to see every thing of interest in the city. We
+      had intended lo go further through the Alps, to the beautiful vales of the
+      Tyrol, but our time was getting short, our boots, which are the
+      pedestrian's <i>sole</i> dependence, began to show symptoms of wearing
+      out, and our expenses among the lakes and mountains of Upper Austria, left
+      us but two florins apiece, so we reluctantly turned our backs upon the
+      snowy hills and set out for Munich, ninety miles distant. After passing
+      the night at Saalbruck, on the banks of the stream which separates the two
+      kingdoms, we entered Bavaria next morning. I could not help feeling glad
+      to leave Austria, although within her bounds I had passed scones whose
+      beauty will long haunt me, and met with many honest friendly hearts among
+      her people. We noticed a change as soon as we had crossed the border. The
+      roads were neater and handsomer, and the country people greeted us in
+      going by, with a friendly cheerfulness that made us feel half at home. The
+      houses are built in the picturesque Swiss fashion, their balconies often
+      ornamented with curious figures, carved in wood. Many of them, where they
+      are situated remote from a church, have a little bell on the roof which
+      they ring for morning and evening prayers; we often heard these simple
+      monitors sounding from the cottages as we passed by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next night we stopped at the little village of Stein, famous in former
+      times for its robber-knight, Hans von Stein. The ruins of his castle stand
+      on the rock above, and the caverns hewn in the sides of the precipice,
+      where he used to confine his prisoners, are still visible. Walking on
+      through a pleasant, well-cultivated country, we came to Wasserburg, on the
+      Inn. The situation of the city is peculiar. The Inn has gradually worn his
+      channel deeper in the sandy soil, so that he now flows at the bottom of a
+      glen, a hundred feet below the plains around. Wasserburg lies in a basin,
+      formed by the change of the current, which flows around it like a
+      horseshoe, leaving only a narrow neck of land which connects it with the
+      country above.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left the little village where we were quartered for the night and took
+      a foot path which led across the country to the field of Hohenlinden,
+      about six miles distant. The name had been familiar to me from childhood,
+      and my love for Campbell, with the recollection of the school-exhibitions
+      where "On Linden when the sun was low" had been so often declaimed,
+      induced me to make the excursion to it. We traversed a large forest,
+      belonging to the King of Bavaria, and came out on a plain covered with
+      grain fields and bounded on the right by a semi-circle of low hills. Over
+      the fields, about two miles distant, a tall, minaret-like spire rose from
+      a small cluster of houses, and this was Hohenlinden! To tell the truth, I
+      had been expecting something more. The "hills of blood-stained snow" are
+      very small hills indeed, and the "Isar, rolling rapidly," is several miles
+      off; it was the spot, however, and we recited Campbell's poem, of course,
+      and brought away a few wild flowers as memorials. There is no monument or
+      any other token of the battle, and the people seem to endeavor to forget
+      the scene of Moreau's victory and their defeat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From a hill twelve miles off we had our first view of the spires of
+      Munich, looking like distant ships over the sea-like plain. They kept in
+      sight till we arrived at eight o'clock in the evening, after a walk of
+      more than thirty miles. We crossed the rapid Isar on three bridges,
+      entered the magnificent Isar Gate, and were soon comfortably quartered in
+      the heart of Munich.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Entering the city without knowing a single soul within it, we made within
+      a few minutes an agreeable acquaintance. After we passed the Isar Gate, we
+      began looking for a decent inn, for the day's walk was very fatiguing.
+      Presently a young man, who had been watching us for some time, came up and
+      said, if we would allow him, he would conduct us to a good lodging-place.
+      Finding we were strangers, he expressed the greatest regret that he had
+      not time to go with us every day around the city. Our surprise and delight
+      at the splendor of Munich, he said, would more than repay him for the
+      trouble. In his anxiety to show us something, he took us some distance out
+      of the way, (although it was growing dark and we were very tired,) to see
+      the Palace and the Theatre, with its front of rich frescoes.
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      END OF PART I. &mdash;
+    </h3>
+    <div style="height: 8em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      VIEWS A-FOOT;
+    </h1>
+    <h4>
+      OR
+    </h4>
+    <h2>
+      EUROPE SEEN WITH KNAPSACK AND STAFF.
+    </h2>
+    <h2>
+      By J. Bayard Taylor.
+    </h2>
+    <h2>
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      WITH A PREFACE BY N.P. WILLIS.
+    </h3>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                 "Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way,
+                    And merrily hent the stile-a;
+                   A merry heart goes all the day,
+                     Your sad tires in a mile-a."
+
+                                      <i>Winter's Tale.</i>
+</pre>
+    <h3>
+      IN TWO PARTS.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkpart2" id="part2"></a>
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      PART II.
+    </h1>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI. &mdash; MUNICH.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>June 14.</i>&mdash;I thought I had seen every thing in Vienna that
+      could excite admiration or gratify fancy; here I have my former sensations
+      to live over again, in an augmented degree. It is well I was at first
+      somewhat prepared by our previous travel, otherwise the glare and splendor
+      of wealth and art in this German Athens might blind me to the beauties of
+      the cities we shall yet visit. I have been walking in a dream where the
+      fairy tales of boyhood were realized, and the golden and jeweled halls of
+      the Eastern genii rose glittering around me&mdash;"a vision of the brain
+      no more." All I had conceived of oriental magnificence, all descriptions
+      of the splendor of kingly halls and palaces, fall far short of what I here
+      see. Where shall I begin to describe the crowd of splendid edifices that
+      line its streets, or how give an idea of the profusion of paintings and
+      statues&mdash;of marble, jasper and gold?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Art has done every thing for Munich. It lies on a large, flat plain,
+      sixteen hundred feet above the sea, and continually exposed to the cold
+      winds from the Alps. At the beginning of the present century it was but a
+      third-rate city, and was rarely visited by foreigners. Since that time its
+      population and limits have been doubled, and magnificent edifices in every
+      style of architecture erected, rendering it scarcely secondary in this
+      respect to any capital in Europe. Every art that wealth or taste could
+      devise, seems to have been spent in its decoration. Broad, spacious
+      streets and squares have been laid out, churches, halls and colleges
+      erected, and schools of painting and sculpture established, which draw
+      artists from all parts of the world. All this was principally brought
+      about by the taste of the present king, Ludwig I., who began twenty or
+      thirty years ago, when he was Crown Prince, to collect the best German
+      artists around him and form plans for the execution of his grand design.
+      He can boast of having done more for the arts than any other living
+      monarch, and if he had accomplished it all without oppressing his people,
+      he would deserve an immortality of fame.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now, if you have nothing else to do, let us take a stroll down the
+      Ludwigstrasse. As we pass the Theatiner Church, with its dome and towers,
+      the broad street opens before us, stretching away to the north, between
+      rows of magnificent buildings. Just at this southern end, is the <i>Schlusshalle</i>,
+      an open temple of white marble terminating the avenue. To the right of us
+      extend the arcades, with the trees of the Royal Garden peeping above them;
+      on the left is the spacious concert building of the Odeon, and the palace
+      of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, son of Eugene Beauharnois. Passing through a
+      row of palace-like private buildings, we come to the Army Department, on
+      the right&mdash;a neat and tasteful building of white sandstone. Beside it
+      stands the Library, which possesses the first special claim on our
+      admiration. With its splendid front of five hundred and eighteen feet, the
+      yellowish brown cement with which the body is covered, making an agreeable
+      contrast with the dark red window-arches and cornices, and the statues of
+      Homer, Hippocrates, Thucydides and Aristotle guarding the portal, is it
+      not a worthy receptacle for the treasures of ancient and modern lore which
+      its halls contain?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nearly opposite stands the Institute for the Blind, a plain but large
+      building of dark red brick, covered with cement, and further, the Ludwig's
+      Kirche, or Church of St. Louis. How lightly the two square towers of gray
+      marble lift their network of sculpture! And what a novel and beautiful
+      effect is produced by uniting the Byzantine style of architecture to the
+      form of the Latin cross! Over the arched portal stand marble statues by
+      Schwanthaler, and the roof of brilliant tiles worked into mosaic, looks
+      like a rich Turkey carpet covering the whole. We must enter to get an idea
+      of the splendor of this church. Instead of the pointed arch which one
+      would expect to see meeting above his head, the lofty pillars on each side
+      bear an unbroken semicircular vault, which is painted a brilliant blue,
+      and spangled with silver stars. These pillars, and the little arches
+      above, which spring from them, are painted in an arabesque style with gold
+      and brilliant colors, and each side-chapel is a perfect casket of richness
+      and elegance. The windows are of silvered glass, through which the light
+      glimmers softly on the splendor within. The whole end of the church behind
+      the high altar, is taken up with Cornelius's celebrated fresco painting of
+      the "Last Judgment,"&mdash;the largest painting in the world&mdash;and the
+      circular dome in the centre of the cross contains groups of martyrs,
+      prophets, saints and kings, painted in fresco on a ground of gold. The
+      work of Cornelius has been greatly praised for sublimity of design and
+      beauty of execution, by many acknowledged judges; I was disappointed in
+      it, but the fault lay most probably in me and not in the painting. The
+      richness and elegance of the church took me all "aback;" it was so
+      entirely different from anything I had seen, that it was difficult to
+      decide whether I was most charmed by its novelty or its beauty. Still, as
+      a building designed to excite feelings of worship, it seems to me
+      inappropriate. A vast, dim Cathedral would be far preferable; the devout,
+      humble heart cannot feel at home amid such glare and brightness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we leave the church and walk further on, the street expands suddenly
+      into a broad square. One side is formed by the new University building and
+      the other by the Royal Seminary, both displaying in their architecture new
+      forms of the graceful Byzantine school, which the architects of Munich
+      have adapted in a striking manner to so many varied purposes. On each side
+      stands a splendid colossal fountain of bronze, throwing up a great mass of
+      water, which falls in a triple cataract to the marble basin below. A short
+      distance beyond this square the Ludwigstrasse terminates. It is said the
+      end will be closed by a magnificent gate, on a style to correspond with
+      the unequalled avenue to which it will give entrance. To one standing at
+      the southern end, it would form a proper termination to the grand vista.
+      Before we leave, turn around and glance back, down this street, which
+      extends for half a mile between such buildings as we have just viewed, and
+      tell me if it is not something of which a city and a king may boast, to
+      have created all this within less than twenty years!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We went one morning to see the collection of paintings formerly belonging
+      to Eugene Beauharnois, who was brother-in-law to the present king of
+      Bavaria, in the palace of his son, the Duke of Leuchtenberg. The first
+      hall contains works principally by French artists, among which are two by
+      Gerard&mdash;a beautiful portrait of Josephine, and the blind Belisarius
+      carrying his dead companion. The boy's head lies on the old man's
+      shoulder; but for the livid paleness of his limbs, he would seem to be
+      only asleep, while a deep and settled sorrow marks the venerable features
+      of the unfortunate Emperor. In the middle of the room are six pieces of
+      statuary, among which Canova's world-renowned group of the Graces at once
+      attracts the eye. There is also a kneeling Magdalen, lovely in her woe, by
+      the same sculptor, and a very touching work of Schadow, representing a
+      shepherd boy tenderly binding his sash around a lamb which he has
+      accidentally wounded with his arrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have since seen in the St. Michael's Church, the monument to Eugene
+      Beauharnois, from the chisel of Thorwaldsen. The noble, manly figure of
+      the son of Josephine is represented in the Roman mantle, with his helmet
+      and sword lying on the ground by him. On one side sits History, writing on
+      a tablet; on the other, stand the two brother-angels, Death and
+      Immortality. They lean lovingly together, with arms around each other, but
+      the sweet countenance of Death has a cast of sorrow, as he stands with
+      inverted torch and a wreath of poppies among his clustering locks.
+      Immortality, crowned with never-fading flowers, looks upwards with a smile
+      of triumph, and holds in one hand his blazing torch. It is a beautiful
+      idea, and Thorwaldsen has made the marble eloquent with feeling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The inside of the square formed by the Arcades and the New Residence, is
+      filled with noble old trees, which in summer make a leafy roof over the
+      pleasant walks. In the middle, stands a grotto, ornamented with rough
+      pebbles and shells, and only needing a fountain to make it a perfect hall
+      of Neptune. Passing through the northern Arcade, one comes into the
+      magnificent park, called the English Garden, which extends more than four
+      miles along the bank of the Isar, several branches of whose milky current
+      wander through it, and form one or two pretty cascades. It is a beautiful
+      alternation of forest and meadow, and has all the richness and garden-like
+      luxuriance of English scenery. Winding walks lead along the Isar, or
+      through the wood of venerable oaks, and sometimes a lawn of half a mile in
+      length, with a picturesque temple at its further end, comes in sight
+      through the trees. I was better pleased with this park than with the
+      Prater in Vienna. Its paths are always filled with persons enjoying the
+      change from the dusty streets to its quiet and cool retirement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The New Residence is not only one of the wonders of Munich, but of the
+      world. Although commenced in 1826 and carried on constantly since that
+      time by a number of architects, sculptors and painters, it is not yet
+      finished; if art were not inexhaustible it would be difficult to imagine
+      what more could be added. The north side of the Max Joseph Platz is taken
+      up by its front of four hundred and thirty feet, which was nine years in
+      building, under the direction of the architect Klenze. The exterior is
+      copied after the Palazzo Pitti, in Florence. The building is of light
+      brown sandstone, and combines an elegance and even splendor, with the most
+      chaste and classic style. The northern front, which faces on the Royal
+      Garden, is now nearly finished. It has the enormous length of eight
+      hundred feet; in the middle is a portico of ten Ionic columns; instead of
+      supporting a triangular facade, each pillar stands separate and bears a
+      marble statue from the chisel of Schwanthaler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The interior of the building does not disappoint the promise of the
+      outside. It is open every afternoon in the absence of the king, for the
+      inspection of visitors; fortunately for us, his majesty is at present on a
+      journey through his provinces on the Rhine. We went early to the waiting
+      hall, where several travelers were already assembled, and at four o'clock,
+      were admitted into the newer part of the palace, containing the throne
+      hall, ballroom, etc. On entering the first hall, designed for the lackeys
+      and royal servants, we were all obliged to thrust our feet into cloth
+      slippers to walk over the polished mosaic floor. The walls are of
+      scagliola marble and the ceilings ornamented brilliantly in fresco. The
+      second hall, also for servants, gives tokens of increasing splendor in the
+      richer decorations of the walls and the more elaborate mosaic of the
+      floor. We next entered the receiving saloon, in which the Court Marshal
+      receives the guests. The ceiling is of arabesque sculpture, profusely
+      painted and gilded. Passing through a little cabinet, we entered the great
+      dancing saloon. Its floor is the richest mosaic of wood of different
+      colors, the sides are of polished scagliola marble, and the ceiling a
+      dazzling mixture of sculpture, painting and gold. At one end is a gallery
+      for the orchestra, supported by six columns of variegated marble, above
+      which are six dancing nymphs, painted so beautifully that they appear like
+      living creatures. Every decoration which could be devised has been used to
+      heighten its splendor, and the artists appear to have made free use of the
+      Arabian Nights in forming the plan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We entered next two smaller rooms containing the portraits of beautiful
+      women, principally from the German nobility. I gave the preference to the
+      daughter of Marco Bozzaris, now maid of honor to the Queen of Greece. She
+      had a wild dark eye, a beautiful proud lip, and her rich black hair rolled
+      in glossy waves down her neck from under the red Grecian cap stuck
+      jauntily on the side of her head. She wore a scarf and close-fitting vest
+      embroidered with gold, and there was a free, lofty spirit in her
+      countenance worthy the name she bore. These pictures form a gallery of
+      beauty, whose equal cannot easily be found.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Returning to the dancing hall, we entered the dining saloon, also called
+      the Hall of Charlemagne. Each wall has two magnificent fresco paintings of
+      very large size, representing some event in the life of the great emperor,
+      beginning with his anointing at St. Deny's as a boy of twelve years, and
+      ending with his coronation by Leo III. A second dining saloon, the Hall of
+      Barbarossa, adjoins the first. It has also eight frescoes as the former,
+      representing the principal events in the life of Frederic Barbarossa. Then
+      comes a <i>third</i>, called the Hapsburg Hall, with four grand paintings
+      from the life of Rudolph of Hapsburg, and a triumphal procession along the
+      frieze, showing the improvement in the arts and sciences which was
+      accomplished under his reign. The drawing, composition and rich tone of
+      coloring of these glorious frescoes, are scarcely excelled by any in
+      existence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally we entered the Hall of the Throne. Here the encaustic decoration,
+      so plentifully employed in the other rooms, is dropped, and an effect even
+      more brilliant obtained by the united use of marble and gold. Picture a
+      long hall with a floor of polished marble, on each side twelve columns of
+      white marble with gilded capitals, between which stand colossal statues of
+      gold. At the other end is the throne of gold and crimson, with gorgeous
+      hangings of crimson velvet. The twelve statues in the hall are called the
+      "Wittlesbach Ancestors," and represent renowned members of the house of
+      Wittlesbach from which the present family of Bavaria is descended. They
+      were cast in bronze by Stiglmaier, after the models of Schwanthaler, and
+      then completely covered with a coating of gold, so that they resemble
+      solid golden statues. The value of the precious metal on each one is about
+      $3,000, as they arc nine feet in height! What would the politicians who
+      made such an outcry about the new papering of the President's House, say
+      to such a palace as this?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Going back to the starting point, we went to the other wing of the edifice
+      and joined the party who came to visit the apartments of the king. Here we
+      were led through two or three rooms, appropriated to the servants, with
+      all the splendor of marble doors, floors of mosaic, and frescoed ceilings.
+      From these we entered the king's dwelling. The entrance halls are
+      decorated with paintings of the Argonauts and illustrations of the Hymns
+      of Hesiod, after drawings by Schwanthaler. Then came the Service Hall,
+      containing frescoes illustrating Homer, by Schnorr, and the Throne Hall,
+      with Schwanthaler's bas-reliefs of the songs of Pindar, on a ground of
+      gold. The throne stands under a splendid crimson canopy. The Dining Room
+      with its floor of polished wood is filled with illustrations of the songs
+      of Anacreon. To these follow the Dressing Room, with twenty-seven
+      illustrations of the Comedies of Aristophanes, and the sleeping chamber
+      with frescoes after the poems of Theocritus, and two beautiful bas-reliefs
+      representing angels bearing children to Heaven. It is no wonder the King
+      writes poetry, when he breathes, eats, and even sleeps in an atmosphere of
+      it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were shown the rooms for the private parties of the Court, the
+      school-room, with scenes from the life of the Ancient Greeks, and then
+      conducted down the marble staircases to the lower story, which is to
+      contain Schnorr's magnificent frescoes of the Nibelungen Lied&mdash;the
+      old German Iliad. Two halls are at present finished; the first has the
+      figure of the author, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, and those of Chriemhilde,
+      Brunhilde, Siegfried and the other personages of the poem; and the second,
+      called the Marriage Hall, contains the marriage of Chriemhilde and
+      Siegfried, and the triumphal entry of Siegfried into Worms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adjoining the new residence on the east, is the Royal Chapel, lately
+      finished in the Byzantine style, under the direction of Klenze. To enter
+      it, is like stepping into a casket of jewels. The sides are formed by a
+      double range of arches, the windows being so far back as to be almost out
+      of sight, so that the eye falls on nothing but painting and gold. The
+      lower row of arches is of alternate green and purple marble, beautifully
+      polished; but the upper, as well as the small chancel behind the high
+      altar, is entirely covered with fresco paintings on a ground of gold! The
+      richness and splendor of the whole church is absolutely incredible. Even
+      after one has seen the Ludwig's Kirche and the Residence itself, it
+      excites astonishment. I was surprised, however, to find at this age, a
+      painting on the wall behind the altar, representing the Almighty. It seems
+      as if man's presumption has no end. The simple altar of Athens, with its
+      inscription "<i>to the Unknown God</i>," was more truly reverent than
+      this. As I sat down awhile under one of the arches, a poor woman came in,
+      carrying a heavy basket, and going to the steps which led up to the altar,
+      knelt down and prayed, spreading her arms out in the form of a cross.
+      Then, after stooping and kissing the first step, she dragged herself with
+      her knees upon it, and commenced praying again with outspread arms. This
+      she continued till she had climbed them all, which occupied some time;
+      then, as if she had fulfilled a vow she turned and departed. She was
+      undoubtedly sincere in her piety, but it made me sad to look upon such
+      deluded superstition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We visited yesterday morning the Glyptothek, the finest collection of
+      ancient sculpture except that in the British Museum, I have yet seen, and
+      perhaps elsewhere unsurpassed, north of the Alps. The building which was
+      finished by Klenze, in 1830, has an Ionic portico of white marble, with a
+      group of allegorical figures, representing Sculpture and the kindred arts.
+      On each side of the portico, there are three niches in the front,
+      containing on one side, Pericles, Phidias and Vulcan; on the other,
+      Hadrian, Prometheus and Dædalus. The whole building forms a hollow square,
+      and is lighted entirely from the inner side. There are in all twelve
+      halls, each containing the remains of a particular era in the art, and
+      arranged according to time, so that, beginning with the clumsy productions
+      of the ancient Egyptians, one passes through the different stages of
+      Grecian art, afterwards that of Rome, and finally ends with the works of
+      our own times&mdash;the almost Grecian perfection of Thorwaldsen and
+      Canova. These halls are worthy to hold such treasures, and what more could
+      be said of them? The floors are of marble mosaic, the sides of green or
+      purple scagliola, and the vaulted ceilings covered with raised ornaments
+      on a ground of gold. No two are alike in color and decoration, and yet
+      there is a unity of taste and design in the whole, which renders the
+      variety delightful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the Egyptian Hall, we enter one containing the oldest remains of
+      Grecian sculpture, before the artists won power to <i>mould</i> the marble
+      to their conceptions. Then follow the celebrated Egina marbles, from the
+      temple of Jupiter Panhellenius, on the island of Egina. They formerly
+      stood in the two porticoes, the one group representing the fight for the
+      body of Laomedon, the other the struggle for the dead Patroclus. The parts
+      wanting have been admirably restored by Thorwaldsen. They form almost the
+      only existing specimens of the Eginetan school. Passing through the Apollo
+      Hall, we enter the large hall of Bacchus, in which the progress of the art
+      is distinctly apparent. A satyr, lying asleep on a goat-skin which he has
+      thrown over a rock, is believed to be the work of Praxiteles. The
+      relaxation of the figure and perfect repose of every limb, is wonderful.
+      The countenance has traits of individuality which led me to think it might
+      have been a portrait, perhaps of some rude country swain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the Hall of Niobe, which follows, is one of the most perfect works that
+      ever grew into life under a sculptor's chisel. Mutilated as it is, without
+      head and arms, I never saw a more expressive figure. Ilioneus, the son of
+      Niobe, is represented as kneeling, apparently in the moment in which
+      Apollo raises his arrow, and there is an imploring supplication in his
+      attitude which is touching in the highest degree. His beautiful young
+      limbs seem to shrink involuntarily from the deadly shaft; there is an
+      expression of prayer, almost of agony, in the position of his body. It
+      should be left untouched. No head could be added, which would equal that
+      one pictures to himself, while gazing upon it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Pinacothek is a magnificent building of yellow sandstone, five hundred
+      and thirty feet long, containing thirteen hundred pictures, selected with
+      great care from the whole private collection of the king, which amounts to
+      nine thousand. Above the cornice on the southern side, stand twenty-five
+      colossal statues of celebrated painters, by Schwanthaler. As we
+      approached, the tall bronze door was opened by a servant in the Bavarian
+      livery, whose size harmonized so well with the giant proportions of the
+      building, that, until I stood beside him and could mark the contrast, I
+      did not notice his enormous frame. I saw then that he must be near eight
+      feet high, and stout in proportion. He reminded me of the great "Baver of
+      Trient," in Vienna. The Pinacothek contains the most complete collection
+      of works by old German artists, anywhere to be found. There are in the
+      hall of the Spanish masters, half a dozen of Murillo's inimitable beggar
+      groups. It was a relief, after looking upon the distressingly stiff
+      figures of the old German school, to view these fresh, natural
+      countenances. One little black-eyed boy has just cut a slice out of a
+      melon and turns with a full mouth to his companion, who is busy eating a
+      bunch of grapes. The simple, contented expression on the faces of the
+      beggars is admirable. I thought I detected in a beautiful child, with dark
+      curly locks, the original of his celebrated Infant St. John. I was much
+      interested in two small juvenile works of Raphael and his own portrait.
+      The latter was taken most probably after he became known as a painter. The
+      calm, serious smile which we see on his portrait as a boy, had vanished,
+      and the thin features and sunken eye told of intense mental labor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of the most remarkable buildings now in the course of erection is the
+      Basilica, or Church of St. Bonifacius. It represents another form of the
+      Byzantine style, a kind of double edifice, a little like a North River
+      steamboat, with a two story cabin on deck. The inside is not yet finished,
+      although the artists have been at work on it for six years, but we heard
+      many accounts of its splendor, which is said to exceed anything that has
+      been yet done in Munich. We visited to-day the atelier of Sohwanthaler,
+      which is always open to strangers. The sculptor himself was not there, but
+      five or six of his scholars were at work in the rooms, building up clay
+      statues after his models and working out bas-reliefs in frames. We saw
+      here the original models of the statues on the Pinacothek, and the
+      "Wittelsbach Ancestors" in the Throne Hall of the palace. I was glad also
+      to find a miniature copy in plaster, of the Herrmannsschlacht, or combat
+      of the old German hero, Herrmann, with the Romans, from the frieze of the
+      Walhalla, at Ratisbon. It is one of Schwanthaler's best works. Herrmann,
+      as the middle figure, is represented in fight with the Roman general;
+      behind him the warriors are rushing on, and an old bard is striking the
+      chords of his harp to inspire them, while women bind up the wounds of the
+      fallen. The Roman soldiers on the other side are about turning in
+      confusion to fly. It is a lofty and appropriate subject for the portico of
+      a building containing the figures of the men who have labored for the
+      glory and elevation of their Fatherland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our new-found friend came to visit us last evening and learn our
+      impressions of Munich. In the course of conversation we surprised him by
+      revealing the name of our country. His countenance brightened up and he
+      asked us many questions about the state of society in America. In return,
+      he told us something more about himself&mdash;his story was simple, hut it
+      interested me. His father was a merchant, who, having been ruined by
+      unlucky transactions, died, leaving a numerous family without the means of
+      support. His children were obliged to commence life alone and unaided,
+      which, in a country where labor is so cheap, is difficult and
+      disheartening. Our friend chose the profession of a machinist, which,
+      after encountering great obstacles, he succeeded in learning, and now
+      supports himself as a common laborer. But his position in this respect
+      prevents him from occupying that station in society for which he is
+      intellectually fitted. His own words, uttered with a simple pathos which I
+      can never forget, will best describe how painful this must be to a
+      sensitive spirit. "I tell you thus frankly my feelings," said he, "because
+      I know you will understand me. I could not say this to any of my
+      associates, for they would not comprehend it, and they would say I am
+      proud, because I cannot bring my soul down to their level. I am poor and
+      have but little to subsist upon; but the spirit has needs as well as the
+      body, and I feel it a duty and a desire to satisfy them also. When I am
+      with any of my common fellow-laborers, what do I gain from them? Their
+      leisure hours are spent in drinking and idle amusement, and I cannot join
+      them, for I have no sympathy with such things. To mingle with those above
+      me, would be impossible. Therefore I am alone&mdash;I have no associate!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have gone into minute, and it may be, tiresome detail, in describing
+      some of the edifices of Munich, because it seemed the only way in which I
+      could give an idea of their wonderful beauty. It is true that in copying
+      after the manner of the daguerreotype, there is danger of imitating its <i>dullness</i>
+      also, but I trust to the glitter of gold and rich paintings, for a little
+      brightness in the picture. We leave to-morrow morning, having received the
+      sum written for, which, to our surprise, will be barely sufficient to
+      enable us to reach Heidelberg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII. &mdash; THROUGH WURTEMBERG TO HEIDELBERG.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We left Munich in the morning train for Augsburg. Between the two cities
+      extends a vast unbroken plain, exceedingly barren and monotonous. Here and
+      there is a little scrubby woodland, and sometimes we passed over a muddy
+      stream which came down from the Alps. The land is not more than
+      half-cultivated, and the villages are small and poor. We saw many of the
+      peasants at their stations, in their gay Sunday dresses; the women wore
+      short gowns with laced boddices, of gay colors, and little caps on the top
+      of their heads, with streamers of ribbons three feet long. After two
+      hours' ride, we saw the tall towers of Augsburg, and alighted on the
+      outside of the wall. The deep moat which surrounds the city, is all grown
+      over with velvet turf, the towers and bastions are empty and desolate, and
+      we passed unchallenged under the gloomy archway. Immediately on entering
+      the city, signs of its ancient splendor are apparent. The houses are old,
+      many of them with quaint, elaborately carved ornaments, and often covered
+      with fresco paintings. These generally represent some scene from the Bible
+      history, encircled with arabesque borders, and pious maxims in illuminated
+      scrolls. We went into the old <i>Rathhaus</i>, whose golden hall still
+      speaks of the days of Augsburg's pride. I saw in the basement a bronze
+      eagle, weighing sixteen tons, with an inscription on the pedestal stating
+      that it was cast in 1606, and formerly stood on the top of an old public
+      building, since torn down. In front of the Rathhaus is a fine bronze
+      fountain, with a number of figures of angels and tritons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same afternoon, we left Augsburg for Ulm. Long, low ranges of hills,
+      running from the Danube, stretched far across the country, and between
+      them lay many rich, green valleys. We passed, occasionally, large
+      villages, perhaps as old as the times of the crusaders, and looking quite
+      pastoral and romantic from the outside; but we were always glad when we
+      had gone through them and into the <i>clean</i> country again. The
+      afternoon of the second day we came in sight of the fertile plain of the
+      Danube; far, far to the right lay the field of Blenheim, where Marlborough
+      and the Prince Eugene conquered the united French and Bavarian forces and
+      decided the war of the Spanish succession.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We determined to reach Ulm the same evening, although a heavy storm was
+      raging along the distant hills of Wurtemberg. The dark mass of the mighty
+      Cathedral rose in the distance through the twilight, a perfect mountain in
+      comparison with the little houses clustered around its base. We reached
+      New Ulm, finally, and passed over the heavy wooden bridge into Wurtemberg,
+      unchallenged for passport or baggage. I thought I could feel a difference
+      in the atmosphere when I reached the other side&mdash;it breathed of the
+      freer spirit that ruled through the land. The Danube is here a little
+      muddy stream, hardly as large as my native Brandywine, and a traveler who
+      sees it at Ulm for the first time would most probably be disappointed. It
+      is not until below Vienna, where it receives the Drave and Save, that it
+      becomes a river of more than ordinary magnitude.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We entered Ulm, as I have already said. It was after nine o'clock, nearly
+      dark, and beginning to rain; we had walked thirty-three miles, and being
+      of course tired, we entered the first inn we saw. But, to our
+      consternation, it was impossible to get a place&mdash;the fair had just
+      commenced, and the inn was full to the roof. We must needs hunt another,
+      and then another, and yet another, with like fate at each. It grew quite
+      dark, the rain increased, and we were unacquainted with the city. I grew
+      desperate, and at last, when we had stopped at the <i>eighth</i> inn in
+      vain, I told the people we <i>must</i> have lodgings, for it was
+      impossible we should walk around in the rain all night. Some of the guests
+      interfering in our favor, the hostess finally sent a servant with us to
+      the first hotel in the city. I told him on the way we were Americans,
+      strangers in Ulm, and not accustomed to sleeping in the streets. "Well,"
+      said he, "I will go before, and recommend you to the landlord of the
+      Golden Wheel." I knew not what magic he used, but in half an hour our
+      weary limbs were stretched in delightful repose and we thanked Heaven more
+      gratefully than ever before, for the blessing of a good bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning we ran about through the booths of the fair, and gazed up
+      from all sides at the vast Cathedral. The style is the simplest and
+      grandest Gothic; but the tower, which, to harmonize, with the body of the
+      church, should be 520 feet high, was left unfinished at the height of 234
+      feet. I could not enough admire the grandeur of proportion in the great
+      building. It seemed singular that the little race of animals who swarmed
+      around its base, should have the power to conceive or execute such a
+      gigantic work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is an immense fortification now in progress of erection behind Ulm.
+      It leans on the side of the hill which rises from the Danube, and must be
+      nearly a mile in length. Hundreds of laborers are at work, and from the
+      appearance of the foundations, many years will be required to finish it.
+      The lofty mountain-plain which we afterwards passed over, for eight or ten
+      miles, divides the waters of the Danube from the Rhine. From the heights
+      above Ulm, we bade adieu to the far, misty Alps, till we shall see them
+      again in Switzerland. Late in the afternoon, we came to a lovely green
+      valley, sunk as it were in the earth. Around us, on all sides, stretched
+      the bare, lofty plains; but the valley lay below, its steep sides covered
+      with the richest forest. At the bottom flowed the Fils. Our road led
+      directly down the side; the glen spread out broader as we advanced, and
+      smiling villages stood beside the stream. A short distance before reaching
+      Esslingen, we came upon the banks of the Neckar, whom we hailed as an old
+      acquaintance, although much smaller here in his mountain home than when he
+      sweeps the walls of Heidelberg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Delightful Wurtemberg! Shall I ever forget thy lovely green vales, watered
+      by the classic current of the Neckar, or thy lofty hills covered with
+      vineyards and waving forests, and crowned with heavy ruins, that tell many
+      a tale of Barbarossa and Duke Ulric and Goetz with the Iron Hand! No&mdash;were
+      even the Suabian hills less beautiful&mdash;were the Suabian people less
+      faithful and kind and true, still I would love the land for the great
+      spirits it has produced; still would the birth-place of Frederick
+      Schiller, of Uhland and Hauff, be sacred. I do not wonder Wurtemberg can
+      boast such glorious poets. Its lovely landscapes seem to have been made
+      expressly for the cradle of genius; amid no other scenes could his infant
+      mind catch a more benign inspiration. Even the common people are deeply
+      imbued with a poetic feeling. We saw it in their friendly greetings and
+      open, expressive countenances; it is shown in their love for their
+      beautiful homes and the rapture and reverence with which they speak of
+      their country's bards. No river in the world, equal to the Neckar in size,
+      flows for its whole course through more delightful scenery, or among
+      kinder and happier people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After leaving Esslingen, we followed its banks for some time, at the foot
+      of an amphitheatre of hills, covered to the very summit, as far as the eye
+      could reach, with vineyards. The morning was cloudy, and white
+      mist-wreaths hung along the sides. We took a road that led over the top of
+      a range, and on arriving at the summit, saw all at once the city of
+      Stuttgard, lying beneath our feet. It lay in a basin encircled by
+      mountains, with a narrow valley opening to the south-east, and running off
+      between the hills to the Neckar. The situation of the city is one of
+      wonderful beauty, and even after seeing Salzburg, I could not but be
+      charmed with it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We descended the mountain and entered it. I inquired immediately for the
+      monument of Schiller, for there was little else in the city I cared to
+      see. We had become tired of running about cities, hunting this or that old
+      church or palace, which perhaps was nothing when found. Stuttgard has
+      neither galleries, ruins, nor splendid buildings, to interest the
+      traveler; but it has Thorwaldsen's statue of Schiller, calling up at the
+      same time its shame and its glory. For the poet in his youth was obliged
+      to fly from this very same city&mdash;from home and friends, to escape the
+      persecution of the government on account of the free sentiments expressed
+      in his early works. We found the statue, without much difficulty. It
+      stands in the Schloss Platz, at the southern end of the city, in an
+      unfavorable situation, surrounded by dark old buildings. It should rather
+      be placed aloft on a mountain summit, in the pure, free air of heaven,
+      braving the storm and the tempest. The figure is fourteen feet high and
+      stands on a pedestal of bronze, with bas reliefs on the four sides. The
+      head, crowned with a laurel wreath, is inclined as if in deep thought, and
+      all the earnest soul is seen in the countenance. Thorwaldsen has copied so
+      truly the expression of poetic reverie, that I waited, half-expecting he
+      would raise his head and look around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we passed out the eastern gate, the workmen were busy near the city,
+      making an embankment for the new railroad to Heilbroun, and we were
+      obliged to wade through half a mile of mud. Finally the road turned to the
+      left over a mountain, and we walked on in the rain, regardless of the
+      touching entreaties of an omnibus-driver, who felt a great concern for our
+      health, especially as he had two empty seats. There is a peculiarly
+      agreeable sensation in walking in a storm, when the winds sweep by and the
+      rain-drops rattle through the trees, and the dark clouds roll past just
+      above one's head. It gives a dash of sublimity to the most common scene.
+      If the rain did not finally soak through the boots, and if one did not
+      lose every romantic feeling in wet garments, I would prefer storm to
+      sunshine, for visiting some kinds of scenery. You remember, we saw the
+      North Coast of Ireland and the Giant's Causeway in stormy weather, at the
+      expense of being completely drenched, it is true; but our recollections of
+      that wild day's journey are as vivid as any event of our lives&mdash;and
+      the name of the Giant's Causeway calls up a series of pictures as terribly
+      sublime as any we would wish to behold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The rain at last did come down a little too hard for comfort, and we were
+      quite willing to take shelter when we reached Ludwigsburg. This is here
+      called a new city, having been laid out with broad streets and spacious
+      squares, about a century ago, and is now about the size of our five-year
+      old city of Milwaukie! It is the chief military station of Wurtemberg, and
+      has a splendid castle and gardens, belonging to the king. A few miles to
+      the eastward is the little village where Schiller was born. It is said the
+      house where his parents lived is still standing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was not the weather <i>alone</i>, which prevented our making a
+      pilgrimage to it, nor was it <i>alone</i> a peculiar fondness for rain
+      which induced us to persist in walking in the storm. Our feeble pockets,
+      if they could have raised an audible jingle, would have told another tale.
+      Our scanty allowance was dwindling rapidly away, in spite of a desperate
+      system of economy. We left Ulm with a florin and a half apiece&mdash;about
+      sixty cents&mdash;to walk to Heidelberg, a distance of 110 miles. It was
+      the evening of the third day, and this was almost exhausted. As soon
+      therefore as the rain slackened a little, we started again, although the
+      roads were very bad. At Betigheim, where we passed the night, the people
+      told us of a much nearer and more beautiful road, passing through the
+      Zabergau, a region fumed for its fertility and pastoral beauty. At the inn
+      we were charged higher than usual for a bed, so that we had but thirteen
+      kreutzers to start with in the morning. Our fare that day was a little
+      bread and water; we walked steadily on, but owing to the wet roads, made
+      only thirty miles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A more delightful region than the Zabergau I have seldom passed through.
+      The fields were full of rich, heavy grain, and the trees had a luxuriance
+      of foliage that reminded me of the vale of the Jed, in Scotland. Without a
+      single hedge or fence, stood the long sweep of hills, covered with waving
+      fields of grain, except where they were steep and rocky, and the vineyard
+      terraces rose one above another. Sometimes a fine old forest grew along
+      the summit, like a mane waving back from the curved neck of a steed, and
+      white villages lay coiled in the valleys between. A line of blue mountains
+      always closed the vista, on looking down one of these long valleys;
+      occasionally a ruined castle with donjon tower, was seen on a mountain at
+      the side, making the picture complete. As we lay sometimes on the hillside
+      and looked on one of those sweet vales, we were astonished at its Arcadian
+      beauty. The meadows were as smooth as a mirror, and there seemed to be
+      scarcely a grass-blade out of place. The streams wound through ("<i>snaked</i>
+      themselves through," is the German expression,) with a subdued ripple, as
+      if they feared to displace a pebble, and the great ash trees which stood
+      here and there, had lined each of their leaves as carefully with silver
+      and turned them as gracefully to the wind, us if they were making their
+      toilettes for the gala-day of nature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That evening brought us into the dominions of Baden, within five hours'
+      walk of Heidelberg. At the humblest inn in an humble village, we found a
+      bed which we could barely pay for, leaving a kreutzer or two for
+      breakfast. Soon after starting the next morning, the distant Kaiserstuhl
+      suddenly emerged from the mist, with the high tower on its summit, where
+      nearly ten months before, we sat and looked at the summits of the Vosges
+      in France, with all the excitement one feels on entering a foreign land.
+      <i>Now</i>, the scenery around that same Kaiserstuhl was nearly as
+      familiar to us as that of our own homes. Entering the hills again, we knew
+      by the blue mountains of the Odenwald, that we were approaching the
+      Neckar. At length we reached the last height. The town of Neckargemünd lay
+      before us on the steep hillside, and the mountains on either side were
+      scarred with quarries of the rich red sandstone, so much used in building.
+      The blocks are hewn out, high up on the mountain side, and then sent
+      rolling and sliding down to the river, where they are laden in boats and
+      floated down with the current to the distant cities of the Rhine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were rejoiced on turning around the corner of a mountain, to see on the
+      opposite side of the river, the road winding up through the forests, where
+      last fall our Heidelberg friends accompanied us, as we set out to walk to
+      Frankfort, through the Odenwald. Many causes combined to render it a glad
+      scene to us. We were going to meet our comrade again, after a separation
+      of months; we were bringing an eventful journey to its close; and finally,
+      we were weak and worn out from fasting and the labor of walking in the
+      rain. A little further we saw Kloster Neuburg, formerly an old convent,
+      and remembered how we used to look at it every day from the windows of our
+      room on the Neckar; but we shouted aloud, when we saw at last the
+      well-known bridge spanning the river, and the glorious old castle lifting
+      its shattered towers from the side of the mountain above us. I always felt
+      a strong attachment to this matchless ruin, and as I beheld it again, with
+      the warm sunshine falling through each broken arch, the wild ivy draping
+      its desolate chambers, it seemed to smile on me like the face of a friend,
+      and I confessed I had seen many a grander scene, but few that would cling
+      to the memory so familiarly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While we were in Heidelberg, a student was buried by torch-light. This is
+      done when particular honor is shown to the memory of the departed brother.
+      They assembled at dark in the University Square, each with a blazing pine
+      torch three feet long, and formed into a double line. Between the files
+      walked at short distances an officer, who, with his sword, broad lace
+      collar, and the black and white plumes in his cap, looked like a cavalier
+      of the olden time. Persons with torches walked on each side of the hearse,
+      and the band played a lament so deeply mournful, that the scene,
+      notwithstanding its singularity, was very sad and touching. The thick
+      smoke from the torches filled the air, and a lurid, red light was cast
+      over the hushed crowds in the streets and streamed into the dark alleys.
+      The Hauptstrasse was filled with two lines of flame, as the procession
+      passed down it; when they reached the extremity of the city, the hearse
+      went on, attended with torch-bearers, to the Cemetery, some distance
+      further, and the students turned back, running and whirling their torches
+      in mingled confusion. The music struck up a merry march, and in the smoke
+      and red glare, they looked like a company of mad demons. The presence of
+      death awed them to silence for awhile, but as soon as it had left them,
+      they turned relieved to revel again and thought no more of the lesson. It
+      gave me a painful feeling to see them rushing so wildly and disorderly
+      back. They assembled again in the square, and tossing their torches up
+      into the air cast them blazing into a pile; while the flame and black
+      smoke rose in a column into the air, they sang in solemn chorus, the song
+      "<i>Gaudeamus igitur</i>," with which they close all public assemblies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I shall neglect telling how we left Heidelberg, and walked along the
+      Bergstrasse again, for the sixth time; how we passed the old Melibochus
+      and through the quiet city of Darmstadt; how we watched the blue summits
+      of the Taunus rising higher and higher over the plain, as a new land rises
+      from the sea, and finally, how we reached at last the old watch-tower and
+      looked down on the valley of the Main, clothed in the bloom and verdure of
+      summer, with the houses and spires of Frankfort in the middle of the
+      well-known panorama. We again took possession of our old rooms, and having
+      to wait for a remittance from America, as well as a more suitable season
+      for visiting Italy, we sat down to a month's rest and study.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVIII. &mdash; FREIBURG AND THE BLACK FOREST.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Frankfort, July 29, 1845.</i>&mdash;It would be ingratitude towards the
+      old city in which I have passed so many pleasant and profitable hours, to
+      leave it, perhaps forever, without a few words of farewell. How often will
+      the old bridge, with its view up the Main, over the houses of Oberrad to
+      the far mountains of the Odenwald, rise freshly and distinctly in memory,
+      when I shall have been long absent from them! How often will I hear in
+      fancy as I now do in reality, the heavy tread of passers-by on the rough
+      pavement below, and the deep bell of the Cathedral, chiming the swift
+      hours, with a hollow tone that seems to warn me, rightly to employ them!
+      Even this old room, with its bare walls, little table and chairs, which I
+      have thought and studied in so long, that it seems difficult to think and
+      study anywhere else, will crowd out of memory images of many a loftier
+      scene. May I but preserve for the future the hope and trust which have
+      cheered and sustained me here, through the sorrow of absence and the
+      anxiety of uncertain toil! It is growing towards midnight and I think of
+      many a night when I sat here at this hour, answering the spirit-greeting
+      which friends sent me at sunset over the sea. All this has now an end. I
+      must begin a new wandering, and perhaps in ten days more I shall have a
+      better place for thought, among the mountain-chambers of the everlasting
+      Alps. I look forward to the journey with romantic, enthusiastic
+      anticipation, for afar in the silvery distance, stand the Coliseum and St.
+      Peter's, Vesuvius and the lovely Naples. Farewell, friends who have so
+      long given us a home!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Aug. 9.</i>&mdash;The airy, basket-work tower of the Freiburg Minster
+      rises before me over the black roofs of the houses, and behind stand the
+      gloomy, pine-covered mountains of the Black Forest. Of our walk to
+      Heidelberg over the oft-trodden Bergstrasse, I shall say nothing, nor how
+      we climbed the Kaiserstuhl again, and danced around on the top of the
+      tower for one hour, amid cloud and mist, while there was sunshine below in
+      the valley of the Neckar. I left Heidelberg yesterday morning in the <i>stehwagen</i>
+      for Carlsruhe. The engine whistled, the train started, and although I kept
+      my eyes steadily fixed on the spire of the Hauptkirche, three minutes hid
+      it, and all the rest of the city from sight. Carlsruhe, the capital of
+      Baden, which we reached in an hour and a half, is unanimously pronounced
+      by travelers to be a most dull and tiresome city. From a glance I had
+      through one of the gates, I should think its reputation was not
+      undeserved. Even its name, in German, signifies a place of repose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I stopped at Kork, on the branch road leading to Strasbourg, to meet a
+      German-American about to return to my home in Pennsylvania, where he had
+      lived for some time. I inquired according to the direction he had sent me
+      to Frankfort, but he was not there; however, an old man, finding who I
+      was, said Herr Otto had directed him to go with me to Hesselhurst, a
+      village four or five miles off, where he would meet me. So we set off
+      immediately over the plain, and reached the village at dusk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the little inn, were several of the farmers of the neighborhood, who
+      seemed to consider it as something extraordinary to see a real, live,
+      native-born American. They overwhelmed me with questions about the state
+      of our country, its government, etc. The hostess brought me a supper of
+      fried eggs and <i>wurst</i>, while they gathered around the table and
+      began a real category in the dialect of the country, which is difficult to
+      understand. I gave them the best information I could about our mode of
+      farming, the different kinds of produce raised, and the prices paid to
+      laborers; one honest old man cried out, on my saying I had worked on a
+      farm, "Ah! little brother, give me your hand!" which he shook most
+      heartily. I told them also something about our government, and the militia
+      system, so different from the conscription of Europe, when a farmer
+      becoming quite warm in our favor, said to the others with an air of the
+      greatest decision: "One American is better than twenty Germans!" What
+      particularly amused me, was, that although I spoke German with them, they
+      seemed to think I did not understand what they said among one another, and
+      therefore commented very freely over my appearance. I suppose they had the
+      idea that we were a rude, savage race, for I overheard one say: "One sees,
+      nevertheless, that he has been educated!" Their honest, unsophisticated
+      mode of expression was very interesting to me, and we talked together till
+      a late hour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My friend arrived at three o'clock the next morning, and after two or
+      three hours' talk about <i>home</i>, and the friends whom he expected to
+      see so much sooner than I, a young farmer drove me in his wagon to
+      Offenburg, a small city at the foot of the Black Forest, where I took the
+      cars for Freiburg. The scenery between the two places is grand. The broad
+      mountains of the Black Forest rear their fronts on the east, and the blue
+      lines of the French Vosges meet the clouds on the west. The night before,
+      in walking over the plain, I saw distinctly the whole of the Strasbourg
+      Minster, whose spire is the highest in Europe, being four hundred and
+      ninety feet, or but twenty-five feet lower than the Pyramid of Cheops.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I visited the Minster of Freiburg yesterday morning. It is a grand, gloomy
+      old pile, dating from the eleventh century&mdash;one of the few Gothic
+      churches in Germany that have ever been completed. The tower of beautiful
+      fretwork, rises to the height of three hundred and ninety-five feet, and
+      the body of the church including the choir, is of the same length. The
+      interior is solemn and majestic. Windows stained in colors that burn, let
+      in a "dim, religious light" which accords very well with the dark old
+      pillars and antique shrines. In two of the chapels there are some fine
+      altar-pieces by Holbein and one of his scholars; and a very large crucifix
+      of silver and ebony, which is kept with great care, is said to have been
+      carried with the Crusaders to the Holy Land. This morning was the great
+      market-day, and the peasantry of the Black Forest came down from the
+      mountains to dispose of their produce. The square around the Minster was
+      filled with them, and the singular costume of the women gave the scene
+      quite a strange appearance. Many of them wore bright red head-dresses and
+      shawls, others had high-crowned hats of yellow oil-cloth; the young girls
+      wore their hair in long plaits, reaching nearly to their feet. They
+      brought grain, butter and cheese and a great deal of fine fruit to sell&mdash;I
+      bought some of the wild, aromatic plums of the country, at the rate of
+      thirty for a cent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The railroad has only been open to Freiburg within a few days, and is
+      consequently an object of great curiosity to the peasants, many of whom
+      never saw the like before. They throng around the station at the departure
+      of the train and watch with great interest the operations of getting up
+      the steam and starting. One of the scenes that grated most harshly on my
+      feelings, was seeing yesterday a company of women employed on the
+      unfinished part of the road. They were digging and shoveling away in the
+      rain, nearly up to their knees in mud and clay!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I called at the Institute for the Blind, under the direction of Mr.
+      Müller. He showed me some beautiful basket and woven work by his pupils;
+      the accuracy and skill with which everything was made astonished me. They
+      read with amazing facility from the raised type, and by means of frames
+      are taught to write with ease and distinctness. In music, that great
+      solace of the blind, they most excelled. They sang with an expression so
+      true and touching, that it was a delight to listen. The system of
+      instruction adopted appears to be most excellent, and gives to the blind
+      nearly every advantage which their more fortunate brethren enjoy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I am indebted to Mr. Müller, to whom I was introduced by an acquaintance
+      with his friend, Dr. Rivinus, of West Chester, Pa., for many kind
+      attentions. He went with us this afternoon to the Jägerhaus, on a mountain
+      near, where we had a very fine view of the city and its great black
+      Minster, with the plain of the Briesgau, broken only by the Kaiserstuhl, a
+      long mountain near the Rhine, whose golden stream glittered in the
+      distance. On climbing the Schlossberg, an eminence near the city, we met
+      the Grand Duchess Stephanie, a natural daughter of Napoleon, as I have
+      heard, and now generally believed to be the mother of Caspar Hauser.
+      Through a work lately published, which has since been suppressed, the
+      whole history has come to light. Caspar Hauser was the lineal descendant
+      of the house of Baden, and heir to the throne. The guilt of his
+      imprisonment and murder rests, therefore, upon the present reigning
+      family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A chapel on the Schönberg, the mountain opposite, was pointed out as the
+      spot where Louis XV., if I mistake not, usually stood while his army
+      besieged Freiburg. A German officer having sent a ball to this chapel
+      which struck the wall just above the king's head, the latter sent word
+      that if they did not cease firing he would point his cannons at the
+      Minster. The citizens thought it best to spare the monarch and save the
+      cathedral.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We attended a meeting of the <i>Walhalla</i>, or society of the students
+      who visit the Freiburg University. They pleased me better than the
+      enthusiastic but somewhat unrestrained Burschenschaft of Heidelberg. Here,
+      they have abolished duelling; the greatest friendship prevails among the
+      students, and they have not that contempt for every thing <i>philister</i>,
+      or unconnected with their studies, which prevails in other universities.
+      Many respectable citizens attend their meetings; to-night there was a
+      member of the Chamber of Deputies at Carlsruhe present, who delivered two
+      speeches, in which every third word was "freedom!" An address was
+      delivered also by a merchant of the city, in which he made a play upon the
+      word <i>spear</i>, which signifies also in a cant sense, <i>citizen</i>,
+      find seemed to indicate that both would do their work in the good cause.
+      He was loudly applauded. Their song of union was by Charles Follen, and
+      the students were much pleased when I told them how he was honored and
+      esteemed in America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After two days, delightfully spent, we shouldered our knapsacks and left
+      Freiburg. The beautiful valley, at the mouth of which the city lies, runs
+      like an avenue for seven miles directly into the mountains, and presents
+      in its loveliness such a contrast to the horrid defile which follows, that
+      it almost deserves the name which has been given to a little inn at its
+      head&mdash;the "Kingdom of Heaven." The mountains of the Black Forest
+      enclose it on each side like walls, covered to the summit with luxuriant
+      woods, and in some places with those forests of gloomy pine which give
+      this region its name. After traversing its whole length, just before
+      plunging into the mountain-depths, the traveler rarely meets with a finer
+      picture than that which, on looking back, he sees framed between the hills
+      at the other end. Freiburg looks around the foot of one of the heights,
+      with the spire of her cathedral peeping above the top, while the French
+      Vosges grew dim in the far perspective.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The road now enters a wild, narrow valley, which grows smaller as we
+      proceed. From Himmelreich, a large rude inn by the side of the green
+      meadows, we enter the Höllenthal&mdash;that is, from the "Kingdom of
+      Heaven" to the "Valley of Hell!" The latter place better deserves its
+      appellation than the former. The road winds between precipices of black
+      rock, above which the thick foliage shuts out the brightness of day and
+      gives a sombre hue to the scene. A torrent foams down the chasm, and in
+      one place two mighty pillars interpose to prevent all passage. The stream,
+      however, has worn its way through, and the road is hewn in the rock by its
+      side. This cleft is the only entrance to a valley three or four miles
+      long, which lies in the very heart of the mountains. It is inhabited by a
+      few woodmen and their families, and but for the road which passes through,
+      would be as perfect a solitude as the Happy Valley of Rasselas. At the
+      farther end, a winding road called "The Ascent," leads up the steep
+      mountain to an elevated region of country, thinly settled and covered with
+      herds of cattle. The cherries which, in the Rhine-plain below, had long
+      gone, were just ripe here. The people spoke a most barbarous dialect; they
+      were social and friendly, for everybody greeted us, and sometimes, as we
+      sat on a bank by the roadside, those who passed by would say "Rest thee!"
+      or "Thrice rest!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Passing by the Titi Lake, a small body of water which was spread out among
+      the hills like a sheet of ink, so deep was its Stygian hue, we commenced
+      ascending a mountain. The highest peak of the Schwarzwald, the Feldberg,
+      rose not far off, and on arriving at the top of this mountain, we saw that
+      a half hour's walk would bring us to its summit. This was too great a
+      temptation for my love of climbing heights; so with a look at the
+      descending sun to calculate how much time we could spare, we set out.
+      There was no path, but we pressed directly up the steep side, through
+      bushes and long grass, and in a short time reached the top, breathless
+      from such exertion in the thin atmosphere. The pine woods shut out the
+      view to the north and east, which is said to be magnificent, as the
+      mountain is about five thousand feet high. The wild, black peaks of the
+      Black Forest were spread below us, and the sun sank through golden mist
+      towards the Alsatian hills. Afar to the south, through cloud and storm, we
+      could just trace the white outline of the Swiss Alps. The wind swept
+      through the pines around, and bent the long yellow grass among which we
+      sat, with a strange, mournful sound, well suiting the gloomy and
+      mysterious region. It soon grew cold, the golden clouds settled down
+      towards us, and we made haste to descend to the village of Lenzkirch
+      before dark.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning we set out early, without waiting to see the trial of archery
+      which was to take place among the mountain youths. Their booths and
+      targets, gay with banners, stood on a green meadow beside the town. We
+      walked through the Black Forest the whole forenoon. It might be owing to
+      the many wild stories whose scenes are laid among these hills, but with me
+      there was a peculiar feeling of solemnity pervading the whole region. The
+      great pine woods are of the very darkest hue of green, and down their
+      hoary, moss-floored aisles, daylight seems never to have shone. The air
+      was pure and clear, and the sunshine bright, but it imparted no gaiety to
+      the scenery: except the little meadows of living emerald which lay
+      occasionally in the lap of a dell, the landscape wore a solemn and serious
+      air. In a storm, it must be sublime.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About noon, from the top of the last range of hills, we had a glorious
+      view. The line of the distant Alps could be faintly traced high in the
+      clouds, and all the heights between were plainly visible, from the Lake of
+      Constance to the misty Jura, which flanked the Vosges of the west. From
+      our lofty station we overlooked half Switzerland, and had the air been a
+      little clearer, we could have seen Mont Blanc and the mountains of Savoy.
+      I could not help envying the feelings of the Swiss, who, after long
+      absence from their native land, first see the Alps from this road. If to
+      the emotions with which I then looked on them were added the passionate
+      love of home and country which a long absence creates, such excess of
+      rapture would be almost too great to be borne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon we crossed the border, and took leave of Germany with
+      regret, after near a year's residence within its bounds. Still it was
+      pleasant to know we were in a republic once more: the first step we took
+      made us aware of the change. There was no policeman to call for our
+      passports or search our baggage. It was just dark when we reached the hill
+      overlooking the Rhine, on whose steep banks is perched the antique town of
+      Schaffhausen. It is still walled in, with towers at regular intervals; the
+      streets are wide and spacious, and the houses rendered extremely
+      picturesque by the quaint projecting windows. The buildings are nearly all
+      old, as we learned by the dates above the doors. At the inn, I met with
+      one of the free troopers who marched against Luzerne. He was full of
+      spirit, and ready to undertake another such journey. Indeed it is the
+      universal opinion that the present condition of things cannot last much
+      longer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We took a walk before breakfast to the Falls of the Rhine, about a mile
+      and a half from Schaffhausen. I confess I was somewhat disappointed in
+      them, after the glowing descriptions of travelers. The river at this place
+      is little more than thirty yards wide, and the body of water, although
+      issuing from the Lake of Constance, is not remarkably strong. For some
+      distance above, the fall of the water is very rapid, and as it finally
+      reaches the spot where, narrowed between rocks, it makes the grand plunge,
+      it has acquired a great velocity. Three rocks stand in the middle of the
+      current, which thunders against and around their bases, but cannot shake
+      them down. These and the rocks in the bed of the stream, break the force
+      of the fall, so that it descends to the bottom, about fifty feet below,
+      not in one sheet, but shivered into a hundred leaps of snowy foam. The
+      precipitous shores, and the tasteful little castle which is perched upon
+      the steep just over the boiling spray, add much to its beauty, taken as a
+      picture. As a specimen of the picturesque, the whole scene is perfect. I
+      should think Trenton Falls, in New York, must excel these in wild,
+      startling effect; but there is such a scarcity of waterfalls in this land,
+      that the Germans go into raptures about them, and will hardly believe that
+      Niagara itself possesses more sublimity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIX. &mdash; PEOPLE AND PLACES IN EASTERN SWITZERLAND.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We left Schaffhausen for Zurich, in mist and rain, and walked for some
+      time along the north bank of the Rhine. We could have enjoyed the scenery
+      much better, had it not been for the rain, which not only hid the
+      mountains from sight, but kept us constantly half soaked. We crossed the
+      rapid Rhine at Eglisau, a curious antique village, and then continued our
+      way through the forests of Canton Zurich, to Bülach, with its groves of
+      lindens&mdash;"those tall and stately trees, with velvet down upon their
+      shining leaves, and rustic benches placed beneath their overhanging
+      eaves."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When we left the little village where the rain obliged us to stop for the
+      night, it was clear and delightful. The farmers were out, busy at work,
+      their long, straight scythes glancing through the wet grass, while the
+      thick pines sparkled with thousands of dewy diamonds. The country was so
+      beautiful and cheerful, that we half felt like being in America. The
+      farm-houses were scattered over the country in real American style, and
+      the glorious valley of the Limmat, bordered on the west by a range of
+      woody hills, reminded me of some scenes in my native Pennsylvania. The
+      houses were neatly and tastefully built, with little gardens around them&mdash;and
+      the countenances of the people spoke of intelligence and independence.
+      There was the same air of peace and prosperity which delighted us in the
+      valleys of Upper Austria, with a look of freedom which those had not. The
+      faces of a people are the best index to their condition. I could read on
+      their brows a lofty self-respect, a consciousness of the liberties they
+      enjoy, which the Germans of the laboring class never show. It could not be
+      imagination, for the recent occurrences in Switzerland, with the many
+      statements I heard in Germany, had prejudiced me somewhat against the
+      land; and these marks of prosperity and freedom were as surprising as they
+      were delightful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we approached Zurich, the noise of employment from mills, furnaces and
+      factories, came to us like familiar sounds, reminding us of the bustle of
+      our home cities. The situation of the city is lovely. It lies at the head
+      of the lake, and on both sides of the little river Limmat, whose clear
+      green waters carry the collected meltings of the Alps to the Rhine. Around
+      the lake rise lofty green hills, which, sloping gently back, bear on their
+      sides hundreds of pleasant country-houses and farms, and the snowy Alpine
+      range extends along the southern sky. The Limmat is spanned by a number of
+      bridges, and its swift waters turn many mills which are built above them.
+      From these bridges one can look out over the blue lake and down the
+      thronged streets of the city on each side, whose bright, cheerful houses
+      remind him of Italy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Zurich can boast of finer promenades than any other city in Switzerland.
+      The old battlements are planted with trees and transformed into pleasant
+      walks, which being elevated above the city, command views of its beautiful
+      environs. A favorite place of resort is the Lindenhof, an elevated
+      court-yard, shaded by immense trees. The fountains of water under them are
+      always surrounded by washerwomen, and in the morning groups of merry
+      school children may be seen tumbling over the grass. The teachers take
+      them there in a body for exercise and recreation. The Swiss children are
+      beautiful, bright-eyed creatures; there is scarcely one who does not
+      exhibit the dawning of an active, energetic spirit. It may be partly
+      attributed to the fresh, healthy climate of Switzerland, but I am partial
+      enough to republics to believe that the influence of the Government under
+      which they live, has also its share in producing the effect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is a handsome promenade on an elevated bastion which overlooks the
+      city and lakes. While enjoying the cool morning breeze and listening to
+      the stir of the streets below us, we were also made aware of the social
+      and friendly politeness of the people. Those who passed by, on their walk
+      around the rampart, greeted us, almost with the familiarity of an
+      acquaintance. Simple as was the act, we felt grateful, for it had at least
+      the seeming of a friendly interest and a sympathy with the loneliness
+      which the stranger sometimes feels. A school-teacher leading her troop of
+      merry children on their morning walk around the bastion, nodded to us
+      pleasantly and forthwith the whole company of chubby-cheeked rogues,
+      looking up at us with a pleasant archness, lisped a "<i>guten morgen</i>"
+      that made the hearts glad within us. I know of nothing that has given me a
+      more sweet and tender delight than the greeting of a little child, who,
+      leaving his noisy playmates, ran across the street to me, and taking my
+      hand, which he could barely clasp in both his soft little ones, looked up
+      in my face with an expression so winning and affectionate, that I loved
+      him at once. The happy, honest farmers, too, spoke to us cheerfully
+      everywhere. We learned a lesson from all this&mdash;we felt that not a
+      word of kindness is ever wasted, that a simple friendly glance may cheer
+      the spirit and warm the lonely heart, and that the slightest deed,
+      prompted by generous sympathy, becomes a living joy in the memory of the
+      receiver, which blesses unceasingly him who bestowed it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left Zurich the same afternoon, to walk to Stafa, where we were told
+      the poet Freiligrath resided. The road led along the bank of the lake,
+      whose shores sloped gently up from the water, covered with gardens and
+      farm-houses, which, with the bolder mountains that rose behind them, made
+      a combination of the lovely and grand, on which the eye rested with
+      rapture and delight. The sweetest cottages were embowered among the
+      orchards, and the whole country bloomed like a garden. The waters of the
+      lake are of a pale, transparent green, and so clear that we could see its
+      bottom of white pebbles, for some distance. Here and there floated a quiet
+      boat on its surface. The opposite hills were covered with a soft blue
+      haze, and white villages sat along the shore, "like swans among the
+      reeds." Behind, we saw the woody range of the Brunig Alp. The people bade
+      us a pleasant good evening; there was a universal air of cheerfulness and
+      content on their countenances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Towards evening, the clouds which hung in the south the whole day,
+      dispersed a little and we could see the Dodiberg and the Alps of Glarus.
+      As sunset drew on, the broad summits of snow and the clouds which were
+      rolled around them, assumed a soft rosy hue, which increased in brilliancy
+      as the light of day faded. The rough, icy crags and snowy steeps were
+      fused in the warm light and half blended with the bright clouds. This
+      blaze, as it were, of the mountains at sunset, is called the <i>Alp-glow</i>,
+      and exceeds all one's highest conceptions of Alpine grandeur. We watched
+      the fading glory till it quite died away, and the summits wore a livid,
+      ashy hue, like the mountains of a world wherein there was no life. In a
+      few minutes more the dusk of twilight spread over the scene, the boatmen
+      glided home over the still lake and the herdsmen drove their cattle back
+      from pasture on the slopes and meadows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On inquiring for Freiligrath at Stafa, we found he had removed to
+      Rapperschwyl, some distance further. As it was already late, we waited for
+      the steamboat which leaves Zurich every evening. It came along about eight
+      o'clock, and a little boat carried us out through rain and darkness to
+      meet it, as it came like a fiery-eyed monster over the water. We stepped
+      on board the "Republican," and in half an hour were brought to the wharf
+      at Rapperschwyl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are two small islands in the lake, one of which, with a little
+      chapel rising from among its green trees, is Ufnau, the grave of Ulrich
+      von Hutten, one of the fathers of the German Reformation. His fiery poems
+      have been the source from which many a German bard has derived his
+      inspiration, and Freiligrath who now lives in sight of his tomb, has
+      published an indignant poem, because an inn with gaming tables has been
+      established in the ruins of the castle near Creuznach, where Hutten found
+      refuge from his enemies with Franz von Sickingen, brother-in-law of "Goetz
+      with the iron Hand." The monks of Einsiedeln, to whom Ufnau belongs, have
+      carefully obliterated all traces of his grave, so that the exact spot is
+      not known, in order that even a tombstone might be denied him who once
+      strove to overturn their order. It matters little to that bold spirit
+      whose motto was: "<i>The die is cast&mdash;I have dared it!</i>"&mdash;the
+      whole island is his monument, if he need one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I spent the whole of the morning with Freiligrath, the poet, who was
+      lately banished from Germany on account of the liberal principles his last
+      volume contains. He lives in a pleasant country-house on the Meyerberg, an
+      eminence near Rapperschwyl, overlooking a glorious prospect. On leaving
+      Frankfort, R.S. Willis gave me a letter to him, and I was glad to meet
+      with a man personally whom I admired so much through his writings, and
+      whose boldness in speaking out against the tyranny which his country
+      suffers, forms such a noble contrast to the cautious slowness of his
+      countrymen. He received me kindly and conversed much upon American
+      literature. He is a warm admirer of Bryant and Longfellow, and has
+      translated many of their poems into German. He said he had received a warm
+      invitation from a colony of Germans in Wisconsin, to join them and enjoy
+      that freedom which his native land denies, but that his circumstances
+      would not allow it at present. He is perhaps thirty-five years of age. His
+      brow is high and noble, and his eyes, which are large and of a clear gray,
+      beam with serious, saddened thought. His long chesnut hair, uniting with a
+      handsome beard and moustache, gives a lion-like dignity to his energetic
+      countenance. His talented wife, Ida Freiligrath, who shares his literary
+      labors, and an amiable sister, are with him in exile, and he is happier in
+      their faithfulness than when he enjoyed the favors of a corrupt king.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We crossed the long bridge from Rapperschwyl, and took the road over the
+      mountain opposite, ascending for nearly two hours along the side, with
+      glorious views of the Lake of Zurich and the mountains which enclose it.
+      The upper and lower ends of the lake were completely hid by the storms,
+      which, to our regret, veiled the Alps, but the part below lay spread out
+      dim and grand, like a vast picture. It rained almost constantly, and we
+      were obliged occasionally to take shelter in the pine forests, whenever a
+      heavier cloud passed over. The road was lined with beggars, who dropped on
+      their knees in the rain before us, or placed bars across the way, and then
+      took them down again, for which they demanded money.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length we reached the top of the pass. Many pilgrims to Einsiedeln had
+      stopped at a little inn there, some of whom came a long distance to pay
+      their vows, especially as the next day was the Ascension day of the
+      Virgin, whose image there is noted for performing many miracles. Passing
+      on, we crossed a wild torrent by an arch called the "Devil's Bridge." The
+      lofty, elevated plains were covered with scanty patches of grain and
+      potatoes, and the boys tended their goats on the grassy slopes, sometimes
+      trilling or <i>yodling</i> an Alpine melody. An hour's walk brought us to
+      Einsiedeln, a small town, whose only attraction is the Abbey&mdash;after
+      Loretto, in Italy, the most celebrated resort for pilgrims in Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We entered immediately into the great church. The gorgeous vaulted roof
+      and long aisles were dim with the early evening; hundreds of worshippers
+      sat around the sides, or kneeled in groups on the broad stone pavements,
+      chanting over their Paternosters and Ave Marias in a shrill, monotonous
+      tone, while the holy image near the entrance was surrounded by persons,
+      many of whom came in the hope of being healed of some disorder under which
+      they suffered. I could not distinctly make out the image, for it was
+      placed back within the grating, and a strong crimson lamp behind it was
+      made to throw the light around, in the form of a glory. Many of the
+      pilgrims came a long distance. I saw some in the costume of the Black
+      Forest, and others who appeared to be natives of the Italian Cantons; and
+      a group of young women wearing conical fur caps, from the forests of
+      Bregenz, on the Lake of Constance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was astonished at the splendor of this church, situated in a lonely and
+      unproductive Alpine valley. The lofty arches of the ceiling, which are
+      covered with superb fresco paintings, rest on enormous pillars of granite,
+      and every image and shrine is richly ornamented with gold. Some of the
+      chapels were filled with the remains of martyrs, and these were always
+      surrounded with throngs of believers. The choir was closed by a tall iron
+      grating; a single lamp, which swung from the roof, enabled me to see
+      through the darkness, that though much more rich in ornaments than the
+      body of the church, it was less grand and impressive. The frescoes which
+      cover the ceiling, are said to be the finest paintings of the kind in
+      Switzerland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the morning our starting was delayed by the rain, and we took advantage
+      of it to hear mass in the Abbey and enjoy the heavenly music. The latter
+      was of the loftiest kind; there was one voice among the singers I shall
+      not soon forget. It was like the warble of a bird who sings out of very
+      wantonness. On and on it sounded, making its clear, radiant sweetness
+      heard above the chant of the choir and the thunder of the orchestra. Such
+      a rich, varied and untiring strain of melody I have rarely listened to.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the service ceased, we took a small road leading to Schwytz. We had
+      now fairly entered the Alpine region, and our first task was to cross a
+      mountain. This having been done, we kept along the back of the ridge which
+      bounds the lake of Zug on the south, terminating in the well known
+      Rossberg. The scenery became wilder with every step. The luxuriant fields
+      of herbage on the mountains were spotted with the picturesque <i>chalets</i>
+      of the hunters and Alp-herds; cattle and goats were browsing along the
+      declivities, their bells tinkling most musically, and the little streams
+      fell in foam down the steeps. We here began to realize our anticipations
+      of Swiss scenery. Just on the other side of the range, along which we
+      traveled, lay the little lake of Egeri and valley of Morgarten, where Tell
+      and his followers overcame the army of the German Emperor; near the lake
+      of Lowertz, we found a chapel by the roadside, built on the spot where the
+      house of Werner Stauffacher, one of the "three men of Grütli," formerly
+      stood. It bears a poetical inscription in old German, and a rude painting
+      of the Battle of Morgarten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we wound around the lake of Lowertz, we saw the valley lying between
+      the Rossberg and the Righi, which latter mountain stood full in view. To
+      our regret, and that of all other travelers, the clouds hung low upon it,
+      as they had done for a week at least, and there was no prospect of a
+      change. The Rossberg, from which we descended, is about four thousand feet
+      in height; a dark brown stripe from its very summit to the valley below,
+      shows the track of the avalanche which, in 1806, overwhelmed Goldau, and
+      laid waste the beautiful vale of Lowertz. We could trace the masses of
+      rock and earth as far as the foot of the Righi. Four hundred and fifty
+      persons perished by this catastrophe, which was so sudden that in five
+      minutes the whole lovely valley was transformed into a desolate
+      wilderness. The shock was so great that the lake of Lowertz overflowed its
+      banks, and part of the village of Steinen at the upper end was destroyed
+      by the waters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An hour's walk through a blooming Alpine vale brought us to the little
+      town of Schwytz, the capital of the Canton. It stands at the foot of a
+      rock-mountain, in shape not unlike Gibraltar, but double its height. The
+      bare and rugged summits seem to hang directly over the town, but the
+      people dwell below without fear, although the warning ruins of Goldau are
+      full in sight. A narrow blue line at the end of the valley which stretches
+      westward, marks the lake of the Four Cantons. Down this valley we hurried,
+      that we might not miss the boat which plies daily, from Luzerne to
+      Fluelen. I regretted not being able to visit Luzerne, as I had a letter to
+      the distinguished Swiss composer, Schnyder von Wartensee, who resides
+      there at present. The place is said to present a most desolate appearance,
+      being avoided by travelers, and even by artisans, so that business of all
+      kinds has almost entirely ceased.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the little town of Brunnen, on the lake, we awaited the coming of the
+      steamboat. The scenery around it is exceedingly grand. Looking down
+      towards Luzerne, we could see the dark mass of Mount Pilatus on one side,
+      and on the other the graceful outline of the Righi, still wearing his hood
+      of clouds. We put off in a skiff to meet the boat, with two Capuchin
+      friars in long brown mantles and cowls, carrying rosaries at their
+      girdles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nearly opposite Brunnen is the meadow of Grütli, where the union of the
+      Swiss patriots took place, and the bond was sealed that enabled them to
+      cast off their chains. It is a little green slope on the side of the
+      mountain, between the two Cantons of Uri and Unterwalden, surrounded on
+      all sides by precipices. A little crystal spring in the centre is believed
+      by the common people to have gushed up on the spot where the three "linked
+      the hands that made them free." It is also a popular belief that they
+      slumber in a rocky cavern near the spot, and that they will arise and come
+      forth when the liberties of Switzerland are in danger. She stands at
+      present greatly in need of a new triad to restore the ancient harmony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed this glorious scene, almost the only green spot on the bleak
+      mountain-side, and swept around the base of the Axenberg, at whose foot,
+      in a rocky cave, stands the chapel of William Tell. This is built on the
+      spot where he leaped from Gessler's boat during the storm. It sits at the
+      base of the rock, on the water's edge, and can be seen far over the waves.
+      The Alps, whose eternal snows are lifted dazzling to the sky, complete the
+      grandeur of a scene so hallowed by the footsteps of freedom. The grand and
+      lonely solemnity of the landscape impressed me with an awe, like that one
+      feels when standing in a mighty cathedral, when the aisles are dim with
+      twilight. And how full of interest to a citizen of young and free America
+      is a shrine where the votaries of Liberty have turned to gather strength
+      and courage, through the storms and convulsions of five hundred years!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We stopped at the village of Fluelen, at the head of the lake, and walked
+      on to Altorf, a distance of half a league. Here, in the market-place, is a
+      tower said to be built on the spot where the linden tree stood, under
+      which the child of Tell was placed, while, about a hundred yards distant,
+      is a fountain with Tell's statue, on the spot from whence he shot the
+      apple. If these localities are correct, he must indeed have been master of
+      the cross-bow. The tower is covered with rude paintings of the principal
+      events in the history of Swiss liberty. I viewed these scenes with double
+      interest from having read Schiller's "Wilhelm Tell," one of the most
+      splendid tragedies ever written. The beautiful reply of his boy, when he
+      described to him the condition of the "land where there are no mountains,"
+      was sounding in my ears during the whole day's journey:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Father, I'd feel oppressed in that broad land,
+    I'd rather dwell beneath the avalanche!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The little village of Burglen, whose spire we saw above the forest, in a
+      glen near by, was the birth-place of Tell, and the place where his
+      dwelling stood, is now marked by a small chapel. In the Schachen, a noisy
+      mountain stream that comes down to join the Reuss, he was drowned, when an
+      old man, in attempting to rescue a child who had fallen in&mdash;a death
+      worthy of the hero! We bestowed a blessing on his memory in passing, and
+      then followed the banks of the rapid Reuss. Twilight was gathering in the
+      deep Alpine glen, and the mountains on each side, half-seen through the
+      mist, looked like vast, awful phantoms. Soon they darkened to black,
+      indistinct masses; all was silent except the deepened roar of the falling
+      floods; dark clouds brooded above us like the outspread wings of night,
+      and we were glad, when the little village of Amstegg was reached, and the
+      parlor of the inn opened to us a more cheerful, if not so romantic scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXX. &mdash; PASSAGE OF THE ST. GOTHARD AND DESCENT INTO ITALY.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Leaving Amstegg, I passed the whole day among snowy, sky-piercing Alps,
+      torrents, chasms and clouds! The clouds appeared to be breaking up as we
+      set out, and the white top of the Reassberg was now and then visible in
+      the sky. Just above the village are the remains of Zwing Uri, the castle
+      begun by the tyrant Gessler, for the complete subjugation of the canton.
+      Following the Reuss up through a narrow valley, we passed the
+      Bristenstock, which lifts its jagged crags nine thousand feet in the air,
+      while on the other side stand the snowy summits which lean towards the
+      Rhone Glacier and St. Gothard. From the deep glen where the Reuss foamed
+      down towards the Lake of the Forest Cantons, the mountains rose with a
+      majestic sweep so far into the sky that the brain grew almost dizzy in
+      following their outlines. Woods, chalets and slopes of herbage covered
+      their bases, where the mountain cattle and goats were browsing, while the
+      herd-boys sang their native melodies or woke the ringing echoes with the
+      loud, sweet sounds of their wooden horns; higher up, the sides were broken
+      into crags and covered with stunted pines; then succeeded a belt of bare
+      rock with a little snow lying in the crevices, and the summits of dazzling
+      white looked out from the clouds nearly three-fourths the height of the
+      zenith. Sometimes when the vale was filled with clouds, it was startling
+      to see them parting around a solitary summit, apparently isolated in the
+      air at an immense height, for the mountain to which it belonged was hidden
+      to the very base!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The road passed from one side of the valley to the other, crossing the
+      Reuss on bridges sometimes ninety feet high. After three or four hours
+      walking, we reached a frightful pass called the Schollenen. So narrow is
+      the defile that before reaching it, the road seemed to enter directly into
+      the mountain. Precipices a thousand feet high tower above, and the stream
+      roars and boils in the black depth below. The road is a wonder of art; it
+      winds around the edge of horrible chasms or is carried on lofty arches
+      across, with sometimes a hold apparently so frail that one involuntarily
+      shudders. At a place called the Devil's Bridge, the Reuss leaps about
+      seventy feet in three or four cascades, sending up continually a cloud of
+      spray, while a wind created by the fall, blows and whirls around, with a
+      force that nearly lifts one from his feet. Wordsworth has described the
+      scene in the following lines:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Plunge with the Reuss embrowned by terror's breath,
+    Where danger roofs the narrow walks of Death;
+    By floods that, thundering from their dizzy height,
+    Swell more gigantic on the steadfast sight,
+    Black, drizzling crags, that, beaten by the din,
+    Vibrate, us if a voice complained within,
+    Loose hanging rocks, the Day's blessed eye that hide,
+    And crosses reared to Death on every side!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Beyond the Devil's Bridge, the mountains which nearly touched before,
+      interlock into each other, and a tunnel three hundred and seventy-five
+      feet long leads through the rock into the vale of Urseren, surrounded by
+      the Upper Alps. The little town of Andermatt lies in the middle of this
+      valley, which with the peaks around is covered with short, yellowish-brown
+      grass. We met near Amstegg a little Italian boy walking home, from
+      Germany, quite alone and without money, for we saw him give his last
+      kreutzer to a blind beggar along the road. We therefore took him with us,
+      as he was afraid to cross the St. Gothard alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After refreshing ourselves at Andermatt, we started, five in number,
+      including a German student, for the St. Gothard. Behind the village of
+      Hospiz, which stands at the bottom of the valley leading to Realp and the
+      Furca pass, the way commences, winding backwards and forwards, higher and
+      higher, through a valley covered with rocks, with the mighty summits of
+      the Alps around, untenanted save by the chamois and mountain eagle. Not a
+      tree was to be seen. The sides of the mountains were covered with loose
+      rocks waiting for the next torrent to wash them down, and the tops were
+      robed in eternal snow. A thick cloud rolled down over us as we went on,
+      following the diminishing brooks to their snowy source in the peak of St.
+      Gothard. We cut off the bends of the road by footpaths up the rocks, which
+      we ascended in single file, one of the Americans <i>going ahead</i> and
+      little Pietro with his staff and bundle bringing up the rear. The rarefied
+      air we breathed, seven thousand feet above the sea, was like exhilarating
+      gas. We felt no fatigue, but ran and shouted and threw snowballs, in the
+      middle of August!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After three hours' walk we reached the two clear and silent lakes which
+      send their waters to the Adriatic and the North Sea. Here, as we looked
+      down the Italian side, the sky became clear; we saw the top of St. Gothard
+      many thousand feet above, and stretching to the south, the summits of the
+      mountains which guard the vales of the Ticino and the Adda. The former
+      monastery has been turned into an inn; there is, however, a kind of church
+      attached, attended by a single monk. It was so cold that although late, we
+      determined to descend to the first village. The Italian side is very
+      steep, and the road, called the Via Trimola, is like a thread dropped down
+      and constantly doubling back upon itself. The deep chasms were filled with
+      snow, although exposed to the full force of the sun, and for a long
+      distance there was scarcely a sign of vegetation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We thought as we went down, that every step was bringing us nearer to a
+      sunnier land&mdash;that the glories of Italy, which had so long lain in
+      the airy background of the future, would soon spread themselves before us
+      in their real or imagined beauty. Reaching at dusk the last height above
+      the vale of the Ticino, we saw the little village of Airolo with its
+      musical name, lying in a hollow of the mountains. A few minutes of
+      leaping, sliding and rolling, took us down the grassy declivity, and we
+      found we had descended from the top in an hour and a half, although the
+      distance by the road is nine miles! I need not say how glad we were to
+      relieve our trembling knees and exhausted limbs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have endeavored several times to give some idea of the sublimity of the
+      Alps, but words seem almost powerless to measure these mighty mountains.
+      No effort of the imagination could possibly equal their real grandeur. I
+      wish also to describe the <i>feelings</i> inspired by being among them,&mdash;feelings
+      which can best be expressed through the warmer medium of poetry.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    SONG OF THE ALP.
+    I. &mdash;     I sit aloft on my thunder throne,
+    And my voice of dread the nations own
+       As I speak in storm below!
+    The valleys quake with a breathless fear,
+    When I hurl in wrath my icy spear
+       And shake my locks of snow!
+    When the avalanche forth like a tiger leaps,
+      How the vassal-mountains quiver!
+    And the storm that sweeps through the airy deeps
+      Makes the hoary pine-wood shiver!
+    Above them all, in a brighter air,
+    I lift my forehead proud and bare,
+    And the lengthened sweep of my forest-robe
+    Trails down to the low and captured globe,
+    Till its borders touch the dark green wave
+    In whose soundless depths my feet I lave.
+    The winds, unprisoned, around me blow,
+    And terrible tempests whirl the snow;
+    Rocks from their caverned beds are torn,
+    And the blasted forest to heaven is borne;
+    High through the din of the stormy band,
+    Like misty giants the mountains stand,
+    And their thunder-revel o'er-sounds the woe,
+    That cries from the desolate vales below!
+    I part the clouds with my lifted crown,
+    Till the sun-ray slants on the glaciers down,
+    And trembling men, in the valleys pale,
+    Rejoice at the gleam of my icy mail!
+
+    II. &mdash;     I wear a crown of the sunbeam's gold,
+    With glacier-gems en my forehead old&mdash;
+       A monarch crowned by God!
+    What son of the servile earth may dare
+    Such signs of a regal power to wear,
+       While chained to her darkened sod?
+    I know of a nobler and grander lore
+      Than Time records on his crumbling pages,
+    And the soul of my solitude teaches more
+      Than the gathered deeds of perished ages!
+    For I have ruled since Time began
+    And wear no fetter made by man.
+    I scorn the coward and craven race
+    Who dwell around my mighty base,
+    For they leave the lessons I grandly gave
+    And bend to the yoke of the crouching slave.
+    I shout aloud to the chainless skies;
+    The stream through its falling foam replies,
+    And my voice, like the sound of the surging sea,
+    To the nations thunders: "<i>I am free!</i>"
+    I spoke to Tell when a tyrant's hand
+    Lay heavy and hard on his native land,
+    And the spirit whose glory from mine he won
+    Blessed the Alpine dwellers with Freedom's sun!
+    The student-boy on the Gmunden-plain
+    Heard my solemn voice, but he fought in vain;
+    I called from the crags of the Passeir-glen,
+    When the despot stood in my realm again,
+    And Hofer sprang at the proud command
+    And roused the men of the Tyrol land!
+
+    III. &mdash;     I struggle up to the dim blue heaven,
+    From the world, far down in whose breast are driven
+        The props of my pillared throne;
+    And the rosy fires of morning glow
+    Like a glorious thought, on my brow of snow,
+        While the vales are dark and lone!
+    Ere twilight summons the first faint star,
+    I seem to the nations who dwell afar
+    Like a shadowy cloud, whose every fold
+    The sunset dyes with its purest gold,
+    And the soul mounts up through that gateway fair
+    To try its wings in a loftier air!
+    The finger of God on my brow is pressed&mdash;
+    His spirit beats in my giant breast,
+    And I breathe, as the endless ages roll,
+    His silent words to the eager soul!
+    I prompt the thoughts of the mighty mind,
+    Who leaves his century far behind
+    And speaks from the Future's sun-lit snow
+    To the Present, that sleeps in its gloom below!
+    I stand, unchanged, in creation's youth&mdash;
+    A glorious type of Eternal Truth,
+    That, free and pure, from its native skies
+    Shines through Oppression's veil of lies,
+    And lights the world's long-fettered sod
+    With thoughts of Freedom and of God!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      When, at night, I looked out of my chamber-window, the silver moon of
+      Italy, (for we fancied that her light was softer and that the skies were
+      already bluer) hung trembling above the fields of snow that stretched in
+      their wintry brilliance along the mountains around. I heard the roar of
+      the Ticino and the deepened sound of falling cascades, and thought, if I
+      were to take those waters for my guide, to what glorious places they would
+      lead me!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left Airolo early the next morning, to continue our journey down the
+      valley of the Ticino. The mists and clouds of Switzerland were exchanged
+      for a sky of the purest blue, and we felt, for the first time in ten days,
+      uncomfortably warm. The mountains which flank the Alps on this side, are
+      still giants&mdash;lofty and bare, and covered with snow in many places.
+      The limit of the German dialect is on the summit of St. Gothard, and the
+      peasants saluted us with a "<i>buon giorno</i>" as they passed. This, with
+      the clearness of the skies and the warmth of the air, made us feel that
+      Italy was growing nearer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mountains are covered with forests of dark pine, and many beautiful
+      cascades come tumbling over the rocks in their haste to join the Ticino.
+      One of these was so strangely beautiful, that I cannot pass it without a
+      particular description. We saw it soon after leaving Airolo, on the
+      opposite side of the valley. A stream of considerable size comes down the
+      mountain, leaping from crag to crag till within forty or fifty feet of the
+      bottom, where it is caught in a hollow rock, and flung upwards into the
+      air, forming a beautiful arch as it falls out into the valley. As it is
+      whirled up thus, feathery curls of spray are constantly driven off and
+      seem to wave round it like the fibres on an ostrich plume. The sun shining
+      through, gave it a sparry brilliance which was perfectly magnificent. If I
+      were an artist, I would give much for such a new form of beauty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On our first day's journey we passed through two terrific mountain gorges,
+      almost equalling in grandeur the defile of the "Devil's Bridge." The
+      Ticino, in its course to Lago Maggiore has to make a descent of nearly
+      three thousand feet, passing through three valleys, which lie like
+      terraces, one below the other. In its course from one to the other, it has
+      to force its way down in twenty cataracts through a cleft in the
+      mountains. The road, constructed with the utmost labor, threads these dark
+      chasms, sometimes carried in a tunnel through the rock, sometimes passing
+      on arches above the boiling flood. The precipices of bare rock rise far
+      above and render the way difficult and dangerous. I here noticed another
+      very beautiful effect of the water, perhaps attributable to some mineral
+      substance it contained. The spray and foam thrown up in the dashing of the
+      vexed current, was of a light, delicate pink, although the stream itself
+      was a soft blue; and the contrast of these two colors was very remarkable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we kept on, however, there was a very perceptible change in the
+      scenery. The gloomy pines disappeared and the mountains were covered, in
+      their stead, with picturesque chesnut trees, with leaves of a shining
+      green. The grass and vegetation was much more luxuriant than on the other
+      side of the Alps, and fields of maize and mulberry orchards covered the
+      valley. We saw the people busy at work reeling silk in the villages. Every
+      mile we advanced made a sensible change in the vegetation. The chesnuts
+      were larger, the maize higher, the few straggling grape-vines increased
+      into bowers and vineyards, while the gardens were filled with plum, pear
+      and fig-trees, and the stands of delicious fruit which we saw in the
+      villages, gave us promise of the luxuriance that was to come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The vineyards are much more beautiful than the German fields of stakes.
+      The vines are not trimmed, but grow from year to year over a frame higher
+      than the head, supported through the whole field on stone pillars. They
+      interlace and form a complete leafy screen, while the clusters hang below.
+      The light came dimly through the green, transparent leaves, and nothing
+      was wanting to make them real bowers of Arcadia. Although we were still in
+      Switzerland, the people began to have that lazy, indolent look which
+      characterizes the Italians; most of the occupations were carried on in the
+      open air, and brown-robed, sandalled friars were going about from house to
+      house, collecting money and provisions for their support.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed Faidò and Giornico, near which last village are the remains of
+      an old castle, supposed to have been built by the ancient Gauls, and
+      stopped for the night at Cresciano, which being entirely Italian, we had
+      an opportunity to put in practice the few words we had picked up from
+      Pietro. The little fellow parted from us with regret a few hours before,
+      at Biasco, where he had relations. The rustic landlord at Cresciano was an
+      honest young fellow, who tried to serve us as well as he could, but we
+      made some ludicrous mistakes through our ignorance of the language.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Three hours' walk brought us to Bellinzona, the capital of the canton.
+      Before reaching it, our road joined that of the Splügen which comes down
+      through the valley of Bernardino. From the bridge where the junction takes
+      place we had a triple view, whose grandeur took me by surprise, even after
+      coming from Switzerland. We stood at the union of three valleys&mdash;that
+      leading to St. Gothard, terminated by the glaciers of the Bernese
+      Oberland, that running off obliquely to the Splügen, and finally the broad
+      vale of the Ticino, extending to Lago Maggiore, whose purple mountains
+      closed the vista. Each valley was perhaps two miles broad and from twenty
+      to thirty long, and the mountains that enclosed them from five to seven
+      thousand feet in height, so you may perhaps form some idea what a view
+      down three such avenues in this Alpine temple would be. Bellinzona is
+      romantically situated, on a slight eminence, with three castles to defend
+      it, with those square turreted towers and battlements, which remind one
+      involuntarily of the days of the Goths and Vandals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left Bellinzona at noon, and saw, soon after, from an eminence, the
+      blue line of Lago Maggiore stretched across the bottom of the valley. We
+      saw sunset fade away over the lake, but it was clouded, and did not
+      realize my ideal of such a scene in Italy. A band of wild Italians paraded
+      up and down the village, drawing one of their number in a hand-cart. They
+      made a great noise with a drum and trumpet, and were received everywhere
+      with shouts of laughter. A great jug of wine was not wanting, and the
+      whole seemed to me a very characteristic scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were early awakened at Magadino, at the head of Lago Maggiore, and
+      after swallowing a hasty breakfast, went on board the steamboat "San
+      Carlo," for Sesto Calende. We got under way at six o'clock, and were soon
+      in motion over the crystal mirror. The water is of the most lovely green
+      hue, and so transparent that we seemed to bo floating in mid-air. Another
+      heaven arched far below us; other chains of mountains joined their bases
+      to those which surrounded the lake, and the mirrored cascades leaped
+      upward to meet their originals at the surface. It may be because I have
+      seen it more recently, that the water of Lago Maggiore appears to be the
+      most beautiful in the world. I was delighted with the Scotch lakes, and
+      enraptured with the Traunsee and "Zurich's waters," but this last exceeds
+      them both. I am now incapable of any stronger feeling, until I see the
+      Egean from the Grecian Isles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The morning was cloudy, and the white wreaths hung low on the mountains,
+      whose rocky sides were covered every where with the rank and luxuriant
+      growth of this climate. As we advanced further over this glorious mirror,
+      the houses became more Italian-like; the lower stories rested on arched
+      passages, and the windows were open, without glass, while in the gardens
+      stood the solemn, graceful cypress, and vines, heavy with ripening grapes,
+      hung from bough to bough through the mulberry orchards. Half-way down, in
+      a broad bay, which receives the waters of a stream that comes down with
+      the Simplon, are the celebrated Borromean Islands. They are four in
+      number, and seem to float like fairy creations on the water, while the
+      lofty hills form a background whose grandeur enhances by contrast their
+      exquisite beauty. There was something in the scene that reminded me of
+      Claude Melnotte's description of his home, by Bulwer, and like the lady of
+      Lyons, I answer readily, "I like the picture."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On passing by Isola Madre, we could see the roses in its terraced gardens
+      and the broad-leaved aloes clinging to the rocks. Isola Bella, the
+      loveliest of them all, as its name denotes, was farther off; it rose like
+      a pyramid from the water, terrace above terrace to the summit, and its
+      gardens of never fading foliage, with the glorious panorama around, might
+      make it a paradise, if life were to be dreamed away. On the northern side
+      of the bay lies a large town (I forget its name,) with a lofty Romanesque
+      tower, and noble mountains sweep around as if to shut out the world from
+      such a scene. The sea was perfectly calm, and groves and gardens slept
+      mirrored in the dark green wave, while the Alps rose afar through the dim,
+      cloudy air. Towards the other end the hills sink lower, and slope off into
+      the plains of Lombardy. Near Arona, on the western side, is a large
+      monastery, overlooking the lower part of the lake. Beside it, on a hill,
+      is a colossal statue of San Carlo Borromeo, who gave his name to the
+      lovely islands above.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a seven hours' passage, we ran into Sesto Calende, at the foot of
+      the lake. Here, passengers and baggage were tumbled promiscuously on
+      shore, the latter gathered into the office to be examined, and the former
+      left at liberty to ramble about an hour until their passports could be
+      signed. We employed the time in trying the flavor of the grapes and
+      peaches of Lombardy, and looking at the groups of travelers who had come
+      down from the Alps with the annual avalanche at this season. The custom
+      house officers were extremely civil and obliging, as they did not think
+      necessary to examine our knapsacks, and our passports being soon signed,
+      we were at liberty to enter again into the dominions of His Majesty of
+      Austria. Our companion, the German, whose feet could carry him no further,
+      took a seat on the top of a diligence for Milan; <i>we</i> left Sesto
+      Calende on foot, and plunged into the cloud of dust which was whirling
+      towards the capital of Northern Italy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Being now really in the "sunny land," we looked on the scenery with a deep
+      interest. The first thing that struck me was a resemblance to America in
+      the fields of Indian corn, and the rank growth of weeds by the roadside.
+      The mulberry trees and hedges, too, looked quite familiar, coming as we
+      did, from fenceless and hedgeless Germany. But here the resemblance
+      ceased. The people were coarse, ignorant and savage-looking, the villages
+      remarkable for nothing except the contrast between splendid churches and
+      miserable, dirty houses, while the luxurious palaces and grounds of the
+      rich noblemen formed a still greater contrast to the poverty of the
+      people. I noticed also that if the latter are as lazy as they are said to
+      be, they make their horses work for them, as in a walk of a few hours
+      yesterday after noon, we saw two horses drawing heavy loads, drop down
+      apparently dead, and several others seemed nearly ready to do the same.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We spent the night at the little village of Casina, about sixteen miles
+      from Milan, and here made our first experience in the honesty of Italian
+      inns. We had taken the precaution to inquire beforehand the price of a
+      bed; but it seemed unnecessary and unpleasant, as well as evincing a
+      mistrustful spirit, to do the same with every article we asked for, so we
+      concluded to leave it to the host's conscience not to overcharge us.
+      Imagine our astonishment, however, when at starting, a bill was presented
+      to us, in which the smallest articles were set down at three or four times
+      their value. We remonstrated, hut to little purpose; the fellow knew
+      scarcely any French, and we as little Italian, so rather than lose time or
+      temper, we paid what he demanded and went on, leaving him to laugh at the
+      successful imposition. The experience was of value to us, however, and it
+      may serve as a warning to some future traveler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About noon, the road turned into a broad and beautiful avenue of poplars,
+      down which we saw, at a distance, the triumphal arch terminating the
+      Simplon road, which we had followed from Sesto Calende. Beyond it rose the
+      slight and airy pinnacle of the Duomo. We passed by the exquisite
+      structure, gave up our passports at the gates, traversed the broad Piazza
+      d'Armi, and found ourselves at liberty to choose one of the dozen streets
+      that led into the heart of the city.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXI. &mdash; MILAN.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Aug. 21.</i>&mdash;While finding our way at random to the "Pension
+      Suisse," whither we had been directed by a German gentleman, we were
+      agreeably impressed with the gaiety and bustle of Milan. The shops and
+      stores are all open to the street, so that the city resembles a great
+      bazaar. It has an odd look to see blacksmiths, tailors and shoemakers
+      working unconcernedly in the open air, with crowds continually passing
+      before them. The streets are filled with venders of fruit, who call out
+      the names with a long, distressing cry, like that of a person in great
+      agony. Organ-grinders parade constantly about and snatches of songs are
+      heard among the gay crowd, on every side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this lively, noisy Italian city, nearly all there is to see may be
+      comprised in four things: the Duomo, the triumphal arch over the Simplon,
+      La Scala and the Picture Gallery. The first alone is more interesting than
+      many an entire city. We went there yesterday afternoon soon after reaching
+      here. It stands in an irregular open place, closely hemmed in by houses on
+      two sides, so that it can be seen to advantage from only one point. It is
+      a mixture of the Gothic and Romanesque styles; the body of the structure
+      is entirely covered with statues and richly wrought sculpture, with
+      needle-like spires of white marble rising up from every corner. But of the
+      exquisite, airy look of the whole mass, although so solid and vast, it is
+      impossible to convey an idea. It appears like some fabric of frost-work
+      which winter traces on the window-panes. There is a unity of beauty about
+      the whole, which the eye takes in with a feeling of perfect and satisfied
+      delight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ascending the marble steps which lead to the front, I lifted the folds of
+      the heavy curtain and entered. What a glorious aisle! The mighty pillars
+      support a magnificent arched ceiling, painted to resemble fretwork, and
+      the little light that falls through the small windows above, enters tinged
+      with a dim golden hue. A feeling of solemn awe comes over one as he steps
+      with a hushed tread along the colored marble floor, and measures the
+      massive columns till they blend with the gorgeous arches above. There are
+      four rows of these, nearly fifty in all, and when I state that they are
+      eight feet in diameter, and sixty or seventy in height, some idea may be
+      formed of the grandeur of the building. Imagine the Girard College, at
+      Philadelphia, turned into one great hall, with four rows of pillars, equal
+      in size to those around it, reaching to its roof, and you will have a
+      rough sketch of the interior of the Duomo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the centre of the cross is a light and beautiful dome; he who will
+      stand under this, and look down the broad middle aisle to the entrance,
+      has one of the sublimest vistas to be found in the world. The choir has
+      three enormous windows, covered with dazzling paintings, and the ceiling
+      is of marble and silver. There are gratings under the high altar, by
+      looking into which, I could see a dark, lonely chamber below, where one or
+      two feeble lamps showed a circle of praying-places. It was probably a
+      funeral vault, which persons visited to pray for the repose of their
+      friends' souls. The Duomo is not yet entirely finished, the workmen being
+      still employed in various parts, but it is said, that when completed there
+      will be four thousand statues on the different parts of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The design of the Duomo is said to be taken from Monte Rosa, one of the
+      loftiest peaks of the Alps. Its hundreds of sculptured pinnacles, rising
+      from every part of the body of the church, certainly bear a striking
+      resemblance to the splintered ice-crags of Savoy. Thus we see how Art,
+      mighty and endless in her forms though she be, is in every thing but the
+      child of Nature. Her most divine conceptions are but copies of objects
+      which we behold every day. The faultless beauty of the Corinthian capital&mdash;the
+      springing and intermingling arches of the Gothic aisle&mdash;the pillared
+      portico or the massive and sky-piercing pyramid&mdash;are but attempts at
+      reproducing, by the studied regularity of Art, the ever-varied and
+      ever-beautiful forms of mountain, rock and forest. But there is oftentimes
+      a more thrilling sensation of enjoyment produced by the creations of man's
+      hand and intellect than the grander effects of Nature, existing constantly
+      before our eyes. It would seem as if man marvelled more at his own work
+      than at the work of the Power which created him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The streets of Milan abound with priests in their cocked hats and long
+      black robes. They all have the same solemn air, and seem to go about like
+      beings shut out from all communion with pleasure. No sight lately has
+      saddened me so much as to see a bright, beautiful boy, of twelve or
+      thirteen years, in those gloomy garments. Poor child! he little knows now
+      what he may have to endure. A lonely, cheerless life, where every
+      affection must be crushed as unholy, and every pleasure denied as a crime!
+      And I knew by his fair brow and tender lip, that he had a warm and loving
+      heart. I could not help regarding this class as victims to a mistaken idea
+      of religious duty, and if I am not mistaken, I read on more than one
+      countenance the traces of passions that burned within. It is mournful to
+      see a people oppressed in the name of religion. The holiest aspirations of
+      man's nature, instead of lifting him up to a nearer view of Christian
+      perfection, are changed into clouds and shut out the light of heaven.
+      Immense treasures, wrung drop by drop from the credulity of the poor and
+      ignorant, are made use of to pamper the luxury of those who profess to be
+      mediators between man and the Deity. The poor wretch may perish of
+      starvation on a floor of precious mosaic, which perhaps his own pittance
+      has helped to form, while ceilings and shrines of inlaid gold mock his
+      dying eye with their useless splendor. Such a system of oppression,
+      disguised under the holiest name, can only be sustained by the continuance
+      of ignorance and blind superstition. Knowledge&mdash;Truth&mdash;Reason&mdash;these
+      are the ramparts which Liberty throws up to guard her dominions from the
+      usurpations of oppression and wrong.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were last night in La Scala. Rossini's opera of William Tell was
+      advertised, and as we had visited so lately the scene where that glorious
+      historical drama was enacted, we went to see it represented in sound. It
+      is a grand subject, which in the hands of a powerful composer, might be
+      made very effective, but I must confess I was disappointed in the present
+      case. The overture is, however, very beautiful. It begins low and
+      mournful, like the lament of the Swiss over their fallen liberties.
+      Occasionally a low drum is heard, as if to rouse them to action, and
+      meanwhile the lament swells to a cry of despair. The drums now wake the
+      land; the horn of Uri is heard pealing forth its summoning strain, and the
+      echoes seem to come back from the distant Alps. The sound then changes for
+      the roar of battle&mdash;the clang of trumpets, drums and cymbals. The
+      whole orchestra did their best to represent this combat in music, which
+      after lasting a short time, changed into the loud, victorious march of the
+      conquerors. But the body of the opera, although it had several fine
+      passages, was to me devoid of interest; in fact, unworthy the reputation
+      of Rossini.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The theatre is perhaps the largest in the world. The singers are all good;
+      in Italy it could not be otherwise, where everybody sings. As I write, a
+      party of Italians in the house opposite have been amusing themselves with
+      going through the whole opera of "<i>La fille du Regiment</i>," with the
+      accompaniment of the piano, and they show the greatest readiness and
+      correctness in their performance. They have now become somewhat
+      boisterous, and appear to be improvising. One young gentleman executes
+      trills with amazing skill, and another appears to have taken the part of a
+      despairing lover, but the lady has a very pretty voice, and warbles on and
+      on, like a nightingale. Occasionally a group of listeners in the street
+      below clap them applause, for as the windows are always open, the whole
+      neighborhood can enjoy the performance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This forenoon I was in the Picture Gallery. It occupies a part of the
+      Library Building, in the Palazzo Cabrera. It is not large, and many of the
+      pictures are of no value to anybody but antiquarians; still there are some
+      excellent paintings, which render it well worthy a visit. Among these, a
+      marriage, by Raphael, is still in a very good state of preservation, and
+      there are some fine pictures by Paul Veronese and the Caracci. The most
+      admired painting, is "Abraham sending away Hagar," by Guercino. I never
+      saw a more touching expression of grief than in the face of Hagar. Her
+      eyes are red with weeping, and as she listens in an agony of tears to the
+      patriarch's command, she still seems doubting the reality of her doom. The
+      countenance of Abraham is venerable and calm, and expresses little
+      emotion; but one can read in that of Sarah, as she turns away, a feeling
+      of pity for her unfortunate rival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next to the Duomo, the most beautiful specimen of architecture in Milan is
+      the ARCH OF PEACE, on the north side of the city, at the commencement of
+      the Simplon Road. It was the intention of Napoleon to carry the road under
+      this arch, across the Piazza d'Armi, and to cut a way for it directly into
+      the heart of the city, but the fall of his dynasty prevented the execution
+      of this magnificent design, as well as the completion of the arch itself.
+      This has been done by the Austrian government, according to the original
+      plan; they have inscribed upon it the name of Francis I., and changed the
+      bas-reliefs of Lodi and Marengo into those of a few fields where their
+      forces had gained the victory. It is even said that in many parts which
+      were already finished, they altered the splendid Roman profile of Napoleon
+      into the haggard and repulsive features of Francis of Austria.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bronze statues on the top were made by an artist of Bologna, by
+      Napoleon's order, and are said to be the finest works of modern times. In
+      the centre is the goddess of Peace, in a triumphal car, drawn by six
+      horses, while on the corners four angels, mounted, are starting off to
+      convey the tidings to the four quarters of the globe. The artist has
+      caught the spirit of motion and chained it in these moveless figures. One
+      would hardly feel surprised if the goddess, chariot, horses and all, were
+      to start off and roll away through the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the rapidity usual to Americans we have already finished seeing
+      Milan, and shall start to-morrow morning on a walk to Genoa.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXII. &mdash; WALK FROM MILAN TO GENOA.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It was finally decided we should leave Milan, so the next morning we arose
+      at five o'clock for the first time since leaving Frankfort. The Italians
+      had commenced operations at this early hour, but we made our way through
+      the streets without attracting quite so much attention as on our arrival.
+      Near the gate on the road to Pavia, we passed a long colonnade which was
+      certainly as old as the times of the Romans. The pillars of marble were
+      quite brown with age, and bound together with iron to keep them from
+      falling to pieces. It was a striking contrast to see this relic of the
+      past standing in the middle of a crowded thoroughfare and surrounded by
+      all the brilliance and display of modern trade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Once fairly out of the city we took the road to Pavia, along the banks of
+      the canal, just as the rising sun gilded the marble spire of the Duomo.
+      The country was a perfect level, and the canal, which was in many places
+      higher than the land through which it passed, served also as a means of
+      irrigation for the many rice-fields. The sky grew cloudy and dark, and
+      before we reached Pavia gathered to a heavy storm. Torrents of rain poured
+      down, accompanied with heavy thunder; we crept under an old gateway for
+      shelter, as no house was near. Finally, as it cleared away, the square
+      brown towers of the old city rose above the trees, and we entered the gate
+      through a fine shaded avenue. Our passports were of course demanded, but
+      we were only detained a minute or two. The only thing of interest is the
+      University, formerly so celebrated; it has at present about eight hundred
+      students.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have reason to remember the city from another circumstance&mdash;the
+      singular attention we excited. I doubt if Columbus was an object of
+      greater curiosity to the simple natives of the new world, than we three
+      Americans were to the good people of Pavia. I know not what part of our
+      dress or appearance could have caused it, but we were watched like wild
+      animals. If we happened to pause and look at anything in the street, there
+      was soon a crowd of attentive observers, and as we passed on, every door
+      and window was full of heads. We stopped in the marketplace to purchase
+      some bread and fruit for dinner, which increased, if possible, the
+      sensation. We saw eyes staring and fingers pointing at us from every door
+      and alley. I am generally willing to contribute as much as possible to the
+      amusement or entertainment of others, but such attention was absolutely
+      embarrassing. There was nothing to do but to appear unconscious of it, and
+      we went along with as much nonchalance as if the whole town belonged to
+      us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We crossed the Ticino, on whose banks near Pavia, was fought the first
+      great battle between Hannibal and the Romans. On the other side our
+      passports were demanded at the Sardinian frontier and our knapsacks
+      searched, which having proved satisfactory, we were allowed to enter the
+      kingdom. Late in the afternoon we reached the Po, which in winter must be
+      quarter of a mile wide, but the summer heats had dried it up to a small
+      stream, so that the bridge of boats rested nearly its whole length in
+      sand. We sat on the bank in the shade, and looked at the chain of hills
+      which rose in the south, following the course of the Po, crowned with
+      castles and villages and shining towers. It was here that I first began to
+      realize Italian scenery. Although the hills were bare, they lay so warm
+      and glowing in the sunshine, and the deep blue sky spread so calmly above,
+      that it recalled all my dreams of the fair clime we had entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We stopped for the night at the little village of Casteggio, which lies at
+      the foot of the hills, and next morning resumed our pilgrimage. Here a new
+      delight awaited us. The sky was of a heavenly blue, without even the
+      shadow of a cloud, and full and fair in the morning sunshine we could see
+      the whole range of the Alps, from the blue hills of Friuli, which sweep
+      down to Venice and the Adriatic, to the lofty peaks which stretch away to
+      Nice and Marseilles! Like a summer cloud, except that they were far more
+      dazzling and glorious, lay to the north of us the glaciers and untrodden
+      snow-fields of the Bernese Oberland; a little to the right we saw the
+      double peak of St. Gothard, where six days before we shivered in the
+      region of eternal winter, while far to the north-west rose the giant dome
+      of Mount Blanc. Monte Rosa stood near him, not far from the Great St.
+      Bernard, and further to the south Mont Cenis guarded the entrance from
+      Piedmont into France. I leave you to conceive the majesty of such a scene,
+      and you may perhaps imagine, for I cannot describe the feelings with which
+      I gazed upon it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At Tortona, the next post, a great market was being held; the town was
+      filled with country people selling their produce, and with venders of
+      wares of all kinds. Fruit was very abundant&mdash;grapes, ripe figs,
+      peaches and melons were abundant, and for a trifle one could purchase a
+      sumptuous banquet. On inquiring the road to Novi, the people made us
+      understand, after much difficulty, that there was a nearer way across the
+      country, which came into the post-road again, and we concluded to take it.
+      After two or three hours' walking in a burning sun, where our only relief
+      was the sight of the Alps and a view of the battle-field of Marengo, which
+      lay just on our right, we came to a stand&mdash;the road terminated at a
+      large stream, where workmen were busily engaged in making a bridge across.
+      We pulled off our boots and waded through, took a refreshing bath in the
+      clear waters, and walked on through by-lanes. The sides were lined with
+      luxuriant vines, bending under the ripening vintage, and we often cooled
+      our thirst with some of the rich bunches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The large branch of the Po we crossed, came down from the mountains, which
+      we were approaching. As we reached the post-road again, they were glowing
+      in the last rays of the sun, and the evening vapors that settled over the
+      plain concealed the distant Alps, although the snowy top of the Jungfrau
+      and her companions the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn, rose above it like the
+      hills of another world. A castle or church of brilliant white marble
+      glittered on the summit of one of the mountains near us, and as the sun
+      went down without a cloud, the distant summits changed in hue to a glowing
+      purple, amounting almost to crimson, which afterwards darkened into a deep
+      violet. The western half of the sky was of a pale orange, and the eastern
+      a dark red, which blended together in the blue of the zenith, that
+      deepened as twilight came on. I know not if it was a fair specimen of an
+      Italian sunset, but I must say, without wishing to be partial, that though
+      certainly very soft and beautiful, there is no comparison with the
+      splendor of such a scene in America. The day-sky of Italy better deserves
+      its reputation. Although no clearer than our own, it is of a far brighter
+      blue, arching above us like a dome of sapphire and seeming to sparkle all
+      over with a kind of crystal transparency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We stopped the second night at Arquato, a little village among the
+      mountains, and after having bargained with the merry landlord for our
+      lodgings, in broken Italian, took a last look at the plains of Piedmont
+      and the Swiss Alps, in the growing twilight. We gazed out on the darkening
+      scene till the sky was studded with stars, and went to rest with the
+      exciting thought of seeing Genoa and the Mediterranean on the morrow. Next
+      morning we started early, and after walking some distance made our
+      breakfast in a grove of chesnuts, on the cool mountain side, beside a
+      fresh stream of water. The sky shone like a polished gem, and the glossy
+      leaves of the chesnuts gleamed in the morning sun. Here and there, on a
+      rocky height, stood the remains of some knightly castle, telling of the
+      Goths and Normans who descended through these mountain passes to plunder
+      Rome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the sun grew high, the heat and dust became intolerable, and this, in
+      connection with the attention we raised everywhere, made us somewhat tired
+      of foot-traveling in Italy. I verily believe the people took us for
+      pilgrims on account of our long white blouses, and had I a scallop shell I
+      would certainly have stuck it into my hat to complete the appearance. We
+      stopped once to ask a priest the road; when he had told us, he shook hands
+      with us and gave us a parting benediction. At the common inns, where we
+      stopped, we always met with civil treatment, though, indeed, as we only
+      slept in them, there was little chance of practising imposition. We bought
+      our simple meals at the baker's and grocer's, and ate them in the shade of
+      the grape-bowers, whose rich clusters added to the repast. In this manner,
+      we enjoyed Italy at the expense of a franc, daily. About noon, after
+      winding about through the narrow defiles, the road began ascending. The
+      reflected heat from the hills on each side made it like an oven; there was
+      not a breath of air stirring; but we all felt, although no one said it,
+      that from the summit we could see the Mediterranean, and we pushed on as
+      if life or death depended on it. Finally, the highest point came in sight&mdash;we
+      redoubled our exertions, and a few minutes more brought us to the top,
+      breathless with fatigue and expectation. I glanced down the other side&mdash;there
+      lay a real sea of mountains, all around; the farthest peaks rose up afar
+      and dim, crowned with white towers, and between two of them which stood
+      apart like the pillars of a gateway, we saw the broad expanse of water
+      stretching away to the horizon&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To where the blue of heaven on bluer waves shut down!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would have been a thrilling sight to see any ocean, when one has
+      rambled thousands of miles among the mountains and vales of the inland,
+      but to behold this sea, of all others, was glorious indeed! This sea,
+      whose waves wash the feet of Naples, Constantinople and Alexandria, and
+      break on the hoary shores where Troy and Tyre and Carthage have mouldered
+      away!&mdash;whose breast has been furrowed by the keels of a hundred
+      nations through more than forty centuries&mdash;from the first rude voyage
+      of Jason and his Argonauts, to the thunders of Navarino that heralded the
+      second birth of Greece! You cannot wonder we grew romantic; but short
+      space was left for sentiment in the burning sun, with Genoa to be reached
+      before night. The mountain we crossed is called the Bochetta, one of the
+      loftiest of the sea-Alps (or Apennines)&mdash;the road winds steeply down
+      towards the sea, following a broad mountain rivulet, now perfectly dried
+      up, as nearly every stream among the mountains is. It was a long way to
+      us; the mountains seemed as if they would never unfold and let us out on
+      the shore, and our weary limbs did penance enough for a multitude of sins.
+      The dusk was beginning to deepen over the bay and the purple hues of
+      sunset were dying away from its amphitheatre of hills, as we came in sight
+      of the gorgeous city. Half the population were out to celebrate a
+      festival, and we made our entry in the triumphal procession of some saint.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0033" id="link2HCH0033"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIII. &mdash; SCENES IN GENOA, LEGHORN AND PISA.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Have you ever seen some grand painting of a city, rising with its domes
+      and towers and palaces from the edge of a glorious bay, shut in by
+      mountains&mdash;the whole scene clad in those deep, delicious, sunny hues
+      which you admire so much in the picture, although they appear unrealized
+      in Nature? If so, you can figure to yourself Genoa, as she looked to us at
+      sunset, from the battlements west of the city. When we had passed through
+      the gloomy gate of the fortress that guards the western promontory, the
+      whole scene opened at once on us in all its majesty. It looked to me less
+      like a real landscape than a mighty panoramic painting. The battlements
+      where we were standing, and the blue mirror of the Mediterranean just
+      below, with a few vessels moored near the shore, made up the foreground;
+      just in front lay the queenly city, stretching out to the eastern point of
+      the bay, like a great meteor&mdash;-this point, crowned with the towers
+      and dome of a cathedral representing the nucleus, while the tail gradually
+      widened out and was lost among the numberless villas that reached to the
+      top of the mountains behind. A mole runs nearly across the mouth of the
+      harbor, with a tall light-house at its extremity, leaving only a narrow
+      passage for vessels. As we gazed, a purple glow lay on the bosom of the
+      sea, while far beyond the city, the eastern half of the mountain crescent
+      around the gulf was tinted with the loveliest hue of orange. The
+      impressions which one derives from looking on remarkable scenery, depend,
+      for much of their effect, on the time and weather. I have been very
+      fortunate in this respect in two instances, and shall carry with me
+      through life, two glorious pictures of a very different character&mdash;the
+      wild sublimity of the Brocken in cloud and storm, and the splendor of
+      Genoa in an Italian sunset.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Genoa has been called the "city of palaces." and it well deserves the
+      appellation. Row above row of magnificent structures rise amid gardens
+      along the side of the hills, and many of the streets, though narrow and
+      crooked, are lined entirely with the splendid dwellings of the Genoese
+      nobles. All these speak of the republic in its days of wealth and power,
+      when it could cope successfully with Venice, and Doria could threaten to
+      bridle the horses of St. Mark. At present its condition is far different;
+      although not so fallen as its rival, it is but a shadow of its former self&mdash;the
+      life and energy it possessed as a republic, has withered away under the
+      grasp of tyranny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We entered Genoa, as I have already said, in a religious procession. On
+      passing the gate we saw from the concourse of people and the many banners
+      hanging from the windows or floating across the streets, that it was the
+      day of a festa. Before entering the city we reached the procession itself,
+      which was one of unusual solemnity. As it was impossible in the dense
+      crowd, to pass it, we struggled through till we reached a good point for
+      seeing the whole, and slowly moved on with it through the city. First went
+      a company of boys in white robes; then followed a body of friars, dressed
+      in long black cassocks, and with shaven crowns; then a company of soldiers
+      with a band of music; then a body of nuns, wrapped from head to foot in
+      blue robes, leaving only a small place to see out of&mdash;in the dusk
+      they looked very solemn and ghost-like, and their low chant had to me
+      something awful and sepulchral in it; then followed another company of
+      friars, and after that a great number of priests in white and black robes,
+      bearing the statue of the saint, with a pyramid of flowers, crosses and
+      blazing wax tapers, while companies of soldiery, monks and music brought
+      up the rear. Armed guards walked at intervals on each side of the
+      procession, to keep the way clear and prevent disturbance; two or three
+      bands played solemn airs, alternating with the deep monotonous chanting of
+      the friars. The whole scene, dimly lighted by the wax tapers, produced in
+      me a feeling nearly akin to fear, as if I were witnessing some ghostly,
+      unearthly spectacle. To rites like these, however, which occur every few
+      weeks, the people must be well accustomed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among the most interesting objects in Genoa, is the Doria palace, fit in
+      its splendor for a monarch's residence. It stands in the <i>Strada Nova</i>,
+      one of the three principal streets, and I believe is still in the
+      possession of the family. There are many others through the city, scarcely
+      less magnificent, among which that of the Durazzo family may be pointed
+      out. The American consulate is in one of these old edifices, with a fine
+      court-yard and ceilings covered with frescoes. Mr. Moro, the Vice Consul,
+      did us a great kindness, which I feel bound to acknowledge, although it
+      will require the disclosure of some private, and perhaps uninteresting
+      circumstances. On leaving Frankfort, we converted&mdash;for the sake of
+      convenience&mdash;the greater part of our funds into a draft on a Saxon
+      merchant in Leghorn, reserving just enough, as we supposed, to take us
+      thither. As in our former case, in Germany, the sum was too small, which
+      we found to our dismay on reaching Milan. Notwithstanding we had traveled
+      the whole ninety miles from that city to Genoa for three francs each, in
+      the hope of having enough, left to enable <i>one</i> at least to visit
+      Leghorn, the expenses for a passport in Genoa (more than twenty francs)
+      prevented this plan. I went therefore to the Vice Consul to ascertain
+      whether the merchant on whom the draft was drawn, had any correspondents
+      there, who might advance a portion of it. His secretary made many
+      inquiries, but without effect; Mr. Moro then generously offered to furnish
+      me with means to reach Leghorn, whence I could easily remit a sufficient
+      sum to my two comrades. This put an end to our anxiety, (for I must
+      confess we could not help feeling some), and I therefore prepared to leave
+      that evening in the "Virgilio."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The feelings with which I look on this lovely land, are fast changing.
+      What with the dust and heat, and cheating landlords, and the dull plains
+      of Lombardy, my first experience was not very prepossessing. But the
+      joyous and romantic anticipation with which I looked forward to realizing
+      the dream of my earliest boyhood, is now beginning to be surpassed by the
+      exciting reality. Every breath I drew in the city of Columbus and Doria,
+      was deeply tinctured with the magic of history and romance. It was like
+      entering on a new existence, to look on scenes so lovely by nature and so
+      filled with the inspiring memories of old.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Italia too, Italia! looking on thee,
+    Full flashes on the soul the light of ages,
+    Since the fierce Carthagenian almost won thee,
+    To the last halo of the chiefs and sages
+    Who glorify thy consecrated pages!
+    Thou wert the throne and grave of empires."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The <i>Virgilio</i> was advertised to leave at six o'clock, and I
+      accordingly went out to her in a little boat half an hour beforehand; but
+      we were delayed much longer, and I saw sunset again fade over the glorious
+      amphitheatre of palaces and mountains, with the same orange glow&mdash;the
+      same purple and crimson flush, deepening into twilight&mdash;as before. An
+      old blind man in a skiff, floated around under the bows of the boat on the
+      glassy water, singing to the violin a plaintive air that appeared to be an
+      evening hymn to the virgin. There was something very touching in his
+      venerable countenance, with the sightless eyes turned upward to the sunset
+      heaven whose glory he could never more behold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lamps were lit on the tower at the end of the mole as we glided out on
+      the open sea; I stood on deck and watched the receding lights of the city,
+      till they and the mountains above them, were blended with the darkened
+      sky. The sea-breeze was fresh and cool, and the stars glittered with a
+      frosty clearness, which would have made the night delicious had not a
+      slight rolling of the waves obliged me to go below. Here, besides being
+      half seasick, I was placed at the mercy of many voracious fleas, who
+      obstinately stayed, persisting in keeping me company. This was the first
+      time I had suffered from these cannibals, and such were my torments, I
+      almost wished some blood-thirsty Italian would come and put an end to them
+      with his stiletto.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first ray of dawn that stole into the cabin sent me on deck. The hills
+      of Tuscany lay in front, sharply outlined on the reddening sky; near us
+      was the steep and rocky isle of Gorgona; and far to the south-west, like a
+      low mist along the water, ran the shores of Corsica&mdash;the birth place
+      of Columbus and Napoleon![***] As the dawn brightened we saw on the
+      southern horizon a cloud-like island, also imperishably connected with the
+      name of the latter&mdash;the prison-kingdom of Elba! North of us extended
+      the rugged mountains of Carrarra&mdash;that renowned range whence has
+      sprung many a form of almost breathing beauty, and where yet slumber,
+      perhaps, in the unhewn marble, the god-like shapes of an age of art, more
+      glorious than any the world has ever yet beheld!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+
+    <p>
+      *** [ By recent registers
+      found in Corsica, it has been determined that this island also gave birth
+      to the discoverer of the new world.]
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun rose from behind the Apennines and masts and towers became visible
+      through the golden haze, as we approached the shore. On a flat space
+      between the sea and the hills, not far from the foot of Montenero, stands
+      Leghorn. The harbor is protected by a mole, leaving a narrow passage,
+      through which we entered, and after waiting two hours for the visit of the
+      health and police officers, we were permitted to go on shore. The first
+      thing that struck me, was the fine broad streets; the second, the motley
+      character of the population. People were hurrying about noisy and bustling&mdash;Greeks
+      in their red caps and capotes; grave turbaned and bearded Turks; dark
+      Moors; the Corsair-looking natives of Tripoli and Tunis, and seamen of
+      nearly every nation. At the hotel where I stayed, we had a singular
+      mixture of nations at dinner:&mdash;two French, two Swiss, one Genoese,
+      one Roman, one American and one Turk&mdash;and we were waited on by a
+      Tuscan and an Arab! We conversed together in four languages, all at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the merchant, Leghorn is of more importance than to the traveler. Its
+      extensive trade, not only in the manufactures of Tuscany, but also in the
+      productions of the Levant, makes it important to the former, while the
+      latter seeks in vain for fine buildings, galleries of art, or in
+      interesting historical reminiscences. Through the kind attention of the
+      Saxon Consul, to whom I had letters, two or three days went by
+      delightfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The only place of amusement here in summer is a drive along the sea shore,
+      called the Ardenza, which is frequented every evening by all who can raise
+      a vehicle. I visited it twice with a German friend. We met one evening the
+      Princess Corsini, wife of the Governor of Leghorn, on horseback&mdash;a
+      young, but not pretty woman. The road leads out along the Mediterranean,
+      past an old fortress, to a large establishment for the sea bathers, where
+      it ends in a large ring, around which the carriages pass and re-pass,
+      until sunset has gone out over the sea, when they return to the city in a
+      mad gallop, or as fast as the lean horses can draw them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In driving around, we met two or three carriages of Turks, in one of which
+      I saw a woman of Tunis, with a curious gilded head-dress, eighteen inches
+      in height.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I saw one night a Turkish funeral. It passed me in one of the outer
+      streets, on its way to the Turkish burying ground. Those following the
+      coffin, which was covered with a heavy black pall, wore white turbans and
+      long white robes&mdash;the mourning color of the Turks. Torches were borne
+      by attendants, and the whole company passed on at a quick pace. Seen thus
+      by night, it had a strange and spectral appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is another spectacle here which was exceedingly revolting to me. The
+      condemned criminals, chained two and two, are kept at work through the
+      city, cleaning the streets. They are dressed in coarse garments of a dirty
+      red color, with the name of the crime for which they were convicted,
+      painted on the back. I shuddered to see so many marked with the words&mdash;"<i>omicidio
+      premeditato</i>." All day they are thus engaged, exposed to the scorn and
+      contumely of the crowd, and at night dragged away to be incarcerated in
+      damp, unwholesome dungeons, excavated under the public thoroughfares.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The employment of criminals in this way is common in Italy. Two days after
+      crossing St. Gothard, we saw a company of abject-looking creatures, eating
+      their dinner by the road-side, near Bellinzona. One of them had a small
+      basket of articles of cotton and linen, and as he rose up to offer them to
+      us, I was startled by the clank of fetters. They were all employed to
+      labor on the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On going down to the wharf in Leghorn, in the morning, two or three days
+      ago, I found F&mdash;&mdash; and B&mdash;&mdash; just stepping on shore
+      from the steamboat, tired enough of the discomforts of the voyage, yet
+      anxious to set out for Florence as soon as possible. After we had shaken
+      off the crowd of porters, pedlars and vetturini, and taken a hasty
+      breakfast at the <i>Cafe Americano</i>, we went to the Police Office to
+      get our passports, and had the satisfaction of paying two francs for
+      permission to proceed to Florence. The weather had changed since the
+      preceding day, and the sirocco-wind which blows over from the coast of
+      Africa, filled the streets with clouds of dust, which made walking very
+      unpleasant. The clear blue sky had vanished, and a leaden cloud hung low
+      on the Mediterranean, hiding the shores of Corsica and the rooky isles of
+      Gorgona and Capraja.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The country between Leghorn and Pisa, is a flat marsh, intersected in
+      several places by canals to carry off the stagnant water which renders
+      this district so unhealthy. It is said that the entire plain between the
+      mountains of Carrarra and the hills back of Leghorn has been gradually
+      formed by the deposits of the Arno and the receding of the Mediterranean,
+      which is so shallow along the whole coast, that large vessels have to
+      anchor several miles out. As we approached Pisa over the level marsh, I
+      could see the dome of the Cathedral and the Leaning Tower rising above the
+      gardens and groves which surround it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our baggage underwent another examination at the gate, where we were again
+      assailed by the vetturini, one of whom hung on us like a leech till we
+      reached a hotel, and there was finally no way of shaking him off except by
+      engaging him to take us to Florence. The bargain having been concluded, we
+      had still a few hours left and set off to hunt the Cathedral. We found it
+      on an open square near the outer wall, and quite remote from the main part
+      of the town. Emerging from the narrow and winding street, one takes in et
+      a glance the Baptistery, the Campo Santo, the noble Cathedral and the
+      Leaning Tower&mdash;forming altogether a view rarely surpassed in Europe
+      for architectural effect. But the square is melancholy and deserted, and
+      rank, untrampled grass fills the crevices of its marble pavement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was surprised at the beauty of the Leaning Tower. Instead of all old,
+      black, crumbling fabric, as I always supposed, it is a light, airy,
+      elegant structure, of white marble, and its declension, which is
+      interesting as a work of art (or accident,) is at the same time pleasing
+      from its novelty. There have been many conjectures as to the cause of this
+      deviation, which is upwards of fourteen feet from the perpendicular; it is
+      now generally believed that the earth having sunk when the building was
+      half finished, it was continued by the architects in the same angle. The
+      upper gallery, which is smaller than the others, shows a very perceptible
+      inclination back towards the perpendicular, as if in some degree to
+      counterbalance the deviation of the other part. There are eight galleries
+      in all, supported by marble pillars, but the inside of the Tower is hollow
+      to the very top.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We ascended by the same stairs which were trodden so often by Galileo in
+      going up to make his astronomical observations; in climbing spirally
+      around the hollow cylinder in the dark, it was easy to tell on which side
+      of the Tower we were, from the proportionate steepness of the staircase.
+      There is a fine view from the top, embracing the whole plain as far as
+      Leghorn on one side, with its gardens and grain fields spread out like a
+      vast map. In a valley of the Carrarrese Mountains to the north, we could
+      see the little town of Lucca, much frequented at this season on account of
+      its baths; the blue summits of the Appenines shut in the view to the east.
+      In walking through the city I noticed two other towers, which had nearly
+      as great a deviation from the perpendicular. We met a person who had the
+      key of the Baptistery, which he opened for us. Two ancient columns covered
+      with rich sculpture form the doorway, and the dome is supported by massive
+      pillars of the red marble of Elba. The baptismal font is of the purest
+      Parian marble. The most remarkable thing was the celebrated musical echo.
+      Our cicerone stationed himself at the side of the font and sang a few
+      notes. After a moment's pause they were repeated aloft in the dome, but
+      with a sound of divine sweetness&mdash;as clear and pure as the clang of a
+      crystal bell. Another pause&mdash;and we heard them again, higher, fainter
+      and sweeter, followed by a dying note, as if they were fading far away
+      into heaven. It seemed as if an angel lingered in the temple, echoing with
+      his melodious lips the common harmonies of earth. Even thus does the music
+      of good deeds, hardly noted in our grosser atmosphere, awake a divine echo
+      in the far world of spirit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Campo Santo, on the north side of the Cathedral, was, until lately,
+      the cemetery of the city; the space enclosed within its marble galleries
+      is filled to the depth of eight or ten feet, with earth from the Holy
+      Land. The vessels which carried the knights of Tuscany to Palestine were
+      filled at Joppa, on returning, with this earth as ballast, and on arriving
+      at Pisa it was deposited in the Cemetery. It has the peculiar property of
+      decomposing all human bodies, in the space of two days. A colonnade of
+      marble encloses it, with windows of the most exquisite sculpture opening
+      on the inside. They reminded me of the beautiful Gothic oriels of Melrose.
+      At each end are two fine, green cypresses, which thrive remarkably in the
+      soil of Palestine. The dust of a German emperor, among others, rests in
+      this consecrated ground. There are other fine churches in Pisa, but the
+      four buildings I have mentioned, are the principal objects of interest.
+      The tower where Count Ugolino and his sons were starved to death by the
+      citizens of Pisa, who locked them up and threw the keys into the Arno, has
+      lately been destroyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An Italian gentleman having made a bargain in the meantime with our
+      vetturino, we found every thing ready on returning to the hotel. On the
+      outside of the town we mounted into the vehicle, a rickety-looking
+      concern, and as it commenced raining, I was afraid we would have a bad
+      night of it. After a great deal of bargaining, the vetturino agreed to
+      take us to Florence that night for five francs a piece, provided one
+      person would sit on the outside with the driver. I accordingly mounted on
+      front, protected by a blouse and umbrella, for it was beginning to rain
+      dismally. The miserable, bare-boned horses were fastened with rope-traces,
+      and the vetturino having taken the rope-lines in his hand, gave a flourish
+      with his whip; one old horse tumbled nearly to the ground, but he jerked
+      him up again and we rattled off.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After riding ten miles in this way, it became so wet and dreary, that I
+      was fain to give the driver two francs extra, for the privilege of an
+      inside seat. Our Italian companion was agreeable and talkative, but as we
+      were still ignorant of the language, I managed to hold a scanty
+      conversation with him in French. He seemed delighted to learn that we were
+      from America; his polite reserve gave place to a friendly familiarity and
+      he was loud in his praises of the Americans. I asked him why it was that
+      he and the Italians generally, were so friendly towards us. "I hardly
+      know," he answered; "you are so different from any other nation; and then,
+      too, you have so much sincerity!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Appenines were wreathed and hidden in thick mist, and the prospect
+      over the flat cornfields bordering the road was not particularly
+      interesting. We had made about one-third of the way as night set in, when
+      on ascending a hill soon after dark, F&mdash;&mdash; happened to look out,
+      and saw one of the axles bent and nearly broken off. we were obliged to
+      get out and walk through the mud to the next village, when after two
+      hours' delay, the vetturino came along with another carriage. Of the rest
+      of the way to Florence, I cannot say much. Cramped up in the narrow
+      vehicle, we jolted along in the dark, rumbling now and then through some
+      silent village, where lamps were burning before the solitary shrines.
+      Sometimes a blinding light crossed the road, where we saw the tile-makers
+      sitting in the red glare of their kilns, and often the black boughs of
+      trees were painted momentarily on the cloudy sky. If the jolting carriage
+      had even permitted sleep, the horrid cries of the vetturino, urging on his
+      horses, would have prevented it; and I decided, while trying to relieve my
+      aching limbs, that three days' walking in sun and sand was preferable to
+      one night of such travel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally about four o'clock in the morning the carriage stopped; my Italian
+      friend awoke and demanded the cause. "Signor," said the vetturino, "we are
+      in Florence!" I blessed the man, and the city too. The good-humored
+      officer looked at our passports and passed our baggage without
+      examination; we gave the gatekeeper a paul and he admitted us. The
+      carriage rolled through the dark, silent streets&mdash;passed a public
+      square&mdash;came out on the Arno&mdash;crossed and entered the city again&mdash;and
+      finally stopped at a hotel. The master of the "Lione Bianco" came down in
+      an undress to receive us, and we shut the growing dawn out of our rooms to
+      steal that repose from the day which the night had not given.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0034" id="link2HCH0034"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIV. &mdash; FLORENCE AND ITS GALLERIES.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Sept. 11.</i>&mdash;Our situation here is as agreeable as we could well
+      desire. We have three large and handsomely furnished rooms, in the centre
+      of the city, for which we pay Signor Lazzeri, a wealthy goldsmith, ten
+      scudo per month&mdash;a scudo being a trifle more than an American dollar.
+      We live at the <i>Cafès</i> and <i>Trattone</i> very conveniently for
+      twenty-five cents a day, enjoying moreover, at our dinner in the Trattoria
+      del Cacciatore, the company of several American artists with whom we have
+      become acquainted. The day after our arrival we met at the table d'hote of
+      the "Lione Bianco," Dr. Boardman of New York, through whose assistance we
+      obtained our present lodgings. There are at present ten or twelve American
+      artists in Florence, and we promise ourselves much pleasure and profit
+      from their acquaintance. B&mdash;&mdash; and I are so charmed with the
+      place and the beautiful Tuscan dialect, that we shall endeavor to spend
+      three or four months here. F&mdash;&mdash; returns to Germany in two
+      weeks, to attend the winter term of the University at his favorite
+      Heidelberg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our first walk in Florence was to the Royal Gallery&mdash;we wished to see
+      the "goddess living in stone" without delay. Crossing the neighboring <i>Piazza
+      del Granduca</i>, we passed Michael Angelo's colossal statue of David, and
+      an open gallery containing, besides some antiques, the master-piece of
+      John of Bologna. The palace of the <i>Uffizii</i>, fronting on the Arno,
+      extends along both sides of an avenue running back to the Palazzo Vecchio.
+      We entered the portico which passes around under the great building, and
+      after ascending three or four flights of steps, came into a long hall,
+      filled with paintings and ancient statuary. Towards the end of this, a
+      door opened into the Tribune&mdash;that celebrated room, unsurpassed by
+      any in the world for the number and value of the gems it contains. I
+      pushed aside a crimson curtain and stood in the presence of the Venus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It may be considered heresy, but I confess I did not at first go into
+      raptures, nor perceive any traces of superhuman beauty. The predominant
+      feeling, if I may so express it, was satisfaction; the eye dwells on its
+      faultless outline with a gratified sense, that nothing is wanting to
+      render it perfect. It is the ideal of a woman's form&mdash;a faultless
+      standard by which all beauty may be measured, but without striking
+      expression, except in the modest and graceful position of the limbs. The
+      face, though regular, is not handsome, and the body appears small, being
+      but five feet in height, which, I think, is a little below the average
+      stature of women. On each side, as if to heighten its elegance by contrast
+      with rude and unrefined nature, are the statues of the Wrestlers, and the
+      slave listening to the conspiracy of Catiline, called also The Whetter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As if to correspond with the value of the works it holds, the Tribune is
+      paved with precious marbles and the ceiling studded with polished
+      mother-of-pearl. A dim and subdued light fills the hall, which throws over
+      the mind that half-dreamy tone necessary to the full enjoyment of such
+      objects. On each side of the Venus de Medici hangs a Venus by Titian, the
+      size of life, and painted in that rich and gorgeous style of coloring
+      which has been so often and vainly attempted since his time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here are six of Raphael's best preserved paintings. I prefer the "St. John
+      in the Desert" to any other picture in the Tribune. His glorious form, in
+      the fair proportions of ripening boyhood&mdash;the grace of his attitude,
+      with the arm lifted eloquently on high&mdash;the divine inspiration which
+      illumines his young features&mdash;chain the step irresistibly before it.
+      It is one of those triumphs of the pencil which few but Raphael have
+      accomplished&mdash;the painting of <i>spirit</i> in its loftiest and
+      purest form. Near it hangs the Fornarina, which he seems to have painted
+      in as deep a love as he entertained for the original. The face is modest
+      and beautiful, and filled with an expression of ardent and tender
+      attachment. I never tire looking upon either of these two.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let me not forget, while we are in this peerless hall, to point out
+      Guercino's Samian Sybil. It is a glorious work. With her hands clasped
+      over her volume, she is looking up with a face full of deep and expressive
+      sadness. A picturesque turban is twined around her head, and bands of
+      pearls gleam amidst her rich, dark brown tresses. Her face bears the
+      softness of dawning womanhood, and nearly answers my ideal of female
+      beauty. The same artist has another fine picture here&mdash;a sleeping
+      Endymion. The mantle has fallen from his shoulders, as he reclines asleep,
+      with his head on his hand, and his crook beside him. The silver crescent
+      of Dian looks over his shoulder from the sky behind, and no wonder if she
+      should become enamored, for a lovelier shepherd has not been seen since
+      that of King Admetus went back to drive his chariot in the heavens.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The "Drunken Bacchus" of Michael Angelo is greatly admired, and indeed it
+      might pass for a relic of the palmiest times of Grecian art. The face,
+      amidst its half-vacant, sensual expression, shows traces of its immortal
+      origin, and there is still an air of dignity preserved in the swagger of
+      his beautiful form. It is, in a word, the ancient idea of <i>a drunken god</i>.
+      It may be doubted whether the artist's talents might not have been
+      employed better than in ennobling intoxication. If he had represented
+      Bacchus as he really is&mdash;degraded even below the level of humanity&mdash;it
+      might be more beneficial to the mind, though less beautiful to the eye.
+      However, this is a question on which artists and moralists cannot agree.
+      Perhaps, too, the rich blood of the Falernian grape produced a more
+      godlike delirium than the vulgar brandy which oversets the moderns!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At one end of the gallery is a fine copy in marble of the Laocoon, by
+      Bandinelli, one of the rivals of Michael Angelo. When it was finished, the
+      former boasted it was better than the original, to which Michael made the
+      apt reply: "It is foolish for those who walk in the footsteps of others,
+      to say they go before them!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us enter the hall of Niobe. One starts back on seeing the many figures
+      in the attitude of flight, for they seem at first about to spring from
+      their pedestals. At the head of the room stands the afflicted mother,
+      bending over the youngest daughter who clings to her knees, with an
+      upturned countenance of deep and imploring agony. In vain! the shafts of
+      Apollo fall thick, and she will soon be childless. No wonder the strength
+      of that woe depicted on her countenance should change her into stone. One
+      of her sons&mdash;a beautiful, boyish form,&mdash;is lying on his back,
+      just expiring, with the chill langour of death creeping over his limbs. We
+      seem to hear the quick whistling of the arrows, and look involuntarily
+      into the air to see the hovering figure of the avenging god. In a chamber
+      near is kept the head of a faun, made by Michael Angelo, at the age of
+      fourteen, in the garden of Lorenzo de Medici, from a piece of marble given
+      him by the workmen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The portraits of the painters are more than usually interesting. Every
+      countenance is full of character. There is the pale, enthusiastic face of
+      Raphael, the stern vigor of Titian, the majesty and dignity of Leonardo da
+      Vinci, and the fresh beauty of Angelica Kauffmann. I liked best the
+      romantic head of Raphael Mengs. In one of the rooms there is a portrait of
+      Alfieri, with an autograph sonnet of his own on the back of it. The house
+      in which he lived and died, is on the north bank of the Arno, near the
+      Ponte Caraja, and his ashes rest in Santa Croce.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Italy still remains the home of art, and it is but just she should keep
+      these treasures, though the age that brought them forth has passed away.
+      They are her only support now; her people are dependent for their
+      subsistence on the glory of the past. The spirits of the old painters,
+      living still on their canvass, earn from year to year the bread of an
+      indigent and oppressed people. This ought to silence those utilitarians at
+      home, who oppose the cultivation of the fine arts, on the ground of their
+      being useless luxuries. Let them look to Italy, where a picture by Raphael
+      or Correggio is a rich legacy for a whole city. Nothing is useless that
+      gratifies that perception of beauty, which is at once the most delicate
+      and the most intense of our mental sensations, binding us by an
+      unconscious link nearer to nature and to Him, whose every thought is born
+      of Beauty, Truth and Love. I envy not the one who looks with a cold and
+      indifferent spirit on these immortal creations of the old masters&mdash;these
+      poems written in marble and on the canvass. They who oppose every thing
+      which can refine and spiritualize the nature of man, by binding him down
+      to the cares of the work-day world alone, cheat life of half its glory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The eighth of this month was the anniversary of the birth of the Virgin,
+      and the celebration, if such it might be called, commenced the evening
+      before, It is the custom, and Heaven only knows how it originated, for the
+      people of the lower class to go through the streets in a company, blowing
+      little penny whistles. We were walking that night in the direction of the
+      Duomo, when we met a band of these men, blowing with all their might on
+      the shrill whistles, so that the whole neighborhood resounded with one
+      continual, piercing, ear-splitting shriek. They marched in a kind of quick
+      trot through the streets, followed by a crowd of boys, and varying the
+      noise occasionally by shouts and howls of the most horrible character.
+      They paraded through all the principal streets of the city, which for an
+      hour sent up such an agonizing scream that you might have fancied it an
+      enormous monster, expiring in great torment. The people seemed to take the
+      whole thing as a matter of course, but it was to us a novel manner of
+      ushering in a religious festival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sky was clear and blue, as it always is in this Italian paradise, when
+      we left Florence a few days ago for Fiesole. In spite of many virtuous
+      efforts to rise early, it was nine o'clock before we left the Porta San
+      Gallo, with its triumphal arch to the Emperor Francis, striding the road
+      to Bologna. We passed through the public walk at this end of the city, and
+      followed the road to Fiesole along the dried-up bed of a mountain torrent.
+      The dwellings of the Florentine nobility occupy the whole slope,
+      surrounded with rich and lovely gardens. The mountain and plain are both
+      covered with luxuriant olive orchards, whose foliage of silver gray gives
+      the scene the look of a moonlight landscape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the base of the mountain of Fiesole we passed one of the summer palaces
+      of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and a little distance beyond, took a foot-path
+      overshadowed by magnificent cypresses, between whose dark trunks we looked
+      down on the lovely Val d'Arno. But I will reserve all description of the
+      view till we arrive at the summit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The modern village of Fiesole occupies the site of an ancient city,
+      generally supposed to be of Etrurian origin. Just above, on one of the
+      peaks of the mountain, stands the Acropolis, formerly used as a fortress,
+      but now untenanted save by a few monks. From the side of its walls,
+      beneath the shade of a few cypresses, there is a magnificent view of the
+      whole of Val d'Arno, with Florence&mdash;the gem of Italy&mdash;in the
+      centre. Stand with me a moment on the height, and let us gaze on this
+      grand panorama, around which the Apennines stretch with a majestic sweep,
+      wrapped in a robe of purple air, through which shimmer the villas and
+      villages on their sides! The lovely vale lies below us in its garb of
+      olive groves, among which beautiful villas are sprinkled as plentifully as
+      white anemones in the woods of May. Florence lies in front of us, the
+      magnificent cupola of the Duomo crowning its clustered palaces. We see the
+      airy tower of the Palazzo Vecchio&mdash;the new spire of Santa Croce&mdash;and
+      the long front of the Palazzo Pitti, with the dark foliage of the Boboli
+      Gardens behind. Beyond, far to the south, are the summits of the mountains
+      near Siena. We can trace the sandy bed of the Arno down the valley till it
+      disappears at the foot of the Lower Apennines, which mingle in the
+      distance with the mountains of Carrara.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Galileo was wont to make observations "at evening from the top of
+      Fiesole," and the square tower of the old church is still pointed out as
+      the spot. Many a night did he ascend to its projecting terrace, and watch
+      the stars as they rolled around through the clearest heaven to which a
+      philosopher ever looked up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed through an orchard of fig trees, and vines laden with beautiful
+      purple and golden clusters, and in a few minutes reached the remains of an
+      amphitheatre, in a little nook on the mountain side. This was a work of
+      Roman construction, as its form indicates. Three or four ranges of seats
+      alone, are laid bare, and these have only been discovered within a few
+      years. A few steps further we came to a sort of cavern, overhung with wild
+      fig-trees. After creeping in at the entrance, we found ourselves in an
+      oval chamber, tall enough to admit of our standing upright, and rudely but
+      very strongly built. This was one of the dens in which the wild beasts
+      were kept; they were fed by a hole in the top, now closed up. This cell
+      communicates with four or five others, by apertures broken in the walls. I
+      stepped into one, and could see in the dim light, that it was exactly
+      similar to the first, and opened into another beyond.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Further down the mountain we found the ancient wall of the city, without
+      doubt of Etrurian origin. It is of immense blocks of stone, and extends
+      more or less dilapidated around the whole brow of the mountain. In one
+      place there stands a solitary gateway, of large stones, which looks as if
+      it might have been one of the first attempts at using the principle of the
+      arch. These ruins are all gray and ivied, and it startles one to think
+      what a history Earth has lived through since their foundations were laid!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We sat all the afternoon under the cypress trees and looked down on the
+      lovely valley, practising Italian sometimes with two young Florentines who
+      came up to enjoy the "<i>bell'aria</i>" of Fiesole. Descending as sunset
+      drew on, we reached the Porta San Gallo, as the people of Florence were
+      issuing forth to their evening promenade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of my first visits was to the church of Santa Croce. This is one of
+      the oldest in Florence, venerated alike by foreigners and citizens, for
+      the illustrious dead whose remains it holds. It is a plain, gloomy pile,
+      the front of which is still unfinished, though at the base, one sees that
+      it was originally designed to be covered with black marble. On entering
+      the door we first saw the tomb of Michael Angelo. Around the marble
+      sarcophagus which contains his ashes are three mourning figures,
+      representing Sculpture, Painting and Architecture, and his bust stands
+      above&mdash;a rough, stern countenance, like a man of vast but unrefined
+      mind. Further on are the tombs of Alfieri and Machiavelli and the colossal
+      cenotaph lately erected to Dante. Opposite reposes Galileo. What a world
+      of renown in these few names! It makes one venerate the majesty of his
+      race, to stand beside the dust of such lofty spirits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dante's monument may be said to be only erected to his memory; he sleeps
+      at the place of his exile,
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Like Scipio, buried by the upbraiding shore!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      It is the work of Ricci, a Florentine artist, and has been placed there
+      within a few years. The colossal figure of Poetry weeping over the empty
+      urn, might better express the regret of Florence in being deprived of his
+      ashes. The figure of Dante himself, seated above, is grand and majestic;
+      his head is inclined as if in meditation, and his features bear the
+      expression of sublime thought. Were this figure placed there alone, on a
+      simple and massive pedestal, it would be more in keeping with his fame
+      than the lumbering heaviness of the present monument.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Machiavelli's tomb is adorned with a female figure representing History,
+      bearing his portrait. The inscription, which seems to be somewhat
+      exaggerated, is: <i>tanto nomini nullum par elogium</i>. Near lies
+      Alfieri, the "prince of tragedy," as he is called by the Italians. In his
+      life he was fond of wandering among the tombs of Santa Croce, and it is
+      said that there the first desire and presentiment of his future glory
+      stirred within his breast. Now he slumbers among them, not the least
+      honored name of that immortal company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Galileo's tomb is adorned with his bust. His face is calm and dignified,
+      and he holds appropriately in his hands, a globe and telescope. Aretino,
+      the historian, lies on his tomb with a copy of his works clasped to his
+      breast; above that of Lanzi, the historian of painting, there is a
+      beautiful fresco of the angel of fame; and opposite to him is the scholar
+      Lamio. The most beautiful monument in the church is that of a Polish
+      princess, in the transept. She is lying on the bier, her features settled
+      in the repose of death, and her thin, pale hands clasped across her
+      breast. The countenance wears that half-smile, "so coldly sweet and sadly
+      fair," which so often throws a beauty over the face of the dead, and the
+      light pall reveals the fixed yet graceful outline of the form.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In that part of the city, which lies on the south bank of the Arno, is the
+      palace of the Grand Duke, known by the name of the Palazzo Pitti, from a
+      Florentine noble of that name, by whom it was first built. It is a very
+      large, imposing pile, preserving an air of lightness in spite of the
+      rough, heavy stones of which it is built. It is another example of a
+      magnificent failure. The Marquis Strozzi, having built a palace which was
+      universally admired for its beauty, (which stands yet, a model of chaste
+      and massive elegance,) his rival, the Marquis Pitti, made the proud boast
+      that he would build a palace, in the court-yard of which could bo placed
+      that of Strozzi. These are actually the dimensions of the court-yard; but
+      in building the palace, although he was liberally assisted by the
+      Florentine people, he ruined himself, and his magnificent residence passed
+      into other hands, while that of Strozzi is inhabited by his descendants to
+      this very day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gallery of the Palazzo Pitti is one of the finest in Europe. It
+      contains six or seven hundred paintings, selected from the best works of
+      the Italian masters. By the praiseworthy liberality of the Duke, they are
+      open to the public, six hours every day, and the rooms are thronged with
+      artists of all nations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among Titian's works, there is his celebrated "Bella," a half-length
+      figure of a young woman. It is a masterpiece of warm and brilliant
+      coloring, without any decided expression. The countenance is that of
+      vague, undefined thought, as of one who knew as yet nothing of the
+      realities of life. In another room is his Magdalen, a large, voluptuous
+      form, with her brown hair falling like a veil over her shoulders and
+      breast, but in her upturned countenance one can sooner read a prayer for
+      an absent lover than repentance for sins she has committed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What could excel in beauty the <i>Madonna della Sedia</i> of Raphael? It
+      is another of those works of that divine artist, on which we gaze and gaze
+      with a never-tiring enjoyment of its angelic beauty. To my eye it is
+      faultless; I could not wish a single outline of form, a single shade of
+      color changed. Like his unrivalled Madonna in the Dresden Gallery, its
+      beauty is spiritual as well as earthly; and while gazing on the glorious
+      countenance of the Jesus-child, I feel an impulse I can scarcely explain&mdash;a
+      longing to tear it from the canvas as if it were a breathing form, and
+      clasp it to my heart in a glow of passionate love. What a sublime
+      inspiration Raphael must have felt when he painted it! Judging from its
+      effect on the beholder, I can conceive of no higher mental excitement than
+      that required to create it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here are also some of the finest and best preserved pictures of Salvator
+      Rosa, and his portrait&mdash;a wild head, full of spirit and genius.
+      Besides several landscapes in his savage and stormy style, there are two
+      large sea-views, in which the atmosphere is of a deep and exquisite
+      softness, without impairing the strength and boldness of the composition.
+      "A Battle Scene," is terrible. Hundreds of combatants are met in the shock
+      and struggle of conflict. Horses, mailed knights, vassals are mixed
+      together in wild confusion; banners are waving and lances flashing amid
+      the dust and smoke, while the wounded and dying are trodden under foot in
+      darkness and blood. I now first begin to comprehend the power and
+      sublimity of his genius. From the wildness and gloom of his pictures, he
+      might almost be called the Byron of painters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is a small group of the "Fates," by Michael Angelo, which is one of
+      the best of the few pictures which remain of him. As is well known, he
+      disliked the art, saying it was only fit for women. This picture shows,
+      however, how much higher he might have gone, had he been so inclined. The
+      three weird sisters are ghostly and awful&mdash;the one who stands behind,
+      holding the distaff, almost frightful. She who stands ready to cut the
+      thread as it is spun out, has a slight trace of pity on her fixed and
+      unearthly lineaments. It is a faithful embodiment of the old Greek idea of
+      the Fates. I have wondered why some artist has not attempted the subject
+      in a different way. In the Northern Mythology they are represented as wild
+      maidens, armed with swords and mounted on fiery coursers. Why might they
+      not also be pictured as angels, with countenances of a sublime and
+      mysterious beauty&mdash;one all radiant with hope and promise of glory,
+      and one with the token of a better future mingled with the sadness with
+      which it severs the links of life?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are many, many other splendid works in this collection, but it is
+      unnecessary to mention them. I have only endeavored, by taking a few of
+      the best known, to give some idea of them as they appear to me. There are
+      hundreds of pictures here, which, though gems in themselves, are by
+      masters who are rarely heard of in America, and it would be of little
+      interest to go through the Gallery, describing it in guide-book fashion.
+      Indeed, to describe galleries, however rich and renowned they may be, is
+      in general a work of so much difficulty, that I know not whether the
+      writer or the reader is made most tired thereby.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This collection possesses also the celebrated statue of Venus, by Canova.
+      She stands in the centre of a little apartment, filled with the most
+      delicate and graceful works of painting. Although undoubtedly a figure of
+      great beauty, it by no means struck me as possessing that exquisite and
+      classic perfection which has been ascribed to it. The Venus de Medici far
+      surpasses it. The head is larger in proportion to the size of the body,
+      than that of the latter, but has not the same modest, virgin expression.
+      The arm wrapped in the robe which she is pressing to her breast, is finely
+      executed, but the fingers of the other hand are bad&mdash;looking, as my
+      friend said, as if the ends were <i>whittled</i> off! The body is,
+      however, of fine proportions, though, taken as a whole, the statue is
+      inferior to many other of Canova's works.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Occupying all the hill back of the Pitti Palace, are the Boboli Gardens,
+      three times a week the great resort of the Florentines. They are said to
+      be the most beautiful gardens in Italy. Numberless paths, diverging from a
+      magnificent amphitheatre in the old Roman style, opposite the court-yard,
+      lend either in long flights of steps and terraces, or gentle windings
+      among beds sweet with roses, to the summit. Long avenues, entirely arched
+      and interwoven with the thick foliage of the laurel, which here grows to a
+      tree, stretch along the slopes or wind in the woods through thickets of
+      the fragrant bay. Parterres, rich with flowers and shrubbery, alternate
+      with delightful groves of the Italian pine, acacia and laurel-leaved oak,
+      and along the hillside, gleaming among the foliage, are placed statues of
+      marble, some of which are from the chisels of Michael Angelo and
+      Bandinelli. In one part there is a little sheet of water, with an island
+      of orange-trees in the centre, from which a broad avenue of cypresses and
+      statues leads to the very summit of the hill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We often go there to watch the sun set over Florence and the vale of the
+      Arno. The palace lies directly below, and a clump of pine-trees on the
+      hillside, that stand out in bold relief on the glowing sky, makes the
+      foreground to one of the loveliest pictures this side of the Atlantic. I
+      saw one afternoon the Grand Duke and his family get into their carriage to
+      drive out. One of the little dukes, who seemed a mischievous imp, ran out
+      on a projection of the portico, where considerable persuasion had to be
+      used to induce him to jump into the arms of his royal papa. I turned from
+      these titled infants to watch a group of beautiful American children
+      playing, for my attention was drawn to them by the sound of familiar
+      words, and I learned afterwards they were the children of the sculptor
+      Powers. I contrasted involuntarily the destinies of each;&mdash;one to the
+      enjoyment and proud energy of freedom, and one to the confining and
+      vitiating atmosphere of a court. The merry voices of the latter, as they
+      played on the grass, came to my ears most gratefully. There is nothing so
+      sweet as to hear one's native tongue in a foreign land from the lips of
+      children!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0035" id="link2HCH0035"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXV. &mdash; A PILGRIMAGE TO VALLOMBROSA.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      A pilgrimage to Vallombrosa!&mdash;in sooth it has a romantic sound. The
+      phrase calls up images of rosaries, and crosses, and shaven-headed friars.
+      Had we lived in the olden days, such things might verily have accompanied
+      our journey to that holy monastery. We might then have gone barefoot,
+      saying prayers as we toiled along the banks of the Arno and up the steep
+      Appenines, as did Benevenuto Cellini, before he poured the melted bronze
+      into the mould of his immortal Perseus. But we are pilgrims to the shrines
+      of Art and Genius; the dwelling-places of great minds are our sanctuaries.
+      The mean dwelling, in which a poet has battled down poverty with the
+      ecstacy of his mighty conceptions, and the dungeon in which a persecuted
+      philosopher has languished, are to us sacred; we turn aside from the
+      palaces of kings and the battle-fields of conquerors, to visit them. The
+      famed miracles of San Giovanni Gualberto added little, in our eyes, to the
+      interest of Vallombrosa, but there were reverence and inspiration in the
+      names of Dante, Milton, and Ariosto.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left Florence early, taking the way that leads from the Porta della
+      Croce, up the north bank of the Arno. It was a bright morning, but there
+      was a shade of vapor on the hills, which a practised eye might have taken
+      as a prognostic of the rain that too soon came on. Fiesole, with its tower
+      and Acropolis, stood out brightly from the blue background, and the hill
+      of San Miniato lay with its cypress groves in the softest morning light.
+      The <i>Contadini</i> were driving into the city in their basket wagons,
+      and there were some fair young faces among them, that made us think
+      Italian beauty was not altogether in the imagination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After walking three or four miles, we entered the Appenines, keeping along
+      the side of the Arno, whose bed is more than half dried up from the long
+      summer heats. The mountain sides were covered with vineyards, glowing with
+      their wealth of white and purple grapes, but the summits were naked and
+      barren. We passed through the little town of Ponte Sieve, at the entrance
+      of a romantic valley, where our view of the Arno was made more interesting
+      by the lofty range of the Appenines, amid whose forests we could see the
+      white front of the monastery of Vallombrosa. But the clouds sank low and
+      hid it from sight, and the rain came on so hard that we were obliged to
+      take shelter occasionally in the cottages by the wayside. In one of these
+      we made a dinner of the hard, black bread of the country, rendered
+      palatable by the addition of mountain cheese and some chips of an antique
+      Bologna sausage. We were much amused in conversing with the simple hosts
+      and their shy, gipsy-like children, one of whom, a dark-eyed, curly-haired
+      boy, bore the name of Raphael. We also became acquainted with a shoemaker
+      and his family, who owned a little olive orchard and vineyard, which they
+      said produced enough to support them. Wishing to know much a family of six
+      consumed in a year, we inquired the yield of their property. They
+      answered, twenty small barrels of wine, and ten of oil. It was nearly
+      sunset when we reached Pellago, and the wet walk and coarse fare we were
+      obliged to take on the road, well qualified us to enjoy the excellent
+      supper the pleasant landlady gave us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This little town is among the Appenines, at the foot of the magnificent
+      mountain of Vallombrosa. What a blessing it was for Milton, that he saw
+      its loveliness before his eyes closed on this beautiful earth, and gained
+      from it another hue in which to dip his pencil, when he painted the bliss
+      of Eden! I watched the hills all day as we approached them, and thought
+      how often his eyes had rested on their outlines, and how he had carried
+      their forms in his memory for many a sunless year. The banished Dante,
+      too, had trodden them, flying from his ungrateful country; and many
+      another, whose genius has made him a beacon in the dark sea of the world's
+      history. It is one of those places where the enjoyment is all romance, and
+      the blood thrills as we gaze upon it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We started early next morning, crossed the ravine, and took the well-paved
+      way to the monastery along the mountain side. The stones are worn smooth
+      by the sleds in which ladies and provisions are conveyed up, drawn by the
+      beautiful white Tuscan oxen. The hills are covered with luxuriant chesnut
+      and oak trees, of those picturesque forms which they only wear in Italy:
+      one wild dell in particular is much resorted to by painters for the
+      ready-made foregrounds it supplies. Further on, we passed the <i>Paterno</i>,
+      a rich farm belonging to the Monks. The vines which hung from tree to
+      tree, were almost breaking beneath clusters as heavy and rich as those
+      which the children of Israel bore on staves from the Promised Land. Of
+      their flavor, we can say, from experience, they were worthy to have grown
+      in Paradise. We then entered a deep dell of the mountain, where little
+      shepherd girls were sitting on the rocks tending their sheep and spinning
+      with their fingers from a distaff, in the same manner, doubtless, as the
+      Roman shepherdesses two thousand years ago. Gnarled, gray olive trees,
+      centuries old, grew upon the bare soil, and a little rill fell in many a
+      tiny cataract down the glen. By a mill, in one of the coolest and wildest
+      nooks I ever saw, two of us acted the part of water-spirits under one of
+      these, to the great astonishment of four peasants, who watched us from a
+      distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beyond, our road led through forests of chesnut and oak, and a broad view
+      of mountain and vale lay below us. We asked a peasant boy we met, how much
+      land the Monks of Vallombrosa possessed. "<i>All that you see</i>!" was
+      the reply. The dominion of the good fathers reached once even to the gates
+      of Florence. At length, about noon, we emerged from the woods into a broad
+      avenue leading across a lawn, at whose extremity stood the massivs
+      buildings of the monastery. On a rock that towered above it, was the <i>Paradisino</i>,
+      beyond which rose the mountain, covered with forests&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Shade above shade, a woody theatre.
+    Of stateliest view"&mdash;
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      as Milton describes it. We were met at the entrance by a young monk in
+      cowl and cassock, to whom we applied for permission to stay till the next
+      day, which was immediately given. Brother Placido (for that was his name)
+      then asked us if we would not have dinner. We replied that our appetites
+      were none the worse for climbing the mountain; and in half an hour sat
+      down to a dinner, the like of which we had not seen for a long time.
+      Verily, thought I, it must be a pleasant thing to be a monk, after all!&mdash;that
+      is, a monk of Vallombrosa.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon we walked through a grand pine forest to the western brow
+      of the mountain, where a view opened which it would require a wonderful
+      power of the imagination for you to see in fancy, as I did in reality.
+      From the height where we stood, the view was uninterrupted to the
+      Mediterranean, a distance of more than seventy miles; a valley watered by
+      a brunch of the Arno swept far to the east, to the mountains near the Luke
+      of Thrasymene; northwestwards the hills of Carrara bordered the horizon;
+      the space between these wide points was filled with mountains and valleys,
+      all steeped in that soft blue mist which makes Italian landscapes more
+      like heavenly visions than realities. Florence was visible afar off, and
+      the current of the Arno flashed in the sun. A cool and almost chilling
+      wind blew constantly over the mountain, although the country below basked
+      in summer heat. We lay on the rocks, and let our souls luxuriate in the
+      lovely scene till near sunset. Brother Placido brought us supper in the
+      evening, with his ever-smiling countenance, and we soon after went to our
+      beds in the neat, plain chambers, to get rid of the unpleasant coldness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning it was damp and misty, and thick clouds rolled down the
+      forests towards the convent. I set out for the "Little Paradise," taking
+      in my way the pretty cascade which falls some fifty feet down the rocks.
+      The building is not now as it was when Milton lived here, having been
+      rebuilt within a short time. I found no one there, and satisfied my
+      curiosity by climbing over the wall and looking in at the windows. A
+      little chapel stands in a cleft of the rock below, to mark the miraculous
+      escape of St. John Gualberto, founder of the monastery. Being one day very
+      closely pursued by the Devil, he took shelter under the rock, which
+      immediately became soft and admitted him into it, while the fiend, unable
+      to stop, was precipitated over the steep. All this is related in a Latin
+      inscription, and we saw a large hollow in the rock near, which must have
+      been intended for the imprint left by his sacred person.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of the monks told us another legend, concerning a little chapel which
+      stands alone on a wild part of the mountain, above a rough pile of crags,
+      called the "Peak of the Devil." "In the time of San Giovanni Gualberto,
+      the holy founder of our order," said he, "there was a young man, of a
+      noble family in Florence, who was so moved by the words of the saintly
+      father, that he forsook the world, wherein he had lived with great luxury
+      and dissipation, and became monk. But, after a time, being young and
+      tempted again by the pleasures he had renounced, he put off the sacred
+      garments. The holy San Giovanni warned him of the terrible danger in which
+      he stood, and at length the wicked young man returned. It was not a great
+      while, however, before he became dissatisfied, and in spite all holy
+      counsel, did the same thing again. But behold what happened! As he was
+      walking along the peak where the chapel stands, thinking nothing of his
+      great crime, the devil sprang suddenly from behind a rock, and catching
+      the young man in his arms, before he could escape, carried him with a
+      dreadful noise and a great red flame and smoke over the precipice, so that
+      he was never afterwards seen."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The church attached to the monastery is small, but very solemn and
+      venerable. I went several times to muse in its still, gloomy aisle, and
+      hear the murmuring chant of the Monks, who went through their exercises in
+      some of the chapels. At one time I saw them all, in long black cassocks,
+      march in solemn order to the chapel of St. John Gualberto, where they sang
+      a deep chant, which to me had something awful and sepulchral in it. Behind
+      the high altar I saw their black, carved chairs of polished oak, with
+      ponderous gilded foliants lying on the rails before them. The attendant
+      opened one of these, that we might see the manuscript notes, three or four
+      centuries old, from which they sung.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were much amused in looking through two or three Italian books, which
+      were lying in the traveler's room. One of these which our friend Mr.
+      Tandy, of Kentucky, read, described the miracles of the patron saint with
+      an air of the most ridiculous solemnity. The other was a description of
+      the Monastery, its foundation, history, etc. In mentioning its great and
+      far-spread renown, the author stated then even an English poet, by the
+      name of Milton, had mentioned it in the following lines, which I copied
+      verbatim from the book:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Thick as autumnal scaves that strow she brooks
+    In vallombrosa, whereth Etruian Jades
+    Stigh over orch d'embrover!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      In looking over the stranger's book, I found among the names of my
+      countrymen, that of S. V. Clevenger, the talented and lamented sculptor
+      who died at sea on his passage home. There were also the names of Mrs.
+      Shelley and the Princess Potemkin, and I saw written on the wall, the
+      autograph of Jean Reboul, the celebrated modern French poet. We were so
+      delighted with the place we would have stayed another day, but for fear of
+      trepassing too much on the lavish and unceasing hospitality of the good
+      fathers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So in the afternoon we shook hands with Brother Placido, and turned our
+      backs regretfully upon one of the loneliest and loveliest spots of which
+      earth can boast. The sky became gradually clear as we descended, and the
+      mist raised itself from the distant mountains. We ran down through the
+      same chesnut groves, diverging a little to go through the village of Tosi,
+      which is very picturesque when seen from a distance, but extremely dirty
+      to one passing through. I stopped in the ravine below to take a sketch of
+      the mill and bridge, and as we sat, the line of golden sunlight rose
+      higher on the mountains above. On walking down the shady side of this
+      glen, we were enraptured with the scenery. A brilliant yet mellow glow lay
+      over the whole opposing height, lighting up the houses of Tosi and the
+      white cottages half seen among the olives, while the mountain of
+      Vallombrosa stretched far heavenward like a sunny painting, with only a
+      misty wreath floating and waving around its summit. The glossy foliage of
+      the chesnuts was made still brighter by the warm light, and the old olives
+      softened down into a silvery gray, whose contrast gave the landscape a
+      character of the mellowest beauty. As we wound out of the deep glen, the
+      broad valleys and ranges of the Appenines lay before us, forests, castles
+      and villages steeped in the soft, vapory blue of the Italian atmosphere,
+      and the current of the Arno flashing like a golden belt through the middle
+      of the picture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun was nearly down, and the mountains just below him were of a deep
+      purple hue, while those that ran out to the eastward wore the most aerial
+      shade of blue. A few scattered clouds, floating above, soon put on the
+      sunset robe of orange and a band of the same soft color encircled the
+      western horizon. It did not reach half way to the zenith, however; the sky
+      above was blue, of such a depth and transparency, that to gaze upward was
+      like looking into eternity. Then how softly and soothingly the twilight
+      came on! How deep a hush sank on the chesnut glades, broken only by the
+      song of the cicada, chirping its "good-night carol!" The mountains, too,
+      how majestic they stood in their deep purple outlines! Sweet, sweet Italy!
+      I can feel now how the soul may cling to thee, since thou canst thus
+      gratify its insatiable thirst for the Beautiful. Even thy plainest scene
+      is clothed in hues that seem borrowed of heaven! In the twilight, more
+      radiant than light, and the stillness, more eloquent than music, which
+      sink down over the sunny beauty of thy shores, there is a silent, intense
+      poetry that stirs the soul through all its impassioned depths. With warm,
+      blissful tears filling the eyes and a heart overflowing with its own
+      bright fancies, I wander in the solitude and calm of such a time, and love
+      thee as if I were a child of thy soil!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0036" id="link2HCH0036"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVI. &mdash; WALK TO SIENA AND PRATOLINO&mdash;INCIDENTS IN
+      FLORENCE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>October 16.</i>&mdash;My cousin, being anxious to visit Rome, and reach
+      Heidelberg before the commencement of the winter semestre, set out towards
+      the end of September, on foot. We accompanied him as far as Siena, forty
+      miles distant. As I shall most probably take another road to the Eternal
+      City, the present is a good opportunity to say something of that romantic
+      old town, so famous throughout Italy for the honesty of its inhabitants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We dined the first day, seventeen miles from Florence, at Tavenella,
+      where, for a meagre dinner the hostess had the assurance to ask us seven
+      pauls. We told her we would give but four and a half, and by assuming a
+      decided manner, with a plentiful use of the word "Signora" she was
+      persuaded to be fully satisfied with the latter sum. From a height near,
+      we could see the mountains coasting the Mediterranean, and shortly after,
+      on descending a long hill, the little town of Poggibonsi lay in the warm
+      afternoon light, on an eminence before us. It was soon passed with its
+      dusky towers, then Stagia looking desolate in its ruined and ivied walls,
+      and following the advice of a peasant, we stopped for the night at the inn
+      of Querciola. As we knew something of Italian by this time, we thought it
+      best to inquire the price of lodging, before entering. The <i>padrone</i>
+      asked if we meant to take supper also. We answered in the affirmative;
+      "then," said he, "you will pay half a paul (about five emits) apiece for a
+      bed." We passed under the swinging bunch of boughs, which in Italy is the
+      universal sign of an inn for the common people, and entered the bare,
+      smoky room appropriated to travelers. A long table, with well-worn
+      benches, were the only furniture; we threw our knapsacks on one end of it
+      and sat down, amusing ourselves while supper was preparing, in looking at
+      a number of grotesque charcoal drawings on the wall, which the flaring
+      light of our tall iron lamp revealed to us. At length the hostess, a
+      kindly-looking woman, with a white handkerchief folded gracefully around
+      her head, brought us a dish of fried eggs, which, with the coarse black
+      bread of the peasants and a basket full of rich grapes, made us an
+      excellent supper. We slept on mattresses stuffed with corn husks, placed
+      on square iron frames, which are the bedsteads most used in Italy. A
+      brightly-painted caricature of some saint or a rough crucifix, trimmed
+      with bay leaves, hung at the head of each bed, and under their devout
+      protection we enjoyed a safe and unbroken slumber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning we set out early to complete the remaining ten miles to
+      Siena. The only thing of interest on the road, is the ruined wall and
+      battlements of Castiglione, circling a high hill and looking as old as the
+      days of Etruria. The towers of Siena are seen at some distance, but
+      approaching it from this side, the traveler does not perceive its romantic
+      situation until he arrives. It stands on a double hill, which is very
+      steep on some sides; the hollow between the two peaks is occupied by the
+      great public square, ten or fifteen feet lower than the rest of the city.
+      We left our knapsacks at a <i>cafè</i> and sought the celebrated
+      Cathedral, which stands in the highest part of the town, forming with its
+      flat dome and lofty marble tower, an apex to the pyramidal mass of
+      buildings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The interior is rich and elegantly perfect. Every part is of black and
+      white marble, in what I should call the <i>striped</i> style, which has a
+      singular but agreeable effect. The inside of the dome and the vaulted
+      ceilings of the chapels, are of blue, with golden stars; the pavement in
+      the centre is so precious a work that it is kept covered with boards and
+      only shown once a year. There are some pictures of great value in this
+      Cathedral; one of "The Descent of the Dove," is worthy of the best days of
+      Italian art. In an adjoining chamber, with frescoed walls, and a beautiful
+      tesselated pavement, is the library, consisting of a few huge old volumes,
+      which with their brown covers and brazen clasps, look as much like a
+      collection of flat leather trunks as any thing else. In the centre of the
+      room stands the mutilated group of the Grecian Graces, found in digging
+      the foundation of the Cathedral. The figures are still beautiful and
+      graceful, with that exquisite curve of outline which is such a charm in
+      the antique statues. Canova has only perfected the idea in his celebrated
+      group, which is nearly a copy of this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We strolled through the square and then accompanied our friend to the
+      Roman gate, where we took leave of him for six months at least. He felt
+      lonely at the thought of walking in Italy without a companion, but was
+      cheered by the anticipation of soon reaching Rome. We watched him awhile,
+      walking rapidly over the hot plain towards Radicofani, and then, turning
+      our faces with much pleasure towards Florence, we commenced the return
+      walk. I must not forget to mention the delicious grapes which we bought,
+      begged and stole on the way. The whole country is like one vineyard&mdash;and
+      the people live, in a great measure, on the fruit, during this part of the
+      year. Would you not think it highly romantic and agreeable to sit in the
+      shade of a cypress grove, beside some old weather-beaten statues, looking
+      out over the vales of the Appenines, with a pile of white and purple
+      grapes beside you, the like of which can scarcely be had in America for
+      love or money, and which had been given you by a dark-eyed peasant girl?
+      If so, you may envy us, for such was exactly our situation on the morning
+      before reaching Florence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Being in the Duomo, two or three days ago, I met a German traveler, who
+      has walked through Italy thus far, and intends continuing his journey to
+      Rome and Naples. His name is Von Raumer. He was well acquainted with the
+      present state of America, and I derived much pleasure from his intelligent
+      conversation. We concluded to ascend the cupola in company. Two
+      black-robed boys led the way; after climbing an infinite number of steps,
+      we reached the gallery around the foot of the dome. The glorious view of
+      that paradise, the vale of the Arno, shut in on all sides by mountains,
+      some bare and desolate, some covered with villas, gardens, and groves, lay
+      in soft, hazy light, with the shadows of a few light clouds moving slowly
+      across it. They next took us to a gallery on the inside of the dome, where
+      we first saw the immensity of its structure. Only from a distant view, or
+      in ascending it, can one really measure its grandeur. The frescoes, which
+      from below appear the size of life, are found to be rough and monstrous
+      daubs; each figure being nearly as many fathoms in length as a man is
+      feet. Continuing our ascent, we mounted between the inside and outside
+      shells of the dome. It was indeed a bold idea for Brunelleschi to raise
+      such a mass in air. The dome of Saint Peter's, which is scarcely as large,
+      was not made until a century after, and this was, therefore, the first
+      attempt at raising one on so grand a scale. It seems still as solid as if
+      just built.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a small door in one of the projections of the lantern, which the
+      sacristan told us to enter and ascend still higher. Supposing there was a
+      fine view to be gained, two priests, who had just come up, entered it; the
+      German followed, and I after him. After crawling in at the low door, we
+      found ourselves in a hollow pillar, little wider than our bodies. Looking
+      up, I saw the German's legs just above my head, while the other two were
+      above him, ascending by means of little iron bars fastened in the marble.
+      The priests were very much amused, and the German said:&mdash;"This is the
+      first time I ever learned chimney-sweeping!" We emerged at length into a
+      hollow cone, hot and dark, with a rickety ladder going up somewhere; we
+      could not see where. The old priest, not wishing to trust himself to it,
+      sent his younger brother up, and we shouted after him:&mdash;"What kind of
+      a view have you?" He climbed up till the cone got so narrow he could go no
+      further, and answered back in the darkness:&mdash;"I see nothing at all!"
+      Shortly after he came down, covered with dust and cobwebs, and we all
+      descended the chimney quicker than we went up. The old priest considered
+      it a good joke, and laughed till his fat sides shook. We asked the
+      sacristan why he sent us up, and he answered:&mdash;"To see <i>the
+      construction of the Church</i>!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I attended service in the Cathedral one dark, rainy morning, and was never
+      before so deeply impressed with the majesty and grandeur of the mighty
+      edifice. The thick, cloudy atmosphere darkened still more the light which
+      came through the stained windows, and a solemn twilight reigned in the
+      long aisles. The mighty dome sprang far aloft, as if it enclosed a part of
+      heaven, for the light that struggled through the windows around its base,
+      lay in broad bars on the blue, hazy air. I would not have been surprised
+      at seeing a cloud float along within it. The lofty burst of the organ,
+      that seemed like the pantings of a monster, boomed echoing away through
+      dome and nave, with a chiming, metallic vibration, that shook the massive
+      pillars which it would defy an earthquake to rend. All was wrapped in
+      dusky obscurity, except where, in the side-chapels, crowns of tapers were
+      burning around the images. One knows not which most to admire, the genius
+      which could conceive, or the perseverance which could accomplish such a
+      work, On one side of the square, the colossal statue of the architect,
+      glorious old Brunelleschi, is most appropriately placed, looking up with
+      pride at his performance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sunshine and genial airs of Italy have gone, leaving instead a cold,
+      gloomy sky and chilling winds. The autumnal season has fairly commenced,
+      and I suppose I must bid adieu to the brightness which made me in love
+      with the land. The change has been no less sudden than unpleasant, and if,
+      as they say, it will continue all winter with little variation, I shall
+      have to seek a clearer climate. In the cold of these European winters,
+      there is, as I observed last year in Germany, a dull, damp chill, quite
+      different from the bracing, exhilarating frosts of America. It stagnates
+      the vital principle and leaves the limbs dull and heavy, with a lifeless
+      feeling which can scarcely be overcome by vigorous action. At least, such
+      has been my experience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We lately made an excursion to Pratolino, on the Appenines, to see the
+      vintage and the celebrated colossus, by John of Bologna. Leaving Florence
+      in the morning, with a cool, fresh wind blowing down from the mountains,
+      we began ascending by the road to Bologna. We passed Fiesole with its
+      tower and acropolis on the right, ascending slowly, with the bold peak of
+      one of the loftiest Appenines on our left. The abundant fruit of the olive
+      was beginning to turn brown, and the grapes were all gathered in from the
+      vineyards, but we learned from a peasant boy that the vintage was not
+      finished at Pratolino.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We finally arrived at an avenue shaded with sycamores, leading to the
+      royal park. The vintagers were busy in the fields around, unloading the
+      vines of their purple tribute, and many a laugh and jest among the merry
+      peasants enlivened the toil. We assisted them in disposing of some fine
+      clusters, and then sought the "Colossus of the Appenines." He stands above
+      a little lake, at the head of a long mountain-slope, broken with clumps of
+      magnificent trees. This remarkable figure, the work of John of Bologna,
+      impresses one like a relic of the Titans. He is represented as
+      half-kneeling, supporting himself with one hand, while the other is
+      pressed upon the head of a dolphin, from which a little stream falls into
+      the lake. The height of the figure when erect, would amount to more than
+      sixty feet! We measured one of the feet, which is a single piece of rock,
+      about eight feet long; from the ground to the top of one knee is nearly
+      twenty feet. The limbs are formed of pieces of stone, joined together, and
+      the body of stone and brick. His rough hair and eyebrows, and the beard,
+      which reached nearly to the ground, are formed of stalactites, taken from
+      caves, and fastened together in a dripping and crusted mass. These hung
+      also from his limbs and body, and gave him the appearance of Winter in his
+      mail of icicles. By climbing up the rocks at his back, we entered his
+      body, which contains a small-sized room; it was even possible to ascend
+      through his neck and look out at his ear! The face is in keeping with the
+      figure&mdash;stern and grand, and the architect (one can hardly say
+      sculptor) has given to it the majestic air and sublimity of the Appenines.
+      But who can build up <i>an image of the Alp</i>?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We visited the factory on the estate, where wine and oil are made. The men
+      had just brought in a cart load of large wooden vessels, filled with
+      grapes, which they were mashing with heavy wooden pestles. When the grapes
+      were pretty well reduced to pulp and juice, they emptied them into an
+      enormous tub, which they told us would be covered air-tight, and left for
+      three or four weeks, after which the wine would be drawn off at the
+      bottom. They showed us also a great stone mill for grinding olives; this
+      estate of the Grand Duke produces five hundred barrels of wine and a
+      hundred and fifty of oil, every year. The former article is the universal
+      beverage of the laboring classes in Italy, or I might say of all classes;
+      it is, however, the pure blood of the grape, and although used in such
+      quantities, one sees little drunkenness&mdash;far less than in our own
+      land.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tuscany enjoys at present a more liberal government than any other part of
+      Italy, and the people are, in many respects, prosperous and happy. The
+      Grand Duke, although enjoying almost absolute privileges, is disposed to
+      encourage every measure which may promote the welfare of his subjects. The
+      people are, indeed, very heavily taxed, but this is less severely felt by
+      them, than it would be by the inhabitants of colder climes. The soil
+      produces with little labor all that is necessary for their support; though
+      kept constantly in a state of comparative poverty, they appear satisfied
+      with their lot, and rarely look further than the necessities of the
+      present. In love with the delightful climate, they cherish their country,
+      fallen as she is, and are rarely induced to leave her. Even the wealthier
+      classes of the Italians travel very little; they can learn the manners and
+      habits of foreigners nearly as well in their own country as elsewhere, and
+      they prefer their own hills of olive and vine to the icy grandeur of the
+      Alps or the rich and garden-like beauty of England.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, although this sweet climate, with its wealth of sunlight and balmy
+      airs, may enchant the traveler for awhile and make him wish at times that
+      his whole life might be spent amid such scenes, it exercises a most
+      enervating influence on those who are born to its enjoyment. It relaxes
+      mental and physical energy, and disposes body and mind to dreamy
+      inactivity. The Italians, as a race, are indolent and effeminate. Of the
+      moral dignity of man they have little conception. Those classes who are
+      engaged in active occupation seem even destitute of common honesty,
+      practising all kinds of deceits in the most open manner and apparently
+      without the least shame. The state of morals is lower than in any other
+      country of Europe; what little virtue exists is found among the peasants.
+      Many of the most sacred obligations of society are universally violated,
+      and as a natural consequence, the people are almost entire strangers to
+      that domestic happiness, which constitutes the true enjoyment of life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This dark shadow in the moral atmosphere of Italy hangs like a curse on
+      her beautiful soil, weakening the sympathies of citizens of freer lands
+      with her fallen condition. I often feel vividly the sentiment which
+      Percival puts into the mouth of a Greek in slavery:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "The spring may here with autumn twine
+    And both combined may rule the year,
+    And fresh-blown flowers and racy wine
+    In frosted clusters still be near&mdash;
+    Dearer the wild and snowy hills
+    Where hale and ruddy Freedom smiles."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      No people can ever become truly great or free, who are not virtuous. If
+      the soul aspires for liberty&mdash;pure and perfect liberty&mdash;it also
+      aspires for everything that is noble in Truth, everything that is holy in
+      Virtue. It is greatly to be feared that all those nervous and impatient
+      efforts which have been made and are still being made by the Italian
+      people to better their condition, will be of little avail, until they set
+      up a better standard of principle and make their private actions more
+      conformable with their ideas of political independence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Oct. 22.</i>&mdash;I attended to-day the fall races at the <i>Cascine</i>.
+      This is a dairy farm of the Grand Duke on the Arno, below the city; part
+      of it, shaded with magnificent trees, has been made into a public
+      promenade and drive, which extends for three miles down the river. Towards
+      the lower end, on a smooth green lawn, is the race-course. To-day was the
+      last of the season, for which the best trials had been reserved; on
+      passing out the gate at noon, we found a number of carriages and
+      pedestrians going the same way. It was the very perfection of autumn
+      temperature, and I do not remember to have ever seen so blue hills, so
+      green meadows, so fresh air and so bright sunshine combined in one scene
+      before. All that gloom and coldness of which I lately complained has
+      vanished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Traveling increases very much one's capacity for admiration. Every
+      beautiful scene appears as beautiful as if it had been the first; and
+      although I may have seen a hundred times as lovely a combination of sky
+      and landscape, the pleasure which it awakens is never diminished. This is
+      one of the greatest blessings we enjoy&mdash;the freshness and glory which
+      Nature wears to our eyes forever. It shows that the soul never grows old&mdash;that
+      the eye of age can take in the impression of beauty with the same
+      enthusiastic joy that leaped through the heart of childhood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We found the crowd around the race-course but thin; half the people there,
+      and <i>all</i> the horses, appeared to be English. It was a good place to
+      observe the beauty of Florence, which however, may be done in a short
+      time, as there is not much of it. There is beauty in Italy, undoubtedly,
+      but it is either among the peasants or the higher class of nobility. I
+      will tell our American women confidentially, for I know they have too much
+      sense to be vain of it, that they surpass the rest of the world as much in
+      beauty as they do in intelligence and virtue. I saw in one of the
+      carriages the wife of Alexander Dumas, the French author. She is a large,
+      fair complexioned woman, and is now, from what cause I know not, living
+      apart from her husband.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The jockeys paced up and down the fields, preparing their beautiful
+      animals for the approaching heat, and as the hour drew nigh the mounted
+      dragoons busied themselves in clearing the space. It was a one-mile
+      course, to the end of the lawn and back. At last the bugle sounded, and
+      off went three steeds like arrows let fly. They passed us, their light
+      limbs bounding over the turf, a beautiful dark-brown taking the lead. We
+      leaned over the railing and watched them eagerly. The bell rang&mdash;they
+      reached the other end&mdash;we saw them turn and come dashing back,
+      nearer, nearer; the crowd began to shout, and in a few seconds the brown
+      one had won it by four or five lengths. The fortunate horse was led around
+      in triumph, and I saw an English lady, remarkable for her betting
+      propensities, come out from the crowd and kiss it in apparent delight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After an interval, three others took the field&mdash;all graceful,
+      spirited creatures. This was a more exciting race than the first; they
+      flew past us nearly abreast, and the crowd looked after them in anxiety.
+      They cleared the course like wild deer, and in a minute or two came back,
+      the racer of an English nobleman a short distance ahead. The jockey threw
+      up his hand in token of triumph as he approached the goal, and the people
+      cheered him. It was a beautiful sight to see those noble animals
+      stretching to the utmost of their speed, as they dashed down the grassy
+      lawn. The lucky one always showed by his proud and erect carriage, his
+      consciousness of success.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Florence is fast becoming modernized. The introduction of gas, and the
+      construction of the railroad to Pisa, which is nearly completed, will make
+      sad havoc with the air of poetry which still lingers in its silent
+      streets. There is scarcely a bridge, a tower, or a street, which is not
+      connected with some stirring association. In the Via San Felice, Raphael
+      used to paint when a boy; near the Ponte Santa Trinita stands Michael
+      Angelo's house, with his pictures, clothes, and painting implements, just
+      as he left it three centuries ago; on the south side of the Arno is the
+      house of Galileo, and that of Machiavelli stands in an avenue near the
+      Ducal Palace. While threading my way through some dark, crooked streets in
+      an unfrequented part of the city, I noticed an old, untenanted house,
+      bearing a marble tablet above the door. I drew near and read:&mdash;"In
+      this house of the Alighieri was born the Divine Poet!" It was the
+      birth-place of Dante!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Nov. 1.</i>&mdash;Yesterday morning we were apprised of the safe
+      arrival of a new scion of the royal family in the world by the ringing of
+      the city bells. To-day, to celebrate the event, the shops were closed, and
+      the people made a holiday of it. Merry chimes pealed out from every tower,
+      and discharges of cannon thundered up from the fortress. In the evening
+      the dome of the Cathedral was illuminated, and the lines of cupola,
+      lantern, and cross were traced in flame on the dark sky, like a crown of
+      burning stars dropped from Heaven on the holy pile. I went in and walked
+      down the aisle, listening for awhile to the grand choral, while the
+      clustered tapers under the dome quivered and trembled, as if shaken by the
+      waves of music which burst continually within its lofty concave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few days ago Prince Corsini, Prime Minister of Tuscany, died at an
+      advanced age. I saw his body brought in solemn procession by night, with
+      torches and tapers, to the church of Santa Trinita. Soldiers followed with
+      reversed arms and muffled drums, the band playing a funeral march. I
+      forced myself through the crowd into the church, which was hung with black
+      and gold, and listened to the long drawn chanting of the priests around
+      the bier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We lately visited the Florentine Museum. Besides the usual collection of
+      objects of natural history, there is an anatomical cabinet, very
+      celebrated for its preparations in wax. All parts of the human frame are
+      represented so wonderfully exact, that students of medicine pursue their
+      studies here in summer with the same facility as from real "subjects."
+      Every bone, muscle, and nerve in the body is perfectly counterfeited, the
+      whole forming a collection as curious as it is useful. One chamber is
+      occupied with representations of the plague of Rome, Milan, and Florence.
+      They are executed with horrible truth to nature, but I regretted
+      afterwards having seen them. There are enough forms of beauty and delight
+      in the world on which to employ the eye, without making it familiar with
+      scenes which can only be remembered with a shudder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We derive much pleasure from the society of the American artists who are
+      now residing in Florence. At the houses of Powers, and Brown, the painter,
+      we spend many delightful evenings in the company of our gifted countrymen.
+      They are drawn together by a kindred, social feeling as well as by their
+      mutual aims, and form among themselves a society so unrestrained,
+      American-like, that the traveler who meets them forgets his absence for a
+      time. These noble representatives of our country, all of whom possess the
+      true, inborn spirit of republicanism, have made the American name known
+      and respected in Florence. Powers, especially, who is intimate with many
+      of the principal Italian families, is universally esteemed. The Grand Duke
+      has more than once visited his studio and expressed the highest admiration
+      of his talents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0037" id="link2HCH0037"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVII. &mdash; AMERICAN ART IN FLORENCE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      I have seen Ibrahim Pacha, the son of old Mehemet Ali, driving in his
+      carriage through the streets. He is hero on a visit from Lucca, where he
+      has been spending some time on account of his health. He is a man of
+      apparently fifty years of age; his countenance wears a stern and almost
+      savage look, very consistent with the character he bears and the political
+      part he has played. He is rather portly in person, the pale olive of his
+      complexion contrasting strongly with a beard perfectly white. In common
+      with all his attendants, he wears the high red cap, picturesque blue tunic
+      and narrow trowsers of the Egyptians. There is scarcely a man of them
+      whose face with its wild, oriental beauty, does not show to advantage
+      among us civilized and prosaic Christians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In Florence, and indeed through all Italy, there is much reason for our
+      country to be proud of the high stand her artists are taking. The sons of
+      our rude western clime, brought up without other resources than their own
+      genius and energy, now fairly rival those, who from their cradle upwards
+      have drawn inspiration and ambition from the glorious masterpieces of the
+      old painters and sculptors. Wherever our artists are known, they never
+      fail to create a respect for American talent, and to dissipate the false
+      notions respecting our cultivation and refinement, which prevail in
+      Europe. There are now eight or ten of our painters and sculptors in
+      Florence, some of whom, I do not hesitate to say, take the very first rank
+      among living artists.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have been highly gratified in visiting the studio of Mr. G.L. Brown,
+      who, as a landscape painter, is destined to take a stand second to few,
+      since the days of Claude Lorraine. He is now without a rival in Florence,
+      or perhaps in Italy, and has youth, genius and a plentiful stock of the
+      true poetic enthusiasm for his art, to work for him far greater triumphs.
+      His Italian landscapes have that golden mellowness and transparency of
+      atmosphere which give such a charm to the real scenes, and one would think
+      he used on his pallette, in addition to the more substantial colors,
+      condensed air and sunlight and the liquid crystal of streams. He has wooed
+      Nature like a lover, and she has not withheld her sympathy. She has taught
+      him how to raise and curve her trees, load their boughs with foliage, and
+      spread underneath them the broad, cool shadows&mdash;to pile up the
+      shattered crag, and steep the long mountain range in the haze of alluring
+      distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He has now nearly finished, a large painting of "Christ Preaching in the
+      Wilderness," which is of surprising beauty. You look upon one of the
+      fairest scenes of Judea. In front, the rude multitude are grouped on one
+      side, in the edge of a magnificent forest; on the other side, towers up a
+      rough wall of rock and foliage that stretches back into the distance,
+      where some grand blue mountains are piled against the sky, and a beautiful
+      stream, winding through the middle of the picture, slides away out of the
+      foreground. Just emerging from the shade of one of the cliffs, is the
+      benign figure of the Saviour, with the warm light which breaks from behind
+      the trees, falling around him as he advances. There is a smaller picture
+      of the "Shipwreck of St. Paul," in which he shows equal skill in painting
+      a troubled sea and breaking storm. He is one of the young artists from
+      whom we have most to hope.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have been extremely interested in looking over a great number of
+      sketches made by Mr. Kellogg, of Cincinnati, during a tour through Egypt,
+      Arabia Petræa and Palestine. He visited many places out of the general
+      route of travelers, and beside the great number of landscape views,
+      brought away many sketches of the characters and costumes of the Orient.
+      From some of these he has commenced paintings, which, as his genius is
+      equal to his practice, will be of no ordinary value. Indeed, some of these
+      must give him at once an established reputation in America. In
+      Constantinople, where he resided several months, he enjoyed peculiar
+      advantges for the exercise of his art, through the favor and influence of
+      Mr. Carr, the American, and Sir Stratford Canning, the British Minister. I
+      saw a splendid diamond cup, presented to him by Riza Pacha, the late Grand
+      Vizier. The sketches he brought from thence and from the valleys of
+      Phrygia and the mountain solitudes of old Olympus, are of great interest
+      and value. Among his later paintings, I might mention an angel, whose
+      countenance beams with a rapt and glorious beauty. A divine light shines
+      through all the features and heightens the glow of adoration to an
+      expression all spiritual and immortal. If Mr. Kellogg will give us a few
+      more of these heavenly conceptions, we will place him on a pedestal,
+      little lower than that of Guido.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Greenough, who has been sometime in Germany, returned lately to Florence,
+      where he has a colossal group in progress for the portico of the Capitol.
+      I have seen part of it, which is nearly finished in the marble. It shows a
+      backwoodsman just triumphing in the struggle with an Indian; another group
+      to be added, will represent the wife and child of the former. The colossal
+      size of the statues gives a grandeur to the action, as if it were a combat
+      of Titans; there is a consciousness of power, an expression of lofty
+      disdain in the expansion of the hunter's nostril and the proud curve of
+      his lip, that might become a god. The spirit of action, of breathing,
+      life-like exertion, so much more difficult to infuse into the marble than
+      that of repose, is perfectly attained. I will not enter into a more
+      particular description, as it will probably be sent to the United States
+      in a year or two. It is a magnificent work; the best, unquestionably, that
+      Greenough has yet made. The subject, and the grandeur he has given it in
+      the execution, will ensure it a much more favorable reception than a false
+      taste gave to his Washington.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr. C.B. Ives, a young sculptor from Connecticut, has not disappointed the
+      high promise he gave before leaving home. I was struck with some of his
+      busts in Philadelphia, particularly those of Mrs. Sigourney and Joseph R.
+      Chandler, and it has been no common pleasure to visit his studio here in
+      Florence, and look on some of his ideal works. He has lately made two
+      models, which, when finished in marble, will be works of great beauty.
+      They will contribute greatly to his reputation here and in America. One of
+      these represents a child of four or five years of age, holding in his hand
+      a dead bird, on which he is gazing, with childish grief and wonder, that
+      it is so still and drooping. It is a beautiful thought; the boy is leaning
+      forward as he sits, holding the lifeless playmate close in his hands, his
+      sadness touched with a vague expression, as if he could not yet comprehend
+      the idea of death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The other is of equal excellence, in a different style; it is a bust of
+      "Jephthah's daughter," when the consciousness of her doom first flashes
+      upon her. The face and bust are beautiful with the bloom of perfect
+      girlhood. A simple robe covers her breast, and her rich hair is gathered
+      up behind, and bound with a slender fillet. Her head, of the pure
+      classical mould, is bent forward, as if weighed down by the shock, and
+      there is a heavy drooping in the mouth and eyelids, that denotes a sudden
+      and sickening agony. It is not a violent, passionate grief, but a deep and
+      almost paralyzing emotion&mdash;a shock from which the soul will finally
+      rebound, strengthened to make the sacrifice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Would it not be better for some scores of our rich merchants to lay out
+      their money on statues and pictures, instead of balls and spendthrift
+      sons? A few such expenditures, properly directed, would do much for the
+      advancement of the fine arts. An occasional golden blessing, bestowed on
+      genius, might be returned on the giver, in the fame he had assisted in
+      creating. There seems, however, to be at present a rapid increase in
+      refined taste, and a better appreciation of artistic talent, in our
+      country. And as an American, nothing has made me feel prouder than this,
+      and the steadily increasing reputation of our artists.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of these, no one has done more within the last few years, than Powers.
+      With a tireless and persevering energy, such as could have belonged to few
+      but Americans, he has already gained a name in his art, that posterity
+      will pronounce in the same breath with Phidias, Michael Angelo and
+      Thorwaldsen. I cannot describe the enjoyment I have derived from looking
+      at his matchless works. I should hesitate in giving my own imperfect
+      judgment of their excellence, if I had not found it to coincide with that
+      of many others who are better versed in the rules of art. The sensation
+      which his "Greek Slave" produced in England, has doubtless ere this been
+      breezed across the Atlantic, and I see by the late American papers that
+      they are growing familiar with his fame. When I read a notice seven or
+      eight years ago, of the young sculptor of Cincinnati, whose busts
+      exhibited so much evidence of genius, I little dreamed I should meet him
+      in Florence, with the experience of years of toil added to his early
+      enthusiasm, and every day increasing his renown.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      You would like to hear of his statue of Eve, which men of taste pronounce
+      one of the finest works of modern times. A more perfect figure never
+      filled my eye. I have seen the masterpieces of Thorwaldsen, Dannecker and
+      Canova, and the Venus de Medici, but I have seen nothing yet that can
+      exceed the beauty of this glorious statue. So completely did the first
+      view excite my surprise and delight, and thrill every feeling that awakes
+      at the sight of the Beautiful, that my mind dwelt intensely on it for days
+      afterwards. This is the Eve of Scripture&mdash;the Eve of Milton&mdash;mother
+      of mankind and fairest of all her race. With the full and majestic beauty
+      of ripened womanhood, she wears the purity of a world as yet unknown to
+      sin. With the hearing of a queen, there is in her countenance the softness
+      and grace of a tender, loving woman;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "God-like erect, with native honor clad
+    In naked majesty."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      She holds the fatal fruit extended in her hand, and her face expresses the
+      struggle between conscience, dread and desire. The serpent, whose coiled
+      length under the leaves and flowers entirely surrounds her, thus forming a
+      beautiful allegorical symbol, is watching her decision from an ivied trunk
+      at her side. Her form is said to be fully as perfect as the Venus de
+      Medici, and from its greater size, has an air of conscious and ennobling
+      dignity. The head is far superior in beauty, and soul speaks from every
+      feature of the countenance. I add a few stanzas which the contemplation of
+      this statue called forth. Though unworthy the subject, they may perhaps
+      faintly shadow the <i>sentiment</i> which Powers has so eloquently
+      embodied in marble:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    THE "EVE" OF POWERS.
+
+    A faultless being from the marble sprung,
+         She stands in beauty there!
+    As when the grace of Eden 'round her clung&mdash;
+         Fairest, where all was fair!
+
+    Pure, as when first from God's creating hand
+         She came, on man to shine;
+    So seems she now, in living stone to stand&mdash;
+         A mortal, yet divine!
+
+    The spark the Grecian from Olympus caught,
+         Left not a loftier trace;
+    The daring of the sculptor's hand has wrought
+         A soul in that sweet face!
+    He won as well the sacred fire from heaven.
+         God-sent, not stolen down,
+    And no Promethean doom for him is given,
+         But ages of renown!
+
+    The soul of beauty breathes around that form
+         A more enchanting spell;
+    There blooms each virgin grace, ere yet the storm
+         On blighted Eden fell!
+    The first desire upon her lovely brow,
+         Raised by an evil power;
+    Doubt, longing, dread, are in her features now&mdash;
+         It is the trial-hour!
+
+    How every thought that strives within her breast,
+         In that one glance is shown!
+    Say, can that heart of marble be at rest,
+         Since spirit warms the stone?
+    Will not those limbs, of so divine a mould,
+         Move, when her thought is o'er&mdash;
+    When she has yielded to the tempter's hold
+         And Eden blooms no more?
+
+    Art, like a Phoenix, springs from dust again&mdash;
+         She cannot pass away!
+    Bound down in gloom, she breaks apart the chain
+         And struggles up today!
+    The flame, first kindled in the ages gone,
+         Has never ceased to burn,
+    And <i>westward</i> now, appears the kindling dawn,
+         Which marks the day's return!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The "Greek Slave" is now in the possession of Mr. Grant, of London, and I
+      only saw the clay model. Like the Eve, it is a form that one's eye tells
+      him is perfect, unsurpassed; but it is the budding loveliness of a girl,
+      instead of the perfected beauty of a woman. In England it has been
+      pronounced superior to Canova's works, and indeed <i>I</i> have seen
+      nothing of his, that could be placed beside it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Powers has now nearly finished a most exquisite figure of a fisher-boy,
+      standing on the shore, with his net and rudder in one hand, while with the
+      other he holds a shell to his ear and listens if it murmur to him of a
+      gathering storm. His slight, boyish limbs are full of grace and delicacy&mdash;you
+      feel that the youthful frame could grow up into nothing less than an
+      Apollo. Then the head&mdash;how beautiful! Slightly bent on one side, with
+      the rim of the shell thrust under his locks, lips gently parted, and the
+      face wrought up to the most hushed and breathless expression, he listens
+      whether the sound be deeper than its wont. It makes you hold your breath
+      and listen, to look at it. Mrs. Jameson somewhere remarks that repose or
+      suspended motion, should be always chosen for a statue that shall present
+      a perfect, unbroken impression to the mind. If this be true, the enjoyment
+      must be much more complete where not only the motion, but almost breath
+      and thought are suspended, and all the faculties wrought into one hushed
+      and intense sensation. In gazing on this exquisite conception, I feel my
+      admiration filled to the utmost, without that painful, aching impression,
+      so often left by beautiful works. It glides into my vision like a form
+      long missed from the gallery of beauty I am forming in my mind, and I gaze
+      on it with an ever new and increasing delight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now I come to the last and fairest of all&mdash;the divine Proserpine. Not
+      the form, for it is but a bust rising from a capital of acanthus leaves,
+      which curve around the breast and arms and turn gracefully outward, but
+      the face, whose modest maiden beauty can find no peer among goddesses or
+      mortals. So looked she on the field of Ennæ&mdash;that "fairer flower," so
+      soon to be gathered by "gloomy Dis." A slender crown of green wheatblades,
+      showing alike her descent from Ceres and her virgin years, circles her
+      head. Truly, if Pygmalion stole his fire to warm such a form as this, Jove
+      should have pardoned him. Of Powers' busts it is unnecessary for me to
+      speak. He has lately finished a very beautiful one of the Princess
+      Demidoff, daughter of Jerome Bonaparte.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We will soon, I hope, have the "Eve" in America. Powers has generously
+      refused many advantageous offers for it, that he might finally send it
+      home; and his country, therefore, will possess this statue, his first
+      ideal work. She may well be proud of the genius and native energy of her
+      young artist, and she should repay them by a just and liberal
+      encouragement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0038" id="link2HCH0038"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVIII. &mdash; AN ADVENTURE ON THE GREAT ST. BERNARD&mdash;WALKS
+      AROUND FLORENCE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Nov. 9.</i>&mdash;A few days ago I received a letter from my cousin at
+      Heidelberg, describing his solitary walk from Genoa over the Alps, and
+      through the western part of Switzerland. The news of his safe arrival
+      dissipated the anxiety we were beginning to feel, on account of his long
+      silence, while it proved that our fears concerning the danger of such a
+      journey were not altogether groundless. He met with a startling adventure
+      on the Great St. Bernard, which will be best described by an extract from
+      his own letter:
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      "Such were my impressions of Rome. But leaving the 'Eternal City,' I must
+      hasten on to give you a description of an adventure I met with in crossing
+      the Alps, omitting for the present an account of the trip from Rome to
+      Genoa, and my lonely walk through Sardinia. When I had crossed the
+      mountain range north of Genoa, the plains of Piedmont stretched out before
+      me. I could see the snowy sides and summits of the Alps more than one
+      hundred miles distant, looking like white, fleecy clouds on a summer day.
+      It was a magnificent prospect, and I wonder not that the heart of the
+      Swiss soldier, after years of absence in foreign service, beats with joy
+      when he again looks on his native mountains.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "As I approached nearer, the weather changed, and dark, gloomy clouds
+      enveloped them, so that they seemed to present an impassible barrier to
+      the lands beyond them. At Ivrea, I entered the interesting valley of
+      Aosta. The whole valley, fifty miles in length, is inhabited by miserable
+      looking people, nearly one half of them being afflicted with goitre and
+      cretinism. They looked more idiotic and disgusting than any I have ever
+      seen, and it was really painful to behold such miserable specimens of
+      humanity dwelling amid the grandest scenes of nature. Immediately after
+      arriving in the town of Aosta, situated at the upper end of the valley, I
+      began, alone, the ascent of the Great St. Bernard. It was just noon, and
+      the clouds on the mountains indicated rain. The distance from Aosta to the
+      monastery or hospice of St. Bernard, is about twenty English miles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "At one o'clock it commenced raining vary hard, and to gain shelter I went
+      into a rude hut; but it was filled with so many of those idiotic cretins,
+      lying down on the earthy floor with the dogs and other animals, that I was
+      glad to leave them as soon as the storm had abated in some degree. I
+      walked rapidly for three hours, when I met a traveler and his guide
+      descending the mountain. I asked him in Italian the distance to the
+      hospice, and he undertook to answer me in French, but the words did not
+      seem to flow very fluently, so I said quickly, observing then that he was
+      an Englishman: 'Try some other language, if you please, sir!' He replied
+      instantly in his vernacular: 'You have a d&mdash;d long walk before you,
+      and you'll have to hurry to get to the top before night!' Thanking him, we
+      shook hands and hurried on, he downward and I upward. About eight miles
+      from the summit, I was directed into the wrong path by an ignorant boy who
+      was tending sheep, and went a mile out of the course, towards Mont Blanc,
+      before I discovered my mistake. I hurried back into the right path again,
+      and soon overtook another boy ascending the mountain, who asked me if he
+      might accompany me as he was alone, to which I of course answered, yes;
+      but when we began to enter the thick clouds that covered the mountains, he
+      became alarmed, and said he would go no farther. I tried to encourage him
+      by saying we had only five miles more to climb, but, turning quickly, he
+      ran down the path and was soon out of sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "After a long and most toilsome ascent, spurred on as I was by the storm
+      and the approach of night, I saw at last through the clouds a little
+      house, which I supposed might be a part of the monastery, but it turned
+      out to be only a house of refuge, erected by the monks to take in
+      travelers in extreme cases or extraordinary danger. The man who was
+      staying there, told me the monastery was a mile and a half further, and
+      thinking therefore that I could soon reach it, I started out again,
+      although darkness was approaching. In a short time the storm began in good
+      earnest, and the cold winds blew with the greatest fury. It grew dark very
+      suddenly and I lost sight of the poles which are placed along the path to
+      guide the traveler. I then ran on still higher, hoping to find them again,
+      but without success. The rain and snow fell thick, and although I think I
+      am tolerably courageous, I began to be alarmed, for it was impossible to
+      know in what direction I was going. I could hear the waterfalls dashing
+      and roaring down the mountain hollows on each side of me; in the gloom,
+      the foam and leaping waters resembled streaming fires. I thought of
+      turning back to find the little house of refuge again, but it seemed quite
+      as dangerous and uncertain as to go forward. After the fatigue I had
+      undergone since noon, it would have been dangerous to be obliged to stay,
+      out all night in the driving storm, which was every minute increasing in
+      coldness and intensity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I stopped and shouted aloud, hoping I might be somewhere near the
+      monastery, but no answer came&mdash;no noise except the storm and the roar
+      of the waterfalls. I climbed up the rocks nearly a quarter of a mile
+      higher, and shouted again. I listened with anxiety for two or three
+      minutes, but hearing no response, I concluded to find a shelter for the
+      night under a ledge of rocks. While looking around me, I fancied I heard
+      in the distance a noise like the trampling of hoofs over the rocks, and
+      thinking travelers might be near, I called aloud for the third time. After
+      wailing a moment, a voice came ringing on my ears through the clouds, like
+      one from Heaven in response to my own. My heart beat quickly; I hurried in
+      the direction from which the sound came, and to my joy found two men&mdash;servants
+      of the monastery&mdash;who were driving their mules into shelter. Never in
+      my whole life was I more glad to hear the voice of man. These men
+      conducted me to the monastery, one-fourth of a mile higher, built by the
+      side of a lake at the summit of the pass, while on each side, the
+      mountains, forever covered with snow, tower some thousands of feet higher.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Two or three of the noble St. Bernard dogs barked a welcome as we
+      approached, which brought a young monk to the door. I addressed him in
+      German, but to my surprise he answered in broken English. He took me into
+      a warm room and gave me a suit of clothes, such as are worn by the monks,
+      for my dress, as well as my package of papers, were completely saturated
+      with rain. I sat down to supper in company with till the monks of the
+      Hospice, I in my monkish robe looking like one of the holy order. You
+      would have laughed to have seen me in their costume. Indeed, I felt almost
+      satisfied to turn monk, as everything seemed so comfortable in the warm
+      supper room, with its blazing wood fire, while outside raged the storm
+      still more violently. But when I thought of their voluntary banishment
+      from the world, up in that high pass of the Alps, and that the affection
+      of woman never gladdened their hearts, I was ready to renounce my monkish
+      dress next morning, without reluctance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "In the address book of the monastery, I found Longfellow's 'Excelsior'
+      written on a piece of paper and signed 'America.' You remember the stanza:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    At break of clay, as heavenward,
+    The pious monks of St. Bernard
+    Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,
+    A voice cried through the startled air:
+                                     Excelsior!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      It seemed to add a tenfold interest to the poem, to read it on old St.
+      Bernard. In the morning I visited the house where are kept the bodies of
+      the travelers, who perish in crossing the mountain. It is filled with
+      corpses, ranged in rows, and looking like mummies, for the cold is so
+      intense that they will keep for years without decaying, and are often
+      recognized and removed by their friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Of my descent to Martigny, my walk down the Rhone, and along the shores
+      of Lake Leman, my visit to the prison of Chilian and other wanderings
+      across Switzerland, my pleasure in seeing the old river Rhine again, and
+      my return to Heidelberg at night, with the bright moon shining on the
+      Neckar and the old ruined castle, I can now say no more, nor is it
+      necessary, for are not all these things 'written in my book of
+      Chronicles,' to be seen by you when we meet again in Paris?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ever yours, FRANK."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Dec. 16.</i>&mdash;I took a walk lately to the tower of Galileo. In
+      company with three friends, I left Florence by the <i>Porta Romana</i>,
+      and ascended the <i>Poggie Imperiale</i>. This beautiful avenue, a mile
+      and a quarter in length, leading up a gradual ascent to a villa of the
+      Grand Duke, is bordered with splendid cypresses and evergreen oaks, and
+      the grass banks are always fresh and green, so that even in winter it
+      calls up a remembrance of summer. In fact, winter does not wear the scowl
+      here that he has at home; he is robed rather in a threadbare garment of
+      autumn, and it is only high up on the mountain tops, out of the reach of
+      his enemy, the sun, that he dares to throw it off, and bluster about with
+      his storms and scatter down his snow-flakes. The roses still bud and bloom
+      in the hedges, the emerald of the meadows is not a whit paler, the sun
+      looks down lovingly as yet, and there are only the white helmets of some
+      of the Appenines, with the leafless mulberries and vines, to tell us that
+      we have changed seasons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A quarter of an hour's walk, part of it by a path through an olive
+      orchard, brought us to the top of a hill, which was surmounted by a
+      square, broken, ivied tower, forming part of a storehouse for the produce
+      of the estate. We entered, saluted by a dog, and passing through a
+      court-yard, in which stood two or three carts full of brown olives, found
+      our way to the rickety staircase. I spared my sentiment in going up,
+      thinking the steps might have been renewed since Galileo's time, but the
+      glorious landscape which opened around us when we reached the top, time
+      could not change, and I gazed upon it with interest and emotion, as my eye
+      took in those forms which had once been mirrored in the philosopher's. Let
+      me endeavor to describe the features of the scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fancy yourself lifted to the summit of a high hill, whose base slopes down
+      to the valley of the Arno, and looking northward. Behind you is a
+      confusion of hill and valley, growing gradually dimmer away to the
+      horizon. Before and below you is a vale, with Florence and her great domes
+      and towers in its lap, and across its breadth of five miles the mountain
+      of Fiesole. To the west it stretches away unbroken for twenty miles,
+      covered thickly with white villas&mdash;like a meadow of daisies,
+      magnified. A few miles to the east the plain is rounded with mountains,
+      between whose interlocking bases we can see the brown current of the Arno.
+      Some of their peaks, as well as the mountain of Vallombrosa, along the
+      eastern sky, are tipped with snow. Imagine the air filled with a thick
+      blue mist, like a semi-transparent veil, which softens every thing into
+      dreamy indistinctness, the sunshine falling slantingly through this in
+      spots, touching the landscape here and there as with a sudden blaze of
+      fire, and you will complete the picture. Does it not repay your mental
+      flight across the Atlantic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One evening, on coming out of the cafè, the moon was shining so brightly
+      and clearly, that I involuntarily bent my steps towards the river; I
+      walked along the <i>Lung'Arno</i>, enjoying the heavenly moonlight&mdash;"the
+      night of cloudless climes and starry skies!" A purer silver light never
+      kissed the brow of Endymion. The brown Arno took into his breast "the
+      redundant glory," and rolled down his pebbly bed with a more musical
+      ripple; opposite stretched the long mass of buildings&mdash;the deep
+      arches that rose from the water were filled with black shadow, and the
+      irregular fronts of the houses touched with a mellow glow. The arches of
+      the upper bridge were in shadow, cutting their dark outline on the silvery
+      sweep of the Appenines, far up the stream. A veil of luminous gray covered
+      the hill of San Miniato, with its towers and cypress groves, and there was
+      a crystal depth in the atmosphere, as if it shone with its own light. The
+      whole scene affected me as something too glorious to be real&mdash;painful
+      from the very intensity of its beauty. Three moons ago, at the foot of
+      Vallombrosa, I saw the Appenines flooded with the same silvery gush, and
+      thought also, then, that I had seen the same moon amid far dearer scenes,
+      but never before the same dreamy and sublime glory showered down from her
+      pale orb. Some solitary lights were burning along the river, and
+      occasionally a few Italians passed by, wrapped in their mantles. I went
+      home to the Piazza del Granduca as the light, pouring into the square from
+      behind the old palace, fell over the fountain of Neptune and sheathed in
+      silver the back of the colossal god.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whoever looks on the valley of the Arno from San Miniato, and observes the
+      Appenine range, of which Fiesole is one, bounding it on the north, will
+      immediately notice to the northwest a double peak rising high above all
+      the others. The bare, brown forehead of this, known by the name of <i>Monte
+      Morello</i>, seemed so provokingly to challenge an ascent, that we
+      determined to try it. So we started early, the day before yesterday, from
+      the Porta San Gallo, with nothing but the frosty grass and fresh air to
+      remind us of the middle of December. Leaving the Prato road, at the base
+      of the mountain, we passed Careggi, a favorite farm of Lorenzo the
+      Magnificent, and entered a narrow glen where a little brook was brawling
+      down its rocky channel. Here and there stood a rustic mill, near which
+      women were busy spreading their washed clothes on the grass. Following the
+      footpath, we ascended a long eminence to a chapel where some boys were
+      amusing themselves with a common country game. They have a small wheel,
+      around which they wind a rope, and, running a little distance to increase
+      the velocity, let it off with a sudden jerk. On a level road it can be
+      thrown upwards of a quarter of a mile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the chapel, a gradual ascent along the ridge of a hill brought us to
+      the foot of the peak, which rose high before us, covered with bare rocks
+      and stunted oaks. The wind blew coldly from a snowy range to the north, as
+      we commenced ascending with a good will. A few shepherds were leading
+      their flocks along the sides, to browse on the grass and withered bushes,
+      and we started up a large hare occasionally from his leafy covert. The
+      ascent was very toilsome; I was obliged to stop frequently on account of
+      the painful throbbing of my heart, which made it difficult to breathe.
+      When the summit was gained, we lay down awhile on the leeward side to
+      recover ourselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We looked on the great valley of the Arno, perhaps twenty-five miles long,
+      and five or six broad, lying like a long elliptical basin sunk among the
+      hills. I can liken it to nothing but a vast sea; for a dense, blue mist
+      covered the level surface, through which the domes of Florence rose up
+      like a craggy island, while the thousands of scattered villas resembled
+      ships, with spread sails, afloat on its surface. The sharp, cutting wind
+      soon drove us down, with a few hundred bounds, to the path again. Three
+      more hungry mortals did not dine at the <i>Cacciatore</i> that day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chapel of the Medici, which we visited, is of wonderful beauty. The
+      walls are entirely encrusted with <i>pietra dura</i> and the most precious
+      kinds of marble. The ceiling is covered with gorgeous frescoes by
+      Benevenuto, a modern painter. Around the sides, in magnificent sarcophagi
+      of marble and jasper, repose the ashes of a few Cosmos and Ferdinands. I
+      asked the sacristan for the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent. "Oh!" said
+      he, "he lived during the republic&mdash;he has no tomb; these are only for
+      Dukes!" I could not repress a sigh at the lavish waste of labor and
+      treasure on this one princely chapel. They might have slumbered unnoted,
+      like Lorenzo, if they had done as much for their country and Italy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>December 19.</i>&mdash;It is with a heavy heart, that I sit down
+      tonight to make my closing note in this lovely city and in the journal
+      which has recorded my thoughts and impressions since leaving America. I
+      should find it difficult to analyze my emotions, but I know that they
+      oppress me painfully. So much rushes at once over the mind and heart&mdash;memories
+      of what has passed through both, since I made the first note in its pages&mdash;alternations
+      of hope and anxiety and aspiration, but <i>never</i> despondency&mdash;that
+      it resembles in a manner, the closing of a life. I seem almost to have
+      lived through the common term of a life in this short period. Much
+      spiritual and mental experience has crowded into a short time the
+      sensations of years. Painful though some of it has been, it was still
+      welcome. Difficulty and toil give the soul strength to crush, in a loftier
+      region, the passions which draw strength only from the earth. So long as
+      we listen to the purer promptings within us, there is a Power invisible,
+      though not unfelt, who protects us&mdash;amid the toil and tumult and
+      soiling struggle, there is ever an eye that watches, ever a heart that
+      overflows with Infinite and Almighty Love! Let us trust then in that
+      Eternal Spirit, who pours out on us his warm and boundless blessings,
+      through the channels of so many kindred human hearts!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0039" id="link2HCH0039"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIX. &mdash; WINTER TRAVELING AMONG THE APPENINES.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Valley of the Arno, Dec 22.</i>&mdash;It is a glorious morning after
+      our two days' walk, through rain and mud, among these stormy Appenines.
+      The range of high peaks, among which is the celebrated monastery of
+      Camaldoli, lie just before us, their summits dazzling with the new fallen
+      snow. The clouds are breaking away, and a few rosy flushes announce the
+      approach of the sun. It has rained during the night, and the fields are as
+      green and fresh as on a morning in spring.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left Florence on the 20th, while citizens and strangers were vainly
+      striving to catch a glimpse of the Emperor of Russia. He is, from some
+      cause, very shy of being seen, in his journeys from place to place, using
+      the greatest art and diligence to prevent the time of his departure and
+      arrival from being known. On taking leave of Powers, I found him expecting
+      the Autocrat, as he had signified his intention of visiting his studio; it
+      was a cause of patriotic pride to find that crowned heads know and
+      appreciate the genius of our sculptor. The sky did not promise much, as we
+      set out; when we had entered the Appenines and taken a last look of the
+      lovely valley behind us, and the great dome of the city where we had spent
+      four delightful months, it began to rain heavily. Determined to conquer
+      the weather at the beginning, we kept on, although before many miles were
+      passed, it became too penetrating to be agreeable. The mountains grew
+      nearly black under the shadow of the clouds, and the storms swept drearily
+      down their passes and defiles, till the scenery looked more like the Hartz
+      than Italy. We were obliged to stop at Ponte Sieve and dry our saturated
+      garments: when, as the rain slackened somewhat, we rounded the foot of the
+      mountain of Vallombrosa, above the swollen and noisy Arno, to the little
+      village of Cucina.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We entered the only inn in the place, followed by a crowd of wondering
+      boys, for two such travelers had probably never been seen there. They made
+      a blazing fire for us in the broad chimney, and after the police of the
+      place satisfied themselves that we were not dangerous characters, they
+      asked many questions about our country. I excited the sympathy of the
+      women greatly in our behalf by telling them we had three thousand miles of
+      sea between us and our homes. They exclaimed in the most sympathising
+      tones: "<i>Poverini!</i> so far to go!&mdash;three thousand miles of
+      water!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next morning we followed the right bank of the Arno. At Incisa, a
+      large town on the river, the narrow pass broadens into a large and fertile
+      plain, bordered on the north by the mountains. The snow storms were
+      sweeping around their summits the whole day, and I thought of the desolate
+      situation of the good monks who had so hospitably entertained us three
+      months before. It was weary traveling; but at Levane our fatigues were
+      soon forgotten. Two or three peasants were sitting last night beside the
+      blazing fire, and we were amused to hear them talking about us. I
+      overheard one asking another to converse with us awhile. "Why should I
+      speak to them?" said he; "they are not of our profession&mdash;we are
+      swineherds, and they do not care to talk with us." However, his curiosity
+      prevailed at last, and we had a long conversation together. It seemed
+      difficult for them to comprehend how there could be so much water to
+      cross, without any land, before reaching our country. Finding we were
+      going to Rome, I overheard one remark we were pilgrims, which seemed to be
+      the general supposition, as there are few foot-travelers in Italy. The
+      people said to one another as we passed along the road:&mdash;"They are
+      making a journey of penance!" Those peasants expressed themselves very
+      well for persons of their station, but they were remarkably ignorant of
+      everything beyond their own olive orchards and vine fields.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Perugia, Dec. 24.</i>&mdash;On leaving Levane, the morning gave a
+      promise, and the sun winked at us once or twice through the broken clouds,
+      with a watery eye; but our cup was not yet full. After crossing one or two
+      shoulders of the range of hills, we descended to the great upland plain of
+      Central Italy, watered by the sources of the Arno and the Tiber. The
+      scenery is of a remarkable character. The hills appear to have been washed
+      and swept by some mighty flood. They are worn into every shape&mdash;pyramids,
+      castles, towers&mdash;standing desolate and brown, in long ranges, like
+      the ruins of mountains. The plain is scarred with deep gulleys, adding to
+      the look of decay which accords so well with the Cyclopean relics of the
+      country.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A storm of hail which rolled away before us, disclosed the city of Arezzo,
+      on a hill at the other end of the plain, its heavy cathedral crowning the
+      pyramidal mass of buildings. Our first care was to find a good trattoria,
+      for hunger spoke louder than sentiment, and then we sought the house where
+      Petrarch was born. A young priest showed it to us on the summit of the
+      hill. It has not been changed since he lived in it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On leaving Florence, we determined to pursue the same plan as in Germany,
+      of stopping at the inns frequented by the common people. They treated us
+      here, as elsewhere, with great kindness and sympathy, and we were freed
+      from the outrageous impositions practised at the greater hotels. They
+      always built a large fire to dry us, after our day's walk in the rain, and
+      placing chairs in the hearth, which was raised several feet above the
+      floor, stationed us there, like the giants Gog and Magog, while the
+      children, assembled below, gazed up in open-mouthed wonder at our elevated
+      greatness. They even invited us to share their simple meals with them, and
+      it was amusing to hear their goodhearted exclamations of pity at finding
+      we were so far from home. We slept in the great beds (for the most of the
+      Italian beds are calculated for a man, wife, and four children!) without
+      fear of being assassinated, and only met with banditti in dreams.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This is a very unfavorable time of the year for foot-traveling. We were
+      obliged to wait three or four weeks in Florence for a remittance from
+      America, which not only prevented our leaving as soon as was desirable,
+      but, by the additional expense of living, left us much smaller means than
+      we required. However, through the kindness of a generous countryman, who
+      unhesitatingly loaned us a considerable sum, we were enabled to start with
+      thirty dollars each, which, with care and economy, will be quite
+      sufficient to take us to Paris, by way of Rome and Naples, if these storms
+      do not prevent us from walking. Greece and the Orient, which I so ardently
+      hoped to visit, are now out of the question. We walked till noon to-day,
+      over the Val di Chiana to Camuscia, the last post-station in the Tuscan
+      dominions. On a mountain near it is the city of Cortona, still enclosed
+      within its Cyclopean walls, built long before the foundation of Rome. Here
+      our patience gave way, melted down by the unremitting rains, and while
+      eating dinner we made a bargain for a vehicle to bring us to this city. We
+      gave a little more than half of what the vetturino demanded, which was
+      still an exorbitant price&mdash;two scudi each for a ride of thirty miles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a short time we were called to take our seats; I beheld with
+      consternation a rickety, uncovered, two-wheeled vehicle, to which a single
+      lean horse was attached. "What!" said I; "is that the carriage you
+      promised?" "You bargained for a <i>calesino</i>," said he, "and there it
+      is!" adding, moreover, that there was nothing else in the place. So we
+      clambered up, thrust our feet among the hay, and the machine rolled off
+      with a kind of saw-mill motion, at the rate of five miles an hour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon after, in ascending the mountain of the Spelunca, a sheet of blue
+      water was revealed below us&mdash;the Lake of Thrasymene! From the
+      eminence around which we drove, we looked on the whole of its broad
+      surface and the mountains which encompass it. It is a magnificent sheet of
+      water, in size and shape somewhat like New York Bay, but the heights
+      around it are far higher than the hills of Jersey or Staten Island. Three
+      beautiful islands lie in it, near the eastern shore.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While our <i>calesino</i> was stopped at the papal custom-house, I gazed
+      on the memorable field below us. A crescent plain, between the mountain
+      and the lake, was the arena where two mighty empires met in combat. The
+      place seems marked by nature for the scene of some great event. I
+      experienced a thrilling emotion, such as no battle plain has excited,
+      since, when a schoolboy, I rambled over the field of Brandywine. I looked
+      through the long arcades of patriarchal olives, and tried to cover the
+      field with the shadows of the Roman and Carthaginian myriads. I recalled
+      the shock of meeting legions, the clash of swords and bucklers, and the
+      waving standards amid the dust of battle, while stood on the mountain
+      amphitheatre, trembling and invisible, the protecting deities of Rome.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Far other scene is Thrasymene now!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      We rode over the plain, passed through the dark old town of Passignano,
+      built on a rocky point by the lake, and dashed along the shore. A dark,
+      stormy sky bent over us, and the roused waves broke in foam on the rocks.
+      The winds whistled among the bare oak boughs, and shook the olives till
+      they twinkled all over. The vetturino whipped our old horse into a gallop,
+      and we were borne on in unison with the scene, which would have answered
+      for one of Hoffman's wildest stories.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ascending a long hill, we took a last look in the dusk at Thrasymene, and
+      continued our journey among the Appenines. The vetturino was to have
+      changed horses at Magione, thirteen miles from Perugia, but there were
+      none to be had, and our poor beast was obliged to perform the whole
+      journey without rest or food. It grew very dark, and a storm, with thunder
+      and lightning, swept among the hills. The clouds were of pitchy darkness,
+      and we could see nothing beyond the road, except the lights of
+      peasant-cottages trembling through the gloom. Now and then a flash of
+      lightning revealed the black masses of the mountains, on which the solid
+      sky seemed to rest. The wind and cold rain swept wailing past us, as if an
+      evil spirit were abroad on the darkness. Three hours of such nocturnal
+      travel brought us here, wet and chilly, as well as our driver, but I
+      pitied the poor horse more than him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When we looked out the window, on awaking, the clustered house-tops of the
+      city, and the summits of the mountains near were covered with snow. But on
+      walking to the battlements we saw that the valleys below were green and
+      untouched. Perugia, for its "pride of place," must endure the storms,
+      while the humbler villages below escape them. As the rain continues, we
+      have taken seats in a country diligence for Foligno and shall depart in a
+      few minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Dec. 28.</i>&mdash;We left Perugia in a close but covered vehicle, and
+      descending the mountain, crossed the muddy and rapid Tiber in the valley
+      below. All day we rode slowly among the hills; where the ascent was steep,
+      two or four large oxen were hitched before the horses. I saw little of the
+      scenery, for our Italian companions would not bear the windows open. Once,
+      when we stopped, I got out and found we were in the region of snow, at the
+      foot of a stormy peak, which towered sublimely above. At dusk, we entered
+      Foligno, and were driven to the "Croce Bianca"&mdash;glad to be thirty
+      miles further on our way to Rome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some discussion with a vetturino, who was to leave next morning, we
+      made a contract with him for the remainder of the journey, for the rain,
+      which fell in torrents, forbade all thought of pedestrianism. At five
+      o'clock we rattled out of the gate, and drove by the waning moon and
+      morning starlight, down the vale of the Clitumnus. As the dawn stole on, I
+      watched eagerly the features of the scene. Instead of a narrow glen, as my
+      fancy had pictured, we were in a valley, several miles broad, covered with
+      rich orchards and fertile fields. A glorious range of mountains bordered
+      it on the north, looking like Alps in their winter garments. A rosy flush
+      stole over the snow, which kindled with the growing morn, till they shone
+      like clouds that float in the sunrise. The Clitumnus, beside us, was the
+      purest of streams. The heavy rains which had fallen, had not soiled in the
+      least its limpid crystal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When it grew light enough, I looked at our companions for the three days'
+      journey. The two other inside seats were occupied by a tradesman of
+      Trieste, with his wife and child; an old soldier, and a young dragoon
+      going to visit his parents after seven years' absence, occupied the front
+      part. Persons traveling together in a carriage are not long in becoming
+      acquainted&mdash;close companionship soon breeds familiarity. Before
+      night, I had made a fast friend of the young soldier, learned to bear the
+      perverse humor of the child with as much patience as its father, and even
+      drawn looks of grim kindness from the crusty old vetturino.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our mid-day resting place was Spoleto. As there were two hours given us,
+      we took a ramble through the city, visited the ruins of its Roman theatre
+      and saw the gate erected to commemorate the victory gained here over
+      Hannibal, which stopped his triumphal march towards Rome. A great part of
+      the afternoon was spent in ascending among the defiles of Monte Somma, the
+      highest pass on the road between Ancona and Rome. Assisted by two yoke of
+      oxen we slowly toiled up through the snow, the mountains on both sides
+      covered with thickets of box and evergreen oaks, among whose leafy screens
+      the banditti hide themselves. It is not considered dangerous at present,
+      but as the dragoons who used to patrol this pass have been sent off to
+      Bologna, to keep down the rebellion, the robbers will probably return to
+      their old haunts again. We saw many suspicious looking coverts, where they
+      might have hidden.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We slept at Terni and did not see the falls&mdash;not exactly on
+      Wordsworth's principle of leaving Yarrow "unvisited," but because under
+      the circumstances, it was impossible. The vetturino did not arrive there
+      till after dark; he was to leave before dawn; the distance was five miles,
+      and the roads very bad. Besides, we had seen falls quite as grand, which
+      needed only a Byron to make them as renowned&mdash;we had been told that
+      those of Tivoli, which we shall see, were equally fine. The Velino, which
+      we crossed near Terni, was not a large stream&mdash;in short, we hunted as
+      many reasons as we could find, why the falls need not be seen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving Terni before day, we drove up the long vale towards Narni. The
+      roads were frozen hard; the ascent becoming more difficult, the vetturino
+      was obliged to stop at a farm-house and get another pair of horses, with
+      which, and a handsome young contadino as postillion, we reached Narni in a
+      short time. In climbing the hill, we had a view of the whole valley of
+      Terni, shut in on all sides by snow-crested Appenines, and threaded by the
+      Nar, whose waters flow "with many windings, through the vale!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At Otricoli, while dinner was preparing, I walked around the crumbling
+      battlements to look down into the valley and trace the far windings of the
+      Tiber. In rambling through the crooked streets, we saw everywhere the
+      remains of the splendor which this place boasted in the days of Rome.
+      Fragments of fluted pillars stood here and there in the streets; large
+      blocks of marble covered with sculpture and inscriptions were built into
+      the houses, defaced statues used as door-ornaments, and the steppingstone
+      to our rude inn, worn every day by the feet of grooms and vetturini,
+      contained some letters of an inscription which may have recorded the glory
+      of on emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Traveling with a vetturino, is unquestionably the pleasantest way of
+      seeing Italy. The easy rate of the journey allows time for becoming well
+      acquainted with the country, and the tourist is freed from the annoyance
+      of quarrelling with cheating landlords. A translation of our written
+      contract, will best explain this mode of traveling:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+  "CARRIAGE" FOR ROME.
+
+  "Our contract is, to be conducted to Rome for the sum of twenty
+  francs each, say 20f. and the <i>buona mano</i>, if we are well
+  served. We must have from the vetturino, Giuseppe Nerpiti, supper
+  each night, a free chamber with two beds, and fire, until we shall
+  arrive at Rome.
+
+  "I, Geronymo Sartarelli, steward of the Inn of the White Cross, at
+  Foligno, in testimony of the above contract."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Beyond Otricoli, we passed through some relics of an age anterior to Rome.
+      A few soiled masses of masonry, black with age, stood along the brow of
+      the mountain, on whose extremity were the ruins of a castle of the middle
+      ages. We crossed the Tiber on a bridge built by Augustus Cæsar, and
+      reached Borghetto as the sun was gilding with its last rays the ruined
+      citadel above. As the carriage with its four horses was toiling slowly up
+      the hill, we got out and walked before, to gaze on the green meadows of
+      the Tiber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On descending from Narni, I noticed a high, prominent mountain, whose
+      ridgy back, somewhat like the profile of a face, reminded me of the
+      Traunstein, in Upper Austria. As we approached, its form gradually
+      changed, until it stood on the Campagna
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Like a long-swept wave about to break,
+    That on the curl hangs pausing"&mdash;
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      and by that token of a great bard, I recognized Monte Soracte. The dragoon
+      took us by the arms, and away we scampered over the Campagna, with one of
+      the loveliest sunsets before us, that ever painted itself on my retina. I
+      cannot portray in words the glory that flooded the whole western heaven.
+      It was like a sea of melted ruby, amethyst and topaz&mdash;deep, dazzling
+      and of crystal transparency. The color changed in tone every few minutes,
+      till in half an hour it sank away before the twilight to a belt of deep
+      orange along the west.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left Civita Castellana before daylight. The sky was red with dawn as we
+      approached Nepi, and we got out to walk, in the clear, frosty air. A
+      magnificent Roman aqueduct, part of it a double row of arches, still
+      supplies the town with water. There is a deep ravine, appearing as if rent
+      in the ground by some convulsion, on the eastern side of the city. A clear
+      stream that steals through the arches of the aqueduct, falls in a cascade
+      of sixty feet down into the chasm, sending up constant wreaths of spray
+      through the evergreen foliage that clothes the rocks. In walking over the
+      desolate Campagna, we saw many deep chambers dug in the earth, used by the
+      charcoal burners; the air was filled with sulphureous exhalations, very
+      offensive to the smell, which rose from the ground in many places.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miles and miles of the dreary waste, covered only with flocks of grazing
+      sheep, were passed,&mdash;and about noon we reached Baccano, a small post
+      station, twenty miles from Rome. A long hill rose before us, and we sprang
+      out of the carriage and ran ahead, to see Rome from its summit. As we
+      approached the top, the Campagna spread far before and around us, level
+      and blue as an ocean. I climbed up a high bank by the roadside, and the
+      whole scene came in view. Perhaps eighteen miles distant rose the dome of
+      St. Peter's, near the horizon&mdash;a small spot on the vast plain. Beyond
+      it and further east, were the mountains of Albano&mdash;on our left
+      Soracte and the Appenines, and a blue line along the west betrayed the
+      Mediterranean. There was nothing peculiarly beautiful or sublime in the
+      landscape, but few other scenes on earth combine in one glance such a
+      myriad of mighty associations, or bewilder the mind with such a crowd of
+      confused emotions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we approached Rome, the dragoon, with whom we had been walking all day,
+      became anxious and impatient. He had not heard from his parents for a long
+      time, and knew not if they were living. His desire to be at the end of his
+      journey finally became so great, that he hailed a peasant who was driving
+      by in a light vehicle, left our slow carriage and went out of sight in a
+      gallop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we descended to the Tiber in the dusk of evening, the domes and spires
+      of Rome came gradually into view, St. Peter's standing like a mountain in
+      the midst of them. Crossing the yellow river by the Ponte Molle, two miles
+      of road, straight as an arrow, lay before us, with the light of the <i>Porta
+      del Popolo</i> at the end. I felt strangely excited as the old vehicle
+      rumbled through the arch, and we entered a square with fountains and an
+      obelisk of Egyptian granite in the centre. Delivering up our passports, we
+      waited until the necessary examinations were made, and then went forward.
+      Three streets branch out from the square, the middle one of which, leading
+      directly to the Capitol, is the Corso, the Roman Broadway. Our vetturino
+      chose that to the left, the Via della Scrofa, leading off towards the
+      bridge of St. Angelo. I looked out the windows as we drove along, but saw
+      nothing except butcher-shops, grocer-stores, etc.&mdash;horrible objects
+      for a sentimental traveler!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Being emptied out on the pavement at last, our first care was to find
+      rooms; after searching through many streets, with a coarse old Italian who
+      spoke like an angel, we arrived at a square where the music of a fountain
+      was heard through the dusk and an obelisk cut out some of the starlight.
+      At the other end I saw a portico through the darkness, and my heart gave a
+      breathless bound on recognizing the <i>Pantheon</i>&mdash;the matchless
+      temple of Ancient Rome! And now while I am writing, I hear the gush of the
+      fountain&mdash;and if I step to the window, I see the time-worn but still
+      glorious edifice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On returning for our baggage, we met the funeral procession of the
+      Princess Altieri. Priests in white and gold carried flaming torches, and
+      the coffin, covered with a magnificent golden pall, was borne in a
+      splendid hearse, guarded by four priests. As we were settling our account
+      with the vetturino, who demanded much more <i>buona mano</i> than we were
+      willing to give, the young dragoon returned. He was greatly agitated. "I
+      have been at home!" said he, in a voice trembling with emotion. I was
+      about to ask him further concerning his family, but he kissed and embraced
+      us warmly and hurriedly, saying he had only come to say "addio!" and to
+      leave us. I stop writing to ramble through Rome. This city of all cities
+      to me&mdash;this dream of my boyhood&mdash;giant, god-like, fallen Rome&mdash;is
+      around me, and I revel in a glow of anticipation and exciting thought that
+      seems to change my whole state of being.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0040" id="link2HCH0040"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XL.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      ROME.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <i>Dec. 29.</i>&mdash;One day's walk through Rome&mdash;how shall I
+      describe it? The Capitol, the Forum, St. Peter's, the Coliseum&mdash;what
+      few hours' ramble ever took in places so hallowed by poetry, history and
+      art? It was a golden leaf in my calendar of life. In thinking over it now,
+      and drawing out the threads of recollection from the varied woof of
+      thought I have woven to-day, I almost wonder how I dared so much at once;
+      but within reach of them all, how was it possible to wait? Let me give a
+      sketch of our day's ramble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing that it was better to visit the ruins by evening or moonlight,
+      (alas! there is no moon now) we started out to hunt St. Peter's. Going in
+      the direction of the Corso, we passed the ruined front of the magnificent
+      Temple of Antoninus, now used as the Papal Custom House. We turned to the
+      right on entering the Corso, expecting to have a view of the city from the
+      hill at its southern end. It is a magnificent street, lined with palaces
+      and splendid edifices of every kind, and always filled with crowds of
+      carriages and people. On leaving it, however, we became bewildered among
+      the narrow streets&mdash;passed through a market of vegetables, crowded
+      with beggars and contadini&mdash;threaded many by-ways between dark old
+      buildings&mdash;saw one or two antique fountains and many modern churches,
+      and finally arrived at a hill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We ascended many steps, and then descending a little towards the other
+      side, saw suddenly below us the <i>Roman Forum</i>! I knew it at once&mdash;and
+      those three Corinthian columns that stood near us&mdash;what could they be
+      but the remains of the temple of Jupiter Stator? We stood on the
+      Capitoline Hill; at the foot was the Arch of Septimus Severus, brown with
+      age and shattered; near it stood the majestic front of the Temple of
+      Fortune, its pillars of polished granite glistening in the sun, as if they
+      had been erected yesterday, while on the left the rank grass was waving
+      from the arches and mighty walls of the Palace of the Cæsars! In front,
+      ruin upon ruin lined the way for half a mile, where the Coliseum towered
+      grandly through the blue morning mist, at the base of the Esquiline Hill!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Good heavens, what a scene! Grandeur, such as the world never saw, once
+      rose through that blue atmosphere; splendor inconceivable, the spoils of a
+      world, the triumphs of a thousand armies had passed over that earth; minds
+      which for ages moved the ancient world had thought there, and words of
+      power and glory, from the lips of immortal men, had been syllabled on that
+      hallowed air. To call back all this on the very spot, while the wreck of
+      what once was, rose mouldering and desolate around, aroused a sublimity of
+      thought and feeling too powerful for words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Returning at hazard through the streets, we came suddenly upon the column
+      of Trajan, standing in an excavated square below the level of the city,
+      amid a number of broken granite columns, which formed part of the Forum
+      dedicated to him by Rome, after the conquest of Dacia. The column is one
+      hundred and thirty-two feet high, entirely covered with bas-reliefs
+      representing his victories, winding about it in a spiral line to the top.
+      The number of figures is computed at two thousand five hundred, and they
+      were of such excellence that Raphael used many of them for his models.
+      They are now much defaced, and the column is surmounted by a statue of
+      some saint. The inscription on the pedestal has been erased, and the name
+      of Sixtus V. substituted. Nothing can exceed the ridiculous vanity of the
+      old popes in thus mutilating the finest monuments of ancient art. You
+      cannot look upon any relic of antiquity in Rome, but your eyes are
+      assailed by the words "PONTIFEX MAXIMUS," in staring modern letters. Even
+      the magnificent bronzes of the Pantheon were stripped to make the
+      baldachin under the dome of St. Peter's.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finding our way back again, we took a fresh start, happily in the right
+      direction, and after walking some time, came out on the Tiber, at the
+      Bridge of St. Angelo. The river rolled below in his muddy glory, and in
+      front, on the opposite bank, stood "the pile which Hadrian retired on
+      high"&mdash;<i>now</i>, the Castle of St. Angelo. Knowing that St. Peter's
+      was to he seen from this bridge, I looked about in search of it. There was
+      only one dome in sight, large and of beautiful proportions. I said at
+      once, "surely <i>that</i> cannot be St. Peter's!" On looking again,
+      however, I saw the top of a massive range of building near it, which
+      corresponded so nearly with the pictures of the Vatican, that I was
+      unwillingly forced to believe the mighty dome was really before me. I
+      recognized it as one of those we saw from the Capitol, but it appeared so
+      much smaller when viewed from a greater distance, that I was quite
+      deceived. On considering we were still three-fourths of a mile from it,
+      and that we could see its minutest parts distinctly, the illusion was
+      explained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Going directly down the <i>Borgo Vecchio</i>, towards it, it seemed a long
+      time before we arrived at the square of St. Peter's; when at length we
+      stood in front with the majestic colonnade sweeping around&mdash;the
+      fountains on each side sending up their showers of silvery spray&mdash;the
+      mighty obelisk of Egyptian granite piercing the sky&mdash;and beyond, the
+      great front and dome of the Cathedral, I confessed my unmingled
+      admiration. It recalled to my mind the grandeur of ancient Rome, and
+      mighty as her edifices must have been, I doubt if there were many views
+      more overpowering than this. The façade of St. Peter's seemed close to us,
+      but it was a third of a mile distant, and the people ascending the steps
+      dwindled to pigmies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I passed the obelisk, went up the long ascent, crossed the portico, pushed
+      aside the heavy leathern curtain at the entrance, and stood in the great
+      nave. I need not describe my feelings at the sight, but I will tell the
+      dimensions, and you may then fancy what they were. Before me was a marble
+      plain six hundred feet long, and under the cross four hundred and
+      seventeen feet wide! One hundred and fifty feet above, sprang a glorious
+      arch, dazzling with inlaid gold, and in the centre of the cross there were
+      four hundred feet of air between me and the top of the dome! The sunbeam,
+      stealing through the lofty window at one end of the transept, made a bar
+      of light on the blue air, hazy with incense, one-tenth of a mile long,
+      before it fell on the mosaics and gilded shrines of the other extremity.
+      The grand cupola alone, including lantern and cross, is two hundred and
+      eighty-five feet high, or sixty feet higher than the Bunker Hill Monument,
+      and the four immense pillars on which it rests are each one hundred and
+      thirty-seven feet in circumference! It seems as if human art had outdone
+      itself in producing this temple&mdash;the grandest which the world ever
+      erected for the worship of the Living God! The awe felt in looking up at
+      the giant arch of marble and gold, did not humble me; on the contrary, I
+      felt exalted, ennobled&mdash;beings in the form I wore planned the
+      glorious edifice, and it seemed that in godlike power perseverance, they
+      were indeed but "a little lower than the angels!" I felt that, if fallen,
+      my race was still mighty and immortal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Vatican is only open twice a week, on days which are not <i>festas</i>;
+      most fortunately, to-day happened to be one of these, and we took a <i>run</i>
+      through its endless halls. The extent and magnificence of the gallery of
+      sculpture is perfectly amazing. The halls, which are filled to overflowing
+      with the finest works of ancient art, would, if placed side by side, make
+      a row more than two miles in length! You enter at once into a hall of
+      marble, with a magnificent arched ceiling, a third of a mile long; the
+      sides are covered for a great distance with inscriptions of every kind,
+      divided into compartments according to the era of the empire to which they
+      refer. One which I examined, appeared to be a kind of index of the roads
+      in Italy, with the towns on them; and we could decipher on that time-worn
+      block, the very route I had followed from Florence hither.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then came the statues, and here I am bewildered, how to describe them.
+      Hundreds upon hundreds of figures&mdash;statues of citizens, generals,
+      emperors and gods&mdash;fauns, satyrs and nymphs&mdash;children, cupids
+      and tritons&mdash;in fact, it seemed inexhaustible. Many of them, too,
+      were forms of matchless beauty; there were Venuses and nymphs, born of the
+      loftiest dreams of grace; fauns on whose faces shone the very soul of
+      humor, and heroes and divinities with an air of majesty worthy the "land
+      of lost gods and godlike men!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I am lost in astonishment at the perfection of art attained by the Greeks
+      and Romans. There is scarcely a form of beauty, that has ever met my eye,
+      which is not to be found in this gallery. I should almost despair of such
+      another blaze of glory on the world, were it not my devout belief that
+      what has been done may be done again, and had I not faith that the dawn in
+      which we live will bring another day equally glorious. And why should not
+      America, with the experience and added wisdom which three thousand years
+      have slowly yielded to the old world, joined to the giant energy of her
+      youth and freedom, re-bestow on the world the divine creations of art? Let
+      Powers answer!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But let us step on to the hemicycle of the Belvidere, and view some works
+      greater than any we have yet seen, or even imagined. The adjoining gallery
+      is filled with masterpieces of sculpture, but we will keep our eyes
+      unwearied and merely glance along the rows. At length we reach a circular
+      court with a fountain flinging up its waters in the centre. Before us is
+      an open cabinet; there is a beautiful, manly form within, but you would
+      not for an instant take it for the Apollo. By the Gorgon head it holds
+      aloft, we recognize Canova's Perseus&mdash;he has copied the form and
+      attitude of the Apollo, but he could not breathe into it the same warming
+      fire. It seemed to me particularly lifeless, and I greatly preferred his
+      Boxers, who stand on either side of it. One, who has drawn back in the
+      attitude of striking, looks as if he could fell an ox with a single blow
+      of his powerful arm. The other is a more lithe and agile figure, and there
+      is a quick fire in his countenance which might overbalance the massive
+      strength of his opponent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another cabinet&mdash;this is the far-famed Antinous. A countenance of
+      perfect Grecian beauty, with a form such as we would imagine for one of
+      Homer's heroes. His features are in repose, and there is something in
+      their calm, settled expression, strikingly like life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now we look on a scene of the deepest physical agony. Mark how every
+      muscle of old Laocoon's body is distended to the utmost in the mighty
+      struggle! What intensity of pain in the quivering, distorted, features!
+      Every nerve, which despair can call into action, is excited in one giant
+      effort, and a scream of anguish seems just to have quivered on those
+      marble lips. The serpents have rolled their strangling coils around father
+      and sons, but terror has taken away the strength of the latter, and they
+      make but feeble resistance. After looking with indifference on the many
+      casts of this group, I was the more moved by the magnificent original. It
+      deserves all the admiration that has been heaped upon it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I absolutely trembled on approaching the cabinet of the Apollo, I had
+      built up in fancy a glorious ideal, drawn from all that bards have sung or
+      artists have rhapsodized about its divine beauty. I feared disappointment&mdash;I
+      dreaded to have my ideal displaced and my faith in the power of human
+      genius overthrown by a form less than perfect. However, with a feeling of
+      desperate excitement, I entered and looked upon it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now what shall I say of it? How make you comprehend its immortal beauty?
+      To what shall I liken its glorious perfection of form, or the fire that
+      imbues the cold marble with the soul of a god? Not with sculpture, for it
+      stands alone and above all other works of art&mdash;nor with men, for it
+      has a majesty more than human. I gazed on it, lost in wonder and joy&mdash;joy
+      that I could, at last, take into my mind a faultless ideal of godlike,
+      exalted manhood. The figure appears actually to possess a spirit, and I
+      looked on it, not as on a piece of marble, but a being of loftier mould,
+      and half expected to see him step forward when the arrow had reached its
+      mark. I would give worlds to feel one moment the sculptor's mental triumph
+      when his work was completed; that one exulting thrill must have repaid him
+      for every ill he might have suffered on earth! With what divine
+      inspiration has he wrought its faultless lines! There is a spirit in every
+      limb which mere toil could not have given. It must have been caught in
+      those lofty moments.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "When each conception was a heavenly guest&mdash;a
+    ray of immortality&mdash;and stood
+    star-like, around, until they gathered to a god?"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      We ran through a series of halls, roofed with golden stars on a deep blue,
+      midnight sky, and filled with porphyry vases, black marble gods, and
+      mummies. Some of the statues shone with the matchless polish they had
+      received from a Theban artisan before Athens was founded, and are,
+      apparently, as fresh and perfect as when looked upon by the vassals of
+      Sesostris. Notwithstanding their stiff, rough-hewn limbs, there were some
+      figures of great beauty, and they gave me a much higher idea of Egyptian
+      sculpture. In an adjoining hall, containing colossal busts of the gods, is
+      a vase forty-one feet in circumference, of one solid block of red
+      porphyry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The "Transfiguration" is truly called the first picture in the world. The
+      same glow of inspiration which created the Belvidere, must have been
+      required to paint the Saviour's aerial form. The three figures hover above
+      the earth in a blaze of glory, seemingly independent of all material laws.
+      The terrified Apostles on the mount, and the wondering group below,
+      correspond in the grandeur of their expression to the awe and majesty of
+      the scene. The only blemish in the sublime perfection of the picture is
+      the introduction of the two small figures on the left hand; who,
+      by-the-bye, were Cardinals, inserted there by command. Some travelers say
+      the color is all lost, but I was agreeably surprised to find it well
+      preserved. It is, undoubtedly, somewhat imperfect in this respect, as
+      Raphael died before it was entirely finished; but "take it all in all,"
+      you may search the world in vain to find its equal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>January 1, 1846.</i>&mdash;New Year's Day in the Eternal City! It will
+      be something to say in after years, that I have seen one year open in <i>Rome</i>&mdash;that,
+      while my distant friends were making up for the winter without, with good
+      cheer around the merry board, I have walked in sunshine by the ruins of
+      the Coliseum, watched the orange groves gleaming with golden fruitage in
+      the Farnese gardens, trodden the daisied meadow around the sepulchre of
+      Caius Cestius, and mused by the graves of Shelley, Keats and Salvator
+      Rosa! The Palace of the Cassars looked even more mournful in the pale,
+      slant sunshine, and the yellow Tiber, as he flowed through the "marble
+      wilderness," seemed sullenly counting up the long centuries during which
+      degenerate slaves have trodden his banks. A leaden-colored haze clothed
+      the seven hills, and heavy silence reigned among the ruins, for all work
+      was prohibited, and the people were gathered in their churches. Rome never
+      appeared so desolate and melancholy as to-day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the morning I climbed the Quirinal Hill, now called Monte Cavallo, from
+      the colossal statues of Castor and Pollux, with their steeds, supposed to
+      be the work of Phidias and Praxiteles. They stand on each side of an
+      obelisk of Egyptian granite, beside which a strong stream of water gushes
+      up into a magnificent bronze basin, found in the old Forum. The statues,
+      entirely browned by age, are considered masterpieces of Grecian art, and
+      whether or not from the great masters, show in all their proportions, the
+      conceptions of lofty genius.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We kept on our way between gardens filled with orange groves, whose
+      glowing fruit reminded me of Mignon's beautiful reminiscence&mdash;"Im
+      dunkeln Laub die Gold Orangen glühn!" Rome, although subject to cold winds
+      from the Appenines, enjoys so mild a climate that oranges and palm trees
+      grow in the open air, without protection. Daisies and violets bloom the
+      whole winter, in the meadows of never-fading green. The basilic of the
+      Lateran equals St. Peter's in splendor, though its size is much smaller.
+      The walls are covered with gorgeous hangings of velvet embroidered with
+      gold, and before the high altar, which glitters with precious stones, are
+      four pillars of gilt bronze, said to be those which Augustus made of the
+      spars of Egyptian vessels captured at the battle of Actium.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We descended the hill to the Coliseum, and passing under the Arch of
+      Constantine, walked along the ancient triumphal way, at the foot of the
+      Palatine Hill, which is entirely covered with the ruins of the Cæsars'
+      Palace. A road, rounding its southern base towards the Tiber, brought us
+      to the Temple of Vesta&mdash;a beautiful little relic which has been
+      singularly spared by the devastations that have overthrown so many
+      mightier fabrics. It is of circular form, surrounded by nineteen
+      Corinthian columns, thirty-six feet in height; a clumsy tiled roof now
+      takes the place of the elegant cornice which once gave the crowning charm
+      to its perfect proportions. Close at hand are the remains of the temple of
+      Fortuna Virilis, of which some Ionic pillars alone are left, and the house
+      of Cola di Rienzi&mdash;the last Tribune of Rome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we approached the walls, the sepulchre of Caius Cestius came in sight&mdash;a
+      single solid pyramid, one hundred feet in height. The walls are built
+      against it, and the light apex rises far above the massive gate beside it,
+      which was erected by Belisarius. But there were other tombs at hand, for
+      which we had more sympathy than that of the forgotten Roman, and we turned
+      away to look for the graves of Shelley and Keats.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They lie in the Protestant burying ground, on the side of a mound that
+      slopes gently up to the old wall of Rome, beside the pyramid of Cestius.
+      The meadow around is still verdant and sown thick with daisies, and the
+      soft green of the Italian pine mingles with the dark cypress above the
+      slumberers. Huge aloes grow in the shade, and the sweet bay and bushes of
+      rosemary make the air fresh and fragrant. There is a solemn, mournful
+      beauty about the place, green and lonely as it is, beside the tottering
+      walls of ancient Rome, that takes away the gloomy associations of death,
+      and makes one wish to lie there, too, when his thread shall be spun to the
+      end.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We found first the simple head-stone of Keats, alone, in the grassy
+      meadow. Its inscription states that on his death-bed, in the bitterness of
+      his heart, at the malice of his enemies, be desired these words to be
+      written on his tombstone: "<i>Here lies one whose name was written in
+      water</i>." Not far from him reposes the son of Shelley.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Shelley himself lies at the top of the shaded slope, in a lonely spot by
+      the wall, surrounded by tall cypresses. A little hedge of rose and bay
+      surrounds his grave, which bears the simple inscription&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY; <i>Cor Cordium</i>."
+
+      "Nothing of him that doth fade,
+      But doth suffer a sea-change
+      Into something rich and strange."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Glorious, but misguided Shelley! He sleeps calmly now in that silent nook,
+      and the air around his grave is filled with sighs from those who mourn
+      that the bright, erratic star should have been blotted out ere it reached
+      the zenith of its mounting fame. I plucked a leaf from the fragrant bay,
+      as a token of his fame, and a sprig of cypress from the bough that bent
+      lowest over his grave; and passing between tombs shaded with blooming
+      roses or covered with unwithered garlands, left the lovely spot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amid the excitement of continually changing scenes, I have forgotten to
+      mention our first visit to the Coliseum. The day after our arrival we set
+      out with two English friends, to see it by sunset. Passing by the glorious
+      fountain of Trevi, we made our way to the Forum, and from thence took the
+      road to the Coliseum, lined on both sides with the remains of splendid
+      edifices. The grass-grown ruins of the Palace of the Cæsars stretched
+      along on our right; on our left we passed in succession the granite front
+      of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, the three grand arches of the
+      Temple of Peace and the ruins of the Temple of Venus and Rome. We went
+      under the ruined triumphal arch of Titus, with broken friezes representing
+      the taking of Jerusalem, and the mighty walls of the Coliseum gradually
+      rose before us. They grew in grandeur as we approached them, and when at
+      length we stood in the centre, with the shattered arches and grassy walls
+      rising above and beyond one another, far around us, the red light of
+      sunset giving them a soft and melancholy beauty, I was fain to confess
+      that another form of grandeur had entered my mind, of which I before knew
+      not.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A majesty like that of nature clothes this wonderful edifice. Walls rise
+      above walls, and arches above arches, from every side of the grand arena,
+      like a sweep of craggy, pinnacled mountains around an oval lake. The two
+      outer circles have almost entirely disappeared, torn away by the rapacious
+      nobles of Rome, during the middle ages, to build their palaces. When
+      entire, and filled with its hundred thousand spectators, it must have
+      exceeded any pageant which the world can now produce. No wonder it was
+      said&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand;
+    When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall;
+    And when Rome falls, the world!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &mdash;a prediction, which time has not verified. The world is now going
+      forward, prouder than ever, and though we thank Rome for the legacy she
+      has left us, we would not wish the dust of her ruin to cumber our path.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While standing in the arena, impressed with the spirit of the scene around
+      me, which grew more spectral and melancholy as the dusk of evening began
+      to fill up the broken arches, my eye was assailed by the shrines ranged
+      around the space, doubtless to remove the pollution of paganism. In the
+      middle stands also a cross, with an inscription, granting an absolution of
+      forty days to all who kiss it. Now, although a simple cross in the centre
+      might be very appropriate, both as a token of the heroic devotion of the
+      martyr Telemachus and the triumph of a true religion over the barbarities
+      of the Past, this congregation of shrines and bloody pictures mars very
+      much the unity of association so necessary to the perfect enjoyment of any
+      such scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We saw the flush of sunset fade behind the Capitoline Hill, and passed
+      homeward by the Forum, as its shattered pillars were growing solemn and
+      spectral through the twilight. I intend to visit them often again, and
+      "meditate amongst decay." I begin already to grow attached to their lonely
+      grandeur. A spirit, almost human, speaks from the desolation, and there is
+      something in the voiceless oracles it utters, that strikes an answering
+      chord in my own breast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the <i>Via de' Pontefici</i>, not far distant from the Borghese Palace,
+      we saw the Mausoleum of Augustus. It is a large circular structure
+      somewhat after the plan of that of Hadrian, but on a much smaller scale.
+      The interior has been cleared out, seats erected around the walls, and the
+      whole is now a summer theatre, for the amusement of the peasantry and
+      tradesmen. What a commentary on greatness! Harlequin playing his pranks in
+      the tomb of an Emperor, and the spot which nations approached with
+      reverence, resounding with the mirth of beggars and degraded vassals!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I visited lately the studio of a young Philadelphian, Mr. W. B. Chambers,
+      who has been here two or three years. In studying the legacies of art
+      which the old masters left to their country, he has caught some of the
+      genuine poetic inspiration which warmed them. But he is modest as
+      talented, and appears to undervalue his works, so long as they do not
+      reach his own mental ideal. He chooses principally subjects from the
+      Italian peasant-life, which abounds with picturesque and classic beauty.
+      His pictures of the shepherd boy of the Albruzzi, and the brown maidens of
+      the Campagna are fine illustrations of this class, and the fidelity with
+      which he copies nature, is an earnest of his future success.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was in the studio of Crawford, the sculptor; he has at present nothing
+      finished in the marble. There were many casts of his former works, which,
+      judging from their appearance in plaster, must be of no common excellence&mdash;for
+      the sculptor can only be justly judged <i>in marble</i>. I saw some fine
+      bas-reliefs of classical subjects, and an exquisite group of Mercury and
+      Psyche, but his masterpiece is undoubtedly the Orpheus. There is a spirit
+      in this figure which astonished me. The face is full of the inspiration of
+      the poet, softened by the lover's tenderness, and the whole fervor of his
+      soul is expressed in the eagerness with which he gazes forward, on
+      stepping past the sleeping Cerberus. Crawford is now engaged on the statue
+      of an Indian girl, pierced by an arrow, and dying. It is a simple and
+      touching figure, and will, I think, be one of his best works.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We are often amused with the groups in the square of the Pantheon, which
+      we can see from our chamber-window. Shoemakers and tinkers carry on their
+      business along the sunny side, while the venders of oranges and roasted
+      chesnuts form a circle around the Egyptian obelisk and fountain. Across
+      the end of an opposite street we get a glimpse of the vegetable-market,
+      and now and then the shrill voice of a pedlar makes its nasal solo audible
+      above the confused chorus. As the beggars choose the Corso, St. Peter's,
+      and the ruins for their principal haunts, we are now spared the hearing of
+      their lamentations. Every time we go out we are assailed with them. "<i>Maladetta
+      sia la vostra testa</i>!"&mdash;"Curses be upon your head!"&mdash;said one
+      whom I passed without notice. The priests are, however, the greatest
+      beggars. In every church are kept offering boxes, for the support of the
+      church or some unknown institution; they even go from house to house,
+      imploring support and assistance in the name of the Virgin and all the
+      saints, while their bloated, sensual countenances and capacious frames
+      tell of anything but fasts and privations. Once, as I was sitting among
+      the ruins, I was suddenly startled by a loud, rattling sound; turning my
+      head, I saw a figure clothed in white from head to foot, with only two
+      small holes for the eyes. He held in his hand a money-box, on which was a
+      figure of the Virgin, which he held close to my lips, that I might kiss
+      it. This I declined doing, but dropped a baiocco into his box, when,
+      making the sign of the cross, he silently disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our present lodging (Trattoria del Sole) is a good specimen of an Italian
+      inn for mechanics and common tradesmen. Passing through the front room,
+      which is an eating-place for the common people&mdash;with a barrel of wine
+      in the corner, and bladders of lard hanging among orange boughs in the
+      window&mdash;we enter a dark court-yard filled with heavy carts, and noisy
+      with the neighing of horses and singing of grooms, for the stables occupy
+      part of the house. An open staircase, running all around this hollow
+      square, leads to the second, third, and fourth stories,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the second story is the dining-room for the better class of travelers,
+      who receive the same provisions as those below for double the price, and
+      the additional privilege of giving the waiter two baiocchi. The sleeping
+      apartments are in the fourth story, and are named according to the fancy
+      of a former landlord, in mottos above each door. Thus, on arriving here,
+      the Triester, with his wife and child, more fortunate than our first
+      parents, took refuge in "Paradise," while we Americans were ushered into
+      the "Chamber of Jove." We have occupied it ever since, and find a paul
+      (ten cents) apiece cheap enough for a good bed and a window opening on the
+      Pantheon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next to the Coliseum, the baths of Caracalla are the grandest remains of
+      Rome. The building is a thousand feet square, and its massive walls look
+      as if built by a race of giants. These Titan remains are covered with
+      green shrubbery, and long, trailing vines sweep over the cornice, and wave
+      down like tresses from architrave and arch. In some of its grand halls the
+      mosaic pavement is yet entire. The excavations are still carried on; from
+      the number of statues already found, this would seem to have been one of
+      the most gorgeous edifices of the olden time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have been now several days loitering and sketching among the ruins, and
+      I feel as if I could willingly wander for months beside these mournful
+      relics, and draw inspiration from the lofty yet melancholy lore they
+      teach. There is a spirit haunting them, real and undoubted. Every
+      shattered column, every broken arch and mouldering wall, but calls up more
+      vividly to mind the glory that has passed away. Each lonely pillar stands
+      as proudly as if it still helped to bear up the front of a glorious
+      temple, and the air seems scarcely to have ceased vibrating with the
+      clarions that heralded a conqueror's triumph.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "&mdash;the old majestic trees
+    Stand ghost-like in the Cæsar's home,
+      As if their conscious roots were set
+    In the old graves of giant Rome,
+      And drew their sap all kingly yet!"
+
+</pre>
+    <hr />
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "There every mouldering stone beneath
+      Is broken from some mighty thought,
+    And sculptures in the dust still breathe
+      The fire with which their lines were wrought,
+    And sunder'd arch and plundered tomb
+    Still thunder back the echo&mdash;'<i>Rome!</i>'"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      In Rome there is no need that the imagination be excited to call up
+      thrilling emotion or poetic reverie&mdash;they are forced on the mind by
+      the sublime spirit of the scene. The roused bard might here pour forth his
+      thoughts in the wildest climaces, and I could believe he felt it all. This
+      is like the Italy of my dreams&mdash;that golden realm whose image has
+      been nearly chased away by the earthly reality. I expected to find a land
+      of light and beauty, where every step crushed a flower or displaced a
+      sunbeam&mdash;whose very air was poetic inspiration, and whose every scene
+      filled the soul with romantic feelings. Nothing is left of my picture but
+      the far-off mountains, robed in the sapphire veil of the Ausonian air, and
+      these ruins, amid whose fallen glory sits triumphant the spirit of ancient
+      song.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have seen the flush of morn and eve rest on the Coliseum; I have seen
+      the noon-day sky framed in its broken loopholes, like plates of polished
+      sapphire; and last night, as the moon has grown into the zenith, I went to
+      view it with her. Around the Forum all was silent and spectral&mdash;a
+      sentinel challenged us at the Arch of Titus, under which we passed and
+      along the Cæsar's wall, which lay in black shadow. Dead stillness brooded
+      around the Coliseum; the pale, silvery lustre streamed through its arches,
+      and over the grassy walls, giving them a look of shadowy grandeur which
+      day could not bestow. The scene will remain fresh in my memory forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0041" id="link2HCH0041"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLI. &mdash; TIVOLI AND THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Jan. 9.</i>&mdash;A few days ago we returned from an excursion to
+      Tivoli, one of the loveliest spots in Italy. We left the Eternal City by
+      the Gate of San Lorenzo, and twenty minutes walk brought us to the bare
+      and bleak Campagna, which was spread around us for leagues in every
+      direction. Here and there a shepherd-boy in his woolly coat, with his
+      flock of browsing sheep, were the only objects that broke its desert-like
+      monotony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the fourth mile we crossed the rapid Anio, the ancient Teverone,
+      formerly the boundary between Latium and the Sabine dominions, and at the
+      tenth, came upon some fragments of the old Tibertine way, formed of large
+      irregular blocks of basaltic lava. A short distance further, we saw across
+      the plain the ruins of the bath of Agrippa, built by the side of the
+      Tartarean Lake. The wind, blowing from it, bore us an overpowering smell
+      of sulphur; the waters of the little river Solfatara, which crosses the
+      road, are of a milky blue color, and carry those of the lake into the
+      Anio. A fragment of the old bridge over it still remains.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finding the water quite warm, we determined to have a bath. So we ran down
+      the plain, which was covered with a thick coat of sulphur, and sounded
+      hollow to our tread, till we reached a convenient place, where we threw
+      off our clothes, and plunged in. The warm wave was delightful to the skin,
+      but extremely offensive to the smell, and when we came out, our mouths and
+      throats were filled with the stifling gas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was growing dark as we mounted through the narrow streets of Tivoli,
+      but we endeavored to gain some sight of the renowned beauties of the spot,
+      before going to rest. From a platform on a brow of the hill, we looked
+      down into the defile, at whose bottom the Anio was roaring, and caught a
+      sideward glance of the Cascatelles, sending up their spray amid the
+      evergreen bushes that fringe the rocks. Above the deep glen that curves
+      into the mountain, stands the beautiful temple of the Sybil&mdash;a
+      building of the most perfect and graceful proportion. It crests the "rocky
+      brow" like a fairy dwelling, and looks all the lovelier for the wild
+      caverns below. Gazing downward from the bridge, one sees the waters of the
+      Anio tumbling into the picturesque grotto of the Sirens; around a rugged
+      corner, a cloud of white spray whirls up continually, while the boom of a
+      cataract rumbles down the glen. All these we marked in the deepening dusk,
+      and then hunted an albergo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The shrill-voiced hostess gave us a good supper and clean beds; in return
+      we diverted the people very much by the relation of our sulphur bath. We
+      were awakened in the night by the wind shaking the very soul out of our
+      loose casement. I fancied I heard torrents of rain dashing against the
+      panes, and groaned in bitterness of spirit on thinking of a walk back to
+      Rome in such weather. When morning came, we found it was only a hurricane
+      of wind which was strong enough to tear off pieces of the old roofs. I saw
+      some capuchins nearly overturned in crossing the square, by the wind
+      seizing their white robes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had my fingers frozen and my eyes filled with sand, in trying to draw
+      the Sybil's temple, and therefore left it to join my companions, who had
+      gone down into the glen to see the great cascade. The Anio bursts out of a
+      cavern in the mountain-side, and like a prisoner giddy with recovered
+      liberty, reels over the edge of a precipice more than two hundred feet
+      deep. The bottom is hid in a cloud of boiling spray, that shifts from side
+      to side, and driven by the wind, sweeps whistling down the narrow pass. It
+      stuns the ear with a perpetual boom, giving a dash of grandeur to the
+      enrapturing beauty of the scene. I tried a footpath that appeared to lead
+      down to the Cascatelles, but after advancing some distance along the side
+      of an almost perpendicular precipice, I came to a corner that looked so
+      dangerous, especially as the wind was nearly strong enough to carry me
+      off, that it seemed safest to return. We made another vain attempt to get
+      down, by creeping along the bed of a torrent, filled with briars. The
+      Cascatelles are formed by that part of the Anio, which is used in the iron
+      works, made out of the ruins of Mecænas' villa. They gush out from under
+      the ancient arches, and tumble more than a hundred feet down the
+      precipice, their white waters gleaming out from the dark and feathery
+      foliage. Not far distant are the remains of the villa of Horace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We took the road to Frascati, and walked for miles among cane-swamps and
+      over plains covered with sheep. The people we saw, were most degraded and
+      ferocious-looking, and there were many I would not willingly meet alone
+      after nightfall. Indeed it is still considered quite unsafe to venture
+      without the walls of Rome, after dark. The women, with their yellow
+      complexions, and the bright red blankets they wear folded around the head
+      and shoulders, resemble Indian Squaws.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I lately spent three hours in the Museum of the Capitol, on the summit of
+      the sacred hill. In the hall of the Gladiator I noticed an exquisite
+      statue of Diana. There is a pure, virgin grace in the classic outlines of
+      the figure that keeps the eye long upon it. The face is full of cold,
+      majestic dignity, but it is the ideal of a being to be worshipped, rather
+      than loved. The Faun of Praxiteles, in the same room, is a glorious work;
+      it is the perfect embodiment of that wild, merry race the Grecian poets
+      dreamed of. One looks on the Gladiator with a hushed breath and an awed
+      spirit. He is dying; the blood flows more slowly from the deep wound in
+      his side; his head is sinking downwards, and the arm that supports his
+      body becomes more and more nerveless. You feel that a dull mist is coming
+      over his vision, and almost wait to see his relaxing limbs sink suddenly
+      on his shield. That the rude, barbarian form has a soul, may be read in
+      his touchingly expressive countenance. It warms the sympathies like
+      reality to look upon it. Yet how many Romans may have gazed on this work,
+      moved nearly to tears, who have seen hundreds perish in the arena without
+      a pitying emotion! Why is it that Art has a voice frequently more powerful
+      than Nature?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How cold it is here! I was forced to run home to-night, nearly at full
+      speed, from the Café delle <i>Belle Arti</i> through the Corso and the
+      Piazza Colonna, to keep warm. The clear, frosty moon threw the shadow of
+      the column of Antoninus over me as I passed, and it made me shiver to look
+      at the thin, falling sheet of the fountain. Winter is winter everywhere,
+      and even the sun of Italy cannot always scorch his icy wings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two days ago we took a ramble outside the walls. Passing the Coliseum and
+      Caracalla's Baths, we reached the tomb of Scipio, a small sepulchral
+      vault, near the roadside. The ashes of the warrior were scattered to the
+      winds long ago, and his mausoleum is fast falling to decay. The old arch
+      over the Appian way is still standing, near the modern <i>Porta San
+      Sebastiano</i> through which we entered on the far-famed road. Here and
+      there it is quite entire, and we walked over the stones once worn by the
+      feet of Virgil and Horace and Cicero. After passing the temple of Romulus&mdash;a
+      shapeless and ivy-grown ruin&mdash;and walking a mile or more beyond the
+      walls, we reached the Circus of Caracalla, whose long and shattered walls
+      fill the hollow of one of the little dells of the Campagna. The original
+      structure must have been of great size and splendor, but those twin
+      Vandals&mdash;Time and Avarice&mdash;have stripped away everything but the
+      lofty brick masses, whose nakedness the pitying ivy strives to cover.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Further, on a gentle slope, is the tomb of "the wealthiest Roman's wife,"
+      familiar to every one through Childe Harold's musings. It is a round,
+      massive tower, faced with large blocks of marble, and still bearing the
+      name of Cecilia Metella. One side is much ruined, and the top is overgrown
+      with grass and wild bushes. The wall is about thirty feet thick, so that
+      but a small round space is left in the interior, which is open to the rain
+      and filled will rubbish. The echoes pronounced hollowly after us the name
+      of the dead for whom it was built, but they could tell us nothing of her
+      life's history&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "How lived, how loved, how died she?"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      I made a hurried drawing of it, and we then turned to the left, across the
+      Campagna, to seek the grotto of Egeria. Before us, across the brown plain,
+      extended the Sabine Mountains; in the clear air the houses of Tivoli,
+      twenty miles distant, were plainly visible. The giant aqueduct stretched
+      in a long line across the Campagna to the mountain of Albano, its broken
+      and disjointed arches resembling the vertebræ of some mighty monster. With
+      the ruins of temples and tombs strewing the plain for miles around it, it
+      might be called the <i>spine</i> to the skeleton of Rome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed many ruins, made beautiful by the clinging ivy, and reached a
+      solemn grove of ever-green oak, overlooking a secluded valley. I was soon
+      in the meadow, leaping ditches, rustling through cane-brakes, and climbing
+      up to mossy arches to find out the fountain of Numa's nymph; while my
+      companion, who had less taste for the romantic, looked on complacently
+      from the leeward side of the hill. At length we found an arched vault in
+      the hill-side, overhung with wild vines, and shaded in summer by
+      umbrageous trees that grow on the soil above. At the further end a stream
+      of water gushed out from beneath a broken statue, and an aperture in the
+      wall revealed a dark cavern behind. This, then, was "Egeria's grot." The
+      ground was trampled by the feet of cattle, and the taste of the water was
+      anything but pleasant. But it was not for Numa and his nymph alone, that I
+      sought it so ardently. The sunbeam of another mind lingers on the spot.
+      See how it gilds the ruined and neglected fount!
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "The mosses of thy fountain still are sprinkled
+      With thine Elysian water-drops; the face
+    Of thy cave-guarded spring, with years unwrinkled,
+      Reflects the meek-eyed genius of the place,
+    Whose wild, green margin, now no more erase
+      Art's works; no more its sparkling waters sleep,
+    Prisoned in marble; bubbling from the base
+      Of the cleft statue, with a gentle leap,
+    The rill runs o'er, and 'round, fern, flowers and ivy creep,
+      Fantastically tangled."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      I tried to creep into the grotto, but it was unpleasantly dark, and no
+      nymph appeared to chase away the shadow with her lustrous eyes. The whole
+      hill is pierced by subterranean chambers and passages.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I spent another Sunday morning in St. Peter's. High mass was being
+      celebrated in one of the side Chapels, and a great number of the
+      priesthood were present. The music was simple, solemn, and very
+      impressive, and a fine effect was produced by the combination of the full,
+      sonorous voices of the priests, and the divine sweetness of that band of
+      mutilated unfortunates, who sing here. They sang with a full, clear tone,
+      sweet as the first lispings of a child, but it was painful to hear that
+      melody, purchased at the expense of manhood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Near the dome is a bronze statue of St. Peter, which seems to have a
+      peculiar atmosphere of sanctity. People say their prayers before it by
+      hundreds, and then kiss its toe, which is nearly worn away by the
+      application of so many thousand lips. I saw a crowd struggle most
+      irreverently to pay their devotion to it. There was a great deal of
+      jostling and confusion; some went so far as to thrust the faces of others
+      against the toe as they were about to kiss it. What is more remarkable, it
+      is an antique statue of Jupiter, taken, I believe, from the Pantheon. An
+      English artist, showing it to a friend, just arrived in Rome, remarked
+      very wittily that it was the statue of <i>Jew-Peter</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I went afterwards to the Villa Borghese, outside the Porta del Popolo. The
+      gardens occupy thirty or forty acres, and are always thronged in the
+      afternoon with the carriages of the Roman and foreign nobility. In summer,
+      it must be a heavenly place; even now, with its musical fountains, long
+      avenues, and grassy slopes, crowned with the fan-like branches of the
+      Italian pine, it reminds one of the fairy landscapes of Boccaccio. We
+      threaded our way through the press of carriages on the Pincian hill, and
+      saw the enormous bulk of St. Peter's loom up against the sunset sky. I
+      counted forty domes and spires in that part of Rome that lay below us&mdash;but
+      on what a marble glory looked that sun eighteen centuries ago! Modern Rome&mdash;it
+      is in comparison, a den of filth, cheats and beggars!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yesterday, while taking a random stroll through the city, I visited the
+      church of St. Onofrio, where Tasso is buried. It is not far from St.
+      Peter's, on the summit of a lonely hill. The building was closed, but an
+      old monk admitted us on application. The interior is quite small, but very
+      old, and the floor is covered with the tombs of princes and prelates of a
+      past century. Near the end I found a small slab with the inscription:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+        "TORQUATI TASSI
+             OSSA
+          HIC JACENT."
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      That was all&mdash;but what more was needed? Who knows not the name and
+      fame and sufferings of the glorious bard? The pomp of gold and marble are
+      not needed to deck the slumber of genius. On the wall, above, hangs an old
+      and authentic portrait of him, very similar to the engravings in
+      circulation. A crown of laurel encircles the lofty brow, and the eye has
+      that wild, mournful expression, which accords so well with the mysterious
+      tale of his love and madness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Owing to the mountain storms, which imposed on us the expense of a
+      carriage-journey to Rome, we shall be prevented from going further. One
+      great cause of this is the heavy fee required for passports in Italy. In
+      most of the Italian cities, the cost of the different visès amounts to $4
+      or $5; a few such visits as these reduce our funds very materially. The
+      American Consul's fee is $2, owing to the illiberal course of our
+      government, in withholding all salary from her Consuls in Europe. Mr.
+      Brown, however, in whose family we spent last evening very pleasantly, on
+      our requesting that he would deduct something from the usual fee, kindly
+      declined accepting anything. We felt this kindness the more, as from the
+      character which some of our late Consuls bear in Italy, we had not
+      anticipated it. We shall remember him with deeper gratitude than many
+      would suppose, who have never known what it was to be a <i>foreigner</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To-morrow, therefore, we leave Rome&mdash;here is, at last, the limit of
+      our wanderings. We have spent much toil and privation to reach here, and
+      now, after two weeks' rambling and musing among the mighty relics of past
+      glory, we turn our faces homeward. The thrilling hope I cherished during
+      the whole pilgrimage&mdash;to climb Parnassus and drink from Castaly,
+      under the blue heaven of Greece (both far easier than the steep hill and
+      hidden fount of poesy, I worship afar off)&mdash;to sigh for fallen art,
+      beneath the broken friezes of the Parthenon, and look with a pilgrim's eye
+      on the isles of Homer and of Sappho&mdash;must be given up, unwillingly
+      and sorrowfully though it be. These glorious anticipations&mdash;among the
+      brightest that blessed my boyhood&mdash;are slowly wrung from me by stern
+      necessity. Even Naples, the lovely Parthenope, where the Mantuan bard
+      sleeps on the sunny shore, by the bluest of summer seas, with the
+      disinterred Pompeii beyond, and Pæstum amid its roses on the lonely
+      Calabrian plain&mdash;even this, almost within sight of the cross of St.
+      Peter's, is barred from me. Farewell then, clime of "fame and eld," since
+      it must be! A pilgrim's blessing for the lore ye have taught him!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0042" id="link2HCH0042"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLII. &mdash;
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Palo.</i>&mdash;The sea is breaking in long swells below the window,
+      and a glorious planet shines in the place of the sunset that has died
+      away. This is our first resting-place since leaving Rome. We have been
+      walking all day over the bare and dreary Campagna, and it is a relief to
+      look at last on the broad, blue expanse of the Tyrrhene Sea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When we emerged from the cool alleys of Rome, and began to climb up and
+      down the long, barren swells, the sun beat down on us with an almost
+      summer heat. On crossing a ridge near Castel Guido, we took our last look
+      of Rome, and saw from the other side the sunshine lying like a dazzling
+      belt on the far Mediterranean. The country is one of the most wretched
+      that can be imagined. Miles and miles of uncultivated land, with scarcely
+      a single habitation, extend on either side of the road, and the few
+      shepherds who watch their flocks in the marshy hollows, look wild and
+      savage enough for any kind of crime. It made me shudder to see every face
+      bearing such a villainous stamp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Civita Vecchia, Jan. 1.</i>&mdash;We left Palo just after sunrise, and
+      walked in the cool of the morning beside the blue Mediterranean. On the
+      right, the low outposts of the Appenines rose, bleak and brown, the narrow
+      plain between them and the shore resembling a desert, so destitute was it
+      of the signs of civilized life. A low, white cloud that hung over the sea,
+      afar off, showed us the locality of Sardinia, though the land was not
+      visible. The sun shone down warmly, and with the blue sky and bluer sea we
+      could easily have imagined a milder season. The barren scenery took a new
+      interest in my eyes, when I remembered that I was spending amidst it that
+      birth-day which removes me, in the eyes of the world, from dependant youth
+      to responsible manhood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon we found a beautiful cove in a curve of the shore, and
+      went to bathe in the cold surf. It was very refreshing, but not quite
+      equal to the sulphur-bath on the road to Tivoli. The mountains now ran
+      closer to the sea, and the road was bordered with thickets of myrtle. I
+      stopped often to beat my staff into the bushes, and inhale the fragrance
+      that arose from their crushed leaves. The hills were covered with this
+      poetical shrub, and any acre of the ground would make the fortune of a
+      florist at home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun was sinking in a sky of orange and rose, as Civita Vecchia came in
+      sight on a long headland before us. Beyond the sea stretched the dim hills
+      of Corsica. We walked nearly an hour in the clear moonlight, by the
+      sounding shore, before the gate of the city was reached. We have found a
+      tolerable inn, and are now enjoying the pleasures of supper and rest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>Marseilles, Jan. 16.</i>&mdash;At length we tread the shore of France&mdash;of
+      sunny Provence&mdash;the last unvisited realm we have to roam through
+      before returning home. It is with a feeling of more than common relief
+      that we see around us the lively faces and hear the glib tongues of the
+      French. It is like an earnest that the "roughing" we have undergone among
+      Bohemian boors and Italian savages is well nigh finished, and that,
+      henceforth, we shall find civilized sympathy and politeness, if nothing
+      more, to make the way smoother. Perhaps the three woful days which
+      terminated at half-past two yesterday afternoon, as we passed through the
+      narrow strait into the beautiful harbor which Marseilles encloses in her
+      sheltering heart, make it still pleasanter. Now, while there is time, I
+      must describe those three days, for who could write on the wet deck of a
+      steamboat, amid all the sights and smells which a sea voyage creates?
+      Description does not flourish when the bones are sore with lying on
+      planks, and the body shivering like an aspen leaf with cold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About the old town of Civita Vecchia there is not much to be said, except
+      that it has the same little harbor which Trajan dug for it, and is as
+      dirty and disagreeable as a town can well be. We saw nothing except a
+      little church, and the prison-yard, full of criminals, where the
+      celebrated bandit, Gasparoni, has been now confined for eight years.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Neapolitan Company's boat, <i>Mongibello</i>, was advertised to leave
+      the 12th, so, after procuring our passports, we went to the office to take
+      passage. The official, however, refused to give us tickets for the third
+      place, because, forsooth, we were not servants or common laborers! and
+      words were wasted in trying to convince him that it would make no
+      difference. As the second cabin fare was nearly three times as high, and
+      entirely too dear for us, we went to the office of the Tuscan Company,
+      whose boat was to leave in two days. Through the influence of an Italian
+      gentleman, secretary to Bartolini, the American Consul, whom we met, they
+      agreed to take us for forty-five francs, on deck, the price of the
+      Neapolitan boat being thirty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rather than stay two days longer in the dull town, we went again to the
+      latter Company's office and offered them forty-five francs to go that day
+      in <i>their</i> boat. This removed the former scruples, and tickets were
+      immediately made out. After a plentiful dinner at the albergo, to prepare
+      ourselves for the exposure, we filled our pockets with a supply of bread,
+      cheese, and figs, for the voyage. We then engaged a boatman, who agreed to
+      row us out to the steamer for two pauls, but after he had us on board and
+      an oar's length from the quay, he said two pauls <i>apiece</i> was his
+      bargain. I instantly refused, and, summoning the best Italian I could
+      command, explained our agreement; but he still persisted in demanding
+      double price. The dispute soon drew a number of persons to the quay, some
+      of whom, being boatmen, sided with him. Finding he had us safe in his
+      boat, his manner was exceedingly calm and polite. He contradicted me with
+      a "pardon, Signore!" accompanying the words with a low bow and a graceful
+      lift of his scarlet cap, and replied to my indignant accusations in the
+      softest and most silvery-modulated Roman sentences. I found, at last, that
+      if I was in the right, I cut the worse figure of the two, and, therefore,
+      put an end to the dispute by desiring him to row on at his own price.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The hour of starting was two, but the boat lay quietly in the harbor till
+      four, when we glided out on the open sea, and went northward, with the
+      blue hills of Corsica far on our left. A gorgeous sunset faded away over
+      the water, and the moon rose behind the low mountains of the Italian
+      coast. Having found a warm and sheltered place near the chimney, I drew my
+      beaver further over my eyes, to keep out the moonlight, and lay down on
+      the deck with my knapsack under my head. It was a hard bed, indeed; and
+      the first time I attempted to rise, I found myself glued to the floor by
+      the pitch which was smeared along the seams of the boards! Our
+      fellow-sufferers were a company of Swiss soldiers going home after a four
+      years' service under the King of Naples, but they took to their situation
+      more easily than we.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sleep was next to impossible, so I paced the deck occasionally, looking
+      out on the moonlit sea and the dim shores on either side. A little after
+      midnight we passed between Elba and Corsica. The dark crags of Elba rose
+      on our right, and the bold headlands of Napoleon's isle stood opposite, at
+      perhaps twenty miles' distance. There was something dreary and mysterious
+      in the whole scene, viewed at such a time&mdash;the grandeur of his
+      career, who was born on one and exiled to the other, gave it a strange and
+      thrilling interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We made the light-house before the harbor of Leghorn at dawn, and by
+      sunrise were anchored within the mole. I sat on the deck the whole day,
+      watching the picturesque vessels that skimmed about with their lateen
+      sails, and wondering how soon the sailors, on the deck of a Boston brig
+      anchored near us, would see my distant country. Leaving at four o'clock,
+      we dashed away, along the mountain coast of Carrara, at a rapid rate. The
+      wind was strong and cold, but I lay down behind the boiler, and though the
+      boards were as hard as ever, slept two or three hours. When I awoke at
+      half-past two in the morning, after a short rest, Genoa was close at hand.
+      We glided between the two revolving lights on the mole, into the harbor,
+      with the amphitheatre on which the superb city sits, dark and silent
+      around us. It began raining soon, the engine-fire sank down, and as there
+      was no place of shelter, we were shortly wet to the skin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How long those dreary hours seemed, till the dawn came! All was cold and
+      rainy and dark, and we waited in a kind of torpid misery for daylight. The
+      entire day, I passed sitting in a coil of rope under the stern of the
+      cabin, and even the beauties of the glorious city scarce affected me. We
+      lay opposite the Doria palace, and the constellation of villas and towers
+      still glittered along the hills; but who, with his teeth chattering and
+      limbs numb and damp, could feel pleasure in looking on Elysium itself?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We got under way again at three o'clock. The rain very soon hid the coast
+      from view, and the waves pitched our boat about in a manner not at all
+      pleasant. I soon experienced sea-sickness in all its horrors. We had
+      accidentally made the acquaintance of one of the Neapolitan sailors, who
+      had been in America. He was one of those rough, honest natures I like to
+      meet with&mdash;their blunt kindness, is better than refined and
+      oily-tongued suavity. As we were standing by the chimney, reflecting
+      dolefully how we should pass the coming night, he came up and said; "I am
+      in trouble about you, poor fellows! I don't think I shall sleep three
+      hours to-night, to think of you. I shall tell all the cabin they shall
+      give you beds, because they shall see you are gentlemen!" Whether he did
+      so or the officers were moved by spontaneous commiseration, we knew not,
+      but in half an hour a servant beckoned us into the cabin, and berths were
+      given us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I turned in with a feeling of relief not easily imagined, and forgave the
+      fleas willingly, in the comfort of a shelter from the storm. When I awoke,
+      it was broad day. A fresh breeze was drying the deck, and the sun was
+      half-visible among breaking clouds. We had just passed the Isle of the
+      Titan, one of the <i>Isles des Hyères</i>, and the bay of Toulon opened on
+      our right. It was a rugged, rocky coast, but the hills of sunny Provence
+      rose beyond. The sailor came up with a smile of satisfaction on his rough
+      countenance, and said: "You did sleep better, I think; I did tell them
+      all!" coupling his assertion with a round curse on the officers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We ran along, beside the brown, bare crags till nearly noon, when we
+      reached the eastern point of the Bay of Marseilles. A group of small
+      islands, formed of bare rocks, rising in precipices three or four hundred
+      feet high, guards the point; on turning into the Gulf, we saw on the left
+      the rocky islands of Pomegues, and If, with the castle crowning the
+      latter, in which Mirabeau was confined. The ranges of hills which rose
+      around the great bay, were spotted and sprinkled over with thousands of
+      the country cottages of the Marseilles merchants, called <i>Bastides</i>;
+      the city itself was hidden from view. We saw apparently the whole bay, but
+      there was no crowd of vessels, such as would befit a great sea-port; a few
+      spires peeping over a hill, with some fortifications, were all that was
+      visible. At length we turned suddenly aside and entered a narrow strait,
+      between two forts. Immediately a broad harbor opened before us, locked in
+      the very heart of the hills on which the city stands. It was covered with
+      vessels of all nations; on leaving the boat, we rowed past the
+      "Aristides," bearing the blue cross of Greece, and I searched eagerly and
+      found, among the crowded masts, the starry banner of America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have rambled through all the principal parts of Marseilles, and am very
+      favorably impressed with its appearance. Its cleanliness and the air of
+      life and business which marks the streets, are the more pleasant after
+      coming from the dirty and depopulated Italian cities. The broad avenues,
+      lined with trees, which traverse its whole length, must be delightful in
+      summer. I am often reminded, by its spacious and crowded thoroughfares, of
+      our American cities. Although founded by the Phoceans, three thousand
+      years ago, it has scarcely an edifice of greater antiquity than three or
+      four centuries, and the tourist must content himself with wandering
+      through the narrow streets of the old town, observing the Provençal
+      costumes, or strolling among Turks and Moors on the <i>Quai d'Orléans</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have been detained here a day longer than was necessary, owing to some
+      misunderstanding about the passports. This has not been favorable to our
+      reduced circumstances, for we have, now but twenty francs each, left, to
+      take us to Paris. Our boots, too, after serving us so long, begin to show
+      signs of failing in this hour of adversity. Although we are somewhat
+      accustomed to such circumstances, I cannot help shrinking when I think of
+      the solitary napoleon and the five hundred miles to be passed. Perhaps,
+      however, the coin will do as much as its great namesake, and achieve for
+      us a Marengo in the war with fate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0043" id="link2HCH0043"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIII. &mdash; PILGRIMAGE TO VAUCLUSE AND JOURNEY UP THE RHONE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We left Marseilles about nine o'clock, on a dull, rainy morning, for
+      Avignon and the Rhone, intending to take in our way the glen of Vaucluse.
+      The dirty <i>faubourgs</i> stretch out along the road for a great
+      distance, and we trudged through them, past foundries, furnaces and
+      manufactories, considerably disheartened with the prospect. We wound among
+      the bleak stony hills, continually ascending, for nearly three hours.
+      Great numbers of cabarets, frequented by the common people, lined the
+      roads, and we met continually trains of heavy laden wagons, drawn by large
+      mules. The country is very wild and barren, and would have been tiresome,
+      except for the pine groves with their beautiful green foliage. We got
+      something to eat with difficulty at an inn, for the people spoke nothing
+      but the Provençal dialect, and the place was so cold and cheerless we were
+      glad to go out again into the storm. It mattered little to us, that we
+      heard the language in which the gay troubadours of king René sung their
+      songs of love. We thought more of our dripping clothes and numb, cold
+      limbs, and would have been glad to hear instead, the strong, hearty German
+      tongue, full of warmth and kindly sympathy for the stranger. The wind
+      swept drearily among the hills; black, gusty clouds covered the sky, and
+      the incessant rain filled the road with muddy pools. We looked at the
+      country chateaux, so comfortable in the midst of their sheltering poplars,
+      with a sigh, and thought of homes afar off, whose doors were never closed
+      to <i>us</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was all forgotten, when we reached Aix, and the hostess of the Café
+      d'Afrique filled her little stove with fresh coal, and hung our wet
+      garments around it, while her daughter, a pale-faced, crippled child,
+      smiled kindly on us and tried to talk with us in French. Putting on our
+      damp, heavy coats again, B&mdash;&mdash; and I rambled through the
+      streets, while our frugal supper was preparing. We saw the statue of the
+      <i>Bon Roi René</i>, who held at Aix his court of shepherds and
+      troubadours&mdash;the dark Cathedral of St. Saveur&mdash;the ancient walls
+      and battlements, and gazed down the valley at the dark, precipitous mass
+      of Mont St. Victor, at whose base Marius obtained a splendid victory over
+      the barbarians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After leaving next morning, we saw at some distance to the south, the
+      enormous aqueduct now being erected for the canal from the Rhone to
+      Marseilles. The shallow, elevated valleys we passed in the forenoon's walk
+      were stony and barren, but covered with large orchards of almond trees,
+      the fruit of which forms a considerable article of export. This district
+      borders on the desert of the Crau, a vast plain of stones, reaching to the
+      mouth of the Rhone and almost entirely uninhabited. We caught occasional
+      glimpses of its sea-like waste, between the summits of the hills. At
+      length, after threading a high ascent, we saw the valley of the Durance
+      suddenly below us. The sun, breaking through the clouds, shone on the
+      mountain wall, which stood on the opposite side, touching with his glow
+      the bare and rocky precipices that frowned far above the stream.
+      Descending to the valley, we followed its course towards the Rhone, with
+      the ruins of feudal bourgs crowning the crags above us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was dusk, when we reached the village of Senas, tired with the day's
+      march. A landlord, standing in his door, on the lookout for customers,
+      invited us to enter, in a manner so polite and pressing, we could not
+      choose but do so. This is a universal custom with the country innkeepers.
+      In a little village which we passed towards evening, there was a tavern,
+      with the sign: "<i>The Mother of Soldiers</i>." A portly woman, whose face
+      beamed with kindness and cheerfulness, stood in the door and invited us to
+      stop there for the night. "No, mother!" I answered; "we must go much
+      further to-day." "Go, then," said she, "with good luck, my children! a
+      pleasant journey!" On entering the inn at Senas, two or three bronzed
+      soldiers were sitting by the table. My French vocabulary happening to give
+      out in the middle of a consultation about eggs and onion-soup, one of them
+      came to my assistance and addressed me in German. He was from Fulda, in
+      Hesse Cassel, and had served fifteen years in Africa. Two other young
+      soldiers, from the western border of Germany, came during the evening, and
+      one of them being partly intoxicated, created such a tumult, that a
+      quarrel arose, which ended in his being beaten and turned out of the
+      house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We met, every day, large numbers of recruits in companies of one or two
+      hundred, on their way to Marseilles to embark for Algiers. They were
+      mostly youths, from sixteen to twenty years of age, and seemed little to
+      forebode their probable fate. In looking on their fresh, healthy faces and
+      bounding forms, I saw also a dim and ghastly vision of bones whitening on
+      the desert, of men perishing with heat and fever, or stricken down by the
+      aim of the savage Bedouin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving next morning at day-break, we walked on before breakfast to Orgon,
+      a little village in a corner of the cliffs which border the Durance, and
+      crossed the muddy river by a suspension bridge a short distance below, to
+      Cavaillon, where the country people were holding a great market. From this
+      place a road led across the meadow-land to L'Isle, six miles distant. This
+      little town is so named, because it is situated on an island formed by the
+      crystal Sorgues, which flows from the fountains of Vaucluse. It is a very
+      picturesque and pretty place. Great mill-wheels, turning slowly and
+      constantly, stand at intervals in the stream, whose grassy banks are now
+      as green as in spring-time. We walked along the Sorgues, which is quite as
+      beautiful and worthy to be sung as the Clitumnus, to the end of the
+      village, to take the road to Vaucluse. Beside its banks stands a dirty,
+      modern "Hotel de Petrarque et Laure." Alas, that the names of the most
+      romantic and impassioned lovers of all history should be desecrated to a
+      sign-post to allure gormandizing tourists!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bare mountain in whose heart lies the poet's solitude, now rose before
+      us, at the foot of the lofty Mont Ventoux, whose summit of snows extended
+      beyond. We left the river, and walked over a barren plain, across which
+      the wind blew most drearily. The sky was rainy and dark, and completed the
+      desolateness of the scene, which in no wise heightened our anticipations
+      of the renowned glen. At length we rejoined the Sorgues and entered a
+      little green valley running up into the mountain. The narrowness of the
+      entrance entirely shut out the wind, and except the rolling of the waters
+      over their pebbly bed, all was still and lonely and beautiful. The sides
+      of the dell were covered with olive trees, and a narrow strip of emerald
+      meadow lay at the bottom. It grew more hidden and sequestered as we
+      approached the little village of Vaucluse. Here, the mountain towers far
+      above, and precipices of grey rock, many hundred feet high, hang over the
+      narrowing glen. On a crag over the village are the remains of a castle;
+      the slope below this, now rugged and stony, was once graced by the cottage
+      and garden of Petrarch. All traces of them have long since vanished, but a
+      simple column, bearing the inscription; "À PETRARQUE," stands beside the
+      Sorgues.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We ascended into the defile by a path among the rocks, overshadowed by
+      olive and wild fig trees, to the celebrated fountains of Vaucluse. The
+      glen seems as if struck into the mountain's depths by one blow of an
+      enchanter's wand; and just at the end, where the rod might have rested in
+      its downward sweep, is the fathomless well whose overbrimming fulness
+      gives birth to the Sorgues. We climbed up over the mossy rocks and sat
+      down in the grot, beside the dark, still pool. It was the most absolute
+      solitude. The rocks towered above and over us, to the height of six
+      hundred feet, and the gray walls of the wild glen below shut out all
+      appearance of life. I leaned over the rock and drank of the blue crystal
+      that grew gradually darker towards the centre, till it became a mirror,
+      and gave back a perfect reflection of the crags above it. There was no
+      bubbling&mdash;no gushing up from its deep bosom&mdash;but the wealth of
+      sparkling waters continually welled over, as from a too-full goblet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was with actual sorrow that I turned away from the silent spot. I never
+      visited a place to which the fancy clung more suddenly and fondly. There
+      is something holy in its solitude, making one envy Petrarch the years of
+      calm and unsullied enjoyment which blessed him there. As some persons,
+      whom we pass as strangers, strike a hidden chord in our spirits,
+      compelling a silent sympathy with them, so some landscapes have a
+      character of beauty which harmonizes thrillingly with the mood in which we
+      look upon them, till we forget admiration in the glow of spontaneous
+      attachment. They seem like abodes of the Beautiful, which the soul in its
+      wanderings long ago visited, and now recognizes and loves as the home of a
+      forgotten dream. It was thus I felt by the fountains of Vaucluse; sadly
+      and with weary steps I turned away, leaving its loneliness unbroken as
+      before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We returned over the plain in the wind, under the gloomy sky, passed
+      L'Isle at dusk, and after walking an hour with a rain following close
+      behind us, stopped at an <i>auberge</i> in Le Thor, where we rested our
+      tired frames and broke our long day's fasting. We were greeted in the
+      morning with a dismal rain and wet roads, as we began the march. After a
+      time, however, it poured down in such torrents, that we were obliged to
+      take shelter in a <i>remise</i> by the road, side, where a good woman, who
+      addressed us in the unintelligible Provençal, kindled up a blazing fire.
+      On climbing a long hill, when the storm had abated, we experienced a
+      delightful surprise. Below us lay the broad valley of the Rhone, with its
+      meadows looking fresh and spring-like after the rain. The clouds were
+      breaking away; clear blue sky was visible over Avignon, and a belt of
+      sunlight lay warmly along the mountains of Languedoc. Many villages, with
+      their tall, picturesque towers, dotted the landscape, and the groves of
+      green olive enlivened the barrenness of winter. Two or three hours' walk
+      over the plain, by a road fringed with willows, brought us to the gates of
+      Avignon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We walked around its picturesque turreted wall, and rambled through its
+      narrow streets, washed here and there by streams which turn the old
+      mill-wheels lazily around. We climbed up to the massive palace, which
+      overlooks the city from its craggy seat, attesting the splendor it
+      enjoyed, when for thirty years the Papal Court was held there, and the
+      gray, weather-beaten, irregular building, resembling a pile of precipitous
+      rocks, echoed with the revels of licentious prelates. We could not enter
+      to learn the terrible secrets of the Inquisition, here unveiled, but we
+      looked up at the tower, from which the captive Rienzi was liberated at the
+      intercession of Petrarch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After leaving Avignon, we took the road up the Rhone for Lyons, turning
+      our backs upon the <i>rainy</i> south. We reached the village of Sorgues
+      by dusk, and accepted the invitation of an old dame to lodge at her <i>inn</i>,
+      which proved to be a <i>blacksmith's shop</i>! It was nevertheless clean
+      and comfortable, and we sat down in one corner, out of the reach of the
+      showers of sparks, which flew hissing from a red-hot horseshoe, that the
+      smith and his apprentice were hammering. A Piedmontese pedlar, who carried
+      the "Song of the Holy St. Philomène" to sell among the peasants, came in
+      directly, and bargained for a sleep on some hay, for two sous. For a bed
+      in the loft over the shop, we were charged five sous each, which, with
+      seven sous for supper, made our expenses for the night about eleven cents!
+      Our circumstances demanded the greatest economy, and we began to fear
+      whether even this spare allowance would enable us to reach Lyons. Owing to
+      a day's delay in Marseilles, we had left that city with but fifteen francs
+      each; the incessant storms of winter and the worn-out state of our shoes,
+      which were no longer proof against water or mud, prolonged our journey
+      considerably, so that by starting before dawn and walking till dark, we
+      were only able to make thirty miles a day. We could always procure beds
+      for five sous, and as in the country inns one is only charged for what he
+      chooses to order, our frugal suppers cost us but little. We purchased
+      bread and cheese in the villages, and made our breakfasts and dinners on a
+      bank by the roadside, or climbed the rocks and sat down by the source of
+      some trickling rill. This simple fare had an excellent relish, and
+      although we walked in wet clothes from morning till night, often laying
+      down on the damp, cold earth to rest, our health was never affected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is worth all the toil and privation we have as yet undergone, to gain,
+      from actual experience, the blessed knowledge that man always retains a
+      kindness and brotherly sympathy towards his fellow&mdash;that under all
+      the weight of vice and misery which a grinding oppression of soul and body
+      brings on the laborers of earth, there still remain many bright tokens of
+      a better nature. Among the starving mountaineers of the Hartz&mdash;the
+      degraded peasantry of Bohemia&mdash;the savage <i>contadini</i> of Central
+      Italy, or the dwellers on the hills of Provence and beside the swift
+      Rhone, we almost invariably found kind, honest hearts, and an aspiration
+      for something better, betokening the consciousness that such brute-like,
+      obedient existence was not their proper destiny. We found few so hardened
+      as to be insensible to a kind look or a friendly word, and nothing made us
+      forget we were among strangers so much as the many tokens of sympathy
+      which met us when least looked for. A young Englishman, who had traveled
+      on foot from Geneva to Rome, enduring many privations on account of his
+      reduced circumstances, said to me, while speaking on this subject: "A
+      single word of kindness from a stranger would make my heart warm and my
+      spirits cheerful, for days afterwards." There is not so much evil in man
+      as men would have us believe; and it is a happy comfort to know and feel
+      this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving our little inn before day break next morning, we crossed the
+      Sorgues, grown muddy since its infancy at Vaucluse, like many a young
+      soul, whose mountain purity goes out into the soiling world and becomes
+      sullied forever. The road passed over broad, barren ranges of hills, and
+      the landscape was destitute of all interest, till we approached Orange.
+      This city is built at the foot of a rocky height, a great square
+      projection of which seemed to stand in its midst. As we approached nearer,
+      however, arches and lines of cornice could be discerned, and we recognized
+      it as the celebrated amphitheatre, one of the grandest Roman relics in the
+      south of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I stood at the foot of this great fabric, and gazed up at it in
+      astonishment. The exterior wall, three hundred and thirty-four feet in
+      length, and rising to the height of one hundred and twenty-one feet, is
+      still in excellent, preservation, and through its rows of solid arches one
+      looks on the broken ranges of seats within. On the crag above, and looking
+      as if about to topple down on it, is a massive fragment of the fortress of
+      the Princes of Orange, razed by Louis XIV. Passing through the city, we
+      came to the beautiful Roman triumphal arch, which to my eye is a finer
+      structure than that of Constantino at Rome. It is built of a rich yellow
+      marble and highly ornamented with sculptured trophies. From the barbaric
+      shields and the letters MARIO, still remaining, it has been supposed to
+      commemorate the victory of Marius over the barbarians, near Aix. A frieze,
+      running along the top, on each side, shows, although broken and much
+      defaced by the weather, the life and action which once marked the
+      struggling figures. These Roman ruins, scattered through Provence and
+      Languedoc, though inferior in historical interest, equal in architectural
+      beauty the greater part of those in the Eternal City itself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The rest of the day the road was monotonous, though varied somewhat by the
+      tall crags of Mornas and Mont-dragon, towering over the villages of the
+      same name. Night came on as the rock of Pierrelatte, at whose foot we were
+      to sleep, appeared in the distance, rising like a Gibraltar from the
+      plain, and we only reached it in time to escape the rain that came down
+      the valley of the Rhone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next day we passed several companies of soldiers on their way to Africa.
+      One of them was accompanied by a young girl, apparently the wife of the
+      recruit by whose side she was marching. She wore the tight blue jacket of
+      the troop, and a red skirt, reaching to the knees, over her soldier
+      pantaloons; while her pretty face showed to advantage beneath a small
+      military cap. It was a "Fille du Regiment" in real life. Near Montelimart,
+      we lost sight of Mont Ventoux, whose gleaming white crest had been visible
+      all the way from Vaucluse, and passed along the base of a range of hills
+      running near to the river. So went our march, without particular incident,
+      till we bivouacked for the night among a company of soldiers in the little
+      village of Loriol.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving at six o'clock, wakened by the trumpets which called up the
+      soldiery to their day's march, we reached the river Drome at dawn, and
+      from the bridge over its rapid current, gazed at the dim, ash-colored
+      masses of the Alps of Dauphiné, piled along the sky, far up the valley.
+      The coming of morn threw a yellow glow along their snowy sides, and
+      lighted up, here and there, a flashing glacier. The peasantry were already
+      up and at work, and caravans of pack-wagons rumbled along in the morning
+      twilight We trudged on with them, and by breakfast-time had made some
+      distance of the way to Valence. The road, which does not approach the
+      Rhone, is devoid of interest and tiresome, though under a summer sky, when
+      the bare vine-hills are latticed over with green, and the fruit-trees
+      covered with blossoms and foliage, it might be a scene of great beauty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Valence, which we reached towards noon, is a commonplace city on the
+      Rhone; and my only reasons for traversing its dirty streets in preference
+      to taking the road, which passes without the walls, were&mdash;to get
+      something for dinner, and because it <i>might</i> have been the
+      birth-place of Aymer de Valence, the valorous Crusader, chronicled in
+      "Ivanhoe," whose tomb I had seen in Westminster Abbey. One of the streets
+      which was marked "<i>Rue Bayard</i>," shows that my valiant namesake&mdash;the
+      knight without fear and reproach&mdash;is still remembered in his native
+      province. The ruins of his chateau are still standing among the Alps near
+      Grenoble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the afternoon we crossed the Isère, a swift, muddy river, which rises
+      among the Alps of Dauphiné, We saw their icy range, among which is the
+      desert solitude of the Grand Chartreuse, far up the valley; but the thick
+      atmosphere hid the mighty Mont Blanc, whose cloudy outline, eighty miles
+      distant in a "bee line," is visible in fair weather. At Tain, we came upon
+      the Rhone again, and walked along the base of the hills which contract its
+      current. Here, I should call it beautiful. The scenery has a wildness that
+      approaches to that of the Rhine. Rocky, castellated heights frown over the
+      rushing waters, which have something of the majesty of their "exulting and
+      abounding" rival. Winding around the curving hills, the scene is
+      constantly varied, and the little willowed islets clasped in the embrace
+      of the stream, mingle a trait of softened beauty with its sterner
+      character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After passing the night at a village on its banks, we left it again at St.
+      Vallier, the next morning. At sunset, the spires of Vienne were visible,
+      and the lofty Mont Pilas, the snows of whose riven summits feed the
+      springs of the Loire on its western side, stretched majestically along the
+      opposite bank of the Rhone. In a meadow, near Vienne, stands a curious
+      Roman obelisk, seventy-six feet in height. The base is composed of four
+      pillars, connected by arches, and the whole structure has a barbaric air,
+      compared with the more elegant monuments of Orange and Nismes. Vienne,
+      which is mentioned by several of the Roman historians under its present
+      name, was the capital of the Allobroges, and I looked upon it with a new
+      and strange interest, on calling to mind my school-boy days, when I had
+      become familiar with that war-like race, in toiling over the pages of
+      Cæsar. We walked in the mud and darkness for what seemed a great distance,
+      and finally took shelter in a little inn at the northern end of the city.
+      Two Belgian soldiers, coming from Africa, were already quartered there,
+      and we listened to their tales of the Arab and the desert, while supper
+      was preparing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The morning of the 25th was dull and rainy; the road, very muddy and
+      unpleasant, led over the hills, avoiding the westward curve of the Rhone,
+      directly towards Lyons. About noon, we came in sight of the broad valley
+      in which the Rhone first clasps his Burgundian bride&mdash;the Saone, and
+      a cloud of impenetrable coal-smoke showed us the location of Lyons. A
+      nearer approach revealed a large flat dome, and some ranges of tall
+      buildings near the river. We soon entered the suburb of La Guillotière,
+      which has sprung up on the eastern bank of the Rhone. Notwithstanding our
+      clothes were like sponges, our boots entirely worn out, and our bodies
+      somewhat thin with nine days exposure to the wintry storms in walking two
+      hundred and forty miles, we entered Lyons with suspense and anxiety. But
+      one franc apiece remained out of the fifteen with which we left
+      Marseilles. B&mdash;&mdash; wrote home some time ago, directing a
+      remittance to be forwarded to a merchant at Paris, to whom he had a letter
+      of introduction, and in the hope that this had arrived, he determined to
+      enclose the letter in a note, stating our circumstances, and requesting
+      him to forward a part of the remittance to Lyons. We had then to wait at
+      least four days; people are suspicious and mistrustful in cities, and if
+      no relief should come, what was to be done?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After wading through the mud of the suburbs, we chose a common-looking inn
+      near the river, as the comfort of our stay depended wholly on the kindness
+      of our hosts, and we hoped to find more sympathy among the laboring
+      classes. We engaged lodgings for four or five days; after dinner the
+      letter was dispatched, and we wandered about through the dark, dirty city
+      until night. Our landlord, Monsieur Ferrand, was a rough, vigorous man,
+      with a gloomy, discontented expression; his words were few and blunt; but
+      a certain restlessness of manner, and a secret flashing of his cold,
+      forbidding eye betrayed to me some strong hidden excitement. Madame
+      Ferrand was kind and talkative, though passionate; but the appearance of
+      the place gave me an unfavorable impression, which was heightened by the
+      thought that it was now impossible to change our lodgings until relief
+      should arrive. When bed-time came, a ladder was placed against a sort of
+      high platform along one side of the kitchen; we mounted and found a bed,
+      concealed from the view of those below by a dusty muslin curtain. We lay
+      there, between heaven and earth&mdash;the dirty earth of the brick floor
+      and the sooty heaven of the ceiling&mdash;listening until midnight to the
+      boisterous songs, and loud, angry disputes in the room adjoining. Thus
+      ended our first day in Lyons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Five weary days, each of them containing a month of torturing suspense,
+      have since passed. Our lodging-place grew so unpleasant that we preferred
+      wandering all day through the misty, muddy, smoky streets, taking refuge
+      in the covered bazaars when it rained heavily. The gloom of every thing
+      around us, entirely smothered down the lightness of heart which made us
+      laugh over our embarrassments at Vienna. When at evening, the dull, leaden
+      hue of the clouds seemed to make the air dark and cold and heavy, we
+      walked beside the swollen and turbid Rhone, under an avenue of leafless
+      trees, the damp soil chilling our feet and striking a numbness through our
+      frames, and <i>then</i> I knew what those must feel who have <i>no</i>
+      hope in their destitution, and not a friend in all the great world, who is
+      not wretched as themselves. I prize the lesson, though the price of it is
+      hard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "This morning," I said to B&mdash;&mdash;, "will terminate our suspense."
+      I felt cheerful in spite of myself; and this was like a presentiment of
+      coming good luck. To pass the time till the mail arrived we climbed to the
+      chapel of <i>Fourvières</i>, whose walls are covered with votive offerings
+      to a miraculous picture of the Virgin. But at the precise hour we were at
+      the Post Office. What an intensity of suspense can be felt in that minute,
+      while the clerk is looking over the letters! And what a lightning-like
+      shock of joy when it <i>did</i> come, and was opened with eager, trembling
+      hands, revealing the relief we had almost despaired of! The city did not
+      seem less gloomy, for that was impossible, but the faces of the crowd
+      which had appeared cold and suspicious, were now kind and cheerful. we
+      came home to our lodgings with changed feelings, and Madame Ferrand must
+      have seen the joy in our faces, for she greeted us with an unusual smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We leave to-morrow morning for Chalons. I do not feel disposed to describe
+      Lyons particularly, although I have become intimately acquainted with
+      every part of it, from <i>Presqu' isle Perrache to Croix Rousse</i>. I
+      know the contents of every shop in the Bazaar, and the passage of the
+      Hotel Dieu&mdash;the title of every volume in the bookstores in the Place
+      Belcour&mdash;and the countenance of every boot-block and apple-woman on
+      the Quais on both sides of the river. I have walked up the Saone to <i>Pierre
+      Seise</i>&mdash;down the Rhone to his muddy marriage&mdash;climbed the
+      Heights of <i>Fourvières</i>, and promenaded in the <i>Cours Napoleon</i>!
+      Why, men have been presented with the freedom of cities, when they have
+      had far less cause for such an honor than this!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0044" id="link2HCH0044"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIV. &mdash; TRAVELING IN BURGUNDY&mdash;THE MISERIES OF A
+      COUNTRY DILIGENCE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <i>Paris, Feb. 6, 1840.</i>&mdash;Every letter of the date is traced with
+      an emotion of joy, for our dreary journey is over. There was a magic in
+      the name that revived us during a long journey, and now the thought that
+      it is all over&mdash;that these walls which enclose us, stand in the heart
+      of the gay city&mdash;seems almost too joyful to be true. Yesterday I
+      marked with the whitest chalk, on the blackest of all tablets to make the
+      contrast greater, for I got out of the cramped diligence at the Barrière
+      de Charenton, and saw before me in the morning twilight, the immense groy
+      mass of Paris. I forgot my numbed and stiffened frame, and every other of
+      the thousand disagreeable feelings of diligence traveling, in the pleasure
+      which that sight afforded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We arose in the dark at Lyons, and after bidding adieu to morose Monsieur
+      Ferrand, traversed the silent city and found our way in the mist and gloom
+      to the steamboat landing on the Saone. The waters were swollen much above
+      their usual level, which was favorable for the boat, as long as there was
+      room enough left to pass under the bridges. After a great deal of bustle
+      we got under way, and were dashing out of Lyons, against the swift
+      current, before day-break. We passed <i>L'Isle Barbe</i>, once a favorite
+      residence of Charlemagne, and now the haunt of the Lyonnaise on summer
+      holidays, and going under the suspension bridges with levelled chimneys,
+      entered the picturesque hills above, which are covered with vineyards
+      nearly to the top; the villages scattered over them have those square,
+      pointed towers, which give such a quaintness to French country scenery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The stream being very high, the meadows on both sides were deeply
+      overflowed. To avoid the strong current in the centre, our boat ran along
+      the banks, pushing aside the alder thickets and poplar shoots; in passing
+      the bridges, the pipes were always brought down flat on the deck. A little
+      after noon, we passed the large town of Macon, the birth-place of the poet
+      Lamartine. The valley of the Saone, no longer enclosed among the hills,
+      spread out to several miles in width. Along the west lay in sunshine the
+      vine-mountains of Côte d'Or, and among the dark clouds in the eastern sky,
+      we could barely distinguish the outline of the Jura. The waters were so
+      much swollen as to cover the plain for two or three miles. We seemed to be
+      sailing down a lake, with rows of trees springing up out of the water, and
+      houses and villages lying like islands on its surface. A sunset that
+      promised better weather tinged the broad brown flood, as Chalons came in
+      sight, looking like a city built along the shore of a lake. We squeezed
+      through the crowd of porters and diligence men, declining their kind
+      offers, and hunted quarters to suit ourselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We left Chalons on the morning of the 1st, in high spirits at the thought
+      that there were but little more than two hundred miles between us and
+      Paris. In walking over the cold, muddy plain, we passed a family of
+      strolling musicians, who were sitting on a heap of stones by the roadside.
+      An ill-dressed, ill-natured man and woman, each carrying a violin, and a
+      thin, squalid girl, with a tamborine, composed the group. Their faces bore
+      that unfeeling stamp, which springs from depravity and degradation. When
+      we had walked somewhat more than a mile, we overtook a little girl, who
+      was crying bitterly. By her features, from which the fresh beauty of
+      childhood had not been worn, and the steel triangle which was tied to her
+      belt, we knew she belonged to the family we had passed. Her dress was thin
+      and ragged and a pair of wooden shoes but ill protected her feet from the
+      sharp cold. I stopped and asked her why she cried, but she did not at
+      first answer. However, by questioning, I found her unfeeling parents had
+      sent her on without food; she was sobbing with hunger and cold. Our
+      pockets were full of bread and cheese which we had bought for breakfast,
+      and we gave her half a loaf, which stopped her tears at once. She looked
+      up and thanked us, smiling; and sitting down on a bank, began to eat as if
+      half famished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The physiognomy of this region is very singular. It appears as if the
+      country had been originally a vast elevated plain, and some great power
+      had <i>scooped</i> out, as with a hand, deep circular valleys all over its
+      surface. In winding along the high ridges, we often looked down, on either
+      side, into such hollows, several miles in diameter, and sometimes entirely
+      covered with vineyards. At La Rochepot, a quaint, antique village, lying
+      in the bottom of one of these dells, we saw the finest ruin of the middle
+      ages that I have met with in France. An American lady had spoken to me of
+      it in Rome, and I believe Willis mentions it in his "Pencillings," but it
+      is not described in the guide books, nor could we learn what feudal lord
+      had ever dwelt in its halls. It covers the summit of a stately rock, at
+      whose foot the village is crouched, and the green ivy climbs up to the
+      very top of its gray towers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the road makes a wide curve around the side of the hill, we descended
+      to the village by the nearer foot-path, and passed among its low, old
+      houses, with their pointed gables and mossy roofs. The path led close
+      along the foot of the rock, and we climbed up to the ruin, and stood in
+      its grass-grown courtyard. Only the outer walls and the round towers at
+      each corner are left remaining; the inner part has been razed to the
+      ground, and where proud barons once marshalled their vassals, the
+      villagers now play their holiday games. On one side, several Gothic
+      windows are left standing, perfect, though of simple construction, and in
+      the towers we saw many fire-places and door-ways of richly cut stone,
+      which looked as fresh as if just erected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed the night at Ivry (not the Ivry which gained Henri Quatre his
+      kingdom) and then continued our march over roads which I can only compare
+      to our country roads in America during the spring thaw. In addition to
+      this, the rain commenced early in the morning and continued all day, so
+      that we were completely wet the whole time. The plains, too high and cold
+      to produce wine, were varied by forests of beech and oak, and the
+      population was thinly scattered over them in small villages. Travelers
+      generally complain very much of the monotony of this part of France, and,
+      with such dreary weather, we could not disagree with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the day wore on, the rain increased, and the sky put on that dull, gray
+      cast, which denotes a lengthened storm. We were fain to stop at nightfall,
+      but there was no inn near at hand&mdash;not even a hovel of a <i>cabaret</i>
+      in which to shelter ourselves, and, on enquiring of the wagoners, we
+      received the comforting assurance that there was yet a league and a half
+      to the nearest stopping place. On, then, we went, with the pitiless storm
+      beating in our faces and on our breasts, till there was not a dry spot
+      left, except what our knapsacks covered. We could not have been more
+      completely saturated if we had been dipped in the Yonne. At length, after
+      two hours of slipping and sliding along in the mud and wet and darkness,
+      we reached Saulieu, and, by the warm fire, thanked our stars that the
+      day's dismal tramp was over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By good or bad luck (I have not yet decided which) a vehicle was to start
+      the next morning for Auxerre, distant sixty miles, and the fare being but
+      five francs, we thought it wisest to take places. It was always with
+      reluctance that we departed from our usual mode of traveling, but, in the
+      present instance, the circumstances absolutely compelled it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning, at sunrise, we took our seats in a large, square vehicle on
+      two wheels, calculated for six persons and a driver, with a single horse.
+      But, as he was fat and round as an elephant, and started off at a brisk
+      pace, and we were well protected from the rain, it was not so bad after
+      all, barring the jolts and jarred vertebræ. We drove on, over the same
+      dreary expanse of plain and forest, passing through two or three towns in
+      the course of the day, and by evening had made somewhat more than half our
+      journey. Owing to the slowness of our fresh horse, we were jolted about
+      the whole night, and did not arrive at Auxerre until six o'clock in the
+      morning. After waiting an hour in a hotel beside the rushing Yonne, a
+      lumbering diligence was got ready, and we were given places to Paris for
+      seven francs. As the distance is one hundred and ten miles, this would be
+      considered cheap, but I should not want to travel it again and be paid for
+      doing so. Twelve persons were packed into a box not large enough for a
+      cow, and no cabinet-maker ever dove-tailed the corners of his bureaus
+      tighter than we did our knees and nether extremities. It is my lot to be
+      blessed with abundance of stature, and none but tall persons can
+      appreciate the misery of sitting for hours with their joints in an
+      immovable vice. The closeness of the atmosphere&mdash;for the passengers
+      would not permit the windows to be opened for fear of taking cold&mdash;combined
+      with loss of sleep, made me so drowsy that my head was continually falling
+      on my next neighbor, who, being a heavy country lady, thrust it
+      indignantly away. I would then try my best to keep it up awhile, but it
+      would droop gradually, till the crash of a bonnet or a smart bump against
+      some other head would recall me, for a moment, to consciousness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We passed Joigny, on the Yonne, Sens, with its glorious old cathedral, and
+      at dusk reached Montercau, on the Seine. This was the scene of one of
+      Napoleon's best victories, on his return from Elba. In driving over the
+      bridge, I looked down on the swift and swollen current, and hoped that its
+      hue might never be darkened again so fearfully as the last sixty years
+      have witnessed. No river in Europe has such an association connected with
+      it. We think of the Danube, for its majesty, of the Rhine, for its wild
+      beauty, but of the Seine&mdash;for its blood!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In coming thus to the last famed stream I shall visit in Europe, I might
+      say, with Barry Cornwall:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "We've sailed through banks of green,
+      Where the wild waves fret and quiver;
+    And we've down the Danube been&mdash;
+      The dark, deep, thundering river!
+    We've thridded the Elbe and Rhone,
+      The Tiber and blood dyed Seine,
+    And we've been where the blue Garonne
+      Goes laughing to meet the main!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      All that night did we endure squeezing and suffocation, and no morn was
+      ever more welcome than that which revealed to us Paris. With matted hair,
+      wild, glaring eyes, and dusty and dishevelled habiliments, we entered the
+      gay capital, and blessed every stone upon which we placed our feet, in the
+      fulness of our joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In paying our fare at Auxerre, I was obliged to use a draft on the banker,
+      Rougemont de Lowenberg. The ignorant conductor hesitated to change this,
+      but permitted us to go, on condition of keeping it until we should arrive.
+      Therefore, on getting out of the diligence, after forty-eight hours of
+      sleepless and fasting misery, the <i>facteur</i> of the office went with
+      me to get it paid, leaving B&mdash;&mdash; to wait for us. I knew nothing
+      of Paris, and this merciless man kept me for three hours at his heels,
+      following him on all <i>his</i> errands, before he did mine, in that time
+      traversing the whole length of the city, in order to leave a <i>chèvre-feuille</i>
+      at an aristocratic residence in the Faubourg St. Germain. Yet even
+      combined weariness and hunger could not prevent me from looking with vivid
+      interest down a long avenue, at the Column of the place Vendôme, in
+      passing, and gazing up in wonder at the splendid portico of the Madeleine.
+      But of anything else I have a very faint remembrance. "You can eat
+      breakfast, now, I think," said he, when we returned, "we have walked more
+      than four leagues!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I know we will be excused, that, instead of hurrying away to Notre Dame or
+      the Louvre, we sat down quietly to a most complete breakfast. Even the
+      most romantic must be forced to confess that admiration does not sit well
+      on an empty stomach. Our first walk was to a bath, and then, with
+      complexions several shades lighter, and limbs that felt us if lifted by
+      invisible wings, we hurried away to the Post Office. I seized the welcome
+      missives from my far home, with a beating heart, and hastening back, read
+      till the words became indistinct in the twilight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0045" id="link2HCH0045"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLV. &mdash; POETICAL SCENES IN PARIS.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      What a gay little world in miniature this is! I wonder not that the
+      French, with their exuberant gaiety of spirit, should revel in its
+      ceaseless tides of pleasure, as if it were an earthly Elysium. I feel
+      already the influence of its cheerful atmosphere, and have rarely threaded
+      the crowds of a stranger city, with so light a heart as I do now daily, on
+      the thronged banks of the Seine. And yet it would be difficult to describe
+      wherein consists this agreeable peculiarity. You can find streets as dark
+      and crooked and dirty anywhere in Germany, and squares and gardens as gay
+      and sunny beyond the Alps, and yet they would affect you far differently.
+      You could not, as here, divest yourself of every particle of sad or
+      serious thought and be content to gaze for hours on the showy scene,
+      without an idea beyond the present moment. It must be that the spirit of
+      the croud is <i>magnetically</i> contagious.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The evening of our arrival we walked out past the massive and stately <i>Hotel
+      de Ville</i>, and took a promenade along the Quais. The shops facing the
+      river presented a scene of great splendor. Several of the Quais on the
+      north bank of the Seine are occupied almost entirely by jewellers, the
+      windows of whose shops, arranged in a style of the greatest taste, make a
+      dazzling display. Rows of gold watches and chains are arranged across the
+      crystal panes, and heaped in pyramids on long glass slabs; cylindrical
+      wheels of wire, hung with jewelled breastpins and earrings, turn slowly
+      around by some invisible agency, displaying row after row of their
+      glittering treasures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the centre of the Pont Neuf, we could see for a long distance up and
+      down the river. The different bridges traced on either side a dozen starry
+      lines through the dark air, and a continued blaze lighted the two shores
+      in their whole length, revealing the outline of the Isle da la Cité. I
+      recognized the Palaces of the Louvre and the Tuileries in the dusky mass
+      beyond. Eastward, looming against the dark sky, I could faintly trace the
+      black towers of Notre Dame, The rushing of the swift waters below mingled
+      with the rattling of a thousand carts and carriages, and the confusion of
+      a thousand voices, till it seemed like some grand nightly festival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I first saw Notre Dame by moonlight. The shadow of its stupendous front
+      was thrown directly towards me, hiding the innumerable lines of the
+      ornamental sculpture which cover its tall, square towers. I walked forward
+      until the interlacing, Moorish arches between them stood full against the
+      moon, and the light, struggling through the quaint openings of the
+      tracery, streamed in silver lines down into the shadow. The square before
+      it was quite deserted, for it stands on a lonely part of the Isle de la
+      Cité, and it looked thus far more majestic and solemn than in the glaring
+      daylight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The great quadrangle of the Tuileries encloses the Place du Carrousel, in
+      the centre of which stands a triumphal arch, erected by Napoleon after his
+      Italian victories. Standing in the middle of this arch, you look through
+      the open passage in the central building of the palace, into the Gardens
+      beyond. Further on, in a direct line, the middle avenue of the Gardens
+      extends away to the <i>Place de la Concorde</i>, where the Obelisk of
+      Luxor makes a perpendicular line through your vista; still further goes
+      the broad avenue through the Elysian Fields, until afar off, the Arc de
+      l'Etoile, <i>two miles distant</i>, closes this view through the palace
+      doorway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us go through it, and on, to the Place de la Concorde, reserving the
+      Gardens for another time. What is there in Europe&mdash;nay, in the world,&mdash;equal
+      to this? In the centre, the mighty obelisk of red granite pierces the sky,&mdash;on
+      either hand showers of silver spray are thrown up from splendid bronze
+      fountains&mdash;statues and pillars of gilded bronze sweep in a grand
+      circle around the square, and on each side magnificent vistas lead the eye
+      off, and combine the distant with the near, to complete this unparalleled
+      view! Eastward, beyond the tall trees in the garden of the Tuileries,
+      rises the long front of the Palace, with the tri-color floating above;
+      westward, in front of us, is the Forest of the Elysian Fields, with the
+      arch of triumph nearly a mile and a half distant, looking down from the
+      end of the avenue, at the Barriere de Neuilly. To the right and left are
+      the marble fronts of the Church of the Madeleine and the Chamber of
+      Deputies, the latter on the other side of the Seine. Thus the groves and
+      gardens of Paris&mdash;the palace of her kings&mdash;the proud monument of
+      her sons' glory&mdash;and the masterpieces of modern French architecture
+      are all embraced in this one splendid <i>coup d'oeil</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Following the motley multitude to the bridge, I crossed and made my way to
+      the Hotel des Invalides. Along the esplanade, playful companies of
+      children were running and tumbling in their sports over the green turf,
+      which was as fresh as a meadow; while, not the least interesting feature
+      of the scene, numbers of scarred and disabled veterans, in the livery of
+      the Hospital, basked in the sunshine, watching with quiet satisfaction the
+      gambols of the second generation they have seen arise. What tales could
+      they not tell, those wrinkled and feeble old men! What visions of Marengo
+      and Austerlitz and Borodino shift still with a fiery vividness through
+      their fading memories! Some may have left a limb on the Lybian desert; and
+      the sabre of the Cossack may have scarred the brows of others. They
+      witnessed the rising and setting of that great meteor, which intoxicated
+      France with such a blaze of power and glory, and now, when the
+      recollection of that wonderful period seems almost like a stormy dream,
+      they are left to guard the ashes of their ancient General, brought back
+      from his exile to rest in the bosom of his own French people. It was to me
+      a touching and exciting thing, to look on those whose eyes had witnessed
+      the filling up of such a fated leaf in the world's history.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Entrance is denied to the tomb of Napoleon until it is finished, which
+      will not be for three or four yours yet. I went, however, into the "Church
+      of the Banners"&mdash;a large chapel, hung with two or three hundred flags
+      taken by the armies of the Empire. The greater part of them were Austrian
+      and Russian. It appeared to be empty when I entered, but on looking
+      around, I saw an old gray-headed soldier kneeling at one side. His head
+      was bowed over his hands, and he seemed perfectly absorbed in his
+      thoughts. Perhaps the very tattered banners which hung down motionless
+      above his head, he might have assisted in conquering. I looked a moment on
+      those eloquent trophies, and then noiselessly withdrew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is at least one solemn spot near Paris; the laughing winds that come
+      up from the merry city sink into sighs under the cypress boughs of Pere
+      Lachaise. And yet it is not a gloomy place, but full of a serious beauty,
+      fitting for a city of the dead. I shall never forget the sunny afternoon
+      when I first entered its gate and walked slowly up the hill, between rows
+      of tombs, gleaming white amid the heavy foliage, while the green turf
+      around them was just beginning to be starred by the opening daisies, From
+      the little chapel on its summit I looked back at the blue spires of the
+      city, whose roar of life dwindled to a low murmur. Countless pyramids,
+      obelisks and urns, rising far and wide above the cedars and cypresses,
+      showed the extent of the splendid necropolis, which is inhabited by pale,
+      shrouded emigrants from its living sister below. The only sad part of the
+      view, was the slope of the hill alloted to the poor, where legions of
+      plain black crosses are drawn up into solid squares on its side and stand
+      alone gloomy&mdash;the advanced guard of the army of Death! I mused over
+      the tombs of Molière and La Fontaine; Massena, Mortier and Lefebre;
+      General Foy and Casimir Perier; and finally descended to the shrine where
+      Abelard reposes by the side of his Heloise. The old sculptured tomb,
+      brought away from the Paraclete, still covers their remains, and pious
+      hands (of lovers, perhaps,) keep fresh the wreaths of <i>immortelles</i>
+      above their marble effigies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the Theatre Français, I saw Rachel, the actress. She appeared in the
+      character of "Virginia," in a tragedy of that name, by the poet Latour.
+      Her appearance as she came upon the stage alone, convinced me she would
+      not belie her renown. She is rather small in stature, with dark, piercing
+      eyes and rich black hair; her lips are full, but delicately formed, and
+      her features have a marked yet flexible outline, which conveys the
+      minutest shades of expression. Her voice is clear, deep and thrilling, and
+      like sonic grand strain of music, there is power and meaning in its
+      slightest modulations. Her gestures embody the very spirit of the
+      character; she has so perfectly attained that rare harmony of thought,
+      sound and action, or rather, that unity of feeling which renders them
+      harmonious, that her acting seems the unstudied, irrepressible impulse of
+      her soul. With the first sentence she uttered, I forgot Rachel. I only saw
+      the innocent Roman girl; I awaited in suspense and with a powerful
+      sympathy, the developement of the oft-told tragedy. My blood grew warm
+      with indignation when the words of Appius roused her to anger, and I could
+      scarcely keep back my tears, when, with a voice broken by sobs, she bade
+      farewell to the protecting gods of her father's hearth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among the bewildering variety of ancient ornaments and implements in the
+      Egyptian Gallery of the Louvre, I saw an object of startling interest. A
+      fragment of the Iliad, written nearly three thousand years ago! One may
+      even dare to conjecture that the torn and half-mouldered slip of papyrus,
+      upon which he gazes, may have been taken down from the lips of the
+      immortal Chiun. The eyes look on those faded characters, and across the
+      great gulf of Time, the soul leaps into the Past, brought into shadowy
+      nearness by a mirage of the mind. There, as in the desert, images start
+      up, vivid, yet of a vague and dreamy beauty. We see the olive groves of
+      Greece&mdash;white-robed youths and maidens sit in the shade of swaying
+      boughs&mdash;and one of them reads aloud, in words that sound like the
+      clashing of shields, the deeds of Achilles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we step out the western portal of the Tuileries, a beautiful scene
+      greets us. We look on the palace garden, fragrant with flowers and classic
+      with bronze copies of ancient sculpture. Beyond this, broad gravel walks
+      divide the flower-bordered lawns and ranks of marble demigods and heroes
+      look down on the joyous crowd. Children troll their hoops along the
+      avenues or skip the rope under the clipped lindens, whose boughs are now
+      tinged a pale yellow by the bursting buds. The swans glide about on a pond
+      in the centre, begging bread of the bystanders, who watch a miniature ship
+      which the soft breeze carries steadily across. Paris is unseen, but <i>heard</i>,
+      on every side; only the Column of Luxor and the Arc de Triomphe rise blue
+      and grand above the top of the forest. What with the sound of voices, the
+      merry laughter of the children and a host of smiling faces, the scene
+      touches a happy chord in one's heart, and he mingles with it, lost in
+      pleasant reverie, till the sounds fade away with the fading light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just below the Baths of the Louvre, there are several floating barges
+      belonging to the washer-women, anchored at the foot of the great stone
+      staircase leading down to the water. They stand there day after day,
+      beating their clothes upon flat boards and rinsing them in the Seine. One
+      day there seemed to have been a wedding or some other cause of rejoicing
+      among them, for a large number of the youngest were talking in great glee
+      on one of the platforms of the staircase, while a handsome, German-looking
+      youth stood near, with a guitar slung around his neck. He struck up a
+      lively air, and the girls fell into a droll sort of a dance. They went at
+      it heavily and roughly enough, but made up in good humor what they lacked
+      in grace; the older members of the craft looked up from their work with
+      satisfaction and many shouts of applause wore sent down to them from the
+      spectators on the Quai and the Pont Neuf. Not content with this, they
+      seized on some luckless men who were descending the steps, and clasping
+      them with their powerful right arms, spun them around like so many tops
+      and sent them whizzing off at a tangent. Loud bursts of laughter greeted
+      this performance, and the stout river maidens returned to their dance with
+      redoubled spirit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yesterday, the famous procession of the "<i>boeuf gras</i>" took place for
+      the second time, with great splendor. The order of march had been duly
+      announced beforehand, and by noon all the streets and squares through
+      which it was to pass, were crowded with waiting spectators. Mounted gens
+      d'armes rode constantly to and fro, to direct the passage of vehicles and
+      keep an open thoroughfare. Thousands of country peasants poured into the
+      city, the boys of whom were seen in all directions, blowing distressingly
+      through hollow ox-horns. Altogether, the spirit of nonsense which animated
+      the crowd, displayed itself very amusingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few mounted guards led the procession, followed by a band of music. Then
+      appeared Roman lictors and officers of sacrifice, leading Dagobert, the
+      famous bull of Normandy, destined to the honor of being slaughtered as the
+      Carnival beef. He trod rather tenderly, finding, no doubt, a difference
+      between the meadows of Caen and the pavements of Paris, and I thought he
+      would have been willing to forego his gilded horns and flowery crown, to
+      get back there again. His weight was said to be four thousand pounds, and
+      the bills pompously declared that he had no rival in France, except the
+      elephant in the <i>Jardin des Plantes</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After him came the farmer by whom he was raised, and M. Roland, the
+      butcher of the carnival, followed by a hundred of the same craft, dressed
+      as cavaliers of the different ages of France. They made a very showy
+      appearance, although the faded velvet and soiled tinsel of their mantles
+      were rather too apparent by daylight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After all these had gone by, came an enormous triumphal car, very
+      profusely covered with gilding and ornamental flowers. A fellow with long
+      woollen hair and beard, intended to represent Time, acted as driver. In
+      the car, under a gilded canopy, reposed a number of persons, in blue silk
+      smocks and yellow "fleshtights," said to be Venus, Apollo, the Graces,
+      &amp;c. but I endeavored in vain to distinguish one divinity from another.
+      However, three children on the back seat, dressed in the same style, with
+      the addition of long flaxy ringlets, made very passable Cupids. This
+      closed the march; which passed onward towards the Place de la Concorde,
+      accompanied by the sounds of music and the shouts of the mob. The broad,
+      splendid line of Boulevards, which describe a semi-circle around the heart
+      of the city, were crowded, and for the whole distance of three miles, it
+      required no slight labor to make one's way. People in masks and fancy
+      costumes were continually passing and re-passing, and I detected in more
+      than one of the carriages, checks rather too fair to suit the slouched
+      hunter's hats which shaded them. It seemed as if all Paris was taking a
+      holiday, and resolved to make the most of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0046" id="link2HCH0046"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVI. &mdash; A GLIMPSE OF NORMANDY.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      After a residence of five weeks, which, in spite of some few troubles,
+      passed away quickly and delightfully, I turned my back on Paris. It was
+      not regret I experienced on taking my seat in the cars for Versailles, but
+      that feeling of reluctance with which we leave places whose brightness and
+      gaiety force the mind away from serious toil. Steam, however, cuts short
+      all sentiment, and in much less time than it takes to bid farewell to a
+      German, we had whizzed past the Place d'Europe, through the barrier, and
+      were watching the spires start up from the receding city, on the way to
+      St. Cloud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At Versailles I spent three hours in a hasty walk through the palace,
+      which allowed but a bare glance at the gorgeous paintings of Horace
+      Vernet. His "Taking of Constantine" has the vivid look of reality. The
+      white houses shine in the sun, and from the bleached earth to the blue and
+      dazzling sky, there seems to hang a heavy, scorching atmosphere. The white
+      smoke of the artillery curls almost visibly off the canvass, and the
+      cracked and half-sprung walls look as if about to topple down on the
+      besiegers. One series of halls is devoted to the illustration of the
+      knightly chronicles of France, from the days of Charlemagne to those of
+      Bayard and Gaston de Foix. Among these pictured legends, I looked with the
+      deepest interest on that of the noble girl of Orleans. Her countenance&mdash;the
+      same in all these pictures and in a beautiful statue of her, which stands
+      in one of the corridors&mdash;is said to be copied from an old and
+      well-authenticated portrait. United to the sweetness and purity of peasant
+      beauty, she has the lofty brow and inspired expression of a prophetess.
+      There is a soft light in her full blue eye that does not belong to earth.
+      I wonder not the soldiery deemed her chosen by God to lead them to
+      successful battle; had I lived in those times I could have followed her
+      consecrated banner to the ends of the earth. In the statue, she stands
+      musing, with her head drooping forward, as if the weight of the
+      breastplate oppressed her woman's heart; the melancholy soul which shines
+      through the marble seems to forebode the fearful winding-up of her
+      eventful destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The afternoon was somewhat advanced, by the time I had seen the palace and
+      gardens. After a hurried dinner at a restaurant, I shouldered my knapsack
+      and took the road to St. Germain. The day was gloomy and cheerless, and I
+      should have felt very lonely but for the thought of soon reaching England.
+      There is no time of the year more melancholy than a cold, cloudy day in
+      March; whatever may be the beauties of pedestrian traveling in fairer
+      seasons, my experience dictates that during winter storms and March
+      glooms, it had better be dispensed with. However, I pushed on to St.
+      Germain, threaded its long streets, looked down from the height over its
+      magnificent tract of forest and turned westward down the Seine. Owing to
+      the scantiness of villages, I was obliged to walk an hour and a half in
+      the wind and darkness, before I reached a solitary inn. As I opened the
+      door and asked for lodging, the landlady inquired if I had the necessary
+      papers. I answered in the affirmative and was admitted. While I was eating
+      supper, they prepared their meal on the other end of the small table and
+      sat down together. They fell into the error, so common to ignorant
+      persons, of thinking a foreigner could not understand them, and began
+      talking quite unconcernedly about me. "Why don't he take the railroad?"
+      said the old man: "he must have very little money&mdash;it would be bad
+      for us if he had none." "Oh!" remarked his son, "if he had none, he would
+      not be sitting there so quiet and unconcerned." I thought there was some
+      knowledge of human nature in this remark. "And besides," added the
+      landlady, "there is no danger for us, for we have his passport." Of course
+      I enjoyed this in secret, and mentally pardoned their suspicions, when I
+      reflected that the high roads between Paris and London are frequented by
+      many imposters, which makes the people naturally mistrustful. I walked all
+      the next day through a beautiful and richly cultivated country. The early
+      fruit trees were bursting into bloom, and the farmers led out their cattle
+      to pasturage in the fresh meadows. The scenery must be delightful in
+      summer&mdash;worthy of all that has been said or sung about lovely
+      Normandy. On the morning of the third day, before reaching Rouen, I saw at
+      a distance the remains of Chateau Galliard, the favorite castle of Richard
+      Coeur de Lion. Rouen breathes everywhere of the ancient times of Normandy.
+      Nothing can be more picturesque than its quaint, irregular wooden houses,
+      and the low, mossy mills, spanning the clear streams which rush through
+      its streets. The Cathedral, with its four towers, rises from among the
+      clustered cottages like a giant rook, split by the lightning and worn by
+      the rains of centuries is into a thousand fantastic shapes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Resuming my walk in the afternoon, I climbed the heights west of the city,
+      and after passing through a suburb four or five miles in length, entered
+      the vale of the Cailly. This is one of the sweetest scenes in France. It
+      lies among the woody hills like a Paradise, with its velvet meadows and
+      villas and breathing gardens. The grass was starred with daisies and if I
+      took a step into the oak and chesnut woods, I trampled on thousands of
+      anemones and fragrant daffodils. The upland plain, stretching inward from
+      the coast, wears a different character. As I ascended, towards evening,
+      and walked over its monotonous swells, I felt almost homesick beneath its
+      saddening influence. The sun, hazed over with dull clouds, gave out that
+      cold and lifeless light which is more lonely than complete darkness. The
+      wind, sweeping dismally over the fields, sent clouds of blinding dust down
+      the road, and as it passed through the forests, the myriads of fine twigs
+      sent up a sound as deep and grand as the roar of a roused ocean. Every
+      chink of the Norman cottage where I slept, whistled most drearily, and as
+      I looked out the little window of my room, the trees were swaying in the
+      gloom, and long, black clouds scudded across the sky. Though my bed was
+      poor and hard, it was a sublime sound that cradled me into slumber. Homer
+      might have used it as the lullaby of Jove.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My last day on the continent came. I rose early and walked over the hills
+      towards Dieppe. The scenery grew more bleak as I approached the sea, but
+      the low and sheltered valleys preserved the pastoral look of the interior.
+      In the afternoon, as I climbed a long, elevated ridge, over which a strong
+      northwester was blowing, I was struck with a beautiful rustic church, in
+      one of the dells below me. While admiring its neat tower I had gained
+      unconsciously the summit of the hill, and on turning suddenly around, lo!
+      there was the glorious old Atlantic stretching far before and around me! A
+      shower was sweeping mistily along the horizon and I could trace the white
+      line of the breakers that foamed at the foot of the cliffs. The scene came
+      over me like a vivid electric shock, and I gave an involuntary shout,
+      which might have been heard in all the valleys around. After a year and a
+      half of wandering over the continent, that gray ocean was something to be
+      revered and loved, for it clasped the shores of my native America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I entered Dieppe in a heavy shower, and after finding an inn suited to my
+      means and obtaining a <i>permis d'embarquement</i> from the police office,
+      I went out to the battlements and looked again on the sea. The landlord
+      promised to call me in time for the boat, but my anxiety waked me sooner,
+      and mistaking the strokes of the cathedral bell, I shouldered my knapsack
+      and went down to the wharf at one o'clock. No one was stirring on board
+      the boat, and I was obliged to pace the silent, gloomy streets of the town
+      for two hours. I watched the steamer glide out on the rainy channel, and
+      turning into the topmost berth, drew the sliding curtain and strove to
+      keep out cold and sea-sickness. But it was unavailing; a heavy storm of
+      snow and rain rendered our passage so dreary that I did not stir until we
+      were approaching the chain pier of Brighton.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I looked out on the foggy shores of England with a feeling of relief; my
+      tongue would now be freed from the difficult bondage of foreign languages,
+      and my ears be rejoiced with the music of my own. After two hours' delay
+      at the Custom House, I took my seat in an open car for London. The day was
+      dull and cold; the sun resembled a milky blotch in the midst of a leaden
+      sky. I sat and shivered, as we flew onward, amid the rich, cultivated
+      English scenery. At last the fog grew thicker; the road was carried over
+      the tops of houses; the familiar dome of St. Paul's stood out above the
+      spires; and I was again in London!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0047" id="link2HCH0047"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVII. &mdash; LOCKHART, BERNARD BARTON AND CROLY&mdash;LONDON
+      CHIMES AND GREENWICH FAIR.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      My circumstances, on arriving at London, were again very reduced. A franc
+      and a half constituted the whole of my funds. This, joined to the
+      knowledge of London expenses, rendered instant exertion necessary, to
+      prevent still greater embarrassment. I called on a printer the next
+      morning, hoping to procure work, but found, as I had no documents with me
+      to show I had served a regular apprenticeship, this would be extremely
+      difficult, although workmen were in great demand. Mr. Putnam, however, on
+      whom I had previously called, gave me employment for a time in his
+      publishing establishment, and thus I was fortunately enabled to await the
+      arrival of a remittance from home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Trollope, whom I met in Florence, kindly gave me a letter to Murray,
+      the publisher, and I visited him soon after my arrival. In his library I
+      saw the original portraits of Byron, Moore, Campbell and the other authors
+      who were intimate with him and his father. A day or two afterwards I had
+      the good fortune to breakfast with Lockhart and Bernard Barton, at the
+      house of the former. Mr. Murray, through whom the invitation was given,
+      accompanied me there. As it was late when we arrived at Regent's Park, we
+      found them waiting, and sat down immediately to breakfast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was much pleased with Lockhart's appearance and manners. He has a noble,
+      manly countenance&mdash;in fact, the handsomest English face I ever saw&mdash;a
+      quick, dark eye and an ample forehead, shaded by locks which show, as yet,
+      but few threads of gray. There is a peculiar charm in his rich, soft
+      voice; especially when reciting poetry, it has a clear, organ-like
+      vibration, which thrills deliciously on the ear. His daughter, who sat at
+      the head of the table, is a most lovely and amiable girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bernard Burton, who is now quite an old man, is a very lively and sociable
+      Friend. His head is gray and almost bald, but there is still plenty of
+      fire in his eyes and life in his limbs. His many kind and amiable
+      qualities endear him to a large circle of literary friends. He still
+      continues writing, and within the last year has brought out a volume of
+      simple, touching "Household Verses." A picture of cheerful and contented
+      old age has never been more briefly and beautifully drawn, than in the
+      following lines, which he sent me, in answer to my desire to possess one
+      of his poems in his own hand:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    STANZAS.
+
+    I feel that I am growing old,
+       Nor wish to hide that truth;
+    Conscious my heart is not more cold
+       Than in my by-gone youth.
+
+    I cannot roam the country round,
+       As I was wont to do;
+    My feet a scantier circle bound,
+       My eyes a narrower view.
+
+    But on my mental vision rise
+       Bright scenes of beauty still:
+    Morn's splendor, evening's glowing skies,
+       Valley, and grove, and hill.
+
+    Nor can infirmities o'erwhelm
+       The purer pleasures brought
+    From the immortal spirit's realm
+       Of feeling and of Thought!
+
+    My heart! let not dismay or doubt
+       In thee an entrance win!
+    Thou <i>hast</i> enjoyed thyself <i>without</i>&mdash;
+       <i>Now seek thy joy within</i>!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      During breakfast he related to us a pleasant anecdote of Scott. He once
+      wrote to the poet in behalf of a young lady, who wished to have the
+      description of Melrose, in the "Lay of the last Minstrel," in the poet's
+      own writing. Scott sent it, but added these lines to the conclusion:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "Then go, and muse with deepest awe
+    On what the writer never saw;
+    Who would not wander 'neath the moon
+    To see what he could see at noon!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      We went afterwards into Lockhart's library, which was full of interesting
+      objects. I saw the private diary of Scott, kept until within a short time
+      of his death. It was melancholy to trace the gradual failing of all his
+      energies in the very wavering of the autograph. In a large volume of his
+      correspondence, containing letters from Campbell, Wordsworth, Byron, and
+      all the distinguished characters of the age, I saw Campbell's "Battle of
+      the Baltic" in his own hand. I was highly interested and gratified with
+      the whole visit; the more so, as Mr. Lockhart had invited me voluntarily,
+      without previous acquaintance. I have since heard him spoken of in the
+      highest terms of esteem.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I went one Sunday to the Church of St. Stephen, to hear Croly, the poet.
+      The service, read by a drowsy clerk, was long and monotonous; I sat in a
+      side-aisle, looking up at the dome, and listening to the rain which dashed
+      in torrents against the windowpanes. At last, a tall, gray-haired man came
+      down the passage. He bowed with a sad smile, so full of benevolence and
+      resignation, that it went into my heart at once, and I gave him an
+      involuntary tribute of sympathy. He has a heavy affliction to bear&mdash;the
+      death of his gallant son, one of the officers who were slain in the late
+      battle of Ferozeshaw. His whole manner betrays the tokens of subdued but
+      constant grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His sermon was peculiarly finished and appropriate; the language was clear
+      and forcible, without that splendor of thought and dazzling vividness of
+      imagery which mark "Salathiel." Yet I could not help noticing that he
+      delighted to dwell on the spiritualities of religion, rather than its
+      outward observances, which he seemed inclined to hurry over as lightly as
+      possible. His mild, gray eye and lofty forehead are more like the
+      benevolent divine than the poet. I thought of Salathiel, and looked at the
+      dignified, sorrowful man before me. The picture of the accursed Judean
+      vanished, and his own solemn lines rang on my ear:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+             "The mighty grave
+              Wraps lord and slave,
+    Nor pride, nor poverty dares come
+    Within that prison-house, that tomb!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Whenever I hear them, or think of them again, I shall see, in memory,
+      Croly's calm, pale countenance.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    "The chimes, the chimes of Mother-land,
+       Of England, green and old;
+    That out from thane and ivied tower
+       A thousand years have tolled!"
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      I often thought of Coxe's beautiful ballad, when, after a day spent in
+      Waterloo Place, I have listened, on my way homeward, to the chimes of
+      Mary-le-bone Chapel, sounding sweetly and clearly above all the din of the
+      Strand. There is something in their silvery vibration, which is far more
+      expressive than the ordinary tones of a bell. The ear becomes weary of a
+      continued toll&mdash;the sound of some bells seems to have nothing more in
+      it than the ordinary clang of metal&mdash;but these simple notes,
+      following one another so melodiously, fall on the ear, stunned by the
+      ceaseless roar of carriages or the mingled cries of the mob, as gently and
+      gratefully as drops of dew. Whether it be morning, and they ring out
+      louder and deeper through the mist, or midnight, when the vast ocean of
+      being beneath them surges less noisily than its wont, they are alike full
+      of melody and poetry. I have often paused, deep in the night, to hear
+      those clear tones, dropping down from the darkness, thrilling, with their
+      full, tremulous sweetness, the still air of the lighted Strand, and
+      winding away through dark, silent lanes and solitary courts, till the ear
+      of the care-worn watcher is scarcely stirred with their dying vibrations.
+      They seemed like those spirit-voices, which, at such times, speak almost
+      audibly to the heart. How delicious it must be, to those who dwell within
+      the limits of their sound, to wake from some happy dream and hear those
+      chimes blending in with their midnight fancies, like the musical echo of
+      the promised bliss. I love these eloquent bells, and I think there must be
+      many, living out a life of misery and suffering, to whom their tones come
+      with an almost human consolation. The natures of the very cockneys, who
+      never go without the horizon of their vibrations, is, to my mind, invested
+      with <i>one</i> hue of poetry!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few days ago, an American friend invited me to accompany him to
+      Greenwich Fair. We took a penny steamer from Hungerford Market to London
+      Bridge, and jumped into the cars, which go every live minutes. Twelve
+      minutes' ride above the chimneys of London and the vegetable-fields of
+      Rotherhithe and Deptford brought us to Greenwich, we followed the stream
+      of people which was flowing from all parts of the city into the Park.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here began the merriment. We heard on every side the noise of the
+      "scratchers," or, as the venders of these articles denominated them&mdash;"the
+      fun of the fair." By this is meant a little notched wheel, with a piece of
+      wood fastened on it, like a miniature watchman's rattle. The "fun"
+      consists in drawing them down the back of any one you pass, when they make
+      a sound precisely like that of ripping cloth. The women take great delight
+      in this, and as it is only deemed politeness to return the compliment, we
+      soon had enough to do. Nobody seemed to take the diversion amiss, but it
+      was so irresistibly droll to see a large crowd engaged in this singular
+      amusement, that we both burst into hearty laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we began ascending Greenwich Hill, we were assailed with another kind
+      of game. The ground was covered with smashed oranges, with which the
+      people above and below were stoutly pelting each other. Half a dozen heavy
+      ones whizzed uncomfortably near my head as I went up, and I saw several
+      persons get the full benefit of a shot on their backs and breasts. The
+      young country lads and lasses amused themselves by running at full spend
+      down the steep side of a hill. This was, however, a feat attended with
+      some risk; for I saw one luckless girl describe an arc of a circle, of
+      which her feet was the centre and her body the radius. All was noise and
+      nonsense. They ran to and fro under the long, hoary bough of the venerable
+      oaks that crest the summit, and clattered down the magnificent
+      forest-avenues, whose budding foliage gave them little shelter from the
+      passing April showers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The view from the top is splendid. The stately Thames curves through the
+      plain below, which loses itself afar off in the mist; Greenwich, with its
+      massive hospital, lies just at one's feet, and in a clear day the domes of
+      London skirt the horizon. The wood of the Park is entirely oak&mdash;the
+      majestic, dignified, English oak&mdash;which covers, in picturesque
+      clumps, the sides and summits of the two billowy hills. It must be a sweet
+      place in summer, when the dark, massive foliage is heavy on every mossy
+      arm, and the smooth and curving sward shines with thousands of
+      field-flowers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Owing to the showers, the streets were coated with mud, of a consistence
+      as soft and yielding as the most fleecy Persian carpet. Near the gate,
+      boys were holding scores of donkeys, which they offered us at threepence
+      for a ride of two miles. We walked down towards the river, and came at
+      last to a group of tumblers, who with muddy hands and feet were throwing
+      somersets in the open street. I recognized them as old acquaintances of
+      the Rue St. Antoine and the Champs Elysées; but the little boy who cried
+      before, because he did not want to bend his head and foot into a ring,
+      like a hoop-snake, had learned his part better by this time, so that he
+      went through it all without whimpering and came off with only a fiery red
+      face. The exercises of the young gentlemen were of course very graceful
+      and classic, and the effect of their <i>poses</i> of strength was very
+      much heightened by the muddy foot-marks which they left on each other's
+      orange-colored skins.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The avenue of booths was still more diverting. Here under sheets of leaky
+      awning, were exposed for sale rows of gilded gingerbread kings and queens,
+      and I cannot remember how many men and women held me fast by the arms,
+      determined to force me into buying a pound of them. We paused at the sign:
+      "SIGNOR URBANI'S GRAND MAGICAL DISPLAY." The title was attractive, so we
+      paid the penny admission, and walked behind the dark, mysterious curtain.
+      Two bare brick walls, three benches and a little boy appeared to us. A
+      sheet hung before us upon which quivered the shadow of some terrible head.
+      At my friend's command, the boy (also a spectator) put out the light, when
+      the awful and grinning face of a black woman became visible. While we were
+      admiring this striking production, thus mysteriously revealed, Signor
+      Urbani came in, and seeing no hope of any more spectators, went behind the
+      curtain and startled our sensitive nerves with six or seven skeleton and
+      devil apparitions, winding up the wonderful entertainment with the same
+      black head. We signified our entire approbation by due applause and then
+      went out to seek further novelties.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The centre of the square was occupied by swings, where some eight or ten
+      boat-loads of persons were flying topsy-turvy into the air, making one
+      giddy to look at them, and constant fearful shrieks arose from the lady
+      swingers, at finding themselves in a horizontal or inverted position, high
+      above the ground. One of the machines was like a great wheel, with four
+      cars attached, which mounted and descended with their motley freight. We
+      got into the boat by way of experiment. The starting motion was pleasant,
+      but very soon it flew with a swiftness and to a height rather alarming. I
+      began to repent having chosen such a mode of amusement, but held on as
+      well as I could, in my uneasy place. Presently we mounted till the long
+      beam of our boat was horizontal; at one instant, I saw three young ladies
+      below me, with their heads downward, like a shadow in the water&mdash;the
+      next I was turned heels up, looking at thorn as a shadow does at its
+      original. I was fast becoming sea-sick, when, after a few minutes of such
+      giddy soaring, the ropes were slackened and we all got out, looking
+      somewhat pale, and feeling nervous, if nothing else.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were also many great tents, hung with boughs and lighted with
+      innumerable colored lamps, where the people danced their country dances in
+      a choking cloud of dry saw-dust. Conjurors and gymnastic performers were
+      showing off on conspicuous platforms, and a continual sound of drums,
+      cymbals and shrill trumpets called the attention of the crowd to some
+      "Wonderful Exhibition"&mdash;some infant phenomenon, giant, or
+      three-headed pig. A great part of the crowd belonged evidently to the very
+      worst part of society, but the watchfulness of the police prevented any
+      open disorder. We came away early and in a quarter of an hour were in busy
+      London, leaving far behind us the revel and debauch, which was prolonged
+      through the whole night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      London has the advantage of one of the most gloomy atmospheres in the
+      world. During this opening spring weather, no light and scarcely any
+      warmth can penetrate the dull, yellowish-gray mist, which incessantly
+      hangs over the city. Sometimes at noon we have for an hour or two a sickly
+      gleam of sunshine, but it is soon swallowed up by the smoke and drizzling
+      fog. The people carry umbrellas at all times, for the rain seems to drop
+      spontaneously out of the very air, without wailing for the usual
+      preparation of a gathering cloud. Professor Espy's rules would be of
+      little avail here.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few days ago we had a real fog&mdash;a specimen of November weather, as
+      the people said. If November wears such a mantle, London, during that
+      sober month, must furnish a good idea of the gloom of Hades. The streets
+      wore wrapped in a veil of dense mist, of a dirty yellow color, as if the
+      air had suddenly grown thick and mouldy. The houses on the opposite sides
+      of the street were invisible, and the gas lamps, lighted in the shops,
+      burned with a white and ghastly flame. Carriages ran together in the
+      streets, and I was kept constantly on the look-out, lest some one should
+      come suddenly out of the cloud around me, and we should meet with a shock
+      like that of two knights at a tournament. As I stood in the centre of
+      Trafalgar Square, with every object invisible around me, it reminded me,
+      (hoping the comparison will not be accepted in every particular) of Satan
+      resting in the middle of Chaos. The weather sometimes continues thus for
+      whole days together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <i>April 26.</i>&mdash;An hour and a half of land are still allowed us,
+      and then we shall set foot on the back of the oak-ribbed leviathan, which
+      will be our home until a thousand leagues of blue ocean are crossed. I
+      shall hear the old Aldgate clock strike for the last time&mdash;I shall
+      take a last walk through the Minories and past the Tower yard, and as we
+      glide down the Thames, St. Pauls, half-hidden in mist and coal-smoke, will
+      probably be my last glimpse of London.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0048" id="link2HCH0048"> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVIII. &mdash; HOMEWARD BOUND&mdash;&mdash;CONCLUSION.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We slid out of St. Katharine's Dock at noon on the appointed day, and with
+      a pair of sooty steamboats hitched to our vessel, moved slowly down the
+      Thames in mist and drizzling rain. I stayed on the wet deck all afternoon,
+      that I might more forcibly and joyously feel we were again in motion on
+      the waters and homeward bound! My attention was divided between the dreary
+      views of Blackwall, Greenwich and Woolwich, and the motley throng of
+      passengers who were to form our ocean society. An English family, going
+      out to settle in Canada, were gathered together in great distress and
+      anxiety, for the father had gone ashore in London at a late hour, and was
+      left behind. When we anchored for the night at Gravesend, their fears were
+      quieted by his arrival in a skiff from the shore, as he had immediately
+      followed us by railroad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My cousin and B&mdash;&mdash; had hastened on from Paris to join me, and a
+      day before the sailing of the "Victoria," we took berths in the second
+      cabin, for twelve pounds ten shillings each, which in the London line of
+      packets, includes coarse but substantial fare for the whole voyage. Our
+      funds were insufficient to pay even this; but Captain Morgan, less
+      mistrustful than my Norman landlord, generously agreed that the remainder
+      of the fare should be paid in America. B&mdash;&mdash; and I, with two
+      young Englishmen, took possession of a State-room of rough boards, lighted
+      by a bull's-eye, which in stormy weather leaked so much that our trunks
+      swam in water. A narrow mattrass and blanket, with a knapsack for a
+      pillow, formed a passable bed. A long entry between the rooms, lighted by
+      a feeble swinging lamp, was filled with a board table, around which the
+      thirty-two second cabin passengers met to discuss politics and salt pork,
+      favorable winds and hard sea-biscuit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We lay becalmed opposite Sheerness the whole of the second day. At dusk a
+      sudden squall came up, which drove us foaming towards the North Foreland.
+      When I went on deck in the morning, we had passed Dover and Brighton, and
+      the Isle of Wight was rising dim ahead of us. The low English coast on our
+      right was bordered by long reaches of dazzling chalky sand, which
+      glittered along the calm blue water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gliding into the Bay of Portsmouth, we dropped anchor opposite the
+      romantic town of Ryde, built on the sloping shore of the green Isle of
+      Wight. Eight or nine vessels of the Experimental Squadron were anchored
+      near us, and over the houses of Portsmouth, I saw the masts of the Victory&mdash;the
+      flag-ship in the battle of Trafalgar, on board of which Nelson was killed.
+      The wind was not strong enough to permit the passage of the Needles, so at
+      midnight we succeeded in wearing back again into the channel, around the
+      Isle of Wight. A head wind forced us to tack away towards the shore of
+      France. We were twice in sight of the rocky coast of Brittany, near
+      Cherbourg, but the misty promontory of Land's End was our last glimpse of
+      the old world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On one of our first days at sea, I caught a curlew, which came flying on
+      weary wings towards us, and alighted on one of the boats. Two of his
+      brethren, too much exhausted or too timid to do likewise, dropped flat on
+      the waves and resigned themselves to their fate without a struggle. I
+      slipped up and caught his long, lank legs, while he was resting with
+      flagging wings and half-shut eyes. We fed him, though it was difficult to
+      get anything down his reed-shaped bill; but he took kindly to our
+      force-work, and when we let him loose on the deck, walked about with an
+      air quite tame and familiar. He died, however, two days afterwards. A
+      French pigeon, which was caught in the rigging, lived and throve during
+      the whole of the passage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few days afterwards, a heavy storm came on, and we were all sleepless
+      and sea-sick, as long as it lasted. Thanks, however, to a beautiful law of
+      memory, the recollection of that dismal period soon lost its
+      unpleasantness, while the grand forms of beauty the vexed ocean presented,
+      will remain forever, as distinct and abiding images. I kept on deck as
+      long as I could stand, watching the giant waves over which our vessel took
+      her course. They rolled up towards us, thirty or forty feet in height&mdash;dark
+      gray masses, changing to a beautiful vitriol tint, wherever the light
+      struck through their countless and changing crests. It was a glorious
+      thing to see our good ship mount slowly up the side of one of these watery
+      lulls, till her prow was lifted high in air, then, rocking over its brow,
+      plunge with a slight quiver downward, and plough up a briny cataract, as
+      she struck the vale. I never before realized the terrible sublimity of the
+      sea. And yet it was a pride to see how man&mdash;strong in his godlike
+      will&mdash;could bid defiance to those whelming surges, and bravo their
+      wrath unharmed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We swung up and down on the billows, till we scarcely knew which way to
+      stand. The most grave and sober personages suddenly found themselves
+      reeling in a very undignified manner, and not a few measured their lengths
+      on the slippery decks. Boxes and barrels were affected in like manner;
+      everything danced around us. Trunks ran out from under the berths;
+      packages leaped down from the shelves; chairs skipped across the rooms,
+      and at table, knives, forks and mugs engaged in a general waltz and <i>break
+      down</i>. One incident of this kind was rather laughable. One night, about
+      midnight, the gale, which had been blowing violently, suddenly lulled, "as
+      if," to use a sailor's phrase, "it had been chopped off!" Instantly the
+      ship gave a tremendous lurch, which was the signal for a general breaking
+      loose. Two or three others followed, so violent, that for a moment I
+      imagined the vessel had been thrown on her beam ends. Trunks, crockery and
+      barrels went banging down from one end of the ship to the other. The women
+      in the steerage set up an awful scream, and the German emigrants, thinking
+      we were in terrible danger, commenced praying with might and main. In the
+      passage near our room stood several barrels, filled with broken dishes,
+      which at every lurch went banging from side to side, jarring the board
+      partition and making a horrible din. I shall not soon forget the Babel
+      which kept our eyes open that night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The 19th of May a calm came on. Our white wings flapped idly on the mast,
+      and only the top-gallant sails were bent enough occasionally to lug us
+      along at a mile an hour. A barque from Ceylon, making the most of the
+      wind, with every rag of canvass set, passed us slowly on the way eastward.
+      The sun went down unclouded, and a glorious starry night brooded over us.
+      Its clearness and brightness were to me indications of America. I longed
+      to be on shore. The forests about home were then clothed in the delicate
+      green of their first leaves, and that bland weather embraced the sweet
+      earth like a blessing of heaven. The gentle breath from out the west
+      seemed made for the odor of violets, and as it came to me over the
+      slightly-ruflled deep, I thought how much sweeter it were to feel it,
+      while "wasting in wood-paths the voluptuous hours."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon afterwards a fresh wind sprung up, which increased rapidly, till
+      every sail was bent to the full. Our vessel parted the brine with an
+      arrowy glide, the ease and grace of which it is impossible to describe.
+      The breeze held on steadily for two or three days, which brought us to the
+      southern extremity of the Banks. Here the air felt so sharp and chilling,
+      that I was afraid we might be under the lee of an iceberg, but in the
+      evening the dull gray mass of clouds lifted themselves from the horizon,
+      and the sun set in clear, American beauty away beyond Labrador. The next
+      morning we were enveloped in a dense fog, and the wind which bore us
+      onward was of a piercing coldness. A sharp look-out was kept on the bow,
+      but as we could see but a short distance, it might have been dangerous had
+      we met one of the Arctic squadron. At noon it cleared away again, and the
+      bank of fog was visible a long time astern, piled along the horizon,
+      reminding me of the Alps, as seen from the plains of Piedmont.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 31st, the fortunate wind which carried us from the Banks, failed us
+      about thirty-five miles from Sandy Hook. We lay in the midst of the
+      mackerel fishery, with small schooners anchored all around us. Fog, dense
+      and impenetrable, weighed on the moveless ocean, like an atmosphere of
+      wool. The only incident to break the horrid monotony of the day, was the
+      arrival of a pilot, with one or two newspapers, detailing the account of
+      the Mexican War. We heard in the afternoon the booming of the surf along
+      the low beach of Long Island&mdash;hollow and faint, like the murmur of a
+      shell. When the mist lifted a little, we saw the faint line of breakers
+      along the shore. The Germans gathered on deck to sing their old, familiar
+      songs, and their voices blended beautifully together in the stillness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next morning at sunrise we saw Sandy Hook; at nine o'clock we were
+      telegraphed in New York by the station at Coney Island; at eleven the
+      steamer "Hercules" met us outside the Hook; and at noon we were gliding up
+      the Narrows, with the whole ship's company of four hundred persons on
+      deck, gazing on the beautiful shores of Staten Island and agreeing almost
+      universally, that it was the most delightful scene they had ever looked
+      upon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now I close the story of my long wandering, as I began it&mdash;with a
+      lay written on the deep.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    HOMEWARD BOUND.
+</pre>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    Farewell to Europe! Days have come and gone
+    Since misty England set behind the sea.
+    Our ship climbs onward o'er the lifted waves,
+    That gather up in ridges, mountain-high,
+    And like a sea-god, conscious in his power,
+    Buffets the surges. Storm-arousing winds
+    That sweep, unchecked, from frozen Labrador,
+    Make wintry music through the creaking shrouds.
+    Th' horizon's ring, that clasps the dreary view,
+    Lays mistily upon the gray Atlantic's breast.
+    Shut out, at times, by bulk of sparry blue,
+    That, rolling near us, heaves the swaying prow
+    High on its shoulders, to descend again
+    Ploughing a thousand cascades, and around
+    Spreading the frothy foam. These watery gulfs,
+    With storm, and winds far-sweeping, hem us in,
+    Alone upon the waters!
+
+                               Days must pass&mdash;
+    Many and weary&mdash;between sea and sky.
+    Our eyes, that long e'en now for the fresh green
+    Of sprouting forests, and the far blue stretch
+    Of regal mountains piled along the sky,
+    Must see, for many an eve, the level sun
+    Sheathe, with his latest gold, the heaving brine,
+    By thousand ripples shivered, or Night's pomp
+    Brooding in silence, ebon and profound,
+    Upon the murmuring darkness of the deep,
+    Broken by flashings, that the parted wave
+    Sends white and star-like throujch its bursting foam.
+    Yet not more dear the opening dawn of heaven
+    Poured on the earth in an Italian May,
+    When souls take wings upon the scented air
+    Of starry meadows, and the yearning heart
+    Pains with deep sweetness in the balmy time,
+    Than these gray morns, and days of misty blue,
+    And surges, never-ceasing;&mdash;for our prow
+    Points to the sunset like a morning ray,
+    And o'er the waves, and through the sweeping storms,
+    Through day and darkness, rushes ever on,
+    Westward and westward still! What joy can send
+    The spirit thrilling onward with the wind,
+    In untamed exultation, like the thought
+    That fills the Homeward Bound?
+
+                              Country and home!
+    Ah! not the charm of silver-tongued romance,
+    Born of the feudal time, nor whatsoe'er
+    Of dying glory fills the golden realms
+    Of perished song, where heaven-descended Art
+    Still boasts her later triumphs, can compare
+    With that one thought of liberty inherited&mdash;
+    Of free life giv'n by fathers who were free,
+    And to be left to children freer still!
+    That pride and consciousness of manhood, caught
+    From boyish musings on the holy graves
+    Of hero-martyrs, and from every form
+    Which virgin Nature, mighty and unchained,
+    Takes in an empire not less proudly so&mdash;
+    Inspired in mountain airs, untainted yet
+    By thousand generations' breathing&mdash;felt
+    Like a near presence in the awful depths
+    Of unhewn forests, and upon the steep
+    Where giant rivers take their maddening plunge&mdash;
+    Has grown impatient of the stifling damps
+    Which hover close on Europe's shackled soil.
+    Content to tread awhile the holy steps
+    Of Art and Genius, sacred through all time,
+    The spirit breathed that dull, oppressive air&mdash;
+    Which, freighted with its tyrant-clouds, o'erweighs
+    The upward throb of many a nation's soul&mdash;
+    Amid those olden memories, felt the thrall.
+    But kept the birth-right of its freer home,
+    Here, on the world's blue highway, comes again
+    The voice of Freedom, heard amid the roar
+    Of sundered billows, while above the wave
+    Rise visions of the forest and the stream.
+    Like trailing robes the morning mists uproll,
+    Torn by the mountain pines; the flashing rills
+    Shout downward through the hollows of the vales;
+    Down the great river's bosom shining sails
+    Glide with a gradual motion, while from all&mdash;
+    Hamlet, and bowered homestead, and proud town&mdash;
+    Voices of joy ring up into heaven!
+
+    Yet louder, winds! Urge on our keel, ye waves,
+    Swift as the spirit's yearnings! We would ride
+    With a loud stormy motion o'er your crests,
+    With tempests shouting like a sudden joy&mdash;
+    Interpreting our triumph! 'Tis your voice,
+    Ye unchained elements, alone can speak
+    The sympathetic feeling of the free&mdash;
+    The arrowy impulse of the Homeward Bound!
+
+</pre>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      Although the narrative of my journey, "with knapsack and staff," is now
+      strictly finished, a few more words of explanation seem necessary, to
+      describe more fully the method of traveling which we adopted. I add them
+      the more willingly, as it is my belief that many, whose circumstances are
+      similar to mine, desire to undertake the same romantic journey. Some
+      matter-of-fact statements may be to them useful as well as interesting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We found the pedestrian style not only by far the best way to become
+      acquainted with the people and sceneryof a country, but the pleasantest
+      mode of traveling. To be sure, the knapsack was, at first, rather heavy,
+      our feet were often sore and our limbs weary, but a few days walking made
+      a great difference, and after we had traveled two weeks, this disappeared
+      altogether. Every morning we rose as fresh and strong as if it had been
+      the first day&mdash;even after a walk of thirty miles, we felt but little
+      fatigue. We enjoyed slumber in its fullest luxury, and our spirits were
+      always light and joyous. We made it a rule to pay no regard to the
+      weather, unless it was so bad as to render walking unhealthy. Often,
+      during the day, we rested for half an hour on the grassy bank, or
+      sometimes, if it was warm weather, lay at full length in the shade with
+      our knapsacks under our heads. This is a pleasure which none but the
+      pedestrian can comprehend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We always accepted a companion, of whatever kind, while walking&mdash;from
+      chimney-sweeps to barons. In a strange country one can learn something
+      from every peasant, and we neglected no opportunity, not only to obtain
+      information, but impart it. We found everywhere great curiosity respecting
+      America, and we were always glad to tell them all they wished to know. In
+      Germany, we were generally taken for Germans from some part of the country
+      where the dialect was a little different, or, if they remarked our foreign
+      peculiarities, they supposed we were either Poles, Russians, or Swiss. The
+      greatest ignorance in relation to America, prevails among the common
+      people. They imagine we are a savage race, without intelligence and almost
+      without law. Persons of education, who had some slight knowledge of our
+      history, showed a curiosity to know something of our political condition.
+      They are taught by the German newspapers (which are under a strict
+      censorship in this respect) to look only at the evil in our country, and
+      they almost invariably began by adverting to Slavery and Repudiation.
+      While we admitted, often with shame and mortification, the existence of
+      things so inconsistent with true republicanism, we endeavored to make them
+      comprehend the advantages enjoyed by the free citizen&mdash;the complete
+      equality of birth&mdash;which places America, despite her sins, far above
+      any other nation on earth. I could plainly see, by the kindling eye and
+      half-suppressed sigh, that they appreciated a freedom so immeasurably
+      greater than that which they enjoyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In large cities we always preferred to take the second or third-rate
+      hotels, which are generally visited by merchants and persons who travel on
+      business; for, with the same comforts as the first rank, they are nearly
+      twice as cheap. A traveler, with a guide-book and a good pair of eyes, can
+      also dispense with the services of a <i>courier</i>, whose duty it is to
+      conduct strangers about the city, from one lion to another. We chose
+      rather to find out and view the "sights" at our leisure. In small
+      villages, where we were often obliged to stop, we chose the best hotels,
+      which, particularly in Northern Germany and in Italy, are none too good.
+      But if it was a <i>post</i>, that is, a town where the post-chaise stops
+      to change horses, we usually avoided the post-hotel, where one must pay
+      high for having curtains before his windows and a more elegant cover on
+      his bed. In the less splendid country inns, we always found neat,
+      comfortable lodging, and a pleasant, friendly reception from the people.
+      They saluted us on entering, with "Be you welcome," and on leaving, wished
+      us a pleasant journey and good fortune. The host, when he brought us
+      supper or breakfast, lifted his cap, and wished us a good appetite&mdash;and
+      when he lighted us to our chambers, left us with "May you sleep well!" We
+      generally found honest, friendly people; they delighted in telling us
+      about the country around; what ruins there were in the neighborhood&mdash;and
+      what strange legends were connected with them. The only part of Europe
+      where it is unpleasant to travel in this manner, is Bohemia. We could
+      rarely find a comfortable inn; the people all spoke an unknown language,
+      and were not particularly celebrated for their honesty. Beside this,
+      travelers rarely go on foot in those regions; we were frequently taken for
+      traveling handworker, and subjected to imposition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With regard to passports, although they were vexatious and often
+      expensive, we found little difficulty when we had acquainted ourselves
+      with the regulations concerning them. In France and Germany they are
+      comparatively little trouble; in Italy they are the traveler's greatest
+      annoyance. Americans are treated with less strictness, in this respect,
+      than citizens of other nations, and, owing to the absence of rank among
+      us, we also enjoy greater advantages of acquaintance and intercourse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The expenses of traveling in England, although much greater than in our
+      own country, may, as we learned by experience, be brought, through
+      economy, within the same compass. Indeed, it is my belief, from
+      observation, that, with few exceptions, throughout Europe, where a
+      traveler enjoys the same comfort and abundance as in America, he must pay
+      the same prices. The principal difference is, that he only pays for what
+      he gets, so that, if he be content with the necessities of life, without
+      its luxuries, the expense is in proportion. I have given, at times,
+      through the foregoing chapters, the cost of travel and residence in
+      Europe, yet a connected estimate will better show the <i>minimum</i>
+      expense of a two years' pilgrimage:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    Voyage to Liverpool, in the second cabin . . . . . . . . . . .  $24.00
+    Three weeks' travel in Ireland and Scotland  . . . . . . . . .   25.00
+    A week in London, at three shillings a day . . . . . . . . . .    4.50
+    From London to Heidelberg  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    A month at Heidelberg, and trip to Frankfort . . . . . . . . .   20.00
+    Seven months in Frankfort, at $10 per month  . . . . . . . . .   70.00
+    Fuel, passports, excursions and other expenses . . . . . . . .   30.00
+    Tour through Cassel, the Hartz, Saxony, Austria, Bavaria, etc.   40.00
+    A month in Frankfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   10.00
+    From Frankfort through Switzerland, and over the Alps
+       to Milan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    From Milan to Genoa  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      60
+    Expenses from Genoa to Florence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   14.00
+    Four months in Florence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   50.00
+    Eight day's journey from Florence to Rome, two weeks in
+       Rome, voyage to Marseilles and journey to Paris . . . . . .   40.00
+    Five weeks in Paris  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    From Paris to London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    8.00
+    Six weeks in London, at three shillings a day  . . . . . . . .   31.00
+    Passage home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   60.00
+                                                                    &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;
+                                                                   $472.00
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The cost for places of amusement, guides' fees, and other small expenses,
+      not included in this list, increase the sum total to $500, for which the
+      tour may be made. Now, having, I hope, established this to the reader's
+      satisfaction, I respectfully take leave of him.
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      THE END.
+    </h3>
+    <div style="height: 6em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+<pre>
+
+
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+</pre>
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+  </body>
+</html>
diff --git a/old/11535.txt b/old/11535.txt
new file mode 100644
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/11535.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,14393 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Views a-foot, by J. Bayard Taylor
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Views a-foot
+
+Author: J. Bayard Taylor
+
+Release Date: March 10, 2004  [eBook #11535]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: US-ASCII
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VIEWS A-FOOT***
+
+
+
+Produced by Maria Paola Andreoni, Carlo Traverso
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+This file was produced from images generously made available by the
+Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr. 
+
+
+
+
+
+                            VIEWS A-FOOT;
+
+                                  OR
+
+                 EUROPE SEEN WITH KNAPSACK AND STAFF.
+
+                                  BY
+
+                          J. BAYARD TAYLOR.
+
+                    WITH A PREFACE BY N.P. WILLIS.
+
+
+                 "Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way,
+                    And merrily hent the stile-a;
+                   A merry heart goes all the day,
+                     Your sad tires in a mile-a."
+
+                                      _Winter's Tale_.
+
+
+
+                            IN TWO PARTS.
+
+                               PART I.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+      Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by
+
+                          WILEY AND PUTNAM,
+
+ in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for
+                  the Southern District of New York.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+BY N.P. WILLIS.
+
+
+The book which follows, requires little or no introduction. It tells its
+own story, and tells it well. The interest in it, which induces the
+writer of this preface to be its usher to the public, is simply that of
+his having chanced to be among the first appreciators of the author's
+talent--an appreciation that has since been so more than justified, that
+the writer is proud to call the author of this book his friend, and
+bespeak attention to the peculiar energies he has displayed in travel
+and authorship. Mr. Taylor's poetical productions while he was still a
+printer's apprentice, made a strong impression on the writer's mind, and
+he gave them their due of praise accordingly in the newspaper of which
+he was then Editor. Some correspondence ensued, and other fine pieces of
+writing strengthened the admiration thus awakened, and when the young
+poet-mechanic came to the city, and modestly announced the bold
+determination of visiting foreign lands--with means, if they could be
+got, but with reliance on manual labor if they could not--the writer,
+understanding the man, and seeing how capable he was of carrying out his
+manly and enthusiastic scheme, and that it would work uncorruptingly for
+the improvement of his mind and character, counselled him to go. He
+went--his book tells how successfully for all his purposes. He has
+returned, after two years' absence, with large knowledge of the world,
+of men and of manners, with a pure, invigorated and healthy mind, having
+passed all this time abroad, and seen and accomplished more than most
+travelers, _at the cost of only $500, and this sum earned on the road_.
+This, in the writer's opinion, is a fine instance of character and
+energy. The book, which records the difficulties and struggles of a
+printer's apprentice achieving this, must be interesting to Americans.
+The pride of the country is in its self-made men.
+
+What Mr. Taylor is, or what he is yet to become, cannot well be touched
+upon here, but that it will yet be written, and on a bright page, is, of
+course, his own confident hope and the writer's confident expectation.
+The book, which is the record of his progress thus far, is now cordially
+commended to the public, and it will be read, perhaps, more
+understandingly after a perusal of the following outline sketch of the
+difficulties the author had to contend with--a letter written in reply
+to a note from the writer asking for some of the particulars of his
+start and progress:
+
+  _To. Mr. Willis_,--
+
+  MY DEAR SIR:--
+
+  Nearly three years ago (in the beginning of 1844) the time for
+  accomplishing my long cherished desire of visiting Europe, seemed to
+  arrive. A cousin, who had long intended going abroad, was to leave
+  in a few months, and although I was then surrounded by the most
+  unfavorable circumstances, I determined to accompany him, at
+  whatever hazard. I had still two years of my apprenticeship to serve
+  out; I was entirely without means, and my project was strongly
+  opposed by my friends, as something too visionary to be
+  practicable. A short time before, Mr.  Griswold advised me to
+  publish a small volume of youthful effusions, a few of which had
+  appeared in Graham's Magazine, which he then edited; the idea struck
+  me, that by so doing, I might, if they should be favorably noticed,
+  obtain a newspaper correspondence which would enable me to make the
+  start.
+
+  The volume was published; a sufficient number was sold among my
+  friends to defray all expenses, and it was charitably noticed by the
+  Philadelphia press. Some literary friends, to whom I confided my
+  design, promised to aid me with their influence. Trusting to this, I
+  made arrangements for leaving the printing-office, which I succeeded
+  in doing, by making a certain compensation for the remainder of my
+  time. I was now fully confident of success, feeling satisfied, that
+  a strong will would always make itself a way. After many
+  applications to different editors and as many disappointments, I
+  finally succeeded, about two weeks before our departure, in making a
+  partial engagement.  Mr. Chandler of the United States Gazette and
+  Mr. Patterson of the Saturday Evening Post, paid me fifty dollars,
+  each, in advance for twelve letters, to be sent from Europe, with
+  the probability of accepting more, if these should be
+  satisfactory. This, with a sum which I received from Mr. Graham for
+  poems published in his Magazine, put me in possession of about a
+  hundred and forty dollars, with which I determined to start,
+  trusting to future remuneration for letters, or if that should fail,
+  to my skill as a compositor, for I supposed I could at the worst,
+  work my way through Europe, like the German hand werker.  Thus, with
+  another companion, we left home, an enthusiastic and hopeful trio.
+
+  I need not trace our wanderings at length. After eight months of
+  suspense, during which time my small means were entirely exhausted,
+  I received a letter from Mr. Patterson, continuing the engagement
+  for the remainder of my stay, with a remittance of one hundred
+  dollars from himself and Mr. Graham. Other remittances, received
+  from time to time, enabled me to stay abroad two years, during which
+  I traveled on foot upwards of three thousand miles in Germany,
+  Switzerland, Italy and France. I was obliged, however, to use the
+  strictest economy--to live on pilgrim fare, and do penance in rain
+  and cold. My means several times entirely failed; but I was always
+  relieved from serious difficulty through unlooked-for friends, or
+  some unexpected turn of fortune. At Rome, owing to the expenses and
+  embarrassments of traveling in Italy, I was obliged to give up my
+  original design of proceeding on foot to Naples and across the
+  peninsula to Otranto, sailing thence to Corfu and making a
+  pedestrian journey through Albania and Greece. But the main object
+  of my pilgrimage is accomplished; I visited the principal places of
+  interest in Europe, enjoyed her grandest scenery and the marvels of
+  ancient and modern art, became familiar with other languages, other
+  customs and other institutions, and returned home, after two years'
+  absence, willing now, with satisfied curiosity, to resume life in
+  America.
+
+  Yours, most sincerely,
+
+  J. BAYARD TAYLOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+I.--The Voyage
+
+II.--A Day in Ireland
+
+III.--Ben Lomond and the Highland Lakes
+
+IV.--The Burns' Festival
+
+V.--Walk from Edinburgh over the Border and arrival at London
+
+VI.--Some of the "Sights" of London
+
+VII.--Flight through Belgium
+
+VIII.--The Rhine to Heidelberg
+
+IX.--Scenes in and around Heidelberg
+
+X.--A Walk through the Odenwald
+
+XI.--Scenes in Frankfort--An American Composer--The Poet Freiligrath
+
+XII.--A week among the Students
+
+XIII.--Christmas and New Year in Germany
+
+XIV.--Winter in Frankfort--A Fair, an Inundation and a Fire
+
+XV.--The Dead and the Deaf--Mendelssohn the Composer
+
+XVI.--Journey on Foot from Frankfort to Cassel
+
+XVII.--Adventures among the Hartz
+
+XVIII.--Notes in Leipsic and Dresden
+
+XIX.--Rambles in the Saxon Switzerland
+
+XX.--Scenes in Prague
+
+XXI.--Journey through Eastern Bohemia and Moravia to the Danube
+
+XXII.--Vienna
+
+XXIII.--Up the Danube
+
+XXIV.--The Unknown Student
+
+XXV.--The Austrian Alps
+
+XXVI.--Munich
+
+XXVII.--Through Wurtemberg to Heidelberg
+
+XXVIII.--Freiburg and the Black Forest
+
+XXIX.--People and Places in Eastern Switzerland
+
+XXX.--Passage of the St Gothard and descent into Italy
+
+XXXI.--Milan
+
+XXXII.--Walk from Milan to Genoa
+
+XXXIII.--Scenes in Genoa, Leghorn and Pisa
+
+XXXIV.--Florence and its Galleries
+
+XXXV.--A Pilgrimage to Vallombrosa
+
+XXXVI.--Walk to Siena and Pratolino--Incidents in Florence
+
+XXXVII.--American Art in Florence
+
+XXXVIII.--An Adventure on the Great St. Bernard--Walks around Florence
+
+XXXIX.--Winter Traveling among the Appenines
+
+XL.--Rome
+
+XLI.--Tivoli and the Roman Campagna
+
+XLII.--Tivoli and the Roman Campagna (_continued_)
+
+XLIII.--Pilgrimage to Vaucluse and Journey up the Rhone
+
+XLIV.--Traveling in Burgundy--The Miseries of a Country Diligence
+
+XLV.--Poetical Scenes in Paris
+
+XLVI.--A Glimpse of Normandy
+
+XLVII.--Lockhart, Bernard Barton and Croly--London Chimes and Greenwich
+Fair
+
+XLVIII.--Homeward Bound--Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+TO
+
+FRANK TAYLOR,
+
+THESE RECORDS OF THE PILGRIMAGE,
+
+WHOSE TOILS AND ENJOYMENTS WE HAVE SHARED TOGETHER,
+
+ARE
+
+AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED,
+
+BY
+
+HIS RELATIVE AND FRIEND.
+
+
+
+
+VIEWS A-FOOT.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+THE VOYAGE.
+
+An enthusiastic desire of visiting the Old World haunted me from early
+childhood. I cherished a presentiment, amounting almost to belief, that
+I should one day behold the scenes, among which my fancy had so long
+wandered. The want of means was for a time a serious check to my
+anticipations; but I could not content myself to wait until I had slowly
+accumulated so large a sum as tourists usually spend on their travels.
+It seemed to me that a more humble method of seeing the world would
+place within the power of almost every one, what has hitherto been
+deemed the privilege of the wealthy few. Such a journey, too, offered
+advantages for becoming acquainted with people as well as places--for
+observing more intimately, the effect of government and education, and
+more than all, for the study of human nature, in every condition of
+life. At length I became possessed of a small sum, to be earned by
+letters descriptive of things abroad, and on the 1st of July, 1844, set
+sail for Liverpool, with a relative and friend, whose circumstances were
+somewhat similar to mine. How far the success of the experiment and the
+object of our long pilgrimage were attained, these pages will show.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+    LAND AND SEA.
+
+    There are springs that rise in the greenwood's heart,
+      Where its leafy glooms are cast,
+    And the branches droop in the solemn air,
+      Unstirred by the sweeping blast.
+    There are hills that lie in the noontide calm,
+      On the lap of the quiet earth;
+    And, crown'd with gold by the ripened grain,
+      Surround my place of birth.
+
+    Dearer are these to my pining heart,
+      Than the beauty of the deep,
+    When the moonlight falls in a bolt of gold
+      On the waves that heave in sleep.
+    The rustling talk of the clustered leaves
+      That shade a well-known door,
+    Is sweeter far than the booming sound
+      Of the breaking wave before.
+
+    When night on the ocean sinks calmly down,
+      I climb the vessel's prow,
+    Where the foam-wreath glows with its phosphor light,
+      Like a crown on a sea-nymph's brow.
+    Above, through the lattice of rope and spar,
+      The stars in their beauty burn;
+    And the spirit longs to ride their beams,
+      And back to the loved return.
+
+    They say that the sunset is brighter far
+      When it sinks behind the sea;
+    That the stars shine out with a softer fire--
+      Not thus they seem to me.
+    Dearer the flush of the crimson west
+      Through trees that my childhood knew.
+    When the star of love with its silver lamp,
+      Lights the homes of the tried and true!
+
+Could one live on the sense of beauty alone, exempt from the necessity
+of "creature comforts," a sea-voyage would be delightful. To the
+landsman there is sublimity in the wild and ever-varied forms of the
+ocean; they fill his mind with living images of a glory he had only
+dreamed of before. But we would have been willing to forego all this and
+get back the comforts of the shore. At New York we took passage in the
+second cabin of the Oxford, which, as usual in the Liverpool packets,
+consisted of a small space amid-ships, fitted up with rough, temporary
+berths. The communication with the deck is by an open hatchway, which in
+storms is closed down. As the passengers in this cabin furnish their
+own provisions, we made ourselves acquainted with the contents of
+certain storehouses on Pine St. wharf, and purchased a large box of
+provisions, which was stowed away under our narrow berth. The cook, for
+a small compensation, took on himself the charge of preparing them, and
+we made ourselves as comfortable as the close, dark dwelling would
+admit.
+
+As we approached the Banks of Newfoundland, a gale arose, which for two
+days and nights carried us on, careering Mazeppa-like, up hill and down.
+The sea looked truly magnificent, although the sailors told us it was
+nothing at all in comparison with the storms of winter. But we were not
+permitted to pass the Banks, without experiencing one of the calms, for
+which that neighborhood is noted. For three days we lay almost
+motionless on the glassy water, sometimes surrounded by large flocks of
+sea-gulls. The weed brought by the gulf stream, floated around--some
+branches we fished up, were full of beautiful little shells. Once a
+large school of black-fish came around the vessel, and the carpenter
+climbed down on the fore-chains, with a harpoon to strike one. Scarcely
+had he taken his position, when they all darted off in a straight line,
+through the water, and were soon out of sight. He said they smelt the
+harpoon.
+
+We congratulated ourselves on having reached the Banks in seven days, as
+it is considered the longest third-part of the passage. But the hopes of
+reaching Liverpool in twenty days, were soon overthrown. A succession of
+southerly winds drove the vessel as far north as lat. 55 deg., without
+bringing us much nearer our destination. It was extremely cold, for we
+were but five degrees south of the latitude of Greenland, and the long
+northern twilights came on. The last glow of the evening twilight had
+scarcely faded, before the first glimmering of dawn appeared. I found it
+extremely easy to read, at 10 P.M., on the deck.
+
+We had much diversion on board from a company of Iowa Indians, under the
+celebrated chief "White Cloud," who are on a visit to England. They are
+truly a wild enough looking company, and helped not a little to relieve
+the tedium of the passage. The chief was a very grave and dignified
+person, but some of the braves were merry enough. One day we had a
+war-dance on deck, which was a most ludicrous scene. The chief and two
+braves sat upon the deck, beating violently a small drum and howling
+forth their war-song, while the others in full dress, painted in a
+grotesque style, leaped about, brandishing tomahawks and spears, and
+terminating each dance with a terrific yell. Some of the men are very
+fine-looking, but the squaws are all ugly. They occupied part of the
+second cabin, separated only by a board partition from our room. This
+proximity was any thing but agreeable. They kept us awake more than half
+the night, by singing and howling in the most dolorous manner, with the
+accompaniment of slapping their hands violently on their bare breasts.
+We tried an opposition, and a young German student, who was returning
+home after two years' travel in America, made our room ring with the
+chorus from Der Freischutz--but in vain. They _would_ howl and beat
+their breasts, and the pappoose _would_ squall. Any loss of temper is
+therefore not to be wondered at, when I state that I could scarcely turn
+in my berth, much less stretch myself out; my cramped limbs alone drove
+off half the night's slumber.
+
+It was a pleasure, at least, to gaze on their strong athletic frames.
+Their massive chests and powerful limbs put to shame our dwindled
+proportions. One old man, in particular, who seemed the patriarch of the
+band, used to stand for hours on the quarter deck, sublime and
+motionless as a statue of Jupiter. An interesting incident occurred
+during the calm of which I spoke. They began to be fearful we were
+doomed to remain there forever, unless the spirits were invoked for a
+favorable wind. Accordingly the prophet lit his pipe and smoked with
+great deliberation, muttering all the while in a low voice. Then, having
+obtained a bottle of beer from the captain, he poured it solemnly over
+the stern of the vessel into the sea. There were some indications of
+wind at the time, and accordingly the next morning we had a fine breeze,
+which the Iowas attributed solely to the Prophet's incantation and
+Eolus' love of beer.
+
+After a succession of calms and adverse winds, on the 25th we were off
+the Hebrides, and though not within sight of land, the southern winds
+came to us strongly freighted with the "meadow freshness" of the Irish
+bogs, so we could at least _smell_ it. That day the wind became more
+favorable, and the next morning we were all roused out of our berths by
+sunrise, at the long wished-for cry of "land!" Just under the golden
+flood of light that streamed through the morning clouds, lay afar-off
+and indistinct the crags of an island, with the top of a light-house
+visible at one extremity. To the south of it, and barely
+distinguishable, so completely was it blended in hue with the veiling
+cloud, loomed up a lofty mountain. I shall never forget the sight! As we
+drew nearer, the dim and soft outline it first wore, was broken into a
+range of crags, with lofty precipices jutting out to the sea, and
+sloping off inland. The white wall of the light-house shone in the
+morning's light, and the foam of the breakers dashed up at the foot of
+the airy cliffs. It was worth all the troubles of a long voyage, to feel
+the glorious excitement which this herald of new scenes and new
+adventures created. The light-house was on Tory Island, on the
+north-western coast of Ireland. The Captain decided on taking the North
+Channel, for, although rarely done, it was in our case nearer, and is
+certainly more interesting than the usual route.
+
+We passed the Island of Ennistrahul, near the entrance of Londonderry
+harbor, and at sunset saw in the distance the islands of Islay and Jura,
+off the Scottish coast. Next morning we were close to the promontory of
+Fairhead, a bold, precipitous headland, like some of the Palisades on
+the Hudson; the highlands of the Mull of Cantire were on the opposite
+side of the Channel, and the wind being ahead, we tacked from shore to
+shore, running so near the Irish coast, that we could see the little
+thatched huts, stacks of peat, and even rows of potatoes in the fields.
+It was a panorama: the view extended for miles inland, and the fields of
+different colored grain were spread out before us, a brilliant mosaic.
+Towards evening we passed Ailsa Crag, the sea-bird's home, within sight,
+though about twenty miles distant.
+
+On Sunday, the 28th, we passed the lofty headland of the Mull of
+Galloway and entered the Irish Sea. Here there was an occurrence of an
+impressive nature. A woman, belonging to the steerage, who had been ill
+the whole passage, died the morning before. She appeared to be of a very
+avaricious disposition, though this might indeed have been the result of
+self-denial, practised through filial affection. In the morning she was
+speechless, and while they were endeavoring to persuade her to give up
+her keys to the captain, died. In her pocket were found two parcels,
+containing forty sovereigns, sewed up with the most miserly care. It was
+ascertained she had a widowed mother in the north of Ireland, and
+judging her money could be better applied than to paying for a funeral
+on shore, the captain gave orders for committing the body to the waves.
+It rained drearily as her corpse, covered with starred bunting, was held
+at the gangway while the captain read the funeral service; then one
+plunge was heard, and a white object, flashed up through the dark
+waters, as the ship passed on.
+
+In the afternoon we passed the Isle of Man, having a beautiful view of
+the Calf, with a white stream tumbling down the rocks into the sea; and
+at night saw the sun set behind the mountains of Wales. About midnight,
+the pilot came on board, and soon after sunrise I saw the distant spires
+of Liverpool. The Welsh coast was studded with windmills, all in motion,
+and the harbor spotted with buoys, bells and floating lights. How
+delightful it was to behold the green trees on the banks of the Mersey,
+and to know that in a few hours we should be on land! About 11 o'clock
+we came to anchor in the channel of the Mersey, near the docks, and
+after much noise, bustle and confusion, were transferred, with our
+baggage, to a small steamboat, giving a parting cheer to the Iowas, who
+remained on board. On landing, I stood a moment to observe the scene.
+The baggage-wagons, drawn by horses, mules and donkeys, were
+extraordinary; men were going about crying "_the celebrated Tralorum
+gingerbread!_" which they carried in baskets; and a boy in the
+University dress, with long blue gown and yellow knee-breeches, was
+running to the wharf to look at the Indians.
+
+At last the carts were all loaded, the word was given to start, and
+then, what a scene ensued! Away went the mules, the horses and the
+donkeys; away ran men and women and children, carrying chairs and
+trunks, and boxes and bedding. The wind was blowing, and the dust
+whirled up as they dashed helter-skelter through the gate and started
+off on a hot race, down the dock to the depot. Two wagons came together,
+one of which was overturned, scattering the broken boxes of a Scotch
+family over the pavement; but while the poor woman was crying over her
+loss, the tide swept on, scarcely taking time to glance at the mishap.
+
+Our luggage was "passed" with little trouble; the officer merely opening
+the trunks and pressing his hands on the top. Even some American
+reprints of English works which my companion carried, and feared would
+be taken from him, were passed over without a word. I was agreeably
+surprised at this, as from the accounts of some travellers, I had been
+led to fear horrible things of custom-houses. This over, we took a
+stroll about the city. I was first struck by seeing so many people
+walking in the middle of the streets, and so many gentlemen going about
+with pinks stuck in their button-holes. Then, the houses being all built
+of brown granite or dark brick, gives the town a sombre appearance,
+which the sunshine (when there is any) cannot dispel. Of Liverpool we
+saw little. Before the twilight had wholly faded, we were again tossing
+on the rough waves of the Irish Sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+A DAY IN IRELAND.
+
+
+On calling at the steamboat office in Liverpool, to take passage to Port
+Rush, we found that the fare in the fore cabin was but two shillings and
+a half, while in the chief cabin it was six times as much. As I had
+started to make the tour of all Europe with a sum little higher than is
+sometimes given for the mere passage to and fro, there was no
+alternative--the twenty-four hours' discomfort could be more easily
+endured than the expense, and as I expected to encounter many hardships,
+it was best to make a beginning. I had crossed the ocean with tolerable
+comfort for twenty-four dollars, and was determined to try whether
+England, where I had been told it was almost impossible to breathe
+without expense, might not also be seen by one of limited means.
+
+The fore _cabin_ was merely a bare room, with a bench along one side,
+which was occupied by half a dozen Irishmen in knee-breeches and heavy
+brogans. As we passed out of the Clarence Dock at 10 P.M., I went below
+and managed to get a seat on one end of the bench, where I spent the
+night in sleepless misery. The Irish bestowed themselves about the floor
+as they best could, for there was no light, and very soon the Morphean
+deepness of their breathing gave token of blissful unconsciousness.
+
+The next morning was misty and rainy, but I preferred walking the deck
+and drying myself occasionally beside the chimney, to sitting in the
+dismal room below. We passed the Isle of Man, and through the whole
+forenoon were tossed about very disagreeably in the North Channel. In
+the afternoon we stopped at Larne, a little antiquated village, not far
+from Belfast, at the head of a crooked arm of the sea. There is an old
+ivy-grown tower near, and high green mountains rise up around. After
+leaving it, we had a beautiful panoramic view of the northern coast.
+Many of the precipices are of the same formation as the Causeway;
+Fairhead, a promontory of this kind, is grand in the extreme. The
+perpendicular face of fluted rock is about three hundred feet in height,
+and towering up sublimely from the water, seemed almost to overhang our
+heads.
+
+My companion compared it to Niagara Falls petrified; and I think the
+simile very striking. It is like a cataract falling in huge waves, in
+some places leaping out from a projecting rock, in others descending in
+an unbroken sheet.
+
+We passed the Giant's Causeway after dark, and about eleven o'clock
+reached the harbor of Port Rush, where, after stumbling up a strange old
+street, in the dark, we found a little inn, and soon forgot the Irish
+Coast and everything else.
+
+In the morning when we arose it was raining, with little prospect of
+fair weather, but having expected nothing better, we set out on foot for
+the Causeway. The rain, however, soon came down in torrents, and we were
+obliged to take shelter in a cabin by the road-side. The whole house
+consisted of one room, with bare walls and roof, and earthen floor,
+while a window of three or four panes supplied the light. A fire of peat
+was burning on the hearth, and their breakfast, of potatoes alone, stood
+on the table. The occupants received us with rude but genuine
+hospitality, giving us the only seats in the room to sit upon; except a
+rickety bedstead that stood in one corner and a small table, there was
+no other furniture in the house. The man appeared rather intelligent,
+and although he complained of the hardness of their lot, had no sympathy
+with O'Connell or the Repeal movement.
+
+We left this miserable hut, as soon as it ceased raining--and, though
+there were many cabins along the road, few were better than this. At
+length, after passing the walls of an old church, in the midst of older
+tombs, we saw the roofless towers of Dunluce Castle, on the sea-shore.
+It stands on an isolated rook, rising perpendicularly two hundred feet
+above the sea, and connected with the cliffs of the mainland by a narrow
+arch of masonry. On the summit of the cliffs were the remains of the
+buildings where the ancient lords kept their vassals. An old man, who
+takes care of it for Lord Antrim, on whose property it is situated,
+showed us the way down to the castle. We walked across the narrow arch,
+entered the ruined hall, and looked down on the roaring sea below. It
+still rained, the wind swept furiously through the decaying arches of
+the banqueting hall and waved the long grass on the desolate
+battlements. Far below, the sea foamed white on the breakers and sent up
+an unceasing boom. It was the most mournful and desolate picture I ever
+beheld. There were some low dungeons yet entire, and rude stairways,
+where, by stooping down, I could ascend nearly to the top of one of the
+towers, and look out on the wild scenery of the coast.
+
+Going back, I found a way down the cliff, to the mouth of a cavern in
+the rock, which extends under the whole castle to the sea. Sliding down
+a heap of sand and stones, I stood under an arch eighty feet high; in
+front the breakers dashed into the entrance, flinging the spray half-way
+to the roof, while the sound rang up through the arches like thunder. It
+seemed to me the haunt of the old Norsemen's sea-gods!
+
+We left the road near Dunluce and walked along the smooth beach to the
+cliffs that surround the Causeway. Here we obtained a guide, and
+descended to one of the caves which can be entered from the shore.
+Opposite the entrance a bare rock called Sea Gull Isle, rises out of the
+sea like a church steeple. The roof at first was low, but we shortly
+came to a branch that opened on the sea, where the arch was forty-six
+feet in height. The breakers dashed far into the cave, and flocks of
+sea-birds circled round its mouth. The sound of a gun was like a
+deafening peal of thunder, crashing from arch to arch till it rolled out
+of the cavern.
+
+On the top of the hill a splendid hotel is erected for visitors to the
+Causeway; after passing this we descended to the base of the cliffs,
+which are here upwards of four hundred feet high, and soon began to
+find, in the columnar formation of the rocks, indications of our
+approach. The guide pointed out some columns which appeared to have been
+melted and run together, from which Sir Humphrey Davy attributed the
+formation of the Causeway to the action of fire. Near this is the
+Giant's Well, a spring of the purest water, the bottom formed by three
+perfect hexagons, and the sides of regular columns. One of us observing
+that no giant had ever drunk from it, the old man answered--"Perhaps
+not: but it was made by a giant--God Almighty!"
+
+From the well, the Causeway commences--a mass of columns, from
+triangular to octagonal, lying in compact forms, and extending into the
+sea. I was somewhat disappointed at first, having supposed the Causeway
+to be of great height, but I found the Giant's Loom, which is the
+highest part of it, to be but about fifty feet from the water. The
+singular appearance of the columns and the many strange forms which they
+assume, render it nevertheless, an object of the greatest interest.
+Walking out on the rocks we came to the Ladies' Chair, the seat, back,
+sides and footstool, being all regularly formed by the broken columns.
+The guide said that any lady who would take three drinks from the
+Giant's Well, then sit in this chair and think of any gentleman for whom
+she had a preference, would be married before a twelvemonth. I asked him
+if it would answer as well for gentlemen, for by a wonderful coincidence
+we had each drank three times at the well! He said it would, and thought
+he was confirming his statement.
+
+A cluster of columns about half-way up the cliff is called the Giant's
+Organ--from its very striking resemblance to that instrument, and a
+single rock, worn by the waves into the shape of a rude seat, is his
+chair. A mile or two further along the coast, two cliffs project from
+the range, leaving a vast semicircular space between, which, from its
+resemblance to the old Roman theatres, was appropriated for that purpose
+by the Giant. Halfway down the crags are two or three pinnacles of rock,
+called the Chimneys, and the stumps of several others can be seen,
+which, it is said, were shot off by a vessel belonging to the Spanish
+Armada, in mistake for the towers of Dunluce Castle. The vessel was
+afterwards wrecked in the bay below, which has ever since been called
+Spanish Bay, and in calm weather the wreck may be still seen. Many of
+the columns of the Causeway have been carried off and sold as pillars
+for mantels--and though a notice is put up threatening any one with the
+rigor of the law, depredations are occasionally made.
+
+Returning, we left the road at Dunluce, and took a path which led along
+the summit of the cliffs. The twilight was gathering, and the wind blew
+with perfect fury, which, combined with the black and stormy sky, gave
+the coast an air of extreme wildness. All at once, as we followed the
+winding path, the crags appeared to open before us, disclosing a yawning
+chasm, down which a large stream, falling in an unbroken sheet, was lost
+in the gloom below. Witnessed in a calm day, there may perhaps be
+nothing striking about it, but coming upon us at once, through the gloom
+of twilight, with the sea thundering below and a scowling sky above, it
+was absolutely startling.
+
+The path at last wound, with many a steep and slippery bend, down the
+almost perpendicular crags, to the shore, at the foot of a giant
+isolated rock, having a natural arch through it, eighty feet in height.
+We followed the narrow strip of beach, having the bare crags on one side
+and a line of foaming breakers on the other. It soon grew dark; a
+furious storm came up and swept like a hurricane along the shore. I then
+understood what Horne means by "the lengthening javelins of the blast,"
+for every drop seemed to strike with the force of an arrow, and our
+clothes were soon pierced in every part.
+
+Then we went up among the sand hills, and lost each other in the
+darkness, when, after stumbling about among the gullies for half an
+hour, shouting for my companions, I found the road and heard my call
+answered; but it happened to be two Irishmen, who came up and said--"And
+is it another gintleman ye're callin' for? we heard some one cryin', and
+didn't know but somebody might be kilt."
+
+Finally, about eleven o'clock we all arrived at the inn, dripping with
+rain, and before a warm fire concluded the adventures of our day in
+Ireland.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+BEN LOMOND AND THE HIGHLAND LAKES.
+
+
+The steamboat Londonderry called the next day at Port Rush, and we left
+in her for Greenock. We ran down the Irish coast, past Dunluce Castle
+and the Causeway; the Giant's organ was very plainly visible, and the
+winds were strong enough to have sounded a storm-song upon it. Farther
+on we had a distant view of Carrick-a-Rede, a precipitous rock,
+separated by a yawning chasm from the shore, frequented by the catchers
+of sea-birds. A narrow swinging bridge, which is only passable in calm
+weather, crosses this chasm, 200 feet above the water.
+
+The deck of the steamer was crowded with Irish, and certainly gave no
+very favorable impression of the condition of the peasantry of Ireland.
+On many of their countenances there was scarcely a mark of
+intelligence--they were a most brutalized and degraded company of
+beings. Many of them were in a beastly state of intoxication, which,
+from the contents of some of their pockets, was not likely to decrease.
+As evening drew on, two or three began singing and the others collected
+in groups around them. One of them who sang with great spirit, was
+loudly applauded, and poured forth song after song, of the most rude and
+unrefined character.
+
+We took a deck passage for three shillings, in preference to paying
+twenty for the cabin, and having secured a vacant place near the
+chimney, kept it during the whole passage. The waves were as rough in
+the Channel as I ever saw them in the Atlantic, and our boat was tossed
+about like a plaything. By keeping still we escaped sickness, but we
+could not avoid the sight of the miserable beings who filled the deck.
+Many of them spoke in the Irish tongue, and our German friend (the
+student whom I have already mentioned) noticed in many of the words a
+resemblance to his mother tongue. I procured a bowl of soup from the
+steward, but as I was not able to eat it, I gave it to an old man whose
+hungry look and wistful eyes convinced me it would not be lost on him.
+He swallowed it with ravenous avidity, together with a crust of bread,
+which was all I had to give him, and seemed for the time as happy and
+cheerful as if all his earthly wants were satisfied.
+
+We passed by the foot of Goat Fell, a lofty mountain on the island of
+Arran, and sped on through the darkness past the hills of Bute, till we
+entered the Clyde. We arrived at Greenock at one o'clock at night, and
+walking at random through its silent streets, met a policeman, whom we
+asked to show us where we might find lodgings. He took my cousin and
+myself to the house of a poor widow, who had a spare bed which she let
+to strangers, and then conducted our comrade and the German to another
+lodging-place.
+
+An Irish strolling musician, who was on board the Dumbarton boat,
+commenced playing soon after we left Greenock, and, to my surprise,
+struck at once into "Hail Columbia." Then he gave "the Exile of Erin,"
+with the most touching sweetness; and I noticed that always after
+playing any air that was desired of him, he would invariably return to
+the sad lament, which I never heard executed with more feeling. It might
+have been the mild, soft air of the morning, or some peculiar mood of
+mind that influenced me, but I have been far less affected by music
+which would be considered immeasurably superior to his. I had been
+thinking of America, and going up to the old man, I quietly bade him
+play "Home." It thrilled with a painful delight that almost brought
+tears to my eyes. My companion started as the sweet melody arose, and
+turned towards me, his face kindling with emotion.
+
+Dumbarton Rock rose higher and higher as we went up the Clyde, and
+before we arrived at the town I hailed the dim outline of Ben Lomond,
+rising far off among the highlands. The town is at the head of a small
+inlet, a short distance from the rock, which was once surrounded by
+water. We went immediately to the Castle. The rock is nearly 500 feet
+high, and from its position and great strength as a fortress, has been
+called the Gibraltar of Scotland. The top is surrounded with
+battlements, and the armory and barracks stand in a cleft between the
+two peaks. We passed down a green lane, around the rock, and entered the
+castle on the south side. A soldier conducted us through a narrow cleft,
+overhung with crags, to the summit. Here, from the remains of a round
+building, called Wallace's Tower, from its having been used as a
+look-out station by that chieftain, we had a beautiful view of the whole
+of Leven Vale to Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and the Highlands, and on the
+other hand, the Clyde and the Isle of Bute. In the soft and still
+balminess of the morning, it was a lovely picture. In the armory, I
+lifted the sword of Wallace, a two-handed weapon, five feet in length.
+We were also shown a Lochaber battle-axe, from Bannockburn, and several
+ancient claymores.
+
+We lingered long upon the summit before we forsook the stern fortress
+for the sweet vale spread out before us. It was indeed a glorious walk,
+from Dumbarton to Loch Lomond, through this enchanting valley. The air
+was mild and clear; a few light clouds occasionally crossing the sun,
+chequered the hills with sun and shade. I have as yet seen nothing that
+in pastoral beauty can compare with its glassy winding stream, its mossy
+old woods, and guarding hills--and the ivy-grown, castellated towers
+embosomed in its forests, or standing on the banks of the Leven--the
+purest of rivers. At a little village called Renton, is a monument to
+Smollett, but the inhabitants seem to neglect his memory, as one of the
+tablets on the pedestal is broken and half fallen away. Further up the
+vale a farmer showed us an old mansion in the midst of a group of trees
+on the bank of the Leven, which he said belonged to Smollett--or
+Roderick Random, as he called him. Two or three old pear trees were
+still standing where the garden had formerly been, under which he was
+accustomed to play in his childhood.
+
+At the head of Leven Vale, we set off in the steamer "Water Witch" over
+the crystal waters of Loch Lomond, passing Inch Murrin, the deer-park of
+the Duke of Montrose, and Inch Caillach,
+
+    ----"where gray pines wave
+    Their shadows o'er Clan Alpine's grave."
+
+Under the clear sky and golden light of the declining sun, we entered
+the Highlands, and heard on every side names we had learned long ago in
+the lays of Scott. Here were Glen Fruin and Bannochar, Ross Dhu and the
+pass of Beal-ma-na. Further still, we passed Rob Roy's rock, where the
+lake is locked in by lofty mountains. The cone-like peak of Ben Lomond
+rises far above on the right, Ben Voirlich stands in front, and the
+jagged crest of Ben Arthur looks over the shoulders of the western
+hills. A Scotchman on board pointed out to us the remarkable places, and
+related many interesting legends. Above Inversnaid, where there is a
+beautiful waterfall, leaping over the rock and glancing out from the
+overhanging birches, we passed McFarland's Island, concerning the origin
+of which name, he gave a history. A nephew of one of the old Earls of
+Lennox, the ruins of whose castle we saw on Inch Murrin, having murdered
+his uncle's cook in a quarrel, was obliged to flee for his life.
+Returning after many years, he built a castle upon this island, which
+was always after named, on account of his exile, _Far-land_. On a
+precipitous point above Inversnaid, are two caves in the rock; one near
+the water is called Rob Roy's, though the guides generally call it
+Bruce's also, to avoid trouble, as the real Bruce's Cave is high up the
+hill. It is so called, because Bruce hid there one night, from the
+pursuit of his enemies. It is related that a mountain goat, who used
+this probably for a sleeping place, entered, trod on his mantle, and
+aroused him. Thinking his enemies were upon him, he sprang up, and saw
+the silly animal before him. In token of gratitude for this agreeable
+surprise, when he became king, a law was passed, declaring goats free
+throughout all Scotland--unpunishable for whatever trespass they might
+commit, and the legend further says, that not having been repealed, it
+continues in force at the present day.
+
+On the opposite shore of the lake is a large rock, called "Bull's Rock,"
+having a door in the side, with a stairway cut through the interior to a
+pulpit on the top, from which the pastor at Arroquhar preaches a monthly
+discourse. The Gaelic legend of the rock is, that it once stood near the
+summit of the mountain above, and was very nearly balanced on the edge
+of a precipice. Two wild bulls, fighting violently, dashed with great
+force against the rock, which, being thrown from its balance, was
+tumbled down the side of the mountain, till it reached its present
+position. The Scot was speaking with great bitterness of the betrayal of
+Wallace, when I asked him if it was still considered an insult to turn a
+loaf of bread bottom upwards in the presence of a Montieth. "Indeed it
+is, sir," said he, "I have often done it myself."
+
+Until last May, travellers were taken no higher up the lake than Rob
+Roy's Cave, but another boat having commenced running, they can now go
+beyond Loch Lomond, two miles up Glen Falloch, to the Inn of Inverarnan,
+thereby visiting some of the finest scenery in that part of the
+Highlands. It was ludicrous, however, to see the steamboat on a river
+scarcely wider than herself, in a little valley, hemmed in completely
+with lofty mountains. She went on, however, pushing aside the thickets
+which lined both banks, and I almost began to think she was going to
+take the shore for it, when we came to a place widened out for her to be
+turned around in; here we jumped ashore in a green meadow, on which the
+cool mist was beginning to descend.
+
+When we arose in the morning, at 4 o'clock, to return with the boat, the
+sun was already shining upon the westward hills, scarcely a cloud was in
+the sky, and the air was pure and cool. To our great delight Ben Lomond
+was unshrouded, and we were told that a more favorable day for the
+ascent had not occurred for two months. We left the boat at Rowardennan,
+an inn at the southern base of Ben Lomond. After breakfasting on Loch
+Lomond trout, I stole out to the shore while my companions were
+preparing for the ascent, and made a hasty sketch of the lake.
+
+We purposed descending on the northern side and crossing the Highlands
+to Loch Katrine; though it was represented as difficult and dangerous by
+the guide who wished to accompany us, we determined to run the risk of
+being enveloped in a cloud on the summit, and so set out alone, the path
+appearing plain before us. We had no difficulty in following it up the
+lesser heights, around the base. It wound on, over rock and bog, among
+the heather and broom with which the mountain is covered, sometimes
+running up a steep acclivity, and then winding zigzag round a rocky
+ascent. The rains two days before, had made the bogs damp and muddy, but
+with this exception, we had little trouble for some time. Ben Lomond is
+a doubly formed mountain. For about three-fourths of the way there is a
+continued ascent, when it is suddenly terminated by a large barren
+plain, from one end of which the summit shoots up abruptly, forming at
+the north side, a precipice 500 feet high. As we approached the summit
+of the first part of the mountain, the way became very steep and
+toilsome; but the prospect, which had before been only on the south
+side, began to open on the east, and we saw suddenly spread out below
+us, the vale of Menteith, with "far Loch Ard and Aberfoil" in the
+centre, and the huge front of Benvenue filling up the picture. Taking
+courage from this, we hurried on. The heather had become stunted and
+dwarfish, and the ground was covered with short brown grass. The
+mountain sheep, which we saw looking at us from the rock above, had worn
+so many paths along the side, that we could not tell which to take, but
+pushed on in the direction of the summit, till thinking it must be near
+at hand, we found a mile and a half of plain before us, with the top of
+Ben Lomond at the farther end. The plain was full of wet moss, crossed
+in all directions by deep ravines or gullies worn in it by the mountain
+rains, and the wind swept across with a tempest-like force.
+
+I met, near the base, a young gentleman from Edinburgh, who had left
+Rowardennan before us, and we commenced ascending together. It was hard
+work, but neither liked to stop, so we climbed up to the first resting
+place, and found the path leading along the brink of a precipice. We
+soon attained the summit, and climbing up a little mound of earth and
+stones, I saw the half of Scotland at a glance. The clouds hung just
+above the mountain tops, which rose all around like the waves of a
+mighty sea. On every side--near and far--stood their misty summits, but
+Ben Lomond was the monarch of them all. Loch Lomond lay unrolled under
+my feet like a beautiful map, and just opposite, Loch Long thrust its
+head from between the feet of the crowded hills, to catch a glimpse of
+the giant. We could see from Ben Nevis to Ayr--from Edinburgh to Staffa.
+Stirling and Edinburgh Castles would have been visible, but that the
+clouds hung low in the valley of the Forth and hid them from our sight.
+
+The view from Ben Lomond is nearly twice as extensive as that from
+Catskill, being uninterrupted on every side, but it wants the glorious
+forest scenery, clear, blue sky, and active, rejoicing character of the
+latter. We stayed about two hours upon the summit, taking refuge behind
+the cairn, when the wind blew strong. I found the smallest of flowers
+under a rock, and brought it away as a memento. In the middle of the
+precipice there is a narrow ravine or rather cleft in the rock, to the
+bottom, from whence the mountain slopes regularly but steeply down to
+the valley. At the bottom we stopped to awake the echoes, which were
+repeated four times; our German companion sang the Hunter's Chorus,
+which resounded magnificently through this Highland hall. We drank from
+the river Forth, which starts from a spring at the foot of the rock, and
+then commenced descending. This was also toilsome enough. The mountain
+was quite wet and covered with loose stones, which, dislodged by our
+feet, went rattling down the side, oftentimes to the danger of the
+foremost ones; and when we had run or rather slid down the three miles,
+to the bottom, our knees trembled so as scarcely to support us.
+
+Here, at a cottage on the farm of Coman, we procured some oat cakes and
+milk for dinner, from an old Scotch woman, who pointed out the direction
+of Loch Katrine, six miles distant; there was no road, nor indeed a
+solitary dwelling between. The hills were bare of trees, covered with
+scraggy bushes and rough heath, which in some places was so thick we
+could scarcely drag our feet through. Added to this, the ground was
+covered with a kind of moss that retained the moisture like a sponge, so
+that our boots ere long became thoroughly soaked. Several considerable
+streams were rushing down the side, and many of the wild breed of black
+Highland cattle were grazing around. After climbing up and down one or
+two heights, occasionally startling the moorcock and ptarmigan from
+their heathery coverts, we saw the valley of Loch Con; while in the
+middle of the plain on the top of the mountain we had ascended, was a
+sheet of water which we took to be Loch Ackill. Two or three wild fowl
+swimming on its surface were the only living things in sight. The peaks
+around shut it out from all view of the world; a single decayed tree
+leaned over it from a mossy rock, which gave the whole scene an air of
+the most desolate wildness. I forget the name of the lake; but we
+learned afterwards that the Highlanders consider it the abode of the
+fairies, or "men of peace," and that it is still superstitiously shunned
+by them after nightfall.
+
+From the next mountain we saw Loch Ackill and Loch Katrine below, but a
+wet and weary descent had yet to be made. I was about throwing off my
+knapsack on a rock, to take a sketch of Loch Katrine, which appeared
+very beautiful from this point, when we discerned a cavalcade of ponies
+winding along the path from Inversnaid, to the head of the lake, and
+hastened down to take the boat when they should arrive. Our haste turned
+out to be unnecessary, however, for they had to wait for their luggage,
+which was long in coming. Two boatmen then offered to take us for two
+shillings and sixpence each, with the privilege of stopping at Ellen's
+Isle; the regular fare being two shillings. We got in, when, after
+exchanging a few words in Gaelic, one of them called to the travellers,
+of whom there were a number, to come and take passage at two
+shillings--then at one and sixpence, and finally concluded by requesting
+them all to step on board the shilling boat! At length, having secured
+nine at this reduced price, we pushed off; one of the passengers took
+the helm, and the boat glided merrily over the clear water.
+
+It appears there is some opposition among the boatmen this summer, which
+is all the better for travelers. They are a bold race, and still
+preserve many of the characteristics of the clan from which they sprung.
+One of ours, who had a chieftain-like look, was a MacGregor, related to
+Rob Roy. The fourth descendant in a direct line, now inhabits the Rob
+Roy mansion, at Glengyle, a valley at the head of the lake. A small
+steamboat was put upon Loch Katrine a short time ago, but the boatmen,
+jealous of this new invasion of their privilege, one night towed her out
+to the middle of the lake and there sunk her.
+
+Near the point of Brianchoil is a very small island with a few trees
+upon it, of which the boatman related a story that was new to me. He
+said an eccentric individual, many years ago, built his house upon
+it--but it was soon beaten down by the winds and waves. Having built it
+up with like fortune several times, he at last desisted, saying, "bought
+wisdom was the best;" since when it has been called the Island of
+Wisdom. On the shore below, the boatman showed us his cottage. The whole
+family were out at the door to witness our progress; he hoisted a flag,
+and when we came opposite, they exchanged shouts in Gaelic. As our men
+resumed their oars again, we assisted in giving three cheers, which made
+the echoes of Benvenue ring again. Some one observed his dog, looking
+after us from a projecting rock, when he called out to him, "go home,
+you brute!" We asked him why he did not speak Gaelic also to his dog.
+
+"Very few dogs, indeed," said he, "understand Gaelic, but they all
+understand English. And we therefore all use English when speaking to
+our dogs; indeed, I know some persons, who know nothing of English, that
+speak it to their dogs!"
+
+They then sang, in a rude manner, a Gaelic song. The only word I could
+distinguish was Inch Caillach, the burying place of Clan Alpine. They
+told us it was the answer of a Highland girl to a foreign lord, who
+wished to make her his bride. Perhaps, like the American Indian, she
+would not leave the graves of her fathers. As we drew near the eastern
+end of the lake, the scenery became far more beautiful. The Trosachs
+opened before us. Ben Ledi looked down over the "forehead bare" of Ben
+An, and, as we turned a rocky point, Ellen's Isle rose up in front. It
+is a beautiful little turquoise in the silver setting of Loch Katrine.
+The northern side alone is accessible, all the others being rocky and
+perpendicular, and thickly grown with trees. We rounded the island to
+the little bay, bordered by the silver strand, above which is the rock
+from which Fitz-James wound his horn, and shot under an ancient oak
+which flung its long grey arms over the water; we here found a flight of
+rocky steps, leading to the top, where stood the bower erected by Lady
+Willoughby D'Eresby, to correspond with Scott's description. Two or
+three blackened beams are all that remain of it, having been burned down
+some years ago, by the carelessness of a traveler.
+
+The mountains stand all around, like giants, to "sentinel this enchanted
+land." On leaving the island, we saw the Goblin's Cave, in the side of
+Benvenue, called by the Gaels, "Coirnan-Uriskin." Near it is
+Beal-nam-bo, the pass of cattle, overhung with grey weeping birch trees.
+Here the boatmen stopped to let us hear the fine echo, and the names of
+"Rob Roy," and "Roderick Dhu," were sent back to us apparently as loud
+as they were given. The description of Scott is wonderfully exact,
+though the forest that feathered o'er the sides of Benvenue, has since
+been cut down and sold by the Duke of Montrose. When we reached the end
+of the lake it commenced raining, and we hastened on through the pass of
+Beal-an-Duine, scarcely taking time to glance at the scenery, till Loch
+Achray appeared through the trees, and on its banks the ivy-grown front
+of the inn of Ardcheancrochan, with its unpronounceable name.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE BURNS FESTIVAL.
+
+
+We passed a glorious summer morning on the banks of Loch Katrine. The
+air was pure, fresh and balmy, and the warm sunshine glowed upon forest
+and lake, upon dark crag and purple mountain-top. The lake was a scene
+in fairy-land. Returning over the rugged battle-plain in the jaws of the
+Trosachs, we passed the wild, lonely valley of Glenfinlas and Lanric
+Mead, at the head of Loch Vennachar, rounding the foot of Ben Ledi to
+Coilantogle Ford. We saw the desolate hills of Uam-var over which the
+stag fled from his lair in Glenartney, and keeping on through Callander,
+stopped for the night at a little inn on the banks of the Teith. The
+next day we walked through Doune, over the lowlands to Stirling.
+Crossing Allan Water and the Forth, we climbed Stirling Castle and
+looked on the purple peaks of the Ochill Mountains, the far Grampians,
+and the battle-fields of Bannockburn and Sheriff Muir. Our German
+comrade, feeling little interest in the memory of the poet-ploughman,
+left in the steamboat for Edinburg; we mounted an English coach and rode
+to Falkirk, where we took the cars for Glasgow in order to attend the
+Burns Festival, on the 6th of August.
+
+This was a great day for Scotland--the assembling of all classes to do
+honor to the memory of her peasant-bard. And right fitting was it, too,
+that such a meeting should be hold on the banks of the Doon, the stream
+of which he has sung so sweetly, within sight of the cot where he was
+born, the beautiful monument erected by his countrymen, and more than
+all, beside "Alloway's witch-haunted wall!" One would think old Albyn
+would rise up at the call, and that from the wild hunters of the
+northern hills to the shepherds of the Cheviots, half her honest
+yeomanry would be there, to render gratitude to the memory of the sweet
+bard who was one of them, and who gave their wants and their woes such
+eloquent utterance.
+
+For months before had the proposition been made to hold a meeting on the
+Doon, similar to the Shakspeare Festival on the Avon, and the 10th of
+July was first appointed for the day, but owing to the necessity of
+further time for preparation, it was postponed until the 6th of August.
+The Earl of Eglintoun was chosen Chairman, and Professor Wilson
+Vice-Chairman; in addition to this, all the most eminent British authors
+were invited to attend. A pavilion, capable of containing two thousand
+persons, had been erected near the monument, in a large field, which was
+thrown open to the public. Other preparations were made and the meeting
+was expected to be of the most interesting character.
+
+When we arose it was raining, and I feared that the weather might dampen
+somewhat the pleasures of the day, as it had done to the celebrated
+tournament at Eglintoun Castle. We reached the station in time for the
+first train, and sped in the face of the wind over the plains of
+Ayrshire, which, under such a gloomy sky, looked most desolate. We ran
+some distance along the coast, having a view of the Hills of Arran, and
+reached Ayr about nine o'clock. We came first to the New Bridge, which
+had a triumphal arch in the middle, and the lines, from the "Twa Brigs
+of Ayr:"
+
+    "Will your poor narrow foot-path of a street,
+    Where twa wheel-barrows tremble when they meet,
+    Your ruin'd, formless bulk o' stane and lime,
+    Compare wi' bonnie brigs o' modern time?"
+
+While on the arch of the 'old brig' was the reply:
+
+    "I'll be a brig when ye're a shapeless stane."
+
+As we advanced into the town, the decorations became more frequent. The
+streets were crowded with people carrying banners and wreaths, many of
+the houses were adorned with green boughs and the vessels in the harbor
+hung out all their flags. We saw the Wallace Tower, a high Gothic
+building, having in front a statue of Wallace leaning on his sword, by
+Thom, a native of Ayr, and on our way to the green, where the procession
+was to assemble, passed under the triumphal arch thrown across the
+street opposite the inn where Tarn O'Shanter caroused so long with
+Souter Johnny. Leaving the companies to form on the long meadow
+bordering the shore, we set out for the Doon, three miles distant.
+Beggars were seated at regular distances along the road, uttering the
+most dolorous whinings. Both bridges were decorated in the same manner,
+with miserable looking objects, keeping up, during the whole day, a
+continual lamentation. Persons are prohibited from begging in England
+and Scotland, but I suppose, this being an extraordinary day, license
+was given them as a favor, to beg free. I noticed that the women, with
+their usual kindness of heart, bestowed nearly all the alms which these
+unfortunate objects received. The night before, as I was walking through
+the streets of Glasgow, a young man of the poorer class, very scantily
+dressed, stepped up to me and begged me to listen to him for a moment.
+He spoke hurriedly, and agitatedly, begging me, in God's name, to give
+him something, however little. I gave him what few pence I had with me,
+when he grasped my hand with a quick motion, saying: "Sir, you little
+think how much you have done for me." I was about to inquire more
+particularly into his situation, but he had disappeared among the crowd.
+
+We passed the "cairn where hunters found the murdered bairn," along a
+pleasant road to the Burns cottage, where it was spanned by a
+magnificent triumphal arch of evergreens and flowers. To the disgrace of
+Scotland, this neat little thatched cot, where Burns passed the first
+seven years of his life, is now occupied by somebody, who has stuck up a
+sign over the door, "_licensed to retail spirits, to be drunk on the
+premises_;" and accordingly the rooms were crowded full of people, all
+drinking. There was a fine original portrait of Burns in one room, and
+in the old fashioned kitchen we saw the recess where he was born. The
+hostess looked towards us as if to inquire what we would drink, and I
+hastened away--there was profanity in the thought. But by this time, the
+bell of Old Alloway, which still hangs in its accustomed place, though
+the walls only are left, began tolling, and we obeyed the call. The
+attachment of the people for this bell, is so great, that a short time
+ago, when it was ordered to be removed, the inhabitants rose en masse,
+and prevented it. The ruin, which is close by the road, stands in the
+middle of the church-yard, and the first thing I saw, on going in the
+gate, was the tomb of the father of Burns. I looked in the old window,
+but the interior was filled with rank weeds, and overshadowed by a young
+tree, which had grown nearly to the eaves.
+
+The crowd was now fast gathering in the large field, in the midst of
+which the pavilion was situated. We went down by the beautiful monument
+to Burns, to the "Auld Brig o' Doon," which was spanned by an arch of
+evergreens, containing a representation of Tam O'Shanter and his grey
+mare, pursued by the witches. It had been arranged that the procession
+was to pass over the old and new bridges, and from thence by a temporary
+bridge over the hedge into the field. At this latter place a stand was
+erected for the sons of Burns, the officers of the day, and
+distinguished guests. Here was a beautiful specimen of English
+exclusiveness. The space adjoining the pavilion was fenced around, and
+admittance denied at first to any, except those who had tickets for the
+dinner, which, the price being fifteen shillings, entirely prevented the
+humble laborers, who, more than all, should participate on the occasion,
+from witnessing the review of the procession by the sons of Burns, and
+hearing the eloquent speeches of Professor Wilson and Lord Eglintoun.
+Thus, of the many thousands who were in the field, but a few hundred who
+were crowded between the bridge and the railing around the pavilion,
+enjoyed the interesting spectacle. By good fortune, I obtained a stand,
+where I had an excellent view of the scene. The sons of Burns were in
+the middle of the platform, with Eglintoun on the right, and Wilson on
+their left. Mrs. Begg, sister of the Poet, with her daughters, stood by
+the Countess of Eglintoun. She was a plain, benevolent looking woman,
+dressed in black, and appearing still active and vigorous, though she is
+upwards of eighty years old. She bears some likeness, especially in the
+expression of her eye, to the Poet. Robert Burns, the oldest son,
+appeared to me to have a strong resemblance of his father, and it is
+said he is the only one who remembers his face. He has for a long time
+had an office under Government, in London. The others have but lately
+returned from a residence of twenty years in India. Professor Wilson
+appeared to enter into the spirit of the scene better than any of them.
+He shouted and waved his hat, and, with his fine, broad forehead, his
+long brown locks already mixed with gray, streaming over his shoulders,
+and that eagle eye glancing over the vast assemblage, seemed a real
+Christopher North, yet full of the fire and vigor of youth--"a
+gray-haired, happy boy!"
+
+About half of the procession consisted of lodges of masons, all of whom
+turned out on the occasion, as Burns was one of the fraternity. I was
+most interested in several companies of shepherds, from the hills, with
+their crooks and plaids; a body of archers in Lincoln green, with a
+handsome chief at their head, and some Highlanders in their most
+picturesque of costumes. As one of the companies, which carried a
+mammoth thistle in a box, came near the platform, Wilson snatched a
+branch, regardless of its pricks, and placed it on his coat. After this
+pageant, which could not have been much less than three miles long, had
+passed, a band was stationed on the platform in the centre of the field,
+around which it formed in a circle, and the whole company sang, "Ye
+Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon." Just at this time, a person dressed to
+represent Tam O'Shanter, mounted on a gray mare, issued from a field
+near the Burns Monument and rode along towards Alloway Kirk, from which,
+when he approached it, a whole legion of witches sallied out and
+commenced a hot pursuit. They turned back, however, at the keystone of
+the bridge, the witch with the "cutty sark" holding up in triumph the
+abstracted tail of Maggie. Soon after this the company entered the
+pavilion, and the thousands outside were entertained, as an especial
+favor, by the band of the 87th Regiment, while from the many liquor
+booths around the field, they could enjoy themselves in another way.
+
+We went up to the Monument, which was of more particular interest to us,
+from the relics within, but admission was denied to all. Many persons
+were collected around the gate, some of whom, having come from a great
+distance, were anxious to see it; but the keeper only said, such were
+the orders and he could not disobey them. Among the crowd, a grandson of
+the original Tam O'Shanter was shown to us. He was a raw-looking boy of
+nineteen or twenty, wearing a shepherd's cap and jacket, and muttered
+his disapprobation very decidedly, at not being able to visit the
+Monument.
+
+There were one or two showers during the day, and the sky, all the time,
+was dark and lowering, which was unfavorable for the celebration; but
+all were glad enough that the rain kept aloof till the ceremonies were
+nearly over. The speeches delivered at the dinner, which appeared in the
+papers next morning, are undoubtedly very eloquent. I noticed in the
+remarks of Robert Burns, in reply to Professor Wilson, an acknowledgment
+which the other speakers forgot. He said, "The Sons of Burns have
+grateful hearts, and to the last hour of their existence, they will
+remember the honor that has been paid them this day, by the noble, the
+lovely and the talented, of their native land--by men of genius and
+kindred spirit from our sister land--and lastly, they owe their thanks
+to the inhabitants of the far distant west, a country of a great, free,
+and kindred people! (loud cheers.)" In connexion with this subject, I
+saw an anecdote of the Poet, yesterday, which is not generally known.
+During his connexion with the Excise, he was one day at a party, where
+the health of Pitt, then minister, was proposed, as "his master and
+theirs." He immediately turned down his glass and said, "I will give you
+the health of a far greater and better man--GEORGE WASHINGTON!"
+
+We left the field early and went back through the muddy streets of Ayr.
+The street before the railway office was crowded, and there was so dense
+a mass of people on the steps, that it seemed almost impossible to get
+near. Seeing no other chance, I managed to take my stand on the lowest
+steps, where the pressure of the crowd behind and the working of the
+throng on the steps, raised me off my feet, and in about a quarter of an
+hour carried me, compressed into the smallest possible space, up the
+steps to the door, where the crowd burst in by fits, like water rushing
+out of a bottle. We esteemed ouvselves fortunate in getting room to
+stand in an open car, where, after a two hours' ride through the wind
+and pelting rain, we arrived at Glasgow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+WALK FROM EDINBURG OVER THE BORDER AND ARRIVAL AT LONDON.
+
+
+We left Glasgow on the morning after returning from the Burns Festival,
+taking passage in the open cars for Edinburg, for six shillings. On
+leaving the depot, we plunged into the heart of the hill on which
+Glasgow Cathedral stands and were whisked through darkness and sulphury
+smoke to daylight again. The cars bore us past a spur of the Highlands,
+through a beautiful country where women were at work in the fields, to
+Linlithgow, the birth-place of Queen Mary. The majestic ruins of its
+once-proud palace, stand on a green meadow behind the town. In another
+hour we were walking through Edinburg, admiring its palace-like
+edifices, and stopping every few minutes to gaze up at some lofty
+monument. Really, thought I, we call Baltimore the "Monumental City" for
+its two marble columns, and here is Edinburg with one at every
+street-corner! These, too, not in the midst of glaring red buildings,
+where they seem to have been accidentally dropped, but framed in by
+lofty granite mansions, whose long vistas make an appropriate background
+to the picture.
+
+We looked from Calton Hill on Salisbury Crags and over the Firth of
+Forth, then descended to dark old Holyrood, where the memory of lovely
+Mary lingers like a stray sunbeam in her cold halls, and the fair,
+boyish face of Rizzio looks down from the canvass on the armor of his
+murderer. We threaded the Canongate and climbed to the Castle; and
+finally, after a day and a half's sojourn, buckled on our knapsacks and
+marched out of the Northern Athens. In a short time the tall spire of
+Dalkeith appeared above the green wood, and we saw to the right, perched
+on the steep banks of the Esk, the picturesque cottage of Hawthornden,
+where Drummond once lived in poetic solitude. We made haste to cross the
+dreary waste of the Muirfoot Hills before nightfall, from the highest
+summit of which we took a last view of Edinburg Castle and the Salisbury
+Crags, then blue in the distance. Far to the east were the hills of
+Lammermuir and the country of Mid-Lothian lay before us. It was all
+_Scott_-land. The inn of Torsonce, beside the Gala Water, was our
+resting-place for the night. As we approached Galashiels the next
+morning, where the bed of the silver Gala is nearly emptied by a number
+of dingy manufactories, the hills opened, disclosing the sweet vale of
+the Tweed, guarded by the triple peak of the Eildon, at whose base lay
+nestled the village of Melrose.
+
+I stopped at a bookstore to purchase a view of the Abbey; to my surprise
+nearly half the works were by American authors. There wore Bryant,
+Longfellow, Channing, Emerson, Dana, Ware and many others. The
+bookseller told me he had sold more of Ware's Letters than any other
+book in his store, "and also," to use his own words, "an immense number
+of the great Dr. Channing." I have seen English editions of Percival,
+Willis, Whittier and Mrs. Sigourney, but Bancroft and Prescott are
+classed among the "standard _British_ historians."
+
+Crossing the Gala we ascended a hill on the road to Selkirk, and behold!
+the Tweed ran below, and opposite, in the midst of embowering trees
+planted by the hand of Scott, rose the grey halls of Abbotsford. We went
+down a lane to the banks of the swift stream, but finding no ferry,
+B---- and I, as it looked very shallow, thought we might save a long
+walk by wading across. F---- preferred hunting for a boat; we two set
+out together, with our knapsacks on our backs, and our boots in our
+hands. The current was ice-cold and very swift, and as the bed was
+covered with loose stones, it required the greatest care to stand
+upright. Looking at the bottom, through the rapid water, made my head so
+giddy, I was forced to stop and shut my eyes; my friend, who had firmer
+nerves, went plunging on to a deeper and swifter part, where the
+strength of the current made him stagger very unpleasantly. I called to
+him to return; the next thing I saw, he gave a plunge and went down to
+the shoulder in the cold flood. While he was struggling with a
+frightened expression of face to recover his footing, I leaned on my
+staff and laughed till I was on the point of falling also. To crown our
+mortification, F---- had found a ferry a few yards higher up and was on
+the opposite shore, watching us wade back again, my friend with dripping
+clothes and boots full of water. I could not forgive the pretty Scotch
+damsel who rowed us across, the mischievous lurking smile which told
+that she too had witnessed the adventure.
+
+We found a foot-path on the other side, which led through a young forest
+to Abbotsford. Rude pieces of sculpture, taken from Melrose Abbey, were
+scattered around the gate, some half buried in the earth and overgrown
+with weeds. The niches in the walls were filled with pieces of
+sculpture, and an antique marble greyhound reposed in the middle of the
+court yard. We rang the bell in an outer vestibule, ornamented with
+several pairs of antlers, when a lady appeared, who, from her
+appearance, I have no doubt was Mrs. Ormand, the "Duenna of Abbotsford,"
+so humorously described by D'Arlincourt, in his "Three Kingdoms." She
+ushered us into the entrance hall, which has a magnificent ceiling of
+carved oak and is lighted by lofty stained windows. An effigy of a
+knight in armor stood at either end, one holding a huge two-handed sword
+found on Bosworth Field; the walls were covered with helmets and
+breastplates of the olden time.
+
+Among the curiosities in the Armory are Napoleon's pistols, the
+blunderbuss of Hofer, Rob Roy's purse and gun, and the offering box of
+Queen Mary. Through the folding doors between the dining-room,
+drawing-room and library, is a fine vista, terminated by a niche, in
+which stands Chantrey's bust of Scott. The ceilings are of carved
+Scottish oak and the doors of American cedar. Adjoining the library is
+his study, the walls of which are covered with books; the doors and
+windows are double, to render it quiet and undisturbed. His books and
+inkstand are on the table and his writing-chair stands before it, as if
+he had left them but a moment before. In a little closet adjoining,
+where he kept his private manuscripts, are the clothes he last wore, his
+cane and belt, to which a hammer and small axe are attached, and his
+sword. A narrow staircase led from the study to his sleeping room above,
+by which he could come down at night and work while his family slept.
+The silence about the place is solemn and breathless, as if it waited to
+be broken by his returning footstep. I felt an awe in treading these
+lonely halls, like that which impressed me before the grave of
+Washington--a feeling that hallowed the spot, as if there yet lingered a
+low vibration of the lyre, though the minstrel had departed forever!
+
+Plucking a wild rose that grew near the walls, I left Abbotsford,
+embosomed among the trees, and turned into a green lane that led down to
+Melrose. We went immediately to the Abbey, in the lower part of the
+village, near the Tweed. As I approached the gate, the porteress came
+out, and having scrutinized me rather sharply, asked my name. I told
+her;--"well," she added, "there is a _prospect_ here for you." Thinking
+she alluded to the ruin, I replied: "Yes, the view is certainly very
+fine." "Oh! I don't mean that," she replied, "a young gentleman left a
+prospect here for you!"--whereupon she brought out a spy-glass, which I
+recognized us one that our German comrade had given to me. He had gone
+on, and hoped to meet us at Jedburgh.
+
+Melrose is the finest remaining specimen of Gothic architecture in
+Scotland. Some of the sculptured flowers in the cloister arches are
+remarkably beautiful and delicate, and the two windows--the south and
+east oriels--are of a lightness and grace of execution really
+surprising. We saw the tomb of Michael Scott, of King Alexander II, and
+that of the Douglas, marked with a sword. The heart of Bruce is supposed
+to have been buried beneath the high altar. The chancel is all open to
+the sky, and rooks build their nests among the wild ivy that climbs over
+the crumbling arches. One of these came tamely down and perched upon the
+hand of our fair guide. By a winding stair in one of the towers we
+mounted to the top of the arch and looked down on the grassy floor. I
+sat on the broken pillar, which Scott always used for a seat when he
+visited the Abbey, and read the disinterring of the magic book, in the
+"Lay of the Last Minstrel." I never comprehended its full beauty till
+then: the memory of Melrose will give it a thrilling interest, in the
+future. When we left, I was willing to say, with the Minstrel:
+
+    "Was never scene so sad and fair!"
+
+After seeing the home and favorite haunt of Scott, we felt a wish to
+stand by his grave, but we had Ancrum Moor to pass before night, and the
+Tweed was between us and Dryburgh Abbey. We did not wish to try another
+watery adventure, and therefore walked on to the village of Ancrum,
+where a gate-keeper on the road gave us lodging and good fare, for a
+moderate price. Many of this class practise this double employment, and
+the economical traveller, who looks more to comfort than luxury, will
+not fail to patronize them.
+
+Next morning we took a foot-path over the hills to Jedburgh. From the
+summit there was a lovely view of the valley of the Teviot, with the
+blue Cheviots in the distance. I thought of Pringle's beautiful
+farewell:
+
+    "Our native land, our native vale,
+       A long, a last adieu,
+     farewell to bonny Teviot-dale,
+       And Cheviot's mountains blue!"
+
+The poet was born in the valley below, and one that looks upon its
+beauty cannot wonder how his heart clung to the scenes he was leaving.
+We saw Jedburgh and its majestic old Abbey, and ascended the valley of
+the Jed towards the Cheviots. The hills, covered with woods of a
+richness and even gorgeous beauty of foliage, shut out this lovely glen
+completely from the world. I found myself continually coveting the
+lonely dwellings that were perched on the rocky heights, or nestled,
+like a fairy pavilion, in the lap of a grove. These forests formerly
+furnished the wood for the celebrated Jedwood axe, used in the Border
+forays.
+
+As we continued ascending, the prospect behind us widened, till we
+reached the summit of the Carter Fell, whence there is a view of great
+extent and beauty. The Eildon Hills, though twenty-five miles distant,
+seemed in the foreground of the picture. With a glass, Edinburgh Castle
+might be seen over the dim outline of the Muirfoot Hills. After crossing
+the border, we passed the scene of the encounter between Percy and
+Douglass, celebrated in "Chevy Chase," and at the lonely inn of
+Whitelee, in the valley below, took up our quarters for the night.
+
+Travellers have described the Cheviots as being bleak and uninteresting.
+Although they are bare and brown, to me the scenery was of a character
+of beauty entirely original. They are not rugged and broken like the
+Highlands, but lift their round backs gracefully from the plain, while
+the more distant ranges are clad in many an airy hue. Willis quaintly
+and truly remarks, that travellers only tell you the picture produced in
+their own brain by what they see, otherwise the world would be like a
+pawnbroker's shop, where each traveller wears the cast-off clothes of
+others. Therefore let no one, of a gloomy temperament, journeying over
+the Cheviots in dull November, arraign me for having falsely praised
+their beauty.
+
+I was somewhat amused with seeing a splendid carriage with footmen and
+outriders, crossing the mountain, the glorious landscape full in view,
+containing a richly dressed lady, _fast asleep!_ It is no uncommon thing
+to meet carriages in the Highlands, in which the occupants are
+comfortably reading, while being whirled through the finest scenery. And
+_apropos_ of this subject, my German friend related to me an incident.
+His brother was travelling on the Rhine, and when in the midst of the
+grandest scenes, met a carriage containing an English gentleman and
+lady, both asleep, while on the seat behind was stationed an artist,
+sketching away with all his might. He asked the latter the reason of his
+industry, when he answered, "Oh! my lord wishes to see every night what
+he has passed during the day, and so I sketch as we go along!"
+
+The hills, particularly on the English side, are covered with flocks of
+sheep, and lazy shepherds lay basking in the sun, among the purple
+heather, with their shaggy black dogs beside them. On many of the hills
+are landmarks, by which, when the snow has covered all the trucks, they
+can direct their way. After walking many miles through green valleys,
+down which flowed the Red Water, its very name telling of the conflicts
+which had crimsoned its tide, we came to the moors, and ten miles of
+blacker, drearier waste I never saw. Before entering them we passed the
+pretty little village of Otterburn, near the scene of the battle. I
+brought away a wild flower that grew on soil enriched by the blood of
+the Percys. On the village inn, is their ancient coat of arms, a lion
+rampant, on a field of gold, with the motto, "_Esperance en Dieu_."
+Scarcely a house or a tree enlivened the black waste, and even the road
+was marked on each side by high poles, to direct the traveller in
+winter. We were glad when at length the green fields came again in
+sight, and the little village of Whelpington Knowes, with its old
+ivy-grown church tower, welcomed us after the lonely walk.
+
+As one specimen of the intelligence of this part of England, we saw a
+board conspicuously posted at the commencement of a private road,
+declaring that "all persons travelling this way will be _persecuted_."
+As it led to a _church_, however, there may have been a design in the
+expression.
+
+On the fifth day after leaving Edinburgh, we reached a hill, overlooking
+the valley of the Tyne and the German Ocean, as sunset was reddening in
+the west. A cloud of coal-smoke made us aware of the vicinity of
+Newcastle. On the summit of the hill a large cattle fair was being held,
+and crowds of people were gathered in and around a camp of gaudily
+decorated tents. Fires were kindled here and there, and drinking,
+carousing and horse-racing were flourishing in full vigor.
+
+We set out one morning to hunt the Roman Wall. Passing the fine
+buildings in the centre of the city and the lofty monument to Earl Grey,
+we went towards the western gate and soon came to the ruins of a
+building, about whose origin there could be no doubt. It stood there,
+blackened by the rust of ages, a remnant of power passed away. There was
+no mistaking the massive round tower, with its projecting ornaments,
+such as are often seen in the ruder works of the Romans. On each side a
+fragment of wall remained standing, and there appeared to be a chamber
+in the interior, which was choked up with rubbish. There is another
+tower, much higher, in a public square in another part of the city, a
+portion of which is fitted up as a dwelling for the family which takes
+care of it; but there was such a ridiculous contrast between the
+ivy-grown top, and the handsome modern windows and doors of the lower
+story, that it did not impress me half as much as the other, with all
+its neglect. These are the farthest limits of that power whose mighty
+works I hope hereafter to view at the seat of her grandeur and glory.
+
+I witnessed a scene at Newcastle that cannot soon be forgotten; as it
+showed more plainly than I had before an opportunity of observing, the
+state to which the laboring classes of England are reduced. Hearing
+singing in the street, under my window, one morning, I looked out and
+saw a body of men, apparently of the lower class, but decent and sober
+looking, who were singing in a rude and plaintive strain some ballad,
+the purport of which I could not understand. On making inquiry, I
+discovered it was part of a body of miners, who, about eighteen weeks
+before, in consequence of not being able to support their families with
+the small pittance allowed them, had "struck" for higher wages. This
+their employers refused to give them, and sent to Wales, where they
+obtained workmen at the former price. The houses these laborers had
+occupied were all taken from them, and for eighteen weeks they had no
+other means of subsistence than the casual charity given them for
+singing the story of their wrongs. It made my blood boil to bear those
+tones, wrung from the heart of poverty by the hand of tyranny. The
+ignorance, permitted by the government, causes an unheard amount of
+misery and degradation. We heard afterwards in the streets, another
+company who played on musical instruments. Beneath the proud swell of
+England's martial airs, there sounded to my ears a tone whose gathering
+murmur will make itself heard ere long by the dull cars of Power.
+
+At last at the appointed time, we found ourselves on board the "London
+Merchant," in the muddy Tyne, waiting for the tide to rise high enough
+to permit us to descend the river. There is great competition among the
+steamboats this summer, and the price of passage to London is reduced to
+five and ten shillings. The second cabin, however, is a place of
+tolerable comfort, and as the steward had promised to keep berths for
+us, we engaged passage. Following the windings of the narrow river, we
+passed Sunderland and Tynemouth, where it expands into the German Ocean.
+The water was barely stirred by a gentle wind, and little resembled the
+stormy sea I expected to find it. We glided over the smooth surface,
+watching the blue line of the distant shore till dark, when I went below
+expecting to enjoy a few hours' oblivion. But the faithless steward had
+given up the promised berth to another, and it was only with difficulty
+that I secured a seat by the cabin table, where I dozed half the night
+with my head on my arms. It grew at last too close and wearisome; I
+went up on deck and lay down on the windlass, taking care to balance
+myself well before going to sleep. The earliest light of dawn awoke me
+to a consciousness of damp clothes and bruised limbs. We were in sight
+of the low shore the whole day, sometimes seeing the dim outline of a
+church, or group of trees over the downs or flat beds of sand, which
+border the eastern coast of England. About dark, the red light of the
+Nore was seen, and we hoped before many hours to be in London. The
+lights of Gravesend were passed, but about ten o'clock, as we entered
+the narrow channel of the Thames, we struck another steamboat in the
+darkness, and were obliged to cast anchor for some time. When I went on
+deck in the gray light of morning again, we were gliding up a narrow,
+muddy river, between rows of gloomy buildings, with many vessels lying
+at anchor. It grew lighter, till, as we turned a point, right before, me
+lay a vast crowd of vessels, and in the distance, above the wilderness
+of buildings, stood a dim, gigantic dome in the sky; what a bound my
+heart gave at the sight! And the tall pillar that stood near it--I did
+not need a second glance to recognize the Monument. I knew the majestic
+bridge that spanned the river above; but on the right bank stood a
+cluster of massive buildings, crowned with many a turret, that attracted
+my eye. A crowd of old associations pressed bewilderingly upon the mind,
+to see standing there, grim and dark with many a bloody page of
+England's history--the Tower of London! The morning sky was as yet but
+faintly obscured by the coal-smoke, and in the misty light of coming
+sunrise, all objects seemed grander than their wont. In spite of the
+thrilling interest of the scene, I could not help thinking of Byron's
+ludicrous but most expressive description:
+
+    "A mighty mass of brick and smoke and shipping,
+    Dirty and dusky, but as wide as eye
+    Can reach; with here and there a sail just skipping
+    In sight, then lost amidst the forestry
+    Of masts; a wilderness of steeples peeping
+    On tiptoe through their sea-coal canopy;
+    A huge dun cupola, like a fool's-cap crown
+    On a fool's head,--and there is London town."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+SOME OF THE "SIGHTS" OF LONDON.
+
+
+In the course of time we came to anchor in the stream; skiffs from the
+shore pulled alongside, and after some little quarrelling, we were
+safely deposited in one, with a party who desired to be landed at the
+Tower Stairs. The dark walls frowned above us as we mounted from the
+water and passed into an open square on the outside of the moat. The
+laborers were about commencing work, the fashionable _day_ having just
+closed, but there was still noise and bustle enough in the streets,
+particularly when we reached Whitechapel, part of the great
+thoroughfare, extending through the heart of London to Westminster Abbey
+and the Parliament buildings. Further on, through Leadenhall street and
+Fleet street--what a world! Here come the ever-thronging, ever-rolling
+waves of life, pressing and whirling on in their tumultuous career. Here
+day and night pours the stream of human beings, seeming amid the roar
+and din and clatter of the passing vehicles, like the tide of some great
+combat. How lonely it makes one to stand still and feel that of all the
+mighty throng which divides itself around him, not a being knows or
+cares for him! What knows he too of the thousands who pass him by? How
+many who bear the impress of godlike virtue, or hide beneath a goodly
+countenance a heart black with crime? How many fiery spirits, all
+glowing with hope for the yet unclouded future, or brooding over a
+darkened and desolate past in the agony of despair? There is a sublimity
+in this human Niagara that makes one look on his own race with something
+of awe.
+
+We walked down the Thames, through the narrow streets of Wapping, Over
+the mouth of the Tunnel is a large circular building, with a dome to
+light the entrance below. Paying the fee of a penny, we descended by a
+winding staircase to the bottom, which is seventy-three feet below the
+surface. The carriage-way, still unfinished, will extend further into
+the city. From the bottom the view of the two arches of the Tunnel,
+brilliantly lighted with gas, is very fine; it has a much less heavy and
+gloomy appearance than I expected. As we walked along under the bed of
+the river, two or three girls at one end began playing on the French
+horn and bugle, and the echoes, when not too deep to confuse the melody,
+were remarkably beautiful. Between the arches of the division separating
+the two passages, are shops, occupied by venders of fancy articles,
+views of the Tunnel, engravings, &c. In the middle is a small printing
+press, where, a sheet containing a description of the whole work is
+printed for those who desire it. As I was no stranger to this art, I
+requested the boy to let me print one myself, but he had such a bad
+roller I did not succeed in getting a good impression. The air within is
+somewhat damp, but fresh and agreeably cool, and one can scarcely
+realize in walking along the light passage, that a river is rolling
+above his head. The immense solidity and compactness of the structure
+precludes the danger of accident, each of the sides being arched
+outwards, so that the heaviest pressure only strengthens the whole. It
+will long remain a noble monument of human daring and ingenuity.
+
+St. Paul's is on a scale of grandeur excelling every thing I have yet
+seen. The dome seems to stand in the sky, as you look up to it; the
+distance from which you view it, combined with the atmosphere of London,
+give it a dim, shadowy appearance, that perfectly startles one with its
+immensity. The roof from which the dome springs is itself as high as the
+spires of most other churches--blackened for two hundred years with the
+coal-smoke of London, it stands like a relic of the giant architecture
+of the early world. The interior is what one would expect to behold,
+after viewing the outside. A maze of grand arches on every side,
+encompasses the dome, which you gaze up at, as at the sky; and from
+every pillar and wall look down the marble forms of the dead. There is
+scarcely a vacant niche left in all this mighty hall, so many are the
+statues that meet one on every side. With the exceptions of John Howard,
+Sir Astley Cooper and Wren, whose monument is the church itself, they
+are all to military men. I thought if they had all been removed except
+Howard's, it would better have suited such a temple, and the great soul
+it commemorated.
+
+I never was more impressed with the grandeur of human invention, than
+when ascending the dome. I could with difficulty conceive the means by
+which such a mighty edifice had been lifted into the air. That small
+frame of Sir Christopher Wren must have contained a mind capable of vast
+conceptions. The dome is like the summit of a mountain; so wide is the
+prospect, and so great the pile upon which you stand. London lay beneath
+us, like an ant-hill, with the black insects swarming to and fro in
+their long avenues, the sound of their employments coming up like the
+roar of the sea. A cloud of coal-smoke hung over it, through which many
+a pointed spire was thrust up; sometimes the wind would blow it aside
+for a moment, and the thousands of red roofs would shine out clearer.
+The bridged Thames, covered with craft of all sizes, wound beneath us
+like a ringed and spotted serpent. The scene was like an immense
+circular picture in the blue frame of the hills around.
+
+Continuing our way up Fleet street, which, notwithstanding the gaiety of
+its shops and its constant bustle, has an antique appearance, we came to
+the Temple Bar, the western boundary of the ancient city. In the inside
+of the middle arch, the old gates are still standing. From this point we
+entered the new portion of the city, which wore an air of increasing
+splendor as we advanced. The appearance of the Strand and Trafalgar
+Square is truly magnificent. Fancy every house in Broadway a store, all
+built of light granite, the Park stripped of all its trees and paved
+with granite, and a lofty column in the centre, double the crowd and the
+tumult of business, and you will have some idea of the view.
+
+It was a relief to get into St. James's Park, among the trees and
+flowers again. Here, beautiful winding walks led around little lakes, in
+which were hundreds of water-fowl, swimming. Groups of merry children
+were sporting on the green lawn, enjoying their privilege of roaming
+every where at will, while the older bipeds were confined to the regular
+walks. At the western end stood Buckingham Palace, looking over the
+trees towards St. Paul's; through the grove on the eminence above, the
+towers of St. James's could be seen. But there was a dim building, with
+two lofty square towers, decorated with a profusion of pointed Gothic
+pinnacles, that I looked at with more interest than these appendages of
+royalty. I could not linger long in its vicinity, but going back again
+by the Horse Guards, took the road to _Westminster Abbey_.
+
+We approached by the general entrance, Poet's Corner. I hardly stopped
+to look at the elaborate exterior of Henry VIIth's Chapel, but passed on
+to the door. On entering, the first thing that met my eyes were the
+words, "OH RARE BEN JONSON," under his bust. Near by stood the monuments
+of Spenser and Gay, and a few paces further looked down the sublime
+countenance of Milton. Never was a spot so full of intense interest. The
+light was just dim enough to give it a solemn, religious appearance,
+making the marble forms of poets and philosophers so shadowy and
+impressive, that I felt as if standing in their living presence. Every
+step called up some mind linked with the associations of my childhood.
+There was the gentle feminine countenance of Thompson, and the majestic
+head of Dryden; Addison with his classic features, and Gray, full of the
+fire of lofty thought. In another chamber, I paused long before the
+ashes of Shakspeare; and while looking at the monument of Garrick,
+started to find that I stood upon his grave. What a glorious galaxy of
+genius is here collected--what a constellation of stars whose light is
+immortal! The mind is completely fettered by their spirit. Everything is
+forgotten but the mighty dead, who still "rule us from their urns."
+
+The Chapel of Henry VII., which we next entered, is one of the most
+elaborate specimens of Gothic workmanship in the world. If the first
+idea of the Gothic arch sprung from observing the forms of trees, this
+chapel must resemble the first conceptions of that order, for the fluted
+columns rise up like tall trees, branching out at the top into spreading
+capitals covered with leaves, and supporting arches of the ceiling
+resembling a leafy roof.
+
+The side-chapels are filled with tombs of knightly families, the husband
+and wife lying on their backs on the tombs, with their hands clasped,
+while their children, about the size of dolls, are kneeling around.
+Numberless are the Barons and Earls and Dukes, whose grim effigies stare
+from their tombs. In opposite chapels are the tombs of Mary and
+Elizabeth, and near the former that of Darnley. After having visited
+many of the scenes of her life, it was with no ordinary emotion that I
+stood by the sepulchre of Mary. How differently one looks upon it and
+upon that of the proud Elizabeth!
+
+We descended to the Chapel of Edward the Confessor, within the splendid
+shrine of which repose his ashes. Here we were shown the chair on which
+the English monarchs have been crowned for several hundred years, Under
+the seat is the stone, brought from the Abbey of Scone, whereon the
+Kings of Scotland were crowned. The chair is of oak, carved and hacked
+over with names, and on the bottom some one has recorded his name with
+the fact that, he once slept in it. We sat down and rested in it without
+ceremony. Passing along an aisle leading to the grand hall, we saw the
+tomb of Aymer de Valence, a knight of the Crusades. Near here is the
+hall where the Knights of the order of Bath met. Over each seat their
+dusty banners are still hanging, each with its crest, and their armor is
+rusting upon the wall. It seemed like a banqueting hall of the olden
+time, where the knights had left their seats for a moment vacant.
+Entering the nave, we were lost in the wilderness of sculpture. Here
+stood the forms of Pitt, Fox, Burke, Sheridan and Watts, from the
+chisels of Chantry, Bacon and Westmacott. Further down were Sir Isaac
+Newton and Sir Godfrey Kneller--opposite Andre, and Paoli, the Italian,
+who died here in exile. How can I convey an idea of the scene?
+Notwithstanding all the descriptions I had read, I was totally
+unprepared for the reality, nor could I have anticipated the hushed and
+breathless interest with which I paced the dim aisles, gazing, at every
+step, on the last resting place of some great and familiar name. A place
+so sacred to all who inherit the English tongue, is worthy of a special
+pilgrimage across the deep. To those who are unable to visit it, a
+description may be interesting; but so far does it fall short of the
+scene itself, that if I thought it would induce a few of our wealthy
+idlers, or even those who, like myself, must travel with toil and
+privation to come hither, I would write till the pen dropped from my
+hand.
+
+More than twenty grand halls of the British Museum are devoted to
+antiquities, and include the Elgin Marbles--the spoils of the
+Parthenon--the Fellows Marbles, brought from the ancient city of
+Xanthus, and Sir William Hamilton's collection of Italian antiquities.
+It was painful to see the friezes of the Parthenon, broken and defaced
+as they are, in such a place. Rather let them moulder to dust on the
+ruin from which they were torn, shining through the blue veil of the
+Grecian atmosphere, from the summit of the Acropolis!
+
+The National Gallery, on Trafalgar Square, is open four days in the
+week, to the public. The "Raising of Lazarus," by Sebastian del Piombo,
+is considered the gem of the collection, but my unschooled eyes could
+not view it as such. It is also remarkable for having been transferred
+from wood to canvass, without injury. This delicate operation was
+accomplished by gluing the panel on which it was painted, flat on a
+smooth table, and planing the wood gradually away till the coat of
+hardened paint alone remained. A proper canvass was then prepared,
+covered with a strong cement, and laid on the back of the picture, which
+adhered firmly to it. The owner's nerves must have had a severe trial,
+if he had courage to watch the operation. I was enraptured with
+Murillo's pictures of St. John and the Holy Family. St. John is
+represented as a boy in the woods, fondling a lamb. It is a glorious
+head. The dark curls cluster around his fair brow, and his eyes seem
+already glowing with the fire of future inspiration. There is an
+innocence, a childish sweetness of expression in the countenance, which
+makes one love to gaze upon it. Both of these paintings wore constantly
+surrounded by ladies, and they certainly deserved the preference. In the
+rooms devoted to English artists, there are many of the finest works of
+West, Reynolds, Hogarth and Wilkie.
+
+We spent a day in visiting the _lungs of London_, as the two grand parks
+have been called. From the Strand through the Regent Circus, the centre
+of the fashionable part of the city, we passed to Piccadilly, culling on
+our way to see our old friends, the Iowas. They were at the Egyptian
+Hall, in connexion with Catlin's Indian collection. The old braves knew
+us at once, particularly Blister Feet, who used often to walk a linweon
+deck with me, at sea. Further along Piccadilly is Wellington's mansion
+of Apsley House, and nearly opposite it, in the corner of Hyde Park,
+stands the colossal statue of Achilles, cast from cannon taken at
+Salamanca and Vittoria. The Park resembles an open common, with here and
+there a grove of trees, intersected by carriage roads, it is like
+getting into the country again to be out on its broad, green field, with
+the city seen dimly around through the smoky atmosphere. We walked for a
+mile or two along the shady avenues and over the lawns, having a view of
+the princely terraces and gardens on one hand, and the gentle outline of
+Primrose Hill on the other. Regent's Park itself covers a space of
+nearly four hundred acres!
+
+But if London is unsurpassed in splendor, it has also its corresponding
+share of crime. Notwithstanding the large and efficient body of police,
+who do much towards the control of vice, one sees enough of degradation
+and brutality in a short time, to make his heart sick. Even the public
+thorough fares are thronged at night with characters of the lowest
+description, and it is not expedient to go through many of the narrow
+bye-haunts of the old city in the day-time. The police, who are ever on
+the watch, immediately seize and carry off any offender, but from the
+statements of persons who have had an opportunity of observing, as well
+as from my own slight experience, I am convinced that there is an untold
+amount of misery and crime. London is one of the wonders of the world,
+but there is reason to believe it is one of the curses of the world
+also; though, in fact, nothing but an active and unceasing philanthropy
+can prevent any city from becoming so.
+
+_Aug. 22._--I have now been six days in London, and by making good use
+of my feet and eyes, have managed to become familiar with almost every
+object of interest within its precincts. Having a plan mapped out for
+the day, I started from my humble lodgings at the Aldgate Coffee House,
+where I slept off fatigue for a shilling a night, and walked up
+Cheapside or down Whitechapel, as the case might be, hunting out my way
+to churches, halls and theatres. In this way, at a trifling expense, I
+have perhaps seen as much as many who spend here double the time and
+ten times the money. Our whole tour from Liverpool hither, by way of
+Ireland and Scotland, cost us but twenty-five dollars each! although,
+except in one or two cases, we denied ourselves no necessary comfort.
+This shows that the glorious privilege of looking on the scenes of the
+old world need not be confined to people of wealth and leisure. It may
+be enjoyed by all who can occasionally forego a little bodily comfort
+for the sake of mental and spiritual gain. We leave this afternoon for
+Dover. Tomorrow I shall dine in Belgium!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+FLIGHT THROUGH BELGIUM.
+
+
+_Bruges._--On the Continent at last! How strangely look the century-old
+towers, antique monuments, and quaint, narrow streets of the Flemish
+cities! It is an agreeable and yet a painful sense of novelty to stand
+for the first time in the midst of a people whose language and manners
+are different from one's own. The old buildings around, linked with many
+a stirring association of past history, gratify the glowing
+anticipations with which one has looked forward to seeing them, and the
+fancy is busy at work reconciling the _real_ scene with the _ideal_; but
+the want of a communication with the living world about, walls one up
+with a sense of loneliness he could not before have conceived. I envy
+the children in the streets of Bruges their childish language.
+
+Yesterday afternoon we came from London through the green wooded lawns
+and vales of England, to Dover, which we reached at sunset, passing by a
+long tunnel through the lofty Shakspeare Cliff. We had barely time
+before it grew dark to ascend the cliff. The glorious coast view looked
+still wilder in the gathering twilight, which soon hid from our sight
+the dim hills of France. On the cliff opposite frowned the massive
+battlements of the Castle, guarding the town, which lay in a nook of the
+rocks below. As the Ostend boat was to leave at four in the morning, my
+cousin aroused us at three, and we felt our way down stairs in the dark.
+But the landlord was reluctant to part with us; we stamped and shouted
+and rang bells, till the whole house was in an uproar, for the door was
+double-locked, and the steamboat bell began to sound. At last he could
+stand it no longer; we gave a quick utterance to our overflowing wrath,
+and rushed down to the boat but a second or two before it left.
+
+The water of the Channel was smooth as glass and as the sun rose, the
+far chalky cliffs gleamed along the horizon, a belt of fire. I waved a
+good-bye to Old England and then turned to see the spires of Dunkirk,
+which were visible in the distance before us. On the low Belgian coast
+we could see trees and steeples, resembling a mirage over the level
+surface of the sea; at length, about ten o'clock, the square tower of
+Ostend came in sight. The boat passed into a long muddy basin, in which
+many unwieldy, red-sailed Dutch craft were lying, and stopped beside a
+high pier. Here amid the confusion of three languages, an officer came
+on board and took charge of our passports and luggage. As we could not
+get the former for two or three hours, we did not hurry the passing of
+the latter, and went on shore quite unincumbered, for a stroll about the
+city, disregarding the cries of the hackney-coachmen on the pier,
+"_Hotel d'Angleterre_," "_Hotel des Bains!_" and another who called out
+in English, "I recommend you to the Royal Hotel, sir!"
+
+There is little to be seen in Ostend. We wandered through long rows of
+plain yellow houses, trying to read the French and low Dutch signs, and
+at last came out on the wall near the sea. A soldier motioned us back as
+we attempted to ascend it, and muttering some unintelligible words,
+pointed to a narrow street near. Following this out of curiosity, we
+crossed the moat and found ourselves on the great bathing beach. To get
+out of the hands of the servants who immediately surrounded us, we
+jumped into one of the little wagons and were driven out into the surf.
+
+To be certain of fulfilling the railroad regulations, we took our seats
+quarter of an hour before the time. The dark walls of Ostend soon
+vanished and we were whirled rapidly over a country perfectly level, but
+highly fertile and well cultivated. Occasionally there was a ditch or
+row of trees, but otherwise there was no division between the fields,
+and the plain stretched unbroken away into the distance. The twenty
+miles to Bruges we made in forty minutes. The streets of this antique
+city are narrow and crooked, and the pointed, ornamented gables of the
+houses, produce a novel impression on one who has been accustomed to the
+green American forests. Then there was the endless sound of wooden shoes
+clattering over the rough pavements, and people talking in that most
+unmusical of all languages, low Dutch. Walking at random through the
+streets, we came by chance upon the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I shall
+long remember my first impression of the scene within. The lofty gothic
+ceiling arched far above my head and through the stained windows the
+light came but dimly--it was all still, solemn and religious. A few
+worshippers were kneeling in silence before some of the shrines and the
+echo of my tread seemed like a profaning sound. On every side were
+pictures, saints gilded shrines. A few steps removed one from the bustle
+and din of the crowd to the stillness and solemnity of the holy retreat.
+
+We learned from the guide, whom we had engaged because he spoke a few
+words of English, that there was still a _treckshuyt_ line on the
+canals, and that one boat leaves to-night at ten o'clock for Ghent.
+Wishing to try this old Dutch method of travelling, he took us about
+half a mile along the Ghent road to the canal, where a moderate sized
+boat was lying. Our baggage deposited in the plainly furnished cabin, I
+ran back to Bruges, although it was beginning to grow dark, to get a
+sight of the belfry; for Longfellow's lines had been running through my
+head all day:
+
+"In the market place of Bruges, stands the belfry old and brown,
+Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches o'er the town."
+
+And having found the square, brown tower in one corner of the open
+market square, we waited to hear the chimes, which are said to be the
+finest in Europe. They rang out at last with a clear silvery tone, most
+beautifully musical indeed. We then returned to the boat in the
+twilight. We were to leave in about an hour, according to the
+arrangement, but as yet there was no sound to be heard, and we were the
+only tenants. However, trusting to Dutch regularity, we went to sleep in
+the full confidence of awakening in Ghent.
+
+I awoke once in the night and saw the dark branches of trees passing
+before the window, but there was no perceptible sound nor motion; the
+boat glided along like a dream, and we were awakened next morning by its
+striking against the pier at Ghent. After paying three francs for the
+whole night journey, the captain gave us a guide to the railroad
+station, and as we had nearly an hour before the train left, I went to
+see the Cathedral of St. Bavon. After leaving Ghent, the road passes
+through a beautiful country, cultivated like a garden. The Dutch passion
+for flowers is displayed in the gardens around the cottages; even every
+vacant foot of ground along the railway is planted with roses and
+dahlias. At Ghent, the morning being fair, we took seats in the open
+cars. About noon it commenced raining and our situation was soon
+anything but comfortable. My cousin had fortunately a water-proof Indian
+blanket with him, which he had purchased in the "Far West," and by
+wrapping this around all three of us, we kept partly dry. I was much
+amused at the plight of a party of young Englishmen, who were in the
+same car; one of them held a little parasol which just covered his hat,
+and sent the water in streams down on his back and shoulders.
+
+We had a misty view of Liege, through the torrents of rain, and then
+dashed away into the wild, mountain scenery of the Meuse. Steep, rocky
+hills, covered with pine and crowned with ruined towers, hemmed in the
+winding and swollen river, and the wet, cloudy sky seemed to rest like a
+canopy on their summits. Instead of threading their mazy defiles, we
+plunged directly into the mountain's heart, flew over the narrow valley
+on lofty and light-sprung arches, and went again into the darkness. At
+Verviers, our baggage was weighed, examined and transferred, with
+ourselves, to a Prussian train. There was a great deal of disputing on
+the occasion. A lady, who had a dog in a large willow basket, was not
+allowed to retain it, nor would they take it as baggage. The matter was
+finally compromised by their sending the basket, obliging her to carry
+the dog, which was none of the smallest, in her arms! The next station
+bore the sign of the black eagle, and here our passports were obliged to
+be given up. Advancing through long ranges of wooded hills, we saw at
+length, in the dull twilight of a rainy day, the old kingly city of Aix
+la Chapelle on a plain below us. After a scene at the custom-house,
+where our baggage was reclaimed with tickets given at Verviers, we drove
+to the _Hotel du Rhin_, and while warming our shivering limbs and drying
+our damp garments, felt tempted to exclaim with the old Italian author:
+"O! holy and miraculous tavern!"
+
+The Cathedral with its lofty Gothic tower, was built by the emperor
+Otho in the tenth century. It seems at present to be undergoing repairs,
+for a large scaffold shut out the dome. The long hall was dim with
+incense smoke as we entered, and the organ sounded through the high
+arches with an effect that startled me. The windows glowed with the
+forms of kings and saints, and the dusty and mouldering shrines which
+rose around were colored with the light that came through. The music
+pealed out like a triumphal march, sinking at times into a mournful
+strain, as if it celebrated and lamented the heroes who slept below. In
+the stone pavement nearly under my feet was a large square marble slab,
+with words "CAROLO MAGNO." It was like a dream, to stand there on the
+tomb of the mighty warrior, with the lofty arches of the Cathedral
+above, filled with the sound of the divine anthem. I mused above his
+ashes till the music ceased and then left the Cathedral, that nothing
+might break the romantic spell associated with that crumbling pile and
+the dead it covered. I have always revered the memory of Charlemagne. He
+lived in a stern age, but he was in mind and heart a man, and like
+Napoleon, who placed the iron crown which had lain with him centuries in
+the tomb, upon his own brow, he had an Alpine grandeur of mind, which
+the world was forced to acknowledge.
+
+At noon we took the _chars-a-banc_, or second-class carriages, for fear
+of rain, and continued our journey over a plain dotted with villages and
+old chateaux. Two or three miles from Cologne we saw the spires of the
+different churches, conspicuous among which were the unfinished towers
+of the Cathedral, with the enormous crane standing as it did when they
+left off building, two hundred years ago or more. On arriving, we drove
+to the Bonn railway, where finding the last train did not leave for four
+hours, we left our baggage and set out for the Cathedral. Of all Gothic
+buildings, the plan of this is certainly the most stupendous; even ruin
+as it is, it cannot fail to excite surprise and admiration. The King of
+Prussia has undertaken to complete it according to the original plan,
+which was lately found in the possession of a poor man, of whom it was
+purchased for 40,000 florins, but he has not yet finished repairing what
+is already built. The legend concerning this plan may not be known to
+every one. It is related of the inventor of it, that in despair of
+finding any sufficiently great, he was walking one day by the river,
+sketching with his stick upon the sand, when he finally hit upon one
+which pleased him so much that he exclaimed: "This shall be the plan!"
+"I will show you a better one than that!" said a voice suddenly behind
+him, and a certain black gentleman who figures in all German legends
+stood by him, and pulled from his pocket a roll containing the present
+plan of the Cathedral. The architect, amazed at its grandeur, asked an
+explanation of every part. As he knew his soul was to be the price of
+it, he occupied himself while the devil was explaining, in committing
+its proportions carefully to memory. Having done this, he remarked that
+it did not please him and he would not take it. The devil, seeing
+through the cheat, exclaimed in his rage: "You may build your Cathedral
+according to this plan, but you shall never finish it!" This prediction
+seems likely to be verified, for though it was commenced in 1248, and
+built for 250 years, only the choir and nave and one tower to half its
+original height, are finished.
+
+We visited the chapel of the eleven thousand virgins, the walls of which
+are full of curious grated cells, containing their bones, and then
+threaded the narrow streets of Cologne, which are quite dirty enough to
+justify Coleridge's lines:
+
+    "The river Rhine, it is well known
+    Doth wash the city of Cologne;
+    But tell me nymphs, what power divine
+    Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+THE RHINE TO HEIDELBERG.
+
+
+HEIDELBERG, August 30. Here at last! and a most glorious place it is.
+This is our first morning in our new rooms, and the sun streams warmly
+in the eastern windows, as I write, while the old castle rises through
+the blue vapor on the side of the Kaiser-stuhl. The Neckar rushes on
+below; and the Odenwald, before, me, rejoices with its vineyards in the
+morning light. The bells of the old chapel near us are sounding most
+musically, and a confused sound of voices and the rolling of vehicles
+comes up from the street. It is a place to live in!
+
+I must go back five or six days and take up the record of our
+journeyings at Bonn. We had been looking over Murray's infallible
+"Handbook," and observed that he recommended the "Star" hotel in that
+city, as "the most moderate in its prices of any on the Rhine;" so when
+the train from Cologne arrived and we were surrounded, in the darkness
+and confusion, by porters and valets, I sung out: "_Hotel de l'Etoile
+d'or!_" our baggage and ourselves were transferred to a stylish omnibus,
+and in five minutes we stopped under a brilliantly-lighted archway,
+where Mr. Joseph Schmidt received us with the usual number of smiles and
+bows bestowed upon untitled guests. We were furnished with neat rooms in
+the summit of the house, and then descended to the _salle a manger_. I
+found a folded note by my plate, which I opened--it contained an
+engraving of the front of the hotel, a plan of the city and catalogue of
+its lions, together with a list of the titled personages who have, from
+time to time, honored the "Golden Star" with their custom. Among this
+number were "Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,
+Prince Albert," etc. Had it not been for fatigue, I should have spent
+an uneasy night, thinking of the heavy bill which was to be presented on
+the morrow. We escaped, however, for seven francs apiece, three of which
+were undoubtedly for the honor of breathing an aristocratic atmosphere.
+
+I was glad when we were really in motion on the swift Rhine, the next
+morning, and nearing the chain of mountains that rose up before us. We
+passed Godesberg on the right, while on our left was the group of the
+seven mountains which extend back from the Drachenfels to the
+Wolkenberg, or Castle of the Clouds. Here we begin to enter the
+enchanted land. The Rhine sweeps around the foot of the Drachenfels,
+while opposite the precipitous rock of Rolandseek, crowned with the
+castle of the faithful knight, looks down upon the beautiful Island of
+Nonnenwerth, the white walls of the convent still gleaming through the
+trees, as they did when the warrior's weary eyes looked upon them for
+the last time. I shall never forget the enthusiasm with which I saw this
+scene in the bright, warm sunlight, the rough crags softened in the haze
+which filled the atmosphere, and the wild mountains springing up in the
+midst of vineyards, and crowned with crumbling towers, filled with the
+memories of a thousand years.
+
+After passing Andernach, we saw in the distance the highlands of the
+middle Rhine, which rise above Coblentz, guarding the entrance to its
+wild scenery, and the mountains of the Moselle. They parted as we
+approached; from the foot shot up the spires of Coblentz, and the
+battlements of Ehrenbreitstein crowning the mountain opposite, grew
+larger and broader. The air was slightly hazy, and the clouds seemed
+laboring among the distant mountains to raise a storm. As we came
+opposite the mouth of the Moselle and under the shadow of the mighty
+fortress, I gazed up with awe at its massive walls. Apart from its
+magnitude and almost impregnable situation on a perpendicular rock, it
+is filled with the recollections of history and hallowed by the voice of
+poetry. The scene went past like a panorama, the bridge of boats opened,
+the city glided behind us and we entered the highlands again.
+
+Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels
+everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come
+back upon the mind with irresistible force. I sat upon the deck the
+whole afternoon, as mountains, towns and castles passed by on either
+side, watching them with a feeling of the most enthusiastic enjoyment.
+Every place was familiar to me in memory, and they seemed like friends I
+had long communed with in spirit and now met face to face. The English
+tourists, with whom the deck was covered, seemed interested too, but in
+a different manner. With Murray's Handbook open in their hands, they sat
+and read about the very towns and towers they were passing, scarcely
+lifting their eyes to the real scenes, except now and then, to observe
+that it was "_very nice_."
+
+As we passed Boppart, I sought out the Inn of the "Star," mentioned in
+"Hyperion"; there was a maiden sitting on the steps who might have been
+Paul Flemming's fair boat-woman. The clouds which had here gathered
+among the hills, now came over the river, and the rain cleared the deck
+of its crowd of admiring tourists. As we were approaching Lurlei Berg, I
+did not go below, and so enjoyed some of the finest scenery on the Rhine
+alone. The mountains approach each other at this point, and the Lurlei
+Rock rises up for six hundred feet from the water. This is the haunt of
+the water nymph, Lurlei, whose song charmed the ear of the boatman while
+his barque was dashed to pieces on the rocks below. It is also
+celebrated for its remarkable echo. As we passed between the rocks, a
+guard, who has a little house built on the road-side, blew a flourish on
+his bugle, which was instantly answered by a blast from the rocky
+battlements of Lurlei. The German students have a witty trick with this
+echo: they call out, "Who is the Burgomaster of Oberwesel?" a town just
+above. The echo answers with the last syllable "Esel!" which is the
+German for _ass_.
+
+The sun came out of the cloud as we passed Oberwesel, with its tall
+round tower, and the light shining through the ruined arches of
+Schonberg castle, made broad bars of light and shade in the still misty
+air. A rainbow sprang up out of the Rhine, and lay brightly on the
+mountain side, coloring vineyard and crag, in the most singular beauty,
+while its second reflection faintly arched like a glory above the high
+summits. In the bed of the river were the seven countesses of Schonberg,
+turned into seven rocks for their cruelty and hard-heartedness towards
+the knights whom their beauty had made captive. In front, at a little
+distance was the castle of Pfalz, in the middle of the river, and from
+the heights above Caub frowned the crumbling citadel of Gutenfels.
+Imagine all this, and tell me if it is not a picture whose memory should
+last a life-time!
+
+We came at last to Bingen, the southern gate of the Highlands. Here, on
+an island in the middle of the stream, is the old Mouse tower where
+Bishop Hatto of Mayence was eaten up by the rats for his wicked deeds.
+Passing Rudesheim and Geissenheim, celebrated for their wines, at
+sunset, we watched the varied shore in the growing darkness, till like a
+line of stars across the water, we saw before us the bridge of Mayence.
+
+The next morning I parted from my friends, who were going to Heidelberg
+by way of Mannheim, and set out alone for Frankfort. The cars passed
+through Hochheim, whose wines are celebrated all over the world; there
+is little to interest the traveler till he arrives at Frankfort, whose
+spires are seen rising from groves of trees as he approaches. I left the
+cars, unchallenged for my passport, greatly to my surprise, as it had
+cost me a long walk and five shillings in London, to get the signature
+of the Frankfort Consul. I learned afterwards it was not at all
+necessary. Before leaving America, N.P. Willis had kindly given me a
+letter to his brother, Richard S. Willis, who is now cultivating a
+naturally fine taste for music in Frankfort, and my first care was to
+find the American Consul, in order to learn his residence. I discovered
+at last, from a gentleman who spoke a little French, that the Consul's
+office was in the street _Bellevue_, which street I not only looked for
+through the city, but crossed over the bridge to the suburb of
+Sachsenhausen, and traversed its narrow, dirty alleys three several
+times, but in vain. I was about giving up the search, when I stumbled
+upon the office accidentally. The name of the street had been given to
+me in French and very naturally it was not to be found. Willis received
+me very kindly and introduced me to the amiable German family with whom
+he resides.
+
+After spending a delightful evening with my newly-found friends, I left
+the next morning in the omnibus for Heidelberg. We passed through
+Sachsenhausen and ascended a long hill to the watch-tower, whence there
+is a beautiful view of the Main valley. Four hours' driving over the
+monotonous plain, brought me to Darmstadt. The city wore a gay look,
+left by the recent _fetes_. The monument of the old Duke Ludwig had just
+been erected in the centre of the great square, and the festival
+attendant upon the unveiling of it, which lasted three days, had just
+closed. The city was hung with garlands, and the square filled with the
+pavilions of the royal family and the musicians, of whom there were a
+thousand present, while everywhere were seen red and white flags--the
+colors of Darmstadt. We met wagons decorated with garlands, full of
+pleasant girls, in the odd dress which they have worn for three hundred
+years.
+
+After leaving Darmstadt we entered upon the Bergstrasse, or
+Mountain-way, leading along the foot of the mountain chain which extends
+all the way to Heidelberg on the left, while on the right stretches far
+away the Rhine-plain, across which we saw the dim outline of the
+Donnersberg, in France. The hills are crowned with castles and their
+sides loaded with vines; along the road the rich green foliage of the
+walnut trees arched and nearly met above us. The sun shone warm and
+bright, and every body appeared busy and contented and happy. All we met
+had smiling countenances. In some places we saw whole families sitting
+under the trees shelling the nuts they had beaten down, while others
+were returning from the vineyards, laden with baskets of purple and
+white grapes. The scene seemed to realize all I had read of the
+happiness of the German peasantry, and the pastoral beauty of the German
+plains.
+
+With the passengers in the omnibus I could hold little conversation.
+One, who knew about as much French as I did, asked me where I came from,
+and I shall not soon forget his expression of incredulity, as I
+mentioned America. "Why," said he, "you are white--the Americans are all
+black!"
+
+We passed the ruined castles of Auerback and Starkenburg, and Burg
+Windeck, on the summit of a mountain near Weinheim, formerly one of the
+royal residences of Charlemagne, and finally came to the Heiligenberg or
+Holy Mountain, guarding the entrance into the Odenwald by the valley of
+the Neckar. As we wound around its base to the river, the Kaiserstuhl
+rose before us, with the mighty castle hanging upon its side and
+Heidelberg at its feet. It was a most strikingly beautiful scene, and
+for a moment I felt inclined to assent to the remark of my bad-French
+acquaintance--"America is not beautiful--Heidelberg is beautiful!" The
+sun had just set as we turned the corner of the Holy Mountain and drove
+up the bank of the Neckar; all the chimes of Heidelberg began suddenly
+to ring and a cannon by the riverside was fired off every minute--the
+sound echoing five times distinctly from mountain back to mountain, and
+finally crashing far off, along the distant hills of the Odenwald. It
+was the birthday of the Grand Duke of Baden, and these rejoicings were
+for the closing _fete_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+SCENES IN AND AROUND HEIDELBERG.
+
+
+_Sept. 30._--There is so much to be seen around this beautiful place,
+that I scarcely know where to begin a description of it. I have been
+wandering among the wild paths that lead up and down the mountain side,
+or away into the forests and lonely meadows in the lap of the Odenwald.
+My mind is filled with images of the romantic German scenery, whose real
+beauty is beginning to displace the imaginary picture which I had
+painted with the enthusiastic words of Howitt. I seem to stand now upon
+the Kaiser-stuhl, which rises above Heidelberg, with that magnificent
+landscape around me, from the Black Forest and Strasburg to Mainz, and
+from the Vosges in France to the hills of Spessart in Bavaria. What a
+glorious panorama! and not less rich in associations than in its natural
+beauty. Below me had moved the barbarian hordes of old, the triumphant
+followers of Arminius, and the Cohorts of Rome; and later, full many a
+warlike host bearing the banners of the red cross to the Holy
+Land,--many a knight returning with his vassals from the field, to lay
+at the feet of his lady-love the scarf he had worn in a hundred battles
+and claim the reward of his constancy and devotion. But brighter spirits
+had also toiled below. That plain had witnessed the presence of Luther,
+and a host who strove with him to free the world from the chains of a
+corrupt and oppressive religion. There had also trodden the master
+spirits of German song--the giant twain, with their scarcely less
+harmonious brethren: they, too, had gathered inspiration from those
+scenes--more fervent worship of nature and a deeper love for their
+beautiful fatherland! Oh! what waves of crime and bloodshed have swept
+like the waves of a deluge down the valley of the Rhine! War has laid
+his mailed hand on those desolate towers and ruthlessly torn down what
+time has spared, yet he could not mar the beauty of the shore, nor could
+Time himself hurl down the mountains that guard it. And what if I feel a
+new inspiration on beholding the scene? Now that those ages have swept
+by, like the red waves of a tide of blood, we see not the darkened
+earth, but the golden sands which the flood has left behind. Besides, I
+have come from a new world, where the spirit of man is untrammeled by
+the mouldering shackles of the past, but in its youthful and joyous
+freedom, goes on to make itself a noble memory for the ages that are to
+come!
+
+Then there is the Wolfsbrunnen, which one reaches by a beautiful walk up
+the bank of the Neckar, to a quiet dell in the side of the mountain.
+Through this the roads lead up by rustic mills, always in motion, and
+orchards laden with ripening fruit, to the commencement of the forest,
+where a quaint stone fountain stands, commemorating the abode of a
+sorceress of the olden time, who was torn in pieces by a wolf. There is
+a handsome rustic inn here, where every Sunday afternoon a band plays in
+the portico, while hundreds of people are scattered around in the cool
+shadow of the trees, or feeding the splendid trout in the basin formed
+by the little stream. They generally return to the city by another walk
+leading along the mountain side, to the eastern terrace of the castle,
+where they have fine views of the great Rhine plain, terminated by the
+Alsatian hills, stretching along the western horizon like the long
+crested swells on the ocean. We can even see these from the windows of
+our room on the bank of the Neckar; and I often look with interest on
+one sharp peak, for on its side stands the Castle of Trifels, where
+Coeur de Lion was imprisoned by the Duke of Austria, and where Blondel,
+his faithful minstrel, sang the ballad which discovered the retreat of
+the noble captive.
+
+The people of Heidelberg are rich in places of pleasure and amusement.
+From the Carl Platz, an open square at the upper end of the city, two
+paths lead directly up to the castle. By the first walk we ascend a
+flight of steps to the western gate, passing through which, we enter a
+delightful garden, between the outer walls of the Castle, and the huge
+moat which surrounds it. Great linden, oak and beech trees shadow the
+walk, and in secluded nooks, little mountain streams spring from the
+side of the wall into stone basins. There is a tower over the moat on
+the south side, next the mountain, where the portcullis still hangs with
+its sharp teeth as it was last drawn up; on each side stand two grim
+knights guarding the entrance. In one of the wooded walks is an old tree
+brought from America in the year 1618. It is of the kind called _arbor
+vitae_, and uncommonly tall and slender for one of this species; yet it
+does not seem to thrive well in a foreign soil. I noticed that persons
+had cut many slips off the lower branches, and I would have been tempted
+to do the same myself if there had been any I could reach. In the curve
+of the mountain is a handsome pavilion, surrounded with beds of flowers
+and fountains; here all classes meet together in the afternoon to sit
+with their refreshments in the shade, while frequently a fine band of
+music gives them their invariable recreation. All this, with the scenery
+around them, leaves nothing unfinished to their present enjoyment. The
+Germans enjoy life under all circumstances, and in this way they make
+themselves much happier than we, who have far greater means of being so.
+
+At the end of the terrace built for the princess Elizabeth, of England,
+is one of the round towers, which was split in twain by the French. Half
+has fallen entirely away, and the other semicircular shell which joins
+the terrace and part of the Castle buildings, clings firmly together,
+although part of its foundation is gone, so that its outer ends actually
+hang in the air. Some idea of the strength of the castle may be obtained
+when I state that the walls of this tower are twenty-two feet thick, and
+that a staircase has been made through them to the top, where one can
+sit under the lindens growing upon it, or look down from the end on the
+city below with the pleasant consciousness that the great mass upon
+which he stands is only prevented from crashing down with him by the
+solidity of its masonry. On one side, joining the garden, the statue of
+the Archduke Louis, in his breastplate and flowing beard, looks out from
+among the ivy.
+
+There is little to be seen about the Castle except the walls themselves.
+The guide conducted us through passages, in which were heaped many of
+the enormous cannon balls which it had received in sieges, to some
+chambers in the foundation. This was the oldest part of the Castle,
+built in the thirteenth century. We also visited the chapel, which is in
+a tolerable state of preservation. A kind of narrow bridge crosses it,
+over which we walked, looking down on the empty pulpit and deserted
+shrines. We then went into the cellar to see the celebrated Tun. In a
+large vault are kept several enormous hogsheads, one of which is three
+hundred years old, but they are nothing in comparison with the tun,
+which itself fills a whole vault. It is as high as a common two story
+house; on the top is a platform upon which the people used to dance
+after it was filled, to which one ascends by two flights of steps. I
+forgot exactly how many casks it holds, but I believe eight hundred. It
+has been empty for fifty years.
+
+We are very pleasantly situated here. My friends, who arrived a day
+before me, hired three rooms (with the assistance of a courier) in a
+large house on the banks of the Neckar. We pay for them, with
+attendance, thirty florins--about twelve dollars--a month, and Frau Dr.
+Grosch, our polite and talkative landlady, gives us a student's
+breakfast--coffee and biscuit--for about seven cents apiece. We are
+often much amused to hear her endeavors to make us understand. As if to
+convey her meaning plainer, she raises both thumbs and forefingers to
+her mouth and pulls out the words like a long string; her tongue goes so
+fast that it keeps my mind always on a painful stretch to comprehend an
+idea here and there. Dr. S----, from whom we take lessons in German, has
+kindly consented to our dining with his family for the sake of practice
+in speaking. We have taken several long walks with them along the banks
+of the Neckar, but I should be puzzled to repeat any of the
+conversations that took place. The language, however, is fast growing
+more familiar, since _women_ are the principal teachers.
+
+Opposite my window rises the Heiligenberg, on the other side of the
+Neckar. The lower part of it is rich with vineyards, and many cottages
+stand embosomed in shrubbery among them. Sometimes we see groups of
+maidens standing under the grape arbors, and every morning the peasant
+women go toiling up the steep paths with baskets on their heads, to
+labor among the vines. On the Neckar below us, the fishermen glide about
+in their boats, sink their square nets fastened to a long pole, and haul
+them up with the glittering fish, of which the stream is full. I often
+lean out of the window late at night, when the mountains above are
+wrapped in dusky obscurity, and listen to the low, musical ripple of the
+river. It tells to my excited fancy a knightly legend of the old German
+time. Then comes the bell, rung for closing the inns, breaking the spell
+with its deep clang, which vibrates far away on the night air, till it
+has roused all the echoes of the Odenwald. I then shut the window, turn
+into the narrow box which the Germans call a bed, and in a few minutes
+am wandering in America. Half way up the Heiligenberg runs a beautiful
+walk, dividing the vineyards from the forest above. This is called the
+Philosopher's Way, because it was the favorite ramble of the old
+Professors of the University. It can be reached by a toilsome, winding
+path among the vines, called the Snake-way, and when one has ascended to
+it he is well rewarded by the lovely view. In the evening, when the sun
+has got behind the mountain, it is delightful to sit on the stone steps
+and watch the golden light creeping up the side of the Kaiser-stuhl,
+till at last twilight begins to darken in the valley and a mantle of
+mist gathers above the Neckar.
+
+We ascended the mountain a few days ago. There is a path which leads up
+through the forest, but we took the shortest way, directly up the side,
+though it was at an angle of nearly fifty degrees. It was hard enough
+work, scrambling through the thick broom and heather, and over stumps
+and stones. In one of the stone-heaps I dislodged a large orange-colored
+salamander, seven or eight inches long. They are sometimes found on
+these mountains, as well as a very large kind of lizard, called the
+_eidechse_, which the Germans say is perfectly harmless, and if one
+whistles or plays a pipe, will come and play around him. The view from
+the top reminded me of that from Catskill Mountain House, but is on a
+smaller scale. The mountains stretch off sideways, confining the view to
+but half the horizon, and in the middle of the picture the Hudson is
+well represented by the lengthened windings of the "abounding Rhine."
+Nestled at the base below us, was the little village of Handschuhheim,
+one of the oldest in this part of Germany. The castle of its former
+lords has nearly all fallen down, but the massive solidity of the walls
+which yet stand, proves its antiquity. A few years ago, a part of the
+outer walls which was remarked to have a hollow sound, was taken down,
+when there fell from a deep niche built therein, a skeleton, clad in a
+suit of the old German armor. We followed a road through the woods to
+the peak on which stand the ruins of St. Michael's chapel, which was
+built in the tenth century and inhabited for a long time by a sect of
+white monks. There is now but a single tower remaining, and all around
+is grown over with tall bushes and weeds. It had a wild and romantic
+look, and I sat on a rock and sketched at it, till it grew dark, when we
+got down the mountain the best way we could.
+
+We lately visited the great University Library. You walk through one
+hall after another, filled with books of all kinds, from the monkish
+manuscript of the middle ages, to the most elegant print of the present
+day. There is something to me more impressive in a library like this
+than a solemn Cathedral. I think involuntarily of the hundreds of mighty
+spirits who speak from these three hundred thousand volumes--of the
+toils and privations with which genius has ever struggled, and of his
+glorious reward. As in a church, one feels as it were, the presence of
+God; not because the place has been hallowed by his worship, but because
+all around stand the inspirations of his spirit, breathed through the
+mind of genius, to men. And if the mortal remains of saints and heroes
+do not repose within its walls, the great and good of the whole earth
+are there, speaking their counsels to the searcher for truth, with
+voices whose last reverberation will die away only when the globe falls
+into ruin.
+
+A few nights ago there was a wedding of peasants across the river. In
+order to celebrate it particularly, the guests went to the house where
+it was given, by torchlight. The night was quite dark, and the bright
+red torches glowed on the surface of the Neckar, as the two couriers
+galloped along the banks to the bridegroom's house. Here, after much
+shouting and confusion, the procession was arranged, the two riders
+started back again with their torches, and the wagons containing the
+guests followed after with their flickering lights glancing on the
+water, till they disappeared around the foot of the mountain. The
+choosing of Conscripts also took place lately. The law requires one
+person out of every hundred to become a soldier, and this, in the city
+of Heidelberg, amounts to nearly 150. It was a sad spectacle. The young
+men, or rather boys, who were chosen, went about the city with cockades
+fastened on their hats, shouting and singing, many of them quite
+intoxicated. I could not help pitying them because of the dismal,
+mechanical life they are doomed to follow. Many were rough, ignorant
+peasants, to whom nearly any kind of life would be agreeable; but there
+were some whose countenances spoke otherwise, and I thought
+involuntarily, that their drunken gaiety was only affected to conceal
+their real feelings with regard to the lot which had fallen upon them.
+
+We are gradually becoming accustomed to the German style of living,
+which is very different from our own. Their cookery is new to us, but
+is, nevertheless, good. We have every day a different kind of soup, so I
+have supposed they keep a regular list of three hundred and sixty-five,
+one for every day in the year! Then we have potatoes "done up" in oil
+and vinegar, veal flavored with orange peel, barley pudding, and all
+sorts of pancakes, boiled artichokes, and always rye bread, in loaves a
+yard long! Nevertheless, we thrive on such diet, and I have rarely
+enjoyed more sound and refreshing sleep than in their narrow and
+coffin-like beds, uncomfortable as they seem. Many of the German customs
+are amusing. We never see oxen working here, but always cows, sometimes
+a single one in a cart, and sometimes two fastened together by a yoke
+across their horns. The women labor constantly in the fields; from our
+window we can hear the nut-brown maidens singing their cheerful songs
+among the vineyards on the mountain side. Their costume, too, is odd
+enough. Below the light-fitting vest they wear such a number of short
+skirts, one above another, that it reminds one of an animated hogshead,
+with a head and shoulders starting out from the top. I have heard it
+gravely asserted that the wealth of a German damsel may be known by
+counting the number of her "kirtles." An acquaintance of mine remarked,
+that it would be an excellent costume for falling down a precipice!
+
+We have just returned from a second visit to Frankfort, where the great
+annual fair filled the streets with noise and bustle. On our way back,
+we stopped at the village of Zwingenberg, which lies at the foot of the
+Melibochus, for the purpose of visiting some of the scenery of the
+Odenwald. Passing the night at the inn there, we slept with one bed
+under and two above, and started early in the morning to climb up the
+side of the Melibochus. After a long walk through the forests, which
+were beginning to change their summer foliage for a brighter garment, we
+reached the summit and ascended the stone tower which stands upon it.
+This view gives one a better idea of the Odenwald, than that from the
+Kaiser-stuhl at Heidelberg. In the soft autumn atmosphere it looked even
+more beautiful. After an hour in that heaven of uplifted thought, into
+which we step from the mountain-top, our minds went with the path
+downward to earth, and we descended the eastern side into the wild
+region which contains the _Felsenmeer_, or Sea of Rocks.
+
+We met on the way a student from Fulda--a fine specimen of that
+free-spirited class, and a man whose smothered aspiration was betrayed
+in the flashing of his eye, as he spoke of the present painful and
+oppressed condition of Germany. We talked so busily together that
+without noticing the path, which had been bringing us on, up hill and
+down, through forest and over rock, we came at last to a halt in a
+valley among the mountains. Making inquiries there, we found we had gone
+wrong, and must ascend by a different path the mountain we had just come
+down. Near the summit of this, in a wild pine wood, was the
+Felsenmeer--a great collection of rocks heaped together like pebbles on
+the sea shore, and worn and rounded as if by the action of water: so
+much do they resemble waves, that one standing at the bottom and looking
+up, cannot resist the idea, that they will flow down upon him. It must
+have been a mighty tide whose receding waves left these masses piled up
+together! The same formation continues at intervals, to the foot, of the
+mountains. It reminded me of a _glacier_ of rocks instead of ice. A
+little higher up, lies a massive block of granite called the "Giant's
+Column." It is thirty-two feet long and three to four feet in diameter,
+and still bears the mark of the chisel. When or by whom it was made,
+remains a mystery. Some have supposed it was intended to be erected for
+the worship of the Sun, by the wild Teutonic tribes who inhabited this
+forest; it is more probably the work of the Romans. A project was once
+started, to erect it as a monument on the battle-field of Leipsic, but
+it was found too difficult to carry into execution.
+
+After dining at the little village of Reichelsdorf in the valley below,
+where the merry landlord charged my friend two kreutzers less than
+myself because he was not so tall, we visited the Castle of Schonberg,
+and joined the Bergstrasse again. We walked the rest of the way here;
+long before we arrived, the moon shone down on us over the mountains,
+and when we turned around the foot of the Heiligenberg, the mist
+descending in the valley of the Neckar, rested like a light cloud on the
+church spires.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+A WALK THROUGH THE ODENWALD.
+
+
+B---- and I are now comfortably settled in Frankfort, having, with Mr.
+Willis's kind assistance, obtained lodgings with the amiable family,
+with whom he has resided for more than two years. My cousin remains in
+Heidelberg to attend the winter course of lectures at the University.
+
+Having forwarded our baggage by the omnibus, we came hither on foot,
+through the heart of the Odenwald, a region full of interest, yet little
+visited by travellers. Dr. S---- and his family walked with us three or
+four miles of the way, and on a hill above Ziegelhausen, with a splendid
+view behind us, through the mountain-door, out of which the Neckar
+enters on the Rhine-plain, we parted. This was a first, and I must
+confess, a somewhat embarrassing experience in German leave-taking.
+After bidding adieu three or four times, we started to go up the
+mountain and they down it, but at every second step we had to turn
+around to acknowledge the waving of hands and handkerchiefs, which
+continued so long that I was glad when we were out of sight of each
+other. We descended on the other side into a wild and romantic valley,
+whose meadows were of the brightest green; a little brook which wound
+through them, put now and then its "silvery shoulder" to the wheel of a
+rustic mill. By the road-side two or three wild-looking gipsies sat
+around a fire, with some goats feeding near them.
+
+Passing through this valley and the little village of Schonau, we
+commenced ascending one of the loftiest ranges of the Odenwald. The side
+of the mountain was covered with a thick pine forest. There was no wind
+to wake its solemn anthem; all was calm and majestic, and even awful.
+The trees rose all around like the pillars of a vast Cathedral, whose
+long arched aisles vanished far below in the deepening gloom.
+
+    "Nature with folded hands seemed there,
+    Kneeling at her evening prayer,"
+
+for twilight had already begun to gather. We went on and up and ever
+higher, like the youth in "Excelsior;" the beech and dwarf oak took the
+place of the pine, and at last we arrived at a cleared summit whose long
+brown grass waved desolately in the dim light of evening. A faint glow
+still lingered over the forest-hills, but down in the valley the dusky
+shades hid every vestige of life, though its sounds came up softened
+through the long space. When we reached the top a bright planet stood
+like a diamond over the brow of the eastern hill, and the sound of a
+twilight bell came up clearly and sonorously on the cool damp air. The
+white veil of mist slowly descended down the mountain side, but the
+peaks rose above it like the wrecks of a world, floating in space. We
+made our way in the dusk down the long path, to the rude little dorf of
+Elsbach. I asked at the first inn for lodging, where we were ushered
+into a great room, in which a number of girls who had been at work in
+the fields, were assembled. They were all dressed in men's jackets, and
+short gowns, and some had their hair streaming down their back. The
+landlord's daughter, however, was a beautiful girl, whose modest,
+delicate features contrasted greatly with the coarse faces of the
+others. I thought of Uhland's beautiful little poem of "The Landlady's
+Daughter," as I looked on her. In the room hung two or three pair of
+antlers, and they told us deer were still plenty in the forests.
+
+When we left the village the next morning, we again commenced ascending.
+Over the whole valley and halfway up the mountain, lay a thick white
+frost, almost like snow, which contrasted with the green trees and
+bushes scattered over the meadows, produced the most singular effect. We
+plucked blackberries ready iced from the bushes by the road-side, and
+went on in the cold, for the sun shone only on the top of the opposite
+mountain, into another valley, down which rushed the rapid Ulver. At a
+little village which bears the beautiful name _Anteschonmattenwag_, we
+took a foot-path directly over a steep mountain to the village of
+Finkenbach. Near the top I found two wild-looking children, cutting
+grass with knives, both of whom I prevailed upon for a few kreutzers to
+stand and let me sketch them. From the summit the view on the other side
+was very striking. The hills were nearly every one covered with wood,
+and not a dwelling in sight. It reminded me of our forest scenery at
+home. The principal difference is, that our trees are two or three times
+the size of theirs.
+
+At length, after scaling another mountain, we reached a wide, elevated
+plain, in the middle of which stood the old dorf of Beerfelden. It was
+then crowded with people, on account of a great cattle-fair being held
+there. All the farmers of the neighborhood were assembled, clad in the
+ancient country costume--broad cocked hats and blue frocks. An orchard
+near the town was filled with cattle and horses, and near by, in the
+shade, a number of pedlars had arranged their wares. The cheerful
+looking country people touched their hats to us as we passed. This
+custom of greeting travellers, universal in Germany, is very expressive
+of their social, friendly manners. Among the mountains, we frequently
+met groups of children, who sang together their simple ballads as we
+passed by.
+
+From Beerfelden we passed down the valley of the Mimling to Erbach, the
+principal city in the Odenwald, and there stopped a short time to view
+the Rittersaal in the old family castle of the Counts of Erbach. An
+officer, who stood at the gates, conducted us to the door, where we were
+received by a noble-looking, gray-headed steward. He took us into the
+Rittersaal at once, which was like stepping back three hundred years.
+The stained windows of the lofty Gothic hall, let in a subdued light
+which fell on the forms of kings and knights, clad in the armor they
+wore during life. On the left as we entered, were mail-covered figures
+of John and Cosmo do Medici; further on stood the Emperor Maximilian,
+and by his side the celebrated dwarf who was served up in a pie at one
+of the imperial feasts. His armor was most delicate and beautiful, but
+small as it was, General Thumb would have had room in it. Gustavus
+Adolphus and Wallenstein looked down from the neighboring pedestals,
+while at the other end stood Goetz von Berlichingen and Albert of
+Brunswick. Guarding the door were Hans, the robber-knight of Nuremberg,
+and another from the Thuringian forest. The steward told me that the
+iron hand of Goetz was in possession of the family, but not shown to
+strangers; he pointed out, however, the buckles on the armor, by which
+it was fastened. Adjoining the hall is an antique chapel, filled with
+rude old tombs, and containing the sarcophagus of Count Eginhard of
+Denmark, who lived about the tenth century. There were also monkish
+garments five hundred years old hanging up in it.
+
+The collection of antiquities is large and interesting; but it is said
+that the old Count obtained some of them in rather a questionable
+manner. Among other incidents, they say that when in Rome he visited the
+Pope, taking with him an old servant who accompanied him in all his
+travels, and was the accomplice in most of his antiquarian thefts. In
+one of the outer halls, among the curiosities, was an antique shield of
+great value. The servant was left in this hall while the Count had his
+audience, and in a short time this shield was missed. The servant who
+wore a long cloak, was missed also; orders were given to close the gates
+and search every body, but it was too late--the thief was gone.
+
+Leaving Erbach we found out the direction of Snellert, the Castle of the
+Wild Huntsman, and took a road that led us for two or three hours along
+the top of a mountain ridge. Through the openings in the pine and larch
+forests, we had glimpses of the hills of Spessart, beyond the Main. When
+we finally left the by-road we had chosen it was quite dark, and we
+missed the way altogether among the lanes and meadows. We came at last
+to a full stop at the house of a farmer, who guided us by a foot path
+over the fields to a small village. On entering the only inn, kept by
+the Burgomaster, the people finding we were Americans, regarded us with
+a curiosity quite uncomfortable. They crowded around the door, watching
+every motion, and gazed in through the windows. The wild huntsman
+himself could scarcely have made a greater sensation. The news of our
+arrival seemed to have spread very fast, for the next morning when we
+stopped at a prune orchard some distance from the village to buy some
+fruit, the farmer cried out from a tree, "they are the Americans; give
+them as many as they want for nothing!"
+
+With the Burgomaster's little son for a guide, we went back a mile or
+two of our route to Snellert, which we had passed the night before, and
+after losing ourselves two or three times in the woods, arrived at last
+at the top of the mountain, where the ruins of the castle stand. The
+walls are nearly level with the ground. The interest of a visit rests
+entirely on the romantic legend, and the wild view over the hills
+around, particularly that in front, where on the opposite mountain are
+the ruins of Rodenstein, to which the wild Huntsman was wont to ride at
+midnight--where he now rides no more. The echoes of Rodenstein are no
+longer awakened by the sound of his bugle, and the hoofs of his demon
+steed clanging on the battlements. But the hills around are wild enough,
+and the roar of the pine forests deep enough to have inspired the simple
+peasants with the romantic tradition.
+
+Stopping for dinner at the town of Rheinheim, we met an old man, who, on
+learning we were Americans, walked with us as far as the next village.
+He had a daughter in America and was highly gratified to meet any one
+from the country of her adoption. He made me promise to visit her, if I
+ever should go to St. Louis, and say that I had walked with her father
+from Rheinheim to Zwangenburg. To satisfy his fears that I might forget
+it, I took down his name and that of his daughter. He shook me warmly by
+the hand at parting, and was evidently made happier for that day.
+
+We reached Darmstadt just in time to take a seat in the omnibus for
+Frankfort. Among the passengers were a Bavarian family, on their way to
+Bremen, to ship from thence to Texas. I endeavored to discourage the man
+from choosing such a country as his home, by telling him of its heats
+and pestilences, but he was too full of hope to be shaken in his
+purpose. I would have added that it was a slave-land, but I thought on
+our own country's curse, and was silent. The wife was not so sanguine;
+she seemed to mourn in secret at leaving her beautiful fatherland. It
+was saddening to think how lonely they would feel in that far home, and
+how they would long, with true German devotion, to look again on the
+green vintage-hills of their forsaken country. As night drew on, the
+little girl crept over to her father for his accustomed evening kiss,
+and then sank back to sleep in a corner of the wagon. The boy, in the
+artless confidence of childhood, laid his head on my breast, weary with
+the day's travel, and soon slept also. Thus we drove on in the dark,
+till at length the lights of Frankfort glimmered on the breast of the
+rapid Main, as we passed over the bridge, and when we stopped near the
+Cathedral, I delivered up my little charge and sent my sympathy with the
+wanderers on their lonely way.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+SCENES IN FRANKFORT--AN AMERICAN COMPOSER--THE POET FREILIGRATH.
+
+
+_Dec. 4._--This is a genuine old German city. Founded by Charlemagne,
+afterwards a rallying point of the Crusaders, and for a long time the
+capital of the German empire, it has no lack of interesting historical
+recollections, and notwithstanding it is fast becoming modernized, one
+is every where reminded of the Past. The Cathedral, old as the days of
+Peter the Hermit, the grotesque street of the Jews, the many quaint,
+antiquated dwellings and the mouldering watch-towers on the hills
+around, give it a more interesting character than any German city I have
+yet seen. The house we dwell in, on the Markt Platz, is more than two
+hundred years old; directly opposite is a great castellated building,
+gloomy with the weight of six centuries, and a few steps to the left
+brings me to the square of the Roemerberg, where the Emperors were
+crowned, in a corner of which is a curiously ornamented house, formerly
+the residence of Luther. There are legends innumerable connected with
+all these buildings, and even yet discoveries are frequently made in old
+houses, of secret chambers and staircases. When you add to all this, the
+German love of ghost stories, and, indeed, their general belief in
+spirits, the lover of romance could not desire a more agreeable
+residence.
+
+I often look out on the singular scene below my window. On both sides of
+the street, leaving barely room to enter the houses, sit the market
+women, with their baskets of vegetables and fruit. The middle of the
+street is filled with women buying, and every cart or carriage that
+comes along, has to force its way through the crowd, sometimes rolling
+against and overturning the baskets on the side, when for a few minutes
+there is a Babel of unintelligible sounds. The country women in their
+jackets and short gowns go backwards and forwards with great loads on
+their heads, sometimes nearly as high as themselves. It is a most
+singular scene, and so varied that one never tires of looking upon it.
+These women sit here from sunrise till sunset, day after day, for years.
+They have little furnaces for cooking and for warmth in winter, and when
+it rains they sit in large wooden boxes. One or two policemen are
+generally on the ground in the morning to prevent disputing about their
+places, which often gives rise to interesting scenes. Perhaps this kind
+of life in the open air is conducive to longevity; for certainly there
+is no country on earth that has as many old women. Many of them look
+like walking machines made of leather; and to judge from what I see in
+the streets here, I should think they work till they die.
+
+On the 21st of October a most interesting fete took place. The
+magnificent monument of Goethe, modelled by the sculptor Schwanthaler,
+at Munich, and cast in bronze, was unveiled. It arrived a few days
+before, and was received with much ceremony and erected in the destined
+spot, an open square in the western part of the city, planted with
+acacia trees. I went there at ten o'clock, and found the square already
+full of people. Seats had been erected around the monument for ladies,
+the singers and musicians. A company of soldiers was stationed to keep
+an entrance for the procession, which at length arrived with music and
+banners, and entered the enclosure. A song for the occasion was sung by
+the choir; it swelled up gradually, and with such perfect harmony and
+unity, that it seemed like some glorious instrument touched by a single
+hand. Then a poetical address was delivered; after which four young men
+took their stand at the corners of the monument; the drums and trumpets
+gave a flourish, and the mantle fell. The noble figure seemed to rise
+out of the earth, and thus amid shoutings and the triumphal peal of the
+band, the form of Goethe greeted the city of his birth. He is
+represented as leaning on the trunk of a tree, holding in his right hand
+a roll of parchment, and in his left a wreath. The pedestal, which is
+also of bronze, contains bas reliefs, representing scenes from Faust,
+Wilhelm Meister and Egmont. In the evening Goethe's house, in a street
+near, was illuminated by arches of lamps between the windows, and hung
+with wreaths of flowers. Four pillars of colored lamps lighted the
+statue. At nine o'clock the choir of singers came again in a procession,
+with colored lanterns, on poles, and after singing two or three songs,
+the statue was exhibited in the red glare of the Bengal light. The trees
+and houses around the square were covered with the glow, which streamed
+in broad sheets up against the dark sky.
+
+Within the walls the greater part of Frankfort is built in the old
+German style--the houses six or seven stones high, and every story
+projecting out over the other, so that those living in the upper part
+can nearly shake hands out of the windows. At the corners figures of men
+are often seen, holding up the story above on their shoulders and making
+horrible faces at the weight. When I state that in all these narrow
+streets which constitute the greater part of the city, there are no
+sidewalks, the windows of the lower stories with an iron grating
+extending a foot or so into the street, which is only wide enough for
+one cart to pass along, you can have some idea of the facility of
+walking through them, to say nothing of the piles of wood, and
+market-women with baskets of vegetables which one is continually
+stumbling over. Even in the wider streets, I have always to look before
+and behind to keep out of the way of the fiacres; the people here get so
+accustomed to it, that they leave barely room for them to pass, and the
+carriages go dashing by at a nearness which sometimes makes me shudder.
+
+As I walked across the Main, and looked down at the swift stream on its
+way from the distant Thuringian forest to join the Rhine, I thought of
+the time when Schiller stood there in the days of his early struggles,
+an exile from his native land, and looking over the bridge, said in the
+loneliness of his heart, "That water flows not so deep as my
+sufferings!" In the middle, on an iron ornament, stands the golden cock
+at which Goethe used to marvel when a boy. Perhaps you have not heard
+the legend connected with this. The bridge was built several hundred
+years ago, with such strength and solidity that it will stand many
+hundred yet. The architect had contracted to build it within a certain
+time, but as it drew near, without any prospect of fulfilment, the devil
+appeared to him and promised to finish it, on condition of having the
+first soul that passed over it. This was agreed upon end the devil
+performed his part of the bargain. The artist, however, on the day
+appointed, drove a cook across before he suffered any one to pass over
+it. His majesty stationed himself under the middle arch of the bridge,
+awaiting his prey; but enraged at the cheat, he tore the unfortunate
+fowl in pieces and broke two holes in the arch, saying they should never
+be built up again. The golden cock was erected on the bridge as a token
+of the event, but the devil has perhaps lost some of his power in these
+latter days, for the holes were filled up about thirty years ago.
+
+From the hills on the Darmstadt road, I had a view of the country
+around--the fields were white and bare, and the dark Tannus, with the
+broad patches of snow on his sides, looked grim and shadowy through the
+dim atmosphere. It was like the landscape of a dream--dark, strange and
+silent. The whole of last month we saw the sun but two or three days,
+the sky being almost continually covered with a gloomy fog. England and
+Germany seem to have exchanged climates this year, for in the former
+country we had delightfully clear weather.
+
+I have seen the banker Rothschild several times driving about the city.
+This one--Anselmo, the most celebrated of the brothers--holds a mortgage
+on the city of Jerusalem. He rides about in style, with officers
+attending his carriage. He is a little bald-headed man, with marked
+Jewish features, and is said not to deceive his looks. At any rate, his
+reputation is none of the best, either with Jews or Christians. A
+caricature was published some time ago, in which he is represented as
+giving a beggar woman by the way-side, a kreutzer--the smallest German
+coin. She is made to exclaim, "God reward you, a thousand fold!" He
+immediately replies, after reckoning up in his head: "How much have I
+then?--sixteen florins and forty kreutzers!"
+
+I have lately heard one of the most perfectly beautiful creations that
+ever emanated from the soul of genius--the opera of Fidelio. I have
+caught faint glimpses of that rich world of fancy and feeling, to which
+music is the golden door. Surrendering myself to the grasp of
+Beethoven's powerful conception, I read in sounds far more expressive
+than words, the almost despairing agony of the strong-hearted, but
+still tender and womanly Fidelio--the ecstatic joy of the wasted
+prisoner, when he rose from his hard couch in the dungeon, seeming to
+fuel, in his maniac brain, the presentiment of a bright being who would
+come to unbind his chains--and. the sobbing and wailing, almost-human,
+which came from the orchestra, when they dug his grave, by the dim
+lantern's light. When it was done, the murderer stole into the dungeon,
+to gloat on the agonies of his victim, ere he gave the death-blow. Then,
+while the prisoner is waked to reason by that sight, and Fidelio throws
+herself before the uplifted dagger, rescuing her husband with the
+courage which love gives to a woman's heart, the storm of feeling which
+has been gathering in the music, swells to a height beyond which it
+seemed impossible for the soul to pass. My nerves were thrilled till I
+could bear no more. A mist seemed to come before my eyes and I scarcely
+knew what followed, till the rescued kneeled together and poured forth
+in the closing hymn the painful fullness of their joy. I dreaded the
+sound of voices after the close, and the walk home amid the harsh
+rattling of vehicles on the rough streets. For days afterwards my brain
+was filled with a mingled and confused sense of melody, like the
+half-remembered music of a dream.
+
+Why should such magnificent creations of art be denied the new world?
+There is certainly enthusiasm and refinement of feeling enough at home
+to appreciate them, were the proper direction given to the popular
+taste. What country possesses more advantages to foster the growth of
+such an art, than ours? Why should not the composer gain mighty
+conceptions from the grandeur of our mountain scenery, from the howling
+of the storm through our giant forests, from the eternal thunder of
+Niagara? All these collateral influences, which more or less tend to the
+development and expansion of genius, are characteristics of our country;
+and a taste for musical compositions of a refined and lofty character,
+would soon give birth to creators.
+
+Fortunately for our country, this missing star in the crown of her
+growing glory, will probably soon be replaced. Richard S. Willis, with
+whom we have lived in delightful companionship, since coming here, has
+been for more than two years studying and preparing himself for the
+higher branches of composition. The musical talent he displayed while
+at college, and the success following the publication of a set of
+beautiful waltzes he there composed, led him to choose this most
+difficult but lofty path; the result justifies his early promise and
+gives the most sanguine anticipations for the future. He studied the
+first two years here under Schnyder von Wartensee, a distinguished Swiss
+composer; and his exercises have met with the warmest approval from
+Mendelsohn, at present the first German composer, and Rinck, the
+celebrated organist. The enormous labor and application required to go
+through the preparatory studies alone, would make it seem almost
+impossible for one with the restless energy of the American character,
+to undertake it; but as this very energy gives genius its greatest
+power, we may now trust with confidence that Willis, since he has nearly
+completed his studies, will win himself and his country honor in the
+difficult path he has chosen.
+
+One evening, after sunset, we took a stroll around the promenades. The
+swans were still floating on the little lake, and the American poplar
+beside it, was in its full autumn livery. As we made the circuit of the
+walks, guns were firing far and near, celebrating the opening of the
+vintage the next day, and rockets went glittering and sparkling up into
+the dark air. Notwithstanding the late hour and lowering sky, the walks
+were full of people and we strolled about with them till it grew quite
+dark, watching the fire-works which arose from the gardens around.
+
+The next day, we went into the Frankfort wood. Willis and his
+brother-in-law, Charles F. Dennett, of Boston, Dr. Dix and another young
+gentleman from the same city, formed the party--six Americans in all; we
+walked over the Main and through the dirty suburbs of Sachsenhausen,
+where we met many peasants laden with the first day's vintage, and
+crowds of people coming down from the vineyards. As we ascended the
+hill, the sound of firing was heard in every direction, and from many
+vineyards arose the smoke of fires where groups of merry children were
+collecting and burning the rubbish. We became lost among the winding
+paths of the pine forest, so that by the time we came out upon the
+eminence overlooking the valley of the Main, it was quite dark. From
+every side, far and near, rockets of all sizes and colors darted high
+up into the sky. Sometimes a flight of the most brilliant crimson and
+gold lights rushed up together, then again by some farm-house in the
+meadow, the vintagers would burn a Roman candle, throwing its powerful
+white light on the gardens and fields around. We stopped under a garden
+wall, by which a laughing company were assembled in the smoke and red
+blaze, and watched several comets go hissing and glancing far above us.
+The cracking of ammunition still continued, and when we came again upon
+the bridge, the city opposite was lighted as if illuminated. The full
+moon had just risen, softening and mellowing the beautiful scene, while
+beyond, over the tower of Frankfort, rose and fell the meteors that
+heralded the vintage.
+
+Since I have been in Frankfort, an event has occurred, which shows very
+distinctly the principles at work in Germany, and gives us some
+foreboding of the future. Ferdinand Freiligrath, the first living poet
+with the exception of Uhland, has within a few weeks published a volume
+of poems entitled, "My Confession of Faith, or Poems for the Times." It
+contains some thrilling appeals to the free spirit of the German people,
+setting forth the injustice under which they labor, in simple but
+powerful language, and with the most forcible illustrations, adapted to
+the comprehension of everyone. Viewed as a work of genius alone, it is
+strikingly powerful and original: but when we consider the effect it is
+producing among the people--the strength it will add to the rising tide
+of opposition to every form of tyranny, it has a still higher interest.
+Freiligrath had three or four years before, received a pension of three
+hundred thalers from the King of Prussia, soon after his accession to
+the throne: he ceased to draw this about a year ago, stating in the
+preface to his volume that it was accepted in the belief the King would
+adhere to his promise of giving the people a new constitution, but that
+now since free spirit which characterises these men, who come from
+among the people, shows plainly the tendency of the times; and it is
+only the great strength with which tyranny here has environed himself,
+and the almost lethargic _slowness_ of the Germans, which has prevented
+a change ere this.
+
+In this volume of Freiligrath's, among other things, is a translation of
+Bryant's magnificent poem "The Winds," and Burns's "A man's a man for a'
+that;" and I have translated one of his, as a specimen of the spirit in
+which they are written:
+
+    FREEDOM AND RIGHT.
+
+    Oh! think not she rests in the grave's chilly slumber
+      Nor sheds o'er the present her glorious light,
+    Since Tyranny's shackles the free soul incumber
+      And traitors accusing, deny to us Right!
+    No: whether to exile the sworn ones are wending,
+    Or weary of power that crushed them unending,
+    In dungeons have perished, their veins madly rending,[*]
+      Yet Freedom still liveth, and with her, the Right!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    A single defeat can confuse us no longer:
+      It adds to the combat's last gathering might,
+    It bids us but doubly to struggle, and stronger
+      To raise up our battle-cry--"Freedom and Right!"
+    For the Twain know a union forever abiding,
+    Together in Truth and in majesty striding;
+    Where Right is, already the free are residing
+      And ever, where dwell the free, governeth Right!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    And this is a trust: never made, us at present,
+      The glad pair from battle to battle their flight;
+    Never breathed through the soul of the down-trodden peasant,
+      Their spirit so deeply its promptings of light!
+    They sweep o'er the earth with a tempest-like token;
+    From strand unto strand words of thunder are spoken:
+    Already the serf finds his manacles broken,
+      And those of the negro are falling from sight
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    Yes, every where wide is their war-banner waving.
+      On the armies of Wrong their revenge to requite;
+    The strength of Oppression they boldly are braving
+      And at last they will conquer, resistless in might!
+    Oh, God! what a glorious wreath then appearing
+    Will blend every leaf in the banner they're bearing--The
+    olive of Greece and the shamrock of Erin,
+      And the oak-bough of Germany, greenest in light!
+                                            Freedom and Right!
+
+    And many who suffered, are now calmly sleeping,
+      The slumber of freemen, borne down by the fight;
+    While the Twain o'er their graves still a bright watch are keeping,
+      Whom we bless for their memories--Freedom and Right!
+    Meanwhile lift your glasses! to those who have striven!
+    And striving with bold hearts, to misery were driven!
+    Who fought for the Right and but Wrong then were given!
+      To Right, the immortal--to Freedom through Right!
+                                            Freedom through Right!
+
+[Footnote *: This allusion is to Weidig, who, imprisoned for years at
+Darmstadt on account of his political principles, finally committed
+suicide by cutting his throat with the glass of his prison-window.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+A WEEK AMONG THE STUDENTS.
+
+
+Receiving a letter from my cousin one bright December morning, the idea
+of visiting him struck me, and so, within an hour, B---- and I were on
+our way to Heidelberg. It was delightful weather; the air was mild as
+the early days of spring, the pine forests around wore a softer green,
+and though the sun was but a hand's breadth high, even at noon, it was
+quite warm on the open road. We stopped for the night at Bensheim; the
+next morning was as dark as a cloudy day in the north can be, wearing a
+heavy gloom I never saw elsewhere. The wind blew the snow down from the
+summits upon us, but being warm from walking, we did not heed it. The
+mountains looked higher than in summer, and the old castles more grim
+and frowning. From the hard roads and freezing wind, my feet became very
+sore, and after limping along in excruciating pain for a league or two,
+I filled my boots with brandy, which deadened the wounds so much, that I
+was enabled to go on in a kind of trot, which I kept up, only stopping
+ten minutes to dinner, till we reached Heidelberg.
+
+The same evening there was to be a general _commers_, or meeting of the
+societies among the students, and I determined not to omit witnessing
+one of the most interesting and characteristic features of student-life.
+So borrowing a cap and coat, I looked the student well enough to pass
+for one of them, though the former article was somewhat of the
+_Philister_ form. Baader, a young poet of some note, and president of
+the "Palatia" Society, having promised to take us there, we met at
+eight o'clock at an inn frequented by the students, and went to the
+rendezvous, near the Markt Platz.
+
+A confused sound of voices came from the inn, as we drew near; groups of
+students were standing around the door. In the entry we saw the Red
+Fisherman, one of the most conspicuous characters about the University.
+He is a small, stout man, with bare neck and breast, red hair, whence
+his name, and a strange mixture of roughness and benevolence in his
+countenance. He has saved many persons at the risk of his own life, from
+drowning in the Neckar, and on that account is leniently dealt with by
+the faculty whenever he is arrested for assisting the students in any of
+their unlawful proceedings. Entering the room I could scarcely see at
+first, on account of the smoke that ascended from a hundred pipes. All
+was noise and confusion. Near the door sat some half dozen musicians who
+were getting their instruments ready for action, and the long room was
+filled with tables, all of which seemed to be full and the students were
+still pressing in. The tables were covered with great stone jugs and
+long beer glasses; the students were talking and shouting and
+drinking.--One who appeared to have the arrangement of the meeting,
+found seats for us together, and having made a slight acquaintance with
+those sitting next us, we felt more at liberty to witness their
+proceedings. They were all talking in a sociable, friendly way, and I
+saw no one who appeared to be intoxicated. The beer was a weak mixture,
+which I should think would make one fall over from its _weight_ before
+it would intoxicate him. Those sitting near me drank but little, and
+that principally to make or return compliments. One or two at the other
+end of the table were more boisterous, and more than one glass was
+overturned on the legs below it. Leaves containing the songs for the
+evening lay at each seat, and at the head, where the President sat, were
+two swords crossed, with which he occasionally struck upon the table to
+preserve order. Our President was a fine, romantic-looking young man,
+dressed in the old German costume, which is far handsomer than the
+modern. I never saw in any company of young men, so many handsome, manly
+countenances. If their faces were any index of their characters, there
+were many noble, free souls among them. Nearly opposite to me sat a
+young poet, whose dark eyes flashed with feeling as he spoke to those
+near him. After some time passed in talking and drinking together,
+varied by an occasional air from the musicians, the President beat order
+with the sword, and the whole company joined in one of their glorious
+songs, to a melody at the same time joyous and solemn. Swelled by so
+many manly voices it rose up like a hymn of triumph--all other sounds
+were stilled. Three times during the singing all rose up, clashed their
+glasses together around the tables and drank to their Fatherland, a
+health and blessing to the patriot, and honor to those who struggle in
+the cause of freedom, at the close thundering out their motto:
+
+    "Fearless in strife, to the banner still true!"
+
+After this song the same order as before was continued, except that
+students from the different societies made short speeches, accompanied
+by some toast or sentiment. One spoke of Germany--predicting that all
+her dissensions would be overcome, and she would rise up at last, like a
+phoenix among the nations of Europe; and at the close gave 'strong,
+united, regenerated Germany!' Instantly all sprang to their feet, and
+clashing the glasses together, gave a thundering "_hoch!_" This
+enthusiasm for their country is one of the strongest characteristics of
+the German students; they have ever been first in the field for her
+freedom, and on them mainly depends her future redemption.
+
+Cloths were passed around, the tables wiped off, and preparations made
+to sing the "_Landsfather_" or consecration song. This is one of the
+most important and solemn of their ceremonies, since by performing it
+the new students are made _burschen_, and the bands of brotherhood
+continually kept fresh and sacred. All became still a moment, then they
+commenced the lofty song:
+
+    "Silent bending, each one lending
+      To the solemn tones his ear,
+    Hark, the song of songs is sounding--
+    Back from joyful choir resounding,
+      Hear it, German brothers, hear!
+
+    "German proudly, raise it loudly,
+      Singing of your fatherland--
+    Fatherland! thou land of story,
+    To the altars of thy glory
+      Consecrate us, sword in hand!
+
+    "Take the beaker, pleasure seeker,
+      With thy country's drink brimmed o'er!
+    In thy left the sword is blinking.
+    Pierce it through the cap, while drinking
+      To thy Fatherland once more!"
+
+With the first line of the last stanza, the Presidents sitting at the
+head of the table, take their glasses in their right hands, and at the
+third line, the sword in their left, at the end striking their glasses
+together and drinking.
+
+    "In left hand gleaming, thou art beaming,
+      Sword from all dishonour free!
+    Thus I pierce the cap, while swearing,
+    It in honor ever wearing,
+      I a valiant Bursch will be!"
+
+They clash their swords together till the third line is sung, when each
+takes his cap, and piercing the point of the sword through the crown,
+draws it down to the guard. Leaving their caps on the swords, the
+Presidents stand behind the two next students, who go through the same
+ceremony, receiving the swords at the appropriate time, and giving it
+back loaded with their caps also. This ceremony is going on at every
+table at the same time. These two stanzas are repeated for every pair of
+students, till all have gone through with it, and the Presidents have
+arrived at the bottom of the table, with their swords strung full of
+caps. Here they exchange swords, while all sing:
+
+    "Come thou bright sword, now made holy,
+      Of free men the weapon free;
+    Bring it solemnly and slowly,
+      Heavy with pierced caps, to me!
+    From its burden now divest it;
+      Brothers be ye covered all,
+      And till our next festival,
+    Hallowed and unspotted rest it!
+
+    "Up, ye feast companions! ever
+      Honor ye our holy band!
+    And with heart and soul endeavor
+      E'er as high-souled men to stand!
+    Up to feast, ye men united!
+      Worthy be your fathers' fame,
+      And the sword may no one claim,
+    Who to honor is not plighted!"
+
+Then each President, taking a cap of his sword, reached it to the
+student opposite, and they crossed their swords, the ends resting on the
+two students' heads, while they sang the next stanza:
+
+    "So take it back; thy head I now will cover
+      And stretch the bright sword over.
+    Live also then this Bursche, hoch!
+      Wherever we may meet him,
+      Will we, as Brother greet him--
+    Live also this, our Brother, hoch!"
+
+This ceremony was repeated till all the caps were given back, and they
+then concluded with the following:
+
+    "Rest, the Bursehen-feast is over,
+      Hallowed sword and thou art free!
+    Each one strive a valiant lover
+      Of his fatherland to be!
+    Hail to him, who, glory-haunted,
+      Follows still his fathers bold;
+      And the sword may no one hold
+    But the noble and undaunted!"
+
+The Landsfather being over, the students were less orderly; the smoking
+and drinking began again and we left, as it was already eleven o'clock,
+glad to breathe the pure cold air.
+
+In the University I heard Gervinus, who was formerly professor in
+Gottingen, but was obliged to leave on account of his liberal
+principles. He is much liked by the students and his lectures are very
+well attended. They had this winter a torchlight procession in honor of
+him. He is a stout, round-faced man, speaks very fast, and makes them
+laugh continually with his witty remarks. In the room I saw a son of
+Ruckert, the poet, with a face strikingly like his father's. The next
+evening I went to hear Schlosser, the great historian. Among his pupils
+are the two princes of Baden, who are now at the University. He came
+hurriedly in, threw down his portfolio and began instantly to speak. He
+is an old, gray-headed man, but still active and full of energy. The
+Germans find him exceedingly difficult to understand, as he is said to
+use the English construction almost entirely; for this reason, perhaps,
+I understood him quite easily. He lectures on the French Revolution, but
+is engaged in writing a Universal History, the first numbers of which
+are published.
+
+Two or three days after, we heard that a duel was to take place at
+Neuenheim, on the opposite side of the Neckur, where the students have a
+house hired for that purpose. In order to witness the spectacle, we
+started immediately with two or three students. Along the road were
+stationed old women, at intervals, as guards, to give notice of the
+approach of the police, and from these we learned that one duel had
+already been fought, and they were preparing for the other. The Red
+Fisherman was busy in an outer room grinding the swords, which are made
+as sharp as razors. In the large room some forty or fifty students were
+walking about, while the parties were preparing. This was done by taking
+off the coat and vest and binding a great thick leather garment on,
+which reached from the breast to the knees, completely protecting the
+body. They then put on a leather glove reaching nearly to the shoulder,
+tied a thick cravat around the throat, and drew on a cap with a large
+vizor. This done, they were walked about the room a short time, the
+seconds holding out their arms to strengthen them; their faces all this
+time betrayed considerable anxiety.
+
+All being ready, the seconds took their stations immediately behind
+them, each armed with a sword, and gave the words: "_ready--bind your
+weapons--loose!_" They instantly sprang at each other, exchanged two or
+three blows, when the seconds cried "halt!" and struck their swords up.
+Twenty-four rounds of this kind ended the duel, without either being
+hurt, though the cap of one of them was cut through and his forehead
+grazed. All their duels do not end so fortunately, however, as the
+frightful scars on the faces of many of those present, testified. It is
+a gratification to know that but a small portion of the students keep up
+this barbarous custom. The great body is opposed to it; in Heidelberg,
+four societies, comprising more than one half the students, have been
+formed against it. A strong desire for such a reform seems to prevail,
+and the custom will probably be totally discontinued in a short time.
+
+This view of the student-life was very interesting to me; it appeared in
+a much better light than I had been accustomed to view it. Their
+peculiar customs, except duelling and drinking, of course, may be the
+better tolerated when we consider their effect on the liberty of
+Germany. It is principally through them that a free spirit is kept
+alive; they have ever been foremost to rise up for their Fatherland, and
+bravest in its defence. And though many of their customs have so often
+been held up to ridicule, among no other class can one find warmer,
+truer or braver hearts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR IN GERMANY.
+
+
+_Jan. 2, 1845._--I have lately been computing how much my travels have
+cost me up to the present time, and how long I can remain abroad to
+continue the pilgrimage, with my present expectations. The result has
+been most encouraging to my plan. Before leaving home, I wrote to
+several gentlemen who had visited Europe, requesting the probable
+expense of travel and residence abroad. They sent different accounts; E.
+Joy Morris said I must calculate to spend at least $1500 a year; another
+suggested $1000, and the most moderate of all, said that it was
+_impossible_ to live in Europe a year on less than $500. Now, six months
+have elapsed since I left home--six months of greater pleasure and
+profit than any _year_ of my former life--and my expenses, in full,
+amount to $130! This, however, nearly exhausts the limited sum with
+which I started, but through the kindness of the editorial friends who
+have been publishing my sketches of travel, I trust to receive a
+remittance shortly. Printing is a business attended with so little
+profit here, as there are already so many workmen, that it is almost
+useless for a stranger to apply. Besides, after a tough grapple, I am
+just beginning to master the language, and it seems so necessary to
+devote every minute to study, that I would rather undergo some
+privation, than neglect turning these fleeting hours into gold, for the
+miser Memory to stow away in the treasure-vaults of the mind.
+
+We have lately witnessed the most beautiful and interesting of all
+German festivals--Christmas. This is here peculiarly celebrated. About
+the commencement of December, the Christmarkt or fair, was opened in the
+Roemerberg, and has continued to the present time. The booths, decorated
+with green boughs, were filled with toys of various kinds, among which
+during the first days the figure of St. Nicholas was conspicuous. There
+were bunches of wax candles to illuminate the Christmas tree,
+gingerbread with printed mottos in poetry, beautiful little earthenware,
+basket-work, and a wilderness of playthings. The 5th of December, being
+Nicholas evening, the booths were lighted up, and the square was filled
+with boys, running from one stand to another, all shouting and talking
+together in the most joyous confusion. Nurses were going around,
+carrying the smaller children in their arms, and parents bought presents
+decorated with sprigs of pine and carried them away. Some of the shops
+had beautiful toys, as for instance, a whole grocery store in miniature,
+with barrels, boxes and drawers, all filled with sweetmeats, a kitchen
+with a stove and all suitable utensils, which could really be used, and
+sets of dishes of the most diminutive patterns. All was a scene of
+activity and joyous feeling.
+
+Many of the tables had bundles of rods with gilded bands, which were to
+be used that evening by the persons who represented St. Nicholas. In the
+family with whom we reside, one of our German friends dressed himself
+very comically, with a mask, fur robe and long tapering cap. He came in
+with a bunch of rods and a sack, and a broom for a sceptre. After we all
+had received our share of the beating, he threw the contents of his bag
+on the table, and while we were scrambling for the nuts and apples, gave
+us many smart raps over the fingers. In many families the children are
+made to say, "I thank you, Herr Nicolaus," and the rods are hung up in
+the room till Christmas to keep them in good behavior. This was only a
+forerunner of the Christ-kindchen's coming. The Nicolaus is the
+punishing spirit, the Christ-kindchen the rewarding one.
+
+When this time was over, we all began preparing secretly our presents
+for Christmas. Every day there were consultations about the things which
+should be obtained. It was so arranged that all should interchange
+presents, but nobody must know beforehand what he would receive. What
+pleasure there was in all these secret purchases and preparations!
+Scarcely anything was thought or spoken of but Christmas, and every day
+the consultations became more numerous and secret. The trees were bought
+sometime beforehand, but as we were to witness the festival for the
+first time, we were not allowed to see them prepared, in order that the
+effect might be as great as possible. The market in the Roeinerberg
+Square grew constantly larger and more brilliant. Every night it was lit
+up with lamps and thronged with people. Quite a forest sprang up in the
+street before our door. The old stone house opposite, with the traces of
+so many centuries on its dark face, seemed to stand in the midst of a
+garden. It was a pleasure to go out every evening and see the children
+rushing to and fro, shouting and seeking out toys from the booths, and
+talking all the time of the Christmas that was so near. The poor people
+went by with their little presents hid under their cloaks, lest their
+children might see them; every heart was glad and every countenance wore
+a smile of secret pleasure.
+
+Finally the day before Christmas arrived. The streets were so full I
+could scarce make my way through, and the sale of trees went on more
+rapidly than ever. These wore commonly branches of pine or fir, set
+upright in a little miniature garden of moss. When the lamps were
+lighted at night, our street had the appearance of an illuminated
+garden. We were prohibited from entering the rooms up stairs in which
+the grand ceremony was to take place, being obliged to take our seats in
+those arranged for the guests, and wait with impatience the hour when
+Christ-kindchen should call. Several relations of the family came, and
+what was more agreeable, they brought with them five or six children. I
+was anxious to see how they would view the ceremony. Finally, in the
+middle of an interesting conversation, we heard the bell ringing up
+stairs. We all started up, and made for the door. I ran up the steps
+with the children at my heels, and at the top met a blaze of light
+coming from the open door, that dazzled me. In each room stood a great
+table, on which the presents were arranged, amid flowers and wreaths.
+From the centre, rose the beautiful Christmas tree covered with wax
+tapers to the very top, which made it nearly as light as day, while
+every bough was hung with sweetmeats and gilded nuts. The children ran
+shouting around the table, hunting their presents, while the older
+persons had theirs pointed out to them. I had qui'e a little library of
+German authors as my share; and many of the others received quite
+valuable gifts.
+
+But how beautiful was the heart-felt joy that shone on every
+countenance! As each one discovered he embraced the givers, and all was
+a scene of the purest feelings. It is a glorious feast, this Christmas
+time! What a chorus from happy hearts went up on that evening to Heaven!
+Full of poetry and feeling and glad associations, it is here anticipated
+with joy, and leaves a pleasant memory behind it. We may laugh at such
+simple festivals at home, and prefer to shake ourselves loose from every
+shackle that bears the rust of the Past, but we would certainly be
+happier if some of these beautiful old customs were better honored. They
+renew the bond of feeling between families and friends, and strengthen
+their kindly sympathy; even life-long friends require occasions of this
+kind to freshen the wreath that binds them together.
+
+New Year's Eve is also favored with a peculiar celebration in Germany.
+Every body remains up and makes himself merry till midnight. The
+Christmas trees are again lighted, and while the tapers are burning
+down, the family play for articles which they have purchased and hung on
+the boughs. It is so arranged that each one shall win as much as he
+gives, which change of articles makes much amusement. One of the ladies
+rejoiced in the possession of a red silk handkerchief and a cake of
+soap, while a cup and saucer and a pair of scissors fell to my lot! As
+midnight drew near, it was louder in the streets, and companies of
+people, some of them singing in chorus, passed by on their way to the
+Zeil. Finally three-quarters struck, the windows were opened and every
+one waited anxiously for the clock to strike. At the first sound, such a
+cry arose as one may imagine, when thirty or forty thousand persons all
+set their lungs going at once. Every body in the house, in the street,
+over the whole city, shouted, _"Prosst Neu Jahr?"_ In families, all the
+members embrace each other, with wishes of happiness for the new year.
+Then the windows are thrown open, and they cry to their neighbors or
+those passing by.
+
+After we had exchanged congratulations, Dennett, B---- and I set out for
+the Zeil. The streets were full of people, shouting to one another and
+to those standing at the open windows. We failed not to cry, _"Prosst
+Neu Jahr!"_ wherever we saw a damsel at the window, and the words came
+back to us more musically than we sent them. Along the Zeil the
+spectacle was most singular. The great wide street was filled with
+companies of men, marching up and down, while from the mass rang up one
+deafening, unending shout, that seemed to pierce the black sky above.
+The whole scene looked stranger and wilder from the flickering light of
+the swinging lamps, and I could not help thinking it must resemble a
+night in Paris during the French Revolution. We joined the crowd and
+used our lungs as well as any of them. For some time after we returned
+home, companies passed by, singing "with us 'tis ever so!" but at three
+o'clock all was again silent.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+WINTER IN FRANKFORT--A FAIR, AN INUNDATION AND A FIRE.
+
+
+After New Year, the Main, just above the city, and the lakes in the
+promenades, were frozen over. The ice was tried by the police, and
+having been found of sufficient thickness, to the great joy of the
+schoolboys, permission was given to skate. The lakes were soon covered
+with merry skaters, and every afternoon the banks were crowded with
+spectators. It was a lively sight to see two or three hundred persons
+darting about, turning and crossing like a flock of crows, while, by
+means of arm-chairs mounted on runners, the ladies were enabled to join
+in the sport, and whirl around among them. Some of the broad meadows
+near the city, which were covered with water, were the resort of the
+schools. I went there often in my walks, and always found two or three
+schools, with the teachers, all skating together, and playing their
+winter games on the ice. I have often seen them on the meadows along the
+Main; the teachers generally made quite as much noise as the scholars in
+their sports.
+
+In the Art Institute I saw the picture of "Huss before the Council of
+Constance," by the painter Lessing. It contains upwards of twenty
+figures. The artist has shown the greatest skill in the expression and
+grouping of these. Bishops and Cardinals in their splendid robes are
+seated around a table, covered with parchment folios, and before them
+stands Huss alone. His face, pale and thin with long imprisonment, he
+has lain one hand on his breast, while with the other he has grasped one
+of the volumes on the table; there is an air of majesty, of heavenly
+serenity on his lofty forehead and calm eye. One feels instinctively
+that he has truth on his side. There can be no deception, no falsehood
+in those noble features. The three Italian cardinals before him appear
+to be full of passionate rage; the bishop in front, who holds the
+imperial pass given to Huss, looks on with an expression of scorn, and
+the priests around have an air of mingled curiosity and hatred. There is
+one, however, in whose mild features and tearful eye is expressed
+sympathy and pity for the prisoner. It is said this picture has had a
+great effect upon Catholics who have seen it, in softening the bigotry
+with which they regarded the early reformers; and if so, it is a
+triumphant proof how much art can effect in the cause of truth and
+humanity. I was much interested in a cast of the statue of St. George,
+by the old Italian sculptor Donatello. It is a figure full of youth and
+energy, with a countenance that seems to breathe. Donatello was the
+teacher of Michael Angelo, and when the young sculptor was about setting
+off for Rome, he showed him the statue, his favorite work. Michael gazed
+at it long and intensely, and at length, on parting, said to Donatello,
+"It wants but one thing." The artist pondered long over this expression,
+for he could not imagine in what could fail the matchless figure. At
+length, after many years, Michael Angelo, in the noon of his renown,
+visited the death-bed of his old master. Donatello begged to know,
+before he died, what was wanting to his St. George. Angelo answered,
+"_the gift of speech!_" and a smile of triumph lighted the old man's
+face, as he closed his eyes forever.
+
+The Eschernheim Tower, at the entrance of one of the city gates, is
+universally admired by strangers, on account of its picturesque
+appearance, overgrown with ivy and terminated by the little pointed
+turrets, which one sees so often in Germany, on buildings three or four
+centuries old. There are five other watch towers of similar form, which
+stand on different sides of the city, at the distance of a mile or two,
+and generally upon an eminence overlooking the country. They were
+erected several centuries ago, to discern from afar the approach of an
+enemy, and protect the caravans of merchants, which at that time
+travelled from city to city, from the attacks of robbers. The
+Eschernheim Tower is interesting from another circumstance, which,
+whether true or not, is universally believed. When Frankfort was under
+the sway of a prince, a Swiss hunter, for some civil offence, was
+condemned to die. He begged his life from the prince, who granted it
+only on condition that he should fire the figure 9 with his rifle
+through the vane of this tower. He agreed, and did it; and at the
+present lime, one can distinguish a rude 9 on the vane, as if cut with
+bullets, while two or three marks at the side appear to be from shots
+that failed.
+
+The promise of spring which lately visited us, was not destined for
+fulfilment. Shortly afterwards it grew cold again, with a succession of
+snows and sharp northerly winds. Such weather at the commencement of
+spring is not uncommon at home; but here they say there has not been
+such a winter known for 150 years. In the north of Prussia many persons
+have been starved to death on account of provisions becoming scarce.
+Among the Hartz also, the suffering is very great. We saw something of
+the misery even here. It was painful to walk through the streets and see
+so many faces bearing plainly the marks of want, so many pale,
+hollow-eyed creatures, with suffering written on every feature. We were
+assailed with petitions for help which could not be relieved, though it
+pained and saddened the heart to deny. The women, too, labor like
+brutes, day after day. Many of them appear cheerful and contented, and
+are no doubt, tolerably happy, for the Germans have all true, warm
+hearts, and are faithful to one another, as far as poverty will permit;
+but one cannot see old, gray-headed women, carrying loads on their heads
+as heavy as themselves, exposed to all kinds of weather and working from
+morning till night, without pity and indignation.
+
+So unusually severe has been the weather, that the deer and hares in the
+mountains near, came nearly starved and tamed down by hunger, into the
+villages to hunt food. The people fed them everyday, and also carried
+grain into the fields for the partridges and pheasants, who flew up to
+them like domestic fowls. The poor ravens made me really sorry; some lay
+dead in the fields and many came into the city perfectly tame, flying
+along the Main with wings hardly strong enough to boar up their skeleton
+bodies. The storks came at the usual time, but went back again. I hope
+the year's blessing has not departed with them, according to the old
+German superstition.
+
+_March 26._--We have hopes of spring at last. Three days ago the rain
+began and has continued with little intermission till now. The air is
+warm, the snow goes fast, and every thing seems to announce that the
+long winter is breaking up. The Main rises fast, and goes by the city
+like an arrow, whirling large masses of ice upon the banks. The hills
+around are coming out from under the snow, and the lilac-buds in the
+promenades begin to expand for the second time.
+
+The Fair has now commenced in earnest, and it is a most singular and
+interesting sight. The open squares are filled with booths, leaving
+narrow streets between them, across which canvas is spread. Every booth
+is open and filled with a dazzling display of wares of all kinds.
+Merchants assemble from all parts of Europe. The Bohemians come with
+their gorgeous crystal ware; the Nuremborgers with their toys, quaint
+and fanciful as the old city itself; men from the Thuringian forest,
+with minerals and canes, and traders from Berlin, Vienna, Paris and
+Switzerland, with dry goods and wares of all kinds. Near the Exchange
+are two or three companies of Tyrolese, who attract much of my
+attention. Their costume is exceedingly picturesque. The men have all
+splendid manly figures, and honor and bravery are written on their
+countenances. One of the girls is a really handsome mountain maiden, and
+with her pointed, broad-brimmed black hat, as romantic looking as one
+could desire. The musicians have arrived, and we are entertained the
+whole day long by wandering bands, some of whom play finely. The best,
+which is also the favorite company, is from Saxony, called "The Mountain
+Boys." They are now playing in our street, and while I write, one of the
+beautiful choruses from Norma comes up through the din of the crowd. In
+fact, music is heard over the whole city, and the throngs that fill
+every street with all sorts of faces and dresses, somewhat relieve the
+monotony that was beginning to make Frankfort tiresome.
+
+We have an ever-varied and interesting scene from our window. Besides
+the motley crowd of passers-by, there are booths and tables stationed
+thick below. One man in particular is busily engaged in selling his
+store of blacking in the auction style, in a manner that would do credit
+to a real Down-caster. He has flaming certificates exhibited, and
+prefaces his calls to buy with a high-sounding description of his
+wonderful qualities. He has a bench in front, where he tests on the
+shoes of his customers, or if none of those are disposed to try it, he
+rubs it on his own, which shine like mirrors. So he rattles on with
+amazing fluency in French, German and Italian, and this, with his black
+beard and moustache and his polite, graceful manner, keeps a crowd of
+customers around him, so that the wonderful blacking goes off as fast as
+he can supply it.
+
+_April 6._--Old Winter's gales are shut close behind us, and the sun
+looks down with his summer countenance. The air, after the long cold
+rain, is like that of Paradise. All things are gay and bright, and
+everybody is in motion. Spring commenced with yesterday in earnest, and
+lo! before night the roads were all dry and fine as if there had been no
+rain for a month; and the gardeners dug and planted in ground which,
+eight days before, was covered with snow!
+
+After having lived through the longest winter here, for one hundred and
+fifty years, we were destined to witness the greatest flood for sixty,
+and little lower than any within the last three hundred years. On the
+28th of March, the river overflooded the high pier along the Main, and
+rising higher and higher, began to come into the gates and alleys.
+Before night the whole bank was covered and the water intruded into some
+of the booths in the Romerberg. When I went there the next morning, it
+was a sorrowful sight. Persons were inside the gate with boats; so
+rapidly had it risen, that many of the merchants had no time to move
+their wares, and must suffer great damage. They were busy rescuing what
+property could bo seized in the haste, and constructing passages into
+the houses which were surrounded. No one seemed to think of buying or
+selling, but only on the best method to escape the danger. Along the
+Main it was still worse. From the measure, it had risen seventeen feet
+above its usual level, and the arches of the bridge were filled nearly
+to the top. At the Upper-Main gate, every thing was flooded--houses,
+gardens, workshops, &c.; the water had even overrun the meadows above
+and attacked the city from behind, so that a part of the beautiful
+promenades lay deep under water. On the other side, we could see houses
+standing in it up to the roof. It came up through the sewers into the
+middle of Frankfort; a large body of men were kept at work constructing
+slight bridges to walk on, and transporting boats to places where they
+were needed. This was all done at the expense of the city; the greatest
+readiness was everywhere manifested to render all possible assistance.
+In the Fischergasse, I saw them taking provisions to the people in
+boats; one man even fastened a loaf of bread to the end of a broomstick
+and reached it across the narrow street from an upper story window, to
+the neighbor opposite. News came that Hausen, a village towards the
+Taunus, about two miles distant, was quite under water, and that the
+people clung to the roofs and cried for help; but it was fortunately
+false. About noon, cannon shots were heard, and twenty boats were sent
+out from the city.
+
+In the afternoon I ascended the tower of the Cathedral, which commands a
+wide view of the valley, up and down. Just above the city the whole
+plain was like a small lake--between two and three miles wide. A row of
+new-built houses stretched into it like a long promontory, and in the
+middle, like an island, stood a country-seat with large out-buildings.
+The river sent a long arm out below, that reached up through the meadows
+behind the city, as if to clasp it all and bear it away together. A
+heavy storm was raging along the whole extent of the Taunus; but a
+rainbow stood in the eastern sky. I thought of its promise, and hoped,
+for the sake of the hundreds of poor people who were suffering by the
+waters, that it might herald their fall.
+
+We afterwards went over to Sachsenhausen, which was, if possible, in a
+still more unfortunate condition. The water had penetrated the passages
+and sewers, and from these leaped and rushed up into the streets, as out
+of a fountain. The houses next to the Main, which were first filled,
+poured torrents out of the doors and windows into the street below.
+These people were nearly all poor, and could ill afford the loss of time
+and damage of property it occasioned them. The stream was filled with
+wood and boards, and even whole roofs, with the tiles on, went floating
+down. The bridge was crowded with people; one saw everywhere mournful
+countenances, and heard lamentations over the catastrophe. After sunset,
+a great cloud, filling half the sky, hung above; the reflection of its
+glowing crimson tint, joined to the brown hue of the water, made it seem
+like a river of fire.
+
+What a difference a little sunshine makes! I could have forgotten the
+season the next day, but for the bare trees and swelling Main, as I
+threaded my way through the hundreds of people who thronged its banks.
+It was that soft warmth that comes with the first spring days, relaxing
+the body and casting a dreamy hue over the mind. I leaned over the
+bridge in the full enjoyment of it, and listening to the roaring of the
+water under the arches, forgot every thing else for a time. It was
+amusing to walk up and down the pier and look at the countenances
+passing by, while the phantasy was ever ready, weaving a tale for all.
+My favorite Tyrolese were there, and I saw a Greek leaning over the
+stone balustrade, wearing the red cap and white frock, and with the long
+dark hair and fiery eye of the Orient. I could not but wonder, as he
+looked at the dim hills of the Odenwald, along the eastern horizon,
+whether they called up in his mind the purple isles of his native
+Archipelago.
+
+The general character of a nation is plainly stamped on the countenances
+of its people. One who notices the faces in the streets, can soon
+distinguish, by the glance he gives in going by, the Englishman or the
+Frenchman from the German, and the Christian from the Jew. Not less
+striking is the difference of expression between the Germans themselves;
+and in places where all classes of people are drawn together, it is
+interesting to observe how accurately these distinctions are drawn. The
+boys have generally handsome, intelligent faces, and like all boys, they
+are full of life and spirit, for they know nothing of the laws by which
+their country is chained down, and would not care for them, if they did.
+But with the exception of the students, who _talk_, at least, of Liberty
+and Right, the young men lose this spirit and at last settle down into
+the calm, cautious, _lethargic_ citizen. One distinguishes an Englishman
+and I should think an American, also, in this respect, very easily; the
+former, moreover, by a certain cold stateliness and reserve. There is
+something, however, about a Jew, whether English or German, which marks
+him from all others. However different their faces, there is a family
+character which runs through the whole of them. It lays principally in
+their high cheek-bones, prominent nose and thin, compressed lips; which,
+especially in elderly men, gives a peculiar miserly expression that is
+unmistakeable. I regret to say, one looks almost in vain, in Germany,
+for a handsome female countenance. Here and there, perhaps, is a woman
+with regular features, but that intellectual expression, which gives
+such a charm to the most common face, is wanting. I have seen more
+beautiful women in one night, in a public assembly in America, than
+during the seven months I have been on the Continent. Some of the young
+Jewesses, in Frankfort, are considered handsome, but their features soon
+become too strongly marked. In a public walk the number of positively
+ugly faces is really astonishing.
+
+About ten o'clock that night, I heard a noise of persons running in the
+street, and going to the Romerberg, found the water had risen, all at
+once, much higher, and was still rapidly increasing. People were setting
+up torches and lengthening the rafts, which had been already formed. The
+lower part of the city was a real Venice--the streets were full of boats
+and people could even row about in their own houses; though it was not
+quite so bad as the flood in Georgia, where they went _up stairs to bed_
+in boats! I went to the bridge. Persons were calling around--"The water!
+the water! it rises continually!" The river rushed through the arches,
+foaming and dashing with a noise like thunder, and the red light of the
+torches along the shore cost a flickering glare on the troubled waves.
+It was then twenty-one feet above its usual level. Men were busy all
+around, carrying boats and ladders to the places most threatened, or
+emptying cellars into which it was penetrating. The sudden swelling was
+occasioned by the coming down of the floods from the mountains of
+Spessart.
+
+Part of the upper quay cracked next morning and threatened to fall in,
+and one of the projecting piers of the bridge sunk away from the main
+body three or four inches. In Sachsenhausen the desolation occasioned by
+the flood is absolutely frightful; several houses have fallen into total
+ruin. All business was stopped for the day; the Exchange was even shut
+up. As the city depends almost entirely on pumps for its supply of
+water, and these were filled with the flood, we have been drinking the
+muddy current of the Main ever since. The damage to goods is very great.
+The fair was stopped at once, and the loss in this respect alone, must
+be several millions of florins. The water began to fall on the 1st, and
+has now sunk about ten feet, so that most of the houses are again
+released, though in a bad condition.
+
+Yesterday afternoon, as I was sitting in my room, writing, I heard all
+at once an explosion like a cannon in the street, followed by loud and
+continued screams. Looking out the window, I saw the people rushing by
+with goods in their arms, some wringing their hands and crying, others
+running in all directions. Imagining that it was nothing less than the
+tumbling down of one of the old houses, we ran down and saw a store a
+few doors distant in flames. The windows were bursting and flying out,
+and the mingled mass of smoke and red flame reached half way across the
+street. We learned afterwards it was occasioned by the explosion of a
+jar of naphtha, which instantly enveloped the whole room in fire, the
+people barely escaping in time. The persons who had booths near were
+standing still in despair, while the flames were beginning to touch
+their property. A few butchers who first came up, did almost everything.
+A fire engine arrived soon, but it was ten minutes before it began to
+play, and by that time the flames were coming out of the upper stories.
+Then the supply of water soon failed, and though another engine came up
+shortly after, it was sometime before it could be put in order, so that
+by the time they got fairly to work, the fire had made its way nearly
+through the house. The water was first brought in barrels drawn by
+horses, till some officer came and opened the fire plug. The police were
+busy at work seizing those who came by and setting them to work; and as
+the alarm had drawn a great many together, they at last began to effect
+something. All the military are obliged to bo out, and the officers
+appeared eager to use their authority while they could, for every one
+was ordering and commanding, till all was a scene of perfect confusion
+and uproar. I could not help laughing heartily, so ludicrous did the
+scene appear. There were little, miserable engines, not much bigger than
+a hand-cart, and looking as if they had not been used for half a
+century, the horses running backwards and forwards, dragging barrels
+which were emptied into tubs, after which the water was finally dipped
+up in buckets, and emptied into the engines! These machines can only
+play into the second or third story, after which the hose was taken up
+in the houses on the opposite side of the street, and made to play
+across. After four hours the fire was overcome, the house being
+thoroughly burnt out; it happened to have double fire walls, which
+prevented those adjoining from catching easily.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+THE DEAD AND THE DEAF--MENDELSSOHN THE COMPOSER.
+
+
+It is now a luxury to breathe. These spring days are the perfection of
+delightful weather. Imagine the delicious temperature of our Indian
+summer joined to the life and freshness of spring, add to this a sky of
+the purest azure, and a breeze filled with the odor of violets,--the
+most exquisite of all perfumes--and you have some idea of it. The
+meadows are beginning to bloom, and I have already heard the larks
+singing high up in the sky. Those sacred birds, the storks, have
+returned and taken possession of their old nests on the chimney-tops;
+they are sometimes seen walking about in the fields, with a very grave
+and serious air, as if conscious of the estimation in which they are
+held. Everybody is out in the open air; the woods, although they still
+look wintry, are filled with people, and the boatmen on the Main are
+busy ferrying gay parties across. The spring has been so long in coming,
+that all are determined to enjoy it well, while it lasts.
+
+We visited the cemetery a few days ago. The dead-house, where corpses
+are placed in the hope of resuscitation, is an appendage to cemeteries
+found only in Germany. We were shown into a narrow chamber, on each side
+of which were six cells, into which one could distinctly see, by means
+of a large plate of glass. In each of these is a bier for the body,
+directly above which hangs a cord, having on the end ten thimbles, which
+are put upon the fingers of the corpse, so that the slightest motion
+strikes a bell in the watchman's room. Lamps are lighted at night, and
+in winter the rooms are warmed. In the watchman's chamber stands a clock
+with a dial-plate of twenty-four hours, and opposite every hour is a
+little plate, which can only be moved two minutes before it strikes. If
+then the watchman has slept or neglected his duty at that time, he
+cannot move it afterwards, and his neglect, is seen by the
+superintendent. In such a case, he is severely lined, and for the second
+or third offence, dismissed. There are other rooms adjoining, containing
+beds, baths, galvanic battery, &c. Nevertheless, they say there has been
+no resuscitation during the fifteen years it has been established.
+
+We afterwards went to the end of the cemetery to see the bas-reliefs of
+Thorwaldsen, in the vault of the Bethmann family. They are three in
+number, representing the death of a son of the present banker, Moritz
+von Bethmann, who was drowned in the Arno about fourteen years ago. The
+middle one represents the young man drooping in his chair, the beautiful
+Greek Angel of Death standing at his back, with one arm over his
+shoulder, while his younger brother is sustaining him, and receiving the
+wreath that drops from his sinking hand. The young woman who showed us
+these, told us of Thorwaldsen's visit to Frankfort, about three years
+ugo. She described him as a beautiful and venerable old man, with long
+white locks hanging over his shoulders, still vigorous and active for
+his years. There seems to have been much resemblance between him and
+Dannecker--not only in personal appearance and character, but, in the
+simple and classical beauty of their works.
+
+The cemetery contains many other monuments; with the exception of one or
+two by Launitz, and an exquisite Death Angel in sandstone, from a young
+Frankfort sculptor, they are not remarkable. The common tomb-stone is a
+white wooden cross; opposite the entrance is a perfect forest of them,
+involuntarily reminding one of a company of ghosts, with outstretched
+arms. These contain the names of the deceased with mottoes, some of
+which are beautiful and touching, as for instance: "_Through darkness
+unto light_;" "_Weep not for her; she is not dead, but sleepeth_"
+"_Slumber sweet!_" etc. The graves are neatly bordered with grass, and
+planted with flowers, and many of the crosses have withered wreathes
+hanging upon them. In summer it is a beautiful place; in fact, the very
+name of cemetery in German--_Friedhuf_ or Court of Peace--takes away the
+idea of death; the beautiful figure of the youth, with his inverted
+torch, makes one think of the grave only us a place of repose.
+
+On our way back we stopped at the Institute for the Deaf; for by the
+new method of teaching they are no longer dumb. It is a handsome
+building in the gardens skirting the city. We applied, and on learning
+we were strangers, they gave us permission to enter. On finding we were
+Americans, the instructress immediately spoke of Dr. Howe, who had
+visited the Institute a year or two before, and was much pleased to find
+that Mr. Dennett was acquainted with him. She took us into a room where
+about fifteen small children were assembled, and addressing one of the
+girls, said in a distinct tone: "These gentlemen are from America; the
+deaf children there speak with their fingers--canst thou speak so?" To
+which the child answered distinctly, but with some effort: "No, we speak
+with our mouths." She then spoke to several others with the same
+success; one of the boys in particular, articulated with astonishing
+success. It was interesting to watch their countenances, which were
+alive with eager attention, and to see the apparent efforts they made to
+utter the words. They spoke in a monotonous tone, slowly and
+deliberately, but their voices had a strange, sepulchral sound, which
+was at first unpleasant to the ear. I put one or two questions to a
+little boy, which he answered quite readily; as I was a foreigner, this
+was the best test that could be given of the success of the method. We
+conversed afterwards with the director, who received us kindly, and
+appointed a day for us to come and witness the system more fully. He
+spoke of Dr. Howe and Horace Mann, of Boston, and seemed to take a great
+interest in the introduction of his system in America.
+
+We went again at the appointed time, and as their drawing teacher was
+there, we had an opportunity of looking over their sketches, which were
+excellent. The director showed us the manner of teaching them, with a
+looking-glass, in which they were shown the different positions of the
+organs of the mouth, and afterwards made to feel the vibrations of the
+throat and breast, produced by the sound. He took one of the youngest
+scholars, covered her eyes, and placing her hand upon his throat,
+articulated the second sound of A. She followed him, making the sound
+softer or louder as he did. All the consonants were made distinctly, by
+placing her hand before his mouth. Their exercises in reading, speaking
+with one another, and writing from dictation, succeeded perfectly. He
+treated them all like his own children, and sought by jesting and
+playing, to make the exercise appear as sport. They call him father and
+appear to be much attached to him.
+
+One of the pupils, about fourteen years old, interested me through his
+history. lie and his sister were found in Sachsenhausen, by a Frankfort
+merchant, in a horrible condition. Their mother had died about two years
+and a half before, and during all that time their father had neglected
+them till they were near dead through privation and filth. The boy was
+placed in this Institute, and the girl in that of the Orphans. He soon
+began to show a talent for modelling figures, and for some time he has
+been taking lessons of the sculptor Launitz. I saw a beautiful copy of a
+bas-relief of Thorwaldsen which he made, as well as an original, very
+interesting, from its illustration of his history. It was in two parts;
+the first represented himself and his sister, kneeling in misery before
+a ruined family altar, by which an angel was standing, who took him by
+one hand, while with the other he pointed to his benefactor, standing
+near. The other represented the two kneeling in gratitude before a
+restored altar, on which was the anchor of Hope. From above streamed
+down a light, where two angels were rejoicing over their happiness. For
+a boy of fourteen, deprived of one of the most valuable senses, and
+taken from such a horrible condition of life, it is a surprising work
+and gives brilliant hopes for his future.
+
+We went lately into the Roemerberg, to see the Kaisersaal and the other
+rooms formerly used by the old Emperors of Germany, and their Senates.
+The former is now in the process of restoration. The ceiling is in the
+gorgeous illuminated style of the middle ages; along each side arc rows
+of niches for the portraits of the Emperors, which have been painted by
+the best artists in Berlin, Dresden, Vienna and Munich. It is remarkable
+that the number of the old niches in the hall should exactly correspond
+with the number of the German Emperors, so that the portrait of the
+Emperor Francis of Austria, who was the last, will close the long rank
+coming down from Charlemagne. The pictures, or at least such of them as
+are already finished, are kept in another room; they give one a good
+idea of the changing styles of royal costumes, from the steel shirt and
+helmet to the jewelled diadem and velvet robe. I looked with interest on
+a painting of Frederic Barbarossa, by Leasing, and mused over the
+popular tradition that he sits with his paladins in a mountain cave
+under the Castle of Kyffhauser, ready to come forth and assist his
+Fatherland in the hour of need. There was the sturdy form of Maximilian;
+the martial Conrad; and Ottos, Siegfrieds and Sigismunds in plenty--many
+of whom moved a nation in their day, but are now dust and forgotten.
+
+I yesterday visited Mendelssohn, the celebrated composer. Having heard
+rame of his music this winter, particularly that magnificent creation,
+the "Walpurgisnacht," I wished to obtain his autograph before leaving,
+and sent a note for that purpose. He sent a kind note in answer, adding
+a chorus out of the Walpurgisnacht from his own hand. After this, I
+could not repress the desire of speaking with him. lie received me with
+true German cordiality, and on learning I was an American, spoke of
+having been invited to attend a musical festival in New York. He invited
+me to call on him if he happened to bo in Leipsic or Dresden when we
+should pass through, and spoke particularly of the fine music there. I
+have rarely seen a man whose countenance bears so plainly the stamp of
+genius. He has a glorious dark eye, and Byron's expression of a "dome of
+thought," could never be more appropriately applied than to his lofty
+and intellectual forehead, the marble whiteness and polish of which arc
+heightened by the raven hue of his hair. He is about forty years of age,
+in the noon of his fame and the full maturity of his genius. Already as
+a boy of fourteen he composed an opera, which was played with much
+success at Berlin; he is now the first living composer of Germany. Moses
+Mendelssohn, the celebrated Jewish philosopher, was his grandfather; and
+his father, now living, is accustomed to say that in his youth he was
+spoken of as the son of the great Mendelssohn; now he is known as the
+father of the great Mendelssohn!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+JOURNEY ON FOOT FROM FRANKFORT TO CASSEL.
+
+
+The day for leaving Frankfort came at last, and I bade adieu to the
+gloomy, antique, but still quaint and pleasant city. I felt like leaving
+a second home, so much had the memories of many delightful hours spent
+there attached me to it: I shall long retain the recollection of its
+dark old streets, its massive, devil-haunted bridge and the ponderous
+cathedral, telling of the times of the Crusaders. I toiled up the long
+hill on the road to Friedberg, and from the tower at the top took a last
+look at the distant city, with a heart heavier than the knapsack whose
+unaccustomed weight rested uneasily on my shoulders. Being
+alone--starting out into the wide world, where us yet I know no one,--I
+felt much deeper what it was to find friends in a strange land. But such
+is the wanderer's lot.
+
+We had determined on making the complete tour of Germany on foot, and in
+order to vary it somewhat, my friend and I proposed taking different
+routes from Frankfort to Leipsic. He choose a circuitous course, by way
+of Nuremberg and the Thuringian forests; while I, whose fancy had been
+running wild with Goethe's witches, preferred looking on the gloom and
+grandeur of the rugged Hartz. We both left Frankfort on the 23d of
+April, each bearing a letter of introduction to the same person in
+Leipsic, where we agreed to meet in fourteen days. As we were obliged to
+travel as cheaply as possible, I started with but seventynine florins,
+(a florin is forty cents American) well knowing that if I took more, I
+should, in all probability, spend proportionally more also. Thus, armed
+with my passport, properly _vised_, a knapsack weighing fifteen pounds
+and a cane from the Kentucky Mammoth Cave, I began my lonely walk
+through Northern Germany. The warm weather of the week before had
+brought out the foliage of the willows and other early trees--violets
+and cowslips were springing up in the meadows. Keeping along the foot of
+the Taunus, I passed over great, broad hills, which were brown with the
+spring ploughing, and by sunset reached Friedberg--a, largo city, on the
+summit of a hill. The next morning, after sketching its old, baronial
+castle, I crossed the meadows to Nauheim, to see the salt springs there.
+They are fifteen in number; the water, which is very warm, rushes up
+with such force as to leap several feet above the earth. The buildings
+made for evaporation are nearly two miles in length; a walk along the
+top gives a delightful view of the surrounding valleys. After reaching
+the _chaussee_ again, I was hailed by a wandering journeyman, or
+_handwerker_, as they are called, who wanted company. As I had concluded
+to accept all offers of this kind, we trudged along together very
+pleasantly, He was from Holstein, on the borders of Denmark and was just
+returning home, after an absence of six years, having escaped from
+Switzerland after the late battle of Luzerne, which he had witnessed. He
+had his knapsack and tools fastened on two wheels, which he drew after
+him quite conveniently. I could not help laughing at the adroit manner
+in which he begged his way along, through every village. He would ask me
+to go on and wait for him at the other end; after a few minutes he
+followed, with a handful of small copper money, which he said he had
+_fought for_,--the handworker's term for _begged._
+
+We passed over long ranges of hills, with an occasional view of the
+Vogelsgebirge, or Bird's Mountains, far to the cast. I knew at length,
+by the pointed summits of the hills, that we were approaching Giessen
+and the valley of the Lahn. Finally, two sharp peaks appeared in the
+distance, each crowned with a picturesque fortress, while the spires of
+Giessen rose from the valley below. Parting from my companion, I passed
+through the city without stopping, for it was the time of the university
+vacation, and Dr. Liebeg, the world-renowned chemist, whom I desired to
+see, was absent.
+
+Crossing a hill or two, I came down into the valley of the Lahn, which
+flows through meadows of the brightest green, with redroofed cottages
+nestled among gardens and orchards upon its banks. The women here wear
+a remarkable costume, consisting of a red boddice with white sleeves,
+and a dozen skirts, one above another, reaching only to the knees. I
+slept again at a little village among the hills, and started early for
+Marburg. The meadows were of the purest emerald, through which the
+stream wound its way, with even borders, covered to the water's edge
+with grass so smooth and velvety, that a fairy might have danced along
+on it for miles without stumbling over an uneven tuft. This valley is
+one of the finest districts in Germany. I thought, as I saw the peaceful
+inhabitants at work in their fields, I had most probably, on the
+battle-field of Brandywine, walked over the bones of some of their
+ancestors, whom a despotic prince had torn from their happy homes, to
+die in a distant land, fighting against the cause of freedom.
+
+I now entered directly into the heart of Hesse Cassel. The country
+resembled a collection of hills thrown together in confusion--sometimes
+a wide plain left between them, sometimes a clustre of wooded peaks, and
+here and there a single pointed summit rising above the rest. The
+vallies were green as ever, the hill-sides freshly ploughed and the
+forests beginning to be colored by the tender foliage of the larch and
+birch. I walked two or three hours at a "stretch," and then, when I
+could find a dry, shady bank, I would rest for half an hour and finish
+some hastily sketched landscape, or lay at full length, with my head on
+my knapsack, and peruse the countenances of those passing by. The
+observation which every traveller excites, soon ceases to be
+embarrassing. It was at first extremely unpleasant; but I am now so
+hardened, that the strange, magnetic influence of the human eye, which
+we cannot avoid feeling, passes by me as harmlessly as if turned aside
+by invisible mail.
+
+During the day several showers came by, but as none of them penetrated
+further than my blouse, I kept on, and reached about sunset a little
+village in the valley. I chose a small inn, which had an air of neatness
+about it, and on going in, the tidy landlady's "be you welcome," as she
+brought a pair of slippers for my swollen feet, made me feel quite at
+home. After being furnished with eggs, milk, butter and bread, for
+supper, which I ate while listening to an animated discussion between
+the village schoolmaster and some farmers, I was ushered into a clean,
+sanded bedroom, and soon forgot all fatigue. For this, with breakfast in
+the morning, the bill was six and a half groschen--about sixteen cents!
+Tin air was freshened by the rain and I journeyed over the hills at a
+rapid rate. Stopping for dinner at the large village of Wabern, a boy at
+the inn asked me if I was going to America? I said no, I came from
+there. He then asked me many silly questions, after which he ran out and
+told the people of the village. When I set out again, the children
+pointed at me and cried: "see there! he is from America!" and the men
+took off their hats and bowed!
+
+The sky was stormy, which added to the gloom of the hills around, though
+some of the distant ranges lay in mingled light and shade--the softest
+alternation of purple and brown. There were many isolated, rocky hills,
+two of which interested me, through their attendant legends. One is said
+to have been the scene of a battle between the Romans and Germans,
+where, after a long conflict the rock opened and swallowed up the
+former. The other, which is crowned with a rocky wall, so like a ruined
+fortress, as at a distance to be universally mistaken for one, tradition
+says is the death-place of Charlemagne, who still walks around its
+summit every night, clad in complete armor. On ascending a hill late in
+the afternoon, I saw at a great distance the statue of Hercules, which
+stands on the Wilhelmshohe, near Cassel. Night set in with a dreary
+rain, and I stopped at an inn about five miles short of the city. While
+tea was preparing a company of students came in and asked for a separate
+room. Seeing I was alone, they invited me up with them. They seemed much
+interested in America, and leaving the table gradually, formed a ring
+around me, where I had enough to do to talk with them all at once. When
+the omnibus came along, the most of them went with it to Cassel; but
+five remained and persuaded me to set out with them on foot. They
+insisted on carrying my knapsack the whole way, through the rain and
+darkness, and when I had passed the city gate with them, unchallenged,
+conducted me to the comfortable hotel, "_Zur Krone_."
+
+It is a pleasant thing to wake up in the morning in a strange city.
+Every thing is new; you walk around it for the first time in the full
+enjoyment of the novelty, or the not less agreeable feeling of surprise,
+if it is different from your anticipations. Two of my friends of the
+previous night called for me in the morning, to show me around the city,
+and the first impression, made in such agreeable company, prepossessed
+me very favorably. I shall not, however, take up time in describing its
+many sights, particularly the Frederick's Platz, where the statue of
+Frederick the Second, who sold ten thousand of his subjects to England,
+has been re-erected, after having lain for years in a stable where it
+was thrown by the French.
+
+I was much interested in young Carl K----, one of my new acquaintances.
+His generous and unceasing kindness first won my esteem, and I found on
+nearer acquaintance, the qualities of his mind equal those of his heart.
+I saw many beautiful poems of his which were of remarkable merit,
+considering his youth, and thought I could read in his dark, dreamy eye,
+the unconscious presentiment of a power he does not yet possess. He
+seemed as one I had known for years.
+
+He, with a brother student, accompanied me in the afternoon, to
+Wilhelmshohe, the summer residence of the Prince, on the side of a range
+of mountains three miles west of the city. The road leads in a direct
+line to the summit of the mountain, which is thirteen hundred feet in
+height, surmounted by a great structure, called the Giant's Castle, on
+the summit of which is a pyramid ninety-six feet high, supporting a
+statue of Hercules, copied after the Farnese, and thirty-one feet in
+height. By a gradual ascent through beautiful woods, we reached the
+princely residence, a magnificent mansion standing on a natural terrace
+of the mountain. Near it is a little theatre built by Jerome Buonaparte,
+in which he himself used to play. We looked into the green house in
+passing, where the floral splendor of every zone was combined. There
+were lofty halls, with glass roofs, where the orange grew to a great
+tree, and one could sit in myrtle bowers, with the brilliant bloom of
+the tropics around him. It was the only thing there I was guilty of
+coveting.
+
+The greatest curiosity is the water-works, which are perhaps unequalled
+in the world. The Giant's Castle on the summit contains an immense tank
+in which water is kept for the purpose; but unfortunately, at the time
+I was there, the pipes, which had been frozen through the winter, were
+not in condition to play. From the summit an inclined plane of masonry
+descends the mountain nine hundred feet, broken every one hundred and
+fifty feet by perpendicular descents. These are the Cascades, down which
+the water first rushes from the tank. After being again collected in a
+great basin at the bottom, it passes into an aqueduct, built like a
+Roman ruin, and goes over beautiful arches through the forest, where it
+falls in one sheet down a deep precipice. When it has descended several
+other beautiful falls, made in exact imitation of nature, it is finally
+collected and forms the great fountain, which rises twelve inches in
+diameter from the middle of a lake to the height of one hundred and
+ninety feet! We descended by lovely walks through the forest to the
+Lowenburg, built as the ruin of a knightly castle, and fitted out in
+every respect to correspond with descriptions of a fortress in the olden
+time, with moat, drawbridge, chapel and garden of pyramidal trees.
+Farther below, are a few small houses, inhabited by the descendants of
+the Hessians who fell in America, supported here at the Prince's
+expense!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+ADVENTURES AMONG THE HARTZ.
+
+
+On taking leave of Carl at the gate over the Gottingen road, I felt
+tempted to bestow a malediction upon traveling, from its merciless
+breaking of all links, as soon as formed. It was painful to think we
+should meet no more. The tears started into his eyes, and feeling a mist
+gathering over mine, I gave his hand a parting pressure, turned my back
+upon Cassel and started up the long mountain, at a desperate rate. On
+the summit I passed out of Hesse into Hanover, and began to descend the
+remaining six miles. The road went down by many windings, but I
+shortened the way considerably by a foot-path through a mossy old
+forest. The hills bordering the Weser are covered with wood, through
+which I saw the little red-roofed city of Munden, at the bottom. I
+stopped there for the night, and next morning walked around the place.
+It is one of the old German cities that have not yet felt the effect of
+the changing spirit of the age. It is still walled, though the towers
+are falling to ruin. The streets are narrow, crooked, and full of ugly
+old houses, and to stand in the little square before the public
+buildings, one would think himself born in the sixteenth century. Just
+below the city the Werra and Fulda unito and form the Weser. The
+triangular point has been made into a public walk, and the little
+steamboat was lying at anchor near, waiting to start for Bremen.
+
+In the afternoon I got into the omnibus for Gottingen. The ride over the
+wild, dreary, monotonous hills was not at all interesting. There were
+two other passengers inside, one of whom, a grave, elderly man, took a
+great interest in America, but the conversation was principally on his
+side, for I had been taken with a fever in Munden. I lay crouched up in
+the corner of the vehicle, trying to keep off the chills which
+constantly came over me, and wishing only for Gottingen, that I might
+obtain medicine and a bed. We reached it at last, and I got out with my
+knapsack and walked wearily through half a dozen streets till I saw an
+inn. But on entering, I found it so dark and dirty and unfriendly, that
+I immediately went out again and hired the first pleasant looking boy I
+met, to take me to a good hotel. He conducted me to the first one in the
+city. I felt a trepidation of pocket, but my throbbing head plead more
+powerfully, so I ordered a comfortable room and a physician. The host,
+Herr Wilhelm, sent for Professor Trefurt, of the University, who told me
+I had over-exerted myself in walking. He made a second call the next
+day, when, as he was retiring, I inquired the amount of his fee. He
+begged to be excused and politely bowed himself out. I inquired the
+meaning of this of Herr Wilhelm, who said it was customary for
+travellers to leave what they chose for the physician, as there was no
+regular fee. He added, moreover, that twenty groschen, or about sixty
+cents, was sufficient for the two visits!
+
+I stayed in Gottingen two dull, dreary, miserable days, without getting
+much better. I took but one short walk through the city, in which I saw
+the outsides of a few old churches and got a hard fall on the pavement.
+Thinking that the _cause_ of my illness might perhaps become its _cure_,
+I resolved to go on rather than remain in the melancholy--in spite of
+its black-eyed maidens, melancholy--Gottingen. On the afternoon of the
+second day, I took the post to Nordheim, about twelve miles distant. The
+Gottingen valley, down which we drove, is green and beautiful, and the
+trees seem to have come out all at once. we were not within sight of the
+Hartz, but the mountains along the Weser were visible on the left. The
+roads were extremely muddy from the late rains, so that I proceeded but
+slowly.
+
+A blue range along the horizon told me of the Hartz, as I passed;
+although there were some fine side-glimpses through the hills, I did not
+see much of them till I reached Osterode, about twelve miles further.
+Here the country begins to assume a different aspect. The city lies in a
+narrow valley, and as the road goes down a steep hill towards it, one
+sees on each side many quarries of gypsum, and in front the gloomy pine
+mountains are piled one above another in real Alpine style. But alas!
+the city, though it looks exceedingly romantic from above, is one of
+the dirtiest I ever saw. I stopped at Herzberg, six miles farther, for
+the night. The scenery was very striking; and its effect was much
+heightened by a sky full of black clouds, which sent down a hail-storm
+as they passed over. The hills are covered with pine, fir and larch. The
+latter tree, in its first foliage, is most delicate and beautiful. Every
+bough is like a long ostrich plume, and when one of them stands among
+the dark pines, it seems so light and airy that the wind might carry it
+away. Just opposite Herzberg, the Hartz stands in its gloomy and
+mysterious grandeur, and I went to sleep with the pleasant thought that
+an hour's walk on the morrow would shut me up in its deep recesses.
+
+The next morning I entered them. The road led up a narrow mountain
+valley, down which a stream was rushing--on all sides were magnificent
+forests of pine. It was glorious to look down their long aisles, dim and
+silent, with a floor of thick green moss. There was just room enough for
+the road and the wild stream which wound its way zigzag between the
+hills, affording the most beautiful mountain-view along the whole route.
+As I ascended, the mountains became rougher and wilder, and in the shady
+hollows were still drifts of snow. Enjoying every thing very much, I
+walked on without taking notice of the road, and on reaching a wild,
+rocky chasm called the "Schlucht," was obliged to turn aside and take a
+footpath over a high mountain to Andreasberg, a town built on a summit
+two thousand feet above the sea. It is inhabited almost entirely by the
+workmen in the mines.
+
+The way from Andreasberg to the Brocken leads along the Rehberger
+Graben, which carry water about six miles for the oreworks. After going
+through a thick pine wood, I came out on the mountain-side, where rough
+crags overhung the way above, and through the tops of the trees I had
+glimpses into the gorge below. It was scenery of the wildest character.
+Directly opposite rose a mountain wall, dark and stern through the
+gloomy sky; far below the little stream of the Oder foamed over the
+rocks with a continual roar, and one or two white cloud-wreaths were
+curling up from the forests.
+
+I followed the water-ditch around every projection of the mountain,
+still ascending higher amid the same wild scenery, till at length I
+reached the Oderteich, a great dam, in a kind of valley formed by some
+mountain peaks on the side of the Brocken. It has a breastwork of
+granite, very firm, and furnishes a continual supply of water for the
+works. It began to rain soon, and I took a foot-path which went winding
+up through the pine wood. The storm still increased, till everything was
+cloud and rain, so I was obliged to stop about five o'clock at
+Oderbruch, a toll-house and tavern on the side of the Brocken, on the
+boundary between Brunswick and Hanover--the second highest inhabited
+house in the Hartz. The Brocken was invisible through the storm and the
+weather forboded a difficult ascent. The night was cold, but by a warm
+fire I let the winds howl and the rain beat. When I awoke the next
+morning, we were in clouds. They were thick on every side, hiding what
+little view there was through the openings of the forest. After
+breakfast, however, they were somewhat thinner, and I concluded to start
+for the Brocken. It is not the usual way for travellers who ascend,
+being not only a bad road but difficult to find, as I soon discovered.
+The clouds gathered around again after I set out, and I was obliged to
+walk in a storm of mingled rain and snow. The snow lay several feet deep
+in the forests, and the path was, in many places, quite drifted over.
+The white cloud-masses were whirled past by the wind, continually
+enveloping me and shutting out every view. During the winter the path
+had become, in ninny places, the bed of a mountain torrent, so that I
+was obliged sometimes to wade kneedeep in snow, and sometimes to walk
+over the wet, spongy moss, crawling under the long, dripping branches of
+the stunted pines. After a long time of such dreary travelling, I came
+to two rocks called the Stag Horns, standing on a little peak. The
+storm, now all snow, blew more violently than ever, and the path became
+lost under the deep drifts.
+
+Comforting myself with the assurance that if I could not find it, I
+could at least make my way back, I began searching, and after some time,
+came upon it again. Here the forest ceased; the way led on large stones
+over a marshy ascending plain, but what was above, or on either side, I
+could not see. It was solitude of the most awful kind. There was nothing
+but the storm, which had already wet me through, and the bleak gray
+waste of rocks. It grew sleeper and steeper; I could barely trace the
+path by the rocks which were worn, and the snow threatened soon to cover
+these. Added to this, although the walking and fresh mountain air had
+removed my illness, I was still weak from the effects of it, and the
+consequences of a much longer exposure to the storm were greatly to be
+feared. I was wondering if the wind increased at the same rate, how much
+longer it would be before I should be carried off, when suddenly
+something loomed up above me through the storm. A few steps more and I
+stood beside the Brocken House, on the very summit of the mountain! The
+mariner, who has been floating for days on a wreck at sea, could
+scarcely be more rejoiced at a friendly sail, than I was on entering the
+low building. Two large Alpine dogs in the passage, as I walked in,
+dripping with wet, gave notice to the inmates, and I was soon ushered
+into a warm room, where I changed my soaked garments for dry ones, and
+sat down by the fire with feelings of comfort not easily imagined. The
+old landlord was quite surprised, on hearing the path by which I came,
+that I found the way at all. The summit was wrapped in the thickest
+cloud, and he gave me no hope for several hours of any prospect at all,
+so I sat down and looked over the Stranger's Album.
+
+I saw but two names from the United States--B.F. Atkins, of Boston, and
+C.A. Hay, from York, Pa. There were a great many long-winded German
+poems--among them, one by Schelling, the philosopher. Some of them spoke
+of having seen the "Spectre of the Brocken." I inquired of the landlord
+about the phenomenon; he says in winter it is frequently seen, in summer
+more seldom. The cause is very simple. It is always seen at sunrise,
+when the eastern side of the Brocken is free from clouds, and at the
+same time, the mist rises from the valley on the opposite side. The
+shadow of every thing on the Brocken is then thrown in grand proportions
+upon the mist, and is seen surrounded with a luminous halo. It is
+somewhat singular that such a spectacle can be seen upon the Brocken
+alone, but this is probably accounted for by the formation of the
+mountain, which collects the mist at just such a distance from the
+summit as to render the shadow visible.
+
+Soon after dinner the storm subsided and the clouds separated a little.
+I could see down through the rifts on the plains of Brunswick, and
+sometimes, when they opened a little more, the mountains below us to the
+east and the adjoining plains, as far as Magdeburg. It was like looking
+on the earth from another planet, or from some point in the air which
+had no connection, with it; our station was completely surrounded by
+clouds, rolling in great masses around us, now and then giving glimpses
+through their openings of the blue plains, dotted with cities and
+villages, far below. At one time when they were tolerably well
+separated, I ascended the tower, fifty feet high, standing near the
+Brocken House. The view on three sides was quite clear, and I can easily
+imagine what a magnificent prospect it must be in fine weather. The
+Brocken is only about four thousand feet high, nearly the same as the
+loftiest peak of the Catskill, but being the highest mountain in
+Northern Germany, it commands a more extensive prospect. Imagine a
+circle described with a radius of a hundred miles, comprising thirty
+cities, two or three hundred villages and one whole mountain district!
+We could see Brunswick and Magdeburg, and beyond them the great plain
+which extends to the North Sea in one direction and to Berlin in the
+other, while directly below us lay the dark mountains of the Hartz, with
+little villages in their sequestered valleys. It was but a few moments I
+could look on this scene--in an instant the clouds swept together again
+and completely hid it. In accordance with a custom of the mountain, one
+of the girls made me a "Brocken nosegay," of heather, lichens and moss.
+I gave her a few pfennings and stowed it away carefully in a corner of
+my knapsack.
+
+I now began descending the east side, by a good road over fields of bare
+rock and through large forests of pine. Two or three bare brown peaks
+rose opposite with an air of the wildest sublimity, and in many places
+through the forest towered lofty crags. This is the way by which Goethe
+brings Faust up the Brocken, and the scenery is graphically described in
+that part of the poem. At the foot of the mountain is the little village
+of Schiercke, the highest in the Hartz. Here I took a narrow path
+through the woods, and after following a tediously long road over the
+hills, reached Elbingerode, where I spent the night, and left the next
+morning for Blankenburg. I happened to take the wrong road, however, and
+went through Rubeland, a little village in the valley of the Bode. There
+are many iron works here, and two celebrated caves, called "Baumann's
+Hohle," and "Biel's Hohle." I kept on through the gray, rocky hills to
+Huttenrode, where I inquired the way to the Rosstrappe, but was directed
+wrong, and after walking nearly two hours in a heavy rain, arrived at
+Ludwigshutte, on the Bode, in one of the wildest and loneliest corners
+of the Hartz. I dried my wet clothes at a little inn, ate a dinner of
+bread and milk, and learning that I was just as far from the Rosstrappe
+as ever, and that the way was impossible to find alone, I hunted up a
+guide.
+
+We went over the mountains through a fine old forest, for about two
+hours, and came out on the brow of a hill near the end of the Hartz,
+with a beautiful view of the country below and around. Passing the
+little inn, the path led through thick bushes along the summit, over a
+narrow ledge of rocks that seemed to stretch out into the air, for on
+either side the foot of the precipice vanished in the depth below.
+
+Arrived at last at the end, I looked around me. What a spectacle! I was
+standing on the end of a line of precipice which ran out from the
+mountain like a wall for several hundred feet--the hills around rising
+up perpendicularly from the gorge below, where the Bode pressed into a
+narrow channel foamed its way through. Sharp masses of gray rock rose up
+in many places from the main body like pillars, with trees clinging to
+the clefts, and although the defile was near seven hundred feet deep,
+the summits, in one place, were very near to one another. Near the point
+at which I stood, which was secured by a railing, was an impression in
+the rock like the hoof of a giant horse, from which the place takes its
+name. It is very distinct and perfect, and nearly two feet in length.
+
+I went back to the little inn and sat down to rest and chat awhile with
+the talkative landlady. Notwithstanding her horrible Prussian dialect, I
+was much amused with the budget of wonders, which she keeps for the
+information of travelers. Among other things, she related to me the
+legend of the Rosstrappe, which I give in her own words: "A great many
+hundred years ago, when there were plenty of giants through the world,
+there was a certain beautiful princess, who was very much loved by one
+of them. Now, although the parents of this princess were afraid of the
+giant, and wanted her to marry him, she herself hated him, because she
+was in love with a brave knight. But, you see, the brave knight could do
+nothing against the great giant, and so a day was appointed for the
+wedding of the princess. When they were married, the giant had a great
+feast and he and all his servants got drunk. So the princess mounted his
+black horse and rode away over the mountains, till she reached this
+valley. She stood on that square rock which you see there opposite to
+us, and when she saw her knight on this side, where we are, she danced
+for joy, and the rock is called the _Tanzplatz_, to this very day. But
+when the giant found she had gone, he followed her as fast as he might;
+then a holy bishop, who saw the princess, blessed the feet of her horse,
+and she jumped on it across to this side, where his fore feet made two
+marks in the rock, though there is only one left now. You should not
+laugh at this, for if there were giants then, there must have been very
+big horses too, as one can see from the hoofmark, and the valley was
+narrower then than it is now. My dear man, who is very old now, (you see
+him through the bushes, there, digging,) says it was so when he was a
+child, and that the old people living then, told him there were once
+four just such hoof-tracks, on the _Tanzplatz_, where the horse stood
+before he jumped over. And we cannot doubt the words of the good old
+people, for there were many strange things then, we all know, which the
+dear Lord does not let happen now. But I must tell you, lieber Herr,
+that the giant tried to jump after her and fell away down into the
+valley, where they say he lives yet in the shape of a big black dog,
+guarding the crown of the princess, which fell off as she was going
+over. But this part of the story is perhaps not true, as nobody, that I
+ever heard of, has seen either the black dog or the crown!"
+
+After listening to similar gossip for a while, I descended the
+mountain-side, a short distance to the Bulowshohe. This is a rocky shaft
+that shoots, upward from the mountain, having from its top a glorious
+view through the door which the Bode makes in passing out of the Hartz.
+I could see at a great distance the towers of Magdeburg, and further,
+the vast plain stretching away like a sea towards Berlin. From Thale,
+the village below, where the air was warmer than in the Hartz and the
+fruit-trees already in blossom, it was four hours' walk to Halberstadt,
+by a most tiresome road over long ranges of hills, all ploughed and
+planted, and extending as far as the eye could reach, without a single
+fence or hedge. It is pleasant to look over scenes where nature is so
+free and unshackled; but the _people_, alas! wear the fetters. The
+setting sun, which lighted up the old Brocken and his snowy top, showed
+me also Halberstadt, the end of my Hartz journey; but its deceitful
+towers fled as I approached, and I was half dead with fatigue on
+arriving there.
+
+The ghostly, dark and echoing castle of an inn (the Black Eagle) where I
+stopped, was enough to inspire a lonely traveller, like myself, with
+unpleasant fancies. It looked heavy and massive enough to have been a
+stout baron's stronghold in some former century; the taciturn landlord
+and his wife, who, with a solemn servant girl, were the only tenants,
+had grown into perfect keeping with its gloomy character. When I groped
+my way under the heavy, arched portal into the guests' room--a large,
+lofty, cheerless hall--all was dark, and I could barely perceive, by the
+little light which came through two deep-set windows, the inmates of the
+house, sitting on opposite sides of the room. After some delay, the
+hostess brought a light. I entreated her to bring me something
+_instantly_ for supper, and in half an hour she placed a mixture on the
+table, the like of which I never wish to taste again. She called it
+_beer-soup_! I found, on examination, it was _beer_, boiled with meat,
+and seasoned strongly with pepper and salt! My hunger disappeared, and
+pleading fatigue as an excuse for want of appetite, I left the table.
+When I was ready to retire, the landlady, who had been sitting silently
+in a dark corner, called the solemn servant girl, who took up a dim
+lamp, and bade me follow her to the "sleeping chamber." Taking up my
+knapsack and staff, I stumbled down the steps into the arched gateway;
+before me was a long, damp, deserted court-yard, across which the girl
+took her way. I followed her with some astonishment, imagining where the
+sleeping chamber could be, when she stopped at a small, one-story
+building, standing alone in the yard. Opening the door with a rusty key,
+she led me into a bare room, a few feet square, opening into another,
+equally bare, with the exception of a rough bed. "Certainly," said I, "I
+am not to sleep here!" "Yes," she answered, "this is the sleeping
+chamber," at the same time setting down the light and disappearing. I
+examined the place--it smelt mouldy, and the walls were cold and damp;
+there had been a window at the head of the bed, but it was walled up,
+and that at the foot was also closed to within a few inches of the top.
+The bed was course and dirty; and on turning down the ragged covers, I
+saw with horror, a dark brown stain near the pillow, like that of blood!
+For a moment I hesitated whether to steal out of the inn, and seek
+another lodging, late as it was; at last, overcoming my fears, I threw
+my clothes into a heap, and lay down, placing my heavy staff at the head
+of the bed. Persons passed up and down the courtyard several times, the
+light of their lamps streaming through the narrow aperture up against
+the ceiling, and I distinctly heard voices, which seemed to be near the
+door. Twice did I sit up in bed, breathless, with my hand on the cane,
+in the most intense anxiety; but fatigue finally overcame suspicion, and
+I sank into a deep sleep, from which I was gladly awakened by daylight.
+In reality, there may have been no cause for my fears--I may have
+wronged the lonely innkeepers by them; but certainly no place or
+circumstances ever seemed to me more appropriate to a deed of robbery or
+crime. I left immediately, and when a turn in the street hid the
+ill-omened front of the inn, I began to breathe with my usual freedom.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+NOTES IN LEIPSIC AND DRESDEN.
+
+
+_Leipsic, May 8._--I have now been nearly two days in this wide-famed
+city, and the more I see of it the better I like it. It is a pleasant,
+friendly town, old enough to be interesting, and new enough to be
+comfortable. There in much active business life, through which it is
+fast increasing in size and beauty. Its publishing establishments are
+the largest in the world, and its annual fairs attended by people from
+all parts of Europe. This is much for a city to accomplish, situated
+alone in the middle of a great plain, with no natural charms of scenery
+or treasures of art to attract strangers. The energy and enterprise of
+its merchants have accomplished all this, and it now stands, in
+importance, among the first cities of Europe.
+
+The bad weather obliged me to take the railroad at Halberstadt, to keep
+the appointment with my friend, in this city. I left at six for
+Magdeburg, and after two hours' ride over a dull, tiresome plain, rode
+along under the mounds and fortifications by the side of the Elbe, and
+entered the old town. It was very cold, and the streets were muddy, so I
+contented myself with looking at the Broadway, (_der breite Weg_,) the
+Cathedral and one or two curious old churches, and in walking along the
+parapet leading to the fortress, which has a view of the winding Elbe.
+The Citadel was interesting from having been the prison in which Baron
+Trenck was confined, whose narrative I read years ago, when quite a
+child.
+
+We were soon on the road to Leipsic. The way was over one great,
+uninterrupted plain--a more monotonous country, even, than Belgium. Two
+of the passengers in the car with me were much annoyed at being taken by
+the railway agents for Poles. Their movements were strictly watched by
+the gens d'arme at every station we passed, and they were not even
+allowed to sit together! At Kothen a branch track went off to Berlin. We
+passed by Halle without being able to see anything of it or its
+University, and arrived here in four hours after leaving Magdeburg.
+
+On my first walk around the city, yesterday morning, I passed the
+_Augustus Platz_--a broad green lawn, on which front the University and
+several other public buildings. A chain of beautiful promenades
+encircles the city, on the site of its old fortifications. Following
+their course through walks shaded by large trees and bordered with
+flowering shrubs, I passed a small but chaste monument to Sebastian
+Bach, the composer, which was erected almost entirely at the private
+cost of Mendelssohn, and stands opposite the building in which Bach once
+directed the choirs. As I was standing beside it, a glorious choral,
+swelled by a hundred voices, came through the open windows, like a
+tribute to the genius of the great master.
+
+Having found my friend we went together to the _Stern Warte_, or
+Observatory, which gives a fine view of the country around the city, and
+in particular the battle field. The Castellan who is stationed there, is
+well acquainted with the localities, and pointed out the position of the
+hostile armies. It was one of the most bloody and hard-fought battles
+which history records. The army of Napoleon stretched like a semicircle
+around the southern and eastern sides of the city, and the plain beyond
+was occupied by the allies, whose forces met together here.
+Schwarzenberg, with his Austrians, came from Dresden; Blucher, from
+Halle, with the Emperor Alexander. Their forces amounted to three
+hundred thousand, while those of Napoleon ranked at one hundred and
+ninety-two thousand men. It must have been a terrific scene. Four days
+raged the battle, and the meeting of half a million of men in deadly
+conflict was accompanied by the thunder of sixteen hundred cannon. The
+small rivers which flow through Leipsic were swollen with blood, and the
+vast plain was strewed with more than fifty thousand dead. It is
+difficult to conceive of such slaughter, while looking at the quiet and
+tranquil landscape below. It seemed more like a legend of past ages,
+when ignorance and passion led men to murder and destroy, than an event
+which the last half century witnessed. For the sake of humanity it is
+to be hoped that the world will never see such another.
+
+There are some lovely walks around Leipsic. We went yesterday afternoon
+with a few friends to the Rosenthal, a beautiful meadow, bordered by
+forests of the German oak, very few of whose Druid trunks have been left
+standing. There are Swiss cottages embowered in the foliage, where every
+afternoon the social citizens assemble to drink their coffee enjoy a few
+hours' escape from the noisy and dusty streets, One can walk for miles
+along these lovely paths by the side of the velvet meadows, or the banks
+of some shaded stream. We visited the little village of Golis, a short
+distance off, where, in the second story of a little white house, hangs
+the sign: "Schiller's Room." Some of the Leipsic literati have built a
+stone arch over the entrance, with the inscription above: "Here dwelt
+Schiller in 1795, and wrote his Hymn to Joy." Every where through
+Germany the remembrances of Schiller are sacred. In every city where he
+lived, they show his dwelling. They know and reverence the mighty spirit
+who has been among them. The little room where he conceived that sublime
+poem is hallowed as if by the presence of unseen spirits.
+
+I was anxious to see the spot where Poniatowsky fell. We returned over
+the plain to the city and passed in at the gate by which the Cossacks
+entered, pursuing the flying French. Crossing the lower part, we came to
+the little river Elster, in whose waves the gallant prince sank. The
+stone bridge by which we crossed was blown up by the French, to cut off
+pursuit. Napoleon had given orders that it should not be blown up till
+the Poles had all passed over, as the river, though narrow, is quite
+deep, and the banks are steep. Nevertheless, his officers did not wait,
+and the Poles, thus exposed to the fire of the enemy, were obliged to
+plunge into the stream to join the French army, which had begun the
+retreat towards Frankfort. Poniatowsky, severely wounded, made his way
+through a garden near and escaped on horseback into the water. He became
+entangled among the fugitives and sank. By walking a little distance
+along the road towards Frankfort, we could see the spot where his body
+was taken out of the river; it is now marked by a square stone, covered
+with the names of his countrymen who have visited it. We returned
+through the narrow arched way, by which Napoleon fled when the battle
+was lost.
+
+Another interesting place in Leipsic is Auerback's Cellar, which, it is
+said, contains an old manuscript history of Faust, from which Goethe
+derived the first idea of his poem. He used to frequent this cellar, and
+one of his scenes in "Faust" is laid in it. We looked down the arched
+passage; not wishing to purchase any wine, we could find no pretence for
+entering. The streets are full of book stores and one half the business
+of the inhabitants appears to consist in printing, paper-making and
+binding. The publishers have a handsome Exchange of their own, and
+during the Fairs, the amount of business transacted is enormous. The
+establishment of Brockhaus is contained in an immense building,
+adjoining which stands his dwelling, in the midst of magnificent
+gardens. That of Tauchnitz is not less celebrated. His edition of the
+classics, in particular, are the best that have ever been made; and he
+has lately commenced publishing a number of English works, in a cheap
+form. Otto Wigand, who has also a large establishment, has begun to
+issue translations of American works. He has already published Prescott
+and Bancroft, and I believe intends giving out shortly, translations
+from some of our poets and novelists. I became acquainted at the Museum,
+with a young German author who had been some time in America, and was
+well versed in our literature. He is now engaged in translating American
+works, one of which--Hoffman's "Wild Scenes of the Forest and
+Prairie"--will soon appear. In no place in Germany have I found more
+knowledge of our country, her men and her institutions, than in Leipsic,
+and as yet I have seen few that would be preferable as a place of
+residence. Its attractions lie not in its scenery, but in the social and
+intellectual character of its inhabitants.
+
+_May 11._--At last in this "Florence of the Elbe," as the Saxons have
+christened it. Exclusive of its glorious galleries of art, which are
+scarcely surpassed by any in Europe, Dresden charms one by the natural
+beauty of its environs. It stands in a curve of the Elbe, in the midst
+of green meadows, gardens and fine old woods, with the hills of Saxony
+sweeping around like an amphitheatre, and the craggy peaks of the
+Highlands looking at it from afar. The domes and spires at a distance
+give it a rich Italian look, which is heightened by the white villas,
+embowered in trees, gleaming on the hills around. In the streets there
+is no bustle of business--nothing of the din and confusion of traffic
+which mark most cities; it seems like a place for study and quiet
+enjoyment.
+
+The railroad brought us in three hours from Leipsic, over the eighty
+miles of plain that intervene. We came from the station through the
+_Neustadt_, passing the Japanese Palace and the equestrian statue of
+Augustus the Strong, The magnificent bridge over the Elbe was so much
+injured by the late inundation as to be impassable; we worn obliged to
+go some distance up the river bank and cross on a bridge of boats. Next
+morning my first search was for the picture gallery. We set off at
+random, and after passing the Church of Our Lady, with its lofty dome of
+solid stone, which withstood the heaviest bombs during the war with
+Frederick the Great, came to an open square, one side of which was
+occupied by an old, brown, red-roofed building, which I at once
+recognized, from pictures, as the object of our search.
+
+I have just taken a last look at the gallery this morning, and left it
+with real regret; for, during the two visits, Raphael's heavenly picture
+of the Madonna and child had so grown into my love and admiration, that
+it was painful to think I should never see it again. There are many more
+which clung so strongly to my imagination, gratifying in the highest
+degree the love for the Beautiful, that I left them with sadness, and
+the thought that I would now only have the memory. I can see the
+inspired eye and god-like brow of the Jesus-child, as if I were still
+standing before the picture, and the sweet, holy countenance of the
+Madonna still looks upon me. Yet, though this picture is a miracle of
+art, the first glance filled me with disappointment. It has somewhat
+faded, during the three hundred years that have rolled away since the
+hand of Raphael worked on the canvass, and the glass with which it is
+covered for better preservation, injures the effect. After I had gazed
+on it awhile, every thought of this vanished. The figure of the virgin
+seemed to soar in the air, and it was difficult to think the clouds were
+not in motion. An aerial lightness clothes her form, and it is
+perfectly natural for such a figure to stand among the clouds. Two
+divine cherubs look up from below, and in her arms sits the sacred
+child. Those two faces beam from the picture like those of angels. The
+wild, prophetic eye and lofty brow of the young Jesus chains one like a
+spell. There is something more than mortal in its expression--something
+in the infant face which indicates a power mightier than the proudest
+manhood. There is no glory around the head; but the spirit which shines
+from those features, marks his divinity. In the sweet face of the mother
+there speaks a sorrowful foreboding mixed with its tenderness, as if she
+knew the world into which the Saviour was born, and foresaw the path in
+which he was to tread. It is a picture which one can scarce look upon
+without tears.
+
+There are in the same room six pictures by Correggio, which are said to
+be among his best works; one of them his celebrated Magdalen. There is
+also Correggio's "Holy Night," or the virgin with the shepherds in the
+manger, in which all the light comes from the body of the child. The
+surprise of the shepherds is most beautifully expressed. In one of the
+halls there is a picture by Van der Werff, in which the touching story
+of Hagar is told more feelingly than words could do it. The young
+Ishmael is represented full of grief at parting with Isaac, who, in
+childish unconsciousness of what has taken place, draws in sport the
+corner of his mother's mantle around him, and smiles at the tears of his
+lost playmate. Nothing can come nearer real flesh and blood than the two
+portraits of Raphael Mengs, painted by himself when quite young. You
+almost think the artist has in sport crept behind the frame, and wishes
+to make you believe he is a picture. It would be impossible to speak of
+half the gems of art contained in this unrivalled collection. There are
+twelve large halls, containing in all nearly two thousand pictures.
+
+The plain, south of Dresden, was the scene of the hard-fought battle
+between Napoleon and the allied armies, in 1813. On the heights above
+the little village of Racknitz, Moreau was shot on the second day of the
+battle. We took a foot-path through the meadows, shaded by cherry trees
+in bloom, and reached the spot after an hour's walk. The monument is
+simple--a square block of granite, surmounted by a helmet and sword,
+with the inscription: "_The hero Moreau fell here by the side of
+Alexander, August 17th, 1813_." I gathered, as a memorial, a few leaves
+of the oak which shades it.
+
+By applying an hour before the appointed time, we obtained admission to
+the Royal Library. It contains three hundred thousand volumes--among
+them the most complete collection of historical works in existence. Each
+hall is devoted to a history of a separate country, and one large room
+is filled with that of Saxony alone. There is a large number of rare and
+curious manuscripts, among which are old Greek works of the seventh and
+eighth centuries; a Koran which once belonged to the Sultan Bajazet; the
+handwriting of Luther and Melancthon; a manuscript volume with pen and
+ink sketches, by Albert Durer, and the earliest works after the
+invention of printing. Among these latter was a book published by Faust
+and Schaeffer, at Mayence, in 1457. There were also Mexican manuscripts,
+written on the Aloe leaf, and many illuminated monkish volumes of the
+middle ages.
+
+We were fortunate in seeing the _Grune Gewolbe_, or Green Gallery, a
+collection of jewels and costly articles, unsurpassed in Europe. The
+entrance is only granted to six persons at a time, who pay a fee of two
+thalers. The customary way is to employ a _Lohnbedienter_, who goes
+around from one hotel to another, till he has collected the number, when
+he brings them together and conducts them to the person in the palace,
+who has charge of the treasures. As our visit happened to be during the
+Pentecost holidays, when every body in Dresden goes to the mountains,
+there was some difficulty in effecting this, but after two mornings
+spent in hunting up curious travelers, the servant finally conducted us
+in triumph to the palace. The first hall into which we were ushered,
+contained works in bronze. They were all small, and chosen with regard
+to their artistical value. Some by John of Bologna were exceedingly
+fine, as was also a group in iron, _cut_ out of a single block; perhaps
+the only successful attempt in this branch. The next room contained
+statues, and vases covered with reliefs, in ivory. The most remarkable
+work was the fall of Lucifer and his angels, containing ninety-two
+figures in all, carved out of a single piece of ivory sixteen inches
+high! It was the work of an Italian monk, and cost him many years of
+hard labor. There were two tables of mosaic-work, that would not be out
+of place in the fabled halls of the eastern genii, so much did they
+exceed my former ideas of human skill. The tops were of jasper, and each
+had a border of fruit and flowers, in which every color was represented
+by some precious stone, all with the utmost delicacy and truth to
+nature! It is impossible to conceive the splendid effect it produced.
+Besides some fine pictures on gold by Raphael Mengs, there was a
+Madonna, the largest specimen of enamel painting in existence.
+
+However costly the contents of these halls, they were only an
+introduction to those which followed. Each one exceeded the other in
+splendor and costliness. The walls were covered to the ceiling with rows
+of goblets, vases, &c., of polished jasper, agate and lapiz lazuli.
+Splendid mosaic tables stood around, with caskets of the most exquisite
+silver and gold work upon them, and vessels of solid silver, some of
+them weighing six hundred pounds were placed at the foot of the columns.
+We were shown two goblets, each prized at six thousand thalers, made of
+gold and precious stones; also the great pearl called the Spanish Dwarf,
+nearly as large as a pullet's egg; globes and vases cut entirely out of
+the mountain crystal; magnificent Nuremberg watches and clocks, and a
+great number of figures, made ingeniously of rough pearls and diamonds.
+The officer showed us a hen's egg of silver. There was apparently
+nothing remarkable about it, but by unscrewing, it came apart, and
+disclosed the yelk of gold. This again opened and a golden chicken was
+seen; by touching a spring, a little diamond crown came from the inside,
+and the crown being again taken apart, out dropped a valuable diamond
+ring! The seventh hall contains the coronation robes of Augustus II., of
+Poland, and many costly specimens of carving in wood, A cherry stone is
+shown in a glass case, which has one hundred and twenty-five faces, all
+perfectly finished, carved upon it! The next room we entered sent back a
+glare of splendor that perfectly dazzled us. It was all gold, diamond,
+ruby and sapphire! Every case sent out such a glow and glitter that it
+seemed like a cage of imprisoned lightnings. Wherever the eye turned it
+was met by a blaze of broken rainbows. They were there by hundreds, and
+every gem was a fortune. Whole cases of swords, with hilts and scabbards
+of solid gold, studded with gems; the great two-handed coronation sword
+of the German emperors; daggers covered with brilliants and rubies;
+diamond buttons, chains and orders, necklaces and bracelets of pearl and
+emerald, and the order of the Golden Fleece made in gems of every kind.
+We were also shown the largest known onyx, nearly seven inches long and
+four inches broad! One of the most remarkable works is the throne and
+court of Aurungzebe, the Indian king, by Dinglinger, a celebrated
+goldsmith of the last century. It contains one hundred and thirty-two
+figures, all of enamelled gold, and each one most perfectly and
+elaborately finished. It was purchased by Prince Augustus for
+fifty-eight thousand thalers,[**] which was not a high sum, considering
+that the making of it occupied Dinglinger and thirteen workmen for seven
+years!
+
+It is almost impossible to estimate the value of the treasures these
+halls contain. That of the gold and jewels alone must bo many millions
+of dollars, and the amount of labor expended on these toys of royalty is
+incredible. As monuments of patient and untiring toil, they are
+interesting: but it is sad to think how much labor and skill and energy
+have been wasted, in producing things which are useless to the world,
+and only of secondary importance as works of art. Perhaps, however, if
+men could be diverted by such play-things from more dangerous games, it
+would be all the better.
+
+[Footnote **: A Prussian or Saxon thaler is about 70 cts.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+RAMBLES IN THE SAXON SWITZERLAND.
+
+
+After four days' sojourn in Dresden we shouldered our knapsacks, not to
+be laid down again till we reached Prague. We were elated with the
+prospect of getting among the hills again, and we heeded not the
+frequent showers which had dampened the enjoyment of the Pentecost
+holidays, to the good citizens of Dresden, and might spoil our own. So
+we trudged gaily along the road to Pillnitz and waved an adieu to the
+domes behind us as the forest shut them out from view. After two hours'
+walk the road led down to the Elbe, where we crossed in a ferry-boat to
+Pillnitz, the seat of a handsome palace and gardens, belonging to the
+King of Saxony. He happened to be there at the time, on an afternoon
+excursion from Dresden; as we had seen him before, in the latter place,
+we passed directly on, only pausing to admire the flower-beds in the
+palace court. The King is a tall, benevolent looking man, and is
+apparently much liked by his people. As far as I have yet seen, Saxony
+is a prosperous and happy country. The people are noted all over Germany
+for their honest, social character, which is written on their cheerful,
+open countenances. On our entrance into the Saxon Switzerland, at
+Pillnitz, we were delighted with the neatness and home-like appearance
+of every thing. Every body greeted us; if we asked for information, they
+gave it cheerfully. The villages were all pleasant and clean and the
+meadows fresh and blooming. I felt half tempted to say, in the words of
+an old ballad, which I believe Longfellow has translated:
+
+    "The fairest kingdom on this earth,
+    It is the Saxon land!"
+
+Going along the left bank of the Elbe, we passed over meadows purple
+with the tri-colored violet, which we have at home in gardens, and every
+little bank was bright with cowslips. At length the path led down into a
+cleft or ravine filled with trees, whose tops were on a level with the
+country around. This is a peculiar feature of Saxon scenery. The country
+contains many of these clefts, some of which are several hundred feet
+deep, having walls of perpendicular rock, in whose crevices the mountain
+pine roots itself and grows to a tolerable height without any apparent
+soil to keep it alive. We descended by a foot-path into this ravine,
+called the Liebethaler Grund. It is wider than many of the others,
+having room enough for a considerable stream and several mills. The
+sides are of sandstone rock, quite perpendicular. As we proceeded, it
+grew narrower and deeper, while the trees covering its sides and edges
+nearly shut out the sky. An hour's walk brought us to the end, where we
+ascended gradually to the upper level again.
+
+After passing the night at the little village of Uttewalde, a short
+distance further, we set out early in the morning for the Bastei, a
+lofty precipice on the Elbe. The way led us directly through the
+Uttewalder Grund, the most remarkable of all these chasms. We went down
+by steps into its depths, which in the early morning were very cold.
+Water dripped from the rocks, which but a few feet apart, rose far above
+us, and a little rill made its way along the bottom, into which the sun
+has never shone. Heavy masses of rock, which had tumbled down from the
+sides lay in the way, and tall pine trees sprung from every cleft. In
+one place the defile is only four feet wide, and a large mass of rock,
+fallen from above, has lodged near the bottom, making an arch across,
+under which the traveller has to creep. After going under two or three
+arches of this kind, the defile widened and an arrow cut upon a rock
+directed us to a side path, which branched off from this into a
+mountain. Here the stone masses immediately assumed another form. They
+projected out like shelves sometimes as much as twenty feet from the
+straight side, and hung over the way, looking as if they might break off
+every moment. I felt glad when we had passed under them. Then as we
+ascended higher, we saw pillars of rock separated entirely from the side
+and rising a hundred feet in height, with trees growing on their
+summits. They stood there gray and limeworn, like the ruins of a Titan
+temple.
+
+The path finally led us out into the forest and through the clustering
+pine trees, to the summit of the Bastei. An inn has been erected in the
+woods and an iron balustrade placed around the rock. Protected by this,
+we advanced to the end of the precipice and looked down to the swift
+Elbe, more than seven hundred feet below! Opposite through the blue
+mists of morning, rose Konigstein, crowned with an impregnable fortress,
+and the crags of Lilienstein, with a fine forest around their base,
+frowned from the left bank. On both sides were horrible precipices of
+gray rock, with rugged trees hanging from the crevices. A hill rising up
+from one side of the Bastei, terminates suddenly a short distance from
+it, in on abrupt precipice. In the intervening space stand three or four
+of those rock-columns, several hundred feet high, with their tops nearly
+on a level with the Bastei. A wooden bridge has been made across from
+one to the other, over which the traveller passes, looking on the trees
+and rocks far below him, to the mountain, where a steep zigzag path
+takes him to the Elbe below.
+
+We crossed the Elbe for the fourth time at the foot of the Bastei, and
+walked along its right bank towards Konigstein. The injury caused by the
+inundation was everywhere apparent. The receding flood had left a
+deposit of sand, in many places several feet deep on the rich meadows,
+so that the labor of years will be requisite to remove it and restore
+the land to an arable condition. Even the farm-houses on the hillside,
+some distance from the river, had been reached, and the long grass hung
+in the highest branches of the fruit trees. The people wore at work
+trying to repair their injuries, but it will fall heavily upon the
+poorer classes.
+
+The mountain of Konigstein is twelve hundred feet high. A precipice,
+varying from one to three hundred feet in height, runs entirely around
+the summit, which is flat, and a mile and a half in circumference. This
+has been turned into a fortress, whose natural advantages make it
+entirely impregnable. During the Thirty Years' War and the late war with
+Napoleon, it was the only place in Saxony unoccupied by the enemy. Hence
+is it used as a depository for the archives and royal treasures, in
+times of danger. By giving up our passports at the door, we received
+permission to enter; the officer called a guide to take us around the
+battlements. There is quite a little village on the summit, with
+gardens, fields, and a wood of considerable size. The only entrance is
+by a road cut through the rock, which is strongly guarded. A well seven
+hundred feet deep supplies the fortress with water, and there are
+storehouses sufficient to hold supplies for many years. The view from
+the ramparts is glorious--it takes in the whole of the Saxon Highlands,
+as far as the lofty Schneeberg in Bohemia. On the other side the eye
+follows the windings of the Elbe, as far as the spires of Dresden.
+Lilienstein, a mountain of exactly similar formation, but somewhat
+higher, stands directly opposite. On walking around, the guide pointed
+out a little square tower standing on the brink of a precipice, with a
+ledge, about two feet wide, running around it, just below the windows.
+He said during the reign of Augustus the Strong, a baron attached to his
+court, rose in his sleep after a night of revelry, and stepping out the
+window, stretched himself at full length along the ledge. A guard
+fortunately observed his situation and informed Augustus of it, who had
+him bound and secured with cords, and then awakened by music. It was a
+good lesson, and one which no doubt sobered him for the future.
+
+Passing through the little city of Konigstein, we walked on to Schandau,
+the capital of the Saxon Switzerland, situated on the left bank. It had
+sustained great damage from the flood, the whole place having been
+literally under water. Here we turned up a narrow valley which led to
+the Kuhstall, some eight miles distant. The sides, as usual, were of
+steep gray rock, but wide enough apart to give room to some lovely
+meadows, with here and there a rustic cottage. The mountain maidens, in
+their bright red dresses, with a fanciful scarf bound around the head,
+made a romantic addition to the scene. There were some quiet secluded
+nooks, where the light of day stole in dimly through the thick foliage
+above and the wild stream rushed less boisterously over the rocks. We
+sat down to rest in one of these cool retreats, and made the glen ring
+with a cheer for America. The echoes repeated the name as if they had
+heard it for the first time, and I gave them a strict injunction to
+give it back to the next countryman who should pass by.
+
+As we advanced further into the hills the way became darker and wilder.
+We heard the sound of falling water in a little dell on one side, and
+going nearer, saw a picturesque fall of about fifteen feet. Great masses
+of black rock were piled together, over which the mountain-stream fell
+in a snowy sheet. The pines above and around grew so thick and close,
+that not a sunbeam could enter, and a kind of mysterious twilight
+pervaded the spot. In Greece it would have been chosen for an oracle. I
+have seen, somewhere, a picture of the Spirit of Poetry, sitting beside
+just such a cataract, and truly the nymph could choose no more
+appropriate dwelling. But alas for sentiment! while we were admiring its
+picturesque beauty, we did not notice a man who came from a hut near by
+and went up behind the rocks. All at once there was a roar of water, and
+a real torrent came pouring down. I looked up, and lo! there he stood,
+with a gate in his hand which had held the water imprisoned, looking
+down at us to observe the effect, I motioned him to shut it up again,
+and he ran down to us, lest he should lose his fee for the "sight!"
+
+Our road now left the valley and ascended through a forest to the
+Kuhstall, which we came upon at once. It is a remarkable natural arch,
+through a rocky wall or rampart, one hundred and fifty feet thick. Going
+through, we came at the other end to the edge of a very deep precipice,
+while the rock towered precipitously far above. Below lay a deep
+circular valley, two miles in diameter, and surrounded on every side by
+ranges of crags, such as we saw on the Bastei. It was entirely covered
+with a pine forest, and there only appeared to be two or three narrow
+defiles which gave it a communication with the world. The top of the
+Kuhstall can be reached by a path which runs up through a split in the
+rock, directly to the summit. It is just wide enough for one person to
+squeeze himself through; pieces of wood have been fastened in as steps,
+and the rocks in many places close completely above. The place derives
+its name from having been used by the mountaineers as a hiding-place for
+their cattle in time of war.
+
+Next morning we descended by another crevice in the rock to the lonely
+valley, which we crossed, and climbed the Little Winterberg on the
+opposite side. There is a wide and rugged view from a little tower on a
+precipitous rock near the summit, erected to commemorate the escape of
+Prince Augustus of Saxony, who, being pursued by a mad stag, rescued
+himself on the very brink, by a lucky blow. Among the many wild valleys
+that lay between the hills, we saw scarcely one without the peculiar
+rocky formation which gives to Saxon scenery its most interesting
+character. They resemble the remains of some mighty work of art, rather
+than one of the thousand varied forms in which Nature delights to clothe
+herself.
+
+The Great Winterberg, which is reached by another hour's walk along an
+elevated ridge, is the highest of the mountains, celebrated for the
+grand view from its summit. We found the handsome Swiss hotel recently
+built there, full of tourists who had come to enjoy the scone, but the
+morning clouds hid every thing. We ascended the tower, and looking
+between them as they rolled by, caught glimpses of the broad landscape
+below. The Giant's Mountains in Silesia were hidden by the mist, but
+sometimes when the wind freshened, we could see beyond the Elbe into
+Bohemian Switzerland, where the long Schneeberg rose conspicuous above
+the smaller mountains. Leaving the other travellers to wait at their
+leisure for clearer weather, we set off for the Prebisehthor, in company
+with two or three students from the Polytechnic School in Dresden. An
+hour's walk over high hills, whose forest clothing had been swept off by
+fire a few years before, brought us to it.
+
+The Prebisehthor is a natural arch, ninety feet high, in a wall of rock
+which projects at right angles from the precipitous side of the
+mountain. A narrow path leads over the top of the arch to the end of the
+rock, where, protected by a railing, the traveller seems to hang in the
+air. The valley is far below him--mountains rise up on either side--and
+only the narrow bridge connects him with the earth. We descended by a
+wooden staircase to the bottom of the arch, near which a rustic inn is
+built against the rock, and thence into the valley below, which we
+followed through rude lonely scenery, to Hirnischkretschen (!) on the
+Elbe.
+
+Crossing the river again for the sixth and last time, we followed the
+right bank to Neidergrund, the first Austrian village. Here our
+passports were vised for Prague, and we were allowed to proceed without
+any examination of baggage. I noticed a manifest change in our fellow
+travelers the moment we crossed the border. They appeared anxious and
+careful; if we happened to speak of the state of the country, they
+always looked around to see if anybody was near, and if we even passed a
+workman on the road, quickly changed to some other subject. They spoke
+much of the jealous strictness of the government, and from what I heard
+from Austrians themselves, there may have been ground for their
+cautiousness.
+
+We walked seven or eight miles along the bank of the Elbe, to Tetschen,
+there left our companions and took the road to Teplitz. The scenery was
+very picturesque; it must be delightful to float down the swift current
+in a boat, as we saw several merry companies do. The river is just small
+enough and the banks near enough together, to render such a mode of
+travelling delightful, and the strength of the current would carry one
+to Dresden in a day.
+
+I was pleasantly disappointed on entering Bohemia. Instead of a dull,
+uninteresting country, as I expected, it is a land full of the most
+lovely scenery. There is every thing which can gratify the eye--high
+blue mountains, valleys of the sweetest pastoral look and romantic old
+ruins. The very name of Bohemia is associated with wild and wonderful
+legends, of the rude barbaric ages. Even the chivalric tales of the
+feudal times of Germany grow tame beside these earlier and darker
+histories. The fallen fortresses of the Rhine, or the robber-castles of
+the Odenwald had not for me so exciting an interest as the shapeless
+ruins cumbering these lonely mountains. The civilized Saxon race was
+left behind; I saw around me the features and heard the language of one
+of those rude Sclavonic tribes, whose original home was on the vast
+steppes of Central Asia. I have rarely enjoyed traveling more than our
+first two days' journey towards Prague. The range of the Erzgebirge ran
+along on our right; the snow still lay in patches upon it, but the
+valleys between, with their little clusters of white cottages, were
+green and beautiful. About six miles before reaching Teplitz, we passed
+Kulm, the great battle-field, which in a measure decided the fate of
+Napoleon. He sent Vandamme with 40,000 men to attack the allies before
+they could unite their forces, and thus effect their complete
+destruction. Only the almost despairing bravery of the Russian guards
+under Ostermann, who held him in check till the allied troops united,
+prevented Napoleon's design. At the junction of the roads, where the
+fighting was hottest, the Austrians have erected a monument to one of
+their generals. Not far from it is that of Prussia, simple and tasteful.
+A woody hill near, with the little village of Kulm at its foot, was the
+station occupied by Vandamme at the commencement of the battle. There is
+now a beautiful chapel on its summit, which can be seen far and wide. A
+little distance further, the Emperor of Russia has erected a third
+monument to the memory of the Russians who fell. Four lions rest on the
+base of the pedestal, and on the top of the shaft, forty-five feet high,
+Victory is represented as engraving the date, "Aug. 30, 1813," on a
+shield. The dark, pine-covered mountains on the right, overlook the
+whole field and the valley of Teplitz; Napoleon rode along their crests
+several days after the battle, to witness the scene of his defeat.
+
+Teplitz lies in a lovely valley, several miles wide, bounded by the
+Bohemian mountains on one side, and the Erzgebirge on the other. One
+straggling peak near is crowned with a picturesque ruin, at whose foot
+the spacious bath-buildings lie half hidden in foliage. As we went down
+the principal street, I noticed nearly every house was a hotel; we
+learned afterwards that in summer the usual average of visitors is five
+thousand. The waters resemble those of the celebrated Carlsbad; they are
+warm and particularly efficacious in rheumatism and diseases of like
+character. After leaving Teplitz, the road turned to the east, towards a
+lofty mountain, which we had seen the morning before. The peasants as
+they passed by, saluted us with "Christ greet you!"
+
+We stopped for the night at the foot of the peak called the
+Milleschauer, and must have ascended nearly 2,000 feet, for we had a
+wide view the next morning, although the mists and clouds hid the half
+of it. The weather being so unfavorable, we concluded not to ascend,
+and taking leave of the Jena student who came there for that purpose,
+descended through green fields and orchards snowy with blossoms, to
+Lobositz, on the Elbe. Here we reached the plains again, where every
+thing wore the luxuriance of summer; it was a pleasant change from the
+dark and rough scenery we left. The road passed through Theresienstadt,
+the fortress of Northern Bohemia. The little city is surrounded by a
+double wall and moat, which can be filled with water, rendering it
+almost impossible to be taken. In the morning we were ferried over the
+Moldau, and after journeying nearly all day across barren, elevated
+plains, saw late in the afternoon the sixty-seven spires of Prague below
+us! The dark clouds which hung over the hills, gave us little time to
+look upon the singular scene; and we were soon comfortably settled in
+the half-barbaric, half-Asiatic city, with a pleasant prospect of seeing
+its wonders on the morrow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+SCENES IN PRAGUE.
+
+
+_Prague._--I feel as if out of the world, in this strange, fantastic,
+yet beautiful old city. We have been rambling all morning through its
+winding streets, stopping sometimes at a church to see the dusty tombs
+and shrines, or to hear the fine music which accompanies the morning
+mass. I have seen no city yet that so forcibly reminds one of the past,
+and makes him forget everything but the associations connected with the
+scenes around him. The language adds to the illusion. Three-fourths of
+the people in the streets speak Bohemian and many of the signs are
+written in the same tongue, which is not at all like German. The palace
+of the Bohemian kings still looks down on the city from the western
+heights, and their tombs stand in the Cathedral of the holy Johannes.
+When one has climbed up the stone steps lending to the fortress, there
+is a glorious prospect before him. Prague, with its spires and towers,
+lies in the valley below, through which curves the Moldau with its green
+islands, disappearing among the hills which enclose the city on every
+side. The fantastic Byzantine architecture of many of the churches and
+towers, gives the city a peculiar oriental appearance; it seems to have
+been transported from the hills of Syria. Its streets are full of
+palaces, fallen and dwelt in now by the poorer classes. Its famous
+University, which once boasted forty thousand students, has long since
+ceased to exist. In a word, it is, like Venice, a fallen city; though as
+in Venice, the improving spirit of the age is beginning to give it a
+little life, and to send a quicker stream through its narrow and winding
+arteries. The railroad, which, joining that to Brunn, shall bring it in
+connection with Vienna, will be finished this year; in anticipation of
+the increased business which will arise from this, speculators are
+building enormous hotels in the suburbs and tearing down the old
+buildings to give place to more splendid edifices. These operations, and
+the chain bridge which spans the Moldau towards the southern end of the
+city, are the only things which look modern--every thing else is old,
+strange and solemn.
+
+Having found out first a few of the locations, we hunted our way with
+difficulty through its labyrinths, seeking out every place of note or
+interest. Reaching the bridge at last, we concluded to cross over and
+ascend to the Hradschin--the palace of the Bohemian kings. The bridge
+was commenced in 1357, and was one hundred and fifty years in building.
+That was the way the old Germans did their work, and they made a
+structure which will last a thousand years longer. Every pier is
+surmounted with groups of saints and martyrs, all so worn and
+time-beaten, that there is little left of their beauty, if they ever had
+any. The most important of them, at least to Bohemians, is that of the
+holy "Johannes of Nepomuck," now considered as the patron-saint of the
+land. He was a priest many centuries ago, whom one of the kings threw
+from the bridge into the Moldau, because he refused to reveal to him
+what the queen confessed. The legend says the body swam for some time on
+the river, with five stars around its head. The 16th of May, the day
+before we arrived, was that set apart for his particular honor; the
+statue on the bridge was covered with an arch of green boughs and
+flowers, and the shrine lighted with burning tapers. A railing was
+erected around it, near which numbers of the believers were kneeling,
+and a priest stood in the inside. The bridge was covered with
+passers-by, who all took their hats off till they had passed. Had it
+been a place of public worship, the act would have been natural and
+appropriate, but to uncover before a statue seemed to us too much like
+idolatry, and we ventured over without doing it. A few years ago it
+might have been dangerous, but now we only met with scowling looks.
+There are many such shrines and statues through the city, and I noticed
+that the people always took off their hats and crossed themselves in
+passing. On the hill above the western end of the city, stands a chapel
+on the spot where the Bavarians put an end to Protestantism in Bohemia
+_by the sword_, and the deluded peasantry of the land make pilgrimages
+to this spot, as if it were rendered holy by an act over which Religion
+weeps!
+
+Ascending the broad flight of steps to the Hradschin, I paused a moment
+to look at the scene below. A slight blue haze hung over the clustering
+towers, and the city looked dim through it, like a city seen in a dream.
+It was well that it should so appear, for not less dim and misty are the
+memories that haunt its walls. There was no need of a magician's wand to
+bid that light cloud shadow forth the forms of other times. They came
+uncalled for, even by fancy. Far, far back in the past, I saw the
+warrior-princess who founded the kingly city--the renowned Libussa,
+whose prowess and talent inspired the women of Bohemia to rise at her
+death and storm the land that their sex might rule where it obeyed
+before. On the mountain opposite once stood the palace of the bloody
+Wlaska, who reigned with her Amazon band for seven years over half
+Bohemia. Those streets below had echoed with the fiery words of Huss,
+and the castle of his follower--the blind Ziska, who met and defeated
+the armies of the German Empire--moulders on the mountain above. Many a
+year of war and tempest has passed over the scene. The hills around have
+borne the armies of Wallenstein and Frederic the Great; the war-cry of
+Bavaria, Sweden and Poland has echoed in the valley, and the red glare
+of the midnight cannon or the flames of burning palaces have often
+gleamed along the "blood-dyed waters" of the Moldau!
+
+But this was a day-dream. The throng of people coming up the steps waked
+me out of it. We turned and followed them through several spacious
+courts, till we arrived at the Cathedral, which is magnificent in the
+extreme. The dark Gothic pillars, whose arches unite high above, are
+surrounded with gilded monuments and shrines, and the side chapels are
+rich in elaborate decorations. A priest was speaking from a pulpit in
+the centre, in the Bohemian language, which not being the most
+intelligible, I went to the other end to see the shrine of the holy
+Johannes of Nepomuck. It stands at the end of one of the side aisles and
+is composed of a mass of gorgeous silver ornaments. At a little
+distance, on each side, hang four massive lamps of silver, constantly
+burning. The pyramid of statues, of the same precious metal, has at
+each corner a richly carved urn, three feet high, with a crimson lamp
+burning at the top. Above, four silver angels, the size of life, are
+suspended in the air, holding up the corners of a splendid drapery of
+crimson and gold. If these figures were melted down and distributed
+among the poor and miserable people who inhabit Bohemia, they would then
+be angels indeed, bringing happiness and blessing to many a ruined home-
+altar. In the same chapel is the splendid burial-place of the Bohemian
+kings, of gilded marble and alabaster. Numberless tombs, covered with
+elaborate ornamental work, fill the edifice. It gives one a singular
+feeling to stand at one end and look down the lofty hall, dim with
+incense smoke and dark with the weight of many centuries.
+
+On the way down again, we stepped into the St. Nicholas Church, which
+was built by the Jesuits. The interior has a rich effect, being all of
+brown and gold. The massive pillars are made to resemble reddish-brown
+marble, with gilded capitals, and the statues at the base are profusely
+ornamented in the same style. The music chained me there a long time.
+There was a grand organ, assisted by a full orchestra and large choir of
+singers. It was placed above, and at every sound of the priest's bell,
+the flourish of trumpets and deep roll of the drums filled the dome with
+a burst of quivering sound, while the giant pipes of the organ breathed
+out their full harmony and the very air shook under the peal. It was
+like a triumphal strain; the soul became filled with thoughts of power
+and glory--every sense was changed into one dim, indistinct emotion of
+rapture, which held the spirit as if spell-bound. I could almost forgive
+the Jesuits the superstition and bigotry they have planted in the minds
+of men, for the indescribable enjoyment that music gave. When it ceased,
+we went out to the world again, and the recollection of it seems now
+like a dream--but a dream whose influence will last longer than many a
+more palpable reality.
+
+Not far from this place is the palace of Wallenstein, in the same
+condition as when he inhabited it, and still in the possession of his
+descendants. It is a plain, large building, having beautiful gardens
+attached to it, which are open to the public. We went through the
+courtyard, threaded a passage with a roof of rough stalactitic rock, and
+entered the garden where a revolving fountain was casting up its
+glittering arches. Among the flowers at the other end of the garden
+there is a remarkable fountain. It is but a single jet of water which
+rises from the middle of a broad basin of woven wire, but by some means
+it sustains a hollow gilded ball, sometimes for many minutes at a time.
+When the ball drops, the sloping sides of the basin convey it directly
+to the fountain again, and it is carried up to dance a while longer on
+the top of the jet. I watched it once, thus supported on the water, for
+full fifteen minutes.
+
+There is another part of Prague which is not less interesting, though
+much less poetical--the Jews' City. In our rambles we got into it before
+we were aware, but hurried immediately out of it again, perfectly
+satisfied with one visit. We came first into a dark, narrow street,
+whose sides were lined with booths of old clothes and second-hand
+articles. A sharp featured old woman thrust a coat before my face,
+exclaiming, "Herr, buy a fine coat!" Instantly a man assailed me on the
+other side, "Here are vests! pantaloons! shirts!" I broke loose from
+them and ran on, but it only became worse. One seized me by the arm,
+crying, "_Lieber_ Herr, buy some stockings!" and another grasped my
+coat: "Hats, Herr! hats! _buy something, or sell me something!_" I
+rushed desperately on, shouting "no! no!" with all my might, and finally
+got safe through. My friend having escaped their clutches also, we
+hunted the way to the old Jewish cemetery. This stands in the middle of
+the city, and has not been used for a hundred years. We could find no
+entrance, but by climbing upon the ruins of an old house near, I could
+look over the wall. A cold shudder crept over me, to think that warm,
+joyous Life, as I then felt it, should grow chill and pass back to clay
+in such a foul charnel-house. Large mounds of earth, covered with black,
+decaying grave-stones, which were almost hidden under the weeds and rank
+grass, filled the inclosure. A few dark, crooked alder-trees grew among
+the crumbling tombs, and gave the scene an air of gloom and desolation,
+almost fearful. The dust of many a generation lies under these
+mouldering stones; they now scarcely occupy a thought in the minds of
+the living; and yet the present race toils and seeks for wealth alone,
+that it may pass away and leave nothing behind--not even a memory for
+that which will follow it!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+JOURNEY THROUGH EASTERN BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA TO THE DANUBE.
+
+
+Our road the first two days after leaving Prague led across broad,
+elevated plains, across which a cold wind came direct from the summits
+of the Riesengebirge, far to our left. Were it not for the pleasant view
+we had of the rich valley of the Upper Elbe, which afforded a delightful
+relief to the monotony of the hills around us, the journey would have
+been exceedingly tiresome. The snow still glistened on the distant
+mountains; but when the sun shone out, the broad valley below, clad in
+the luxuriance of summer, and extending for at least fifty miles with
+its woods, meadows and white villages, looked like a real Paradise. The
+long ridges over which we travelled extend for nearly a hundred and
+fifty miles--from the Elbe almost to the Danube. The soil is not
+fertile, the inhabitants are exceedingly poor, and from our own
+experience, the climate must be unhealthy. In winter the country is
+exposed to the full sweep of the northern winds, and in summer the sun
+shines down on it with unbroken force. There are few streams running
+through it, and the highest part, which divides the waters of the Baltic
+from those of the Black Sea is filled for a long distance with marshes
+and standing pools, whose exhalations must inevitably subject the
+inhabitants to disease. This was perceptible in their sallow, sickly
+countenances; many of the women are afflicted with the _goitre_, or
+swelling of the throat; I noticed that towards evening they always
+carefully muffled up their faces. According to their own statements, the
+people suffer much from the cold in winter, as the few forests the
+country affords are in possession of the noblemen to whom the land
+belongs, and they are not willing to let them be cut down. The dominions
+of these petty despots are marked along the road with as much precision
+as the boundaries of an empire; we saw sometimes their stalely castles
+at a distance, forming quite a contrast to the poor scattering villages
+of the peasants.
+
+At Kollin, the road, which had been running eastward in the direction of
+Olmutz, turned to the south, and we took leave of the Elbe, after
+tracing back his course from Magdeburg nearly to his home in the
+mountains of Silesia. The country was barren and monotonous, but a
+bright sunshine made it look somewhat cheerful. We passed, every few
+paces, some shrine or statue by the roadside. This had struck me,
+immediately on crossing the border, in the Saxon Switzerland--it seemed
+as if the boundary of Saxony was that of Protestantism. But here in the
+heart of Bohemia, the extent to which this image worship is carried,
+exceeds anything I had imagined. There is something pleasing as well as
+poetical in the idea of a shrine by the wayside, where the weary
+traveller can rest, and raise his heart in thankfulness to the Power
+that protects him; it was no doubt a pious spirit that placed them
+there; but the people appear to pay the reverence to the picture which
+they should give to its spiritual image, and the pictures themselves are
+so shocking and ghastly, they seem better calculated to excite horror
+than reverence. It was really repulsive to look on images of the Saviour
+covered with blood, and generally with swords sticking in different
+parts of the body. The Almighty is represented as an old man, wearing a
+Bishop's mitre, and the image of the Virgin is always drest in a gay
+silk robe, with beads and other ornaments. From the miserable painting,
+the faces often had an expression that would have been exceedingly
+ludicrous, if the shock given to our feelings of reverence were not
+predominant. The poor, degraded peasants always uncovered or crossed
+themselves when passing by these shrines, but it appeared to be rather
+the effect of habit than any good impulse, for the Bohemians are noted
+all over Germany for their dishonesty; we learned by experience they
+deserve it. It is not to be wondered at either; for a people so poor and
+miserable and oppressed will soon learn to take advantage of all who
+appear better off than themselves. They had one custom which was
+touching and beautiful. At the sound of the church bell, as it rung the
+morning, noon and evening chimes, every one uncovered, and repeated to
+himself a prayer. Often, as we rested at noon on a bank by the roadside,
+that voice spoke out from the house of worship and every one heeded its
+tone. Would that to this innate spirit of reverence were added the light
+of Knowledge, which a tyrannical government denies them!
+
+The third night of our journey we stopped at the little village of
+Stecken, and the next morning, after three hours' walk over the ridgy
+heights, reached the old Moravian city of Iglau, built on a hill. It
+happened to be _Corpus Christi_ day, and the peasants of the
+neighborhood were hastening there in their gayest dresses. The young
+women wore a crimson scarf around the head, with long fringed and
+embroidered ends hanging over the shoulders, or falling in one smooth
+fold from the back of the head. They were attired in black velvet vests,
+with full white sleeves and skirts of some gay color, which were short
+enough to show to advantage their red stockings and polished
+shoe-buckles. Many of them were not deficient in personal beauty--there
+was a gipsy-like wildness in their eyes, that combined with their rich
+hair and graceful costume, reminded me of the Italian maidens. The towns
+too, with their open squares and arched passages, have quite a southern
+look; but the damp, gloomy weather was enough to dispel any illusion of
+this kind.
+
+In the neighborhood of Iglau, and, in fact, through the whole of
+Bohemia, we saw some of the strangest teams that could well be imagined.
+I thought the Frankfort milkwomen with their donkeys and hearse-like
+carts, were comical objects enough, but they bear no comparison with
+these Bohemian turn-outs. Dogs--for economy's sake, perhaps--generally
+supply the place of oxen or horses, and it is no uncommon thing to see
+three large mastiffs abreast, harnessed to a country-cart. A donkey and
+a cow together, are sometimes met with, and one man, going to the
+festival at Iglau, had his wife and children in a little wagon, drawn by
+a dog and a donkey. These two, however, did not work well together; the
+dog would bite his lazy companion, and the man's time was constantly
+employed in whipping him off the donkey, and in whipping the donkey away
+from the side of the road. Once I saw a wagon drawn by a dog, with a
+woman pushing behind, while a man, doubtless her lord and master, sat
+comfortably within, smoking his pipe with the greatest complacency! The
+very climax of all was a woman and a dog harnessed _together_, taking a
+load of country produce to market! I hope, for the honor of the country,
+it was not emblematic of woman's condition there. But as we saw hundreds
+of them breaking stone along the road, and occupied at other laborious
+and not less menial labor, there is too much reason to fear that it is
+so.
+
+As we approached Iglau, we heard cannon firing; the crowd increased, and
+following the road, we came to an open square, where a large number were
+already assembled; shrines were erected around it, hung with pictures
+and pine boughs, and a long procession of children was passing down the
+side as we entered. We went towards the middle, where Neptune and his
+Tritons poured the water from their urns into two fountains, and stopped
+to observe the scene. The procession came on, headed by a large body of
+priests, in white robes, with banners and crosses. They stopped before
+the principal shrine, in front of the Rathhaus, and began a solemn
+religious ceremony. The whole crowd of not less than ten thousand
+persons, stood silent and uncovered, and the deep voice of the
+officiating priest was heard over the whole square. At times the
+multitude sang responses, and I could mark the sound, swelling and
+rolling up like a mighty wave, till it broke and slowly sank down again
+to the deepest stillness. The effect was marred by the rough voice of
+the officers commanding the soldiery, and the volleys of musquetry which
+were occasionally discharged. It degraded the solemnity of the pageant
+to the level of a military parade.
+
+In the afternoon we were overtaken by a travelling _handwerker_, on his
+way to Vienna, who joined company with us. We walked several miles
+together, talking on various matters, without his having the least
+suspicion we were not Germans. He had been at Trieste, and at length
+began speaking of the great beauty of the American vessels there. "Yes,"
+said I, "_our_ vessels are admired all over the world." He stared at me
+without comprehending;--"_your_ vessels?" "Our country's," I replied;
+"we are Americans!" I can see still his look of incredulous astonishment
+and hear the amazed tone with which he cried: "_You_ Americans--it is
+impossible!" We convinced him nevertheless, to his great joy, for all
+through Germany there is a curiosity to see our countrymen and a kindly
+feeling towards them. "I shall write down in my book," said he, "so that
+I shall never forget it, that I once travelled with two Americans!" We
+stopped together for the night at the only inn in a large, beggarly
+village, where we obtained a frugal supper with difficulty, for a
+regiment of Polish lancers was quartered there for the night, and the
+pretty _Kellnerin_ was so busy in waiting on the officers that she had
+no eye for wandering journeymen, as she took us to be. She even told us
+the beds were all occupied and we must sleep on the floor. Just then the
+landlord came by. "Is it possible, Herr Landlord," asked our new
+companion, "that there is no bed here for us? Have the goodness to look
+again, for we are not in the habit of sleeping on the floor, like dogs!"
+This speech had its effect, for the _Kellnerin_ was commanded to find us
+beds. She came back unwillingly after a time and reported that _two_,
+only, were vacant. As a German bed is only a yard wide, we pushed these
+two together, but they were still too small for three persons, and I had
+a severe cold in the morning, from sleeping crouched up against the damp
+wall.
+
+The next day we passed the dividing ridge which separates the waters of
+the Elbe from the Danube, and in the evening arrived at Znaim, the
+capital of Moravia. It is built on a steep hill looking down on the
+valley of the Thaya, whose waters mingle with the Danube near Pressburg.
+The old castle on the height near, was formerly the residence of the
+Moravian monarchs, and traces of the ancient walls and battlements of
+the city are still to be seen. The handwerker took us to the inn
+frequented by his craft--the leather-curriers--and we conversed together
+till bed-time. While telling me of the oppressive laws of Austria, the
+degrading vassalage of the peasants and the horrors of the conscription
+system, he paused as in deep thought, and looking at me with a
+suppressed sigh, said: "Is it not true, America is free?" I told him of
+our country and her institutions, adding that though we were not yet as
+free as we hoped and wished to be, we enjoyed far more liberty than any
+country in the world. "Ah!" said he, "it is hard to leave one's
+fatherland oppressed as it is, but I wish I could go to America!"
+
+We left next morning at eight o'clock, after having done full justice
+to the beds of the "Golden Stag," and taken leave of Florian Francke,
+the honest and hearty old landlord. Znaim appears to great advantage
+from the Vienna road; the wind which blew with fury against our backs,
+would not permit us to look long at it, but pushed us on towards the
+Austrian border. In the course of three hours we were obliged to stop at
+a little village; it blew a perfect hurricane and the rain began to soak
+through our garments. Here we stayed three hours among the wagoners who
+stopped on account of the weather. One miserable, drunken wretch, whom
+one would not wish to look at more than once, distinguished himself by
+insulting those around him, and devouring like a beast, large quantities
+of food. When the reckoning was given him, he declared he had already
+paid, and the waiter denying it, he said, "Stop, I will show you
+something!" pulled out his passport and pointed to the name--"Baron von
+Reitzenstein." It availed nothing; he had fallen so low that his title
+inspired no respect, and when we left the inn they were still
+endeavoring to get their money and threatening him with a summary
+proceeding if the demand was not complied with.
+
+Next morning the sky was clear and a glorious day opened before us. The
+country became more beautiful as we approached the Danube; the hills
+were covered with vineyards, just in the tender green of their first
+leaves, and the rich valleys lay in Sabbath stillness in the warm
+sunshine. Sometimes from an eminence we could see far and wide over the
+garden-like slopes, where little white villages shone among the
+blossoming fruit-trees. A chain of blue hills rose in front, which I
+knew almost instinctively stood by the Danube; when we climbed to the
+last height and began to descend to the valley, where the river was
+still hidden by luxuriant groves, I saw far to the southwest, a range of
+faint, silvery summits, rising through the dim ether like an airy
+vision. There was no mistaking those snowy mountains. My heart bounded
+with a sudden thrill of rapturous excitement at this first view of _the
+Alps!_ They were at a great distance, and their outline was almost
+blended with the blue drapery of air which clothed them. I gazed till my
+vision became dim and I could no longer trace their airy lines. They
+called up images blended with the grandest events in the world's
+history. I thought of the glorious spirits who have looked upon them and
+trodden their rugged sides--of the storms in which they veil their
+countenances, and the avalanches they hurl thundering to the valleys--of
+the voices of great deeds, which have echoed from their crags over the
+wide earth--and of the ages which have broken, like the waves of a
+mighty sea, upon their everlasting summits!
+
+As we descended, the hills and forests shut out this sublime vision, and
+I looked to the wood-clothed mountains opposite and tried to catch a
+glimpse of the current that rolled at their feet. We here entered upon a
+rich plain, about ten miles in diameter, which lay between a backward
+sweep of the hills and a curve of the Danube. It was covered with the
+richest grain; every thing wore the luxuriance of summer, and we seemed
+to have changed seasons since leaving the dreary hills of Bohemia.
+Continuing over the plain, we had on our left the fields of Wagram and
+Essling, the scene of two of Napoleon's blood-bought victories. The
+outposts of the Carpathians skirted the horizon--that great mountain
+range which stretches through Hungary to the borders of Russia.
+
+At length the road came to the river's side, and we crossed on wooden
+bridges over two or three arms of the Danube, all of which together were
+little wider than the Schuylkill at Philadelphia. When we crossed the
+last bridge, we came to a kind of island covered with groves of the
+silver ash. Crowds of people filled the cool walks; booths of
+refreshment stood by the roadside, and music was everywhere heard. The
+road finally terminated in a circle, where beautiful alleys radiated
+into the groves; from the opposite side a broad street lined with
+stately buildings extended into the heart of the city, and through this
+avenue, filled with crowds of carriages and people on their way to those
+delightful walks, we entered Vienna!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+VIENNA.
+
+
+_May 31._--I have at last seen the thousand wonders of this great
+capital--this German Paris--this connecting link between the
+civilization of Europe and the barbaric magnificence of the East. It
+looks familiar to be in a city again, whose streets are thronged with
+people, and resound with the din and bustle of business. It reminds me
+of the never-ending crowds of London, or the life and tumult of our
+scarcely less active New York. Although the end may be sordid for which
+so many are laboring, yet the very sight of so much activity is
+gratifying. It is peculiarly so to an American. After residing in a
+foreign land for some time, the peculiarities of our nation are more
+easily noticed; I find in my countrymen abroad a vein of restless
+energy--a love for exciting action--which to many of our good German
+friends is perfectly incomprehensible. It might have been this which
+gave at once a favorable impression of Vienna.
+
+The morning of our arrival we sallied out from our lodgings in the
+Leopoldstadt, to explore the world before us. Entering the broad
+Praterstrasse, we passed down to the little arm of the Danube, which
+separates this part of the new city from the old. A row of magnificent
+coffee-houses occupy the bank, and numbers of persons were taking their
+breakfasts in the shady porticoes. The Ferdinand's Bridge, which crosses
+the stream, was filled with people; in the motley crowd we saw the
+dark-eyed Greek, and Turks in their turbans and flowing robes. Little
+brown Hungarian boys were going around, selling bunches of lilies, and
+Italians with baskets of oranges stood by the side-walk. The throng
+became greater as we penetrated into the old city. The streets were
+filled with carts and carriages, and as there are no side-pavements, it
+required constant attention to keep out of their way. Splendid shops,
+fitted up with great taste, occupied the whole of the lower stories, and
+goods of all kinds hung beneath the canvass awnings in front of them.
+Almost every store or shop was dedicated to some particular person or
+place, which was represented on a large panel by the door. The number of
+these paintings added much to the splendor of the scene; I was gratified
+to find, among the images of kings and dukes, one dedicated "_to the
+American_," with an Indian chief in full costume.
+
+The _Altstadt_, or old city, which contains about sixty thousand
+inhabitants, is completely separated from the suburbs, whose population,
+taking the whole extent within the outer barrier, numbers nearly half a
+million. It is situated on a small arm of the Danube, and encompassed by
+a series of public promenades, gardens and walks, varying from a quarter
+to half a mile in length, called the Glacis. This formerly belonged to
+the fortifications of the city, but as the suburbs grew up so rapidly on
+all sides, it was changed appropriately to a public walk. The city is
+still surrounded with a massive wall and a deep wide moat; but since it
+was taken by Napoleon in 1809, the moat has been changed into a garden,
+with a beautiful carriage road along the bottom, around the whole city.
+It is a beautiful sight, to stand on the summit of the wall and look
+over the broad Glacis, with its shady roads branching in every
+direction, and filled with inexhaustible streams of people. The
+Vorstaedte, or new cities, stretch in a circle around, beyond this; all
+the finest buildings front on the Glacis, among which the splendid
+Vienna Theatre and the church of San Carlo Borromeo are conspicuous. The
+mountains of the Vienna Forest bound the view, with here and there a
+stately castle on their woody summits. I was reminded of London as seen
+from Regent's Park, and truly this part of Vienna can well compare with
+it. On penetrating into the suburbs, the resemblance is at an end. Many
+of the public thoroughfares are still unpaved, and in dry weather one is
+almost choked by the clouds of fine dust. A furious wind blows from the
+mountains, sweeping the streets almost constantly and filling the eyes
+and ears with it, making the city an unhealthy residence for strangers.
+
+There is no lack of places for pleasure or amusement. Beside the
+numberless walks of the Glacis, there are the Imperial Gardens, with
+their cool shades and flowers and fountains; the Augarten, laid out and
+opened to the public by the Emperor Joseph: and the Prater, the largest
+and most beautiful of all. It lies on an island formed by the arms of
+the Danube, and is between two and three miles square. From the circle
+at the end of the Praterstrasse, broad carriage-ways extend through its
+forests of oak and silver ash, and over its verdant lawns to the
+principal stream, which bounds it on the north. These roads are lined
+with stately horse chesnuts, whose branches unite and form a dense
+canopy, completely shutting out the sun. Every afternoon the beauty and
+nobility of Vienna whirl through the cool groves in their gay equipages,
+while the sidewalks are thronged with pedestrians, and the numberless
+tables and seats with which every house of refreshment is surrounded,
+are filled with merry guests. Here, on Sundays and holidays, the people
+repair in thousands. The woods are full of tame deer, which run
+perfectly free over the whole Prater. I saw several in one of the lawns,
+lying down in the grass, with a number of children playing around or
+sitting beside them. It is delightful to walk there in the cool of the
+evening, when the paths are crowded, and everybody is enjoying the
+release from the dusty city. It is this free, social life which renders
+Vienna so attractive to foreigners and draws yearly thousands of
+visitors from all parts of Europe.
+
+St. Stephen's Cathedral, in the centre of the old city, is one of the
+finest specimens of Gothic architecture in Germany. Its unrivalled
+tower, which rises to the height of four hundred and twenty-eight feet,
+is visible from every part of Vienna. It is entirely of stone, most
+elaborately ornamented, and is supposed to be the strongest in Europe.
+If the tower was finished, it might rival any church in Europe in
+richness and brilliancy of appearance. The inside is solemn and grand;
+but the effect is injured by the number of small chapels and shrines. In
+one of these rests, the remains of Prince Eugene of Savoy, "_der edle
+Ritter_," known in a ballad to every man, woman and child in Germany.
+
+The Belvidere Gallery fills thirty-five halls, and contains three
+thousand pictures! It is absolutely bewildering to walk through such
+vast collections; you can do no more than glance at each painting, and
+hurry by face after face, and figure after figure, on which you would
+willingly gaze for hours and inhale the atmosphere of beauty that
+surrounds them. Then after you leave, the brain is filled with their
+forms--radiant spirit-faces look upon you, and you see constantly, in
+fancy, the calm brow of a Madonna, the sweet young face of a child, or
+the blending of divine with mortal beauty in an angel's countenance. I
+endeavor, if possible, always to make several visits--to study those
+pictures which cling _first_ to the memory, and pass over those which
+make little or no impression. It is better to have a few images fresh
+and enduring, than a confused and indistinct memory of many.
+
+From the number of Madonnas in every European gallery, it would almost
+seem that the old artists painted nothing else. The subject is one which
+requires the highest genius to do it justice, and it is therefore
+unpleasant to see so many still, inexpressive faces of the virgin and
+child, particularly by the Dutch artists, who clothe their figures
+sometimes in the stiff costume of their own time. Raphael and Murillo
+appear to me to be almost the only painters who have expressed what,
+perhaps, was above the power of other masters--the combined love and
+reverence of the mother, and the divine expression in the face of the
+child, prophetic of his mission and godlike power.
+
+There were many glorious old paintings in the second story, which is
+entirely taken up with pictures; two or three of the halls were devoted
+to selected works from modern artists. Two of these I would give every
+thing I have to possess. One of them is a winter scene, representing the
+portico of an old Gothic church. At the base of one of the pillars a
+woman is seated in the snow, half-benumbed, clasping an infant to her
+breast, while immediately in front stands a boy of perhaps seven or
+eight years, his little hands folded in prayer, while the chill wind
+tosses the long curls from his forehead. There is something so pure and
+holy in the expression of his childish countenance, so much feeling in
+the lip and sorrowful eye, that it moves one almost to tears to look
+upon it. I turned back half a dozen times from the other pictures to
+view it again, and blessed the artist in my heart for the lesson he
+gave. The other is by a young Italian painter, whose name I have
+forgotten, but who, if he never painted anything else, is worthy a high
+place among the artists of his country. It represents some scene from
+the history of Venice. On an open piazza, a noble prisoner, wasted and
+pale from long confinement, has just had an interview with his children.
+He reaches his arm toward them as if for the last time, while a savage
+keeper drags him away. A lovely little girl kneels at the feet of the
+Doge, but there is no compassion in his stern features, and it is easy
+to see that her father is doomed.
+
+The Lower Belvidere, separated from the Upper by a large garden, laid
+out in the style of that at Versailles, contains the celebrated
+_Ambraser Sammlung_, a collection of armor. In the first hall I noticed
+the complete armor of the Emperor Maximilian, for man and horse--the
+armor of Charles V., and Prince Moritz of Saxony, while the walls were
+filled with figures of German nobles and knights, in the suits they wore
+in life. There is also the armor of the great "Baver of Trient," trabant
+of the Archduke Ferdinand. He was nearly nine feet in stature, and his
+spear, though not equal to Satan's, in Paradise Lost, would still make a
+tree of tolerable dimensions.
+
+In the second hall we saw weapons taken from the Turkish army who
+besieged Vienna, with the horse-tail standards of the Grand Vizier, Kara
+Mustapha. The most interesting article was the battle-axe of the
+unfortunate Montezuma, which was probably given to the Emperor Charles
+V., by Cortez. It is a plain instrument of dark colored stone, about
+three feet long.
+
+We also visited the _Burgerliche Zeughaus_, a collection of arms and
+weapons, belonging to the citizens of Vienna. It contains sixteen
+thousand weapons and suits of armor, including those plundered from the
+Turks, when John Sobieski conquered them and relieved Vienna from the
+siege. Besides a great number of sabres, lances and horsetails, there is
+the blood-red banner of the Grand Vizier, as well as his skull and
+shroud, which is covered with sentences from the Koran. On his return to
+Belgrade, after the defeat at Vienna, the Sultan sent him a bow-string,
+and he was accordingly strangled. The Austrians having taken Belgrade
+some time after, they opened his grave and carried off his skull and
+shroud, as well as the bow-string, as relics. Another large and richly
+embroidered banner, which hung in a broad sheet from the ceiling, was
+far more interesting to me. It had once waved from the vessels of the
+Knights of Malta, and had, perhaps, on the prow of the Grand Master's
+ship, led that romantic band to battle against the Infidel.
+
+A large number of peasants and common soldiers were admitted to view the
+armory at the same time. The grave _custode_ who showed us the
+curiosities, explaining every thing in phrases known by heart for years
+and making the same starts of admiration whenever he came to any thing
+peculiarly remarkable, singled us out as the two persons most worthy of
+attention. Accordingly his remarks were directed entirely to us, and his
+humble countrymen might as well have been invisible, for the notice he
+took of them. On passing out, we gave him a coin worth about fifteen
+cents, which happened to be so much more than the others gave him, that,
+bowing graciously, he invited us to write our names in the album for
+strangers. While we were doing this, a poor handwerker lingered behind,
+apparently for the same object, whom he scornfully dismissed, shaking
+the fifteen cent piece in his hand, and saying: "The album is not for
+such as you--it is for noble gentlemen!"
+
+On our way through the city, we often noticed a house on the southern
+side of St. Stephen's Platz, dedicated to "the Iron Stick." In a niche
+by the window, stood what appeared to be the limb of a tree, completely
+filled with nails, which were driven in so thick that no part of the
+original wood is visible. We learned afterwards the legend concerning
+it. The Vienna Forest is said to have extended, several hundred years
+ago, to this place. A locksmith's apprentice was enabled, by the devil's
+help, to make the iron bars and padlock which confine the limb in its
+place; every locksmith's apprentice who came to Vienna after that, drove
+a nail into it, till finally there was room for no more. It is a
+singular legend, and whoever may have placed the limb there originally,
+there it has remained for two or three hundred years at least.
+
+We spent two or three hours delightfully one evening in listening to
+Strauss's band. We went about sunset to the Odeon, a new building in the
+Leopoldstadt. It has a refreshment hall nearly five hundred feet long,
+with a handsome fresco ceiling and glass doors opening into a garden
+walk of the same length. Both the hall and garden were filled with
+tables, where the people seated themselves as they came, and conversed
+sociably over their coffee and wine. The orchestra was placed in a
+little ornamental temple in the garden, in front of which I stationed
+myself, for I was anxious to see the world's waltz-king, whose magic
+tones can set the heels of half Christendom in motion. After the band
+had finished tuning their instruments, a middle-sized, handsome man
+stepped forward with long strides, with a violin in one hand and bow in
+the other, and began waving the latter up and down, like a magician
+summoning his spirits. As if he had waved the sound out of his bow, the
+tones leaped forth from the instruments, and guided by his eye and hand,
+fell into a merry measure. The accuracy with which every instrument
+performed its part, was truly marvellous. He could not have struck the
+measure or the harmony more certainly from the keys of his own piano,
+than from that large band. The sounds struggled forth, so perfect and
+distinct, that one almost expected to see them embodied, whirling in
+wild dance around him. Sometimes the air was so exquisitely light and
+bounding, the feet could scarcely keep on the earth; then it sank into a
+mournful lament, with a sobbing tremulousness, and died away in a
+long-breathed sigh. Strauss seemed to feel the music in every limb. He
+would wave his fiddle-bow awhile, then commence playing with desperate
+energy, moving his whole body to the measure, till the sweat rolled from
+his brow. A book was lying on the stand before him, but he made no use
+of it. He often glanced around with a kind of half-triumphant smile at
+the restless crowd, whose feet could scarcely be restrained from
+bounding to the magic measure. It was the horn of Oberon realized. The
+composition of the music displayed great talent, but its charm consisted
+more in the exquisite combination of the different instruments, and the
+perfect, the wonderful exactness with which each performed its part--a
+piece of art of the most elaborate and refined character.
+
+The company, which consisted of several hundred, appeared to be full of
+enjoyment. They sat under the trees in the calm, cool twilight, with the
+stars twinkling above, and talked and laughed sociably together between
+the pauses of the music, or strolled up and down the lighted alleys. We
+walked up and down with them, and thought how much we should enjoy such
+a scene at home, where the faces around us would be those of friends,
+and the language our mother tongue!
+
+We went a long way through the suburbs one bright afternoon, to a little
+cemetery about a mile from the city, to find the grave of Beethoven. On
+ringing at the gate a girl admitted us into the grounds, in which are
+many monuments of noble families who have vaults there. I passed up the
+narrow walk, reading the inscriptions, till I came to the tomb of Franz
+Clement, a young composer, who died two or three years ago. On turning
+again, my eye fell instantly on the word "BEETHOVEN," in golden letters,
+on a tombstone of gray marble. A simple gilded lyre decorated the
+pedestal, above which was a serpent encircling a butterfly--the emblem
+of resurrection to eternal life. Here then, mouldered the remains of
+that restless spirit, who seemed to have strayed to earth from another
+clime, from such a height did he draw his glorious conceptions. The
+perfection he sought for here in vain, he has now attained in a world
+where the soul is freed from the bars which bind it in this. There were
+no flowers planted around the tomb by those who revered his genius; only
+one wreath, withered and dead, lay among the grass, as if left long ago
+by some solitary pilgrim, and a few wild buttercups hung with their
+bright blossoms over the slab. It might have been wrong, but I could not
+resist the temptation to steal one or two, while the old grave-digger
+was busy preparing a new tenement. I thought that other buds would open
+in a few days, but those I took would be treasured many a year as sacred
+relics. A few paces off is the grave of Schubert, the composer, whose
+beautiful songs are heard all over Germany.
+
+It would employ one a week to visit all the rich collections of art in
+Vienna. They are all open to the public on certain days of the week, and
+we have been kept constantly in motion, running from one part of the
+city to another, in order to arrive at some gallery at the appointed
+time. Tickets, which have to be procured often in quite different parts
+of the city, are necessary for admittance to many; on applying after
+much trouble and search, we frequently found we came at the wrong hour,
+and must leave without effecting our object. We employed no guide, but
+preferred finding every thing ourselves. We made a list every morning,
+of the collections open during the day, and employed the rest of the
+time in visiting the churches and public gardens, or rambling through
+the suburbs.
+
+We visited the Imperial Library a day or two ago. The hall is 245 feet
+long, with a magnificent dome in the centre, under which stands the
+statue of Charles V., of Carrara marble, surrounded by twelve other
+monarchs of the house of Hapsburg. The walls are of variegated marble,
+richly ornamented with gold, and the ceiling and dome are covered with
+brilliant fresco paintings. The library numbers 300,000 volumes, and
+16,000 manuscripts, which are kept in walnut cases, gilded and adorned
+with medallions. The rich and harmonious effect of the whole cannot
+easily be imagined. It is exceedingly appropriate that a hall of such
+splendor, should be used to hold a library. The pomp of a palace may
+seem hollow and vain, for it is but the dwelling of a man; but no
+building can be too magnificent for the hundreds of great and immortal
+spirits to dwell in, who have visited earth during thirty centuries.
+
+Among other curiosities preserved in the collection, we were shown a
+brass plate, containing one of the records of the Roman Senate, made 180
+years before Christ, Greek manuscripts of the fifth and sixth centuries,
+and a volume of Psalms, printed on parchment, in the year 1457, by Faust
+and Schaeffer, the inventors of printing. There were also Mexican
+manuscripts, presented by Cortez; the prayer-book of Hildegard, wife of
+Charlemagne, in letters of gold; the signature of San Carlo Borromeo,
+and a Greek testament of the thirteenth century, which had been used by
+Erasmus in making his translation and contains notes in his own hand.
+The most interesting article was the "Jerusalem Delivered" of Tasso, in
+the poet's own hand, with his erasions and corrections.
+
+We also visited the Cabinet of Natural History, which is open twice a
+week "to all _respectably dressed_ persons," as the notice at the door
+says. But Heaven forbid that I should attempt to describe what we saw
+there. The Mineral Cabinet had a greater interest to me, inasmuch as it
+called up the recollections of many a school-boy ramble over the hills
+and into all kinds of quarries, far and near. It is said to be the most
+perfect collection in existence. I was pleased to find many old
+acquaintances there, from the mines of Pennsylvania; Massachusetts and
+New York were also very well represented. I had no idea before, that the
+mineral wealth of Austria was so great. Besides the iron and lead mines
+among the hills of Styria and the quicksilver of Idria, there is no
+small amount of gold and silver found, and the Carpathian mountains are
+rich in jasper, opal and lapiz lazuli. The largest opal ever found, was
+in this collection. It weighs thirty-four ounces and looks like a
+condensed rainbow.
+
+In passing the palace, we saw several persons entering the basement
+story under the Library, and had the curiosity to follow them. By so
+doing, we saw the splendid equipages of the house of Austria. There must
+have been near a hundred carriages and sleds, of every shape and style,
+from the heavy, square vehicle of the last century to the most light and
+elegant conveyance of the present day. One clumsy, but magnificent
+machine, of crimson and gold, was pointed out as being a hundred and
+fifty years old. The misery we witnessed in starving Bohemia, formed a
+striking contrast to all this splendor.
+
+Beside the Imperial Picture Gallery, there are several belonging to
+princes and noblemen in Vienna, which are scarcely less valuable. The
+most important of these is that of Prince Liechtenstein, which we
+visited yesterday. We applied to the porter's lodge for admittance to
+the gallery, but he refused to open it for two persons; as we did not
+wish a long walk for nothing, we concluded to wait for other visitors.
+Presently a gentleman and lady came and inquired if the gallery was
+open. We told him it would probably be opened now, although the porter
+required a larger number, and he went to ask. After a short time he
+returned, saying: "He will come immediately; I thought best to put the
+number a little higher, and so I told him there were _six_ of us!"
+Having little artistic knowledge of paintings, I judge of them according
+to the effect they produce upon me--in proportion as they gratify the
+innate love for the beautiful and the true. I have been therefore
+disappointed in some painters whose names are widely known, and
+surprised again to find works of great beauty by others of smaller fame.
+Judging by such a standard, I should say that "Cupid sleeping in the
+lap of Venus," by Correggio, is the glory of this collection. The
+beautiful limbs of the boy-god droop in the repose of slumber, as his
+head rests on his mother's knee, and there is a smile lingering around
+his half-parted lips, as if he was dreaming new triumphs. The face is
+not that of the wicked, mischief-loving child, but rather a sweet
+cherub, bringing a blessing to all he visits. The figure of the goddess
+is exquisite. Her countenance, unearthly in its loveliness, expresses
+the tenderness of a young mother, as she sits with one finger pressed on
+her rosy lip, watching his slumber. It is a picture which "stings the
+brain with beauty."
+
+The chapel of St. Augustine contains one of the best works of
+Canova--the monument of the Grand Duchess, Maria Christina, of
+Sachsen-Teschen. It is a pyramid of gray marble, twenty-eight feet high,
+with an opening in the side, representing the entrance to a sepulchre. A
+female figure personating Virtue bears in an urn to the grave, the ashes
+of the departed, attended by two children with torches. The figure of
+Compassion follows, leading an aged beggar to the tomb of his
+benefactor, and a little child with its hands folded. On the lower step
+rests a mourning Genius beside a sleeping lion, and a bas-relief on the
+pyramid above represents an angel carrying Christina's image, surrounded
+with the emblem of eternity, to Heaven. A spirit of deep sorrow, which
+is touchingly portrayed in the countenance of the old man, pervades the
+whole group. While we looked at it, the organ breathed out a slow,
+mournful strain, which harmonized so fully with the expression of the
+figures, that we seemed to be listening to the requiem of the one they
+mourned. The combined effect of music and sculpture, thus united in
+their deep pathos, was such, that I could have sat down and wept. It was
+not from sadness at the death of a benevolent though unknown
+individual,--but the feeling of grief, of perfect, unmingled sorrow, so
+powerfully represented, came to the heart like an echo of its own
+emotion, and carried it away with irresistible influence. Travellers
+have described the same feeling while listening to the Miserere in the
+Sistine Chapel, at Rome. Canova could not have chiseled the monument
+without tears.
+
+One of the most interesting objects in Vienna, is the Imperial Armory.
+We were admitted through tickets previously procured from the Armory
+Direction; as there was already one large company within, we were told
+to wait in the court till our turn came. Around the wall on the inside,
+is suspended the enormous chain which the Turks stretched across the
+Danube at Buda, in the year 1529, to obstruct the navigation. It has
+eight thousand links and is nearly a mile in length. The court is filled
+with cannon of all shapes and sizes, many of which were conquered from
+other nations. I saw a great many which were cast during the French
+Revolution, with the words "_Liberte! Egalite!_" upon them, and a number
+of others bearing the simple letter "N."
+
+Finally the first company came down and the forty or fifty persons who
+had collected during the interval, were admitted. The Armory runs around
+a hollow square, and must be at least a quarter of a mile in length. We
+were all taken into a circular hall, made entirely of weapons, to
+represent the four quarters of the globe. Here the crusty old guide who
+admitted us, rapped with his stick on the shield of an old knight who
+stood near, to keep silence, and then addressed us: "When I speak every
+one must be silent. No one can write or draw anything. No one shall
+touch anything, or go to look at anything else, before I have done
+speaking. Otherwise, they shall be taken immediately into the street
+again!" Thus in every hall he rapped and scolded, driving the women to
+one side with his stick and the men to the other, till we were nearly
+through, when the thought of the coming fee made him a little more
+polite. He had a regular set of descriptions by heart, which he went
+through with a great flourish, pointing particularly to the common
+military caps of the late Emperors of Prussia and Austria, as "treasures
+beyond all price to the nation!" Whereupon, the crowd of common people
+gazed reverently on the shabby beavers, and I verily believe, would have
+devoutly kissed them, had the glass covering been removed. I happened to
+be next to a tall, dignified young man, who looked on all this with a
+displeasure almost amounting to contempt. Seeing I was a foreigner, he
+spoke, in a low tone, bitterly of the Austrian government. "You are not
+then an Austrian?" I asked. "No, thank God!" was the reply: "but I have
+seen enough of Austrian tyranny. I am a Pole!"
+
+The first wing contains banners used in the French Revolution, and
+liberty trees with the red cap; the armor of Rudolph of Hapsburg,
+Maximilian I., the Emperor Charles V., and the hat, sword and order of
+Marshal Schwarzenberg. Some of the halls represent a fortification, with
+walls, ditches and embankments, made of muskets and swords. A long room
+in the second wing contains an encampment, in which twelve or fifteen
+large tents are formed in like manner. Along the sides are grouped old
+Austrian banners, standards taken from the French, and horsetails and
+flags captured from the Turks. "They make a great boast," said the Pole,
+"of a half dozen French colors, but let them go to the Hospital des
+Invalides, in Paris, and they will find _hundreds_ of the best banners
+of Austria!" They also exhibited the armor of a dwarf king of Bohemia
+and Hungary, who died, a gray-headed old man, in his twentieth year; the
+sword of Marlborough; the coat of Gustavus Adolphus, pierced in the
+breast and back with the bullet which killed him at Lutzen; the armor of
+the old Bohemian princess Libussa, and that of the amazon Wlaska, with a
+steel visor made to fit the features of her face. The last wing was the
+most remarkable. Here we saw the helm and breastplate of Attila, king of
+the Huns, which once glanced at the head of his myriads of wild hordes,
+before the walls of Rome; the armor of Count Stahremberg, who commanded
+Vienna during the Turkish siege in 1529, and the holy banner of Mahomet,
+taken at that time from the Grand Vizier, together with the steel
+harness of John Sobieski of Poland, who rescued Vienna from the Turkish
+troops under Kara Mustapha; the hat, sword and breastplate of Godfrey of
+Bouillon, the Crusader-king of Jerusalem, with the banners of the cross
+the Crusaders had borne to Palestine, and the standard they captured
+from the Turks on the walls of the Holy City! I felt all my boyish
+enthusiasm for the romantic age of the Crusaders revive, as I looked on
+the torn and mouldering banners which once waved on the hills of Judea,
+or perhaps followed the sword of the Lion Heart through the fight on the
+field of Ascalon! What tales could they not tell, those old standards,
+cut and shivered by spear and lance! What brave hands have carried them
+through the storm of battle, what dying eyes have looked upwards to the
+cross on their folds, as the last prayer was breathed for the rescue of
+the Holy Sepulchre!
+
+I must now close the catalogue. This morning we shall look upon Vienna
+for the last time. Our knapsacks are repacked, and the passports
+(precious documents!) vised for Munich. The getting of this vise,
+however, caused a comical scene at the Police Office, yesterday. We
+entered the Inspector's Hall and took our stand quietly among the crowd
+of persons who were gathered around a railing which separated them from
+the main office. One of the clerks came up, scowling at us, and asked in
+a rough tone, "What do you want here?" We handed him our tickets of
+sojourn (for when a traveler spends more than twenty-four hours in a
+German city, he must take out a permission and pay for it) with the
+request that he would give us our passports. He glanced over the
+tickets, came back and with constrained politeness asked us to step
+within the railing. Here we were introduced to the Chief Inspector.
+"Desire Herr---- to come here," said he to a servant; then turning to
+us, "I am happy to see the gentlemen in Vienna." An officer immediately
+came up, who addressed us in fluent English. "You may speak in your
+native tongue," said the Inspector:--"excuse our neglect; from the
+facility with which you speak German, we supposed you were natives of
+Austria!" Our passports were signed at once and given us with a gracious
+bow, accompanied by the hope that we would visit Vienna again before
+long. All this, of course, was perfectly unintelligible to the wondering
+crowd outside the railing. Seeing however, the honors we were receiving,
+they crowded back and respectfully made room for us to pass out. I kept
+a grave face till we reached the bottom of the stairs, when I gave way
+to restrained laughter in a manner that shocked the dignity of the
+guard, who looked savagely at me over his forest of moustache. I would
+nevertheless have felt grateful for the attention we received as
+Americans, were it not for our uncourteous reception as suspected
+Austrians.
+
+We have just been exercising the risible muscles again, though from a
+very different cause, and one which, according to common custom, ought
+to draw forth symptoms of a lachrymose nature. This morning B----
+suggested an examination of our funds, for we had neglected keeping a
+strict account, and what with being cheated in Bohemia and tempted by
+the amusements of Vienna, there was an apparent dwindling away. So we
+emptied our pockets and purses, counted up the contents, and found we
+had just ten florins, or four dollars apiece. The thought of our
+situation, away in the heart of Austria, five hundred miles from our
+Frankfort home, seems irresistibly laughable. By allowing twenty days
+for the journey, we shall have half a florin a day, to travel on. This
+is a homoeopathic allowance, indeed, but we have concluded to try it. So
+now adieu, Vienna! In two hours we shall be among the hills again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+UP THE DANUBE.
+
+
+We passed out of Vienna in the face of one of the strongest winds it was
+ever my lot to encounter. It swept across the plain with such force that
+it was almost impossible to advance till we got under the lee of a range
+of hills. About two miles from the barrier we passed Schoenbrunn, the
+Austrian Versailles. It was built by the Empress Maria Theresa, and was
+the residence of Napoleon in 1809, when Vienna was in the hands of the
+French. Later, in 1832, the Duke of Reichstadt died in the same room
+which his father once occupied. Behind the palace is a magnificent
+garden, at the foot of a hill covered with rich forests and crowned with
+an open pillared hall, 300 feet long, called the _Gloriette_. The
+colossal eagle which surmounts it, can be seen a great distance.
+
+The lovely valley in which Schoenbrunn lies, follows the course of the
+little river Vienna into the heart of that mountain region lying between
+the Styrian Alps and the Danube, and called the Vienna Forest. Into this
+our road led, between hills covered with wood, with here and there a
+lovely green meadow, where herds of cattle were grazing. The third day
+we came to the Danube again at Melk, a little city built under the edge
+of a steep hill, on whose summit stands the palace-like abbey of the
+Benedictine Monks. The old friars must have had a merry life of it, for
+the wine-cellar of the abbey furnished the French army 50,000 measures
+for several days in succession. The shores of the Danube here are
+extremely beautiful. The valley where it spreads out, is filled with
+groves, but where the hills approach the stream, its banks are rocky and
+precipitous, like the Rhine. Although not so picturesque as the latter
+river, the scenery of the Danube is on a grander scale. On the south
+side the mountains bend down to it with a majestic sweep, and there
+must be delightful glances into the valleys that lie between, in passing
+down the current.
+
+But we soon left the river, and journeyed on through the enchanting
+inland vales. To give an idea of the glorious enjoyment of traveling
+through such scenes, let me copy a leaf out of my journal, written as we
+rested at noon on the top of a lofty hill:--"Here, while the delightful
+mountain breeze that comes fresh from the Alps cools my forehead, and
+the pines around are sighing their eternal anthem, I seize a few moments
+to tell what a paradise is around me. I have felt an elevation of mind
+and spirit, a perfect rapture from morning till night, since we left
+Vienna. It is the brightest and balmiest June weather; an ever fresh
+breeze sings through the trees and waves the ripening grain on the
+verdant meadows and hill-slopes. The air is filled with bird-music. The
+larks sing above us out of sight, the bullfinch wakes his notes in the
+grove, and at eve the nightingale pours forth her thrilling strain. The
+meadows are literally covered with flowers--beautiful purple salvias,
+pinks such as we have at home in our gardens and glowing buttercups,
+color the banks of every stream. I never saw richer or more luxuriant
+foliage. Magnificent forests clothe the hills, and the villages are
+imbedded in fruit trees, shrubbery and flowers. Sometimes we go for
+miles through some enchanting valley, lying like a paradise between the
+mountains, while the distant, white Alps look on it from afar; sometimes
+over swelling ranges of hills, where we can see to the right the valley
+of the Danube, threaded by his silver current and dotted with white
+cottages and glittering spires, and farther beyond, the blue mountains
+of the Bohemian Forest. To the left, the range of the Styrian Alps
+stretches along the sky, summit above summit, the farther ones robed in
+perpetual snow. I could never tire gazing on those glorious hills. They
+fill the soul with a conception of sublimity, such as one feels when
+listening to triumphal music. They seem like the marble domes of a
+mighty range of temples, where earth worships her Maker with an
+organ-anthem of storms!
+
+"There is a _luxury_ in traveling here. We walk all day through such
+scenes, resting often in the shade of the fruit trees which line the
+road, or on a mossy bank by the side of some cool forest. Sometimes for
+enjoyment as well as variety, we make our dining-place by a clear spring
+instead of within a smoky tavern; and our simple meals have a relish an
+epicure could never attain. Away with your railroads and steamboats and
+mail-coaches, or keep them for those who have no eye but for the sordid
+interests of life! With my knapsack and pilgrim-staff, I ask not their
+aid. If a mind and soul full of rapture with beauty, a frame in glowing
+and vigorous health, and slumbers unbroken even by dreams, are blessings
+any one would attain, let him pedestrianize it through Lower Austria!"
+
+I have never been so strongly and constantly reminded of America, as
+during this journey. Perhaps the balmy season, the same in which I last
+looked upon the dear scenes of home, may have its effect; but there is
+besides a richness in the forests and waving fields of grain, a wild
+luxuriance over every landscape, which I have seen nowhere else in
+Europe. The large farm houses, buried in orchards, scattered over the
+valleys, add to the effect. Everything seems to speak of happiness and
+prosperity.
+
+We were met one morning by a band of wandering Bohemian gipsies--the
+first of the kind I ever saw. A young woman with a small child in her
+arms came directly up to me, and looking full in my face with her wild
+black eyes, said, without any preface: "Yes, he too has met with sorrow
+and trouble already, and will still have more. But he is not false--he
+is true and sincere, and will also meet with good luck!" She said she
+could tell me three numbers with which I should buy a lottery ticket and
+win a great prize. I told her I would have nothing to do with the
+lottery, and would buy no ticket, but she persisted, saying: "Has he a
+twenty kreutzer piece?--will he give it? Lay it in his hand and make a
+cross over it, and I will reveal the numbers!" On my refusal, she became
+angry, and left me, saying: "Let him take care--the third day something
+will happen to him!" An old, wrinkled hag made the same proposition to
+my companion with no better success. They reminded me strikingly of our
+Indians; their complexion is a dark brown, and their eyes and hair are
+black as night. These belonged to a small tribe who wander through the
+forests of Bohemia, and support themselves by cheating and stealing.
+
+We stopped the fourth night at Enns, a small city on the river of the
+same name, which divides Upper from Lower Austria. After leaving the
+beautiful little village where we passed the night before, the road
+ascended one of those long ranges of hills, which stretch off from the
+Danube towards the Alps. We walked for miles over the broad and uneven
+summit, enjoying the enchanting view which opened on both sides. If we
+looked to the right, we could trace the windings of the Danube for
+twenty miles, his current filled with green, wooded islands; white
+cities lie at the foot of the hills, which, covered to the summit with
+grain fields and vineyards, extended back one behind another, till the
+farthest were lost in the distance. I was glad we had taken the way from
+Vienna to Linz by land, for from the heights we had a view of the whole
+course of the Danube, enjoying besides, the beauty of the inland vales
+and the far-off Styrian Alps. From the hills we passed over we could see
+the snowy range as far as the Alps of Salzburg--some of them seemed
+robed to the very base in their white mantles. In the morning the
+glaciers on their summit glittered like stars; it was the first time I
+saw the sun reflected at a hundred miles' distance!
+
+On descending we came into a garden-like plain, over which rose the
+towers of Enns, built by the ransom money paid to Austria for the
+deliverance of the Lion-hearted Richard. The country legends say that
+St. Florian was thrown into the river by the Romans in the third
+century, with a millstone around his neck, which, however, held him
+above the water like cork, until he had finished preaching them a
+sermon. In the villages we often saw his imago painted on the houses, in
+the act of pouring a pail of water on a burning building, with the
+inscription beneath--"Oh, holy Florian, pray for us!" This was supposed
+to be a charm against fire. In Upper Austria, it is customary to erect a
+shrine on the road, wherever an accident has happened, with a painting
+and description of it, and an admonition to all passers-by to pray for
+the soul of the unfortunate person. On one of them, for instance, was a
+cart with a wild ox, which a man was holding by the horns; a woman
+kneeling by the wheels appeared to be drawing a little girl by the feet
+from under it, and the inscription stated: "By calling on Jesus, Mary
+and Joseph, the girl was happily rescued." Many of the shrines had
+images which the people no doubt, in their ignorance and simplicity,
+considered holy, but they were to us impious and almost blasphemous.
+
+From Enns a morning's walk brought us to Linz. The peasant girls in
+their broad straw hats were weeding the young wheat, looking as cheerful
+and contented as the larks that sung above them. A mile or two from Linz
+we passed one or two of the round towers belonging to the new
+fortifications of the city. As walls have grown out of fashion, Duke
+Maximilian substituted an invention of his own. The city is surrounded
+by thirty two towers, one to three miles distant from it, and so placed
+that they form a complete line of communication and defence. They are
+sunk in the earth, surrounded with a ditch and embankments, and each is
+capable of containing ten cannon and three hundred men. The pointed
+roofs of these towers are seen on all the hills around. We were obliged
+to give up our passports at the barrier, the officer telling us to call
+for them in three hours at the City Police Office; we spent the
+intervening time very agreeably in rambling through this gay,
+cheerful-looking town. With its gilded spires and ornamented houses,
+with their green lattice blinds, it reminds one strongly of Italy, or at
+least, of what Italy is said to be. It has now quite an active and
+business-like aspect, occasioned by the steamboat and railroad lines
+which connect it with Vienna, Prague, Ratisbon and Salzburg. Although we
+had not exceeded our daily allowance by more than a few kreutzers, we
+found that twenty days would be hardly sufficient to accomplish the
+journey, and our funds must therefore be replenished. Accordingly I
+wrote from Linz to Frankfort, directing a small sum to be forwarded to
+Munich, which city we hoped to reach in eight days.
+
+We took the horse cars at Linz for Lambach, seventeen miles on the way
+towards Gmunden. The mountains were covered with clouds as we approached
+them, and the storms they had been brewing for two or three days began
+to march down on the plain. They had nearly reached us, when we crossed
+the Traun and arrived at Lambach, a small city built upon a hill. We
+left the next day at noon, and on ascending the hill after crossing the
+Traun, had an opportunity of seeing the portrait on the Traunstein, of
+which the old landlord told us. I saw it at the first glance--certainly
+it is a most remarkable freak of nature. The rough back of the mountain
+forms the exact profile of the human countenance, as if regularly hewn
+out of the rock. What is still more singular, it is said to be a correct
+portrait of the unfortunate Louis XVI. The landlord said it was
+immediately recognized by all Frenchmen. The road followed the course of
+the Traun, whose green waters roared at the bottom of the glen below us;
+we walked for several miles through a fine forest, through whose
+openings we caught glimpses of the mountains we longed to reach.
+
+The river roared at last somewhat louder, and on looking down the bank,
+I saw rocks and rapids, and a few houses built on the edge of the
+stream. Thinking it must be near the fall, we went down the path, and
+lo! on crossing a little wooden bridge, the whole affair burst in sight!
+Judge of our surprise at finding a fall of fifteen feet, after we had
+been led to expect a tremendous leap of forty or fifty, with all the
+accompaniment of rocks and precipices. Of course the whole descent of
+the river at the place was much greater, and there were some romantic
+cascades over the rocks which blocked its course. Its greatest beauty
+consisted in the color of the water--the brilliant green of the waves
+being broken into foam of the most dazzling white--and the great force
+with which it is thrown below.
+
+The Traunstein grew higher as we approached, presenting the same profile
+till we had nearly reached Gmunden. From the green upland meadows above
+the town, the view of the mountain range was glorious, and I could
+easily conceive the effect of the Unknown Student's appeal to the people
+to fight for those free hills. I think it is Howitt who relates the
+incident--one of the most romantic in German history. Count Pappenheim
+led his forces here in the year 1626, to suppress a revolution of the
+people of the whole Salzburg region, who had risen against an invasion
+of their rights by the Austrian government. The battle which took place
+on these meadows was about being decided in favor of the oppressors,
+when a young man, clad as a student, suddenly appeared and addressed the
+people, pointing to the Alps above them and the sweet lake below, and
+asking if that land should not be free. The effect was electrical; they
+returned to the charge and drove back the troops of Pappenheim, who were
+about taking to flight, when the unknown leader fell, mortally wounded.
+This struck a sudden panic through his followers, and the Austrians
+turning again, gained a complete victory. But the name of the brave
+student is unknown, his deed unsung by his country's bards, and almost
+forgotten.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE UNKNOWN STUDENT.
+
+
+    Ha! spears on Gmunden's meadows green,
+      And banners on the wood-crowned height!
+    Rank after rank, their helmets' sheen
+      Sends back the morning light!
+    Where late the mountain maiden sang,
+    The battle-trumpet's brazen clang
+      Vibrates along the air;
+    And wild dragoons wheel o'er the plain.
+    Trampling to earth the yellow grain,
+    From which no more the merry swain
+      His harvest sheaves shall bear.
+
+    The eagle, in his sweep at morn,
+      To meet the monarch-sun on high,
+    Heard the unwonted warrior's horn
+      Peal faintly up the sky!
+    He saw the foemen, moving slow
+    In serried legions, far below,
+      Against that peasant-band,
+    Who dared to break the tyrant's thrall
+    And by the sword of Austria fall,
+    Or keep the ancient Right of all,
+      Held by their mountain-land;
+
+    They came to meet that mail-clad host
+      From glen and wood and ripening field;
+    A brave, stout arm, each man could boast--
+      A soul, unused to yield!
+    They met: a shout, prolonged and loud,
+    Went hovering upward with the cloud
+      That closed around them dun;
+    Blade upon blade unceasing clashed,
+    Spears in the onset shivering crashed,
+    And the red glare of cannon flashed
+      Athwart the smoky sun!
+
+    The mountain warriors wavered back,
+      Borne down by myriads of the foe,
+    Like pines before the torrent's track
+      When spring has warmed the snow.
+    Shall Faith and Freedom vainly call,
+    And Gmunden's warrior-herdsmen fall
+      On the red field in vain?
+    No! from the throng that back retired,
+    A student boy sprang forth inspired,
+    And while his words their bosoms fired,
+      Led on the charge again!
+
+    "And thus your free arms would ye give
+      So tamely to a tyrant's band,
+    And with the hearts of vassals live
+      In this, your chainless land?
+    The emerald lake is spread below,
+    And tower above, the hills of snow--
+      Here, field and forest lie;
+    This land, so glorious and so free--
+    Say, shall it crushed and trodden be?
+    Say, would ye rather bend the knee
+      Than for its freedom die?
+
+    "Look! yonder stand in mid-day's glare
+      The everlasting Alps of snow,
+    And from their peaks a purer air
+      Breathes o'er the vales below!
+    The Traun his brow is bent in pride--
+    He brooks no craven on his side--
+      Would ye be fettered then?
+    There lifts the Sonnenstein his head,
+    There chafes the Traun his rocky bed
+    And Aurach's lovely vale is spread--
+      Look on them and be men!
+
+    "Let, like a trumpet's sound of fire,
+      _These_ stir your souls to manhood's part--
+    The glory of the Alps inspire
+      Each yet unconquered heart!
+    For, through their unpolluted air
+    Soars fresher up the grateful prayer
+      From freemen, unto God;--
+    A blessing on those mountains old!
+    On to the combat, brethren bold!
+    Strike, that ye free the valleys hold,
+      Where free your fathers trod!"
+
+    And like a mighty storm that tears
+      The icy avalanche from its bed,
+    They rushed against th' opposing spears--
+      The student at their head!
+    The bands of Austria fought in vain;
+    A bloodier harvest heaped the plain
+      At every charge they made;
+    Each herdsman was a hero then--
+    The mountain hunters stood like men,
+    And echoed from the farthest glen
+      The clash of blade on blade!
+
+    The banner in the student's hand
+      Waved triumph from the fight before;
+    What terror seized the conq'ring band?--
+      It fell, to rise no more!
+    And with it died the lofty flame,
+    That from his lips in lightning came
+      And burned upon their own;
+    Dread Pappenheim led back the foe,
+    The mountain peasants yielded slow,
+    And plain above and lake below
+      Were red when evening shone!
+
+    Now many a year has passed away
+      Since battle's blast rolled o'er the plain,
+    The Alps are bright in morning's ray--
+      The Traunstein smiles again.
+    But underneath the flowery sod,
+    By happy peasant children trod,
+      A hero's ashes lay.
+    O'er him no grateful nation wept,
+    Fame, of his deed no record kept,
+    And dull Forgetfulness hath swept
+      His very name away!
+
+    In many a grave, by poets sung,
+      There falls to dust a lofty brow,
+    But he alone, the brave and young,
+      Sleeps there forgotten now.
+    The Alps upon that field look down,
+    Which won his bright and brief renown,
+       Beside the lake's green shore;
+    Still wears the land a tyrant's chain--
+    Still bondmen tread the battle-plain,
+    Culled by his glorious soul in vain
+      To win their rights of yore.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+THE AUSTRIAN ALPS.
+
+
+It was nearly dark when we came to the end of the plain and looked on
+the city at our feet and the lovely lake that lost itself in the
+mountains before us. We were early on board the steamboat next morning,
+with a cloudless sky above us and a snow-crested Alp beckoning on from
+the end of the lake. The water was of the most beautiful green hue, the
+morning light colored the peaks around with purple, and a misty veil
+rolled up the rocks of the Traunstein. We stood on the prow and enjoyed
+to the fullest extent the enchanting scenery. The white houses of
+Gmunden sank down to the water's edge like a flock of ducks; halfway we
+passed castle Ort, on a rock in the lake, whose summit is covered with
+trees.
+
+As we neared the other extremity, the mountains became steeper and
+loftier; there was no path along their wild sides, nor even a fisher's
+hut nestled at their feet, and the snow filled the ravines more than
+half-way from the summit. An hour and a quarter brought us to Ebensee,
+at the head of the lake, where we landed and plodded on towards Ischl,
+following the Traun up a narrow valley, whose mountain walls shut out
+more than half the sky. They are covered with forests, and the country
+is inhabited entirely by the woodmen who fell the mountain pines and
+float the timber rafts down to the Danube. The steeps are marked with
+white lines, where the trees have been rolled, or rather _thrown_ from
+the summit. Often they descend several miles over rooks and precipices,
+where the least deviation from the track would dash them in a thousand
+pieces. This generally takes place in the winter when the sides are
+covered with snow and ice. It must be a dangerous business, for there
+are many crosses by the way-side where the pictures represent persons
+accidentally killed by the trees; an additional painting represents
+them as burning in the flames of purgatory, and the pious traveler is
+requested to pray an Ave or a Paternoster for the repose of their souls.
+
+On we went, up the valley of the Traun, between mountains five and six
+thousand feet high, through scenes constantly changing and constantly
+grand, for three or four hours. Finally the hills opened, disclosing a
+little triangular valley, whose base was formed by a mighty mountain
+covered with clouds. Through the two side angles came the Traun and his
+tributary the Ischl, while the little town of Ischl lay in the centre.
+Within a few years this has become a very fashionable bathing place, and
+the influx of rich visitors, which in the summer sometimes amounts to
+two thousand, has entirely destroyed the primitive simplicity the
+inhabitants originally possessed. From Ischl we took a road through the
+forests to St. Wolfgang, on the lake of the same name. The last part of
+the way led along the banks of the lake, disclosing some delicious
+views. These Alpine lakes surpass any scenery I have yet seen. The water
+is of the most beautiful green, like a sheet of molten beryl, and the
+cloud-piercing mountains that encompass them shut out the sun for nearly
+half the day. St. Wolfgang is a lovely village in a cool and quiet nook
+at the foot of the Schafberg. The houses tire built in the picturesque
+Swiss style, with flat, projecting roofs and ornamented balconies, and
+the people are the very picture of neatness and cheerfulness.
+
+We started next morning to ascend the Schafberg, which is called the
+Righi of the Austrian Switzerland. It is somewhat higher than its Swiss
+namesake, and commands a prospect scarcely less extensive or grand. We
+followed a footpath through the thick forest by the side of a roaring
+torrent. The morning mist still covered the lake, but the white summits
+of the Salzburg and Noric Alps opposite us, rose above it and stood pure
+and bright in the upper air. We passed a little mill and one or two
+cottages, and then wound round one of the lesser heights into a deep
+ravine, down in whose dark shadow we sometimes heard the axe and saw of
+the mountain woodmen. Finally the path disappeared altogether under a
+mass of logs and rocks, which appeared to have been whirled together by
+a sudden flood. We deliberated what to do; the summit rose several
+thousand feet above us, almost precipitously steep, but we did not like
+to turn back, and there was still a hope of meeting with the path again.
+Clambering over the ruins and rubbish we pulled ourselves by the limbs
+of trees up a steep ascent and descended again to the stream. We here
+saw the ravine was closed by a wall of rock and our only chance was to
+cross to the west side of the mountain, where the ascent seemed somewhat
+easier. A couple of mountain maidens whom we fortunately met, carrying
+home grass for their goats, told us the mountain could be ascended on
+that side, by one who could climb _well_--laying a strong emphasis on
+the word. The very doubt implied in this expression was enough to decide
+us; so we began the work. And work it was, too! The side was very steep,
+the trees all leaned downwards, and we slipped at every step on the dry
+leaves and grass. After making a short distance this way with the
+greatest labor, we came to the track of an avalanche, which had swept
+away the trees and earth. Here the rock had been worn rough by torrents,
+but by using both hands and feet, we clomb directly up the side of the
+mountain, sometimes dragging ourselves up by the branches of trees where
+the rocks were smooth. After half an hour of such work we came above the
+forests, on the bare side of the mountain. The summit was far above us
+and so steep that our limbs involuntarily shrunk from the task of
+climbing. The side ran up at an angle of nearly sixty degrees, and the
+least slip threw us flat on our faces. We had to use both hand and foot,
+and were obliged to rest every few minutes to recover breath.
+Crimson-flowered moss and bright blue gentians covered the rocks, and I
+filled my books with blossoms for friends at home.
+
+Up and up, for what seemed an age, we clambered. So steep was it, that
+the least rocky projection hid my friend from sight, as he was coming up
+below me. I let stones roll sometimes, which went down, down, almost
+like a cannonball, till I could see them no more. At length we reached
+the region of dwarf pines, which was even more difficult to pass
+through. Although the mountain was not so steep, this forest, centuries
+old, reached no higher than our breasts, and the trees leaned downwards,
+so that we were obliged to take hold of the tops of those above us, and
+drag ourselves up through the others. Here and there lay large patches
+of snow; we sat down in the glowing June sun, and bathed our hands and
+faces in it. Finally the sky became bluer and broader, the clouds seemed
+nearer, and a few more steps through the bushes brought us to the summit
+of the mountain, on the edge of a precipice a thousand feet deep, whose
+bottom stood in a vast field of snow!
+
+We lay down on the heather, exhausted by five hours' incessant toil, and
+drank in like a refreshing draught, the sublimity of the scene, The
+green lakes of the Salzburg Alps lay far below us, and the whole
+southern horizon was filled with the mighty range of the Styrian and
+Noric Alps, their summits of never-melting snow mingling and blending
+with the clouds. On the other side the mountains of Salzburg lifted
+their ridgy backs from the plains of Bavaria and the Chiem lake lay
+spread out in the blue distance. A line of mist far to the north
+betrayed the path of the Danube, and beyond it we could barely trace the
+outline of the Bohemian mountains. With a glass the spires of Munich,
+one hundred and twenty miles distant, can be seen. It was a view whose
+grandeur I can never forget. In that dome of the cloud we seemed to
+breathe a purer air than that of earth.
+
+After an hour or two, we began to think of descending, as the path was
+yet to be found. The summit, which was a mile or more in length,
+extended farther westward, and by climbing over the dwarf pines for some
+time, we saw a little wooden house above us. It stood near the highest
+part of the peak, and two or three men were engaged in repairing it, as
+a shelter for travelers. They pointed out the path which went down on
+the side toward St. Gilgen, and we began descending. The mountain on
+this side is much less steep, but the descent is fatiguing enough. The
+path led along the side of a glen where mountain goats were grazing, and
+further down we saw cattle feeding on the little spots of verdure which
+lay in the forest. My knees became so weak from this continued descent,
+that they would scarcely support me; but we were three hours, partly
+walking and partly running down, before we reached the bottom. Half an
+hour's walk around the head of the St. Wolfgang See, brought us to the
+little village of St. Gilgen.
+
+The valley of St. Gilgen lies like a little paradise between the
+mountains. Lovely green fields and woods slope gradually from the
+mountain behind, to the still greener lake spread out before it, in
+whose bosom the white Alps are mirrored. Its picturesque cottages
+cluster around the neat church with its lofty spire, and the simple
+inhabitants have countenances as bright and cheerful as the blue sky
+above them. We breathed an air of poetry. The Arcadian simplicity of the
+people, the pastoral beauty of the fields around and the grandeur of the
+mountains which shut it out from the world, realized my ideas of a
+dwelling place, where, with a few kindred spirits, the bliss of Eden
+might almost be restored.
+
+We stopped there two or three hours to relieve our hunger and fatigue.
+My boots had suffered severely in our mountain adventure, and I called
+at a shoemaker's cottage to get them repaired. I sat down and talked for
+half an hour with the family. The man and his wife spoke of the
+delightful scenery around them, and expressed themselves with
+correctness and even elegance. They were much pleased that I admired
+their village so greatly, and related every thing which they supposed
+could interest me. As I rose to go, my head nearly touched the ceiling,
+which was very low. The man exclaimed: "Ach Gott! how tall!" I told him
+the people were all tall in our country; he then asked where I came
+from, and I had no sooner said America, than he threw up his hands and
+uttered an ejaculation of the greatest surprise. His wife observed that
+"it was wonderful how far man was permitted to travel." They wished me a
+prosperous journey and a safe return home.
+
+St. Gilgen was also interesting to me from that beautiful chapter in
+"Hyperion"--"Footsteps of Angels,"--and on passing the church on my way
+back to the inn, I entered the graveyard mentioned in it. The green turf
+grows thickly over the rows of mounds, with here and there a rose
+planted by the hand of affection, and the white crosses were hung with
+wreaths, some of which had been freshly laid on. Behind the church,
+under the shade of a tree, stood a small chapel,--I opened the
+unfastened door, and entered. The afternoon sun shone through the side
+window, and all was still around. A little shrine, adorned with flowers,
+stood at the other end, and there were two tablets on the wall, to
+persons who slumbered beneath, I approached these and read on one of
+them with feelings not easily described: "Look not mournfully into the
+past--it comes not again; wisely improve the present--it is thine; and
+go forward to meet the shadowy future, without fear, and with a manly
+heart!" This then was the spot where Paul Flemming came in loneliness
+and sorrow to muse over what he had lost, and these were the words whose
+truth and eloquence strengthened and consoled him, "as if the unknown
+tenant of the grave had opened his lips of dust and spoken those words
+of consolation his soul needed." I sat down and mused a long time, for
+there was something in the silent holiness of the spot, that impressed
+me more than I could well describe.
+
+We reached a little village on the Fuschel See, the same evening, and
+set off the next morning for Salzburg. The day was hot and we walked
+slowly, so that it was not till two o'clock that we saw the castellated
+rocks on the side of the Gaissberg, guarding the entrance to the valley
+of Salzburg. A short distance further, the whole glorious panorama was
+spread out below us. From the height on which we stood, we looked
+directly on the summit of the Capuchin Mountain, which hid part of the
+city from sight; the double peak of the Staufen rose opposite, and a
+heavy storm was raging along the Alpine heights around it, while the
+lovely valley lay in sunshine below, threaded by the bright current of
+the Salza. As we descended and passed around the foot of the hill, the
+Untersberg came in sight, whose broad summits lift themselves seven
+thousand feet above the plain. The legend says that Charlemagne and his
+warriors sit in its subterraneous caverns in complete armor, and that
+they will arise and come forth again, when Germany recovers her former
+power and glory.
+
+I wish I could convey in words some idea of the elevation of spirit
+experienced while looking on these eternal mountains. They fill the soul
+with a sensation of power and grandeur which frees it awhile from the
+cramps and fetters of common life. It rises and expands to the level of
+their sublimity, till its thoughts stand solemnly aloft, like their
+summits, piercing the free heaven. Their dazzling and imperishable
+beauty is to the mind an image of its own enduring existence. When I
+stand upon some snowy summit--the invisible apex of that mighty
+pyramid--there seems a majesty in my weak will which might defy the
+elements. This sense of power, inspired by a silent sympathy with the
+forms of nature, is beautifully described--as shown in the free,
+unconscious instincts of childhood--by the poet Uhland, in his ballad of
+the "Mountain Boy." I have attempted a translation.
+
+    THE MOUNTAIN BOY.
+
+    A herd-boy on the mountain's brow,
+    I see the castles all below.
+    The sunbeam here is earliest cast
+    And by my side it lingers last--
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    The mother-house of streams is here--
+    I drink them in their cradles clear;
+    From out the rock they foam below,
+    I spring to catch them as they go!
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    To me belongs the mountain's bound,
+    Where gathering tempests march around;
+    But though from north and south they shout,
+    Above them still my song rings out--
+       "I am the boy of the mountain!"
+
+    Below me clouds and thunders move;
+    I stand amid the blue above.
+    I shout to them with fearless breast:
+    "Go, leave my father's house in rest!"
+       I am the boy of the mountain!
+
+    And when the loud bell shakes the spires
+    And flame aloft the signal-fires,
+    I go below and join the throng
+    And swing my sword and sing my song:
+       "I am the boy of the mountain!"
+
+Salzburg lies on both sides of the Salza, hemmed in on either hand by
+precipitous mountains. A large fortress overlooks it on the south, from
+the summit of a perpendicular rock, against which the houses in that
+part of the city arc built. The streets are narrow and crooked, but the
+newer part contains many open squares, adorned with handsome fountains.
+The variety of costume among the people, is very interesting. The
+inhabitants of the salt district have a peculiar dress; the women wear
+round fur caps, with little wings of gauze at the side. I saw other
+women with headdresses of gold or silver filagree, something in shape
+like a Roman helmet, with a projection at the back of the head, a foot
+long. The most interesting objects in Salzburg to us, were the house of
+Mozart, in which the composer was born, and the monument lately erected
+to him. The St. Peter's Church, near by, contains the tomb of Haydn, the
+great composer, and the Church of St. Sebastian, that of the renowned
+Paracelsus, who was also a native of Salzburg.
+
+Two or three hours sufficed to see every thing of interest in the city.
+We had intended lo go further through the Alps, to the beautiful vales
+of the Tyrol, but our time was getting short, our boots, which are the
+pedestrian's _sole_ dependence, began to show symptoms of wearing out,
+and our expenses among the lakes and mountains of Upper Austria, left us
+but two florins apiece, so we reluctantly turned our backs upon the
+snowy hills and set out for Munich, ninety miles distant. After passing
+the night at Saalbruck, on the banks of the stream which separates the
+two kingdoms, we entered Bavaria next morning. I could not help feeling
+glad to leave Austria, although within her bounds I had passed scones
+whose beauty will long haunt me, and met with many honest friendly
+hearts among her people. We noticed a change as soon as we had crossed
+the border. The roads were neater and handsomer, and the country people
+greeted us in going by, with a friendly cheerfulness that made us feel
+half at home. The houses are built in the picturesque Swiss fashion,
+their balconies often ornamented with curious figures, carved in wood.
+Many of them, where they are situated remote from a church, have a
+little bell on the roof which they ring for morning and evening prayers;
+we often heard these simple monitors sounding from the cottages as we
+passed by.
+
+The next night we stopped at the little village of Stein, famous in
+former times for its robber-knight, Hans von Stein. The ruins of his
+castle stand on the rock above, and the caverns hewn in the sides of the
+precipice, where he used to confine his prisoners, are still visible.
+Walking on through a pleasant, well-cultivated country, we came to
+Wasserburg, on the Inn. The situation of the city is peculiar. The Inn
+has gradually worn his channel deeper in the sandy soil, so that he now
+flows at the bottom of a glen, a hundred feet below the plains around.
+Wasserburg lies in a basin, formed by the change of the current, which
+flows around it like a horseshoe, leaving only a narrow neck of land
+which connects it with the country above.
+
+We left the little village where we were quartered for the night and
+took a foot path which led across the country to the field of
+Hohenlinden, about six miles distant. The name had been familiar to me
+from childhood, and my love for Campbell, with the recollection of the
+school-exhibitions where "On Linden when the sun was low" had been so
+often declaimed, induced me to make the excursion to it. We traversed a
+large forest, belonging to the King of Bavaria, and came out on a plain
+covered with grain fields and bounded on the right by a semi-circle of
+low hills. Over the fields, about two miles distant, a tall,
+minaret-like spire rose from a small cluster of houses, and this was
+Hohenlinden! To tell the truth, I had been expecting something more. The
+"hills of blood-stained snow" are very small hills indeed, and the
+"Isar, rolling rapidly," is several miles off; it was the spot, however,
+and we recited Campbell's poem, of course, and brought away a few wild
+flowers as memorials. There is no monument or any other token of the
+battle, and the people seem to endeavor to forget the scene of Moreau's
+victory and their defeat.
+
+From a hill twelve miles off we had our first view of the spires of
+Munich, looking like distant ships over the sea-like plain. They kept in
+sight till we arrived at eight o'clock in the evening, after a walk of
+more than thirty miles. We crossed the rapid Isar on three bridges,
+entered the magnificent Isar Gate, and were soon comfortably quartered
+in the heart of Munich.
+
+Entering the city without knowing a single soul within it, we made
+within a few minutes an agreeable acquaintance. After we passed the
+Isar Gate, we began looking for a decent inn, for the day's walk was
+very fatiguing. Presently a young man, who had been watching us for some
+time, came up and said, if we would allow him, he would conduct us to a
+good lodging-place. Finding we were strangers, he expressed the greatest
+regret that he had not time to go with us every day around the city. Our
+surprise and delight at the splendor of Munich, he said, would more than
+repay him for the trouble. In his anxiety to show us something, he took
+us some distance out of the way, (although it was growing dark and we
+were very tired,) to see the Palace and the Theatre, with its front of
+rich frescoes.
+
+END OF PART I.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+        VIEWS A-FOOT; OR EUROPE SEEN WITH KNAPSACK AND STAFF.
+
+                         BY J. BAYARD TAYLOR.
+
+                    WITH A PREFACE BY N.P. WILLIS.
+
+
+
+                 "Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way,
+                    And merrily hent the stile-a;
+                   A merry heart goes all the day,
+                     Your sad tires in a mile-a."
+
+                                      _Winter's Tale._
+
+
+
+                            IN TWO PARTS.
+
+                               PART II.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+MUNICH.
+
+
+_June 14._--I thought I had seen every thing in Vienna that could excite
+admiration or gratify fancy; here I have my former sensations to live
+over again, in an augmented degree. It is well I was at first somewhat
+prepared by our previous travel, otherwise the glare and splendor of
+wealth and art in this German Athens might blind me to the beauties of
+the cities we shall yet visit. I have been walking in a dream where the
+fairy tales of boyhood were realized, and the golden and jeweled halls
+of the Eastern genii rose glittering around me--"a vision of the brain
+no more." All I had conceived of oriental magnificence, all descriptions
+of the splendor of kingly halls and palaces, fall far short of what I
+here see. Where shall I begin to describe the crowd of splendid edifices
+that line its streets, or how give an idea of the profusion of paintings
+and statues--of marble, jasper and gold?
+
+Art has done every thing for Munich. It lies on a large, flat plain,
+sixteen hundred feet above the sea, and continually exposed to the cold
+winds from the Alps. At the beginning of the present century it was but
+a third-rate city, and was rarely visited by foreigners. Since that time
+its population and limits have been doubled, and magnificent edifices in
+every style of architecture erected, rendering it scarcely secondary in
+this respect to any capital in Europe. Every art that wealth or taste
+could devise, seems to have been spent in its decoration. Broad,
+spacious streets and squares have been laid out, churches, halls and
+colleges erected, and schools of painting and sculpture established,
+which draw artists from all parts of the world. All this was principally
+brought about by the taste of the present king, Ludwig I., who began
+twenty or thirty years ago, when he was Crown Prince, to collect the
+best German artists around him and form plans for the execution of his
+grand design. He can boast of having done more for the arts than any
+other living monarch, and if he had accomplished it all without
+oppressing his people, he would deserve an immortality of fame.
+
+Now, if you have nothing else to do, let us take a stroll down the
+Ludwigstrasse. As we pass the Theatiner Church, with its dome and
+towers, the broad street opens before us, stretching away to the north,
+between rows of magnificent buildings. Just at this southern end, is the
+_Schlusshalle_, an open temple of white marble terminating the avenue.
+To the right of us extend the arcades, with the trees of the Royal
+Garden peeping above them; on the left is the spacious concert building
+of the Odeon, and the palace of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, son of Eugene
+Beauharnois. Passing through a row of palace-like private buildings, we
+come to the Army Department, on the right--a neat and tasteful building
+of white sandstone. Beside it stands the Library, which possesses the
+first special claim on our admiration. With its splendid front of five
+hundred and eighteen feet, the yellowish brown cement with which the
+body is covered, making an agreeable contrast with the dark red
+window-arches and cornices, and the statues of Homer, Hippocrates,
+Thucydides and Aristotle guarding the portal, is it not a worthy
+receptacle for the treasures of ancient and modern lore which its halls
+contain?
+
+Nearly opposite stands the Institute for the Blind, a plain but large
+building of dark red brick, covered with cement, and further, the
+Ludwig's Kirche, or Church of St. Louis. How lightly the two square
+towers of gray marble lift their network of sculpture! And what a novel
+and beautiful effect is produced by uniting the Byzantine style of
+architecture to the form of the Latin cross! Over the arched portal
+stand marble statues by Schwanthaler, and the roof of brilliant tiles
+worked into mosaic, looks like a rich Turkey carpet covering the whole.
+We must enter to get an idea of the splendor of this church. Instead of
+the pointed arch which one would expect to see meeting above his head,
+the lofty pillars on each side bear an unbroken semicircular vault,
+which is painted a brilliant blue, and spangled with silver stars. These
+pillars, and the little arches above, which spring from them, are
+painted in an arabesque style with gold and brilliant colors, and each
+side-chapel is a perfect casket of richness and elegance. The windows
+are of silvered glass, through which the light glimmers softly on the
+splendor within. The whole end of the church behind the high altar, is
+taken up with Cornelius's celebrated fresco painting of the "Last
+Judgment,"--the largest painting in the world--and the circular dome in
+the centre of the cross contains groups of martyrs, prophets, saints and
+kings, painted in fresco on a ground of gold. The work of Cornelius has
+been greatly praised for sublimity of design and beauty of execution, by
+many acknowledged judges; I was disappointed in it, but the fault lay
+most probably in me and not in the painting. The richness and elegance
+of the church took me all "aback;" it was so entirely different from
+anything I had seen, that it was difficult to decide whether I was most
+charmed by its novelty or its beauty. Still, as a building designed to
+excite feelings of worship, it seems to me inappropriate. A vast, dim
+Cathedral would be far preferable; the devout, humble heart cannot feel
+at home amid such glare and brightness.
+
+As we leave the church and walk further on, the street expands suddenly
+into a broad square. One side is formed by the new University building
+and the other by the Royal Seminary, both displaying in their
+architecture new forms of the graceful Byzantine school, which the
+architects of Munich have adapted in a striking manner to so many varied
+purposes. On each side stands a splendid colossal fountain of bronze,
+throwing up a great mass of water, which falls in a triple cataract to
+the marble basin below. A short distance beyond this square the
+Ludwigstrasse terminates. It is said the end will be closed by a
+magnificent gate, on a style to correspond with the unequalled avenue to
+which it will give entrance. To one standing at the southern end, it
+would form a proper termination to the grand vista. Before we leave,
+turn around and glance back, down this street, which extends for half a
+mile between such buildings as we have just viewed, and tell me if it is
+not something of which a city and a king may boast, to have created all
+this within less than twenty years!
+
+We went one morning to see the collection of paintings formerly
+belonging to Eugene Beauharnois, who was brother-in-law to the present
+king of Bavaria, in the palace of his son, the Duke of Leuchtenberg. The
+first hall contains works principally by French artists, among which are
+two by Gerard--a beautiful portrait of Josephine, and the blind
+Belisarius carrying his dead companion. The boy's head lies on the old
+man's shoulder; but for the livid paleness of his limbs, he would seem
+to be only asleep, while a deep and settled sorrow marks the venerable
+features of the unfortunate Emperor. In the middle of the room are six
+pieces of statuary, among which Canova's world-renowned group of the
+Graces at once attracts the eye. There is also a kneeling Magdalen,
+lovely in her woe, by the same sculptor, and a very touching work of
+Schadow, representing a shepherd boy tenderly binding his sash around a
+lamb which he has accidentally wounded with his arrow.
+
+We have since seen in the St. Michael's Church, the monument to Eugene
+Beauharnois, from the chisel of Thorwaldsen. The noble, manly figure of
+the son of Josephine is represented in the Roman mantle, with his helmet
+and sword lying on the ground by him. On one side sits History, writing
+on a tablet; on the other, stand the two brother-angels, Death and
+Immortality. They lean lovingly together, with arms around each other,
+but the sweet countenance of Death has a cast of sorrow, as he stands
+with inverted torch and a wreath of poppies among his clustering locks.
+Immortality, crowned with never-fading flowers, looks upwards with a
+smile of triumph, and holds in one hand his blazing torch. It is a
+beautiful idea, and Thorwaldsen has made the marble eloquent with
+feeling.
+
+The inside of the square formed by the Arcades and the New Residence, is
+filled with noble old trees, which in summer make a leafy roof over the
+pleasant walks. In the middle, stands a grotto, ornamented with rough
+pebbles and shells, and only needing a fountain to make it a perfect
+hall of Neptune. Passing through the northern Arcade, one comes into the
+magnificent park, called the English Garden, which extends more than
+four miles along the bank of the Isar, several branches of whose milky
+current wander through it, and form one or two pretty cascades. It is a
+beautiful alternation of forest and meadow, and has all the richness and
+garden-like luxuriance of English scenery. Winding walks lead along the
+Isar, or through the wood of venerable oaks, and sometimes a lawn of
+half a mile in length, with a picturesque temple at its further end,
+comes in sight through the trees. I was better pleased with this park
+than with the Prater in Vienna. Its paths are always filled with persons
+enjoying the change from the dusty streets to its quiet and cool
+retirement.
+
+The New Residence is not only one of the wonders of Munich, but of the
+world. Although commenced in 1826 and carried on constantly since that
+time by a number of architects, sculptors and painters, it is not yet
+finished; if art were not inexhaustible it would be difficult to imagine
+what more could be added. The north side of the Max Joseph Platz is
+taken up by its front of four hundred and thirty feet, which was nine
+years in building, under the direction of the architect Klenze. The
+exterior is copied after the Palazzo Pitti, in Florence. The building is
+of light brown sandstone, and combines an elegance and even splendor,
+with the most chaste and classic style. The northern front, which faces
+on the Royal Garden, is now nearly finished. It has the enormous length
+of eight hundred feet; in the middle is a portico of ten Ionic columns;
+instead of supporting a triangular facade, each pillar stands separate
+and bears a marble statue from the chisel of Schwanthaler.
+
+The interior of the building does not disappoint the promise of the
+outside. It is open every afternoon in the absence of the king, for the
+inspection of visitors; fortunately for us, his majesty is at present on
+a journey through his provinces on the Rhine. We went early to the
+waiting hall, where several travelers were already assembled, and at
+four o'clock, were admitted into the newer part of the palace,
+containing the throne hall, ballroom, etc. On entering the first hall,
+designed for the lackeys and royal servants, we were all obliged to
+thrust our feet into cloth slippers to walk over the polished mosaic
+floor. The walls are of scagliola marble and the ceilings ornamented
+brilliantly in fresco. The second hall, also for servants, gives tokens
+of increasing splendor in the richer decorations of the walls and the
+more elaborate mosaic of the floor. We next entered the receiving
+saloon, in which the Court Marshal receives the guests. The ceiling is
+of arabesque sculpture, profusely painted and gilded. Passing through a
+little cabinet, we entered the great dancing saloon. Its floor is the
+richest mosaic of wood of different colors, the sides are of polished
+scagliola marble, and the ceiling a dazzling mixture of sculpture,
+painting and gold. At one end is a gallery for the orchestra, supported
+by six columns of variegated marble, above which are six dancing nymphs,
+painted so beautifully that they appear like living creatures. Every
+decoration which could be devised has been used to heighten its
+splendor, and the artists appear to have made free use of the Arabian
+Nights in forming the plan.
+
+We entered next two smaller rooms containing the portraits of beautiful
+women, principally from the German nobility. I gave the preference to
+the daughter of Marco Bozzaris, now maid of honor to the Queen of
+Greece. She had a wild dark eye, a beautiful proud lip, and her rich
+black hair rolled in glossy waves down her neck from under the red
+Grecian cap stuck jauntily on the side of her head. She wore a scarf and
+close-fitting vest embroidered with gold, and there was a free, lofty
+spirit in her countenance worthy the name she bore. These pictures form
+a gallery of beauty, whose equal cannot easily be found.
+
+Returning to the dancing hall, we entered the dining saloon, also called
+the Hall of Charlemagne. Each wall has two magnificent fresco paintings
+of very large size, representing some event in the life of the great
+emperor, beginning with his anointing at St. Deny's as a boy of twelve
+years, and ending with his coronation by Leo III. A second dining
+saloon, the Hall of Barbarossa, adjoins the first. It has also eight
+frescoes as the former, representing the principal events in the life of
+Frederic Barbarossa. Then comes a _third_, called the Hapsburg Hall,
+with four grand paintings from the life of Rudolph of Hapsburg, and a
+triumphal procession along the frieze, showing the improvement in the
+arts and sciences which was accomplished under his reign. The drawing,
+composition and rich tone of coloring of these glorious frescoes, are
+scarcely excelled by any in existence.
+
+Finally we entered the Hall of the Throne. Here the encaustic
+decoration, so plentifully employed in the other rooms, is dropped, and
+an effect even more brilliant obtained by the united use of marble and
+gold. Picture a long hall with a floor of polished marble, on each side
+twelve columns of white marble with gilded capitals, between which stand
+colossal statues of gold. At the other end is the throne of gold and
+crimson, with gorgeous hangings of crimson velvet. The twelve statues in
+the hall are called the "Wittlesbach Ancestors," and represent renowned
+members of the house of Wittlesbach from which the present family of
+Bavaria is descended. They were cast in bronze by Stiglmaier, after the
+models of Schwanthaler, and then completely covered with a coating of
+gold, so that they resemble solid golden statues. The value of the
+precious metal on each one is about $3,000, as they arc nine feet in
+height! What would the politicians who made such an outcry about the new
+papering of the President's House, say to such a palace as this?
+
+Going back to the starting point, we went to the other wing of the
+edifice and joined the party who came to visit the apartments of the
+king. Here we were led through two or three rooms, appropriated to the
+servants, with all the splendor of marble doors, floors of mosaic, and
+frescoed ceilings. From these we entered the king's dwelling. The
+entrance halls are decorated with paintings of the Argonauts and
+illustrations of the Hymns of Hesiod, after drawings by Schwanthaler.
+Then came the Service Hall, containing frescoes illustrating Homer, by
+Schnorr, and the Throne Hall, with Schwanthaler's bas-reliefs of the
+songs of Pindar, on a ground of gold. The throne stands under a splendid
+crimson canopy. The Dining Room with its floor of polished wood is
+filled with illustrations of the songs of Anacreon. To these follow the
+Dressing Room, with twenty-seven illustrations of the Comedies of
+Aristophanes, and the sleeping chamber with frescoes after the poems of
+Theocritus, and two beautiful bas-reliefs representing angels bearing
+children to Heaven. It is no wonder the King writes poetry, when he
+breathes, eats, and even sleeps in an atmosphere of it.
+
+We were shown the rooms for the private parties of the Court, the
+school-room, with scenes from the life of the Ancient Greeks, and then
+conducted down the marble staircases to the lower story, which is to
+contain Schnorr's magnificent frescoes of the Nibelungen Lied--the old
+German Iliad. Two halls are at present finished; the first has the
+figure of the author, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, and those of
+Chriemhilde, Brunhilde, Siegfried and the other personages of the poem;
+and the second, called the Marriage Hall, contains the marriage of
+Chriemhilde and Siegfried, and the triumphal entry of Siegfried into
+Worms.
+
+Adjoining the new residence on the east, is the Royal Chapel, lately
+finished in the Byzantine style, under the direction of Klenze. To enter
+it, is like stepping into a casket of jewels. The sides are formed by a
+double range of arches, the windows being so far back as to be almost
+out of sight, so that the eye falls on nothing but painting and gold.
+The lower row of arches is of alternate green and purple marble,
+beautifully polished; but the upper, as well as the small chancel behind
+the high altar, is entirely covered with fresco paintings on a ground of
+gold! The richness and splendor of the whole church is absolutely
+incredible. Even after one has seen the Ludwig's Kirche and the
+Residence itself, it excites astonishment. I was surprised, however, to
+find at this age, a painting on the wall behind the altar, representing
+the Almighty. It seems as if man's presumption has no end. The simple
+altar of Athens, with its inscription "_to the Unknown God_," was more
+truly reverent than this. As I sat down awhile under one of the arches,
+a poor woman came in, carrying a heavy basket, and going to the steps
+which led up to the altar, knelt down and prayed, spreading her arms out
+in the form of a cross. Then, after stooping and kissing the first step,
+she dragged herself with her knees upon it, and commenced praying again
+with outspread arms. This she continued till she had climbed them all,
+which occupied some time; then, as if she had fulfilled a vow she turned
+and departed. She was undoubtedly sincere in her piety, but it made me
+sad to look upon such deluded superstition.
+
+We visited yesterday morning the Glyptothek, the finest collection of
+ancient sculpture except that in the British Museum, I have yet seen,
+and perhaps elsewhere unsurpassed, north of the Alps. The building which
+was finished by Klenze, in 1830, has an Ionic portico of white marble,
+with a group of allegorical figures, representing Sculpture and the
+kindred arts. On each side of the portico, there are three niches in the
+front, containing on one side, Pericles, Phidias and Vulcan; on the
+other, Hadrian, Prometheus and Daedalus. The whole building forms a
+hollow square, and is lighted entirely from the inner side. There are in
+all twelve halls, each containing the remains of a particular era in the
+art, and arranged according to time, so that, beginning with the clumsy
+productions of the ancient Egyptians, one passes through the different
+stages of Grecian art, afterwards that of Rome, and finally ends with
+the works of our own times--the almost Grecian perfection of Thorwaldsen
+and Canova. These halls are worthy to hold such treasures, and what more
+could be said of them? The floors are of marble mosaic, the sides of
+green or purple scagliola, and the vaulted ceilings covered with raised
+ornaments on a ground of gold. No two are alike in color and decoration,
+and yet there is a unity of taste and design in the whole, which renders
+the variety delightful.
+
+From the Egyptian Hall, we enter one containing the oldest remains of
+Grecian sculpture, before the artists won power to _mould_ the marble to
+their conceptions. Then follow the celebrated Egina marbles, from the
+temple of Jupiter Panhellenius, on the island of Egina. They formerly
+stood in the two porticoes, the one group representing the fight for the
+body of Laomedon, the other the struggle for the dead Patroclus. The
+parts wanting have been admirably restored by Thorwaldsen. They form
+almost the only existing specimens of the Eginetan school. Passing
+through the Apollo Hall, we enter the large hall of Bacchus, in which
+the progress of the art is distinctly apparent. A satyr, lying asleep on
+a goat-skin which he has thrown over a rock, is believed to be the work
+of Praxiteles. The relaxation of the figure and perfect repose of every
+limb, is wonderful. The countenance has traits of individuality which
+led me to think it might have been a portrait, perhaps of some rude
+country swain.
+
+In the Hall of Niobe, which follows, is one of the most perfect works
+that ever grew into life under a sculptor's chisel. Mutilated as it is,
+without head and arms, I never saw a more expressive figure. Ilioneus,
+the son of Niobe, is represented as kneeling, apparently in the moment
+in which Apollo raises his arrow, and there is an imploring supplication
+in his attitude which is touching in the highest degree. His beautiful
+young limbs seem to shrink involuntarily from the deadly shaft; there is
+an expression of prayer, almost of agony, in the position of his body.
+It should be left untouched. No head could be added, which would equal
+that one pictures to himself, while gazing upon it.
+
+The Pinacothek is a magnificent building of yellow sandstone, five
+hundred and thirty feet long, containing thirteen hundred pictures,
+selected with great care from the whole private collection of the king,
+which amounts to nine thousand. Above the cornice on the southern side,
+stand twenty-five colossal statues of celebrated painters, by
+Schwanthaler. As we approached, the tall bronze door was opened by a
+servant in the Bavarian livery, whose size harmonized so well with the
+giant proportions of the building, that, until I stood beside him and
+could mark the contrast, I did not notice his enormous frame. I saw then
+that he must be near eight feet high, and stout in proportion. He
+reminded me of the great "Baver of Trient," in Vienna. The Pinacothek
+contains the most complete collection of works by old German artists,
+anywhere to be found. There are in the hall of the Spanish masters, half
+a dozen of Murillo's inimitable beggar groups. It was a relief, after
+looking upon the distressingly stiff figures of the old German school,
+to view these fresh, natural countenances. One little black-eyed boy has
+just cut a slice out of a melon and turns with a full mouth to his
+companion, who is busy eating a bunch of grapes. The simple, contented
+expression on the faces of the beggars is admirable. I thought I
+detected in a beautiful child, with dark curly locks, the original of
+his celebrated Infant St. John. I was much interested in two small
+juvenile works of Raphael and his own portrait. The latter was taken
+most probably after he became known as a painter. The calm, serious
+smile which we see on his portrait as a boy, had vanished, and the thin
+features and sunken eye told of intense mental labor.
+
+One of the most remarkable buildings now in the course of erection is
+the Basilica, or Church of St. Bonifacius. It represents another form of
+the Byzantine style, a kind of double edifice, a little like a North
+River steamboat, with a two story cabin on deck. The inside is not yet
+finished, although the artists have been at work on it for six years,
+but we heard many accounts of its splendor, which is said to exceed
+anything that has been yet done in Munich. We visited to-day the
+atelier of Sohwanthaler, which is always open to strangers. The sculptor
+himself was not there, but five or six of his scholars were at work in
+the rooms, building up clay statues after his models and working out
+bas-reliefs in frames. We saw here the original models of the statues on
+the Pinacothek, and the "Wittelsbach Ancestors" in the Throne Hall of
+the palace. I was glad also to find a miniature copy in plaster, of the
+Herrmannsschlacht, or combat of the old German hero, Herrmann, with the
+Romans, from the frieze of the Walhalla, at Ratisbon. It is one of
+Schwanthaler's best works. Herrmann, as the middle figure, is
+represented in fight with the Roman general; behind him the warriors are
+rushing on, and an old bard is striking the chords of his harp to
+inspire them, while women bind up the wounds of the fallen. The Roman
+soldiers on the other side are about turning in confusion to fly. It is
+a lofty and appropriate subject for the portico of a building containing
+the figures of the men who have labored for the glory and elevation of
+their Fatherland.
+
+Our new-found friend came to visit us last evening and learn our
+impressions of Munich. In the course of conversation we surprised him by
+revealing the name of our country. His countenance brightened up and he
+asked us many questions about the state of society in America. In
+return, he told us something more about himself--his story was simple,
+hut it interested me. His father was a merchant, who, having been ruined
+by unlucky transactions, died, leaving a numerous family without the
+means of support. His children were obliged to commence life alone and
+unaided, which, in a country where labor is so cheap, is difficult and
+disheartening. Our friend chose the profession of a machinist, which,
+after encountering great obstacles, he succeeded in learning, and now
+supports himself as a common laborer. But his position in this respect
+prevents him from occupying that station in society for which he is
+intellectually fitted. His own words, uttered with a simple pathos which
+I can never forget, will best describe how painful this must be to a
+sensitive spirit. "I tell you thus frankly my feelings," said he,
+"because I know you will understand me. I could not say this to any of
+my associates, for they would not comprehend it, and they would say I
+am proud, because I cannot bring my soul down to their level. I am poor
+and have but little to subsist upon; but the spirit has needs as well as
+the body, and I feel it a duty and a desire to satisfy them also. When I
+am with any of my common fellow-laborers, what do I gain from them?
+Their leisure hours are spent in drinking and idle amusement, and I
+cannot join them, for I have no sympathy with such things. To mingle
+with those above me, would be impossible. Therefore I am alone--I have
+no associate!"
+
+I have gone into minute, and it may be, tiresome detail, in describing
+some of the edifices of Munich, because it seemed the only way in which
+I could give an idea of their wonderful beauty. It is true that in
+copying after the manner of the daguerreotype, there is danger of
+imitating its _dullness_ also, but I trust to the glitter of gold and
+rich paintings, for a little brightness in the picture. We leave
+to-morrow morning, having received the sum written for, which, to our
+surprise, will be barely sufficient to enable us to reach Heidelberg.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+THROUGH WURTEMBERG TO HEIDELBERG.
+
+
+We left Munich in the morning train for Augsburg. Between the two cities
+extends a vast unbroken plain, exceedingly barren and monotonous. Here
+and there is a little scrubby woodland, and sometimes we passed over a
+muddy stream which came down from the Alps. The land is not more than
+half-cultivated, and the villages are small and poor. We saw many of the
+peasants at their stations, in their gay Sunday dresses; the women wore
+short gowns with laced boddices, of gay colors, and little caps on the
+top of their heads, with streamers of ribbons three feet long. After two
+hours' ride, we saw the tall towers of Augsburg, and alighted on the
+outside of the wall. The deep moat which surrounds the city, is all
+grown over with velvet turf, the towers and bastions are empty and
+desolate, and we passed unchallenged under the gloomy archway.
+Immediately on entering the city, signs of its ancient splendor are
+apparent. The houses are old, many of them with quaint, elaborately
+carved ornaments, and often covered with fresco paintings. These
+generally represent some scene from the Bible history, encircled with
+arabesque borders, and pious maxims in illuminated scrolls. We went into
+the old _Rathhaus_, whose golden hall still speaks of the days of
+Augsburg's pride. I saw in the basement a bronze eagle, weighing sixteen
+tons, with an inscription on the pedestal stating that it was cast in
+1606, and formerly stood on the top of an old public building, since
+torn down. In front of the Rathhaus is a fine bronze fountain, with a
+number of figures of angels and tritons.
+
+The same afternoon, we left Augsburg for Ulm. Long, low ranges of hills,
+running from the Danube, stretched far across the country, and between
+them lay many rich, green valleys. We passed, occasionally, large
+villages, perhaps as old as the times of the crusaders, and looking
+quite pastoral and romantic from the outside; but we were always glad
+when we had gone through them and into the _clean_ country again. The
+afternoon of the second day we came in sight of the fertile plain of the
+Danube; far, far to the right lay the field of Blenheim, where
+Marlborough and the Prince Eugene conquered the united French and
+Bavarian forces and decided the war of the Spanish succession.
+
+We determined to reach Ulm the same evening, although a heavy storm was
+raging along the distant hills of Wurtemberg. The dark mass of the
+mighty Cathedral rose in the distance through the twilight, a perfect
+mountain in comparison with the little houses clustered around its base.
+We reached New Ulm, finally, and passed over the heavy wooden bridge
+into Wurtemberg, unchallenged for passport or baggage. I thought I could
+feel a difference in the atmosphere when I reached the other side--it
+breathed of the freer spirit that ruled through the land. The Danube is
+here a little muddy stream, hardly as large as my native Brandywine, and
+a traveler who sees it at Ulm for the first time would most probably be
+disappointed. It is not until below Vienna, where it receives the Drave
+and Save, that it becomes a river of more than ordinary magnitude.
+
+We entered Ulm, as I have already said. It was after nine o'clock,
+nearly dark, and beginning to rain; we had walked thirty-three miles,
+and being of course tired, we entered the first inn we saw. But, to our
+consternation, it was impossible to get a place--the fair had just
+commenced, and the inn was full to the roof. We must needs hunt another,
+and then another, and yet another, with like fate at each. It grew quite
+dark, the rain increased, and we were unacquainted with the city. I grew
+desperate, and at last, when we had stopped at the _eighth_ inn in vain,
+I told the people we _must_ have lodgings, for it was impossible we
+should walk around in the rain all night. Some of the guests interfering
+in our favor, the hostess finally sent a servant with us to the first
+hotel in the city. I told him on the way we were Americans, strangers in
+Ulm, and not accustomed to sleeping in the streets. "Well," said he, "I
+will go before, and recommend you to the landlord of the Golden Wheel."
+I knew not what magic he used, but in half an hour our weary limbs were
+stretched in delightful repose and we thanked Heaven more gratefully
+than ever before, for the blessing of a good bed.
+
+Next morning we ran about through the booths of the fair, and gazed up
+from all sides at the vast Cathedral. The style is the simplest and
+grandest Gothic; but the tower, which, to harmonize, with the body of
+the church, should be 520 feet high, was left unfinished at the height
+of 234 feet. I could not enough admire the grandeur of proportion in the
+great building. It seemed singular that the little race of animals who
+swarmed around its base, should have the power to conceive or execute
+such a gigantic work.
+
+There is an immense fortification now in progress of erection behind
+Ulm. It leans on the side of the hill which rises from the Danube, and
+must be nearly a mile in length. Hundreds of laborers are at work, and
+from the appearance of the foundations, many years will be required to
+finish it. The lofty mountain-plain which we afterwards passed over, for
+eight or ten miles, divides the waters of the Danube from the Rhine.
+From the heights above Ulm, we bade adieu to the far, misty Alps, till
+we shall see them again in Switzerland. Late in the afternoon, we came
+to a lovely green valley, sunk as it were in the earth. Around us, on
+all sides, stretched the bare, lofty plains; but the valley lay below,
+its steep sides covered with the richest forest. At the bottom flowed
+the Fils. Our road led directly down the side; the glen spread out
+broader as we advanced, and smiling villages stood beside the stream. A
+short distance before reaching Esslingen, we came upon the banks of the
+Neckar, whom we hailed as an old acquaintance, although much smaller
+here in his mountain home than when he sweeps the walls of Heidelberg.
+
+Delightful Wurtemberg! Shall I ever forget thy lovely green vales,
+watered by the classic current of the Neckar, or thy lofty hills covered
+with vineyards and waving forests, and crowned with heavy ruins, that
+tell many a tale of Barbarossa and Duke Ulric and Goetz with the Iron
+Hand! No--were even the Suabian hills less beautiful--were the Suabian
+people less faithful and kind and true, still I would love the land for
+the great spirits it has produced; still would the birth-place of
+Frederick Schiller, of Uhland and Hauff, be sacred. I do not wonder
+Wurtemberg can boast such glorious poets. Its lovely landscapes seem to
+have been made expressly for the cradle of genius; amid no other scenes
+could his infant mind catch a more benign inspiration. Even the common
+people are deeply imbued with a poetic feeling. We saw it in their
+friendly greetings and open, expressive countenances; it is shown in
+their love for their beautiful homes and the rapture and reverence with
+which they speak of their country's bards. No river in the world, equal
+to the Neckar in size, flows for its whole course through more
+delightful scenery, or among kinder and happier people.
+
+After leaving Esslingen, we followed its banks for some time, at the
+foot of an amphitheatre of hills, covered to the very summit, as far as
+the eye could reach, with vineyards. The morning was cloudy, and white
+mist-wreaths hung along the sides. We took a road that led over the top
+of a range, and on arriving at the summit, saw all at once the city of
+Stuttgard, lying beneath our feet. It lay in a basin encircled by
+mountains, with a narrow valley opening to the south-east, and running
+off between the hills to the Neckar. The situation of the city is one of
+wonderful beauty, and even after seeing Salzburg, I could not but be
+charmed with it.
+
+We descended the mountain and entered it. I inquired immediately for the
+monument of Schiller, for there was little else in the city I cared to
+see. We had become tired of running about cities, hunting this or that
+old church or palace, which perhaps was nothing when found. Stuttgard
+has neither galleries, ruins, nor splendid buildings, to interest the
+traveler; but it has Thorwaldsen's statue of Schiller, calling up at the
+same time its shame and its glory. For the poet in his youth was obliged
+to fly from this very same city--from home and friends, to escape the
+persecution of the government on account of the free sentiments
+expressed in his early works. We found the statue, without much
+difficulty. It stands in the Schloss Platz, at the southern end of the
+city, in an unfavorable situation, surrounded by dark old buildings. It
+should rather be placed aloft on a mountain summit, in the pure, free
+air of heaven, braving the storm and the tempest. The figure is fourteen
+feet high and stands on a pedestal of bronze, with bas reliefs on the
+four sides. The head, crowned with a laurel wreath, is inclined as if in
+deep thought, and all the earnest soul is seen in the countenance.
+Thorwaldsen has copied so truly the expression of poetic reverie, that I
+waited, half-expecting he would raise his head and look around him.
+
+As we passed out the eastern gate, the workmen were busy near the city,
+making an embankment for the new railroad to Heilbroun, and we were
+obliged to wade through half a mile of mud. Finally the road turned to
+the left over a mountain, and we walked on in the rain, regardless of
+the touching entreaties of an omnibus-driver, who felt a great concern
+for our health, especially as he had two empty seats. There is a
+peculiarly agreeable sensation in walking in a storm, when the winds
+sweep by and the rain-drops rattle through the trees, and the dark
+clouds roll past just above one's head. It gives a dash of sublimity to
+the most common scene. If the rain did not finally soak through the
+boots, and if one did not lose every romantic feeling in wet garments, I
+would prefer storm to sunshine, for visiting some kinds of scenery. You
+remember, we saw the North Coast of Ireland and the Giant's Causeway in
+stormy weather, at the expense of being completely drenched, it is true;
+but our recollections of that wild day's journey are as vivid as any
+event of our lives--and the name of the Giant's Causeway calls up a
+series of pictures as terribly sublime as any we would wish to behold.
+
+The rain at last did come down a little too hard for comfort, and we
+were quite willing to take shelter when we reached Ludwigsburg. This is
+here called a new city, having been laid out with broad streets and
+spacious squares, about a century ago, and is now about the size of our
+five-year old city of Milwaukie! It is the chief military station of
+Wurtemberg, and has a splendid castle and gardens, belonging to the
+king. A few miles to the eastward is the little village where Schiller
+was born. It is said the house where his parents lived is still
+standing.
+
+It was not the weather _alone_, which prevented our making a pilgrimage
+to it, nor was it _alone_ a peculiar fondness for rain which induced us
+to persist in walking in the storm. Our feeble pockets, if they could
+have raised an audible jingle, would have told another tale. Our scanty
+allowance was dwindling rapidly away, in spite of a desperate system of
+economy. We left Ulm with a florin and a half apiece--about sixty
+cents--to walk to Heidelberg, a distance of 110 miles. It was the
+evening of the third day, and this was almost exhausted. As soon
+therefore as the rain slackened a little, we started again, although the
+roads were very bad. At Betigheim, where we passed the night, the people
+told us of a much nearer and more beautiful road, passing through the
+Zabergau, a region fumed for its fertility and pastoral beauty. At the
+inn we were charged higher than usual for a bed, so that we had but
+thirteen kreutzers to start with in the morning. Our fare that day was a
+little bread and water; we walked steadily on, but owing to the wet
+roads, made only thirty miles.
+
+A more delightful region than the Zabergau I have seldom passed through.
+The fields were full of rich, heavy grain, and the trees had a
+luxuriance of foliage that reminded me of the vale of the Jed, in
+Scotland. Without a single hedge or fence, stood the long sweep of
+hills, covered with waving fields of grain, except where they were steep
+and rocky, and the vineyard terraces rose one above another. Sometimes a
+fine old forest grew along the summit, like a mane waving back from the
+curved neck of a steed, and white villages lay coiled in the valleys
+between. A line of blue mountains always closed the vista, on looking
+down one of these long valleys; occasionally a ruined castle with donjon
+tower, was seen on a mountain at the side, making the picture complete.
+As we lay sometimes on the hillside and looked on one of those sweet
+vales, we were astonished at its Arcadian beauty. The meadows were as
+smooth as a mirror, and there seemed to be scarcely a grass-blade out of
+place. The streams wound through ("_snaked_ themselves through," is the
+German expression,) with a subdued ripple, as if they feared to displace
+a pebble, and the great ash trees which stood here and there, had lined
+each of their leaves as carefully with silver and turned them as
+gracefully to the wind, us if they were making their toilettes for the
+gala-day of nature.
+
+That evening brought us into the dominions of Baden, within five hours'
+walk of Heidelberg. At the humblest inn in an humble village, we found
+a bed which we could barely pay for, leaving a kreutzer or two for
+breakfast. Soon after starting the next morning, the distant Kaiserstuhl
+suddenly emerged from the mist, with the high tower on its summit, where
+nearly ten months before, we sat and looked at the summits of the Vosges
+in France, with all the excitement one feels on entering a foreign land.
+_Now_, the scenery around that same Kaiserstuhl was nearly as familiar
+to us as that of our own homes. Entering the hills again, we knew by the
+blue mountains of the Odenwald, that we were approaching the Neckar. At
+length we reached the last height. The town of Neckargemund lay before
+us on the steep hillside, and the mountains on either side were scarred
+with quarries of the rich red sandstone, so much used in building. The
+blocks are hewn out, high up on the mountain side, and then sent rolling
+and sliding down to the river, where they are laden in boats and floated
+down with the current to the distant cities of the Rhine.
+
+We were rejoiced on turning around the corner of a mountain, to see on
+the opposite side of the river, the road winding up through the forests,
+where last fall our Heidelberg friends accompanied us, as we set out to
+walk to Frankfort, through the Odenwald. Many causes combined to render
+it a glad scene to us. We were going to meet our comrade again, after a
+separation of months; we were bringing an eventful journey to its close;
+and finally, we were weak and worn out from fasting and the labor of
+walking in the rain. A little further we saw Kloster Neuburg, formerly
+an old convent, and remembered how we used to look at it every day from
+the windows of our room on the Neckar; but we shouted aloud, when we saw
+at last the well-known bridge spanning the river, and the glorious old
+castle lifting its shattered towers from the side of the mountain above
+us. I always felt a strong attachment to this matchless ruin, and as I
+beheld it again, with the warm sunshine falling through each broken
+arch, the wild ivy draping its desolate chambers, it seemed to smile on
+me like the face of a friend, and I confessed I had seen many a grander
+scene, but few that would cling to the memory so familiarly.
+
+While we were in Heidelberg, a student was buried by torch-light. This
+is done when particular honor is shown to the memory of the departed
+brother. They assembled at dark in the University Square, each with a
+blazing pine torch three feet long, and formed into a double line.
+Between the files walked at short distances an officer, who, with his
+sword, broad lace collar, and the black and white plumes in his cap,
+looked like a cavalier of the olden time. Persons with torches walked on
+each side of the hearse, and the band played a lament so deeply
+mournful, that the scene, notwithstanding its singularity, was very sad
+and touching. The thick smoke from the torches filled the air, and a
+lurid, red light was cast over the hushed crowds in the streets and
+streamed into the dark alleys. The Hauptstrasse was filled with two
+lines of flame, as the procession passed down it; when they reached the
+extremity of the city, the hearse went on, attended with torch-bearers,
+to the Cemetery, some distance further, and the students turned back,
+running and whirling their torches in mingled confusion. The music
+struck up a merry march, and in the smoke and red glare, they looked
+like a company of mad demons. The presence of death awed them to silence
+for awhile, but as soon as it had left them, they turned relieved to
+revel again and thought no more of the lesson. It gave me a painful
+feeling to see them rushing so wildly and disorderly back. They
+assembled again in the square, and tossing their torches up into the air
+cast them blazing into a pile; while the flame and black smoke rose in a
+column into the air, they sang in solemn chorus, the song "_Gaudeamus
+igitur_," with which they close all public assemblies.
+
+I shall neglect telling how we left Heidelberg, and walked along the
+Bergstrasse again, for the sixth time; how we passed the old Melibochus
+and through the quiet city of Darmstadt; how we watched the blue summits
+of the Taunus rising higher and higher over the plain, as a new land
+rises from the sea, and finally, how we reached at last the old
+watch-tower and looked down on the valley of the Main, clothed in the
+bloom and verdure of summer, with the houses and spires of Frankfort in
+the middle of the well-known panorama. We again took possession of our
+old rooms, and having to wait for a remittance from America, as well as
+a more suitable season for visiting Italy, we sat down to a month's rest
+and study.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+FREIBURG AND THE BLACK FOREST.
+
+
+_Frankfort, July 29, 1845._--It would be ingratitude towards the old
+city in which I have passed so many pleasant and profitable hours, to
+leave it, perhaps forever, without a few words of farewell. How often
+will the old bridge, with its view up the Main, over the houses of
+Oberrad to the far mountains of the Odenwald, rise freshly and
+distinctly in memory, when I shall have been long absent from them! How
+often will I hear in fancy as I now do in reality, the heavy tread of
+passers-by on the rough pavement below, and the deep bell of the
+Cathedral, chiming the swift hours, with a hollow tone that seems to
+warn me, rightly to employ them! Even this old room, with its bare
+walls, little table and chairs, which I have thought and studied in so
+long, that it seems difficult to think and study anywhere else, will
+crowd out of memory images of many a loftier scene. May I but preserve
+for the future the hope and trust which have cheered and sustained me
+here, through the sorrow of absence and the anxiety of uncertain toil!
+It is growing towards midnight and I think of many a night when I sat
+here at this hour, answering the spirit-greeting which friends sent me
+at sunset over the sea. All this has now an end. I must begin a new
+wandering, and perhaps in ten days more I shall have a better place for
+thought, among the mountain-chambers of the everlasting Alps. I look
+forward to the journey with romantic, enthusiastic anticipation, for
+afar in the silvery distance, stand the Coliseum and St. Peter's,
+Vesuvius and the lovely Naples. Farewell, friends who have so long given
+us a home!
+
+_Aug. 9._--The airy, basket-work tower of the Freiburg Minster rises
+before me over the black roofs of the houses, and behind stand the
+gloomy, pine-covered mountains of the Black Forest. Of our walk to
+Heidelberg over the oft-trodden Bergstrasse, I shall say nothing, nor
+how we climbed the Kaiserstuhl again, and danced around on the top of
+the tower for one hour, amid cloud and mist, while there was sunshine
+below in the valley of the Neckar. I left Heidelberg yesterday morning
+in the _stehwagen_ for Carlsruhe. The engine whistled, the train
+started, and although I kept my eyes steadily fixed on the spire of the
+Hauptkirche, three minutes hid it, and all the rest of the city from
+sight. Carlsruhe, the capital of Baden, which we reached in an hour and
+a half, is unanimously pronounced by travelers to be a most dull and
+tiresome city. From a glance I had through one of the gates, I should
+think its reputation was not undeserved. Even its name, in German,
+signifies a place of repose.
+
+I stopped at Kork, on the branch road leading to Strasbourg, to meet a
+German-American about to return to my home in Pennsylvania, where he had
+lived for some time. I inquired according to the direction he had sent
+me to Frankfort, but he was not there; however, an old man, finding who
+I was, said Herr Otto had directed him to go with me to Hesselhurst, a
+village four or five miles off, where he would meet me. So we set off
+immediately over the plain, and reached the village at dusk.
+
+At the little inn, were several of the farmers of the neighborhood, who
+seemed to consider it as something extraordinary to see a real, live,
+native-born American. They overwhelmed me with questions about the state
+of our country, its government, etc. The hostess brought me a supper of
+fried eggs and _wurst_, while they gathered around the table and began a
+real category in the dialect of the country, which is difficult to
+understand. I gave them the best information I could about our mode of
+farming, the different kinds of produce raised, and the prices paid to
+laborers; one honest old man cried out, on my saying I had worked on a
+farm, "Ah! little brother, give me your hand!" which he shook most
+heartily. I told them also something about our government, and the
+militia system, so different from the conscription of Europe, when a
+farmer becoming quite warm in our favor, said to the others with an air
+of the greatest decision: "One American is better than twenty Germans!"
+What particularly amused me, was, that although I spoke German with
+them, they seemed to think I did not understand what they said among
+one another, and therefore commented very freely over my appearance. I
+suppose they had the idea that we were a rude, savage race, for I
+overheard one say: "One sees, nevertheless, that he has been educated!"
+Their honest, unsophisticated mode of expression was very interesting to
+me, and we talked together till a late hour.
+
+My friend arrived at three o'clock the next morning, and after two or
+three hours' talk about _home_, and the friends whom he expected to see
+so much sooner than I, a young farmer drove me in his wagon to
+Offenburg, a small city at the foot of the Black Forest, where I took
+the cars for Freiburg. The scenery between the two places is grand. The
+broad mountains of the Black Forest rear their fronts on the east, and
+the blue lines of the French Vosges meet the clouds on the west. The
+night before, in walking over the plain, I saw distinctly the whole of
+the Strasbourg Minster, whose spire is the highest in Europe, being four
+hundred and ninety feet, or but twenty-five feet lower than the Pyramid
+of Cheops.
+
+I visited the Minster of Freiburg yesterday morning. It is a grand,
+gloomy old pile, dating from the eleventh century--one of the few Gothic
+churches in Germany that have ever been completed. The tower of
+beautiful fretwork, rises to the height of three hundred and ninety-five
+feet, and the body of the church including the choir, is of the same
+length. The interior is solemn and majestic. Windows stained in colors
+that burn, let in a "dim, religious light" which accords very well with
+the dark old pillars and antique shrines. In two of the chapels there
+are some fine altar-pieces by Holbein and one of his scholars; and a
+very large crucifix of silver and ebony, which is kept with great care,
+is said to have been carried with the Crusaders to the Holy Land. This
+morning was the great market-day, and the peasantry of the Black Forest
+came down from the mountains to dispose of their produce. The square
+around the Minster was filled with them, and the singular costume of the
+women gave the scene quite a strange appearance. Many of them wore
+bright red head-dresses and shawls, others had high-crowned hats of
+yellow oil-cloth; the young girls wore their hair in long plaits,
+reaching nearly to their feet. They brought grain, butter and cheese
+and a great deal of fine fruit to sell--I bought some of the wild,
+aromatic plums of the country, at the rate of thirty for a cent.
+
+The railroad has only been open to Freiburg within a few days, and is
+consequently an object of great curiosity to the peasants, many of whom
+never saw the like before. They throng around the station at the
+departure of the train and watch with great interest the operations of
+getting up the steam and starting. One of the scenes that grated most
+harshly on my feelings, was seeing yesterday a company of women employed
+on the unfinished part of the road. They were digging and shoveling away
+in the rain, nearly up to their knees in mud and clay!
+
+I called at the Institute for the Blind, under the direction of Mr.
+Muller. He showed me some beautiful basket and woven work by his pupils;
+the accuracy and skill with which everything was made astonished me.
+They read with amazing facility from the raised type, and by means of
+frames are taught to write with ease and distinctness. In music, that
+great solace of the blind, they most excelled. They sang with an
+expression so true and touching, that it was a delight to listen. The
+system of instruction adopted appears to be most excellent, and gives to
+the blind nearly every advantage which their more fortunate brethren
+enjoy.
+
+I am indebted to Mr. Muller, to whom I was introduced by an acquaintance
+with his friend, Dr. Rivinus, of West Chester, Pa., for many kind
+attentions. He went with us this afternoon to the Jagerhaus, on a
+mountain near, where we had a very fine view of the city and its great
+black Minster, with the plain of the Briesgau, broken only by the
+Kaiserstuhl, a long mountain near the Rhine, whose golden stream
+glittered in the distance. On climbing the Schlossberg, an eminence near
+the city, we met the Grand Duchess Stephanie, a natural daughter of
+Napoleon, as I have heard, and now generally believed to be the mother
+of Caspar Hauser. Through a work lately published, which has since been
+suppressed, the whole history has come to light. Caspar Hauser was the
+lineal descendant of the house of Baden, and heir to the throne. The
+guilt of his imprisonment and murder rests, therefore, upon the present
+reigning family.
+
+A chapel on the Schonberg, the mountain opposite, was pointed out as
+the spot where Louis XV., if I mistake not, usually stood while his army
+besieged Freiburg. A German officer having sent a ball to this chapel
+which struck the wall just above the king's head, the latter sent word
+that if they did not cease firing he would point his cannons at the
+Minster. The citizens thought it best to spare the monarch and save the
+cathedral.
+
+We attended a meeting of the _Walhalla_, or society of the students who
+visit the Freiburg University. They pleased me better than the
+enthusiastic but somewhat unrestrained Burschenschaft of Heidelberg.
+Here, they have abolished duelling; the greatest friendship prevails
+among the students, and they have not that contempt for every thing
+_philister_, or unconnected with their studies, which prevails in other
+universities. Many respectable citizens attend their meetings; to-night
+there was a member of the Chamber of Deputies at Carlsruhe present, who
+delivered two speeches, in which every third word was "freedom!" An
+address was delivered also by a merchant of the city, in which he made a
+play upon the word _spear_, which signifies also in a cant sense,
+_citizen_, find seemed to indicate that both would do their work in the
+good cause. He was loudly applauded. Their song of union was by Charles
+Follen, and the students were much pleased when I told them how he was
+honored and esteemed in America.
+
+After two days, delightfully spent, we shouldered our knapsacks and left
+Freiburg. The beautiful valley, at the mouth of which the city lies,
+runs like an avenue for seven miles directly into the mountains, and
+presents in its loveliness such a contrast to the horrid defile which
+follows, that it almost deserves the name which has been given to a
+little inn at its head--the "Kingdom of Heaven." The mountains of the
+Black Forest enclose it on each side like walls, covered to the summit
+with luxuriant woods, and in some places with those forests of gloomy
+pine which give this region its name. After traversing its whole length,
+just before plunging into the mountain-depths, the traveler rarely meets
+with a finer picture than that which, on looking back, he sees framed
+between the hills at the other end. Freiburg looks around the foot of
+one of the heights, with the spire of her cathedral peeping above the
+top, while the French Vosges grew dim in the far perspective.
+
+The road now enters a wild, narrow valley, which grows smaller as we
+proceed. From Himmelreich, a large rude inn by the side of the green
+meadows, we enter the Hollenthal--that is, from the "Kingdom of Heaven"
+to the "Valley of Hell!" The latter place better deserves its
+appellation than the former. The road winds between precipices of black
+rock, above which the thick foliage shuts out the brightness of day and
+gives a sombre hue to the scene. A torrent foams down the chasm, and in
+one place two mighty pillars interpose to prevent all passage. The
+stream, however, has worn its way through, and the road is hewn in the
+rock by its side. This cleft is the only entrance to a valley three or
+four miles long, which lies in the very heart of the mountains. It is
+inhabited by a few woodmen and their families, and but for the road
+which passes through, would be as perfect a solitude as the Happy Valley
+of Rasselas. At the farther end, a winding road called "The Ascent,"
+leads up the steep mountain to an elevated region of country, thinly
+settled and covered with herds of cattle. The cherries which, in the
+Rhine-plain below, had long gone, were just ripe here. The people spoke
+a most barbarous dialect; they were social and friendly, for everybody
+greeted us, and sometimes, as we sat on a bank by the roadside, those
+who passed by would say "Rest thee!" or "Thrice rest!"
+
+Passing by the Titi Lake, a small body of water which was spread out
+among the hills like a sheet of ink, so deep was its Stygian hue, we
+commenced ascending a mountain. The highest peak of the Schwarzwald, the
+Feldberg, rose not far off, and on arriving at the top of this mountain,
+we saw that a half hour's walk would bring us to its summit. This was
+too great a temptation for my love of climbing heights; so with a look
+at the descending sun to calculate how much time we could spare, we set
+out. There was no path, but we pressed directly up the steep side,
+through bushes and long grass, and in a short time reached the top,
+breathless from such exertion in the thin atmosphere. The pine woods
+shut out the view to the north and east, which is said to be
+magnificent, as the mountain is about five thousand feet high. The
+wild, black peaks of the Black Forest were spread below us, and the sun
+sank through golden mist towards the Alsatian hills. Afar to the south,
+through cloud and storm, we could just trace the white outline of the
+Swiss Alps. The wind swept through the pines around, and bent the long
+yellow grass among which we sat, with a strange, mournful sound, well
+suiting the gloomy and mysterious region. It soon grew cold, the golden
+clouds settled down towards us, and we made haste to descend to the
+village of Lenzkirch before dark.
+
+Next morning we set out early, without waiting to see the trial of
+archery which was to take place among the mountain youths. Their booths
+and targets, gay with banners, stood on a green meadow beside the town.
+We walked through the Black Forest the whole forenoon. It might be owing
+to the many wild stories whose scenes are laid among these hills, but
+with me there was a peculiar feeling of solemnity pervading the whole
+region. The great pine woods are of the very darkest hue of green, and
+down their hoary, moss-floored aisles, daylight seems never to have
+shone. The air was pure and clear, and the sunshine bright, but it
+imparted no gaiety to the scenery: except the little meadows of living
+emerald which lay occasionally in the lap of a dell, the landscape wore
+a solemn and serious air. In a storm, it must be sublime.
+
+About noon, from the top of the last range of hills, we had a glorious
+view. The line of the distant Alps could be faintly traced high in the
+clouds, and all the heights between were plainly visible, from the Lake
+of Constance to the misty Jura, which flanked the Vosges of the west.
+From our lofty station we overlooked half Switzerland, and had the air
+been a little clearer, we could have seen Mont Blanc and the mountains
+of Savoy. I could not help envying the feelings of the Swiss, who, after
+long absence from their native land, first see the Alps from this road.
+If to the emotions with which I then looked on them were added the
+passionate love of home and country which a long absence creates, such
+excess of rapture would be almost too great to be borne.
+
+In the afternoon we crossed the border, and took leave of Germany with
+regret, after near a year's residence within its bounds. Still it was
+pleasant to know we were in a republic once more: the first step we took
+made us aware of the change. There was no policeman to call for our
+passports or search our baggage. It was just dark when we reached the
+hill overlooking the Rhine, on whose steep banks is perched the antique
+town of Schaffhausen. It is still walled in, with towers at regular
+intervals; the streets are wide and spacious, and the houses rendered
+extremely picturesque by the quaint projecting windows. The buildings
+are nearly all old, as we learned by the dates above the doors. At the
+inn, I met with one of the free troopers who marched against Luzerne. He
+was full of spirit, and ready to undertake another such journey. Indeed
+it is the universal opinion that the present condition of things cannot
+last much longer.
+
+We took a walk before breakfast to the Falls of the Rhine, about a mile
+and a half from Schaffhausen. I confess I was somewhat disappointed in
+them, after the glowing descriptions of travelers. The river at this
+place is little more than thirty yards wide, and the body of water,
+although issuing from the Lake of Constance, is not remarkably strong.
+For some distance above, the fall of the water is very rapid, and as it
+finally reaches the spot where, narrowed between rocks, it makes the
+grand plunge, it has acquired a great velocity. Three rocks stand in the
+middle of the current, which thunders against and around their bases,
+but cannot shake them down. These and the rocks in the bed of the
+stream, break the force of the fall, so that it descends to the bottom,
+about fifty feet below, not in one sheet, but shivered into a hundred
+leaps of snowy foam. The precipitous shores, and the tasteful little
+castle which is perched upon the steep just over the boiling spray, add
+much to its beauty, taken as a picture. As a specimen of the
+picturesque, the whole scene is perfect. I should think Trenton Falls,
+in New York, must excel these in wild, startling effect; but there is
+such a scarcity of waterfalls in this land, that the Germans go into
+raptures about them, and will hardly believe that Niagara itself
+possesses more sublimity.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+PEOPLE AND PLACES IN EASTERN SWITZERLAND.
+
+
+We left Schaffhausen for Zurich, in mist and rain, and walked for some
+time along the north bank of the Rhine. We could have enjoyed the
+scenery much better, had it not been for the rain, which not only hid
+the mountains from sight, but kept us constantly half soaked. We crossed
+the rapid Rhine at Eglisau, a curious antique village, and then
+continued our way through the forests of Canton Zurich, to Bulach, with
+its groves of lindens--"those tall and stately trees, with velvet down
+upon their shining leaves, and rustic benches placed beneath their
+overhanging eaves."
+
+When we left the little village where the rain obliged us to stop for
+the night, it was clear and delightful. The farmers were out, busy at
+work, their long, straight scythes glancing through the wet grass, while
+the thick pines sparkled with thousands of dewy diamonds. The country
+was so beautiful and cheerful, that we half felt like being in America.
+The farm-houses were scattered over the country in real American style,
+and the glorious valley of the Limmat, bordered on the west by a range
+of woody hills, reminded me of some scenes in my native Pennsylvania.
+The houses were neatly and tastefully built, with little gardens around
+them--and the countenances of the people spoke of intelligence and
+independence. There was the same air of peace and prosperity which
+delighted us in the valleys of Upper Austria, with a look of freedom
+which those had not. The faces of a people are the best index to their
+condition. I could read on their brows a lofty self-respect, a
+consciousness of the liberties they enjoy, which the Germans of the
+laboring class never show. It could not be imagination, for the recent
+occurrences in Switzerland, with the many statements I heard in Germany,
+had prejudiced me somewhat against the land; and these marks of
+prosperity and freedom were as surprising as they were delightful.
+
+As we approached Zurich, the noise of employment from mills, furnaces
+and factories, came to us like familiar sounds, reminding us of the
+bustle of our home cities. The situation of the city is lovely. It lies
+at the head of the lake, and on both sides of the little river Limmat,
+whose clear green waters carry the collected meltings of the Alps to the
+Rhine. Around the lake rise lofty green hills, which, sloping gently
+back, bear on their sides hundreds of pleasant country-houses and farms,
+and the snowy Alpine range extends along the southern sky. The Limmat is
+spanned by a number of bridges, and its swift waters turn many mills
+which are built above them. From these bridges one can look out over the
+blue lake and down the thronged streets of the city on each side, whose
+bright, cheerful houses remind him of Italy.
+
+Zurich can boast of finer promenades than any other city in Switzerland.
+The old battlements are planted with trees and transformed into pleasant
+walks, which being elevated above the city, command views of its
+beautiful environs. A favorite place of resort is the Lindenhof, an
+elevated court-yard, shaded by immense trees. The fountains of water
+under them are always surrounded by washerwomen, and in the morning
+groups of merry school children may be seen tumbling over the grass. The
+teachers take them there in a body for exercise and recreation. The
+Swiss children are beautiful, bright-eyed creatures; there is scarcely
+one who does not exhibit the dawning of an active, energetic spirit. It
+may be partly attributed to the fresh, healthy climate of Switzerland,
+but I am partial enough to republics to believe that the influence of
+the Government under which they live, has also its share in producing
+the effect.
+
+There is a handsome promenade on an elevated bastion which overlooks the
+city and lakes. While enjoying the cool morning breeze and listening to
+the stir of the streets below us, we were also made aware of the social
+and friendly politeness of the people. Those who passed by, on their
+walk around the rampart, greeted us, almost with the familiarity of an
+acquaintance. Simple as was the act, we felt grateful, for it had at
+least the seeming of a friendly interest and a sympathy with the
+loneliness which the stranger sometimes feels. A school-teacher leading
+her troop of merry children on their morning walk around the bastion,
+nodded to us pleasantly and forthwith the whole company of
+chubby-cheeked rogues, looking up at us with a pleasant archness, lisped
+a "_guten morgen_" that made the hearts glad within us. I know of
+nothing that has given me a more sweet and tender delight than the
+greeting of a little child, who, leaving his noisy playmates, ran across
+the street to me, and taking my hand, which he could barely clasp in
+both his soft little ones, looked up in my face with an expression so
+winning and affectionate, that I loved him at once. The happy, honest
+farmers, too, spoke to us cheerfully everywhere. We learned a lesson
+from all this--we felt that not a word of kindness is ever wasted, that
+a simple friendly glance may cheer the spirit and warm the lonely heart,
+and that the slightest deed, prompted by generous sympathy, becomes a
+living joy in the memory of the receiver, which blesses unceasingly him
+who bestowed it.
+
+We left Zurich the same afternoon, to walk to Stafa, where we were told
+the poet Freiligrath resided. The road led along the bank of the lake,
+whose shores sloped gently up from the water, covered with gardens and
+farm-houses, which, with the bolder mountains that rose behind them,
+made a combination of the lovely and grand, on which the eye rested with
+rapture and delight. The sweetest cottages were embowered among the
+orchards, and the whole country bloomed like a garden. The waters of the
+lake are of a pale, transparent green, and so clear that we could see
+its bottom of white pebbles, for some distance. Here and there floated a
+quiet boat on its surface. The opposite hills were covered with a soft
+blue haze, and white villages sat along the shore, "like swans among the
+reeds." Behind, we saw the woody range of the Brunig Alp. The people
+bade us a pleasant good evening; there was a universal air of
+cheerfulness and content on their countenances.
+
+Towards evening, the clouds which hung in the south the whole day,
+dispersed a little and we could see the Dodiberg and the Alps of Glarus.
+As sunset drew on, the broad summits of snow and the clouds which were
+rolled around them, assumed a soft rosy hue, which increased in
+brilliancy as the light of day faded. The rough, icy crags and snowy
+steeps were fused in the warm light and half blended with the bright
+clouds. This blaze, as it were, of the mountains at sunset, is called
+the _Alp-glow_, and exceeds all one's highest conceptions of Alpine
+grandeur. We watched the fading glory till it quite died away, and the
+summits wore a livid, ashy hue, like the mountains of a world wherein
+there was no life. In a few minutes more the dusk of twilight spread
+over the scene, the boatmen glided home over the still lake and the
+herdsmen drove their cattle back from pasture on the slopes and meadows.
+
+On inquiring for Freiligrath at Stafa, we found he had removed to
+Rapperschwyl, some distance further. As it was already late, we waited
+for the steamboat which leaves Zurich every evening. It came along about
+eight o'clock, and a little boat carried us out through rain and
+darkness to meet it, as it came like a fiery-eyed monster over the
+water. We stepped on board the "Republican," and in half an hour were
+brought to the wharf at Rapperschwyl.
+
+There are two small islands in the lake, one of which, with a little
+chapel rising from among its green trees, is Ufnau, the grave of Ulrich
+von Hutten, one of the fathers of the German Reformation. His fiery
+poems have been the source from which many a German bard has derived his
+inspiration, and Freiligrath who now lives in sight of his tomb, has
+published an indignant poem, because an inn with gaming tables has been
+established in the ruins of the castle near Creuznach, where Hutten
+found refuge from his enemies with Franz von Sickingen, brother-in-law
+of "Goetz with the iron Hand." The monks of Einsiedeln, to whom Ufnau
+belongs, have carefully obliterated all traces of his grave, so that the
+exact spot is not known, in order that even a tombstone might be denied
+him who once strove to overturn their order. It matters little to that
+bold spirit whose motto was: "_The die is cast--I have dared it!_"--the
+whole island is his monument, if he need one.
+
+I spent the whole of the morning with Freiligrath, the poet, who was
+lately banished from Germany on account of the liberal principles his
+last volume contains. He lives in a pleasant country-house on the
+Meyerberg, an eminence near Rapperschwyl, overlooking a glorious
+prospect. On leaving Frankfort, R.S. Willis gave me a letter to him, and
+I was glad to meet with a man personally whom I admired so much through
+his writings, and whose boldness in speaking out against the tyranny
+which his country suffers, forms such a noble contrast to the cautious
+slowness of his countrymen. He received me kindly and conversed much
+upon American literature. He is a warm admirer of Bryant and Longfellow,
+and has translated many of their poems into German. He said he had
+received a warm invitation from a colony of Germans in Wisconsin, to
+join them and enjoy that freedom which his native land denies, but that
+his circumstances would not allow it at present. He is perhaps
+thirty-five years of age. His brow is high and noble, and his eyes,
+which are large and of a clear gray, beam with serious, saddened
+thought. His long chesnut hair, uniting with a handsome beard and
+moustache, gives a lion-like dignity to his energetic countenance. His
+talented wife, Ida Freiligrath, who shares his literary labors, and an
+amiable sister, are with him in exile, and he is happier in their
+faithfulness than when he enjoyed the favors of a corrupt king.
+
+We crossed the long bridge from Rapperschwyl, and took the road over the
+mountain opposite, ascending for nearly two hours along the side, with
+glorious views of the Lake of Zurich and the mountains which enclose it.
+The upper and lower ends of the lake were completely hid by the storms,
+which, to our regret, veiled the Alps, but the part below lay spread out
+dim and grand, like a vast picture. It rained almost constantly, and we
+were obliged occasionally to take shelter in the pine forests, whenever
+a heavier cloud passed over. The road was lined with beggars, who
+dropped on their knees in the rain before us, or placed bars across the
+way, and then took them down again, for which they demanded money.
+
+At length we reached the top of the pass. Many pilgrims to Einsiedeln
+had stopped at a little inn there, some of whom came a long distance to
+pay their vows, especially as the next day was the Ascension day of the
+Virgin, whose image there is noted for performing many miracles. Passing
+on, we crossed a wild torrent by an arch called the "Devil's Bridge."
+The lofty, elevated plains were covered with scanty patches of grain
+and potatoes, and the boys tended their goats on the grassy slopes,
+sometimes trilling or _yodling_ an Alpine melody. An hour's walk brought
+us to Einsiedeln, a small town, whose only attraction is the
+Abbey--after Loretto, in Italy, the most celebrated resort for pilgrims
+in Europe.
+
+We entered immediately into the great church. The gorgeous vaulted roof
+and long aisles were dim with the early evening; hundreds of worshippers
+sat around the sides, or kneeled in groups on the broad stone pavements,
+chanting over their Paternosters and Ave Marias in a shrill, monotonous
+tone, while the holy image near the entrance was surrounded by persons,
+many of whom came in the hope of being healed of some disorder under
+which they suffered. I could not distinctly make out the image, for it
+was placed back within the grating, and a strong crimson lamp behind it
+was made to throw the light around, in the form of a glory. Many of the
+pilgrims came a long distance. I saw some in the costume of the Black
+Forest, and others who appeared to be natives of the Italian Cantons;
+and a group of young women wearing conical fur caps, from the forests of
+Bregenz, on the Lake of Constance.
+
+I was astonished at the splendor of this church, situated in a lonely
+and unproductive Alpine valley. The lofty arches of the ceiling, which
+are covered with superb fresco paintings, rest on enormous pillars of
+granite, and every image and shrine is richly ornamented with gold. Some
+of the chapels were filled with the remains of martyrs, and these were
+always surrounded with throngs of believers. The choir was closed by a
+tall iron grating; a single lamp, which swung from the roof, enabled me
+to see through the darkness, that though much more rich in ornaments
+than the body of the church, it was less grand and impressive. The
+frescoes which cover the ceiling, are said to be the finest paintings of
+the kind in Switzerland.
+
+In the morning our starting was delayed by the rain, and we took
+advantage of it to hear mass in the Abbey and enjoy the heavenly music.
+The latter was of the loftiest kind; there was one voice among the
+singers I shall not soon forget. It was like the warble of a bird who
+sings out of very wantonness. On and on it sounded, making its clear,
+radiant sweetness heard above the chant of the choir and the thunder of
+the orchestra. Such a rich, varied and untiring strain of melody I have
+rarely listened to.
+
+When the service ceased, we took a small road leading to Schwytz. We had
+now fairly entered the Alpine region, and our first task was to cross a
+mountain. This having been done, we kept along the back of the ridge
+which bounds the lake of Zug on the south, terminating in the well known
+Rossberg. The scenery became wilder with every step. The luxuriant
+fields of herbage on the mountains were spotted with the picturesque
+_chalets_ of the hunters and Alp-herds; cattle and goats were browsing
+along the declivities, their bells tinkling most musically, and the
+little streams fell in foam down the steeps. We here began to realize
+our anticipations of Swiss scenery. Just on the other side of the range,
+along which we traveled, lay the little lake of Egeri and valley of
+Morgarten, where Tell and his followers overcame the army of the German
+Emperor; near the lake of Lowertz, we found a chapel by the roadside,
+built on the spot where the house of Werner Stauffacher, one of the
+"three men of Grutli," formerly stood. It bears a poetical inscription
+in old German, and a rude painting of the Battle of Morgarten.
+
+As we wound around the lake of Lowertz, we saw the valley lying between
+the Rossberg and the Righi, which latter mountain stood full in view. To
+our regret, and that of all other travelers, the clouds hung low upon
+it, as they had done for a week at least, and there was no prospect of a
+change. The Rossberg, from which we descended, is about four thousand
+feet in height; a dark brown stripe from its very summit to the valley
+below, shows the track of the avalanche which, in 1806, overwhelmed
+Goldau, and laid waste the beautiful vale of Lowertz. We could trace the
+masses of rock and earth as far as the foot of the Righi. Four hundred
+and fifty persons perished by this catastrophe, which was so sudden that
+in five minutes the whole lovely valley was transformed into a desolate
+wilderness. The shock was so great that the lake of Lowertz overflowed
+its banks, and part of the village of Steinen at the upper end was
+destroyed by the waters.
+
+An hour's walk through a blooming Alpine vale brought us to the little
+town of Schwytz, the capital of the Canton. It stands at the foot of a
+rock-mountain, in shape not unlike Gibraltar, but double its height. The
+bare and rugged summits seem to hang directly over the town, but the
+people dwell below without fear, although the warning ruins of Goldau
+are full in sight. A narrow blue line at the end of the valley which
+stretches westward, marks the lake of the Four Cantons. Down this valley
+we hurried, that we might not miss the boat which plies daily, from
+Luzerne to Fluelen. I regretted not being able to visit Luzerne, as I
+had a letter to the distinguished Swiss composer, Schnyder von
+Wartensee, who resides there at present. The place is said to present a
+most desolate appearance, being avoided by travelers, and even by
+artisans, so that business of all kinds has almost entirely ceased.
+
+At the little town of Brunnen, on the lake, we awaited the coming of the
+steamboat. The scenery around it is exceedingly grand. Looking down
+towards Luzerne, we could see the dark mass of Mount Pilatus on one
+side, and on the other the graceful outline of the Righi, still wearing
+his hood of clouds. We put off in a skiff to meet the boat, with two
+Capuchin friars in long brown mantles and cowls, carrying rosaries at
+their girdles.
+
+Nearly opposite Brunnen is the meadow of Grutli, where the union of the
+Swiss patriots took place, and the bond was sealed that enabled them to
+cast off their chains. It is a little green slope on the side of the
+mountain, between the two Cantons of Uri and Unterwalden, surrounded on
+all sides by precipices. A little crystal spring in the centre is
+believed by the common people to have gushed up on the spot where the
+three "linked the hands that made them free." It is also a popular
+belief that they slumber in a rocky cavern near the spot, and that they
+will arise and come forth when the liberties of Switzerland are in
+danger. She stands at present greatly in need of a new triad to restore
+the ancient harmony.
+
+We passed this glorious scene, almost the only green spot on the bleak
+mountain-side, and swept around the base of the Axenberg, at whose foot,
+in a rocky cave, stands the chapel of William Tell. This is built on the
+spot where he leaped from Gessler's boat during the storm. It sits at
+the base of the rock, on the water's edge, and can be seen far over the
+waves. The Alps, whose eternal snows are lifted dazzling to the sky,
+complete the grandeur of a scene so hallowed by the footsteps of
+freedom. The grand and lonely solemnity of the landscape impressed me
+with an awe, like that one feels when standing in a mighty cathedral,
+when the aisles are dim with twilight. And how full of interest to a
+citizen of young and free America is a shrine where the votaries of
+Liberty have turned to gather strength and courage, through the storms
+and convulsions of five hundred years!
+
+We stopped at the village of Fluelen, at the head of the lake, and
+walked on to Altorf, a distance of half a league. Here, in the
+market-place, is a tower said to be built on the spot where the linden
+tree stood, under which the child of Tell was placed, while, about a
+hundred yards distant, is a fountain with Tell's statue, on the spot
+from whence he shot the apple. If these localities are correct, he must
+indeed have been master of the cross-bow. The tower is covered with rude
+paintings of the principal events in the history of Swiss liberty. I
+viewed these scenes with double interest from having read Schiller's
+"Wilhelm Tell," one of the most splendid tragedies ever written. The
+beautiful reply of his boy, when he described to him the condition of
+the "land where there are no mountains," was sounding in my ears during
+the whole day's journey:
+
+    "Father, I'd feel oppressed in that broad land,
+    I'd rather dwell beneath the avalanche!"
+
+The little village of Burglen, whose spire we saw above the forest, in a
+glen near by, was the birth-place of Tell, and the place where his
+dwelling stood, is now marked by a small chapel. In the Schachen, a
+noisy mountain stream that comes down to join the Reuss, he was drowned,
+when an old man, in attempting to rescue a child who had fallen in--a
+death worthy of the hero! We bestowed a blessing on his memory in
+passing, and then followed the banks of the rapid Reuss. Twilight was
+gathering in the deep Alpine glen, and the mountains on each side,
+half-seen through the mist, looked like vast, awful phantoms. Soon they
+darkened to black, indistinct masses; all was silent except the
+deepened roar of the falling floods; dark clouds brooded above us like
+the outspread wings of night, and we were glad, when the little village
+of Amstegg was reached, and the parlor of the inn opened to us a more
+cheerful, if not so romantic scene.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+PASSAGE OF THE ST. GOTHARD AND DESCENT INTO ITALY.
+
+
+Leaving Amstegg, I passed the whole day among snowy, sky-piercing Alps,
+torrents, chasms and clouds! The clouds appeared to be breaking up as we
+set out, and the white top of the Reassberg was now and then visible in
+the sky. Just above the village are the remains of Zwing Uri, the castle
+begun by the tyrant Gessler, for the complete subjugation of the canton.
+Following the Reuss up through a narrow valley, we passed the
+Bristenstock, which lifts its jagged crags nine thousand feet in the
+air, while on the other side stand the snowy summits which lean towards
+the Rhone Glacier and St. Gothard. From the deep glen where the Reuss
+foamed down towards the Lake of the Forest Cantons, the mountains rose
+with a majestic sweep so far into the sky that the brain grew almost
+dizzy in following their outlines. Woods, chalets and slopes of herbage
+covered their bases, where the mountain cattle and goats were browsing,
+while the herd-boys sang their native melodies or woke the ringing
+echoes with the loud, sweet sounds of their wooden horns; higher up, the
+sides were broken into crags and covered with stunted pines; then
+succeeded a belt of bare rock with a little snow lying in the crevices,
+and the summits of dazzling white looked out from the clouds nearly
+three-fourths the height of the zenith. Sometimes when the vale was
+filled with clouds, it was startling to see them parting around a
+solitary summit, apparently isolated in the air at an immense height,
+for the mountain to which it belonged was hidden to the very base!
+
+The road passed from one side of the valley to the other, crossing the
+Reuss on bridges sometimes ninety feet high. After three or four hours
+walking, we reached a frightful pass called the Schollenen. So narrow is
+the defile that before reaching it, the road seemed to enter directly
+into the mountain. Precipices a thousand feet high tower above, and the
+stream roars and boils in the black depth below. The road is a wonder of
+art; it winds around the edge of horrible chasms or is carried on lofty
+arches across, with sometimes a hold apparently so frail that one
+involuntarily shudders. At a place called the Devil's Bridge, the Reuss
+leaps about seventy feet in three or four cascades, sending up
+continually a cloud of spray, while a wind created by the fall, blows
+and whirls around, with a force that nearly lifts one from his feet.
+Wordsworth has described the scene in the following lines:
+
+    "Plunge with the Reuss embrowned by terror's breath,
+    Where danger roofs the narrow walks of Death;
+    By floods that, thundering from their dizzy height,
+    Swell more gigantic on the steadfast sight,
+    Black, drizzling crags, that, beaten by the din,
+    Vibrate, us if a voice complained within,
+    Loose hanging rocks, the Day's blessed eye that hide,
+    And crosses reared to Death on every side!"
+
+Beyond the Devil's Bridge, the mountains which nearly touched before,
+interlock into each other, and a tunnel three hundred and seventy-five
+feet long leads through the rock into the vale of Urseren, surrounded by
+the Upper Alps. The little town of Andermatt lies in the middle of this
+valley, which with the peaks around is covered with short,
+yellowish-brown grass. We met near Amstegg a little Italian boy walking
+home, from Germany, quite alone and without money, for we saw him give
+his last kreutzer to a blind beggar along the road. We therefore took
+him with us, as he was afraid to cross the St. Gothard alone.
+
+After refreshing ourselves at Andermatt, we started, five in number,
+including a German student, for the St. Gothard. Behind the village of
+Hospiz, which stands at the bottom of the valley leading to Realp and
+the Furca pass, the way commences, winding backwards and forwards,
+higher and higher, through a valley covered with rocks, with the mighty
+summits of the Alps around, untenanted save by the chamois and mountain
+eagle. Not a tree was to be seen. The sides of the mountains were
+covered with loose rocks waiting for the next torrent to wash them down,
+and the tops were robed in eternal snow. A thick cloud rolled down over
+us as we went on, following the diminishing brooks to their snowy source
+in the peak of St. Gothard. We cut off the bends of the road by
+footpaths up the rocks, which we ascended in single file, one of the
+Americans _going ahead_ and little Pietro with his staff and bundle
+bringing up the rear. The rarefied air we breathed, seven thousand feet
+above the sea, was like exhilarating gas. We felt no fatigue, but ran
+and shouted and threw snowballs, in the middle of August!
+
+After three hours' walk we reached the two clear and silent lakes which
+send their waters to the Adriatic and the North Sea. Here, as we looked
+down the Italian side, the sky became clear; we saw the top of St.
+Gothard many thousand feet above, and stretching to the south, the
+summits of the mountains which guard the vales of the Ticino and the
+Adda. The former monastery has been turned into an inn; there is,
+however, a kind of church attached, attended by a single monk. It was so
+cold that although late, we determined to descend to the first village.
+The Italian side is very steep, and the road, called the Via Trimola, is
+like a thread dropped down and constantly doubling back upon itself. The
+deep chasms were filled with snow, although exposed to the full force of
+the sun, and for a long distance there was scarcely a sign of
+vegetation.
+
+We thought as we went down, that every step was bringing us nearer to a
+sunnier land--that the glories of Italy, which had so long lain in the
+airy background of the future, would soon spread themselves before us in
+their real or imagined beauty. Reaching at dusk the last height above
+the vale of the Ticino, we saw the little village of Airolo with its
+musical name, lying in a hollow of the mountains. A few minutes of
+leaping, sliding and rolling, took us down the grassy declivity, and we
+found we had descended from the top in an hour and a half, although the
+distance by the road is nine miles! I need not say how glad we were to
+relieve our trembling knees and exhausted limbs.
+
+I have endeavored several times to give some idea of the sublimity of
+the Alps, but words seem almost powerless to measure these mighty
+mountains. No effort of the imagination could possibly equal their real
+grandeur. I wish also to describe the _feelings_ inspired by being
+among them,--feelings which can best be expressed through the warmer
+medium of poetry.
+
+    SONG OF THE ALP.
+    I.
+
+    I sit aloft on my thunder throne,
+    And my voice of dread the nations own
+       As I speak in storm below!
+    The valleys quake with a breathless fear,
+    When I hurl in wrath my icy spear
+       And shake my locks of snow!
+    When the avalanche forth like a tiger leaps,
+      How the vassal-mountains quiver!
+    And the storm that sweeps through the airy deeps
+      Makes the hoary pine-wood shiver!
+    Above them all, in a brighter air,
+    I lift my forehead proud and bare,
+    And the lengthened sweep of my forest-robe
+    Trails down to the low and captured globe,
+    Till its borders touch the dark green wave
+    In whose soundless depths my feet I lave.
+    The winds, unprisoned, around me blow,
+    And terrible tempests whirl the snow;
+    Rocks from their caverned beds are torn,
+    And the blasted forest to heaven is borne;
+    High through the din of the stormy band,
+    Like misty giants the mountains stand,
+    And their thunder-revel o'er-sounds the woe,
+    That cries from the desolate vales below!
+    I part the clouds with my lifted crown,
+    Till the sun-ray slants on the glaciers down,
+    And trembling men, in the valleys pale,
+    Rejoice at the gleam of my icy mail!
+
+    II.
+
+    I wear a crown of the sunbeam's gold,
+    With glacier-gems en my forehead old--
+       A monarch crowned by God!
+    What son of the servile earth may dare
+    Such signs of a regal power to wear,
+       While chained to her darkened sod?
+    I know of a nobler and grander lore
+      Than Time records on his crumbling pages,
+    And the soul of my solitude teaches more
+      Than the gathered deeds of perished ages!
+    For I have ruled since Time began
+    And wear no fetter made by man.
+    I scorn the coward and craven race
+    Who dwell around my mighty base,
+    For they leave the lessons I grandly gave
+    And bend to the yoke of the crouching slave.
+    I shout aloud to the chainless skies;
+    The stream through its falling foam replies,
+    And my voice, like the sound of the surging sea,
+    To the nations thunders: "_I am free!_"
+    I spoke to Tell when a tyrant's hand
+    Lay heavy and hard on his native land,
+    And the spirit whose glory from mine he won
+    Blessed the Alpine dwellers with Freedom's sun!
+    The student-boy on the Gmunden-plain
+    Heard my solemn voice, but he fought in vain;
+    I called from the crags of the Passeir-glen,
+    When the despot stood in my realm again,
+    And Hofer sprang at the proud command
+    And roused the men of the Tyrol land!
+
+    III.
+
+    I struggle up to the dim blue heaven,
+    From the world, far down in whose breast are driven
+        The props of my pillared throne;
+    And the rosy fires of morning glow
+    Like a glorious thought, on my brow of snow,
+        While the vales are dark and lone!
+    Ere twilight summons the first faint star,
+    I seem to the nations who dwell afar
+    Like a shadowy cloud, whose every fold
+    The sunset dyes with its purest gold,
+    And the soul mounts up through that gateway fair
+    To try its wings in a loftier air!
+    The finger of God on my brow is pressed--
+    His spirit beats in my giant breast,
+    And I breathe, as the endless ages roll,
+    His silent words to the eager soul!
+    I prompt the thoughts of the mighty mind,
+    Who leaves his century far behind
+    And speaks from the Future's sun-lit snow
+    To the Present, that sleeps in its gloom below!
+    I stand, unchanged, in creation's youth--
+    A glorious type of Eternal Truth,
+    That, free and pure, from its native skies
+    Shines through Oppression's veil of lies,
+    And lights the world's long-fettered sod
+    With thoughts of Freedom and of God!
+
+When, at night, I looked out of my chamber-window, the silver moon of
+Italy, (for we fancied that her light was softer and that the skies were
+already bluer) hung trembling above the fields of snow that stretched in
+their wintry brilliance along the mountains around. I heard the roar of
+the Ticino and the deepened sound of falling cascades, and thought, if I
+were to take those waters for my guide, to what glorious places they
+would lead me!
+
+We left Airolo early the next morning, to continue our journey down the
+valley of the Ticino. The mists and clouds of Switzerland were exchanged
+for a sky of the purest blue, and we felt, for the first time in ten
+days, uncomfortably warm. The mountains which flank the Alps on this
+side, are still giants--lofty and bare, and covered with snow in many
+places. The limit of the German dialect is on the summit of St. Gothard,
+and the peasants saluted us with a "_buon giorno_" as they passed. This,
+with the clearness of the skies and the warmth of the air, made us feel
+that Italy was growing nearer.
+
+The mountains are covered with forests of dark pine, and many beautiful
+cascades come tumbling over the rocks in their haste to join the Ticino.
+One of these was so strangely beautiful, that I cannot pass it without a
+particular description. We saw it soon after leaving Airolo, on the
+opposite side of the valley. A stream of considerable size comes down
+the mountain, leaping from crag to crag till within forty or fifty feet
+of the bottom, where it is caught in a hollow rock, and flung upwards
+into the air, forming a beautiful arch as it falls out into the valley.
+As it is whirled up thus, feathery curls of spray are constantly driven
+off and seem to wave round it like the fibres on an ostrich plume. The
+sun shining through, gave it a sparry brilliance which was perfectly
+magnificent. If I were an artist, I would give much for such a new form
+of beauty.
+
+On our first day's journey we passed through two terrific mountain
+gorges, almost equalling in grandeur the defile of the "Devil's Bridge."
+The Ticino, in its course to Lago Maggiore has to make a descent of
+nearly three thousand feet, passing through three valleys, which lie
+like terraces, one below the other. In its course from one to the other,
+it has to force its way down in twenty cataracts through a cleft in the
+mountains. The road, constructed with the utmost labor, threads these
+dark chasms, sometimes carried in a tunnel through the rock, sometimes
+passing on arches above the boiling flood. The precipices of bare rock
+rise far above and render the way difficult and dangerous. I here
+noticed another very beautiful effect of the water, perhaps attributable
+to some mineral substance it contained. The spray and foam thrown up in
+the dashing of the vexed current, was of a light, delicate pink,
+although the stream itself was a soft blue; and the contrast of these
+two colors was very remarkable.
+
+As we kept on, however, there was a very perceptible change in the
+scenery. The gloomy pines disappeared and the mountains were covered, in
+their stead, with picturesque chesnut trees, with leaves of a shining
+green. The grass and vegetation was much more luxuriant than on the
+other side of the Alps, and fields of maize and mulberry orchards
+covered the valley. We saw the people busy at work reeling silk in the
+villages. Every mile we advanced made a sensible change in the
+vegetation. The chesnuts were larger, the maize higher, the few
+straggling grape-vines increased into bowers and vineyards, while the
+gardens were filled with plum, pear and fig-trees, and the stands of
+delicious fruit which we saw in the villages, gave us promise of the
+luxuriance that was to come.
+
+The vineyards are much more beautiful than the German fields of stakes.
+The vines are not trimmed, but grow from year to year over a frame
+higher than the head, supported through the whole field on stone
+pillars. They interlace and form a complete leafy screen, while the
+clusters hang below. The light came dimly through the green, transparent
+leaves, and nothing was wanting to make them real bowers of Arcadia.
+Although we were still in Switzerland, the people began to have that
+lazy, indolent look which characterizes the Italians; most of the
+occupations were carried on in the open air, and brown-robed, sandalled
+friars were going about from house to house, collecting money and
+provisions for their support.
+
+We passed Faido and Giornico, near which last village are the remains of
+an old castle, supposed to have been built by the ancient Gauls, and
+stopped for the night at Cresciano, which being entirely Italian, we had
+an opportunity to put in practice the few words we had picked up from
+Pietro. The little fellow parted from us with regret a few hours before,
+at Biasco, where he had relations. The rustic landlord at Cresciano was
+an honest young fellow, who tried to serve us as well as he could, but
+we made some ludicrous mistakes through our ignorance of the language.
+
+Three hours' walk brought us to Bellinzona, the capital of the canton.
+Before reaching it, our road joined that of the Splugen which comes down
+through the valley of Bernardino. From the bridge where the junction
+takes place we had a triple view, whose grandeur took me by surprise,
+even after coming from Switzerland. We stood at the union of three
+valleys--that leading to St. Gothard, terminated by the glaciers of the
+Bernese Oberland, that running off obliquely to the Splugen, and finally
+the broad vale of the Ticino, extending to Lago Maggiore, whose purple
+mountains closed the vista. Each valley was perhaps two miles broad and
+from twenty to thirty long, and the mountains that enclosed them from
+five to seven thousand feet in height, so you may perhaps form some idea
+what a view down three such avenues in this Alpine temple would be.
+Bellinzona is romantically situated, on a slight eminence, with three
+castles to defend it, with those square turreted towers and battlements,
+which remind one involuntarily of the days of the Goths and Vandals.
+
+We left Bellinzona at noon, and saw, soon after, from an eminence, the
+blue line of Lago Maggiore stretched across the bottom of the valley. We
+saw sunset fade away over the lake, but it was clouded, and did not
+realize my ideal of such a scene in Italy. A band of wild Italians
+paraded up and down the village, drawing one of their number in a
+hand-cart. They made a great noise with a drum and trumpet, and were
+received everywhere with shouts of laughter. A great jug of wine was not
+wanting, and the whole seemed to me a very characteristic scene.
+
+We were early awakened at Magadino, at the head of Lago Maggiore, and
+after swallowing a hasty breakfast, went on board the steamboat "San
+Carlo," for Sesto Calende. We got under way at six o'clock, and were
+soon in motion over the crystal mirror. The water is of the most lovely
+green hue, and so transparent that we seemed to bo floating in mid-air.
+Another heaven arched far below us; other chains of mountains joined
+their bases to those which surrounded the lake, and the mirrored
+cascades leaped upward to meet their originals at the surface. It may be
+because I have seen it more recently, that the water of Lago Maggiore
+appears to be the most beautiful in the world. I was delighted with the
+Scotch lakes, and enraptured with the Traunsee and "Zurich's waters,"
+but this last exceeds them both. I am now incapable of any stronger
+feeling, until I see the Egean from the Grecian Isles.
+
+The morning was cloudy, and the white wreaths hung low on the mountains,
+whose rocky sides were covered every where with the rank and luxuriant
+growth of this climate. As we advanced further over this glorious
+mirror, the houses became more Italian-like; the lower stories rested on
+arched passages, and the windows were open, without glass, while in the
+gardens stood the solemn, graceful cypress, and vines, heavy with
+ripening grapes, hung from bough to bough through the mulberry orchards.
+Half-way down, in a broad bay, which receives the waters of a stream
+that comes down with the Simplon, are the celebrated Borromean Islands.
+They are four in number, and seem to float like fairy creations on the
+water, while the lofty hills form a background whose grandeur enhances
+by contrast their exquisite beauty. There was something in the scene
+that reminded me of Claude Melnotte's description of his home, by
+Bulwer, and like the lady of Lyons, I answer readily, "I like the
+picture."
+
+On passing by Isola Madre, we could see the roses in its terraced
+gardens and the broad-leaved aloes clinging to the rocks. Isola Bella,
+the loveliest of them all, as its name denotes, was farther off; it rose
+like a pyramid from the water, terrace above terrace to the summit, and
+its gardens of never fading foliage, with the glorious panorama around,
+might make it a paradise, if life were to be dreamed away. On the
+northern side of the bay lies a large town (I forget its name,) with a
+lofty Romanesque tower, and noble mountains sweep around as if to shut
+out the world from such a scene. The sea was perfectly calm, and groves
+and gardens slept mirrored in the dark green wave, while the Alps rose
+afar through the dim, cloudy air. Towards the other end the hills sink
+lower, and slope off into the plains of Lombardy. Near Arona, on the
+western side, is a large monastery, overlooking the lower part of the
+lake. Beside it, on a hill, is a colossal statue of San Carlo Borromeo,
+who gave his name to the lovely islands above.
+
+After a seven hours' passage, we ran into Sesto Calende, at the foot of
+the lake. Here, passengers and baggage were tumbled promiscuously on
+shore, the latter gathered into the office to be examined, and the
+former left at liberty to ramble about an hour until their passports
+could be signed. We employed the time in trying the flavor of the grapes
+and peaches of Lombardy, and looking at the groups of travelers who had
+come down from the Alps with the annual avalanche at this season. The
+custom house officers were extremely civil and obliging, as they did not
+think necessary to examine our knapsacks, and our passports being soon
+signed, we were at liberty to enter again into the dominions of His
+Majesty of Austria. Our companion, the German, whose feet could carry
+him no further, took a seat on the top of a diligence for Milan; _we_
+left Sesto Calende on foot, and plunged into the cloud of dust which was
+whirling towards the capital of Northern Italy.
+
+Being now really in the "sunny land," we looked on the scenery with a
+deep interest. The first thing that struck me was a resemblance to
+America in the fields of Indian corn, and the rank growth of weeds by
+the roadside. The mulberry trees and hedges, too, looked quite familiar,
+coming as we did, from fenceless and hedgeless Germany. But here the
+resemblance ceased. The people were coarse, ignorant and savage-looking,
+the villages remarkable for nothing except the contrast between splendid
+churches and miserable, dirty houses, while the luxurious palaces and
+grounds of the rich noblemen formed a still greater contrast to the
+poverty of the people. I noticed also that if the latter are as lazy as
+they are said to be, they make their horses work for them, as in a walk
+of a few hours yesterday after noon, we saw two horses drawing heavy
+loads, drop down apparently dead, and several others seemed nearly ready
+to do the same.
+
+We spent the night at the little village of Casina, about sixteen miles
+from Milan, and here made our first experience in the honesty of Italian
+inns. We had taken the precaution to inquire beforehand the price of a
+bed; but it seemed unnecessary and unpleasant, as well as evincing a
+mistrustful spirit, to do the same with every article we asked for, so
+we concluded to leave it to the host's conscience not to overcharge us.
+Imagine our astonishment, however, when at starting, a bill was
+presented to us, in which the smallest articles were set down at three
+or four times their value. We remonstrated, hut to little purpose; the
+fellow knew scarcely any French, and we as little Italian, so rather
+than lose time or temper, we paid what he demanded and went on, leaving
+him to laugh at the successful imposition. The experience was of value
+to us, however, and it may serve as a warning to some future traveler.
+
+About noon, the road turned into a broad and beautiful avenue of
+poplars, down which we saw, at a distance, the triumphal arch
+terminating the Simplon road, which we had followed from Sesto Calende.
+Beyond it rose the slight and airy pinnacle of the Duomo. We passed by
+the exquisite structure, gave up our passports at the gates, traversed
+the broad Piazza d'Armi, and found ourselves at liberty to choose one of
+the dozen streets that led into the heart of the city.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+MILAN.
+
+
+_Aug. 21._--While finding our way at random to the "Pension Suisse,"
+whither we had been directed by a German gentleman, we were agreeably
+impressed with the gaiety and bustle of Milan. The shops and stores are
+all open to the street, so that the city resembles a great bazaar. It
+has an odd look to see blacksmiths, tailors and shoemakers working
+unconcernedly in the open air, with crowds continually passing before
+them. The streets are filled with venders of fruit, who call out the
+names with a long, distressing cry, like that of a person in great
+agony. Organ-grinders parade constantly about and snatches of songs are
+heard among the gay crowd, on every side.
+
+In this lively, noisy Italian city, nearly all there is to see may be
+comprised in four things: the Duomo, the triumphal arch over the
+Simplon, La Scala and the Picture Gallery. The first alone is more
+interesting than many an entire city. We went there yesterday afternoon
+soon after reaching here. It stands in an irregular open place, closely
+hemmed in by houses on two sides, so that it can be seen to advantage
+from only one point. It is a mixture of the Gothic and Romanesque
+styles; the body of the structure is entirely covered with statues and
+richly wrought sculpture, with needle-like spires of white marble rising
+up from every corner. But of the exquisite, airy look of the whole mass,
+although so solid and vast, it is impossible to convey an idea. It
+appears like some fabric of frost-work which winter traces on the
+window-panes. There is a unity of beauty about the whole, which the eye
+takes in with a feeling of perfect and satisfied delight.
+
+Ascending the marble steps which lead to the front, I lifted the folds
+of the heavy curtain and entered. What a glorious aisle! The mighty
+pillars support a magnificent arched ceiling, painted to resemble
+fretwork, and the little light that falls through the small windows
+above, enters tinged with a dim golden hue. A feeling of solemn awe
+comes over one as he steps with a hushed tread along the colored marble
+floor, and measures the massive columns till they blend with the
+gorgeous arches above. There are four rows of these, nearly fifty in
+all, and when I state that they are eight feet in diameter, and sixty or
+seventy in height, some idea may be formed of the grandeur of the
+building. Imagine the Girard College, at Philadelphia, turned into one
+great hall, with four rows of pillars, equal in size to those around it,
+reaching to its roof, and you will have a rough sketch of the interior
+of the Duomo.
+
+In the centre of the cross is a light and beautiful dome; he who will
+stand under this, and look down the broad middle aisle to the entrance,
+has one of the sublimest vistas to be found in the world. The choir has
+three enormous windows, covered with dazzling paintings, and the ceiling
+is of marble and silver. There are gratings under the high altar, by
+looking into which, I could see a dark, lonely chamber below, where one
+or two feeble lamps showed a circle of praying-places. It was probably a
+funeral vault, which persons visited to pray for the repose of their
+friends' souls. The Duomo is not yet entirely finished, the workmen
+being still employed in various parts, but it is said, that when
+completed there will be four thousand statues on the different parts of
+it.
+
+The design of the Duomo is said to be taken from Monte Rosa, one of the
+loftiest peaks of the Alps. Its hundreds of sculptured pinnacles, rising
+from every part of the body of the church, certainly bear a striking
+resemblance to the splintered ice-crags of Savoy. Thus we see how Art,
+mighty and endless in her forms though she be, is in every thing but the
+child of Nature. Her most divine conceptions are but copies of objects
+which we behold every day. The faultless beauty of the Corinthian
+capital--the springing and intermingling arches of the Gothic aisle--the
+pillared portico or the massive and sky-piercing pyramid--are but
+attempts at reproducing, by the studied regularity of Art, the
+ever-varied and ever-beautiful forms of mountain, rock and forest. But
+there is oftentimes a more thrilling sensation of enjoyment produced by
+the creations of man's hand and intellect than the grander effects of
+Nature, existing constantly before our eyes. It would seem as if man
+marvelled more at his own work than at the work of the Power which
+created him.
+
+The streets of Milan abound with priests in their cocked hats and long
+black robes. They all have the same solemn air, and seem to go about
+like beings shut out from all communion with pleasure. No sight lately
+has saddened me so much as to see a bright, beautiful boy, of twelve or
+thirteen years, in those gloomy garments. Poor child! he little knows
+now what he may have to endure. A lonely, cheerless life, where every
+affection must be crushed as unholy, and every pleasure denied as a
+crime! And I knew by his fair brow and tender lip, that he had a warm
+and loving heart. I could not help regarding this class as victims to a
+mistaken idea of religious duty, and if I am not mistaken, I read on
+more than one countenance the traces of passions that burned within. It
+is mournful to see a people oppressed in the name of religion. The
+holiest aspirations of man's nature, instead of lifting him up to a
+nearer view of Christian perfection, are changed into clouds and shut
+out the light of heaven. Immense treasures, wrung drop by drop from the
+credulity of the poor and ignorant, are made use of to pamper the luxury
+of those who profess to be mediators between man and the Deity. The poor
+wretch may perish of starvation on a floor of precious mosaic, which
+perhaps his own pittance has helped to form, while ceilings and shrines
+of inlaid gold mock his dying eye with their useless splendor. Such a
+system of oppression, disguised under the holiest name, can only be
+sustained by the continuance of ignorance and blind superstition.
+Knowledge--Truth--Reason--these are the ramparts which Liberty throws up
+to guard her dominions from the usurpations of oppression and wrong.
+
+We were last night in La Scala. Rossini's opera of William Tell was
+advertised, and as we had visited so lately the scene where that
+glorious historical drama was enacted, we went to see it represented in
+sound. It is a grand subject, which in the hands of a powerful composer,
+might be made very effective, but I must confess I was disappointed in
+the present case. The overture is, however, very beautiful. It begins
+low and mournful, like the lament of the Swiss over their fallen
+liberties. Occasionally a low drum is heard, as if to rouse them to
+action, and meanwhile the lament swells to a cry of despair. The drums
+now wake the land; the horn of Uri is heard pealing forth its summoning
+strain, and the echoes seem to come back from the distant Alps. The
+sound then changes for the roar of battle--the clang of trumpets, drums
+and cymbals. The whole orchestra did their best to represent this combat
+in music, which after lasting a short time, changed into the loud,
+victorious march of the conquerors. But the body of the opera, although
+it had several fine passages, was to me devoid of interest; in fact,
+unworthy the reputation of Rossini.
+
+The theatre is perhaps the largest in the world. The singers are all
+good; in Italy it could not be otherwise, where everybody sings. As I
+write, a party of Italians in the house opposite have been amusing
+themselves with going through the whole opera of "_La fille du
+Regiment_," with the accompaniment of the piano, and they show the
+greatest readiness and correctness in their performance. They have now
+become somewhat boisterous, and appear to be improvising. One young
+gentleman executes trills with amazing skill, and another appears to
+have taken the part of a despairing lover, but the lady has a very
+pretty voice, and warbles on and on, like a nightingale. Occasionally a
+group of listeners in the street below clap them applause, for as the
+windows are always open, the whole neighborhood can enjoy the
+performance.
+
+This forenoon I was in the Picture Gallery. It occupies a part of the
+Library Building, in the Palazzo Cabrera. It is not large, and many of
+the pictures are of no value to anybody but antiquarians; still there
+are some excellent paintings, which render it well worthy a visit. Among
+these, a marriage, by Raphael, is still in a very good state of
+preservation, and there are some fine pictures by Paul Veronese and the
+Caracci. The most admired painting, is "Abraham sending away Hagar," by
+Guercino. I never saw a more touching expression of grief than in the
+face of Hagar. Her eyes are red with weeping, and as she listens in an
+agony of tears to the patriarch's command, she still seems doubting the
+reality of her doom. The countenance of Abraham is venerable and calm,
+and expresses little emotion; but one can read in that of Sarah, as she
+turns away, a feeling of pity for her unfortunate rival.
+
+Next to the Duomo, the most beautiful specimen of architecture in Milan
+is the ARCH OF PEACE, on the north side of the city, at the commencement
+of the Simplon Road. It was the intention of Napoleon to carry the road
+under this arch, across the Piazza d'Armi, and to cut a way for it
+directly into the heart of the city, but the fall of his dynasty
+prevented the execution of this magnificent design, as well as the
+completion of the arch itself. This has been done by the Austrian
+government, according to the original plan; they have inscribed upon it
+the name of Francis I., and changed the bas-reliefs of Lodi and Marengo
+into those of a few fields where their forces had gained the victory. It
+is even said that in many parts which were already finished, they
+altered the splendid Roman profile of Napoleon into the haggard and
+repulsive features of Francis of Austria.
+
+The bronze statues on the top were made by an artist of Bologna, by
+Napoleon's order, and are said to be the finest works of modern times.
+In the centre is the goddess of Peace, in a triumphal car, drawn by six
+horses, while on the corners four angels, mounted, are starting off to
+convey the tidings to the four quarters of the globe. The artist has
+caught the spirit of motion and chained it in these moveless figures.
+One would hardly feel surprised if the goddess, chariot, horses and all,
+were to start off and roll away through the air.
+
+With the rapidity usual to Americans we have already finished seeing
+Milan, and shall start to-morrow morning on a walk to Genoa.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+WALK FROM MILAN TO GENOA.
+
+
+It was finally decided we should leave Milan, so the next morning we
+arose at five o'clock for the first time since leaving Frankfort. The
+Italians had commenced operations at this early hour, but we made our
+way through the streets without attracting quite so much attention as on
+our arrival. Near the gate on the road to Pavia, we passed a long
+colonnade which was certainly as old as the times of the Romans. The
+pillars of marble were quite brown with age, and bound together with
+iron to keep them from falling to pieces. It was a striking contrast to
+see this relic of the past standing in the middle of a crowded
+thoroughfare and surrounded by all the brilliance and display of modern
+trade.
+
+Once fairly out of the city we took the road to Pavia, along the banks
+of the canal, just as the rising sun gilded the marble spire of the
+Duomo. The country was a perfect level, and the canal, which was in many
+places higher than the land through which it passed, served also as a
+means of irrigation for the many rice-fields. The sky grew cloudy and
+dark, and before we reached Pavia gathered to a heavy storm. Torrents of
+rain poured down, accompanied with heavy thunder; we crept under an old
+gateway for shelter, as no house was near. Finally, as it cleared away,
+the square brown towers of the old city rose above the trees, and we
+entered the gate through a fine shaded avenue. Our passports were of
+course demanded, but we were only detained a minute or two. The only
+thing of interest is the University, formerly so celebrated; it has at
+present about eight hundred students.
+
+We have reason to remember the city from another circumstance--the
+singular attention we excited. I doubt if Columbus was an object of
+greater curiosity to the simple natives of the new world, than we three
+Americans were to the good people of Pavia. I know not what part of our
+dress or appearance could have caused it, but we were watched like wild
+animals. If we happened to pause and look at anything in the street,
+there was soon a crowd of attentive observers, and as we passed on,
+every door and window was full of heads. We stopped in the marketplace
+to purchase some bread and fruit for dinner, which increased, if
+possible, the sensation. We saw eyes staring and fingers pointing at us
+from every door and alley. I am generally willing to contribute as much
+as possible to the amusement or entertainment of others, but such
+attention was absolutely embarrassing. There was nothing to do but to
+appear unconscious of it, and we went along with as much nonchalance as
+if the whole town belonged to us.
+
+We crossed the Ticino, on whose banks near Pavia, was fought the first
+great battle between Hannibal and the Romans. On the other side our
+passports were demanded at the Sardinian frontier and our knapsacks
+searched, which having proved satisfactory, we were allowed to enter the
+kingdom. Late in the afternoon we reached the Po, which in winter must
+be quarter of a mile wide, but the summer heats had dried it up to a
+small stream, so that the bridge of boats rested nearly its whole length
+in sand. We sat on the bank in the shade, and looked at the chain of
+hills which rose in the south, following the course of the Po, crowned
+with castles and villages and shining towers. It was here that I first
+began to realize Italian scenery. Although the hills were bare, they lay
+so warm and glowing in the sunshine, and the deep blue sky spread so
+calmly above, that it recalled all my dreams of the fair clime we had
+entered.
+
+We stopped for the night at the little village of Casteggio, which lies
+at the foot of the hills, and next morning resumed our pilgrimage. Here
+a new delight awaited us. The sky was of a heavenly blue, without even
+the shadow of a cloud, and full and fair in the morning sunshine we
+could see the whole range of the Alps, from the blue hills of Friuli,
+which sweep down to Venice and the Adriatic, to the lofty peaks which
+stretch away to Nice and Marseilles! Like a summer cloud, except that
+they were far more dazzling and glorious, lay to the north of us the
+glaciers and untrodden snow-fields of the Bernese Oberland; a little to
+the right we saw the double peak of St. Gothard, where six days before
+we shivered in the region of eternal winter, while far to the north-west
+rose the giant dome of Mount Blanc. Monte Rosa stood near him, not far
+from the Great St. Bernard, and further to the south Mont Cenis guarded
+the entrance from Piedmont into France. I leave you to conceive the
+majesty of such a scene, and you may perhaps imagine, for I cannot
+describe the feelings with which I gazed upon it.
+
+At Tortona, the next post, a great market was being held; the town was
+filled with country people selling their produce, and with venders of
+wares of all kinds. Fruit was very abundant--grapes, ripe figs, peaches
+and melons were abundant, and for a trifle one could purchase a
+sumptuous banquet. On inquiring the road to Novi, the people made us
+understand, after much difficulty, that there was a nearer way across
+the country, which came into the post-road again, and we concluded to
+take it. After two or three hours' walking in a burning sun, where our
+only relief was the sight of the Alps and a view of the battle-field of
+Marengo, which lay just on our right, we came to a stand--the road
+terminated at a large stream, where workmen were busily engaged in
+making a bridge across. We pulled off our boots and waded through, took
+a refreshing bath in the clear waters, and walked on through by-lanes.
+The sides were lined with luxuriant vines, bending under the ripening
+vintage, and we often cooled our thirst with some of the rich bunches.
+
+The large branch of the Po we crossed, came down from the mountains,
+which we were approaching. As we reached the post-road again, they were
+glowing in the last rays of the sun, and the evening vapors that settled
+over the plain concealed the distant Alps, although the snowy top of the
+Jungfrau and her companions the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn, rose above
+it like the hills of another world. A castle or church of brilliant
+white marble glittered on the summit of one of the mountains near us,
+and as the sun went down without a cloud, the distant summits changed in
+hue to a glowing purple, amounting almost to crimson, which afterwards
+darkened into a deep violet. The western half of the sky was of a pale
+orange, and the eastern a dark red, which blended together in the blue
+of the zenith, that deepened as twilight came on. I know not if it was a
+fair specimen of an Italian sunset, but I must say, without wishing to
+be partial, that though certainly very soft and beautiful, there is no
+comparison with the splendor of such a scene in America. The day-sky of
+Italy better deserves its reputation. Although no clearer than our own,
+it is of a far brighter blue, arching above us like a dome of sapphire
+and seeming to sparkle all over with a kind of crystal transparency.
+
+We stopped the second night at Arquato, a little village among the
+mountains, and after having bargained with the merry landlord for our
+lodgings, in broken Italian, took a last look at the plains of Piedmont
+and the Swiss Alps, in the growing twilight. We gazed out on the
+darkening scene till the sky was studded with stars, and went to rest
+with the exciting thought of seeing Genoa and the Mediterranean on the
+morrow. Next morning we started early, and after walking some distance
+made our breakfast in a grove of chesnuts, on the cool mountain side,
+beside a fresh stream of water. The sky shone like a polished gem, and
+the glossy leaves of the chesnuts gleamed in the morning sun. Here and
+there, on a rocky height, stood the remains of some knightly castle,
+telling of the Goths and Normans who descended through these mountain
+passes to plunder Rome.
+
+As the sun grew high, the heat and dust became intolerable, and this, in
+connection with the attention we raised everywhere, made us somewhat
+tired of foot-traveling in Italy. I verily believe the people took us
+for pilgrims on account of our long white blouses, and had I a scallop
+shell I would certainly have stuck it into my hat to complete the
+appearance. We stopped once to ask a priest the road; when he had told
+us, he shook hands with us and gave us a parting benediction. At the
+common inns, where we stopped, we always met with civil treatment,
+though, indeed, as we only slept in them, there was little chance of
+practising imposition. We bought our simple meals at the baker's and
+grocer's, and ate them in the shade of the grape-bowers, whose rich
+clusters added to the repast. In this manner, we enjoyed Italy at the
+expense of a franc, daily. About noon, after winding about through the
+narrow defiles, the road began ascending. The reflected heat from the
+hills on each side made it like an oven; there was not a breath of air
+stirring; but we all felt, although no one said it, that from the summit
+we could see the Mediterranean, and we pushed on as if life or death
+depended on it. Finally, the highest point came in sight--we redoubled
+our exertions, and a few minutes more brought us to the top, breathless
+with fatigue and expectation. I glanced down the other side--there lay a
+real sea of mountains, all around; the farthest peaks rose up afar and
+dim, crowned with white towers, and between two of them which stood
+apart like the pillars of a gateway, we saw the broad expanse of water
+stretching away to the horizon--
+
+To where the blue of heaven on bluer waves shut down!"
+
+It would have been a thrilling sight to see any ocean, when one has
+rambled thousands of miles among the mountains and vales of the inland,
+but to behold this sea, of all others, was glorious indeed! This sea,
+whose waves wash the feet of Naples, Constantinople and Alexandria, and
+break on the hoary shores where Troy and Tyre and Carthage have
+mouldered away!--whose breast has been furrowed by the keels of a
+hundred nations through more than forty centuries--from the first rude
+voyage of Jason and his Argonauts, to the thunders of Navarino that
+heralded the second birth of Greece! You cannot wonder we grew romantic;
+but short space was left for sentiment in the burning sun, with Genoa to
+be reached before night. The mountain we crossed is called the Bochetta,
+one of the loftiest of the sea-Alps (or Apennines)--the road winds
+steeply down towards the sea, following a broad mountain rivulet, now
+perfectly dried up, as nearly every stream among the mountains is. It
+was a long way to us; the mountains seemed as if they would never unfold
+and let us out on the shore, and our weary limbs did penance enough for
+a multitude of sins. The dusk was beginning to deepen over the bay and
+the purple hues of sunset were dying away from its amphitheatre of
+hills, as we came in sight of the gorgeous city. Half the population
+were out to celebrate a festival, and we made our entry in the triumphal
+procession of some saint.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+SCENES IN GENOA, LEGHORN AND PISA.
+
+
+Have you ever seen some grand painting of a city, rising with its domes
+and towers and palaces from the edge of a glorious bay, shut in by
+mountains--the whole scene clad in those deep, delicious, sunny hues
+which you admire so much in the picture, although they appear unrealized
+in Nature? If so, you can figure to yourself Genoa, as she looked to us
+at sunset, from the battlements west of the city. When we had passed
+through the gloomy gate of the fortress that guards the western
+promontory, the whole scene opened at once on us in all its majesty. It
+looked to me less like a real landscape than a mighty panoramic
+painting. The battlements where we were standing, and the blue mirror of
+the Mediterranean just below, with a few vessels moored near the shore,
+made up the foreground; just in front lay the queenly city, stretching
+out to the eastern point of the bay, like a great meteor---this point,
+crowned with the towers and dome of a cathedral representing the
+nucleus, while the tail gradually widened out and was lost among the
+numberless villas that reached to the top of the mountains behind. A
+mole runs nearly across the mouth of the harbor, with a tall light-house
+at its extremity, leaving only a narrow passage for vessels. As we
+gazed, a purple glow lay on the bosom of the sea, while far beyond the
+city, the eastern half of the mountain crescent around the gulf was
+tinted with the loveliest hue of orange. The impressions which one
+derives from looking on remarkable scenery, depend, for much of their
+effect, on the time and weather. I have been very fortunate in this
+respect in two instances, and shall carry with me through life, two
+glorious pictures of a very different character--the wild sublimity of
+the Brocken in cloud and storm, and the splendor of Genoa in an Italian
+sunset.
+
+Genoa has been called the "city of palaces." and it well deserves the
+appellation. Row above row of magnificent structures rise amid gardens
+along the side of the hills, and many of the streets, though narrow and
+crooked, are lined entirely with the splendid dwellings of the Genoese
+nobles. All these speak of the republic in its days of wealth and power,
+when it could cope successfully with Venice, and Doria could threaten to
+bridle the horses of St. Mark. At present its condition is far
+different; although not so fallen as its rival, it is but a shadow of
+its former self--the life and energy it possessed as a republic, has
+withered away under the grasp of tyranny.
+
+We entered Genoa, as I have already said, in a religious procession. On
+passing the gate we saw from the concourse of people and the many
+banners hanging from the windows or floating across the streets, that it
+was the day of a festa. Before entering the city we reached the
+procession itself, which was one of unusual solemnity. As it was
+impossible in the dense crowd, to pass it, we struggled through till we
+reached a good point for seeing the whole, and slowly moved on with it
+through the city. First went a company of boys in white robes; then
+followed a body of friars, dressed in long black cassocks, and with
+shaven crowns; then a company of soldiers with a band of music; then a
+body of nuns, wrapped from head to foot in blue robes, leaving only a
+small place to see out of--in the dusk they looked very solemn and
+ghost-like, and their low chant had to me something awful and sepulchral
+in it; then followed another company of friars, and after that a great
+number of priests in white and black robes, bearing the statue of the
+saint, with a pyramid of flowers, crosses and blazing wax tapers, while
+companies of soldiery, monks and music brought up the rear. Armed guards
+walked at intervals on each side of the procession, to keep the way
+clear and prevent disturbance; two or three bands played solemn airs,
+alternating with the deep monotonous chanting of the friars. The whole
+scene, dimly lighted by the wax tapers, produced in me a feeling nearly
+akin to fear, as if I were witnessing some ghostly, unearthly spectacle.
+To rites like these, however, which occur every few weeks, the people
+must be well accustomed.
+
+Among the most interesting objects in Genoa, is the Doria palace, fit
+in its splendor for a monarch's residence. It stands in the _Strada
+Nova_, one of the three principal streets, and I believe is still in the
+possession of the family. There are many others through the city,
+scarcely less magnificent, among which that of the Durazzo family may be
+pointed out. The American consulate is in one of these old edifices,
+with a fine court-yard and ceilings covered with frescoes. Mr. Moro, the
+Vice Consul, did us a great kindness, which I feel bound to acknowledge,
+although it will require the disclosure of some private, and perhaps
+uninteresting circumstances. On leaving Frankfort, we converted--for the
+sake of convenience--the greater part of our funds into a draft on a
+Saxon merchant in Leghorn, reserving just enough, as we supposed, to
+take us thither. As in our former case, in Germany, the sum was too
+small, which we found to our dismay on reaching Milan. Notwithstanding
+we had traveled the whole ninety miles from that city to Genoa for three
+francs each, in the hope of having enough, left to enable _one_ at least
+to visit Leghorn, the expenses for a passport in Genoa (more than twenty
+francs) prevented this plan. I went therefore to the Vice Consul to
+ascertain whether the merchant on whom the draft was drawn, had any
+correspondents there, who might advance a portion of it. His secretary
+made many inquiries, but without effect; Mr. Moro then generously
+offered to furnish me with means to reach Leghorn, whence I could easily
+remit a sufficient sum to my two comrades. This put an end to our
+anxiety, (for I must confess we could not help feeling some), and I
+therefore prepared to leave that evening in the "Virgilio."
+
+The feelings with which I look on this lovely land, are fast changing.
+What with the dust and heat, and cheating landlords, and the dull plains
+of Lombardy, my first experience was not very prepossessing. But the
+joyous and romantic anticipation with which I looked forward to
+realizing the dream of my earliest boyhood, is now beginning to be
+surpassed by the exciting reality. Every breath I drew in the city of
+Columbus and Doria, was deeply tinctured with the magic of history and
+romance. It was like entering on a new existence, to look on scenes so
+lovely by nature and so filled with the inspiring memories of old.
+
+    "Italia too, Italia! looking on thee,
+    Full flashes on the soul the light of ages,
+    Since the fierce Carthagenian almost won thee,
+    To the last halo of the chiefs and sages
+    Who glorify thy consecrated pages!
+    Thou wert the throne and grave of empires."
+
+The _Virgilio_ was advertised to leave at six o'clock, and I accordingly
+went out to her in a little boat half an hour beforehand; but we were
+delayed much longer, and I saw sunset again fade over the glorious
+amphitheatre of palaces and mountains, with the same orange glow--the
+same purple and crimson flush, deepening into twilight--as before. An
+old blind man in a skiff, floated around under the bows of the boat on
+the glassy water, singing to the violin a plaintive air that appeared to
+be an evening hymn to the virgin. There was something very touching in
+his venerable countenance, with the sightless eyes turned upward to the
+sunset heaven whose glory he could never more behold.
+
+The lamps were lit on the tower at the end of the mole as we glided out
+on the open sea; I stood on deck and watched the receding lights of the
+city, till they and the mountains above them, were blended with the
+darkened sky. The sea-breeze was fresh and cool, and the stars glittered
+with a frosty clearness, which would have made the night delicious had
+not a slight rolling of the waves obliged me to go below. Here, besides
+being half seasick, I was placed at the mercy of many voracious fleas,
+who obstinately stayed, persisting in keeping me company. This was the
+first time I had suffered from these cannibals, and such were my
+torments, I almost wished some blood-thirsty Italian would come and put
+an end to them with his stiletto.
+
+The first ray of dawn that stole into the cabin sent me on deck. The
+hills of Tuscany lay in front, sharply outlined on the reddening sky;
+near us was the steep and rocky isle of Gorgona; and far to the
+south-west, like a low mist along the water, ran the shores of
+Corsica--the birth place of Columbus and Napoleon![***] As the dawn
+brightened we saw on the southern horizon a cloud-like island, also
+imperishably connected with the name of the latter--the prison-kingdom
+of Elba! North of us extended the rugged mountains of Carrarra--that
+renowned range whence has sprung many a form of almost breathing beauty,
+and where yet slumber, perhaps, in the unhewn marble, the god-like
+shapes of an age of art, more glorious than any the world has ever yet
+beheld!
+
+[Footnote ***: By recent registers found in Corsica, it has been
+determined that this island also gave birth to the discoverer of the new
+world.]
+
+
+The sun rose from behind the Apennines and masts and towers became
+visible through the golden haze, as we approached the shore. On a flat
+space between the sea and the hills, not far from the foot of Montenero,
+stands Leghorn. The harbor is protected by a mole, leaving a narrow
+passage, through which we entered, and after waiting two hours for the
+visit of the health and police officers, we were permitted to go on
+shore. The first thing that struck me, was the fine broad streets; the
+second, the motley character of the population. People were hurrying
+about noisy and bustling--Greeks in their red caps and capotes; grave
+turbaned and bearded Turks; dark Moors; the Corsair-looking natives of
+Tripoli and Tunis, and seamen of nearly every nation. At the hotel where
+I stayed, we had a singular mixture of nations at dinner:--two French,
+two Swiss, one Genoese, one Roman, one American and one Turk--and we
+were waited on by a Tuscan and an Arab! We conversed together in four
+languages, all at once.
+
+To the merchant, Leghorn is of more importance than to the traveler. Its
+extensive trade, not only in the manufactures of Tuscany, but also in
+the productions of the Levant, makes it important to the former, while
+the latter seeks in vain for fine buildings, galleries of art, or in
+interesting historical reminiscences. Through the kind attention of the
+Saxon Consul, to whom I had letters, two or three days went by
+delightfully.
+
+The only place of amusement here in summer is a drive along the sea
+shore, called the Ardenza, which is frequented every evening by all who
+can raise a vehicle. I visited it twice with a German friend. We met one
+evening the Princess Corsini, wife of the Governor of Leghorn, on
+horseback--a young, but not pretty woman. The road leads out along the
+Mediterranean, past an old fortress, to a large establishment for the
+sea bathers, where it ends in a large ring, around which the carriages
+pass and re-pass, until sunset has gone out over the sea, when they
+return to the city in a mad gallop, or as fast as the lean horses can
+draw them.
+
+In driving around, we met two or three carriages of Turks, in one of
+which I saw a woman of Tunis, with a curious gilded head-dress, eighteen
+inches in height.
+
+I saw one night a Turkish funeral. It passed me in one of the outer
+streets, on its way to the Turkish burying ground. Those following the
+coffin, which was covered with a heavy black pall, wore white turbans
+and long white robes--the mourning color of the Turks. Torches were
+borne by attendants, and the whole company passed on at a quick pace.
+Seen thus by night, it had a strange and spectral appearance.
+
+There is another spectacle here which was exceedingly revolting to me.
+The condemned criminals, chained two and two, are kept at work through
+the city, cleaning the streets. They are dressed in coarse garments of a
+dirty red color, with the name of the crime for which they were
+convicted, painted on the back. I shuddered to see so many marked with
+the words--"_omicidio premeditato_." All day they are thus engaged,
+exposed to the scorn and contumely of the crowd, and at night dragged
+away to be incarcerated in damp, unwholesome dungeons, excavated under
+the public thoroughfares.
+
+The employment of criminals in this way is common in Italy. Two days
+after crossing St. Gothard, we saw a company of abject-looking
+creatures, eating their dinner by the road-side, near Bellinzona. One of
+them had a small basket of articles of cotton and linen, and as he rose
+up to offer them to us, I was startled by the clank of fetters. They
+were all employed to labor on the road.
+
+On going down to the wharf in Leghorn, in the morning, two or three days
+ago, I found F---- and B---- just stepping on shore from the steamboat,
+tired enough of the discomforts of the voyage, yet anxious to set out
+for Florence as soon as possible. After we had shaken off the crowd of
+porters, pedlars and vetturini, and taken a hasty breakfast at the _Cafe
+Americano_, we went to the Police Office to get our passports, and had
+the satisfaction of paying two francs for permission to proceed to
+Florence. The weather had changed since the preceding day, and the
+sirocco-wind which blows over from the coast of Africa, filled the
+streets with clouds of dust, which made walking very unpleasant. The
+clear blue sky had vanished, and a leaden cloud hung low on the
+Mediterranean, hiding the shores of Corsica and the rooky isles of
+Gorgona and Capraja.
+
+The country between Leghorn and Pisa, is a flat marsh, intersected in
+several places by canals to carry off the stagnant water which renders
+this district so unhealthy. It is said that the entire plain between the
+mountains of Carrarra and the hills back of Leghorn has been gradually
+formed by the deposits of the Arno and the receding of the
+Mediterranean, which is so shallow along the whole coast, that large
+vessels have to anchor several miles out. As we approached Pisa over the
+level marsh, I could see the dome of the Cathedral and the Leaning Tower
+rising above the gardens and groves which surround it.
+
+Our baggage underwent another examination at the gate, where we were
+again assailed by the vetturini, one of whom hung on us like a leech
+till we reached a hotel, and there was finally no way of shaking him off
+except by engaging him to take us to Florence. The bargain having been
+concluded, we had still a few hours left and set off to hunt the
+Cathedral. We found it on an open square near the outer wall, and quite
+remote from the main part of the town. Emerging from the narrow and
+winding street, one takes in et a glance the Baptistery, the Campo
+Santo, the noble Cathedral and the Leaning Tower--forming altogether a
+view rarely surpassed in Europe for architectural effect. But the square
+is melancholy and deserted, and rank, untrampled grass fills the
+crevices of its marble pavement.
+
+I was surprised at the beauty of the Leaning Tower. Instead of all old,
+black, crumbling fabric, as I always supposed, it is a light, airy,
+elegant structure, of white marble, and its declension, which is
+interesting as a work of art (or accident,) is at the same time pleasing
+from its novelty. There have been many conjectures as to the cause of
+this deviation, which is upwards of fourteen feet from the
+perpendicular; it is now generally believed that the earth having sunk
+when the building was half finished, it was continued by the architects
+in the same angle. The upper gallery, which is smaller than the others,
+shows a very perceptible inclination back towards the perpendicular, as
+if in some degree to counterbalance the deviation of the other part.
+There are eight galleries in all, supported by marble pillars, but the
+inside of the Tower is hollow to the very top.
+
+We ascended by the same stairs which were trodden so often by Galileo in
+going up to make his astronomical observations; in climbing spirally
+around the hollow cylinder in the dark, it was easy to tell on which
+side of the Tower we were, from the proportionate steepness of the
+staircase. There is a fine view from the top, embracing the whole plain
+as far as Leghorn on one side, with its gardens and grain fields spread
+out like a vast map. In a valley of the Carrarrese Mountains to the
+north, we could see the little town of Lucca, much frequented at this
+season on account of its baths; the blue summits of the Appenines shut
+in the view to the east. In walking through the city I noticed two other
+towers, which had nearly as great a deviation from the perpendicular. We
+met a person who had the key of the Baptistery, which he opened for us.
+Two ancient columns covered with rich sculpture form the doorway, and
+the dome is supported by massive pillars of the red marble of Elba. The
+baptismal font is of the purest Parian marble. The most remarkable thing
+was the celebrated musical echo. Our cicerone stationed himself at the
+side of the font and sang a few notes. After a moment's pause they were
+repeated aloft in the dome, but with a sound of divine sweetness--as
+clear and pure as the clang of a crystal bell. Another pause--and we
+heard them again, higher, fainter and sweeter, followed by a dying note,
+as if they were fading far away into heaven. It seemed as if an angel
+lingered in the temple, echoing with his melodious lips the common
+harmonies of earth. Even thus does the music of good deeds, hardly noted
+in our grosser atmosphere, awake a divine echo in the far world of
+spirit.
+
+The Campo Santo, on the north side of the Cathedral, was, until lately,
+the cemetery of the city; the space enclosed within its marble galleries
+is filled to the depth of eight or ten feet, with earth from the Holy
+Land. The vessels which carried the knights of Tuscany to Palestine were
+filled at Joppa, on returning, with this earth as ballast, and on
+arriving at Pisa it was deposited in the Cemetery. It has the peculiar
+property of decomposing all human bodies, in the space of two days. A
+colonnade of marble encloses it, with windows of the most exquisite
+sculpture opening on the inside. They reminded me of the beautiful
+Gothic oriels of Melrose. At each end are two fine, green cypresses,
+which thrive remarkably in the soil of Palestine. The dust of a German
+emperor, among others, rests in this consecrated ground. There are other
+fine churches in Pisa, but the four buildings I have mentioned, are the
+principal objects of interest. The tower where Count Ugolino and his
+sons were starved to death by the citizens of Pisa, who locked them up
+and threw the keys into the Arno, has lately been destroyed.
+
+An Italian gentleman having made a bargain in the meantime with our
+vetturino, we found every thing ready on returning to the hotel. On the
+outside of the town we mounted into the vehicle, a rickety-looking
+concern, and as it commenced raining, I was afraid we would have a bad
+night of it. After a great deal of bargaining, the vetturino agreed to
+take us to Florence that night for five francs a piece, provided one
+person would sit on the outside with the driver. I accordingly mounted
+on front, protected by a blouse and umbrella, for it was beginning to
+rain dismally. The miserable, bare-boned horses were fastened with
+rope-traces, and the vetturino having taken the rope-lines in his hand,
+gave a flourish with his whip; one old horse tumbled nearly to the
+ground, but he jerked him up again and we rattled off.
+
+After riding ten miles in this way, it became so wet and dreary, that I
+was fain to give the driver two francs extra, for the privilege of an
+inside seat. Our Italian companion was agreeable and talkative, but as
+we were still ignorant of the language, I managed to hold a scanty
+conversation with him in French. He seemed delighted to learn that we
+were from America; his polite reserve gave place to a friendly
+familiarity and he was loud in his praises of the Americans. I asked him
+why it was that he and the Italians generally, were so friendly towards
+us. "I hardly know," he answered; "you are so different from any other
+nation; and then, too, you have so much sincerity!"
+
+The Appenines were wreathed and hidden in thick mist, and the prospect
+over the flat cornfields bordering the road was not particularly
+interesting. We had made about one-third of the way as night set in,
+when on ascending a hill soon after dark, F---- happened to look out,
+and saw one of the axles bent and nearly broken off. we were obliged to
+get out and walk through the mud to the next village, when after two
+hours' delay, the vetturino came along with another carriage. Of the
+rest of the way to Florence, I cannot say much. Cramped up in the narrow
+vehicle, we jolted along in the dark, rumbling now and then through some
+silent village, where lamps were burning before the solitary shrines.
+Sometimes a blinding light crossed the road, where we saw the
+tile-makers sitting in the red glare of their kilns, and often the black
+boughs of trees were painted momentarily on the cloudy sky. If the
+jolting carriage had even permitted sleep, the horrid cries of the
+vetturino, urging on his horses, would have prevented it; and I decided,
+while trying to relieve my aching limbs, that three days' walking in sun
+and sand was preferable to one night of such travel.
+
+Finally about four o'clock in the morning the carriage stopped; my
+Italian friend awoke and demanded the cause. "Signor," said the
+vetturino, "we are in Florence!" I blessed the man, and the city too.
+The good-humored officer looked at our passports and passed our baggage
+without examination; we gave the gatekeeper a paul and he admitted us.
+The carriage rolled through the dark, silent streets--passed a public
+square--came out on the Arno--crossed and entered the city again--and
+finally stopped at a hotel. The master of the "Lione Bianco" came down
+in an undress to receive us, and we shut the growing dawn out of our
+rooms to steal that repose from the day which the night had not given.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+FLORENCE AND ITS GALLERIES.
+
+
+_Sept. 11._--Our situation here is as agreeable as we could well desire.
+We have three large and handsomely furnished rooms, in the centre of the
+city, for which we pay Signor Lazzeri, a wealthy goldsmith, ten scudo
+per month--a scudo being a trifle more than an American dollar. We live
+at the _Cafes_ and _Trattone_ very conveniently for twenty-five cents a
+day, enjoying moreover, at our dinner in the Trattoria del Cacciatore,
+the company of several American artists with whom we have become
+acquainted. The day after our arrival we met at the table d'hote of the
+"Lione Bianco," Dr. Boardman of New York, through whose assistance we
+obtained our present lodgings. There are at present ten or twelve
+American artists in Florence, and we promise ourselves much pleasure and
+profit from their acquaintance. B---- and I are so charmed with the
+place and the beautiful Tuscan dialect, that we shall endeavor to spend
+three or four months here. F---- returns to Germany in two weeks, to
+attend the winter term of the University at his favorite Heidelberg.
+
+Our first walk in Florence was to the Royal Gallery--we wished to see
+the "goddess living in stone" without delay. Crossing the neighboring
+_Piazza del Granduca_, we passed Michael Angelo's colossal statue of
+David, and an open gallery containing, besides some antiques, the
+master-piece of John of Bologna. The palace of the _Uffizii_, fronting
+on the Arno, extends along both sides of an avenue running back to the
+Palazzo Vecchio. We entered the portico which passes around under the
+great building, and after ascending three or four flights of steps, came
+into a long hall, filled with paintings and ancient statuary. Towards
+the end of this, a door opened into the Tribune--that celebrated room,
+unsurpassed by any in the world for the number and value of the gems it
+contains. I pushed aside a crimson curtain and stood in the presence of
+the Venus.
+
+It may be considered heresy, but I confess I did not at first go into
+raptures, nor perceive any traces of superhuman beauty. The predominant
+feeling, if I may so express it, was satisfaction; the eye dwells on its
+faultless outline with a gratified sense, that nothing is wanting to
+render it perfect. It is the ideal of a woman's form--a faultless
+standard by which all beauty may be measured, but without striking
+expression, except in the modest and graceful position of the limbs. The
+face, though regular, is not handsome, and the body appears small, being
+but five feet in height, which, I think, is a little below the average
+stature of women. On each side, as if to heighten its elegance by
+contrast with rude and unrefined nature, are the statues of the
+Wrestlers, and the slave listening to the conspiracy of Catiline, called
+also The Whetter.
+
+As if to correspond with the value of the works it holds, the Tribune is
+paved with precious marbles and the ceiling studded with polished
+mother-of-pearl. A dim and subdued light fills the hall, which throws
+over the mind that half-dreamy tone necessary to the full enjoyment of
+such objects. On each side of the Venus de Medici hangs a Venus by
+Titian, the size of life, and painted in that rich and gorgeous style of
+coloring which has been so often and vainly attempted since his time.
+
+Here are six of Raphael's best preserved paintings. I prefer the "St.
+John in the Desert" to any other picture in the Tribune. His glorious
+form, in the fair proportions of ripening boyhood--the grace of his
+attitude, with the arm lifted eloquently on high--the divine inspiration
+which illumines his young features--chain the step irresistibly before
+it. It is one of those triumphs of the pencil which few but Raphael have
+accomplished--the painting of _spirit_ in its loftiest and purest form.
+Near it hangs the Fornarina, which he seems to have painted in as deep a
+love as he entertained for the original. The face is modest and
+beautiful, and filled with an expression of ardent and tender
+attachment. I never tire looking upon either of these two.
+
+Let me not forget, while we are in this peerless hall, to point out
+Guercino's Samian Sybil. It is a glorious work. With her hands clasped
+over her volume, she is looking up with a face full of deep and
+expressive sadness. A picturesque turban is twined around her head, and
+bands of pearls gleam amidst her rich, dark brown tresses. Her face
+bears the softness of dawning womanhood, and nearly answers my ideal of
+female beauty. The same artist has another fine picture here--a sleeping
+Endymion. The mantle has fallen from his shoulders, as he reclines
+asleep, with his head on his hand, and his crook beside him. The silver
+crescent of Dian looks over his shoulder from the sky behind, and no
+wonder if she should become enamored, for a lovelier shepherd has not
+been seen since that of King Admetus went back to drive his chariot in
+the heavens.
+
+The "Drunken Bacchus" of Michael Angelo is greatly admired, and indeed
+it might pass for a relic of the palmiest times of Grecian art. The
+face, amidst its half-vacant, sensual expression, shows traces of its
+immortal origin, and there is still an air of dignity preserved in the
+swagger of his beautiful form. It is, in a word, the ancient idea of _a
+drunken god_. It may be doubted whether the artist's talents might not
+have been employed better than in ennobling intoxication. If he had
+represented Bacchus as he really is--degraded even below the level of
+humanity--it might be more beneficial to the mind, though less beautiful
+to the eye. However, this is a question on which artists and moralists
+cannot agree. Perhaps, too, the rich blood of the Falernian grape
+produced a more godlike delirium than the vulgar brandy which oversets
+the moderns!
+
+At one end of the gallery is a fine copy in marble of the Laocoon, by
+Bandinelli, one of the rivals of Michael Angelo. When it was finished,
+the former boasted it was better than the original, to which Michael
+made the apt reply: "It is foolish for those who walk in the footsteps
+of others, to say they go before them!"
+
+Let us enter the hall of Niobe. One starts back on seeing the many
+figures in the attitude of flight, for they seem at first about to
+spring from their pedestals. At the head of the room stands the
+afflicted mother, bending over the youngest daughter who clings to her
+knees, with an upturned countenance of deep and imploring agony. In
+vain! the shafts of Apollo fall thick, and she will soon be childless.
+No wonder the strength of that woe depicted on her countenance should
+change her into stone. One of her sons--a beautiful, boyish form,--is
+lying on his back, just expiring, with the chill langour of death
+creeping over his limbs. We seem to hear the quick whistling of the
+arrows, and look involuntarily into the air to see the hovering figure
+of the avenging god. In a chamber near is kept the head of a faun, made
+by Michael Angelo, at the age of fourteen, in the garden of Lorenzo de
+Medici, from a piece of marble given him by the workmen.
+
+The portraits of the painters are more than usually interesting. Every
+countenance is full of character. There is the pale, enthusiastic face
+of Raphael, the stern vigor of Titian, the majesty and dignity of
+Leonardo da Vinci, and the fresh beauty of Angelica Kauffmann. I liked
+best the romantic head of Raphael Mengs. In one of the rooms there is a
+portrait of Alfieri, with an autograph sonnet of his own on the back of
+it. The house in which he lived and died, is on the north bank of the
+Arno, near the Ponte Caraja, and his ashes rest in Santa Croce.
+
+Italy still remains the home of art, and it is but just she should keep
+these treasures, though the age that brought them forth has passed away.
+They are her only support now; her people are dependent for their
+subsistence on the glory of the past. The spirits of the old painters,
+living still on their canvass, earn from year to year the bread of an
+indigent and oppressed people. This ought to silence those utilitarians
+at home, who oppose the cultivation of the fine arts, on the ground of
+their being useless luxuries. Let them look to Italy, where a picture by
+Raphael or Correggio is a rich legacy for a whole city. Nothing is
+useless that gratifies that perception of beauty, which is at once the
+most delicate and the most intense of our mental sensations, binding us
+by an unconscious link nearer to nature and to Him, whose every thought
+is born of Beauty, Truth and Love. I envy not the one who looks with a
+cold and indifferent spirit on these immortal creations of the old
+masters--these poems written in marble and on the canvass. They who
+oppose every thing which can refine and spiritualize the nature of man,
+by binding him down to the cares of the work-day world alone, cheat life
+of half its glory.
+
+The eighth of this month was the anniversary of the birth of the Virgin,
+and the celebration, if such it might be called, commenced the evening
+before, It is the custom, and Heaven only knows how it originated, for
+the people of the lower class to go through the streets in a company,
+blowing little penny whistles. We were walking that night in the
+direction of the Duomo, when we met a band of these men, blowing with
+all their might on the shrill whistles, so that the whole neighborhood
+resounded with one continual, piercing, ear-splitting shriek. They
+marched in a kind of quick trot through the streets, followed by a crowd
+of boys, and varying the noise occasionally by shouts and howls of the
+most horrible character. They paraded through all the principal streets
+of the city, which for an hour sent up such an agonizing scream that you
+might have fancied it an enormous monster, expiring in great torment.
+The people seemed to take the whole thing as a matter of course, but it
+was to us a novel manner of ushering in a religious festival.
+
+The sky was clear and blue, as it always is in this Italian paradise,
+when we left Florence a few days ago for Fiesole. In spite of many
+virtuous efforts to rise early, it was nine o'clock before we left the
+Porta San Gallo, with its triumphal arch to the Emperor Francis,
+striding the road to Bologna. We passed through the public walk at this
+end of the city, and followed the road to Fiesole along the dried-up bed
+of a mountain torrent. The dwellings of the Florentine nobility occupy
+the whole slope, surrounded with rich and lovely gardens. The mountain
+and plain are both covered with luxuriant olive orchards, whose foliage
+of silver gray gives the scene the look of a moonlight landscape.
+
+At the base of the mountain of Fiesole we passed one of the summer
+palaces of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and a little distance beyond, took a
+foot-path overshadowed by magnificent cypresses, between whose dark
+trunks we looked down on the lovely Val d'Arno. But I will reserve all
+description of the view till we arrive at the summit.
+
+The modern village of Fiesole occupies the site of an ancient city,
+generally supposed to be of Etrurian origin. Just above, on one of the
+peaks of the mountain, stands the Acropolis, formerly used as a
+fortress, but now untenanted save by a few monks. From the side of its
+walls, beneath the shade of a few cypresses, there is a magnificent view
+of the whole of Val d'Arno, with Florence--the gem of Italy--in the
+centre. Stand with me a moment on the height, and let us gaze on this
+grand panorama, around which the Apennines stretch with a majestic
+sweep, wrapped in a robe of purple air, through which shimmer the villas
+and villages on their sides! The lovely vale lies below us in its garb
+of olive groves, among which beautiful villas are sprinkled as
+plentifully as white anemones in the woods of May. Florence lies in
+front of us, the magnificent cupola of the Duomo crowning its clustered
+palaces. We see the airy tower of the Palazzo Vecchio--the new spire of
+Santa Croce--and the long front of the Palazzo Pitti, with the dark
+foliage of the Boboli Gardens behind. Beyond, far to the south, are the
+summits of the mountains near Siena. We can trace the sandy bed of the
+Arno down the valley till it disappears at the foot of the Lower
+Apennines, which mingle in the distance with the mountains of Carrara.
+
+Galileo was wont to make observations "at evening from the top of
+Fiesole," and the square tower of the old church is still pointed out as
+the spot. Many a night did he ascend to its projecting terrace, and
+watch the stars as they rolled around through the clearest heaven to
+which a philosopher ever looked up.
+
+We passed through an orchard of fig trees, and vines laden with
+beautiful purple and golden clusters, and in a few minutes reached the
+remains of an amphitheatre, in a little nook on the mountain side. This
+was a work of Roman construction, as its form indicates. Three or four
+ranges of seats alone, are laid bare, and these have only been
+discovered within a few years. A few steps further we came to a sort of
+cavern, overhung with wild fig-trees. After creeping in at the entrance,
+we found ourselves in an oval chamber, tall enough to admit of our
+standing upright, and rudely but very strongly built. This was one of
+the dens in which the wild beasts were kept; they were fed by a hole in
+the top, now closed up. This cell communicates with four or five others,
+by apertures broken in the walls. I stepped into one, and could see in
+the dim light, that it was exactly similar to the first, and opened into
+another beyond.
+
+Further down the mountain we found the ancient wall of the city, without
+doubt of Etrurian origin. It is of immense blocks of stone, and extends
+more or less dilapidated around the whole brow of the mountain. In one
+place there stands a solitary gateway, of large stones, which looks as
+if it might have been one of the first attempts at using the principle
+of the arch. These ruins are all gray and ivied, and it startles one to
+think what a history Earth has lived through since their foundations
+were laid!
+
+We sat all the afternoon under the cypress trees and looked down on the
+lovely valley, practising Italian sometimes with two young Florentines
+who came up to enjoy the "_bell'aria_" of Fiesole. Descending as sunset
+drew on, we reached the Porta San Gallo, as the people of Florence were
+issuing forth to their evening promenade.
+
+One of my first visits was to the church of Santa Croce. This is one of
+the oldest in Florence, venerated alike by foreigners and citizens, for
+the illustrious dead whose remains it holds. It is a plain, gloomy pile,
+the front of which is still unfinished, though at the base, one sees
+that it was originally designed to be covered with black marble. On
+entering the door we first saw the tomb of Michael Angelo. Around the
+marble sarcophagus which contains his ashes are three mourning figures,
+representing Sculpture, Painting and Architecture, and his bust stands
+above--a rough, stern countenance, like a man of vast but unrefined
+mind. Further on are the tombs of Alfieri and Machiavelli and the
+colossal cenotaph lately erected to Dante. Opposite reposes Galileo.
+What a world of renown in these few names! It makes one venerate the
+majesty of his race, to stand beside the dust of such lofty spirits.
+
+Dante's monument may be said to be only erected to his memory; he sleeps
+at the place of his exile,
+
+    "Like Scipio, buried by the upbraiding shore!"
+
+It is the work of Ricci, a Florentine artist, and has been placed there
+within a few years. The colossal figure of Poetry weeping over the empty
+urn, might better express the regret of Florence in being deprived of
+his ashes. The figure of Dante himself, seated above, is grand and
+majestic; his head is inclined as if in meditation, and his features
+bear the expression of sublime thought. Were this figure placed there
+alone, on a simple and massive pedestal, it would be more in keeping
+with his fame than the lumbering heaviness of the present monument.
+
+Machiavelli's tomb is adorned with a female figure representing History,
+bearing his portrait. The inscription, which seems to be somewhat
+exaggerated, is: _tanto nomini nullum par elogium_. Near lies Alfieri,
+the "prince of tragedy," as he is called by the Italians. In his life he
+was fond of wandering among the tombs of Santa Croce, and it is said
+that there the first desire and presentiment of his future glory stirred
+within his breast. Now he slumbers among them, not the least honored
+name of that immortal company.
+
+Galileo's tomb is adorned with his bust. His face is calm and dignified,
+and he holds appropriately in his hands, a globe and telescope. Aretino,
+the historian, lies on his tomb with a copy of his works clasped to his
+breast; above that of Lanzi, the historian of painting, there is a
+beautiful fresco of the angel of fame; and opposite to him is the
+scholar Lamio. The most beautiful monument in the church is that of a
+Polish princess, in the transept. She is lying on the bier, her features
+settled in the repose of death, and her thin, pale hands clasped across
+her breast. The countenance wears that half-smile, "so coldly sweet and
+sadly fair," which so often throws a beauty over the face of the dead,
+and the light pall reveals the fixed yet graceful outline of the form.
+
+In that part of the city, which lies on the south bank of the Arno, is
+the palace of the Grand Duke, known by the name of the Palazzo Pitti,
+from a Florentine noble of that name, by whom it was first built. It is
+a very large, imposing pile, preserving an air of lightness in spite of
+the rough, heavy stones of which it is built. It is another example of a
+magnificent failure. The Marquis Strozzi, having built a palace which
+was universally admired for its beauty, (which stands yet, a model of
+chaste and massive elegance,) his rival, the Marquis Pitti, made the
+proud boast that he would build a palace, in the court-yard of which
+could bo placed that of Strozzi. These are actually the dimensions of
+the court-yard; but in building the palace, although he was liberally
+assisted by the Florentine people, he ruined himself, and his
+magnificent residence passed into other hands, while that of Strozzi is
+inhabited by his descendants to this very day.
+
+The gallery of the Palazzo Pitti is one of the finest in Europe. It
+contains six or seven hundred paintings, selected from the best works of
+the Italian masters. By the praiseworthy liberality of the Duke, they
+are open to the public, six hours every day, and the rooms are thronged
+with artists of all nations.
+
+Among Titian's works, there is his celebrated "Bella," a half-length
+figure of a young woman. It is a masterpiece of warm and brilliant
+coloring, without any decided expression. The countenance is that of
+vague, undefined thought, as of one who knew as yet nothing of the
+realities of life. In another room is his Magdalen, a large, voluptuous
+form, with her brown hair falling like a veil over her shoulders and
+breast, but in her upturned countenance one can sooner read a prayer for
+an absent lover than repentance for sins she has committed.
+
+What could excel in beauty the _Madonna della Sedia_ of Raphael? It is
+another of those works of that divine artist, on which we gaze and gaze
+with a never-tiring enjoyment of its angelic beauty. To my eye it is
+faultless; I could not wish a single outline of form, a single shade of
+color changed. Like his unrivalled Madonna in the Dresden Gallery, its
+beauty is spiritual as well as earthly; and while gazing on the glorious
+countenance of the Jesus-child, I feel an impulse I can scarcely
+explain--a longing to tear it from the canvas as if it were a breathing
+form, and clasp it to my heart in a glow of passionate love. What a
+sublime inspiration Raphael must have felt when he painted it! Judging
+from its effect on the beholder, I can conceive of no higher mental
+excitement than that required to create it.
+
+Here are also some of the finest and best preserved pictures of Salvator
+Rosa, and his portrait--a wild head, full of spirit and genius. Besides
+several landscapes in his savage and stormy style, there are two large
+sea-views, in which the atmosphere is of a deep and exquisite softness,
+without impairing the strength and boldness of the composition. "A
+Battle Scene," is terrible. Hundreds of combatants are met in the shock
+and struggle of conflict. Horses, mailed knights, vassals are mixed
+together in wild confusion; banners are waving and lances flashing amid
+the dust and smoke, while the wounded and dying are trodden under foot
+in darkness and blood. I now first begin to comprehend the power and
+sublimity of his genius. From the wildness and gloom of his pictures, he
+might almost be called the Byron of painters.
+
+There is a small group of the "Fates," by Michael Angelo, which is one
+of the best of the few pictures which remain of him. As is well known,
+he disliked the art, saying it was only fit for women. This picture
+shows, however, how much higher he might have gone, had he been so
+inclined. The three weird sisters are ghostly and awful--the one who
+stands behind, holding the distaff, almost frightful. She who stands
+ready to cut the thread as it is spun out, has a slight trace of pity on
+her fixed and unearthly lineaments. It is a faithful embodiment of the
+old Greek idea of the Fates. I have wondered why some artist has not
+attempted the subject in a different way. In the Northern Mythology they
+are represented as wild maidens, armed with swords and mounted on fiery
+coursers. Why might they not also be pictured as angels, with
+countenances of a sublime and mysterious beauty--one all radiant with
+hope and promise of glory, and one with the token of a better future
+mingled with the sadness with which it severs the links of life?
+
+There are many, many other splendid works in this collection, but it is
+unnecessary to mention them. I have only endeavored, by taking a few of
+the best known, to give some idea of them as they appear to me. There
+are hundreds of pictures here, which, though gems in themselves, are by
+masters who are rarely heard of in America, and it would be of little
+interest to go through the Gallery, describing it in guide-book fashion.
+Indeed, to describe galleries, however rich and renowned they may be, is
+in general a work of so much difficulty, that I know not whether the
+writer or the reader is made most tired thereby.
+
+This collection possesses also the celebrated statue of Venus, by
+Canova. She stands in the centre of a little apartment, filled with the
+most delicate and graceful works of painting. Although undoubtedly a
+figure of great beauty, it by no means struck me as possessing that
+exquisite and classic perfection which has been ascribed to it. The
+Venus de Medici far surpasses it. The head is larger in proportion to
+the size of the body, than that of the latter, but has not the same
+modest, virgin expression. The arm wrapped in the robe which she is
+pressing to her breast, is finely executed, but the fingers of the other
+hand are bad--looking, as my friend said, as if the ends were _whittled_
+off! The body is, however, of fine proportions, though, taken as a
+whole, the statue is inferior to many other of Canova's works.
+
+Occupying all the hill back of the Pitti Palace, are the Boboli Gardens,
+three times a week the great resort of the Florentines. They are said to
+be the most beautiful gardens in Italy. Numberless paths, diverging from
+a magnificent amphitheatre in the old Roman style, opposite the
+court-yard, lend either in long flights of steps and terraces, or gentle
+windings among beds sweet with roses, to the summit. Long avenues,
+entirely arched and interwoven with the thick foliage of the laurel,
+which here grows to a tree, stretch along the slopes or wind in the
+woods through thickets of the fragrant bay. Parterres, rich with flowers
+and shrubbery, alternate with delightful groves of the Italian pine,
+acacia and laurel-leaved oak, and along the hillside, gleaming among the
+foliage, are placed statues of marble, some of which are from the
+chisels of Michael Angelo and Bandinelli. In one part there is a little
+sheet of water, with an island of orange-trees in the centre, from which
+a broad avenue of cypresses and statues leads to the very summit of the
+hill.
+
+We often go there to watch the sun set over Florence and the vale of the
+Arno. The palace lies directly below, and a clump of pine-trees on the
+hillside, that stand out in bold relief on the glowing sky, makes the
+foreground to one of the loveliest pictures this side of the Atlantic. I
+saw one afternoon the Grand Duke and his family get into their carriage
+to drive out. One of the little dukes, who seemed a mischievous imp, ran
+out on a projection of the portico, where considerable persuasion had to
+be used to induce him to jump into the arms of his royal papa. I turned
+from these titled infants to watch a group of beautiful American
+children playing, for my attention was drawn to them by the sound of
+familiar words, and I learned afterwards they were the children of the
+sculptor Powers. I contrasted involuntarily the destinies of each;--one
+to the enjoyment and proud energy of freedom, and one to the confining
+and vitiating atmosphere of a court. The merry voices of the latter, as
+they played on the grass, came to my ears most gratefully. There is
+nothing so sweet as to hear one's native tongue in a foreign land from
+the lips of children!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+A PILGRIMAGE TO VALLOMBROSA.
+
+
+A pilgrimage to Vallombrosa!--in sooth it has a romantic sound. The
+phrase calls up images of rosaries, and crosses, and shaven-headed
+friars. Had we lived in the olden days, such things might verily have
+accompanied our journey to that holy monastery. We might then have gone
+barefoot, saying prayers as we toiled along the banks of the Arno and up
+the steep Appenines, as did Benevenuto Cellini, before he poured the
+melted bronze into the mould of his immortal Perseus. But we are
+pilgrims to the shrines of Art and Genius; the dwelling-places of great
+minds are our sanctuaries. The mean dwelling, in which a poet has
+battled down poverty with the ecstacy of his mighty conceptions, and the
+dungeon in which a persecuted philosopher has languished, are to us
+sacred; we turn aside from the palaces of kings and the battle-fields of
+conquerors, to visit them. The famed miracles of San Giovanni Gualberto
+added little, in our eyes, to the interest of Vallombrosa, but there
+were reverence and inspiration in the names of Dante, Milton, and
+Ariosto.
+
+We left Florence early, taking the way that leads from the Porta della
+Croce, up the north bank of the Arno. It was a bright morning, but there
+was a shade of vapor on the hills, which a practised eye might have
+taken as a prognostic of the rain that too soon came on. Fiesole, with
+its tower and Acropolis, stood out brightly from the blue background,
+and the hill of San Miniato lay with its cypress groves in the softest
+morning light. The _Contadini_ were driving into the city in their
+basket wagons, and there were some fair young faces among them, that
+made us think Italian beauty was not altogether in the imagination.
+
+After walking three or four miles, we entered the Appenines, keeping
+along the side of the Arno, whose bed is more than half dried up from
+the long summer heats. The mountain sides were covered with vineyards,
+glowing with their wealth of white and purple grapes, but the summits
+were naked and barren. We passed through the little town of Ponte Sieve,
+at the entrance of a romantic valley, where our view of the Arno was
+made more interesting by the lofty range of the Appenines, amid whose
+forests we could see the white front of the monastery of Vallombrosa.
+But the clouds sank low and hid it from sight, and the rain came on so
+hard that we were obliged to take shelter occasionally in the cottages
+by the wayside. In one of these we made a dinner of the hard, black
+bread of the country, rendered palatable by the addition of mountain
+cheese and some chips of an antique Bologna sausage. We were much amused
+in conversing with the simple hosts and their shy, gipsy-like children,
+one of whom, a dark-eyed, curly-haired boy, bore the name of Raphael. We
+also became acquainted with a shoemaker and his family, who owned a
+little olive orchard and vineyard, which they said produced enough to
+support them. Wishing to know much a family of six consumed in a year,
+we inquired the yield of their property. They answered, twenty small
+barrels of wine, and ten of oil. It was nearly sunset when we reached
+Pellago, and the wet walk and coarse fare we were obliged to take on the
+road, well qualified us to enjoy the excellent supper the pleasant
+landlady gave us.
+
+This little town is among the Appenines, at the foot of the magnificent
+mountain of Vallombrosa. What a blessing it was for Milton, that he saw
+its loveliness before his eyes closed on this beautiful earth, and
+gained from it another hue in which to dip his pencil, when he painted
+the bliss of Eden! I watched the hills all day as we approached them,
+and thought how often his eyes had rested on their outlines, and how he
+had carried their forms in his memory for many a sunless year. The
+banished Dante, too, had trodden them, flying from his ungrateful
+country; and many another, whose genius has made him a beacon in the
+dark sea of the world's history. It is one of those places where the
+enjoyment is all romance, and the blood thrills as we gaze upon it.
+
+We started early next morning, crossed the ravine, and took the
+well-paved way to the monastery along the mountain side. The stones are
+worn smooth by the sleds in which ladies and provisions are conveyed up,
+drawn by the beautiful white Tuscan oxen. The hills are covered with
+luxuriant chesnut and oak trees, of those picturesque forms which they
+only wear in Italy: one wild dell in particular is much resorted to by
+painters for the ready-made foregrounds it supplies. Further on, we
+passed the _Paterno_, a rich farm belonging to the Monks. The vines
+which hung from tree to tree, were almost breaking beneath clusters as
+heavy and rich as those which the children of Israel bore on staves from
+the Promised Land. Of their flavor, we can say, from experience, they
+were worthy to have grown in Paradise. We then entered a deep dell of
+the mountain, where little shepherd girls were sitting on the rocks
+tending their sheep and spinning with their fingers from a distaff, in
+the same manner, doubtless, as the Roman shepherdesses two thousand
+years ago. Gnarled, gray olive trees, centuries old, grew upon the bare
+soil, and a little rill fell in many a tiny cataract down the glen. By a
+mill, in one of the coolest and wildest nooks I ever saw, two of us
+acted the part of water-spirits under one of these, to the great
+astonishment of four peasants, who watched us from a distance.
+
+Beyond, our road led through forests of chesnut and oak, and a broad
+view of mountain and vale lay below us. We asked a peasant boy we met,
+how much land the Monks of Vallombrosa possessed. "_All that you see_!"
+was the reply. The dominion of the good fathers reached once even to the
+gates of Florence. At length, about noon, we emerged from the woods into
+a broad avenue leading across a lawn, at whose extremity stood the
+massivs buildings of the monastery. On a rock that towered above it, was
+the _Paradisino_, beyond which rose the mountain, covered with forests--
+
+    "Shade above shade, a woody theatre.
+    Of stateliest view"--
+
+as Milton describes it. We were met at the entrance by a young monk in
+cowl and cassock, to whom we applied for permission to stay till the
+next day, which was immediately given. Brother Placido (for that was his
+name) then asked us if we would not have dinner. We replied that our
+appetites were none the worse for climbing the mountain; and in half an
+hour sat down to a dinner, the like of which we had not seen for a long
+time. Verily, thought I, it must be a pleasant thing to be a monk, after
+all!--that is, a monk of Vallombrosa.
+
+In the afternoon we walked through a grand pine forest to the western
+brow of the mountain, where a view opened which it would require a
+wonderful power of the imagination for you to see in fancy, as I did in
+reality. From the height where we stood, the view was uninterrupted to
+the Mediterranean, a distance of more than seventy miles; a valley
+watered by a brunch of the Arno swept far to the east, to the mountains
+near the Luke of Thrasymene; northwestwards the hills of Carrara
+bordered the horizon; the space between these wide points was filled
+with mountains and valleys, all steeped in that soft blue mist which
+makes Italian landscapes more like heavenly visions than realities.
+Florence was visible afar off, and the current of the Arno flashed in
+the sun. A cool and almost chilling wind blew constantly over the
+mountain, although the country below basked in summer heat. We lay on
+the rocks, and let our souls luxuriate in the lovely scene till near
+sunset. Brother Placido brought us supper in the evening, with his
+ever-smiling countenance, and we soon after went to our beds in the
+neat, plain chambers, to get rid of the unpleasant coldness.
+
+Next morning it was damp and misty, and thick clouds rolled down the
+forests towards the convent. I set out for the "Little Paradise," taking
+in my way the pretty cascade which falls some fifty feet down the rocks.
+The building is not now as it was when Milton lived here, having been
+rebuilt within a short time. I found no one there, and satisfied my
+curiosity by climbing over the wall and looking in at the windows. A
+little chapel stands in a cleft of the rock below, to mark the
+miraculous escape of St. John Gualberto, founder of the monastery. Being
+one day very closely pursued by the Devil, he took shelter under the
+rock, which immediately became soft and admitted him into it, while the
+fiend, unable to stop, was precipitated over the steep. All this is
+related in a Latin inscription, and we saw a large hollow in the rock
+near, which must have been intended for the imprint left by his sacred
+person.
+
+One of the monks told us another legend, concerning a little chapel
+which stands alone on a wild part of the mountain, above a rough pile of
+crags, called the "Peak of the Devil." "In the time of San Giovanni
+Gualberto, the holy founder of our order," said he, "there was a young
+man, of a noble family in Florence, who was so moved by the words of the
+saintly father, that he forsook the world, wherein he had lived with
+great luxury and dissipation, and became monk. But, after a time, being
+young and tempted again by the pleasures he had renounced, he put off
+the sacred garments. The holy San Giovanni warned him of the terrible
+danger in which he stood, and at length the wicked young man returned.
+It was not a great while, however, before he became dissatisfied, and in
+spite all holy counsel, did the same thing again. But behold what
+happened! As he was walking along the peak where the chapel stands,
+thinking nothing of his great crime, the devil sprang suddenly from
+behind a rock, and catching the young man in his arms, before he could
+escape, carried him with a dreadful noise and a great red flame and
+smoke over the precipice, so that he was never afterwards seen."
+
+The church attached to the monastery is small, but very solemn and
+venerable. I went several times to muse in its still, gloomy aisle, and
+hear the murmuring chant of the Monks, who went through their exercises
+in some of the chapels. At one time I saw them all, in long black
+cassocks, march in solemn order to the chapel of St. John Gualberto,
+where they sang a deep chant, which to me had something awful and
+sepulchral in it. Behind the high altar I saw their black, carved chairs
+of polished oak, with ponderous gilded foliants lying on the rails
+before them. The attendant opened one of these, that we might see the
+manuscript notes, three or four centuries old, from which they sung.
+
+We were much amused in looking through two or three Italian books, which
+were lying in the traveler's room. One of these which our friend Mr.
+Tandy, of Kentucky, read, described the miracles of the patron saint
+with an air of the most ridiculous solemnity. The other was a
+description of the Monastery, its foundation, history, etc. In
+mentioning its great and far-spread renown, the author stated then even
+an English poet, by the name of Milton, had mentioned it in the
+following lines, which I copied verbatim from the book:
+
+    "Thick as autumnal scaves that strow she brooks
+    In vallombrosa, whereth Etruian Jades
+    Stigh over orch d'embrover!"
+
+In looking over the stranger's book, I found among the names of my
+countrymen, that of S. V. Clevenger, the talented and lamented sculptor
+who died at sea on his passage home. There were also the names of Mrs.
+Shelley and the Princess Potemkin, and I saw written on the wall, the
+autograph of Jean Reboul, the celebrated modern French poet. We were so
+delighted with the place we would have stayed another day, but for fear
+of trepassing too much on the lavish and unceasing hospitality of the
+good fathers.
+
+So in the afternoon we shook hands with Brother Placido, and turned our
+backs regretfully upon one of the loneliest and loveliest spots of which
+earth can boast. The sky became gradually clear as we descended, and the
+mist raised itself from the distant mountains. We ran down through the
+same chesnut groves, diverging a little to go through the village of
+Tosi, which is very picturesque when seen from a distance, but extremely
+dirty to one passing through. I stopped in the ravine below to take a
+sketch of the mill and bridge, and as we sat, the line of golden
+sunlight rose higher on the mountains above. On walking down the shady
+side of this glen, we were enraptured with the scenery. A brilliant yet
+mellow glow lay over the whole opposing height, lighting up the houses
+of Tosi and the white cottages half seen among the olives, while the
+mountain of Vallombrosa stretched far heavenward like a sunny painting,
+with only a misty wreath floating and waving around its summit. The
+glossy foliage of the chesnuts was made still brighter by the warm
+light, and the old olives softened down into a silvery gray, whose
+contrast gave the landscape a character of the mellowest beauty. As we
+wound out of the deep glen, the broad valleys and ranges of the
+Appenines lay before us, forests, castles and villages steeped in the
+soft, vapory blue of the Italian atmosphere, and the current of the Arno
+flashing like a golden belt through the middle of the picture.
+
+The sun was nearly down, and the mountains just below him were of a
+deep purple hue, while those that ran out to the eastward wore the most
+aerial shade of blue. A few scattered clouds, floating above, soon put
+on the sunset robe of orange and a band of the same soft color encircled
+the western horizon. It did not reach half way to the zenith, however;
+the sky above was blue, of such a depth and transparency, that to gaze
+upward was like looking into eternity. Then how softly and soothingly
+the twilight came on! How deep a hush sank on the chesnut glades, broken
+only by the song of the cicada, chirping its "good-night carol!" The
+mountains, too, how majestic they stood in their deep purple outlines!
+Sweet, sweet Italy! I can feel now how the soul may cling to thee, since
+thou canst thus gratify its insatiable thirst for the Beautiful. Even
+thy plainest scene is clothed in hues that seem borrowed of heaven! In
+the twilight, more radiant than light, and the stillness, more eloquent
+than music, which sink down over the sunny beauty of thy shores, there
+is a silent, intense poetry that stirs the soul through all its
+impassioned depths. With warm, blissful tears filling the eyes and a
+heart overflowing with its own bright fancies, I wander in the solitude
+and calm of such a time, and love thee as if I were a child of thy soil!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WALK TO SIENA AND PRATOLINO--INCIDENTS IN FLORENCE.
+
+
+_October 16._--My cousin, being anxious to visit Rome, and reach
+Heidelberg before the commencement of the winter semestre, set out
+towards the end of September, on foot. We accompanied him as far as
+Siena, forty miles distant. As I shall most probably take another road
+to the Eternal City, the present is a good opportunity to say something
+of that romantic old town, so famous throughout Italy for the honesty of
+its inhabitants.
+
+We dined the first day, seventeen miles from Florence, at Tavenella,
+where, for a meagre dinner the hostess had the assurance to ask us seven
+pauls. We told her we would give but four and a half, and by assuming a
+decided manner, with a plentiful use of the word "Signora" she was
+persuaded to be fully satisfied with the latter sum. From a height near,
+we could see the mountains coasting the Mediterranean, and shortly
+after, on descending a long hill, the little town of Poggibonsi lay in
+the warm afternoon light, on an eminence before us. It was soon passed
+with its dusky towers, then Stagia looking desolate in its ruined and
+ivied walls, and following the advice of a peasant, we stopped for the
+night at the inn of Querciola. As we knew something of Italian by this
+time, we thought it best to inquire the price of lodging, before
+entering. The _padrone_ asked if we meant to take supper also. We
+answered in the affirmative; "then," said he, "you will pay half a paul
+(about five emits) apiece for a bed." We passed under the swinging bunch
+of boughs, which in Italy is the universal sign of an inn for the common
+people, and entered the bare, smoky room appropriated to travelers. A
+long table, with well-worn benches, were the only furniture; we threw
+our knapsacks on one end of it and sat down, amusing ourselves while
+supper was preparing, in looking at a number of grotesque charcoal
+drawings on the wall, which the flaring light of our tall iron lamp
+revealed to us. At length the hostess, a kindly-looking woman, with a
+white handkerchief folded gracefully around her head, brought us a dish
+of fried eggs, which, with the coarse black bread of the peasants and a
+basket full of rich grapes, made us an excellent supper. We slept on
+mattresses stuffed with corn husks, placed on square iron frames, which
+are the bedsteads most used in Italy. A brightly-painted caricature of
+some saint or a rough crucifix, trimmed with bay leaves, hung at the
+head of each bed, and under their devout protection we enjoyed a safe
+and unbroken slumber.
+
+Next morning we set out early to complete the remaining ten miles to
+Siena. The only thing of interest on the road, is the ruined wall and
+battlements of Castiglione, circling a high hill and looking as old as
+the days of Etruria. The towers of Siena are seen at some distance, but
+approaching it from this side, the traveler does not perceive its
+romantic situation until he arrives. It stands on a double hill, which
+is very steep on some sides; the hollow between the two peaks is
+occupied by the great public square, ten or fifteen feet lower than the
+rest of the city. We left our knapsacks at a _cafe_ and sought the
+celebrated Cathedral, which stands in the highest part of the town,
+forming with its flat dome and lofty marble tower, an apex to the
+pyramidal mass of buildings.
+
+The interior is rich and elegantly perfect. Every part is of black and
+white marble, in what I should call the _striped_ style, which has a
+singular but agreeable effect. The inside of the dome and the vaulted
+ceilings of the chapels, are of blue, with golden stars; the pavement in
+the centre is so precious a work that it is kept covered with boards and
+only shown once a year. There are some pictures of great value in this
+Cathedral; one of "The Descent of the Dove," is worthy of the best days
+of Italian art. In an adjoining chamber, with frescoed walls, and a
+beautiful tesselated pavement, is the library, consisting of a few huge
+old volumes, which with their brown covers and brazen clasps, look as
+much like a collection of flat leather trunks as any thing else. In the
+centre of the room stands the mutilated group of the Grecian Graces,
+found in digging the foundation of the Cathedral. The figures are still
+beautiful and graceful, with that exquisite curve of outline which is
+such a charm in the antique statues. Canova has only perfected the idea
+in his celebrated group, which is nearly a copy of this.
+
+We strolled through the square and then accompanied our friend to the
+Roman gate, where we took leave of him for six months at least. He felt
+lonely at the thought of walking in Italy without a companion, but was
+cheered by the anticipation of soon reaching Rome. We watched him
+awhile, walking rapidly over the hot plain towards Radicofani, and then,
+turning our faces with much pleasure towards Florence, we commenced the
+return walk. I must not forget to mention the delicious grapes which we
+bought, begged and stole on the way. The whole country is like one
+vineyard--and the people live, in a great measure, on the fruit, during
+this part of the year. Would you not think it highly romantic and
+agreeable to sit in the shade of a cypress grove, beside some old
+weather-beaten statues, looking out over the vales of the Appenines,
+with a pile of white and purple grapes beside you, the like of which can
+scarcely be had in America for love or money, and which had been given
+you by a dark-eyed peasant girl? If so, you may envy us, for such was
+exactly our situation on the morning before reaching Florence.
+
+Being in the Duomo, two or three days ago, I met a German traveler, who
+has walked through Italy thus far, and intends continuing his journey to
+Rome and Naples. His name is Von Raumer. He was well acquainted with the
+present state of America, and I derived much pleasure from his
+intelligent conversation. We concluded to ascend the cupola in company.
+Two black-robed boys led the way; after climbing an infinite number of
+steps, we reached the gallery around the foot of the dome. The glorious
+view of that paradise, the vale of the Arno, shut in on all sides by
+mountains, some bare and desolate, some covered with villas, gardens,
+and groves, lay in soft, hazy light, with the shadows of a few light
+clouds moving slowly across it. They next took us to a gallery on the
+inside of the dome, where we first saw the immensity of its structure.
+Only from a distant view, or in ascending it, can one really measure its
+grandeur. The frescoes, which from below appear the size of life, are
+found to be rough and monstrous daubs; each figure being nearly as many
+fathoms in length as a man is feet. Continuing our ascent, we mounted
+between the inside and outside shells of the dome. It was indeed a bold
+idea for Brunelleschi to raise such a mass in air. The dome of Saint
+Peter's, which is scarcely as large, was not made until a century after,
+and this was, therefore, the first attempt at raising one on so grand a
+scale. It seems still as solid as if just built.
+
+There was a small door in one of the projections of the lantern, which
+the sacristan told us to enter and ascend still higher. Supposing there
+was a fine view to be gained, two priests, who had just come up, entered
+it; the German followed, and I after him. After crawling in at the low
+door, we found ourselves in a hollow pillar, little wider than our
+bodies. Looking up, I saw the German's legs just above my head, while
+the other two were above him, ascending by means of little iron bars
+fastened in the marble. The priests were very much amused, and the
+German said:--"This is the first time I ever learned chimney-sweeping!"
+We emerged at length into a hollow cone, hot and dark, with a rickety
+ladder going up somewhere; we could not see where. The old priest, not
+wishing to trust himself to it, sent his younger brother up, and we
+shouted after him:--"What kind of a view have you?" He climbed up till
+the cone got so narrow he could go no further, and answered back in the
+darkness:--"I see nothing at all!" Shortly after he came down, covered
+with dust and cobwebs, and we all descended the chimney quicker than we
+went up. The old priest considered it a good joke, and laughed till his
+fat sides shook. We asked the sacristan why he sent us up, and he
+answered:--"To see _the construction of the Church_!"
+
+I attended service in the Cathedral one dark, rainy morning, and was
+never before so deeply impressed with the majesty and grandeur of the
+mighty edifice. The thick, cloudy atmosphere darkened still more the
+light which came through the stained windows, and a solemn twilight
+reigned in the long aisles. The mighty dome sprang far aloft, as if it
+enclosed a part of heaven, for the light that struggled through the
+windows around its base, lay in broad bars on the blue, hazy air. I
+would not have been surprised at seeing a cloud float along within it.
+The lofty burst of the organ, that seemed like the pantings of a
+monster, boomed echoing away through dome and nave, with a chiming,
+metallic vibration, that shook the massive pillars which it would defy
+an earthquake to rend. All was wrapped in dusky obscurity, except where,
+in the side-chapels, crowns of tapers were burning around the images.
+One knows not which most to admire, the genius which could conceive, or
+the perseverance which could accomplish such a work, On one side of the
+square, the colossal statue of the architect, glorious old Brunelleschi,
+is most appropriately placed, looking up with pride at his performance.
+
+The sunshine and genial airs of Italy have gone, leaving instead a cold,
+gloomy sky and chilling winds. The autumnal season has fairly commenced,
+and I suppose I must bid adieu to the brightness which made me in love
+with the land. The change has been no less sudden than unpleasant, and
+if, as they say, it will continue all winter with little variation, I
+shall have to seek a clearer climate. In the cold of these European
+winters, there is, as I observed last year in Germany, a dull, damp
+chill, quite different from the bracing, exhilarating frosts of America.
+It stagnates the vital principle and leaves the limbs dull and heavy,
+with a lifeless feeling which can scarcely be overcome by vigorous
+action. At least, such has been my experience.
+
+We lately made an excursion to Pratolino, on the Appenines, to see the
+vintage and the celebrated colossus, by John of Bologna. Leaving
+Florence in the morning, with a cool, fresh wind blowing down from the
+mountains, we began ascending by the road to Bologna. We passed Fiesole
+with its tower and acropolis on the right, ascending slowly, with the
+bold peak of one of the loftiest Appenines on our left. The abundant
+fruit of the olive was beginning to turn brown, and the grapes were all
+gathered in from the vineyards, but we learned from a peasant boy that
+the vintage was not finished at Pratolino.
+
+We finally arrived at an avenue shaded with sycamores, leading to the
+royal park. The vintagers were busy in the fields around, unloading the
+vines of their purple tribute, and many a laugh and jest among the merry
+peasants enlivened the toil. We assisted them in disposing of some fine
+clusters, and then sought the "Colossus of the Appenines." He stands
+above a little lake, at the head of a long mountain-slope, broken with
+clumps of magnificent trees. This remarkable figure, the work of John of
+Bologna, impresses one like a relic of the Titans. He is represented as
+half-kneeling, supporting himself with one hand, while the other is
+pressed upon the head of a dolphin, from which a little stream falls
+into the lake. The height of the figure when erect, would amount to more
+than sixty feet! We measured one of the feet, which is a single piece of
+rock, about eight feet long; from the ground to the top of one knee is
+nearly twenty feet. The limbs are formed of pieces of stone, joined
+together, and the body of stone and brick. His rough hair and eyebrows,
+and the beard, which reached nearly to the ground, are formed of
+stalactites, taken from caves, and fastened together in a dripping and
+crusted mass. These hung also from his limbs and body, and gave him the
+appearance of Winter in his mail of icicles. By climbing up the rocks at
+his back, we entered his body, which contains a small-sized room; it was
+even possible to ascend through his neck and look out at his ear! The
+face is in keeping with the figure--stern and grand, and the architect
+(one can hardly say sculptor) has given to it the majestic air and
+sublimity of the Appenines. But who can build up _an image of the Alp_?
+
+We visited the factory on the estate, where wine and oil are made. The
+men had just brought in a cart load of large wooden vessels, filled with
+grapes, which they were mashing with heavy wooden pestles. When the
+grapes were pretty well reduced to pulp and juice, they emptied them
+into an enormous tub, which they told us would be covered air-tight, and
+left for three or four weeks, after which the wine would be drawn off at
+the bottom. They showed us also a great stone mill for grinding olives;
+this estate of the Grand Duke produces five hundred barrels of wine and
+a hundred and fifty of oil, every year. The former article is the
+universal beverage of the laboring classes in Italy, or I might say of
+all classes; it is, however, the pure blood of the grape, and although
+used in such quantities, one sees little drunkenness--far less than in
+our own land.
+
+Tuscany enjoys at present a more liberal government than any other part
+of Italy, and the people are, in many respects, prosperous and happy.
+The Grand Duke, although enjoying almost absolute privileges, is
+disposed to encourage every measure which may promote the welfare of his
+subjects. The people are, indeed, very heavily taxed, but this is less
+severely felt by them, than it would be by the inhabitants of colder
+climes. The soil produces with little labor all that is necessary for
+their support; though kept constantly in a state of comparative poverty,
+they appear satisfied with their lot, and rarely look further than the
+necessities of the present. In love with the delightful climate, they
+cherish their country, fallen as she is, and are rarely induced to leave
+her. Even the wealthier classes of the Italians travel very little; they
+can learn the manners and habits of foreigners nearly as well in their
+own country as elsewhere, and they prefer their own hills of olive and
+vine to the icy grandeur of the Alps or the rich and garden-like beauty
+of England.
+
+But, although this sweet climate, with its wealth of sunlight and balmy
+airs, may enchant the traveler for awhile and make him wish at times
+that his whole life might be spent amid such scenes, it exercises a most
+enervating influence on those who are born to its enjoyment. It relaxes
+mental and physical energy, and disposes body and mind to dreamy
+inactivity. The Italians, as a race, are indolent and effeminate. Of the
+moral dignity of man they have little conception. Those classes who are
+engaged in active occupation seem even destitute of common honesty,
+practising all kinds of deceits in the most open manner and apparently
+without the least shame. The state of morals is lower than in any other
+country of Europe; what little virtue exists is found among the
+peasants. Many of the most sacred obligations of society are universally
+violated, and as a natural consequence, the people are almost entire
+strangers to that domestic happiness, which constitutes the true
+enjoyment of life.
+
+This dark shadow in the moral atmosphere of Italy hangs like a curse on
+her beautiful soil, weakening the sympathies of citizens of freer lands
+with her fallen condition. I often feel vividly the sentiment which
+Percival puts into the mouth of a Greek in slavery:
+
+    "The spring may here with autumn twine
+    And both combined may rule the year,
+    And fresh-blown flowers and racy wine
+    In frosted clusters still be near--
+    Dearer the wild and snowy hills
+    Where hale and ruddy Freedom smiles."
+
+No people can ever become truly great or free, who are not virtuous. If
+the soul aspires for liberty--pure and perfect liberty--it also aspires
+for everything that is noble in Truth, everything that is holy in
+Virtue. It is greatly to be feared that all those nervous and impatient
+efforts which have been made and are still being made by the Italian
+people to better their condition, will be of little avail, until they
+set up a better standard of principle and make their private actions
+more conformable with their ideas of political independence.
+
+_Oct. 22._--I attended to-day the fall races at the _Cascine_. This is a
+dairy farm of the Grand Duke on the Arno, below the city; part of it,
+shaded with magnificent trees, has been made into a public promenade and
+drive, which extends for three miles down the river. Towards the lower
+end, on a smooth green lawn, is the race-course. To-day was the last of
+the season, for which the best trials had been reserved; on passing out
+the gate at noon, we found a number of carriages and pedestrians going
+the same way. It was the very perfection of autumn temperature, and I do
+not remember to have ever seen so blue hills, so green meadows, so fresh
+air and so bright sunshine combined in one scene before. All that gloom
+and coldness of which I lately complained has vanished.
+
+Traveling increases very much one's capacity for admiration. Every
+beautiful scene appears as beautiful as if it had been the first; and
+although I may have seen a hundred times as lovely a combination of sky
+and landscape, the pleasure which it awakens is never diminished. This
+is one of the greatest blessings we enjoy--the freshness and glory which
+Nature wears to our eyes forever. It shows that the soul never grows
+old--that the eye of age can take in the impression of beauty with the
+same enthusiastic joy that leaped through the heart of childhood.
+
+We found the crowd around the race-course but thin; half the people
+there, and _all_ the horses, appeared to be English. It was a good place
+to observe the beauty of Florence, which however, may be done in a
+short time, as there is not much of it. There is beauty in Italy,
+undoubtedly, but it is either among the peasants or the higher class of
+nobility. I will tell our American women confidentially, for I know they
+have too much sense to be vain of it, that they surpass the rest of the
+world as much in beauty as they do in intelligence and virtue. I saw in
+one of the carriages the wife of Alexander Dumas, the French author. She
+is a large, fair complexioned woman, and is now, from what cause I know
+not, living apart from her husband.
+
+The jockeys paced up and down the fields, preparing their beautiful
+animals for the approaching heat, and as the hour drew nigh the mounted
+dragoons busied themselves in clearing the space. It was a one-mile
+course, to the end of the lawn and back. At last the bugle sounded, and
+off went three steeds like arrows let fly. They passed us, their light
+limbs bounding over the turf, a beautiful dark-brown taking the lead. We
+leaned over the railing and watched them eagerly. The bell rang--they
+reached the other end--we saw them turn and come dashing back, nearer,
+nearer; the crowd began to shout, and in a few seconds the brown one had
+won it by four or five lengths. The fortunate horse was led around in
+triumph, and I saw an English lady, remarkable for her betting
+propensities, come out from the crowd and kiss it in apparent delight.
+
+After an interval, three others took the field--all graceful, spirited
+creatures. This was a more exciting race than the first; they flew past
+us nearly abreast, and the crowd looked after them in anxiety. They
+cleared the course like wild deer, and in a minute or two came back, the
+racer of an English nobleman a short distance ahead. The jockey threw up
+his hand in token of triumph as he approached the goal, and the people
+cheered him. It was a beautiful sight to see those noble animals
+stretching to the utmost of their speed, as they dashed down the grassy
+lawn. The lucky one always showed by his proud and erect carriage, his
+consciousness of success.
+
+Florence is fast becoming modernized. The introduction of gas, and the
+construction of the railroad to Pisa, which is nearly completed, will
+make sad havoc with the air of poetry which still lingers in its silent
+streets. There is scarcely a bridge, a tower, or a street, which is not
+connected with some stirring association. In the Via San Felice, Raphael
+used to paint when a boy; near the Ponte Santa Trinita stands Michael
+Angelo's house, with his pictures, clothes, and painting implements,
+just as he left it three centuries ago; on the south side of the Arno is
+the house of Galileo, and that of Machiavelli stands in an avenue near
+the Ducal Palace. While threading my way through some dark, crooked
+streets in an unfrequented part of the city, I noticed an old,
+untenanted house, bearing a marble tablet above the door. I drew near
+and read:--"In this house of the Alighieri was born the Divine Poet!" It
+was the birth-place of Dante!
+
+_Nov. 1._--Yesterday morning we were apprised of the safe arrival of a
+new scion of the royal family in the world by the ringing of the city
+bells. To-day, to celebrate the event, the shops were closed, and the
+people made a holiday of it. Merry chimes pealed out from every tower,
+and discharges of cannon thundered up from the fortress. In the evening
+the dome of the Cathedral was illuminated, and the lines of cupola,
+lantern, and cross were traced in flame on the dark sky, like a crown of
+burning stars dropped from Heaven on the holy pile. I went in and walked
+down the aisle, listening for awhile to the grand choral, while the
+clustered tapers under the dome quivered and trembled, as if shaken by
+the waves of music which burst continually within its lofty concave.
+
+A few days ago Prince Corsini, Prime Minister of Tuscany, died at an
+advanced age. I saw his body brought in solemn procession by night, with
+torches and tapers, to the church of Santa Trinita. Soldiers followed
+with reversed arms and muffled drums, the band playing a funeral march.
+I forced myself through the crowd into the church, which was hung with
+black and gold, and listened to the long drawn chanting of the priests
+around the bier.
+
+We lately visited the Florentine Museum. Besides the usual collection of
+objects of natural history, there is an anatomical cabinet, very
+celebrated for its preparations in wax. All parts of the human frame are
+represented so wonderfully exact, that students of medicine pursue their
+studies here in summer with the same facility as from real "subjects."
+Every bone, muscle, and nerve in the body is perfectly counterfeited,
+the whole forming a collection as curious as it is useful. One chamber
+is occupied with representations of the plague of Rome, Milan, and
+Florence. They are executed with horrible truth to nature, but I
+regretted afterwards having seen them. There are enough forms of beauty
+and delight in the world on which to employ the eye, without making it
+familiar with scenes which can only be remembered with a shudder.
+
+We derive much pleasure from the society of the American artists who are
+now residing in Florence. At the houses of Powers, and Brown, the
+painter, we spend many delightful evenings in the company of our gifted
+countrymen. They are drawn together by a kindred, social feeling as well
+as by their mutual aims, and form among themselves a society so
+unrestrained, American-like, that the traveler who meets them forgets
+his absence for a time. These noble representatives of our country, all
+of whom possess the true, inborn spirit of republicanism, have made the
+American name known and respected in Florence. Powers, especially, who
+is intimate with many of the principal Italian families, is universally
+esteemed. The Grand Duke has more than once visited his studio and
+expressed the highest admiration of his talents.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+AMERICAN ART IN FLORENCE.
+
+
+I have seen Ibrahim Pacha, the son of old Mehemet Ali, driving in his
+carriage through the streets. He is hero on a visit from Lucca, where he
+has been spending some time on account of his health. He is a man of
+apparently fifty years of age; his countenance wears a stern and almost
+savage look, very consistent with the character he bears and the
+political part he has played. He is rather portly in person, the pale
+olive of his complexion contrasting strongly with a beard perfectly
+white. In common with all his attendants, he wears the high red cap,
+picturesque blue tunic and narrow trowsers of the Egyptians. There is
+scarcely a man of them whose face with its wild, oriental beauty, does
+not show to advantage among us civilized and prosaic Christians.
+
+In Florence, and indeed through all Italy, there is much reason for our
+country to be proud of the high stand her artists are taking. The sons
+of our rude western clime, brought up without other resources than their
+own genius and energy, now fairly rival those, who from their cradle
+upwards have drawn inspiration and ambition from the glorious
+masterpieces of the old painters and sculptors. Wherever our artists are
+known, they never fail to create a respect for American talent, and to
+dissipate the false notions respecting our cultivation and refinement,
+which prevail in Europe. There are now eight or ten of our painters and
+sculptors in Florence, some of whom, I do not hesitate to say, take the
+very first rank among living artists.
+
+I have been highly gratified in visiting the studio of Mr. G.L. Brown,
+who, as a landscape painter, is destined to take a stand second to few,
+since the days of Claude Lorraine. He is now without a rival in
+Florence, or perhaps in Italy, and has youth, genius and a plentiful
+stock of the true poetic enthusiasm for his art, to work for him far
+greater triumphs. His Italian landscapes have that golden mellowness and
+transparency of atmosphere which give such a charm to the real scenes,
+and one would think he used on his pallette, in addition to the more
+substantial colors, condensed air and sunlight and the liquid crystal of
+streams. He has wooed Nature like a lover, and she has not withheld her
+sympathy. She has taught him how to raise and curve her trees, load
+their boughs with foliage, and spread underneath them the broad, cool
+shadows--to pile up the shattered crag, and steep the long mountain
+range in the haze of alluring distance.
+
+He has now nearly finished, a large painting of "Christ Preaching in the
+Wilderness," which is of surprising beauty. You look upon one of the
+fairest scenes of Judea. In front, the rude multitude are grouped on one
+side, in the edge of a magnificent forest; on the other side, towers up
+a rough wall of rock and foliage that stretches back into the distance,
+where some grand blue mountains are piled against the sky, and a
+beautiful stream, winding through the middle of the picture, slides away
+out of the foreground. Just emerging from the shade of one of the
+cliffs, is the benign figure of the Saviour, with the warm light which
+breaks from behind the trees, falling around him as he advances. There
+is a smaller picture of the "Shipwreck of St. Paul," in which he shows
+equal skill in painting a troubled sea and breaking storm. He is one of
+the young artists from whom we have most to hope.
+
+I have been extremely interested in looking over a great number of
+sketches made by Mr. Kellogg, of Cincinnati, during a tour through
+Egypt, Arabia Petraea and Palestine. He visited many places out of the
+general route of travelers, and beside the great number of landscape
+views, brought away many sketches of the characters and costumes of the
+Orient. From some of these he has commenced paintings, which, as his
+genius is equal to his practice, will be of no ordinary value. Indeed,
+some of these must give him at once an established reputation in
+America. In Constantinople, where he resided several months, he enjoyed
+peculiar advantges for the exercise of his art, through the favor and
+influence of Mr. Carr, the American, and Sir Stratford Canning, the
+British Minister. I saw a splendid diamond cup, presented to him by
+Riza Pacha, the late Grand Vizier. The sketches he brought from thence
+and from the valleys of Phrygia and the mountain solitudes of old
+Olympus, are of great interest and value. Among his later paintings, I
+might mention an angel, whose countenance beams with a rapt and glorious
+beauty. A divine light shines through all the features and heightens the
+glow of adoration to an expression all spiritual and immortal. If Mr.
+Kellogg will give us a few more of these heavenly conceptions, we will
+place him on a pedestal, little lower than that of Guido.
+
+Greenough, who has been sometime in Germany, returned lately to
+Florence, where he has a colossal group in progress for the portico of
+the Capitol. I have seen part of it, which is nearly finished in the
+marble. It shows a backwoodsman just triumphing in the struggle with an
+Indian; another group to be added, will represent the wife and child of
+the former. The colossal size of the statues gives a grandeur to the
+action, as if it were a combat of Titans; there is a consciousness of
+power, an expression of lofty disdain in the expansion of the hunter's
+nostril and the proud curve of his lip, that might become a god. The
+spirit of action, of breathing, life-like exertion, so much more
+difficult to infuse into the marble than that of repose, is perfectly
+attained. I will not enter into a more particular description, as it
+will probably be sent to the United States in a year or two. It is a
+magnificent work; the best, unquestionably, that Greenough has yet made.
+The subject, and the grandeur he has given it in the execution, will
+ensure it a much more favorable reception than a false taste gave to his
+Washington.
+
+Mr. C.B. Ives, a young sculptor from Connecticut, has not disappointed
+the high promise he gave before leaving home. I was struck with some of
+his busts in Philadelphia, particularly those of Mrs. Sigourney and
+Joseph R. Chandler, and it has been no common pleasure to visit his
+studio here in Florence, and look on some of his ideal works. He has
+lately made two models, which, when finished in marble, will be works of
+great beauty. They will contribute greatly to his reputation here and in
+America. One of these represents a child of four or five years of age,
+holding in his hand a dead bird, on which he is gazing, with childish
+grief and wonder, that it is so still and drooping. It is a beautiful
+thought; the boy is leaning forward as he sits, holding the lifeless
+playmate close in his hands, his sadness touched with a vague
+expression, as if he could not yet comprehend the idea of death.
+
+The other is of equal excellence, in a different style; it is a bust of
+"Jephthah's daughter," when the consciousness of her doom first flashes
+upon her. The face and bust are beautiful with the bloom of perfect
+girlhood. A simple robe covers her breast, and her rich hair is gathered
+up behind, and bound with a slender fillet. Her head, of the pure
+classical mould, is bent forward, as if weighed down by the shock, and
+there is a heavy drooping in the mouth and eyelids, that denotes a
+sudden and sickening agony. It is not a violent, passionate grief, but a
+deep and almost paralyzing emotion--a shock from which the soul will
+finally rebound, strengthened to make the sacrifice.
+
+Would it not be better for some scores of our rich merchants to lay out
+their money on statues and pictures, instead of balls and spendthrift
+sons? A few such expenditures, properly directed, would do much for the
+advancement of the fine arts. An occasional golden blessing, bestowed on
+genius, might be returned on the giver, in the fame he had assisted in
+creating. There seems, however, to be at present a rapid increase in
+refined taste, and a better appreciation of artistic talent, in our
+country. And as an American, nothing has made me feel prouder than this,
+and the steadily increasing reputation of our artists.
+
+Of these, no one has done more within the last few years, than Powers.
+With a tireless and persevering energy, such as could have belonged to
+few but Americans, he has already gained a name in his art, that
+posterity will pronounce in the same breath with Phidias, Michael Angelo
+and Thorwaldsen. I cannot describe the enjoyment I have derived from
+looking at his matchless works. I should hesitate in giving my own
+imperfect judgment of their excellence, if I had not found it to
+coincide with that of many others who are better versed in the rules of
+art. The sensation which his "Greek Slave" produced in England, has
+doubtless ere this been breezed across the Atlantic, and I see by the
+late American papers that they are growing familiar with his fame. When
+I read a notice seven or eight years ago, of the young sculptor of
+Cincinnati, whose busts exhibited so much evidence of genius, I little
+dreamed I should meet him in Florence, with the experience of years of
+toil added to his early enthusiasm, and every day increasing his renown.
+
+You would like to hear of his statue of Eve, which men of taste
+pronounce one of the finest works of modern times. A more perfect figure
+never filled my eye. I have seen the masterpieces of Thorwaldsen,
+Dannecker and Canova, and the Venus de Medici, but I have seen nothing
+yet that can exceed the beauty of this glorious statue. So completely
+did the first view excite my surprise and delight, and thrill every
+feeling that awakes at the sight of the Beautiful, that my mind dwelt
+intensely on it for days afterwards. This is the Eve of Scripture--the
+Eve of Milton--mother of mankind and fairest of all her race. With the
+full and majestic beauty of ripened womanhood, she wears the purity of a
+world as yet unknown to sin. With the hearing of a queen, there is in
+her countenance the softness and grace of a tender, loving woman;
+
+    "God-like erect, with native honor clad
+    In naked majesty."
+
+She holds the fatal fruit extended in her hand, and her face expresses
+the struggle between conscience, dread and desire. The serpent, whose
+coiled length under the leaves and flowers entirely surrounds her, thus
+forming a beautiful allegorical symbol, is watching her decision from an
+ivied trunk at her side. Her form is said to be fully as perfect as the
+Venus de Medici, and from its greater size, has an air of conscious and
+ennobling dignity. The head is far superior in beauty, and soul speaks
+from every feature of the countenance. I add a few stanzas which the
+contemplation of this statue called forth. Though unworthy the subject,
+they may perhaps faintly shadow the _sentiment_ which Powers has so
+eloquently embodied in marble:
+
+    THE "EVE" OF POWERS.
+
+    A faultless being from the marble sprung,
+         She stands in beauty there!
+    As when the grace of Eden 'round her clung--
+         Fairest, where all was fair!
+
+    Pure, as when first from God's creating hand
+         She came, on man to shine;
+    So seems she now, in living stone to stand--
+         A mortal, yet divine!
+
+    The spark the Grecian from Olympus caught,
+         Left not a loftier trace;
+    The daring of the sculptor's hand has wrought
+         A soul in that sweet face!
+    He won as well the sacred fire from heaven.
+         God-sent, not stolen down,
+    And no Promethean doom for him is given,
+         But ages of renown!
+
+    The soul of beauty breathes around that form
+         A more enchanting spell;
+    There blooms each virgin grace, ere yet the storm
+         On blighted Eden fell!
+    The first desire upon her lovely brow,
+         Raised by an evil power;
+    Doubt, longing, dread, are in her features now--
+         It is the trial-hour!
+
+    How every thought that strives within her breast,
+         In that one glance is shown!
+    Say, can that heart of marble be at rest,
+         Since spirit warms the stone?
+    Will not those limbs, of so divine a mould,
+         Move, when her thought is o'er--
+    When she has yielded to the tempter's hold
+         And Eden blooms no more?
+
+    Art, like a Phoenix, springs from dust again--
+         She cannot pass away!
+    Bound down in gloom, she breaks apart the chain
+         And struggles up today!
+    The flame, first kindled in the ages gone,
+         Has never ceased to burn,
+    And _westward_ now, appears the kindling dawn,
+         Which marks the day's return!
+
+The "Greek Slave" is now in the possession of Mr. Grant, of London, and
+I only saw the clay model. Like the Eve, it is a form that one's eye
+tells him is perfect, unsurpassed; but it is the budding loveliness of a
+girl, instead of the perfected beauty of a woman. In England it has been
+pronounced superior to Canova's works, and indeed _I_ have seen nothing
+of his, that could be placed beside it.
+
+Powers has now nearly finished a most exquisite figure of a fisher-boy,
+standing on the shore, with his net and rudder in one hand, while with
+the other he holds a shell to his ear and listens if it murmur to him of
+a gathering storm. His slight, boyish limbs are full of grace and
+delicacy--you feel that the youthful frame could grow up into nothing
+less than an Apollo. Then the head--how beautiful! Slightly bent on one
+side, with the rim of the shell thrust under his locks, lips gently
+parted, and the face wrought up to the most hushed and breathless
+expression, he listens whether the sound be deeper than its wont. It
+makes you hold your breath and listen, to look at it. Mrs. Jameson
+somewhere remarks that repose or suspended motion, should be always
+chosen for a statue that shall present a perfect, unbroken impression to
+the mind. If this be true, the enjoyment must be much more complete
+where not only the motion, but almost breath and thought are suspended,
+and all the faculties wrought into one hushed and intense sensation. In
+gazing on this exquisite conception, I feel my admiration filled to the
+utmost, without that painful, aching impression, so often left by
+beautiful works. It glides into my vision like a form long missed from
+the gallery of beauty I am forming in my mind, and I gaze on it with an
+ever new and increasing delight.
+
+Now I come to the last and fairest of all--the divine Proserpine. Not
+the form, for it is but a bust rising from a capital of acanthus leaves,
+which curve around the breast and arms and turn gracefully outward, but
+the face, whose modest maiden beauty can find no peer among goddesses or
+mortals. So looked she on the field of Ennae--that "fairer flower," so
+soon to be gathered by "gloomy Dis." A slender crown of green
+wheatblades, showing alike her descent from Ceres and her virgin years,
+circles her head. Truly, if Pygmalion stole his fire to warm such a form
+as this, Jove should have pardoned him. Of Powers' busts it is
+unnecessary for me to speak. He has lately finished a very beautiful one
+of the Princess Demidoff, daughter of Jerome Bonaparte.
+
+We will soon, I hope, have the "Eve" in America. Powers has generously
+refused many advantageous offers for it, that he might finally send it
+home; and his country, therefore, will possess this statue, his first
+ideal work. She may well be proud of the genius and native energy of her
+young artist, and she should repay them by a just and liberal
+encouragement.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+AN ADVENTURE ON THE GREAT ST. BERNARD--WALKS AROUND FLORENCE.
+
+
+_Nov. 9._--A few days ago I received a letter from my cousin at
+Heidelberg, describing his solitary walk from Genoa over the Alps, and
+through the western part of Switzerland. The news of his safe arrival
+dissipated the anxiety we were beginning to feel, on account of his long
+silence, while it proved that our fears concerning the danger of such a
+journey were not altogether groundless. He met with a startling
+adventure on the Great St. Bernard, which will be best described by an
+extract from his own letter:
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Such were my impressions of Rome. But leaving the 'Eternal City,' I
+must hasten on to give you a description of an adventure I met with in
+crossing the Alps, omitting for the present an account of the trip from
+Rome to Genoa, and my lonely walk through Sardinia. When I had crossed
+the mountain range north of Genoa, the plains of Piedmont stretched out
+before me. I could see the snowy sides and summits of the Alps more than
+one hundred miles distant, looking like white, fleecy clouds on a summer
+day. It was a magnificent prospect, and I wonder not that the heart of
+the Swiss soldier, after years of absence in foreign service, beats with
+joy when he again looks on his native mountains.
+
+"As I approached nearer, the weather changed, and dark, gloomy clouds
+enveloped them, so that they seemed to present an impassible barrier to
+the lands beyond them. At Ivrea, I entered the interesting valley of
+Aosta. The whole valley, fifty miles in length, is inhabited by
+miserable looking people, nearly one half of them being afflicted with
+goitre and cretinism. They looked more idiotic and disgusting than any I
+have ever seen, and it was really painful to behold such miserable
+specimens of humanity dwelling amid the grandest scenes of nature.
+Immediately after arriving in the town of Aosta, situated at the upper
+end of the valley, I began, alone, the ascent of the Great St. Bernard.
+It was just noon, and the clouds on the mountains indicated rain. The
+distance from Aosta to the monastery or hospice of St. Bernard, is about
+twenty English miles.
+
+"At one o'clock it commenced raining vary hard, and to gain shelter I
+went into a rude hut; but it was filled with so many of those idiotic
+cretins, lying down on the earthy floor with the dogs and other animals,
+that I was glad to leave them as soon as the storm had abated in some
+degree. I walked rapidly for three hours, when I met a traveler and his
+guide descending the mountain. I asked him in Italian the distance to
+the hospice, and he undertook to answer me in French, but the words did
+not seem to flow very fluently, so I said quickly, observing then that
+he was an Englishman: 'Try some other language, if you please, sir!' He
+replied instantly in his vernacular: 'You have a d--d long walk before
+you, and you'll have to hurry to get to the top before night!' Thanking
+him, we shook hands and hurried on, he downward and I upward. About
+eight miles from the summit, I was directed into the wrong path by an
+ignorant boy who was tending sheep, and went a mile out of the course,
+towards Mont Blanc, before I discovered my mistake. I hurried back into
+the right path again, and soon overtook another boy ascending the
+mountain, who asked me if he might accompany me as he was alone, to
+which I of course answered, yes; but when we began to enter the thick
+clouds that covered the mountains, he became alarmed, and said he would
+go no farther. I tried to encourage him by saying we had only five miles
+more to climb, but, turning quickly, he ran down the path and was soon
+out of sight.
+
+"After a long and most toilsome ascent, spurred on as I was by the storm
+and the approach of night, I saw at last through the clouds a little
+house, which I supposed might be a part of the monastery, but it turned
+out to be only a house of refuge, erected by the monks to take in
+travelers in extreme cases or extraordinary danger. The man who was
+staying there, told me the monastery was a mile and a half further, and
+thinking therefore that I could soon reach it, I started out again,
+although darkness was approaching. In a short time the storm began in
+good earnest, and the cold winds blew with the greatest fury. It grew
+dark very suddenly and I lost sight of the poles which are placed along
+the path to guide the traveler. I then ran on still higher, hoping to
+find them again, but without success. The rain and snow fell thick, and
+although I think I am tolerably courageous, I began to be alarmed, for
+it was impossible to know in what direction I was going. I could hear
+the waterfalls dashing and roaring down the mountain hollows on each
+side of me; in the gloom, the foam and leaping waters resembled
+streaming fires. I thought of turning back to find the little house of
+refuge again, but it seemed quite as dangerous and uncertain as to go
+forward. After the fatigue I had undergone since noon, it would have
+been dangerous to be obliged to stay, out all night in the driving
+storm, which was every minute increasing in coldness and intensity.
+
+"I stopped and shouted aloud, hoping I might be somewhere near the
+monastery, but no answer came--no noise except the storm and the roar of
+the waterfalls. I climbed up the rocks nearly a quarter of a mile
+higher, and shouted again. I listened with anxiety for two or three
+minutes, but hearing no response, I concluded to find a shelter for the
+night under a ledge of rocks. While looking around me, I fancied I heard
+in the distance a noise like the trampling of hoofs over the rocks, and
+thinking travelers might be near, I called aloud for the third time.
+After wailing a moment, a voice came ringing on my ears through the
+clouds, like one from Heaven in response to my own. My heart beat
+quickly; I hurried in the direction from which the sound came, and to my
+joy found two men--servants of the monastery--who were driving their
+mules into shelter. Never in my whole life was I more glad to hear the
+voice of man. These men conducted me to the monastery, one-fourth of a
+mile higher, built by the side of a lake at the summit of the pass,
+while on each side, the mountains, forever covered with snow, tower some
+thousands of feet higher.
+
+"Two or three of the noble St. Bernard dogs barked a welcome as we
+approached, which brought a young monk to the door. I addressed him in
+German, but to my surprise he answered in broken English. He took me
+into a warm room and gave me a suit of clothes, such as are worn by the
+monks, for my dress, as well as my package of papers, were completely
+saturated with rain. I sat down to supper in company with till the monks
+of the Hospice, I in my monkish robe looking like one of the holy order.
+You would have laughed to have seen me in their costume. Indeed, I felt
+almost satisfied to turn monk, as everything seemed so comfortable in
+the warm supper room, with its blazing wood fire, while outside raged
+the storm still more violently. But when I thought of their voluntary
+banishment from the world, up in that high pass of the Alps, and that
+the affection of woman never gladdened their hearts, I was ready to
+renounce my monkish dress next morning, without reluctance.
+
+"In the address book of the monastery, I found Longfellow's 'Excelsior'
+written on a piece of paper and signed 'America.' You remember the
+stanza:
+
+    At break of clay, as heavenward,
+    The pious monks of St. Bernard
+    Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,
+    A voice cried through the startled air:
+                                     Excelsior!
+
+It seemed to add a tenfold interest to the poem, to read it on old St.
+Bernard. In the morning I visited the house where are kept the bodies of
+the travelers, who perish in crossing the mountain. It is filled with
+corpses, ranged in rows, and looking like mummies, for the cold is so
+intense that they will keep for years without decaying, and are often
+recognized and removed by their friends.
+
+"Of my descent to Martigny, my walk down the Rhone, and along the shores
+of Lake Leman, my visit to the prison of Chilian and other wanderings
+across Switzerland, my pleasure in seeing the old river Rhine again, and
+my return to Heidelberg at night, with the bright moon shining on the
+Neckar and the old ruined castle, I can now say no more, nor is it
+necessary, for are not all these things 'written in my book of
+Chronicles,' to be seen by you when we meet again in Paris?
+
+Ever yours, FRANK."
+
+_Dec. 16._--I took a walk lately to the tower of Galileo. In company
+with three friends, I left Florence by the _Porta Romana_, and ascended
+the _Poggie Imperiale_. This beautiful avenue, a mile and a quarter in
+length, leading up a gradual ascent to a villa of the Grand Duke, is
+bordered with splendid cypresses and evergreen oaks, and the grass banks
+are always fresh and green, so that even in winter it calls up a
+remembrance of summer. In fact, winter does not wear the scowl here that
+he has at home; he is robed rather in a threadbare garment of autumn,
+and it is only high up on the mountain tops, out of the reach of his
+enemy, the sun, that he dares to throw it off, and bluster about with
+his storms and scatter down his snow-flakes. The roses still bud and
+bloom in the hedges, the emerald of the meadows is not a whit paler, the
+sun looks down lovingly as yet, and there are only the white helmets of
+some of the Appenines, with the leafless mulberries and vines, to tell
+us that we have changed seasons.
+
+A quarter of an hour's walk, part of it by a path through an olive
+orchard, brought us to the top of a hill, which was surmounted by a
+square, broken, ivied tower, forming part of a storehouse for the
+produce of the estate. We entered, saluted by a dog, and passing through
+a court-yard, in which stood two or three carts full of brown olives,
+found our way to the rickety staircase. I spared my sentiment in going
+up, thinking the steps might have been renewed since Galileo's time, but
+the glorious landscape which opened around us when we reached the top,
+time could not change, and I gazed upon it with interest and emotion, as
+my eye took in those forms which had once been mirrored in the
+philosopher's. Let me endeavor to describe the features of the scene.
+
+Fancy yourself lifted to the summit of a high hill, whose base slopes
+down to the valley of the Arno, and looking northward. Behind you is a
+confusion of hill and valley, growing gradually dimmer away to the
+horizon. Before and below you is a vale, with Florence and her great
+domes and towers in its lap, and across its breadth of five miles the
+mountain of Fiesole. To the west it stretches away unbroken for twenty
+miles, covered thickly with white villas--like a meadow of daisies,
+magnified. A few miles to the east the plain is rounded with mountains,
+between whose interlocking bases we can see the brown current of the
+Arno. Some of their peaks, as well as the mountain of Vallombrosa,
+along the eastern sky, are tipped with snow. Imagine the air filled
+with a thick blue mist, like a semi-transparent veil, which softens
+every thing into dreamy indistinctness, the sunshine falling slantingly
+through this in spots, touching the landscape here and there as with a
+sudden blaze of fire, and you will complete the picture. Does it not
+repay your mental flight across the Atlantic.
+
+One evening, on coming out of the cafe, the moon was shining so brightly
+and clearly, that I involuntarily bent my steps towards the river; I
+walked along the _Lung'Arno_, enjoying the heavenly moonlight--"the
+night of cloudless climes and starry skies!" A purer silver light never
+kissed the brow of Endymion. The brown Arno took into his breast "the
+redundant glory," and rolled down his pebbly bed with a more musical
+ripple; opposite stretched the long mass of buildings--the deep arches
+that rose from the water were filled with black shadow, and the
+irregular fronts of the houses touched with a mellow glow. The arches of
+the upper bridge were in shadow, cutting their dark outline on the
+silvery sweep of the Appenines, far up the stream. A veil of luminous
+gray covered the hill of San Miniato, with its towers and cypress
+groves, and there was a crystal depth in the atmosphere, as if it shone
+with its own light. The whole scene affected me as something too
+glorious to be real--painful from the very intensity of its beauty.
+Three moons ago, at the foot of Vallombrosa, I saw the Appenines flooded
+with the same silvery gush, and thought also, then, that I had seen the
+same moon amid far dearer scenes, but never before the same dreamy and
+sublime glory showered down from her pale orb. Some solitary lights were
+burning along the river, and occasionally a few Italians passed by,
+wrapped in their mantles. I went home to the Piazza del Granduca as the
+light, pouring into the square from behind the old palace, fell over the
+fountain of Neptune and sheathed in silver the back of the colossal god.
+
+Whoever looks on the valley of the Arno from San Miniato, and observes
+the Appenine range, of which Fiesole is one, bounding it on the north,
+will immediately notice to the northwest a double peak rising high above
+all the others. The bare, brown forehead of this, known by the name of
+_Monte Morello_, seemed so provokingly to challenge an ascent, that we
+determined to try it. So we started early, the day before yesterday,
+from the Porta San Gallo, with nothing but the frosty grass and fresh
+air to remind us of the middle of December. Leaving the Prato road, at
+the base of the mountain, we passed Careggi, a favorite farm of Lorenzo
+the Magnificent, and entered a narrow glen where a little brook was
+brawling down its rocky channel. Here and there stood a rustic mill,
+near which women were busy spreading their washed clothes on the grass.
+Following the footpath, we ascended a long eminence to a chapel where
+some boys were amusing themselves with a common country game. They have
+a small wheel, around which they wind a rope, and, running a little
+distance to increase the velocity, let it off with a sudden jerk. On a
+level road it can be thrown upwards of a quarter of a mile.
+
+From the chapel, a gradual ascent along the ridge of a hill brought us
+to the foot of the peak, which rose high before us, covered with bare
+rocks and stunted oaks. The wind blew coldly from a snowy range to the
+north, as we commenced ascending with a good will. A few shepherds were
+leading their flocks along the sides, to browse on the grass and
+withered bushes, and we started up a large hare occasionally from his
+leafy covert. The ascent was very toilsome; I was obliged to stop
+frequently on account of the painful throbbing of my heart, which made
+it difficult to breathe. When the summit was gained, we lay down awhile
+on the leeward side to recover ourselves.
+
+We looked on the great valley of the Arno, perhaps twenty-five miles
+long, and five or six broad, lying like a long elliptical basin sunk
+among the hills. I can liken it to nothing but a vast sea; for a dense,
+blue mist covered the level surface, through which the domes of Florence
+rose up like a craggy island, while the thousands of scattered villas
+resembled ships, with spread sails, afloat on its surface. The sharp,
+cutting wind soon drove us down, with a few hundred bounds, to the path
+again. Three more hungry mortals did not dine at the _Cacciatore_ that
+day.
+
+The chapel of the Medici, which we visited, is of wonderful beauty. The
+walls are entirely encrusted with _pietra dura_ and the most precious
+kinds of marble. The ceiling is covered with gorgeous frescoes by
+Benevenuto, a modern painter. Around the sides, in magnificent
+sarcophagi of marble and jasper, repose the ashes of a few Cosmos and
+Ferdinands. I asked the sacristan for the tomb of Lorenzo the
+Magnificent. "Oh!" said he, "he lived during the republic--he has no
+tomb; these are only for Dukes!" I could not repress a sigh at the
+lavish waste of labor and treasure on this one princely chapel. They
+might have slumbered unnoted, like Lorenzo, if they had done as much for
+their country and Italy.
+
+_December 19._--It is with a heavy heart, that I sit down tonight to
+make my closing note in this lovely city and in the journal which has
+recorded my thoughts and impressions since leaving America. I should
+find it difficult to analyze my emotions, but I know that they oppress
+me painfully. So much rushes at once over the mind and heart--memories
+of what has passed through both, since I made the first note in its
+pages--alternations of hope and anxiety and aspiration, but _never_
+despondency--that it resembles in a manner, the closing of a life. I
+seem almost to have lived through the common term of a life in this
+short period. Much spiritual and mental experience has crowded into a
+short time the sensations of years. Painful though some of it has been,
+it was still welcome. Difficulty and toil give the soul strength to
+crush, in a loftier region, the passions which draw strength only from
+the earth. So long as we listen to the purer promptings within us, there
+is a Power invisible, though not unfelt, who protects us--amid the toil
+and tumult and soiling struggle, there is ever an eye that watches, ever
+a heart that overflows with Infinite and Almighty Love! Let us trust
+then in that Eternal Spirit, who pours out on us his warm and boundless
+blessings, through the channels of so many kindred human hearts!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+WINTER TRAVELING AMONG THE APPENINES.
+
+
+_Valley of the Arno, Dec 22._--It is a glorious morning after our two
+days' walk, through rain and mud, among these stormy Appenines. The
+range of high peaks, among which is the celebrated monastery of
+Camaldoli, lie just before us, their summits dazzling with the new
+fallen snow. The clouds are breaking away, and a few rosy flushes
+announce the approach of the sun. It has rained during the night, and
+the fields are as green and fresh as on a morning in spring.
+
+We left Florence on the 20th, while citizens and strangers were vainly
+striving to catch a glimpse of the Emperor of Russia. He is, from some
+cause, very shy of being seen, in his journeys from place to place,
+using the greatest art and diligence to prevent the time of his
+departure and arrival from being known. On taking leave of Powers, I
+found him expecting the Autocrat, as he had signified his intention of
+visiting his studio; it was a cause of patriotic pride to find that
+crowned heads know and appreciate the genius of our sculptor. The sky
+did not promise much, as we set out; when we had entered the Appenines
+and taken a last look of the lovely valley behind us, and the great dome
+of the city where we had spent four delightful months, it began to rain
+heavily. Determined to conquer the weather at the beginning, we kept on,
+although before many miles were passed, it became too penetrating to be
+agreeable. The mountains grew nearly black under the shadow of the
+clouds, and the storms swept drearily down their passes and defiles,
+till the scenery looked more like the Hartz than Italy. We were obliged
+to stop at Ponte Sieve and dry our saturated garments: when, as the rain
+slackened somewhat, we rounded the foot of the mountain of Vallombrosa,
+above the swollen and noisy Arno, to the little village of Cucina.
+
+We entered the only inn in the place, followed by a crowd of wondering
+boys, for two such travelers had probably never been seen there. They
+made a blazing fire for us in the broad chimney, and after the police of
+the place satisfied themselves that we were not dangerous characters,
+they asked many questions about our country. I excited the sympathy of
+the women greatly in our behalf by telling them we had three thousand
+miles of sea between us and our homes. They exclaimed in the most
+sympathising tones: "_Poverini!_ so far to go!--three thousand miles of
+water!"
+
+The next morning we followed the right bank of the Arno. At Incisa, a
+large town on the river, the narrow pass broadens into a large and
+fertile plain, bordered on the north by the mountains. The snow storms
+were sweeping around their summits the whole day, and I thought of the
+desolate situation of the good monks who had so hospitably entertained
+us three months before. It was weary traveling; but at Levane our
+fatigues were soon forgotten. Two or three peasants were sitting last
+night beside the blazing fire, and we were amused to hear them talking
+about us. I overheard one asking another to converse with us awhile.
+"Why should I speak to them?" said he; "they are not of our
+profession--we are swineherds, and they do not care to talk with us."
+However, his curiosity prevailed at last, and we had a long conversation
+together. It seemed difficult for them to comprehend how there could be
+so much water to cross, without any land, before reaching our country.
+Finding we were going to Rome, I overheard one remark we were pilgrims,
+which seemed to be the general supposition, as there are few
+foot-travelers in Italy. The people said to one another as we passed
+along the road:--"They are making a journey of penance!" Those peasants
+expressed themselves very well for persons of their station, but they
+were remarkably ignorant of everything beyond their own olive orchards
+and vine fields.
+
+_Perugia, Dec. 24._--On leaving Levane, the morning gave a promise, and
+the sun winked at us once or twice through the broken clouds, with a
+watery eye; but our cup was not yet full. After crossing one or two
+shoulders of the range of hills, we descended to the great upland plain
+of Central Italy, watered by the sources of the Arno and the Tiber. The
+scenery is of a remarkable character. The hills appear to have been
+washed and swept by some mighty flood. They are worn into every
+shape--pyramids, castles, towers--standing desolate and brown, in long
+ranges, like the ruins of mountains. The plain is scarred with deep
+gulleys, adding to the look of decay which accords so well with the
+Cyclopean relics of the country.
+
+A storm of hail which rolled away before us, disclosed the city of
+Arezzo, on a hill at the other end of the plain, its heavy cathedral
+crowning the pyramidal mass of buildings. Our first care was to find a
+good trattoria, for hunger spoke louder than sentiment, and then we
+sought the house where Petrarch was born. A young priest showed it to us
+on the summit of the hill. It has not been changed since he lived in it.
+
+On leaving Florence, we determined to pursue the same plan as in
+Germany, of stopping at the inns frequented by the common people. They
+treated us here, as elsewhere, with great kindness and sympathy, and we
+were freed from the outrageous impositions practised at the greater
+hotels. They always built a large fire to dry us, after our day's walk
+in the rain, and placing chairs in the hearth, which was raised several
+feet above the floor, stationed us there, like the giants Gog and Magog,
+while the children, assembled below, gazed up in open-mouthed wonder at
+our elevated greatness. They even invited us to share their simple meals
+with them, and it was amusing to hear their goodhearted exclamations of
+pity at finding we were so far from home. We slept in the great beds
+(for the most of the Italian beds are calculated for a man, wife, and
+four children!) without fear of being assassinated, and only met with
+banditti in dreams.
+
+This is a very unfavorable time of the year for foot-traveling. We were
+obliged to wait three or four weeks in Florence for a remittance from
+America, which not only prevented our leaving as soon as was desirable,
+but, by the additional expense of living, left us much smaller means
+than we required. However, through the kindness of a generous
+countryman, who unhesitatingly loaned us a considerable sum, we were
+enabled to start with thirty dollars each, which, with care and
+economy, will be quite sufficient to take us to Paris, by way of Rome
+and Naples, if these storms do not prevent us from walking. Greece and
+the Orient, which I so ardently hoped to visit, are now out of the
+question. We walked till noon to-day, over the Val di Chiana to
+Camuscia, the last post-station in the Tuscan dominions. On a mountain
+near it is the city of Cortona, still enclosed within its Cyclopean
+walls, built long before the foundation of Rome. Here our patience gave
+way, melted down by the unremitting rains, and while eating dinner we
+made a bargain for a vehicle to bring us to this city. We gave a little
+more than half of what the vetturino demanded, which was still an
+exorbitant price--two scudi each for a ride of thirty miles.
+
+In a short time we were called to take our seats; I beheld with
+consternation a rickety, uncovered, two-wheeled vehicle, to which a
+single lean horse was attached. "What!" said I; "is that the carriage
+you promised?" "You bargained for a _calesino_," said he, "and there it
+is!" adding, moreover, that there was nothing else in the place. So we
+clambered up, thrust our feet among the hay, and the machine rolled off
+with a kind of saw-mill motion, at the rate of five miles an hour.
+
+Soon after, in ascending the mountain of the Spelunca, a sheet of blue
+water was revealed below us--the Lake of Thrasymene! From the eminence
+around which we drove, we looked on the whole of its broad surface and
+the mountains which encompass it. It is a magnificent sheet of water, in
+size and shape somewhat like New York Bay, but the heights around it are
+far higher than the hills of Jersey or Staten Island. Three beautiful
+islands lie in it, near the eastern shore.
+
+While our _calesino_ was stopped at the papal custom-house, I gazed on
+the memorable field below us. A crescent plain, between the mountain and
+the lake, was the arena where two mighty empires met in combat. The
+place seems marked by nature for the scene of some great event. I
+experienced a thrilling emotion, such as no battle plain has excited,
+since, when a schoolboy, I rambled over the field of Brandywine. I
+looked through the long arcades of patriarchal olives, and tried to
+cover the field with the shadows of the Roman and Carthaginian myriads.
+I recalled the shock of meeting legions, the clash of swords and
+bucklers, and the waving standards amid the dust of battle, while stood
+on the mountain amphitheatre, trembling and invisible, the protecting
+deities of Rome.
+
+    "Far other scene is Thrasymene now!"
+
+We rode over the plain, passed through the dark old town of Passignano,
+built on a rocky point by the lake, and dashed along the shore. A dark,
+stormy sky bent over us, and the roused waves broke in foam on the
+rocks. The winds whistled among the bare oak boughs, and shook the
+olives till they twinkled all over. The vetturino whipped our old horse
+into a gallop, and we were borne on in unison with the scene, which
+would have answered for one of Hoffman's wildest stories.
+
+Ascending a long hill, we took a last look in the dusk at Thrasymene,
+and continued our journey among the Appenines. The vetturino was to have
+changed horses at Magione, thirteen miles from Perugia, but there were
+none to be had, and our poor beast was obliged to perform the whole
+journey without rest or food. It grew very dark, and a storm, with
+thunder and lightning, swept among the hills. The clouds were of pitchy
+darkness, and we could see nothing beyond the road, except the lights of
+peasant-cottages trembling through the gloom. Now and then a flash of
+lightning revealed the black masses of the mountains, on which the solid
+sky seemed to rest. The wind and cold rain swept wailing past us, as if
+an evil spirit were abroad on the darkness. Three hours of such
+nocturnal travel brought us here, wet and chilly, as well as our driver,
+but I pitied the poor horse more than him.
+
+When we looked out the window, on awaking, the clustered house-tops of
+the city, and the summits of the mountains near were covered with snow.
+But on walking to the battlements we saw that the valleys below were
+green and untouched. Perugia, for its "pride of place," must endure the
+storms, while the humbler villages below escape them. As the rain
+continues, we have taken seats in a country diligence for Foligno and
+shall depart in a few minutes.
+
+_Dec. 28._--We left Perugia in a close but covered vehicle, and
+descending the mountain, crossed the muddy and rapid Tiber in the
+valley below. All day we rode slowly among the hills; where the ascent
+was steep, two or four large oxen were hitched before the horses. I saw
+little of the scenery, for our Italian companions would not bear the
+windows open. Once, when we stopped, I got out and found we were in the
+region of snow, at the foot of a stormy peak, which towered sublimely
+above. At dusk, we entered Foligno, and were driven to the "Croce
+Bianca"--glad to be thirty miles further on our way to Rome.
+
+After some discussion with a vetturino, who was to leave next morning,
+we made a contract with him for the remainder of the journey, for the
+rain, which fell in torrents, forbade all thought of pedestrianism. At
+five o'clock we rattled out of the gate, and drove by the waning moon
+and morning starlight, down the vale of the Clitumnus. As the dawn stole
+on, I watched eagerly the features of the scene. Instead of a narrow
+glen, as my fancy had pictured, we were in a valley, several miles
+broad, covered with rich orchards and fertile fields. A glorious range
+of mountains bordered it on the north, looking like Alps in their winter
+garments. A rosy flush stole over the snow, which kindled with the
+growing morn, till they shone like clouds that float in the sunrise. The
+Clitumnus, beside us, was the purest of streams. The heavy rains which
+had fallen, had not soiled in the least its limpid crystal.
+
+When it grew light enough, I looked at our companions for the three
+days' journey. The two other inside seats were occupied by a tradesman
+of Trieste, with his wife and child; an old soldier, and a young dragoon
+going to visit his parents after seven years' absence, occupied the
+front part. Persons traveling together in a carriage are not long in
+becoming acquainted--close companionship soon breeds familiarity. Before
+night, I had made a fast friend of the young soldier, learned to bear
+the perverse humor of the child with as much patience as its father, and
+even drawn looks of grim kindness from the crusty old vetturino.
+
+Our mid-day resting place was Spoleto. As there were two hours given us,
+we took a ramble through the city, visited the ruins of its Roman
+theatre and saw the gate erected to commemorate the victory gained here
+over Hannibal, which stopped his triumphal march towards Rome. A great
+part of the afternoon was spent in ascending among the defiles of Monte
+Somma, the highest pass on the road between Ancona and Rome. Assisted by
+two yoke of oxen we slowly toiled up through the snow, the mountains on
+both sides covered with thickets of box and evergreen oaks, among whose
+leafy screens the banditti hide themselves. It is not considered
+dangerous at present, but as the dragoons who used to patrol this pass
+have been sent off to Bologna, to keep down the rebellion, the robbers
+will probably return to their old haunts again. We saw many suspicious
+looking coverts, where they might have hidden.
+
+We slept at Terni and did not see the falls--not exactly on Wordsworth's
+principle of leaving Yarrow "unvisited," but because under the
+circumstances, it was impossible. The vetturino did not arrive there
+till after dark; he was to leave before dawn; the distance was five
+miles, and the roads very bad. Besides, we had seen falls quite as
+grand, which needed only a Byron to make them as renowned--we had been
+told that those of Tivoli, which we shall see, were equally fine. The
+Velino, which we crossed near Terni, was not a large stream--in short,
+we hunted as many reasons as we could find, why the falls need not be
+seen.
+
+Leaving Terni before day, we drove up the long vale towards Narni. The
+roads were frozen hard; the ascent becoming more difficult, the
+vetturino was obliged to stop at a farm-house and get another pair of
+horses, with which, and a handsome young contadino as postillion, we
+reached Narni in a short time. In climbing the hill, we had a view of
+the whole valley of Terni, shut in on all sides by snow-crested
+Appenines, and threaded by the Nar, whose waters flow "with many
+windings, through the vale!"
+
+At Otricoli, while dinner was preparing, I walked around the crumbling
+battlements to look down into the valley and trace the far windings of
+the Tiber. In rambling through the crooked streets, we saw everywhere
+the remains of the splendor which this place boasted in the days of
+Rome. Fragments of fluted pillars stood here and there in the streets;
+large blocks of marble covered with sculpture and inscriptions were
+built into the houses, defaced statues used as door-ornaments, and the
+steppingstone to our rude inn, worn every day by the feet of grooms and
+vetturini, contained some letters of an inscription which may have
+recorded the glory of on emperor.
+
+Traveling with a vetturino, is unquestionably the pleasantest way of
+seeing Italy. The easy rate of the journey allows time for becoming well
+acquainted with the country, and the tourist is freed from the annoyance
+of quarrelling with cheating landlords. A translation of our written
+contract, will best explain this mode of traveling:
+
+  "CARRIAGE" FOR ROME.
+
+  "Our contract is, to be conducted to Rome for the sum of twenty
+  francs each, say 20f. and the _buona mano_, if we are well
+  served. We must have from the vetturino, Giuseppe Nerpiti, supper
+  each night, a free chamber with two beds, and fire, until we shall
+  arrive at Rome.
+
+  "I, Geronymo Sartarelli, steward of the Inn of the White Cross, at
+  Foligno, in testimony of the above contract."
+
+Beyond Otricoli, we passed through some relics of an age anterior to
+Rome. A few soiled masses of masonry, black with age, stood along the
+brow of the mountain, on whose extremity were the ruins of a castle of
+the middle ages. We crossed the Tiber on a bridge built by Augustus
+Caesar, and reached Borghetto as the sun was gilding with its last rays
+the ruined citadel above. As the carriage with its four horses was
+toiling slowly up the hill, we got out and walked before, to gaze on the
+green meadows of the Tiber.
+
+On descending from Narni, I noticed a high, prominent mountain, whose
+ridgy back, somewhat like the profile of a face, reminded me of the
+Traunstein, in Upper Austria. As we approached, its form gradually
+changed, until it stood on the Campagna
+
+    "Like a long-swept wave about to break,
+    That on the curl hangs pausing"--
+
+and by that token of a great bard, I recognized Monte Soracte. The
+dragoon took us by the arms, and away we scampered over the Campagna,
+with one of the loveliest sunsets before us, that ever painted itself on
+my retina. I cannot portray in words the glory that flooded the whole
+western heaven. It was like a sea of melted ruby, amethyst and
+topaz--deep, dazzling and of crystal transparency. The color changed in
+tone every few minutes, till in half an hour it sank away before the
+twilight to a belt of deep orange along the west.
+
+We left Civita Castellana before daylight. The sky was red with dawn as
+we approached Nepi, and we got out to walk, in the clear, frosty air. A
+magnificent Roman aqueduct, part of it a double row of arches, still
+supplies the town with water. There is a deep ravine, appearing as if
+rent in the ground by some convulsion, on the eastern side of the city.
+A clear stream that steals through the arches of the aqueduct, falls in
+a cascade of sixty feet down into the chasm, sending up constant wreaths
+of spray through the evergreen foliage that clothes the rocks. In
+walking over the desolate Campagna, we saw many deep chambers dug in the
+earth, used by the charcoal burners; the air was filled with sulphureous
+exhalations, very offensive to the smell, which rose from the ground in
+many places.
+
+Miles and miles of the dreary waste, covered only with flocks of grazing
+sheep, were passed,--and about noon we reached Baccano, a small post
+station, twenty miles from Rome. A long hill rose before us, and we
+sprang out of the carriage and ran ahead, to see Rome from its summit.
+As we approached the top, the Campagna spread far before and around us,
+level and blue as an ocean. I climbed up a high bank by the roadside,
+and the whole scene came in view. Perhaps eighteen miles distant rose
+the dome of St. Peter's, near the horizon--a small spot on the vast
+plain. Beyond it and further east, were the mountains of Albano--on our
+left Soracte and the Appenines, and a blue line along the west betrayed
+the Mediterranean. There was nothing peculiarly beautiful or sublime in
+the landscape, but few other scenes on earth combine in one glance such
+a myriad of mighty associations, or bewilder the mind with such a crowd
+of confused emotions.
+
+As we approached Rome, the dragoon, with whom we had been walking all
+day, became anxious and impatient. He had not heard from his parents
+for a long time, and knew not if they were living. His desire to be at
+the end of his journey finally became so great, that he hailed a peasant
+who was driving by in a light vehicle, left our slow carriage and went
+out of sight in a gallop.
+
+As we descended to the Tiber in the dusk of evening, the domes and
+spires of Rome came gradually into view, St. Peter's standing like a
+mountain in the midst of them. Crossing the yellow river by the Ponte
+Molle, two miles of road, straight as an arrow, lay before us, with the
+light of the _Porta del Popolo_ at the end. I felt strangely excited as
+the old vehicle rumbled through the arch, and we entered a square with
+fountains and an obelisk of Egyptian granite in the centre. Delivering
+up our passports, we waited until the necessary examinations were made,
+and then went forward. Three streets branch out from the square, the
+middle one of which, leading directly to the Capitol, is the Corso, the
+Roman Broadway. Our vetturino chose that to the left, the Via della
+Scrofa, leading off towards the bridge of St. Angelo. I looked out the
+windows as we drove along, but saw nothing except butcher-shops,
+grocer-stores, etc.--horrible objects for a sentimental traveler!
+
+Being emptied out on the pavement at last, our first care was to find
+rooms; after searching through many streets, with a coarse old Italian
+who spoke like an angel, we arrived at a square where the music of a
+fountain was heard through the dusk and an obelisk cut out some of the
+starlight. At the other end I saw a portico through the darkness, and my
+heart gave a breathless bound on recognizing the _Pantheon_--the
+matchless temple of Ancient Rome! And now while I am writing, I hear the
+gush of the fountain--and if I step to the window, I see the time-worn
+but still glorious edifice.
+
+On returning for our baggage, we met the funeral procession of the
+Princess Altieri. Priests in white and gold carried flaming torches, and
+the coffin, covered with a magnificent golden pall, was borne in a
+splendid hearse, guarded by four priests. As we were settling our
+account with the vetturino, who demanded much more _buona mano_ than we
+were willing to give, the young dragoon returned. He was greatly
+agitated. "I have been at home!" said he, in a voice trembling with
+emotion. I was about to ask him further concerning his family, but he
+kissed and embraced us warmly and hurriedly, saying he had only come to
+say "addio!" and to leave us. I stop writing to ramble through Rome.
+This city of all cities to me--this dream of my boyhood--giant,
+god-like, fallen Rome--is around me, and I revel in a glow of
+anticipation and exciting thought that seems to change my whole state of
+being.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+ROME.
+
+
+_Dec. 29._--One day's walk through Rome--how shall I describe it? The
+Capitol, the Forum, St. Peter's, the Coliseum--what few hours' ramble
+ever took in places so hallowed by poetry, history and art? It was a
+golden leaf in my calendar of life. In thinking over it now, and drawing
+out the threads of recollection from the varied woof of thought I have
+woven to-day, I almost wonder how I dared so much at once; but within
+reach of them all, how was it possible to wait? Let me give a sketch of
+our day's ramble.
+
+Hearing that it was better to visit the ruins by evening or moonlight,
+(alas! there is no moon now) we started out to hunt St. Peter's. Going
+in the direction of the Corso, we passed the ruined front of the
+magnificent Temple of Antoninus, now used as the Papal Custom House. We
+turned to the right on entering the Corso, expecting to have a view of
+the city from the hill at its southern end. It is a magnificent street,
+lined with palaces and splendid edifices of every kind, and always
+filled with crowds of carriages and people. On leaving it, however, we
+became bewildered among the narrow streets--passed through a market of
+vegetables, crowded with beggars and contadini--threaded many by-ways
+between dark old buildings--saw one or two antique fountains and many
+modern churches, and finally arrived at a hill.
+
+We ascended many steps, and then descending a little towards the other
+side, saw suddenly below us the _Roman Forum_! I knew it at once--and
+those three Corinthian columns that stood near us--what could they be
+but the remains of the temple of Jupiter Stator? We stood on the
+Capitoline Hill; at the foot was the Arch of Septimus Severus, brown
+with age and shattered; near it stood the majestic front of the Temple
+of Fortune, its pillars of polished granite glistening in the sun, as if
+they had been erected yesterday, while on the left the rank grass was
+waving from the arches and mighty walls of the Palace of the Caesars! In
+front, ruin upon ruin lined the way for half a mile, where the Coliseum
+towered grandly through the blue morning mist, at the base of the
+Esquiline Hill!
+
+Good heavens, what a scene! Grandeur, such as the world never saw, once
+rose through that blue atmosphere; splendor inconceivable, the spoils of
+a world, the triumphs of a thousand armies had passed over that earth;
+minds which for ages moved the ancient world had thought there, and
+words of power and glory, from the lips of immortal men, had been
+syllabled on that hallowed air. To call back all this on the very spot,
+while the wreck of what once was, rose mouldering and desolate around,
+aroused a sublimity of thought and feeling too powerful for words.
+
+Returning at hazard through the streets, we came suddenly upon the
+column of Trajan, standing in an excavated square below the level of the
+city, amid a number of broken granite columns, which formed part of the
+Forum dedicated to him by Rome, after the conquest of Dacia. The column
+is one hundred and thirty-two feet high, entirely covered with
+bas-reliefs representing his victories, winding about it in a spiral
+line to the top. The number of figures is computed at two thousand five
+hundred, and they were of such excellence that Raphael used many of them
+for his models. They are now much defaced, and the column is surmounted
+by a statue of some saint. The inscription on the pedestal has been
+erased, and the name of Sixtus V. substituted. Nothing can exceed the
+ridiculous vanity of the old popes in thus mutilating the finest
+monuments of ancient art. You cannot look upon any relic of antiquity in
+Rome, but your eyes are assailed by the words "PONTIFEX MAXIMUS," in
+staring modern letters. Even the magnificent bronzes of the Pantheon
+were stripped to make the baldachin under the dome of St. Peter's.
+
+Finding our way back again, we took a fresh start, happily in the right
+direction, and after walking some time, came out on the Tiber, at the
+Bridge of St. Angelo. The river rolled below in his muddy glory, and in
+front, on the opposite bank, stood "the pile which Hadrian retired on
+high"--_now_, the Castle of St. Angelo. Knowing that St. Peter's was to
+he seen from this bridge, I looked about in search of it. There was only
+one dome in sight, large and of beautiful proportions. I said at once,
+"surely _that_ cannot be St. Peter's!" On looking again, however, I saw
+the top of a massive range of building near it, which corresponded so
+nearly with the pictures of the Vatican, that I was unwillingly forced
+to believe the mighty dome was really before me. I recognized it as one
+of those we saw from the Capitol, but it appeared so much smaller when
+viewed from a greater distance, that I was quite deceived. On
+considering we were still three-fourths of a mile from it, and that we
+could see its minutest parts distinctly, the illusion was explained.
+
+Going directly down the _Borgo Vecchio_, towards it, it seemed a long
+time before we arrived at the square of St. Peter's; when at length we
+stood in front with the majestic colonnade sweeping around--the
+fountains on each side sending up their showers of silvery spray--the
+mighty obelisk of Egyptian granite piercing the sky--and beyond, the
+great front and dome of the Cathedral, I confessed my unmingled
+admiration. It recalled to my mind the grandeur of ancient Rome, and
+mighty as her edifices must have been, I doubt if there were many views
+more overpowering than this. The facade of St. Peter's seemed close to
+us, but it was a third of a mile distant, and the people ascending the
+steps dwindled to pigmies.
+
+I passed the obelisk, went up the long ascent, crossed the portico,
+pushed aside the heavy leathern curtain at the entrance, and stood in
+the great nave. I need not describe my feelings at the sight, but I will
+tell the dimensions, and you may then fancy what they were. Before me
+was a marble plain six hundred feet long, and under the cross four
+hundred and seventeen feet wide! One hundred and fifty feet above,
+sprang a glorious arch, dazzling with inlaid gold, and in the centre of
+the cross there were four hundred feet of air between me and the top of
+the dome! The sunbeam, stealing through the lofty window at one end of
+the transept, made a bar of light on the blue air, hazy with incense,
+one-tenth of a mile long, before it fell on the mosaics and gilded
+shrines of the other extremity. The grand cupola alone, including
+lantern and cross, is two hundred and eighty-five feet high, or sixty
+feet higher than the Bunker Hill Monument, and the four immense pillars
+on which it rests are each one hundred and thirty-seven feet in
+circumference! It seems as if human art had outdone itself in producing
+this temple--the grandest which the world ever erected for the worship
+of the Living God! The awe felt in looking up at the giant arch of
+marble and gold, did not humble me; on the contrary, I felt exalted,
+ennobled--beings in the form I wore planned the glorious edifice, and it
+seemed that in godlike power perseverance, they were indeed but "a
+little lower than the angels!" I felt that, if fallen, my race was still
+mighty and immortal.
+
+The Vatican is only open twice a week, on days which are not _festas_;
+most fortunately, to-day happened to be one of these, and we took a
+_run_ through its endless halls. The extent and magnificence of the
+gallery of sculpture is perfectly amazing. The halls, which are filled
+to overflowing with the finest works of ancient art, would, if placed
+side by side, make a row more than two miles in length! You enter at
+once into a hall of marble, with a magnificent arched ceiling, a third
+of a mile long; the sides are covered for a great distance with
+inscriptions of every kind, divided into compartments according to the
+era of the empire to which they refer. One which I examined, appeared to
+be a kind of index of the roads in Italy, with the towns on them; and we
+could decipher on that time-worn block, the very route I had followed
+from Florence hither.
+
+Then came the statues, and here I am bewildered, how to describe them.
+Hundreds upon hundreds of figures--statues of citizens, generals,
+emperors and gods--fauns, satyrs and nymphs--children, cupids and
+tritons--in fact, it seemed inexhaustible. Many of them, too, were forms
+of matchless beauty; there were Venuses and nymphs, born of the loftiest
+dreams of grace; fauns on whose faces shone the very soul of humor, and
+heroes and divinities with an air of majesty worthy the "land of lost
+gods and godlike men!"
+
+I am lost in astonishment at the perfection of art attained by the
+Greeks and Romans. There is scarcely a form of beauty, that has ever met
+my eye, which is not to be found in this gallery. I should almost
+despair of such another blaze of glory on the world, were it not my
+devout belief that what has been done may be done again, and had I not
+faith that the dawn in which we live will bring another day equally
+glorious. And why should not America, with the experience and added
+wisdom which three thousand years have slowly yielded to the old world,
+joined to the giant energy of her youth and freedom, re-bestow on the
+world the divine creations of art? Let Powers answer!
+
+But let us step on to the hemicycle of the Belvidere, and view some
+works greater than any we have yet seen, or even imagined. The adjoining
+gallery is filled with masterpieces of sculpture, but we will keep our
+eyes unwearied and merely glance along the rows. At length we reach a
+circular court with a fountain flinging up its waters in the centre.
+Before us is an open cabinet; there is a beautiful, manly form within,
+but you would not for an instant take it for the Apollo. By the Gorgon
+head it holds aloft, we recognize Canova's Perseus--he has copied the
+form and attitude of the Apollo, but he could not breathe into it the
+same warming fire. It seemed to me particularly lifeless, and I greatly
+preferred his Boxers, who stand on either side of it. One, who has drawn
+back in the attitude of striking, looks as if he could fell an ox with a
+single blow of his powerful arm. The other is a more lithe and agile
+figure, and there is a quick fire in his countenance which might
+overbalance the massive strength of his opponent.
+
+Another cabinet--this is the far-famed Antinous. A countenance of
+perfect Grecian beauty, with a form such as we would imagine for one of
+Homer's heroes. His features are in repose, and there is something in
+their calm, settled expression, strikingly like life.
+
+Now we look on a scene of the deepest physical agony. Mark how every
+muscle of old Laocoon's body is distended to the utmost in the mighty
+struggle! What intensity of pain in the quivering, distorted, features!
+Every nerve, which despair can call into action, is excited in one giant
+effort, and a scream of anguish seems just to have quivered on those
+marble lips. The serpents have rolled their strangling coils around
+father and sons, but terror has taken away the strength of the latter,
+and they make but feeble resistance. After looking with indifference on
+the many casts of this group, I was the more moved by the magnificent
+original. It deserves all the admiration that has been heaped upon it.
+
+I absolutely trembled on approaching the cabinet of the Apollo, I had
+built up in fancy a glorious ideal, drawn from all that bards have sung
+or artists have rhapsodized about its divine beauty. I feared
+disappointment--I dreaded to have my ideal displaced and my faith in the
+power of human genius overthrown by a form less than perfect. However,
+with a feeling of desperate excitement, I entered and looked upon it.
+
+Now what shall I say of it? How make you comprehend its immortal beauty?
+To what shall I liken its glorious perfection of form, or the fire that
+imbues the cold marble with the soul of a god? Not with sculpture, for
+it stands alone and above all other works of art--nor with men, for it
+has a majesty more than human. I gazed on it, lost in wonder and
+joy--joy that I could, at last, take into my mind a faultless ideal of
+godlike, exalted manhood. The figure appears actually to possess a
+spirit, and I looked on it, not as on a piece of marble, but a being of
+loftier mould, and half expected to see him step forward when the arrow
+had reached its mark. I would give worlds to feel one moment the
+sculptor's mental triumph when his work was completed; that one exulting
+thrill must have repaid him for every ill he might have suffered on
+earth! With what divine inspiration has he wrought its faultless lines!
+There is a spirit in every limb which mere toil could not have given. It
+must have been caught in those lofty moments.
+
+    "When each conception was a heavenly guest--a
+    ray of immortality--and stood
+    star-like, around, until they gathered to a god?"
+
+We ran through a series of halls, roofed with golden stars on a deep
+blue, midnight sky, and filled with porphyry vases, black marble gods,
+and mummies. Some of the statues shone with the matchless polish they
+had received from a Theban artisan before Athens was founded, and are,
+apparently, as fresh and perfect as when looked upon by the vassals of
+Sesostris. Notwithstanding their stiff, rough-hewn limbs, there were
+some figures of great beauty, and they gave me a much higher idea of
+Egyptian sculpture. In an adjoining hall, containing colossal busts of
+the gods, is a vase forty-one feet in circumference, of one solid block
+of red porphyry.
+
+The "Transfiguration" is truly called the first picture in the world.
+The same glow of inspiration which created the Belvidere, must have been
+required to paint the Saviour's aerial form. The three figures hover
+above the earth in a blaze of glory, seemingly independent of all
+material laws. The terrified Apostles on the mount, and the wondering
+group below, correspond in the grandeur of their expression to the awe
+and majesty of the scene. The only blemish in the sublime perfection of
+the picture is the introduction of the two small figures on the left
+hand; who, by-the-bye, were Cardinals, inserted there by command. Some
+travelers say the color is all lost, but I was agreeably surprised to
+find it well preserved. It is, undoubtedly, somewhat imperfect in this
+respect, as Raphael died before it was entirely finished; but "take it
+all in all," you may search the world in vain to find its equal.
+
+_January 1, 1846._--New Year's Day in the Eternal City! It will be
+something to say in after years, that I have seen one year open in
+_Rome_--that, while my distant friends were making up for the winter
+without, with good cheer around the merry board, I have walked in
+sunshine by the ruins of the Coliseum, watched the orange groves
+gleaming with golden fruitage in the Farnese gardens, trodden the
+daisied meadow around the sepulchre of Caius Cestius, and mused by the
+graves of Shelley, Keats and Salvator Rosa! The Palace of the Cassars
+looked even more mournful in the pale, slant sunshine, and the yellow
+Tiber, as he flowed through the "marble wilderness," seemed sullenly
+counting up the long centuries during which degenerate slaves have
+trodden his banks. A leaden-colored haze clothed the seven hills, and
+heavy silence reigned among the ruins, for all work was prohibited, and
+the people were gathered in their churches. Rome never appeared so
+desolate and melancholy as to-day.
+
+In the morning I climbed the Quirinal Hill, now called Monte Cavallo,
+from the colossal statues of Castor and Pollux, with their steeds,
+supposed to be the work of Phidias and Praxiteles. They stand on each
+side of an obelisk of Egyptian granite, beside which a strong stream of
+water gushes up into a magnificent bronze basin, found in the old Forum.
+The statues, entirely browned by age, are considered masterpieces of
+Grecian art, and whether or not from the great masters, show in all
+their proportions, the conceptions of lofty genius.
+
+We kept on our way between gardens filled with orange groves, whose
+glowing fruit reminded me of Mignon's beautiful reminiscence--"Im
+dunkeln Laub die Gold Orangen gluhn!" Rome, although subject to cold
+winds from the Appenines, enjoys so mild a climate that oranges and palm
+trees grow in the open air, without protection. Daisies and violets
+bloom the whole winter, in the meadows of never-fading green. The
+basilic of the Lateran equals St. Peter's in splendor, though its size
+is much smaller. The walls are covered with gorgeous hangings of velvet
+embroidered with gold, and before the high altar, which glitters with
+precious stones, are four pillars of gilt bronze, said to be those which
+Augustus made of the spars of Egyptian vessels captured at the battle of
+Actium.
+
+We descended the hill to the Coliseum, and passing under the Arch of
+Constantine, walked along the ancient triumphal way, at the foot of the
+Palatine Hill, which is entirely covered with the ruins of the Caesars'
+Palace. A road, rounding its southern base towards the Tiber, brought us
+to the Temple of Vesta--a beautiful little relic which has been
+singularly spared by the devastations that have overthrown so many
+mightier fabrics. It is of circular form, surrounded by nineteen
+Corinthian columns, thirty-six feet in height; a clumsy tiled roof now
+takes the place of the elegant cornice which once gave the crowning
+charm to its perfect proportions. Close at hand are the remains of the
+temple of Fortuna Virilis, of which some Ionic pillars alone are left,
+and the house of Cola di Rienzi--the last Tribune of Rome.
+
+As we approached the walls, the sepulchre of Caius Cestius came in
+sight--a single solid pyramid, one hundred feet in height. The walls are
+built against it, and the light apex rises far above the massive gate
+beside it, which was erected by Belisarius. But there were other tombs
+at hand, for which we had more sympathy than that of the forgotten
+Roman, and we turned away to look for the graves of Shelley and Keats.
+
+They lie in the Protestant burying ground, on the side of a mound that
+slopes gently up to the old wall of Rome, beside the pyramid of Cestius.
+The meadow around is still verdant and sown thick with daisies, and the
+soft green of the Italian pine mingles with the dark cypress above the
+slumberers. Huge aloes grow in the shade, and the sweet bay and bushes
+of rosemary make the air fresh and fragrant. There is a solemn, mournful
+beauty about the place, green and lonely as it is, beside the tottering
+walls of ancient Rome, that takes away the gloomy associations of death,
+and makes one wish to lie there, too, when his thread shall be spun to
+the end.
+
+We found first the simple head-stone of Keats, alone, in the grassy
+meadow. Its inscription states that on his death-bed, in the bitterness
+of his heart, at the malice of his enemies, be desired these words to be
+written on his tombstone: "_Here lies one whose name was written in
+water_." Not far from him reposes the son of Shelley.
+
+Shelley himself lies at the top of the shaded slope, in a lonely spot by
+the wall, surrounded by tall cypresses. A little hedge of rose and bay
+surrounds his grave, which bears the simple inscription--
+
+    "PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY; _Cor Cordium_."
+
+      "Nothing of him that doth fade,
+      But doth suffer a sea-change
+      Into something rich and strange."
+
+Glorious, but misguided Shelley! He sleeps calmly now in that silent
+nook, and the air around his grave is filled with sighs from those who
+mourn that the bright, erratic star should have been blotted out ere it
+reached the zenith of its mounting fame. I plucked a leaf from the
+fragrant bay, as a token of his fame, and a sprig of cypress from the
+bough that bent lowest over his grave; and passing between tombs shaded
+with blooming roses or covered with unwithered garlands, left the lovely
+spot.
+
+Amid the excitement of continually changing scenes, I have forgotten to
+mention our first visit to the Coliseum. The day after our arrival we
+set out with two English friends, to see it by sunset. Passing by the
+glorious fountain of Trevi, we made our way to the Forum, and from
+thence took the road to the Coliseum, lined on both sides with the
+remains of splendid edifices. The grass-grown ruins of the Palace of the
+Caesars stretched along on our right; on our left we passed in succession
+the granite front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, the three
+grand arches of the Temple of Peace and the ruins of the Temple of Venus
+and Rome. We went under the ruined triumphal arch of Titus, with broken
+friezes representing the taking of Jerusalem, and the mighty walls of
+the Coliseum gradually rose before us. They grew in grandeur as we
+approached them, and when at length we stood in the centre, with the
+shattered arches and grassy walls rising above and beyond one another,
+far around us, the red light of sunset giving them a soft and melancholy
+beauty, I was fain to confess that another form of grandeur had entered
+my mind, of which I before knew not.
+
+A majesty like that of nature clothes this wonderful edifice. Walls rise
+above walls, and arches above arches, from every side of the grand
+arena, like a sweep of craggy, pinnacled mountains around an oval lake.
+The two outer circles have almost entirely disappeared, torn away by the
+rapacious nobles of Rome, during the middle ages, to build their
+palaces. When entire, and filled with its hundred thousand spectators,
+it must have exceeded any pageant which the world can now produce. No
+wonder it was said--
+
+    "While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand;
+    When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall;
+    And when Rome falls, the world!"
+
+--a prediction, which time has not verified. The world is now going
+forward, prouder than ever, and though we thank Rome for the legacy she
+has left us, we would not wish the dust of her ruin to cumber our path.
+
+While standing in the arena, impressed with the spirit of the scene
+around me, which grew more spectral and melancholy as the dusk of
+evening began to fill up the broken arches, my eye was assailed by the
+shrines ranged around the space, doubtless to remove the pollution of
+paganism. In the middle stands also a cross, with an inscription,
+granting an absolution of forty days to all who kiss it. Now, although a
+simple cross in the centre might be very appropriate, both as a token of
+the heroic devotion of the martyr Telemachus and the triumph of a true
+religion over the barbarities of the Past, this congregation of shrines
+and bloody pictures mars very much the unity of association so necessary
+to the perfect enjoyment of any such scene.
+
+We saw the flush of sunset fade behind the Capitoline Hill, and passed
+homeward by the Forum, as its shattered pillars were growing solemn and
+spectral through the twilight. I intend to visit them often again, and
+"meditate amongst decay." I begin already to grow attached to their
+lonely grandeur. A spirit, almost human, speaks from the desolation, and
+there is something in the voiceless oracles it utters, that strikes an
+answering chord in my own breast.
+
+In the _Via de' Pontefici_, not far distant from the Borghese Palace, we
+saw the Mausoleum of Augustus. It is a large circular structure somewhat
+after the plan of that of Hadrian, but on a much smaller scale. The
+interior has been cleared out, seats erected around the walls, and the
+whole is now a summer theatre, for the amusement of the peasantry and
+tradesmen. What a commentary on greatness! Harlequin playing his pranks
+in the tomb of an Emperor, and the spot which nations approached with
+reverence, resounding with the mirth of beggars and degraded vassals!
+
+I visited lately the studio of a young Philadelphian, Mr. W. B.
+Chambers, who has been here two or three years. In studying the legacies
+of art which the old masters left to their country, he has caught some
+of the genuine poetic inspiration which warmed them. But he is modest as
+talented, and appears to undervalue his works, so long as they do not
+reach his own mental ideal. He chooses principally subjects from the
+Italian peasant-life, which abounds with picturesque and classic beauty.
+His pictures of the shepherd boy of the Albruzzi, and the brown maidens
+of the Campagna are fine illustrations of this class, and the fidelity
+with which he copies nature, is an earnest of his future success.
+
+I was in the studio of Crawford, the sculptor; he has at present
+nothing finished in the marble. There were many casts of his former
+works, which, judging from their appearance in plaster, must be of no
+common excellence--for the sculptor can only be justly judged _in
+marble_. I saw some fine bas-reliefs of classical subjects, and an
+exquisite group of Mercury and Psyche, but his masterpiece is
+undoubtedly the Orpheus. There is a spirit in this figure which
+astonished me. The face is full of the inspiration of the poet, softened
+by the lover's tenderness, and the whole fervor of his soul is expressed
+in the eagerness with which he gazes forward, on stepping past the
+sleeping Cerberus. Crawford is now engaged on the statue of an Indian
+girl, pierced by an arrow, and dying. It is a simple and touching
+figure, and will, I think, be one of his best works.
+
+We are often amused with the groups in the square of the Pantheon, which
+we can see from our chamber-window. Shoemakers and tinkers carry on
+their business along the sunny side, while the venders of oranges and
+roasted chesnuts form a circle around the Egyptian obelisk and fountain.
+Across the end of an opposite street we get a glimpse of the
+vegetable-market, and now and then the shrill voice of a pedlar makes
+its nasal solo audible above the confused chorus. As the beggars choose
+the Corso, St. Peter's, and the ruins for their principal haunts, we are
+now spared the hearing of their lamentations. Every time we go out we
+are assailed with them. "_Maladetta sia la vostra testa_!"--"Curses be
+upon your head!"--said one whom I passed without notice. The priests
+are, however, the greatest beggars. In every church are kept offering
+boxes, for the support of the church or some unknown institution; they
+even go from house to house, imploring support and assistance in the
+name of the Virgin and all the saints, while their bloated, sensual
+countenances and capacious frames tell of anything but fasts and
+privations. Once, as I was sitting among the ruins, I was suddenly
+startled by a loud, rattling sound; turning my head, I saw a figure
+clothed in white from head to foot, with only two small holes for the
+eyes. He held in his hand a money-box, on which was a figure of the
+Virgin, which he held close to my lips, that I might kiss it. This I
+declined doing, but dropped a baiocco into his box, when, making the
+sign of the cross, he silently disappeared.
+
+Our present lodging (Trattoria del Sole) is a good specimen of an
+Italian inn for mechanics and common tradesmen. Passing through the
+front room, which is an eating-place for the common people--with a
+barrel of wine in the corner, and bladders of lard hanging among orange
+boughs in the window--we enter a dark court-yard filled with heavy
+carts, and noisy with the neighing of horses and singing of grooms, for
+the stables occupy part of the house. An open staircase, running all
+around this hollow square, leads to the second, third, and fourth
+stories,
+
+On the second story is the dining-room for the better class of
+travelers, who receive the same provisions as those below for double the
+price, and the additional privilege of giving the waiter two baiocchi.
+The sleeping apartments are in the fourth story, and are named according
+to the fancy of a former landlord, in mottos above each door. Thus, on
+arriving here, the Triester, with his wife and child, more fortunate
+than our first parents, took refuge in "Paradise," while we Americans
+were ushered into the "Chamber of Jove." We have occupied it ever since,
+and find a paul (ten cents) apiece cheap enough for a good bed and a
+window opening on the Pantheon.
+
+Next to the Coliseum, the baths of Caracalla are the grandest remains of
+Rome. The building is a thousand feet square, and its massive walls look
+as if built by a race of giants. These Titan remains are covered with
+green shrubbery, and long, trailing vines sweep over the cornice, and
+wave down like tresses from architrave and arch. In some of its grand
+halls the mosaic pavement is yet entire. The excavations are still
+carried on; from the number of statues already found, this would seem to
+have been one of the most gorgeous edifices of the olden time.
+
+I have been now several days loitering and sketching among the ruins,
+and I feel as if I could willingly wander for months beside these
+mournful relics, and draw inspiration from the lofty yet melancholy lore
+they teach. There is a spirit haunting them, real and undoubted. Every
+shattered column, every broken arch and mouldering wall, but calls up
+more vividly to mind the glory that has passed away. Each lonely pillar
+stands as proudly as if it still helped to bear up the front of a
+glorious temple, and the air seems scarcely to have ceased vibrating
+with the clarions that heralded a conqueror's triumph.
+
+    "--the old majestic trees
+    Stand ghost-like in the Caesar's home,
+      As if their conscious roots were set
+    In the old graves of giant Rome,
+      And drew their sap all kingly yet!"
+
+           *       *       *       *       *
+
+    "There every mouldering stone beneath
+      Is broken from some mighty thought,
+    And sculptures in the dust still breathe
+      The fire with which their lines were wrought,
+    And sunder'd arch and plundered tomb
+    Still thunder back the echo--'_Rome!_'"
+
+In Rome there is no need that the imagination be excited to call up
+thrilling emotion or poetic reverie--they are forced on the mind by the
+sublime spirit of the scene. The roused bard might here pour forth his
+thoughts in the wildest climaces, and I could believe he felt it all.
+This is like the Italy of my dreams--that golden realm whose image has
+been nearly chased away by the earthly reality. I expected to find a
+land of light and beauty, where every step crushed a flower or displaced
+a sunbeam--whose very air was poetic inspiration, and whose every scene
+filled the soul with romantic feelings. Nothing is left of my picture
+but the far-off mountains, robed in the sapphire veil of the Ausonian
+air, and these ruins, amid whose fallen glory sits triumphant the spirit
+of ancient song.
+
+I have seen the flush of morn and eve rest on the Coliseum; I have seen
+the noon-day sky framed in its broken loopholes, like plates of polished
+sapphire; and last night, as the moon has grown into the zenith, I went
+to view it with her. Around the Forum all was silent and spectral--a
+sentinel challenged us at the Arch of Titus, under which we passed and
+along the Caesar's wall, which lay in black shadow. Dead stillness
+brooded around the Coliseum; the pale, silvery lustre streamed through
+its arches, and over the grassy walls, giving them a look of shadowy
+grandeur which day could not bestow. The scene will remain fresh in my
+memory forever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+TIVOLI AND THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA.
+
+
+_Jan. 9._--A few days ago we returned from an excursion to Tivoli, one
+of the loveliest spots in Italy. We left the Eternal City by the Gate of
+San Lorenzo, and twenty minutes walk brought us to the bare and bleak
+Campagna, which was spread around us for leagues in every direction.
+Here and there a shepherd-boy in his woolly coat, with his flock of
+browsing sheep, were the only objects that broke its desert-like
+monotony.
+
+At the fourth mile we crossed the rapid Anio, the ancient Teverone,
+formerly the boundary between Latium and the Sabine dominions, and at
+the tenth, came upon some fragments of the old Tibertine way, formed of
+large irregular blocks of basaltic lava. A short distance further, we
+saw across the plain the ruins of the bath of Agrippa, built by the side
+of the Tartarean Lake. The wind, blowing from it, bore us an
+overpowering smell of sulphur; the waters of the little river Solfatara,
+which crosses the road, are of a milky blue color, and carry those of
+the lake into the Anio. A fragment of the old bridge over it still
+remains.
+
+Finding the water quite warm, we determined to have a bath. So we ran
+down the plain, which was covered with a thick coat of sulphur, and
+sounded hollow to our tread, till we reached a convenient place, where
+we threw off our clothes, and plunged in. The warm wave was delightful
+to the skin, but extremely offensive to the smell, and when we came out,
+our mouths and throats were filled with the stifling gas.
+
+It was growing dark as we mounted through the narrow streets of Tivoli,
+but we endeavored to gain some sight of the renowned beauties of the
+spot, before going to rest. From a platform on a brow of the hill, we
+looked down into the defile, at whose bottom the Anio was roaring, and
+caught a sideward glance of the Cascatelles, sending up their spray
+amid the evergreen bushes that fringe the rocks. Above the deep glen
+that curves into the mountain, stands the beautiful temple of the
+Sybil--a building of the most perfect and graceful proportion. It crests
+the "rocky brow" like a fairy dwelling, and looks all the lovelier for
+the wild caverns below. Gazing downward from the bridge, one sees the
+waters of the Anio tumbling into the picturesque grotto of the Sirens;
+around a rugged corner, a cloud of white spray whirls up continually,
+while the boom of a cataract rumbles down the glen. All these we marked
+in the deepening dusk, and then hunted an albergo.
+
+The shrill-voiced hostess gave us a good supper and clean beds; in
+return we diverted the people very much by the relation of our sulphur
+bath. We were awakened in the night by the wind shaking the very soul
+out of our loose casement. I fancied I heard torrents of rain dashing
+against the panes, and groaned in bitterness of spirit on thinking of a
+walk back to Rome in such weather. When morning came, we found it was
+only a hurricane of wind which was strong enough to tear off pieces of
+the old roofs. I saw some capuchins nearly overturned in crossing the
+square, by the wind seizing their white robes.
+
+I had my fingers frozen and my eyes filled with sand, in trying to draw
+the Sybil's temple, and therefore left it to join my companions, who had
+gone down into the glen to see the great cascade. The Anio bursts out of
+a cavern in the mountain-side, and like a prisoner giddy with recovered
+liberty, reels over the edge of a precipice more than two hundred feet
+deep. The bottom is hid in a cloud of boiling spray, that shifts from
+side to side, and driven by the wind, sweeps whistling down the narrow
+pass. It stuns the ear with a perpetual boom, giving a dash of grandeur
+to the enrapturing beauty of the scene. I tried a footpath that appeared
+to lead down to the Cascatelles, but after advancing some distance along
+the side of an almost perpendicular precipice, I came to a corner that
+looked so dangerous, especially as the wind was nearly strong enough to
+carry me off, that it seemed safest to return. We made another vain
+attempt to get down, by creeping along the bed of a torrent, filled with
+briars. The Cascatelles are formed by that part of the Anio, which is
+used in the iron works, made out of the ruins of Mecaenas' villa. They
+gush out from under the ancient arches, and tumble more than a hundred
+feet down the precipice, their white waters gleaming out from the dark
+and feathery foliage. Not far distant are the remains of the villa of
+Horace.
+
+We took the road to Frascati, and walked for miles among cane-swamps and
+over plains covered with sheep. The people we saw, were most degraded
+and ferocious-looking, and there were many I would not willingly meet
+alone after nightfall. Indeed it is still considered quite unsafe to
+venture without the walls of Rome, after dark. The women, with their
+yellow complexions, and the bright red blankets they wear folded around
+the head and shoulders, resemble Indian Squaws.
+
+I lately spent three hours in the Museum of the Capitol, on the summit
+of the sacred hill. In the hall of the Gladiator I noticed an exquisite
+statue of Diana. There is a pure, virgin grace in the classic outlines
+of the figure that keeps the eye long upon it. The face is full of cold,
+majestic dignity, but it is the ideal of a being to be worshipped,
+rather than loved. The Faun of Praxiteles, in the same room, is a
+glorious work; it is the perfect embodiment of that wild, merry race the
+Grecian poets dreamed of. One looks on the Gladiator with a hushed
+breath and an awed spirit. He is dying; the blood flows more slowly from
+the deep wound in his side; his head is sinking downwards, and the arm
+that supports his body becomes more and more nerveless. You feel that a
+dull mist is coming over his vision, and almost wait to see his relaxing
+limbs sink suddenly on his shield. That the rude, barbarian form has a
+soul, may be read in his touchingly expressive countenance. It warms the
+sympathies like reality to look upon it. Yet how many Romans may have
+gazed on this work, moved nearly to tears, who have seen hundreds perish
+in the arena without a pitying emotion! Why is it that Art has a voice
+frequently more powerful than Nature?
+
+How cold it is here! I was forced to run home to-night, nearly at full
+speed, from the Cafe delle _Belle Arti_ through the Corso and the Piazza
+Colonna, to keep warm. The clear, frosty moon threw the shadow of the
+column of Antoninus over me as I passed, and it made me shiver to look
+at the thin, falling sheet of the fountain. Winter is winter
+everywhere, and even the sun of Italy cannot always scorch his icy
+wings.
+
+Two days ago we took a ramble outside the walls. Passing the Coliseum
+and Caracalla's Baths, we reached the tomb of Scipio, a small sepulchral
+vault, near the roadside. The ashes of the warrior were scattered to the
+winds long ago, and his mausoleum is fast falling to decay. The old arch
+over the Appian way is still standing, near the modern _Porta San
+Sebastiano_ through which we entered on the far-famed road. Here and
+there it is quite entire, and we walked over the stones once worn by the
+feet of Virgil and Horace and Cicero. After passing the temple of
+Romulus--a shapeless and ivy-grown ruin--and walking a mile or more
+beyond the walls, we reached the Circus of Caracalla, whose long and
+shattered walls fill the hollow of one of the little dells of the
+Campagna. The original structure must have been of great size and
+splendor, but those twin Vandals--Time and Avarice--have stripped away
+everything but the lofty brick masses, whose nakedness the pitying ivy
+strives to cover.
+
+Further, on a gentle slope, is the tomb of "the wealthiest Roman's
+wife," familiar to every one through Childe Harold's musings. It is a
+round, massive tower, faced with large blocks of marble, and still
+bearing the name of Cecilia Metella. One side is much ruined, and the
+top is overgrown with grass and wild bushes. The wall is about thirty
+feet thick, so that but a small round space is left in the interior,
+which is open to the rain and filled will rubbish. The echoes pronounced
+hollowly after us the name of the dead for whom it was built, but they
+could tell us nothing of her life's history--
+
+    "How lived, how loved, how died she?"
+
+I made a hurried drawing of it, and we then turned to the left, across
+the Campagna, to seek the grotto of Egeria. Before us, across the brown
+plain, extended the Sabine Mountains; in the clear air the houses of
+Tivoli, twenty miles distant, were plainly visible. The giant aqueduct
+stretched in a long line across the Campagna to the mountain of Albano,
+its broken and disjointed arches resembling the vertebrae of some mighty
+monster. With the ruins of temples and tombs strewing the plain for
+miles around it, it might be called the _spine_ to the skeleton of Rome.
+
+We passed many ruins, made beautiful by the clinging ivy, and reached a
+solemn grove of ever-green oak, overlooking a secluded valley. I was
+soon in the meadow, leaping ditches, rustling through cane-brakes, and
+climbing up to mossy arches to find out the fountain of Numa's nymph;
+while my companion, who had less taste for the romantic, looked on
+complacently from the leeward side of the hill. At length we found an
+arched vault in the hill-side, overhung with wild vines, and shaded in
+summer by umbrageous trees that grow on the soil above. At the further
+end a stream of water gushed out from beneath a broken statue, and an
+aperture in the wall revealed a dark cavern behind. This, then, was
+"Egeria's grot." The ground was trampled by the feet of cattle, and the
+taste of the water was anything but pleasant. But it was not for Numa
+and his nymph alone, that I sought it so ardently. The sunbeam of
+another mind lingers on the spot. See how it gilds the ruined and
+neglected fount!
+
+    "The mosses of thy fountain still are sprinkled
+      With thine Elysian water-drops; the face
+    Of thy cave-guarded spring, with years unwrinkled,
+      Reflects the meek-eyed genius of the place,
+    Whose wild, green margin, now no more erase
+      Art's works; no more its sparkling waters sleep,
+    Prisoned in marble; bubbling from the base
+      Of the cleft statue, with a gentle leap,
+    The rill runs o'er, and 'round, fern, flowers and ivy creep,
+      Fantastically tangled."
+
+I tried to creep into the grotto, but it was unpleasantly dark, and no
+nymph appeared to chase away the shadow with her lustrous eyes. The
+whole hill is pierced by subterranean chambers and passages.
+
+I spent another Sunday morning in St. Peter's. High mass was being
+celebrated in one of the side Chapels, and a great number of the
+priesthood were present. The music was simple, solemn, and very
+impressive, and a fine effect was produced by the combination of the
+full, sonorous voices of the priests, and the divine sweetness of that
+band of mutilated unfortunates, who sing here. They sang with a full,
+clear tone, sweet as the first lispings of a child, but it was painful
+to hear that melody, purchased at the expense of manhood.
+
+Near the dome is a bronze statue of St. Peter, which seems to have a
+peculiar atmosphere of sanctity. People say their prayers before it by
+hundreds, and then kiss its toe, which is nearly worn away by the
+application of so many thousand lips. I saw a crowd struggle most
+irreverently to pay their devotion to it. There was a great deal of
+jostling and confusion; some went so far as to thrust the faces of
+others against the toe as they were about to kiss it. What is more
+remarkable, it is an antique statue of Jupiter, taken, I believe, from
+the Pantheon. An English artist, showing it to a friend, just arrived in
+Rome, remarked very wittily that it was the statue of _Jew-Peter_.
+
+I went afterwards to the Villa Borghese, outside the Porta del Popolo.
+The gardens occupy thirty or forty acres, and are always thronged in the
+afternoon with the carriages of the Roman and foreign nobility. In
+summer, it must be a heavenly place; even now, with its musical
+fountains, long avenues, and grassy slopes, crowned with the fan-like
+branches of the Italian pine, it reminds one of the fairy landscapes of
+Boccaccio. We threaded our way through the press of carriages on the
+Pincian hill, and saw the enormous bulk of St. Peter's loom up against
+the sunset sky. I counted forty domes and spires in that part of Rome
+that lay below us--but on what a marble glory looked that sun eighteen
+centuries ago! Modern Rome--it is in comparison, a den of filth, cheats
+and beggars!
+
+Yesterday, while taking a random stroll through the city, I visited the
+church of St. Onofrio, where Tasso is buried. It is not far from St.
+Peter's, on the summit of a lonely hill. The building was closed, but an
+old monk admitted us on application. The interior is quite small, but
+very old, and the floor is covered with the tombs of princes and
+prelates of a past century. Near the end I found a small slab with the
+inscription:
+
+        "TORQUATI TASSI
+             OSSA
+          HIC JACENT."
+
+That was all--but what more was needed? Who knows not the name and fame
+and sufferings of the glorious bard? The pomp of gold and marble are not
+needed to deck the slumber of genius. On the wall, above, hangs an old
+and authentic portrait of him, very similar to the engravings in
+circulation. A crown of laurel encircles the lofty brow, and the eye has
+that wild, mournful expression, which accords so well with the
+mysterious tale of his love and madness.
+
+Owing to the mountain storms, which imposed on us the expense of a
+carriage-journey to Rome, we shall be prevented from going further. One
+great cause of this is the heavy fee required for passports in Italy. In
+most of the Italian cities, the cost of the different vises amounts to
+$4 or $5; a few such visits as these reduce our funds very materially.
+The American Consul's fee is $2, owing to the illiberal course of our
+government, in withholding all salary from her Consuls in Europe. Mr.
+Brown, however, in whose family we spent last evening very pleasantly,
+on our requesting that he would deduct something from the usual fee,
+kindly declined accepting anything. We felt this kindness the more, as
+from the character which some of our late Consuls bear in Italy, we had
+not anticipated it. We shall remember him with deeper gratitude than
+many would suppose, who have never known what it was to be a
+_foreigner_.
+
+To-morrow, therefore, we leave Rome--here is, at last, the limit of our
+wanderings. We have spent much toil and privation to reach here, and
+now, after two weeks' rambling and musing among the mighty relics of
+past glory, we turn our faces homeward. The thrilling hope I cherished
+during the whole pilgrimage--to climb Parnassus and drink from Castaly,
+under the blue heaven of Greece (both far easier than the steep hill and
+hidden fount of poesy, I worship afar off)--to sigh for fallen art,
+beneath the broken friezes of the Parthenon, and look with a pilgrim's
+eye on the isles of Homer and of Sappho--must be given up, unwillingly
+and sorrowfully though it be. These glorious anticipations--among the
+brightest that blessed my boyhood--are slowly wrung from me by stern
+necessity. Even Naples, the lovely Parthenope, where the Mantuan bard
+sleeps on the sunny shore, by the bluest of summer seas, with the
+disinterred Pompeii beyond, and Paestum amid its roses on the lonely
+Calabrian plain--even this, almost within sight of the cross of St.
+Peter's, is barred from me. Farewell then, clime of "fame and eld,"
+since it must be! A pilgrim's blessing for the lore ye have taught him!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+
+_Palo._--The sea is breaking in long swells below the window, and a
+glorious planet shines in the place of the sunset that has died away.
+This is our first resting-place since leaving Rome. We have been walking
+all day over the bare and dreary Campagna, and it is a relief to look at
+last on the broad, blue expanse of the Tyrrhene Sea.
+
+When we emerged from the cool alleys of Rome, and began to climb up and
+down the long, barren swells, the sun beat down on us with an almost
+summer heat. On crossing a ridge near Castel Guido, we took our last
+look of Rome, and saw from the other side the sunshine lying like a
+dazzling belt on the far Mediterranean. The country is one of the most
+wretched that can be imagined. Miles and miles of uncultivated land,
+with scarcely a single habitation, extend on either side of the road,
+and the few shepherds who watch their flocks in the marshy hollows, look
+wild and savage enough for any kind of crime. It made me shudder to see
+every face bearing such a villainous stamp.
+
+_Civita Vecchia, Jan. 1._--We left Palo just after sunrise, and walked
+in the cool of the morning beside the blue Mediterranean. On the right,
+the low outposts of the Appenines rose, bleak and brown, the narrow
+plain between them and the shore resembling a desert, so destitute was
+it of the signs of civilized life. A low, white cloud that hung over the
+sea, afar off, showed us the locality of Sardinia, though the land was
+not visible. The sun shone down warmly, and with the blue sky and bluer
+sea we could easily have imagined a milder season. The barren scenery
+took a new interest in my eyes, when I remembered that I was spending
+amidst it that birth-day which removes me, in the eyes of the world,
+from dependant youth to responsible manhood.
+
+In the afternoon we found a beautiful cove in a curve of the shore, and
+went to bathe in the cold surf. It was very refreshing, but not quite
+equal to the sulphur-bath on the road to Tivoli. The mountains now ran
+closer to the sea, and the road was bordered with thickets of myrtle. I
+stopped often to beat my staff into the bushes, and inhale the fragrance
+that arose from their crushed leaves. The hills were covered with this
+poetical shrub, and any acre of the ground would make the fortune of a
+florist at home.
+
+The sun was sinking in a sky of orange and rose, as Civita Vecchia came
+in sight on a long headland before us. Beyond the sea stretched the dim
+hills of Corsica. We walked nearly an hour in the clear moonlight, by
+the sounding shore, before the gate of the city was reached. We have
+found a tolerable inn, and are now enjoying the pleasures of supper and
+rest.
+
+_Marseilles, Jan. 16._--At length we tread the shore of France--of sunny
+Provence--the last unvisited realm we have to roam through before
+returning home. It is with a feeling of more than common relief that we
+see around us the lively faces and hear the glib tongues of the French.
+It is like an earnest that the "roughing" we have undergone among
+Bohemian boors and Italian savages is well nigh finished, and that,
+henceforth, we shall find civilized sympathy and politeness, if nothing
+more, to make the way smoother. Perhaps the three woful days which
+terminated at half-past two yesterday afternoon, as we passed through
+the narrow strait into the beautiful harbor which Marseilles encloses in
+her sheltering heart, make it still pleasanter. Now, while there is
+time, I must describe those three days, for who could write on the wet
+deck of a steamboat, amid all the sights and smells which a sea voyage
+creates? Description does not flourish when the bones are sore with
+lying on planks, and the body shivering like an aspen leaf with cold.
+
+About the old town of Civita Vecchia there is not much to be said,
+except that it has the same little harbor which Trajan dug for it, and
+is as dirty and disagreeable as a town can well be. We saw nothing
+except a little church, and the prison-yard, full of criminals, where
+the celebrated bandit, Gasparoni, has been now confined for eight years.
+
+The Neapolitan Company's boat, _Mongibello_, was advertised to leave the
+12th, so, after procuring our passports, we went to the office to take
+passage. The official, however, refused to give us tickets for the third
+place, because, forsooth, we were not servants or common laborers! and
+words were wasted in trying to convince him that it would make no
+difference. As the second cabin fare was nearly three times as high, and
+entirely too dear for us, we went to the office of the Tuscan Company,
+whose boat was to leave in two days. Through the influence of an Italian
+gentleman, secretary to Bartolini, the American Consul, whom we met,
+they agreed to take us for forty-five francs, on deck, the price of the
+Neapolitan boat being thirty.
+
+Rather than stay two days longer in the dull town, we went again to the
+latter Company's office and offered them forty-five francs to go that
+day in _their_ boat. This removed the former scruples, and tickets were
+immediately made out. After a plentiful dinner at the albergo, to
+prepare ourselves for the exposure, we filled our pockets with a supply
+of bread, cheese, and figs, for the voyage. We then engaged a boatman,
+who agreed to row us out to the steamer for two pauls, but after he had
+us on board and an oar's length from the quay, he said two pauls
+_apiece_ was his bargain. I instantly refused, and, summoning the best
+Italian I could command, explained our agreement; but he still persisted
+in demanding double price. The dispute soon drew a number of persons to
+the quay, some of whom, being boatmen, sided with him. Finding he had us
+safe in his boat, his manner was exceedingly calm and polite. He
+contradicted me with a "pardon, Signore!" accompanying the words with a
+low bow and a graceful lift of his scarlet cap, and replied to my
+indignant accusations in the softest and most silvery-modulated Roman
+sentences. I found, at last, that if I was in the right, I cut the worse
+figure of the two, and, therefore, put an end to the dispute by desiring
+him to row on at his own price.
+
+The hour of starting was two, but the boat lay quietly in the harbor
+till four, when we glided out on the open sea, and went northward, with
+the blue hills of Corsica far on our left. A gorgeous sunset faded away
+over the water, and the moon rose behind the low mountains of the
+Italian coast. Having found a warm and sheltered place near the chimney,
+I drew my beaver further over my eyes, to keep out the moonlight, and
+lay down on the deck with my knapsack under my head. It was a hard bed,
+indeed; and the first time I attempted to rise, I found myself glued to
+the floor by the pitch which was smeared along the seams of the boards!
+Our fellow-sufferers were a company of Swiss soldiers going home after a
+four years' service under the King of Naples, but they took to their
+situation more easily than we.
+
+Sleep was next to impossible, so I paced the deck occasionally, looking
+out on the moonlit sea and the dim shores on either side. A little after
+midnight we passed between Elba and Corsica. The dark crags of Elba rose
+on our right, and the bold headlands of Napoleon's isle stood opposite,
+at perhaps twenty miles' distance. There was something dreary and
+mysterious in the whole scene, viewed at such a time--the grandeur of
+his career, who was born on one and exiled to the other, gave it a
+strange and thrilling interest.
+
+We made the light-house before the harbor of Leghorn at dawn, and by
+sunrise were anchored within the mole. I sat on the deck the whole day,
+watching the picturesque vessels that skimmed about with their lateen
+sails, and wondering how soon the sailors, on the deck of a Boston brig
+anchored near us, would see my distant country. Leaving at four o'clock,
+we dashed away, along the mountain coast of Carrara, at a rapid rate.
+The wind was strong and cold, but I lay down behind the boiler, and
+though the boards were as hard as ever, slept two or three hours. When I
+awoke at half-past two in the morning, after a short rest, Genoa was
+close at hand. We glided between the two revolving lights on the mole,
+into the harbor, with the amphitheatre on which the superb city sits,
+dark and silent around us. It began raining soon, the engine-fire sank
+down, and as there was no place of shelter, we were shortly wet to the
+skin.
+
+How long those dreary hours seemed, till the dawn came! All was cold and
+rainy and dark, and we waited in a kind of torpid misery for daylight.
+The entire day, I passed sitting in a coil of rope under the stern of
+the cabin, and even the beauties of the glorious city scarce affected
+me. We lay opposite the Doria palace, and the constellation of villas
+and towers still glittered along the hills; but who, with his teeth
+chattering and limbs numb and damp, could feel pleasure in looking on
+Elysium itself?
+
+We got under way again at three o'clock. The rain very soon hid the
+coast from view, and the waves pitched our boat about in a manner not at
+all pleasant. I soon experienced sea-sickness in all its horrors. We had
+accidentally made the acquaintance of one of the Neapolitan sailors, who
+had been in America. He was one of those rough, honest natures I like to
+meet with--their blunt kindness, is better than refined and oily-tongued
+suavity. As we were standing by the chimney, reflecting dolefully how we
+should pass the coming night, he came up and said; "I am in trouble
+about you, poor fellows! I don't think I shall sleep three hours
+to-night, to think of you. I shall tell all the cabin they shall give
+you beds, because they shall see you are gentlemen!" Whether he did so
+or the officers were moved by spontaneous commiseration, we knew not,
+but in half an hour a servant beckoned us into the cabin, and berths
+were given us.
+
+I turned in with a feeling of relief not easily imagined, and forgave
+the fleas willingly, in the comfort of a shelter from the storm. When I
+awoke, it was broad day. A fresh breeze was drying the deck, and the sun
+was half-visible among breaking clouds. We had just passed the Isle of
+the Titan, one of the _Isles des Hyeres_, and the bay of Toulon opened
+on our right. It was a rugged, rocky coast, but the hills of sunny
+Provence rose beyond. The sailor came up with a smile of satisfaction on
+his rough countenance, and said: "You did sleep better, I think; I did
+tell them all!" coupling his assertion with a round curse on the
+officers.
+
+We ran along, beside the brown, bare crags till nearly noon, when we
+reached the eastern point of the Bay of Marseilles. A group of small
+islands, formed of bare rocks, rising in precipices three or four
+hundred feet high, guards the point; on turning into the Gulf, we saw on
+the left the rocky islands of Pomegues, and If, with the castle crowning
+the latter, in which Mirabeau was confined. The ranges of hills which
+rose around the great bay, were spotted and sprinkled over with
+thousands of the country cottages of the Marseilles merchants, called
+_Bastides_; the city itself was hidden from view. We saw apparently the
+whole bay, but there was no crowd of vessels, such as would befit a
+great sea-port; a few spires peeping over a hill, with some
+fortifications, were all that was visible. At length we turned suddenly
+aside and entered a narrow strait, between two forts. Immediately a
+broad harbor opened before us, locked in the very heart of the hills on
+which the city stands. It was covered with vessels of all nations; on
+leaving the boat, we rowed past the "Aristides," bearing the blue cross
+of Greece, and I searched eagerly and found, among the crowded masts,
+the starry banner of America.
+
+I have rambled through all the principal parts of Marseilles, and am
+very favorably impressed with its appearance. Its cleanliness and the
+air of life and business which marks the streets, are the more pleasant
+after coming from the dirty and depopulated Italian cities. The broad
+avenues, lined with trees, which traverse its whole length, must be
+delightful in summer. I am often reminded, by its spacious and crowded
+thoroughfares, of our American cities. Although founded by the Phoceans,
+three thousand years ago, it has scarcely an edifice of greater
+antiquity than three or four centuries, and the tourist must content
+himself with wandering through the narrow streets of the old town,
+observing the Provencal costumes, or strolling among Turks and Moors on
+the _Quai d'Orleans_.
+
+We have been detained here a day longer than was necessary, owing to
+some misunderstanding about the passports. This has not been favorable
+to our reduced circumstances, for we have, now but twenty francs each,
+left, to take us to Paris. Our boots, too, after serving us so long,
+begin to show signs of failing in this hour of adversity. Although we
+are somewhat accustomed to such circumstances, I cannot help shrinking
+when I think of the solitary napoleon and the five hundred miles to be
+passed. Perhaps, however, the coin will do as much as its great
+namesake, and achieve for us a Marengo in the war with fate.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+PILGRIMAGE TO VAUCLUSE AND JOURNEY UP THE RHONE.
+
+
+We left Marseilles about nine o'clock, on a dull, rainy morning, for
+Avignon and the Rhone, intending to take in our way the glen of
+Vaucluse. The dirty _faubourgs_ stretch out along the road for a great
+distance, and we trudged through them, past foundries, furnaces and
+manufactories, considerably disheartened with the prospect. We wound
+among the bleak stony hills, continually ascending, for nearly three
+hours. Great numbers of cabarets, frequented by the common people, lined
+the roads, and we met continually trains of heavy laden wagons, drawn by
+large mules. The country is very wild and barren, and would have been
+tiresome, except for the pine groves with their beautiful green foliage.
+We got something to eat with difficulty at an inn, for the people spoke
+nothing but the Provencal dialect, and the place was so cold and
+cheerless we were glad to go out again into the storm. It mattered
+little to us, that we heard the language in which the gay troubadours of
+king Rene sung their songs of love. We thought more of our dripping
+clothes and numb, cold limbs, and would have been glad to hear instead,
+the strong, hearty German tongue, full of warmth and kindly sympathy for
+the stranger. The wind swept drearily among the hills; black, gusty
+clouds covered the sky, and the incessant rain filled the road with
+muddy pools. We looked at the country chateaux, so comfortable in the
+midst of their sheltering poplars, with a sigh, and thought of homes
+afar off, whose doors were never closed to _us_.
+
+This was all forgotten, when we reached Aix, and the hostess of the Cafe
+d'Afrique filled her little stove with fresh coal, and hung our wet
+garments around it, while her daughter, a pale-faced, crippled child,
+smiled kindly on us and tried to talk with us in French. Putting on our
+damp, heavy coats again, B---- and I rambled through the streets, while
+our frugal supper was preparing. We saw the statue of the _Bon Roi
+Rene_, who held at Aix his court of shepherds and troubadours--the dark
+Cathedral of St. Saveur--the ancient walls and battlements, and gazed
+down the valley at the dark, precipitous mass of Mont St. Victor, at
+whose base Marius obtained a splendid victory over the barbarians.
+
+After leaving next morning, we saw at some distance to the south, the
+enormous aqueduct now being erected for the canal from the Rhone to
+Marseilles. The shallow, elevated valleys we passed in the forenoon's
+walk were stony and barren, but covered with large orchards of almond
+trees, the fruit of which forms a considerable article of export. This
+district borders on the desert of the Crau, a vast plain of stones,
+reaching to the mouth of the Rhone and almost entirely uninhabited. We
+caught occasional glimpses of its sea-like waste, between the summits of
+the hills. At length, after threading a high ascent, we saw the valley
+of the Durance suddenly below us. The sun, breaking through the clouds,
+shone on the mountain wall, which stood on the opposite side, touching
+with his glow the bare and rocky precipices that frowned far above the
+stream. Descending to the valley, we followed its course towards the
+Rhone, with the ruins of feudal bourgs crowning the crags above us.
+
+It was dusk, when we reached the village of Senas, tired with the day's
+march. A landlord, standing in his door, on the lookout for customers,
+invited us to enter, in a manner so polite and pressing, we could not
+choose but do so. This is a universal custom with the country
+innkeepers. In a little village which we passed towards evening, there
+was a tavern, with the sign: "_The Mother of Soldiers_." A portly woman,
+whose face beamed with kindness and cheerfulness, stood in the door and
+invited us to stop there for the night. "No, mother!" I answered; "we
+must go much further to-day." "Go, then," said she, "with good luck, my
+children! a pleasant journey!" On entering the inn at Senas, two or
+three bronzed soldiers were sitting by the table. My French vocabulary
+happening to give out in the middle of a consultation about eggs and
+onion-soup, one of them came to my assistance and addressed me in
+German. He was from Fulda, in Hesse Cassel, and had served fifteen years
+in Africa. Two other young soldiers, from the western border of Germany,
+came during the evening, and one of them being partly intoxicated,
+created such a tumult, that a quarrel arose, which ended in his being
+beaten and turned out of the house.
+
+We met, every day, large numbers of recruits in companies of one or two
+hundred, on their way to Marseilles to embark for Algiers. They were
+mostly youths, from sixteen to twenty years of age, and seemed little to
+forebode their probable fate. In looking on their fresh, healthy faces
+and bounding forms, I saw also a dim and ghastly vision of bones
+whitening on the desert, of men perishing with heat and fever, or
+stricken down by the aim of the savage Bedouin.
+
+Leaving next morning at day-break, we walked on before breakfast to
+Orgon, a little village in a corner of the cliffs which border the
+Durance, and crossed the muddy river by a suspension bridge a short
+distance below, to Cavaillon, where the country people were holding a
+great market. From this place a road led across the meadow-land to
+L'Isle, six miles distant. This little town is so named, because it is
+situated on an island formed by the crystal Sorgues, which flows from
+the fountains of Vaucluse. It is a very picturesque and pretty place.
+Great mill-wheels, turning slowly and constantly, stand at intervals in
+the stream, whose grassy banks are now as green as in spring-time. We
+walked along the Sorgues, which is quite as beautiful and worthy to be
+sung as the Clitumnus, to the end of the village, to take the road to
+Vaucluse. Beside its banks stands a dirty, modern "Hotel de Petrarque et
+Laure." Alas, that the names of the most romantic and impassioned lovers
+of all history should be desecrated to a sign-post to allure
+gormandizing tourists!
+
+The bare mountain in whose heart lies the poet's solitude, now rose
+before us, at the foot of the lofty Mont Ventoux, whose summit of snows
+extended beyond. We left the river, and walked over a barren plain,
+across which the wind blew most drearily. The sky was rainy and dark,
+and completed the desolateness of the scene, which in no wise heightened
+our anticipations of the renowned glen. At length we rejoined the
+Sorgues and entered a little green valley running up into the mountain.
+The narrowness of the entrance entirely shut out the wind, and except
+the rolling of the waters over their pebbly bed, all was still and
+lonely and beautiful. The sides of the dell were covered with olive
+trees, and a narrow strip of emerald meadow lay at the bottom. It grew
+more hidden and sequestered as we approached the little village of
+Vaucluse. Here, the mountain towers far above, and precipices of grey
+rock, many hundred feet high, hang over the narrowing glen. On a crag
+over the village are the remains of a castle; the slope below this, now
+rugged and stony, was once graced by the cottage and garden of Petrarch.
+All traces of them have long since vanished, but a simple column,
+bearing the inscription; "A PETRARQUE," stands beside the Sorgues.
+
+We ascended into the defile by a path among the rocks, overshadowed by
+olive and wild fig trees, to the celebrated fountains of Vaucluse. The
+glen seems as if struck into the mountain's depths by one blow of an
+enchanter's wand; and just at the end, where the rod might have rested
+in its downward sweep, is the fathomless well whose overbrimming fulness
+gives birth to the Sorgues. We climbed up over the mossy rocks and sat
+down in the grot, beside the dark, still pool. It was the most absolute
+solitude. The rocks towered above and over us, to the height of six
+hundred feet, and the gray walls of the wild glen below shut out all
+appearance of life. I leaned over the rock and drank of the blue crystal
+that grew gradually darker towards the centre, till it became a mirror,
+and gave back a perfect reflection of the crags above it. There was no
+bubbling--no gushing up from its deep bosom--but the wealth of sparkling
+waters continually welled over, as from a too-full goblet.
+
+It was with actual sorrow that I turned away from the silent spot. I
+never visited a place to which the fancy clung more suddenly and fondly.
+There is something holy in its solitude, making one envy Petrarch the
+years of calm and unsullied enjoyment which blessed him there. As some
+persons, whom we pass as strangers, strike a hidden chord in our
+spirits, compelling a silent sympathy with them, so some landscapes have
+a character of beauty which harmonizes thrillingly with the mood in
+which we look upon them, till we forget admiration in the glow of
+spontaneous attachment. They seem like abodes of the Beautiful, which
+the soul in its wanderings long ago visited, and now recognizes and
+loves as the home of a forgotten dream. It was thus I felt by the
+fountains of Vaucluse; sadly and with weary steps I turned away, leaving
+its loneliness unbroken as before.
+
+We returned over the plain in the wind, under the gloomy sky, passed
+L'Isle at dusk, and after walking an hour with a rain following close
+behind us, stopped at an _auberge_ in Le Thor, where we rested our tired
+frames and broke our long day's fasting. We were greeted in the morning
+with a dismal rain and wet roads, as we began the march. After a time,
+however, it poured down in such torrents, that we were obliged to take
+shelter in a _remise_ by the road, side, where a good woman, who
+addressed us in the unintelligible Provencal, kindled up a blazing fire.
+On climbing a long hill, when the storm had abated, we experienced a
+delightful surprise. Below us lay the broad valley of the Rhone, with
+its meadows looking fresh and spring-like after the rain. The clouds
+were breaking away; clear blue sky was visible over Avignon, and a belt
+of sunlight lay warmly along the mountains of Languedoc. Many villages,
+with their tall, picturesque towers, dotted the landscape, and the
+groves of green olive enlivened the barrenness of winter. Two or three
+hours' walk over the plain, by a road fringed with willows, brought us
+to the gates of Avignon.
+
+We walked around its picturesque turreted wall, and rambled through its
+narrow streets, washed here and there by streams which turn the old
+mill-wheels lazily around. We climbed up to the massive palace, which
+overlooks the city from its craggy seat, attesting the splendor it
+enjoyed, when for thirty years the Papal Court was held there, and the
+gray, weather-beaten, irregular building, resembling a pile of
+precipitous rocks, echoed with the revels of licentious prelates. We
+could not enter to learn the terrible secrets of the Inquisition, here
+unveiled, but we looked up at the tower, from which the captive Rienzi
+was liberated at the intercession of Petrarch.
+
+After leaving Avignon, we took the road up the Rhone for Lyons, turning
+our backs upon the _rainy_ south. We reached the village of Sorgues by
+dusk, and accepted the invitation of an old dame to lodge at her _inn_,
+which proved to be a _blacksmith's shop_! It was nevertheless clean and
+comfortable, and we sat down in one corner, out of the reach of the
+showers of sparks, which flew hissing from a red-hot horseshoe, that the
+smith and his apprentice were hammering. A Piedmontese pedlar, who
+carried the "Song of the Holy St. Philomene" to sell among the peasants,
+came in directly, and bargained for a sleep on some hay, for two sous.
+For a bed in the loft over the shop, we were charged five sous each,
+which, with seven sous for supper, made our expenses for the night about
+eleven cents! Our circumstances demanded the greatest economy, and we
+began to fear whether even this spare allowance would enable us to reach
+Lyons. Owing to a day's delay in Marseilles, we had left that city with
+but fifteen francs each; the incessant storms of winter and the worn-out
+state of our shoes, which were no longer proof against water or mud,
+prolonged our journey considerably, so that by starting before dawn and
+walking till dark, we were only able to make thirty miles a day. We
+could always procure beds for five sous, and as in the country inns one
+is only charged for what he chooses to order, our frugal suppers cost us
+but little. We purchased bread and cheese in the villages, and made our
+breakfasts and dinners on a bank by the roadside, or climbed the rocks
+and sat down by the source of some trickling rill. This simple fare had
+an excellent relish, and although we walked in wet clothes from morning
+till night, often laying down on the damp, cold earth to rest, our
+health was never affected.
+
+It is worth all the toil and privation we have as yet undergone, to
+gain, from actual experience, the blessed knowledge that man always
+retains a kindness and brotherly sympathy towards his fellow--that under
+all the weight of vice and misery which a grinding oppression of soul
+and body brings on the laborers of earth, there still remain many bright
+tokens of a better nature. Among the starving mountaineers of the
+Hartz--the degraded peasantry of Bohemia--the savage _contadini_ of
+Central Italy, or the dwellers on the hills of Provence and beside the
+swift Rhone, we almost invariably found kind, honest hearts, and an
+aspiration for something better, betokening the consciousness that such
+brute-like, obedient existence was not their proper destiny. We found
+few so hardened as to be insensible to a kind look or a friendly word,
+and nothing made us forget we were among strangers so much as the many
+tokens of sympathy which met us when least looked for. A young
+Englishman, who had traveled on foot from Geneva to Rome, enduring many
+privations on account of his reduced circumstances, said to me, while
+speaking on this subject: "A single word of kindness from a stranger
+would make my heart warm and my spirits cheerful, for days afterwards."
+There is not so much evil in man as men would have us believe; and it is
+a happy comfort to know and feel this.
+
+Leaving our little inn before day break next morning, we crossed the
+Sorgues, grown muddy since its infancy at Vaucluse, like many a young
+soul, whose mountain purity goes out into the soiling world and becomes
+sullied forever. The road passed over broad, barren ranges of hills, and
+the landscape was destitute of all interest, till we approached Orange.
+This city is built at the foot of a rocky height, a great square
+projection of which seemed to stand in its midst. As we approached
+nearer, however, arches and lines of cornice could be discerned, and we
+recognized it as the celebrated amphitheatre, one of the grandest Roman
+relics in the south of France.
+
+I stood at the foot of this great fabric, and gazed up at it in
+astonishment. The exterior wall, three hundred and thirty-four feet in
+length, and rising to the height of one hundred and twenty-one feet, is
+still in excellent, preservation, and through its rows of solid arches
+one looks on the broken ranges of seats within. On the crag above, and
+looking as if about to topple down on it, is a massive fragment of the
+fortress of the Princes of Orange, razed by Louis XIV. Passing through
+the city, we came to the beautiful Roman triumphal arch, which to my eye
+is a finer structure than that of Constantino at Rome. It is built of a
+rich yellow marble and highly ornamented with sculptured trophies. From
+the barbaric shields and the letters MARIO, still remaining, it has been
+supposed to commemorate the victory of Marius over the barbarians, near
+Aix. A frieze, running along the top, on each side, shows, although
+broken and much defaced by the weather, the life and action which once
+marked the struggling figures. These Roman ruins, scattered through
+Provence and Languedoc, though inferior in historical interest, equal
+in architectural beauty the greater part of those in the Eternal City
+itself.
+
+The rest of the day the road was monotonous, though varied somewhat by
+the tall crags of Mornas and Mont-dragon, towering over the villages of
+the same name. Night came on as the rock of Pierrelatte, at whose foot
+we were to sleep, appeared in the distance, rising like a Gibraltar from
+the plain, and we only reached it in time to escape the rain that came
+down the valley of the Rhone.
+
+Next day we passed several companies of soldiers on their way to Africa.
+One of them was accompanied by a young girl, apparently the wife of the
+recruit by whose side she was marching. She wore the tight blue jacket
+of the troop, and a red skirt, reaching to the knees, over her soldier
+pantaloons; while her pretty face showed to advantage beneath a small
+military cap. It was a "Fille du Regiment" in real life. Near
+Montelimart, we lost sight of Mont Ventoux, whose gleaming white crest
+had been visible all the way from Vaucluse, and passed along the base of
+a range of hills running near to the river. So went our march, without
+particular incident, till we bivouacked for the night among a company of
+soldiers in the little village of Loriol.
+
+Leaving at six o'clock, wakened by the trumpets which called up the
+soldiery to their day's march, we reached the river Drome at dawn, and
+from the bridge over its rapid current, gazed at the dim, ash-colored
+masses of the Alps of Dauphine, piled along the sky, far up the valley.
+The coming of morn threw a yellow glow along their snowy sides, and
+lighted up, here and there, a flashing glacier. The peasantry were
+already up and at work, and caravans of pack-wagons rumbled along in the
+morning twilight We trudged on with them, and by breakfast-time had made
+some distance of the way to Valence. The road, which does not approach
+the Rhone, is devoid of interest and tiresome, though under a summer
+sky, when the bare vine-hills are latticed over with green, and the
+fruit-trees covered with blossoms and foliage, it might be a scene of
+great beauty.
+
+Valence, which we reached towards noon, is a commonplace city on the
+Rhone; and my only reasons for traversing its dirty streets in
+preference to taking the road, which passes without the walls, were--to
+get something for dinner, and because it _might_ have been the
+birth-place of Aymer de Valence, the valorous Crusader, chronicled in
+"Ivanhoe," whose tomb I had seen in Westminster Abbey. One of the
+streets which was marked "_Rue Bayard_," shows that my valiant
+namesake--the knight without fear and reproach--is still remembered in
+his native province. The ruins of his chateau are still standing among
+the Alps near Grenoble.
+
+In the afternoon we crossed the Isere, a swift, muddy river, which rises
+among the Alps of Dauphine, We saw their icy range, among which is the
+desert solitude of the Grand Chartreuse, far up the valley; but the
+thick atmosphere hid the mighty Mont Blanc, whose cloudy outline, eighty
+miles distant in a "bee line," is visible in fair weather. At Tain, we
+came upon the Rhone again, and walked along the base of the hills which
+contract its current. Here, I should call it beautiful. The scenery has
+a wildness that approaches to that of the Rhine. Rocky, castellated
+heights frown over the rushing waters, which have something of the
+majesty of their "exulting and abounding" rival. Winding around the
+curving hills, the scene is constantly varied, and the little willowed
+islets clasped in the embrace of the stream, mingle a trait of softened
+beauty with its sterner character.
+
+After passing the night at a village on its banks, we left it again at
+St. Vallier, the next morning. At sunset, the spires of Vienne were
+visible, and the lofty Mont Pilas, the snows of whose riven summits feed
+the springs of the Loire on its western side, stretched majestically
+along the opposite bank of the Rhone. In a meadow, near Vienne, stands a
+curious Roman obelisk, seventy-six feet in height. The base is composed
+of four pillars, connected by arches, and the whole structure has a
+barbaric air, compared with the more elegant monuments of Orange and
+Nismes. Vienne, which is mentioned by several of the Roman historians
+under its present name, was the capital of the Allobroges, and I looked
+upon it with a new and strange interest, on calling to mind my
+school-boy days, when I had become familiar with that war-like race, in
+toiling over the pages of Caesar. We walked in the mud and darkness for
+what seemed a great distance, and finally took shelter in a little inn
+at the northern end of the city. Two Belgian soldiers, coming from
+Africa, were already quartered there, and we listened to their tales of
+the Arab and the desert, while supper was preparing.
+
+The morning of the 25th was dull and rainy; the road, very muddy and
+unpleasant, led over the hills, avoiding the westward curve of the
+Rhone, directly towards Lyons. About noon, we came in sight of the broad
+valley in which the Rhone first clasps his Burgundian bride--the Saone,
+and a cloud of impenetrable coal-smoke showed us the location of Lyons.
+A nearer approach revealed a large flat dome, and some ranges of tall
+buildings near the river. We soon entered the suburb of La Guillotiere,
+which has sprung up on the eastern bank of the Rhone. Notwithstanding
+our clothes were like sponges, our boots entirely worn out, and our
+bodies somewhat thin with nine days exposure to the wintry storms in
+walking two hundred and forty miles, we entered Lyons with suspense and
+anxiety. But one franc apiece remained out of the fifteen with which we
+left Marseilles. B---- wrote home some time ago, directing a remittance
+to be forwarded to a merchant at Paris, to whom he had a letter of
+introduction, and in the hope that this had arrived, he determined to
+enclose the letter in a note, stating our circumstances, and requesting
+him to forward a part of the remittance to Lyons. We had then to wait at
+least four days; people are suspicious and mistrustful in cities, and if
+no relief should come, what was to be done?
+
+After wading through the mud of the suburbs, we chose a common-looking
+inn near the river, as the comfort of our stay depended wholly on the
+kindness of our hosts, and we hoped to find more sympathy among the
+laboring classes. We engaged lodgings for four or five days; after
+dinner the letter was dispatched, and we wandered about through the
+dark, dirty city until night. Our landlord, Monsieur Ferrand, was a
+rough, vigorous man, with a gloomy, discontented expression; his words
+were few and blunt; but a certain restlessness of manner, and a secret
+flashing of his cold, forbidding eye betrayed to me some strong hidden
+excitement. Madame Ferrand was kind and talkative, though passionate;
+but the appearance of the place gave me an unfavorable impression, which
+was heightened by the thought that it was now impossible to change our
+lodgings until relief should arrive. When bed-time came, a ladder was
+placed against a sort of high platform along one side of the kitchen; we
+mounted and found a bed, concealed from the view of those below by a
+dusty muslin curtain. We lay there, between heaven and earth--the dirty
+earth of the brick floor and the sooty heaven of the ceiling--listening
+until midnight to the boisterous songs, and loud, angry disputes in the
+room adjoining. Thus ended our first day in Lyons.
+
+Five weary days, each of them containing a month of torturing suspense,
+have since passed. Our lodging-place grew so unpleasant that we
+preferred wandering all day through the misty, muddy, smoky streets,
+taking refuge in the covered bazaars when it rained heavily. The gloom
+of every thing around us, entirely smothered down the lightness of heart
+which made us laugh over our embarrassments at Vienna. When at evening,
+the dull, leaden hue of the clouds seemed to make the air dark and cold
+and heavy, we walked beside the swollen and turbid Rhone, under an
+avenue of leafless trees, the damp soil chilling our feet and striking a
+numbness through our frames, and _then_ I knew what those must feel who
+have _no_ hope in their destitution, and not a friend in all the great
+world, who is not wretched as themselves. I prize the lesson, though the
+price of it is hard.
+
+"This morning," I said to B----, "will terminate our suspense." I felt
+cheerful in spite of myself; and this was like a presentiment of coming
+good luck. To pass the time till the mail arrived we climbed to the
+chapel of _Fourvieres_, whose walls are covered with votive offerings to
+a miraculous picture of the Virgin. But at the precise hour we were at
+the Post Office. What an intensity of suspense can be felt in that
+minute, while the clerk is looking over the letters! And what a
+lightning-like shock of joy when it _did_ come, and was opened with
+eager, trembling hands, revealing the relief we had almost despaired of!
+The city did not seem less gloomy, for that was impossible, but the
+faces of the crowd which had appeared cold and suspicious, were now kind
+and cheerful. we came home to our lodgings with changed feelings, and
+Madame Ferrand must have seen the joy in our faces, for she greeted us
+with an unusual smile.
+
+We leave to-morrow morning for Chalons. I do not feel disposed to
+describe Lyons particularly, although I have become intimately
+acquainted with every part of it, from _Presqu' isle Perrache to Croix
+Rousse_. I know the contents of every shop in the Bazaar, and the
+passage of the Hotel Dieu--the title of every volume in the bookstores
+in the Place Belcour--and the countenance of every boot-block and
+apple-woman on the Quais on both sides of the river. I have walked up
+the Saone to _Pierre Seise_--down the Rhone to his muddy
+marriage--climbed the Heights of _Fourvieres_, and promenaded in the
+_Cours Napoleon_! Why, men have been presented with the freedom of
+cities, when they have had far less cause for such an honor than this!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+TRAVELING IN BURGUNDY--THE MISERIES OF A COUNTRY DILIGENCE.
+
+
+_Paris, Feb. 6, 1840._--Every letter of the date is traced with an
+emotion of joy, for our dreary journey is over. There was a magic in the
+name that revived us during a long journey, and now the thought that it
+is all over--that these walls which enclose us, stand in the heart of
+the gay city--seems almost too joyful to be true. Yesterday I marked
+with the whitest chalk, on the blackest of all tablets to make the
+contrast greater, for I got out of the cramped diligence at the Barriere
+de Charenton, and saw before me in the morning twilight, the immense
+groy mass of Paris. I forgot my numbed and stiffened frame, and every
+other of the thousand disagreeable feelings of diligence traveling, in
+the pleasure which that sight afforded.
+
+We arose in the dark at Lyons, and after bidding adieu to morose
+Monsieur Ferrand, traversed the silent city and found our way in the
+mist and gloom to the steamboat landing on the Saone. The waters were
+swollen much above their usual level, which was favorable for the boat,
+as long as there was room enough left to pass under the bridges. After a
+great deal of bustle we got under way, and were dashing out of Lyons,
+against the swift current, before day-break. We passed _L'Isle Barbe_,
+once a favorite residence of Charlemagne, and now the haunt of the
+Lyonnaise on summer holidays, and going under the suspension bridges
+with levelled chimneys, entered the picturesque hills above, which are
+covered with vineyards nearly to the top; the villages scattered over
+them have those square, pointed towers, which give such a quaintness to
+French country scenery.
+
+The stream being very high, the meadows on both sides were deeply
+overflowed. To avoid the strong current in the centre, our boat ran
+along the banks, pushing aside the alder thickets and poplar shoots; in
+passing the bridges, the pipes were always brought down flat on the
+deck. A little after noon, we passed the large town of Macon, the
+birth-place of the poet Lamartine. The valley of the Saone, no longer
+enclosed among the hills, spread out to several miles in width. Along
+the west lay in sunshine the vine-mountains of Cote d'Or, and among the
+dark clouds in the eastern sky, we could barely distinguish the outline
+of the Jura. The waters were so much swollen as to cover the plain for
+two or three miles. We seemed to be sailing down a lake, with rows of
+trees springing up out of the water, and houses and villages lying like
+islands on its surface. A sunset that promised better weather tinged the
+broad brown flood, as Chalons came in sight, looking like a city built
+along the shore of a lake. We squeezed through the crowd of porters and
+diligence men, declining their kind offers, and hunted quarters to suit
+ourselves.
+
+We left Chalons on the morning of the 1st, in high spirits at the
+thought that there were but little more than two hundred miles between
+us and Paris. In walking over the cold, muddy plain, we passed a family
+of strolling musicians, who were sitting on a heap of stones by the
+roadside. An ill-dressed, ill-natured man and woman, each carrying a
+violin, and a thin, squalid girl, with a tamborine, composed the group.
+Their faces bore that unfeeling stamp, which springs from depravity and
+degradation. When we had walked somewhat more than a mile, we overtook a
+little girl, who was crying bitterly. By her features, from which the
+fresh beauty of childhood had not been worn, and the steel triangle
+which was tied to her belt, we knew she belonged to the family we had
+passed. Her dress was thin and ragged and a pair of wooden shoes but ill
+protected her feet from the sharp cold. I stopped and asked her why she
+cried, but she did not at first answer. However, by questioning, I found
+her unfeeling parents had sent her on without food; she was sobbing with
+hunger and cold. Our pockets were full of bread and cheese which we had
+bought for breakfast, and we gave her half a loaf, which stopped her
+tears at once. She looked up and thanked us, smiling; and sitting down
+on a bank, began to eat as if half famished.
+
+The physiognomy of this region is very singular. It appears as if the
+country had been originally a vast elevated plain, and some great power
+had _scooped_ out, as with a hand, deep circular valleys all over its
+surface. In winding along the high ridges, we often looked down, on
+either side, into such hollows, several miles in diameter, and sometimes
+entirely covered with vineyards. At La Rochepot, a quaint, antique
+village, lying in the bottom of one of these dells, we saw the finest
+ruin of the middle ages that I have met with in France. An American lady
+had spoken to me of it in Rome, and I believe Willis mentions it in his
+"Pencillings," but it is not described in the guide books, nor could we
+learn what feudal lord had ever dwelt in its halls. It covers the summit
+of a stately rock, at whose foot the village is crouched, and the green
+ivy climbs up to the very top of its gray towers.
+
+As the road makes a wide curve around the side of the hill, we descended
+to the village by the nearer foot-path, and passed among its low, old
+houses, with their pointed gables and mossy roofs. The path led close
+along the foot of the rock, and we climbed up to the ruin, and stood in
+its grass-grown courtyard. Only the outer walls and the round towers at
+each corner are left remaining; the inner part has been razed to the
+ground, and where proud barons once marshalled their vassals, the
+villagers now play their holiday games. On one side, several Gothic
+windows are left standing, perfect, though of simple construction, and
+in the towers we saw many fire-places and door-ways of richly cut stone,
+which looked as fresh as if just erected.
+
+We passed the night at Ivry (not the Ivry which gained Henri Quatre his
+kingdom) and then continued our march over roads which I can only
+compare to our country roads in America during the spring thaw. In
+addition to this, the rain commenced early in the morning and continued
+all day, so that we were completely wet the whole time. The plains, too
+high and cold to produce wine, were varied by forests of beech and oak,
+and the population was thinly scattered over them in small villages.
+Travelers generally complain very much of the monotony of this part of
+France, and, with such dreary weather, we could not disagree with them.
+
+As the day wore on, the rain increased, and the sky put on that dull,
+gray cast, which denotes a lengthened storm. We were fain to stop at
+nightfall, but there was no inn near at hand--not even a hovel of a
+_cabaret_ in which to shelter ourselves, and, on enquiring of the
+wagoners, we received the comforting assurance that there was yet a
+league and a half to the nearest stopping place. On, then, we went, with
+the pitiless storm beating in our faces and on our breasts, till there
+was not a dry spot left, except what our knapsacks covered. We could not
+have been more completely saturated if we had been dipped in the Yonne.
+At length, after two hours of slipping and sliding along in the mud and
+wet and darkness, we reached Saulieu, and, by the warm fire, thanked our
+stars that the day's dismal tramp was over.
+
+By good or bad luck (I have not yet decided which) a vehicle was to
+start the next morning for Auxerre, distant sixty miles, and the fare
+being but five francs, we thought it wisest to take places. It was
+always with reluctance that we departed from our usual mode of
+traveling, but, in the present instance, the circumstances absolutely
+compelled it.
+
+Next morning, at sunrise, we took our seats in a large, square vehicle
+on two wheels, calculated for six persons and a driver, with a single
+horse. But, as he was fat and round as an elephant, and started off at a
+brisk pace, and we were well protected from the rain, it was not so bad
+after all, barring the jolts and jarred vertebrae. We drove on, over the
+same dreary expanse of plain and forest, passing through two or three
+towns in the course of the day, and by evening had made somewhat more
+than half our journey. Owing to the slowness of our fresh horse, we were
+jolted about the whole night, and did not arrive at Auxerre until six
+o'clock in the morning. After waiting an hour in a hotel beside the
+rushing Yonne, a lumbering diligence was got ready, and we were given
+places to Paris for seven francs. As the distance is one hundred and ten
+miles, this would be considered cheap, but I should not want to travel
+it again and be paid for doing so. Twelve persons were packed into a box
+not large enough for a cow, and no cabinet-maker ever dove-tailed the
+corners of his bureaus tighter than we did our knees and nether
+extremities. It is my lot to be blessed with abundance of stature, and
+none but tall persons can appreciate the misery of sitting for hours
+with their joints in an immovable vice. The closeness of the
+atmosphere--for the passengers would not permit the windows to be opened
+for fear of taking cold--combined with loss of sleep, made me so drowsy
+that my head was continually falling on my next neighbor, who, being a
+heavy country lady, thrust it indignantly away. I would then try my best
+to keep it up awhile, but it would droop gradually, till the crash of a
+bonnet or a smart bump against some other head would recall me, for a
+moment, to consciousness.
+
+We passed Joigny, on the Yonne, Sens, with its glorious old cathedral,
+and at dusk reached Montercau, on the Seine. This was the scene of one
+of Napoleon's best victories, on his return from Elba. In driving over
+the bridge, I looked down on the swift and swollen current, and hoped
+that its hue might never be darkened again so fearfully as the last
+sixty years have witnessed. No river in Europe has such an association
+connected with it. We think of the Danube, for its majesty, of the
+Rhine, for its wild beauty, but of the Seine--for its blood!
+
+In coming thus to the last famed stream I shall visit in Europe, I might
+say, with Barry Cornwall:
+
+    "We've sailed through banks of green,
+      Where the wild waves fret and quiver;
+    And we've down the Danube been--
+      The dark, deep, thundering river!
+    We've thridded the Elbe and Rhone,
+      The Tiber and blood dyed Seine,
+    And we've been where the blue Garonne
+      Goes laughing to meet the main!"
+
+All that night did we endure squeezing and suffocation, and no morn was
+ever more welcome than that which revealed to us Paris. With matted
+hair, wild, glaring eyes, and dusty and dishevelled habiliments, we
+entered the gay capital, and blessed every stone upon which we placed
+our feet, in the fulness of our joy.
+
+In paying our fare at Auxerre, I was obliged to use a draft on the
+banker, Rougemont de Lowenberg. The ignorant conductor hesitated to
+change this, but permitted us to go, on condition of keeping it until we
+should arrive. Therefore, on getting out of the diligence, after
+forty-eight hours of sleepless and fasting misery, the _facteur_ of the
+office went with me to get it paid, leaving B---- to wait for us. I knew
+nothing of Paris, and this merciless man kept me for three hours at his
+heels, following him on all _his_ errands, before he did mine, in that
+time traversing the whole length of the city, in order to leave a
+_chevre-feuille_ at an aristocratic residence in the Faubourg St.
+Germain. Yet even combined weariness and hunger could not prevent me
+from looking with vivid interest down a long avenue, at the Column of
+the place Vendome, in passing, and gazing up in wonder at the splendid
+portico of the Madeleine. But of anything else I have a very faint
+remembrance. "You can eat breakfast, now, I think," said he, when we
+returned, "we have walked more than four leagues!"
+
+I know we will be excused, that, instead of hurrying away to Notre Dame
+or the Louvre, we sat down quietly to a most complete breakfast. Even
+the most romantic must be forced to confess that admiration does not sit
+well on an empty stomach. Our first walk was to a bath, and then, with
+complexions several shades lighter, and limbs that felt us if lifted by
+invisible wings, we hurried away to the Post Office. I seized the
+welcome missives from my far home, with a beating heart, and hastening
+back, read till the words became indistinct in the twilight.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+POETICAL SCENES IN PARIS.
+
+
+What a gay little world in miniature this is! I wonder not that the
+French, with their exuberant gaiety of spirit, should revel in its
+ceaseless tides of pleasure, as if it were an earthly Elysium. I feel
+already the influence of its cheerful atmosphere, and have rarely
+threaded the crowds of a stranger city, with so light a heart as I do
+now daily, on the thronged banks of the Seine. And yet it would be
+difficult to describe wherein consists this agreeable peculiarity. You
+can find streets as dark and crooked and dirty anywhere in Germany, and
+squares and gardens as gay and sunny beyond the Alps, and yet they would
+affect you far differently. You could not, as here, divest yourself of
+every particle of sad or serious thought and be content to gaze for
+hours on the showy scene, without an idea beyond the present moment. It
+must be that the spirit of the croud is _magnetically_ contagious.
+
+The evening of our arrival we walked out past the massive and stately
+_Hotel de Ville_, and took a promenade along the Quais. The shops facing
+the river presented a scene of great splendor. Several of the Quais on
+the north bank of the Seine are occupied almost entirely by jewellers,
+the windows of whose shops, arranged in a style of the greatest taste,
+make a dazzling display. Rows of gold watches and chains are arranged
+across the crystal panes, and heaped in pyramids on long glass slabs;
+cylindrical wheels of wire, hung with jewelled breastpins and earrings,
+turn slowly around by some invisible agency, displaying row after row of
+their glittering treasures.
+
+From the centre of the Pont Neuf, we could see for a long distance up
+and down the river. The different bridges traced on either side a dozen
+starry lines through the dark air, and a continued blaze lighted the
+two shores in their whole length, revealing the outline of the Isle da
+la Cite. I recognized the Palaces of the Louvre and the Tuileries in the
+dusky mass beyond. Eastward, looming against the dark sky, I could
+faintly trace the black towers of Notre Dame, The rushing of the swift
+waters below mingled with the rattling of a thousand carts and
+carriages, and the confusion of a thousand voices, till it seemed like
+some grand nightly festival.
+
+I first saw Notre Dame by moonlight. The shadow of its stupendous front
+was thrown directly towards me, hiding the innumerable lines of the
+ornamental sculpture which cover its tall, square towers. I walked
+forward until the interlacing, Moorish arches between them stood full
+against the moon, and the light, struggling through the quaint openings
+of the tracery, streamed in silver lines down into the shadow. The
+square before it was quite deserted, for it stands on a lonely part of
+the Isle de la Cite, and it looked thus far more majestic and solemn
+than in the glaring daylight.
+
+The great quadrangle of the Tuileries encloses the Place du Carrousel,
+in the centre of which stands a triumphal arch, erected by Napoleon
+after his Italian victories. Standing in the middle of this arch, you
+look through the open passage in the central building of the palace,
+into the Gardens beyond. Further on, in a direct line, the middle avenue
+of the Gardens extends away to the _Place de la Concorde_, where the
+Obelisk of Luxor makes a perpendicular line through your vista; still
+further goes the broad avenue through the Elysian Fields, until afar
+off, the Arc de l'Etoile, _two miles distant_, closes this view through
+the palace doorway.
+
+Let us go through it, and on, to the Place de la Concorde, reserving the
+Gardens for another time. What is there in Europe--nay, in the
+world,--equal to this? In the centre, the mighty obelisk of red granite
+pierces the sky,--on either hand showers of silver spray are thrown up
+from splendid bronze fountains--statues and pillars of gilded bronze
+sweep in a grand circle around the square, and on each side magnificent
+vistas lead the eye off, and combine the distant with the near, to
+complete this unparalleled view! Eastward, beyond the tall trees in the
+garden of the Tuileries, rises the long front of the Palace, with the
+tri-color floating above; westward, in front of us, is the Forest of the
+Elysian Fields, with the arch of triumph nearly a mile and a half
+distant, looking down from the end of the avenue, at the Barriere de
+Neuilly. To the right and left are the marble fronts of the Church of
+the Madeleine and the Chamber of Deputies, the latter on the other side
+of the Seine. Thus the groves and gardens of Paris--the palace of her
+kings--the proud monument of her sons' glory--and the masterpieces of
+modern French architecture are all embraced in this one splendid _coup
+d'oeil_.
+
+Following the motley multitude to the bridge, I crossed and made my way
+to the Hotel des Invalides. Along the esplanade, playful companies of
+children were running and tumbling in their sports over the green turf,
+which was as fresh as a meadow; while, not the least interesting feature
+of the scene, numbers of scarred and disabled veterans, in the livery of
+the Hospital, basked in the sunshine, watching with quiet satisfaction
+the gambols of the second generation they have seen arise. What tales
+could they not tell, those wrinkled and feeble old men! What visions of
+Marengo and Austerlitz and Borodino shift still with a fiery vividness
+through their fading memories! Some may have left a limb on the Lybian
+desert; and the sabre of the Cossack may have scarred the brows of
+others. They witnessed the rising and setting of that great meteor,
+which intoxicated France with such a blaze of power and glory, and now,
+when the recollection of that wonderful period seems almost like a
+stormy dream, they are left to guard the ashes of their ancient General,
+brought back from his exile to rest in the bosom of his own French
+people. It was to me a touching and exciting thing, to look on those
+whose eyes had witnessed the filling up of such a fated leaf in the
+world's history.
+
+Entrance is denied to the tomb of Napoleon until it is finished, which
+will not be for three or four yours yet. I went, however, into the
+"Church of the Banners"--a large chapel, hung with two or three hundred
+flags taken by the armies of the Empire. The greater part of them were
+Austrian and Russian. It appeared to be empty when I entered, but on
+looking around, I saw an old gray-headed soldier kneeling at one side.
+His head was bowed over his hands, and he seemed perfectly absorbed in
+his thoughts. Perhaps the very tattered banners which hung down
+motionless above his head, he might have assisted in conquering. I
+looked a moment on those eloquent trophies, and then noiselessly
+withdrew.
+
+There is at least one solemn spot near Paris; the laughing winds that
+come up from the merry city sink into sighs under the cypress boughs of
+Pere Lachaise. And yet it is not a gloomy place, but full of a serious
+beauty, fitting for a city of the dead. I shall never forget the sunny
+afternoon when I first entered its gate and walked slowly up the hill,
+between rows of tombs, gleaming white amid the heavy foliage, while the
+green turf around them was just beginning to be starred by the opening
+daisies, From the little chapel on its summit I looked back at the blue
+spires of the city, whose roar of life dwindled to a low murmur.
+Countless pyramids, obelisks and urns, rising far and wide above the
+cedars and cypresses, showed the extent of the splendid necropolis,
+which is inhabited by pale, shrouded emigrants from its living sister
+below. The only sad part of the view, was the slope of the hill alloted
+to the poor, where legions of plain black crosses are drawn up into
+solid squares on its side and stand alone gloomy--the advanced guard of
+the army of Death! I mused over the tombs of Moliere and La Fontaine;
+Massena, Mortier and Lefebre; General Foy and Casimir Perier; and
+finally descended to the shrine where Abelard reposes by the side of his
+Heloise. The old sculptured tomb, brought away from the Paraclete, still
+covers their remains, and pious hands (of lovers, perhaps,) keep fresh
+the wreaths of _immortelles_ above their marble effigies.
+
+In the Theatre Francais, I saw Rachel, the actress. She appeared in the
+character of "Virginia," in a tragedy of that name, by the poet Latour.
+Her appearance as she came upon the stage alone, convinced me she would
+not belie her renown. She is rather small in stature, with dark,
+piercing eyes and rich black hair; her lips are full, but delicately
+formed, and her features have a marked yet flexible outline, which
+conveys the minutest shades of expression. Her voice is clear, deep and
+thrilling, and like sonic grand strain of music, there is power and
+meaning in its slightest modulations. Her gestures embody the very
+spirit of the character; she has so perfectly attained that rare harmony
+of thought, sound and action, or rather, that unity of feeling which
+renders them harmonious, that her acting seems the unstudied,
+irrepressible impulse of her soul. With the first sentence she uttered,
+I forgot Rachel. I only saw the innocent Roman girl; I awaited in
+suspense and with a powerful sympathy, the developement of the oft-told
+tragedy. My blood grew warm with indignation when the words of Appius
+roused her to anger, and I could scarcely keep back my tears, when, with
+a voice broken by sobs, she bade farewell to the protecting gods of her
+father's hearth.
+
+Among the bewildering variety of ancient ornaments and implements in the
+Egyptian Gallery of the Louvre, I saw an object of startling interest. A
+fragment of the Iliad, written nearly three thousand years ago! One may
+even dare to conjecture that the torn and half-mouldered slip of
+papyrus, upon which he gazes, may have been taken down from the lips of
+the immortal Chiun. The eyes look on those faded characters, and across
+the great gulf of Time, the soul leaps into the Past, brought into
+shadowy nearness by a mirage of the mind. There, as in the desert,
+images start up, vivid, yet of a vague and dreamy beauty. We see the
+olive groves of Greece--white-robed youths and maidens sit in the shade
+of swaying boughs--and one of them reads aloud, in words that sound like
+the clashing of shields, the deeds of Achilles.
+
+As we step out the western portal of the Tuileries, a beautiful scene
+greets us. We look on the palace garden, fragrant with flowers and
+classic with bronze copies of ancient sculpture. Beyond this, broad
+gravel walks divide the flower-bordered lawns and ranks of marble
+demigods and heroes look down on the joyous crowd. Children troll their
+hoops along the avenues or skip the rope under the clipped lindens,
+whose boughs are now tinged a pale yellow by the bursting buds. The
+swans glide about on a pond in the centre, begging bread of the
+bystanders, who watch a miniature ship which the soft breeze carries
+steadily across. Paris is unseen, but _heard_, on every side; only the
+Column of Luxor and the Arc de Triomphe rise blue and grand above the
+top of the forest. What with the sound of voices, the merry laughter of
+the children and a host of smiling faces, the scene touches a happy
+chord in one's heart, and he mingles with it, lost in pleasant reverie,
+till the sounds fade away with the fading light.
+
+Just below the Baths of the Louvre, there are several floating barges
+belonging to the washer-women, anchored at the foot of the great stone
+staircase leading down to the water. They stand there day after day,
+beating their clothes upon flat boards and rinsing them in the Seine.
+One day there seemed to have been a wedding or some other cause of
+rejoicing among them, for a large number of the youngest were talking in
+great glee on one of the platforms of the staircase, while a handsome,
+German-looking youth stood near, with a guitar slung around his neck. He
+struck up a lively air, and the girls fell into a droll sort of a dance.
+They went at it heavily and roughly enough, but made up in good humor
+what they lacked in grace; the older members of the craft looked up from
+their work with satisfaction and many shouts of applause wore sent down
+to them from the spectators on the Quai and the Pont Neuf. Not content
+with this, they seized on some luckless men who were descending the
+steps, and clasping them with their powerful right arms, spun them
+around like so many tops and sent them whizzing off at a tangent. Loud
+bursts of laughter greeted this performance, and the stout river maidens
+returned to their dance with redoubled spirit.
+
+Yesterday, the famous procession of the "_boeuf gras_" took place for
+the second time, with great splendor. The order of march had been duly
+announced beforehand, and by noon all the streets and squares through
+which it was to pass, were crowded with waiting spectators. Mounted gens
+d'armes rode constantly to and fro, to direct the passage of vehicles
+and keep an open thoroughfare. Thousands of country peasants poured into
+the city, the boys of whom were seen in all directions, blowing
+distressingly through hollow ox-horns. Altogether, the spirit of
+nonsense which animated the crowd, displayed itself very amusingly.
+
+A few mounted guards led the procession, followed by a band of music.
+Then appeared Roman lictors and officers of sacrifice, leading
+Dagobert, the famous bull of Normandy, destined to the honor of being
+slaughtered as the Carnival beef. He trod rather tenderly, finding, no
+doubt, a difference between the meadows of Caen and the pavements of
+Paris, and I thought he would have been willing to forego his gilded
+horns and flowery crown, to get back there again. His weight was said to
+be four thousand pounds, and the bills pompously declared that he had no
+rival in France, except the elephant in the _Jardin des Plantes_.
+
+After him came the farmer by whom he was raised, and M. Roland, the
+butcher of the carnival, followed by a hundred of the same craft,
+dressed as cavaliers of the different ages of France. They made a very
+showy appearance, although the faded velvet and soiled tinsel of their
+mantles were rather too apparent by daylight.
+
+After all these had gone by, came an enormous triumphal car, very
+profusely covered with gilding and ornamental flowers. A fellow with
+long woollen hair and beard, intended to represent Time, acted as
+driver. In the car, under a gilded canopy, reposed a number of persons,
+in blue silk smocks and yellow "fleshtights," said to be Venus, Apollo,
+the Graces, &c. but I endeavored in vain to distinguish one divinity
+from another. However, three children on the back seat, dressed in the
+same style, with the addition of long flaxy ringlets, made very passable
+Cupids. This closed the march; which passed onward towards the Place de
+la Concorde, accompanied by the sounds of music and the shouts of the
+mob. The broad, splendid line of Boulevards, which describe a
+semi-circle around the heart of the city, were crowded, and for the
+whole distance of three miles, it required no slight labor to make one's
+way. People in masks and fancy costumes were continually passing and
+re-passing, and I detected in more than one of the carriages, checks
+rather too fair to suit the slouched hunter's hats which shaded them. It
+seemed as if all Paris was taking a holiday, and resolved to make the
+most of it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+A GLIMPSE OF NORMANDY.
+
+
+After a residence of five weeks, which, in spite of some few troubles,
+passed away quickly and delightfully, I turned my back on Paris. It was
+not regret I experienced on taking my seat in the cars for Versailles,
+but that feeling of reluctance with which we leave places whose
+brightness and gaiety force the mind away from serious toil. Steam,
+however, cuts short all sentiment, and in much less time than it takes
+to bid farewell to a German, we had whizzed past the Place d'Europe,
+through the barrier, and were watching the spires start up from the
+receding city, on the way to St. Cloud.
+
+At Versailles I spent three hours in a hasty walk through the palace,
+which allowed but a bare glance at the gorgeous paintings of Horace
+Vernet. His "Taking of Constantine" has the vivid look of reality. The
+white houses shine in the sun, and from the bleached earth to the blue
+and dazzling sky, there seems to hang a heavy, scorching atmosphere. The
+white smoke of the artillery curls almost visibly off the canvass, and
+the cracked and half-sprung walls look as if about to topple down on the
+besiegers. One series of halls is devoted to the illustration of the
+knightly chronicles of France, from the days of Charlemagne to those of
+Bayard and Gaston de Foix. Among these pictured legends, I looked with
+the deepest interest on that of the noble girl of Orleans. Her
+countenance--the same in all these pictures and in a beautiful statue of
+her, which stands in one of the corridors--is said to be copied from an
+old and well-authenticated portrait. United to the sweetness and purity
+of peasant beauty, she has the lofty brow and inspired expression of a
+prophetess. There is a soft light in her full blue eye that does not
+belong to earth. I wonder not the soldiery deemed her chosen by God to
+lead them to successful battle; had I lived in those times I could have
+followed her consecrated banner to the ends of the earth. In the statue,
+she stands musing, with her head drooping forward, as if the weight of
+the breastplate oppressed her woman's heart; the melancholy soul which
+shines through the marble seems to forebode the fearful winding-up of
+her eventful destiny.
+
+The afternoon was somewhat advanced, by the time I had seen the palace
+and gardens. After a hurried dinner at a restaurant, I shouldered my
+knapsack and took the road to St. Germain. The day was gloomy and
+cheerless, and I should have felt very lonely but for the thought of
+soon reaching England. There is no time of the year more melancholy than
+a cold, cloudy day in March; whatever may be the beauties of pedestrian
+traveling in fairer seasons, my experience dictates that during winter
+storms and March glooms, it had better be dispensed with. However, I
+pushed on to St. Germain, threaded its long streets, looked down from
+the height over its magnificent tract of forest and turned westward down
+the Seine. Owing to the scantiness of villages, I was obliged to walk an
+hour and a half in the wind and darkness, before I reached a solitary
+inn. As I opened the door and asked for lodging, the landlady inquired
+if I had the necessary papers. I answered in the affirmative and was
+admitted. While I was eating supper, they prepared their meal on the
+other end of the small table and sat down together. They fell into the
+error, so common to ignorant persons, of thinking a foreigner could not
+understand them, and began talking quite unconcernedly about me. "Why
+don't he take the railroad?" said the old man: "he must have very little
+money--it would be bad for us if he had none." "Oh!" remarked his son,
+"if he had none, he would not be sitting there so quiet and
+unconcerned." I thought there was some knowledge of human nature in this
+remark. "And besides," added the landlady, "there is no danger for us,
+for we have his passport." Of course I enjoyed this in secret, and
+mentally pardoned their suspicions, when I reflected that the high roads
+between Paris and London are frequented by many imposters, which makes
+the people naturally mistrustful. I walked all the next day through a
+beautiful and richly cultivated country. The early fruit trees were
+bursting into bloom, and the farmers led out their cattle to pasturage
+in the fresh meadows. The scenery must be delightful in summer--worthy
+of all that has been said or sung about lovely Normandy. On the morning
+of the third day, before reaching Rouen, I saw at a distance the remains
+of Chateau Galliard, the favorite castle of Richard Coeur de Lion. Rouen
+breathes everywhere of the ancient times of Normandy. Nothing can be
+more picturesque than its quaint, irregular wooden houses, and the low,
+mossy mills, spanning the clear streams which rush through its streets.
+The Cathedral, with its four towers, rises from among the clustered
+cottages like a giant rook, split by the lightning and worn by the rains
+of centuries is into a thousand fantastic shapes.
+
+Resuming my walk in the afternoon, I climbed the heights west of the
+city, and after passing through a suburb four or five miles in length,
+entered the vale of the Cailly. This is one of the sweetest scenes in
+France. It lies among the woody hills like a Paradise, with its velvet
+meadows and villas and breathing gardens. The grass was starred with
+daisies and if I took a step into the oak and chesnut woods, I trampled
+on thousands of anemones and fragrant daffodils. The upland plain,
+stretching inward from the coast, wears a different character. As I
+ascended, towards evening, and walked over its monotonous swells, I felt
+almost homesick beneath its saddening influence. The sun, hazed over
+with dull clouds, gave out that cold and lifeless light which is more
+lonely than complete darkness. The wind, sweeping dismally over the
+fields, sent clouds of blinding dust down the road, and as it passed
+through the forests, the myriads of fine twigs sent up a sound as deep
+and grand as the roar of a roused ocean. Every chink of the Norman
+cottage where I slept, whistled most drearily, and as I looked out the
+little window of my room, the trees were swaying in the gloom, and long,
+black clouds scudded across the sky. Though my bed was poor and hard, it
+was a sublime sound that cradled me into slumber. Homer might have used
+it as the lullaby of Jove.
+
+My last day on the continent came. I rose early and walked over the
+hills towards Dieppe. The scenery grew more bleak as I approached the
+sea, but the low and sheltered valleys preserved the pastoral look of
+the interior. In the afternoon, as I climbed a long, elevated ridge,
+over which a strong northwester was blowing, I was struck with a
+beautiful rustic church, in one of the dells below me. While admiring
+its neat tower I had gained unconsciously the summit of the hill, and on
+turning suddenly around, lo! there was the glorious old Atlantic
+stretching far before and around me! A shower was sweeping mistily along
+the horizon and I could trace the white line of the breakers that foamed
+at the foot of the cliffs. The scene came over me like a vivid electric
+shock, and I gave an involuntary shout, which might have been heard in
+all the valleys around. After a year and a half of wandering over the
+continent, that gray ocean was something to be revered and loved, for it
+clasped the shores of my native America.
+
+I entered Dieppe in a heavy shower, and after finding an inn suited to
+my means and obtaining a _permis d'embarquement_ from the police office,
+I went out to the battlements and looked again on the sea. The landlord
+promised to call me in time for the boat, but my anxiety waked me
+sooner, and mistaking the strokes of the cathedral bell, I shouldered my
+knapsack and went down to the wharf at one o'clock. No one was stirring
+on board the boat, and I was obliged to pace the silent, gloomy streets
+of the town for two hours. I watched the steamer glide out on the rainy
+channel, and turning into the topmost berth, drew the sliding curtain
+and strove to keep out cold and sea-sickness. But it was unavailing; a
+heavy storm of snow and rain rendered our passage so dreary that I did
+not stir until we were approaching the chain pier of Brighton.
+
+I looked out on the foggy shores of England with a feeling of relief; my
+tongue would now be freed from the difficult bondage of foreign
+languages, and my ears be rejoiced with the music of my own. After two
+hours' delay at the Custom House, I took my seat in an open car for
+London. The day was dull and cold; the sun resembled a milky blotch in
+the midst of a leaden sky. I sat and shivered, as we flew onward, amid
+the rich, cultivated English scenery. At last the fog grew thicker; the
+road was carried over the tops of houses; the familiar dome of St.
+Paul's stood out above the spires; and I was again in London!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+LOCKHART, BERNARD BARTON AND CROLY--LONDON CHIMES AND GREENWICH FAIR.
+
+
+My circumstances, on arriving at London, were again very reduced. A
+franc and a half constituted the whole of my funds. This, joined to the
+knowledge of London expenses, rendered instant exertion necessary, to
+prevent still greater embarrassment. I called on a printer the next
+morning, hoping to procure work, but found, as I had no documents with
+me to show I had served a regular apprenticeship, this would be
+extremely difficult, although workmen were in great demand. Mr. Putnam,
+however, on whom I had previously called, gave me employment for a time
+in his publishing establishment, and thus I was fortunately enabled to
+await the arrival of a remittance from home.
+
+Mrs. Trollope, whom I met in Florence, kindly gave me a letter to
+Murray, the publisher, and I visited him soon after my arrival. In his
+library I saw the original portraits of Byron, Moore, Campbell and the
+other authors who were intimate with him and his father. A day or two
+afterwards I had the good fortune to breakfast with Lockhart and Bernard
+Barton, at the house of the former. Mr. Murray, through whom the
+invitation was given, accompanied me there. As it was late when we
+arrived at Regent's Park, we found them waiting, and sat down
+immediately to breakfast.
+
+I was much pleased with Lockhart's appearance and manners. He has a
+noble, manly countenance--in fact, the handsomest English face I ever
+saw--a quick, dark eye and an ample forehead, shaded by locks which
+show, as yet, but few threads of gray. There is a peculiar charm in his
+rich, soft voice; especially when reciting poetry, it has a clear,
+organ-like vibration, which thrills deliciously on the ear. His
+daughter, who sat at the head of the table, is a most lovely and amiable
+girl.
+
+Bernard Burton, who is now quite an old man, is a very lively and
+sociable Friend. His head is gray and almost bald, but there is still
+plenty of fire in his eyes and life in his limbs. His many kind and
+amiable qualities endear him to a large circle of literary friends. He
+still continues writing, and within the last year has brought out a
+volume of simple, touching "Household Verses." A picture of cheerful and
+contented old age has never been more briefly and beautifully drawn,
+than in the following lines, which he sent me, in answer to my desire to
+possess one of his poems in his own hand:
+
+    STANZAS.
+
+    I feel that I am growing old,
+       Nor wish to hide that truth;
+    Conscious my heart is not more cold
+       Than in my by-gone youth.
+
+    I cannot roam the country round,
+       As I was wont to do;
+    My feet a scantier circle bound,
+       My eyes a narrower view.
+
+    But on my mental vision rise
+       Bright scenes of beauty still:
+    Morn's splendor, evening's glowing skies,
+       Valley, and grove, and hill.
+
+    Nor can infirmities o'erwhelm
+       The purer pleasures brought
+    From the immortal spirit's realm
+       Of feeling and of Thought!
+
+    My heart! let not dismay or doubt
+       In thee an entrance win!
+    Thou _hast_ enjoyed thyself _without_--
+       _Now seek thy joy within_!
+
+During breakfast he related to us a pleasant anecdote of Scott. He once
+wrote to the poet in behalf of a young lady, who wished to have the
+description of Melrose, in the "Lay of the last Minstrel," in the poet's
+own writing. Scott sent it, but added these lines to the conclusion:
+
+    "Then go, and muse with deepest awe
+    On what the writer never saw;
+    Who would not wander 'neath the moon
+    To see what he could see at noon!"
+
+We went afterwards into Lockhart's library, which was full of
+interesting objects. I saw the private diary of Scott, kept until within
+a short time of his death. It was melancholy to trace the gradual
+failing of all his energies in the very wavering of the autograph. In a
+large volume of his correspondence, containing letters from Campbell,
+Wordsworth, Byron, and all the distinguished characters of the age, I
+saw Campbell's "Battle of the Baltic" in his own hand. I was highly
+interested and gratified with the whole visit; the more so, as Mr.
+Lockhart had invited me voluntarily, without previous acquaintance. I
+have since heard him spoken of in the highest terms of esteem.
+
+I went one Sunday to the Church of St. Stephen, to hear Croly, the poet.
+The service, read by a drowsy clerk, was long and monotonous; I sat in a
+side-aisle, looking up at the dome, and listening to the rain which
+dashed in torrents against the windowpanes. At last, a tall, gray-haired
+man came down the passage. He bowed with a sad smile, so full of
+benevolence and resignation, that it went into my heart at once, and I
+gave him an involuntary tribute of sympathy. He has a heavy affliction
+to bear--the death of his gallant son, one of the officers who were
+slain in the late battle of Ferozeshaw. His whole manner betrays the
+tokens of subdued but constant grief.
+
+His sermon was peculiarly finished and appropriate; the language was
+clear and forcible, without that splendor of thought and dazzling
+vividness of imagery which mark "Salathiel." Yet I could not help
+noticing that he delighted to dwell on the spiritualities of religion,
+rather than its outward observances, which he seemed inclined to hurry
+over as lightly as possible. His mild, gray eye and lofty forehead are
+more like the benevolent divine than the poet. I thought of Salathiel,
+and looked at the dignified, sorrowful man before me. The picture of the
+accursed Judean vanished, and his own solemn lines rang on my ear:
+
+             "The mighty grave
+              Wraps lord and slave,
+    Nor pride, nor poverty dares come
+    Within that prison-house, that tomb!"
+
+Whenever I hear them, or think of them again, I shall see, in memory,
+Croly's calm, pale countenance.
+
+    "The chimes, the chimes of Mother-land,
+       Of England, green and old;
+    That out from thane and ivied tower
+       A thousand years have tolled!"
+
+I often thought of Coxe's beautiful ballad, when, after a day spent in
+Waterloo Place, I have listened, on my way homeward, to the chimes of
+Mary-le-bone Chapel, sounding sweetly and clearly above all the din of
+the Strand. There is something in their silvery vibration, which is far
+more expressive than the ordinary tones of a bell. The ear becomes weary
+of a continued toll--the sound of some bells seems to have nothing more
+in it than the ordinary clang of metal--but these simple notes,
+following one another so melodiously, fall on the ear, stunned by the
+ceaseless roar of carriages or the mingled cries of the mob, as gently
+and gratefully as drops of dew. Whether it be morning, and they ring out
+louder and deeper through the mist, or midnight, when the vast ocean of
+being beneath them surges less noisily than its wont, they are alike
+full of melody and poetry. I have often paused, deep in the night, to
+hear those clear tones, dropping down from the darkness, thrilling, with
+their full, tremulous sweetness, the still air of the lighted Strand,
+and winding away through dark, silent lanes and solitary courts, till
+the ear of the care-worn watcher is scarcely stirred with their dying
+vibrations. They seemed like those spirit-voices, which, at such times,
+speak almost audibly to the heart. How delicious it must be, to those
+who dwell within the limits of their sound, to wake from some happy
+dream and hear those chimes blending in with their midnight fancies,
+like the musical echo of the promised bliss. I love these eloquent
+bells, and I think there must be many, living out a life of misery and
+suffering, to whom their tones come with an almost human consolation.
+The natures of the very cockneys, who never go without the horizon of
+their vibrations, is, to my mind, invested with _one_ hue of poetry!
+
+A few days ago, an American friend invited me to accompany him to
+Greenwich Fair. We took a penny steamer from Hungerford Market to London
+Bridge, and jumped into the cars, which go every live minutes. Twelve
+minutes' ride above the chimneys of London and the vegetable-fields of
+Rotherhithe and Deptford brought us to Greenwich, we followed the stream
+of people which was flowing from all parts of the city into the Park.
+
+Here began the merriment. We heard on every side the noise of the
+"scratchers," or, as the venders of these articles denominated
+them--"the fun of the fair." By this is meant a little notched wheel,
+with a piece of wood fastened on it, like a miniature watchman's rattle.
+The "fun" consists in drawing them down the back of any one you pass,
+when they make a sound precisely like that of ripping cloth. The women
+take great delight in this, and as it is only deemed politeness to
+return the compliment, we soon had enough to do. Nobody seemed to take
+the diversion amiss, but it was so irresistibly droll to see a large
+crowd engaged in this singular amusement, that we both burst into hearty
+laughter.
+
+As we began ascending Greenwich Hill, we were assailed with another kind
+of game. The ground was covered with smashed oranges, with which the
+people above and below were stoutly pelting each other. Half a dozen
+heavy ones whizzed uncomfortably near my head as I went up, and I saw
+several persons get the full benefit of a shot on their backs and
+breasts. The young country lads and lasses amused themselves by running
+at full spend down the steep side of a hill. This was, however, a feat
+attended with some risk; for I saw one luckless girl describe an arc of
+a circle, of which her feet was the centre and her body the radius. All
+was noise and nonsense. They ran to and fro under the long, hoary bough
+of the venerable oaks that crest the summit, and clattered down the
+magnificent forest-avenues, whose budding foliage gave them little
+shelter from the passing April showers.
+
+The view from the top is splendid. The stately Thames curves through the
+plain below, which loses itself afar off in the mist; Greenwich, with
+its massive hospital, lies just at one's feet, and in a clear day the
+domes of London skirt the horizon. The wood of the Park is entirely
+oak--the majestic, dignified, English oak--which covers, in picturesque
+clumps, the sides and summits of the two billowy hills. It must be a
+sweet place in summer, when the dark, massive foliage is heavy on every
+mossy arm, and the smooth and curving sward shines with thousands of
+field-flowers.
+
+Owing to the showers, the streets were coated with mud, of a consistence
+as soft and yielding as the most fleecy Persian carpet. Near the gate,
+boys were holding scores of donkeys, which they offered us at threepence
+for a ride of two miles. We walked down towards the river, and came at
+last to a group of tumblers, who with muddy hands and feet were throwing
+somersets in the open street. I recognized them as old acquaintances of
+the Rue St. Antoine and the Champs Elysees; but the little boy who cried
+before, because he did not want to bend his head and foot into a ring,
+like a hoop-snake, had learned his part better by this time, so that he
+went through it all without whimpering and came off with only a fiery
+red face. The exercises of the young gentlemen were of course very
+graceful and classic, and the effect of their _poses_ of strength was
+very much heightened by the muddy foot-marks which they left on each
+other's orange-colored skins.
+
+The avenue of booths was still more diverting. Here under sheets of
+leaky awning, were exposed for sale rows of gilded gingerbread kings and
+queens, and I cannot remember how many men and women held me fast by the
+arms, determined to force me into buying a pound of them. We paused at
+the sign: "SIGNOR URBANI'S GRAND MAGICAL DISPLAY." The title was
+attractive, so we paid the penny admission, and walked behind the dark,
+mysterious curtain. Two bare brick walls, three benches and a little boy
+appeared to us. A sheet hung before us upon which quivered the shadow of
+some terrible head. At my friend's command, the boy (also a spectator)
+put out the light, when the awful and grinning face of a black woman
+became visible. While we were admiring this striking production, thus
+mysteriously revealed, Signor Urbani came in, and seeing no hope of any
+more spectators, went behind the curtain and startled our sensitive
+nerves with six or seven skeleton and devil apparitions, winding up the
+wonderful entertainment with the same black head. We signified our
+entire approbation by due applause and then went out to seek further
+novelties.
+
+The centre of the square was occupied by swings, where some eight or ten
+boat-loads of persons were flying topsy-turvy into the air, making one
+giddy to look at them, and constant fearful shrieks arose from the lady
+swingers, at finding themselves in a horizontal or inverted position,
+high above the ground. One of the machines was like a great wheel, with
+four cars attached, which mounted and descended with their motley
+freight. We got into the boat by way of experiment. The starting motion
+was pleasant, but very soon it flew with a swiftness and to a height
+rather alarming. I began to repent having chosen such a mode of
+amusement, but held on as well as I could, in my uneasy place. Presently
+we mounted till the long beam of our boat was horizontal; at one
+instant, I saw three young ladies below me, with their heads downward,
+like a shadow in the water--the next I was turned heels up, looking at
+thorn as a shadow does at its original. I was fast becoming sea-sick,
+when, after a few minutes of such giddy soaring, the ropes were
+slackened and we all got out, looking somewhat pale, and feeling
+nervous, if nothing else.
+
+There were also many great tents, hung with boughs and lighted with
+innumerable colored lamps, where the people danced their country dances
+in a choking cloud of dry saw-dust. Conjurors and gymnastic performers
+were showing off on conspicuous platforms, and a continual sound of
+drums, cymbals and shrill trumpets called the attention of the crowd to
+some "Wonderful Exhibition"--some infant phenomenon, giant, or
+three-headed pig. A great part of the crowd belonged evidently to the
+very worst part of society, but the watchfulness of the police prevented
+any open disorder. We came away early and in a quarter of an hour were
+in busy London, leaving far behind us the revel and debauch, which was
+prolonged through the whole night.
+
+London has the advantage of one of the most gloomy atmospheres in the
+world. During this opening spring weather, no light and scarcely any
+warmth can penetrate the dull, yellowish-gray mist, which incessantly
+hangs over the city. Sometimes at noon we have for an hour or two a
+sickly gleam of sunshine, but it is soon swallowed up by the smoke and
+drizzling fog. The people carry umbrellas at all times, for the rain
+seems to drop spontaneously out of the very air, without wailing for the
+usual preparation of a gathering cloud. Professor Espy's rules would be
+of little avail here.
+
+A few days ago we had a real fog--a specimen of November weather, as the
+people said. If November wears such a mantle, London, during that sober
+month, must furnish a good idea of the gloom of Hades. The streets wore
+wrapped in a veil of dense mist, of a dirty yellow color, as if the air
+had suddenly grown thick and mouldy. The houses on the opposite sides of
+the street were invisible, and the gas lamps, lighted in the shops,
+burned with a white and ghastly flame. Carriages ran together in the
+streets, and I was kept constantly on the look-out, lest some one should
+come suddenly out of the cloud around me, and we should meet with a
+shock like that of two knights at a tournament. As I stood in the centre
+of Trafalgar Square, with every object invisible around me, it reminded
+me, (hoping the comparison will not be accepted in every particular) of
+Satan resting in the middle of Chaos. The weather sometimes continues
+thus for whole days together.
+
+_April 26._--An hour and a half of land are still allowed us, and then
+we shall set foot on the back of the oak-ribbed leviathan, which will be
+our home until a thousand leagues of blue ocean are crossed. I shall
+hear the old Aldgate clock strike for the last time--I shall take a last
+walk through the Minories and past the Tower yard, and as we glide down
+the Thames, St. Pauls, half-hidden in mist and coal-smoke, will probably
+be my last glimpse of London.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+HOMEWARD BOUND----CONCLUSION.
+
+
+We slid out of St. Katharine's Dock at noon on the appointed day, and
+with a pair of sooty steamboats hitched to our vessel, moved slowly down
+the Thames in mist and drizzling rain. I stayed on the wet deck all
+afternoon, that I might more forcibly and joyously feel we were again in
+motion on the waters and homeward bound! My attention was divided
+between the dreary views of Blackwall, Greenwich and Woolwich, and the
+motley throng of passengers who were to form our ocean society. An
+English family, going out to settle in Canada, were gathered together in
+great distress and anxiety, for the father had gone ashore in London at
+a late hour, and was left behind. When we anchored for the night at
+Gravesend, their fears were quieted by his arrival in a skiff from the
+shore, as he had immediately followed us by railroad.
+
+My cousin and B---- had hastened on from Paris to join me, and a day
+before the sailing of the "Victoria," we took berths in the second
+cabin, for twelve pounds ten shillings each, which in the London line of
+packets, includes coarse but substantial fare for the whole voyage. Our
+funds were insufficient to pay even this; but Captain Morgan, less
+mistrustful than my Norman landlord, generously agreed that the
+remainder of the fare should be paid in America. B---- and I, with two
+young Englishmen, took possession of a State-room of rough boards,
+lighted by a bull's-eye, which in stormy weather leaked so much that our
+trunks swam in water. A narrow mattrass and blanket, with a knapsack for
+a pillow, formed a passable bed. A long entry between the rooms, lighted
+by a feeble swinging lamp, was filled with a board table, around which
+the thirty-two second cabin passengers met to discuss politics and salt
+pork, favorable winds and hard sea-biscuit.
+
+We lay becalmed opposite Sheerness the whole of the second day. At dusk
+a sudden squall came up, which drove us foaming towards the North
+Foreland. When I went on deck in the morning, we had passed Dover and
+Brighton, and the Isle of Wight was rising dim ahead of us. The low
+English coast on our right was bordered by long reaches of dazzling
+chalky sand, which glittered along the calm blue water.
+
+Gliding into the Bay of Portsmouth, we dropped anchor opposite the
+romantic town of Ryde, built on the sloping shore of the green Isle of
+Wight. Eight or nine vessels of the Experimental Squadron were anchored
+near us, and over the houses of Portsmouth, I saw the masts of the
+Victory--the flag-ship in the battle of Trafalgar, on board of which
+Nelson was killed. The wind was not strong enough to permit the passage
+of the Needles, so at midnight we succeeded in wearing back again into
+the channel, around the Isle of Wight. A head wind forced us to tack
+away towards the shore of France. We were twice in sight of the rocky
+coast of Brittany, near Cherbourg, but the misty promontory of Land's
+End was our last glimpse of the old world.
+
+On one of our first days at sea, I caught a curlew, which came flying on
+weary wings towards us, and alighted on one of the boats. Two of his
+brethren, too much exhausted or too timid to do likewise, dropped flat
+on the waves and resigned themselves to their fate without a struggle. I
+slipped up and caught his long, lank legs, while he was resting with
+flagging wings and half-shut eyes. We fed him, though it was difficult
+to get anything down his reed-shaped bill; but he took kindly to our
+force-work, and when we let him loose on the deck, walked about with an
+air quite tame and familiar. He died, however, two days afterwards. A
+French pigeon, which was caught in the rigging, lived and throve during
+the whole of the passage.
+
+A few days afterwards, a heavy storm came on, and we were all sleepless
+and sea-sick, as long as it lasted. Thanks, however, to a beautiful law
+of memory, the recollection of that dismal period soon lost its
+unpleasantness, while the grand forms of beauty the vexed ocean
+presented, will remain forever, as distinct and abiding images. I kept
+on deck as long as I could stand, watching the giant waves over which
+our vessel took her course. They rolled up towards us, thirty or forty
+feet in height--dark gray masses, changing to a beautiful vitriol tint,
+wherever the light struck through their countless and changing crests.
+It was a glorious thing to see our good ship mount slowly up the side of
+one of these watery lulls, till her prow was lifted high in air, then,
+rocking over its brow, plunge with a slight quiver downward, and plough
+up a briny cataract, as she struck the vale. I never before realized the
+terrible sublimity of the sea. And yet it was a pride to see how
+man--strong in his godlike will--could bid defiance to those whelming
+surges, and bravo their wrath unharmed.
+
+We swung up and down on the billows, till we scarcely knew which way to
+stand. The most grave and sober personages suddenly found themselves
+reeling in a very undignified manner, and not a few measured their
+lengths on the slippery decks. Boxes and barrels were affected in like
+manner; everything danced around us. Trunks ran out from under the
+berths; packages leaped down from the shelves; chairs skipped across the
+rooms, and at table, knives, forks and mugs engaged in a general waltz
+and _break down_. One incident of this kind was rather laughable. One
+night, about midnight, the gale, which had been blowing violently,
+suddenly lulled, "as if," to use a sailor's phrase, "it had been chopped
+off!" Instantly the ship gave a tremendous lurch, which was the signal
+for a general breaking loose. Two or three others followed, so violent,
+that for a moment I imagined the vessel had been thrown on her beam
+ends. Trunks, crockery and barrels went banging down from one end of the
+ship to the other. The women in the steerage set up an awful scream, and
+the German emigrants, thinking we were in terrible danger, commenced
+praying with might and main. In the passage near our room stood several
+barrels, filled with broken dishes, which at every lurch went banging
+from side to side, jarring the board partition and making a horrible
+din. I shall not soon forget the Babel which kept our eyes open that
+night.
+
+The 19th of May a calm came on. Our white wings flapped idly on the
+mast, and only the top-gallant sails were bent enough occasionally to
+lug us along at a mile an hour. A barque from Ceylon, making the most of
+the wind, with every rag of canvass set, passed us slowly on the way
+eastward. The sun went down unclouded, and a glorious starry night
+brooded over us. Its clearness and brightness were to me indications of
+America. I longed to be on shore. The forests about home were then
+clothed in the delicate green of their first leaves, and that bland
+weather embraced the sweet earth like a blessing of heaven. The gentle
+breath from out the west seemed made for the odor of violets, and as it
+came to me over the slightly-ruflled deep, I thought how much sweeter it
+were to feel it, while "wasting in wood-paths the voluptuous hours."
+
+Soon afterwards a fresh wind sprung up, which increased rapidly, till
+every sail was bent to the full. Our vessel parted the brine with an
+arrowy glide, the ease and grace of which it is impossible to describe.
+The breeze held on steadily for two or three days, which brought us to
+the southern extremity of the Banks. Here the air felt so sharp and
+chilling, that I was afraid we might be under the lee of an iceberg, but
+in the evening the dull gray mass of clouds lifted themselves from the
+horizon, and the sun set in clear, American beauty away beyond Labrador.
+The next morning we were enveloped in a dense fog, and the wind which
+bore us onward was of a piercing coldness. A sharp look-out was kept on
+the bow, but as we could see but a short distance, it might have been
+dangerous had we met one of the Arctic squadron. At noon it cleared away
+again, and the bank of fog was visible a long time astern, piled along
+the horizon, reminding me of the Alps, as seen from the plains of
+Piedmont.
+
+On the 31st, the fortunate wind which carried us from the Banks, failed
+us about thirty-five miles from Sandy Hook. We lay in the midst of the
+mackerel fishery, with small schooners anchored all around us. Fog,
+dense and impenetrable, weighed on the moveless ocean, like an
+atmosphere of wool. The only incident to break the horrid monotony of
+the day, was the arrival of a pilot, with one or two newspapers,
+detailing the account of the Mexican War. We heard in the afternoon the
+booming of the surf along the low beach of Long Island--hollow and
+faint, like the murmur of a shell. When the mist lifted a little, we
+saw the faint line of breakers along the shore. The Germans gathered on
+deck to sing their old, familiar songs, and their voices blended
+beautifully together in the stillness.
+
+Next morning at sunrise we saw Sandy Hook; at nine o'clock we were
+telegraphed in New York by the station at Coney Island; at eleven the
+steamer "Hercules" met us outside the Hook; and at noon we were gliding
+up the Narrows, with the whole ship's company of four hundred persons on
+deck, gazing on the beautiful shores of Staten Island and agreeing
+almost universally, that it was the most delightful scene they had ever
+looked upon.
+
+And now I close the story of my long wandering, as I began it--with a
+lay written on the deep.
+
+    HOMEWARD BOUND.
+
+
+    Farewell to Europe! Days have come and gone
+    Since misty England set behind the sea.
+    Our ship climbs onward o'er the lifted waves,
+    That gather up in ridges, mountain-high,
+    And like a sea-god, conscious in his power,
+    Buffets the surges. Storm-arousing winds
+    That sweep, unchecked, from frozen Labrador,
+    Make wintry music through the creaking shrouds.
+    Th' horizon's ring, that clasps the dreary view,
+    Lays mistily upon the gray Atlantic's breast.
+    Shut out, at times, by bulk of sparry blue,
+    That, rolling near us, heaves the swaying prow
+    High on its shoulders, to descend again
+    Ploughing a thousand cascades, and around
+    Spreading the frothy foam. These watery gulfs,
+    With storm, and winds far-sweeping, hem us in,
+    Alone upon the waters!
+
+                               Days must pass--
+    Many and weary--between sea and sky.
+    Our eyes, that long e'en now for the fresh green
+    Of sprouting forests, and the far blue stretch
+    Of regal mountains piled along the sky,
+    Must see, for many an eve, the level sun
+    Sheathe, with his latest gold, the heaving brine,
+    By thousand ripples shivered, or Night's pomp
+    Brooding in silence, ebon and profound,
+    Upon the murmuring darkness of the deep,
+    Broken by flashings, that the parted wave
+    Sends white and star-like throujch its bursting foam.
+    Yet not more dear the opening dawn of heaven
+    Poured on the earth in an Italian May,
+    When souls take wings upon the scented air
+    Of starry meadows, and the yearning heart
+    Pains with deep sweetness in the balmy time,
+    Than these gray morns, and days of misty blue,
+    And surges, never-ceasing;--for our prow
+    Points to the sunset like a morning ray,
+    And o'er the waves, and through the sweeping storms,
+    Through day and darkness, rushes ever on,
+    Westward and westward still! What joy can send
+    The spirit thrilling onward with the wind,
+    In untamed exultation, like the thought
+    That fills the Homeward Bound?
+
+                              Country and home!
+    Ah! not the charm of silver-tongued romance,
+    Born of the feudal time, nor whatsoe'er
+    Of dying glory fills the golden realms
+    Of perished song, where heaven-descended Art
+    Still boasts her later triumphs, can compare
+    With that one thought of liberty inherited--
+    Of free life giv'n by fathers who were free,
+    And to be left to children freer still!
+    That pride and consciousness of manhood, caught
+    From boyish musings on the holy graves
+    Of hero-martyrs, and from every form
+    Which virgin Nature, mighty and unchained,
+    Takes in an empire not less proudly so--
+    Inspired in mountain airs, untainted yet
+    By thousand generations' breathing--felt
+    Like a near presence in the awful depths
+    Of unhewn forests, and upon the steep
+    Where giant rivers take their maddening plunge--
+    Has grown impatient of the stifling damps
+    Which hover close on Europe's shackled soil.
+    Content to tread awhile the holy steps
+    Of Art and Genius, sacred through all time,
+    The spirit breathed that dull, oppressive air--
+    Which, freighted with its tyrant-clouds, o'erweighs
+    The upward throb of many a nation's soul--
+    Amid those olden memories, felt the thrall.
+    But kept the birth-right of its freer home,
+    Here, on the world's blue highway, comes again
+    The voice of Freedom, heard amid the roar
+    Of sundered billows, while above the wave
+    Rise visions of the forest and the stream.
+    Like trailing robes the morning mists uproll,
+    Torn by the mountain pines; the flashing rills
+    Shout downward through the hollows of the vales;
+    Down the great river's bosom shining sails
+    Glide with a gradual motion, while from all--
+    Hamlet, and bowered homestead, and proud town--
+    Voices of joy ring up into heaven!
+
+    Yet louder, winds! Urge on our keel, ye waves,
+    Swift as the spirit's yearnings! We would ride
+    With a loud stormy motion o'er your crests,
+    With tempests shouting like a sudden joy--
+    Interpreting our triumph! 'Tis your voice,
+    Ye unchained elements, alone can speak
+    The sympathetic feeling of the free--
+    The arrowy impulse of the Homeward Bound!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Although the narrative of my journey, "with knapsack and staff," is now
+strictly finished, a few more words of explanation seem necessary, to
+describe more fully the method of traveling which we adopted. I add them
+the more willingly, as it is my belief that many, whose circumstances
+are similar to mine, desire to undertake the same romantic journey. Some
+matter-of-fact statements may be to them useful as well as interesting.
+
+We found the pedestrian style not only by far the best way to become
+acquainted with the people and sceneryof a country, but the pleasantest
+mode of traveling. To be sure, the knapsack was, at first, rather heavy,
+our feet were often sore and our limbs weary, but a few days walking
+made a great difference, and after we had traveled two weeks, this
+disappeared altogether. Every morning we rose as fresh and strong as if
+it had been the first day--even after a walk of thirty miles, we felt
+but little fatigue. We enjoyed slumber in its fullest luxury, and our
+spirits were always light and joyous. We made it a rule to pay no regard
+to the weather, unless it was so bad as to render walking unhealthy.
+Often, during the day, we rested for half an hour on the grassy bank,
+or sometimes, if it was warm weather, lay at full length in the shade
+with our knapsacks under our heads. This is a pleasure which none but
+the pedestrian can comprehend.
+
+We always accepted a companion, of whatever kind, while walking--from
+chimney-sweeps to barons. In a strange country one can learn something
+from every peasant, and we neglected no opportunity, not only to obtain
+information, but impart it. We found everywhere great curiosity
+respecting America, and we were always glad to tell them all they wished
+to know. In Germany, we were generally taken for Germans from some part
+of the country where the dialect was a little different, or, if they
+remarked our foreign peculiarities, they supposed we were either Poles,
+Russians, or Swiss. The greatest ignorance in relation to America,
+prevails among the common people. They imagine we are a savage race,
+without intelligence and almost without law. Persons of education, who
+had some slight knowledge of our history, showed a curiosity to know
+something of our political condition. They are taught by the German
+newspapers (which are under a strict censorship in this respect) to look
+only at the evil in our country, and they almost invariably began by
+adverting to Slavery and Repudiation. While we admitted, often with
+shame and mortification, the existence of things so inconsistent with
+true republicanism, we endeavored to make them comprehend the advantages
+enjoyed by the free citizen--the complete equality of birth--which
+places America, despite her sins, far above any other nation on earth. I
+could plainly see, by the kindling eye and half-suppressed sigh, that
+they appreciated a freedom so immeasurably greater than that which they
+enjoyed.
+
+In large cities we always preferred to take the second or third-rate
+hotels, which are generally visited by merchants and persons who travel
+on business; for, with the same comforts as the first rank, they are
+nearly twice as cheap. A traveler, with a guide-book and a good pair of
+eyes, can also dispense with the services of a _courier_, whose duty it
+is to conduct strangers about the city, from one lion to another. We
+chose rather to find out and view the "sights" at our leisure. In small
+villages, where we were often obliged to stop, we chose the best hotels,
+which, particularly in Northern Germany and in Italy, are none too
+good. But if it was a _post_, that is, a town where the post-chaise
+stops to change horses, we usually avoided the post-hotel, where one
+must pay high for having curtains before his windows and a more elegant
+cover on his bed. In the less splendid country inns, we always found
+neat, comfortable lodging, and a pleasant, friendly reception from the
+people. They saluted us on entering, with "Be you welcome," and on
+leaving, wished us a pleasant journey and good fortune. The host, when
+he brought us supper or breakfast, lifted his cap, and wished us a good
+appetite--and when he lighted us to our chambers, left us with "May you
+sleep well!" We generally found honest, friendly people; they delighted
+in telling us about the country around; what ruins there were in the
+neighborhood--and what strange legends were connected with them. The
+only part of Europe where it is unpleasant to travel in this manner, is
+Bohemia. We could rarely find a comfortable inn; the people all spoke an
+unknown language, and were not particularly celebrated for their
+honesty. Beside this, travelers rarely go on foot in those regions; we
+were frequently taken for traveling handworker, and subjected to
+imposition.
+
+With regard to passports, although they were vexatious and often
+expensive, we found little difficulty when we had acquainted ourselves
+with the regulations concerning them. In France and Germany they are
+comparatively little trouble; in Italy they are the traveler's greatest
+annoyance. Americans are treated with less strictness, in this respect,
+than citizens of other nations, and, owing to the absence of rank among
+us, we also enjoy greater advantages of acquaintance and intercourse.
+
+The expenses of traveling in England, although much greater than in our
+own country, may, as we learned by experience, be brought, through
+economy, within the same compass. Indeed, it is my belief, from
+observation, that, with few exceptions, throughout Europe, where a
+traveler enjoys the same comfort and abundance as in America, he must
+pay the same prices. The principal difference is, that he only pays for
+what he gets, so that, if he be content with the necessities of life,
+without its luxuries, the expense is in proportion. I have given, at
+times, through the foregoing chapters, the cost of travel and residence
+in Europe, yet a connected estimate will better show the _minimum_
+expense of a two years' pilgrimage:
+
+    Voyage to Liverpool, in the second cabin . . . . . . . . . . .  $24.00
+    Three weeks' travel in Ireland and Scotland  . . . . . . . . .   25.00
+    A week in London, at three shillings a day . . . . . . . . . .    4.50
+    From London to Heidelberg  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    A month at Heidelberg, and trip to Frankfort . . . . . . . . .   20.00
+    Seven months in Frankfort, at $10 per month  . . . . . . . . .   70.00
+    Fuel, passports, excursions and other expenses . . . . . . . .   30.00
+    Tour through Cassel, the Hartz, Saxony, Austria, Bavaria, etc.   40.00
+    A month in Frankfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   10.00
+    From Frankfort through Switzerland, and over the Alps
+       to Milan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    From Milan to Genoa  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      60
+    Expenses from Genoa to Florence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   14.00
+    Four months in Florence  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   50.00
+    Eight day's journey from Florence to Rome, two weeks in
+       Rome, voyage to Marseilles and journey to Paris . . . . . .   40.00
+    Five weeks in Paris  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   15.00
+    From Paris to London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    8.00
+    Six weeks in London, at three shillings a day  . . . . . . . .   31.00
+    Passage home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   60.00
+                                                                    ------
+                                                                   $472.00
+
+The cost for places of amusement, guides' fees, and other small
+expenses, not included in this list, increase the sum total to $500, for
+which the tour may be made. Now, having, I hope, established this to the
+reader's satisfaction, I respectfully take leave of him.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
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