.^ . , . \- f.'r ■f. **.> ': ■ - V-' ' -.•*-»< • •,'" ■- ,-•• • * ,-\. ^ 1 . ■■■«■■ .■• r';-'^^ EUROPE VIEWED THROU,§g ■;: r AMERICAN SPECTACLES, BY CHARLES CAimOLL FULTON, EDITOR OF THE BALTIKORB AMERICAN. C. C. IF. PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 1874. - * ± * !* * i •♦ .o ,♦• •«j««*r uw t T Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by CHARLES C. FULTON, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. Lippincott's Press, Philadelphia. PREFACE AND DEDICATION. "Europe viewed through American Spectacles" — the title chosen for this book of travels — will be found to express its dis- tinctive characteristics. It contains precisely such facts about Europe, and the social life and peculiarities of the people of most of the Continental nations, as all Americans ought to know, which they desire to know, and which are usually ignored in similar books of travel. The author visited Europe to inform himself as to the difference between life abroad and life at home, and to study the social questions of different nations. He has endeavored to describe what came under his observation with fairness and candor, so that the reader may see exactly what he saw, and travel hand in hand with him. The contents of this volume were published in the columns of The Baltimore American mostly during the past year, as familiar letters, written in the haste of travel. They are now placed in book-form in compliance with what seems to be a very general demand, and in the hope that their extensive dissemination may lead all Americans to hold in higher estimation their own free institutions, and to cherish and love the land where freedom of speech and of the press exists, — where the youth of the country are not reared in military barracks or slaughtered on battle-fields to uphold the " divine right" of kings, — where religion is not hampered by state interference, — where marriage is not obstructed by laws which render immorality and vice the necessary fate of a large class of the people, — and where women are regarded as the helpmates and bosom companions of men, and neither bartered off in marriage for a money consideration, nor used by hundreds of thousands as common laborers in field-work and among bricks 741966 4 PREFACE AND DEDICATION. and mortar, — where they are not required to do scavenger-work, be the bearers of the heaviest burdens, or draw carts and wagons yoked by the side of mangy curs. I By those who have visited Europe this volume will be found especially interesting, entertaining, and amusing ; to those who intend to visit Europe, the author thinks it will be more valuable than most of the guide-books ; and to those who do not expect to make a European tour, it will furnish much practical information that cannot be found in any other volume extant. To the Press of the country generally, which has so largely published fragmentary extracts from this tour of Europe, it is respectfully dedicated, in the hope that it will still further aid in enabling all Americans to see Europe through "American Spectacles." To our friend and fellow-traveler of ante-bellum times, that prince of good fellows, Murat Halstead, Esq., Editor of the Cincinnati Commercial, and our excellent friends. Colonel George W. Childs, Editor of the Philadelphia Ledger, and Hugh J. Hastings, Esq., of the New York Commercial, all of whom have given to their readers such copious extracts, we especially tender our thanks for a generous appreciation of our labors./ ~t5. C. F. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAQE Ocean Experiences 9 Monotony of Ocean Travel 9 Experiences of the Sea 9 Amusements at Sea 10 Charms of the Sea 11 First Impressions of the Sea 301 Miseries of the Sea 302 Intimacies of the Sea 302 Jollities of the Sea 303 Sunday on Shipboard 304 Icebergs on the Ocean 305 Among the Icebergs 305 Homeward Bound 308 The Ocean Highway 309 City OP Bremen 12 Sunday at Bremen 13 Emigration to America 13 A Beautiful City 13 Undecayed Mummies 14 City OF Berlin 14 Trials of Travel 14 The Royal Museum 15 Impressions of Berlin 15 Working Women 15 Working Dogs 16 Cost of Royalty 16 Berlin and its People 17 Military Display 17 The Berlin Opera 17 Berlin Hotels 18 City of Dresden 19 First-class Travel 19 Masculine Kisses 19 Beer-Drinking 19 Impressions of Dresden 20 Dresden by Gas-light 21 The Green Vault 21 Dress of the People 22 Old Churches 22 Sunday in Dresden ...., 22 The Zwinger Palace j 23 Sunday on the Elbe 23 Dresden Houses 23 Market-Placcs 24 Pet Sparrows 24 City op Vienna 25 Vienna the Beautiful 25 Working Women 26 • Cafe Life in Vienna 26, 63 PAOB City op Vienna — Continued. Drinking-Water 27 Shopping in Vienna 27 Ladies of Vienna 28 Religious Freedom 28 The Volksgarten 28 Vienna Hotels 29 Twelve Hours a Day's Work 29 The Ringstrasse 30 The Grand Opera 30, 43, 63 A Paper-money Country 31 The Esterhazy Keller 32 The Vienna Exposition 32, 38, 48, 71, 76 The "Dutch Treat" 34 Emperor's Summer Palace 35 Scenes on the Prater 36, 50 Experience of German Life 37 Strauss and his Music 39 Street Scenes in Vienna 39 Funerals by Contract .....40, 67 Wedding Peculiarities 41 The Royal Jewels 41 Virtue of the Empire 41 Life among the People 41 American. Drinks <.. 42 Vienna Building Associations 44 Austrian Germany 46 "Nix Deutsch" 47 A Musical People 47, 68 Grand Military Review 53 Vienna Fire Department 55 The Beauty of Vienna 66 Kissing Hands 57, 77 Austrian Politeness 57 Beer and Coffee 68 Vienna General Hospital 58 Vienna Extortion 60 Morals and Marriage 60 Marriage among the Well-born 61 German Life — Beer-Drinking 63- Absence of Intoxicating Liquors 64 Scarcity of Drinking-Water 64 The Vienna Bourse 65 Austrian Women 65 The Military Adonis 66 Want to go to America 67 Respect for the Law 68 The German Birthday 71 The Catholic Shrines 72 Poodle Dogs 73 The Austrian Ladies 74 The Workingwomen 75 Gentlemen of Vienna 75 Foreign and Home Food 77 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE Pesth AND Trieste 78 From Pesth to Trieste 78 Down the Danube 78 City of Trieste 79-82 Pesth andOfen 80 The Blue Adriatic 81 The Women of Trieste 83 Railroad Experiences 83-84 The City of Steyer , 85 German Watering-Places 85 Hall, and how we got there 86 A Chapter of Mishaps 86 Advice to Travelers 87 Attractions of Hall 88-90 The Austrian Women 89 Strong-minded Women 89 The Austrian German 92 Vice in the Cities 93 Virtue in the Rural Districts 93' German Temperance 94 Extreme Politeness 94 German Summer Resorts 95 Use of Tobacco 95 Baden-Baden on Sunday 96 The Gambling Scene 97-100 Rouge-et-Noir 97-101 The Springs,— " Hell" 99 The Conversationshaus 99 The Temple of Silence 102 Temptations to Play 103 Bavaria— Munich 103, 109 Our "Horrible Language" 105 .The "Konigs-See" 106 . The Berchtesgaden Salt-mines 106 City of Munich 109 Soldiering in Bavaria 110 The King of Bavaria 110 Bavarian Beer-Drinking 112 The Royal Brewery 113 The Innkeeper's Commandments 114 More about Beer 115 Matrimonial Customs 116 The Yankee School-Teachers 117 The Royal Palace 118 The Munich Park 118 Statue of Bavaria 119 Academy of Fine Arts 120 Beer! Beer! Beer! 120 Munich Bronze Foundry 121 Studying English 122 Hotel Greetings 123 WURTEMBERG f 123 Notes by the Way 123 Sunday in Stuttgart 124 Visitors to the Fatherland 125 The Marriage Question 126 Duchy of Baden 126 Castle of Heidelberg 128 The German Tourist 129 Student-Life at Heidelberg 130 Heidelberg Dueling Ill, 133 Darmstadt 133 City of Darmstadt 134 These Old Towns 134 PAGE D ARMST ADT — Con tinned. Religious Toleration 135 Provision Stores 135 Female Clerks 136 German Babies 136 Frankfort-on-the-Main 136 City of Frankfort 137 Jewish Quarter 137 Ariadne on the Panther 138 Emigration and Military Service 138 Down the Rhine 139 Rhine Tourists 140 Mayence to Bingen 140 Bingen to Coblentz 140 English Tourists 142 Rhine Dinner 143 Rhine Exaggerations 143 City of Cologne 143 View of the City 144 Cathedral of Cologne 144 Relics of St. Ursula 145 City of Paris 145 Gayety of Paris 145 Paris and Vienna 145 Paris by Gas-light 146 Social Statistics of Paris 147 Dead of Paris 147 Parisian Foundlings 148 Love of Dogs 148 Yankee Doodle in Paris 149 Paris Boulevards 150 Paris Underground 151 Beautiful Paris 151 Abattoirs of Paris 152 Wages in Paris 152 Paris Hotels...*. 154 Cleanliness of Paris 154 Bois de Boulogne 155 Jardin d'Acclimatation 156 Markets of Paris 156 Market for Old Clothes-. 157 "Chateau Rouge" 158 The Grisette 160 "It's Naughty, but it's Nice" 160 The Mabille Audience 161 The Mabille Dancers 161 The Champs Elysees on Sunday 163 Place de la Concorde 164 Business Women 164 Social Questions 165 Matrimonial Agencies 165 French Marriage-Laws 166 Omitting the Ceremony 166 Social Degradation 167 English and American Travelers 168 Amenities of Travel , 168 Horse Butchers 168 Duval's Boucherie 169 Exemption from Fines 170 Mysterious Work of Art..., 171 How Paris is painted 172 Fete of St. Cloud 173 Sunday Amusements 175 Americans Europeanized 17^ Boarding-School French 17j5 American Food Troubles 176 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE City op Paris — Continued. Mending their Manners 177 No "Rings" in Paris 178 The Mont de Piete 179 Etiquette of the Streets 179 Construction of Houses 180 Shop-keepers of Paris 181 "AuBon March6" 183 Scarcity of Water 183 Hot Bread 183 City OP Marseilles 184 Sunday in Marseilles 185 Public Gardens 185 Scenes on the Streets 186 Law and Order 186 Scene at the Bourse 186 Table-d'IIote 187 Italy, Naples, Rome, etc 188 On the Mediterranean 188 City of Genoa 188 Leghorn and Pisa 190 The Leaning Tower 191 Civita Vecchia 191 Fleas and Beggars 192 Italian Cooking 192 City of Naples 192 Naples on Sunday 193 A Walk on the Toledo 194 Neapolitan Ladies 194 Happiness of the People 195 How the Babies are nursed 197 The Faithful Donkey 197 Pompeii — its Ruins 198 Ascent of Vesuvius a 202 The Craters— a Night Scene 204 Lava and Ashes 205 Vesuvius in Eruption 205 A Fiery Experience 207 Exaggerations of Italy 208 Liquefaction of the Blood of San Gen- naro 209 The Dead of Naples 210 Italian Scenery 211 Ruins of Paestum 212 Temples of Paestum 213 Street Scenes in Naples 213 City of Rome 214 Italians and Priests 215 Visit to St. Peter's 217 Miraculous Relics 218 Down among the Ancients 218 Mendicant Priests 219 The Roman Palaces 220 Down among the Dead Men" 221 "Brother, we must all Die" 221 Churches of Rome 222 Sunday in Rome 223 Garibaldi and Savonarola 224 City of Florence 224 Burial of the Poor 227 The City of Venice .'... 228 Across the Adriatic 228 Gondolas and Gondoliers ; 229 A Stroll through the City 229 The Streets of Venice 230 Churches and Bells 230 Public Garden 230 PAOB The City op Venice — Continued. A Gondola Ride 231 / Venetian Newsboys 232 The Venice Bourse 232 Venice as it is 233 The Gay Gondolier 233 History of Venice 234 Islands and Canals 234 Piazza of St. Mark 235 St. Mark's on Sunday 236 The Cries of Venice 236 Stores of Venice 237 Feeding Pet Pigeons 237 Surroundings of Venice 238 St. Mark's Cathedral 239 Female Water-Carriers y. 240 The Jews' Quarter 240 Bridge of Sighs 240 Churches of Venice 241 Venetian Palaces 242 Rialto Bridge 242 Venice by Gas-light 243 Ladies of Venice 243 Theatres of Venice 243 Venice Fictions 243 Love of Music 244 The City op Verona 244 Romeo and Juliet 244 The City of Verona 245 Roman Amphitheatre 245 Churches and Cathedrals 245 City OP Milan 246 Railroading in Italy 246 Milan on Sunday 246 Cathedral of Milan 247 Streets of Milan 247 Ladies of Milan 248 Shopping in Milan 248 Voyage ON Lake Como.... .- 248 Farewell to Italy 248 From Milan to Como 249 The Lake of Como 249 Beauties of the Lake 250 Switzerland 250 Crossing the Alps 250 The Splugen Pass 251 The Via Mala 251 Haps and Mishaps 252 Head of the Rhine 252 Attractions of Switzerland 252 Town of Coire 253 Springs of Pfaffers 253 Swiss Railroads 254 Fair Zurich's Waters 254 City of Zurich 255 People of Zurich , 256 Europe and America 256 Sunday in Zurich ^ 257 Houses of Zurich 257 The Black Virgin 258 Lake Lucerne 260 Town of Fluelen 260 Honors to Tell 261 Ascent of Mount Righi 262 A Night on Righi 262 The Bernese Alps 264 TABLE OF CONTENTS. TAQE Switzerland — Continued. Berne and its Bears 264 Bernese Women 265 Interlaken 265 Lake of Brienz 266 Giesbach Cascades 267 Ascent of the Giesbach 267 Blue-beard's Castle 268 The Jungfrau 269 City of Geneva 269 City of Lausanne 270 Lake of Geneva 270 Mont Blanc 270 Burdens for the Back 271 Hotel Mistakes 272 Gastronomy in Europe 272 City of London 273 Crossing the Channel 273 An Agreeable Sensation 274 Up to "Lunnen" Town 274 London and Paris 275 Drunkards and Beggars 275 How to See a City 275 Stores of London 276 Public Parks 276 Service at Westminster 277 Underground Railways 277 Rambles in London 278 Tower of London 278 Crystal Palace =. 279 Zoological Gardens 279 The American Abroad.. 279 Street Experiences 280 Westminster Abbey 280 Spurgeon in the Pulpit 281 Spurgeon's Peculiarities 282 Excursion on the Thames 284 Houses of Parliament 285 English Ladies' Peculiarities 286 Peculiarities of Englishmen 286 English Oddities 287 Scotland 287 City of Edinburgh 287 Rapid Traveling 287 PAGE Scotland — Continued. Monument to Scott 288 Nelson's Monument 288 Edinburgh Notables 289 Palace of Holyrood 289 City op Glasgow 290 Down the Clyde 291 City of Greenock 291 Ireland 291 City of Belfast 291 Trip to Galway 292 City of Dublin 292 Scenes on the Route 293 Dublin Beauties 293 Capital of Ireland 293 Trinity College 294 Phoenix Park 294 Tomb of O'Connell 295 The Irish Jingle 295 Police of Ireland 295 City of Cork. 296 Cove of Cork 296 Irish Jaunting Cars 297 Blarney Castle 297 The Blarney Stone 298 Groves of Blarney 298 An Irish Race 298 Round Towers of Ireland 298 City of Liverpool 299 Aspect of Liverpool 299 Street Scenes 299 Liverpool Docks 299 St. George's Organ 300 Life at Sea 301-310 Hints to European Tourists 311 Patience and Good Temper 311 Firearms 311 Clothing and Money 311 Guides and Guide-Books .'. 311 Passports 311 Railroad Travel 312 Hotels, etc 312 Cost of Travel 312 EUEOPE VIEWED THROUGH AMERICAN SPECTACLES. Steamship Baltimore, Off Southampton, 1873. The sight of land, after thirteen days of ocean travel with its monotonous water scenery, is most cheering and in- vigorating, even when, as in the present case, we have yet five hundred miles far- ther to journey to Bremen through the waters of the treacherous North Sea. We here bid adieu to a portion of the com- panions of our voyage, who have just landed at Southampton, but expect again to meet them a month hence at Vienna, which is the Mecca of Americans during the present season. Those, however, who desire to visit Northern Germany, and make a brief sojourn in Berlin on their route to Vienna, continue with us on our sea journey. MONOTONY OF OCEAN TRAVEL. Two weeks on the ocean, with but little more than the dull daily routine of gazing on the "waste of waters," and re- sponding four times per day to the >ell for meals, is almost as irksome as being shut up in a sick-room. The days seem as long as weeks, and half the nights are spent in vain efforts to drop ofi" into for- getfulness of the discomforts of the sur- roundings. Reading is next to impossi- ble, the 'motion of the vessel affecting the eye so as to make the efibrt anything but agreeable. The first three days of our voyage were as calm and quiet as the run down the Chesapeake, and everybody im- agined that there was nothing to dread for the balance of the voyage, and all was becoming as monotonous as a long drive to a funeral. A party of a half-dozen young Americans, who kept up a per- petual round of fun and frolic, were the only persons on board who seemed able to make a break in the solemn aspect of the passengers. FARE ON A GERMAN STEAMER. The passenger on a German steamer commences his experience in foreign life the moment the hawsers are cast off". He finds the table served and the food pre- pared precisely as he will find it on shore when he arrives at Bremerhafen. The iable-d' hote, which ultimately makes the American long for a square home dinner, begins so soon as the engine is in mo- tion, and from that hour forward he com- mences his foreign experience. Perhaps it is as well that he should have this preparatory training, as there is much to learn, and it takes time to accustom the palate to foreign cooking and the tastes and smells of unknown dishes. Our spe- cimens of Young America have much sport over the bill of fare, and bring out their German dictionaries to translate what they term ''conundrums." It re- quires wine or beer to secure good diges- tion, and our German companions, with this addition, enjoy it amazingly. The table is just such as is suitable to healthy people, and not so tempting as to induce dyspeptics to overload their stomachs. EXPERIENCE OF THE SEA. Some men are regarded as Jonahs whenj on the sea, storhi and disaster keeping! pace with their movements. The sailorl regards the presence of a priest or preacher ' as premonitory of a rough and stormy passage, and is to that extent prejudiced against the cloth. We have had a pretty extensive sea experience in various wan- derings, and it has always been our fortune to encounter favorable weather. Even Cape Hatteras has not been able to get up a 9 10 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH storm for our lleRfe§t"o*i *nV of the numer- ous -oe^msions *©f oiir TOariding it. The .British Channel, gencjrally -th-e terror of \f<)(li^^$,';hU3 biwXi^s I)eii«ne as calm as th^ Chesapeake during bur crossings, and the dreaded Mediterranean is bright, blue, and beautiful. We have encountered storms on land, but never on the water, old Neptune having invariably been kind and considerate. The first three days of our present journey on the broad Atlantic were marked by a bright sky, a warm sun, and a light rolling sea. Some of the passengers were a little nauseated, but our merry little party, male and fe- male, continued to enjoy the games and promenades on deck without the slightest evidence of seasickness. The chamber- maid had evidently marked the ladies of our party for her most careful nursing, and seemed astonished that they did not succumb with the other ladies on board. If they happened to roll themselves in their shawls for an afternoon siesta on deck, she rushed for a cup of gruel, and was astonished at their perverseness in not requiring her services. A CHANGE OF WEATHER. On the morning of the fourth day we rose to find our state-rooms in commotion, and the wash-stand and looking-glass making an apparent effort to come in violent collision, whilst our satchels^ and brushes were chasing one another around the floor. The effort to dress amid such commotion was a strong test on the ca- pacity of the stomach to resist the de- mands of the troubled waters, but it was finally accomplished, with some misgiv- ings as to a continuance of the power of resistance. On reaching the deck we found a fine rolling sea, with a strong but favorable wind, making locomotion very difficult. The response to the breakfast- bell showed the effect of the change of weather upon the passengers. Out of twenty-six cabin passengers but ten ap- peared at the talile, including the nine Americans on board, and one German. There was not a lady present except the two from Baltimore, who during the next five days were almost the only representatives of the sex at the table. Of the Marylanders among the passen- gers but two succumbed to the prevailing epidemic, one of them representing Balti- more, and the other a worthy legal gentle- man hailing from the head-waters of canoe navigation. The Germans, on the contrary, with one exception, male and female, if they attempted to venture to resume their seats at the table were com- pelled to beat a rapid retreat, greatly to the amusement of those whose stomachs were proof against the moving dishes and oscillating motion of the table and the vessel. Persons suffering from sea- sickness receive but little commiseration, and must expect to be laughed at. When they recover it is amusing to listen to the descriptions they give of their sufferings and the misery of mind and body through which they have passed. A young friend from Baltimore, who was very anxious to be seasick, now thinks he will be com- pelled to spend the balance of his days"in Europe, having serious doubts if he will ever have the nerve to run the risk of a second attack by venturing on shipboard again. After five days of rough weather we passed the Banks of Newfoundland, and were again in a rolling but quiet sea, approaching the coast of Ireland. To those of us who have been exempt, the voyage has been as pleasant as sea travel can be expected to be to the landsman, but the extent of sea-sickness on board has been more than the average. During the last four days all have been well, and though we have been plowing along at the rate of three hundred miles per day, through a high rolling sea, with a fair wind, the ship vibrating all the time like a pen- dulum, it no longer has any disagreeable effect on the convalescents. Their brains and legs are attuned to the motion, and they can now enjoy all that is enjoyable on the sea. The fifty-six steerage pas- sengers were all sick, and for a time two Baltimore ladies were the only females on the vessel, except the chambermaids, who were able to appear at table or prom- enade the deck. We were advised by our German friends to drink wine and beer, as they did, as a preventive, but having stuck to cold water, we claim it as a bet- ter specific. AMUSEMENTS AT SEA. The amusements of the voyage depend a great deal upon the weather, and upon the character and disposition of the pas- sengers. During most of the present trip the weather has been too cold and the sea running too high for amusements on deck. There was also too much seasickness for the passengers to muster in sufficient force until the tenth day out, when, all having recovered, we had quite a spirited dance on deck, a youth from the steerage with an accordeon furnishing the music. Although the ship was rolling at an angle- of twenty degrees, the dancers managed, AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 11 with an occasional ftill and roll, to enjoy themselves until nine o'clock in the even- ing under a bright moonlight. All had their sea-legs fully under control, though so great was the rolling motion of the vessel that none of those who partici- pated in the dance could have even main- tained their footing on the deck a week ago. The Baltimore proved to be an ex- cellent roller, especially when encounter- ing the groundswell from the Irish coast. The only other amusement during the voyage has been an occasional game of shuffle-board; but there has been too much wind and rain for this, except at occasional intervals. The weather has also* been decidedly cold, and the cabin amusements have been very limited. THE COAST OF ENGLAND. Our voyage around the southern coast of England, passing the great naval station of Plymouth, and also the fortifications off" Dartmouth, was through a sea as calm as the Chesapeake. There was scarcely a ripple on the ocean, and not a per- ceptible motion of the steamer. This run on the coast continued for nearly twenty hours before reaching Southamp- ton, and the quiet of the scene was very acceptable after the rolling and rocking we had gone through during the preceding ten days. The sun was bright, and the day was enjoyed on deck. Those who were to land at Southampton, having cast aside their sea clothing, were hailed as they appeared on deck as new-comers. We had dreaded this coasting as likely to be rough and unpleasant, but it proved to be the most agreeable portion of our journey. All the passengers were well and in high spirits at the sight of land, and thankful that they were so rapidly ap- proaching the end of their journey. We left Southampton about seven o'clock on Friday evening, and had a fine view of the fortifications near Portsmouth, which arevery formidable, but in this age of iron- clads would prove of very little service. The entrance to Southampton, through the Solent, affbrds a fine view of the shores of the Isle of Wight, which are very beau- tiful, dotted with villas of the nobility, watering-places, and a very elegant seaside palace of the Queen. The trees were in full foliage, and the fields clothed in the bright- est green. At seven o'clock on Saturday morning we passed through the Straits of Dover, having a fine view of Folke- stone and Dover, with its ancient castle on the hill, this being the point where William the Conqueror landed. In the dim distance, the morning being bright and beautiful, Calais, on the coast of France, was visible, and we soon passed into the open North Sea, and were again out of sight of land and steaming towards Germany. THE NORTH SEA, The North Sea, which has a very bad name in the nautical calendar, was in its most lovely mood when we entered upon its waters. A bright and warm sun drew every one to the deck, and so quiet was the ocean that there was scarcely a per- ceptible motion of the vessel as we steamed along towards the mouth of the river Weser. During the whole of the thirty hours consumed in crossing the North Sea, a distance of nearly three hundred miles, there was scarcely a rip- ple on its surface. It was more like a steamboat excursion on the Chesapeake than ocean travel. The weather was, however, decidedly cool as we approached the coast of Germany. CHARMS OF THE SEA. Novelists and poets have succeeded in producing a very general impression among the uninitiated that there is some- thing delightful in life on the sea. De- pend upon it, there never was a greater delusion. The novelty wears off very rapidly, and time drags slowly, until the days seem like weeks and the weeks like months. Some time must elapse before one gets accustomed to being rolled up and packed away on a rocking and pitch- ing shelf all night, to the perpetual jin- gle of the machinery, and to the stifling atmosphere of a close state-room. Even when tolerably accustomed to it, the hours are counted and the log watched with anxiety to note the number of miles yet to be passed before reaching the de- sired haven. During two-thirds of an or- dinary passage one must of necessity keep below deck, even in day-time. Rain- storms and wind-squalls are equally pro- hibitory of deck enjoyment. It is next to impossible to read, and cabin amuse- ments soon become tiresome. Among the passengers there are always to be found some who have crossed the ocean a dozen times, and they are no more happy or contented than is the novice. So also with the officers of vessels : they are always looking forward to some distant prospect of securing land employment. When to all these sources of discomfort are added constant seasickness and nau- sea to the great majority, some idea may be formed of the amount of human suf- 12 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH fering to be endured by the twenty thou- sand Americans who are now moving or preparing to move towards Vienna. Of course, nothing can be more delightful than to pay a visit to Europe, but the sea- going must not be counted among the at- tractions of the trip. Depend upon it, the most romantic of your readers will, with their first experience, wonder whether it is not possible that the poets and romancers of the sea were paid puffers in the interest of ship-owners, or were laboring to secure free tickets for a trip across the ocean. CHANGE OF TIME. In crossing the ocean the gradual change of time amounts to about twenty minutes every two hundred and fifty miles on the roiite. In approaching Europe from America, to keep your watch up to ship time you must move the hands forward daily from twenty to thirty-five minutes. Many jokes are told of the youngsters who get out of all conceit of their time- keepers whilst on an ocean journey. Hav- ing kept up Baltimore time throughout the trip, we find just five hours and five minutes difference at Southampton. In other words, we arrived here at six min- utes past six o'clock this evening, whilst our watches record precisely one o'clock P.M. as Baltimore time, having made the journey in one hour less than thirteen days. BREMEN. Bremen, May 12, 1873. "We entered the Fatherland at Bremer- hafen at five o'clock last evening, and in two hours were at our present location, by a special train of cars in waiting for our arrival. Two weeks ago we were in Baltimore, and now we are in Germany, almost as quickly as we could reach some of our summer resorts by slow stages of travel. We intend to have a good sum- mer run through Northern Europe, and propose to have a good time of it, Provi- dence and weather permitting, though at the present time we scarcely know whither we shall go or where we shall cease our peregrinations. CITY OF BREMERHAFEN. "We had only a bird's-eye view of Bre- merhafen, which is the commercial entre- pot of Bremen, thirty miles distant, at the head of ship navigation on the Weser River. It is a purely commercial city, of about twenty thousand population, with some fine docks, similar to those at Liver- pool, and an abundance of large and extensive warehouses. It will ultimately become to Germany what Liverpool is to England, and large numbers of new buildings are now being erected in all directions. The country between Bremerhafen and Bremen is almost like one of our Illinois prairies, and is nearly as barren of trees. The cultivation of some points on the route is very fine, but the most of it exhibits rather careless husbandry compared with the fields of England. One of our tra\«ling companions, from Prince George's County, remarked that he could almost imagine that he was traveling through that section of Maryland, if it were not for the absence of w^orm-fences. There was an abundance of the Ilolstein cattle, so highly prized in America, grazing in the fields, reminding us of a commission we have from an es- timable lady of Baltimore to send her three choice heifers. CITY OF BREMEN. The city of Bremen being out of the usual route of German tourists, little is known of it, and we had always imagined it to be one of those cities in which trade, business, and commerce are the principal attractions. A walk before breakfast sat- isfied us that there are few handsomer cities for its size in Europe, and for clean- liness it Avill compare with the most at- tractive portions of Paris. In ancient times it was a walled city, bvit the ram- parts which separated the old town from the suburbs have been removed and turned into promenades, which almost make a circle through the heart of the present city, constituting one of its principal ornaments. The picturesque groups of trees, the broad surface of the moats, which have been retained, forming small lakes, and the rich vegetation of the opposite bank, upon which a line of magnificent residences extends through the heart of the city, present a succession of striking pictures. Extensive pleasure- grounds, with caf6s, etc., are interspersed on the Weser at the upper extremity of the promenades. The private residences nearly all have broad gardens in front, each rivaling its neighbor in the display of flowers. Whole miles of these elegant buildings, in every^ variety of architecture, can be seen along the promenade, indicating great wealth AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 13 and an appreciation of the comforts and pleasures of a bri<2;ht and beautiful home. The fronts are all decorated with lace cur- tains, and flowers in full bloom are abun- dant at the parlor windows. THE PEOPLE OF BREMEN. Bremen has a population of about one hundred thousand, and, next to Hamburg, it is the most important commercial place in North Germany. It is chiefly indebted for its present prosperity to the foundation of Bremerhafen, or the harbor of Bremen, which, although thirty miles distant, is regarded as a suburb of the city. It is visited annually by about four thousand vessels, of which four hundred, including about thirty-five sea-going steamers, are owned in Bremen. SUNDAY AT BREMEN. "We landed in a hail-storm, which has followed us on to Bremen, but it did not prevent us from viewing the city by gas- light on the only Sunday evening we shall spend here. After partaking of a most delicious supper at the Hotel du Nord, our entire party started out under the guidance of H. llaster, Esq., editor of the Chicago Staats Zeitung, who, with his family, was one of our passent^ers, to see how the people in this ancient city spend their Sunday evenings. We found the stores generally closed, except those for the sale of tobacco and cigars, though many of them were lit up for the display of goods. The rain doubtless occasioned more dull- ness than usual out-of-doors, but the resorts for eating and drinking were all crowded to excess. We visited the great wine-cellar under the City Hall, which is a government establishment, with its butts of wine, the heads of which are twelve feet in diam- eter. It is an immense restaurant, and here were gathered fully one thousand gentlemen and ladies, eating their suppers and partaking of wine and beer. They have wine here of the vintage of 1624, which is, however, only partaken of by strangers as a matter of curiosity. We found present many of the leading merchants of the city, with their wives and daughters, each of the numerous tables being occupied by a party of per- sonal friends, all enjoying themselves, amid a cloud of smoke that was almost stifling on entering. This cellar has been the favorite resort of the people of Bre- men for several generations, many families taking their meals here most of the time. There were at the tables young men with their sweethearts, and old men with their wives, and it was pleasing to observe the marked order and decorum which pre- vailed among such a large gathering. The oldest of the immense casks in this cellar are called '*The Rose" and the ''Twelve Apostles," the head of each being elabo- rately gilded and covered with inscriptions. The magistrates are said, in ancient times, to have held their most important sessions near the spigot of the former, such delib- erations having been kept profoundly secret. Some of the young American portion of our party, at a later hour on Sunday night, visited the theatre, admission to see the last act costing ten cents, including a glass of beer, and at twelve o'clock stopped in at a billiard-saloon, which was in full operation. The rain having ceased about ten o'clock, the streets soon became thronged with promenaders, and up to midnight presented a lively appearance. EMIGRATION TO AMERICA. Bremen is the principal point for the con- centration of emigrants going to America. Throngs of them, consisting of men,women and chikiren, such as congregate weekly at Castle Garden or Locust Point, can be seen at all hours of the day in groups around the shipping-offices, or wending their way to the depot, bound for Bre- merhafen, preparatory to embarkation. They come here from all parts of Ger- many, and are an entirely different class of people from the inhabitants of Bremen, being mostly agriculturists. We re- member on visiting Dublin some years since to have remarked that but few spe- cimens of the American idea of the per- sonal appearance and characteristics of an Irishman could be seen in that city. The same may be said of Bremen. With the exception of the emigrants, there are few persons to be seen in this city who would be recognized at a glance as Ger- man, either in dress, manners, or fiicial expression. Indeed, it would l3e difficult to find a finer-looking class of people any- where than the inhabitants of Bremen, or any that are more kind, courteous, and agreeable in their manners. The ladies have a healthy appearance and ruddy countenances, are handsome and graceful, and dress with excellent taste and free- dom from gaudy colors. Their kindness to Americans is most marked and general. On our making inquiry of persons on the street as to the location of different objects of interest, they not only took great pains to give the proper direction, but on more 14 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH than one occasion accompanied us several squares to make sure that we did not get astray. UNDECAYED MUMMIES. The Cathedral, erected in the twelfth century, is the only interesting church of which Bremen can boast. It is now a Protestant church, and contains the finest organ in Germany. Its greatest attraction to strangers is the exhibition of several mummies, the oldest having been for four hundred years, and the most recent for sixty years, in an undecayed condition. The vault in which they repose possesses the property of preventing decomposition, in proof of which poultry is frequently suspended in it, a venerable turkey, one hundred years old, being at the present time hanging on the wall. The corpses bear no evidence of decay as in the case of the Egyptian mummies, but carry on their countenances the appearance of recent death, except that the dust of ages has somewhat discolored them. There are about a dozen bodies laid out in their cof- fins. The flesh feels like parchment, and the cheeks of an old countess, who has lain here four hundred years, look and feel quite plump. One is the remains of an English officer, shot in a duel ninety years ago, with a bullet-hole in his breast and a shattered shoulder. A corpulent old general is still corpulent, and a dozen chickens hung up ninety years ago have their feathers all intact. The vault in which they lie is about thirty feet long and fifteen wide, and is above-ground, in one of the crypts of the church. There is nothing peculiar about it, and there seems no reason why it should preserve bodies from decay more than any other room in Bremen. The exhibition of these curiosities gives an income to the church of about tvrenty dollars per day, and is quite a valuable source of revenue. It is not everybody who can expect to be so remunerative after he has given up the ghost. NEWSPAPERS AT BREMEN. There are two newspapers printed here, but nobody seems to care anything about them. There is not a newsboy to be seen on the street, and the newspaper files in the hotels are seldom disturbed. Visitors sit and drink their beer and wine, but seldom read. The citizens of Bremen are decidedly a talking people, and seem to take no time for reading or studying the current of events as recorded in the public prints. BERLIN. Berlin, May 14, 1873. "We reached Berlin, the capital of Prus- sia, at breakfast-time on Tuesday morn- ing, after a long night ride from Bremen, passing through Hanover about two o'clock in the morning. Railroad travel in Europe is accompanied by many trials and annoyances that are not experienced in the United States, the detention and trouble with baggage not being the least of them. At Bremen our luggage was all examined on leaving the city, and then Aveighed, and, although nothing was found strictly contraband, the officer was in great doubt about the propriety of passing a small bundle of paper on which we propose to write the notes of our journey. On our explaining to him the purpose for which it was intended, it was allowed to pass. A box of fifty choice cigars was not allowed to remain in a trunk, but we were permitted to carry it in our hands, the result of which was that before reaching our destination it was lost. At Hanover we were compelled to change trains, having to wait over an hour in a reception-room crowded with men, women, and children, on emerging from which the ladies of our party dis- covered that they had made acquaintance with a goodly number of those pests of Europe that are only to be found in dog- kennels on our side of the Atlantic. TRIALS OF TRAVEL. We arrived at Berlin at seven o'clock in the morning, the time from Bremen being nine hours. Quite a storm was in pro- gress as we reached the depot in Berlin, when, with our baskets, bundles, shawls, and valises, we were seized upon by a Commissionnaire and a military-looking official with a spiked helmet. The said Commissionnaire assured us that there was no Iirjtel deRussie in Berlin, and that the best hotel was the Hotel de TEurope. Be- ing anxious to get located, we were packed in a carriage and sent off". On entering the hotel we came to the conclusion that if "de I'Europe" was the best house in Berlin it had a shocking bad exterior appearance. We were shown up to cham- bers on the second floor, carpetless, and almost furnitureless, whereupon we came to the conclusion that the Kaiser's depot regulations are calculated to allow stran- gers to be swindled. Being in a strange city, and our carriage having departed^ we concluded to make the best of^ a bad bargain, and called for breakfast, which AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 15 we will do the proprietor the credit to say was palatable and well served. Leaving the ladies for a short time, we strolled out, and soon found the Hotel de Russie, and also the Hotel du Nord, two first-class houses, in the latter of which we secured quarters. The swindle cost us about five dollars, which we charged to ''experience," hoping to profit by it before we leave Germany. The complaint we have to make to the Kaiser is, that one of his spiked-helmet ofiicials, when appealed to as to the truth of the Commissionnaire's story, assured us that it was all right. IMPRESSIONS OF BERLIN. Our first impressions of Berlin were decidedly unfavorable, though the cold and dismal rain-storm which has followed us thus far is not calculated to make any place look very bright and attractive. But Berlin is a sombre, massive city, lacking the bright and brilliant aspect of Paris. Its public buildings, although equal to those of any other city in Europe in imposing grandeur, are more solid than beautiful. There is no section of the city that is exclusively devoted to elegant stores, they being scattered about in every direc- tion, intermingled with warehouses and junk-shops. It is said to be the deter- mination of the Emperor to make Berlin rival Paris as the most attractive city of Europe, but we rather think that it will require rebuilding, almost, to accomplish the undertaking. A grand arcade has just been completed, running diagonally through two squares, similar to the mag- nificent establishment at Milan, which is quite Parisian in its beauty and propor- tions. " THE ROYAL MUSEUM. We spent several hours to-day in the Royal Museum, which is a vast structure, to which there is no charge for admittance. The painting-gallery is very extensive, but not very attractive. The pictures are decidedly ancient, and consequently not appreciated by the average American. There are some few paintings here that all can admire, though the vast majority are graceless and unnatural in their presenta- tion of the human figure. The coloring is, however, very rich and natural, for which they are mostly admired. Most of them, if seen anywhere else than in a royal gallery, would be regarded as the daubs of amateur artists. Around the few good paintings there were generally two or three artists busily engaged in making copies. Another portion of the Museum is de- voted to plaster casts of ancient sculpture, including copies of nearly all the great masterpieces to be found at Rome and Florence. As we had seen the originals of these, the copies commanded but little of our attention, except such as could be given during a leisurely stroll through the' extensive galleries. THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. We next proceeded to the Zoological Gardens, which are outside of the walls of Berlin, adjoining the grand Park. Here we found a collection of beasts and birds equal in number and extent to the menageries of Forepaugh, Barnum, and all the other traveling institutions of the United States combined and multi- plied by six. The grounds are very ex- tensive, and the buildings in which the animals are kept have been erected re- gardless of expense. Quite a number of small but beautiful lakes are filled with an extensive variety of aquatic birds, many of them of the most brilliant plum- age, and each species in great number. The aviaries are also large and fine, and the lions, tigers, leopards, and panthers embrace many fine and rare specimens. Take the gardens altogether, they are su- perior to those of London or Paris ; but in the latter city many of the animals were eaten during the siege. WORKING WOMEN. German women are undoubtedly able to do a man's work, and some of them do more in that line than most men are will- ing to do. The very hardest species of manual labor is spading ground and turn- ing over the sod. In the Park to-day we passed nearly fifty women, all strong and muscular, busily driving their spades into the earth. They worked in gangs of five, side by side, apparently as con- tented as if they had been piercing a cam- bric handkerchief with a needle. When women can perform this kind of labor, they are certainly on an ♦equality with men in some things if not in all, and need no protectors. Only think of marrying a woman who can dig ^,11 day w-ith a spade ! It would not do for most of the lords of creation to have such wives, or at least to provoke them to a trial of strength. LOCOMOTION IN BERLIN. There are no street passenger railways in Berlin, and there are comparatively few omnibuses. The population is now said to be nine hundred thousand, or nearly 16 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH three times that of Baltimore. The car- riages, however, are very cheap and numerous, being of three classes, and at three grades of prices, first, second, and third class. A second-class carriage, with one horse, carrying four passengers, charges about sixty cents per hour in our money, the first class eighty cents, and the third class forty cents. The first class has two horses, and the other classes have one horse. WORKING DOGS, In all parts of Germany the dog is a beast of burden, and works with as earn- est a will as the horse or the mule. Hundreds of hand-carts can be seen mov- ing through the streets, with one or two dogs harnessed, and they never allow their traces to slacken. The size of the wagons, and the loads they pull, are truly surprising to those who only know the dog as a lazy, sleeping animal. The man or Doy accompanying the dog merely keeps his hand upon the tongue of the wagon to steady or guide it, whilst the faithful ani- mal does all the work. These dogs are all muzzled, as they are apt to bite any stran- ger who approaches the wagon, especially during the absence of the master. Whilst resting anywhere, they lie down in their traces and sleep, but at a word are up again, and intent upon their work. They are of no especial breed, but all kinds, including the Newfoundland and the bull- dog, are to be seen in harness. All that is required is strength and muscle and proper training. There are very few idle dogs to be seen in Berlin. THE COST OF ROYALTY. The American traveling in Europe is astonished at the vast expenditure and waste of money that is required to main- tain royalty. There cannot be in Ger- many less than fifty palaces for the accom- modation of the royal family, each one of which is ten times larger than the President's house. None of them have less than one hundred rooms, and some of them from two hundred to three hun- dred, all decorated and furnished in the highest style of art, with picture-galleries and halls of statuary, whilst temples, fountains, monuments, and every man- ner of ornament adorn the surrounding grounds. At Potsdam, about ten miles from Berlin, there are five magnificent palaces, and there are quite a number in this city. They are all in charge of hosts of retainers, ready for t^e reception of royal visitors at a moment's notice, and each guarded by garrisons of soldiers larger than those in charge of all the for- tifications in the United States. However, the people seem to take pride in all this as evidence of the greatness and glory of their country, and if they are satisfied there is no reason why any one else should grumble about it. Everybody here wonders how it is possible that the United States is so steadily and persist- ently paying oflP its national debt. It is no matter of wonder to us why the na- tions of Europe are so persistently increas- ing theirs. There must, however, be an end of all this some day. A STROLL THROUGH BERLIN. We took a long walk to-day, to the dis- tance of six or seven miles, away from the centre of Berlin, winding around through all sections of the business por- tions of the city. We found it all alike everywhere, fine buildings intermixed with ancient structures, and no one sec- tion much superior to another in its attractiveness. Stores of every variety and character are intermixed, and military barracks with bristling bayonets inter- spersed through all sections of the city. We came across an extensive market, occupying a whole square, upon which were hundreds of booths, the principal articles on sale being wooden ware, bas- kets, and brushes, wath a few cake and toy stands. It was thronged with purchasers, and presented quite a stirring scene. These baskets and wooden-ware booths also extended down all the neighboring streets, and it seemed strange that there should be a demand to warrant such an immense exposure of such goods. The streets generally are broad and well paved, but the houses and stores by no means attractive, though many very fine buildings are in the course of erec- tion all over the city. But when one has walked two hours through the streets of Berlin he may conclude that he has seen the whole city, the characteristics of all sections are so similar. In most respects it is 80 like an American city that it is difficult to note anything in the habits or ways, or even in the appearance, of the people, that would prove of interest to your readers. MONUMENT TO FREDERICK THE GREAT. Near the eastern extremity of the Lin- den, opposite the palace of the Crown Prince, stands the statue or monument of Frederick the Great. It is in bron^, by Ranch, and is said to be the grandest monument of its kind in Europe. The AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 17 pedestal is divided into three sections. At the corners of the upper are represented Moderation, Justice, Wisdom, Strength. On the sides of the monument are eight reliefs, — representing the birth of the King, his education, Minerva presenting him with a sword, Frederick after the bat- tle of Kolin, his love of art, his taste for music, his promotion of commerce, and his apotheosis. At the corners of the central section are four equestrian figures, on the east the Princes Henry of Prus- sia and Ferdinand of Brunswick, and on the west Generals Ziethen and Seydlitz. Around the monument are grouped life- sized figures of distinguished officers. The lower section contains names of other prominent men, especially soldiers of the time of Frederick. The monuments in Berlin, are not numerous, but they are of a superior character. Berlin, May 15, 1873. BERLIN AND ITS PEOPLE. Berlin improves with acquaintance, and the more we see of it the better we like it. It is, however, by no means a gay city. The people are neither gay nor merry, except on the occasion of some commemoration of victories in war, or in honor of the Kaiser and "Our Fritz." They are even silent over their beer and Schweitzer cheese, and there are no jolly gatherings of an evening such as can be nightly witnessed in the gardens and saloons of Baltimore. We walked sev- eral miles the other evening in pursuit of such an establishment as that of Franz Gardiner on High Street, and were con- tent to finally drop into a quiet resort in a basement on the Poststrasse, where there were a number of visitors, all as silent as possible, with no singing or music or jollity of any kind. Germans in America are an entirely different class of people from those in the great cities of the Fatherland. The most enthusiastic Americans I have met with here are the German-Americans on a visit to their old homes. They find fault with everything, and complain that the people are too slow and lack energy and enterprise. Mr. Raster, the editor of the Chicago Staats Zeitujiff, was out of patience even in the lively little city of Bremen. How he has gotten along in the more staid and solemn cities of the interior, it is not easy to imagine. THE MILITARY DISPLAY. The fact that Prussia is a military gov- ernment is apparent all over Berlin. 2 Almost one-fourth of the men to be met on the streets are in military dress, with epaulets and swords, and the " man with a military walk" is no curiosity here. Soldiers on guard are in and around all the public buildings, the police are in military dress, with spiked helmets and swords, the railroad officials wear uni- forms, and the telegraph operators and boys are all arrayed in a semi-military costume. So also with the post-office of- ficials and the custodians of the public buildings. Regiments of soldiers march through the streets with brass bands, and the relief-guard parties seem to be always in motion. The store-windows are filled with prints of the Kaiser Wilhelm and his staff, in full feather, and the minor military dignitaries are presented in the photograph establishments as the greatest attraction. They, however, did well for their country in the late war, and are deserving of all the honor they receive. Every man in Germany must serve in the army from one to three years. If he has passed a good examination at a mili- tary academy, his term of service is but one year, but otherwise he must serve for three years. Thus it was that there were no raw recruits in the immense army brought so suddenly into the field to resist and drive back Napoleon. Every man was a soldier, trained and accustomed to the life of a soldier, under the greatest soldier of the age, and the most strict disciplinarian even in times of peace. Fortunately, we can do without such ex- pensive ornaments as a standing army, and this is the reason why so many Ger- mans are thronging the steamers for America. The number would be still greater if they were all possessed of the means to carry out their desire to escape from military service. Regiments of cav- alry, infantry, and artillery are parading the streets to-day, but they attract no attention from the people. The sight is evidently too common. THE BERLIN OPERA. The operatic spectacle, with an inter- mixture of what IS known in America as the " leg opera," called " The Lady in White,''^ has been attracting the attention of the Berlinese for the past one hundred and fifteen nights at the Grand Opera House, and thither we wended our way last evening. Reserved seats for our party of four cost seven thalers and ten groschen, which is about one dollar and thirty-four cents per head. We went early, for the purpose of seeing the audi- 18 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH ence assemble, and to notice whatever else might seem to us of interest. The ladies AA'ill be interested in knowing that an entirely new mode of dressing the hair is in A'ogue here, and that there seems to -be very'little false hair used. The hair is frizzed all over, and the back hair con- fined in an invisible net, whilst the front stands out in crimped confusion. On the top of the head a bow of ribbon is worn similar to a gentleman's neck-tie, with short fringed ends. All ear-rings are in- finitesimally small, and mostly of dia- monds or pearls. The ladies were largely in excess of the gentlemen, and, singular as it may seem, they came in without male escort, some- times singly, sometimes in groups of four or five. These independent ladies were mostly young, and among the best dressed in the house, and were without bonnets, as were nearly all except stran- gers. The inevitable brass buttons and shoulder-straps predominated among the gentlemen, and a glance in any direction w^as sure to encounter a bevy of handsome young patriots. As to the theatre itself, the interior or auditorium is about twice as large as Ford's Opera House, though it would not seat double as many, as the single seats are each fully four inches wider. One- half the Berlinese ladies and gentlemen could not wedge themselves into a nar- rower space. The seats are automatic, and if you rise they fly back, so that there is no difficulty in persons passing to in- terior seats, the rule being to rise. You are almost required to leave your hats, coats, canes, etc., outside with the cus- todians. Most Americans object to this, however, having a vivid recollection of ball-room scenes at home, and of missing coats, hats, bonnets, and furs. People here wonder why they refuse. Perhaps it would not be well to inform them. The Opera House is a very grand affair, elaborately decorated with statuary, paintings, &nd rich carving. Next to the stage come what we would call the stage-boxes, only, instead of there being but three on each side, there are, in- cluding the top boxes, twelve on each side, or twenty-four stage boxes in all. The remainder of the house is divided into five tiers, including the parquet. The royal box is circular, very elegant, and elaborately decorated, and is capable of seating at royal ease about twenty- five persons. The height of the box is that of the three lower tiers, and the canopy at the top is surmounted by the crown and other royal insignia. No one enters this box without the royal sanction, and, with the exception of a lady sitting alone throughout the per- formance, it was entirely empty. The parquet was full, most of the seats in the five tiers of stalls occupied, and the stage-boxes about one-third full. The upper tier, or what in American par- lance is styled "the peanut-gallery," was thronged with very respectable peo- ple, mostly ladies. The performance was very good, and the piece was presented on the stage in grand style. The orches- tra consisted of forty-four performers, and the chorus and villagers on the stage numbered fully one hundred. The scenery was perfect, and was evidently gotten up by the hand of a master. In- stead of flies, the side scenes were solid, giving the sides of the room or castle chamber to be represented ; so also with the ceiling, presenting the appearance of a closed room on all sides except that to- wards the auditorium. The rural scenery was equally artistic and natural in its perfection. THE BERLIN HOTELS. The best hotels in Berlin are about equal to those of the second and third-class in Paris. Indeed, they are not so good here as at Bremen, nor are the accommoda- tions or the table so good, Avhilst prices are considerably higher. Such a thing as an elevator is not known, nor are there any public parlors for the accommodation of guests. Hence it is that strangers, and especially Americans, make but a brief stay in Berlin and hurry on to Dres- den, where the accommodations and at- tractions are said to be much better. The tahle-d'hote comprises a variety of inex- plicable dishes, potatoes being about the only thing that is recognizable. One hour and a half is the shortest time required for this daily nuisance, and we have come to the conclusion that life is entirely too short to be thus wasted on unsatisfac- tory dinners. The Germans and the English seem, however, to enjoy them, and remain at the table a half-hour after the Americans have retired, smoking, and munching raisins and nuts. The ladies like it as an opportunity for the display of rich toilettes and diamonds, and a means of killing time. Gentlen)en who are traveling with ladies are usually com- pelled to submit to the infliction rather than to forage among the restaurants. The principal street in Berlin, on which most of the public buildings and hotels AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 19 are located, is Unter den Linden, — a dou- ble row of lime-trees and a promenade adorning the centre of it. The number of fine stores upon it is, however, ex- tremely limited : and it possesses but little more attraction for the stranger than any other street. Immediately outside the Brandenburg Gate is the Thiergarten, a magnificent park, shaded by line old trees, two miles in length and half a mile in breadth. For two miles on each side of the park there is an array of the most magnificent pala- tial residences, the extensive gardens around which are adorned with statuary and fountains and brilliant with flowers and ornamental trees. DRESDEN. -" Dresden, May 16, 1873. We left Berlin at noon to-day, and at five o'clock this afternoon were driving through the city of Dresden, the favorite city of Saxony for American residents. There are said to be a large number of American families permanently located here, the object being the education of their children, though English is so gen- erally spoken that it is beginning to be difficult for them to learn German. Some families who came here to teach their boys and girls to speak German have been compelled to change their location to the interior on that account, j SCENES ON THE ROUTE. ' The country through which we passed on our route from Berlin was mostly rough and poorly cultivated, the land being thin and sandy, and at times the road was lined with pine forests, similar to those in North Carolina, the trees bearing marks of having been tapped for turpentine. At other points the country was as rough and barren as the worst portions of that on the railroad between Baltimore and Washington. We saw no one working in the fields except women, who were handling the hoe and spade. Scarcely a fence was to be seen for the whole hundred miles, this being an ex- pense that is not known to European I'armers. When they let their cattle out to graze, they have a man or boy to watch them, which is much cheaper than the labor and expense of keeping up fences. MASCULINE KISSES. We were much amused at many of the stations on the road to see great, rough- bearded men kissing each other at parting or meeting. They would first salute each other on the cheeks, and then bring their lips together. It seemed to the gentlemen spectators a burlesque on kissing, whilst the ladies declined to express any opinion on the subject, but it may be presumed that they regarded it as about on the same level as a matter of enjoyment with the practice of kissing each other whenever they meet or part. FIRST-CLASS TRAVEL. In Germany nobody but " princes, fools, and Americans" travels in first-class cars, the principal difference between the first- and the second-class car being that one is upholstered with velvet and the other with cloth. Any one who gets in a first-class car is regarded by the people on the platform as an object of curiosity, and so at all the stopping-places on the road ; no one looks at second-class pas- sengers, whilst the first-class are stared at as being either " princes, fools, or Ameri- cans." One of our party, being a novice in European travel, desired to test the dif- ference in the cars, so we to-day traveled first-class to Dresden. We had scarcely got seated before we heard ourselves? spoken of as "rich Americans," and the attendant who came to examine our tickets saluted us with, " Will your honors please show me your tickets?'' When traveling second-class, an official jerks open the door and exclaims, " Tick- ets!" wnthout even adding the American salutation of " gentlemen" to it. There is, however, an advantage in traveling "first-class" that is sometimes worth the additional cost, especially at night. There are so very few who take first-class cars, that a party of three or four are sure to have the entire section to themselves, and not be annoyed by strangers intruding and crowding upon them at every station. The ladies of the party can then lie down and sleep as comfortably as if in a sleep- ing-car. The additional cost is about one-fourth more than second-class fare. The fare from Berlin to Dresden is, in American money, as follows : first-class, $4.00; second-class, $2.64; third-class, $1.75, the latter being plain board seats without any kind of upholstering. The distance is about one hundred and thirty miles, so that " first-class" is only about the same as the American rate of travel. BEER-DRINKING. Everybody in Germany drinks beer, it being part of the daily food, as much so 20 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH as coffee is in America. Mothers wean their infants on beer, and they are brought up accustomed to drink it as freely as water. At all the stations on the road an oppor- tunity is given to the passengers to secure a supply, and it is more easily obtained than water, and almost as cheap. The Ger- mans attribute the absence of dyspepsia to beer, and point to the rosy cheeks of their daughters as the result of this wholesome beverage. Our party are all giving it a fair trial, and hope to return home with a new lease of life and health. With all due respect to our American brewers, we do not think that any of them come up to the quality of the German article, which is of a bright and clear amber color and sparkles under a heavy froth. The taste for it is an acquired one, and we are all getting quite accustomed to its use. It seems to be free from all intoxi- cating effects, and if it proves a cure for dyspepsia, as is claimed by our German friends, it will do much more than the doctors have been able to accomplish in most cases of the kind. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF DRESDEN. We had no sooner secured our rooms at the Victoria Hotel than we started out for a promenade through the main thor- oughfares of Dresden. We found it to be a much more lively and stirring city than Berlin, the streets being so densely thronged that it was difficult to make our way through them. The population is nearly two hundred thousand, and the city is divided by the river Elbe, one side being called the old town, and the side upon which we are located the new town. The houses of the new town are gener- ally five stories high, and are very simi- lar in their appearance and construction to those on the boulevards of Paris. The streets are mostly broad, and beautiful little squares with fountains are thickly interspersed. The stores are quite ele- gant, and make a fine display of all kinds of rich and rare goods. A city passenger railway, the first, Ave believe, in Germany, has just been completed, and the cars are running through the city. They are of the large double-deck species, — the top seats being for the accommoda- tion of smokers. The number of English and Americans we encountered on the streets was truly surprising. We could hear boys calling to each other, ^irls chatting on the street- corners, and misses simpering along with their beaux, all speaking good and plain English.^ PRUSSIAN MONEY. An American traveling in Germany longs for a return to his native greenbacks and paper currenc3^ The confusion of money growing out of the union of Ger- many is almost inexplicable, and when making a purchase you are tempted at times to hold out a handful of ragged coin and let the seller help himself. An- other mode is to commence dropping the smallest coin into the outstretched hand, and stop as soon as the countenance of the receiver indicates satisfaction. The silver and copper coins are innumerable, com- mencing with a thaler and going down to a pfennige, one hundred arid sixty of which are equal to an American dollar. They are also of a dozen different styles of coinage, all, probably, as plain as a pike-staff to a native, but a monstrous puzzle to strangers. Prussian money is, however, good all over Europe, and we learn that Prussian paper money com- mands a heavy premium in Austria. In Europe, nothing more clearly proves the power of a government than the value of its money across the border ; and Prussia is to-day the recognized master of Europe, both in strength and brains. IMPRESSIONS OF DRESDEN. Our first impressions of Dresden have been more than realized by a five-hour drive through all its thoroughfares and suburbs, and we do not wonder at its being selected as the favorite resort for Americans residing in Europe. It is very much like beautiful little Bremen, though on a larger scale and more magnificent in its attractions. The ancient city of Dresden w.is inclosed by a wall and moat, the site of which now forms a magnificent promenade, extending through the heart of the present city. Extensive palatial residences, surrounded by flower-gardens, statuary, and fountains, border this grand public square, which, to-day being bright and beautiful, is now thronged with people and blooming with flowers. The whole city has a gay and lively appearance, and the display of the stores far exceeds that of Berlin. The hotels are also better, and that in which we are stopping, the Victoria, as well as the Belle vue and the Saxe, would do credit to Paris. We are in what is called the English quarter of the city, the houses in all directions being occupied by English and American fami- lies. Each floor has its separate family, like the houses in Paris. The houses are ver^ large, being five and six stories high. A mmily can live here in good style for al- AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 21 most one-half what it would cost either in London or the United States. THE GREEN VAULT. One of the greatest curiosities here is the "Green Vault," consisting of eight rooms in the palace, so named from the color of their original decorations. It contains one of the most valuable collec- tions of curiosities, rare works of art, jewels, etc., in the world, the contents of one of the rooms alone being valued at fifteen million dollars. The immense wealth accumulated in the Green Vaults is attributed to the fact that the Saxon princes were formerly the richest mon- archs in Europe. Most of their wealth was derived from the Friedburg silver- mines, which, previous to the discovery of America, were the richest in the world. Much of the proceeds of the mines they expended in the ornamentation of jewels and works of art. It is impossible for me to mention in detail the numerous works of art which fill up these eight large cham- bers. As to the value of the contents of the different rooms, it may safely be set at eighty million dollars. The first room is filled with magnificent bronzes, the second with works and ornaments of all kinds carved in ivory, the third with mosaics principally, in which dia- monds and precious stones arc inserted in the most lavish profusion ; in the fourth room is all the Court plate, in which are also diamonds and precious stones; in the fifth room are various articles of ornament, including a number of jewel-boxes orna- mented with rubies and diamonds; in the sixth room are magnificent jewels, carved ivory and ebony, curious caricatures, etc. In the seventh room are the regalia of Au- gustus II., King of Poland, carvings in wood, of the Resurrection, Descent from the Cross, the Archangel Michael's con- test with Satan, also two little pieces in wax. The eighth room greatly surpasses all the others in the costly splendor of its contents, consisting of diamonds, crowns, sceptres, chains, and collars. Or- ders of the Garter, the Golden Fleece, and the Poland Eagle ; coat-buttons, all dia- monds of the purest water, weighing from forty to fifty carats. All the gala ornaments of the Elector of Saxony, con- sisting of his coat-buttons, vest-buttons, sword-belt, scabbard, and collar, are set with diamonds. There are also several magnificent rings, two of which belonged to Martin Luther. There are thousands of rare and curi- ous articles in these rooms, every one of which is worthy of close and critical ex- amination. The cost of admission for from one to four persons is one thaler and ten groschen, or about ninety-six cents in our money. There were about fifty visitors at the time of our visit. DRESDEN BY GAS-LIGHT. In a European city, there is no night in the week like Saturday night to take a general survey of gas-light scenes. We accordingly, after supper last even- ing, took an extended stroll over the city, finding ourselves at ten o'clock in the suburbs, amidst a tangle of streets through which we wended our way, hop- ing soon to strike upon some thorough- fare that we would recognize. We were finally compelled to employ an express- man to guide us back to our hotel, which we reached in good order and condition, though rather tired, considering that we had been roaming and riding, and per- ambulating palaces and vaults and gar- dens, all day long. Dresden at night is almost as lively as Paris. The streets everywhere were thronged with men, women, and children, and the restaurants well filled with cus- tomers, sipping their beer and eating their Schweitzer cheese in as merry a mood as possible. There was no music, how- ever, as in our beer-gardens; indeed, we have not heard a band of music in Ger- many, unless in attendance on a company or regiment of military. At the great restaurant near the bridge, on the banks of the Elbe, there were hundreds of visitors, all enjoying themselves in com- parative quiet. The stores were nearly all closed at dusk, and the work of clean- ing the streets everywhere progressing, which appears to be done principally by the people in front of their own doors. The students, with their red caps, were promenading with the girls and studying German as well as German ch.aracter and habits at the same time, under most agree- able circumstances. The Brlihl Terrace, rising on the bank of the Elbe, approached by a broad and handsome flight of stone steps near the old bridge, is the most popular prome- nade, and presents a fine view of the river and the city. This was crowded with promenaders, and, being brilliantly illuminated with'gas-jets, presented quite an interesting scene. The boats on the river and the lights on the long stone bridge, with its ceaseless throng of travel, presented a stirring scene from the Terrace. 22 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH DRESS OF THE PEOPLE. If the prediction of General Grant that the English language is likely to become the language of the world is rather prob- lematical, there is no doubt of the fact that the English and American style of dress is already universal throughout Christendom. On this bright Sunday morning, as we look out upon the thronged streets of Dresden, so far as the dress and manner of the people are concerned, were it not for the fine and cleanly Belgian pavements, we might imagine ourselves gazing on the streets of Bal- timore or any other American city. The people are dressed precisely in every respect as they are with us, excepting, perhaps, that the gentlemen, or at least . some of them, sport broader brims to their hats. The ladies are all attired pre- cisely as those of Baltimore are, and the array of bright and light spring bonnets would do credit to Charles Street or Broadway. At the Dresden Cathedral this morning there was as fine an array of handsomely-dressed ladies as was doubt- less to be seen at the Baltimore Cathedral, or at Mount Vernon or St. Luke's. The only difierence to be observed here is the vast number of men in military dress, who are swarming all over the city, gen- erally fine-looking youths, dragged from the walks of private life to learn the art of soldiering. SUNDAY IN DRESDEN. Precisely at eight o'clock this morning ■ all the church-bells in the city sent forth their sonorous announcements, and on looking out we found the people in com- motion, in their best Sunday attire, mov- ing towards the churches, whilst all the carriages in the city appeared to be in procession, filled with men, women, and children, heading towards the country, evidently on picnic enjoyment intent. The stores were all closed, and all out-of- doors presented as quiet a Sabbath aspect as it doubtless did in Baltimore. A Sab- bath morning in Germany is as quiet and impressive as in more strait-laced sections of the world, but after two o'clock the devotions of the day cease, and pleas- ure and enjoyment assume full sway. It is the day in Dresden for social calls, friendly reunions, family entertainment, and not only a day of rest, but of freedom for both the mind and body from the labors of the week. The streets soon be- came thronged with husbands, wives, and shildren, beaux and belles, the old and the young, all in commotion. The grand promenade is packed with people, the bridges are crowded with citizens passing from one side of the city to the other, and the " Restaurations" attract and refresh the weary, or furnish the usual evening meal of Schweitzer cheese, bread, and beer. Very few Germans take any regular meal after dinner, depending entirely on this evening lunch. The stores, with the exception of those for the sale of cigars, cakes, and eatables, were closed, and the day was generally observed as one of rest and devotion, the amusements and recreations being of the most innocent character. The churches were all largely attended in the morning, and the immense cathedral was literally packed with people. High mass was celebrated at eleven o'clock, accom- panied by grand music, both vocal and instrumental. In addition to the im- mense organ, there was a band of forty performers on brass and string instru- ments, and a large choir of singers, in- cluding some fine solo voices, both male and female. All the strangers in the city appeared to have congregated here, to listen to the music, and most of them had to stand throughout the entire ceremony. The cathedral is nearly as large as that of Baltimore, and the music sounded grand throughout its vaulted ceilings. On Sunday afternoon and evening the favorite place of resort appeared to be the Zoological Garden, which was thronged with visitors. Many brought their lunch with them, whilst others took their evening meal at the restaurant in the Garden. Whole families seemed to move together, and were joyous and happy, doubtless having attended their churches in the morning. OLD CHURCHES. It is a notable fact that in Italy there is scarcely a church to be seen that does not bear evidence of having been built at least two hundred years ago, and very few which those who came after the builders have thought it worth while to keep in decent repair. We were not pre- pared to look for a similar state of affairs in Germany, but we have yet to see a church, either in Berlin or Dresden, that does not bear the impress of centuries. Even the churches and chapels along the road in the rural districts have the same mark of antiquity. Fortunately, or un- fortunately, our ancestors did not build churches, or we might not have taken so much interest as we have in this and other kindred improvements. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 23 THE ZWINQER PALACE. We put off until to-day our visit to the famous picture-gallery of the Zwinger Palace, as a place, to us, of minor at- traction. Those who have traveled much in Europe get heartily tired of picture- galleries, though it is regarded as fash- ionable to gaze and admire, and pretend to appreciate them, whether you can heartily do so or not. We decidedly ob- ject to straining our necks in staring up at frescoed ceilings and endeavoring to unravel the meaning of the })ainter in grouping together hundreds of allegorical figures of men and angels. Mark Twain expressed the honest convictions of two- thirds of those who pretend to admire and enjoy ancient paintings, with their alle- gorical figures and uncertain meaning^^ The picture-gallery of the Zwinger Palace, and the museums contained in this immense structure, are great attrac- tions. The collection of paintings is the finest on this side of the Alps, consisting of two thousand three hundred pictures, filling the walls of forty-five separate rooms. There are quite a number of the exquisite works of llaphael in the collec- tion, the most important of which is the Sistine Madonna, around which there are always several artists busily employed making copies. It represents the Virgin and Child in clouds, with St. Sixtus and St. Barbara and two cherubs beneath. It was purchased in 1753 for forty-five thousand dollars. The Museum of Engravings and Casts in the same palace is also very interest- ing, but the Ilistorical Museum, contained in the western wing of the palace, is the most instructive, far exceeding in extent and attraction the museum in the Tower of London. The first hall contains a col- lection of curious antique furniture, with Luther's cabinet, beer-goblet, and sword. The second room is filled M'ith ancient apparatus, spears, cross-bows, and other implements of the chase in use a thou- sand years ago, with the hunting-horn of Henry IV. of France. The third room is the Tournament Hall, in which are an immense number of richly decorated suits of armor arranged on horseback, with elaborately decorated shields and helmets. The fourth is the Battle Saloon, contain- ing the armor and weapons used by the distinguished kings and generals in famous battles three hundred years ago, and numerous trophies of the battles with the Turks and Saracens. There are five Other rooms, containing embroidered and ornamented trappings for horses, deco- rated with a great variety of precious stones, and some literally covered with diamonds and sapphires ; also an immense number of Turkish swords, the scabbards and hilts of which are covered with pre- cious stones, together with the elaborately worked Turkish tent of Kara Mustapha, captured at the siege of Vienna, and a vast collection of Turkish and Oriental weapons. SUNDAY ON THE ELBE. Sunday, when the weather is clear and bright, as it was yesterday, is a great day on the river Elbe. The steamboats leave every hour during the morning, thronged! with men, women, and children, for the* various gardens on the river a few miles above the city. Many carry with them baskets of refreshments, and make family picnics in the woods, getting their supply of beer from the restaurants. Between seven and eight o'clock in the evening the boats commence to return, loaded down with the excursionists, and during the hour we spent on the promenade last even- ing, not less than from eight to ten thou- sand were landed on the banks of the river just below us. They were joyful and happy, and we did not see one that appeared the least intoxicated. We have yet to see the first drunken man in Ger- many, or one that was even boisterous or noisy from the effect of liquor. Indeed, the people are singularly taciturn and quiet, much more so than are the Ger- mans in America. Everybody appears to be comfortable, well fed, clothed, and contented, but a loud voice or a hearty laugh is seldom heard on the street. Neither have we met with any beggars in Germany, nor any one who bore the slightest appearance of destitution. EUROPEAN HOUSES. As many of those who build houses, as well as those who live in them, do not un- derstand the style of dwelling-houses now in general vogue in all large European cities, we will endeavor to describe one of them now in course of erection directly in front of our hotel window. In this case the builder has a front on the main street of about one hundred and forty feet, sufficient to accommodate seven houses on the ordinary Baltimore style. He, however, builds but one house, with a court entrance in the centre, and eight stores below. The upper portion of the house, to the height of five stories, is completed with all the requirements for two or more families on each floor, and 24 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH each story will have from four to eight good rooms, four of which will front on this street. The upper story is generally com- pleted so as to accommodate four families, each being given smaller accommodations. In the rear of the centre stores on the first floor two sets of staircases pass up, one for servants and the other for tenants and visitors. An old woman or man is also provided with quarters on this floor, who is called the porter, and is always on hand to answer all questions as to who live there, whether they are in or out, what floor they live on, and also to do little chores of various kinds for the tenants. Each suite of rooms is complete and inde- pendent in its accommodations of all kinds, and we have been assured that the families are just as much separated from each other as if they lived in separate houses. There are elevators for the hoist- ing of wood and coal to the different sto- ries, which must of course be obtained in small quantities. We have had occasion to enter several of these houses at times, and always found the general staircase clean and in good order, finely carpeted and cared for at the expense of all the inmates. They are preferred to the old style of separate houses, as afibrding bet- ter accommodations and an opportunity to make a better appearance for a small outlay. All the houses now building inside the city of Dresden are in this style, and they are occupied as fast as built. The one to which we allude, opposite our hotel win- dow, is not yet completed, but most of the stores, and the three upper stories, are oc- cupied, the windows being handsomely decorated with lace curtains and every evidence of comfort and refined taste. THE JEHUS OF DRESDEN. The carriage fare in Dresden is exceed- ingly moderate, and any attempt on the part of drivers to impose upon stran- gers by overcharging is a penal offense. If you do not understand the currency, you can hold out a handful of coin to the driver, with the assurance that he will not take more than the law allows. He will even watch to see that no one else cheats you if you should stop to purchase anything. Give him an occasional glass of beer, and he is intensely happy. The legal charge for a horse and carriage per hour is two marcs, or forty-eight cents. They carry four passengers, being twelve cents each per hour. For a two-horse carriage the charge is one thaler, or sev- enty-two cents, per hour. PET SPARROWS. The birds in Germany, especially in the cities, are the pets of the people. The little sparrows are to be met with every- where, and so gentle and tame that they will almost eat out of your hand. In the promenades and parks they hop around your feet and eat crumbs thrown to them. They protect the trees and shrubbery from worms, and in the public grounds afl'ord so much enjoyment to the people that they are treated with special favor. Even the children never disturb them, but are taught to carry crumbs in their pockets to feed them ; and in winter they are not allowed to suffer for food. In building a house, provision is made for the nests of the sparrows, little boxes be- ing inserted at intervals among the tiles on the roof. THE PARK OF DRESDEN. We discovered during our extensive drive in the suburbs of Dresden that the city has a very beautiful park on its east- ern boundary, near the Zoological Garden. It is laid out very handsomely, and is adorned with quite a number of pieces of fine statuary, lakes, etc., and has in it the Museum of Natural History and other public institutions. We passed a number of family parties spending the day in the woods. Beyond the park are a large num- ber of elegant private residences, located in a beautiful region of country, and sur- rounded by gardens and every evidence of luxury and culti^s^ated taste. MARKET-PLACES. There are no market-houses either in Berlin or Dresden. The market-place is invariably a well-paved square in a cen- tral location, upon which the vendors have tables, or have erected small booths, from which they sell their wares. There appear to be no regular meat-markets, meat being sold from provision stores which are scattered all over the city. In- deed, most of the booths at the market- places are for the sale of fruits, vegetables, toys, candies, cakes, and notions of various kinds. As about two-thirds of the peo- ple take their meals at restaurants^ the amount of family marketing is comparar tively small. At the hotels half a hun- dred persons are fed, through the tahle- d/hote system, on what would be cooked in America for a family of ten persons, and when dinner is over there is nothing left but the bones. They count tb«ir guests, and cook just enough to go around sparingly. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 25 THE CITY PASSENGER RAILWAY. After leaving the Historical Museum this morning, our party took seats on the top of a two-story railway car, and paid our passage, equal to six cents, to the end of the route, which we found to be the village of Blasewitz, about six miles from the city, on the banks of the Elbe. Steamers to and from the city stop there every hour, as at numerous stopping- places on both banks of the Elbe, which, for beauty of scenery and magnificence of country residences on its banks, rivals the famous Rhine. The suburban resi- dences on our route were truly beautiful, and scores of new and extensive villas were being erected along the line of the road, which is a new institution in Dres- den, having recently commenced running. It has but one track, and inside the city limits does not stop for passengers except at the turning-out places, where the cars pass each other. Men with flags and whistles are stationed at all the corners, and at other points on the route, to warn oflF carriages, and the speed at which they run cannot be less than six miles per hour. There is a conductor, besides the driver, on each car, who takes up the money and gives the passengers tickets, and detectives jump on occasionally to see that each passenger has a ticket. The village of Blasewitz, at which we stopped, is a congregation of beer-gar- dens, being one of the numerous places of a similar kind on the banks of the Elbe, from which w^e noticed the return of so many thousands of people on the boats on Sunday evening. AUSTRIA. THE CITY OF VIENNA. YnNNA, May 20, 1873. ENTRY INTO AUSTRIA. We entered the dominions of Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria, at midnight, and found his officials on the border, in the matter of examining luggage, very gentlemanly fellows, who, on being as- sured that we were on a pleasure-trip, did not require us to open our trunks. At daybreak we were passing through a most desolate region of country, abound- ing in pine forests, w^ith very little culti- vation. As we sped on towards Vienna there was a marked improvement in the land, and for the next two hundred miles the agricultural display was very fine, the principal crops being wheat, rye, and timothy. The houses of the tillers of the land are generally grouped together, forming small towns, which are scattered along the road, some very pretty, from each of which the steeple of a church is visible. Along the turnpike, which passes near the railroad, the marks of a Roman Catholic country were everywhere visible, at about every mile there being a shrine erected, with numerous crosses, having on them a representation of the crucifixion. As we approached Vienna some splendid country villas lined the road, and at twenty minutes past nine o'clock we crossed the Danube and reached the depot on time, having come through from Dres- den, a distance of three hundred and sev- enty-five miles, in thirteen hours. We were fortunate in having friends to meet us at the depot, Dr. S. L. Franck, of Bal- timore, and his estimable lady, daughter of AVm. S. Rayner, Esq., who have been re- siding in Vienna for the past year. They relieved us from all the annoyances that befall strangers on entering a city where the people are all stark mad with the Ex- position fever. We found the same kind friends had secured rooms for us at the Hotel Austria, in which vre were soon comfortably domiciled. VIENNA, THE BEAUTIFUL. This is the only city of Europe which attempts to rival Paris ; and our first glance at its attractions, and at the vast improvements that are in progress, war- rants the belief that it will soon be nearly its equal. Everything is on a grand scale, and the vast array of new buildings which have been erected in anticipation of the Exposition makes a grand architectural display through the heart of the city. Sites have also been selected for a new Parliament House, a Museum of Art, and a Historical Museum, in the vicinity of the palaces. The hotels are also on an extensive scale, several of which, includ- ing the Hotel Austria, in wdiich we have taken quarters, are entirely new, and are on the style of the Grand Hotel at Paris. The new Imildings on the Ringstrasse are all from five to six stories in height, and are magnificent in their architectural fin- ish. They each occupy a whole block, and are superior to any of the private buildings in Paris. In every direction other buildings of the same class are in course of erection, crow^ded with work- men and workwomen. The palaces of 26 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH the numerous Grand Dukes, of whom Austria has a host, are all as large and more ornamental than the Presidents house, and display their architectural beauties in all portions of the fashionable sections of the city. In fact, Vienna already exceeds Paris in the variety and superiority of its architectural decora- tions, every style of art being adopted here, whilst there is a painful sameness observable in Paris. "We yesterday passed a new beer-saloon, larger and more ele- gant and elaborate in its architectural display than the Peabody Institute. They are, however, of plastic, in imitation of stone, but present a solid and massive front. WORKING WOMEN. We have before alluded to the fact that women perform the hardest kind of labor- ing-work in Germany, but were not pre- pared for the sights we have witnessed to-day in Vienna. In America mixing mortar and carrying the hod is considered such hard work that few white men can be found willing to undertake it. An immense building near our hotel, occupy- ing a whole block, is in course of erection, on which not less than four hundred per- sons are employed, fully three hundred of whom are women. All the hard laboring work is done by women, such as making and carrying mortar in buckets on their heads to the workmen, and handling the brick. They are not allowed a moment's leisure, several overseers being on guard to keep them constantly in motion. We found the same proportion of women at work on all the new buildings, and there must be many thousands of them to-day doing this species of laboring work in Vienna. They comprise young, middle- aged, and old, but all seem to be strong and healthy. At dinner-time they swarm into the shops to purchase a piece of brown bread and fat bacon and a mug of beer, and eat their dinners sitting on the curb-stones. Their wages are one florin, or forty-eight cents, per day, and we are assured by a gentleman resident here that most of them sleep about the build- ings on shavings, or in barns or sheds, having no homes. Amidst all the splen- dor and wealth of this great city, with its million of inhabitants, there is, perhaps, more destitution, want, and suffering than in all the cities of America. Still, we frequently hear some of our countrymen praising and preferring the governments of Europe. Whilst viewing this scene, the Emperor and Empress, with his staff and outriders, glittering in gold and pre- cious stones, dashed along the Ringstrasse, on the way to the pahice, whilst a short distance off stand the royal stables, an extensive establishment, covering at least four blocks of ground, each ; the meanest animal in which is better cared for than these women. It is not to be wondered that of the many thousand births annu- ally in the lying-in hospital of Vienna, less than five hundred are of children born in wedlock. CAFi LIFE IN VIENNA. The restaurants and coffee-rooms of Vienna are greatly superior to those of Paris, while at the same time the rates are much more moderate. Having friends here, we have preferred to take our meals at the cafes with them, and can truly say that we enjoy life in Vienna better than has been our experience in any other Eu- ropean city. The custom here is to take a cup of coffee at the usual breakfast hour, with a roll, a lunch at eleven o'clock, dinner at three o'clock, and sup- per, or ices and cake, between eight and nine o'clock in the evening, — or to drop any of them as the appetite may dic- tate. We have thus far provided our- selves outside of the hotels, and it is more like home life than the execrable tahle- d'hote of the hotels. Vienna bread is famous for its sweetness, and the coffee served to thousands every morning at a coffee-room in close proximity to our hotel is delicious. Our dinners are taken in a magnificent restaurant, of which the main hall is larger than the Assembly Rooms in Baltimore, and where hundreds of ladies and gentlemen are dining or supping, at all hours. The cooking and service are admirable ; the bill of fare embracing everything that the market affords. When moving about in other sections of the city, we dine or take refreshments wher- ever we may happen to be, as there are numbers of these eating establishments to be found in every direction. Our friends, speaking German fluently, and having resided here for nearly a year, know the established prices for every- thing, and protect us from the usual fate of strangers in this city. An instance of this occurred at the depot on our ar- rival, when the expressmen wanted five florins to convey our trunks to the hotel. The price was a florin and a half, and a few words in German satisfied them that this was all that they were to receive. So it is with everything ; and it is very comfortable to feel under safe protection AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 27 especially during the prevalence of the Exposition fever. HONESTY OF CAFlS LIFE. The manner in which the payments are made in these lar^e Vienna restaurants is very peculiar. In the one in which we dine there are four collectors, each having a section of the hall. Parties sit down to the tables and order whatever they may desire from the waiters, and, when they are done, signal for the collector to come to them. They then tell him what they have had, and he sets each item down on a card with the charge, hands it to the customer, and receives the money. They keep no account as to what is furnished to any person, but depend entirely on the honesty of the customer to make a cor- rect statement of what he has consumed. An account, however, is kept in the kitchen of each dish that is furnished to the tables under the charge of each of the four collectors, and they are required to pay to the cashier the full amount charged to their tables. If they have been cheated it is their loss ; but experience has proven that there is no loss from dishonesty. These collectors not only receive no salary from the proprietor, but each of them pays two florins per day (equal to one dollar) for his position. They receive their pay from the visitors, it being a settled custom to give them a few small coins on the payment of the bill. Under the system in vogue in France the waiter receives no pay except what he gets from the customers. Here the waiter handles no money, and obtains his pay from the landlord. DRINKING-WATER. There is no doubt about the fact that the drinking-water of Vienna is not pal- atable, whatever it may be in the matter of health. It has a most insipid taste, as if impregnated with alum, and, as it is always lukewarm in summer, cannot be considered as desirable for the shiking of thirst. Very few persons in Vienna drink simple and pure water, even among the poor, as they all continue to put something in it to give it a taste. It is what we would call excessively hard water, soap instantly curdling on the top of it. On questioning people here, it will be found that nine out often will say, " I never drink water." If you call for it in a hotel, the waiter looks at you in wonder, starts off, and, after staying long enough to go to the top of the house, brings you a decanter filled, and then stands off and stares in apparent wonder at you gulp- ing it down. If ice is called for, at least half an hour's further delay is necessary. In short, nobody drinks water or uses ice, and all demands for either are extra- ordinary and out of the regular order of events. The water here does not seem to slake thirst, although it is pure and sparkling to the e3'^e. We do not, however, believe it to be unhealthy. Most of our party are great water-drinkers, and use it freely notwithstanding its bad name, and are all in the enjoyment of extra- ordinary health. With water so little tempting to the palate, it is not to be won- dered at that people prefer wine or beer when they can get it, and give water the go-by. There is no beer in the world equal in quality to that of Vienna, and the quantity consumed in a day must be immense. The city is surrounded by breweries, and if they should happen to all burn doM^n, it would be as bad as the water famine in Baltimore last year. SHOPPING IN VIENNA. The ladies find a great many articles cheaper here than in Paris^ Kid gloves of the very best quality, with three but- tons, cost but sixty cents per pair, such as would cost six francs, or a dollar and twenty cents, in Paris. Silks are also cheaper here, but velvets and laces much higher. Ladies' boots of the most elegant material and elaborate workmanship cost but five dollars. Narrow laces made here, such as are suitable for ordinary trimming, are very cheap, costing only from twenty to forty cents per yard. Linen handker- chiefs, with worked corners, can be pur- chased for but little more than the cost of the linen, and very elegant ones for one florin, or fifty cents. Women's work, such as embroidery, or trimming and working of dresses, is exceedingly cheap. A lady's drcvss, embroidered all over with silk cord, that would have required ten days' close application, was shown us to- day, the work upon which cost but seven dollars. The fashionable dressmakers, however, charge Paris prices, and run up very heavy bills on the strangers who visit here. The display of goods in the stores and the windows is not, of course, equal to that in Paris, but there are great num- bers of fine stores on all the leading streets, as well as in the old sections of the city. Indeed, the city has a bright and gay appearance everywhere. Even when one finds himself in a labyrinth of winding and narrow streets he sees 28 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH much to admire ; whilst the cleanliness is proverbial. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Vienna is an intensely Catholic city, but the largest liberty is now given to all denominations of Christians. We have, during to-day, passed on the streets at least a dozen processions of priests, with arttendants carrying banners and cruci- fixes, and throngs of men and women following, chanting a monotonous prayer. But this is an every-day, and almost an every-hour, incident. We stopped in at the cathedral last evening, and there was quite a large attendance of laboring peo- ple at one of the altars, joining in the ser- vice, which is progressing at all hours of the day. The Protestants now have their churches, and no restraint of any kind is placed upon the freedom of worship, as was formerly the case. THIRD DAY IN VIENNA. The rainy weather which set in with the Exposition on the 1st of May still holds full sway, and the showers have been almost unremitting during the past twen- tv-four hours. We have seen much of the city, and have come to the conclusion that it is almost as beautiful and attractive as Paris, and equally gay and charming to the stranger. When the new Parlia- ment House, the University Building, the new City Hall, and the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and other public buildings contemplated, and some of them com- menced, on the Ringstrasse, are completed, it will have no rival in the world for solid grandeur as well as architectural beauty. Our view of it has been under great dis- advantage of weather, but its attractions are too apparent to be clouded by an at- mosphere that would render most cities gloomy. We are still assured by our kind friends here that we have as yet seen but little of its beauties, and that there is much in store for us independent of the Exposition. THE LADIES OF VIENNA. The ladies of Vienna do not keep them- selves housed up, and out of sight, as is the practice of those of Paris. In Paris a really finely-dressed lady is seldom to be seen upon the streets, unless she be a stranger. If those who do dress well in parlors, or in their carriages, venture out for a promenade, they put on plain black dresses, and assimilate themselves to the masses. In Vienna, however, fine dress- ing is the rule of the street, and you fre- quently see ladies in complete velvet or satin suits, with trails sweeping the pave- ments. The weather has been bad for spring dresses and bonnets, cold and raw, with intermittent rains, but a gleam of sunshine brings them on the street, and they make a grand display on all the thoroughfares. They are also decidedly handsome, and some of them remarkably beautiful. A lady of youth and personal attractions must, however, never walk alone on the streets, or she is liable to be joined, and probably insulted, by the crowds of smart-looking Austrian officers who are always ogling the ladies. Two ladies together can go anywhere with im- punity, even enter the cafes or gardens, and take their refreshments as safely as if they had a male attendant, but singly ladies must not venture anywhere. The Ringstrasse, and the grounds and gardens of the Emperor's palace, are the favorite promenades, and here the ladies of Vienna hold their grand dress carnivals on bright and clear days. The display of laces and diamonds, and of all manner of rich attire, is not to be excelled in any city in the world. There are, however, many other localities for the display of the beauty and wealth of Vienna still to be seen, so soon as a bright sunshine shall warrant the resumption of their usual gayety. THE VOLKSGARTEN. At five o'clock yesterday afternoon we repaired to the Volksgarten, or the Peo- ple's Garden, an immense music-saloon in the grounds in front of the Emperors palace. Here the famous Baron Hess Band, alternating with other bands, gives a concert every afternoon, from five to eight o'clock, admission one florin, or about fifty cents. These bands consist of sixty performers, on string and wind instru- ments, and are fully equal to the Theodore Thomas orchestra now giving concerts in our cities. Two evenings of the week the famous Strauss Band, led by a brother of the Johann Strauss who attended the Boston Carnival, gives concerts in the same hall, for which, during the Expo- sition, two florins admission is demanded. The hall is filled with tables, and during the progress of the concert the audience drink coffee or sip their beer, and the gentlemen, and some of the ladies, take a quiet smoke. Among the audience were Turks, Greeks, and Russian ladies and gentlemen, many Englishmen, and a go(*d attendance of Americans. The music was very fine, including several solos, and AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 29 the novel scene by which -\ve were sur- rounded added zest to our enjoyment of the music. Near us sat some Italian ladies smoking cigarettes, and on all sides were ladies drinking wine or beer, or sipping coffee. This is the case in all the concert-saloons and places of amusement in Vienna, and is regarded as right and proper by all classes. The evening meal is taken by nearly every one in some of the saloons, and when they can avail themselves of a concert, and can afford the extra expense, the Ger- mans always seek its enjoyment. THE VIENNA HOTELS. The new hotels built in Vienna during the past year and opened on the 1st of May are very numerous, and four of them would be regarded as first-class houses even in New York. The Hotel de France, the Austria, the M6tropole, and the Imperial are all larger than the Carroll- ton or Barnum's, in Baltimore, and have imposing architectural fronts on the Ring- strasse. The M6tropole and the Impe- rial are larger than the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York. They are furnished throughout in the most costly manner, and are each provided with elevators, the first, with the exception of that at the Grand Hotel, ever used in Vienna. Their proprietors anticipated that in six months they would make fortunes, and com- menced by charging five dollars per day for single rooms without board. The result was that the moment the opening ceremonies of the Exposition were over every stranger packed up and left. Ten dollars per day was the lowest cost at which any one could live at a hotel, and few were willing to stand this extortion. At this time, although prices have been reduced to about one-fourth of the amount at first charged, there is none of them more than one-third full. The Aus- tria, in which we are stopping, though capable of accommodating fully three hundred, had but sixty guests in the house this morning ; and some of the other houses are still more bare. Those who intended to remain here for a mouth now limit themselves to a week, and it is evi- dent that this rapacity of the hotel-keep- ers and of the caterers for strangers has greatly damaged the reputation of the city. Vienna has always been famous for its greed in plucking strangers, having been regarded as the most costly city in the world ; and it will now have a world- wide reputation. The city authorities did their best to establish moderate prices by the enactment of laws, but the dozen lead- ing hotels defied all control, and have now, when it is too late, learned to regret their folly. Nearly a dozen new second- and third-class hotels were opened at the same time, and, as these paid some re- spect to the law, they have fared better than the larger houses. The extortions upon strangers are, how- ever, not confined to hotel-keepers. The German can live as cheaply in Vienna as in any other European city, but in the coffee-rooms and cafes the stranger is re- garded as lawful plunder. One-third more is charged him for everything he may order, and if he happens not to under- stand the language a heavier tariff than this is imposed upon him. If he is so fortunate as to have a German friend to settle for him, he is astounded at the cheapness of everything as compared with any other city in Europe. If, there- fore, the people of Vienna ever learn to treat strangers even as fairly as they are treated in Paris, it will become one of the favorLte cities of the Continent. If a commissionnaire is employed, lie only assists in plundering, and divides with the plunderers. TWELVE HOURS A DAY's WORK. It is just six o'clock in the morning at the time we close this letter. The myr- iads of workmen and workwomen on the grand new building of the Stock Ex- change, in course of erection opposite our hotel, have all been at work for the past half-hour, and thus they will continue, with the exception of an hour for dinner, until seven o'clock this evening. Twelve hours is a day's work here for the laborer and mechanic, whilst the bank and busi- ness clerk and all lighter labor is content with six to eight hours. Those who are so sweeping in their denunciation of trades' unions should witness the condi- tion of the laborer in countries like Aus- tria, where prices are regulated by the will of the employer, and just enough pay is given to prevent actual starvation. It is the abuse of power by trades' unions, and the manner of enforcing their de- crees, that can alone be objected to; but that they should in America be awarded the right to combine for the regulation of prices, is justified by the condition of the workingman in some portions of Eu- rope. The laborer here is more a slave than ever our colored " chattels" of the South were, and the three years that he is cared for and fed by the government as a soldier are very often the happiest 30 EUROPE VIEWED THROE Gil of his life. If he -were to strike for higher wages he would he driven hack to his work at the point of the hayonet. There has been lately the first strike ever known in Austria, that of the cab- and carriage-drivers. The employers were notifiecl that if they did not arrange to resume their business immediately the government would seize and run the car- riages. This frightened the drivers more than the employers, and they made haste to make their peace and resume work. Vienna, May 24, 1873. WHAT IS TO BE SEEN IN VIENNA. Baedeker says that all that is worth seeing in Vienna can be seen in ten days. He is good authority on most subjects : but, as our party profess to be pretty active explorers, we must express a doubt on this point. We have spent four days, and have as yet seen literally nothing of what we desire and expect to see. Those who find nothing of interest in a city but old palaces and bad pain tines may get through with Vienna in ten days, but if they take any interest in the active, mov- ing scenes of the present they will find much to interest them for a month, in- dependent of the great Exposition. THE RINGSTRASSE. It becomes so frequently necessary to mention the Ringstrasse, that we must endeavor to give some account or descrip- tion of it. It is a broad avenue, part pro- menade and part street, extending around the entire city, with double lines of linden- trees down the centre, something like "Unter den Linden*' at Berlin, but much more extensive and imposing. This broad avenue is the site upon which the old walls of Vienna were located, and, with the Quaistrasse on the Danube, encircles the whole interior of the city, or rather is the boundary line between Old Vienna and most of New Vienna. On this broad avenue are being located, nearly through- out its entire length, the most elegant and imposing structures. Those of private individuals and companies vie in elegance with the government structures. Although nearly double the width of our Broadway or the New York Broadway, it is hardly wide enough now for the concourse of people and vehicles that constantly crowd upon it. Several lines of passer L'^er railways run over it, and branch off to other sections of the city. It at all times presents a gay and festive scene, even in such weather as we have been enduring during the past week. There are lines of seats under the trees for pedestrians to rest upon. Property fronting upon this great thoroughfare com- mands fabulous prices, it being sold at so much per square foot. Outside of the Ringstrasse the city is extending in every direction, and the population is now esti- mated at one million. The new part of the city consists entirely of five-and six- story houses, all erected on the ''flat"' system, and remarkable for their fine architectural appearance. All the new hotels are on the Ringstrasse, as well as the Emperor's palace and gardens, the city park, and nearly all the palatial residences of Austria's Grand Dukes. THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE. Our first visit to the Grand Opera House of Vienna was made last evening. It is the largest and most magnificent estab- lishment of the kind in the world, except- ing the new Paris Opera House, which is not yet finished, having been some twelve years in the course of erection. You cannot secure reserved scats, and unless application is made two or three days in advance it is difficult to obtain seats of any kind. When application is made for tickets they hand the number required, and you are compelled to take them with- out any certain knowledge as to their location. The house is immense, with four tiers of boxes, and a gallery above. The boxes or stalls are all rented by families at five thousand florins, or two thousand five hundred dollars, per annum, with the exception of the Emperor's box and the stage-boxes for the royal family and the Grand Dukes. The only portions of the house in which seats can be ob- tained by the public and strangers are the third and fourth galleries and the par- quet. When imperial performances are given, no one is admitted without a ticket from the Emperor. The cost of a seat in the parquet at ordinary performances is about four florins, and in the third gallery three florins. The performance last evening was a grand scenic and ballet spectacle, gotten up for the visitors to the Exposition. It exceeded in magnificence the Black Crook and all the other pieces of that character ever produced at Niblo's. The ballet corps consisted of at least two hundred dancers, and the scene presented at times on the immense stage was startling in its effect. During the progress of the piece each of the three hundred performers who took part in it appeared in at least six different dresses, and at one time the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 31 ballet-dancers gave the national dances of nearly all countries, including America, the air to which they danced being Yankee Doodle. They were arrayed in this dance in the costumes of the several countries, including Chinese and Japanese. The carnival' scene at Naples was actually grand, and at times fully throe hundred were dancing together and moving with wonderful precision. It would be impos- sible to attempt to describe the innumer- able grand scenic spectacles presented, but they were most of them of a character we had never before witnessed, during a firetty extensive theatrical experience, t was a pantomime, with a well-de- veloped love-story in it, and the most wonderful optical illusions produced by the free use of calcium lights from the scenes above. The ballet-dancers seemed to be all of the first class, both male and female, and the principal artist is an Italian danseuse, who is permanently en- gaged at twenty-four thousand florins per annum. This piece has been a long time in preparation, and will be presented twice a week during the progress of the Exposition. During the evening the Emperor's brother and some of the Grand Dukes were occasionally in their boxes ; but the Emperors box was empty all the evening. THE CITY RAILWAYS. Vienna has an abundance of city pas- senger railways permeating through every prominent avenue of the city. The cars are divided off into three sections, the first section being a coupe, holding three pas- sengers, in which no smoking is permit- ted ; the second or middle section holds twelve passengers ; and the third section, which is open, and forms a portion of the platform, holds three seats, and standing- room for a dozen. They are often packed as closely as our own cars. They never stop to take on passengers or let them off except at the stations, Avhich are about two squares apart, marked by a sign- board. The cost of a ride is just five cents in our money, extending from one end of the city to the other, a distance of about seven miles. They all strike into the llingstrasse, and here the different lines occupy the same track, as they do on Baltimore Street. The conductor gives each passenger a ticket on the payment of his fare, the ticket being numbered, at the same time tearing a corner off it. A detective occasionally jumps on a car and takes the ticket out of the hands of each passenger and tears an- other corner off, and makes note of the number of it. Each morning the con- ductor is given a package of tickets, all numbered, and he must return the money for all the tickets that he does not return to the office. By this means there can be no dishonesty practiced by the conduc- tors. It seems a simple system, and is said to work very satisfactorily. The companies are all very wealthy, and the stock is said to be one hundred per cent, above par. These railways all connect with suburban roads extending out to the villas and towns surrounding the city. The conductor never knows when the de- tective will appear, but always expects him, and is always honest. If any pas- senger is found without a ticket, the con- ductor is suspended on the spot. A PAPER MONEY COUNTRY. Austria is at the present time, like the United States, a paper money country, or, in other words, gold is at a premium of about eleven per cent. Strangers here who have letters of credit on the bankers, of course, have the advantage of this premium. Thus, in drawing twenty-five pounds yesterday, which would represent one hundred and twenty- five dollars in our money, or two hun- dred and fifty florins in Austrian gold, we received two hundred and seventy- five florins in Austrian paper money. The Austrian money is very easily un- derstood by an American. A florin is equal to fifty cents, and a hundred kreut- zers represent one florin. A kreutzer is just equal to a half-cent, American. A ten-kreutzer piece represents our five-cent piece, and a twenty-kreutzer piece, our dime. So, also, a fifty-kreutzer piece represents our quarter of a dollar. Thus, if we are asked ten florins for anything we desire to purchase, we at once know the cost to be five dollars ; and so on with all other sums. There was an expectation here among the banks and brokers that the Exposi- tion would bring paper money back to par. The calculation was that from two to three millions of gold would be spent here daily by strangers ; but the result has thus far been a great disappointment. It is presumed that matters will improve, and the receipts greatly increase next month 5 but as one-half of the strangers here are State or Government Commis- sioners, they expect free admission to the Fair. It is said that out of thirty thou- sand visitors last Sunday, less than four- teen thousand paid their admission fee. 32 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH They are, however, spending a great deal of money in the city, and the hotels are grinding everything out of them that is possible. At the restaurants a much bet- ter dinner can be had for one florin than can be had at the hotels for four, and a better breakfast for about thirty cents than can be had for a dollar. THE ESTERHAZY KELLER. Among the singular places to visit is the wine-cellar known as the Esterhazy Keller. It appears that Prince Esterhazy, a great Bohemian wine-grower, decreed in his will, many years ago, the estab- lishment of this wine-cellar, his object being that the poor people of Vienna should always be enabled to obtain good and pure wine at the cost of production. It is only kept open from eleven o'clock to a quarter-past one, and from five to half-past seven o'clock in the evening. We passed down from the street two flights of stone steps to the depth of about thirty feet, when we entered an irregular-shaped cellar, which appeared to extend under the foundations of sev- eral of the neighboring houses. Around the walls were arranged a number of large casks of wine, with which the re- cesses of the cellar were well stored. There were in the cellar not less than two hundred persons, most of them of the poorer classes, though there were some well-dressed men sipping their wine. All were standing around against the walls, there being no seats, and the most re- markable quiet prevailed. Many women and children came with bottles and flasks, and for about six cents received a pint of very good wine. We took a glass, and found it very good and palatable. It is furnished from the extensive estates of Prince Esterhazy by his family in com- pliance with the order in his will. In a country where wine is considered a part of the daily food of a family, the value of this bequest is undoubted, as good wine cannot be purchased elsewhere for three times the money. It is a dark and gloomy place, and when we entered from the daylight the silent people standing around reminded us of the mummy vault at Bremen. Vienna, May 25, 1873. FIRST VISIT TO THE EXPOSITION. We yesterday paid our first visit to the Exposition, and were really astounded, both at its extent and wamderful magnifi- cence. From ten o'clock in the morning until five p. m. we roamed through its vast halls, taking time only for a brief and hasty glance at the articles on exhibition, and when the time for leaving arrived we had barely accomplished one-half of the main building, leaving the painting-gal- lery, the machine department, and the horticultural exhibition, which were in separate buildings, unvisited. That the enterprise is a grand success, beyond any- thing that could have been anticipated, even by the Austrian authorities, is be- yond dispute. THE GRAND HALL. When we get up fairs and mechanical exhibitions in America, a temporary board building is constructed, whitewashed, and the rough places covered with calico. The Vienna Exposition building itself is a great curiosity, being constructed as if it were to stand for ages, mainly of brick, stone, and iron, and grand in its architec- tural proportions and finish, both inside and out. The entrance and exit doorways are ornamented %vith statuary, and its dome is surmounted by a gilded crown, standing some twenty feet higher than the ball on the dome of St. Peter's. The hall of the Paris Exposition w^as twice as large as that of London, and the main building of the Vienna Exposition is com- puted to be more than five times as large as that of Paris. Besides this, there are two separate buildings, the machinery hall, which is about six times as long and twice as wide as the hall of our Maryland Institute, and the painting-gallery, which is three times as long and twice as broad as that of the Institute. The floor of the main building, with its sixteen transepts, is about one mile long and one hundred feet broad. The rotunda in the centre of the building is immense, and is itself larger than any hall in the United States ; whilst the ceiling towers up more than three hundred feet to the crown of the dome, which is twice as large in cir- cumference as the dome of St. Peter's. The grounds around these immense build- ings have been laid out in vast gardens, with fountains, gravel-walks, and flower- beds, and hundreds of restaurants and cafes are erected within the inclosure, representing all the nations in Christen- dom, and even the heathen Chinee, the Turk, and the Japanese. Two of these restaurants are under the American flag ; and some of them are as large and almost as fine in their appearance as the Mansion House at the Park. Near the centre of the main hall is a very fine building, erected for the Emperor, in w^hich he is to receive AMFAIICAN SPECTACLES. 33 and entertain his royal p;aests. Although merely for temporary use, it is a very ele- gant structure, about one hundred feet in length, and is ornamented with statuary and bas-reliefs, and the walls inside ele- gantly frescoed. Fine gardens and grounds have been extemporized around it, and it might be regarded as a very elegant coun- try villa. But we find it impossible to convey any adequate idea of the magnifi- cence of the Exposition buildings and their surroundings. They are vast and wonderful, far exceeding our expectations ; and if Philadelphia hopes to rival or ex- cel Vienna at its Centennial Exposition, it must be up and doing. Even with the cheap labor of Austria, the construction of these buildings and the preparation of the grounds have cost the Austrian gov- ernment over forty millions of guilders, or about twenty million dollars in our money. Large as this vast building is, it has been found entirely too small for the dis- play of the goods brought for exhibi- tion. The United States, England, France, Prussia, Russia, and several other coun- tries have found the space allotted to them entirely inadequate, and have been al- lowed to construct additional wings be- tween the transepts. The United States has enlarged its space by roofing over the ground between it and England, thus adding a hall about two hundred feet long and one hundred feet wide, with doors opening to it from the main hall ; so also have the other countries named. Between some of the transepts Erivate exhibitors have constructed large alls for their own exclusive display of goods, and, although the buildings are now full, train after train of additional goods is hourly arriving. Just imagine the Vienna Exposition to be the great wonder of the present century, and you will not fall much short of the mark. WHAT IS TO BE SEEN. There are some things that can be described, but we admit at the outset that the interior of the Exposition building is something beyond our ability to convey any idea of its wonderful and gorgeous display. There is here to be seen every- thing that is rich, rare, and beautiful, from all the four corners of the earth. The manner in which the goods have been placed upon exhibition has astonished us as much as their richness and character. The exhibitors have endeavored to excel each other in the magnificence of the thousands of beautiful and costly cases in which they display their goods, nearly 3 all of these being elegantly constructed and ornamented and inclosed with plate glass. Millions of dollars must have been expended by exhibitors in fitting up the spaces allotted to them, and they have in reality opened business establish- ments for the sale of their goods, with clerks and salesmen in attendance. The rotunda has an immense fountain, with statues in the centre, and its vast interior is being fitted up with mammoth cases, many of them twenty feet in height, stored with valuable goods. Austria has furnished a magnificent temple for the use of the depositors, and they are sparing no expense in ornamenting its interior in a manner worthy of its grandeur. THE DISPLAY OF GOODS. Whilst all the nations have made a grand display, the most attractive depart- ment, and that which draws the largest throng of visitors, is that of Italy. The display of statuary and mosaic tables, and the rich and rare jewelry of Naples, Ge- noa, Venice, Florence, and Rome, attract throngs of Isidies. The silks, satins, and velvets of France, the shawls of India, the laces of Brussels, and the diamonds of all the world, are here in glittering ar- ray. It is estimated that the diamonds alone on exhibition are worth ten mil- lions of dollars, among which is one neck- lace for which one hundred and seventy- five thousand dollars is asked. Her Majesty the Empress was much pleased with this trifle, and the owner of it hopes to effect a sale before the Fair closes. The most elegant diamond cross on exhi- bition, valued at six thousand dollars, is marked as having been already sold to Johann Strauss, the leader of the great band which visited America. A beauti- ful piece of statuary in the Italian de- partment, regarded as the gem of the collection, has been purchased by an American gentleman. It represents a boy sitting on a gate, blowing bubbles, and a little girl climbing up and reaching to catch the bubble, which is represented by a glass ball on the mouth of the pipe. The fun of the thing is so clearly depicted in the countenance and action of the chil- dren that it draws forth an involuntary smile from every spectator. There are, probably, several hundred pieces of modern statuary in the Exposi- tion, from all the best living sculi;)tors, and to our uncultivated taste they are better worth seeing than all the mutilated remains of marble antiquities that have been unearthed at Rome. In addition to 34 EVE OPE VIEWED THROUGH their beauty, they represent bright, liv- ing ideas and thoughts, and not the mere corrupting ideas of heathen mythology and impure scenes from Bible history. So also with the gallery of paintings, in which we spent a few moments before leaving. There is not a painting on the walls that needs any explanation. They all speak the thoughts of the artist from the canvas, and, as specimens of the skill of living painters from all quarters of the globe, give proof that high art, combined with sensible ideas, still exists. We were rather disappointed in our expectation of seeing people dressed in the costumes of all nations among the exhibitors and spectators. On the con- trary, there was nothing in the dress of any one to indicate that we were on this side of the Atlantic, except the long gowns of two greasy and dirty-looking Syrians whom we passed in the grounds. All, even Turks, wore the European dress, except that the latter retained their red skull-caps, with a long black tassel hang- ing down. Even the Chinese have cut off their tails, donned coats, pantaloons, vest, necktie, and felt hat, and no longer attract attention except by their almond-shaped eyes. SUNDAY IN VIENNA. There is evidently no law for the ob- servance of the Sabbath in Vienna, every one being permitted to follow the dictates of his own conscience in this matter. The out-door mechanic, who has to keep all rainy days, is very apt to take advan- tage of a clear Sunday to put in a good day's work, and the storekeeper, if he can sell anything, has no scruples of conscience on the subject. A large proportion of the stores were, however, religiously closed all day, whilst others were kept open until noon. Those for the sale of provisions of any kind, tobacco, confectionery, etc., were open all day, as to them it is the principal business day of the week. The bricklayers were at work on all the new buildings on the Ringstrasse, and the women were mixing and carrying the mortar, until noon, when they stopped, in order to participate in the sports and merry-making of German Sunday even- ing. The churches were well attended during the morning, and the streets pre- sented a holiday aspect, the people being arrayed in their best apparel, and all seeming intent upon personal enjoyment. The Opera House and the Music Halls were in full blast during the evening, and were all more thronged than on any other evening of the week. The great Austrian bands gave concerts at the principal gardens, and the thou- sands of coffee-saloons and restaurants in Avhich the whole population appear to eat all their nifials on Sunday were crowded to excess. We entered one of the finest of these, to take supper, last evening. In it there are two hundred tables, each holding from six to eight persons, and we had to wait for a vacant table. This we learned was always the case on Sunday evening from six to ten o'clock, and that this par- ticular cafe frequently furnished ten thou- sand meals during the day. But there was no drunkenness to be seen anywhere; and in this one saloon, although the party around each table were all in pleasant converse, it was in a tone that did not disturb their nearest neighbor. An Amer- ican gentleman who has resided here for the past year assures me that he has as yet seen but one drunken man in Vienna, and he had, for the first time in his life, been testing the merits of American whisky. The Exposition building was, of course, opened on Sunday, the price of admission on that day being reduced to about a quarter of a dollar. The number of vis- itors is said to have exceeded one hundred thousand yesterday, being mostly of the poorer class. H" they could not have an opportunity of seeing it on Sunday, few of them could see it at all •, for they could not spare any other day in the week for the purpose. THE " DUTCH TREAT." The Germans in the United States, and those Americans who affect a fondness for lager-beer, don't drink it as it is drunk in Germany. They rush into a restaurant and gulp down two or three glasses, and move on. Here a German never thinks of finishing his glass of beer in less than ten minutes, or of drinking it without eat- ing something at the same time, even if it is only a crust of brown bread. In fact, a German in the Fatherland is con- stitutionally opposed to doing anything in a hurry, and especially to drinking beer with "rapid speed." The conse- quence is, that we do not see men here with great, huge paunches, as at home, capable of swallowing a keg of beer after supper. They never treat one another, but sit down to the tables, and, though they drink together, each man pays for what he consumes, whether it be beer or food. This of itself is a great preventive of excess, as if a half-dozen or dozen were to sit down to drink, as with us, each man must treat in turn, and thus six or a dozen AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 35 glasses would be guzzled, whether they wanted it or not. If our temperance friends could institute what is called the "Dutch treat" into our saloons, each man paying his own reckoning, it would he a long step towards reform in drinking. In short, beer in Germany is a part of each man's food. He takes it as a sustenance, and not as a stimulant. THE emperor's summer PALACE. We proceeded on Sunday afternoon to one of the most popular resorts of the people of Vienna, — the garden and park of the Emperor's summer palace, called Schonbrunn, located on an eminence about one mile west of the city. We were not prepared to find so beautiful and attractive a place, or one that so richly repaid the trouble of a visit. The palace is a very large one, and although completed under Maria Theresa, one hundred years ago, is kept bright and beautiful with paint. The front of it, with the wings for servants and attend- ants, is about half a mile in length, and with the Gloriette, a fine colonnade on an eminence in the rear of it, presents a raost imposing appearance. It was in this palace that Napoleon the First estab- lished his headquarters in 1804 and 1809 and at the cannon's mouth dictated terms for the surrender of Vienna. The most attractive and interesting part of the palace is tlie gardens, Avhich are nearly as extensive as Druid Hill Park ; and, as the royal family are to take up their residence there to-day, every- thing was probably in extraordinarily good order and condition. The view through the long avenues of trees, broken by statues and fountains, looks more like a theatrical scene than like reality. These avenues resemble those at Versailles, but are far more extensive : every tree ap- pears to have been cut and trimmed for ages, so that they present for a half- mile at a stretch a solid wall of green, perpendicular to the height of fifty feet, and as smooth and regular as if con- structed by hand, instead of being the growth of nature. Indeed, nature has evidently, for half a century, been nothing but an adjunct to art in the arrangement of these avenues, and they form an admi- rable background of solid green for the numerous statues which adorn the gar- dens. On an eminence in the rear of the gardens is the Gloriette. a colonnaded temple, erected by Maria Theresa whilst residing here, from which to have a fine view of Vienna stretched out before her. On the side of the eminence is a splendid and very elaborate fountain and cascade, with a large number of marble mermaids, and Neptune sporting in the spray. AVe, of course, ascended to the Gloriette, ajid found everything being put in good order in anticipation of the visit of the Emperor of Germany. We were not permitted to ascend to the balcony, but every part of Vienna, including the dome of the Exposition building in the far distance, was distinctly visible. This park is open at all times to the people of Vienna, and in one portion of it is quite an extensive Zoological Gar- den, the menagerie containing a fine col- lection of animals. On Sunday the view of the animals is also free, and, as a mat- ter of course, thousands avail themselves of the opportunity of breathing the pure atmosphere and strolling over the grounds, when the weather will permit. The cars run from the city to the palace, and it can be reached from most parts of the city for five cents. THE PRINCE IMPERIAL. AVhen we reached the Gloriette, we found one of the royal carriages, with footmen in silver livery, and an officer gayly dressed, waiting near a gate which led into the thicket beyond. The crowd were all standing watching for some one, and we naturally joined them. Finally an officer in undress uniform, and a boy wearing a slouched hat and having a shot- pouch over his shoulder, emerged from the thicket, which was the signal for all the attendants to take off" their hats, and for two or three flunkeys to run with coats and wraps towards the approaching couple. We were in supreme ignorance as to what it all meant, and as to which of the ap- proaching pair was the one to whom all were so obse(^uious, but naturally thousjjht it was the man, and had hardly noticed his companion until they approached the carriage, when the youth, a sprightly boy about twelve or thirteen years of age, jumped into the carriage and gracefully raised his hat to the assembled spectators, and the officer, who was his tutor, took his seat beside him. As they drove off*, most of the spectators uncovered, and he gracefully saluted them by raising his hat. This boy, we were then told, was the Crown Prince ; but, as his father is only forty-five years of age, he will evidently be a man before he is called upon to be an Emperor. As we were about returning from the palace, another royal carriage drove up, 36 EUROPE VIEWED Til ROUGH containing the Empress and a female at- tendant. She had evidently come out to see that everything was in order prepara- tory for the arrival of the Emperor and the rest of the ftimily to-day, though it is said that she and the Emperor are on such had terms that they only appear to- gether on great state occasions, he living in one end of the palace and she in the other. They had a mother-in-law^, who died recently, and who, gossip says, kept the whole brood in hot water. There is now said to be peace in the family, but it is only a kind of armed neutrality. Wagon-loads of trunks were arriving at the palace, and the servants were moving about, appearing to have full possession. We have also had two or three glimpses of the Emperor as he flies about the city in his carriage. He has with him, gener- ally, no attendants, except an officer riding with the driver. SCENES AT THE PRATER. The Prater is an immense park in the northwestern section of the city, on the outer portion of which is erected the Ex- position building, and through which all the visitors must pass, either in the cars, carriages, or on foot. It has fine, broad avenues leading through it; that on the left, the Wiirstelprater, being the favorite haunt of the lower classes. Along this, for nearly a mile, are a succession of caf6s and beer-gardens, theatres, circuses, wax figures, Punch and Judy shows, fat women, and all manner of attractions, and crowds of people. The Ilauptallee, the farthest avenue to the right, about two hundred feet in width, is the favorite promenade and drive of the higher classes, and the Emperor and Empress (never together) are to be seen here every fine afternoon. It presented a gay and pleas- ing scene yesterday, the carriages with their bright equipages being so numer- ous that it was difficult for them to pro- gress more rapidly than at a walk. Near the extremity of their drives, and border- ing the Exposition inclosure, there are a vast number of gardens and restaurants, many of them being gotten up for the occasion. Two of these are American restaurants, and innumerable others are German establishments. It would be dif- ficult to find anywhere a more gay scene than the Prater presented throughout its broad bounds, and it is truly a popular resort equally for all classes of the peo- ple. The occupants of the carriages gen- erally stopped at some of the gardens, and partook of refreshments, listening for a time to the fine bands of music sta- tioned at the largest of them, and met and joined with friends in social converse. We could not but contrast it with the stiff" formality of the scene on the plateau in front of the Mansion at Druid Hill Park, where a formal bow is all that passes between friends as they meet or pass each other. THE ROYAL STABLES. Having procured tickets of admission, we proceeded this morning to the royal stables, which are located in the heart of the city, and were astounded at their dimensions. We found upon entering them that they cover about twenty acres of ground. The number of blooded horses in the stalls is four hundred, and they are all, with a few exceptions, English horses. Here were the Emperor's riding horses, the Emperor's riding and hunting horses, the Empress's ponies, the Prince Im- perial's riding and carriage horses and ponies ; white horses, to the number of over one hundred, for the royal carriages on state occasions; over a hundred brown and sorrel horses for light carriages ; about fifty coal-black horses to be used for fu- nerals and when the royal family is in mourning; and about twenty mules, to- gether with several pet jacks and jennies belonging to the Empress. There are seventy royal coachmen, forty postilions, and two hundred grooms for the horses, with about fifty stable-boys and labor- ers. The Emperor and Empress are both passionately fond of horses, and could " talk horse" to the entire satisfaction of President Grant. It is evident that they do not intend this to be regarded as a " one-horse country." There is a hos- pital for horses, with a professor and stu- dents, and a large horse apothecary- shop, among the buildings. We were next taken into the carriage loft, and here we saw two hundred car- riages, about one-third of which were immense and ponderous vehicles covered all over with gilt, some of them especi- ally for grand state occasions, and others for daily use, all as bright and beautiful as if just from the factory. There was also the grand gilt chariot built for Maria Theresa, the panels of which were painted by Rubens. Then there were the gilded sleighs and the smaller chariot of the sainted Maria, with a dozen little pony phaetons, used in their day by the Em- peror and the Empress and a host of other great folks when they were little boys and girls. There was also in this AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 37 loft the mournino; hearse upon which the remains of Maximilian were conveyed to the tomb, and tlie mourning carriage in which the Emperor and Empress rode on that occasion. In another building we were shown an immense array of gilded harness, hundreds of sets, all ready for use, with the suits of livery to be wor t by the coachmen and postilions with each set of harness. Then there were a vast number of sets of harness for fu- neral and mourning occasions, light har- ness, saddles, etc. The saddle used by Maximilian in Mexico was also shown us, with other matters pertaining to the horse, too numerous to mention. We also visited, in a large building, the royal riding-school for use in winter, where the boys and girls of royal blood are taught to ride on horseback. It is an immense hall, two hundred and forty feet in length by one hundred and twenty in width, with a canopied box for the Em- peror and Empress to sit and witness the performance. It has a carefully prepared turf floor, and the walls and ceilings are elegantly ornamented. This being only for winter use, furnaces are placed under the floor, with flues for heating it. The whole establishment is almost as elegant as the palace, and everything is clean and in fine order. The horses are all kept in broad stalls, which have cushioned sides to them, swinging from a bar. The main building is about a third of a mile long, and there are a half-dozen immense buildings in the rear. Carriages with the royal coachmen and postilions can be seen flying about the city at all hours, and the Emperor and the Empress and the father of the Emperor appear almost every day either on the streets or at the Prater. EXPERIENCE OF GERMAN LIFE. We have had one week's experience of life in a German restaurant, and it has been a very pleasant episode in the rou- tine of travel. With our friends here, all Baltimoreans, our party numbers seven. The saloon in which we usually dine has nearly two hundred tables, and when Ave enter at half-past two o'clock each of , these tables has from six to eight per- sons seated at it, partaking of their din- ner. Being regular customers, a special table is reserved for us, and as we march through the hall there is a general buzz of curiosity at the sight of so many live Yankees, nearly half the party being la- dies. We are thus living as the people of Vienna live, and find the life has its charms and is quite a merry one, and a happy escape from the nauseous table- d'hote dinners of the hotels. We are as jolly as the rest of them, and have taken a decided liking to the famous beer of Vienna. Everything is served up fresh and hot, and the variety is equal to that furnished at the tables of the best of our American hotels. The interesting sights and scenes around us also give a zest to the dinner-hour, and we are so happy and contented in Vienna that we shall proba- bly remain for three or four weeks longer. At supper the hall is still more densely thronged, and, with appetites sharpened by the active life we are leading, we do not mind the clouds of tobacco-smoke, and some of us soon join in increasing its volume. Surrounded by those who are jovial and happy, we have come to the conclusion that properly to enjoy foreign travel it is necessary to live as the people live — when "you go to Turkey, to do as the Turkeys do." The coffee furnished at the coffee-rooms is excellent, and break- fast, consisting of bread and butter, coffee, and eggs, can be had for about thirty cents. These caf6s are immense, and are always crowded with customers from seven to ten o'clock in the morning, and also in the evening. Most of them furnish their guests with all the European and some American papers. LETTING ROOMS. American readers will scarcely be able fully to comprehend the system of living in Vienna, without further explanation. There are very few houses in this city in which from ten to twenty families do not reside, nor are there any houses, in the new sections of the city especially, which cover less than the half of a square : most of them, indeed, take in the whole front, from corner to corner. The lower story, and very frequently the two lower stories, are taken for business, and the three or four upper stories are let out to families. Many of these families take more rooms than they require, which they furnish and let out to students and others, at so much per month. Thus it is that almost every housekeeper has furnished rooms to rent. Many of the occupants of these rooms contract with the landlady to furnish them with the usual German hreakfast, consisting of a cup of coffee and a roll of bread. The rest of their meals are taken at the restaurants and caf(&s. Among the poorer classes there are some houses containing from eight hundred to three thousand people. 38 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH KEEPING OF PUBLIC SQUARES. The Councils of Baltimore and New York, it is gratifying to see, have ordered the removal of the iron railings from around some of the public squares. These unsightly and unnecessary contrivances are generally ignored in all parts of Europe. The parks are the property of the people, and under the protection of the people, and need no iron railings to guard them. The removal of these fences will also, it is to be hoped, lead to the adoption of another European idea, that of placing the squares in charge of active and industrious young gardeners, who will employ their time in planting and cultivating beds of flowers, and otherwise ornamenting the grounds under their charge, instead of giving them into the hands of old broken-down politicians. The numerous " Rings" scattered through Vienna are not only breathing spots, but beauty spots, during spring and summer. The most beautiful beds of flowers are placed wherever they will add to the attractions of the promenade, and for any one to disturb them would be re- garded by the people as an offense akin to burglary. Vienna, May 31, 1873. THE EXPOSITION. We spent most of yesterday at the Ex- position, and have seriously come to the conclusion that it has been overdone, — that there is too much of it to be properly seen by any one before being satiated and exhausted in the effort to see even that in which he may take the most interest. We found that independent of the great Exposition Hall, and the separate Ma- chinery Building, the latter being fully a third of a mile in length, and the Ilall of Paintings, nearly as long, each separate government has a distinct building for the exhibition of agricultural implements, every one of which is filled to its utmost capacity. THE EXPOSITION GROUNDS. Whilst the interiors of the buildings of the Exposition are so vast and wonderful, the grounds are equally startling in their extent, and the scenes they present. The inclosure in which the Exposition is held covers nearly four hundred acres of ground, and the number of elegant build- ings upon it is really wonderful. In ad- dition to the spacious structure for the Emperor and his guests, nearly every government has constructed very orna- mental buildings for its Commissioners. That of England is in the form of a country villa, inclosed by a paling fence, with flowers and shrubs in profusion. The grounds around the Emperor's villa, to the extent of three or four acres, are also laid out in grass-plots, with gravel-walks and fountains, evergreens, and even stat- uary. No one Avould suppose, to look at these structures, which are built with heavy walls and strewn with elaborate ornaments, that they are merely for tem- porary use, to be removed some months hence. But of all the nations the heathen bid fair to excel in the erection of these structures. Turkey is just finishing a splendid mosque directly in front of the main entrance to the painting-gallery, which is to be a fac-simile in all its ap- pointments of the genuine article. Turkish mechanics are doing the work, and the decorations are all here, ready and waiting for the carpenters to finish the interior. Even the three drinking-fountains usual on the sides of these buildings are here, with their running streams and cups. But Turkey will eclipse Persia in the fac- simile it is erecting of the favorite country palace of the Sultan. It is nearly com- pleted, and with its dome and minarets would outshine all the country villas on Charles Street avenue in its picturesque beauty. It is to be decorated and finished similarly to the Sultan's palace, and in the stables attached is to be a specimen of each of the domestic animals used in Turkey. But even this rambling notice can give the reader no idea of the magnificence of the grounds of the inclosure. From a rough field it has everywhere been laid out with gravel-walks, beautifully sodded, and interspersed with fountains ; hundreds of men and women being still at work keeping in order what has been finished, or completing the ornamentation of other sections. The exterior buildings thus connected with the Exposition form a complete cor- don around the whole immense structure, and still outside of these is the circle of restaurants and caf^s, all the proprietors having been required to put up handsome buildings, which present a very pictu- resque appearance. Excellent meals are served at them, but pretty stiff' prices are charged. THE AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS. The farmers of America would be startled if they could wander through the immense agricultural buildings of the diff'erent countries. In the French department they would see a steam plow. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 39 built for one of the Archdukes of Aus- tria, which could not have cost less than fifty thousand dollars. Only think of payinfi; such a price for a plow ! It is a maniuioth piece of machinery for agri- cultural purposes. The plow and steam- engine are separate, and a practical farmer would be inclined to regard the man that conceived either of them to be an im- becile. In the first place, the engine is nearly as lar,;^e and fully as heavy as a small locomotive. Its wheels, which are cogged, so as to retain a hold on the ground, are twelve inches vvide, and the whole engine cannot weigh less than six tons. The plow is another immense iron apparatus, with two gangs of six plows each, one gang to be used in crossing a field, and the other in returning, so as not to require the unwieldy machine to be turned around. The apparatus to which the plows are attached, which is on wheels also, is fully thirty feet long, made entirely of cast and wrought iron, and the plows are each nearly twice the size of those in ordinary use. Each is ranged about one foot in advance of its next neighbor. The apparatus looks strong enough and powerful enough to plow up Captain Jack's lava beds; but we have never seen any ground fit for agricultural purposes that could carry such a weight as is here massed, without taking it in at least to the hubs. England presents a great mass of agri- cultural machinery, some of it of mam- moth proportions, intended doubtless as playthings for its aristocratic formers. There is one threshing and cleaning ma- chine considerably larger than many of the cabins in which the agricultural la- borers and their families live. Both France and England, however, present much that is useful and valuable, and are evidently finding it necessary to econo- mize human labor. There will be a test of plows and reapers about the end of June, when America expects to win the prize. Both the English and French machines are pirated from ours, and are of course in- ferior. The whole world seems to have gone to work to steal the American sew- ing-machine, as every nation except the heathen has a large number of ma- chines on deposit. But we do not intend to attempt to give any idea of the Expo- sition. It is too vast even for a general notice, and any serious attempt to de- scribe it would be regarded by the out- STRAUSS S MUSIC. We spent last evening in the Volksgar- ten, sipping our coffee, and listening to the great Strauss Band, of sixty profes- sors, led by Edmund Strauss himself. Such music is never heard in our concert- rooms, not even from Theodore Thomas and his excellent orchestra. They lack the fire and enthusiasm which Strauss imparts to his whole band. Whilst lead- ing, every member of his body is in mo- tion, arras, legs, hands, feet, and head are swinging to and fro, and in the more stirring parts even the performers join in the motions. It is certainly live music, and lacks the funeral tone in which we are accustomed to hear scientific music rendered. Most of the pieces performed were either his own or those of his bro- ther, interspersed with some selections from Mendelssohn. '' Ein Stuck Wien," the '' Music of the Spheres," and other of the Strausses' compositions were pro- duced ; and by request of some American ladies he gave the " Beautiful Blue Dan- ube," as only this great band could render it. An amusing incident occurred in con- nection with the request of the ladies. One of the waiters being requested to carry the card to the great leader and composer, positively declined to do so, as he had taken such a request to him on a former occasion, and had been told that " none but crowned heads could have such requests complied with." The ladies, having assured the M'^aiter that we are all sovereigns in America, deputed one of the gentlemen to carry up the request, and in due time we had the " Blue Danube," and it was repeated in an encore. In this and all his own pieces, Strauss led with the violin, occasionally joining in the most difficult parts. He is a very fine-looking man, in the prime of life, and dresses with great taste and elegance. He affects the aristocrat by having a servant always following at his heels, in livery, carrying his umbrella, extra coats, and raufflings. STREET SCENES IN VIENNA. Yesterday being the first clear day for a month, the streets in all parts of the city were thronged with people, and among the stores, on shopping intent, the display of finely-dressed ladies was larger than we have ever seen in a European city. They trailed their dresses in the dust with all the freedom of our Baltimore belles, and, what seems to be peculiar here, the white underskirts were of the same length, and were trailed on the streets in company 40 EUUOPE VIEWED THROUGH with their silks, satins, and velvets. They were suggestive of not very nice reflections as to the probable condition of the ankles of their wearers on returning from their promenade. In the old portions of the city the streets are as narrow and crooked as those of the old parts of Naples, and the houses from four to five and sometimes six stories in height. The streets are all paved with the Belgian square blocks, and are kept scrupulously clean, mostly by voluntary scavengers, who are always at hand to gather up any dirt that may be found. They make their living by the sale of the manure they thus forage for. These nar- row streets are lined with elegant stores of all descriptions, including dry goods, fancy goods, jewelry, and laces. They generally lead into squares occupied as markets and ornamented with fountains and statues. There are no beggars to be seen on the streets, except blind ones, and these mostly perform on some instrument. We passed this morning a company of five blind mu- sicians, playing together on the violin and accordeon with considerable skill. A box before them received the deposits of the charitable, and they stood against the wall and played without knowing what suc- cess they were meeting with pecuniarily. The only men or women to be seen in the streets of Vienna who do not look and dress very much as we look and dress at home are the Bohemians and Polish Jews. The latter wear the long, closely- buttoned black coat, trailing upon the ground, which their ancestors wore, a black skull-cap, and a long, curled side- lock protruding. The Bohemians are an Italian-looking set of people. The women wear dresses made of old white blankets, whilst the men wear coats made of sheep-skins with the wool on. They seem to be poor outcasts, for whom no one cares. The finest-looking class of men in Vi- enna are the Hungarians. There are a great many Hungarian regiments here, and the men average fully five inches more in height than the Austrians. The Hungarian officers are proud of their per- sonal appearance, and walk the streets or stroll through the gardens with the air of men who know that they are the objects of personal admiration. Their uniforms are also gay and attractive. THE VIENNA JEHUS. The carriage-drivers of Vienna are all great scamps, and pay no regard to the law unless they happen to fall into the hands of a German, who gives the legal charge and walks quietly off, paying no attention to their abusive language. To a stranger they are such ruffians that most foreigners escape their clutches by riding in the street cars, which carry pas- sengers to all sections of the city for about five cents. Fast and reckless driving is the ru^.e in Vienna, and pedestrians must get out of their way or be run over. They dash along at a furious speed, even through the narrow streets, let them be ever so crowded, and never hold up or check their horses for old or young. Police-officers are stationed at some of the most crowded points, but they appear to think that their duty consists only in picking up those who have been run over. The drivers are the only people in Vienna who drink in- toxicating liquors, and they are just the same kind of people as drunkards in America. Courts and q,rcade8, running through the middle of squares, from street to street, many of them lined with stores, are to be found in all sections of the city. By passing through these the throng of car- riages can be escaped by pedestrians, and when one becomes acquainted with the labyrinth of by-ways the facility of pass- ing from one point to another is very great. FUNERALS BY CONTRACT. The system of conducting funerals in Vienna is quite novel. There are funeral companies, which, for a fixed price, attend to all the details and deposit the coffin in the ground. They take charge of the body, prepare it for the grave, furnish the hearse and carriages, and act themselves as pall-bearers. The hearse is black, with dead-black horses, and driver clothed in the blackest of black, whilst at its four corners are immense bunches of black ostrich feathers. Alongside the hearse the burial society march, all clothed in black, with black cocked hats, and swords at their sides. The carriages that follow are only used for funerals, and are gloomy- looking vehicles, with black horses and solemn-looking drivers, arrayed in the same color. The cost is graded according to the number of black knights in attend- ance, the number of carriages, and the display of plumes. This system is uni- versal in Vienna, and it has the advan- tage of fixing the price and steering clear of all extra charges. So, also, people can provide during life for their funerals by paying the amount required to one of these associations. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 41 WEDDING PECULIARITIES. There is a peculiarity not only in fu- nerals, but also in weddings, in Vienna. Ainonust be like taking a bath in strong pickle. There are saline springs here also, the waters from which are at once conducted to the salt-pans. It is very evident that the Germans are losing their faith in the curative proper- ties of medicine, and are resorting to various other means of restoring health. In walking through Reichenhall between six and eight o'clock in the morning, es- pecially at the grounds of the bathing- nouses, where bands of music are in at^ tendance, one encounters many hundreds of persons imbibing wine-whey, from goat's milk, and walking so many rounds of the promenade between each glass. The whey is brought in from the surrounding country in wooden churns, on the backs of those never-failing carriers of heavy burdens, women, each of whom has her regular customers, depending in a great measure on the quality of her com- modity. Thus, between the wine-whey and the salt baths, Reichenhall has be- come a great summer resort, with its hotels and boarding-houses, and plenty of people to fill them. There are " wine- cure" doctors here who give prescriptions as to the number of glasses and the strength of the brine to be used in bath- ing. The greater number of the visitors to Reichenhall come, however, for a few days' sojourn, during which they make excursions to the Konigs-See and Berch- tesgaden, to visit which every traveler between Munich and Vienna stops here on his route. To pass on without stop- ping here would be regarded as gross neglect of all that is grand, wonderful, and beautiful. It is thus that we are here to see these great German wonders. The town of Reichenhall is, however, a very interesting place, being very pic- turesquely bounded upon three sides by a fine amphitheatre of mountains, — the Untersberg, six thousand feet high, the Lutherberg, of five thousand five hun- dred and fifty-three feet, and the Mlill- nerhorn, of four thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven feet ; whilst the Ost, five thousand seven hundred and eigh- teen feet, stands sentry at the outlet of the salt regions. THE SALT-WORKS. These salt-works are all the property of the Bavarian government, which makes a monopoly of the manufacture, as does also the Austrian government. Extensive works for the evaporation of the brine and for boiling it are erected here to manufacture into salt the surplus brine from the great Berchtesgaden mine, which we will visit to-day and endeavor in a subsequent letter to describe to your readers. There are also a number of saline springs here, the water of one of them being impregnated to the extent of twenty-three and a half per cent., and being at once conducted to the salt-pans, whilst that of the others is first evaporated in the graduating houses, which generally consist of twigs of blackthorn closely stacked under long roofs or sheds. The brine is conducted to the upper part of these sheds, and allowed to trickle slowly through the twigs, by which pro- AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 105 cess it loses a lar^e portion of the watery particles before it is collected into the reservoirs below. The ^reat practical value of the process consists in the fact that, whilst the water is thus evaporated, and the other ingredients of the brine, carbonate of lime, etc., form a gradual incrustation on the thorns, the salt re- mains, almost without loss, in a state of solution. The twigs remain in use from three to six years, when they are burned, and their ashes form excellent manure. AVe, of course, visited the works, and examined the subterranean brine conduit and the vaulted channel, but imagine that a description of them would be rather dry reading, as well as very difl&cult. ) OUR "horrible language." We" find that Bavaria knows as little of English as Austria does. A few even- ings since, whilst we were sitting at one of the tables in the Volksgarten, in Vi- enna, enjoying the delightful music of Strauss, as rendered by Edward Strauss and his excellent orchestral band, two strange but evidently respectable German ladies were seated at the same table, so close that the conversation of one party could be distinctly heard by the other. A discussion arose between two of the American party as to the relative merits of the music of Wagner and Strauss, and at one time the conversation continued for a few moments after the music had commericed. One of the ladies looked around quite indignantly, and remarked to the other, in German, "You cannot expect people with such a horrible lan- guage as that to be able to appreciate or enjoy music." To this the other re- sponded, " Yes, it is almost as bad as the jargon of the Hungarians." Of course, they had no idea that any of us knew what they said, or had any better knowledge of their jargon than they had of ours. Now, it happens to be the invariable custom in Vienna when parties are thus sitting at the same table for the first that leaves to bow politely and say to whoever may be left at the table, whether it be a gentleman or a lady, " Ich habe die Ehre," which, in plain English, means, " I have the honor." Two of our party, being thoroughly versed in the German tongue, thus politely com- mended themselves to the ladies, who at once became considerably confused at learning that their harsh criticism of us and our pet language had been distinctly understood. However, we quote this in- cident to show what a hard time President Grant will have in persuading these stifi"-necked people that they should teach their children the English language and blot out their mother tongue. Notwith- standing, it is beyond doubt that the Eng- lish language is being very extensively taught to the rising generation here, as it is more common to find German children who speak English than it is to find native grown persons who can do so. English governesses are in great demand among the educated and wealthy classes, and it will be remembered that the Emperor of Russia, who is about to marry his only daughter to one of the English princes, issued an order that " the American" lan- guage be taught in all the government institutions of learning in his empire. "7 Reichenhall, Bavaria, June 25, 1873. A MOUNTAIN RIDE. We started out at an early hour this morning for a carriage-drive among the Ba- varian mountains, and a visit to the famous Konigs-See, or King's Sea, as well as to the equally wonderful salt-mines at Berchtes- gaden, which are about fifteen miles from Reichenhall. The whole day, until nine o'clock in the evening, was consumed in this excursion, which abounded in in- terest. The journey was through a series of lofty mountains, many of them six thousand feet high, and some of them attaining the altitude of nine thousand feet, the summits of the latter being cov- ered with snow, which was glittering in the bright sunshine. The reader will please to understand that these mountains, through which our excursion carried us, average one mile in height, and one of them a mile and a half, or that they are from sixty to ninety times higher than the Washington Monument, many of them being bold precipices, and also that the turnpike traverses a narrow gorge, oc- casionally spreading out into little valleys, dotted with the cottages and gardens of the Bavarian mountaineers. The scenery at all points is bold and picturesque, most of the mountains being covered on the slopes with dense forests of pine. The day was bright and beautiful, and the fresh mountain breeze tempered the rays of the sun, so that the heat was very seldom oppressive. By the side of the turnpike rushed the swift and clear waters of the river Aim, which flows from the Konigs-See, dashing over their white, pebbly bed, and occasionally forced through rocky gorges reminding one of the Via Mala on a small scale. There were also on our route small villages, and numerous saw-mills, at which the pine 106 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH forests are converted into lumber, — all calculated to render more picturesque the beauties of nature by which our eyes were regaled. THE " KONIGS-SEE/' We reached the Konigs-See (King's Sea), or Lake of Bartholomew, about one o'clock, and were astonished to find from sixty to seventy carriage-loads of people had preceded us on a visit to this famous mountain sea, which is said to be at times as turbulent as the Atlantic Ocean. A small village, with restaurants, is lo- cated at its western end, and here are the boats for excursions on the lake, rowed by Tyrolese peasant girls dressed in their national costume, who ply the oar with great expertness. As the lake, although six miles long, winds around the bases of the lofty mountains, its surface is visible for only a short distance from the point of embarkation, and every one who desires to see the whole of this most beau- tiful sheet of water in Germany, vying in grandeur with the lakes of Switzerland and Italy, must take a sail on it. We were not many minutes out of the carriage before we found ourselves seated in a long ba- teau, with three rowers, all of whom were seated in the stern of the boat. Like all bateaux, it was a shaky concern, and the slightest deviation of any of its passen- gers caused it to dip, which was anything but pleasant, in view of the fact that the water on which we were sailing was from three to six hundred feet deep, and that its mountain-sides were so precipitous that it would have been diflficult for pas- sengers from a capsized boat to find a landing anywhere. When fairly out in the middle of the lake, which is about a mile and a half wide and six miles long, the scene is one of awful grandeur. In this respect it has scarcely its equal among the Italian and Swiss lakes. The mountains, which rise precipitously from its depths, some of them almost perpendicularly from the water's edge, to the height of nine thousand feet, seem almost to inspire a dread that some of their huge cliffs might come sliding down on your frail vessel. This feeling was increased when some parties in a boat just ahead of us fired a shot-gun, the report from which was not an echo, but was like a deep, long, rolling clap of thunder, just such as sometimes startles our citizens during a spring thunder- storm. It seemed to rattle around among all the mountains which towered up over our heads, and could not be distinguished from a sharp crashing thunder-bolt. Im- mediately following this experiment, three more shots were fired in quick succession, and the echo was really terrific. It would be a curious experiment to fire a ten- pounder and listen to its reverberation. There is but one point on the whole lake where this curious phenomenon occurs. A gun fired anywhere else awakens but a moderate echo, but here all tourists gener- ally explode their pistols, and some of the enthusiastic sight-seeing Germans often bring their shot-guns all the way from home to use them thus on the Konig-See-. To us the reverberation was unexpected, having never heard it described, and we assure the reader that we have not ex- pei-ienced any crash of thunder for years that was more startling and terrific than the echo of this puny shot-gun. It seemed almost as if the mountains were cracking over our heads, and as if we might mo- mentarily expect an avalanche of rocks. The promontory of St. Bartholomew, about the middle of the sea, has a res- taurant and shady retreat, on which there are also a royal hunting chS.teau, and an ancient chapel, to which pilgrimages are made on St. Bartholomew's day. At the eastern end of the sea, on a small island, a prominent rock, surmounted by a cross, commemorates the wreck of a boat con- taining a large party of pilgrims, and the loss of many lives. There are also caverns and other attractions at which the boats stop, but they are of minor interest, and not worthy of more than a mention. Many tourists spend an entire week ex- ploring the surroundings of the sea. and to those who are fond of mountain-climb- ing it well repays them for the fatigue. Artists and naturalists are especially de- lighted with a week's sojourn at St. Bar- tholomew. The sea was dotted with boats contain- ing tourists of various nationalities ; and this is the case throughout the traveling season. Every train that arrives at Rei- chenhall brings a new supply of sight- seers, independently of those who come to enjoy the salt baths and drink the wine- whey. What with the salt business, the baths, and the mountain sights, it has grown to be a most beautiful and attract- ive town. THE BERCHTESGADEN SALT-MINES. On our way back from the Konigs-See we proceeded to Berchtesgaden to explore the famous salt-mines, or rather salt mountain, of the Bavarian government, and reached there about four o'clock in AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 107 the afternoon, after a very pleasant drive. As a regular business is made of exhibit- ing this mine by the government, from which a large revenue accrues, we ex- perienced no difficulty or delay in enter- ing it. Twice a day, at eleven o'clock in the morning and at five o'clock in the after- noon, general excursions are made into the mines, at which time there are a large num- ber who present themselves, generally not less than fifty, the price then being but forty kreutzers. Special parties in charge of guides are, however, entering at all hours, the charge for them being about forty kreutzers each, which in Bavarian currency is about equal to fifty-five cents of our money. We entered about four o'clock in the afternoon, there being but six in the party, including three ladies, and we had an excellent opportunity to view its wonders. In order that the reader may have some idea of these mines, we will state that they are situated in the bowels of a moun- tain some three thousand feet high, and tlieir existence was first surmised from the springs of brine that flowed from its sides. A shaft was then opened, which ran on an inclined plane for several hun- dred feet through the rock before the salt rock appears to have been struck ; and, judging from appearances, although over one hundred miners have been working in it for several hundred years, the supply is inexhaustible. From the lowest depth to which it has been mined a shaft has been dug, which now penetrates down one hundred and twenty-five feet farther, and is still being pushed deeper to ascertain to what depth the salt exists. There is just such a mountain of salt in San Do- mingo, but the product appears to be much richer than this, whilst it crops out of all sides of the mountain in pure crys- tal salt. The San Domingo mountain is also three times as large, and could be made to supply the world with salt. The yield of salt from the Berchtesgaden mine is now five hundred thousand barrels per annum, each containing one hundred pounds. DRESSING FOR THE TRIP. The entrance to the mines is on a level with a slight ascent through a granite arch about five feet wide, and is perfectly dry, with a tramway down the centre, the floor being smoothly boarded. Before entering, however, we were all provided with coarse woolen miners' dresses, the ladies having to remove their outer skirts and don the pantaloons, over which a half-skirt woolen coat, extending to the knees, was furnished them to wear, the funny little woolen caps, with white bands, which completed tne outfit, giving the appearance of the bloomer costume worn by Mrs. Dr. Walker. The men were transformed into miners, with rough felt hats, and a strap buckled around the waist, with miners' lamps hung on in front, and a leathern apron behind, the object of which we found was to prevent our setting fire to each other's clothing as we marched in single file through the nar- row passages. The arrangements were^o formidable that two of the ladies of our party declined to join us, only theyoungest one having the required pluck for the occa- sion. Apartments in a building adjoining the mine were provided as dressing-rooms for the visitors, and when they emerged they were so thoroughly transformed as to be scarcely able to recognize each other. ENTRANCE TO THE MINES. We started immediately, following three guides, and passed through the long, nar- row passages, which for the first five hun- dred feet were elegantly walled with granite, before we came to any signs of salt. When the granite walls ceased the same passage continued on through the crystal salt, which is so solid as to, need no walling. Sometimes we passed up granite steps, and again down, there being no evidence of dampness or water. Each one of the party, and the three miners, having wax candles, we had abundance of light whilst passing through these passages, and, although quite chilly on entering, we soon became pleasantly warm. We stopped occasionally to ex- amine the salt deposits, and traveled on for fully twenty minutes, passing various passages, branching off from the one through which we moved, and leading to other parts of the mine in which the actual work of mining is in progress, the part which is opened to visitors being evidently one in which active operations have been suspended for the visiting season. THE SALT LAKE. Whilst following our leaders through the narrow passages we suddenly emerged into an immense chamber, and were startled by the scene presented. We scarcely know how to describe the salt lake, or reservoir, hewn out in the centre of this mountain. It was brilliantly il- luminated by over two hundred lamps arranged around the gallery which sur- 108 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH rounds the lake, and, as each lamp was reflected in the water, there appeared to be double the number. The cave itself is about three hundred feet long by one hundred in width, and a gallery with a railing surrounds the entire excavation for the lake. The ceiling is of solid rock salt, about twenty feet above the level of the lake, and has no supports, and, of course, needs none ; but when we reflected that some thousand feet of mountain, clothed with pines, were suspended over our heads, we felt as if it was not a very desirable place to remain in for any length of fime. A boat was moored to the shore of the lake, and in this we were invited by our guides to take seats, and were soon being rowed towards the op- posite end, where we were landed on a platform and shown the manner in which the fresh water is percolated through masses of crystal salt and collected in this lake, and then allowed, as it rises beyond a certain level, to flow off through iron pipes to the several boiling-houses, some of which are near the mine, and others many miles off, as are those at Reichenhall. The water in the lake is ten feet deep, and is always kept at this level. We tasted the water as we passed over in the boat, and it was so sharp with salt as to seem like the pure article itself. This lake has been formed in one of the old excavations of the mine, which, being above the level of the surrounding coun- try, gives a natural flow for the brine through the pipes, though it has to be forced over the mountains from the first outside reservoir by hydraulic process. We were informed that the yield of salt from this water was twenty-seven per cent., — in other -words, that over one^ fourth of the contents of this vast reser- voir was pure salt. RIDING ON A RAIL. After passing up a flight of stairs from the head of the lake, we came to a point where it was necessary for us all to take seats on a board slide at an angle of forty-five degrees, and make a descent of about eighty feet, sliding down with a miner in front of each party of three, who regulated our speed by a guide-rope, which he allowed to pass rapidly through a heavily-gloved hand. It then became apparent why we were furnished with miners' clothing, as well as for what pur- pose the pantaloons and bloomer dresses with which the ladies were provided were intended. It was a rapid journey, but the skill of the miner landed us on our feet at the bottom without a perceptible jar. After going through a long pas- sage we were then led on to the gallery of another immense cave, perfectly dry. The gallery which surrounded it was hewn out of the rock, and provided with a railing. The ceiling above the point at which we were standing was about twenty feet high, whilst looking down from the gallery the bottom of the excavation was about one hundred feet below us. The cave was about one hundred feet wide on each side of us, and was feebly lighted by miners' lamps stationed at various points on the bottom and along the gal- leries. As we passed around the gallery we entered a side chamber, about as large as the counting-room of The Amer- ican office, in which some miners were busily at work cutting out the rock salt with picks and chisels and drilling for the insertion of blasts, each having a miner's lamp to light him at his work. The temperature was very pleas- ant, and the air very pure ; though it ap- peared to be a gloomy spot in which a human being should be required to spend the daylight of his life, only emerging from it when night is approaching. These workmen were doubtless here merely to show visitors the process of ex- cavation, as we did not enter those por- tions of the mine in which the hundred and twenty-five miners were said to be at work. On returning to the cave we followed our guides around the gallery until we came to another point where a sliding- board was erected, down which we all slid the hundred feet intervening be- tween us and the bottom of the cave. It was a pretty strong test of the nerves, of the ladies especially, but, as there was no escaping the ordeal, they all submitted quietly. We reached the bottom as safely and smoothly as on our previous descent, and, after walking around and ex- amining the crystal walls, reascended by an inclined plane used for hauling the rock salt out of the cave. Another party were about making the descent on the sliding- board, with whom were several ladies, and, as they were merry and noisy, their laughter and loud exclamations echoed throughout the cave with a ringing sound. I must not forget to mention here that we were shown a shaft for ventilation through the bottom of this cave, which we were assured passed down one hun- dred and forty-five feet through the salt rock, and the bottom of the deposit had not yet been reached. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 109 THE MOUNTAIN MUSEUM. After reaching the gallery our guides led us through a lon^ passage, hewn out of the rock salt, until we came to the small illuminated chamber, in which was displayed a collection of minerals dug out of the mines at different times. They were so arranged as to be illuminated by the lamp?, and the specimens of pure crystal salt were similarly illuminated. At the extremity of the chamber was a broad slab of salt, on which were carved the insignia of the king, and which was brilliantly illuminated by lamps suspen- ded behind it. In front of this tablet there was a little basin, with a fountain in the centre of it, throwing up sprays of salt water, which we all tasted, and it seemed almost like liquid salt. After ad- miring the minerals and the peculiar novelty of this scene in the very bowels of the earth, we were invited to take seats on small cars, which were waiting at the entrance to the chamber, each of which was in charge of one of our guides, who had control of the brakes. We moved along on the tramway at first slowly, but as we progressed through the narrow passages it was evident that we were going down grade, as the speed gradually increased, until we dashed along and turned curves at railroad sfpeed, and, considering that the salt wall on either side of us was but about a foot distant, the prospect of getting off the track was not very promising for whole bones. All our lamps, with the exception of the one in charge of the guide, were soon extin- guished by the " rapid speed," and when we could perceive a long way ahead of us a glimmering of daylight, giving the as- surance that there were no more curves to turn, the sensation became rather pleasing. On we dashed, however, until we suddenly flew out into the open air and were safely landed in front of the re- tiring-rooms, where a crowd of some fifty visitors, arrayed in miners' garb, includ- ing a number of ladies, were in readi- ness to enter. As we had no conception of what was to be seen on the inside, Baedeker being very brief on the subject, the visit was altogether a very satisfactory one. AVe hope the reader will be able, from our description of what we saw, to see some- thing of it also: but should he ever travel between Munich and Vienna, we would advise him to switch off at Salz- burg and take a run down, or rather up, to the Konigs-See and Berchtesgaden. MUNICH. Munich, July 27, 1873. "We have now been in Munich, the cap- ital of Bavaria, for two days, and have commenced our exploration of this beau- tiful and attractive city. It has a popu- lation of about two hundred thousand, and is chiefly Catholic, the Protestants numbering about twenty thousand. To those who delight in works of art, both ancient and modern, Munich will always present great attractions, though the cli- mate is said to be unhealthy to strangers, on account of the sudden changes of temperature. It is the cheapest city in Europe in which to live, and in many re- spects is one of the most pleasant. THE CITY OF MUNICH. Munich is a very beautiful city, and one in which Americans greatly delight to linger. Like all the German cities, it had in the olden times walls and moats and fortifications on its suburbs. These ancient necessities for protection being no longer required, and the city having out- grown its granite restrictions, they have been all removed, leaving a broad space, something like the Ringstrasse of Vienna, between the old and the new Munich, but too wide and irregular for any exten- sive ornamentation. This space has been laid out in public squares and prom- enades and broad avenues, which form fine breathing-places for the people close to their own doors. Munich has not yet, however, become suflBciently modernized to permit the construction of city rail- ways, and the old lumbering omnibus is the only mode of conveyance from one section of the city to apother for the mass of the people. The new sections of tho city are laid out in broad, straight ave- nues, and the buildings are large, and many of them elegant in architectural design. There is a greater variety of architectural display in the public build- ings of Munich than in those of Vienna, but the private and business structures are not so elegant and elaborate. THE PEOPLE OF MUNICH. There is little or no similarity between the habits and temperament of the people of Munich and those of the Viennese. The former are more of the North German type, and are less volatile and visionary than their neighbors of Vienna. The streets of Munich, from daylight in the morning, show that the people of all classes are stirring, and the coffee-houses 110 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH are crowded -with visitors an hour before they are thoroughly opened in Vienna. The coffee-houses in the latter city are filled with loungers all day, who sit and sip their coffee and talk and read the papers. It is a matter of wonder to even the old Viennese who and what all these people are, where they come from, and, above all, where they obtain the means to secure good clothing and pay their reckoning. Here in Munich there are comparatively no coffee-house loungers. They come at an early hour for their coffee, and move off as soon as it is disposed of. Except at the reg- ular German hours for coffee, there are but few visitors at the caf6s. In short, Munich is a city noted for the active, stirring business-habits of its people. They deal but little in lotteries and stock-gambling, and when they grow rich, they do so by the slow old-mshioned process, which is more stable and enduring. The paper money of Bavaria means gold and silver, whilst that of Austria is very much in the same condition as our own. Whilst there is so much vice and immorality in Vienna, only two hundred miles distant, Munich is aistinguished for its compara- tive freedom from such excesses. The ladies here are much more delicate and refined in their appearance and manner, and, although they dress with as much elegance, do not go into such extremes as those of Vienna. They do not trail their skirts through the streets ; indeed, their dresses are seldom to be seen even touch- ing the pavements ; nor do they startle the eye with low-necked dresses, or fol- low any of the other extremes of their Austrian sisters. SOLDIERING IN BAVARIA. Bavaria is as much afflicted by the sol- dier as the more pretentious governments of Europe. A standing army of one hun- dred thousand men is kept by this little kingdom, which does not comprise ten thousand square miles, a considerable portion of which is mountainous and un- productive land. Although still inde- pendent, it is controlled by Prussia, and the northern part is intensely antagonis- tic to Austria. It joined Prussia in the war against Austria, and it is said to have declared war against France some half-hour before Bismark had placed Prussia in a hostile attitude. On the streets of Munich the soldier is to be seen at every turn, though most of the army, by the direction of Bismark, is kept close to the Austrian border. The officers are dressed with great elegance, and wear on their breasts the orders with which they have been decorated for bra- very in the late war. The privates are short, thick, broad-shouldered men, and are charged with having been the most brave, as well as vindictive and oppress- ive, of all the invading army within the borders of France. The young men are compelled to serve three years in the regular army, and thus the drilling of new recruits is in constant progress, and the tap of the drum or military music, accompanying squads and regiments to and from the parade-ground, is hourly heard on the streets. The American, whose children are free from the necessity of this military service and training, can- not witness the scene without a feeling of commiseration, and of gratitude that his lot is cast far away from the dominion of kings and emperors and queens and nobles. THE KING OF BAVARIA. Bavaria has an oddity for a king, who spends most of his time in seclusion at one of his palaces in the mountains. He is the grandson of the old King of Ba- varia, who, it will be remembered, ran crazy after the danseuse Lola Montez, took her into his palace, allowed her to control the destinies of the country, and finally made her Countess of Lansfeld. The people stood it until forbearance «eased to be a virtue, and then drove her out of the country. The present King Ludwig ascended the throne when he was only sixteen years of age, and is now but twenty-four; and if all the stories about him are true, he is as queer a specimen of royalty as has existed during the present generation. He is still single, and has the reputation of being scrupulously virtuous, having a dislike for the whole female sex. He does not allow any one to see him when he can help it; and, though he seeks amusements of various kinds, he endeav- ors to enjoy them in solitude, expressing anger and dissatisfaction if anybody in- trudes upon him. The only man who ever had any influence over him was Wagner, the great musical composer, who at one time so completely controlled all his actions that he was compelled by the people to leave. The king's engagement to marry a princess is said to have laeen sud- denly broken off because she persisted in refusing to express admiration for Wag- ner's music. Among his freaks was the construction of a lake on the top of his palace, in which he sails about in a boat AMERICAN SPECTACLES. Ill for recreation, and catches fish. A few years since he took a notion that he wanted to see a representation of an eruption of Mount A-'esuvius, and immediately ordered the court pyrotechnist to proceed, regard- less of cost, to produce such a spectacle on a mountain, near his secluded pal- ace, lie complied with the order, but the representation was not satisfactory. The court pyrotechnist at Vienna was then sent for, and he made extensive prepara- tions, and gave entire satisfaction, and had an order for its repetition, the king thinking that he had been and would be the only spectator. He, however, heard that the villagers had assembled at the foot of the mountain, and had witnessed the spectacle also. On hearing this he countermanded the order for its repeti- tion, sent the pyrotechnist home, and, summoning the burgomaster of the village before him, severely rated him for allow- ing the people to approach the mountain. During the reign of Wagner he ordered a new opera he had written to be produced at the opera-house regardless of expense, and on the night of its production took a seat in the royal box, and directed all the doors to be closed and jpcked, and the performance to proceed, with only himself as the audience. King Ludwig is, however, harmless in his vagaries, and, as the country is pros- perous, and he has proved himself a thorough German, the people rather laugh than frown at his peculiarities. Although professing to be a Catholic, he utterly refuses to join in the Corpus Christi and other Church celebrations and processions, as his predecessors have done for hundreds of years, and as is now done by the Emperor of Austria. He, however, took the lead for German unity, proclaimed war against France before Prussia took decided action, and has a strong hold on the hearts of the people. He is regarded by some as a misanthrope, and by others as somewhat of an imbe- cile. The Bavarian army is by treaty under the command of the Emperor Wil- liam during times of war, and in peace it is the plaything of the king. King Ludwig I., the grandfather of the present king, and who died in 1868, was greatly beloved by his people, and it is the respect they bear his memory which makes them patient with the follies of his grandson. The latter came to the throne before he had completed his education, and was at first a mere willful, head- strong boy, but has since developed into his present condition. It will be remem- bered that the Bavarian troops were led in the Franco-Prussian war by the Crown Prince of Prussia, and to their bravery and dash many of the decisive strokes of the war were attributed. Recently, when the Crown Prince visited Munich, he was received by the people and the military with great enthusiasm and hon- ors. At the opera-house when he ap- peared the performance was suspended, and so demonstrative were the people that it was impossible to resume it. xhe king became indignant, and, refusing to see the prince, retired to his mountain chateau, and remained for some time in strict retirement, scolding ever}'^ one who came near him for having extended such honors to the Prince of Prussia. As the whole destiny of the country is in the hands of Bismark, it matters little who or what the king may be, as he is merely a gilded puppet, with no power to do much harm even if he had the will. King Ludwig is regarded as devoted to the honor and glory of Germany, and, being the grandson of the much-beloved King Ludwig I., — to whom Munich is in- debted for her great progress in science and art, he having made it, in the treasures of painting, sculpture, and architecture, one of the richest cities in Germany, — he is, notwithstanding his peculiarities, a great favorite with the people. Before his accession to the throne, Ludwig I. was a munificent patron of art, and during his reign he almost created the present Munich ; and his grandson is also a munificent patron of modern art. HEIDELBERG DUELING. • There are always to be seen in Munich parties of German students from Heidel- berg, especially on Saturdays, when thev come here to spend their Sundays, though there are more here now than usual, on account of the vacation. They are a frol- icsome set of fellows, always seeking a quarrel, especially with those who they think will fall easy victims to their prow- ess. They wear dark cloth caps, with a white, red, or yellow band, and swagger about as if they were a superior class of human beings. The young Hotspurs of the South, of the Rhett school, who are always thirsting for human blood, ought to be sent to Heidelberg, where they could have full opportunity for studying and practically learning the rules of the duello. A Heidelberg student of three years' standing who has not his face slashed and scarred with sword-cuts is regarded as a poltroon, unless he has the 112 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH proud record of having done his share in slashing and cutting the faces of one or more of his fellow-students. The proudest man at the Munich Park last evening vras a young student who wore three long strips of court-plaster on his face, one of them extending from the left eye down across the nose to the right side of his mouth. A throng of students were follow- ing him, and two, whom we judged to have been his seconds in the encounter, were hanging on his arms. He was evidently the lion of a recent conflict ; and later in the evening he came in, similarly attended, to a restaurant where we were taking supper and listening to a fine military band. They doubtless paid similar visits to all the public resorts in the city, to show oflf their gallant companion. GOVERNMENT PAWNBROKERAGE. In Munich, as well as throughout Aus- tria and Prussia, and also in Paris, the business of the pawnbroker is carried on by the government. We passed this morning an immense structure, with iron-grated windows, the sign over the principal entrance giving information as ib the character of the business trans- acted within. A throng of females with bundles were passing in and out, either to place articles in pawn, or having redeemed those previously pledged for small sums of money. There is no doubt that this establishment is a great protection to the poor, who are constantly compelled, in their struggles for bread, to obtain temporary loans on their household goods. Government officers are in charge of all its departments, and printed rules and regulations are given to the applicants for relief, so that they know exactly how long their goods will remain, and when they will be sold at public auction if not redeemed. If they sell for more than the amount advanced upon them, they are no- tified to come forward and receive their money. No bid lower than the amount advanced to the owner is taken for any- thing that is put up for sale. About one- half of the value of the article is advanced upon it, and, as in all other establishments of the kind, much that is deposited is never redeemed. Whatever profits may arise from the business are devoted to the main- tenance of hospitals for the poor. Munich, July 28, 1873. We are still enjoying our German life in Munich as we did in Vienna, living as the people live, and like it much better than hotel life. We have, just at eleven o'clock P.M., returned from supper, hav- ing taken it in a garden, where for nine kreutzers' admission (six cents) we were enabled to listen while eating to an ex- cellent concert by a band of Tyrolese vo- calists. Last night, whilst taking the same meal, we enjoyed a concert in another garden by a lull military band ; and this evening we propose to visit still another garden, where another of the great military bands of Munich will be in at- endance. All of these are within five minutes' walk of our hotel. At least one thousand persons take their evening meal at each of these gardens every even- ing, and there are dozens of them in all sections of the city similarly attended. The admission is a trifle, merely sufficient to pay for the music. Tourists who live in hotels know noth- ing of the people among whom they are journeying, and return home from their travels fully posted about painting-gal- leries and old churches, and castles, and monuments, and palaces, but know very little about the habits and customs of the people. BAVARIAN BEER-DRINKING. We intend this letter to be about nothing but beer, — Bavarian beer, — and the manner in which it is drunk by a people who would as soon submit to be deprived or circumscribed in the use of the air they breathe as to be dictated to respecting the amount of beer they shall consume. This is a subject which is §reatly misunderstood in the United tates, and we have therefore paid more than ordinary attention to it in all the parts of Germany in which we have spent the past three months. Although not ac- customed to drink either malt or spiritu- ous liquors at home, we have seldom drunk water since we landed in Germany. We at home have the best and most palatable drinking-water in the world. Here it is all limestone water, excessively hard and unpalatable, and, to the stranger unaccustomed to it, is calculated to pro- duce diseases of the bowels. Everywhere the physicians say that it ought not to be drunk without either wine or sugar in it. Hence we have drunk beer, and drunk it freely, and are free to admit that, with- out having been accustomed to it from our cradle, as the Germans are, if we were to spend the balance of our lives in Germany we should continue to drink beer, and drink it to the almost total exclusion of the unpalatable and iceless drinking-water. Wnether the beer in AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 113 America is as good and pure and healthy as it is here is another question. Here its quality is regulated by the govern- ment breweries, or by the high standard maintained by the Pillsen breweries. An article under these standards would meet with no sale, and hence it is not made. The people, too, are all good judges of a good article, and the slightest deteriora- tion in quality would be instantly de- tected. THE ROYAL BREWERY. We visited yesterday afternoon the royal brewery, an establishment man- aged for several hundred years back by the government, where a mug of beer, containing nearly three pints, or at least two pints and a half, equal to five mugs of the size sold in Baltimore, is furnished for eight kreutzers, or about five and a half cents. The government retails beer here at very little over the cost of manu- facture, and furnishes a better article than can be had from any of the private breweries about Munich. The size of the mug and its price are thus made universal by the government, as any innovation on the standard as to price and quantity as furnished by the government would cause a cessation of sale. All attempts made by the government to advance the price or reduce the size of the mug have produced such mutterings among the people that they have of necessity been abandoned. The Bavarian loves his beer, must have it good and pure, and is unwilling to pay more for a given quantity than his father and grandfather paid before him. A re- cent attempt at Frankfort to reduce the size of the glass caused a most serious revolt ; the troops were called out, men and women were shot down in the streets, and those arrested have been sentenced to penal servitude for a term of years. Any suggestion here to meddle with size or price has met with such demonstrations that it has been abandoned, and although the demand constantly increases at the royal brewery they do not increase the quantity manufactured. That which was being sold to-day, as indicated by a notice in the tap-room, was purchased from pri- vate breweries, government stock having thus early in the season become exhausted. Almost any species of tyranny will be sub- mitted to by the Bavarian, but if you touch his beer all the ferocity of his na- ture is aroused. THE COURT-YARD. In order that your readers may under- stand the scene we witnessed, it will be first necessary to give them some idea of the premises of the brewery. It is a long steep-roofed building with wings, apparently two or three centuries old, lo- cated in the heart of the city, and covering three or four acres of ground. The beer- drinkers enter it through the same paved court-yard that the beer wagons and malt carts enter, passing under an arch in the main building. On getting inside of the court-yard, a number of tables and seats, sufficient to accommodate about two hun- dred, are seen to be ranged along the wall to the right side of the "entrance, under a long shed built against the wall of that wing of the brewery. Here, on the day of our visit, were seated all classes of people, including many ladies, if elegance of dress and refinement of manners form any criterion. Most of these were with their husbands, and they drank their beer just as they would when hungry eat their bread and meat. Most of those who had their wives with them, it is but proper to add, obtained but one of these large mugs, from which man and wife drank alter- nately until it was empty, and then left. We sat here about an hour, noticing the moving scene before us, desirous of giv- ing as accurate and correct a description as possible of what occurred. We also plead guilty of having during that hour consumed one of these immense mugs of beer, and, although unaccustomed to drinking inebriating fluids, we felt no more effect from it than we would had the fluid we imbibed been milk or water. If a person were to sit down and empty two or three of these mugs in succession, he might be intoxicated, and probably would be, but among the thousands here assem- bled there wa-s not one that was even " merry over his cups," nor did we see any one who had on him any of the outward signs of a drunkard. Neither old nor young looked like men addicted to drink- ing. There were no bloated faces or be- sotted countenances, and if we except two or three old men and women with the tips of their noses rather highly colored, there was nothing among them to denote that they did not all belong to the cold- water army. THE TAP-ROOM. A door to the left of the court-yard led to the tap-room. Here was a plain board counter across the room, and behind it two barrels of beer mounted on skids, with two men to attend to the spigots, which, when once turned, are seldom stopped until the barrel is empty. At 114 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH the other end of the room was a trough with running water, and a row of shelves with empty beer-mugs upon them, just as they had been brought in from the tables, without being washed or cleaned. Any one who desires a mug of beer must enter this room, take one of these mugs and wash and clean it himself, carry it to the counter, and hand it to one of the men at the spigots. On its being filled, it is handed back to him, when he pays his eight kreutzers and hunts a seat and table where he can sit down and enjoy it. There are no waiters of any kind about the place, except a few old women, who, in return for the privilege of selling radishes in the court-yard, are required to bring in the empty mugs and place them on the shelf in the tap-room. Here we saw well-dressed gentlemen and laboring people all on an equality, the ofl&cer and the private soldier, the lady and the sewing-girl, not only sitting side by side and drinking their beer, but rinsing and washing their own mugs at the same trough. The prince and the beggar are here on an equal footing, and good beer, better than can be had elsewhere, is served out to all alike ; pride or position can claim no special privileges after entering the court-yard of the royal brewery. There are also rooms on the lower floor of the left wing of the brewery building, provided with benches and tables suffi- cient for four or five hundred persons, which are used in winter or during rainy weather. A CASE IN POINT. Immediately in front of us we noticed a young couple, whom we supposed to be man and wife. The man was as well dressed as either of us who were noting his move- ments, and his companion bore all the outward indications of refinement, and her countenance indicated extreme deli- cacy and modesty. They walked into the court-yard with the air of persons who had been there hundreds of times before. Having reached the tap-room door, he entered, and she waited outside until he had washed his mug, had it filled, and paid for it. On coming out she again took his arm, and they walked over the cobble-stone P^pavement in search of a vacant seat. [Jiaving secured seats, they alternately sipped out of the same mug until it was empty, when they retired arm-in-arm, as graceful and as pleasing to the eye as any young couple that may promenade on Charles Street this bright summer evening. The probability is that this young couple were reared on beer, — that it has been part of their daily nourishment from their cradles down to the present day. We frequently see whole families dining in the " restaurations," and the beer-mug is handed around to the youngest of the children. Even nursing infants are accustomed to drink it, and will stretch out their little hands in entreaty before their tongues have been taught to lisp the word "beer." THE innkeeper's COMMANDMENTS. Whilst traveling through the moun- tains of Bavaria we stopped to rest our horses at a wayside inn, and on the top of one of the immense beer-jugs was en- graved on the china the following modest inscription, from which it will be seen that the innkeeper holds himself in high esteem, whatever may be the opinion of others. " Ten Commandments of the Innkeeper: "1. Du sollst taglich bei mir einkehren. (Thou shalt visit me daily.) " 2. Du sollst mich nur rufen um zu zahlen. (Thou shalt only call me to pay.) " 3. Du sollst keinen Ilund mitbringen. (Thou shalt bring no dog here.) "4. Du sollst mich ehren dass es dir gut gehe. (Thou shalt honor me that thou mayst prosper.) " 5. Mache aus den GTasern keine Scher- ben. (Make no fragments of my glasses.) "6. Vergreif dich nicht an Frauen und Kellnerinnen. (Keep your hands ofi" my wife and waitresses.) "7. Nimmnichts mit als einen Rausch. (Take nothing with thee but tipsiness..) "8. Du sollst eher mehr als zu wenig zahlen. (Thou shalt rather pay too much than too little.) " 9. Du sollst nur begehren was zu ha- ben. (Thou shalt demand only what is to be had.) " 10. Du sollst nie mit der Rechnung durchbrechen. (Thou shalt never abscond without paying.)" Another mug had the following inscrip- tion over a mug of beer, with pipes crossed, surrounded by playing-cards: " Bei Spiel und Bier schmeckt Pfeifcheii mir." (When I play and drink beer the pipe tastes best.) Munich (Bavaria), July 29, 1873. We have had several hot days, proba- blv as hot as yon have them at home, but the evenings and nights in Germany a/re always cool and pleasant. We sleep un- der covering, with our windows closed, although the thermometer at noon is AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 115 among the nineties. For sight-seeing, and wandering through galleries of paintings and sculpture and museums of antiquities, which are open only dur- ing the heat of the day, the weather is, however, decidedly unpropitious. These abound in Munich, and we find them all thronged with strangers, who have stopped here for a few days, going to or coming from Vienna. A party of some sixty Americans (Cook's excursionists) are stopping at our hotel and roaming among the galleries to-day. About half of them are ladies, and most of them are school-teachers, spending their vacation in a hasty tour of the Continent and a visit to the Exposition. The German papers express their surprise at school- teachers being able to make a tour of Europe, as they are a class who are so poorly paid in this country as to be al- most dependent on the charity of their scholars for their daily bread. MORE ABOUT BEER. It is difficult to pass a day in Munich without striking upon a new phase of the beer question, and it is equally difficult to write a letter without taking it as a text for at least one of the chapters. There is probably not a human being, from the infant in the cradle to the old man or woman tottering to the grave, who does not drink at least one litre of beer per diem, which is equal to four full glasses such as are sold in the beer-saloons of Baltimore. Most men and women drink two litres per diem, and some four, five, or six, and it must be understood that each litre, independently of the froth, rep- resents a full solid quart of beer. There are, besides the saloons and '' restaura- tions," forty-three " kellers," or brew- eries, in Munich, where the people assem- ble as in mass-meeting, and drink these huge litres of beer. At these places there are no waiters, everybody being com- pelled to wash his mug and wait upon himself. Let the reader imagine forty-three Schlitzenfests, similar to those we some- times have in Baltimore, all in daily progress, and some idea can be formed of everyday life in Munich. At these kellers all classes of people, with their wives, daughters, and sons, young men with their sweethearts, and children in arms, are among the visitors. Beer is part of the daily food of every one, and is drunk at the breweries and gardens be- cause it is always cold and fresh there. At every one of these places a barrel is emptied every few minutes from sunrise to sunset, and stale beer is consequently an impossibility. When the Germans drink it at home they send their servants with their glasses to the kellers, and have it always fresh and good. Whisky, brandy, gin, or any other intoxicating liquor, is not known in Munich. Brandy can only be had at the apothecary-shops on a physician's pre- scription. If brandy or whisky were called for at any of the restaurants, there would be as much surprise as if laudanum had been demanded. Beer is part of the daily food, and it is called for and drunk with as much innocence of any idea of intoxication as if a cup of tea or coffee was being partaken of. Sometimes a man who has drunk too much beer will fall asleep, but intoxication is entirely un- known. The workingmen drink a litre of beer at dinner-time, and another at sapper, but seldom go beyond this, except on Sunday, when they have nothing else to do. Being accustomed to it, the effect on them may produce drowsiness, but never drunkenness. We were called upon last evening by Professor Rothmund, of Munich, who de- sired us to accompany him to one of the kellers in the western section of the city, to see Munich life as it really is. We reached there about eight o'clock, and, although there were seats and tables for fully two thousand persons, it was with difficulty we could find room in any part of the grounds. It was in a section of the city where the laboring people reside almost exclusively. Nothing could be had here but beer, bread, cheese, and rad- ishes, and all that vast mass of people were sitting together, with their wives and children, partaking of this simple food, to the great majority of whom it was their only supper. We remained until nearly ten o'clock, at which time the company had thinned down more than one-half, and during the two hours we heard not a loud word spoken, nor anything said at one table so loud as to be heard at another. Everybody had to wait upon himself and wash his own mug, and sometimes the throng at the windows of the tap-room was five or six deep. The tables were closely packed together, each being about sixteen feet long, with plain wooden benches of the same length, and just room left be- tween them to pass in or out. All classes of people were here mingled together, and we observed at some of the tables peo- ple who bore all the outward evidences 116 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH of being of the very best class in Munich. There were a number of carriages waiting to take home parties who had come here to spend the evening. We got into con- versation with a German lady at the table at which we were sitting, who we found could speak some English. She was sur- prised — almost shocked — at one of the ladies of our party refusing to drink beer, and laughed heartily as she saw her drink- ing water from a brown beer-mug,, the only drinking-vessel we could find. She told us that she and her husband made a practice of visiting this keller every clear evening, and that it was always precisely as we found it, and equally thronged. The only question ever asked as to a place was as to the quality of its beer. AH were served alike and treated alike, whether prince or peasant, laborer or mendicant, and all were expected to behave themselves alike. There were no police-officers in attendance, and none were required. Both this lady and her husband (he proved to be a clergyman, and she the sister of the Chief Justice of Bavaria) made many inquiries as to the beer question in America, both of them persisting in regarding beer as an essential and necessary article of food. They contended that it was also healthy, much more so than coffee ; and, although they admitted that some persons injured themselves by drinking too much of it, they insisted that they should be classed among the gluttons, who were still more numerous, and injured their health by eating too much. To drink beer to per- sonal injury they regarded as a long and arduous undertaking, requiring so much time and so much beer that few ever suc- ceeded in it. MATRIMONIAL CUSTOMS. It may be an interesting item of news to some of your lady readers to notice the fact that on every Monday morning a list of all the engagements for marriage that have taken place during the preceding week is published in the morning pa- pers. They proceed to state that "John Schmidt, son of Tomas and Marie Schmidt, has entered into a contract for marriage to Fraulein Katherine Von Jones, second daughter of Josef and Emile Von Jones, and that all the papers have been signed and approved by the parents of both contracting parties.'*' How would our ladies like this formality of proceed- ing, which virtually cuts them off from the society of all gentlemen except that of the affianced one ? He is allowed to spend only one evening a week with her, in the company of father and mother until the ceremony is performed. How would our youthful Benedicts like this, especially as they are not expected to give much time to their lady friends after the publication of this formal announcement? THE CHURCHES OF MUNICH. There are no old Gothic cathedrals in Munich to compare with those of Vienna, Strasburg, and Cologne, but yet there are several whose external peculiarity of style, and internal magnificence of proportions and dazzling pomp of orna- ment, are well calculated to interest and attract the lover of art and things that are ancient. The Church of Our Lady is an immense structure, being three hundred and forty-six feet Icng, one hundred and twenty-eight wide, and in height to the top of the roof two hundred and thirty feet. The two towers are three hundred and eighty-six feet high. It was built in 1468, over four hundred j^ears ago, and is constructed of hard-burned brick, with but little interior or exterior ornament. It has twenty different altars, all orna- mented with statuary, carving, and paint- ings. Most of the churches, of which there are about a dozen, were erected during the present or toAvards the close of the last century, and, although all are worthy of a visit, we imagine that a de- scription of them would not prove of much interest to the reader. The churches built by King Ludwig the First surpass in completeness of execution an}' others built in Europe during this century. The magnificent Basilica of St. Boniface, the beautiful Gothic church of Our Lady of Succor, with its exquisite stained-glass windows, the Church of All Saints, which is wonderfully and richly decorated, and the Church of St. Louis, with the splendid picture of the Last Judgment, by Corne- lius, are, however, more to our taste, and have the merit of having been built by those who worship in them. THE ART-GALLERIES. We have visited nearly all the great art-galleries of Munich, which are very numerous and rich in their collections of paintings, statuary, and antiquities. These structures are themselves among the finest specimens in Europe of tlie leading styles of architecture, which are represented by perfect examples with their appropriate decorations, thus mate- rially facilitating the study of the art. The city is indebted for these advantages to AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 117 King Ludwig I., who died in 1868, who even previous to his accession to the throne was a munificent patron of art. We have visited the Old Pinakothek and the New Pinakothek, the former a reposi- tory of pictures by the old masters, and the latter exclusively for the productions of modern artists. They are both very large and grand collections, and it is needless to say to the readers of these letters that the modern gallery com- manded most of our attention. We visited them both on the same day, and there were ten visitors enjoying the mod- ern paintings for one who was roaming among the ancients. We liked them bet- ter than the pictures of Rubens, Vandyke, Murillo, Titian, Guercino, Raphael, and Correggio, and the other great masters of past ages which adorn the walls of the Old Pinakothek. They are very interesting as specimens of what the ancients could do. The Glyptothek, with its fine collec- tion of ancient and modern sculpture, is another of these great art-galleries erected during the past twenty years by King Ludwig I., as well as the gallery for the exhibition of modern works of art, and the magnificent Gate of the Propylaeon, which rears its massive columns between them. These are, however, matters for the eye, and cannot be described. If any of your readers desire to know what they are, and what they contain, they must come and see them ; only we would advise that they take a cooler season of the year for the laborious task than we have se- lected. Munich, July 30, 1873. THE YANKEE SCHOOL-TEACHERS. Quite a sensation was created in Mu-j nich yesterday by the arrival of Cookj the great European traveling-agent,, withj a party of American tourists, consisting of thirty-three Yankee school-teachers, about one-third of them ladies. They took quarters at our hotel, " The Belle- vue," and the first intimation we had of their presence was the appearance of a large number of people in the corridors who really seemed to be enjoying them- selves, and laughed and talked like a parcel of children going on a picnic- party. A little observation discovered them to be Americans, and on inquiry we learned that they were the veritable school-" marms" and school-masters on their vacation-frolic. They assured us that they had enjoyed themselves hugely, and had just come through Switzerland from Paris, having on account of the heat agreed not to go to Italy. It seems that there were a hundred and fifty in the party originally, and that they divided off in London, in three sec- tions, on three separate routes. Of course the whole party were not school-teachers, but a large majority were. They ex- press themselves as highly delighted with Mr. Cook, who accompanies them, and declare that he has done all and more than he promised, and that they have been shielded from all the annoyances that befall travelers in Europe. The hotel- porters and waiters, whose whole salary consists of what they can bleed out of the guests, don't like to see Cook coming along, and it would not be surprising to hear of a strike among them to prevent his being received in the hotels. His people are told to give " nothing to no- body" unless they feel charitably in- clined, as he pays all their traveling- and hotel-expenses. He says, and I give his words for the satisfaction of the frater- nity at home, that he never traveled with a party of ladies and gentlemen who gave him so little trouble or who seemed so thoroughly to enjoy themselves. They were always "up to time" when the de- pot- or the excursion-carriage was at the door, and always, in his own language, "jolly-" ,.:■ As many persons will doubtless like to know what the expenses of this party are, we will state that they are to be back at New York in eight weeks from the day they sailed, and that the whole cost for traveling and hotels, including their meal-tickets, to each of the party, is four hundred dollars in gold, or about seven dollars per day. They crossed the ocean in nine days, and have thus far had not a single mishap of any kind. They landed in England, visited Glasgow and Edinburgh, spent five days each in Lon- don and Paris, passed through a large part of Switzerland, have spent two days in Munich, and are off* to-day for Vienna, where they will arrive to-night, and revel in the Exposition to-morrow. They, of course, pay their own sight-seeing ex- penses, and generally separate in parties of four or five for this purpose. Fifty-six days is undoubtedly a short time in which to see Europe, but still, to those who cannot spare more, it is much better than seeing none of it. It is a jolly summer frolic, much better than being cooped up at a summers resort, and not much more ex- pensive, especially to the ladies. They can wear out their old clothes in Europe, 118 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH and have no anxious toilet-preparations for the trip. THE MUNICH PARK. Munich, although well provided with squares and plazas, has one of the grandest parks in Europe, called the English Gardens, on the northern envi- rons of the city. It is five miles long by one and a half broad, and was formerly a marshy woodland, but has been made into a grand drive and promenade. The trees are all of virgin growth, and some of them are really immense. Count Rumford was the projector and improver of this fine park, for which all ^Iunich is now truly thankful. Some branches of the river Isar have been carried through the park by canals, and, being bright, running streams, add greatly to its at- tractiveness. At various points in the park are houses of refreshment, where beer and cofiee, and even a good dinner, can be had at a moment's notice. Thus in Europe all these breathing-places are utilized for the enjoyment of the people. Two afternoons in the week the best bands of Munich give open-air concerts in the vicinity of the pagoda, and here, on the occasion of our visit, thousands of people were listening to the music, and eating and drinking. Carriages, with citi- zens and strangers, were moving around or halting near the band. There are also several asylums for old soldiers, and other institutions, within the limits of the park. RAILROAD PRECAUTIONS. In the American of the 10th of July, just received, there is an account of an attempt to throw a train of cars ofi" the track by placing timbers on it. In Austria this species of villainy is guarded against by a system that renders it next to an im- possibility. On every mile of road there 18 a watchman, who is provided with a cot- tage and a small tract of land, and a part of whose duty is to walk over and examine the track between his post and that of the next watchman, and to be constantly on the look-out for any obstructions. The cottage of each of these watchmen is also clearly in sight of the similar cottages to the right and to the left of him. He is bound to present himself to every passing train in front of his cottage, with his red flag rolled up in his hand, and make a military salute to the engineer, as much as to say, " Go ahead, all is right," or, if " all is not right,'' to unroll and raise his flag for the train to stop. But this is not all. At every one of these stations a tall pole is erected, having two arms at the top of it, one pointing towards the road, and the other from it. The moment a train passes to his right, the inner arm is lowered, and if to his left, the outer arm is similarly lowered, which says to the next watchman on either side of him, " The train has passed my station all right." These watchmen also have con- trol of all the gates of roads crossing the track, and are enabled to lock and unlock a gate even a half-mile distant, and ring a bell the moment they ascertain that a train is approaching. This is done by means of a strong wire carried along the ground on short posts attached to a lever at the station. The telegraph is also used from the main station ; but this sys- tem of watchmen and signal telegraphing is for the intermediate stations. At night, instead of the arms on the post, red and green lights are hoisted and lowered as signals. With such arrangements, ob- structions of the track or accidents by land- slides or loose rails are next to impossible. It is costly, but the saving in damages is believed to be greater than the cost, whilst the security to life and property adds greatly to the business of the companies. The watchmen are generally old soldiers, who know the necessity of watchfulness, and are disciplined to the faithful perform- ance of their duties. THE ROYAL PALACE. We put off to our last day in Munich a visit to the royal palace, which we found to be a very capacious establish- ment, full of faded royal gilt and crimson splendor. The walls are frescoed with war scenes and peace scenes in the history of Bavaria. We passed through from forty to fifty spacious halls and rooms, consisting of ball-rooms, concert-rooms, and chambers, the ceilings of which were fully thirty feet high, paneled, and orna- mented with gilt and frescoes. War scenes figured everywhere, most of them seeming like a mass of horses, men, ban- ners, cannon, and warlike accoutrements, thrown together in inextricable confusion, each warrior with sword, battle-axe, or dagger, just about to plunge it into the bowels of his next-door neighbor. In- deed, in most cases, if the fight should have gone on as it was in progress when the painter caught a glimpse of the scene, in a very few moments there would have been no one left to tell the tale. There were two large rooms, however, which contain a collection of paintings of Bava- rian beauties. Old King Ludwig had a AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 119 passion for orderinp; a painting of every very handsome woman that he met, and there are aV)Out sixty of as beautiful specimens of humanity in these two large halls as the world can produce. The two handsomest of the collection were from the lower strata, one of them being the wife of a circus-rider, and the other a cobbler's daughter. The famous Lola Montez, who bewitched the old king, had a place here once, but she has been re- moved. The throne-room is very large and elegant, the ceiling being forty feet high, and paneled in gilt, whilst along the walls of the room are stationed statues of the sixteen kings of Bavaria, more than life-size, cast in bronze and richly gilded. The present king is quite a fine-looking fellow, but he keeps him- self shut up in his country palace, and will seldom see any one. He is only a king by name, as Bismark is the master of Bavaria, and he is probably disgusted with the empty bauble he holds by divine right. STATUE OF BAVARIA. Among the various wonders of art in Munich are the Hall of Fame and the co- lossal female figure, in bronze, called the Bavaria. This statue is on a marble base, and is reached by forty-eight broad steps leading to the level on which the pedestal stands. The figure is fifty-four feet high, and from the feet to the top of the wreath held by the uplifted hand the height is sixty feet. The pedestal is thirty-six feet high, thus making the whole height ninety-six feet. Sixty steps lead up through the pedestal to the feet of the figure, and from the knee an iron stair- case of sixty feet enables the curious to ascend inside of the figure to the head, within which two seats, capable of hold- ing six persons, are placed. From here, by looking through the eyes of the figure, a view of the beautiful environs and mountains can be obtained. The Hall of Fame, surrounding the statue on three sides, is a temple built in the form of a triple hall, supported by Doric columns, which was erected by King Ludwig the First to receive the busts of celebrated Bavarians. It was built in 1853, and is two hundred and thirty feet long, with two advancing wings, each one hundred and five feet long, and is sixty feet in height. The relievos on the two ped- iments, in each of which are two female figures, with the symbols representing the different races of Bavaria, and various statues, adorn the frieze over the arch- itrave. Forty-eight representations re- ferring to the social history of Bavaria are placed between forty-four statues of victory. The ceiling of the temple is adorned with lions and sphinxes, and the inner compartments with stars. The interior walls are divided into compart- ments, on which the busts of celebrated Bavarians are placed on consoles, accord- ing to the order of time. At the pres- ent time there are seventy-five busts in position. This is undoubtedly the grandest of all modern architectural displays in Europe, and is on a scale that has never been at- tempted since the palmy days of Greece and Rome. It is not a building, but an open temple, of the same description as the famous Grecian temples at Paestum. The view of this immense statue from the base of the hill on which it stands, with this grand temple in the background, is undoubtedly the most imposing to be found in Europe. This wonderful statue is still more wonderful on a close inspection. We drove out in the cool of the morning yes- terday, before the sun had concentrated its rays on the burnished metal, and thoroughly explored it. A winding iron staircase passes up through the white marble peaestal, and continues on through the body of the statue, the whole number of the steps being about one hundred and thirty, one-half of which are through the pedestal, and the remainder through the internal portion of the statue. The stairs are narrow, only large enough for one person to go up, but until the waist of the figure is reached the baluster on each side is fully four feet from the outer metal. A gentleman and lady had passed up before us, and when we reached the head they were seated side by side in one of the cheeks, leaving room enough for four more inside of the capacious head. We looked out of her eyes on Munich and the mountains, and also, by standing erect, through a hole, about as large as a man's hand, at the base of her waterfall, or twist of hair. To do this, the reader will please to understand that we had to stand erect inside of the head and rise on tiptoe. It was too hot at this early hour to remain long, and, hearing some more visitors coming up, we concluded to beat a hasty retreat. At the foot of Bavaria a lion is sitting, and on the inside both the lion and the dress of the figure form one cavity. The appearance of this statue as it is approached across a broad meadow, with a large white marble 120 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH colonnade to the rear and on each side of it, is that of a magnificently-formed giantess, with her right arm extended over her head, holding a wreath. The idea that the figure itself is sixty feet high from the heel to the top of the wreath seems preposterous, and that it is possible for six persons to enter the cavity of the head at one time you feel disposed to doubt. However, we thoroughly tested it, and although there were four of us in it at one time, we assure the reader that there was abundant room for two more ordinary-sized mortals to be comfortably seated. It stands on the summit of a hill, and forty-eight broad marble steps have to be mounted to reach the level on which the pedestal and the marble temple stand. The wreath in the hand of Ba- varia is, therefore, nearly two hundred feet above the level of the surrounding country. ACADEMY OF FIXE ARTS. In company with Mr. Keyser, of Bal- timore, who is studying sculpture in the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, we to- day visited that establishment, where we found about thirty of the students busily at work moulding groups of statuary. Most of the work was very fine, particu- larly several groups by a young Greek, who is regarded as the most promising of the class. There are about seventy aspirants for fame at work in this insti- tution, including a goodly number of Americans. Instruction in painting is also given here, and Munich is beginning to rival Florence as the home of the artist. An immense old monastery, so large as to have four court-yards within its domains, is used for the Academy, and we regretted that most of it was closed and the students absent, enjoying the summer vacation, ^v. Keyser is en- gaged on several busts, one of them a member of his own family, working it out from a photograph, and evinces con- siderable skill in his chosen profession. RETURN OF BAVARIAN TROOPS. A regiment of Bavarian troops which has been quartered in France since the war, holding one of the provinces as se- curity for the French indemnity, re- turned home last night. They were re- ceived at the depot by a large throng of citizens, and feebly cheered as they passed through the streets on their way to their barracks. Some flags were suspended from the houses near the depot, but there was no such enthusiasm evinced as we had expected on the return home of the veterans. There has been so much of this, however, during the past two years, that the enthusiasm has probably exhausted itself. The peculiar- ity of the cheer of these phlegmatic Ger- mans struck us as very strange, and dif- ferent from anything we had ever heard. It sounded like " Ho ! ho ! ho !" each long drawn out, and had not the hearty and cordial sound of the American hur- rah. BEER ! BEER 1 I I We continue to be astounded with the beer question as it is presented in this Bavarian city. Just imagine our water- tanks spouting beer, and all the hydrants running with the essence of hops and malt, and you will have some idea of the amount of beer consumed here. Indeed, we have some doubt whether the dogs and horses do not turn up their noses at water. The number of breweries is in- creased annually, but they fail to keep up a supply of the winter-brewed article, and before the summer is gone the stock on hand is consumed. The summer- brewed beer is already being dispensed at most of the establishments, and notices are posted informing the beer-loving com- munity that on a certain given day the stock will be exhausted, and their estab- lishments will probably close. It is, per- haps, on this account that so much is now being sold, as everybody is looking for- ward with dread to the coming famine. There are certain famous breweries that make good beer, and others that make a very inferior article. So long as the former have any stock on hand the latter can do no business, but when the royal brewery is closed, and the stock of the good breweries is exhausted, these second- rate establishments commence to monop- olize the business. The people must have beer of some kind, and if they cannot get the good they take the inferior article. A visit to the breweries and beer-estab- lishments of Munich would astonish the most inveterate of the beer-drinkers of Baltimore. We dropped in last night at a garden near the depot, where the lower and laboring classes mostly resort. The beer was being dispensed from fivedifferent points, and there were no waiters in attend- ance. All who wanted beer had to wash their own mugs, carry them to the win- dows of the tap-room, wait their turn, pay their money, and then search for a table. Some were eating bread with it, others radishes, and a very few meat and cheese. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 121 There could not have been less than one thousand persons at the tables, though we were assured that it was a dull even- ing. All were quiet and orderly, but in earnest conversation around the tables, as is usual with the Germans. Occasionally some one would strike up an operatic air, in which others would join, and although there was occasionally loud laughter, it never became boisterous, or annoying to others. ART IN MUNICH. We have not alluded to one-half of the grand artistical and architectural struc- tures which adorn different sections of Munich, nor to the numerous elaborate buildings, monuments, and statues erect- ed in the various public squares. Beyond the handsome bridge over the Isar, on an elevation, stands the Maximilianeum, an institution for students about to enter the service of the government, and destined for the reception of a gallery of modern historical paintings. The Felderhalle, or Hall of the Generals, a successful copy of Orcagna's Loggia dei Lanzi, at Flor- ence, at present contains the statues only of Tille and Wrede. Then there are the arcades of the Polar Garden, with their fine frescoes ; the Library Building, the Ethnographical Museum, the Hofgarten and its arcades, and the several palaces ; the new City Hall, and the new bronze historical monuments and fountains, are all modern, though an imitation of the ancients, and are correspondingly more handsome than the dilapidated structures of a similar character. The Siegesthor, or Gate of Victory, erected in 1850 to the Bavarian army, in imitation of the Triumphal Arch of Constantine at Rome, is surmounted by a figure of Bavaria in a chariot drawn by four bronze colossal lions, and is one of the grandest works in Europe. The bronze monument to Max Joseph, erected by the city in 1825, is very elegant and elaborate. But bronze statues are distributed about in every direction, and are executed with all the artistical skill in this branch of art for which Munich is so famous. MUNICH BRONZE FOUNDRY. We drove out yesterday afternoon to the famous bronze foundry of Munich, where most of the bronze statues erected throughout the world have been cast. The United States has been a liberal patron of this foundry, as is fully evidenced by the models which are now standing in the museum connected with the foundry. The largest of these models is that of the colossal equestrian statue of General Washington, erected at Richmond, to- gether with the figures of Jefferson, Mason, Nelson, Lewis, and Henry, which stand at the foot of the pedestal. The monument ordered by the Legislature of Maryland for Chief-Justice Taney w%'vs cast here, and a model of the female figure by Reinhart which adorns the lot of Wm. T. Walters, Esq., at Greenmouut Ceme- tery, is in the museum. A monument for Spring Grove Cemetery, Ohio, commemo- rative of the bravery of the Ohio troops, is in progress ; also one of a similar character for Massachusetts, on the main shaft of which is to be the Goddess of Liberty, with four soldiers, representing the cavalry, infantry, artillery, and engineer corps, on the base. Two tablets for the latter, one having President Lincoln on it, and the other Governor Andrew, are already completed. We also observed a statue of President Lincoln, but could not under- stand where it was to be erected. There are statues of Henry Clay, Thomas Hart Benton, George Peabody, and Horace Mann, of Boston, also one of Beethoven, which has been erected at Boston. All the models for the great Davidson foun- tain at Cincinnati are here, where the work was executed from models by Rod- gers. The government has sold out this foundry, and it is noAV carried on by the old superintendent, Ferdinand Mliller, wlio purchased it. An immense amount of work is now in progress, and the monu- ment of Stonewall Jackson, by Rein- hart, had, we were informed, just been forwarded to Virginia. SCARCITY OF WATER. Water — that is to eay, pure drinking- water — is scarcer in Munich than in any other part of Europe. Nobody seems to want it or care about it. Unless it happens to rain, the gutters are always as dry as dust, indicating that very little water is used, even for household purposes. At the hotels it is necessary to ask for it a half-dozen times before it is brought to you, and when it comes it is sufficiently- warm to indicate that the vessel from which it was taken has been standing in the hot sun for several hours. It is too trou])le- some to get for any one to rely upon it as a beverage, and too unpalatable to have any serious longing for it. As much beer as a person can drink, cold and s ark- ling, can be had for four kreutzers, or about two and a half cents, from fresh- tapped barrels, at every turn of the streets, and it is not to be wondered at that 122 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH everybody relies upon it. One of the ladies of our party persists in demanding water, and it is oDtained only by bribing the servants and feeing the kellner. There is no sprinkling of the streets here with water, as in Vienna, and when the wind blows the clouds of dust are almost impenetrable. A wind-storm last evening brought such clouds of dust from those portions of the city that are macadamized that the vehicles passing our hotel were completely hidden from view. We could hear the rolling of the wheels and the tramping and snorting of the horses, but not the slightest sign of them was visible. The people ran into the houses on the right and the left, as if fleeing from a sirocco on the desert. Before it commenced they seemed to know what was coming, and began to run. Those who were caught out riding returned to the hotel almost suffocated with dust. A shower of rain that followed soon cleared the atmosphere, and the city became as bright and charming as ever. A CHEAP CITY. Munich is undoubtedly a very cheap city. Even the rates at the hotels are lower than we have found them anywhere else in Europe. The expense for rooms is about seventy cents per day, and al- though the hotel restaurants charge nearly double the price for meals that is charged elsewhere, it is difficult to make the entire living expense exceed two dollars and a half per day. Carriage-hire is very cheap, and cigars are better and cheaper in Mu- nich than anywhere else in Europe. Eng- lish goods of all descriptions are sold as cheap as they are in London. There is abundance of fruit here, such as cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, greengages, and some very good peaches, all of which are sold at moderate rates. Cherries are to be had throughout the summer, they be- ing brought to the city from so many dif- ferent surrounding climates that so soon as they are over in one section the supply comes in from another. We have been eat- ing cherries for two months, and obtained this morning some of the largest and finest whitehearts that we have yet tasted, for about twelve cents per pound. A gentleman's well-made calf-skin Congress boots cost less than three dollars. They are as soft as buckskin, and most admir- able to travel in. I see English razors in the windoAvs for twenty-six kreutzers (about eighteen cents), and three-bladed penknives for about forty cents. Full business suits of cassiraere are marked at about ten dollars, and everything else is at corresponding low rates. Thus, beer is not the only thing that is cheap, and we expect labor is correspondingly cheap. Many of the laboring men and women M'ho flock to the breweries at noon seem to make their dinner off a mug of beer, with a big radish and salt, and a roll of bread and sausage, all of which costs but thirteen kreutzers, equal to about eight cents in our money. They are, however, strong, stout, and muscular, and look as if they were well fed. Our party, numbering six, have just taken dinner at one of the best restaurants. We had soup, beefsteak, roast beef, roast duck, potatoes, and pie, with a full supply of beer, and good ap- petites, each calling for what he or she wanted, and the whole cost was less than six florins, or about forty cents apiece. The inferior qualities of meat are obtain- able at the restaurants at much lower rates than the better qualities, and a good din- ner is served to the carriage-drivers, who eat in a separate apartment, for less than twenty cents in our currency. MUNICH NEWSPAPERS. With all its art treasures, and its other evidences of high civilization, the city of Munich has not within its limits a decent newspaper. Indeed, there appear to be but two small affairs published here, and they are records of amusemen ts rather than newspapers. To-morrow morning's paper is published at one o'clock to-day, and sold upon the streets by a few old women, who also have with them some Frankfort papers, and occasionally one from Cologne or Vienna. All the newspaper-reading is done in the caf6s, where the journals of other cities are kept on file, and handed around to the customers while sipping their coffee. This seems singular, with a population of two hundred thousand, amid the evidences on every hand of active business energy, and with a people all of whom are at least so far educated as to be able to read and write. They contain no advertisements, except of amusements and banks, and although not much larger than a half-sheet of the American^ about half the space is occupied by stories, sketches, etc. STUDYING ENGLISH. The German lady to whom we have alluded as the sister of the Chief Justice of Bavaria, assured us that she had been studying English for twoyears, and added " that everybody in Munich is studying English." There are so many English and AMERICAN SPECTACLES, 123 Americans constantly visiting Munich, and so many students and others perma- nently residing here, that all people in business find it to their advantage to have some knowledge of the language, whilst others are picking it up by coming in contact with American and English families. English is also taught in the schools. A few evenings since, as we were taking supper at the garden of the Maxi- miWan Restauration, a large family of Germans were sitting at the adjoining table, including eight grown persons and three children. The children were play- ing around the table, and although the conversation among the elders was en- tirely in German, the children talked to- gether in English, and whenever the mother addressed them it was always in broken English. The children would occa- sionally come up and take a sip of beer out of the father's or mother's glass, at the same time exchanging kisses, and slip off to their play again. HOTEL-GREETINGS. Munich is decidedly an interesting city, a very interesting city, and if it were not for the heat we should probably remain here some days longer. We do not ex- pect to get into a cooler climate, but we nave studied the poetry of motion so thoroughly that we are never so well con- tent as when on the move, " strange sights for to see." We shall, therefore, hasten to finish up Munich, pack our trunks, pay our bill, and run the gauntlet of cham- bermaids, waiters, porters, etc., which the European tourist always finds so de- lightful an experience. To have a string of them bowing at you all the way from your room-door to the carriage-steps, and looking beggary without exactly soliciting alms, gives the traveler some idea of his importance, and he tries to persuade him- self that " it is always pleasanter to give than to receive." However, beggary is the business of their lives, as they re- cei^^e little or nothing for their services but what is gathered up from the guests. The Cook tourists, who left our hotel a few days since, had printed instructions from Cook not to give a farthing to any one, unless they did so as charity; that their tickets embraced all manner of ser- vice. When they left for Vienna, the whole household was bobbing and smil- ing around them, and they persisted in not understanding what it all meant, and quietly shook hands, bidding them all an affectionate adieu. Most of them w^ere Yankee school-teachers who had no flo- rins to spare, and, traveling hastily as they do, it would require a heavy outlay every day to meet all their demands. They had no sooner left than the smiles changed to frowns, and all hands were abusing Cook and his people. Fifty Americans passing through a hotel and leaving no money with the servants was not to be borne, and it would not be sur- prising if the servants on the Continent were to strike against allowing Cook's people to enter the hotels. WURTEMBERG. Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, August 3, 1873. We left Munich yesterday morning, and shortly after noon took up our quar- ters in the city of Stuttgart, the capital of the kingdom of Wurtemberg. Thus we fly over these little kingdoms, none of which are as large as the State of Pennsylvania, and some of them scarcely as large as '* My Maryland." Two hours' more of travel will carry us to Heidel- berg, the heart of the grand duchy of Baden, and a few hours more to Frank- fort, which now belongs to Prussia. NOTES BY THE WAY. Four hours' run from Munich brought us to Ulm, which is on the boundary of Bavaria, and is a very ancient city, containing about twenty-five thousand in- habitants, largely engaged in iron manu- factures of all kinds, and said to be the most wealthy and prosperous city in the kingdom. We were surprised to find along the route so much barren land, overgrown with pines, whilst thousands of acres were bogs, from which peat was being dug in immense quantities and carried off by rail. After passing Ulm the coun- try became quite mountainous, and the scenery very fine, the foot-hills being carefully cultivated, whilst the cottages of the farmers looked more cheerful. Little villages and towns occurred nearly every mile, and Large factories for the manufacture of linen were quite numer- ous. The harvest-fields were thronged with men and women, busily at work reaping and gathering in a fine crop of oats. We passed also two quite large cities, Esslingen and Carinstadt, both of which, from the cars, presented a pros- perous appearance. Indeed, everywhere throughout Prussia and its vast depend- encies great improvements are in pro- gress, the war with France having been a 124 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH very remunerative speculation to the peo- ple. The supplies required by the gov- ernment were immense, and fortunately it got the money to meet promptly all claims upon it. We reached Stuttgart about noon, and were rather surprised at our first glimpse of the city. The depot into Mhich we were ushered was so magnificent and immense that we turned to Baedeker, and found that he had credited Stuttgart with the finest depot in Europe, which is say- ing a great deal, as the poorest of them are very much finer than those of either the Baltimore and Ohio or the Northern Central Railway at Baltimore. As to the Philadelphia depot, those of the country way-stations are more elegant and im- posing. THE CITY OF STUTTGART. As we proposed but a short stay in Stutt- gart, we started out after dinner to get a view of the city. Stuttgart is the capital of the lively little kingdom of Wiirtem- berg, and has recently improved so vastly that the old town can scarcely be discov- ered. It has a population of one hun- dred thousand, and there are evidences everywhere of great business activity. The retail stores are very numerous, and make a much finer display than those of Munich, whilst the private residences in the new portions of the city will compare with the finest we have seen in Europe. As a general rule, people live here in sep- arate houses, if they are able, though there are a goodly number of the Vienna flats in all sections of the city. Some of the private residences, all of which are built of a light-blue stone, are of the most elaborate architecture, and are richly or- namented with statues and carving. Hun- dreds of new mansions were also going up in all directions, and, depend upon it, Stuttgart is on the high-road to pros- perity. The king's palace and gardens are very elegant, and are extensively orna- mented with statues, monuments, and two of the most elegant fountains in Europe. The public gardens are very large, but have no fences, and the grass is everywhere interspersed with beds of flowers arranged with artistic skill. The new palace is very extensive, having in it three hundred and sixty-five rooms, and is quite an elegant structure. The main street of the city, called Konigsstrasse, is equal in attractions to the Rue Rivoli at Paris, especially along the front of the palace gardens. The principal trade of Stuttgart is in wine, it being located in the heart of a wine-growing district. The city is sur- rounded by mountains on every side, which are cultivated to their summits with the vine, and thus is like the centre of an amphitheatre, presenting a very picturesque view. It has the rep- utation of being excessively warm in summer, though we found it so cool last evening whilst listening to the music in the Stadt Gardens as to compel us to retire before the close of the concert. The public buildings are all new, and very elegant, and there is a Polytechnic Institute here, said to be the very best in Europe. SUNDAY IN STUTTGART. We spent Sunday in this rejuvenated ancient city, and found it quite different from Sunday in Austria. This is a Prot- estant country, there being but ten thou- sand Catholics in this city to ninety thou- sand Protestants. As usual, we started out in search of fruit, but found every- thing closed up, as if hermetically sealed. The market-house was not only empty, but cleaned and washed, so that you could scarcely tell whether it was a market-hall or a ball-room. The bells all over the city were announcing the Sabbath day, and the people were out in their best attire for early morning worship. The beer- shops were all closed, and all manner of business was suspended. A more staid observance of the day could scarcely be found in Old England, though in the even- ing the strictness was somewhat relaxed so far as all kinds of eating and drinking were concerned. The beer of Stuttgart is not inviting, and tastes very much as if it were the rinsings of the Munich breweries. It is not, therefore, drunk to any great extent, except by those who cannot afibrd wine, which is so cheap and abundant here. In fact, we are grateful to be able to record the fact that we are again in a city where water is used for some other purpose than squirting it through fountains. There are plenty of fountains here, and the water is good and palatable. We record it to the honor of Stuttgart, that it is the only city on the Continent where drinking-eups are sus- pended at the fountains, giving an oppor- tunity for man to slake his thirst in pass- ing, without being compelled to lap up the water like a brute. But Sunday in Stuttgart is so anti- continental that we do not wonder that it is becoming a favorite place of residence AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 125 for both English and Americans. A large number of American and English families have located here to educate their chil- dren. At the hotel-table this morning a majority of those present were using the English language. On the corners all over the city posters were up with a rep- resentation of the American flag, under which was a notice to Americans to at- tend the Fourth of July celebration. At all the hotels the waiters speak English, as the clerks do in most of the stores, which fact please report to President Grant, in proof of the approaching mil- lennium of language, when all the world will say its prayers and call for its beer in good plain English, xilthough we liked the opportunity of returning again to good water and finding the English language spoken, we felt a longing this morning for the rich and luscious cofiee of, Vienna, where no one knows how to make bad coffee. We could stand the bad beer of Stuttgart by doing without it, but we think we have seldom tasted worse coffee, even when brewed in a hut in San Domingo, than that placed before us at the most fashionable hotel in Stutt- gart this morning. VISITORS TO THE FATHERLAND. We met to-day in the cars on our way to Stuttgart a German who has for manyyears resided in California, and who is now re- turning from a visit to the home of his childhood. He had his youthful remem- brances of its attractions, and of the joyful days when all seemed bright and beauti- ful. For many years he had longed for the time to come when he could revisit the Fatherland. He even imagined that the fruits of Germany were more luscious and sweet than those of California, and had oft- en boasted that such was the case. He had finally come to spend a few months amid the scenes of his youth, and was now re- turning disgusted with everything. Most of his old acquaintances were either dead or gone to America. Many of them had been killed in battle. The fruits which had tasted so sweet were insipid as com- pared with the fruits of California. None of the comforts of life were known here, except to the titled and wealthy. Hotel life, as compared with hotel life in San Francisco, was worse than living in a hovel at the mines. He had found it a constant' struggle to get anything fit to eat since he landed at Liverpool. The iahle-d' Jwte he regarded as a burlesque on good living. He had found everybody he came in contact with planning some mode to swindle him, or begging for money for services that had not been rendered, or for which he had already paid. [A more thoroughly disgusted individuaT~we had never met with, unless it was Mr. Raster, editor of the Chicago Stoats Zeitung, who is also on a visit to the Fatherland. When we last met him he was more in love with his adopted country than ever, and longed for the comforts of his home. This is the case with nearly all the American Germans whom we have met with. They have been thoroughly cured of their long- ing for home, and will return better Americans than ever. They can no longer see any pleasure in the glitter of royalty, or admire the costly palaces and monuments to the memory of dead ty- rants, whose whole glory consisted in leading to slaughter hecatombs of their countrymen to maintain kingly preroga- tives or avenge personal grievances. The young men of Europe, cooped up in bar- racks, and marched and drilled in the scorching sun, that they may be ready to lay down their lives at the bidding of their masters, are to them a sad sight, when they remember the freedom of their own children from military service. It would do good to many of our natural- ized citizens to pay a visit to the Father- land. Many of them are like the grum- bling husband who imagines that nothing tastes so good as that which his mother cooked, forgetting that he then had a youthful appetite that sweetened his food and helped his digestion. *~7 PREPARING FOR WAR. Although Prussia, Bavaria, and WUr- temberg have just come out of a suc- cessful contest with France, there is no cessation of warlike preparation for any emergency that may arise. Regiments and brigades are marching and counter- marching, or holding camps for instruc- tion, new recruits are being drilled, and to the eye of an American it looks as if the country might be on the eve of another war. At Ulm, on the boundary of Ba- varia, extensive fortifications are being built, and are swarming with workmen. They are of the most* formidable charac- ter, and are being constructed of brick and granite. This place has always been extensively fortified, but new works that are deemed necessary to make it impreg- nable are being rapidly constructed. We also passed a great number of immense barracks, covering acres of ground, swarm- ing with soldiers, whilst others were in course of erection. The Bavarian 126 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH troops who had been holding several of the provinces of France as security for the indemnity to Prussia, after rest- ing a few days at Ulm and getting new uniforms, were in the cars on their way to Munich., The cars were dressed with evergreens, as were also the depots, whilst the Bavarian and Prussian flags were suspended in great profusion. At Mu- nich, not only during the day, but in the middle of the night, regiments of in- fantry and troops of cavalry passed our hotel, generally with full bands of music. What they were doing, or where they were going, we could not ascertain, but presume they were on their way to the camp of instruction, as they were gener- ally accompanied by baggage- and ammu- nition-wagons. Prussia is gradually overshadowing all these petty kingdoms, and will soon get rid of the kingly incumbrances attached to them. Their military system is under the supreme control of Prussia, and the Prussian uniform is being gradually made to take the place of their own pet colors. Here, in AVlirtemberg, the spiked hat and dark-green coat of Prussia have already been substituted ; but Bavaria resists, and still holds to her national colors of blue and white. The Prussian fatigue-cap and other peculiarities of trimming have been accepted by the artillery of Bavaria ; and it will not be long before the whole national suit will disappear. THE MARRIAGE QUESTION. Whilst driving around and viewing the sights of Stuttgart, yesterday afternoon, a conversation with the carriage-driver was thoroughly corroborative of a state- ment made in a former letter as to the difficulty a poor man had to encounter before he could get married in any of these German countries. It will be remem- bered that, as one of the reasons for the great disregard of the m.irriage relation in Austria, we stated that men and women were driven to lives of shame by the ob- structions of the law to marriage ; that unless a man could prove to the Mayor and Council of the town in which he was born that he was able to support a family, and that his children, if he should have any, would not become a charge on the town, no priest or clergj'^man was al- lowed to marry him. It seems that this law prevails throughout all German-speak- ing countries, and is rigidly enforced, for the protection of each other from pau- perism. The carriage-driver inquired whether there was any law to prevent a man from marrying in America, and, on being assured there was not, proceeded to state his own case. lie was a man but little under forty years of age, of more than ordinary intelligence, having all the appearance of a sober, industri- ous, and honest man. He said he had been driving a carriage for a great num- ber of years here in Stuttgart, and had saved sufficient money to enable him, on the death of his employer, seven months since, to purchase from his widow not only the carriage and horses which he was driving, but the license and number, which it seems are also marketable com- modities. Being now fully convinced in his own mind of being able to support a wife and family, he had applied to the authorities of his native town for a per- mit, forwarding them also proof of his present prosperous condition. Several months had elapsed, and no permit had yet been given, though he was not with- out hope that recent efforts which he had made would be successful in procuring it. But unless it was given he could not be lawfully married. He might go on, as we rather expect was the case, and have a family without marriage, but they would not, if illegitimate, in case of his leaving them destitute, become a charge on his native town. Is it any wonder that the poor are fleeing from such a country, where a man is born a slave to military service in the prime of his life, and forbidden all the rights of manhood in his maturity ? This carriage-driver had spent the best portion of his life in military service. Thus it is that the fact of a man and woman living together with- out marriage in Austria does not lower them in the estimation of their neighbors, even if they should change their "part- ners" annually. We were not prepared to find such obstacles to marriage in this more staid and solid portion of Germany. Human nature revolts at such laws, which are unworthy of a civilized com- munity in any part of the world. DUCHY OF BADEK HEIDELBERG. Heidelberg, August'4, 1873. We left Stuttgart at noon yesterday, and reached the ancient and romantic town of Heidelberg for early dinner. The country through which we passed AMERICAN SPECTACLFJS. 127 ■was very beautiful, and in a high state of cultivation, the mountains and hill-sides being clothed with the vine, and the valleys devoted largely to the grow^th of tobacco and hops. In two hours we passed the boundary of the kingdom of Wlirtem- berg and entered the duchy of Baden, to which Heidelberg belongs. There was no work going on in the fields, the roads being lined with the agriculturists going to and from their churches, the steeples of which indicated that they were mostly modern structures, built by those who worship in them. Wherever the old churches are most numerous, Sunday is seldom observed, except to say an ex- tra prayer in the morning before break- fast. As we approached Heidelberg the country became more hilly and moun- tainous, the foot-hills being cultivated with the grape, and the sides of the mountains ledged and walled and green with the running vine. At length the famous Castle of Heidelberg, looming on the mountain-side over the town, could be seen in the distance, and in a few minutes we were in the depot, where from three to four hundred tourists daily arrive during the summer season to visit these historical scenes. THE TOWN OF HEIDELBERG. Heidelberg has a population of seven- teen thousand, about two-fifths Catholics and three-fifths Protestants, with five hundred Israelites. It was a Roman town, with castles and towers for the protection of their frontiers, in the first century. For the next seventeen cen- turies there was perhaps no other spot on earth that was so severely afilicted hj the ravages of war as this little town, it being the key to the valley of the Neckar. It has been totally destroyed a half-dozen times by contending armies in the inter- vening centuries, and twice destroyed by fire. The castle, which was first built at the end of the thirteenth century, was several times blown up and burnt, and again rebuilt, only to meet the same fate again in succeeding years. When partly rebuilt by King Theodore, in 1764, it was struck by lightning, and the whole of the interior destroyed, leaving it a blackened ruin, as it now stands. The walls are of vast extent, and form the most magni- ficent ruin in Germany. Its towers, tur- rets, buttresses, balconies, lofty gateways, fine old statues, and extensive courts and grounds, render it the Alhambra of the Germans, who flock here annually by thousands. The ivy-clad ruins are con- nected with innumerable historical asso- ciations, and the striking contrast here presented between the eternal rejuvenes- cence of nature and the instability of the proudest monuments of men has called forth many a poetic efiusion. The main street of Heidelberg is over a mile long, and is devoted principally to business and a superabundance of beer-saloons and refectories. The two back streets be- tween the mountain and the river are very beautiful, consisting principally of hotels and boarding-houses, interspersed with gardens, groves of trees, and several fine promenades. A majority of the visitors are Americans and English, and on that side of the city the English language is very extensively spoken. The number of Americans here, either stopping for a few days or making a prolonged stay for excursions into the mountains, is quite surprising. The atmosphere is very cool, and in the evenings and at night cloaks and overcoats and blankets are in demand. As in all German towns, the " whey cure" is extensively practiced, and no more cool and pleasant retreat could be desired than Heidelberg. Last evening we found overcoats and water-proof cloaks quite comfortable while strolling along the river. The city lies between the mountain on one side and the river Neckar on the other, and is necessarily long and narrow, the villas and cottages on the mountain-side being built high up among the rocks. ASCENT TO THE CASTLE. Several hundred enthusiastic tourists present themselves every day at the foot of the mountain, intent upon visiting these extensive ruins, perched three hundred and thirty feet above the level of the river Neckar, which winds around its base and flows on to swell the waters of the Rhine at Mannheim, near the head-waters of steam- boat navigation on that historical river, only about six miles distant from Heidel- berg. The mountain is ascended to the level of the ruins of the old castle, either by a winding carriage-way or by a bridle-path, on the backs of mules, which are always waiting customers at the corn market, though the majority of the inveterate mountain-climbing Germans who come here ascend on foot, with alpenstock in hand. We joined the explorers at an early hour this afternoon, proceeding in a car- riage from our hotel by the winding road that leads to the ruins of the castle. Quite 128 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH a number of tourists were proceeding up a shorter but steeper bridle-path, mounted on mules, whilst the enthusiastic German, who scorns to ascend a mountain other- wise than on foot, was climbino- up the ascent. It was a bright and clear day, with a warm sun, and a cool breeze blow- ing from the surface of the river Neckar. It required about a half-hour to make the ascent to the old embattled gate, and we were astonished at the extent of the ruins, as well as at the excellent state of preserva- tion in which they are kept, the govern- ment having for the past fifty years taken the greatest care to protect them from further decay. THE CASTLE OF HEIDELBERG. Looking up at the castle from the east end of Heidelberg, it appears to hang di- rectly over the town. From this point no conception can be formed of its extent, as only the front walls of the main build- ing and the towers are visi})le ; but on reaching the summit it is found to extend over at least ten acres of land, including a large garden without the walls, which has been restored to the condition it was in when the castle was in all its glory and the home of the rulers of the Roman Empire. On entering the garden, imme- diately to the left is seen the Elizabeth gate, built by the Elector Frederick the Fifth, in 1615, as the inscription says, " To his dearly beloved wife, Elizabeth of Eng- land." Each side of the stone gateway represents four trunks of trees, entwined with ivy, and above the archway are two female figures holding cornucopias, whilst the frieze of the arch is decorated with the lions of England and the Palatinate. This gate is the entrance to the Common Garden, which at one time was part of the ramparts, but is now a beautiful grove of lime-trees, from which a splendid view of the town and the fertile valley of the Rhine is obtained. On the north side of the Common Garden are the walls of the Thick Tower, a colossal l)uilding which closes the north side of the castle. It is ninety feet in diameter, and in it was the banqueting-hall, sufficiently capacious to contain a hundred tables and dine four hundred guests. In the niches in the wall, partly concealed by ivy, are the statues of two of the Electors, and a Latin in- scription giving a history of the buildinsr. At the destruction of the castle by the French in 1689, the tower was blown up, and half of it fell in the town. The Eng- lish building, likewise blown up at the same time, adjoins the Thick Tower. Be- yond the castle ditch are Rupert's Hall, Rudolph's Building, and Rupert's Build- ing, underneath all of which, as well as the gardens, are subterranean passages, extending to the large watch-tower, and communicating with other parts of the fortifications. Inside of the gardens stand the bridge-house and the large watch-tower. Over the gate to the bridge are the statues of two clumsy-looking squires. Over the Gothic doorway of Ru- pert's Building are two angels bearing a wreath of roses, in the midst of which is a pair of half-open compasses, which are supposed to have had a Masonic significa- tion. Farther to the left of the entrance is a stone tablet with the following in- scription : " One thousand four hundred years were counted when Palsgrave Rupert was elected King of the Roman Empire, and governed and inhabited this castle, which Palsgrave Louis restored. He was ever gay, and in his 44th year, the year 1500, he departed this life. May Jesus Christ keep them both in his blessed care. Amen." In this hall, which is in a tolerable state of preservation, a museum of antiquities found in the vicinity of the castle is ex- hibited. Under an efiigy of Christian 11. of Denmark, exhibited here, is the fol- lowing inscription : " His spouse of royal ancestry. Dame Dorothea is her name, born Princess of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, three mighty kingdoms." JFrom these inscriptions it would seem that these old-fogy kings thought more of their wives than some of their succes- sors of the present day do. The Rupert Building has been roofed, and is now used for festivities of various kinds. The most richly decorated of these old palaces within the walls of the castle is Frederick's Building, built in 1001. It is of three stories. On the front, facing the court-yard, are four rows of statues, sixteen in all, some of them partially di- lapidated during the various wars, and from the conflagration of the castle. Over the doorway is the following in- scription : " Frederick, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, and Duke of Bavaria, caused this palace to be constructed for divine service and commodious habitation, and ornamented it with statues of his ances- tors, in the year of our Lord 1669." This building has been also roofed, and in the second story are a picture-gallery and a collection of antiquities which par- ticularly refer to the history of the castle. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 129 Connected with this building is the bal- cony of the castle, from which a fine view is to be had of the surrounding country. The decorated vestibule leading to the balcony, with Doric pillars and vaulted roof, is very imposing. We next viewed the ruins of the arsenal, which has been partly restored, and passed on to the building which holds the great tun or wine-barrel of the castle, built in 1751, to replace the old one which was built in 1591, but had become decayed. It is thirty-two feet long, and from the middle of the barrel twenty-three feet high. It is bound with eighteen wooden hoops eight inches thick and fifteen inches broad. In 1752 it was filled for the first time, holding equal to two hun- dred and eighty-three thousand bottles, but it is now empty and unused. Near the tun is a little statue of Clemens Perko, the court-fool, who, like other fools, drank from fifteen to eighteen bottles of strong wine daily. The Octagon Towers and Otto Henry's building, the latter of which was the palace of the castle, are especially in- teresting. The court-facade is decorated with masterpieces of statuary and sculp- ture, representing the figures of men struggling with lions. The statues on the front are Joshua, Samsoa, Her- cules, David, Strength, Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Diana, Sol, and Jupiter. On the gable ends are eight medallion heads, representing distinguished Romans. There is nothing special about the Lewis Building, the Towers, or the Foun- tains, worthy of description, except to show the extent and perfection of this vast mountain-ruin. Over the door of the Fountain-house is this curious in- scription, showing that water was once deemed a healthy drink in Germany : " New and very wholesome spring of Charles Theodore, the father of his coun- try, and of Elizabeth Augusta, the mother of her country, is also recom- mended as a new source of health." As we passed through the old chapel, the sound of a piano was distinctly heard, and on inquiry of our guide we were in- formed that an English family had rented a suite of rooms in that part of the cas- tle for three years, and were educating their children in Heidelberg. We also passed high up on the mountain, fully five hundred feet above the castle, a beau- tiful little villa, which, we were informed, was owned and occupied by Dr. Sprague, an American gentleman. 9 MOUNTAIN RAMBLES. Higher up in the mountain are the ruins of the old castle, which was the residence of the old Roman Palsgraves, before the large castle was built, as far back as the year 1200. It was after- wards used as a magazine, and in 1537 it was struck by lightning, and the whole castle was scattered around the mountain by the explosion. Here is now located the Molkenkur, or Whey-cure establishment, at which there is a large throng of guests, resorting to this mode of curing all va- riety of diseases, and taking exercise by exploring the castle and the mountains. From thence we proceeded to the cave of Enchantress Gheta, commanding a fine view of the ruins of the castle, the town, and the surrounding mountains, and the Rhine can be seen winding along in the far distance. We are now one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two feet in the upper air, and have pointed out two rocks, named respectively Konigsstuhl (King's seat) and Kanzel (the Pulpit). A tower is erected on the former, and from thence we passed to the Riesenstein Inn and to the Pavilion, there being, in addition to the restaurant in the castle garden, an abundance of provisions for the inner man during the trip, beer being the principal commodity consumed. The castle is kept in excellent condition, and the garden is very beautiful, a good band of music being in attendance every after- noon at the restaurant. THE GERMAN TOURIST. The German tourist is generally a man of sedentary habits, whose idea of sight- seeing has combined with it the recovery of health and good digestion, and he goes into it with a vim that is not exhibited by other nationalities. He generally takes with him his wife or daughters, and they, being of the sisterhood not afflicted with "weak backs," accompany him in all his excursions. They are never satis- fied with looking up at the snow on a mountain, but have an ambition to look down on mother earth with their feet im- bedded in the snow. The sight of a waterfall rushing over from rock to rock, and taking long leaps over precipices, is tame to them compared with tracking it up the ascent, reveling in the spray, and finally examining the source whence it comes. They carry neither trunks nor bandboxes with them, but with a blanket shawl strapped over one shoulder, and a field-glass suspended from the other, and 130 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH alpenstock in hand, they climb over the mountain and make a circuit of the coun- try, taking to the rail only when they de- sire to reach some distant point from whence more pedestrian researches are undertaken. The men wear loose jackets with belts, and sometimes a small knap- sack on their backs, and the ladies are at- tired in traveling-dresses, with broad- brimmed straw hats. At six o'clock this morning, thus equipped, they could be seen plodding along towards the ascent to the Heidelberg Castle, and were doubtless among the ruins long before the tourists of other nationalities took their seats in the carriages before their hotels. The latter will spend a few hours among the ruins, and return in time for the evening train to carry them to Munich or Stutt- gart, whilst the former will spend several days in their wanderings over these his- torical heights, the history of which they had well conned before leaving their homes. They generally spend the whole day at the castle, ruminating among the rums, reading the guide-books and scraps of history in relation to the different wings of the castle, and staring the old statues out of countenance. It is their greatest remnant of antiquity, and as a visit to Heidelberg had been the longing desire of their previous lives, they make the most of it. There are numerous other historical points in the surrounding mountains, all of which must be visited, and they plod along, male and female, with unwearied enthusiasm that no his- torical stone may escape their inspection. The site of this castle was selected by the Romans in the first century as the key to the valley of the river Neckar, which flows at its base, and the fact that in suc- ceeding ages it was so often destroj^ed by contending armies shows that the " flank- ing" process was not practiced in those Heidelberg, August 5, 1873. STUDENT-LIFE AT HEIDELBERG. During our sojourn at Heidelberg we have paid considerable attention to a sub- ject with which the whole world is some- what familiar, though generally only in the form of incidents and anecdotes illus- trative of student-life in this ancient University city. We all know that a goodly number of the students here live a rollicking life, and that some of them are occasionally killed in duels, whilst others carry home with their diplomas scarred faces, and sometimes broken con- stitutions, from the effects of the wild and reckless course of living into which they fall here when freed from parental restraint. Of the thousand students who annually attend the Heidelberg Univer- sity, there are, of course, a large propor- tion who are no worse than other young men attending similar institutions in all parts of the world, but Heidelberg is re- nowned for the lack of restraint, and the practical approval which seems to be ex- tended to those who choose to pursue vicious courses. In all these military countries the duello is regarded as chival- ric and honorable, and if anything would tend to render it ridiculous, it seems to us that the way in which it is practiced by these beardless youths ought to have that effect. That the reader may be cor- rectly informed as to what student-life in Heidelberg really is, what is the character of the associations which lead to this con- dition of affairs, we have collected from authentic sources such facts as could be obtained during a brief visit. THE GERMAN STUDENT. We took a stroll yesterday afternoon along the main street of Heidelberg, which is about a mile and a half in length, pass- ing the various buildings of the Univer- sity, and were much amused with our first sight of the Heidelberg student in full feather, making his Sunday rounds. It appears that they are divided up into a dozen or more societies, each having a combination of colors to distinguish it. These colors are displayed in the color of the cap and of the band around it, as well as by a broad tri-colored ribbon worn across the bosom of the shirt. Two or more members of different societies are sel- dom seen together, as the whole object of the societies seems to be the generation of feuds and quarrels and the resort to the duello. One party of five, walking arm in arm, particularly attracted our atten- tion from the fact that each of them had scars across his face, indicating recent wounds, and one of them still wore strips of adhesive plaster. We passed a good many going singly or in couples similarly marked, and regretted that the close of the lecture season a few weeks since had taken so many of these chivalric youths to their homes. So universal is this duel- ing practice that a scarred face among professional men in Germany is regarded as signifying the possession of a Heidel- berg diploma. They are, however, a fine- looking set of young fellows, all strong and athletic, with a rakish devil-may-care AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 131 air about them. It is one of the peculi- arities of German universities, that no student can gain admission unless he has not only previously graduated in a college, but has also graduated fVom a gymnasium, and has all his muscles strong and well developed. Hence there are no sickly students here, and none appear to be much under twenty-one years of age. Any youth of a wealthy family coming here and going earnestly to study, and refusing to join any of these roistering and beer-drinking societies, at once incurs the animosity of all of them, and partic- ular members are appointed by each soci- ety to seek an opportunity for a quarrel with him. They have thus frequently stumbled upon adversaries who were not to be trifled with, and who paid no atten- tion to the code, which regards a scratch drawing blood as sufficient for the satis- faction of an intended insult. In times past, some students have thus been killed, especially such as had been universally successful in carving the faces of fellow- students, and imagined themselves suffi- ciently skillful to make it safe for them to insult and encounter army officers. A HEIDELBERG DUEL. Less than a year since, a student of quiet and gentlemanly demeanor had been frequently insulted by these Hot- spurs with the view of a fight, but re- fused to be thus dragged into personal conflict. All their efforts having proved unavailing, they imagined that it was cowardice that induced him to refuse to take offense. The matter was taken up at the meeting of one of these societies, and a young student, who was very ex- pert in the use of his sword, named Ruelling, was selected to dog his steps and seek every opportunity of insulting him. His efforts were unavailing, until one morning he met him at the depot, whither he had gone to see a lady friend off in the cars. Here Ruelling so grossly insulted him in the presence of the lady that forbearance ceased to be a virtue, and he was forthwith challenged. To the surprise of all who had doubted his courage, the quiet youth indignantly de- clined to recognize the Heidelberg code, but demanded that the encounter should be with broadswords and to the death. The matter was taken up by the society which had appointed Ruelling to insult him, and, under the belief that their ex- pert champion would be able to disarm and overpower him, if not slay him, the terms of the challenge were accepted, and a place of meeting selected. The matter was kept secret from the authorities, and at the appointed time they met, with their seconds and medical attendants. So con- fident were all in the triumph of Ruelling that bets of ten to one were offered on the result, with no takers. Their swords were, however, scarcely crossed before it became evident that the youth whom they regarded as a poltroon was not only dreadfully in earnest, but that he was thoroughly master of his weapon. The fight had not lasted very long when Ruel- ling fell mortally wounded, and none of his valiant backers and instigators were found willing to take up the quar- rel. This ought to have put an end to these duels ; but the fresh-scarred faces to be seen on the streets show that it has only had the effect of causing more care in the selection of their intended victims. THE DUELING CODE. The term for studying in the Univer- sity is five years, and these young bloods of wealthy parents seldom attend a lec- ture during the first four years of their residence in Heidelberg. The fifth year they usually abandon the societies and commence to study, and it is a singular fact that many of them have subsequently become eminent in their several profes- sions. The majority of them are turned out upon the world professors of nothing but roistering and beer-swilling. After four years of such life as they have led at Heidelberg, it is not all of them that can recover their manhood, and devote themselves to study and subsequently to a career of Uvsefulness. The occasional fatal results that have ensued from these duels have led to gov- ernment interference, so far as to require them when they fight to wear a peculiar style of spectacles for the protection of the eyes, long padded gauntlet buckskin gloves, extending to the shoulder, for the protection of the hands and arms, and a similar padded buckskin apron for the protection of the breast and body. A peculiar broad-bladed sword, sharp only at the point, was also established as the regulation weapon, with which a stun- ning blow may be struck on the head, and the face gashed, which are the only parts left unprotected, a thrust or blow anywhere else being deemed a violation of the code. It is thus arrayed, and thus they fight, a cut across the countenance leaving a scar being deemed a mark of honor. As we seldom see these caps and 132 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH ribbons unless they are accompanied by a scarred face, some idea may be formed by our Southern chivalry what a glorious time they would have at Heidelberg to satisfy their cutting and slashing propen- sities. So dearly are these scarred faces valued, that when the wound is not deep they keep it festering with nitrate of sil- ver, and it is not allowed to heal until there is an assurance that it will leave its mark. Of course there are plenty of students here who come to study, and live very exemplary lives, having neither the money nor the inclination to join these roistering and fighting societies, which are composed mostly of the sons of wealthy parents. They have their club-rooms, and generally spend largely in excess of the allowances sent them from home. The better class of students have all gone for the vacation, and it is only some of these young bloods who are still here finishing their line of dissipation, and probably waiting for remittances to enable them also to leave for home. THE SOCIETY HONORS. The fighting proclivities of these socie- ties are the main features of the organi- zations. They have their teachers of sword-exercise, and when they walk the streets they occasionally swing their canes over their heads, or twirl them in the air, as if conning over the lessons they had received, and aiming to become dexterous in the execution of certain movements with the weapon. They have, in connec- tion with their club-rooms, apartments for practice, in which the clashing of swords is constantly to be heard. When they cannot get up any personal quarrels six or a dozen of their members are named, and a challenge sent to some antagonisti- cal society to name a similar number, to meet them at the dueling-house opposite the castle, and fight out the point of diffi- culty. So soon as blood is drawn the fight ceases, and the victorious student is required to encounter another of the se- lected champions. Thus the fight pro- gresses from day to day, and whichever society has the fewest scarred faces at the end of the contest is proclaimed the vic- tor. Thus it is that so few escape with whole faces, and that the scar is the in- signia of personal prowess and bravery. In selecting the officers of these societies the man who can prove that he has done the most cutting, and has thus maintained the credit of the organization, is usually chosen as President, and the other officers are graded in accordance with the num- ber of scalps they carry at their belts. Another grade of honor is awarded to the member who can drink, at one sitting, the largest number of glasses of beer. To attain this honor, they have sometimes been known to secretly swallow an emetic when their capacity to take down more was about to cease, go out and empty their stomachs, and return ready to carry on the contest indefinitely. They swag- ger along the streets with the air of princes, and appear to expect everybody to get outrof their way, and as a general thing the town-people appear to have a wholesome dread of coming in contact with them. UNIVERSITY FENCING-SCHOOL. Close to the main University buildings we observed a sign with the following in- scription : "University Fencing-School." As a means of self-protection, every new student is expected to take lessons at this academy. He cannot, if insulted, knock down the man who insulted him, and fight it out on the green, but must be in. readiness with his sword to encounter those who have been for a long time un- der instruction and practice. Fist-fight- ing is voted vulgar and unchivalric, and not such a mode of settling disputes as gentlemen should resort to. Hence the necessity of this department for study, which is regarded as under the patronage of the Professors. A young man who comes here and declines to take lessons is looked upon with suspicion, as he is sup- posed to have perfected himself in the " manly art" before leaving home. He is suspected of being an expert, which of itself is a sort of protection, almost equal to that obtained by the student who has proved himself superior to all his fellows m the handling of the weapon. No one being desirous to be the first to test his ability, gives him an immunity from in- sult. Many come thus prepared, and they are seldom troubled until the extent of their proficiency is known. It might be supposed that parents would keep their sons from such associations, but it must be remembered that there are few who come here under twenty-one years of age, and that many of them are their own masters. Then the University has a high reputation, and many parents think that the "rough and tumble" life which they lead here will best prepare them to en- counter the trials and cares of the life upon which they are about to enter. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 133 THE students' PARTING. This afternoon three or four of the members of these societies started for their homes, and they were accompanied to the depot by all the members still re- maining here of th« two prominent socie- ties which are on good terms. They filled about twenty open barouches, and each had on the cap which they wear on im- portant occasions, some with crimson worked all over with silver, and others of blue and silver. These caps are not much larger than an old-fashioned tea- cup, and seem to be fastened oh the tops of their heads with strings, as they are all too small to stay there without some fast- ening. They were all in great glee, and brimming full of wine drunk at the part- ing dinner from which they had just arisen. At the depot they kissed each other in the most affectionate way, and parted with all manner of cordial greet- ings. THE HEIDELBERG BRAND. Whilst returning yesterday from our visit to the Castle of Heidelberg, we passed on the mountain-road six carriages filled with students, lying back in their seats and smoking, with their little skull-caps gerched jockey-like on the sides of their eads. Having met them at a bend in the narrow road, they all had to stop whilst we passed, giving a good opportu- nity to scrutinize their countenances. Of the twenty-five, four had both broken noses and scars, three had their faces patched with strips of adhesive plaster, one had a black silk handkerchief tied around the upper portion of his forehead, and the faces of all the others but one had scars or cuts. They were, as usual, in a merry mood, and evidently intent upon a jollification at the restaurant in the castle- garden, which is kept open and the band playing until ten o'clock at night. They were all dressed elegantly, and were evi- dently aware of the aggregate good looks of the party. A few minutes after, as we reached the mountain-road overlooking the Neckar, our driver pointed out to us the restaurant on the other side of the river, beyond the bridge, a large white house, which he informed us was the place in which the students had rooms in which they fought all their duels. It is a restaurant, whither they also repair on the occasion of any extraordinary jollifi- cation. On our way to the depot we passed a restaurant where some fifty of them were assembled, arrayed in their silver-braided coats and caps, with a band of music, all hands accompanying the in- struments with a merry bacchanalian song. Note. — The following incident, which occurred at Heidelberg a few weeks after our visit, will satisfy the reader that there is no exaggeration in our statement of " Life at Heidelberg." A game of cards, in which a human life was at stake, was played on the 9th of September, at the Ritter Hotel, Heidel- berg, by four young students, one of whom, Silfred Meyer, was an American from Chicago. It appears that the four men had formerly been intimate friends, and they met, it seems, on the above day at the Swan Tavern, where they drank a good deal, and finally began to quarrel. One of them, Count Ottendorf, called Meyer a cowardly Jew, whereupon the latter promptly challenged him. Otten- dorf accepted the challenge immediately. Meyer, in a tone of great excitement, pro- posed that all four should repair to the Ritter Hotel and there play a game of '' sixty-six." The loser should shoot him- self with a pistol. This proposition was accepted, and the four students repaired to the hotel. They ordered wine and cards to be brought up to a private room, and Ludeken, one of the four, procured two loaded pistols from a neighboring ar- morer. The four students dealt the cards, and Ottendorf and Meyer seated them- selves, a pistol lying by the side of each. The first few minutes the game remained almost even. But when Meyer obtained a single advantage, Ottendorf, seeing that he was lost, suddenly jumped up, and ex- claiming, '' Adieu, my friends," seized his pistol and shot himself through the right temple. He fell a corpse to the floor, while his companions stood as if petrified for a moment, then hurried from the room. When the proprietor of the hotel hastened into the room, he found the dead count ly- ing on the floor. He gave an alarm, and the police started in pursuit of the fugi- tive students. Late in the afternoon they succeeded in arresting Immich, who made the above statement. Meyer and Lude- ken escaped across the French frontier. Ottendorf was the son of a wealthy landed proprietor in Westphalia. At the time of his death he was only nineteen. DAKMSTADT. Darmstadt, August 9, 1873. We left Heidelberg, in the duchy of Baden, at noon yesterday, and in two 134 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH hours were at Darmstadt, at the capital of the dukedom of Darmstadt, another of those petty principalities that still bar the way to a united Germany. The Duchess of Darmstadt is a sister of the Emperor of Russia, and the wife of the heir to the dukedom is the Princess Alice of England. These two influences alone f)revented Prussia from wiping out this ittle dukedom and incorporating it in the kingdom of Prussia, England and Russia would have been offended, and hence Bismark contented himself with the control of the military power of Darm- stadt, all of the soldiers of which are now clad in the full uniform of the Prussian service. Although still a dukedom, all the power and control of the diplomatic and military relations of the country are in the hands of Prussia. THE CITY OF DARMSTADT. This is a bright little city, more modern in its appearance than most of these old German cities. It Avas remodeled by the Grand Duke Ludwig in 1830, and' has broad and well-paved streets running through it in all directions, and the build- ings generally have a modern aspect. It has a population of thirty-nine thousand, and, with the exception of two thousand five hundred Catholics, it is a Protes- tant city. On the Louisenplatz, in the centre of the city, a very elegant monu- ment of red sandstone, about one hundred and fifty feet high, has on it a statue of the Grand Duke Ludwig, erected "by his grateful people." It has several fine palaces, that of Prince Charles being handsomer and finer than that of the Grand Duke or of the Princess Alice, who is a great favorite with the people. But these palaces are tiresome to look at, and would be much more tiresome to the reader if we were to attempt to describe them. In the Schloss Palace there is a very fine collection of paintings, some seven hundred in number. In the first saloon there is a good collection of modern paintings, from the middle of the last century to the present day, which plainly shows that those of the present day are better even than those of the last century. The rest of the gallery is of the old Dutch and Italian schools, which are very fine in the eyes of those who can see nothing good or perfect in the present, and have no hopes for the future. In the steeple of the Schloss Palace there is a very remarkable musical clock. About two minutes preceding the close of every hour the bells, of which there are about forty in the steeple, of all sizes, play an air, which is distinctly heard at night at our hotel, about two squares distant. It resembles the Swiss bell- ringers, and is very perfect in its per- formance. , THESE OLD TOWNS. We have roamed over Darmstadt, as we have during the past week over Stutt- gart and Heidelberg, and, with the excep- tion of the palaces and the public squares, one looks as much like the other as two peas. The people, too, look and dress just as the people of Baltimore look and dress, and the ladies are pretty, in our eyes, everywhere. They are mostly blondes in this section of Germany, and are finely formed, with delicate expres- sion of countenance and bright eyes. They dress with great neatness, and do not take to the gaudy colors to which the ladies in Austria are so partial. In roaming through these old cities, eat- ing breakfast in one and dinner in another, we feel at times a singular sensation of surprise that one is thus able " to hop, skip and jump'^ over the Old World. Sometimes we have to stop and think where we were yesterday, and the day before, and, waking up almost every morning in a strange hotel, we are puz- zled at times to remember where we are to-day. Where we will be to-morrow, or next day, or next week, is always un- certain. The cholera having thrown us off of our track of travel, we are wander- ing about, without aim or destination. We may go to Frankfort, or we may go down the Rhine, to-morrow, just as the whim or notion may take us at the time of starting. But to be walking on the streets and among the people of one country in the morning, and elbowing those of another in the afternoon, is an odd sensation, even to those accustomed to roam around the world. If the people would only dress different and look difierent, or build their houses in a different style, the novelty of travel would be much greater. But there, right around the square from our hotel, stands a building that looks very much like Guy's Hotel, though it lacks those modern steps of that popular establish- ment. The palace of the Princess Alice, at the opposite corner, with a sentry-box on either side of the front door, somewhat resembles the residence of Enoch Pratt, Esq., but it is not so handsome. The monument to the Grand Duke Ludwig, in the centre of the square, is like the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 135 Washington Monument, only not so large or high, and of red sandstone instead of white marble. The palace of the Grand Duke, on the other side of the square, is too plain a building to compare with even our court-house, and the Post-Office, at the other corner, looks very much like that ancient structure which, in the olden days, stood on the corner of Baltimore and Liberty Streets, in which the Con- gress of the early days of the republic is said to have assembled. The large public building in the centre of the north side of the square looks very much as the old Fountain Inn on Light Street did in its palmy days 5 and the hotel in which we are taking our ease, although sur- rounded by such brilliant company, is an extremely plain three-story white stuccoed building, with a long row of garret-win- dows peeping out from its steep slate roof. These old cities not only resemble each other, but look just like a good many of our American cities, and the people who walk the streets might be transferred en masse into the streets of any of our large cities, and no one would suspect that there were any strangers in town, unless there should happen to be a few stray Turks among them. There is one thing, how- ever, in which the meanest German city excels Baltimore, and that is in its street pavements, and the universal cleanliness in which the streets are kept. In this respect Darmstadt is worthy of a visit from our City Fathers. RELIGIOUS TOLERATION. South of the river Main, all Germany is devoutly Catholic, whilst'north of that river the Protestants predominate, eleven- twelfths of the people of Darmstadt being anti-Catholic. Everywhere, however, we are happy to be able to state, the largest liberty in all spiritual matters is enjoyed. We entered an immense brown-stone church in Heidelberg the other day, with imposing steeple, and statues in the niches on the walls, which we supposed to be a Catholic cathedral. On entering we observed that it was divided in two parts by a wall in the centre, and actually discovered that one end of the church was Catholic and the other end Lutheran, both worshiping under the same roof. We remember last year at Interlaken, in Switzerland, to have met with something similar, — a Catholic and an Episcopal congregation assembling at one time un- der the same roof, within the walls of an old monastery. This is all so different from what was the case ten or twelve years ago, that it may be hailed as the commencement of a new era. PROVISION STORES. There is no regular meat-market in any of the German cities, and, with the excep- tion of Stuttgart, we have not met with a market-house of any description. There is usually a public square set apart for a market, well paved with stone, but with- out even a shed or permanent stall upon it. The market-people merely set their baskets down and stand alongside of them, though some bring stalls with them, and have large umbrellas. All kinds of meat are obtained from the provision stores, which are very numerous, and are fitted up with great defiance. To look in at an American provision store on a warm day is enough to spoil one's appetite, but the German provision store makes a man hungry to look at it. The meat is dis- played on white marble slabs, the win- dows are ornamented with specimens of meat, sausages, and other articles, with a little fountain playing over an urn full of gold-fish. There is an air of cleanli- ness and sweetness about the whole es- tablishment, and the duty of salesman is usually performed by a bright, rosy- cheeked lass, who handles the weapons of her profession with all the skill of a professor. AVe always make it a rule to stop and look in at these neat little estab- lishments, and wonder why it is that we, with our superabundance of ice, cannot present similar stores. Fruits and vege- tables are not eaten here as with us. With the exception of pears, plums, and cherries, there is nothing in the markets, and these are in such limited quantities that one of our fruit-dealers at the Lex- ington or Marsh Market would monopo- lize the whole stock offered this morning to a population of forty thousand people. A pound of plums was an extensive sale to any one purchaser, and most satisfied themselves with a half-pound. Peaches are a curiosity, and are hard and sour. They are always sold at so many kreutzers apiece, and never by the measure. Truly, the American tourist deprives himself of many of the joys of life by spending his summer in Europe. Only think of the loss of cantaloupes, watermelons, peaches, and hot corn, and having to put up with a spoonful of strawberries or raspberries without cream. TOBACCO AND CIGARS. During the Southern rebellion, when tobacco got to a very high figure, all the 136 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH German States commenced experimenting on raising tobacco for themselves, and, although the quality is very inferior, an immense quantity is now raised, and every farmer grows sufficient for the con- sumption of himself and family. Be- tween this city and Stuttgart we passed hundreds of acres of it, and it looks well on the field. The cheapness of cigars has almost driven the pipe out of use, as one is seldom seen now, except in the hands of some octogenarian who persists that the old mode of doing things is best. The cigars offered for sale in the stores, made of German tobacco, look well, and are of all shades of color, but no one need fear having his nerves troubled by smok- ing them. Their flavor is not bad, for the simple reason that they are nearly flavor- less. The prices range from a half-kreut- zer (about one-third of a cent) to ten kreutzers, and a person lighting one of them blindfolded could not tell whether it was the higher or lower article that he was smoking. A call for some of their best cigars last evening at a restaurant brought two on a plate for three kreut- zers, and we came to the conclusion that they were among the best we had yet smoked. The probability is that they furnish all prices out of the same box, giving the purchaser the choice as to the price he may desire to pay. HoMCver, they are not bad cigars, and are pretty nearly equal to our American cigars at four dollars per hundred. FEMALE CLERKS. Throughout Germany, wherever fe- males can be employed to advantage, they are taken in preference to young men. At Munich the clerks and book- keepers in the banks are nearly all young and handsome girls. Like the female clerks in the Departments at Washington, beauty seems to be one of the require- ments to secure an appointment. At the depots many of those who attend the windows for the sale of tickets are girls, and the cashiers in all the caf6s and res- taurants are of the same sex. They are generally very expert at figures, and in mental arithmetic have no superiors. In view of the fact that so many females are employed in the rougher and hardest de- scriptions of laboring work, it speaks well for the sex that they are seeking and securing more desirable and lucrative employment. It may possibly arise from the fact that the young men are generally of the " fast" order, and are not to be re- lied upon in positions of trust. We are under the impression in America that our young men are not as steady and staid as they ought to be, but they are miracles of steadiness compared to the average young men of Germany. The students at Heidelberg can give them a start of half a day and beat them before bedtime. They don't drink strong liquor ; coffee, beer, or wine being the extent of their libations ; but they devote the best part of the day to the cafe or the beer-saloon, reading the papers, playing billiards, chatting or studying the plates in the nu- merous satirical illustrated papers. How the many thousands of young men in Vienna obtain a living and good clothing, who are always to be found in the coffee- houses, is a mystery " that no fellow can find out." It is equally a wonder to the people of Vienna as it is to the stranger. GERMAN BABIES. The babies of Germany are not allowed as large a liberty as those of America. They are, for the better part of the first year of their earthly pilgrimage, tightly wound up in swaddling clothes, with both arms and legs pinioned, and carried about on a pillow especially made for the pur- pose. After they escape from their wrap- pings a bag of feathers is tied on their backs, so that when they tumble over they have something to fall upon. Those of the poorer classes are laid in a basket with a little bag of sugar in their mouths, and are expected to behave themselves without much further attention from mother or nurse. The nurses on the streets generally carry the babies in their arms on a piHow, and they are tied to it with pink ribbons, lying as still and as motionless as if they were little mum- mies. They cannot kick or use their arms, and evidently they are not allowed to know during their puling days what their legs and arms are intended for. We don't think that our babies would stand it, as we observe that German ladies when they come to America don't attempt to practice any such tyranny on their babies. FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN. Frankfort-on-the-Main, August 9, 187^. Being within but thirty minutes' travel of this enterprising and prosperous city, we could not withstand the temptation, notwithstanding the excessive heat, of taking a run down this morning from AMERICAN SPECTACLES, 137 Darmstadt, for a rapid view of its many attractions. The heat must have been away up among the nineties, as it was undoubtedly the hottest day we have yet experienced during our three months' tour through Germany. Securing a carriage at the depot, and a very intelligent driver, he took us on a round through the various attractive parts of the city and suburbs. THE CITY OF FRANKFORT. Frankfort-on-the-Main has a population of over eighty thousand, which Baedeker sets down at sixty thousand Protestants, eleven thousand Catholics, and eight tliousand Jews. It was until 186G one of the free towns of the German Confed- eration, but it is now under the Prussian government. Old watch-towers indicate the extent of the ancient city in which the Emperors were elected and crowned. It is situated in a spacious plain, bounded by mountains, on the river Main, which is navigable for vessels of considerable size, and a source of great commercial advantage. The public grounds and promenades encircle the old city on three sides, and are splendidly laid out and adorned with flowers and shade-trees. Like all the German cities in modern times, the space formerly occupied by fortifications, walls, moats, and parade- grounds has been used to ornament the city, which has largely outgrown its for- mer dimensions. Bordering these public grounds a succession of magnificent pri- vate villas and mansions have been erected, surrounded by gardens and the finest floral display, which gives to the city an air of wealth, indicative of the success and extent of its commercial relations. The business sections of the city are very fine, the streets being broad, and the houses generally constructed of a light pink or red sandstone. The retail stores are elegant and attractive, one of the surest signs of the wealth of a city. The old portions of the city are full of quaint and antiquated houses, many of them doubtless several centuries old. Some of the streets are so narrow that two vehicles cannot pass, whilst the houses tower up to the height of four or five stories. The spirit of improve- ment is gradually invading these anti- quated places, and new and spacious streets are being opened, and fine modern buildings erected. THE MONUMENTS. The most famous monument in Frank- fort, which all strangers are sure to visit, printing. On the pedestal, which is about twenty feet high, stand three bronze figures. The central one, with tvpes in the left hand, is Gutenberg, with Faust on his right and Schoffer on his left. On the frieze are thirteen likenesses of cel- brated printers, Caxton among them. In four niches beneath are the arms of the four towns where printing with types was first introduced: Mentz, Frank- fort, Venice, and Strasburg. On four separate pedestals are figures represent- ing Theology, Poetry, Natural History, and Industry. The heads of four ani- mals, which serve as water-spouts, indi- cate the four quarters of the globe and the universal diffusion of the invention. Near this monument in the Goethe- Slatz is Schwanthaler's monument of oethe, this being the city in which he was born. The poet holds a wreath of laurels in his left hand. The pedestal is covered with bas-reliefs, emblematic of his literary productions, Faust and Mephistopheles, etc. jy e were also shown the house in which Goethe was bdrn, which bears an inscription recording the birth of the poet on the 28th of August, 1749. It is open for public inspection, and the rooms facing the court are pointed out as those in which he wrote his Gotz and Werther, and as the scene of the adventures which render his biog- raphy so interesting.^^ We also visited th^ monument to Schil- ler, which is a plain pedestal, with his statue surmounting it in bronze. The Hessian monument, erected by Frederick William II. of Prussia " to the brave Hessians who fell victorious on the spot in December, 1792, fighting for the Fatherland," is very peculiar. It con- sists of masses of rocks, on which a pil- lar stands, surmounted by a helmet, sword, and ram's head, the latter em- blematical of the attack made upon Frankfort by the Hessians, then occupied by the French under Custine. Their re- mains rest here, and on the pillar their names are all recorded in letters of gold. THE JEWISH QUARTER. Frankfort is famed for its old Jewish Quarter, and the carriage-drivers take all strangers through it as one of the curi- osities of the city. As early as the twelfth century many Jews settled here, and founded this street in 1642, which, until 1806, had a gate at each end of it, which was closed and locked at nights, after which no Jew could venture into any part 138 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH of the town, under a heavy penalty. The house in which the senior Rothschild lived, and in which the present genera- tion of this opulent family was born, was pointed out to us, as well as the dwelling and birthplace of the great Baring ftimily, who now rule kings and princes by the power of their wealth. The houses of this quarter are very peculiar in their construction, being a combination of stone and wood, four stories high, and gen- erally not more than eight or ten feet in width. Many of them are in such a dilapi- dated condition that they are closed up, the authorities having compelled the removal of the tenants, for fear they would be crushed in the ruins. The houses on the opposite side of the street have all recently been removed for the same reason, most of them having fallen down, and as many as twenty-three were killed in one house. In a short time this old quarter will en- tirely disappear, though the locality is per- manently marked by a fine Jewish syna- gogue and the Jewish Hospital, founded in 1830 by the Rothschild family, who have also built recently a magnificent hospital for all creeds in Vienna, which is regarded as the model hospital for the world. ARIADNE ON THE PANTHER. "We have not viewed anything in the way of art, during our tour, which gave so much satisfaction as on the occasion of a visit made this morning to Bethmann's Museum, a circular building erected for the purpose of exhibiting Dannecker's exquisite groupe of Ariadne on the Pan- ther, a work regarded as the youthful sculptors masterpiece, which would add to the laurels of any living or dead art- ist. It is the property of a wealthy banker of Frankfort, who has put up this building for its exhibition, there being no charge for admission, except a trifling donation to the custodian. In order that the visitor may be able to compare this modern masterpiece with the works of the ancients, its owner has procured casts of Achilles, Silenus with the young Bacchus, Germanicus, the Gladiator, La- ocobn, Apollo Belvedere,Venus de Medici, and Diana of Versailles, — all taken from the originals. The Ariadne is exhibited under a pink canopy, through which the light from above penetrates, and, as it is slowly turned on its pedestal, the perfection and beauty of the figure are truly marvelous. The reflection makes it almost seem like flesh and blood. The position and ease of the figure have given it a world-wide renown, and the building was surrounded by carriages of visitors, among whom were many Americans. EMIGRATION AND MILITARY SERVICE. In the little province or dukedom of Darmstadt, in which we have sojourned for a few days, the military is, as else- where in Germany, an important part of the population. The territory of Darmstadt is about equal to that of the State of Mary- land, or somewhere between Delaware and Maryland, but it is required to keep, al- ways ready for the field, thirty thousand well -drilled troops of the diflerent branches of the service. The standing army of Darmstadt is, to-day, on the peace-footing, nearly equal to all the Federal troops of the United States, even with the Modoc war on hand, and an ex- tensive boundary to protect from Indian incursions. The officers are all very fine- looking men, most of them of good stat- ure, and are dressed with great elegance in bright new Prussian uniforms. They nearly all wear the iron cross, as do many of the men, indicative of personal bravery in the recent war with France. The military law in Darmstadt requires every man to serve three years in the army, from eighteen, if of sufiicient stat- ure, to twenty-one. For the next nine years he is in the reserve, required to re- port for monthly drill and inspection, and in case of war to hasten at once to the standard of his regiment. Each man knows where to find his place and his officer and who stands next to him in the ranks. Thus it was that the landwehr, as it was called, followed the regulars in solid phalanx, and enabled Prussia to overpower France. They were better drilled and more experienced soldiers than the regular army, each man having served three years and been regularly held under military supervision. The only escape from this military service is emigration ; and as most men are too young to emigrate before they are eighteen, and have no means to emigrate when they are twenty -one, having received literally nothing but food and clothing for their three years' service, they are compelled to become mere military chattels. Many remain permanently in the army, as the only pursuit they have any knowledge of. Whilst emigration to America is the great earthly heaven of all the poorer classes of Germany, it is only the few who are ever able to accumulate sufficient money to enable them to leave. When you see AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 139 on the street an (emigrant followed by his wife and children, you see a brave and determined man, who has overcome more difficulties to get where he is than most of us are required to encounter in our earthly pilgrimage. In the cities there are young men's associations for emigra- tion, and also in the country towns. They each contribute to the funds of the asso- ciation a few kreutzers per week, and when the treasury is sufficiently replen- ished to pay the passage of one or more the ticket is purchased, and lots are cast among the members as to who shall have it. Thus it is that some of the young men reach America ; but most of them come through the aid of funds sent to them from America by friends who have gone before them. PUBLIC GARDENS. From the Romer we proceeded to the Zoological Gardens, which are very ex- tensive, but the collection of large ani- mals is not equal to some we have viewed in other cities. It is a beautiful resort, and the evening concerts and a good restaurant attract throngs of peo- ple, who assemble here to take their sup- pers and listen to the music. Nobody in Germany will eat without a musical ac- companiment, if they can help it. The Garden of Palms, about a mile from the city limits, is another great at- traction, where music and good eating add to its charms. It takes its name from having an immense crystal palace in its centre, in which are growing all the varie- ties of tropical palm-trees, just as they can be seen in Cuba. It was formerly the private property of the Duke of Nas- sau, but has been purchased by the city as a public resort. In all the German cities a resort of this kind is gotten up by the authorities, and the expense borne by charging a small admission-fee. A city passenger railway traverses the city, yand passes out the road upon which both ' of these gardens are located. BEET SUGAR. It is not generally known by the rest of the world that the people of the Old AVorld depend upon the sugar-beet 'or the manufacture of nearly all the sugar they use. This is the case on the Conti- nent, and even in France, every farmer raising as part of his crop the sugar-beet, which meets with ready sale at the sugar- houses ; though most of the farmers raise their own sugar. It would be difficult to produce a more pure article from the su- gar-cane than that furnished at the hotels and for sale in the stores. It is generally in small, square cakes, though it is also manufactured in long, cone-shaped loaves, like our best sugar, and sold at about the same price as in America. Along the road between Darmstadt and Munich fully one-third of the growing crop was the sugar-beet. DOWN THE RHINE. We start down the Rhine from May- ence this morning, and will be in Paris to-morrow, having sojourned for precisely three months on German German-speaking people. DOWN THE RHINE. On the Rhine, August 9, 1873. We left Darmstadt at half-past seven o'clock this morning, after an early break- fast, for Mayence, and within an hour we were on board the steamer Humboldt on the Rhine, awaiting our departure down the Rhine to Cologne, with between two 'and three hundred other tourists. The boat, which is built like our ordinary American river boats, and about two hun- dred feet in length, was literally crowded. The promenade-deck, which extends the whole length of the vessel, is covered with awnings ; and here were the choice positions for which every one was strug- gling. To give some idea of the number of tourists now swarming over Europe, it is only necessary to state that three boats leave Mayence for Cologne every morning, one having started an hour before our arrival, and another was to start one hour after our departure. These are what are called first-class boats ; but there are others of a smaller class that start higher up the river, and stop for passengers at all the small places on the route. In addition to all this flood of travel, the two lines of railway, one on each side of the river, flying along at the water's edge, carry as many passengers as they can accommodate. The railroad time from Mayence to Cologne is six hours, while the fastest boats take nine hours. They must necessarily have pow- erful engines to enable them to make the up trip against the current, and conse- quently they go down stream with great rapidity. 140 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH OUR FELLOW-PASSENGERS. This is the second time within a twelve- month that it has been our fortune to pass down the Rhine, and we have not been able on either occasion to go into an ecstasy of enthusiasm over its great wonders. We this time fortified our im- agination by reading Kiefer's Legends of the Rhine, but found them to be a collec- tion of impossible and improbable stories, in which an effort is made to people the walls and ramparts of the old castles with spirits and fairies, gnomes and devils. Being exceedingly matter-of-fact in our temperament, we threw Kiefer overboard, and with Baedeker in one hand, and an opera-glass in the other, we stood on the watch for something that would startle us. But, gentle reader, we were not startled, and of all the throng of passengers going down stream with us, we do really believe that we were more deeply interested than any one of them. About one-third of the whole number were eating and drinking all the way from Mayence to Cologne. The German rule is, " when you have nothing else to do, always eat," and, as three- fourths of all on board were Germans, the waiters had a busy time of it. We no- ticed every bend in the river, every change in the conformation of its towering rocks, the ledgingof the mountain-sides to form shelves for the growth of the vine, and the remnants of towers and castles. But the great mass of our passengers were apparently as little interested in the moving panorama as if they had been born on the Rhine and its beauties had lost their attractions. A little knot of enthusiasts, mostly English and Ameri- cans, had fixed themselves near the bow of the boat, where they could see either side of the river at a glance. FROM MAYENCE TO BINGEN. We left the wharf at Mayence at nine o'clock, and for the first two hours, until we reached Bingen, the Rhine is about as plain and unpretending a river as the Ohio. It has a few venerable-looking old towns, whilst those on the Ohio are bright and beautiful, and for the first two hours the Ohio has decided advantage. The river- banks are hidden from view either by bushes or marshes, and may be very beautiful if the deck was only high enough to see over them. Thus it is that when taking to the Rhine, even as low down as Mayence, a feeling of disappoint- ment comes over the tourist. He had heard of the wonders of the Rhine, and imagined that it was all wonderful, all startling, and that he was to encounter a succession of such grand and ecstatic scenery as can be found nowhere else in the wide world. For two hours after leaving Mayence, there is but little to admire, excepting a few fine villas, built close to the water's edge, and surrounded by gardens and shrubbery. Small towns with their steeples can occasionally be seen on the high grounds in the distance, but the banks of the river are generally low and flat. / At eleven o'clock, after two hours' run, we approached Bingen, which the poets have described as " Sweet Bingen on the Rhine." It is a very small town, of six thousand inhabitants, and, as viewed from the river, has a very ancient appearance. It is at the mouth of the river Nahe, which forms the boundary between the dominions of the Duke of Darmstadt and Prussia. The scenery around it is very fine, and perhaps the poet had this in her mind when she went into ecstasies over Bingen. On a mountain-side, directly over it, are the ruins of the old castle of Klopp, and on the other side the mountains of Rochusberg and Elisenhohe, on the lat- ter of which is a very fine Gothic chateau. Here, however, at Bingen, commences the beautiful scenery of the Rhine, with its vine-clad mountains, and old towers, fortresses, and castles.; It is that portion of- the Rhine between *15ingen and Cob- lentz, where the river forces its way through the mountains on either side, the passage of which in the olden time was controlled by the robber nobles, who lived in these old castles, and exacted toll from all vessels passing them, amusing themselves with occasionally cutting each other's throats and storming and taking possession of the castles of their enemies. In our day they would be called pirates or freebooters, but history proclaims them noble, some of them saints, and monuments to some of them are still standing in the towns in the vicinity. / FROM BINGEN TO COBLENTZ. This is the only portion of the river that can be called attractive. We passed Bingen at eleven o'clock, and at one o'clock the majestic fortress of Ehren- breitstein, which is justly termed the Gi- braltar of the Rhine, directly opposite the city of Coblentz, loomed up before us. Thus the beauties of the Rhine are all viewed in two hours' travel, as below AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 141 Coblentz the river widens to the extent of about one mile, and with the excep- tion of the seven mountains, as we approach Cologne, its shores are generally low and flat. Most of the German tourists stop a few days at each of the prominent points on this portion of the river, changing their location after pe- destrian tours among the ruins of the old castles and the surrounding moun- tains. Opposite the castle of Klopp, near Bin- gen, on a rock in the middle of the Rhine, is the Mouse-Tower, which derives its name from the well-known legend of Bishop Hatto, who built this tower as a sort of custom-house, where tolls were forcibly levied on all passing vessels. He was a great tyrant, and during a famine which prevailed bought up all the food in the district and sold it at such exorbitant prices that the people soon had no more money, and were in a starving condition. They sent to the bishop a large delega- tion, begging for bread, hinting that they would take it by force if he did not give it to them. He received them very aflFa- bly, and told them to go to a barn, where they would be supplied, but no sooner were they in the doors, than he closed and locked them, and set fire to the barn. On hearing their howling cries of pain, he exclaimed, " Hear how the corn-mice squeak. I treat rebels as I do mice ; when I catch them I burn them." The legend goes on to say that out of the ashes of the barn came legions of mice, which swarmed through the castle, com- pelling his retainers all to fly, and finally to escape them the bishop proceeded to his tower in the river, but the insatiable mice followed him, and finally gnawed the flesh off his bones. This is a sample of the legends of these old Rhine castles ; but there stand the ruins of the castle and of the tower, and, if the story be true, the old fellow deserved to be eaten up, even if he was not. The next tower is Ehrenfels, which was erected in 1210. The steep slopes of the neighboring mountains form one of the finest wine-districts of the Rhine. These mountain-sides look from the river as if planted almost to their summits with pea- vines. Concerning this castle of Ehren- fels there is a love-legend, in which a horse is the hero. His mistress was being taken to church by her cruel father to marry her to a wicked knight. Just as they reached the church-door, the horse, instigated by the saints, to whom the girl had prayed, ran away, and car- ried her to the castle of her true love, both the father and the bad knight having fallen and broken their necks in the effort to overtake her. The castle of Falkenburg comes next, an immense ruin, which was built by one of the boldest robbers of the Rhine ; then follows the tall tower of Sonneck, which commanded the entrance to a ravine. Sonneck belongs to the Prussian royal family, and has recently been entirely restored, as one of a number of the finest of these old ruins. Near the village of Lorchhausen, six hundred feet above it, on the mountain- side, are the ruins of the castle of Nollin- gen, of which the legend records that a knight of the Lord, with the assistance of certain mountain-spirits, once scaled the Devil's Ladder, leading up to it, on horseback, and thus gained the hand of his lady-love. On a rocky eminence be- low this rise the picturesque ruins of the castle of Furstenburg, which was several times rebuilt and destroyed during the last eight hundred years. In 1700, the French blew it up for the last time. These ruins, as well as those of the great castle of Stahleck, which next come to view, belong to the royal family of Prussia, and it is the intention to rebuild and restore them all as nearly as practicable to their ancient condition. Above the town of Caub, rising in the middle of the Rhine, appears the castle of Pfalz, reminding one of the Chateau d'lf, on the Mediterranean. It was erected in the beginning of the thirteenth century, as a toll-house for exacting tribute from passing vessels. This castle has also a love-legend connected with it. The stately castle of Gutenfels, which must have been one of the largest on the Rhine, rises behind the town of Caub. History says that it was there, in 1269, that the English Earl of Cornwall, then Emperor of Germany, became enamored of the beautiful Countess Beatrix of Falkenstein, and married her. Next come the picturesque ruins of the castle of Schonberg, the birthplace of Marshal Schonberg, who fell in the battle of the Boyne, and whose remains are buried in Westminster Abbey. The imposing rocks of the Lurley were next pointed out to us, connected with which is the well-known legend of the siren who had her dwelling in the rock, and, like the sirens of old, en- ticed sailors and fishermen to their de- struction in the rapids at the foot of the precipice. This has long been a favorite theme for the poet and the painter. Next 142 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH comes the castle of Katz, but it is insig- nificant as compared with the ruins of Rheinfels, three hundred and ninety-three feet above the Rhine, rising back of the town of St. Goar, which in 1692 success- fully withstood a siege of fifteen months by an army of twenty-four thousand men. Thurmberg and Deuzenberg,near the town of Welmich, erected in 1363, is also an ex- tensive ruin, and must have been a most formidable castle. The next point of interest is the town of Bornhofen, on a rocky eminence, above which are the castles of Sonnen- berg and Liebenstein, better known as the Brothers, connected by a short chine of rock. The legend of these castles is that Conrad and Ileinrich, sons of the Knight Bayer von Bofi*ard, owner of Lie- benstein, were both enamored of their foster-sister, the beautiful Hildegarde. With rare generosity, Heinrich tore him- self away and joined the crusades, leav- ing his brother Conrad to win the prize. The old knight built the castle of Son- nenberg for their reception, but, his death occurring before its completion, the nup- tials were postponed. MeanAvhile, Con- rad's heart grew cold towards Hildegarde, and, hearing of the valiant deeds of his absent brother, he joined the crusades. Hildegarde, brooding over her sad lot, but not doubting the love and return of Conrad, passed her days in the lonely castle of Liebenstein. Suddenly Conrad returned with a Grecian wife, and Hilde- garde, stunned by the blow, shut herself up in her castle, refusing to see any one. Late one night, Heinrich, hearing of the Eerfidy of his brother, returned to avenge is foster-sister's wrongs. He challenged Conrad to single combat; but, just as the brothers' swords crossed, Hildegarde' s figure interposed between them and in- sisted on a reconciliation, to which they reluctantly consented. Hildegarde then retired to the convent at the base of the rocks. Conrad's Grecian wife soon proved unfaithful, and he, overcome with shame and remorse, threw himself on his gener- ous brother's breast, and abandoned his castle, after which they lived together in harmony and retirement at Liebenstein. The castle of Marksburg next looms up, near Braubach, and is a very impos- ing ruin. Konigsstuhl, which was the castle where emperors were elected, treat- ies concluded, etc., near Kapellan, has been partly rebuilt. The castle of Lahn- eck, behind Oberlahnstein, is owned by an Irish gentleman, Mr. Moriarty, who has rebuilt it, and occupies it as his country villa. The next and the last of the old castles of the Rhine is Stolzenfels, near Kapellan, which has been completely re- stored, at an expense of a quarter of a million of dollars, and attracts numerous visitors. Next we approach Coblentz, where the narrow and beautiful portion of the Rhine terminates, the river spread- ing out to more than a mile in width,, with low and level shores, dotted here and there by cities and towns. The grandest and most imposing view on the river, however, is that of Coblentz and the immense castle and fortress of Eh- renbreitstein. The Rhine is here spanned by two bridges, one of boats, and the other an iron railroad-bridge. Ehren- breitstein is an immense affair ; it was first built in 1018, but has since been enlarged and strengthened and rebuilt, at the cost of many millions of dollars. It is on a precipitous rock four hundred feet above the Rhine, and is unapproachable on three sides, whilst the exposed side is de- fended by double lines of bastions. It has stood many a siege, and was once captured by the French and blown up, but they were afterwards compelled to pay three millions of dollars to the Prus- sian government for its restoration. BRIDGES OF BOATS. On our trip to Cologne we have passed half a dozen of these bridges, which are similar to those used by our army during the war, though of much larger propor- tions. They are opened for the passage of vessels by floating out a section of the boats, and require a large force of men to be in constant attendance to draw them back into their places against the rapid current. They are, however, very cheap in their construction, and where labor is so low and abundant as it is in Ger- many, the attendance of the draw may not be so very costly. The vessels used upon the river are very much like canal-boats, except that they are about three hundred feet long. They float down stream with the tide, and occasionally use their sails, but in ascending the river have to be towed by steamers, which are very powerful, and draw after them a half-dozen of these vessels laden with coal or merchandise. ENGLISH TOURISTS. Among our passengers were a large number of young Englishmen, returning from the tour of Switzerland. They were all gotten up in approved Alpine outfit, — shoes with heavy nails, pants to the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 143 knees, and blue woolen stockings, short shooting-jacket, round-top felt hat, with a white scarf or a blue veil around the crown, hanging down behind, and alpen- stock in hand. They had spent their time at the public resorts, but all admitted that they had climbed no mountains. "It's such deuced hard work, you know," was their response to our inquiry. They had looked at the Jungfrau from Interlaken, got a glimpse of Mont Blanc from Geneva, and sailed upon the lakes. A RHINE DINNER. Having reached Coblentz at one o'clock, the bell summoned us to dinner, and a meaner dinner no civilized company was ever before asked to partake of. They have American boats on the Rhine, but no dinner that an American can eat. The roast beef had done previous duty in the soup-pot, and the juice of the decayed stewed plums was served up as sauce for a brown-bread pudding. There were eight courses, and when the plates were removed the knife and fork was left to do duty throughout the meal. Up and down the table every man and woman could be seen between every course scouring knife and fork on their napkins, which, when the meal was over, all resembled greasy dishcloths. We would advise all who go down the Rhine to carry some crackers and cheese with them, and with a bottle of Rhine wine they can make a much better dinner than the boat can afford. The Germans were generally thus provided, and kept clear of table-d'Jwte dinner. By the time dinner was over, we were within an hour's run of Cologne, where we are now about to land, at half-past four o'clock in the afternoon. THE RHINE EXAGGERATIONS. It is the historical events connected with these old castles that give to the Rhine most of the interest with which it is viewed. The mountain scenery, the vine-clad hills, and the old castles between Bingen and Coblentz are well worth see- ing, but they lack the natural grandeur and ornamentation of the mountains of Lake Como, or the rural and scenic beauty of Lake Lucerne and Lake Zurich. In order to appreciate the beauties of the Rhine we were assured that we ought to have seen it before going to Switzerland, and, we might have added, before seeing ^e Hudson, Lake George, and Lake On- tario. To view the Rhine you must go down stream on a rapid steamer fourteen hours ; and were it not for the historical associations of the ruins and the castles, and the poetical fancies of Byron and Southey, we think that the Rhine would never have obtained the fame it has for unrivaled attractions. It has become the custom, the world over, to speak of the Rhine as the most beautiful of all rivers, but we think there are few Americans who will admit that it is superior to the Hudson, or few honest travelers who will claim for it any equality with the lake scenery of Italy and Switzerland. The Konigs-See, which we visited a few weeks since, with its precipitous moun- tains seven thousand feet high, and its wonderful mountain echo, swelling the explosion of a pistol to clap after clap of rolling and reverberating crashes of thun- der, caused a feeling of ecstasy as some- thing above and beyond our expectations ; but we have been unable to get up any ecstatic feeling of surprise at the scenes and sights of the Rhine. It is fine, but not grand, and does not come up to the high expectations of the tourist, who has been reading such startling and poetic descriptions of it from his school-days. The greater portion of the trip is rather tiresome on a crowded boat, six of the eight hours being little more than ordi- nary river sailing, with little to claim the attention but a wearisome waste of water. CITY OF COLOGNE. Cologne, August 11, 1873. We arrived at Colore at dusk last evening, and never in all our travels were we beset by such a horde of ravenous porters, commissioners, and hack-drivers. They seized hold of and endeavored to drag our valises out of our hands, and succeeded in so thoroughly separating our party that it was ten or fifteen minutes before we got together again. When that was accomplished, our luggage was scat- tered we knew not whither, and, what seemed most strange, the finely uniformed and accoutred police seemed to encourage them in their rascality. After much tribulation, we finally got into a carriage, and paid the gang of meddlers all the small change we had, when we discovered that one oi the trunks was not in the carriage. We called to the driver to put it up, when it was seized by another por- ter and put upon the top of the carriage, who came to the door and demanded pay for doing so. We gave him two small 144 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH German coins, all that we had left, when he demanded more, and his tongue clat- tered like a wild man's, as he jerked open the carriage-door and made motions and gestures as if he was about to attempt to drag us out of the vehicle. One of the military police came up and sus- tained the porter, when we pulled the carriage-door to and called to the driver to go on. We finally got off; and when we arrived at the hotel the driver de- manded the pay for the porter, and we settled with him with the aid of the hotel-keeper, giving him much less than the coin we had in hand ready to pay him for his service alone. VIEW OF THE CITY. We succeeded in getting excellent quar- ters at the Hotel Disch, and started out early this morning to view the city. We found the streets very narrow, and the pavements in front of the houses seldom more than two feet in width, the pedestrians taking to the streets along with the horses. The stores on these narrow streets are very fine, and the dis- play of goods equal to that found in al- most any European city. But the streets proved such a labyrinth, winding to the right and left every hundred yards, that it was with difficulty we could find our way. At no time can the eye command the prospect half a square in advance, and the stranger must roam about at ran- dom amid the almost inextricable maze. /The houses are well built, and the city very clean, although Coleridge many years ago wrote of it: "Ye nymphs who reign over sewers and sinks, The river Khine, it is well known, Doth wash your city of Cologne; But tell me, nymphs, what power divine Shall henceforth wash the river Khine?" Since Coleridge wrote these lines, a great change has taken place, and we can bear witness that the Cologne of to- day is a sweet-smelling city, and worthy of its fame as the great depot for the manufacture of eau de Cologne^ the liquid of all Christendom.^/ This article is here manufactured in a!I*its purity, and is ex- f)orted in very large quantities. We ooked in vain in the windows of the dif- ferent establishments for the " Grand Duchess," which we presume is manu- factured exclusively for the Baltimore market. The population of Cologne is about one hundred and thirty thousand, including that of its suburb Deutz, with which it is connected by a bridge of boats. It is the third city in importance in the kingdom of Prussia, and is built in the form of a crescent, which may account for its crooked streets. The walls of the city form a circuit of nearly seven miles, and are strongly fortified. CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE. This immense structure, which looms up so high over the surrounding build- ings, is the only guide-post which the stranger has to assist him in threading his way through its labyrinth of streets. It is the glory of Cologne, and when completed will almost rival the great Cathedral of Milan as a specimen of Gothic architecture, although its spires will reach a much great- er altitude. It was commenced over six hundred years ago, but is still unfinished. The work is now rapidly progressing, nearly two million dollars having been expended upon it during the past forty years by the kings of Prussia, and we could see that much work has been done since we visited it last year. The face of the marble of that portion first construct- ed is crumbling with age, whilst the rest of the building seems entirely new. The body of the structure is completed, and the work is now progressing upon the towers. The two main ones, when com- pleted, will be five hundred and seven feet high. The length of the building is five hundred feet, its breadth two hundred and thirty, and the height of the choir one hundred and sixty one. There is a society formed, with branches all over Europe, for the purpose of soliciting money for the completion of this cathe- dral, it being estimated that about one million dollars more will be required for that purpose. Behind the high altar is the Chapel of the Magi, or the three Kings of Cologne. We were assured by the custodian that the silver case contains the bones of the three wise men who came from the East to Bethlehem to offer their presents to the infant Christ, and that the case, which is ornamented with precious stones, and the surrounding valuables in the chapel, are worth six million dollars. The remains of the wise men are said to have been presented to the Archbishop of Cologne by the Emperor Barbarossa, when he captured the city of Milan, which at that time possessed these wonderful relics. The skulls of the Magi, crowned with diamonds, with their names written ift rubies, are shown to the curious on the payment of six francs by a party, and charges are made for admission to the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 145 choir and gallery. Among tlie numerous relics exhibited in the sacristy is a bone of St. Matthew, whose bones seem to be scattered all over Europe. In the Chapel of St. Agnes there are some very hne paintings, including one of St. Ursula, with her seven thousand virgins. RELICS OF ST. URSULA. Cologne abounds in sacred relics, and those in the Church of St. Ursula present one of the most remarkable sights in Christendom. The tradition of St. Ursula is this : She was the daughter of the King of Brittany, Avho sailed up the Rhine as far as Basle, and then, accompanied by eleven thousand virgins, made a pilgrim- age to Rome. From Basle she traveled on foot, and was received with great honors at the holy city by the Pope. On her return the whole party was barbar- ously murdered by the Iluns because they refused to ])reak their vows of chastity. St. Ursula was accompanied by her lover, Conan, and an escort of knights. St. Ursula and Conan suffered death in the camp of the Emperor Maximin. Ur- sula was placed in the Calendar as the patron saint of chastity, and the bones of all the attendant virgins were gathered together, and the present church erected to contain the sacred relics. On every side you turn, skulls and arm- and leg- bones meet your eye, piled on shelves built in the wall. In every direction these hideous relics stare you in the face. Hood says it is the chastest kind of architecture. St. Ursula herself is ex- hibited in a coffin which is surrounded by the skulls of a few of her favorite attendants. The room in which she is laid contains numerous other relics ; among these are the chains with which St. Peter was bound, and one of the clay vessels used by the Saviour at the mar- riage in Cana. We saw two other chains with which St. Peter was bound in Rome. HO ! FOR PARIS. AVe start this evening for Paris, and expect to spend a few weeks in that beautiful city. FRANCE. THE CITY OF PARIS. Hotel de l'Athenee, Paris, Aug. 12, 1873. We left Cologne at half-past ten o'clock at night, and reached the Paris depot at 10 ten o'clock on Sunday morning. On our way to the hotel we observed that many of the stores were open and their goods displayed, whilst workmen were busily pursuing their avocations, such as house- building, street-paving, etc., though the great mass of the population were on the streets, moving about in their Sunday at- tire. GAYETY OF PARIS. Paris never appeared more " gay and happy" than it is at present. The people are rejoicing over the departure of the German troops from the provinces, and the payment of the last installment of the indemnity to Prussia. The days of their humiliation, which they have borne with commendable fortitude, have passed, and they now look forward to revenge and retribution. They are justly proud of the bravery they have exhibited under adversity, as well as of the recuperative power of the nation which has been so strongly displayed. Whilst engaged in paying this enormous indemnity, the work of restoring and beautifying Paris has gone steadily on, with a determina- tion that every outward mark of her hu- miliation shall be removed as rapidly as possible. The rebuilding of the Tuileries has not been checked, but the mansard roofs are now to have frameworks of iron instead of wood. The great and crowning work of resto- ration has been commenced in the Place Vendome. The base left of the VendSme column has now erected around it, and towering above it, a massive scaffolding to the altitude of two hundred feet, and a throng of men were yesterday at work putting up the tackling and guy-ropes necessary for the commencement of its erection. The large open space around the column has been inclosed with a high fence, and inside of this inclosure the stone and plates, many of the latter having been recast, are being piled up preparatory to the work of reconstructioiv. One year more, and the Vendome column will be restored, and the question will in the mean time be decided whether it will be again surmounted by a statue of Na- poleon or the Goddess of Liberty. The work on the Academy of Music has also steadily, progressed, and it is thought that in one year more the ornamental work of the interior will be completed. PARIS AND VIENNA. The hotels of Paris are doing a much more extensive business than those of Vienna, notwithstanding the great Expo- 146 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH sition. To secure rooms in any of the large hotels here, it is necessary to tele- graph in advance of your arrival. Vis- itors to Paris come to make a prolonged stay, whilst those going to Vienna rush through the Exposition and immediately pack their trunks for departure. The Exposition, instead of benefiting Vienna, will be a permanent injury to it, and Paris will be more popular than ever. It is the only city in Europe that could have rivaled Paris, but it has lost its opportu- nity. There are hundreds of Americans here who have given up all idea of going to Vienna, mainly on account of the bad reputation it has secured for itself in the matter of plundering strangers. Paris has profited by the fate of Vienna, and is more fair and liberal than ever in its treatment of tourists. There are no com- plaints in any quarter, and the cost of living is less here than it was last year. PARIS BY GAS-LIGHT. The boulevards of Paris, extending for miles through almost all sections of the city, present a gay scene at night. The thousands of caf6s, brilliant with gas-jets, have their tables out on the broad pave- ments, and from eight to ten o'clock in the evening it is difficult to obtain a seat at any of them. Ice-cream and coffee is the extent of the Parisian's indulgence, though a few add a little cognac to their coffee. They spend their summer even- ings in promenading the boulevards and occasionally stopping for a cup of their favorite beverage. The sidewalks of the boulevards are at least thirty-five feet wide, and in many prominent places wo- men are stationed along the curb-stones w^ith chairs to rent, on which those who are tired may for a few centimes rest themselves and view the promenaders as they pass. The broad streets are also filled with carriages, so that it is difficult to effect a crossing. They are rei^^uired by law to have their lamps burning. Strangers in the city who wish to view these gas-light scenes generally engage carriages and drive slowly through the different boulevards, and vast numbers of carriages are constantly passing to and from the various places of amuse- ment. Everybody seems happy and in- tent upon enjoyment. The people of Vienna are equally fond of this out-door life, but prefer to assemble in the gardens and listen to the music of their unrivaled bands. Eating, and drinking beer and coffee, seem to employ all the leisure hours of the Viennese. They seldom care to walk, the streets of Vienna being com- paratively deserted at night, and most of the stores closed. The very reverse is the case in Paris. The stores are not only brilliantly lighted, but nearly all of them have rows of gas-lights on the outside, making the streets almost as light as day. The display of the stores last night on the Boulevard des Capucines exceeded anything we had ever before seen even in Paris. It seemed as if all the goods in the grand central building of the Vienna Exposition were spread among these mag- nificent establishments. The tasteful ar- rangement of the goods, the disposition of the lights, and the reflection in the side-glasses with which the shop-windows are always provided, presented a continu- ous spectacle of surpassing beauty. Ten years ago the Palais Royal was the great central attraction of Paris, but the boule- vard stores have so greatly excelled these small establishments that it is now com- paratively deserted at night. The hun- dreds of jewelers' windows were spark- ling with diamonds and precious stones, and even the fancy and dry -goods stores tried to excel one another in the effort to attract the attention of the throngs of promenaders. We walked through some of these cen- tral boulevards for nearly two hours, and everywhere the pavements were so filled that it was difficult for three to walk abreast without being continually jostled by the promenaders. This was also the case in the arcades running through the interior of the squares, where the display was equally attractive. The best possible order was everywhere preserved, and the gensdarmes, with their huge cavalry- swords, stood like statues on the corners of the streets, having no occasion to do more than remain quietly at their posts. There being no cobble-stone pave- ments in Paris, the carriages and omni- buses make little or no noise as they glide along on the smooth asphaltum, nor is there any dust for them to stir up to vex the eyes and lungs of the people. The sweeping-machines are going all night and until ten o'clock in the morn- ing, making the streets as clean as they could be swept with a corn-broom by hand, and lest any dust should be left in the crevices they are washed off" with hose. In short, Paris is grand. She has passed through her tribulations, and has again presented herself to the world more beautiful and attractive than ever. That the world is pleased is evident from the many thousands of strangers now AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 147 lingering here to enjoy the brilliant spec- tacle. SOCIAL STATISTICS OF PARIS. The population of Paris at the last cen- sus, taken this year, was one million eight hundred and tifty-one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two souls, or about six times as many as the city of Baltimore, and double that of New York. This number is exclusive of strangers, so that the whole population must average nearly two millions. The number of deaths of males in Paris always exceeds that of females by several thousand, al- though the females are most numerous. This is such a marked feature of Parisian life that families constantly residing in Paris soon become extinct ; that is to say, the name disappears on account of the death of the male children. The statis- tics, notwithstanding, show a considerable excess of male children born in the city annually. The vital statistics of the city show these facts, which may probably be owing to the loose life led by so many of the young men of the rising generation. The philosophers can give no satisfactory reason for this anomaly, as the health of the city is undoubtedly good. Of the population of Paris nearly one- half are reported as working-people. There are about eighty thousand servants and one hundred and fifteen thousand paupers. Nearly twenty-one thousand patients are always in the hospitals, and four times that number pass through them in the course of the year. The cost of maintaining the hospitals and other establishments for the relief of the poor during the past year is set down at the enormous sum of twenty-two million three hundred and forty-six thousand francs. All public places of amusement pay a tax of eight per cent, on their re- ceipts towards the support of the hos- pitals, and a heavy tax for their support IS levied upon every piece of ground pur- chased for the purpose of burial in the cemeteries. Private munificence also contributes largely towards their main- tenance. During the past year the tax on theatres and places of amusement amounted to one million seven hundred thousand francs. With a population so large, a proportion of which is merely able to make a living whilst in health, it IS necessary to have an abundance of hospitals for them when sick. THE DEAD OF PARIS. The whole arrangements for buryino- and all the requisites for funerals, are in the hands of an incorporated company, no one else having the right to intertere with the business. In fact, it is, like the to- bacco business, a source of large revenue to the government. The monopoly is granted to this incorporated company under the title of Entreprise des Fompes Funebres, whose principal office is at 10 Rue Alibert, whilst it has branch-offices in each of the arrondissements into which the city is divided. The officers of this company take charge of the body, and pre- pare for the funeral upon just such a scale and at such expense as the family may desire. Their schedule of prices is such as to suit the purses of all parties, and they are required to bury the very poor gratuitously. A "first-class fu- neral" is set down on the schedule as costing seven thousand one hundred and eighty-one francs (about one thousand five hundred dollars), the cost of each item of expense being enumerated. There are nine other classes, the lowest costing eighteen francs and seventy-five centimes, including the religious ceremonies. There are, however, no limits to the cost of first- class funerals, as it depends altogether upon the means of the family and its desire for funeral pomp. The horses, hearses, carriages, and drivers are all of a different character for each of these ten classes, the difference being in the age and spirit of the horses, the good looks of the drivers, the quality of their cloth- ing, the harness of the horses, the ancient or modern build of the carriages, etc. The hearse is graded from a splehdid structure down to a hand-cart, and the extremely poor are merely furnished with a hand-barrow to enable the friends to carry the body on their shoulders to the grave. The quality of the grave-clothes, of the coffin, and of everything else, is graded to the price, as they may be or- dere(i, from class No. 1 to class No. 10. Besides getting the dead poor buried without cost, the government receives from the company thirty-three and a third per cent, on the produce of funeral ornaments, and fifteen per cent, on that of all other articles furnished. The reve- nue from these sources is quite large, and, as the cemeteries are also the property of the city government, the dead, as well as the living, contribute their quota to beauti- fying Paris. The dead poor are allowed to occupy the ground for only five years, when their bones are carted off, probably for agricultural purpovses, and the space the dead, and furnishing coffins, carriages, ' they occupied is given to some new claim 148 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH ant for the privileges of the soil. There are three kinds of graves in the ceme- teries, even for those vv^ho pay for the right of sepulture. Some persons pur- chase the perpetual right for their friends to occupy the soil, but it is generally con- ceded for five years or more, subject to renevral. If not renewed, the bones are taken up, and the ground is prepared for lease to some new-comer. In the common graves, or, as they are called, fosses com- munes, the poor are gratuitously buried four and a half feet deep in coffins placed close to, but not on top of, each other. This economizes space, as well as saves labor in their removal when the five years have expired. Among the items of city receipts last year in Paris are the following : Dues on burials, 696,000 francs ($120,000) ; sale of lands in cemeteries, 1,546,000 francs ($255,000). We do not, however, find any return for the sale of human bones, which is probably a perquisite of the grave-digger. PARISIAN FOUNDLINGS. The official returns of the hospitals of Paris show that of the fifty-five thousand births in the city during the past year, fifteen thousand three hundred and sixty- six were illegitimate. The proportion of illegitimates to the number of inhabit- ants is not quite up to that of Vienna, which has ten thousand for one million inhabitants, whilst the population of Paris is nearly two millions. In various parts of Paris boxes called tours are es- tablished, each of which revolves upon a pivot, and, on a bell being rung, is turned around by the person inside to re- ceive the child that may have been de- posited in it, without attempting to ascer- tain who the parents are. The child is taken to a hospital and cared for, and so soon as a nurse from the country can be procured, it is given into her charge. Nurses from the country, of good charac- ter, are always applying for these infants. The nurses are paid by the city from four francs to eight francs per month, accord- ing to the age of the child, care being taken to assign the children to nurses liv- ing as far as possible from their birth- places. After the second year, the nurse may give the child up, when, if no other nurse can be found for it, it is transferred to the Orphan Department. Sometimes the nurses become so attached to the children that they retain them. The number of children thus placed out in the country to nurse is about four thousand annually. The abolition, in some of the departments, of this humane custom of re- ceiving these little waifs and asking no questions has caused infanticide to be- come very frequent. As for infanticide before birth, the number is said to have doubled and trebled in some districts, and to have risen to four and five times the usual amount in others. The average number of foundlings maintained at the Paris Hospital is four thousand four hun- dred. At the age of twelve the boys are bound apprentice to some trade at the ex- pense of the city. A portion of one hun- dred and forty-eight francs is awarded by the city to female foundlings when they marry, provided their conduct has been unexceptionable throughout. The Hospice des Evfants AssisMs, founded in 1640 by St. Yincent of Paul, is for the reception of foundlings. For a child to be received at this hospital, how- ever, it is necessary that a certificate of abandonment be produced, signed by a Commissary of Police. The Com- missary is bound to admonish the mother or party abandoning the child, and to procure for them assistance from the hos- pital fund in case of their consenting to retain and support the child. Every en- couragement is thus given to those who relinquish the idea of abandoning their oSspring and consent to support them at home. Of the children received at this hospital, those that are healthy are put out in the country to nurse, whilst those that are sickly are retained at the hos- pital until they die or recover. The number of beds in this hospital is about six hundred, and the children annually sent from it to the c(iuntry are about three thousand four hundred. The children are first placed in a general reception- room, called La Creche, where they are visited in the morning by the physicians and assigned to the difierent infirmaries. In each of these infirmaries, as well as in La Creche^ cradles are placed around the walls in rows, and several nurses are con- stantly employed in attending to them. An inclined bed is placed in front of the fire, on which the children who require it are laid, and chairs are ranged in a warm corner, in which those of sufficient age and strength sit part of the day. Every- thing is admirably conducted, and to all outward appearances they are kindly and humanely cared for. THE LOVE OF DOGS. All over Europe the love of dogs among both sexes is remarkable, although they AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 149 are made to work in Switzerland and some parts of Germany. Here in Paris it is quite common to see a mother drag- ging her almost infant child by the hand, weary and fretful, and carrying a dog in her arms, which she will occasionally stop to kiss, or dispose of so as to make it more comfortable. This trait is pecu- liar to no one class, but all seem to have a strong affection for the dog. To see a lady at her door or window without a lap-dog is almost a novelty, whilst many of them carry them in their arms or lead them by a ribbon in the streets. The corners are posted with handbills of hos- pitals for dogs, where the best medical attendance can be had, and dog-medicines and du^ -soaps are placarded in all direc- tions. On the boulevards, at night, the dealers in dogs are constantly perambu- lating with two or three pups in their arms, and ladies will stop and bargain for them on the public thoroughfare. They teach them all manner of tricks, and they are valued according to the education they have received and the in- telligence they display. When they travel they take a nurse with them to attend to the wants and comfort of the dog, and these nurses can be seen in the public squares airing and exercising the dogs, and leading them by ribbons. Some idea of the extent of this dog mania may be obtained from the fact that the dog-tax paid into the city treasury last year was four hundred and twenty thousand francs, or nearly one hundred thousand dollars. The men, also, have their dogs, but not to such a great extent as the ladies. The lap- dogs are mostly beautiful little animals, as white as snow, and are kept scrupulously clean, more care being evidently bestowed on them in this respect than many of the children receive from their mothers. Paris, August 16, 1873. YANKEE DOODLE IN PARIS. The throng of Americans coming to Paris from all parts of the Continent averages two or three hundred per day, and more than half the guests in all the principal hotels are of the same nation- ality. The L'Ath6nee has two hundred and ninety-nine of its rooms occupied by Americans, and one occupied by a Rus- sian. At the Grand Hotel, which has six hundred rooms, the proportion is not so great, but nearly all are Americans or English. The itinerant musicians who drop in at the hotel court-yards invariably wind up with the " Star-Spangled Ban- ner" or " Yankee Doodle," and the lady guests strike up these national airs on the piano in the parlor whenever they go in for practice. One little specimen of Young America persists in playing "Yankee Doodle" every morning before the time for us strolling mortals to be getting out of bed. In tte dining-room, the reading-room, and all through the passages of the house, the only language spoken is English, and all the waiters speak it fluently. The only persons who speak French are the chambermazVZs, who, by the way, are all men. They make the beds, sweep the rooms, fill the pitchers, etc., and there is one female in each story who follows after them with a duster, to see that all is right and straightened up as it should be. The females superintend the chambers, but the men do all the work. This is reversing the usual order of things, but it seems to work very sat- isfactorily here, where men are willing to work for women's wages, and are happy if they can get enough to eat without re- sorting to laboring work. They probably receive more money from the guests than their wages would be as common laborers. A GRAND FETE-DAY. Yesterday was what is called in Paris "Mary's Day," the greatest and most strictly observed religious festival of the year. The stores were more generally closed than on Sunday, and all manner of business was religiously suspended until the evening. Most of the large stores were closed all day, and the Amer- ican ladies intent on shopping were com- pelled to take holiday also. For two days past, in anticipation of this festival, all the prominent squares have been occu- pied by the florists and flower-girls, and all the vacant stores occupied by the dis- play of plants and bouquets. It is cus- tomary for the friends of every lady named Mary, all of whom are dedicated to the Virgih in their infancy, to present her with either a bouquet or a blooming plant on the morning of the festival of Mary, and in the evening people carrying home flower-pots were as common as those with bundles of toys on Christmas eve in an American city. The display of flowers was everywhere very elegant, and there is perhaps no other people whose love of flowers is so distinguishing a trait as those of France. In order to witness the religious ob- servance of the fgte, we repaired at an early hour to the Madeleine, where high mass was in progress. The altars were all dressed in flowers, but the side-altar. 150 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH with a statue of the Virgin and Child, was literally massed with bouquets. At one side of the altar was an iron rack with sharp pronors, on which were burn- ing more than a hundred tallow candles, and others were constantly being added to them by an old lady in attendance. It seems that it is customary for all ladies and children named Mary to bring to the church at which they attend a candle, to be burnt near the altar of the Virgin, and that this old lady was receiving and lighting the offerings as fast as they were handed to her. The music of the services was very fine, and two civilians stood on the steps of the main altar to assist the officiating clergyman in the chants and intonations. We passed the Madeleine and other churches during the morning, and up to one o'clock there was a contin- uous throng of people passing in and out of them. The religious observance of the festival closed at one o'clock, and the balance of the day was given up to rejoicing and merry-making. The Champs iSlys^es was massed with people during the afternoon and evening, and all manner of amuse- ments were in progress. After five o'clock the broad drive to the Bois de Boulogne, through the Arch of Triumph, was thronged with vehicles, it being the am- bition of the Parisian to secure a carriage for himself and family and to spend his fete-day in driving to the Bois de Bou- logne. The number of these open car- riages in Paris is incredible, and they are so cheap, two and a half francs per hour, holding four persons, that they are used by every one. There are omnibuses, but no railways on the streets, and for a party of four the carriages are nearly as cheap as the omnibus, and much more pleasant and desirable, as the drivers seem to know every street in this immense city, and drop you at any point you may name. It would be impossible to attempt to describe the scene last night on the bou- levards. We shall endeavor in another portion of this letter to picture their ap- pearance on ordinary occasions ; but on the evening of this fete-day the scene was more bright and brilliant than ever, and the throng of people so great that it was at times impossible to move along the sidewalks. The stores were mostly closed, but the cafes were illuminated with more than ordinary brilliancy. We finally gave up the attempt to promenade, and secured seats at one of the cafes on the Place de rOp6ra, and had a fine view of the moving panorama. The observance of Mary's Day was, however, so far as the suspension of busi- ness was concerned, much more general than it is on Sunday throughout Paris. With the exception of the cafes and cigar- stores, nearly all were closed throughout the day and evening, and all manner of mechanical work was suspended. THE PARIS BOULEVARDS. Those of our citizens whose experience of city life is confined to Baltimore, or even those who have made an occasional visit to New York, would be startled if they were to be transported to the Boule- vard des Italiens or Capucines, or indeed to be suddenly set down on a warm sum- mer evening anywhere Avithin the extend- ed limits of the city of Paris. Such stir- ring scenes can be witnessed nowhere else in the world. London is as dull of an evening as Baltimore ; the people of Vi- enna live under the trees after sun-down. All Paris is adrift before the lamps are lit, and thronging towards its great thor- oughfares, which are soon blazing with gas-lights for their reception and enjoy- ment. There are no streets in any other city like these boulevards, which are from house to house one hundred and sixty feet wide, ninety feet being given to the car- riage-way, and thirty-five feet on each side for the pavements. Fine rows of trees line the curb-stones, and the car- riage-way is mostly asphaltura. Let the reader just imagine this carriage-way so filled with carriages and omnilDuses that it is necessary to effect a crossing to wait and watch an opportunity of dodging your way between them, and generally being compelled to stop in the middle to take a fresh start. The pedestrian is ex- pected to get out of the way of the car- riages, which never turn aside or hold up for any one. They dash on at full speed j hence it is necessary to keep a sharp look- out to avoid being run down. To look up or down one of the boulevards at night, reminds one of a torch-light pro- cession, every vehicle being required to carry two brirht lights. Thus it will be seen that, wide as the carriage-way is, it is none too wide for the rush of vehicles. The moving mass of promenaders on the pavements is also so great that it often becomes necessary to stop and stand aside until there is an opportunity of moving on. Along the ^urb-stones are lines of chairs for rent, and the thousands of cafes are allowed to occupy about eight or ten feet along their front with their refresh- ment-tables, where the people sit and AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 151 rest, and refresh themselves with coffee and ices. The untraveled reader will imagine that there are two or three of these broad streets in Paris, and that the whole popu- lation masses at night on these. This is true with regard to the better classes, who are generally to be found on the Italiens, Capucines, Haussmann, and other central boulevards ; but many of the others are equally thronged but not so brilliant. There are in the city of Paris fifty-seven of these wide thoroughfares, called boule- vards, running in every direction, and all teeming at night with life and animation. Indeed, the whole city seems to be abroad at night, and every class has its popular localities for congregating in. But to understand and to properly ap- preciate the view on these boulevards it must be borne in mind that the houses lining them are nearly all of uniform construction, none less than five stories high, and many of them towering up to six and seven stories, including the man- sard roofs. The ground-floors are one continuous line of stores and caf6s, with the exception of those of a few private mansions distant from the central portions of the city, but many of these have stores below. On the principal boulevards the first, second, and third stories are gener- ally devoted to business, and at night are all brilliantly lighted. PARIS UNDERGROUND. On retiring last evening we were star- tled by hearing some one, apparently under our window, ranting through por- tions of Othello. "We looked out into the court-yard, but could see nothing but a skylight down where the pavement ought to be. A band of music would occasionally perform some operatic air, and then " the tearing of passion to tat- ters" would be renewed again, inter- spersed with milder male and female voices. It continued till nearly eleven o'clock, and we rose at a loss to know what it all meant. This morning, on sur- veying the building, we found that there was a theatre attached to the Hotel T Ath6- n6e, and that the skylight down in the yard under our window was the dome over the parquet. Mr. Swinbourne, the English tragedian, was performing Othello in English to an audience nearly all American, which was then being re- peated for the ninth time. The theatre, which is about the size of one of our smaller establishments, is down in the bowels of the earth, under the hotel, out of the way of all noise and confusion. It is a very elegant little affair, and quite a fashionable resort for the Parisians. In Vienna we frequently took our meals in a very elegant saloon, considerably larger than the Assembly Rooms, and with quite as high a ceiling, which was down under a row of six-story build- ings, the skylight of which protruded a few feet above the pavement of the court- yard ; but we were not prepared to find an underground theatre, and that we were sleeping up four flights of stairs, directly over a stage on which Othello was smothering the gentle Desdemona with a pillow. Ground is costly in Paris, and they make the best possible use of it. "When you build the new American office, be sure to have an Academy of Music down under the press-room, with a sky-parlor box for Mr. Keyser, the pressman, and his engineer and " feeders." BEAUTIFUL PARIS. Parls, August 18, 1873. It is not an easy matter at this late day to write letters from Paris that will inter- est and instruct. It is a city which every- body is familiar with, it having been so often described, and its attractions and beauties so vividly spread before the gen- eral reader that it would almost seem like undertaking to write something new about Baltimore. AVe have visited it so often, and ridden and walked through its multi- farious thoroughfiires until all its crooks and turns are as familiar to us as those of any of our leading American cities. Still there is something about Paris that makes it always appear bright, gay, and spark- ling to the visitor. The Parisian does not worship the " dust of ages," or take pride in smoked and begrimed walls, as the Londoner does. If he has anything that is handsome he tries to make it hand- somer. He is always rubbing, scrubbing, and polishing old things, or tearing them down to make room for something new and more beautiful. The four handsome clus- ters of gas-lamps in the centre of the Place de rOp6ra are not only kept as bright and elegant as they were the day they were put up, but the elaborate bronze lamp- posts are polished with as much regularity as the glasses of the lamps. If the slight- est defect is observed in one stone in the street, it is relaid or replaced by a new one ; and if a flaw in the asphaltum as large as a man's hand is discovered, a re- pairing party is at work in a few hours, and the defect removed. Every tenant is held responsible for the cleanliness of the 152 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH street before his own door, and neither dirt nor rubbish of any kind is permitted. As in public matters, so also in those of private concern. They never alloAv their houses or store fronts to become dull or dingy. They make them handsome and they keep them handsome. They are al- ways arranging and rearranging the goods in their windows and striving to make them more attractive. All these scores of miles of boulevards are planted with sycamore-trees. When they plant trees they take good care that they shall have a fair chance to grow, and they are all flourishing beautifully. Around each tree an iron grating, extending three feet each way, is inserted in the pavement, in order that its roots may have breathing- room and water. There are hundreds of thousands of these trees all thus planted, and all tended and Avatered by the city authorities. If one should happen to die, a tree of similar size is brought to take its place, that the uniformity may be un- broken. These trees are the pride of Paris, and are yearly becoming more ser- viceable as a shade to the broad sidewalks as well as a grand ornament to the boule- vards. Thus it is that the attractions of Paris are always increasing. No rust or decay is permitted, and old things are swept away as having served their day and gen- eration. Antiquity has no worshipers, and is made to yield to the spirit of im- provement. New squares, gardens, and fountains are following the march of im- provement in the suburbs, and even in those quarters of the city where the poorer classes mostly reside, these pleas- ure-grounds are being fitted up as ele- gantly as in the wealthier sections. Paris is not beautiful in spots, but every por- tion of it abounds in attractions. THE ABATTOIRS OF PARIS. These establishments are located on the suburbs of the city, the buildings of which cover sixty-seven acres of land near the fortifications between the Canals de I'Ourcq and St. Denis. The slaughter- ing of cattle of all descriptions is re- quired by law to be done here, the average per week being two thousand beeves, eight hundred cows, a thousand calves, and ten thousand sheep. There are, also, a good number of horses slaughtered, their meat being sold to the poor, it having been found during the siege to be quite palatable. Worn-out horses are fattened and sold to the butchers, the supply from the carriage and omnibus stalls being very extensive. The principal entrance to these exten- sive slaughter-houses is by the Rue de Flandre. It is inclosed by an elegant iron railing, with eleven gates for en- trance and exit, and its numerous build- ings give it the appearance of an inclosed town. There are now sixty-four pavil- ions in active operation, some of which are reserved for stalls, in which the cat- tle awaiting their doom are kept. The others are divided into one hundred and twenty-three places of slaughter, called " 6ehaudoirs." The cleanliness which prevails throughout is admirable. Every 6chaudoir is provided with abundance of water, and the stone floor is scrupulously scoured every time an animal has been killed, and the foul water runs off into sewers intersecting the grounds in every direction. The ventilation is also excel- lent, so that, even at this season of the year, there are no foul smells about this extensive establishment. At the entrance to each there is a strong iron ring im- movably fixed in the ground. Through this ring the rope is made to pass which has previously been secured to the horns of the animal to be slaughtered. The rope is then drawn tight by means of a pulley, and when the victim's head has been forced down as much as possible, it receives the death-blow with a heavy club. There are also on the premises buildings called triperies, where tripe and calves' feet are washed and boiled, melt- ing-houses for tallow, with attics for dry- ing skins, lofts for fodder, etc. Cattle and sheep are kept here at the butcher's expense. The slaughter-men get from one franc to one and a half francs for each animal, besides the entrails, brains, and blood. The butcher-shops in the metropolis, which are daily supplied from the abattoir, number eight hundred and sixty-nine. WAGES IN PARIS. From an official inquiry set on foot by the Chamber of Commerce of Paris, it appears that there are employed in the various trades and manufactories 407,311 hands, of whom about 300,000 are men, 120,000 women, and 47,000 children. Of these there are 60,000 males, earning from 50 centimes (10 cents) to .3 francs (60 cents) per day ; 211,000 earn from 3^^ to 6 francs (65 cents to $1.20) per day 5 and 15,000 from 6i to 20 francs ($1.30 to $4). Of the females, 17,200 earn from 50 centimes (10 cents) to 1 franc 25 centimes to 4 francs (25 to 80 cents) ; and 700 from 4J to 10 francs AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 153 (90 cents to $2). The wages of children are from 10 cents to 25 cents per day. The shoemakers, carpenters, brickhiyers, stonemasons, and painters are among the 211,000 who receive from 65 cents to $1.2i) per day. It is not surprising that these mechanics come to the United States whenever they can raise money enough to pay their passages. Our me- chanics at home, by denying their own sons the privilege of learning trades, al- ways keep the supply short, so as to pro- vide places for the foreign mechanic whenever he is ready to come. They all deserve leather medals for their phi- lanthropy. AMERICANS IN PARIS. The people of Paris are astounded at the American invasion. They have not only filled up all the hotels, but the boarding-houses on Boulevard Ilauss- mann are thronged with them. Those who come to stay over a month or two invariably abandon the hotels and take to the boarding-houses, where they can live much more comf)rtably and fare better for half the expense. The charge at these houses ranges from eight to twelve francs per day, including finely-furnished chambers and the use of the parlors, pianos, etc., wine at dejeliner and dinner. Many American families are located here permanently, finding the cost of living much cheaper than at home. For three chambers and a private parlor at Madame Feron's, No. Ill Rue Neuve des Mathu- rins, we pay thirty-six francs per day, which embraces everything, including the very pleasant American company which is usually to be found at these houses. The table is good and the at- tendance excellent, and we have no doubt that for a prolonged stay much lower rates could be obtained. The papers are filled with advertisements of rooms and apartments to be let to Americans, and every one is finding the importance of speaking English. All the stores are providing themselves with English-speak- ing clerks. Colored nurses with Ameri- can children in charge are quite common all over Paris, and the American citizen of African descent walks up and down the boulevards with his yellow kids and ivory-headed whalebone under his arm without being any longer an object of curiosit3^ American dressmakers are in- vading the precincts of the famous Worth, and have their establishments on Rue Scribe and Boulevard Ilaussmann throng- ed with customers. The American Club- room, the American caf6, and a number of fancy-goods establishments have bee:» recently started by Americans, and four English newspapers are published in Paris. The American flag is to be seen in various sections of the city, and the carriage-drivers as well as the store-keepers reap a rich harvest. The number of ximerican ladies here is unprecedented, and there is no city in Europe in which they love to linger as they do in Paris. FEMALE DOCTORS. The irrepressible American 'girl is to be found all over Europe, endeavoring to force her way as a student of medicine in the leading universities and hospitals. When she is rebuffed at one point she proceeds to another, and has at last suc- ceeded in getting up a very general dis- cussion of the question. Whenever there is a vote taken on the propriety of ad- mitting females to the universities or the hospitals, the main issue is dodged, as it has just been at the University of Tu- bingen. It was resolved to admit female students upon the presentation of the proper certificate that they have passed through the classes of a regular grammar- school and have withstood the abituvient examination. The conditions imposed are equivalent to a vote of exclusion, as female students are not as yet allowed to attend the grammar-schools. At Vienna the female students who were endeavor- ing to obtain admission to the lectures were refused in all departments except that of midwifery, which is very generally in the hands of women throughout the Continent. Indeed, it is only within a few years that male doctors have com- menced to practice in this department of the profession in the private practice of Paris. Some inferior institutions in Europe have opened their lecture-rooms to females, but this does not satisfy these American female aspirants, and they are endeavoring to force their way where the best education can be had. They meet with many rebuffs, but are earnest and determined. Kate Fields takes up the cudgels for them this week in the Ameri- can Register^ published in Paris and Lon- don, in reply to the London Times, and has certainly the best of the argument. She denies that all medical practitioners are opposed to female doctors, and con- tends that those who do are governed by the same influence that induces Paddy, the Irish laborer of California, to hate Ah Sin, and declare that Chinese pig-tail 154 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH has come to take the bread out of his children's mouths ; or that one corner grocery does not adore the next corner grocery. When she took to lecturing, all her friends told her that they would rather see her dead. She knew, however, that the prejudice against women lecturers was only temporary, and would cease so soon as woman on the platform ceased to be a novelty. " Every step forward taken by women," she declares, "has been over burning plowshares, and she can al- ways look back to a time when the oc- cupation most abjured by our fastidious friends was of all others the most com- promising to womanhood." Miss Fields takes up every objection made by her op- ponents, and answers them with both ability and logic, quoting from history to show that women lack neither " phy- sical strength" nor "brain-power" ne- cessary for the profession. The strongest point of her argument is probably the following : " I make bold to say, not only are women-doctors to be tolerated, but they are to be heartily welcomed as ne- cessary to their own sex. In many cases it is most unpleasant for women to employ male physicians. Nothing but the knowledge that to them only is the door of science thrown wide open recon- ciles women to a sometimes revolting necessity. Many a young girl's health has been ruined because of an unconquer- able aversion to consult a male phy- sician.' ' She concludes by asking whether, ten years hence, society will draw the line " unfeminine" against women who, having too much pride to hang as bur- dens about the necks of friends or re- latives, take up active business and dare to make as much money as their brothers. The census of England just taken shows that there are one-sixth more females than males in that kingdom, and the same is the case all over Europe, the re- sult of war and emigration ; hence it is argued that marriage is no longer woman's chief calling. Girls are advised to look upon marriage as an accident, not as a career, and full opportunity must be given them to seek some oppor- tunity of livelihood by proper training in youth. The three thousand pounds left by John Stuart Mill, in his will, to any university in Great Britain or Ireland that shall be the first to open its degrees to women, have not yet been taken up. The time will come, however, when women will have an equal chance in life : for, as Kate Fields says, " the Deity has created a female, and man cannot get rid of her. The world is wide enough for both sexes. Place aux dames P^ HOTELS IN PARIS. The hotels of Paris have greatly ad- vanced their prices during the past year, which has induced most Americans who have ladies with them to seek quarters at the pensions, or boarding-houses, where they fare much better at one-half the cost. At the Grand Hotel, on the "first floor," which we would call the third floor, the charge for sleeping-accommodations alone is from twelve to twenty-five francs per day. The intermediate floors to the "fourth," which we would call the sixth, are a shade lower, whilst on the "fourth" the charge is from five to twelve francs per day. For a table-d'Jiote breakfast and dinner, including a very inferior wine, eleven francs are charged. If meals are taken a la carte at the hotel, and then not equal to a dinner at an American hotel like the Carrollton, Barnum's, or the St. Clair, including wine, it cannot be accom- plished much under twenty-five francs, which would make the average expense not much less than from five to seven dollars per day, according to the loca- tion of rooms. They have, however, at the Grand Hotel, partly introduced the American system this year, which is rather moderate for those who like table- d'hote living. Boarders are taken at a fixed price, including apartments, board (wine included), fire, and lighting, at twenty-five francs per day for one person, or for two occupying one room, thirty-five francs. The rooms are, of course, close up under the shingles. At the pensions the charge is from ten to twelve francs per day for everything, with better tables than the hotels furnish, and better rooms and attendance. They are also much pleasanter fi)r ladies, as the boarders are generally Americans or Eng- lish, the former largely predominating everywhere. It is utterly impossible to get along in Paris without wine, as the conviction is general that water is un- healthy. We supposed this at first to be a trick to induce the purchase of wine, but the idea pervades all classes. Even the chambermaids express astonishment when drinking-water is called for, and insist upon sweetening it with sugar. Ice- water is regarded as positively dangerous without sugar or wine in it. THE CLEANLINESS OF PARIS. Paris, September 13, 1873. The more one sees of Paris, the greater is the astonishment at the wonderful AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 155 attractions which abound in every direc- tion. The world has much to learn from Paris, although there is much here that it is all the better that the rest of man- kind should not attempt to imitate. In the matter of city government, and orna- mentation, and cleanliness, and finely- paved streets, and the artistic location of its most elegant buildings so that they may show to the best advantage, the city of Paris carries off the palm. A Parisian would never have located our City Hall down at the opening to " the meadows," or the new Opera-IIouse on Howard Street, or have turned the old Exchange Hotel into a post-office, or located the Carrollton Hotel on Light Street. He never allows speculators in land to fix the location of public edifices, nor "ring-masters" to construct them, but places them just where they will add most to the ornamentation of an already ornamental position. The whole effort has been to make Paris beautiful, and beautiful it is almost everywhere. We drove out to its extreme western suburbs, fully five miles from the Louvre, and found elegant squares, fountains (some of them in the course of erection), and clean, well-paved streets out to its ex- treme limits. The Paris of to-day has no dirty and offensive districts, and the secret is that it is never allowed to get dirty. The sweepings of a half-mile of any of the streets would not fill a wheelbarrow at any time, and such an instrument as a scraper is not among the tools of the scavenger. Water is only used to boil potatoes (and these are usually fried), wash the streets, and supply the fountains and cascades. For these latter purposes it is most lavishly expended, and hence Paris is always clean and beautiful. THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. The number of public squares and parks in and around Paris exceeds that of any other city in the world, and they are all ornamented with beds of flowers, elaborate fountains, and extensive arrays of fine statuary, whilst the walks and drives are models of good order and neat- ness. Each tree seems also to be ten- derly cared for and watered, and the grass is being constantly dressed and nurtured. So it is with the hundreds of thousands of trees along the boulevards : they were planted for ornament and shade, and care IS taken that they fulfill their destiny to the fullest possible extent. The parks of Lon- don are kept generally in a slovenly con- dition in comparison. The Bois de Boulogne is the principal park of Paris, and is now gradually regain- ing its old reputation as the most fash- ionable place of resort for a drive or a walk, where the most splendid equipages and the finest horses of the capital are displayed. It is approached from the city by the Avenue of the Champs Elysees, which is also the favorite promenade of the gay Parisians. The Bois de Boulogne is also distinguished as a favorite place for dueling and suicides, which are still as numerous in Paris as ever. The Ave- nue de l'Imp6ratrice, three hundred feet wide, commencing at the Arch of Tri- umph, is the grand thoroughfare through the park, and to the beautiful lakes and cascades by which it is adorned. Here art and taste have conspired to charm the eye with the most picturesque scenery. At the southern extremity of the lakes, opposite the islands, two charming cas- cades pour their waters, bounding from rock to rock, or gushing from crevices skillfully arranged, into the lake beneath. Winding paths, emerging from the cool fir-groves scattered around, intersect the rich turf which clothes the banks down to the water's edge. On the rocky side of the smaller island is an aviary filled with rare birds, and from the balcony of an elegant kiosk, situated on a promontory which terminates the smaller island, an enchanting view is obtained on a fine summer's day of the gay scene around. The rich equipages enlivening the car- riage-road which winds around the lake, the crowds of persons of all ranks enjoy- ing the cool shade on the iron benches provided for their convenience, or saun- tering along the gravel-walks, children flocking about in the height of merriment and glee, and the boats flying to and fro with their white canvas awnings shining in the sun, form a maze of bustle and ani- mation most pleasing to the eye. Snug little Swiss cottages may be seen peering here and there from behind the trees, well provided with beer and common wine for the thirsty, or more costly re- freshments for those whose inclination may desire them. There are also several other smaller lakes on the line of the main carriage- road, which makes a circuit of five miles and passes through a variety of attractive scenery. Not far from the head of the first lake is the great race-course of Long- champs, granted by the city to the Jockey Club, where the fall races are now taking place every Sunday afternoon. It in- closes one hundred and fifty-three acres. 156 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH and is fitted up in the most costly and elaborate manner. The stands accommo- date four thousand persons, and chairs for a similar number are distributed about the parterre within the rails. The race- ground is laid out in three courses, one of two thousand feet, the second of two thousand five hundred, and the other of three thousand two hundred. This park, though some miles from the centre, and a considerable distance from the outskirts, of Paris, can be approached by the boats from the Seine, by several lines of omnibuses, or by railroad from the St. Lazare or Porte Maillot stations ; hence it is the favorite resort of all classes of the people. To describe it thoroughly would require too much space in a letter, but we must not neglect to mention the Cascade de Longchamps, which is the great central attraction. An artificial mound one hundred and eighty feet in breadth, and forty-two feet high, raises its craggy front above a basin bordered with rocks ; a vast sheet of water issuing from a cavern pierced through the body of the mound, falls into the basin from a height of twenty-seven feet, while later- ally two minor cascades are seen pictu- resquely threading their way through various crevices. An intricate rocky pas- sage winds its way under the cascade, leading the visitor through many mock perils, charmingly managed, to the top of the waterfall, whefe he may enjoy a view of the pretty lake by which it is fed, and which also displays a picturesque island in the centre. THE JARDIN d'aCCLIMATATION. This is another of the great attractions of the Bois de Boulogne, being almost as handsome as the Jardin des Plantes, though its collection of animals was greatly reduced during the siege, by the famished Parisians. It is an inclosure of thirty-three acres, belonging to the Soci6t6 d'Acclimatation, the object of which is to acclimate both plants and animals. It is beautifully laid out in walks, encir- cling the cages or inclosures where the quadrupeds are kept, and arranged with picturesque little cots, containing the stables. The grounds are intersected by a streamlet, dotted with islands and spanned by rustic bridges. There various aquatic plants are grown, while other rare specimens of the vegetable kingdom abound on the surrounding grass-plats, among which we noticed a collection of California firs. The hot-house is three hundred feet long, and ninety in breadth, with a romantic grotto and rivulet, sur- rounded with palm-trees and other choice plants from tropical climes. The rivulets and basins swarm with various kinds of fish, and here are also ostriches, ducks, geese and swans from all parts of the world, in endless variety, presenting a scene of agreeable animation. There is also an extensive aquarium, divided into fourteen compartments, occupied by none but the rarest specimens of the piscato- rial world. Then there is a vast aviary, swarming with a wonderful collection of rare birds. There are also elephants, bears, and a very good collection of other quadrupeds. In the centre of the garden is a large orchestral canopy, and chairs for a large audience, concerts being given here two afternoons in the week, by the finest bands in Paris. The admission is one franc, but only a half-franc on Sun- days and holidays. THE MARKETS OF PARIS. "We visited at an early hour yesterday morning the great central market of Paris, which presents a most novel scene to the stranger, being so different from those to which he is accustomed. The markets are called Halles, and there are in the city twenty-two for wholesale transactions, fifty-seven for retail deal- ings, and one central cattle-market, where the slaughtered meat is sold by auction, either the whole animal, or quartered, from whence the butcher-stores through- out the city obtain their supplies. It was to this great central market that we re- paired yesterday morning, it combining all the peculiarities of the other markets, both wholesale and retail. The Central Halles cover a space of ground about as large as that occupied by the Camden Street Depot of the Bal- timore and Ohio Railroad, the streets passing through it, but being covered by glass roofs, making the whole one build- ing, mainly of iron and glass. It is, however, divided into ten distinct halles^ or markets. This market is new, and cost for its construction alone twelve million of francs, over and above the cost of two hundred and forty-nine houses pulled down to make room for it, which amounted to twenty-seven millions of francs more, or in all about eight mil- lions of dollars. There are retail pavil- ions in it for the sale of meat, butter and cheese, fowls and game, and vegetables, and also pavilions for the sale of meat, butter, and fish by wholesale. Underneath this immense structure is a cellar, the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 157 vaulting of brick restintr upon iron groins, supported by four hundred and thirty east-iron piHars, forming a curious perspective. Light is admitted through glass bull's-eyes, and there are numerous iron cages rented to dealers for storing their produce. There are immense wired cages for poultry, and a stone tank di- vided into compartments for the conve- nience of fishmongers. But the most sin- gular part of this underground portion of the market-house is the parallel lines of tramways extending from these cellars through a tunnel, which passes under the Boulevard Sebastopol, and connects with the Railroad de Ceinture, nearly a mile dis- tant. This railroad encircles the city, and connects with all other roads, so that the produce for this great market is all brought by this underground tunnel di- rect into the cellar. The structure above-ground is very im- posing. The iron columns or pillars, numbering three hundred, upon which the roof rests, are each thirty-three feet high, and are connected by dwarf walls of brick about ten feet high. The rest of the space up to the arches is closed with blinds of ground-glass plate. The roofing is of zinc, with large skylights over the carriage-ways, thus giving abundance of light and ventilation, whilst hydrants are interspersed for the use of the dealers. It is altogether a mammoth institution, and the amount of business transacted here daily is very large. SCENE AT THE MARKET. When we reached the market-house everything Avas in full blast, wholesale and retail. Instead of stalls in the retail markets, each dealer is provided wnth an iron cage about ten feet square, and some only half this size, in which they trans- act their business. The fronts are pro- vided with folding iron doors, so that they can be thrown open, or closed up at night and locked. This contrivance makes ventilation perfect, and keeps everything secure. They are in rows close together, with passage-M-ays about twelve feet wide between them. One section is for meats, another for cheese, eggs, and butter, another for poultry and game, another for vegetables, and another for flour, feed, and grain. On the oppo- site side of each of those pavilions is another for the sale of each of these arti- cles by wholesale, and at least fifty auc- tioneers were busy selling, with clerks and cashiers to note the sales and receive the money. In the first wholesale de- partment we entered, the sale of butter and cheesj was progressing. The butter was in lumps of about fifty pounds each, and a hundred or more of small dealers, mostly old women, w^ere crowding around each of the auctioneers, all armed with an iron probe, with which they punctured the rolls and tasted them as they were moved along a table. There were piles of these large lumps inclosed in linen cloths strewn upon the pavements to the number of several hundred, and the por- ters were carrying them off to the wagons outside as fast as they were sold and paid for. It was an animated scene, the cus- tomers being a greasy-looking set of fel- lows, in blue blouses, but with glib and oily tongues, making themselves heard over the general din. The wholesale meat market was stocked with whole sheep, whole hogs, and quarters of beef, — all hung up on stationary shambles, extending in lines across the building. A half-dozen auctioneers were passing along these lines, and selling piece by piece to a throng of customers, each fol- lowed by a clerk noting down the sales. There was some horse-meat also, which could only be distinguished by the ex- perienced eye from the fact that the flesh w^as a darker red, and the fat yellow in- stead of white, as is the case with good beef. MARKET FOR OLD CLOTHES. This is called the March6 du Vieux Linge. It is a market for old clothes and stuffs, shoes and tools, and is a very extensive affair. It is about seven hun- dred feet long by two hundred feet broad, built in iron pavilions, and contains Uco thousand four hundred places for dealers, each of about thirteen square feet, and all these stalls are occupied, from which some idea can be obtained of the scene here presented. This market was built as a speculation, the city granting the con- tractor the right to build it and receive the rents for fifty years. He is to pay the city two hundred thousand francs per annum, and the whole property is to revert to the city at the expiration of the speci- fied period. It cost the contractor three million five hundred thousand francs. The stalls set up for the dealers are so elegant, and the articles offered for sale so cleverly " renovated," that the visitor can scarcely believe himself to be in an "old clothes" mart. It has been a very successful speculation, and the poor man can here procure a very respectable outfit ■ for a very small outlay. These dealers 158 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH are constantly on the look-out for the con- tents of rubbish-rooms, old clothes, and all the odds and ends that accumulate in an easy-living household. The space oc- cupied by this structure is two entire blocks, the street passing through it being roofed over with iron, glass, and zinc. It is very elegant, and is built on the model of the Grand Central Market, entirely of iron. The roof is about forty feet high, with a greater elevation in the centre, where there is an immense open gallery, reached by two flights of iron stairs. Seeing that there was a crowd of people up there, we ascended, and found a door-keeper, who required one sou ad- mission. This proved to be a place for the sale of old clothes too far gone for renovation, and the articles were piled up in lines along the floor, through which the purchasers, to the number of prob- ably a thousand, were circulating. Both buyer and seller pay one sou admission, which defrays the expense of this branch of the establishment. Musty-looking old shoes by the cart-load were here, shocking old hats, and all manner of women's ap- parel. The dealers were doing an ex- tensive business, and during our ramble ■we were frequently invited to purchase some threadbare garment, from which it may be judged how shabby the traveler gets in his outward appearance by the time he reaches Paris. The goods dis- played in the two thousand four hundred stalls below looked as bright and new, almost, as the display in the windows on the boulevards, though many of them were slightly out of fashion. PARISIAN LOCAL ITEMS. At the celebrated dry-goods establish- ment Au Bon MarcM, which is extensively patronized by Americans, a new feature has been introduced this season. It hav- ing been noticed that American gentlemen frequently get impatient whilst their wives and daughters are shopping, and some- times hurry them off* before they have obtained all they want, a well-fitted-up billiard-saloon has been provided for their amusement whilst the purchases are being made. It seems to answer the purpose well, as the gentlemen are always easily to be found w^hen it is necessary for them to come up to the captain's office and foot the bill. An American lady tells us that she went to a hair-dresser's e^j^ablishment this morning to get her hair shampooed, and, asking the cost, she received the answer that it would be three francs. After the operation was finished she was presented with a bill for nine francs, and upon de- murring was told that three of the addi- tional francs were for putting her hair up again, two others for the liquid used, and the fourth for the use of the combs and brush. Can any of our Yankee sham- pooers come up to this sharp practice ? We stopped in this morning at a horse- meat butcher's shop to look at the meat. There were nice-looking sirloin steaks, spare-riband sirloin roasts, knuckle-joints for soup, and genuine " salt horse"' in abundance. We could not have told it from beef, except that the meat was a darker red. The gentleinun whom we accompanied assured us that he had eaten it as an experiment, and was of the opin- ion that it was more tender, as a general thing, than ordinary beef. "But," he added, " I expect you have frequently dined off" of it since you have been in Paris, especially if you have taken any meals at the restaurants." Well, perhaps we have, but " where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wase." The Commune, during their possession of Paris, destroyed, among other things, all the official records of births and mar- riages. As most of them were family men and women without marriage, or unconscious of their own parentage, the object was to place all on a level of " equality" in this respect. The work of restoring the records is now in progress, as all who are not recorded are regarded in the eye of the law as illegitimate. It has made brisk work for the lawyers. The Parisians have a singular way of signalizing events in their history by the naming of streets. One of the magnifi- cent boulevards branching off" from the Grand Opera-House was named Boulevard 2d December, the day of the Napoleon coiip-d^itat in 1851. The name is now changed to the Boulevard 4th September, the day of the dethronement of the Em- peror and the proclamation of the Re- public. Should there be another empire proclaimed, the name will doubtless be changed again to suit the date of its occurrence. THE "chateau rouge." London has its "Argyle Hall" and "Cremorne Gardens," Vienna has its "Sperle" and "Alhambra," but they are low and disorderly places, which are seldom visited even by respectable gentle- men. They are vicious imitations of the Paris gardens, such as the " Jardin Ma- bille" and the " Elys6e Montmartre," the AMERICAN {SPECTACLES. 159 ** Chateau Rouge" and the " Closerie des Lilas." In these places the license of the dance is not always confined to the limits of propriety, though there is nothing to be seen at any of them below the level of the artistic dancing on the stage, or what is called the " leg drama." In sum- mer the Parisians resort to similar es- tablishments at the villages of Asniferes, Enghien, Lecaux, St. Cloud, Rambouillet, and Montmorency. We have visited the " Jardin Mabillfi," which is the best place in Paris to meet Americans, and English too, both ladies and gentlemen, as but few fail to spend an evening there during their sojourn in the metropolis. Last evening your correspondent was induced to accompany ayoungBaltimorean, whose curiosity was not satisfied with the Ma- bille, over to the Latin Quarter, on a tour of observation at the " Chjlteau Rouge." He had been reading Mark Twain's de- scription of the grisettes, and wished to see them in the midst of their evening enjoyments. Mark says that after seeing them he felt sorry for the students, and no longer envied them their felicity. We can truly say that if the effeminate, spindle-shanked, and half-made-up speci- mens of the genus homo who were dan- cing at the '' Rouge" last night were stu- dents, the grisettes should have come in for a full share of his pity. The girls were nearly all extremely young, full of life and vivacity, neatly but plainly dre^ed, and, as a general thing, rather good-looking. The men, on the contrary, although good dancers and mostly young, were, in both form and feature, decidedly repulsive. * The dance at the " Chateau Rouge" was conducted with as much propriety as at the " Mabille Garden," but was much more exciting. The best female dancers at the Mabille are evidently paid for their services, and but few others appear on the floor; but at the "Rouge" they all joined in the dance, and each tried to ex- cel the other in the abandon with which they flew through its giddy mazes. The style of dancing is altogether Spanish, none of the ordinary tame cotillion fig- ures being permitted. The music is rapid, and the dancers take two steps to every note, presenting a scene of " rapid speed" not usually seen in the ball-room. The spectators formed rings around the best dancers, who appeared to be known, and we, being too modest to press for- ward, had mostly to be contented with what could be seen over the heads of a crowd of people who were between us and the dancers. Every moment a score of neat ladies' boots, with well-turned ankles encased in striped stockings, could be seen flying around the heads of the male dancers, who vainly attempted to get their boots as hi^h. Whether there was any intended viciousness in these kicks we were not informed, though we saw a cigar fly out of the mouth of a spectator on the toe of a lady's boot, and a gentleman's hat sent ballooning up among the chandeliers. Such a jolly set of people, numbering not less than three thousand, nearly half of them females, we have never seen assembled together before. Shouts of laughter and applause greeted any extraordinary feats of agility, and when the music stopped all joined in a grand promenade out from under the dancing-pavilion into the garden, the trees of which were illuminated with in- numerable colored lamps, while thou- sands of gas-jets blazed from upright chandeliers throughout the walks, along which hundreds of refreshment-tables were stationed. At the rear, the water poured down over the rocks of a cascade fountain, and at the sides a series of little shady nooks were filled with parties par- taking of wine and ices. When the music struck up again, we secured a more eligible position, closer to the dancers, and we saw — well, we will let Mark Twain tell what we saw and heard : " Shouts, laughter, furious music, a bewildering chaos of darting and inter- mingling forms, stormy jerking and rustling of gay dresses, bobbing heads, flying arms, lightning flashes of white and striped stocking calves, and dainty slippers, in the air, and then a grand final rush, riot, a terrific hubbub, and a wild stampede ! Nothing like it has been seen on earth since trembling Tam O'Shanter saw the devil and the witches at their orgies that stormy night in Alloway's*old haunted kirk." It was a scene of the most vigorous and earnest dancing that human feet and limbs could possibly be trained to. So also in the waltzes. They flew around so rapidly that at a short distance the twirl- ing couples bewildered the eye, and seemed like tops spinning in the air. There was nothing of the "poetry of motion" about this dancing, but rather the "prose of locomotion," the highest rate of speed being the object to be at- tained. Still, we did not see anything as shocking to delicate susceptibilities as the famous danseuse performances at our most fashionable theatres. These dancers 160 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH undoubtedly enjoyed the dance, Avhilst the professionals go through it as part of a laVjorious duty, and we don't think that any of the latter were able to throw their heels as high as the grisettes of the Latin Quarter. The best of order was ob- served, and during the promenades there was but little to distinguish the company from an ordinary assemblage of well- dressed people. There were a great many respectable French ladies present as spec- tators, and an abundance of English and American gentlemen, but no ladies of either of these Anglo-Saxon nationalities. At the Mabille Garden, however, the English and American ladies outnum- bered the gentlemen, as this is one of the places in Paris which the ladies all per- sist in seeing "just once." Among the latter we recognized the family of a Northern bishop, and any number of " fathers and mothers in Israel," with their daughters. There is no use in any one coming to Europe without seeing the people in all their modes and phases of life, and to see Paris without visiting the Ma]3ille would be like going to Rome and not visiting St. Peter" s. The stranger, finding himself a stranger in a strange land, feels at liberty to come and go to places that he feels bound to shun at home. THE GRISETTE. It is a common remark among strangers in France that about every third man wears a uniform of some kind, and such is almost the case here in Paris. Nearly all of these uniformed men are forbidden by laAv to marry, and they belong to a class who have never been taught to en- tertain such an idea as pertaining to their future existence. They have always found it difficult to get food for them- selves, and hence have never entertained such a preposterous undertaking as mar- rying and supporting a family. These men have sisters who have always recog- nized themselves as belonging to a class who are never to know the relations of husband and wife. Such a thought never enters the head of a girl or boy belonging to the poorer classes of Paris. Some- times they succeed in drawing themselves out of their unnatural state of existence, and aspire to higher things, but the great mass of them have for generations found that the chief aim of life was bread and wine. They have the natural passions of ordinary men and women, and hence the grisette. They are not taught, even by their spiritual counselors, that there is any sin in the life they lead, and are as punctual in their church attendance aa any class in Paris. Nor are they re- garded as degraded, unless they fall still lower and become professional courtesans. They are considered as fulfilling their destiny, and love and are beloved as other mortals. Sometimes these ties are permanent, but in the generality of cases they are merely for a time, and when broken a new one is formed. Thus they pass through life, and their children, of whom they furnish the state about eigh- teen thousand per annum, are sometimes kept and maintained by themselves, but oftener passed over to the orphan-asy- lums, just as most of their mothers were passed over in their early infancy. The grisette, it will thus be seen, is a feature of Parisian society that is regarded as inevitable, and, being inevitable, those who raise themselves out of its slough are not deemed to have been tainted or tarnished in character. Those who pass through life as grisettes are not regarded as " fallen angels," but as women who are fulfilling their sad and unfortunate destiny, and whose chances for heaven are quite as good as those whose lots are cast in pleasanter ways. So long as youth lasts they live a merry life, and when this departs they become waiting- maids. They are the unfortunate vic- tims of kingcraft, which requires stand- ing armies, and draws the youth of the country away from the ordinary purs^uits of life and happiness. " it's naughty, but it's nice." An American lady, who was chidden by an over-prudish friend for having joined a party of American ladies and gentlemen to spend a-n evening at the Mabille Gar- dens, responded, " Well, I admit it was naughty, but then it was so nice." She contended that she had never spent at any place of amusement a more agreeable evening, and had not seen half as much to shock her sense of propriety as could be seen on the boards of our leading theatres during a ballet season. The garden itself, independent of the scenes enacted, is one of the most brilliant spec- tacles ever presented to the human vision. The number of gas-jets is said to exceed fifty thousand, which, mingled with the foliage of the trees and flowers, and artis- tically arranged in and around the dan- cing-circle, almost blinds the eye at times with its brilliancy. Then there are grot- toes and arbors and alcoves, refreshment- saloons, and booths for various little AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 161 games interspersed, all adding to the gay and festive scene. That portion of the garden intended for promenades is only sufficiently lighted to give effect to the illusion produced by some ingenious painter, by which the groves seem to ex- tend indefinitely in the distance, though really not more than a hundred yards in extent. The trees, the grass, the flowers, the fountains, and the bushes, each and all throw forth their blaze of light and contribute to the general effect. A row of thirty iron arches spans the upper end of the garden, each almost twenty-five feet high, and both columns and arch are one blaze of light. The columns appear in the distance as if fluted with fire, and the arches and pillars are formed of nu- merous rows of gas-jets, and when viewed from the circle, with the intervening foun- tains and large frosted globes suspended from every available point, present a scene of enchantment surpassing the genius of Mr. Gctz to present in scenic illusion. Whilst the adjuncts to the grand cen- tral attraction of the garden are like the visions of a fairy-tale, the dancing-circle eclipses everything else in its brilliant arrangement and the artistic use of gas. It is about two hundred and fifty feet in diameter, with an elegant music- temple in the centre, not quite so large as the pagoda in Druid Hill, but capable of seating a band of fifty musicians, the best that Paris can produce. An im- mense chandelier is suspended in the centre, with eighty globes, and between each of the ten columns three large globes are suspended. The temple, being bon- struetod of iron, emits gas-jets at all points. Half-way between the temple and the outer circle are arranged, equi- distant, twelve large palm-trees, or at least iron representations of the palm, about thirty feet high, and from their broad leaves are suspended innumerable f)lum-shaped globes, serving as chande- iers. The outer edge of the dancing- arena is encircled with twenty iron arches with double rows of gas-jets, whilst from each arch three mammoth globe lights are suspended. The combination is most charming to the eye in every direction, and each jet has evidently been placed and arranged with a view to its scenic effect from all other portions of the gar- den. THE MABILT.E AUDIENCE. The audience consists of all classes, so far as standing in society may designate 11 them, but in appearance and dress they nearly all deport themselves as ladies and gentlemen, excepting of course the most reckless of the dancers. The price of admission, five francs for a gentleman and one for a lady accompanying him, makes it somewhat select on the male side, and keeps away disorderly characters. How- ever, the fully-equipped gendarmes, with drawn swords, standing like statues at various points in the garden, are signifi- cant notifications that order must be pre- served, and it is preserved with the strictest decorum. Nearly all strangers visiting Paris, both ladies and gentlemen, spend at least one evening at the Mabille Garden, and even staid old English and American mothers and fathers, with their daughters, can be seen nightly enjoying the scene. All desire to go, and when opportunity offers the ladies especially are sure to avail themselves of it. They think they will go without letting any of their acquaintances know of the contem- plated indiscretion, but when there they are sure to meet an acquaintance at every turn, and by glancing around among the alcoves are apt to find the very ones from whom they were most desirous of con- cealing their presence, endeavoring to dodge their own vision. Many amusing scenes of acquaintances meeting nightly occur, and, indeed, if you desire to find out who are in Paris, here is the place to meet them. THE MABILLE DANCERS. The Gardens are opened at eight o'clock in the evening, but it is nine before dan- cing really commences. The first comers are generally strangers, who think they will come early, view the scene, and retire before the sinners make their appearance. They next become interested in the prom- enaders, who at nine o'clock throng out towards the circle with a suddenness that almost startles the beholder, and in a few minutes it is difficult to work one's way through the broad thoroughfares. The majority of the Cyprians behave them- selves with the dignity of matrons, and, with few exceptions, are modestly ar- rayed, mingling with the promenaders until the dancing commences. After the performance of several operatic airs, the band strikes up a gallopade, and immedi- ately rings are formed in the circle around two or three of the finest female dancers. Partners are secured, and soon they are spinning around like teetotums, with an exposure of finely-formed limbs and an agility that are seldom equaled on the 162 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH stage. There are, of course, some pro- fessional dancers, both male and female, employed by the establishment, who lead off in these furious demonstrations, and the men frequently in the midst of the dance throw their heels over their part- ners' heads. The females are equally agile, and when too far from the circle to see them the spectator can perceive their neat boots and striped stockings flying around the heads of the throng by whom they are encompassed. Although they wear long dresses, they are appareled like the ballet-girls in all respects, including flesh-colored tights and short pantalets. Saturday night is the gala-night of the week, and it is on these occasions that strangers mostly visit the Mabille. From nine o'clock to midnight, when the gen- darmes put a stop to the dancing, and the musicians retire, there is no cessation of this scene of wild abandon and unre- strained hilarity. To all outward ap- pearance they seem to be full of the enjoyment of the occasion, and merry peals of laughter are resounding from all quarters. THE PARIS OPERA-HOUSE. To describe the new Paris Opera-House, which has been ten years in the course of construction, so that your readers might have some idea of its wonderful magnifi- cence, is so utterly impossible that we will only endeavor to give a general idea of its outward appearance. It is finished on the outside, but three years of work have not yet completed the interior, and two years more are required for its orna- mentation. There is no better way of conveying to an American an idea of any- thing that he has not seen than to tell him the cost of it. Well, this new opera- house has cost forty million francs, or about eight million dollars in gold, in- cluding the square of ground on which it stands. It is a government institution, and was intended as one of the croM'ning glories of the Napoleonic empire. "Who will first occupy the magnificent retiring- rooms constructed for the Emperor and Empress it would be difficult now to say. The opera-house occupies an open space, from which radiate the Boulevards des Capucines and Italiens, Rues Scribe, Au- ber, Hal6vy, and Neuve des Mathurins, like the spokes of a wheel. The area it occupies has a front of four hundred and three feet and a depth of four hundred and sixty-seven. It fronts on the Place de l'0p6ra, the width of which must be about six hundred feet in one direction. and one thousand in the other, being the junction of all these great thoroughfares. To stand in the centre of this "place" and look at the front of the building, with its groups, statues, and busts of ex- quisite execution, and the towering dome, crowned by a group of bronze statuary, puts one out of conceit of the old masters of both statuary and architecture. The streets that encircle the building are all not less than one hundred and fifty feet in wndth, and a fine view of it can be ob- tained from any of the great thorough- fares. But it is not the front only that is ornamented with statuary and busts, but the sides, and even the rear, whilst the sculpture of all parts of the building is most elaborate. The side views are even more satisfactory, and give a better idea of its immensity, than the front, as the lateral projections with carriage-ways under arched porticoes, by which vehicles will reach the interior to the level of the first row of boxes, are among the most attractive portions of the building. HEALTH OF PARIS. Whilst the cholera is at Vienna, Berlin, and other parts of Northern and Southern Germany, and has put in an appearance among the old castles in Genoa, herein Paris the best possible health prevails. If the cleanliness of a city and all manner of municipal precautions are of any avail in changing the course of this ravaging monster's travels, he will not be able to enter the gates of Paris. People are compelled to live clean and keep them- selves clean, whether their inclinations tend that way or not. There are no dirty sections of Paris, the narrow streets being as scrupulously cared for by the author- ities as the broad thoroughfares, whilst the houses and their tenants come in for more rigid inspection and supervision. The health of the city is in charge of the Conseil de Salubrite, composed of twenty members, all physicians, surgeons, or chemists, who are especially charged with the sanitary regulations, including the cleanliness of streets, markets, sowers, etc. There is also a Comite de Salubrite Publique in each arrondissement connected with the council. The sewers that run for scores of miles under every street of the city are also cleansed and purified to such an extent that parties of ladies and gentlemen pass through them in boats, as being among the underground curiosities of Paris. More than ordinary care is now being taken, and houses and premises aie being rigidly inspected. The large main AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 163 sewers, of which there are seven, are cleansed by means of four good-sized steamboats, provided with drop-planks in front, whereby such a head of water is obtained as to drive all the sediment, stones included, to the distance of three hundred feet out into the Seine. A large portion of the foul water is now clarified by chemical agents, and the sediment sold for manure at a profit. It takes six- teen days to cleanse the whole extent of the sewers. The aggregate length of all the sewers now built is one million eight hundred thousand feet. THE CHAMPS ELYSEES ON SUNDAY. Sunday was a bright and beautiful day, and the scene on the Champs Elys6es during the afternoon was viewed with great interest by the thousands of strangers now in the city. To witness this display of Parisian life, a carriage- drive gives out a poor idea of its pe- culiarities. To view it properly, it is necessary to join the people in their holi- day games and amusements, and to ram- ble with them through the splendid gardens, groves, and ornamental shrub- bery and fountains with which this fleasure-ground of the people is adorned, t is a beautiful panoramic scene from a carriage driven along the grand avenue which passes through it, especially at night, when it is so brilliantly illumi- nated ; but, having frequently viewed it in this way, both by day and night, we undertook a pedestrian investigation of its attractions on Sunday afternoon. As we passed from Avenue Marigny, it seemed as if we were entering the precincts of a grand mass-meeting of all the children of Paris, who were here by thousands, the younger of them in charge of parents or nurses, but the vast majority taking care of themselves. It was at times diffi- cult to thread our way through them. All manner of contrivances for their amusement were in progress, the most popular of which appeared to be Punch and Judy shows, the little stages being fitted up with scenery and curtains, and the automatic performers made to hold conversations and to crack jokes of a local character, which drew forth shouts of laughter from old and young. There were not less than a dozen of these little theatres in progress, around each of which there were several hundred specta- tors, mostly children, who were occupy- ing the seats at ten centimes (about two cents) each. The performances lasted about half an hour, when the chairs were cleared, and the play resumed again so soon as a sufficient audience was seated. The standing spectators paid nothing, and these always outnumbered those occu- pying the chairs. Under the groves M-ere toy- and gingerbread- stalls, and other attractions for the rising generation, whilst jugglers and itinerant tumblers were attracting a willing and ever-chang- ing throng of spectators. A dozen or more revolving - horse machines, with children astride of wooden ponies, were in motion, and little temples with scales for ascertaining the weight of youn^ hu- manity were doing a successful business. There are also various concert-gardens and cafes scattered among the trees on either side, where open-air concerts were in progress to large audiences. The avenue for driving and promenading, which is a mile and a quarter long, and fully two hundred feet in width, was thronged with vehicles, whilst the lively spectacle was being enjoyed by thousands of persons seated on the iron chairs with which the sidewalks are lined. These chairs are rented for two or three sous the hour, they being owned by a company which pays twelve thousand francs per annum to the city for the privilege. The city also receives fifty thousand francs per annum for rents from the Punch and Judy shows. A number of little car- riages, each holding six to nine children, drawn by six goats in harness, were doing a good business, the boys occupy- ing the drivers' seats and plying the whip with great dexterity. As night set in, all the caf6s were brilliantly illuminated, and bands of music in the concert-gardens gave additional animation to the scene. The circus-building was also illuminated, and the doors thrown open for a grand equestrian performance, with all the usual stale jokes and clap-trap perform- ances which prove so attractive to Young America. The avenue through the Champs Ely- s6es is the grand thoroughfare to the great park of Paris, the Bois de Bou- logne, with the Place de la Concorde at one end of it and the Arch of Triumph at the other. Indeed, the Louvre and Tuileries Gardens, the Place du Carrou- sel, the Place de la Concorde in the Champs Elys6es, and the Bois de Bou- logne, are all connected, forming one di- rect line of pleasure-grounds from the heart of Paris out to the fortifications, a distance of six or seven miles. The boulevards and streets have, howerver, of late years greatly encroached on the 164 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH Champs Elys6es, leaving but a narrow strip of its former dimensions. THE PLACE DE LA CONCORDE. On all the public buildings of France the Avords " Liberty, Equality, and Fra- ternity" are emblazoned in large and deeply-cut letters, which Horace Greeley would term a " flaunting lie." So the great square in the heart of the city is called the " Place de la Concorde," upon which there has been more human blood spilt, and more scenes of horror and con- fusion, than upon any other similar space of ground under the canopy of heaven. It is, however, a majestic square, and its adornments are very grand. In the cen- tre stands the famous Obelisk of Luxor, a monolith that was brought from Thebes by Napoleon, it having been part of the grand temple erected fifteen hundred and fifty years before the birth of Christ. It has also two of the finest foun- tains in I]urope, and various specimens of elegant statuary. It forms a beautiful link between the Tuileries and the Chjimps Ely- s6es. On the north are two palaces, be- tween which the Rue Royale opens a view of the Madeleine ; to the south are the Pont de la Concorde and the Legislative Palace, behind which is seen towering the gilded dome of the Invalides, under which repose the remains of Napoleon. The following are some of the scenes of blood which have transpired in this " Place de la Concorde" during the past two hun- dred years : In 1770, during the rejoicings in honor of the marriage of Louis XVI., whilst the fire-works were being discharged, the people took a panic, and one thousand two hundred persons were trampled to death, whilst two thousand were badly wounded. More than two thousand eight hundred persons were executed in this square by the guillotine, including Louis XVI., Charlotte Corday, Marie Antoinette, Danton, Robespierre, and Dumas, all during the eighteen months succeeding January 21, 1793. The first disturbance which ushered in the revolution of 1848 took place here. It was here also that a desperate conflict took place only two years ago between the Communists and the Versailles troops, during which the earth was soaked with blood. The '• Place de la Discorde" would be a more appro- priate name. OLD CURIOSITY-SHOPS. There must be an immense demand in Paris for ancient things, such as are usu- ally consigned to the rubbish-room in a well-regulatedAmerican household. There is scarcely a square throughout the whole length and breadth of Paris that has not its old curiosity-shop, — just such places as Dickens chose for the scene of one of his sweetest stories. How it is possible for any one to desire any of the articles in these masses of rubbish it is difficult to conceive, but they are daily ransacked by the English antiquarians, and many of them are doubtless nuinufactured to meet the demand. Old china of past genera- tions, old stained find defaced engravings, ancient-looking paintings, all cracked and defaced, some of them like ]Mark Twain's Virgins, "with fly-blisters on their breasts," form the staple commodities of these establishments. Then there are old chairs and tables, some of them with three legs, just as they were .left by Julius Cicsar or Mark Antony ; heathen gods and goddesses, old Roman lamps, and other odds and ends, all covered with dust and col>webs to blind the eyes of these modern collectors. On Boulevard Haussmannwe passed this afternoon four of these establishments, all adjoining each other, and in the narrow streets they are so numerous as to strike the stranger with wonder. There are enough of them to set up an opposition to the great mu- seum of antiquities at Munich, through which we wandered and wondered a few weeks since. BUSINESS-WOMEN. There are very few establishments in Paris, wholesale or retail, in which M'omen do not occupy most of the im- portant positions of trust and responsi- bility. In a great many of the largest and most successful establishments the wife is the principal business-manager, and to her all matters of importance are referred. An American gentleman who has been exploring the wholesale estab- lishments assures me that this is more generally the case than in those of a retail character. When purchasing goods, all important questions were answered by the female clerks or saleswomen, the males evidently holding subordinate posi- tions. In manjr cases the wife was called upon to answer questions or make agree- ments when the husband was present, indicating that she was the brains of the establishment. There can be no doubt that the average Frenchwoman is supe- rior in intellect to the average French- man, as she is superior to him in physical development and address. Passing the AMERICAN SPECTACLES, 165 little stores at night, the wife is seen at the desk, pen in hand, keeping the books, and thousands of the smaller of the Paris stores are kept by women. They have great business capacity, energy, and en- terprise, and take more than their full share in supplying the means for the maintenance of the household. A French- man remarked the other day that he be- lieved there were as many wives in Paris who support their husbands as there are husbands who support their wives. She almost invariably manages to live free of house-rent by renting a flat of rooms and sub-renting enough of them to pay the rent for the whole. The American ladies who visit Europe and squander so much money which they had no part in earning, gen- erally return better satisfied with their positions in life, and convinced that their destiny has been more fortunate than that of most of the sisterhood of creation. SOCIAL QUESTIONS. There is nothing that we take so much interest in investigating, whilst roaming through these European cities, as the great social questions which assume such different shapes. We are bad enough at home, but we have not yet reached the deplorable condition of these great cen- tres of European civilization. We have " social evils," but they are recognized as evils. Here and over a great portion of the Continent these evils in a more aggra- vated shape are recognized as necessary to the form of government, and no effort is made to reform or remedy them. In order that those of your citizens who profess to have a preference for the mpn- archial form of government may know some of the very essentials of its exist- ence, and the degradation it brings upon a ^reat portion of the people, we have in this correspondence touched upon many subjects that are by many persons regarded as "open secrets," only to be hinted at, but not (discussed or described. As we do «ot belong to this school of modern f)hilosophers, we shall endeavor in this etter to present your readers with an accurate statement in regard to the French law of marriage, and the evils which spring from its enforcement here in Paris, together with its aggravation by that other necessity of all monarchial governments, " a standing army." MATRIMONIAL AGENCIES. The matrimonial agencies of Paris do a thriving business. They are located in all sections of th^ city, and are of different classes, according to the wealth and standing of the families of the parties they deal with, — young men who are looking for a wife with a good dowry, the money consideration being the main incentive, and parents who have mar- riageable daughters, being the principal customers. The agents, when they ettect a marriage, stipulate that they shall receive five per cent, of the dowry, and generally manage also to get a good re- taining-fee from both parties. The larger establishments are in correspondence with similar agencies on all parts of the Con- tinent, and have become a necessity to parents who are looking out for eligible wives for their sons and responsible husbands for their daughters. The suc- cessful tradesman who has accumulated a fortune desires his daughters to marry in a higher circle than that in which he associates : hence the necessity of an agent to make the necessary advances. Then elaborate papers must be prepared and signed before the marriage is consum- mated, and unless the dowry is paid down at the stipulated time the engagement is off. To manage all these preliminaries requires practical knowlege and expe- rience which few parties in private life could be expected to possess. The agency of Madame St. Just only does openly what hundreds of others have for ages been doing secretly, and she has at once risen to the head of the profession. She is one of those business geniuses who believe in advertising, and she is, of course, pushing aside all the old fogies who have transacted their business as if secrecy was necessary to all their move- ments. Madame St. Just says the French law of marriage, and the national custom, render matrimonial agencies a necessity, and in a recent trial the courts have sus- tained the position she has taken. No one under twenty-five years of age, either son or daughter, can marry without the consent of his or her parents, or, if the parents are dead, without the consent of the grandparents, if any are living. If none of them are living, applicants must substantiate the fact by bringing certifi- cates of their death and burial. Thus it will be seen that parents make all the arrangements for marriage, and, as they do not know who are the eligible pariies in the matrimonial market, they must apply to those who make it a business to keep a record, with the pedigree and pecuniary standing or prospects, of all the young men and girls who are similarly eligible. If John Smith should have 166 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH settled on his daughter a dowry of twenty thousand francs, he has a money interest in securing for her a husband similarly endowed, and he wants the guarantee of a responsible agent that there is no false pretense being practiced upon him. How would he be able to ascertain that Tom Brown, who applied for the hand of Miss vSmith, was all that he represented him- self to be, and whether his father was responsible for the twenty thousand francs which he had promised to give his son on the morning of his marriage, or how would he know that there were twenty or thirty young men of good family and good money-standing who are anxious to secure a wife with the twenty- thousand-franc charm possessed by Miss Smith, if there were not an agent to apply to who kept a record of all such young aspirants for matrimony ? Or how would the parents of these young men know that there was such an eligible party as Miss Smith in existence, if they had not applied to Madame St, Just for the information ? THE FRENCH MARRIAGE-LAWS. Young men over twenty-five and young wonie* over twenty-one years of age can marry without the consent of their pa- rents, but still they have many difficulties to encounter before theycan become united. Indeed, the obstructions to marriage are so great that it is not to be wondered at that there are twenty thousand illegit- imate births in Paris per annum. To marry, according to French law, publica- tion of the marriage must be twice made by the mayor of the commune in which each of the parties resides, with an in- terval of eight days between each publica- tion. A preliminary civil service is then celebrated by the mayor of the commune in which one of the parties has lived for six months. The parties must produce the certificate of their birth or baptism, or, if not to be had, a declaration of seven persons made before the juge de paix of the date and place of birth of the party, and the consent of their parents properly authenticated ; and if their parents are dead, certificates of their burial, and the consent of the grandmother and grand- father, if living. If agencies are neces- sary for parents to dispose of their chil- dren, how much more necessary are they to enable a man over twenty-five to find out where the girls are with good dowries ! He can well afford to give the agent five per cent, of the dowry, and save time and make money by so doing. And how would it be possible to wade through such intricate legal arrangements with- out each party having a legal adviser at their elbow to watch the other contract- ing party and see that no trickery or ras- cality is being practiced ? These matrimonial agents, of course, have nothing to do with any marriage- contracts in which the heart has any lot or part in deciding the destiny of the par- ties. Sometimes children are plighted by their parents to each other at a tender age, and are brought up with the tacit understanding that they are to be married at the proper time. In these cases, love has, of course, some chance to play his part, and matrimonial agents are un- necessary. Nothing ever interferes with the consummation of such marriages ex- cept a reverse in business, or some other cause which may prevent the bride's pa- rents from meeting their contract as to the amount of dower. If this is not forth- coming, hearts must go to the dogs, as this is a money consideration for which no prudent father will accept any " promise to pay." The money must be paid down in hard cash to the satisfaction of the legal advisers of the family before the ceremony is allowed to proceed. The father of the groom regards a promise made before marriage as of the same char- acter as the promise of a politician before election-day. The latter are sometimes trusted and always suspected, but the French father never trusts in any prom- ises that are to be fulfilled after marriage. If the dowry is not forthcoming, the son quietly submits to the decision of his pa- rents, pulls off his kid gloves and rolls them up in tissue-paper so that they may not be soiled, and to have them in readiness for use whenever ma and pa may call upon him to be ready to meet some other young lady whose paternal treasury is in a more flourishing condition. If he intended to make any bridal presents, he gathers these up, looks at the bouquet in his button-hole, which won't keep for another occasion, with sadness as so much money lost, and follows his parents home, stopping on the way to witness some one of the ever- recurring fetes, and to take a cream at one of the boulevard caf6s. OMITTING THE CEREMONY. "With all these obstructions to overcome, it is scarcely to be wondered at that so many young French people " omit the ceremony,'- especially when the heart has something to do with the matter. To carry out all the provisions of the law, AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 167 and to be married in due form, is also a very expensive undertaking;, which neither party may have the means to meet. The mayors and other oflBcials all receive fees, and it requires both time and money to get all the certificates that are required properly signed, and sealed, and attested by the official authorities. There are also preliminary Church ceremonies to go through with, which combine to make matrimony not only a very serious mat- ter, but one that is very troublesome and very expensive. It must be a bold young man who would undertake to go through them without a heavy money considera- tion, and if there is any heart in the mat- ter, and no money, they have neither the time, money, nor patience to conform to the provisions of the law. Where there is heart in the matter, and parents refuse their consent, they often "jump the cere- mony," and, if love holds out, they have the ceremony performed after they at- tain legal age, which legitimatizes the children, provided they were, before the marriage, recognized by the father in an authentic manner, as in the register of births, or by declaration before a notary, or even in the marriage-act itself. If love does not hold out, they separate, and the wife becomes a grisette of the Latin Quarter, or a dancing temptress at the Ma- bille Garden or the Chateau Rouge, her children going to the Foundling Hospital. Whilst living together, the parents tempt their son with offers of beauty and dowry to abandon her, and generally succeed, though sometimes love and attachment are too strong to yield to the tempter. SOCIAL DEGRADATIONS. Where the legal obstructions and the Expenses of the marriage ceremony are so great, there is little or no social degrada- tion accompanying the total disregard of it. To condemn many who " omit the ceremony,^' would be to crush human instincts ; for these associations are prob- ably the only ones in France that the heart has much lot or part in before their consummation. Every man and woman feels that the parties have done precisely as he or she would have done under all the circumstances. If they continue to live together in good faith, and subsequently marry as a means of legitimatizing their children, they are more entitled to re- spect than if they had been lawfully mar- ried, or rather sold for a price by their parents. Although there is no opportu- nity for love before marriage in all these I money-marriages, it does not follow that J love does not come after marriage. In- deed, the advocates of the French mat- rimonial law contend that happy unions are more likely to follow these business transactions than if the parties had al- ready gone through the courting pro- cess, with all its lovers' quarrels and its close intimacies. They also contend that young people are incapable of judging for themselves, and that they have no right to bring into their circle parties who may be objectionable to the heads of their respective families. They do not look to the evils resulting from these matrimonial obstructions among the poorer classes of the community, nor do they at the same time put any mark of degradation upon them. ANOTHER KIND OF AGENCY. These agencies being a necessity under the French law governing marriages, they have of course given rise to another class of agencies, equally numerous, which contemplate association at the will of the parties without marriage. They are not conducted so openly as to matri- monial agency, and the dark side of the contract is kept out of sight. A young man who has rented a room, desiring a companion of the opposite sex to take care of his clothing, make his coffee for him in the morning, and tuck him in at night, and, in fact, to be his servant, ap- plies to these agencies ; or a girl desiring to be thus provided for applies for a place, just as a servant-girl in America goes and records her name at an intelligence-office. To properly appreciate this condition of affairs, it must be remembered that here in Paris there are thirty to forty thousand soldiers, who are prohibited under any circumstances from marrying during the four years of their service ; that there are fifty thousand young men who have not the means of marrying or paying the ex- penses of the ceremony, and never will be able to accomplish either; and that there are a still larger number who are awaiting the decision of father and mother as to their marital destiny. These young people, especially those of the poorer classes, have been raised without the re- motest thought or expectation of ever being married. Their mothers and fathers before them w^ere never married, and they have been raised as waifs, with few family ties and influences. They see the friends and associates of their infancy taking this anomalous position in life, and they fall into it also, without a thought that they are doing otherwise than what the 168 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH good Lord intended them to do. Still, this is a country in which the Church and the State are united, and the Church makes no effort to remedy this great so- cial evil. These men and women attend church with more regularity than those who have had the sanction and ceremo- nies of the Church, and have no reason to believe that they are not leading blameless lives ; at least, they are never told to the contrary. The Church un- doubtedly winks at the evil, probably having come to the conclusion that the necessity for standing armies, and the en- forcement of the matrimonial laws, ren- der the grisette a necessary evil, and that it would evince a lack of patriotism on the part of the priesthood if they were to attempt to have the laws of God respected and enforced among the poorer classes. It may be regarded as an open question whether, in view of the condition of so- ciety that exists in Paris, these establish- ments are not quite as necessary as the matrimonial agency. ENGLISH AND AMERICAN TRAVELERS. ~'Our English cousiifs from across the Channel who are traveling on the Conti- nent have just vented their grievances against American tourists in a very able article in the Saturday Review. They say that the Americans are demoralizing ho^, tel-keepers, servants, beggars, and the whole host of people with whom they come in contact, to such an extent that the plain English traveler, with limited means, is invariably snubbed and given poor quarters and attention wherever Americans are abundant. Americans are charged with coming to Europe to run hastily over the Continent, limited in time, but unlimited in means, and that they de- mand the best rooms, the best attendance, are lavish in their fees to servants, and never dispute the landlords' bills. This is all very true ; but Brother Bull must remember that most Americans don't understand the language, and could not dispute the bills if they M'ere so disposed, as it would require something more than linguistic knowledge to read and under- stand any part of most of the bills except the figures at the end of the lines, and the grand total. We remember having sub- mitted a bill which we paid at Dresden to a good German scholar, and he could not decipher one charge in a dozen on the long list of items covering two foolscap pages. How was it possible for an American to dispute such a bill, especially if he had no words at command to vent his indigna- tion, and only ten minutea left to reach the depot and catch the departing train when he received his bill ? Then, again, to the American tourist " time is money,'' and he would rather part with his money than waste time in quarreling over a few florins or lose his temper when he is on a pleasure-trip. Then, as to the servants, the American feels a commiseration for these poor devils, who receive no wages from the landlord. He charges heavily in the bills for "service," but puts it all in his own pocket. The American feels, with respect to these servants, that he is doing a charitable act when he makes them happy with a few florins and pays them for service to himself and family for which they would otherwise go unpaid. It is a part of his enjoyment of travel to do a little good as he goes along through the Old World. But there is no place in Eu- rope where the American is so systemat- ically fleeced as in London. , This is the experience of every Amierican that we have met with. In Paris the charges are high, but not so high as in London, and here the American gets good food and good attendance, neither of which can be had in London. The London Times^ whilst denouncing the extortions of Vi- enna, ought to look to the condition of affairs at its own doors, which are equally bad. Good beds, without bugs, can be iiad in Paris and Vienna, but we have never been able to find them in London. And as to the begging of servants, Lon- don is ahead of the Continent. If a ser- vant in a London hotel is asked the simplest question, he expects to be paid for his answer, and everybody about the building is watching and waiting for an opportunity to put in his claim, Ameri- cans who travel in Europe are used to good living and good attendance when they travel at home, and they are willing to pay something extra for the best they can get when away from home. AMENITIES OF TRAVEL. The Saturday Review is correct when it says that the American and Englishman do not assimilate when traveling. Al- though in the same section of a car or on the same boat on one of the lakes, they seldom exchange a word, and never unless the American breaks the ice. Their an- swers to questions are in monosyllables, and the questioner feels as if he were being snubbed for having asked them. After one or two attempts of this kind, the American feels more disposed to at- tempt to commence conversation by signs AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 169 and motions with a Turk than to make an effort to open any social intercourse with the Englishman who may be sitting on the other side of him. The fact is that Jolin Bull is a surly and suspicious character. He thinks that every man who approaches him without an intro- duction has some evil intentions, and at once becomes so watchful that he is as dumb as an oyster. In a good deal of experience in Continental traveling we have never known an Englishman to commence or invite a conversation, al- though we have met with some who have ultimately proved very pleasant and agreeable traveling companions. But this money-question is the one that is in- variably predominant in their minds. They always pant to know how it is that so many Americans are able to bring their whole families to Europe and spend money so lavishly ; how it is possible for us to go on so rapidly in the payment of our national debt, etc. The natural and only answers that can be given to these questions they set down as American gasconade, American boasting and exag- geration. It thus often happens that what might otherwise have been a pleas- ant traveling acquaintance ends with ill-feeling, and th6 American resolves in future to stand aloof from all intercourse with Englishmen. During five months' travel, we have exchanged words with but one Englishman, and he was intro- duced to us by a Hungarian. DUVAL'S " BOUCHERIE." We never pass this magnificent estab- lishment, right in the heart of the city, within a stone's throw of the Madeleine, on the corner of one of the most central of the boulevards, without conjuring up the ghosts of Colonel Mabe Turner, Ster- ling Thomas, Marcus Wolfe, Harry Kim- berly, and a host of the departed Balti- more butchers, who years ago fought so energetically to induce the City Council to prevent the sale of meat from the pro- vision stores. We remember that we dif- fered with them as to the propriety of their proposed action, and we think they all lived to admit that they were wrong. But we would like them to be here, in spirit at least, to take a stroll through the boulevards, and to stand with us, as we do almost daily, and view the internal arrangements of this "boucherie," and the stirring scene always in progress within its precincts. The establishment fronts about one hundred feet on Rue Neuve des Mathurins, and about sixty feet on the Boulevard Tronchet. There is but one door for entrance and exit, but nearly the entire of its combined front is of iron bars, making it virtually open to the street in warm weather, though there are inside sashes which can be closed in winter. Directly opposite the entrance is an elegant white-marble inclosure, be- hind which sit two clerks, one a very handsome and elegantly-dressed lady, who handles all the money, and the other a spruce young Frenchman, who makes the entries. There is another smaller elabo- rately-ornamented desk at the left side of the door, at which another clerk takes note of all the cards that are passed up to be settled. Between these two desks there is a variegated-marble fountain, in the basin of which tripe and calves' heads are kept for sale. The walls of the " boucherie" are faced with white marble, and all the tables are of white marble, with ornamental iron legs finely gilded. On the racks on the walls the cattle are suspended in quarters, and are dressed with all the care that our butchers some- times bestow on show-beef. We counted yesterday morning thirty quarters of beef, fifteen calves, and forty sheep, hanging up whole, besides the cut meat that was on the blocks and tables. The salesmen in their neat white dresses — fully twenty in number — were waiting on their customers, and all kept busy. The Parisian never buys his meat until he is ready to cook it: hence the necessity of these establishments, which are to be found, to the number of nine hundred, in all sections of the city, though we have seen none that will compare in extent with Duval's "Boucherie." Everything is kept scrupulously sweet and clean. The hooks upon which the meat is sus- pended are of polished ste^J, and are always kept polished. The floors are sprinkled with clean sawdust, and bear the evidence of being daily scrubbed, and, what is most singular, even in this Au- gust weather scarcely a fly could be seen within its precincts. The strangers in the city invariably stop as they pass, and regard it as an appetizing curiosity, keeping in remembrance the numerous unsavory establishments of a somewhat similar character at home. There does not appear to be a market anywhere in Paris in which meat is sold, though there are poultry-markets, flower-markets, fruit- markets, grape-markets, and vegetable- markets in abundance. The butcher transacts his business at home or in rented -which is much more convenient to 170 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH the people, and probably equally profit- able to himself. He buys his cattle, but has nothing to do with its killing or dress- ing for the market. We have something to learn from Paris in this respect before Baltimore gets rid of the droves of cattle passing through the streets, and the naus- eous smells in the vicinity of slaughter- houses. The window-sills of this " boucherie," and indeed of nearly all similar establish- ments, are always ornamented with flow- ers and rare exotics in full bloom. In the pork department, across the ceilings are iron racks, upon which hams and tongues are suspended, the hooks of which are kept clean and bright. There are rooms in the rear in which the meat is cut up, and in which a reserve supply is kept to be brought forward when de- sired. Calves are seldom slaughtered until they are five or six months old, and the veal of Paris is of a very superior quality. HORSE-BUTCHERIES. In some sections of Paris the butcher- ies keep for sale horse-meat, which is sold at about one-half the price of beef, and is extensively used by the poor. When cut up and hanging on the shambles, sit is difficult for the inexperienced to tell it from beef, and when tolerably young it is said by those who use it to be equally tender and palatable. It is preferred to the meat of old cows and bulls, with which our army was so extensively fed by some of the contractors during " the late unpleasantness." The abattoir or place of slaughter for horses is at the village of Les Vertes, where about twenty thousand horses are slaughtered per an- num, and the meat sent to Paris. Before the late siege, horses were worked to death ; but now when they cease to be active they are sold to the butchers, who fatten and kill them. A dead horse is worth nothing, but a live horse has his price, although he may be good for noth- ing else but the tender mercy of the butcher. Horses in Paris have heavy loads to draw, and if used in omnibuses or carriages must be able to travel fast. When incompetent to meet either of these requirements, a horse soon finds his way to the village of Les Vertes. A NEW CLASS OF EMIGRANTS. A throng of emigrants passed through Paris yesterday on their way to xVmerica, which is but the commencement of a more extended emigration of the same character. They consisted of fifty nuns and Sisters of Charity, from the old de- partments of Ilaut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin. There is undoubtedly a superabundance of these good people in all parts of France, and they can supply the world with all they want of them, without suf- fering in the least on account of their absence. An immense number of priests, of the Jesuit Order, who have been ex- pelled from Germany, are also taking passage for America. It is hard to say Avhat the Old World would do with all its supernumeraries if it had not America to ship them off" to. We have always imagined priests and soldiers to be the pests of Europe, eating up the substance of the people and producing nothing. It is to be hoped that these emigrants will try and make themselves useful in America. EXEMPTION FROM FIRES. The great fires we are constantly having in the United States give to Europeans a very poor idea of the construction of our great cities. The outcry against the man- sard roofs, as the cause of these great con- flagrations, is amusing to the people of Paris, where almost every house is con- structed with that appendage, and none but the public buildings have iron super- structures to them. Fires in Paris are always confined to the building in which they originate, and if they commence in the lower part of the building they sel- dom reach the mansard roofs. The fact is, these houses are not built to be burned, but to stand until time and the spirit of improvement call for their demolition. In the more modern buildings iron is substituted for wood, inside and outside, and it takes a long time for a fire to get under way to such an extent that it cannot be extinguished with buckets. Even the lattice window-shutters are now made of iron, and they are so simple in their con- struction that they are cheaper than the ordinary wooden shutters. They are of one solid piece of sheet-iron, and the lat- tice portion of an entire window is made by machinery at the rate of one per min- ute, by being run under a roller, which cuts and presses them into shape. In the whole city of Paris there is but one steam fire-engine, and it is so seldom required that it is periodically put in motion, to be sure that it is always in order. We have now been four weeks in Paris, and there has not been in that time even an alarm of fire, and we see no notices ic the papers of any conflagrations. When it is borne in mind that the population is AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 171 more than six times as laro;e as that of Baltimore, some idea may be formed of the general exemption. The houses here are packed more closely together than they are with us, and extend some twenty or thirty feet on an average higher up in the air than ours do. There are also from six to a dozen or more families in every house, which of itself would seem to render them more liable to accidental combustion. The stairs and balusters are required to be constructed of stone and iron, and the lower floors are generally arched and laid in cement. The law is peremptory as to the manner of construc- tion, but, instead of attempting to evade the law, builders contrive in every way to make their buildings more thoroughly fire-proof. Board-yards and packing-box factories are never allowed to be in con- tiguity t) thickly-settled neighborhoods, and hence when such tinder-boxes take fire they burn out without damaging any one but themselves. The firemen of Paris, called " sapeurs pompiers," consisting of a regiment of two thousand men, are organized on a military footing, and under the orders of the AVar Department, but in case of fire they obey the orders of the Prefect of Police. A portion are on duty every evening at the theatres. They are effi- cient as soldiers no less than as active firemen, and are carefully drilled and trained in gymnastics. Medals are an- nually awarded to such as have distin- guished themselves by their exertions and good conduct. The annual cost of the force is five hundred and seventy-five thou- sand three hundred and ninety francs, or about one hundred and twenty thou- sand dollars. The incendiary fires of the Commune in no case spread farther than the struc- tures in which the flames originated. The Communists did their best to destroy all the central portion of Paris, and with any American city would have succeeded. Tiiey had no combustible buildings to work with, no tinder-boxes in the heart of blocks, and the flames were generally extinguished as rapidly as they were ig- nited, by the residents of the neighbor- hoods. A MYSTERIOUS WORK OF ART. There is now exhibiting in Paris one of the most startling works of genius and art that we have ever witnessed. It is a diorama of the siege of Paris, and all Paris is running wild to view it. There is some species of optical illusion in con- nection with it, that no one seems able to understand. Although a painting, it so closely resembles nature that on suddenly entering the hall the spectator is bewil- dered, and invariably complains of diz- ziness as his eye scans the intervening scenes and the distant horizon presented to view. Of course, as we could not understand, we cannot describe, and we scarcely expect the reader to believe that it was difficult to realize that we were not standing on a lofty eminence between the lines of the contending armies, view- ing the progress of the siege. The build- ing in which the diorama is exhibited is circular, and about three hundred feet in diameter, with a glass dome. On enter- ing it the visitor passes along a rather dark passage to what seems the centre of the building, and then proceeds up a circular series of stone steps, about forty in number, and finds himself on a circu- lar platform on the top of a veritable hill of earth, strewn with cannon-balls and shell, the object of the artist being to place the spectator in the Fort of Issy, surrounded on every side by the incidents of the siege, with the city of Paris, and its monuments, domes, and steeples, in the distance. By close examination it could be discovered that the nearer earth- works of the picture, and even some of the cannon, for a distance of fifty or sixty feet from the edge of the platform, were veritable earth, and undoubted cannon, and real willow gabions and sand-bags ; but the exact spot where the substantials ended and the canvas began was not so easily detected. The reader must take our word for it that, as we stood on the platform, representing an elevatqd posi- tion on one of the bastions of Fort Issy, it appeared to the mortal vision of all of us just as if we were there in reality in the midst of the siege. We could scarcely believe we were inside of a building, as nature was so closely imitated that it seemed as if the vision embraced every tree and hillock up to Fortress Mont Va- lerien, eight or ten miles distant. The horizon was perfect all around the circle, and there was nothing to indicate that we were not out in the open air, ex- cept a circular canvas, suspended as if from the clouds, high up over our heads, and nothing visible anywhere to indicate that we were in reality inside of a build- ing, viewing a painting. The whole seems to be a piece of legerdemain in art that has never been attempted before. When we came out of the building we involun- tarily turned around and measured its 172 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH size with our eyes, in a vain attempt to unravel its mystery. HOW PARIS IS PAINTED. It would astonish some of our old house-painters of Baltimore if they could witness the manner in which the painters of Paris climb over the fronts of these six- and seven-story houses and paint them from roof to door-sill without the use of ladder, scaffold, or any other wooden contrivance, either for themselves or their paint-pots. One man, without assistance of any kind, can paint the en- tire front of one of these tall houses in two or three days. Directly opposite our quarters, a six-story buildincr, fronting about eighty feet, is undergoing a com- plete renovation, and the painting of the entire walls has been accomplished by two youths, apparently not over nine- teen years of age. They are each pro- vided with a rope about an inch in di- ameter, extending from the apex of the roof to the pavement, on which knots, one foot apart, are made throughout its entire length. By means of an appa- ratus with straps, clamps, and hooks, to which is appended a board on which they sit, and stirrups to rest the feet in, which are strapped to their legs, they move up and down the rope with great rapidity and apparent ease. They move the clamps from knot to knot, and with- out changing the position of the rope are enabled to paint about six feet on either side of them. Their smaller brushes are stuck in little loops appended to the seat, and the paint-pot is suspended by a smaller rope, on which it is fastened by a spring of some kind, and is raised or lowered with ease as they may desire. Long practice has given them great agility, and they move up or down, and pirouette and oscillate along the front, with a great deal more ease than if they were on ladders. They use brushes for most of their painting nearly double the size of those used in America, and make rapid progress with their work. House- painting in Paris is a very extensive business, as a periodical renovation of the houses is rendered imperative by law, no one being allowed to disfigure a neighborhood by presenting stained and darkened walls. The houses being all built of a soft cream-colored sandstone, many of the finer structures, instead of being painted, are re-dressed~by the stone- cutter, and come out, after undergoing the process of scraping and scrubbing, as if fresh from the quarry. In alluding to the amount of work these lads perform in a day, it should be understood that they commence work at six o'clock in the morning and stop at seven o'clock in the evening, twelve hours being a day's work among the mechanics in Paris. GOVERNMENT OF PARIS. It may be of interest to our City Fathers to know in what way the means for car- rying on the expensive city government of Paris are obtained. Everything that is brought into Paris in the shape of food for sale must pay an octroi, or entrance- duty, at the gates of the city, or, if by boats, at the wharf before it is landed. The receipts from this source last year amounted to 102,286,000 francs, or $20,448,000 •, market-dues, $2,000,000 5 weights and measures, $21,020 ; supply of water, $1,028,000; slaughter-houses, $000,000 ; rents of stands on the public ways, $90,060 5 dues on burials, $140,000 5 sales of lands in cemeteries, $139,000 ; taxes for paving, lighting, etc., $2,100,000; trade-licenses, $3,500,000 ; dog-tax, $90,- 000 ; sale of night-soil, $132,000 : total receipts, $39,556,410. Among the items of expenditure are, interest of debt and sinking-fund, $9,- 214,000 ; expenses of collections, salaries, etc., $1,689,000; primary institutions, $1,100,000 ; public worship, $36,000 ; na- tional guard and military service, $576,- 300 ; repairs of public buildings, $346,000 ; assistance to the poor, including hospitals, $4,469,200 ; promenades and works of art, $653,340 ; public schools, $123,200 •, pub- lic festivals, $152,000 ; the police depart- ment, $3,124,000 5 new public works, $4,924,000; lighting streets, $783,200: total expenses, $39,416,000. It will thus be seen that, notwithstand- ing the tribulations through which Paris has passed, she spent last year nearly $5,000,000 on new public improvements, whilst the receipts exceeded the whole expenses of the city by nearly $150,000. Poor Baltimore, with its "rings" and political hunkers, spends literally nothing on public improvements, and runs deeper in debt every year. The city government of Paris is a model for the world, and if we must continue to keep the incompe- tents in control, do send them over here to learn something. BUSINESS OF PARIS. The stranger visiting Paris is aston- ished at the vast number of stores and places of business which line every street, even the narrow thoroughfares in the old AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 173 purtions of the city. Every house, ahnost, has a store in its lower story, and thou- sands of them are occupied for business purposes up to the second and third stories. On the new boulevards many of these stores are empty, and for rent, but they are all expected to be occupied sooner or later. The wholesale establish- ments are - servance of Sunday, though it is apparent that the only stores that are closed are those that would not be likely to do much business on Sunday if they were open. A great many hat-stores were open, and some glove-stores, with a few jewelry- establishments. A volunteer military com- pany, with a full band, also passed along the Toledo just as the people were leaving the churches. THE NEAPOLITAN LADIES. The better classes of the ladies of Naples never walk on the streets, except to and from the church on Sunday ; the only promenade they enjoy being on their house-tops, where plants are cultivated and vines trailed upon arbors. Conse- quently, we had an excellent opportunity to see a large number of them during our walk to-day. We do not know when we have seen so many well-dressed ladies. They were dressed with exquisite taste, in light gossamer materials, all gaudy inter- mixture of colors being avoided, and we particularly noticed that not a single trailing dress was visible. Trails are worn here only in-doors, or whilst riding ; never on the streets, except by the lower classes and by those who make no claims to respectability. The younger ladies here are undoubtedly handsome, most of them brunettes, though we passed many decided blondes. They wear very little jewelry on the streets except diamonds, and, although this is the great depot for coral jewelry, there was not a single set visible. It would be difi&cult to meet with finer-dressed gentlemen than w^ere accompanying the ladies, and their chil- dren were arrayed in the same cool and light material as their mothers and sisters wore. AN EVENING DRIVE. Desirous of seeing as much as possible of the people of Naples on Sunday, we started in the afternoon for a drive, and soon found ourselves on the Chiaja in a double line of carriages, one passing up and the other down in regular review, in which were all the finest establishments in Naples, including a good many that were anything else but fine. They moved steadily on, presenting a democratic equality quite unexpected in this old capital of the defunct Bourbon dynasty. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 195 The display of liveried footmen and finely- dressed ladies was very large, whilst all the young bloods of the city were out with their fast horses. The fashionable drive appears to be a circle of the city formed by the Strada Toledo, the Chiaja, and the Palazzo, by which a course of a mile is obtained on the line of the bay. Most of the streets are so narrow, and the throng of pedestrians so great, constantly press- ing on the carriage-ways, that the scene presented was quite exciting. Later in the evening, after the more stately car- riages had withdrawn, the young bloods of all degrees took possession of the drive, and the crack of whips and the yells of the drivers indicated some spir- ited contests on the Chiaja in front of our hotel. All classes able to procure ve- hicles took part in this review, which we learn is repeated every Sunday afternoon, weather permitting. NEAPOLITAN SCRAPS. The scenes we witnessed to-day all in- dicated that the people of Naples are bent on enjoying life and seem to be a good- hearted and kindly-disposed people. The number of street-beggars is in a great measure the fault of the people, as an appeal is seldom made to them in vain. The sums they give are small, but they toss them coppers as they walk or ride past them, especially on Sundays, with- out waiting for an appeal. The number of priests, monks, and friars on the streets is very great. They are in a variety of dresses, and we ob- served many riding in carriages on the grand promenade this afternoon. A very black man, apparently about thirty years of age, passed us arrayed in a monk's dress of thick, heavy, brown serge, with a rope around his waist, and bareheaded, with sandals on his feet. He was walk- ing with a brother of the same order. The weather here is warm, but not what we would call oppressive at home. Our rooms are within fifty feet of the bay, and we have a delightful breeze all day, whilst at night we sleep very comfortably with closed windows. If it were not for the fleas, which are very annoying to the ladies, our sojourn would be very pleas- ant. There is but one of the party, and he an inveterate smoker, whom they seem to shun. If they happen to alight upon him they soon jump off again, without making any depredations. This will be comforting to smokers who propose to visit Italy. The tramp of companies and regiments of soldiers is constant, and the police of the city weaj" military uniforms, carrying a sword in daytime, and both rifle and sword at night. There is evidently great military activity throughout Italy, and the drilling of recruits was going on as we passed through both Genoa and Leghorn. Sunday in Naples is regarded as a holi- day, and we learn that all who are re- quired to work upon that day are entitled to demand increased pay, the same as on all other holidays. City op Naples, July, 1873. HAPPINESS OF THE PEOPLE. Naples is full of life and animation. It is stirring, bright and beautiful on its principal thoroughfares, and even the denizens of its narrow alleys, with their tall houses, seem to think that they are in a paradise of bliss. The variety of smells that pervade these cracks of the city (which are not more than twelve feet wide, six of which are taken up by the women and children, who mostly live on the streets) may possibly be calculated to conduce to a happy state of mind. They look happy, talk happy, and are a jovial people, in all grades of life, from the lazzaroni to the prince. It is difficult to conceive what makes some of them happy, but that they are gloriously happy no one who has spent a few days in Naples will undertake to dispute. In these contracted quarters one-half of the day is spent by the females in catching and killing fleas off themselves or their children, and whilst engaged in this de- lectable pursuit they will go on laughing and talking as if it were the most delight- ful employment that could possibly be undertaken. To be sure, we are here in the season of the year in which these pests are most numerous and active, but the old residents have become so accus- tomed to them that they scarcely notice them, and go through the operation of catching and killing without apparently knowing that they are engaged in what would be regarded as a terrible infliction by the rest of mankind. Our waiter to- day assured us that we were suffering from mosquito-bites, and actually pro- fessed not to know what a flea was. An American lady told me this morning that she had caught and killed thirty-four on her own person before dinner; and as to bites, it was difficult to find where they were not. Hence we propose to make our stay in Naples very short, and shall soon leave for Kome, though in doing so 196 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH we may probably be getting out of the frying-pan into the fire. VISIT TO THE MUSEUM. We spent most of to-day in the Museum of Pompeiian Curiosities, which are very interesting, but would be more so if there was a properly-prepared catalogue of the various articles for the use of visitors, who are necessarily compelled to make a hasty examination. The collection of articles taken from the ruins of Pompeii embraces everything in art that is excel- lent and wonderful, including both statu- ary and paintings, their two thousand years of interment in scoria and ashes having failed to mar their beauty or dim their colors. Some of the paintings taken from the walls of the houses are very lascivious, and some of them decidedly vulgar, but they are executed in a style of art and coloring that can scarcely be equaled at the present day. The statuary and busts are in the highest style of art, most of the latter being evidently likenesses of the prominent men and women of the city of Pompeii. The col- lection of finger-rings, bracelets, neck- laces, and ornaments for the hair is very extensive, all of pure gold, and the en- graved seals and cornelians are finely ex- ecuted. Then there are wheat, corn, and even loaves of bread found in an oven, black but in good shape, and every variety of pots and kettles that were used for culi- nary purposes. A large number of artists were engaged in making copies of the paintings, whilst others were making drawings of scroll-work and metal tables and urns, to have them reproduced, the models being superior to anything of the present age. Admission to the museum was formerly free, but the custodians managed to get two or three fees out of each visitor. Now the price of admission is one franc, and visitors are admonished to give the custodians nothing, and the custodians are commanded to receive nothing, under pain of dismissal. SHOPPING IN NAPLES, We spent our time yesterday in a gen- eral exploration of the city, whilst the ladies were engaged in the genial and pleasing occupation of shopping. They returned well versed in the value of kid gloves, coral jewelry, lava, amethysts, and cameos. They found these articles all astonishingly cheap. The finest gauntlet kids were but two and a half francs per pair, or about fifty cents, and ordinary party kids with three buttons, of all colors, from thirty to forty cents per pair. Gentlemen's black kids of the finest quality were but forty cents per pair. The ornamental goods were cor- respondingly low. A set of medium light coral jewelry, breastpin and ear-rings, such as would cost from seventy-five dol- lars to one hundred dollars at home, could be had here at from twenty dollars to forty dollars, although prices have greatly ad- vanced within the past few years. A very elegant and elaborate set of coral, consisting of breastpin, ear-rings, bracelet and necklace, was purchased for ninety dollars. So also as to amethysts. Dia- monds were found to be surprisingly low, compared with prices at home, both for solitaires and clusters. The ladies of our party tested thoroughly the question as to whether they were being charged exorbitant prices, that is to say, prices in advance of what would be charged native purchasers, and found that charges were fixed, and that the dealerswould not deviate one franc, even in articles valued at from fourteen to fifteen hundred francs. All they asked was that the ladies would come back again if not suited elsewhere, with the assurance that nobody in Naples could or would sell goods cheaper than they had offered them. On thoroughly searching the city it was found that such was the case. Hence the conclusion is that the dealers of Naples do not take ad- vantage of strangers, but have fixed prices for their goods, from which they cannot be induced to deviate. won't go home till morning. The streets of Naples show as much life and activity in daytime as those of Paris, and with the exception of one hour during the night, from half-past two to half-past three, the same moving pano- rama is to be witnessed. Carriages and vehicles are running all night, and the merry peals of laughter and cracking of whips during the small hours show that their occupants are seeking pleasure and enjoyment. When one class goes to bed the other gets up, and the clatter of don- keys, with an occasional bray, and the loud shouts of the drivers, keep up a per- petual din until the break of day, when the cries of the vendors of vegetables and fruits are added to the din. An hour later, and all the garrisons of the city, in- cluding the awkward squads, are marched down to the solid stone pavement lining the sea-wall of the bay, and here they are drilled until breakfast-time, their steady AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 197 tramp as they march and countermarch directly under our windows being not in the least calculated to soothe to balmy sleep. The signs of a military govern- ment are everywhere visible, even the police being well-drilled men, armed with swords in daytime and a rifle by night. They are mostly very young men, but move about with a soldierly bearing that could only be acquired from active service. When a stranger drops suddenly into an Italian community where all the active pursuits of life are in full progress, he imagines from the violent gesticulations and loud emphatic language that a gene- ral quarrel is in progress. Nothing could, however, do them more injustice than such an opinion. It is only their emphatic and earnest manner of expression that gives ground for the impression. Certain it is that a more orderly city than Naples we have not recently visited. The incident of two boys fighting in the street quickly brought around them a crowd of gentle- men to separate and pacify them. FRUITS OF NAPLES. There is evidently an abundance of fruits of excellent quality in the neigh- borhood of Naples, and, although the season is just commencing, they can be obtained jfrom the fruit-stands at very reasonable prices. Good pears cost ten cents a dozen, and quite large and lus- cious peaches, equal to those at home, cost twenty-five cents per dozen. At Mar- seilles we were charged for six peaches furnished at breakfast the enormous price of fifteen francs, — about three dollars in our money. Plums and greengages are very cheap and abundant, and of unusual size. The green figs are very large, but are not as palatable as those of Georgia and South Carolina. Most of the sale of fruits and vegetables by retail, as in Paris, is done by street-peddlers, princi- pally women. It seems like home to get where fruit is again plenty. There are also cantaloupes in the markets, looking very much like those of America, though not so palatable. The plums and green- gages are of the largest size, and are entirely free from worms. Cherries are about the size of our damsons, and very firm and luxurious. Peas, beans, lettuce, radishes, and all the garden vegetables grow to perfection here, and cucumbers attain fully twelve inches in length. HOW THE BABIES ARE NURSED. The ladies are terribly shocked at the apparent cruel treatment of babies,though, as far as we can observe, they are about as happy as most babies of other coun- tries. They are apparently strapped to boards, and wound up in sheets and band- ages, so as to look like little mummies. Their limbs, and indeed their whole bodies, from chin to toes, are covered up and pinned, leaving only their arms loose, and in some cases these seem to come in for a share of the general wrapping. Whether the object is to make them grow straight and erect, or to keep the fleas from getting access to their tender bodies, it is difficult to say, but the practice seems to be universal with all classes. How they are kept clean under such treatment is the question to be solved ; but most of the people here seem to have a difierent idea of cleanliness from the rest of mankind. Among the lower classes the babies, so soon as they can walk, are apparently turned loose to take care of themselves. In passing through the narrow streets, numbers of them can be seen toddling about with no one to look after them, their skin so grimed with dirt and filth that one can scarcely determine their original color. Other infants were in charge of children of slightly advanced age. By the time chil- dren reach eight years, they are put at work driving donkeys, carrying water, etc. The only attention the parents seem to give to the children, or at least all that we have yet discovered, is an oc- casional examination of their little bodies, the operation being interspersed by an occasional picking off of something which receives a mysterious twist between the thumb and forefinger and is then cast upon the ground. It seems to us that a Yankee baby would not stand such treatment as these Neapolitan brothers and sisters bear with equanimity and apparent satisfaction. Perhaps they have the best of it — ^who knows? THE FAITHFUL DONKEY. What would Naples do without its donkeys? This is a question that in- trudes itself every time we look out of the window or perambulate its streets. The little donkev is not much larger than a Newfoundland dog, but he is all muscle, and exhibits much strength and endur- ance. He can carry on his back as much as an ordinary horse, and then take on top of his load both his master and mis- tress, and, if necessary, the children of the household. He seems never to be over- loaded. No matter how much he " is 198 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH beaten, he maintains his spirits and good nature, and will bray as loud as an ele- phant at every donkey acquaintance that may pass him. Every household has its donkey, and no household would know how to get along in the world without its donkey. Every youngster of good family has his donkey for saddle-pur- poses, and every huckster has his donkey for doing all the carrying that he may require. We see almost as many donkeys as men on the streets ; hence we ask, what would Naples do without its donkeys ? Naples, July, 1873. \ We will now proceed to narrate our visit to Pompeii, which, like Mount Vesu- vius, far exceeded our anticipations in all its characteristics. We expected to meet w^ith nothing in Pompeii that would as- tonish or particularly interest us ; but it soon became evident that in grandeur and magnificence the buried city rivaled that of Kome, which was contemporaneously destroyed by the violence of man. We took an early breakfast, and our party, comprising six, started at eight o'clock in a large carriage, which we had engaged for three and a half piastres for the entire day, it being the standing rule of all travelers to offer just half the price charged, though sometimes it is prudent to persist on paying only about one-fourth of the original demand. We proceeded at a brisk pace around the head of the bay, passing through the suburbs of Na- ples, the towns of Pasagno, Portici, Re- sina, Favorita, Torre del Greco, Rossi, and Torre dell' Annunziata, to the gates of Pompeii, in the rear of Vesuvius, a dis- tance of fourteen miles, which was accom- plished in about two hours. The whole of this route through these towns, most of them being situated on the base and sides of Vesuvius, was like pass- ing through a continuous street of Naples, paved all the way, and all connecting with each other so closely that without a pre- vious study of the locality the change of corporate limits could not be discerned. The road coasts the eastern shore of the bay to the right, with Vesuvius to the left ; but it is so completely shut out from the sea by the dead walls of the numerous villas, overgrown palace-gardens, and large unornamented houses, which stretch in an almost unbroken line as far as Torre deir Annunziata, that it has more the character of a long, uninteresting, dusty street than of a high post-road. The crowds of villagers were interesting to loo^ upon, as well as the wine-shops, macaroni-establishments, and other quaint spectacles to the eye of a stranger. EXCAA'-ATIONS OF POMPEII. When we entered the Herculaneum Gate the first sight that met our view was perhaps a hundred boys, from twelve to fifteen years of age, each with baskets of earth upon his shoulders, marching out of the streets of Pompeii. They were engaged in the excavations now progress- ing under direction of government, — sixty thousand lire, or about twelve thousand dollars, being appropriated an- nually for the purpose. Some of the discoveries recently made are very inter- esting, and are being collected in a mu- seum built on the ruins, which we first entered. Here are the fossilized remains of four of the victims of Pompeii, just as they fell in their struggle with death. There are two, supposed to be a mother and daughter, their limbs entwined, both lying on their faces, the daughter's head leaning on her arm, and both having rings on their fingers. A third is that of a large man, believed to have been an African, who was found with a lamp in his hand and a bag of money strapped to his waist, and is supposed to have ])een intent upon plunder when he lost his life. In this museum are also to be found the bones of horses and other domestic ani- mals, as well as the various metal cook- ing and household utensils, earthenware jars, and glass bottles, which have recently been excavated. HOW POMPEII WAS DESTROYED. Pliny the Younger, who was a resident of Pompeii at the time of its destruction, gives an interesting account in his well- known letters to Tacitus, describing the death of his uncle, the elder Pliny, dis- tinguished as a naturalist. He speaks of a cloud of vapor as having been seen over Vesuvius on the afternoon of the 24th of August in the year 79, which he likens in form to a pine-tree, ascending to a vast height and spreading out its branches. There had been for many days before some shocks of an earth- quake, which were not unusual, but they were so particularly violent that night that they not only shook everything, but seemed to threaten total destruction. In the morning the light was exceedingly faint and languid, the buildings all tot- tered, and the people resolved to quit the town. Having got to a considerable dis- tance, they stood still in the midst of a most dangerous and dreadful scene. The AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 199 chariots were so agitated backwards and forwards, though upon the most level ground, that they could not be kept steady even by supporting them with large stones. The sea seemed to roll back upon itself, and to be driven from its banks by the convulsive motion of the earth, leaving several sea-animals on the shore. On the other side a black and dreadful cloud, bursting with an igneous serpentine va- por, darted out a long train of fire, re- sembling flashes of lightning, but much larger. Soon after the cloud seemed to descend and cover the whole ocean. Im- mediately after,darkness overspread them, not like that of a cloudy night or when there is no moon, but of a room when it is shut up and all the lights are extinct. Nothing was to be heard but the shrieks of women, the screams of children, and the cries of men ; some calling for their children, others for their parents, and others for their husbands, and only dis- tinguishing each other by their voices ; one lamenting his own fate, another that of his family ; some wishing to die from the very fear of dying ; some lifting their hands to the gods, but the greater part imagining that the last and eternal night was come which was to destroy the gods and the world together. At length a glimmering light appeared, which they imagined to be rather the forerunner of an approaching burst of flames, as in truth it was, than the return of day. The fire, however, fell at a distance, and they were again immersed in thick darkness, with a heavy shower of ashes raining upon them, which they were obliged to shake off, otherwise they would have been crushed and buried in the heap. At last this dreadful darkness was dissipated by degrees, like a cloud of smoke ; the real day returned, and even the sun appeared, though as under a partial eclipse. Every object which presented itself to their weakened eyes was covered over with white ashes, as with a deep snow. The mountain afterwards threw out deluges of heated water, charged with the dry light ashes which were suspended in the air. This water, as it reached the soil, carried with it in its course the cinders which had fallen, and thus deluged Pompeii with a soft pasty volcanic mud or alluvium, which penetrated into places where neither scoria nor ashes could have reached, and thus completed the work of destruction. This is the substance of the description given by an eye-witness, and is most valuable as affording reliable evidence of the character of the eruption. This eruption also overwhelmed llerculaneum with lava, some of the ruins of which have been discovered about a mile dis- tant. On account of the difficulty of ex- cavating the lava, but one subterranean excavation has been made, exhibiting the interior of two or three houses and tem- ples. STREETS OF POMPEII. Having entered the area of the exca- vated ruins, we were greatly surprised to find them in so excellent a state of pre- servation. We found ourselves walking through long paved streets, just as they were when thronged with inhabitants eighteen centuries ago, with the ruins of rows of houses on both sides, closely built up in every direction. The streets are extremely narrow, and it is clear that not more than one vehicle could pass at a time in any but the principal thorough- fares. They are paved with irregular blocks of lava, closely fitted together, and bordered by a narrow pavement and curb- stone, elevated a foot or more above the carriage-way. The streets are about twelve feet wide, and even the principal thoroughfares are not more than twenty feet in width. Elevated stepping-stones, like those now used in Baltimore, are fre- quently seen in the middle of the streets for the convenience of foot-passengers in time of rain. Stones for mounting horses are also found at the side of the pave- ments, and rings are found in the curbs opposite the principal houses and shops, for fastening the halter. Of the streets that have been excavated, five may be considered as the principal thoroughfares of the city. The sidewalks are of bricks, and occasionally stuccoed. DECORATIONS OF THE HOUSES. The private houses are generally small and low, and deficient in all that would be considered comfort at the present day, though it is evident that the whole space within the walls of the city, which are two miles in circumference, was closely occupied by buildings. The ground- floors of the larger houses were generally occupied as shops. The walls and roof were often decorated with great splendor, and the pavement was always of marble or mosaics. In the centre of the space occupied by the smallest houses there is nearly always to be found a sort of court- yard for garden and flowers. The rooms generally would be considered as closets at the present day, the walls of which are 200 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH covered with rich frescoes and paintings, most of them in excellent preservation, and all evincing a state of gross immor- ality beyond any thing that can be con- ceived in the present age. No houses have, however, yet been discovered which can be regarded as having been the dwell- ings of the poor ; and it remains to be proved by further excavations whether the lower orders were located in a sepa- rate quarter of the city, or whether Pom- })eii was really free from any pauper popu- ation. SHOPS AND THEATRES. The shops were very small, and when first excavated many of them had the names of their owners written over them, mostly in red paint ; others had signs to denote the trade that was carried on in them. Thus, a goat indicated a milk- shop or dairy ; two men carrying a large jug indicated a wine-shop ; two men fighting indicated a gladiatorial school ; a man whipping a boy hoisted on another's back indicated a school-master ; and checkers denoted the door-post of the publican. The houses of bad repute were evidently marked by the authorities with an indelicate carved figure on the curb- stone, probably in order that no one should enter them without a knowledge of their character. The wine-shops seem to have been very numerous, and the marble counters, in which were built up large earthenware jars, each capable of holding nearly as much as a barrel, are still standing in good condition. These counters, with openings through their tops through which to dip up the wine, are generally square, with an open space in the middle, in which the vendor stood to supply his customers. There are two undoubted restaurants or cook-shops, where articles were cooked and sold across the counter. There is also a barber's shop, with a stone block in the centre, on which the Pom- peians sat to be shaved. The theatres and amphitheatres are on a most extensive scale, and are in an excel- lent state of preservation, though none of them are equal to the Coliseum at Rome. The interior of the great amphi- theatre was capable of seating ten thou- sand persons. The part now excavated is about one-fourth of the city, and con- tains two forums, nine temples, two basil- icas, three piazzas, an amphitheatre, two theatres, a prison, several baths, nearly one hundred houses and shops, several villas, a considerable portion of the walls, seven gates, and about a dozen tombs. The tombs are outride of the walls, and are on a scale of great magnificence, the vaults under them having receptacles for urns to hold the ashes of the dead, the mode of burial among the Pompeians having been to burn the bodies and de- posit the ashes in funeral urns. The walls of the city are built of large blocks of lava, evincing fine workmanship. The upper courses, however, have been frequently broken and rudely repaired, showing the effect of breaches, probably from the battering-rams of the enemy. The towers were square, and apparently have been of great height, having doubt- less been overthrown by the earthquakes that preceded the destruction and burial of the city. VILLA OF DIOMEDE. The villa of Diomede, immediately out- side of the walls, judging from the ruins left, must have been a splendid establish- ment, decorated in the highest style of art, and embellished with statuary, paint- ings, fountain, bathing-room, and garden. Beneath the portico, and below the level of the gardens, was the wine-cellar, a long archway, not less than one hundred feet in length, in as perfect a state as when last occupied by its owner. A long row of wine-jars, each about four feet high, now stands in this vault, incrusted in lava against the wall. On the night of the eruption the owner of this splendid mansion appears to have lost the love of kindred in the eagerness to save life, for his skeleton was found, with that of an attendant, near the garden gate, the one still holding in his bony grasp the key of the villa, the other carrying a purse con- taining one hundred gold and silver coins, and some silver vases. While he was thus endeavoring to escape to the sea- shore, the members of his family, whom he had abandoned to their fate, took refuge in the wine-cellar, where seventeen of their skeletons were found near the door, as if they had endeavored to retrace their steps after finding that the place afforded no sufficient shelter from the fiery tem- pest. From the gold bracelets on the necks and arms of nearly all these skele- tons, it would appear that they were mostly females. Two were the skeletons of children, whose skulls still retained some portions of beautiful blonde hair. After they had perished, probably from suffocation, the floor of the cellar was in- undated with a fine alluvium, which hard- ened on the bodies and took casts, not AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 201 only of their forms, but even of the most delicate texture of the linen they wore, and of the jewels which adorned their persons. One cast of a young girl, part of which we saw in the museum, with her skull, possessed exceeding elegance of form ; the neck and breast especially were perfect models of female beauty. " How sadly Qchoing to the stranger's tread These walls respond, like voices from the dead I" We also examined the spot where the skeletons of a mother and three children were found, all closely folded in each others arms, which were decked with gold ornaments, elaborately worked, and enriched with pendent pearls of great value. OTHER RUINS. The ruins of a tavern are quite inter- esting. It has numerous apartments in the rear, which served probably as drink- ing-rooms. as one of the walls contained announcements of the public festivals of the day. The shop itself contained a fur- nace, steps for displaying the glasses, and a marble counter which still exhibits the stains of the liquor and the marks of the glasses ! The figure of Mercury was painted on various parts of the house, and some of the walls are covered with proper names, scratched by the customers upon the plastering, which covered other names of previous scribblers. The house of the surgeon was found well supplied with surgical instruments, of forty different varieties. The public bake-house was also examined with great interest. It has four stone mills in it. The oven stands in a perfect condition still, and is precisely after the fashion of the ovens of bakers of the present day. It had, when opened, fuel in it, apparently just ready for lighting. HOUSE OF SALLUST. The house of Sallust was no doubt one of the most magnificent of the private resi- dences within the walls. It seems to have had attached to it a real prototype of the Oriental harem, every part of it being most elaborately decorated. In the adjoining room was found the skeleton of a young female, supposed to be that of the fair being who was enshrined in this retreat with so much privacy and mag- nificence. She had four rings on one of her fingers, set with engraved stones ; fine gold bracelets, two ear-rings, and thirty- two pieces of money were lying near her. Close at hand were found the skeletons of three other females, supposed to have been her slaves. The public baths are very fine and still in an excellent state of preservation. One has a vaulted ceiling, richly painted red and blue, with a cold-water basin of white marble in the centre, twelve feet ten inches in diameter and two feet nine inches deep. The warm bath is entered from the disrobing-room, and nearly cor- responds with it in size. There is also a vapor bath, the walls and chambers being constructed hollow, so as to allow the steam to circulate freely from the fur- naces. The women's baths are at the other side of the furnaces, and are ar- ranged and decorated in the same manner as those for the men. No less than five hundred stone lamps were found in one corridor of this establishment. THE FORUM. The Forum is a spacious and imposing spot, surrounded by the Temple of Jupi- ter, the Temple of Venus, and the Senate Chamber. It was ornamented on three sides by a broad colonnade of Grecian- Doric architecture. The Senate Chamber, or Basilica, was two hundred and twenty feet long and eighty feet broad, and in a vault under its stairway, used for prisoners during the progress of trial, were found two skeletons with their ankles manacled. The Pantheon had also evidently been a most elegant structure, it having been used as a residence for the Augustales, as well as for religious purposes. The ruins of the House of Venus and Mars are distinguished for a famous well of pure water, said to possess great min- eral qualities, one hundred and twenty feet deep, not at all affected by the changes it has undergone. TEMPLE OF ISIS, That which attracted our attention most was the famous Temple of Isis. The court presents all the arrangements for that worship. In one end is the sacred well of lustral purification, to which there was a descent by steps. Near it is the altar, on which were found the burnt bones of human victims who had just been sacrificed. In a niche in the wall was a figure of Harpocrates, with his fin- gers on his lips to enjoin silence upon the worshipers in regard to the mysteries they might witness. In another part was a figure of Isis, in purple drapery, partly gilt, holding a bronze sistrum and a key. In one of the rooms a skeleton was found 202 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH holding a sacrificial axe, with which he had cut through two walls in the vain attempt to escape from destruction, but perished before he could penetrate the third. The subterranean passage and secret stairs by which the priest could ob- tain access to the interior of the altar and deliver the oracles as if they pro- ceeded from the statue of Isis herself, we examined with great interest. RUINS OF THE BARRACKS. The barracks near the gate were un- doubtedly the great headquarters of the Pompeian troops. In the guard-room were found four skeletons with their legs fastened in iron stocks ; in the sleeping- apartments, numerous helmets of bronze and iron, with bolts, lances, swords, leather belts, etc. In the rooms of the officers above were found helmets of va- rious kinds, some of the most exquisite workmanship, with swords, and various articles of female dress and ornament of the richest kind, proving that the fami- lies of the officers lived in the barracks with them. Among the personal orna- ments found were two necklaces of mass- ive gold, one of which was set with twelve emeralds, several gold rings, ear-rings, and bracelets containing precious stones, gilt pins for the hair, and chests of fine linen and cloths of gold. One of these upper rooms contained eighteen skeletons of men, women, and children. The total number of skeletons found in the bar- racks was sixty-three, a remarkable proof of the discipline of the Roman soldier, who knew that it was his duty to die at his post, and whose death in this instance was shared by those who were dearer to him than life itself. RELICS FROM THE RUINS. But we have not time to carry the reader further through these interesting ruins, which abound everywhere in evi- dences of the highest interest in architec- ture, arts, sculpture, and painting, thou- sands of the first specimens of which are to be found in the Museo Borbnnico, in Naples, contained in about one hundred rooms, which occupied a whole day in giving to them only a cursory examina- tion. The marble and bronze statuary exhibits a very high state of art, whilst statues of the heathen goddesses are re- markable for their historical interest. This museum has always been regarded as the most interesting in the world, as remarked by an English writer in a work on the subject, for here we find the furni- ture, the ornaments, the gods, the statues, the busts, the utensils, the paintings, of a great people, whose city was over- thrown and buried under thick ashes almost two thousand years ago; their books, their musical instruments, even their bread and their baked fruits, in their pristine form, only blackened by the ac- tion of fire, are to be seen. In contem- plating these, we retrace with a sort of fascination all their habits and customs, looking with double interest on such as assimilate with those of our own day, thus in idea connecting ourselves with them ; and we dwell upon the varied ob- jects presented to our view, all of which are curious and many beautiful, with sensations so lively, so real, that we feel as if the people all lived, still were among us. ASCENT OF VESUVIUS VIEW OF THE MOUNTAIN BY NIGHT. Naples, July, 1873. Having finished our examination of Pompeii about four o'clock, we passed out of the Ilerculaneum Gate, and were met by one of the Vesuvius guides, who proposed that we should make the ascent of the mountain, which we finally con- cluded to undertake, although consid- erably fatigued by the excursions of the day. We will therefore, whilst the awful grandeur of the scene and the incidents of our excursion are fresh on the mind, endeavor to give some idea of this really indescribable and most interesting event of our wanderings in foreign lands. ASCENT OF VESUVIUS. We think it may be safely asserted that no one who has not ascended Mount Ve- suvius can have the faintest idea of this wondrous mountain. Looking at it from Naples, reading all the numerous works and descriptions that have been published, viewing it in engravings and paintings, or even standing near its base and scan- ning its mighty proportions, impress the mind with but a comparatively insignifi- cant estimation of the reality. Thus it was that, standing at the gates of Pompeii, we readily assented to the proposition of a guide to make the ascent, and, having bargained with him for horses and his services, we were soon in the sad- dle and prepared to start. A mountaineer accompanied each of the six horses, hold- ing on to their tails with one hand and goading them on with heavy sticks which they carried in the other. We had only engaged the services of one AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 203 guide, and were rather surprised to find seven men with us, but concluded that they were accompanying us to attend to the horses. We moved along at a brisk gallop through the vineyards and villages on the side of the mountain for fully an hour, the air redolent with orange-blos- soms. Throngs of Italian villagers flocked out to see us pass, attracted by the yell- ing and screaming of the guides, with which they accompanied every stroke of their sticks on the backs of the horses. The ascent is now seldom made from the Pompeii side, which is the opposite to that which faces Naples, and our ap- pearance among these quiet villagers at this late hour in the evening appeared to be quite an event. We, however, desired to see the mountain at night, and, having only a faint conception of the reality of the undertaking, determined to push on to its accomplishment, though at the end of the first hour's ride we felt some fore- bodings of a rather unpleasant adven- ture. After riding an hour and a half, the distance being not less than eight miles, and the roads rather circuitous, we passed beyond the bounds of cultivation, and emerged on the barren desert of black ashes and lava that intervenes between the cone and the habitations of the vil- lagers. The speed of the horses was now checked to a rapid walk by the deepness of the ashes, which was like walking in snow a foot deep, but the men still goaded the beasts on and on up the base of the cone. The roughness of the road, and the irregular gait of the horses, added to the fatigues of the early part of the day, had rendered those of us who were unaccustomed to this species of locomo- tion in bad condition for the labors yet to be performed. VIEW FROM THE BASE OF THE CONE. When leaving Pompeii, with Vesuvius looming up immediately before us, we had no conception of the distance we really were from its summit. It seemed at the farthest not more than three miles, but after nearly two hours' hard riding we had only reached the base of the cone. True, the road we came was not direct, but it was evident that we had traveled fully five miles in a direct line, and were far from the accomplishment of our pur- pose. On looking upward, after dis- mounting from our horses, we were fully impressed with the magnitude of the un- dertaking, whilst a look in the direction over which we had traveled showed the immense altitude we had already attained. The sun was just setting, and the scene was most magnificent. On the right was spread out before us the beautiful bay of Naples, with the bleak mountains of the island of Capri looming up from its bosom, and the villages of Castellamare, Torre dell' Annunziata, and Sorrento, lin- ing its eastern shores. Directly in front of us were the ruins of Pompeii, and the villages and vineyards through which we had passed like so many JohnGilpins an hour before. To our left were the towns of Ottajano, Palma, and Somma, with a host of intervening villages, on all of which the setting sun was shedding its brightest rays, imparting a brilliant and glowing aspect to the whole land- scape. On the extreme right we gained a slight view of Naples, but it was dimmed by an immense thunder-cloud, which was then pouring out torrents of rain, whilst all was bright and beautiful in other quarters of the heavens. Immediately at our feet, and still throwing out strong fumes of sulphur and covering the ashes all around us with particles of brimstone, was the long-extinct crater that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum eighteen hun- dred years ago. It has been filled up long since with lava from the great craters above, but still has a vent for its hidden fires through this immense mass of ashes and scoria. Whilst viewing the scene before us, it was necessary to breathe through our handkerchiefs to escape the stifling atmosphere by which we were surrounded. ASCENT OF THE CONE. Having arrived at the foot of the cone, the immense ascent yet to overcome, at least one mile up a steep bank of black ashes, resembling coarse sand, seemed a feat that we were scarcely competent to accomplish. It now became apparent why SIX men had accompanied us, hold- ing on to the tails of our horses. They now each drew forth ropes with nooses at the ends, and proposed to draw us up to the top of the crater for twelve carlini each. We refused their proposi- tion on account of its enormity, and started off, declaring our ability to do without their aid, when they commenced to lessen their demand, and we finally, when almost worn down, accepted their f)ropo8ition at five carlini each (about orty cents). Fifty minutes of hard climbing, considerably assisted by the ropes of our guides, and by taking sev- 204 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH eral rests on lumps of lava encountered by the way, enabled us to reach the sum- mit of the mountain, so fatigued that some minutes' rest, occupied in viewing the magnificence of the scene spread be- fore us at every point of the compass, was necessary before approaching the crater. The mass of lava on which we were sitting, although only slightly warm to the touch, we found, by the insertion of a stick in a fissure at our feet, to be resting on a bed of molten fire. As soon as the stick was inserted to the depth of not over ten inches, a bright flame fol- lowed it up, the same as if it had been inserted in a coal-fire. "We lit our cigars thus from the fire of the mountain, and then proceeded several hundred yards over a level but rugged plain of lava full of deep cracks and chasms glowing with fire, towards the smaller of the two cra- ters on its summit. THE CRATERS. "We almost despair of being able to convey to the reader any adequate idea of the scene which now engaged our at- tention. We walked on amid fumes of sulphur and heated air, for about fifty paces, when we reached the edge of the crater, from the far side of which a heavy volume of smoke was arising. On the side towards us we could look down about one hundred and fifty feet, beyond which the view was dimmed by the smoke. It was like looking down a deep precipice, the wall of that side of the crater being as smooth and horizontal as if built of stone. After viewing the scene for a few minutes we hurled down some large pieces of lava, which we could hear striking in their descent several seconds after they had disappeared from the line of vision. Immediately after a dense volume of smoke would arise, filling the whole cra- ter, evidently caused by the contact of these pieces of rock with the molten lava at its extreme depth. This crater is about a half-mile in circumference, though its extent is not discernible from either side, on account of the volume of smoke con- stantly pouring out of it. About one hundred yards to the right we reached the largest crater, which, at its last measurement, was ascertained to be two miles in circumference, though the mountain is undergoing such changes from the effect of the volcanic action below, some- times upheaving its summit, and at other times enlarging or diminishing the area of the craters, that the precise measure- ment is not known at the present time. Owing to the dense clouds of smoke ris- ing, we could not obtain a full view of the awful depth, from which flashes of fire, visible through the vapor, became more and more distinct as the sun receded and darkness set in. We threw a large piece of lava into this crater also, which was instantly succeeded by a dense volume of black smoke, heavily charged with ashes, rising immediately in our faces, and involving us for a moment in almost utter darkness, compelling us to make a hasty retreat, the smoke following us with a rapidity that convinced us we were tampering with too mighty an en- gine of destruction to be trifled with. A NIGHT SCENE. Night having now fully set in, the aw- ful grandeur of the scene was momenta- rily increased. Through the fissures in the beds of lava under our feet the mol- ten fire was everywhere visible, whilst the gleams of light from the raging element at the bottom of the craters were reflected on the vapors rising above, having the appearance of emitting smoke and flame. Occasionally there were flashes resem- bling lightning, occasioned by the ignition of the gases constantly arising from its extreme depth. The elevation at which we were standing is four thousand feet above the level of the ocean, and with the moon brightly shining, and the sur- roundings that we have attempted to describe, some faint idea of the reality may possibly be formed by those who may read this description. LAVA AND ASHES. The streams of lava and stones and ashes that have in years past been vom- ited forth from this mountain have caused the ocean to recede fully a mile from its ancient shore-line as defined in the days of Pompeii, whilst on the inland side there is no doubt that the whole sur- face of the earth is now thirty to fifty feet above the level of the streets of that unfortunate city, all being one mass of lava and cinders. The eruption of 1871 threw out a stream of lava half a mile in breadth and eighteen to thirty feet deep, which in eight days reached a dis- tance of nine miles from the point of issue. It swept through the richest vineyards, destroyed hundreds of acres of cultivated lands, and injured or destroyed about eight hundred houses. During a similar eruption in 1834, several persons were killed whilst venturing on the mountain, among whom was Charles Carroll Bayard^ AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 205 a midshipman from on board the United States frij^ate Independence, whose monu- ment we saw in the Protestant burying- groiind. Some idea may also be had of the amount of ashes thrown out by these eruptions by viewing the ruins of Pompeii, which city was so thoroughly buried by ashes alone that its site was unknown for seventeen hundred years. During the eruption of 1707, the crater ejected over Naples, across the broad bay in- tervening, a shower of ashes of such density that the rays of the sun were intercepted and the city was involved in darkness like that of midnight. It was impossible to recognize either persons or objects in the streets, and those who ven- tured abroad without torches were obliged to return home. Every part of the city resounded with the shrieks of women and children. The magistrates and clergy carried the relics of St. Januarius in pro- cession to Porta Capuana, and all the churches were crowded with people who desired to spend a night of so much terror in devotion and supplication. The city and suburbs were covered with ashes to the depth of nearly three feet. It would probably be no exaggeration to say that one slight eruption of a few days' dura- tion would furnish material sufficient to fill up the basin at Baltimore, from Light Street to Fort McIIenry, according to the plan of Dr. Buckler, without the use of pick or spade. THE DESCENT. It being now past eight o'clock, we concluded that it was time to commence our descent. Most fortunately, the moon was shining brightly. We approached the edge of the cone, each of us having hold of the arm of one of the guides, and commenced to move slowly down the steep declivity. We had made but a few steps before the steepness forced us to ma«e with more rapidity, and we flew doMi through the deep black ashes, planting our heels in it, and sliding along with a rapidity that astonished ua. The whole descent to where our horses were stationed was not less than a mile, which was accomplished in less than five min- utes, where we arrived in a fume of perspiration and breathless from exertion. We have often laughed at the humorous lithographs in the windows representing the way this descent is accomplished, and thought they were exaggerations, but we arc now prepared to vouch for the truthfulness and accuracy of the repre- sentation. When females are of the party the scene must be still more ludicrous, as they are sometimes carried up by the guides, but must always make their own descent. Crinoline must be a troublesome article in such an adventure. Our horses had remained where we left them on the bleak desert, each tied by a rope to a lump of lava, and after a few moments' rest we were again in our saddles, and a rapid drive through vil- lages, vineyards, and cottages brought us in an hour and a half to the town of Torre dell' Annunziata, where we had directed our carriage to proceed and wait for us. Here we settled with our guides, and, as usual with all Italians we have yet encountered, although paying them twenty-five per cent, more than the price agreed upon, all were dissatisfied, and grumbled, begged, and growled until we jumped into our carriage and left them jabbering away in Italian, pretend- ing to be in a state of tremendous ex- citement. A drive of an hour and a half brought us to our hotel in Naples, sore and weary, but highly delighted with our trip. AYe were soon wrapped too soundly in slumber to dream either of craters or chasms. We omitted to mention that on our way down the mountain we stopped at one of the villages and procured several bottles of wine, which, in our exhausted condi- tion, seemed to be the most delicious beverage that mortal ever partook of. As we drove ofi", a general quarrel broke out between several of our guides and the villagers, the former demanding part of the proceeds of the sale for bringing the fish to their net. Such a clatter of tongues, male and female, could scarcely be heard anywhere else than in Italy. VESUVIUS IN ERUPTION. Our first visit to Vesuvius was in the year 1859, when it was in partial erup- tion, with rather a steady stream of lava flowing from the side of the mountain at the base of the cone. As it was a most interesting spectacle, we here insert the account then given, in a letter to the American, of THE FLOWING LAVA. On a Saturday afternoon, being desirous of closely viewing the stream of lava which we had watched for several nights from our hotel-window as it flowed down the side of the mountain, looking like a torrent of fire, we joined a party who 206 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH were about making the ascent from the Naples side. We intended to stop at the Hermitage, but on reaching that point concluded to keep on to the crater, and view the lava after night had set in, on our return. We took horses at Resina, situated at the base of the mountain, at a quarter before three o'clock, and after a steady ride of three hours and a half over the fields of lava of former years, each of which was pointed out by our guide as we passed them, reached the base of the cone at a quarter-past six o'clock, when we commenced the ascent on foot. The ascent of the cone is at an angle of about fifty degrees, and its base is about seven miles in circumference. The time required to ascend, including two stoppages to rest of three or four minutes each, was fifty minutes, the ascent from the level where w^e left our horses being nearly one mile. It thus required nearly five hours to make the ascent on the Naples side, as we were compelled, on account of the lava having crossed the new carriage-road, to take the old horse-track, about two miles of which winds through a deep gorge in the old lava just wide enough to afibrd a footing for our horses in single file. SCENE ON THE SUMMIT, On reaching the summit our guide was in ecstasies, on account of the aspect of the craters, and assured us that we were most fortunate to have ascended at such a time. We, however, felt anything but gratified, and commenced to beat a hasty retreat, anticipating a general eruption. Large masses of rock were crumbling and falling into the crater from its sides, causing a noise like heavy thunder, and as each mass fell clouds of black smoke would arise, almost shutting out the light of day, mingled with gases and vapors, flying up a thousand feet over our heads, with a hissing noise like the escape of steam from a boiler. The situation was terrific, but our guide assured us there was no danger, and finally persuaded us to approach through the clouds of sul- phurous smoke and look down into the awful chasm that yawned at our feet, from which came terrific reports of sub- terranean thunder, which was declared by an English traveler who accompanied us to remind him of the Rev. Mr. Spur- geon's vivid description of the " gates of hell." The rocks were still crumbling and falling, and flashes of flame filled the ing the scene most emphatically diaboli- cal. The commotion at the bottom of the crater evidently had a decided effect on the whole top of the cone, which is nearly level, and about five miles in cir- cumference, though when viewed from Naples it has the appearance of termi- nating in a point. It caused the sulphu- rous fumes to pour forth with increased volume from the cracks and crevices in the broken lava on which we were walk- ing, looking into which, scarcely a foot under our feet, we could see the molten fire which sent up a brisk flame whenever we inserted the ends of our walking- staff's. We remained on the top of the moun- tain, roasting eggs in the crevices of the hardened lava, and partaking of wine and refreshments, until eight o'clock, when, night having fully set in, we commenced our descent. It was an amusing scene to see some twenty or thirty persons slip- ping, sliding, and sometimes losing their foothold, rolling in the deep ashes that form the sides of the cone, all going down with a rapidity which accomplished in five minutes a distance that had taken us nearly an hour to ascend. At the foot of the cone our horses were waiting, and an hour's ride down through the dark heaps of lava, twisted and piled up in every conceivable shape, made to appear more desolate and dreary in the gloom of night, over which a horse unaccus- tomed to the track would have broken his own neck as well as that of his rider, brought us to the " Hermitage," where we dismounted to view the running lava breaking out from the side of the moun- tain a few hundred yards above this rest- ing-place. A STARTLING ADVENTURE. Our horses were taken around about two miles below to meet us, and we started on foot over the fields of n Aly- formed lava, the surface of which nad cooled, but through the cracks and chasms under our feet the stream of molten lava from the mountain could be distinctly seen moving slowly down, whilst at some points it passed up over the surface in a stream about a yard wide and thirty feet in length, and then disappeared again under the hard incrustation that had formed beyond. We stopped at one of these openings, and our guide, with the end of his staff, drew out some particles of the molten lava and pressed copper coins into it, which we preserved as me- mentos of our visit. A silver coin in- AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 207 serted in the lava immediately melted, so great was its heat. Having had only a distant view of this flowing lava, we thought that it was only some fifteen feet thick, and the surface only a few hundred feet wide. Our sur- prise can, therefore, be imagined when we found the stream from a half to three- quarters of a mile in width, and two miles in length, and its thickness vary- ing from thirty to two hundred feet, according to the inequalities of the sur- face. It had filled upand leveled moun- tain-gorges half a mile in width and from one hundred to two hundred feet in depth, and was gradually advancing in this great bulk about thirty feet every twenty-four hours. A FIERY EXPERIENCE. We followed our guide about two miles over the surface of this field of lava, whilst under our feet the molten stream was flowing downward, amid a heated atmosphere in which it was difficult to exist, though there was an absence of the sulphurous smell that had almost stifled us at the crater. As we approached the terminus of the stream the heat became gradually more intense, so much so that we protested against proceeding any far- ther, and some of our party actually started back in horror at the scene before us. So great was the heat that our shoes and clothing were almost ready to ignite, whilst the temperature of the atmosphere was momentarily increasing in intensity, so that it became difficult to breathe. We were surrounded on every side by open- ings in the hardened and rugged lava, through which the stream of molten fire was passing down to the terminus of the stream with increased velocity. We rated the guide soundly for leading us into such a dangerous and fearful local- ity, whilst he persisted that there was nothing to fear, and that it was the only route that he could take, urging us to fol- low him through it as rapidly as possible, and we would be oflF the lava in a few minutes. Not wishing to retrace our steps over such difficulties as our curiosity had already brought us into, we mustered up courage to follow, the heat being too intense for debate. On we went in In- dian file, following our guide over the rough and heated surface, at times with a stream of fire on each side of us, jump- ing from one rough and darkened surface to another, and avoiding as best we could the chasms of fire that opened on every side. The end of the stream was really like a precipice of fire, fully thirty feet high, the fiery streams of molten lava oozing through from all parts of its hard- ened surface. Down this precipice we were compelled to descend, stepping care- fully to avoid touching the red-hot lava oozing out of every crevice on the sur- face. In a few minutes we had the grat- ification of once more standing ori the solid rock of the mountain-side, whilst the head of the stream was immediately before us, moving steadily on into a deep mountain-gorge, in which a flourishing vineyard was gradually being swallowed up and buried a hundred feet under the advancing wall of fire. As we stood here and looked back over the path by which we had descended, we more fully appreciated the dangers we had encountered. We could distinctly perceive the moving mass of undercur- rent through the crevices, and I am sure that not one of us would have retraced his steps for any amount of money. At the terminus of the lava-stream we found our horses waiting for us, they having been taken around from the Her- mitage ; and, after a few moments spent in taking another look at the grand and impressive scene, we remounted and pro- ceeded to Resina, which we reached at eleven o'clock, after an hour's ride, hav- ing consumed more than eight hours in our excursion on the mountain. Here our carriage was waiting for us, and an hour's ride brought us to our hotel in Naples, in good condition for a sound nignt's sleep, though some of us were dis- turbed by dreams of no very pleasing character. CHARACTER OF THE LAYA-FLOW. In order that the reader may better understand the characteristics of this flow of lava, it may be proper to state that when the mouths of the large crater are so narrowed by accumulated matter as to be unequal to the discharge of the lava collected in their central channels, lateral openings are formed, which, being nearer the source of heat, discharge the lava in a state of much greater liquidity than from the great craters. These lava-cur- rents have heretofore ceased to flow in twenty or thirty days, but the present one has flowed slowly but steadily for nearly a year. The cohesion of a lava-current, which exceeds that of any other sub- stance known, causes it to move slowly in the form of a tall ridge until it enters a mountain-gorge, which it fills up and passes on, occasionally diverging to the 208 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH right or left, and spreading over immense surfaces, but not exceeding twenty to thirty feet in thickness when it passes over a level or descending plain. The surface gradually loses its fluid state as it becomes cooled by the external air, cracks into innumerable heavy fragments, and this scoria, being a bad conductor of heat, enables the central portion of the mass to retain its fluid state, whilst at the same time it renders it possible to cross the current as it flows. Thus it was that we were enabled to perform this excursion over the flowing lava. It is a trip, however, that we would not fancy taking a second time. CASTLE OF ST. ELMO. We took a drive this evening to visit the Castle of St. Elmo, and the Carthusian monastery connected with it, which loom up almost from the heart of the city. They are erected on the top of a mountain which rises almost abruptly amidst the surrounding houses to the height of near- ly one thousand feet. The view from the balcony of San Martino is of surpassing beauty, and is regarded as unrivaled, on account of the combination of natural at- tractions and historical associations. The eye embraces in one view the whole city of Naples, with the head of the bay, and Mounts Vesuvius and Somma in the dis- tance. On the right it follows the curve of the Bay of Naples to the Bays of Baiae and Miseno, with Nisita, Pozzuoli, and the distant islands ; on the left it sweeps along the shore of Portici, Resina, Torre del Greco, and Torre dell' Annunziata at the base of Vesuvius. In another direc- tion we see Capodimonte and the rich plains of the Neapolitan Carapagna, whilst m the distance may be recognized Monte Triafale, backed by the chain of the Ap- ennines, along which, as they advance towards the sea, may be distinguished the mountains of Gragnano, Vico, Sorrento, and Massa. The monastery was the place of refuge of the Pope during his exile from Rome in the year 1849. The Castle of St. Elmo stands immediately in front of it, from which, down under the city, a subterranean passage leads to the palace. On the top of the ridge, not far from the monastery, is the tomb of Virgil. THE EXAGGERATIONS OF ITALY. The observant traveler cannot fail to come to the conclusion that there is no country in the world which has reaped so much benefit from systematic exag- geration as Italy. Its " magnificent skies/' its " beautiful women," its " glorious cli- mate," and its " indescribable landscapes*' are nearly all to a considerable extent fictions of the imagination. English men, who are accustomed to look at the sky through a fog or a haze of smoke, write heme of the wondrous beauty of an Italian sky ; and artists, whose business it is to exaggerate and embel- lish, labor to invest this region of fine marble and ancient models of art with all the romance possible. But of all the descriptions with regard to Italy, that is most erroneous which claims beauty of form or feature, grace or dignity of car- riage, or any one of those characteristics which the rest of the world consider as essential to female beauty, for its women. The number of decidedly homely women in Italy is in reality unparalleled. Its old women are shriveled up like Mac- beth' s witches ; the middle-aged women are wrinkled and shapeless ; and the young women have lost all traces of girl- hood at twenty. The female children are bright and handsome, but at eighteen you seldom see a youthful countenance. They have fine hair, sharp black eyes, and, when animated by mirth or conver- sation, expressive features ; but when in repose they have an angry and forbidding aspect. Some of them would make good- looking men if they had whiskers ; but there is an entire absence of that female modesty and sweetness which in America are regarded as essential to female beauty. In clear weather the sky is undoubt- edly beautiful, but not more so than in America. The sunsets are fine, and the rays of the moon reflected from the blue waters of the Mediterranean will at times attract the attention by their brilliancy, and are wonderful in the befogged eyes of the English traveler ; but seen through "American spectacles" there is nothing novel or unusual in the scene. They ad- mire these beauties of nature here as they do at home, but all who come here expecting to find a brighter sunshine, a more brilliant sky, or a moonlight more lovely than they have been accustomed to at home, will be sure to be disap- pointed. The mountain scenery is very fine, owing principally to the excessive verdure, and the cultivation and habitation of their rocky ledges, but the level portions of the country are the most dreary imaginable. The twenty-four miles between Salerno and Paestum are as uninteresting as a jour- ney on an American prairie. The hun- dred and seventy miles between Rome AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 209 and Naples have a few fine spots ; but the plains are desert wastes, very inattractive to the eye, and the people the most dirty and squalid in appearance that the civil- ized world can produce. The towns through which we passed, with but few exceptions, were noticeable only for their filth and stench, their beggars and their fleas. Nowhere in Southern Italy have we seen the neat country-houses, the clean and tidy children, or any of those evi- dences of rural comfort and happiness which are so usual among the agricultur- ists on our side of the Atlantic. Indeed, we had almost said that a woman or child with a clean face or clean clothing might be regarded as a curiosity outside of the cities of Rome and Naples, and even there they were rarities among those who labor in any way for a livelihood. Clean- liness, in brief, is not here regarded as akin to godliness, as those Avho are habitu- ally the most dirty seem to be the most strictly observant of religious duties, crowds of whom are to be found kneeling in the churches at all hours of the day. There is but little strong liquor drunk in Italy, and we have not seen a drunken man, or the drinking of anything stronger than wine. There are wine-shops in abundance, but no regular taverns with bars. The respectable portion of the popu- lation assemble in the coffee-houses, and smoke and drink wine and coffee in the evening, but are all very abstemious. The lower classes have also places of similar resort, where they eat macaroni and boiled snails, and drink poor wine; but necessity compels moderation even in this light refreshment. Among the articles we saw for sale at one of the markets yesterday morning was a two-bushel-basket full of stumps of cigars, which are bought by the poorer classes for smoking-tobacco. Boys are engaged hunting around the streets night and day for these '' old soldiers," and at night they carry lamps with them to as- sist their vision. LIQUEFACTION OF THE BLOOD OF SAN GEN- NARO. The present lack of religious demon- strations in Naples is in striking contrast with the constant street ceremonials which were in progress during our visit some twelve years ago, when we witnessed the following scene, as described in a letter to the Baltimore American at the time. Learning that the semi-annual miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro was to take place on Saturday, 14 being the last day of the octave of the demonstration, we repaired at an early hour in the morning to the Church of Santa Restituta. The crowd was so great that it was with difficulty we could gain an entrance. This ceremony of liquefaction is the greatest religious fes- tival in the kingdom, and such is the im- portance attached to it by the ardent Neapolitans that all the conquerors of the city have considered it a necessary piece of state policy to respect it. Before proceeding to give an account of the ceremony, we will explain what is meant by the liquefaction. In the right aisle of the Church of Santa Restituta is the Chapel of San Gennaro, in which are preserved two phials said to contain the blood of the saint. The ceremony of liquefaction takes place twice in a year, and is each time repeated for eight suc- cessive days. The tradition of the church represents that when St. Gennaro, or Januarius, as the name is sometimes given, was exposed to be devoured by lions in the amphitheatre of Pozzuoli, the ani- mals prostrated themselves before him and became tame. This miracle is said to have converted so many to Christianity that Dracontius ordered the saint to be decapitated, which sentence was executed at Solfatara in the year 305. The body was buried at Pozzuoli until the time of Constantine, when it was removed to Naples and deposited in the Church of San Gennaro. At the time of this re- moval a woman who is said to have col- lected the blood with a sponge at the period of the martyrdom, took it in two bottles to St. Severus, the bishop, in whose hands it is said to have immediately melted. The iron tabernacle which con- tains the phials is secured by two bolts, one key being kept by the municipal au- thorities, and the other by the archbishop, and is only opened in the presence of the people. The ceremony of the liquefaction com- menced on Saturday in the Church of Santa Chiara, from whence after mass an immense procession, with bands of music, bishops, priests, and soldiers, bearing cru- cifixes, banners, and candles, proceeded with the phials of blood to the cathedral. This procession was three-quarters of a mile long. In the line were soldiers bearing large silver statues of saints, and the whole scene was one of the most im- posing spectacles we ever witnessed. At the cathedral, some time before the ceremonies commenced, a number of old women of the lower orders, who claim 210 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH to be the descendants of Saint Januarius, collected around the balustrade of the altar, exhibiting the most wild and un- controllable excitement. Some of these women were very old, with countenances shriveled and wrinkled beyond anything in the form of humanity. Immediately after the first mass was finished they commenced a fearful howl, repeating to the full extent of their lungs, in a hoarse and croaking voice, Paternosters, Aves, and Credos. When the saint delays the liquefaction too long, they even claim the right and often do heap imprecations with all the fervency that usually accompanies their prayers. The relics were exposed in one of the side-chapels, called the Chapel of St. Gennaro, which was magnificently deco- rated, the altar being brilliant with gold ornaments, diamonds, and precious stones. The face of the altar is of massive silver, ornamented with statues in bas-relief, re- presenting the history of Cardinal Ca- raffa's bringing back the head of the saint to Naples. All the dukes and princes were present in the robes of royalty ; and soldiers, with muskets and bayonets, were scattered throughout the immense edifice, their plumes waving over the heads of the people in every direction. The saint's head, with a rich mitre upon it, fixed on the statue of the saint, having an archbishop's mantle about the shoulders, and a rich collar of diamonds, and cross around the neck, was the first sight that attracted our at- tention. The bottles containing the blood, one of which appeared like pitch, clotted and hard in the glass, were then shown to the people, and turned upside down to prove that the blood in them was hard and solid. They were then placed at the side of the altar. One appeared like a smelling-bottle, and only had a mere stain of blood, whilst the other was larger, and seemed to hold enough to fill a wineglass. They were shown to the persons admitted within the balustrade, among whom were a considerable number of English Protestants. After being placed on the altar a glass case was put over them, through which they could be seen by all present. A series of masses was then commenced, at the conclusion of each of which the old women renewed their fearful and un- earthly howling, whilst the drums and trumpets joined in the discordant blast, until it was difficult to imagine such a horrible clamor to be intended for Chris- tian worship. These women seemed almost frantic with religious fervor, as also did the priests and a large portion of the people present, cries, screams, and sobbing pervading every part of the edifice. These masses were continued from nine o'clock in the morning until five o'clock in the afternoon, without ces- sation, except for another procession in the afternoon, during which thirty-five large solid silver statues of saints and martyrs were carried by the soldiers. At the conclusion of the procession the masses were again resumed with all the accompaniments of excitement and clamor that prevailed in the morning, without the desired liquefaction of the blood tak- ing place. At five o'clock the glass was again removed from the bottles, and the blood in the larger one was found to be as limpid as water, and was shown to the people amid the greatest rejoicing, the beating of drums, the clapping of hands, and the blasts of trumpets. The old women Avere perfectly wild with excite- ment, and many of them fell down ex- hausted, while the roar of cannon from the Castle of Elmo announced to the people outside that the miracle was con- summated. Wherever there was any number of English or Americans in the cathedral during the ceremony, soldiers were sta- tioned near them, with special instructions to allow no one to molest them. This rather surprised us, but on inquiry it was ascertained that on several occasions, when the liquefaction had not taken place as soon as was anticipated, the ignorant porti'on of the people had at- tacked the Protestants, under the belief that the presence of heretics had prevent- ed the accomplishment of the miracle. If the liquefaction takes place soon, it is re- garded as an evidence of happiness and prosperity to the country ; and if it is retarded, as indicative of trouble and evil to be anticipated. This miracle the Protestant spectators contend to be a piece of legerdemain, — that the bottles contain colored wax, to which heat is applied through the marble altar-table on which they are placed dur- ing the progress of the masses. THE DEAD OF NAPLES. We spent an afternoon in visiting the great cemetery of Naples, in which the rich man and the poor man both find their last resting-places. The graves of the rich are distinguished by magnificent monuments, and a large number have miniature family chapels erected over the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 211 remains of the dead, giving the ceme- tery at a distance the appearance of a beautiful country village. The poor, how- ever, are buried in as heathenish a manner as was ever practiced. There are three hundred and sixty -five vaults, each about twenty feet square, for the reception of the bodies of the poor. There is a chapel connected with these vaults, to which the dead poor are brought, where they are stripped of their clothing. At sunset they are brought out of the chapel, then stripped of every vestige of clothing, men, women, and children, the average being about thirty per day. The round slab fitting in the circular opening to the vault in use for the day is taken off, and the bodies dragged by the limbs to the aperture and thrown in head-foremost. They are lowered down by the heels, and swung backward and forward until a sufficient impetus is given to the body to make it fall into the corners of the vaults, where it strikes with a dull thud. We saw thirty-three bodies thus summarily disposed of, the clothing from which was bundled up and carried off. Twelve months from this day this same vault will be opened again to receive a new deposit and more lime, and so on for every suc- cessive year, there being one vault for each day in the year. The custodian in attendance ofiered, for one carlino, to raise the stone from one of the vaults used the week previous, that we might look in upon the horrid and brutal spectacle, — a favor which we decisively declined. These vaults, it is said, when opened on the second day after the bodies have been deposited in them, exhibit swarms of rats and other vermin devouring the flesh from the bones of the dead. THE FISHERMEN OF NAPLES. From daybreak in the morning until eight o'clock, the Bay of Naples is liter- ally covered with fishermen's boats, en- gaged in casting and drawing in their nets. We counted this morning over one hundred in front of our hotel. The fish they catch are small, and the number very limited, though the nets they put out are never less than a hundred feet in length. At eight o'clock they all disappear, but are again at their posts at sunset. They are an industrious, jolly set of men, but occasionally when the nets of one party get entangled with those of another the noise they make sounds very much like hard swearing. They are the lineal de- scendants of Masaniello, live on fish and macaroni, and carry themselves with the same careless ease and grace. PiESTUM AND ITS RUINS ITALIAN SCENERY, ETC. Naples, July, 1873. The excursions around Naples are of the most attractive character, not only affording an opportunity to view the an- tiquities with which the country abounds, but to see the mode of living and the agricultural advancement of the Italian peasantry. There is no part of Italy that affords an equal opportunity to judge of the claims of Italian scenery to the high encomiums which have been heaped upon it. EXCURSION TO AMALFI. On Thursday morning we started on a trip to Amalfi, which it had been arranged to visit in combination with Salerno and Psestum, the latter renowned over the world for its magnificent ruins. Taking the cars on the Naples and Salerno Rail- road, we arrived at La Cava, a flourishing town of thirteen thousand souls, and, proceeding to the Hotel de Londres, engaged a carriage to carry us direct to Amalfi. The railroad from Naples to La Cava passes mostly over a level plain along the sea-shore, abounding in towns and vil- lages, and mountains on the left of the road, including Vesuvius, which are cul- tivated in grapes, oranges, and lemons up as high as man can obtain a foothold. The line of villages along this road comprises a population of over one hundred thousand souls. Most of those nearest Naples are liable at any moment to be swept into non-existence by an eruption or an earth- quake ; but their proximity to the sea, the capital, and the rich lands that flank Vesuvius on all sides, must always attract a large population, notwithstanding its dangerous proximity. There is no land in Italy of equal fertility to the slopes of Vesuvius, the ashes and scoria, after a few years' exposure to the atmosphere, becoming decomposed, and forming a dark, friable soil that is susceptible of the high- est cultivation. The people seem to have no fears ; they have been reared among the terrors of Vesuvius, and — " Where they dwell Their fathers dwelt and died, and shall uwake; That love which Muds Helvetia's mountiiineer 'Mid rocks and Alpine snows, glows in lava here.** ITALIAN SCENERY. On leaving La Cava we proceeded at a rapid rate for about two miles, when the 212 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH turning of a precipitous point brought us directly on to the shores of the Mediterra- nean, along which we proceeded for fifteen miles, over a turnpike road that has few equals in the world, considering the difficulties under which it has been con- structed and the substantial and scientific manner in which it has been engineered. A few years back there was no access to Amalfi except by pack-mules, as was the case with all the numerous towns and villages on the coast. The only site for a turnpike was along the slopes of the mountains which project into the sea; and here it has been hewn out of the solid rock, the bed of the road running from fifty to three hundred feet above the level of the sea, according as the projections of the mountain-gorges may have ren- dered it necessary. Throughout its entire length it is walled up with solid masonry on the sea-side, var3^ing from ten to fifty feet in height, and forming a wall to the road about three feet above its bed. The mountains, which rise very precipi- tously from the sea, vary in height from seven hundred to one thousand feet, their bases projecting at times far out into the sea, and around these projections the road winds to such an extent that, though Amalfi is not more than seven miles from Sorrento in an air-line, the road is more than fifteen miles long. MOUNTAIN SCENERY. The attractions of a visit to Amalfi consist mainly in the magnificence of the mountain scenery along the entire route. The mountains tower five thousand feet overhead, and, although the ascent is so steep that they appear to the eye unap- proachable, their sides are dotted with white stone cottages, and the ledges al- most to their extreme summits are luxu- riant with orange- and lemon-groves and vineyards. Thus you have on one side the blue waves of the Mediterranean, and on the other, and sometimes down below the bed of the road, most varied and at- tractive scenery, beautified with great skill and labor, and really startling the stranger at every turn by its varied at- tractions. The villages of the fishermen, some of them with several hundred in- habitants, dot every gorge in the moun- tain, every spot of land being brought into the richest cultivation around them. THE CITY OF AMALFI Amalfi, encircled and crowned by mountains, is at the mouth of a deep gorge, from which a torrent dashes into the ocean, driving numerous paper-mills, factories, etc., in its precipitous course through the town. Its churches, towers, and arcaded houses, grouped together in picturesque irregularity, are backed by precipices one thousand feet in height, of wild magnificence, justifying probably the assertion " that in no other nook of the earth's surface can the eye of man look upon a scene of more glorious natural beau- ties." On the extreme top of these preci- pices are located monasteries and churches, whilst the slopes of the contiguous moun- tains are terraced and cultivated as lemon- groves, the terraces being walled up in regular succession to an immense height. Every promontory on the road to Amalfi is made picturesque by the ruins of a mar- tello tower, at intervals of a quarter to a third of a mile apart ; every cove and beach is occupied by the boats and nets of fishermen, every ledge is covered with houses and vineyards, and every broader crag with a town. The town of Pasitano, perched on a pinnacle of rock, seven hundred feet above the ocean, is one of the most striking objects of the trip. After partaking of an excellent dinner, we returned in the cool of the evening to Sorrento, gladly availing ourselves of a second opportunity to view this most sin- gular and picturesque region of country. The people along the route seemed to be the most happy and prosperous that we have yet met with in Italy. There were but few soldiers to be seen, who are in such abundance everywhere else — very few beggars, and an absence of the dis- position to defraud and extort in their dealings with strangers that is a distin- guishing trait in other parts of Italy. The females looked healthy, and are hand- somer than the peasantry we have met with elsewhere, presenting, with their skirts barely reaching their knees, with neither stockings nor shoes, and loose bodices, a very novel appearance, especi- ally to the eyes of some of our bachelor companions. THE RUINS OF P^STUM. Returning from Amalfi, we stopped for the night in the city of Salerno, a pros- perous town on the Mediterranean, at the mouth of the Bay of Naples, with a popu- lation of thirty thousand souls. We spent a pleasant evening and night, and at seven o'clock on Friday morning started in a carriage for Paestum, the distance being twenty-four miles, which was accomplished in less than three hours, so excellent are the roads and so AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 213 rapid the driving in all parts of Italy. The road, however, passes for the greater part of the way through a barren and un- healthy country. Of all the excursions from Naples, there is 'none presenting such historical interest as a visit to the ruins of Paestum, which are well-pre- served monuments of antiquity, exceed- ing in interest any to be found in Italy. Indeed, a journey to Southern Italy is not considered complete unless Paestum has been visited. The ruins of Paestum date back to four hundred years before Christ. The walls of the city, part of which are still stand- ing, are nearly three miles in circumfer- ence, and in many places twelve feet high. The arch of the eastern gateway, nearly fifty feet high, stands entire. THE TEMPLES OF P^STUM. The three magnificent temples stand as a record of the taste and architectural skill of the Grecians. The Temple of Neptune, the middle one of the three, one hundred and ninety-five feet long and seventy-eight feet broad, with its massive columns and entablature, stands now as firmly on its foundations as when first erected, nearly two thousand three hundred years ago, and appears as if it would stand for many ages yet, notwith- standing the rocking of earthquakes to which it has so often been subjected. Solidity, combined with simplicity and grace, distinguishes it from the other buildings. Not a single column is want- ing, and the entablature and pediments are nearly entire. The Basilica, the second of these ancient temples, has fifty columns, nine in the fronts, and sixteen in the flanks, exclusive of the angles. The interior is divided into two parts by a range of columns par- allel to the sides, of which only l^hree remain. This division leads to the sup- position that it was a temple probably dedicated to two divinities. Its length is one hundred and seventy-nine feet, its breadth eighty feet, height of columns twenty-one feet. The Temple of Vesta is the smallest, and is nearest to the Salerno Gate. It has thirt3'^-four columns, of which six are in the front, and nine in each flank, ex- clusive of the angles. It is one hundred and seven feet in length, and forty-seven in breadth. "On entering the ruins of Paestum," says an English writer, " I felt all the re- ligion of the place ; I stood on the sacred ground ; I stood amazed at the long ob- scurity of its mighty ruins. Taking in view their immemorial antiquity, their astonishing preservation, their grandeur, their bold columnar elevation, at once massive and open, their severe simplicity of design, — taking, I say, all this into view, I do not hesitate to pronounce them the most impressive monuments that I ever beheld on earth." As you approach them from Salerno, passing over a wide expanse of level and dreary country, their huge dusky propor- tions can be seen two miles distant. Stand- ing alone amidst their mountain wilder- ness, without a vestige nigh of any power that could have reared them, they look absolutely supernatural. Their grandeur, their gloom, their majesty — there is noth- ing like them to be seen on this wide earth. We had prepared to partake of the lunch we had brought with us in the Temple of Neptune, but it commenced raining, and compelled us to retreat to the carriage. At three o'clock we started for La Cava, and arrived there at five o'clock in time to take the cars for Naples, thus, in an excursion of two days, visiting both Amalfi and Paestum. Naples, July, 1873. STREET-SCENES IN NAPLES. The Strada de Toledo is the principal street of Naples, and presents a medley of strange sights, which surprise all who pass for the first time througn its tumult- uous confusion. Here is to be seen a miscellaneous throng of people whose life is spent in the open air and chiefly upon the streets. The scribe is seen busily in- diting letters at a table on the street- corners for the many persons who can neither read nor write ; by his side is a lemonade pagoda, and half the thorough- fare is occupied by the chestnut-roaster and the sausage-vendor, with their pans and dishes, frying their commodities over charcoal fires, — all combining to present a scene that has no equal elsewhere. The crowd on the Toledo is moving hither and thither without order or regularity, roll- ing up and down with its eddies and whirlpools, so that the stranger is lost in its confusion. In the midst of this vast concourse of horses, donkeys, and all grades of humanity, you are jostled against a money-changer's table, and tumbled over the bench of a shoemaker at work on the curb-stone, find yourself mixed up among the pots of a macaroni- stall, and escape behind the stench-emit- ting basket of a lazzarone. The streets 214 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH noises are unparalleled. The people are shouting at the top of their voices, the innumerable donkeys are braying and screeching, the drivers are cracking their w^hips and scolding each other, and confusion is worse confounded by the occasional movement of soldiers and horsemen through the thronged thorough- fare, or the approach of a Church proces- sion, when every one within seeing or hearing distance is expected to kneel down in the street. Fortunately, carriage-riding in Naples is very cheap, provided you know how to manage the drivers. They are like this fraternity elsewhere, apt to take advantage of strangers. An Italian will ride from any one portion of the city to another for two carlini, about sixteen cents, and pays no more if there are two or three in company than he would for one. His whole family, to the number of six, in a double carriage, will be con- veyed five miles for three carlini. It is therefore cheaper to ride than to walk, and a drive through the Toledo at the slow pace that a crowded thoroughfare renders necessary is rather interesting and amusing. IS otwithstanding all this medley of sights and sounds, the Toledo is a great street. The topography of the city is such that it is necessary to drive through its whole length in order to reach any other section of the city, and it must of course be necessarily thronged. Tunnels and openings and graded pave- ments have been made through the moun- tain-spurs that thus divide the city, which now greatly relieve it. Another of the great features of Naples is its donkeys. They may be numbered by tens of thousands. Every family seems to have its donkey, using him as a kind of errand-boy, in carrying home marketing, bundles, packages, coal, and supplies of water, all of which for drink- ing-purposes has to be either bought or brought from one of the distant fountains. The strength and power of endurance of the useful animals are wonderful. The majority of them are about the size of a six-months-old calf, and we have seen them carrying loads on their pack-saddles sufficient for a horse, with a full-grown man perched upon the top of the load. Tall, heavy men, with their feet within two inches of the ground, may be seen riding them with saddles, trotting briskly along, in all sections of the city, and their shrill and screeching bray may be heard at all hours. Oranges and lemons are almost as cheap here as potatoes in Baltimore. We can get them at a carlino a dozen, being at the rate of about three for two cents, but, as double price is generally charged a stranger for everything, probably an Italian buys them at a much lower rate. They grow in the open air in all the yards of the city, on trees as large as our peach-trees, which are so loaded with fruit that it is necessary to support their branches by an arbor. The *' chain-gang" so often read of in romances and flash stories is a reality here to an extent that is really surpris- ing. Those condemned to it wear red jackets and black skull-caps, and have a heavy chain, each link about six inches in length, extending from an iron girdle around the waist to an iron collar around the left ankle, and sometimes they are chained together in couples. They seem to be used principally as pack-horses for the military, and may be seen drawing wagons through the streets at all hours, each wagon under military guard with fixed bayonets. THE CITY OF ROME. Rome, July 19, 1873. Here we are at last in the Holy City, after nine hours' travel in the cars from Naples, neither sufi'ering from heat nor dust on the route. The railroad-route from Naples to Rome is not by the old Appian Way, but through an entirely new section of country, with the Alps looming up to the right and the~ Apennines to the left. We passed the mountain-towns of Caserta, Capua, San Germano, Velletri, and Albano, the latter near Rome. All these cities are quite large, but are located either on the tops of mountains or high up their sides. The sites of all Italian towns have been cho- sen with an eye to their capacity for de- fense, and each have their fortifications, and most of them are walled cities. They are so much alike that when one is vis- ited there is no necessity for exploring farther among their narrow courts and steep thoroughfares. The whole country through which we passed, bordering on the Pontine Marshes, was in the highest state of cultivation, the principal crops being Indian corn and the grape. Not a foot of land appeared to have escaped cultivation, showing a decided improve- ment since we last passed through this AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 215 country. The railroad and Victor Em- manuel have done much for this section of Iialy, and certainly on God's green earth there existed no section of country in which there was more room for im- provement than this. THE ITALIANS AND THE PRIESTS. We have hitherto refrained from mak- ing any comment upon matters connected wi^h religious afiairs in Naples and along the line of the Mediterranean. It is, however, evident everywhere that the Roman Catholic clergy are no longer the . rulers of Italy, and that were it not for the fear that they may possibly, by some shrewd management of the Jesuits, be able to regain their power, they would scarcely be tolerated. They are extremely l'^ humble, and scores of monks can be seen I on the streets of Naples and Rome beg- ging for pennies. The men scowl upon them, but the women sympathize with thean, and aid them whenever they can. The shop-windows are filled with carica- tures of the Pope and cardinals, which the people seem to enjoy very much. One labeled " Progress" has a priest on horseback with his face towards the tail, by which appendage he is endeavoring to drive the animal. Another is Victor Em- manuel and the Pope walking arm-in- arm in Rome, with words signifying that , he is taking the sick man out for an air- ing. The Italian papers, also, in speak- ing of the probable early death of the Pope, and the election of his successor, contend that the new Pope shall be of '\ ^the same politics as Bismark. "^ During our former visit to Naples, twelve years ago. Church ceremonials and processions on the street were encoun- tered at every turn. Everybody in sight was compelled to kneel. Now there is little of the kind to.^e seen, and the attend- ance at the churches is not only very light, but consists nearly altogether of women and old men. Whilst in a store at Naples a few days since, a mendicant priest, a man young enough and strong enough to work for his living, came in to beg. He was greeted by the storekeeper as a lazy vagabond, and ordered to go about his business in a manner more vig- orous than polite. To hear a Neapolitan thus address a priest startled us, but we were assured that they are no longer in favor, and are regarded as the leeches who have sucked the life-blood of the people. Their number in Naples, in- cluding monks and friars, is very great, certainly not less than ten to fifteen thou- sand, and it is evident that many of them could be spared without detriment to the Church. Here in Rome, with a popula- tion not one-fourth that of Naples, the number is said to exceed twenty thou- sand ; and if the female religieuses be in- cluded, the number must be over thirty thousand, — verily a large army of non- productives for so small a city. We ob- serve a new caricature on the walls of the city to-day, which is attracting crowds of spectators, who seem to enjoy it very much. It is a number of females swim- ming in a lake, and they have got among them an old priest, whom they are busily engaged in ducking, whilst one of them has a large stone raised over the head of the priest, ready to hurl it upon him. An old man, whom we do not recognize, is perched up in the branches of a tree, and has two cords under the arms of one of the leading assailants. It is probably intended for Bismark. Another old priest is being dragged into the water by some of the Amazons. What it all means we are unable to determine, but the people seemed to understand and enjoy it. ITALIAN ANNOYANCES. There is nothing which the traveler in Italy has more cause to dread than the vexations and continual succession of petty annoyances which he is doomed to encounter upon leaving a city or arriving at a new one. A clerical friend, the Rev. Mr. Barrett, of Jackson, Illinois, whom we met at the Naples depot, insists that it all grows out of pure cussedness, and a determination to do everything just the way in which nobody else would think of doing it. He says if they walk with a cane they persist in carrying the ferrule in their hand and the head on the ground. When you apply for a ticket you must have the exact change required, or expect none from the ticket-seller. The moment you reach the depot at least a dozen men rush at you, all in official garb, each one of whom will seize a separate article, one a shawl, one a cane, one an umbrella, and one a carpet-sack, and, if there is not enough to go around, the balance will run ahead to open the doors and make them- selves as annoying as possible. When you secure your ticket, and have your baggage weighed and registered, each one of these dozen semi-officials rushes at you for a proboi, and if you give them a grano each they will want six, or if you give them one they will want tAvo. On arriving at Rome we fought the whole gang off, carried our bundles to the om- 216 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH nibus, and escaped without much annoy- ance. They snatched our baggage several times, and we had to show fight to recover it, and they evidently thought we were regular Yankee guerillas. At Naples we paid the hotel-keeper for carrying us to the depot. On arriving there the omni- bus-man demanded the fare, and said that the hotel-keeper denied having received it. We paid a second time, and in a few moments after we detected the same man endeavoring to obtain from another of the party pay again, making, if he had ob- tained it, three payments for carrying us to the cars. FIUST DAY IN ROME. We found the weather was quite warm here, and in the sun excessively hot, but still not too warm to ride about and view the painting-galleries in the palaces of Rome. We visited the Palace Doria, the 'l*alace Borghese, and the Palace Farnese, stopping on the way to look in at that grand old heathen temple, the Pantheon. There are some few paintings in these princely galleries, but the great majority of them would not be given wall-room in such a collection as that of William T. Walters, Esq., of Baltimore. The Pantheon, from the fact of its having been built before the birth of Christ as a temple to the heathen gods, gives it a historic interest that always attracts to its halls every vis- itor to Rome. It is now used as a Cath- olic church, and the niches in the walls, built for statues of Jupiter, Mars, etc., are now occupied by those of the apostles. We spent the afternoon in the Vatican palace, the home of the Pope, in which he persists in regarding himself as ^ prisoner. The paintings and statuary in these galleries are all of the highest order, and are so numerous as to require several hours even merely to stroll by them. Among the statuary the Apollo Belvedere and the Laocoon claim pre-eminence. The frescoes and paintings, principally by Raphael, Perugino, and Murillo, are con- sidered their masterpieces. Scores of artists are always at work in these gal- leries, making copies of the great masters. Since the occupation of Rome by Victor Emmanuel, the Pope has charged two francs admission to the Vatican. WATER AND WINE. An American traveling in Italy in summer will find greater difiiculty in ob- taining a cool glass of water than any- thing else. If he drinks water at his meals he is regarded as a lunatic, and if he calls for ice-water and should succeed in obtaining it, he will find it in his bill when he comes to settle. Water is re- garded as unhealthy, and is as costly in this country as wine, provided you desire to have it cool and palatable. You are expected to drink wine for breakfast, wine for dinner, and wine for supper. From one to two bottles of wine per day is regarded as essential to health, and even the beggar in the street must have his modicum of wine. They have a great reverence for fountains, and like to look at cascades, or bold jets of the crys- tal fluid, but when it has performed this function the Italian regards it as having served its purpose. Latterly, in Naples, the institution of bath-houses all around the bay by Victor Emmanuel has induced the Italians to regard water as valuable for purposes of ablution, and thousands of them are all the time luxuriating in their salt-baths. It is to be hoped that this will induce them to have more re- spect for water. His next movement for the elevation of Italy should be the in- troduction of soap by the encouragement of its manufacture. It is a singular fact that among the lower classes, and in the agricultural regions, the use of soap is almost unknown, and the article is re- garded as a luxury only to be enjoyed by the rich. If the traveler does not carry a supply with him he will never find any in the hotels, and will often be unable to procure it at any price. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. In every Italian city a majority of the hotels now have American names, the object being to attract American travel- ers, under the supposition that they will find English spoken. So also with the cafes ; but it is almost universally a fraud. In a cafe to-day we asked a waiter if he could speak English. The answer was, "we, we." We then told him to bring some sugar. He returned in a few mo- ments with a wineglass full of toothpicks. We then asked him in French to bring us sua-e, but the fellow could speak nothing but Italian, and he brought a pot of mustard. The stores all over Europe have a notice in their windows that Eng- lish is spoken, and in nine cases out of ten they cannot understand you, nor can you understand them. They send for some neighbor who knows a few words of English, but you have generally to work your way through by signs and motions and the few words you may have picked up in your travels. AMERICAN SPECTACLES 217 VISIT TO ST. Peter's. We devoted Sunday to a visit to St. Peter's, and spent about three hours in viewing its vast interior and magnificent decorations. It is a good place in which to spend a hot day, as you are never too warm within its walls, and a cool draught of air is always sweeping through its broad and lofty interior. Everybody has an idea that this church is immense in size, but their conceptions of its magni- tude always fall short of the reality. Let those who desire to conceive its real size draw a cross and set down as the length of its upright six hundred and thirteen feet. Then put down as the length of the arms of the cross four hun- dred and forty-six and a half feet. Over the centre of this cross is the great dome, the interior diameter of which is one hun- dred and thirty-nine feet, and the exte- rior one hundred and ninety-five and a half. The front of the cathedral is three hundred and seventy-nine feet long and one hundred and forty-eight and a half feet in height. The height of the dome from the pavement to the base of the lantern is four hundred and five feet, and to the top of the cross four hundred and forty-eight feet, or more than double the height of our Wash- ington Monument. There are five doors in the front which admit to the ves- tibule, which is itself much larger than any ordinary church. This vesti- bule is three hundred and sixty-eight feet long, sixty-six feet high, and fifty feet wide. It is of this great structure that the poet exclaimed, — " Enter ! its grandeur overwhelms thee not ; And whj'? it is not lessened, but thy mind, Expnnded by the genius of the spot, Has grown colossal, and can only find A fit abode wherein appear enshrined Thy hopes of immortality." • Whatever idea may thus be learned as to its interior, its ornamentation is be- yond conception. The whole of its vast walls, railings, columns, corridors, ves- tibules, arches, massive piers, and numer- ous altars, are glittering with gold, and ornamented and decorated with statuary, paintings, bas-reliefs, and rich and rare gems and mottoes. The tombs and monu- ments of nearly all the Popes are here, and of many kings. The high altar, di- rectly under the dome, and over the tomb of St. Peter, with its bronze canopy, is too magnificent to attempt a description. This alone is estimated to have cost nearly nine millions of dollars. The number of altars in this vast structure cannot be less than thirty, and service is said to be perpetual within the walls of St. Peter's, so that any one stepping in, night or day, can always find the service of mass in progress. Whilst we were there, mass was being said constantly : the moment it ceased at one altar, a bell announced its commencement at another. There were about one hundred persons kneeling at each of the altars whilst the masses were in progress. The Italian soldiers, now in possession of the city, throng St. Peter's, as well as all the prominent places of interest. Most of them were probably never in Rome before. They are a fine-looking set of men, both soldierly and gentle- manly in their deportment, and finely uniformed. The open court in front of St. Peter's, with its massive colonnades, surmounted by statuary, is worthy of so immense a structure, though it is too large for the front of the building, and gives to the stranger a wrong impression as to its vastness. The colonnades inclose a space of seven hundred and eighty-seven feet in diameter, and are connected with the faqade, or front of the church, by two galleries two hundred and ninety-six feet in length. The fa9ade is three hundred and seventy-nine feet long, and one hun- dred and forty-eight and one-half feet high. The doors are approached by a flight of stone steps, the whole length of the cathedral. What is most to be admired about St. Peter's, inside and out, is that it is always kept clean, bright, and beau- tiful. The cost of keeping it clean and in good repair is said to be over fifty thousand dollars per annum. the dome of ST. Peter's. We spent an hour on the roof and in ascending the dome of St. Peter's Cathe- dral. The ascent to the summit is the only means by which a proper idea can be formed of the immensity of the struc- ture, and it then presents one of the most extraordinary spectacles in the world. A broad, paved, spiral ascent, without steps, leads to the roof by so gentle a rise that a horse might mount it. On the walls are tablets recording the names of members of the reigning houses of Europe who have accomplished the ascent, including that of the Prince of Wales, who passed up in 1869. The roof is so immense that it requires a half-hour to walk round it, and the workmen who are constantly employed in repairing it and keeping it in order have houses here, in 218 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH J which they live with their families. Al- most all the roof is of brick, set in Roman cement as hard and solid as a rock. A long series of passages and staircases car- ried us from the roof to the different stages of the dome, winding between its double walls and opening on the internal galleries. From the upper of these gal- leries, looking down on the altar and floor of the cathedral below, at a height of about four hundred feet, the people scarcely look like human beings, and the mosaics of the dome, which look from below like finely-executed paintings, are found to be coarsely executed in the only style which could produce such an effect at such a distance. The staircases from this point lead directly to the top of the interior dome. Another flight of about thirty steps carried us up into the ball at the base of the cross, which from the front of the building looks not larger than a bomb-shell, but we found it to be capable of easily holding eighteen per- sons. Six were in it at the time we entered, but the heat was so oppressive that we were soon compelled to retreat. The view from the balcony below the ball is one of the finest in Europe. The whole of Rome is spread out like a map in the foreground, bounded on one side by the Mediterranean and on the other by the chain of the Apennines. MIRACULOUS RELICS. Whilst viewing the churches and clois- ters of Rome, many miraculous things were pointed out by our guide which rather startled our credulity. In the cloister of St. John Lateran, an altar- table of white marble, about two inches thick, with a small hole through it, and a round yellow spot on the marble up- right which sustained it, we were assured came there by a miracle. A priest who did not believe that the wafer was the real body of Christ was officiating at the altar, and, laying down the wafer, it passed immediately through the stone, and the yellow spot underneath was where it struck in its descent. Then we were shown a long flight of steps, covered with wood, about twelve feet broad, and rising about thirty feet, which Ave were assured were the identical steps, brought from Pilate's house at Jerusalem, which Christ passed down on his way to be crucified. No good Catholic, we were informed, would pass up or down these steps except on his knees. Then pieces of the veritable cross were in possession, and the place was pointed out to us in which the veritable heads of St. Peter and St. Paul are kept, — all of which may be so ; but we also heard of several pieces of the veritable cross in San Domingo, and have heard of parts of St. Peter and St. Paul being in so many places, that we are rather inclined to agree with Mark Twain, that there must be several', ship- loads of this sacred material scattered over the world, and that the bones of the saints have been much scattered. Another great relic is deposited in a small chapel underneath the high altar of Santa Maria Maggiore. It professes to be the boards of the manger in which the Saviour lay after his birth. A solemn ceremony and procession on Christmas Eve commemorate this subject. Five boards of the manger compose the cradle in which the Saviour was deposited at his nativity. An urn of silver and crystal incloses these relics, on the top of which is the figure of the holy child. At St. Peter's the handkerchief which lay over the face of Christ, and the spear with which his side was pierced, are only ex- hibited from the high balcony during Holy Week. The chain by which St. Peter was manacled is also kept in one of the churches. We also saw one of these chains at Cologne. There is some reason to believe that the Jerusalem steps are genuine, or at least that there is a very plausible reason given that they are the veritable steps over which Christ passed in going to and from the trial-chamber in Pilate's house. Bae- deker says that they were brought to Rome three hundred years after the death of Christ, having been taken from Pilate's house, and were those that led to the trial- chamber. They are of whit« marble ; but as they became so greatly worn by the crowds of Christian worshipers who sought the opportunity of going over them on their knees, it was deemed ad- visable to cover them with boards, in which condition they now are, presenting the appearance of a board staircase. On Sunday thousands of peasants were crawl- ing over these stairs all day, and apply- ing for indulgences, which a notice over the door announced would be granted for " the living or the dead," — price, five francs. This rather staggered our faith in the exhibition. DOWN AMONG THE ANCIENTS. There is nothing so destructive of the sentiment of romance which envelops '* the ruins of the ancient Romans as to wander over the hot bricks and cement AMERICAN SPECTACLE !s. 219 during a heated term like the present. The explanations and orations of your guide, in such horrible English that it is necessary to repeat it three times to know what he really did say, adds to the tor- ment, and a day's work done leaves a vivid remembrance of the labor and an- noyance, and very little gratification. I To' leave Rome without seeing everything ' worth seeing would be regarded by Mrs. Grundy as having no sentiment of appre- ciation for the wonderful in ruins or the 2;rand in art. After seeing Pompeii, a /city extinguished like a flash in the midst ' of its glory, the scattered remnants of ancient Rome, incomplete and broken, become tame and uninteresting, especially as the photographist has made the world familiar with every broken column and ragged wall, and lias given us the Coli- seum in all its glory and magnificence. Even the statuary of the ancients, or at least all of it that has merit, has been photographed over the world ; and to wade among so many miles of stone men and women — as our clerical friend styles them — as is required to ferret out what is world-renowned, becomes a little irksome, I to say the least of it. So also with the great galleries of paintings: most of them are j mere trash and rubbish, and one feels a :' kind of inward conviction that, whatever may be their merit, they will not bear a second visit by those who do not make paintings a hobby and ancient paintings a worship. We confess to the weakness of admiring modern art, and to believing that the lauded mellowness of coloring by the ancients is more the effect of age on their productions than of superior touch and skill. So also with statuary. The pro- ductions of Powers and other modern artists are equal to those of the ancients. V'lt is a matter of wondfer that the old \ heathens should have become so expert , A in the art, and that they really reached /^perfection, but we have seen but few specimens that are superior to the pro- ductions of the sculptors of the present generation. Then the latter are bright and beautiful, while those of the ancients are stained and begrimed with the rust of ages. Michael Angelo would prol)ably never have been deemed to have had any merit as a sculptor if he had not secretly buried one of his productions, previously taking off and concealing an arm. After it had time to become earth-stained he caused it to be found, and it was hailed as the most wonderful of all the recov- ered statuary of the ancients. When the excitement was at its height he pro- duced the missing arm, bright and beau- tiful, and claimed the work as his own production. If it had not been for this trick, which caused all the critics to com- mit themselves in adniiration of this won- derful piece of statuary, Michael Angelo might have struggled in vain for the emi- nence he afterwards achieved. MENDICANT PRIESTS. We have before alluded to the fact that both here and at Naples mendicant priests and friars are to be met at every turn, begging for pennies. They are certainly the most woebegone-looking creatures possible to conceive, and many of them are both dirty and ragged. We were assured yesterday by an Italian gentle- man that their destitution is real, and that there is a determination upon the part of the people to break up and dis- perse them. In times past they ruled and tyrannized over the people of Rome without mercy, and now they have no pity for them. The women secretly aid them, but they seldom approach a man, unless he is a stranger, for aid. It is a singular thing to find such evidences of joy among Roman Catholics over the overthrow and humiliation of the Pope. But the fact is, it is the cardinals, and not the Pope, against whom the feeling is entertained. The Pope, like Queen Vic- toria, is beloved by all the people, but the tyranny of the clergy under his rule had become so offensive that the relief afforded them by Victor Emmanuel is a source of constant rejoicing. This feeling is shown by their kindness to the Italian troops, who are certainly well-disciplined and well-behaved soldiers, and withal a remarkably fine-looking body of men. Both in Rome and Naples the number of street-beggars has greatly decreased. Indeed, we doubt if there are more beg- gars to be met with now in the streets of Rome than on the streets of Baltimore. Those who are still plying their old voca- tion are nearly all cripples, or else young children. It is true this may be an un- propitious season for beggars in Rome, but there are very few of them now to be met with except around the church-doors, and these are old crones, who are beyond the age for regeneration or improvement. IMPROVEMENTS OF ROME. On entering the city by railroad from Naples, and passing the gates leading towards the Appian Way, among the ruins of the arches of the aqueduct which supplied ancient Rome with water, we 220 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH were astonished to observe the change, I even in this remote section of the Holy City, which had taken place since our visit twelve years ago. There was then no railroad, and we traveled from Naples in diligences along the Appian Way, through the Pontine Marshes, stopping at all the towns along the shores of the Mediterranean, where the famous brigands even at that time made their haunts. We had scarcely passed inside of the walls of Rome when there loomed up before us the new railroad depot, which is one of the most magnificent and handsomely- adorned buildings of the kind that we have yet met with on either side of the Atlan- tic. It is constructed of stone, extensively ornamented with abundance of statues and bas-reliefs, and is fully six hundred feet in length. In driving down towards the centre of the city we were surprised to find rows of elegant new residences going up on every side, old palaces being renovated and almost reconstructed, and new palaces being built. Indeed, from the present appearances, so great is the change that fortunes have probably been made here in speculating in corner-lots and suburban property. This all grows out of the fact that Rome is now the capital of Italy. Of course all the no- bility of Italy must have palaces in Rome, and many of the old palaces have been sold to them at good prices. AVe also found the hotel-keepers filled with mag- nificent expectations, all of whom are making efibrts to improve and enlarge their establishments. THE PROTESTANT BURYING-GROUND. This is one of the most beautiful spots in the environs of Rome, and is well taken care' of, the whole interior being orna- mented with flowers and shrubbery. It has a high stone wall round it, with a gate-keeper and gardeners always in at- tendance. There are a large number of very fine monuments, principally of Eng- lishmen who have died in Rome, having come here for the recovery of their health, with a few Americans. Most travelers visit it with melancholy interest. The silence and the seclusion of the spot, and the inscriptions in our mother-tongue, beneath the bright skies of , the Eternal City, appeal irresistibly to the heart. Here lie the remains of Shelley, the poet, and his friend John Keats. THE ROMAN PALACES. The Pope and the Roman nobles have the most magnificent palaces and villas in the world, in all of which there are ex- tensive galleries of paintings and statuary. Some of these private establishments ex- ceed those of the Pope in their attrac- tions, several of which we visited to-day. The number of these palaces in Rome is sevent3^-fi"ve. The Pope's summer palace, in which he resides during such portion of the year as the Vatican is rendered unhealthy by the malaria, is a very grand afiair. The floors are of mosaic, the walls are covered with paintings and tapestry, and the vaulted ceilings present a succession of grand scriptural paintings in fresco by the best artists of' the past century. We passed through about thirty spacious rooms and halls, including the chamber, library, and throne-room of the Pope, the halls and ante-rooms of the Noble Guard and the Swiss Guard, in all of which were numerous fine specimens of statu- ary. Here, as in all the public buildings and palaces, a number of artists were en- gaged in making copies of some of the great paintings of the old masters. The palace of the Borghese family, in the heart of the city, is a grand afiair, whilst their villa, immediately outside of the walls, exceeds anything of a private character we have yet met with in Europe. The grounds of their villa are four miles in circumference, and, being always open to the public, supersede the necessity of a public park for the citizens of Rome. It is rich in every variety of park-scenery, diversified by guoves of ilex and laurel, by clumps of stone-pine, and by long avenues of cypresses, which supply the landscape artists with endless combina- tions for their pencils. The grounds are well laid out, and interspersed with nu- merous gushing fountains in every direc- tion, in all manner of fanciful design and rich sculpture. On the highest point of the grounds stands the villa, a noble building of great extent, the statuary- and painting-galleries of which are open to the public every Saturday afternoon. On the first floor there are two saloons, each sixty feet long and fifty feet high, painted in fresco by artists of the last century, and seven smaller rooms, all of which are filled with statuary, including several fine statues of Venus, Apollo, Diana, Ceres, Mercury, Sappho, and Hercules. The number of works of art in these eight rooms cannot amount to less than five hundred. On the second floor there is also a suite of six rooms, some filled with statuary and others with paintings. The Venus for which the Princess Borghese, AMERICAN SPECTACLES, 221 tlie sister of Napoleon, sat to Canova, is also preserved here. She was regarded as the handsomest woman of her time. This is the statue in reference to which the anecdote is told of a lady friend ask- ing the princess how it was possible she could sit in such a nude condition for her statue. Her reply was characteristic of the woman : " Oh, I d'd not mind it: there was a warm fire in the room." The city palace of the Borghese family has also an immense gallery of paintings, which is open to the public, filling twelve large rooms, with ceilings almost thirty feet high, vaulted and frescoed in the highest style of art. Some of the paint- ings in this collection have a world-wide renown, among which are Raphael's mag- nificent painting of the Entombment of Christ, the Chase of Diana, by Dome- nichino, the Return of the Prodigal Son, by Guercino, the Three Graces, by Titian, Sacred and Profane Love, by Titian, the Entombment, by Vandyke, etc. The Barberini Palace also contains a small collection of paintings, among which we noticed the celebrated portrait of Beatrice Cenci, taken by Guido on the night before her execution ; and Raphael's Fornarina. There is an extensive library here also, of sixty thousand volumes, and a great collection of ancient manuscripts. The Corsini Palace has also a fine suite of rooms filled with paintings and statu- ary, and a library consisting of thirteen thousand manuscripts and sixty thousand printed volumes. • DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN. We have visited several of the monas- teries. That of the Capuchins, adjoining the church of Santa Maria della Con- cezione, was very interesting. The church is celebrated for the picture of the arch- angel Michael, by Guido. Over the en- trance-door is also the cartoon, by Giotto of St. Peter Walking on the Water. We were received by a Capuchin friar, in his long heavy brown cloth robe and cowl, with rope around his waist, and conducted behind the altar and through the cloisters, from whence we passed into the basement of the church, where a sight met our view for which we were wholly unprepared. It appears that whenever a monk or friar of this order dies he is buried in one of the four vaulted chambers under the church, each one of which has ten graves, with a small cross at the head and the name of its occupant on a card. There is thus room for forty graves, and for the last two hundred years, after these graves were all filled, it has been the custom of the order to take up the body in the oldest grave to make room for a new oc- cupant of the receptacle. By this means there have accumulated the bones of more than a thousand monks, which are piled up in the most fantastic manner around the walls, displaying considerable archi- tectural taste in their arrangement. In one vault the leg- and thi^-bones are thus arranged, in another the skulls, in another the arm-bones, and in another the shoulder-blades are the principal features. They are so arranged as to leave niches and arches in the piles, and in these niches and arches in each vault are seven full skeletons, their arms crossed, and arrayed in black robes, with cords around the waists, three of them reclining and four standing upright. Some of these ghastly skulls are covered with dried flesh, from which long beards are flowing. The ceilings are also deco- rated with rib-bones and pieces of verte- brae, so skillfully arranged in flowers and quaint figures that at first glance they look like stucco-work. In the centre of each vault, and also in the passage-way adjoining them, are candelabra made of human bones suspended by bones from the ceiling. The whole range of these cells are on a level with the ground, each having a large grated window, and the bright rays of the sun were shining upon the ghastly spectacle at the time we passed through them. The price of admission for a party is one franc, and the receipts are a source of considerable income to the Church. Since the overthrow of the Papal government this foolish interment has been stopped, and the Capuchins who hereafter diQ are compelled to take their chance of being found when wanted among the rest of humanity in out-of-door cemeteries. The bone-exhibition is allowed to continue, and an enterprising daguerreotypist was engaged in taking views of each of the six chambers into which the cemetery is divided. They will make ghastly pictures. BROTHER, WE MUST ALL DIE. Our next visit was to the Carthusian monastery attached to the magnificent church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, which was originally the great hall of the Baths of Diocletian, built two thousand years ago, but was altered into a church and monastery by Michael Angelo. Eight of the immense granite columns of the baths, which are in one solid piece, forty-five feet high and sixteen feet in circumference, 222 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH stand in their positions, to which others in imitation have been added. It is one of the finest churches in Rome, and the order of Carthusian monks, to which it belongs, are all Roman nobles. The monastery cloisters are very fine, and the four long corridors, supported by one hundred columns of travertine, form a hollow square, arranged as a finely- cultivated garden, in the centre of which is a fountain, presenting quite an attract- ive scene. The monks or friars of this order wear no hats or caps, have long flowing beards, and wear gowns and cowls of white flannel, with a heavy cord tied round their waists. The great rule of this order is silence, they never speaking to one another, except the salutation of, "Brother, we must all die-," to which the one addressed replies, " I know it, brother." This is said to be the only intercourse they have ; though the several we met in the cloisters were stout, hearty- looking fellows, with good-natured counte- nances, and talked very freely to us. The stable and barn of the monastery was formerly part of Diocletian's Baths also, which were supposed to be over a mile in circumference, the ruins of which show their arched ceilings from fifty to sixty feet high. These old Romans were great sticklers for cleanliness, judging from the extent of the ruins of their bathing-establishments. THE CHURCHES OF ROME. There are over three hundred churches in Rome, independent of the seven basil- icas or cathedrals, and many of them are of a character that must surprise the vis- itor at their great extent and the magnifi- cence of their appointments. The new cathedral of St. Paul is a mile and a quarter outside the gates of the city, and is grand beyond the power of description. With the exception of the great dome, its interior is as magnificent as that of St. Peter's, and the richness of its altars and pillars exceeds it. It abounds in alabaster, malachite, black and yellow marble, green basalt, porphyry, and every variety of rich and rare marble in its al- tars, pillars, walls, and floors, whilst its ceilings are of white and gilt stucco, its walls filled with fine paintings, and like- nesses in mosaic of some two hundred saints. Nothing can exceed the richness of the whole edifice. The roof of the nave is a magnificent specimen of modern carved wood-work and gilding, having the armorial bearings of the present pontifi" in the centre. The effect of the four ranges of granite columns, eighty in number, is unparalleled. They are after the Corin- thian order, the capitals and bases being of white marble 5 in addition to which there are two more colossal than the rest, supporting the arch over the high altar, which were presented by the Emperor of Austria, all of them being in solid blocks forty and fifty feet high. The total length of the structure is two hundred and ninety- six feet ; the length of the nave, three hundred and six feet; the width of the nave and side-aisles, two hundred and twenty-two feet ; and the width of the transept, two hundred and fifty feet. Under the high altar is the tomb, which the tradition of the Church from the ear- liest times had pointed out as the burial- place of St. Paul, whose body, on the same authority, is inclosed in an urn on which is engraved the name of the apos- tle. Like the tomb of St. Peter, in St. Peter's Cathedral, one hundred lamps are , kept burning around it night and day. The cathedrals of the Lateran and of Santa Maria Maggiore, both of which we visited, are also very grand, and abound in fine paintings, statuary, mosaics, and a variety of ornamental marbles of every ; color, presenting a richness beyond all / power of description. We also visited San Pietro in Vin- coli, in which the colossal statue of Moses, by Michael Angelo, is the great feature of attraction, though the other specimens of sculpture and paintings are very fine. Here also is keptffes a sacred relic, what is said to be the chain with which St. Peter was bound whilst a prisoner in Rome. HOTELS OF ROME. There is much need of improvement in the hotels of Rome, but we must in all truth and candor add that they are far superior to those of London, both in accommodations and attendance, and their tahle-d'hote is better, both in quality and character of cooking. We are stopping at the ilotel d'Angleterre, which is said to be the best in Rome in all respects, being intended for John Bull's especial accommodation, who, you know, is an inveterate grumbler. AVith two or three occasional exceptions, we are the only guests (this being the dull season), and are probably receiving more than ordi- nary attention. In this country they furnish you good beds, but make no effort to keep the house clean ; and though you may, by dint of close watching and con- stant slaughter, keep your rooms clear of fleas, every time a lady goes to the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 223 dining-room or passes through the halls she is sure to gather up a score of them. Be- fore they can have acceptable hotels for foreigners, the keepers of these hotels must have a better appreciation of the annoyance of these terrible pests, and of the necessity of not only sweeping their marble and cement floors, but of making another use of water besides squirting it through the pipes of a fountain. They sweep the floors with a sprawling straw broom, put together something like our scavengers' brooms, and never think of such a thing as mopping up the floors with water. Our party have killed so many fleas since they have been here that we should not wonder if the house has a better reputation in this respect in future. The general cost of living in a Roman hotel is but little more than three dollars per day, and those who choose to take their meals at the' restaurants can reduce their expenses to about two dollars and a half. For a family, or a large party visit- ing Rome, it is always better to seek fur- nished apartments, which are to be had in all sections of the city, and take meals in the cafes. There is generally an old lady in charge of the rooms, who keeps everything clean, and will furnish cofi'ee, bread and butter, and eggs for breakfast, if desired, at a very moderate charge. Those who know Rome always seek these quarters in preference to the hotels. Our bill for a party of four, for four days at Rome, was one hundi*ed and fifty-three francs, or about thirty-oi^ dollars, though we took two or three meals at restaurants, which would make it about forty dollars, or just two dollars and a half each per day. The charges were so light that it seemed hard to compel the 'landlord to strike ofi" nineteen francs for the inevitable errors of addition and charges for articles that we had not called for. An Italian hotel- bill, with its numerous items, is a curi- osity, and as it is never delivered to you until the moment you are about starting, very few are able to decipher and correct them. SUNDAY IN ROME. There is evidently no Sunday-law in Rome. Everybody here seems to do as they think proper, but a vast majority of the people strictly observe the day, and nine-tenths of the stores are kept closed. Those that are open are restaurants, cafes, t bacco-stores, fruit-stores, and drinking- houses. Every place for the sale of eaV ables or drinkables is in full blast, and we encountered some few, but a very few, mechanics at work at their trades. The streets were thronged all day with well- dressed people, but the churches into which we dropped had but few attend- ants, and those were principally old men and women of the lower classes. A great many of these, although clean and well dressed, held out their hands to us for alms, leading to the supposition that this was the main object of their attendance. There were a great many soldiers on the streets, all in full uniform, wearing white cotton gloves, and looking extremely well. The police wear a military dress, carry a sword at their sides, and with coats buttoned up to the throat, and yel- low cord and tassel gracefully looped over the breast, carry themselves erect and soldierly. They are all young men, ap- parently under twenty-five years of age, and have evidently seen military service. The numbers of each regiment are in gilt figures on their stand-up collars, and they also wear white gloves. PROMENADE ON THE CORSO. After dinner this (Sunday) evening we started for a promenade on the Corso, which is the fashionable thoroughfare of Rome. The throng was so great that both pavement and street were well -filled with pedestrians, ladies and gentlemen, and the officers of the various Italian regi- ments stationed in Rome. The latter were in their elegant undress uniforms, and presented as trig and smart appear- ance as our holiday soldiers do when on f)arade. Their dresses appeared as if just rom the tailor-shop, and were remarkable for style and excellent fit. On their breasts were various medals, and they were evidently set upon attracting the at- tention of the ladies by their fine military appearance and • bearing. They all car- ried side-arms, and wore fancy military caps, and could be seen along the whole line of the Corso. The Corso was so thronged with pedes- trians that the carriages, with a fine dis- play of the fashionables of Rome, could scarcely get along. Our party were rec- ognized as Americans, and were duly inspected, especially by the Roman ladies. The newsboys throughout the afternoon were busily crying and selling a Sunday paper, which was bought up by the peo- ple with great avidity. There are several papers now published here daily, and the newsboys, or rather newsmen, are becom- ing quite an institution. Twelve years ago there was but one paper published, once a week, in Rome, and it contained 224 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH nothing but official decrees and Church notices ; and although the Italian war was then in progress, it was not allowed even to allude to it. The London Times was then not permitted to come through the post-office, and could only be had by smuggling it through by private convey- ance. The Rome of the present day is a cradle of liberty compared to what it was then, and there is no mistaking the fact that all Rome, outside of the Pope, the cardinals, and the priesthood, is happy and hopeful. It does one good to see the Italian flag flying from the Castle of St. Angelo, which was for so many years the prison-house of all liberal Italians who had the manhood to entertain and express sentiments favorable to human liberty. ROMAN LADIES. There was quite a display of the beauty of Rome on the Corso on Sunday after- noon, and they were regarded by our female critics as quite womanly-looking women, exhibiting more force of charac- ter in their presence and bearing than the other sex. There were a few blondes among them, but most of them were dark- eyed brunettes. They dress with great taste, in plain colors, in full European or American costume, including fancy over- skirts, hats and feathers, but exhibit very little jewelry. GARIBALDI AND SAVONAROLA. While taking a drive on Pincian Hill, our guide, with a quiet chuckle, pointed out to us among the marble busts of dis- tinguished Italians lining the drives, that of Garibaldi, a name that two years ago dared not be mentioned in Rome. It had just been placed here by order of the Italian government, to the great joy of the people. A few moTnents after we called upon the driver to stop in front of another beautiful bust, with a kind and benevolent countenance, and a wealth of waving hair extending down to the shoulders. Beneath it was engraved the name of Savonarola, the first of Italian patriots, a Dominican priest, who was burned at the stake in Florence, in 1498, on account of what was then deemed by the Pope to be heretical teaching and writing. This bust had also been placed in this position of honor by the Italian government since the redemption of Rome. Savonarola had previously been excommunicated for preaching against the celibacy of the clergy, and for this for- feited his life. The people of Florence and Rome, although earnest Catholics, still honor his memory, and that his bust should be placed among Italy's most hon- ored sons, on Pincian Hill, is a subject of great rejoicing. CLEANLINESS OF THE CITY. The streets of Rome are kept very clean, and none of those sharp and dis- gusting odors greet the olfactory organs at every turn, as was formerly the case. Every paving-stone in the city is carefully swept during the night, and the dust carted ofi" before breakfast- time in the morn- ing. The streets are also watered, and in the early morning it would be difficult to find any city, except Paris, cleaner than the Rome of the present day. The old Jew quarter, into which the Papal government crowded these people, is also broken up, and they have scattered over the city, seeking residences where their inclination may suggest. This was for- merly a terribly filthy section ; now it is as cleanly as any other, the number of residents being not more than one-fourth what it was. CITY OF FLORENCE. Florence, July, 1873. We left Rome at nine o'clock on Mon- day morning, and were at our hotel in Florence at seven o'clock the same even- ing, the distance being about two hun- dred and fifty i#iles. The weather was intensely hot. Being boxed up in one of those close cars, with nothing to eat and a very little to drink except an occasional tumbler of water, secured, at a penny a glass, through the cdr-window, was any- thing but pleasant. ROME TO FLORENCE. The road from Rome to Florence is a marvel of engineering, and has been con- structed under difficulties that one would have supposed likely to stagger the effete Italians. It crosses a portion of the Ap- ennine Mountains at a grade of about one hundred and fifty feet to the mile, and at one point of the road we counted twenty stone bridges erected over moun- tain-streams in less than ten miles. Then the tunnels are innumerable, varying in length from one hundred yards to over a mile. They are constructed in enduring masonry, and the equipments of the road, including depots and water-stations, are of a very superior character. The country through which the road AMERICAN SPECTACLES, 225 passed, especially the first part of it, be- ing what was formerly known as a por- tion of the patrimony of St. Peter, is very sterile, being mostly mountainous. Every spot, however, is closelv cultivated ; even the mountain-sides, as far up as the olive-tree can be made to grow, are cov- ered with this fruit of commerce. There are a great many towns and cities along the road between Rome and Florence, all of them during the first half of the route being located either on the tops of mountains or high up on their sides. Their mud-colored walls, red-tiled roofs, with scarcely a green tree to re- lieve the eye, basking on the mountain- side in the hot sun, give them a most forbidding aspect. They look as if one house was piled against another, and as if there was no room for locomotion within their limits^ Every town has its immense fortifications, citadel, and castle, covering more ground and costing more money than the town itself. As we get towards Tuscany, however, the folly of building cities on the tops of mountains is abandoned, and we find them located on the plain, with cottages and farm- houses evincing a superior class of peo- ple to those of Southern Italy. FLORENCE BY GAS-LIGHT. We reached Florence in time to take a stroll through its streets and view the city by gas-li^ht. The streets all through the heart of the city "were literally thronged with promenaders, and the stores and caf6s brilliant with gas-jets. Such a shining scene would never be seen in an America]^ city except on the eve of some national holiday. The cafes are all immense establishments, some of them old palaces, and they were thronged to the curb-stones with parties eating and drinking. Newsboys were circulating everywhere, selling the evening papers, and vendors of fruit doing a brisk busi- ness. This continued up to twelve o'clock, when the city suddenly became quiet, and all streetrscenes and noises ceased. With the stroke of the bell, stores and caf6s were closed, and the doings of the day brought to an end. THE CAPITAL OF ITALY. Florence has been awarded the title by Byron of " the fairest city of the earth." It ^was, up to last year, since 1865, the capital of the kingdom of Italy, and Vic- tor Eftimanuel here resided at the Pitti 15 Palace, which was 'formerly called the Palace of the Grand Duke. At the com- mencement of the present year the king and court removed to Rome, which is now the capital of the nation, thus ac- complishing what has been the great pur- pose of Italian unity, the blotting out forever of what were called the States of the Church. Florence is situated in the rich valley of the Arno, surrounded by beauties of nature and art. It is revered as the birthplace of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Galileo, Michael Angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cellini, and Andrea del Sarto. Beautiful gardens, adorned with statues, vases, fountains, and other deco- rations, as well as the open squares or piazzas, continually attract the eye of the visitor, and the palaces, which are very numerous, each containing rare paint- ings and sculpture, form the principal objects of interest in this delightful city, which is the pride of Italy. The Arno passes through the city, and is crossed by six bridges, but as it becomes at times as unruly as our Jones's Falls at home, they have nearly all at times been swept away. THE UFFIZI GALLEET. We visited this morning the TJflfizi Gallery, the paintings in which are re- puted to be the richest and most varied in the world, with the exception of the Royal Gallery at Madrid, although not as extensive as many others. The Tri- bune, a small circular chamber, not only contains the chefs-d'oeuvre of this gallery but of the world, both in painting and statuary. Among the sculpture are the world-renowned Venus de Medici, which was found in the portico of Octavia at Rome, the Apollino, or young Apollo, the Dancing Faun, the Wrestlers, and the Antonio, a slave whetting his knife. These were all recovered from the ruins of Rome, and are the products of heathen sculptors. The Titian Venus alluded to by Byron is here, with several of the productions of Michael Angelo. It required several hours to pass rapidly through these galleries, where we encountered not less than fifty artists, male and female, making copies from the great masters. This, however, is the case to some extent in all the galleries of Italy. The business of copying these famous paintings has become quite an extensive one, and many of the copyists have become so expert as to command large prices for their work. 226 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH FAIREST CITY OF THE EARTH. If in Byron's time Florence could be called the fairest city of the earth, it is certainly much more entitled to the title now. A drive through it last evening disclosed vast improvements that have taken place during the past ten years. Its occupation as the Italian capital necessi- tated the building of large numbers of ele- gant palaces and public buildings, and the people manifested great anxiety to render their city M^orthy of the honor. At eight o'clock in the morning it would be im- possible for Mrs. Partington, with her finest broom, to gather a shovelful of dirt from any square in the city. It is smoothly paved, like all Italian cities, with slabs of stone about two and a half feet long by eighteen inches broad. These are grooved with the chisel, and occasion- ally roughened as they become smooth by wear. Its streets are mostly broad, its public squares numerous and beauti- ful, and its people are evidently very in- dustrious. You never see a beggar on the streets, unless blind or crippled. The population of Florence has also largely increased during the past ten years, as it now numbers two hundred thousand, and is steadily increasing. The cost of living is very low, and there are a large number of old English retired merchants and business-men who have settled here to live out the balance of their days. Their means are, in most cases, not sufficient to secure for them- selves and families the same comforts in England that can be had here at one-half the cost. Although everything is still cheap, it is not so cheap as it was in former years, when a furnished house, with horse and carriage, could be had for five hundred dollars per annum. THE FLORENCE POLICE. We have before noticed the fact that the Italian police, both in Naples and Rome, are distinguished for their military bearing. Those of Florence excel in this as well as every other characteristic. They are tall, well-formed men, and their uniform is really elegant. They wear a well-fitting blue swallow-tailed coat, but- toned up to the throat with silver buttons ; standing collar, and their number in silver letters on the right collar. On the ends of the skirts of their coats there are several sprays of silver flowering, and across the back of the waist two rows of silver buttons, each eight in number, are displayed. The cap is something of what we would call a chapeau, turned up at the front, on which is a rosette of white, red, and blue, with a silver crown in the centre. To make the military status of the figure complete, they wear long swords at their sides, and white cotton gloves. Every man appears to be standing on his dignity, and to be fully aware of his per- sonal importance. VISIT TO THE PITTI PALACE. This was last year the residence of King Victor Emmanuel, but its chief at- traction now is the collection of paint- ings, which number about five hundred, and which to our uncultivated taste are more attractive than those contained in the Uffizi. We spent several hours in examining the paintings and statuary, and especially a mosaic table, about seven feet long, which cost over two hundred thousand dollars, and Aearly fifteen years were taken in completing it at the govern- ment manufactory. The Boboli Gardens adjoin the palace, and have a world-wide reputation for the beauty of their adornments and culture. They abound in grottoes, fountains, roses sculpture, and magnificent terraces, from some of which a fine view of the whole city of Florence can be had. THE MUSEO NATURALE. This famous establishment also adjoins the Pitti Palace, and is free to all visitors, being sustained by the government. A sight more interesting and instructive it is difficult anywhere to meet. In addition to the well-arranged halls filled with min- erals and plants, many departments are devoted to wax models of the human body, as well as of a gre< number of animals. Here science has laid bare the whole ma- chinery of the human system, colored to resemble nature so closely that it is diffi- cult to conceive that it is not flesh and blood laid out to the view. Every sepa- rate part of the human form, bodies, legs, heai'ts, lungs, etc., are displayed upon cushions, some under glass,- whole forms, the size of life, both male and female, lie exposed on white beds, opened from the throat downward, and all the internal organism laid bare. Youth and old age are here as if asleep, with the life-warm coloring of flesh, veins, and skin. THE CASCINE. The Druid Hill Park of the Florentines is the Cascine, on the peninsula formed by the junction of the Arno and the Mi- ^none. This is decidedly the most charm- ing drive and promenade in Italy. It AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 227 derives its name from the dairy-houses of the late grand duke, which are situated near the centre of the drive, and which supply Florence with its purest milk and butter. From the Leghorn Railroad sta- tion, immediately outside the Porta al Prato, the bank of the Arno is laid out as a beautiful walk and drive, overshadowed by magnificent trees for the space of two miles. About midway of the- grounds there is a large circular plateau. Here, several afternoons in the week, the bands perform, and here the fashionables of Florence make their calls. For the space of two or three hours, from four to seven, all Florence — that is, all Florence that pretends to be anybody — attends this fashionable exchange in all manner of equipages, in number varying from five hundred to one thousand, and they are not excelled in style or richness by any city except Paris. Around the music- stands the carriages congregate ; gentle- men descend and visit their lady friends and present them with bouquets, which the flower-girls have in abundance for the occasion. They talk, gossip, and flirt or promenade along the river-bank, where seats beneath shady groves supply the wants of solitaires as well as lovers. Fashionable society of Florence cares not where you live, what you eat, or what you wear, so long as you make your appear- ance at the opera and drive your turn-out on the Cascine, both of which are cheap enough. For ninety dollars per month a splendid turn-out can be hired, with ^wo horses, coachman, and footman, an open carriage for driving in the Cascine, and a close carriage for the opera. A box at the opera, holding* four to eight persons, will cost four to five dollars per night. Is it any wonder that there should be a demand for cottages in Florence, with its delightful climate, abundance of fruits, and cheap living? BURIAL OF THE POOR. There is a religious order in Florence which sprang into existence many years since, during the prevalence of the cholera. It undertook to superintend the funeral rites and burial of all persons who had neither friends nor money who died in the city. The members wear black frocks, covering the entire person, leav- ing only two holes for the eyes, and pre- sent a most ghostly appearance, and wnen seen at night, each with a flaming torch, carrying a hand-barrow covered with a black canopy, beneath which is the body, the scene is a most impressive one. Yes- terday afternoon, whilst viewing the bap- tistery, three of these processions passed, conveying some one departed to their last repose. Each procession included about a dozen members of the order, arrayed in their strange dresses, with a cross and rosary at their sides. These burial socie- ties are supported by public subscription. The pious work of these societies includes also the nursing and attending of the sick poor. As these processions pass, the peo- ple invariably raise their hats. FLORENCE TO BOLOGNA. We left Florence yesterday morning, and in the evening were in sight of Venice. The railroad from Florence strikes directly towards the Apennine Mountains, through a level plain of about twenty miles of rich land, every inch of which is under cultivation in Indian corn, grapes, hemp, and grass. The soil of Northern Italy is much richer than that of Southern Italy, and all manner of fruits more abundant and luscious. The market at Florence exhib- ited a greater variety of fruit than we have ever seen at one time in the Balti- more market. Apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, plums, prunes, grapes, apricots, cherries, figs, green- gages, cantaloupes, watermelons, and sev- eral fruits which we never met with before, were displayed upon one stand. Every description of fruit, except the melons, were very large, and the cherries of all kinds fully double the size of ours, and free from worms. A GREAT RAILROAD. After passing through about twenty miles of valley-land, the road commenced to ascend the Apen^nine Mountains at a very heavy grade, passing over bridges and through tunnels more numerous than we had ever before encountered in rail- road engineering. The road from Flor- ence to Bologna is eighty-two miles, and the distance across the mountain is about forty miles, nearly the whole being over viaducts or through, tunnels. One of these tunnels is a mile and three-fourths in length, whilst others are short, some only a few hundred yards. It is only an occasional glimpse of the magnificent scenery of the Apennines, through which we are passino;, that can be obtained, as the train flies in and out of the tunnels at one point of the ascent as often as thirteen times. The view, however, is sufficient to show that the mountain is largely inhabited, and that every arail- 228 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH able spot of ground is cultivated to its fullest capacity. The mountain-sides are terraced, and agriculture prosecuted un- der difficulties that would not be under- taken in a less densely populated country. The whole of the road is constructed with the most solid masonry. Tunnels, bridges, viaducts, and stations all display triumphs of engineering such as have never been accomplished in any quarter of the world before. The view of Florence and the great valley of the Arno from the first mountain station is regarded as one of the most in- teresting in Europe. Every eminence is studded with villas ; the country, rich in vineyards and olive-groves, seems literally a land of oil and wine. Cultivation appears in its highest perfection ; the Etruscan for- tress of Fiesole rises magnificently over the opposite bank of the Mignone ; and Florence, with its domes, campaniles, and embattled towers, bursts upon the view. BOLOGNA TO VENICE. We only stopped one hour at Bologna, and the sun was too hot at mid-day to per- mit of an extended view of the city. Bo- logna has about ninety thousand inhabit- ants, and was until recently under the dominion of the Pope, being the most important province oi the Holy See. About twenty miles before reaching Venice we pass the ancient town of Pa- dua, which is the oldest city in Northern Italy, and seems from the railroad to be almost a congregation of churches, with steeples, campaniles, etc. It has a popu- lation of about sixty thousand, and has the appearance of being a thriving city. APPROACH TO VENICE. A short time after passing Padua the city of Venice loomed up in the distance, looking to the eye like a city rising from the sea, with towers, steeples, domes, and turrets of white marble gleaming in the sun. All our preconceived ideas of Venice seemed to fall short of the reality. The various islands with their groups of houses appear as if they were floating upon the water. In my next I will endeavor to convey to your readers some idea of Venice. VENICE. City of Venice, July 6, 1873. THE QUEEN OF THE ADRIATIC. Here we are once again in the city of Venice, after less than a year's absence. Being in close proximity to her Majesty of the Adriatic, we could not forego the pleasure of again witnessing a Sunday scene on the Piazza of St. Mark, enjoy- ing another sail in the gay gondola, and a ramble among the p.ilaces of this city of venerable memories. Venice is an odd place, and it takes some little time to understand and un- ravel its peculiarities. Only think of having your front door open on the water, without a foot of earth to stand upon. Think of being taken from the depot in a boat, and rowed around from one hotel to another to ascertain whether you can find rooms. The traveler seeks novelties, and it is just here that he Avill find them to perfection. Lord Byron went into such ecstasies over Venice that the whole world has ever since desired to see it. The first thought that strikes you is the singular taste which induced a polished and edu- cated people to select so damp a site for a city. It has been represented as a de- lightful place to reside in. At first, no doubt, the novelty gratifies and pleases, but it is too monotonous to be a favorite residence for any length of time. The streets being so extremely narrow and tortuous, and the knowledge that you are dependent upon boats for locomotion, and the want of rural beauty, soon weary one of the scene. ACROSS THE ADRIATIC. AVe embarked at Trieste at ten o'clock last evening, on the steamer Milano, and expected to have very few passengers, but were surprised to find on board about four times as many as the vessel could accommodate, except #ith standing-room. They were mostly tourists, German, French, and English, and fully one-third were ladies. The run across requiring but six hours, and as the moon came out clear and bright shortly after we started, it was no great hardship to keep on deck, especially as it was too hot to find com- fort in the cabin. John Bull grumbled, but the majority of the passengers even sympathized with two omnibus-loads of passengers that reached the wharf just after we had cast loose our moorings, and thus lost the opportunity of spending a Sunday in Venice. After our companion had gotten through his ecstasies over " the blue Adriatic'^ and " the silrer rays of the moon," we disposed ourselves as best we could for a sitting nap, and at break of day the "Queen of the Adriatic" ap- peared in the dim distance before us, though neither brighter nor younger than AMERICAN SPECTACLES, 229 "when we last saw her. In a short time we commenced to enter among the outer islands, on which some very fine coun- try-villas have been erected, and were soon at quarantine, but were only de- tained long enough to enable the officer to collect his fee. At five o'clock in the morning, the " gay gondolier," about whom so much exaggerated prose and poetry have been written, had us in his solemn craft, and in a few minutes landed us on the steps of the Hotel Bauer. Amid the scramble of these " gay gon- doliers" at the side of the steamer for passengers, they did not seem more lov- ing or lovely than that class of American citizens engaged in the conveying of pas- sengers and baggage to and from depots and hotels ; and they were arrayed in very similar appai\el, probably second- hand when it was new, their figures being surmounted by broad-brimmed straw hats, very yellow and dirty. When one of these vehicles struck harshly against its neighbor, the tone of the exclamation from the " gay gondolier," and the subse- quent exchange of compliments, sounded to our inexperienced ears very much like the loving phrases we have heard ex- changed at our railroad depots when Jehu was similarly provoked. GONDOLAS AND GONDOLIERS. The gondolas and gondoliers, of which there are about four thousand licensed, the same as we license public hacks, do not come up to the expectation of the stranger who has read of them in ro- mances and poems. The gondolas are about thirty feet in length, with high iron prows, and are, by a law of the city dating three hundred years back, all painted black having in their centre a black cabin something like the body of a hearse, either painted or covered with black cloth, into which four persons can with difficulty be crowded. Instead of being gay and bright and beautiful, as we had supposed, they are a gloomy and deathly-looking craft, about thirty feet in length, but with two gondoliers can be made to move through the water with great rapidity. The gon- dolier stands up when propelling his boat, and if there is but one he uses but one oar, but guides his vessel through the intrica- cies of the canals without grazing the sharp angles which he is required to turn, or even checking his speed. A gondola is sometimes met belonging to private parties, who keep them the same as we do carriages. These have gayer fittings, and the gondolier will be arrayed probably in white, with pink sashes ; but the common gondolier of Venice is about as plain in apparel and general get-up as one of our ferrymen. They are very active men, and are about as sharp in getting more than the law allows out of their passen- gers, especially if they happen to be strangers, as some of our hackmen are. The Grand Canal is always lined with them, moving about with passengers, and they can make short cuts by passing through the small canals, on which a goodly number are always running. STROLL THROUGH THE CITY. We started about nine o'clock "^or a stroll around the Square of St. Mark and some of the contiguous streets. Every- thing appeared to be precisely as we left it one year ago, except the scaffolding on one side of the Cathedral of St. Mark indicated the repairing of its ancient walls. The stores made precisely the same display under the arcades ; the pet pigeons of the city were billing and coo- ing on the piazza; the fruit-shops were all as well supplied with the varieties for which Italy is famous ; the same men, women, and children appeared to be "cheaping around" among the provision stores for their Sunday dinners ; and an old sexagenarian whom we saw daily a year ago sitting in the door of a poultry shop picking chickens was still engaged at the same artistical work. It seems strange that in building the city all these small canals were not filled up, and the whole joined into one solid island. The probability, on the contrary, is that many of the canals were made to accommodate the taste of the people, who had been literally born on the water, and must have it at their doors, so as to come and go in their boats. This seems more reasonable than to suppose that in the small space occupied by the city there should have originally been one hundred and fourteen little islands. The sides of the canals are almost invariably the walls of the houses, and they appear to have secured excellent foundations. Although there are old palaces scat- tered through the city on the other canals, all the men of great wealth and distinction have their palaces on the Grand Canal. The gondolier, on passing through, re- cites to you the names of each, with the character of their owners, all of which you care as little about as what was the color of the hair of those who built them. But they go on in a kind of monotonous song, from which can be gathered the 230 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH names of Foscari, Mocenigo, Pisani, Bar- barigo, etc. THE STREETS OF YENICE. The streets of Venice are so narrow that with us they would be called lanes and alleys, the generality of them being not more than six to twelve feet wide from house to house. They form the most in- comprehensible net-work imaginable, — a labyrinth from which the stranger will jBnd it difficult to extricate himself if he should venture abroad without a guide. The whole city can be traversed without recourse to the water, but it would re- quire 'a walk of a quarter of a mile to go from one house fronting on the Grand Canal to another five doors off. These lanes are all paved with broad slabs of stone, and are kept very clean. It must be remembered that there are no horses in Venice, and no streets to use them in. We have only seen one here, and it was in a boat going down the Grand Canal. Where he came from, or where he was going to, or what he was intended for, it would be difficult to say. We are credibly informed that there are many persons who have never seen a horse, unless they were the four bronze horses in front of the Cathedral of St. Mark. In the whole city of Venice, with the exception of a botanical garden on one of the outer islands, and a park upon another, there is scarcely a tree or a particle of foliage to be found, except in flower-pots. We took a very extended walk this morning, and, although we have had no difficulty in finding our way in the vicinity of St. Mark's, we no sooner penetrated into the interior towards the Kialto bridge than we found ourselves involved in a puzzle. We started for the Rialto, and just at the moment when we had concluded that we had gotten back to near the point we started from, turned a corner and the bridge was before us. After finishing our examination, we turned to walk back, and in about ten minutes found ourselves at the bridge again. Three times we came out at the same point, and the fourth time, after in- numerable twists and turns, found our- selves in the rear of St. Mark's, when we had been striking for our hotel, about a quarter of a mile distant. The difficulty is that one must follow the streets wherever they lead. One is continually puzzled to know whether he should turn to the right or left when a cross - street is reached. We, however, found in our wanderings quite a number of open squares, one of them about as large as Monument Square, all paved smoothly with broad blocks of granite, and generally having a well in the centre. Some of the streets also widen at certain points for a short distance, and these are lined with a better class of stores. All the streets, however, over twelve feet in width, are oc- cupied by stores, many of them making quite a fine display of jewelry, dry-goods, and fancy wares, but the great majority are devoted to the sale of eatables of one kind or another. The poultry stores, of which there are a great number, keep tea- cups full of the blood of fowls for sale, the Venice physicians ordering the drink- ing of blood, instead of using iron, for the benefit of the blood. The patients stop and drink this strange dose, all coagulated as it is, and move on, satisfied that they have received new life from the dose. PUBLIC GARDEN. Venice has one public garden, for which she is indebted to Bonaparte. When he held the city, in 1807, he demolished four churches, cloisters, and whole streets of houses, and filled up several canals and diverted others. On this site he laid out a beautiful garden, which is the only breathing-spot, except the Piazza of St. Mark and the quay, for the city of Venice. There are in the garden a coffee-house, a riding-school, a place for shooting at the mark with pistols, and for other popular amusements. The avenues of the garden serve for promenades, and, it being located on the open bay, it is generally reached by gondolas, but with equal facility on foot. The view from the artificial height near the pavilion overlooks the mirror of the lagoons, with their many small islands in the distance, everywhere lift- ing their churches, cloisters, and slender towers into the air. In addition to all this entrancing variety of land and water views, a gleam of the open Adriatic is caught through the entrance of the port. CHURCHES AND BELLS. The number of churches, all of them large and imposing in their architectural features, and bearing evidence of great antiquity, are met at every turn, all of them open with services progressing at all hours. We, however, discovered one, quite an elegant old establishment, its front abounding with pillars, statiTes of saints, and bas-reliefs, which had been given up to trade. It was occupied as a second-hand furniture establishment, with AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 231 a sprinklirifi; of old clothes. From the list of churches we found that there are just one hundred Catholic churches in Venice. There are also one Evangelical church, one synagogue, and one Greek Catholic church. The services of the English Church take place every Sunday, at the dwelling of the Consul. The ring- ing of bells, of which there appears to be a great superabundance, is not equaled by Rome. In the Square of St. Mark there are no less than five clocks, with large bells, that all strike the hours and quarters about the same time. One of them, over the City Hall, has two full- sized bronze statues, one of which strikes the hours on the bell with a sledge-hammer, and the other strikes the quarters. The bell is suspended so that the figures stand out by its side, and their movements have a very natural appearance. Venice, July 8, 1873. NOT A FINISHED CITY. It takes some time to explore Venice, both by land and water ; and the excur- sions we have made, on foot and by gon- dola, during the past two days, have shown us that there are evidences of revival and improvement everywhere. Even the dust of ages is being scrubbed oflTof the walls of the Doge's palace, and the Cathedral of St. Mark is undergoing ablution and renovation. Whilst taking an airing this evening on the Grand Canal, we observed several new and handsome white marble buildings, which have taken the place of old specimens of antiquity, and that many old palaces which were last year gloomy and deso- late are now bustling places of business. An intelligent citizen assured us this evening that at no time within the last fifty years has the future of Venice been more promising, and that it is undergoing a gradual and healthy improvement in every branch of trade and commerce. A GONDOLA-RIDE. We spent the evening yesterday in ex- ploring the water-thoroughfares of the city. As we moved along up the Grand Canal, which is about as wide as Broad- way, with its compact line of buildings on each side, nearly all four to five stories in height, including many large and elegant public buildings and venerable palaces, the appearance was that of a city temporarily flooded. That it was in its natural condition, no one who was brought here blindfolded and set afloat in a gon- dola, without knowing where he was, could possibly believe. The signs of merchants and business-men were over the elegant doorways, and boats and barges were about the doors just as they would be in Marsh Market Space if Jones's Falls should again make a Venice of that region, whilst the city authorities are exerting themselves with so much energy and perseverance to discover "how not to do it." After proceeding nearly a mile up the Grand Canal, and passing under the massive but elegant stone arch of the Rialto bridge, we turned ofi" through one of the small canals, not more than eight feet in width, with the walls of two im- mense palaces towering over our heads on each side. It seemed like going in a boat through a side-alley ; but the gondolier handled his oar with such skill that we neither grazed nor touched the walls, and were soon moving along through the wider interior channels, among houses and stores with their iron-grated windows. Every moment other parties in gondolas, including many ladies, passed us, turning corners, angles, and curves, but never coming in collision or touching each other. We passed under hundreds of arched bridges, all of them light and graceful stone or marble structures, excepting a few made of iron. The level of the water being only about two feet below the level of the streets, it is necessary that all the bridges should be raised arches, so that the gondo- lier, who invariably stands in his vessel, should be able to pass under them with- out changing his position. Men and boys, some of the latter being small children, were swimming and diving from the doors and bri«lges, and mothers and sisters were looking on from ^he doors and windows. It was altogether a novel scene, such as can be seen nowhere except in Venice. Mothers and fathers could be seen with their small children afloat on boards, teaching them to swim, having ropes tied to the boards. We finally emerged from this net-work of canals into the Grand Canal, a short distance above the Doge's palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Here ocean-steam- ers and vessels of all classes were dis- charging or taking on cargoes, and there were all the evidences of active commer- cial prosperity. A steamer for Liver- pool was just taking her departure, and one of the Austrian Lloyds' steamers about to depart for Trieste. Steamboats crowded with people were coming and going from the outer islands, of which there are six or seven, too distant to be 232 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH connected by bridges with the main por- tion of the city, one of which is a favorite resort of the people, and occupied prin- cipally with gardens for the sale of refreshments. After an hour spent in rowing about near the entrance to the harbor, we returned to our hotel, well pleased with our evening's ride. There are three or four of these interior canals that are nearly twenty feet in width, and one in the neighborhood of the Ghetto, or Jews' quarter, is over thirty feet wide, while many others range from twelve to twenty feet. The fronts of the buildings on the interior canals are very rough, and give evidence of the work of age in their decayed bricks. Repairs of many of these are in progress, which seems to be a matter of necessity in most cases. As the gondola glides through these water-ways, surrounded by tall and dismal brick walls with grated windows, the scene is novel, but not fjicturesque, though it is somewhat re- ieved when the bridges are passed. The lower stories, there being no cellars, are always used for that purpose, and the altitude of the second-story windows for- bids the sight of any portion of the family department. A fair face can occasionally be seen from the balcony above, or the prattle of children and the sound of song and merriment are heard, but they seem out of place in such surroundings. Some glances we have obtained of the interior of these houses satisfy us that they must not be judged from outside appearance. VENETIAN NEWSBOYS. One year ago there were no daily news- papers published in Venice, but there are no^ three quite prosperous daily jour- nals. Their rivalry has led to the intro- duction of those sure marks of com- mercial and industrial prosperity, the newsboys. These youngsters, a year ago, aspired to nothing beyond the sale of matches and shell bracelets, and made their appeals to the strangers with a whine, or the exhibition of their rags, to induce a purchase by exciting sympathy. Now they strut about as independent and unabashed as the American newsboy, shouting, La Gazzetta^ La Siampa, etc., as if they had suddenly become an im- portant class in the community. Instead of the whining plaint of their match- days, they are full of spirit and wit, and crack jokes with the purchaser. They have even become importers of foreign goods, and have on sale, for their Eng- lish, American, and German customers, Galignanvs Messenger, the American Register, the Swiss Times, and the Neue Freie Presse. There is also that other sure evidence of a growing city, the boot- black, who has stationed himself on the corners of all the principal thoroughfares. Venice has its telegraph and cable, and is in momentary communication with all the outside world. After its thousand years of war and strife to maintain its supremacy, it is now reaping the fruits of peace under the banner of "united Italy," free at last from Austrian rule. The Venetian detests the name of Aus- tria, and involuntarily scowls if he is asked if he can speak the German lan- guage. THE VENICE BOURSE. The Stock Board of Venice is located in the National Library building, on the Piazzetta of St. Mark, and will compare favorably in all its appointments with even the new quarters of a similar or- ganization in an American city with which we are familiar. It occupies all the rooms surrounding a beautiful court- yard, in the centre of which is a fountain, and a little temple, on the top of which is a beautiful statue of Apollo. Gold here commands a premium of twelve per cent, at the present time. Speculating in gold is, however, unlawful, it being regarded as calculated to depreciate the paper money of the country and thus injure its financial standing. In the pas- sage-way of this building are two colos- sal statues in threatening attitude, proba- bly intended to represent the " bulls" and the " bears," though, as business had not commenced when we entered, all present were as quiet as lambs. Two colossal statues of women at another en- trance were suggestive of Woodhull and Claflin. The rooms on the four sides of the court have evidently been recently renovated, as even the walls and the caps of the niches of Italian marble seemed entirely new, as did all the furniture and appointments. In various parts of the vestibule quite handsome bulletin-boards, each giving quotations at London, Paris, Vienna, Trieste, etc., were suspended. The floors are laid in white marble, and the rooms all open on the court-yard. An elegant doorway, with marble steps, opens on one of the canals, at which the gondolas land the bankers and money- kings of Venice, whose places of busi- ness are generally on the Grand Canal, at some distance from the Bourse. The money-men of Europe generally hide AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 233 themselves away in some remote corner of the cities, and do not even have out a sign. They evidently know that those who want them must find them, and that mone}'^ never fears competition. The kings and princes of the Bourse are be- coming a more important element in Eu- rope than the kings and princes "born in the purple," and their reign is more enduring. The leading bankers every- where appeared to be Israelites. THE GAY GONDOLIER. After a few days' experience with the gondolier, we are compelled to recognize him as a jovial, good-natured fellow, who does his best to amuse and interest the traveler, and is satisfied with a moderate recognition of his services. The prices are regulated by law, and a party of four is charged, for a gondola with one rower, for the first hour one franc (about twenty cents), and for every subsequent hour a half-franc. If there are two gondoliers, double the price is the legal charge. Strangers usually pay them more than the law prescribes : hence they labor to please and accommodate. An American especially considers the charge as shame- fully cheap, and cheerfully disregards its provisions. There are thousands of gon- dolas always in motion for business or pleasure, and quite a number are kept by private families, which can be seen emerg- ing from the small canals into the Grand Canal as soon as the sun gets behind the lofty houses. These private establish- ments are compelled to have their craft black, as prescribed by law, but they are usually richly ornamented with plated standards and handsome awnings and cushions. The greatest points of display, however, are the dress of the gondolier and the skill with which he handles the oar. Some of the gondolas present quite a gay appearance when filled with hand- some and well-dressed ladies and children. The dress of the private gondoliers is usually white, trimmed with blue, green, or yellow, wearing rich silk sashes of the same color, and a straw hat with flowing ribbon. The dress of all the gondoliers is prescribed by law, but most of the public water Jehus totally disregard its provisions, and seem to select their wear- mg-apparel from the second-hand-clothes stoie>!>. An innovation has recently been made in the introduction of " omnibus-gondo- las," carrying from six to a dozen per- sons, with three or four gondoliers. The price on these is about five cents per hour for each person. To the out»». islands, which are from one to two miles from St. Mark's, at which the bathing-establish- ments and refreshment-saloons are located, small steamers run hourly, the fare being only about two cents, or ten centimes. A FIRE-PROOF CITY. Venice is essentially a fire-proof city from necessity, as there is no room in its narrow streets for the passage of an en- gine larger than a wheelbarrow, and no water-supply, except such as can be baled with buckets from the canals. The founders and builders of Venice were " wise in their day and generation " when they decreed that as few combustible ma- terials as practicable should be used in the construction of their houses, and that wood should nowhere be used where it was possible to employ stone. With our inflammable houses, Venice would not have existed twelve hundred days instead of twelve hundred years. They decreed that there must be no such thing as " fires," because their plan permitted of no opportunity for extinguishment. The narrowness of the streets, with inflam- mable houses, would necessarily involve the whole city. There are, of course, fires at times, but they are extinguished with the primitive " machine" called a bucket, and very seldom extend beyond the room in which they originate. Fire- insurance companies are not deemed of much account in Venice, a fact which it would be well for insurance solicitors to remember. VENICE AS IT IS. Every one has heard of Venice, and nearly every one has formed some idea from what they have read of the character and peculi- arities of this strange old city. Thus it is that every one who comes here for the first time finds that their previously formed ideas are wrong, and that Venice is an entirely different city from that which they expected to find. There is no city in the world which the tourist approaches with more curiosity than he does Venice, and there is probably no city which the great untraveled public more generally desire an opportunity to inspect. "We will, therefore, during our present visit, undertake the rather diflBcult task of en- deavoring to make our readers see exactly what we see, and to know Venice as it is, rather than as they imagined it to be. In order to do this it will be necessary to com- pile a brief sketch of the history of Venice, and how it happened that this city in the 234 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH sea rose to such greatness and impor- tance. HISTORY OF VENICE. When the Roman Empire was de- stroyed in the sixth century, about twelve hundred years ago, by the barbarians, the inhabitants of Padova, Albino, and Aquileja, on the Italian coast, calling themselves Venetians, had their cities also destroyed by the same hordes. The in- habitants of these towns took refuge in the islands of the lagoons on which Ven- ice now stands, and formed a republic. They soon commenced an active trade with the East, and engaged extensively in commerce. In the year 697 they felt the want of a united government, and elected their first Doge, or President, Pauluccio Anafesto. It was not, how- ever, until the year 819 that Doge Angelo Participazio transported the seat of gov- ernment from Malamocco to Rialto, near the site of the famous Rialto bridge, and commenced to join the little islands by bridges, thus laying the foundation of the present city. In spite of civil wars, the power of Venice in the following cen- turies grew rapidly, and her greatness atoned for the stern political cruelties during the epoch of the crusades. In 1204, the Venetian republic, under Doge Henry Dandolo, conquered Constantino- ple, aided by the French crusaders, which led to the division of the Oriental Empire, and gave to Venice the shores of the Adriatic, and many islands, among which was Candia. During the next hundred years the Venetians kept up bloody wars against the Genoese, and it was not until 1352 that they obtained a complete tri- umph over their Genoese rivals. During the twelve years preceding 1380 the Ital- ians and Hungarians carried on a fierce war against Venice, and it was finally blockaded by the Genoese for a whole year, when Venice was compelled to sur- render unconditionally. "When peace was declared, Venice lost all her possessions on the continent, after having been com- pelled to yield Dalmatia to the King of Hungary. In spite of these disasters, Venice continued to war against her op- fressors for the next forty years, and in 421 reconquered the whole Dalmatian coast, from the Po to Corfu. Towards the end of the fifteenth cen- tury the glory of Venice reached its ut- most height, and her population exceeded two hundred thousand souls. She was the centre of the commerce of the world, and was admired and respected by all Europe. Her fall began in the sixteenth century, by the discovery of the new way to India via the Cape of Good Hope, when nearly all her commerce passed into the hands of the Portuguese. She con- tinued steadily to decline, until she re- ceived her greatest blow from the ascend- ency which the Turks obtained in Europe and Asia, and between the years 1509 and 1540 lost all her possessions. It was then that Venice lost her im- portance in history. She remained neu- tral in the great wars which succeeded, and her power became less and less. At the beginning of the French Revolution she opposed the opinions of the socialists, but when the French were victorious in their wars, Venice tried to maintain a neutral position, declining the alliance of Bonaparte. This irritated him, and he broke the negotiations and occupied the city on the 16th of May, 1797. Under the French government the city became poorer and poorer, and the Venetian pop- ulation was finally reduced to ninety-six thousand souls. In subsequent wars Venice was given to Austria, and then to Italy, and finally, in 1814, passed again to the possession of Austria. In 1848 Venice revolted from the Aus- trians, and proclaimed a republic ; but after a heroic defense, and a siege of fifteen months, suffering famine and the other misfortunes of a siege, and the ravages of cholera in its most malignant form, she was compelled to capitulate again to the Austrians. The war of 1859, broken by the peace of Villafranca, left Venice to the Austrians, but the one of 1866 gave her to the kingdom of Italy, in consequence of the united votes of the people, which took place in October of the same year. The city is again pros- pering under the Italian government, and the people appear to be happy. Per- fect religious freedom is enjoyed, and Venice now hopes to go on improving and prospering under the reign of peace. THE ISLANDS AND CANALS. Before proceeding further, it will be necessary to convey to the reader some idea of the character of the territory upon which Venice is built. In the first place, it must be borne in mind that the city is built upon one hundred and fourteen little islands, the streams running between them, with the exception of the Grand Canal, being seldom more than twenty feet in width. The tide from the sea rises and falls and flows through these canals, which are to the number of ^ee hundred gjod fortjj-one^ keeping the water always AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 235 pure and healthy. Indeed, many of the lateral canals are scarcely more than twelve feet in width. Out of these canals the houses all rise abruptly, and their prin- cipal front and entrance always faces the canal, visitors stepping from the boat on to the door-sill. The houses of Venice have no yards, side-alleys, or any vacant ground connected with them. One end is on a canal, and the other on a narrow lane, or perhaps backed up solid against a neighbors house. The city is " finished," because there is scarcely room left large enough to erect a lime-shed, except on the distant outlying islands. It is compact and solid, with the exception of some small squares or court-yards left near the churches. THE STREETS OF VENICE. Those who suppose that Venice cannot be thoroughly explored by the pedestrian without resort to the gondolas and the canals are equally mistaken. It is pro- vided with bridges, most of them very ele-^ant little structures, of white marble or iron, to the enormous number of three hundred and seventy-eight. They are all arched bridges, springing up to the centre, so as to afford free passage under them for the gondolas. There is no street, or rather lane or alley, in Venice, which leads to a canal, that is not provided with a bridge, so that those who know how to find their way can make as mugh speed from point to point as if using a gondola. Both the streets and canals, with the ex- ception of the Grand Canal, are so crooked that one hundred yards ahead can seldom be seen on either; indeed, fifty yards would be nearer the mark. They both turn and twist with equal facility, and it would require a long time for any one to become thoroughly familiar with them. The canals all intersect each other, and thus it becomes necessary to lay out the streets so as to meet the tuwiings of the canals. THE PIAZZA OF ST. MARK. The great central attraction of Venice is St. Mark's Square, and, although it presents an irregular quadrangle, it is undoubtedly the finest square in all the world for the elegant magnificence of surrounding structures. Across the east end of the square the Cathedral of St. Mark stands out as the most prominent feature, with its three domes and numer- ous steeples. In the left corner of the square, facing the cathedral, stands the Campanile, or bell-tower, which rises to the height of three hundred feet, its base being thirty-eight feet wide, and its width at the top thirty -five feet. The base of this tower is very beautiful, and is finely ornamented with sculpture and statuary. On the south side of the square are the old City Hall and Clock Tower, on the west the Doge's palace, and on the north side the new City Hall and one side of the Old Library. These buildings all, with the exception of the cathedral, stand together in close order and con- stitute the outlines of the square. The lower story of all forms a continuous colonnade, similar to that around the in- terior of the Palais Royal at Paris, and like it, also, this story is occupied by stores and cafes on the three sides of the square. The entire square is paved with smooth blocks of granite interspersed with iron pillars, bearing clusters of gas- jets, whilst another line of illumination extends along the entire fronts. The buildings fronting the square are all of white marble, four stories high, and adorned with an abundance of statuary. The entire length of the square is five hundred and forty feet, and the width two hundred and forty-six feet, whilst the Piazzetta leading past the palace of the Doges and the Old Library, which is really a portion of the square, is three hundred and eleven feet long by one hundred and forty-six in width, extending down to the water's edge, at the mouth of the Grand Canal. Directly in front of the cathedral, at the distance of about fifty feet, there stand three flag-staffs, each about one hundred feet in height, the lower part to the height of about ten feet being en- cased in elaborately ornamented bronze bases. From these three staffs there were suspended on Sunday three immense Italian national flags, each not less than thirty feet in length, which were raised at the commencement and lowered at the termination of the cathedral services for the day. On the Piazzetta, immediately facing the Grand Canal, are two majestic pillars of Oriental granite, not less in diameter than those before the Pantheon at Rome. These grand columns were brought to Venice in the year 1127 by Doge Michael, who found them lying on an island in the Grecian Archipelago, on his return from the Holy Land. There were origi- nally three of them, but one was lost overboard in debarkation. They lay for forty-four years on their sides, after their arrival, no one being found to undertake 236 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH the putting of them up. In the year 1371, a man named Niccolo undertook to put them on the bases prepared for them. He was called " barattier" (a man who cheats in gaming), and exacted for his ser- vices the privilege of keeping a gaming- table between them. This was allowed for nearly two hundred years, but the permission was rescinded in the year 1529, and the wooden shops were broken up. On the top of one of these ancient pil- lars, which doubtless antedate the birth of Christ, is the famous winged lion of St. Mark's Church, which was carried to Paris by Napoleon, and on the other the stone statue of St. Theodore, the ancient spiritual protector of Venice, before he was deposed by St. Mark. ST. mark's on SUNDAY. Sunday was an excessively warm day, even in the shade, but in the rays of the sun it was almost beyond human endur- ance. Whilst strolling through the city, we stopped on every bridge to catch a breath of cool air as it swept up these water-thoroughfares from the Adriatic. Those of the inhabitants whose dwellings faced on the canal could get along very well, but the denizens of the narrow streets had a hard time of it. Many of these streets are so narrow that we found on trial that we could stand in the middle and lay the palms of our hands upon both walls. The people were protruding their heads from the windows of their tall four-story houses, and anxiously waiting for the setting sun and their evening promenade and music in the Square of St. Mark. As early as six o'clock in the evening they commenced to pour in, all classes commingling, and by eight o'clock this vast space, as well as what is called the Piazzetta, or Little Square, running towards the Grand Ca- nal, were thronged to their utmost capa- city. Soon after a fine military band took position in the centre of the square, and the grand promenade commenced, whilst thousands were partaking of ice-cream and lemonade, seated at the cafSs on the side of the square. The music was kept up until nearly eleven o'clock, when the people slowly, and apparently with great reluctance, commenced to retire to their homes. Along the front of the Doge's palace, and near the Bridge of Sighs, the throng of people remained enjoying the cool air from the sea until after mid- night. No Buch scene as this Sunday even- ing gathering in the Square of St. Mark can be seen anywhere else in Europe, the whole space being brilliantly illumi- nated by hundreds of gas-jets. Of course all the strangers in the city were here also, and the number at this warm season is truly surprising. During our afternoon stroll we found the interior canals swarming with boys and men swimming, all wearing swim- ming-clothes, as required by law. They were diving out of their front doors and windows, and off the bridges, like so many amphibious animals, whilst the gondolas were flying along and gliding past them, mostly with parties of ladies taking their evening airing. Tourists, both ladies and gentlemen, traveling in Europe, become familiarized with the sight of half-nude men and boys, and are generally thankful when it is no worse. THE CRIES OF VENICE. The street-cries of Venice are very nu- merous, and the voices of the vendors ring with a peculiar shrillness through the quiet streets. There being neither carts, horses, nor vehicles of any kind in the city, it has none of the usual noises of other communities, but the gondoliers, as they glide along under our window, give out their cries with an earnestness that is at times quite startlino;. Among others are men carrying demijohns of water, with lime-juice, which they sell at two centimes, or less than half a cent, a glass. Others sell candied fruits, and various articles not usually found in the stores. The cries of these people are of course in Italian, a language peculiarly fitted for shrill but smooth flowing notes. THE VENICE CANALS. The Grand Canal winds through the city of Venice, being traced on the map in the shape of the letter S. It varies somewhat, but is probably about one hundred and twenty-five feet in width for most of its length. It has but two bridges across it, the Rialto and the Ponte di Ferro, the first being of stone, and the latter a modern iron structure. The main canal is not navigable for vessels drawing more than six feet of water, ex- cept at its immediate mouth. All the com- mercial business of the city was formerly kept at deep water along the city front east of the Doge's palace, which is in reality the open sea, and the Grand Canal was the favorite location for the palaces of the great men of the nation. Now, how- AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 237 ever, these old palaces are for the main Eart given up to business, or are used as otels. We are now writing in an old palace, and much of the gilded furniture of its day of greatness is scattered through the house. Barges and lighters now pass up the Grand Canal, and load and un- load at the doors of what were formerly palaces. In all the other canals nothing larger than a gondola is allowed to en- ter. Many of these are of course devoted to the business of carrying, and do the work of our carts and wagons. STORES OF VENICE. The jewelry and fancy stores which sur- round the extensive Piazza of St. Mark will compare favorably for their fine dis- play and their stocks of valuable goods with those of Vienna. So also in many of the stores in its narrow thoroughfares leading from the Piazza. All the fine mosaics of Italy, including the Florentine, Roman, and Byzantine, as well as corals and diamonds, can be purchased in Venice as cheap as anywhere else in Europe, pro- vided the purchaser will bear in mind that the first price named is always fully one- third more than they will be willing to sell at. The best plan is to select what you want, ascertain the price, and then offer one-third less. You will then be told that if you pay in gold you can have them at this "ruinous rate." Put on your hat and propose to leave, and Italian paper anoney, which is twenty-two per cent, below gold, will be accepted. They make it a rule never to allow a purchaser to leave their establishments. In some of these narrow thoroughfares, where more than three persons would find it diflBcult to walk abreast, there are also many very fine dry-goods establishments, grocery and furniture stores, but the ma- jority of them are for the sale of pro- visions and fruits, coffee, or confectionery, or are beer-saloons. There are here, as elsewhere on the Continent, very few {places where intoxicating liquors can be lad, — no gin-palaces or rum-shops. In- deed, beer and wine are not drunk to any great extent in public, and beer can only be had at the restaurants where meals are furnished. The principal thorough- fares were thronged on Sunday with peo- ple of all classes, and many ladies were passing and repassing on their way to and from church with veils over their heads, a lady never going to church in Venice with a bonnet on. ,0n their way home they would stop to do their shop- ping, and then move on. FEEDING THE PIGEONS. The pigeons of Venice, of which there are thousands, have not only the freedom of the city, but are fed at two o'clock every afternoon in the Square of St. Mark at the public expense. They are the pets of the people, and to injure or throw a stone at one of them would cause the per- petrator to be sent to the guard-house. They not only make their nests among the statuary and the ornamental portions of St. Mark's Cathedral and the eaves of the elegant structures surrounding the square, but the windows of the lofts of these buildings are left open and free access is given to them. Thus they have multiplied to many thousands, and have scattered all over the city, making their nests among the statuary of all the old churches. At two o'clock yesterday afternoon we repaired to the square to witness the pro- cess of feeding. At the moment the bronze man on the town-clock struck the first blow announcing two o'clock, they came in by thousands, and swept up the square towards the window from which they are daily fed, and hundreds of them even entered the room. The man who does the feeding was entirely hidden from view, and the scramble of the birds indi- cated that the strongest fared best. A few minutes before the window was opened a boy placed a little paper of corn in the hands of one of our party. On throwing some of it on the pavement, the pigeons literally swarmed over us, and partook of the food from our hands. As to the meaning of this care for the pigeons, there is no settled theory. It is said by some that on one occasion during the Venetian wars, whilst Admiral Dan- dolo was besieging Candia, at the com- mencement of the thirteenth century, a carrier-pigeon brought him important in- formation from the islands. It has been a custom for centuries thus to feed them, and the old chroniclers differ as to its origin. One says that on Palm- Sunday it was the custom to loose pigeons, many of which repaired for shelter to St. Mark's, and, multiplying with time, they remained around the square as the best place for obtaining food. The practice of main- taining pigeons at public expense is very general in Russia and Persia, as well as among the Arabs, and the custom might easily have been carried thither by Vene- tian merchants. Other authors assert that, although the city is credited with feeding the pigeons, they are in reality 238 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGE fed and cared for by the liberality of an old lady, who left a large amount to be expended for this purpose. The stained and blackened condition of the marble structures on this square is in a great measure due to the pigeons. Venice, July 10, 1873. THE SURROUNDINGS OF VENICE. The population of Venice is now one hundred and thirty-seven thousand, it having largely increased and improved since it passed out of the hands of Aus- tria and became a part of the dominion of Italy under Victor Emmanuel. It is only separated from the mainland of Italy by a swamp or lagoon, the depth of the water between the nearest of the islands and the shore being only from two to five or six feet, mainly covered with reeds and water-plants. The outer of the islands, comprising Venice, has a bridge nearly two miles in length (twelve thousand feet) and thirty feet in breadth, which crosses the lagoon over which the Lom- bardo-Venetian Railroad run their cars to the depot in Venice. This bridge is formed of two large earthworks, one in Venice and the other on the mainland, five expansions, of which a large one is in the middle, as well as two hundred and twenty-two arches, with one hundred and eighty isolated and thirty-six united pil- lars of Italian marble. The traveler arriving at Venice from Italy or France is thus landed in the city. On the sea- ward side of the one hundred and fourteen little islands which comprise the heart of Venice there are about twenty other islands, too distant to be united by bridges, which also constitute part of Venice. The principal of these islands are called Giudecca, San Giorgio Mag- giore, San Servilio, San Lazzaro, San Vec- chio. Lido, San Andrea, La Certosa, Santa Elena, San Clemente, La Grazia, San Spirito, Poveglia, Malamocco, Sotto Ma- rino, San Michele, Murano, Mazzorbo, Burano, and Tonello. La Giudecca is divided from the city by a broad canal, and is itself subdivided by seven small canals, bridged as are those of A^enice, and is really eight small islands. It has three thousand inhabit- ants, and two of the finest and largest churches of the city are located here, as well as a number of the most elegant pal- aces, it having been the favorite resort of the nobility. On this island are the brick-yards which furnish Venice. The greatest Church festival of the year takes place at the Church del Redentore, on which occasion it is united to the mainland by two temporary bridges of boats. The principal festivities of the day usually take place in the evening, on the water, when a multitude of gondolas, all deco- rated with flowers and colored lamps, pass and repass from shore to shore. The people feast and sing, and every hour swells the mirth of a naturally joyous race, the festivities lasting untilthe dawn of day. San Giorgio Maggiore is opposite the Doge's palace, a separate island, on which is now located the custom-house, though it was until the year 1806 in the pos- session of the Benedictine monks. The finest church in the city, that of San Gi- orgio, is on this island, facing the mouth of the Grand Canal. Another of these islands, San Servilio, is occupied by an insane asylum and a hospital for chronic diseases. San Lazzaro is used as a hos- pital for the leprous. San Vecchio, at the mouth of the harbor, contains the lazaretto. Lido is the fortification, and has on it extensive facilities for sea-bath- ing. Other of these islands have on them the navy-yards, powder-mills and maga- zines, barracks for troops, etc. Others are cultivated as kitchen-gardens, from which a supply of vegetables is obtained for the city, and others are used for sea-bath- ing and summer resorts, which are reached from the Piazzetta hourly by steamers. All of these islands are within a mile from St. Mark's, and most of them»are not five hundred yardsdistant from what may be regarded as the mainland of Venice. They all have some population, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand, but are only accessible by water. Chioggia, which consists of ten small islands, with a population of thirty thou- sand, mostly fishermen and sailors, is a second Venice. It is connected with the Lido of Brondolo by means of a bridge two thousand five hundred feet long, on fifty-three piers, and is thus accessible from the mainland on foot. San Michele is the burial-place of all the Catholics of Venice. The burial-place of the Protes- tants is now at the eastern end of this island. The island of Murano has a popu- lation of five thousand, whose principal means of livelihood is the manufacture of glass, etc. The mirrors and glass-ware of Bohemia, France, and England have so excelled them that the manufacture of mirrors has been abandoned, and a spe- cialty is now made of the manufacture of glass beads. There are at Murano a fine cathedral and several famous churches. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 239 ST. mark's cathedral. This great central attraction of Venice no one would expect to find, with its ad- joining spacious square, in a city of such peculiar characteristics. The cathedral stands at the head of the square, with a front of one hundred and fifty-six feet. It is divided into five arches, and has five entrances. Its length is two hundred and forty-one feet, and the width at the cross one hundred and eighty -eight feet. The style of architecture is Byzantine. It was built some six hundred years ago, and the columns that have been used, from their varied styles and colors, are believed to have been taken from the most ancient edifices of Greece, and from the destroyed cities of Erachea and Altino. Standing in the centre of the square and looking at it, three domes and about a dozen small steeples are visible rising above its roof. The five lofty arches over the door- ways each form a half-dome, the ceilings of which are ornamented with mosaic representations of the embarkation of the body of St. Mark in Alexandria and its debarkation at Venice, with other inci- dents connected with the life of this patron saint of Venice. The central arch has a plain blue field, with stars, executed in mo- saic. Over the doorway in the centre are the four famous bronze horses, which once ornamented Nero's triumphal arch. They were stolen by Constantine the Great, and carried to Constantinople, just one thou- sand years ago. When the crusaders took Constantinople, in 1205, the horses were brought to Venice by one Marino Zeno, and placed in their present position. When Napoleon I. took Venice, in the year 1797, they were again stolen and sent to Paris. In 1815 the Emperor Francis the First caused them to be sent back to Venice, where they were replaced in their former and present position. They are thus historical horses, and, although not rampant, are fine specimens of the ani- mal, and, by the way, the only horses in Venice. INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL. The interior of the cathedral is won- derful for the richness and profusion of its Oriental marble, and for its carvings, both of the ancient and middle ages and its bronzes and mosaics, from the tenth to the eighteenth century. Even the form and style of this ancient church are taken from the Church of the Mother of God, in Constantinople. The interiors of the large and small domes are also brilliant with mosaics, as also the hundreds of niches in the walls, each representing some event in Scripture history. The interior is one mass of mosaics, executed from the car- toons of the greatest painters of past ages. Everything in the interior is on a grand scale. The high altar is especially im- posing. The tabernacle and the semi- circular arches are supported by four col- umns of Greek marble, covered all over with bas-reliefs, a work of the fourteenth century. There are six small marble figures upon the frame of the tribune. Behind the altar, sustained by marble bases, is the famous golden altar-piece. It is a wonder- ful and very rich piece of workmanship, studded with pearls and precious stones, measuring eleven feet in breadth and five and a half feet in height. It has the form of a rectangle, divided into two larger horizontal divisions and subdivided into eighty-three smaller ones. The value of the metal and precious stones, not count- ing the workmanship, is calculated at three millions of pounds sterling. Indeed, there is no better evidence of the great wealth of Venice in past ages than this Cathedral of St. Mark. Church-build- ers in those days went foraging around the world for pillars and columns and bas- reliefs, and St. Mark's is a museum of re- mote antiquity as well as of the middle ages. The Museum of St. Mark has many ancient relics, most of which are truly interesting. We regretted, however, to see among them a golden shrine in a silver gilt case, containing, as was indi- cated, " the blood which issued from an image of the cross at Bernit in the year 320." The Campanile, or bell-tower, stands in front of the left side of the cathedral, and has a highly ornamental base. The first two hundred feet above the base is of brick, and was erected some eight hundred years ago. Above this is a spire, making the whole height of the tower three hundred feet. The width of the tower at the base is thirty-eight feet. In former times there was a scaffold on the side about one hun- dred and fifty feet from the ground, from which there was an iron cage hanging, in which condemned priests were con- fined. Bread and water were lowered to them by a string. This shameful punish- ment was totally abolished in the year 1750, at least so we are informed by the chronicler of Venice, and the platform and cage were removed. The tower con- tains a clock and a fine chime of bells, and can be ascended, by those who have ambition in that way, as far as the bells. 240 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH THE FEMALE WATER-CARRIERS. Venice is poorly supplied with water for drinking and cooking purposes. The entire supply is from wells, the water being obtained by lowering buckets with a rope. The supply being very small, the wells are only opened at certain hours during the day, after which they are closed and locked by the authorities. During the time they are opened it is necessary that every one should procure a supply sufficient to last until they are open again. This has led to the em- ployment of female water-carriers, who have with them ropes and two copper buckets. The two buckets being filled, they suspend them on the ends of a hickory rod, curved to fit the shoulders, and during the times the wells are open they can be seen flying in every direction with their buckets, furnishing their cus- tomers with their supply. Among them are many very handsome girls, and they seem, notwithstanding their heavy labor, a light-hearted and jovial class. THE GHETTO, OR JEWS' QUARTER. Entering a gondola this afternoon, we requested to be taken to the Ghetto, or Jews' quarter of the city, and were landed near the mouth of a large canal, which intersects with the Grand Canal near the Academy of Fine Arts. We had scarcely landed when we were taken charge of by two men and a throng of barefooted and almost bare-backed boys, who led us into a covered court, when they informed us this was the entrance to the famous Ghetto. Here was pointed out to us a marble tablet, which was inserted there centuries ago, forbidding any converted Jew from ever passing or entering that quarter of the city. So soon as we entered the court-yard, a crowd of old women, men, and boys surrounded us, begging for money. We scattered around some change among a few of the oldest of them, which brought a new supply of supplicants, from whom we escaped by entering one of the synagogues near the entrance, which was fitted up in the most costly mr.nner, in strange contrast to the squalid poverty by which it was sur- rounded. From thence we passed down through the street, the houses on either side of which were eight stories high, and finally entered a broad court-yard, at one end of which was a building de- voted to manufacturing rugs and carpets, established to give employment to the poor of that quarter. Here men, women, and boys were at work. This court ex- tends down to a canal, over which is an iron bridge, which, before the French occupation in 1808, had a gate that was closed by the authorities at sundown, and there was a similar gate at the entrance of the quarter. It appears that Bonaparte suspended this cruel edict, and gave them the same liberty as other citizens, which is recorded on a block of marble at the foot of a flag-staff in the centre of the court-yard, alongside of which is a larger tablet recording the granting of liberty and equality by Victor Emmanuel in 1858. On returning, the crowd of beggars had been reinforced, and our voluntary guides had increased to a half-dozen. We then entered another synagogue, much hand- somer than the first, which had been built by a bequest of ninety thousand florins by some wealthy Hebrew. After paying our guides, and emptying our purses among the poor destitute crea- tures, we were followed to the gondola by another throng of anxious supplicants, and felt that we had a safe deliverance when it glided out into the stream. We give the account of this visit pre- cisely as it occurred, and hope that it may have the effect of calling the atten- tion of some of our wealthy Israelites to the relief of these poor people. They have got synagogues enough ; what they want is bread and meat, or work where- with to obtain the means of securing it. The whole number of Jews in Venice is less than four thousand, and they have eleven synagogues, but no bread at the Ghetto. The wealthy Israelites of Venice are, it appears, Germans, who have no sympathy or affiliation with the Italian Jews who occupy the Ghetto. There was no mistaking the fact that these peo- ple were in want. There were among them old men and women who seemed to be tottering to the grave, whose anxious countenances betokened that they were really suffering for food. THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS. There is nothing which the stranger visiting Venice looks to with more interest than the Bridge of Sighs, which Lord Byron has made famous in the fourth canto of Childe Harold. As some of our readers have not seen photographs of it, we will endeavor to make them see it as we saw it. Let them suppose that the Baltimore Court -House is the Doge's palace, and that the St. Clair Hotel is the prison of Venice, whilst Court-House Lane IS a canal. Having mastered this idea of AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 241 location, let them imagine a beautiful covered white marble arched bridge, springing from the second-story window of the hotel over to the wall of Judge Dobbin's court-room. This bridge is open sculptured work, highly ornamented. It is closed at the top and sides, the light entering through this open-work. The court-house being in the Doge's palace, this bridge was used to convey prisoners back and forth for trial. The interior of the bridge is divided into two passages, each with its own means of ingress and egress, and entirely independent of one another. By these passages, thus con- necting the prison and the palace, the accused were brought before th'eir judges without causing public disturbance, it being thirty-three feet above the canal. The name, the "Bridge of Sighs," is one of those expressive appellations so common -in Italy, and, it is asserted, has no reference to the administrative system of the old republic. It was built at the end of the sixteenth century, and the chroniclers of Venice protest that it was never used except for criminal prisoners and common offenders, awaiting their generally merited fate. Hence Byron is accused of using a poetical license un- warranted by the facts in his reference to the structure. A bridge crosses the canal just below, and another just above, the Doge's palace, from which a fine view of the Bridge of Sighs can be obtained, whilst the gondoliers generally take their customers through the canal under it. It has been immortalized by Byron in the fourth canto of Childe Harold, thus : "I stood in Venice, on tho Bridge of Sighs, A palace and a prison on each hand; I saw from out the waves her structures rise As from the stroke of some enchanter's wand. A tiiousand years their cloudy wings expand Around me, and a dying glory smiles O'er the far times when many a sulyect-land Looked to the winged islands' marble piles, Where Venice sat in state, throned on her hundred isles." A REMARKABLE CITY. The stranger who has never visited Venice is apt to regard it as a city of ruins, a great city that has gone to decay. But a few days' sojourn will satisfy him that Venice is still a great and remarka- ble city. Its palaces and churches are old, but they are built of enduring stone that will last forever. They are stained with the dust of ages, but stand as firm on their watery foundations as if built but yesterday, and most of them, as specimens of architecture, will corn- Dare favorably with the best productions 16 of the present day. Some of the old palaces on the Grand Canal show that they were built regardless of expense, and the churches were reared apparently as specimens of the architectural rivalry which prevailed at the time of their con- struction. Expense appears to have been no consideration, and we find few churches at the present day in the construction of which there has been such lavish expend- iture. If it were not for the pride of antiquity which prevails in all these old countries, and that the stains and cob- webs of age are regarded as adding to the attractions of architecture, Venice might, with a little rubbing and scrub- bing, be made a very beautiful city. In order that the reader may fully under- stand this, it will be necessary to give some idea of the character of these build- ings. THE CHURCHES OF VENICE. In what we have described as the heart of Venice there are precisely one hun- dred Catholic churches, besides the great Cathedral of St. Mark. Each and all of these churches have in front of them a small court-yard, most of them not more than from sixty to one hupdred feet square, in the centre of which is a well. These court-yards are mainly to allow a full view of the architecture of the front of the buildings, and of the statuary with which they are so extensively orna- mented. There are no plain churches, and no two of them that resemble one another in their style or ornamentation. There are more churches here than at Rome, and the ornamentation and em- bellishment of them are more elaborate and expensive. It would be difficult to say why they are so numerous, or how they are all maintained. In one section of the city there are six of these large churches within five minutes' walk, and several of them so close that even in this closely-packed city the spires of most of them can be seen from one stand-point. They are the Churches of San Andrea, the Visitation, Gesuiti, the Holy Spirit, San- ta Eufemia, and the Redeemer. The most of them were built about three hun- dred years ago, the present generation or their predecessors having had nothing in this line left for them to do. To build a church in Venice at the present day would be the supreme of folly. We find service generally progressing in them, and seldom more than a dozen old per- sons present and participating. The interiors of all these churches are 242 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH well supplied with paintings and statuary, and some of their altars are rich in rare stones and sparkling gems. It may seem singular how foundations could be ob- tained for these massive buildings, many of which border on the canals 5 but this may be explained by an account of the building of the Church of Our Lady, which says, " The foundation-stone Avas laid in 1631, and one million two hundred thou- sand piles were used to make its founda- tions." An account of the construction of the Rialto bridge says that "it rests upon twelve thousand piles of elm." But, independent of these one hundred churches in the heart of the city, there are fully forty more on the outer islands, most of which will vie in architectural grandeur with the best of them. Indeed, several of the .finest churches of Venice are on these islands. There are also nu- merous monasteries and nunneries, but most of them have their large establish- ments on the contiguous islands. The number of priests connected with the churches of Venice exceeds one thou- sand, being about one for every twenty inhabitants. We notice this fact, that if there is a scarcity of them in any part of the world, it would be an act of charity to relieve suffering Venice. THE VENETIAN PALACES. The whole number of old palaces reaches nearly one hundred and fifty in all the islands, of which one hundred and three are mostly on the Grand Canal and in the central part of the city. They are called by the names of their founders, and many of them are still in the posses- sion of and occupied by their impoverished descendants. Some of them have old painting-galleries, museums of antiquities, etc., which are exhibited for a small fee to the curious. Many of the others stand in silent grandeur, apparently empty ; whilst others are converted into store- houses or made use of as public build- ings. From a list of these palaces I extract the following curious note ap- pended to the account of Palazzo Gius- tiniani : " The Giustiniani family is said to have descended from Justinian, Emperor of Constantinople. This noble family was, in the year 1160, near being extin- guished, all the males having died in the battle against Emanuel Comneno. In order to maintain it, one Niccold Gius- tiniani was taken out of a monastery, and, having been absolved from the vow of chastity, married the daughter of Doge Vitalmichiel II., and, after having had off- spring, and thus secured the succession, re-entered the cloister." So it will be seen that Pfere Hyacinthe is not the first married priest who has had an offspring christened. It also appears that the title of nobility in old Venice was a merchant- able commodity, and that the price to be paid for it was one hundred thousand du- cats. Quite a number of the founders of these palaces are recorded as having thus purchased their honors, having contrib- uted to the state one hundred thousand ducats when they were " elevated to the Venetian nobility." In our day the hav- 1 ing a bank-account of a few hundred thousand ducats gives a man all the emi- nence in social life that he may desire. THE RIALTO BRIDGE. Every one who has perused the old Italian romances has heard of the Rialto, the famous stone bridge of Venice, which has been also invested by Byron with a romantic interest. It is a massive stone structure, spanning the Grand Canal, being neither suggestive of poetry nor romance. Considering that it was built three hundred years ago, and is still as ponderous and solid as it was when the last stone was laid, it is well worthy of inspection as a sample of the durable work of that age. It is about one hun- dred feet long, consisting of a single arch, and seventy feet broad. There being no vehicles or horses in Venice, it is simply for pedestrians, and is divided into three parts, the centre having the greatest breadth, and is lined with stores or booths built of stone along its entire length. These booths are in reality a part of the bridge, there being clear footways on each side as well as between them in the cen- tre of the bridge, its great width furnish- ing ample room. The height of the arch above the water is twenty-two feet, and to the top of the balustrade about thirty- two feet. It is in reality a bridge with houses on it, and is always thronged with pedestrians passing and repassing or stopping at the booths. The Rialto al- ways presents a lively aspect, especially in the morning, as the approaches to it on both sides of the canal are used as a market-place for the sale of vegetables and fruits. As we passed under it in a gondola yesterday we were startled by seeing several swimmers jump from the balustrade into the water, a crowd being assembled on the banks of the canal to witness the feat. The abutments of the arch are built out in the water about fifteen feet from the edge of the canal on AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 243 either side, and the rise to the bridge is made by a succession of about one dozen long and massive stone steps built into the abutments. VENICE BY GAS-LIGHT. Last evening we made a general round through the Grand Canal, to see Venice by gas-light. The gondolier, as we moved slowly along the Grand Canal, called out the names of the palaces we were passing, most of which seemed to be deserted. They were broad and massive stone and marble buildings from four to five stories in height, stained and blackened by the hand of time. We passed in our trip of two miles nearly fifty of these structures, none of which had been erected less than three hundred years. The impression con- stantly forced upon us in this trip was that we were sailing through the streets of a flooded city, and the vision of Harrison Street on several memorable occasions when Jones's Falls was not in an amiable mood rose to the imagination. Many of the gondolas exhibited lights, whilst the lights from the houses and the city gas- lamps tended to give life and animation to the scene. At most of the openings of the streets the splash made by the boys who were diving into the canal and swimming could be heard. It may fairly be presumed that in so finely a watered city the children take to water like young ducks. Returning from our trip about nine o'clock in the evening, our gondolier brought us back through the narrow canals, passing through the heart of the city, and under dozens of bridges, over which the people were moving to and fro. The houses all loomed up five stories above us, in which could be heard the sound of pianos, and, with the exception of the openings where the bridges crossed, it was one unbroken line of stone and mortar. We passed a large number of gondoliers in this part of our excursion, and it seemed strange that in so narrow a channel there were no collisions. The shouts of a gondolier on turning a corner are peculiar, and most necessary in such darkness, viz., gia ^, a boat ahead •, preme, pass to the right ; sta lij pass to the left, etc. THE LADIES OF VENICE. The better class of ladies of Venice dress with considerable taste, mostly in light gossamer material, and in the evening a large number are visiting the stores, or reclining with their children and friends in their gondolas on the Grand Canal. The great evening resort is an island called Toledo, to the left of the city, on which bath-houses are in successful opei^a- tion, and sea-bathing is enjoyed to its fullest extent. Two steamers make hourly trips to Toledo during the afternoon. On the streets the ladies are remarkable for their grace and dignity of carriage, and our female critics pronounce them deci- dedly handsome. The water-girls and the flower-girls are also a feature of Venice. The former supply customers with water carried in copper buckets from the arte- sian wells. What is singular, most of the former are decidedly good-looking, and always wear a cheerful countenance and seem overflowing with vivacity. The flower-girls are handsome and modest in deportment, and all do a thriving basi- ness. THEATRES OF VENICE. Venice has no less than seven theatres, all of. them quite fine establishments, though not so large as with us. The thea- tre La Fenice is one of the most elegant little establishments conceivable. It is quite aged, having been in use more than a hundred years. Four of them are now open, and giving nightly performances to crowded houses. We must not omit to mention that in our wanderings yesterday we found that Venice has a very elegant botanical gar- den, covering five or six acres of ground, whose beautiful and interesting avenues are but little visited. What here more particularly attracts northern visitors is the growth of small European shrubs to a great height. The plants are mostly exotics, and between the avenues of the trees the vacant ground is devoted to vari- ous scientific objects. The number of the different species of plants is more than seven thousand. There is the greatest collection of cacti in the garden to be found anywhere in the world, some of them from fourteen to twenty-four feet high. Venice also has an academy of fine arts, containing over seven hundred fine paintings, mostly of the Venetian school. These paintings are principally those that have been brought hither after the demo- lition and devotion of churches to other objects. These have been enlarged hj considerable gifts and purchases, until it is now a richly-stocked gallery, filling twenty separate halls. VENICE FICTIONS. The guides here point out the old pal- ace now occupied as the New York Hotel 244 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH as having been the veritable house of Desdemona, from whence she eloped vrith the tawny Moor. The house of the Moor is also said to be still standing, as well as that of lago. The same entertaining gondoliers point out the residence of Shy- lock, who was so terribly hard on the Merchant of Venice. As these characters are all fictitious, it is about as well that the fiction should continue. At Verona they go so far towards verifying the truth of Shakspeare's Romeo and Juliet as to point out the balcony on which the fair Juliet listened to the wooing of Romeo, and, to make the matter more certain, carry their visitors to the grave of Juliet. LOVE OF MUSIC. • In the evening, whilst floating quietly down the canals of Venice, the ear is fre- quently startled by the sounds of most skillfully-executed music on the piano, accompanied at times by female voices of great volume and sweetness. The sounds would come from the window of a build- ing the outside appearance of which would be suggestive of anything but re- finement. Occasionally, from a. balcony high up on these bleak and desolate-look- ing walls, ladies would be sitting, war- bling operatic airs, and the sound of mer- riment and song amid the stillness of the night, undisturbed by the rattling of wheels and the clatter of hoofs or the or- dinary street noises, was peculiarly dis- tinct and pleasing. So also in strolling through the narrowest of the streets, there seemed to be a piano in every house, and, judging from the sounds, were being manipulated by skillful hands. The gon- doliers of the Grand Canal, all of whom have good voices, are frequently heard at night warbling Italian melodies, whilst many musical associations go about at night serenading. On the three evenings of the week when the military bands ap- pear on the Piazza of St. Mark, the whole population turn out, and the attendance usually ranges from ten to fifteen thou- sand. Aquatic parties also frequently charter one of the small steamers, and with a band of music, accompanied by voices, cruise about in front of the Doge's palace and along the city front. GOOD-BT, YENICE. We leave Venice to-night, after spend- ing several days very pleasantly within its water-bound walls. Whether we have succeeded in giving our readers any idea of Avh^t Venice really is, we shall proba- bly never know, but we hope that all will have a better appreciation of the place than heretofore. We would, however, advise all to see Venice for themselves, when opportunity serves. VERONA AND ITS ROMANCE. Verona, Italy, July 28, 1873. We left Venice, the city of extensive water-privileges, yesterday afternoon, and although we had no dust to shake from our feet, we did endeavor to leave behind as many of the animated atoms as pos- sible which had so greatly annoyed us during our sojourn. It was there that the Merchant of Venice coined his wealth, and the remorseless Shy lock demanded his pound of flesh, and there that the gentle Jessica slipped out the front door and" glided off with her lover in his gay gondola. Well, whatever may be said of the others, we think she did right, espe- cially if she was compelled to live in the Ghetto, the Jews' quarter, which was un- doubtedly a good place to run from. ROMEO AND JULIET. We reached Verona, the reputed home of Shakspeare's Two Gentlemen of Ve- rona, as we all know it to have been the native town of the gentle Juliet and her loving Romeo. Here are the tombs of the Capulets and Montagues, and in the garden of the Orfanotrofio is the tomb of Juliet. It, however, does but little jus- tice to her memory, and the government proposes to erect a more suitable monu- ment to the fair heroine, over whose trials and tribulations and sad death the world will con inue to shed tears until the end of time. It has been proven by a strict inquiry into the history of Verona that all the circumstances, characters, and in- cidents of the story were faithfully re- tained by Shakspeare in writing his great play, and that Juliet was indeed most beautiful, fully warrantinjw the exclama- tion of Romeo, when, looking up to her balcony, the counterpart of which every house in town seems to be provided with, he exclaimed : "But, soft! -what light through yonder window breaks ? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun ! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon. Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou her maid art for more fair than she. , . Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return. AMERICAN SPECTACLES, 245 What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would siiame those sfcirs, As davlif^ht doth a lamp ; her eye in heaven Would throufih the airy region stream so bright, That birds would sing, and think it were not night." The narrow but lofty house of Juliet's parents, in the street of San Sebastian©, now a tavern, still bears the hat over the entrance to the court, which was the dis- tinctive emblem in the armorial bearings of the family, and the memorable veranda under which Romeo poured into the will- ing ear of Juliet his passion, and the balustrade over which the lovely Juliet plio-hted her troth, are still preserved. Verona appears to have been famous for its development of the tender passion, for here it was that the Roman poet Catullus, eighty-six years before the birth of Christ, in speaking of his Lesbia and how many of her kisses would satisfy him, declared '' that he desired as many as there were grains of sand in the desert of Libya and stars in the heavens," What wonder, then, that such a town should have pro- duced a Romeo and a Juliet fifteen hun- dred years after ? THE CITY OF VERONA. Verona has a population of about seventy thousand. The rapid-running river Adige flows directly through the town, the flow of the current being suffi- cient to drive the wheels of large num- bers of floating grist-mills anchored in the stream. It is distinguished as one of the most industrious cities of Italy, its people being largely engaged in the weav- ing of silk, linen, and woolen fabrics. The climate is healthy, but a little keen in winter, on account of its near approach to the Alpe. ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE. AVe were surprised to find in Verona SO many and such perfect specimens of old Roman architecture. One of the most im- portant objects of interest whichv first at- tracts the attention of the stranger, and is the great glory of Verona, are the ruins of the old Roman amphitheatre, which stands in the centre of the city. It is almost equal in size, and in a far better state of preser- vation, than the Coliseum at Rome, being regarded as the finest specimen now in ex- istence of Roman architecture. It presents a most imposing appearance, the interior having suffered but little, owing to the great care that has been taken to pre- serve it, though most of the outer circle of the arches were nearly all destroyed by an earthquake some six hundred years ago. The height of the building when perfect exceeded one hundred and twenty Feet. It is elliptical in form, the extreme length of its diameters to the outer walls being five hundred and ten and five hundred and twelve feet. The cor- ridors, stairs, and stone seats are in a remarkable state of preservation. There are forty successive tiers of granite seats, each row being eighteen inches high and the same in breadth, the whole number being equal to the accommodation of twen- ty-five thousand persons. There is no authentic information as to the founders of this great work, though it is supposed to have been built between the reigns of Titus and Trajan. It was used for the exhibition of shows and sports in the middle ages, and sometimes as an arena for judicial combats. A wooden theatre is now erected in the arena, and the arches of the old building are rented out for stores by the city. There are various other monuments of antiquity in Verona deserving of notice, in a fine state of preservation. The an- cient double gallery, composed of marble, built under Gallienus, in memory of whom it is named, stands surviving the abrasion of the weather, its walls now, after sixteen hundred years of exposure, being as perfect as if erected yesterday. The fortifications of Verona are most extensive, and surround the whole city, as well as frown from the top of every hill. They are attributed to Charlemagne. The locality has been the scene of many se- vere battles in both ancient and modern times, and the City has been alternately in the possession of the Austrians, French, and Italians. Like all the rest of Italy, it has vastly improved under the reign of Victor Emmanuel. CHURCHES AND CATHEDRALS. We have visited most of the old churches and cathedrals of Italy, but have alluded to but very few of them in these letters. They are interesting as showing how the people have been starved and impoverished to build and ornament vast structures, most of which were neither needed for the worship of God nor the service of man. Most of them are in a dilapidated condition, which gives promise that the age for such need- less expenditure has nearly passed. But few of them have been constructed within the past three hundred years, with the exception of St. Paul's outside the walls of Rome, which has been restored since 246 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH its destruction by fire, in 1823, on a scale of grandeur that when completed prom- ises to eclipse St. Peters. It is located a mile and a half outside of the walls of Rome, in the midst of a sparsely-settled country, and is only attended by a few strolling peasants. Once a year it is visited by the Pope in great state, and the balance of the year is devoted to making preparations for the great occa- sion by the colony of clergymen who are here quartered. This church has cost more money than all the churches of Bal- timore combined, including the cathedral, one altar and chapel alone in it having cost ten millions of dollars. The money for its construction and ornamentation has been charged to the "Peter's pence" fund. It is an attempt to re-establish the magnificent folly of an age that is past and gone, and which, now that Rome belongs to free Italy, will never return. It may be deemed heretical to say so, but it seems to us that they have been erected and ornamented more for the glory of their founders than the worship of God, and that the same amount of labor and treasure expended in the education and improvement of the people would have been more acceptable and praiseworthy. THE ALPS. We are making haste to get under the shadow of the Alps, and hence make a brief stay at Verona, intending to stop at Milan to-night. MILAN. THE FINEST CITY IN ITALY. Milan, July 29, 1873. We arrived here last evening after a warm ride from Verona, passing through a most beautiful and interesting country on our route. The numerous towns and cities we found as usual extensively for- tified, and the view from the cars was most picturesque and attractive. Along the road from Brescia to Mantua, a dis- tance of fifteen miles, we passed the field upon which the battle of Solferino was fought, which is as level as one of our Western prairies. We also had a fine view of the magnificent Lake of Garda, which is thirty-seven miles in length, and at one point fourteen miles in width, hav- ing a depth in some places of one thou- sand feet. The j^reater part of this fine sheet of water he^ within the kingdom of Italy, the northern extremity only be- longing to Austria. The whole distance from Verona to Milan, one hundred miles, presents a scene of the most luxuriant vegetation to be found anywhere in the world, and the cultivation of the soil is most thorough and systematic. A great deal of it is ir- rigated from the Mincio, a rapid-running stream of clear and sparkling water. The grape, corn, and grasses are the principal products. CITY OF MILAN. As we progress northward, the appear- ances of Italian cities undergo a change, and, instead of the narrow streets of Southern Italy, we have at Milan broad, well-ventilated thoroughfares, and evi- dently a highe^ state of civilization and progress among the people. Milan is undoubtedly one of the very finest cities in Italy, and indeed there are few cities in any country that can excel it in appear- ance and attractiveness. Like most an- cient cities, it is very irregularly laid out, but it is one of the most interesting in Europe, full of activity and wealth. It has some noble thoroughfares, and is rap- idly improving, the buildings going up m its suburbs being of a very superior class to the old sections of the city. It is a walled city, but the interior side of the wall is laid out with gardens and planted with trees, an arrangement which sur- rounds the whole city with a park. MILAN ON SUNDAY. Sunday in Milan is a good day to see the city and its people. As is the case in all Catholic countries, the day is ob- served both as a day of worship and of pleasure-seeking. Before twelve o'clock everybody is intent on their religious du- ties, and after that hour the pursuit of recreation and pleasure is the universal rule. The thousands of cafes were in full blast, each surrounded by as many cus- tomers as could be furnished with seats and tables to partake of their refresh- ments. Gentlemen with their wives and families could be seen everywhere in fes tive gatherings, partaking of creams, lemonade, and in some cases beer and wine. Carriages were driving to and fro thronged with ladies and children, and the omnibuses were packed to their ut- most capacity. The public grounds around the city were filled with people, and here the cafes were supplying them with re- freshments. Good order and quiet were, however, observable everywhere until AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 247 midnight, when there was a simulta- neous outbreak of noisy revelers all over the city, and for an hour or more the singing of songs, with stirring choruses, resounded in every direction. CATHEDRAL OF MILAN. Every stranger who comes to Milan of course desires to see the world-renowned cathedral, the dome and spires of which are the first things visible in approaching from any direction. It certainly is a most wonderful structure, and if its architects desired to leave a building that will never be excelled in its ornamentation, they have, very likely, been successful. It is a perfect forest of marble pinnacles, with life-size statues peeping out from every niche in its walls. "Wherever you cast your eye on any part of the exterior walls, your gaze is returned by a throng of those " stone men and women" who, Father Barrett protests, are the main pro- duction of Italy. The number of these statues is variously estimated by different authors, but they are certainly so numer- ous that it would be folly to attempt to count them. Dr. S. I. Prime, author of " Travels in Europe and the East," affirms that there are already seven thousand, and places for three thousand more. Mur- ray says four thousand four hundred, which is probably more nearly correct. The central tower and spire is especially beautiful, and, surrounded as it is by a throng of smaller spires, each surmounted by a statue, presents a combination of rare elegance almost impossible to de- scribe. Then the wilderness of tracery in beautiful white marble which sur- rounds the roof, delicately marked against the sky, gives to the whole structure, large and massive as it is, the appearance of being as light and fragile as if the first gust of heavy wind might be expected to topple it over. The entire length of the cathedral, which is in the form of a Latin cross, is four hundred and jiinety feet, breadth one hundred and eighty feet, height to top of the statue three hundred and fifty-four feet, length of the transept two hundred and eighty-four feet, and height of the nave one hundred and fifty- two feet. As a monument of ornamental architecture it will probably stand forever unrivaled, as the taste of the present age does not run in the same direction. The interior of the cathedral is still more fraud and imposing than the exterior, ts double aisles and clustered pillars, its lofty arches, the lustre of its walls, its numberless niches filled with noble fig- ures, and its monuments, combine to give a grandeur and solidity to its appearance much more effective than the exter'or view. It was commenced over five hun- dred years ago, and was nearly a century in the course of construction. The scene in the interior, with the morning sun shining through its magnificent stained windows, is most strikingly beautifuL From the roof, looking down on the fine marble tracery and the forest of spires, a better idea is obtained of the vastness of the structure than from any other point. The Alps, with Mont Blanc in the dis- tance, are distinctly visible from this ele- vated position. THE STREETS OF MILAN. All the cities of Europe are considerably ahead of the United States in the paving of streets, but we think that Milan is the best-paved city in Europe. There are no curb-stones, and no gutters, even in streets as broad as say Baltimore Street, all being smooth, from house to house, with a slight depression in the centre, where there are openings, narrow slits, in the stone carriage-way, to allow the rain to pass off into the sewers underneath. The drainage from the houses passes di- rectly into the sewers by pipes, and there is nothing to provide for in the drainage of the streets except rain. The foot-paths next to the houses are about six feet in width, of smooth granite. There are also two lines of granite for the wheels of ve- hicles to run upon in the centre of the street, by which means an omnibus with two horses can draw as many passengers as a street-railway car, rendering the lat- ter unnecessary in a city so perfectly level as Milan. The balance of the street is f)aved with small round stones, which are aid in cement, and form an excellent pavement, smooth and solid. The smooth granite blocks, which form the whole bed of the streets in Naples, Florence, and Rome, are very hard upon the horses, al- most one-half of which wear leather caps on their knees to protect the knee-joint from damage in case of falling, as thev are apt to do if moving with any speed. The pavements of Milan afford excellent looting for the horse, even better than our rough pavements, whilst the wheels flidie over tnem with but little resistance, t is wonderful where so many stones of the right size can be obtained, but they appear as if having been through a sieve, and all rejected that exceed the standard size. If the pavements are crowded, as is constantly the case, people readily step 248 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH upon them to pass, without the slightest .inconvenience. The streets are carefully swept and washed at night, and at day- light there is not a particle of dust or dirt to be seen. This is the case not only in the better parts of the city, but like clean- liness is observable everywhere. Men also go about all day with small hand- carts and brooms, carefully sweeping and sprinkling to prevent dust. THE LADIES OF MILAN. By visiting the cathedral and the churches at an early hour in the morning we have had a good opportunity to see the ladies of Milan in their simple and elegant attire, the only covering for their heads being light gossamer veils. The younger females are quite handsome, but they evidently lose their beauty at an early period. A handsome elderly or middle-aged lady is seldom seen in Italy, and those that are very old become wrin- kled and sallow to an extent that is not seen in any other country. The children, with their large, dark, and piercing eyes, are very handsome, and full of brightness and vivacity. The younger ladies wear their dresses very low in the neck in front, but high up on the shoulders. They have very small feet, and take care to show them. SHOPPING IN MILAN. The storekeepers of Milan are very sharp at a bargain, and charge foreign- ers enormous prices for everything they may purchase. They will, however, on being pushed, readily strike oflf one-third from the asking price, even though at first they may have told you that they had but one price. The stores are very elegant, but not as numerous as those of Naples. The Gal- leria Vittorio Emanuele forms the central point for the traffic of Milan, and is be- ing largely extended and beautified. It is an immense arcade, roofed in with glass, the roof having at the central point of the cross which it forms an elevation of one hundred and eighty feet. The lower story is devoted to fancy and jewelry stores, of which there are fully one hundred and fifty. The building is adorned with twenty- four statues of famous Italians. It is lighted in the evening by two thousand gas-jets, independent of the light from the stores, and presents a gay scene. There are several large cafes in this great establishment for the sale of ices and con- fectionery, in front of which seats and tables are arranged. The avenues are fifty feet wide, the flooring being of finely- executed mosaics of difierent colors. There are other arcades in different se> tions of the city, but none equal to this. The rays of the sun are so fierce here that ladies who are out shopping naturally seek these shaded stores in preference to those upon the open streets. A VOYAGE ON LAKE COMO. THE BEAUTIES OF THE LAKE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. CoLico, Italy, July 30, 1873. We left Milan at nine o'clock this morn- ing, anxious to get to a cooler climate, and at four o'clock reached Colico, at the head of Lake Como, the point of departure for the diligence through the Spliigen Pass of the Alps, which are here looming up before us nine thousand feet in mid-air, capped with snow, rapidly melting under the rays of the summer sun. FAREWELL TO ITALY. We are by no means sorry that our tour in Italy is completed. There is no coun- try in Europe more replete with interest and instruction to the tourist, but the modern Italians are not a pleasant people to dwell among. They make great claims to refinement and progress in science and the arts, but by so doing they only invite more attention to the degeneracy which has brought them down from the high position attained by their masters. Syd- ney Smith summed up his experience in Italy by asserting that whilst the old Italians were all Jupiters, the present race were all jew-peters. But, adepts as they now are in all their little schemes to take advantage of strangers, they have greatly improved for the better during the past few years. Both the country and its people have" improved, and there is every reason to hope that the efforts of Victor Emmanuel to regenerate Italy will be suc- cessful. The only drawbacks seem to be the soldiers and the priests. Every fifth man you meet is a soldier, and every twentieth man a priest or a friar. The latter may be all very good people, but there are too many non-producers in the country. The people do not evince any excess of piety on account of this great excess of ecclesiastics, and it is very evi- dent that most of them are better fitted to work in the vineyards on the hills than in the vineyard of the Lord. The soldiers AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 249 are everywhere, and we must say they are the best-disciplined and the finest-uni- formed men of the fighting order that we have yet met with. FROM MILAN TO COMO. The railway from Milan to Como tra- verses a fertile plain, luxuriantly clothed with vineyards, mulberry plantations, and fields of corn, intersected by numerous canals and cuttings for purposes of navi- gation. The route also passes numerous country residences, and the towns of Monza, Lecco, Bellaggio, Seregno, Canzo, and Camerlata. The old towers, for- tresses, and cathedrals, towering up over the luxuriant verdure of the fields, render the view very picturesque. The trains stop at Camerlata, and a diligence con- veys passengers to the town of Como, which has over twenty thousand inhab- itants. Here was the birthplace of the elder Pliny, and of the experimental phi- losopher Volta. It consists of but two or three streets, and is about a mile and a half in length, having all the usual pecu- liarities of Italian towns. The only attrac- tion about it is the old cathedral, which was commenced in 1396 and completed in 1521, said to be one of the best struc- tures in North Italy. Indeed, there are very few churches in Italy that are less than three hundred years old. There are extensive silk-weaving factories at Como. THE LAKE OF COMO. We were driven in the diligence direct to the wharf, and soon found ourselves, with a number of passengers, some of whom were Americans, on board the steamer Unione, on the famous Lake Como. Everybody who has seen the play of the Lady of Lyons has had im- pressed upon their mind the idea that Lake Como is the Paradise of Europe ; nnd, whatever it may be as a place of res- idence, it is certainly magnificent to the eye. The views from every part of this lovely sheet of water constantly charm and startle the beholder. Bulwer makes Claude Melnotte speak of Como, in de- scribing to Pauline his fictitious palace, as '' A deep vale, shut out by Alpine hills from the wide world, margined by fruits of gold and whispering myrtles, glassing softer skies, cloudless save with rare and r > eate shadows," and his palace " as lift- ing to eternal heaven its marbled walls from out a glassy bower of coolest foliage musical with birds." The scene from the deck of the steamer on Lake Como is sublime. The ^ake is so closely shut in by the surrounding moun- tains that it is difficult to discover the outlet. On turning the quay of C<*mo, and passing the first promontory, the great beauty of the lake is brought to view, and during the whole trip to Colico, requiring some four hours, the scene is one of almost unbroken beauty and gran- deur. Those who speak of the scenery of Lake George or the Hudson as equally picturesque as Lake Como have certainly never seen the latter, especially at this season of the year, w^hen its mountain- sides are clothed with verdure, and many of their tops, seven thousand feet high in the air, are glistening with perpetual snow. For the first ten or fifteen miles after leaving Como, numerous bright and gay villas of the Milanese aristocracy, sur- rounded by luxuriant gardens and vine- yards, are scattered along the hillsides of the lake, and there are also many ham- lets and villages far up the mountain- sides. In the forests beyond, the brilliant green of the chestnut and walnut con- trasts strongly with the grayish tints of the olive, which to the unaccustomed eye bears a strong resemblance to the willow. The mountain-peaks rise mostly to the height of over seven thousand feet above the surface of the lake, the depth of which, at some points, is over two thou- sand feet, the water being as clear and beautifully blue as the Bay of Naples. The lake winds and turns among the mountains, and at no time can one see more than half a mile ahead of the boat. Along the lake-shores are a large number of palaces of the royal and aristocratic families of Italy, and various hotels for summer resorts, at which a large number of passengers stop to spend a few days, to escape from the heat of Milan. The mountain-sides for the whole dis- tance of thirty miles, from Como to Co- lico, are largely inhabited, and every spot of land is under cultivation. The moun- tain-sides are terraced, and mostly planted with grapes up to the elevation of over a thousand feet. To the eye, the houses and even villages high up on the precip- itous sides of these mountains look as if they would topple over into the lake. The churches and monasteries on the sides of the mountains are very numerous, and can always be recognized by their steeples and belfries. At one point nine could be counted, and not more than two or three hundred cottages within two miles of them. When about half-way up the lake the atmosphere rapidly changed as the 250 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH snow-clad mountains loomed in the dis- tance. At first shawls and thicker coats were in requisition, but before we reached Colico overcoats, waterproofs, and every sort of wrap we could command, were necessary to comfort, — a rapid change in temperature, when it is remembered that when we left Milan in the morning the thermometer was at ninety. The same evening at Colico, with winter cloth- ing, a fire would have been decidedly com- fortable. BEAUTIES OF THE LAKE. Lake Como cannot be so described as to do justice to its varied attractions. Its width is not more than three or four miles, and the shore on each side is always visible from the deck of the steamer. The private villas are painted in bright colors, gleaming amid gardens and groves of lemon-, orange-, and citron- trees. Every establishment of any pre- tension has its fountain, and all have solid granite walls built up out of the water, with water-gates supplied with steps for landing and embarkation. The little steamer Unione glided from side to side of the lake, stopping at the villages, and landing or taking off passengers, giving us full opportunity to view all points of interest. Byron's description of the lake is certainly by no means ex- aggerated : " Sublime, but neither bleak nor bare Nor misty are the mountains there — Softly sublime — profusely fair; Up to their summits clothed in green. And fruitful as the vales between, Tliey lightly rise. And scale the skies, And groves and gardens still abound; For where no shoot Could else take root, The peaks are shelved and terraced round. Earthward appe»>r, in mingled growth, The mulberry and maize; above Tlie trellis'dvine extends to both The leafy shade they love. Looks out the white-wall'd cottage here, The lowly chapel rises near; Far down the foot must roam to reach The lovely lake and bending beach; While chestnut green and olive gray Checker the steep and winding way." But, notwithstanding all these romantic surroundings, the people here have a practical turn of mind. The streams which come down from the snow-clad mountains in the rear are availed of for milling-purposes, and there are numerous manufacturing villages on their banks, most of them being for the manufacture of silk. On the eastern shore of the lake a turnpike, with walled bank, fre- quently tunneling its way through the mountain-spurs, extends the whole dis- tance from Como to Colico, connecting with the SplUgen Pass across the Alps. We reached Colico at four o'clock, and, having secured a pretty good dinner, prepared to take our departure in the diligence which leaves at half-past eight o'clock for Chur, in Switzerland, crossing the Alps at Splligen Pass. SWITZERLAND. Chur, Switzerland, August 1, 1873. CROSSING THE ALPS. We arrived here last evening at five o'clock, having been for twenty hours, since half-past eight o'clock on Tuesday night, confined to a diligence crossing the Alps in the midst of a furious storm of thunder, lightning, and rain, which by no means added to the pleasures of the trip. The whole distance from Milan, consuming over thirty-two hours, was made without rest, a pretty severe ordeal for the ladies of the party, espe- cially when the numerous incidents of this stormy night are taken into consid- eration. To cross the Alps has never been an accomplishment of which we were very ambitious, being always in- clined to dodge them by taking to the Mediterranean or passing under them at Mont Cenis, and we shall certainly never undertake to cross them again during a thunder-storm. A FEARFUL NIGHT ON THE ALPS. Starting at nine o'clock, we moved off into impenetrable darkness, amid a rap- idly-falling rain, which, as we progressed up'the foot-hills of the mountain, increased to a storm, accompanied with lightning and thunder, that echoed and re-echoed among the mountains like the explosion of a thousand pieces of artillery. Sud- denly the diligence stopped, and a not very prepossessing countenance, with lan- tern in hand, opened the door and told us we must all alight. At least this was all we could make out of his mixture of German and Italian. We obeyed orders, and found that the torrent coming down from the mountain had swept away the bed of the road for a long distance, and that some planks had been laid on the rocks for the passengers to cross. The water was still rushing down in great vol- ume, but we were enabled to get over with dry feet, and then the vehicle was some- how dragged over the chasm, bouncing AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 251 and jumping in a way that would not have made its occupancy at the time very pleas- ant. We were soon in and oft' again, and in two hours reached Chiavenna, a town of about three thousand inhabitants, at the foot of the chief ascent. On the route the roaring of the swollen mountain- streams was equal in sound to that of Niagara, and, although we could not see, indicated close proximity to a cataract of rushing water. At Chiavenna, at midnight, we were again invited to get out and take seats in another diligence, a portion of the passen- gers in which had left to cross by another route. We were all crowded in, with scarcely room to move our limbs, com- pelled to carry both baskets and bundles in our laps, and soon the lumbering vehi- cle was crawling slowly up the mountain- ascent. The road was smooth, as all Italian turnpikes are, and must have been constructed at immense coast, being mostly walled to the height of five to ten feet, and having many stone bridges thrown across the mountain-streams. Where the ascent is very rapid it is accomplished by a succession of zigzag roads, and at break of day we could count six or seven road-beds in sight from below, over which we had passed in our winding course. At some points of the road we passed through tunnels cut through the solid rock, and on all sides of us were beds of snow filling the ravines, where it had accumulated during the past winter, and thus far resisted the warmth of the summer sun. The atmosphere was cold and chilly, and the rain continued to pour down in torrents, causing numerous cata- racts of water, tearing and roaring down the mountain-sides, the peaks of which towered thousands of feet above our heads. STORM ON THE ALPS. It was truly a grand spectacle ; but it requires energy and enthusiasm to make the enjoyment counterbalance the annoy- ances and fatigue of Alpine journeying. We had not gone far after daybreak before the diligence was stopped by in- formation that the road a short distance ahead of us was washed out by a cataract, and it would be impossible to pass. In a few minutes we reached the point of the disaster, and found a mountain-stream of great volume pouring down, bringing with it boulders and rocks, and had already washed out the bed of the road to the depth of about six feet. The rain was still falling in torrents, and the volume of the stream momentarily enlarg- ing. To get the diligence over this break was an impossibility ; but in the course of a half-hour another arrived on the opposite side of the breach, when it was determined to change passengers. Some boards were fixed across the chasm, and the men were compelled to find their way over as best they could, though the dili- gence-men did their best to aid the ladies, in some cases lifting them bodily. We finally all got seated and ready for moving on again, pretty well soaked with rain and splashed with mud. Among the pas- sengers with whom we exchanged vehicles were a number of ladies and children. ACROSS THE SPLUGEN PASS. At eight o'clock we reached the highest point of the Spliigen, and were much pleased to see the mountain-streams re- versing their course. There was, how- ever, no cessation in the rain, and the roaring and dashing torrents were still sweeping madly past us. Every moun- tain-peak that we passed had a miniature cataract pouring down from crag to crag, all tending to swell the rush of water below. We of course moved down the mountain at a much more rapid rate than we ascended, and at ten o'clock, after passing at Piannaco a miniature waterfall of nearly eight hundred feet, reached the town of Spliigen, near the source of the Rhine, where it is simply an insignificant mountain-stream, now swollen consider- ably, and tumbling in wild confusion in its steep descent over its rocky bed. At Spliigen we were among the Swiss, and found a capital hotel, where we obtained the best breakfast we had par- taken of for three weeks, and enjoyed it with an appetite sharpened by our night's travel. The cooking of everything in olive oil, which is the practice in Italy, is not very palatable to Americans, espe- cially as the aforesaid oil, in most places, is quite rancid ; and to get where good butter was substituted was quite a treat. Then the cleanliness of everything about gave assurance that we would not take back to the diligence any more fleas than we had brought across the mountains with us in our clothing. This was quite a comforting reflection, especially to the ladies, who do not expect to be whole again in flesh for a week to come. THE VIA MALA. After leaving Spliigen the turnpike follows close to the banks of the Rhine, with towering and almost penjendicular mountains on either side. In fact, at 252 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH various points of the road the Rhine winds its way through upright walls of rock from twelve to thirty feet apsirt, and six hundred feet below the turnpike. The river, now swollen and enlarged in vol- ume by the torrents coming down from the mountains, presented a wild rushing avalanche of muddy water of a deep choc- olate color. Even when coursing along over the rocks, with a hundred feet of channel, it dashed its spray high in the air, and when forced through these narrow chasms roared so wildly as almost to make the rocks tremble with its force. These narrow chasms are called by the Swiss the Via Mala. Thousands of tour- ists are attracted here to view the Rhine forcing its way through these rocky gorges. The chasms at some points are a half-mile in length, and the scene is a grand one where this mighty torrent breaks away again into a wider bed and sweeps on, only again to be forced and compressed through what might almost be considered a crevice in the rocks. The heavy rain still falling and numerous mountain-torrents pouring into the river rendered the scene as we viewed it im- pressively grand. The storm was the greatest one that had occurred for years, bringing down from the mountains rocks weighing in some instances a half-ton, and sweeping away a turnpike and its bridges that had stood undisturbed amid the rag- ing of the elements for forty years or more. MORE DISASTERS. At several points on the route the turn- pike was found to be badly washed by the mountain-streams, but we were en- abled to drag along through them until we arrived near the village of Andrea, when we were again stopped by a stream that had not only torn away the stone turnpike bridge, but had piled up on either side of the road-bed about ten feet of mud and rock, the former of the con- sistency of very soft mortar, as a number of the passengers found upon venturing to walk over it to view the stream of mud and rock still pouring down from the mountain and losing itself in the rushing waters of the wild and turbulent Rhine. Here we found a number of men belong- ing to the diligence-company at work making preparations to carry the pas- sengers and baggage across the chasm, which was finally accomplished by laying new boards over the mud and over the bed of the torrent rapidly subsiding, as the rain had ceased to fall for about an hour. The ladies of course got their skirts muddy and their feet wet again, but after the experiences of the night they had learned to regard this as a slight matter, and we were soon oflF once more on our way through the magnificent valley of the Rhine, with its towering mountains, some of them rising six thousand feet above us, and all with their sides and foot-hills terraced and cultivated wherever vegeta- tion could be made to take root. HEAD OF THE RHINE. It was interesting, as we coursed our way along the banks of the Rhine, to no- tice its gradual increase in volume, swollen by various tributaries, and as it was on this occasion by thousands of mountain- torrents. Long before we reached Chur it had increased from an insignificant stream to a wide and rushing river, hurled along with wonderful impetuosity. At Chur its bed is half a mile in width, and its current indicates that it is still rapidly and madly coursing its way down towards the falls, where it takes a tumble over one hundred feet, and thenceforth becomes a quiet, respectable, staid, and navigable river, distinguished throughout its course for the magnificence of its scenery and the beauty of the castles and palaces on its banks, as well as the verdure and su- perior cultivation of the bordering land. Switzerland is a land of mountains and lakes, a land of valleys teeming with vege- tation, a land of glaciers, torrents, and waterfalls. It is a famous summer resort for the whole world, and now here at Chur all the hotels, at least a dozen in number, are thronged with strangers, and every train brings a new supply. This is the point from which excursions are made to vicAv the famous Via Mala, and as we came down the turnpike yesterday we passed scores of tourists, with their guide-books and glasses in hand. There were also a considerable number visible at all the hotels on the route, and this morning we witnessed the departure of a half-dozen more loaded diligences, with ladies and gentlemen of all nationalities. ATTRACTIONS OF SWITZERLAND. The whole of Switzerland is not as large as the State of New York. The Alps di- vide it from Germany on the east, and Italy on the south and southwest. It is a glorious little republic, situated in the very heart of Europe, and the love of the people for independence, and their intense affection for their native land, have taught the surrounding monarchies that they can- not bring it into subjection. The great AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 2.33 charm of Switzerland, next to its natural scenery, is the air of well-being, the neat- ness, the sense of propriety imprinted on the people, their dwellings, and their plots of land. They generally own their home- steads, and are always building, repairing, altering, or improving something about their tenements. In the agricultural re- gions everybody works, men, women, and children, and even the cows have their allotted task, whilst the land is cultivated almost entirely by hand- or garden-labor. The female, although not exempt from out-door work, undertakes the thinking and managing departments in the family affairs, and the husband is but the execu- tive officer. The wife is, in fact, very re- markably superior in manners, habits, tact, and intelligence to the husband in almost every family in the middle and lower classes of Switzerland. The hotels of Switzerland are the best in Europe, and some travelers go so far as to assert that they are the best in the world. They are neat and clean and comfortable, and the food is prepared in a plain but substantial manner, which is peculiarly palatable to those who have been sojourning in Italy or France and eating they scarcely know what. You see snails in market in Italy and imagine that the pdUs have one or two coiled up in their depths. The meat is first boiled to make your soup, and then served up as roast meat. Of all things detestable to spend an hour over is an Italian tahle- d'hote^ with its incomprehensible succes- sion of dishes and its scarcity of every- thing that is palatable. They feed one hundred persons at a dollar per head off of ten dollars' worth of provisions, and then boil the bones and whatever is left to make the soup for the next meal. With this kind of feed it does not cost us as much to live as it does at home, but we imagine that our hotel-keepers would soon become millionaires if they could econ- omize food as it is done in an Italian hotel. ZunicH, Switzerland, August 2, 1873. We remained over a day longer than we anticipated in the Swiss town ofCoire (pronounced Chur), in order to enjoy the delicious climate, view the town and its surroundings, and visit the famous springs of Pfaffers, at the village of Ragatz, about fifteen miles distant, which is regarded as one of the most singular spots in Europe. THE TOWN OP COIRE. Coire is situated on the river Plessur, which a short distance below empties into the Rhine. It is the capital of the Orisons, and contains about seven thousand in- habitants. It owes its importance to the trade of the SplUgen and Bernardin Passes of the Alps, which have attracted to it all the railroads of Switzerland whose ter- mini are here. All travel across the Alps by either of these passes concentrates at Coire, and a half-dozen diligences leave here daily with excursionists and travel- ers. Those who desire to see all that is beautiful and wonderful in the Alps with- out crossing them come here to make an excursion to Splugen, which can be reached by diligence in about four hours. A seat on the top of the diligence gives a fine view of the whole country, as well as of the roaring Rhine on its passage through the Via Mala. THE SPRINGS OF PFAFFERS. The scenery around Ragatz is wild and romantic. Here, too, a mountain-stream comes tearing down the clefts of a rock like the Via Mala, and were it not so near the Via Mala it would be considered a great wonder. The rush of water is as great, the roar as loud, but the width of the cleft through which the river is forced is much narrower, though equally as deep from the surface. There were large numbers of visitors arriving on every train to view the springs and the scenery, and at least one hundred carriages with visitors from neighboring resorts arrived during our stay. As we approach the village of Ragatz the precipitous sides of the foot-hills be- yond are seen to have a break or divide in the middle, forming a deep ravine, through which the Tamina River flows, or rather seethes and surges between a nar- row cleft in the rocks with an impetuosity equal to that of the Rhine among the Alps. A carriage-road so narrow that turn-out places have been made at certain points, and which barely admits of a car- riage- and foot-way, has been constructed high up on one side of this ravine, at great expense. The sides of this cafion rise precipitously to a height of six hun- dred to eight hundred feet, in some places overhanging the path and shutting out a view of the lofty mountains which hem it in. Trees here and there hang over the edge of the cliffs as if just ready to fall and close the gorge with their own wrecks. It seems sometimes almost as if the walls of the rocky cliffs had met in front and swallowed the intruding road which crept within its jaws ; but over embankments and grooves, in the sheer upright rocks, 254 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH and cuts not lar^ or long enough to de- serve the name of tunnels, the road dodges as it were the difficulties and works its tortuous way along for two and a half miles to the Bath House and Hotel Pfaffers, which extend across the entire width of the ravine. It is through this house that you enter the great gorge, which might rather be termed a crack in the mountain. The sides here are but a few feet apart, rising perpendicularly from the foaming waters far below and almost meeting overhead, so far above you that you cannot dis- tinguish the exact outlines of the over- hanging cliffs, from the edges of which small rivulets drop their tiny streams to mingle with the noisy torrent below. The only path through this part is a wooden balcony fastened or suspended to the rock on one side, with the rushing river far below and a glimmering light overhead. Following this fragile j)athway, with um- brella raised, for six or eight hundred feet, vou come to the source of the Hot Springs m a chamber cut into the solid rock, whence a steam continually issues, and where, by the aid of a lamp, you see the hot water pouring into a large tank, from which it is conveyed in wooden pipes to the bath-house for use. The temperature of the water is 100° Fahrenheit. It is re- markably pure, but tasteless. Returning, you note the crowd of vis- itors, for this is no unusual day, who fill the route. During our brief visit of two or three hours there must have been three hundred visitors, of whom two hun- dred walked to and from the railroad sta- tion. In one procession were twelve carriages, each with its driver walking and cracking his whip to give warning to pedestrians of his approaching team. It was curious to note the difference in the several nationalities who there made a display of their good or bad breeding. The Germans invariably bowed and often removed the hat, the French said a spark- ling " Bon-jour," but the Americans and English passed on without a sign, unless, indeed, the turn of the head for one last look after passing generally distinguiBhed the American from his English cousin. THE SWISS RAILROADS. We left Coire this morning by railroad for Zurich, which is about one hundred miles distant. On entering the cars we found them, for the first time in Europe, constructed on the American plan, except that they have a partition at one end for ladies who are traveling alone. They have conductors the same as our roads, who pass through the cars and collect the tickets. They carry a silver whistle, with which they signal to the engineer to go ahead ; he responds with the steam- whistle, and the train moves off. There are three classes and three rates of fare, the only difference in the cars being that the higher rates have better upholstering than the lower rates. BEAUTY OF SWITZERLAND. The country which we passed, although very mountainous, was through a broad valley, and most of the mountains being of very gradual ascent were cultivated to their very summits. The vegetation is very luxuriant, and the cottages and farm- houses bright and beautiful, with all the evidences around them of thrift and in- dustry. We passed a large number of ruins of old castles, with their towers and battlements, which are left standing as a reminder of the days when they were the strongholds of a tyranny now passed away forever. There are no palaces in Switzer- land except those reared by industry, the homes of men who have carved out their own fortunes by the sweat of the brow. Royalty has no home here, and the people have allowed everything that pertained to it to go to ruin. Well would it be if some of their neighbors would follow their example. There are no soldiers of any account here, no standing army, very few fortifications, no extensive garrisons or military structures. The people are all producers, and the country is prosper- ous. Every man is, however, accustomed to arms, and ready to do battle for his country at a moment's notice. The great mass of the people through the section of Switzerland we are now traverisng are Protestants, though in the rural and mountainous districts the ma- jority are Catholics. It is estimated that three-fifths of the whole population of the country are Protestants, and two-fiftha Catholics. ON FAIR ZURICH'S WATERS. This, if we remember right, was the title of a sentimental love-song, or it may have been " By the Margin of Fair Zu- rich's Waters," which the young ladies of America a long time ago delighted to sing to their admirers. Well, here we are on Lake Zurich, and a fairer or more beautiful sheet of water it would be difficult to find anywhere. On reaching Rapperschwyl on the railroad, which is at the head of navigation of the lake, we left AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 255 the cars and took passage on the steam- boat St.Gothard for Zurich, in order to view the scenery on the route. On both sides of the lake there are lar2;e and stirring towns, the houses presenting a neat ap- pearance with their white walls and green shutters. Here there are numerous manu- facturing villages, the silk-mills being run by the mountain-streams, and many of them by steam. The distance to Zurich on the lake is about twenty miles, but, as the boat stopped for passengers at many of the towns, first on one side and then on the other, the distance run was fully thirty miles. The lake is five miles wide at its broadest point, but the general average width is only about three miles. The mountains bordering Lake Zurich are not more than fifteen hundred feet high, and are not as bleak and bold as those around Lake Como. Their ascent is so gradual that they are cultivated mostly to their tops, the dark green of the mulberry-trees and the lighter shade of the newly-mown fields presenting a charm- ing contrast. The neat cottages and farm- houses, all pure white, present from the lake a most attractive picture. Lake Como is for the most part adorned with gay villas and hotels for the accommoda,- tion of pleasure-seekers, with summer palaces for royal retirement; but Lake Zurich presents everywhere a scene of busy life and of industry. Steamers were plying upon it, towing rafts and lighters, whilst other gay and handsome crafts were conveying passengers to and fro. We passed before reaching Zurich prob- ably thirty towns, ranging from two thousand to ten thousand inhabitants, the buildings generally being from four to five staries, all painted white, with the never-failing green shutters. The red- tiled roofs of Italy give way here to slate and cedar shingles, and we can almost imagine that we are passing the towns on one of our Western rivers, even the German names on the houses which greet our vision as we stop at the wharves serv- ing to increase the illusion. As we approach Zurich the mountains become less elevated, and towns and cottages and manufacturing establish- ments more numerous. Gay villas and country-seats of the solid men of Zurich are also interspersed among the cottages, some of which have their towers and parapets in imitation of the olden time when Switzerland was an appendage of Austria, and before she had secured and maintained her independence from roy- alty and kingcraft. Perhaps some of them are the remnants of those days, now in possession of the sturdy republicans who have labored to prove to the nations of Europe the capacity of man for self- government. Most of the manufactories on the banks of Lake Zurich are for silk and velvets, for the hills are covered with mulberry- trees. The large buildings standing high up on the hills, all of them white, check- ered with black, are the cocooneries, where the worms are fed that supply these immense establishments with the raw material. As we approach Zurich, towards the easternmost end of the lake, the grape is also largely cultivated, at some points scarcely anything else appear- ing in the fields. Although Zurich has three times the number of inhabitants that Como has, it has not one-third the number of churches. What there are of them are bright and beautiful and new, with steeples and clocks, and have the merit of having been erected by the present generation, instead of having come as heirlooms from remote ancestors. Zurich, Switzerland, August 4, 1873. THE CITY OF ZURICH. The city of Zurich is situated at the northern extremity of the lake, the river Limmat passing through it. This is a stream of considerable volume, and its waters are so clear that the pebbles can be seen at a depth of some twelve or fifteen feet. The population of Zurich, including the suburbs, is about forty-six thousand, and its location on the banks of the lake is one of surpassing beauty. The hills which surround it are green to the summit, gemmed with lovely villages and beautifulvillas,whilst the snow-capped towers of the Alpine region fill up south- ward the distant view. Turning as it were their swords into pruning-hooks, the ram- parts which formerly surrounded Zurich have been changed into delightful prome- nades and flower-gardens, the scene from which about sunset is perfectly enchant- ing. The inhabitants of Zurich are distin- guished for their spirit and enterprise, and the numerous institutions for the cultivation of learning in the town have given it the name of the literary capital of Protestant Switzerland. They are quite puritanical, however, in their no- tions, so much so that there are no theatres allowed here, and to give a private ball special permission must be asked of the authorities. 256 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH THE PEOPLE OF ZURICH. ^ There is probably less intoxicating liquor or even beer consumed in Zurich than in any city of its size in the world. Taverns or drinking-houses are very scarce, and these are confined mostly to the sale of beer and wine. Drunkenness is said to be almost unknown, and many other vices that prosper elsewhere have no ex- istence here. There are no corner loun- gers, everybody appearing to have some- thing to do and being intent upon doing it. We have not in three days met a beggar, or any of the usual sharpers who dog the steps of strangers in other cities on the Continent. The streets of the city are elegantly paved and are kept scrupulously clean. The stone blocks used for paving are all precisely one size, cut for the purpose, being about four by two and a half inches upon the surface. The drives around Zurich are neither very extensive nor attractive, and the chief source of amusement therefore is sailing and boating on the lakes. A great many ladies can be seen every evening out with their friends handling the oars as grace- fully as a Spanish lady would her fan. The boys all have their neat little boats with oar-blades tipped with crimson, and take great pride in keeping them bright and beautiful. We have already mentioned that the dogs and cows are made to work here. We saw to-day quite a number of cows draw- ing wagons. They were very large white animals, and one of them had evidently brought her milk with her from the country, for a woman was milking her as she stood with the yoke around her neck. The dogs also work, and appear as happy and contented as our useless curs. The hand-carts have generally a dog yoked on one side, whilst a woman will be pulling on the other. Thus woman and dog walk side by side, each performing their share of the labor. They appear to be fond of each other, and kind and sociable. When the mis- tress leaves her wagon the dog guards it, and it would generally be hazardous for any one to interfere with it until she returns. SIGHTS OF ZURICH. Zurich has quite a number of popular institutions. There are here a university, which was established in 1833, a poly- technic school, in a magnificent building recently erected a deaf and dumb insti- tution, and one for the blind, an insti- tution for medicine and surgery, and various educational institutions for the poor. It is noted as being the place where the Keformation first broke out in Switzerland : and the cathedral in which Zuinglius, the great Reformer, first de- nounced the errors of the Church of Rome in 1519, is still standing. The town library is a large and spacious edifice, containing some fifty-five thousand vol- umes and a large collection of anti- quities. Among the curiosities in the arsenal is exhibited what is claimed to be the identical bow with which William Tell is said to have shot the apple from his son's head; though historians gen- erally contend that Tell and his bow and apple are chiefly fictions of Schiller. The battle-axe, sword, and coat of mail of Zuinglius, which are also exhibited, are doubtless genuine. The promenades in and about Zurich are numerous and delightful. The Hohe, or High Promenade, is one of the prin- cipal, and is reached by M'inding stairs, overlooking the whole city. A beautiful avenue of old linden-trees surrounds them, and from the seats here provided the lake and surrounding country are spread out like a map. A monument is here erected to Hans Georg Nageli, the celebrated composer. EUROPE AND AMERICA. To make a rapid tour of Europe is un- doubtedly very pleasant. It is pleasant to notice the habits and manners of the people, and it is pleasant to look upon scenes and views often read of but never fully comprehended. But how any Ameri- can can prefer life in Europe to a resi- dence in his own country we have never been able to comprehend. Switzerland, is pleasing to the American because the government is not upheld by the bayonet, because the people are free and inde- pendent, and for the reason that " liberty, equality, and fraternity*' are not here un- meaning words, as they are in France. It is pleasant to be in Switzerland, because the people are happy and contented and proud of their country and its institutions. It is interesting to view its mountain- peaks, clad in never-melting snow, and to sail on its beautiful lakes and scan its vine-clad hills. But, with all its exemp- tions from the evils which afflict nearly all other European countries, we can discover no attractions for an American that would counterbalance the blessings and advan- tages of life at home. Italy has its attractions which may war- AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 257 rant a prolonged visit, but there is noth- ing in the country, the people, or the climate that could induce a permanent residence. The study of painting or sculpture or vocalism induces a great many Americans to remain for some time in Rome or Florence, but it would be dif- ficult to find a more unhappy set of men and women than these same American artists. Even Mr. Powers, Avho had been tied to Italy for half a lifetime, always sorrowed over the necessity which had pre- vented him until almost the close of his life from making that visit to his beloved Cincinnati. Of all the states of Europe, Switzerland is the only one in which the American can feel fully at home, provided he under- stands the language. JParis will do for a season, but the American can find no at- tractions in London. The worship of blood and the toadyism to the scions of aristocracy, however infamous they may be in all their private relations, are sicken- ing to the American. There is a freedom and manliness among the Swiss that are not to be found in any monarchial govern- ment. Their pride of nationality has something more than mere military glory to rest upon, whilst they reverence and worship brain rather than blood. The American can here educate his children and engraft them in the languages better than at home, but still it seems to us that America is a better place both to live in and to die in than any European country. That many millions of Germans are of the same opinion is evidenced by the number who have already emigrated, and by the hundreds of thousands of those who are looking forward with hope to the time when they can move off with their families for the same destination. Of all the Germans the Swiss alone seldom emi- grate, being happy, contented, and pros- perous at home. SUNDAY IN ZURICH. Sunday in Zurich is more strictly ob- served than in any European city we have yet visited. The stores, with the ex- ception of bakeries and tobacco-shops, are all closed, and every manner of busi- ness suspended. The whole population is out in Sunday attire, and the beauti- ful promenades tnat surround the city are thronged during the afternoon and even- ing with ladies, gentlemen, and children. The churches, both Protestant and Catho- lic, are all well attended in the morning. American ideas of the German or Swiss, both as regards social characteristics and 17 customs, are generally formed from the appearance of the throngs of emigrants constantly passing through Baltimore and other cities. It will, therefore, be a mat- ter of surprise to many to learn that in ^he city of Zurich the people, both male and female, dress precisely as American citizens. The ladies have their over- skirts looped up, and wear waterfalls, and bonnets, and ribbons, and laces, lockets, chains, and jewelry, just as American ladies. Fewer of the class of Germans we meet coming from the ships are to be seen here than in Baltimore. We passed a number of emigrants yesterday walking Indian file, probably making their way to a seaport to emigrate. There is, in fact, but little here in the appearance of the city, its houses, or its people to distinguish it from an American city, except that the streets are kept cleaner and are better paved. The ladies look strong and hearty, and appear to know nothing of any ex- clusive claim of the sex to constitutional weakness. They generally have fresh, rosy cheeks, and the majority of them are blondes, though they do not appear to be aware that such is the fashionable com- plexion on the other side of the ocean. The children on the streets are neat and tidy, but no effort seems to be made to array them prematurely in the style of men and women. They look well and comfortable, clean and happy, as every- thing does " by the margin of fair Zu- rich's waters." THE HOUSES IN ZURICH. Very few of the private residences in Zurich have front doors on the street. They have side-yards, with a high iron gate in front, and the main entrance is on the side of the house, inside the gate. This is also the case with the banks and a great many wholesale business houses, which are not only shut in after this man- ner, but which have no signs up, and no indication of their business. Many of the stores, and especially the bakers' shops, are without front doors to their es- tablishments. In the centre of their front windows there is a sash on hinges, and a bell to pull. You pull the bell, and some one comes to the opening to serve you with what you may want. Others that hare doors and a fine display in their windows keep them locked, and you must ring the bell to obtain admission. It is evidently not a very stirring town for retail trade, but what they have for sale is of extra quality. The confectionery establish- ments are equal to any in our large cities, 258 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH and much better than we have met with either in France or Italy. The houses are generally four or five stories high, built of stone and rough-cast white, with green shutters. The public buildings are constructed of blue sandstone, and most of them very elegant and elaborate in their architecture. The railroad depot is a grand structure of blue stone, adorned with statuary and sculpture, and the main building is much larger than our '' Camden Station." It has along its entire front, which is about five hundred feet, a high colonnade formed of heavy stone pillars. The waiting- rooms for passengers are elegantly fitted up. EiNsiEDELN, August, 1873. THE BLACK VIRGIN OF SWITZERLAND. It would not do for us to leave Zurich without visiting Einsiedeln, a few miles from Richterswyl, on the lake, where the " Black Virgin of Switzerland" draws many thousands of Roman Catholic pil- grims every year to her shrine. In former years the number of pilgrims was esti- mated at two hundred thousand annually, but of late the number has somewhat declined. Next to Notre Dame de Lo- rette, of Italy, Einsiedeln is more visited by pilgrims than any other place in the world. THE SWISS MECCA. The route to Einsiedeln for an hour and a half was over the Lake of Zurich, now graced by the visible presence of the grand Alpine peaks, which had been hitherto shrouded with clouds. The great Rhone glacier was plainly distinguished from the white caps of the mountain- summits, being different in shape and shade of whiteness. At Richterswyl we left the boat and mounted on top of a diligence for a ride of nine miles over a mountain to this place, the Mecca of German and Swiss Catholics, The scenery was finer and the views over the lake district far more ex- tensive than can be obtained in the vicin- ity of Zurich. The scattered houses were large and picturesque in appearance, lighted with immense numbers of win- dows, before which could be seen small looms in operation on every variety of stuff which consists of " woof and warp," — here a silk of glossy blackness, next an ingrain carpet, then plaids and stripes, each with its industrious weaver, and these operatives invariably men. While our diligence waited at the wharf for its full complement of passen- gers, our attention was directed to the stream of carriages and pedestrians which constantly came to the landing-place; when once started, this concourse in no wise lessened. Most were of the laboring classes, and fully half were women, pre- senting every variety of dress and feature. Many walked devoutly along, repeating their prayers in an audible voice, and all were staid and solemn. Those who could pay but a scant price for a ride had bar- gained for a half-starved steed and driver, and several times we counted fifteen able- bodied persons drawn by a skeleton horse. Seven hundred and eighty-five houses, besides the buildings of the abbey and monastery, constitute the town of Ein- siedeln, with a population of eight thou- sand devoted to the entertainment of pil- grims, and to traffic in prayer-books, beads, images, and candles. The rows of little shops and booths, and the display of cheap gewgaws, which are considered religious (made so by a colored print of the Virgin or of some saint), will surpass belief. From the rear window of the hotel we can count over fifty, and this not at the abbey front. The saleswomen, who speak half a dozen languages, are weaving the beads with silver wire, while they artfully shake their precious stock in trade, making the shop alive with the tinkling of the beads and the swaying back and forth of the pendent clusters. Some articles are curiously wrought and dyed, some are odorous with gums of the tropics, but most are of gay colors in glass and bone. Everywhere is displayed the crucifix. We passed an immense crucifix on the street on entering the town, and found the principal ornament of the dining-room of this really elegant hotel to be a crucifix, where one usually finds a mirror ! So extensive is the traffic in toys and relics here offered that in one publishing- office in the village fourteen lithographic presses, sixty bookbinders, and one hun- dred and fifty children (the latter engaged in illumination) are constantly employed. THE ABBEY OF EINSIEDELN. The abbey building is surrounded by a high wall, decorated with statues and immense gateways, which gives to the establishment an appearance of great extent. The cathedral, clearly defined by its two slender towers, occupies the central part, and is one hundred and seventeen feet in width. The present building dates from 1704, but the abbey was founded by Charlemagne, The title AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 259 of the abbot has been Prince of Einsie- deln since the year 1274. This title was conferred in consequence of the great riches and influence of this order. At present there are from eighCy to one hun- dred monks in the abbey. They teach the village schools, which are considered superior to others, and manage their large farm with skill and economy. Their horses are remarkably fine, and their cattle also. The number of services which are held every day in the cathedral, and the time they must necessarily devote to the confessional, would make their life a busy one. THE BLACK VIRGIN. The interior of the cathedral is deco- rated with modern pictures, statuary, and elaborate gilded ceilings. In the nave, isolated from the rest of the church, stands the Chapel of the Virgin, of black marble, adorned with panels wrought in bas- relief. The lower part is sadly disfigured by the rubbish of melted wax and tallow. Each devotee lights from one to a dozen tapers, and with a bit of the melted candle they are made to adhere to the costly polished exterior. Through a grating you can see in the interior an image of the Virgin in black marble, the eyes and lips painted, and the statue dressed in a gold-embroidered brocade of dingy, uncertain color. The height of this statue is not over two feet. It is placed above an altar, and the head of the Virgin and the cross in front glisten with precious stones, while the entire altar is lit up with reflected rays from the sap- phires and emeralds. The golden swing- ing lamp, which always is lighted, was the gift of Queen Hortense, and is an art treasure in itself. The great candelabrum in the midst of the cathedral was the gift of Napoleon I. The Ilohenzollern princes have also made valuable presents here, especially in the last few years. The paintings given by them, representing Bible scenes, have portraits of the Ilohenzollern family introduced. The excuse for this is found in the tradition that Saint Meinrad, from whose sanctity all this wealth has grown, was one of their ancestors. THE VESPER CHANTS. There are six great organs among the arches and pillars and recesses of the cathedral, and in the rear of the great altar there is a screen, formed of rows of black marble pillars, which conceal from the worshipers the monks who chant the vesper service. Upon several of the side- altars are effigies, life-size, of the saints to whom they are dedicated ; some are nearly skeletons and almost nude, others have swords and plenty of gilt trappings. All are in recumbent postures. FOUNTAIN OF THE VIRGIN. In the large sloping court which fronts the cathedral stands the famous fountain of the Virgin, with its fourteen jets of water, surmounted by a bronze image. The legend says that St. Meinrad saw the Saviour, when He came to consecrate the abbey, drink from one of these jets; but, as it is uncertain which, pilgrims avoid the possibility of mistake by religiously drinking from each in succession. " Begging is forbidden in this church, under pain of corporeal punishment," was an inscription in former times ; but it is now changed to a fine of five francs for the first ofiense, and twenty for the sec- ond. We were hugely amused with the novelty of the idea, but in that district it may be less incongruous to fine beggars than elsewhere, for nowhere can a more thrifty, industrious, and prosperous com- munity be found. There are no beggars in Switzerland. INDIVIDUAL PRAYER. The distinguishing feature of this ca- thedral service is its avowed approval of individual, spontaneous prayer. The pil- grims, who come from every nation on ithe globe, either singly or in groups, at- tracted together by some common sym- pathy, make the rounds of the altars, and each in his own dialect and his own chosen words audibly utters his petitions. A young couple walked hand in hand near us, uttering thanksgivings and pouring forth their grateful emotions, who may have vowed that their wedding tour should be to " Our Lady of the Hermits." LAMENTATIONS OF THE PILGRIMS. But more impressive than all besides is the earnestness of the congregation gath- ered here. The lame, the halt, the blind, have brought here their heavy burdens, and the desolate and the sorrow-stricken have come here for comfort. There was no indifferent worshiper in the church. The number present at vespers was not less than three hundred, and few if any of these were residents of the village ; and this is only a repetition of the daily scene that has been enacting here for hundreds of years. Many aged, decrepit women prayed till their souls seemed to 260 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH light up their faces with their inmost thoughts. One young man habited in army blue, but with a crutch and missing leg, pros- trated himself before the Virgin's chapel, and there, with covered face and trem- bling hands, he still lay when the audi- ence slowly withdrew. At times the church resounds with beseeching prayers, the groans and lamentations of the pil- grims ; but never has this noise or con- fusion been found to detract from the sol- emn emotions or the reverential tone of those who partake in its services. SCENE AT THE CONFESSIONALS. Passing from the cathedral to the con- fessionals, which are in as many lan- guages as at St. Peter's in Rome, we found throngs waiting their turn. The room is exceedingly chaste, and all the pictures are drawn from the history of the Prodi- gal Son. When the usual vesper service was ended, eighteen monks slowly walked through the cathedral to the Chapel of the Virgin ; the iron gratings were opened; they entered, and, kneeling, sang a wailing, broken-hearted lamentation, which was echoed again and again through the vaulted ceiling, and, as their tones softened and mingled, more than Qnce the echoes gave back their notes in pure soprano voices, mingling with the clear and powerful tenors and bassos. Hearing this, one could understand how superstition and credulity might find here fresh miracles every day, and " Notre Dame des Eremites" might receive her two hundred thousand annual visitors in the years to come as she has done in the years gone past. Apart from these religious interests, the town is well located for a summer sojourn. There are six lines of diligences depart- ing from it every day, and by another summer they will be served by the rail- road, which is more than half completed at this time. It has been known most favorably in England, and many English families spend the entire season there. Lake Lucerne, Switze-rland, Town op Fluelen, August 8, 1873. The great drawback to travel upon the lakes of Switzerland is the certainty of rain, no matter how promising the weather may be when you take your departure for an excursion on their placid waters. It is certain to come at some time during the day, more especially at such times as you especially desire to view some of the grandest scenery. TRIP TO FLUELEN. We left Lucerne yesterday morning for a trip to Fluelen, intending to return in the afternoon in time to ascend Mount Righi and remain on its summit until morning to witness the rising of the sun and obtain the three-hundred-mile view which is said to be obtainable from its six thousand feet of elevation. We had scarcely been an hour on the lake, hoAvever, before the inevitable rain commenced to fall, and finally settled into a steady storm, inducing us to go ashore at Fluelen and take up our quarters for the night at the William Tell Hotel, that being the most inviting in appearance of the sev- eral hotels of which that town mainly consists. LAKE LUCERNE. The Lake of Lucerne is said to be the most beautiful of all the lakes of Switzer- land. If the guide-books had described it as the grandest there would have been no disputing the fact, but for beauty the Lake of Zurich is far superior. The mountains are more steep and imposing on Lucerne, towering up in awful grand- eur six to seven thousand feet above the level of the lake, and looking as if they might topple over upon you at any mo- ment, or that the cottages, hamlets, and summer resorts high up on their sides might with a slight gust of wind lose their hold upon the rocks. Most of the mountains are covered with cedar-trees, except where too precipitous for the roots to hold, whilst there is an occasional clearing and a cottage at points where, as you look at it from the deck of the steamer, it looks as if inaccessible for any two-legged creature not provided with wings. Still, you can see the smoke curl- ing up from their chimneys three and four thousand feet above what would be considered a foothold for ordinary mortals. At several points on the lake we could see, high up on the mountain-sides, large hotels, four or five hundred feet front, with flags waving from their steeples, and all the evidences of being occupied to their full capacity. THE 'town of FLUELEN. The width of the lake is not more than a mile to a mile and a half, and so ab- rupt are its windings and turnings among the mountains that at no time can the eye discern its course half a mile ahead. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 261 The boat appears all the time as if shut up in a basin of water with no outlet, and as if steering direct for the rocks. Every mountain is precipitous, many of them 80 much so as to be uninhabitable, except in an occasional gorge, and in each of these is sure to be found a town with its array of hotels. We have spent the past night in one of these towns, the mountain in its upward course standing erect not more than twenty feet from the back window. Still there are, somewhere in the mountain behind or beyond, in- accessible to the eye, several large hotels 5 at least we should judge so from the fact that whenever a boat arrives at the wharf five capacious hotel omnibuses make their appearance and carry off nearly all the passenj;ers. Then the diligences are all the time going to and coming from more distant points in the mountains, rendering the little town of Fluelen, con- sisting of four hotels, a church, and about fifty houses, a place of great importance on the lake. Suffice it to say that the mountains of Lake Lucerne are abrupt, perpendicular, grand. There are none of them less than three thousand feet in height, and most of them are six thousand, and, with their snowy summits reflected in the glassy water, they present a scene of nature both grand and sublime. We left Fluelen at eleven o'clock for Vitzuen, where the railroad station for ascending Mount Righi is located. The morning was bright and beautiful, but before we had been a half-hour afloat the inevitable rain-storm came sweeping down upon us from the mountains. TOWNS AND VILLAGES. In passing down the lake our boat stopped at a dozen or more towns, and at each discharged more than half of its passengers and took on board as many more. The boat was crowded when we started, and it continued equally full throughout the trip, returning back from the head of the lake with a full comple- ment. The passengers were principally English and Americans, with some Ger- mans and a few French. They were taking the circuit of the lake, passing from one town to another, and stopping at each for a few days to visit the points of interest in the vicinity. At every town on the lake there are several lines of diligences running daily through the mountains to other towns and notable places in the interior ; and to make the round of the lake and visit them all would require a whole summer. At every town at which the steamer stopped the whole water front was occu- pied by hotels. Their balconies were crowded with guests, and a large number were at the wharves to meet the boat. We also passed upon the lake a half- dozen other steamers, each well filled with passengers, all bearing the mark of being strangers in a strange land. They had their alpenstocks in hand, glasses strapped over their shoulders, and a red-covered guide-book protruding from their pockets. Each boat-load seemed to be a counterpart of ours, and all were on the same mission of spying out the beauties of the land. HONORS TO WILLIAM TELL. The borders of Lake Lucerne were the scene of the exploits of William Tell, the hero of Switzerland. A short distance from Brunnen, on the eastern bank of the lake, on a perpendicular rock which rises from the water, is an inscription in im- mense gilded letters : " Au chantre de Tell.'^ Farther on we arrive at a small ledge, covered with verdure and chestnut- trees. It was here, according to tradition, that Flirst, Stauffacher, and Melchthal, ac- companied by confederates from three of the cantons, met on the night of the 7th of November, 130T, for the purpose of taking a solemn oath to deliver their country from the tyranny of their Aus» trian oppressors. According to tradition, on the same spot where the three con- spirators took the oath three springs of water spouted up, over which a small hut has been erected. Six miles farther on we arrive at Tell's Chapel, the Mecca of all Switzerland. It is on a small plateau bathed by the waters of the lake. The end towards the water is without a wall, and the entire interior of the chapel and the altar are visible to the passengers on passing boats. It was erected in 1388, thirty-one years after the death of William Tell, to whose memory it was consecrated, we are told, in the presence of one hun- dred and fourteen persons w^ho knew him personally. It is located in a wild land romantic glen, on the very place Avhere, according to tradition, Tell leaped on shore from the boat in which Gessler was conveying him to prison. Every Sunday after Easter a procession of boats, richly decorated, proceeds slowly to this chapel, where, after mass is celebrated, a patriotic sermon is preached to the worshiping pil- grims. Farther on, the town of Fluelen was EUROPE VIEWED. THROUGH pointed out to us as the place where Tell shot the apple from his son's head. The spot where he stood is marked by a foun- tain and a statue of Tell, presented by the Shooting Society of Zurich. Close by, another fountain marks the spot where Gessler hung his hat to be^worshiped, and where the son of Tell was bound with the apple on his head, preparatory to the shot which gave freedom to Switzerland. MOUNT RIGHP. MotTNT RiGHi, Switzerland, August 9, 1873. We closed our last letter at Vitzuen, at the foot of Mount Righi, and are now writing at the hotel within a few hundred feet of the summit, having spread out be- fore us one of the grandest views possi- ble for mortal to behold. THE ASCENT Or MOUNT RIGHI. At four o'clock we took our seats in an open car holding fifty-four persons, with a locomotive behind and the car in ad- vance. The ascent being six thousand feet, the track is laid at an angle of about thirty degrees, rising about one foot in three. In order that the locomotive should be on a level, the rear wheels are consid- erably larger than the fore wheels, and cogs in the centre of the track hold the train, a cog-wheel working in them. The motion is slow but steady, and the view of the surrounding lakes and mountains as we gradually rise higher and higher becomes more and more grand and impos- ing. The time required for the ascent to the first hotel, which is about four thou- sand five hundred feet, is just one hour. After rising about five hundred feet more we are at our present location ; but the Hotel Righi Culm is still five hundred feet higher, and it required thirty min- utes' climbing to reach our present stop- ping-place, over a rugged road slippery from the rain. CHANGE OF CLIMATE. The climate as we ascended became gradually colder, and shawls and over- coats were in requisition. Although there is no snow on Righi, it catches the breeze from the higher snow-clad moun- tains, and is as winterish as Baltimore in January. The cold is damp and pene- trating, and the heaviest of winter cloth- ing c; n alone insure comfort. After reaching our destination another inevita- ble rain-storm blew over the mountain, although a bright, warm sunshine had been brightening every object only five minutes previously. The prospect had been grand, but now the dense clouds that '"lowered down upon our house" and all out-doors shut out the view in every direction, and the rain poured down in torrents. We had hoped to view the setting sun from the pinnacle of the mountain, but had to content ourselves with the hope of seeing his majesty rise in the morning. THE MOUNTAIN HOTELS. There are at least six hotels on the mountain, one of them as large as Con- gress Hall at Cape May. The first one we reached, the Kalbad Hotel, is probably the largest, as it is evidently the most fashionable, and can be attained without climbing. It has a front of six hundred feet, is five stories high, and has a balcony about forty feet in width along the whole front. As we passed it, a military band of about thirty performers was playing upon the balcony, whilst the guests were promenading, presenting a gay and bril- liant scene. The hotel can accommodate one thousand guests, and it was said to be full. The more eleVated house at which we are stopping, the Hotel StaflFel, is also well filled, as we could only obtain rooms in the fifth story. The third house, on the tip-top of the mountain, which is said to be the largest of all, the Righi Culm Hotel, is filled with gentlemen, there being very few ladies so high up. There are also tM'o other hotels of im- mense proportions high up on the other slopes of the mountain within sight. It is customary for tourists to spend a day or two at each of these hotels, so as to view the scenery from the various points, all of which have their peculiar beauties, and it is estimated that during the months of July and August there are never less than from fifteen hundred to two thou- sand persons at the difl"erent hotels on Righi. The number who ascend the moun- tain every day during the season, either by railroad, horseback, in chairs, or as pedestrians, is from five to six hundred, though the most of them return the same day. A NIGHT ON RIGHI. Well, we have spent a night on the top of Righi, and it has been one of the stormiest that we have encountered since our memorable night in the diligence on ' the Alps. We were comfortably quar- AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 263 tered, with abundance of blankets and eidei'-down quilts for a top-covering, but the whistling of the wind and the rattling of the rjiin against the windows and on the roof admonished us that there would be no sunrise visible fur Righi's guests in the morning. When daylight came, the temptation to lie still rather than go out into the cold and cloud-laden atmosphere was irresistible. The Alpine horn which summons visitors to witness the rising sun was silent, and a peep through the window gave proof that it was impossible for any one to see beyond their noses. At a later hour in the morning, however, the fog cleared away, and the sun shone out occasionally. The driving clouds disappeared, only to return again with sprinkling rain, but still we had ample opportunity to obtain a view of the magnificent landscape spread before us. To the north we have the Lake of Zug, the Black Forest filling up the horizon ; to the south, the high Bernese Alps and the Lakes of Alpnach and Sarnen ; to the west, the Lake of Sempach, and the winding Reuss, looking like a blue thread; while around the base of Righi, Lakes Lucerne and Zug seem to infold the mountain with their lovely waters of blue and green. When the mist would occasionally unfurl, all the glorious panorama of mountain, plain, and silver lake became revealed. The lakes over which we have just passed to reach Righi were bordered by towering mountains, none of them prob- ably less than two thousand feet high, but in looking down on them they appear like meadows, level with the lakes and rivers which flow through them. Righi appears to be the only mountain any- where near you : everything else appears to the eye flat as a prairie. The section of country embraced in the view from Righi's elevated summit is said to extend over three hundred miles. The city of Zurich, some sixty miles distant, can bo seen distinctly, and with a glass its promi- nent buildings recognized. Lucerne, some twenty miles off, appears as if we could almost throw a stone into its streets, and, independent of the magnificence of sun- rise, the midday scene is very grand. THE SUNRISE SCENE. ^ We did not see the sun set or the sun rise, sights which are seldom seen from Righi ; but, in order that your readers may know what the sight is, we give Baedeker's description : " A faint streak in the east, which pales by degrees the lightness of the stars, is the precursor of the birth of day. This insensibly changes to a band of gold in the extreme horizon ; each lofty peak is in succession tinged with a roseate blush ; the shadows between the Righi and the horizon gradually melt away ; forests, lakes, villages, towns, reveal themselves ; all is at first gray and cold, until at length the sun suddenly bursts from be- hind the mountains in all his majesty, flooding the superb landscape with light and warmth." Among the most picturesque points of the magnificent scene, which embraces three hundred miles, are the Lakes of Zug and Lucerne, which last branches off in so many directions as almost to bewilder the eye. They approach so close to the foot of the Righi that it seems as if a stone might be thrown into them. Eleven other small lakes are also visible. For a quarter of an hour before and after sunrise the view is clearest ; at a later hour the mists rise and condense into clouds, frequently concealing a great part of the landscape. The chamois- hunter, in Schiller's play of Tell, aptly observes, — "Through the parting clouds only Thi3 earth can be seen, — Far down 'neatli the vapor, The meadows of green." But the mists themselves have a pecu- liar charm, rising suddenly from the depth of the valleys, veiling the Culm, and struggling against the powerful rays of the sun. The different effects of light and shade, varying so often in the course of the day, are a source of constant admi- ration to the spectator. At a very early hour the Bernese Alps are seen to the best advantage, and in the evening those to the east of the Bristonstrit. DESCENT OF RIGHI. We left the summit of Righi about ten o'clock in the morning, the rain pouring down, and a thick cloud of fog shutting out the view in all directions. Sending the ladies to the station in chairs, we slid down the mountain through the mud, and found at the station about a hundred passengers waiting around a hot stove for the cars. The train soon arrived on its upward trip, bringing as many ladies and gentlemen as there were waiting to em- bark. Travelers in Switzerland never seem to mind the rain. They are mostly Germans with their families, who come to the Alps to rou;»h it, no one being ex- pected to make a display of dress. There are, however, a good many Americans 264 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH and English now on the mountain, with some Russians and French. Every grade of society is here represented, and at times all the languages of Europe contrive to produce a very Babel of incongruous sounds. When we reached the station at the foot of the mountain, two more steam- boats were just landing their passengers, and there was a rush and struggle for tickets, many fearing that they would not be able to obtain seats for the ascent. The rain was still pouring down ; but nothing seems to deter these Alpine travelers. The descent was made in an hour and a quarter, requiring the same time as the ascent. At one part of the road there is a tunnel of about three hundred feet to pass through, and an iron trestle-work over a chasm, very much like the Cheat River Viaduct, except that if we should happen to get off the track the fall would be about one thousand feet. The differ- ence, however, would not be much in the result. Never having ascended a moun- tain before unless it was because there was no other way to get on the other side of it, we cannot say that our experience on Mount Righi was very satisfactory. Berne, Switzerland, August 10, 1872. THE BERNESE ALPS. As we approached Berne last evening we obtained our first view of the Bernese Alps, looming up in the far distance like great mountains of ice. They looked very much like the icebergs we encoun- tered off Newfoundland, the rays of the setting sun tinging their turreted pin- nacles. They are said to be nearly fifty miles distant; but their immense height, from twelve to thirteen thousand feet, more than double the height of Righi, makes them tower high above the lesser mountains in the vicinity. On reaching Berne we repaired to the terrace of Federal Hall, to witness the sun setting on the snow-clad peaks of the Bernese Oberland, which are visible from every open space around the city. Noth- ing can surpass in sublimity the aspect of these mountains at sunset in fine weather, especially when the western horizon is partly veiled with thin clouds. Long after the shadows of evening have fallen upon the valleys, and the lingering rays of the evening sun have faded from the snowy peaks themselves, the moun- tains begin to glow from their base up- wards, as if illuminated by a bright internal fire. This is one of the principal attractions of Berne. BERNE AND ITS BEARS. Berne is a quaint old town, being rapidly modernized by its active and energetic population, which now exceeds thirty thousand. The city is built upon a peninsula formed by the windings of the beautiful river Aar, which flows rapidly, furnishing an abundance of water-power for various mills, many of which are driven by the mere force of its current. Of all the cities of Switzerland, Berne most closely adheres to its tradi- tions and its ancient peculiarities. Foun- tains are as numerous here as in Rome, and their adornments are quaint and very singular. The most striking is the Fountain of the Ogre, in the Corn Hall Square, which is surmounted by a gro- tesque traditional figure in the act of devouring a child, while a dozen others, chubby and jolly-looking urchins, doomed to the same fate, protrude from his pockets and girdle ; beneath is a troop of armed bears. The bear is the heraldic emblem of Berne, which signifies bruin in Ger- man, and is a constantly -recurring sub- ject. On a neighboring public building bruin appears equipped with shield, banner, and helmet. Two gigantic bears, tolerably executed in granite, keep guard over the pillars of the upper gate, others support a shield in the pediment of the Corn Hall, and a whole troupe of auto- matic bears go through a performance at the clock-tower every hour in the day. At three minutes before the close of the hour a wooden cock gives the signal by clapping his wings and crowing; one minute later a half-dozen automatic bears dance around a seated figure with crown and sceptre ; the cock then repeats its signal, and when the hour strikes, the seated figure, an old man with a beard, turns an hour-glass and counts the hour by raising his sceptre and opening his mouth, while the bear on his right in- clines his head; a grotesque figure strikes the hour on a bell with a hammer, and the cock concludes the performance by flapping his wings and crowing for the third time. All strangers visit the clock- tower, and the people take great pride in it. We passed it twice at the striking- hour, and there was quite a throng of tourists waiting for the performance. But this peculiarity in regard to bears, although traditional and emblazoned in stone, is still religiously preserved by the people. The ancient Egyptians had not a greater veneration for the ibis, or the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 265 modern Venetijins for the pigeon, than the Bernese have for the bear. A bears' den, with four venerable animals and their cubs in state, is kept in the city at the public expense, accordino; to imme- morial usage, and great is the amusement they afford by their cumbrous gambols. They are under the special protection of the law, which forbids the public from making them any offerings except bread or fruit, so great is the solicitude for their health. On the night of the 3d of March, 1861, an English officer fell into one of the public dens, and was torn to pieces by the male bear, after a long and desperate struggle. The den is a circular basin of stone, about one hundred and fifty feet in diameter, the walls about twenty feet high, on a level with the street, surrounded by an iron railing. It is divided in the centre by a stone wall, on either side of which are a pair of old bears, with their young, looking as if they might be one hundred years old. They each ar6 provided with fountains for ablution and dens for shelter, and the floor of the inclosure is laid with smooth stone. In the centre of each partition is a tall cedar-tree for climbing. When the sun is shining, the bears climb on these poles, and afford great amusement for the children. In our stroll through the city we found bronze bears and stone bears in abundance, one on the top of a fountain being armed cap-d-pie, with his vizor down, sword buckled at his side, and carrying a banner aloft. Even the cake- shops have gingerbread bears. BERNESE WOMEN. At an early hour this morning the scav- engers were at work with scrapers and brooms all over the city, and carts were gathering up the dirt. The strangest part of the matter was that the whole business was being conducted by females, most of them old, but some of them decidedly young and pretty. They were not only handling the broom and wielding the scraper, but were actually drawing the hand-carts containing the garbage. The work was being done well, as a matter of course, and they all 'seemed to be merry and happy. We have no doubt that they have had their municipal contest over this matter, and the women have tri- umphed in claiming their exclusive right to the use of the broom. The markets seem to be in the entire control of the women, as we did not see a man in any of them engaged in vend- ing either meat or vegetables^ A number of women were also to be seen in differ- ent sections of the city sawing firewood with horse and saw. One we observed was at work alongside of her mother, and was young and beautiful both in form and feature. She worked as if it was her daily occupation, and seemed contented and happy. There can be no doubt of the fact that the women have their rights in Switzerland, — that is to say, the right to labor and share the burdens of active life. The countrywomen attending market wear two silver chains with silver rosettes ; one rosette is fastened over each breast, and passing loosely under the arm connects with others fastened over the shoulder- blades. The poorer classes have the same ornaments made of steel, and the still wealthier have them of gold, with pre- cious stones in the rosettes. They all have the appearance of being strong- minded and energetic, and capable of taking care of themselves, notwithstand- ing the laborious occupations they pursue. The mother is looked upon as the head of the family. Interlaken, Switzerland, August 11, 1873. If we could shut out the mountainous surroundings of Interlaken, we might have imagined ourselves last night roving among the hotels at Saratoga, and looking in at the same class of stores that tempt- ingly array their goods around that fa- mous resort during the season. There was also the usual round of entertain- ments in progress in the parlors, and the same crowd of " dead-heads" outside, peeping in at the windows or listening to the performance. At the Victoria a travel- ing magician was bringing doves and vases of fish from under a shawl, and at the Scheurzanhoffen a band of strolling Swiss vocalists was giving a concert. A little farther on, a fine band was performing at the extensive Cafe Kursaal, where ices and cakes were being served to about a thousand visitors by a band of Swiss damsels arrayed in their picturesque cos- tume. The hotels at Interlaken are on a grand scale, and are more numerous than at any of our watering-places at home. The town of Interlaken is located in the valley of the river Aar, which connects Ljike Thun with Lake Brienz, and hence boats by both lakes bring passengers from dif- ferent points of Switzerland. Every na- tion and every tongue are here represented. Fully one-half of my fellow-passengers were Americans, and we are assured that 266 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGR there cannot be less than one thousand now here. They considerably outnumber the English, though, as usual, the Germans are more strongly represented than any other nationality. ATTRACTIONS OF INTERLAKEN. The Falls of Staubbach, which are the steepest and highest in Europe, disappoint the visitor at first view. They are vari- ously estimated at from eight hundred to eleven hundred feet in height; but the quantity of water is so small that it does not impress one with any degree of sublimity. The water is precipitated from such an immense height that it is broken into spray, resembling dust, long before its arrival at the bottom : hence its name. Byron, in his " Manfred," compares its appearance to the tail of the white horse. When illuminated at night, the effect is very beautiful and attracts a large number of visitors. On the route toLauterbrunnen the cas- tle of Unspunnen is passed, the supposed residence of Lord Byron's " Manfred." The Baron of Unspunnen, who was the last male descendant of his race, had an only daughter, lovely as — well, as they make them, — who had captivated the heart of a noble knight, a dependant and kins- man of the baron's greatest enemy, Berchtold of Zahringen. " The youth- ful lover, knowing his case was desperate, scaled the outer walls in the dead of night and carried off the beauteous maiden whilst her unsuspicious parent lay indulg- ing in the arms of Morpheus. For years the outraged father followed up his wrongs with fire and sword, and ruinous were the results between the conflicting parties. At last one morning the knight, his bride, and infant son, appeared alone and unarmed at the stronghold of the baron. Such confidence could have but one result : the father was overcome, he pardoned his son and daughter, took his grandchild to his heart, and immediately gave orders to kill the fatted calf and celebrate the day with feasting, rejoicing, and games." The Cave of St. Beatus is also located on the Lake of Thun. According to tra- dition, this fabulous saint took a notion to take up his residence in this cave, which was at the time occupied by a dragon. He gave orders to the quadruped to "stand not upon the order of his going, but to go at once," and he took up bis bed and went. The principal steamer on the lake is named the St. Beatus, and the people generally believe in the legend. The cave is visited by pilgrims as well as by tourists. THE LAKE OF BRIENZ. The sun having put in an early appear- ance this morning, giving promise of the first bright and dry day that we have ex- perienced in Switzerland, we determined to make an excursion to the Falls of Gies- bach, which are regarded as one of the greatest attractions of Interlaken. The Aar River, which connects the Lakes of Brienz and Thun, flows directly under the windows of our hotel, having a fall of twenty-three feet between the two lakes, the Brienz emptying into the Thun. The Giesbach Mountain is on Lake Brienz, about six miles from Interlaken, and a fine steamer which communicates with the various towns on the lake was pre- paring to start when we reached her wharf on the river Aar. At the appointed hour we steamed out into the lake, which is regarded by some persons as the most beautiful of the lakes of Switzerland, although its whole length is but seven and a half miles. The width of Lake Brienz is about two and a quar- ter miles, whilst its depth varies from five hundred to two thousand feet. Its banks are surrounded by lofty wooded moun- tains and rocks, the outcroppings of which would indicate that they are either white marble or limestone. They tower up so perpendicularly from the lake that there is very little cultivation except close down to the water's edge, where a few small towns are located, which are the termini of various passes through the mountains, and are mostly peopled hy those connected with the diligences. There are, however, numerous hotels in the gorges, v^here tourists who spend the summer here stop for a day or two for change of scene and to explore the mountains. To the south- east in the background is the snow-clad mountain of Sussen, and to the left the Trifterhorn. The view of the magnifi- cent mountain scenery from the steamer is very imposing, there being a solemnity in moving along under the shadow of these towering rocks on the quiet waters of the lake. * THE GIESBACH FALLS. In a half-hour we were directly under the shadow of Mount Giesbach, and could hear the roar of the great cataract, and see the water come tearing out through an opening in the rocks to join the waters of the lake. A wharf and AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 267 landing have been erected by the hotel company, and a few minutes after pass- ing in front of the lower cascades of the Falls we were landed, with about two hundred other passengers who had come to spend the day at this romantic spot. The hotel and restaurant are in a gorge of the mountain, at an elevation of about four hundred feet, from which a grand view is had of the seven upper cascades. To reach this point required considera- ble climbing through zigzag paths cut in the rocks, and the whole cavalcade was soon in motion, men, women, and children, with their alpenstocks and guide-books. They consisted of Ger- mans, English, and Americans, the first- named nationality predominating in num- bers. The Swiss say that these Germans are the contractors in the late war, who have become suddenly rich, and that they are for the first time bringing their fam- ilies to Switzerland. They look upon them as a kind of shoddy aristocracy, similar to those who filled the fashionable sum- mer resorts of America, sparkling with diamonds, for a year or two after the close of our war. THE CASCADES OF GIESBACH. The restaurant was finally reached, and most of the visitors contented them- selves with sitting here to enjoy the view under the cool shade of the trees, and partake of refreshments. The scene which here opens to the view is very grand. Seven cascades, each from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet fall, come pouring down the mountain directly to- wards you, the volume of water spread- ing over a surface of about twenty feet, accompanied by a roar almost as loud but not so ponderous as that of Niagara. This is said to be the finest cataract, or rather cascade, in Europe; and all the ad- jvmcts of scenery harmonize so well that the attractions are greatly enhanced. The mountain, for a mile on each side of the fulls, although very precipitous, is densely covered with tall cedar-trees, only here and there the white rock cropping out among the trees and looking like a marble wall streaked with weather-stains. The opening in this mass of dense foliage, through which the cataracts come pour- ing from ledge to ledge, leaping over rocky chasms and tumbling over precipice after precipice, presents one of the most pictu- resque scenes that it has been our good fortune to view •, and no one who visits Switzerland ought to fail to take the trip to the Giesbach. ASCENT OF THE GIESBACH. The Giesbach was inaccessible until 1848, when a schoolmaster named Keholi constructed a path, for the use of which he exacted a small toll from visitors. The steamboat company in 1854 bought his right and erected a tine hotel here, since which it has become one of the most de- lightful and popular resorts in Switzer- land. The pathway up to the cascades has been improved, and, having some four hours to remain for the next boat, we determined to ascend and explore the mountain-torrent. Not more than a dozen visitors, among whom were several ladies, followed our example, and we were soon moving along under the shade of the trees, in our zigzag course up the sides of the mountain. The path winds along the edge of the cascades, and at the foot of each cascade a bridge is erected, on which visitors stop to view the rushing of the water as it comes pouring over the rocky ledge more than a hundred feet above, throwing off a spray that renders an umbrella necessary for the preserva- tion of a dry coat. The path skirts both sides of the stream as far as the second bridge, and then to the upper fall there is a path on the right bank only. There is no bridge over the second fall, but the visitors can pass behind it by means of a grotto which connects the banks of the stream. As we reached the upper falls, nearly one thousand feet above the plateau, at the restaurant, the mid-day sun was shin- ing down over the cataracts, the spray from which formed a succession of rain- bows of the richest imaginable tints. The view from this elevated point of the roaring water and the surrounding land- scape IS very picturesque and imposing, the richness of the foliage and the emerald verdure of the mountain-sides investing the scene with a peculiar charm. On reaching the summit of the upper falls, the cataract appears as if issuing from a gloomy ravine in the rock, struggling to force its way through a narrow crevice, reminding one of the roaring waters of the Rhine when driven through the Via Mala. It comes out of the mountain- side about two hundred feet below its summit, and is supposed to have its ori- gin from the melting of the snow on the great mountains in its rear, some of which reach the elevation of twelve thou- sand to thirteen thousand feet. The ascent to the upper cataract occu- pied nearly one hour, and, as we slowly 268 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH ascended, a full opportunity was afforded of a more critical examination of the several cataracts as seen from the path- way on the right side of the ascent. The rocks immediately under the several falls have been worn out by the water into hollow basins from ten to twenty feet in depth. Into these pools the torrent de- scends, and comes bubbling and boiling up to flow on a few feet before taking another leap of a hundred or more feet off the precipitous ledges of the protrud- ing rocks. The seven leaps bring it down to the restaurant plateau, and from this point, an elevation of about four hun- dred feet, it struggles and roars among the rocks, and finally takes a leap into the calm waters of the lake. INTERLAKEN ATTRACTIONS. Located as Interlaken is on a tract of land only a few miles in length, hemmed in by immense mountains on the north and south, and by the heads of Lakes Brienz and Thun on the east and west, its principal attraction appears to be that it is a good place with abundance of accommodations for the tourist to rest after hard travel through the mountains. It formerly had a great reputation for cheapness, which brought immense col- onies of English here to spend the summer ; but the construction of large and fashionable hotels has made it one of the most expensive. The town consists principally of one main street, on which the hotels are located, about a mile in length, which presents about as gay a scene in the evenings as it is possible to conceive. The Jungfrau Mountain, capped with eternal snow, looms up in front of the hotels, being seen between the ridges of the nearer mountains, and seeming to be only a few miles distant, but in reality being about twenty miles to the north of us. The principal hotels, numbering about twenty, are very perfect in all their ap- pointments, each being surrounded by gardens laden with flowers, brilliant with their variegated bloom, while all have fountains and pools of water in front. Their dining-rooms, parlors, and cham- bers are all elegantly fitted up, and the bedding is far superior to that of the hotels of our summer resorts. Balconies, win- dow-shades, and lace curtains render most of the rooms comfortable for a prolonged residence, and the tables are well fur- nished with the best of provisions. The waiters at the hotels are all smart Swiss girls arrayed in the peculiar and picturesque costume of the villagers, and they perform their duties very acceptably. blue-beard's castle. The Castle of Unspunnen, the ruins of which are near Interlaken, is claimed by tradition to have been the home of the famous Blue-beard of the story-books. Every- nook and corner of Switzerland has its traditions, and they are all im- plicitly believed by the peasantry. They will tell you anecdotes of Blue-beard and of the wives he buried alive to give place to more favored ones, and of the huge dog which guarded the treasures hidden in the ruins. The dungeon is still seen in which authentic history as- serts that fifty brave warriors from Hasli, after their defeat before Unspunnen, spent four years of misery and suffering from 1330 to 1334. The old count was, accord- ing to all accounts, a terrible old fellow. SUNDAY AT INTERLAKEN. Sunday at Interlaken is religiously ob- served in the morning by both the inhab- itants and strangers. The stores were mostly closed, and everything quiet around the hotels. A number of country-people were strolling through the village, and the churches were all well attended. There are a Catholic church, a Scotch Presbyterian church, and an English Episcopal church, all located in one building, an old convent, which was dis- banded many years since. The doors of the Catholic and Episcopal churches are alongside of each other, each designated by a tin sign, whilst the Scotch church is in another wing of the building. They all seem to get along smoothly together, though — to avoid difficulty, we suppose — one has service at nine in the morning, another at ten, and the third at eleven o'clock. The English church was largely attended, many being unable to gain ad- mittance. In the afternoon the scene was different, all the stores being open, and people making purchases. The Kur- saal, with its restaurant, billiard-halls, and band of music, was in full blast, and Sunday seemed to be done with after two o'clock in the afternoon. Interlaken, Switzerland, August 13, 1S73. We have spent three days very pleas- antly at this great international summer resort, where are gathered the pleasure- seekers of every country of Europe, and not a few of their American cousins. The attractions of Interlaken are various. There are also crowds of consumptives AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 269 here, and those afflicted with throat- and chest-diseases, to avail themselves of the climate, and the once famous "whey cure." The main portion of the visitors are, however, those who have a mania for climl)ing mountains, who start off every morning on some new route, with alpen- stock in hand, to ascend the mountain- tracks. Artists and sketchers, male and female, are also here in abundance, and in every direction we meet them with portfolio and pencil in hand. There is little or no dressing, and none of the frivolities of fashionable life that unfor- tunately pervade our summer resorts. The guide-books give a list of fifty different mountain and lake excursions, each of which would require not less than a day to accomplish. There are also ruins of old castles to visit, towers perched upon rocks, and abandoned monasteries. The guide-books detail enough of these excursions, most of which have to be made on foot, to occupy a whole summer. The mountain cascades and waterfalls are also a great attraction to tourists, many of them leaping off precipices one thousand feet high, and becoming, before they reach the ground, scattered in minute particles of spray, which the breeze blows into fantastic and ever- varying forms, whilst the rays of the sun falling upon them create a succession of beautiful rainbows. THE JUNGFRAU. The Jungfrau Mountain, covered with an eternal shroud of snow, is visible from nearly all parts of Interlaken in all its majesty. The two peaks called the Sil- berhorn and the Schneehorn tower above the immense fields of snow. The propor- tions are so gigantic that the traveler is bewildered in his vain attempts to com- pute them ; distance is annihilated by their vastness. The summits and higher peaks — twelve thousand two hundred and eighty-seven feet above the sea — are cov- ered with snow of dazzling whiteness, whilst the lower and less precipitous slopes also present a boundless expanse of snow and glaciers. The loftiest sum- mit, which is farther south, is not visible from Interlaken. The view when the setting sun gilds the lofty peaks is most brilliant. The base of the mountain is precipitous, and the avalanches from the accumulation of snow and ice on the upper parts of the mountain come down with amazing velocity. The influence of the summer's sun detaches immense masses, the fragments as they fall resem- bling rushing cataracts, often accompanied by a noise like thunder. The awful still- ness which generally pervades these deso- late regions is interrupted by the echoing thunders of the falling glaciers. These apparently insignificant white cascades, when viewed from a distance, often con- tain hundreds of tons of ice, capable of sweeping away forests and whole villages, should any unfortunately be encountered in their course. Happily, however, they fall in uninhabited districts, and are sel- dom fatal in their effects. What is called the drift avalanche only takes place in winter, after an unusually heavy fall of snow, large fields of which become de- tached by the wind from heights where they have accumulated. These increase in their progress to an enormous extent, and are precipitated with overwhelming force into the valleys beneath. The cur- rent of air which accompanies these snow- torrents, as they may aptly be called, is said to be capable of uprooting forest- trees. The Jungfrau has Tbeen frequently ascended, and in 1863 by a lady, but never without risk of life. The mania among people to ascend these snow- mountains is incomprehensible : they might reach a, greater height in a balloon with not one-half the risk. A FLOWER-GARDEX. Switzerland is a perfect flower-garden. Notwithstanding its cold climate and rather sterile soil, all manner of vegeta- tion is as profuse as in the tropical re- gions. All of our garden-flowers thrive in the open air, and bloom with a profu- sion that cannot be equaled in Maryland. They are mostly in pots ; though we have seen many fine beds of all varieties. Every hotel and almost every house in Interlaken is surrounded and almost im- bedded in flowers. The bloom is more profuse, and the plants attain a more vigorous growth, and seem to require little or no attention. The climate is al- ways moist, which may be the cause of their vigorous growth. THE CITY OF GENEVA. Geneva, August 15, 1873. We left Interlaken on Tuesday morn- ing on a steamer on the Lake of Thun, and, as usual, the rain commenced to fall before we had been ten minutes afloat. In an hour and a half we were at the town of Thun, at the head of the lake, 270 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH and were carried from thence by rail in an hour back to the ancient city of Berne, in which we spent a day ew route to In- terlaken. Having an hour to spare, we took a turn through the town, looked again at its live bears, its bronze bears, its stone bears, wooden bears, and ginger- bread bears, and soon after took the train for Lausanne, near the head of Lake Geneva. THE CITY OF LAUSANNE. We spent the evening and night at Lausanne at the Gibbon House, which was the site of the residence of the great historian Gibbon. In the garden are the trees which he planted, and under the shade of which he wrote his " History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Em- pire." The view of the lake from the sum- mer-house at the back of the hotel is grand and romantic. Here oft sat Voltaire, as well as Gibbon, to watch " clear, placid Leman." Lausanne is now, as in the days of Gibbon, distinguished for its good society, and is considered a most desirable place of residence. It has a population of about twenty-five thousand, and, like all the cities of Switzerland, shows evidence of progress and pros- perity. The private residences around the city and in the vicinity of the lake are very elegant, and most of them are surrounded by gardens brilliant with foliage and flowers. They are said to be the private residences and chateaux of some of the wealthiest citizens of Europe, who spend their summers here to enjoy ' ' ly atmosphere. It was this that Cooper, the great American the healthy and balmy atmosphere. novelist, declared to be " the noblest of all earthly regions." Kemble, the great tra- gedian, died at his villa about two miles from Lausanne, and his tomb is in the cemetery of Pierre de Plain. LAKE OF GENEVA. We left Lausanne on Wednesday morn- ing for Geneva, on one of the fine steam- ers which daily traverse the lake. This is the most extensive of all the Swiss lakes, its breadth being at some points from seven to ten miles, and it is the only lake of Switzerland on which sailing-ves- sels are seen. All the others are so hedged in by mountains and wind around so continually through mountain-gorges, causing a change of wind almost every mile, that sails are perfectly useless. Its banks are lined with towns and cities of considerable size, and, there being very few steep mountains, it is a vast region for the cultivation of the grape. The climate is a great deal warmer than in any other portion of Switzerland, not- withstanding its close proximity to Mont Blanc and many of the highest snow-clad mountains. The weather was bright and clear, and our three hours' run on this beautiful lake, before reaching Geneva, was both pleasant to the eye and enjoyable. For the first time in Europe we were sailing on a lake without an accompanying storm. The Lake of Geneva is in reality a por- tion of the river Rhone, the mouth of which can be seen from the railroad just before reaching Lausanne. Flowing into such a vast lake, it is navigable to Geneva, and is one of the finest rivers in Europe. CITY OF GENEVA. When seen from the lake, Geneva pre- sents an attractive appearance, the river Rhone passing from the lake directly through the city. It is about five hun- dred feet wide, and rushes with such force as to drive the wheel of the water-works, located near one of the bridges, which supplies the fountains of the city with water. It is so clear that the pebbles can be seen at its bottom, whilst the fish are visible as they fly along in the rapid cur- rent. It would be difficult to find a more beautiful night-scene than the quay and the bridges of Geneva present, with the thousands of lamps that are reflected from the blue waters of the Rhone on both sides of the river. Here all the hotels are located, and here the citizens spend their evenings in promenading and loitering in the cafes to listen to the sing- ing of strolling vocalists. The stores on Rue du Rhone and Rue Centrale, as well as on the quay, on both sides of the river, make a tempting display of their goods. The principal productions of Geneva seem to be watches and musical boxes, the number of watches manufactured in a year being over one hundred thousand, and of musical boxes almost as many. The population is about fifty thousand. MONT BLANC. Mont Blanc, the monarch of European mountains, can be distinctly seen from the quay on the right bank of the river, where seats are arranged for those who desire to sit and watch the rays of the setting sun silver its snowy peaks. On a clear evening the view is grand beyond description, and many travelers content themselves with this glimpse rather than AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 271 undergo the exposure and fatigue of traveling in those icy regions. The gla- cier domain of Switzerland extends from Mont Blanc to the Oertler, the entire area thus occupied being computed at nine hundred square miles. The waters from the melting of the snow of these regions form the lakes of Switzerland and the two greatest rivers of Europe, the Rhine and the Rhone. To make the ascent of Mont Blanc re- quires two days from Chamouni, and the expense is nearly one hundred and fifty dollars. The ascent is never undertaken with less than six guides, each of whom charges one hundred francs for his ser- vices ; and little enough for these poor fel- lows who peril their lives on account of the extra pay to gratify a most unworthy curiosity. With Ilorace B6noit de Saus- sure, who was the first scientific man who made the ascent, it was a different matter: he penetrated all its mysteries, and reported the same to the world. Three ladies only have .as yet accom- plished the feat: Mile. Paradis, Mile. d'Angeville, and Mrs. Hamilton, an Eng- lish lady. The two latter ladies, when at the summit, had themselves lifted over the shoulders of the guides, that they might be able to say they had risen to a greater height than any of their predecessors. De Saussure, who, after twenty -seven years of longing and fruitless endeavor, reached the summit in August, 1837, says the desire to make the ascent had become with him a kind of disease. He says, " The arrival on the summit did not give me immediately all the pleasure which might have been expected, because the length of the struggle, and the sense of the trouble which it cost me to reach it, seemed as it were to have irritated me, and it was with a kind of wrath 1 tram- pled the snow upon its highest point. Besides, I feared that I might not be able to make the observations which I desired, so greatly was I troubled by the rarity of the atmosphere and the diffi- culty I felt in breathing and in working at this height. We all suffered from fever. 1 scarcely believed my own eyes ; I seemed to myself to be dreaming when I saw beneath my feet the terrific ma- jestic peaks, the acute summits of Midi, Argenti^re, and Le G6ant, the very base of which it had been to me so difficult and hazardous to climb. I understood their connection and their form, and at one single glance was able to clear up the uncertafnty which years of labor alone could not have done. " When any adventurous traveler un- dertakes the ascent of Mont Blanc, nu- merous spectators take up their station on the sides of the Breven, from which the progress of the party, as soon as it has emerged upon the snow-line, may be traced the whole way to the summit. Great is the excitement in Chamouni when they are seen returning in the even- ing across the plain towards the inn. Here they come, — the men who have been up Mont Blanc ! Surely earth seems like velvet ; they walk not like common men ; honor and glory await them ; twelve of them get five-and-twenty shillings each, and the thirteenth has his name painted on a board by the side of De Saussure. He has periled his life a score of times within the last forty-eight hours, but it is over now. He has been at the top of Europe, has stood like a fly on the cold tip of the earth's nose, and is per- fectly justified in writing a book. They almost all do. That is ojie of the reasons why they go up." The skin of most people peels off after the ascent, their eyes become weak, and they suffer more or less in health. How any person can desire to go through the fatigue of making the ascent, when they can risk their life in a balloon for half the expense, we cannot understand. BURDENS FOR THE BACK. Every people have their peculiar way of doing things, different from those of their neighbors. In Jamaica the practice is to carry everything, light or heavy, on the top of the head, where it is sure to be * balanced, even if it should be an empty bottle. In Venice all manner of burdens are balanced at the ends of poles and car- ried over the shoulder. In Switzerland the practice is to carry everything, even a bucket of water, on the back. Buckets, tubs, and contrivances of all imaginable kinds are made to fit the human back, with straps to go over the shoulders. If a woman should happen to carry one of her children, a sight not often seen, she is sure to make it straddle her back, with its arms around her neck. Even the milkmen carry their churns on their b.acks, and the school-boys their books in knapsacks. At Geneva this morning we saw a mother in market with her three sons, with a basket strapped on the back of each. In one she deposited the fruit, in another the vegetables, and in the third the meat. This was making good use of the boys, who seemed accustomed to the vocation. 272 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH Geneva, August 17, 1873. ROAMING AMERICANS. The hotels of the city are all overrun with Americans to-day, they havinc^ come in like an avalanche from all quarters. The streets, the stores, and the watch and music-box factories are all thronged with Americans, representino- two-thirds of the States of the Union. They are hercAvith their wives, their daughters, and their sons, and Geneva is profiting greatly by their expenditures. The sons are gettino- watches and chains, and the daughters jewelry, diamonds, and music-boxes. Everywhere on the street parties are moving along with that free and careless manner peculiar to Americans, and during a three-hours stroll in the business sec- tion of the city, English appeared to be the only language spoken. There are also a goodly number of English here, but the Americans far outnumber them. The main retail business of the city comes from the Americans and English, and there are but few stores in which the lan- guage is not spoken jfluently. MUSIC-BOXES. The extent to which this business is carried on in Geneva is a matter of sur- prise to Americans, and the magnificence of some of the instruments turned out exceeds anything that most persons have any idea of. We were shown an instru- ment this morning which played thirty- six tunes, with flute, bell, drum, and Cas- tanet accompaniments. The cost of it complete was seven thousand francs, or about fourteen hundred dollars, the pur- chaser to have the privilege of naming twelve airs to be arranged on two of the cylinders that were blank. These instru- ments range in price from five francs to seven thousand. There are musical chairs, which play when you sit down upon them, musical decanters, which strike up a merry air, such as " The Flowing Bowl," when you pour anything out of them, musical snuff-boxes, musical flower- pots, and musical toys of all descriptions. The fourteen-hundred-dollar instrument had volume of sound sufficient for a church, and would occupy as much space in a parlor as an ordinary piano, though it might be taken for an old-style side- board. HOTEL MISTAKES. Most of the hotels have the American and English flags suspended from their balconies, the object being to attract the tourists who swarm through Switzerland during the summer. There are plenty of Germans here, but most of them go to the boarding-houses, and they are not considered as profitable or desirable guests as the English and Americans. They are apt to take their meals at the cafes rather than at the hotels, and to take good care that their bills have no mistakes in them. A bill for two or three days' board consists of at least twenty items, and it is never given to you until the moment that you are about departing to catch the train. Ten chances to one neither the American nor the Englishman can read anything but the figures and the sum total. He glances hastily over it, pulls out his purse and pays it, not liking to acknowledge his ignorance. We have had occasion to encounter a number of bills, duly settled and receipted, in all of which there proved to be a variety of charges that, in the language of a New Yorker, " hadn't oughter be there." The German detects these mistakes at a glance and corrects them. When rooms are scarce they reserve them for Ameri- can or English travelers, and are always full to German or Swiss applicants. THE PETS OF THE PEOPLE. _ The city authorities have placed in the river, near the bridges, a large number of white swans, having houses for them on Voltaire's Island, which is connected by^ a short suspension-bridge with the Bridge des Alpes. These Geneva swans are honored by the people, who throw them bread and crackers as they swim about the bridge, and take delight in watching their gamljols in the water. The rapid current will sometimes sweep them some distance down the stream, when they will rise and fly, or rather skim along on the surface, back to the bridge. They have little platforms for their accommoda- tion anchored in the stream, and they are undoubtedly quite an ornament to the city, whilst they are the pets of the people. GASTRONOMY IN EUROPE. » The Americans in Europe, or at least most of those with whom we have con- versed, complain constantly of their in- ability to get good and palatable food, even at the best of the European hotels. They find, after struggling to get their food properly cooked, that they are com- pelled to resign themselves to the tahle- cfhote, and to eat whatever is given to them, whether they like it or not, or know what it is that they are called upon to digest. If anything comes along that AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 273 they recognize, such as a chicken, they find it cut up in infinitesimally small particles, about fifty to a chicken, of which they are expected to take but one. In fear of depriving their neighbor, they take the first piece that their fork lights upon, and generally find themselves in- capable of scraping a thimbleful of meat from their share of the pullet. Next comes some green spinach, vrhich they are expected to eat by itself, and be thankful. This is followed by some veal, which appears to have done duty in soup before it was roasted, flavored with on- ions. A dish of potatoes comes along, which they think they recognize as Christian food, but they find that these have been cut up and fried with onions. As everybody does not like onions, would it not be well for all cooks to cook them separately, and allow those who like them to make the mixture ? An artichoke comes next, of which ail must take a few leaves and suck them. • But previous to all this there are about three spoonfuls of very thin soup, and then some fish, generally about the size of a minnow, cut in two, as an intimation to the guest that a half of a fish is his share. Then comes some salad, Avith another chicken, cut up so as to give an atom to each of the forty guests to make chicken-salad out of. This is succeeded by a spoonful of pudding, a thimbleful of ice-cream, some grapes, and a cake about the size of an American half-dollar, so far as our memory of that coin serves. After every mouthful plate and knife and fork are changed. Those who get through with this very unsatis- factory dinner in an hour and twenty minutes, as we did to-day, may think themselves very fortunate. " Life is too short" for such waste of time. The American who leaves home during summer must expect to be deprived of all the blessings that summer brings to him at home. lie may pick up a hard peach or flavorless pear occasionally, and pay seven francs for five peaches, as we did at Marseilles ; or if he can stand the climate and fleas of Italy, he may find some palatable fruit there ; but he must forego all hopes of peaches and cream, watermelons, cantaloupes, and even hot- corn must be to him as a thing of the past. He gets no good bread after he passes the capes ; and as to griddle-cakes of any kind, we very much doubt if they know what a griddle is in Europe. At Liverpool we called for the famous Eng- lish muffins, and were furnished with cold and clammy half-cooked dough. ' 18 France used to be listinguished for the sweetness of its bread, but we have found it as hard and tasteless as it is possible to make bread. If an American has the dyspepsia, and desires to be where his food will not tempt him to overload his stomach, Europe is the place for him ; but if he thinks that good living is es- sential to enjoyment, he had better stay at home. THE CITY OF LONDON". London, September 28, 1S73. We left Paris on Monday for Havre, the principal seaport of France on the Atlantic, which we found greatly im- proved since our visit some fourteen years ago. The English language is almost as much spoken at Havre as the French, and the line of steamers connecting with Southampton is composed of English ves- sels, officered by Englishmen. When we reached the wharf, the same burly English- man who accosted us years ago urged us again to enter his hotel and take '' a good old-fashioned English dinner." After dinner, which was not very " good," we strolled over the city, the streets being thronged with promenaders and brilliant with gas-lights, as is the case in all French cities. The main streets were lined with very elegant stores, and the market-house we found well supplied with grapes and pears, the latter being the best we had tasted in Europe. CROSSING THE CHANNEL. Th^ Channel between Havre and South- ampton is very wide, requiring nine hours to cross, whilst from Calais the trip is made in less than two hours. If people get sick between Dover and Calais, it may naturally be supposed that they get very sick between Havre and Southampton, a fact which we can bear ample testimony to. Having secured our sleeping-places on the steamer, which were mere open bunks erected in the cabins, we concluded it would be better to retire early, before the passengers by the midnight train ar- rived, at which hour the steamer was to take her departure. We were aroused about half-past eleven o'clock by a noisy crowd of men and women, some quarrel- ing with the officers of the boat because all the sleeping-places were disposed of, whilst others were drinking beer and voraciously eating cold meat and bread, supplied to them by the steward. In a 274 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH fe-w moments the boat left the wharf, when the scolding and grumbling at once changed to groaning and moaning, and urgent calls for basins, which were handed around in profusion, many taking them into their bunks and hugging them to their bosoms as if they were life-pre- servers against the perils of the ocean. In all our experience we never witnessed a more rapid transformation. If these people had all taken emetics the effect could not have been more simultaneous. As they had just loaded their stomachs with porter and beer, we will leave the reader to imagine the details of the scene and the vile effluvia that pervaded the closely-packed cabin. The motion of the vessel was really very slight, and it was difficult to imagine what there was to affect any one's stomach ; but as everybody expects to be sick in " crossing the Chan- nel," they seem to make haste to meet their destiny. At early dawn we gladly escaped to the deck from the sickly hole in which we had spent the night. Here there was fresh air, but the surroundings were scarcely more inviting. All the benches on deck were occupied by men and women, with the inevitable basin, and it was difficult to walk about, on ac- count of the slippery condition in which the sufferers had managed to convert it during the night. There is not a river-steamer out of the port of Baltimore having such poor ac- commodations as these Channel steamers, and none that would not be shunned as nuisances if kept half so vile and filthy. There is a project for tunneling the Chan- nel, and the sooner it is accomplished the better, as the present means of crossing is disgraceful to both England and France. If people have to be sick, we rather think it could be accomplished more satisfac- torily to themselves, as well as to their fellow-travelers, in a private state-room, than in an open cabin. AN AGREEABLE SENSATION. After five months' sojourn among peo- ple speaking foreign languages, we ac- knowledge having experienced a decidedly pleasurable sensation on Tuesday morn- ing when we reached the wharf at South- ampton, and were greeted in broad Eng- lish by a Jehu, with the salutation, " Will yer 'onor 'ave a coach, sir?" and to hear our English traveling companions giving directions for the careful handling of their " 'at-boxes." Every Englishman travels with a ponderous sole-leather hat- box, which seems to be the object of his most sedulous care and consideration. You may smash his trunk or tread upon his favorite corn with impunity, provided you handle his " 'at-box" carefully. Then to hear the porters lauding their hotels in an understandable language, and the newsboys crying, " Times ! News ! Chronicle ! Standard V — " Great Finan- cial Bust-up in America !" " Latest from the Thames Mystery!'^ etc., was quite refreshing. We made haste to secure a supply of London papers, and enjoyed the felicity of reading fresh news again on the morning of its publication. In^ short, we were gratified to get back to Old ' England, which, notwithstanding all its drawbacks, is the only land in Europe, except Switzerland, where there is any real semblance of " liberty, fraternity, and equality." " UP TO LUNNEN TOWN." A run of two hours and a half through the green fields of Merry England brought us to Waterloo Bridge, on the Surrey side of the Thames, in the heart of London. The last few miles of the road is on an arched viaduct, passing over the tops of most of the houses, and broad enough for four tracks. Some of the roads enter the city by tunnels, but most of them are on these elevated tracks, which are un- doubtedly better than tunnels, where room can be had for their construction. It was an unusually bright and sunny day for London, but the inevitable cloud of smoke and haze had settled down over the city, causing a gloomy sensation, especially to one coming direct from bright and sunny Paris. London is undoubtedly a grand old city, but all who desire to enjoy it should do so before going to the Continent. After returning hither from the Conti- nent, its atmosphere and aspect are op- pressive, especially in the heart of the city. The suburbs and surroundings are picturesque and beautiful, but its vast business centre appears gloomy and som- bre in the extreme. The brightest and most ornamental as well as most cleanly and attractive portion of Paris is its business centre, but the very contrary is the case in London. The greater portion of the buildings are nearly coal black, or streaked and stained, whilst the mud and dirt in the streets partakes largely of soot, and is trod upon the pavements by the throngs of pedestrians, so that ladies never think of indulging in the luxury of trailing skirts. The humid state of the atmosphere keeps the streets always AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 275 damp, so that watering is unnecessary, and dust a novelty. Indeed, the city has the appearance from this cause of being much dirtier than it really is. The crook- edness of its thoroughfares is not equaled by any other city in the world. It seems to have been built hap-hazard, without a plan, and never to have been improved or straightened, or its old original thor- oughfares widened. There are but three broad streets in the business centre of the city — the Strand, Regent Street, and Ox- ford Street — and these are not much more than half as broad, and not half as long, as any one of the numerous boulevards of Paris. Its heavy and gloomy archi- tecture, and the smoked and stained walls of what otherwise would be very elegant public structures and churches, its whity-brown brick, streaked and stained and innocent of paint, its wind- ing, turning, and twisting streets, are all in strong contrast with those of Paris, or with almost any of the Continental cities. Around the parks and in the outskirts there are many very elegant private resi- dences and straight and broad streets, but none, with the exception of those oc- cupied by the nobility, will compare in elegance with the numerous private residences of the merchant-princes of America, or such, for example, as those of Robert McLean, George Small, John W. Garrett, J. Strieker Jenkins, or any of the mansions surrounding or in the vicinity of Mount Vernon or Eutaw Place. LONDON AND PARIS. We have spent the greater part of the past two days in walking and strolling over the city. Having mastered its plan, such as it is, we have occasionally crossed diagonally through the narrow thorough- fares froin one point to another, and, al- though the weather was clear and dry, we do not think any portion of Baltimore could present such an uninviting appear- ance. Narrow and dirty pavements, dirty streets, and dirty front doors and steps were the rule, and cleanliness the excep- tion. Indeed, it was often necessary to move along with care to prevent defile- ment and bad smells, whilst ragged and dirty children were the only embellish- ments of the scene. In Paris, the police arrest any one who appears on the street ragged and dirty, and, go where you will, neither dirty nor ragged men, women, or children are to be seen. There every- body is compelled to keep their pavements and the street in front of their houses clean, but in London everybody has the privilege of making as untidy an appear- ance as they may like. This species of liberty the Englishman certainly enjoys to his heart's content. DRUNKARDS AND BEGGARS. During nearly five months' sojourn in Prussia, Austria, Italy, and France, we never saw or encountered any one laboring under the effect of intoxicating liquors, not even sufficiently exhilarated to be noisy. But during a two hours' walk in the streets of London, within a half-mile of Trafalgar Square, about four o'clock in the afternoon, we passed more than a dozen reeling drunkards, and, in one case, two drunken women, each trying to help the other home. The "gin-mills" and rummeries and "cor- ner groceries" were as numerous as in some of our narrow thoroughfares, and 1)0 th men and women could be seen at the counters imbibing, and engaged in noisy controversy. If such was the as- pect of affairs in the middle of the day, It is not difficult to imagine what it must be after nightfall. We also encountered beggars and solicitors for alms under various pretenses every few minutes, and dirty and ragged children innumerable. These beggars dart at every carriage that stops, and solicit a penny for opening the door. Indeed, Italy cannot now compare with London for the number and perti- nacity of its beggars, and for the woe- begone aspect with which they make their solicitations. In Paris any one caught in the act of begging is at once arrested, whilst in London they swarm about with impunity. They beg or steal, as the op- portunity may offer, and are arrayed in such rags and tatters as to be positively offensive. HOW TO SEE A CITY. There is no way in which a city can be seen by the stranger so thoroughly as by walking over it, and getting occasionally on the top of an omnibus, all of these ve- hicles in London being what might be called double-deckers. ' There are some passenger railways above ground, and a good many under ground, but the omni- bus is still the great vehicle for travel in all parts of London. We have thus spent several days in roaming over London, which seems like a dozen large cities that have grown into each other. If you turn off from such fashionable thoroughfares as Regent Street, Oxford Street, Pall Mall, or the Strand, in a few minutes narrow 276 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH streets are encountered, with their gin- shops and poverty-stricken tenements, whilst a few squares farther will bring you to « fashionable neighborhood, with its public squares and terraces, and so on ad infinitum through the length and breadth of the city. There are but few straight streets in any direction, the city presenting a labyrinth through which it would be difficult to thread your way without a map in hand. London is cer- tainly sadly in need of a Napoleon to open boulevards through its length and breadth. Then the naming of the streets is on a system most perplexing. The name of a street is frequently changed every few squares. That London is a congregation of towns that have finally grown into each other is palpable from the fact that there are within its limits thirty-seven King Streets, thirty-five Charles Streets, and twenty-nine John Streets. THE STORES OF LONDON. The reader will probably be surprised to learn that in the whole of London we saw no retail dry-goods store as large as that of Hamilton, Easter & Sons in Bal- timore, and only one about the size of that of Mr. Neal. There are thousands upon thousands of stores, but they are, with a few exceptions, small. There are silk stores, hose stores, lace stores, poplin stores, cloth stores, linen stores, but those with a general assortment of dry goods or any other kind of goods are very limited. Many of them make a splendid display in their windows, but if you go inside their shelves will be found comparatively empty, the window seeming to be the chief receptacle of their meagre stocks, even when the signs over the doors indi- cate that they have the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal High- ness the Prince of Wales. The stores of London will not compare with those of Paris in any respect, and it is very diffi- cult for the stranger to find what he may be wanting after the most diligent search. Even the book stores are cut up in the same way. There are scientific book stores, poetical book stores, and separate stores for school-books, novels, and other literary productions. But this lack of generality is observable in everything ; consequently retail business is on a small scale compared with such establishments in American cities. There is not in the whole of London a gentlemen's furnish- ing establishment the stock of which would be sufficient to decorate the win- dows of one of our large establishments on Baltimore Street. As to household goods, the establishment of Samuel Childs & Co., on Charles Street, or of Messrs. Hopkins, on Baltimore Street, contains more goods than forty of the largest stores of the kind in London. If a half-dozen shirts are called for, some samples are shown, and the balance is promised to be furnished next day. The fact is that the whole visible stock of a majority of the stores could be packed into a furniture- wagon and carted off at twenty minutes' notice. The jewelry store of Frodsham, the great watchmaker on the Strand, is about as large as the space between the counter of The American office and the front door, and does not contain as many goods as are daily exhibited in the show- windows alone of the store of Messrs. Canfield & Co., A. E. Warner, Larmour & Co., or Webb's on Baltimore Street. There are numbers of arcades, the stores of which are eight or ten feet deep, near- ly everything being in the windows or arranged on tables at the doors. THE PUBLIC PARKS. The great glory of London is its public parks, which .are numerous and very ex- tensive, and, being located in the very heart of the city, are easily approached from almost any direction. They are seven in number, and are not inaptly termed the lungs of London. They are chiefly at the west end, but St. James's Park, the Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens lie so close to each other that one may walk from Charing Cross, the very heart of the metropolis, to Bayswater, a distance of three miles, without scarcely taking one's feet off the sod. These three parks, embracing over six hundred acres, inclose London on its west side, whilst Regent's Park lies to the northwest, Victoria and Finsbury Parks to the northeast, and Battersea Park, a beautifully-kept flower-garden, cricket-grounds, etc., on the Thames, opposite Chelsea, is to the southwest. In all these parks there are one thousand nine hundred and twenty-six acres, and they are all inside of 'the city of London. Each of them has extensive cricket- grounds, where the boys of the metropo- lis throng on Saturday afternoon with bat and ball to play the national game. They are inclosed with iron railings, and during the season are thronged with gay equip- ages. Everybody of distinction being, however, out of town at the present time, AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 277 we found the turn-outs at Hyde Park very plain and limited. THE LONDON NEWSPAPERS. A close reading of the London news- papers for a week past causes much astonishment at the lack of enterprise evinced by them, even including the great Times. We do not think the dis- patches from America for the entire week exceeded twenty-five lines, and most of this was market-reports. From Europe the reader^ of The American will find from a column to a column and a half of foreign news daily, whilst the great Times contents itself with two or three lines from our side of the Atlantic. Its do- mestic dispatches are equally as meagre, and some days literally amount to nothing. There are seldom less than four or five columns of telegraphic news in our lead- ing newspapers, and sometimes it extends to double that, which is equal to the amount contained in a whole week's issue of the Times. The domestic correspond- ence in the London papers is also very meagre, and it would be difiicult to find more dull and spiritless journals any- where. Their main attraction to the Eng- lishman is their editorials and local news and letters from the people, especially during this season of the year, when Parliament is not in session. SERVICE AT WESTMINSTER. "We attended service on Sunday morn- ing at Westminster Abbey, and found it filled to overflowing with an immense con- gregation, mostly made up of strangers in the city, who make it a rule to always attend one Sunday service at the abbey. The morning service consumed precisely one hour and thirty minutes, it requiring about double the time that is deemed necessary in the old-fashioned Episcopal churches at home. The organ and the fine voices of the choristers combined to make the service sound very similar to the services at St. Peter's in Kome, fully equaling it in its volume and its fine musical execution. The intoning of the Litany and the Creed, as well as of other portions of the service, was more decided than we had ever before heard it in an Episcopal church. The sermon was preacned by Dean Stanley, but although we were seated within what would be considered good hearing-distance in al- most any other building, his articulation was entirely drowned by the reverberation of his voice among the vaulted columns of the spacious structure. The only words that reached us during the entire delivery, occupying nearly an hour, were " the Church of England," which, being repeated so often, indicated that it was a church-establisfl»ertt sermpn; hence we comforted ourselves with tte conviction that we had probably heard sufficient of it. The dissensions in the Church of England are certainly doing great damage to the cause of religion. UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS. The underground railways of London are of the most extensive character, four- teen miles of which are now complete and in running order. The enterprise proposes, when completed, to finish an inner circle and an outer circle, through which the cars will continue to run round and round all day, stopping at the nume- rous stations on the route to take in and discharge passengers. Most of the sta- tions are open to the daylight, but there are some entirely underground and lit with gas. The number of passengers carried over this road last year was forty millions, and there has been a large in- crease this year. The cars are driven by steam, the locomotives being of a peculiar construction, which enables them to con- sume their own smoke. They carry six to eight cars^ with first, second, and third- class compartments, and move along at the rate of about fifteen miles per hour, includ- ing stoppages at the stations. Almost any point in the city can be reached in thirty minutes, even to a distance that would require a couple of hours to go in a cab or an omnibus. These cars are well lighted with gas, and there is not the least incon- venience to passengers from smoke, dust, or gas. Nothing escapes from the loco- motive but a small amount of steam. There are numerous openings or vesti- bules along the route, besides the large and spacious stations, which are fitted up with every convenience for the accommo- dation of passengers waiting for the trains, one of which passes every few minutes, some of them passing off into branch tunnels leading to widely differ- ent stations. The old Thames Tunnel has been utilized by the underground roads, and now trains are constantly flying through it to stations on either side of the river. After being so many years a mere engineering curiosity, it has at last been made serviceable in relieving the streets and bridges of the metropolis from the great rush of travel. This road passes under streets, sewers, gas- and water-pipes, and houses, without incom- 278 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH moding any one or making the slightest noise above ground. Indeed, a stranger in London would scarcely know of its existence were he not to follow the throng of people who are conaJltitly passing in and out of IfRe stations. It is a great relief to the streets, which are still thronged with omnibuses, carriages, and pedestrians. The street-railways are also being extended in some parts of the city above ground, but still meet with much opposition, organized by the powerful omnibus companies. RAMBLES IN LONDON. Our first afternoon in London was de- voted to the parks, and there were not many better turn-outs than can be seen in our own Druid Hill on a fair day. There were powdered footmen dressed in gaudy liveries, but neither horseflesh, vehicles, nor occupants struck us as par- ticularly excellent or attractive. It is the fashion to disfigure the horses by " bang- ing" their tails, which has been copied by even the cab-horses, destroying all grace and beauty in the animals. We spent the evening at Madame Tus- saud's Wax-Works, and found the spa- cious halls, as usual, crowded with visitors. From ten o'clock in the morning until ten o'clock at night there is a constant throng of visitors at this popular resort, and no American ever stops in London without paying it a visit. The figures are so perfect in expression of counte- nance, likeness, and dress of the distin- guished personages represented, that the efiect is peculiarly pleasing. The whole royal family are here in court dress; but the group that attracted most attention was that of Abraham Lincoln, General Grant, and Andrew Johnson. The lat- ter is a good likeness, but the other two are poor, yet still sufficiently correct to be recognized. Among these wax figures are those of all the great statesmen, kings, and murderers of the past generation, as well as the infant children of the Prince of Wales. If a visitor happens to take a seat on one of the ottomans inter- spersed among the "figgers" it is some- times difficult for a moment to decide ( which is which. Mrs. Jarley is certainly distanced by Madame Tussaud. ' THE TOWER OF LONDON. Having a couple of days to spend in London, we visited this ancient historical pile on Saturday morning, and found as usual a great crowd of visitors, including many Americans. The warders, twelve in number, in the ancient dress worn by their predecessors three centuries ago, were all busy, each having a party of from twenty to thirty with them passing through the tower. In some portions of the building we would pass two or three of these parties, and at times had to stop in our progress to let them pass. The warder as he progresses describes every- thing briefly, and pojnts out all the promi- nent matters of historical interest. We passed through the Bloody Tower, the Bell Tower, the Beauchamp, Devereux, , Flint, Bowyer, Brick, Jewel, Constable, Broad Arrow, Salt, and Record Towers, all of which have their separate histories and traditions. The Bloody Tower is the traditionary scene of the murder of the royal children, the two sons of Edward IV., in 1483. The Bell Tower was Queen Elizabeth's prison when incarcerated here. The Beauchamp Tower was the prison of Lady Jane Grey and her hus- band. Lord Guilford Dudley, as well as of a host of other distinguished prisoners who suffered martyrdom during the bloody eras. Immediately in front of the tower is an inclosure about twenty feet square, where the scaffold was erected upon which Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn and a number of other female prisoners were executed. The White Tower was the prison of Sir AValter Raleigh, and here is exhibited the veritable block upon which he was beheaded. The inscriptions cut in the stone walls in all these towers by the prisoners are most curious and in- teresting, and are religiously preserved. That attributed to Lady Jane Grey was traced on the wall with a pin, as follows : " To mortals' common fate thy mind resign : My lot to-day, to-morrow may be thine." The horse-armory is very interesting, containing as it does specimens of ar- mor and of weapons of almost every age of English history, commencing as far back as the year 1422. The various imple- ments of warfare and torture for so many centuries are most curious, and are ar- ranged with artistic skill. The most inter- esting, especially to the ladies, is the Jewel Tower, containing a large iron cage, about twelve feet square, in which are exhibited all the crown jewels and royal regalia. This is a splendid sight, and we pre- sume the whole collection is worth prob- ably not less than twenty millions of dol- lars, judging by the value of the crown of Queen Victoria, which the custodian assures us cost nearly one million of dollars. The great Koh-i-noor diamond AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 279 is also among this collection, and is the property of the Queen. It is about as large as an English walnut. The crojvn of her Majesty Queen Vic- toria is a cap of purple velvet, inclosed in hoops of silver, surrounded by a ball and cross, all of which are resplendent with diamonds. In the centre of the cross is the " inestimable sapphire," and in front of the crown is the heart-shaped ruby said to have been worn by the Black Prince. TUE CRYSTAL PALACE. We spent the afternoon and evening at the Crystal Palace, which was fortunately a gala-day at that celebrated resort of citizens and strangers. Yocal and instru- mental concerts, with Santley as one of the singers, performances on the great organ, the playing of the immense foun- tains, and a grand illumination at night of the extensive gardens and grounds, were among the attractions of the day. The number of visitors could not have been less than six thousand, and as the price of admission, about $1.50, was three times larger than usual, the audience was very select. The scene from the terrace in the evening, when the fountains were throwing up their hundreds of streams of •vt^ater, bands of music per- forming, glee-clubs singing, and thou- sands of lanterns blazing among the foli- age and beds of flowers, amid all which the gay throng of visitors were prome- nading, was grand beyond description. The beds of flowers and general flori- cultural embellishments of these grounds, embracing several hundred acres, are cer- tainly unsurpassed in artistic arrange- ment. No carriages are admitted into tne inclosure, its broad and smooth avenues being entirely reserved for pedestrians. On some days, when admission and rail- road-fare are low, there have been fifty thousand persons in attendance. THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN. AVe spent a few hours at the famous Zoological Garden of London, which is located in the centre of Regent Park, and were much disappointed in the extent of its collection of animals. It is a beauti- ful flower-garden, covering about tAventy acres, and has a few very fine lions and tigers, but the whole establishment scarcely contains more curiosities in the animal kingdom than Forepaugh's travel- ing menagerie. There are numerous mon- keys, but even these are all of the smaller species, two small elephants, a couple of dromedaries, and a small collection of birds. There ate several varieties of bears, a zebra, and a fine specimen of the American elk and deer. The collection of seals is very good, and the huge basin in which they are kept was ccyistantly surrounded by a throng of spectators viewing the antics of two very tame crea- tures, which would come out of the water at the sound of the whistle of their keeper, and climb upon two chairs placed on a platform for their accommodation. The old one would kiss and fondle his keeper the same as a dog, and even climb into his lap. The two elephants were carrying about a dozen children on their backs, and walking leisurely around among the people. The Paris Zoological Garden is far more extensive and elegant, and the number and variety of the ani- mals on exhibition double that of the royal establishment of London. THE AMERICAN ABROAD. Every American who has traveled through Europe this year has felt, in his daily intercourse with the people, that our country never before stood so high in their estimation. That we should be paying off our national debt is a thing that no European can understand, and especially that whilst doing so we should show such evidence of national and individual pros- perity. The presence of so many thou- sands of Americans in Europe, and their lavish expenditure, startle them still more. Many Englishmen whom we en- countered taking a summer trip in Swit- zerland were full of curiosity as to all these matters, and asked as many ques- tions as could have been propounded by the most inquisitive Yankee. There is, however, a very sore feeling in England about the result of the Alabama claims negotiations. Our little party are very plainly dressed, and very plain-looking people, arrayed precisely as other people are here in Lon- don, and moving along modestly and quietly on the thoroughfares. Still, by some kind of intuition, even the children in the streets recognize us as Americans, and many stop to stare at us and turn to look after us. AYe frequently hear the exclamation " Americans" from old and young, and imagine that there is good feeling and respect in the recognition. The cab-drivers all know an American, and rush to secure him ; the bootblacks are equally pertinacious, and the shop- keepers evince evident gratification when an American enters their doors. Prices 280 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH advance wherever they go, and, as they generally spend their money like princes, the world is filled with wonder as to how they manage to get so much of it. The ^ possession of money, and its liberal ex- penditiye by those who are supposed to have earned it, is a novelty in Europe, and the American is the only traveler who does not keep a tight watch upon his purse-strings. They try to account for it by supposing that living is so costly in America that our countrymen save money by spending their summer vacations in Europe, or that they stint themselves at home to come over here and make a splurge. That the American is more of an enigma at the present time in Europe than ever before, is very perceptible, and that John Bull is more at a loss than heretofore to fathom his American cousin is evinced by all classes. LONDON LOCAL ITEMS. The newsboys of London have none of the manly characteristics of those of America. They follow and whine after passers-by as if they were a set of beg- gars, and are generally most ragged and forlorn-looking specimens of the rising generation. The business appears to be overdone, and they are probably too nu- merous to prosper. Advertising on the walls and fences is extensively followed by the London papers, especially the Ne^vs and the Tele- graph, both by hand-bills and elaborately- painted signs, the latter with lettering from twelve to eighteen inches in size. Wherever there is room, or liberty can be obtained to put up one of these signs, it is availed of, and we have passed not less than a thousand of them proclaiming that the News is of "world-wide circula- tion," and that the Telegraph has the " largest circulation of any newspaper in the world." Punch, and all the weekly papers, follow the same system of adver- tising. On returning from the Crystal Palace on Saturday, we passed in the suburbs a large factory for the preparation of'' Dog Cake and Poultry Food," by some patent process, " delivered to customers without extra charge." The cooks and waiting-maids are hold- ing meetings and making speeches in favor of higher wages, fewer hours of labor, and are stipulating for better tem- per on the part of their lady employers. One speaker urges that the society keep a book of record as to the character of in making engagements. Asphaltum pavements are being exten- sively laid in the business sections of Lon- don, and some wooden pavements. The streets for miles in the neighborhood of St. Paul's and the Bank of England are laid in whit.e asphaltum, and are very beautiful. They have been in constant use for two years, and, notwithstanding the immense throng! of vehicles, are as perfect as if just laid. They are very slippery for the horses, especially if driven fast, but that is generally impossible in most parts of London. Street railroads, or, as they call them here, " tramways," are being extensively laid on the Surrey side of the Thames, and a number of them are already in op- eration. The cars are the same as ours, except that they have seats upon the top. The interiors of the cars are almost ex- clusively occupied by ladies, the gentle- men preferring the top-seats, where they can enjoy their pipes. They do not allow more to get in them than there are seats for, though they can seat forty-eight. In this respect they certainly differ from our cars. The city being very level, this number can be drawn with ease by two horses. SUNDAY IN LONDON. Sunday is a very quiet day in London, and the weather being fine to-day the at- tendance at the churches seems to be very large. Everybody on the streets is in Sunday apparel ; the omnibuses and cars are crowded, and the Thames steamers are thronged with passengers. Being located at Charing Cross Hotel, within a stone's throw of St. Ann's and Trafalgar Squares, and in close proximity to Victoria Tower, we were aroused this morning by the sweetest chime of bells in the world, which are rung with artistic skill. The boys were, however, on the streets selling the Sunday papers and boxes of matches as usual, but we judge they are not al- lowed to cry their wares on Sunday, as they move about in dignified silence. WESTMINSTER ABBEY. We spent a few hours to-day among the chapels, cloisters, and tombs of West- minster Abbey, viewing the tombs of Milton, Shakspeare, Dickens, Addison, Sheridan, Beaumont, Spenser, Campbell, Southey, and other distinguished poets and writers. These attract more attention than the tombs of kings and queens, being of men distinguished for their great AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 281 intellect rather than the accident of birth, and unstained by the crimes which mar the characters of so many of those who lie in close proximity to them. In this venerable structure all the coro- nations have taken place since the days of Edward the Confessor. Here it is "Where royal heads receive the sacred gold ; It gives them crowns, and does their ashes keep — There made like gods, like mortals there they sleep." The abbey is of Gothic design, built in the form of a cross, and is four hundred feet long by two hundred feet wide. It was originally founded in 658, the first building being destroyed by the Danes, and afterwards rebuilt in 958, nearly one thousand years ago. MR. SPURGEON IN THE PULPIT. On Sunday mornin^ we moved towards the Tabernacle of the liev. Mr. Spurgeon. "We reached the front of the immense structure at about twenty minutes of eleven o'clock, and found several hun- dred persons waiting at the front doors, which were not yet opened. The pew- holders and those holding tickets had pre- viously been admitted at a side-door. A moment after our arrival the front doors were opened, and a rush was made to se- cure an entrance, the rule being to admit only as many as the vacant seats can ac- commodate. We had scarcely got inside of the sill \^hen the doors were closed again, and at the same moment Mr. Spurgeon advanced to the front of his platform and gave out a hymn, which was sung by the whole congregation, rising. The services usually commence as soon as the house is full, and then the doors are closed. The vast tabernacle has two tiers of gal- leries going entirely around the interior, and the front of the first tier is the point from which Mr. Spurgeon holds forth, so that he has at least two thousand of his auditors behind him. This was probably necessary to enable his voice to be heard in all parts, Avhich is accomplished with remarkable efi'ect and distinctness. Mr. Spurgeon, in his mode of conduct- ing the services, is energetic and earnest. He is a man of remarkably ungraceful appearance, short and thick-set, with high shoulders and short neck. His head is round and face full, having his hair parted in the middle, and short, thick, brown whiskers circling his face, both chin and upper lip being closely shaven. At first sight the impression is one of disappoint- ment, as it would seem impossible to ex- pect anything original or impressive from so ordinary and material a looking man. He rushed into his pulpit duties as if he was in a hurry to get through with them, not waiting for the hundreds of persons to obtain seats who had just crowded themselves into the aisles and vestibules. Three hymns were given out and sung before the sermon, two extempore prayers delivered, and a chapter of the Bible read, the speaker "commenting upon each verse as he progressed, making a practical appli- cation and explaining and expounding its meaning. This was a most pleasing part of the service, replete with something that the hearer would remember after leaving the church. The entire services occupied two hours, the only time Mr. Spurgeon sat down being whilst the three hymns were being sung, after he had read them to his congregation. Among the striking expressions in his prayers were the following : " May the words given us to utter to-day be like burning arrows to the hearts of our hearers." " The breath in our nostrils is Thy gift." "0 God, put our tears into Thy bottle and preserve them." He frequently alluded in the most impressive manner to the spread of idolatry over the land, and seemed to re- fer to the growth of High Church doc- trines as tending to the worship of idols. He took his text from the eighteenth chapter and fourteenth verse of the First Book of Kings, declaring at the outset that what he would have to say this morn- ing would not be addressed to the sinner, but to those who professed to be regener- ate, and who would with him approach the communion-table in the afternoon. He wanted no profession without daily practice, exclaiming, " Let us have no pro- fession, or make it perfect and true: there is no sin that Jesus loves, conse- quently there is nosin that Jesus spares." So long as there was a single sin clung to, there was no regeneration. There were " little sins and big sins," and it was these little sins that were most danger- ous to the professing Christian, leading, as they would, to a total disregard of Christian duty. Among these little sins he alluded to bad temper in the family or place of business, little acts of unkindness to our fellow-men, lack of patience, un- charitableness, and unkindness to ser- vants and dependants. He at times be- came very eloquent and impressive, and told his hearers that thej were deluding themselves if they imagined their hearts were regenerate so long as they clung to these little sins. They could not be Chris- 282 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH tians and practice the couplet of Hudi- bras, — " Compound for sins they are inclined to, By damning those they have no mind to." At the close of the sermon, which lasted about fifty minutes, the congrega- tion were dismissed without any collec- tion, but the rattling of money called our attention to the fact that permanent boxes were located in all parts of the church, into which the congregation dropped their contributions as they passed out. The fact that Mr. Spurgeon has been preach- ing for nearly twenty years to congrega- tions numbering eight to ten thousand, and that it requires a ticket to insure a seat in so large a church every Sunday morning and evening, in good or bad weather, is a sufficient refutation of those who persist in regarding him as sensa- tional. That he has built up the largest congregation in London, with most ex- tensive charitable organizations, is suffi- cient evidence that his popularity and usefulness depend on something more tangible than mere superficial oratory. He speaks without a note of any kind, and at times, leaning upon the Bible, seems as if holding a conversation with his hearers. His fluency is wonderful, and the originality of thought and ex- pression seems as if entirely suggested at the moment of utterance, without any pre- vious forethought or preparation. MR. spurgeon's peculiarities. The following sketch of a sermon we heard Mr. Spurgeon preach on a former visit to London will better illustrate his peculiar style, and the reason why he at- tracts such never-failing crowds of lis- teners. The services commenced with reading a hymn, showing him to be a beautiful and impressive reader, with a voice at- tuned and capable of the most distinct and impressive enunciation. After the hymn was sung by the congregation, he . opened the Testament and commenced reading portions of the twenty-second chapter of St. Luke, relative to Peter's denial of Christ, commenting upon them as he proceeded, in a conversational man- ner, applying the course of Peter to many professed followers of Christ at the pres- ent day. When alluding to Christ's ex- clamation to Peter, " Simon ! Simon ! behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat!" he ex- claimed, " Ah, brethren, it is well we should all be sifted at times, even if the devil do hold the sieve. It will do us good, even as it did Peter good, and pre- pare us for that true repentance and con- version which many of us need.'' These quaint expressions occurred all through his remarks, but they seemed to flow from him so naturally as to add to the impressiveness of his language rather than to mar it. He occupied about fif- teen minutes in this portion of the ser- vices, and, after the singing of another hymn, he took for his text the sixty-sec- ond verse of the same chapter : — " And Peter went out and wept bitterly." The subject he proposed to expound to his hearers was True Penitence, and he would use the case of Peter to illustrate — first, its cause ; second, its object; third, its nature; fourth, its signs; fifth, the place for repentance ; and sixth, its efiect. lie took up each of these divisions of his subject separately, his manner being that of a person in careless conversation with one or two friends. Most of his time he leaned down with his elbows on the Bible, but occasionally rose as he fired up with his subject with startling energy and thrilling effect. Still, it appeared so entirely natural that no one could possi- bly accuse him of any studied efibrt. In fact, his style and language rather im- press one with the feeling that he speaks without preparation, and without caring whether he pleases or displeases his hearers. When speaking of the nature of true repentance and the tears of Peter, con- sidering that he was speaking to his own congregation in his own church, he fully illustrated this independence of style. As to the tears of a man, he placed great value on them, especially if he was a strong-minded man like Peter, full of power, energy, and determination. But there were some persons whose tears flowed at trifles — even at reading a sickly and sentimental story ; there were silly women who were always crying ; and he knew some persons whose tears are not worth a farthing a quart. Some who ap- plied to him for admission to church- membership did not know what true re- pentance was, and some already in the fold ought to be sifted. Instead of being prompt in doing good, they were dissen- tious, and quarrel over matters that have nothing to do with the saving of souls or the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth. He wanted to hear noth- ing of these dissensions and divisions, but hoped that all present who believed in Christ and were truly penitent would AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 283 meet liiin at the communion-table with- out regard to sectarianism of any kind. At another point in his discourse he said he had no confidence in those who were always praying in public and weep- ing in public, any more than he had in those who jump into religion at a spring. He was always afraid of them ; he feared there was a want of deep-toned feeling. Peter, when he wept, went out from the company he was in ; he wanted to be in private ; and so every one who is truly repentant seeks privacy for prayer and tears. Speaking of the bitterness of true repentance, he said it was like breaking the teeth up ivith gravel-stones^ it was crushing out the infernal impudence and selfishness from the heart of man. These of course are only a few dis- jointed sentences, which were intermixed with eloquent and at times most mild and sweetly-spoken language. His easy and graceful conversational manner is undoubtedly the great secret of his suc- cess, whilst his earnest and impressive style must always carry with it a convic- tion of deep-toned piety. Several times during his discourse he repudiated sec- tarianism, and declared that it had noth- ing to do with true religion, — that men were wasting their energies and throwing dissensions into the kingdom of Christ on earth by the discussion and propaga- tion of views and doctrines that were not essential to salvation, and therefore of no importance. COVENT GARDEN MARKET. Before the sun has pierced the heavy London smoke, and while the main part of its citizens are enjoying their last morning nap, Covent Garden Market is in its glory. The space it covers is similar in shape and size to Hanover Market, but a little smaller. No wagon or cart drawn by horses has any access to it, and the building and square are filled only with vegetables, fruits, and flowers. The compactness with which these are stored is a novelty, there being no divid- ing-line between the baskets of different owners, and the pathways left for pur- chasers are seldom more than two feet wide. These are intersected by others a little wider, through which run the hand- trucks to carry off purchases. The sales at this market are almost exclusively to dealers, and families are supplied, as in New York, from small green-groceries. Except the dealers in cabbage, no single huckster occupied more than two yards square, and the majority not more than one. Everything was in stout circular baskets with upright sides, Jiolding about half a bushel, and piled on top of each other to such a height above your head that to the stranger it seemed unsafe. Green peas, and much finer ones than grow in our State, are sold already shelled. A knot of women, miserably clad, gaunt and brown-faced, stowed so close together that they cannot move their arms, are busy shelling the peas, while the master salutes each passer-by with the never-varying invitation, "Have a pea?" There were tomatoes, peaches, plums, cherries, and strawberries, all looking ripe and fresh, the latter as large as Eng- lish walnuts, but at prices which alone prove their scarcity. Tomatoes the size of an egg were four shillings a dozen. Peaches, small and yellow, were six shil- lings and sixpence the half-dozen. These fruits were neatly packed in boxes filled with fine raw cotton. We stopped in admiration before a stand of cut pansies. The size, freshness, depth, and brilliancy of color were won- derful. Fully a dozen flowers were in each bunch. Putting out our hand to pur- chase a bunch, " Twelvepence a dozen," said the market-woman. " We want but one bunch." " Never sell except a dozen," was the rejoinder, and she turned to bestow her smiles upon a couple of poor girls behind us, who were eagerly count- ing the number of stems in a bunch, with an eye to a fresh division of flowers be- fore selling again on the streets. The calceolarias, fuchsias, and geraniums have a much more brilliant bloom than with us, or else the cool moist air of England preserves the flowers, so that the first are still bright when the latest are opening. When the pots are set in rows on the pavement the green leaves are entirely hidden, and the florist's stand seems to be only a mass of gorgeous tinted flowers. Still, to an untrained eye the exotics are less beautiful than the flowers of the field. The pastures are red with the scarlet poppies, the fields of grain are gay with them, and they peep out from between the stones and from the hawthorn hedges, while the least wind gives them a nod- ding motion, which adds to their grace and beauty. The crimson foxglove, too, grows in the forest, with a spike of jflowers twice the length it attains in our gardens. These flowers and numerous others are offered for sale in bunches which show no artistic skill of arrange- ment, each kind of flower forming a nosegay by itself, yet the >ffect is there. 284 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH The buds overhang the full-blown flowers ; the cone-shaped bunch is never un- graceful ; and it was a pleasure to see on the street-corners how rapidly the retail traders in bouquets disposed of their six- penny stock and darted back for a fresh supply. As we passed out we gave a look at the enormous gooseberries, each one of which would suffice for a small tart, and such lemons as never cross the Atlantic, so that we pardon the Englishman who called Baltimore lemons '"only limes," and begin to doubt if we have ever seen such perfection of fruit before. The quantity of fruit provided is very scant for the number to be fed. But the English heart is very liberal in pies ; beef, pork, mutton, lobster, ham, jellies, jam, dried fruits, all are served on the table in pies. Ask for a plate of cake with ice- cream, and they bring an assortment of little pies. The desserts served at dinner are always pies of some sort. Frequently they are made more attractive by a French name, but the pastry, more or less bad, is never wanting. ENGLISH HOTELS. Four days' experience in English hotels has encouraged an anxiety to get out of them as soon as possible. No wonder the Englishman when traveling is given to grumbling and the loss of temper, when he has to put up with such accommoda- tions and miserable attendance as are re- ceived here. Nobody about the hotels is supposed to know anything, and take no trouble to inform themselves as to local knowledge that every citizen ought to possess. At table there is about one waiter to every twenty guests, and if you can get through with an ordinary dinner in an hour and a half you are very for- tunate. If you call for a glass of ice- water it is put in your bill, as it is an article only made to order. The eleva- tors, or " lifters," as they call them, only run from the bottom floor, and everybody is required to walk down-stairs. As to the departure of trains, no one knows anything, and you are referred to the depot -officer. The bills presented you upon your departure are a mass of items of which you know nothing, including Is. 6out with their cleanly-shaved faces and neat appearance like so many walking statues, always alert in the performance of duty, and when they have occasion to interfere it is with a voice and air of au- thority that no one would dare to dispute. To the stranger their services are invalu- able, as, with the politeness of a Chester- field, they are always ready to impart whatever information may be required, or direct him to pass on to the next officer, who will point out the locality he is in search of. This efficient organization grows out of the fact that a police-officer is never re- moved except for neglect of ^uty, and is promoted for good conduct. They enter on their duties with this assurance, and regard it as a permanent means of liveli- hood. They are not liable to removal for any political or personal cause, and each man is held to his good behavior and the faithful performance of duty as essential to the retaining of his position. There is no suspension or other half-way meas- ure for the unfaithful officer, — a prompt discharge following the slightest neglect of the rules laid down for his government. Sometimes they are transferred from one city to another, the police of the whole kingdom being under one government, which is as strict in its discipline and as stringent in its enforcement of rules as if it were a military organization. In fact, it combines all the power of both a civil and military force, and has done away in a great measure with the necessity of a purely military force in large cities. THE CITY OF CORK. We arrived at Queenstown, and were soon quartered at Kilmurry's Hotel. With dirty linen and cat-tail beds to sleep upon, we fared poorly in that respect, but the mountain salmon and trout, excellent bread, and genuine Irish welcome, make some recompense for such deficiencies. It is a singular fact that we have had good clean beds everywhere in our journey- ings except in Old Ireland, which is so famous for the skill of its washerwomen away from home. It may therefore be presumed that all the good ones have emigrated. The beds are like lying on a mass of soft clay ; when one impression is made it is folly to attempt to make an- other indentation. If you take a position on the side of the bed its contents wnll all slip from under you, and form a solid heap on the other side as hard as a bank of sand. THE COVE OF CORK. The Cove of Cork, or, as it is now called, Queenstown, is undoubtedly a most beau- tiful spot, resembling an Italian town. Being built on the side of a mountain, the roofs of the houses on the lower tier are about on a level with the cellar- floors of those on the next tier or street above, which are approached by winding streets. It has a southern aspect, and its descent to the harbor prevents its streets from ever being muddy or dirty. The houses, some of them very fine, are all built of stone, and are white rough-cast. A mo^t picturesque view can be obtained from the heights above the magnificent harbor, which is probal^ly the most ex- tensive and commodious in the United Kingdom, being capable of affording shelter to the entire British navy. The harbor, the entrance to which is not a half-mile in width, forms a circular basin, about five miles in diameter. The tops of the lofty hills at the entrance are capped with immense fortresses of great strength. There are also within this im- mense harbor four small islands, though Queenstown is itself an island, a branch of the river Lee completely surrounding it on its western side. Spike Island is most conspicuous, and is used as a convict- depot, wnth accommodations for two thou- sand prisoners, who are employed in various w^ays. Rocky Island is next, and contains the powder-magazine, which occupies six chambers excavated in the solid rock. It usually contains about ten thousand barrels of gunpowder, besides other species of ammunition. Directly opposite Rocky Island is Ilawlboline Island, which contains the ordnance stores, an armory, and a fresh-water tank capable of holding five thousand tuns. The Cove of Cork is said to be the most healthy spot in the United Kingdom, and is mainly sustained by the throng of invalids and their families who resort here during the summer season, to enjoy the bathing, the bracing atmosphere, and AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 297 the beautiful scenery with which it is surrounded for many miles. The hills al)Ove the town are also covered with hundreds of delightful cottages, with beautiful gardens, many of which are permanently occupied by invalids from England. THE RIVER LEE. We proceeded in the steamer at nine o'clock on Friday morning for a trip to Cork, and a visit to Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone of Old Ireland. Cork River, or the river Lee, enters into the harbor of Queenstown by a sudden turn of its southern extremity, in which direction the steamer proceeded, and the mouth of the river had scarcely been turned before the scene that was presented to the vision drew forth an exclamation of surprise and admiration. Let the reader imagine that he is viewing the most at- tractive spot on the North River, where the hills on either side are finely culti- vated and clothed with the richest ver- dure, whilst their sides are dotted with elegant and picturesque mansions. The fields on the hill-sides are generally small, and divided by hedges and thickets, smoothly trimmed, the gardens laid out with artistic skill, and the skirts of the stream down to the water's edge in full cultivation. For fourteen miles, the dis- tance to Cork, the whole route is one perpetual variety of beautiful scenery, and no part is barren or uninteresting. It possesses all the charms of the most romantic landscape, and whilst gazing on one scene the eye is imperceptibly carried by the motion of the steamer to another that exceeds it in beauty and novelty. THE CITY OF CORK. As we approached the city of Cork, famous as the home of the most shrewd and witty of the sons of Erin, the villas on the banks of the river became more attractive and picturesque. Monkstown Castle, an elegant ruin, built in 1636, by the wife of John Archdeken, during the absence of her husband whilst serving in the army of Philip of Spain, is visible from the river. She determined to sur- prise him with a noble residence which ne might call his own. She purchased provisions, so the story runs, by wholesale, and retailed them out to the country-peo- ple, and upon balancing her accounts it appeared that the retail profit had paid for the castle except fourpence. Hence the common saying that " Monkstown Castle was built for a groat." Some portions of the city are quite beautiful, with broad streets and elegant houses, whilst others present a squalid and dirty appearance. Distilleries are in abundance, drinking-shops and taverns in excess, and, as an evidence of the des- titution and improvidence which prevail among a portion of its inhabitants, we were informed that there are no less than thirty-three licensed pawnbrokers doing a thriving business. The city has about seventy thousand inhabitants, and there are few towns in Ireland that can boast so wide a range of ably-supported bene- volent and charitable institutions, includ- ing hospitals, infirmaries, loan-societies, and saving-institutions. The insane- asylum is a most extensive and elegant structure. The Queen's College is also a beautiful structure, under the charge of three deans, one an Episcopalian, one a Presbyterian, and one a Catholic. THE IRISH JAUNTING-CAR. Our party having secured a number of Irish "jaunting-cars," we soon made a rapid survey of the city of Cork, and were moving at full speed on our way to the famous world-renowned Blarney Cas- tle and its " Blarney Stone." A "jaunt- ing-car" is an indescribable vehicle, pe- culiarly Irish, but quite a comfortable mode of conveyance. Though very se- cure, it has when filled with passengers — and the number it will hold is indefinite — quite a rollicking and frolicking appear- ance. To a spectator unaccustomed to the sight, when flying along the street, a general spilling out of the party might be anticipated at every iurch, as it has no back or sides, and the principal seats are on shelves projecting over the wheels ; but it is withal so comfortable and secure that, although a number of our party were ladies, they enjoyed the trip very much. As a matter of course, such a conclave of strangers driving at full speed attracted considerable attention, but we were soon outside of corporate limits, wending our way through a beautiful country, profuse in vegetation, and tolerably well culti- vated, where our gay and dashing appear- ance attracted the farmer from his labor, frightened the horses, startled the children from the mud-puddles they were playing in at the road-sides, and brought out from the farm-houses and whisky-cabins their tenants to see the " wrecked Americans," as we were styled by the car-drivers. BLARNEY CASTLE. The road to Blarney Castle, which is located about five miles from the city, has 298 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH numerous ascents, being so steep at times that it was necessary to relieve the horses by walking ; but we finally reached the Lake of Blarney, a beautiful sheet of water a mile in circumference, about a quarter of a mile beyond which the square turret of Blarney Castle could be seen rear- ing its dreary height. A circuitous drive of about a mile brought us to the farm on which the ruin stands, when we had a specimen of "blarney" from the dame at the gate, that proved her proficiency in this Corkonian accomplishment. We were soon roaming through the spacious ruins of Blarney Castle, which was built in the year 1449, by Cormack McCarty, Earl of Clancarty, who was first summoned to Parliament as Baron of Blarney, in the year 1458. The castle, as history tells us, was held for James II., and stood out a severe siege against the forces of the Prince of Orange. A battery was finally placed on an elevated position, which compelled them to sur- render the castle. The main turret and tower is one hundred and twenty feet, and the stone circular stairway to its ex- treme height is still in an excellent state of preservation. Its walls, inside and out, are overrun to their extreme height with woodbine and ivy, adding interest and beauty to the ruins. THE BLARNEY STONE. Near the top of the wall of this castle is the famous " Blarney Stone." A curi- ous tradition attributes to it the power of endowing whoever kisses it with the sweet, persuasive, wheedling eloquence so perceptible in the language of the peo- ple of Cork, and which is generally termed " blarney," — which has been described by some ill-natured person as " a faculty of deviating from veracity with an unblush- ing countenance whenever it may be con- venient." The stone generally pointed out as the " real stone" is situated on the top of the building, and, besides a sculp- tured trefoil, bears the date 1703. Cro- ker's favorite song of the " Groves of Blarney" made this stone famous, and it is annually viewed by thousands of tour- ists, for, as the song says, ^ f" There is a stone there\ That whoever kisses. Oh ! he never misses To grow eloquent. Don't hope to hinder him, Or to bewilder him ; Sure he's a pilgrim From the blarney stone." THE GROVES OF BLARNEY. The grounds arqund the castle are still very beautiful and romantic, but the beauty has been gradually diminishing, and its walks are choked up with rubbish. Close at hand, however, are the famous " Groves of Blarney :" " 'Tis there's the daisy, And the sweet carnation, The blooming pink, And the rose so fair; The daffadowndilly. Likewise the lily, All flowers that ^cent The sweet fragrant air." These are kept in good condition, and present a wild and pleasing scene, with the Druids' Cave, in which tradition says that sacrificial ofierings were made by the last of these ancient people. AN IRISH race: On our return to Cork our drivers, either excited by blarney whiskey, or having gained new life from a sight of the stone, started ofi" at full speed, and we had a regular Irish race, each endeav- oring to pass the other on the road. The younger passengers joined in the sport, and cheered as each successively passed the other, encouraging the drivers by the M'aving of handkerchiefs and shouts of triumph. It was quite an exciting drive, during which we frightened a priest's horse, and the reverend gentleman was compelled to join in the race, whilst the country-people flocked to the road-side to see what was the commotion. However, as we approached the precincts of Cork we quieted the drivers and checked the horses, marching in as soberly and de- murely as if returning from a funeral. In coming down the river Lee, we passed Blackrock, a bold promontory, on which is erected a beautiful country man- sion, from whence it is said William Penn embarked for America. He resided for some years in this vicinity, and was con- verted to the doctrines of the Friends by hearing a sermon at Cork. THE round TOWERS OF IRELAND. During our visit to Cork we passed in sight of some of the round towers of Ireland, many of which we noticed in other parts of the country. The origin and use of these towers seem to be wrapped in impenetrable mastery, and an- tiquaries differ in their conjectures on the subject. There are about sixty of them remaining in the kingdom, most of them being in a good state of preservation. Their height varies from twenty-five to one hundred and thirty feet, and the only aperture in these strange structures con- AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 299 sists of a door at some distance from the ground, all resembling each other in structure, and four small windows also near the top. They are very strongly built, the cement being as hard as that employed in ancient Rome. A few stand on high ground, but most of them are in remote situations, and sometimes in val- leys, forbidding the idea that they could have been built for watch-towers. CITY OF LIVERPOOL. ASPECT OF LIVERPOOL. We find Liverpool looking, if possible, more solid, more sombre, and more pon- derous than it did twelve years ago. The same mammoth horses, with their ele- phantine legs and hoofs, seem to be draw- ing the same heavy loads of merchandise, and the same Irishmen seem to be urging them on. We observe, however, vast im- provements in the business centres, in the construction of new and elegant estab- lishments, which have taken the place of the antiquated structures of the past, whilst at every turn there are indications of the flood of wealth which commerce is pouring into its harbor. CITY OF LIVERPOOL. Although the greatest commercial city in the world, it does not come up to the anticipations of the stranger in all those stirring, bustling scenes of activity which an American will look for as inseparable from the transactions of so vast a busi- ness. On approaching the city from the sea, the whole front presents a series of blank granite walls, tall warehouses, and yawning entrances to dock basins, over the top of which, and apparently in close contact with the chimneys of the houses, the topmasts of vessels can be discerned spread for many miles around. If the tide is low, the granite walls of the docks tower up thirty-five feet from the water, as the fluctuation of the tide here is never less than twenty feet, whilst the spring- tides vary from twenty-nine to thirty- three feet. The warehouses fronting on the docks are generally of immense proportions, six or seven stories high, without any attempt at architectural display, but of solid and massive appearance, their brick fronts dingy and blackened, or sometimes coated with the dust from the many thou- sands of barrels of flour which are con- stantly being conveyed to and from their upper stories. With the exception of the public buildings, no money seems to have been expended in business sections for beautifying the city, strength and utility being the only objects aimed at. In proportion to the size of the city, whiclv has nearly six hundred thousand inhabitants, the retail business seems to be very small, and is certainly not equal to that of Glasgow. In comparison with any of our large American cities, it would rate in this respect as a fourth-rate city, and we doubt if there are more than half as many such establishments as may be found in Baltimore. STREET SCENES. The drinking-houses and resorts for sailors along the front of the city, ad- joining the docks, are very numerous, and, notwithstanding the vigilance of the police, it is not regarded as safe to visit that section of the city after gas-light. The streets swarm with the most brazen and vicious of a herd of courtesans that the world can produce, whose language and conduct in the streets would not be tolerated even in New York. Although they are numerous in all parts of the city, they seem to be under more rigorous police control elsewhere, and are not al- lowed to annoy or insult respectable peo- ple. The portions of the city occupied by private residences are very extensive, and though there are not many costly or ele- gant establishments, the houses are gen- erally of good size, the streets broad and well paved, an air of comfort and neat- ness being prevalent not always seen in large commercial cities. In 1830 the whole population of Liverpool, including its dependencies, was but two hundred thousand, whilst it has now reached six hundred thousand, and Birkenhead, on the opposite shore of the Mersey, like Brooklyn is to New York, is growing to be an immense city, with great lines of docks for shipping, which promise to rival those of Liverpool. THE LIVERPOOL DOCKS. The shipping and trans-shipping of goods being mostly carried on within the walls of the dock-yards, the casual visitor sees nothing but a forest of masts as in- dicating the vastness of the commerce of Liverpool. Commerce does not show it- self here as it does in our American cities, but is confined within prescribed limits 300 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH and bounds. The caro;o of a vessel arriv- ing will often be taken to load another ready to depart, and not hauled and stored and rehauled, as in New York. The docks are all supplied with immense sheds, and many of them with large warehouses, in which goods are tempo- rarily piled away under the control of the custom-house authorities. The immense products of the manufactories of Man- chester, only about thirty miles distant, are brought by rail direct to the docks, and immediately placed in the holds of the ships for which they are designed, the American merchants buying direct from the factories, and naming the dock, ves- sel, and time at which they are to be delivered in Liverpool for transportation to America. Liverpool is thus rather a great mercantile depot than such a mag- nificent commercial city as an American would expect to find it. The docks of Liverpool are undoubtedly fine specimens of engineering. Their immense solidity is, however, a matter of necessity, as the rushing tide of the Mer- sey, even in its calmest moods, would quickly sweep away a structure of less massive character. Each dock has a large basin in front, into which the gates of the dock open, for the entrance or departure of vessels. These gates can only be opened at high tide, and are closed as soon as the water commences to fall, keeping one depth of water always inside the docks, whilst that in the basin fluctuates twenty feet with the tide of the river. The great weight of water, from twenty to thirty feet deep, thus retained inside the docks, as will readily be understood, requires the most massive masonry to retain it within bounds. The number of docks along the five miles of the city front is thirty-three, and yet the line is steadily being extended by the erection of others, still longer and more massive in their construction. These arrangements for commercial convenience originated with Liverpool, and have since been adopted at most of the tidal ports of Europe. Without them it would be necessary to load and unload vessels by lighters, and the whole river Mersey could scarcely afibrd anchorage for the shipping that is now floated within these granite walls at high tide, and moored in deep water whilst unloading and receiv- ing cargo for a new voyage. The area of the docks varies from twenty thousand to sixty thousand square yards, their mas- sive gates being mostly opened and closed by steam-power. Each is supplied with a graving-dock, just large enough to hold one first-class ship, into which a ship re- quiring repair is floated, after which the gate of this inner dock is closed and the water pumped out, thus forming a perfect dry-dock. ST. George's hall. The public buildings of Liverpool, al though few in number, are very exten- sive and grand specimens of architecture. The custom-house is an immense white freestone building, surmounted by a cupola and dome ; the Exchange and City Hall are also very imposing structures ; but the pride and glory of Liverpool is " St. George's Hall," which it seems was built with the determination that it should exceed in size, architectural beauty, and grandeur of design and finish, any other building in the United Kingdom, except- ing only the Houses of Parliament at London. It occupies the centre of what seems to be a mound in the very heart of the city, and approach it from any of the numerous streets converging towards St. George's Square, and it looms up before the eye in all its grand prominence. The building is constructed in the Corinthian style of architecture. The eastern facade is four hundred and twenty feet long, and has a columnar projecting centre, with depressed wings. Indeed, the building has really four fronts, each presenting striking architectural features. One end of the building is occupied by the Assize Courts, whilst the other contains concert- rooms, one of which is of immense pro- portions, fitted up and decorated in a style of magnificence seldom attempted in a hall for such purposes. The interior of this largest hall is one hundred and sixty-seven feet long by seventy-seven in breadth, with an altitude of eighty-two feet. ST. George's organ. The grand organ in St. George's Hall is claimed to be the largest instrument in the world, costing about sixty thousand dollars. It is thirty-three feet in breadth and forty-two feet in height, and stands in a splendid gallery of a receding semi- circular form. We were present at a concert given on this grand instrument by a distinguished organist. The music comprised marches and overtures, and displayed the wonderful power and com- pass, as well as the sweetness of its tones, with fine effect. Concerts are given on this great organ every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, when there are large audiences present, the charge for admis- sion being sixpence. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 301 LIFE AT SEA. EXPERIENCES JOLLITIES, INTIMACIES, MIS- ERIES, AND SICKNESS THRILLING EX- PERIENCE AMONG ICEBERGS. We have crossed the Atlantic between America and Europe six times, and our ocean-travelincf in other directions has been very extensive, yet we have been 80 fortunate as never to have encountered a genuine storm, and very little rough weather, at sea. As those who may be contemplating a trip to Europe will like to know something about "Life on the Ocean Wave," we select the following extracts from our journal of observations on various occasions : FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE SEA. On our first trip across the Atlantic, some years ago, we recorded the follow- ing as our first experiences of life at sea : The weather has been delightful, with a fair wind, and what a sailor would call a " fine rolling sea," but which by us, a sea-sick landsman, has been regarded as a most abominable pitching and tossing, at one moment tumbling us from the right to the left, and at the next jerking us forward and backward, like uninitiated equestrians, unable to catch the motion of a rough-back steed. We left the harbor of New York at twelve o'clock on Saturday, with a bright sunshine overhead, steamed past Sandy Hook, and before sundown had lost sight of land. The cabin-passengers mus- tered in full force at dinner and supper, and all partook of their meals with vig- orous appetites, each entertaining the hope that, from the first few hours' ex- perience, we were to escape the demands of old Neptune. After promenading the deck until midnight, we retired to our state-rooms, in good condition, and awoke on Sunday morning all right, still fondly imagining that our stomachs were safe. But no sooner had our feet touched the floor than the inward rebellion com- menced, and after a few moments of tumbling backward and forward, unable to catch the motion of the vessel, and receiving sundry bruises on our craniums, alternately against the door and wall of our contracted apartment, we sank down hopeless and prostrate, a few moments serving to obliterate all anticipations of escape from that most prostrating of all the trials and tribulations of the stomach with which poor humanity can be beset. After resisting the temptation to return to our berths prostrate and hopeless, we succeeded, amid the pitching and toss- ing of the vessel, in finding our way into our clothing, and with combless heads, unwashed faces, and woe-begone countenances, scrambled through the nar- row passages beneath deck, and thence, by clinging tenaciously to the balusters of the companion-way, we crawled out into the open air, where we met with throngs of fellow-sufferers. Such a woe- begone collection of humanity it would be difficult to describe. The old "sea-dogs," accustomed to the roll of the waves, with cigars in their mouths, calmly surveyed us and smiled at our calamity, from which they were so happily exempt. The only sure relief from sea-sickness being to struggle against that feeling of utter prostration which tempts you to dive down into your state-room, and boldly to face the wind and encounter the rolling of the vessel in the open air on the prome- nade-deck, a score or more of sufferers were soon reeling to and fro around the deck, until they finally sank down exhausted, where they lay wrapped up in shawls and blankets like a tribe of Bedouin Arabs. Any attempt to secure a perpendicular position immediately aggravated the dif ficulty. The fumes from the kitchen, which occasionally reached us, and the sound of the dinner-bell, were anything but agreeable. Most of the passengers thus remained nearly all day on Sunday, occasionally venturing on an upright po- sition to familiarize themselves with the motion of the vessel. By supper-time, after about fifteen hours of prostration, we had sufficiently recovered to venture to the table, though with fear that we would be compelled to retreat without eating a mouthful. We, however, suc- ceeded in forcing down a few morsels of food, with a cup of tea, and again re- sumed our positions on the promenade- deck. Here, by keeping in motion until midnight, we began to realize that we had conquered the tyrant who had ruled over us with such a sickening influence since the break of day. We finally retired, full of hope that our troubles were at an end, and spent quite a comfortable night ; though when day- light arrived it was with fear and trem- bling that we ventured from our berths, in the expectation of a repetition of the sickening visitation of the preceding morning. However, the feat was accom- plished in safety, and, as we stood once more erect upon the cabin-floor, we felt that we had " our sea-le^s on," to use a nautical phrase, and could encounter the 302 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH rolling of the vessel without danger of bringing our heads in contact with the timbers. It was indeed a most happy re- lief to be enabled to walk the undulating deck with head erect, and to march in to breakfast with an appetite sharpened by our long fast. MISERIES OF THE SEA. In our notes of a subsequent voyage we find the following recorded under the heading "Miseries of the Sea:" The Peruvian left Liverpool in a storm, or at least a heavy head-wind, with oc- casional showers of rain, which drove everybody below deck before we had scarcely passed beyond the gates of Wel- lington dock. We had on board one hun- dred and twenty cabin passengers, and nearly two hundred intermediate and steerage passengers, mostly bound to Canada, with a few inevitable Yankees, as our English cousins style us. The weather became, during the night, thick and heavy, with fitful gusts of wind, all of which persisted in coming from the wrong direction. In the morning the weather was what a sailor would term decidedly "dirty," with occasional fogs, so dense that it became necessary to slow down the engine and sound the fog-whis- tle. It was just such weather as might be regarded as calculated to promote sea- sickness, and there were few on board who were not affected more or less with the prelim inary symptoms of the epidemic. One gentleman who was making his thirty-fifth passage failed to respond to the breakfast-bell, and fully ninety of the hundred seats were vacant. Even one of our little party of nauticals who had braved the terrors of the Mediterranean and had twice crossed the Channel tem- porarily succumbed, and those that ven- tured below did not linger long over their coffee. The number in attendance at lunch was still more limited, but as we put into the quiet harbor of Queen stown about dinner-time there was quite a good at- tendance, and hopes were entertained that this brief respite would be of permanent service. We had scarcely returned to the Irish coast, however, before the sea be- came still more rough, with intermittent rains and a head-wind, which continued until the close of the third day. Suffice it to say that during these three days sickness was almost universal fore and aft, the decks, notwithstanding their damp- ness, being strewn with sufferers. Those who remained in their state-rooms were reported to be quite ill, and it was not until the fourth day, when the sea became more calm, that they could be prevailed upon to allow themselves to be helped to the deck. Sudden as was the sickness, the recovery was now equally rapid, and every meal showed a larger attendance at the table, until the fifth day, when every seat was reoccupied. A bright sun gave new life to every one, and, although we still had a rolling sea, our heads were ad- justed to the motion of the vessel, and our " sea-legs" were fairly on. It is interesting to note the change among passengers on a steamer when they be- come accustomed to the rolling and pitch- ing that are inevitable during the greater portion of a passage over the great deep. The rattling and upsetting of the dishes at table as they slide to and fro are at first appalling, but after recovery these mishaps are greeted with shouts of laugh- ter, and even the upsetting of a plate of soup into one's lap is not considered much of a disaster, all being arrayed in clothing that they do not expect to wear again after leaving the ship. The brain no longer swims, nor does the stomach respond to the up-and-down motion of the vessel as she sweeps through the rolling sea. At night the saloon rings with laughter in- stead of the wails of the sufferers, and those who had deemed it prudent to sit still and hold fast to keep from being thrown from their seats now move about without scarcely noticing the motion of the vessel, to which they have learned to accommodate themselves. Every night the saloon presents a gathering of happy people, the piano responds to the skillful handling of the performers, and song and merriment speed the pleasant hours. Groups will be found engaging in games of whist, and the evening amusements always close with some refreshments, such as anchovy-toast and tea. The deck, which early in the voyage had been strewn with sufferers, is now devoted to promenading, dancing, shuffle-board matches, and all manner of pastimes. The roll of the ship becomes a source of amusement instead of terror, and the days pass with a rapidity that is truly marvel- ous in comparison with those of the sickly INTIMACIES OF THE SEA. The scenes on board an ocean-steamer during the first few days of a voyage which commences with rough weather can scarcely be imagined by those who have not witnessed them. The first even- ing is all gayety and jollity, and the AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 303 dinnor-table is thronged, with all the Eassengers in their seats. All are in igh glee, and full of hope that the morn- ing will disclose a bright sky and a calm sea. The children, of whom there are always a goodly number, gambol around the cabin, and finally settle down on the sofas, drowsy and tired, but delighted with the novelties by which they are surrounded. Parents take them to their state-rooms to dispose of them for the night, intending to return to the saloon for supper, but a few moments below bring on the nausea preceding sea-sick- ness, and they conclude to retire for the night. Morning comes, and they feel an earnest desire to escape from the close and confined air which they have been breathing, and make a frantic effort to dress. But they are no sooner on their feet than they find themselves flying back and forward like shuttlecocks be- tween the door and the berth, or with their heads in contact with the looking- glass, for the vessel always seems to roll and pitch with more than usual vindictive- ness about getting-up time. A nausea that is blinding and bewildering imme- diately sets in, which causes many to give up the task of dressing as a hopeless one, and they fall back in their berths as limp and nerveless as if they had suddenly been stricken with paralysis. Those who thus yield are seldom seen again for some days, or at least until calmer weather sets in. A great many, however, renew the effort to dress, and finally succeed in reaching the deck, with blankets or rugs, where they coil themselves on benches or the deck, jumping up occasionally and staggering to the side of the vessel. At first it is an amusing sight to those who are exempt, but the suffering gradually becomes so intense, and the prostration 80 complete, that earnest sympathies are awakened, and the kindness and attention then extended soon break down all formalities and obviate introductions. Those who remain in their state-rooms, confined to a dark and narrow berth, in which it is diflScult to turn, become in two or three days so weak and prostrate that they can only reach the deck by being taken up bodily, when they will fall upon the couches prepared for them, pale and prostrate, as if all vitality had forsaken them. Those who refused to succumb have by this time fully recovered, and, like good Samaritans, may be seen exerting tneraselves in all directions to aid and assist the sufferers. Husbands and wives are at times both prostrate, and their children equally unable to help themselves. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that before the close of the passage an intimacy and friendship is established between the passengers that could not be attained in a year on dry land. JOLLITIES OF THE SEA. There are always a set of jolly fellows on board of every steamer, — fellows who never get sick, and are always getting up some kind of amusement. During the sickly season they have their fun all to themselves, and keep to the smoking- room or hug the smoke-stack. So soon as the sun is out, and their fellow-passengers recover stamina sufficient to enable them to walk the deck, they become valuable adjuncts to the captain in his endeavor to make everybody feel happy and comfort- able. Although they do not sing hymns in the smoking-room, they can furnish the bass voices for the music at the Sunday services, and aid in the choruses at the nightly concerts given in the saloon, or sing a comic song by way of diversifying the entertainment. They get up all man- ner of games upon deck, and are proficient in all the most approved modes of killing time. They arrange for match games at shuffle-board, promenade the decks with the ladies who have no male attendants, and are determined not only to be happy themselves, but to do all in their power to promote the happiness and enjoyment of others. These good fellows are gener- ally merchants or foreign buyers passing to and from Europe on their annual journey for goods, and are never at a loss for anecdotes and incidents with which to enliven the smoking-room in dull or rainy weather. They hunt up among the steer- age-passengers some cases worthy of pe- cuniary aid, making them happy by liberal contributions, or presenting such cases to the consideration of the other passen- gers. Sometimes their boisterous mirth disturbs the quiet of the night •, but then they are privileged characters, and beyond a little scolding from the captain they find nothing to interrupt or mar their jollity. When everything else fails, they make wagers on the number of miles the log will record at noon as having been run during the preceding twenty-four hours, and, when nearing port, on the number of the pilot-boat which will first hail them. A pool of twenty or thirty dollars is thus raised, which will be swept by the one fortunate enough to name the win- ning figures, the money being generally 304 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH handed over for some charitable ob- ject. Captain Smith, of the Peruvian, is one of the jovial kind, and devotes every mo- ment of spare time from the duties of the ship to the amusement of his passengers. He has a kind word for every one, and is quite as attentive to the comfort of the steerage and intermediate passengers as to those in the cabin. He sings an ex- cellent song, tells a good story, and, on Sunday evening last, showed that he could not only go through the services of the Church of England, but actually read a good sermon to the cabin and steerage passengers assembled in the saloon, to the number of nearly two hundred. The smoking-room is throughout the passage the centre of fun and amusement, occasionally varied with discussions on colonial or American politics. It is taken possession of at first by the few who bid defiance to the turmoil of Neptune's va- garies, until they are gradually reinforced by those who a few days before had thought they would never again be en- abled to enjoy the fragrant weed. When a smoker is enabled to light his pipe or cigar he is considered cured, and from thenceforth he spends his time in respond- ing to the five invitations per day from the dining-room bell, with an astonishing appetite, takes a few strolls upon the deck, and returns to his smoking. The stories, yarns, songs, and discussions of the jolly fellows who assemble in the smoking-room, often continuing until past midnight, render it an attractive loung- ing-place also for those who do not take to the weed, who remain until the smoke gets too dense for their sensitive lungs and stomachs. SUNDAY ON SHIP-BOARD. Sunday was a bright and beautiful day. The sick had all recovered, and the sea was calm and quiet. Throughout the ship everybody appeared in their best at- tire. We were now in about raid-ocean, half-way between Liverpool and Halifax, steaming at the rate of three hundred miles per day, the wind being so light as scarcely to create a ripple. After break- fast there was a very general promenade on deck, and at ten o'clock the bell com- menced to sound for worship, when all repaired to the saloon, which was soon filled to its utmost capacity by as atten- tive a congregation as ever assembled in any church at home. An impromptu choir had been organized on the preceding night by Captain Smith and Purser Clarke, assisted by Miss Philpot, a lady passenger of fine musical attainments, and the rehearsal promised that this por- tion of the service would be well ren- dered. Among the passengers is the Rev. Mr. Pendleton, of Lexington, Ya., formerly known as General Pendleton, of General Lee's staff, during the rebel- lion. He resigned the pulpit to take up the sword, and at the close of the war was among those who surrendered to Gen- eral Grant. He then returned to his min- isterial duties. The reverend gentleman delivered an excellent sermon, his voice being distinctly heard, notwithstanding the noises of the sea, in all parts of the spacious cabin. After supper the bell again tolled, and the congregation reas- sembled, when Captain Smith went through the entire Church service, and delivered a brief but excellent address. A collection was taken up for the benefit of the Aged Seamen's Home, of Liverpool. On Monday night a concert was given in the cabin for the benefit of the Asylum for Sailors' Orphans and Widows. The receipts on both, these occasions amounted to about twelve pounds, or thirty dollars for each charity. THE NAUTICAL BELLS. The landsman traveling on the ocean finds it difficult to understand the mode of keeping the hour which he hears sounded on the bells every thirty minutes. Having obtained an explanation of the bells, we will endeavor to make it plain to the comprehension of the general reader. There are five regular watches of four hours each, making twenty hours, and two watches of two hours each, called the " dog-watch." Commencing at twelve o'clock, the first bell is struck at half-past twelve, and they continue as follows : REGULAR WAT CH. 21 o'clock 1 bell. 1 " 2 bells. U " 3 " 2 ** 4 " 2J " 5 " 3 " 6 *< 3^ " 7 '' 4 '* 8 » DOG-WATCH. 4^ o'clock 1 bell. 5 2 bells. 5J " 3 " 6 '' 4 '' 6J " 1 « 7 2 " 7^ " 3 " 8 '* 4 " AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 305 The watch thus goes on for the balance of the twenty-four hours, changing every four hours, from eight to twelve o'clock, from twelve to four, from four to eight, and from eight to twelve, striking eight bells for each regular watch. The " dog- watch" is to relieve the officers from double watches on successive nights. CABIN AMUSEMENTS. As we approach our journey's end, joy and gladness seem to pervade the whole ship. The sailors sing their nautical airs with new spirit, and the passengers join in sports and amusements with more than usual zest. Last night the cabin was the scene of general hilarity, songs were given of various nationalities, and stories told with great spirit. A party of young Americans, of whom there are not more than fifteen out of the two hun- dred and fifty-nine souls on board, con- cluded the pleasures of the evening by singing the song of " Uncle Sam's Farm," all the passengers joining in the following chorus : "Come along I come along! make do delay! Come from every nation, come from every way ! There is room euougli fur all, and don't be alarmed. For Uncle Sam b rich enough to give us all a farm." The English officers flocked around, and seemed greatly amused at the Yankee enthusiasm evinced. ICEBERGS ON THE OCEAN. The greatest terror of ocean-travel is the icebergs which are so frequently met with on the coast of Newfoundland during the early summer months. Whilst crossing the ocean in June, 1852, on the steamer Moravian , we had some experience with these monsters, which we noted as follows in our journal of the trip. ICEBERGS — A GRAND SIGHT. During all of Wednesday afternoon and night we were enveloped in a dense fog, which required the constant blow- ing of the steam-whistle and occasional stopping of the steamer for soundings. We also were compelled to slow down to half-speed, Captain Graham being one of those careful men who are determined to keep out of the way of disasters if pos- sible. At ten o'clock in the morning the fog cleared away, and the coast of New- foundland could be seen in the far dis- tance. The atmosphere was decidedly winterish, although it wavS the middle of June, the thermometer being down to forty-six degrees. We had previously heard of icebergs being on the coast, and soon descried one about ten miles distant, looming up about fifty feet out of the water, and evidently aground. It was a novel sight to landsmen, and all hands were soon upon deck, whilst all the glasses on board were brought into requisition. Subsequently we passed nearly twenty bergs at different points, all stranded. The winterish atmosphere was attrib- uted to these floating monsters, which annually come down from the coast of Labrador. At the mouth of the harbor of St. John three large icebergs were stranded, and in entering we were compelled to pass within a hundred yards of them. They looked like immense mountains of pure white polished marble, glistening in the sun, towering up sixty feet above the surface of the waves. The entrance of St. John resembles very much that to the harbor of Havana, only that More Castle is wanting on the towering rocks to the left. The passage between these rocks is not more than four hundred yards in width, and on either side of the entrance to this narrow passage stood two immense icebergs, which had stranded here on their passage down the coast. They were nearly opposite each other, that on the right side of the ship being about a hundred yards farthest seaward. The distance from the vessel to either of them as we passed in was not more than fifty feet. After viewing the first one, all hands rushed to the left side of the ship to see the other monster, and just as the ship was full abreast of it a large mass from the top, towering up about fifty feet in the air, and weighing probably one hundred tons, cracked and fell into the sea with a tremendous crash, dashing the waves up against the side of the steamer with great force. The breaking of the ice was accompanied by a noise like a scattering volley of musketry. No sooner had the astonishment at this sight subsided than the huge mountain of ice began to rivse in the sea, and slowly commenced to topple over towards the vessel, showing that its depth under water must have been, as the pilot assured us, one hundred and sixty feet, that being the depth at this point. As it toppled over, the water from what appeared to have been a small lake collected upon its broad and ex- tended summit p(mred over, forming for a moment a grand cascade, as it rushed down the pure white sides of « the berg, deeply tinted with green. Not knowing whether the motion of the monster would be rapid or slow, a slight tremor of terror 306 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH passed over the minds of the passengers, as its motion was towards the vessel, which was gliding along within a few feet of the reeling mountain. In a minute, however, we had passed out of danger, and as we viewed it from the stern of the steamer it quietly settled down again in its own bed, surrounded by the floating masses of crumbling ice that had become detached from it whilst turning over. The ground-swell caused by the passage of our steamer so close to the berg had evidently disturbed its equilibrium, though its fellow-monster stood firm as a rock, throwing ofi' from its summit a steady cascade of green-tinted water, which poured into the sea, showing the melting process it was undergoing from the warm rays of the sun. On coming out of the harbor two hours afterwards, Captain Graham gave these bergs a wider berth, but fired his parting guns at each of them as he passed, evi- dently hoping to get up another spectacle for the amusement of his passengers. It was indeed a glorious sight, and one well worth a visit to St. John to witness. The close view we had of these immense icebergs was grand in itself, but to see one turning itself leisurely was a spec- tacle seldom so closely witnessed even by the denizens of the shores bordering the Arctic current. They, however, resisted all further motion, and returned our gaze with a frozen stolidity, reflecting the rays of a full rising moon as they had previ- ously those of the setting sun. The New- foundlanders on board said they had never in their lives witnessed so grand a sight, and that in twenty years we could not have entered the harbor under such novel cir- cumstances. COURSE OF THE ICEBERGS. The vast number of icebergs which are borne past the shores of Newfoundland during the spring and early summer is almost incredible, and it is believed that all the missing ocean-steamers have met their fate by coming in contact with them. About the end of May of last year, says a writer in the Canadian Illustrated, from Signal Hill, an eminence at the mouth of the harbor of St. John, six hundred feet high, sixty icebergs, great and small, were visible to the naked eye. " They were moving slowly southward to their grave in the Gulf Stream. There could not be a more strikingly beautiful object than one of these stately wanderers of the deep, huge and solitary, proudly sailing onwards, regardless alike of wind and tide, yet borne irresistibly along the deep- sea current. The waves that dash in foam against its sides shake not the strength of its crystal walls nor tarnish the sheen of its emerald caves. Sleet, and snow, and storm, and tempest are its congenial ele- ments. Ice-floes come in its way, and are shivered to atoms ; storms rage, but it heeds them not. Proudly it flings back the billows from its projecting crags and pinnacles, which gleam like cliffs of chalk or white marble. We might fancy that nothing could avail to destroy such a giant mass, and that it might sail on forever. But all the while the rays of the sun are playing upon its surface and penetrating its substance, and the warm breath of spring is loosen- ing its joints and relaxing its strength. Streams begin to pour down its great sides. Huge crags drop down with sullen plunge into the ocean, awakening the echoes among the neighboring rocks and hills. Large fragments are detached, and float away in independent existence. Presently it becomes top-heavy, loses its equilibrium, and turns upon its side or reels completely over witn a thundering crash, making the sea boil into foam, and causing a swell that is perceptible for miles." DANGERS OF THEIR MOVEMENTS. Woe to the luckless boat or vessel that may be in too close proximity when the monster m-akes one of these lunges. At times the berg cannot recover its equi- librium, as ours did at the mouth of St. John harbor, and continues rolling and tumbling like a huge porpoise, dropping fragment after fragment in its uncouth gambols, till the whole mass falls asunder like a wreck. These rolling icebergs, which are peculiarly dangerous, our seal- ers call " growlers." Or the berg may right itself by a complete immersion, and sail onward, reduced in dimensions and enveloped in mist, until it reaches the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, where it is finally dissolved. Seldom, however, are any icebergs met with farther south- ward than forty degrees of north latitude. Even now, when the summer warmth is so slight, it is surprising to note how rapidly the smaller bergs that drift into the bays and harbors and get aground dissolve under the influence of the sun's rays. As the summer advances, they become very brittle, and then a slight degree of violence is enough to rupture them. Should a vessel be caught between two bergs or between a floe and a berg AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 307 in motion, she could no more resist the pressure than a wineglass the effect of a ball discharged from an Armstrong gun. SIZE AND FORM OF THE BERGS. The majority of bergs that float past are of no great size, but occasionally they are of vast dimensions. One was reported last year by several captains as half a mile in length. This might seem an ex- aggeration ; but one is reported to have been seen by Ross, in Baffin Bay, the birthplace of the bergs, two miles and a half long, two miles wide, and fifty feet high, nine times as much of its bulk being under the water as above its sur- face. The weight of this iceberg was estimated at a billion and a half of tons. •The visible portion of an iceberg is only about one-ninth part of the real bulk of the whole mass ; so that if one be seen a hundred feet high, its lowest point may perhaps be eight hundred feet below the waves. But we are assured that bergs are frequently seen two hundred and three hundred feet above the sea, and these, if their submarine proportions sank to the maximum depth, must have reached the enormous total of two thousand seven hundred feet. The bergs are of all shapes as well as sizes, sometimes rising into pointed spires like steeples, some- times taking the form of a conical hill, sometimes having domes and pinnacles. They have been seen bearing the forms of old abbeys afloat, with walls and but- tresses of marble, and others with a striking resemblance to a crouching lion. The most general form, however, is with one high perpendicular side, the opposite side very low, and the intermediate sur- face forming a gradual slope. Some have been seen containing prodigious caverns, and some with hollows containing vast accumulations of snow. Their appear- ance is that of chalk-cliffs, with a glitter- ing surface, and emerald-green fractures. Pools of azure blue water lie upon the surface or fall in cascades from them. From these reservoirs vessels often obtain supplies of water peculiarly sweet and agreeable. They are entirely of fresh water frozen, and when opposite New- foundland have floated nearly two thou- sand miles from the place of their forma- tion. PERILS OF THE ARCTIC STREAM. The scene presented during a storm by these floating ice-mountains is represented to be peculiarly grand and fri^^htful, and woe to the luckless mariner whose vessel is caught among them. Doubtless the several ocean-steamers that have been lost since the days of the ill-fated steamer President have met their fate from con- tact with icebergs. That these dangers are not imaginary may be gathered from the results of this season's operations amid our ice-fields. At this date it is known that seventeen sailing-vessels and three large steamers have been wrecked and totally destroyed, and at least fifty seal-hunters have met a watery grave, and twenty or thirty besides were seri- ously injured. Not for half a century has such a season of peril and destruc- tion of life and shipping been known. APRIL FOOLS AT SEA. The officers and crew of our steamer, numbering one hundred and five, are all Englishmen, and hence the old English custom of making April fools was carried out to its fullest extent, especially between midnight and daylight on the morning of the first. The carpenter was roused up from his sleep to stop a leak, and only discovered the trick after he had searched with his lantern in vain. The bar-keeper was aroused and sent with a bottle of brandy to the captain's office, who had been reported as suffering with colic. The surgeon of the ship also arrived simultaneously on the same errand. The chambermaid was called up to attend a lady who was reported to have fallen down the cabin steps. Captain Jeffreys, whom we had picked up at sea on a wrecked vessel, was requested to relieve Captain Petrie on the promenade-deck, who it was said had been taken suddenly ill. Some of the passengers also caught the mania and joined in the fun, one gouty old gentleman having been roused up under the conviction that the vessel had sprung a leak, that the pumps were out of order, and that the sailors were in superstitious dread of sinking because a monkey, which had been brought on board by the crew of the Grey Oak, had jumped overboard. He only discovered the " sell" when he reached the deck and met the monkey chattering on the top of a sea-chest, and heard the men on watch exchange bells with the cry of " all's well." The game of " hanging the monkey," played on English steamers when the passengers get tired of shuffle-board, be- ing a peculiarly nautical amusement, re- quiring the rolling of the vessel for its full enjoyment, may need some descrip- tion to the uninitiated. A rope with a 308 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH noose at the end of it is suspended from the rigging to the centre of the prome- nade-deck. One of the players, with his handkerchief twisted and knotted, swings himself hy this noose under his arms, the other players being stationed around with handkerchiefs similarly knotted, and as the " monkey swings" each is at lib- erty to strike him. This sport continues until he succeeds in striking one of his tormentors, when the one struck must take his place, and thus the exhilarating game progresses until all are worn down by its fatigues. OUR LAST TRIP. We conclude our volume of travels with the following notes of our return from Europe in the fall of 1873, being the close of the tour which is here recorded. We left Southampton at ten o'clock on Friday, September 26, 1873, with fine clear weather, and the prospect of a pleas- ant voyage. In the dock at Southamp- ton, preparing to follow us, were two other steamers of the North German Lloyds, one bound to New York and the other to New Orleans, crowded with German emi- grants, including a considerable number of Roman Catholic priests and Sisters of Charity who had been expelled from Germany. To the American, the sight of these throngs of people seeking his favored land, and leaving forever the homes of their childhood, naturally oc- casioned a flutter of national pride. If all who desire to come to America could procure the means, the number of steamers would have to be increased fourfold. The laboring classes of Europe are yearn- ing to emigrate to America, especially the young and vigorous, and this feeling is increased by the large number of natu- ralized foreigners who are visiting their native land. Those whom they left in poverty they find still in poverty, and their sons scattered around in the bar- racks doing military duty. The visit of such persons to Europe with their fami- lies on a pleasure-tour among the scenes of their youth is a conclusive proof of the prosperity which they have met with in their adopted country. HOMEWARD BOUND. There is an immensity of pleasure in the knowledge, after six months' absence, that we are homeward bound. Every day and every hour is counted, and a reckon- ing of the miles passed over each day is (scrupulously kept, by way of estimating the distance yet remaining. The state of the wind, and the condition of the barom- eter, also receive hourly attention, and impatience is evinced at the slightest de- tention. All are anxious to reach home, and especially to escape from " life on the ocean wave," which is much more irk- some on the return than on the outward- bound voyage. Next to solitary confine- ment, there is nothing more wearisome than a homeward trip across the Atlantic, and nothing more trying to patience, nerves, and the stomach. To be rolled and pitched and tossed about for twelve or fourteen days and nights is a trying ordeal even for those who are proof against sea-sickness, but to the great ma- jority it is worse than can be possibly conceived of by those who have not passed through the ordeal. Many ladies* who have not strength to brave the deck and seek fresh air lie in their berths dur- ing most of this long period, afflicted with perpetual nausea, constantly irri- tated by the motion of the vessel. During rainy and stormy weather all must keep in the close cabin, holding fast to their seats to prevent being pitched headlong across the table. Reading or writing is next to impossible in such a moving scene, and lounging about and smoking is the only resort to kill time. Two weeks on shore is a very brief space, but on shipboard it seems like two long and weary months. At the time of writing, we have been but five days at sea, and the nine days expected to intervene be- fore our vision shall be greeted with the sight of Cape Henry seems like a " little eternity." The Baltimore is an expe- rienced roller, and at nights it is at times difficult to keep from pitching out of our berths, sleep being next to impossible. At meals, the soup or coffee is constantly spilling into our laps, and the plates are clashing together and dancing all man- ner of pirouettes on the table, apparently making an effort to jump out of their racks. This stirring scene is very trying to the stomach, too much so at times for some of our companions, who are com- pelled to jump and run for fresh air and immediate relief Such is life at sea, with its dreary monotony and many dis- comforts, which the poets have invested with all manner of romance for the de- ception of landsmen. Those who follow the sea are always longing for the day to come when they can drop their an- chors on shore, and sailors are becoming so scarce that half the crews of the mer- chant marine are little better than lands- men. AMERICAN SPECTACLES. 309 THE STEERAGE PASSENGERS. Our steeraf^e passengers are, as usual, nearly all victims to sea-sickness. During the first four days of the passage the decks were strewn with men, women, and children, rolled up in blankets, groaning and moaning in reckless abandon, whilst others were leaning over the bulwarks, looking as if contemplating a plunge into the sea as a relief from the misery that was harrowing their very vitals. The few who had escaped the visitation were endeavoring to arouse others to locomo- tion, as the surest means of recovery. One bright young German, with an accor- deon in hand, who started off for a prome- nade, performing one of Strauss's waltzes, succeeded in getting about twenty young girls to fall in line, keeping them in mo- tion as long as he could obtain recruits. Some would stagger along for a while, and fall back to their blankets in despair, but to those who persisted in resisting the inclination to retreat it proved a bet- ter remedy than any the doctor could furnish. To overcome sea-sickness re- ?uires nerve, determination, and pluck, t must be fought with vigor, or there is no escape so long as the cause exists. Among the steerage passengers are several large families, having with them sufficient means for purchasing land and locating in the West. Most of the young girls, of whom there are quite a number, bright German blondes, have been sent for by their betrothed, who have gone on be- fore them, and others by parents who have preceded them to the land of promise. There is one young soldier in Prussian uniform, with a medal decoration on his breast, who has just completed his three years' service and distinguished himself in the Franco-Prussian war. A Jesuit priest is also in the steerage, and a few old fathers and mothers who are going out to spend the remainder of their days with their children, who have long since become American citizens. Among the cabin passengers is a venerable German who has three brothers and a sister in Missouri, and also a married daughter who left him when she was twelve years of age, and who is now the mother of a family of children. His brothers are among the largest of the merchant mil- lers of the West, having taken to the business of their parents in the old country. HOME AGAIN. Our journey is irearly over, and we will make the passage in fourteen days from Southampton. The voyage has been a tolerably pleasant one, though we have had an abundance of squally and rainy weather, wdth light but generally favor- able winds. The following is the journal of our run : Miles. Miles. September 27 . 236 October 4 . . 247 September 28 . 246 October 5 . . 256 September 29 275 October 6 . . 276 September 30 . 263 October 7 . . 276 October 1 . . 252 October 8 . . 280 October 2 . . . 268 October 9 . . 199 October 3 . . 246 October 10 . . 180 Total distance . 3500 THE OCEAN HIGHWAY. We give the above run of the Balti- more to show the inexperienced reader that the ocean is virtually a highway, and that navigation has been reduced to such a science that the passenger may feel as if he was traveling on a well-defined road, with its mile-stones and telegraph wires. At noon every day the precise position of the vessel is ascertained, and the number of miles run during the preceding tAventy- four hours bulletined by the captain. lie can point out upon his map precisely where he is, although surrounded by a vast expanse of water, to which the hori- zon is the only boundary. The sun seems to come up out of the sea in the morning and retire to its ocean-bed in the evening, and, although fogs and storms may inter- vene, we keep steadily on our course. Every day one or more ocean-steamers are passed within sight, all pursuing the same track, and, though the vessel may pitch and toss in a most uncomfortable manner, a feeling of safety is assured to all on board. FINIS. We are now steaming u{) the Chesa- peake, and will soon be in sight of Fort Carroll. Although our trip has been one of unbroken pleasure and enjoyment, we return home better satisfied than ever that we have the best form of government in the world, and the only country, except perhaps England and Switzerland, in which the citizen is something more than a mere slave. " Liberty, fraternity, and equality" are unmeaning words in most European countries, and are merely used to gull the ignorant and to cover up the designs of ambitious masters. If in this correspondence we have given cause to Americans to feel more attached to their own institutions, by our descriptions of 3J0 EUROPE VIEWED THROUGH AMERICAN SPECTACLES. social life under monarchial rule, we shall feel that we have accomplished some good in our day and generation. We have endeavored to give a fair and truthful statement and description of everything that has passed under our observation likely to interest and instruct the reader. In the haste of writing we have no doubt committed some minor errors, and may at times have formed and expressed opinions too hurriedly ; but we have endeavored to treat every subject fairly and candidly, availing ourselves of the most reliable sources of information within our reach. We have striven also to enable the reader to see what we were viewing, and to form correct ideas of life in European countries. How far we have succeeded, the demand which greeted us upon our arrival for the publication of our " Europe viewed through American Spec- tacles" in book form is some assurance that we have not entirely failed in our purpose. HINTS TO EUROPEAN TOURISTS. We have been urged to append to our book of travel a few practical hints to those contemplating a tour of Europe, and also to give such information as we may possess as to the cost of travel. Consider- able information on these points will be found in the foregoing pages, which we briefly summarize for the benefit of the inexperienced. PATIENCE AND GOOD TEMPER. We have met many Americans in Europe who have failed to take with them a stock of good temper and patient for- bearance. They grumble and growl, and find fault with everything and evervbody. They thus render themselves unhappy, and fail to enjoy the trip as those of more equable temperament always do. All tourists should go with the determination to take the world as they find it, and have a jolly good time. Although they may discover that Europe has much to learn from America, they will finally come to the conclusion that we have still much to learn from these old countries. The great majority of American tourists enjoy the sights and scenes and life in Europe, and come home wiser and better ; but there are still many who fail to make good use of their opportunities. FIREARMS. Firearms of all kinds should be locked up carefully and left at home. The European tourist is more apt to shoot himself than to require them to shoot any one else. Leave them at home, by all means. CLOTHING. Those who visit Europe to enjoy travel should burden themselves with as little clothing as possible, taking only sufficient for comfort and respectable appearance. One medium-sized trunk is abundant, for the transportion of which pay by weight is required at every depot. MONEY. A circular letter of credit from a re- sponsible house, like that of Messrs. Wil- liam McKim & Co., of Baltimore, is sure never to come to grief during the journey. A very important consideration. GUIDES. Avoid guides as much as possible. Sometimes they are useful for a day or two in Rome; but gentlemen traveling without ladies can do very well without them. Not one of these guides in ten can talk understandable English, and they are sure to swindle their employers in some way before they are done with them. LANGUAGE. Tourists who do not deviate from the regular track of travel will find the Eng- lish language spoken at nearly all the hotels and in most of the principal stores. A little knowledge of French and German is, however, very useful, and will add much to the enjoyment of travel. GUIDE-BOOKS. It is almost impossible to travel through Europe without guide-books, and we have no hesitation in recommending those of Baedeker as the most serviceable and reli- able. Murray's London and Galignani's Paris are essential for those cities. With these books the tourist will be, in a meas- ure, independent of hotel-keepers, com- missionnaires, and guides, and if he pos- sesses the ordinary shrewdness of the roaming American, they will save him ten times their cost in fees and extortions. It costs money to ask questions in Europe. PASSPORTS. Passports are no longer a necessity, except in Spain, Turkey, and Egypt. We have made two journeys over the Conti- nent without any, and were never asked for them in any of the various countries through which we passed. They are, however, a convenience in case of meet- ing with any trouble, and it is well to be provided with one. To obtain a passport it is only necessary to go before a magis- trate and take oath that you are a native- born or naturalized citizen of the United States, appending to the oath the age of the applicant, a statement of the stature, forehead, nose, eyes, mouth, chin, hair, and shape of the face. This should be mailed to the State Department at Wash- ington, with stamps sufficient to pay the postage on the passport, which will be forwarded by return of mail without charge of any kind. If traveling with a family, one passport is sufficient, but their names and ages must be furnished the Department. 311 312 HINTS TO EUROPEAN TOUIUSTS. RAILROAD TRAVEL. Second-class cars in all parts of Europe axe good enough for any one, and the cost is about one-third less than first-class. If traveling at night, it may be well to take first-class tickets, as these cars are seldom crowded, and room can be had to stretch out and take a nap. HOTELS. The average hotel charges are much cheaper, in most parts of Europe, than they are in the United States, and the beds and attendance are invariably good, even in second-class establishments. By taking meals in the restaurants the cost is but little more than half the hotel charges, and generally the quality of the food is much better. The table- d'hote dinners at the hotels are, to most Ameri- cans, an abomination, and are only sub- mitted to when ladies are of the party. A tourist of moderate wants can live almost anywhere in Europe at three dol- lars or less per day, without wine. When leaving a hotel, it is next to impossible to get the bill until the carriage is at the door ready to start for the depot. There is then no time to examine its long array of items, but there is sure to be an abun- dance of improper charges. If time is taken to call attention to them, they are stricken off", with all manner of apologies for the errors of the stupid clerk. THE COST OF TRAVEL. The cost of travel depends altogether on the tourist, and can be made to range all the way from five dollars to ten dollars or more per diem. Three or four young men of abstemious habits can land at Queenstown, visit all the principal cities and sights of Ireland, cross to Glasgow and Edinburgh, then to London, and on to Paris ; from thence to Marseilles, and down the Mediterranean on one of the coasting steamers, stopping a day at Genoa, another at Le|i;horn and Pisa, a few hours at Civita Vecchia, and on to Naples, visiting Vesuvius and Pompeii ; thence to Ronle, Florence, Venice, Verona, and Milan ; thence to Como, and up the lake to Colico ; across the Splugen Pass of the Alps into Switzerland, visiting all its lakes and principal cities and sum- mer resorts, as well as climbing some of its mountains ; thence to Mannheim, and down the Rhine to Cologne, and back to Paris, London, Liverpool, and home, for one thousand dollars each, or less, if very economical. The time required for such a tour would be about four months ; at least we, although not as young and active as we once were, made it, in 1872, in two weeks less than four months, and had abundance of time to see everything that was worth seeing. If parties making such a trip finish up Paris and London before starting for Italy, they can strike ofi" from Cologne to Brussels, and thence to Prague, Dresden, and Berlin, and take steamer at Bremen for home without prolonging their time, increasing their expenses, or passing twice over the same ground. RAPID TRAVELING. The tourist can travel as rapidly in Europe as in the United States, the trains everywhere making connections. Most Americans visiting Europe are limited in time. This was our own case during the summer of 1872. Three of our party of four were ladies. We were absent from Paris fifty-seven days, and during that time visited Marseilles, Genoa, Leghorn, Pisa, Civita Vecchia, Naples, Pompeii, Vesuvius, Rome, Florence, Venice, Ve- rona, Milan, Lake Como, crossed the Alps, visited Coire, Zurich, Lucerne, Lake of Zurich, Fluelen, Mount Righi,Einsiedeln, Berne, Interlaken, Lausanne, Genoa, Mont Blanc, Neufchatel, Baden - Baden, Mannheim, down the Rhine, and Cologne. We saw all that was worth seeing, and much more than most persons who spend a year in their journey. It requires, however, love of travel, and pluck and perseverance, to move so rapidly. cook's tours. During last summer we met several of Cook's continental parties, mostly Ameri- cans, and they invariably expressed them- selves as well pleased. They were gener- ally those who were limited in time and not overstocked with money. They had one of the Messrs. Cook accompanying them, who shielded them from all the annoyances of travel, took care of their luggage, acted as guide and general pur- veyor, and protected them from the horde of vultures who make a business of fleec- ing travelers. They had plenty of com- panions, and were generally the most jolly of all the tourists we met. The cost to each was undoubtedly less than it would have been if they had been travel- ing alone, whilst they had nothing to annoy or vex them or ruffle their temper. The party we met at Munich — mostly " Yankee school-teachers" — told us that they paid eight hundred dollars each, and were to be back in New York in one hun- dred and ten days from their departure. ' PUBLISHED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., PHILADELPHIA. DOROTHY FOX. By Louisa Parr, author of " Hero Carthew," etc. With numerous Illustrations, 8vo. Paper cover, 75 cents. Extra cloth, ^1.25. " Such an artiSt is the author of ' Dorothy Fox,' and we must thank her for a charming novel. 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" The many works already in print by this versatile authoress have established her reputation as a novelist, and these short stories contribute largely to the stock of pleasing narratives and adventures alive to the memory of all who are given to romance and fiction." — New Haven Journal. \* For sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent by mail, postpaid, upon receipt of the price by the Publishers, CHMBH BOOK Of OHS, A Miscellany of Popular Aniiijiiitics in connec- tion with the Calendar. INCLUDING ANECDOTE, BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY, CURI- OSITIES OF LITERATURE, AND ODDITIES or HUMAN LIFE AND CHARACTER. REVISED mJDER THE SUPERVISION OP ROBERT CHAMBERS. TWO VOLUMES ROYAL. 8vo. PHce per Set: Cloth, $8; Sheep, $9.50; Half Calf, Gilt, Extra, }j2. THIS WORK CONSISTS OF — J. Matters Connected with the Church Cal- e Hilar, II. Pheitonipna Connected with the Seasonal Chan(/es. m. Folk- Lore of the United Kinr/dont: name- ly, Popular Notions and Observances connected with Times and Seasons. IV. 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Grfat Completeness and Conciseness in thh Biographical Sketches. II. Succinct but Comprehensive Accounts of all THE more Interesting Subjects of Myth- ology. III. A Logical System of Orthography. IV. The Accurate Pronunciation of the Names. V. Full Bibliographical References. " Lippincott's Biographical Dictionary, according to the unanimous opinion of distinguished scholars, is the best work of the kind ever published." — Phila. Ledger. O^Yor Sale by all Booksellers. Descriptive Circulars mailed on application. J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., Publishors, 7ir, and 717 Market St., Philadelphia. An Indispensable Work in every Library and Family, JLN INVALUABLE WORK. XjIIPiFIISrOOTT' s PRONOUNCING Gazetteer of the World, OR CEOGRAPniCAl DICTIONARY, GIVING A DESCRIPTION OF NEARLY 100,000 PLACES, with thh CORRECT PRONUNCIATION OF THEIR NAMES, With an Appendix, containing nearly 10,000 Ad- ditional Notices. edited by J. THOMAS, M.D., and T. BALDWIN. 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