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 ORIENT AM) OCCIDENT : 
 
 a journey east 
 From Lahore to Liverpool, 
 
 VI 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL R C. W. REVELEV MIT 
 
 Author of 
 » To Cabul with the Cavalry Brigade." 
 
 WITH' ILLU 
 
 JSTKATIONS FROM SKETCHES 
 
 BY THE AUTHOU. 
 
 I ^t' 
 
 i: 
 
 I ^1 
 
 
 va. 
 
 $0tt^on ; 
 
 <W. H. ALLEN ft t:o., 13. 
 
 MDCCCLXXXVin 
 
 WATERLOO PLACE. 
 
 ^^ '%v 
 

 Ol. 
 
 (.» 
 
1 shall tell you 
 
 venture 
 
 A prettv tale ; it may be you have heard i 
 " But,- since it serves my purpose, 1 will vent 
 •• To scale't a little more. " 
 
 Coriolanus. Act i. Scene i. 
 
 n 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Chaptek I.-INDIA. PAG 
 
 Lahore-Lucknow-Bennres--Calcuna 
 
 Chaptek U.— A1 bLA. 
 The Hooghly-Penang-Singapore-The " C.ty of 
 
 Fragrant Streams." ••• •• 
 
 Chapter Ill.-CHINA. 
 
 Tl,^ Hotel— The Theatre— Victoria 
 Hongkong— The Hotel 
 
 Feak— The Happy Valley ••• 
 
 Chapter IV.-CHINA. 
 Canton-The ^^^ver-The City-Shops Ten^le. 
 and Pagodas - Fortifications - Horrors 
 
 Chinese Ladies ... ■•• ^•• 
 
 Chapter V.-JAPAN. 
 Nagasaki-The People-The Town-The Flowers 
 
 _Pappenberg-The Inland Sea 
 
 Chapter VI.-JAPAN. 
 Kobe-Arima-Hot BaM.-Our First Tea House 
 -Shops and Sights- Moto ... - - 
 
 Chapter VH.-JAPAN. 
 Ceramic^Embroideries-Bronzes-Theatres- 
 
 Lake Biwa— Exhibition 
 
 17 
 
 34 
 
 55 
 
 83 
 
 97 
 
 113 
 
i 
 
 i 
 
 it 
 
 H 
 
 Chapter VIII.— JAPAN. 
 
 Osaka — Nara — Daiboots — At Sea again 
 
 Chaptkr IX.— japan. 
 Yokohama — The Peerless Mountain — Nikko — 
 
 Chiuzenji ... ... 
 
 Chaptkr X.— JAPAN. 
 Rougli Travelling — Ikao— Tokio — Ffites— Tea ... 
 
 Chapter Xl.-JAPAN. 
 The Tokaido — Miyanoshta and its Neighbourhood 
 — Enoshinia— Kaniakura — A Japanese Fairy 
 
 Tale 
 
 Chapter XII.— JAPAN. 
 Tokio — The Castle — Asaksa — Varuna — Entertain- 
 ments — Farewell to Japan ... 
 
 Chapter XIII.— CALIFORNIA. 
 Pacific Ocean — San Francisco — The Palace Hotel 
 — The Fire Brigade — Railway Peculiarities... 
 Chapter XIV.— CALIFORNIA. 
 The Yosemite Valley— The Big Trees— The Grand 
 
 Army — A Ranche — Monterey... 
 
 Chapter XV.— THE STATES. 
 San Francisco to Lake Tahoe— Tallack — Across 
 the Desert— Salt Lake City— The Mormons 
 
 at Home 
 
 Chapter XVI.— THE STATES. 
 The Rockies — Manitou — Colorado Springs — 
 
 Denver — Chicago 
 
 Chapter XVIL— CANADA. 
 Niagara— Toronto — The St. Lawrence — Montreal 
 Quebec 
 
 '3« 
 146 
 
 178 
 199 
 217 
 237 
 
 264 
 284 
 304 
 
 Vi^: 
 
o — 
 
 un- 
 
 md 
 
 OSS 
 
 ons 
 
 «3« 
 
 
 146 
 
 ... 
 
 16,^ 
 
 ood 
 
 
 liry 
 
 
 ... 
 
 I7« 
 
 199 
 
 3tel 
 
 s... 217 
 
 237 
 
 264 
 
 ... 284 
 
 eal 
 ... 304 
 
 "T" 
 
 CHAPTEK XVUI.-THE STATES. 
 Lake Champlaui and Lake GrorKe-SaratoKa- 
 The Hudson-Arrival at New York-Boston 
 CHAPTKH XIX.. -NEW YORK. 
 The City-brooklyn-The Harbour-The Stock 
 Exchange The "Wild West " - ^ arewell 
 to America— Home ! 
 
 m 
 
 330 
 
 338 
 
 ■*; 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
CHAPTER 
 INDIA. 
 
 LAHORE— I-UCKNOW—BKNAKES— CALCUTTA. 
 
 |HE cold weather of 1885-86 was nearly over, 
 and the troops which had Rone to the 
 
 great Camp at Delhi from the Upper 
 
 Punjab and Trans-Indus had all passed back again 
 by road or rail when we started from Lahore on our 
 long-contemplated tour, which was to complete our 
 journey round the world, and take us back to old 
 England by routes hitherto little travelled, and which 
 consequently added the charm of the unknown to 
 the novelty of the unseen. 
 
 What a contrast Lahore presents now to my first 
 experience of it, more than thirty years ago I Then 
 there were, mud walls and thatched roofs, where now 
 rise fine public and private buildings of burnt brick 
 
 E 
 
 nam 
 
 . I 
 
if 
 
 • • 
 
 H ! 
 
 a LAHORE. 
 
 or grey sandstone — then there were few trees and no 
 grass, where now are stately avenues and beautiful 
 lawns and gardens — then the toys of the Sikh 
 youngsters were wooden sword and shield, to be 
 soon exchanged for steel and buffalo-hide ; now they 
 play with pen and ink. and their one ambition is 
 wealth — then the only means of reaching Lahore 
 were marching, a .slowly creeping along the dusty 
 road in a " dooly " ; now the iron horse has not only 
 reached Lahore, but even far Peshawur — then an 
 English letter -.was six weeks or more on the road, 
 while now it accomplishes its journey in three. One 
 thing only is unchanged ; the dreary, dismal canton- 
 ment of Meean Meer, with its baking hot weather 
 and oven-like barracks, its boiling rainy-season and 
 marrow-chilling winter, its sorry bungalows and 
 brackish water, is still the dread of every regiment 
 in the Bengal Presidency — with what good reason 
 its teeming grave-yards and overflowing hospitals too 
 sadly show. It can boast of the finest church and 
 the most prosperous cemetery in India ! Tradition 
 asserts that " Old Charley Napier," who selected the 
 site for the cantonments, rode out one morning for 
 the purpose, and that his favourite horse stumbled 
 while cantering over the deserted Mahommedan 
 grave-yard at Meean Meer. The hot-tempered old 
 warrior swore he would go no farther, so this deadly 
 
2s and no 
 beautiful 
 the Sikh 
 Id, to be 
 now they 
 ibition is 
 » Lahore 
 the dusty 
 i not only 
 -then an 
 the road, 
 •ee. One 
 il canton- 
 t weather 
 lason and 
 lows and 
 regiment 
 )d reason 
 ipitals too 
 lurch and 
 Tradition 
 lected the 
 orniiig for 
 stumbled 
 ommedan 
 pered old 
 tiis deadly 
 
TOMB or 
 
 MAHAKAJA BDNJBBT gimiR, LAHWB. 
 

 \^' 
 
 PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 
 
 3 
 
 is • 
 
 \ 
 
 I 
 
 spot became the home (in too many cases the last ! ) 
 of the chief garrison of the Punjab. 
 
 Lahore is one of the very few places in India in 
 which any permanent trace of our occupancy would 
 remain fifty years hence, supposing we were to leave 
 the country to-morrow ; here the record would be 
 kept by the fine cathedral which is rapidly approach- 
 ing completion under the fostering care and personal 
 supervision of the Bishop of the Diocese, Dr. French, 
 whose own career in the country is one long story of 
 Christian courage and noble self-sacrifice. This 
 building will divide the interest of future visitors with 
 the old fort in the city, though I fear our western 
 architecture cannot vie in beauty of conception or 
 magnificence of material with the shrines enclosed in 
 those battlemented walls. The " Jumma Musjid," or 
 Great Mosque, the beautiful armory, and, chief of all, 
 the fairy-like tomb of Runjeet Sing, with its marble 
 domes and gilded spires, mark an era in Indian 
 architecture whose most glorious culmination is seen 
 in the Jumma Musjid at Delhi and the unapproach- 
 able Tij Mahal at Agra. It is painful to turn from 
 these grand edifices to the railway station, which, 
 though well and solidly constructed of red sandstone, 
 presents to the eye a hideous mixture of Eastern 
 and Western styles— Norman towers and Indian 
 minarets— the gateway of a county jail with the 
 
 B 2 
 
4 LAHORE. 
 
 architrave of a Hindoo temple— a fortress without 
 and a booking-office within ! However, in spite of its 
 uncouth appearance, it answers its purpose as a 
 commodious and even comfortable point of departure. 
 After going through the tedious ceremonies of 
 taking tickets (signed by the booking-office Baboo ! ) 
 and booking luggage, we settled ourselves in the 
 carriage, and at 6.18 p.m. a puff and snort from the 
 engine announced that we had actually started on our 
 long journey, taking with us from Meean Meer 
 Station the valued good wishes of old and dear 
 
 friends. 
 
 We had plenty of room in the first class, but the 
 second-class carriages are frequently, and the third- 
 class always, crowded with natives, though by no 
 means of the poorest orders. Many of the richest 
 bankers and shop-keepers use them in order to save 
 a small sum ; while, on the other hand, chiefs like 
 Holkar, Scindia and other princes, have their own 
 private saloon-carriages, and often engage special 
 trains as well. The varied scenes at the different 
 stations are always interesting and amusing; the 
 brilliant colours of turbans and robes, quaint and 
 cumbrous bundles of bedding or clothes, bedsteads, 
 chairs, stacks of sugar-cane, hawkers' trays full of 
 cakes, fruit, or sweetmeats, shoes or slippers, brass- 
 ware or wood carvings, make an everchanging 
 
 * 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 •mtormmf^igKntmmmm 
 
s without 
 pite of its 
 ose as a 
 
 eparture. 
 monies of 
 
 Baboo ! ) 
 ;s in the 
 
 from the 
 :ed on our 
 an Meer 
 and dear 
 
 3, but the 
 the third- 
 gh by no 
 he richest 
 er to save 
 chiefs like 
 their own 
 ge special 
 le different 
 ising ; the 
 |uaint and 
 bedsteads, 
 lys full of 
 lers, brass- 
 irchanging 
 
i^, 
 
c. 
 
 RAILWAY TRAVELLING. 5 
 
 kaleidoscope by day; while at night the never- 
 ceasing crowd stumbles about on the platforms under 
 meagre oil-lamps placed at long intervals, that only 
 make the darkness more felt ; and by day or night 
 the harsh native voices, shouting to know where 
 '• brother Ram Singh," or " Imam Bux— ah ! " has 
 hidden himself, form a varied chorus in thorough 
 keeping with the motley sight. I must say that our 
 Indian subjects are wonderfully amenable to authority, 
 and the head-man of a village, the owner of many 
 rupees and acres, will allow himself to be pushed and 
 pulled, ranted and raved at, by a jack-in-office holding 
 the same position as an English porter ; but let the 
 " chuprassies," as they are called, beware of a native 
 soldier! He is a "servant of the Queen," and 
 heartily despises all who do not wear our Sovereign's 
 
 uniform. 
 
 We are off at last, and soon darkness sets in, and 
 we make ourselves comfortable for the night. This 
 consists in spreading blankets, sheets, and " reisais," 
 or quilts, on the broad cushioned seats which slide 
 out six or eight inches from the side so as to make 
 wider couches, while others let down from the roof 
 and form upper berths. This is really the most 
 comfortable way of travelling by night which I have 
 ever met with, and is greatly superior to the much- 
 
 ■' ^ 
 
 > I. 
 
 ft -) 
 
6 SIKH PROPHECY. 
 
 vaunted but insufferably stuffy Pullman sleeping cars 
 used in America. 
 
 The line as far as Saharunpore was very shaky from 
 need of fresh ballasting — by-the-bye there is a 
 strange story about the ballast used on this line. 
 During the sanguinary conflicts between the Sikhs 
 and Mussulmans, when the latter endeavoured, 
 unsuccessfully, to crush the strange new faith, the 
 two sons of one of the chief Gooroos, or religious 
 leaders of the Sikhs, were given as hostages to the 
 Mussulmans, by whom they were perfidiously put to 
 death in the great city of Sirhind, not far from 
 Umballa. When the news of their murder reached 
 the Gooroo, he rose up in wrath and anguish and 
 cursed the Mussulmans, saying that their power 
 should be destroyed by a nation from beyond the 
 sea, who would scatter the bricks of Sirhind from 
 the Sutlej to the Indus. At Delhi, in 1857, ^^^ 
 English " from beyond the sea," destroyed the last 
 remnant of Mussulman rule in India ; but the latter 
 part of the prediction seemed as far from fulfilment 
 as ever, (though our Sikh soldiers, when passing 
 Sirhind on the march or on furlough, would always 
 carry away a few bricks to throw on the road,) when, 
 in 1868, while the railway was being made from 
 Umballa, close to the Sutlej, to Lahore, it was 
 decided to use the ruins of Sirhind as ballast, and 
 
^ 
 
 ping cars 
 
 laky from 
 ere is a 
 this line, 
 he Sikhs 
 eavoured, 
 faith, the 
 • religious 
 es to the 
 sly put to 
 far from 
 r reached 
 ^uish and 
 jir power 
 iyond the 
 lind from 
 1857, the 
 1 the last 
 the latter 
 fulfilment 
 1 passing 
 Id always 
 id,) when, 
 ade from 
 e, it was 
 illast, and 
 
 LUCKNOW. 7 
 
 the material was found sufficient to continue the line 
 to Attock on the Indus. Thus the Gooroo's prediction 
 has been literally carried out ! 
 
 Passing Saharunpore with its famous mango-groves 
 and horticultural gardens, Meerut, Allyghur, and 
 other large cantonments and civil stations, includmg 
 Cawnpore of sad and bloody memory, we at length 
 reached our first resting-place, Lucknow. Here a 
 visit was paid to the grave of one of England's 
 noblest sons and greatest soldier-heroes-llodson of 
 Hodson's Horse— and we were much pleased to find 
 this and other graves of those who fell during the 
 siege in excellent order, each tomb surrounded on 
 three sides by brick walls, the fourth, or front bemg 
 filled in by an iron railing or wall with iron gate. 
 Triple rows of palm-trees have been planted round 
 each enclosure, and were now about a foot high. I 
 hope others who, like myself, take a deep personal 
 interest in these hallowed spots, may read these lines 
 and know that the municipality of Lucknow shows 
 such a just appreciation of those who died for their 
 country in her hour of danger. 
 
 The grave with which we were especially concerned 
 is on the edge of the Martiniere park, and near the 
 palace-tomb called La Martiniere after its builder, 
 Claude Martine, who made a fortune in the service 
 of the old Kings of Oude. This fantastic building 
 
 lf)|f»V 
 
 i 
 
 ,SP 
 
 • 
 
 wm- 
 
jm 
 
 i^MIHhMMMAMlM^M 
 
 8 
 
 LUCKNOW. 
 
 presents a curious mixture of Mussulman and Italian 
 architecture, and consists of a central domed hall 
 like a mosque, under which repose the bones of the 
 founder, and two large wings semi-circular in shape, 
 the facade ornamented by plaster casts of Roman 
 and Grecian statues. It is approached by a broad 
 flight of steps with lions at the angles of the 
 balustrades, and reminds the visitor somewhat of 
 St. Peter's at Rome. In front of the building is a 
 large tank, from the centre of which rises a tall 
 column as a special memorial of Claude Martine, 
 who also left a considerable sum of money to endow 
 a school for Eurasian children. This good work is 
 still carried on in his palace under very able super- 
 vision, and many lads are annually sent into 
 Government employ or private trade, with sound 
 educations and fair chances of success in life. 
 
 We next visited the Wingfield Park, a public 
 garden well laid out with verdant lawns, bright 
 flower-beds, trees and shrubs. It was difficult to 
 believe that this and other park-like open spaces, 
 looking so green and peaceful now, had been 
 occupied by the closely-packed, squalid huts and 
 murderous scoundrels through whose midst I had 
 often ridden during and after the siege in 1858. ■ 
 
 The famous Residency buildings have, with good 
 taste, been preserved intact, save for a stanchion 
 
THE RESIDENCY. 9 
 
 here and there to support a falling arch or crumblinR 
 wall ; but the surroundinR grounds are laid out in 
 lawns and flower-beds and most carefully tended ; 
 their trim beauty forms a strong contrast to the grim 
 and war-worn ruins which looked down on the 
 suffering and slaughter of so many brave men and 
 noble women. 
 
 The marks of cannon-shot and bullet are thickly 
 spread over and through the masonry ; and though 
 much of the buildings is now clothed with creepers, 
 enough still remains bare to show many a sign of 
 the fierce struggle between the loyal few and the 
 rebellious many— one side urged on by maddening 
 lust and religious fury, the other grimly fighting for 
 more than life, for the glory of our country and the 
 honour of our women. Tablets let into the walls 
 record the chief events of that ever-memorable 
 defence on the very spots where they occurred : one 
 shows the room in which' good and brave Sir Henry 
 Lawrence received his death-wound ; another points 
 out the '• tykhana," or underground cellar-like 
 apartment in which the soldiers' wives of H.M.'s 
 32nd Regiment were placed for safety, though even 
 here the deadly missiles found their victims, as is 
 shown by the stones in the neighbouring cemetery, 
 where the deaths from shot and shell of loving wives 
 and sisters, of young mothers and tender babes, are 
 all too frequently recorded. It is a place filled with 
 
 4 
 
 A 
 
 J 
 
 T • 
 
 ■|. 
 
 ip;i|5«i!^5es^^sr»^'' ' 
 
 ^'0'-, 
 
lO 
 
 LUCKNOW. 
 
 s 
 
 sad and noble memories of untold suffering and 
 unrewarded heroism ; perhaps the most touching of 
 all the epitaphs is the short, modest, soldierly line 
 which, at his own request, alone marks the leader's 
 tomb : " Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do 
 his duty." 
 
 The chief public buildings of the King's time are 
 in thorough repair, and infinitely cleaner than they 
 ever were under their former masters I Many are 
 occupied by the Government, and one of the chief 
 palaces, the Hurhdd Buksh, is used as a museum, 
 where can be seen in carefully arranged cases 
 specimens of local produce, handiwork and art ; the 
 latter principally consist of poor imitations of 
 Cashmere silver-gilt ware, and very good clay models 
 of natives, fruit, leaves, &c. 
 
 The royal emblem, which may be heraldically 
 described as '• two fish rampant," is seen on all the 
 buildings, especially on the great Imimb^ra in the 
 HooseinabAd quarter, where also are found many of 
 the royai standards — gilt or golden hands mounted 
 on staves, like the old Roman eagles, and carried in 
 front of the King on state occasions. In this 
 Imdmb&ra is an immense room, said to possess the 
 widest flat ceiling, unsupported by pillars, in the 
 world ; in the centre of the marble pavement are 
 the representations of the tombs of Hussun and 
 
:ring and 
 tuching of 
 dierly line 
 e leader's 
 ried to do 
 
 > time are 
 than they 
 SI any are 
 the chief 
 museum, 
 ;ed cases 
 1 art ; the 
 itions of 
 ly models 
 
 iraldically 
 3n all the 
 ra in the 
 1 many of 
 mounted 
 carried in 
 In this 
 )ssess the 
 s, in the 
 nent are 
 >sun and 
 
 CHANGES. 
 
 II 
 
 Hoossein, the two sons of the Prophet killed at 
 Kerbela; these are covered with plates of solid 
 silver, as also are the small table or stool for the 
 Kor&n, and the pulpit from which the officiatmR 
 priest thunders the doK'nms of Mahomed. Near the 
 silver railing which surrounds the tombs stand 
 several very handsome candelabra of the same metal, 
 offerings of the Mussulman grandees of Oude. 
 
 The iron and stone bridges over the river Goomtee 
 still remain, but the bridge of boats has disappeared, 
 and in its stead (emblem of the new dispensation 1) 
 a massive railway-viaduct spans the stream, and 
 stretches its arches over the low-lying ground on the 
 left bank. Other significant changes have also taken 
 place: the Chutter Munzil Palace is now the 
 Lucknow Club ; the enclosure of Secundra BAgh 
 where over two thousand mutineers lay dead after 
 the fierce onslaught of the gird Highlanders and 
 Sikhs, is now a quiet corner for a picnic ; the wide 
 dome of the Shah Nujjuf which re-echoed the shouts 
 of Peel's victorious tars, now repeats the MooUah's 
 murmured prayers ; and the corridors of the Kaiser 
 BAgh, the royal palace of the King, deserted by their 
 crowds of courtiers, nobles, jugglers, and courtezans, 
 are rarely trodden save by the foot of some native 
 care-taker or European traveller. 
 
 After revisiting as many of the points of interest 
 
 . , ( 
 
 ii"S|^. 
 
m 
 
 12 
 
 BENARES. 
 
 as our time permitted, we quitted Hill's comfortable 
 hotel, and started again by rail via Fyzabad, or 
 Ajoodhia, the ancient capital of Oude, for Benares. 
 The train proceeded smoothly but slowly, so that 
 we had ample time to glance at the many royal or 
 saintly tombs, stately domes, graceful minarets and 
 ruined mosques which are thickly scattfed along 
 the route, especially round Fyzabad itself, where 
 they form beautiful pictures with back-grounds of 
 fine tamarind-trees for which the locality is famous. 
 Night soon came on, and when we again looked out 
 at early dawn, it was to see the Hindoo spires of the 
 Holy City instead of the Mussulman domes of 
 Lucknow. 
 
 The people of Benares are the very reverse of the 
 'Great Unwashed," judging from the countless 
 swarms of bathers on the banks of the sacred Ganges, 
 though I hardly think that washing in such muddy 
 water can be altogether conducive to cleanliness! 
 The best view of the city is from the opposite (right) 
 bank of the river, as seen by the traveller arriving 
 from Calcutta and Allahabad. For about a mile the 
 northern (left) shore is considerably raised, so that 
 the city appears to stand on a hill, and its river-face 
 is buttressed by an almost unbrokon succession of 
 flights of stone steps descending from the town above 
 to the water's edge, and forming the celebrated 
 
mfortable 
 zabad, or 
 
 Benares. 
 y, so that 
 y royal or 
 arets and 
 
 ed along 
 :lf, where 
 •ounds of 
 :s famous, 
 ooked out 
 res of the 
 domes of 
 
 rse of the 
 countless 
 i Ganges, 
 ;h muddy 
 manliness ! 
 ite (right) 
 r arriving 
 I mile the 
 I, so that 
 river-face 
 lessi'on of 
 iwn above 
 :elebrated 
 
THE GHATS. 
 
 13 
 
 " Ghats." Above these steps tower the spires of 
 many temples devoted to different members of the 
 Hindoo Pantheon, some perfectly plain, others 
 profusely carved and ornamented, whilst at frequent 
 intervals the religious character of the buildings is 
 profanely though most picturesquely broken by the 
 intrusion of a noble's palace, or a wealthy banker's 
 summer-house buih out into, and frequently over- 
 hanging, the sacred stream ; these buildings, differing 
 in style of architecture, material and colour, add 
 their ever-varying effects to the scene— masonry, 
 stucco, stone, and marble— red, white, blue, rich 
 brown and lavish gold appear to vie with each other 
 in producing a bewildering yet entrancing cotip d'ail 
 on which we should never tire of gazing, did not the 
 heat and glare of the sun drive us to seek cool rooms 
 and shady verandahs. 
 
 At the Buming-Gh4ts, which are places specially 
 set aside for purpose of cremation, are abundant 
 stacks of wood, and attendants well skilled in the art 
 of human cookery ; we saw several pyres in full blaze 
 while the mourners sat round and discussed the 
 virtues of the deceased, or, more probably, the 
 amount of his estate. 
 
 This holiest city of the Hindoos is characteristically 
 dominated by a Mahomedan mosque, whose graceful 
 minarets and swelling domes rise conspicuously above 
 
 1 ^- . 
 
 il '^ 
 
 .,.!^ 
 
 >*Si^^—T- 
 
 'i 
 
■f?!*! 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 BENARES. 
 
 the spires of the pagan temples ; certainly when the 
 followers of the Prophet conquered a city they took 
 good care to publish the fact, and admitted no doubt 
 as to who had the upper hand ! It is a great pity 
 that we do not learn the lesson from them. The 
 river-side palaces are generally too new-looking ; and 
 Scindia's, the finest of them all, shows this want of 
 mellowness most conspicuously, even more than the 
 handsome, but still newer Queen's College further 
 inland. Men and women bathe together indiscrimi- 
 nately, the brilliant dresses of the latter adding much 
 to the beauty of the scene. Many large house-boats, 
 called "budgerows," are moored along the bank, 
 which is further ornamented (?) by fields of huge 
 mushrooms ; on closer inspection, these turn out to 
 be umbrellas of matting, under which the bathers sit 
 and smoke between their dips. Many perform their 
 ablutions on wooden piers projecting into the water, 
 but these are probably residents ; most df the pilgrims 
 prefer to stand in the sacred but muddy stream, 
 where with closed eyes they mutter prayers to holy 
 Mother Gunga, dashing handfuls of water over-head 
 and chest to emphasize their invocations. 
 
 The Rajah of Umraoti's bathing-ghat is flanked by 
 two peculiar stone erections with projecting beaks, 
 like the ancient Greek rostra ; Gdo Ghit is so called 
 from the stone .figure of Siva's bull, " g4o," which is 
 
""iSi^^ > 
 
 when the 
 they took 
 [ no doubt 
 great pity 
 em. The 
 ting ; and 
 s want of 
 t than the 
 je further 
 idiscriini- 
 ling much 
 use-boats, 
 the bank, 
 5 of huge 
 irn out to 
 >athers sit 
 'orm their 
 :he water, 
 e pilgrims 
 y stream, 
 rs to holy 
 over-head 
 
 lanked by 
 
 ng beaks, 
 
 so called 
 
 which is 
 
 CALCUTTA. 
 
 >5 
 
 placed on the top step, and all the buildings are 
 enlivened by the flights of blue pigeons, which nest 
 in the holes left by the scaffold-poles, when these are 
 not stopped up by nail-headed bosses of stone, 
 projecting diamond- shaped from the walls. Very few 
 trees are visible, and these are invariably the sacred 
 banyan. At some of the ghdts are stacks of the red 
 sandstone slabs used for facing the buildings. Near 
 the lower (eastern) end of the town is a very graceful 
 white temple, and a short way above it is a peculiar 
 red one, built by the father of the infamous N&na. 
 
 As the railway bridge was not yet open for traffic, 
 we crossed the river by a bridge of boats, in itself 
 one of the most peculiar and picturesque objects in 
 an Indian river scene, and reached the railway station 
 on the south bank ; this view of the city reminded 
 us of Malta. From Benares an uninteresting railway 
 journey of neariy twenty-four hours took us to the 
 terminus at Howrah, and a short drive across the 
 Hooghly Bridge landed us in Calcutta on the morn- 
 ing of March 13th. 
 
 We soon plunged into the divertissements of the 
 capital. Fortunately the weather, though most 
 unpleasantly hot, was not absolutely killing, and 
 several sharp storms of wind and rain brought 
 tempoiary relief. The view of Calcutta from the 
 large park-like " Maiden" {AnglicS, " pb-in,") is very 
 
 ,■?. 
 
 y* 
 
 \ .;■ 
 
 :• ■'• 
 
 III 
 
ltL_ 
 
 i6 
 
 CALCUTTA. 
 
 striking. The wide stream of the Hooghly crowded 
 with shipping stretches along one side of the green- 
 turfed expanse, with the barracks and bastions of 
 Fort Wilham to break the Hne of middle-distance ; 
 next the fine buildings of the Bank of Bengal and 
 Government offices show above the trees, with the 
 long pillared front and domed roof of Government 
 House as a central object ; thence the deep verandahs 
 and walled gardens of Chowringhee (the fashionable 
 quarter,) carry the eye to the tall spire of the 
 Cathedral, rising from a fine group of trees at the 
 end of the Maiddn opposite to Government House ; 
 near the Cathedral frowns the heavy block of moated 
 masonry known as the Central Jail, and a line of 
 trees forms a connecting link with the foliage on the 
 river bank, and completes the panorama. 
 
VVVVVJ 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 AT SEA. 
 
 THE HOOGHLY-FAREWELL TO INDIA-PENANG- 
 
 SINGAPORE. 
 
 UR preparations and other business occupied 
 
 a fortnight, and it was not till the 28th 
 
 «»«.„„ that we found ourselves on board the 
 
 Taisang, and realised that we were bidding farewell 
 
 to India. Our vessel was one of Jardine Mathison 
 
 & Co.'s opium steamers, and was very comfortably 
 
 fitted and well found ; her captain and other officers 
 
 were pleasant companions and thorough sailors ; 
 
 and, last but by no means least, she owned a bull-dog 
 
 of most ferocious appearance and amiable temper. 
 
 I say " she " owned the dog, for he did not seem to 
 
 belong to anyone in particular, and only had Tatsang 
 
 on his collar. At 9 A.M. we left our moonngs, and 
 
 c 
 
 
 
i8 
 
 GREAT CYCLIJNE. 
 
 slowly steamed down the crowded river, the last 
 
 sound audible from the city being that of the church 
 
 bells ringing for the Sunday morning service. We 
 
 first passed Fort William on our left, the heavy guns 
 
 frowning through the green-turfed embrasures, and 
 
 the Union Jack waving from the flagstaff overhead. 
 
 On our right lay the gorgeous flower-beds and tall 
 
 palm-trees of the Botanical Gardens, where grows 
 
 the largest banyan-tree in the world, though its 
 
 mighty spread was sadly diminished by the great 
 
 cyclone which visited Calcutta in 1864, destroying 
 
 buildings, sinking vessels, tearing up trees by the 
 
 roots, and hurling huge ships out of the river on to 
 
 the mainland ; I remember a photograph of the P. 
 
 and O. steam-ship Bengal lying high and dry in a field 
 
 into which she had been carried over an embankment 
 
 by the raging force of the wind, and out of which 
 
 she had to be dug by hundreds of coolies with 
 
 spades and mattocks. 
 
 After passing the Gardens, attention was again 
 diverted to the left bank by the gaudily-painted walls 
 and fantastic gilt ornaments and kiosks of the King 
 Oude's Palace, where that dethroned potentate led a 
 life of effeminate debauchery in the midst of a rabble 
 of courtiers, servants, and hangers-on of every shade 
 of rascality. This group of buildings was the Alsatia 
 of Calcutta, the resort of every scoundrel who had 
 
er, the last 
 f the church 
 jrvice. We 
 : heavy guns 
 rasures, and 
 ff overhead, 
 ids and tall 
 /here grows 
 though its 
 ►y the great 
 \, destroying 
 rees by the 
 ; river on to 
 ph of the P. 
 dry in a field 
 imbankment 
 out of which 
 coolies with 
 
 1 was again 
 painted walls 
 1 of the King 
 itentate led a 
 St of a rabble 
 ■ every shade 
 .s the Alsatia 
 Irel who had 
 
 i 
 •I 
 
 * , 
 
 '>M' 
 
1 
 
 THE HOOilHLY. 
 
 ISy 
 
 reason to dread the police, and the consequence was 
 that ahnost all the majjnificent houses in the 
 neighbouring suburb of Garden Reach were standing 
 empty, though they used formerly to be the favorite 
 residences of the official and mercantile grandees. 
 While passing the palace we noticed several large 
 flights of pigeons circling over its pinnacles ; these 
 were great pets of the ex- King, and were regularly 
 drilled by their keepers, advancing, wheeling, retiring, 
 dispersing, and re-forming by word of command. It 
 is said that a " Held day " with these aerial troops 
 was the only lure which could tempt the tottering old 
 sensualist beyond the walls of his harem. 
 
 The ships decreased in numbers as we left the city 
 farther behind us, but we still passed crowd"? of barges 
 for river navigation, all well protected by awnings ; 
 also picturesque native boats with high poops and 
 mit-built cabins, carrying maize, plantains and pump- 
 kins from the fertile but feverish Soonderbuns at the 
 mouth of the river to the metropolitan market. Dark- 
 ness came on as we approached the wide mouth of 
 the Hooghly, and we anchored for the night, as here 
 were many dangers from treacherous current and from 
 shifting sand. 
 
 Next morning we weighed anchor at daylight, and 
 stood out to sea ; nothing occured to break the 
 restful monotony of the voyage down the Bay of Ben- 
 
 C 2 
 
 s'l 
 
1 
 
 i; I 
 
 20 
 
 YOUNG CHINA. 
 
 gal until the 31st. when wo passed the palm-covered 
 shores of the Cocos Isles, an outlying' part of the 
 Andaman group, and our last glimpse of "' India's 
 coral strand." 
 
 Amongst our first-class passengers was a young 
 Chinese merchant belonging to a Penang firm with 
 three branch houses in Calcutta, trading in opium, 
 saltpetre, and nutmegs. He wore his pigtail coiled 
 round his head like a " basket-plait," was very quiet 
 and unobtrusive, smoked horribly rank cigars, and 
 read an extremely difficult melodrama with the 
 frequent aid of an English dictionary, as the poor 
 boy said that most of the words were " velly hard." 
 I once asked him whether he still adhered to the 
 religion of his ancestors ; his reply would have 
 annihilated a missionary, it was, " We used to practise 
 the Buddhist religion, but now that we have become 
 civilized we have none ! " 
 
 By-the-bye, we always spoke of him as a boy, but 
 found afterwards that he was a middle-aged man 
 with a large family. The diminutive stature, smooth 
 faces, and delicate features of many of the upper- 
 class Chinese make them look absurdly young. 
 
 The sea was calm and oily-looking and the heat 
 oppressive until the 2nd of April, when we had heavy 
 rain with thunder and high wind ; at 7 o'clock the 
 next morning we anchored in Penang harbour, and 
 
I Ill-covered 
 art of the 
 f "' India's 
 
 s a younfj 
 
 firm with 
 
 in opium, 
 
 jtail coiled 
 
 very quiet 
 
 cigars, and 
 
 with the 
 
 IS the poor 
 
 ^elly hard." 
 
 ;red to the 
 
 rould have 
 
 1 to practise 
 
 have become 
 
 ; a boy, but 
 ;-aged man 
 ure, smooth 
 
 the upper- 
 oung. 
 
 nd the heat 
 e had heavy 
 
 o'clock the 
 larbour, and 
 
 i I 
 
 w 
 
 ■ t ■ 
 
 1.1 
 
 :*■ 
 
 ■tfr ■ 
 
'■>:■ 
 
 PENANG. 
 
 21 
 
 the crew were busy and noisy taking in cargo up to 
 midnight. 
 
 The full name of this place is " Pulo Penang," 
 which in Malay means " Beech-nut Island." It is 
 fifteen miles along by nine in width, and rises in the 
 centre to a height of 3,000 feet, forming a wood- 
 crowned hill on which the European inhabitants have 
 their dwellings, the business offices being in the town 
 below : their houses are aJl of wood, and are raised 
 several feet from the ground on piles — partly on 
 account of the damp, and partly to prevent the inroads 
 of snakes, scorpions, and other unwelcome visitors, of 
 which the island contains a -'large and varied assort- 
 ment." The roads are very pretty, running through 
 groves of fine palm-trees, among which gleam the 
 brightly-painted native houses, blue, yellow, and 
 scarlet. We met plenty of Chinese, and also numbers 
 of jinrikshas ; as these last will be frequently referred 
 to in these notes, I may as well pause here to 
 describe them. The jinriksha is a conveyance now 
 in common use in China, the Straits, and the Hill 
 stations of India, though of Japanese origin. Imagine 
 the body and hood of a bath-chair mounted between 
 a pair of wheels considerably higher and lighter than 
 those in ordinary use, and provided with a pair of 
 shafts united in front by a cross-bar in lieu of the 
 guiding-wheel and handle, reduce the substance 
 
■I^SR 
 
 22 
 
 PENANG. 
 
 to the lightest possible degree, put a sturdy cooly 
 between the shafts, and you have the hansom-cab 
 of China and Japan. In spite of their fragile appear- 
 ance these little vehicles are very tough and will bear 
 an immense deal of hard work, as we often experienced 
 in Japan, the riders frequently showing more signs 
 of breaking down than their flimsy-looking but elastic 
 carriages. 
 
 The Straits Settlements can also boast of very good 
 hackney carriages, boxes on wheels with a door in 
 the middle of each side, and seats like a cab- the 
 " palki gharri " of India, but infinitely cleaner ; well- 
 fitting Venetians keep out the sun, and the driver sits, 
 not on the box, but on a board placed across the 
 shafts in closest proximity to the tail of the sturdy, 
 well-fed, willing little pony which draws the convey- 
 ance. These carriages have arched roofs, which is 
 also an improvement on the Indian pattern. During 
 our drive we passed a few pagodas remarkable 
 neither for size nor beauty, and returned to the wharf 
 by Market Street, the principal thoroughfare, gay 
 with Chinese sign-boards and coloured or gilt shop- 
 fronts, but fcmelling poisonously of bad fish. The 
 north-eastern point of the harbour is marked by a 
 very lofty flag-staff from which the British ensign 
 waves over the low stone ramparts of Fort George, a 
 Vauban's star-fort mounting four smooth-bore guns 
 
urdy cooly 
 lansom-cab 
 a^ile appear- 
 id will bear 
 ixperienced 
 more signs 
 I but elastic 
 
 >f very good 
 i a door in 
 a cab— the 
 laner ; well- 
 ; driver sits, 
 across the 
 the sturdy, 
 the convey- 
 fs, which is 
 rn. During 
 remarkable 
 to the wharf 
 ighfare, gay 
 )r gilt shop- 
 I fish. The 
 narked by a 
 itish ensign 
 irt George, a 
 :h-bore guns 
 
SINGAPORE. 
 
 23 
 
 and a sentrj'-box, of very awe-inspiring aspect — 
 especially the sentry-box. 
 
 Our arrival was warmly welcomed at Penang as we 
 brought a large supply of vegetables, chiefly cabbages ; 
 these sell for a quarter or half a dollar each. This 
 reminds me that we have left the land of the rupee 
 and entered the realm of the Mexican dollar, value 
 3s. 4d. ; this currency holds good till we leave Japan 
 (the Japanese " yen " being equivalent to the Mexican 
 dollar) : the American coin is just now reckoned at 
 4s. 2d. ; but, of course, all these values are ruled by 
 the much-vexed " silver qyestion." 
 
 At 5 P.M. on the 4th, we weighed anchor and 
 steamed away to the south for Singapore. Our 
 course lay along the low, densely-wooded shore of 
 the Malay peninsula, and the hot land-breeze bore on 
 its heavy wing the damp, fetid odour of the mangrove 
 swamps which fringe the coast, and harbour snakes 
 and alligators as deadly and dangerous as those which 
 infest the lagoons of Florida or the bayous of New 
 Guinea. Heavy rain fell during the night, and at 
 day-light we began to pass many small islands, which 
 continued to break the coast-line till, at g.30 A.M., 
 we moored to the wharf at Singapore. 
 
 The long and intricate passage leading to the 
 harbour is very pretty, winding through clusters of 
 fairy islets, some uninhabited, others dotted with the 
 
 m 
 
 i ■ 
 
 K'fS 
 
i- 
 
 I 
 
 PIRATES. 
 
 pretty villas and summer-houses of the European 
 residents. The foundation cf red and yellow rock 
 from which these islands rise forms a striking contrast 
 to the bright verdure which clothes their summits. 
 
 As we entered the harbour a long low island was 
 pointed out in the offing, and we were told the 
 following story of the pirates (Malay and Chinese) 
 who still infest these narrow seas, and compel all 
 foreign vessels to carry arms, especially those manned 
 by Chinese crews. In the preceding; year an English 
 ship, while passing near the island above-mentioned, 
 was hailed by a large native vessel, the captain saying 
 he wanted water. The English captain told him to 
 send a ' at for it ; but the Malay said, in broken 
 English, that he would come alongside and send all 
 his men on board for a drink, " about two hundred," 
 so the Englishmen promptly steamed away. Shortly 
 before this a Penang vessel was boarded just outside 
 the harbour, the cargo plundered, the hull scuttled, 
 the crew killed and thrown overboard. An EngUsh 
 gun- boat came across the corpses floating on the waves, 
 and gave chase to the pirates, but the rascals reached 
 an island and escaped for a time into the dense 
 jungle, where they were afterwards captured by the 
 native Rajah, taken to Penang, tried, and executed. 
 There is a man now living in Singapore whose hands 
 were chopped off by pirates as he clung to their boat, 
 
 "^ 
 
i- 
 
 European 
 sUow rock 
 ig contrast 
 ummits. 
 island was 
 3 told the 
 I Chinese) 
 compel all 
 (se manned 
 an English 
 mentioned, 
 tain saying 
 old him to 
 
 in broken 
 id send all 
 » hundred," 
 y. Shortly 
 just outside 
 ill scuttled, 
 Vn English 
 1 the waves, 
 als reached 
 
 the dense 
 ired by the 
 i executed, 
 ^hose hands 
 > their boat. 
 
i 
 
 SINGAPORE. 
 
 25 
 
 and who was picked up insensible shortly afterwards 
 by our people. 
 
 A new fort is being built to defend the town and 
 harbour, which lie at the southern end of an island 
 twenty-seven miles long by fourteen in breadth, 
 divided by a narrow, tortuous strait from the 
 territory of the Sultan of Johore. The garrison 
 consists of six companies of a British infantry 
 regiment (the Buffs were there during our visit), 
 and a very fine body of Sikh police, who are 
 sufficiently well-paid to make the service popular 
 in spite of the dreaded sea-voyage. Shortly after 
 mooring we chartered a carriage of the same 
 description as those at Penang, very neat and 
 slightly gaudy, green fringe everywhere, yellow 
 tassels to red window-blinds, blue and white striped 
 cushions, and a purple "chowry" or fly-whisk, 
 tucked into the hat-straps under the roof. This 
 magnificent vehicle was drawn by a fast but wilful 
 pony which shied violently at starting, and no 
 wonder ! for the object of his fear was a very fat 
 woman voluminously draped in red and yellow, 
 waving her arms in a spasmodic attempt to jump 
 over a gutter. The small steed soon recovered 
 his eqmnimity, and we started on our voyage of 
 discovery. The road first passed through an ugly 
 mangrove-swamp, then, rising, became very pretty, 
 
 |: 
 
 I 
 
 M> 
 
 I 
 
 : M 
 
 ■■iM 
 
 v* 
 
 Stiii*fe^^- .V, 
 
 i 
 
i 
 
 1, 1'^ 
 
 ! 
 
 il 
 
 t' ;. 
 
 BOTANICAL GARDENS. 
 
 with groves of different palms of which the one 
 called "Traveller's Joy" is most peculiar ; the stem, 
 a smooth shaft of purest green, rises to the height 
 of thirty feet or more, and is crowned by a fan of 
 leaves, like those of the plantain, springing from the 
 top of the trunk, and so regularly disposed as to 
 have an artificial appearance; when the stem is 
 tapped fresh sweet water gushes out, hence its 
 
 name. 
 
 We passed the Tanglyn Barracks, occupied by the 
 Buffs, and following a pretty road metalled with red 
 stone or gravel and bordered with bright green turf 
 and neatly-trimmed cane hedges, eventually reached 
 the Botanical Gardens, of which Singapore is justly 
 proud. Well laid out, picturesquely planted and 
 beautifully kept, with many a strange tree and 
 gorgeous flower, these gardens would please a 
 Scotchman and enrapture a botanist. The turf 
 here, as everywhere in this all but equatorial island, 
 is most brilliantly green, and the foliage rampantly 
 luxuriant, as is but natural with a vertical sun and 
 almost daily rain-fall. In one corner of the gardens 
 is an orchid-house, consisting only of a roof to 
 protect the beautiful inmates from the tropical down- 
 pour, no walls being required to retain the heat ; 
 under this ornamental shed, for it is nothing more, 
 flourish many curious ferns and orchids. 
 
I the one 
 
 the stem, 
 
 the height 
 
 a fan of 
 
 g from the 
 
 >sed as to 
 
 le stem is 
 
 hence its 
 
 pied by the 
 sd with red 
 t green turf 
 illy reached 
 )re is justly 
 lantei and 
 : tree and 
 i please a 
 The turf 
 orial island, 
 ! rampantly 
 :al sun and 
 the gardens 
 a roof to 
 >pical down- 
 1 the heat ; 
 thing more, 
 
 
L 
 
 ■Utf 
 
 mmmm^- 
 
..i- 
 
 A TROPICAL SHOWER. 
 
 27 
 
 Two things only in this magnificent park did not 
 claim our admiration— the roses, which are very poor 
 and consumptive-lookinK'. and the furious rain ; 
 without warning the latter cut short our pleasant 
 wanderings and pitilessly drove us to the shelter of 
 our carriage, which was driven through the descend- 
 ing sheets of water along more well-kept roads, past 
 two-storeyed villas with deep verandahs, past 
 Government House, past long lines of wooden 
 dwellings, generally painted yellow or bright blue ; 
 we often caught tantalizing glimpses through the 
 rain of tea-shops and temples, bungalows and 
 bazaars ; we crossed streams on plank bridges, 
 snatched kaleidoscopic impressions of carved and 
 gilded Chinese doors, gray police-courts, brown and 
 terra-cotta restaurants, joss-houses, drinking-booths, 
 swarming • Chinese coolies, clattering jinrikshas, 
 chattering Malays, and dripping umbrellas of every 
 hue in or out of the rainbow, till at length we 
 crossed the gangway, and were glad to change our 
 soaked garments and rest our colour-wearied eyes in 
 the comfortable cabins of the Taisang. 
 
 The rain gave us that greatest of all boons in a 
 hot climate — a cool night and sound sleep. While 
 we were at breakfast a Spanish transport passed with 
 troops for Manila, and afterwards I went with one ot 
 the officers of the Taisang to the signal station on a 
 
 •mmm^^m^im 
 
28 
 
 ALLIGATORS. 
 
 ir. 
 
 hill above the wharf, whence we obtained a fine 
 view of the harbour and island. The bright blue 
 sea and luxuriant vegetation, frequently broken by 
 the brilliantly toned rocks, show that Chinese 
 colouring with its vivid tints and glaring contrasts is 
 far truer to nature than we are inclined to admit ; 
 the hues of soil, buildings, foliage, turf, and apparel 
 are all much more intense, I may say glaring, than 
 we are accustomed to see in our northern latitudes, 
 the sunshine more brilliant and the sky more blue. 
 
 The sluggish Singapore River crossed by three 
 wooden bridges runs through the town, its muddy 
 stream debouching into the feverish mangrove- 
 swamps where swarms of alligators make their home. 
 One of these monsters lately killed a Malay woman 
 at a small bathing-place on the bank, and was shot 
 next day by our fellow-passenger from Penang ; on 
 opening it one of its victim's arms was found and 
 recognised by a bracelet still round the wrist. 
 
 The original Malay inhabitants do not form half 
 of the present population, which is very largely 
 composed of Chinese, Madrassees, and their offspring 
 by native women, who are called respectively 
 " Babas " and " Klings " ; the latter— a miserable 
 set — appear to be universally despised. 
 
 The native boats are very quaint ; some stand so 
 high out of the water as to appear to float on, not in, 
 
 •iaeasiwwff^ifw 
 
h^ 
 
 led a fine 
 aright blue 
 broken by 
 t Chinese 
 :ontrasts is 
 to admit ; 
 nd apparel 
 aring, than 
 I latitudes, 
 ore blue. 
 I by three 
 its muddy 
 mangrove- 
 heir home, 
 lay woman 
 d was shot 
 enang; on 
 found and 
 rist. 
 
 : form half 
 jry largely 
 lir offspring 
 espectively 
 miserable 
 
 e stand so 
 on, not in, 
 
 SINGAPORE. 
 
 39 
 
 it; otheis are very fast sailers, their flat lateen 
 canvas enabling them to keep very close to the 
 wind : amongst these the Malay proas rank first for 
 speed, sea-worthiness, and rascality, for the pirates 
 always employ these • vessels. Many boats came 
 alongside laden with the queer shells one sees on 
 cottage chimney-pieces at home, also fine branches 
 of coral and huge sponges. The boatmen — all 
 Malays — are very clever in the management of 
 their awkward-looking craft, and paddle their barges 
 or canoes at a great pace, using double- bladed 
 paddles for the latter. 
 
 Singapore is said to be very healthy for children 
 and snakes — especially the latter, of which there are 
 many species, some most venomous. Amongst 
 these ^ the " hamadryad " is the most dreaded, 
 hanging from branches in the forest and striking 
 at the faces of passers-by. We also heard of 
 pythons thirty feet in length, but fortunately did 
 not meet any of these monsters — my personal 
 experience ,only extends to the musquiioes, which 
 were truly awful. 
 
 To-day we tasted mangosteens for the first time ; 
 this much-prized fruit is purple in colour, like a ripe 
 fig, with occasional greenish stripes, spherical, hard 
 as a cricket ball, and from two to three inches in 
 diameter ; a calyx of thick green lobes surrounds the 
 
 ;^ 
 
 1 
 
30 
 
 FRUIT. 
 
 base, and the apex is marked by a small rose-shaped 
 excrescence, the number of petals corresponding with 
 that of the divisions of the pulp within. The rind, 
 or shell, is very thick, and offers considerable 
 resistance to a knife ; it is deep madder-coloured 
 inside, and contrasts strongly with the pure pellucid 
 white of the pulp The flavour is peculiarly and 
 pleasantly aromatic, more resembling that of a good 
 custard-apple than anything else, and quite unlike 
 any English fruit. We took a supply of these on 
 board, as well as pine-apples and bananas, or 
 plantains, as they are invariably called in the East. 
 
 Singapore is also famous for a large fruit called 
 " doryan," which is described as hein^r h'. p iack- 
 fruit not only in size and appearance, . . A- 1 in 
 smell ; so we were glad to find that it V;^.: .lot in 
 season. 
 
 We took four hundred Chinese on board here, and 
 often watched them. Much of their time was passed 
 in playing cards, dice, or dominoes ; they are most 
 inveterate gamblers. Their meals also attracted 
 much attention; one party, or "mess," of eight 
 excited great interest when, after exchanging low 
 bows all round, they seated themselves on sturdy 
 bamboo stools round a small table ; a small basin of 
 rice was placed by each man's elbow, and then, with 
 much ceremony, the servant deposited a large bowl 
 
 ^ " i. ^.il.iM p ^L i tB^^ i ftj j ^iijft^V'Bj l ^ " 
 
ose-shaped 
 mding with 
 The rind, 
 onsiderable 
 er-coloured 
 ire pellucid 
 uliarly and 
 t of a good 
 uite unlike 
 )f these on 
 ananas, or 
 the East, 
 fruit called 
 iv. :■ p iack- 
 ; . J ) in 
 V;-..: .lot in 
 
 :d here, and 
 was passed 
 ly are most 
 3 attracted 
 ," of eight 
 langing low 
 3 on sturdy 
 lall basin of 
 1 then, with 
 I large bowl 
 
 QUEER COMPANY. 
 
 3' 
 
 of fish and meat mixed together in the centre. The 
 chop-sticks were used to pick pieces out of the bowl, 
 roll them in the rice, and then convey them to the 
 mouth, nothing being touched with the fingers. The 
 waiter frequently received a bonne bouche from the 
 chop-sticks of one or other of the party, and joined 
 freely in the conversation. 
 
 These Chinese fellow-passengers were a continual 
 source of interest and amusement ; their quaint faces, 
 queer customs, and peculiar occupations could be 
 studied at one's ease from the break of the poop. 
 The pig-tail is the cherished ornament of Chinese 
 manhood, and is worn in many fashions — hanging 
 down to the heels, twisted tightly round the head, 
 gracefully festooned round the neck, or bunched up 
 into a sausage-shaped chignon — while the colour of 
 the ribbon plaited into it tells a tale to the initiated ;. 
 black is used for ordinary occasiowa, red shows that 
 some good fortune has happened to the wearer, a son 
 born, a fortune achieved, or a danger escaped ; white 
 is the badge of mourning, and blue is the sign that 
 the '.vearer is "under a vow," either of pilgrimage 
 or fasting, or of some other religious observance. 
 Their hats were evidently collected from the dust- 
 heaps of Europe, though some of the more wealthy 
 wore the neat little national "biretta" with its 
 flower-shaped scarlet button that we see in Chinese 
 
 t 
 
 H 
 
1 
 
 32 
 
 HONG KONG. 
 
 m- 
 
 paintings, which looked much more suitable and 
 infinitely more artistic than the battered billy-cocks 
 and ragged straw hats of the majority. 
 
 One big very fat man had a fearful scar cutting 
 deep in between his ribs, and extending from his 
 spine to his arm-pit. He told me (through the ship's 
 Chinese cook who condescended to act as interpreter,) 
 that it was caused by a piece of bursting shell in an 
 engagement with pirates, and as only Government 
 vessels use shells, I concluded that he had been 
 one of the pirates. 
 
 We were told a very characteristic story of the 
 embarkation of a Chinese regiment lately. Each 
 man came on board carefully carr5'ing his umbrella, 
 pillow and fan ; but the rifles and belts were tied up 
 in bundles and flung into the hold anyhow ! 
 
 Nothing occurred to break the monotony of our 
 voyage : on the night of the 13th April we anchored 
 at the entrance to Hongkong harbour (which 
 vessels are not allowed to enter after dark without 
 a pilot), and waited for daylight to approach the 
 "City of Fragrant Streams," the poetical but 
 inappropriate translation of its name. All Chinese 
 names have a meaning, e.g. Shanghai is "near 
 the sea " ; Canton (properly " Quantung," ) 
 "City of Rams," or "City of the Genii"; Pekin 
 " Royal Throne." Hongkong, until lately, had an 
 
I 
 
 suitable and 
 i billy-cocks 
 
 scar cutting 
 ing from his 
 gh the ship's 
 interpreter,) 
 ; shell in an 
 Government 
 le had been 
 
 story of the 
 ately. Each 
 lis umbrella, 
 were tied up 
 
 otony of our 
 we anchored 
 bour (which 
 dark without 
 ipproach the 
 poetical but 
 All Chinese 
 lai is " near 
 Quantung," ) 
 ;nii " ; Pekin 
 tely, had an 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 33 
 
 unenviable reputation for unhea'thiness, which was 
 attributed to the malarious exhalations thrown off by 
 the disintegrated granite from the many excavations 
 in the hill-side ; these were consequently discontinued, 
 and the town became much more healthy, but 
 whether on this account or from the introduction of 
 purer water, is still a moot point with the doctors. 
 
 :;t 
 
 i. 
 
 v 
 
JL 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 CHINA. 
 
 HONGKONG — THE HOTEL — THE THEATKE — VICTORIA 
 PEAK — THE HAPPY VALLEY. 
 
 |T six o'clock on the following morning our 
 vessel was moored to the wharf at West 
 Point, and was immediately wedged in to 
 the jetty by a mass of queer-shaped junks of all fci^es, 
 from little toy- boats of five or six feet long, their 
 bows cocked up out of water by the weight of the 
 one man in the stern, to sea-going vessels of three or 
 four hundred tons — low-prowed, high-pooped, totter- 
 ing craft to look at, but capable of weathering a 
 typhoon which would inevitably destroy the most 
 scientifically built ship ever turned out of our 
 dockyards. While we were watching them, many 
 
 % 
 
 '■*-v 
 
-VICTORIA 
 
 morning our 
 larf at West 
 vedged in to 
 :s of all fei^es, 
 t long, their 
 'eight of the 
 Is of three or 
 )oped, totter- 
 veathering a 
 oy the most 
 out of our 
 them, many 
 
 ....;i<^.',*, 
 
" ",!^:= 
 
HONGKONG. 
 
 put out tr» sea for fishinp, each preluding its 
 <!(!parture by a discharpe of crackers in honour of 
 the V^ueen of Heaven, who is the goddess of sailors, 
 and whose image is erected in a niche at the stern of 
 every Chinese boat, while the bows are ornamented 
 with an immense pair of painted eyes ; the reason 
 given for the latter being, " If ship no have eye, then 
 how can see where go ? " 
 
 As soon as the fishing fleet had departed, we 
 landed for our first walk in China, and were 
 immediately beset by an army of jinriksha and 
 chair-men who crowded the Praya, or quay, along 
 which we strolled. There are several handsome 
 merchants" offices here, and a very pretty sailors' 
 church ; but what most interested us were the 
 crowds of Chmese with their quaint costumes and 
 quainter faces, and the hucksters' shops full of 
 strange fish and neat basket-work. We returned 
 on board for breakfast, and to bid adieu to the 
 Taisang and her pleasant officers. A couple of 
 jinrikshas soon took us to the Hongkong Hotel, 
 a very fine building managed by a most obliging 
 American, Mr. Horace Greeley, and admirably 
 managed too. A nasty drizzling rain fell all the 
 way, and our biped nags were obliged to put on 
 their waterproofs, which consisted of a sort of 
 Inverness cape made of straw tied at the neck and 
 
 D 2 
 
 ■il 
 
 is 
 
 * 
 
.1 
 
 36 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 round the waist ; on their heads they wore huge 
 cane hats, Hke umbrellas in size and shape, with a 
 small cane circle inside to fit the head, and two 
 handles cominp under the ears, and tied with strings 
 beneath the chin. These hats, which are generally 
 worn by the Chinese lower classes, are often three 
 feet in diameter, and their yellow glazed-calico 
 covering makes them look like travelling-bath 
 covers. In narrow streets these hats have to be 
 tilted on one side to enable the wearers to pass each 
 other ; the owner's name is frequently painted in 
 black or gilt characters on the roof. Many of the 
 principal shops and stores have pillared arcades 
 in front of them, especially those in Queen's Road, 
 the main thoroughfare running parallel to the Praya 
 but higher up the hill, here the colonnades are 
 almost continuous, giving a handsome appearance 
 to the street and protecting the pedestrian or flaneur 
 from sun and rain. 
 
 All the native shops, many of which are very 
 handsome, have long sign-boards hung perpendicu- 
 larly at their doors, painted some rich or brilliant 
 colour, and bearing the owner's name and trade in 
 gilt embossed Chinese letters. Jinrikshas and sedan- 
 chairs are innumerable ; but during the whole day 
 I only saw four ponies, three of which were saddled 
 (one for a lady), and one in the shafts of a small tea- 
 
 "r-r- 
 
.L 
 
 vore huge 
 pe, with a 
 , and two 
 'ith strings 
 : generally 
 •ften three 
 ized-calico 
 elling-bath 
 lave to be 
 pass each 
 painted in 
 iny of the 
 id arcades 
 sn's Road, 
 the Praya 
 inades are 
 ippearance 
 1 ov flaneur 
 
 I are very 
 )erpendicu- 
 or brilliant 
 id trade in 
 and sedan- 
 whole day 
 jre saddled 
 L small tea- 
 
 JACK ASHORE. 
 
 37 
 
 cart where it looked very unhappy. The scarcity jf 
 animals (except dogs) is one of the striking features 
 of Hongkong. 
 
 It was most amusing to see a lot of English man- 
 of-war's men going about in jinrikshas, singing, 
 cheering, and larking. They were always in pairs, 
 and never seemed to consider themselves quite safe 
 unless one had hold of the coolie's pigtail, which the 
 said coolie seemed thoroughly to understand. I 
 watched two stalwart tars embarking in one of these 
 conveyances ; as soon as they were seated, and the 
 coolie had picked up the shafts, one of them hailed 
 him with, " Tug ahoy ! Pass the tow-line aft ! " on 
 which the grinning Chinaman handed the end of his 
 plait to one of his passengers, and they started on 
 their voyage. 
 
 The Queen's Road is crossed at frequent intervals 
 by side-streets affording pretty peeps of the harbour 
 and shipping on one hand, while on the other they 
 become wooded lanes leading steeply upwards in the 
 direction of Victoria Peak, and give many a quaint 
 view of the upper town built in steps on terraces cut 
 in the foot slopes of the hill. Some of the houses 
 have most picturesque projecting or overhanging 
 wooden balconies, carved in all the lavish profusion 
 of Chinese decorative art, often brilliantly painted, 
 and all looking clean a-id bright in spite of the damp. 
 
 itr 
 
 1 
 
 !t^' 
 
 1 u 
 
 lis 
 
 if 
 it 
 
 .;• 
 
L 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 dull day. One of the strange street sights was a pig 
 being carried on a man's back in a bolster-shaped 
 basket, out of the ends of which his head and tail 
 hung in a ludicrously helpless way. At dinner we 
 had frog curry, which was decidedly good ; with the 
 curry a china tray was handed round, divided into 
 compartments filled with strange condiments, several 
 sorts of chutnee, Bombay ducks, green ginger, 
 almonds, onion chips, dried and ground cocoa-nut, 
 walnuts, cloves of garlic, and mace. The waiters 
 were, of course, all Chinese, dressed in blue night- 
 gowns, black skull-caps with small red buttons, loose 
 blue trousers, white socks and the usual black cloth 
 shoes, with thick, noiseless, white felt soles. I 
 should think these shoes would be admirable wear 
 for attendants in ;i sick room. Punkahs hung 
 overhead, but were not needed yet ; in fact, one 
 never-failing source of astonishment to us was the 
 coolness and comfort of Hongkong as compared 
 with Calcutta at this season, although the latter 
 is the more northerly of the two places. 
 
 We paid many pleasant visits, and received many 
 kind invitations during our stay ; but certainly the 
 most amusing of our experiences was an evening 
 at the Chinese theatre, on the i6th April. Before 
 visiting any of these places of public amusment 
 it is usual to give notice through the authorities, as 
 
 ^■■■'iiiTittimniKM 
 
L 
 
 ^iSfti 
 
 was a pigf 
 ter-shaped 
 d and tail 
 dinner we 
 ; with the 
 vided into 
 its, several 
 m ginger, 
 cocoa-nut, 
 he waiters 
 )lue night- 
 tons, loose 
 >lack cloth 
 soles. I 
 rable wear 
 :ahs hung 
 I fact, one 
 IS was the 
 compared 
 the latter 
 
 ived many 
 rtainly the 
 n evening 
 il. Before 
 amusment 
 lorities, as 
 
 r.OrNG TO TIIF. THKATRE. 
 
 39 
 
 the onliiiiiry perforniances have to be ccasiderably 
 " Howdlorized " before they are fit for production 
 l)tfore Western Harbarians. especially if there are 
 any ladies in the party. I nueil hardly say that 
 this refers to the action, ami not to the dialogue, 
 which, of course, is utterly unintelligible to all 
 foreigners but those who. from close study and long 
 practice, have ti istered this uwM diftirult of 
 existing language:. I had called on the gentleman 
 who tills the office of dramatic censor, ami who most 
 kindly and courteously ,-: )mis d to send one of his 
 native subordinates to be ur cicc ne, .; prior 
 engagement preventing him from cc ing himself; 
 accordingly, at 9 p.m. a card wa brought to our 
 table in the hotel dining- "\ bearing the gend, 
 "Wat Fak-tai, Kegistrai Gl eral's Department," 
 and was followed by a very dignified Chinaman, who 
 appeared to wear the same common blue night-gown 
 and cap as our waiters, though feminine opinion 
 decided that the materials were very much more 
 costly, and the " cut " moie elaborate, while on his 
 sleeves his crest or badge was embroidered in gold. 
 Starting in the ubiquitous jinnkshas, our party of 
 five proceeded at racing pace through the sloppy 
 streets, up hills and down alleys, over bridges and 
 under arcltwu • , ?mongst puddles, pigtails, and paper 
 lanterns— till . ; length we reached a dimly-lightt-.f 
 
 1 J 
 
 I ■: 
 
 » i n 
 
-<'^-^t^\ 1 
 
 I; 
 
 ! \ 
 
 1 
 
 
 . L 
 
 40 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 entrance, where we left our conveyances and 
 ascended a bare stone stairway with iron railings. 
 Passing through a tortuous passage we were shown 
 into a " private box " in the gallery, facing the stage, 
 and provided with a dozen cane-bottomed arm-chairs. 
 Directly beneath us was the pit, or rather parterre, 
 and on each side were lower galleries, all densely 
 packed with shaven-pated and pigtailed Chinese in 
 their sombre dark-blue or black garments. The 
 side-galleries are the cheapest parts of the auditorium, 
 and contained the "gods." Many of the audience 
 smoked pipes or cigarettes throughout the perform- 
 ance, and most were provided with fans; but all 
 were very quiet and well-behaved, and the Chinese 
 tobacco is so light that the ladies of our party were 
 not in the least incommoded by it. 
 
 Directly in front of us was the stage, occupying one 
 entire side of the large square building, the wall above 
 being decorated with gilt scrolls, dragons, and other 
 monsters in plaster ; some of the audience (perhaps 
 friends of the actors) stood or squatted on each side 
 of the stage itself, and a Sikh policeman's scarlet 
 turban and silver-plated badge formed a point of 
 colour amid the dark groups. In the centre was a 
 soi : of kiosk, or canopy, with two flaring, unshaded 
 gas-lights of five burners each hanging in front of it ; 
 these were the only lights in the house. The stage 
 
 '>^^iiiiil^-- 
 
 ■«iii i> 1—1111)1 f 
 
 I ^ 
 
 H 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
. L 
 
 nces and 
 n railings, 
 ere shown 
 the stage, 
 irm-chairs. 
 sr parterre, 
 ill densely 
 Chinese in 
 ^nts. The 
 uditorium, 
 i audience 
 2 perform- 
 3 ; but all 
 e Chinese 
 party were 
 
 upying one 
 wall above 
 
 and other 
 e (perhaps 
 I each side 
 n's scarlet 
 I point of 
 itre was a 
 
 unshaded 
 "ront of it ; 
 The stage 
 
 umlMH I HPn iiii— l iii j I It" 
 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
 / / 
 
 / / ; 
 
 / i 
 
 I ' 
 
 f 
 I 
 
 /.( / IS*- J 
 
 
 W,f„/i '- 
 
, V'W"''' 
 
 ,1 I 
 
 
THE THEATRE. 
 
 41 
 
 was covered with squares of dirty matting, and under 
 the kiosk sat the musicians, armed with fifes, guitars, 
 drums, a cow's horn and a huge pair of brass cymbals, 
 which played a conspicuous part in the performance, 
 and seemed to fill up the gap whenever an actor 
 missed his cue or forgot his part. Open doors at the 
 back of the orchestra communicated with the green- 
 room, and served for the exits and entrances, though 
 the actors frequently varied this by merely mixing 
 with the side-groups on the stage. The kiosk' had a 
 carved and gilded fagade like a shop-front, and the 
 stage-properties consisted only of two small rough 
 plain deal tables and two rush-bottomed chairs, some 
 sticks, and strips of coloured calico. 
 
 As our eyes became more accustomed to the dim 
 light, we saw that the side-galleries were almost 
 exclusively occupied by women and children. During 
 the greater part of the performance the fifes and 
 guitars kept up a monotonous recitative in a minor 
 key, broken at intervals by the banging of the drums 
 and the deafening clash of the cymbals, which com- 
 pletely drowned the voices of the actors. Many of 
 these wore huge and most palpably false beards, and 
 one (I beHeve he represented an executioner) had his 
 face chalked or painted ash-colour, like the King of 
 Terrors in a mediaeval picture. They all spoke in 
 a high, monotonous falsetto, which occasionally broke 
 
 m iii 
 
 iif-iVi-9!\Rf^5;fc«Ka."- 
 
HONGKONG. 
 
 down into a growl. The ** scenery " was changed by 
 coolies, and consisted in several re-arrangements of 
 the two chairs and tables, which were sometimes 
 covered with red or green cloth, and in altering the 
 coloured strips of calico on the sticks, each strip 
 bearing the name of the scene in gilt Chinese 
 characters, such as " Battle-field," " Garden," 
 " Emperor's Palace," " Road to Pekin," &c. The 
 chief characters were a father and mother, their son 
 (the Hero), the Emperor and his courtiers, and two 
 rival generals, besides a host of " supers " — soldiers, 
 attendants, officials, nuns, and others. 
 
 The play begins in the hero's home, and he appears 
 as a youth of eighteen or so, the " child of poor but 
 honest parents," from whom he is torn by two ruffians 
 of ferocious aspect, who are crimps collecting recruits 
 for the Imperial Army. The audience expressed 
 great disapprobation of this high-handed proceeding, 
 and groaned at the crimps heartily. 
 
 As soon as their son has disappeared, the parents 
 indulge in the usual conjugal recriminations. The 
 mother announces her intention to commit suicide, 
 and for this purpose ascends a lofty rock (consisting 
 of one of the chairs put on a table), and the father is 
 so horror-struck that he falls fainting on the ground, 
 or perhaps he does it to avoid interfering with his 
 wife's meritorious intention. However, the latter. 
 
 **«w- 
 
i changed by 
 ngements of 
 2 sometimes 
 altering the 
 ;, each strip 
 gilt Chinese 
 ♦' Garden," 
 ,'• &c. The 
 ler, their son 
 jrs, and two 
 i " — soldiers, 
 
 id he appears 
 of poor but 
 1 two ruffians 
 :ting recruits 
 ;e expressed 
 i proceeding, 
 
 , the parents 
 itions. The 
 nmit suicide, 
 k (consisting 
 the father is 
 1 the ground, 
 ing with his 
 r, the latter. 
 
THE THEATRE. 
 
 woman-like, takes a mean advantage of her husband's 
 insensibility, descends from the terrible rock, and 
 disappears round the corner ; that is, she joined the 
 audience at one side of the stajje, where she sat down 
 and had a smoke. 
 
 The scene then changes (by the simple plan of sub- 
 stituting a fresh strip of calico) to a battle-field ; the 
 Emperor is seen addressing his Generals, but promptly 
 disappears before the commencement of the fight, 
 which is waged with fearful slaughter, the armies 
 being represented by four men in bell-shaped helmets 
 and red coats, six in chintz uniforms, six in yellow 
 and red, and a few in blue and red. The General^ 
 are gorgeously got up in very handsomely- 
 embroidered long robes, loose girdles, full red silk 
 trousers and white felt shoes, large brass or gilt 
 helmets like young pagodas, with broad discs like 
 brass shovels behind the ears, and wings on their 
 shoulders to mark their high rank. Each General 
 raises his left foot as high as he can, and then gives 
 a great kick up with his right. This acrobatic 
 performance is so frequently repeated during the play 
 that we ask Mr. Pak-tai to explain it ; and he tells us 
 that it represents " getting topside of horse." The 
 battle commences by the rival armies marching round 
 each other for some time in concentric circles, utter- 
 ing a babel of sounds — squeaks, howls, and screams, a 
 
 V I. 
 
 \ : 
 
 iil 
 
 
44 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 iS 
 
 melange of peacocks, cats, jackals, crows and ravens — 
 to the accompaniment of the " full band ; " then each 
 General kills all the other's men, and a terrific single 
 combat ensues between the survivors, who hack at 
 each other fiercely, with two or three pirouettes 
 between each blow. At length one of the Generals 
 is wounded, and is about to receive the coup de grace 
 when in the very nick of time the hero rushes in, 
 receives the blow on his shield, and finishes the battle 
 and the enemy by giving the rebel leader a tremendous 
 poke in the region of the commissariat (tremendous 
 applause from, the audience). All, including the slain, 
 join in a triumphal march, and " exeunt " through 
 the doors at the back. The scene next changes (in 
 the same simple style as before) to a nunnery, into 
 which the hero's mother has been received. She 
 appears accompanied by an attendant nun, and after 
 some conversation, in which they appear to advocate 
 an advanced version of "Woman's Rights," her 
 husband comes in to pray at the shrine to which the 
 nunner>' is attached. He goes to the altar and 
 presents his prayer, written on a long strip of lucky 
 red paper, and subsides into meditation. The wife 
 takes the prayer from the altar, reads it, and 
 recognises her husband ! They are on the point of 
 rushing into each other's arms when the attendant 
 nun reminds her mistress of her convent vows, and 
 
 TT- 
 
<l:t.illt.jimt-M' 
 
 ind ravens — 
 ; " then each 
 terrific single 
 who hack at 
 le pirouettes 
 the Generals 
 coup de grace 
 
 rushes in, 
 les the battle 
 
 1 tremendous 
 (tremendous 
 ing the slain, 
 nt " through 
 
 changes (in 
 unnery, into 
 ;eived. She 
 m, and after 
 ' to advocate 
 lights," her 
 o which the 
 s altar and 
 rip of lucky 
 I. The wife 
 ads it, and 
 :he point of 
 e attendant 
 it vows, and 
 
 
 r- 
 
 T • 
 
 not BDo or Tm tbuitbicai. pimi. 
 
 saf-fWifimwaMiBSJS 
 
b 
 
 THE THKATRK. 
 
 45 
 
 the re-attached couple part with tears and howls of a 
 truly heart-rending description. 
 
 Scene IV. — Enter the hero in the Rorfjeous 
 costume of a Mandarin, to which rank he has bt-en 
 elevated by the Emperor for savinj,' his General's life ; 
 he is followed by an attendant who carries a lofty, 
 cylindrical, crimson silk umbrella over his head. 
 He takes his seat on a sort of throne to receive 
 petitions, a large notice over his head bearing the 
 Chinese equivalent for "Court of Justice," in gold 
 characters on a scarlet ground. By-the-bye, this 
 sitting down was quite one of the points of the play, 
 and caused fresh amusement each time the hero 
 repeated it. The movements were very sudden and 
 jerky, and as if done by machinery, or at a word of 
 command " by numbers," as a drill-sergeant would 
 say : " one," draw up in front of chair ; " two," drop 
 on to seat ; " three," jerk up again ; " four," spread 
 knees very wide ; " five," retake scat ; " six," sprawl 
 out feet sideways as far as they will reach. His 
 mother enters to present a petition several yards 
 long, and flops about the stage in a most laughable 
 manner, presumably to show her shyness and 
 emotion at finding herself in the august presence of 
 the Mandarin, on whom she always turns her back ! 
 Two attendants try to put her straight, but she 
 jumps and kicks and squeals like ;i pig whenever 
 
 in 
 
 i-. 
 
 Ife^^- 
 
HON(JKON0. 
 
 they touch her, till at Ienj,'th they drop both her and 
 the attempt, and she is bundled out of court, while 
 her petition is handed to her son. He comes to the 
 front of the stape and sits on a chair, with his feet 
 turned out as if he were trying to do a "spread 
 eagle" on skates, and begins to read the scroll. 
 Evidently the writing is not copper-plate, for he 
 months, shouts, gesticulates wildly, and jumps up 
 and stjuats down again when he comes to an extra 
 hard word. Just as he succeeds in mastering the 
 contents of the paper, his parents enter together ; 
 he recognizes them and prostrates himself at their 
 feet, to the evident consternation of his followers, 
 who think their lord must be decidedly cracked to 
 behave thus to such a very common-looking couple. 
 However, all ends well, with a general recognition, 
 embraces, and a " walk round " for the whole party; 
 the performance concluding with the bastinado and 
 execution of the two crimps who had ventured to 
 enlist a future Mandarin, and who come on the 
 scene just in time for the ends of justice and 
 themselves. 
 
 Many of the dresses were very handsome, both in 
 material, colour, and embroidery ; the mother (who, 
 like all the other female characters, was a man,) 
 wore a sort of paletot of yellow satin, on which large 
 claret-velvet stars were appliques with gold thread ; 
 
 c 
 c 
 c 
 \ 
 
 r 
 I 
 
 c 
 
 cl 
 a 
 L 
 i] 
 s 
 n 
 o 
 
 tj 
 it 
 a 
 
 P 
 
 -■!' -«"*■*'■»— >-a-'.'-,ifrn 
 
 "rnrrfrmrifai 
 
3()th her and 
 court, while 
 comes to the 
 A'ith his feet 
 a " spread 
 I the scroll, 
 ilate, for he 
 id jumps up 
 to an extra 
 astering the 
 it together ; 
 iself at their 
 is followers, 
 ' cracked to 
 king couple, 
 recognition, 
 /hole party; 
 stinado and 
 ventured to 
 ame on the 
 justice and 
 
 me, both in 
 lother (who, 
 vas a man,) 
 which large 
 old thread; 
 
 THE THKATRK. 
 
 47 
 
 lavishly-embroidered epaulettes over long loose white 
 sleeves matching the white skirt ; hair drawn off 
 the face autl plaited in many tails, which were 
 confined by a large gilt clasp or brooch put on 
 lengthways at the back of her head; large ear-rings ; 
 very highly-rouged cheeks ; long nails, and squeaky 
 falsetto voice. This costume was slightly altered 
 by changmg the white sleeves ami jiipott for blue 
 ones when she became a nun. During the second 
 courtship she wore the ordinary blue gown of the 
 country with a collar in several rows of large 
 Vandykes— blue outlined in gold and pale pink — 
 reaching down to the shoulders, and loose hair. 
 Her last dress of all was a robe of honour, a mass 
 of bright colours and gold embroidery. The son's 
 dress, on becoming a Mandafin, was very handsome, 
 a loose long gown, presumably of white satin ground, 
 bearing an elaborate complication of large gay roses 
 in gold and looking-glass, framing a many-ruyed 
 scarlet sun on the breast, a hundred-eyed pe.ii;ock in 
 natural colours on the lower part of the square front, 
 or apron, and other brilliant monsters on the back. 
 
 The audience were exceedingly well-behaved ; 
 they laughed heartily at many jokes which perhaps 
 it was as well we could not understand, and 
 applauded frequently by waving their fans and clap- 
 ping their hands. Trays of refreshments were 
 
 ««P«0»Sira!5T=« 
 
 4m0i^f^ 
 
HONGKONG. 
 
 continually carried about amongst the crowd, which 
 left in a quiet and orderly manner at the conclusion 
 of the performance. We followed some Chinese 
 ladies out, and watched the " small-footed ones " 
 being picked up on their attendants' backs, carried 
 over the mud, and popped into their litters. Their 
 dresses seemed to be the universal black and blue 
 robes, but their coiffures diifered ; some wore large pins 
 at the side of the chignon, others had white horse- 
 shoe shaped head-dresses attached to the back of the 
 head with bunches of very stiff artificial flowers set 
 low on each side. There were many children in the 
 theatre, looking like queer miniatures of their parents, 
 in exact imitation of whose dresses their little clothes 
 were made. The indispensable fan, when not in use, 
 was stuck under the collar of the robe at the back of 
 the neck. 
 
 On the 17th April we visited the Public Garden 
 which, in point of beautiful position, luxuriant foliage 
 and glowing wealth of blossom, is a veritable Garden 
 of Eden. The rank, jungly look of tropical vegetation 
 is conspicuously absent. The azaleas were past their 
 finest bloom, but some bushes still showed masses of 
 white, pink, lilac, and crimson blossoms, while the 
 various lilies were in the full pride of their stately 
 beauty. We went on to the Kennedy Road, a wide, 
 level, and admirably kept promenade cut out of the 
 
 ■--■«toa.n»»iti^ ;L^L.u.A..:M.^'M'Ma!«»-'Ti'; . ! i!^^ 
 
owd, which 
 conclusion 
 ne Chinese 
 oted ones " 
 :ks, carried 
 ers. Their 
 :k and blue 
 re large pins 
 'hite horse- 
 back of the 
 flowers set 
 Idren in the 
 leir parents, 
 ittle clothes 
 1 not in use, 
 the back of 
 
 ilic Garden 
 iant foliage 
 ble Garden 
 1 vegetation 
 :e past their 
 d masses of 
 i, while the 
 leir stately 
 >ad, a wide, 
 ; out of the 
 
 -rSiSSSt^mSiSi^'- 
 
 .sli»^'" 
 
^0' 
 
 i 
 
 BUILDINGS. 
 
 49 
 
 bill-side well above the town, of which and the 
 harbour it commands a beautiful panorama. Many 
 sorts of pines, shrubs, tree- and other ferns grow on 
 the banks and below the road, especially near the 
 Royal Artillery Mess-house, from which one of the 
 best views is obtained ; but the finest of all is from 
 the upper verandah of Government House. At 
 night, when town and harbour are outlined by the 
 numerous lamps and the vessels show their thousand 
 scintillating lights, the scene is quite fairy-like. By- 
 the-by, Government House presented a very pleasant 
 and English appearance after the bare cold walls and 
 drab-matted floors of Calcutta. We came down the 
 hill past the fine three-storeyed Murray Barracks, 
 and found the Northamptonshire (58th) Regiment at 
 drill on their cramped parade-ground ; but they and 
 we were soon driven to shelter from a heavy shower, 
 which we succeeded in escaping in Ah-Fong's photo- 
 graphic establishment, where we saw many good 
 " proofs " of Eastern success in Western art. 
 
 The d;i\' following was Sunday, and we attended 
 morning service in the Cathedral ; a very bare build- 
 ing both as regards decoration and congregation, and 
 therefore presenting a marked contrast to the Calcutta 
 Cathedral in which we last heard service. The organ 
 was fairly played, and the singing pretty good. Two 
 young Chinese were present, one in the body of the 
 
 It; M 
 
:-»!ifC 
 
 50 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 \i'^ 
 
 Cathedral, and the other -'n the chancel with some 
 English school-boys. In the afternoon we went up 
 Victoria Peak, the highest point of the ridge which 
 forms the backbone of the island. The road is 
 excellent, and easily rideable with tolerable ponies ; 
 but the Chinese animals are said to be bad for any 
 but level ground, as they trip when going up-hill, and 
 drag their hind feet in descending anything like a 
 steep place. The pretty harbour and dockyard called 
 Aberdeen look well from the Peak. We crossed 
 the watershed at the " Gap," and looked down on 
 the other side of the island to the fishing village of 
 Pokfoolum and the many islets stretching away to 
 th° far horizon, some dotted with cottages, others 
 marked by the solitary summer residence of some 
 Mandarin ; but the greater number were uninhabited 
 and even un-named. The views on all sides from 
 this vantage-ground are very beautiful sea-scapes, 
 and, fortunately, the afternoon was tolerably clear for 
 the first time since our arrival. 
 
 We found the wind on the Peak very chilly ; the 
 thermometer is usually from six to nine degrees lower 
 than in the town, 1,200 feet below, and punkahs are 
 never required. The slopes are very steep, t < vered 
 vath coarse grass from which the granite-ioi,k con- 
 tinually crops up. Trees are gradually clothing the 
 hill-sides, but they are all hand-planted, and there 
 
 
A, 
 
 with some 
 ve went up 
 ridge which 
 'he road is 
 ble ponies ; 
 jad for any 
 up-hill, and 
 hing like a 
 kyard called 
 A^e crossed 
 id down on 
 g village of 
 ng away to 
 .ges, others 
 ce of some 
 uninhabited 
 sides from 
 sea-scapes, 
 bly clear for 
 
 chilly ; the 
 igrees lower 
 unkahs are 
 ep, < rvered 
 e-io^,k con- 
 lothing the 
 , and there 
 
 PUBLIC GARDENS. 
 
 51 
 
 were none on the island until we took possession of 
 it. A tramway is being made from the town to the 
 Peak, up which carriages will be drawn by a stationary 
 engine, and thus render the houses on the ridge more 
 accessible. 
 
 The band of the 58th played in the Public Gardens 
 from 9 to 10 o'clock in the evening ; the music was 
 very good, but an accompaniment of very loud and 
 deep-voiced frogs from the neighbouring fountain had 
 a rather strange effect ! The grounds were illumi- 
 nated by Chinese lanterns, which threw their softened 
 light on a motley assemblage of soldiers, sailors, 
 and civilians, European and Indian, Chinese and 
 Japanese. Several women of both these latter nations 
 were present, and were mainly distinguishable by 
 their nether garments, the Chinese belles wearing 
 loose trousers, while the Japanese had skirtr^. The 
 sailors represented most of the Western sea- faring 
 races, and when the band stopped the Babel- 
 mixture of tongues was very striking. 
 
 On the 19th we engaged our cabin on board the 
 P. and O. steamship Thibet, starting for Japan on the 
 25th. These- P. and O. vessels sail alternately with 
 the Messageries Maritimes, the two lines carrying the 
 weekly mail to Japan. We also went to see the 
 " Happy^Valley," a small plain surrounded by hills. 
 The former, which is by no means pretty, forms the 
 
 £ 2 
 
 I! !• 
 
 '■■ i 
 
 
 ■ v 
 
 1 
 
 > 
 
 1' ' " > 
 
 ■4 
 
 > 
 
 
 .5-1 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 ^1 
 
 
'Mg?v: 
 
 f W^BjSil lSSIiWMiiffi: 
 
 52 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 race-course of Hongkong; and on the slopes of 
 the latter are the cemeteries — Protestant, Catholic, 
 Mussulman and Parsee. The Protestant burial- 
 ground is very beautiful, and is, in fact, a well- 
 kept landscape-garden laid out in terraces, with 
 shrubberies and flower-beds, palms and evergreens, 
 amongst which the carefully-tended tombs lose their 
 griinness without forfeiting their solemnity. 
 
 The earlier graves are placed close together, but 
 those of later date are scattered about in picturesque 
 nooks and corners, which show refined taste and 
 loving care in the selection. Over some of the head- 
 stones and memorial crosses a beautiful white passion- 
 flower is trained, with a very happy effect. The 
 Roman Catholic enclosure is not so neat or pretty, 
 which is unusual. The Naval Hospital is well-placed 
 on a height over-looking the valley, and is approached 
 by a picturesque and shady road. 
 
 Some sports were in progress on the Mall, to 
 which the Sikhs of the police-force and Lascars of 
 the Artillery gave quite an Indian flavour. 
 
 The road along the hill above West Point passes 
 many good private residences, with beautiful terraced 
 flower gardens. Some of these houses have queer 
 names ; one, at which we joined a merry dinner- 
 party, was called " Typhoon Top-side." Here I 
 heard a very interesting account of the death of the 
 
; slopes of 
 it, Catholic, 
 :ant burial- 
 ct, a well- 
 races, with 
 evergreens, 
 IS lose their 
 
 ty. 
 
 igether, but 
 picturesque 
 1 taste and 
 of the head- 
 lite passion- 
 ifect. The 
 L or pretty, 
 I well-placed 
 approached 
 
 fie Mall, to 
 Lascars of 
 
 *oint passes 
 iful terraced 
 have queer 
 :rry dinner- 
 " Here I 
 leath of the 
 

 JL 
 
 KOWLOON. 
 
 53 
 
 Prince Irnperiul given b}- an officer who was much 
 attached to him, and who was the first to find the 
 body. The Prince was a pfood horsnman, and 
 remarkably quick at mounting ; on this occasion he 
 was riding a very fidgety horse, and when the alarm 
 was given he clutched at the holsters, which came 
 away as the horse swerved from him, and the few 
 seconds' delay thus caused was fatal. All his wounds 
 were received in front, proving that he died a true 
 soldier's death — facing the (oe. 
 
 One of our mornings when the rain was less than 
 usual was spent in visiting Kowloon, a small peninsula 
 on the opposite side of the harbour, and the only bit 
 of the mainland belonging to us in this neighbour- 
 hood. Here there are some pretty villas, and a very 
 fine building of grey stone occupied by the Harbour 
 Police. The city and beautiful harbour with their 
 mountainous background are well seen from this point, 
 but the bitter cold wind (on the 20th April !) prevented 
 our staying long to enjoy the view. On our return we 
 passed under the bows of H.M.S. Sapphire, the 
 Admiral's flag-ship, which is painted white, as are all 
 our men-of-war on this station, and, in fact, east of 
 the Mediterranean. 
 
 In the afternoon we prowled about the Chinese 
 shops, and at one I examined some native swords ; 
 these were very heavy, sharp as razors, and apparentlj 
 
 !■♦: 
 
 ■ i 
 . .4 
 
 a. 
 
54 
 
 HONGKONG. 
 
 well ternpt.ved, but badly balanced ; the hilts have 
 no guards, and are very long— evidently for use with 
 both hands. The prices asked were enormous — one 
 hundred dollars (nearly ^^17) for a very common 
 weapon, and three times as much for one little better. 
 
hilts have 
 ir use with 
 nous — one 
 y common 
 ttle better. 
 
 HOMO-EORe POUOK, OHimu AHD BIKH. 
 
V • 
 
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 ^ 
 
^'1 
 
 CHAPTER IV.— CHINA. 
 
 CANTON— THE RIVER— THE CITY— SHOPS, TEMPLES 
 
 AND PAGODAS — FORTIFICATIONS — HORRORS 
 
 — EXECUTIONS— CHINESE LADIES. 
 
 IN the 2ist we left Hong Kong in the Ameri- 
 can-planned but Chinese-built river steamer 
 White Cloud for Canton, as we wished much 
 to see a real, typical, Chinese City, and all agree in 
 saying that Canton answers that description as fully 
 even as Pekin, with the advantage of being much more 
 accessible. The White Cloud was named after the 
 mountain which forms the principal object in Chinese 
 paintings of Canton, and which is almost as great an 
 object of veneration to the people of the Southern 
 Province as Fuji-ydma to the Japanese. Our vessel 
 had a large saloon with couches round its sides, a small 
 ladies' cabin, and an all-pervading and overpowering 
 
 teSJ 
 
WJMMWWWIW teau^. 
 
 56 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 smell of opium from the many Chinese passengers. 
 Our course led us through a many-islanded sea to the 
 wide, low-banked mouth of the Canton River, which 
 we entered after dark. I believe we reached the 
 landing-stage at i A.M., and I know that soon after 
 day-break we were aroused by a strange crackling 
 sound, to find ourselves moored to the left bank of a 
 muddy, slow-flowing stream, about as wide as the 
 Thames at Westminster Bridge, and studded with 
 thousands of quaint, antediluvian craft from the large 
 sea-going junks with their three masts and huge sails 
 of heavy matting, distended and reefed by eight or 
 ten transverse bamboos, to the little " sampans," or 
 slipper-boats, as they are called by Europeans. These 
 are just like a shoe, the toe (bow) sometimes tipped 
 with brass, and almost resting on the water, while 
 the stern, like a fashionable lady's heel, stands up in 
 absurd disproportion ; the whole is roofed with three 
 matting covers on arched wooden frames, which slide 
 into each other, and complete the likeness to a lady's 
 slipper. Under the high-raised roof aft stand the 
 rowers, usually the captain of the craft and his wife, 
 sometimes wife and daughter, or a couple of the latter, 
 for these girls are all expert rowers. Some of the 
 larger craft were driven by a single paddle-wheel at 
 the stern, worked by the feet of sixteen or twenty 
 men, and all had immense rudders pierced like ship's 
 
 ■■^Jjjii^J^VifiiPE^r 
 
lese passengers, 
 anded sea to the 
 on River, which 
 we reached the 
 V that soon after 
 ;range crackHng 
 le left bank of a 
 as wide as the 
 id studded with 
 ft . from the large 
 ts and huge sails 
 efed by eight or 
 e " sampans," or 
 uropeans. These 
 ometimes tipped 
 the water, while 
 leel, stands up in 
 roofed with three 
 ames, which slide 
 keness to a lady's 
 3of aft stand the 
 raft and his wife, 
 >uple of the latter, 
 rs. Some of the 
 e paddle-wheel at 
 ixteen or twenty 
 pierced like ship's 
 
I- 
 
 I.' 
 
THE RIVER. 
 
 57 
 
 gratings, while the small boats were steered by sculls 
 most skilfully managed. Every vessel, large and 
 small alike, had an eye painted on each side of the 
 bow, and a little shrine aft containing an image of 
 the Queen of Heaven, with a joss-stick burning in 
 front of the idol ; the noise which had aroused 
 us so early was caused by the crackers let off to pro- 
 pitiate the goddess before commencing the labours of 
 the day. The average number of craft of all sizes in 
 the Canton River is estimated at ten thousand ; but 
 it is quite impossible for a mere spectator to pro- 
 nounce on the accuracy of this calculation, as the 
 vessels are perpetually crossing and re-crossing, 
 darting out of sight and re-appearing, massing, dis- 
 persing and circling like water-beetles on a pool. 
 
 On our arrival a message had been sent on shore 
 to secure the services of Archdeacon Gray's old 
 servant, " Ah Cum," reputed to be the best guide 
 here; but he had been retained by Prince Louis 
 Napoleon, so he could only come on board to present 
 his elaborate ivory ticket, pay his respects, express 
 his regrets in very fair English, and introduce his 
 substitute, who rejoiced in the name of " Ah Poo " 
 and the brains of a fool ; but, unfortunately, we did 
 not find out the latter fact until it was too late to 
 change. 
 
 On landing we found sedan-chairs waitiny for us, 
 with heavy roofs and curtains which we at once 
 
 Wl'T 
 
 k 
 
 Niiilii 
 
 ^^. 
 
58 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 abolished on account of their obstructing,' the view. 
 Ah Poo stronfjfl)- objected to this, but, as his com- 
 mand of EngHsh was only slightly greater than our 
 knowledge of Chinese, we could not comprehend his 
 arguments, but stuck to our own arrangement. It 
 was afterwards explained to us that we were really 
 rash in removing the covers, as the Chinese might 
 have taken our doing so for bravado, and in that case 
 ill-treatment and very possibly death would have 
 been the consequence ! We did not understand the 
 risk we ran until we got into the lower quarters, or 
 '• back streets," and there, I confess, I felt uncomfort- 
 able, with a lady to protect and an umbrella as my 
 sole weapon ! But to return to our expedition. We 
 were carried throngh narrow and tortuous streets, or 
 rather passages, from six to twelve feet wide, irregu- 
 larly and unevenly paved with flag-stones ; on each 
 side were shops gaily decorated with myriads of 
 coloured sign-boards, a foot wide and from eight to 
 twenty feet high, hanging from the balconies above 
 or embedded in stone foundations below, painted in 
 rich, bright hues — vermilion, umber, blue, green, or 
 marbled — and bearing the owner's name and trade in. 
 raised characters of gold, crimson or black. The 
 thronged and busy passages were densely crowded 
 with a jostling, moving, humming, shouting mass of 
 celestials, seething and simmering in the furnace of 
 
' f ' !', 
 
 SHOPS. 
 
 59 
 
 tiii^' the view, 
 t, as his com- 
 iater than our 
 )mprehend his 
 ngement. It 
 ve were really 
 Chinese might 
 id in that case 
 I would have 
 nderstand the 
 er quarters, or 
 elt uncomfort- 
 nbrella as my 
 jedition. We 
 ous streets, or 
 : wide, irregu- 
 mes ; on each 
 h myriads of 
 from eight to 
 ilconies above 
 )w, painted in 
 jlue, green, or 
 e and trade in. 
 r black. The 
 isely crowded 
 uting mass of 
 the furnace of 
 
 work and business, heaving and teeming with life and 
 labour, wonderful to see and sickening to smell ! 
 
 The shops were clean and orderly, opening deep 
 back from the street, as if their ground-tax were 
 regulated by frontage, not area. They were hardly 
 oriental in style, except that they had no glass fronts 
 but were open to the street. On one side was a 
 counter, behind which stood the attendants ; the 
 walls were occupied by shelves on which the 
 goods were neatly arranged, often with glass doors 
 in front of them ; the cashier's desk was surrounded 
 by an elaborately carved and handsomely gilt screen ; 
 and at the further end of the shop, like a scene in an 
 extravaganza, was a gaily-painted and brightly- 
 illuminated shrine, with tapers, joss-sticks, and vases 
 of artificial flowers. Great taste was shown in the 
 arrangement of their wares by the china-dealers, 
 fruiterers, and some of the mercers, In many of the 
 shops the attendants were taking their morning 
 meal, seated at a table in the middle, some being 
 completely dressed and others almost the reverse. 
 There was no touting for custom, and no notice was 
 taken of us save an occasional " Chin-chin " from 
 some merchant who had probably frequently fleeced 
 the Western barbarians, and wished to repeat the 
 operation. 
 
 Each street seemed to be in the main devoted to 
 one class of goods ; but fruit stalls displaying sugar- 
 
 Ill:'! f 
 
6o 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 cane, oranpes, plantains, red plums, chesnuts, shad- 
 docks, and a few nian/,'oes and pomegranates ; meat 
 purveyors with shelves and hooks loaded with pork, 
 poultry, and puppies; tobacco-merchants' stands 
 and cake-seller's trays, seemed to wedge themselves 
 into impossible corners among hardware and haber- 
 dashery, furniture and fans, like the irrepressible 
 f^amins in a well-dressed crowd. Barbers do a very 
 good business in shaving, shampooing, smoothing 
 and plaiting the tails of their customers; these 
 tails are frequently increased by the addition of 
 " switches " of false hair hanging round the walls, 
 and are always finished off and tied with silk. To 
 our thinking the cares of the toilet might be extended 
 with advantage to the finger-nails of the upper 
 classes, which are allowed to grow like Nebuchad- 
 nezzar's, and are often shielded with metal tips. 
 
 Many shops sold artificial flowers mounted in 
 bunches and on frames for decorating the temples, 
 or the painted and tinselled shrines which hung 
 across the streets like scenes for a theatre ; and at 
 many of the street-corners (somewhat after the 
 fashion of the Madonnas in Roman Catholic towns,) 
 were bas-reliefs of battle-scenes deeply carved in 
 wood and painted brown or stone colour. 
 
 At other counters were ornaments like hair-pins 
 with spade-shaped gold ends inlaid with kingfishers' 
 
fiesnuts, shad- 
 ranates ; meat 
 led with pork, 
 hants' stands 
 tfe themselves 
 re and haber- 
 irrepressible 
 bers do a very 
 g, smoothing 
 jmers ; these 
 5 addition of 
 nd the walls, 
 ith silk. To 
 It be extended 
 af the upper 
 ke Nebuchad- 
 letal tips, 
 mounted in 
 the temples, 
 which hung 
 jatre; and at 
 at after the 
 tholic towns,) 
 ly carved in 
 
 • 
 
 ike hair-pins 
 h kingfishers' 
 
 SHOPS. 
 
 6i 
 
 feathers. The article to be decorated is prepared by 
 deeply scoring the metal in the direction of the 
 lamina, which are then cemented in, one by one, as 
 closely as in the original feather, and afterwards 
 covered with a very hard silicate varnish. At the 
 silk mercers' we were shown handsomely embroidered 
 many-plaited petticoats, worked cushions, and the 
 hideous but inevitable tea-cosey. Many stalls were 
 occupied by lapidaries and engravers nsaking signets 
 out of little oblong blocks of agate and cornelian, the 
 handle eventually assuming the shape of man or 
 animal. The shoe-shops occupied several streets. 
 The Chinese shoe is a speciality, the upper part 
 being either cloth or silk, plain black, grey or blue 
 stamped with flowers ; the sole invariably of white 
 felt, often two inches thick when new and untrodden. 
 Thousands of wooden buckets are seen, with very 
 thick handles ; some of these are painted scarlet, and 
 must be carefully avoided when met in the streets. 
 
 At most of the corners were small tables owned by 
 vendors of sweetmeats, many-coloured cakes, cigars 
 and cigarettes. The latter articles were in very 
 general consumption by all classes and both sexes. 
 The cakes looked fairly clean ; the white ones, which 
 are made of ground rice and curds, being sprinkled 
 with red for luck. 
 
 The fan shops must drive a roaring trade . for every 
 man, woman, and child carries a fan, from the 
 
63 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 totteriiijj; Kraiidsire or hobhlinj,' KHoul-Iike Krand.im 
 to the fjrotesciue, toddling' infant —from the liinperor 
 in his f,'orj,'eous pahicc to the bcg^'ar in the flutter, 
 every class and every af,'e uses the fan — it is as 
 universal in the Celestial Empire as the umbrella 
 in England and the spittoon in America ; and when 
 you do not see one in a Chinaman's hand, you will 
 always find it stuck under the collar of his coat at 
 the back of his neck. 
 
 Lantern-shops also abounded, and the streets 
 where they were sold were particularly effective : the 
 masses of brilliant color produced by hanging them 
 in thousands across the doorways, and on strings 
 from opposite windows, were most gorgeous. They 
 might be seen of all shapes, colours and sizes, from tiny 
 shades for a night-light, three or four inches high, to 
 huge melon shaped structures of oiled silk on cane 
 frames, six feet in height and as much in diameter, 
 for use in temples and religious processions. 
 
 During the whole day, in all our wanderings 
 through the streets and alleys, we saw only four 
 ponies, three being led and one mounted. The 
 usual and almost only conveyance is the sedan- 
 chair, of which there are. many patterns ; the. private 
 chairs are usually known by their being painted 
 black, with black screens, or " chicks," and blue 
 tassels and fringes. This taste for dark blue and 
 
ike ^r;uul:im 
 the Kinperor 
 the gutter, 
 fun — it is as 
 the umbrella 
 I ; and when 
 iind, you will 
 f his coat at 
 
 the streets 
 ffective : the 
 inging them 
 i on strings 
 ious. They 
 jes, from tiny 
 ;hes high, to 
 silk on cane 
 in diameter, 
 >ns. 
 
 wanderings 
 w only four 
 inted. The 
 
 the sedan- 
 
 the. private 
 ing painted 
 ," and blue 
 irk blue and 
 
 SMFLLS — FURNITUKF. 
 
 black in clothes and personal appliances is remark- 
 able in a people who indulge in the richest hues and 
 most daring contrasts of colour in their house and 
 temple decorations. 
 
 In the streets the houses nearly meet overhead, 
 and the windows of the upper storeys have shitters 
 made of oyster shells scraped very thin and set in 
 light frames ; these admit the light like ground-glass, 
 and open hori;«ontally, over-lapping each other from 
 opposite houses, and roofing in the street below. In 
 parts of the city occupied by the lower classes we 
 passed along causeways between fetid pools of 
 stagnant filth, over which the houses were built on 
 piles. These must be very hot-beds of pestilence ; 
 yet the people seemed healthy, and the swarms of 
 children looked rosy and well. 
 
 The furniture-makers' quarter was full of chairs, 
 tables, bedsteads, &c., of excellent workmanship and 
 grotesque design. Many of the former had slabs of 
 grey or red marble let into their backs, seats, or tops ; 
 the wood-work was colored with black or wiirm brown 
 lacquer. There were also thousands of the queer 
 oblcng boxes with rounded tops, looking like babies' 
 coffins, without several of which no Chinaman ever 
 travels — one acting as a luncheon-basket ; another 
 as a Gladstone-bag ; while a third, perhaps, contains 
 manuscripts, joss-sticks, and the travellin;if idol. 
 
a 
 
64 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 At the fishmongers' were tubs, through which water 
 constantly flowed, containing live fish of many sorts 
 and shapes ; also slabs on which contracted an':' 
 expanded repulsive sea-slugs,* nine inches long by thr':e 
 in width, mottled black and yellow, and esteemed a 
 great delicacy. On boards could be seen fish ready- 
 prepared for cooking, divided longitudinally, wi^h the 
 bones removed but the blood carefully left. Soiiif; of 
 the tables were devoted to the display of dried fish 
 \yhich smelt fearfully, while some of the " leading " 
 butchers' stalls showed nothing but cats and dogs, 
 ready cleaned and skinned except for a tuft of hair 
 left on the tip of the tail to prove the genuineness of 
 the article. There were many pork-shops, ot each of 
 which the siiow-piece was a sucking-pig painted brown 
 and set up on his legs. 
 
 For " Young Canton " there is a street of toys, which 
 led us to the Temple of Five Hundred Genii, its 
 gateway topped by a canoe shaped ornament, and 
 guarded by two grotesque tigers squatting on their 
 haunches and grining horribly. Each flap of the 
 door is painted with the likeness (?) of a very truculent 
 warrior, squinting awfully, and stamping with the 
 greatest ferocity upon nothing at all. Passing these 
 dreadful guardians of the porch, we entered a court- 
 yard from which, as in our own college-buildings, 
 corridors and cloisters lead to many courts and halls ; 
 * B$che de mer. 
 
•^iii. 
 
 TEMPLE OF FIVE HUNDRED GENII. 
 
 65 
 
 Ugh which water 
 ih of many sorts 
 
 contracted anr' 
 ;heslongbythr':e 
 
 and esteemed a 
 
 seen fish ready- 
 dinally, wi^h the 
 ly left. Soiiif; of 
 lay of dried fish 
 f the "leading" 
 
 cats and dogs, 
 or a tuft of hair 
 e genuineness of 
 shops, ot each of 
 ig painted brown 
 
 ;et of toys, which 
 ndred Genii, its 
 ornament, and 
 uatting on their 
 ach flap of the 
 fa very truculent 
 mping with the 
 Passing these 
 entered a court- 
 lollege-buildings, 
 :ourts and halls ; 
 
 these give shelter to the priests and ministers of the 
 temple, and to pilgrims when required. Each of the 
 roofs has a ridge-pole of the same pattern as that on 
 the main entrance. The HsU of the Five Hundred 
 lies beyond many quads and passages, and contains 
 a collection of more than life-size figures in plaster-gilt, 
 ranged on platforms and ledges, museum-fashion, and 
 lining the approach to the chief shrine where the 
 Emperor, in real hair and beard, sits facing you like 
 a Pope, with three large veiled figures behind him. 
 The eyes of all the images are painted black and white, 
 and the hair black, also the beards of those who have 
 them. One of the Genii wears an unmistakeable 
 sailor's hat, and our guide told us it was the likeness 
 of Marco Polo ! Whether there are quite five hundred 
 I cannot say, but there are a great number, and the 
 diversity of expression in the faces is wonderful, no 
 two being alike. Some wear crowns, some mitres, 
 some have little figures on their heads, several have 
 children with them, and one is playing the banjo ; 
 while in front of each burns a joss-stick in a china 
 bowl nearly full of the ashes of its predecessors. Nearly 
 all the figures are remarkably life-like, and spme are 
 quite animated — speaking, listening, praying, preach- 
 ing, laughing, or fighting. The drapery, too, is very 
 varied, some wearing gowns with hoods, girdles, and 
 rosaries like monks, others regal-looking robes ; some 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 in armour, and others dressed like mendicants. In 
 the furthest courtyard is a small marble pagoda of 
 nine storevs ; this and all the other pagodas and 
 temples have bronze tablets let into their walls 
 engraved with the names of those who subscribed 
 towards the expense of erecting the building. We 
 nowhere saw anyone like a priest, but in many parts 
 of the temple are great bronze bowls or vases contain- 
 ing smouldering fires, in which the prayers of the 
 worshippers (written on paper) are consumed. 
 
 We found the stone pavements and steps of the 
 temples in good repair, but dirty ; and at each build- 
 ing we paid a small fee to the porter or porteress on 
 our departure. 
 
 Leaving the Temple of the Five Hundred Genii, 
 which is considered the " St. Paul's " of Canton, we 
 were carried through a street devoted to brass candle- 
 sticks ; next through one lined by shops full of bangles, 
 earrings and pins in jade, amber, and coral ; then came 
 an alley full of brasiers and copper-smiths, then grass 
 shoes and matting, tubs and turnery for various house- 
 hold purposes, carpet-brushes, sandals, and sweet- 
 meats—each had a special street, and showed new 
 strange sights on our way to the Temple of the Five 
 Genii, near which I saw a quarrel— the only one 
 throughout the day ; a woman, who had got hold of 
 a man's pigtail at which she was tugging with vicious 
 
ndicants. In 
 >le pagoda of 
 
 pagodas and 
 3 their walls 
 iio subscribed 
 )uilding. We 
 in many parts 
 vases contain- 
 irayers of the 
 sumed. 
 1 steps of the 
 
 at each build- 
 ir porteress on 
 
 hundred Genii, 
 of Canton, we 
 ) brass candle- 
 full of bangles, 
 ral ; then came 
 ths, then grass 
 various house- 
 s, and sweet- 
 , showed new 
 pie of the Five 
 -the only one 
 ad got hold of 
 ig with vicious 
 
 THE FIVE GENII. 
 
 energy, was scolding at the utmost pitch of a hideously 
 discordant voice, while the unfortunate man meekly 
 submitted to the two-fold infliction. 
 
 The Temple of the Five Genii is approached by five 
 flights of stone steps leading up to a nearly square 
 doorway, passing through which the visitor finds 
 himself at once in the temple. Instead of the five 
 idols one would naturally expect to see, there are six 
 figures ranged on each side of a larger image seated 
 on a throne, in front of which stands a table bearing 
 a triple row of bowls with burning joss-sticks. Inside 
 the door priests sit selling paper invocations, and 
 calling the attention of the worshippers by ringing a 
 bronze bell. The only articles to which the number 
 five can be applied are five rough stones laid in front 
 of the figures. These are said to be the magic winged 
 rams on which the Genii flew through the air to visit 
 Canton, and which petrified after they had done their 
 duty. From this fabulous incident Canton receives 
 its name, which signifies " City of Rams," or " City 
 of Genii." We climbed to the top of the temple and 
 looked over the brown roofs and green gardens from 
 the parapet which runs round a small square room 
 containing a replica of the shrine below, except that 
 here the throned figure has only four attendants on 
 each side, cwo of whom have a third eye placed 
 perpendicularly in the middle of their foreheads. 
 
 F 3 
 
68 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 Leaving this temple we passed several towers of 
 little architectural beauty, and then ascended the 
 ancient city wail to the dark red five-storeyed pagoda 
 which towers above one of the bastions, and in which 
 our artillery were quartered during the British occu- 
 pation of Canton in 1842. From the roof a good 
 view of the city and surrounding country is obtained, 
 including the distant White Cloud Mountain, and 
 the many-winding river flowing through cuhivated 
 plains thickly set with gardens and rice-fields. At 
 the foot of the wall lies an immense cemetery, ^uU of 
 horse-shoe shaped tombs painted light blue, grey, or 
 white, many of which were surrounded by groups of 
 the friends and relations of the deceased, praying 
 and letting off "in memoriam " crackers (ours 
 generally explode in print!). The Red Pagoda is 
 used as a tea-house, and we had some fairly good 
 tea which was brought to us in handleless cups, with 
 others reversed over them, oyster-fashion ; the tea is 
 drunk, or rather sucked, from between the cups, 
 which prevents the leaves entering the mouth. We 
 preferred pouring the beverage into a third bowl, but 
 the attendants evidently thought us rather worse 
 barbarians than usual for doing so. A good many 
 Chinese visitors were sipping the " cup that cheers," 
 and our guide and the chair-coolies all had a taste of 
 the flowing bowl. Plenty of inquisitive boys watched 
 our proceedings. 
 
 -■^^aMWMWBHai 
 
 iKSJfr't^aatt'-'^MwragaagjRWiiiuffift wan r^sMta&m 
 
il towers of 
 scended the 
 reyed pagoda 
 and in which 
 British occu- 
 roof a good 
 y is obtained, 
 ountain, and 
 gh cultivated 
 ce-fields. At 
 netery, *^ull of 
 blue, grey, or 
 by groups of 
 ised, praying 
 ackers (ours 
 ed Pagoda is 
 e fairly good 
 ;ss cups, with 
 3n ; the tea is 
 en the cups, 
 mouth. We 
 iiird bowl, but 
 rather worse 
 A good many 
 that cheers," 
 had a taste of 
 boys watched 
 
 FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 By the time we had finished our refection the noise 
 of the crackers Irnm the neighI)ouriii<,' cemetery had 
 ceased, and the relations were making their farewell 
 offerings at the tombs ; these consisted of articles of 
 clothing in the shape of paper shoes, coacs, c:ips and 
 trousers, paper money, coloured wood-shavings, wax 
 tapers, &c. We afterwards saw, in a shop, a large 
 paper model of a junk intended for the same purpose. 
 We then walked along the wall, which runs along the 
 crest of a small hill rather higher than its exterior 
 neighbours, and is built of blocks of grey granite with 
 loop-holes for wall-pieces and embrasures for guns, the 
 latter at intervals of Hfty-threa or fifty-four paces. 
 Some of the guns were in positiDU, mounted on very 
 ram-shackle carriages, two or three in a battery, and 
 carefully roofed in with wooden sheJs ; but the 
 majority were lying on the ground with nothing 
 under them, and a sort of inverted sheep-trough as 
 an upper covering. They were all of native manu- 
 facture, and of the pattern and calibre of our old 12 and 
 i8-pounder ship-carronades. In rear of, and below 
 the rampart, are the magazines, with roofs of stone 
 slabs thickly covered with turf. 
 
 The wall itself is from 25 to 40 feet high, and the 
 paved road along its top, from 15 to 20 feet wide, is 
 protected by a lo-foot parapet revetted with stone. 
 The ascents are steep flights ui steps, and there are 
 
70 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 no ramps, the guns having been raised by cranes. 
 Though apparently utterly neglected now, the 
 defences could very soon be put in order. The walls 
 of the Red Pagoda, which commands the whole city, 
 are 5 feet thick, and built of brick ; its floors are sup- 
 ported by massive round brick pillars, and connected 
 by steep flights of wooden stairs inside the building. 
 It stands at a salient angle of the fortification, on a 
 rock whose vertical face forms a natural bastion. 
 
 Descending from the wall by one of the many 
 flights of steps we passed through more narrow 
 streets, not of shops, but of low, grey-painted houses ; 
 opposite the doors of many the wall bore a red disk 
 in the centre of a white-washed space surrounded by 
 a black border ; this is the conventional rendering of 
 sunrise, and is intended to bring good luck to the 
 inhabitants of the house, who are thus always greeted 
 by the orient luminary on crossing their threshold, 
 spite of leaden skies and lowering clouds. Passing a 
 strange column like a spring-candlestick, of which 
 our guide could give us no explanation, we came to 
 the Flower Pagoda. This pretty building stands in a 
 small enclosure laid down in turf, from which rise the 
 five octagonal steps forming the base. The. pagoda, 
 which is also eight-angled, has nine storeys, each 
 marked by a projecting roof curving upwards at the 
 outer edge, with bells at the pointed corners ; the 
 
 ^w rtBwi i g MBm» »j 
 
k'u^<s4%.'th'^^.M 
 
 by cranes, 
 now, the 
 The walls 
 ! whole city, 
 >ors are sup- 
 d connected 
 lie building. 
 :ation, on a 
 bastion. 
 f the many 
 lore narrow 
 ited houses ; 
 e a red disk 
 rrounded by 
 rendering of 
 
 luck to the 
 ivays greeted 
 ir threshold, 
 . Passing a 
 k, of which 
 
 we came to 
 g stands in a 
 hich rise the 
 The. pagoda, 
 toreys, each 
 wards at the 
 ;orners ; the 
 
 TEMPLE OF HORRORS. 
 
 ;» 
 
 walls are painted terra-cotta and white in horizontal 
 stripes, and the roofs dark umber with gilt ornamental 
 eaves. 
 
 The Tartar General's quarters and old British 
 Consulate are large, desolate buildings, standing in 
 the midst of neglected gardens, the high boundary 
 walls pierced with peculiar octagonal or circular 
 doorways. Near the Consulate is the building 
 formerly occupied by one of our infantry regiments — 
 only the gables remain. All the European Consulates 
 have been removed to the Island of Shameen, on the 
 bank of the river. 
 
 Our next visit was to the " Temple of Horrors ; " 
 this we found in a large court-yard crowded by the 
 lowest classes, and with many little tables and seats 
 occupied by pedlars, fortune-tellers, and — most 
 appropriately — dentists ! The latter, not content to 
 advertize their trade by displays of hideous forceps, 
 tongs, pincers, and other instruments of torture, had 
 strings of human teeth, looking like dirty coral neck- 
 laces, hung over their tables. On each side of the 
 court-yard were five palisaded dens like horse-boxes, 
 about eighteen feet square, containing painted 
 wooden models, nearly life-size, of scenes in which 
 the grotesque and the horrible combined to disgust 
 the spectator. One represented the Chinese idea of 
 hell, its occupants undergoing the most sickening 
 
 iVi 
 
72 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 tortures ; another displayed a culprit being boiled in 
 oil. while a third showed an execution by sawing the 
 victim in two, he being lashed between two boards, 
 like a live sandwich. Other compartments were filled 
 by models of a trial by torture ; decapitation ; grind- 
 ing a culprit into pulp between immense grind-stones ; 
 roasting another by covering him with a huge red- 
 hot bell; disembowelling, flaying alive, &c., while 
 two divisions held representations of transmigration, 
 and supplied the grotesque element less mixed with 
 the horrible. Rather luckily we were so mobbed by 
 the inquisitive crowd that we could not quite " sup 
 full of horrors," as we should have done but for the 
 crushing and pushing of the people, and the pungent 
 smoke rising from the ever-smouldering joss-sticks. 
 
 The beggars, too, were very numerous and most 
 importunate ; but the majority of the crowd— though 
 disagreeable— were very good-tempered, and met us 
 with wide-mouthed grins and frequent " chin-chins." 
 In short, one of the main results of our expedition 
 was to make us rather doubt the stories of pistol- 
 shots, spitting in the face, and vilest abuse which had 
 been told us in Hong-Kong. I can certainly answer 
 for the absence of the first two forms of insult ; and 
 as to the third, all I can say is that, if the people did 
 call us any bad names, was done most politely, and 
 was decidedly rather pleasant than otherwise. 
 
 MM* 
 
ng boiled in 
 y sawing the 
 
 two boards, 
 ts were filled 
 ition; grind- 
 jrind-stones ; 
 
 a huge red- 
 i, &c., while 
 instnigration, 
 mixed with 
 mobbed by 
 t quite " sup 
 e but for the 
 1 the pungent 
 : joss-sticks. 
 )us and most 
 owd— though 
 [, and met us 
 " chin-chins." 
 ur expedition 
 ries of pistol- 
 jse which had 
 •tainly answer 
 )f insult ; and 
 the people did 
 : politely, and 
 erwise. 
 
i: 
 
THE CLEPSYDRA. 
 
 73 
 
 ■■19' u I 
 
 Leaving the Temple of Horrors, our guide conducted 
 us to a tower in which was kept what he considered 
 the crowning glory of Canton — if not of China 
 itself — a clepsydra, said to be five hundred years old. 
 This ancient time-piece consisted of four stone 
 water-troughs of different sizes placed on steps ; the 
 upper one was large, and only required filling once a 
 day, and the lowest was the same size, each being 
 divided into twenty-four spaces to mark the flight of 
 the hours ; the second filled in half an hour, and the 
 third in an hour, tiny spouts regulating the flow of 
 the water, which is subjected to the daily .incanta- 
 tions of the priests to prevent the demons interfering 
 and — not spoiling the clock, but — altering the length 
 of the day, which is supposed to be regulated by this 
 sacred horologe ! P'rom this clock tower a flight of 
 steps leads past a very gorgeous little Tartar temple 
 to the street below, passing under a stone arch with 
 a cupola top, from which is slung a bell, said to 
 weigh 2000 pounds. The ringing of this bell is 
 supposed to prognosticate evil to the city ; when we 
 bombarded Canton one of our shot struck the bell, 
 breaking a piece from its rim, and the fracture has 
 
 never been mended. 
 
 We next visited the great Examination Hall, a 
 
 place of vast importance in a country where the road 
 
 to every oftice, excepting only the Imperial Throne, 
 
 :'L I 
 
 :i> 
 
I 
 
 74 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 is throuph competitive examination. The buildinp 
 lies outside the city walls, and looks very like a jail ; 
 it is a larjje square space, enclosed by a hiph wall 
 having one pate only, and a raised sentry-box at each 
 corner, from which the students can be overlooked 
 on the inside, and anyone approaching the w.ill from 
 the outside during the examinations can be seen and 
 fired upon, according to the standing orders to that 
 effect. No external buil ,ings are permitted within 
 thirty yards of the wall, which is painted a dead grey 
 colour with broad black bands, as are also the walls 
 and buildings within. This is supposed to calm the 
 mind and assist thought. On each side of the 
 entrance squats the usual hideous beast— half lion, 
 half poodle; passing between these monsters and 
 through the heavy double doors, which were opened 
 by a woman with small feet, we found ourselves 
 in a central street about fourteen feet wide, from 
 which narrower passages branched off at right angles. 
 Each of these passages contains eighty cells, forty on 
 each side, and all exactly alike save for the number 
 painted on the thick door ; there are two pairs of 
 slots in the cell walls in which slide boards, a lower 
 one for a seat and a higher for a table during the 
 day ; at night both are placed in the lower slots and 
 form the candidate's bed. During the examination, 
 which lasts fourteen days, sentries perambulate the 
 
EXAMFNATION il^LL. 
 
 75 
 
 The building 
 ry lil<e a jail ; 
 t a high wall 
 ry-l)ox iit each 
 l)e overlooked 
 the wall from 
 n be seen and 
 )rders to that 
 initted within 
 id a dead grey 
 ilso the walls 
 d to calm the 
 I side of the 
 list — half lion, 
 monsters and 
 I were opened 
 und ourselves 
 set wide, from 
 at right angles. 
 ^ cells, forty on 
 sr the number 
 I two pairs of 
 •oards, a lower 
 ible during the 
 ower slots and 
 e examination, 
 jrambulate the 
 
 passages day and night, aii ' The students are kept 
 close prisoners till each paper is rollcrted, the time 
 allowetl being twenty-four hours. They are then let 
 out for six hours relaxation, to refresh and prepare 
 themselves for the next period of twenty-foui hours' 
 imprisonment with hanl labour. The Hall of the 
 Examiners stretches across the enclosure half-way 
 from the entrance, and candidates who have passed 
 the ordeal in the hrst division enter through this 
 hall the upper and inner part of the building, which 
 is an exact replica of that already described, but is 
 devoted to a higher examination. On each side of 
 the entrance are tablets bearing the name of the God 
 of Learning, before which the candidate burns votive 
 prayers on entering the forbidding precincts, the 
 very appearance of v/hich is enough to freeze one's 
 ideas and petrify one's memory. 
 
 We now proceeded through the eastern part of 
 the suburbs, a very low and abominably dirty 
 quarter, our route leading us over many canals and 
 branches of the river, sometimes seen, sometimes 
 only felt by a sudden rise and fall of the street 
 passing over a hog-backed bridge walled in by 
 densely packed buildings : Ah Poo led our procession 
 of chairs, and I brought up the rear. We passed a 
 tall, newly-erected bamboo scaffolding in an open 
 space, and, turning down a narrow passage, suddenly 
 
 m'-'" 
 
76 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 entered a potter's yard, the sides surrounded with 
 vessels and braziers of unbaked clay. There was an 
 open space in the centre, where lay several pools of 
 fresh blood, and eight gory heads, the warm life- 
 stream still flowing from the necks of two of them ! 
 Our guide had, as a pleasant surprise, brought us to 
 the Execution Ground, and had we been but a few 
 minutes earlier we should have seen the whole opera- 
 tion ! The eight grim heads were those of salt- 
 smugglers, and all being bearded showed that they 
 came from the South. Each was clean cut, or, as a 
 Chinaman might say, " first chop." The bodies had 
 been dragged away through a side-door only just 
 before our arrival, as was clearly shown by the bloody 
 marks on the ground ; they were to be cut in quarters 
 and stuck on the bamboo scaffolding we had noticed 
 on entering, the heads being sent to any towns or 
 villages suspected of encouraging this illicit practice. 
 The modus operandi is to pinion the culprit and 
 make him sit down on his heels on the ground, while 
 the executioner takes up his position on the left, 
 armed with a very heavy sword, sharp as a razor ; 
 this he raises in the air, and, as it falls, his assistant 
 gives the man's pigtail a shatp jerk to extend the 
 vertebrse, through vhich the weighty weapon shears 
 with irresistible force. There is no scaffold, no block, 
 and apparently about as much excitement as might 
 
 KHK 
 
^rtim' 
 
 iurrounded with 
 
 There was an 
 
 several pools of 
 
 the warm life- 
 )f two of them ! 
 e, brought us to 
 
 been but a few 
 the whole opera- 
 3 those of salt- 
 tiowed that they 
 ean cut, or, as a 
 
 The bodies had 
 e-door only just 
 wn by the bloody 
 be cut in quarters 
 » we had noticed 
 
 to any towns or 
 is ilHcit practice. 
 I the culprit and 
 the ground, while 
 :ion on the left, 
 •harp as a razor ; 
 alls, his assistant 
 srk to extend the 
 y weapon shears 
 scaffold, no block, 
 tement as might 
 
 EXECUTION GROUND. 77 
 
 be caused hy killing a pig in a village, and amongst 
 the same classes — idlers and children. 
 
 On the previous day two of our acquaintances 
 visited the Canton police-court during a trial, and 
 saw a recalcitrant witness hung up to the ceiling by 
 the nails of his fingers and toes to make him speak 
 out. 
 
 And now to dinner with what appetite you may ! 
 
 which means that our guide took us straight from 
 the Execution Ground and its grizzly horrors to a 
 large native restaurant. Entering a narrow door, 
 we ascended a dirty staircase leading to three large 
 rooms opening into each other, and labelled, in 
 Chinese, '-first," "second,." and "third class." 
 They all overlooked the same formal little garden- 
 court, and were all fitted with chairs and tables, those 
 in the first class room having marble tops and seats. 
 It seemed very uninviting, or, perhaps, our appetites 
 had received a shock ; at all events we left without 
 partaking of the tea, cakes, and pipes which formed 
 the refreshment. 
 
 Passing through streets where dwarf trees were 
 exposed for sale in quaint pots, we visited more 
 shops full of rice-paper paintings, carved fans, and 
 embroidered silks, and at length emerged from the 
 ever-crowded alleys on to a most picturesque high- 
 
78 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 pitched bridge crossing a muddy stream covered 
 with pretty parti-coloured boats. This bridge con- 
 nects by a gated entrance with the Island of Shameen, 
 the European quarter of Canton, in which the Con- 
 sulates are now located, and the foreign merchants 
 and missionaries reside. 
 
 The island is shaped like a cocked hat, and its 
 green turf, shady trees, and tranquil stillness were a 
 great relief after our late experience of the crowded, 
 stifling, noisy streets and gaudy shops. A solidly 
 built stone wharf runs along the river-front, and here 
 we discharged our chairs and got into a sampan to 
 cross to Honan on the other side of the river, where 
 we intended to call on Howqua, a wealthy retired 
 merchant, very friendly to Europeans, and the 
 originator of the well-known " Howqua's Mixture." 
 The little cabin of the boat was very clean, the floor 
 and low seats covered with pretty scarlet and drab 
 striped matting, but the walls spoilt by tawdry 
 French lithographs and a very common looking-glass 
 of unmistakeably Birmingham origin. The crew 
 consisted of the owner, his wife, son, and daughter ; 
 the father and son worked the bow oars, and were 
 out of our sight, as the cabin opened aft and had 
 windows at the sides only ; the mother and daughter 
 sat on queer little wooden stools and pulled the stern 
 paddles, which had broad oval blades and cross- 
 
 ^*erm 
 
A MORNING CALL. 
 
 79 
 
 tream covered 
 is bridge con- 
 id of Shameen, 
 hich the Con- 
 ign merchants 
 
 ',d hat, and its 
 tillness were a 
 f the crowded, 
 ps. A solidly 
 •front, and here 
 to a sampan to 
 he river, where 
 wealthy retired 
 ;ans, and the 
 [ua's Mixture." 
 clean, the floor 
 arlet and drab 
 •ilt by tawdry 
 )n looking-glass 
 jin. The crew 
 , and daughter ; 
 oars, and were 
 ;d aft and had 
 er and daughter 
 pulled the stern 
 des and cross- 
 
 handles like shovels. The mother was rather pretty, 
 with a merry look and bright eyes and teeth. We 
 passed several Chinese gun-boats carrying the 
 Imperial man-of-war ensign — on a yellow field an 
 impossible blue dragon with a scarlet tongue, making 
 eyes (and teeth) at a scarlet ball. On reaching the 
 Honan bank we walked about half a mile through 
 dirty alleys, and then passed through a masonry 
 archway into a neglected court-yard, in the centre of 
 which was a large pavilion, which our guide told us 
 was a " sing-song house, where Howqua makey sing- 
 song for him fiends" (Anglic^, "friends"). We 
 finally came to a large muddy tank, crossed in all 
 directions by light wooden foot-bridges, with islands, 
 weeping willows, curved-roofed buildings, and bell- 
 hung pagodas, and only wanting the two bird-fishes 
 and the cannon-ball tree to complete the resemblance 
 to the well-known willow-pattern plate. 
 
 Mr. Howqua was, unfortunately, not at home, so I 
 had to sit on a very hard chair with a polished marble 
 cushion, in a very clean room looking like a large 
 cabinet and having two French clocks as its chief 
 ornaments, while " Madame " crossed another bridge 
 over the pea-soup lake to an octagon room where 
 Mrs. Howqua received her in state. 
 
 One lady could not speak Chinese and the other 
 knew no other language, so the conversation was not 
 
 
 
mm 
 
 -•n tWJMM 
 
 80 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 \"- 
 
 -\\ 
 
 brilliant, and we soon returned to our boat, passing 
 a shop where coolies' hats fully four feet in diameter 
 were exposed for sale. Our sampan took us back to 
 the "White Cloud" after a most interesting, 
 disgusting, amusing, and tiring day. Fortunately it 
 was cool and cloudy, or we could never have 
 accomplished all we did. We felt exceedingly glad 
 that we had seen Canton, and so thoroughly, too, 
 considering the shortness of our time ; but we left it 
 without the slightest regret, and the impression 
 retained by our minds was that of a brilliant night- 
 mare from which we felt glad to wake. 
 
 A little past five in the afternoon we started down 
 the river on our return voyage, passing through the 
 swarming native craft of all sorts, colours and sizes. 
 On the low-lying shores were several very lofty dark 
 grey towers — square, stern and grim — to which our 
 wandering fancies supplied dismal legends and 
 ghastly uses, but which, we learnt, were intended 
 neither for hopeless imprisonment nor horrible 
 tortures, but simply for store-houses in which the 
 city pawnbrokers place the furs and thick wadded 
 winter garments of their clients, pledged for the 
 summer months and redeemed in autumn, the 
 owners thus getting them safely stored and well cared 
 for on payment of a small sum of interest, while the 
 amount advanced helps to provide working materials 
 
 *•« 
 
 rilttWMI 
 
boat, passing 
 st in diameter 
 >ok us back to 
 t interesting, 
 Fortunately it 
 I never have 
 ceedingly glad 
 oroughly, too, 
 
 but we left it 
 le impression 
 mlliant night- 
 
 ; started down 
 ig through the 
 3urs and sizes, 
 very lofty dark 
 —to which our 
 
 legends and 
 were intended 
 
 nor horrible 
 
 in which the 
 
 thick wadded 
 
 edged for the 
 
 autumn, the 
 
 and well cared 
 
 Brest, while the 
 
 rking materials 
 
PAWNBROKERS. 
 
 8l 
 
 or seed-corn for summer use. Should the depositor 
 die while his property is under pledge, it becomes 
 forfeit to the pawnbroker. We also saw other 
 towers like light-houses run to seed — these are 
 pagodas raised to propitiate the God of Good Luck. 
 
 The flat river-banks below the city are well wooded 
 but sparsely inhabited, only a few fishermen's huts 
 being visible until Whampoa is reached. This 
 trading port is on the right bank, and presents the 
 appearance of a fairly prosperous fishing village, 
 though many large junks and several foreign steamers 
 lying in the river show that it is more important 
 than it looks. 
 
 The hills close in on the river at its mouth, and 
 the adjacent coast is high and steep ; but the rapidly- 
 increasing darkness soon shut out the view, and a 
 drizzling rain drove us into the saloon. 
 
 The city of Canton is about six miles in circum- 
 ference, surrounded by walls twenty feet thick, and 
 from twenty-four to forty feet high. The police system 
 is said to be good, and, in case of a disturbance taking 
 place, the street or quarter affected can be immedi- 
 ately isolated by a simple but effective contrivance 
 of boards and barriers, though the interference of the 
 "peace-officers" ceases there, and the brawlers are 
 permitted to settle their quarrels at their leisure, the 
 aim of the municipal authorities being restriction, 
 not repression. 
 
 ■I 1 
 
83 
 
 CANTON. 
 
 China appears to be the most (I do not say " the 
 best ") regulated country in the world : every custom, 
 every habit, every fashion — from temple worship to 
 family greetings — from the plan of a palace to the tie 
 of a pigtail — is formulated by the " Imperial Board 
 of Rites and Ceremonies," which lays down the 
 number of prostrations due to the Emperor, the 
 length of "joss-stick " to be burnt before each idol, 
 the proper way to address a parent, and the exact 
 mode of saying " Good morning" to a friend. 
 
 The principal connection with the " outer barba- 
 rians " is through the tea trade, which was established 
 in 1686— just two hundered years ago — by agents of 
 the East India Company, and held by them for a 
 century and a half. The tea was collected by the 
 Chinese authorities at Canton, and handed over to 
 the foreign shippers at Whampoa. The opening of 
 other treaty ports appears to have affected Canton 
 very little, for it still boasts a population of 1,600,000, 
 and a smaller proportion of beggars than any Euro- 
 pean city. 
 
 We reached Hong-Kong soon after midnight, and 
 again went to the excellent Hong-Kong Hotel, and 
 on the following evening transferred ourselves and 
 our baggage to the P. and O. steam-ship Thibet, then 
 loading for Yokohama. , 
 
 '-mm 
 
 wmmm 
 
not say " the 
 every custom, 
 le worship to 
 ilace to the tie 
 iperial Board 
 ys down the 
 Emperor, the 
 )re each idol, 
 md the exact 
 friend. 
 
 ' outer barba- 
 'as established 
 -by agents of 
 )y them for a 
 llected by the 
 mded over to 
 he opening of 
 fected Canton 
 nof 1,600,000, 
 an any Euro- 
 midnight, and 
 •ng Hotel, and 
 ourselves and 
 lip Thibet, then 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 NAGASAKI — FIRST IMPRESSIONS — THE PEOPLE — THE 
 
 TOWN — THE FLOWERS — PAPPENBERG — THE 
 
 INLAND SEA. 
 
 It 6 A.M. on Sunday, the 25th April, we 
 sailed from ;Hong-Kong. The crew, 
 stewards and stewardess of the Thibet 
 were-Chinese, but the quartermasters and, of course, 
 the officers were English ; the latter were a nice 
 gentlemanly set, and proved most pleasant com- 
 panions during the voyage. 
 
 We carried many Japanese steerage-passengersj 
 who [afforded us great amusement by their queer 
 ways and merry faces. They were dressed in a 
 mixture of their own and Chinese fashions, but we 
 did not have much opportunity of observing anything 
 of their toilettes beyond the Inverness capes of rice- 
 
 G 2 
 
g^ NAGASAKI. 
 
 Straw and huge umbrella-hats which the drizzling 
 rain made necessary ; in these quaint thatches they 
 looked as merry a set of vagabonds as you could 
 wish to meet. 
 
 We left Hong-Kong harbour by the Lymoon 
 Passage, which presented an ever-varying panorama 
 of hill and vale, rock and sand, land and sea— often 
 blurred, but never quite obliterated by the envious 
 showers— until we finally left astern the Chinese 
 shores, but not the rain, which only ceased as we 
 neared Kiu-shiu, the most southern of the Japanese 
 islands, late on the evening of the 29th, anu the night 
 was clear when we got to the mouth of Nagasaki 
 harbour. 
 
 As we entered the long, narrow passage, the water 
 broke away from the ship's sides in sheets and 
 furrows of phosphorescent light, so brightly beautiful 
 that we all were hanging o '.r the rail in rapt 
 admiration, when we were startled by the voice of 
 the Captain exclaiming, "There's Nagasaki!" and 
 looking up, we saw the thousand twinkling lights of 
 the town in lines rising and falling on the sides of a 
 hill, whose crest was dimly traced in rounded outline 
 against the starlit sky. 
 
 As we let go the anchor a gun was fired and a 
 rocket sent up to announce the arrival of the mail, 
 and we were told that we should have until noon 
 
the drizzling 
 thatches they 
 as you could 
 
 the Lymoon 
 ying panorama 
 and sea — often 
 by the envious 
 1 the Chinese 
 f ceased as we 
 if the Japanese 
 1, and the night 
 th of Nagasaki 
 
 ssage, the water 
 in sheets and 
 rightly beautiful 
 le rail in rapt 
 by the voice of 
 '{agasaki ! " and 
 inkling lights of 
 )n the sides of a 
 rounded outline 
 
 was fired and a 
 ival of the mail, 
 have until noon 
 
 iH/i/li://;. 
 
 ^//m!'M'/, 
 
 /^^^//5///i 
 
 :m 
 
 "Undar the ohuigafal alnr, 
 ntmted— «o happy m IP*^ 
 
 Who w oontmted— «o 
 
VERY NEAR HOSTILITIES. 
 
 85 
 
 next (lay to make our first acquaintance with Japan. 
 After an curly broakfasl wc- went on deck, to find 
 a brifi[ht sunny inorninjj shining its welcome to the 
 strangers. Near us lay a I'Vench frigate ; a little 
 farther was the Russian ironclad Vladimir Mnnomack, 
 and close to her the English gun-boat Atiducions, 
 which had stuck to her track so persistently during 
 the period of our " strained relations " with Russia 
 in 1885, and had so narrowly escaped creating a 
 rupture of those " relations " in these very waters ; 
 for the Russian commander, annoyed at the tenacity 
 with which he was followed and watched by 
 the much smaller but really more powerful vessel, 
 had the audacity to beat to quarters, put out his 
 boarding- net tings, get up steam, and train his guns 
 on the Audacious as the latter entered Nagasaki 
 harbour, in which the Vladimir Monomach had just 
 anchored. The English Captain, with a dignified 
 command of temper for which he cannot be too 
 highly praised, anchored his vessel right athwart the 
 hawse of the Russian and immediately reported the 
 state of affairs to the Japanese authorities on shore, 
 who no less promptly intervened by anchoring their 
 two gun-boats (which happened to be in harbour at 
 the time) one on each side of the foreign ships, with 
 orders to blaze into whichever should fire first and 
 break the peace in Japanese waters. The Russian, 
 
■ llli 
 
 |- 
 
 86 
 
 NAGASAKI. 
 
 not liking this aspect of affairs, weighed anchor, and 
 without attempting any explanation or offering any 
 apology for what was not only a gross breach of 
 etiquette, but an overt act of hostility, steamed out 
 of the harbour closely followed by the Audacious, 
 both of them being jealously tracked by the Japanese 
 vessels until they had passed the regulation limits— 
 twenty-five miles from shore— by which time the 
 Russ seems to have recovered his 'senses and temper. 
 While I have been spinning you this yarn, a shore- 
 boat, manned by a couple of stalwart little native 
 boatmen, has taken us to the wharf through a crowd 
 of country vessels, each of which has a water-snake 
 painted on its bows in place of the " eye " carried by 
 Chinese craft, and we have started in jinrikshas for 
 our first sight of Japan. We first followed the well- 
 kept road along the strand, or "bund," as it is 
 always called at the ports frequented by foreigners ; 
 a stone quay faced the water, and on the other hand 
 lay the European merchants' and consuls' houses, 
 the post-office and telegraph-office. At the head of 
 the bay lies the old Dutch settlement called Decima, 
 dating from the latter part of the sixteenth century, 
 and separated from the mainland by. a narrow 
 channel almost dry at low water, spanned by several 
 picturesque wooden bridges. 
 
 The town looked crowded, even after our recent 
 
 'mms^^^^^'^fwmmii.ifM 
 
 ~mt 
 
 ''"^■'iFsffiiSfc' .;.-s»»w 
 
.<,utHSj»@(^^£ 
 
 hed anchor, and 
 
 or offering any 
 gross breach of 
 ity, steamed out 
 
 the Audacious, 
 by the Japanese 
 fulation limits — 
 which time the 
 ises and temper, 
 lis yarn, a shore- 
 ra.rt little native 
 through a crowd 
 as a water-snake 
 ' eye " carried by 
 
 in jinrikshas for 
 oUowed the well- 
 ' bund," as it is 
 id by foreigners ; 
 in the other hand 
 
 consuls' houses, 
 , At the head of 
 tit called Decima, 
 (ixteenth century, 
 id by. a narrow 
 panned by several 
 
 after our recent 
 
 COSTUME 
 
 experience of Canton ; almost the whole of its thirty 
 thousand inhabitants seemed to be visible at once, 
 either in the streets, the shops, or the temples, and 
 most quaint little folk they are ! The usual dress of 
 the men is a blue bathing gown, crossed over the chest, 
 and girdled at the waist ; the neck is open, and a 
 shorter garment like a pea-jacket is often worn over 
 the other. Many wore old and shabby European 
 straw or felt hats, which are most incongruous and 
 unsuitable. Some had their hair dressed in the 
 national fashion, (now fast becoming obsolete,) the 
 top of the head shaved, and the back hair tightly 
 twisted into a tail and fastened on the top of the head 
 " fore-and-aft," so that it looks like the crest of a 
 helmet. The police, of whom we saw many in the 
 streets and at their stationary glazed offices at the 
 corners of the main thoroughfares, wore a blue serge 
 uniform of the European cut, with brass buttons, 
 European swords, gold-laced caps with badges, and 
 a gold strap on the shoulder. At first we mistook 
 them for naval officers. 
 
 The women wear a somewhat similar costume to 
 that of the men, with very long and tight skirts, and 
 an elaborate sash round the waist, called an " obi " ; 
 this forms a huge cushion-Hke loop behind, and is 
 generally of some bright colour and rich material. 
 The hair at the top of the head is taken back in a 
 
 1 
 
l a l' Mt ii iHnt J i liii II III I 
 
 !;]| 
 
 88 
 
 NAGASAKI. 
 
 large roll, at the sides .t is waved and passed behind 
 the ears to form a huge chignon at the back, of one 
 or more loops fastened with long fancy-headed pins, 
 and often entwined with a string of coral beads or a 
 bow of red or blue crape. The centre of the lower 
 lip is thickly rouge J, and a.l the married women shave 
 their eye-brows and blacken their teeth — a hideous 
 custom, which makes them look as if they had none 
 at all. Children are always dressed in the brightest 
 and gayest hues, and form a strikingly prominent 
 feature, both in colour and number, in every Japanese 
 street-scene, looking like grotesque little models of 
 their parents seen through a kaleidoscope. Their 
 heads are either entirely shaved, or the hair is allowed 
 to grow in three tufts— one on the crown, and one on 
 each temple. 
 
 The workmen, or coolies, wea • the short jacket only, 
 or none at all, with very tight-fitting short drawers, 
 while all classes and both sexes are shod in dry 
 weather with straw sandals, and in wet with high 
 wooden clogs, both fastened on by straw strings 
 passing round the ankle, over the instep, and between 
 the first and second toes ; those who wear stockings 
 have them cleft, or " made with a thumb ". for this 
 purpose, like the Cashmere shooting-socks. 
 
 We frequently met coolies carrying baskets of 
 flowering plants on bamboos across their shoulders, 
 
issed behind 
 back, of one 
 lieaded pins, 
 il beads or a 
 jf the lower 
 vomen shave 
 — a hideous 
 ey had none 
 the briffhtest 
 ly prominent 
 ery Japanese 
 le models of 
 :ope. Their 
 lir is allowed 
 1, and one on 
 
 t jacket only, 
 ort drawers, 
 shod in dry 
 et with high 
 straw strings 
 , and between 
 ear stockings 
 tnb ". for this 
 cks. 
 
 g baskets of 
 ;ir shoulders, 
 
SHOES. 
 
 and theirs seemed to be a thriving trade, for the 
 Japanese are ardent flower-worshippers, and show 
 true taste in their arrangement. The principal 
 shops were those of the fish-mongers and china- 
 dealers. The chief display in the latter was made 
 by many tall vases, graceful in form, rich and har- 
 monious in colour, but coarse in material and finish : 
 amongst these lay numerous long, narrow dishes, 
 with strainers, which we did not require to be told 
 were for the staple animal food of the Japanese — 
 fish. 
 
 Several shaggy ponies and some very fine bullocks 
 were met with — all wearing pack saddles and straw 
 sandals ! These ungainly chaussures are tied round 
 the pastern, and the bullocks have another string 
 passing through the cleft of the hoof as it does 
 between the toes of their drivers. 
 
 Thousands of these shoes are seen rotting on the 
 country roads, and those for animals are among the 
 most barbarous things we saw in Japan, for they 
 retain the wet and dirt, produce and foster disease in 
 the hoof— especially in the frog of the horse — and 
 make the poor beasts totter and stumble in a way 
 suggestive of broken knees to themselves and broken 
 necks to their riders ; but in no single instance did 
 we see anyone riding in Nagasaki, and frequently 
 during our stay in the country we remarked how 
 averse the people were to this mode of locomotion. 
 
 !!il 
 
ssssssssssffl^aassr. ■:' -r 
 
 NAGASAKI. 
 
 One of the first things which strike the eye of a 
 stranger is the smallness cf the people and of their 
 ordinary dwellings. Five feet is the average height, 
 and a Japanese of five feet five or six attracts as 
 much attention as an Englishman a foot higher 
 would do in his own country ; but if they are ill- 
 treated by Dame Nature in regard to height, she 
 makes up for it by endowing them with wonderfully 
 sturdy thews and sinews, which remind one of the 
 extraordinary developement accredited by painters 
 and sculptors to the heroes of antiquity, on which our 
 degenerate eyes look with wonder and — disbelief. 
 
 When two Japanese — of whatever class— meet, 
 they salute each other by bending do'" - with their 
 hands on their knees, and make a sharp hissing 
 sound by drawing in the breath through the closed 
 teeth, which gives the ignorant stranger the notion 
 of their having recently, swallowed something ex- 
 ceedingly disagreeing and disagreeable ; those who 
 wear the unbecoming European hats greet their 
 acquaintances with elaborate and stately bows, which 
 would charm a Grandison and inspire a Chesterfield. 
 One speciality of Nagasaki is a crystallized sweet- 
 meat made from a peculiar kind of sea-weed ; this 
 rather nauseous and exceedingly sticky production is 
 said to be a sovereign remedy for consumption and 
 asthma, and large quantities are exported to China 
 as medicine. 
 
 mmm 
 
the eye of a 
 ind of their 
 rage height, 
 attracts as 
 foot higher 
 they are ill- 
 height, she 
 wonderfully 
 i one of the 
 by painters 
 an which our 
 disbelief, 
 class — meet, 
 - with their 
 harp hissing 
 gh the closed 
 !r the notion 
 omething ex- 
 ! ; those who 
 1 greet their 
 y bows, which 
 I Chesterfield, 
 allized sweet- 
 ea-weed ; this 
 production is 
 mmption and 
 rted to China 
 
'F^oS;. 
 
 ipui'k.iii|iiM!ll.iiui !:i;-^~ ■ 
 
THE BRONZE HORSE. 
 
 91 
 
 Local industry finds another outlet in tortoise-shell 
 carving, and we saw some exquisitely finished models 
 of jinrikshas and fishing-boats, as well as combs, 
 hair-pins, and cigar-cases in this material, or what 
 looked like it, for the Japanese are said to possess the 
 secret of imitating the real article so accurately that 
 you can only tell the true from the false by reducing 
 both to a powder and tasting it ! Flowers, toys, 
 vegetables, clothes, earthenware, clogs, grain, and 
 sweet-meats filled various shops, while others 
 contained large brown . roots like tent-pegs or yams, 
 two and three feet long, which proved to be the 
 edible root of one of the bamboo tribe. Huge coarse 
 radishes are a staple article of food, and are met 
 with in great quantities. 
 
 On a terraced hill-side at the back of the town, 
 looking like San Miniato at Florence, is the public 
 burial-ground, the graves marked by pillars of wood 
 or granite ; the Japanese Buddhists believe that the 
 souls of the dead revisit their terrestrial homes on 
 certain days in August each year ; on the night of 
 their return to Hades lamps are lighted along the 
 paths from the houses to the tombs to guide them on 
 their journey. 
 
 On the opposite side of the narrow valley, and 
 approached by many flights of stone steps, is the 
 sacred " Temple of the Bronze Horse," the most 
 
NAGASAKI. 
 
 holy spot in the island of Kiu-shiu. The steps pass 
 under three "torii," which I will take this oppor- 
 tunity to describe, as they are ever-recurring features 
 in Japanese landscape. A " torii " (pronounced 
 " torey-cc "') is an arch or gateway marking the 
 approach to a shrine or temple ; it consists of two 
 upright pillars, from ten to thirty feet high, sur- 
 mounted by two horizontal bars, the upper one 
 curved and the lower one straight ; the name signi- 
 fies " bird's perch," or " bird's rest," and the material 
 is either wood or stone. When the former material 
 is used it is generally painted or lacquered a bright 
 Indian red colour, which looks most striking 
 when relieved, as it frequently is, against a back- 
 ground of rich dark-green foliage. The wooden torii 
 are also sometimes covered with bronze sheathing. 
 
 The Horse Temple is not a striking object, but the 
 Horse is ! He must have been originally modelled 
 from the impossible animal which used to follow (at 
 the end of a string) our youthful footsteps, give vent 
 to a spasmodic " quack " when gripped by its middle, 
 and answer to the fond appellation of " Gee-gee." 
 The people of the neighbourhood say that he once 
 possessv^d a highly artistic coat, " on which the hairs 
 could be counted," but the bare legs and bodies of 
 many generations of young Japanese have smoothed 
 away his salient points, especially his ears, and given 
 
'he steps pass 
 ke this oppor- 
 irring features 
 
 (pronounced 
 
 marking the 
 )nsists of two 
 set high, sur- 
 e upper one 
 s name signi- 
 d the material 
 rmer material 
 ;red a bright 
 lost .striking 
 ainst a back- 
 B wooden torii 
 e sheathing, 
 object, but the 
 lally modelled 
 1 to follow (at 
 eps, give vent 
 I by its middle, 
 >f " Gee-gee." 
 
 that he once 
 'hich the hairs 
 
 and bodies of 
 ave smoothed 
 :ars, and given 
 
XL.VSSff'^l 
 
 ■MM 
 
 PAPPENBERG. 
 
 93 
 
 him a beautiful polish, which at the time of our visi» 
 was receiving further touches from a gans of romp- 
 ing, laughing semi-nudities of both sexes. 
 
 On our way back to the shore we passed some 
 shops in which needles were being made by hand ; 
 others filled with hideous masks ; flower-shops full of 
 rhododendrons, azaleas, hawthorn, white and red 
 roses, buttercups, camellias, marigolds, daffodils, 
 laurestinas, ox-eyed daisies, " Turk's head " thistles, 
 and many other blossoms. Cats ran across the 
 street ; they had no tails, and yet seemed happy ; we 
 afterwards found that this human peculiarity is 
 natural to the Japanese cat, as it is also to that of the 
 Isle of Man. The women were standing chatting in 
 the warm sunshine, with their tight skirts, queer 
 cushion-like sashes or bustles, and often painted faces. 
 But the warning gun has fired, so, purchasing a last 
 handful of flowers, we spring into our boat, and are 
 soon once more on board the Thibet, tired, charmed, 
 bewildered and delighted with our first glimpse of the 
 beautiful " Land of the Rising Sun." 
 
 Punctually at noon we sailed away from Nagasaki, 
 passing a fleet of fishing-boats returning from their 
 night's toil, their bright white sails showing conspicu- 
 ously against the deep blue water and darkly-wooded 
 shores of the bay. 
 
 Soon the storied rock of Pappenbo :; hung over the 
 
i 
 
»w:iu««<l>w.'»!i»Sftt-#MB«^SiV« 
 
 mmam 
 
 94 
 
 SPEX STRAITS, 
 
 ship, and we looked up at the cHff from whose sum- 
 mit, some 300 years ago, thousands of native Chris- 
 tians were hurled into eternity because they refused 
 to abjure their faith and trample on the Cross. 
 
 The sea was so calm that our Captain determined 
 to give us an unexpected treat by taking the ship 
 through the narrow and tortuous, but lovely Spex 
 Straits, which separate the island of Hirado from 
 Kiu-shiu. Unfortunately our persistent enemy, the 
 rain, again attacked us, but wrapped in waterproofs 
 we took up our position in the bows, and discomfort 
 was soon forgotten in delight as the succession of 
 lovely views opened on us — wood and water, island, 
 rock and strait mingling and separating in endless 
 variety of form and tint as we wound our tortuous 
 course amongst them — now pointing our bows 
 straight for an iron-bound cliff, but suddenly sheering 
 off to dive between two islands which looked like 
 patches of forest washed adrift by the deluge — now 
 running into an apparent cul de sac, from the very 
 bottom of which a passage opened as by the stroke 
 of a magician's wand. From our position on the 
 forecastle we could see the whole length of the vessel, 
 and our wonder and admiration were divided between 
 the beautiful scenery of the coast and the marvellous 
 steering which took the 297 feet of iron hull clear of 
 the jaws of rock opening on every side as deftly as a 
 
 ""'•^ • ■■ • '-^-«««*>«sa»Mj|.M,-f*'*'^ '** ■" 
 
Ti whose sum- 
 f native Chris- 
 ie they refused 
 le Cross, 
 lin determined 
 taking the ship 
 ut lovely Spex 
 f Hirado from 
 ent enemy, the 
 in waterproofs 
 md discomfort 
 le succession of 
 i water, island, 
 ting in endless 
 nd our tortuous 
 ng our bows 
 ddenly sheering 
 ich looked like 
 le deluge — now 
 from the very 
 by the stroke 
 position on the 
 th of the vessel, 
 divided between 
 the marvellous 
 9n hull clear of 
 le as deftly as a 
 
 ,;' ' III') F 
 
 
 :i'0i 
 
.rsspewsw"-**''' 
 
THE INLAND SEA. 
 
 95 
 
 lady's hand guides a needle through a piece of intri- 
 cate embroidery ! The narrowest part of the Straits 
 is at the north entrance, where the islands are only 
 two hundred yards apart, the actual passage being 
 much less, on account of the rocks which project 
 from each coast, and show their jagged crests, like 
 dragon's teeth, just out of the water, or — more 
 dangeifous still — lie hidden beneath the surface watch- 
 ing for their prey, their presence only marked by a 
 ripple of surf or a swirl in the current. I think every- 
 one drew a deep breath of relief when we emerged 
 into open water and steered direct for the Simonoseki 
 r ^ -isage. 
 
 3 now entered the celebrated " Suo-nada," or 
 i Sea. The scenery was a repetition of that in 
 Spex Straits, but on a larger scale ; it was often 
 blotted out by the rain, but at times the envious 
 showers would grant a respite, and then the lovely 
 view would shine in the gleams of the May Day sun, 
 like a coy beauty peeping through her veil, and 
 suddenly dropping it altogether in the face of her 
 half-enraptured, half-tantalized admirers. The sur- 
 face of the Inland Sea is plentifully sprinkled with 
 rocky islands crowned with trees, and its shores 
 present a succession of creeks and hills, crags and 
 bays, smooth carpets of emerald turf and dark fells of 
 hanging wood ; the sea, deep blue in shadow and 
 
g6 KOBE. 
 
 bright green in sunlight, laughs in a thousand bright 
 wavelets, or smiles in gentle ripples, responsive to the 
 breeze. A few steamers were passed, and many 
 junks and fishing-boats, whose crews waved friendly 
 greetings as we rapidly left them astern. 
 
 Too soon ended our voyage on this fairy sea, for, 
 on rounding a projecting spit of low land, we saw the 
 light-house, ships, and houses of Kobe, and moored 
 to the landing-stage at seven in the evening, after 
 one of the most entrancing trips the sea can offer. 
 
ihousand bright 
 Bsponsive to the 
 sed, and many 
 waved friendly 
 ;rn. 
 
 s fairy sea, for, 
 land, we saw the 
 (be, and moored 
 e evening, after 
 sea can offer. 
 
■ss*?"^ — 
 

 CHAPTER VI. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 KOBE— ARIMA — HOT BATHS— A TEA-HOUSE — SHOPS 
 AND SIGHTS — BOATS — KIOTO. 
 
 OBE, or Hiogo, as the Japanese call it (for 
 Kobe is only the foreiprn settlement), is the 
 Genoa of the Inland Sea. The bay was 
 well filled with steamers and sailing-vessels, junks 
 and boats, men-of-war and fishing-craft, presenting 
 a busy and animated scene. We found quarters re- 
 served for us at the Hiogo Hotel, where we were joined 
 next day by two friends, the D — s, who became our 
 travelling cotipanions during our stay in Japan. 
 
 Our first night on shore was not one of unbroken 
 rest, for we were frequently disturbed by a strange 
 plaintive flute-like whistle on two minor notes. This 
 we found, on inquiry, to be the call of the sham- 
 pooers, who are generally blind old men or women 
 
 H 
 
 mmammmmm 
 
 'muitif 
 
that- perambulate the streets at night in search of the 
 overlwearied or sleepless customer. We soon grew 
 used to the sound of their bamboo-pipes, as hardly a 
 night passed during our stay in the country without 
 
 our hearing it. ,. uu 
 
 There are few sights in the immediate neighbour- 
 hood of Kob6 ; in the suburbs stands the Temple of 
 Ikuta. which is nothing in itself, but is made pretty 
 by its setting in a grove of cryptomeria pines and 
 bamboos. The dry bed of the Minato-gawa river 
 close by was the scene of a fierce and sanguinary 
 conflict between two rival Mikados, in which the 
 defeated prince lost four-fifths of his army of twenty- 
 five thousand men. This river bed, like many others 
 on this coast, is higher than the surrounding 
 country, and looks like an artificially-raised canal. 
 I have met with no explanation of this peculiarity. 
 We also visited the waterfall about a mile from the 
 town, a pretty cascade 120 feet high, and called by 
 the natives " The Waving Scarf." A tea-house 
 stands on a point of rock in front of the Falls, 
 approached by steps and backed by a small 
 grove of trees like poplars, and another place of 
 entertainment is built at the foot of the cascade. 
 Some men were bathing in the pool, receiving the 
 full force of the water on cueir heads and backs. To 
 the right of the Fall rises the peak of Maya San, 
 
1 in search of the 
 
 We soon grew 
 
 (ipes, as hardly a 
 
 country without 
 
 •diate neighbour- 
 Is the Temple of 
 t is made pretty 
 tmeria pines and 
 [inato-gawa river 
 B and sanguinary 
 los, in which the 
 IS army of twenty- 
 , like many others 
 
 the surrounding 
 :ially-raised canal, 
 jf this peculiarity. 
 it a mile from the 
 ligh, and called by 
 ■f." A tea-house 
 ront of the Falls, 
 iked by a small 
 
 another place of 
 >t of the cascade, 
 pool, receiving the 
 ids and backs. To 
 peak of Maya San, 
 
m^smmm 
 
 ■RMMMMiiMillMl^ 
 
 «*, -puf-i 
 
 1 1 
 
 ^ '■ 
 
 .S^ 
 
A COUNTRY DRIVE. 
 
 99 
 
 2,500 feet hiph, crowned by a temple to the Moon. 
 
 On our return we went into a shooting-gallery, 
 and tried our skill with bows and arrows at the 
 various targets, but as the low roof compels the 
 archer to adopt the Japanese position, sitting down, 
 we did not distinguish ourselves ! 
 
 On the 4th of May we made our first expedition 
 inland, starting in jinrikshas for the village of Ar'ma. 
 The distance from Kobe is fifteen miles ; as .':he 
 road is very hilly we had two men to each convey- 
 ance, and they did the distance in three hours and 
 three quarters. The ascent begins soon after leavi'ig 
 Kobe ; at first the scenery is bare and ug y, but after 
 crossing the lower ridge and getting well into the 
 hill district, it alters to forests of pine, copses of 
 bamboo, shrubberies of camellias and azaleas, banks 
 of red grav«^l, cliffs of yellow sandstone, granite and 
 chalk, fields of barley, rice, golden parsnips and 
 purple clover, till the eye is sated with wealth of 
 colour and weary of ever changing hues. 
 
 In the half-inundated rice fields we saw many 
 snakes basking in the sun or wriggling out of sight, 
 while each crevice in the rock seemed to be inhab- 
 ited by a whole family of lizards. A few ravens, an 
 occasional small hawk, and (near the villages) some 
 sparrows, were the only birds ; but I supp'-'se they 
 are numerous, as all the fields are thick! < i^'.'nted 
 
 I^./M' .jWUM 
 
lOO 
 
 ARIMA. 
 
 with scare-crows hanging from rods stuck upright in 
 the ground, and consisting of pieces of skin shaped 
 and stuffed to represent dogs, cats and hawks. 
 The roads was very bad, full of holes and stones, 
 crossed by trunks of trees, channelled by rivulets, 
 and quite unfenced, even when it ran along the edge 
 of almost perpendicular rocks ; but our cheery little 
 men took us over all impediments merrily and 
 rapidly (though certainly not comfortably, for the 
 jolting was awful 1) till a sudden dip and turn in the 
 path brought us to a wooden bridge, and we found 
 ourselves at the mountain village of Arima. 
 
 At the narrow head of a beautiful glen, which 
 rapidly widens out into a smiling, richly-cultivated 
 valley, stands the collection of houses, baths and shops 
 which constitute the village ; the back-ground is a 
 high rock surmounted by a temple and torii, and 
 along the roadside run channels of steaming water, 
 the overflowings of the bathing-houses and the pro- 
 duce of the hot springs which well from the mountain- 
 side near the temple, whence the water is conveyed 
 to the baths in bamboo-pipes. 
 
 We entered some of the '^athing-houses, and found 
 that each contained tliree classes of baths. The first 
 class consisted of separate rooms, or rather cup- 
 boards, for those customers who were very particular ; 
 the second-class had separate bathing-tanks in one 
 
iMittaiiMipiiii^ 
 
 s stuck upright in 
 es of skin shaped 
 ;ats and hawks, 
 holes and stones, 
 lelled by rivulets, 
 an along the edge 
 t our cheery little 
 ents merrily and 
 nfortably, for the 
 ip and turn in the 
 Jge, and we found 
 of Arima. 
 
 .utiful glen, which 
 g, richly-cultivated 
 les, baths and shops 
 ! back- ground is a 
 iple and torii, and 
 of steaming water, 
 Duses and the pro- 
 from the mountain- 
 water is conveyed 
 
 g-houses, and found 
 of baths. The first 
 ns, or rather cup- 
 vere very particular ; 
 ithing-tanks in one 
 
 ^' r 
 
 oK^nn Muu> TO asuu. 
 
Z^Sip.irillSSS^^Si^'-''- 
 
 «;' ' ' I^ -^ 
 
 ,'. 
 
 it^ 
 
 /- 
 
 / 
 
 
 
BATHS AND TEA-HOUSE. 
 
 lOI 
 
 common room, generally four of them, placed in the 
 four corners; but the large, and evidently most 
 popular, third-class apartment contained only one 
 large tank, which was full of people of all ages and 
 both sexes. The water bubbled up in the centre of 
 each tank from the spring below; it was red, or 
 rather rusty, in colour, about 120° in temperature, 
 tasted partly of iron and partly of soap, and if allowed 
 to dry on the skin without wiping, left a sticky feeling. 
 
 Passing through the village to its upper extremity, 
 we found a nice clean tea-house, with windows and 
 partition walls made of neat wooden frames covered 
 with white paper, and sliding in horizontal grooves ; 
 the furniture consisted of beautifully white thick 
 matting on the floor, a small table, and four chairs 
 for barbarian visitors who could not sit comfortably 
 with their legs curled under them in a civilized knot ; 
 a toy garden in front contained a tiny lake full of 
 gold-fish, dwarf pines two feet high, camellias, blue 
 anemones, and two beautiful double-blossomed cherry 
 trees in full bloom, looking like branches of coral 
 covered with snow. 
 
 Here we had some mutton-chops cooked which we 
 had brought with us, and washed them down with 
 Japanese tea — pale, nauseous, slightly bitter and very 
 astringent — which was served to us in regular 
 Japanese fashion by one of the picturesque little 
 
 
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■Ipg. l jT I ' 
 
 ««#■ 
 
 ■WW 
 
 BHMBB 
 
 lO? 
 
 ARIMA. 
 
 i- 
 
 1 
 
 «• Moosmies," or tea-house girls, who laid the tray on 
 the floor at our feet, going down on her knees and 
 hands, bowing, and then sitting back on her heels, 
 her head still bent and her hands on the ground, this 
 being the proper attitude for a servant when waiting, 
 and strictly according t^ the rules of Japanese 
 etiquette. The little lacquered tray held the teapot, 
 which had a spout but no lid, the water and tea being 
 introduced through the hollow funnel-shaped handle ; 
 four cups without handles or saucers surrounded the 
 teapot, and completed the equipage. The tea-house 
 young ladies are often rather larky, and have their 
 full share of the fun which characterizes the Japanese, 
 and which occasionally is carried a little too far, 
 according to our notions. For instance, one evening 
 during our stay at Kobu one of our fellow-travellers 
 fell into a tank in the dark: he had no sooner 
 struggled out of the water than a number of these 
 light-hearted damsels pounced upon him, stripped 
 bfl' his clothes, and rolled him up in a heap of quilts 
 to dry while his raiment went through the same pro- 
 cess at a tire. As soon as the steaming garments 
 were fit to put on again, they were brought to him by 
 the whole bevy of girls, who then saf down round 
 him in a circle to watch his toilette, and he had to 
 hustle them out of the rooip by main force to get rid 
 of them. 
 
s^ 
 
 3 laid the tray on 
 »n her knees and 
 ck on her heels, 
 1 the ground, this 
 int when waiting, 
 les of Japanese 
 r held the teapot, 
 iter and tea being 
 :l-shaped handle ; 
 s surrounded the 
 . The tea-house 
 ', and have their 
 izes the Japanese, 
 
 a little too far, 
 ance, one evening 
 • fellow-travellers 
 e had no sooner 
 
 number of these 
 ion him, stripped 
 1 a heap of quilts 
 iigh the same pro- 
 :eaming garments 
 brought to him by 
 1 saf down round 
 e, and he had to 
 Lin force to get rid 
 
 A "moouii," abima. 
 
INDUSTRIES. 
 
 103 
 
 We had also brought with us a cold roast duck, 
 which met with a misfortune en route, tumbling 
 out of its basket into a puddle ; one of our jinriksha 
 boys picked it out and wiped it carefully with his 
 dirty jacket, but even then we did not fancy it, so it 
 was presented to our followers who certainly " made 
 no bones " about eating it, for they crunched up the 
 whole bird, skeleton included ! 
 
 After staying an hour at the tea-house we walked 
 down the steep village street, stopping to see the 
 people making Japanese writing-brushes out of 
 reeds and white horsehair — women's hair-pins, 
 looking like skewers with tufts of coloured silk 
 and beads at the heads — and the coarse, but pretty, 
 basket-work for which this place is famous. Below 
 the village were stacks of rice-straw made by fastening 
 the trusses round the trunks of trees, and in the 
 valley lay flourishing farm-houses, each surrounded 
 by its yard and out-buildings, granary, threshing- 
 house and barns. 
 
 At the highest point of the road is a winding lake 
 formed by damming a small stream ; the water looks 
 very chalky, is of a dull grey-green colour^ and very 
 thick. 
 
 Our boys rattled us down the steep stony track in 
 the gathering darkness at a truly awful pace, and 
 several times I thought something must give way. 
 
KOBE. 
 
 either in the jinriksha or myself; but we reached the 
 level ground in safety, and stopped to light the paper 
 lanterns, kept by day in a box under the seat of each 
 conveyance, the carrying of which after dark is en- 
 forced by the police. We then entered the town, 
 and eventually arrived at the hotel at 8 p.m., much 
 delighted with our trip. 
 
 There are some good shops in Kobe, and among 
 the first ranks that of Echig6ya, to which we paid 
 several visits. Entering a small coiirt-yard sur- 
 rounded by stands of armour, hideous masks, bronze 
 cranes, stacks of matchlocks and other rather 
 " Brummagem "-looking weapons, we were led up a 
 very narrow staircase to the shop, which consisted 
 of a suite of rooms carpeted with the usual beautiful 
 matting and filled to overflowing with a bewildering 
 collection of ancient and modern Japanese curios, 
 cabinets, embroideries, enamels, carvings, weapons, 
 and a thousand other things, of which we knew 
 neither the names nor uses, but all arranged with 
 such taste, all so spotlessly clean and free from dust, 
 so tempting to the eye and so ready to the hand of 
 the visitor, that their silent forms appealed far more 
 strongly to that passion for buying which animates 
 most men, and all women, than the most honeyed 
 words or loudest praises. 
 
 Echigoya himself, a dignified old gentleman of 
 
 ' 1 i 
 
7'SW -^^W^lffif^f^^d^ 
 
 we reached the 
 light the paper 
 lie seat of each 
 er dark is en- 
 jred the town, 
 it 8 P.M., much 
 
 ibe, and among 
 
 which we paid 
 
 ;oi<rt-yard sur- 
 
 masks, bronze 
 
 other rather 
 
 were led up a 
 
 vhich consisted 
 
 usual beautiful 
 
 1 a bewildering 
 
 apanese curios, 
 
 vings, weapons, 
 
 rhich we knew 
 
 [ arranged with 
 
 1 free from dust, 
 
 to the hand of 
 
 pealed far more 
 
 which animates 
 
 ! most honeyed 
 
 d gentleman of 
 
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 mmmm 
 
 p^ 
 
iSi!,yH ii Wjl. ' tLWMJjiJ|U i i ii ,;ji»iB <f m 
 
 CURIOS AND JUGGLERS. 
 
 105 
 
 courtly manners, showed us his greatest treasures, 
 which were kept carefully under quilted yellow silk 
 covers; these were a magnificent cabinet, most 
 beautifully carved, heavily gilt and wonderfully inlaid ; 
 a life-sized lobster in ivory— not pretty, but most 
 curiously and faithfully copied from nature, even to 
 each separate joint of the long and flexible antennae ; 
 and a sword with a heavy blade, finely watered and 
 sharp as a razor. We found this a most fascinating 
 shop, and also another, where the rooms were literally 
 covered with the richest embroideries in gold, silver, 
 and silk or satin, hung on the walls, piled on the 
 floors, or festooned from the ceilings. 
 
 One day we saw a juggler set up his apparatus in 
 frontof the hotel, and watched him go through his 
 programme of many well-known tricks, and some 
 others decidedly novel ; one of the best of the latter 
 consisted in balancing on his chin a bamboo nine 
 feet long, on the top of which two crossed swords were 
 poised. He walked about with this for some time, 
 and then taking a bow and arrow, shot the swords at 
 the point where they crossed, caught one in each 
 hand as they fell, and still kept the bamboo immov- 
 ably erect. The swords were as sharp and heavy as 
 those in Echig6ya's shop, so that the result of any 
 mishap would have been disastrous. 
 
 We had a good view of the harbour from our 
 
 / 
 
106 
 
 KOBE. 
 
 windows, and spent many an hour while resting fronts 
 our expeditions in watching the picturesque shipping. 
 The Japanese boats used on the Inland Sea are all 
 flat-bottomed, very sharp at the bows, and broad- 
 sterned ; the rudder is large, and hangs far below the 
 bottom of the boat, acting to some extent as a centre- 
 board, and making up for the want of keel. The 
 sails are usually in three pieces laced together per- 
 pendicularly, much gathered and puckered, and 
 pieces of dark blue canvas are inserted showing by 
 their shape and position the township or district to 
 which the boat belongs. The J apanese boat-men are 
 very clever in sculling over the stern with one or two 
 oars, sending their light craft through, or rather over 
 the water at a great rate. 
 
 On the 5th we started for Kioto, the ancient capital, 
 to which a line of railway runs from Kob6. The neat 
 buildings and well-kept platform reminded us of an 
 English country station in miniature, while the 
 " narrow-gauge " line and small carriages are quite 
 in proportion with the stature of the people. The 
 officials are dressed as caricatures of our own, and 
 even the porters wear green fustian jackets with 
 numbers in red on their sleeves, but the diminutive 
 size of these mannikins and the smile which per- 
 petually lurks in the corners of their eyes and mouths, 
 only requiring the incentive of a word or look to 
 
dile resting from 
 resque shipping, 
 land Sea are all 
 ws, and broad- 
 igs far below the 
 ctent as a centre- 
 it of keel. The 
 id together per- 
 
 puckered, and 
 ted showing by 
 p or district to 
 3se boat-men are 
 
 with one or two 
 h, or rather over 
 
 e ancient capital, 
 Kob6. The neat 
 minded us of an 
 .ture, while the 
 rriages are quite 
 he people. The 
 of our own, and 
 ian jackets with 
 t the diminutive 
 smile which per- 
 eyes and mouths, 
 word or look to 
 
I 
 
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 II! 
 
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 r . 
 
 M. 
 
 It" ' 
 
 i iim: 
 
 r 
 
 AK IKUKD 8BA JAPAKB8II kOAT. 
 
 A 
 
"H 
 
 RAIL TO KIOTO. 
 
 107 
 
 burst into a broad grin, gives one the idea that the 
 whole thing is a farce, and that they are only boys 
 " playing at railways." I frequently found myself 
 listening for the bell which was to summon these 
 children hack to school ! 
 
 We had to show our passports when taking our 
 tickets, but this w.is the only point of difference from 
 the usual routme, and we soon left the station, and 
 saw the blue hills of Kiu-shiu looming through the 
 sea-mist to the south as our train took us past a 
 succession of primly neat stations, clean, bright 
 villages of tiled or thatched houses, and graveyards 
 crowded with granite monumental pillars, which were 
 thickly scattered over a richly-cultivated country cover- 
 ed with crops, and irrigated, or rather swamped, by 
 innumerable water-cuts and wells. The fields, both of 
 cereals and vegetables, were most neatly sown and 
 kept, and the lines of wheat and barley looked as if 
 they had been laid out with a parallel ruler and 
 weeded with a pen-knife, so straight, so neat, so 
 almost painfully clean were they ! The crops were 
 grown on raised ridges between which the water lay, 
 while all the ground not actually bearing vegetation 
 was deeply flooded and peopled with innumerable hosts 
 of loud-voiced frogs. 
 
 We passed the large port of Osaka about half-way ; 
 here the line turned away from the shore, and when 
 we reached Kioto we were quite inland. 
 
io8 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 Leaving the station by a wicket where a smiUng 
 and bowing official took our tickets as if they had 
 been " tips," and passing between a couple of be- 
 laced and be-swoi Jed policemen, we secured four out 
 of the crowd of jinrikshas which were drawn up in 
 the square outside,and at the words, " Ya- Ami's 
 Hotel," the grinning coolies immediately started at 
 racing pace. The road ran first along the bank of a 
 swiftly-flowing canal, up and down which long, 
 narrow, flat-bottomed boats were continually passing, 
 and then it turned to cross the Kano-gawa, a stream 
 meandering in rivulets through a broad stony bed, 
 but which was flooded by rain into an impetuous 
 torrent before we left. There are five bridges over 
 this channel, all firmly and clpiverly built of massive 
 timber. That which we now crossed was called Shi- 
 jo, and both it and the street to whicr. it led were 
 gaily decorated with Venetian masts, from which 
 hung banners, streamers, and artificial flowers, scarlet 
 being the predominant colour, while innumerable 
 paper lanterns of the gayest hues and most fantastic 
 design gave promise of an equally brilliant efFoct at 
 night. On either hand were large paintings showing 
 scenes from the plays going on in the theatres, 
 wrestling matches, mythological heroes, gods, birds, 
 beasts and fishes, while the street itself was densely 
 crowded with a laughing, good-tempered mob of men, 
 
■..^i^wsmmmm 
 
 M 
 
 !, I 
 
CLOGS. 
 
 109 
 
 women and children, all on p'eapure bent : some 
 of the women and most of the children were fjaily 
 dressed, and all of the former were heavily painted and 
 wore gorgeous hair-pins in their " coiffures a la tea- 
 pot." We noticed that the young Japanese women 
 when not " made up," is a rather pretty little specimen 
 of her species ; but on gala occasion such as this, she 
 bedaubs her face and distorts her features into an 
 exact fac-simile of the paintings on china, and is by 
 no means improved thereby. The women here do 
 not screw up their feet aftfer the barbarous Chinese 
 custom, but out of doors they generally wear wooden 
 clogs, consisting of a toe-cap, a sole, and two cross- 
 pieces underneath which raise the wearer two-and-a- 
 half or three inches from the ground. On paved 
 streets these clogs make a noise like a multitude of 
 bull-frogs in full cry, and might have given 
 Aristophanes the idea for his " Frog Chorus," which 
 exactly imitates their sounds. These, or the straw 
 sandals before described, are the national chaussure 
 of the Japanese of all ranks. 
 
 It was a gay, bright, cheery scene, and we were 
 much stnick by the gentleness of the crowd and the 
 merr} , ^ood-tempered expression on every face. Our 
 jinriksha men never pushed anyone, but kept 
 continually shouting " How ! how ! " and vvay was 
 made without any fuss. The two ladies w^it a good 
 
umammmMumm 
 
 *■ v; 
 
 r Mm 
 
 no 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 deal stared at in an unobtrusive way, and many 
 women held up their nurslings for a sight of the 
 strange people, for a large proportion of the crowd 
 had come in for the festival from solitary farms or 
 distant villages, and had probably never beheld a 
 European before. 
 
 When we reached the foot of a hill at the back 
 of the city, our road led up through a tea-garden in 
 which the booths and arbours " .ere being decorated 
 for the evening entertainment, and then, leaving our 
 jinrikshas at the bottom of some stone steps, we 
 passed up on foot through a door- way into a pretty 
 garden full of camellias, dwarf pines, gold-fish tanks, 
 and miniature l/idges, then up another flight of steps 
 to the door ot Ya-Ami's clean, comfortable, and 
 well-conductfcd hotel. 
 
 This establishment was infinitely superior to 
 the ordinary Japanese tea-house in which we 
 afterwards spent so many nights, the difference 
 being nearly as great as that between a first-rate 
 London hotel and an ordinary village inn. We had 
 rooms assigned us in a newly-built and still unfinished 
 dependance, which was as clean and neat as a new 
 band-box ; the rooms were nicely papered (including 
 the ceiling) with Japanese paper— gilt fans prettily 
 scattered on the white ground— and were furnished 
 with beds, chairs, tables, and washing-stands of 
 
. CHION-IN TEMPLE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 y, and many 
 . sight of the 
 of the crowd 
 itary farms or 
 ever beheld a 
 
 II at the back 
 tea-garden in 
 :ing decorated 
 •ji, leaving our 
 one steps, we 
 into a pretty 
 (old-fish tanks, 
 r flight of steps 
 mfortable, and 
 
 r superior to 
 in which we 
 the difference 
 en a first-rate 
 inn. We had 
 still unfinished 
 leat as a new 
 ered (including 
 It fans prettily 
 were furnished 
 hing-stands of 
 
 European fashion. The table d'hote was ample and 
 well supplied, the proprietor and his assistants were 
 most civil and obliging, and the charges were very 
 moderate. 
 
 Ya-Ami did not know much English, and his bills 
 were written in Japanese on strips of tough native 
 paper, a material which is. put to many strange uses 
 m this strange land, one of the most peculiar being 
 the manufacture of water-proofs— cloaks, umbrellas, 
 sheets, and window-panes are all made of paper ! 
 The extraordinary strength of the material is said to 
 be caused by the presence of much silk fibre, to 
 which its softness and glossiness is also due. 
 
 Along the hill at the back of the building a path 
 runs through the pine-wood, giving beautiful vignettes 
 of the city and valley through the trees, and leading 
 to the Chion-in temple, to which a Buddhist mc mastery 
 IS attached. The temple is a barn-like building-of 
 wood, like all the Japanese shrines-with sweeping 
 roof, broad verandah supported on scaffolding and 
 approached by a flight of steep wooden steps and 
 an altar in front, on which lay prayers writt'en on 
 slips of paper-to be read by the god at his leisure I 
 suppose. In the furthest recess of the central build- 
 mg IS a small gilt shrine, or pyx, with long gilt 
 tablets hanging on each side, fringed and tasselled 
 at their lower ends. In front of the .ariae stand 
 
T:l 
 
 112 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 two gilt (or gold) lotus-plants twenty feet high, 
 in bronze vases, and five queer-shaped drums. The 
 whole of this interior is gorgeously decorated with 
 wood-carvings of dragons, griffins, phoenix, and other 
 fabulous monsters, profusely gilt, and lacquered 
 in all the colours of the rainbow ; yet in no instance 
 does this daring and lavish use of brilliant hues 
 offend the eye — all are so artistically blended, 
 so cunningly contrasted, and so wonderfully and 
 intricately interwoven that, while each detail claims 
 special attention, the splendid tout ensemble loses 
 nothing of its striking magnificence and grandeur. 
 The deep, sombre tints of the pines form a suitable 
 setting for this brilliant jewel, and their erect and 
 stately colunms serve as a natural foil to the sweep- 
 ing curves of the temple roof and the tortuous 
 involutions of the carvings. 
 
 This temple dates from the beginning of the 
 seventeenth century, when it was built on the site of 
 a much older shiine which had been destroyed by 
 fire. Close by stands the monastery, containing 
 many buildings-schools, dormitories, refectories, 
 and the like — and as the white-robed priests glide 
 with silent sandalled feet through the solemn 
 gloaming of the forest, they look like ghosts of 
 departed Tycoons and Mikados restlessly haunting 
 the scene of their earthly grandeur. 
 
 'iriKiilraiTiiiiiiiitiii 
 
nty feet high, 
 d drums. The 
 decorated with 
 oenix, and other 
 and lacquered 
 t in no instance 
 brilliant hues 
 ically blended, 
 /onderfully and 
 :h detail claims 
 ensemble loses 
 and grandeur, 
 form a suitable 
 their erect and 
 il to the sweep- 
 1 the tortuous 
 
 ginning of the 
 ilt on the site of 
 !n destroyed by 
 ery, containing 
 ies, refectories, 
 ed priests glide 
 jh the solemn 
 like ghosts of 
 tlessly haunting 
 
UOTO. 
 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 GREAT BELL OF KIOTO-CHINA FACTORY-EMBROI- 
 
 DERY-BRON2ES-THEATRES~SHOPS AND HOUSES 
 
 — LAKE BIWA — EXHIBITION. 
 
 URING our first night at Kioto we were 
 startled l)y the deep, full tones of a bell 
 tolling from the heights above the hotel ; 
 the powerful sounds boomed through the stillness- 
 first two quick strokes, then nine at equal intervals 
 of ten seconds, finishing with two rapidly given— the 
 vibrations pulsatmg on the ear for a long time after 
 the last blow had fallen. This ghostly tolling came 
 from a large bell hung on a wooden scaffolding in 
 the forest above the temple we had visited the 
 previous day. We went to see it after breakfast, and 
 found it to be about twelve feet high, ten in diameter, 
 and ten inches thick ; it is said to weigh more than 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 11' 
 
 seventy tons, and to be 250 years old. The " clapper " 
 was a heavy beam slung by a rope to the scaffolding, 
 and worked by a priest frcm a wooden building close 
 alongside. In the groum's of the neighbouring 
 temple is a small artificial lake, crossed by a bridge 
 consisting of twc circular arches, and called by the 
 fanciful Japanese " Megan6 Bashi," or *' The Bridge 
 of the Pair of Spectacles." The lake is surrounded 
 by almond and cherry trees, and in the autumn its 
 surface is covered with purple lotus blossoms. 
 Coming down the hill we entered the town, and 
 commenced a round ot shopping and sight-seeing 
 which continued throughout our stay in Kioto, in 
 spite of great drawbacks from the wet weather. 
 
 The ciiief productions of the ancient capital are 
 embroidery, bronzes, kakimonos, or hanging wall- 
 picturrs, and china. We visited one of the chief 
 chin .7 tor ; and were most courteously conducted 
 all o ;' the establishment by the bland manager, 
 wrio r» ok infinite pains to show us the whole process, 
 bcti-nning with sorting, washing, kneading and 
 pounding the peculiarly fine clay, forming the various 
 vessels on the potter's wheel (one of the prettiest 
 sights possible), " biscuit "-baking, painting, gilding, 
 and then — the most critical process of all — the final 
 baking. In painting, as in writing, the Japanese 
 hold the brush (used for both purposes) peiT)endicu- 
 
 
^ 
 
 The "clapper" 
 the scaffolding, 
 I building close 
 1 neighbouring 
 sed by a bridge 
 d called by the 
 .r *' The Bridge 
 B is surrounded 
 the autumn its 
 otus blossoms. 
 the town, and 
 nd sight-seeing 
 ly in Kioto, in 
 t weather, 
 lent capital are 
 
 hanging wall- 
 [le of the chief 
 ously conducted 
 bland manager, 
 e whole process, 
 
 kneading and 
 ning the various 
 of the prettiest 
 ainting, gilding, 
 of all — the final 
 », the Japanese 
 ses) pei^endicu- 
 
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 A CHINA FACTORY. 
 
 "5 
 
 larly over the surface to be inscribed or ornamented, 
 the thumb pointing upwards, the first and fourth 
 fingers oyer and the two middle ones under the 
 brush ; in writing they commence at the upper right- 
 hand corner of the paper, and continue in 
 perpendicular lines. China-painting is conducted on 
 the co-operative system, each artist confining himself 
 to one particular portion of the work ; one sketches 
 the figures, another the landscape, and a third the 
 scrolls and arabesques ; the cup, vase, dish, or what- 
 ever it may be, is then handed over to the colourists, 
 who also subdivide their labour, one doing the 
 scarlet, one the blue, and so on until the master 
 workman crowns their efforts by adding the gilding, 
 either in broad lines and masses, or in multitudes of 
 tiny dots. When I say that every one of these 
 touches has to be repeated with minutest accuracy 
 from seven to nine times on the best china, some 
 idea may be formed of the amount of skill and 
 attention required to produce good Kioto-ware. 
 And then the whole of this laborious work may be 
 thrown away on a faulty article which only shows 
 .its flaws on being submitted to the fiery ordeal of 
 the last baking, and emerges from the furnace-oven 
 in fifty shattereJ pieces instead of one harmoniously 
 gorgeous whole. The artists are paid in propoition 
 to the class of their work, the gold-painter and final 
 
 I 2 
 
 ^^AWWW^ipff 
 
ii6 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 critic receives most, next ranks the designer, and 
 lowest of all the colourers, whose work is purely 
 mechanical, though it requires a long and arduous 
 apprenticeship. The final baking lasts for several 
 hours, the furnace being fed with logs of a close- 
 grained wood as hard and heavy as lignum vita, 
 which burns slowly and gives a uniform and intense 
 heat ; commoner fuel is used for the " biscuit "- 
 baking. The fire is allowed to die out, and the 
 furnace to cool very gradually, so as to anneal the 
 porcelain, which is ready for removal in forty-eight 
 hours after it has been first placed in the oven. 
 
 As we returned to lunch the sun came out in all 
 his splendour, and lit up the beautiful panorama of 
 Kioto which lay at the foot of Ya-Ami's hill, bosomed 
 in a fruitful valley through which the river Kano- 
 gawa winds like a silver ribbon, and bounded by the 
 rolling hills of Atago-yama and the forest-crowned 
 heights of Hiyozan. We paid many a visit to the 
 far-famed embroidery shops, especially and deser- 
 vedly noticed by all authors of books on Japanese 
 art. Dresses of ceremony, screens, triangular altar- 
 covers, women's sashes or obis, and squares for 
 cushions, are the usual forms taken by this style of 
 decoration, and the stork is ever a favourite subject. 
 Many valuable pieces of ancient embroidery were 
 displayed for our edification, some so old as to be 
 
designer, and 
 vork is purely 
 ? and arduous 
 its for several 
 gs of a close- 
 lignum vitae, 
 m and intense 
 he " biscuit "- 
 out, and the 
 to anneal the 
 in forty-eight 
 he oven, 
 ime out in all 
 1 panorama of 
 i hill, bosomed 
 e river Kano- 
 ounded by the 
 brest-crowned 
 a visit to the 
 ly and deser- 
 on Japanese 
 angular altar- 
 1 squares for 
 y this style of 
 jurite subject. 
 i)roidery were 
 old as to be 
 
,;jjiJ|2t(iSl 
 
 EMBROIDERIES. 
 
 117 
 
 actually falling to pieces, and requiring all the 
 tenderness of manipulation in which the Japanese 
 are such adepts. The show-rooms are almost always 
 on the upper storey, the stairs consisting of very 
 steep, narrow, dark ladders, guiltless of hand-rails, 
 from the head of which one emerges into a room or 
 suite of rooms filled with bewildering masses of 
 colour, gorgeous sheen of cloth-of-gold or silver, 
 dazzling profusion of silk and satin, through which 
 glimpses are caught of bowing heads, and mutterings 
 heard of civil welcome, as chairs are produced from 
 the back-ground and the inevitable tea-tray is 
 presented by a semi-prostrate attendant. 
 
 Soon more valuable draperies are produced, 
 followed by still more tempting fabrics, and, long 
 before his purchases are concluded, the visitor is so 
 surrounded by brilliant colours and delicate tints that 
 he feels as thou'jh he were floating in a silken sea of 
 tangible rainbows. 
 
 In marked contrast to this display of high art are 
 the shops for the sale of cotton piece-goods and 
 ordinary silk ,"<-iaring-appaiel. These are always 
 open to the str? ^t and usually thronged with native 
 customers, the back being filled with shelves of 
 calicoes, cotton crfipes, jackets and drawers, while 
 coloured strings for the latter are displayed on sticks 
 projecting from the verandah-pillars. Two or three 
 
ii8 
 
 KIOTO 
 
 jinrikshas are usually seen in front of each of these 
 marts, the shafts resting on the wooden kerb of the 
 verandah, and the coohe enjoying a quiet smoke out 
 of one of the pipes provided by the shopkeeper, many 
 of which lie ready to the hand on the hibachk or Httle 
 movable stoves Kcattered about the floor, while others 
 of these portable fire-places are equipped with tea- 
 kettles, and have a little tray of small cups standing 
 by them for the refreshment of all comers. Tea 
 never comes amiss to a Japanese, who consumes 
 immense quantities of the beverage during the day, 
 and also smokes a great deal of mild tobacco in the 
 minutest of pipe-bowls, which only gives him two, or 
 at most three, long-drawn inhalations. 
 
 Some of the shops are filled with bronzes, figures 
 of storks being the favourite design, but we saw 
 better specimens of artistic work in this metal at 
 Kobe and Tokio. Others contain nitskis, quaint little 
 ivory and wooden carvings of men, animals, and 
 imaginary beasts; most of these have holes through 
 them, and are used as toggles to hang the ink-horn, 
 pipe, or medicine-case from a fold of the obi or sash. 
 Some of the designs are monstrous, and others 
 slightly indecorous, but all are intensely grotesque 
 and exquisitely carved. A favourite subject is a rat 
 biting the ear of a saint who has lain down for years 
 in abstracted meditation, seeking •• Nirvana" {i.e. 
 
LINGUISTIC TROUBLES. 
 
 119 
 
 each of these 
 !n kerb of the 
 iet smoke out 
 )keeper, many 
 bacliis or little 
 ", while others 
 ped with tea- 
 sups standing 
 :omers. Tea 
 ho consumes 
 iring the day, 
 )bacco in the 
 s him two, or 
 
 inzes, figures 
 but we saw 
 lis metal at 
 , quaint little 
 nimals, and 
 oles through 
 he ink-horn, 
 i obi or sash, 
 and others 
 ly grotesque 
 •ject is a rat 
 ivn for years 
 rvana" {i.e. 
 
 "extinction" or "absorption," the Buddhist idea of 
 heaven) ; the holy idiot is on the point of attaining 
 his object when an irreverent rat catches hold of his 
 ear and brings him back to the sublunary world, 
 receiving in return for the officious interference a 
 volley of oaths of the most blasting nature, at least 
 that is the idea given by the old man's expression 
 of diabolical rage and superhuman ill temper. 
 
 The reader will wonder how we managed to make 
 ourselves understood by the Japanese. Sometimes 
 we were almost brought to a stand-still, but generally 
 we got on pretty well by the aid of a little vocabulary 
 published by Farsari of Yokohama, though I know 
 we made many a queer mistake ! For instance, the 
 ladies of our party were much taken with the quaint 
 patterns of the cotton and crfipe prints, of which 
 they enquired the price. Just then the vocabulary 
 above-mentioned had gone into another shop ; and 
 when it came back we found that our better-halves 
 had surrounded themselves with piles of the tempting 
 stuffs, which were "so cheap ! " But when it came 
 to paying the bill, the vocabulary discovered a slight 
 error in their reckoning. In Japanese the addition 
 of the word jiu changes the numeral into ten times 
 its primary meaning. This mesdames had not noticed, 
 and the consequence was that they had unwittingly 
 agreed to purchase their "bargains" at a thousand 
 per cent, more than they intended ! 
 
I30 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 In the evening we went to the principal theatre, 
 and had seats in the side jjallery (equivalent to our 
 dress-circle), from which the hest view of the per- 
 formance on and off the stafje was obtainable. I say 
 "offthestafje.-fora f,Teat deal of our amusement 
 was derived from watching' the audience. 
 
 The staf,'e was very larfje and very pocuhar, in its 
 centre was a circular turn-taljle on which the shifting 
 scenery was placed and the actinf( performed, the 
 rest of the staj-e beinp occupied by a set scene and 
 '• supers." The performance was two-fold, one por- 
 tion and set of scenes representing' the story of a man 
 who goes to a tea-house for a spree, and meets his own 
 wife there, also " on pleasure bent." Recrimination 
 ensues, in which their small child and a tea-girl 
 (whom the husband has been spooning) take a share. 
 Just when the quarrel is at its height a whistle 
 sounds, the stage turns, carrying actors and scenery 
 with it. and shows another play and a fresh scene. 
 A number of acrobats and tumblers go through a 
 clown-and-pantaloon business which would hardly 
 have been sanctioned by the Lord Chamberlain. 
 Whistle-stage turns back again. The dramatis 
 ^mon« of the first piece are discovered on the sea- 
 shore (sea represented by a white cloth violently 
 agitated at intervals). The hero is either drunk or 
 sea-sick, his wife and child dissolved in noisy tears 
 
 ■H W - W rB^I 
 
icipal theatre, 
 viilunt to our 
 w of the per- 
 in:il)Ie. I say 
 
 ir aniiisetnent 
 e. 
 
 eciiliar, in its 
 h the shiftinj; 
 informed, the 
 set scene and 
 "old, one por- 
 tory of a man 
 meets his own 
 Recrimination 
 nd a tea-pirl 
 
 take a share, 
 rht a whistle 
 '< and scenery 
 
 fresh scene. 
 JO through a 
 vould hardly 
 Chamberlain, 
 'he dramatis 
 
 on the sea- 
 oth violently 
 Jer drunk or 
 
 noisy tears. 
 
THE THEATRE. 
 
 121 
 
 Enter three merchants, creditors of the husband, who 
 demand payment. Husband draws a knife and " goes 
 for " them, wounding one, who is carried along a 
 narrow platform passing over the heads of the 
 audience. The victor goes through several antics 
 signifying triumph, until suddenly brought down to 
 his ordinary state of submission by his wife, who 
 (assisted by the child) so upbraids and exasperates 
 him that he throws all his property into the sea, and 
 makes a feint of following it himself, upon which a 
 general reconciliation takes place, presided over by the 
 acrobats, who pile themselves into a triumphal pyra- 
 mid of arms, legs, and heads at the back of the stage. 
 
 The body of the house, or pit, was divided by low 
 wooden rails into pens to hold four or six people, and 
 along these rails passed vendors of sweet-meats, 
 cakes, tea, tobacco and fruit ; some of the audience 
 were evidently having their dinners in the theatre, 
 fish, meat, rice, and all the concomitants of a square 
 meal being supplied to them. Almost everbody who 
 was not eating was smoking either a tiny pipe or a 
 cigarette. 
 
 The carpenters, scene-shifters, and supers came 
 and went on the stage freely during the performance, 
 but seemed to respect the limits of the circular plat- 
 form, on which only the actual performers stood. 
 Starlight was represented by many hanging oil-lamps. 
 
 * 
 
122 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 which were lowered, trimmed, and pulled up into 
 position again when they required it. 
 
 The curtain ran along a rod, longitudinally, and 
 often stuck ; it caught fire once, but the flames were 
 soon extinguished, and the accident caused no 
 excitement, though the wooden building and fittings 
 would have burnt like tinder, and the exits were few 
 and narrow. 
 
 I must not omit one important feature— the 
 orchestra— which occupied a corner of the stage, and 
 played on small drums, fifes, and stringed instruments, 
 accompanying the voices of the actors by a monoto- 
 nous recitative until some thrilling point arrived, 
 when the climax was heightened by a burst of 
 melody (?) from all the instruments, like a pack of 
 jackals opening in full cr>'. The performance was 
 neither so amusing nor so picturesque as that we had 
 seen in Hongkong, but the music was less noisy, and 
 less falsetto was employed by the speakers. 
 
 Another afternoon we went to see a ballet, said to 
 be peculiar to Kioto. The price of tickets was rather 
 high (about fourpence), and the performers were some 
 thirty girls with highly-painted faces, dressed 
 alternately in light blue and pink, with hair a la tea- 
 pot, red or blue sashes, white socks, and fans. 
 Their long trailing dresses, languishing attitudes, and 
 way of holding their fans, were exactly those seen in 
 
 v 
 
THE BALLET, 
 
 123 
 
 pulled up into 
 
 itudinally, and 
 le flames were 
 It caused no 
 ifj and fittings 
 exits were few 
 
 feature — the 
 the stage, and 
 d instruments, 
 by a monoto- 
 point arrived, 
 y a burst of 
 ike a pack of 
 formance was 
 LS that we had 
 ess noisy, and 
 :ers. 
 
 ballet, said to 
 ;ts was rather 
 ers were some 
 ces, dressed 
 hair a la tea- 
 ^s, and fans, 
 attitudes, and 
 those seen in 
 
 Japanese pictures. They postured and attitudinized 
 to the sounds of viols, flutes, drums, and stringed 
 instruments, played by an orchestra of eight per- 
 formers in scarlet seated on each side of the stage, 
 and were directed in their evolutions by a man with 
 a large wooden clapper. All the dancing we saw was 
 strictly proper, but we heard of one ballet in which 
 the performers begin by taking out their hair-pi^s, 
 aud continue the process of undressing to the very 
 end I At the close of the performance the danseuses 
 all walked along raised platforms over the heads of 
 the audience, and made their exit somewhere in the 
 direction of the street. Here, too, the audience 
 occupied pens about six feet square, and partook 
 freely of refreshments and tobacco. The scenery 
 represented rocky cliffs with a waterfall in the centre, 
 and was carried on in front of the stage, waterfall and 
 all. The latter was simulated by large hanks of raw 
 white silk, shot with silver threads, and the movement 
 of the fall was given by keeping the silk shimmering 
 and quivering while it revolved over a wheel ; the 
 eff"ect was really very pretty. 
 
 We visited one more theatre, where the entertain- 
 ment commenced by two girls dancing, or rather 
 posturing ; then there was a dialogue between an old 
 man and a lad which elicited peals of laughter from 
 the audience, in which we could only join by infection 
 
 ;i 
 
 I'i' . 
 
 nwwu i ti 
 
124 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 being quite unable to understand the jokes of the old 
 actor, who was evidently the Japanese Toole. 
 
 All the theatres were immense wooden booths 
 roofed with planking, with large paintings outside in 
 a thoroughly Richardsonian style. Everyone in the 
 streets was very smartly dressed, and there was evi- 
 dently a general holiday going on— probably a religious 
 festival, as we passed several procession'^ of priests 
 with shaven heads and white robes. 
 
 At night the brilliantly-illuminated streets, seen 
 from the hotel verandah, looked like snakes of fire. 
 The lanterns used in the shops are generally Cylin- 
 drical, three feet high by fifteen or eighteen inches 
 in diameter ; those for lighting the streets are spheri- 
 cal, hung on high posts with an umbrella extended 
 over them to keep off the rain. Some of these 
 lanterns are white with a black device, some scariet 
 with white, others yellow with blue, or blue and 
 crimson ; one long street has all its lanterns of the 
 same pattern— white, with the letters XIX in scarlet, 
 repeated round the globe. The effect of all these 
 varied lights is charming, and as the waving lines of 
 many-coloured fire quiver in the breeze they give to 
 the whole city the semblance of a fairy lake or a sea 
 of gems. 
 
 Of course fires are of frequent occurrence in 
 Japanese towns, consisting as they do chiefly of wood 
 
kes of the old 
 Foole. 
 
 loden booths 
 gs outside in 
 sryone in the 
 lere was evi- 
 bly a religious 
 n*" 3f priests 
 
 streets, seen 
 lakes of fire, 
 lerally fcylin- 
 [hteen inches 
 ts are spheri- 
 11a extended 
 me of these 
 some scarlet 
 or blue and 
 terns of the 
 [X in scarlet, 
 of all these 
 ving lines of 
 they give to 
 ike or a sea 
 
 ;currence in 
 iefly of wood 
 
CURIO-DEALERS. 
 
 125 
 
 .'<' .'. 
 
 and paper instead of bricks and glass. Kioto and 
 the other large towns are divided into districts and 
 wards ; in each of the latter is an alarm bell fixed on 
 the top of a lofty scaffold ; as soon as he perceives a 
 fire the nearest policeman runs up the ladder and 
 gives the alarm on the bell, striking four quick strokes 
 if the fire is close at hand — three slower if it is not 
 very near — and only one if distant ; at the same time 
 he shouts out the name of the locality in which it is 
 happening ; the parties of fire-men race each other 
 to the scene of action, as the team which arrives first 
 with its hand-engine is entitled to claim a reward. 
 The fire-men are distinguished by characters on th'eir 
 coat-backs. 
 
 We were frequently visited at the hotel by travel- 
 ling agents from the curio-dealers of the town, who 
 came into the public rooms and verandahs accom- 
 panied by coolies carrying boxes slung on bamboos 
 across their shoulders ; in a few seconds their stock-in- 
 trade was released from the scarlet rags and cotton- 
 wool in which each article was carefully wrapped, and 
 displayed in the most artistic disorder on the floor. 
 The salesman made no attempt to force one's incli- 
 nations, but sat and gazed in an exstacy of well-acted 
 admiration at the perfect shape of his vases, or the 
 quaint monstrosity of his nitskis, occasionally lifting 
 some article, and looking from it into our faces with 
 
126 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 an expression which said as plain as words : " There I 
 if you do not rapturously admire thai, and immedi- 
 ately purchase it, I shall put you down as having no 
 taste at all ! " One bulbous-nosed old rascal used to 
 visit us every evening, singing the constant refrain, 
 " I very good man — I one pricey man ! " These 
 words formed his whole stock of English ; but as he 
 was always drunk and never charged the same price 
 for an article twice running, we took leave to doubt 
 both statements. Another would introduce each 
 specimen of his wares with the expression, " Very 
 o-o-old ! " even when it had been made to our order 
 that very day, and was brought up for inspection in 
 an unfinished state. Those from whom we bought 
 anything generally presented us with some small 
 " buksheesh," in the shape of a paper frog or a 
 wooden pen-rack, before we parted company. 
 
 The Kioto streets are from eight to fifteen feet 
 wide, paved very roughly down the centre, and run 
 parallel or at right angles to each other dividing the 
 city into square blocks, at the corners of which stand 
 the glazed sheds of the police, looking like small 
 green-houses. None of the shop-fronts are glazed, 
 but all have sliding shutters, and a front avvning for 
 sunny weather. We were astonished at the size of 
 the houses ; their street frontage may not be much, 
 but their depth is amazing. Each domicile is a 
 
 WHM 
 
rds: "There! 
 , and itnmedi- 
 as having no 
 rascal used to 
 istant refrain, 
 an ! " These 
 sh ; but as he 
 lie same price 
 eave to doubt 
 itroduce each 
 jssion, " Very 
 e to our order 
 inspection in 
 m we bought 
 1 some small 
 per frog or a 
 (ipany. 
 
 :o fifteen feet 
 ntre, and run 
 • dividing the 
 )f which stand 
 ng like small 
 ts are glazed, 
 it ayvning for 
 It the size of 
 not be much, 
 domicile is a 
 
 DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE. 
 
 I a; 
 
 perfect nest of quadrangles, courts, verandahs, rooms 
 and galleries, and each open space is converted into 
 an ornamental garden with a pond and rockery, and 
 planted with dwarfed pines, ferns, camellias, and 
 azaleas; amidst the greenery stand bronze storks, 
 tortoises, and dragons, bronze or stone lanterns on 
 high carved pedestals, lavers, brasiers, and the well 
 of the house, the latter generally surrounded by a 
 pretty bamboo railing to keep children from tumbling 
 in, and having a picturesque wheel over it, with a 
 rope and two buckets for drawing water. The houses 
 are never more than one storey high, the staircases 
 narrow, steep, and dark, doorways painfully low, and 
 ceilings rarely over six feet high. The walls and 
 windows are alike formed by sliding screens of 
 wooden lattice-work covered with white paper— in 
 fact, a Japanese room is all doors except the floor 
 and ceiling, and even in these there are often traps 
 and hatchways innumerable. The house furniture is 
 scanty, and chiefly consists of a fixed cooking-place 
 well supplied with brass and copper utensils, cup- 
 boards of all shapes and in every unexpected situation, 
 a few plain low stools, half-a-dozen little lacquered 
 stands to act as tables, as many portable stoves, a 
 closet full of thick cotton quilts, and the family 
 shrine or altar, usually decorated with flowers. 
 The provision shops looked very cl-.m and nice; 
 
 
 •I 
 
wm 
 
 128 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 ■ i 
 
 we did not see any bread for sale, rice seeming to 
 take its place at every meal, but there were many 
 biscuit-shops displaying various sorts of wafers and 
 crackers — sweet and plain. The Japanese are very 
 fond of sweets, and confectioners abound ; their 
 wares are good, especially a sort of toffee, flavoured 
 with ginger, and made up into " bull's eyes " — exprrto 
 credite ! 
 
 The old china, bronzes, arms and cabinets were 
 very handsome, but the prices asked (and, in these 
 instances, adhered to) were very high ; £^y> for a 
 cabinet, £350 for a pair of vases a foot high, ;C5oo 
 for a sword with a story but no scabbard, etc. 
 Nishimura's embroideries — old and new — were most 
 beautiful and artistic, but we saw no bric-a-bra': to 
 equal Echigdya's in Kob6. 
 
 On the hill near the hotel is a five-storeyed pagoda, 
 and at the foot of this building stands an altar or 
 shrine on which sit three stone monkeys, one cover- 
 ing his ears, another his mouth, and the third his 
 eyes. They are supposed to confer special benefits 
 on the deaf, dumb, and blind, and are called by their 
 worshippers, " The Three who hear no wrong, who 
 speak no wrong, and who see no wrong." 
 
 The pagoda contains an image of Buddha, and is 
 decorated with wall-paintings of Buddhist subjects, 
 but they are neither interesting nor beautiful. 
 
 i 
 
 mm 
 
ce seeming to 
 ire were many 
 of wafers and 
 inese are very 
 ibound ; their 
 ffee, flavoured 
 eyes " — experto 
 
 cabinets were 
 (and, in these 
 ; ;C450 for a 
 ot high, ;{'5oo 
 scabbard, etc. 
 w — were most 
 bric-a-bra': to 
 
 reyed pagoda, 
 ids an altar or 
 ^s, one cover- 
 the third his 
 >ecial benefits 
 called by their 
 o wrong, who 
 
 r " 
 >■ 
 
 >uddha, and is 
 Ihist subjects, 
 .utiful. 
 
 ttmmttmm' 
 
LAKE BIWA. 
 
 1 39 
 
 We devote^ a day to visiting the great lake of 
 Japan, Lake Biwa. The train took us to Otsu at 
 the sourh end of the lake in fifty-three minutes, and 
 we found c»ur.selves on the margin of a wide stretch 
 of fresh water, thirty-five miles in length by twelve 
 in breadth, surrounded by gentle hills and tamely 
 pretty scenery. We were disappointed of our 
 intended trip round the lake, as the steamers do not 
 commence running till July, so we climbed many 
 steps to see a pillar erected to the memory of 179 
 soldiers of Otsu, who fell in the Satsuma Rebellion 
 in 1877, and to get a good view of the lake and town. 
 
 Not far from Otsu is a curious old pine-tree, 
 trained by Japanese ingenuity to forego its erect 
 natural growth, and to spread its branches horizon- 
 tally over a framework, so that it looks more like a 
 vine or a banyan-tree than a pine, and covers a 
 considerable extent of ground with its racked and 
 distorted limbs. 
 
 The Mikado's Palace at Kioto also claimed a visit : 
 it consists of a large collection of wooden buildings, 
 jealously sheltered from public gaze by the high walls 
 of the courtyard in which it stands. The doors of 
 this enclosure and the whole of the interioi buildings 
 are painted red; the effect is heavy, and very 
 different from that of the lovely temples on the 
 neighbouring hill. 
 
 K 
 
"•'^nmmmmmuKimi^ii^mmmmmmm^mmmm^!- 
 
 130 
 
 KIOTO. 
 
 Near the Palace stands a large building, or rather 
 a large group of buildings, containing the " Annual 
 Kioto Industrial Exhibition." On a board at the 
 entrance was the following notice in English : " To 
 satisfy the Exhibitor's desire, each foreign visitor will 
 kindly give their visiting cards to the gate-keeper." 
 We had no cards with us, but wrote our names on a 
 slip of paper produced by the man at the gate, which 
 I trust " satisfied the Exhibitor's desire." Once past 
 the entrance, no divergence was permitted from the 
 regular track, and we were bound to see all or none 
 of the interior, which was divided into a tortuous 
 maze of galleries and pr.ssages, a painted hand point- 
 ing the way at every turning. It was a long and 
 weary walk, the exhibits being chiefly silk in every 
 stage, from the very egg to the highly-finished em- 
 broidery. There were some magnificent specimens 
 of the latter, and also some beautiful paintings on silk ; 
 every article was marked with its price in English,' 
 but nothing could be removed from the building till 
 the close of the exhibition in mid-June. We were 
 disappointed by the absence of lacquer and bamboo- 
 work, china and cabinets, and of any models of the 
 interesting and magnificent temples of Kioto. 
 
ilding, or rather 
 igthe "Annual 
 a board at the 
 English: "To 
 reign visitor will 
 le gate-keeper." 
 our names on a 
 the gate, which 
 re." Once past 
 (litted from the 
 see all or none 
 into a tortuous 
 ted hand point- 
 vas a long and 
 y silk in every 
 ly-finished em- 
 cent specimens 
 lintings on silk ; 
 ice in English, 
 he building till 
 me. We were 
 r and bamboo- 
 models of the 
 f Kioto. 
 
CHAPTER yill. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 OSAKA — WRESTLERS — NARA — DAIBOOTS — A BAD 
 ROAD — ON BOARD AGAIN. 
 
 |N the 8th of May we left the old capital with 
 much reefret, after bidding a friendly adieu 
 to civil Ya- Am i and his attentive myrmidons, 
 and started by train for the shrines of Nara, retrac- 
 ing a portion of the route to Kobe as far as Osaka, 
 where we made a temporary halt, taking up our 
 quarters at Jiutei's hotel in the town, on an island 
 formed by two branches of the Yodo-gawa river which 
 connects Lake Biwa with the sea. Osaka was en 
 fite, in commemoration of the suppression of the 
 Satsuma Rebellion, and the great centre of attraction 
 lay in the square in front of the hotel, where a regular 
 
 K 2 
 
u ^ 
 
 132 
 
 OSAKA. 
 
 fair was being held, with booths, shops, flags, masts, 
 lanterns and streamers of every shape and hue. 
 
 We soon descended to mix in the throng, for the 
 hotel had only just been evacuated by a large party 
 of Japanese pleasure-seekers, and the rooms had to 
 be cleaned and made ready for us. The balconies were 
 thickly hung with gay lanterns and tricoloured 
 drapery— red, white, and blue. We wandered 
 through the fair, and were much amused by the good- 
 tempered, but utterly futile attempts of the Japanese 
 policemen to expel a tipsy man from the principal 
 booth. We visited the Royal Mint, and saw silver 
 and copper coin being made. The whole of the 
 "plant" is English, and was purchased by the 
 Japanese from our Hongkong Government ; for a 
 year or two it was under European supervision, but 
 now the staff is entirely native. We also went to see 
 a nursery-garden kept by Kichi Suke, and celebrated 
 throughout Japan. The grounds were laid out with 
 wonderful ingenuity, and appeared to cover at least 
 ten times their actual area, vistas of rapidly lessening 
 trees presenting a false perspective to the eye, while 
 the maze-like paths were equally deceptive to the feet. 
 There were some magnificent peonies displaying 
 masses of gorgeous colour, and individual flowers of 
 immense size and perfect shape ; but the great attrac- 
 tion for the Japanese is the large display of curiously 
 
h^ mmmmtifmmm . 
 
 3s, flags, masts, 
 ^ and hue. 
 throng, for the 
 y a large party 
 i rooms had to 
 balconies were 
 id tricoloured 
 We vandered 
 ed by the good- 
 )f the Japanese 
 1 the principal 
 and saw silver 
 
 whole of the 
 :hased by the 
 nment ; for a 
 upervision, but 
 Iso went to see 
 and celebrated 
 e laid out with 
 
 cover at least 
 pidly lessening 
 the eye, while 
 tive to the feet, 
 ies displaying 
 lual ■ flowers of 
 le great attrac- 
 ay of curiously 
 
i 
 
 ■ ' i 
 
 ■1 ! 
 
 NATinil ASD AST. 
 
s 
 
 WRESTLERS. 
 
 ^33 
 
 dwarfed and mis-shapen trees representing birds 
 beasts, and fishes-storks, dragons, and ph«nixes- 
 and many other creatures of which one could only 
 say, with Polonius, that they were "very like a 
 whale I " 
 
 We went to see the famous wrestlers of Osaka, who 
 performed on a slightly-raised sandy platform in the 
 centre of an immense booth. The wrestling was poor, 
 and the competitors did not seem much in earnest 
 varymg their performances by frequently blowing their 
 noses m pieces of paper, and washing out their 
 mouths with salt and water. Their professional 
 costume consisted of a handkerchief bound tightly 
 round the head, a very narrow loin-cloth, and a loose 
 open fringe of blue cords round the waist ; most of 
 them were immensely fat, shaking masses of flesh 
 and some were highly decorated with flowing designs 
 of dragons, long-haired maidens, scorpions, centipedes 
 and other monsters tattooed over their backs and 
 thighs m bright blue and red lines. The signals for 
 begmnmg and ending the diff-erent bouts or for fresh 
 competitors to come into the arena, and the decisive 
 verdict on each struggle, were given by a small boy 
 with a fan, who alone remained on the raised platform 
 with the combatants, and whose shrilly,piped com- 
 mands received instant and implicit obedience from 
 the brawny wrestlers. When a couple of performers 
 
»3i 
 
 NARA. 
 
 i I 
 
 I -m 
 
 entered the ring, which was about twelve feet square, 
 they squatted on their haunches liice great toads, then 
 threw their bodies forward, resting on the fingers and 
 toes and eyeing each other steadily ; as soon as the 
 signal was given they sprang upon their feet, each 
 tried to make good his grip, and the combat proceeded 
 in ordinary fashion, except that it did not appear 
 necessary for one of the combatants to be thrown, if 
 he were pushed out of the arena he was defeated, and 
 the umpire dropped his fan, and announced the name 
 of the victor. 
 
 Next morning we started in jinrikshas to pursue 
 our journey. The road was fairly good, and led 
 through fertile fields of rice and barley, thriving 
 villages and beautiful groves of trees — a gentle ascent 
 the whole way. We stopped for lunch at a clean 
 tea-house, where we were, as usual, shown up-stairs 
 into a beautifully matted room, and supplied with 
 nasty but refreshing Japanese tea while we sat on the 
 floor. 
 
 Surmountini?^ a rocky ridge crowned by wind-tossed 
 pines, we suddenly came upon our first view of Nara, 
 its large six-storeyed pagoda on a hillock in the 
 centre of the village forming the principal object of the 
 picture. The great temple of Buddha lay in the trees 
 to our left of the pagoda, the houses of the village 
 clustered at the foot of the hillock, and on the right 
 
'elve feet square, 
 ^eat toads, then 
 1 the fingers and 
 as soon as the 
 their feet, each 
 tmbat proceeded 
 did not appear 
 to be thrown, if 
 ^as defeated, and 
 >unced the name 
 
 kshas to pursue 
 good, and led 
 barley, thriving 
 -a gentle ascent 
 inch at a clean 
 shown up-stairs 
 d supplied with 
 ile we sat on the 
 
 I by wind-tossed 
 st view of Nara, 
 hillock in the 
 pal object of the 
 a lay in the trees 
 s of the village 
 nd on the right 
 
TAME ANIMALS. 
 
 »35 
 
 was another temple with a Iar|,'e rectangular tank in 
 front of it. Here again, we found a fair going on, 
 and our jinriksha-men had to push their way through 
 the smiUng crowd, who stared in astonishment at 
 their unwonted visitors, especially at those of the 
 gentle sex, whom they evidently considered to be 
 quite the show of the fair 1 The tank above mentioned 
 was full of carp and huge gold-fish, which came 
 rushing, splashing, pushing, shouldering and tumbling 
 over each other, more like pigs than fish, when we 
 threw them pieces of the pink biscuits sold for their 
 delectation ; we saw carp of fully 5 lbs., and goldfish 
 nearly half that weight, also numbers of small fresh- 
 water turtles equally tame and greedy. 
 
 Our road thence lay through a very pretty park, 
 with pines, limes, and other trees springing from the 
 turf-covered soil in beautiful groups, and giving shade 
 to numbers of tame spotted deer, who crowded 
 round us to be fed with the balls of sweetened flour 
 supplied by an old crone seated by the roadside. 
 Leaving the park, we ascended a steep path— 
 frequently degenerating into a mere flight of rough 
 stone steps, the sides lined with shops and small 
 houses— till we finally arrived at a pretty tea-house 
 built on the spur of the hill, and commanding a good 
 view of the valley below. The path by which we 
 had come was thronged with groups of merry 
 
 
 J: 
 
 " ']f:-3AW^I*'.^*T.-r*J^«TfW^' ' 
 
fl 
 
 IINI 
 
 136 
 
 NAKA. 
 
 pleasure-seekers, and we were not long in liiscoverinp 
 that their goal was a smooth Rras^y hill behind the 
 village; up to the top of this they climbed with 
 breathless eagerness, and down to the bottom again 
 they rolled with as hearty enjoyment and as utter 
 disregard for appearances as a pack of children ! 
 
 The rooms in this tea-house were actually glazed in 
 front, but only divided from each other by the usual 
 sliding screens covered with paper. There were a 
 table and four chairs, but no bedsteads ; so we slept 
 on the matted floor with thick quilts for bedding, 
 which would have been more comfortable if they had 
 been made for people of ordinary (European) height I 
 As it was, we had to exercise some ingenuity in over- 
 coming the difliculty, for when we covered our feet, 
 there was nothing to go over our shoulders, and 
 when we pulled the square bedding up to our chins 
 our feet were left considerably out in the cold, while 
 if we used two quilts at once, overlapping like tiles, 
 we were inevitably awoke by a frosty hiatus some- 
 where about our waists. Our morning ablutions 
 were performed in a copper basin in the open 
 verandah (for we really could not risk splashing the 
 
 spotless matting), and while D was shaving he 
 
 suddenly missed the glass and razor, which he had 
 laid down for a moment, and on looking round for 
 them, discovered one of the tea-girls operating on her 
 own eyebrows ! 
 
p in liiscoverin/? 
 ^ hill behind the 
 y climbed with 
 e bottom apfuin 
 It and as utter 
 f children ! 
 :tually gla/ed in 
 ler by the usual 
 There were a 
 is ; so we slept 
 ts for bedding, 
 able if they had 
 ropean) height I 
 Bfenuity in over- 
 )vered our feet, 
 shoulders, and 
 ip to our chins 
 the cold, while 
 )ping like tiles, 
 y hiatus some- 
 ning ablutions 
 1 in the open 
 c splashing the 
 'as shaving he 
 , which he had 
 ting round for 
 perating on her 
 
 n4*B0DW AMD TIUMI, NABA. 
 
 «>i|BH!wwt'»*t*w^^«wj»n^*«*"~' 
 
A MONSTER IDOL. 
 
 137 
 
 After breakfast, which consisted mainly of our 
 private suppHes, to which the tea-house contributed 
 fish-soup (nasty !) and boiled eggs ad libitum, we went 
 down the hill to visit the great temple of Buddha, 
 called Todaiji. Entering the court-yard through a 
 lofty two-storeyed gateway, flanked by colossal 
 images of the Ni-o, or Guardians of the Gate- 
 hideous visaged demons armed with bows and 
 arrows— we first saw a sacred tank, in which a love- 
 lorn princess is said to have drowned herself when 
 deserted by a fickle Mikado; passing this lotus- 
 covered pool we entered the Ipfty main building, and 
 found ourselves in front of the huge gilt figure of 
 Buddha, the largest idol in Japan, and probably in 
 the world. 
 
 Daiboots (the Japanese name for Buddha,) is repre- 
 sented seated on a lotus flower raised on a platform ; 
 the height of the idol (not including the platform) 
 is fifty-three feet. On each side ?. smaller gilt figure 
 is seated ; the central statue, and that on its right, 
 have their right hands and arms raised from the 
 elbow, which rests on the thigh; the left hands lie 
 open on the lap, palms upward ; the figure on the 
 left has this position reversed. On each side and in 
 front of the group are large bronze lotuses. The 
 effect of these gigantic figures whose heads are 
 almost lost in the gloom of the roof, and of the 
 
■^^hk^ 
 
 138 
 
 NAKA. 
 
 heavy silence which reigns throughout the vast 
 building, was very impressive. 
 
 The great idol has a door between its shoulders, 
 approached by a ladder, and at this aperture the 
 thickness — nearly ten inches — of the metal of which 
 the figure is formed can be seen. At the back of the 
 head and shoulders expands a wide halo, or glory, of 
 gilded wood, bearing on its rays many smaller 
 images of Buddha. The huge casting is said to have 
 been made by commencing at the lower part of the 
 Bgure, and gradually building up the walls of the 
 mould step by step as the metal cooled with which 
 the interior was filled. This metal, used in almost 
 all Japanese idols, and called (erroneously) bronze, 
 is said to contain ninety-six parts of copper, one and 
 a half of silver, and two and a half of gold. 
 
 Here, too, is a huge sacred bell, though rather 
 smaller than the one described during our Kioto visit ; 
 we heard its solemn and musical notes frequently 
 during our stay, as it was tolled at every third hour 
 of the twenty-four. 
 
 In the lower portion, or hall, of the temple is a 
 museum containing images of various deities em- 
 bellished with every imaginable grotesqueness of 
 feature and ferocity of expression ; beautiful specimens 
 of ancient arms and armour; gorgeous and fanci- 
 ful embroideries; gongs, vases and candelabra in 
 
'"'I'ih-, 
 
 hout the vast 
 
 n its shoulders, 
 is aperture the 
 
 metal of which 
 
 the back of the 
 alo, or glory, of 
 many smaller 
 f is said to have 
 ver part of the 
 le walls of the 
 )led with which 
 
 used in almost 
 eously) bronze, 
 :opper, one and 
 gold. 
 
 though rather 
 our Kioto visit ; 
 otes frequently 
 rery third hour 
 
 the temple is a 
 )us deities em- 
 otesqueness of 
 itiful specimens 
 !Ous and fanci- 
 candelabra in 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 139 
 
 embossed metal ; high-peaked saddles with gigantic 
 stirrups of lacquered wood or chased bronze, and 
 seven separate compartments filled with life- sized 
 figures representing scenes from popular Japanese 
 poems and legends. There were also models of 
 temples and pagodas, a beautifully finished bronze 
 statuette of Buddha emerging from a lotus-bud, 
 quaint lamps — one with an exquisitely carved mouse 
 creeping down the handle to steal the wick, peep- 
 shows with coloured transparencies of illuminated 
 buildings, stuffed fish, mermaids, and finally, pictures 
 and kakunonos, or scrolls to hang on the wall. 
 
 On leaving the temple we were met by an attendant 
 who pointed out the following notice in English at 
 the gate— "This temple have broken very much, 
 therefore we have the plan to beg all our friends soci- 
 able minded and to repair it. We wish all our friends 
 will cast some money." The last paragraph 
 thoroughly enlightened our " sociable minds," which 
 had gone rather astray in the grammatical labyrinths 
 of the notice, and we willingly took the hint, receiv- 
 ing in return for our donations a gorgeously illumi- 
 nated recipt, presented with the deepest bows. 
 
 We spent some time in the village, where " all the 
 fun of the fair " was going on as though for our 
 special entertainment— and this, I may here mention, 
 is one of the strangest of the many peculiar sensa- 
 
 ' (| 
 
mmm 
 
 ^kS 
 
 ! ! •: 
 
 140 
 
 NARA. 
 
 tions experienced by the viritor to Japan : you feel 
 all the time as if you were watching a dramatic 
 performance, every scene of which is got up and acted 
 for your own particular amusement and delectation ; 
 the actors, when not laughing outright, always seem' 
 to be hiding a smile, and look at you with twinkling 
 eyes which say as plainly as any words, " It's all 
 make-believe, but isn't it fun ! " 
 
 The pedlars' stalls were great features in the 
 picture; they were made of bamboo, with a light 
 awning over-head and extra shelves like outriggers at 
 the sides ; with their little tables crowded with cheap 
 but pretty nick-nacks and toys for young and old, 
 they moved about from place to place wherever they 
 saw knots of probable customers, instead of waiting 
 for patrons to come to them. Some had trays of 
 sweet-meats, toffee, and sugar-plums ; others owned 
 roulette-tables, where for a copper sen you might 
 possibly win a fully-costumed doll, a bunch of orna- 
 mental hair-pins, or, at least, an indigestible-looking 
 bright green cake ; while yet another class of tempt- 
 ing goods was displayed in the shape of children's 
 toys; nor were these by any means the least 
 generously patronized booths, for children are impor- 
 tant personages in Japan, and the little tyrants know 
 their power full well and use it pretty freely. 
 We had intended to prolong our jinriksha journey 
 
 1 
 
Japan : you feel 
 tching a dramatic 
 is got up and acted 
 t and delectation ; 
 ight, always seem 
 ou with twinkling 
 y words, " It's all 
 
 t features in the 
 boo, with a light 
 s like outriggers at 
 owded with cheap 
 r young and old, 
 ice wherever they 
 nstead of waiting 
 ome had trays of 
 is; others owned 
 r sen you might 
 , a bunch of orna- 
 idigestible-looking 
 er class of tempt- 
 ape of children's 
 means the least 
 iiildren are impor- 
 ittJe- tyrants know 
 ty freely, 
 jinriksha journey 
 
 ■/ jaa^¥^j*JKPHOT3#« 
 
tmsti 
 
 THE HILL ROAD, 
 
 141 
 
 as far as the shrines of Isc, but the rain which had 
 
 only damped the streets of Kioto had drenched the 
 
 country here, and as the road from Nara to Ise passes 
 
 over a mountain range and through much swampy 
 
 land, and was reported to be quite impracticable for 
 
 jinrikshas at present, we most reluctantly abandoned 
 
 the idea and made up our minds to return to Osaka, 
 
 though not by tht route which had brought us to 
 
 Nara. There was another way, called by the natives 
 
 the " hill-road," which promised fresh views and new 
 
 experiences, so we determined to take it, although it 
 
 was said (and truly) to be both longer and more 
 
 difficult than the path by the plain. In justice to our 
 
 jinriksha-men I must say that they made no diffi. 
 
 culties, but seemed as pleased to show us as we were 
 
 to see something new. And this we invariably found 
 
 to be a characteristic of these most willing, cheery, 
 
 enduring, and obliging "men-horses," who rank 
 
 amongst the hardest workers and shortest livers in 
 
 the country. 
 
 Starting early, we rapidly crossed the Nara valley 
 and then commenced a steep ascent. The road was 
 so cut up by the rain that even the ladies had to 
 abandon their conveyances, in which they were being 
 grievously shaken, and toil up the hill-side on foot ; 
 from many points there were beautiful peeps of the 
 fertile valley, framed by the luxurlr.nt foliage and 
 
 1 1 ,1 
 
142 
 
 NARA. 
 
 interlacing branches of the forest, but as we 
 approached the crest of the ridge the trees disap- 
 peared, and only a scanty growth of stunted 
 brushwood remained to clothe the sharply-defined 
 water-shed. Along this rocky crest the path led for 
 several miles, passing rain-fed lakes of yellow, 
 uninviting water, but valuable as reservoirs from 
 which the crops below are irrigated during the 
 summer heats. 
 
 At length, turning a shoulder of the hill, the wide 
 plain of Osaka lay before us, the broad stream of the 
 Tonogawa flowing through its centre, and the far 
 horizon gleaming with the silver sheen of the Inland 
 Sea. 
 
 A descent, even steeper than the road on the Nara 
 side of the hills, brought us to the village of 
 Matsubara. At the entrance a quaint little scene 
 met our eyes for the first time, though it soon became 
 familiar as we extended our journeys : by the road- 
 side a village belle sat on the ground, having her hair 
 arranged in the elaborate coiffure I have previously 
 described ; in front of her was a dressing-table, or 
 rather box, containing all the necessary brushes and 
 combs, pins and pomades, bows and frisettes, and 
 with a round mirror of polished metal- supported on 
 an upright stand projecting from the back of the box. 
 The young lady's shining black locks were hanging 
 
SUF^^ 
 
 rest, but as we 
 ;e the trees disap- 
 owth of stunted 
 [ie sharply-defined 
 st the path led for 
 lakes of yellow, 
 s reservoirs from 
 ^ated during the 
 
 the hill, the wide 
 road stream of the 
 mtre, and the far 
 iieen of the Inland 
 
 i road on the Nara 
 to the village of 
 ]uaint little scene 
 ugh it soon became 
 eys : by the road- 
 id, having her hair 
 I have previously 
 dressing-table, or 
 3ssary brushes and 
 and frisettes, and 
 letal- supported on 
 he back of the box. 
 3cks were hanging 
 
SAKI. 
 
 143 
 
 loose on one side, while the hair-dresser (also a 
 woman) was putting the finishing artistic touches to 
 the other. When the cheeks have been rouged, the 
 centre of the lower lip daubed with vermilion, 
 powder copiously applied to the face and the back of 
 the neck, and (in the case of a married woman) the 
 eye-brows freshly shaved and the teeth blackened 
 like the bars of a grate, her toilette will be complete, 
 and she will be able to visit her acquaintances in the 
 city in proud consciousness of being quite in the 
 latest fashion and unassailable by the criticisms of 
 even her dearest friends ! 
 
 We had to make a longer halt than we wished at 
 Matsubara, for the jinriksha-men said they were very 
 tired, although we had walked all the worst part of 
 the journey, but we discovered that their real reason 
 was the cheapness of saki at the village grog-shop. 
 This liquor, made from fermented rice and univer- 
 sally drunk by the Japanese, is much indulged in by 
 the jinriksha-men, and appears to deserve the praise 
 often bestowed on good port— that there is not a 
 headache in a hogshead— for I have often known our 
 men to be gloriously drunk at night, and yet do a 
 very hard journey next day without turning a hair. 
 
 Soon after starting again we reached the bank of a 
 canal which leads straight to Osaka, the waters 
 turning many wheels for driving cotton gins, or 
 
 urn 
 
 
 m«Mm<miKmn.w ' 
 
I' 
 
 f 
 
 144 
 
 AT 8EA. 
 
 11: 
 
 ! !! 
 
 •setting in motion little engines for drawing brass and 
 iron wire; many small barges were coming and 
 going, laden with country produce or city purchases. 
 We made no halt at Osaka, but proceeded straight 
 to the railway station, and thence to Kobw, where we 
 arrived at 8 p.m. 
 
 The following days were spent in making purchases, 
 and we found ourselves so much enlightened and 
 made so much more critical by our recent experiences 
 that we could trust pretty safely to our own judgment 
 in selecting souvenirs; many an object which had 
 attracted our admiring gaze on first seeing it was 
 now unhesitatingly condemned and ruthlessly cast 
 aside, somewhat to the surprise of the shopkeepers, 
 who, however, rose to the occasion, and produced 
 from their apparently inexhaustible stores specimens 
 which they had hitherto suppressed as too good for 
 new-comers, and for which they asked little, if any, 
 more than they had demanded for the (comparatively 
 speaking) trash they had exhibited previously. 
 
 On the morning of the 14th the Teheran arrived 
 from Hongkong, and at midnight we sailed for Yoko- 
 hama. Another day and night at sea brought us 
 into port at 10 a.m. on the 16th; much of the 
 distance had to be traversed at half-speed, a heavy 
 fog making navigation dangerous on these crowded 
 and rock-strewn coasts, which are not only devoid of 
 
■i 
 
 Irawinp brass and 
 /em cominR and 
 or city purchases. 
 >roceeded straight 
 
 KobJ, where we 
 
 making purchases, 
 enUghtened and 
 recent experiences 
 our own judgment 
 object which had 
 irst seeing it was 
 id ruthlessly cast 
 r the shopkeepers, 
 on, and produced 
 J stores specimens 
 :d as too good for 
 isked little, if any, 
 the (comparatively 
 
 1 previously. 
 
 je Teheran arrived 
 ive sailed for Yoko- 
 it sea brought us 
 )th ; much of the 
 lalf-speed, a heavy 
 on these crowded 
 I not only devoid of 
 
 YOKOHAMA. 1^5 
 
 hght-houses (except at the ports), but also thickly 
 beset with fishing-boats whose crews are not remark- 
 able for keeping a good look-out. 
 
 As we approached our anchorage the fog lifted and 
 the sun came out ; before us lay the long lines of 
 buildings of Yokohama, with low hills in the back- 
 ground, while to the south rose the tree-clad heights 
 of the Bluff, crowned with consulates and naval 
 hospitals each surmounted by its national ensign, 
 and many picturesque villas, the whole presenting a 
 very pretty and effective coup d'ail. 
 
 Long as we had been on our passage the steamer 
 of the Japanese Mitsu-Bishi Company, by which our 
 
 friends the D 's came, was still longer; for, 
 
 though she had started from Kob: five hours before 
 us she did not arrive until noon. 
 
 
 I 
 
II i 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 YOKOHAMA — THE PEERLESS MOUNTAIN — OUR GUIDE 
 
 — NIKKO — GORGEOUS SHRINES AND STATELY 
 
 FORESTS — KAGOS — CHIUZENJI. 
 
 |OKOHAMA, the chief port of Japan, lies on 
 the shore of a wide bay, a granite wall or 
 bund forming a breast-work against the 
 waves of the Pacific Ocean, which stretches away to 
 the distant shores of North America— a vast waste 
 of waters four thousand miles across. On the south 
 side of the city, and divided from it by a narrow 
 tidal stream, rises the " Bluff," on which are most of 
 the consulates, and the naval hospitals" of England, 
 France, and Russia. Here also used to stand the 
 barracks, when Yokohama was a station for our 
 troops. 
 
4 i 
 
 -J- * 
 
 1''' 
 
 -.■.^■m^tiSK^w-m^-vm 
 
FUJIYAMA. 
 
 147 
 
 S 
 
 r 
 
 Peerless Mountain " as it is fondly called by the 
 Japanese, may be obtained from the Bluff: rising in 
 a majestic cone far above the western horizon! its 
 trunca ed summit covered with snow, except where 
 the walls of the crater form an irregular dark line 
 agamst the sky twelve thousand feet above tho sea 
 
 firrrru*"'" ^J"*' *^^* immediately strike one on 
 first beholdmg th.s grand extinct volcano are its 
 perfectly regular shape and slope, and its regal 
 •sola >o„: the only hills in sight are low, rolling^ 
 darkly-wooded undulations, which serve but as foib 
 to their snow-crowned monarch, and lie like prostrate 
 subjects round his throne. One has only to see Fuji 
 to understand the mysterious powers with which the 
 mountain was formerly endowed and the reverential 
 love with which it is stil, regarded by the Japanese 
 
 Yokohama has many good shops, both European 
 and native, and the town presents a busy and 
 animated appearance, especially near the chief land- 
 ing place, or " hatoba," which is at the northern end 
 of the bund. From this point to the river above 
 mentioned runs a wide esplanade, having the sea- 
 wall on one hand and a row of very pretty villas and 
 other buildings on the other. This strand road is 
 the Rotten Row of the place, and here the beauty 
 and fashion may be seen riding or driving eveiy 
 
 
i^ 
 
 i''i'ii»^iasMdmmmm&0mitmamimr*iitum 
 
 h 
 
 il!:i 
 
 148 YOKOHAMA. 
 
 afternoon, attended by their "bettos," or grooms, 
 whose running powers are wonderful, and who 
 always keep pace with— and often outrun — the 
 carriages or riding ponies of their masters. 
 
 We took up c ur quarters at the " Grand Hotel," 
 and spent some time in wandering about Yokohama, 
 making calls, and preparing for a trip to the sacred 
 city of Nikko and its neighbourhood. I think that 
 there were even more blind shampooers here than 
 in Kob6; we frequently met them in the streets 
 by day, and their plaintive whistle began at dusk, 
 and resounded almost unintermittently throughout 
 the waking hours of the night. 
 
 At length a guide was engaged, stores laid in, 
 luggage reduced to a minimum, and on May 22nd 
 we started from Yokohama by rail at 6.35 a.m., 
 passed the tombs of the Forty-seven Ronins at 
 Sengakuji, changed carriages at Shinagawa, one 
 station short of Tokio, and leaving the train at the 
 temporary terminus at Utsunomiya we had luncheon 
 at a tea-house while our guide hired jinrikshas for 
 the onward journey. Let me take this opportunity 
 of introducing him — a thin, solemn looking indivi- 
 dual, Kan^ko by name, wearing a suit of light brown 
 check " dittos," a Gladstonian collar with a blue tie, 
 and a straw hat ; he could talk English very fairly, 
 had some knowledge of European cooking, and was 
 
 %.. 
 
OS," or grooms, 
 erful, and who 
 en outrun — the 
 isters. 
 
 "Grand Hotel," 
 bout Yokohama, 
 ip to the sacred 
 1 I think that 
 •ooers here than 
 n in the streets 
 began at dusk, 
 ently throughout 
 
 I, stores laid in, 
 nd on May 22nd 
 ail at 6.35 A.M., 
 leven Ronins at 
 
 Shinagawa, one 
 g the train at the 
 we had luncheon 
 ed jinrikshas for 
 
 this opportunity 
 in looking indivi- 
 uit of light brown 
 ir with a blue tie, 
 iglish very fairly, 
 :ooking, and was 
 
 
WWiW^ 
 
 JINRIKSHA-TRAVELLING. 149 
 
 decidedly lazy ; still he might have been worse, and 
 we certainly got on a great deal better with his 
 assistance than we could have done alone. 
 
 By th. time we had finished our meal Kaneko 
 reapp v -d with five jinrikshas— two men to each 
 conveyance. We divided our baggage to equali;ce 
 weights, giving the heavier portions to the guide and 
 
 Mrs. D , as the lightest of the party, and bidding 
 
 adieu to the civil waitresses at the tea-house, received 
 their pretty, Italian-sounding " sAyondras," or fare- 
 wells, accompanied by the usual intensely low bows 
 and also by the chuckling laugh of an old-fashioned 
 infant whose mother held him on his legs to see the 
 foreign ladies. 
 
 At first our men divided vheir labours by one pull- 
 ing in front and the other pushing behind the jinrik- 
 shas, but as the road got heavier the man behind 
 came forward and harnessed himself by a rope to the 
 cross-bar at the end of the shafts, tandem-fashion. 
 In this way we spun along the rough track at the 
 rate of six miles an hour, passing two or three heavy 
 wagonettes full of Japanese, drawn by teams of 
 sturdy ponies which struggled bravely with their 
 accumulated difficulties of uneven ground, sticky mud 
 and awkward harness, the queer-looking conveyances 
 lurching in their wake like colliers in a cross-sea ; we 
 congratulated ourselves on our better fortune in hav- 
 
1 • 
 
 
 150 
 
 NIKKO. 
 
 ing chosen the light jinrikshas, though even n these 
 we were cruelly shaken as they bumped over stones 
 and roots of trees, into holes and out again, regardless 
 of our feelings and their own springs. The road was 
 so bad in parts that our men took us up the bank and 
 along its dry summit rather than risk their springs 
 and spokes amongst the dangers of the highway. 
 
 This •• Oshiu-Kaido," or Pilgrim's Road, as it ap- 
 proaches Nikko becomes a magnificent avenue of 
 double ranks of " cryptomeria " pines, extending for 
 ten miles. These trees were planted by a follower 
 of Iy6-Yasu, or the " Great Shogun," as he is always 
 called. Being too poor to erect a temple or monu- 
 ment to the memory of his master, he devoted some 
 years to making this grand offering to the departed 
 spirit of the hero. 
 
 As we drew near the end of our journey the stately 
 trees grew closer and closer, towering like poplars 
 into the sky, their trunks from two to five feet in 
 diameter; the straight road running down this 
 avenue looked liked the aisle of a vast cathedral, and 
 the banks on each side were thickly covered with 
 orange and purple azaleas and large camellia bushes, 
 which sometimes became dense jungle, while at 
 others they were only a thin veil between the road 
 and the richly cultivated plain through which it runs. 
 Clumps of beech, birch, and elm — undergrowths of 
 
(1 even "n these 
 ed over stones 
 gain, regardless 
 The road was 
 up the bank and 
 sk their springs 
 le highway. 
 Road, as it ap- 
 cent avenue of 
 5, extending for 
 d by a follower 
 as he is always 
 imple or nrjonu- 
 le devoted some 
 :o the departed 
 
 iirney the stately 
 ing like poplars 
 to five feet in 
 ling down this 
 it cathedral, and 
 ly covered with 
 camellia bushes, 
 ingle, while at 
 tween the road 
 ^h which it runs, 
 indergrowths of 
 

Suzuki's tea-house. 
 
 151 
 
 briphtly-flowering shrubs— carpets of ferns, moss, 
 and wild-flowers— formed an ever-changing and ever 
 delightful fore-ground behind which' rose the blue 
 hills of Nikkozan, changing to brightest -green as we 
 approached them ; then, jolting over the irregularly- 
 paved street called " Hachiishi " we turned sharp to 
 the right through a gateway, and were finally (and 
 gratefully !) deposited at the clean and comfortable 
 tea-house where Su/uki, the proprietor, and his 
 myrmidons received us with deepest bows and 
 profoundest hisses of w elcome. 
 
 A hot bath in the ever-ready tub, and a good meal 
 to which Kaneko contributed some fish and the knives 
 and forks he had brought with him, soon made us 
 forget our joltings, though we were all glad enough 
 to close the paper-covered shutters and retire to our 
 piles of quilts spread on the matted floors. 
 
 We woke next morning to find a drizzling rain 
 falling, and clothing forest and stream, valley and 
 mountain, in a sombre grey mist ; so during breakfast 
 we ruefully contemplated the wet stepping-stones and 
 dripping shrubs in Suzuki's garden, in which was 
 also a beautiful clump of peonies, and then, donning 
 our waterproofs, set forth to brave the weather. It 
 rained more or less all day, but not even a Scotch 
 mist could have damped our enjoyment of the 
 glorious colouring and majestic forms of the Nikko 
 
152 
 
 NIKKO. 
 
 shrines, their sweeping curves and gorgeous tints 
 relieved by the stately pines and rugged rocks which 
 formed an imposing and appropriate back-ground to 
 the sacred buildings. 
 
 We first crossed th< rocky Daiya-gAwa river by a 
 wooden bridge close to the famous " Red Bridge." 
 The latter, which is only opened once a year for the 
 passage of the Mikado, is also of wood, covered with 
 lacquer of a dull Venetian-red colour, and forms a 
 striking contrast to the dark, deep green of the 
 surrounding pine-woods. 
 
 Climbing the hill-side by a wide and well-kept road 
 we entered the heart of the forest, and found our- 
 selves in an enchanted region of temples, shrines, 
 and tombs, ornamented with such rich profusion of 
 gilding and colour — with such life-like carvings of 
 fruit and flower — such grotesque images of bird and 
 beast, of fish and reptile, phoenix, dragon and demon 
 — such strange beauty and such unknown meaning — 
 that silence fell on ua, and we could only gaze and 
 gaze again in speechless wonder, not unmixed with 
 awe. The carvings were indeed most wonderful in 
 their graceful conception and minute finish — but the 
 colour How can I describe it ? Sheen of gold and 
 glow of scarlet ; gleapi of blue and flash of silver ; 
 gorgeous hues of crimson, emerald and umber; 
 restful greys of rock and tree-stem ; white robe of 
 
 ' I II ' iIpH .. . i» . 
 
pforgeous tints 
 id rocks which 
 )ack-ground to 
 
 4w.i river by a 
 ' Red Bridge." 
 
 a year for the 
 1, covered with 
 r, and forms a 
 
 green of the 
 
 well-kept road 
 ind found our- 
 tnples, shrines, 
 ch profusion of 
 ike carvings of 
 ges of bird and 
 gon and demon 
 own meaning — 
 
 only gaze and 
 t unmixed with 
 >st wonderful in 
 
 finish — but the 
 leen of gold and 
 
 flash of silver; 
 Id and umber; 
 ; white robe of 
 
'.- r?neu;«»sibur^»i7.«M0K: 
 
 ;S^g^ ^5Sg sg?£ia^]aa«s;". ■; ^iixsKaszTir 
 
 ^- 
 
THE TEMPLES. 
 
 15a 
 
 silent-footed priest flitting ghost-like through the 
 shade— and over all hung the solemn grandeur of the 
 stately pines, the veil of sacred mystery and the 
 gloom of weird tradition. 
 
 The temples are all " Shinto," or anti-Buddhist ; 
 consequently none of them contain idols, but only 
 have a mirror on the altar, and an upright wand to 
 which strips of white paper are attached. In some 
 of the buildings are large wooden platforms for the 
 performance of the " Kagiira," or sacred dances. 
 As we passed one of these platforms, a woman 
 dressed in the priestly white robes issued from a 
 door at the back, and went through a succession of 
 attitudes and slow circlings, retiring silently as she 
 came. She carried a fan in one hand and a bouquet 
 in the other, and wore a white linen head-dress, 
 folded in a peculiar way, like a four-cornered cocked 
 hat. She looked painfully ill, even through the paint 
 with which her face was liberally bedaubed. 
 
 The deep, massive roofs of the temples are very 
 striking. They are generally covered with ribbed 
 tiles of bronze, not pottery, and the gables and porch 
 over the altar are profusely ornamented. The pillars 
 are often fluted, and th«ir capitols formed of the heads 
 of elephants, lions, or imaginary animals. A curious 
 superstition insists that one of the pillars in each 
 building shall be carved upside down, lest the whole 
 
 iM 
 
•mutm^icmm 
 
 
 754 
 
 NIKKO. 
 
 ! II 
 
 should be too perfect, and excite the jealous anger of 
 the gods ! * 
 
 One of the temples takes the form of a pagoda, 
 about a hundred feet high. 
 
 The group of buildings called the Mausoleum of 
 ly^ydsu presents the most beautiful outlines and 
 richest effects of colour ; here the imagination of the 
 designer and the hand of the workmen seem alike to 
 have run riot ; yet through all the apparently 
 haphazard irregularity of form and wanton profusion 
 of colour the eye is aware of a subtle harmony — a 
 latent congruity underlying and connecting the whole, 
 as the strains of a well-known melody catch the ear 
 and are recognized through the super-added rculades 
 and variations of a practiced musican. The tomb of 
 this great warrior-prince is one of the chief shrines of 
 Nikko, and attracts thosands of pilgrims from all parts 
 of the kingdom. A steep flight of granite steps leads 
 to the summit of a spur of the hill, on which stands 
 a beautiful bronze pillar supported by four horizontal 
 bars, and surmounted by six gold or gilt lotus-flowers 
 inverted, with small bells depending from their petals. 
 Beneath the lowest is the badge of the Tokugawa 
 family — ^three golden lotus-leaves. The pillar is 
 forty-two feet high and exquisitely proportioned. 
 
 * This superstition also exists amongst the Hindoos in India ; one 
 of the pillars in the famous colonnade at the Kootub, near Delhi, is thus 
 inverted. 
 
mmmmimm mm 
 
 '^iZS?fi!:Ki!a*»V4i«aMT..-^.!*^^.^.;^., .-... 
 
 ! jealous anger of 
 
 rm of a pagoda, 
 
 i Mausoleum of 
 ful outlines and 
 nagination of the 
 len seem alike to 
 the apparently 
 ivanton profusion 
 btle harmony — a 
 lecting the whole, 
 idy catch the ear 
 !r-added rculades 
 n. The tomb of 
 le chief shrines of 
 ims from all parts 
 ranite steps leads 
 on which stands 
 >y four horizontal 
 • gilt lotus-flowers 
 from their petals. 
 of the Tokugawa 
 The pillar is 
 troportioned. 
 
 Hindoos in India ; one 
 tub, near Delhi, is thus 
 

 :■ '■' 
 
 1? 
 
THE TEMPLES. 
 
 155 
 
 Another day we ascended the same hill-side by a 
 different path, which ultimately became a flight of 
 rough irregular stone steps. Near the top was a small 
 temple where women worshipped, depositing little 
 wedge-shaped pieces of wood marked with Chinese 
 characters, supposed to propitiate the Japanese 
 Lucina. Descending by yet another and longer path, 
 we followed the course of a stream which makes a 
 small leap over a corrugated ledge of i ock, and is 
 called the " Vermicelli cascade," from the supposed 
 resemblance ofthe tiny spirts o threads of vermicelli; 
 another name for it is " White Threads." We next 
 came to the " Sdki Fountain," which is said to have 
 spouted forth rice-beer in the Heroic Age of Japan ; 
 and then again we entered the bewildering labyrinth 
 of temples, now reft of their magic silence, for a crowd 
 of pilgrims of both sexes surged through the courts 
 and corridors, laughing, talking, joking and gestic- 
 ulating in anything but reverent mood. There were 
 also numbers of men and women (principally the 
 latter) working in the roads and court -yards, weeding, 
 levelling, picking up stones and generally " cleaning 
 up." This service is performed voluntarily, and 
 without payment. 
 
 I was much struck by the perfect freedom allowed 
 to all visitors, who seem left entirely to the guidance 
 of their own good taste and honesty. The more 
 
 TPl 
 
 |f».\,; 
 
 i'-'^ 
 
 
 '■I 
 
 I ft- 
 
 I fk 
 
NIKKO. 
 
 sacred penetralia of the temples are only entered by 
 the priosts ; but there is nobody to enforce this rule, 
 nor to prevent anyone who chooses to remove and 
 pocket the gold plaques with which many of the 
 temple pillars and railings are profusely ornamented ; 
 yet not only are these untouched, but there are no 
 traces of " 'Arry " and his work — no chipping, no 
 scribbling, no scattered fragments of torn paper or 
 broken glass — everything is as neat, as perfect,- and 
 apparently as fresh as when it left the workman's 
 hands. 
 
 Here, also, is a shrine with the three Innocent 
 Monkeys, and a huge bronze prayer-wheel, like those 
 used at Lama monasteries in Thibet, but much larger ; 
 it stands on a pivot under a bronze-tiled roof sup- 
 ported on four bronze pillars about fifteen feet high ; 
 the ridge-beams spring from an elaborately gilt flame- 
 shaped central ornament, and terminate in elephants' 
 
 heads. 
 
 Every temple-court has numbers of stone or bronze 
 lanterns ranged along its sides ; sometimes as many 
 as two hundred surround one building. Many of 
 these are of fine proportions and most elaborate 
 design. The one of which I subjoin a sketch is in 
 the enclosure of ly^yAsu's temple ; it is seven feet 
 high, and has flower-shaped ornaments depending 
 from the angles of the cover. They are generally in 
 
only entered by 
 ;nforce this rule, 
 to remove and 
 ch many of the 
 iely ornamented ; 
 )ut there are no 
 no chipping, no 
 of torn paper or 
 :, as perfect,- and 
 the workman's 
 
 three Innocent 
 ■wheel, like those 
 but much larger 
 ;e~tiled roof sup 
 fifteen feet high 
 orately gilt flame 
 late in elephants 
 
 >f stone or bronze 
 metimes as many 
 Iding. Many of 
 I most elaborate 
 >in a sketch is in 
 it is seven feet 
 ments depending 
 y are generally in 
 
 I 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 5'Kl^ 
 
•MaHBHkiMMIl " 
 
 THE TEMPLES. 
 
 157 
 
 pairs, and are votive offerings to the manes of the 
 great departed. In this same enclosure is a cistern 
 cut, as usual in Japan (and also in ancient Italy), from 
 one solid block of stone. This one is about eight feet 
 long by five high and four wide ; the water is admitted 
 by a pipe entering at the bottom, the lip is so 
 perfectly even that it overflows equally all round, and 
 the cistern looks like a block of water rather than a 
 coffer of stone. 
 
 I should fill a volume and weary the reader by 
 attempting anything like a detailed description of 
 these wonderful, and apparently endless, shrines — 
 I say " apparently endless," for you may see and 
 admire the same building from half-a-dozen different 
 points of view, coming upon it from as many 
 unexpected directions, without being aware of its 
 identity, which is difficult of belief even when 
 indisputably proved ! Perhaps I cannot give a 
 better idea of the profuse w<;alth of decoration 
 lavished on these temples than by quoting the 
 following terse description, by Mr. Satow, of one 
 building — and remember that there are scores to 
 which the same words would apply with but slight 
 variation : — 
 
 " The oratory, or shrine, forms a quadrangle fifty 
 yards square, constructed of gilt trellis-work, with 
 borders of geometrical coloured decorations running 
 
 'I 
 
 ! 
 
I ill, 
 
 i' i 
 
 NIKKO. 
 
 along it, above and below. Over and under these 
 again are carvings of birds in groups eight inches 
 high and six feet long, with back-grounds of grass, 
 carved in relief and gilt. The gateway is composed 
 of Chinese woods, inlaid with great skill and care. 
 The folding doors are beautifully decorated with 
 arabesques of peonies in gilt relief." And all this is 
 so thoroughly done, with such fast colours and such 
 good materials, that it looks bright, fresh, and perfect 
 after braving the storms and snow, the rain and sun, 
 the frost and heat of nearly three hundred years I 
 
 Another expedition was made, without crossing 
 the river, to see the " Idol Avenue," as it is commonly 
 called : this consists of a number of images of Amida, 
 one of the forms of Buddha. These grey stone 
 statues represent the great teacher seated cross- 
 legged, and are arranged facing each other, about 
 twelve feet apart, in two straight lines along the 
 right bank of the Daiya-gawa ; the pair at the entrance 
 are raised on square blocks of granite, and are con- 
 siderably larg'.r than the rest. At the other end of 
 the avenue is a huge mass of stone, surmounted by a 
 turtle bearing a pyramid. In a hollow in this rock 
 we saw the remains of some half-burnt hair, and were 
 afterwards told that priestly neophytes ' come here 
 for their initiation, part of which consists in attach- 
 ing small black or red lithographs of Buddha stand- 
 
id under these 
 }s eight inches 
 )unds of grass, 
 ay is composed 
 
 skill and care, 
 decorated with 
 
 And all this is 
 >lours and such 
 esh, and perfect 
 c rain nnd sun, 
 dred years 
 ithout crossing 
 i it is commonly 
 lages of Amida, 
 ese grey stone 
 ■ seated cross- 
 h other, about 
 ines along the 
 • at the entrance 
 ;, and are con- 
 le other end of 
 urmounted by a 
 )w in this rock 
 t hair, and were 
 'tes ' come here 
 isists in attach- 
 Buddha stand- 
 

 I I 
 
THE IDOL AVENUE. 
 
 '59 
 
 ing on (I lotus (und looking uncommonly like u 
 niediKViil Christian saint) to each of the images 
 until the end of the avenue is reached, when the 
 candidate's head is shaved, and his hair burnt in the 
 hollow rock. All the statues had these little slips of 
 paper fluttering from them : many were nearly 
 covered, and looked quite ragged and disreputable. 
 
 The Daiya-g&wa was so like a Welsh trout-stream 
 that D. borrowed a rod from our host and went to 
 try his luck, but he returned after some hours with 
 two gudgeons, and was eventually obliged to confess 
 that even these had been bought from a Japanese 
 urchin. 
 
 We made up our minds to return to the railway by 
 another road, so on the 25th of May we started from 
 beautiful Nikko for Chiuzenji and Ikdo. As the first 
 two stages of our journey would be through hills and 
 by paths quite impassable for jinrikshas, and we were 
 not sufficiently disgusted with life to trust ourselves 
 to Japanese ponies, we sent Kan^ko to engage some 
 of the vehicles used for hill travelling. These are 
 called " kdgos," and consist of a tray slung by bam- 
 boos and ropes to a heavy-looking square beam, a 
 slight framework overhead supports a cotton awning 
 and side curtains, to which screens of split bamboo, 
 like Indian " chicks," are often added. The affair is 
 carried by two sturdy porters, and when occupied by 
 
' . 
 
 Ill M 
 
 ■^M 
 
 i6o 
 
 A MOUNTAIN ROAD. 
 
 a Japanese or anyone of equally minute proportions it 
 looks fairly comfortable, but of that more anon. The 
 two ladies packed themselves into their trays and 
 started, D. and I following on foot. The road soon 
 began to ascend, and after a few miles steady climb- 
 ing we were glad td find that the ladies had halted at 
 the tea-house of Dai-michi-do, prettily placed on the 
 hillside and over-looking the valley we had traversed 
 on our way to Nikko, the great pine-avenue showing 
 as a straight dark line gradually fading away in the 
 distance. While the chairmen refreshed themselves 
 with tea we went to look at a small temple close to 
 the road, and found it had shelves all round the 
 interior, closely packed with hundreds of gilt wooden 
 images from eight to fourteen inches high, generally 
 with halos round their heads, while in the place of 
 honour facing the doorway was a larger image of a 
 god called "Gdsu," probably a relic of the early 
 missionary work in Japan. Round the temple was 
 a garden with ornamental ponds, lanterns, and 
 hedges of white az&lea. 
 
 Starting again, the road became much steeper, 
 frequently only a flight of shallow, tiresome steps 
 formed by logs picketted across the path to prevent 
 the soil from being washed away by the rains. 
 These steps were so troublesome that I got into one 
 of the " kdgos," but this was far worse than walking, 
 
nute proportions it 
 t more anon. The 
 
 their trays and 
 . The road soon 
 liles steady climb- 
 adies had halted at 
 ttily placed on the 
 
 1 we had traversed 
 le-avenue showing 
 iding away in the 
 'reshed themselves 
 all temple close to 
 Ives all round the 
 eds of gilt wooden 
 les high, generally 
 ile in the place of 
 larger image of a 
 relic of the early 
 d the temple was 
 s, lanterns, and 
 
 le much steeper, 
 V, tiresome steps 
 e path to prevent 
 ly by the rains, 
 hat I got into one 
 >rse than walking, 
 
 .;|4. 
 

 \ 
 
 t* 
 
 K 
 
 I 
 
 \ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^STN 
 
 r' 
 
 XVvJ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ...^iiiS^sss^- 
 
 CHIUZENJI. 
 
 i6i 
 
 for it was impossible to pack all of oneself into the 
 cramped conveyance at once, and whatever part I 
 left outside — head, arm, or leg — was always coming 
 into collision with the rocks or bushes which skirted 
 the narrow path, while the rest of me felt like a 
 trussed chicken or a rolled tongue ! I was very soon 
 glad to get out of my tray and return to the ever- 
 recurring calculation as to whether it was easier to 
 take two of the horrid little steps in a rather long 
 stride or one in a very short one ! 
 
 Losing sight of the Nikko plain we turned off the 
 path to visit the Kegon-no-tAki or Dragon-cascade, 
 but it was dry, and we only saw the peculiarly jagged, 
 toothed, and serrated rocks, which hang from the 
 brow of the fall and shoot up from its base like 
 dragon's jaws yawning for their prey. 
 
 At length the road became tolerably level, leading 
 through a pretty wood carpeted with moss, ferns, 
 wild anemones and bamboo-grass till we sighted the 
 Chiuzenji Lake — a sheet of blue-green water five 
 miles long by neary two in width — and soon after- 
 wards entered the village, mainly composed of long, 
 barrack-like buildings for the reception of the pilgrims 
 who flock here at frequent intervals to bathe in the 
 lake and ascend the sacred hill called Nantaizan, 
 which rears its grassy sides and temple-crowned 
 summit north of the village, and four thousand feet 
 
.^:4:itMiia^i^f^dm^^(Jllti^^^^ . ■ «Mj l |y|dt^ aw»^ i i jl ^ 
 
 CHIU7.ENJI, 
 
 above the lake, this again being an equal height 
 above the sea. We found that the great secret of 
 Nantai;?an's popularity as a place of pilgrimage lay 
 in the fact that the ascent to the summit absolved 
 the climbers from murder and other crimes of a 
 violent nature. The temple on the top is full of 
 swords, daggers, clubs and otherweapons with which 
 the devotees have slain their victims ; and as it is 
 cleared of these relics every June, by counting the 
 collection one could form a very fair idea of the 
 number of murders committed during the year, or" at 
 least of those repented of. 
 
 The Chiuzenji tea-house overhangs the lake, and 
 as the day countinued fine, though cloudy, we went 
 in a boat to the upper end of the sheet of water, 
 whence a short climb brought us to the " Dragon's 
 Head " water-fall, a series of small streams falling 
 over black rocks, the banks covered with niaples. 
 Beyond the fall the path leads to a plain called " The 
 Moor of the Red Swamp," from the autumn tints of 
 the fading grass, though tradition assigns both name 
 and colour to the blood shed in a great battle which 
 took place here some five hundred! -.ears ago. 
 
 The village of Yumoto, or " Hot Springs," lies on 
 one side of the moor, much resorted to by the sick 
 who require hot sulphur baths. One of the springs 
 is hot enough to scald the hand of the unwary visitor. 
 
^jUtUsH'^lltjjBMHMW^'-'^ 
 
 an equal height 
 le great secret of 
 of pilgrimage lay 
 
 summit absolved 
 her crimes of a 
 the top is full of 
 japons with which 
 ns ; and as it is 
 
 by counting the 
 
 fair idea of the 
 ng the year, or" at 
 
 iigs the lake, and 
 cloudy, we went 
 ; sheet of water, 
 to the " Dragon's 
 11 streams falling 
 red with niaples. 
 plain called " The 
 B autumn tints of 
 ssigns both name 
 reat battle which 
 ears ago. 
 Springs," lies on 
 d to by the sick 
 le of the springs 
 he unwary visitor. 
 
'^^'&M 
 
 tjj^^nt^iATjm 
 
 COPPER MINES. 
 
 163 
 
 Next morning we started early, crossing the lake 
 in a large flat-bottomed boat which held our " K&gos " 
 and their bearers as well as ourselves. A very rough 
 path led down the hill-side from the landing-place, 
 partly cut out of the almost precipitous declivity, 
 partly formed by the rocky channel of one of the out- 
 lets of the lake : a fine magnolia tree just coming 
 into bloom over-hung one point of the track near 
 some copper-mines in full work. We passed the 
 night in a very bad tea-house at Ashiw6, the worst 
 specimen of its class we saw in Japan, and in the 
 dirtiest of villages — *' mining district " was 
 stamped unmistakeably on every thmg and every 
 face. We were glad to start again at nine next morn- 
 ing, and delighted to find that we were to do so in 
 jinrikshas, which our guide had ordered from a town 
 farther on. 
 
 :«■ •': 
 
 
 if 
 
 iTi 
 
 •K-i 
 
 i 
 
 1; '-I, 
 
 m 
 
 M 2 
 
 
lili' 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 A COUNTRY ROAD— IKAO— TOKIO— A PLEASANT SUR- 
 PRISE — FETE — FLOWER-SHOW— TEA. 
 
 |HE scenery was charming, on either hand 
 rose high hills covered with many-hued 
 forests, amongst which the dark green of 
 the cryptomeria was frequently visible. It was a fine 
 bright morning, and the return to " wheel-carriages " 
 aided to inspirit us and drive away the recollection 
 of a bad night, our rest having been frequently broken 
 by the incessant talking, singing (?), and twanging of 
 the koto, or Japanese guitar. 
 
 We were now in the principal silk district of Japan ; 
 the road passed through many groves of mulberry- 
 bushes, s+unted by the perpetual drain on their leaves 
 
^1**. 
 
 L PLEASANT SUR- 
 )W— TEA. 
 
 U on either hand 
 with many-hued 
 be dark green of 
 )le. It was a fine 
 wheel-carriages " 
 
 the recollection 
 Frequently broken 
 
 and twanging of 
 
 district of Japan; 
 ves of mulberry- 
 in on their leaves 
 
SILK DISTRICT. 165 
 
 and twij,'s ; the field-limits were defined by hedges of 
 the same shrub, and the villajjes were filled with 
 signs of the commencement of the " silk-worm sea- 
 son "—piles of oblong trays of split bamboo, about 
 four feet by three— quantities of mulberry-branchesi 
 hanging in barns and verandahs to dry oft" the super- 
 fluous moisture— heaps of stripped bought piled up 
 f< ■■ Hring— and, above all, that peculiar odour which 
 iirnot describe, but which anyone who has kept 
 silk-worms will easily recognise. We entered some 
 of the rooms, or rather sheds, where the caterpillars 
 were kept ; they were darkened, and surrounded by 
 tiers of shelves about four inches apart, on which 
 were placed the trays filled with silk-worms and 
 chopped mulberry-leaves. The little beasts were 
 about an inch long, and they were carefully tended 
 day and night, as the presence of any refuse is sup- 
 posed to injure their delicate constitutions, and impair 
 the quality of the silk. We often passed under 
 canopies of beautiful blue and white Wisteria trained 
 on framework over the road, while hedges of aisalea 
 — orange, scarlet, pink, mauve and white — brightened 
 the sides of the path, and made our journey seem like 
 a promenade through a huge garden. 
 
 At five in the afternoon we reached Omama, a long 
 straggling village which might have derived its name 
 fron the ceaseless cry of the crowds of children swarm- 
 
ill 
 
 1 1 
 
 I 
 i'l 
 
 166 
 
 OMAMA. 
 
 ing in the street ! Every female urchin of five years 
 old and upwards had a smaller urchin tied on her 
 back. One little boy had on Sousers, and looked 
 terribly ashamed of himself; ; :>l of lU'^ children 
 wanted pocket-handkerchiefs, and all hud u tremen- 
 dous faculty of staring in a stolid, unblinking fashion 
 which I have never seen surpassed ! 
 
 The annual fish-festival was at hand, and there 
 were immumerable highly-colored paper monsters 
 with huge fins and gorgeous scales hanging at the end 
 of bamboos, from strings amoss the road, and from 
 every available projection. Thi-i'e paper fish are 
 supposed to shov that a boy has been born during 
 the year in the house where they are displayed ; if 
 this is the case I should think every family in Omdmd 
 must have been increased by a masculine infant, and 
 judging by the numbers en evidence I can quite believe 
 this to have been the case. When the wind blew, 
 it filled these fantastic shapes, and the dirty village 
 street looked like a gay scene in a pantomime. 
 
 This tea-house was again a bad one, small and 
 squalid ; in the adjoining rooms were tipsy Japanese 
 guests, from whom we were literally only separated 
 by a sheet of paper, and that but a thin one ! Music, 
 singing, and other horrible noises continued through- 
 out the night. 
 
 Next day our road lay through the town of 
 
 L 
 
 i^ 
 
:hin of five years 
 ;hin tied on her 
 seis, and looked 
 of ;.') • children 
 II l);kd a tremen- 
 ibiinking fashion 
 
 fiand, and there 
 paper monsters 
 inging at the end 
 
 road, and from 
 
 paper fish are 
 jen born during 
 e displayed ; if 
 imily in Omdmd 
 iiline infant, and 
 :an quite believe 
 
 the wind blew, 
 the dirty village 
 ntomime. 
 
 one, small and 
 ; tipsy Japanese 
 
 only separated 
 lin one ! Music, 
 tinned through- 
 
 i the town of 
 
 
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 23 WiST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. U5S0 
 
 (716) •72-4503 
 
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[HIMiiiniiiiitymiri 
 
 T?.'-". 
 
 A MOUNTAIN SPA. 
 
 167 
 
 M&ebashi, which stands on the Toneguwa river, and 
 is rendered pecuhar by the multitude of littse rice- 
 mills lining the streets, and worked by the swiftly- 
 running water in the gutters ; the water-wheels are 
 covered in like a steamer's paddles. Inom Maebushi 
 a pleasant up-hill walk of seven miles through pretty 
 scenery brought us to the village of Ikao, perched on 
 the slopes of Mount Hariina, and noted throughout 
 Japan for its bracing air and strengthening waters. 
 The springs are strongly impregnated with iron, and 
 most refreshing to bathe in, as we soon ascertained. 
 The tea-house here was a very superior establishment, 
 and we felt quite at a loss how to accommodate our- 
 selves to such unwonted luxuries as bedsteads, 
 washhand-stands, and European crockery ! 
 
 The village, which is large and prosperous, is built 
 in terraces on the hill-side, and the main street con- 
 sists principally of steps. The shops contained more 
 turnery than anything else, and in almost every second 
 building the turner could be seen at work, squatted 
 in a hole in the ground with his small lathe in front 
 of him, a pile of box-wood or lignum-vitas blocks on 
 one side, and another of well-finished boxes, cups, 
 pipes, &c. on the other. A favourite material for this 
 work is a white wood with eccentric dark-brown 
 veinings, something like moss-agate ; this takes a 
 beautiful polish when waxed on the lathe — the 
 
 i«'' 
 
1 68 
 
 IKAO. 
 
 Japanese substitute for varnishing when lacquer is 
 not used. 
 
 Another product of Ikdo industry is a thick cotton 
 cloth dyed deep yellow in the ferruginous springs ; 
 this is made up into under-clothing or worn like a 
 " cummerbund " round the waist, and is considered 
 a specific for rheumatism and liver complaint. 
 
 Many shops were devoted to quails, and others to 
 sweet-meats; while here and there were fish- 
 mongers' stalls heaped with fresh and dried fish and 
 wriggling masses of small live eels. 
 
 The bath-houses were open to the street, and dis- 
 played curious scenes, over which their steam-laden 
 twilight cast a modest veil which I shall imitate. 
 
 A pretty path cut out of the hill-side leads to the 
 source of the iron-springs, whence the steaming 
 yellow water is carried in bamboo pipes to the various 
 bath-houses in the village below. 
 
 Another and longer walk took us by steep flights of 
 wood-bound steps on to a breezy moorland, covered 
 with bamboo-grass and coarse heather ; over this the 
 road led to the steam-baths of Mushi-yu, at the foot 
 of a bold, craggy hill. The bathing-establishment 
 was slightly primitive, consisting only of some low 
 sheds in the centre of the village street^ and in front 
 of the main tea-house. The manners of the bathers 
 were equally "sans /ai;on," for while we rested, 
 
PRIMITIVE MANNERS. 
 
 169 
 
 g when lacquer is 
 
 ■y is a thick cotton 
 Tuginous springs ; 
 ing or worn like a 
 and is considered 
 complaint, 
 lails, and others to 
 there were fish- 
 and dried fish and 
 
 :he street, and dis- 
 their steam-laden 
 shall imitate. 
 1-side leads to the 
 ice the steaming 
 ipes to the various 
 
 by steep flights of 
 noorland, covered 
 her ; over this the 
 hi-yu, at the foot 
 ling-establishment 
 only of some low 
 treet> and in front 
 ers of the bathers 
 while we rested, 
 
 sitting on the raised floor of the tea-house, two 
 young ladies emerged from the bath, stood in the 
 sun for a while to dry, and then walked past us into 
 the house— presumably to put their clothes on, as we 
 did not see any sign of garments elsewhere. In fact, 
 the only dressing about them was that of their hair,' 
 which was most elaborate ! 
 
 There was a magnificent view from the Mushi-yu 
 plateau extending for many miles, and embracing hill 
 and dale, forest and stream, moorland and cultivation; 
 the white walls of farm-houses shone brightly in the 
 sun, the bold cliffs of Haruna rose against the clear 
 sky, and the smoke of many villages mingled with the 
 gauzy mists of the valleys, while from a neighbouring 
 covert the homely note of a cuckoo carried our 
 thoughts at one bound from the Japanese mountain- 
 side to the fragrant hedge-rows of old England. 
 
 But next day saw a dismal change. It had rained 
 heavily through the night, and morning brought but 
 a grey and cheerless greeting, so we made up our 
 minds to bring our trip to an end by a visit to the 
 capital. Leaving Ikdo in jinrikshas at half-past 
 seven, we raced down the hill and through the rain, 
 along the slushy path and under the dripping foliage' 
 frequently jolting over ditches and stones, and only 
 halting for a few minutes at a tea-house with blue and 
 white irises sprouting from the roof, to let our biped 
 
I70 
 
 RETURN TO YOKOHAMA. 
 
 Steeds refresh themselves in their usual way with a 
 dozen tiny cups of the bitter, scalding beverage, we 
 completed our twenty-mile shaking and reached the 
 Tukastiki railway-station in good time for the 11.30 
 train to Tokio, arriving at the Uy^no terminus at 
 three in the afternoon. The cruel rain was still 
 falling, and we had a wet drive to the Seiyo Ken 
 Hotel, the best in the place. This was but a poor 
 '• best " ! Dirty, smelly, and disagreeable, it seemed 
 to us to combine the worst features of Japanese tea- 
 house and European pot-house, and we frequently 
 regretted our strange but clean and amusing 
 experiences at the far less pretentious, but infinitely 
 more comfortable resting-places at Nikko and 
 Ikdo. 
 
 We spent two days only in Tokio, and I defer any 
 attempt at its description to a future occasion, when 
 the reader shall benefit, as we did, by our longer 
 experience of the country. 
 
 On our return to Yokohama, where we arrived late 
 on a wet, stormy evening, we found the Grand Hotel 
 full. The manager told us than even the passages 
 had been turned into temporary bed-rooms, owing to 
 the unusual influx of passengers by the newly-arrived 
 mail steamer. The other hotel was equally crowded, 
 and, though a kind fellow-traveller offered to give up 
 his bed-room to us, it had only a single bed, and the 
 
HAMA. 
 
 r usual way with a 
 Iding beverage, we 
 ig and reached the 
 time for the 11.30 
 Uy^no terminus at 
 uel rain was still 
 to the Seiyo Ken 
 lis was but a poor 
 greeable, it seemed 
 es of Japanese tea- 
 and we frequently 
 lan and amusing 
 tious, but infinitely 
 s at Nikko and 
 
 ;io, and I defer any 
 ire occasion, when 
 iid, by our longer 
 
 lere we arrived late 
 id the Grand Hotel 
 even the passages 
 ed-rooms, owing to 
 r the newly-arrived 
 LS equally crowded, 
 offered to give up 
 iingle bed, and the 
 
 A PLEASANT SURPRISE. 
 
 171 
 
 landlord said tie had not even a spare mattress ! 
 Here was a pretty predicament ! W'e were tired, v\et, 
 and hungry, so we dined first, sending Kam'ko, mean- 
 time, to make inquiries for vacant quarters. After 
 an interval he returned, saying we could have a room 
 at a " Japan hotel " ; so we set off through the 
 stormy night, expecting the usual tea-house accom. 
 modation, with, perhaps, the addition of noisy bag- 
 men and drunken sailors. Imagine our pleasant 
 astonishment at being set down before a well-lighted 
 door, where we were most courteously received by a 
 pleasant English landlord, handed over to the charge 
 of a very nice-looking house-keeper, and eventually 
 shown into a suite of such pretty, clean, tastily- 
 decorated and well-furnished rooms that we thought 
 we had entered a gentleman's private house by 
 mistake ! It was the most cliarming surprise by which 
 tired and weary travellers could have been greeted. 
 
 Nor did experience dispel the enchantment. We 
 made the Japan Hotel our Yokohama head-quarters 
 during the remainder of our stay in the country, and 
 always met with the same unvarying and unobtrusive 
 attention to our comfort a J wishes from Mr. James 
 and all his household whir ^ had impressed us so 
 favourably on our first arrival. 
 
 The waiters were dressed in native costumes of a 
 highly aesthetic and mediaeval fashion— tight dark- 
 
 •* . 
 
n 
 
 172 
 
 YOKOHAMA. 
 
 blue jerkins and hose, white socks, and straw 
 sandals which they doffed at the threshold ; they 
 only wanted flat woollen caps and clubs to complete 
 their resemblanci; to the turbulent City-apprentices 
 of the days of Good ^ueen Bess. The mode of 
 calling attendants in Japan is peculiar. You have 
 not got to learn a foreign expression, or an 
 unpronounceable name, but merely clap your hands, 
 a much more simple proceeding. The reply is 
 always a sharply-inhaled " Hech ! " meaning *' Yes," 
 and sounding as if the speaker had received a blow 
 " below the belt." 
 
 The day after our return to Yokohama, June 2nd, 
 we saw the funeral procession which escorted the 
 body of the late Russian Minister to the court of 
 Japan, who had died during the previous December. 
 The corpse had beon embalmed, and was now being 
 removed for burial in its native land. The cortege 
 was led by RUvSsian priests in full pontificals, and 
 officers and officials of all nations, including many 
 Japanese, followed the bier, headed by the band of the 
 " Vladimir Monomach," all being in full dress. At 
 night a fete took place, with illuminations in honour 
 of the Goddess of Fishermen, preparations for which 
 we had already seen at Om&mA. The small children 
 evidently took a large share in these festivities, for 
 they were present in their legions, all gorgeously 
 
socks, and straw 
 iq threshold ; they 
 i clubs to complete 
 nt City-apprentices 
 2ss. The mode of 
 eculiar. You have 
 expression, or an 
 ly clap your hands, 
 ing. The reply is 
 1 " meaning «• Yes," 
 id received a blow 
 
 kohama, June 2nd, 
 vhich escorted the 
 ;r to the court of 
 revious December, 
 ind was now being 
 ind. The cortege 
 ill pontificals, and 
 s, including many 
 i by the band of the 
 in full dress. At 
 linations in honour 
 parations for which 
 The small children 
 lese festivities, for 
 •ns, all gorgeously 
 
FETFS. 
 
 173 
 
 clresscfl in little robes of blue and white printed 
 cotton of a particular pattern, with scarlet sashes ; 
 they carried red paper lanterns on sticks like small 
 fishinp-rods, and followed triumphal cars on wheeled 
 platforms much resemblinp Mussulman tazias. 
 Drums, fifes, strinjjed instruments and tom-toms 
 kept up a continual din, while mummers and 
 improvtsatori acted or recited on stajjes erected 
 above the heads of the crowd. The people were 
 densely packed in many places, and crowded every- 
 where, but very orderly and good-tempered, always 
 making way when they saw we wished to pass, and 
 never pushing or crushing, Ikfore we left many of 
 the elders were carrying tired and sleepy children, 
 whose queer little bald or three-tufted heads waggled 
 and nodded in perilous fashion as they sat on the 
 shoulders or lay in the arms of their nurses. 
 
 The annual flower-show came off during our stay 
 at Yokohama. This is entirely under European 
 management, and was held on the present occasion 
 in the Public Hall, a large, ugly brick building like a 
 Methodist chapel, standing at the top of the ascent 
 to the Bluff. We found all llie elite assembled here, 
 some looking at the flowers and plants, but most of 
 them gathered round the four large refreshment-stalls, 
 which were decorated with the flags of England, 
 France, America, and Germany, while the attendant 
 
174 
 
 YOKOHAMA. 
 
 ladies belonged to the nation whose ensigi:s over- 
 hung their respective tables. A selection of European 
 music was fairly played by the Mikado's band, which 
 had been sent from TcKio for the occasion. 
 
 The flowers were vtry beautiful, and generally very 
 tastefully arranged Some of the devices were quaint 
 as well as pretty, such as a large barrel covered with 
 bark, strawberry-plants laden with fruit and flowers 
 issuing from holes In the sides and top ; and a large 
 coronet-shaped frame covered with flowering creepers, 
 a canary singing in a cage in the middle reminding 
 one of the apostrophe to the fly in amber, the whole 
 crowned with a bowl of Chinese gold-fish, with their 
 peculiar trifid tails. 
 
 There were dwarf pines in all sorts of contorted 
 shapes, and many beautiful varieties of ferns— one a 
 maidenhair from far-distant Granada; also baskets 
 containing very fine asparagus, tomatos, cauhflowers, 
 and many other vegetables, often decorated with 
 immense peonies. Some beautiful bouquets were 
 contributed by Mr. Boehmer, a local florist, but all 
 the rest was the work of amateurs, and included 
 some half-dozen good specimens of table decoration ; 
 to this purpose the trailing creepers and dwarf ivy 
 willingly lent their aid. 
 
 Many days were pleasantly spent in visits to 
 friends, and to the tempting shops of the china- 
 
 't,_ 
 
 MHRMwmwn 
 
FOREIGN INFLUENCE 
 
 175 
 
 hose ensigi:s over- 
 lection of European 
 ikado's band, which 
 occasion. 
 
 , and generally very 
 devices were quaint 
 barrel covered with 
 h fruit and flowers 
 d top ; and a large 
 flowering creepers, 
 middle reminding 
 1 amber, the whole 
 fold-fish, with their 
 
 sorts of contorted 
 ies of ferns — one a 
 lada; also baskets 
 natos, cauliflowers, 
 m decorated with 
 ful bouquets were 
 3cal florist, but all 
 urs, and included 
 f table decoration ; 
 ers and dwarf ivy 
 
 pent in visits to 
 ops of the china- 
 
 sellers, collections of lacquer and carvings, and 
 stores of silk and embroidery. The preponderance 
 of German influence is very remarkable ; we not only 
 heard this from the most reliable authorities, but it is 
 unmistakeably shown by the fact that many of the 
 shops had their Japanese signs translated into 
 German only, while in all notices which appeared 
 in foreign languages German held the first place. 
 Next in frequency, and not far behind, came Russian. 
 English and French followed after a long interval, 
 and Portuguese, which at one time was the only 
 Western tongue known in Japan, brought up the 
 rear. We were told that at the northern port- 
 Hakodate — Russian was the prevailing language. 
 
 One of the many strange things which strike one 
 in Japan is the complete absence of pasture and its 
 products. Milk, butter, cheese, and mutton are un- 
 known except as importations— the first three in a 
 condensed and tinned state from Europe, the last 
 from the Korea. An attempt was being made by the 
 foreign settlers at Yokohama, who had already started 
 a dairy, to get up a " mutton club," feeding and killing 
 its own sheep, but it was feared that want of feeding- 
 ing ground would prevent its success. Not only is 
 every available scrap of land near the town under 
 cultivation, but the indigenous grasses are quite unfit 
 for sheep pasture. 
 
176 
 
 YOKOHAMA. 
 
 At this midsummer season the operations of 
 manuring and irrigation were in fu'I swing, and as 
 every description of refuse and sewerage is used, it 
 may be easily imagined that the land-breeze was not 
 "laden with odours of Araby the blest." The 
 dreadful smell borne on the wings of the west wind 
 reminded us painfully of the back-slums of Canton 
 described in a previous chapter, and again gave rise 
 to the wish that we could exchange noses for extra 
 eyes— at least, temporarily ! The manure is scattered 
 in small heaps and puddles over the rice-fields, which 
 are then flooded, and as the water subsides, the 
 fertilizing nastiness sinks with it, but alas I— the 
 smell rises. 
 
 But if the smells from the country were unspeak- 
 ably nauseous, those in the streets were almost 
 pleasant enough to counteract them. From the open 
 windows of the long low " tea-godowns" came the 
 aromatic scent of the drying tea, for the leaves of the 
 " first picking " were undergoing that process pre- 
 paratory to being packed in six-pound boxes for 
 exportation. There is a considerable difference 
 between the methods of preparing tea adopted in 
 China and Japan. In the former country the leaves 
 are left in heaps till fermentation sets in, and are 
 then dried over fires ; in the latter they are placed, 
 without any preliminary process, in shallow copper 
 
 4 
 
the operations of 
 fu'I swing, and as 
 sewerage is used, it 
 land-breeze was not 
 the blest." The 
 g;s of the west wind 
 ;k-slums of Canton 
 and again gave rise 
 ige noses for extra 
 manure is scattered 
 he rice-fields, which 
 vater subsides, the 
 it, but alas! — the 
 
 ntry were unspeak- 
 reets were almost 
 Ti. From the open 
 3downs " came the 
 For the leaves of the 
 that process pre- 
 x-pound boxes for 
 iderable difference 
 ng tea adopted in 
 country the leaves 
 •n sets in, and are 
 r they are placed, 
 in shallow copper 
 
 TEA. 177 
 
 basins which stand in long rows over brick-built 
 furnaces, a watchful attendant in charge of each bowl 
 to turn the tea and see that each individual leaf gets 
 its fair share of heat, and that none stick to the 
 bottom, burn, and spoil the flavor of whole contents 
 of the pan. As soon as the leaves are thought to be 
 sufficiently dry— a point which can only be decided 
 by much discrimination and long experience— they 
 are emptied out on to mats in the sun and " sorted," 
 that is, all the large coarse leaves and twigs are picked 
 out, also any which are imperfectly dried ; the re- 
 mainder is now ready to be packed in the chests 
 which stand in walls all rot.nd the court-yard, and in 
 stacks and pyramids on every patch of ground not 
 required for " sorting." Great wains, laden high 
 with trembling piles of these chests— ever tpttering, 
 but never falling— block the narrow streets, and the^r 
 manufacture affords perpetual employment to hun- 
 dreds of village carpenters all over the neighbourhood. 
 As soon as the lead-foil lined chest has been filled 
 and nailed down it is handed over to another batch 
 of workmen, who cover it dexterously with an 
 envelope of rice-straw matting ; the coloured stamp 
 of the firm is impressed on one side, the name of the 
 grower and title of the tea on the other; the outside 
 now receives a final coat of coarse varnish, and it is 
 ready for the European— or much more often the 
 American — market. n 
 
 
^^:^T^3^l^s 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 THE TOKAIDO — MIYANOSHTA — HAKONE — FUJIYAMA — 
 
 THE OTOMITOGE PASS — ENOSHIMA — KAMAKURA 
 
 — A JAPANESE FAIRY TALE — KITES. 
 
 |OON after our return from Nikko and Ik&o 
 we determined on a trip to the picturesque 
 mountain village of Miyanoshta, the 
 beautiful lake of Hakon^, Enoshima's enchanted isle, 
 and Kamakura's colossal idol and stately temples, 
 all of which lie within fifty miles south and south- 
 west of Yokohama ; so at half-past eight on a fine 
 bright morning we started in jinrikshas from the 
 Japan Hotel, well supplied with eatables for the 
 journey by our provident host. 
 
 After crossing several streams and brackish inlets 
 we ascended the hill which shelters Yokohama on 
 
KONE — FUJIYAMA — 
 IMA — KAMAKURA 
 LE — KITES. 
 
 )m Nikko and Ik&o 
 3 to the picturesque 
 Miyanoshta, the 
 na's enchanted isle, 
 nd stately temples, 
 > south and south- 
 ast eight on a fine 
 inrikshas from the 
 1 eatables for the 
 
 and brackish inlets 
 ters Yokohama on 
 
I'.']!';'*, 
 
 THE TOKAIDO. 
 
 1/9 
 
 the south-west, and had a good view of Fujiyama 
 from its summit. Then, af,'ain dipping into the 
 plain, the track, which was exceedingly rough and 
 bad, led through pretty undulating cultivation till it 
 joined the Tokaido, or great highway of the east 
 coast. Here the travelling became much easier; we 
 passed many small temples, villages, avenues and 
 groves of pine-trees and cedars, the road running 
 frequently within sight and always within sound of 
 the sea— sometimes raised high on a beetling cliff, 
 sometimes descending to the sandy beach— here 
 open and unfenced, there confined between high 
 banks or rows of wind-racked pines. The barley 
 was being reaped in the fields, and threshed by the 
 road-side ; the grain was first spread to dry on mats, 
 then winnowed with baskets or in wooden machines 
 like small thermantidotes, or steamer-paddles, to use 
 an illustration more intelligible to those of my 
 readers who have not been in India, and finally 
 pounded in a primitive fashion — the mortar a 
 hollowed tree-trunk, the pestle a round-headed 
 rammer projecting from the end of a beam, which 
 rose and fell as a man at the other end mounted on 
 and jumped off the log. All these operations were 
 being carried on where the trottoir should have been. 
 In other places the road-side was occupied by 
 numerous trays of tiny fish drying in llic sun. It 
 
 N 2 
 
 r ■, 'i 
 
f 
 
 '^ 
 
 1 80 
 
 MIYANOSHTA. 
 
 was a succession of busy scenes in which every one 
 took part, down to the tiniest urchin, and all looked 
 merry and prosperous. 
 
 We had to leave our jinrikshas at Sammai-b&shi, a 
 village at the foot of the mountains forty miles from 
 Yokohama, " Madame " proceeding in a kdgo and I 
 on foot. The path ascended steeply, passing a clean 
 and well-built village called Yum6to, and then 
 following the bank of a mountain torrent overhung 
 by luxuriant verdure and fine forest trees. High on 
 the opposite bank, perched on a cliff which jutted 
 over the stream, were a white church and other build- 
 ings belonging to a Russian mission. 
 
 After a steep climb of two and a half miles we 
 reached the village of Miyanoshta, near the centre of 
 which stands the Fujiya Hotel — a large building, or 
 rather collection of buildings, with good accommoda- 
 tion — presided over by a most civil and intelligent 
 Japanese landlord and his pretty, half- French-looking 
 wife, who wore native costume but had her hair 
 dressed a V Anglais. 
 
 Here we were glad to meet several of our former 
 fellow-travellers and to make fresh acquaintances 
 among the visitors, for Miyanoshta is quite a fashion- 
 able resort, though we were rather early in the season, 
 which is at its height in July and August. The hotel 
 is airily situated on a ridge jutting out from the 
 
THE HOTEL. 
 
 i8i 
 
 in which every one 
 :hin, and all looked 
 
 at Sammai-b&shi, a 
 ins forty miles from 
 ng in a kdgo and I 
 ply, passing a clean 
 ''um6to, and then 
 n torrent overhung 
 st trees. High on 
 I cliff which jutted 
 rch and other build- 
 on. 
 
 d a half miles we 
 ., near the centre of 
 I large building, or 
 1 good accommoda- 
 ivil and intelligent 
 lalf- French-looking 
 but had her hair 
 
 eral of our former 
 :esh acquaintances 
 a is quite a fashion- 
 early in the season, 
 August. The hotel 
 ling out from the 
 
 mountain side, and overlooks the pretty gorge in 
 which the vill.-iges of Miyanoshta and Kiga lie— pretty 
 now in June, but gorgeously beautiful in autumn 
 when the first touches of frost have lighted the maples 
 into flame, and brightened the sober tints of the birch 
 and cherry foliage. 
 
 The salle-a-manircr of the hotel was very like a ship's 
 saloon, and the attendants were little cherry-cheeked 
 hand-maidens with very tight skirts and very large 
 sashes ; they had a male assistant who wore the tight 
 blue drawers and vest described previously, and who 
 rejoiced m the sobriquet of ^^ Tom," and the knowledge 
 of a little English. Several bons-mots were attributed 
 to him— one referring to a couple of very tall young 
 Englishmen whom he called the " Nara Daiboots " 
 and the " Kamakura Daiboots," these being the two 
 largest idols in Japan ; a fresh-looking, handsome 
 man, with white hair, he always dubbed "Fuji," 
 because " both have snow on his top ! " The girls 
 were doing their best to pick up English, and were 
 very fond of talking to the gentlemen visitors. 
 
 One of our first visits was, of course, to Hakon^, 
 the beautiful lake whose praises are sung by all the 
 Japanese poets, who reckon its claims to admiration 
 second only to those of Fuji itself. The way thither 
 lay up the steep hill-side past the village of Ashinovu 
 celebrated for its hot sulphur-springs. These smeU 
 
 'i •'*! 
 
I' '! I 
 
 ! ,' 
 
 ! 
 
 HAKONE. 
 
 most horribly, and we were glad to hurry to wind- 
 ward of them at our best pace. Those who have 
 had the couraj,'e to make the attempt declare that 
 when you are once in these baths you no longer smell 
 the water ; but I should think the man who first 
 proved that fact must have been even braver than he 
 who first ate a raw oyster ! 
 
 Leaving these malodorous springs behind we 
 emerged on a rolling upland moor, covered in many 
 places with high bamboo grass, and often veiled by a 
 shifting curtain of dense white fog through which the 
 blustering wind blew damp and chill. 
 
 We followed the narrow path past a little lake or 
 mere, then skirted the rugged base of Fut6go-y&ma, 
 an extinct volcano, its sides strewn with masses of 
 rock and scoria- scattered in wild confusion by some 
 long-past eruption, but still retaining their threaten- 
 ing aspect. This part of the road reminded me of 
 the Pass of Glencoe, though on a much larger scale. 
 
 Passing a frowning rock, bearing an image of 
 Buddha about twenty-five feet high carved in bold 
 relief, we came to the western edge of the moor, and 
 looked down on Hakone nestling amidst the forest at 
 our [eet. A rapid descent brought us to the Tokaido 
 — heie an uneven road roughly paved with rounded 
 flagstones— then, passing a fine red torii, we entered 
 a stately avenue of pines which led us to the margin 
 
 i 
 
3 hurry to wind- 
 Those who have 
 empt declare that 
 ou no lonpfer smell 
 he man who first 
 en braver than he 
 
 rings behind we 
 
 covered in many 
 
 i often veiled by a 
 
 through which the 
 
 II. 
 
 St a little lake or 
 
 of Fut&go-y&ma, 
 1 with masses of 
 )nfusion by some 
 ig their threaten- 
 
 reminded me of 
 nuch larger scale, 
 ng an image of 
 gh carved in bold 
 ! of the moor, and 
 midst the forest at 
 
 us to the Tokaido 
 zed with rounded 
 I torii, we entered 
 
 us to the margin 
 
of thf lake just iindei' the walls of ii new palace in 
 course of orcc.tioa for the Mikadtt. This huildiiiK is 
 — I regret to say— of European desi(,'n, ami looks 
 more like a country workhouse, a subscription hos- 
 pital, or one of those hideous hotels which deface the 
 En^adine, than a royal palace ! It would he difficult 
 to imagine anything more utterly ina[)propriate or in 
 viler taste than this painfully ugly building amid its 
 lovely surroundings. Yet I fear this is by no means 
 the worst result of contact with the West — witness 
 the abolition of the gorgeous and stately court-dress, 
 the prevalence of wide-awakes and straw hats, and, 
 as I was often told by residents, the rapidly-increasing 
 prices and deteriorating workmanship of all native 
 art-products. 
 
 As for this new palace, I can only hope that 
 Fut&go-y&ma may soon wake from his slumber, and 
 by a new eruption overwhelm the intrusive bantling 
 of a misdirected civilization. 
 
 We lunched and rested at a very comfortable tea- 
 house on the margin of the lake, commanding a good 
 view of Fuji's dark sides and snowy crown, his base 
 was hidden by the wooded cliffs which wall in the 
 northern side of the sheet of water. The angle of the 
 mountain slopes is 43 degrees, though they appear to 
 be much more perpendicular. 
 
 In the garden of the tea-house an old boat was 
 
 •I 
 
 
 
l84 SNAKES. 
 
 sunk in the ground and full of rain-water, in which 
 swam so many lake-trout and carp that it looked Hke 
 live fish soup ; the object of this is to free the fish 
 from the strong sulphurous flavour they possess 
 when first taken from the lake. On our way back 
 through the long grass I killed a snake marked like a 
 trout, dark brown back, bright yellow belly, and a '=ne 
 of red spots where the colours met along the sides. 
 
 We stopped at the Ashinoyu tea-house to see some 
 friends who were staying there for the baths. The 
 lady of the party showed us her silver thimble, 
 needle-cpse, chatelaine, &c., all blackened by the 
 sulphur-laden air. Strange to say, during our short 
 stay we lost all sensation of the overpowering stench 
 which had nearly prevented us from attempting the 
 
 visit. 
 
 I killed another snake on my way down the hill, 
 fully five feet long, and marked like the one already 
 described. Evidently these reptiles had come out of 
 cover to sun themselves in the path and shake off 
 the eifects of the chill morning fog. They seem very 
 numerous in the mountain districts of Japan, and 
 are reported to be quite harmless ; but I instinctively 
 followed the Indian plan, to " kill the snake first and 
 ask questions afterwards," \ery necessary in that 
 countr}', where poisonous snakes are the rule, and 
 innocuous the exception, whereas in Japan the 
 
WOOD-WORK. 
 
 i8s 
 
 iter, in which 
 
 it looked like 
 
 free the fish 
 
 they possess 
 
 3ur wjiy back 
 
 marked like a 
 
 illy, and a '"ne 
 
 tig the sides. 
 
 se to see some 
 
 i baths. The 
 
 ilver thimble, 
 
 ikened by the 
 
 rine; our short 
 
 )wering stench 
 
 attempting the 
 
 down the hill, 
 he one already 
 ad come out of 
 
 and shake off 
 rhey seem very 
 of Japan, and 
 t I instinctively 
 snake first and 
 essary in that 
 2 the rule, and 
 
 in Japan the 
 
 contrary is the case, and very luckily so, for I have 
 seen more snakes there in one morning than during 
 the whole of the years I spent in India. 
 
 The wood-carvings and turning for which Miyan- 
 oshta is famed fill most of the village shops ; the 
 principal things made are small cabinets, model 
 houses, travelling candle-sticks, boxes of bamboo or 
 wood, and " Tunbridge-ware " generally ; some of the 
 articles are very pretty and curious, particularly the 
 model houses, complete with gardens, fish-ponds, 
 dwarf-trees and stone lanterns ; and the wooden toys, 
 especially the tops. These are of every conceivable 
 shape and of most ingenious contrivance : one spins 
 in a succession of leaps and jumps ; another hums, 
 changing its note as the speed decreases ; but the 
 most curious of all is one which discharges other 
 little tops from holes in its sides during its revolutions, 
 each of these smaller ones spinning away vigorously 
 on its own account. This toy is called by a name 
 signifying " the parent spinner," or " the top that 
 breeds." 
 
 The baths at this hotel are supplied through bam- 
 boo pipes with water from natural hot springs, of 
 which there are many in the neighbourhood ; in fact 
 you can hardly get any view in this volcanic region 
 that does not include a mist of steam rising from some 
 brilliantly green gorge, or a cloud of murky haze 
 
 H 
 
 4'f; 
 
 1 . ,1 
 
1 86 
 
 MIYANOSHTA. 
 
 overhanging some yellow sulphurous plateau. The 
 temperature of the water in the hotel-baths is 176 
 degrees Fahrenheit, and it is quite free from either 
 smell or taste, very unlike that of the neighbouring 
 sulphur-springs. What a boon in a country where 
 bathing is so universally and frequently practised 
 (generally four or five times a day, often even more,) 
 to have an unlimited supply of hot water always 
 ready, and only requiring the construction of a pipe, 
 for which the materials can be procured gratis and 
 ad libitum from the forest across the road ! 
 
 One of our expeditions was to the summit of the 
 Otomitog6 Pass. A rough, rocky path led past the 
 pretty village of Kiga, with its picturesque kiosk 
 called in Japanese Mihar&shi Chdya, or "The 
 Prospect Tea-house," commanding a good view up 
 and down the gorge ; then descended and crossed 
 the river by a bridge formed of rough tree-trunks 
 laid on piles of loose stones defended from the current 
 by interlaced bamboos. Up the opposite cHff and 
 through the dark pine-woods, over barren moor and 
 well-tilled wheat-field we pursued our way, the sweet- 
 scented air too often poisoned by the sulphurous 
 exhalations borne on the breeze from the barren 
 yellow and russet patch high on the opposite hill, 
 which marks the entrance to the desolate gorge of 
 Oji-goku, or " Great Hell," where the surface is baked 
 
T-"' 
 
 I 
 
 :.* 
 
 plateau. The 
 el-baths is 176 
 •ee from either 
 le neighbouring 
 country where 
 ently practised 
 :en even more,) 
 : water always 
 ction of a pipe, 
 ured gratis and 
 oad ! 
 
 summit of the 
 th led past the 
 ;turesque kiosk 
 dya, or "The 
 I good view up 
 ed and crossed 
 iigh tree-trunks 
 from the current 
 >posite cliff and 
 arren moor and 
 way, the sweet- 
 the sulphurous 
 rom the barren 
 le opposite hill, 
 isolate gorge of 
 surface is baked 
 
 h 
 
I'i 
 
OTOMITOGE. 
 
 187 
 
 and cracked by the heat of the ever-smouldering fire 
 far in the bowels of the mountain. 
 
 Emerging from the last belt of forest, we crossed 
 a gently rising moor to the foot of Otomitog^, which 
 barred our path like a gigantic wall of limestone 
 draped with verdure. A very steep climb up a ^igifag 
 path landed us breathless on the breezy summit of 
 the pass, where we were glad to throw ourselves down 
 on the turf and drink in the beauty of the lovely scene 
 before us. 
 
 The hill descended abruptly at our feet to a culti- 
 vated plain, the brilliant, vivid green of the wheat- 
 fields broken by the darker tints of grassy slope and 
 wood-crowned knoll, the silvery threads of brooks and 
 rivulets, or the glistening sheen of sylvan pool and 
 rock-bound tarn. Rolling hills curved the horizon, 
 and in the centre, towering high above all — his snowy 
 diadem glistening like frosted silver in the noon-tide 
 sun, the graceful sweep of his shoulders like the wide- 
 spread folds of a royal mantle — rose kingly Fuji-yama, 
 peerless, perfect, and alone. 
 
 This is said to be the finest view of the great 
 mountain, and I must admit that it would be difficult 
 to imagine a more beautiful scene, or one in which 
 grandeur of outline combines more admirably with 
 brilliancy of colour and delicacy of tint. 
 
 We lay long on our grassy couch gazing on the 
 
 i-'H 
 
1 88 
 
 MIYANOSHTA. 
 
 magnificent panorama, sometimes turning our sun- 
 wearied eyes in the opposite direction, where the 
 deep blue waters of Lake Hakon6 lay slumbering in 
 their forest setting, like a sapphire in a cup of 
 emerald— sometimes starting to find that the soft 
 mountain air, warm sun and stiff climb had combined 
 to lull our senses into half-wakeful slumber— saying 
 little but enjoying much. 
 
 Although our return journey was a very much easier 
 business than the morning walk had been, we were 
 glad to receive our landlord Y&maguchi's respectful 
 welcome, and even more so to don the pretty blue- 
 and-white bathing-gowns and descend to the retresh- 
 ing and ready hot baths. By-the-bye these gowns 
 were daily placed clean and ready for use in our rooms, 
 and were usually of quaint-patterned cotton cloth, a 
 white ground with the design stamped on it in blue, 
 sometimes sprays of bamboo or cherry-blossom, 
 sometimes birds, butterflies and feathery grasses, 
 strange fish in very curly water, groups of women in 
 flowing garments or of men in none at all, but always 
 pretty, artistic and fresh. 
 
 We found the nights rather chilly after the heat of 
 Yokohama, and asked to have an extra blanket put 
 on the bed ; this was immediately done, and 
 supplemented by a magnificent robe of quilted, 
 wadded, dark-blue shot silk, with a fine otter-skin 
 
 wtMa 
 
isaMHCKUHMauttveo' 
 
 uming our sun- 
 tion, where the 
 ay slumbering in 
 re in a cup of 
 id that the soft 
 nb had combined 
 slumber — saying 
 
 very much easier 
 id been, we were 
 juchi's respectful 
 
 the pretty blue- 
 id to the retresh- 
 bye these gowns 
 use in our rooms, 
 d cotton cloth, a 
 ped on it in blue, 
 
 cherry-blossom, 
 feathery grasses, 
 •ups of women in 
 at all, but always 
 
 f after the heat of 
 extra blanket put 
 ately done, and 
 robe of quilted, 
 a fine otter-skin 
 
 ,ii<' 
 
 : 
 
 %■ 
 
ENOSHIMA. 
 
 189 
 
 collar; this turned out to be one of Y&maguchi's 
 winter coats, and we could not help thinking how 
 comfortable it would be and what a sensation it would 
 make if worn as an ulster at home. 
 
 As a contrast to the view from Otomitoge I may 
 mention the magnificent sea-scape to be seen from 
 the survey station on the highest point of the hill 
 which rises steeply at the back of the hotel. From 
 this coign of vantage the whole coast-line lies in sight 
 as far as Yokohama Bay, and on a clear day even 
 * far Tokio can be distinguished. 
 
 On the loth of June we left pretty Miyanoshta, 
 and travelled back over the same road by which we 
 had come until we reached Fujis&wa, about half-way 
 to Yokohama. Here we left the Tokaido, and 
 followed a bye-way across the fields for some miles 
 to a village on the coast, sheltered from the sea by a 
 range of low sand-hills ; crossing them we saw the 
 island of Enoshima — a rugged mass of rock crowned 
 with trees — lying right before us. 
 
 I call Enoshima an island because everybody else 
 does so, but it is really a peninsula, connected with the 
 mainland by a sandy isthmus which is only submerged 
 by spring-tides. This sacred spot is named by the 
 Japanese " the Enchanted Isle," and dedicated to 
 Benten, the Goddess of Good Fortune. Ancient 
 tradition says that a sea-monster used to come oat 
 
 
F.NOSHIMA. 
 
 of the water here and devour the children of the 
 nciKhhourinK villagers ; tliey appealed to the goddess 
 for help, a mighty earthquake followed, the monster 
 was destroyed, and the island rose from the waters 
 bearing Benten seated on its summit. Of course 
 this is all true, because the island is there to prove 
 
 it. 
 
 Crossing the isthmus we passed under a lofty torii 
 of bronze, and toiled up the flights of broad, uneven 
 stone steps with shcj.s on each side which form the 
 village street. Tb?ro was a large tea-house into 
 which we were invited, but in vain, for we had had 
 a cottage placed at our disposal through the kindness 
 of a friend. Disdaining the allurements of the 
 moosmis we climbed up still higher, passed another 
 torii in front of a temple, and finally reached our 
 destinr^tion— I pretty two-storeyed wooden villa with 
 a gard. u and lawn-tennis court— one of four summer 
 residences built here, and owned by English mer- 
 chants in Yokohama. These cottages stand on the 
 highest point of the island, and command a view 
 over the Pacific only bounded by the horizon, and 
 another of the country lying between the ranges 
 occupied respectively by Miyanoshta and Kamakura. 
 The cliff lacing the sea is perforated by a long 
 winding cavern which is reached by a steep stair- 
 way beset with small shrines, tea-houses, and stalls 
 
 .-imt 
 
 ■"< 
 
BENTKN S CAVE. 
 
 191 
 
 ::hildren of the 
 J to the ffoddesr. 
 jd, the monster 
 rom the waters 
 it. Of course 
 there to prove 
 
 ider a lofty torii 
 f broad, uneven 
 which form the 
 
 tea-house into 
 for we had had 
 jgh the kindness 
 irements of the 
 
 passed another 
 dly reached cur 
 ooden viila with 
 I of four summer 
 )y English mer- 
 es stand on the 
 ommand a view 
 he horizon, and 
 veen the ranges 
 . and Kamakura. 
 ated by a long 
 by a steep stair- 
 juses, and stalls 
 
 for the sale of sliell-work and Fea-weod ; from the 
 rocks at its foot comes the principal supply of " Venus 
 Ear " shells, for which the island is famous. The 
 priest in charge of the cave lighted a tallow " dip " 
 and led the way into its recesses, which penetrate the 
 rock about one hundred and fifty yards, and are, in 
 some places, less than six feet high. At a third of the 
 distance from the entrance the passage opens into a 
 sort of hall or grotto, having on one side a small 
 shrine to the goddess with tapers burning before it. 
 The sea runs up to the very end of the cave, and the 
 subterranean rorks laved by it appeared to be bright 
 purple and mauve as far as could be seen by the faint 
 candle-light. 
 
 It is said that in very clear weather, the smoke of 
 Oshima, or Vries Island, an active volcano, can be 
 distinguished in the south, but we never saw it, for 
 in the afternoon the clouds which had been threaten- 
 ing all day poured a deluge on the island, and hung 
 a thick grey curtain across the windows. At night 
 the sky cleared, the moon came out brilliantly, and 
 on looking from our bed-room windows we saw Fuji- 
 yama like a glistening silver veil hanging in the dark 
 blue ether — pure, transparent, and unreal. 
 
 One striking peculiarity of this mountain is that it 
 appears to increase with distance, rising higher as 
 you recede from it, yet ever retaining its perfect j : i - 
 
193 
 
 KAMAKUKA. 
 
 I I 
 
 portion and majestic charm. But I must drop all 
 reference to Fuji hencc^forth, or the reader will think 
 that I am as nnich enamoured of the " Peerless 
 Mountain " as the Japanese themselves,— and perhaps 
 he would not be very far wrong! 
 
 We stayed two days at Enoshima, and then made 
 an early start to return to Yokohama, vU Kamakura. 
 Walking down the steep and irregular steps— all 
 muddy and slippery from trie recent rain— we crossed 
 the sandy isthmus and got into our jinrikshas. Away 
 we rattled and jolted, splashed, rolled and slipped 
 over miry clay paths leading across swampy rice- 
 fields, the tree crowned spurs jutting out from the 
 hill-sides like promontories in a lake. At length we 
 reached a deep cutting through a sandstone ridge, and 
 on emerging from its northern end discerned an 
 immense dark massive face framed in cypresses rising 
 above the trees in front. A rapid descent and sharp 
 turn to the left brought us to an archway through 
 which we saw, at the end of a cypress- avenue, the 
 great seated figure of Buddha— the famous Daiboots 
 of Kamakura. 
 
 This celebrated idol dates from the year 1252, and 
 was made by pouring molten metal into a gradually 
 heightened mould, in the same way as was described in 
 the account of our visit to Nara. It was formerly 
 enclosed in a temple, but this building was destroyed 
 
ut I must drop all 
 «e reader will think 
 I of the " Peerless 
 lives, — and perhaps 
 
 na, and then made 
 ma, vu Kainakura. 
 ■regular steps — al' 
 it rain — we crossed 
 jinrikshas. Away 
 rolled and slipped 
 ross swampy rice- 
 ting out from the 
 ke. At length we 
 indstone ridge, and 
 end discerned an 
 in cypresses rising 
 descent and sharp 
 archway through 
 y'press- avenue, the 
 ; famous Daiboots 
 
 he year 1252, and 
 il into a gradually 
 IS was <lescribed in 
 It was formerly 
 ing was destroyed 
 
 iH I 
 
THB aiBAT (unoon or kamaeum. 
 
T 
 
 DAIBOOTS. 
 
 193 
 
 by an inundation in the fifteenth century, and has 
 never been replaced. The image looks much more 
 impressive standing as it does in the open air, and 
 gives one the idea of being larger that the Nara idol, 
 though the reverse is the actual fact, the Kamakura 
 Uaiboots being forty-nine and a half feet high, while 
 that at Nara is fifty-three. The length from knee to 
 knee is nearly thirty-six feet, and each thumb is a 
 yard in circumference. 
 
 The features are rather Greek in style, much'resem- 
 bhng those ofthe statues found in such numbers in 
 Eusofzai, on the extreme north-west frontier of India, 
 and called by antiquarians " Grseco-Buddhist " ; the' 
 countenance has an abstracted, contemplative look; 
 the eyes are closed, the hair is short and curly, and in 
 the centre of the forehead isa round bossof white metal 
 fifteen inches in diameter, said to be silver, and to 
 weigh thirty pounds ; the legs are crossed, and the 
 feet lie on the knees, soles uppermost, the great toes 
 appearing from under the sleeves ofthe wide mantle ; 
 the fingers of both hands join at the knuckles of the 
 first and second joints, the thumbs touching, and form 
 a recumbent qq. 
 
 In the middle ofthe back, between the shoulders, 
 are two apertures with double doors or shutters look- 
 ing like square wings when opened from within to 
 give light and air to the temple which occupies the 
 
 Q 
 
 
 %,s. 
 
 il J 
 
194 
 
 KAMAKURA. 
 
 I ! 
 
 interior of the imaf^e, and to which access is obtained 
 by a staircase and door on the left side of the base. 
 Tall bronze lotus-plants and lanterns are arranged in 
 front of the idol, and several priests are constantly in 
 attendance. 
 
 Soon after bidding farewell to Daiboots we came 
 to the beautiful Shinto temple dedicated to the War- 
 God, H&chimdn. This magnificent shrine is 
 splendidly placed on a terraced platform supported 
 by a strong masonry embankment, the dark pines on 
 the hill-side forming a rich contrast to the brilliant 
 colours and glittering gold with which the building is 
 profusely ornamented. The paved approach to the 
 red torii at the foot of the granite steps passes between 
 two pools, their surfaces covered with lotus-leaves, 
 and a large stone lantern stands on each side of the 
 entrance. In the crimson-lacquered colonnade of the 
 temple many interesting relics are exhibited, chiefly 
 the arms and armour of deceased Shoguns ; amongst 
 these are a beautiful stand of highly decorated bows 
 and arrows — a helmet with dragon-crest worn by the 
 great lye-y&su, whose tomb we had seen and admired 
 at Nikko — and a gigantic two-handed sword called 
 " Yoritomo's sickle." The attendant priest presented 
 us with a miniature copy of this tremendous weapon 
 on our departure. 
 
 Our road now led through the old historical town 
 
access is obtained 
 side of the base. 
 IS are arranged in 
 ; are constantly in 
 
 aiboots we came 
 cated to the War- 
 (icent shrine is 
 atform supported 
 the dark pines on 
 t to the brilliant 
 ich the building is 
 approach to the 
 ps passes between 
 with lotus-leaves, 
 each side of the 
 d colonnade of the 
 exhibited, chiefly 
 hoguns ; amongst 
 y decorated bows 
 crest worn by the 
 seen and admired 
 ided sword called 
 it priest presented 
 mendous weapon 
 
 1 historical town 
 
>^jr-4*fti^-.,... -^■*- -. 
 
A FAIRY TALE. 
 
 195 
 
 of Kamakura, once the capital of Eastern Japan, now 
 little mora than a roadside village, famous only for 
 its memories and its temples. We passed many of 
 the latter, stopping to examine some of them more 
 closely, till at length we regained the Tokaido, or 
 high road, at K&nag&wa, a pretty town at the head 
 of a deep bay, the birthplace of Urdshima, the 
 Japanese Rip Van Winkle, whose tale I thus con- 
 dense from Satow. Ur&shima, a poor fisher-boy, 
 after spending three days and nights in fruitless toil, 
 at length caught a turtle which, while he slept, trans- 
 formed itself into a lovely maiden. She informed 
 him that she was the daughter of a magician, and 
 that she had fallen in love with, and wished to marry 
 him. Ur^shima accepted her bissextile offer, and 
 was suddenly transported to an island covered with 
 splendid and dazzling palaces, where he enjoyed 
 himself amazingly. After the lapse of what seemed 
 to him three years, he was overcome with home- 
 sickness and the longing to see his parents once 
 more. His fairy-wife used all her wiles to detain 
 him, but finding him firm in his resolution, she wiped 
 away her tears, saying, *' My love for you is 
 everlasting, and my only desire is to live with you to 
 the end of time. But your thoughts turn away to 
 your old home ; go, then, if go you must ! " Hand 
 in hand they walked sadly to the place of parting, 
 
 O 2 
 
 m. 
 
 
 *> I 
 
 1'^ 
 
 'Ifr 
 
 lit 
 
L 
 
 KAN AG AW A. 
 
 where she pave him a casket, bidding him. if he 
 wished to remember and" return to her, always to 
 carrv it with him but never to open it. He then got 
 into his boat, and shutting his eyes for a moment at 
 her desire, re-opened them in front of his native 
 village. He landed, and looked round in alarm, for 
 the faces of the inhabitants were all changed, and he 
 knew no one. At last he addressed a man, saying, 
 " Pray can you tell me where the family of Ur&shima 
 lives?" The man replied, "Where do you come 
 from, asking about people gone long, long ago ? Old 
 folk do say that in byegone limes there was a certain 
 Ur&shima who went sailing out over the sea and 
 never retu. .ed, but that happened over three 
 hundred years ago." Poor Ur4shima was stupefied 
 on hearing this, and for days could do nothing but 
 brood over his grievous disappointment. At length 
 he bethought himself of the casket and the sweet 
 sorceress who had given it to him. Forgetful of her 
 injunctions he lifted the lid— a purple vapour rose 
 and floated away over the sea, and a distant sigh 
 echoed faintly through the still evening air. The 
 spell was broken, Urdshima was instantly transformed 
 into a decrepit, white-bearded old man, and shortly 
 afterwards ended his days at the tomb of his parents 
 near Hakone. 
 
 The valley in which K&nag&wa stapds is very 
 
in}]j him, if he 
 her, always to 
 it. He then got 
 For a moment at 
 It of his native 
 ind in alarm, for 
 changed, and he 
 i a man, saying, 
 nily of Ur&shima 
 re do you come 
 , long ago ? Old 
 ere was a certain 
 ver the sea and 
 ;ned over three 
 ma was stupefied 
 d do nothing but 
 ment. At length 
 et and the sweet 
 Forgetful of her 
 urple vapour rose 
 id a distant sigh 
 ivening air. The 
 tantly transformed 
 man, and shortly 
 )mb of his parents 
 
 ra. stapds is very 
 
 KITE-FLYING. 
 
 fertile and also pretty, but hardly sufficiently 
 beautiful, in our opinion, to merit its extravagant 
 Japanese title — " Tlie Plains of Heaven." 
 
 We saw some very fine peonies for which the 
 district is famous throughout the summer, as it is 
 for chrysanthemums the autumn season. During 
 the journey our attention was frequeiitiy attracted 
 by strange sounds floating through the air like the 
 tones of .in yEoJian harp, and it was some time ere 
 we discovered that they were produced by small 
 instruments of metal attached to the immense kites 
 of all colours and shapes, which were being flown by 
 people along the road. Another queer thing about 
 this kite-flying was that the pastime by no means 
 confined itself to the boys — grey-headed elders and 
 reverend seniors took a share, and a very large share, 
 in the game. We were much amused by the anxious 
 gravity with which one in particular — a bald-pated, 
 white-bearded old gentleman — watched his aerial toy 
 through a pair of very large gold spectacles ! The 
 kites were generally diamond-shaped and slightly 
 concave, but many were made in the shape of huge 
 birds with out-spread wings, while others again 
 imitated dragons, hideous faces, monstrous fishes, 
 or gigantic flowers. The amount of ingenuity, wild 
 fancy, and artistic design expended on even these 
 cheap, perishable toys was wonderful. 
 
tti^Ka. jgs' t-. -uamt M 
 
 I^^ 
 
 YOKOHAMA. 
 
 The road wound through the fields and round the 
 outshirts of the town, till after crossing several 
 bridges we entered Yokohama, and were finally 
 deposited at the door of the comfortable Japan 
 Hotel. 
 
s and round the 
 crossing several 
 ind were finally 
 mfortable Japan 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 JAPAN. 
 
 TOKIO — THE STREETS — THi: CASTLE — KWANKOBA — 
 
 ARSAKSA — VARUNA — THEATRE — ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 — FAREWELL TO JAPAN. 
 
 |HE reader must not imagine that because 
 I have hitherto omitted all description 
 of Tokio, we had, therefore, not visited the 
 capital ; on the contrary, we had spent many 
 pleasant hours there, sometimes as the guests of most 
 kind and hospitable hosts, but more frequently 
 wandering through the quaint streets and picturesque 
 bazaars by ourselves, checking our jinrikshas, and 
 often leaving them, wherever anything more than 
 usually strange or beautiful attracted our attention. 
 Tokio (till lately called Yeddo,) is a very irregularly 
 built city, covering a lar{;e area twenty-five miles in 
 
 i«;l 
 
 tfc M;,| 
 
200 
 
 ARRIVAL AT TOKIO. 
 
 circumference, and containing a rapidly increasing 
 population reckoned in 1886 at a hundred thousand. 
 The r-ilway line from Yokohama runs chiefly along 
 the shore, and often passes so close to the sea that 
 the wat( r comes right up to the rails, which are laid 
 on ground reclaimed by being slightly raised above 
 its original level. The scenery on the west or land- 
 ward side is pretty, and a distant glimpse of Fuji- 
 yama can be caught on a clear day from the Tsuru- 
 gAwa station, where also numbers of storks are seen 
 feeding in the surrounding rice-fields, whence they 
 gather an ampk supply of frogs and small fish. The 
 terminus is at Shinbdshi, or "New bridge," forty 
 miles from Yokohama— a fine stone building, with 
 European arrangements for entrance and exit, ticket- 
 office, &c. The usual civil, smiling officials exercist 
 a quiet supervision of the crowded stone platform, on 
 which the wooden clogs worn by the majority of the 
 passengers repeat their perpetual "frog-chorus." 
 There are crowds of jinrikshas waiting outside the 
 station, and also a few very rickety carriages. The 
 wide streets in this quarter of Tokio present a marked 
 contrast to the narrow alleys of other Japanese towns, 
 though the gain in convenience is counter-balanced 
 by a decided loss in picturesque appearance. One of 
 these thoroughfares is called Anjin-cho, " Pilot Street," 
 after Will Adams, an English pilot who settled here, 
 
MtfMiiMiMiiMnMiM 
 
 THE CITY. 
 
 20 1 
 
 )idly increasing 
 idred thousand. 
 IS chiefly alonfj 
 to the sea that 
 , which are hiid 
 ly raised above 
 le west or land- 
 jlimpse of Fuji- 
 rom the Tsuru- 
 
 storks are seen 
 ds, whence they 
 small fish. The 
 IV bridge," forty 
 le building, with 
 i and exit, ticket- 
 officials exercist 
 tone platform, on 
 ; majority of the 
 •• frog-chorus." 
 ting outside the 
 
 carriages. The 
 present a marked 
 r Japanese towns, 
 counter-balanced 
 earance. One of 
 10, "Pilot Street," 
 who settled here, 
 
 married a Japanese wife, and was buried near Yoko- 
 hama in 1620. The houses are built with low upper- 
 storeys and heavily tiled roofs, all painted black, but 
 this only serves as a back-ground to set off the gay 
 hangings and coloured lanterns which decorate each 
 shop-front, while the bright and well-arranged mer- 
 chandise still further varies the scene. 
 
 The massive iron-lined shutters of the upper 
 windows are made in layers, decreasing in size 
 towards the interior like the doors of fire-proof safes, 
 and are as thick as the walls. Many canals intersect 
 the city, crossed by picturesque bridges and generally 
 well filled with broad, flat-bottomed boats laden with 
 country produce, building materials, or cargoes from 
 the vessels at anchor in the bay, presenting nearly as 
 busy an appearance as the thronged streets and 
 crowded markets. The Castle is the centre of Tokio 
 from which the city radiates like a star, and round it 
 are grouped the residences of the principal inhabi- 
 tants, including the Emperor's Palace — a pretentious 
 stone edifice, displaying the golden chrysanthemum 
 on its principal facade — the houses of the nobles, 
 each secluded from observation by a high stockade 
 usually painted dull red — and the embassies of foreign 
 Powers ; at the English Legation there are several 
 pretty cottages for secretaries and attaches clustered 
 round the Ambassador's dwelling, the whole sur- 
 
303 
 
 TOKIO. 
 
 rounded by well-planned gardens and carefully-kept 
 turf.tlif L'liioii Jack flying lu.nui loll) flagstaff planted 
 on a glassy hillock in the centre. 
 
 The Castle is encircled ly a broad moat covered 
 with lotus leaves, its massive walls— built of huge 
 stones cleverly fitted together— rise almost perpen- 
 dicularly from the water, and are pierced by several 
 gateways defended by loop-holes and drawbridges, 
 It was while c.ossing one of these bridges in March 
 l86i, that the Prime Minister, li Kamon-no-Kami, 
 was attacked by a band of seventeen men, who, after 
 killing four of the escort and putting nineteen others 
 hors de combat, dragged him from his litter and cut off 
 his head, which one of them succeeded in carrying 
 away. One deep part of the moat goes by the name 
 of" the Bull's Pool," because a cart laden with copper 
 money, and drawn by a bull, fell in here and was 
 never recovered. 
 
 Near the Castle are many barracks and drill- 
 grounds, where we frequently saw the sturdy, untidy 
 little soldiers drilling, while unhappy-looking mounted 
 officers passed backwards and forwards, tightly 
 clutching their holsters or horses' manes, and giving 
 the idea that a Japanese cavalry charge would be by 
 no means terrific to anyone but themselves. Bugles 
 practising French calls and bands discoursing native 
 music gave to the scene a martial air, which was 
 
KWANKOBA BAZAAR. 
 
 203 
 
 • I 
 
 id carefully-kept 
 
 ) llugstaffplunted 
 
 id moat covered 
 s — built of huge 
 : almost perpen- 
 ierced by several 
 nd drawbridges, 
 )ridges in March 
 vamon-no-Kami, 
 I men, who, after 
 J nineteen others 
 litter and cut off 
 eded in carrying 
 [oes by the name 
 aden with copper 
 in here and was 
 
 racks and drill- 
 le sturdy, untidy 
 ■looking mounted 
 orwards, tightly 
 anes, and giving 
 arge would be by 
 mselves. Bugles 
 liscoursing native 
 1 air, which was 
 
 certainly not added to by the groups of little military 
 ( aric.'itures who nianteuvri'd on the parade ground, 
 or smoked and lounged at the barrack-gates. 
 
 The " Hank-note Mint " is a fine stone building 
 from which the paper money so generally used 
 throughout the kingdom is used, the coin being struck 
 at Os&ka. We were told that suap is made from the 
 old defaced notes which are returned to the Mint ! I 
 cannot say if this be true, but certainly many of those 
 which passed through our hands were greasy enough 
 for anything, and no wonder, for they run as low as 
 ten sen, or fourpence, and are, therefore, used by the 
 poorest people. Plenty of tish were always for sale, 
 and sometimes we met a hawker carrying two trays 
 on a bamboo across his shoulder, full of salt water and 
 live soles. 
 
 The royai gardens are very pretty and most neatly 
 kept, but are devoid of the quaint conceits and queer 
 deceptions which are the special features of Japanese 
 pleasure-grounds. Much more interest can be got 
 out of Kw&n-ko-bd, and infinitely more amusement 
 from As&ksa. The former is a large rambling build- 
 ing in which a perennial bazaar is held " for the 
 encouragement of arts and industries," as the 
 Japanese notice at the entrance sets forth. It covers 
 a considerable space, and contains an almost endless 
 succession of counte,rs artistically covered with china, 
 
 *4 
 
 ,iJi 
 
J 
 
 TJi 
 
 2P4 
 
 TOKIO. 
 
 turnery, leather-work, lacquer, tortoise-shell, pipes, 
 stationery, bamboo, and a hundred other manu- 
 factures — useful, ornamental, and peculiar. Each 
 article is marked with its price, which is settled by 
 the committee in charge ; this (and one or two 
 similar, through smaller marts,) is the only place 
 throughout Japan where you are not compelled to 
 bargain or be cheated ; but then only common and 
 modern things can be bought here, the older and 
 better specimens must be hunted for through tortuous 
 alleys and up dark, shin-breaking, hat-destroying 
 stairs, and finally attained after the expenditure of 
 many flowery speeches and much valuable time. 
 
 As&ksa is one of the most frequented and popular 
 places in the capital, combining the attractions of 
 temple, bazaar, eating-house and menagerie ; it lies 
 at the north-eastern extremity of the city. Arriving 
 at the torii or gateway which stands at the entrance 
 to the grounds, we left our jinrikshas, paid a small 
 toll at the gate, and proceeded slowly on foot through 
 a dense crowd of gaily-dressed people who looked as 
 if they were assisting at a fair or f6te ; this impression 
 was heightened by the brilliant decorations of the 
 shops on each side, paper lanterns, artificial flowers, 
 gay hangings, and Venetian masts bearing wreaths 
 and banners : but we found it the same at each of 
 our frequent visits, and soon grew accustomed to the 
 
oise-shell, pipes, 
 ed other manu- 
 peculiar. Each 
 ich is settled by 
 and one or two 
 the only place 
 lot compelled to 
 nly common and 
 e, the older and 
 through tortuous 
 I, hat-destroying 
 e expenditure of 
 iluable time, 
 ited and popular 
 le attractions of 
 enagerie ; it lies 
 s city. Arriving 
 
 at the entrance 
 as, paid a small 
 y on foot through 
 le who looked as 
 ; this impression 
 !corations of the 
 artificial flowers, 
 
 bearing wreaths 
 ;ame at each of 
 ccustomed to the 
 

 3WB?^^^5!i 
 
mamf'mawMaBamm^Sinmlt 
 
 1?^' 
 
 ASAKSA. 
 
 205 
 
 sight, which at first appeared so strikingly pecuHar, 
 and so strangely effective. The shops were mere 
 wooden booths, draped and festooned with daring but 
 unerring taste, and mostly filled with toys, dolls, 
 sweetmeats, ribbons, hair pins, sashes, and other 
 gew-gaws, in which there seemed to be a thriving 
 trade ; other stalls, not so extensively patronized but 
 still doing a very fair business, displayed cooking- 
 pots, lanterns, basket and bamboo-work, while fan- 
 shops occurred at every turn, and appeared to draw 
 more customers than any others. We were always 
 followed by a crowd of curious, gaping, staring, chat- 
 tering, but ever civil people of both sexes, who 
 evidently considered the foreigners — especially these 
 ladies — quite the greatest curiosities and leading 
 attractions present, and I daresay they wondered 
 that no extra admission fee had been charged on days 
 when this grand addition was made *■: the show. 
 
 At the upper end of the long street the booths 
 were replaced by a row of cryptorr.eria pines on one 
 side, while on the other they were profusely 
 decorated with purple, scarlet and white flowers, 
 and were devoted to theatrical and dancing 
 exhibition. The temple-gate is flanked by the usual 
 hideous figures of the gods of thunder and of wind : 
 the former, stationed on the left hand and painted 
 red, grasps a thiind^r-bolt, aqd k^s a thumb an 1 twQ 
 
 f. 1 
 
2o6 
 
 TOKIO. 
 
 fingers on each hand, and three toes on each foot. 
 The wind god is green, and carries an inflated sack 
 on his back, the tied ends depending over his 
 shoulders : he has three fingers and four toes. These 
 grotesquely ugly deities are the objects of an equally 
 grotesque form of worship : their devotees write 
 their prayers on small pieces of paper, which they 
 chew to a pulp and spit at the idols through the 
 wire grating stretched in front of them ; if the pellet 
 hits the grating the request is refused, but if it goes 
 through and sticks on the idol it will be granted 
 The wire of the gratings and the surface of the 
 figures were thickly spotted with these small lumps 
 of masticated petitions. 
 
 The temple dedicated to " Kwannon of the 
 Thousand Hands," is one of the most ancient and 
 most frequented in Japan. During November 
 gorgeous ceremonials take place here, and the 
 worshippers wear their finest garments ; the men 
 appear in the old court costume — splendidly em- 
 broidered robes, richly ornamented swords, and 
 magnificent mantles with wide stiffened shoulder- 
 pieces and sweeping double trains some yards in 
 length — a much more appropriate and dignified 
 dress than the pseudo-European style introduced at 
 the court of the present Mikado. The women on 
 this occasion wear a cowl or hood over their head 
 
i 
 
 js on each foot. 
 
 an inflated sack 
 lending over his 
 four toes. These 
 ;cts of an equally 
 r devotees write 
 iper, which they 
 iols through the 
 lem ; if the pellet 
 ed, but if it goes 
 
 will be granted 
 e surface of the 
 lese small lumps 
 
 .wannon of the 
 !iost ancient and 
 iring November 
 : here, and the 
 nents ; the men 
 — splendidly em- 
 ed swords, and 
 :il¥ened shoulder- 
 s some yards in 
 e and dignified 
 ^'le introduced at 
 The women on 
 over their head 
 
 PRAYING MADE EASY. 
 
 207 
 
 which is called a " horn hider," in allusion to the 
 Buddhist saying that " a woman looks like a saint 
 but she is really a demon." (N.B. — Buddhist, 
 priests do not practise celibacy.) 
 
 One of the idols in the temple represents the God 
 of Medicine, and his votaries may be seen rubbing 
 any parts of their own bodies that are affected and 
 then touching the corresponding place in the image, 
 to transfer the pain or disease to the god. Here, 
 too, is a prayer-wheel, not so large nor so handsome 
 as the one at Nikko, but much more efficacious, for 
 it contains a complete edition of the Buddhist 
 doctrines. A notice attached to it announces that : 
 " Owing to the voluminous number of Buddhist 
 scriptures — 6,771 volumes — it is impossible for any 
 single human being to read them through ; but those 
 who cause this wheel to revolve thrice will be 
 credited with having done so, and will reap the full 
 reward." Though this method seems scarcely 
 adapted to spread religious knowledge, it certainly 
 possesses the advantages of simplicity and rapidity ; 
 besides, the leaves do not get dog's-eared, nor can 
 there ever be any need for a " Revised Version." 
 
 Numbers of tame blue pigeons wandered about 
 the pavement in front of the temple, even where the 
 crowd was so thick that it seemed impossible for 
 them to escape being trodden on, and stil" ;;reater 
 
 * -' 
 
ft^->::<& 
 
 208 
 
 TOKIO. 
 
 numbers perched on the buildings or wheeled 
 through the bright sunlit air overhead. 
 
 The neighbouring menagerie contained a tiger, 
 various sorts of deer and monkeys, and a pool full of 
 otters ; but the greatest natural curiosity (which did 
 not look at all natural) was to be found in the aviary, 
 where, amongst cages filled with peacocks, emus, 
 pheasants and lyre-birds, was an enclosure containing 
 three cocks, two white and one black and gold. 
 Their bodies were not larger than ordinary English 
 barn-door chanticleers, but their tails were wonder- 
 ful : rising from the body in a thick mass, the 
 feathers drooped gracefully in a sweep fully nine feet 
 in length. In the museum we saw stuffed specimens 
 with tails twelve feet long. I scarcely expect this 
 statement to be believed, but I assure the reader that 
 it is strictly true. 
 
 On the opposite bank of the river stands the temple 
 of Ekko-in ; here is a great cemetery containing the 
 rem-ains of those who perished in the earthquakes of 
 1656, ^said to have destroyed 188,000 people,) and 
 1855, (104,000.) 
 
 The Varuna Park is a pretty enclosure surround- 
 ing the museum— a fine granite building containing 
 models, specimens of natural products, &c. Besides 
 the marvellous stuifed cocks above mentioned we 
 §aw a crab whose extended giaws measqre nine feet 
 
m 
 
 dinfjs or wheeled 
 head. 
 
 contained a tiger, 
 s, and a pool full of 
 :uriosity (which did 
 found in the aviary, 
 h peacocks, emus, 
 nclosure containing 
 le black and gold, 
 n ordinary English 
 tails were wonder- 
 . thick mass, the 
 weep fully nine feet 
 N stuffed specimens 
 carcely expect this 
 sure the reader that 
 
 r stands the temple 
 tery containing the 
 the earthquakes of 
 8,000 people,) and 
 
 nclosure surround- 
 )uilding containing 
 lucts, &c. Besides 
 3ve mentioned we 
 measqre niqe feet 
 
mmsmsoB 
 
 THE SHIBA TEMPLES. 
 
 209 
 
 from tip to tip ; a lobster with feelers two feet long ; 
 moths of an olive-brown colour, six inches across ; 
 the State carriage used by the Shoguns — a heavy, 
 carved, gilt and lacquered vehicle on gun-wheels, 
 entered at the back by a short flight of steps, and 
 bearing a grotesque resemblance to a highly- 
 ornamented bathing-machine ; also working models 
 of fish-weirs ; nets for deep-sea Ashing and fishing 
 boats; and beautiful lacquer dressing-cabinets 
 holding a circular mirror and stand, brushes for 
 teeth and nails (but not for hair !), combs, boxes and 
 pots, foot-bath and hot- water can, all of lacquered 
 wood. 
 
 Leaving Variina and its curiosities we visited the 
 temples of Shiba, second An splendour and interest 
 only to the great shrines of Nikko. These magnifi- 
 cent buildings stand in an irregular line at the foot 
 of a low hill covered with green turf, fine cryptomerias 
 over-shadow them, and a wide boulevard runs 
 along their front. Their courts contain hundreds — 
 I think I may say thousands — of stone or bronze 
 votive lanterns ranged in double and triple 
 rows, and are surrounded by beautiful railing^ 
 in red lacquer and gold, with deeply carved 
 gates partly in open-work, partly in high relief- 
 Here, too, the indescribably gorgeous colouring, 
 inimitably graceful design, and amazing intricacy of 
 
 P 
 
2IO 
 
 TOKIO. 
 
 detail astound the spectator ; but the chief charms 
 of the Nikko shrines — the grand pine-woods, the 
 mysterious silenco, and the sacred gloom — are wanting, 
 and though the eye is filled to satiety, the mind and 
 imagination are left hungry and ill content. 
 
 The Uytno gardens are a favourite resort of both 
 Europeans and Japanese. They lie to the north of 
 the city, and are laid out as a park with a large pool 
 or small lake in the centre, which is covered with 
 purple iris and lotus-flowers in autumn, and sur- 
 rounded by double-blossomed cherry trees, whose 
 petals clothe the turf with fragrant snow in spring. 
 
 These pretty gardens were the scene of a sanguinary 
 contest in 1868 between the Imperialists and the sup- 
 porters of the Shogun. The latter were routed and 
 most of them slain, and from that date the double 
 sovereignty of Japan ceased to exist — the Mikado 
 monopolised the supreme government and grasped 
 the sceptre which has already, like a magician's wand, 
 demolished so many of the old customs and prejudices, 
 and wrought so complete a change in dress, in 
 manners, and in men, that a backward step of eighteen 
 years lands one in the Middle^Ages ! 
 
 The flower shops were very pretty, well supplied 
 with cut flowers of every hue, as well as beautiful 
 plants in pots, each of the last in itself a work'ofart, 
 and worthy of its lovely contents. There were no 
 
[ ^""Wm 
 
 1 
 
 THE THEATRES. 
 
 211 
 
 t the chief charms 
 d pine-woods, the 
 loom — are wanting, 
 iety, the mind and 
 I content. 
 
 rite resort of both 
 lie to the north of 
 k with a large pool 
 h is covered with 
 autumn, and sur- 
 ierr>' trees, whose 
 t snow in spring. 
 ;ene of a sanguinary 
 rialistsand the sup- 
 ir were routed and 
 it date the double 
 exist — the Mikado 
 ment and grasped 
 a magician's wand, 
 oms and prejudices, 
 lange in dress, in 
 ard step of eighteen 
 ■is\ 
 
 •etty, well supplied 
 3 well as beautiful 
 itself a work'of art, 
 s. There were no 
 
 bouquets in our sense of the word ; these true 
 worshippers of nature prefer a single graceful lily, or 
 a solitary spray of cherry or wistaria, to the 
 cauliflower-pattern abominations of their European 
 brethren. The arti.itic taste displayed in the 
 arrangement and placing of these simple-seeming 
 clusters constantly appeals to one's sense of the 
 beautiful and the appropriate. 
 
 Tokio boasts of no less than six theatres, besides 
 numerous places of entertainment of the music-hall 
 class. The Shintomi Za is the chief and largest of 
 the theatres ; it is arranged with galleries and pit, 
 side-walks or bridges passing over the latter for the 
 actors, as described at the Kioto Ballet. The 
 proscenium is decorated with an inscription em- 
 broidered in gold on black velvet, saying (in Dutch) 
 that it was presented to the theatre by a company of 
 Dutch actors who performed here a few years ago ; 
 the Japanese management very generously gave them 
 the use of their house free of all charge. We 
 thought the performance here rather poor, but 
 perhaps we were getting biases and hypercritical ! 
 The most interesting part of the play was the per- 
 formance of hara-kiri by one of the actors ; this he 
 did in a very realistic way, quite excelling .Sarah 
 Bernhardt's dying struggles. At the appointed 
 moment he plunged a dagger into his midriff with 
 
 P 2 
 
 ..; 
 
 ^;i 
 
 »•*« 
 
1 
 
 2T2 
 
 TOKIO. 
 
 i'i 
 
 I 1 
 
 II 11 ; 
 
 If 
 
 tniiRnificcnt nonchalance, turned it roiincl two or three 
 times to make sure of the effect, and then fell forward 
 on his face and writhed about the stage— clutching 
 convulsively at the crimson tape blood, which issued 
 in a torrent from the wound— and eventually squirmed 
 behind a screen to die, appearing again a few seconds 
 afterwards in an entirely fresh rdle, welcomed by the 
 plaudits of all the spectators. 
 
 The usual amount of eating, smoking and tea- 
 drinking went on amongst the audience ; attendants 
 bearing trays of sweetmeats, or piles of fresh tea-pots 
 and cups, moved continually along the parallel bars 
 which divided the pit into many squares; a light 
 haze of tobacco-smoke hung overhead ; and through 
 all moved a gorgeously-apparelled being with shaven 
 head and scarlet silk robe covered with round white 
 spots, who was evidently a privileged and popular 
 personage, for he was continually being invited to 
 to take a seat, which he almost alwayc declined, 
 though, to show there was no ill-feeling in the refusal, 
 he accepted continual offers of " light refreshments," 
 taking a bite here, a sup there, and a draw at a pipe 
 or cigarette everywhere. We found that he was the 
 leading actor from another theatre— just now closed 
 for repairs— and that his remarkable gown was a 
 present from the ballet-girls amongst whom he was 
 very popular, and whose names were stamped in 
 
 L'rrit 
 
: roiinfl two or three 
 n(\ then fell forward 
 he stage— clutching 
 blood, which issued 
 eventually squirmed 
 again a few seconds 
 He, welcomed by the 
 
 , smoking and tea- 
 idience ; attendants 
 liles of fresh tea-pots 
 ng the parallel bars 
 ny squares ; a light 
 rhead ; and through 
 id being with shaven 
 id with round white 
 vileged and popular 
 ally being invited to 
 )St alwayc declined, 
 feeling in the refusal, 
 ' light refreshments," 
 md a draw at a pipe 
 ound that he was the 
 itre-r-just now closed 
 Lrkable gown was a 
 longst whom he was 
 es were stamped in 
 
 !ti 
 
 ■■ 
 
WOMEN S TEMPLES. 
 
 213 
 
 circular white cyphers on its surface : fancy Toole or 
 Irving going about in a dress-coat adorned with the 
 monograms of his dramatic lady-companions ! Each 
 company of actors is paid a lump sum by the 
 managers of the General Theatrical Fund, who are 
 Government officials ; the individuals divide the spoil 
 according to their status, and if the leading actor 
 is a man of mark he pockets a third, or even more, 
 of the whole sum. 
 
 We saw several temples especially set apart for 
 female worship. These buildings were marked by a 
 large gong suspended from the roof in front of the altar, 
 a thick knotted cotton rope hanging before it ; the 
 devotees ring the gong by means of this rope, and 
 then throw their prayers and offerings into the box 
 which stands for the purpose just inside the railing. 
 I do not know whether this mode of addressing the 
 deity is intended as a hint to the ladies to check their 
 too- vivacious tongues ; if it be so, it most certainly is 
 disregarded, and Japanese women continue as great 
 chatterboxes as the rest of the sex ! 
 
 Time passed only too rapidly in this strange and 
 interesting country, and our passages to San 
 Francisco had been taken for the and of July ; so we 
 hurried through our final shopping and sight-seeing, 
 made over our multifarious purchases to a kind friend, 
 who added much to the weight of former obligations 
 
 I 
 ••ii« 
 
 i 
 
214 
 
 YOKOHAMA. 
 
 i I 
 
 by allowing his dignified Chinese comprador or 
 manager to superintend their packing, and finally 
 paid a round of visits to bid adieu — and I trust au 
 revoir — to our acquaintances at Tokio and Yokohama 
 who had done so much to make our stay pleasant, 
 from whom we parted with much regret and the warm 
 feelings of old friends, though we had been utter 
 strangers to each other two short months before. 
 These last days of our stay were enlivened by a 
 pleasant afternoon dance on board H.M.S. Leander, 
 the Admiral's flagship. The entertainment was most 
 successful, as parties given by the sister service 
 always are, and the scene was a very gay one, for not 
 only was the Leander dressed with bunting for the 
 occasion, but all the foreign men-of-war and most of 
 the merchant -vessels in the harbour followed suit out 
 of compliment to the Admiral and the British flag. 
 The gallant Leanders gave us amusement of another 
 sort at church on Sunday, by spreading themselves, 
 sailor fashion, all over the building, joining lustily 
 and musically in the first hymn, but maintaining 
 a dead silence throughout the second, which was the 
 one for those at sea. Another of our entertainments 
 was a picnic dinner in the cabin of a Japanese boat 
 on the river at Tokio — a most merry meeting in spite 
 of (or perhaps because of) the drawbacks of a very 
 low ceiling and such want of elbow-room that each 
 
 Si'^- 
 
 ■^,..v^'.j:4'/'^^ ^ j j^j ';-j^'^^4-^^^"^i^j.v-^''^-rv 
 
g 
 
 PARTING SCENES. 
 
 215 
 
 lese comprador or 
 Lcking, and finally 
 2U — and I trust au 
 kio and Yokohama 
 our stay pleasant, 
 egret and the warn 
 \fe had been utter 
 »rt months before, 
 re enlivened by a 
 •d H.M.S. Leander, 
 tainment was most 
 the sister service 
 :ry gay one, for not 
 th bunting for the 
 )f-war and most of 
 ur followed suit out 
 d the British flag, 
 isement of another 
 jading themselves, 
 ing, joining lustily 
 1, but maintaining 
 snd, which was the 
 our entertainments 
 Df a Japanese boat 
 :ry meeting in spite 
 rawbacks of a very 
 ow-room that each 
 
 alternate guest had to take a mouthful, and then sit 
 back in his chair to consider it, while his neighbour 
 laid in supplies, and made way in his turn. Then 
 there were races at Yokohama, for which many of 
 the Japanese nobles entered ponies, and came over 
 from Tokio to see the fun. All of them were dressed 
 in very tight trousers and very high collars, and 
 looked exceedingly sporting. The pretty lawn-tennis 
 ground on the Bluff was a great attraction and we 
 saw some good games played in the annual tourna- 
 ment. 
 
 But the day of the Belgic's saiHng has arrived, and 
 we must go on board after getting our luggage passed 
 through the custom-house — a queer notior\ to have 
 one's belongings examined on leaving a country ! 
 Our passports have been returned to the Consulate, 
 much damaged by the fingering they had so frequently 
 undergone ; for according to rule they are always 
 given up on arrival at the hotel or tea-house where 
 the traveller intends to spend the night, and are 
 returned to him on his departure. It is nearly the 
 hour for sailing — lo a.m. — the boat is alongside the 
 " hatoba," and we step off Japanese soil for the last 
 timt. 
 
 From the day of our first landing in the country at 
 Nagasaki just nine full weeks had elapsed, and 
 what thoroughly enjoyed weeks they had been ! 
 
 '.■*";s,»*lWr-*'..: 
 
n' 
 
 t 
 
 Hi 
 
 216 
 
 FAREWELL TO JAPAN. 
 
 How full of novelty and strange experience, of 
 memorable sights and queer adventures ! 
 
 There are two countries I have visited to which I 
 look back with feelings of unmixed pleasure — two 
 countries wide as the poles asunder, placed at opposite 
 extremities of Europe and Asia, their people even 
 farther separated by race, custom and religion — yet 
 both alike inhabited by a courteous and friendly folk, 
 united by a common bond of frank kindness to 
 strangers, sturdy individual independence, and steady 
 perseverance in their national course — these two 
 countries are Norway and Japan. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■^ •^'"'^■. V , ' wX^l^.v- -^ 
 
ge experience, of 
 tures ! 
 
 visited to which I 
 ted pleasure — two 
 
 placed at opposite 
 their people even 
 
 and religion — yet 
 3 and friendly folk, 
 rank kindness to 
 idence, and steady 
 ;ourse — these two 
 
Wl V 
 
 .u.fnt'mimmmimiaRtvi.r. 
 
 f^, 'f . ii,i . :jm M,rn- , ,i,. i ■ jf ^ v^ , .^^^ , . , -^ 
 
 j|ilM#A(»r'3 
 
 , „-^,.1,v .jA^-^j-«t--^yiA. M ftwB|i£Btitifc»ytW«ir-?- - 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 CALIFORNIA. 
 
 THE PACIFIC OCEAN — SAN FRANCISCO — THE PALACE 
 
 HOTEL — FIRE-BRIGADE DRILL — RAILWAY 
 
 PECULIARITIES. 
 
 |T 10 A.M. on Friday, July and, the bell of 
 the Belgic rang to warn all visitors to leave 
 the ship; hearty farewells were hurriedly 
 exchanged, and five minutes afterwards the anchor 
 was at the cathead and the screw churning the water 
 astern into a sandy froth as the vessel slowly swung 
 her bows round to the east. We remained on deck 
 as long as a glimpse of Japan remained visible, and 
 then went below to prepare for the sixteen days' 
 voyage to San Francisco. The Belgic, although now 
 chartered by «in American firm, was originally built 
 
 •i1 
 
 "I 
 4 
 
 Bfl—WtlltWMi 
 
ON BOARD THE " BELGIC. 
 
 and owned by the well-known "White Star" Line, 
 so she still hoisted the British ensign and bore the 
 insignia of her first owners, as is, I believe, the invari- 
 able rule. She was a magnificent four-masted vessel 
 of four thousand tons register, forty-two feet in beam 
 and over four hundred in length, lighted throughout 
 by electricity, and with electric bells not only in each 
 cabin, but in every berth. Her boats were large and 
 numerous, and she carried also two life-rafts on pon- 
 toons ; but the most remarkable part of her deck 
 arrangements was the double pile of Chinese coffins 
 placed right aft, for the accommodation of any 
 Celestials who might die on the voyage and wish to 
 be sent back and buried in their native land. 
 
 The Chinese passengers were comfortably berthed 
 in well-ventilated quarters forward ; while the saloons 
 for meals, music and smoking, and the ladies' and 
 our private cabins, or " state-rooms " as they were 
 invariably called after the American fashion, were 
 amidships, and therefore unaffected by the heat, 
 smell and quiver of the engines, which were placed 
 further aft. The private cabins were particularly 
 well provided with fresh air through large ventilators, 
 the whole of the arrangements for the passengers 
 were on the most comfortable and liberal scale, and 
 the decorations and furniture of the saloons were 
 both handsome and suitable. 
 
Mi 
 
 !LG1C. 
 
 A^hite Star" Line, 
 sign and bore the 
 [ believe, the invari- 
 four-masted vessel 
 ty-two feet in beam 
 lighted throughout 
 lis not only in each 
 3ats were large and 
 'o life-rafts on pon- 
 ; part of her deck 
 of Chinese coffins 
 imodation of any 
 ayage and wish to 
 ative land. 
 )mfortably berthed 
 ; while the saloons 
 nd the ladies' and 
 ms " as they were 
 ican fashion, were 
 cted by the heat, 
 /hich were placed 
 were particularly 
 jh large ventilators, 
 for the passengers 
 liberal scale, and 
 the saloons were 
 
 A DOUBLED DAY* 
 
 We were thirty-eight passengers in all, one half 
 being Americans, and the other representing several 
 European nations. The piano in the main saloon 
 was an unusually good one, and an English gentle- 
 man gave us some excellent music, playing whenever 
 he was asked ; he was a Doctor of Music, and to a 
 thorough knowledge of the art added the charms of 
 delicate touch and magnificent execution. The ship 
 was remarkably steady and the weather fairly pro- 
 pitious, though often the cold was so great that we 
 preferred the comfortable saloon or the cosy smoking- 
 room to the chilly deck. We ran a north-easterly 
 course at first, going as high as 47° 58' N., in which 
 latitude we crossed the i8oth degree of longitude on 
 July gth, and consequently had two Fridays and eight 
 days in the week. This fairly puzzled one of our 
 party, who came in to breakfast in a bewildered state 
 of mind, asking whether to-day was yesterday or to- 
 morrow ? and saying that he had certainly gone to 
 bed on Friday night, yet had got up again on Friday 
 morning ! I must say for my own part that it looks 
 strange to see in my diary " Friday, gth July, No. i," 
 " Do., do., No. 2." 
 
 Two days before reaching port the weather 
 changed : a thick fog set in, and we congratulated 
 ourselves on the loneliness of the sea — not a sail having 
 been sighted since we left Yokohama — nothing but 
 
 ■ ip — I 
 
_..^aa 
 
 
 2 20 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 sea-birds and a few small whales. The fog thickened 
 and the sea got up as we neared land ; the " fiddles '* 
 appeared on the saloon tables, and the dismal fog- 
 horn — ironically called a Syren — sounded at intervals 
 of five minutes day and night. However, the pre- 
 cautions for the safety of glass and crockery were not 
 needed, for the Belgic hardly acknowledged the in- 
 fluence of the swell by pitch or roll, and we soon 
 caught our first glimpse of the New Continent ; Cape 
 Reyes loomed though the fog on the north, and im- 
 mediately afterwards the Golden Gates came into 
 view, not looking at all " golden," but gloomy, cruel 
 and forbidding. Seal Rock lay under our starboard 
 bow, and Alcatraz Island ahead, with its foam-lashed 
 rocks and frowning fortifications, when, suddenly 
 turning south- ward, the densely-built slopes of San 
 Francisco rose before us. The bay was alive with 
 traffic, and the docks and roads crowded with ship- 
 ping, through which monstrous white ferry-steamers, 
 like moving terraces, threaded their way, whistling, 
 hooting and groaning in the discordant and madden- 
 ing manner which seems peculiar to American 
 harbours. 
 
 Our pleasant, prosperous voyage of sixteen days 
 was over, and at 3 p.m. on the 17th July we moored 
 to the wharf. Considerable delay took place before 
 anyone was allowed to go on shore, and then all our 
 
AkHBtHB 
 
 iPi 
 
 1 
 
 OPIUM 
 
 331 
 
 The fog thickened 
 id ; the " fiddles " 
 i the dismal fog- 
 )unded at intervals 
 however, the pre- 
 1 crockery were not 
 lowledged the in- 
 roU, and we soon 
 
 Continent ; Cape 
 he north, and im- 
 
 Gates came into 
 but gloomy, cruel 
 ider our starboard 
 ith its foam-lashed 
 , when, suddenly 
 uilt slopes of San 
 ay was alive with 
 ■owded with ship- 
 lite ferry-steamers, 
 leir way, whistling, 
 rdant and madden- 
 iliar to American 
 
 je of sixteen days 
 
 h July we moored 
 
 took place before 
 
 e, and then all our 
 
 luggage was subjected to a most searching examina- 
 tion in the shed which did duty as a custom-house ; 
 but though the officials were rigorously minute in 
 their inspection they were also very civil and undeni- 
 ably expert, folding up dresses and replacing bonnets 
 as if they had served their apprenticeship at a 
 milliner's. It was a strange scene ! A rough wooden 
 shed above, a bare earthen floor below ; open boxes, 
 unstrapped bags, frantic passengers, impassive 
 officials, men's clothing, ladies' linen, Japanese curios, 
 deck-chairs, umbrellas, waterproof coats, travelling 
 rugs and Chinese silks, all mixed and jumbled 
 together! At length we were released, and it was 
 not until some days had elapsed that the reason for 
 this unusually strict scrutiny leaked out ; it appeared 
 that some opium had been smuggled over from Japan 
 a short time before, and the custom-house people 
 were specially alert. They found nothing in the 
 passengers' baggage, but we heard afterwards that a 
 valuable haul had been made on board the Belgic, a 
 quantity of the highly-taxed drug having been found 
 concealed in different parts of the ship, some cun- 
 ningly stowed away in false bottoms to the nieat-kegs. 
 But though we had " passed the customs," a still 
 more disagreeable and annoying ordeal lay before us : 
 after making over our baggage to an " Expressman," 
 seeing it labelled for the Palace Hotel, and taking his 
 
 ; 
 
 MMMMM 
 
i jiiwimw 
 
 323 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 receipt, we thought our troubles were over ; but on 
 emerging from the shed we were instantly surrounded, 
 seized, pulled and jostled by a crowtl of rough 
 vagabonds — cab-drivers, loafers and touts — shouting, 
 pushing, cursing and yelling with might and main. 
 
 At length we struggled into a hackney carriage 
 and were driven to the Palace Hotel, one of the 
 monster caravanserais of the States, six storeys in 
 height, covering three acres, and tilling a whole block 
 with its granite walls and tiers of bay-windows. In 
 these great American hotels the highest rooms are 
 preferable on account of fresher air and more quiet 
 surroundings, and the " elevators " — Anglice " lifts " 
 — make the stairs of no consequence. We found 
 the sixth floor full, but obtained a room on the next 
 Stage, large, airy and well-furnished, with a d'=>ep bay 
 window, a comfortable bath-room, and a washing- 
 stand in a cupboard with water laid on through taps, 
 as on board ship ; this system of shutting up the 
 washing arrangements in a little dark cell of their 
 own is very general in America. 
 
 By the time we had looked round our quarters 
 and made ourselves comfortable the dinner-hour had 
 arrived, and we descended in the " elevator " with 
 several other guests on their way to the public 
 dining-room, an immense hall containing forty 
 square tables, each laid for eight people, and 
 
■J * mt 
 
 THE PALACE HOTEL. 
 
 223 
 
 ere over ; but on 
 itantly surrounded, 
 
 crowd of rough 
 d touts — shouting, 
 fnight and main. 
 
 hackney carriage 
 Hotel, one of the 
 tes, six storeys in 
 lling a whole blocit 
 bay-windows. In 
 lighest rooms are 
 ir and more quiet 
 '—Anglice " Hfts " 
 lence. We found 
 room on the next 
 1, with a d<>ep bay 
 1, and a washing- 
 d on through taps, 
 )f shutting up the 
 
 dark cell of their 
 
 jund our quarters 
 le dinner-hour had 
 e " elevator " with 
 'ay to the public 
 containing forty 
 ight people, and 
 
 illuminated by several electric lights and many 
 gaseliers. The menu was lengthy and varied, 
 containing such novelties as clam-chowder (fish soup), 
 stewed terrapins, peach-pie, and other dishes equally 
 strange to the. European eye and palate. The 
 waiters were negroes — " coloured helps,'' to give 
 them their local designation — dressed in full evening 
 costume, with immaculate shirt-fronts setting off 
 their ebony faces, haughty in appearance, but 
 benignly condescending in manner. A burly " Uncle 
 Tom " took us under his special protection, and 
 displayed a fatherly interest in us during our stay. 
 We saw very little of the gorgeous over-dressing so 
 generally ascribed to the fairer denizens of the 
 " Metropolis of the Far West," but this was explained 
 by the fact that San Francisco was " out of town " 
 at this season ; all the fashionable people being at 
 Monterey and other holiday lesorts. 
 
 On the Sunday after our arrival we attended 
 morning service at the neighbouring Church of the 
 Advent, where a clergyman with a sonorous voice 
 and most distinct enunciation read prayers and 
 preached. The American liturgy differs but little 
 from our own, which is very likely the reason why 
 the few alterations, coming unexpectedly, strike one 
 the more forcibly; it was difficult to refrain from 
 smiling at the false modesty shown by the chan{.cs 
 in the Te Deum and elsewhere. 
 
 
 ■la^iimttthtui mm mmi m i mMmtiu iti m i mm 
 
 I 
 
i^n " 
 
 224 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 One of the most attractive and frequented resorts 
 in the neighbourhood of the city is Golden Gate 
 Park, an enclosure containing more than a thousand 
 acres laid out with winding j^roads, graceful trees, 
 brilliant flower-beds and large glass-houses. The 
 luxuriant close-grown turf and the gorgeous 
 blossoms so lavishly displayed on every side make it 
 difficult to realise that only twelve years ago this 
 beautiful garden was a howling wilderness of sandhills 
 sparsely clothed with sage-brush, like the rest of the 
 peninsula on which San Francisco has risen — or at 
 least, the greater part of it, for the lower range of 
 buildings now fringing the bay occupies ground 
 originally under water. 
 
 The first house was built in 1835; '" 1848 — the 
 year in which gold was discovered — the population 
 was under a thousand, but in two short years it 
 increased to 23,000, and at the time of our visit was 
 estimated at 300,000 ! The commerce is immense, 
 fed by vast natural products and important manu- 
 factures. The site was originally very hilly, but 
 ridges of barren sand were levelled, gullies and 
 ravines filled up, hills lowered and valleys raised ; all 
 the spare refuse — rock, sand and rubble — was spread 
 on the south-eastern beach, gradually driving back 
 the waters of the bay, and today wide paved streets, 
 handsome shops, busy manufactories and huge 
 
niTF7air<*EJS5" 
 
 JMtiWJUt 
 
 •fflPR 
 
 SEALS. 
 
 225 
 
 frequented resorts 
 ty is Golden Gate 
 >re than a thousand 
 ds, graceful trees, 
 glass-houses. The 
 nd the gorgeous 
 : every side make it 
 Ive years ago this 
 derness of sandhills 
 like the rest of the 
 CO has risen — or at 
 the lower range of 
 ' occupies ground 
 
 835; in 1848— the 
 ed — the population 
 wo short years it 
 me of our visit was 
 iinerce is immense, 
 I important manu- 
 lly very hilly, but 
 veiled, gullies and 
 I valleys raised ; all 
 rubble — was spread 
 jually driving back 
 wide paved streets, 
 ctories and huge 
 
 warehouses occupy the spot where great ships rode 
 at anchor, and fishermen filled their nets — and that 
 as lately as 1846 ! 
 
 From Golden Gate Park a railway runs to Cliff 
 House, a large hotel and restaurant built on the 
 extreme northern point of the peninsula, overlooking 
 the Pacific on the one hand, and the Golden Gates 
 on the other. 
 
 Two or three out-lying rocks at the foot of the pro- 
 montory are called " Seal Rocks," from the number 
 of these amphibious beasts which resort there. The 
 Government does not allow them to be molested, and 
 at the time of our visit a great many were in sight, 
 svvimminj.' round the base of the rocks, climbing their 
 wet and shppery sides, or basking on their summits, 
 where they looked like huge yellow-brown slugs. We 
 watched these ungainly animals and listened to their 
 hoarse barks and the plaintive yelping of their little 
 ones, till the heavy sea-mist drove us to seek shelter 
 in the " cars," and return to the hotel for dry clothes 
 and dinner. 
 
 The " Fire Brigade drill " is one of the most 
 interesting sights in 'Frisco. In a city where wood 
 is so largely employed in buildings and pavements, 
 fires are of frequent occurrence, and the whole 
 system for savinp life and property has been brought 
 to a wonderful pitch cf perfection. Entering the 
 
 Q 
 
 .«««^' 
 
 5^ 
 
 mm 
 
mjmf 
 
 226 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 Station shortly before mid-day, we find the scarlet 
 car and van standing ready — the former fully 
 equipped with hose and buckets, the latter with 
 ladders, ropes and grappling-irons — the harness hangs 
 from the ceiling, suspended by spring-clips exactly 
 over the places of the horses on each side of the 
 •pole, collars open at the throat, traces ready buckled 
 to them and hitched to the bars under the driver's 
 box, the men's red helmets and fire-coats all on 
 their seats. Behind the carriages stand the horses, 
 in open stalls, unhaltered, a light whip hanging from 
 the ceiling over the quarters of each animal. Above 
 each carriage is a trap-door large enough for a man 
 to pass through, with a brightly-polished brass rod 
 for him to slip down, and on one side of the hall is a 
 steep stair-case, one half covered with smooth 
 planking to facilitate descent, while the stairs of the 
 other half are used (or returning to the upper regions 
 when work is done. Going up these stairs we found 
 that the brass rods and trap doors are just at the foot 
 of the men's beds in the dormitory, while the stairs 
 and slide open into the sitting-room. Noon 
 approached, and the men went to bed, for this was 
 to be a " night-drill " ; they were fully dressed except 
 helmets and fire-proof coats, and the upper bed- 
 clothes were connected by a mysterious wire with 
 the ceiling. All was quiet, and we were chatting 
 
THE FIRE-BRIGADE. 
 
 227 
 
 /e find the scarlet 
 -the former fully 
 s, the latter with 
 —the harness hangs 
 spring-clips exactly 
 on each side of the 
 races ready buckled 
 
 under the driver's 
 id fire-coats all on 
 BS stand the horses, 
 
 whip hanging from 
 ach animal. Above 
 ! enough for a man 
 y^-polished brass rod 
 J side of the hall is a 
 vtited with smooth 
 lile the stairs of the 
 
 to the upper regions 
 ;hese stairs we found 
 rs are just at the foot 
 cry, while the stairs 
 tting-room. Noon 
 to bed, for this was 
 e fully dressed except 
 md the upper bed- 
 nysterious wire with 
 id we were chatting 
 
 with the superintendent, when suddenly an electric 
 bell rang in the hall, and a small flap fell showing the 
 name of the street and number of the block in which 
 the fire was supposed to be raging. What followed 
 was so startling, so rapid, and so complex, that the 
 bell seemed to be the stroke of a magician's wand ! 
 The mysterious wires stripped off the bed-clothes, 
 the bedsteads sprang up shooting the men on to their 
 feet, the trap-doors opened, streams of blue and red 
 uniform poured down the brass rods, over-flowed the 
 carriage seats, bubbled for an instant, and suddenly 
 congealed into quiet, alert, asbestos-coated and red- 
 helmeted firemen — crack fell the whips, the horses 
 darted precisely into their appointed places to receive 
 the avalanche of harness which fell lightly on them 
 from the ceiling, a sharp click showing that the collars 
 had fastened properly — the great doors flew apart, 
 the spectators shrank back, and in exactly six seconds 
 from the first warning of the alarm-bell the fire-party 
 was galloping down the street ! It was the very 
 acme of human intelligence, equine sagacity and 
 mechanical ingenuity. The only performance I 
 have seen to come anywhere near it is a battery of 
 English Horse Artillery coming into action, and I 
 must confess that even this is a long way behind. 
 
 The civil and obliging superintendent pointed out 
 the excellent automatic brake which is brought to 
 
 V 2 
 
 '•mmm 
 
 t w mm ,t mii mniw m nMfi * 
 
228 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 bear upon the front wheels of i.he carriages by the 
 weight of the horses hanging back on the pole-straps 
 as their speed is checked, these straps act on a lever 
 passing under the pole to the brake. The training 
 of the horses occupies from six to ten months, accord- 
 ing to their temper and intelligence ; when perfect 
 they are as keen as the men themselves — very high 
 praise, for the American fire-men are devoted to their 
 profession, though at this particular station, as I 
 know, and at others as I believe, they have no relief, 
 and their work is often terribly hard. 
 
 The tram-cars are another noteworthy institution. 
 Drawn by endless wire cables running in narrow 
 channels below the level of the street and worked by 
 powerful stationary engines, they traverse the city in 
 every direction, running up and down the steep in- 
 clines like huge insects. The long straight streets 
 generally intersect each other at right angles, divid- 
 ing the buildings into square blocks, and you are 
 directed to a house by being told that it is " three 
 blocks down Kvjarney," or " corner of Market and 
 Montgomery," or "on California, one block off 
 Buchanan," the word " street " being systematically 
 omitted. Market street is the principal thoroughf ;3, 
 and is the only one which departs from the rectangu- 
 lar rule, running slantingly through the city like 
 Broadway in New York. 
 
BUILDINGS AND CLIMATE. 
 
 229 
 
 carriages by the 
 
 on the pole- straps 
 raps act on a lever 
 ke. The training 
 en months, accord- 
 ice ; when perfect 
 nselves — very high 
 are devoted to their 
 :ular station, as I 
 they have no relief, 
 ird. 
 
 worthy institution, 
 running in narrow 
 reet and worked by 
 
 traverse the city in 
 iovvn the steep in- 
 mfi straight streets 
 
 right angles, divid- 
 )locks, and you are 
 old that it is " three 
 rner of Market and 
 riia, one block off 
 being systematically 
 incipal thoroughf rs, 
 ts from the rectdiigu- 
 irough the city Hke 
 
 San Francisco boasts of possessing the longest 
 street of any city in the world, California Street ; at 
 the time of our visit the highest-numbered house in 
 this lengthy thoroughfare was j,2o8, and still more 
 dwellings were being added. At its upper end is 
 " Nob Hill," where many of the leading citizens live 
 in fine granite-built mansions of fanciful design, and 
 many moje in houses which look as good, but are 
 really only of wood, covered with stone-coloured paint 
 in which sand has been freely mingled. There are 
 many imposing buildings in the business part of the 
 town, the immense Palace .Hotel being the largest, 
 but the Masonic Temple, the Exchange, and Lick 
 House would attract attention in any European city ; 
 some of the churches too are very fine. 
 
 Plums, apricots, grapes, figs, peaches, melons and 
 strawberries are abundant througimut the year, 
 growing in wild profusion in the interior of the State 
 where the coast-range of hills shelters the land from 
 the searching Pacific hretizts, and perennial summer 
 reigns unbroken by a chill, though here in 'Frisco a 
 bitter noith-west wind rises every afternoon, strongly 
 contrast iin: with the morning heat, and you coii.-^tantly 
 see the vtrangt sight of people going out before lunch 
 in alpaca coats and muslm dresses which they 
 exchange for furs and ulsters by 4 p.m. ! 
 
 Preparations were everywhere being made for the 
 
 ■lOTilJUIIHill 
 
 11 
 
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 II I It 
 
 i' .1 1 
 
 Aril 
 
 230 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 reception of the " Grand Army of the Republic," that 
 is, those who fought on the side of the North in the 
 great struggle of 1861-66. They hold an annual 
 meeting at one of the great cities, and this year San 
 Francisco and the 3rd of August were the place and 
 date selected. We therefore settled to make an 
 excursion tt) the far famed Valley of the Yosemit6 
 and return in time to see the gathering. . 
 
 Now came another fresh experience : railway 
 tickets are not bought at station booking-offices in 
 America, but are purchased at one of the many 
 agencies scattered through each town ; touts from 
 these establishments infest the streets and hotels, and 
 perpetually pester all who come near them, and each 
 tries to underbid his neighbours, the price of tickets 
 fluctuating as there is a greater or less run upon the line 
 they cover. Then the tickets themselves were novel ; 
 not small oblong bits of pasteboard, or books of cou- 
 pons, such as are issued in England, but long strips of 
 thick paper headed by the name of the Ime, under 
 this are columns filled with the years of the decade, 
 months of the year, and days of the month and week ; 
 the strip continues with coupons printed for the con- 
 secutive sections of the line. When you buy your 
 ticket the vendor punches the year, month, and the 
 day of purchase, you sign your name at the foot of 
 the heading, he tears off the stations beyond the 
 
 ^^nMf 
 
the Republic," that 
 f the North in the 
 y hold an annual 
 , and this year San 
 vere the place and 
 !ttled to make an 
 ley of the Yosemit6 
 lering. 
 
 :perience : railway 
 n booking-offices in 
 one of the many 
 town ; touts from 
 eets and hotels, and 
 lear them, and each 
 the price of tickets 
 ess run upon the line 
 mselves were novel ; 
 rd, or books of cou- 
 ld, but long strips of 
 of the line, under 
 ears of the decade, 
 He month and week ; 
 printed for the con- 
 'hen you buy your 
 L'ur, month, and the 
 a me at the foot of 
 tations beyond the 
 
 RAILWAY TRAVELLING. 
 
 231 
 
 point to which you wish to go, and you pocket the 
 rest, which you are at liberty to use at any time within 
 the year. By-the-bye, before we start I must warn 
 the reader that a railway is a " rail road," a carriage 
 a " car," a ticket a " cheque," and a station a 
 "dep6t" (pronounced " deep-oh "). The engine- 
 drivers hardly ever use the steam-whistle, but 
 announce the movements of their locomotives by toll- 
 ing a harsh clanging bell hanging over the boiler ; 
 this is almost continually going, and its perpetual 
 sound is most wearisome. The cars are called 
 " palace " or " drawing-room cars," " day cars " and 
 " sleepers " ; they are much longer than ours, have 
 doors at the ends only, and are not divided into com- 
 partments, but have a passage down the centre, with 
 sixteen seats for two people on each side ; these seats 
 are covered with plush, and fitted with reversible 
 backs, so that you can sit facing the engine or not, 
 as you please ; at one end is an iced-water filter, and 
 at the other a stove — the latter generally kept in full 
 bla^e by the warmth-loving coloured gentleman who 
 condescends to fill the post of conductor to each 
 separate car. The drawing-room cars have little 
 flap-tables between each pair of seats, and revolving 
 arm-chairs ; the " sleepers " are provided with a 
 gentlemen's lavatory at one end, furnished with towels, 
 soap, hair-brushes, and a " whisk " for brushing 
 
 , <nMMM 
 
SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 clothes, next to this is a very small den for smokers : 
 at the other end of the car there is a separate com- 
 partment very like a cabin on board ship, containing; 
 two sleeping-berths and a sofa, and called " The 
 Bridal Chamber "—beyond it is the ladies' dressing- 
 room. Two or three dollars extra are charged for a 
 seat in a drawing-room car, from three to five for a 
 berth in a sleeper, and eight to ten for the luxury of 
 a bridal chamber. In each train one of the cars is 
 told off as a " smoker," but it does not differ from 
 the other " day cars," nor is it specially marked— 
 except by smell. One of the greatest annoyances 
 experienced in American travellmg is the constant 
 passing up and down the train of pedlars hawking 
 books, newspapers, " candies" ( Anglice sweet-stuff, 
 toffee, barley-sugar, and the like), fruit, cigars, pea- 
 nuts, and other small wares. They not only push 
 their baskets and trays under your nose, pull your 
 arm or shake you if you happen to be dozing, and 
 generally disturb and interrupt you at intervals of 
 three minutes or less, but also thrust books or packets 
 of sweets into your lap and leave them there to be 
 re-collected or paid for at their next visit. 
 
 As the cars connect by platforms at each end, 
 anyone can walk from one carriage to the other 
 throughout the Irai.i. 
 This seems rather a long preface to our trip, but 
 
 '■iiMHM 
 
1 den for smokers : 
 i a separate coni- 
 rd ship, containinff 
 
 and called " The 
 he ladies' dressing- 
 L are charged for a 
 three to five for a 
 1 for the luxury of 
 one of the cars is 
 aes not differ from 
 specially marked — 
 reatpst annoyances 
 ng is the constant 
 of pedlars hawking 
 Anglice sweet-stuff, 
 ), fruit, cigars, pea- 
 hey not only push 
 our nose, pull your 
 
 to be dozing, and 
 you at intervals of 
 ust books or packets 
 .ve them there to be 
 ext visit. 
 
 forms at each end, 
 •riage to the other 
 
 ace to our trip, but 
 
nnUtT'BOAT, 
 
 nARCUCO BAY. 
 

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 HiotDgraphic 
 
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 Corporation 
 
 23 WIST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) •72-4503 
 
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 ■I A£»e,°*r?<'i«afer,jFiKM((!m 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
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 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historicai iVIicroreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
FERRY-BOAT. 
 
 233 
 
 as it will serve as a key-note to all our railway travel- 
 ling, and save explanation in future, I hope the 
 reader will forgive it. 
 
 Leaving the Palace Hotel at half-past three on the 
 afternoon of the 24th July we drove to the Ferry 
 Depot and joined the heterogeneous crowd assembled 
 in the waiting-room, all loaded with rugs, overcoats, 
 and "grip-sacks" or hand-bags. As soon as the 
 doors were opened a rush was made along a passage, 
 up a flight of wooden stairs, and into a large, low 
 room, surrounded by crimson plush-covered settees, 
 with mirrors and pictures hanging on the walls, and 
 the general air of a public saloon in a continental 
 hotel. This was the ferry-boat, though we did not 
 realize the fact until we began to move. Twenty 
 minutes took us across the bay to Oaklands 
 where we found the train waiting — the engine-bell 
 tolling dismally — and took our places according to 
 the number on our tickets, in the maroon-painted and 
 gold-lettered " Berenda Drawing-room and Sleeping 
 Car." 
 
 The shores of the bay offered pretty views as we 
 rolled along, especially when Monte Diablo rose in 
 the background ; but the inland scene was very un- 
 prepossessing — nothing but long stretches of coarse, 
 sun-burnt grass, with wooden shanties few and far 
 
 ^ ! 
 
 r ; 
 
 Jikifil^ 
 
, I 
 
 234 
 
 EN ROUTE. 
 
 I 
 
 between, leggy sheep, gaunt cows, rough snake- 
 fences and Californian water-wheels. 
 
 At dusk the car was brilliantly lighted by lamps 
 down the middle of the roof. We dined in the 
 refreshment room at Lathrop Junction, where we 
 had very bad food and a scramble to get it, and at 
 10 P.M. called our conductor to make our beds. He 
 first pulled down an upper berth, from which he 
 produced mattresses, blankets, sheets, and pillows ; 
 then he went through a conjuring process, folding 
 down the backs of our seats, pulling them together, 
 and forming a wide couch, on which he made the 
 lower bed ; hooked damask curtains to a brass 
 rod near the roof, hung to the same rod a strip of 
 crimson velvet bearing the number of our " section " 
 (that is double berth,) embroidered in gold thread, 
 and behold ! in five minutes from giving the order our 
 bedroom was ready. We reached Berenda, 200 
 miles from San Francisco, about midnight ; the car 
 was shunted on to a siding till daylight, and at 
 seven o'clock we rose and dressed in the car at the 
 Raymond terminus. Breakfast was served in a very 
 rough tent— the only visible sign of railway station 
 or human habitation — table-equipage and food 
 matched the shelter. At eight we started in a coach, 
 or char a banc, with four benches to hold three 
 
 •"it»>mm 
 
;ows, rough snake- 
 ;els. 
 
 ly lighted by lamps 
 We dined in the 
 [unction, where we 
 ble to get it, and at 
 make our beds. He 
 :th, from which he 
 sheets, and pillows ; 
 ing process, folding 
 illing them together, 
 which he made the 
 ;urtains to a brass 
 same rod a strip of 
 ber of our " section " 
 ered in gold thread, 
 1 giving the order our 
 ached Berenda, 200 
 t midnight ; the car 
 ill daylight, and at 
 ed in the car at the 
 was served in a very 
 gn of railway station 
 -equipage and food 
 jve started in a coach, 
 inches to hold three 
 

ROUGH DRIVE. 
 
 persons each, a canvas hood, and thick, clumsy, 
 unyielding springs. 
 
 The first part of our drive was hot, dusty, and 
 uninteresting; the country looked burnt up and 
 barren, though we were told that just after the rainy _ 
 season a botanist collected three thousand different 
 plants from one square yard of ground near Ray- 
 mond. We covered many weary, hot, jolting miles 
 of primitive road through the rocky, undulating 
 district, the dead yellow of the grass more closely 
 hidden by green bushes and scattered trees as we 
 gradually ascended the foot slopes of the Sierras. 
 Parties of gold-miners had pitched their camps and 
 burrowed into the quartz rocks here and there, 
 apparently selecting the ugliest spots they could find, 
 and designating them by equally ugly names, of 
 which " Grub Gulch " may serve as a specimen. At 
 two o'clock we stopped at "Grant's Station" to 
 wash off some of the dreadful dust and to eat, having 
 done twenty-two miles in six hours. From Grant's 
 the ascent became steeper and we drove through 
 pine woods where the heat was less, but the dust 
 worse than ever ; then a sharp descent took us into 
 a small valley, where we stopped at "Clark's Big 
 Tree Station " at the junction of the Yosemit6 and 
 Mariposa roads, or " trails," as the rough tracks in 
 
 V 
 
 ;fi 
 
 f.t^u. 
 
236 A BAD INN. 
 
 these parts are always called. The food, accommo- 
 dation, and attendance at Clark's were all of the 
 worst description, in fact this was the most unpleasant 
 of all our experiences, and we were indeed glad to 
 leave at eight o'clock next morning, after being kept 
 awake since three by noisy neighbours. 
 
The food, accommo- 
 irk's were all of the 
 s the most unpleasant 
 were indeed glad to 
 ning, after being kept 
 jhbours. 
 
 1 
 

 CHAPTER XIV. 
 CALIFORNIA. 
 
 THE YOSEMITE— MAGNIFICENT SCENERY— THE BIG 
 
 TREES— THE GRAND ARMY— VISIT TO A RANCHE 
 
 —MONTEREY. 
 
 IN leaving Clark's the road again ascended 
 through thick pine-forests ; fine hill scenery 
 ,..^ rose on our right, while on the other hand 
 long winding valleys carried the eye to the hazy line 
 of the coast range, dimly visible on the far western 
 horizon. We changed horses at thirteen miles, and 
 then crossed the watershed at the highest point of 
 the track, called " Summit "-6.600 feet above the 
 
 Descending through the forest we reached 
 " Inspiration Point," and pulled up to enjoy the view. 
 
 I M 
 
238 
 
 TIIF. YOSKMITE. 
 
 The Yosemite Valley lay before us ; mammoth ciaRS 
 walled in a narrow chasm, or rather ravine, carpeted 
 with green woods and verdant meadows through 
 which flowed a bright silver river, the Merced ; the 
 mighty walls of this wondrous ravine rose on either 
 hand, sheer cliffs of massive granite 3,000 feet in 
 height, with many a peak and pinnacle shooting 
 higher still into the clear mountain air. The bed of 
 the valley itself is 4,400 feet above sea-level, and the 
 only point at which its frowning rampart opens is at 
 the south-western extremity, where the Merced issues 
 through a narrow gorge. The grand outline of the 
 cliffs adds to the effect produced by their stupendous 
 size. They appear to rise perpendicularly from the 
 valley, and in some places are so nearly vertical that 
 they seem to overhang their bases. One huge crag 
 called the Half Dome, looking like a Titan's helmet 
 cleft in twain is, perhaps, the most striking of these 
 wondrous masses, but many others are almost equally 
 imposing, especially the precipitous face of El 
 Capitan, a bare wall of glistening granite rising 
 without flaw and without a trace of vegetation 3,300 
 feet above the green pastures at its base, while facing 
 it on the opposite side of the valley are the beautiful 
 Cathedral Spires, twin points of irock jutting out 
 from the main wall, nearly 3,000 feet high. 
 But the charm of the Yosemite does not consist 
 
[TE. 
 
 US ; mammoth ciaps 
 ither ravine, carpeted 
 It meadows throuf^h 
 ver, the Merced ; the 
 ravine rose on either 
 [jranite 3,000 feet in 
 id pinnacle shooting 
 tain air. The bed of 
 3ve sea-level, and the 
 I rampart opens is at 
 lere the Merced issues 
 
 grand outline of the 
 d by their stupendous 
 pendicularly from the 
 3o nearly vertical that 
 ises. One huge crag 
 
 like a Titan's helmet 
 nost striking of these 
 lers are almost equally 
 cipitous face of El 
 tening granite rising 
 :e of vegetation 3,300 
 : its base, while facing 
 alley are the beautiful 
 
 of rock jutting out 
 o feet high, 
 nit^ does not consist 
 
 s 
 i 
 
(^ 
 
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. 
 
 239 
 
 only in mighty cliffs torn into strange shapes by the 
 convulsions of primeval earthquakes, or polished by 
 the passage of long-melted glaciers- in emerald turf, 
 in waving wood or sparkling stream— magnificent 
 cascades pour over the sharp edge of the precipice in 
 a thousand graceful curves and shimmering sheets, 
 now crashing down in great continuous streams, now 
 shooting from the airy heights in jets like falling 
 rockets, looking sharp, white, and solid as they leap 
 over the edge of the precipice, to break into a million 
 flashing diamonds on some projecting rock, or 
 gradually melt into gauze-like mist as they plunge 
 through the quivering air. One of the most delicately 
 beautiful of these minor falls is the Bridal Veil, which 
 is wafted backwards and forwards by the breeze, now 
 a perpendicular sweep of the purest snow-white satin 
 —now a graceful fold of twisted muslin— now a 
 gently-swaying veil of finest lace. The grandest of 
 the larger cataracts is the Nevada Fall, where the 
 main stream of the Merced plunges into the valley in 
 a great avalanche of water more than 600 feet in 
 
 height. 
 
 Of the many strange facts with which the Yosemit6 
 abounds none is stranger than that it was first seen 
 by white men so lately as May, 1851, when a party 
 of States' soldiery entered it in pursuit of a band of 
 Indians. The name, which signifies " G.cat Grizzly 
 
!^ 
 
 240 
 
 THE YOSEMITE. 
 
 Bear " in the Indian language, was given to the valley 
 by a chief who was going unarmed to bathe in Mirror 
 Lake when he met a " grizzly," which he attacked 
 and killed with the branch of a tree. The Indians 
 always regarded the valley as sacred ground, one of 
 the favourite resorts of the Great Spirit, and care- 
 fully concealed its existence from the whites, who 
 only discovered it by accident as above narrated. 
 
 Wherever the mountain-sides afford soil and root- 
 hold they are clothed with pines, cedars, silver firs 
 and, more frequently than all else, with manzanita, a 
 low, thorny bush with prickly red stems covered with 
 wax-like leaves, and bearing a small berry much used 
 by hunters as an astringent. The lower slopes 
 produce oleanders, syringas, alder, black- and holm- 
 oak, and a bush with medicinal properties, called 
 " Balm of Gilead." The floor of the valley is full of 
 orchards, wheat-fields, tangled woods and rich 
 pasture. Acorns form the staple food of the few 
 wretched-looking Piute Indians who still survive the 
 encroachment of the whites ; they are stored in 
 •' caches," formed of baskets packed round the stems 
 of pine-trees and roofed in with leaves, and are pre- 
 pared for eating by being ground between stones, the 
 flour mixed into a paste with water and baked by 
 dropping hot stones into it. This is the ordinary 
 food of the aborigines ; on ffete-days they regale 
 themselves with a bonne bouche of fried grasshoppers. 
 
 i 
 
 ■airni (mm— I 
 
 ">■ 
 
L_ 
 
 TE. 
 
 vas given to the valley 
 led to bathe in Mirror 
 " which he attacked 
 a tree. The Indians 
 acred ground, one of 
 reat Spirit, and care- 
 rom the whites, who 
 s above narrated. 
 5 afford soil and root- 
 ies, cedars, silver firs 
 ilse, with manzanita, a 
 ed stems covered with 
 mall berry much used 
 The lower slopes 
 der, black- and holm- 
 nal properties, called 
 ■ of the valley is full of 
 jd woods and rich 
 aple food of the few 
 >s who still survive the 
 ; they are stored in 
 icked round the stems 
 h leaves, and are pre- 
 id between stones, the 
 water and baked by 
 This is the ordinary 
 ffete-days they regale 
 of fried grasshoppers. 
 
 UMMHK 
 
 I II 
 
m 
 
 4ji. 
 
 10N>WIU. 
 
 MIRROR LAKE. 
 
 241 
 
 The valley contains a tiny church, three hotels, a 
 farrier's forge, and a photographer's shop, besides 
 two or three settlers' cabins. We went to " Barnard's," 
 a clean and comfortable inn built of wood, like all 
 the other houses, and overlooking the pellucid river, 
 here about forty yards wide. In full view of our 
 windows the Yosemite Fall shone white against its 
 rocky background, making three grand leaps from 
 the summit of the crag to the valley, the first and 
 greatest being 1,600 feet. The fresh balmy air, filled 
 with the scent and murmur of the pines, was delight- 
 ful as we sat in our verandah lazily watching the fall, 
 or looking at the few people who passed, generally 
 riding weedy ponies in high-peaked Mexican saddles. 
 In front of the hotel was one of the typical Californian 
 pumps, worked by a small windmill raised high in 
 air on a light scaffolding ; also a wooden erection 
 called " Big Tree Parlour," because it was built round 
 the living trunk of a giant pine-tree, thirty feet in 
 circumference. 
 
 We found the walk to Mirror Lake a pleasant stroll 
 through forest and pasture ; many parties were 
 " camping out " in tiie woods, with small tents and 
 large waggons. The lake itself was disappointing, 
 and quite undeserving of the large amount of tall talk 
 and extravagant writing so freely expended on it ; 
 but I must confess it was our only disappointment in 
 
 R 
 
 i 
 
242 
 
 THE YOSEMITE. 
 
 the valley, and this was amply compensated for by 
 the lavish way in which all the rest of the scenery 
 surpassed our keenest expectations. The prettiest 
 thing about Mirror Lake is its poetical Indian name, 
 Kekotooyem—" Sleeping Water." 
 
 Morning broke fresh, clear, and beautiful, and we 
 started directly after breakfast to visit the Vernal and 
 Nevada Falls. We were mounted on animals of 
 sorts, horses, mules and ponies ; my steed was a very 
 small mule, which proved to be one of the best of 
 the lot, and the men had Mexican saddles with a 
 great deal of bear-skin, brass studs, loose thongs, and 
 leather flaps about them, but not uncomfortable, 
 while the lady of our party rode in a very fair 
 English pattern side-saddle. 
 
 The Merced showed lovely reflections of cliff, fall 
 and forest, its rocks looking white or grey, russet or 
 black as sun or shadow fell on them ; the tall /nes 
 shot up into the sky, making us feel like very pigmios, 
 to be dwarfed in their turn by the giant peaks which 
 seemed to overhang the valley with their crests, and 
 over all stretched the bright cloudless aether of the 
 Californian summer. The valley from this point 
 appears to be an enclosed basin or. rugged well, with 
 abrupt and precipitous sides— a huge crevasse in a 
 mighty glacier of granite. 
 
 We soon left the pretty winding river, and turned 
 
E. 
 
 compensated for by 
 ; rest of the scenery 
 ions. The prettiest 
 loetical Indian name, 
 
 t 
 
 nd beautiful, and we 
 visit the Vernal and 
 anted on animals of 
 ; my steed was a very 
 be one of the best of 
 xican saddles with a 
 uds, loose thongs, and 
 t not uncomfortable, 
 rode in a very fair 
 
 eflections of cliff, fall 
 hite or grey, russet or 
 them ; the tall /nes 
 i feel like very pigmios, 
 the giant peaks which 
 ' with their crests, and 
 :loudless aether of the 
 alley from this point 
 in or. rugged well, with 
 -a huge crevasse in a 
 
 iding river, and turned 
 
 VERNAL AND NEVADA FALLS. 
 
 off the main road on to a narrow, stony track leading 
 steeply up the bank of a ravine clothed with pepper- 
 mint-bushes (a sort of bay, very aromatic,) and 
 elder-trees, the latter in flower. 
 
 The ravine was crossed by a log-bridge, from which 
 we obtained a good view of the Vernal Fall, a sheet 
 of foaming water dashing over a perpendicular cliff 
 three hundred and fifty feet high. We then rejoined 
 the Merced,— here a seething, turbulent torrent, very 
 different from the placid murmuring stream we had 
 left in the valley below. Even here are signs of the 
 irrepressible " 'Arry," for a limestone rock on the 
 right of the path is covered with scribbled names, 
 doggrel rhymes, and other vulgarities. Our guide 
 told us of a parson who had inscribed his name here, 
 and on re-visiting the valley with his bride the fol- 
 lowing year he took her to see it ; imagine his horror 
 on finding that someone had put this couplet under- 
 neath — 
 
 P'ooIr* names and beauties' faces 
 Are always found in public places ! 
 
 Soon after passing the Vernal Fall we came in 
 sight of the grand Nevada cascade, where the river 
 dashes over a sharp ledge at the foot of a bare round 
 crag called the " Cap of Liberty," and breaking with 
 a deep roar — audible for many miles — on the sharp 
 
 R 2 
 
 I I 
 
 h. 
 
 HigiM»»wfrwi«ffrpyiH« 
 
I . 
 
 m.;^*' 
 
 244 
 
 THE YOSEMITE. 
 
 black rocks nearly seven hundred feet below, rushes 
 forward foam-flecked and turbid to sweep down the 
 steep incline of the Diamond Race, and precipitate 
 itself from the summit of the Vernal Fall into the 
 peaceful valley, where— tired and languid— it flows 
 gently on, lulled by the sweet breath of the flowers and 
 the gentle whisper of the pines. 
 
 We had luncheon in a log hut rejoicing in the 
 name of « Snow's Hotel," and our guid^ joined us 
 at table, apologizing for sitting down in his shirt- 
 sleeves in the presence of a lady. He behaved like 
 a gentleman and spoke like a scholar, except for the 
 dreadful nasal twang ! 
 
 On our return we left the main trail, and went 
 down by a footpath to the head of the Vernal Fall, 
 where we looked over and saw the waters commit- 
 ting perpetual suicide, any inclination of our own in 
 that direction being checked by a natural breastwork 
 of sandstone, four feet high and two feet thick, as 
 even and almost as straight as could be hewn by a 
 stone-mason. 
 
 Our animals had taken the opportunity to snatch 
 a hasty dessert from the juicy but rough-tasting 
 manzanita leaves, and now bore us .bravely down the 
 long zig-zags of the descent and through the valley 
 to the hotel. After sunset the air was wonderfully 
 transparent, the lofty mountain-crests standing out 
 
 Mnminmumvi 
 
im*m^*'W-.t 
 
 \ feet below, rushes 
 to sweep down the 
 ice, and precipitate 
 ernal Fall into the 
 id languid— it flows 
 ith of the flowers and 
 
 hut rejoicing in the 
 our guid^ joined us 
 down in his shirt- 
 y. He behaved like 
 holar, except for the 
 
 Tiain trail, and went 
 of the Vernal Fall, 
 the waters commit- 
 
 nation of our own in 
 a natural breastwork 
 
 d two feet thick, as 
 could be hewn by a 
 
 jpportunity to snatch 
 :y but rough-tasting 
 e us .bravely down the 
 d through the valley 
 e air was wonderfully 
 n-crests standing out 
 
 CRAGS AND PUECIPICES. 
 
 245 
 
 in pale, fairy-like rose tints against the deep violet 
 of the cloudless summer night. 
 
 We started at half-past seven next morning for 
 Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome, the most com- 
 manding points of view in the whole neighbourhood. 
 The same animals were again brought for us, but our 
 pleasant, well informed guide of the previous day 
 was replaced by a red-nosed, husky-voiced old man, 
 who looked more like a Mexican "greaser" than 
 anything else. A charming ride through the valley 
 led us past the wooden church, and then we turned 
 off the carriage track— I cannot honestly call it a 
 road— and commenced another zigzag climb up the 
 face of the mountain wall, which eventually brought 
 us to Glacier Point, 3,257 feet above the valley. A 
 ledge of dark rock juts boldly from the main line • 
 of the cliffs at this point, and when you stand at its 
 extreme verge you seem to be floating above the pine- 
 forest dwarfed into a mere shrubbery far beneath. 
 The cliff is so precipitous here that a stone held at 
 arm's length and dropped from the Point does not 
 touch till it strikes the debris or " talus " more than 
 a thousand yards below. The platform at the end is 
 guarded by a strong iron railing, said to have been 
 erected because a too polite individual fell over while 
 in the act of taking off his hat to some ladies ; of 
 course he was smashed to pieces, and the State 
 
346 
 
 THE YOSEMITE. 
 
 experienced some difficulty in finding the fragments 
 to return to his widow, who threatened legal proceed- 
 ings if she did not receive all of them. The 
 story goes on to say that she returned the following 
 year with a new husband who absolutely refused to 
 go on to the platform, though he offered no objection 
 to her doing so. 
 
 From Glacier Point we continued our ride to 
 Sentinel Dome, a bare, weatherworn, rounded mass 
 of granite, with one solitary stunted pine growing in 
 a fissure like the last hair on a bald pate ; gnarled 
 and bent by the tempest, its knots and twists stand 
 out like muscles strained to their utmost in the 
 struggle to maintain a foot-hold on this bleak, storm- 
 swept plateau. 
 
 It was a clear day, and the magnificent panorama 
 could be seen in all its variety of detail and grandeur 
 of extent. The highest range of the Sierra Nevada 
 stretched its mighty snow-clad spine athwart the 
 bright sky to the east and south, a light gauzy veil of 
 wind-driven snow streaming from the summit of 
 Mount Whitney, the " Monarch of the Sierras," 
 15,000 feet above the sea. Glaciers glistened in the 
 sun — vast snow-fields stretched their dazzling expanse 
 between the jagged peaks which bit into the sky — 
 the whole counlry in this direction was desolate, hard 
 and barren, though there still hung over it a strange, 
 
fill 11^ 
 
 cling the fnigments 
 tened Ieg.il proceed- 
 11 of them. The 
 irned the following 
 )S()lutely refused to 
 offered no objection 
 
 tinued our ride to 
 vorn, rounded mass 
 ted pine growing in 
 I bald pate ; gnarled 
 lots and twists stand 
 :heir utmost in the 
 on this bleak, storm- 
 
 agnificent panorama 
 f detail and grandeur 
 the Sierra Nevada 
 spine athwart the 
 , a light gauzy veil of 
 rom the summit of 
 ch of the Sierras," 
 :iers glistened in the 
 heir dazzling expanse 
 ch bit into the sky — 
 on was desolate, hard 
 lang over it a strange. 
 
 WONDF.kFUL SCENERY. 
 
 247 
 
 weird attraction, compelling admiration without 
 exciting affection. From the other side of the Dome 
 we looked down on a widely different scene ; the 
 huge Half Dome appeared to be below, instead of— as 
 it really was— seven hundred feet above us ; the great 
 curves of the Royal Arches, the silver ribbon of the 
 Yosemitc Fall, the placid sheet of Mirror Lake and 
 the glistening ripples of the winding Merced, all 
 seemed to lie within a stone's throw ; green pastures 
 and dark pine-forests contrasting strangely with bare 
 grey crags and sheets of naketl rock, from which the 
 sun-light was refracted with an almost painful glare. 
 We stayed long on the Dome drinking in the pano- 
 rama, and inhaling the delicious mountain air which 
 brought the roar of the great Nevada F'all on its 
 balmy wings, sounding like the noise of an approach- 
 ing train, and making the air tremble, though nearly 
 three miles distant as the crow flies. 
 
 This view gave us a much better idea of the 
 majestic size of the granite crags than can ever be 
 attained by seeing them only from the valley ; look- 
 ing up from below, you think the summit of the 
 Yosemite Fall or of the Cathedral Spires is unsur- 
 passed by any other heights in the neighbourhood, 
 but from the Sentinel Dome you look down on 
 these, and they scarcely appear to be much above the 
 level of the valley. 
 
 ft 
 
 IW WWM 
 
^mmm{m 
 
 348 
 
 THE YOSEMITE. 
 
 Certainly the grandest and most satisfying object 
 is the great Half Dome, which rises g.ooo feet above 
 the sea ; the side facing the valley— that from which 
 half seems to have been split— is a sheer precipice 
 5,000 feet in depth, looking as though the vast mass 
 had been cleft in twain by some mighty stroke, and 
 one half carried bodily away. This cliff fairly merits 
 the epithet " stupendous,"' and its awful but never- 
 tiring majesty grows on the beholder day by day and 
 hour by hour. 
 
 In the pine-forest between Sentinel Dome and 
 Glacier Point we gathered blue and pink larkspur, 
 scarlet star-wort, and the white flower which 
 Somersetshire folk call " love-in-a-puzzle." My little 
 mule brought me gallantly down the sixty zig-zags 
 of the winding path (I am sure of the number, though 
 a tired member of our party did accuse me of halving 
 the total by counting only the " zigs " and omitting 
 the " zags,") and at the foot of the descent ve passed 
 a party of Piute Indians — a miserable looking lot — 
 with lank, coarse, greasy hair, high cheek-bones and 
 skinny figures ; the men were dressed in dirty, 
 ragged old waistcoats and trousers, and battered 
 wide-awake hats, the women in equally ragged and 
 still dirtier jackets and petticoats, with handkerchiefs 
 over their heads and their hair "banged," and all 
 were about as far removed from Fenimore Cooper's 
 
 L. 
 
>st satisfying object 
 ses g.ooo feet above 
 y — that from which 
 is a sheer precipice 
 ough the vast maiis 
 mighty stroke, and 
 his cliff fairly merits 
 ts awful but never- 
 ilder day by day and 
 
 ientinel Dome and 
 and pink larkspur, 
 hite flower which 
 i-puzzle." My little 
 n the sixty zig-zags 
 ' the number, though 
 iccuse me of halving 
 ' zigs " and omitting 
 le descent ve passed 
 ierable looking lot — 
 Igh cheek-bones and 
 B dressed in dirty, 
 )users, and battered 
 equally ragged and 
 ?, with handkerchiefs 
 r " banged," and all 
 Fenimore Cooper's 
 
 wiiiia a i l ium — MinXiw i iwun i i i W I H i 
 
THE BIG TREES, 
 
 ideal picture of the " noble savage " as a chimney- 
 sweep from a smart sergeant of dragoons. 
 
 After a stay in the valley of four days, which we 
 should have liked to prolong to as many weeks, we 
 returned to Clark's unattractive inn, and started the 
 same afternoon with a party of nine others in the 
 usual four benched shandridan, called a " coach " in 
 these parts, to see the famous Mariposa Grove cf 
 Big Trees. A drive, even unusually jolting and 
 dusty, took us through a magnificent forest of pines, 
 each unit of which would command admiration in 
 Europe ; these great trees increased in size as we 
 advanced, the stems of some being much redder 
 than usual— a deep, rich, cinnamon tint, gleaming 
 crimson where struck by the sunlight — their bark 
 deeply scarred, and their crests storm-torn and 
 shattered. We were admiring these pillars of the 
 forest when suddenly we came upon a sight which 
 wrung an exclamation of astonishment from every- 
 one, for here was indeed a giant fully forty-five feet 
 in circumference. This was rapidly succeeded by 
 other and greater monsters — hardly trees so much 
 as' towers of timber — and we beheld the real " Big 
 Trees," the " Sequoia Gigantea " of the botanist. 
 
 We seldom saw more than five of these standing 
 together in a group amongst a crowd of other pines, 
 like Anakim surrounded by ordinary men, looming 
 
L 
 
 250 
 
 MARIPOSA GROVE. 
 
 vast and lurid through the deep shade of the primeval 
 forest. At length we reached the " Grizzly Giant," 
 a huge mass ninety-four feet in circumference, rising 
 in an unbroken column for two hundred feet, where 
 the first branch — six feet thick — shoots out from the 
 parent stem. The Giant, like all his great brethren, 
 has suffered much ill-treatment from nature and from 
 man ; snow and storms have rent and shattered his 
 crest and upper branches, lightning has scathed his 
 massive trunk, Indians have lighted fires at his 
 feet — scorching, blackening and disembowelling his 
 mighty body at its hugest girth — and white men 
 have added their disfiguring mosquito-stings by 
 carving vulgar names and silly doggrel rhymes 
 wherever their mischievous hands could reach. 
 Many of the other great trees are hollow, like the 
 Giant, and contain caves as large as a bell-tent for 
 sixteen men. Continuing our course we came to 
 another tree called " Wawona " or " Big Tree," 
 through which the road passes, an archway ten feet 
 high and nine feet wide having been cut in the living 
 wood. Stopping the coach in the middle of the 
 tunnel we could just touch the roof with our finger- 
 tips ; on descending and going away some distance 
 to one side we found that the conveyance with its 
 twelve passengers and two pairs of horses was 
 entirely concealed by the thickness of the trunk, and 
 
DVE. 
 
 shade of the primeval 
 he " Grizzly Giant," 
 circumference, rising 
 hundred feet, where 
 — shoots out from the 
 ill his great brethren, 
 from nature and from 
 int and shattered his 
 ning has scathed his 
 lighted fires at his 
 1 disembowelling his 
 rth — and white men 
 : mosquito-stings by 
 iilly doggrel rhymes 
 hands could reach, 
 are hollow, like the 
 ge as a bell-tent for 
 r course we came to 
 a" or "Big Tree," 
 , an archway ten feet 
 been cut in the living 
 in the middle of the 
 roof with our finger- 
 j away some distance 
 } conveyance with its 
 pairs of horses was 
 ness of the trunk, and 
 
 FOREST GIANTS. 
 
 251 
 
 above it towered a leaf-crowned column two hundred 
 and fifty feet in height, and still seven feet in 
 diameter (the size of a large forest tree), where it 
 ended in shattered splinters. 
 
 One great charm of these immense trees is that 
 custom does not stale their grand effect, each as it 
 was passed elicited fresh exclamations of surprise 
 and wonder, and, while awed by the majesty of the 
 hoary monarchs who raise their scarred heads 
 proudly to the skies, we were astounded by the vast 
 girth and immense length of those which lie prone 
 in fallen grandeur— some felled by the slow decay 
 of centuries, or the devastating hand of man — 
 others uprooted in their mightiest strength by the 
 irresistible breath of the more mighty tempest. 
 
 The forest was very silent and lifeless, scarcely a 
 a bird was to be seen, though the pine-trunks were 
 everywhere honey-combed by the bullet-like holes 
 made by the wood-pecker to hold his winter store of 
 acorns ; not ^ven a squirrel was visible, and, except 
 our own party, not a human being until we came to 
 a small hut in the depths of the forest, tenanted by a 
 hermit of the woods who keeps a store of pieces of 
 Big Tree wood and bark, moss, photographs, &c., 
 for sale to visitors. When freshly cut the bark re- 
 sembles very close coir matting of a dull red colour, 
 as light as cork, and from eighteen to twenty inches 
 
^^.^.^u^'.rTi- iT|-MimiflT I ■ 
 
 252 
 
 MARIPOSA GROVE. 
 
 thick ; the wood is the same colour as the bark, and 
 the peculiar moss— long strips of pale, yellow-grey 
 lichen, locally known as " old man's beard " — hangs 
 from the great trunks in wreaths and festoons waving 
 gently in the breeze, like the banners of departed 
 warriors in a vast cathedral aisle. There is little 
 under-growth, the friable soil apparently expending 
 all its resources in nourishing the giant sequoias and 
 their stately satellites. 
 
 Our team rattled us down the hill and bounded 
 along the dusty road, bringing us back to Clark's 
 eminently uncomfortable inn by sunset, aud at a 
 quarter to three in the morning (or rather at night !) 
 we were roused to prepare for the onward journey, 
 which we commenced by coach in the dim twilight 
 of early dawn, reaching the booth at Raymond 
 Terminus in time to " get aboard " the cars. We 
 were very glad to change our mode of conveyance, 
 but continued our journey with many a backward 
 glance and lingering regret for the mysteriously 
 beautiful region we had left. 
 
 We joined the main line at Berenda, where a dense 
 heterogeneous crowd thronged the cars, en route from 
 the east to take part in the twentieth annual meeting 
 of the Grand Army of the Republic ; in addition to 
 the usual pedlars with candies, books, &c., we were 
 pestered by hawkers of " Grand Army badges," con- 
 
 mm 
 
 HUM 
 
!»*'.■, '.wiawijf -.rt 
 
 )VE. 
 
 lour as the bark, and 
 of pale, yellow-grey 
 nan's beard" — hangs 
 s and festoons waving 
 banners of departed 
 isle. There is little 
 ipparently expending 
 le giant sequoias and 
 
 the hill and bounded 
 [ us back to Clark's 
 jy sunset, aud at a 
 
 (or rather at night !) 
 the onward journey, 
 I in the dim twilight 
 
 booth at Raymond 
 oard " the cars. We 
 node of conveyance, 
 th many a backward 
 "or the mysteriously 
 
 erenda, where a dense 
 the cars, en route from 
 ntieth annual meeting 
 iblic ; in addition to 
 , books, &c., we were 
 d Army badges," con- 
 
 THE G. A. R. 
 
 253 
 
 sisting of a five-pointed gilt star suspended by a red, 
 white and blue ribbon from a gilt brooch in the form 
 of a bear— the Californian emblem. A printed notice 
 was posted in the cars, which read as follows: 
 " Passengers are warned not to play 3 card monte, 
 strap, or other games with strangers ; you will 
 
 SURELY BE ROBBED IF YOU DO." 
 
 The heat was very trying (106 degrees) but the 
 dust and smuts were even worse. 
 
 We arrived at San Francisco about ten at night, 
 two hours behind time, and did not get our luggage 
 until the following afternoon owing to a hitch in the 
 " check system," an American institution which we 
 found most inconvenient on this and subsequent 
 
 occasions. 
 
 Morning light revealed the city in gala dress, 
 festoons of flags and streamers hung from the 
 windows and across the streets, gay canopies and 
 draperies adorned the shops and banners floated from 
 every gable, while standards and shields bearing 
 mottoes and greetings to the " G.A.R." bedecked 
 every wall and hoarding. The colours employed 
 were red, white and blue only, and all foreign flags 
 were rigidly excluded, though the tricolour certainly 
 looked very French ! However, we were assured that 
 it was originally and exclusively American, and that 
 the French had stolen it from the Great Republic, 
 justastheEnglishhadannexedthetunesof" America" 
 
 
 memi 
 
 mmmm 
 
f 
 
 i»iittiMimtf'JBM8»iSi 1 
 
 254 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 and '* Columbia " — called them respectively " God 
 save the Queen " and " The Red and the Blue " — and 
 asserted that the latter had been sung during the 
 Crimean War, when everybody (at least every 
 American body) knows that the tune was invented 
 during the Civil War between North and South ! 
 One certainly learns strange facts in the States, or, 
 at least, hears new versions of old stories ! 
 
 The gaily- decorated streets were densely crowded 
 with parties of holiday-makers, sometimes forming 
 processions in semi-military order with bands and 
 flags, but more frequently strolling along indepen- 
 dently — sometimes in an attempt at uniform, bui 
 oftener in mufti. All wore gilt "G.A.R." badges, 
 and were generally adorned with a broad ribbon — 
 blue, red, yellow, green, or white — embroidered with 
 the name and emblem of the State from which the 
 wearer came. Those from Maine bore the acorn, 
 the people of Florida were known by the orange, 
 Massachusetts displayed the bean, and Nevada the 
 fir-cone. Some of the bands were very gaily dressed 
 in red or blue coats, French-grey or red trowers, and 
 laced caps or plumed helmets. One or other of these 
 bands played in the hotel courtyard three or four 
 times a day, and the marble-paved enclosure was 
 always well filled with visitors lounging in rocking 
 chairs or strolling through the corridors. Here, as 
 
MMMi 
 
 ICO. 
 
 » respectively " God 
 i and the Blue " — and 
 een sung during the 
 ady (at least every 
 e tune was invented 
 1 North and South ! 
 Lcts in the States, or, 
 Did stories ! 
 ivere densely crowded 
 ;, sometimes forming 
 rder with bands and 
 ailing along indepen- 
 mpt at uniform, bui 
 It "G.A.R." badges, 
 ith a broad ribbon — 
 te — embroidered with 
 state from which the 
 aine bore the acorn, 
 nown by the orange, 
 >ean, and Nevada the 
 rere very gaily dressed 
 jy or red trowers, and 
 One or other of these 
 irtyard three or four 
 paved enclosure was 
 > lounging in rocking 
 i corridors. Here, as 
 
 THE PROCESSION. 
 
 255 
 
 well as in the streets, the crowds were most orderly, 
 and good-tempered, and I never saw anything 
 disagreeable— still less disgraceful— during the whole 
 week of the meeting, though I was frequently out 
 late at night walking back from the theatre, and 
 mingled freely with the crowd at all times. Of course 
 the expectoration was disgusting and incessant, but 
 it is a national habit, indulged in at all times and in 
 all places, and seems as necessary to the untravelled 
 American as breathing or sleeping. Further reference 
 to this practice will be avoided out of regard for the 
 reader's feelings, but it frequently destroyed our 
 pleasure and took away our appetites. 
 
 The great day for the parade was the 3rd of August : 
 1,585 guest had slept in the Palace Hotel the previous 
 night : from earliest dawn officers and orderlies had^ 
 been clattering through the streets, the former 
 generally mounted on hacks hired for the day, with 
 Mexican saddles arid the huge flaps, or " kips," over 
 the stirrups, previously described. At ten o'clock the 
 streets were cleared and the hitherto incessant tram- 
 cars^ stopped by a regiment in Zouave uniform — red 
 fez and knickerbockers, white jackets, blue waistcoats 
 and tanned gaiters. General Sherman, who had 
 come to command the parade, drove up to the hotel, 
 and waited there till it was time to take up his 
 position at the saluting point in Market 1 treet. His 
 
 HM 
 
 IWMI 
 
m.{ 
 
 256 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 •Striking face, with its keen eye, prominent nose, 
 white hair and moustache, and close clipped beard, 
 surmounted by a black slouch hat with gold cord and 
 tags, made the hero of the great " March to the Sea " 
 easily recognizable. 
 
 At eleven the march-past commenced ; a body of 
 regular troops headed the procession, and then came a 
 stream of humanity — some in uniform, some in mufti, 
 some with bands, some without — but all carrying 
 little American flags and wearing badges. As they 
 passed the General's carriage the bands struck up 
 " Marching through Georgia," the regular troops 
 carried arms, the veterans cheered and waved their 
 flags, Sherman took off his hat and bowed, and the 
 crowded populace on pavement, balcony, and house- 
 top, shouted vigorously. It really was a very grand 
 sight. I asked what the Southerners thought of it ? 
 The reply was : " Oh, they don't mind ! They have 
 their own ' Grand Army Meeting,' and we don't 
 interfere I " 
 
 After dinner there was some good choral singing in 
 the courtyard, and then we all hastened to our 
 windows again to see the torchlight procession; 
 This was the prettiest and most effective part of the 
 proceedings. First came a large waggon drawn by 
 twelve horses, and full of demons with horns and 
 tails who burnt lurid red fire in cressets round a huge 
 
 HUB 
 
wmi 
 
 CO. 
 
 ye, prominent nose, 
 
 1 close clipped beard, 
 
 at with gold cord and 
 
 " March to the Sea " 
 
 nmenced ; a body of 
 sion, and then came a 
 liform, some in mufti, 
 )ut — but all carrying 
 ing badges. As they 
 the bands struck up 
 ' the regular troops 
 ired and waved their 
 and bowed, and the 
 :, balcony, and house- 
 ally was a very grand 
 lerners thought of it ? 
 j't mind ! They have 
 eting,' and we don't 
 
 good choral singing in 
 all hastened to our 
 lorchlight procession; 
 It effective part of the 
 rge waggon drawn by 
 nons with horns and 
 cressets round a huge 
 
 A RANCHE. 
 
 257 
 
 blazing cauldron in the centre. Next passed a body 
 of several hundred men dressed in scarlet doublets 
 and white hose, carrying torches which were made 
 to flash up brilliantly whenever a bugle sounded the 
 signal ; these torch-bearers wheeled and counter- 
 marched incessantly, often opening out and lining 
 the streets while troops and veterans marched between 
 their flame-crowned ranks. Last came more waggons 
 from which rockets and Roman candles were let off, 
 and then a dense, choking smoke closed the proces- 
 sion and our windows at the same time. 
 
 A day was devoted to visiting some English friends 
 who had established a ranche, or farm, in Sonoma 
 Valley, north of San Francisco Bay. We crossed in 
 a ferry steamer with the usual gorgeous fittings — the 
 paddles driven by two " walking beams" far above 
 the highest deck — landed at Sonoma Landing, and 
 " took the cars " to Pioneer Grove Station. The 
 line ran through richly-cultivated land, principally 
 vineyards, but with a goodly sprinkling of wheat, 
 maize, and barley fields, apple orchards, orange 
 groves, and olive trees. Our friends' house was a 
 wooden bungalow standing under a wide-spreading 
 peppermint tree. It was full of English comforts and 
 American contrivances ; connected with the kitchen 
 and servants' quarters by a long boarded and trellised 
 passage covered with creepers, and had a yard at the 
 
 S 
 
HK,,. I 
 
 258 SONOMA VALLEY. 
 
 back, with stables, coach-house, and a barn. This 
 was a " grape ranche," and we were soon wandering 
 through the vineyards where thousands of stakes 
 three and a half feet high each supported a vine 
 already bending under the weight of its abundant 
 fruit, though the grapes were as yet only half-formed. 
 The harvest season is mid-August, when the bunches 
 sometimes weigh as much as seven pounds each, and 
 are so plentiful that horses and pigs are fed on the 
 luscious fruit. The soil is very rich, though exceed- 
 ingly light and friable; it must be ploughed and 
 harrowed six titaer, over before the vines can be 
 planted, and then they require great care ; sulphur 
 is burnt to windward to keep off the "fly;" large 
 fires are lighted, and kept blazing day and night when 
 the temperature falls below a certain point, which is 
 announced by the ringing of an electric bell at the 
 head cf the master's bed, connected by a wire with 
 a thermometer placed in the centre of the vineyard ; 
 and finally, great care is necessary in pressing the 
 grapes and managing the wine-vats. Many Germans 
 from the banks of the Rhine and Moselle bring their 
 home experience into play here. 
 
 Plenty of shooting is obtained in the neighbouring 
 hills; hares, rabbits and quails abound, deer are 
 fairly numerous, and bears are sometimes met with ; 
 the quails are much larger than their European or 
 
 ftiriwiiBMiiiiiiiiBi ri i iiTm i 'in-^rfr^r-''^'-'-''-'*""*'''^^ 
 
 miimmmammi0^ 
 
■ilMIMliTf' I I I 
 
 EY. 
 
 . and a barn. This 
 were soon wandering 
 
 thousands of stakes 
 ch supported a vine 
 ight of its abundant 
 i yet only half-formed, 
 ist, when the bunches 
 iven pounds each, and 
 id pigs are fed on the 
 
 rich, though exceed- 
 ist be ploughed and 
 )re the vines can be 
 
 great care ; sulphur 
 3 off the "fly;" large 
 ig day and night when 
 ertain point, which is 
 
 an electric bell at the 
 ected by a wire with 
 jntre of the vineyard ; 
 ssary in pressing the 
 vats. Many Germans 
 nd Moselle bring their 
 
 id in the neighbouring 
 tils abound, deer are 
 I sometimes met with ; 
 in their European or 
 
 HORSES. 
 
 Indian namesakes, being nearly as big as the franco- 
 lin, or grey partridge. 
 
 Californian horses are generally well trained and 
 often well bred, but the Mexican mustang is a 
 vicious beast — and unreliable. The heavy (i6 lb.) 
 Mexican saddle covered with thick stamped leather 
 is in general use ; from the high pummel — called 
 " the horn " — hangs the " riata" or lasso ; the girth is 
 quite ten inches wide, formed of a dozen plaits of 
 horsehair kept even (like a raw-hide girth) by cross- 
 pieces of stiff leather, and has an iron ring at each 
 end ; these are connected with corresponding rings 
 on the saddle by four or five turns of a leather thong, 
 called a " sinch," with which the girth can be, and 
 too frequently is, cruelly tightened. I should think 
 this the cause of most of the wild " bucking " for 
 which Texan and Mexican horses have gained an evil 
 notoriety. The back of the saddle has various rings 
 for crupper, valise and saddle-bags ; very wide 
 stirrup-leathers, with a flap going under the leg, hold 
 the wooden stirrups and replace the skirt of our 
 saddles, which is absent altogether ; great leather 
 " kips " cover the foot ; a drugget saddle-cloth lined 
 with undressed lambskin, a broad breast-plate, a 
 highly ornamented bridle, and a fearful bit with a 
 high barbed port complete the equipment of the 
 '* ranchero's " steed. 
 
 S 2 
 
36o 
 
 MONTEREY. 
 
 The climate of California iiisi«lf the coast line is 
 dry, warm, 'and very eciuable. seldom varying ten 
 decrees throuKhoiit the year, ni^'ht and day ; it is, 
 therefore, wonderfully ^ood for most diseases of the 
 throat and :lunKs. and a inarked contrast to the 
 tryinjj changes- of the San l-'rancisco daily temper- 
 ature. Food is very cheap, beef beinfj usually ten 
 cents and mutton seven cents a pound (a cent is a 
 half.penny), but clothes, especially! boots, are extrav- 
 agantly dear, and wages exorbitant. While we were 
 there the masons struck for six dollars a day instead of 
 five, which they had hitherto received— fancy a brick- 
 layer demanding twenty-five shillings a day, and this 
 in addition to food and lodging found by the 
 employer ! No wonder Chinese workmen are appre- 
 ciated by all but the " hoodlums ! " 
 
 Before leaving the Far West we paid a visit to. its 
 fashionable watering-place— Monterey. The line of 
 rail from San Francisco passes through wide pasture 
 lands, now burnt and yellow as ripe barley-fields, 
 and covered, with dry. crisp grass, coarse.^but sweet 
 and nourishing. In spring, just after the rainy 
 season, this| parched expanse is a -vivid green 
 bedecked with many flowers. Ranges of rugged 
 bare hills rise on the east, above which Monte Diablo 
 rears its head. Passing the town of San JosC-, where 
 a side line branches off to Santa Cru^, we swept 
 
 WMi 
 
ide the coast lin«! is 
 
 seliloin varying ten 
 if^ht and day ; it is, 
 
 most diseases of the 
 ked contrast to the 
 ncisco daily teniper- 
 ief beinfi usually ten 
 
 a pound (a cent is a 
 illyihoots. are extrav- 
 :ant. While we were 
 ollars a day instead of 
 reived — fancy a brick- 
 illinf,'s a day, and this 
 Jjjfiiif,' found by the 
 e workmen are appre- 
 is!" 
 
 we paid a visit to • its 
 onterey. The line of 
 
 through wide pasture 
 
 as ripe barley-fields, 
 iss, coarse, ^but sweet 
 
 just after the rainy 
 ie is a -vivid green 
 Ranges of rugged 
 re which Monte Diablo 
 wn of San JosC-, where 
 >anta Crui5, we swept 
 
iJJNyi i UJiill!,i|..i.J..,. i . il ., i 
 
 ■ i 
 
 I']!' 
 
 131: 
 
 If 
 
 
 t 
 
 m 
 
HOTEL DEL MONTE. 
 
 261 
 
 round sharp curves, past long lines of blue gum trees, 
 and through cuttings in low sand-hills to the little 
 station of El Monte, whence a drive of tvvo minutes 
 took us to the Hotel del Monte, an extensive and very 
 picturesque many-gabled building, standing in the 
 midst of beautiful semi-tropical gardens, where the 
 scent of the orange-flower and heliotrope mingled 
 with the sah breath of the neighbouring ocean, and 
 the wash of the surf lost itse'f in the murmur of the 
 
 pines. 
 
 The broad verandah of the hotel contained the 
 usual crowd of rocking-chairs, generally well filled, 
 while the tennis-courts, bowling-alley, swings, and 
 "merry-go-rounds" in the grounds were occupied 
 from early morn to dewy eve by the younger members 
 of the holiday community : but the great re.ort and 
 attraction was the bathing-house, about half a mile 
 from the hotel by a path along the beach. The in- 
 terior was divided— one portion being reserved for 
 ladies only, and the other open to both sexes— and 
 ornamented with tropical palms, tree-ferns and 
 orchids. The chief amusement seemed to consist in 
 sliding head first down an inclined plane from a high 
 scaffold, and making as big a splash as possible in the 
 water beneath. The bathing-dresses were generally 
 of dark blue serge, though some were remarkable 
 enough to have attracted attention at Trouville or 
 Biarritz. 
 
V 
 
 262 
 
 MONTEREY. 
 
 The principal excursion from Monterey is a drive 
 through the forest and along the coast to Cypress 
 Point, where the gnarled and twisted trunks of ancient 
 cypress trees show signs of the tempests which some- 
 times rage across the Pacific. The extreme end of 
 the cape is bare of wood, but covered with echeverias 
 and other stone-crops ; seals frequent the outlying 
 rocks, and though we did not see them, we heard 
 their hoarse bark and plaintive yelp. The cypresses 
 at the Point, in common with almost all the trees on 
 the Californian coast, grow with a strong inclination 
 to the south, which gives a peculiar sloping look to 
 the whole landscape when viewed from east or west ; 
 this is due to the prevalence of north winds. Beyond 
 Cypress Point lie Carmel Bay, with its ruins of the 
 old Spanish Church and Carmelite Mission, and 
 Point Lobos, where Don Sebastian Vizcayno, a 
 Spanish admiral, was nearly wrecked in December 
 1602; he got clear of the dangerous rocks with much 
 difficulty, and landed a few days afterwards with two 
 priests and a few soldiers in a sheltered bay to the 
 north, which he took possession of in the name of 
 Philip III. of Spain, and named after the Conde del 
 Monterey, governor of Mexico. 
 
 After a few days of quiet enjoyment at pretty Mon- 
 terey we returned to San Francisco to prepare for 
 
/lonterey is a drive 
 e coast to Cypress 
 ted trunks of ancient 
 jmpests which some- 
 'he extreme end ot 
 ered with echeverias 
 equent the outlying 
 
 see them, we heard 
 elp. The cypresses 
 most all the trees on 
 
 a strong inclination 
 liar sloping look to 
 d from east or west ; 
 )rth winds. Beyond 
 krith its ruins of the 
 nelite Mission, and 
 lastian Vizcayno, a 
 recked in December 
 ous rocks with much 
 
 afterwards with two 
 sheltered bay to the 
 1 of in the name of 
 1 after the Conde del 
 
 yment at pretty Mon- 
 ncisco to prepare for 
 
FIRE. 
 
 263 
 
 our lon^ railway journey across the Continent to 
 New York. 
 
 Since these notes were penned news has arrived of 
 the complete destruction of the beautiful Hotel del 
 Monte by fire. Many of the guests had narrow 
 escapes, and another item is added to the long hst 
 of conflagrations for which California is st) notorious. 
 

 CHAPTER XV. 
 THE STATES. 
 
 LEAVE SAN i^RANCISCO — LAKE TAHOE — TALLACK — 
 
 A STRANGE STORY — SALT LAKE CITY — 
 
 THE MORMONS AT HOME. 
 
 IN the 17th August we left San Francisco by 
 the Central Pacific Railroad, just a ;nonth 
 after we had landed from the Belgic. A 
 long land-journey of 3,500 miles lay before us, which 
 would occupy a week if we took " limited " tickets, 
 and went right through with the mails, never leaving 
 the train ; but as we intended to break the journey 
 (" stop over," as the Americans call it) pretty often, 
 and also to branch off from the main line at Chicago 
 in order to see something of Canada, we took 
 
 Mi 
 
K^>^>>..:. 
 
 TAHOE — TALLACK — 
 LAKE CITY — 
 HOME. 
 
 ft San Francisco by 
 iiroad, just a .nonch 
 Tom the Belgic. A 
 lay before us, which 
 { " limited " tickets, 
 mails, never leaving 
 o break the journey 
 call it) pretty often, 
 nain line at Chicago 
 Canada, we took 
 
 \ 
 
 A MOUNTAIN RAILWAY. 
 
 265 
 
 " unlimited " tickets. At first the country was very 
 flat ; when we reached Sacramento, ninety miles 
 from the coast, we had only risen thirty feet above 
 sea-level, and it was not until we had passed Colfax, 
 forty miles farther, that we began to ascend from the 
 great alluvial plain watered by the Sacramento, San 
 Joaquin, and American Rivers. At Colfax we passed 
 a train from the East, with numbers of Indians hang- 
 ing on behind or sitting on the platforms between 
 the carriages ; this is their usual mode of travelling, 
 the champions of equality and universal brotherhood 
 will not permit their copper-coloured fellow men to 
 enter the carriages, but allow them to ride gratis out- 
 side. At Gold Run, two stations beyond Colfax, 
 gold-mining was in full swing ; the low hill were 
 honeycombed by holes like gravel-pits dug in the 
 grey patches of auriferous quartz, and the ravines 
 were full of rocky debris and scraggy brushwood. 
 Soon the line, instead of continuing straight and 
 visible for miles ahead, twisted and turned along the 
 sides of steep hills, and at one point — called Cape 
 Horn — it passed twice across the face of the same 
 precipice, but at different altitudes, the ledge on 
 which it rests having been excavated from the rock 
 by men let down in baskets from above. 
 
 We halted for ten mmutes at Blue Cafion, seventy- 
 eight miles from Sacramento, and nearly live thousand 
 
 i 
 
266 
 
 CROSSING THE SIERRAS. 
 
 feet above it ; in spite of the elevation here the 
 thermometer never falls below 50°, and it is likely to 
 become a popular sanitarium when any houses are 
 built ; at present they exist only in the architect's 
 
 plans. 
 
 From Blue Canon the scenery is very fine as the 
 train passes along a ridge of the Sierras, though we 
 could only enjoy it fitfully, as the view is constantly 
 blotted out by snow-sheds which protect and darken 
 the line almost continuously for forty miles. These 
 sheds are boarded roofs on massive beams and 
 trusses, supported by the excavated hill-side on one 
 hand, and by pillars on the other ; the side-spaces 
 between the pillars are also boarded in— a few 
 windows being left to admit fresh air— and the noise, 
 smoke, and dust of the confined train added to the 
 disappointment in not seeing the view are exasper- 
 ating! In our case this disappointment was 
 aggravated bv the tantalising glimpses of splendid 
 mountain scenery obtained at " Summit," a station 
 under the snow-sheds where the line reaches its 
 highest elevation in the Sierras, 7,017 feet ; here we 
 got out of the cars and saw as much as we could of 
 the billowy sea of virgin forest which swept down from 
 our feet to the valley below, to rise and fall agam 
 in wave after wave far as the eye could reach. 
 From Summit to Truokee there is a gradual descent 
 
ERRAS. 
 
 ; elevation here the 
 io°, and it is likely to 
 vhen any houses are 
 ily in the architect's 
 
 iiy is very fine as the 
 le Sierras, though we 
 he view is constantly 
 ;h protect and darken 
 r forty miles. These 
 massive beams and 
 vated hill-side on one 
 ther ; the side-spaces 
 boarded in— a few 
 ish air — and the noise, 
 ed train added to the 
 the view are exasper- 
 disappointment was 
 glimpses of splendid 
 " Summit," a station 
 the line reaches its 
 s, 7,017 feet ; here we 
 5 much as we could of 
 vhich swept down from 
 to rise and fall again 
 eye could reach, 
 ere is a gradual descent 
 
 mm 
 
 m 
 
 mm 
 
 mm 
 
 TRUCKEE. 
 
 267 
 
 of 1,200 feet, the line passing along the shore of 
 Donner Lake, so named after the leader of an 
 emigrant party forty in number, who were all frozen 
 to death on its shores in 1847. At Truckee we 
 '* stopped over," slept at a wretched little wooden 
 hotel on the railway platform, and left at seven next 
 morning by coach for Lake Tahoe. A winding, dusty 
 track followed the course of a pretty stream through 
 a picturesque valley, from which many lateral gorges, 
 or " caiions," opened, giving tempting glimpses of 
 cool green shade through the dust-clouds raised by 
 our conveyance. The hill sides were frequently 
 seamed with timber-slides, long straight wooden 
 troughs, in which the pine-logs are sent down to the 
 river from the heights above. One of these slides 
 is a mile and a half long. Our driver pointed out 
 several Balm of Gilead trees, such as we had seen in 
 the Yosemite, the foliage like that of the beech, and 
 the leaf-buds exuding a resin said to be very healing 
 to the skin, its scent good for pneumonia — a sort of 
 natural " HoUoway's Ointment." The mazy stream, 
 with its pretty reaches, pools, and rapids, widened 
 out so gradually as it approached its parent lake — of 
 which 'it is the only outlet — that it was hard to say 
 where the lake ended and the stream began. 
 
 Many merry little chipmunks sat on the rocks or 
 fallen trees, twitching their tails and chattering at 
 
 I 
 
».MMlltiUi»>M!dmte 
 
 L 
 
 268 
 
 LAKE TAHOE. 
 
 US as we passed ; tliey are a species of squirrel, 
 short, squab-shaped little fellows with K'rey bodies, 
 rufous heads ami tails, inquisitive habits and 
 most independent characters, and are as sacred from 
 harm to the American backwoodsman as the robin 
 
 is to us. 
 
 We had a team of six horses in pairs (the centre 
 pair called " swings," and always the worst), and the 
 steep hills often tried their powers severely, especially 
 when the road turned suddenly at a sharp, steep 
 angle, and threw the four leading horses out of 
 draught, so that all the work fell on the wheelers. 
 
 At length we reached Tahoe City, which consisted 
 of a small inn, six cottages and a rickety pier, all 
 built of wood. A western city may be defined as 
 " two or more shanties." If Brown builds a hut, i.e 
 calls it simply " Brown's," but if he adds a barn or a 
 cowshed, or if Jones builds another hut alongside, 
 the settlement becomes "Brown's City" at one 
 
 leap. 
 
 We went on board the steam-launch which lay at 
 the pier-head awaiting the arrival of the coach, and 
 proceeded twenty-three miles up the lake to Tallack, 
 passing two or three tiny settlemeats— infant "cities" 
 —cradled in the pine woods on the shore. The water 
 was transparently clear and of a rich deep blue, the 
 high hills were covered with pines, and the distant 
 
R. 
 
 species of squirrel, 
 kvs with i^rey bodies, 
 uisitive habits and 
 lid are as sacred from 
 jdsinan as the robin 
 
 in pairs (the centre 
 ys the worst), and the 
 3rs severely, especially 
 ily at a sharp, steep 
 
 ading horses out of 
 11 on the wheelers. 
 
 City, which consisted 
 lid a rickety pier, all 
 ty may be defined as 
 Jrown builds a hut, i.e 
 : if he adds a barn or a 
 nother hut alongside, 
 rown's City " at one 
 
 [n-launch which lay at 
 rival of the coach, and 
 up the lake to Tallack, 
 jments— infant "cities" 
 1 the shore. The water 
 )f a rich deep blue, the 
 pines, and the distant 
 
 '1' 
 
 u 
 
■MBHBWii^ 
 
 TALLACK. 
 
 369 
 
 peaks of the;Siernis tipped with snow. Thf pretty, 
 cool inn at Tallack.was reached at noon, and wo 
 were soon sittinn.under the tir-trres, 01 lounKinj: n. 
 hanunocks by the hike, side, enjoying the. soft, halu.y 
 breeze. This hike is tliirty-five niiU^s h.nj,' an.l from 
 ten to fifteen miles wi.le ; its surface is b.jiH 
 feet-above the sea. and its clear waters are sai.l to 
 reach to a depth of 600 fathoms. " Kmerald Hay 
 is one of the prettiest nooks of the Inke. rem.mlmK 
 one of Loch Katrine. K Hens Isle beiuR represented 
 by a rockv islet on which stand a small deserted hut 
 and a cross marking an empty Rrave : it is said that a 
 misanthr.)pic Englishman-Captain Richard Barton 
 -settled on this island, livinK in the hut and 
 intending his bones to lie in. the tomb, but fate 
 decided against the latter part of his plan, for he was 
 drowned in the lake and his body, was never 
 
 recovered. 
 
 There are many pretty views and pleasant excur- 
 sions in the neighbourhood of Tallack, especially 
 towards the mountains at whose feet, nestles 1< alien 
 Leaf Lake; the steam-launches plying on lahoe 
 brought a constant succession of visitors, and the inn 
 though primitive, was not uncomfortable. One day- 
 came three Indian women offering "thimble-berries 
 M«^^/taN raspberries) for sale; one of these women 
 carried a papoose, or baby, on her back the little 
 
i,,i 
 
 /■' 
 
 270 NEVADA. 
 
 monkey was swaddled up in party-colored rags, and 
 firmly strapped on to a frame of basket-work which 
 formed a hood over its head— all had swarthy 
 complexions, and the women's coarse black hair was 
 cut square or " banged " across the forehead. 
 
 We left this quiet retreat after a few days stay, as 
 we wished to reach Salt Lake City in time for the 
 Sunday service ; we crossed by steam-launch to Glen- 
 brook, which is in Nevada State, and took the stage 
 for Carson City. The pretty winding road gave us 
 many parting glimpses of the deep blue lake, and 
 then led us along the edge of a small valley covered 
 with brilliantly green turf where many cattle were 
 grazing, but which had originally been a sheet of 
 water ; a few years ago the water mysteriously dis- 
 appeared into the bowels of the earth, leaving this 
 emerald expanse with only a small pond in the centre. 
 At length we reached the water-shed between the 
 Tahoe basin and the lower level of Carson Valley, and 
 our road, which had hitherto been a tolerably severe 
 up-hill struggle, became a rapid descent. Here, too, 
 we made acquaintance with a new method of getting 
 timber carried down-hill— a " flume ' or trough of 
 planks down which the logs are. swept at railway 
 speed by a stream of water continually fed with 
 " lumber " by men (chiefly Canadians) in charge of 
 the huge stacks of felled trees on the mountain crest. 
 
 msmmm 
 
,M-M«-. S .l-JsfWWfifi^.' 
 
 irty-colored rags, and 
 of basket-work which 
 ad— all had swarthy 
 coarse black hair was 
 s the forehead, 
 er a few days stay, as 
 City in time for the 
 steam-launch to Glen- 
 te, and took the stage 
 ivinding road gave us 
 '. deep blue lake, and 
 a small valley covered 
 lere many cattle were 
 inally been a sheet of 
 ater mysteriously dis- 
 the earth, leaving this 
 nail pond in the centre, 
 fater-shed between the 
 j1 of Carson Valley, and 
 been a tolerably severe 
 id descent. Here, too, 
 new method of getting 
 " flume " or trough of 
 are. swept at railway 
 • continually fed with 
 anadians) in charge of 
 on the mountain crest. 
 
 lpr»^»"(T'JH"!'"*'«" 
 
mmmm 
 
 mmmm 
 
 A FLUME. 
 
 271 
 
 This flume accompanied us along the roadside for 
 several miles, and sometimes crossed either abov^ or 
 below the carriage-road ; although our horses were 
 kept at a good trot, which often quickened into a 
 hand-gallop, the incessant streams of logs seemed to 
 laugh at our slow pace as they raced past us down 
 the steep incline, leaping, jumping over each other 
 and throwing somersaults like awkward porpoises at 
 play. The force of the current carried them for 
 several miles along the wooden aqueduct which 
 spanned the level barley-fields at the foot of the 
 mountains, and finally deposited them in a large 
 reservoir from which the vast piles already stacked 
 by the side of a branch railway were being constantly 
 increased. 
 
 Shortly after passing the " log depot " we entered 
 Carson City, the capital of Nevada— a collection of 
 houses, church, hotel and railway s^f.tion, all of wood, 
 with a State prison built of stone from neighbouring 
 quarries in which gigantic foot -prints of man and 
 mammoth have been discovered. 
 
 We dined at a French restaurant, beginning our 
 meal with " beef soup," and ending it with " fresh 
 grape cake." 
 
 From Carson City a branch line took us to Reno, 
 where we rejoined the Central Pacific Railroad, 
 passed the night in a " sleeper," and next n.oiaing 
 
 t I 
 
 ,.^T3# 
 
^^^^ , , j l ^,,IVj^^j , g^j^n)mfm0^^ ' L 
 
 /. 
 
 THE DESERT. 
 
 found that we had begun the dull and tedious journey 
 across the great American desert-the grave of so 
 „.anv unfortunates in the days when waggon and 
 saddle were the only conveyances to the Far West. 
 It is <.aid that the track was marked for sixty m.les 
 by a continuous line of skeletons of men and animals 
 extending across the desert from Promontory on 
 the East to Wadsworth on the West-a pallid, life- 
 less waste, desolate, silent and forlorn. Clouds of 
 blinding dust rose from the alkaline soil-rivers dis- 
 appeared in slimy brackish pools or " sinks -the 
 dull, leaden foliage of the artemisia, or sage-brush, 
 was all the vegetation, and a few lizards were the 
 only signs of animal life ; the whole tract seemed 
 blighted and accursed. 
 
 Many of our fellow, .passengers were "Grand 
 Army "men returning from the assemblage at San 
 Francisco to their homes in the East ; our attention 
 was particularly drawn to one of them, partly by his 
 terribly crippled state, and partly by the loving care 
 with which his wife watched and tended him. This 
 poor fellow had lost both hands^ at the wrists and 
 both legs at the knees, besides being badly scarred 
 across the face, and with only .the cartilage of the 
 nose left. We met the wife afterwards at Brigham 
 Young's grave in Salt Lake City, where she told us 
 the following story. 
 
MIMK>» 
 
 ull and tedious journey 
 sert— the grave of so 
 ys when waggon and 
 ces to the Far West, 
 marked for sixty miles 
 ns of men and animals 
 from Promontory on 
 3 West— a pallid, life- 
 id forlorn. Clouds of 
 kaline soil— rivers dis- 
 pools or " sinks "—the 
 temisia, or sage-brush, 
 L few lizards were the 
 he whole tract seemed 
 
 isengers were " Grand 
 he assemblage at San 
 he East ; our attention 
 e of them, partly by his 
 artly by the loving care 
 and tended him. This 
 ands at the wrists and 
 les being badly scarred 
 )nly .the cartilage of the 
 afterwards at Brigham 
 City, where she told us 
 
 A TALE OF THE WAR. 
 
 273 
 
 In December, 1865, while her husband was serving 
 in the U.S. Cavalry against the " Rebs," he and four 
 other troopers were sent over the plains of Minnesota 
 with important despatches. While crossing these 
 vast desolate prairies they were caught in a " blizzard," 
 ot icy current of wind filled with sand-like particles of 
 ice, as much dreaded there as the simoom in the Great 
 Sahara. For days they wandered on, bewildered by 
 the whirling snow, blinded by the stinging sleet, 
 numbed by the biting frost, until at length — horsps 
 and men alike worn out with constant movement and 
 want of that sleep which weighed on them so 
 heavily, but which was the well-known prelude to 
 certain death — they could do no more, wearied 
 nature dulled even the instinct of self-preservation, 
 and they lay down together to rest for ever. A 
 party of Indians found the stiffened bodies of men 
 and horses covered with snow, and as one of the 
 former still showed faint signs of life they brought it 
 in to the nearest outpost, which they reached seven 
 days after the despatch-party had left it, for this was 
 the very point from which the unfortunate men had 
 started ! The news was sent to the wife of the 
 rescued man — they had been only a year married — 
 and she immediately set out in a waggon, drove a 
 hundred miles through deep snow-drifts in intense 
 cold, reached the outpost, and, after seven months 
 
 T 
 
274 
 
 GREAT SALT LAKE. 
 
 of unceasing care and anxiety, succeeded in nursing 
 the poor cripple back to life and health. Tears 
 stood in her eyes as she told the story, winding up 
 with saying, " I had a terrible time with him ! " — 
 words few and simple, but containing volumes. 
 
 At length we reached Promontory, and found, to 
 our great relief, that we had done with the depressing 
 desert. This is the point at which the two engineer- 
 ing parties laying down the line finally met ; one set 
 had started from Reno, and the other from Ogden, 
 and they joined here on May loth, 1869, completing 
 with a silver bar the last link of the iron chain which 
 unites East and West, and binds the Atlantic to the 
 Pacific. 
 
 And now a great sheet of water came in sight on 
 our right — strange, unnatural water, not shimmering 
 in the sun as the breeze played over its brOad bosom, 
 not sparkling, bright, and dazzling, with smiling 
 ripples and dancing wavelets, but smooth, motionless, 
 and heavy, with a sullen gleam like a sea of molten 
 lead ; no reflection from the surrounding hills varied 
 its uniform tint, nor faintest undulation disturbed 
 its dead stillness ; grey, sad, and silent lay the Great 
 Salt Lake, the Dead Sea of the Western World. 
 
 The next station was Ogden, and we knew that 
 we were now in the land of the strange fanatics who 
 have dubbed themselves '• Latter Day Saints," and 
 
LAKE. 
 
 , succeeded in nursing 
 e and health. Tears 
 
 the story, winding up 
 lie time with him ! " — 
 ntaining volumes, 
 ■nontory, and found, to 
 one with the depressing 
 vhich the two engineer- 
 ne finally met ; one set 
 he other from Ogden, 
 
 loth, 1869, completing 
 
 of the iron chain which 
 
 inds the Atlantic to the 
 
 vater came in sight on 
 I water, not shimmering 
 ed over its broad bosom, 
 dazzling, with smiling 
 but smooth, motionless, 
 m like a sea of molten 
 surrounding hills varied 
 3t undulation disturbed 
 and silent lay the Great 
 :he Western World, 
 den, and we knew that 
 he strange fanatics who 
 !-atter Day Saints," and 
 
--. f9 
 
 .|>iriim«i 
 
 ■n^^ _ 
 
< i .niiin i iiuiji.i 
 
 THE MORMON CAPITAL. 
 
 275 
 
 claim all the hif,'h privileges of. the Chosen People. 
 Here we changed to the narrow-guage of the Denver 
 and Rio Grande Railroad, and pushed on for Salt 
 Lake City. Wide, well-tilled fields stretched on 
 both sides of the line, comfortable homesteads 
 nestled under wide-spreading trees, cattle stood knee 
 deep in the lush pastures, and all combined to 
 emphasize the contrast with the dreary desert we 
 had left ; but what most strangely struck our English 
 eyes was the multitude of sunflowers which covered 
 every uncultivated spot with a sheet of gold. They 
 grow as weeds in this part of the continent, and 
 accompanied us as far as the banks of the Missouri. 
 
 But we were not allowed much time to admire the 
 sunflowers, for soon a mass of trees appeared in the 
 distance, backed by the serrated ridge of the Wah- 
 satch Hills, and immediately afterwards the great 
 oval dome of the Tabernacle and the unfinished 
 towers of the new Temple rose above the foliage, and 
 announced that we had reached Salt Lake City, the 
 " Zion " of Mormonism. 
 
 Shortly after mid-day we drove up to the Walker 
 House hotel, and after a rapid toilet and a still more 
 hasty meal hurried off to attend the two o'clock Sunday 
 service — the only public worship in the week. 
 
 The great double roof of the Tabernacle, shaped 
 like a dish-cover, was supported on columns about 
 
 T 2 
 
276 
 
 SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 eighteen feet high, fonning a verandah round the 
 nfany-doored main building. The 'ntenor wh ch 
 wc entered without demur being ra.sed. ha.l .ts floor 
 Tccupied by long pews all facing an .mmen 
 orrvn -It the west end. which bore the legends. In 
 organ at int. w everlastnig 
 
 God we put our trust, and Under i 
 covenant God must and shall »^f"*-^ .^^ 
 painting representing Joseph Snuth wUh the book 
 
 °^;:Z::^ftheorgan,and.cing the congregation 
 were three graduated rows of seats cover^l w t h 
 : -Ln veWet. each of those in front l.ver th.. th 
 one behind it. The highest row was «-^ f^P^^^ ^^ 
 the president and councillors the next for 0. twelve 
 apostles, and the lowest for the bishops. The cho.r 
 Ton ;ach sideof the organ about^^^ty -n ^^^^ 
 north and thirty women on the south " ^^^J"^^ 
 of the crimson seats stood a ra.sed desk for the 
 oi me ^iii „f tViP Rible and the book o 
 
 preacher, bearmg copies of the Bible ana 
 Mormon, and on either side was a stone 1-" ^-^^^^ 
 In front, a long plain table covered -th a wh't 
 cloth bore six large silver tankarf. four .obi ^^^^ - 
 twelve smaller cups with double handles, the 
 holdine about a quart. ^ * ^u 
 
 A gallery tan round the building except a. ,h 
 wet end; both it and the floor of .he Tabernad 
 Ttl weU sued with a quiet, orderly congregat.c 
 

 CITY. 
 
 a verandah round the 
 
 The interior, which 
 
 inK raised, had its floor 
 
 facing an immense 
 
 bore the IcRends, "In 
 
 Under the everlasting' 
 
 be t,'loritied : " also a 
 
 Smith with the book 
 
 n 
 
 ,11 
 
 facing the conRreRation. 
 5 of seats covered with 
 se in front lower than the 
 ,t row was set apart for 
 rs, the next for the twelve 
 r the bishops. The choir 
 ran, about fifty men on the 
 
 1 the south. In the centre 
 ,d a raised desk for the 
 f the Bible and the book of 
 
 2 was a stone lion couchant. 
 ble covered with a white 
 tankards, four goblets, and 
 I double handles, the last 
 
 he building except at the 
 the floor of the Tabernacle 
 luiet, orderly congregation 
 
 
 
 — -i... '>\— • ». , .. — - -^ 
 
 THB MOKMON TAajaHrACLE. 
 
••11"- •"' ■" 
 
 
 •:- ! I 
 
t 
 
 THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 277 
 
 which must have numbered quite 8,000, as the build- 
 ing contains seats for i.?,ooo and fully two-thirds of 
 these were occupied. 
 
 We were civilly shown into a pew about a quarter 
 of the way down the vast hall, or rather up it, for the 
 floor slopes upwards from the west to the east end, 
 so that all the seated congregation can see the 
 preacher over the heads of those in front of them. 
 
 Two square holes or ventilators opened in the 
 roof, which was festooned with garlands of evergreens 
 to check reverberation ; and from the centre hung a 
 trophy of evergreens decked with stars and stripes in 
 honour of the Grand Army. 
 
 The service had already begun when we entered. 
 A grey-bearded Englishman named Stainer occupied 
 the desk ; his finely-moulded head, good accent, and 
 impressive delivery combined to form a marked con- 
 trast to the nervous manner and common appear- 
 ance of Bishop Whitney, who succeeded him. Both 
 discourses were profusely interlarded with quotations 
 from the two volumes lying on the desk. The first 
 speaker chiefly inculcated the necessity of prayer and 
 self-study : — " Look into your own evil doings, 
 especially breaches of the Sabbath ; pray that 
 angels may visit the Latter Day Saints, and that God 
 may vouchsafe his promised advent ; pray earnestly 
 against the evil spirits who attempt to deceive the 
 
 !i* 
 
 t i. 
 
 ■!| 
 
 MRH 
 
■ lU ! JL-UIU.L J- 
 
 378 
 
 SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 elect." He concluded with the following peroration : 
 — " My testimony is that Joseph Smith, Brigham 
 Young, and the leaders of the Latter Day Saints in 
 line of succession from them, knew the secrets by 
 which the earth was made. God will remove the 
 clouds of oppression ; be not downcast. His ears aie 
 open to your petitions. Your obstacles are pride, 
 covetousness, and self-will ; but overcome these and 
 the heavens will be big with blessings." 
 
 Bishop Whitney said : " Who are the Latter Day 
 Saints ? Descendants of the patriarch who received 
 the promise, ' in thee and in thy seed shall all the 
 nations of the earth be blessed.' But you are going 
 into bondage, you are scattered like Israel ; like 
 Jeremiah, I lament over you. Remember that Jesus 
 said to the faulty apostles, ' Ye are the salt of the 
 earth ; but if the salt has lost his savour, wherewith 
 shall it be salted ? " When you doubt Taylor as you 
 doubted Joseph Smith, because his promises were 
 not immediately fulfilled, you let deceivers mislead 
 you. The day is coming when we shall be called 
 holy, even as He is holy. Our church may become 
 smaller, but it will be as gold refined; and my 
 prayer for you, men and women, for the Gentiles and 
 for the whole world, is that all may be saved in these 
 latter days. Amen." 
 
 Both preachers warned the people of coming 
 
:iTY. 
 
 ! following peroration : 
 ;eph Smith, Brigham 
 Latter Day Saints in 
 knew the secrets by 
 God will remove the 
 lowncast, His ears aie 
 jr obstacles are pride, 
 it overcome these and 
 iessings." 
 
 ho are the Latter Day 
 
 patriarch who received 
 
 thy seed shall all the 
 
 i.' But you are going 
 
 tered like Israel ; like 
 
 Remember that Jesus 
 
 Ye are the salt of the 
 
 his savour, wherewith 
 
 DU doubt Taylor as you 
 
 luse his promises were 
 
 I let deceivers mislead 
 ■hen we shall be called 
 iir church may become 
 gold refined ; and my 
 len, for the Gentiles and 
 
 II may be saved in these 
 
 the people of coming 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 279 
 
 trouble, but said that this generation should live to 
 see the great day of deliverance and of triumph, 
 argued that St. John the Divine was still living, 
 claimed the gift of prophecy, and said they had fre- 
 quent intercourse with spirits. Mr. Whitney also 
 referred to a revelation made to John Davies on 
 October 13th, 18^4. 
 
 During the addresses the Sacrament was adminis- 
 tered by handing round the smaller silver cups filled 
 with water from the six large tankards on the table 
 in front of the crimson seats. Evidently we were 
 recognised as Gentiles even among that immense 
 congregation, for the cups were more than once 
 markedly, though quite civilly handed past us from 
 either side. 
 
 Leaving the Tabernacle, much interested though 
 scarcely edified by what we had seen and heard, we 
 visited the new Temple, a very solid building of grey 
 granite quarried on the Wahstach range. The walls 
 of great square-hewn blocks are nine feet thick at the 
 base, and seven at the top where the roof will rest 
 upon them. The massive buttresses bear the four 
 quarters of the moon in bas-relief, over the door are 
 joined hands, above these an eye, and over this again 
 a marble tablet inscribed with the date on which the 
 building was commenced — April 12, 1853 — and with 
 a blank space below for that of its completion. This 
 
 J 
 
5| 
 
 ' i 
 
 SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 building is 200 feet in length, 100 in breadth and 
 height, and the towers will be 200 feet high. It is 
 intended to replace the " Endowment House," a 
 mud or adobe building where the mysterious cere- 
 monies of baptism or initiation and marriage are now 
 
 performed. 
 
 Our next point was Bvigham Young's tomb. To 
 reach this we had to pass the " Lion Mansion " where 
 the prophet lived, a long low house, or rather terrace, 
 with ten gables and five doors facing the street ; a 
 lion couchant on each side of the entrance gives 
 the name to the edifice. Next door to this is the 
 "Beehive Mansion,'" in which Young kept his 
 harem, except the first wife, Amelia, who lived by 
 herself on the opposite side of the road in a very fine 
 house of grey stone, well built, surrounded by a 
 pretty garden, and called indifferently " The Amelia 
 House," and " Gardo House ; " this building is now 
 occupied by the President, John Taylor, or rather 
 by his family, for he himself is in hiding from 
 the police of the United States, by whom he is 
 " wanted " on the charge of polygamy.* 
 
 At about one-third of a mile from the Temple we 
 
 came to a small, well-kept, grassy enclosure by the 
 
 road-side, which looked like a lawn-tennis ground 
 
 until the eye fell on the four or five tombstones 
 
 • Taylor's death hua been reported since these lines were writtin. 
 
■w«w>w<yT*atft«W 
 
 :iTY. 
 
 , loo in breadth and 
 200 feet high. It is 
 idowment House," a 
 the mysterious cere- 
 1 and marriage are now 
 
 m Young's tomb. To 
 Lion Mansion " where 
 ouse, or rather terrace, 
 5 facing the street; a 
 3f the entrance gives 
 xt door to this is the 
 lich Young kept his 
 Ameha, who Hved by 
 the road in a very fine 
 uilt, surrounded by a 
 fferently "The Ameha 
 ; " this building is now 
 [ohn Taylor, or rather 
 ilf is in hiding from 
 tates, by whom he is 
 •olygamy.* 
 
 e from the Temple we 
 
 ;rassy enclosure by the 
 
 a lawn-tennis ground 
 
 )ur or five tombstones 
 
 iace these lines were writttn. 
 
 BRIGHAM YOUNG. 
 
 981 
 
 which lie at the southern end. That of Brigham 
 Young is in the south-east corner, and is surrounded 
 by a plain iron railing ; no inscription marks his 
 resting-place, and this is often quoted as a proof 
 that he is not really dead ! The other stones bear 
 the names of some of his wives and children. 
 
 However strongly one must condemn Brigham 
 Young's immorality and profanity, there can be no 
 doubt that the blasphemous old reprobate was an 
 admirable pioneer, a great leader, and a most skilful 
 organizer. This is amply proved by his boundless 
 personal influence and great administr; ive powers, 
 which enabled him to keep in subjection the 
 heterogeneous rabble who followed him to Utah, and 
 were continually reinforced by the restless, the 
 lawless, and the thriftless from Western Europe and 
 Eastern America ; also by his remarkable ground- 
 plan for the " New Zion," which provides in a 
 wonderful manner for drainage, irrigation, and all 
 sanitary wants; and more than all else by his 
 comprehensive code of laws and regulations on every 
 point; this is pronounced by experts to be almost 
 as good as the Kor&n, from which and the Bible it 
 it was probably compiled, though some say it was 
 principally based on a fanciful story written by the 
 Rev. Solomon Spaulding, a schoolmaster of Cherry 
 Valley, in New York State. The city he planned 
 
 igjMhiiniBWW i miMWHO*^ 
 
mhmHHBh 
 
 SALT LAKE CITY. 
 
 anvl founded in iS.j; now covers about five square 
 miles; it is laid oat in 260 square blocks each 
 containinj,' ten acres, these blocks are subdivided 
 into lots of an acre and a quarter each ; the streets 
 are i.^o feet wide, including the side-walks, which 
 are shaded by young trees and divided from the 
 carriage-way by streams of clear running water. 
 In the business (juarters the houses, though irregu- 
 larly built, are contiguous, but everywhere else they 
 are detached ; both materials and architecture vary 
 considerably, low buildings of adobe, or sun-dried 
 bricks, with wide verandahs and nondescript out- 
 houses stand side by side with lofty and imposing 
 structures of grey stone, but all are scrupulously neat 
 and clean. The abodes of the bishops and elders 
 are generally small terraces, or rows, of six or seven 
 houses; the husband lives in the centre, and his 
 various wives with their families reside on either side 
 of him, each having her separate dwelling, front door 
 and all. The drinking-water is drawn from deep 
 wells, but that used for irrigation flows into the 
 sparkling road-side rivulets from Emigration Caiion 
 in the Wahsatch hills north of the city. 
 
 Twenty miles of rail take the visitor to the shores 
 of the great lake which gives the city its name— or 
 rather one of its names, for it is almost as often 
 called by its inhabitants " Deseret," " the City of the 
 
CITY. 
 
 vers about five square 
 square blocks each 
 blocks are subdivided 
 irter each ; the streets 
 the side-walks, which 
 and divided from the 
 clear running water, 
 houses, though irregu- 
 it everywhere else they 
 s and architecture vary 
 of adobe, or sun-dried 
 ; and nondescript out- 
 rith lofty and imposing 
 all are scrupulously neat 
 the bishops and elders 
 or rows, of six or seven 
 in the centre, and his 
 lies reside on either side 
 rate dwelling, front door 
 er is drawn from deep 
 rigation flows into the 
 from Emigration Caiion 
 of the city. 
 
 the visitor to the shores 
 2S the city its name — or 
 r it is almost as often 
 eseret," " the City of the 
 
 NATURAL PECULIARITIES. 
 
 283 
 
 Honey Bee," " Zion," " the City of the Saints," or 
 " the Holy City." The water is exceedin^'ly buoyant, 
 containing about twenty per cent, of salt — six times 
 as much as the sea — and is very irritatinj^ if it enters 
 the throat or eyes: no vegetation can exist within 
 reach of its spray, and the barren, slimy shores are 
 everywhere cut up into small artificial bays, or " salt- 
 pans," into which the water is admitted, dammed in, 
 and left to evaporate in the sun ; in this way great 
 quantities of crystallized salts are collected. The 
 lake covers nearly 2,300 square miles at an altitude 
 of 4,200 feet above the sea ; several rivers run into it, 
 but there is no visible outlet. 
 
 By-the-bye, Salt Lake City and Monterey wei i 
 the only places in America where we saw ivy growing. 
 We were much struck with the worn, haggard, 
 suffering look of the Mormon women ; the young 
 girls were fresh-looking, though decidedly plain, 
 but we did not see one happy, pleasant-faced middle- 
 aged woman during our stay. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 THE STATES. 
 
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS — MANITOU — COLORADO 
 SPRINGS— CHICAGO. 
 
 |E left the Mormon capital after a stay o 
 three days, travelling by the Denver an( 
 Rio Grande, the line gradually risinj 
 as it leaves the valley. Thistle down seemed th 
 principal product of this part of the countn, 
 to judge by the quantities which perpetuall 
 streamed in at the open windows as we sped along 
 and it even gives a name to one of the stations. Tw 
 engines were required to drag us up to " Soldie 
 Summit," the track ascending the bed of a strear 
 with blood-red stripes in its current, and flowin 
 between high banks, the soil of which changed fror 
 

 IR XVI. 
 TATES. 
 
 1 — MANITOU — COLORADO 
 -CHICAGO. 
 
 an capital after a stay of 
 /elling by the Denver and 
 the line gradually rising 
 Thistle down seemed the 
 is part of the country, 
 ntities which perpetually 
 rindows as we sped along, 
 to one of the stations. Two 
 ) drag us up to " Soldier 
 ding the bed of a stream 
 I its current, and flowing 
 ;oil of which changed from 
 
CASTLE GATE. 
 
 a85 
 
 grey to russet, orange, and crimson, and vice versa 
 in a wonderful way, the dark, sombre green of juni- 
 pers and pines here and there contrasting strongly 
 with the strange hues of the ferruginous earth. And 
 now a third engine comes to aid its panting comrades, 
 the ascent becomes still steeper, the scenery changes 
 from banks of gravel to walls of rock, torn and riven 
 by surface glacier or subterranean fire into a thousand 
 picturesque and fantastic shapes ; here a huge ruined 
 castle, with frowning and crumbling battlements, 
 there a half-finished cathedral or a gigantic cromlech. 
 The lateral cations look red and lurid in the 
 gleams of the afternoon sun ; white, bee-hive shaped 
 buildings are pointed out as charcoal-burners' 
 " ovens ; " the uppermost strata of the cliffs project 
 like deep eaves, and silver birches hide their founda- 
 tions ; they rise higher and higher, then close in on 
 both sides in a rugged precipitous wall of rock with 
 a narrow gap in the centre which looks made on 
 purpose for our passage ; this is " Castle Gate." 
 The train stopped for a few minutes to enable us to 
 examine this wonderful place ; huge towering 
 buttresses rose on either' hand like a Titanic wall, 
 300 feet in height, narrow even at the bottom, and 
 at the top not more than eight feet in thickness, and 
 so beset with oriels and archways, embrasures and 
 crenelations, turrets and watch«towers, that it looked 
 
iMMo ■^mmmmm 
 
 i-_- _ 
 
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 like the vast ruin of some miphty enchanter's stronfj- 
 hold, battered and riven by the storms of ages. 
 Beyond the (iate the side walls opened out into a 
 grand amphitheatre, terminating on the left in a 
 cliff crowned with rocky ramparts reminding me of 
 Gwalior Fort. 
 
 At a lonely station, bearing the fitting name of 
 " Solitude," we crossed Green River, and shortly 
 afterwards struck the head-waters of the Gunnison ; 
 a flaming sunset glowed behind us in the west, more 
 turrets, walls and bastions passed before our eyes 
 and sank into obscurity — then came a tunnel— an 
 expanse of dimly-seen brushwood — a hazy line of 
 ghost-like pines — then night. 
 
 We awoke at daylight to find that we were ascend- 
 ing a steeper incline than ever. The train had been 
 divided ; one engine drawing the baggage-cars 
 preceded us up a sharply-curving gradient, the other 
 two locomotives tugged the passenger-cars with many 
 a puff and groan. So abrupt was the turn at one 
 point that we thought we were passing another train 
 until we recognized the featuresof our fellowpassengers 
 in the carriages ! At length we reached the crest, 
 and leaving two of our panting locomotives to rest 
 and take breath, we continued our journey down the 
 ugly, bare hill-sides till we again struck the course of 
 the Gunnison River,' and rushed along its deep-cut 
 
)UNTA1NS. 
 
 ^hty enchanter's stronfj- 
 y the storms of apes, 
 vails opened out into a 
 ating on the left in a 
 iparts reniindinfj me of 
 
 nj; the tittinfj name of 
 een River, and shortly 
 waters of the Gunnison ; 
 ind us in the west, more 
 passed before our eyes 
 ^en came a tunnel — an 
 ihwood — a hazy line of 
 
 ind that we were ascend- 
 er. The train had been 
 wing the baggage-cars 
 rving • gradient, the other 
 )assenger-cars with many 
 ipt was the turn at one 
 ere passing another train 
 es of our fellow passengers 
 th we reached the crest, 
 :ing locomotives to rest 
 ed our journey down the 
 gain struck the course of 
 ushed along its deep-cut 
 
i|.SMjOfc|i; ii lMt i U i iuii i lMil! « «^^^ """- ii j i hi ii i i hti i 
 
 ^.,•l 
 
 .'I 
 
 ! 11^ 
 
 m\ 
 
THE BLACK CANON. 
 
 287 
 
 valley which narrowed as we advanced into a rocky 
 mountain gorge, the foaming stream mingling the 
 roar of its water with the rattle of the train. On 
 passing a high, sharp-edged cHff like the prow of some 
 immense iron-clad, above which towers the massive 
 spire called Currecanti Needle, we walked through 
 the carriage to the rear of the train, where an open 
 truck fi'ted with seats had been attached for the 
 beneiit of those who were willing to brave tearing 
 wind, whirling dust, and driving ashes in order to get 
 a better view of the " Black Cafion " than could be 
 obtained from the ordinary cars. The scene was wild 
 and grandj the dark river swirled and eddied below, 
 chafing angrily — above, the rocks rose on either 
 hand in rugged precipices, re-echoing the harsh roar 
 and rumble of the train as it wound its tortuous way 
 through the caiion, ever rising higher and still higher, 
 till at last we gained the summit of Marshall's Pass, 
 10,820 feet above the sea. 
 
 The view from the Pass is disappointing after the 
 grand scenery of the Black Caiion, though an 
 engineer would find consolation for the want of 
 beauty in the landscape, by dwelling on the wonders 
 of the line along which he is travelling at such an 
 altitude, attained by steep gradients some of them 
 220 feet to the mile, or 24. 
 
 Descending from Marshall's Pass, st veral railroads 
 
288 
 
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 branch off to the various mining districts in tli 
 neighbourhood ; the main Denver and Rio Granc 
 Hne then runs through more open, but still broke 
 and ravine-gashed country, till it reaches what is coi 
 sidered the finest part of the road through the Rock 
 Mountains — the Royal Gorge of the Colorado, 
 know not whether it was that our eyes had bee 
 surfeited with rock scenery, or that ihis ravine 
 really less grand than the Black Canon of t\ 
 Gunnison, but it certainly impressed us less than tl 
 latter had done. It is much narrower — like a dee 
 cleft in the mountain — and in one part the rails a: 
 laid on a platform supported partly on under-ties, b 
 chiefly by stays from over-head girders. 
 
 We emerged from the great ravine on to the lev 
 puin of Pueblo with a feeling of relief such as o: 
 expenei'.res on coming out of a long railway-tunne 
 the wide green expanse dotted with farms refresh 
 our eyes, strained with constant upward gazing, ai 
 the comparative silence rested our ears, weari 
 with continual crashing reverberation. At Pue 
 we turned northwards, changed cars at Colora 
 Springs, and at nightfall reached Manitou, 
 spa in the Rockies, to be jolted to the hotel over 
 road which felt like a river-bed, having been cut 
 by a heavy mountain storm during the day. 
 
 We took up our quarters at '* The Mansions,' 
 
JL. 
 
 MOUNTAINS. 
 
 mining districts in the 
 Denver and Rio Grande 
 lore open, but still broken 
 till it reaches what is con- 
 he road through the Rocky 
 rorge of the Colorado. I 
 s that our eyes had been 
 sry, or that this ravine is 
 he Black Canon of the 
 impressed us less than the 
 luch narrower — like a deep 
 id in one part the rails are 
 ced partly on under-ties, but 
 r-head girders, 
 great ravine on to the level 
 "eeling of relief such as one 
 it of a long railway-tunnel ; 
 lotted with farms refreshed 
 snstant upward gazing, and 
 rested our ears, wearied 
 reverberation. At Pueblo 
 changed cars at Colorado 
 tfall reached Manitou, a 
 ; jolted to the hotel over a 
 jr-bed, having been cut up 
 rm during the day. 
 ;ers at "The Mansions," a 
 
 TBH KOYil. GOME. 
 
Ji.V 
 
 r 
 
THE MAMTOU CVVKS. 
 
 289 
 
 pretentious inn chiefly remarkable for bad food,- bad 
 attendance and bad situt^tion. Next mornin^j we 
 drove to see a cave which had been discovered only 
 eighteen months before. Climbing a ladder placed 
 against the cliff, we arrived at a landing-stage, from 
 which the mouth of the cavern opened ; here we 
 were furnished wlih a guide, and equipped with 
 common kerosine wall-lamps — most awkward things 
 to carry. Proceeding for some distance down an 
 inclined plane, the air feeling chilly as we advanced, 
 we followed the tortuous windings of the grotto, 
 sometimes so narrow that the passage was rather 
 difficult, sometimes widening to a fair-sized tunnel, 
 or opening into lofty halls hung with stalactites. The 
 largest of these chambers is called the " Music 
 Hall ; " it is about 150 feet long, .50 feet wide, and 
 50 feet high. Mounting a flight of wooden steps, we 
 reached a part of the lime-stone wall from which 
 projected some thirty ribs or thin folds of calcareous 
 deposit, looking like layers of greasy grey suet ; they 
 were qaite moist, and a light placed b; hind one of 
 them could be plainly seen from the other side. 
 When si ruck with a stick they gave out clear bell- 
 like notes, varying with the size of the fold ; on this 
 natural rock-harmonicon the guide played chimes, 
 and two tunes in which could be traced a faint 
 resemblance to " Rousseau's Dream " and " Annie 
 
 U 
 
Laurie." Many of the other stalactites in the cavern., 
 are translucent, and a few are as white as alabaster ; 
 they hang in many queer shapes — one little group, 
 protected by wire netting, looks like miniature 
 tendrils and bunches of grapes ; this is called 
 " Martha's Vineyard " — another goes by the name of 
 the " Leg of Mutton," and a third bears the title of 
 the " Fat Boy." 
 
 We walked about 600 yards through the various 
 branches of the cavern, and when we came out 
 again the ten.perature felt almost unbearably hot ! 
 The thermometer in the Music Hall registered 54°, 
 while that in the shade at the entrance stood at 80°. 
 The air in the cave was quite fresh and pure, which 
 shows that there is a through current, though it has 
 not yet been acccounted for. 
 
 The storm had destroyed the road to William' 
 Cafion and the Garden of the Gods, so we had tc 
 content ourselves with visiting the soda and sulphui 
 springs. The smell of the latter immediately re 
 minded us of Ashinoyu in Japan, but a draught fron 
 the sparkling soda fountain was very refreshing anc 
 acceptable on that hot day. The trail to Pike' 
 Peak passes these springs, and the mountain itsel 
 rises before you, the second highest point of thi 
 Rockies, only beaten by 200 feet by the crest 
 Grey's Peak, which is 14,566 feet above the sea 
 
lOUNTAINS. 
 
 • Stalactites in the cavern 
 re as white as alabaster ; 
 shapes — one little group, 
 r, looks like miniature 
 
 grapes ; this is called 
 ather goes by the name of 
 
 a third bears the title of 
 
 ards through the various 
 ind when we came out 
 ; almost unbearably hot ! 
 [usic Hall registered 54°, 
 he entrance stood at 80°. 
 ite fresh and pure,, which 
 gh current, though it has 
 r. 
 
 ed the road to William's 
 >f the Gods, so we had to 
 ting the soda and sulphur 
 he latter immediately re- 
 Japan, but a draught from 
 ti was very refreshing and 
 lay. The trail to Pike's 
 5, and the mountain itself 
 ;ond highest point of the 
 200 feet by the crest of 
 4,566 feet above the sea, 
 
 COLORADO SPRINGS. 
 
 291 
 
 only 1,214 feet lower that Mont Blanc. We drove for 
 some distance along the pretty Pike's Peak trail, and 
 left Manitou that afternoon to return to Colorado 
 Springs. 
 
 Here we found most comfortable quarters at the 
 " Antlers," a large Queen Anne building facing the 
 railway station on one side and the main street of the 
 town on the other, Although lower than Manitou, 
 we were still 6,000 feet above sea-level, and the cool 
 air was fresh and bracing in spite of a broiling sun. 
 The town is traversed by wide boulevards ; across 
 these the shop-signs are suspended ; they are cut out 
 of sheet-iron, and hung from stout wires high enough 
 to clear the most piled-up waggon-load, so that 
 strangers walking through the streets give one the 
 idea of being star-gazers. We found Aiken's store, 
 on Pike's Peak Avenue, well worth a visit : it con- 
 tained Mexican pottery, Indian blankets and imple- 
 ments, geological specimens, magnificent buffalo- 
 robes and other furs, and a collection of the most 
 natural-looking stuffed birds and animals I have ever 
 seen. Many of the groups were exceedingly amusing, 
 and were executed with great care and rare good 
 taste, especially those formed of marmots, or prairie- 
 dogs, and their cons+ant companions the little horned 
 
 owls. 
 
 We left Colorado Springs the following morning, 
 
 U 3 
 
 ■ '"'"il4..(M i iiHu'"":'T'- 
 
292 
 
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 and passed Monument; in this district, locally 
 known as "The Garden of the Gods," there are 
 many slabs of flat rock resting on pedestals of 
 conglomerate; these are aptly called "mesas," or 
 " tables." Some curious formations are like rows of 
 huge organ-pipes; others, again, represent castles, 
 churches, thrones, arches, towers and spires ; it is a 
 most extraordinary region, and one can well believe 
 that the superstitious Indians should imagine it the 
 home of the Great Spirit, " Manitou." 
 
 The line had been gradually ascending to Larkspur, 
 and when we reached Palmer Lake we were on the 
 water-shed between the Missouri and Arkansas 
 valleys, 7,238 feet above sea-level. It seemed a 
 strange position in which to find a lake ; but it was 
 even stranger to see fountains playing in the midst 
 of the shallow waters, and pleasure-boats, dancing- 
 booths and restaurants, with no sign of any town or 
 even village ! It appears that people only come here 
 for the day, even the attendants returning to Denver 
 or some neighbouring town to sleep, leaving only a 
 " caretaker " in charge of each of the wooden houses. 
 From Palmer Lake the descent into the Missouri 
 Valley commences. The country is " prairie "—like 
 a great rolling down or moor— dotted with a few 
 scattered firs on the higher levels, but bare, undulating 
 and wide-stretching as the ocean itself as you 
 
JNTAINS. 
 
 this district, locally 
 the Gods," there are 
 ting on pedestals of 
 tly called " mesas," or 
 nations are like rows of 
 ^ain, represent castles, 
 /ers and spires ; it is a 
 id one can well believe 
 s should imagine it the 
 anitou." 
 
 ascending to Larkspur, 
 r Lake we were on the 
 lissouri and Arkansas 
 ea-level. It seemed a 
 find a lake ; but it was 
 ns playing in the midst 
 )leasure-boats, dancing- 
 no sign of any town or 
 t people only come here 
 nts returning to Denver 
 to sleep, leaving only a 
 h of the wooden houses, 
 jscent into the Missouri 
 untry is " prairie " — like 
 or — dotted with a few 
 els, but bare, undulating 
 ! ocean itself as you 
 
BAD FOR THE COO' ! " 
 
 393 
 
 descend. For miles the only signs of life were the 
 little prairie-dogs which sat up and stared at us as 
 we passed, or ducked into their l)urrows like tiny 
 rabbits. The line was generally fenced — either with 
 wire, or a rough timber railing — but near Denver we 
 came to an unprotected part, and here a drove of 
 mules apparently tried to stop the train ; the " cow- 
 catcher " soon cleared them out of the way, killing 
 one outright 1 breaking the leg of another. The 
 train was hiuLcti to see what damage had been done, 
 and to guard against over-charge, as the Railroad 
 Company is responsible for the fences, and is liable 
 for the value of any animals killed or maimed while 
 straying on the line. The poor beast with the broken 
 leg was so badly injured that the guard shot it, and 
 then we proceeded on our way to Denver, which we 
 reached at 1.15 p.m. 
 
 It was a damp, drizzly day, but we drove about the 
 town and suburbs, noticing the immensely tall stands 
 for electric lights, the intricate network of telephone 
 wires crossing and recrossing in every direction, like 
 an immense spider's web hanging over the city, the 
 out-lined signs swinging across the streets represent- 
 ing the legs and wings of the flies which had been 
 caught in it. One of these signs was — " Mr. and 
 Mrs. Carter, dentists." The tramcar station was 
 another novelty ; the cars were housed on the ground 
 
 'H 
 
 I'M 
 1 ix 
 
294 
 
 DENVER. 
 
 floor, and the stables were above ! No ramp was pro- 
 vided for the horses to pass up and down, but only 
 litter laid on the ordinary stairs. 
 
 The " Tabor Grand Opera House " is thi . ist of 
 Denver — it is said to be second only to that in I'aris 
 — pretty well for a city which, though it now has a 
 population of over 80,000, was only founded in 1858. 
 
 Here we saw an unmistakeable sign of more 
 advanced civilization— the dep6t is ;-t one end of the 
 town, and the line runs outside in^ttjad of through 
 the centre Street, as is the rule farther west. The 
 renson for this is that in the more iic\v!y settled 
 districts the railway-station has given O'c raison 
 d'itre to the town instead of the contrary as in 
 Europe, so the houses are built round the " dep6t " 
 as a centre, and the trains run through the streets 
 without any protection except the constant clang of 
 the warning bell on the engine. Another point to be 
 remarked here was that the town looked more solid 
 and lasting — less like a hap-hazard collection of deal 
 packing-cases — than those we had hitherto seen since 
 leaving San Francisco. 
 
 On leaving Denver we had our berths made up in 
 the comfortable sleeping-car of the " Burlington 
 Route," running on the curious paper wheels made 
 at Pullman City, near Chicago. These wheels are 
 almost noiseless, and we found this an immense 
 advantage, especially at night. 
 
EK. 
 
 love ! No ramp was pro- 
 up and down, but only 
 airs. 
 
 a House " is thi k ;ist of 
 end only to that in I'aris 
 lich, though it now has a 
 /as only founded in 1858. 
 stakeable sign of more 
 lep6t is ;'t one end of the 
 utside inv ttjad of through 
 rule farther west. The 
 the more ucwly' settled 
 m has given t^e raison 
 i of the contrary as in 
 built round the " dep6t " 
 IS run through the streets 
 ept the constant clang of 
 fine. Another point to be 
 5 town looked more solid 
 )-hazard collection of deal 
 we had hitherto seen since 
 
 ad our berths made up in 
 car of the " Burlington 
 rious paper wheels made 
 cago. These wheels are 
 found this an immense 
 ;ht. 
 
r^^» « *l« 1 
 
 ■MJiiiiw^wi-ajWj.ifirfiii^TiiTiya-W'i ■-— ' 
 
 .0 * 
 
 >,.s^. 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 11.25 
 
 iiHi 12.5 
 
 1^ Ki& 
 
 12.2 
 
 I Ufi 12.0 
 B IHI^E 
 
 Utau 
 
 l.'^ 11.6 
 
 6" 
 
 Hiotographk) 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 s' 
 
 V''> 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 
 
 (716)872-4503 
 
 '^ 
 
 fikmm 
 
CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 -JB?* 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical MIcroreproductlons / Instltut Canadian de microreproductlons historlques 
 
;t-Wj^-a..-..:^lit— ...,.^-- HiMln^ 
 
 PUZZLING CHANGES. 
 
 295 
 
 During the night we crossed the boundary between 
 Colorado and Nebraska, and, at McCook Station, 
 changed from " Mountain " to " Central Time." 
 These changes of time, one hour each, occur on 
 three different occasions in crossing the Continent, 
 and, more than anything else, mark the immense 
 distance travelled over ; at San Francisco you start 
 with " Pacific Standard Time," which is changed at 
 Ogden to " Mountain Standard," at McCook to 
 " Central Standard," and at Chicago to " Eastern 
 Standard." This makes the time-tables, or " folders " 
 as they are called, very puzzling to the uninitiated, 
 especially when journeying west ; the train by which 
 you are travelling is timed to arrive at — say Chicago 
 — at 7.30 P.M., and to depart at 6.38 p.m., which 
 looks as if you had to " stop over " nearly twenty- 
 four hours, the actual fact being that Chicago is a 
 " change-time depot," and the duration of your halt 
 only eight minutes. Going east, of course, the cal- 
 culation must be reversed, and you deduct an hour 
 from the stoppage marked in the " folder." 
 
 We woke in the " sleeper" on the 28th to find a damp 
 morning mist almost blotting out the ranks of tail 
 sunflowers (some fully fifteen feet high) which hedged 
 each side of the track as we passed through the wide 
 pasture-lands of Nebraska. Gradually the veil lifted 
 to disclose an apparently unbroken level plain, stretch- 
 
2^6 THE MISSOURI. 
 
 ing to the utmost limits of our vision ; and we were 
 thoroughly surprised when we suddenly struck the 
 bank of the Platte River at a bend of its course, for 
 the great stream had given no previous sign of its 
 proximity. The muddy, sullen, swirling current 
 swept along amid shifting sand-banks and treach- 
 erous snags, sometimes half a mile across, sometimes 
 contracting to 500 yards or less, but always dull, 
 turbid, and ugly. 
 
 At Lincoln we changed cars, and a little farther on, 
 at 6.50 P.M., came to a deep cutting in a sand-bank, 
 and then passed very slowly on to an iron bridge sus- 
 pended over a broad muddy flood, the farther bank 
 consisting of alluvial fields very little above the surface 
 of the stream. Poised on light trestles high above 
 fields and river ran the train, until the rising ground 
 again reached our level, and we stopped at Pacific 
 Junction to find that we had crossed "mighty 
 
 Missouri." 
 
 During the halt a Pullman dining-car had been 
 coupled on, and we went to it for dinner. Twelve 
 tables, with seats for parties of four, occupied each 
 side of the car, a row of lamps hung from the middle 
 of the roof, and the kitchen was at the farther end. 
 After dinner we returned to find the conductor 
 making our beds. Some of our fellow-passengers 
 had already turned in, and their snoring could be 
 
OURl. 
 
 ur vision ; and we were 
 
 we suddenly struck the 
 
 I bend of its course, for 
 
 no previous sign of its 
 
 sullen, swirling current 
 
 sand-banks and treach- 
 
 a mile across, sometimes 
 
 or less, but always dull, 
 
 irs, and a little farther on, 
 • cutting in a sand-bank, 
 ' on to an iron bridge sus- 
 ' flood, the farther bank 
 ;ry little above the surface 
 light trestles high above 
 n, until the rising ground 
 d we stopped at Pacific 
 e had crossed "mighty 
 
 lan dining-car had been 
 to it for dinner. Twelve 
 ies of four, occupied each 
 Tips hung from the middle 
 1 was at the farther end^ 
 1 to find the conductor 
 of our fellow-passengers 
 d their snoring could be 
 
 CHICAGO. 
 
 ag; 
 
 heard even above the grinding roll of the train ! In 
 the morning we found that one of the unmusical 
 party was a huge woman, who proudly and loudly 
 announced that she "scaled" 240 pounds, and her 
 husband 290 pounds. 
 
 We now crossed the Mississippi, a far finer stream 
 than the Missouri, and at 2.15 p.m. on the 2gth of 
 August, we arrived at the great Phoenix City — 
 Chicago. During the afternoon we strolled down to 
 the shore of the lake, where the waters of Michigan 
 roll in like waves of the sea to break on the sandy 
 beach ; large ships lie at anchor in the bay, and the 
 level of the far horizon is only broken by the white 
 specks of distant sails. I actually had to taste the 
 water, in order to convince myself that it was not the 
 ocean on which I gazed. 
 
 We stayed at the Grand Pacific Hotel, and found 
 salt-S'-toons on the table — the only ones we saw 
 between San Francisco and Niagara ! 
 
 Certainly the history of Chicago is the most 
 wonderful proof yet given by the Americans of their 
 unequalled boldness and invincible determination in 
 the face of great natural obstacles and dire disasters. 
 Fifty years ago this extraordinary city was a small 
 Indian trading-station, which rapidly developed into 
 a large and prosperous town. In 1856 it was found 
 that the site of the stores and offices nearest the 
 
 ^ •-'i 
 
 I , 
 
29S 
 
 THE GREAT FIRE. 
 
 lake was too low. and that their basements were 
 
 frequently exposed to inundation, so engines wen 
 
 invented and plans devised by which the bu.ld.ngi 
 
 were raised en masse from three to nine feet abov. 
 
 their previous level, piles and huge blocks of ston^ 
 
 placed beneath the foundations retaining them arml; 
 
 at their new elevation. This may be called th 
 
 "trial by water;" fifteen years later came th 
 
 " ordeal by fire." 
 
 On Sunday evening, October 8th 1871, a l.ghte 
 
 kerosene lamp was accidently upset in a shanty 1 
 
 the south-western part of the town. The neighbou 
 
 ing buildings-almost all of wood-carried the flam 
 
 to the immense lumber-yards along the rwer ban 
 
 from which they spread to the city with fnghtl 
 
 rapidity. The fire raged fiercely all through Sund 
 
 night, the whole of Monday, and Monday mght, a^ 
 
 it was not till Tuesday morning that the last roof i 
 
 in The ruins still smouldered and occasiona 
 
 burst into flame several months afterwards. 
 
 The area devastated by the devouring element v 
 about three and a half square miles ; nearly eight, 
 thousand buildings were destroyed, .and a hund 
 thousandpeople rendered homeless. The loss was e 
 
 mated at fifty millions sterling, and many of^ 
 American insurance companies went bankrupt, 
 fire happened late in autumn, but before winter se 
 
fiT FIRE. 
 
 lat their basements were 
 indation, so engines were 
 ;d by which the buildings 
 three to nine feet above 
 and huge blocks of stone 
 Ltions retaining them firmly 
 This may be called the 
 in years later came the 
 
 ctober 8th 1871, a lighted 
 ently upset in a shanty in 
 the town. The neighbour- 
 of wood— carried the flames 
 rards along the river bank, 
 
 to the city with frightful 
 fiercely all through Sunday 
 lay, and Monday night, and 
 lorning that the last roof fell 
 Tiouldered and occasionally 
 months afterwards. 
 »y the devouring element was 
 quare miles ; nearly eighteen 
 e destroyed, .and a hundred 
 dhojneless. The loss was esti- 
 
 sterling, and many of the 
 ipanies went bankrupt. The 
 tumn, but before winter set in 
 
 CHICAGO. 
 
 299 
 
 many of the merchants had re-opened their offices in 
 wooden booths or private houses ; a year after the 
 disaster much of the town had been rebuilt, and now 
 it is one of the finest cities in America, and second 
 in commercial importance only to New York itself. 
 
 It has several very fine public parks, of which 
 Lincoln Park, on the shore of Lake Michigan, is the 
 best, though Humboldt, Union, and Douglas Parks 
 tread closely on its heels. The shops — especially 
 those in State Street — are very handsome, and would 
 be admired anywhere. The principal streets are 
 wide and well paved, and the roads in the environs 
 are kept in excellent order ; we drove along Mil- 
 waukee Avenue and Garfield Boulevard, fine broad 
 throughfares ; the surrounding country is flat, green, 
 and highly cultivated. 
 
 There are many large docks opening from the 
 Chicago river in the centre of the town, surrounded 
 by the monster " grain elevators " worked by steam, 
 which unload trucks and load ships, or vice versa, 
 with almost incredible rapidity and despatch. 
 
 We did not pay a visit to the pig-killing and pork- 
 packing establishments, for though no doubt very 
 marvellous in their way, they possessed no attraction 
 for us ; but I spent a most interesting morning in 
 the great car factory at Pullman City, about three- 
 quarters of an hour by train from Chicago. 
 
 ' t 
 
 'in 
 
 I / 
 
 V' • iW 
 
r 
 
 300 
 
 PULLMAN CITY. 
 
 This "city" is a collection of handsome red- 
 brick buildings faced with grey stone; from the 
 centre of the main ediBce rises a tall clock-tower, 
 and the grounds in front are prettily laid out with 
 grass-plats, flower-beds, and fountains. The engine- 
 room holds the great main engine, two "walking 
 beams" turning a driving wheel thirty feet in 
 diameter. The manufacture of locomotives, carriages, 
 and railway " rolling stock " of all kinds is carried 
 on here, but the " Pullman cars " occupy most of the 
 extensive factories. I wished particularly to see 
 the paper wheels being made, and the courteous 
 superintendent gave me an account of the whole 
 process with practical illustrations as we went 
 through the different work-rooms. These wonderful 
 wheels, which are rapidly supplanting their wooder 
 prototypes in America, are made of rice-straw paper 
 this coarse, light-brown material is stacked in greai 
 piles in well ventilated store-houses ; each circulai 
 sheet is one-sixteenth of an inch thick, and fron 
 twenty-four to forty-two inches in diameter, with ; 
 round hole in the centre ; twelve sheets saturatec 
 with ordinary flour-paste are placed together, sub 
 jected to a hydraulic pressure. of 800 tons, and huni 
 up to dry for a week in a temperature of 130' 
 Three of these are then pasted together, pressed, an> 
 again dried for a week. They are finally " blocked, 
 
■{--■) 
 
 t J 'i£>Ab>k.l JjriUMifetui 
 
 CITY. 
 
 :tion of handsome red- 
 j grey stone ; from the 
 
 rises a tall clock-tower, 
 are prettily laid out with 
 d fountains. The engine- 
 in engine, two ''walking 
 ig wheel thirty feet in 
 ! of locomotives, carriages, 
 k " of all kinds is carried 
 
 cars " occupy most of the 
 ished particularly to see 
 tnade, and the courteous 
 in account of the whole 
 [lustrations as we went 
 ■rooms. These wonderful 
 supplanting their wooden 
 
 made of rice-straw paper : 
 laterial is stacked in great 
 :ore-houses; each circular 
 
 an inch thick, and from 
 aches in diameter, with a 
 
 ; twelve sheets saturated 
 
 are placed together, sub- 
 jure.of 800 tons, and hung 
 n a temperature of 130°. 
 isted together, pressed, and 
 rhey are finally " blocked," 
 
 PAPER WUKKLS. 
 
 301 
 
 i.e. several discs of this very solid pasteboard, enough 
 to make about six inches in thickness, are pasted 
 and subjected to increased pressure, reducing them 
 to four and a half inches, after which they are piled 
 in the drying-houses, and remain in an even 
 temperature of 95° for a period of from three to cix 
 months ; if there is a heavy demand they are taken 
 out at the end of the shorter period, but if possible 
 they are left longer, though never more than six 
 months for fear of their becoming brittle. 
 
 When these paper Cheddar-cheeses are to be 
 made into wheels, the steel " hub " is forced into the 
 centre hole by a lo-ton Nasmyth's hammer, and the 
 whole disc into the tyre by one of loo tons ; the 
 front and back plates of :^-inch iron are bolted on, 
 and the wheels are fit for issue. Krupp's tyres are 
 now in use, but those of American manufacture are 
 gradually superseding them. A good paper wheel 
 wears out four tyres ; at each re-tyring fresh bolts 
 are inserted in the back and front plates ; for the 
 first renewal the old holes are enlarged, and thicker 
 bolts used ; the next time fresh holes a < drilled, and 
 for the final change these are enlarged. Che flange 
 of the tyre wears out first ; when this happens the 
 metal is " taken up," or drawn from the inner surface 
 of the wheel, and a new flange made by bending it 
 in a fresh place. 
 
r 
 
 \ W 
 
 302 
 
 PULLMAN CITY. 
 
 An average calculated from five years' returns, 
 shows that a tyre, 2* inches thick, will run 434-45^ 
 miles with the loss of i^ inches of steel, reducmg .1 
 to I of an inch, when it is considered to have don. 
 
 its work. . 
 
 The paper wheels are made of different sues, fron 
 24 to 42 inches in diameter ; those in general use a 
 present are 33 inches, but the demand for the large 
 si^es is rapidly increasing; they cost from 65 to 7 
 dollars each— about ;f 13 to £i5- 
 
 Over 3.000 hands are employed in these works 
 they have a theatre, library, hotel, schools, ar 
 co-operative stores ; the last, called the Arcade, hi 
 good shops, selling every article of ordinary dai 
 requirement, and a great deal of very handson 
 furniture made by the workmen during their leisu 
 
 hours. , . .,.• 
 
 The factories occupy about forty large buildmi 
 
 and there are besides these the church, chape 
 
 Arcade, barracks, and many cottages for the mam 
 
 men. all in Queen Anne style. A very handso, 
 
 octagonal water-tower supplies the works and 1 
 
 community: in short, everything about the pb 
 
 testifies to the energy and enterprise of Mr. Geo 
 
 W. Pullman, who initiated his vast undertakmg 
 
 the purchase of 3,000 acres of land for £200.000. s 
 
 whose last outlay was £20,000 on the hotel. 
 
iir iM"i"iillihwfwiiiti i fi in 1 1— <iimi i i i . 
 
 N CITY. 
 
 from five years' returns, 
 les thick, will run 434.452 
 nches of steel, reducing it 
 s considered to have done 
 
 lade of different sizes, from 
 
 er ; those in general use at 
 
 the demand for the larger 
 
 ; they cost from 65 to 75 
 
 o £15. 
 
 employed in these works; 
 
 brary, hotel, schools, and 
 
 last, called the Arcade, has 
 
 y article of ordinary daily 
 
 at deal of very handsome 
 
 arkmen during their leisure 
 
 about forty large buildings, 
 these the church, chapels, 
 any cottages for the married 
 le style. A very handsome 
 supplies the works and the 
 everything about the place 
 nd enterprise of Mr. George 
 ited his vast undertaking by 
 ;res of land for £200,000, and 
 '20,000 on the hotel. 
 
 GREAT shakes! 
 
 303 
 
 Our short stay at Chicago intervened between two 
 disasters ; just before our arrival, one of the great 
 dynamite factories on the outskirts blew up, causing 
 the loss of several lives, and within four hours of our 
 departure on the 31st of August, a severe shock of 
 earthquake was felt, a wave of the great convulsion 
 which did so much damage at Charleston. 
 
 ■i 
 
 ■iH 
 
 "oi m mttg 
 
L 
 
 ill 
 
 ; * M^S.^l'kt^ 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 CANADA. 
 
 NIAGARA-TORONTO-RIVER ST. LAWRENCE- 
 MONTREAL— QUEBEC. 
 
 IN leaving Chicago we branched off fro 
 the direct line to New York, as we want 
 
 to catch a glimpse of Canada, the 5 
 
 Lawrence, and above all, Niagara. 
 
 The " Lake Shore Line " deserved its name, taki 
 us for many miles along the margins of La) 
 Michigan and Erie. The scenery between Chi« 
 and Buffalo reminded us of that on the shores of 
 ereat Swedish Lakes-displaying a much w. 
 expanse of water, it is true, but showmg the sa 
 dark belts of pine-wood. the same mtermmab le 
 fences, and the same level, alluvial, nchly-cultiva 
 country. 
 
NKAKIN»; TIIK KALLS. 
 
 305 
 
 LR XVII. 
 ^ADA. 
 
 JVER ST. LAWRENCE — 
 L— QUEBEC. 
 
 ago we branched off from 
 to New York, as we wanted 
 lirnpse of Canada, the St. 
 I, Niagara. 
 
 le " deserved its name, taking 
 >ng the margins of Lakes 
 le scenery between Chicago 
 s of that on the shores of the 
 -displaying a much wider 
 true, but showing the same 
 , the same interminable log- 
 »vel. alluvial, richly-cultivated 
 
 We again dint-d and slept in the train, and on 
 waking next morning it seemed that we had been 
 standing still ! Surely those were the wide glassy 
 waters, the sandy shore, the spreading groen fields, 
 and long, straggling fences on which we had gazed 
 through the dusk of evening? It is true that many 
 more ships were now in sight, but probably they left 
 port in the morning, which would account for their 
 number ? But the conductor enters at this moment, 
 and dispels our fancies by shouting (intelligibly, for a 
 wonder) ; " Buflalo ! Change ';ars for the Falls ! " 
 and we wake from our dream of Michigan to the fact 
 that we are at the eastern end of Erie, where the 
 great sluice called the Niagara river carries off the 
 superfluent waters of those inland oceans — Superior, 
 Michigan, Huron, and Erie — to dash them in one 
 stupendous cataract over the Falls. 
 
 The line ran along the south bank of the broad 
 river, which was studded with many islands, and 
 often widened out into lakt-like pools ; at 10 a.m. we 
 arrived at the Falls Station, and took a carriage to 
 the Clifton Hotel, on the Canadian side. The town 
 of Niagara Falls is a picturesque collection of 
 irregular buildings extending to the entrance of the 
 Park, a public i)roinenade and recreation-ground, 
 through which the American Fall and the islands are 
 reached. Just beyond the Park-gates we turned to 
 
 X 
 
 '■^i 
 
 U' 
 
 ii 
 
3o6 
 
 NlAtiARA. 
 
 the left, descended a short indine, and passed or 
 the Suspension Bridge. Ever since we left 
 dep6t a noise of many waters h?.d been in the a 
 a deep, hoarse roar— a soun^ unlike anything 
 had ever heard before, unless it may be compare 
 the whirring of many wheels and the ceaseless c 
 of vast hammers in some great manufactory. : 
 the cause of this strange tu.nult was disclosed - 
 hundred feet beneath flowed the broad current o 
 river, flecked and streaked with foam ; on the 
 not five hundred yards off, was the great Horse- 
 Fall ; as we slowly drove nearer the Canadian 
 the American Fall also came into view, and fror 
 northern end of the long bridge the whole magnii 
 panorama lay before our astonished and bewiU 
 eyes ! I had heard much and read more about 
 wonderful scene, but no amount of the most vivi 
 scription can give any idea of the poetic majest; 
 ethereal grandeur of this glorious cataract— no p: 
 can convey more than a maimed impression 
 effect, which appeals not only to the eye but al 
 the ear, and draws its indescribable charm not 
 from grand outline and gorgeous colour, but 
 ceaseless movement and the sense of irres 
 power. Niagara must oppress the noblest of 
 bewilder the greatest of artists, and convert th< 
 stubborn of atheists ! 
 
 i. i «(mi i » > „K i m r ii f i w >ri MM | !Lt» * 
 
lAtiARA. 
 
 lort incline, and passed on to 
 e. Ever since we left the 
 waters had been in the air— 
 -a sounc" unlike anything we 
 
 unless it may be compared to 
 vheels and the ceaseless crash 
 ne preat manufactory. Now 
 getunult was disclosed — two 
 Bowed the broad current of the 
 iked with foam ; on the left, 
 i off, was the great Horse-shoe 
 3ve nearer the Canadian bank 
 came into view, and from the 
 ng bridge the whole magnificent 
 )ur astonished and bewildered 
 luch and read more about this 
 no amount of the most vivid de- 
 ■ idea of the poetic majesty, the 
 lis glorious cataract— no painter 
 n a maimed impression of its 
 not only to the eye but also to 
 3 indescribable charm not only 
 and gorgeous colour, but from 
 
 and the sense of irresistible 
 ist oppress the noblest of poets, 
 
 of artists, and convert the most 
 
*,vm ismk mwt«>v ci 
 
 THE GREAT CATARACT. 
 
 307 
 
 We stayed at the comfortable Clifton House Hotel, 
 which is admirably placed on the Canadian side in 
 full view of the Falls, so that the visitor can revel in 
 their beauty at his ease. Fortunately, the moon was 
 nearly full at the time of our visit, and enabled us to 
 behold the entrancing sight of Niagara by moonlight, 
 when a fairy-like unreality wraps the scene, the Falls 
 look like huge polished walls of solid silver, and the 
 vast column of spray rising high above the Horse- 
 shoe might well be the shadowy form of the great 
 Spirit of the Waters. 
 
 We sat up late on the night of our arrival, unable 
 to tear ourselves away from the verandah which 
 afforded such an entrancing panorama, and started 
 early next morning to make closer acquaintance with 
 the eighth wonder of the world. 
 
 The drawback to Niagara is having to see it ! I do 
 not mean to gaze on its grand beauty — that one could 
 be content to do for ever — but to go from point to 
 point and inspect the different component parts of 
 the great picture, to " do the Falls," in short. There 
 seems to be a certain amount of impertinent curiosity 
 in this— an attempt to catch nature in deshabille, to 
 look behind her veil and see how she gets herself up 
 — which certainly detracts from the poetry of the 
 scene, especially when each fresh peep costs a dollar ! 
 One of these expeditions is to the Whirlpool, about 
 
 X 2 
 
 I 
 
 1 ".!i 
 
 \ A. 
 
 ■I 
 
 H 
 
 ■iil 
 
ij 
 
 I 
 
 111 
 
 I ■ 
 
 308 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 
 two miles down the river, where the channel turns ai 
 a right angle and the force of the carrent has hollowec 
 out a bay in the cliff, and swirls sullenly in treacherou 
 eddies, ever ready to swallow their prey. 
 
 We were fortunate in meeting a very pleasan 
 
 American couple, who knew the neighbourhood 
 
 thoroughly well (having visited it every autumn fc 
 
 several years past,) and joined us in our ramble; 
 
 Re-crossing from Canada to the States by th 
 
 suspension bridge, 1,190 feet in length, we walke 
 
 through the Park to the edge of the American Fal 
 
 of which a good view was obtained from a poii 
 
 jutting out from the bank, and protected by a stor 
 
 wall. The water was clear as purest glass, ar 
 
 the spray below caught the sunbeams in a doub 
 
 rainbow. Turning a little way up the bank v 
 
 crossed to Bath Island ; looking up-stream from tl 
 
 bridge, the river seemed to be rushing down a flig 
 
 of steps towards the Fall; some of these ste 
 
 stretched at right angles completely across t 
 
 stream, from bank to bank. From Bath Isla; 
 
 another bridge took us on to Goat Island, whi 
 
 separates the two principal Falls. Between the 
 
 islands is a detached rock called Luna Islai 
 
 whence the best view of the American Fall w 
 
 obtained ; a rainbow forming a compute circle hu 
 
 in the spray below. 
 
iAKA. 
 
 where the channel turns at 
 of the c jrrent has hollowed 
 virls sullenly in treacherous 
 low their prey. 
 
 meeting a very pleasant 
 knew the neighbourhood 
 isited it every autumn for 
 joined us in our rambles, 
 a to the States by the 
 
 feet in length, we walked 
 :dge of the American Fall, 
 was obtained from a point 
 :, and protected by a stone 
 :lear as purest glass, and 
 
 the sunbeams in a double 
 ittle way up the bank we 
 looking up-stream from the 
 to be rushing down a flight 
 'all; some of these steps 
 les completely across the 
 bank. From Bath Island 
 ; on to Goat Island, which 
 ipal Falls. Between these 
 
 rock called Luna Island, 
 of the American Fall was 
 rming a complete circle hung 
 
*-i_.V;5i„„^, 
 
,1 
 
 1 ')i 
 
 THE GREAT CATARACT. 
 
 309 
 
 .A/, 
 
 '■^m 
 
 \l 
 
 Returning to Goat Island, which is covered with 
 good-sized trees, we walked to its further edge, and 
 then over another bridge to the " Sisters," two 
 wood-crowned rocks forming the southern boundary 
 of the Canadian, or Horse-shoe Fall. Just above the 
 Sisters a higher step than usual crosses the Rapids 
 and checks the course of the torrent, forcing the 
 water to shoot up in a long ridge of shattered crystal, 
 fountains and jets of spray springing high from its 
 crest where the hidden rock presents a sharper edge 
 or loftier barrier to the head-long rush of waters. 
 
 The leaping, laughing, glittering rapids and the 
 great ceaseless Falls of Niagara suggest the poetry of 
 motion as perfectly as the stately snow-clad peaks 
 and mighty ice-fields of the Himalayas represent the 
 majesty of repose. 
 
 The rock over which the waters of the Canadian 
 Fall precipitate themselves appears to overhang its 
 base like a cornice, and just below this ledge the 
 torrent looks translucent, as though there were no 
 clifT behind it, but clear daylight ; this is more par- 
 ticularly remarkable from the American heel of the 
 Horse-shoe, whence the Fall appears like a vast sheet 
 of grey-green glass ; sometimes the foam, instead of 
 being light and airy, seems as solid as Parian marble . 
 often it is tortured into strange shapes by the resist- 
 ing air — ^gushing out in horizontal jets, dashing up in 
 
 
3IO 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 
 'k*-«. 
 
 spray fountains, shooting across in dazzling rockets, 
 and anon consolidating into broad sheets of prismatic 
 hues which melt into vague mist as they lose them- 
 selves in the seething caldron of the depths below. 
 And ever above the Fall— now bedewing the Sister 
 Islets, now moistening the verdure on the Cana- 
 dian shore— hangs the great column of ascending 
 spray, the Giant of the Mist. 
 
 The American Fall is a great river committmg 
 suicide, but the Horse-shoe is an ocean rushing into 
 
 eternity. 
 
 The old soldier who has charge of the bridge 
 between Bath Island and the mainland had been at 
 his post for twenty-four years, and told us he had 
 noticed great alterations in the outline of the falls, 
 especially in the centre of the Horse-shoe, which has 
 receded into an acute angle. He has seen a greater 
 change since our visit than in all his previous years- 
 experience, for in January last a huge piece of the 
 over-hanging Table Rock on the Canadian side fell 
 into the gulf below. 
 
 At length we tore ourselves most reluctantly away 
 from the entrancing Falls, and resumed our journej 
 through fresh scenes, though the glamour of tht 
 great cataract long lay on us like the spell of a mightj 
 
 wizard, and I can still summon up the vision wit! 
 
 ;immmimimmmmm 
 
 IMWilWitWIWIIMW 
 
•OSS in dazzling rockets, 
 jroad sheets of prismatic 
 mist as they lose them- 
 ,n of the depths below. 
 )W bedewing the Sister 
 verdure on the Cana- 
 at column of ascending 
 
 great river committing 
 is an ocean lushing into 
 
 is charge of the bridge 
 le mainland had been at 
 ars, and told us he had 
 
 the outline of the falls, 
 he Horse-shoe, which has 
 !. He has seen a greater 
 
 in all his previous years* 
 last a huge piece of the 
 m the Canadian side fell 
 
 ves most reluctantly away 
 and resumed our journey 
 3Ugh the glamour of the 
 IS like the spell of a mighty 
 nmon up the vision with 
 
 iiwiiiiifniirt1in»n 
 
 mt»- 
 
H 
 
f 'I 
 
 TORONTO. 
 
 3" 
 
 clearest distinctness, and fancy I still hear the deep 
 roar of Niagara, the " Thunder of Waters." * 
 
 Leaving the station on the Canadian side in the 
 early afternoon, we went by train to the town of 
 Niagara on the shore of Ontario, where the river 
 debouches into the lake. Near yueeiistown we saw 
 a striking monumeut to the English General Brock, 
 who, with his aide-de-camp, McDonnell, fell here on 
 the nth October, 1812. It is a pillar nearly two 
 hundred feet in heigth, admirably placed on a slight 
 hill, and visible for many miles around. On either 
 side of the mouth of the river is a small fort, one 
 English, the other American ; the lake stretches 
 away to the far horizon like a calm sea, its shores 
 flat and uninteresting. We had to wait a long time 
 for the boat, which was very unpunctual, and did not 
 reach Toronto till long after night-fall. 
 
 Next morning showed us a handsome, wide-streeted 
 town, quite ultra-English in its sign-boards, flags, 
 and other decorations. The main thoroughfares are 
 bordered with wide turf and rows of trees, often 
 horse-chesnuts. In Queen's Park is a monument to 
 the *' Bridgeway Heroes," volunteers who fell in re- 
 pelling an irruption of Fenian scoundrels from the 
 United States in 1866. Trinity College is the grandest 
 
 .'i* 
 
 * "Niagara" — the name bestowed on the falls by the Indians — 
 U thus tmnslated. 
 
3»2 
 
 THE ST. LAWRENCF. 
 
 buildinp in the town, with a very handsome pate- 
 tower, fine library an.l iiuiseiun, and pretty Krounds 
 The Horticultural (iardens arc .tlso very K"od, anc 
 most tastefully laid out. Altogether Toronto fjavt 
 us the impression of Ihmiik a thriving place, anc 
 looked much more solidly built than the towns w« 
 had hither' o seen in the United States. One smal 
 shop attracted a dispropurtionate amount of atten 
 tion by its sign-board, " Hospital for Umbrellas." 
 
 We left Toronto by steamer in the afternoon, an( 
 
 could now see that the harbour is large, and we 
 
 sheltered by islands and artificial breakwaters. Th 
 
 night was spent on board, and at six o'clock we ros 
 
 to find that we were just entering the " Thousan 
 
 Islands," the most beautiful part of the River Si 
 
 Lawrence. For fifty miles the surface of the wid( 
 
 deep stream was thickly studded with rocky islets < 
 
 all sorts and sizes, covered with trees, and generall 
 
 with one or two villas showing through the foliag 
 
 while fanciful names of points and bays were paintt 
 
 on the rocks. At Ale.xandria Bay was a larj 
 
 picturesque hotel, and in the stream lay a good-siz( 
 
 steamer, drawing fourteen feet of water, plyii 
 
 between Ogdenburg on the St. Lawrence at 
 
 Chicago, the great Welland Canal between Erie ai 
 
 Ontario, which circumvents Niagara, being dei 
 
 enough to admit vessels of considerable draught. 
 
 a,sigmi»e>»iM*m ■•i rmaemUXM 
 
AWRENCr. 
 
 Ii a very handsome Rate- 
 <eiun, and pretty K'rounds. 
 » are also very good, and 
 AltoKethor Toronto gave 
 ri-,' a thriving place, and 
 built than the towns we 
 United States. One small 
 rtionate amount of atten- 
 [ospital for Umbrellas." 
 imer in the afternoon, and 
 harbour is large, and well 
 rtiiicial breakwaters. The 
 , and at six o'clock we rose 
 t entering the "Thousand 
 iful part of the River St. 
 es the surface of the wide, 
 ;tudded with rocky islets of 
 d with trees, and generally 
 lowing through the foliage, 
 oints and bays were painted 
 .xandria Bay was a large 
 the stream lay a good-sized 
 3en feet of water, plying 
 I the St. Lawrence and 
 md Canal between Erie and 
 k'ents Niagara, being deep 
 of considerable draught. 
 
 iInmmMm 
 
THE RAPIDS. 
 
 313 
 
 Below the Thousand Islands the river gradually 
 widened till the flat, uninteresting banks sank level 
 with the horizon ; soon they closed in again, the 
 Ottowa River added its quota to the stream, and the 
 " Rapids," beginning with those of Galope, continued 
 with intermittent stretches of peaceful stream all the 
 way to Montreal. These rapids are nothing more 
 than shallow bends of the river, where a rocky 
 bottom creates little breakers and whirlpools — pretty 
 to look at, but neither exciting nor dangerous to 
 pass, at least with ordinary care. To read the 
 accounts of them published in American guide-books, 
 one would think them as dangerous as the Mael- 
 strom described by ancient mariners, while they are 
 in fact as tame as the Scandinavian Charybdis is now 
 known to be. 
 
 We reached Montreal soon after dark, and went 
 to the Richelieu Hotel, a thoroughly French establish- 
 ment, as might be expected in a town two-thirds of 
 whose inhabitants are of French descent ; the 
 nomenclature of the streets and surrounding hills, 
 the names over the shops, and the patois of the lower 
 classes are all French ; I often felt as if I had been 
 suddenly dropped on one of the Channel Islands. 
 Montreal is an island thirty miles long by ten broad, 
 and the city is built on a high ridge called " Mount 
 Royal," running parallel to the river ; it presents a 
 
min'ff^"'"*'-'-'^*^" 
 
 U[ 
 
 i\ 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 very picturesque tableau with its fine churches and 
 other public buildings on the ridge ; its handsome 
 river-front with lines of Umestone quays, alongside 
 which lie ships from all parts of the world ; its great 
 Victoria bridge two miles in length, spannmg the St 
 Lawrence ; its twisted chimneys, quaint gables and 
 glistening tin roofs, and the beautiful hilly and well 
 wooded country stretching away to the horizon on 
 all sides. The best view is obtained from a point ot 
 Mount Royal overlooking the <^ity. Leaving the 
 Place d'Armes and the six towers of Notre Dame, 
 the Roman Catholic Cathedral, on our left, w* 
 ascended the winding road to the top of the Moun 
 passing the Jesuit Church of the Gesu-a fin 
 building with a lofty nave, good paintings, an. 
 g^rgeou's side chapels -and the beaut^Uy kep 
 cemetery, and emerged from the woods which shad 
 the road to find ourselves on a lofty plateau. Th 
 view was very extensive and very beautiful, especial 
 to the south, where the spires and house-tops of L 
 Prairie rose above the verdant sea of foliage, and 
 glistening haze on the horizon marked the positic 
 of Lake Champlain. , . w .,:„ 
 
 We extended the drive "Round the Mountain 
 to the Lachine Rapids, but they were not worth tl 
 trouble-a wide, frothy stretch of broken water 
 nothing more. The foliage of the maples was 1 
 
aiti-lWfflttiiii^ira^**- 
 
 *-,M,tll^> 
 
 EAL. 
 
 ith its fine churches and 
 he ridge ; its handsome 
 tiestone quays, alongside 
 ts of the world ; its great 
 1 length, spanning the St. 
 Tineys, quaint gables, and 
 le beautiful hilly and well 
 r away to the horizon on 
 J obtained from a point of 
 the city. Leaving the 
 X towers of Notre Dame, 
 ithedral, on our left, we 
 1 to the top of the Mount, 
 rch of the Gesu— a fine 
 ive, good paintings, and 
 and the beautifully kept 
 Dm the woods which shade 
 ; on a lofty plateau. The 
 nd very beautiful, especially 
 ipires and house-tops of La 
 erdant sea of foliage, and a 
 orizon marked the position 
 
 e "Round the Mountain'* 
 
 >ut they were not worth the 
 
 stretch of broken water— 
 
 liage of the maples was far 
 
\ \ 
 
,^£j*Ki'iA&^4il 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 315 
 
 more wonderful and beautiful, a bright, pure green, 
 with here and there a column of brilliant flame- 
 colour — quite dazzling by contrast with its verdant 
 background — giving earnest of the gorgeous change 
 which would occur some six weeks later, and clothe ' 
 the whole countryside in a robe of glowing scarlet 
 and orange. 
 
 Leaving by boat in the evening, we arrived at 
 Quebec, at an early hour next morning. This 
 picturesque town lies partly on the shore of the river, 
 but the principal portion is built on the cliff's two 
 hundred feet above the stream, and is reached by an 
 " elevator " which lands you on Dufferin Terrace, 
 a broad esplanade commanding a magnificent view 
 of the river and the opposite shore, where Point 
 L6vis and the railway station are backed by far- 
 stretching, undulating plains, through which the 
 ripphng waters of the Chaudiere wind like a silver 
 ribbon, to be broken into threads of finest lace where 
 they plunge over the falls 150 feet in height ; a 
 French frigate lay at anchor with many other vessels 
 in the river. 
 
 Of course one of our first excursions was 
 to the memorable Plains of Abraham. Passing 
 the Parliament Buildings, which still showed traces 
 of the Fenian attempt to destroy them with 
 dynamite, we drove along St. Louis Street to the 
 
 :h\ 
 
 ■ '.^sWSwaiKPWSHwWwA'"^*'" 
 
 ■"^-'S^^Si^sr-.''- 
 
3i6 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 citadel, a Rranite-built fortress on the summU o 
 Cape Diamond, 333 feet above the nver, wh ch .t 
 IL to overhang. Here the el--f object, o,nt«e 
 were the gates made of chain -bles co,W over 
 iron frames, and a gun captured at Bunker H.U. 
 The garrison consists of Domm.on Amllery. th, 
 home troops having been withdrawn m 1870. 
 
 Beyond the citadel rose four martello towers, and 
 
 on the left frowned the massive walls of the ja,l, al o 
 
 overhanging the waters of the St Lawrence. In 
 
 Zni lay a small grassy plain, the scene of th 
 
 Sive action between Montcalm and Wolfe, wh,ch 
 
 for ever destroyed the French power m America 
 
 l^d added anJther Empire to the Bnt.sh crown 
 
 U is also noted in military annals as he only baU^ 
 
 „ which both the opposing leaders fell. The sp. 
 
 Ite Wolfe was killed is marked by a gramt 
 
 column, bearing this grandly simple ■-"?;-"- 
 
 Here died Wolfe victorious, 13TH Seftembei 
 
 The rough, steep path by which the Bnfsh troo, 
 seietly gained the heights during the mgh. befo, 
 Arbattle is pointed out, and also the spot fro 
 
 'wc^ne t mo'rning Montcalm saw them drawn - 
 ridy to advance, believing then for the first t> 
 
 tat his enemy had not only crossed the nver wh 
 tedeen-ed impassable, but also scaled the ch 
 
 r>«s!*''s*,i 
 
SSi..U 
 
 EC. 
 
 :ress on the summit of 
 ibove the river, which it 
 le chief objects of interest 
 hain cables coiled over 
 aptured at Bunker Hill. 
 
 Dominion Artillery, the 
 withdrawn in 1870. 
 four martello towers, and 
 ssive walls of the jail, also 
 f the St. Lawrence. In 
 
 plain, the scene of the 
 ontcalm and Wolfe, which 
 rench power in America, 
 ire to the British crown. 
 
 annals as the only battle 
 ig leaders fell. The spot 
 
 is marked by a granite 
 dly simple inscription— 
 oRious, 13TH September, 
 
 ^59- 
 
 by which the British troops 
 
 [its during the night before 
 
 t, and also the spot from 
 
 itcalm saw them drawn up 
 
 ing then for the first time 
 
 )nly crossed the river which 
 
 but also scaled the cliffs 
 
r ■■!: 
 
 ,i!' 11' 
 
-aii;ii,. ,. UHmSm 
 
 HISTORICAL RELICS. 
 
 3'7 
 
 which he thought impregnable. In Governor's 
 Garden, not far from the Place d'Armes, is a lofty 
 obelisque — " Quebec's joint monument to Wolfe and 
 Montcalm," runs the inscription — a noble tribute to 
 the victor and the vanquished. 
 
 Quebec shows many traces of the frequent fires 
 by which most of the old wooden houses originally 
 forming the city have been destroyed ; two of these 
 buildings, however, still remain to perpetuate the 
 memory of historical events, and to remind the 
 visitor that Quebec has not always been the quietly 
 prosperous, peaceful town it is at present. These 
 old-fashioned, high-roofed cottages, with their latticed 
 dormer-windows, climbing creepers and deep over- 
 hanging eaves, have nothiilg to attract notice save 
 their very picturesque appearance, yet one was 
 occupied by the ill-fated Montcalm as his head- 
 quarters, and the other received the body of an 
 equally unfortunate leader, the American Mont- 
 gomery, who was slain with 700 of his followers in 
 an attempt to capture the city on the 31st September 
 
 1775. 
 
 The French and English cathedrals are fine 
 buildings, but they are far surpassed in size, 
 architecture and position by the Laval Univeriity, a 
 stately pile of grey granite overlooking Grand 
 
 ^■:ll 
 
Ml^J^ 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 Battery, and commandinR a maRnificent view of t 
 St. Lawrence and the country on its south bai 
 The Ursulinc Convent is a very picturesque group 
 buildinRs ; the remains of the Marquis de Montca 
 lie in the grounds, buried in a hollow made b; 
 
 bursting shell. 
 
 One of the most picturesque places m this citj 
 pictures is La C6te de la Montague, or Champl 
 Steps, a quaint, steep, s'cne stair-way leadmgdc 
 from the plateau behind Di'fferin Terrace to a chu 
 built on the site of Champlain's residence, 
 consecrated to Notre Dame des Victoires. 
 
 We returned to Montreal by train, crossmg 
 
 ferry to Point L6vis whence the line to Richm 
 
 ran through swampy ground, varied by plantat 
 
 of young fir trees. From Richmond to La Pr 
 
 the scenery Arap. beautiful ; a succession of fine w 
 
 land where the maples were already lighting i 
 
 flaming torches, richly cultivated fields, and p 
 
 resque peeps of the St. John's River, through u 
 
 Lake Champlain pours its superfluent waters mt 
 
 St Lawrence, combined to make th.b part ol 
 
 railway journey one of the prettiest of our Ame 
 
 experiences. , , . .u v 
 
 The hues of a gorgeous sunset decked the si 
 
 we rapidly approached La Prairie, but all p 
 
t^sm^&ss^ 
 
 K-;'.i.^~^ 
 
 L 
 
 lEBEC. 
 
 ijT a magnificent view of the 
 country on its south bank. 
 5 a very picturesque group of 
 af the Marquis de Montcalm 
 •ied in a hollow made by a 
 
 nresque places in this city of 
 la Montagne, or Champlain 
 s'cne stair-way leading down 
 1 Di'fferin Terrace to a church 
 Champlain's residence, and 
 >ame des Victoires. 
 )ntreal by train, crossing by 
 vhence the line to Richmond 
 ground, varied by plantations 
 rom Richmond to La Prairie 
 ful ; a succession of fine wood- 
 s were already lighting their 
 y cultivated fields, and pictu- 
 ;. John's River, through which 
 s its superfluent waters into the 
 ned to make thii, part of the 
 ■ the prettiest of our American 
 
 -ous sunset decked the sky as 
 ed La Prairie, but all beauty 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 THE STATES. 
 
 LAKE CHAMPLAIN AND LAKE C.EORGE-SARAT 
 SPRINGS-ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK-BOSTON. 
 
 IN leaving Montreal next morning for 
 States, we had to pass the customs-r 
 ..w.-.^ very complicated business in the cas 
 people travelling as light as we were-and then 
 free to enjoy the beautiful views of Montreal 
 ^Irendof'the great bridge. At Rouse's Po.r 
 crossed the frontier and found ourselves on the si 
 of Lake Champlain. a fine sheet of water twelve 
 in breadth and over a hundred and twenty m le 
 lying in the midst of a wide valley bounded b; 
 Green Mountains of Vermont on the east, an 
 
 Adirondacks on the w«st. The scenery was fla 
 
L 
 
 LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 32» 
 
 rER XVIII. 
 STATES. 
 
 I) LAKE GEORGE— SARATOGA 
 AT NEW YORK — BOSTON. 
 
 )ntreal next morning for the 
 ad to pass the customs— not a 
 :ated business in the case of 
 ;ht as we were— and then were 
 lutiful views of Montreal from 
 : bridge. At Rouse's Point we 
 id found ourselves on the shores 
 fine sheet of water twelve miles 
 
 hundred and twenty in length, 
 a wide valley bounded by the 
 
 Vermont on the east, and the 
 ^est. The scenery was flat and 
 
 tame until we neared the southern extremity of the 
 lake where the hills close in, gripping the valley 
 between Lake Champlain and Lake George. At 
 Ticonderoga we left the shores of Lake Champlain, 
 not without casting a glance at the site of the old 
 Fort, so often taken ami retaken by i'rench, English, 
 and Americans, and five miles further on arrived at 
 the head of Lake George where we exchanged the 
 hot, dusty cars for the comfortable, airy deck of the 
 lake steamer Horicon, (the Indian name for Lake 
 George, signifying " Silver Water,") and enjoyed at 
 our ease the voyage down this beautiful loch. We 
 passed many wooded promontories and sylvan islets, 
 the number of these latter is said to correspond to 
 that of the days in a year; all were pretty, and 
 generally occupied by picturesque red-roofed cot- 
 tages. Prisoners' Island is where the French 
 captives were placed during the wars of the last 
 century. The Sagamore Hotel looked well placed, 
 and was surrounded by beautifully kept grounds ; its 
 rich buff walls, bright scarlet verandahs and green 
 Venetians were pleasant and tempting, but time did 
 not permit of our stopping there. Many other hotels 
 dotted the banks of the lake as we steamed down to 
 Caldwell at its southern extremity, where we again 
 " took the cars " for Saratoga Springs. The line ran 
 through a tract of wooded, hilly country, passing 
 
 ^l 
 
 ■1' 
 
 •i^ 
 
 
 •■ !' 
 
ja.:.ym?'i^i»ai 
 
 322 
 
 SARATOGA. 
 
 between two small lakes, one of which is called 
 Bloody Pond," because the bodies of the slam 
 thrown into it after a fight between the Frencl 
 English on one side and the Americans on the ( 
 on the 8th September, I755. and its waters an 
 to have retained a crimson tinge for many 
 afterwards. Next we passed Glen Falls, the 
 of many of the incidents in Fenimore Cooper's 
 of the Mohicans. At Fort Edward we crosse 
 Hudson River, and reached Saratoga at half-pi 
 in the evening, very hot, very grimy, and thon 
 in the humour to appreciate the comforts 
 luxuries of this western Capua. 
 
 Our first impressions of Saratoga (confirr 
 
 further experience,) were those of a glorifiec 
 
 tenham ; there were the same fine trees shadi 
 
 promenade, the same allusions to the *' ■« 
 
 and the same air of dolce far niente (so unu 
 
 America) pleasantly enveloping everybody an< 
 
 thing, but there the likeness ceased. The si 
 
 Saratoga do not bear comparison with those 
 
 Gloucestershire Spa, while the hotels are k 
 
 immense and infinitely more magnificent tl 
 
 •• Queen," in fact they are amongst the ver 
 
 we saw in America. The " Grand Union " \ 
 
 van, with its richly decorated salons, lofty 
 
 wide piaz/as, and beautiful gardens, but it 
 
ARATOGA. 
 
 es, one of which is called " The 
 se the bodies of the slain were 
 
 light between the French and 
 nd the Americans on the other, 
 -, 1755, and its waters are said 
 :rimson tinge for many years 
 e passed Glen Falls, the scene 
 ;nts in Fenimore Cooper's Last 
 t Fort Edward we crossed the 
 eached Saratoga at half-past six 
 hot, very grimy, and thoroughly 
 
 appreciate the comforts and 
 ivn Capua, 
 lions of Saratoga (confirmed by 
 
 were those of a glorified Chel- 
 ; the same fine trees shading the 
 .me allusions to the " waters," 
 of dolce far niente (so unusual in 
 ' enveloping everybody and every- 
 I likeness ceased. The shops in 
 ar comparison with those of the 
 a, while the hotels are far more 
 itely more magnificent than the 
 they are amongst the very finest 
 The " Grand Union " leads the 
 y decorated salons, lofty ceilings, 
 
 beautiful gardens, but it is hard 
 
THE HOTELS. 
 
 323 
 
 pushed by the " United States " ; each of these 
 estabhshments accommodates nearly two thousand 
 guests; "Congress Hall" can receive twelve hundred, 
 while the ultra-fashionable "Clarendon," which is 
 here looked upon as quite a small place, holds five 
 hundred, and there are fully forty other houses of 
 entertainment with room for from two to eight 
 hundred visitors in each. 
 
 We were amused to hear Saratoga invariably 
 spoken of as a village ; it seemed queer, after our 
 recent experience of the " cities " of the West. The 
 permanent population of this "village" is eleven 
 thousand, but this number is trebled during the 
 season, which lasts from June 15th to September 
 15th. The very lofty verandahs Are a striking 
 feature in the first sight of the mammoth hotels, they 
 run up to the top of the huge edifices on light iron 
 pillars, and add much to the picturesque ensetnble 
 formed by the pretty, shady roads, the scarlet, 
 green, buflf, or chocolate painting of house fronts and 
 verandahs, and the marble trottoirs in Broadway, 
 the main throughfare. In the evening ladies came 
 out in pretty dinner toilets, and walked up and down 
 this pavemen without hats or bonnets ; the men, on 
 the other hand, almost invariably wore the hideous 
 " stove-pipe." The streets were brilliantly lighted 
 with gas and electricity, good bands played in the 
 
 V 2 
 
 ^■S 
 
324 
 
 THE LAKE. 
 
 hotel gardens, and the avenues were even fuller than 
 in the daytime. Many of the notices and advertise- 
 ments were exceedingly quaint ; just in front of our 
 hotel was a wine store, the door of which was sheltered 
 by a coloured glass porch with a board fixed m front 
 displaying the following notice: "Do not stand m 
 front of this Storm House, IT, of itself, is sufficiently 
 
 ornamental ! " 
 
 Saratoga is really a strikingly picturesque town, 
 
 and the many pietty drives in the vicinity add 
 
 greatly to its attractions, while the different medicinal 
 
 springs are said to cure every ill that flesh is heir to 
 
 The drive to Saratoga Lake is a favourite expedition 
 
 beyond many well-kept, handsomely-built houses 
 
 standing in prettv grounds extends the Lake Road, s 
 
 wide boulevard four miles in length, well waterec 
 
 throughout, and with a row of trees down the centr 
 
 as well as on each side. The lake is a fine sheet c 
 
 water, eight miles long by two and a half wide, an^ 
 
 the hotel at the end nearest the Springs is a favourit 
 
 restaurant where the gilded youth of New Yorkmee 
 
 for pic-nics. The Indian name, Saraghoga, meat 
 
 " the place of herrings," which used to come up tl: 
 
 Hudson into the lake. 
 
 Of course we visited Congress Park and tasted tl 
 waters; fortunately, we did not require them med 
 cinally— I say " fortunately " in a double sense, f< 
 
......■.^>,r^mmmmmmm'ifm.miiMM^nm;fiAm ;fj 
 
 VKE. 
 
 ues were even fuller than 
 he notices and advertise- 
 aint ; just in front of our 
 oor of which was sheltered 
 irith a board fixed in front 
 ,tice: "Do not stand in 
 IT, of itself, is sufficiently 
 
 ikingly picturesque town, 
 ves in the vicinity add 
 hile the different medicinal 
 ery ill that flesh is heir to. 
 le is a favourite expedition ; 
 
 handsomely-built houses 
 i extends the Lake Road, a 
 s in length, well watered 
 w of trees down the centre 
 The lake is a fine sheet of 
 
 two and a half wide, and 
 St the Springs is a favourite 
 jd youth of New York meet 
 n name, Saraghoga, means 
 vhich used to come up the 
 
 ongress Park and tasted the 
 did not require them medi- 
 ely " in a double sense, for 
 
 THE WATERS. 
 
 325 
 
 to the natural pains of the invalid who visits Saratoga 
 are superadded the artificial troubles of choosing 
 amidst the rival springs, each " run " by a company 
 which unblushingly announces that its own fountain 
 is the one true Hygeian source, and that all the others 
 are not only worthless as medicine, but downright 
 deadly poison ! 
 
 The great eyesore in Saratoga is the Town Hall, 
 on Broadway ; the tower of this very ugly edifice 
 looks as if it had started in life with the intention of 
 becoming a spire, but had suddenly stopped growing 
 and blossomed out into a four-faced clock. The 
 effect is most funny, and is made all the more 
 ludicrous by its excellent situation, and the contrast 
 it presents to the really fine buildings near. 
 
 Great excitement prevailed during our stay, caused 
 by the news of the defeat of the English yacht, 
 Galatea, by the American Mayflower. One would 
 have thought that all the Irish had suddenly 
 returned to their own distressful country, or that 
 Canada had joined the Union, so great was the 
 jubilation in the smoke-rooms, and so loud did the 
 eagle scream in the newspapers ! 
 
 We found the heat very trying — a damp heavy 
 heat like that of the Indian plains during the rains— 
 so m spite of its many attractions we were glad to 
 leave Saratoga at 7 a.m. on the nth September, en 
 route for New York. 
 
 ;: ■ 
 
 i : 
 
 ■i 
 
ill 
 
 
 326 
 
 THE HUDSON. 
 
 The pretty, undulating country we had admired 
 since leaving Lake Champlain continues for several 
 miles south of Saratoga: but at Round Lake the 
 hills entirely cease, and between this and Albany the 
 plain is unbroken even by a hillock. Albany, a large 
 and thriving town at the head of the tidal waters of 
 the Hudson River, was founded by Dutch settlers in 
 1614, and is the second oldest European settlement 
 in the States ; Jamestown in Virginia being the first. 
 As we intended to complete our journey to New 
 York by water, we went on board the fine, 
 large, handsomely-fitted river-boat, which started 
 down stream almost immediately after the arrival of 
 the train. The bankt of the wide river are dotted at 
 frequent intervals with huge, white, box-like buildings, 
 innocent of doors and windows, the only apparent 
 mode of ingress being by iron ladders reaching from 
 the water to the roof; these are ice-houses, and 
 furnish the immense supply required not only in New 
 York itself, but in all the neighbouring towns. Th« 
 ladders admit the workmen to the interior of th< 
 great store-houses, and also act as slides down whicl 
 the crystal blocks find their way to the bargei 
 waiting in the river below. 
 
 The first break in the level horizon was made b; 
 the Catskill range to the west, a long line of pretty 
 low hills, where the parched and business-worn Ne> 
 
DSON. 
 
 ;ountry we had admired 
 ain continues for several 
 but at Round Lake the 
 ween this and Albany the 
 hillock. Albany, a large 
 ;ad of the tidal waters of 
 ided by Dutch settlers in 
 lest European settlement 
 n Virginia being the first, 
 plete our journey to New 
 mt on board the fine, 
 iver-boat, which started 
 iiately after the arrival of 
 le wide river are dotted at 
 ;, white, box-like buildings, 
 ndows, the only apparent 
 ron ladders reaching from 
 these are ice-houses, and 
 y required not only in New 
 leighbouring towns. The 
 len to the interior of the 
 o act as slides down which 
 their way to the barges 
 
 level horizon was made by 
 west, a long line of pretty, 
 ed and business-worn New 
 
, ,.- jii>'<jiB«aaa*aMIBIB^i6aftaitag jaaaKet;r<c-i»!-»'j^ 
 
 WEST POINT AND THE PALISADES. 327 
 
 Yorkers can spend their Sundays, drinking the fresh 
 air and dreaming of Rip van Winkle. We next 
 passed Poughkeepsie on the left bank, overlooked by 
 the Vassar Ladies' College, and then turned again to 
 the opposite shore for a glimpse of the great Military 
 Academy at West Point— the Sandhurst of the 
 States ; this fine range of buildings occupies a 
 wooded eminence jutting out into the stream— a sur- 
 veying party of cadets in blue jackets and white 
 trousers stopped their work as we passed to wave 
 their caps to friends on board. 
 
 Below West Point the banks became prettier ; the 
 broad river widens out and contracts once again 
 before entering the lake-like Tappen^ee, from the 
 lower end of which it issues a noble stream, passing 
 Sing Sing, the State prison, with its village and 
 harbour on the left shore. Suddenly the scene 
 changes ; twenty miles above New York, and on the 
 opposite bank, commence the Palisades— cliffs of 
 trap-rock three hundred feet high in some places, 
 crowned with foliage, and presenting a continuous 
 line of fluted pillars which wall in the Jersey shore to 
 the very out-skirts of the city. The upper part of 
 these cliffs reminds one of the rocks at Staflfa ; but 
 their base is covered with a debris of shale, partially 
 overgrown by brushwood, and extending some wa}^ 
 up their sides. 
 
 • 
 
 ■i; 
 
 "i 
 
 \ 
 
 m 
 
228 NEW YORK. 
 
 Yonkers on the left bank is an old Dutch harboi 
 still much used, especially by the crowd of yachi 
 which forms one of the most picturesque features ( 
 
 the river. 
 
 And now the buildings on this side become coi 
 
 tinuous— wharves, warehouses and gigantic grai 
 
 elevators jostling each other for a front place. Jers< 
 
 City on the right bank also gradually loses its suburbs 
 
 aspect and asserts its civic dignity-ships, ferry-boa 
 
 and steam-launches throng the stream and comj 
 
 us to moderate our speed— spires, clock-towei 
 
 domes and turrets rise on either hand, until 
 
 6.30 P.M we run alongside Twenty-third Str< 
 
 Wharf— we are in New York, and our long journ 
 
 across the Continent is ended. 
 
 We first went to the Windsor Hotel, a m( 
 
 excellent establishment, with fine rooms, good att( 
 
 dance, a capital cuisine, and real comfort ; but w 
 
 the drawback (to us) of being rather far " up-towi 
 
 and more English than American ; my readers \ 
 
 be surprised at my calling the latter point a " dn 
 
 back," but I must beg them to recollect that 
 
 came to America to see America— not EngU 
 
 transplanted— and that one of the most sali 
 
 features of the country is its hotels. We de 
 
 mined to enjoy the rest and quiet of the Wine 
 
 for the present, and to go to a " right -dov 
 
 -«~ •■ tii ii iiii iri 
 
L 
 
 ^jmamufi*! 
 
 ^^ ' """-^'" T t g ^ 
 
 YORK. 
 
 ik is an old Dutch harbour 
 ly by the crowd of yachts 
 lost picturesque features of 
 
 s on this side become con- 
 louses and gigantic grain- 
 her for a front place. Jersey 
 ) gradually loses its suburban 
 c dignity— ships, ferry-boats 
 ang the stream and compel 
 peed— spires, clock-towers, 
 B on either hand, until at 
 gside Twenty-third Street 
 r York, and our long journey 
 jnded. 
 
 le Windsor Hotel, a most 
 with fine rooms, good atten- 
 and real comfort ; but with 
 being rather far " up-town," 
 
 American ; my readers will 
 ng the latter point a " draw- 
 r them to recollect that we 
 see America— not England 
 t one of the most salient 
 y is its hotels. We deter- 
 it and quiet of the Windsor 
 
 to go to a " right-down " 
 
 THE CITY. 
 
 329 
 
 American hotel on our return from Boston, which 
 we had decided on visiting before leaving the 
 country. 
 
 Next day was Sunday, and we should have liked 
 to go to church ; but here, again, the miserable 
 "check system" stepped in to frustrate our plans, for 
 we had only hand-bags with us, a strange trunk had 
 been sent instead of ours, and the rest of our luggage 
 could not be obtained from the depot until Monday, 
 so we spent the day in driving about the city. 
 
 Manhattan Island, on which New York is built, 
 is thirteen and a half miles long, and two and 
 a quarter wide at its broadest part ; the whole area 
 of the city is over forty-one square miles. 
 
 The private residences are all at the northern end, 
 round and above Central Park. The city is laid out 
 in squares or oblongs, formed by the intersection of 
 the Avenues running north and south and the streets 
 which lie at right angles to them, and thus divide the 
 whole upper town into " blocks ; " but at the southern 
 extremity, round the Battery and Wall Street, where 
 most of the business offices are, this rectangular 
 regularity is broken, and the streets get complicated 
 and cross each other in bewildering confusion ; in 
 fact they take their direction from the cow-tracks of 
 the earlier Dutch settlers ! One other exception, and 
 a notable one, is Broadway, the Regent Street of New 
 
 'i| 
 
 I 
 
330 
 
 THE 8TRKKTS. 
 
 II 
 
 York, which runs throuph its heart at an acute an^'e 
 
 from Bowling Green— the ancient nucleus of the city 
 
 close to the I^attery— to Fifty-ninth Street at the 
 
 foot of Central Park, where it changes its name to 
 
 "the Boulevard," continuing its course to One- 
 
 hundred-and-sixty-seventh Street (what a mouthful !) 
 
 and showing every intention of proceeding still 
 
 farther, until the growth of bricks and mortar and 
 
 •« brown-stone fronts " is stopped by Haarlem River, 
 
 which separates Manhattan Island from the mainland, 
 
 Besides this great central city, the still larger suburb? 
 
 of Brooklyn and Jersey City are just as much parts 
 
 of New York as Southwark and Hampstead are oi 
 
 London: the first is separated from Manhattar 
 
 Island by the East River, crossed by the famous 
 
 Brooklyn Bridge, and the second by the waters o 
 
 the Hudson, seamed by the tracks of innumerabh 
 
 ferry-boats crossing and re-crossing thick as motei 
 
 in a sunbeam. 
 
 The streets of New York are very noisy, parti; 
 owing to the heavy traffic over the rough cobble-stone 
 with which they are paved, but still more to th 
 constantly passing trains of the Elevated Railroa* 
 which traverses the length of the city in four nearl. 
 parallel lines. The track is raised above the street 
 on iicn scaffolding, the trains run level with the firs! 
 floor windows of the larger houses, and as they pas 
 
 ■Hini 
 
RKRTS. 
 
 ts heart at an acute an^'e 
 mcient nucleus of the city 
 Fifty-ninth Street at the 
 J it changes its name to 
 ling its course to One- 
 Street (what a mouthful !) 
 tion of proceeding still 
 f bricks and mortar and 
 :opped by Haarlem River, 
 1 Island from the mainland, 
 city, the still larger suburbs 
 ty are just as much parts 
 k and Hampstead are of 
 jarated from Manhattan 
 r, crossed by the famous 
 second by the waters of 
 he tracks of innumerable 
 2-crossing thick as motes 
 
 »rk are very noisy, partly 
 ver the rough cobble-stones 
 red, but still more to the 
 of the Elevated Railroad 
 1 of the city in four nearly 
 : is raised above the streets 
 lins run level with the first- 
 3r houses, and as they pass 
 
 THE " ELEVATED. 
 
 33' 
 
 at intervals of four minutes throughout the day and 
 night (with the exception of the Hve hours between 
 12.30 A.M. and 5.30 A.M., when they only run on two 
 of the lines every quarter of an hour,) the distracting 
 and almost ceaseless rattle must be well nigh unbear- 
 able to the dwellers in neighbouring houses. The 
 stations are at short intervals, at the corners of the 
 principal streets, and are approached by steep stair- 
 ways ; the fares are ten cents (Hvepence,) irrespective of 
 distance. This charge is decreased by one-half on 
 Sundays, and in the mornings and evenings at the 
 hours workmen and clerks generally go to, and return 
 from, their labour. Tramcars drawn by horses run 
 under the Elevated Rail Road track, and all other 
 wheeled traffic passes along the uneven pavement on 
 each side. The Battery encloses a little green park 
 with seats under the trees, called Bowling Green ; 
 Bertholdi's gigantic statue of Liberty is in full view 
 on Bedloe's Island in front, and the foreground is 
 filled by the handsome granite building for pilots, 
 called the Barge Office, on one hand, and the ugly 
 brown dome of Castle Garden, the Emigrants' Home, 
 on the other. The General Post Office is a handsome 
 building, but what most impresses a stranger is the 
 number and size of the churches, which exist in far 
 greater proportion than in any other city I have 
 ever seen. Many of these are very fine buildings, 
 
 mmm 
 
332 
 
 BOSTON. 
 
 especially Grace Church, which raises its dell 
 spire at a point where Broadway makes a slight t 
 so that the fa9ade looks straight down the I 
 thoroughfare towards Bowling Green; the 
 Roman Catholic Cathedral, built by means of < 
 tributions levied by the priesthood on the poc 
 inhabitants of the city, is a magnificent edifice 
 rather it will be when the two towers are completi 
 the interior is very beautiful, and the elabora 
 carved white marble pulpit is a miracle of good 1 
 in these degenerate days. 
 
 On Monday, 13th September, we left for Bost< 
 4 P.M. For some distance the train ran throu 
 tunnel under the city, then came the open cou 
 flat and uninteresting. After a six hours' journe 
 reached Boston to find the hotels crowded by p< 
 who had just returned from their autumn holiday 
 who either had no houses to go to, or were waitin 
 they were ready for occupation. The booking- 
 (please pronounce this " clurk,") at the Parker ¥ 
 Hotel told us that this plethora would last for i 
 a month, by which time people would have 
 
 fixed." 
 
 Boston, the " Hub of the Universe," and the 
 Yankee city in Yankee-land, impresses one as t 
 fine town, even just after seeing New York 
 effects are broader, the principal buildings 1 
 
■ -.- ^^t.iiUk-1/L,- 
 
 lOSTON. 
 
 ch, which raises its delicate 
 Broadway makes a slight turn, 
 loks straight down the busy 
 Bowling Green ; the new 
 edral, built by means of con- 
 le priesthood on the poorest 
 r, is a magnificent edifice — or 
 lie two towers are completed — 
 eautiful, and the elaborately- 
 iilpit is a miracle of good taste 
 ys. 
 
 sptember, we left for Boston at 
 tance the train ran through a 
 
 then came the open country, 
 After a six hours' journey we 
 I the hotels crowded by people 
 from their autumn holiday, and 
 ses to go to, or were waiting till 
 ccupation. The booking-clerk 
 
 " clurk,") at the Parker House 
 s plethora would last for about 
 time people would have "got 
 
 of the Universe," and the most 
 
 e-land, impresses one as a very 
 
 after seeing New York ; the 
 
 the principal buildings better 
 
MUkHlitlltWUIMII IJJIIN -1^ 
 
-F-:i:l'rl 
 
 MiW, 
 
 ■iy 
 
 • .>,»hA*. «^7 
 
 
 [■R HILL HOHVMBp. 
 
 
 BUNKER HILL. 
 
 333 
 
 placed and more open to view, and the entourage 
 more picturesque than those of the capital. Of 
 course we went to do penance at Bunker Hill, and 
 duly ate humble pie there, as all Britishers are bound 
 to do, according to American — and especially 
 Bostonian — notions. The monument is in Charles- 
 ton, the northern suburb, and consists of a plain 
 granite pillar, or rather obelisque, 221 feet high, and 
 painfully like a factory chimney. It was completed 
 and dedicated on the 17th of June 1843, the sixty- 
 eighth anniversary of the battle. The United States 
 Navy Yard is at Charleston, shut in from vulgar gaze 
 by a long stone wall, past which we went to the 
 beautiful Woodland Cemetery, returning by another 
 route. In the afternoon we drove along Common- 
 wealth Avenue, a magnificent boulevard — turf and 
 trees down the centre, a broad road and ven ftne 
 houses on each side ; in the Public Garden we stopped 
 to admire the fine clumps of variegated coleas which 
 flourish here amazingly, also the ornamental lake 
 with pleasure-boats propelled by a paddle-wheel in the 
 bows, wheel and boatmen alike concealed by a large 
 carved white swan with outspread wings. The 
 gardens are adorned with some fine statues, chiefly 
 of statesmen. Crossing a road we entered a park 
 called " the Common," prettily laid out with winding 
 walks, grassy lawns and fine trees ; from a hillock in 
 
 i\i 
 
 rv 
 
.. ■.^^f^,4Ski£rJi^ UlJU^u.' !VSI*»^iU 
 
 THE STATE HOUSE. 
 
 the centre rises the Soldiers' Monument, a gran 
 column ninety feet high, surmounted by an al 
 gorical figure of America standing on a hemisphi 
 and guarded by eagles. The inscription on the bi 
 dedicates the monument "to the men of Bos1 
 who died for their country on land and sea, in 
 war which kept the Union whole, destroyed slave 
 and maintained the Constitution. The grateful ( 
 has built this monument that their example r 
 speak to coming generations." The pedestal 
 adorned with four large statues representing 
 army and navy, and bronze bas-reliefs. 
 
 At one end of the Common stands the Capitol 
 
 State House, as it is also called, a fine building \ 
 
 pillared front and lofty gilt dome surmounted 1 
 
 cupola. In the interior is an octagonal hall of w 
 
 marble, with recesses like side-chapels or shrii 
 
 the one facing the entrance holds a fine st; 
 
 of Washington by Chantrey, its base surrour 
 
 with fac-similes of the tombstones of the Washini 
 
 family from Brington parish church, in Norths 
 
 tonshire, presented by Lord Spencer. On ei 
 
 side of this alcove stands a brass nine-pounder 
 
 on end, like a pillar, and inscribed : " The LegisU 
 
 of Massachusetts consecrate the names of Major 
 
 Buttrick and Captain Isaac Davis, whose valour 
 
 example excited their fellow-citizens to a succc 
 
ayiaic<ijgtHss-^<^*a^3:^^^jtyfr»aa«ww'M 
 
 "Wi 
 
 ATE HOUSE. 
 
 Idiers' Monument, a granite 
 ;h, surmounted by an alle- 
 a standing on a hemisphere 
 The inscription on the base 
 it "to the men of Boston 
 (itry on land and sea, in the 
 on whole, destroyed slavery, 
 istitution. The grateful city 
 jnt that their example may 
 ^rations." The pedestal is 
 rge statues representing the 
 )nze bas-reliefs, 
 mmon stands the Capitol, or 
 so called, a fine building with 
 f gilt dome surmounted by a 
 r is an octagonal hall of white 
 like side-chapels or shrines; 
 intrance holds a fine statue 
 lantrey, its base surrounded 
 tombstones of the Washington 
 parish church, in Northamp- 
 y Lord Spencer. On either 
 ids a brass nine-pounder gun 
 id inscribed : " The Legislature 
 scrate the names of Major John 
 Isaac Davis, whose valour and 
 fellow-citizens to a successful 
 
 WINOED WORDS. 
 
 335 
 
 resistance of a superior number of British troops at 
 Concord Bridge, the 19th of April 1775, which was 
 the beginning of a contest in arms that ended in 
 American Independence." In the remaining six 
 recesses the colours borne by the Massachusetts 
 troops in the Civil War are most strikingly arranged 
 and effectively draped ; glass doors protect these 
 shot-torn and blood-stained relics of the great 
 struggle. At the side of the centre arch hangs a glazed 
 frame containing an extract from the speech made by 
 Governor Andrews on receiving the battle-flags, and 
 expressed in terms at once so touching, so graceful, 
 and so soldier-like — so happily mingling the con- 
 queror's triumph with the mourner's grief— that I 
 make no apology for this third quotation, feeling 
 confident that my readers — especially my military 
 readers — will deem none necessary : — 
 
 "These banners returned to the Government of 
 the Commonwealth through welcome hands. Borne 
 one by one out of this Capital during more than four 
 years of Civil War, as the symbols of the Nation and 
 the Commonwealth under which the Battalions of 
 Massachusetts departed to the fields ; they came 
 back again, borne by surviving representatives of the 
 same heroic regiments and companys to which they 
 were intrusted. 
 
 " Proud memories of many fields — sweet memories 
 
 ..if I 
 
 '■I 
 
 ii 
 
 rr 
 
*''J 
 
 BOSTON. 
 
 of valour and of friendship— sad memories of fraterna 
 strife— tender memories of our fallen brothers am 
 sons, whose dying eyes looked last upon their flamin 
 folds— grand memories of heroic virtues, sublime b 
 grief— exultant memories of the great and finj 
 victories of our country, our union, and the righteou 
 cause— thankful memories of a deliverance wrougl 
 out for human nature itself, unexampled by any forme 
 achievements of arms— immortal memories wit 
 immortal honours blended twine around the; 
 splintered staves, weave themselves along the wai 
 and woof of these familiar flags— war-worn, begrime 
 and baptised with blood ! " 
 
 A very fine panorama of the battle of Gettysbu: 
 
 was being exhibited. The artists were the same wl 
 
 had painted the Battle of Waterloo, which we saw 
 
 San Francisco. It was most excellently conceivi 
 
 and carried out, and brought the scene of the gre 
 
 "Three Days' Fight" between Meade and L 
 
 vividly before one. In this action, which took pla 
 
 on the three first days of July 1863, about 80,0 
 
 troops were engaged on each side. The Federi 
 
 lost 23,190 in killed, wounded, and missing; t 
 
 Confederate losses have never been officially stat( 
 
 but they are generally estimated at about 36,000. 
 
 We returned to New York by the Shore Li 
 
 passing through pretty, well-xvooded country, w 
 
L 
 
 TON. 
 
 —sad memories of fraternal 
 jf our fallen brothers and 
 )ked last upon their flaming 
 ■ heroic virtues, sublime by 
 s of the great and final 
 ur union, and the righteous 
 s of a deliverance wrought 
 F, unexampled by any former 
 -immortal memories with 
 ided twine around these 
 themselves along the warp 
 flags — war-worn, begrimed, 
 
 of the battle of Gettysburg 
 le artists were the same who 
 F Waterloo, which we saw at 
 
 most excellently conceived 
 lught the scene of the great 
 
 between Meade and Lee 
 his action, which took place 
 of July 1863, about 80,000 
 1 each side. The Federals 
 grounded, and missing; the 
 
 never been officially stated, 
 jtimated at about 36,000. 
 
 York by the Shore Line, 
 , well-wooded country, wide 
 
~^ 
 
 RETURN TO NEW YORK 
 
 337 
 
 pastures, and stretches of swampy marshland banked 
 in by long, low mounds crested with boulders and 
 ridges of granite. At Mystic we crossed a river of 
 the same name by a drawbridge ; this stream derives 
 its name from its peculiar property of tilling and 
 emptying without any apparent cause, tidal or other. 
 Quantities of golden-rod covered the fields through 
 which we passed, and every fresh passenger who 
 entered the cars brought a supply of this favourite 
 New England wild-flower, like deep saffron-hued 
 meadow-sweet. At New London we passed over 
 the Thames, the train being drawn on to a huge ferry 
 boat by hawsers, and taken across in two or three 
 sections according to its length. 
 
 After being detained nearly half-an-hour in the 
 tunnel close to the Grand Central Dep6t, we were at 
 length permitted to enter the terminus, and proceeded 
 to our new quarters at the Hoffman House. 
 
 \l 
 
 iii 
 
 § 
 
 mtmmmmumm 
 

 CHAPTER XIX. 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 THE CITY-BROOKLYN-THE HARBOUR-HAARl 
 RIVER-THE STOCK-EXCHANGE-THE WILD WEJ 
 —FAREWELL TO AMERICA— HOME. 
 
 IHE Hoffman House is one of the laq 
 and quite the most gorgeous of the m 
 magnificent hotels for which New Yor 
 famous. The pubUc drawing-rooms dmmg-ro 
 and breakfast-parlour are ornamented with res 
 and paintings by well-known artists ; the wal s o 
 passages are covered with rough-cast heavily gilt, 
 divided into panels by strips of mahogany and s 
 wood ; the principal windows are bordered 
 handsome patterns in stained glass; in the m 
 room are not only two magnificent grand piano. 
 
limit ilHtWIMtli 
 
 W 
 
 HOFFMAN IIOl'SF. 
 
 339 
 
 (O- 
 
 FER XIX. 
 ! YORK. 
 
 —THE HARBOUR— HAARLEM 
 CCHANGE— THE WILD WEST 
 ro AMERICA— HOME. 
 
 House is one of the largest 
 ; most gorgeous of the many 
 hotels for which New York is 
 drawing-rooms, dining-rooms 
 ire ornamented with frescoes 
 mown artists; the walls of the 
 rith rough-cast heavily gilt, and 
 strips of mahogany and satin- 
 windows are bordered with 
 1 stained glass ; in the music- 
 , magnificent grand pianos, but 
 
 also a very large harmonium and a fair-si/ed organ ; 
 the bed-rooms arc airy and comfortable, and the 
 " Bridal Chamber " is a beautifully decorated suite of 
 rooms, almost tempting enough to make one get 
 married on the spot ; but the splendour of the great 
 establishment culminates in the bar — a large room 
 hung with paintings by some of the greatest modern 
 masters, and having a long counter at which every 
 imaginable mixture can be procured, from a common 
 " Resurrection-nip " to a " Presidential straight- 
 swizzle," from a " Doctor" to a " Dream-of-eternal- 
 happiness-reviver." 
 
 The prettiest place in New York is Central Park, 
 with its shady trees, picturesque lake, and beautifully- 
 kept grass. The Egyptian obelisk is very well placed 
 on a slight eminence, and forms a striking object 
 from every point of view. Central Lake is a beautiful 
 sheet of water. By-the-bye, we heard a story about 
 this lake which is good enough to repeat : the 
 subject of Central Park was being discussed by 
 the Town Council ; one of the members, who had 
 travelled in Europe, suggested that some " Wenetian 
 gondolas " would look well on the lake, and moved 
 the grant of sufficient money to purchase half-a-dozen ; 
 another member who, presumably, had stayed at 
 home, proposed an amendment to the effect that only 
 
 /. 2 
 
 I' 
 
 1 1 
 
 *.s» 
 
 HMiai 
 
I 
 
 340 
 
 BROOKLYN HKIDOE. 
 
 a pair of " Rondolas " should be Rot. " till we see ho^ 
 the climate of our preat country suits them." 
 
 I was glad to see the police dressed in a sensibl 
 summer uniform-a loose <lrab cotton blouse, wit 
 cap-cover and drill trowsers of the same color-mste!i 
 of being condeuined to swelter through the dog-da] 
 
 in blue cloth. 
 
 On the outskirts of the park are some of tl 
 loftiest dwelling-houses in New York, and, I imagm 
 in the world— blocks called respectively " Granada 
 and "Osborne"— the former eleven storeys hi| 
 and the latter fourteen. They are built of red bri 
 faced with brownish-grey stone, and forcibly recall 
 the Tower of Babel, or one might imagine them t 
 Whole contents of some great quarry exhumed 
 masse and set up on end. 
 
 Crossing the great Brooklyn Bridge is quite one 
 the "experiences" of a visit to New York. Tl 
 magnificent structure, the largest suspension-brid 
 in the world, is very nearly two thousand yards 
 length (5,989 feet), eighty-five feet wide, and 
 hundred and thirty-five feet above high-water lei 
 The towers at each end are two hundred and sever 
 eight feet high, and each of the four steel-v 
 cables supporting the central span is fifteen inc 
 and three-quarters in diameter. From the middl 
 the bridge very fine views are obtained of the ri 
 
N HKIDUK. 
 
 uld be Rot, " till we see how 
 ountry suits them." 
 police dressed in a sensible 
 e drab cotton blouse, with 
 rs of the same color— instead 
 .velter throufih the do^-days 
 
 the park are some of the 
 t\ New York, and, I imagine, 
 ed respectively " Granada " 
 ormer eleven storeys high 
 They are built of red brick 
 ^ stone, and forcibly recalled 
 me might imagine them the 
 ; great quarry exhumed en 
 
 aoklyii Bridge is quite one of 
 I visit to New York. This 
 le largest suspension-bridge 
 early two thousand yards in 
 ghty-five feet wide, and a 
 : feet above high-water level, 
 are two hundred and seventy- 
 jach of the four steel-wire 
 central span is fifteen inches 
 ameter. From the middle of 
 NS are obtained of the river 
 
 PROSrFrT PARK. 
 
 34' 
 
 above and the bay below, New York on one hand 
 and lirooklyn on the other. Imw roadways cross 
 the bridge— a raised path in the centre for foot- 
 passengers, a railroad on each side, and outside these 
 again carriage-ways wide enough for three con- 
 veyances abreast. This great structure was thirt< en 
 years building, and cost about th 'e millions sterling, 
 lirooklyn is the largest and ino.-t important ubufb 
 of New York ; it is often called the •' fjty of 
 Churches," there being an even larger proportion 
 here than in New York itself; Prospect i'ark is it' 
 chief attraction, and it may well b. so, for it is •• -n 
 pretty indeed ; wooded hills and grassy slopes bor.,er 
 the road which passes the site of the bafc , Long 
 Island, where the Americans were defeated with a 
 loss of 2,000 out of 5,000 men, on the 26th August, 
 1776. From a knoll in the centre an e.xtensive view 
 is obtained of the two cities, the harbours. Long 
 Island, and the Atlantic; the huge Elephr^nt Hotel 
 (so called from its shape) can be seen to the right on 
 Coney Island, and another immense building on the 
 extreme left is also a hotel at Rockaway Beach, 
 while the whole line of intervening shore is dotted 
 with gigantic caravanserais for the summer accommo- 
 dation of the great mass of h. 11 - less New Yorkers. 
 
 While in Brooklyn we also visited Greenwood 
 Cemetery, a beautifully kept enclosure of five 
 
 ^x*"-" 
 
342 
 
 RIVERSIDE DRIVE. 
 
 hundred acres, entered through a very handso 
 gateway. The graves are generally in groups 
 clusters, as though men were gregarious even a 
 death. The order preserved throughout the en 
 sure, the well-selected position of the graves, and 
 handsome monuments so remarkably free fi 
 meretricious ornament and tawdry device, do hor 
 both to the taste of the living and to the memor 
 the dead. 
 
 At the north end of Manhattan Island a bi 
 road runs along the high bank of Haarlem Ri 
 giving beautiful peeps of the distant Palisades on 
 Hudson. This Riverside Drive, as it is called, 
 favourite resort. On one side, close to the r 
 stands General Grant's temporary mausoleum, a 
 semi-circular roofed building of dark red brick pi( 
 out with black, looking like a section of a s 
 tunnel. Bronze gates with a gilt G in the ce 
 close the entrance to the vault, but between their 
 the coffin is plainly visible on the left, amid a i 
 of ferns, dwarf palms, and other plants. A g 
 monument is to be erected close by, in which 
 remains will eventually be placed. 
 
 On our lasv Sunday in America, September : 
 we went to Trinity Church at the south en 
 Broadway, the oldest church in New York—and 
 ugliest ! The outside architecture is not bad 
 
;iDE DRIVE. 
 
 through a very handsome 
 are generally in groups or 
 n were gregarious even after 
 •served throughout the enclo- 
 josition -of the graves, and the 
 ; so remarkably free from 
 and tawdry device, do honour 
 living and to the memory of 
 
 f Manhattan Island a broad 
 ligh bank of Haarlem River, 
 af the distant Palisades on the 
 side Drive, as it is called, is a 
 
 one side, close to the road, 
 5 temporary mausoleum, a low 
 lilding of dark red brick picked 
 ng like a section of a small 
 
 with a gilt G in the centre 
 le vault, but between their bars 
 lible on the left, amid a mass 
 , and other plants. A grand 
 srected close by, in which the 
 { be placed. 
 
 in America, September 19th, 
 Church at the south end of 
 church in New York — and the 
 e architecture is not bad, and 
 
 TRINITY CHURCH. 
 
 343 
 
 the spire is tall and shapely, but the interior is of dull 
 brown sione unrelieved by any other tint, sombre and 
 dismal enough for a Quaker's meeting-house. It 
 contains a handsome marble reredos presented by 
 the Vanderbilt family, but this is quite lost in the 
 thick brown gloom. The organ-playing was good 
 and the singing fair, but both liturgy and sermon 
 were quite spoilt by the nasal drawl in which they 
 were delivered. In front of the south-east door 
 of the church is a hideous coffin-shaped monument 
 said to cover the remains of Captain James Lawrence, 
 who commanded the U.S. Ship Chesapeake, and was 
 killed in the famous action between that frigate 
 and the Shannon on the ist June, 1813. I say it is 
 said to cover his bones, because there is considerable 
 doubt on the subject ; the captured Chesapeake was 
 taken into the British harbour of Halifax, Nova 
 Scotia, and there Lawrence was buried. When 
 peace was concluded the Americans asked for per- 
 mission to remove the body, which, of course, was 
 readily granted ; but the story goes that either they 
 were so careless, or the Halifax vestry so remiss, that 
 the wrong coffin was exhumed, and that the honoured 
 bones now reposing under the ugly tea-caddy sarco- 
 phagus in Trinity churchyard are those of an old 
 apple-woman ! N.B. — This is the New York version. 
 There are many good shops in the principal streets, 
 
 h. . 
 
 "'"""■""^w^aaKWWswK 
 
344 
 
 THE HARBOUR. 
 
 the best being about on a par with those of Bright 
 or Scarborough. Fourteenth Street is the Hveli( 
 and gayest of all the thoroughfares ; here we wt 
 attracted by a small crowd round a hair-dresse 
 window, and found that the people were staring 
 five women, sisters, seated on a platform behind t 
 plate-glass front, with their hair down : this hair w 
 very long, very thick, very black, and very coar 
 looking more like the tails of ill-groomed horses th 
 human hair; the women were all ghastly pa 
 like the ash-coloured martyrs of the Pre-Raphael 
 
 school. 
 
 We found the dust and wind most disagreeal 
 especially in the morning when all the hou 
 sweepings are placed in open barrels on the pavem 
 in front of the doors, and the high breeze scatt 
 the refuse impartially over the clothes and into 
 eyes of everyone who passes. 
 
 The harbour always presents a most busy see 
 both on the water and along the wharfs; gi 
 ocean steamers and stately three-masted sail 
 vessels lie alongside the landings or ride at ancho 
 the roads ; hundreds of gaily-decorated yachts thr 
 their way through the labyrinth, like flower-girls i 
 crowd ; white ferry-boats like water-omnibuses ci 
 and re-cross each other, crowded with passengt 
 steam-launches puff and pant, hooting and scredm 
 
 M 
 
lARBOUR. 
 
 a par with those of Brighton 
 eenth Street is the liveliest 
 lioroughfares ; here we were 
 ■owd round a hair-dresser's 
 t the people were staring at 
 ed on a platform behind the 
 eir hair down : this hair was 
 ery black, and very coarse, 
 Is of ill-groomed horses than 
 len were all ghastly pale, 
 artyrs of the Pre-Raphaelite 
 
 ind wind most disagreeable, 
 ning when all the house- 
 open barrels on the pavement 
 ind the high breeze scatters 
 iver the clothes and into the 
 isses. 
 
 presents a most busy scene, 
 id along the wharfs; great 
 stately three-masted sailing 
 
 landings or ride at anchor in 
 gaily-decorated yachts thread 
 abyrinth, like flower-girls in a 
 ts like water-omnibuses cross 
 ;r, crowded with passengers; 
 1 pant, hooting and scredming 
 
MONSTER HOTELS. 
 
 345 
 
 in deafening discord ; vast floating hotels, three 
 storeys high, pass by on their way to Boston or 
 Newport, looking as if they had wandered out of the 
 streets by mistake, and the slightest breeze would 
 overturn their top-heavy hulls, the great " walking- 
 beams" working far above their balconied decks 
 adding much to the appearance of instability ; and 
 through all this confusion of sail and steam the 
 barges and rowing-boats are crossing, passing, 
 meeting, racing and all but jostling each other, 
 keeping the water in a foam, while the wharfs, piers 
 and landing stages are crowded by a busy, surging 
 mass of human and equine life, shouting, neighing, 
 kicking and cursing to the utmost limit of its powers. 
 
 We dined at one of the great sea-side hotels at 
 Manhattan Beach, on Coney Island ; there are two of 
 these monster caravanserais here, also a bathing 
 establishment for ladies and gentlemen, with an 
 amphitheatre from whose benches three thousand 
 five hundred spectators can watch the splashing of 
 their brother and sister bipeds. 
 
 The High Bridge Aqueduct over Haarlem River 
 at the north end of Manhattan Island is another of 
 New York's wonders. As you pass towards it by the 
 Northern Rail Road you can see plenty of granite 
 cropping up, proving the truth of the assertion that 
 New York has the most solid foundation of any 
 
 
 ii 
 
 t<'i 
 
 ■ikwi . I' * - - i I mt N t f i * - i' **4mw*ataap <j ial itM># ftti 
 
346 
 
 CROTON AQUEDUCT. 
 
 capital in the world. As you pass further north tl 
 
 buildings become more scattered, and rocky, woo 
 
 crowned heights appear, divided by park-like vallej 
 
 At High Bridge station we found an elevator rea 
 
 to take us up the steep bank to the Croton Aquedu 
 
 a noble granite structure 1,453 feet in length, a 
 
 su->Dorted on fourteen massive piers rising 114 f< 
 
 above the river. The roadway, which is the roo< 
 
 the aqueduct, is convex, built of herring-boned bri^ 
 
 work, and quite wide enough for carriages to p 
 
 each other, though they are not allowed to go o 
 
 it. At the southern end is a great reservoir approacl 
 
 from the roadway by a flight of nearly two hund 
 
 steps, and a very graceful Artesian tower wh 
 
 pumps the water from the aqueduct below into 
 
 reservoir. This lofty tank supplies fresh water t 
 
 great part of the city, and commands a very 
 
 view, especially looking east along the course of 
 
 Haarlem River to where the sheen of wide water! 
 
 the distance marks the site of the once-dreaded 1 
 
 Gate.* This bend of the river, with its wood-crow 
 
 ThiT^tranco to Now York harbour was especittUy ^rigetoi 
 ««.«untofa8unk,.n rock, called Flood ftock, lymg immeaiate 
 trSSannet- ma..yhund;«dsonives aod million of pounds' ' 
 of Btosand cTgoesVd perished Jiere when, in 1885 .t was ( 
 miSto ™ik^ a^H8t effort to destroy this ScyUa o the New M 
 On fhfi 10th October in that year Flood Rock was blasted with ( 
 ™L charts aK^^ting 250,0001b*.; since then 30,000 tons of 
 SS^e'&omov^edfndSi eighteen-foot channel esUbl«hed 
 £d^ that a simUar amount shall be «l«^«7yn"X; 
 oort of 100,000 dollars per annum, untd a^pasnage ao feet in dept 
 from 300 to 400 feet in width is completed . 
 

 AQUEDUCT. 
 
 s you pass further north the 
 scattered, and rocky, wood- 
 divided by park-like valleys. 
 
 we found an elevator ready 
 ank to the Croton Aqueduct, 
 re 1,453 feet in length, and 
 massive piers rising 114 feet 
 )adway, which is the roof of 
 
 built of herring-boned brick- 
 inough for carriages to pass 
 y are not allowed to go over 
 3 a great reservoir approached 
 flight of nearly two hundred 
 ceful Artesian tower which 
 
 the aqueduct below into the 
 ink supplies fresh water to a 
 
 and commands a very fine 
 
 east along the course of the 
 e the sheen of wide waters in 
 
 site of the once-dreaded Hell 
 ; river, with its wood-crowned 
 
 k harbour was especially danBtrous on 
 Bd Flood llock, lying immediately in 
 )f lives and millions of pounds worth 
 tied Jiere when, in 1885, it was deter- 
 deatroy this ScyUa of the New World. 
 aar Flood Rock was blasted with dyna- 
 OOOlbs. ; since then 30,000 tons of rock 
 'hteen-foot channel established. It w 
 lint shall be cleared away anmiHlly, at a 
 um, untU a passage 2 'J feet in depth and 
 is completed. 
 
 GOVERNORS ISLAND. 
 
 347 
 
 banks dotted with small villas and picturesque 
 wooden buildings, reminded us of parts of Sreenug- 
 ger, the capital of Cashmere. 
 
 Returning by the same route, we found the cars 
 crowded with day-labourers, chiefly Irish, returning 
 from their work. As there is only one class of car- 
 riage, equality is forced upon you whether you like 
 it or not ! 
 
 I also visited Governor's Island, the head-quarters 
 of this district of the army. It is a pretty little place 
 in the harbour, containing a barrack-square, forts, 
 and a green esplanade stretching in front of the 
 detached quarters occupied by the General and his 
 staff; also the library and museum of the U.S. Army 
 Institution. The museum contains many relics of 
 the civil war, as well as some of an earlier struggle, 
 for I found a kettle-drum bearing the crown and 
 thistle, and inscribed " Royal North British Regiment, 
 1st Battalion." 
 
 All the officers I met, from the General downwards, 
 were most pleasant and friendly. I heard many inte- 
 resting stories of the Civil War and the expedition to 
 the Texan frontier, including the strange experiences 
 of the Lava Beds, where a mere handful of Indians, 
 men and women, for several months defied the army 
 sent against ^em, and were only defeated at last 
 through the treachery of one of their number. I 
 
 
 I 
 
 ■•1! 
 
 mu<»mmmm wm* cw-^ 
 
348 PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 
 
 remarked here, as elsewhere when the subject crop 
 up in the course of conversation with Ameri 
 gentlemen, that the great War of Secession 
 invariably alluded to as " our troubles." 
 
 The Western Union Telegraph building is om 
 
 the great sights of New York. There is usual! 
 
 very fine view from the roof, which rises high al 
 
 its neighbours ; but, unfortunately, a thick sea-i 
 
 veiled every object the morning of our visit. 
 
 elevator took us up eleven storeys of the huge pile, 1 
 
 we mounted three more by stairs, and finally go 
 
 the roof by a ladder ! The telegraph instruments 
 
 on the eleventh floor. Some idea may be forme 
 
 the number of the staff and the extent of t 
 
 business, when I say that upwards of four thoui 
 
 wires radiate from this centre. Many women 
 
 employed as signallers, but they weary sooner 
 
 men, and cannot be relied on for continued atten 
 
 Of course they can't, unless they themselves 
 
 the objects of it ! 
 
 Another visit was paid to the Safe- Deposit B 
 ing. There are two peculiarities here which I d< 
 think are to be met with elsewhere : one is the " 1 
 lock," which cannot be opened until the hands c 
 clock attached to it are set to a particular houi 
 minute, fixed by 'the owner of the safe ; the otl 
 that, in addition to all usual precautions against 
 
BUILDINGS. 
 
 here when the subject cropped 
 conversation with American 
 reat War of Secession was 
 
 " our troubles." 
 
 Telegraph building is one of 
 w York. There is usually a 
 ! roof, which rises high above 
 nfortunately, a thick sea-mist 
 ; morning of our visit. The 
 ;n storeys of the huge pile, then 
 e by stairs, and finally got on 
 The telegraph instruments are 
 
 Some idea may be formed of 
 taff and the extent of their 
 hat upwards of four thousand 
 is centre. Many women are 
 5, but they weary sooner than 
 ied on for continued attention. 
 , unless they themselves are 
 
 aid to the Safe- Deposit Build- 
 eculiarities here which I do not 
 h elsewhere : one is the " time- 
 e opened until the hands of the 
 e set to a particular hour and 
 »wner of the safe ; the other is 
 usual precautions against bur- 
 
 THE STOCK EXCHANGE. 
 
 349 
 
 glarious attacks, there are two large pipes over the 
 only entrance door, through which water — either 
 cold or boiling — can be turned on to flood any mob 
 which might try to '" rush " the building. 
 
 And now we came to one of our strangest experi- 
 ences — a visit to the Stock Exchange in Wall Street, 
 the greatest gambling-hell in the world ! Entering by 
 a side door, we went up to the visitors' gallery, from 
 which we looked down on a large hall dotted with 
 iron pillars like street lamp-posts, bearing — instead of 
 lights — placards inscribed with the name of some par- 
 ticular stock, such as " Eric," •' Milwaukee and St. 
 Paul," " Pennsylvania," &c., &c. At the foot of each 
 lamp-post stood four sturdy leather-seated arm-chairs. 
 These are the only seats on the floor of the hall ; 
 they are put up to auccion every year, and we were 
 assured that as much as 3,200 dollars had been 
 paid for a twelvemonth's lease of one ! An iron 
 rule of the Exchange consecrates each chair to the 
 sole use of the person who pays for it, and this rule 
 is never infringed. I must say it was the only 
 sign of rule or order I could see or hear ! Around 
 these small rocks surged a wild sea of screaming, 
 shouting, pushing, gesticulating speculators — now 
 collecting round an individual, now pressing round a 
 lamp-post — forming a dense mass of heads and 
 shoulders in a comer, to dissolve in a moment and 
 
 ■I! 
 
 M 
 
 If: 
 
350 
 
 PANDEMONIUM. 
 
 rush together to a fresh nucleus in the middle of 
 
 hall— till the crowd looked as if they were hav 
 
 several foot-ball scrimmages at the same ti 
 
 lynching half-a-dozen detected pickpockets, 
 
 expecting us to throw coppers from the gallei 
 
 anything except transacting serious business. 1 
 
 shook their fists, jerked and gesticulated with i 
 
 stretched fingers, wildly waved their arms, stam 
 
 yelled and bellowed till a free light seemed immii 
 
 and unavoidable! How could they do busines 
 
 such a pandemonium ? Yet many fortunes are m 
 
 and (what is more intelligible) still more are 
 
 here daily. Sometimes the mad crowd w 
 
 recognize some speculator in our gallery, whei 
 
 the faces would turn up to us, and all the he 
 
 voices shout to him to " come down and tal 
 
 turn." And yet we were told that this scene, 
 
 as it was, was nothing to the disorder which 
 
 prevailed on the 15th of the month, on which 
 
 Exchange law decrees that the white hat of sun 
 
 shall be replaced by the black "stove-pipe 
 
 winter, and all who disobey this unwritten edic 
 
 immediately bonneted, and have to rush off h£ 
 
 to procure the regulation head-covering from 
 
 nearest " store." 
 
 Notable exceptions to the raving mob wer 
 blue-cotton coated messengers sedately passing 
 
n 
 
 )EMONIUM. 
 
 1 nucleus in the middle of the 
 
 oked as if they were having 
 
 nmages at the same time, 
 
 detected pickpockets, or 
 
 coppers from the gallery— 
 LCtinK serious business. Men 
 •d and gesticulated with out- 
 y waved their arms, stamped, 
 
 a free light seemed imminent 
 )W could they do business in 
 Yet many fortunes are made, 
 itelligible) still more are lost 
 nes the mad crowd would 
 lator in our gallery, when all 
 
 up to us, and all the hoarse 
 
 to " come down and take a 
 f/ere told that this scene, wild 
 g to the disorder which had 
 of the month, on which date 
 
 that the white hat of summer 
 
 the black "stove-pipe" of 
 
 isobey this unwritten edict are 
 
 1, and have to rush off hatless 
 
 ation head-covering from the 
 
 to the raving mob were the 
 jssengers sedately passing here 
 
 AN AMFRICAN CIKCUS. 
 
 :>5> 
 
 and there to deliver notes and telegrams — the only 
 quiet people in the crowd. The floor was littered 
 deep with fragments of paper, to which everybody 
 seemed industriously adding when he was not busy 
 yelling and gesticulating — and they were busy ! I 
 don't think they even had time to spit ! ! 
 
 The Sub-Treasury also stands in Wall Street, a 
 massive building of grey granite with walls six feet 
 thick, and roof — also of granite — four feet thick. On 
 ii platform in front stands a line statue of Washing- 
 ton, and the stone on which he stood when taking 
 the oath as first President of the Republic. 
 
 We had been strongly advised not to miss seeing 
 a show called " Buffalo Bill's Wild West," so one 
 afternoon we took the ferry-steamer from the Battery 
 to Staten Island, passing close to Bartholdi's statue, 
 which then presented a perfect image of a Republic 
 — rough-hewn Liberty without a head. After 
 landing, we went some distance by train along the 
 shore of the island, and emerged from the terminus 
 on a sandy expanse, which we crossed to a grove of 
 trees sheltering an Indian encampment. The tents 
 or wigwams were made of poles planted in a circle, 
 meeting at the top, and covered with canvas painted 
 with rude figures of animals, birds, or reptiles — the 
 " totem " or emblem of the chief who owned the tent. 
 The floors were boarded, and the furniture consisted 
 
 ■Mi 
 
 Si: 
 
 il> 
 
THE WILD WEST. 
 
 of a Rood many painted boxes, a few Runs, bows a 
 
 arrows, clubs, water-jars, and rough cookinR utensi 
 
 heaps of coarse blankets strewed the floors, on whi 
 
 lounRcd Indian men, women, and children, w 
 
 copper-coloured skins, long, straiRht. coarse bh 
 
 hair, dirty clothes, and repulsive faces ; the chi 
 
 wore head-dresses of white feathers fixed m a ftl 
 
 and eagles' plumes forming a crested ridpe cc 
 
 menciuR from the top of the head, and extend 
 
 half-way down to their heels, their faces were rue 
 
 painted with yellow ochre and vermilion, buff 
 
 robes covered their shoulders, loose trousers 
 
 tanned hide and embroidered gajters trimmed d( 
 
 the outer seam with hair clothed their legs, 
 
 "moccasins." or slippers, embroidered with b« 
 
 and porcupine quills, completed their costumes. 
 
 We took our places in the reserved seats fa 
 
 the arena, a large field enclosed by palings cov 
 
 with canvas coarsely painted to represent du 
 
 hills, forests, &c. ; in the centre of the field w 
 
 wooden shanty, doing duty for a settler's hut. 
 
 heat was most oppressive, even under the shelt 
 
 the high wooden roof, and there was a i 
 
 consumption of " lemon-squash " and stronger di 
 
 A very handsome man lounged in, and t; 
 
 patronisingly to some of the audience ; he w< 
 
 picturesque half-Spanish dress, which suited his 
 
i 
 
 ILU WEST. 
 
 boxes, a few puns, bows and 
 , and rough cookinR utensils ; 
 strewed the floors, on which 
 women, and children, with 
 lonR, straight, coarse black 
 I repulsive faces; the chiefs 
 hite feathers fixed in a fillet, 
 rming a crested ridge com- 
 of the head, and extending 
 heels, their faces were rudely 
 chre and vermilion, buffalo- 
 shoulders, loose trousers of 
 )idered gajters trimmed down 
 hair clothed their legs, and 
 ers, embroidered with beads 
 ompleted their costumes. 
 i in the reserved seats facing 
 i enclosed by palings covered 
 painted to represent distant 
 the centre of the field was a 
 duty for a settler's hut. The 
 sive, even under the shelter of 
 Dof, and there was a great 
 .n-squash " and stronger drinks, 
 man lounged in, and talked 
 of the audience ; he wore a 
 ish dress, which suited his sun- 
 
^■r,<^i^^^' 
 
THE "WII,n WKST." 
 
 353 
 
 burnt features and flowing brown hair ; this was 
 " Buffalo Bill " himself, or " Colonel Hon. W. F. 
 Cody." You need not look in Burke or Debrett for 
 his family, nor in the Army List for his rank ; 
 America is a free country, and people call themselves 
 " Honourable," " Judge," " Colonel," or anything 
 else they please, just as an Irish car-driver dubs 
 everyone " Captain." I have had my hair cut by a 
 Judge, bought cigar lights from a Major, travelled in 
 a tramcar " conducted " by a Senator, and had my 
 boots blacked by a brother-General — but this is di- 
 gressing. As soon as v/e were so thoroughly tired of 
 waiting that we had made up our minds to leave, a 
 band began to play, a door opened in the paling at 
 the far end of the field, and, with many wild whoops 
 and screeches, a motley crowd galloped into the 
 arena. First came a lot of Texas cowboys, rough- 
 looking young Americans very like mounted navvies ; 
 then troops of Indians cantered in to the number of 
 about a hundred, these all drew up in line, in front of 
 our seats ; next came two young ladies, one in a 
 green, and the other in a yellow habit ; and last of 
 all, with a sweeping bow of his broad sombrero, 
 Buffalo Bill rode up, and saluted in front of his motley 
 crew. The performance consisted of some very fair 
 horsemanship on very sorry nags, some good shooting 
 with a revolver and second-rate performances with 
 
 AA 
 
 U' 
 
354 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 i 
 
 Shot-guns, called for the nonce " Ballard rifles, seen, 
 
 from back-woods life, including an attack by India 
 
 or- the hut previously mentioned, and afterwards . 
 
 a "rickety old stage-coach, said to be the very vehu 
 
 which used to run over the plains between Kans 
 
 City and Denver. Each of these thrilling incide. 
 
 was accompanied by the wild yells and whoops of t 
 
 Indians, who were, of course, interrupted m the v. 
 
 act of scalping their victims by the brave cowbc 
 
 galloping in at the critical moment, and firing revolv 
 
 which killed all they did not frighten to death. 1 
 
 amount of shoutingand blank cartridge was apparer 
 
 unlimited and equally effective, for when a cow 
 
 who had emptied his revolver met an Indian who 1 
 
 hitherto miraculously escaped slaughter, he gave 
 
 "eldritch screech,' .nd that Indian promptly fell 
 
 his horse, and died in the most obliging manner. 
 
 We were next regaled with a buffalo hunt, 
 
 the show concluded with a display of cattle-lasso 
 
 but these " cow-wallops," as we heard them tern 
 
 were very "tame and impotent conclusions " to 
 
 wild excitement of the bloodless combat between 
 
 and man. 
 
 The prettiest part of the show was when Bu 
 Bill rode at a quick canter round the field, firii 
 (and generallv breaking) glass balls thrown into 
 air by another man riding about twenty-h.e yan 
 
YORK. 
 
 once " Ballard rifles," scenes 
 eluding an attack by Indians 
 jntioned. and afterwards on 
 ,, said to be the very vehicle 
 
 the plains between Kansas 
 ;h of these thrilling incidents 
 wild yells and whoops of the 
 )urse, interrupted in the very 
 :tims by the brave cowboys 
 I moment, and firing revolvers 
 I not frighten to death. The 
 )lank cartridge was apparently 
 effective, for when a cowboy 
 /elver met an Indian who had 
 scaped slaughter, he gave an 
 
 that Indian promptly fell off 
 hie most obliging manner, 
 ed with a buffalo hunt, and 
 ;h a display of cattle-lassoing, 
 ;," as we heard them termed, 
 .mpotent conclusions " to the 
 bloodless combat between man 
 
 )f the show was when Buffalo 
 inter round the field, firing at 
 ig) glass balls thrown into the 
 ling about twenty-fwe yards on 
 
 DELMONICO S. 
 
 355 
 
 his lelt front ; of course this was done with a shot-gun. 
 He also (but on foot) hit a dollar in the air with a 
 revolver-bullet, averaging twice out of five times. 
 One of the young ladies also shot well, breaking one 
 by one fifteen glass balls fixed round the outline of 
 a stag, which was kept swinging backwards and for- 
 wards during the performance. She broke all the 
 balls in nineteen shots. This was very pretty, but I 
 must say that this is the highest praise I can give to 
 the performance, while, on the other hand, the 
 attempt to humbug the audience into believing that 
 the shooting was done with solid bullets vvas a little 
 too transparent. In short, the whole performance 
 was mere theatrical show, and with the exception of 
 the buck-jumpers, who were certainly highly-educated 
 animals, neither the horses nor the riding could stand 
 a moment's comparison with those of any Bengal 
 Cavalry Regiment. 
 
 Of course we went to Delmonico's : impossible to 
 be in New York without visiting the famous restaurant. 
 The menu was recherche, the waiters quick and 
 attentive, and the guests remarkably quiet ; otherwise 
 there was nothing striking, and the room was 
 decidedly sombre. 
 
 The theatres also came in for a visit, and we 
 thoroughly appreciated the amount of elbow-room 
 allowed, which contrasts very favourably wifh the 
 
 AA J. 
 
"-r 
 
 
 ..! 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 ■ 
 ■ 
 
 .1 
 
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 356 
 
 STRANGE CONTICASTS. 
 
 cramped stalls of most of our own dramatic a 
 operatic houses; thouph the objection previou 
 made to the service at Trinity Church applies equs 
 to the performance on the stage. 
 
 And now the time had arrived for us to bid ad 
 to America, and to the kind friends whose companii 
 ship and hospitality had added so much to 1 
 pleasure of our visit to the capital of this strai 
 New World — how strange and how astonishing nc 
 can tell without personal experience. A country 
 unlimited resources andj^boundless natural wealth 
 vast area and scanty population, of little history i 
 no memories — inhabited by an immigrant natioi 
 heterogeneous people of widely differing origin 
 as widely opposing characteristics ; the Sout 
 aristocratic, refined, proud, and self-indulgent, 
 scended from the bluest blood of France 
 England ; the North — democratic, rough, yet eqi 
 proud, the product of Puritan English settlers ir 
 mixed with adventurers from every state in Eurd 
 the West — hardy, bold, and self-reliant, true child 
 of the undaunted pioneers and adventurous 
 woodsmen who led the van of the great arm| 
 settlers from the Atlantic to the Pacific. A coi: 
 and a people containing within themselves everyl 
 ment of progress and success — every man 
 necessary, not only to existence, but to civilizaj 
 
CONTICASTS. 
 
 THE " UMBKIA. 
 
 357 
 
 of our own dramatic and 
 h the objection previously 
 finity Cliurch applies equally 
 16 stage. 
 
 1 arrived for us to bid adieu 
 nd friends whose companion- 
 id added so much to the 
 ) the capital of this strange 
 je and how astonishing none 
 1 experience. A country of 
 j^boundless natural wealth, of 
 pulation, of little history and 
 1 by an immigrant nation, a 
 f widely differing origin and 
 laracteristics ; the South— 
 roud, and self-indulgent, de- 
 uest blood of France and 
 democratic, rough, yet equally 
 >uritan English settlers inter- 
 5 from every state in Europe ; 
 . and self-reliant, true children 
 leers and adventurous back- 
 le van of the great army of 
 tic to the Pacific. A country 
 g within themselves every ele- 
 nd success — every material 
 existence, but to civilization : 
 
 were the whole of the Old World to disappear to- 
 morrow and "leave not a wrack behind," America 
 would not suffer. A country with an extraordinary 
 present and a magnificent future. To-day everything 
 strikes the European visitor as painfully rough-hewn 
 and unbeautifully new; manners and customs, fields 
 and plantations, towns and cities, politics and 
 government, all impress him as mere temporary 
 make-shifts, and bear unmistakeable and obtrusive 
 signs of their crude, unfinished state ; but through all 
 runs such a strong current of vigorous young life, such 
 evidence of soaring enterprise, such proof of firm 
 purpose and such promise of future strength, that 
 the rugged and sometimes even repulsive aspect of 
 the present is merged in the dazzling prospect of 
 the future. 
 
 At 3.15 P.M. on Saturday, 25th September, we 
 embarked on the great Cunard liner Umbria, and 
 immediately afterwards the huge vessel cast off her 
 moorings, and we started on the last stage of - ir 
 long journey. At Sandy Hook we dropped the pilot, 
 and were fairly on our way home. 
 
 The Umbria deserves something more than a 
 passing mention ; a leviathan of 8,500 tons burthen, 
 she is one of the largest merchant-vessels afloat, and 
 also one of the fastest (our average on this voyage 
 was 393^ miles per day), while her spacious .;aloons, 
 
358 
 
 ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. 
 
 ! T 1 
 
 I 
 11 
 
 long passages, and three cabin-decks give the idea 
 almost unlimited accommodation, to which the w 
 double stairs and solid mahogany fittings adc 
 sense of grandeur and stability quite new to 
 traveller who has hitherto been accustomed onlj 
 the ordinary type of mail -steamers. The great m 
 saloon opens through the music saloon above, 
 latter being really a wide gallery with cushio 
 seats, piano and harmonium. The space all thro 
 the part of the ship devoted to passengers 
 strikingly great, except in the private cabins, wl 
 are small, though very comfortable. We had a ^ 
 fair concert, the chief feature of which wa 
 recitation from the Ingoldsby Legends by the 
 energetic author of Tom Brown's School-days. 
 ship's printing-press supplied us with menus at 
 meal, as well as lists of the two hundred and 
 passengers. It was fortunate that we had so n 
 room and such pleasant company below, for 
 weather was generally wet and always chilly, so 
 going on deck for more than a quick " constitutio 
 was out of the question 
 
 On Saturday, 2nd October, we lay off Queenst 
 and at four o'clock on the following morning 
 anchor in the Mersey, landing at the Custom V 
 at nine, and completing our journey " from La 
 to Liverpool." 
 
 * ^ * 
 
m im m i m m»^!m^miffmmm-^^mimm-<- 
 
 HE ATLANTIC. 
 
 ; cabin-decks give the idea of 
 modation, to which the wide 
 J mahogany fittings add a 
 I stabiHty quite new to the 
 rto been accustomed only to 
 i) -steamers. The great main 
 :he music saloon above, the 
 wide gallery with cushioned 
 nium. The space all through 
 ) devoted to passengers is 
 in the private cabins, which 
 comfortable. We had a very 
 if feature of which was a 
 igoldsby Legends by the ever- 
 om Brown's School-days. The 
 pplied us with menus at each 
 of the two hundred and fifty 
 irtunate that we had so much 
 ant company below, for the 
 wet and always chilly, so that 
 : than a quick " constitutional " 
 
 ctober, we lay off Queenstown, 
 n the following morning cast 
 landing at the Custom House 
 ig our journey "from Lahore 
 
 HOME 
 
 I 
 
 359 
 
 We had seen many strange lands, heard many 
 foreign tongues, gazed on many lovely scenes, and 
 accumulated many pleasant memories ; but all our 
 varied experiences may be summed up in the terse 
 old north country distich — 
 
 " East — West, 
 Hame's Best!" 
 
 ***