LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA PRESENTED BY Mr. H. H. KM iani LIBRARY BAYARD TAYLOR. 7716 homestead. Chester Co. JElCoraOo JEOitfon THE WORKS OF BAYARD TAYLOR VOLUME I VIEWS A-FOOT BEAUTY AND THE BEAST G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK LONDON 7 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 24 BEDFORD STREET, STRAND &bt Knickerbocker |1ress VIEWS A-FOOT OR EUROPE SEEN WITH KNAPSACK AND STAFF BAYARD TAYLOR AUTHOR S REVISED EDITION Entered, according to Act of Confess; ir. ; year 1855, by G. P. PUTNAM, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. COPYRIGHT BY MARIE TAYLOR 1882 FRANK TAYLOR, THIS STORY OF THE PILGRIMAGE VHOSK TOILS AND ENJOYMENTS WE SHARED TOOKTHEK AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BT HIS RELATIVE AND FRIEND. PREFACE. THIS work was .first published in December, 1846, six months after my return from Europe. Some litera- ry friends, who had been interested in the letters which i sent home during my pedestrian journeys, encouraged me in the design of collecting them, completing the story from my journals, and producing a book, which, while treating of beaten tracks, might possess some interest from the circumstances under which they were trodden. Mr. N". P. Willis, whose kindness to me was as prompt as his friendship has been generous and con- stant, wrote an introduction, giving the buoyancy of his name to a craft which might not otherwise have ridden so fortunately the capricious sea of literary suc- cess. Several editions were sold during the following year, and in August, 1848, I added to the eighth edition a chapter containing some practical information for pedestrians, in answer to numerous letters from young VI PREFACE. men who desired to follow my example. To the same edition I attached the following prefatory remarks : " In presenting to the public a new and improved edition of this re- cord of his wanderings, the author could not justly suffer the opportu- nity to go by, without expressing his grateful acknowledgment of the kindness with which his work has been received. Although his aim was simply to give a narrative of personal experience, which it was hoped might be of some value to many a toiling student in the college of the world, he was aware that it would be considered a test of his literary ability, and that whatever hearing he might have hoped to obtain for the works of maturer years, would be dependent on its success. With a total ignorance of the arts of book-making, and uncertain whether a new voice from the track where thousands had been before him would find a patient auditory, it was therefore not without considera- ble anxiety that he gave his volume to the world. But he was not prepared to hope for such an immediate and generous favor as it re- ceived. By the press of our own country, as well as the more rigid reviewers of Great Britain, whatever merits it possesses were cordially appreciated, while its faults were but lightly touched perhaps from a sympathy with the youth of the author, and the plan of his enthusias- tic pilgrimage. But what was most grateful of all, he learned that many another young and hopeful spirit had been profited and encou- raged by his own experience, and was ready to try the world with as little dependence on worldly means. The letters he received from young men whose hopes and circumstances were what his own had been, gave welcome evidence that he had not written in vain ; He will not say that this knowledge repaid him for whatever toil and hardship he had undergone ; whoever is subjected to the same experience will learn that it brings its own reward ; but it will nerve him henceforth to bear any lot, however severe, through which he may be enabled to say a word that shall cheer or strengthen another. " He i now fully aware how much he has omitted from these pages, which would have been curious and perhaps instructive to the reader; PREFACE. VH how many blunders of inexperience ; how much thoughtless confi" dence in the world ; how many painful struggles with pride, and ft too selfish independence ; how many strange extremities of want and amus- ing expedients of relief. His reluctance to relate much that was entire- ly personal and could not have been told without some little sacrifice of feeling, has since been regretted, from the belief that it might have been useful to others. Perhaps, however, it will be better that each one should learn these lessons for himself. There is a sensation of novelty, which, even in the most embarrassing situations, produces a desperate kind of enjoyment, and in addition to this, the sufferer's sympathies for humanity are very much deepened and enlarged by an acquaintance with its trials. " In preparing the present edition of his book, the author at first contemplated a complete revision. The fact that seven editions had been sold in a year and a half from the publication, seemed to require that he should make such improvements as his riper judgrnen' suggested, and which should render it more worthy of so extensive a circulation. But further reflection convinced him that it would be best to make little change. It was written during his wanderings partly by the wayside, when resting at mid-day, and partly on the rough tables of peasant inns, in the stillness of deserted ruins, or amid the sublime soli- tude of the mountain-top. It thus reflects faithfully the impress of his own mind, in every part of the journey, and he would prefer that it should remain a boyish work, however lacking in finish of composition, rather than risk taking away whatever spirit it may have caught from nature. Some particulars, which have been desired by persons about to undertake a similar journey, and which may be generally interesting, have been given in a new chapter at the close." At the time the foregoing preface was written, I aid not venture to anticipate that the work would become permanently popular. It had fulfilled the object of its publication, and I should have been satisfied had Vlll PREFACE. it then gradually passed away from the remembrance of the reading public. Since that time, however, twelve more editions have been sold, and there appears to be an increase rather than an abatement of the demand for it. "When, therefore, Mr. Putnam, in order to produce a collected and uniform edition of my tra- vels, proposed to destroy the original stereotype plates and reprint the work, to correspond with the later volumes, I could not suffer the opportunity to pass with- out giving it that careful revision which was rendered necessary by its crudities of style and carelessness of arrangement. I have endeavored to make no change which should impair that spirit of boyish confidence and enthusiasm, to which alone I must attribute the success of the work. I have not meddled with the language further than to correct occasional violations of taste. My task has been, to omit much that was irrelevant to the story and to my object in telling it, replacing these omissions with personal particulars, which had been withheld through an unnecessary pride. I have even in some instances suffered opinions to stand, which I have long since outgrown, because they illustrate my ignorance and immaturity at the time. My object is to make this account of my two years' experiment more clear and intelligible to the reader to retain everything that is novel or characteristic, while relieving it of an over- plus of mere description, which possesses no general interest. I have also added an introductory chapter, PREFACE. containing all the particulars mentioned by Mr. "Willis in his original introduction, with others which seemed necessary to make the story complete. In with- drawing the book from the shelter of that gentle- man's name, I can do no less than say that the kindness of heart which made him one of my first literary friends, leaves me still his debtor; but those who know him truly, know that indebtedness to him is a burden lightly and gladly borne. In conclusion, I must disclaim any particular talent for economy, which has sometimes been accorded to me, on account of having seen so much on such short allowance. Had I possessed more I should have spent more, and the only value of my experience is, to prove to young men of scanty means that they need not ne- cessarily be debarred from enjoying the pleasures and the advantages of travel. The story of this experience lias been, and may still be, useful to others ; and I claim for it no further merit than that of truth, without reserve or exaggeration. B. T XK\V YORK, October, 1855. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Introductory . CHAPTER II. the Second Cabin Our Fellow Passengers Sea Life The Banks of Newfoundland- Black Fish Unfavorable Weather The Iowa Indians Their Songs and Dances- Raising the Wind Off the Hebrides First Sight of Land Scenery of the North Channel A Burial at Sea The Isle of Man Approach to Liverpool Objects on Landing A Race for the Custom House A Day in Liverpool, .... 84 CHAPTER III. Leaving Liverpool The Second Cabin again Irish Fellow Passengers The Channel The Northern Coast of Ireland Port Rush A Rainy Day An Irish Hut Dunluce Castle Rain and Ruin The Giant's Causeway The Giant's Well- Basaltic Columns The Giant's Organ, and Chimneys A Coast Scene The Shore at Night Wandering in the Storm Return to Port Rush, .... 33 CHAPTER IV. Passage to Greenock The Deck Passengers Arrival at Night The Blind Fiddler- Dumbarton Rock An Adventure" On Leven's Banks "Loch Lomond Voyage up the Lake Anecdotes Sailing on a Meadow The Ascent of Ben Lomond- View from the Summit The Descent Highland Scenery Loch Katrine The Boatmen Trip down the Lake Ellen's Isle The Trosachs The Inn of Ard- cheancrochan, ..............41 CHAPTER V. tfornlng on Loch Katrine Walk to Stirling Out-door Life The Burns Festival Preparations Journey to Ayr The " Twa Brigs " The Streets of Ayr Scotch Blears An Incident The Burns Cottage Alloway Kirk English Exclusiveness The Sister and Sons of Burns Lord Eglintoun Professor Wilson The Proces- sion Performance of Tam O'Shanter The Burns Monument Speech of Robert Burns An Anecdote of the Poet Crowd at the Station Return to Glasgow, 5* XH CONTENTS. CHAPTER VL Bide to Edinburgh The Monumental City Lost and Found Seeing Edinburgh The March Resumed The Muirfoot Hills American Books at Melrose Wading the Tweed Abbotsford The Armory and Library Scott's Study A '-Prospect" Recovered Ruins of Melrose Abbey Teviot Dale Jedburgh Over the Border Scenery of the Cheviots Appreciative Tourists Shepherds on Chevy Chase The Moorland A Night at Whelpington Knowes Walk to Newcastle Cheap Lodgings The Roman Wall Miners in Distress Passage for London A Meeting The Voyage The Thames at Night London at Dawn, 64 CHAPTER VIL Entering London Cheap Lodgings and Bad Company The Thoroughfares St Paul's View from the Dome St. James's Park Westminster Abbey Poet's Corner Tombs of Sovereigns Hall of the Bath The Thames Tunnel The lowas again The Parks Crime and Misery in London The End of our Sojourn Cost of the Tour through Scotland, 79 CHAPTER VIIL Feelings on Visiting the Continent Imprisonment at Dover Arrival at Ostend A Stroll The Streets of Bruges The Cathedral The Belfry and its Chimes A Night on the Canal Ghent A Rainy Ride Scenery of the Meuse Entering Prussia Aix-la-Chapelle The Cathedral The Tomb of Charlemagne The Ca- thedral of Cologne Tradition of its Plan The Smells of the Streets, . . 88 CHAPTER IX. [n Heidelberg The Star Hotel at Bonn Passing the Drachenfela Coblentz and Ehrenbreitstein The Charms of the Rhine Lnrlei Rock and its Echo A Rainbow at Oberwesel Mayence Ride to Frankfort Hunting an Address Mr. Richard S. Willis The Festival at Darmstadt Scenery of the Bergstrasse German Peasants Fellow Passengers Heidelberg at Sunset A Resting Place, . . . .96 CHAPTER X. Rooms in Heidelberg The Landlady View from our Window The Valley of the Neckar Heidelberg Castle The Towers The Great Tun The Wolfsbrnnnen An Afternoon Party Ascent of the Heiligenberg The Pastor of Zeigelhausen The University Library A Wedding Conscripts German Cookery and Cus- tomsThe Melibochus The Sea of Rocks The Giant's Column Return, . 105 CHAPTER XL Removal to Frankfort A German Parting Twilight on the Mountains The Inn of Elsbacb A <>osty Morning A Village Fair The Castle of Erbach Historical Armor An Antiquarian Theft Curiosity of the Peasants Castle of the "Wild Huntsman An Old Peasant The Emigrant Family, 117 CHAPTER XIL Frankfort and its Associations Our Quarters Mr. Richard 3. "Willis The Market- WomenInauguration of the Statue of Goethe The Streets of Frankfort The Main Bridge The Golden Cock Weather Baron Rothschild The Promenades- Celebration of the Vintage The Poet Freiligrath, 125 CONTENTS. Xlii CHAPTER XIII. A. Walk to Heidelberg Winter Journey A Commers The Red Fisherman The Hall of Assembly The Students Songs and Speeches The Ceremony of the Landsfather Gcrvinus and Schlosser A Duel at Neuenheim Its Result Charac- ter of the Students, 184 CHAPTER XIV. Expenses of the First Six Months Abroad Prospects for the Future Christmas In Germany The Christmas Booths Visit of St. Nicholas Preparations for Christ- mas Excitement among the Children Christmas Eve The Christmas Tree- Poetry of the Festival Welcome to the New Tear Scene in the Streets, 148 CHAPTER XV. Sports on the Ice Lessing's Picture of Huss The Eschernheim Tower Severity of the Winter Sufferings of Men and Boasts My Winter Life Matteus and the Stove Hopes of Spring The Fair Picturesque Crowds A Vender of Black.. i;g Rise of the Main The City Inundated Sachsenhausen under Water A Day of Sunshine Faces in the Streets German Beauty The Flood Increases Devasta- tion The River Falls An Explosion German Fire-Engines and Firemen, . 149 CHAPTER XVI. The Beauty of Spring The Frankfort Cemetery Precautions agai.ist Burying Alive Monument by Tborwaldsen The Speaking Deaf Manner of Healing them Story of a Boy The Hall of the Emperors Mendelssohn, the Composer Seeing him in a Crowd Interview with him His Personal Appearance and Conversation, 168 CHAPTER XVII. Leaving Frankfort Plan of our German Tour The Country In Spring A " Fighting" Journeyman Giessen The Valley of the Lahn Foot-travelling In Hesse Cassel A Village Inn A Tattling Boy Mountain Scenery Meeting with Students The City of Cassel Carl, the Student Walk to the Wilhelmshohe The Giant's Castle-^ Cascades and fountains, 172 CHAPTER XVIIL Parting from Carl The Town of Munden Illness Gottingen, and a Physician- Approach to the Hartz Osterode Entering the Mountains Wild Scenery A Stormy Night Climbing the Brocken A Snow Storm Perilous Travelling The Brocken House The Spectre Peeps through the Clouds Descent of the Brocket Valleys of the Hartz The Rosstrappe The Landlady's Legend Walk to Hal- berstadt A Suspicious Inu The Sleeping Chamber Anticipation of Murder- Relief, 18 CHAPTER XIX. Magdeburg Suspected Passengers Leipsic View of the Battle-Fleld The Rosen- thai Schiller's Room Auerbach's Cellar Leipsic Publishers Gerstacker Charms of Dresden The Picture Gallery The Madonna di San Sisto Monument to Moreau The Royal Library The Green Vaults Cages of Gems Royal Play- things, 194 rlv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XX. Farewell to Dresden The King of 8r \ony-Beanty of the Country Snnkon Glens The Uttewalder Grund- Precipice of the Bastei Effects of the Inundation The Fortress of Konigstein Anecdote of a Baron A Mountain Valley A Cascade Show The Kuhstall The Little Winterberg Cloudy Landscapes The Prcl.ix I, thor Entering Austria Bohemian Scenery The Battle-Field of Kulin The Baths of Teplitz Plains of the Elbe Distant View of Prague, . . . 2C8 CHAPTER XXI. Impressions of Prague Past and Present The Moldau Bridge Johannes of Xi-j>- muck A Day Dream The Cathedral The Shrine of Nepomuck Jesuitical Musi& An Attack of Jews The Old Hebrew Cemetery, ... .215 CHAPTER XXII. The Scenery of Bohemia The Inhabitants Wayside Shrines Disgusting Images Devotion of the People Iglau The Peasant Girls Bohemian Teams A Religions Pageant A New Companion His Astonishment Lodging with the Lancers The City of Znaim Talk with the Handwerker Rain A Drunken Baron Summer Scenery First View of the Alps The Valley -jf the Danube Arrival at Vienna, 222 CHAPTER XXIII. Vienna The Ferdinand's Bridge The Streets The Old City The Suburbs Beau ty of the Prater St. Stephen's Cathedral The Belvidere Gallery The Lowei Belvldere Historical Relics The Respectful Custode The Iron Stick Strauss and his Band The Tomb of Beethoven Galleries of Art The Imperial Library Cabinet of Natural History State Carriages of Austria Prince Liechtenstein's Gallery Correggio's Venus and Cupid The Imperial Armory The Crusty Custode A Pole Relics of the Past Banners of the Crusaders A Scene at the Police Office Light Hearts and Empty Parses, 282 CHAPTER XXIV. A Strong Wind The Palace of Schonbrunn The Abbey of Melk The Luxury of Foot-Travel American Scenery Rencontre with Bohemian Gipsies Danubian Landscapes The Styrian Alps HolyFlorian Votive Shrines Linz and its Towers More Money Wanted Lambach A Mountain Portrait Falls of the Trauii Bat- tle-Field of the Unknown Student, 249 CHAPTER XXV. ITie Lake of Gmunden Amone the Alps The Lumber Business The Baths of Ischl St Wolfgang Climbing the Schafberg Lost The Track of an Avalanche Walking over a Forest Panorama from the Snmmit Descent to St. Gilgeri An Alpine Eden The Shoemaker and his Wif. " Footsteps of Angels" The Valley of Salzburg- The Alps -The Boy of the Mountain Sights in Salzburg Entering Bavaria People and Scenery -Wasscrburp Field of Hohenlinden Arrival at Munich An Enthusiastic Acquaintance, 258 CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XXVI. The Splendor of Munich King Ludwig's Labors The Lndwigstrasse The Library The Church of St. Louis Monument to Eugene Beauharnoia The Parks on the Isar-The New Residence Magnificence of its Halls Hall of the Throne The King's Apartments The Royal Chapel A Picture of Devotion The Glyptothek Its Sculptures The Son of Niobe The Pinacothek A Giant The Basilica Schwanthaler's Studio History of an Artisan Condition of our Finances, . 271 CHAPTER XXVII. The Railroad to Augsburg Traces of Ancient Splendor Walk to Ulm Entering Wurtemburg Seeking Lodgings In the Rain The il Golden Wheel" Funds Good-bye to the Alps The Valley of the Fils The Suabian Land Arrival at Stuttgard Thorwaldsen's Statue of Schiller The Bewildered Omnibus Driver Walking in the Kain Ludwigsburg Empty Pockets Beauty of the Zabergau The Last Night Approaching Heidelberg Familiar Scenes The Castle An End of Hardship A Student's Burial Return to Frankfort A Midnight Farewell, 284 CHAPTER XXVIII. On the way to Italy Meeting with a Neighbor A Talk with the Farmers Journey to Freiburg The Minster Market Day The New Railroad The Institute for the Blind The Grand Duchess Stephanie The Kingdom of Heaven The Valley of Hell Natives of the Black Forest Climbing the Feldberg Scenery of the Black Forest The Alp again We enter Switzerland Schaffhausen The Falls of the Rhine t 296 CHAPTER XXIX. Canton Zurich The Country and People The City of Zurich Its Promenades Friendly Greetings Walk along the Lake Shore The Alp-Glow The Grave of Ulrlch von Hutten Freiligrath, the Banished Poet The Alps in the Rain Ein- siedeln The Cathedral and Pilgrims Music Alpine Scenery The Slide of the Rossberg Schwytz The Lake of the Four Cantons The Meadow of Grutli Tell's ChapeW Altorf Night In the Valley of the Reuss, 806 CHAPTER XXX. An Alpine Day Chasm of the Reuss The Devil's Bridge Andermatt Climbing the St. Gothard Summit of the Pass A Rapid Descent into Italy Valley of the Ticlno Rugged Scenery Southern Vegetation Vineyards Italian Experiences- Junction with the Splugen Road Bacchus On Lago Magglore The Borromea^ Isles> Landing in Lombardy An Italian Landlord Arrival at Milan, . . 817 CHAPTER XXXL The Streets of Milan The Dnomo Its Interior Art based on Nature Italian Priestcraft The Arch of Peace Financial Distress Relieved by a German Lawyer Thunder Stoims Lions In Pavia Crossing the Po Magnificent View of the Alps The Second Day's Travel An Italian Sunset A Pinta of Wine- Morning Pilgrim Travel First View of the Mediterranean The Deacent to Genoa, 827 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIL Genoa t Snnset Appearance of the City A Religious Procession Anothei Financial Difficulty Embarking for Leghorn A Night at Be* Morning in Tus cany--Landing A Polyglott Population The Ardenza Criminals at Work -Mj Comrades Relieved Approach to Pisa The City The Leaning Tower --The Echo in the Baptistery The Campo Santo A Vettnrino for Florence An Italian Companion Night-Journey in flie Rain Florence at Last, . . 839 CHAPTER XXXIIL Rooms in Florence Cost of Living The Royal Gallery The Venus de Medici Titian and Raphael Michael Angelo -The Hall of Niobe Value of Art to Italy A Walk to Fiesole View of Val d'Arno Ancient Roman Theatre Etruscan Walls The Tombs of Santa Croce The Pitti Palace Titian's "Bella" Th. Ma donna della Sedia Michael Angelo f s "Fates" The Boboli Gardens Royal a^d Republican Children, . . 851 CHAPTER XXXIV. A Pilgrimage to Vallombrosa The Valley of the Arno Rain Tuscan Peasants Pellago Associations Climbing the Mountain Pastoral Scenery Monastic Wealth Arrival at Vallombrosa An Italian Panorama The Paradisino An Escape from the Devil A Capture by the Devil The Chapel Milton in Italy- Departure from Vallombrosa Evening en the Mountain Side The Charms of * Italy, ......... 862 CHAPTER XXXV. A Walk to Siena The Landlady The Inn at Querciola Siena and its Cathedral- Parting from F The Grapes of Italy The Dome of the Duomo Climbing in the Dark A Cathedral Scene Walk to Pratolino The Vintage The Colossus of the Appenines The Grand Duke's Farm Degeneracy of the Modern Italians The Joy of Travel The Races at the Cascine The Holy Places of Florence The Anatomical Museum American Artists in Florence Progress of American Art Brown Kellogg Greenough Ives Mozier Powers The Statue of Eve The Fisher Boy Ibrahim Pasha in Florence Tuscan Winter Galileo's Tower Our Financial Experiences Relief The Memory of Pleasure and Privation An Inci dent Boat Voyage on the Arno Amateur Starvation The Ascent 01 Monte Morello The Chapel of the Medici A Farewell Meditation, . .871 CHAPTER XXXVL Departure from Florence Rain among the Appenines The Inn at Cucina Talks with the Tuscan Peasants Central Italy Arezzo Italian Country Inns Engaging a Calesino Lake Thrasymenc The Battle-field Night-Ride to Perugia Journey to Folizno Vale of the ClKumrius Onr Fellow Passengers Spoleto and Monte Soinma Tern! without the Cascade Narni Otricoli Travelling by Vctturino Soracte at Sunset Walking with the Dragoon The Campa^na First Sight of St. Peter's Entering Rome The Pantheon by Starlipht The Dragoons Adieu- Rome, .... 894 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXVII. !"h.- l-'ir-t I) iv in Koine The Corso We find the Forum Trajan's Column Papal Profanation St. Peter's Found The Square and Obelisk The Interior of St- Peter's Tho (laMi'Hcs of tli.- Vatican Statues Ancient Art Hemicycle of tho Belvidere The Laocoon The Divine Apollo New Year's Day In Koine -The Quirinal Hill St. John Lateran The Temple of Vesta The Pyramid of Cestius The TomUs of K.-ats and Shelley The Ruins of Rome The Coliseum at Sun.set^- Man-.oli HIM of Aui_'iitus Crawford's Studio The Square of the Pantheon Pro- fun, ami Pious T? _'_':irs Tho Trattoria del Sole Impressions of Roman Ruins The Coliseum by Moonlight, 407 CHAPTER XXXVIII. Excursion to Tivoll A Sulphur Bath The Temple of the Sibyl A Windy Night The Cascade of the Anio The Caseatelles The Campagna Museum of the Capitol The Dying Gladiator Ruins on the Cainpagna Tomb of Cecilia MeU-lla The Aqueducts Egerla's Grotto The Villa Borghese Tasso's Tomb Passport Fees in Italy The Turning Point of the Pilgrimage Farewell 1 . .' . 423 CHAPTER XXXIX. Departure from Rome The Campajrna The Shore of the Mediterranean Civita Vecchia The handsome Sailor Disadvantage of not being Servants Embarking Sleeping on Deck Elba and Corsica by Moonlight Second Night on the Deck A Rainy Day at Genoa A Stormy Night A Sailor's Compassion The Coast of France Approach to Marseilles The Two Servants Marseilles Our Circum- stances. 482 CHAPTER XL. ">! Hills of Provence Rainy Travel A night at Alx Provencal Scenery The Mother of Soldiers -Bivouac at Senas The Valley of the Sorgues Approach to Vandiisc The Fountain of Vaucluso More Rain A Gleam of Sunshine Avignon The Blacksmith's Shop Economical Travel The Kindness of the Poor Roman llciii'ii-i< .t Onnir. Travel up the Rhone A Soldier's Camp Daybreak Scene V aK-iie The llhon, v Night at Vienne Approach to Lyons A Quandary Monsieur and Madame Ferrand The Mistrust of Poverty Experiences In Lyons Gloomy Days I* CfccA/* The Sixth Day The Letter A Plan to Borrow a Franc The Relief Excitement A Marvellous Change, 440 CHAPTER XLI. The Pleasure of Rest Leaving Lyons-- Voyage up the Saone An Inundation The Strolling Musicians and their Child Walking In Burgundy The Upland Region A Drenching Storm Slow Ride to Auxerre Miseries of a Country Diligence The Bloody Seine Arrival at Paris Getting a Draft Paid Seeing Paris perforce Letters from Home. 467 m \PTER XLII. Rooms to Let A disappointed Landlord Our Apartment, chat Lambert Living on a Franc a Day Amusements The Streets of Paris The Place de la Concorde The Hotel des Invalides Tii,- (i.-inl,-n of the Tnilerics What we -aw -The Aim-ri can Minister An Experience of Suicide Empty Pockets again The Sick Mer- chant Lying in Wait The Relief 1 Determine to visit London, . . 4<* XV111 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XLIII. Leaving Paris Versailles Travel in March The Suspicious Landlord The Scenery of Normandy Rouen The Vale of the Cailly A Windy Night 1 Hail the Atlantic A Night at Dieppe Crossing the Channel From Brighton to London. . 478 CHAPTER XLIV. My Circumstances Lodgings In Aldgate Visits to the Printers Illiberal Rules of the Craft Dodging a Landlord Success and Failure Happy and Penniless Visit to Mr. Putnam The Mistrust of Poverty Employment at Last Life in Aldgate Letters of Introduction A Breakfast with Lockbart Bernard Barton Croly Daniel O'Connell, and a Temperance Meeting Trip to Greenwich The "Fun of the Fair "Games in the Park Greenwich Hill Ground and Lofty Tumbling A Swinging Experiment London Atmosphere A Fog Arrival of Money and Friends Embarking for Home, ......... 4T8 CHAPTER XLV. Quarters on Ship-board Passage through the Channel Portsmouth The Voyage Home Excitement of Return Landing Lind Sights and Scents The Last Day of the Pilgrimage Approaching Home The Lighted Window Requisites for a Pedestrian Journey Travelling on Small Allowance Cost of Sleeping The Knap- sack Manner of Travel Open -Air Life A Pedestrian's Equipment Books Sketching German Students Companions Ignorance concerning America Hotels Country Taverns Passports Funds Personal Safety Comparative Expense of Different Countries Statement of my Expenses Farewell, . 494 VIEWS A-F GOT CHAPTER L INTRODUCTORY. AN enthusiastic desire of visiting the Old World haunted me* from early childhood. I cherished a presentiment, amounting to positive belief, that I should one day behold Khe scenes, among which my fancy had so long wandered. When n boy of ten years I read Willis's " Pencillings by the Way,' as they appeared from week to week in the country newspaper, and the contemplation of those charming pictures of scenery and society filled me with a thousand dreams and aspirations. I wandered along the shores of the Mediter- ranean, while hoeing corn or tending cattle in my father's fields ; the geography of Europe and the East was at my tongue's end, and the confidence with which I spoke of going to London, and Paris, and Rome, often subjected me to the ridicule of my schoolfellows. But this confidence 18 VIEWS A-FOOT. was too settled for either ridicule or reason to shake in the slightest degree. In my fifteenth year, a little hook entitled " The Tourist in Europe," written by Mr. George P. Putnam, fell into ray hands. In addition to lively sketches of a summer trip on the continent, it contained the programmes of several Euro- pean tours, with statements of the time, expenses, and other details of travel, which furnished me with a hasis whereon to construct my own plans. The want of means was a serious check to my anticipations ; but I could not content myself to wait until I had slowly accumulated so large a sum as tourists usually expend. It seemed to me that a more hum- ble method of seeing the world would place within the power of almost every one, what had hitherto been deemed the privilege of the wealthy few. Meanwhile, two years passed away, and I became an apprentice to the printing business in the neighboring county town. Howitt's " Rural Life in Germany," which appeared about this time, confirm- ed me in my ideas, and I resolved to delay no longer, but to undertake a pedestrian tour through Europe, as soon afi I could obtain sufficient means to start with. It was not simply the desire for a roving life which impelled me ; it was the wish to become acquainted with other languages and other races : to behold the wonders of classic and mediaeval Art ; to look upon renowned landscapes and feel the magic of grand historical associations ; in short, to educate myself more completely and variously than my situation and circumstances enabled me to do at home. With this riew, I wrote to several gentlemen who had made the tour of Europe, requesting information and advice. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 19 Without a single exception they answered that it would be impossible to travel according to the estimates I had made, or without the possession of sums, which then appeared to me fortunes in themselves. I was not discouraged by their replies, but, although I was entirely without money and could not see where it was to come from, felt myself con- tinually drawing nearer to the realization of my hopes. Finally, in January, 1844, my cousin, Dr. Frank Taylor, announced his determination to visit Europe, and urged me to accompany him. I had still two years of my apprentice- ship to serve ; the project was opposed by my friends as something utterly visionary and impracticable ; my cousin had barely sufficient means for himself, and my pockets were as empty as they could well be ; but I decided to go. For some months previous, I had been publishing from time to time occasional boyish poems, which had procured me the kind encouragement of Dr. Griswold, who was then editor of " Graham's Magazine," and of Mr. N. P. Willis, who was conducting the " New Mirror." The former gen- tleman had advised me to commence my literary career with a small volume of these effusions, and the idea came into my head that by so doing, I might on the strength of some inherent promise in the poems obtain a newspaper corre- spondence which would start me on my way. My friends, whose personal kindness exceeded, for the time, their lite- rary taste, subscribed for a sufficient number of copies to defray the expense of publication, and in the following month, a small volume of very crude verses appeared. It was charitably noticed by the Philadelphia press, however, and subserved my plans by introducing me to the acquaint- 20 VIEWS A-FOOT. auce of several literary gentlemen, who promised to aid me with their influence. Trusting to this faint prospect of procuring employment, I made preparations to leave t Ill- printing-office, which I fortunately accomplished without difficulty, the editor being willing to release me from my engagement on conditions which I was able to fulfil. Another friend and schoolfellow, Mr. Barclay Pennock (whose recently published " Religion of the Northmen" has made his name known to the literary world), joined my cousin and myself, and we at once began to prepare for our departure. I made many applications to different editors, and met with nothing but disappointment. Europe was already becoming familiar to the reading public, and merely descriptive letters, although not yet a drug in the literary market, were no longer in the same demand as formerly. Two weeks before the day fixed upon for leaving home, I had secured no employment, and did not possess a dollar towards my outfit. I then went to Philadelphia and spent two or three days in calling upon all the principal editors and publishers of the city, but I seemed doomed to be unsuccessful. At last, when I was about to return home, not in despair, but in a state of wonder as to where my funds would come from (for I felt certain they would come), Mr. Patterson, at that time publisher of the Saturday Eve- ning Post, offered me fifty dollars, in advance for twelve letters, with the promise of continuing the engagement, if the letters should be satisfactory. The Hon. Joseph R. Chandler, editor of the United States Gazette, then made me a similar offer. It is needless to say that I instantly and joyfully accepted both, and thus found myself in possession INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 21 of one hundred dollars. Mr. George H. Graham also paid me liberally for some manuscript poems, and I returned home in triumph, with a fund of one hundred and forty dollars, which at that time seemed sufficient to carry me to the end of the world. Our plan was to spend a year and a half in Europe, and I trusted implicitly to future remuneration for letters for my means, or, if that should fail, to my skill as a composi- tor, for I supposed I could at the worst work my way through Europe, like the German hindwerksburschen. My parents, who had good reason to look upon the project at first as the mad whim of a hoy, were encouraged by this first success, and their reluctant consent removed the only shadow that hung over iny dazzling hopes ; but many good old country friends shook their heads gravely, predicting that we would all return as repentant prodigals, in less than six months. Our slender preparations were soon made. My cousin and myself travelled on foot to Washington, called on Mr. Calhoun, then Secretary of State, procured our passports, and walked home again. We took no more baggage than we could carry in our hands, for, as we antici- pated being obliged to practise the strictest economy, we determined to commence with the very moment of leaving home. Towards the close of June the farewells were said, and we went with light hearts, and by the cheapest route, tc New York. I called at once upon Mr. Willis, who sympathized with my own enthusiasm, and strengthened me with his hearty encouragement. He gave me a note of recommendation, with which I visited the editors of the leading journals, but 22 VIEWS A-FOOT. failed to make any further engagements, except a condi- tional one with Horace Greeley, of the New York Tribune, When I first called upon this gentleman, whose friendship it is now my pride to claim, he addressed me with that honest bluntness which is habitual to him : " I am sick of descriptive letters, and will have no more of them. But I should like some sketches of German life and society, after you have been there and know something about it. If the letters are good, you shall be paid for them, but don't write until you know something." This I faithfully promised, and kept my promise so well, that I am afraid the eighteen letters which I afterwards sent from Germany, and which were published in the Tribune, were dull in proportion as they were wise. Mr. Willis also gave me letters to some printers of his acquaintance in London, thinking they might be useful in case I should be compelled to resort to my handicraft. Our first plan was to take passage to some continental port, and we spent two days in visiting the vessels in the North and East Rivers, but could find none in which the fare was less than fifty dollars. We were on the point of embarking .in a Dutch vessel, bound for Antwerp, the cap- tain of which agreed to take us for that sum, after Mr. Wil- lis had interceded with the consignees in our behalf; but as we afterwards found we should be obliged to furnish our own bedding and incur various other expenses, we relin- quished this chance, calculating that a steerage passage to England would cost us but half the money, while the remaining twenty -five dollars would support us for at least a month after our arrival. We therefore took what was INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 23 then called a second-cabin passage, in the ship Oxford, for Liverpool. The second-cabin was a small space amid-ships, flanked with bales of cotton, and fitted up with temporary berths of rough planks. We paid ten dollars apiece for the passage, with the privilege of finding our own bedding and provisions. At a warehouse of ships' stores on Pine street wharf we found everything that we needed, and received great assistance from the salesman, who calculated with per- fect honesty and exactness what articles we should need, and what quantity of each. In our inexperience we should probably have gone to sea but half supplied. The ship's cook, for a small compensation, undertook to prepare our provisions, thus relieving us from one of the most disagreea- ble necessities of a second-class passage. On summing up our expenses we were gratified to find that we should reach Liverpool at a cost of twenty-four dollars apiece. On the 1st of July, 1844, we left New York, sending a last hastily pencilled note by the pilot, to our relatives at home. As the blue hills of Neversink faded away and sank with the sun behind the ocean, and I first felt the swells of the Atlantic and the premonitions of sea-sickness, my heart failed me, for the first and last time. The irre- vocable step was taken ; there was no possibility of retreat, and a vague sense of doubt and alarm possessed me. Had I then known anything of the world this feeling would have been more than momentary ; but to my ignorance and enthusiasm all things seemed possible, and the thoughtless *nd happy confidence of youth soon returned. CHAPTER II. THE VOYAGE. The Second Cabin Our Fellow Passengers Sea Life The Banks of Newfoundland- Black Fish Unfavorable Weather The Iowa Indians Their Songs and Dances Raising the Wind Off the Hebrides First Sight of Land Scenery of the North Channel A Burial at Sea The Isle of Man Approach to Liverpool Objects on Landing A Race for the Custom House A Day in Liverpool. THE second cabin of the Oxford was just abaft the main- mast. A hatchway, barely large enough to admit a man's body, communicated with the deck, or rather, with that portion of it which we were allowed to frequent. Below, there were eight berths and nine passengers, two of whom were therefore obliged to turn in together. The lot fell upon my cousin and myself, and as the berths were barely wide enough for one, and not more than five feet long. I suffered nightly tortures from cramped limbs. Our only light came through the hatch, which was battened down in stormy weather, leaving us in almost total darkness, with a horrid sense of suffocation. Our box of stores, with a bag of potatoes, were stowed under the berths, and our barrel of pilot-bread served as a seat. Our fellow-passengers were a OUR FELLOW PA- SENDERS. 26 motley company. There was an intelligent German student, with a pale, melancholy face ; a wild young Englishman, evidently of good family, but a runaway and heartily tired of sailor life ; an honest Scotch woman, who had been two years in Vermont; two Irish grocers, and one of those indi' viduals whose characters are colorless, and whose presence is almost as blank as the memory of them. We were soon on familiar terms, and did our best to dissipate, by harmless jollity, the annoyances of our situation. The German, whose whole stock of provisions consisted of ten pounds of soda crackers and a few lemons, was soon thrown upon our hospitality, which he accepted with a readiness that made him welcome. The Scotch woman, who entertained us with legends of " that terrible man, Graham of Claverhouse," shared also with us her store of Vermont gingerbread, as long as it lasted. The Englishman sat down beside us with his platter, and encouraged a mutual exchange of delicacies ; but 1 must d. to be fearful we were doomed to remain there forever, unless the spirits were invoked for a favorable wind. Accordingly the prophet lit his pipe and smoked with great deliberation, muttering all the while in a low voice. Then, having obtained a bottle of beer from the captain, he poured it solemnly over the stern of the vessel into the sea. There were some indications of wind at the time, and accordingly the next morning we had a fine breeze, which the lowas attributed solely to the Prophet's incantation and the offering of beer. After a succession of calms and adverse winds, on the 25th we were off the Hebrides, and though not within sight of land the southern winds came to us strongly freighted with the meadow freshness of the Irish bogs, so we could at least smell it. That day the wind became more favorable, and the next morning we were all roused out of our berths by sunrise, at the long wished -for 'cry of "land!" Just under the golden flood of light that streamed through the morning clouds, lay afar-off and indistinct the crags of an island, with the top of a light-house visible at one extremity. To the south of it, and barely distinguishable, so completely was it blended in hue with the veiling cloud, loomed up a lofty mountain. I shall never forget the sight. As we drew nearer, the dim and soft outline it first wore, was broken into a range of crags, with lofty precipices jutting out to the sea. ana sloping off inland The white wall of the light-house shone in the morning's light, and the foaum et? &e 'breakers THE NORTH CHANNEL.. 20 dashed up at the foot of the airy cliffs. It was worth all the troubles of a long voyage, to feel the glorious excitement which this herald of new scenes and new adventures created. The light-house was on Tory Island, on the north-western coast of Ireland. The captain decided on taking the North Channel, as it was in our case nearer, as well as more interest- ing than the usual route. We passed the Island of Ennistrahul, near the entrance of Londonderry harbor, and at sunset saw in' the distance the islands of Islay and Jura, off the Scottish coast. Next morning we were close to the promontory of Fairhead, a bold, precipitous headland, like some of the Palisades on the Hudson ; the highlands of the Mull of Cantire were on the opposite side of the Channel, and the wind l.eing ahead, we tacked from shore to shore, running so near the Irish coast, that we could see the little thatched huts, stacks of peat, ,ind even rows of potatoes in the fields. It was a cheering panorama : the view extended for miles inland, and the fields of different colored grain were spread out before us, a brilliant mosaic. Towards evening we passed Ailsa Crag, the sea-birds' home, within sight, though about twenty miles distant. Some fishermen came off to us, towards evening, and we succeeded in exchanging a few pounds of pilot bread for fresh fish, which, fried by our black cook, made us a feast fit for the Gods. Our provisions, which had held out remarkably well, were almost entirely exhausted, and this unexpected supply was as welcome to us as the loaves and fishes to the famished multitude. On Sunday, the 28th, we parsed the lofty headland of the Mull of Galloway and entered the Irish Sea. Here there 80 VIEWS A-FOOT. wa* an occurrence of an impressive nature. A woman belonging to the steerage, who had been ill the whole pas- sage, died the morning before. She appeared to be of a very avaricious disposition, though this might indeed have been the result of a laudable self-denial. In the morning she was speechless, and while they were endeavoring to persuade her to give up her keys to the captain, died. In her pocket were found two parcels, containing forty sovereigns, sewed up with the most miserly care. It was ascertained she had a widowed mother in the north of Ireland, and judging her money could be better applied than to paying for a funeral on shore, the captain gave orders for committing the body to the waves It rained drearily as her corpse, covered with starred bunting, was held at the gangway while the captain read the funeral service ; then one plunge was heard, and a white ob- ject flashed up through the dark waters, as the ship passed on. In the afternoon we passed the Isle of Man, having a beautiful view of the Calf, with a white stream tumbling down the rocks into the sea ; and at night saw the sun set behind the mountains of Wales. About midnight, the pilot came on board, and soon after sunrise I saw the distant spires of Liverpool. The Welsh coast was studded with windmills, all in motion, and the harbor spotted with buoys, bells and floating lights. How delightful it was to behold the green trees on the banks of the Mersey, and to know that in a few hours we should be on land ! About 1 1 o'clock we came to anchor in the channel of the Mersey, near the docks, and after much noise, bustle and confusion, were transferred, with our baggage, to a small steamboat, griving a parting cheer to the lowas, who remained on board A RACE FOR THE CUSTOM HOUSE. 81 On landing, I halted a moment to observe the scene. The baggage-wagons, drawn by horses, mules and donkeys, were extraordinary objects to my eyes ; men were going about crying " the celebrated Tralorum gingerbread /" which they carried in baskets, and a boy with long blue gown and yel- low knee-breeches, was running to the wharf to look at the Indans. A man came up to me, exclaiming, " These are the genuine Tralorums!" and hunger (for our supplies were all gone) t Combined with curiosity, induced" me to purchase some of the*D. I was not in a good condition to discriminate, but I found the Tralorums worthy of their great renown. At last, the carts were all loaded, the word was given to start, and then, what a scene ensued ! Away went the mules, the horses and the donkeys ; away ran men and women and children, carrying chairs and trunks, and boxes and bedding. The wind was blowing, and the dust whirled up as they dashed helter-skelter through the gate and started off on a hot race, down the dock to the customs office. Two wagons came together, one of which was over- turned, scattering the broken boxes of a Scotch family over the pavement ; but while the poor woman was crying over her loss, the tide swept on, scarcely taking time to glance at the mishap. The wild Englishman advised us to go to the Chorley Tavern, where we could get a good dinner. On finding a porter who knew where it was, we trusted ourselves entirely to his guidance. Taking our baggage, he signified by a mysterious sign, that we should follow him, and marched directly into the city. We had gone about a hundred yards and had lost sight of the Custom House, when one of the 82 VIEWS A-FOOT. officers came up at full speed and commanded us to return and submit our baggage to the usual examination. I antici pated a rough handling, but everything we had was passed with little trouble, the officer merely opening the trunks and pressing his hands on the top. Even some American reprints of English works which my companion carried, and feared would be taken from him, were passed over without a word I was agreeably surprised at this, as from the accounts of some travellers, I had been led to fear horrible things of custom-houses. This over, we took a stroll about the city. I was first struck by seeing so many people walking in the middle of the streets, and so many gentlemen going about with pinks stuck in their button-holes. Then, the houses being all built of brown stone or dark brick, gives the town a sombre appearance, which the sunshine (when there is any) cannot dispel. Of Liverpool we saw little except that bountiful dinner at the Chorley Tavern a meal ever to be remembered Before the twilight had wholly faded, we were again tossing on the rough waves of the Irish Sea. CHAPTER III. A DAY IN IRELAND. Luring Liverpool The Second Cabin again Irish Fellow Passengers The Channel The Northern Coast of Ireland Port Rush A Rainy Day An Irish Hut Dunlace Castle Rain and Ruin The Giant's Causeway The Giant's Well- Basaltic Columns The Giant's Organ, and Chimneys A Coast Scene The Shore at Night Wandering in the Storm Return to Port Rush. INSTEAD of going directly to London, we decided to take Scotland in our way, as the season was favorable for a pedes- trian tour in the Highlands. But there was no boat to leave for Glasgow for two days, and rather than spend the time uselessly in Liverpool, we embarked on board a small steamer for Londonderry, which was to stop at Port Hush, near the Giant's Causeway. The German student, who was bound for Paris, sent his baggage to Havre, retaining only a knapsack, and joined us for the trip. We also forwarded our portmanteaus to London, and took with us only the most necessary articles of clothing. On calling at the steamboat office we found that the fare in the fore cabin was but two shillings and a half, while in the chief cabin it was six times as much. As I had started to make the tour of all Europe 34 VIEWS A-FOOT. with a sum little higher than is given for the mere passag across the ocean, there was no alternative the twenty -four hours' discomfort could be more easily endured than the expense, and as I expected to encounter many hardships, it was best to make a beginning I had crossed the ocean with tolerable comfort for twenty-four dollars, and was determined to try whether England, where I had been told it was almost impossible to breathe without expense, might not also be seen on the same scale of expenditure. We accordingly took our tickets, and laid in a stock of bread and cheese for provision on the way. The fore cabin was merely a bare room, with a bench along one side, which was occupied by half a dozen Irish- men in knee-breeches and heavy brogans As we passed out of the Clarence Dock at 10 P, M., I went below and managed to get a seat on one end of the bench, where I spent the night in sleepless misery. The Irish bestowed themselves about the floor as they best could, for there was no light, and very soon the deepness of their snoring gave token of blissful unconsciousness. The next morning was misty and rainy, but I preferred walking the deck and drying myself occasionally beside the chimney, to sitting in the dismal room below. We passed the Isle of Man, and through the whole forenoon were tossed about very disagreeably in the North Channel. In the afternoon we stopped at Lame, a little antiquated village, not far from Belfast, at the head of a crooked arm of the sea. There is an old ivy-grown tower near, and high green mountains rise up around. After leaving 't. we had a beau tiful panoramic view of the northern coast Many of the AN IRISH HUT. 35 precipices are of the same formation as the Causeway : Fairhead, a promontory of this kind, is grand in the extreme. The perpendicular face of fluted rock is about three hundred feet in height, and towering up sublimely from the water, seemed almost to overhang our heads. My companion com- pared it to Niagara Falls petrified ; and I thought the simile very striking. It is like a cataract falling in huge waves, in some places leaping out from a projecting rock, in others descending in an unbroken sheet. We passed the Giant's Causeway after dark, and about eleven o'clock reached the harbor of Port Rush, where, after stumbling up a strange old street, in the dark, we found a little inn, and soon forgot the Irish Coast and everything else. In the morning when we arose it was raining, with little prospect of fair weather, but having expected nothing better, we set out on foot for the Causeway. The rain, however, soon came down in torrents, and we were obliged to take shelter in a cabin by the road side. The whole house con- sisted of one room, with bare walls and roof, and earthen floor, while a window of three or four panes supplied the light A fire of peat was burning on the hearth, and the breakfast, of potatoes alone, stood on the table. The occu- pants received us with rude but genuine hospitality, giving us the only seats in the room to sit upon ; except a rickety bedstead that stood in one corner and a small table, there was no other furniture in the house. The man appeared rather intelligent, and although he complained of the hard- ness of their lot, had no sympathy witb. O'Connell or the Repeal movement. 38 VIEWS A-FOOT. We left this miserable hut as soon as it ceased raining and, though there were many cabins along the road, few were better than this. At length, after passing the walls of an old church, in the midst of older tombs, we saw the roof- less towers of Dunluce Castle, on the sea-shore. It stands on an isolated rock, rising perpendicularly two hundred feet above the sea, and connected with the cliffs of the mainland by a narrow arch of masonry. On the summit of the cliffs are the remains of the buildings where the ancient lords kept their vassals. An old man, who takes care of the cas- tle for Lord Antrim, on whose property it is situated, show- ed us the way down the cliff. We walked across the narrow arch, entered the ruined hall, and looked down on the roaring sea below. It still rained, the wind swept furiously through the decaying arches of the banqueting hall and waved the long grass on the desolate battlements. Far below, the sea foamed white on the breakers and sent up an unceasing boom. It was the most mournful and desolate picture I had ever beheld. There were some low dungeons yet entire, and rude stairways, where, by stooping down, I could ascend nearly to the top of one of the towers, and look out on the wild scenery of the coast. Going back, I found a way down the cliff, to the mouth of a cavern in the rock, which extends under the whole castle to the sea. Sliding down a heap of sand and stones I stood under an arch eighty feet high ; in front the breakers dashed into the entrance, flinging the spray half-way to the roof, while the sound rang up through the arches like thunder. kt seemed to me the haunt of the old Norse sea-gods ! We left the road near Dunluce and walked along the tfiE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY. 87 smooth beach to the cliffs that surround the Causeway. Here we obtained a guide, and descended to one of the caves which can be entered from the shore. Opposite the entrance a bare rock called Sea Gull Isle, rises out of the sea like a church steeple. The roof at first was low, but we shortly came to a branch that opened on the sea, where the arch was forty-six feet in height. The breakers dashed far into the cave, and flocks of sea-birds circled round its mouth. The sound of a gun was like a deafening peal of thunder, crashing from arch to arch till it rolled out of the cavern. On the top of the hill a spacious hotel is erected for visi- tors to the Causeway ; after passing this we descended to the base of the cliffs, which are here upwards of four hun- dred feet high, and soon began to find, in the columnar formation of the rocks, indications of our approach to the spot. The guide pointed out some columns which appeared to have been melted and run together, from which Sir Hum- phrey Davy attributed the formation of the Causeway to the action of fire. Near this is the Giant's Well, a spring of the purest water, the bottom formed by three perfect hexagons, and the sides of regular columns. One of us observing that no giant had ever drunk from it, the old man answered " Perhaps not : but it was made by a giant God Almighty !" From the well, the Causeway commences a mass of columns from triangular to octagonal, lying in compact forms, and extending into the sea. I was somewhat disappointed at first, having supposed the Causeway to be of great height, but I found the Giant's Loom, which is the highest part of it, to be but about fifty feet from the water. The singular appearance of the columns and the many strange forms 88 YIEWS A-FOv>T. which they assume, render it, nevertheless, an object of th greatest interest. Walking out on the rocks we came to the Ladies' Chair, the seat, back, sides and footstool, being all regularly formed by the broken columns. The guide said that any lady who would take three drinks from the Giant's Well, then sit in this chair and think of any gentleman for whom she had a preference, would be married before a twelvemonth. I asked him if it would answer as well for gentlemen, for by a wonderful coincidence we had each drunk three times at the well ! He said it would, and thought he was confirming his statement. A cluster of columns about half way up the cliff is called the Giant's Organ from its very striking resemblance to that instrument, and a single rock, worn by the waves into the shape of a rude seat, is his chair. A mile or two further along the coast, two cliffs project from the range, leaving a vast semicircular space between, which, from its resemblance to the old Roman theatres, was appropriated for that pur- pose by the Giant. Half-way down the crags are two or three pinnacles of rock, called the Chimneys, and the stumps of several others can be seen, which, it is said, were shot off by a vessel belonging to the Spanish Armada, in mistake for the towers of Dunluce Castle. The vessel was afterwards wrecked in the bay below, which has ever since been called Spanish Bay, and in calm weather the wreck may be still seen. Many of the columns of the Causeway have been carried off and sold as pillars for mantels and though a notice is put up threatening persons with the rigor of the law, depredations are occasionally made. THE SHORE AT NIGHT. 39 Returning, we left the road at Dunluce, and took a path which led along the summit of the cliffs. The twilight was gathering and the wind blew with great fury, which, com- bined with the black and stormy sky, gave the coast an air of extreme wildness. All at once, as we followed the wind- ing path, the crags appeared to open before us, disclosing a yawning chasm, down which a large stream, falling in an unbroken sheet, was lost in the gloom below. Witnessed in a calm day, there may perhaps be nothing striking about it, but coming upon us at once, through the gloom of twilight, with the sea thundering below and a scowling sky above, it was absolutely startling. The path at last wound, with many a steep and slippery bend, down the almost perpendicular crags, to the shore, at the foot of a giant isolated rock, having a natural arch through it, eighty feet in height. We followed the narrow strip of beach, having the bare crags on one side and a line of foaming breakers on the other. It soon grew dark ; a furious storm came up and swept like a hurricane along the shore. I then understood what Home means by " the lengthening javelins of the blast,*' for every drop seemed to strike with the force of an arrow, and our clothes were soon pierced in every part. Then we went up among the sand hills, and lost each other in the darkness, when, after stumbling about among the gullies for half an hour, shouting for my companions, I found the road and heard my call answered ; but it happen- ed to be two Irishmen, who came up and said " And is it another gintleman ye're callin' for? we heard some one cry in', and didn't know but somebody might be kilt." 40 VIEWS A FOOT. Finally, about eleven o'clock we all arrived at the inn, dripping with rain, and before a warm fire concluded the adventures of our day in Ireland. CHAPTER IV. BEN LOMOND AND THE HIGHLAND LAKES. Passage to Greenock The Deck Passengers Arrival at Night The Blind Fiddler- Dumbarton Rock An Adventure" On Leven's Banks " Loch Lomond Voyag* up the Lake Anecdotes Sailing on a Meadow The Ascent of Ben LomoucV View from the Summit The Descent Highland Scenery Loch Katrine Th Boatmen Trip down the Lake Ellen's Isle The Trosachs The Inn of Ard- cheancrochan. THE steamboat Londonderry called the next day at Port Rush, and we left in her for Greenock. We ran down the Irish coast, past Dunluce Castle and the Causeway ; the Giant's Organ was very plainly visible, and the winds were strong enough to have sounded a storm song upon it. Far- ther on we had a distant view of Carrick-a-Rede, a precipi- tous rock, separated by a yawning chasm from the shore, frequented by the catchers of sea-birds. A narrow swing ing bridge, which is only passable in calm weather, crosses this chasm, two hundred feet above the water. The deck of the steamer was crowded with Irish, and cer- tainly gave no very favorable impression of the condition of the peasantry of Ireland. On many of their counte 42 VIEWS A-FOOT. nances there was scarcely a mark of intelligence ; they wer a most brutalized and degraded company of beings. Many of them were in a beastly state of intoxication, which, from the contents of the pockets of some, was not likely to decrease. As evening drew on, two or three began singing, and the others collected in groups around them. One of them, who sang with great spirit, was loudly applauded, and poured forth song after song, of the most vulgar and inde- cent character. We took a deck passage for three shillings, in preference to paying twenty for the cabin, and having secured a vacant place near the chimney, kept it during the whole passage The waves were as rough in the Channel as I had seen them on the Atlantic, and our boat was tossed about like a play- thing. By keeping still, we escaped sickness, but we could not avoid the sight of the miserable beings who crowded the deck. Many of them spoke in the Irish tongue, and our German friend (the student whom I have already men tioned) noticed in many of the words a resemblance to his mother tongue. I procured a bowl of soup from the stew ard, but it was so greasy and repulsive that I was unable tn eat it, and gave it to an old man whose hungry look and wistful eyes convinced me it would not be lost on him. He swallowed it with ravenous avidity, together with a crust of bread, which was all I had to give him, and seemed for the time as happy and cheerful as if all his earthly wants were satisfied. We passed by the foot of Goat Fell, a lofty mountain on the island of Arran, and sped on through the darkness past the hill* of Bute, till we entered the Clyde. We arrived at THE BLIND FIDDLER. 43 Greenock at one o'clock at night. All the houses were closed, and we walked for some time at random through its silent streets, until we met a policeman, to whom we stated our case, and asked him to show us where we might find cheap lodgings. He took my cousin and myself to the house of a poor widow, who had a spare bed which she let to strangers, and then conducted our comrade and the German to another similar lodging-place. An Irish strolling musician, who was on board the Dum- barton boat, commenced playing soon after we left Greenock next morning, and, to my surprise, struck at once into " Hail Columbia." Then he gave ' the Exile of Erin," with the most touching sweetness , and I noticed that always after playing any air that was desired of him, he would invariably return to the sad lament, which I never heard executed with more feeling. It might have been the mild, soft air of the morning, or some peculiar mood of mind that influenced me, but I have been far less affected by music which would be considered immeasurably superior to his. I had been think- ing of America, and going up to the old man, I quietly bade him play " Home." It thrilled with a painful delight that almost brought tears to my eyes. My companion started as the sweet melody arose, and turned towards me, his face kindling with emotion. Dumbarton Rock rose higher and higher as we went up the Clyde, and before we arrived at the town 1 hailed the dim outline of Ben Lomond, rising far off among the high- lands. The town is at the head of a small inlet, a short distance from the rock, which was once surrounded by water. We went immediately to the Castle. The rock is nearly 44 VIEWS A-FOOT. 500 feet high, and from its position and great strength as a fortress has been called the Gibraltar of Scotland. The top is surrounded with battlements, and the armory and barracks stand in a gap between the two peaks. We passed down a green lane, around the rock, and entered the Castle on the south side. A soldier conducted us through a narrow cleft, overhung with crags, to the summit. Here, from the remains of a round building, called Wallace's Tower, from its having been used as a look-out station by that chieftain, we had a beautiful view of the whole of Leven Vale to Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and the Highlands, and on the other hand, the Clyde and the Isle of Bute. In the soft and still balminess of the morning, it was a lovely picture. In the armory, I lifted the sword of Wallace, a two-handed weapon, five feet in length. We also examined a Locha- ber battle-axe, from Bannockburn, and several ancient claymores. I had a little adventure at Dumbarton, which came near bringing my travels to a sudden termination. Noticing a bunch of pink mallows growing in a crevice of the rock, seventy or eighty feet from the ground, I climbed up the projecting points to get them. The rock at last became perpendicular, and 1 only found a little notch where [ could rest the end of one foot. The mallows were still just beyond my reach, whereupon I caught hold of a bunch of tough grass with one hand, and drew myself slowly up antil I plucked the flowers with the other. On lowering myself back again, I could not find the notch, and hung thus by one hand to the frail bunch of grass, which threatened to give way beneath my weight. It could not have been many seconds before I recovered the slender foothold, b't " ON LEVEN'S BANKB." 45 when I reached the ground I was bathed from head to foot in a cold perspiration, and had some difficulty in concealing from my comrades the faintness I felt. We lingered long upon the summit before we forsook the stern fortress for the sweet vale spread out before us. It was indeed a glorious walk, from Dumbarton to Loch Lomond, through this enchanting valley. The air was mild and clear ; a few light clouds occasionally crossing the sky, chequered the hills with sun and shade. I have as yet seen nothing that in pastoral beauty can compare with its glassy winding stream, its mossy old woods, and guarding hills and the ivy grown, castellated towers embosomed in its forests, or standing on the banks of the Leven the purest of rivers. At a little village called Ren ton, is a monument to Smollett, but the inhabitants seem to neglect his memory, as one of the tablets on the pedestal is broken and half fallen away Further up the vale a farmer showed us an vld mansion in the midst of a group of trees on the lank of the 'Leven, which he said belonged to Smollett or Roderick Random, as he called him. Two or three old pear trees, under which he was accustomed to play in his childhood, were still standing where the garden had formerly been. At the head of Leven Vale, we set off in the steamer " Water Witch' 1 over the crystal waters of Loch Lomond, passing Inch Murnn, the deer-park of the Duke of Mon- trose, and Inch Caillach, " where gray pines wave Their shadows o'er Clan Alpine's grav." Under the clear skv and golden light of the declining sun 40 VIEWS A-FOOT. we entered the Highlands, and heard on every side names we had learned long ago in the lays of Scott Here were Grlen Fruin and Bannochar, Ross Dim and the pass of Beal- ma-na. Further still, wd passed Rob Roy's rock, where the lake is locked in by lofty momtains The cone like peak of Ben Lomond rises far above on the right, Ben Voirlich stands in front, and the jagged crest of Ben Arthur looks over the shoulders of the western hills. A Scotchman on board pointed out to us the remarkable places, and related many interesting legends. Above Inversnaid, where there is a beautiful waterfall, leaping over the rock and glancing out from the overhanging birches, we passed McFarland's Island, concerning the origin of which name he gave a history A nephew of one of the old Earls of Lennox, the ruins of whose castle we saw on Inch Murrin, having mur- dered his uncle's cook in a quarrel, was obliged to flee for his life. Returning after many years, he built a castle upon this island, which was always afterwards named, on accuant of his exile, Far-land. On a precipitous point above Inver- snaid, are two caves in the rock ; one near the water is called Rob Roy's, though the guides generally call it Bruce's also, to avoid trouble, as the real Bruce's Cave is high up the hill. It is so called, because Bruce hid there one night, from the pursuit of his enemies. It is related that a mountain goat, who used this probably for a sleeping place, entered, trod on his mantle, and aroused him. Thinking his enemies were upon him, he sprang up, and saw the silly animal before him. In token of gratitude for this agreeable surprise, when he became king, a law was passed, declaring goats free through- out all Scotland-v-iwpunishable for whatever trespass they VOYAGE UP LOCH LOMOND. 47 might commit, and the legend further says, that not having been repealed, it remains on the statute books at the present day. On the opposite shore of the lake is a large rock, called ' Bull's Rock," having a door in the side, with a stairway cut through the interior to a pulpit on the top, from which the pastor at Arroquhar preaches a monthly discourse. The Gaelic legend of the rock is, that it once stood near the summit of the mountain above, and was very nearly balanced on the edge of a precipice. Two wild bulls, fighting vio- lently, dashed with great force against the rock, which, being thrown from its balance, was tumbled down the side of the mountain, until it reached its present position The Scot was speaking with great bitterness of the betrayal of Wallace, when I asked him if it was still considered an insult to turn a loaf of bread bottom upwards in the pre- sence of a Monteith. " Indeed it is, sir," said he, "I have often done it myself." Until last May, travellers were taken no higher up the lake than Rob Roy's Cave, but another boat having com menced running, they can now go beyond Loch Lomond, two miles up Glen Falloch, to the Inn of Inverarnan, thereby visiting some of the finest scenery in that part of the High- lands. It was ludicrous, however, to see the steamboat on a river scarcely wider than herself, in a little valley, hemmed in completely with lofty mountains. She went on, however, pushing aside the thickets which lined both banks, and I began to think she was going to take the shore for it, when we came to a place widened out for her to be turned around 48 VIEWS A-FOOT. in ; here we jumped ashore in a green meadow, on whick the cool mist was beginning to descend. When we arose in the morning, at four o'clock, to return with the boat, the sun was already shining upon the west ward hills, scarcely a cloud was in the sky, and the air was pure and cool. To our great delight Ben Lomond was unshrouded, and we were told that a more favorable day foi the ascent had not occurred for two months. We left the boat at Rowardennan, an inn at the southern base of Ben Lomond. After breakfasting on Loch Lomond trout, I stole out to the shore while my companions were preparing for the ascent, and made a hasty sketch of the lake. We purposed descending on the northern side and cross- ing the Highlands to Loch Katrine. Although it was repre- sented as difficult and dangerous by the guide who wished to accompany us, we determined to run the risk of being enveloped in a cloud on the summit, and so set out alone, the path appearing plain before us. We had no difficulty in following it up the lesser heights, around the base. It wound on, over rock and bog, among the heather and broom with which the mountain is covered, sometimes running up a steep acclivity, and then winding zigzag around a rocky ascent. The rains two days bt-fore, had made the bogs damp and muddy, but with this exception, we had little trouble for some time. Ben Lomond is a doubly formed mountain For about three fourths of the way there is a continued ascet^ when it is suadenly terminated by a large barren plain, from one end of which the summit shoots up abruptly, forming at the northern side a precipice five hun CLIMBING BEN LOMOND. 49 dred feet high. As we approached the summit of the first part of the. mountain, the way became very steep and toil some; but the prospect, which had before been only on the south side, began to open on the east, and we saw suddenly spread out below us, the vale of Menteith, with far Loch Ard and Aberfoil " in the centre, and the huge front of Benvenue filling up the picture. Taking courage from this sight, we hurried on. The heather had become stunted and dwarfish, and the ground was covered with short brown grass. The mountain sheep, which we saw looking at us from the rock above, had worn so many paths along the side, that we could not tell which to take, but pushed on in the direction of the summit, till thinking it must be near at hand, we found a mile and a half of plain before us, with the top of Ben Lomond at the farther end. The plain was full of wet moss, crossed in all directions by deep ravines or gullies worn in it by the mountain rains, and (lie wind swept across with a tempest-like force. met near the base, a young gentleman from Edinburgh, who had left Rowardennan before us. and we commenced ascending together It was hard work, but neither liked to stop, so we climbed up to the first resting place, and found the path leading along the brink of a precipice. We soon attained the summit, and mounting a little mound of earth and stones, T saw the half of Scotland at a glance. The clouds hung just above the mountain tops, which rose all around like the waves of a mighty sea. On every side near and far - stood their misty summits, but Ben Lomond was the monarch of them all. Loch Lomond lay unrolled under my feet like a beautiful map, and just opposite, Loch 3 50 VIKWS A-FOOT. Long thrust its head from between the feet of the crowded hills to catch a glimpse of the giant. We could see from Ben Nevis to Ayr from Edinburgh to Staffa. Stirling and Edinburgh Castles would have been visible, but that the clouds hung low in the valley of the Forth and hid them from our sight. The view from Ben Lomond is nearly twice as extensive as that from Catskill, being uninterrupted on every side, but it wants the glorious forest scenery, clear, blue sky, and active, rejoicing character of the latter. We stayed about two hours on the summit, taking refuge behind the cairn, when the wind blew strong. I found the smallest of flowers under a rock, and brought it away as a memento. In the middle of the precipice there is a narrow ravine or rather cleft in the rock, to the bottom, from whence the mountain slopes regularly but steeply down to the valley. At the bottom we stopped to awake the echoes, which were repeat- ed four times : our German companion sang the Hunter's Chorus, which resounded magnificently through this High- land hall. We drank from the river Forth which starts from a spring at the foot of the rock, and then commenced de- scending. This was also toilsome enough. The mountain was quite wet and covered with loose stones, which, dis- lodged by our feet, went rattling down the side, oftentimes to the danger of the foremost ones ; and when we had run or rather slid down the three miles, to the bottom, our knee* trembled so as scarcely to support us. Here, at a cottage on the farm of Coman, we procured some oat cakes and milk for dinner, from an old Scotch wo- man, who pointed out the direction of Loch Katrine,, xix SCENKKV OK THE HKJHI.ANDS. 5l miles distant ; there was no road, nor indeed a solitary dwell- ing between. The hills were bare of trees, covered with scraggy bushes and rough heath, which in some places was so thick that we could scarcely drag our feet through. Added to this, the ground was covered with a kind of moss that retained the moisture like a sponge, so that our boots ere long became thoroughly soaked Several large streams were rushing down the declivities, and many of the wild breed of black Highland cattle were grazing around. After climbing up and down one or two heights, occasionally startling the moorcock and ptarmigan from their heathery coverts, we saw the valley of Loch Con ; while in the middle of the plain on the top of the mountain we had ascended, was a sheet of water which we took to be Loch Achill. Two or three wild fowl swimming on its surface were the only living things in sight. The peaks around shut it out from all view of the world ; a single decayed tree leaned over it from a mossy rock, and gave the whole scene an air of the most desolate wildness. I forget the name of the lake ; but we learned afterwards that the Highlanders con- sider it the abode of the fairies, or " men of peace," and that it is still superstitiously shunned by them after nightfall. From the next mountain we saw Loch Achill and Loch Katrine below, but a wet and weary descent had yet to be made. I was about throwing off my knapsack on a rock, to take a sketch of Loch Katrine, which appeared very beautiful from this point, when we discerned a cavalcade of ponies winding along the path from Inversnaid to the head of the lake, and hastened down to take the boat when they should arrive. Our haste turned out to be unnecessary, 52 VIEWS A-FOOT. however, for they had to wait for their Inggage, which was long in coining. Two boatmen then offered to take us for two shillings and sixpence each, with the privilege of stop ping at Ellen's Isle ; the regular fare being two shillings We got in, when, after exchanging a few words in Gaelic, one of them called to the travellers, of whom there were a number, to come and take passage at two shillings then at one and sixpence, and finally concluded by requesting them all to step on board the shilling boat ! At length, having secured nine at this reduced price, we pushed off ; one of the passengers took the helm, and the boat glided merrily over the clear water. It appears there is some opposition among the boatmen this summer, which is all the better for travellers. They are a bold race, and still preserve many of the characteristics of the clan from which they sprung. One of ours, who had a chieftain-like look, was a MacGregor, related to Rob Roy. The fourth descendant in a direct line, now inhabits the Rob Roy mansion, at Glengyle, a valley at the head of the lake. A small steamboat was put upon Loch Katrine a short time ago, but the boatmen, jealous of tins new invasion of their privilege, one night towed her out to the middle of the lake and there sunk her. Near the point of Brianchoil is a very small island with a few trees upon it, of which the boatman related a story that was new to me. He said an eccentric individual, many years ago, built his house upon it but it was soon beaten down by the winds and waves. Having built it up with like fortune several times, he at last desisted, saying, " bought wisdom was the best ;" since when it has been call THE HOATMKN OF LOCH KATKINE. 53 ed the Island of Wisdom. On the shore below, the boat- man showed us his cottage. The whole family were out at the door to witness our progress ; he hoisted a flag, and when we came opposite, they exchanged shouts in Gaelic. Aa our men resumed their oars again, we assisted in giving three cheers, which made all the echoes of Benvenue ring. Some one observed his dog, looking after us from a project- ing rock, when he called out to him, " go home, you brute !" We asked him why he did not speak Gaelic also to his dog. " Very few dogs, indeed," said he, " understand Gaelic, but they all understand English. And we therefore all use English when speaking to our dogs ; indeed, I know some persons, who know nothing of English, that speak it to their dogs !" They then sang, in a rude manner, a Gaelic song. The only word I could distinguish was Inch Caillach, the burying place of Clan Alpine. They told us it was the answer of a Highland girl to a foreign lord, who wished to make her his bride. Perhaps, like the American Indian, she would not leave the graves of her fathers. As we drew near the east ern end of the lake, the scenery became far more beautiful. The Trosachs opened before us, Ben Ledi looked down over the bare forehead of Ben An, and, as we turned a rocky point, Ellen's Isle rose up in front. It is a beautiful little ( turquoise in the silver setting of Loch Katrine. The north- ern side alone is accessible, all the others being rocky and perpendicular, and thickly grown with trees. We roSinded the island to the little bay, bordered by the silver strand, above which is the rock from which Fitz-James wound his horn, and shot under an ancient oak which flung its long 54 V[KWS A-FOOT. gray arms over the water. Here we found a flight of rocky steps, leading to the top, where stood the bower erected by Lady Willoughby D'Eresby, to correspond with Scott's description. Two or three blackened beams are all that remain of it, having been burned down some years ago by the carelessness of a traveller. The mountains stand all around, like giants, to " sentinel this enchanted land." On leaving the island, we saw thte Goblin's Cave, in the side of Benvenue, called by the Gaels. " Coir-nan-TJriskin." Near it is Beal-nam-bo, the pass of cattle, overhung with gray weeping birch trees. Here the boatmen stopped to let us hear the fine echo, and the names of " Rob Roy," and " Roderick Dim," were sent back to us nearly as loud as they were given. The de- scription of Scott is wonderfully exact, though the forest that feathered over the sides of Benvenue has since been cut down and sold by the Duke of Montrose. When we reached the end of the lake it commenced raining, and we hastened on in the twilight through the pass of Beal-an-Duine, scarce- ly taking time to glance at the scenery, till Loch Achray appeared through the trees, and on its banks the ivy-grown front of the inn of Archeancrochan, with its unpronounce- able name. CHAPTER Vo THE BURNS FESTIVAL. Morning on Loch Katrine Walk to Stirling Out-door Life The Burns Festfyil Preparations .Journey to Ayr The " Twa Brigs " The Streets of Ayr Scotch Beggars An Incident The Burns Cottage Alloway Kirk English Exclusiveness The Sister and Sons of Burns Lord Egiintoun Professor Wilson The Proces- sion Performance of Tarn O'Shanter The Burns Monument Speech of Robert Burns An Anecdote of the Poet Crowd at the Station Return to Glasgow. WE passed a glorious summer morning on the banks of Loch Katrine. The air was pure, fresh and balmy, and the warm sunshine glowed upon forest and lake, upon dark crag and purple mountain-top. The lake was a scene in fairy -land. Returning over the rugged battle-plain in the jaws of the Trosachs, we passed the wild, lonely valley of Glenfinlas and Lanric Mead, at the head of Loch Vennachar, rounding the foot of Ben Ledi to Coilantogle Ford. We saw the deso- late hills of Uam-var, over which the stag fled from his lair in Glenartney, and keeping on through Callander, stopped for the night at a little inn on the banks of the Teith. The next day we walked through Donne, over the lowlands to Stirling, where we arrived at noon. Crossing Allan Water 56 VIEWS A-KOOT. and the Forth, we climbed Stirling Castle and looked on the purple peaks of the Ochill Mountains, the far Grampians, and the battle-fields of Bannockbnrn and Sheriff Muir. ^Ve were favored with pleasant weather during the whole of this journey, and found that our expenses did not exceed the moderate estimate we had made. In the neat little country inns, we readily procured lodgings for a shilling, while bread, butter, cheese and ham, purchased at the baker's and grocer's, furnished us with the material for our roadside meals. I shall long remember the breakfast we made, sitting in the grass at the foot of Doune Castle, on the banks of the swift Teith, whose clear water filled our cups. At Stirling, we took the coach to Falkirk the same afternoon, and thence proceeded by railroad to Glasgow, in order that we might attend the Burns Festival at Ayr, on the following day, the 6th of August. Our German com- panion, feeling little interest in the memory of the poet- ploughman, parted from us and took the steamer to Edin- burgh, with the hope of meeting us somewhere on the road to London. The 6th of August, 1844, was a great day for Scotland the assembling of all classes to do honor to the memory of her peasant-bard. And right fitting was it, too, that such & meeting should be held on the banks of the Doon, the stream of which he has sung so sweetly, within sight of the cot where he was born, the beautiful monument erected by his countrymen, and more than all, beside " Allo way's witch- haunted wall !" One would think old Albyn would rise up at the call, and that from the wild clansmen of the northern hills to the shepherds of the Cheviots, half her honest veo THE BURN8 FESTIVAL, 57 manry would be there, to render gratitude to the memory of the bard who was one of them, and Avho gave their wants and their woes immortal utterance. For months before had the proposition been made to hold a meeting on the Doon, similar to the Shakspeare Festival on the Avon, and the 10th of July was first appointed for the day, but owing to the necessity of further time for pre- paration, it was postponed until the 6th of August. The Earl of Eglintoun was chosen Chairman, and Professor Wilson Vice-Chairman ; in addition to this, all the most eminent British authors were invited to attend. A pavilion, capable of containing two thousand persons, had been erected near the monument, in a large field, which was thrown open to the public. When we arose at Glasgow it was raining, and I feared that the weather might dampen somewhat the pleasures of the day, as in the case of the celebrated tournament, at Eglintoun Castle. We reached the station in time for the first train, and sped in the face of the wind over the plains of Ayrshire, which, under such a gloomy sky, looked most desolate. We ran some distance along the coast, having a view of the Hills of Arran, and reached Ayr about nine o'clock. We came first to the New Bridge, which had a triumphal arch in the middle, and the lines, from the " Twa Brigs of Ayr :" "Will your poor narrow foot-path of a street, Where twa wheel-barrows tremble when they meet, Your rniii'd, formless bulk o' stane and lime, Compare wi' bonnie brigs o' modern time?" 3* ft8 VIEWS A-FOOT. While on the arch of the " old brig " was thi reply " I'll be a brig when ye're a shapeless stane." As we advanced into the town, the decorations became more frequent The streets were crowded with people car- rying banners and wreaths, many of the houses Avere adorned with green boughs, and the vessels in the harbor hung out all their flags. We saw the Wallace Tower, a high Gothic building, having in front a statue of Wallace leaning on his sword, by Thorn, a native of Ayr ; and on our way to the green, where the procession was to assemble, passed under the triumphal arch thrown across the street opposite the inn where Tarn O'Shanter caroused so long with Souter Johnny. Leaving the companies to form on the long mea- dow bordering the shore, we set out for the Doon, three miles distant. Beggars were seated at regular distances along the road, uttering the most dolorous winnings. Both bridges were decorated in the same manner, with miserable looking objects, keeping up, during the whole day, a con- tinued lamentation. Persons are prohibited from begging in England and Scotland, but I suppose, this being an extra- ordinary day, license was given them as a favor, to beg free. I noticed that the women, wil their usual kindness of heart, bestowed nearly all the alms which these unfortunate objects received. The night before, as I was walking through the streets of Glasgow, a young man of the poorer class, very scantily dressed, stepped up to me and begged me to listen to him for a moment. He spoke hurriedly and agitatedly, begging me, in God's name, to give him something, however little. I gave him what few pence I had with me, when he THK Bl'KNS tuiiAdK -- ALI.oWAY KIKK. 69 grasped my hand witlv a quick motion, saying, " Sir, you little think how inucli you have done for me." I was about to inquire more particularly into his situation, but he had disappeared among the crowd. We passed the " cairn where the hunters found the mur dered bairn," along a pleasant road to the Burns cottage, where it was spanned by a magnificent triumphal arch of evergreens and flowers. To the disgrace of Scotland, this neat little thatched cot, where Burns passed the first seven years of his Kfe, is now occupied by somebody, who has stuck up a sign over the door, " licensed to retail spirits, to be ilrunk on Ike premises;" and accordingly the rooms were crowded full of people, all drinking. There was an original portrait of Burns in one room, and in the old-fashioned kitchen we saw the recess where he was born. The hostess looked towards us as if to inquire what we would drink, and I hastened away there was profanity in the thought. But by this time, the bell of Old Alloway, which still hangs in its accustomed place, though the walls only are left, began tolling, and we obeyed the call. The attachment of the people for this bell is so great, that a short time ago, when it was ordered to be removed, the inhabitants rose en masse, and prevented it. The ruin, which is close by the road, stands in the middle of the church-yard, and the first thing I saw, on going in the gate, was the tomb of the father of Burns. I looked in the old window, but the interior was filled with rank weeds, and overshadowed by a young tree, which had grown nearly to the eaves. The crowd was now fast gathering in the large field, in the midst of which the pavilion was situated. We wont 60 VIEWS A-FOOT. down by the beautiful monument to Burns, to the " Auld Brig o' Doon," which was spanned by an arch of evergreons containing a representation of Tam O'Shanter and his grey mare, pursued by the witches. It had been arranged that the procession was to pass over the old and new bridges t and from thence by a temporary bridge over the hedge into the field. At this latter place a stand was erected for the sons of Burns, the officers of the day, and distinguished guests. Here was a beautiful specimen of English exclusive- ness. The space adjoining the pavilion was fenced around, and admittance denied at first to any, except those who had tickets for the dinner, which, the price being fifteen shillings, entirely prevented the humble laborers, who, more than all, should participate on the occasion, from witnessing the review of the procession by the sons of Burns, and hearing the eloquent speeches of Professor Wilson and Lord Eglin- toun. Thus, of the many thousands who were in the field, but a few hundred who were crowded between the bridge and the railing around the pavilion, enjoyed the interesting spectacle. By good fortune, I obtained a station where I had an excellent view of the scene. The sons of Burns were in the middle of the platform, with Eglintoun on the right, and Wilson on the left. Mrs. Begg, sister of the Poet, with her daughters, stood by the Countess of Eglin- toun. She was a plain, benevolent looking woman, dressc'i in black, and appearing still active and vigorous, though she is upwards of eighty years old. Sli3 bears some likeness, especially in the large, dark, lustrous eye, to the Poet. Robert Burns, the eldest son, appeared to me to have * strong resemblance to his father, and it is said he is the oi.ry THK PROCE88IO5. 61 one who remembers his face. He has for a long time had an office under (Jovernment, in London. The others have but lately returned from a residence of twenty years in India. Among other notable characters on the stand were Alison, the historian, who is now Sheriff of Lanark, and Mrs. S C Hall. Professor Wilson appeared to enter into the spirit of the scene better than any of them. He shout- ed and waA r ed his hat, and. with his fine, broad forehead, his long brown locks already mixed with gray, streaming on his shoulders, and that eagle eye glancing over the vast assemblage, seemed a real Christopher North, yet full of the fire and vigor of youth " a gray -haired, happy boy !" About half of the procession consisted of lodges of masons, all of whom turned out on the occasion, as Burns was one of the fraternity. I was most interested in several compa- nies of shepherds, from the hills, with their crooks and plaids ; a body of archers in Lincoln green, with a handsome chief at their head, and some Highlanders in their most picturesque of costumes As one of the companies, which carried a mammoth thistle in a box, came near the platform, Wilson snatched a branch, regardless of the pricks, and placed it on his coat. After this pageant, which could not have been much less than three miles long, had passed, a band was stationed on the platform in the centre of the field, around which the procession formed in a circle, and the whole company sang, " Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon." Just at this time, a person dressed to represent Tarn O'Shan. ter, mounted on a gray mare, issued from a field near the Burns Monument and rode along towards Alloway Kirk, from which, when he approached it, a whole legion of 62 VIEWS A -FOOT. witches sallied out and commenced a hot pursuit. They turned back, however, at the keystone of the bridge, the witch with the " cutty sark" holding up in triumph the abstracted tail of Maggie Soon after this the company entered the pavilion, and the thousands outside were enter- tained, as an especial favor, by the band of the S7th Regi- ment, while from the many liijuor booths around the. field they could enjoy themselves in a grosser way. We went up to the Monument, which was of more par- ticular interest to us, from the relics within, but admission was denied to all. Many persons were collected around the gate, some of whom, having come from a great distance, were anxious to see it ; but the keeper only said, such were the orders and he could not disobey them. Among the crowd, a grandson of the original Tarn O'Shanter was shown to us. He was a raw-looking boy of nineteen or twenty, wearing a shepherd's cap and jacket, and muttered his disap probation very decidedly, at not being able to visit the Monument. There were one or two showers during the day, and the sky, all the time, was dark and lowering, which was unfavor able for the celebration , but all were glad enough that the rain kept aloof till the ceremonies were nearly over. The speeches delivered at the dinner, which appeared in the papers next morning, are undoubtedly very eloquent. I noticed in the remarks of Robert Burns, in reply to Profes- sor Wilson, an acknowledgment which the other speakers forgot. He said, " The Sons of Burns have grateful hearts, and to the last hour of their existence, they will remember the honor that has been paid them this day, by the noble, ANECDOTE OF BURNS. 63 the lovely and the talented, of their native land by men of genius and kindred spirit from our sister land and lastly, they owe their thanks to the inhabitants of the far distant West, the country of a great, free, and kindred people/ (loud cheers )' In connexion with this subject, I saw an anecdote of the poet which is not generally known. During his connexion with the Excise, he was one day at a party, where the health of Pitt, then minister, was proposed, as " his master and theirs. >: Tie immediately turned down his glass and said, " I will give yon the health of a far greater .and better man GKORCK WASHINGTON !" We left the field early and went back through the muddy streets of Ayr. The street before the railway office was crowded, and there was s, dense a mass of people on the :steps, that it seemed almost impossible to get near. Seeing no other chance, 1 managed to take my stand on the lowest steps where the pressure of the crowd behind, and the working of the throng on the steps, raised me off my feet, and in about a quarter of an hour carried me, compressed into the smallest possible space, up the steps to the door, where the crowd burst in by fits, like water rushing out of a bottle We esteemed ourselves fortunate in getting room to stand in an open car, where, after a two hours' ride through the wind and pelting rain, we arrived at Glasgow. CHAPTER VI. OVER THE BORDER FROM EDINBURGH TO LONDON. Rtde to Edinburgh The Monumental City Lost and Found Seeing Edinburgh The March Resumed The Muirfoot Hills American Books at Melrose Wading the Tweed Abbotsford The Armory and Library Scott's Study A ' : Prospect" Recovered Euins of Melrose Abbey Teviot Dale Jedburgh Over the Border- Scenery of the Cheviots Appreciative Tourists Shepherds on Chevy Chase The Moorland A Night at Whelpington Knowes Walk to Newcastle Cheap Lodgings The Roman Wall Miners in Distress Passage for London A Meeting The Voyage The Thames at Night London at Dawn. WE left Glasgow on the morning after returning from the Burns Festival, taking passage in the open cars for Edin- burgh, for six shillings. On leaving the depot, we plunged into the heart of the hill on which Glasgow Cathedral stands, and were whisked through darkness and sulphury smoke to daylight again. The cars bore us past a spur of the Highlands, through a beautiful country where women were at work in the fields, to Linlithgow, the birth-place of Queen Mary. The majestic ruins of its once proud palace stand on a green meadow behind the town. In another hour we were walking through Edinburgh, admiring its palace-like edifices, and stopping every few minutes to gaze up at some LOST AND FOUND. f>5 lofty monument.' Really, thought I, we call Baltimore the " Monumental City" for its two marble columns, and here is Edinburgh with one at every street-corner ! These, too, not in the midst of glaring red buildings, where they seem to have been accidentally dropped, but framed in by lofty granite mansions, whose long vistas make an appropriate background to the picture. While intently gazing upon one of these monuments, my friends passed me and were lost in the crowd. All my efforts to find them were vain, and finally giving up the search, I went upon Calton Hill, where I spent two hours in contemplating the noble panorama it commands. A sense of hunger at last recalled me to myself, and I descended to the city to seek for an inn. I had given up all hope of seeing my friends, and made up my mind to go on alone to London, by the route we had proposed. As I was sauntering along in the crowd, a coarsely-dressed man suddenly accosted me. " Your two friends," he said, " have sent me out to hunt you. They are at an inn not far from here." " Are you sure I am the right person ?" I asked. " Oh yes," said he, " I knew it as soon as I saw you." I followed him. and, truly enough, found my comrades, installed in a cheer- ful tavern, and enjoying a bottle of ale. They had taken it for granted that the man would find me, and were not at all astonished at his success. We again looked from Calton Hill on Salisbury Crags and over the Frith of Forth, and then descended to dark old Holyrood, where the memory of lovely Mary lingers like a stray sunbeam in her cold halls, and the fair, boyish face of Rizzio looks down from the canvas on the armor of his 66 VIEWS A-FOOT. murderer. We threaded the Canongate and'climbed to tha Castle ; and finally, after a day and a half's sojourn buckled on our knapsacks and marched out of the Northern Athens. In a short time the tall spire of Dalkeith appeared above the green wood, and we saw to the right, perched on the steep banks of the Esk, the picturesque cottage of Haw- thornden where Drummond once lived in poetic solitude. We made haste to cross before nightfall the dreary waste of Muirfoot Hills, from the highest summit of which we took a last view of Edinburgh Castle and the Salisbury (/rags, then blue in the distance Far to the east were the hills of Lammermuir, and the country of Mid-Lojhian lay before us. It was all SVo//-land. The inn of Torsonce, beside the Gala Water, was our resting-place for the night. As we approached Galashiels the next morning, where the bed of the silver Gala is nearly emptied by a number of dingy manufactories, the hills opened, disclosing the sweet vale of the Tweed, guarded by the triple peak of the Eil- don, at whose base lay nestled the village of Melrose. I stopped at a bookstore to purchase a view of the Abbey, and to my surprise nearly half the works were by Ameri- can authors. There were Bryant, Longfellow, Channing, Emerson, Dana, Ware and many others. The bookseller told me he had sold more of Ware's Letters than any other book in his shop, " and also," to use his own words, 'an immense number of the great Dr. Channing." I have seen English editions of Percival, Willis, Whittier and Mrs. Sigourney, but Bancroft and Prescott are classed among the 'standard British historians." Crossing the Gala we ascended a hill on the road to Sel> WADIM. I UK I \\KKI). 67 kirk, ami behold ! the Tweed ran below, and opposite, in the midst of embowering trees planted by the hand of Scott, rose the grey halls of Abbotsford. We went down a lane to the banks of the swift stream, but finding no ferry. B and I. as the water looked very shallow, thought we might save a long walk by wading across F preferred hunting for a boat : we two set out together, with our knapsacks on our backs, and our boots in our hands The curreiit was ice cold and very swift, and as the bed was covered with loose stones, it required the greatest care to stand upright. Looking at the bottom, through the rapid water, made my head so giddy, that I was forced to stop and shut my eyes ; my friend, who had firmer nerves, went plunging on to a deeper and swifter part, where the strength of the current made him stagger very unpleasantly. I called to him to return ; but the next thing I saw, he gave a plunge and went down to the shoulder in the cold flood While he was struggling with a frightened expression of face to recover his footing. I leaned on my staff and laughed till I was on the point of falling also. To crown our mortification, F had found a ferry a few yards higher up and was on the opposite shore, watching us wade back again, my friend with dripping clothes and boots full of water. I could not forgive the pretty Scotch damsel who rowed us across, the mischievous lurking smile which told that she too had wit- nessed the adventure. We found a foot-path on the other side, which led through a young forest to Abbotsford Rude pieces of sculpture, taken from Melrose Abbey, were scattered around the gate, some half buried in the earth and overgrown with weeds 68 VIEWS A-FOOT. The niches in the walls were filled with pieces of sculpture, and a marble greyhound reposed in the middle of the court yard. We rang the bell in an outer vestibule, ornamented with several pairs of antlers, when a lady appeared, who, from her appearance, I have no doubt was Mrs. Ormand, the " Duenna of Abbotsford," so humorously described by D'Arlincourt, in his " Three Kingdoms." She ushered us into the entrance hall, which has a magnificent ceiling of carved oak, and is lighted by lofty stained windows. An effigy of a knight in armor stood at either end, one holding a huge two-handed sword found on Bosworth Field ; the walls were covered with helmets and breastplates of the olden time. Among the curiosities in the Armory are Napoleon's pistols, the blunderbuss of Hofer, Rob Roy's purse and gun, and the offering box of Queen Mary. Through the folding doors between the dining-room, drawing-room and library, is a fine vista, terminated by a niche, in which stands Chan- trey's bust of Scott. The ceilings are of carved Scottish oak and the doors of American cedar. Adjoining the library is the study, the walls of which are covered with books ; the doors and windows are double, to render it quiet and undis- turbed. Scott's books and inkstand are on the table and his writing-chair stands before it, as if he had left them but a moment before. In a little closet adjoining, where ho kept his private manuscripts, are the clothes he last wore, his cane and belt, to which a hammer and a small axe are attached, and his sword. A narrow staircase led from the study to his sleeping room above, by which he could come down at night and work while his family slept. The silence A " I'KOSI'KCl' 1 KKCU\ KUKI). GO about the place is solemn and breathless, as if it waited to be broke- n by his returning footstep. I felt an awe in tread- ing these lonely halls, like that which impressed me before the grave of Washington a feeling that hallowed the spot, as if there yet lingered a low vibration of the lyre, though the minstrel had departed forever ! Plucking a wild rose that grew near the walls, I left Abbotsford, embosomed among the trees, and turned into a green lane that led down to Melrose. We went immediately to the Abbey, in the lower part of the village, near the Tweed. As I approached the gate, the porteress came out, and having scrutinized me rather sharply, asked my name. I told her ; " Well," she added, " there is a prospect here for you." Thinking she alluded to the ruin, I replied : ' Yes, the view is certainly very fine." " Oh ! I don't mean that," she replied, "a young gentleman left a prospect Here for you !" whereupon she brought out a spy-glass, which I recognized as one that our German comrade had given to me. He had gone on, and hoped to meet us at Jedburgh. Melrose is the finest remaining specimen of Gothic archi> tecture in Scotland. Some of the sculptured flowers in the cloister arches are remarkably beautiful and delicate, and the two windows the south and east oriels are of a lightness and grace of execution really surprising. We saw the tomb of Michael Scott, of King Alexander II., and that of the Douglas, marked with a sword. The heart of Bruce is supposed to have been buried beneath the high altar The chancel is all open to the sky, and rooks build their nests among the wild ivy that climbs over the crumbling arches. One of these came tamely down and perched upon the hand 70 VIEWS A-FOOT. of our guide. By a winding stair in one of the towers wo mounted to the top of the arch and looked down on the grassy floor. I sat on the broken pillar, which Scott always used for a seat when he visited the Abbey, and read the dis- interring of the magic book, in the " Lay of the Last Minstrel." I never comprehended its full beauty until then, and the memory of Melrose will give it a peculiar interest, in the future. When we left, I was willing to say, with the Minstrel : " Was never scene so sad and fair I" After seeing the home and favorite haunt of Scott, we felt a wish to stand by his grave, but we had Ancrum Moor to pass before night, and the Tweed was between us and Dry- burgh Abbey. We did not wish to try another watery adventure, and therefore walked on to the village of Ancrum, where a gate-keeper on the load gave us lodging and good fare, for a moderate price. Many of this class practise this double employment, and the economical traveller, who looks more to comfort than luxury, will not fail to patronize them. Next morning we took a foot-path over the hills to Jed- burgh. From the summit there was a lovely view of the valley of the Teviot, with the ' lue Cheviots hi the distance. I thought of Pringle's beautiful farewell : " Our native land, our native vale^ A long, a last adieu, Farewell to bonny Teviot-dale, And Cheviot's mountains blue!" The poet was born in the valley below, and one that looks CHEVY CHASE. 71 upon its beauty cannot wonder how his heart clung to the scenes he was leaving. We saw Jedburgh and its majestic old Abbey, and ascended the valley of the Jed towards the Cheviots. The hills, covered with woods of a luxuriant and even gorgeous beauty of foliage, shut out this lovely glen completely from the world. I found myself continually coveting the lonely dwellings that were perched on the rocky heights, or nestled, like fairy pavilions, in the laps of the groves. These forests formerly furnished the wood for the celebrated Jedwood axe, used in the border fo- rays. As we continued ascending, the prospect behind us widen- ed, until we reached the summit of the Carter Fell, whence there is a view of great extent and beauty. The Eildon Hills, though twenty-five miles distant, seemed in the fore- ground of the picture. With a glass, Edinburgh Castle might be seen over the dim outline of the Muirfoot Hills. After crossing the border, we passed the scene of the encounter between Percy and Douglass, celebrated in " Chevy Chase," and at the lonely inn of Whitelee, in the valley below, took up our quarters for the night. Travellers have described the Cheviots as being bleak and uninteresting. Although they are bare and brown, to me the scenery was of a character of beauty entirely original They are not rugged and broken like the Highlands, but lift their round backs gracefully from the plain, while the mort distant ranges are clad in many an airy hue. Willis quaintly and truly remarks, that travellers only tell you the picture produced in their own brain by what they see, otherwise the world would be like a pawnbroker's shop, where each 72 VIEWS A-FOOT. traveller wears the cast-off clothes of others. Therefore let no one, of a gloomy temperament, journeying over the Cheviots in dull November, arraign me for having falsely praised their beauty I was somewhat amused with seeing a splendid carriage with footmen and outriders, crossing the mountain, the glorious landscape full in view, and the richly dressed lady within lying fast asleep ! It is no uncommon thing to meet carriages in the Highlands, in which the occupants are comfortably reading, while being whirled through the finest scenery. And apropos of this subject, my German friend related to me an incident. His brother was travelling on the Rhine, and when in the midst of the grandest scenes, met a carriage containing an English gentleman and lady, both asleep, while on the seat behind was stationed an artist, sketching away with all his might. He asked the latter the reason of his industry, when he answered, " Oh ! my lord wishes to see every night what he has passed during the day, and so I sketch as we go along! " The hills, particularly on the English side, are covered with flocks of sheep, and lazy shepherds lay basking in the sun, among the purple heather, with their shaggy black dogs beside them. On many of the hills are landmarks, by which, when the snow has covered all the tracks, they can direct their way. After walking many miles through green valleys, down which flowed the Red Water, its very name telling of the conflicts which had crimsoned its tide, we came to the moors, and ten miles of blacker, drearier waste I never saw. Before entering them we passed the pretty little village of Otterburn, near the scene of the THE INN AT WHEU'INUTON KNOWES. 73 battle. I brought away a wild flower that grew on soil enriched by the blood of the Percys. On the village inn is their ancient coat of arms, a lion rampant on a field of gold, with the motto, " Esperance en Diet/." Scarcely a house or a tree enlivened the black waste, and even the road was marked on each side by high poles, to direct the traveller in winter. We were glad when at length the green fields came again in sight, and the little village of Whelpington Knowes, with its old ivy-grown church tower, welcomed us after the lonely walk. At the only inn in the place, I found it quite impossible to understand the servants, who spoke the rugged North- umbrian dialect. The landlady, who spoke tolerable English, came to our assistance, and received us with more cordiality than our knapsacks and dusty garments led us to expect. She quartered us for the night in an out-building, which appeared to be a kind of hunting lodge. It was a single room, with two beds, fowling-pieces and shot-belts hanging on the walls, and some stuffed grouse on the top of a quaint old wardrobe. The evening was cool, and the unintelligible servants made a cheerful fire on the hearth. Our supper was served in a room of the inn, which was occupied by a young lady, whose appearance contrasted strangely with her situation. She was pale, but handsome, dressed with perfect taste, and the few words she spoke gave evidence of thorough refinement and cultivation. Her face was very sad, her manner subdued, yet with a quiet dignity which forced the landlady, who made very unceremonious use of lit>r room, to treat her with respect. A shelf of classic authors, and some flower-pots in the window, were the 4 74 VIEWS A-FOOT. tokens of her tastes. Here is a romance, if not a tragedy, 1 thought, but I did not venture to ask any questions. As one specimen of the intelligence of this part of Eng- land, we saw a board conspicuously posted at the com mencement of a private road, declaring that " all persons travelling this way will be persecuted." As the road led to a church, however, there may have been a design in the expression. On the fifth day after leaving Edinburgh, we reached a hill overlooking the valley of the Tyne and the German Ocean, as sunset was reddening in the west. A cloud of coal-smoke made us aware of the vicinity of Newcastle. On the summit of the hill a large cattle fair was being held, and crowds of people were gathered in and around a camp of gaudily decorated tents. Fires were kindled here and there, and drinking, carousing, and horse-racing, were flourishing in full vigor. After entering the toAvn, we applied to a policeman to conduct us to a cheap lodging-place. He readily took us to a house in a dingy street near the river, inhabited by a poor family, who furnished us with beds (probably their own), and cooked us frugal meals, during the two days that we were obliged to await the departure of a steamer for London. We set out the next morning to hunt the Roman Wall. Passing the fine buildings in the centre of the city and the lofty monument to Earl Grey, we went towards the western gate and soon came to the ruins of a building, about whose origin there could be no doubt. It stood there, blackened by the rust of ages, a remnant of power passed away. There was no mistaking the massive round tower, with its DISTRESS AMONG THE MINERS. 7, 1 ) projecting ornaments, such as arc often seen in the ruder works of the Romans. On each side a fragment of wall remained standing, and there appeared to be a chamber in the interior, which was choked up with rubbish. There is another tower, much higher, in a public square in another part of the city, a portion of which is fitted up as a dwell- ing for the family which takes care of it ; but there was such a ridiculous contrast between the ivy-grown top, and the handsome modern windows and doors of the lower story, that it did not impress me half as much as the first, with all its neglect. These are the farthest limits of that power whose mighty works I hope hereafter to view at the seat of her grandeur and glory. I witnessed a scene at Newcastle that cannot soon be forgotten ; as it showed more plainly than I had before an opportunity of observing, the state to which the laboring classes of England are reduced. Hearing singing in the street under my window one morning, I looked out and saw a body of men, apparently of the lower class, but (decent and sober-looking, who were singing in a rude and plaintive strain some ballad, tne purport of which I could not understand. On making inquiry, I discovered it was part of a body of miners, who, about eighteen weeks before, in consequence of not being able to support their families with the small pittance allowed them, had struck for higher wages. This their employers refused to give them, and sent to Wales, where they obtained workmen at the former price. The houses these laborers had occupied were all taken from them, and for eighteen weeks they had had no other means of subsistence than the casual charity given 76 VIEWS A-FOOT. them for singing the story of their wrongs. It made my blood boil to hear those tones, wrung from the heart of poverty by the hand of tyranny. The ignorance, permitted by the government, causes an unheard amount of misery and degradation. We heard afterwards in the streets, another company who played on musical instruments. Beneath the proud swell of England's martial airs, there sounded to my ears a tone whose gathering murmur will make itself heard ere long by the dull ears of Power. At last, at the appointed time, we found ourselves on board the " London Merchant," in the muddy Tyne, waiting for the tide to rise high enough to permit us to descend the river. There is great competition among the steam- boats this summer, and the price of passage to London is reduced to five and ten shillings. The second cabin, how- ever, is a place of tolerable comfort, and as the steward had promised to keep berths for us, we engaged passage. On going below, the first person we met was our Gennan com- rade, who had preceded us all the way from Edinburgh. It was a joyous meeting on both sides. Following the wind- ings of the narrow river, we passed Sunderland and Tyne- mouth, where it expands into the German Ocean. The water was barely stirred by a gentle wind, and little re- sembled the stormy sea I expected to find. We glided over the smooth surface, watching the blue line of the distant bore till dark, when I went below expecting to enjoy a few hours' oblivion. But the faithless steward had given up the promised berth to another, and it was only with difficulty that I secured a seat by the cabin table, where 1 dozed half the night with my head on my arms. It grew at LONDON AT DAWN. 77 fast .< close and wearisome ; I went up on deck and lay down on the windlass, taking care to balance myself well before going to sleep. The earliest light of dawn awoke me to a consciousness of damp clothes and bruised limbs. We were in sight of the low shore the whole day, sometimes seeing the dim outline of a church, or a group of trees over the downs or flat beds of sand, which border the eastern coast, of England. About dark, the red light of the Nore was seen, and we hoped before many hours to be in London. The lights of Gravesend were passed, but about ten o'clock, as we, entered the narrow channel of the Thames, we struck another steamboat in the darkness, and were obliged to cast anchor for some time. When I went, on deck in tbe gray light of morning again, we were gliding up a narrow, muddy river, between rows of gloomy buildings, with many vessels lying at anchor. As the day brightened, we turned a point, and right before me lav a vast crowd of vessels, and in the distance, above the wilderness of buildings, stood a dim, gigantic dome in the sky ; what a bound my heart gave at the sight ! And the tall pillar that stood near it I did not need a second glance to recognize the Monument. I knew the majestic bridge that spanned the river above ; but on the right bank a cluster of massive buildings, crowned with many a turret, attracted my eye. A crowd of old associations pressed bewilderingly upon the mind, to see standing there, grim and dark with many a bloody page of England's history the Tower of London ! The morning sky was as yet but faintly obscured by the coal- smoke, and in the misty light of coming sunrise, all objects 78 VIEWS A-FOOT. seemed grander than their wont. In spite of the thrilling interest of the scene, I could not help recalling Byron's ludicrous but most expressive description. " A mighty mass of brick and smoke and shipping, Dirty and dusky, but as wide as eye Can reach ; with here and there a sail just skipping In sight, then lost amidst the forestry Of masts; a wilderness of steeples peeping On tip-toe through their sea-coal canopy ; A huge dun cupola, like a fool's-cap crown OB a fool's head, and there is London town." CHAPTER VII. A WEEK IN LONDON. Entering London Cheap Lodgings and Bad Company The Thoroughfares St Paul's View from the Dome St. James's Park Westminster Abbey Poet's Corner Tombs of Sovereigns Hall of the Bath The Thames Tunnel The lowas again The Parks Crime and Misery In London The End of our Sojourn Cost of the Tour through Scotland. LONDON, Aug. 22, 1844. I.\ the course of time we came to anchor in the stream ; skiffs from the shore pulled alongside, and after some little quarrelling, we were safely deposited in one, with a party who desired to be landed at the Tower Stairs. The dark walls frowned above us as we mounted from the water and passed into an open square on the outside of the moat. The laborers were about commencing work, the fashionable day having just closed, but there was still noise and bustle enough in the streets, particularly when we reached White- chapel, part of the great thoroughfare, extending through the heart of London to Westminster Abbey and the Parlia- ment buildings. Our first care was to find a resting-place, and we had not wandered far along Whitechapel before the 80 VIEWS A- FOOT. signs " Chop-House," " Lodgings," met our eye. We .select- ed one of the most decent of these places, where we obtained bare rooms and questionable beds for a shilling a day, while the public room supplied us with a chop and potatoes for sixpence. Our company, I am afraid, was not the most respectable which London can boast of actors of low grade, from low theatres ; dissolute shop boys, sailors and cads, and women whose roses were not the natural bloom of English air. W did not cultivate their acquaintance, but became so disgusted after a day or two that we shifted our quarters to the Aldgate Coffee House, where the terms were equally cheap and the society a very little better. After breakfast, on the first day, we set out for a walk through London. Entering the main artery of this mighty city, we passed on through Aldgate and Cornhill, to St. Paul's, with still increasing vender. Further on, through Fleet street and the Strand what a world ! Here come the ever-thronging, ever-rolling waves of life, pressing and whirling on in their tumultuous career. Here day and night pours the stream of human beings, seeming, amid the roar and din and clatter of the passing vehicles, like the tide of some great combat. How lonely it makes one to stand still and feel that of all the mighty throng which divides itself around him, not a being knows or cares for him ! What knows he too of the thousands who pass him by ! How many who bear the impress of godlike virtue, or hide beneath a goodly countenance a heart black with crime J How many fiery spirits, all glowing with hope for the yet unclouded future, or brooding over a darkened and desolate past in the agony of despair ! There is a sublimity in thif ST. PAUL'S. 81 human Niagara that makes one look on his own race with something of awe. St. Paul's is on a scale of grandeur excelling every thing I have yet seen. The dome seems to stand in the sky, an you look up to it ; the distance from which you view it, combined with the atmosphere of London, gives it a dim, shadowy appearance, that startles one with its immensity. The roof from which the dome springs is itself as high as the spires of most other churches ; blackened for two hundred years with the coal-smoke of London, it stands like a relic of the giant architecture of the early world. The interior is what one would expect to behold, after viewing the out- side. A maze of grand arches on every side, encompasses the dome, at which you gaze up as at the sky ; and from every pillar and wall look down the marble forms of the dead. There is scarcely a vacant niche left in all this mighty hall, so many are the statues that meet one on every side. With the exception of John Howard, Sir Astley Cooper and Wren, whose monument is the church itself, they are all to military men I thought if they had all been removed except Howard's, it would better have suited such a temple, and the great soul it commemorated. I never was more impressed with the grandeur of human invention, than when ascending the dome. I could with difficulty conceive the means by which such a mighty edi- fice had been lifted into the air. The small frame of Sir Christopher Wren must have contained a mind capable of vast conceptions. The dome is like the summit of a moun- tain ; so wide is the prospect, and so great the pile upon which you stand. London lay beneath us, like an ant-hill, 4* 82 VIEWS A-KOOT. with the black insects swarming to and fro in their long avenues, the sound of their employments coming up like the roar of the sea. A cloud of coal-smoke hung over it, through which many a pointed spire was thrust up ; some- times the wind would blow it aside for a moment, and the thousands of red roofs would shine out clearer. The bridg- ed Thames, covered with craft of all sizes, wound beneath us like a ringed and spotted serpent. It was a relief to get into St. James's Park, among the trees and flowers again. Here beautiful winding walks led around little lakes, in which were hundreds of water-fowl, swimming Groups of merry children were sporting on the green lawn, enjoying their privilege of roaming every where at will, while the older bipeds were confined to the regular walks. At the western end stood Buckingham Palace, look ing over the trees towards St. Paul's ; and through the grove on the eminence above, the towers of St. James's could be seen. But there was a dim building with two lofty square towers, decorated with a profusion of pointed Gothic pinnacles, that I looked at with more interest than these appendages of royalty. I could not linger long in its vicinity, but going back again by the Horse Guards, took the road to Westminster Abbey. We approached by the general entrance, Poet's Corner. I hardly stopped to look at the elaborate exterior of Henry VII.'s Chapel, but passed on to the door. On entering, the first thing that met my eyes were the words, " On RARE BEN JONSON," under his bust. Near by stood the monu- ments of Spenser and Gay, and a few paces further looked down the sublime countenance of Milton. Never was a spot POET'S COKNKR. 83 so full of intense interest. The light was just dim enough to give it a solemn, religious air, making the marble forms ^f poets and philosophers so shadowy and impressive, that I felt as if standing in their living presence. Every step /willed up some mind linked with the associations of my childhood. There was the gentle feminine countenance of Thomson, and the majestic head of Dryden ; Addison with his classic features, and Gray, full of the fire of lofty thought. In another chamber, I paused long before the tablet to Shakspeare ; and while looking at the monument of Garrick, started to find that I stood upon his grave. What a glorious galaxy of genius is here collected what n constellation of stars whose light is immortal ! The mind is fettered by their spirit, everything is forgotten but the mighty dead, who still " rule us from their urns." The side-chapels are filled with tombs of knightly fami- lies, the 'husband and wife lying on their backs on the tombs, with their hands clasped, while their children, about the size of dolls, are kneeling around. Numberless are the Barons and Earls and Dukes, whose grim effigies stare from their tombs. In opposite chapels are the tombs of Mary and Elizabeth, and near the former that of Darnley. After having visited many of the scenes of her life, it was with no ordinary emotion that I stood by the sepulchre of Mary. How differently one looks upon it and upon that of the proud Elizabeth ! We descended to the Chapel of Edward the Confessor, within the splendid shrine of which his ashes repose. Here the chair on which the English monarchs have been crowned for several hundred years was exhibited. Under the seat 84 VIKWS A-FOOT. is the stone, brought from the Abbey of Scona, whereon the Kings of Scotland were crowned. The chair is of oak, carved and hacked over with names, and on the bottom some one has recorded his name with the fact that he once slept in it. We sat down and rested in it without ceremony. Near this is the hall where the Knights of the order of the Bath met. Over each seat their dusty banners are still hanging, each with its crest, and their armor is rusting upon the wall. It resembled a banqueting hall of the olden time, where the knights had left their seats for a moment vacant. Entering the nave, we were lost in the wilderness of sculpture. Here stood the forms of Pitt, Fox, Burke, Sheridan and Watts, from the chisels of Chantry, Bacon and Westmacott. Further down were Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Godfrey Kneller opposite Andre, and Paoli, the Italian, who died here in exile. How can I convey an idea of the scene ! Notwithstanding all the descriptions I had read, I was totally unprepared for the reality, nor could I have anticipated the hushed and breathless interest with which I paced the dim aisles, gazing, at every step, on the last resting place of some great and familiar name. A place so sacred to all who inherit the English tongue, is worthy of a special pilgrimage across the deep. To those who are unable to visit it, a de- scription may be interesting ; but so far does it fall short of the scene itself, that if I thought it would induce a few of our wealthy idlers, or even those who, like myself, must travel with toil and privation, to come hither, I would write till the pen dropped from my hand. We walked down the Thames, through the narrow streets of Wapping. Over the mouth of the Tunnel is a large THE THAMES TUNNEL. 85 circular building, with a dome to light the entrance below. Paying the fee of a penny, we descended by a winding staircase to the bottom, which is seventy-three feet below the surface. The carriage-way, still unfinished, will extend further into the city. From the bottom the view of the two arches of the Tunnel, briU'antly lighted with gas, is very fine ; it has a much less heavy and gloomy appearance than I expected. As we walked along under the bed of the river, two or three girls at one end began playing on the French horn and bugle, and the echoes, when not sufficient to confuse the melody, were remarkably beautiful. Between the arches of the division separating the two passages, are shops, occupied by venders of fancy articles, views of the Tunnel, engravings, &c. In the middle is a small printing press, where a sheet containing a description of the whole work is printed for those who desire it. As I was no strang- er to this art, I requested the boy to let me print one my- self, but he had such a bad roller I did not succeed in get- ting a good impression. The air within is somewhat damp, but fresh and agreeably cool, and one can scarcely realize in walking along the light passage, that a river is rolling above his head. The immense solidity and compactness of the structure precludes the danger of accident, each of the sides being arched outwards, so that the heaviest pressure only strengthens the work. It will long remain a noble monu- ment of human daring and ingenuity. We spent a day in visiting the lung of London, as the two grand parks have been called. From the Strand through Regent Circus, the centre of the fashionable part of the city, we passed to Piccadilly, calling o our way to see 86 VIKWS A-FOOT. oui old friends, the lowas. They were at the Egyptian Hall, in connexion with Catlin's Indian collection. The old braves knew us at once, particularly Blister-Feet, who used often to walk a line on deck with me, at sea. Further along Piccadilly is Wellington's mansion, Apsley House, and nearly opposite it, in the corner of Hyde Park, stands the colossal statue of Achilles, cast from cannon taken at Salamanca and Vittoria. The Park resembles an open com- mon, with here and there a grove of trees, intersected by carriage roads. It is like getting into the country again to be out on its broad, green field, with the city seen dimly around through the smoky atmosphere. We walked for a mile or two along the shady avenues and over the lawns, having a view of the princely terraces and gardens on one hand, and the gentle outline of Primrose Hill on the other. Regent'., Park itself covers a space of nearly four hundred acres ! But if London is unsurpassed in splendor, it has also its corresponding share of crime. Notwithstanding the large and efficient body of police, who do much towards the control of vice, one sees enough of degradation and brutality in a short time, to make his heart sick. Even the public thoroughfares are thronged at night with characters of the lowest description, and it is not expedient to go through many of the narrow bye-haunts of the old city in the day- time. The police, who are ever on the watch, immediately seize and carry off any offender, but from the statements of persons who have had an opportunity of observing, as well as from my own slight experience, I am convinced that there is an untold amount of concealed misery arid crime I have now been six days in London, and by making EXPENSES OF TRAVEL. 87 good use of my feet and eyes, have managed to become fa- miliar with almost every object of interest within its precincts My whole time has been devoted to sight-seeing, and I have neither made a single acquaintance, nor obtained the least insight into the social life of England. Having a plan mapped out for the day, I started from my humble lodgings at the Aldgate Coffee House, where I slept off fatigue for a shilling a night, and walked up Cheapside or down White- chapel, as the case might be, hunting out my way to churches, halls and theatres. In this way, at a trifling expense, I have perhaps seen as much as many who spend here double the time and ten times the money Our whole tour from Liverpool hither, by way of Ireland and Scotland, cost us but twenty-five dollars each ! although, except in one or two cases, we denied ourselves no necessary comfort This shows that the glorious privilege of looking on the scenes of the old world need not be confined to people of wealth and leisure. It may be enjoyed by all who cau occasionally forego a little bodily comfort for the sake of mental and spiritual gain. We leave this afternoon foi Dover. To-morrow I shall dine in Belgium J CHAPTER VIII ON THE CONTINENT. FUng8 on Visiting the Continent Imprisonment at Dover Arrtral at Ostend A Stroll The Streets of Bruges The Cathedral The Belfry and its Chimes A Night on the Canal Ghent A Rainy Bide Scenery of the Meuse Entering Prussia Aix-la-Chapelle The Cathedral The Tomb of Charlemagne The Ca- thedral of Cologne Tradition of its Plan The Smells of the Streets. ON the Continent at last ! How strangely look the century-old towers, antique monuments, and quaint, narrow streets of the Flemish cities ! It is an agreeable and yet a painful sense of novelty to stand for the first time in the midst of a people whose language and manners are different from one's own. The old buildings around, linked with many a stirring association of past history, gratify the glowing anticipations with which one has looked forward to seeing them, and the fancy is busy at work reconciling the real scene with the ideal ; but the want of a communi- cation with the living world about, walls one up with a sense of loneliness he could not before have conceived. I envied the children in the streets their childish language. Bidding adieu to our German friend, who took passage IMPRISONMENT AT DOVER. 69 direct to Havre, we left London in the afternoon, and sped through the green wooded lawns and vales of England, to Dover, which we reached at sunset, passing by a long tunnel through the lofty Shakspeare Cliff. We had barely time, before it grew dark, to ascend the cliff. The glorious coast vieAv looked still wilder in the gathering twilight, which soon hid from our sight the dim hills of France. On the cliff opposite frowned the massive battlements of the Castle, guarding the town, which lay in a nook of the rocks below. As the Ostend boat was to leave at four in the morning, my cousin aroused us at three, and we felt our way down stairs in the dark. But the landlord was reluc- tant to part with us ; we stamped and shouted and rang bells, till the whole house was in an uproar, for the door was double-locked, and the steamboat bell began to sound. At last the scamp could stand it no longer; we gave a quick utterance to our overflowing wrath, and rushed down to the boat but a second or two before it sailed. The water of the Channel was smooth as glass, and as the sun rose, the far chalky cliffs gleamed along the horizon, a belt of fire. I waved a good-bye to Old England and then turned to see the spires of Dunkirk, which were visible in the distance before us. On the low Belgian coast we could see trees and steeples, resembling a mirage over the level surface of the sea ; and at length, about ten o'clock, the square tower of Ostend came in sight. The boat passed into a long, muddy basin, in which many unwieldy, red-sailed Dutch craft were lying, and stopped beside a high pier. Here amid the confusion of three languages, an officer came on board and took charge of our passports 90 VIKWS A-POOT. and luggage. As we could not get the former for two 01 three hours, we did not hurry the passing of the latter, and went on shore quite unencumbered, for a stroll about the city, disregarding the cries of the hackney-coachmen on the pier, " Hotel d" Angleterre" "Hotel des Bains ! " and another who called out in English, "I recommend you to the Royal Hotel, sir ! " There is little to be seen in Ostend. We wandered through long rows of plain yellow houses, trying to read the French and Dutch signs, and at last came out on the wall near the sea. A soldier waved us back as we attempted to ascend it, and muttering some unintelligible words, pointed to a narrow street near. Following this out of curiosity, we crossed the moat and found ourselves on the great bathing beach. To get out of the hands of the servants who imme- diately surrounded us, we jumped into one of the little wagons and were driven out into the surf. To be certain of fulfilling the railroad regulations, we took our seats a quarter of an hour before the time. The dark walls of Ostend soon vanished and we were whirled rapidly over a country perfectly level, but highly fertile and well cultivated. Occasionally there was a ditch or row of trees, but otherwise there was no division between the fields, and the plain stretched unbroken away into the distance. The twenty miles to Bruges we made in forty minutes. The streets of this antique city are narrow and crooked, and the pointed, ornamented gables of the houses, produce a novel impression on one who has been accustomed to the green American forests. Then there was the endless sound of wooden shoes clattering over the rough pavements, and BRUGES. 91 people talking in that most unmusical of all languages, Dutch. Walking at random through the streets, we came by chance upon the Cathedral of* Notre Dame. I shall long remember my first impression of the scene within. The lofty gothic ceiling arched far above my head and through the stained windows the light came but dimly it was all still, solemn and religious. A few worshippers were kneeling in silence before some of the shrines, and the echo of my tread was like a profaning sound. On every side were pic- tures, saints and gilded shrines. A few steps removed one from the bustle and din of the crowd to the stillness and solemnity of the holy retreat. We learned from a guide, whom we had engaged because he spoke a few words of English, that there was still a t eckshuyt line on the canals, and that a boat was to leave at ten o'clock that night for Ghent. Wishing to try this old Dutch method of travelling, we walked along the Ghent road to the canal, where a moderate sized boat was lying. Our baggage deposited in the plainly furnished cabin, I ran back to Bruges, although it was beginning to grow dark, to get a sight of the belfry ; for Longfellow's lines had been chiming through my head all day : "In the market-place of Bruges, stands the belfry old and brown, Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches o'er the town." And having found the square, brown tower in one corner of the open market place, we waited to hear the chimes, which are said to be the finest in Europe. They rang out at last with a clear silvery tone, most beautifully musical indeed. We then returned to the boat in the twilight. We 92 VIEWS A-FOOT. were to leave in about an hour, according to the arrange- ment, but as yet there was no sound to be heard, and we were the only tenants. However, trusting to Dutch regu- larity, we went to sleep in the full confidence of awakening in Ghent. I awoke once in the night and saw the dark branches of trees passing before the window, but there was no perceptible sound nor motion the boat glided along like a dream, and we were awakened next morning by its striking against the pier at Ghent. After paying three francs for the whole night journey, the captain gave us a guide to the railroad station, and as we had nearly an hour before the train left, I went to see the Cathedral of St. Bavon. After leaving Ghent, the road passes through a beautiful country, culti- vated like a garden. The Dutch passion for flowers is dis- played in the gardens around the cottages ; even every vacant foot of ground along the railway is planted with roses and dahlias. At Ghent, the morning being fair, we took seats in the open cars. About noon it commenced raining and our situation was soon anything but comfortable. My cousin had fortunately a waterproof Indian blanket with him, which he had purchased in the Far West, and by wrapping this around all three of us, we kept partly dry. I was much amused at the plight of a party of young Englishmen, who were in the same car ; one of them held a little parasol which just covered his hat, and sent the water in streams down on his back and shoulders. We had a misty view of Liege, through the torrents of rain, and then dashed away into the wild mountain scenery of the Meuse. Steep, rocky hills, covered with pine and ENTERING PRUSSIA. 93 crowned with ruined towers, hemmed in the winding and swollen river, and the wet, cloudy sky rested like a canopy on their summits. Instead of threading their mazy defiles, we plunged directly into the mountain's heart, flew over the narrow valley on lofty and light-sprung arches, and went again into the darkness. At Verviers, our baggage was weighed, examined and transferred, with ourselves, to a Prussian train. There was a great deal of disputing on the occasion. A lady, who had a dog in a large willow basket, was not allowed to retain it, nor would they take it as bag- gage. The matter was finally compromised by their sending the basket, obliging her to carry the dog, which was none of the smallest, in her arms ! The next station bore the sign of the black eagle, and here we were obliged to give up our passports. Advancing through long ranges of wooded hills, we saw at length, in the dull twilight of a rainy day, the old kingly city of Aix la Chapelle on a plain below us. After a scene at the custom-house, where our baggage was reclaimed with tickets given at Verviers, we drove to the Hotel du Rhin, and while warming our shivering limbs and drying our damp garments, felt tempted to exclaim with the old Italian author : " O ! holy and miraculous tavern !" The Cathedral, with its lofty Gothic tower, was built by the emperor Otho in the tenth century. It seems at present to be undergoing repairs, for a large scaffold shut out the dome. The long hall was dim with incense smoke as we entered, and the organ sounded through the high arches with an effect that startled me. The windows glowed with the forms of kings and saints, and the dusty and mouldering shrines which rose around were colored with the light that 94 VIEWS A-FOOT. came through The music pealed out like a triumphal march, sinking at times into a mournful strain, as if it celebrated and lamented the heroes who slept below. In the stone pavement nearly under my feet was a large square marble slab, with the words " CAROI.O MAUXO." It was like a dream, to stand there on the tomb of the mighty war- rior, with the lofty arches of the Cathedral above, filled with the sound of the divine anthem. I mused above his ashes till the music ceased and then left the Cathedral, that nothing might break the romantic spell associated with that crumbling pile and the dead it covered. I have always revered the memory of Charlemagne. He lived in a stern age, but he was in mind and heart a man, and like Napoleon, who placed the iron crown which had lain with him centuries in the tomb, upon his own brow, he possessed a breadth and grandeur of mind, which the world was forced to acknowledge. At noon we took the cluirs-a-banc, or second-class carnages, for fear of rain ; and continued our journey over a plain dotted with villages and old chateaux. Two or three miles from Cologne we saw the spires of the different churches, con- spicuous among which were the unfinished towers of the Cathedral with the enormous crane standing as it did when they left off building, two hundred years ago or more. On arriving, we drove to the Bonn railway, where, finding the last train did not leave for four hours, we left our baggage and set out for the Cathedral. Of all Gothic buildings, the plan of this is certainly the most stupendous ; even ruin as it is. it cannot fail to excite surprise and admiration. The King of Prussia has undertaken to complete it accord- ing to the original plan, which was lately found in the pos LEGEND OF THE COLOGNE CATHEDRAL. 91 session of a poor man, of whom it was purchased for 40,000 florins, but the workmen have not yet finished repairing what is already built. The legend concerning this plan may not be known to every one. It is related of the inventor of it, that in despair of finding any sufficiently great, he was walking one day by the river, sketching with his stick upon the sand, when he finally hit upon one which pleased him so much that he exclaimed, " This shall be the plan !" " I will show you a better one than that !" said a voice sudden ly behind him, and a certain black gentleman who figures in many German legends stood by him, and pulled from h:s pocket a roll containing the present plan of the Cathedral. The architect, amazed at its grandeur, asked an explanation of every part. As he knew his soul was to be the price of it, he occupied himself, while the devil was explaining, in committing its proportions carefully to memory. Having done this, he remarked lhat it did not please him and he would not take it. The devil, seeing through the cheat, exclaimed in his rage : " You may build your Cathedral according to this plan, but you shall never finish it !" This prediction seems likely to be verified, for though it was com- menced in 1248, and continued for 250 years, only the choir and nave and one tower to half its proposed height, are finished. We visited the chapol of the Eleven Thousand Virgins, the walls of which are full of curious grated cells, containing their bones, and then threaded the narrow streets of Cologne, which are quite dirty enough to justify Coleridge's lines : " The river Rhine, it is well Lnown, Doth wash the city of Cologne ; But tell me, nymphs, what power divine Shall henceforth wash the river Rhinel" CHAPTER IX. THE RHINE TO HEIDELBEIkO. In Heidelberg The Star Hotel at Bonn Passing the Drachenfels Coblentz an Ehrenbreitstein The Charms of the Bhine Lurlei Rock and its Echo A Rainbow at Oberwese) Mayence Bide to Frankfort Hunting an Address Mr. Richard S. Willis The Festival at Darmstadt Scenery of the Bergstrasse German Peasants Fellow PassengersHeidelberg at Sunset A Besting Place. HEIDELBERG, August 30, 1844. HERE at last ! and a charming place it is. This is our first morning in our new rooms, and the sun streams warmly in the eastern windows, as I write, while the old castle rises through the blue vapor on the side of the Kaiserstuhl. The Xeckar rushes on below ; and the Odenwald, before me, rejoices with its vineyards in the morning light. The bells of the old chapel near us are sounding most musically, and a confused sound of voices and the rolling of vehicles comes up from the street. It is a place to live in ! I must go back five or six days and take up the record of our journeyings at Bonn. We had been looking over Murray's infallible Handbook, and observed that he recom> mended the " Star " hotel in that city, as " the most mode- THE STAR HOTEL AT RON*. 97 rate in its prices of any on the Rhine;" so when the train from Cologne arrived and we were surrounded, in the dark- ness and confusion, by porters and valets, I called out : Hotel de I'Etoilc d'Or /" our baggage and ourselves were transferred to a stylish omnibus, and in five minutes we stopped under a brilliantly-lighted archway, where Mr. Joseph Schmidt received us with the usual number of smiles and bows bestowed upon untitled guests. We were furnished with neat rooms at the summit of the house, and then de- scended to the salle a manger. I found a folded note by my plate, which I opened. It contained an engraving of the front of the hotel, a plan of the city and catalogue of its lions, together with a list of the titled personages who have, from time to time, honored the " Golden Star" with their custom. Among this number were " Their Royal High- nesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Albert," etc. Had it not been for fatigue, I should have spent an uneasy night, thinking of the heavy bill which was to be presented on the morrow. We escaped, however, for seven francs apiece, three of which were undoubtedly for the honor of breathing an aristocratic atmosphere. I was glad when we were really in motion on the swift Rhine, the next morning, and nearing the chain of mountains that arose before us. We passed Godesberg on the right while on our left was the group of the Seven Mountains which extend back from the Drachenfels to the Wolkenberg, or Castle of the Clouds. Here we begin* to enter the enchanted land. The Rhine sweeps around the foot of the Drachenfels, while the precipitous rock of Rolandseck opposite, crowned with the castle of the faithful knight, looks 5 98 VIEWS A-FOOT. down upon the beautiful island of Nonnenwerth, the whit walls of the convent still gleaming through the trees, as they gleamed when the warrior's weary eyes looked upon them for the last time. I shall never forget the enthusiasm with which I saw this scene in the bright, warm sunlight., the rough crags softened in the haze which filled the atmosphere, and the wild mountains springing up in the midst of vine- yards, and crowned with crumbling towers, haunted with the memories of a thousand years. After passing Andernach, we saw in the distance the high lands of the middle Rhine, which rise above Coblentz. guarding the entrance to its wild scenery, and the mountains of the Moselle They parted as we approached ; from the foot shot up the spires of Coblentz, and the battlements of Ehrenbreitstein crowning the mountain opposite, grew larger and broader. The air was slightly hazy, and the clouds were laboring among the distant mountains to raise a storm As we came opposite the mouth of the Moselle and under the shadow of the mighty fortress, I gazed up with awe at its massive walls. Apart from its magnitude and almost impregnable situation on a perpendicular rock, it is filled with the recollections of history and hallowed by the voice of poetry. The scene went past like a panorama, the bridge of boats opened, the city glided behind us and we entered the highlands again. Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels everywhere the spirit of the Past, and its stirring recollections come back upon the mind with irre sistible force. I sat upon the deck the whole afternoon, as mountains, towns and castles passed by on either side, watch LUKLKI KO K AMI IT- KCIIO. 99 ing them with a feeling of the most enthusiastic? enjoyment Every place was familiar to me in memory, and they seemed like friends I had long communed with in spirit and now met face to face. The English tourists, with whom the deck was covered, seemed interested too, but in a different man- ner. With Murray's Handbook open in their hands, they sat and read about the very towns and towers they were passing, scarcely lifting their eyes to the real scenes, except now and then, to observe that it was " eery nice." As we passed Boppart, I sought out the Inn of the " Star," mentioned in " Hyperion ;" there was a maiden sitting on the steps who might have been Paul Flemming's fair boat-woman. The clouds which had here gathered among the hills, now came over the river, and the rain clear- ed the deck of its crowd of admiring tourists. As we were approaching Lurlei Berg, I did not go below, and so enjoyed some of the finest scenery on the Rhine alone. The moun- tains approach each other at this point, and the Lurlei Rock rises up for six hundred feet from the water. This is the haunt of the water nymph, Lurlei, or Loreley, whose song charmed the ear of the boatman while his barque was dashed to pieces on the rocks below. It is also celebrated for its remarkable echo. As we passed between the rocks, a guard, who has a little house built on the road-side, blew a flourish on his bugle, which was instantly answered by a blast from the rocky battlements of Lurlei. The German students have a witty trick with this echo : they call out, " Who is the Burgomaster of Oberwesel ?" a town just above. The echo answers with the last syllable "Esel!" which is th German for aaa. 100 VIEWS A-FOOT. The sun came out of the clouds as we passed OberweseV with its tall round tower, and the light shining through the ruined arches of Schonberg castle, made broad bars of light and shade in the still misty air. A rainbow sprang up out of the Rhine, and lay brightly on the mountain side, color- ing vineyard and crag, in the most singular beauty, while its second reflection faintly arched like a glory above the high summits. In the bed of the river were the seven coun- tesses of Schunberg, turned into seven rocks for their cruelty andhard-heartedness towards the knights whom their beauty had made captive. In front, at a little distance was the castle of Pfalz, in the middle of the river, and from the heights above Caub frowned the crumbling citadel of Guten- fels. Imagine all this, and tell me if it is not a picture whose memory should last a life-time ! We came at last to Bingen, the southern gate of the High- lands. Here on an island in the middle of the stream, is the old Mouse Tower where Bishop Hatto of Mayence was eaten up by the rats for his wicked deeds. Passing Rtide- sheim and Geissenheim, celebrated for their wines, at sun- set, we watched the varied shore in the growing darkness, till, like a line of stars across the water, we saw before us the bridge of Mayence The next morning I parted from my friends, who were going to Heidelberg by way of Mannheim, and set out alone for Frankfort. The cars passed through Hochheim, whose wines are celebrated all over the world ; but there is little to interest the traveller until he arrives at Frankfort, whose spires are seen rising from the groves of trees as he approaches. ' I left the cars unchallenged for my passport FRANKFORT-ON THE-MAIK. 101 greatly to my surprise, as it had cost me a long walk and five shillings in London, to get the signature of the Frank- fort Consul I learned afterwards that it was not at all necessary. Before leaving America, Mr. N. P. Willis had kindly given me a letter to his brother, Richard S. Willis, who is now cultivating a naturally fine taste for music in Frankfort, and my first care was to find the American Con. sul, in order to learn his residence. I discovered at last from a gentleman who spoke a little French, that the Con- sul's office was in the street Bellevue, which street I not only looked for through the city, but crossed over the bridge to the suburb of Sachsenhausen, and traversed its narrow, dir- ty alleys three several times, but in vain. I was about giv- ing up the search, when I stumbled upon the office accidental, ly. The name of the street had been given to me in French, and very naturally it was not to be found. Mr. Willis received me very kindly, and introduced me to the amiable German family with whom he resides. After spending a delightful evening with my newly-found friends, I left the next morning in the omnibus for Heidel- berg. Four hours' driving over the monotonous plain brought me to Darmstadt. The city wore a gay look, left by the recenty?fe*. The monument of the old Duke Lud- wig had just been erected in the centre of the great square^ and the festival attendant upon the unveiling of it, which lasted three days, had just closed. The city was hung with garlands, and the square filled with the pavilions of the royal family and the musicians, of whom there were a thou T happened to be passing up the main street, when the vehicle stopped and took me at once to their temporary Quarter* v the Badischer Ho CHAPTER X. A MONTH AT HEJDELBEBO. Rooms In Heidelberg The Landlady View from our Window The Valley of tbl Neckar Heidelberg Castle The Towers The Great Tun The Wolfsbrannen An Afternoon Party Ascent of the Heiligenberg The Pastor of Zeigelhausen The University Library A Wedding Conscripts German Cookery and Cu toms The Melibochus The Sea of Rocks The Giant's Column Return. HEIDELBERG, September 80, 1844. THE day after my arrival here, by the help of a valet dt place, who spoke a few words of English, we obtained threL rooms in a large house overhanging the Neckar. We pay for them, with attendance, thirty florins about twelve dol- lars a month, and Frau Dr. Grosch, our polite and talkative landlady, gives us a student's breakfast coffee and biscuit for about seven cents apiece. We are often much amused to hear her endeavors to make us understand. As if to con- vey her meaning better, she raises both thumbs and fore- fingers to her mouth and pulls out the words like a long string ; while her tongue goes so fast that it keeps my mind always on a painful stretch to comprehend an expression here and there. Dr. S , from whom we take lessons in 106 VIEWS A-FOOT. German, has kindly consented to our dining with his family for the sake of practice in speaking. The language is fast growing familiar, since women are the principal teachers. Opposite to my window rises the Heiligenberg, on the other side of the Neckar. The lower part of it is rich with vineyards, and many cottages are embosomed in shrubbery among them. Sometimes we see groups of maidens standing under the grape arbors, and every morning the peasant women go toiling up the steep paths with baskets on theif heads, to labor among the vines. On the Neckar below us, the fishermen glide about in their boats, sink their square nets fastened to long poles, and haul them up with the glit tering fish, of which the stream is full. I often lean out of the window late at night, when the mountains above are wrapped in dusky obscurity, and listen to the low, musical ripple of the river. It tells to my excited fancy a knightly legend of the old German time. Then comes the bell, rung for closing the inns, breaking the spell with its deep clang, which vibrates far away on the night air, and wakes all the echoes of the Odenwald. I then shut the window, turn into the narrow box which the Germans call a bed, and in a few minutes am wandering in America. Half way up the Heiligenberg runs a beautiful walk, dividing the vineyards from the forest above This is called the Philosopher's Way, because it was the favorite ramble of the old Profes- sors of the University. It can be reached by a toilsome, winding path among the vines, called the Snake-way, and when one has ascended to it he is well rewarded by the lovely view. In the evening, when the sun is behind the mountain, it is delightful to sit on the stone steps and watcb THE VAI-LKV OF THK NKCKAR. 10*J the golden light creeping up the side of the Kaiserstuhl, until at last twilight begins to darken in the valley and a mantle of mist gathers above the river. The valley of the Neckar is narrow, and only the little slopes which here and there lie between the feet of its wooded mountains are capable of cultivation. Higher up, there are glens and meadows of luxuriant grass, to which the peasants drive their cattle ; further still, it is barren and rocky, and upon the summits rests a solitude as complete as upon the unsettled prairies of the West. An hour's walk takes one from the busy streets of the little city to this beautiful and lonely region, and the stranger may explore the paths he finds leading far away among the hills, for weeks together. The people of Heidelberg are rich in places of pleasure and amusement. From the Carl Platz, an open square at the upper end of the city, two paths lead directly up to the castle. By the first walk we ascend a flight of steps to the western gate, passing through which, we enter a delightful garden, between the outer walls of the Castle, and the huge moat which surrounds it. Great linden, oak and beech trees shadow the walks, and in secluded nooks, little mountain streams spring from the side of the wall into stone basins. There is a tower over the moat on the south side, next the mountain, where the portcullis still hangs with its sharp teeth as it was last drawn up ; on each side two grim knights guard the entrance. In one of the wood- ed walks is an old tree brought from America in the year 1618. It is an arbor vita, uncommonly tall and slender foi one of this species ; yet it does not seem to thrive well in a foreign soil. In the curve of the mountain \f a handsome 108 VIEWS A-FOOT. pavilion, surrounded with beds of flowers and fountains; here all classes meet together in the afternoon to take re- freshment in the shade, while frequently a fine band of music gives them their invariable recreation. The Germans enjoy life under all circumstances, and are a much happier people than we, who have far greater means of being so. At the end of the terrace built for the Princess Elizabeth of England, is one of the round towers which was split in twain by the French. Half has fallen entirely away, and the other semicircular shell which joins the terrace and part of the Castle buildings, clings firmly together, although part of its foundation is gone, so that its outer ends actually hang in the air. Some idea of the strength of the castle may be obtained when I state that the walls of this tower are twen- ty-two feet thick, and that a staircase has been made through them to the top, where one can sit under the lindens growing upon it, or look down from the end on the city below, with the pleasant consciousness that the great mass upon which he stands is only prevented from crashing down with him by the solidity of its masonry. On one side, joining the gar- den, the statue of the Archduke Louis, in his breastplate and flowing beard, looks out from among the ivy. There is little to be seen about the Castle, except the walls themselves. The guide conducted us through passages, in which were heaped many of the enormous cannon balls re- ceived in sieges, to some chambers in the foundation. This was the oldest part of the Castle, built in the thirteenth cen- cury. We also visited the chapel, which is in a tolerable state of preservation. A kind of narrow bridge crosses it, over which we walked, looking down on the empty pulpit THE WOLFSBRVNNEN. lOfl and deserted shrines. We then went into the cellar to see the celebrated Tun. In a large vault are kept several enormous hogsheads, one of which is three hundred years old, but they are nothing in comparison with the tun, which itself fills a whole vault. It is as high as a common two- story house ; on the top is a platform upon which the people used to dance after it was filled. It will contain 800 barrels of wine, but has been empty for fifty years. Then there is the Wolfsbrunnen, which one reaches by a beautiful walk up the bank of the Neckar, to a quiet dell in the side of the mountain. Here a path wanders off by rustic mills, always in motion, and orchards laden with ripen- ing fruit, to the commencement of the forest, where a quaint stone fountain stands, commemorating the abode of a sorcer- ess of the olden time, who was torn in pieces by a wolf. There is a handsome rustic inn here, where every Sunday afternoon a band plays in the portico, while hundreds of people are scattered around in the cool shadow of the trees, or feeding the splendid trout in the basin formed by the little stream. They generally return to the city by a path along the mountain side, to the eastern terrace of the castle, where they have fine views of the great Rhine plain, terminated by the Alsatian hills, stretching along the western horizon like the long crested swells on the ocean. We can even see these from the windows of our room on the bank of the Neckar ; and I often look with interest on one sharp peak, for on its side stands the Castle of Trifels, where Coe.ur de Lion was imprisoned by the Duke of Austria. A few days ago a party was formed by our German friends, and we spent an afternoon at the Wolfsbrunnen. Fran Dr 1 10 VIEWS A-FOOT. S , who was always ready for any social undertaking had the management of the excursion, and directed us with the skill of a general. Fraulein Elise, her niece, a blooming maiden of sixteen, and Madame , a sprightly little widow from Mannheim, with Dr. S , one or two students, and we Americans, were her subjects. The books, the cards, the guitar and music were distributed among those best able to carry them, and we finally started, without any particular order of march. German etiquette forbids a lady to take the arm of a male friend, unless she is betrothed to him : talking is allowed, fortunately. As we climbed to the terraces of the castle, we could see the thread of the Rhine, in the distance, sparkling through the haze. The light air which came down the Neckar was fragrant with pine and the first falling leaves of summer trees. The vineyards below us were beginning to look crisp and brown, but hanging from stake to stake the vines were bent down by blue clusters, with the bloom still upon them. Troops of light-hearted students, children, blue-eyed and blond-haired, and contented citizens, were taking the same path, and like them, we forgot every thing but the sense of present happiness. We had a table spread upon the upper balcony of the inn, after our scattered forces returned from many a long ramble up the glen and out on the meadows. Frau Dr. S ordered a repast, and the " landlady's daughter" not the sweet maid of Uhland's song, but a stout-armed and stout-waisted damsel brought us a jar of curds, dripping with the cool water in which it had stood. A loaf of brown bread next made its appearance, followed by a stone jug of foaming beer, and two or three dishes of CLIMBING THE HKILIGENBERO. 11] those prune-tarts peculiar to Germany completed the fare, On the porch below us, two or three musicians played waltzes, and the tables around the fountain were filled with students, laughing, clinking their beer-glasses, or trolling some burschen chorus. Our own table did not lack the heartiest spirit of mirth ; this could not be otherwise so long as Frau Dr. S sat at the head of it. The students were gay and full of life, and even Dr. S , the most correct and studious of the party, was so far influenced by the spirit of the time, that he sang the " King of Thule " with more Warmth than I had thought possible. We ascended the Heiligenberg a few days ago. There is a path which leads through the forest, but we took the shortest way, directly up the side, although it was at an angle of nearly fifty degrees. It was hard work enough, scrambling through the thick broom and heather, and over stumps and stones. In one of the stone-heaps I dislodged a large orange-colored salamander, seven or eight inches long. They are sometimes found on these mountains, as well as a very large kind of lizard, which the Germans say is per- fectly harmless, and if one whistles or plays a pipe, will come and play around him. The view from the top is simi- lar to that from the Kaiserstuhl opposite, but on a smaller scale. Nestled at the base below us, was the little village of Handschuhheim, one of the oldest in this part of Germa- ny. The castle of its former lords has nearly all fallen down, but the massive solidity of the walls which yet stand, proves its antiquity. A few years ago, a part of the outer wall which was remarked to have a hollow sound was taken down, when a skeleton, clad in a suit of the old German 112 VIEWS A-FOOT. armor, fell from a deep niche built therein. We followed a road through the woods to the peak on which stand the ruins of St. Michael's chapel, which was built in the tenth century and inhabited for a long time by a sect of white monks. It had a wild and romantic look, and I sat on a rock and sketched at it, until night came on, when we got down the mountain the best way we could. The village of Ziegelhausen, up the Neckar, with its grim old convent, gardens and cascades, and the delightful arbors of vine, reaching down to the very brink of the river, is another favorite place of resort. The pastor of its church, who is familiar with our German friends, frequently joins us in an afternoon walk, followed by a cup of tea in the garden of the inn, or a share in the games of the village children. The pastor is a most jovial, genial character ; he sings very finely indeed he is brother to the primo tenore in the Opera at Brunswick and his wit is inexhaustible. His religion is as genuine as his cheerfulness ; it is no gloomy asceticism, which looks on mirth as sin, but a joyous, affectionate, and abounding spirit, bright as God's sunshine, and as uncon- scious of its blessing. How happily pass our September afternoons, warmed by such true social feeling, and re- freshed by all the kindly influences of nature ! If a return like this to the simple joys of the child's heart be but obtained by the mature age of a nation, I could almost wish our own country might grow old speedily. The restless energy of Youth is still upon us. The nation overflows with active impulses, which fear nothing, and yield to nothing. We have not yet felt the need of Rest. We lately visited the great University Library. Yon A WEDDING CONSCRIPTS. 11J walk through hall after hall, filled with books of all kinds, from the monkish manuscript of the middle ages, to the most elegant print of the present day. There is something to me more impressive in a library like this than a solemn Cathedral. I think involuntarily of the hundreds of mighty spirits who speak from these three hundred thousand volumes of the toils and privations with which Genius has ever struggled, and of his glorious reward. As m a church, one feels as it were the presence of God ; not because the place has been hallowed by His worship, but because all around stand the inspirations of His spirit, breathed through the mind of genius, to men. A few nights ago there was a wedding of peasants across the river. The guests assembled at the house where it was given, by torchlight. The night was quite dark, and the bright red torches glowed on the surface of the Neckar, as the two couriers galloped along the banks to the bride- groom's house Here, after much shouting and confusion, the procession was arranged, the two riders started back again with their torches, and the wagons containing the guests followed after, with their flickering lights glancing on the water, until they disappeared around the foot of the mountain. The choosing of conscripts also took place lately. The law requires one person out of every hundred to become a soldier, and this, in the city of Heidelberg, amounts to nearly 150 recruits. It was a sad spectacle. The young men, or rather boys, who were chosen, went about the city with cockades fastened on their hats, shouting and singing, many of them quite intoxicated. Many were rough, ignorant peasants, to whom nearly any kind of life 114 VIEWS A-FOOT. would be agreeable ; but there were some whose counte- nances spoke otherwise, and I thought involuntarily that their drunken gaiety was only affected to conceal their repugnance to the lot which had fallen upon them. We are gradually becoming accustomed to the German style of living, which is very different from our own. Their cookery is new to us, but is nevertheless palatable. We have every day a different kind of soup, so that I have sup- posed they keep a regular list of three hundred and sixty- five, one for every day in the year ! Then we have potato salad, veal flavored with orange peel, barley pudding, boiled artichokes, and rye bread, in loaves a yard long. Neverthe- less, we thrive on such diet, and I have rarely enjoyed more sound and refreshing sleep than in the narrow and coffin-like beds, uncomfortable as they seem. Many of the German customs are amusing. We never see oxen working here, but always cows, sometimes a single one in a cart, and some- times two fastened together by a yoke across their horns. The women labor constantly in the fields, and from our win- dow we can hear the nut-brown maidens singing their cheer- ful songs among th i? on the shoes of his customers, or if none of these are m^w I to try it, on hi> own, which shine like mirrors. So Se !;i''.i'.'s on with am:. /ing fluency in French, German, and ' i! .;.i a }<: th!s. with his Hack beard and moustache, and 1 56 VIEWS A-FOO'I. his polite, graceful manner, keeps a crowd of customers around him, so that the wonderful blacking goes off as fast as he can supply it. April 6. Old Winter's gates are shut close behind us, and the sun looks down with his summer countenance. The air, after the long cold rain, is like that of Paradise. All things are gay and bright, and every body is in motion. Spring com- menced with yesterday in earnest, and lo ! before night the roads were dry and fine as if there had been no rain for a month ; and the gardeners dug and planted in ground which, eight days before, was covered with snow ! After having lived through the longest winter here, for one hundred and fifty years, we were destined to witness the greatest flood for sixty, and little lower than any within the last three hundred years. On the 28th of March, the river overflooded the high pier along the Main, and rising higher and higher, began to come into the gates and alleys. Before night the whole bank was covered, and the water intruded into some of the booths in the Romerberg. When I went there the next morning, it was a sorrowful sight. Persons were inside the gate with boats ; so rapidly had it risen, that many of the merchants had no time to move their wares, and must suffer great damage. They were at work rescuing what property could be seized in haste, and constructing passages into the houses which were surrounded. No one beemed to think of buying or selling, but only on the best method of escaping the danger. Along the Main it was stilf THE CITY INUNDATED. 157 worse. From the water-gauge, it had risen seventeen feet above its usual level, and the arches of the bridge were filled nearly to the top. At the Upper-Main gate, every thing was flooded houses, gardens, workshops, &c. ; the water had even overrun the meadows above and attacked the city from behind, so that a part of the beautiful promenades lay deep under water. On the other side, we could see houses standing in it up to the roof. It came up through the sewers into the middle of Frankfort ; a large body of men were kept at work constructing slight bridges to walk on, and transporting boats to places where they were needed. This was all done at the expense of the city, and the greatest readiness was everywhere manifested to render all possible assistance. In the Fischergasse, I saw them taking provi- sions to the people in boats ; one man even fastened a loaf of bread to the end of a broomstick and reached it across the narrow street from an upper story window, to the neighbor opposite. News came that Hausen, a village towards the Taunus, about two miles distant, was quite under water, and that the people clung to the roofs and cried for help ; but it was fortunately false. About noon, cannon shots were heard, and twenty boats were sent out from the city. In the afternoon 1 ascended the tower of the Cathedral, which commands a wide view of the valley, up and down. Just above the city the plain resembled a small lake be- tween two and three miles wide. A row of new-built houses stretched into it like a long promontory, and in the middle, like an island, stood a country-seat with large out-buildings The river sent a long arm out below, that reached up through the meadows behind the city, as if to clasp it all and bear it 158 VIEW8 A-FOOT. away together. A heavy storm was raging along the whl extent of the Taunus ; but a rainbow stood in the eastern sky. I thought of its promise, and hoped, for the sake of the hundreds of poor people who were suffering by the waters, that it might herald their fall. We afterwards went over to Sachsenhausen, which was, ii possible, in a still more unfortunate condition. The water had penetrated the passages and sewers, and from these leaped and rushed up into the streets, as out of a fountain. The houses next to the Main, which were first filled, poured torrents out of the doors and windows into the street below. These people were nearly all poor, and could ill afford the loss of time and damage of property. The stream was filled with wood and boards, and even whole roofs, with the tiles on, went floating down. The bridge was crowded with people : one saw everywhere mournful countenances, and heard lamentations over the catastrophe. After sunset, a great cloud, filling half the sky, hung above ; the reflec- tion of its glowing crimson tint, joined to the brown hue of the water, made the river seem like a current of fire. What a difference a little sunshine makes ! I could have forgotten the season the next day, but for the bare trees and swelling Main, as I threaded my way through the hundreds of people who thronged its banks. It was that soft warmth that comes with the first spring days, relaxing the body and casting a dreamy hue over the mind. I leaned over the bridge in the full enjoyment of it, and listening to the roar- ing of the water under the arches, forgot every thing else for a time. It was amusing to walk up and down the pier and look at the countenances passing by, while the fancy wax TACKS IN THE STREW. 158 ever ready, weaving a tale for each. My favorite Tyrolese were there, and I saw a Greek leaning over the stone balus- trade, wearing the red cap and white frock, and with the long dark hair and fiery eye of the Orient. I could not but wonder, as he looked at the dim hills of the Odenwald, along the eastern horizon, whether they called up in his mind the purple isles of his native Archipelago. The general character of a nation is plainly stamped on the countenances of its people. One who notices the faces in the streets, can soon distinguish, by the glance he gives in passing, the Englishman or the Frenchman from the German, and the Christian from the Jew. Not less striking is the difference of expression between the Germans them- selves ; and in places where all classes of people are drawn together, it is interesting to observe how accurately these distinctions are drawn. The boys have generally handsome, intelligent faces, and like all boys, they are full of life and spirit, for they know nothing of the laws by which their country is chained down, and would not care for them, if they did. But with the exception of the students, who talk, at least, of Liberty and Right, the young men lose this spirit, and at last settle down into the calm, cautious, apathetic citi- zen. One distinguishes an Englishman or an American, also, in this respect, very easily ; the former, moreover, by a cer- tain cold stateliness and reserve. There is something, how- ever, about a Jew, whether English or German, which dis- tinguishes him from all others. However different their faces, there is a family character which runs through the whole of them. It lies principally in their high cheek- bones, prominent nose, and thin, compressed lips ; which, e* 100 VIEWS A-FOOT. pecially in elderly men, gives a peculiar miserly expression that is unmistakable I regret to say, one looks almost in vain, in Germany, foi a handsome female countenance. Here and there, perhaps, is a woman with regular features, but that intellectual ex- pression, which gives such a charm to the most common face, is wanting. I have seen more beautiful women in one night, in a public assembly in America, than during the seven months I have been on the Continent. Some of the young Jewesses, in Frankfort, are considered handsome, but their features soon become too strongly marked. In a public walk the number of positively ugly faces is really asto nishing. About ten o'clock that night, I heard a noise of persons running in the street, and going to the Romerberg, found the water had risen, all at once, much higher, and was still rapid- ly increasing. People were setting up torches and length- ening the rafts, which had been already formed. The lower part of the city was a real Venice the streets were full of boats, and people could even row about in their own houses ; though it was not quite so bad as the flood in Georgia, where they went up stairs to bed in boats ! Persons were calling in all directions " The water ! the water ! it rises continu- ally !" The river rushed through the arches of the bridge, foaming and dashing with a noise like thunder, and the red light of the torches along the shore cast a flickering glare on the troubled waves. It was then twenty-one feet above its usual level. Men were busy all around, carrying boats and ladders to the places most threatened, or emptying cellars into which it was penetrating. The sudden swelling was AN EXPLOSION. 161 occasioned by the coming down of the floods from the moun- tains of Spessart. Part of the upper quay cracked next morning and threatened to fall in, and one of the projecting piers of the bridge sank away three or four inches from the main body. In Sachsenhausen the desolation occasioned by the flood is absolutely frightful ; several houses have fallen into total ruin. All business was stopped for the day ; the Exchange was even shut up. As the city depends almost entirely on pumps for its supply of water, and these were filled with the flood, we have been drinking the muddy current of the Main ever since. The damage to goods is very great. The fair was stopped at once, and the loss in this respect alone, must be several millions of florins. The water began to fall on the 1st, and has now sunk about ten feet, so that most of the houses are again released, though in a bad condition. Yesterday afternoon, as I was sitting in my room, writing, I heard all at once an explosion like a cannon in the street, followed by loud and continued screams. Looking out of the window, I saw the people rushing by with goods in their arms, some wringing their hands and crying, others running in all directions. Imagining that it was nothing less than the tumbling down of one of the old houses, we ran down and saw a shop a few doors off, wrapped in flames. The windows were bursting out, and the mingled mass of smoke and red flame reached half way across the street We learned afterwards that it was occasioned by the explo- sion of ajar of naphtha, which instantly enveloped the whole room in fire, the people barely escaping in time. The per- sons who had booths near were standing still in despair 162 VIEWS A-FOOT. while the flames were beginning to touch their property. .A few butchers who first came up, did almost everything. A fire-engine arrived soon, but it was ten minutes before it began to play, and by that time the flames were coming out of the upper stories. Then the supply of water soon failed, and though another engine came up shortly after, it was some time before it could be put in order, so that by the time they got fairly to work, the fire had made its way nearly through the house. The water was first brought in barrels drawn by horses, until some officer came and opened the fire-plug. The police were busy at work seizing those who came by and setting them to work ; and as the alarm had drawn a great many together, they at last began to effect something. All the military are obliged to turn out, and the officers appeared eager to use their authority while they could, for every one was ordering and commanding, till it became a scene of perfect confusion and uproar. I could not help laughing heartily, so ludicrous was the spectacle. There were little miserable engines, not much bigger than a hand-cart, and looking as if they had not been used for half a century, the horses running backwards and forwards, dragging barrels which were emptied into tubs, after which the water was finally dipped up in buckets, and emptied into the engines ! These machines can only play into the second or third story, after which the hose was taken up into the houses on the opposite side of the street, and made to play across. After four hours the fire was overcome, the house being thoroughly burnt out ; it happened to have double fire-walls, which prevented the adjoining buildings from catching easily. CHAPTER XVI. THE SPEAKING DEAF M E JJ D E J-6 8 O H N . The Beauty of Spring The Frankfort Cemetery Precaution* against Burying Alive Monument by Thorwaldsen The Speaking Deaf Manner of Healing them Story of a Boy The Hall of the Emperors Mendelssohn, the Composer Seeinp him in a Crowd Interview with him His Personal Appearance and Conversation FRANKFORT, April 20, 1845. IT is now a luxury to breathe. These spring days are the perfection of delightful weather. Imagine the delicious temperature of our Indian summer joined to the life and freshness of spring, add to this a sky of the purest azure. and a breeze filled with the odor of violets, the mosf exquisite of all perfumes, and you will have some idea of it. The meadows are beginning to bloom, and I have already heard the larks singing high up in the sky. Those sacred birds, the storks, have returned and taken possession of their old nests on the chimney-tops. They are some- times seen walking about in the fields, with a very grave and serious air, as if conscious of the estimation in which they are held. Everybody is out in the open air; the woods, although they still look wintry, are filled with 164 VIEWS A-FOOT. people, and the boatmen on the Main are busy ferrying gay parties across. The spring has been so long in coming, that all are determined to enjoy it well while it lasts. We visited the Cemetery a few days ago. The dead house, where corpses are placed in the hope of resuscita- tion, is an appendage to cemeteries found only in Germany. We were shown into a narrow chamber, on each side of which were six cells, into which one could distinctly see, by means of a large plate of glass. In each of these is a bier for the body, directly above which hangs a cord, having on the end ten thimbles, which are put upon the fingers of the corpse, so that the slightest motion strikes a bell in the watchman's room. Lamps are lighted at night, and in winter the rooms are warmed. In the watchman's chamber stands a clock with a dial of twenty -four hours, and oppo- site every hour is a little plate, which can only be moved two minutes before it strikes. If then the watchman has slept or neglected his duty at that time, he cannot move it afterwards, and his neglect is seen by the superintendent. In such case, he is severely fined, and for the second or third offence, dismissed. There are other rooms adjoining, containing beds, baths, galvanic battery, &c. Nevertheless, they say there has been no resuscitation during the fifteen years since the Cemetery has been opened'. We afterwards went to the end of the Cemetery to see the bas-reliefs of Thorwaldsen, in the vault of the Bethmann family. They are three in number, representing the death of a son of the present banker, Moritz von Bethmann, who was drowned in the Arno about fourteen years ago. The middle one represents the young man drooping in his chair, THE SPEAKING DEAF. 165 the beautiful Greek Angel of Death standing at his back, with one arm over his shoulder, while his younger brother is sustaining him, and receiving the wreath that drops from his sinking hand. The young woman who showed us these told us of Thorwaldsen's visit to Frankfort, about three years ago. She described him as a beautiful and venerable old man, with long white locks hanging over his shoulder, and still vigorous and active for his years. There seems to have been much resemblance between him and Dannecker not only in personal appearance and character, but in the simple and classical beauty of their works. On our return to the city we visited the Institute for the Deaf; for by the new method of teaching they are no longer dumb. It is a handsome building in the gardens skirting the city. We applied, and on learning we were strangers, they gave us permission to enter. The instructress took us into a room where about fifteen small children, were assembled, and addressing one of the girls, said in a distinct tone : " These gentlemen are from America ; the deaf children there speak with their fingers canst thou speak so 1" To which the child answered distinctly, but with some effort : " No, we speak with our mouths." She then spoke to seve- ral others with the same success ; one of the boys, in parti- cular, articulated with astonishing fluency. It was interest- ing to watch their countenances, which were alive with eager attention, and to see the apparent efforts they made to utter the words. They spoke in a monotonous tone, slowly and deliberately, but their voices had a strange, sepulchral sound, which was at first unpleasant to the ear. I put one or two questions to a little boy, which he answered l<-6 VIEWS A-FOOT. quite readily ; as I was a foreigner, this was the best test that could be given of the success of the method. We con- versed afterwards with the director, who received us kindly, and appointed a day for us to come and seethe system more fully. He spoke of Dr. Howe and Horace Mann, of Bos- ton, and seemed to take a great interest in the introduction of this system into America. We went again at the appointed time, and as their draw- ing teacher was there, we had an opportunity of looking over their sketches, which were excellent. The director showed us the manner of teaching them, by means of a look- ing-glass, in which they were shown the different positions of the organs of the mouth, and afterwards made to feel the vibrations of the throat and breast, produced by the sound. He took one of the youngest scholars, covered her eyes, and placing her hand upon his throat, articulated the second sound of A. She followed him, making the sound softer or lotider as he did. All the consonants were recognized and repeated distinctly, by placing her hand before his mouth. Their ex- ercises in reading, speaking with one another, and writing from dictation, succeeded perfectly. He treated them as if they were his own children, and sought by jesting and play- ing, to make the exercise appear like sport. They call him father, and appear to be much attached to him. One of the pupils, about fourteen years old, interested me through his history. He and his sister were found in Sach- senhausen, by a Frankfort merchant, in a horrible condition. Their mother had died about two years and a half before, and during all that time their father had neglected them, until they were near dead through privation and filth. The THK H \l.l. OF THE F.M!>F..RORS. 16? boy was placed in this Institute, and the girl in that of the Orphans. He soon began to show a talent for modelling figures, and for some time he has been studying under the sculptor Launitz. I saw a beautiful copy of a bas-relief of Thorwaldsen which he made, as well as an original, very interesting, from its illustration of his own history. It was in two parts ; the first represented himself and his sister, kneeling in misery before a ruined tamily altar, by which an angel was standing, who took him by one hand, and pointed to his benefactor, standing near. The other represented the two kneeling in gratitude before a restored altar, on which \\ as the anchor of Hope. From above streamed down a light, where two angels were rejoicing over their happiness. For a boy of fourteen, deprived of one of the most valu- able senses, and taken from such a horrible condition of life, it is a surprising work, and gives brilliant hopes for his future. We went lately into the Romerberg, to see the Kaisersaal and the other rooms formerly used by the old Emperors of Germany, and their Senates. The former is now in the process of restoration. The ceiling is in the gorgeous illu- minated style of the middle ages ; along each side are rows of niches for tle portraits of the Emperors, which have been painted by the best artists in Berlin. Dresden, Vienna and Munich. It is remarkable that the number of the original niches in the old hall should exactly correspond with the number of the German Emperors, so that the portrait of the Emperor Francis of Austria, who was the last, will close the long rank coming down from Charlemagne. The pictures, or at least such of them as are already finished, are kept in 168 VIEWS A-FOOT. another room ; they give one a good idea of the changing styles of royal costumes, from the steel shirt and helmet to the jewelled diadem and velvet robe. I looked with interest on a painting of Frederic Barbarossa, by Lessing, and mused over the popular tradition that he sits with his paladins in a mountain cave under the Castle of Kyffhiiuser, ready to come forth and assist his Fatherland in the hour of need. There was the sturdy form of Maximilian ; the martial Con- rad ; and Ottos, Siegfrieds and Sigismunds in plenty many of whom moved a nation in their day, but are now dust and almost forgotten. Mendelssohn, one of the greatest living composers, has been spending the winter here, and I have been fortunate enough to see him twice. One sunny day, three weeks ago, when all the population of Frankfort turned out upon the budding promenades and the broad quays along the Main, to enjoy the first spring weather, I went on my usual after- noon stroll, with my friend Willis, whose glowing talk con- cerning his art is quite as refreshing to me after the day's study in the gloomy Markt-platz, as are the blue hills of Spessart, which we see from the bridge over the river. As we were threading the crowd of boatmen, Tyrolese, Sua- bians, and Bohemians, on the quay, my eye was caught by a man who came towards us, and whose face and air were in such striking contrast to those about him, that my whole attention was at once fixed upon him. He was simply and rather negligently dressed in dark cloth, with a cravat tied loosely about his neck. His beard had evidently not been touched for two or three days, and his black hair was long and frowzed by the wind. His eyes, which were large A GLIMPSE OF MENDELSSOHN. 169 dark, and kindling, were directed forward and lifted in the abstraction of some absorbing thought, and as he passed, I heard him singing to himself in a voice deep but not loud, and yet with a far different tone from that of one who hums a careless air as he walks. But a few notes caught my ear, yet I remember their sound, elevated and with that scarcely perceptible vibration which betrays a feeling below the soul's surface, as distinctly now as at the time. Willis grasped my arm quickly, and said in a low voice, " Mendels- sohn ! " I turned hastily, and looked after him as he went down the quay, apparently but half conscious of the stirring scenes around him. I could easily imagine how the balmy, indolent sensation in the air, so like a soothing and tran- quillizing strain of music, should have led him into the serene and majestic realm of his own creations. It was something to have seen a man of genius thus alone and in communion with his inspired thoughts, and I could not repress a feeling of pleasure at the idea of having unconsciously acknowledged his character before I knew his name. After this passing glimpse, this flash of him, however, came the natural desire to see his features in repose, and obtain some impression of his personality. An opportunity soon occurred. The performance of his " Wal- purgisnacht," by the Caecilien-Verein, a day or two there- after, increased the enthusiasm I had before felt for his works, and full of the recollection of its sublime Druid choruses, I wrote a few lines to him, expressive of the delight they had given me, and of my wish to possess his name in autograph, that I might take to America some token connected with their remembrance. The next day I 170 VIEWS A-FOOT. received a very kind note in reply, enclosing a manuscript score of a chorus from the " Walpurgisnacht." Summoning up my courage the next morning, I decided on calling upon him in person, feeling certain that he would understand the motive which prompted me to take such a liberty. I had no difficulty in finding his residence in the Bockenheimer Gasse, in the western part of the city. The servant ushered me into a handsomely furnished room, with a carpet, an unusual thing in German houses ; a grand piano occupied one side of the apartment. These struck my eye on entering, but my observation was cut short by the appearance of Mendelssohn. A few words of introduction served to remove any embarrassment I might have felt on account of my unceremonious call, and I was soon put entirely at ease by his frank and friendly manner. As he sat opposite to me, beside a small table, covered with articles of vertu, I was much struck with the high intel- lectual beauty of his countenance. His forehead is white, unwrinkled, and expanding above, in the region of the ideal faculties. His eyes are large, very dark, and lambent with a light that seemed to come through them like the phos- phorescent gleam on the ocean at midnight. I have ob- served this peculiar character of the eye only in men of the highest genius. None of the engravings of Mendelssohn which have yet been made give any idea of the kindling effect which is thus given to his face. His nose is slightly prominent, and the traces of his Jewish blood are seen in this, as well as the thin but delicate curve of the upper lip, and the high cheek-bones. Yet it is the Jewish face softened and spiritualized, retaining none of its coarser characteristics. MENDELSSOHN. l7l The faces of Jewish youth are of a rare and remarkable beauty, but this is scarcely ever retained beyond the first period of manhood. In Mendelssohn, the perpetual youth of spirit, which is the gift of genius alone, seems to have kept his features moulded to its expression, while the approach of maturer years but heightens and strengthens its character. He spoke of German music, and told me I should hear it best performed in Vienna and Berlin. Some remarks on America led him to speak of the proposed Musical Festival in New York. He has received a letter inviting him to assist in it, and said he would gladly attend it, but his duty to his family will not permit of his leaving. He appeared to be much gratified by the invitation, not only for the personal appre- ciation which it implied, but as a cheering sign of progress in the musical art. Mr. Willis, who met with Mendelssohn last summer, at the baths of Kronthal, said that he expressed much curiosity respecting our native negro melodies which, after all, form the only peculiarly national music we possess and that he considers some of them exceedingly beautiful and original. I did not feel at liberty to intrude long upon the morning hours of a composer, and took my leave after a short inter- view. Mendelssohn, at parting, expressed his warm interest in our country's progress, especially in the refined arts, and gave me a kind invitation to call upon him in whatever Ger- man city I should find him. CHAPTER XVII. JOURKET ON FOOT FROM FRANKFORT TO C A S S E I. Leaving Frankfort Plan of our German Tour The Country in Spring A " Fighting" Journeyman Giessen The Valley of the Lahn Foot-travelling in Hesse Cassel A Village Inn A Tattling Boy Mountain Scenery Meeting with Students The City of Cassel Carl, the Student Walk to the WilheliushOlus The Giant's Castle- Cascades and Fountains. THE day for leaving Frankfort came at last, and I bade adieu to the gloomy, antique, but still quaint and pleasant city. I felt like leaving a second home, so much had the memories of many delightful hours spent there attached me to it : I shall long retain the recollection of its dark old streets, its massive devil-haunted bridge and the ponderous cathedral, telling of the times of the Crusaders. I toiled up the long hill on the road to Friedberg, and from the tower at the top took a last look at the distant city, with a heart heavier than the knap- sack whose unaccustomed weight rested uneasily on my shoulders. Being alone starting out into the wide world, where as yet I knew no one, I felt much more deeply what it was to find friends in a strange land. But parting is the wanderer's lot. PLAN OF OUR GERMAN TOUR. 173 We had determined on making the complete tour of Ger many on foot, and in order to vary it somewhat, my friend and I proposed taking different routes from Frankfort to Leipsic. He chose a circuitous course, by way of Nurem- berg and the Thiiringian forests ; while I, whose fancy had been running wild with Goethe's witches, preferred looking on the gloom and grandeur of the rugged Hartz. We both left Frankfort on the 23d of April, each bearing a letter of introduction to the same person in Leipsic, where we agreed to meet in fourteen days. As we were obliged to travel as cheaply as possible, I started with but seventy-nine florins (a florin is forty cents American), well knowing that if I took more, I should, in all probability, spend proportionably more also. Thus, armed with my passport, properly vised, a knap- sack weighing fifteen pounds and a cane from the Kentucky M;in;moth Cave, I began my lonely walk through Northern Germany. The warm weather of the week previous had brought out the foliage of the willows and other early trees, and the violets and cowslips were springing up in the meadows. Keep- ing along the foot of the Taunus, I passed over great, broad hills, which were brown with the spring ploughing, and by sunset reached Friedberg a large city, on the summit of a hill. The next morning, after sketching its old, baronial castle, I crossed the meadows to Nauheim, to see the salt springs there. They are fifteen in number ; the water, which is very warm, rushes up with such force as to leap several feet above the earth. The buildings made for evaporation are nearly two miles in length ; and a walk along the top gives a delightful view of the surrounding valleys. Aftei 174 VIEWS A-FOOT. reaching the chaussi'e again, I was hailed by a wandering journeyman or handwerker, as they arc called, wlm wanted company. As I had concluded to accept all otters of this kind, we trudged along together very pleasantly. He was from Holstein, on the borders of Denmark, and was just return- ing home, after an absence of six years, having escaped from Switzerland after the late battle of Luzerne, which he had witnessed. He had his knapsack and tools fastened on wheels, which he drew after him quite conveniently. I could not help laughing at the adroit manner in which he begged his way along, through every village. He would ask me to go on and wait for him at the further end, where he would join me after a short delay, with a handful of small copper money, which he said he had fought for, the handworker's term for begged. We passed over long ranges of hills, with an occasional view of the Vogelsgebirge, or Bird's Mountains, far to the east. I knew at length, by the pointed summits of the hills, that we were approaching Giessen and the valley of the Lahn. Finally, two sharp peaks appeared in the distance, each crowned with a picturesque fortress, and the spires of Giessen rose from the valley below. Parting from my " fighting" companion, I passed through the city without stopping, for it was the time of the university vacation, and Dr. Liebig, the world-renowned chemist, whom I desired to see, was absent. Crossing a hill or two, I came down into the valley of the Lahn. which flows through meadows of the brightest green, with red-roofed cottages nestled among gardens and orchards upon its banks. The women here wear a remarkable cos- THE VALLEV OF THE LAHN. 175 tume, consisting of a red boddice with white sleeves, and a dozen skirts, one above another, reaching only to the knees, I slept at a little village among the hills, and started early for Marburg. The meadows were of the purest emerald, through which the stream wound its way, with even borders, covered to the water's edge with grass so smooth and velvety, that a fairy might have danced along on it for miles without stumbling over an uneven tuft. This valley is one of the most charming districts in Germany. I thought, as I saw the peaceful inhabitants at work in their fields, that 1 had most probably, on the battle-field of Brandywine, walked over the bones of some of their ancestors, whom a despotic prince had torn from their happy homes, to die in a distant land, fighting against the cause of freedom. I now entered directly into the heart of Hesse Cassel. The country resembled a collection of hills thrown together in confusion sometimes a wide plain left between them, sometimes a cluster of wooded peaks, and here and there a single pointed summit rising high above the rest. The valleys were green as ever, the hill-sides freshly ploughed, and the forests beginning to be colored by the tender foliage of the larch and birch. My custom was to walk two or three hours at a stretch, and then, when I could find a dry, shady bank, I would rest for half an hour and finish some hastily- sketched landscape, or lie at full length, with ray head on my knapsack, and peruse the countenances of those passing by. The observation which every traveller excites, soon ceases to be embarrassing. It was at first extremely unpleasant; but I am -now so hardened, that the trange, magnetic influence of the human eye, which we 176 VIEWS A-FOOT. cannot avoid feeling, fails to penetrate my acquired indif- ference. During the day several showers came by, but as none of them struck quite to the skin, I kept on, and reached about sunset a little village in the valley. I chose a small inn, which had an air of neatness about it, and on going in, the tidy landlady's " be you welcome," as she brought a pair of slippers for my swollen feet, made me feel quite at home. After being furnished with eggs, milk, butter, and bread, for supper, which I ate while listening to an animated discussion between the village schoolmaster and some farmers, I was ushered into a clean, sanded bedroom, and soon forgot all fatigue. For this, with breakfast in the morning, the bill was six and a half groschen about sixteen cents ! The air was freshened by the rain, and I journeyed over the hills at a rapid rate. Stopping for dinner at the large village of Wabern, a boy at the inn asked me if I was going to Ameri- ca 1 I said no, I came from there. He then addressed to me many silly questions, after which he ran out and told the people of the village. When I set out again, the children pointed at me and cried : " see there ! he is from America !" and the men took off their hats and bowed ! The sky was stormy, which added to the gloom of the hills around, although some of the distant ranges lay in mingled light and shade the softest alternation of purple ana brown. There were many isolated, rocky hills, two of which interested me, through their attendant legends. One is said to have been the scene of a battle between the Romans and Germans, where, after a long conflict, the rock opened and swallowed up the former. The other, MEETING WITH STUDENTS. 177 which is crowned with a rocky wall, so like a ruined fortress, as at a distance to be universally mistaken for one, tradition says is the death-place of Charlemagne, who still walks around its summit every night, clad in complete armor. On ascending a hill late in the afternoon, I saw at a great dis- tance the statue of Hercules, which stands on the Wilhelms- hohe, near Cassel. Night set in with a dreary rain, and I stopped at an inn about five miles short of the city. While tea was preparing, a company of students came in and asked for a separate room. Seeing I was alone, they invited me to join them. They seemed much interested in America, and leaving the table gradually, formed a ring around me, where I had enough to do to talk with them all at once. When the omnibus came along, the most of them went with it to Cassel ; but five remained and persuaded me to set out with them on foot. They insisted on carrying my knapsack the whole way, through the rain and darkness, and when I had passed the city gate with them, unchallenged, conducted me to the comfortable hotel, " Zur Krone." It is a pleasant thing to wake up in the morning in a strange city. Every thing is new ; you walk around it fot the first time in the full enjoyment of the novelty, or the not less agreeable feeling of surprise, if it is different from your anticipations. Two of my friends of the previous night called for me in the morning, to pilot me around the city, and the first impression, made in such agreeable com- pany, prepossessed me very favorably. I shall not, how- ever, take up time in describing its many sights, particularly the Frederick's Platz, where the statue of Frederick the Second, who sold ten thousand of his subjects to England, 8* 178 V1KWS A-FOOT. has been re-erected, after having lain for years in a stable where it was thrown by the French. I was much interested in young Carl K , one of my new acquaintances. His generous and unceasing kindness first won my esteem, and I found, on nearer acquaintance, the qualities of his mind equal those of his heart. He read to me many beautiful poems of his which were of remark- able merit, considering his youth, and I thought I could read in his dark, dreamy eye, the unconscious presentiment of a power he does not yet possess. He seemed as one I had known for years. He, with a brother student, accompanied me in the after- noon to Wilhelmshohe, the summer residence of the Prince, on the side of a range of mountains three miles west of the city. The road leads in a direct line to the summit of the mountain, which is thirteen hundred feet in height, surmount- ed by a great structure, called the Giant's Castle, on the summit of which is a pyramid ninety-six feet high, support- ing a statue of Hercules, copied after the Farnese, and thirty-one feet in height. By a gradual ascent through beautiful woods, we reached the princely residence, a mag- nificent mansion standing on a natural terrace of the moun- tain. Near it is a little theatre built by Jerome Buonaparte, in which he used to perform occasionally. We looked into the green-house in passing, where the floral splendor of every zone was combined. There were lofty halls, with glass roofs, where the orange grew to a great tree, and one could sit in myrtle bowers, with the brilliant bloom of the tropics around him. It was the only thing there I was guilty of coveting. CASCADES AT WILHELM8HOHE. 179 The greatest curiosity is the water-works, which are perhaps unequalled in the world. The Giant's Castle on the summit contains an immense tank in which water is kept for the purpose, but unfortunately, at the time I was there, the pipes, which had been frozen through the winter, were not in condition to play. From the summit an inclined plane of masonry descends the mountain nine hundred feet, broken every one hundred and fifty feet by perpendicular descents. These are the Cascades, down which the water first rushes from the tank. After being again collected in a great basin at the bottom, it passes into an aqueduct, built like a Roman ruin, and goes over beautiful arches through the forest, where it falls in one sheet down a deep precipice. When it has descended several other beautiful falls, made, in exact imitation of nature, it is finally collected and forms the great fountain, which rises twelve inches in diameter from the middle of a lake to the height of one hundred and ninety feet ! We descended by lovely walks through the forest to the Lowenburg, built as the ruin of a knightly castle, and fitted out in every respect to correspond with the descriptions of a fortress in the olden time, with moat, draw- bridge, chapel and a garden of clipped trees. Further below, there are a few small houses, inhabited by the descendants of the Hessians who fell in America, supported here at the Prince's expense ! CHAPTER XVIII. ADVENTURES AMONG THE HART*. Parting from Carl The Town of Munden Illness Gottingen, and a Physician- Approach to the Hartz Osterode Entering the Mountains Wild Scenery A Stormy Night Climbing the Brocken A Snow Storm Perilous Travelling The Brocken House The Spectre Peeps through the Clouds Descent of the Brocken Valleys of the Hartz The Eosstrappe The Landlady's Legend Walk to Hal- berstadt A Suspicions Inn The Sleeping Chamber Anticipation of Murder Relief. ON taking leave of Carl at the gate over the Gottingen road, I felt tempted to bestow a malediction upon travelling, from its merciless breaking of all links, as soon as formed. It was painful to think we should meet no more. The tears started into his eyes, and feeling a mist gathering over mine, I gave his hand a parting pressure, turned my back upon Cassel, and started up the long mountain, at a despe- rate rate. On the summit I passed out of Hesse into Hano- ver, and began to descend the remaining six miles. The road went down by many windings, but I shortened the way considerably by a foot-path through a mossy old forest. The hills bordering the Weser are covered with wood, through which I saw the little red-roofed city of GOTTINGEN AND A PHYSICIAN. 181 M linden, at the bottom. I stopped there for the night, and next morning walked around the place. It is one of the old German cities that have not yet felt the effect of the changing spirit of the age. It is still walled, though the towers are falling to ruin. The streets are narrow, crooked, and full of ugly old houses, and while standing in the little square before the public buildings, one would think himself born in the sixteenth century, Just below the city, the Werra and Fulda unite and form the Weser. The triangu- lar point has been made into a public walk, and the little steamboat was lying at anchor near, waiting to start for Bremen. In the afternoon I got into the omnibus for Gottingen. The ride over the wild, dreary, monotonous hills was not at all interesting. There were two other passengers inside, one of whom, a grave, elderly man, took a great interest in America, but the conversation was principally on his side ; for I had been taken with a fever in Miinden. I lay crouched up in the corner of the vehicle, trying to keep off the chills which constantly came over me, and wishing only for Gottingen, that I might obtain medicine and a bed. We reached the city at last, and I got out with my knapsack and walked wearily through half a dozen streets until I saw an inn. But on entering, I found it so dark and dirty and unfriendly, that I immediately went out again and hired the first pleasant looking boy I met, to take me to a good hotel He conducted me to the best in the city. I felt a trepida- tion of pocket, but my throbbing head pleaded more power- fully, so I ordered a comfortable room and a physician. The host, Ilerr Wilhelm, sent for Professor Trei'urt, of the Uni 182 VIEWS A-FOOT. versity, who told me I had over-exerted myself in walking. He made a second call the next day, when, as he was retiring, I inquired the amount of his fee. He begged to be excused, and politely bowed himself out. I asked the meaning of this of Herr Wilhelm, who said it was customary for travellers to leave what they chose for the physician, as there was no regular fee. He added, moreover, that twenty groschen, or about sixty cents, was sufficient for the two visits ! I stayed in Gottingen two dull, dreary, miserable days, without getting much better. I took but one short walk through the city, in which I saw the outsides of a few old churches and got a hard fall on the pavement. Thinking that the cause of my illness might perhaps become its cure, I resolved to resume my walk rather than remain in the melancholy in spite of its black-eyed maidens, melancholy Gottingen. On the afternoon of the second day, I took the post to Nordheim, about twelve miles distant. The Gjttingen valley, down which we drove, was green and beautiful, and the trees seemed to have come into leaf all at once. We were not within sight of the Hartz, but the mountains along the Weser were visible on the left. The roads were extremely muddy from the late rains, so that I proceeded but slowly. A blue range along the horizon told me of the Hartz, as 1 advanced, but although there were some fine side-glimpses through the hills, I did not see much of them until I reached Osterode, about twelve miles further. Here the country begins to assume a different aspect. The city lies in a narrow valley, and as the road goes down a steep hill ENTERING THE HARTZ. 183 towards it, one sees on each side many quarries of gypsum, and in front the gloomy pine mountains are piled one above another in real Alpine style. But alas ! the city, though it looks exceedingly romantic from above, is one of the dirtiest places I ever saw. I stopped at Herzberg, six miles farther, for the night. The scenery was very striking ; and its effect was much heightened by a sky full of black clouds, which sent down a hail-storm as they passed over. The hills are covered with pine, fir, and larch. The latter tree, in its first foliage, is most delicate and beautiful. Every bough is like a long ostrich plume, and when one of them stands among the dark pines, it seems as light and airy as if the wind might carry it away. Just opposite Herzberg, the Hartz lowers in its gloomy and mysterious grandeur, and I went to sleep with the pleasant thought that an hour's walk on the morrow would shut me up in its deep recesses. The next morning I entered them. The road led up a narrow mountain valley, down which a stream was rushing on all sides magnificent forests of pine. It was glorious to look down their long aisles, dim and silent, with a floor of thick green moss. There was just room enough for the road and the wild stream which wound its way zigzag between the hills, affording the most picturesque mountain scenery along the whole route. As I ascended, the mountains became rougher and wilder, and in the shady hollows were still drifts of snow. Enjoying every thing very much, I walked on svitliout taking notice of the road, and on reaching a wild, rocky chasm called the " Schlucht," was obliged to turn aside and take a footpath over a high mountain to Androas- berg, a town built on a summit two thousand feet above the 184 VIEWS A-FOOT. sea. It is inhabited almost entirely by the workmen from the mines. The path from Andreasberg to the Brocken leads along the Rehberger Ditches, which carry water about six miles for the ore-works. After going through a thick pine wood : I came out on the mountain-side, where rough crags over- hung the way, and through the tops of the trees I had glimpses into the gorge below. It was scenery of the wildest character Directly opposite rose a mountain wall, dark and stern through the gloomy sky ; far below the little stream of the Oder foamed over the rocks with a continual roar, and one or two white cloud-wreaths were curling up from the forests. I followed the water-ditch around every projection of the mountain, still ascending higher amid the same wild scenery, until at length I reached the Oderteich, a great dam, in a kind of basin formed by some mountain peaks on the side of the Brocken. It has a breastwork of granite, very firm, and furnishes a continual supply of water for the works. The rain soon began to fall, and I took a footpath which went winding up through the pine wood. The storm still increased, and finally became :>o thick and dark that I was obliged to stop about five o'clock at OJerbruch, a toll-house and tavern on the side of the Brocken, on the boundary be- tween Brunswick and Hanover the second highest inhabit ed house in the Hartz. The Brocken was invisible through the storm, and the weather foreboded a difficult ascent. The night was cold, but by a warm fire I let the winds howl and the rain beat. When I awoke the next morning, we were in clouds. They were thick on eve- y side, hiding what little THE BROCKKN IX A STORM. 185 view there was through the openings of the forest. Aftet breakfast, however, they appeared to be somewhat thinner, and I decided to start for the Brocken. This is not the usual road for travellers who ascend, being not only rough but difficult to find, as I soon discovered. The clouds gathered around again after I set out, and I was obliged tc walk in a storm of mingled rain and snow. The snow lay several feet deep in the forests, and the path was in many places quite drifted over. The white cloud-masses were whirled past by the wind, continually enveloping me and shutting out every view. During the winter the path had become, in many places, the bed of a mountain torrent, so that sometimes I waded knee-deep in snow, and sometimes I walked over the wet, spongy moss, crawling under the long, dripping branches of the stunted pines. After a long time of such dreary travelling, I came to two rocks called the Stag Horns, standing on a little peak. The storm, now all snow, blew more violently than ever, and the path was lost under the deep drifts. Comforting myself with the as.surance that if I could not find my way, I could at least return, I began searching, and after some time, came upon the path again. Here the forest ceased ; the way led on large stones over a marshy, ascend- ing plain, but what was above, or on either side, I could not see. It was solitude of the most awful kind. There was nothing but the storm, which had already wet me through, and the bleak gray waste of rocks. The mountain grew steeper and steeper ; I could barely trace the path by the rocks which were worn, and the snow threatened soon to cover these. Added to this, although the walking and tho 186 VIEWS fresh mountain air had removed my illness, 1 was still weak from the effects of it, and the consequences of a much longer exposure to the storm were greatly to be feared. After two or three hours spent in this way, I found myself growing chill in spite of the labor of climbing ; the path was wholly lost, the snow was blinding, and the wind increased at such a rate, that I began to think I should be carried away bodily, when suddenly something dark loomed up above me through the storm. A few steps more and I stood beside the Brocken House, on the very summit of the mountain ! The mariner, who has been floating for days on a wreck at sea, could scarcely be more rejoiced at a friendly sail, than I was on entering the low building. Two large Alpine dogs in the passage, gave notice to the inmates, as I walked in, dripping with wet, and I was soon ushered into a warm room, where I changed my soaked garments for dry ones, and sat down by the fire with feelings of comfort not easily imagin- ed. The old landlord was quite surprised, on learning the path by which I came, that I had succeeded in finding the way at all. The summit was wrapped in the thickest cloud, and he gave me no hope of any prospect for several hours, so I sat down and looked over the Stranger's Album. There were a great many long-winded German poems among them, one by Schelling, the philosopher. Some of the visitors spoke of having seen the Spectre of the Brocken. I inquired of the landlord about the phenomenon ; he says it is frequently seen in winter, but in summer more seldom. It always occurs at sunrise, when the eastern side of the Brocken is free from clouds, and at the same time, the mist rises from the valley on the opposite side. The shadow of f.I.IMI'SKS TIIHOt (ill THE CLOUDS. lk"i every thing on the Brocken is then projected in grand pro- portions upon the mist, and sometimes surrounded with a luminous halo. It is somewhat singular that such a spectacle is peculiar to the Brocken alone, but this is probably account- ed for by the formation of the mountain, which collects the mist at just such a distance from the summit as to render the shadow visible. Soon after dinner the storm subsided and the clouds sepa- rated a little. I could see down through the rifts on the plains of Brunswick, and sometimes, when they opened a little more, the mountains below us to the east and the adjoining plains, as far as Magdeburg. It was like looking on the earth from another planet, or from some point in the air which had no connection with it ; our station was com- pletely surrounded by clouds, rolling in great masses around us, now and then giving glimpses through their openings of the blue plains, dotted with cities and villages, far below. At one time when they were tolerably well separated, I ascended the tower, fifty feet high, standing near the Brocken House. The view on three sides was quite clear, and I can easily imagine what a magnificent prospect il must be in fine weather. The Brocken is only about four thousand feet high, nearly the same as the loftiest peak of the Catskill, but being the highest mountain in Northern Germany, it commands a more extensive prospect. Imagine a circle described with a radius of a hundred miles, com- prising thirty cities, two or three hundred villages, and one whole mountain district! We could see Brunswick and Majrdeburg, and beyond them the great plain which extends to the North Sea in one direction and to Berlin in the other. 188 VIEWS A-FOOT. while directly below us lay the dark mountains of the Hartz,. with little villages in their sequestered valleys. It was only during a few moments that I could look on this scene in an instant the clouds swept together again and completely hid it. In accordance with a custom of the mountain, one of the girls made me a " Brocken nosegay," of heather, lichens and moss. I gave her a few pfennings and stowed it away carefully in a corner of my knapsack. I now began descending the eastern side of the mountain, by a good road over fields of gray rock and through large forests of pine. Two or three bare brown peaks rose oppo- site with an air of the wildest sublimity, and in many places lofty crags towered above the forest. This is the way by which Goethe brings Faust up the Brocken, and the scenery is graphically described in that part of the poem. At the foot of the mountain is the little village of Schiercke, the highest in the Hartz. Here I took a narrow path through the woods, and after following a tediously long road over the hills, reached Elbingerode, where I spent the night. The next morning I started for Blankenburg. I happened to take the wrong road, however, and went through Rube- land, a little village in the valley of the Bode. There are many iron works here, and two celebrated caves, called *' Baumann's Hohle," and " Biel's Hohle." I kept on through the gray, rocky hills to Huttenrode, where I inquir- ed the way to the Rosstrappe, but was wrongly directed, and after walking nearly two hours in a heavy rain, arrived at Ludwigshiitte, on the Bode, in one of the wildest and loneliest corners of the Hartz. I dried my wet clothes at a little inn, ate a dinner of bread and milk, and learning that THE ROSSTRAI'l'E. 18!) I was just as far from the Rosstrappe as ever, and that it was impossible to find the way alone, I engaged an old pea- sant woman as a guide. She insisted on carrying my knap- sack in a basket which she strapped to her shoulders, and then set off at a pace which I could scarcely keep up with. Wr went over the mountains through a fine old forest, for about two hours, and came out on the brow of a hill near the end of the Hartz, with a beautiful view of the country below and around. Passing the little inn, the path led through thick bushes along the summit, over a narrow ledge of rocks that seemed to stretch out into the air, for on either side the foot of the precipice vanished in the depth below. Arrived at last at the end, I looked around me. What a spectacle ! I was standing on the end of a line of precipice which ran out from the mountain like a wall for several hun- dred feet the hills around rising perpendicularly from the gorge below, where the Bode, pressed into a narrow channel, foamed its way through. Sharp masses of gray rock sprang from the main body like pillars, with trees clinging to the clefts, and although the defile was nearly seven hundred feet deep, the summits, in one place, seemed almost to touch. Near the point at which I stood, which was secured by a railing, was an impression in the rock like the hoof of a giant horse, from which the place takes its name. It is very dis- tinct and perfect, and about two feet in length. I went back to the little inn and sat down to rest and chat awhile with the talkative- landlady. Notwithstanding her hor- rible Prussian dialect, I was much amused with the budget of wonders, which she keeps for the information of travellers. Among other things, she related to me the legend of the 190 V1KWS A-FOOT. Rosstrappe, which I give in her own words : " A great many hundred years ago, when there were plenty of giants through the world, there was a certain beautiful princess, who was very much loved by one of them. Now, although the pa- rents of this princess were afraid of the giant, and wanted her to marry him, she herself hated him, because she was in love with a brave knight. But, you see, the brave knight could do nothing against the great giant, and so a day was appointed for the wedding of the princess. When they were married, the giant had a great feast, and he and all his ser- vants got drunk. So the princess mounted his black horse and rode away over the mountains, till she reached this val- ley. She stood on that square rock which you see there opposite to us, and when she saw her knight on this side, where we are, she danced for joy, and the rock is called the Tanzplatz, to this very day. But when the giant found she had gone, he followed her as fast as he might ; then a holy bishop, who saw the princess, blessed the feet of her horse, and she jumped on it across to this side, where his fore feet made two marks in the rock, though there is only one left now. You should not laugh at this, for if there were giants then, there must have been very big horses too, as one can see from the hoofmark, and the valley was narrower then than it is now. My dear man, who is very old now, (you see him through the bushes, there, digging,) says it was so when he was a child, and that the old people living then, told him there were once four just such hoof-tracks, on the Tanzplatz, where the horse stood before he jumped over. And we cannot doubt the words of the good old people, for there were many strange things then, we all know, which the HALBEKSIAOT A SUSPICIOUS INN. 191 dear Lord does not let happen now. But I must lell you, lieber Herr, that the giant tried to jump after her and fell away down the valley, where they say he lives yet in the shape of a big black dog, guarding the crown of the princess, which tumbled off as she was going over. But this part of the story is perhaps not true, as nobody, that I ever beard of, has seen either the black dog or the crown 1" After listening to similar gossip for a while, I descended the mountain-side, a short distance to the Biilowshohe. This is a rocky shaft that shoots upward from the mountain, having from its top a glorious view through the door which the Bode makes in passing out of the Hartz. I could see at a great distance the towers of Magdeburg, and further, the vast plain stretching away like a sea towards Berlin. From Thale, the village below, where the air was warmer than in the Hartz, and the fruit-trees already in blossom, it was four hours' walk to Halberstadt, by a most tiresome road over long ranges of hills, all ploughed and planted, and extending as far as the eye could reach, without a single fence or hedge. It is pleasant to look over scenes where nature is ; free and unshackled; but the people, alas! wear the letters. The setting sun, which lighted up the old Brocken : , 1 his snowy top, showed me also Halberstadt, the end of \:.y Hartz journey ; but its deceitful towers fled as I ap- t .i cached, and I was half dead with fatigue on arriving there. The ghostly, dark and echoing castle of an inn (the Black Kaglo) where I stopped, was enough to inspire a lonely traveller, like mysolf, with unpleasant fancies. It looked heavy am 1 missive enough to have been a stout baron's 192 VIEWS A-FOOT. stronghold in some former century ; the taciturn landlord and his wife, who, with a solemn servant girl, were the only tenants, had grown into perfect keeping with its gloomy character. When I groped my way under the heavy arched portal into the guests' room a large, lofty, cheerless hall all was dark, and I could barely perceive, by the little light which came through two deep-set windows, the inmates of the house, sitting on opposite sides of the room. After some delay, the hostess brought a light. I entreated her to furnish me something for supper, and in half an hour she placed a mixture on the table, the like of which I never wish to taste again. She called it beer-soup ! I found, on examination, it was beer, boiled with meat, and seasoned strongly with pepper and salt ! My hunger disappeared, and pleading fatigue as an excuse for want of appetite, I left the table. When I was ready to retire, the landlady, who had been sitting silently in a dark corner, called the solemn servant girl, who took up a dim lamp, and bade me follow her to the " sleeping chamber." Taking up my knapsack and staff, I stumbled down the steps into the arched gateway ; before me was a long, damp, deserted court-yard, across which the girl took her way. 1 followed her with some astonish- ment, imagining where the sleeping chamber could be, when she stopped at a small, one-story building, standing alone in the yard. Opening the door with a rusty key, she led me into a bare room, a few feet square, opening into another, equally bare, with the exception of a rough bed. " Cer- tainly," said I, " I am not to sleep here ! " " Yes," she answered, " this is the sleeping chamber," at the same time setting down the light and disappearing. I examined the APPREHENSIONS OF MURDER. ] 93 place it smelt mouldy, and the walls were cold and damp ; there had been a window at the head of the bed, but it was walled up, and another at the foot of the bed was also closed to within a few inches of the top. The bed was coarse and dirty ; and on turning down the ragged covers, I saw with horror, a dark brown stain near the pillow, like that of blood ! For a moment I hesitated whether to steal out of the inn, and seek another lodging, late as it was ; at last, overcoming my fears, I threw my clothes into a heap, and lay down, placing my neavy staff at the head of the bed. Persons passed up and down the courtyard several times, the light of their lamps streaming through the narrow aper- ture up against the ceiling, and I distinctly heard voices, Avhich seemed to be near the door. Twice did I sit. up in bed, breathless, with my hand on the cane, in tfie most intense anxiety ; but fatigue finally overcame suspicion, and I sank into a deep sleep, from which I was gladly awakened by daylight. In reality, there may have been no cause for my fears I may have wronged the lonely inn- keepers by them ; but certainly no place or circumstances ever seemed to me more appropriate to a deed of robbery or crime. I left immediately, and when a turn in the street hid the front of the ill-omened inn, I began to breathe with my usual freedom CHAPTER XIX. LKIP8IC AND DRESDEHc Magdcbnrf* Suspected Passengers Leipsie View of the Battle-Field The Bosen. thai Schiller's Room Auerbach's Cellar Leipsic Publishers Gersiacker Charms of Dresden The Picture Gallery The Madonna di San Sisto Monument to Moreau The Boya) Library The Green Vaults Cages of Gems Eoyal Play- things. DRESDEN, May 11, 1845. THE delay occasioned by the bad weather obliged me to take the railroad at Halberstadt, to keep the appointment with my friend, in Leipsic. I left at six in the morning for Magdeburg, and after two hours' ride over a dull, tiresome olain, passed under the mounds and fortifications by the side ot the Elbe, and entered the old town. The day was very cold, and the streets were muddy, so I contented myself with looking at the Broadway, (der breite Weg,) the Cathe- Iral and one or two curious old churches, and with walking along the parapet leading to the fortress, which has a view of the winding Elbe. The Citadel was interesting from having been the prison in which Baron Trenck was confined, whose narrative I read years ago. when quite a child. LEIPSIC. 195 We were soon on the road to Leipsic. The way was over one great, uninterrupted plain a more monotonous country, even, than Belgium. Two of the passengers with me in the car were much annoyed at being taken by the railway agents for Poles. Their movements were strictly watched by the gensd'armes at every station we passed, and they were not even allowed to sit together ! At Kothen a branch track went off to Berlin. We passed by Halle without being able to see anything of it or its University, and reached Leipsic in four hours after leaving Magdeburg. On my first walk around the city, the next morning, I passed the Augustus Platz a broad green lawn, on which front the University and several other public buildings. A chain of beautiful promenades encircles the city, on the site of its old fortifications. Following their course through walks shaded by large trees and bordered with flowering shrubs, I passed a small but chaste monument to Sebastian Bach, the composer, which was erected almost entirely at the private cost of Mendelssohn, and stands opposite the building in which Bach once directed the choirs. As I was standing beside it, a glorious choral, swelled by a hundred voices, came through the open windows, like a tribute to the genius of the great master. Having found my friend, who had arrived on the previous day from Weimar and Jena, we went together to the Stern Warte, or Observatory, which gives a fine view of the country around the city, and in particular the battle-field. The Castellan who is stationed there, is well acquainted with the localities, and pointed out the position of the hostile armies. It was one of the most bloody and hard-fought 196 VIEWS A-FOOT. battles which history records. The army of Napoleon stretched like a semicircle around the southern and eastern sides of the city, and the plain beyond was occupied by the allies, whose forces met together here. Schwarzenburg, with his Austrians, -came from Dresden ; Blucher, from Halle, with the Emperor Alexander. Their forces amounted to three hundred thousand, while those of Napoleon ranked at one hundred and ninety-two thousand men. It must have been a terrific scene. The battle raged four days, and the meeting of half a million of men in deadly conflict was accompanied T}y the thunder of sixteen hundred cannon- The small rivers which flow through Leipsic were swollen with blood, and the vast plain was covered with upwards of fifty thousand dead. It is difficult to conceive such slaughter, while looking at the quiet and peaceful landscape below. It seemed more like a legend of past ages, when ignorance and passion led men to murder and destroy, than an event which the last half century witnessed. For the sake of humanity it is to be hoped that the world will never see such another. There are some lovely walks around Leipsic. We went in the afternoon with a few friends to the Rosenthal, a beautiful meadow, bordered by forests of the German oak, very few of whose Druid trunks have been left standing, There are Swiss cottages embowered in the foliage, where every afternoon the social citizens assemble to drink their coffee and enjoy a few hours' escape from the noisy and dusty streets. One can walk for miles along these lovely paths by the side of the velvet meadows, or the banks of some shaded stream. We visited the little village of fJ-olis, LEIPSIC IMBUSHERS. 19*i A short distance off, where, on the second story of a little white house, hangs the sign, " Schiller's Room." Some of the Leipsic literati have built a stone arch over the entrance, with the inscription: "Here dwelt Schiller in 1795, and wrote his Hymn to Joy." Everywhere through Germany the remembrances of Schiller are sacred. In every city where he lived, they show his dwelling. They know and reverence the mighty spirit who has been among them. Another interesting place in Leipsic is Auerbach's Cellar, which, it is said, contains an old manuscript history of Faust, from which Goethe derived the first idea of his poem. He used to frequent this cellar, and one of his scenes in " Faust " is laid in it. We looked down the arched passage ; but not wishing to purchase any wine, we could find no pretence for entering. The streets of Leipsic abound with book stores, and one half the business of the inhabitants appears to con- sist in printing, paper-making and binding. The publisher? have a handsome Exchange of their own, and during the Fairs, the amount of business transacted is enormous. The establishment of Brockhaus is contained in an immense build- ing, adjoining which stands his dwelling, in the midst of magnificent gardens. That of Tauchnitz is not less exten- sive. I became acquainted at the Museum, with Friedrich Gerstiicker, a young German author who has been some time in America, and is well versed in our literature. He is 5ow engaged in translating American works, one of which Hoffman s " Wild Scenes of the Forest and Prairie " will soon appear. In no place in Germany have 1 found more knowledge of our country, her men and her institutions, than in Leipsk-,, and as yet I have seen few that woiiM !>< prefer 198 VIEWS A-FOOl. able as a place of residence. Its attractions do not consist in its scenery, but in the social and intellectual character of its inhabitants. We are now in the " Florence of the Elbe," as the Sax- ons have christened Dresden. Exclusive of its galleries* ol art, which are scarcely surpassed by any in Europe, Dresden charms the traveller by the natural beauty of its environs. It stands in a curve of the Elbe, in the midst of green mea- dows, gardens, and fine old woods, with the hills of Saxony sweeping around like an amphitheatre, and the craggy peaks of the Highlands looking at it from afar. The domes and spires at a distance give it a rich Italian look, which is heightened by the white villas, embowered in trees, gleaming on the hills around. In the streets there is no bustle of business nothing of the din and confusion of traffic which mark most cities ; it seems like a place for study and quiet enjoyment. The railroad brought us in three hours from Leipsic, over the eighty miles of plain that intervene. We came from the station through the Neustadt, passing the Japanese Palace and the equestrian statue of Augustus the Strong. The magnificent bridge over the Elbe was so much injured by the late inundation as to be impassable, and we were obliged to go some distance up the river bank and cross on a bridge of boats. Next morning my first search was for the Picture Gallery. We set off at random, and after passing the Church of Our Lady, with its lofty dome of solid stone, which withstood the heaviest bombs during the war with Frederick the Great, came to an open square, one side of which was occupied by an old, brown, red roofed build THE MADONNA DI SAN StSTO. 199 ing, which T at once recognized as the object of out search. I have just taken a last look at the gallery this morning, and left it with real regret; for, during the two visits, Raphael's heavenly picture of the Madonna and Child had so grown into my love and admiration, that it was painful to think I should never see it again. There are many more which clung so strongly to my imagination, gratifying in the highest degree the love for the Beautiful, that I left them with sadness, and the thought that I would now only have the memory. I can see the inspired eye and god-like brow of the Jesus-child, as if I were still standing before the picture, and the sweet, holy countenance of the Madonna still looks upon me. Yet, though this picture is a miracle of art, the first glance filled me with disappointment. It has somewhat faded, during the three hundred years that have rolled away since the hand of Raphael worked on the can- vas, and the glass with which it is covered for better preservation, injures the effect. After I had gazed on it a while, every thought of this vanished. The figure of the Virgin seemed to soar in the air, and it was difficult to think the clouds were not in motion. Two divine cherubs look up from below, and in her arms sits the sacred child. Those two faces beam from the picture like those of angels. The dark, prophetic eye and pure brow of the young Jesus ihain one like a spell. There is something more than mortal in its expression something in that infant face which indicates a power mightier than the proudest manhood. There is no glory around the head ; but the spirit whih shines from those features, marks his divinity. In th 200 VIEWS A- FOOT. Sweet face of the mother a sorrowful foreboding mingles with its tenderness, as if she knew the world into which tho Saviour was born, and foresaw the path in which he was to tread. It is a picture which one can scarce look upon with- out tears. The plain, south of Dresden, was the scene of the hard* fought battle between Napoleon and the allied armies, in 1813. On the heights above the little village of Riicknitz, Moreau was shot on the second day of the battle. We took a foot path through the meadows, shaded by cherry trees in bloom, and reached the spot after an hour's walk. The monument is simple a square block of granite, surmounted by a hel- met and sword, with the inscription: " The hero Morcait ft-ll here by the side of Alexander, August 1 7th, 1 813." I gathered, as a memorial, a few leaves of the oak which shades it. By applying an hour before the appointed time, we ob- tained admission to the Royal Library. It contains three hundred thousand volumes among them the most complete collection of historical works in existence. Each hall is devoted to a history of a separate country, and one large room is filled with that of Saxony alone. There is a large number of rare and curious manuscripts, among which are old Greek works of the seventh and eighth centuries ; a Koran which once belonged to the Sultan Bajazet ; the autographs of Luther and Melancthon ; a manuscript volume with pen and ink sketches, by Albert Diirer, and the earliest specimens of the invention of printing. Among the latter was a book published by Faust and Schaeffer, at Mayence, in 1457. We were fortunate in seeing the Grune Gewolbe, or Green Vaults, a collection of jewels and costly articles, unsurpassed THE UKEEN VAULTS 201 in Europe. Admittance is only granted to six persons at a time, who pay a fee of two thalers. The customary way is to employ a Lohnbedientt:r t who goes around from one hotel to another, until he has collected the required number, when he brings them together and conducts them to the keeper, who has charge of the treasures. As our visit happened to be during the Pentecost holidays, when every body in Dres- den goes to the mountains, there was some difficulty in effecting this, but after two mornings spent in hunting up curious travellers, the servant finally conducted us in triumph to the palace. The first hall into which we were ushered, contained works in bronze. They were all small, and chosen with regard to their artistical value. The next room contained statues, and vases covered with reliefs, in ivory. The most remarkable work was the fall of Lucifer and his angels, containing ninety-two figures in all, carved out of a single piece of ivory sixteen inches high ! It was the work of an Italian monk, and cost him many years of hard labor. However costly the contents of these halls, they were only an introduction to those which followed. Each one exceeded the other in splendor and costliness. The walls were covered to the ceiling with rows of goblets* vases, &c., of polished jasper, agate, and lapis lazuli. We saw two goblets, each prized at six thousand thalers, made of gold and precious stones ; also the great pearl called the Spanish Dwarf, near- ly as large as a pullet's egg ; globes and vases cut entirely out of the mountain crystal ; magnificent Nuremberg watches and clocks, and a great number of figures, made ingeniously of rough pearls and diamonds. The seventh hall contains the coronation robes of Augustus II. of Poland, and many 9* 202 VIEWS A-FOOT. costly specimens of carving in wood. A cherry-stone is shown in a glass case, which has one hundred and twenty- five faces, all perfectly finished, carved upon it ! The next room we entered sent back a glare of splendor that perfect- ly dazzled us. It was all gold, diamond, ruby, and sapphire Every case sent out such a glow and glitter that it seemed like a cage of imprisoned lightnings. Wherever the eye turned it was met by a blaze of broken rainbows. They were there by hundreds, and every gem was a fortune. We here saw the largest known onyx, nearly seven inches long and four inches broad ! One of the most remarkable works is the throne and court of Aurungzebe, the Indian king, by Dinglinger, a celebrated goldsmith of the last cen- tury. It contains one hundred and thirty-two figures, all of enamelled gold, and each one most perfectly and elaborately finished. It was purchased by Prince Augustus for fifty- eight thousand thalers,* which was not an exorbitant sum, considering that the making of it occupied Dinglinger and thirteen workmen for seven years ! It is almost impossible to estimate the value of the trea- sures these halls contain. That of the gold and jewels alone must be many millions of dollars, and the amount of labor expended on these toys of royalty is incredible. As monuments of patient and untiring toil, they are interesting : but it is sad to think how much labor and skill and energy have been wasted, in producing things which are useless to the world, and only of secondary importance as works of art. Perhaps, however, if men could be diverted by such play- things from more dangerous games, it would be all the better * A Prussian or Saxon thaler is about 70 eta CHAPTER XX RAMBLES IN THE SAXON SWITZERLAND. Farewt'll to Dresden The King of Saxony Beauty of the Country Sunken Glens The Uttewalder Grund Precipice of the Bastei Effects of the Inundation Th Fortress of Konigstein Anecdote of a Baron A Mountain Valley A Cascade Show The Kuhstall The Little Winterberg Cloudy Landscapes The Prebtsch. thor Entering Austria Bohemian Scenery The Battle-Field of Kulm The Baths of Teplitz Plains of the Elbe Distant View of Prague. AFTER four days' sojourn in Dresden we shouldered our knapsacks, not to be laid down again until we reached Prague. "We were elated with the prospect of getting among the hills again, and we heeded not the frequent showers which had dampened the enjoyment of the Pente- cost holidays for the good citizens of Dresden, and might spoil our own. So we trudged gaily along the road to Pillnitz, and waved an adieu to the domes behind us as the forest shut them out from view. After two hours' walk the road led down to the Elbe, where we crossed in a ferry- boat to Pillnitz, the seat of a handsome palace and gardens, be longing to the King of Saxony. He happened to be there at the time, on an afternoon excursion from Dresden ; but 204 VIK\VS A FOOT. as we had seen him before, in the latter place, we passed directly on, only pausing to admire the flower-beds in the palace court. The King is a tall, benevolent looking man, and is apparently much liked by his people. As far as 1 have yet seen, Saxony is a prosperous and happy country The people are noted all over Germany for their honest, social character, which is written on their cheerful, open countenances. On our entrance into the Saxon Switzerland, at Pillnitz, we were delighted with the neatness and home- like appearance of the villages. Every body greeted us ; if we asked for information, they gave it cheerfully. I felt willing to say, in the words of an old ballad, which I believe Longfellow has translated : " The fairest kingdom on this earth, It is the Saxon laudl" Keeping the left bank of the Elbe, we passed over mea- dows purple with the tri-colored violet, and every little bank was bright with cowslips. At length the path led down into a cleft or ravine filled with trees, whose tops were on a level Avitli the country around. This is a peculiar feature of Saxon scenery. There are many of these clefts, some of which are several hundred feet deep, having walls of per- pendicular rock, in the crevices of which the mountain pine roots itself and grows to a tolerable height without any apparent soil to keep it alive. We descended by a foot-path into this ravine, called the Liebethaler Grund. It is wider than many of the others, having room enough for a consider able stream and several mills. The sides are of sandstone rock, quite perpendicular. As we proceeded, it grew nar THE UTTKWAUDKK GRUND. 20 ' rower and deeper, while the trees covering its sides and edges nearly shut out the sky. An hour's walk brought us to the end, where we ascended gradually to the upper level again. After passing the night at the little village of Uttewalde, a short distance further, we set out early in the morning for the Bastei, a lofty precipice on the Elbe. The way led us directly through the Uttewalder Grund, the most remarkable of all these chasms. We went down by rocky steps into its depths, which in the early morning were very cold. Water dripped from the rocks, which, but a few feet apart, rose far above us, and a little rill made its way along the bottom, into which the sun has never shone. Heavy masses of rock, which had tumbled down from the sides, encumbered the way, and tall pine trees sprang from every cleft. In one place the defile is only four feet wide, and a large mass of rock, fallen from above, has lodged near the bottom, making a low arch, under which the traveller has to creep. After going under two or three arches of this kind, the defile widened, and an arrow cut upon a rock directed us to a side path, which branched off into the mountains. Here the masses of stone immediately assumed another form. They projected like shelves sometimes as much as twenty feet from the perpendicular walls, and hung over the way, threatening to break off every moment. I felt glad when we had passed under them. Then, as we ascended further, we saw pillars of rock separated entirely from the side of the mountain, and rising a hundred feet in height, with trees growing on their summits They stood there gray and time-worn, like the ruins of a Titan temple. 20C VIEWS A-FOOT. The path finally led us out into the forest and through the clustering pine trees, to the summit of the Bastei. An inn has been erected in the woods, and an iron balustrade placed around the rock. Protected by this, we advanced to the end of the precipice and looked down on the swift Elbe, more than seven hundred feet below ! Opposite, through the blue mists of morning, rose Konigstein, crowned with an impregnable fortress, and the crags of Lilienstein, with a fine forest around their base, frowned from the left bank. On both sides were horrible precipices of gray rock, with rugged trees hanging from the crevices. A hill rising on one side of the Bastei, terminates suddenly a short distance from it, in an abrupt precipice. In the intervening space stand three or four of those rock-columns, several hundred feet high, with their tops nearly on a level with the Bastei. A wooden bridge has been thrown across from one to the other, and the traveller passes over it, looking on the trees and rocks far below him, until he reaches the hill, where a steep zigzag path takes him down to the Elbe. We crossed the river for the fourth time at the foot of the Bastei, and walked along its right bank towards Konigstein. The injury caused by the inundation was everywhere apparent. The receding flood had left a deposit of sand, in many places several feet deep, on the rich meadows, so that the labor of years will be requisite to remove it and restore the land to an arable condition. Even the farm-houses on the hillside, some distance from the river, had been reached, and the long grass hung in the highest branches of the fruit trees. The people were at work trying to repair the injuries, but they will fall heavily upon the poorer classes. THE FORTRESS OF KONIGSTEIN. 201 The mountain of Konigstein is twelve hundred feet high. A precipice, varying from one to three hundred feet in height, runs entirely round the summit, which is flat, and a mile and a half in circumference. This has been converted into a fortress, whose natural advantages make it entirely impreg- nable. During the Thirty Years' War and the late war with Napoleon, it was the only place in Saxony unoccupied by the enemy. Hence it is used as a depository for the archives and royal treasures, in times of danger. By giving up our passports at the door, we received permission to enter, and were furnished with a guide around the battle- ments. There is quite a little village on the summit, with gardens, fields, and a wood of considerable size. The only entrance is by a road cut through the rock, which is strongly guarded. A well seven hundred feet deep supplies the fortress with water, and there are storehouses sufficient to hold supplies for many years. The view from the ramparts is glorious, embracing the whole of the Saxon Highlands, as far as the lofty Schneeberg in Bohemia. On the other side, the eye follows the windings of the Elbe, as far as the spires of Dresden. Lilienstein, a mountain of exactly similar for- mation, but somewhat higher, stands directly opposite. On walking around the ramparts, the guide pointed out a little square tower standing on the brink of a precipice, with a ledge, about two feet wide, running around it, just below the windows. He said, that during the reign of Augustus the Strong, a baron attached to his court, rose in his sleep after a night of revelry and stepping out of the window, stretched himself at full length along the ledge. A guard fortunately observed his situation and informed Augustus 208 MEWS A-FOOT. of it, who had him bound and secured with cords, and then awakened by music. It was a good lesson, and one which no doubt sobered him for the future. Passing through the little city of Konigstein, we walked on to Schandau, the capital of the Saxon Switzerland, situ ated on the left bank. It had sustained great damage from the flood, the whole place having been literally under water. Here we turned up a narrow valley which led to the Kuh- stall, some eight miles distant. The mountain sides, as usual, were of steep gray rock, but wide enough apart to give room to some lovely meadows, with here and there a rustic cottage. The mountain maidens, in their bright red dresses, with a fanciful scarf bound around the head, made a romantic addi- tion to the scene. There were some quiet secluded nooks, where the light of day stole in dimly through the thick foli- age above and the wild stream rushed less boisterously over the rocks. We sat down to rest in one of these cool retreats, and made the glen ring with a cheer for America. As we advanced further into the hills the way became darker and wilder. We heard the sound of falling water in a little dell on one side, and going nearer, saw a picturesque fall of about fifteen feet. Great masses of black rock were piled together, over which the mountain-stream fell in a snowy sheet. The pines above and around grew so thick and close, that not a sunbeam could enter, and a mysterious twilight pervaded the spot. In Greece it Avould have been chosen for an oracle. I have seen, somewhere, a picture of the Spirit of Poetry, sitting beside just such a cataract, and truly the nymph could choose no more appropriate dwelling. But alas for sentiment ! while w r e were admiring its pic- THE KUHSTALL. 209 turesque beauty, we did not notice a man who came from a near hut and went up behind the rocks. All at once there was a roar of water, and a strong torrent came pouring down. I looked up, and lo ! there he stood, with a gate in his hand which had held the water imprisoned, looking down at us to observe our admiration. I ordered him to shut it up again, and he rejoined us in haste, lest he should lose his fee for the sight. Our road now left the valley and ascended through a forest to the Kuhstall, (Cow's Stable,) which we came upon at once. It is a remarkable natural arch, through a rocky wall or rampart, one hundred and fifty feet thick. Passing through, we came at the other end to the edge of a very deep preci- pice, while the rock towered abruptly far above. Below us lay a deep circular valley, two miles in diameter, and sur- rounded on every side by ranges of crags, such as we saw on the Bastei. It was entirely covered with a pine forest, and there only appeared to be two or three narrow defiles which gave it a communication with the world. The top of the Kuhstall can be reached by a path which runs up through a split in the rock, directly to the summit. It is just wido enough for one person to squeeze himself through ; pieces of wood have been fastened in as steps, and the rocks in many places close completely above. The place derives its name from having been used by the mountaineers as a hiding- place for their cattle in time of war. Next morning we descended by another crevice in the rock to the loiiely valley, which we crossed, and climbed the Little Winterberg on the opposite side. There is a wide and rugged view from a tower on a precipitous rock near the 210 VIEWS A-FOOT. summit, erected to commemorate the escape of Prince Augustus of Saxony, who, being pursued by a mad stag rescued himself by a lucky blow when on the very brink. Among the many wild valleys that lay between the hills, we saw scarcely one without the peculiar rocky formation which gives to Saxon scenery its most interesting character. They resemble the remains of some mighty work of art, rather than one of the thousand varied forms in which Nature delights to clothe herself The Great Winterberg, which is reached by another hour's walk along an elevated ridge, is the highest of the moun- tains, celebrated for the grand view from its summit. We found the handsome Swiss hotel recently built there, full of tourists who had come to enjoy the scene, but the morning clouds hid every thing. We ascended the tower, and look- ing between them as they rolled by, caught glimpses of the broad landscape below. The Giant's Mountains in Silesia were hidden by the mist, but sometimes when the wind freshened, we could see beyond the Elbe into Bohemian Switzerland, where the long Schneeberg rose conspicuous above the smaller mountains. Leaving the other travellers to wait at their leisure for clearer weather, we set off for the Prebischthor, in company with two or three students from the Polytechnic School in Dresden. An hour's walk over high hills, whose forest clothing had been swept off by fire a few years before, brought us to the spot. The Prebischthor is a natural arch, ninety feet high, in a wall of rock which projects at right angles from the precipi- tous side of the mountain. A narrow path leads over the top of the arch to the end of the rock, where, protected by TT1K At -Slid AN a railing, the traveller seems to hang in the air. The valle\ is far below him mcmntains rise up on either side and onlv the narrow bridge connects him with the earth. We descended by a wooden staircase to the bottom of the arch. near which a rustic inn is built against the rock, and thence into the valley below, which we followed through rude and lonely scenery, to Hirnischkretschen (!) on the Elbe. Crossing the river again for the sixth and last time, we followed the right bank to Neidergrund, the first Austrian village. Here our passports were vised for Prague, and we were allowed to proceed without any examination of bag- gage. I noticed a manifest change in our fellow travellers the moment we crossed the border. They appeared anxious and careful ; if we happened to speak of the state of the country, they always looked around to see if anybody was near, and if we even passed a workman on the road, quickly changed to some other subject. They spoke much of the jealous strictness of the government, and from what I heard from Austrians themselves, there may have been ground for their cautiousness. We walked seven or eight miles along the bank of the Elbe, to Tetschen, there left our com- panions and took the road to Teplitz. I was pleasantly dis- appointed on entering Bohemia. Instead of a dull, uninter- esting country, as I expected, it is a land full of the most lovely scenery. There is every thing which can gratify the eye high blue mountains, valleys of the sweetest pas- toral aspect, and romantic old ruins. The very name of Bohemia is associated with wild and wonderful legends, of the rude barbaric ages. Even the chivalric tales of the feudal times of Germany grow tame beside these earlier and 212 VJKWS A-FOOT. darker histories. The fallen fortresses of the Rhine, or the robber-castles of the Odenwald, had not for me so exciting an interest as the shapeless ruins cumbering these lonely mountains. The civilized Saxon race was left behind ; I saw around me the features and heard the language of one of those rude Sclavonic tribes, whose original home was on the vast steppes of Central Asia. I have rarely enjoyed travelling more than our first two days' journey towards Prague. The range of the Erzgebirge ran along on our right ; the snow still lay in patches upon it, but the valleys between, with their little clusters of white cottages, were green and beautiful. About six miles before reaching Teplitz, we passed Kulm, the great battle-field, which in a measure decided the fate of Napoleon. He sent Vandamme with 40,000 men to attack the allies before they could unite their forces, and thus effect their complete destruction. Only the almost despairing bravery of the Russian guards under Ostermann, who held him in check until the allied troops united, defeated Napo- leon's design. At the junction of the roads, where the fight- ing was hottest, the Austrians have erected a monument to one of their generals. Not far from it is that of Prussia, simple and tasteful. A woody hill near, with the little vil- lage of Kulm at its foot, was 'the station occupied by Vandamme at the commencement of the battle. There is now a beautiful chapel on its summit, which can be seen far and wide. A little distance further, the Emperor of Russia has erected a third monument to the memory of the Rus- sians who fell. Four lions rest on the base of the pedestal, and on the top of the shaft, forty-five feet high, Victory is n\K BATHS ov TKI-UTX. 213 represented as engraving the (late, "Aug. 30, 1813," on ;i shield. The dark, pine-covered mountains on the right, overlook the whole field and the valley of Teplitz ; Napo- leon rode along their crests several days after the battle, to witness the scene of his defeat. Teplitz lies in a lovely valley, several miles wide, bounded I) y the Bohemian mountains on one side, and the Erzgebirge on the other. One straggling peak is crowned with a pic- turesque ruin, at whose foot the spacious bath-buildings lie half hidden in foliage. As we walked down the principal street, I noticed that nearly every house was a hotel; in Miininer the usual average of visitors is five thousand. The waters resemble those of the celebrated Carlsbad ; they are warm, and particularly efficacious in rheumatism and diseases of like character. After leaving Teplitz, the road turned to the east, towards a lofty mountain, which we had seen the morning before. The peasants, as they passed by, salut- ed us with " Christ greet you !" We stopped for the night at the foot of the peak called the Milleschauer, and must have ascended nearly 2,000 feet, for we had a wide view the next morning, although the mists and clouds hid the half of it. The weather being so un- favorable, we decided not to ascend, and taking leave of the Jena student who came there for that purpose, descended through green fields and orchards snowy with blossoms, to Lobositz, on the Elbe. Here we reached the plains again, where every thing wore the luxuriance of summer, and it was a pleasant change from the dark and rough scenery we had left. The road passed through Theresienstadt, the for- tress of Northern Bohemia. The little city is surrounded 214 VIKWS A-FOOT. by a double wall and moat, which can be filled with water, rendering it almost impregnable. In the morning we were ferried over the Moldau, and after journeying nearly all day across barren, elevated plains, saw late in the afternoon the sixty-seven spires of Prague below us ! The dark clouds which hung over the hills, gave us little time to look upon the singular scene ; and we were soon comfortably settled in the half-barbaric, half- Asiatic city, with a pleasant pros- pect of seeing its wonders on, the morrow. CHAPTER XXI. SCENES IN PRAGUE. Impressions of Prague Past and Present The Moldau Bridge Johannes of Npo- muck A Day Dream The Cathedral The Shrine of Nepomack Jesuitical Mnsio An Attack of Jews The Old Hebrew Cemetery. PRAGUE, May, 1845. I FEEL as if out of the world in this strange, fantastic, jset beautiful old city. We have been rambling all morning through its winding streets, stopping sometimes at a church to see the dusty tombs and shrines, or to hear the fine music which accompanies the morning mass. I have seen no city yet which so forcibly reminds me of the Past. The lan- guage adds to the illusion. Three-fourths of the people in the streets speak Bohemian, and many of the signs are written in the same tongue, which has no resemblance t'> German. The palace of the Bohemian kings still looks down on the city from the western heights, and their tombs stand in the Cathedral of the holy Johannes. When one has climbed the stone steps leading to the fortress, there is a glorious prospect before him. 1 Vague, with her spires and VIEWS A-FUUT. towers, lies in the valley below, through which curves the Moldau around its green islands until it disappears among the northern hills. The fantastic Byzantine architecture of many of the churches and towers, gives the place a peculiar oriental appearance. They seem to have been transported hither from Persia or Tartary. Its streets are full of palaces, fallen and inhabited now by the poorer classes. Its famous University, which once boasted forty thousand stu- dents, has long since ceased to^xist. In a word, it is, like Venice, a fallen city ; though, as in Venice, the improving spirit of the age is beginning to give it a little life, and to send a quicker stream through its narrow and winding arteries. The railroad which, joining that to Brunn, con- nects it with Vienna, will be finished this year ; and in anticipation of the increased business which will follow, speculators are building enormous hotels in the suburbs and tearing down the old buildings to give place to more splendid edifices. These operations, and the chain bridge which spans the Moldau towards the southern end of the city, are the only things which are modern everything else is old, strange and solemn. Having first determined a few of the principal points, we wandered through its difficult labyrinths, seeking every place of note or interest. Reaching the bridge at last, we decided to cross and ascend to the Hradschin the palace of the Bohe- mian kings. The bridge was commenced in 1357, and was not finished for a hundred and fifty years. Such was the way the old Germans did their work, and they made a structure which will last a thousand years longer. Every pier is sur- mounted with groups of saints and martyrs, all so worn and tttE MOLD AC BRIDGE. 217 weather-beaten, that there is little left of their beauty, if they ever had any. The most important of them, at least to Bohemians, is that of the holy "Johannes of Nepomuck," now considered as the patron-saint of the land. Many cen- turies ago he was a priest whom one of the kings threw from the bridge into the Moldau, because he refused to reveal to him what the queen confessed. The legend says the body swam for some time on the river, with five stars around its head. The Kith of May, the day before our arrival, was that set apart for his particular honor ; the statue on the bridge was covered with an arch of green boughs and flow crs, and the shrine lighted with burning tapers. A railing was erected around it, near which numbers of the believers wore kneeling. The bridge was covered with passers-by, who all took their hats off until they had passed. Had it been a place of worship, the act would have been natural and appropriate, but to uncover before a statue seemed to us too much like idolatry, and we ventured over without doing it. A few years ago it might have been dangerous, but now we only met with scowling looks. There are many such shrines and statues through the city, and I noticed that the people always removed their hats and crossed themselves in passing. On the hill above the western end of the city, stands a chapel on the spot where the Bavarians put an end to Protestantism in Bohemia by the sword, and the deluded peasantry ot the land make pilgrimages t> this spot, as if it were rendered holy by an act over which Religion weeps ! Ascending the broad flight of steps to the Hradschin, I paused a moment to gaze upon the scene below. A slight blue haze hung over the clustering towers, and the city glim 10 218 VIEWS A-FOOT. mered through it, like a city seen in a dream. It was well that it should so appear, for not less dim and misty are the memories that haunt its walls. There was no need of a magician's wand to bid that light cloud shadow forth the forms of other times. They came uncalled for, even by fancy. Far, far back in the past, I saw the warrior-princess who founded the kingly city the renowned Libussa, whose prowess and talent inspired the women of Bohemia to rise at her death and storm the land, that their sex might rule where it obeyed before. On the mountain opposite once stood the palace of the bloody Wlaska, who reigned with her Amazon band for seven years over half Bohemia. Those streets below had echoed with the fiery words of Huss, the castle of whose follower the blind Ziska, who met and defeated the armies of the German Empire moulders on the mountain above. Many a year of war and tempest has passed over the scene. The hills around have borne the armies of Wallenstein and Frederick the Great ; the war-cries of Bavaria, Sweden and Poland have echoed in the valley, and the glare of the midnight cannon or the flames of burning palaces have often reddened the blood-dyed waters of the Moldau ! But this was a day-dream. The throng of people coming up the steps awaked me. We turned and followed the crowd through several spacious courts, until we reached the Cathedral, which is magnificent in the extreme. The dark Gothic pillars, whose arches unite high above, are surround- ed with gilded monuments and shrines, and the side chapels are rich in elaborate decorations. A priest was speaking from a pulpit in the centre, in the Bohemian language, THE SHRINK OF NEPOMUCK. 219 which not being the most intelligible, I went to the other end to see the shrine of the holy Johannes of Nepomuck. It stands at the end of one of the side aisles, and is composed of a mass of gorgeous silver ornaments. At a little distance, on each side, hang four massive lamps of silver, constantly burning. The pyramid of statues, of the same precious metal, has at each corner a richly carved urn, three feet high, with a crimson lamp burning at the top. Above, four silver angels, the size of life, are suspended in the air, hold- ing up the corners of a splendid drapery of crimson and gold. If these figures were melted down and distributed among the poor and miserable people who inhabit Bohemia, they would then be angels indeed, bringing happiness and blessing to many a ruined home-altar. In the same chapel is the splendid burial-place of the Bohemian kings, of gilded marble and alabaster. On our return to the bridge, we stepped into the St. Nicholas Church, which was built by the Jesuits. The interior has a rich effect, its colors being only brown and gold. The music chained me there a long time. There was a grand organ, assisted by a full orchestra and large choir of singers. At every sound of the priest's bell, the flourish of trumpets and deep roll of the drums filled the dome with a burst of quivering sound, while the giant pipes of the organ breathed out their full harmony and the very air shook under the peal. It was a triumphal strain ; the soul became filled with thoughts of power and glory, and the senses were merged into one dim, indistinct emotion of rapture. I could almost forgive the Jesuits the superstition and bigotry they have planted in the minds of men, for the indescribable enjoyment that music gave. 220 VIEWS A-FOOT. When it ceased, we went out to the world again, and the recollection of it is now but a dream dream whose influence will last longer than many more palpable reality. There is another part of Prague which is not less interest- ing, though much less poetical the Jews' City. In our rambles we got into it before we were aware, but hurried immediately out of it again, perfectly satisfied with one visit. We entered first a dark, narrow street, whose sides were lined with booths of old clothes and second-hand articles. A sharp-featured old woman thrust a coat before my face, exclaiming, " Herr, buy a fine coat !" Instantly a man as- sailed me on the other side, " Here are vests ! pantaloons ! shirts !" I broke loose from them and ran on, but it only became worse. One seized me by the arm, crying, " Lie- ber Herr, buy some stockings !" and another grasped my coat ; " Hats, Herr ! hats ! buy something, or sell me some- thing /" I rushed desperately on, shouting "no! no!" with all my might, and finally got safely through. My friend having escaped their clutches also, we found our way to the old Jewish Cemetery. It stands in the middle of the city, and has not been used for a hundred years. We could find no entrance, but by climbing upon the ruins of an old house near, I looked over the wall. A cold shudder crept over me, to think that warm, joyous Life, as I then felt it, should grow chill and pass back to clay in such a foul char- nel-house. Large mounds of earth, covered with black, de- caying grave-stones, which were almost hidden under the weeds and rank grass, filled the enclosure. A few dark, trooked alder-trees grew among the crumbling tombs, and THE HEBREW CEMETERY- 221 gave the scene an air of gloom and desolation, almost fear- ful. The dust of many a generation lies under these mould- ering stones ; they now scarcely occupy a thought in the minds of the living ; and yet the present race toils and seeki for wealth alone, that it may pass away and leave nothing behind not even a memory for that which will follow I CHAPTER XXII. JOUBKEY TH ROUGH BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA. The Scenery of Bohemia The Inhabitants Wayside Shrines Disgusting Imageft- Devotion of the People Iglau The Peasant Girls Bohemian Teams A Religion! Pageant A New Companion His Astonishment Lodging with the Lancers Th City of Znaim Talk with the Handwerker Rain A Drunken Baron Summer Scenery First View of the Alps The Valley of the Danube Arrival at Vienna. OUR road for the first two days after leaving Prague led across broad, elevated plains, over which a cold wind camo direct from the summits of the Riesengehirge, far to our left. Were it not for the pleasant view of the rich valley of the Upper Elbe, which afforded a delightful relief to the mono- tony of the hills around us, the journey would have been exceedingly tiresome. The snow still glistened on the dis- tant mountains ; but when the sun shone out, the broad val- ley below, clad in the luxuriance of slimmer, and extending for at least fifty miles with its woods, meadows, and white villages, was like a glimpse of Paradise. The long ridges over which we travelled extended for nearly a hundred and fifty miles from the Elbe almost to the Danube. The sdil is not fertile, the inhabitants are exceedingly poor, and BOHEMIA AND ITS PEOPIJt 223 from our own experience, the climate must be unhealthy. In winter the country is exposed to the full sweep of the northern winds, and in summer the sun shines down on it with unbroken force. There are few streams running through it : and the highest part, which divides the waters of the Baltic from those of the Black Sea, is filled for a long distance with marshes and standing pools, whose exhalations must inevi- tably subject the inhabitants to disease. This was percepti- ble in their sallow, sickly countenances ; many of the women are afflicted with the go'ttre, or swelling of the throat ; and I noticed that towards evening they always carefully muffled up their faces. According to their own statements, the people suffer much from the cold in winter, as the few forests the country affords are in possession of the noblemen to whom the land belongs, and who are not willing the trees should be cut. The dominions of these petty despots are marked along the road with as much precision as the bound- aries of an empire. We saw sometimes their stately castles at a distance, forming quite a contrast to the poor scattering villages of the peasants. At Kollin, the road, which had been leading eastward in the direction of Olmiitz, turned to the south, and we took leave of the Elbe after tracing back his cours^from Magde- burg nearly to his home in the mountains of Silesia. The country was barren and monotonous, but a bright sunshine made it look somewhat cheerful We passed, every few paces, some shrine or statue by the roadside. This had struck me, immediately on crossing the border, in the Saxon Switzerland the boundary of Saxony was that of Protest- autism. But here in the heart of Bohemia, the extent to 824 VIEWS A-FOOT. which this image worship is carried, exceeds anything I had imagined. There is something pleasing as well as poetical in the idea of a shrine by the wayside, where the weary tra- veller may rest, and lift his heart in thankfulness to the Power which protects him ; it was no doubt a pious spirit which placed them there ; but the people appear to pay the reverence to the picture which they should give to its spi ritual image, and the pictures themselves are so shocking and ghastly, that they seem better calculated to excite hor- ror than reverence. It is truly repulsive to look on imageg of the Saviour covered with blood, and generally with swords sticking in different parts of the body. The Al- mighty is represented as an old man, wearing a Bishop's mitre, and the Virgin always wears a gay silk robe, with beads and other ornaments. From the miserable painting, the faces often have an expression that would have been exceedingly ludicrous, if the shock given to our feelings of reverence were not predominant. The poor degraded pea- sants always uncovered or crossed themselves when passing by these shrines, but it appeared to be rather the effect of habit than any good impulse, for the Bohemians are noted all over Germany for their dishonesty, and we learned by experience tliflt they deserve it. It is not to be wondered at, either ; for a people so poor and miserable and oppressed will soon learn to take advantage of all who appear better off than themselves. They had one custom which was touch- ing and beautiful. At the sound of the church bell, as it rang the morning, noon and evening chimes, every one uncovered, and repeated to himself a prayer. Often, as we rested at noon on a bank by the roadside, that voice spoke PEASANT fillM.S. 223 out from the house of worship, and every one heeded its tone Would that to this innate spirit of reverence were added the light of Knowledge, which a tyrannical government denies them! On the third night of our journey we stopped at the little village of Stecken, and the next morning, after three hours' walk over the ridgy heights, reached the old Moravian city of Iglau, built on a hill. It happened to be Corpus Chnsti day, and the peasants of the neighborhood were hastening there in their gayest druses. The young women wore a crimson scarf around the head, with long fringed and em broidered ends hanging over the shoulders, or falling in one smooth fold from the crown. They were attired in black velvet vests, with full wlrte sleeves, and skirts of some gay color, which were shop-t enough to show to advan- tage their red stockings and polished shoe-buckles. Many of them were not deficient in personal beauty, and there was a gipsy -like wildness in rtieir eyes, which, combined with their rich hair and graceful costume, reminded me of the Italian maidens. The towns, too, with their open squares and arched passages, have quite a southern look ; but the damp, gloomy weather was enough to dispel any illusion of this kind. In the neighborhood of Iglau, and, in fact, through the whole of Bohemia, we saw some of thft strangest teams that could well be imagined. I thought the Frankfort milk- women, with their donkeys and hearse-liko carts, comical objects enough, but they bear no comparison with these Bohemian turn-outs. Dogs for economy's sake, perhaps generally supply the place of oxen or horses, and i* is no 10* 21:'- ::-.w. A-FOO! uncommon thing to sec three, large mastiffs abreast, hat nessed to a country-cart A donkey and a cow together, are sometimes met with : and one man, going to the festival of Iglau, had his wife and children in a little wagon, drawn by a dog and a donkey. These two, however, did not work well together ; the dog would bite his lazy companion, and the man's time was constantly employed in whipping him off the donkey, and in whipping the donkey away from the side of the road. Once I saw a wagon drawn by a dog, with a woman pushing behind, while a man, doubtless her lord and master, sat comfortably within, smoking his pipe with the greatest complacency ! The very climax of all was a woman and a dog harnessed together, taking a load of country produce to market ! I hope, for the honor of the country, it was not emblematic of woman's condition there. But as we saw hundreds of them breaking stone along the road, and occupied at other laborious and not less menial labor, there is too much reason to fear that it is so. As we approached Iglau, we heard the sound of cannon ; the crowd increased, and following the road, we came to an open square, where a large number were already assembled; shrines were erected around it, hung with pictures and pine boughs, and a long procession of children was passing down the side as we entered. We went towards the centre, where Neptune and his Tritons poured the water from their urns into two fountains, and stopped to observe the scene. The procession came on, headed by a large body of priests, in white robes, with banners and crosses. They stopped before the principal shrine, in front of tne Rathhaus, and began a solemn religious ceremony. The whole crowd A NKW COMPANION. 227 nf not less than ten thousand persons, stood silent and uncovered, and the deep voice of the officiating priest was heard over the whole square. At times the multitude sang responses, the sound swelling and rolling up like a mighty wave, until it broke and slowly sank down again to the deepest stillness. The effect was marred by the rough voices of the officers commanding the soldiery, and the volleys of musketry which were occasionally discharged, degrading the solemnity of the pageant to the level of a military parade. In the afternoon we were overtaken by a travelling h'ind- iri'i-l-c , on liis way to Vienna, who joined company with us. We walked several miles together, talking on various mat- ters, without his having the least suspicion that we were not Germans. He had been at Trieste, and at length began speaking of the great beauty of the American vessels there. " Yes," said I, " our vessels are admired all over the world." lie stared at me without comprehending ; "your vessels?" " Our country's," I replied ; " we are Americans !" I can still see his look of incredulous astonishment, and hear the amazed tone with which he cried, " You Americans it is impossible !" We convinced him nevertheless, to his great joy, for all through Germany there is a curiosity to see our countrymen and a kindly feeling towards them. " I shall write down in my book," said he, " so that I shall never forget it, that I once travelled with two Americans !" We stopped together for the night at the only inn in a large, beggarly village, where we obtained a frugal supper with difficulty ; for a regiment of Polish lancers was quartered there for the night, and the pretty Kellnerin was so busy in 228 VIEWS A-FOOT. waiting on the officers that she had no eye for wandering journeymen, as she took us to be. She even told us the beds were all occupied and we must sleep on the floor. Just then the landlord came by. " Is it possible, Herr Landlord," asked our new companion, " that there is no bed here for us ? Have the goodness to look again, for we are not in the habit of sleeping on the floor, like dogs ! " This speech had its effect, for the Kellnerin was commanded to find us beds. She came back unwillingly after a time, and reported that two only were vacant. As a German bed is only a yard wide, we pushed these two together, but they were still too small for three persons, and I had a severe cold in the morning, from sleeping crouched up against the damp wall. The next day we passed the dividing ridge which sepa- rates the waters of the Elbe from the Danube, and in the evening arrived at Znaim, the capital of Moravia. The city is built on a steep hill looking down on the valley of the Thaya, whose waters mingle with the Danube near Press- burg. The old castle on the height was formerly the resi- dence of the Moravian monarchs, and traces of the ancient walls and battlements of the city are still to be seen. The handworker took us to the inn frequented by his craft the leather-curriers and we conversed together until bed-time. While telling me of the oppressive laws of Austria, the degrading vassalage of the peasants, and the horrors of the conscription system, he paused as in deep thought, and looking at me with a suppressed sigh, said, " Is it not true, America is free ? " I told him of our country and her insti- tutions, adding that though we were not yet as free as w A DRUNRSN BAl:i>s. 229 hoped and wished to be, we enjoyed far more liberty than any country in the world. " Ah ! " said he, " it is hard to leave one's fatherland, oppressed as it is, but I wish I could go to America ! " We left next morning at eight o'clock, after having done full justice to the beds of the "Golden Stag," and taken leave of Florian Francke, the honest and hearty old land- lord. Zuaim appears to great advantage from the Vienna road ; but the wind which blew with fury against our backs, would not permit iis to look long at it, but pushed us on towards the Austrian border. In the course of three hours we were obliged to stop at a little village ; it blew a hurri- cane, and the rain began to soak through our garments. Here we stayed three hours among the wagoners, who had stopped on account of the weather. One miserable, drunken wretch, whose face was disgustingly brutal and repulsive, distinguished himself by insulting those around him, and devouring like a beast, large quantities of food When the reckoning was given him, he declared he had al- ready paid, and on the waiter denying it, said, " Stop, I will show you something!" pulled out his passport and pointed to the name " Baron von Reitzenstein." It availed nothing ; he had fallen so low that his title inspired no respect, and when we left the inn they were still endeavoring to get theil money, and threatening him with a summary proceeding if the demand was not complied with. Next morning the sky was clear, and a glorious day opened before us. The country became more beautiful as we ap proached the Danube ; the hills were covered with vine- yards, just in the tender green of their first leaves, and the 230 VTKWS A-FOOT. rich valleys lay in Sabbath stillness in the warm sunshine. Sometimes from an eminence we could see far and wide over the garden-like slopes, where little white villages shone among the blossoming fruit-trees. A chain of blue hills arose in front, and I knew almost instinctively that they stood by the Danube ; but when we climbed to the last height and began to descend to the valley, where the river was still hidden by luxuriant groves, I saw far to the southwest, a range of faint, silvery summits, rising through the dim ether like an airy vision. There was no mistaking those snowy mountains. My heart bounded with a sudden thrill of rap- turous excitement at this first view of the Alps ! They were at a great distance, and their outline was almost blended with the blue drapery of air which clothed them. I gazed until my vision became dim, and I could no longer trace their airy lines. They called up images blended with the grandest events in the world's history. I thought of the glorious spirits who have looked upon them and trodden their rugged sides of the storms in which they veil their countenances, and the avalanches they hurl thundering to the valleys of the voices of great deeds, which have echoed from their crags over the wide earth and of the ages which have broken, like the waves of a mighty sea, upon their ever- lasting summits ! As we descended, the hills and forests shut out this sub- lime vision, and I looked to the wood-clothed mountains opposite and tried to catch a glimpse of the current that roll- ed at their feet. We here entered upon a rich plain, about ten miles in diameter, which lay between a backward sweep of the hills and a curve of the Danube. It was covered ARRIVAL AT VIENNA. 231 with the richest grain, every thing wore the luxuriance of summer, and we seem to have changed seasons since leaving the dreary hills of Bohemia. Continuing over the plain, we had on our left the fields of Wagram and Essling, the scene of two of Napoleon's splendid victories. The out- posts of the Carpathians skirted the horizon that great mountain range which stretches through Hungary to the borders of Russia. At length the road came to the river's side, and we crossed on wooden bridges over two or three arms of the Danube, all of which together were little wider than the Sclmylkill at Philadelphia. When we crossed the last bridge, we came to an island covered with groves of the silver ash. Crowds of people filled the cool walks ; booths of refresh- ment stood by the roadside, and music was everywhere heard. The road finally terminated in a circle, where beautiful alleys radiated into the groves ; from the opposite side a broad street lined with stately buildings extended into the heart of the city, and through this avenue, filled with crowds of carriages and people on their way to those delightful walks, we entered Vienna ! CHAPTER XXIII. VIENNA. Vienna The Ferdinand's Bridge The Streets The Old City The Suburbs Bean- ty of the Prater St Stephen's Cathedral The Belvidere Gallery The Lower Belvidere Historical Relics The Respectful Custode The Iron Stick Straus* and his Band The Touib of Beethoven Galleries of Art The Imperial Library Cabinet of Natural History State Carriages of Austria Prince Liechtenstein's Gallery Correggio's Venus and Cupid The Imperial Armory The Crusty Custode A Pole Relics of the Past Banners of the Crusaders A Scene at the Police Office Light Hearts and Empty Purses. VIENNA, May 31. 1845. I HAVE at last seen the thousand wonders of this great capi- tal this German Paris this connecting link between the civilization of Europe and the barbaric magnificence of the East. It is pleasant to be again in a city whose streets are thronged with people, and resound with the din and bustle of business. Although the end may be sordid for which so many are laboring, yet the very sight of so much activity is gratifying. It is peculiarly so to an American. After residing in a foreign land for some time, the peculiarities of our nation are more easily noticed ; I find in my countrymen abroad a vein of restless energy a love for exciting action THB STREETS OF VIENNA. 233 which to many of our good German friends is perfectly incomprehensible. It may have been this activity which gave me at once a favorable impression of Vienna. The morning of our arrival we sallied out from our lodg- ings in the Leopoldstadt, to explore the world before us. Entering the broad Praterstrasse, we passed down to the little arm of the Danube, which separates this part of the new city from the old. A row of magnificent coffee-houses occupies the bank, and numbers of persons were taking their breakfasts in the shady porticoes. The Ferdinand's Bridge, which crosses the stream, was filled with people ; and in the motley crowd we saw the dark-eyed Greek, and Turks in their turbans and flowing robes Little brown Hungarian boys were selling bunches of lilies, and Italians with baskets of oranges stood by the sidewalk. The throng became greater as we penetrated into the old city. The streets were filled with carts and carriages, and as there are no side-walks, it required constant attention to keep out of their way. Splendid shops, fitted up with great taste, occupied the whole of the lower stories, and goods of all kinds hung beneath the canvas awnings in front of them. Almost every store or shop was dedicated to some particular person or place, which was represented on a large panel by the door. The number of these paintings added much to the brilliancy of the scene ; and I was gratified to find, among the images of kings and dukes, one dedicated " to the Ameri- can," with an Indian chief in full costume. The Altstadt, or old city, which contains about sixty thousand inhabitants, is completely separated from the sub- urbs, the population of which, taking the whole extent withhi 234 VIEWS A-FOOT. the outer barrier, numbers nearly half a million. The eld city is situated on a small arm of the Danube, and is encom- passed by a series of public promenades, gardens and walks, varying from a quarter to half a mile in length, called the Glacis. This once formed part of the fortifications of the city, but as the suburbs grew up so rapidly on all sides, it was appropriately changed to a public walk. It is a beauti- ful sight, to stand on the summit of the wall and look over the broad Glacis, with its shady roads branching in every direction, and filled with inexhaustible streams of people. The Vorstaedte, or new cities, stretch in a circle around, beyond this ; all the finest buildings front on the Glacis, among which the splendid Vienna Theatre and the church of San Carlo Borromeo are conspicuous. The mountains of the Vienna Forest bound the view, with here and there a stately castle on their woody summits. There is no lack of places for pleasure and amusement. Besides the numberless walks of the Glacis, there are the Imperial Gardens, with their cool shades and flowers and fountains ; the Augarten, laid out and opened to the public by the Emperor Joseph : and the Prater, the largest and most beautiful of all. It lies on an island formed by the arms of the Danube, and is between two and three miles square. From the circle at the end of the Praterstrasse, broad carriage-ways extend through its forests of oak and silver ash, and over its verdant lawns to the principal stream, which bounds it on the north. These roads are lined with stately horse-chestnuts, whose branches unite and form a dense canopy, completely shutting out the sun. Every afternoon the beauty and nobility of Vienna whirl through THE PRATER. 235 the cool groves in their gay equipages, while the sidewalks are thronged with pedestrians, and the nuniherless tables and seats with which every house of refreshment is sur- rounded, are filled with merry guests. Here, on Sundays and holidays, the people repair in thousands The woods are full of tame deer, which run perfectly free over the whole Prater. I saw several in one of the lawns, lying -(own in the grass, with a number of children playing around or sitting beside them. It is delightful to walk there in the cool of the evening, when the paths are crowd- ed, and everybody is enjoying the release from the dusty city. It is this free, social life which renders Vienna so at- tractive to foreigners, and yearly draws thousands of visitors from all parts of Europe. St. Stephen's Cathedral, in the centre of the old city, is one of the finest specimens of Gothic architecture in Ger- many. Its unrivalled tower, which rises to the height of four hundred and twenty-eight feet, is visible from every part of Vienna. It is entirely of stone, most elaborately ornamented, and is supposed to be the strongest in Europe. The inside is solemn and grand , but the effect is injured by the number of small chapels and shrines. In one of these rest the remains of Prince Eugene of Savoy, " der edit Rittcr," known in a ballad to every man, woman and child in Germany. The Belvidere Gallery fills thirty-five halls, and contains three thousand pictures. It is absolutely bewildering to walk through such vast collections ; you can do no more than glance at each painting, and hurry by face after face, and figure after figure, on which you would willingly gaze 836 VIEWS A-TOOT. for hours and inhale the atmosphere of beauty that surrounds them. Then after you leave, the brain is filled with thcif forms radiant faces look upon you, and you see constantly in fancy, the calm brow of a Madonna, the sweet young face of a child, or the blending of divine with mortal beauty in an angel's countenance. I endeavor, if possible, always to make several visits to study those pictures which cling first to the memory, and pass over those which make little or no impression. It is better to have a few images fresh and enduring, than a confused and indistinct memory of many. The Lower Belvidere, separated from the "Tpper by a large garden, laid out in the style of that at Versailles, con- tains the celebrated Ambraser Sammhing, a collection of armor. In the first hall I noticed the complete armor of the Emperor Maximilian, for man and horse the armor of Charles V., and Prince Moritz of Saxony, while the walls were filled with figures of German nobles and knights, in the suits they wore in life. There is also the armor of the great h Baver of Trient," trabant of the Archduke Ferdi nand. He was nearly nine feet in stature, and his spear, though not equal to Satan's in Paradise Lost, would still make a tree of tolerable dimensions. In the second hall we saw weapons taken from the Turkish army who besieged Vienna, with the horse-tail standards of the Grand Vizier, Kara Mustapha. The most interesting article was the battle-axe of the unfortunate Montezuma, which was pro- bably given to the Emperor Charles V. by Cortez. It is a plain instrument of dark colored stone, about three feet long. RELICS OF PAST HISTORY. 237 We also visited the E'itrgcrliche Zeugham, a collection of arms and weapons, belonging to the citizens of Vienna It contains sixteen thousand weapons and suits of armor, including those plundered from the Turks, when John Sobi eskv conquered them and relieved Vienna from the siege. Besides a great number of sabres, lances and horse-tails, there is the blood-red banner of the Grand Vizier, as well as his skull and shroud, which is covered with sentences from the Koran. On his return to Belgrade, after the defeat at Vienna, the Sultan sent him a bow-string, and he was ac- cordingly strangled. The Austrians having taken Belgrade some time after, they opened his grave and carried off his skull and shroud as well as the bow-string, as relics Another large and richly embroidered banner, which hung in a broad sheet from the ceiling, was far more interesting to me. It had once waved from the vessels of the Knights of Malta, and had, perhaps, on the prow of the Grand Master's ship, led that romantic band to battle against the Infidel. A large number of peasants and common soldiers were ad- mitted to view the armory at the same time. The grave custodc who showed us the curiosities, explaining every thing in phrases known by heart for years and making the same starts of admiration whenever he came to any thing peculiar- ly remarkable, singled us out as the two persons most worthy cf attention. Accordingly his remarks were directed entirely to us, and his humble countrymen might as well have been invisible, for the notice he took of them. On passing out we gave him a coin worth about fifteen cents, which hap- pened to be so much more than the others gave him, that 238 VIEWS A-FOOT. bowing graciously, he invited us to write our names iu the album for strangers. While, we were doing this, a poor hand werker lingered behind, apparently for the same object whom he scornfully dismissed, shaking the coin in his hand, and saying : " The album is not for such as you it is for noble gentlemen !" On our way through the city, we often noticed a house on the southern side of St. Stephen's Platz, dedicated to " the Iron Stick." In a niche by the window stood what ap- peared to be the limb of a tree, completely filled with nails, which were driven in so thick that no part of the original wood is visible. We learned afterwards the legend concern- ing it. The Vienna Forest is said to have extended, several hundred years ago, to this place. A locksmith's apprentice was enabled, by the devil's help, to make the iron bars and padlock which confine the limb in its place ; every lock- smith's apprentice who came to Vienna after that, drove a nail into it, until finally there was room for no more. It is a singular legend, and whoever may have placed the limb there originally, there it has remained for two or three hundred years at least. We spent two or three hours delightfully one evening in listening to Strauss's band. We went about sunset to the Odeon, a new building in the Leopoldstadt. It has a refresh- ment hall nearly five hundred feet long, with a handsome fresco ceiling and glass doors opening into a garden walk of the same length. Both the hall and garden were filled with tables, where the people seated themselves as they came, and conversed sociably over their coffee and wine. The orchestra was placed in a little ornamental temple in the J 6TRAUSS AND Hl8 BAND. 23ft garden, in front of which I stationed myself, for T was anxi- ous to see the world's waltz- king, whose magic tones set the heels of half Christendom in motion. After the band finished tuning their instruments, a middle-sized, handsome man stepped forward with long strides, with a violin in one hand and bow in the other, and began waving the latter up and down, like a magician summoning his spirits. As if he had waved the sound out of his bow, the tones leaped forth from the instruments, and guided by his eye and hand, fell into a merry measure. The accuracy with which every instrument performed its part, was truly marvellous. He could not have struck the measure or the harmony more certainly from the keys of his own piano, than from that large band. Some- times the air was so exquisitely light and bounding, that the feet could scarcely keep on the earth ; then it sank into a mournful lament, with a sobbing tremulousness, and died away in a long-breathed sigh. Strauss seemed to feel the music in every limb. He would wave his fiddle-bow awhile, then commence playing with desperate energy, moving his whole body to the measure, until the sweat rolled from his brow. A book was lying on the stand before him, but he made no use of it. He often glanced around with a half- triumphant smile at the restless crowd, whose feet could scarcely be restrained from bounding to tho magic measure, It was the horn of Oberon realized. The company, which consisted of several hundred, ap- peared to be full of enjoyment. They sat under the trees in the calm, cool twilight, with the stars twinkling above, and talked and laughed together during the pauses of the music, or strolled up and down the lighted alleys. We 240 VIEWS A-FOOT. walked up and down with them, and thought how much wt should enjoy such a scene at home, where the faces around us would be those of friends, and the language our mother tongue ! We went a long way through the suburbs one brigh* afternoon to a little cemetery about a mile from the city, to find the grave of Beethoven. On ringing at the gate, a girl admitted us into the grounds, in which are many monu- ments of noble families who have vaults there. I passed up the narrow walk, reading the inscriptions, till I came to the tomb of Franz Clement, a young composer, who died two or three years ago. On turning again, my eye fell instantly on the word " BEETHOVEN," in golden letters, on a tomb- stone of gray marble. A simple gilded lyre decorated the pedestal, above which was a serpent encircling a butterfly the emblem of resurrection to eternal life. Here, then, mouldered the remains of that restless spirit, who seemed to have strayed to earth from another clime, from such a height did he draw his glorious conceptions. The perfection he sought for here in vain, he has now attained in a world where the soul is freed from the bars which bind it in this. There were no flowers planted around the tomb by those who revered his genius ; only one wreath, withered and dead, lay among the grass, as if left long ago by some solitary pilgrim, and a few wild buttercups hung with their bright blossoms over the slab. I could not resist the temptation to pluck one or two, while the old grave-diggei was busy preparing a new tenement. I thought that othei buds would open in a few days, but those I took would be treasured many a year as sacred relics. A few paces off is GALLERIES OF ART. 241 tfm grave of Schubert, the composer, whose beautiful songa are heard all over Germany. It would employ one constantly for a week to visit all th rich collections of art in Vienna. They are ill open to the public on certain days, and ve liY*e been kept in perpetual motion running from one part of the city to another, in order to arrive at some 'gallery at the appointed time Tickets, which must often be procured in quite different parts of the city, are necessary for admittance to many ; and on applying after much trouble and search, we fre- quently found that we came at the wrong hour, and must leave without effecting our object. We employed no guide, but preferred finding everything ourselves. We made a list every morning of the collections open during the day, and employed the rest of the time in visiting the churches and public gardens, or rambling through the suburbs. We visited the Imperial Library a day or two ago. The hall is 245 feet long, with a magnificent dome in the centre, under which stands the statue of Charles V., of Carrara marble, surrounded by twelve other monarchs of the house of Ilapsburg. The walls are of variegated marble, richly ornamenfi-d with gold, and the ceiling and dome are covered with brilliant fresco paintings. The library numbers 300,000 voiumes, and 16,000 manuscripts, which are kept in walnut cases, gilded and adorned with medallions. The rich and harmonious effect of the whole cannot easily be imagined. It is exceedingly appropriate that a hall of such splendoi should be used to hold a library. The pomp of a palace may seem hollow and vain, for it is but the dwelling of a man ; but no building can be too magnificent for the hun U 242 VIEWS A-FOOT. dreds of great and immortal spirits, who have visited earth during thirty centuries, to inhabit. We also visited the Cabinet of Natural History, which is open twice a week " to all respectably dressed persons," as the notice at the door says. But Heaven forbid that I should attempt to describe what we saw there. The Mineral Cabi- net had a greater interest me, inasmuch as it called up the recollections of many a schoolboy ramble over the hills and into all kinds of quarries? far and near. It is said to be the most perfect collection in existence. I was pleased to find many old acquaintances there, from the mines of Penn- sylvania : Massachusetts and New York were also very well represented. I had no idea before, that the mineral wealth of Austria was so great. Besides the iron a:i ; lead mines among the hills of Styria and the quicksilver of Idria, there is no small amount of gold and silver, and the Carpathian mountains are rich in jasper, opal and lapiz lazuli. The largest opal ever found, was in this collection. It weighs thirty-four ounces, and looks like a condensed rainbow. In passing the palace, we saw several persons entering the basement story under the Library, and had the curiosity to follow them. By so doing, we saw the splendid equipages of the house of Austria. There must have been near a hundred carriages and sleds, of every shape and style, from the heavy, square vehicle of the last century, to the mosi, light and elegant conveyance of the present day. One clumsy but magnificent machine, of crimson and gold, was pointed out as being a hundred and fifty years old. The misery we witnessed in starving Bohemia, formed a striking contrast to all this splendor. PRINCE LiKcm KN>TK;N s <;AI.I.KKV. 248 Besides the Imperial i'irtiin- (.allcry, there are several belonging to princes and noblemen in Vienna, which arc scarcely less valuable. The most important of these is that of Prince Liechtenstein, which we visited yesterday. We applied at the porter's lodge for admittance to the gallery, but he refused io open it for two persons. As we did not wish a long v.-alj; for nothing, we determined to wait foi other visitors. Presently a gentleman and lady came and inquired if the gallery was open. We told them it would probably be opened now, although the porter required a larger number. The gentleman went to seek him, and presently returned, saying : " He will come imme- diately ; I thought best to put the number a little higher, and so I told him there were six of us !" Having little artistic knowledge of paintings, I judge of them according to the effect they produce upon me in proportion as they gratify the natural instinctive love of the Beautiful. I have been therefore disappointed in some painters whose names are widely known, and surprised again to find w r orks of great beauty by others of smaller fame. Judging by such a standard, I should say that " Cupid sleeping in the lap of Venus," by Correggio, is the glory of this collection. The beautiful limbs of the boy -god droop in the repose of slum- ber, as head rests on his mother's knee, and there is a smile lingering around his half-parted lips, as if he was dreaming new triumphs. The face is not that of the wicked, mischief-loving child, but rather a sweet cherub, bringing a blessing to all he visits. The figure of the goddess is ex- quisite. Her countenance, unearthly in its loveliness, expresses the tenderness of a young mother, as she situ 244 VIEWS A-FOOT. with one finger pressed on her rosy lip, watching 1m slumber. One of the most interesting objects in Vienna, is the Imperial Armory. We were admitted by means of tickets previously procured from the Armory Direction. Around the wall on the inside, is suspended the enormous chain which the Turks stretched across the Danube at Buda, in the year 1529, to obstruct the navigation. It has eight thou- sand links, and is nearly a mile in length The court is filled with cannon of all shapes and sizes, many of which were conquered from other nations. I saw a great many which were cast during the French Revolution, with the words " LiberteJ Egalite /" upon them, and a number of others bearing the simple letter "N." Finally, a company which had precedence of us, finished their sight-seeing, and the forty or fifty persons who had collected during the interval were admitted.. The Armory is a hollow square, and must be at least a quarter of a mile in length. We were taken into a circular hall, made entirely of weapons, to represent the four quarters of the globe. Here the crusty old guide who admitted us, rapped with his stick on the shield of an old knight who stood near, to keep silence, and then addressed us : " When I speak every one must be silent. No one can write or draw any- thing. No one shall touch anything, or go to look at any thing else, before I have done speaking. Otherwise, they shall be taken immediately into the street again ! " Thus in every hall he rapped and scolded, driving the women to one side with his stick and the men to the other, until we had nearly completed the tour of the halls, when the thought THE CRUSTT CU8TOEE. 24 A Df the coming fee marie him a little more polite. He had a regular set of descriptions by heart, which he delivered witli a great flourish, pointing particularly to the common militan caps of the late Emperors of Prussia and Austria, as "treasures beyond all price to the nation ! " Whereupon, the crowd of common people gazed reverently on the shabby beavers and I verily believe, would have devoutly kissed them, had the glass covering been removed. I happened to be next to a tall, dignified young man, who looked on all this with a displeasure amounting to contempt. Seeing I was a for- eigner, he spoke, in a low tone, bitterly of the Austrian government. " You are not then an Austrian ? " I asked * No, thank God ! " was the reply ; " but I have seen enough of Austrian tyranny. I am a Pole ! " Some of the halls represent a fortification, with walls, ditches, and embankments, made of muskets and swords A long room in the second wing contains an encampment; in which twelve or fifteen large tents are formed in like manner. Along the sides are grouped old Austrian ban- ners, standards taken from the French, and horse-tails and flags captured from the Turks. " They make a great boast/' said the Pole. " of a half dozen French colors, but let them go to the Hopital des Invalides, in Paris, and they will find hundreds of the best banners of Austria ! " They also exhibited the armor of a dwarf king of Bohemia and Hun- gary, who died, a gray-headed old man, in his twentieth year.- the sword of Marl borough ; the coat of Gustavus Adolphus, pierced in the breast and back with the bullet which killed him at Liitzen ; the armor of the old Bohemian princess Libussa and that of the amazon Wlaska, with > 246 VIEWS A-FOOT. steel vizor made to fit the features of her face. The last wing was the most remarkable. Here we saw the helm and breastplate of Attila, king of the Huns, which once gleamed at the head of -his myriads of wild hordes, before the walls of Rome; the armor of Count Stt&reraberg, who com- manded Vienna during the Turkish siege in 1529, and the holy banner of Mahomet, taken at that time from the Grand Vizier, together with the steel harness of John Sobieski, of Poland, who rescued Vienna from the Turkish troops under Kara Mustapha ; the hat, sword, and breastplate of Godfrey of Bouillon, the Crusader-king of Jerusalem, with the ban- ners of the cross the Crusaders had borne to Palestine, and the standard they captured from the Turks on the walls of the Holy City ! I felt all my boyish enthusiasm for the romantic age of the Crusaders revive, as I looked on the torn and mouldering banners which had once waved on the hills of Judea, or perhaps followed The sword of the Lion Heart through the fight on the field of Ascalon ! What tales could they not tell, those old standards, cut and shivered by spear and lance ! What brave hands have carried them through the storm of battle, what dying eyes have looked upwards to the cross on their folds, as the last prayer was breathed for the rescue of the Holy Se- pulchre ! I must now close the catalogue. This morning we shall took upon Vienna for the last time. Our knapsacks are repacked, and the passports (precious documents !) vised for Munich. The getting of this vise, however, caused a comi- cal scene at the Police Office, yesterday We entered the luspector's Hall and took our stand quietly among the SCENE AT THE 1'OLICE OFFICE. 24*1 crowd of persons who were gathered around a i ailing which separated them from the main office. One of the clerks came up, scowling at us, and asked in a rough tone, ' What do you want here ? " We handed him our tickets of sojourn (for when a traveller spends more than twenty-four hours in a German city, he must take out a permission and pay for it), with the request that he would give us our passports. He glanced over the tickets, came back, and with constrained politeness, asked us to step within the railing. Here wo were introduced to the Chief Inspector. " Desire Herr to come here," said he to a servant ; then turning to us, " I am happy to see the gentlemen in Vienna." An officer immediately came up, who addressed us in fluent English. " You may speak in your native tongue/' said the Inspector : "excuse our neglect; fi-om the facility with which you speak German, we supposed you were natives of Austria ! " Our passports were signed at once and given us with a gracious bow, accompanied by the hope that we would visit Vienna again before long. All this, of course, was perfectly unintelligible to the wondering crowd outside the railing. Seeing, however, the honors we were receiving they fell back, and respectfully made room for us to pass out. I kept a grave face until we reached the bottom of the stairs, when I gave way to restrained laughter in a manner that shocked the dignity of the guard, who looked savagely at me over his forest of moustache. I would nevertheless have felt grateful for the attention we received s Americans, were it not for our uncourteous reception as suspected Austrians, We have just been enjoying a hearty laugh agaiii 248 VIKWS A-FOOl. though from a very different cause, and one which, accord ing to common custom, ought rather to draw forth tears 01 at least sighs and groans. This morning B suggested an examination of our funds, for we had neglected keeping a strict account, and what with being cheated in Bohemia and tempted by the amusements of Vienna, there waa an apparent dwindling away. So we emptied our pockets, counted up the contents, and found we had just ten florins, or four dollars apiece. The thought of our situation, away in the heart of Austria, five hundred miles from our Frank- fort home, seems irresistibly laughable By allowing twenty days for the journey, we shall have half a florin (twenty cents) a day for our travelling expenses. This is a homoeopa- thic allowance, indeed, but there is nothing to be done, ex- cept to make the attempt. So now adie>^ Vienna ! In twx hours we shall be among the hills again. CHAPTER XXIV. UP THE DANUBE. A Strong Wind The Palace of Scir.nbrunn The Abbey of Melk The Lu*nry ci Foot-Travel American Scenery Rencontre with Bohemian Gipsies Dannbiai Landscapes The Styrian Alps Holy Florian Votive Shrines Linz and its Towers More Money Wanted Lambach A Mountain Portrait Falls of the Trauu Bat tie-Field of the Unknown Student. WE passed out of Vienna in the face of one of the strongest winds it was ever my lot to encounter. It swept across the plain witli such force that we found it almost impossible to advance until we got under the fee of a range of hilla 4bout two miles from the barrier we passed Schonbrunn, the Austrian Versailles. It was built by the Empress Maria Theresa, and was the residence of Napoleon in 1809, when Vienna vva^ in the hands of the French. Later, in 1832, .he Duke of Rcichstadt died in the same room which his father once occupied. Behind the palace is a magnificent garden, at the foot of a hill covered with rich forests and erowned with an open pillared hall, three hundred feet long called the Gloriette. The colossal eagle which surmounts it can be seeu a great distance. 11* 250 VIEWS A-FOOT. The lovely valley in which Schnnbrunn lies, follows the course of the little river Vienna into the heart of that moun- tain region lying between the Styrian Alps and the Danube, and called the Vienna Forest. Into this our road led between hills covered with wood, with here and there a lovely green meadow, where herds of cattle were grazing. On the third day we came to the Danube again at Melk, a little city built under the edge of a steep hill, on the summit of which stands the palace-like abbey of the Benedictine Monks. The old friars must have had a merry life of it, for the wine- cellar of the abbey furnished the French army 50,000 measures for several days in succession. The shores of the Danube here are extremely beautiful. Although not so picturesque as the Rhine, the scenery of the Danube is on a grander scale. On the south side the mountains bend down to it with a majestic sweep, and there must be delightful glances into the valleys that lie between, in passing down its current. But we soon left the river, and journeyed on through the enchanting inland vales. To give an idea of the glorious enjoyment of travelling through such scenes, let me copy a leaf out of my journal, written as we rested at noon on the top of a lofty hill: " Here, while the delightful mountain breeze that comes fresh from the Alps cools my forehead, and the pines around are sighing their eternal anthem, I seize a few moments to describe the paradise around me. I have felt an elevation of mind and spirit, an unmixed rapture, from morning till night, since we left Vienna. It is the brightest and balmiest June weather ; a fresh breeze sings through the trees and waves the ripening grain on the THE LUXURY OF FOOT-TRAVEL, 251 verdant meadows and hill-slopes. The air is filled with bird-music. The larks sing above us out of .sight, the bull- finch wakes his notes in the grove, and at eve the nightin- gale pours forth her passionate strain. The meadows are literally covered with flowers beautiful purple salvias, pinks such as we have at home in our gardens, and glowing buttercups, color the banks of every stream. I never saw richer or more luxuriant foliage. Magnificent forests clothe the hills, and the villages are embosomed in fruit trees, shrubbery and flowers. Sometimes we go for miles through some enchanting valley, lying like a paradise between the mountains, while the distant, white Alps look on it from afar ; sometimes over swelling ranges of hills, where we can see to the right the valley of the Danube, threaded by his silver current and dotted with white cottages and glittering spires, and farther beyond, the blue mountains of the Bohe- mian Forest. To the left, the range of the Styrian Alps stretches along the sky, summit above summit, the farther ones robed in perpetual snow. I never tire gazing on these glorious hills. They fill the soul with a sense of sublimity, such as one feels when listening to triumphal music They seem like the marble domes of a mighty range of temples, where Earth worships her Maker with an organ-anthem of Ptorms 1 " There is an exquisite luxury in travelling here. We walk all day through such scenes, resting often in the shade of the fruit trees which line the road, or on a mossy bank by the side of some cool forest. Sometimes for enjoyment as well as variety, we make our dining-place by a clear spring instead of within a smoky tavern ; and our simple 252 VIEWS A-FOOT meals have a relish an epicure could never attain. Away with your railroads and steamboats and mail-coaches, or keep them for those who have no eye but for the sordid interests of life! With my knapsack and pilgrim-staff, I ask not their aid. If a mind and soul full of rapture with beauty, a frame in glowing and vigorous health, and slumbers un- broken even by dreams, are blessings any one would attain, let him shoulder his knapsack and walk through Lower Austria!" I have never been so strongly and constantly reminded of America, as during this journey. Perhaps the balmy season, the same in which I last looked upon the dear scenes of home, may have its effect ; but there is also a rich- ness in the forests and waving fields of grain, a wild luxu- riance in every landscape, which I have seen nowhere else in Europe. The large farm houses, buried in orchards, scattered over the valleys, add to the effect. Everything seems to speak of happiness and prosperity. We were met one morning by a band of wandering Bo- hemian gipsies the first of the kind I ever saw. A young woman with a small child in her arms came directly up to me, and looking full in my face with her wild black eyes, said, without any preface : " Yes, he too has met with sor- row and trouble already, and will still have more. But he is not false he is true and sincere, and will also meet with good luck !" She said she could tell me three numbers with which I should buy a lottery ticket and win a great prize. I told her I would have nothing to do with the lot- tery, and would buy no ticket, but she persisted, saying : Has he a twenty kreutzer piece ? will he give it ? Laj DANUBIAN LANDSCAPES. i>53 ft in his hand and make a cross over it, and I will reveal the numbers !" On my refusal, she became angry, and left me, saving : " Let him take care on the third day something will happen to him !" An old, wrinkled hag made the same proposition to my companion with no better success. They reminded me strikingly of our Indians; their complexion is a dark brown, and their eyes and hair are black as night. These belonged to a small tribe who wander through the forests of Bohemia, and support themselves by cheating and stealing, We stopped on the fourth night at Enns, a small city on the river of the same name, which divides Upper from Lower Austria. After leaving the beautiful little village where we passed the previous night, the road ascended one of those long ranges of hills, which stretch off from the Danube towards the Alps,, We walked for miles over the broad and uneven summit, enjoying the enchanting view which opened on both sides. If we looked to the right, we could trace the windings of the Danube for twenty miles, his current studded with green, wooded islands ; white cities nestled at the foot of the hills, which, covered to the summits with grain-fields and vineyards, extended back one behind another, till the farthest were lost in the distance. I was glad we had taken the way from Vienna to Linz by land, for from the heights we had a view of the whole course of the Danube, enjoying besides the beauty of the inland vales and the far-off Styrian Alps, From the hills we crossed we could see the snowy range as far as the Alps of Salzburg some of them seemed robed to the very base in their white mantles. In the morning the glaciers on their summit glit- 264 VIEWS A-FOOT. tered like stars ; it was the first time I saw the sun reflected at a hundred miles' distance ! On descending the ridge we came into a garden-like plain, over which rose the towers of Enns, built by the ransom money paid to Austria for the deliverance of the lion-hearted Richard. The countr legends say that St. Florian was thrown into the river by the Romans in the third century, with a millstone around his neck, which, however, held him abovo the water like cork, until he had finished preaching them a sermon. In the villages we often saw his image painted on the houses, in the act of pouring a pail of water on a burning building, with the inscription beneath " Oh, holy Florian, pray for us !" This was supposed to be a charm against fire. In Upper Austria, it is customary to erect a shrine on the road, wherever an accident has happened, with a descriptive painting, and an admonition to all travel- lers to pray for the soul of the unfortunate person. On one of them, for instance, was a cart with a wild ox, which a man ./as holding by the horns ; a woman kneeling by the wheels appeared to be drawing a little girl by the feet from under it, and the inscription stated : " By calling on Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the girl was happily rescued." Many of the shrines had images which the people no doubt, in their igno ranee and simplicity, considered holy, but to us they were impious and almost blasphemous. From Enns a morning's walk brought us to Linz. The peasant girls in their broad straw hats were weeding the young wheat, looking as cheerful and contented as the larks that sang above them. A mile or two from Linz we passed one or two of the round towers belonging to the new fortifi- I.IXZ AKD ITS TOWERS. 255 cations of the city. As walls have grown out of fashion, Duke Maximilian substituted an invention of his own. The city is surrounded by thirty-two towers, one to three miles distant from it, and so placed that they form a complete line of communication and defence. They are sunk in the earth, surrounded with a ditch and embankments, and each is capa- ble of containing ten cannon and three hundred men. The pointed roofs of these towers arc. seen on all the hills around. We were obliged to give up our passports at the barrier, the officer telling us to call for them in three hours at the City Police Office ; we spent the intervening time very agreeably in rambling through the gay, cheerful-looking town. With its gilded spires and ornamented houses, with their green lattice- blinds, it is strongly suggestive of Italy. Although we had not exceeded our daily allowance by more than afew kreut- zers, we found that twenty days would be hardly sufficient to accomplish the journey, and our funds would therefore need to be replenished before we could reach Frankfort. Accordingly I wrote from Linz to a friend at Frankfort, di- recting a small sum to be forwarded to Munich, which city we hoped to reach in eight days. We took the horse cars at Linz for Lambach, seventeen miles on the way towards Gmunden. The mountains were covered with clouds as we approached them, and the storms they had been brewing for two or three days began to march down on the plain. They had nearly reached us, when we crossed the Traun and arrived at Lambach, a small city built upon a hill. We left the. next day at noon, after the storm had ceased, and on ascending the hill after crossing the Traun, bad an opportunity of seeing the portrait on th Trauiistehii 256 VIEWS A-FOOT. of which the old landlord at Lam bach told us. I recognized it at the first glance, and certainly it is a most remarkable freak of nature. The rough back of the mountain forms the exact profile of the human countenance, as if regularly hewn out of the rock. What is still more singular, it is said to be a correct portrait of the unfortunate Louis XVI. The land' lord said it was immediately recognized by all Frenchmen. The road followed the course of the Traun, whose green waters roared at the bottom of the glen below us . we walked foi several miles in a fine forest, through whose openings we caught glimpses of the mountains we longed to reach. The river roared at last somewhat louder, and on looking down the bank, I saw rocks and rapids, and a few houses built on the edge of the stream. Thinking we must be near the celebrated fall, we went down the path, and lo ! on cross- ing a little wooden bridge, the whole affair burst in sight ! Judge of our surprise at finding a cascade of fifteen feet, after we had been led to expect a tremendous leap of forty or fifty, with all the accompaniment of rocks and precipices. Of course the whole descent of the river at the place was much greater, and there were some romantic rapids over the rocks which blocked its course. The Traunstein grew higher as we approached, presei.t- ing the same profile until we had nearly reached Gmunden. From the green upland meadows above the town, the view of the mountain range was glorious, and I could easily con- ceive the effect of the Unknown Student's appeal to the people to fight for those free hills. -I think it is Howitt who relates the incident one of the most romantic in German history. Count Pappenheim led his forces here in the BATTLE-FIELD OF THE UNKNOWN STUDENT. 25*? year 1G2G, to suppress a revolution of the people of the whole Salzburg region, who had risen against an invasion of their rights by the Austrian government. The battle which took place on these meadows was about being decided in favor of the oppressors, when a young man, clad as a stu- dent, suddenly appeared and addressed the people, pointing to the Alps above them and the sweet lake below, and ask- ing if that land should not be free. The effect was electri- cal ; they returned to the charge and drove back the troops of Pappenheim, who were about taking to flight, when the unknown leader fell, mortally wounded. This struck a sud- den panic through his followers, and the Austrians, turning again, gained a complete victory. But the name of tlu brave student is unknown, his deed unsung by his countryV bards, and almost forgotten. CHAPTER XXV. THE AUSTRIAN ALPS. rhe Lake of Gmunden Among the Alps The Lumber Business The Baths of Iseb St. Wolfgang Climbing the Schafberg Lost The Track of an Avalanche- Walking over a Forest Panorama from the Summit Descent to St. Gilgen .Vn Alpine Eden The Shoemaker and his Wife " footsteps of Angels "The Valley of Salzburg The Alps The Boy of the Mountain Sights in Salzburg Entering Bavaria People and Scenery Wasserburg Field of Ilohenlinden Arrival at Munich An Enthusiastic Acquaintance, IT was nearly dark when we came to the end of the plain, and looked on the city at our feet and the lovely lake that lost itself in the mountains before us. We were early on board the steamboat next morning, with a cloudless sky above us and a snow-crested Alp beckoning on from the end of the lake. The water was of the loveliest green hue, the morning light colored the peaks around with purple, and a misty veil rolled up the rocks of the Traunstein. We stood on the prow and enjoyed to the fullest extent the enchanting scenery. The white houses of Gmunden sank down to the water's edge like a flock of ducks ; half-way we passed castle Ort, on a rock in the lako, whose summit is covered with trees. AMONCJ TlIK ALPS. 25& As we neared the other extremity, the mountains became steeper and loftier ; there was no path along their wild sides, nor even a fisher's hut nestled at their feet, and tin- enow filled the ravines more than half-way from the summit An hour and a quarter brought us to Ebensee, at the head of the lake, where we landed and plodded on towards Ischl, fol- lowing the Traun up a narrow valley, whose mountain-walls shut out more than half the sky. They are covered with forests, and the country is inhabited entirely by the wood- men who fell the mountain pines and float the timber rafts down to the Danube. The steeps are marked with white lines, where the trees have been rolled, or rather tumbled from the summit. Often they descend several miles over rocks and precipices, where the least deviation from the track would dash them in a thousand pieces. This transportation is generally accomplished in the winter when the sides are covered with snow and ice. It must be a dangerous busi- ness, for there are many crosses by the way -side, where the pictures represent persons accidentally killed by the trees ; an additional painting shows them burning in the flames of purgatory, and the pious traveller is requested to pray an Ave or a Paternoster foi the repose of their souls. On we went, up the valley of the Traun, between moun- tains five and six thousand feet high, through scenes con- stantly changing and constantly grand, for three or four hours. Finally the hills opened, disclosing a little triangu- lar valley, whose base was formed by a mighty mountain covered with clouds. Through the two side-angles came the Traun and his tributary the Ischl, while the little town of Ischl lay in the centre. Within a, few years this ha* 260 VIEWS A-FOOT. become a very fashionable bathing-place, and the influx of rich visitors, which in the summer sometimes amounts to two thousand, has entirely destroyed the primitive simplicity which the inhabitants originally possessed. From Ischl we took a road through the forests to St. Wolfgang, on the lake of the same name. The last part of the way led along the banks of the lake, disclosing some delicious views. These Alpine lakes surpass any scenery I have yet seen. The water is of the most beautiful green, like a sheet of molten beryl, and the cloud-piercing mountains that encompass them shut out the sun for nearly half the .day. St. Wolf- g ing is a lovely village, in a cool and quiet nook at the foot of the Schaf berg. The houses are built in the picturesque Swiss style, with flat, projecting roofs, and ornamented bal- conies, and the people are the very picture of neatness and cheerfulness. We started next morning to ascend the Schafberg, whicl is called the Righi of the Austrian Switzerland. It is some- what higher than its Swiss namesake, and commands a prospect scarcely less extensive and grand. We followed a footpath through the thick forest by the side of a roaring torrent. The morning mist still covered the lake, but the white summits of the Salzburg and Noric Alps opposite us, rose above it, and stood pure and bright in the upper air. We passed a little mill and one or two cottages, and then wound round one of the lesser heights into a deep ravine, down in whose dark shadow we sometimes heard the axs and saw of the mountain woodmen. Finally the path dis- appeared altogether under a mass of logs and rocks, which to have been whirled together by a sudden flood. CLIMBING THE St'HAFBKRO. 261 Wo deliberated what to do ; the summit rose several thousand feet above us, almost precipitously steep, but we did not like to turn back, and there was still a hope of meeting with the path again. Clambering over the ruina and rubbish, we pulled ourselves by the limbs of tress up a steep ascent and descended again to the stream. We here saw the ravine was closed by a wall of rock, and our only chance was to cross to the west side of the mountain, where the ascent seemed somewhat easier. A couple of mountain maidens whom we fortunately met, carrying home grass for their goats, told us the mountain could be ascended on that side, by one who could climb well laying a strong emphasis on the word. The very doubt implied in this expression was enough to decide us; so we began the work. .And work it was, too ! The side was very steep, the trees all leaned downwards, and we slipped at every step on the dry leaves and grass. After making a short distance this way with the greatest labor, we came to the track of an ava- lanche, which had swept away the trees and earth. Here the rock had been worn rough by torrents, but by using both hands and feet, we climbed the precipitous side of the mountain, sometimes dragging ourselves up by the branches of trees where the rocks were smooth. After half an hour of such work we came above the forests, on the bare side of the mountain. The summit was far above us, and so steep that our limbs involuntarily shrank from the task of climbing. The side sloped at an angle of nearly sixty degrees, and the least slip threw us flat on our faces. We had to use both hand and foot, and were obliged to rest every few minutes to recover breath. Crimson-flowered moss arid bright blu 262 VIEWS A-FOOT. gentians covered the rocks, and I filled my books with blossoms for friends at home. Up and up, for what seemed an age, we clambered. So steep was it, that the least rocky projection hid my friend from sight, as he was climbing below me. 1 sometimes started stones, which went down, down, like cannon-balls, till I could see them no more. At length we reached the region of dwarf pines, which was even more difficult to pass through. Although the mountain was not so steep, this forest, centuries old, reached no higher than our breasts, and the trees leaned downwards, so that we were obliged to take hold of the tops of those above us, and drag ourselves over the others. Here and there lay large patches of snow ; we sat down in the glowing June sun, and bathed our hands and faces in it. Finally, the sky became bluer and broader, the clouds seemed nearer, and a few more steps through the bushes brought us to the 'summit of the mountain, on the edge of a precipice a thousand feet deep, whose bottom stood in a vast field of snow i We lay down on the heather,' exhausted by five hours' incessant toil, and drank in, like a refreshing draught, the sublimity of the scene. The green lakes of the Salzburg Alps lay far below us, and the whole southern horizon was filled with the mighty range of the Styrian and Noric Alps, their summits of never-melting snow mingling and blending with the clouds On the other side the mountains of Salz- burg lifted their ridgy backs from the plains of Bavaria, and the Chiem lake lay spread out in the blue distance. A line of mist far to the north betrayed the path of the Danube, and beyond it we could barely trace the outline of the Bo DESCENT TO ST. GILGEN. 263 hemian mountains. With a glass the spires of Munich, one hundred and twenty miles distant, can be seen. It was a view whose grandeur I can never forget. In that dome of the cloud we seemed to breathe a purer air than that of earth. After an hour or two, we began to think of descending, as the path was yet to be found. The summit, which was a mile or more in length, extended farther westward, and by climbing over the dwarf pines for some time, we saw a little wooden house above us. It stood near the highest part of the peak, and two or three men were engaged in repairing it, as a shelter for travellers. They pointed out the path which went down on the side toward St. Gilgen, and we began descending. The mountain on this side is much less steep, but the descent is fatiguing enough. The path led along the side of a glen where mountain goats were grazing, and further down we saw cattle feeding on the little spots of herbage which lay in the forest. My knees became so weak from this continued descent, that they would scarcely sup port me ; but we were three hours, partly walking and partly running down, before we reached the bottom. Half an hour's walk around the head of the St. Wolfgang See, brought us to the little village of St. Gilgen. The valley of St. Gilgen lies like a little paradise between the mountains. Lovely green fields and woods slope gradu- ally from the mountain behind, to the still greener lake spread out before it, in whose bosom the white Alps are mirrored. Its picturesque cottages cluster around the neat church with its lofty spire, and the simple inhabitants have countenances as bright and cheerful as the blue sky above 264 VIEWS A-FOOT. them. We breathed an air of poetry. The Arcadian sim- plicity of the people, the pastoral beauty of the fields around and the grandeur of the mountains which shut it out from the world, realized my ideas of a dwelling-place, where 5 with a few kindred spirits, the bliss of Eden might almost be restored. We stopped there two or three hours to relieve our hunger and fatigue. My boots had suffered severely in our moun- tain adventure, and I called at a shoemaker's cottage to get them repaired. I sat down and talked for half an hour with the family. The man and his wife spoke of the delight- ful scenery around them, and expressed themselves with correctness and even elegance. They were much pleased that I admired their village so greatly, and related every thing which they supposed could interest me. As I rose to go, my head nearly touched the ceiling, which was very low. The man exclaimed : " Ach Gott ! how tall !" I told him the people were all tall in our country ; he then asked where I came from, and I had no sooner said " America," than he threw up his hands and uttered an ejaculation of the greatest surprise. His wife observed that " it was wonder- ful how far man was permitted to travel." They wished me a prosperous journey and a safe return home. St. Qilgen was also interesting to me from that beautiful chapter in " Hyperion" " Footsteps of Angels," and on passing the church on my way back to the inn, I entered the grave-yard mentioned in it. The green turf grows thick- ly over the rows of mounds, with here and there a rose planted by the hand of affection, and the white crosses wera hung with wreaths, some of which had been freshly added " FOOTSTEPS OF ANGELS.'' 265 Behind the church, under the shade of a tree, stood a small chapel : I opened the unfastened door, and entered. The afternoon sun shone through the side window, and all was still around. A little shrine, adorned with flowers, stood at the other end, and there were two tablets on the wall, to persons who slumbered beneath. I approached these and read on one of them with feelings not easily described : " Look not mournfully into the past it comes not again ; wisely improve the present it is thine ; and go forward to meet the shadowy future, without foar, and with a manly heart !" This then was the spot where Paul Flennuing came in lone- lint'ss and sorrow to muse over what he had lost, and these were the words whose truth and eloquence strengthened and consoled him, " as if the unknown tenant of the grave had opened his lips of dust and spoken the words of consola- tion his soul needed." We reached a little village on the Fuschel See, the same evening, and set off the next morning for Salzburg. The day was hot and we walked slowly, so that it was not until two o'clock that we saw the castellated rocks on the side of the Gaissberg, guarding the entrance to the valley of Salz- burg. A short distance further, the whole glorious pano- rama was spread out below us. From the height on which we stood, we looked directly on the summit of the Capuchin Mountain, which hid part of the city from sight ; the double peak of the Staufen rose opposite, and a heavy storm was raging along the Alpine heights around it, while the lovely valley lay in sunshine below, threaded by the bright current of the Salza. As we descended and passed around the foot of the hill, the Untersberg came in sight, whose broad sum- 12 200 VIEWS A-FOOT. mits lift themselves seven thousand feet above the pxain. The legend says that Charlemagne and his warriors sit in its subterraneous caverns in complete armor, and that they will arise and come forth again, when Germany recovers her former power and glory. I wish I could convey in words some idea of the elevation of spirit experienced while looking on these eternal moun- tains. They fill the soul with a sensation of power and grandeur which frees it awhile from the cramps and fetters of common life. It rises and expands to the level of their sublimity, until its thoughts soar solemnly aloft, like their summits, piercing the heart of heaven. Their dazzling and imperishable beauty is to the mind an image of its own enduring existence. When I stand upon some snowy summit the invisible apex of that mighty pyramid there seems a majesty in my weak will which might defy the elements. This sense of power, inspired by a silent sympathy with the forms of Nature, is beautifully described as shown in the free, unconscious instincts of childhood by the poet Uhland, in his ballad of the " Mountain Boy." A herd-boy on the mountain's brow, I see the castles all below. The sunbeam here is earliest cast And by my side it lingers last I am the boy of the mountain! The mother-house of streams is here I drink them in their cradles clear; From out the rock they foam below, I spring to catch them as they go 1 J am the boy of the mountain} THE MOt MAIN J!OY. \!9 To me belongs the mountain's bound, Where gathering tempests march around; But though from north and south they shout. Above them still my song rings out " I am the boy of the mountain I ' Below me clouds and thunders move; I stand amid the blue above, I shout to them with fearless breast ; " GO leave my father's house in rest f* I am the boy of the mountain I And when the loud bell shakes the spires And flame aloft the signal-fires, I go below and join the throng, And swing my sword and sing my song : " I am the boy of the mountain I" Salzburg lies on both sides of the Salza, hemmed in on either bend by precipitous mountains. A large fortress overlooks it on the south, from the summit of a perpendicu- lar rock, against which the houses in that part of the city are built. The streets are narrow and crooked, but the newer part contains many open squares adorned with hand- some fountains. The variety of costume among the people is very interesting. The inhabitants of the salt district have a peculiar dress j the women wear round fur caps, with little wings of gauze at the side. I saw other women with head-dresses of gold or silver filigree, something in shape like a Roman helmet, with a projection at the back of the head, a foot long. The most interesting objects in Salzburg to us, were the house of Mozart, in which the composer was >oin, and tha monument lately erected to him The St 2bC VIEWS A-FOOT. Peter's Church, near by, contains the tomb of Ha vein, the great composer, and the Church of St. Sebastian thai ;f the renowned Paracelsus, who was also a native of Salzburg. Two or three hours sufficed to see every thing of interest in the city. We had intended to go further through the A.lps, to the beautiful vales of the Tyrol, but our time was getting short ; our boots, which are the pedestrian's sole de- pendence, began to show symptoms of wearing out ; and our expenses among the lakes and mountains of Upper Austria, left us but two florins apiece, so we reluctantly turned our backs upon the snowy hills and set out for Munich, ninety miles distant. After passing the night at Saalbruck, on th? banks of the stream which separates the two kingdoms, we entered Bavaria next morning. I could not help feeling glad to leave Austria, although within her bounds I had passed scenes whose beauty will long haunt me, and me; with many honest, friendly hearts among her people. We noticed a change as soon as we had crossed the border. The raads were neater and handsomer, and the country people greeted us in passing, with a friendly cheerfulness that made us feel half at home. The houses are built in the picturesque Swiss fashion, their balconies often ornamented with curious figures, carved in wood. Many of them, where they are situated remote from a church, have a little bell on the roof which they ring for morning and evening prajers, and we often heard these simple monitors sounding from the cottages as we passed by. The next night we stopped at the little village of Stein, famous in former times for its robber knight, Hans von Stein. The ruins of his castle stand on the rock above, and the TlIK FIK.U) OF HOIIKNIJNDEN. 209 caverns hewn in the sides of the precipice, where he used to confine his prisoners, are still visible. Walking on through a pleasant, well-cultivated country, we came to Wasserburg on the Inn. The situation of the city is peculiar. The Inn lias gradually worn his channel deeper in the sandy soil, su that he now flows at the bottom of a glen, a hundred feet below the plains around. Wasserburg lies in a basin formed by the change of the current, which flows around it like a horse-shoe, leaving only a narrow neck of land which con- nects it with the country above. We left the little village where we were quartered for the night and took a foot-path which led across the country to the field of Hohenlinden, about six miles distant. The name had been familiar to me from childhood, and my love for Campbell, with the recollection of the school-exhibitions where " On Linden when the sun was low " had been so often declaimed, induced me to make the excursion to it. We traversed a large forest, belonging to the King of Bava- ria, and came out on a plain covered with grain-fields and bounded on the right by a semicircle of low hills. Over the fields, about two miles distant, a tall minaret-like spire rose from a small cluster of houses, and this was Hohenlin- den ! To tell the truth, I had been expecting something more. The " hills of blood-stained snow " are very small hills indeed, and the " Isar rolling rapidly," is several miles off; it was the spot, however, and we recited Campbell's poem, of course, and brought away a few wild flowers as memorials. There is no monument or any other token of the battle, and the people seem to have already forgotten tin- scene of Moreau's victory and their defeat. 270 VIEWS A-FOOT. From a hill twelve miles off we had our first view of the spires of Munich, like distant ships over the sea-like plain They kept iu sight until we arrived at eight o'clock in the evening, after a walk of more than thirty miles. We cross- ed the rapid Isar on three bridges, entered the magnificent Isar Gate, and were soon comfortably quartered in the heart of Munich. Entering the city without knowing a single soul within it, we made within a few minutes an agreeable acquaintance. After we passed the Isar Gate, we began looking for a decent inn, for the day's walk had been fatiguing. Presently a young man, who had been watching us for some time, came up, and said that if we would allow him, he would conduct us to a good lodging-place. Finding we were strangers, he expressed the greatest regret that he had not time to go with us every day around the city. Our surprise and delight at the splendor of Munich, he said, would more than repay him for the trouble. In his anxiety to show us something, he took us some distance out of the way, (although it was growing dark and we were very tired,) to see the Palace and the Theatre, with its front of rich frescoes. CHAPTER XXVI. MUNICH. The Splendor of Munich King Ludwig's Labors The Ludwigstrasse The Library The Church of St. Louis Monument to Eugene Beauharnois The Parks on th Isar The New Residence Magnificence of its Halls Hall of the Throne The King's Apartments The Royal Chapel A Picture of Devotion The Glyptothek Its Sculptures The Son of Niobe The Pinacothek A Giant The Basilica- Schwauthaler's Studio History of an Artisan Condition of our Finances. MUNICH, June 14, 1845. I THOUGHT I had seen every thing in Vienna that could excite admiration or gratify fancy ; but here I have my former sensations to live over again, in an augmented degree. It is well I was at first somewhat prepared by our previous travel, otherwise the glare and splendor of wealth and art in this German Athens might blind me to the beauties of the cities we shall yet visit. I have been walking in a dream where the fairy tales of boyhood were realized, and the golden and jewelled halls of the Eastern genii rose glittering around me a vision of the brain no more. All I had con- ceived of oriental magnificence, all descriptions of the splen- dor of kingly halls and palaces, fall short of what I here 272 VIEWS A-FOOT. see. Where shall I begin to describe the crowd of splendid edifices that line its streets, or how give an idea of the pro- fusion of paintings and statues of marble, jasper and gold ? Art has done every thing for Munich. It lies on a large, flat plain, sixteen hundred feet above the sea, and continually exposed to the cold winds from the Alps. At the beginning of the present century it was but a third-rate city, and was rarely visited by foreigners. Since that time its population and limits have been doubled, and magnificent edifices in every style of architecture erected, rendering it scarcely secondary in this respect to any capital in Europe. Every art that wealth or taste could devise, seems to have been spent in its decoration. Broad, spacious streets and squares have been laid out, churches, halls and colleges erected, and schools of painting and sculpture established, which draw artists from all parts of the world. All this is the result of the taste of the present king, Ludwig I., who began twenty or thirty years ago, when he was Crown Prince, to collect the best German artists around him and form plans for the execution of his grand design. He can boast of having done more for the arts than any other living monarch, and if he had accomplished it all without oppressing his people, he would deserve an immortality of fame. Let us take a stroll down the Ludwigstrasse. As we pass the Theatiner Church, with its dome and towers, the broad street opens before us, stretching away to the north, between rows of magnificent buildings. Just at this southern end, Is the tirfilusshalle, an open temple of white marble, terminat- ing the avenue. To the right of us extend the arcades, with the trees of the Royal Garden peeping above them; T11K CHLKCH OF ST. LOUIS. 273 on the loft is the spacious concert building of the Odeon, and the palace of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, son of Eugene Beauharnois. Passing through a row of palace-like private buildings, we come to the Army Department, on the right a neat and tasteful building of white sandstone. Beside it stands the Library, which possesses the first special claim on our admiration. With its splendid front of five hundred and eighteen feet, the yellowish brown cement with which the body is covered, making an agreeable contrast with the dark red window-arches and cornices, and the statues of Homer, Hippocrates, Thucydides and Aristotle guarding the portal, is it not a worthy receptacle for the treasures of ancient and modern lore which its halls contain ? Nearly opposite stands the Institute for the Blind, a plain but large building of dark red brick, covered with cement, and further, the Ludwig's Kirche, or Church of St. Louis. How lightly the two square towers of gray marble lift their network of sculpture ! Over the arched portal stand marble statues by Schwanthaler, and the roof of brilliant tiles worked into mosaic, resembles a rich Turkey carpet covering the whole. We must enter, to get an idea of the splendor of this church. Instead of the pointed arch which one would expect to find above his head, the lofty pillars on each side bear an unbroken semicircular vault, which is painted a brilliant blue, and spangled with silver stars. These pillars, and the little arches above, which spring from them, are illuminated with gold and brilliant colors, and each side- chapel is a casket of richness and elegance. The windows are of silvered glass, through which the light glimmers softly on the splendor within. The end of the chancel behind the 12* 274 VIEWS A-FOOT. high altar, is taken up with Cornelius's celebrated fresco painting of the " Last Judgment," the largest painting in the world and the circular dome in the centre of the cross contains groups of martyrs, prophets, saints, and kings, painted in fresco on a ground of gold. The work of Cor- nelius has been greatly praised for sublimity of design and beauty of execution, by many acknowledged judges ; I was disappointed in it, but the fault possibly lay in me, and not in the painting. The richness and elegance of the church were so new to me, that I can scarcely decide whether I am impressed by its novelty or charmed by its beauty. As we leave the church and walk further, the street expands suddenly into a broad square. One side is formed by the new University building, and the other by the Royal Seminary, both displaying in their architecture new forms of the grace- ful Byzantine school, which the architects of Munich have adapted in a striking manner to so many varied purposes. On each side stands a splendid colossal fountain of bronze, throwing up a great mass of water, which falls in a triple cataract to the marble basin below. A short distance beyond this square the Ludwigstrasse terminates. The end will be closed by a magnificent gate, in a style to correspond with the unequalled avenue to which it will give entrance. We went one morning to see the collection of paintings formerly belonging to Eugene Beauharnois, who was brother-in-law to the present king of Bavaria, in the palace of his son, the Duke of Leuchtenberg. We have since seen in the St. Michael's Church, the monument to Eugene, from the chisel of Thorwaldsen. The noble figure of the son of Josephine is represented in the Roman mantle, with his THE PARK9 ON THK I8AK. 2*75 helmet aud sword lying on the ground beside him. On one side sits History, writing on a tablet ; on the other, stand the two brother-angels, Death and Immortality. They lean lovingly together, with arms around each other, but the sweet countenance of Death has a cast of sorrow, as he stands with inverted torch and a wreath of poppies among his clustering locks. Immortality, crowned with never- fading flowers, looks upwards with a smile of triumph, and holds in one hand his blazing torch. It is a beautiful idea, and Thorwaldsen has made the marble eloquent with feeling. The inside of the square formed by the Arcades and the New Residence, is filled with noble old trees, which in sum- mer make a leafy roof over the pleasant walks. Passing through the northern Arcade, one comes into the magnificent park, called the English Garden, which extends more than four miles along the I bank of the Isar, several branches of whose milky current wander through it, and form one or two pretty cascades. It is a beautiful alternation of forest and meadow, and has all the richness and garden-like luxuriance of English scenery. Winding walks lead along the Isar, or through the wood of venerable oaks, and sometimes a lawn of half a mile in length, with a picturesque temple at its farther end, comes in sight through the trees. I was better pleased with this park than with the Prater in Vienna. Its paths are always filled with persons enjoying the change from the dusty streets to its quiet and cool retirement. The New Residence is not only one of the wonders of Munich, but of the world. Although commenced in 1826 and carried on constantly since that time by a number of architects, sculptors, and painters, it is not yet finished ; and if Art 276 VIEWS A-FOOT were not inexhaustible, it would be difficult to imagine wh*> ( . more could be added. The north side of the Max Joseph Platz is taken up by its front of four hundred and thirty feet, which was nine years in building, under the direction of the architect Klenze. The exterior is copied after the Palazzo Pitti. in Florence. The northern front, which faces on the Royal Garden, is now nearly finished. It has the enormous length of eight hundred feet ; in the middle is a portico of ten Ionic columns, but instead of supporting a triangular facade, each pillar stands separate, and bears a marble statue from the chisel of Schwanthaler. The interior of the building does not disappoint the pro- mise of the outside. It is open every afternoon in the absence of the king, for the inspection of visitors ; fortunately for us, his majesty is at present on a journey through his provinces on the Rhine. We went early to the waiting hall, where several travellers were already assembled, and at four o'clock, were admitted into the newer part of the palace, containing the throne hall, ball-room, etc. On entering the first hall, designed for the lackeys and royal servants, we were all obliged to thrust our feet into cloth slippers to walk over th- polished mosaic floor. The second hall, also for servants, gives tokens of increasing splendor in the richer decorations of the walls and the more elaborate mosaic of the floor. We next entered the receiving saloon, in which the Court Mar- shal receives the guests. The ceiling is of arabesque sculp- ture, profusely painted and gilded. Passing through a little cabinet, we entered the great dancing saloon. Its floor is the richest mosaic of wood of different colors, the sides are of polished scagliola, and the ceiling a dazzling blaze of THR THROVE HALL. **77 .:.lci-s and gold. At one end is a gallery for the orchestra, supported !IT six columns of variegated marble, above which are six dancing nymphs, painted to represent life. We next entered two smaller rooms containing the por- traits of beautiful women, principally from the German no bility. I gave the preference to the daughter of Marco Bozzaris, now maid of honor to the Queen of Greece. She ha 1 a wild dark eye, a beautiful proud lip, and her rich black hair rolled in glossy waves down her neck, from under the red Grecian cap stuck jauntily on the side of her head. She wore a scarf and close-fitting vest embroidered with gold, and there was a free lofty spirit in her countenance worthy the name she bore. These pictures form a gallery of beauty, whose equal cannot easily be found. Finally we entered the Hall of the Throne. Here the encaustic decoration, so plentifully employed in the other rooms, is dropped, and an effect even more brilliant obtained by the simple use of marble and gold. Picture a long hall with a floor of polished marble, on each side twelve columns of white marble with gilded capitals, between which stand colossal statues of gold. At the other end is the throne of gold and crimson, with gorgeous hangings of crimson velvet The twelve statues in the hall are called the " Wittelsbach Ancestors," and represent renowned members of the house of Wittelsbach, from which the royal family of Bararia is descended. They were cast in bronze by Stiglmaier, after the models of Schwanthaler, and then completely covered with a coating of gold, so that they resemble solid golden statues. The value of the precious metal on each one is about $3,000, as they are nine feet in height 1 What would 278 VIEWS A-FOOT. Ilie politicians whc make such an outcry about the papering vf the President's House, say to such a palace as this ? Returning to the starting point, we crossed to the other wing of the edifice and joined the party who came to visit the apartments of the king. Here we were led through two or three rooms, appropriated to the servants, with all the splendor of marble doors, floors of mosaic, and frescoed ceilings. From these we entered the king's apartments The entrance halls are decorated with paintings of the Ar- gonauts and illustrations of the Hymns of Hesiod, after drawings by Schwanthaler. Then came the Service Hall containing frescoes illustrating Homer, by Schnorr, and the Throne Hall, with Schwanthaler's bas-reliefs of the songs of Pindar, on a ground of gold. The throne stands under a splendid crimson canopy. The Dining Room, with its floor of polished wood, is filled with illustrations of the songs of Anacreon. To these follow the Dressing Room, with twen- ty-seven illustrations of the Comedies of Aristophanes, and the sleeping chamber with frescoes after the poems of Theo- critus, and two beautiful bas-reliefs representing angels bearing children to Heaven. It is no wonder the King writes poetry, when he breathes, eats, and sleeps in an atmo sphere of it Adjoining the new residence on the east, is the Royal Chapel, lately finished in the Byzantine style, under the direction of Klen/e. To enter it, is like stepping into a casket of jewels. The sides are formed by a double range of arches, the windows being so far back as to be almost out of sight, so that the eye falls on nothing but coloring and gold. The lower row of arches is of alternate green and THK ROYAL CHAPEL 279 purple marble, beautifully polished ; but the upper, as well as the small chancel behind the high altar, is entirely covered with fresco paintings on a ground of gold. The richness and splendor of the whole church is absolutely incredible. Even after one has seen the Ludwig's Kirche and the Residence itself, it excites astonishment I was surprised, however, to find at this age a painting on the wall behind the altar, representing the Almighty. It seems as if human presump- tion has no limit. The simple altar of Athens, with its in- scription " To the Unknown God," was more truly reverent than this. As I sat down awhile under one of the arches, a poor woman came in, carrying a heavy basket, and going to tho steps which led to the altar, knelt down and prayed, spreading her arms out in the form of a cross. Then, after stooping and kissing the first step, she dragged her knees upon it, and commenced praying again with outspread arms. This performance she continued until she had climbed them all, which occupied some time ; then, as if she had fulfilled a vow, she turned and departed. She was undoubtedly sin- cere in her piety, but it made me sad to look upon such de- luded superstition. Yesterday morning we visited the Glyptothek, the finest collection of ancient sculpture, except that in the British Museum, I have yet seen, and perhaps elsewhere unsurpass- ed, north of the Alps. The building, which was finished by Klenze in 1830, has an Ionic portico of white marble, with a group of allegorical figures, representing Sculpture and the kindred arts. On each side of the portico, there are three niches in the front, containing on one side, Pericles. Phidias and Vulcan ; on the other, Hadrian, Prometheus 280 VIEWS A-FOOT. and Daedalus. The building forms a hollow square, and u lighted entirely from the inner side. There are in all twelve halls, each containing the remains of a particular era in the art, and arranged according to time, so that, beginning with the clumsy productions of the ancient Egyptians, one passes through the different stages of Grecian art, afterwards that of Rome, and finally ends with the works of our own times the almost Grecian perfection of Thorwaldsen and Canova. These halls are worthy to hold such treasures, and what more could be said of them ? The floors are of marble mosaic, the sides of green or purple scagliola, and the vaulted ceilings covered with raised ornaments on a ground of gold. No two are alike in color and decoration, and yet there is a unity of taste and design in the whole, which renders the variety delightful. From the Egyptian Hall, we enter one containing the oldest remains of Grecian sculpture. Then follow the cele- brated Egina marbles, from the temple of Jupiter Panhel- lenius, on the island of Egina. They formerly stood in the two porticoes, the one group representing the fight for the body of Laomedon, the other the struggle for the dead Pa- troclus. The parts wanting have been admirably restored by Thorwaldsen. They form almost the only existing spe- cimens of the Eginetan school. Passing through the Apollo Hall, we enter the large hall of Bacchus, in which the pro. gress of the art is distinctly apparent. A satyr, lying asleep on a goat-skin which he has thrown over a rock, is believed to be the work of Praxiteles. The relaxation of the figure and perfect repose of every limb, is wonderful. The coun- tenance has traits of individuality which led me to think if THE SON OF NIOBB. 281 eight have been a portrait, perhaps of some rude country swain. In the, Hall of Niobe, which follows, is one of the most perfect works that ever grew into life under a sculptor's chisel. Mutilated as it is, without head and arms, I never saw a more expressive figure. Ilioneus, the son of Niobe, is represented as kneeling, apparently in the moment in which Apollo draws his bow, and there is an imploring sup- plication in his attitude which is touching in the highest degree. His beautiful young limbs shrink involuntarily from the deadly shaft ; there is an expression of prayer, of agony, in the position of his body. It should be left un- touched. No head could be added, which would equal that which one pictures to himself, while gazing upon it. The Pinacothek is a magnificent building of yellow sand- stone, five hundred and thirty feet long, containing thirteen hundred pictures, selected with great care from the private collection of the king, which amounts to nine thousand. Above the cornice on the southern side, stand twenty-five cclossal statues of celebrated painters, by Schwanthaler. As we approached, the tall bronze door was opened by a servant in the Bavarian livery, whose size harmonized so well with the giant proportions of the building, that, until I stood beside him and could contrast him with myself, I did not notice his enormous frame. I saw then that he must be near eight feet high, and stout in proportion. He reminded rae of the great " Baver of Trient," in Vienna. The Pina- cothek contains the most complete collection of works by old German artists, anywhere to be found. There are, in the hall of the Spanish masters, half a dozen of Murillo'd 282 VIKW3 A-FOOT. inimitable beggar groups. It was a relief, after looking upon the distressingly stiff figures of tbe old German school, to view these fresh natural countenances. One of the most remarkable buildings now in the course of erection is the Basilica, or Church of St. Bonifacius. It represents another form of the Byzantine style, a double edifice, a little like a North River steamboat, with a two- story cabin on deck. The inside is not yet finished; although the artists have been at work on it for six years, but we heard many accounts of its splendor, which is said to exceed anything that has been yet done in Munich. We visited to-day the atelier of Schwanthaler, which is always open to -strangers. The sculptor himself was not there, but five or six of his scholars \vere at work in the rooms, build- ing up clay statues after his models, and working out bas- reliefs in frames. We saw here the original models of the statues on the Pinacothek, and the " Wittelsbach Ancestors," in the Throne Hall of the palace. Our new-found friend came to visit us last evening and learn our impressions of Munich. In the course of conver- sation we surprised him by revealing the name of our coun- try, for he had taken us for wandering German students. His countenance brightened up, and he asked us many ques- tions about the state of society in America. In return . he told us something more about himself his story was simple, but it interested me. His father was a merchant, who, hav- ing been ruined by unlucky transactions, died, leaving a numerous family without the means of support. His chil- dren were obliged to commence life alone and unaided, which, in a country where labor is so cheap, is difficult and THE STORY OF AN ARTISAff. 283 disheartening. Our friend chose the profession of a machin ist, which, after encountering great obstacles, he succeeded in learning, and now supports himself as a common laborer. But his position in this respect, prevents him from occupying that station in society for which he is intellectually fitted. His own words, uttered with a simple pathos which I can never forget, will best describe how painful this must be to a sensitive spirit. " I tell you thus frankly my feelings," said he, " because I know you will understand me. I could not say this to any of my associates, for they would not comprehend it, and they would say I am proud, because I cannot bring my soul down to their level. I am poor and have but little to subsist upon ; but the spirit has needs as well as the body, and I feel it a duty and a desire to satisfy them also. When I am with any of my common fellow- laborers, what do I gain from them ? Their leisure hours are spent in drinking and idle amusement, and I cannot join them, for I have no sympathy with such things. To mingle with those above me, would be impossible. Therefore I am alone I have no associate !" I have gone into minute, and it may be tiresome detail, in describing some of the edifices of Munich, because it seemed the only way in which I could give an idea of their wonderful beauty. It is true that in copying after the man- ner of the daguerreotype, there is danger of imitating its exaggeration. We leave to-morrow morning, having receiv- ed the sum written for, twenty florins (eight dollars), which, after paying the expenses of our stay here, will barely ena- ble us to reach Heidelberg. It is a week's journey, and we have even less than twenty kreutzers a day, to travel upon, CHAPTER XXVII. JOURNEY THROUGH WURTEMBURG AND RETURN TO FRANKFORT. Fhe Railroad to Augsburg Traces of Ancient Splendor "Walk to Tim Entering Wurtemburg Seeking Lodgings in the Rain The " Golden "Wheel" Funds Good-bye to the Alps The Valley of the Fils The Snabian Land Arrival at Stuttgard Thorwaldsen's Statue of Schiller The Bewildered Omnibus Driver- Walking in the Rain Ludwigsburg Empty Pockets Beauty of the Zaberguu The Last Night Approaching Heidelberg Familiar Scenes The Castle An End of Hardship A Student's Burial Return to Frankfort A Midnight Farewell. WE left Munich in the morning train for Augsburg. Be- tween the two cities extends a vast unbroken plain, exceed- ingly barren and monotonous. Here and there is a little scrubby woodland, and sometimes we passed over a muddy stream which came down from the Alps. The land is not more than half-cultivated, and the villages are "small and poor. We saw many of the peasants at the stations, in their gay Sunday dresses, the women wearing short gowns with laced boddices of gay colors, and little caps on the top of their heads, with streamers of ribbons three feet long. After two hours' ride, we saw the tall towers of Augsburg, and alighted on the outside of the wall. The deep AUGSBURG. 285 \i-hich surrounds the city is overgrown with velvet turf, the towers and bastions are empty and desolate, and we passed unchallenged under the gloomy archway. Immediately on entering the city, signs of its ancient splendor are apparent. The houses are old, many of them with quaint, elaborately carved ornaments, and faded fresco paintings. The latter generally represent some scene from the Bible history, encircled with arabesque borders, and pious maxims in illuminated scrolls. We went into the old Rathhaus, whose golden hall still speaks of the days of Augsburg's pride. I saw in the basement a bronze eagle, weighing sixteen tons, with an inscription on the pedestal stating that it was cast in 1G06, and formerly stood on the top of an old public building, since torn down. In front of the Rathhaus is a fine bronze fountain, with a number of figures of angels and tritons. The same afternoon we left Augsburg for Ulm. Long, low ranges of hills, running' from the Danube, stretched far across the country, and between them lay many rich, green valleys. We passed, occasionally, large villages, perhaps as old as the times of the Crusaders, and appearing quite pastoral and romantic from the outside ; but we were always glad when we had gone through their filth and into the clean country again. On the afternoon of the second day we came in sight of the fertile plain of the Danube ; far to the right lay the field of Blenheim, where Maryborough and the Prince Eugene conquered the united French and Bavarian forces and decided the war of the Spanish suc- cession. We determined to reach Ulm the same evening although 286 VIKWS A-FOOT. a heavy storm was raging along the distant hills of Wiirtem- burg. The dark mass of the mighty Cathedral rose m the distance through the twilight, a mountain in comparison with the little houses clustered around its base. We reached New Ulm, finally, and passed' over the heavy wooden bridge into Wiirtemburg, unchallenged for passport or baggage. The Danube is here a little muddy stream, hardly as large as my native Brandywine, and a traveller who sees it at Ulm for the first time would most probably be disappointed. It is not until below Vienna, where it receives the Drave and Save, that it becomes a river of more than ordinary magnitude. We entered Ulm, as I have already said. It was after nine o'clock, nearly dark, and beginning to rain ; we had walked thirty-three miles, and being of course tired, we entered the first inn we saw. But, to our consternation, it was impossible to get a place the fair had just commenced and the inn was full to the roof. *We must needs hunt another, and then another, and yet another, with like fate at each. It grew quite dark, the rain increased, and we were unacquainted with the city. I became desperate, and at last, when we had stopped at the eighth inn in vain, 1 tola the people we must have lodgings, for it was impossible we should walk around in the rain all night. Some of the guests interfei'ing in our favor, the hostess finally sent a ser- vant with us to the first hotel in the city. I told him on the way we were -Americans, strangers in Ulm, and not accus tomed to sleeping in the streets. " Well," said he, ' I will go before, and recommend you to the landlord of the Golden Wheel." I knew not what magic he used, but in half ail THE VALLEV OK THE FJL?. 28 hour our weary limbs were stretched in delightful repose and we thanked Heaven more gratefully than ever, for the blessing of a good bed. The night's lodging, however, told severely upon our finances and when we left the city, for our walk of a hundred and twenty miles, to Heidelberg, we had but sixty cents apiece in our pockets. There is an immense fortification now in progress of erec- tion behind Ulm. It leans on the side of the hill which rises from the Danube, and must be nearly a mile in length Hundreds of laborers are at work, and from the appearance of the foundations, many years will be required to finish it. The lofty mountain-plain which we afterwards traversed for eight or ten miles, divides the waters of the Danube from the Rhine. From the heights above Ulm, we bade adieu to the far, misty Alps, until we shall see them again in Swit- zerland. Late in the afternoon, we came to a lovely green valley, sunk as it were in the earth Around us, on all sides, stretched the bare, lofty plains; but the valley lay below, its deep sides covered with the richest forest. At the bottom flowed the Fils. Our road led directly down the side ; the glen spread out broader as we advanced, and smiling villages stood beside the stream. A short distance beiore reaching Esslingen, we came upon the banks of the Neckar, whom we hailed as an old acquaintance, although much smaller here in his mountain home than when h sweeps the walls of Heidelberg Delightful Wurtemburg ! Shall I ever forget thy lovely green vales, watered by the classic current of the Neckar, or thy lofty hills covered with vineyards and waving forests, and crowned with heavy ruins, that tell many a tale of Bar- 288 VIEWS A-FOOT. barossa and Duke Ulric and Goetz with the Iron Hand! No were even the Suabian hills less beautiful were the Suabian people less faithful and kind and true, still I would love the land for the great spirits it has produced ; still would the birth-place of Frederick Schiller, of Uhland and Hauff, be sacred. I do not wonder that Wiirtemburg can boast such glorious poets. Its lovely landscapes seem to have been made expressly for the cradle of Genius ; amid no other scenes could his childhood catch a more benign inspiration. Even the common people are deeply imbued with a poetic feeling. We saw it in 'heir friendly greetings, and open, expressive countenances ; it is shown in their love for their beautiful homes, and the rapture and reverence with which they speak of their country's bards. No river in the world, equal to the Neckar in size, flows for its whole course through more delightful scenery, or among kinder and hap- pier people. After leaving Esslingen, we followed its banks for some time, at the foot of an amphitheatre of hills, covered to the very summit, as far as the eye could reach, with vineyards. The morning was cloudy, and white mist-wreaths hung along the sides. We took a road that led over the top of a range, and on arriving at the summit, saw all at once the city of Stuttgard, lying beneath our feet. It lay in a basin encircled by mountains, with a narrow valley opening to the south-east, and running off between the hills to the Neckar. The situation of the city is one of wonderful beauty, and ever, after seeing Salzburg, I could not hut be charmed with it. I inquired immediately for the monument of Schiller, fol there was little else in the city I cared to see. We had be- THE STATUE OF SCHILLIK. 289 come tired of running about cities, hunting this or that old church or palace, which perhaps was nothing when found. Stuttgard has neither galleries, ruins, nor splendid buildings, to interest the traveller ; but it has Thorwaldsen's statue of Schiller, calling up at the same time its shame and its glory For the poet in his youth was obliged to fly from this very same city from home and friends, to escape the persecution of the government on account of the free sentiments expressed in his early works. We found the statue, without much dif- ficulty. 1 1 stands in the Schloss Platz, at the southern end of the city, in an unfavorable situation, surrounded by dark old buildings. It should rather be placed aloft on a mountain summit, in the pure, free air of heaven, braving the storm and the tempest. The figure is fourteen feet high, and stands on a podestal of bronze, with bas-reliefs on the four sides. The head, crowned with a laurel wreath, is inclined as if in deep thought, and all the earnest soul is seen in the coun- tenance. Thorwaldsen has copied so truly the expression of poetic reverie, that I waited, half-expecting he would lift his head and look around him. As we passed out the eastern gate, the workmen were busy near the city, making an embankment for the new railroad to Heilbronn, and we were obliged to wade through half a mile of mud. Finally the road turned to the left over a mountain, and we walked on in the rain, regardless of tne touching entreaties of an omnibus-driver, who felt a great concern for our health, especially as he had two empty scats. I shall never forget the man's amazement when I gravely assured him that we preferred walking in the rain. ' "io;. need only pay me half the fare," he urged. " If it was fan 13 2yO VIEWS A-roor. weather,'* said I, " I would ride ; but I would rather wall? when it rains." " You will get sick," he persisted. " No," I answered, " I would get sick if I rode." The man must have thought us insane, for he turned at last with a look of mingled pity and horror, whipped his horses, and drove away from us. There is a peculiarly agreeable sensation in walking in a storm, when the winds sweep by and the rain-drops rattle through the trees, and the dark clouds roll past just above one's head. It gives a dash of sublimity to the most common scene. If the rain did not finally soak through the boots, and if one did not lose every romantic feeling in wet gar- ments, I would prefer storm to sunshine, for visiting some kinds of scenery. We saw the North Coast of Ireland and the Giant's Causeway in stormy weather, at the expense of being completely drenched, it is true ; but our recollections of that wild day's journey are as vivid as any event of our lives and the name of the Giant's Causeway calls up a series of pictures as terribly sublime as any we would wish to behold. The rain at last came down a little too hard for comfort, and we were quite willing to take shelter when we reached Ludwigsburg. This is here called a new city, having been laid out with broad streets and spacious squares, about a century ago, and is now about the size of our five-year old city of Milwaukie ! It is the chief military station of Wiir- temburg, and has a splendid castle and gardens, belonging to the king. A few miles to the eastward is the little village where Schiller was born. It is said that the house in which liis parents lived is still standing It was not the weather alone which prevented our making a pilgrimage thither, nor was it alone a peculiar fondness for THE ZAHEKOAC. 29] rain which induced us to persist in walking in the storm. Our feeble pockets, if they could have raised an audible jingle, would have told another tale. Our scanty allowance was dwindling rapidly away, in spite of a desperate system of economy. It was the evening of the third day since leaving Ulm, and our sixty cents were almost exhausted. As soon therefore as the rain slackened a little, we started again, although the roads were very bad. At Betigheim, where we passed the night, the people told us of a much nearer and more beautiful road, passing through the Zabergau, a region famed for its fertility and pastoral beauty. At the inn we were charged higher than usual (five cents) for a bed, so that we had but thirteen kreutzers to start with in the morning. Our fare that day was a little bread and water ; we walked steadily on, but, owing to the wet roads, made only thirty miles. A more delightful region than the Zabergau I have seldom seen. The fields were full of rich, heavy grain, and the trees had a luxuriance of foliage that reminded me of the vale of the Jed, in Scotland. The long hills were covered with waving fields of grain, except where they were steep and rocky, and the vineyard terraces rose one above another. Sometimes a fine old forest grew along the summit, like a mane waving back from the curved neck of a steed, and white villages lay coiled in the valleys between. A line of blue mountains always closed the vista, on looking down one of these long valleys ; occasionally a ruined castle with donjon tower, was seen on a mountain at the side, making the picture complete. As we lay sometimes on the hillside and looked on one of those sweet vales, we were astonished at its Arcadian beauty. The meadows were as smooth as a 292 VIEWS A FOOT. mirror, and there seemed to be scarcely a grass- blade out of place. The streams wound through with a subdued ripple, as if they feared to displace a pebble ; and the great ash trees which stood here and there, had lined each of their leaves as carefully with silver and turned them as gracefully to the wind, as if they were making their toilettes for the gala-day of Nature. That evening brought us into the dominions of Baden, within five hours' walk of Heidelberg. At the humblest inn in an humble village, we found a bed which we could barely pay for, leaving a kreutzer or two for breakfast. Soon after starting the next morning, the distant Kaiserstuhl suddenly emerged from the mist, with the high tower on its summit, where, nearly ten months before, we sat and looked at the summits of the Vosges in France, with all the excite- ment one feels on entering a foreign land. Now, the scenery around that same Kaiserstuhl was nearly as familiar to us as that of our own homes. Entering the hills again, we knew by the blue mountains of the Odenwald, that AVC were approaching the Neckar. At length we reached the last height. The town of Neckargemiind lay before us on the steep hillside, and the mountains on either side were scarred with quarries of the rich red sandstone, so much used in building. The blocks are hewn out, high up on the moun- tain side, and then sent rolling and sliding down to the river, where they are laden in boats and floated with the current to the distant cities of the Rhine. We were rejoiced, on turning around the corner of a mountain, to see on the opposite side of the river, the road winding up through the forests, where last September oui RKTI'KN TO HEIDELBKRO. 293 Heidelberg friends accompanied us, as we set out to walk to Frankfort, through the Odenwald. Many causes combined to render it a glad scene to us. We were going to meet our friend again, after a separation of months ; we were bringing an eventful journey to its close ; and finally, we nv?.re weak and worn out from fasting and the labor of walk- ing in the rain. A little further we saw Kloster Neuburg, formerly an old convent, and remembered how we used to look at it every day from the windows of our room on the Neckar ; but we shouted aloud, when we saw at last the well-known bridge spanning the river, and the glorious old castle lifting its shattered towers from the side of the moun- tain above us. I always felt a strong attachment to tin? matchless ruin, and as I beheld it again, with the warm sun- shine falling through each broken arch, the wild ivy draping its desolate chambers, it seemed to smile on me like the face of a friend, and I confessed I had seen many a grandei scene, but few that would cling to the memory so familiarly. While we were in Heidelberg, a student was buried by torchlight. His brethren assembled at dusk in the Univer- sity Square, each with a blazing pine torch three feet long, and formed into a double line. Between the files walked at short distances an officer, who, with his sword, broad lace collar, and the black and white plumes in his cap, looked like a cavalier of the olden time. The thick smoke from the torches filled the air, and a lurid, red light was cast ovef the hushed crowds in the streets and streamed into the dark alleys. The Hauptstrasse was filled with two lines of flame, as the procession passed down it ; but when they reached the extremity of the city, the hearse went on, attended witl 294 VIEWS A-FOOT. torch-bearers, to the Cemetery, some distance further, and the students turned hack, running and whirling their torches in mingled confusion. The music struck up a merry march, and in the smoke and glare, they resembled a company of mad demons. The presence of death awed them to silence for awhile, but as soon as it had left them, they turned re- lieved to revel again, and thought no more of the lesson. They assembled again in the square, and tossing their torches up into the air, cast them blazing into a pile ; while the flame and black smoke rose in a column into the air, they sang in solemn chorus, the song " Gaudeamus igitur," with which they close all public assemblies. I shall neglect telling how we left Heidelberg, and walked along the Bergstrasse again, for the sixth time ; how we passed the old Melibochus and through the quiet city of Darmstadt ; how we watched the blue summits of the Tau- nus rising higher and higher over the plain, as a new land rises from the sea ; and finally, how we reached at last the old watch-tower and looked down on the valley of the Main, clothed in the bloom and verdure of summer, with the houses and spires of Frankfort in the middle of the well known panorama. We again took possession of our old rooms, and having to wait for a remittance from America, we sat down to a month's rest and study. Towards the end of July, Mr. Willis and the family of Herr S returned from the baths of Kreuznach, where they had been spending the warm weather, and our .happy family circle was re- stored. I received another remittance of a hundred dollars, which secured me Switzerland and Italy, and immediately began to prepare for my departure. A frARfcWELL AT MIDNTOHT. 295 FRANKFORT, July 29 1845 IT would be ingratitude towards the old city in which 1 have passed so many pleasant and profitable hours, to leave it, perliaps for ever, without a few words of farewell. How often will the old bridge, with its view up the Main, over the houses of Oberrad to the far mountains of the Odenwald, rise freshly and distinctly in memory, when I shall have been long absent from them ! How often will I hear in fancy, as I now hear in reality, the heavy tread of pas- sers-by on the rough pavement below, and the deep bell of the Cathedral, chiming the swift hours, with a hollow tone that seems to warn me, rightly to employ them ! Even this old room, with its bare walls, little table and chairs, in which I have thought and studied so long, that it seems difficult to think and study anywhere else, will crowd out of memory images/of many a loftier scene. May I but preserve for the future the hope and trust which have cheered and sustained me here, through the sorrow of absence and the anxiety of uncertain toil ! It is growing towards midnight, and I think of many a night when I sat here at this hour, thinking of the pleasant past, and the doubtful future, and my beloved home across the sea. All this has now an end. I must begin a new wandering, and perhaps in ten days more I shall have a better place for thought, among the valleys of the everlasting Alps. I look forward to the journey with romantic, enthusiastic anticipa tion. for afar in the golden distance stand the Coliseum and St. Peter's, Vesuvius and the lovely Naples. Farewell, friends who have so long given me a home in a strange land! CHAPTER XXVIII. FREIBURG AND THE BLACK FOREST. On the way to Italy Meeting with a Neighbor A Talk with the Farmers Jonrney to Freiburg The Minster Market Day The New Railroad The Institute for the Blind The Grand Duchess Stephanie The Kingdom of Heaven The Valley of Hell Natives of the Black Forest Climbing the Feldberg Scenery of the Black Forest The Alps again We enter Switzerland Schafif hausen The Falls of the Rhine. OF our walk to Heidelberg over the oft-trodden Bergstrasse, I shall say nothing, nor how we spent two last delightful days with our friends, lingered about the Castle, climbed the Kaiserstuhl again, and danced around on the top of the tower for an hour, amid cloud and mist, while there was sunshine below in the valley of the Neckar. I left Heidel- berg on the 8th of August, in the Uehwigen, for Carlsruhe. The engine whistled, the train started, and although I kept my eyes steadily fixed on the spire of the Hauptkirche, three minutes hid it and all the rest of the city from sight. Carlsruhe, the capital of Baden, which we reached in an hour and a half, is unanimously pronounced by travellers to be a most dull and tiresome city. Even its name, in Ger man, signifies a place of repose. A TALK WITH THE FARMERS. 297 I stopped at Kork, on the branch road leading to Stras bourg, to meet a German-American about to return to my home in Pennsylvania, where he had lived for some time. I inquired according to the direction he had sent me to Frank- fort, but he was not there ; however, an old man, finding who I was, said that Herr Otto had directed him to go with me to Hesselhurst, a village four or five miles off, where he would meet me. So we set off immediately over the plain, and reached the village at dusk. Several of the farmers of the neighborhood were at the little inn, and seemed to consider it as something extraordi- nary to see a real, live, native-born American. They over- whelmed me with questions about our country, and its government. The hostess brought me a supper of fried eggs and wur*t, while they gathered around the table and began a long category in the dialect of the country, which is diffi- cult to understand. I gave them the best information I could, about our mode of farming, the different kinds of produce raised, and the prices paid to laborers ; and one honest old man cried out, on my saying I had worked on a farm, "Ah! little brother, give me your hand !" which he shook most heartily. I told them also something about our government, and the militia system, so different from the conscription of Europe, when a farmer, becoming quite warm in our favor, said to the others with an air of the greatest decision : " One American is better than twenty Germans !" What particularly amused me, was, that although I spoke German with them, they seemed to think that I did not understand what they said to one another, and therefore commented very freely on my appearance. I suppose they 1.'}* 298 VIEWS A-KOOT. had the idea that we were a rude, savage race, for I over- heard one say : " One sees, nevertheless, that he has been educated !" Their honest, unsophisticated character was very interesting to me, and we talked together until a late hour, My friend arrived at three o'clock the next morning, and after two or three hours' talk about home, and the friends whom he expected to see so much sooner than I, a young farmer drove me in his wagon to Offenburg, a small city at the foot of the Black Forest, where I took the cars for Frei- burg. The scenery between the two places is grand. The broad mountains of the Black Forest rear their fronts on the east, and the blue lines of the French Vosges meet the clouds on the west. The night before, in walking over the plain, I saw distinctly the whole of the Strasburg Minster, the spire of which is the highest in Europe, being four hun- dred and ninety feet, or but twenty-five feet lower than the Pyramid of Cheops. The Minster of Freiburg is a grand, gloomy old pile, dat- ing from the eleventh century one of the few Gothic churches in Germany that have ever been completed. The tower of beautiful fretwork, rises to the height of three hundred and ninety-five feet, and the body of the church, including the choir, is of the same length. The interior is solemn and majestic. The day after my arrival was the great market-day, and the peasantry of the Black Forest came down from the mountains to dispose of their produce. The square around the Minster was filled with them, and the singular costume of the women gave the scene quite a picturesque appearance. Many of them wore bright red THE INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND. 299 head-dresses and shawls, others had high-crowned hats of yellow oil-cloth ; the young girls wore their hair in long plaits, reaching nearly to their feet. The railroad has only been open to Freiburg within a few days, and is consequently an object of great curiosity to the peasants, many of whom never saw the like before. They throng around the station at the departure of the train, and watch with great interest the operations of getting up the steam and starting. One of the scenes that grated most harshly on my feelings, was seeing one day a company of women employed on the unfinished part of the road. They were digging and shovelling away in the rain, nearly up to their knees in mud and clay ! I called at the Institute for the Blind, under the direction of Mr. Miiller. He showed me some beautiful basket and woven work by his pupils, made with astonishing accuracy and skill. They read with great facility from the raised type, and by means of frames are taught to write with ease and distinctness. In music, that great solace of the blind, they most excelled. I was indebted to Mr. Miiller, to whom I was introduced by an acquaintance with a friend of his in America, for many kind attentions. He accompanied me to the Jugerhaus, on a mountain near, where we had a very fine view of the eity and its great black Minster, with the plain of the Briesgau, broken only by the Kaiserstuhl, a long mountain near the Rhine, whose golden stream glittered in the distance. On climbing the Schlossberg, an eminence near the city, we met the Grand Duchess Stephanie, who is now generally believed to be the mother of Caspar Hauser. Through a work lately published, which has since been sup- 300 VfF.WS A-FOOT. pressed, the whole history has come to light. Caspar Han- ser was the lineal descendant of the house of Baden, and heir to the throne. The guilt of his imprisonment and mur- der rests, therefore, upon the present reigning family. After two days delightfully spent, we shouldered our knapsacks and left Freiburg. The beautiful valley, at the mouth of which the city lies, runs like an avenue for seven miles directly into the mountains, and presents in its loveli- ness such a contrast to the horrid defile which follows, that it almost deserves the name which has been given to a little inn at its head the " Kingdom of Heaven." The moun- tains of the Black Forest inclose it on each side like walls, covered to the summit with luxuriant woods, and in some places with those forests of gloomy pine which give this re- gion its name. After traversing its whole length, just before plunging into the mountain-depths, the traveller rarely meets with a finer picture than that which, on looking back, he sees framed between the hills at the other end. Freiburg looks around the foot of one of the heights, with the spire of her cathedral peeping above the top, while the French Vosges grow dim in the far perspective. The road now enters a wild, narrow valley, which grows smaller as we proceed. From Himmelreich, a large rude inn by the side of the green meadows, we enter the Hollen- thal that is, from the " Kingdom of Heaven " to the " Val- ley of Hell !" The latter place better deserves its appella- tion than the former. The road winds between precipices of black rock, above which the thick foliage shuts out the brightness of day, and gives a sombre hue to the scene. A torrent foams down the chasm, and in one place two mighty CLIMBING THE PELDBERG. 301 pillars interpose to prevent all passage. The stream, how- ever, has worn its way through, and the road is hewn in the rock by its side. This cleft is the only entrance to a valley three or four miles long, which lies in the very heart of the mountains. It is inhabited by a few woodmen and their families, and but for the road which passes through, would be as perfect a solitude as the Happy Valley of Rasselas. At the farther end, a winding road called " The Ascent," leads up the steep mountain to an elevated region of country, thinly settled and covered with herds of cattle. The cher- ries, which in the Rhine-plain below had long gone, were just ripe here. The people spoke a most barbarous dialect, but they were social and friendly, for everybody greeted us, and sometimes, as we sat on a bank by the roadside, those who passed would say " Rest thee !" or " Thrice rest !" Passing by the Titi Lake, a small body of water which \\ a- spread out among the hills like a sheet of ink, so black was its hue, we commenced ascending a mountain. The highest peak of the Sshwarzwald, the Feldberg, rose not far off, and on arriving at the top of this mountain, we saw that a half hour's walk would bring us to its summit. This \v;ts too great a temptation for my love of climbing heights ; so, with a look at the descending sun to calculate how much time we could spare, we set out. There was no path, but we pressed directly up the steep side, through bushes and long grass, and in a short time reached the top, breathless from such exertion in the thin atmosphere. The pine woods shut out the view to the north and east, which is said to be magnificent, as the mountain is about five thousand feet high. 302 VIEWS A-FOOT. The wild, black peaks of the Black Forest were spread be- low us, and the sun sank through golden mist towards the Alsatian hills. Afar to the south, through cloud and storm, we could just trace the white outline of the Swiss Alps. The wind swept through the pines around, and bent the long yellow grass among which we sat, with a strange, mournful sound, well suiting the gloomy and mysterious region. It soon grew cold, the golden clouds settled down towards us, and we made haste to descend to the village of Lenzkirch before dark. Next morning we set out early, without waiting to see the trial of archery which was to take place among the mountain youths. Their booths and targets, gay with ban- ners, stood on a green meadow beside the town. We walked through the Black Forest the whole forenoon. It might be owing to the many wild stories the scenes whereof are laid among these hills, but to me there was a peculiar feeling of solemnity pervading the whole region. The great pine woods are of the very darkest hue of green, and down their hoary, moss-floored aisles, daylight seems never to have shone. The air was pure and clear, and the sunshine bright, but it imparted no gaiety to the scenery : except the little meadows of living emerald which lay occasionally in the lap of a dell, the landscape wore a solemn and serious air. In a storm, it must be sublime. About noon, from the top of the last range of hills, we had a glorious view. The line of the distant Alps could be faintly traced high in the clouds, and all the heights between were plainly visible, from the Lake of Constance to the misty Jura, which flanked the Vosges on the west. From KNTKKINt; SWITZERLAND. 303 our lofty station we overlooked half Switzerland, and had the air been a little clearer, we could have seen Mont Blanc and the mountains of Savoy. I could not help envying the feelings of the Swiss, who, after long absence from their native land, first see the Alps from this road. If to the emotions with which I then looked on them were added the passionate love of home and country which a long absence creates, such excess of rapture would be almost too great to be borne. In the afternoon we crossed the border, and took leave of Germany with regret, after near a year's residence within its borders. Still it was pleasant to know that we were in a republic once more, and the first step we took made us aware of the change. There was no policeman to call for our passports or search our baggage. It was just dark when we reached the hill overlooking the Rhine, on whose steep banks is perched the antique town of Schaffhausen. It is still walled in, with towers at regular intervals ; the streets are wide and spacious, and the houses rendered ex- tremely picturesque by the quaint projecting windows. The buildings are nearly all old, as we learned by the dates above the doors. At the inn, I met with one of the free troopers who marched against Luzerne. He was full of spirit, and ready to undertake another such journey. Indeed it is the universal opinion that the present condition of things cannot last much longer. We took a walk before breakfast to the falls of the Rhine, about a mile and a half from Schaffhausen. I confess I WAS somewhat disappointed in them, after the glowing descrip- tions of travellers. The river at this place is little more 304 VIEWS A-FOOT. than thirty yards wide, and the body of water, although issuing from the Lake of Constance, is not remarkably strong. For some distance above, the fall of the water is very rapid, and as it finally reaches the spot where, narrowed betwrcn rocks, it makes the grand plunge, it has acquired a great velocity. Three rocks stand in the middle of the current, which thunders against and around their bases, but cannot shake them down. These and the rocks in the bed of the stream, break the force of the fall, so that it descends to the bottom, about fifty feet below, not in one sheet, but shivered into a hundred leaps of snowy foam. The precipitous shores, and the tasteful little castle which is perched upon the steep just over the boiling spray, add much to its beauty, taken as a picture. As a specimen of the picturesque, the whole scene is perfect. I should think Trenton Falls, in New York, must excel these in wild, startling effect ; but there is such a scarcity of waterfalls in this land, that the Germans go into raptures about them, and will hardly be- lieve that Niagara itself possesses more sublimity. CHAPTER XXIX. A WALK THROUGH EASTERN SWITZERLAND. Canton Zurich The Country and People The City of Zurich Its Promenades- Friendly Greetings Walk along the Lake Shore The Alp-Glow The Grave of Ulrich von Hutten Frelligrath, the Banished Poet The Alps in the Rain Ein- Biedeln The Cathedral and Pilgrims Music Alpine Scenery The Slide of the Bossberg Schwytz The Lake of the Four Cantons The Meadow of Grutli Tell'i Chapel Altorf Night in the Valley of the Eeuss. WE left Schaffhausen for Zurich, in mist and rain, and walked for some time along the northern bank of the Rhine. We could have enjoyed the scenery much better, had it not been for the rain, which not only hid the mountains from sight, but kept us constantly half soaked. We crossed the rapid Rhine at Eglisau, a curious antique village, and then continued our way through the forests of Canton Zu- rich, to Biilach, with its groves of lindens " those tall and stately trees, with velvet down upon their shining leaves, and rustic benches placed beneath their overhanging eaves." When we left the little village where the rain obliged us to stop for the night, it was clear and delightful. The far- mers were out, busy at work, their long, straight scythe* 306 VIEWS A-FOOT. glancing through the wet grass, while the thick pines sparkled with thousands of dewy diamonds. The farm- houses were scattered over the country in real American style, and the glorious valley of the Limmat, bordered on the west by a range of woody hills, reminded me of some scenes in my native Pennsylvania. The houses were neat- ly and tastefully built, with little gardens around them, and the countenances of the people spoke of intelligence and independence. I fancied I could read on the brows of the Swiss a lofty self-respect, a consciousness of the liberties they enjoy, which the Germans of the laboring class never show. As we approached Zurich, the noise of employment from mills, furnaces and factories, came to us like familiar sounds, reminding us of the bustle of our home towns. The situa- tion of the city is lovely. It lies at the head of the lake, and on both sides of the little river Limmat, whose clear green waters carry the collected meltings of the Alps to the Rhine. Around the lake rise lofty green hills, which, slop- ing gently back, bear on their sides hundreds of pleasant country-houses and farms, and the snowy Alpine range ex- tends along the southern sky. The Limmat is spanned by a number of bridges, and its swift waters turn many mills which are built above them. From these bridges one can look out over the blue lake and down the thronged streets of the city on each side, whose bright, cheerful houses are prophetic of Italy. Zurich can boast of finer promenades tlian any other city in Switzerland. The old battlements are planted with trees and transformed into pleasant walks, which being elevated FRIENDLY GREETINGS. 307 above the city, command views of its beautiful environs. A favorite place of resort is the Lindenhof, an elevated court- yard, shaded by immense trees. The fountains of water under them are always surrounded by washerwomen, and in the morning groups of merry school children may be seen tumbling over the grass. The teachers take them there in a body for exercise and recreation. The Swiss children are beautiful, bright-eyed creatures ; there is scarcely one who does not exhibit the dawning of an active, energetic spirit. It may be partly attributed to the fresh, healthy climate of Switzerland, but I am republican enough to believe that the influence of the Government under which they live, has also its share in producing the effect. While enjoying the cool morning breeze on the bastion, and listening to the stir of the streets below us, we were also made aware of the social and friendly politeness of the people. Those who passed us, on their walk around the ramparts, greeted us almost with the familiarity of acquaint- ances. Simple as was the act, we felt grateful, for it had at least the seeming of a friendly interest and a sympathy Avith the loneliness which the stranger sometimes feels. A school teacher leading her troop of merry children on their morn- ing walk around the bastion, nodded to us pleasantly, and forthwith the whole company of chubby-cheeked rogues, looking up at us with a pleasant archness, lisped a " guten inn- yen " that made the hearts glad within us. I know of nothing that has given me a more sweet and tender delight than the greeting of a little child, who, leaving his noisy playmates, ran across the street to me, and taking my hand which he could barely clasp in both his own soft little onea, 308 VIKWS A -FOOT. looked up in my face with an expression so -winning and affectionate, that I loved him at once. The happy, honest farmers, too, spoke to us cheerfully everywhere. We learned a lesson from all this we felt that not a word of kindness is ever wasted, that a simple friendly glance may cheer the spirit and warm the lonely heart, and that the slightest deed, prompted by generous sympathy, becomes a living joy in the memory of the receiver, which blesses unceasingly him who bestowed it. We left Zurich the same afternoon, for Stafa, where we were told the poet Freiligrath resided. The road led along the bank of the lake, whose shores sloped gently up from the water, covered with gardens and farm-houses, which, with the bolder mountains that rose behind them, made a com- bination of the lovely and grand, on which the eye rested with rapture. The sweetest cottages were embowered among the orchards, and the whole country bloomed like a garden. The waters of the lake are of a pale, transparent green, and so clear that we could see its bottom of white pebbles, for some distance. Here and there a quiet boat floated on its surface. The opposite hills were covered with a soft blue haze, and white villages sat along the shore, " like swans among the reeds." Behind, we saw the woody range of the Brunig Alp. The people bade us a pleasant good evening ; there was a universal air of cheerfulness and content on their countenances. Towards evening, the clouds, which had hung in the south all day, dispersed a little, and we could s<><> the Dodiberg and the Alps of Glarus. As sunset dre\v en, tlie broad summits of snow and the clouds which \vc.c i ,!k 1 ji-.-iuul them, as THE ALP-GLOW. 309 eumed a sott rosy hue, which increased iu brilliancy as tho light of day faded. The rough, icy crags and snowy steeps were fused in the warm light and half blended with the bright clouds. This blaze of the mountains at sunset is called the Alp-glow, and exceeds all one's highest conceptions of Alpine grandeur. We watched the fading glory until it quite died away, and the summits wore a livid, ashy hue, like the mountains of a world wherein there was no life. In a few minutes more the dusk of twilight spread over the scene, the boatmen glided home over the still lake, and the herdsmen drove their cattle back from pasture on the slopes and meadows. On inquiring for Freiligrath at Stafa, we found be had removed to Rapperschwyl, some distance further, As it was already late, we waited for the steamboat which leaves Zurich every evening. It came along about eight o'clock, a little boat carried us out through rain and darkness to meet it, aud in half an hour we landed on the wharf at Rap- perschwyl. There are two small islands in the lake, one of which, with a little chapel rising from among its green trees, ia Ufnau, the grave of Ulrich von Hutten, one of the fathers of the German Reformation. His fiery poems have been the source from which many a German bard has derived his in- spiration ; and Freiligrath, who now lives in sight of his tomb, has published an indignant poem, because an inn with gam- ing tables has been established in the ruins of the castle neai Oreuznacb, where Hutten found refuge from his enemies with Franz von Sickingen, brother-in-law of "Goetz with the Iron Hand." The monks of Einsiedeln, to whom Ufnau belongs, ?10 VIKWS A-FOOT. have carefully obliterated all traces of his grave, so that the exact spot is not known, in order that even a tombstone might be denied him who once strove to overturn their order. It matters little to that bold spirit whose motto was "The die ts cast / hare dared it I" the whole island is his monument, if he need one I spent the whole of the next morning with Freiligrath. the poet, who was lately banished from Germany on account of the liberal principles his last volume contains. He lives in a pleasant country-house on the Meyerberg, an eminence near Rapperschwyl, overlooking a glorious prospect. He received me kindly and conversed much upon American lite- rature. He is a warm admirei- of Bryant and Longfellow, and has translated many of their poems into German. He said he had received a warm invitation from a colony of Germans in Wisconsin, to join them and enjoy that freedom which his native land denies, but that his circumstances would not allow it at present. He is perhaps thirty -five years of age. His brow is high and noble, and his eyes, which are large and of a clear gray, beam with serious, sad- dened thought. His long chestnut hair, uniting with a hand- some beard and moustache, gives a lion-like dignity to his energetic countenance. His talented wife, Ida Freiligrath, who shares his literary labors, and an amiable sister, are with him in exile, and he is happier in their faithfulness than win- he enjoyed the favors of a cornipt king We crossed the long bridge from Rapperschwyl, and took the road over the mountain opposite, ascending for nearly two hours along the side, with glorious views of the Lake of Zurich and the mountains which inclose it. The upper an-1 EIHSIEDEL.V. 311 lower ends of the lake were completely hidden by the storms, which, to our regret, veiled the Alps, but that portion below us lay spread out dim and grand, like a vast picture. It rained almost constantly, and we were obliged occasionally to take shelter in the pine forests, whenever a heavier cloud passed over. The road was lined with beggars, who dropped on their knees in the rain before us, or placed bars across the way, and then took them down again, for which they de- manded money. At length we reached the top of the pass, where many pil- grims to Einsiedeln had stopped at a little inn. Some of them had come a long distance to pay their vows, especially as the next day was the Ascension day of the Virgin, whose image at Einsiedeln is noted for performing many miracles. Passing on, we crossed a wild torrent by an arch called the " Devil's Bridge." The lofty, elevated plains were covered with scanty patches of grain and potatoes, and the boys tended their goats on the grassy slopes, sometimes trilling or yodling an Alpine melody. An hour's walk brought us to Einsiedeln, a small town, whose only attraction is the Abbey after Loretto, in Italy, the most celebrated resort for pil- grims in Europe. We immediately entered the great church. The gorgeous vaulted roof and long aisles were dim with the early evening ; hundreds of worshippers sat around the sides, or knelt in groups on the broad stone pavements, repeating their Pater- nosters and Ave Marias in a shrill, monotonous tone, while the holy image near the entrance was surrounded by persons, many of whom came in the hope of being healed of sqme dis- order under which they suffered. I could not distinctly 312 VIEWS A-l'OOT make out the image, for it was placed back within the grating, and a crimson lamp behind it threw a strong lustre on all sides, in the form of a glory. Many of the pilgrims came a long distance. I saw some in the costume of the Black Forest, others who appeared to be natives of the Italian Cantons, and a group of young women wearing conical fur caps, from the forests of Bregenz, on the Lake of Constance. I was astonished at the splendor of this church, situated in a lonely and unproductive Alpine valley. The lofty arches of the ceiling, which are covered with fresco paint- ings, rest on enormous pillars of granite, and every image and shrine is richly ornamented with gold. Some of the chapels were filled with the remains of martyrs, and these were always surrounded with throngs of believers. The choir was closed by a tall iron grating ; but a single lamp, which swung from the roof enabled me to see through the darkness, that though much richer in ornaments than the body of the church, it was less grand and impressive. The frescoes which cover the ceiling are said to be the finest paintings of the kind in Switzerland. In the morning our departure was delayed by the rain, and we took advantage of it to hear mass in the Abbey and enjoy the heavenly music. The latter was of the loftiest kind ; there was one voice among the singers I shall not soon forget. It was like the warble of a bird which sigs out of very wantonness. On and on it sounded, making its clear, radiant sweetness heard above the chant of the choir and the thunder of the orchestra. Such a rich, varied, and untiring strain of melody I have rarely listened to. When the service ceased, we took a small road leading to THE fil.TDE OF THE ROSSBERG. 3l3 Schwytz. We had now fairly entered the Alpine region, and our first task was to cross a mountain. This having been done, we kept along the back of the ridge which bounds the lake of Zug on the south, terminating in the well known Rossberg. The scenery became wilder with every step. The luxuriant fields of herbage on the mountains were spotted with the pictureso t ue chalets of the hunters and Alp-herds ; cattle and goats were browsing along the de- clivities, their bells tinkling most musically, and the little streams fell in foam down the steeps. I here began to realize my anticipations of Swiss scenery. Just on the other side of the range, along which we travelled, lay the little lake of Egeri and the valley of Morganten, where Tell and his followers overcame the army of the German Em- peror. As we wound around the lake of Lowertz, we saw the valley lying between the Rossberg and the Righi, which latter mountain stood full in view. To our regret, and that of all other travellers, the clouds hung low upon it, as they had done for a week at least, and there was no prospect of a change. The Rossberg, from which we descended, is about four thousand feet in height ; a dark brown stripe from its very summit to the valley below, shows the track of the avaknche which, in 1806, overwhelmed Goldau, and laid waste the beautiful vale of Lowertz. Four hundred and fifty persons perished by this catastrophe, which was so sudden that in five minutes the whole lovely valley was transformed into a desolate wilderness. An hour's walk through a blooming Alpine vale brought us to the little town of Schwytz, the capital of the Canton, vhich stands at the foot of a tremendous rock-mountain. 14 314 YIKWS A-roo.-. The bare and rugged summits hunt; directly over the town but the people dwell below without fear, although the warning ruins of Goldau are full in sight. A narrow blue line at the end of the valley which stretches westward, marks the lake of the Four Cantons. Down this A'alley we hurried, that we might not miss the boat which plies daily from Luzerne to Fluelen. I regretted not being able to visit Luzerne, as I had a letter to the distinguished Swiss com- poser, Schnyder van Wartensee, who resides there at present. The scenery of the lake is exceedingly grand. Looking towards Luzerne, we could see the dark mass of Mount Pilatus on one side, and on the other the graceful outline of the Righi, still wearing his hood of clouds. "We put off in a skiff to meet the boat, with two Capuchin friars in long brown mantles and cowls, carrying rosaries at their girdles. Nearly opposite Schwytz is the meadow of Grutli, where the union of the Swiss patriots took place, and the bond was sealed that enabled them to cast off their chains. It is a little green slope on the side of the mountain, between the two Cantons of Uri and Unterwalden, surrounded on all sides by precipices. A crystal spring in the centre is believed by the common people to have gushed up on the spot where the three " men of Grutli " joined their hands in the cause of Swiss liberty. It is also a popular belief that they slumber in a rocky cavern near the spot, and that they will arise and come forth when the nation is in danger. Switzerland at present stands greatly in need of a new triad to restore the ancient harmony. We passed this glorious scene, almost the only green spot, on the bleak mountain-side, and swept around the base of TKLL'S CHA.P3L. 3 1 V the Axenberg, at the foot of which, in a rocky cave, stands the chapel of William Tell, built on the spot where he leaped from Gessler's boat during the storm. It sits at the base of the rock, on the water's edge, and can be seen far over tha waves. The Alps, whose eternal snows are lifted dazzling to the sky, complete the grandeur of a scene so hallowed by the footsteps of Freedom. The grand and lonely solemnity of the landscape impressed me with an awe, like that one feels when standing in a mighty cathedral, when the aisles are dim with twilight. And how full of interest to a citizen of young and free America is a shrine where the votaries of Liberty have turned to gather strength and courage, through the storms and convulsions* of five hundred years ! We stopped at the village of Fluelen, at the head of the fake, and walked on to Altorf, a distance of half a league. Here, in the market-place, is a tower, said to be built on the spot where the linden tree stood, under Avhich the child of Tell was placed, while, about a hundred yards distant, is a fountain with Toll's statue, on the spot from whence he shot the apple. If these localities are correct, he must indeed have been master of the cross-bow. The tower is covered with rude paintings of the principal events in the history of Swiss liberty. I viewed these scenes with double interest from having read Schiller's " Wilhelin Tell," just before leaving Germany. The beautiful reply of his boy, when he described to him the condition of the "land where there are no mountains," was sounding in my ears during the whole day's journey : 44 Father, I'd feel oppressed in that broad hind* I d rather dwell beneath the avalanche! * 8 Id VIEWS A-FOOT. The little village of Burglen, whose spire we saw abova the forest, in a glen near by, was the birth-place of Tell, and the place where his dwelling stood, is now marked by a small chapel. In the Schachen, a noisy mountain stream that comes down to join the Reuss, he was drowned, when an old man, in attempting to rescue a child who had fallen in a death worthy of the hero ! We bestowed a blessing on his memory in passing, and then followed the banks of the rapid Reuss, Twilight was gathering in the deep Alpine glen, and the mountains on each side, half-seen through the mist, looked like vast, awful phantoms. Soon they darkened to black, indistinct masses; all was silent except the deepened roar of the falling floods ; dark clouds brooded above us like the outspread wings of night, and we were glad when the little village of Amstegg was reached, and the parlor of the inn opened to us a more cheerful, il less romantic scene. CHAPTER XXX. 'PASSAGE OF THE ST. GOTHABD. In Alpine Day Chasm of the Reuss The Devil's Bridge Andermatt Climbing the St. Gothard Summit of the Pass A Rapid Descent into Italy Valley of the ficino Rugged Scenery Southern Vegetation Vineyards Italian Experiences Junction with the Spliigen Road Bacchus On Lago Maggiore The Borromean Isles Landing in Lombardy An Italian Landlord Arrival at Milan. LEAVING Amstegg, I passed the whole day among snowy, sky -piercing Alps, torrents, chasms and clouds ! The clouds appeared to be breaking up as we set out, and the white iop of the Reussberg was now and then visible in the sky. Just above the village are the remains of Zwing Uri, the castle begun by the tyrant Gessler, for the complete subju- gation of the canton. Following the Reuss up through a narrow valley, we passed the Bristenstock, which lifts its jagged crags nine thousand feet in the air, while on the other side stand the snowy summits which lean towards the Rhone Glacier and St. Gothard. From the deep glen where the Reuss foamed down towards the Lake of the Forest Cantons, the mountains rose with a majestic sweep so far into the sky that the brain grew dizzy in following VIKWS A-FOOT. their outlines. Woods, chalets, and slopes of herbage covered their bases, where the mountain cattle and goats were browsing, while the herd-boys sang their native melo- dies or woke the ringing echoes with the loud, sweet sounds of their wooden horns ; higher up, the sides were broken into crags and covered with stunted pines ; then succeeded a belt of bare rock with a little snow lying in the crevices, and the summits of dazzling white looked out from the clouds half-way to the zenith. Sometimes when the vale was filled with clouds, it was startling to see them parting around a solitary summit, apparently isolated in the air at an immense height, for the mountain to which it belonged was hidden to the very. base ! The road passed from one side of the valley to the other, crossing the Reuss on bridges sometimes ninety feet high. After three or four hours' walking, we reached a frightful pass called the Schollenen, So narrow is the defile that, be- fore reaching it, the road seemed to enter directly into the mountain. Precipices a thousand feet high tower above, and the stream roars and boils in the black depth below. The road is a wonder of art ; it winds around the edge of horri- ble chasms or is carried on lofty arches across, with some- times a hold apparently so frail that one involuntarily shud- ders. At a place called the Devil's Bridge, the Reuss leaps about seventy feet in three or four cascades, sending up a continual cloud of. spray, while a wind created by the fall, blows and whirls around, with a force that nearly lifts one from his feet. Beyond the Devil's Bridge, the mountains which nearly touched before, interlock into each other, and a tunnel three CLIMBING THE ST. OOTHARD. 319 hundred and seventy-five feet long leads through the rock into the vale of Urseren, surrounded by the Upper Alps The little town of Andermatt lies in the middle of this val- ley, which, with the peaks around, is covered with short yel- lowish-brown grass. We met near Amstegg a little Italian boy walking home from Germany, quite alone and without money, for we saw him give his last kreutzer to a blind beg- gar along the road. We therefore took him with us, as he was afraid to cross the St. Gothard alone. After refreshing ourselves at Andermatt, we started, five in number, including a German student, for the St. Gothard. Behind the village of Hospiz, which stands at the bottom of the valley leading to Realp and the Furca pass, the way commences winding backwards and forwards, higher and higher, through a valley covered with rocks, with the mighty summits of the Alps around, untenanted save by the chamois and mountain eagle. Not a tree was to be seen. The sides of the mountains were covered with loose rocks waiting for the next rain to wash them down, and the tops were robed in eternal snow. A thick cloud rolled over us as we went on, following the diminishing brooks to their snowy source in the peak of St. Gothard. We cut off the bends of the road by footpaths up the rocks, which we ascended in single file, little Pietro with his staff and bundle bringing up the rear. The rarefied air we breathed, seven thousand feet above the sea, was like exhilarating gas. We felt no fatigue, but ran and shouted and threw snow-balls in the middle of August ! After three hours' walk we reached the two clear and silent lakes which send their waters to the Adriatic and the 320 VIEWS A-FOOT. North Sea. Here, as we looked down on the Italian side, the sky became clear ; we saw the top of St. Gothard many thousand feet above, and stretching to the south, the sum- mits of the mountains which guard the vales of the Ticino and the Adda. The former monastery has been turned into an inn ; there is, however, a kind of church attached, attended by a single monk. It was so cold that, although late, we determined to descend to the first village. The Italian side is very steep, and the road, called the Via Trimola, is like a thread dropped down and constantly doubling back upon itself. The deep chasms were filled with snow, although exposed to the full force of the sun, and for a long distance there was scarcely a sign of vegetation. I thought, as we went down, that every step was bringing me nearer to a sunnier land that the glories of Italy, which had so long lain in the airy background of the future, would soon spread themselves before me in their real or imagined beauty. Reaching at dusk the last height above the vale of the Ticino, we saw the little village of Airolo, with its musical name, lying in a hollow of the mountains. A few minutes of leaping, sliding, and rolling, took us down the grassy declivity, and we found we had descended from the top in an hour and a half, although the distance by the road is nine miles ! I need not say how glad we were to relieve our trembling knees and exhausted limbs. When at night, I looked out of my chamber-window, the silver moon of Italy (for we fancied that her light was softer and that the skies were already bluer) hung trembling above the fields of snow that stretched in their wintry brilliance along the mountains around. I heard the roar of the Ticino and THE VALLEY OF THE TICINO. 321 the deepened sound of falling cascades, and thought, if I were to take those waters for my guide, to what glorious places they would lead me ! We left Airolo early the next morning, to continue our journey down the valley of the Ticino. The mists and clouds of Switzerland were exchanged for a sky of the purest hlue, and we felt, for the first time in ten days, uncomfortably warm. The mountains which flank the Aips on this side, are still giants lofty and bare, and covered with snow in many places. The limit of the German dialect is on the summit of St. Gothard, and the peasants saluted us with a " buon giorno" as they passed. This, with the clearness of the skies and the warmth of the air, made us feel that Italy was growing nearer. On our first day's journey we passed through two terrific mountain gorges, almost equalling in grandeur the defile of the " Devil's Bridge." The Ticinq,/ in its course to Lago Maggiore, has to make a descent of nearly three thousand feet, passing through three valleys, which lie like terraces, one below the other. In passing from one to the other, it forces its way in twenty cataracts through a cleft in the mountains. The road, constructed with the utmost labor, threads these dark chasms, sometimes carried in a tunnel through the rock, sometimes passing on arches above the boiling flood. I here noticed a very beautiful effect of the water, perhaps attributable to some mineral substance it contained. The spray and foam thrown up in the dashing of the vexed current, was of a light, delicate pink, although the stream itself was a soft blue ; and the contrast of these two colors was very remarkable. 14* 322 VIEWS A-FOOT. As we kept on, however, there was a very perceptible change in the scenery. The gloomy pines disappeared, and the mountains were covered, in their stead, with picturesque chestnut trees, with leaves of a shining green. The grass and vegetation were much more luxuriant than on the other Bide of the Alps, and fields of maize and mulberry orchards covered the valley. We saw the people busy at work reel- ing silk in the villages. Every mile we advanced made a sensible change in the vegetation. The chestnuts were larg- er, the maize higher, the few straggling grape-vines increased into bowers and vineyards, while the gardens were filled with plum, pear and fig-trees, and the display of delicious fruit which we saw in the villages, gave us promise of the luxuriance that was to come. The vineyards are much more beautiful than the German fields of stakes. The vines are not trimmed, but grow from year to year over a frame higher than the head, supported through the whole field on stone pillars. They interlace and form a complete leafy screen, while the clusters hang below. The light came dimly through the green, transpa- rent leaves, and nothing was wanting to make them real bowers of Arcadia. Although we were still in Switzerland, the people began to have that lazy, indolent look which characterizes the Italians ; most of the occupations WIMV earned on in the open air, and brown-robed, sandalled fnars were going about from house to house, collecting money and provisions for their support. We passed Faido and Giornico, near which last village are the remains of an old castle, supposed to have been built by the ancient Gauls, and stopped for the night at \iri\i. VAI.I.KVS. 323 Crcsciuno, which being entirely Italian, we had an opportu- nity to put in practice the few words we had picked up from Pietro. The little fellow had parted from us with regret a few hours before, at Biasco, where he had relations. The rustic landlord at Cresciano was an honest young fellow, -vho tried to serve us as well as he could, but we made some ludicrous mistakes through our ignorance of the language- Three hours' walk brought us to Bellinzona, the capital of the canton. Before reaching it, our road joined that of the Spliigen which comes down through the valley of Bernardino. From the bridge where the junction takes place we had a triple view, the grandeur of which took me by surprise, even after coming from Switzerland. We stood at the union of three valleys that leading to St. Gothard, terminated by the glaciers of the Bernese Oberland, that running off obliquely to the Spliigen, and finally the broad vale of the Ticino, extending to Lago Maggiore, whose pur- ple mountains closed the vista. Each valley was perhaps two miles broad and from twenty to thirty long, and the mountains that inclosed them from five to seven thousand feet in height, so you may perhaps form some idea what a view down three such avenues in this Alpine temple would be. We left Bellinzona at noon, and saw, soon after, from an eminence, the blue line of Lago Maggiore stretched across the bottom of the valley. We saw sunset fade away over the lake, but it was clouded, and did not realize my ideal of such a scene in Italy. A band of wild Italians paraded up and down the village, drawing one of their number in a hand- cart. They made a great noise with a drum and trumpet, 324 VIEWS A-FOOT. and were received everywhere with shouts of laughter. A great jug of wine was not wanting, and the whole seemed to me a very characteristic scene We were early awakened at Magadino, at the head of Lago Maggiore, and after swallowing a hasty breakfast, went on board the steamboat ' San Carlo," for Sesto Calende. We got under way at six o'clock, and were soon in motion over the crystal mirror. The water is of the loveliest green hue, and so transparent that we seemed to be floating in mid-air. Another heaven arched far below us ; other chains of moun- tains joined their bases to those which surrounded the lake, and the mirrored cascades leaped upward to meet their ori- ginals at the surface. It may be because I have seen it more recently, that the water of Lago Maggiore appears to me the most beautiful in the world. I was delighted with the Scotch lakes, and enraptured with the Traunsee and " Zurich's waters," but this last exceeds them both. I am now incapa- ble of any stronger feeling, until I see the Egean from the Grecian Isles. The morning was cloudy, and the white wreaths hung low on the mountains, whose rocky sides were covered every where with the rank and luxuriant growth of this climate. As we advanced further over this glorious mirror, the houses became more Italian-like ; the lower stories rested on arched passages, and the windows were open, without glass, while in the gardens stood the solemn, graceful cypress, and vines, heavy with ripening grapes, hung from bough to bough through the mulberry orchards. Half-way down, in a broad bay, which receives the waters of a stream that descends with the Simplon> are the celebrated Borromean Islands. ON LAGO MAGGIORE. 325 They arc four in number, and seem to float like fairy crea- tions on the water, while the lofty hills form a. background whose grandeur enhances by contrast their exquisite beauty. On passing by Isola Madre, we could see the roses in its terraced gardens and the broad-leaved aloes clinging to the rocks. Isola Bella, the loveliest of them all, as its name denotes, was farther off; it rose like a pyramid from the water, terrace above terrace to the summit, and its gardens of never fading foliage, with the glorious panorama around, might make it a paradise, if life were to be dreamed away. On the northern side of the bay lies a large town with a lofty Romanesque tower, and noble mountains sweep around as if to shut out the world from such a scene. The lake was perfectly calm, and groves and gardens slept mirrored in the dark green wave, while the Alps rose afar through the dim, cloudy air. Towards the other end the hills sink lower, and slope off into the plains of Lombardy. Near Arona, on the western side, is a large monastery, overlooking the lower part of the lake. Beside it, on a hill, is a colossal statue of San Carlo Borromeo, who gave his name to the lovely islands above. After a seven hours' passage, we ran into Sesto Calende, at the foot of the lake. Here passengers and baggage were tumbled promiscuously on shore, the latter gathered into the office to be examined, and the former left at liberty to ram- ble about an hour until their passports could be signed. We employed the time in trying the flavor of the grapes and peaches of Lombardy, and in looking at the groups of tra- vellers who had come down from the Alps with the annual avalanche at this season. The custom-house officers were 326 VIEWS A-FOOT. extremely civil and obliging, as they did not think necessary to examine our knapsacks, and our passports being soon signed, we were at liberty to enter again into the dominions of his Majesty of Austria. Our companion, the German, whose feet could carry him no further, took a seat on the top of a diligence for Milan ; we left Sesto Calende on foot, and plunged into the cloud of dust which was whirling towards the capital of Northern Italy. We spent the night at the little village of Casina, about sixteen miles from Milan, and here made our first experience of the honesty of Italian inns. We had taken the precaution to inquire beforehand the price of a bed ; but it seemed un- necessary and unpleasant, as well as evincing a mistrustful spirit, to do the same with every article we asked for, so we decided to leave it to the host's conscience not to overcharge us Imagine our astonishment, however, when at starting, a bill was presented to us, in which the smallest articles were set down at three or four times their value. We re- monstrated, but to little purpose ; the fellow knew scarcely any French, and we as little Italian, so rather than lose time and temper, we paid what he demanded and went on, leav- ing him to laugh at the successful imposition. About noon, the road turned into a broad and beautiful avenue of poplars, down which we saw at a distance, the triumphal arch terminating the Simplon road, which we had followed from Sesto Calende. Beyond it rose the slight and airy pinnacle of the Duomo. We passed by the exquisite structure, gave up our passports at the gates, traversed the broad Piazza d'Armi, and found ourselves at liberty to choose one of the dozen streets that led into the heart of the city. CHAPTER XXXI. MILAN AND THE JOURNEY TO GENOA. The Streets of Milan The Duomo Its Interior Art hased on Nature Italian Priestcraft The Arch of Peace Financial Distress Relieved by a German Lawyer Thunder Storms Lions in Pavia Crossing the Po Magnificent View of the Alps The Second Day's Travel An Italian Sunset A Pinta of Wine- Morning Pilgrim Travel First View of the Mediterranean The Descent to ^enoa. <\THILE seeking our way at random to the " Pension Suisse," whither we had been directed by a German gentleman, we were agreeably impressed with the gaiety and bustle of Milan. The shops and stores are all open to the street, so that the city resembles a great bazaar. It was odd to see blacksmiths, tailors, and shoemakers, working unconcernedly in the open air, with crowds continually passing before them. The streets are filled with venders of fruit, who call out the names with a long, distressing cry, like that of a person in great agony. Organ-grinders parade constantly about, and snatches of song are heard among the gay crowd, on every side. 328 VIEWS A-FOOT. Jn this lively, noisy Italian city, nearly all there is to see may be comprised in four things : the Duomo, the triumphal arch over the Simplon, La Scala, and the Picture Gallery. The first alone is more interesting than many an entire city. It stands in an irregular open place, closely hemmed in by houses on two sides, so that it can be seen to advan- tage from only one point. It is a mixture of the Gothic and Romanesque styles ; the body of the structure is entirely covered with statues and richly wrought sculpture, with needle-like spires of white marble rising up from every corner. But of the exquisite, airy look of the whole mass, although so solid and vast, it is impossible to convey an idea. It resembles some fabric of frost-work which winter traces o\i the window panes. Ascending the marble steps which lead to the front, I lifted the folds, of the heavy curtain and entered. What a glorious aisle ! The mighty pillars support a magnificent arched ceiling, painted to resemble fretwork, and the little light that falls through the small windows above, enters tinged with a dim golden hue. A feeling of solemn awe comes over one as he steps with a hushed tread along the colored marble floor, and measures the massive columns until they blend with the gorgeous arches above. There are four rows of these, nearly fifty in all, and when I state that they are eight feet in diameter, and sixty or seventy in height, some idea may be formed of the grandeur of the building. The Duomo is not yet entirely finished, the \vorkmen being still employed in various parts, but it is said that, when completed, there will be four thousand statues on different parts of it. AKT BASED ON NATURE. 3^9 The design of the Duomo is said to be taken from Monte Rosa, one of the loftiest peaks of the Alps. Its hundreds of sculptured pinnacles, rising from every part of the body of the church, certainly bear a striking resemblance to the splintered ice-crags of Savoy. Thus we see how Art, mighty and endless in her forms though she be, is in every- thing but the child of Nature. Her divinest conceptions are but copies of objects which we behold every day. The faultless beauty of the Corinthian capital the springing and intermingling arches of the Gothic aisle the pillared portico or the massive and sky-piercing pyramid are but attempts at reproducing, by the studied regularity of Art, the ever- varied and ever-beautiful forms of mountain, rock and forest. But there is oftentimes a more thrilling sensa- tion of enjoyment produced by the creation of man's hand and intellect than the grander effects of Nature, existing constantly before our eyes. It would seem as if man mar- velled more at his own work than at the work of the Powei which created him. The streets of Milan abound with priests in their cocked hats and long black robes. No sight lately has saddened me so much as to see a bright, beautiful boy, of twelve or thirteen years, in those gloomy garments. Poor child ! h6 little knows now what he may have to endure. A lonely, cheerless life, where every affection must be crushed as un- holy, and every pleasure denied as a crime ! And I knew by his fair brow and tender lip, that he had a warm and loving heart. It is mournful to see a people oppressed in the name of religion. Immense treasures, wrung drop by drop from the credulity of the poor and ignorant, are made 330 VIEWS A-FOOT. use of to pamper the luxury of those who profess to be mediators between man and the Deity. The poor wretch may perish of starvation on a floor of precious mosaic which perhaps his own pittance has helped to form, while ceilings and shrines of inlaid gold mock his dying eye with their useless splendor. Such a system of oppression, disguised under the holiest name, can only be sustained by the con- tinuance of ignorance and blind superstition. Knowledge Truth Reason these are the ramparts which Liberty throws up to guard her dominions from xisurpation. Next to the Duomo, the most beautiful specimen of archi- tecture in Milan is the Arch of Peace on the northern side of the city, at the termination of the Simplon Road. It was the intention of Napoleon to carry the road under this arch, across the Piazza d'Armi, and to cut a way for it direct- ly into the heart of the city, but the fall of his dynasty pre- vented the execution of this magnificent design, as well as the completion of the arch itself. This has been done by the Austrian government, according to the original plan ; but they have inscribed upon it the name of Francis I., and changed the bas-reliefs of Lodi and Marengo into those of fields where their forces had gained the victory. It is even said that in many parts which were already finished, they altered the splendid Roman profile of Napoleon into the hag- gard features of Francis of Austria. The bronze statues on the top were made by an artist of Bologna, by Napoleon's order, and are said to be among the finest works of modern times. In the centre is the goddess of Peace, in a triumphal car, drawn by six horses, while on the corners four angels, mounted, are setting out to convey FINANCIAL DISTRESS. 331 the tidings to the four quarters of the globe. The artist has caught the spirit of motion and chained it in these moveless figures: One would hardly feel surprised if the goddess, chariot, horses and all, were to start and roll away through the air. We saw the opera of William Tell at La ScaJa, visited the famous Picture Gallery in the Palazzo Cabrera, and after a stay of two days, were ready to continue our journey, but for one very disagreeable circumstance. Nearly all our funds were contained in a draft on a Saxon merchant in Leghorn, which was useless in Milan ; we had failed to re- ceive at Heidelberg a sum which our host in Frankfort promised to send us, and there was barely enough in our pockets to pay our bill at the Pension Suisse. Our German companion had gone off to Como, on his way homeward, and we knew no one in the city. What was to be done ? We racked our brains to find some expedient, but without success, when, on coming out of the Duomo one afternoon, we encountered Mittermaier, the distinguished Law Profes- sor in the University of Heidelberg, with whom my cousin was slightly acquainted. It was a bold undertaking to ask assistance of such a man, but F resolved to do it, and accordingly visited him in the evening at his hotel. Herr Mittermaier was no doubt accustomed to applications of the kind, and very likely his confidence had often been abused, for he showed great reluctance, but finally consented, with a bad grace, to advance two napoleons, to be repaid in Heidel berg, at the commencement of the next University term. We shared thoroughly in F 's mortification and wounded pride when he returned to us, and resolved to undergo any- 332 VIEWS A-FOOT. thing but starvation before asking a similar favor of any one again. We paid our bill the same night, and in order to make our slender store last as long as possible, arose at dawn and set out on foot for Genoa. Once fairly outside of the city we took the road to Pavia, along the banks of the canal, just as the rising sun gilded the marble spire of the Duomo. The country was a perfect level, and the canal, which was in many places higher than the land through which it passed, served also as a means of irrigation for the many rice fields. The sky grew cloudy and dark, and before we reached Pavia gathered to a heavy storm. Torrents of rain poured down, accompanied with heavy thunder ; we crept under an old gateway for shelter, as no house was near. Finally, as the clouds cleared away, the square brown towers of the old city rose above the trees, and we entered the gate through a fine shaded avenue. Our passports were of course demanded, but we were only de- tained a minute or two. The only thing of interest is the University, formerly so celebrated ; it has at present about eight hundred students. We have reason to remember the city from another circum- stance the singular attention we excited. I doubt if Columbus was an object of greater curiosity to the simple natives of the new world, than we three Americans were to the good people of Pavia. I know not what part of our dress or appearance could have caused it, but we were watched like wild animals. If we happened to pause and look at anything in the street, there was soon a crowd of attentive observers, and as we passed on, every door and window was full of heads. We stopped in the market-place CROSSING THE PO. 333 to purchase some bread and fruit for dinner, which increased, if possible, the sensation. We saw eyes staring and fingers pointing at us from every door and alley. I am generally willing to contribute as much as possible to the amusement or entertainment of others, but such attention was absolutely embarrassing. There was nothing to do but to appear unconscious of it, and we went along with as much noncha- lance as if the whole town belonged to us. We crossed the Ticino, on whose banks near Pavia, was fought the first great battle between Hannibal and the Romans. On the other side our passports were demanded at the Sardinian frontier and our knapsacks searched, which having proved satisfactory, we were allowed to enter the kingdom. Late in the afternoon we reached the Po, which in winter must be a quarter of a mile wide, but the summer heats had dried it up to a small stream, so that the bridge of boats rested nearly its whole length in sand. We sat on the bank in the shade, and looked at the chain of hills which rose in the south, following the course of the Po, crowned with castles and villages and shining towers. It was here that I first began to realize Italian scenery. Although the hills were bare, they lay so warm and glowing in the sun- shine, and the deep blue sky spread so calmly above, that it recalled all my dreams of the fair land we had entered. We stopped for the night at the little village of Casteggio, which lies at the foot of the hills, and next morning resumed our pilgrimage. Here a new delight awaited us. The sk^ was of a heavenly blue, without even the shadow of a cloud, and full and fair in the morning sunshine we could see the whole range of the Alps, from the blue hills of Friuli, which 334 VIEWS A-FOOT. sweep down to Venice and the Adriatic, to the lofty peaks which stretch away to Nice and Marseilles ! Like a summer cloud, except that they were far more dazzling and glorious, lay to the north of us the glaciers and untrodden snow-fields of the Bernese Oberland ; a little to the right we saw the double peak of St. Gothard, where six days before we shi- vered in the region of eternal winter, while far to the north- west rose the giant dome of Mont Blanc. Monte Rosa stood near him, not far from the Great St. Bernard, and further to the south Mont Cenis guarded the entrance from Piedmont into France. I leave the reader to conceive the majesty of such a scene, and he may perhaps imagine, for I cannot de- scribe, the feelings with which I gazed upon it. At Tortona, the next post, a great market was being held; the town was filled with country people selling their produce, and with venders of wares of all kinds. Fruit was very plentiful grapes, ripe figs, peaches and melons were abun- dant, and for a trifle one could purchase a sumptuous ban- quet. On inquiring the road to Novi, the people made us understand, after much difficulty, that there was a nearer way across the country, which came into the post-road again, and we agreed to take it. After two or three hours' walk- ing in a burning sun, where our only relief was the sight of the Alps and a view of the battle-field of Marengo, which lay just on our right, we came to a stand the road terminated at a large stream, where workmen were busily engaged in making a bridge across. We pulled off our boots and waded through, took a refreshing bath in the clear waters, and walked on through by-lanes. The sides were lined with luxuriant vines, bending under the ripening vintage. SUNSET VIEW OF THE ALPS. 335 *nd wo ofton cooled our thirst with some of the rich bunches. The large branch of the Po we crossed, came down from the mountains, which we were approaching. As we reached the post-road again, they were glowing in the last rays of the sun, and the evening vapors that settled over the plain con- cealed the distant Alps, although the snowy top of the Jung- frau and her companions the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn, rose above it like the hills of another world. A castle or church of brilliant white marble glittered on the summit of one of the mountains near us, and as the sun went down without a cloud, the distant peaks changed in hue to a glowing purple, amounting almost to crimson, which afterwards dark- ened into a deep violet. The western half of the sky was of a pale orange, and the eastern a dark rose-color, which blended together in the blue of the zenith, that deepened as twilight came on. We stopped the second night at Arquato, a little village among the mountains, and after having bargained with the merry landlord for our lodgings, in broken Italian, took a last look at the plains of Piedmont and the Swiss Alps, in the growing twilight. On ordering our supper, the landlord asked whether we would have a pinta of wine. In our igno- rance of Italian we supposed that a pinta of course meant a pint, and on learning that it cost about seven cents, sup- posed that the wine must be very good. But the pinta proved to be three quarts at least, and we drank the whole of it (having paid for it) without exhilaration. We gazed out on the darkening scene until the sky was studded with Stars, and went to rest wjti> th exciting thought of seeing 336 VIEWS A-FOOT. Genoa and the Mediterranean on the morrow. Next morn, ing we started early, and after walking some distance made our breakfast in a grove of chestnuts, on the cool mountain side, beside a fresh stream of water. The sky shone like a polished gem, and the glossy leaves of the chestnuts gleamed in the morning sun. Here and there, on a rocky height, stood the remains of some knightly castle, telling of the Goths and Normans who descended through these mountain passes to plunder Rome. As the sun grew high, the heat and dust became intolera* ble, and this, in connection with the attention we raised everywhere, made us somewhat tired of foot-travelling in Italy. I verily believe the people took us for pilgrims on account of our long white blouses, and had I a scallop shell I would certainly have stuck it into my hat to complete the appearance. We stopped once to ask a priest about the road, and when he had told us, he shook hands with us and gave us a parting benediction. At the common inns, where we stopped, we always met with civil treatment, though, in- deed, as we only slept in them, there was little chance of practising imposition. We bought our simple meals at the baker's and grocer's, and ate them in the shade of the grape bowers, whose rich clusters added to the repast. In this manner, we enjoyed Italy at the expense of a franc daily. About noon, after winding about through the narrow de- nies, the road began ascending. The reflected heat from the hills on each side made it like an oven ; there was not a breath of air stirring ; but we all felt, although no one said it, that from the summit we should see the Mediterranean! FIRST VIEW OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. 337 and we pushed on as if life or death depended on it. Finally, the highest point came in sight we redoubled our exertions, and a few minutes more brought us to the top, breathless with fatigue and expectation. I glanced down the other side, and a confusion of barren mountains lay be- fore me ; the farthest peaks rose up afar and dim, crowned with white towers, and between two of them which stood apart, like the pillars of a gateway, we saw the broad expanse of blue water stretching away to the horizon ! It would have been a thrilling delight to see any ocean, when one has rambled thousands of miles among the moun- tains and vales of the inland, but to behold this sea, of all others, was glorious indeed ! This sea, whose waves wash the feet of Naples, Constantinople and Alexandria, and break on the hoary shores where Troy and Tyre and Car- thage have mouldered away whose breast has 'been fur- rowed by the keels of a hundred nations through more than forty centuries, from the first rude voyage of Jason and his Argonauts to the thunders of Navariuo that heralded the second birth of Greece ! You cannot wonder that we grew romantic ; but short space was left for sentiment in the burning sun, with Genoa to be reached before night. The mountain we crossed is called the Bochetta, one of the loftiest of the sea-Alps (or Appenines). The road winds steeply down towards the sea, following a broad mountain rivulet, now dried up, as is nearly every stream among the mountains. It was a long way to us ; the mountains seem- ed as if they would never unfold and let us out on the shore, and our weary rimbs did penance enough for a multi- tude of sins. The dusk was beginning to deepen over the * 15 338 VIEWS A-FOOT. bay, and the purple hues of sunset were dying away from its amphitheatre of hills, as we came in sight of the gorge- ous city. Half the population were out to celebrate a fes- tival, and we made our entry in the triumphal procession of some saint. CHAPTER XXXII. SCENES IN GENOA, LEGHORN, AND PISA. Genoa at Sunset Appearance of the City A Religious Procession Another Financial Difficulty Embarking for Leghorn A Night at Sea Morning in Tus- canyLandingA Polyglott Population The Ardenza Criminals at Work My Comrades Relieved Approach to Pisa The City The Leaning Tower The Echo in the Baptistery The Campo Santo A Vetturino for Florence An Italian Companion Night-Journey in the Rain Florence at Last HAS the reader ever seen some grand painting of a city, rising with its domes and towers and palaces from the edge of a glorious bay, shut in by mountains the whole scene clad in those deep, delicious, sunny hues, which we admire so much in the picture, although they appear unrealized in Nature ? If so, he can figure to himself Genoa, as she appeared to us at sunset, from the battlements west of the city. When we had passed through the gloomy gate of the fortress that guards the western promontory, the whole scene opened on us at once in all its majesty. The battle- ments where we were standing, and the blue mirror of the Mediterranean just below, with a few vessels moored near the shore, made up the foreground ; just in front lay the queenly 340 VIEWS A-FOOT. city, stretching out to the eastern point of the bay, like a great meteor this point, crowned with the towers and dome of a cathedral, representing the nucleus, while the tail gradually widened out and was lost among the numberless villas that reached to the top of the mountains behind. As we gazed, a purple glow lay on the bosom of the sea, while far beyond the city, the eastern half of the mountain cres- cent around the gulf was tinted with the loveliest hue of orange. The impressions which one derives from looking on remarkable scenery depend, for much of their effect, on the time and weather. I have been very fortunate in this respect in two instances, and shall carry with me through life, two glorious pictures of a very different character the wild sublimity of the Brocken in cloud and storm, and the splendor of Genoa in an Italian sunset. Genoa has been called the " city of palaces," and it well' deserves the appellation. Row above row of magnificent structures rise amid gardens along the side of the hills, and many of the streets, though narrow and crooked, are lined entirely with the splendid dwellings of the Genoese nobles. All these speak of the republic in its days of wealth and power, when it could cope successfully with Venice, and Doria could threaten to bridle the, horses of St. Mark. At present its condition is far different ; although not so fallen as its rival, it is but a shadow of its former self. We entered Genoa, as I have already said, in a religious procession. On passing the gate we saw from the concourse of people and the many banners hanging from the windows or floating across the streets, that it was the day of a festa. Before entering the city we reached the procession itselfj A KKUG.OI S I'KUC.^SIO.V. 3J1 which was one of unusual solemnity. As it was impossible in the dense crowd to pass it, we struggled through until we reached a good point for seeing the whole, and slowly moved on with it through the city. First went a company of boys in white rohes ; then followed a body of friars, dressed in long black cassocks, a~nd with shaven crowns ; then a com- pany of soldiers with a band of music ; then a body of nuns, wrapped from head to foot in blue robes, and chanting in a low voice ; then followed another company of friars, and after them a great number of priests in white and black robes, bearing the statue of the saint, with a pyramid of flowers, crosses, and blazing wax tapers, while companies of soldiery, monks, and music, brought up the rear. The whole scene, dimly lighted by the wax tapers, produced in me a feeling nearly akin to fear, as if I were witnessing some ghostly, unearthly spectacle. To rites like these, however, which occur every few weeks, the people must be well accustomed. Although we had spent but three francs apiece since leaving Milan, and hoped to save enough to enable one of us to go on to Leghorn and have our draft cashed, we found that the signing of a passport would cost twenty francs (ten of which went to the American Consulate), and a second- cabin passage to Leghorn as much more. We again fell short, and in this emergency applied to Mr. Moro, the Ameri- can Vice-Consul. After submitting the draft to his secretary, who was a German and pronounced it genuine, and who made many unsuccessful inquiries among the merchants to ascertain whether the house on which it was drawn had any correspondents in Genoa, Mr. Moro finally agreed to advance 3-12 V1KWS A-FOOT, nio money for my passage, with the understanding that I should immediately forward enough to repay him, and to relieve my two friends, who were to remain behind as hostages. Our second embarrassment was thus overcome, and we now felt confident of getting to Florence before any further difficulties occurred. There was a boat to leave the same evening for Leghorn, and I at once took passage. The ViryiUo was advertised to leave at six o'clock, and I accordingly Avent out to her in a little boat half an hour beforehand ; but we were delayed much longer, and I saw sunset again fade over the glorious amphitheatre of palaces and mountains, with the same orange glow the same purple and crimson flush, deepening into twilight as before. An old blind man in a skiff, floated around under the bows of the boat on the glassy water, singing to the violin a plaintive air that appeared to be an evening hymn to the Virgin. There was something very touching in his venerable countenance, with the sightless eyes turned upward to the sunset heaven whose glory he could never more behold. The lamps were lit on the tower at the end of the mole as we glided out on the open sea ; I stood on deck and watched the receding lights of the city, iintil they and the mountains above them were blended with the darkened sky. The sea- breeze was fresh and cool, and the stars glittered with a frosty clearness, which Avould have made the night delicious, had not a slight rolling of the waves obliged me to go below. Here, besides being half sea-sick, I was placed at the mercy of many voracious fleas. This was the first time I had suf- fered from these cannibals, and such were my torments, that MORNING IN TUSCANY. 343 I almost wished some bloodthirsty Italian would come and put an end to them with his stiletto. The first ray of dawn that stole into the cabin sent me on deck. The hills of Tuscany lay in front, sharply outlined on the reddening sky ; near us was the steep and rocky isle of Gorgona ; and far to the south-west, like a low mist along the water, ran the shores of Corsica the birth-place of Columbus and Napoleon ! As the dawn brightened we saw on the southern horizon a cloud-like island, also imperishably connected with the name of the latter the prison-kingdom of Elba. North of us extended the rugged mountains of (nrrara that renowned range whence has sprung many a form of almost breathing beauty, and where yet slumber, perhaps, in the unhewn marble, the god-like shapes of an age of Art, more glorious than any the world has ever yet beheld ! The sun rose from behind the Appenines, and masts and towers became visible through the golden haze, as we approached the shore. On a flat space between the sea and the hills, not far from the foot of Montenero, stands Leg- horn. The harbor is protected by a mole, leaving a narrow passage, through which we entered, and after waiting two hours for the visit of the health and police officers, we were permitted to go on shore. The first thing that struck me, was the fine broad streets ; the second, the motley character of the population. People were hurrying about, noisy and bustling Greeks in their red caps and capotes ; grave turbaned and bearded Turks ; dark Moors ; the corsair- looking natives of Tripoli and Tunis, and seamen of nearly every nation. At the hotel where I stayed, we had a eingu- 344 VIEWS A-FOOT. lar mixture of nations at dinner : two French, two Swiss, one Genoese, one Roman, one American and one Turk and we were waited on by a Tuscan and a Moor ! The only place of amusement here in summer is a drive along the sea shore, called the Ardenza, which is frequented every evening by all who can raise a vehicle. I visited it twice with a German friend. The road leads out along the Mediterranean, past an old fortress, to a large establishment for sea bathers, where it ends in a large ring, around which the carriages pass and re-pass, until sunset has gone out over the sea, when they return to the city in a mad gallop, or as fast as the lean horses can draw them. In driving around, we met two or three carriages of Turks, in one of which I saw a woman of Tunis, with a curious gilded head-dress, eighteen inches in height. I frequently witnessed a spectacle which was exceedingly revolting to me. The condemned criminals, chained two ami two, are kept at work through the city, cleaning the streets. They are dressed in coarse garments of a dirty red color, with the name of the crime for which they were convicted, painted on the back. I shuddered to see so many marked with the words " omicidio premeditate." All day they are thus engaged, exposed to the scorn and contumely of the crowd, and at night dragged away to be incarcerated in damp, unwholesome dungeons, excavated under the public thoroughfares. I presented my draft, drew a sufficient amount of money for my needs, and forwarded the requisite sum to Genoa. I noticed that Mr. Moro's correspondent insisted on sending the money to him, instead of to mv friends probably to APPROACH TO PISA. 345 make sure of the payment of the loan. On going down to the wharf two days afterwards, I found F and B just stepping on shore from the steamboat, tired enough of the discomforts of the voyage, yet anxious to set out for Flo- rence as soon as possible. After we had shaken off the crowd of porters, pedlars and vetturini, and taken a hasty breakfast at the Cafe Americano, we went to the Police Office to get our passports, and had the satisfaction of paying two francs for permission to proceed to Florence. The weather had changed since the preceding day, and the sirocco-wind which blows over from the coast of Africa, filled the streets with clouds of dust, which made walking very unpleasant The clear blue sky had vanished, and a leaden cloud hung low on the Mediterranean, hiding the shores of Corsica and the rocky isles of Gorgona and Capraja. The country between Leghorn and Pisa is a flat marsh, intersected in several places by canals to carry off the stag- nant water which renders this district so unhealthy. The entire plain between the mountains of Carrara and the hills back of Leghorn has been gradually formed by the deposits of the Arno and the receding of the Mediterranean, which is so shallow along the whole coast, that large vessels have to anchor several miles out. As we approached Pisa over the level marsh, I could see the dome of the Cathedral and the Leaning Tower rising above the gardens and groves which surround the city. Our baggago underwent another examination at the gate, where we were again assailed by the vetturini, one of whom hung on us like a leech until we reached a hotel, and there was finally no way of shaking him off except by engaging lf* 346 \IK\VS A-Foot. him to take us to Florence. The bargain having been con- cluded, we had still a few hours left, and set off to hunt the Cathedral. We found it on an open square near the. outer wall, and quite remote from the main part of the town. Emerging from the narrow and winding street, one takes in at a glance the Baptistery, the Campo Santo, the noble Cathe- dral and the Leaning Tower forming altogether a view rarely surpassed in Europe for architectural effect. But the square is melancholy and deserted, and rank, untrampled grass fills the crevices of its marble pavement. I was surprised at the beauty of the Leaning Tower. I nstead of an old, black, crumbling fabric, as I always supposed, it is a light, airy, elegant structure, of white marble, and its declension, which is interesting as a work of art (or accident), is at the same time pleasing from its novelty. There have been many conjectures as to the cause of this deviation, which is upwards of fourteen feet from the perpendicular ; but it is new generally believed that the earth having stink when the building was half finislied, it was continued by the architects at the same angle. The upper gallery, which is smaller than the others, shows a very perceptible inclin;;- tion back towards the perpendicular, as if in some degree to counterbalance their deviation. There are eight galleries in all, supported by marble pillars, but the inside of the Tower is hollow to the very top. We ascended by the same stairs which were trodden so often by Galileo in going up to make his astronomical ol>- servations. In climbing spirally around the hollow cylinder in the dark, it was easy to tell on which side of the Tower we were, from the proportionate steepness of the stairca.se. THE ECHO IN THE BAl'TISTERY. 347 There is a fine view from the top, embracing the whole plain as far as Leghorn on one side, with its gardens and grain fields spread out like a vast map. In a valley of the Garrarese Mountains to the north, we could see the little town of Lucca, much frequented at this season on account of its haths ; the blue summits of the Appenines shut in the view to the east. In walking through the city I noticed two other towers, which had nearly as great a deviation from the perpendicular. We met a person who had the key of the Baptistery, which he opened for us. Two ancient columns covered with rich sculpture form the doorway, and the dome is supported by massive pillars of the red marble of Elba. The baptismal font is of the purest Parian mar- ble. The most remarkable thing was the celebrated musical echo. Our cicerone stationed himself at the side of the font and sang a few notes. After a moment's pause they were repeated aloft in the dome, but with a sound of divine sweet- ness as clear and pure as the clang of a crystal bell. Another pause and we heard them again, higher, fainter and sweeter, followed by a dying note, as if they were fad- ing far away into heaven. It seemed as if an angel lingered in the temple, echoing with his melodious lips the common harmonies of earth. The Campo Santo, on the north side of the Cathedral, was, until lately, the cemetery of the city ; the space in- closed within its marble galleries is filled to the depth of eight or ten feet, with earth from the Holy Land. The ves- sels which carried the knights of Tuscany to Palestine were filled at Joppa before returning, with this earth as ballast, and on arriving at Pisa it was deposited in the Cemetery 348 MEWS A-FOOT. It has a peculiar property of decomposing all human bodies in a very short time. A colonnade of marble incloses it, with windows of exquisite sculpture opening on the inside, At each end are two fine, green cypresses, which thrive re- markably in the soil of Palestine. The dust of a German emperor, among others, rests in this consecrated ground. There are other fine churches in Pisa, but the four build- ings I have mentioned, are the principal objects of inter- est. The tower where Count Ugolino and his sons were starved to death by the citizens of Pisa, who locked them up and threw the keys into the Arno, has lately been destroyed. An Italian gentleman having made a bargain in the meantime with our vetturino, we found every thing ready on returning to the hotel. On the outside of the town we mounted into the vehicle, a rickety-looking concern, and as it commenced raining, I was afraid we would have a bad night of it. After a great deal of bargaining, the vetturino agreed to take us to Florence that night for five francs apiece, provided one person would sit on the outside with the driver. I accordingly mounted in front protected by a blouse and umbrella, for it was beginning to rain dismally. The miserable, bare-boned horses were fastened with rope- traces, and the vetturino having taken the rope-lines in his hand, gave 2. flourish with his whip ; one old horse tumbled nearly to the ground, but he jerked him up again and we rattled off. After riding ten miles in this way, it became so wet and dreary, that I was fain to give the driver two francs extra for the privilege of an inside seat. Our Italian companion IX THE IIAIN. -'349 was agreeable and talkative, but as we were still ignorant of the language, I managed to hold a scanty conversation with him in French. He seemed delighted to learn that we were from America ; his polite reserve gave place to a friendly familiarity, and he was loud in his praises of the Americans. I asked him why it was that he and the Italians generally were so friendly towards us. " I hardly know," he answered ; " you are so different from any other nation ; and then, too, you have so much sincerity." The Appenines were wreathed and hidden in thick mist, and the prospect over the flat cornfields bordering the road was not particularly interesting. We had made about one- third of the way as night set in, when on ascending a hill soon after dark, F happened to look out, and saw one of the axles bent and nearly broken off. We were obliged to get out and walk through the mud to the next village, when, after two hours' delay, the vetturino came along with another carriage. Of the rest of the way to Florence, I cannot say much. Cooped up in the narrow vehicle, we jolted along in the dark, rumbling now and then through some silent village, where lamps were burning before t-he solitary shrines. Sometimes a blinding light crossed the road, where we saw the tile-makers sitting in the red glare of their kilns, and often the black boughs of trees were painted momentarily on the cloudy sky. If the jolting carriage had even permitted sleep, the horrid cries of the vetturino, urging on his horses, would have prevented it , and I decided, while trying to relieve my aching limbs, that three days' walking in sun and sand was preferable to one night of such travel. 350 VIEWS A-POOT. Finally about four o'clock in the morning the carriage stopped ; my Italian friend awoke and demanded the cause. " Signor," said the vetturino, " we are in Florence ! " I blessed the man, and the city too. The good-humored officer looked at our passports and passed our baggage without examination ; we gave the gatekeeper a paul and he ad- mitted us. The carriage rolled through the dark, silent streets passed a public square came out on the Arno crossed and entered the city again and finally stopped at a hotel. The master of the "Lione Bianco" came down in an undress to receive us, and we shut the growing dawn out of our rooms to steal that repose from the day which the night had not given. CHAPTER XXXIII. RESIDENCE IN FLORENCE. Booms In Florence Cost of Living The Royal Gallery The Venns de Medld- Titian and Raphael Michael Angelo The Hall of Nlobe Value of Art to Italy A Walk to Fiesole View of Val d'Arno Ancient Roman Theatre Etruscan Walls The Tombs of Santa Croce The Pitti Palace Titian's " Bella" The Ma- donna della Sedia Michael Angelo's "Fates" The Boboli Gardens Royal and Republican Children. FLORENCE, September, 1845. ON the day after our arrival here we met an American at the table d'hote of the Lione Bianco, who was kind enough to assist us in procuring rooms, and in twenty-four hours we were comfortably and permanently installed in Florence. We have taken three large and tolerably well furnished rooms in the house of Signer Lazzeri, a wealthy goldsmith, in the Via Vacchereccia, for which we pay ten scudi per month a scudo being a trifle more than an American dollar. This includes lights, and the attendance of servants, to whom, however, we are expected to give an occasional gratuity. We live at the Cajfe< and Trattnrie very readily for about twenty-five cents a day, so that our expenses will 352 VIEWS A-FOOT. not exceed twelve dollars a month, each. For our dinners at the Trattoria del Cacciatore we pay about fourteen cents, and are furnished with soup, three or four dishes of meat and vegetables, fruit and a bottle of wine ! These dinners are made exceedingly pleasant and cheerful by the society of several American artists whose acquaintance we have made. Another countryman, Mr. Tandy, of Kentucky, occupies a room in the same building with us, and will make ofir trio complete after the departure of rny cousin, who will leave shortly for Heidelberg. B and I are so charmed with the place and the beautiful Tuscan dialect, that we shall endeavor to spend three or four months here and master the language, before proceeding further. Our first walk in Florence was to the Royal Gallery. Crossing the neighboring Piazza del Granduca, we passed Michael Angelo's colossal statue of David, and an open gal- lery containing, besides some antiques, the master-piece of John of Bologna. The palace of the Ujfizii, fronting on the Arno, extends along both sides of an avenue running back to the Palazzo Vecchio. We entered the portico which passes around under the great building, and after ascending three or four flights of steps, came into a long hall, filled with paintings and ancient statuary. Towards the end of this, a door opened into the Tribune that celebrated room, unsurpassed by any in the world for the number and value of the gems it contains. I pushed aside a crimson curtain and stood in the presence of the Venus de Medici. It may be considered heresy, but I confess I did not go into raptures, nor at first perceive any traces of superhuman beauty. The predominant feeling was satisfaction ; the eye TITIAN AND RAPHAEL. 353 dwells on its exquisite outline with a gratified sense, that nothing is wanting to render it perfect. It is the ideal of a woman's form a faultless standard by which all beauty may he measured, but without marked expression, except in the modest and graceful position of the limbs. The face, though regular, is not handsome, and the body appears small, being but fire feet in height, which, I think, is a little below the average stature of women. On each side, as if to heighten its elegance by contrast with rude and vigorous nature, are the statues of the Wrestlers, and the slave listening to the conspiracy of Catiline, called also The Whetter. As if to correspond with the value of the works it holds, the Tribune is paved with precious marbles and the ceiling studded with polished mother-of-pearl. A dim and subdued light fills the hall, and throws over the mind that half- dreamy tone necessary to the full enjoyment of such objects. On each side of the Venus de Medici hangs a Venus by Titian, the size of life, and painted in that rich and gorgeous style of coloring which has been so often and vainly attempt- ed since his time. Here also are six of Raphael's best pre- served paintings. I prefer the " St. John in the Desert" to auy other picture in the Tribune. His glorious form, in the fair proportions of ripening boyhood the grace of his atti- tude, with the arm lifted eloquently on high the divine inspiration which illumines his young features chain the step irresistibly before it. It is one of those triumphs of the pencil which few but Raphael have accomplished. The " Drunken Bacchus" of Michael Angelo is greatly admired, and indeed it might pass for a relic of the palmiest times of Grecian art. The face, amidst its half-vacant, 854 VIEWS A-FOOT. sensual expression, shows traces of its immortal origin, and there is still an a : r of dignity preserved in the swagger of his beautiful form. At one end of the gallery is a fine copy in marble of the Laocoon, by Bandinelli, one of the rivals of Michael Angelo. When it was finished, the former boast- ed it was better than the original, to which Michael made the apt reply : " It is foolish for those who walk in the foot- steps of others, to say they go before them !" Let us enter the hall of Niobe. One starts back on seeing the many figures in the attitude of flight, for they seem at first about to spring from their pedestals. At the head of the room stands the afflicted mother, bending over the youngest daughter, who clings to her knees, with an upturn- ed countenance of deep and imploring agony. In vain ! the shafts of Apollo fall thick, and she will soon be childless. No wonder the strength of that woe depicted on her counte- nance should change her into stone. One of her sons a beautiful, boyish form, is lying on his back, just expiring, with the chill languor of death creeping over his limbs. We seem to hear the quick whistling of the arrows, and look involuntarily into the air to see the hovering figure of the avenging god. In a chamber near is kept the head of a faun, made by Michael Angelo, at the age of fourteen, in the garden of Lorenzo de Medici, from a piece of marble given him by the workmen. Italy still remains the home of Art, and it is but just she should keep these treasures, though the age that brought them forth has passed away. They are her only support now ; her people are dependent for their subsistence on the glory of the Past. The spirits of the old painters, living VALUK OK AIM 1 TO ITAI.V. 355 still on their canvas, earn from year to year the bread of an indigent and oppressed people. This ought to silence those utilitarians at home, who oppose the cultivation of the fine arts, on the ground of their being useless luxuries. Let them look to Italy, where a picture by Raphael or Correggio is a rich legacy for a whole city. Nothing is useless that gratifies that perception of Beauty, which is at once the most delicate and the most intense of our mental sensations, bind- ing us by an unconscious link nearer to nature and to Him, whose every thought is born of Beauty, Truth and Love. I envy not the man who looks with a cold and indifferent spirit on these immortal creations of the old masters these poems written in marble and on the canvas. They who oppose every thing which can refine and spiritualize the nature of man, by binding him down to the cares of the work-day world alone, cheat life of half its glory. The sky was clear and blue, as it always is in this Italian paradise, when we left Florence a few days ago for Fiesole. We passed the Porta San Gallo, with its triumphal arch to the Emperor Francis, striding the road to Bologna, and took the way to Fiesole along the dried-up bed of a mountain torrent. The dwellings of the Florentine nobility occupy the whole slope, surrounded with rich and lovely gardens. The mountain and plain are covered with luxuriant olive or- chards, whose foliage of silver gray gives the scene the look of a moonlight landscape. At the base of the mountain of Fiesole we passed one of the summer palaces of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and a little distance beyond, took a foot-path overshadowed by magnificent cypresses, between whose 356 VJKWS A dark trunks we looked down on the lovely Val d'Arno. But I will reserve all description of the view until we arrive a/ the summit. The modern village of Fiesole occupies the site of an ancient city, generally supposed to be of Etrurian origin. Just above, on one of the peaks of the mountain, stands the Acropolis, formerly used as a fortress, but now untenanted save by a few monks. From its walls, beneath the shade of a few cypresses, there is a magnificent view of the whole of Val d'Arno, with Florence the gem of Italy in the cen- tre. Stand with me a moment on the height, and let us gaze on this grand panorama, around which the Apennines stretch with a majestic sweep, wrapped in a robe of purple air, through which shimmer the villas and villages on their sides ! The lovely vale lies below us in its garb of olive groves, among which beautiful villas are sprinkled as plentifully as white anemones in the woods of May. Florence is in front of us, the magnificent cupola of the Duomo crowning its clustered palaces. We see the airy tower of the Palazzo Vecchio the new spire of Santa Croce and the long front of the Palazzo Pitti, with the dark foliage of the Boboli Gardens behind. Beyond, far to the south, are the summits of the mountains near Siena. We can trace the sandy bed of the Arno down the valley until it disappears at the foot of the Lower Appenines, which mingle in the distance with the mountains of Carrara. Galileo was wont to make observations " at evening from the top of Fiesole," and the square tower of the old church IB still pointed out as the spot. Many a p;glit did he ascend ANCIKNT KO.MAN THKATRE. 357 to its projecting terrace, and watch the stars as they rolled around through the clearest heaven to which a philosopher ever looked up. We passed through an orchard of fig trees, and vines laden with beautiful purple and golden clusters, and in a few minutes reached the remains of an amphitheatre, in a little nook on the mountain side. This was a work of Roman construction, as its form indicates. Three or four ranges of seats alone are laid bare, and these have only been dis- covered within a few years. A few steps further we came to a sort of cavern, overhung with wild fig-trees. After creeping in at the entrance, we found ourselves in an oval chamber, tall enough to admit of our standing upright, aijd rudely but very strongly built. This was one of the dens in which the wild beasts were kept ; they were fed by a hole in the top, now closed up. This cell communicates with four or five others, by apertures broken in the walls. I stepped into one, and could see in the dim light, that it was exactly similar to the first, and opened into another beyond. Further down the mountain we found the ancient wall of the city, without doubt of Etrurian origin. It is of immense blocks of stone, and extends more or less dilapidated around the whole brow of the mountain. In one place there stands a solitary gateway, of large stones, which appears to have been one of the first attempts at using the principle of the arch. These ruins are all gray and ivied, and it startles one to think what a history the Earth has lived through, since their foundations were laid ! One of my first visits was to the church of Santa Croce. This is one of the oldest in Florence, venerated alike by 358 VIEWS A-FOOT. foreigners and citizens, for the illustrious dead whose remains it holds. It is a plain, gloomy pile, the front of which is still unfinished, though at the base one sees that it was originally designed to be covered with black marble. On entering the door we first saw the tomb of Michael Angelo. Around the marble sarcophagus which contains his ashes are three mourning figures, representing Sculpture, Painting, and Architecture, and his bust stands above a rough, stern countenance, like a man of vast but impatient mind. Further on are the tombs of Alfieri and Machiavelli, and the colossal cenotaph lately erected to Dante. Opposite reposes Galileo. What a world of renown in these few names ! It makes one venerate the majesty of his race, to stand beside the dust of such lofty spirits. In that part of the city, which lies on the south bank of the Arno. is the palace of the Grand Duke, known by the name of the Palazzo Pitti, from a Florentine noble of that name, by whom it was first built. It is a very large, impos- ing pile, preserving an air of lightness in spite of the rough, heavy masonry. It is another example of a magnificent failure. The Marquis Strozzi, having built a palace which was universally admired for its beauty, (which stands yet, a model of chaste and massive elegance,) his rival, the Marquis Pitti, made the proud boast that he would build a palace, in the court-yard of which could be placed that of Strozzi. These are actually the dimensions of the court-yard ; but in building the palace, although he was liberally assisted by the Florentine people, he ruined himself, and his magnificent residence passed into other hands, while that of Strozzi i inhabited by his descendants to this very day. GALLERY OF THE P1TTI PALACB. 359 The gallery of the Palazzo Pitti is one of the finest in Europe. It contains six or seven hundred paintings, select- ed from the best works of the Italian masters. By the praiseworthy liberality of the Duke, they are open to the public, six hours every day, and the rooms are thronged with artists of all nations. Among Titian's works, there is his celebrated " Bella," a half-length figure of a young wo- man. It is a masterpiece of warm and brilliant coloring, without any decided expression. The countenance is that of vague, undefined thought, as of one who knew as yet nothing of the realities of life. In another room is his Magdalen, a large, voluptuous form, with her brown hair falling like a veil over her shoulders and breast, but in her upturned countenance one can sooner read a prayer for an absent lover than repentance for sins she has com- mitted. What could excel in beauty the Madonna delta Sedia of Raphael ? It is another of those works of that divine artist, on which we gaze and gaze with a never-satisfied enjoyment of its angelic loveliness. Like his unrivalled Madonna in the Dresden Gallery, its beauty is spiritual as well as earthly ; and while gazing on the glorious countenance of the Jesus- child, I feel an impulse I can scarcely explain a longing to tear it from the canvas as if it were a breathing fonn, and clasp it to my heart in a glow of passionate love. There is a small group of the " Fates," by Michael Angelo, which is one of the best of the few pictures that remain of him. As is well known, he disliked the art, saying it was only fit for women. This picture shows, however, how much he might have done for it, had he been so inclined. The 360 VIKW.S A-FOOt. three weird sisters are ghostly and awful the further one holding the distaff, almost frightful. She who stands ready to cut the thread as it is spun out, has a slight trace of pity on her fixed and unearthly lineaments. It is a faithful embodi- ment of the old Greek idea of the Fates. I have wondered why some artist has not attempted the subject in a different way. In the Northern Mythology they are represented as wild maidens, armed with swords and mounted on fiery cour- sers. Why might they not also be pictured as angels, with countenances of a sublime and mysterious beauty one all radiant with hope and promise of glory, and one with the token of a better future mingled with the sadness with which she severs the links of life ? Occupying all the hill back of the Pitti Palace, are the Boboli Gardens, three times a week the great resort of the Florentines. They are said to be the most beautiful gar- dens in Italy. Numberless paths, diverging from a magni- ficent amphitheatre in the old Roman style, opposite the court-yard, lead either in long flights of steps and ter- races, or gentle windings among beds sweet with roses, to the summit. Long avenues entirely arched and embowered with the thick foliage of the laurel, which here grows to a tree, stretch along the slopes or wind in the woods through thickets of the fragrant bay. Parterres, rich with flowers and shrubbery, alternate with delightful groves of the Italian pine, acacia, and the laurel-leaved oak ; and along the hill- side, gleaming among the foliage, are placed statues of marble, some of which are from the chisels of Michael Angelo and Bandinelli. In one part there is a little sheet of water, with an island of orange-trees in the centre, from ROYAL AND REPUBLICAN CHILDREN. 361 which a broad avenue of cypresses aud statues leads to the very summit of the hill. We often go there to watch the sun set over Florence and the vale of the Arno. The palace lies directly below, and a clump of pine trees on the hillside, that stand out in bold relief on the glowing sky, makes the foreground to one of the loveliest pictures this side of the Atlantic. I saw one afternoon the Grand Duke and his family get into their carriage to drive out. One of the little dukes, who seemed a mischievous imp, ran out on a projection of the portico, where considerable persuasion had to be used to induce him to jump into the arms of his royal papa. I turned from these titled infants to watch a group of beautiful American children playing, for my attention was drawn to them by the sound of familiar words, and I learned afterwards they were the children of the sculptor Powers. I contrasted involuntarily the destinies of each ; one to the enjoyment and proud energy of freedom, and one to the confining and vitiating atmosphere of a court. The merry voices of the latter, as they played on the grass, came to my ears most gratefully. There is nothing so sweet as to hear one's native tongue in a foreign land from the lips of children ! CHAPTER XXXIV. A PILGRIMAGE TO VALLOMBROBA. A Pilgrimage to Vallombrosa The Valley of the Arno Rain Tuscan Peasants Pellago Associations Climbing the Mountain Pastoral Scenery Monastic Wealth Arrival at Vallombrosa An Italian Panorama The Paradis.no An Escape from the Devil A Capture by the Devil The Chapel Milton in Italy- Departure from Vallombrosa Evening on the Mountain Side The Charm* oi Italy. A PILGRIMAGE to Vallombrosa ! in sooth it has a romantic sound. The phrase calls up images of rosaries, and crosses, and shaven-headed friars. Had we lived in the olden days, such things might verily have accompanied our journey to that holy monastery. We might then have gone barefoot, snying prayers as we toiled along the hanks of the Arno and up the steep Appenines, as did Benvenuto Cellini, be- fore he poured the melted bronze into the mould of his immortal Perseus. But we are pilgrims to the shrines of Art and Genius; the dwelling-places of great minds are our sanctuaries. The moan dwelling, in which a poet has bat- Ted down poverty with the ecstasy of his lofty conceptions, anl t'..3 dungeon in wl.ich a persecuted philosopher has THE VALLEY OK TllK ARXO. 363 languished, are to us sacred ; we turn aside from the palaces of kings and the battle-fields of conquerors, to visit them. The famed miracles of San Giovanni Gualberto added little, in our eyes, to the interest of Vallombrosa, but there was reverence and inspiration in the names of Dante, Milton, and Ariosto. We left Florence early, taking the way that leads from the Porta della Croce, up the north bank of the Arno. It was a bright morning, but there was a shade of vapor on the hills, which a practised eye might have taken as a prognostic of the rain that too soon came on. Fiesole, with its tower and Acropolis, stood out brightly from the blue background, and the hill of San Miniato lay with its cypress groves in the softest morning light. The Contadini were driving into the city in their basket wagons, and there were some fair young faces among them, which made us think that Italian beauty is not altogether in the imagination. After walking three or four miles, we entered the Appe- nines, keeping along the bank of the Arno, whose bed is more than half dried up from the long summer heats. The mountain sides were covered with vineyards, glowing with their wealth of white and purple grapes, but the summits wore, naked and barren. We passed through the little town of Ponte Sieve, at the entrance of a romantic valley, where our .view of the Arno was made more interesting by tho lofty range of the Appenines, amid whose forests we could sec the white front of the monastery of Vallombrosa. But the clouds sank low and hid it from sight, and the rain came on so hard that we were obliged to take shelter occasionally in tlie. cottages l>y tlie wayside. In one of these we made 364 VIKWS A-FOOT. a dinner of the hard, black hread of the country, rendered palatable by the addition of mountain cheese and some chips of an antique Bologna sausage. We were much amused in conversing with the simple hosts and their shy, gipsy -like children, one of whom, a dark-eyed, curly -haired boy, bore the name of Raphael. We also became acquainted with a shoemaker and his family, who owned a little olive orchard and vineyard, which they said produced enough to support them. Wishing to know how much a family of six consum- ed in a year, we inquired the yield of their property. They answered, twenty small barrels of wine, and ten of oil. It was nearly sunset when we reached Pellago, and the wet walk and coarse fare we were obliged to take on the road, well qualified us to enjoy the excellent supper the pleasant landlady gave us. This little town is among the Appenines, at the foot of the magnificent mountain of Vallombrosa. What a blessing it was for Milton, that he saw its loveliness before his eyes closed on this beautiful earth, and gained from it another hue in which to dip his pencil, when he painted the bliss of Eden ! I watched the hills all day as we approached them, and thought how often his eyes had rested on their out- lines, and how he had carried their forms in his memory for many a sunless year. The banished Dante, too, had trod den them, flying from his ungrateful country ; and man} another, whose genius has made him a beacon in the dark sea of the world's history. It is one of those places where the enjoyment is all romance, and the blood thrills as we gaze upon it. Wo started early next morning, crowed the ravine, and PASTORAL SCENERY. 365 took the well-paved way to the monastery along the moun- tain side. The stones are worn smooth by the sleds in which ladies and provisions are conveyed up, drawn by the beautiful white Tuscan oxen. The hills are covered with luxuriant chestnut and oak trees, of those picturesque forms which they only wear in Italy : one wild dell in particular is much resorted to by painters for the ready-made fore- giounds it supplies. Further on, we passed the Puterno, a rich farm belonging to the Monks. The vines which hung from tree to tree, were almost breaking beneath clusters as heavy and rich as those which the children of Israel bore on staves from the Promised Land. Of their flavor, we can say, from experience, they were worthy to have grown in Paradise. We then entered a deep dell of the mountain, where little shepherd girls were sitting on the rocks tending their sheep and spinning with their fingers from a distaff, in the same manner, doubtless, as the Roman shepherdesses two thousand years ago. Gnarled, gray olive trees, centu- ries old, grew upon the bare soil, and a little rill fell in many a tiny cataract down the glen. By a mill, in one of the coolest and wildest nooks I ever saw, two of us acted the part of water-sprites under one of these, to the great astonishment of four peasants who watched us from a dis- tance. Beyond, our road led through forests of chestnut and oak, and a broad view of mountain and vale lay below us. We asked a peasant boy we met, how much land the Monks of Vallombrosa possessed. " All that you see !" was the re- ply. The dominion of the good fathers reached once even to the gates of Florence. At length, about noon, \\ e eim-i^ed 366 VIKWS A-FOOT. from the woods into a broad avenue leading across a lawn, at the extremity of which stood the massive buildings of the monastery. On a rock that towered above it, was the Paradi&ino, beyond which rose the mountain, covered with forests " Shade above shade, a woody theatre Of stateliest view." We were met at the entrance by a young monk in cowl and cassock, to whom we applied for permission to stay until the next day, which was immediately given. Brother Pla- cido (for that was his name) then asked us if we would not have dinner. We replied that our appetites were none the worse for climbing the mountain ; and in half an hour sat down to a dinner, the like of which we had not seen for a long time. Verily, thought I, it must be a pleasant thing to be a monk, after all ! that is, a monk of Vallombrosa. In the afternoon we walked through a grand pine forest to the western brow of the mountain, where a view opened which it would require a wonderful power of the imagina- tion for the reader to see in fancy, as I did in reality. From the height where we stood, the view was uninterrupted to the Mediterranean, a distance of more than seventy miles ; a valley watered by a branch of the Arno swept far to the east, to the mountains near the lake of Thrasymene ; north-* westwards the hills of Carrara bordered the horizon ; and the space between these wide points was filled with moun- tains and valleys, all steeped in that soft, blue mist which makes Italian landscapes more like heavenly visions than realities. Florence was visible afar off, and the current of AN ESCAPE FKOM THE DEVIL. 367 the Arno flashed in the sun. A cool and almost chilling wind blew constantly over the mountain, although the country below basked in summer heat. We lay on the rocks, and let our souls luxuriate in the lovely scene until near sunset. Brother Placido brought us supper in the evening, with his ever-smiling countenance, and we soon after went to our beds in the neat, plain chambers, to get rid of the unpleasant coldness. Next morning it was damp and misty, and thick clouds rolled down the forests towards the convent. I set out for- the "Little Paradise," taking in my way the pretty cascade which falls some fifty feet down the rocks. The building is not now as it was when Milton lived there, having been rebuilt within a short time. I found no one there, and satisfied my curiosity by climbing over the wall and looking in at the windows. A little chapel stands in the cleft of the rock below, to mark the miraculous escape of St. John Gualberto, founder of the monastery. Being one day very closely pursued by the Devil, he took shelter under the rock, which immediately became soft and admitted him into it, while the fiend, unable to stop, was precipitated over the steep. All this is related in a Latin inscription, and we saw a large hollow in the rock near, which must have been intended for the imprint left by his sacred person. One of the monks told us another legend, concerning a little chapel which stands alone on a wild part of the mountain, above a rough pile of crags, called the " Peak of the Devil." " In the time of San Giovanni Gualberto, the holy founder of our order," said he, " there was a young man, of a noble family in Florence, who was so moved by 368 VIEWS A-FOOT. the words of the saintly father, that he forsook the world, wherein he had lived with great luxury and dissipation, and hecame monk. But, after a time, being young and tempted again by the pleasures he had renounced, he put off the sacred garments. The holy San Giovanni warned him of the terrible danger in which he stood ; and at length the wicked young man returned. It was not a great while, however, before he became dissatisfied, and in spite of all holy counsel, did the same thing. But behold what hap- pened ! As he was walking along the peak where the chapel stands, thinking nothing of his great crime, the dcviJ sprang suddenly from behind a rock, and catching the young man in his arms, before he could escape, carried him with a dreadful noise and a great red flame and smoke over the precipice, so that he was never afterwards seen." The church attached to the monastery is small, but very solemn and venerable. I went several times to muse in its still, gloomy aisle, and hear the murmuring chalit of the monks, who went through their exercises in some of the chapels. At one time I saw them all, in long, black cas- socks, march in solemn order to the chapel of St. John Gualberto, where they sang a deep chant, which to me had something awful and sepulchral in it. Behind the high altar I saw their black, carved chairs of polished oak, with pon- derous gilded foliants lying on the rails before them. The attendant opened one of these, that we might see the manu- script notes, three or four centuries old, from which they sang. We were much amused in looking through two or three Italian books, which were lying in the travellers' room. One of these which our friend, Mr. Tan'dy, read, described the MILTON IN ITALV. 369 miracles of the patron saint with an air of the most ridicu- lous solemnity. The other was a description of the Monas- tery, its foundation, history, etc. In mentioning its great and far-spread renown, the author stated that even an Eng lisli poet, by the name of Milton, had mentioned it in the following lines, which I copied verbatim from the book : "Thick as autumnal scares that strow she brooks In vallombrosa, whereth Etruian Jades Stigh over orch d'embroverl" We were so delighted with the place that we would have stayed .another day, but for fear of trespassing too much on the lavish and unceasing hospitality of the good fathers. So in the afternoon wo shook hands with Brother Placido, and turned our backs regretfully upon one of the loneliest and loveliest spots of which earth can boast. The sky became gradually clear as we descended, and the mist raised itself from the distant mountains. We ran down through the same chestnut groves, diverging a little to visit the village of Tosi, which is very picturesque when seen from a distance, but extremely dirty to one passing through. I stopped in the ravine below to take a sketch of the mill and bridge, and as we sat, the line of golden sunlight rose higher on the moun- tains above. On walking down the shady side of this glen, we were enraptured with the scenery. A brilliant yet mel- low glow lay over the whole opposing height, lighting up the houses of Tosi and the white cottages, half seen among the olives, while the mountain of Vallombrosa stretched far heavenward like a sunny painting, with only a misty wreath floating and waving around its summit. The glossy foliage of the chestnuts Avas made still brighter by the warm light, 10* 370 VIKWS A FOOT. and the old olives softened down into a silvery gray, whos contrast gave the landscape a character of the mellowest beauty. As we wound out of the deep glen, the broad val- leys and ranges of the Appenines lay before us, forests, cas- tles, and villages steeped in the soft, vapory blue of the Ita- lian atmosphere, and the current of the Arno flashing like a golden belt through the middle of the picture. The sun was nearly down, and the mountains just below him were of a deep purple hue, while those that ran out to the eastward wore the most aerial shade of blue. A few scattered clouds, floating above, soon put on the sunset robe of orange, and a band of the same soft color encircled the western horizon. It did not reach half way to the zenith, however ; the sky above was blue, of such a depth and transparency, that to gaze above was like looking into eternity. Then how softly and soothingly the twilight came on ! How deep a hush sank on the chestnut glades, broken only by the song of the cicada, chirping its good-night carol ! The mountains, too, how majestic they stood in their deep purple outlines ! Sweet, sweet Italy ! I can feel now how the soul may cling to thee, since thou canst thus gratify its insatiable thirst for the Beautiful. Even thy plainest scene is clothed in hues that seem borrowed of heaven ! In the twilight, more radiant than light, and the stillness, more elo- quent than music, which sink down over the sunny beauty of thy shores, there is a silent, intense poetry that stirs the soul through all its impassioned depths. With warm, bliss- ful tears filling the eyes and a heart overflowing with its own happy fancies, I wander in the solitude and calm of such a time, and love thee as if I were a child of thy soil ! CHAPTER XXXV. FLORENCE EXCURSIONS AND INCIDENTS A Walk to Siena The landlady The Inn at Querciola Biena and Its Cathedral- Parting from F The Grapes of Italy The Dome of the Duomo Climbing In the Dark A Cathedral Scene Walk to Pratollno The Vintage The Colossus of the Appenines The Grand Duke's Farm Degeneracy of the Modern Italians The Joy of Travel The Races at the Cascine The Holy Places of Florence The Anatomical Museum American Artists in Florence Progress of American Art Brown Kelloge: Greenough Ives Mozler Powers The Statue of Eve The Fisher Boy Ibraham Pasha in Florence Tuscan Winter Galileo's Tower Our Financial Experiences Relief The Memory of Pleasure and Privation An Inci- dent Boat Voyage on the Arno Amateur Starvation The Ascent of MonU Morello The Chapel of the Medici A Farewell Meditation. FLORENCE, October 22, 1845. TOWARDS the end of September, my cousin, who was anxious to reach Heidelberg before the commencement of the winter term of the University, left Florence on foot for Rome, whence he intended returning to Genoa by way of Civita Vecchia. We accompanied him as far as Siena, forty miles from here, and then returned to our old quarters and the company of our friend, Mr. Tandy. The excursion was very pleasant, and the more interesting because B and 3*72 VIEWS A-FOOT. I intend taking the mountain road to Rome by way of Perugia. We dined the first day seventeen miles from Florence, at Tavenella, where, for a meagre dinner, the hostess had the assurance to ask us seven pauls. We told her we would give but four and a half, and by assuming a decided manner, with a respectful use of the word " Signora" she was per- suaded to be fully satisfied with the latter sum. From a height near, we could see the mountains coasting the Medi- terranean, and shortly after, on descending a long hill, the little town of Poggibonsi lay in the warm afternoon light, on an eminence before us. It was soon passed with its dusky towers, then Stagia looking desolate in its ruined and ivied walls, and following the advice of a peasant, we stopped for the night at the inn of Querciola. As we knew something of Italian by this time, we thought it best to inquire the price of lodging, before entering. The padrone asked if we meant to take supper also. We answered in the affirmative ; " then," said he, " you will pay half a paul (about five cents) apiece for a bed." We passed under the swinging bunch of boughs, which in Italy is the universal sign of an inn for the common people, and entered the bare, smoky room appropriated to travellers. A long table, with well-worn benches, was the only furniture : we threw our knapsacks on one end of it and sat down, amusing ourselves, while supper was preparing, in looking at a number of grotesque charcoal drawings on the wail, which the flaring light of our tall iron lamp reveal- ed to us. At length the hostess, a kindly-looking woman, with a white handkerchief folded gracefully around her head, brought us a dish of fried eggs, which, with the coarse black SIENA AND ITS CATHEDRAL. 373 bread of the peasants and a basket full of rich grapes, made us an excellent supper. We slept on mattresses stuffed with corn-husks, placed on square iron frames, which are the bed- steads most used in Italy. A brightly -painted caricature of some saint, or rough crucifix, trimmed with bay -leaves, hung at the head of each bed, and under their devout protection we enjoyed a safe and unbroken slumber. Next morning we set out early to complete the remaining ten miles to Siena. The only thing of interest on the road, is the ruined wall and battlements of Castiglione, circling a high hill and looking as old as the days of Etruria. The towers of Siena are seen at some distance, but the traveller does not perceive its romantic situation until he arrives. It stands on a double hill, which is very steep on some sides ; the hollow between the two peaks is occupied by the great public square, ten or fifteen feet lower than the rest of the city. We left our knapsacks at a cafe and sought the cele- brated Cathedral, which stands in the highest part of the town, forming with its flat dome and lofty marble tower, an apex to the pyramidal mass of buildings. The interior is rich and elegantly perfect. The walls are alternate bands of black and white marble, which has a sin- gular but agreeable effect. The inside of the dome and the vaulted ceilings of the chapels, are of blue, with golden stars ; the pavement in the centre is so precious a work that it is kept covered with boards and only shown once a year. In an adjoining chamber, with frescoed walls and a beautiful tesselated pavement, is the library, consisting of a few huge old volumes, which, with their brown covers and brazen clasps, look as much like a collection of flat leather trunks 374 VIEWS A-FOOT. as any thing else. In the centre of the room stands tit* mutilated group of the Grecian Graces, found in digging the foundation of the Cathedral. The figures are still beautiful and graceful, with that exquisite curve of outline which is such a dharm in the antique statues Canova has only perfected the idea in his celebrated group, which is nearly a copy of this. We strolled through the square and then accompanied F to the Roman gate, where we took leave of him for six months at least. He felt lonely at the thought of walking in Italy without a companion, but was cheered by the antici- pation of soon reaching Rome. We watched him awhile, walking rapidly over the hot plain towards Radicofani, and then, turning our faces towards Florence, we commenced the return walk. I must not forget to mention the delicious grapes which we bought, begged and stole on the way. The whole country is a vineyard and the people live, in a great measure, on the fruit during this part of the year. Would the reader not think it highly romantic and agreeable to sit in the shade of a cypress grove, beside some old weather-beaten statues, looking out over the vales of the Appenines, with a pile of white and purple grapes beside him, the like of which can scarcely be had in America for love or money, and which had been given him by a dark- eyed peasant girl? If so, he may envy us, for such was exactly our situation on the morning before reaching Flo- rence. Being in the Duomo, two or three days ago, I met a Ger- man traveller, who has walked through Italy thus far, and intends continuing his journey to Rome and Naples. His THE DOME OF THE UUOMO. 375 name was Von Raumer. He was^well acquainted with the present state of America, and I derived much pleasure from his intelligent conversation. We concluded to ascend the cupola in company. Two black -robed boys led the way ; after climbing an infinite number of steps, we reached the gallery around the foot of the dome. The glorious view of that paradise, the vale of the Arno, shut in on all sides by mountains, some bare .and desolate, some covered with villas, gardens, and groves, lay in soft, hazy light, with the sha- dows of scattered clouds moving slowly across it. They next took us to a gallery on the inside of the dome, where we first saw the immensity of its structure. Only from a distant view, or in ascending it, can one really measure its grandeur. The frescoes, which from below appear the size of life, are found to be rough and monstrous daubs ; each figure being nearly as many fathoms in length as man is feet. Continuing our ascent, we mounted between the in- side and outside shells of the dome. It was indeed a bold idea for Brunelleschi to raise such a mass in air. The dome of St. Peter's, which is scarcely as large, was not made until a century after, and this was, therefore,, the first attempt at raising one on so grand a scale. There was a small door in one of the- projections of the lantern, which the sacristan told us to enter and ascend still higher. Supposing there was a fine view to be gained, two priests, who had just come xip, entered it ; the German fol- lowed, and I after him. After crawling in at the low door, we found ourselves in a hollow pillar, little wider than our bodies. Looking up, I saw the German's legs just above my head, while the other two were above him, ascending by 376 VIEWS A-FOOT. means of little iron bars fastened in the marble The priests were very much amused, and the German said : " This is the first time I ever learned chimney -sweeping !" We emerged at length into a hollow cone, hot and dark, with a rickety ladder going up somewhere ; we could not see where. The old priest not wishing to trust himself to it, sent his younger brother up, and we shouted after him : " What kind of a view have you ?" He climbed up until the cone got so narrow that he could go no further, and answered back in the darkness : "I see nothing at all!" Shortly after be came down, covered with dust and cobwebs, and we all descended the chimney quicker than we went up. The old priest considered it a good joke, and laughed till his fat sides shook. We asked the sacristan why he sent us up, and he answered : " To see the construction of the Church !" I attended service in the Cathedral one dark, rainy morn- ing, and was never before so deeply impressed with the majesty and grandeur of the mighty edifice. The thick, cloudy atmosphere darkened still more the light which came through the stained windows, and a solemn twilight reigned in the long aisles. The mighty dome sprang far aloft, as if it inclosed a part of heaven, for the light that struggled through the windows around its base, lay in broad bars on the blue, hazy air. I should not have been surprised at seeing a cloud float along within it. The lofty burst of the organ boomed echoing away through dome and nave, with a chiming, metallic vibration, shaking the massive pillars which it would defy an earthquake to rend. All was wrap- ped in dusky obscurity, except where, in the side-chapels, crowns of tapers were burning around the images. One THE COLOSSUS OF THE AfPENINES. 371 knows not which most to admire, the genius which could conceive, or the perseverance which could accomplish such a work. On one side of the square, the colossal statue of the architect, glorious old Brunelleschi, is most appropriately placed, looking up with pride at his performance. We lately made an excursion to Pratolino, on the Appe- nines, to see the vintage and the celebrated colossus, by John of Bologna. Leaving Florence in the morning, with a cool, fresh wind blowing down from the mountains, we began ascending by the road to Bologna. We passed Fiesole with its tower and acropolis on the right, ascending slowly, with the bold peak of one of the loftiest Appenines on our left. The abundant fruit of the olive was beginning to turn brown, and the grapes were all gathered in from the vine- yards, but we learned from a peasant-boy that the vintage was not finished at Pratolino. We finally arrived at an avenue shaded with sycamore. , leading to the royal park. The vintagers were busy in the fields around, xinloading the vines of their purple tribute, and many a laugh and jest among the merry peasants en- livened the toil. We assisted them in disposing of some fine clusters, and then sought the " Colossus of the Appenines." He stands above a little lake, at the head of a long moun tain-slope, broken with clumps of magnificent trees. This remarkable figure, the work of John of Bologna, impresses one like a relic of the Titans. He is represented as half- kneeling, supporting himself with one hand, while the other is pressed upon the head of a dolphin, from which a little stream falls into the lake. The height of the figure, when erect, would amount to more than sixty feet ! We measured 378 VIEWS A-FOOt. one of the feet, which is a single piece of rock about eight feet long ; from the ground to the top of one knee is nearly twenty feet. The limbs are formed of pieces of stone, joined toge- ther, and the body of stone and brick. His rough hair and eyebrows, and the beard, which reaches nearly to the ground, are formed of stalactites, taken from caves, and fastened together in a dripping and crusted mass. These hung also from his limbs and body, and gave him the appearance of Winter in his mail of icicles. By climbing up the rocks at his back, we entered his body, which contains a small-sized room ; it was even possible to ascend through his neck and look out at his ear ! The face is in keeping with the figure stern and grand, and the architect (one can hardly say sculptor) has given to it the majestic air and sublimity of the Appenines. But who could build up an image of the Alp ? We visited the factory on the estate, where wine and oil are made. The men had just brought in a cart-load of large v r ooden vessels, filled with grapes, which they were mashing with heavy wooden pestles. When the grapes were pretty well reduced to pulp and juice, they emptied them into an enormous tun, which they told us would be covered air-tight, and left for N three or four weeks, after which the wine would be drawn off at the bottom. They showed us also a great stone mill for grinding olives ; this estate of the Grand Duke produces five hundred barrels of wine and a hundred and fifty of oil, every year. The former article is the universal beverage of the laboring classes in Italy, or I might say, of all classes ; it is, however, the pure blood of the grape, and although used in such quantities, one sees little drunkenness far less than in our own land. ITALIAN MORALS. 379 Although this sweet climate, with its wealth of sunlight ami balmy airs, may enchant the traveller for awhile and make him wish at times that his whole life might be spent amid such scenes, it exercises a mot enervating influence on those who are born to its enjoyment. It relaxes mental and pliysic.il energy, and disposes body and mind to dreamy inactivity. The Italians, as a race, are indolent and effemi- nate. Of the moral dignity of human nature they have little conception. Those classes who are engaged in active occupation seem even destitute of common honesty, practis- ing all kinds of deceits in the most open manner and appa rently without the least shame. The state of morals is low- er than in any other country of Europe ; what little virtue exists is found among the peasants. Many of the most sacred obligations of society are universally violated, and as a natural consequence, the people are almost entire strangers to that domestic happiness, which constitutes the true enjoy- ment of life. This dark shadow in the moral atmosphere of Italy hangs like a curse on her beautiful soil, weakening the sympathies of citizens of freer lands with her fallen condition. No people can ever become truly great or free, who are not virtuous. If the soul aspires for liberty pure and perfect liberty it also aspires for everything that is noble in Truth, everything that is holy in Virtue. It is greatly to be feared that all those nervous and impatient efforts which have been made and are still being made by the Italian people to bet ter their condition, will be of little avail, until they set up a better standard of personal principle and improve the cha- racter of their lives. 380 VIEWS A-FOOT. I attended to-day the fall races at the Cascine. This is a dairy farm of the Grand Duke on the Arno, below the city ; part of it, shaded with magnificent trees, has been made into a public promenade and drive, which extends for three miles down the river. Towards the lower end, on a smooth green lawn, is the race-course. To-day was the last of the season, for which the best trials had been reserved. It was the very perfection of autumn temperature, and I do not remember to have ever seen so blue hills, so green meadows, so fresh air and so bright sunshine combined in one scene before. Travelling increases very much one's capacity for admira- tion. Every beautiful scene appears as beautiful as if it had been the first ; and ' although I may have seen a hundred times as lovely a combination of sky and landscape, the pleasure which it awakens is never diminished. This is one of the greatest blessings we enjoy the freshness and glory which Nature wears to our eyes for ever. It shows that the soul never grows old that the eye of age can take in the impression of beauty with the same enthusiastic joy which leaped through the heart of childhood. We found the crowd around the race-course but thin ; half the people there, and all the horses, appeared to be English. It was a good place to observe the beauty of Florence, which, however, may be seen in a short time, as there is not much of it. There is beauty in Italy, undoubt- edly, but it is either among the peasants or the higher ranks of the nobility. I will tell our American women confiden- tially, for I know they have too much sense to be vain of it that they surpass the rest of the world as much in beauty as they do in intelligence and virtue I saw in one of the RACES AT THE CASC1NE. 381 Carriages the wife of Alexander Dumas, the French author She is a large, fair-complexioned woman, and is now, from what cause I know not, living apart from her husband. The jockeys paced up and down the fields, preparing their beautiful animals for the approaching heat, and as the hour drew nigh the mounted dragoons busied themselves in clear- ing the space. It was a one-mile course, to the end of the lawn and back. At last the bugle sounded, and off went three steeds like arrows let fly. They passed us, their light limbs bounding over the turf, a beautiful dark-brown taking the lead. We leaned over the railing and watched them eagerly. The bell rang they reached the other end we saw them turn and come dashing back, nearer, nearer ; the crowd began to shout, and in a few seconds the brown one had won it by four or five lengths. The fortunate horse was led around in triumph, and I saw an English lady, remark- able for her betting propensities, come out from the crowd and kiss it in apparent delight. Florence is fast becoming modernized. The introduction of gas, and the construction of the railroad to Pisa, which is nearly completed, will make sad havoc with the air of poe- try which still lingers in its silent streets. There is scarcely a bridge, a tower, or a street, which is not haunted by some stirring association. In the Via San Felice, Raphael used to paint when a boy ; near the Ponte Santa Trinita stands Michael Angelo's house, with his pictures, clothes, and paint- ing implements, just as he left it three centuries ago ; on the south side of the Arno is the house of Galileo, and that of Machiavelli stands in an avenue near the Ducal Palace. While threading my way through some dark, crooked streets in 382 VIEWS A-FOOT. an unfrequented part of the city, I noticed an old untcnant ed house, bearing a marble tablet above the door. I drew near and read : " In this house of the Alighieri was born the Divine Poet !" It was the birth-place of Dante ! We lately visited the Florentine Museum. Besides the usual collection of objects of natural history, there is an anatomical cabinet, very celebrated for its preparations hi wax. All parts of the human frame are represented so wonderfully exact, that students of medicine pursue their studies here in summer with the same facility as from real subjects. Every bone, muscle, and nerve in the body is perfectly counterfeited, the whole forming a collection as curious as it is useful. One chamber is occupied with repre- sentations of the plague in Borne, Milan, and Florence. They are executed with horrible truth to nature, but I re- gretted afterwards having seen them. There are enough forms of beauty and delight in the world on which to em- ploy the eye, without making it familiar with scenes which can only be remembered with a shudder. We derive much pleasure from the society of the Ameri- can artists who are now residing in Florence. At the houses of Powers, and Brown, the painter, we spend many delightful evenings in the company of our gifted country men. They are drawn together by a kindred, social feeling, as well as by their mutual aims, and form among themselves a society so unrestrained, American-like, that the traveller who meets them forgets his exile for a time. These no- ble representatives of our country, all of whom possess the true, inborn spirit of republicanism, have made the Ame- rican name known and respected in Florence. Powers, AMERICAN ARTISTS IV FLORENCE. 883 especially, who is intimate with many of the principal Ita- lian families, is universally esteemed. The Grand Duke has more than once visited his studio and expressed the highest admiration of his talents. In Florence, and indeed through all Italy, there is much reason for our country to be proud of the high stand her artists are taking The sons of our rude western clime, brought up without other resources than their own genius and energy, now fairly rival those, who from their cradle upwards have drawn inspiration and ambition from the glo- rious masterpieces of the old painters and sculptors. Wherever our artists are known, they never fail to create a respect for American talent, and to dissipate the false notions respecting our cultivation and refinement, which prevail in Europe. There are now eight or ten of our painters and sculptors in Florence, some of whom, I do not hesitate to say, take the very first rank among living artists. I have been greatly delighted with the Italian landscapes of Mr. George L. Brown ; they have that golden mellow- ness and transparency of atmosphere which gives such a charm to the real scenes. He has wooed Nature like a lover, and she has not withheld her favors. Mr. Kellogg, who has just returned from the Orient, brought with him a rich harvest of studies, which he is now maturing on the canvas. His sketches are of great interest and value, and their re- sults will give him an enviable reputation. Greenough.who has been some time in Germany, returned lately to his stu- dio, where he has a colossal group in progress for the por- tico of the Capitol. It represents a backwoodsman just triumphing in the struggle with an Indian, and promises t 884 VIEWS A-FOOT be a very powerful and successful work. Mr. Ives, a young sculptor from Connecticut, has just completed the clay models of two works a boy with a dead bird, charmingly simple and natural, and a head of Jephthah's Daughter. There are several other young countrymen here, just com- mencing their studies, who show all that enthusiasm and ex- travagance, without which there is no success in Art. Mr. Mozier, an American gentleman, who has been resid- ing here for some time with his family, recently took a piece of clay for pastime, and to the astonishment of his friends, has now nearly completed an admirable bust of his little daughter. He has been so successful that he intends devot- ing himself to the art a devotion so rare, that it must surely meet with some return. Would it not be better for some scores of our nch mer- chants to lay out their money on statues and pictures, instead of balls and spendthrift sons ? A few such expendi- tures, properly directed, would do much for the advancement of the fine arts. An occasional golden blessing, bestowed on genius, might be returned to the giver, in the fame he had assisted in creating. There seems, however, to be at pres- ent a rapid increase in refined taste, and a better apprecia- tion of artistic talent in our country. And as an American, nothing has made me feel prouder than this, and the steadily increasing reputation of our artists. Of these, no one has done more within the last few years, than Powers. With a tireless and persevering energy, such as could have belonged to few but Americans, he has al- ready gained an imperishable name in his art. I cannot de- cribe the enjoyment I have derived from looking at hit THE " EVE " OF POWERS. 385 matchless works. I should hesitate in giving my own im- perfect judgment of their excellence, if I had not found it to coincide with that of many others who are better versed in the rules of art. When I read a notice seven or eight years ago, of the young sculptor of Cincinnati, whose busts exhibited so much evidence of genius, I little dreamed that I should meet him in Florence, with the experience of years of toil added to his early enthusiasm, and every day increas- ing his renown. The statue of Eve is in my opinion one of the finest works of modern times. So completely did the first view excite my surprise and delight, and thrill every feeling that awakes at the sight of the Beautiful, that my mind dwelt intensely on it for days afterwards. This is the Eve of Scripture the Eve of Milton mother of mankind and fairest of all her race. With the full and majestic beauty of ripened womanhood, she wears the purity of a world as yet unknown to sin. With the bearing of a queen, there is in her countenance the softness and grace of a tender, loving woman : " God-like erect, with native honor clad In naked majesty." She holds the fatal fruit extended in her hand, and her face expresses the struggle between conscience, dread, and desire. The serpent, whose coiled length under the leaves and flowers entirely surrounds her, thus forming a beautiful allegorical symbol, is watching her decision from an ivied trunk at her side. Powers has now nearly finished an exquisite figure of a fisher-boy, standing on the shore, with his net and rudder in 17 386 VIEWS A-FOOT. one hand, while with the other he holds a shell to his ear, and listens if it murmur to him of a gathering storm. His slight, boyish limbs are full of grace and delicacy you feel that the youthful frame could grow up into nothing less than an Apollo. Then the head how beautiful ! Slightly benf on one side, with the rim of the shell thrust under his locks lips gently parted, and the face wrought up to the most hushed and breathless expression, he listens whether the sound be deeper than its wont. It makes you hold your breath and listen, to look at it. Mrs. Jameson somewhere remarks, that repose or suspended motion should be always chosen for a statue that shall present a perfect, unbroken impression to the mind. If this be true, the enjoyment must be much more complete where not only the motion, but breath and thought are suspended, and all the faculties are wrought into one hushed and intense sensation. In gazing on this exquisite conception, I feel my admiration filled to the utmost, without that painful, aching impression, so often left by beautiful works. It glides into my vision like a form long missed from the gallery of beauty I am forming in my mind, and I gaze on it with an ever new and increasing delight. The other day I saw Ibrahim Pacha, the son of old Me- hemet Ali, driving in his carriage through the streets. lie is here on a visit from Lucca, where he has been spending some time on account of his health. He is a man of ap- parently fifty years of age ; his countenance wears a stern and almost savage look, very consistent with the character he bears and the political part he has played. He is rather portly in person, the pale olive of Ins complexion contrasting GALILEO'S TO\VI:K. 387 tstmngly with a beard perfectly white. In common with all his attendants, he wears the high red cap, picturesque blue jacket, and full trowsers of the Egyptians. There is scarcely a man of them whose face with its wild, oriental beauty, does not show to advantage among as civilizec and prosaic Christians. December 19, 1845. I took a walk lately to the tower of Galileo. In company with three friends, I left Florence by the Porto, Romana, and ascended the Poggie Intper'ale. This beautiful avenue, a mile and a quarter in length, leading up a gradual ascent to a villa of the Grand Duke, is bordered with splendid cypresses and evergreen oaks, and the grass banks are always fresh and green, so that even in winter it calls up a remembrance of summer. In fact, Winter does not wear the scowl here that he has at home ; he is robed rather in a threadbare garment of autumn, and it is only high up on the mountain tops, out of the reach of his enemy, the sun, that he dares to throw it off, and bluster about with his storms and scatter down his snow-flakes. The roses still bud and blo^n in the hedges, the emerald of the meadows is not a whit paler, the sun looks down lovingly as yet, and there are only the white helmets of some of the Appenines, with the leafless mulberries and vines, to tell us that we have changed seasons. A quarter of an hour's walk, part of it by a path through an olive orchard, brought us to the top of a hill, which was ;urmounted by a square, broken, ivied tower, forming part of 388 VIKWS A-FOOT. a storehouse for the produce of the estate. We entered, saluted by a dog, and passing through a court-yard, in which stood two or three carts full of brown olives, found our way to the rickety staircase. I spared my sentiment in going up, thinking the steps might have been renewed since, (Ja- lileo's time, but the glorious landscape which opened around us when we reached the top, time could not change, and I gazed upon it with interest and emotion, as my eye took in those forms which had once been mirrored in the philosopher's. Our Tuscan life is at last at an end. After a residence of nearly four months, we shall take leave of beautiful Florence to-morrow. Our departure has been somewhat delayed l>v the necessity of waiting for remittances from home. By the first of November, our means were entirely exhausted, Imt our friend, Mr. Tandy, generously shared his purse with us until the long-expected letters arrived. Finally, I received a draft for one hundred dollars, sixty of which were due to Mr. T., who, in his turn, was beginning to look anxiously for remittances, and had stinted himself for our sakes. B was out of money, and does not expect to get any more until we reach Paris, so that we had only forty dollars between us, for the journey to Rome and thence to Paris. We had already pushed economy to its furthest point, and it was evident that the thing was impossible. But it was equally impossible to give up our plan of travel. I finally went to Mr. Powers, who has treated me with the greatest kindness and hospitality during our residence hei'e, and asked him to lend me fifty dollars for two or three months. He complied with a readiness and cordiality which was most grateful, and relieved me of the painful embarrassment AK AMI->IM; KXI'KKIKNCK. 389 which I could not help feeling. We have now ninety dollars, which we are confident will carry us through. But Greece Greece is lost to us ! Oh for a hundred dollars, that I might see the Parthenon before I die ! My residence in Florence has been thoroughly happy and delightful, and I leave it with sincere regret. These priva- tions, and anxieties, and embarrassments, are forgotten the moment they are over, while the memory of pleasure re- mains as distinct as the reality. I know I shall hereafter find even a delight in thinking of the hardest of my experiences ; one of them is already sufficiently amusing, and may amuse the reader also. Mr. Tandy, as I said, shared his own means with us, after our own had failed, until what he had in Florence was nearly exhausted. His banker lived in Leghorn, and he determined to go there and draw for more, instead of having it sent through a corres- pondent. B decided to accompany him, and two young Englishmen, who had just arrived on foot from Geneva, joined the party. They resolved on making an adventure out of the expedition, and it was accordingly agreed that they should take one of the market-boats of the Arno, and sail down to Pisa, more than fifty miles distant, by the river. We paid one or two visits to the western gate of the city, where numbers of these craft always lie at anchor, and struck a bargain with a sturdy boatman, that he should take them for a scudo each. The hour of starting w r as nine o'clock in the evening, and I accompanied them to the starting-place. The boat had a slight canvas covering, and the crew consisted only of the owner and his son Antonio, a boy of ten. I shall not recount 390 VIEWS A-FOOT. their voyage all that night (which was so cold, that they tied each other up in the boatmen's meal-bags, around the neck,, and lay down in a heap on the ribbed bottom of the boat) nor their adventures in Pisa and Leghorn. They were to bo absent three or four days, and had left me money enough to live upon in the meantime, but the next morning our bill for washing came in, and consumed nearly the whole of it. 1 had about four crazie (three cents) a day left for my meals, and by spending one of these for bread, and the remainder for ripe figs, of which one crazie will purchase fifteen or twenty, and roasted chestnuts, I managed to make a diminu- tive breakfast and dinner, but was careful not to take much exercise, on account of the increase of hunger. As it hap- pened, my friends remained two days longer than I had ex- pected, and the last two crazie I had were expended for one day's provisions. I then decided to try the next day with- out anything, and actually felt a curiosity to know what one's sensations would be, on experiencing two or three days of starvation. I knew that if the feeling should become insup- portable, I could easily walk out to the mountain of Fiesole, where a fine fig orchard shades the old Roman amphitheatre. But the experiment was broken off in its commencement, by the arrival of the absent ones, in the middle of the following night. Such is the weakness of human nature, that on find, ing I should not want for breakfast, I arose from bed, and ate the two or three remaining figs which, by a strong exer- tion, I had saved from the scanty allowance of the day. I began to experience a powerful feeling of weakness and vacuity, and my breakfast the next day the most delicious meal I ever ate cost me at least ten cents ASCENT OF MONTR MORKLLO- 39) Whoever looks on the valley of the Arno from San Miniato, and observes the Appenine range, of which Fiesole is one, bounding it on the north, will immediately notice to the northwest a double peak rising high above all the others. The bare, brown forehead of this, known by the name of Monte MoreUo, seemed so provokingly to challenge an ascent, that we determined to try it. So we started early, a few days ago, from the Porta San Gallo, with nothing but the frosty grass and fresh air to remind us of the middle of December. Leaving the Prato road, at the base of the mountain, we passed Careggi, a favorite farm of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and entered a narrow glen where a little brook was brawling down its rocky channel. Here and there stood a rustic mill, near which women were busy spreading their washed clothes on the grass. Following the footpath, we ascended a long eminence to a chapel where some boys were amusing themselves with a common country game. They have a small wheel, around which they wind a rope, and, running a little distance to increase the velocity, let it off with a sudden jerk. On a level road it can be thrown upwards of a quarter of a mile. From the chapel, a gradual ascent along the ridge of a hill brought us to the foot of the peak, which rose high be- fore us, covered with bare rocks and stunted oaks. The wind blew coldly from a snowy range to the north, as we commenced ascending with a good will. A few shepherds were leading their flocks along the sides, to browse on the grass and withered bushes, and we started up a large hare occasionally from his leafy covert. The ascent was very toilsome ; I was obliged to stop frequently on account of the 392 VIEWS A-FOOT, painful throbbing of my heart, which made it difficult to breathe. When the summit was gained, we lay down awhile on the leeward side to cover ourselves. We looked on the great valley of the Arno, perhaps twenty -five miles long, and five or six broad, lying like a long elliptical basin sunk among the hills. I can liken it to nothing but a vast sea ; for a dense, blue mist covered the level surface, through which the domes of Florence rose up like a craggy island, while the thousands of scattered villas resembled ships, with spread sails, afloat on its surface. The sharp, cutting wind soon drove us down, with a few hundred bounds, to the path again. Three more hungry mortals did not dine at the Cticciatore that day. The chapel of the Medici, which we visited, is of wonder- ful beauty. The walls are entirely encrusted with pielra dura and the most precious kinds of marble. The ceiling is covered with gorgeous frescoes by Benevenuto, a modern painter. Around the sides, in magnificent sarcophagi of marble and jasper, repose the ashes of a few Cosmos and Ferdinands. I asked the sacristan for the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent. " Oh !" said he, " he lived during the Re- public he has no tomb; these are only for Dukes!" I could not repress a sigh at the lavish waste of labor and treasure on this one princely chapel. They might have slumbered unnoted, like Lorenzo, if they had done as much for their country and Italy. It is with a heavy heart, that I sit down to-night to make my closing note in this lovely city and in the journal which A FAREWELL MEDITATION. 393 has recorded my thoughts and impressions since leaving America. I should find it difficult to analyse my emotions, but I know that they oppress me painfully. So much rushes at once over the mind and heart memories of what has passed through both, since I made the first note in its pages alternations of hope and anxiety and aspiration, but never despondency that it resembles, in a manner, the closing of a life. I seem almost to have lived through the common term of a life in this short period. Much spiritual and mental ex- perience has crowded into a short time the sensations of years. Painful though some of it has been, it was still wel- come. Difficulty and toil give the soul strength to crush, in a loftier region, the passions which draw strength only from the earth. So long as we listen to the purer promptings within us, there is a Power invisible, though not unfelt, which protects us amid the toil and tumult and soiling straggle, there is ever an eye that watches, ever a heart that over- flows with Infinite and Almighty Love ! Let us trust tlu'ii in that Eternal Spirit, who pours out on us his warm and boundless blessings, through the channels of so many kin- dred human hearts ! CHAPTER XXXVI. WINTER TRAVELLING AMONG THE APPENINES. Departure from Florence Rain among the Appenines The Inn at Cneina Talk* with the Tuscan Peasants Central Italy Arezzo Italian Country Inns Engaging a Calesino Lake Thrasymene The Battle-field Night-Ride to Perugia Journey to Foligno Vale of the Clitumnus Our Fellow Passengers Spoleto and Monte Somnia Terni without the Cascade Narni Otricoli Travelling by Vetturino Soracte at Sunset Walking with the Dragoon The Campagna First Sight of St. Peter's Entering Rome The Pantheon by Starlight The Dragoon's Adieu Rome. ROME, December 28, 1845. WE left Florence on the 20th, while citizens and strangers were vainly striving to catch a glimpse of the Emperor of Russia. He is, from some cause, very shy of being seen, in his journeys from place to place, using the greatest art and diligence to prevent the time of his departure and arrival from being known. I waited some time in front of his hotel to see him drive out, and at that very time he was in the Pitti Palace, with the Grand Duke. The sky did not pro. raise much, as we set out ; and when we had entered the Appenines and taken a last look at the lovely valley behind us, and the great dome of the city where we had spent four THE INN AT CUCINA. 395 delightful months, it began to rain heavily. Determined to conquer the weather at the beginning, we kept on, although before many miles were passed, it became too penetrating to be agreeable. The mountains grew nearly black under the shadow of the clouds, and the storms swept drearily down their passes and defiles, until the scenery was more like the Hartz than Italy. We were obliged to stop at Pontf Sieve and dry our saturated garments : when, as the rain slackened somewhat, we rounded the foot of the mountain of Vallombrosa, above the swollen and noisy Arno, to the little village of Cucina. We entered the only inn in the place, followed by a crowd of wondering boys, for two such travellers had probably never been seen there. They made a blazing fire for us in the broad chimney, and after the police of the place had satis- fied themselves that we were not dangerous characters, they asked many questions about our country. I excited the sympathy of the women greatly in our behalf by telling them we had three thousand miles of sea between us and our homes. They exclaimed in the most sympathizing tones : " Pocerini ! so far to go ! three thousand miles of water !" The next morning we followed the right bank of the Arno. At Incisa, a large town on the river, the narrow pass broad- ens into a large and fertile plain, bordered on the north by the mountains. The snow storms were sweeping around their summits the whole day, and I thought of the desolate situation of the good monks who had so hospitably enter- tained us three months before. It was weary travelling ; but at Levane our fatigues were soon forgotten. Two or three 396 VIEWS A-FOOT. peasants were sitting at night beside the blazing fire, and we were amused to hear them talking about us. I overheard one asking another to converse with us awhile. " "NVhy should I speak to them ?" said he ; " they are not of our profession we are swineherds, and they do not care to talk with us." However, his curiosity prevailed at last, and we had a long conversation together. It seemed difficult for them to comprehend how there could be so much water to cross, without any land, before reaching our country. Find- ing we were going to Rome, I overheard one remark that we were pilgrims, which seemed to be the general supposition, as there are few foot-travellers in Italy. The people said to one another as we passed along the road : " They are making a journey of penance !" These peasants expressed themselves very well for persons of their station, but they were remarkably ignorant of every thing beyond their own olive orchards and vine fields. On leaving Levane, the morning gave a promise, and the sun winked at us once or twice through the broken clouds, witli a watery eye ; but our cup was not yet full. After crossing one or two shoulders of the range of hills, we de- scended to the great upland plain of Central Italy, watered by the sources of the Arno and the Tiber. The scenery is of a remarkable character. The hills appear to have been washed and swept by some mighty flood. They are worn into every shape pyramids, castles, towers standing deso- late and brown, in long ranges, like the ruins of mountains. The plain is scarred with deep gullies, adding to the look of decay which accords so well with the Cyclopean relics of the country. A storm of hail which rolled away before us, dig' ITALIAN COl'STRV INNS. 397 closed the city of Arezzo, OH a hill at the other end of the plain, its heavy cathedral crowning the pyramidal mass of buildings. Our first care was to find a good trattoria, for hunger spoke louder then sentiment, and then we sought the house where Petrarch was horn. A young priest show- ed it to us on the summit of the hill. It has not been changed since he lived in it. On leaving Florence, we determined to pursue the same plan as in Germany, of stopping in the inns frequented by the common people. They treated us here, as elsewhere, with great kindness and sympathy, and we were freed from the outrageous impositions practised at the greater hotels. They always built a large fire to dry us, after our day's walk in the rain, and placing chairs in the hearth, which was raised several feet above the floor, stationed us there, like the giants Gog and Magog, while the children, assembled below, gazed up at our elevated greatness. They even invited us to share their simple meals with them, and it was amusing to hear their good-hearted exclamations of pity at finding we were so far from home. We slept in the great beds (for the most of the Italian beds are calculated for a man, wife, and four children !) without fear of being assas- sinated, and only met with banditti in dreams. This is a very unfavorable time of the year for foot-travel- ling, as we found before the close of the third day. We walked until noon over the Val di Chiana to Gamuscia, the 1 ist post-station in the Tuscan dominions. On a mountain near it is the city of Cortona, still inclosed within its Cyclo- pean walls, built long before the foundation of Rome. Here our patience gave way, melted down by the unremitting 398 VIEWS A-FOOT. rains, and while eating dinner we made a bargain for a vehicle to take us to Perugia. We gave a little more than half of what the vetturino demanded, which was still an exorbitant price two scudi each for a ride of thirty miles. In a short time we were called to take our seats. I be- held with consternation a rickety, uncovered, two-wheeled vehicle, to which a single lean horse was attached. " What !" said I : "is that the carriage you promised ? " " You bar- gained for a calesino" said he, " and there it is ! " adding, moreover, that there was nothing else in the place So we clambered up, thrust our feet among the hay, and the machine rolled off with a kind of saw-mill motion, at the rate of five miles an hour. Soon after, in ascending the mountain of the Spelunca, a sheet of blue water was re- vealed below us the lake of Thrasymene ! From the emi- nence around which we drove, we looked on the whole of its broad surface and the mountains which encompass it. It is a magnificent sheet of water, in size and shape somewhat like New York Bay. While our calesino was stopped at the papal custom-house, I gazed on the memorable field below us. A crescent plain, between the mountain and the lake, was the arena where two mighty empires met in com- bat. The place seems marked by nature for the scene of some great event. I experienced a thrilling emotion, such as no battle plain has excited, since, when a schoolboy, I rambled over the field of Brandy wine. I looked through the long arcades of patriarchal olives, and tried to cover the field with the shadows of the Roman and Carthaginian myriads. I recalled the shock of meeting legions, the clash of swords and bucklers, and the waving of standards amid A NIGHT-RIDE IN THE RAIN. 399 the dust of battle, while stood on the mountain amphi- theatre, trembling and invisible, the protecting deities of Rome. We rode over the plain, passed through the dark old town of Passignano, built on a rocky point by the lake, and dashed along the shore. A dark, stormy sky bent over us, and the roused waves broke in foam on the rocks. The winds whistled among the bare oak boughs, and shook the olives until they twinkled all over. The vetturino whipped our old horse into a gallop, and we were borne on in unison with the scene, which would have answered for one of Hoff- man's wildest stories. Ascending a long hill, we took a last look in the dusk at Thrasymene, and continued our journey among the Ap- penines. The vetturino was to have changed horses at Magione, thirteen miles from Peiagia, but there were none to be had, and our poor beast was obliged to perform the whole journey without rest or food. It grew very dark, and a storm, with thunder and lightning, swept among the hills. The clouds were of pitchy darkness, and we could see nothing beyond the road, except the lights of peasant- cottages trembling through the gloom. Now and then a flash of lightning revealed the black masses of the mountains, on which the solid sky seemed to rest. The wind and cold rain swept wailing past us, as if an evil spirit were abroad on the darkness. Three hours of such nocturnal travel brought us to Perugia, wet and chilly, as well as our driver, but I pitied the poor horse more than him. When we looked out the window, on awaking, the clustered house-tops of the city, and the summits of the 400 VIEWS A-FOOT. mountains near, were covered with snow. As the rain con- tinued, we left for Foligno the next morning, in a close but covered vehicle, and descending the mountain, crossed the muddy and rapid Tiber in the valley below. All day \v<> rode slowly among the hills ; where the ascent was steep, two or four large oxen were hitched before the horses. 1 saw little of the scenery, for our Italian companions would not bear the windows open. Once, when we stopped, I got out and found we were in the region of snow, at the foot of a stormy peak, which towered sublimely above. At dusk, we entered Foliguo, and were driven to the " Croce Bianca" glad to be thirty miles further on our way 10 Rome. After some discussion with a vetturino, who was to leave next morning, we made a contract with him for the re- mainder of the journey, for the rain, which fell in torrents, forbade all thought of pedestrianism. At five o'clock we rattled out of the gate, and drove by the waning moon and morning starlight, down the vale of the Clitumnus As the dawn stole on I watched eagerly the features of the scene. Instead of a narrow glen, as my fancy had pictured, we were in a valley, several miles broad, covered with rich orchards and fertile fields. A glorious range of mountains bordered it on the north, resembling Alps in their winter garments. A rosy flush stole over the snow, which kindled with the growing morn. The Clitumnus, beside us, was the purest of streams. The heavy rains which had fallen, had not soiled in the least its limpid crystal. When it grew light enough, I looked at our companions for the three days' journey. The two other inside seats *ere occupied by a tradesman of Trieste, with his wife and 8POLETO AND MONTE SOMMA. 401 child ; an old soldier, and a young dragoon going to visit his parents after seven years' absence, occupied the front seat Persons travelling together in a carriage are not long in becoming acquainted close companionship soon breed? familiarity. Before night, I had made a fast friend of the young soldier, learned to bear the perverse humor of the child with as much patience as its father, and even drawn looks of grim kindness from tne crusty old vetturino. Our mid-day resting-place was Spoleto. As there were two bours given us, we took a ramble through the city, visited the ruins of its Roman theatre, and saw the gate erected to commemorate the victory gained here over Han- nibal, which stopped his triumphal march towards Rome. A great part of the afternoon was spent in ascending the denies of Monte Somma, the highest pass on the road between Ancona and Rome. Assisted by two yoke of oxen we slowly toiled up through the snow, the mountains on both sides covered with thickets of box and evergreen oaks, among whose leafy screens the banditti hide themselves. It is not considered dangerous at present, but as the dragoons who used to patrol this pass have been sent off to Bologna, to keep down the rebellion, the robbers will probably return to their old haunts again. We saw many suspicious looking coverts, where they might have hidden. We slept at Terni and did not see the falls not exactly on Wordsworth's principle of leaving Yarrow unvisited, but because, under the circumstances, it was impossible. The vetturino did not arrive there until after dark ; he was to leave before dawn; the distance was five miles, and the roads very bad. Besides, we had seen falls quite as grand, 402 VIEWS A-FOOT. which needed only a Byron to make them as renowned we had heen told that those of Tivoli, which we shall see, were equally fine. The Velino, which we crossed near Terni, was not a large stream in short, we sought as many reasons as possible, why the falls need not be seen. Leaving Terni before day, we drove up the long vale towards NarnL The roads were frozen hard; the ascent becoming more difficult, the vetturino was obliged to stop at a farm-house and get another pair of horses, with which, and a handsome young contadino as- postillion, we reached Narni in a short time. In climbing the hill, we had a view of the whole valley of Terni, shut in on all sides by snow- crested Appenines, and threaded by the Nar. At Otricoli, while dinner was preparing, I walked around the crumbling battlements to look down into the valley and trace the far windings of the Tiber. In rambling through the crooked streets, we saw everywhere the remains of the splendor which this place boasted in the days of Rome. Fragments of fluted pillars stood here and there in the streets ; large blocks of marble covered with inscriptions were built into the houses, defaced statues were used as door-ornaments, and the stepping-stone to our rude inn, worn every day by the feet of grooms and vetturini, contained some letters of an inscrip- tion which may have recorded the gloiy of an emperor. Travelling with a vetturino, is unquestionably the plea- santest way of seeing Italy. The easy rate of the journey allows time for becoming well acquainted with the country, and the tourist is freed from the annoyance of quarrelling with cheating landlords. A translation of our written con- tract will best explain this mode of travelling : 8OBACTE AT SUNSET. 40J "CABBIAGK FOB ROMS. u Our contract is, to be ccndacted to Rome for the sun. of t went j francs each, say 20f. and the buona mono, if we are well served We must have from the vetturino, Giuseppe Nerpiti, supper each night, a free chamber with two beds, and fire, until we shall arrive at Rome. I, Geronymo Sartarelli, steward of the Inn of the White Cross, at Foligno, in testimony of the above contract" Beyond Otricoli, we passed through some relics of an age anterior to Rome. A few soiled masses of masonry, black with age, stood along the brow of the mountain, on the extremity of which were the ruins of a castle of the middle ages. We crossed the Tiber on a bridge buil' bj* Augustus Caesar, and reached Borghetto as the* sun was gilding with its last rays the ruined citadel above. As the carriage with its four horses was toiling slowly up the hill, we got out and walked in advance, to gaze on the green meadows of the Tiber. On descending from Narni, I noticed a high, prominent mountain, whose ridgy back, somewhat like the profile of a face, reminded me of the Traunstein, in Upper Austria. As we approached, its form gradually changed, until it stood on the Campagna " Like a long-swept wave about to break, That on the curl hangs pausing " and by that token of a great bard, I recognized Monte So- racte. The dragoon took us by the arms, and away w ecampered over the Campagna, with one of the loveliest sun- ets before us, that ever painted itself on my retinue. I can 04 VIEWS A-FOOT. not portray in words the glory that flooded the whole west ern heaven. It was a sea of melted ruby, amethyst and topaz deep, dazzling, and of crystal transparency. Th" color changed in tone every few minutes, till in half an hour it sank away before the twilight to a belt of deep orange along the west. We left Civita Castellana before daylight The sky was red with dawn as we approached Nepi, and we got out to walk in the clear, frosty air. The dragoon, who had become my bosom friend, threw one arm around my neck and gave me half of his thick military cloak, and thu<, muffled up together, we walked nearly all forenoon. In traversing the desolate Campagna, we saw many deep chambers dug in the earth, used by the charcoal burners ; the air was filled with sulphureous exhalations, very offensive to the smell, which rose from the ground in many places. Miles and miles of the dreary waste, covered only with flocks of graz- ing sheep, were passed, and about noon we reached Bac- cano, a small post station, twenty miles from Rome. A long hill rose before us, and we sprang out of the carriage and ran ahead, to see Rome from its summit. As we approached the top, the Campagna spread far before and around us level and blue as an ocean. I climbed up a high bank by the roadside, and the whole scene came in view. Perhaps eighteen miles distant rose the dome of St. Peter's near the horizon a small spot on the vast plain. Beyond it and further east, were the mountains of Alba&o on our left Soracte and the Apennines, and a blue line along the west betrayed the Mediterranean. There was nothing peculiarly beautiful or sublime in the landscape, but few other scene* ENTERING ROME. 405 on cartli combine in one glance such a myriad of mighty associations, or bewilder the mind with such a crowd of con- fused emotions. As we approached Rome, my dragoon became anxious and impatient. He had not heard from his parents for a long time, and knew not if they were living, His desire to reach the end of his journey finally became so great, that he hailed a peasant who was driving past in a light vehicle, left our slow carriage and went out of sight in a gallop. As we descended to the Tiber in the dusk of evening, the domes and spires of Rome came gradually into view, St. Peter's standing like a mountain in the midst of them. Cross- ing the yellow river by the Ponte Molle, two miles of road, straight as an arrow, lay before us, with the light of the Porta del Popolo at the end. I felt strangely excited as the old vehicle rumbled through the arch, and we entered a sijuare with fountains and an obelisk of Egyptian granite in the centre. Delivering up our passports, we waited until the necessary examinations had been made, and then wem forward. Three streets branch out from the square, the middle one of which, leading directly to the Capitol, is the Corso, the Roman Broadway. Our vetturino chose that to the left, the Via della Scrota, leading off towards the bridge of St. Angelo. I looked out the windows as we drove along, but saw nothing except butcher-shops, grocer-stores, etc. horrible objects for a sentimental traveller ! Being emptied out on the pavement at last, our first care was to find rooms ; after searching through many streets, with a coarse old Italian who spoke like an angel, we ar- rived at a square where the music of a fountain was heard 406 VIKW8 A-FOOT. through the dusk, and an obelisk cut out some of the star- light. At the other end I saw a portico through the dark- ness, and my heart gave a breathless bound on recognising the Pantheon the matchless temple of Ancient Rome ! And now while I am writing, I hear the gush' of the fountain and if I step to the window, I see the time-worn but still glorious edifice. On returning for our baggage, we met the funeral proces- sion of the Princess Altieri. Priests in white and gold car- ried flaming torches, and the coffin, covered with a magnifi- cent golden pall, was borne in a splendid hearse, attended by four priests. As we were settling our account with the vetturino, who demanded much moi-e buona memo than we were willing to give, the young dragoon returned. He was greatly agitated. " I have been at home ! " said he, in a voice trembling with emotion. I was about to ask him fur- ther concerning his family, but he stopped me by saying : '' I have only come to say ' addio /' I hope we shall meet again." He then threw his arms around me, kissed me twice, said " addio ! " with an unsteady voice, and was gone, I almost wish we had not met, for I shall never see him again. I stop writing to ramble through Rome. This city of ail cities to me this dream of my boyhood giant, god- like, fallen Rome is around me, and I revel in a glow of anticipation and exciting thought that seems to change my whole state of being. CHAPTER XXXVII. ROME. The First Day In Rome The Corso We find the Forum Trajan's Column Profanation 8t Peter's Found The Square and Obelisk The Interior of St. Peter's The Galleries of the Vatican Statues Ancient Art Hemicycle of the Belvidere The Laocoon The Divine Apollo New Year's Day in Rome The Qtiirinal Hill St. John Lateran The Temple of Vesta The Pyramid of Cestius The Tombs of Keats and Shelley The Ruins of Rome The Coliseum at Sunset Mausoleum of Augustus Crawford's Studio The Square of the Pantheon Pro- fane and Pious Beggars The Trattoria del Sole Impressions of Roman Ruins The Coliseum by Moonlight ROME, December 29, 1845. ONE day's walk through Rome how shall I describe it ? The Capitol, the Forum, St. Peter's, the Coliseum what few hours' ramble ever took in places so hallowed by poetry, history and art ? It was a golden leaf in my calendar of life. In thinking over it now, and drawing out the threads of recollection from the varied web of thought I have woven to-day, I almost wonder how I dared so much at once ; but within reach of them all, how was it possible to wait 1 Let me give a sketch of our day's ramble. Hearing that it was better to visit the ruins by evening or 408 VIEWS A-Jf'OOl. moonlight (alas ! there is no moon now), we set out to hunt St. Peter's. Going in the direction of the Corso, we passed ihe ruined front of the magnificent Temple of Antoninus, iiow used as the Papal Custom House. We turned to the right on enterirg the Corso, expecting to have a view of the city from the hill at its southern end. It is a magnificent street, lined with palaces and splendid edifices of every kind, and always filled with crowds of carriages and people. On leaving it, however, we became bewildered among the narrow streets passed through a market of vegetables, crowded with beggars and contacfini threaded many by-ways between dark old buildings saw one or two antique fountains and many modern churches, and finally arrived at a hill. We ascended many steps, and then descending a little towards the other side, saw suddenly below us the Roman Foru n ! I knew it at once and those three Corinthian columns that stood near us what could they be but the re- mains of the temple of Jupiter Stator ? We stood on the Capitoline Hill ; at the foot was the Arch of Septimus Se- (erus, brown with age and shattered ; near it stood the ma- jestic front of the Temple of Fortune, its pillars of polished granite glistening in the sun, as if they had been erected yesterday, while on the left the rank grass was waving from the arches and mighty walls of the Palace of the Caesars ! In front ruin upon ruin lined the way for half a mile, where the Coliseum towered grandly through the blue morning rnist, at the base of the Esquiline Hill ! Good heavens, vhat a scene ! Grandeur, such as the world has never since beheld, once rose through that blue atmosphere; splendor inconceivable, the spoils of a world, the triumphs TRAJAN'S COLUMN. 409 of a thousand armies had passed over that earth ; minds, which for ages moved the ancient world, had thought there ; and words of power and glory, from the lips of immortal men, had been syllabled on that hallowed air. To call back all this on the very spot, while the wreck of what once was rose mouldering and desolate around, kindled a glow of thought and feeling too powerful for words. Returning at hazard through the streets, we came sud- denly upon the column of Trajan, standing in an excavated square below the level of the city, amid a number of broken granite columns, which formed part of the Forum dedicated to him by Rome, after the conquest of Dacia. The column is one Imndred and thirty-two feet high, and entirely cover- ed with bas-reliefs representing his victories, winding about it in a spiral line to the top. The number of figures is com- puted at two thousand five hundred, and they were of such excellence that Raphael used many of them for his models. They are now much defaced, and the column is surmounted by a statue of some saint. The inscription on the pedestal has been erased, and the name of Sixtus V. substituted Nothing can exceed the ridiculous vanity of the old popes in thus mutilating the finest monuments of ancient art. You cannot look upon any relic of antiqiiity in Rome, but your eyes are assailed by the words " PONTTIFEX MAXIMUS," in staring modern letters. Even the magnificent bronzes of the Pantheon were stripped to make the baldachin under the dome of St. Peter's. Finding our way back again, we took a fresh start, happi- ly in the right direction, and after walking some time came out on the Tiber, at the Bridge of St. Angelo. The river 18 410 VIKVS A-FOOT. rolled below in his muddy glory, and in front, on the oppo site bank, stood " the pile which Hadrian reared on high '*- now, the Castle of St. Angelo. Knowing that St. Peter's was to be seen from this bridge, I looked about in search of it, There was only one dome in sight, large and of beauti ful proportions. I said at once, " surely that cannot be St. Peter's !" On looking again, however, I saw the top of a massive range of building near it, which corresponded so nearly with the pictures of the Vatican, that I was unwil lingly forced to believe the mighty dome was really before me. I recognised it as one of those we had seen from the Capitol, but it appeared so much smaller when viewed from a greater distance, that I was quite deceived. On consider- ing we were still three fourths of a mile from it, and that we could see its minutest parts distinctly, the illusion was explained. Going directly down the Borgo Vecchio, it seemed a lonsr time before we arrived at the square of St. Peter's , and when at length we stood in front, with the majestic colonnade sweeping around the fountains on each side sending up their showers of silvery spray the mighty obelisk of Egyp- tian granite piercing the sky and beyond, the great facade and dome of the Cathedral, I confessed my unmingled ad- miration. It recalled to my mind the grandeur of ancient Rome, and mighty as her edifices must have been, I doubt if she could boast many views more overpowering than this. The facade of St. Peter's seemed close to us, but it waa a third of a mile distant, and the people ascending the steps dwindled to pigmies. I passed the obelisk, went up the long ascent, crossed the THE INTERIOR Of ST. PETER'S. 411 portico, pushed aside the heavy leathern curtain at the entrance, and stood in the great nave. I need not describe my feelings at the sight, but I will give the dimensions, and the reader may then fancy what they were. Before me was a marble plain six hundred feet long, and under the cross four hundred and seventeen feet wide ! One hundred and fifty feet above, sprang a glorious arch, dazzling with inlaid gold, and in the centre of the cross there were four hundred feet of air between me and the top of the dome ! The sunbeam, stealing through the lofty window at one end of the transept, made a bar of light on the blue air, hazy with incense, one tenth of a mile long, before it fell on the mosaics and gilded shrines of the other extremity. The grand cupola alone, including lantern and cross, is two hun dred and eighty -five feet high, or sixty feet higher than the Bunker Hill Monument, and the four immense pillars on which it rests are each one hundred and thirty-seven feet in circumference ! It seems as if human art had outdone itself in producing this temple the grandest which the world ever erected for the worship of the Living God ! The awe I felt in looking up at the colossal arch of marble and gold, did not humble me ; on the contrary, I felt exalted, ennobled beings in the form I wore planned the glorious edifice, and it seemed that in godlike power and persever- ance, they were indeed but a little lower than the angels. I felt that, if fallen, my race was still mighty and immortal. The Vatican is only open twice a week, on days which are nttfestas; most fortunately, to-day happened to be one of these, and we took a run through its endless halls. The extent and magnificence of the gallery of sculpture is 412 VIKWS A-FOOT. amazing. The halls, which are filled to overflowing with the iinest works of ancient art, would, if placed side by side, make a row more than two miles in length ! You enter at once into a hall of marble, with a magnificent arched ceiliiiir, a third of a mile long; the sides are covered for a gre;it distance with Roman inscriptions of every kind, divided into compartments according to the era of the empire to which they refer. One which I examined, appeared to be a kind of index of the roads in Italy, with the towns on them ; ami we could decipher on that time-worn block, the very route we had followed from Florence hither. Then came the statues, and here I am bewildered, how to describe them. Hundreds upon hundreds of figures statues of citizens, generals, emperors, and gods fauns, satyrs, and nymphs children, cupids, and tritons in fact, they seemed inexhaustible. Many of them, too, were forms of matchless beauty ; there were Venuses and nymphs, born of the loftiest dreams of grace ; fauns on whose faces shone the very soul of humor, and heroes and divinities with an air of majesty worthy the " land of lost gods and godlike men !" I am lost in astonishment at the perfection of art attained by the Greeks and Romans. There is scarcely a form of beauty, that has ever met my eye, which is not to be found in this gallery. I should almost despair of such another blaze of glory on the world, were it not my devout belief that what has been done may be done again, and had I not iaith that the dawn in which we live will bring on another day equally glorious. And why should not America, with the experience and added wisdom which three thousand years have slowly yielded to the old world, joined to the THE LAOCOON. 413 giant energy of her youth and freedom, re-bestow on the world the divine creations of Art ? But let us step on to the hemicycle of the Belvidere, and view some works greater than any we have yet seen, or even imagined. The adjoining gallery is filled with master- pieces of sculpture, hut we will keep our eyes unwearied and merely glance along the rows. At length we reach a circular court with a fountain flinging up its waters in the centre. Before us is an open cabinet ; there is a beautiful, manly form within, but you would not for an instant take it for the Apollo. By the Gorgon head it holds aloft, we re- cognise Canova's Perseus he has copied the form and atti- tude of the Apollo, but he could not breathe into it the same warming fire. It seemed to me particularly lifeless, and I greatly preferred his Boxers, who stand on either side of it. Now we look on a scene of the deepest physical agony. Mark how every muscle of old Laocoon's body is distended to the utmost in the mighty struggle ! What intensity of pain in the quivering, distorted features ! Every nerve, which despair can call into action, is excited in one giant effort, and a scream of anguish seems just to have quivered on those marble lips. The serpents have rolled their stran- gling coils around father and sons, but terror has taken away the strength of the latter, and they make but feeble resist- ance. After looking with indifference on the many casts of this group, I was the more moved by the magnificent original. It deserves all the admiration that has been heaped upon it. I absolutely trembled on approaching the cabinet of the Apollo. I had built up in fancy a glorious ideal, drawn from 414 VIEWS A-KOOT. all that bards have sung or artists have rhapsodized about its divine beauty. I feared disappointment I dreaded to have my ideal displaced and my faith in the power of human genius overthrown by a form less than perfect. However, with a feeling of desperate excitement, I entered and looked upon it. Now what shall I say of it ? How describe its immortal beauty ? To what shall I liken its glorious per- fection of form, or the fire that imbues the cold marble with the soul of a god 1 Not with sculpture, for it stands alone and above all other works of art nor with men, for it has a majesty more than human. I gazed on it, lost in wonder and joy joy that I could, at last, take into my mind a fault- less ideal of god-like, exalted manhood. The figure seems actually to possess a soul, and I looked on it, not as on a piece of marble, but as on a being of loftier mould, and waited to see him step forward when the arrow had reached its mark. I would give worlds to feel one moment the sculptor's triumph when his work was completed ; that one exulting thrill must have repaid him for every ill he might have suf- fered on earth. January 1, 1846. New Year's Day in the Eternal City ! It will be some- thing to say in after years, that I have seen one year open In Rome that, while my distant friends were making up for the winter without, with good cheer around the merry board, I have walked in sunshine by the ruins of the Coliseum, watched the orange groves gleaming with golden fruitage in the Farnese gardens, trodden the daisied meadow NEW-YEAR'S DAY IN ROME. 415 around the sepulchre of Caius Cestius, and mused by the graves of Shelley, Keats and Salvator Rosa ! The Palace of the Caesars looked even more mournful in the pale, slant sunshine, and the yellow Tiber, as he flowed through the " marble wilderness," seemed sullenly counting up the long centuries during which degenerate slaves have trodden his banks. A leaden-colored haze clothed the seven hills, and heavy silence reigned among the ruins, for all work was prohibited, and the people were gathered in their churches. Rome never appeared so desolate and melancholy as to-day. In the morning I climbed the Quirinal Hill, now called Monte Cavallo, from the colossal statues of Castor and Pollux, with their steeds, supposed to be the work of Phi- dias and Praxiteles. They stand on each side of an obelisk of Egyptian granite, beside whicn a strong stream of water gushes up into a magnificent bronze basin, found in the old Forum. The statues, entirely browned by age, are consider- ed masterpieces of Grecian art, and whether or not from the great masters, show in all their proportions, the conceptions of lofty genius. We kept on our way between gardens filled with orange groves, whose glowing fruit reminded me of Mignon's beau- tiful reminiscence " Im dunkeln Laub die gold-Orangen gliihn !" Rome, although subject to cold winds from the Appenines, enjoys so mild a climate that oranges and palm trees grow in the open air, without protection. Daisies and violets bloom the whole winter, in the meadows of never fading green. The basilica of the Lateran equals St. Peter's in splendor, though its size is much smaller. The walls are 416 VIEWS A-FOOT. covered with gorgeous hangings of velvet embroidered with gold, and before the high altar, which glitters with precious stones, are four pillars of gilt bronze, said to be those which Augustus made of the spars of Egyptian vessels captured at the battle of Actium. We descended the hill to the Coliseum, and passing undei the Arch of Constantine, walked along the ancient triumphal way, at the foot of the Palatine Hill, which is entirely covered with the ruins of the Caesars' Palace. A road, rounding its southern base towards the Tiber, brought us to the Temple of Vesta a beautiful little relic which has been singularly spared by the devastations that have overthrown so many mightier fabrics. It is of circular form, surrounded by nineteen Corinthian columns, thirty-six feet in height ; a clumsy tiled roof now takes the place of the elegant cornice which once gave the crowning charm to its perfect propor- tions. Close at hand are the remains of the temple of For- tuna Virilis, of which some Ionic pillars alone are left, and the house of Cola di Rienzi the last Tribune of Rome. As we approached the walls, the sepulchre of Gains Cestins came in sight a single solid pyramid, one hundred feet in height. The walls are built against it, and the light apex rises far above the massive gate beside it, which was erected by Belisarius. But there were other tombs at hand, for which we had more sympathy than that of the forgotten Roman, and we turned away to look for the graves of Shelley and Keats. They lie in the Protestant burying ground, on the side of a mound that slopes gently up to the old wall of Rome, beside the pyramid of Cestius. The meadow around is still verdant and sown thick with daisies, and the soft I GRAVES OF KEATS AND SHEtXET. 411 green of the Italian pine mingles with the dark cypress above the slumberere. Huge aloes grow in the shade, and the sweet bay and bushes of rosemary make the air fresh and fragrant. There is a solemn, mournful beauty about the place, green and lonely as it is, beside the tottering walls of ancient Rome, that takes away the gloomy associations of death, and makes one wish to lie there, too, when his thread shall be spun to the end. We found first the simple head-stone of Keats, alone, in the grassy meadow. Its inscription states that on his death- bed, in the bitterness of his heart, at the malice of hi" enemies, he desired these words to be written on his tomb- stone : "Here lies one whose name was written in water." Shelley lies at the top of the shaded slope, in a lonely spot by the wall, surrounded by tall cypresses. A littlto hedge of rose and bay surrounds his grave, which bears the simple inscription " PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY ; Cor Cor- dium." " Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange." Glorious Shelley ! He sleeps calmly now in that silent nook, and the air around his grave is filled with sighs from those who mourn that so pure a star of poetry should have been blotted out before it reached its meridian. I plucked a leaf from the fragrant bay, as a token of his fame, and sprig of cypress from the bough that bent lowest over his grave ; and passing between tombs shaded with blooming 18* 418 VIEWS A-FOOT. roses, or covered with unwithered garlands, left the lovely spot. Amid the excitement of continually changing scenes, I have forgotten to mention our first visit to the Coliseum, The day after our arrival we set out with two English friends, to see it by sunset. Passing hy the glorious foun- tain of Trevi, we made our way to the Forum, and from thence took the road to the Coliseum, lined on both sides with the remains of splendid edifices. The grass-grown ruins of the Palace of the Caesars stretched along on our right ; on our left we passed in succession the granite front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, the three grand arches of the Temple of Peace and the ruins of the Temple of Venus and Rome. We went under the ruined triumphal arch of Titus, with broken friezes representing the taking of Jerusalem, and the mighty walls of the Coliseum gradually rose before us. They grew in grandeur as we approached them, and when at length we stood in the centre, with the shattered arches and grassy walls rising above and beyond one another, far around us, the red light of sunset giving them a soft and melancholy beauty, I was fain to confess that another form of grandeur had entered my mind, of which I knew not before. A majesty like that of nature clothes this wonderful edi- fice. Walls rise above walls, and arches above arches from every side of the grand arena, like a sweep of craggy, pin- nacled mountains around an oval lake. The two outer cir- cles have almost entirely disappeared, torn away by the ra- pacious nobles of Rome, during the middle ages, to build their palaces. When entire, and filled with its hundred TIIK rol.I>KI M AT SINSET. 419 thousand spectators, it must have exceeded any pageant which the world can now produce. While standing in the arena, impressed with the spirit of the scene around me, which grew more spectral and melancholy as the dusk of evening began to fill up the broken arches, my eye was as- sailed by the shrines ranged around the space, doubtless to remove the pollution of paganism. In the centre stands also a cross, with an inscription, granting an absolution of forty days to all who kiss it. Now, although a simple cross in the centre might be very appropriate, both as a token of the heroic devotion of the martyr Telemachus and the triumph of a true religion over the barbarities of the Past, this congregation of shrines and bloody pictures mars very much the unity of association so necessary to the perfect enjoyment of any such scene We saw the flush of sunset fade behind the Capitoline Hill, and passed homeward by the Forum, as its shattered pillars were growing solemn and spectral in the twilight. In the Via de' Pontefici, not far distant from the Borghese Palace, we saw the Mausoleum of Augustus. It is a large circular structure somewhat after the plan of that of Hadrian, but on a much smaller scale. The interior has been cleared out, seats erected around the walls, and the whole is now a summer theatre, for the amusement of the peasantry and tradesmen. What a commentary on greatness ! Harlequin playing his pranks in the tomb of an Emperor, and the spot which nations approached with reverence, resounding with the mirth of beggars and degraded vassals ! I was in the studio of Crawford, the sculptor , he has at present nothing finished in the marble. There were many 420 VIEWS A-FOOT. casts of his former works, which, judging from their appear- ance in plaster, must be of no common excellence for tin- sculptor can only be justly judged in marble. I saw some fine bas-reliefs of classical subjects, and an exquisite group of Mercury and Psyche, but his masterpiece is undoubtedly the Orpheus. The face is full of the inspiration of the poet, softened by the lover's tenderness, and the whole fervor of his soul is expressed in the eagerness with which he gazes forward, on stepping past the sleeping Cerberus. We are often amused with the groups in the square of the Pantheon, which we can see from our chamber window. Shoemakers and tinkers carry on their business along the sunny side, while the venders of oranges and roasted chest- nuts form a circle around the Egyptian obelisk and fountain. Across the end of an opposite street we get a glimpse of the vegetable market, and now and then the shrill voice of a pedlar makes its nasal solo audible above the confused chorus. As the beggars choose the Corso, St. Peter's, and the ruins for their principal haunts, we are now spared the hearing of their lamentations. ' Every time we go out we are assailed with them. " Maladetta s'a la vostra testa /" '-' Curses be upon your head!" said one whom I passed without notice. The priests are, however, the greatest beg- gars. In every church are kept offering-boxes, for the sup- port of the church or some unknown institution ; they even go from house to house, imploring support and assistance in the name of the Virgin and all the saints, while their bloat- ed, sensual countenances and capacious frames tell of any- thing but fasts and privations. Once, as I was sitting among the ruins, I was suddenly startled by a loud, rattling sound; THE TRATTOKIA DEI. SOLE. 42J turning my head, I saw a figure clothed in white from head to foot, with only two small holes for the eyes. He held m his hand a money-box, on which was a figure of the Virgin, which he held close to my lips, that I might kiss it. This I declined doing, but dropped a baiocco into his box, when making the sign of the cross, he silently disappeared. Our present lodging (Trattoria del Sole) is a good speci- men of an Italian inn for mechanics and common tradesmen Passing through the front room, which i, c an eating-place for the common people with a barrel of wine in the corner, and bladders of lard hanging among orange boughs in the window we enter a dark court-yard filled with heavy carts, and noisy with the neighing of horses and singing of grooms, for the stables occupy part of the house. An open staircase, running all around this hollow square, leads to the second, third, and fourth stories. On the second story is the dining room for the better class of travellers, who receive the same provisions as those below for double the price, and the ad- ditional privilege of giving the waiter two baiocchi. The sleeping apartments are in the fourth story, and are named according to the fancy of a former landlord, in mottos above each door. Thus, on arriving here, the Triester, with his wife and child, more fortunate than our first parents, took refuge in " Paradise," while we Americans were ushered into the " Chamber of Jove." We have occupied it ever since, and find a paul (ten cents) apiece cheap enough for a good bed and a window opening on the Pantheon I have been now several days loitering and sketching among the ruins, and I feel as if I could willingly wander for months beside these mournful relics, and draw inspiration 422 VIEWS A-FOOT. from the lofty yet melancholy lore they teach. There is a spirit hauiiting them, real and undoubted. Every shattered column, every broken arch and mouldering wall, but calls up more vividly to mind the glory that has passed away. Each lonely pillar stands as proudly as if it still helped to bear up the front of a glorious temple, and the air seems scarcely to have ceased vibrating with the clarions that heralded a conqueror's triumph. I have seen the flush of morn and eve rest on the Coli- seum , I have seen the noon-day sky framed in its broken loopholes, like plates of polished sapphire ; and last night, as the moon has grown into the zenith, I went to view it with her. Around the Forum all was silent and spectral a sentinel challenged us at the Arch of Titus, under which we passed, and along the Caesar's wall, which lay in black shadow. Dead stillness brooded around the Coliseum ; the pale, silvery lustre streamed through its arches, and over the grassy walls, giving them a look of shadowy grandeur which day could not bestow. The scene will remain fresh in my memory for ever. CHAPTER XXXVIII. TIVOLI AND THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA. Excursion to Tivoli A Sulphur Bath The Temple of the Sibyl A Windy Night Th Cascade of the Anio The Cascatelles The Campagna Mogutn of the Capitol The Dying Gladiator Ruins on the Campagna Touib of Cecilia Metella The Aqueducts Egeria's Grotto The Villa Borghese Tasso's Tomb Passport Fees in Italy The Turning Point of the Pilgrimage Farewell ! ROME, Jan. 9, 1846. A FEW days ago we made an excursion to Tivoli, one of the l.ivi-liest spots in Italy. We left the Eternal City by the Gate of San Lorenzo, and twenty minutes' walk brought us to the bare and bleak Campagna, which was spread around us for leagues in every direction. Here and there a shepherd-boy in his woolly coat, with his flock of browsing sheep, were the only objects that broke its desert-like monotony. At the fourth mile we crossed the rapid Teve- rone, the ancient Anio, formerly the boundary between Latium and the Sabine dominions, and at the tenth, came upon some fragments of the old Tiburtiue way, formed of large irregular blocks of basaltic lava. A short distance further we saw across the plain the ruins of the bath of 424 VIEWS A-FOOT. Agrippa, built by the side of the Tartarean Lake. The wind, blowing from it, bore to us an overpowering smell of sulphur ; the waters of the little river Solfatara, which crosses the road, are of a milky blue color, and carry those of the lake into the Anio. Finding the water quite warm, we determined to have a bath. So we ran down the plain, which was covered with a thick coat of sulphur, and sounded hollow to our tread, until we reached a convenient place, where we threw off our clothes, and plunged in. The warm wave was delightful to the skin, but extremely offensive to the smell, and when we came out, our mouths and throats were filled with the stifling gas. It was growing dark as we mounted through the narrow streets of Tivoli, but we endeavored to gain some sight of the renowned beauties of the spot, before going to rest. From a platform on a brow of the hill, we looked down into the defile, at the bottom of which the Anio was roaring, and caught a sideward glance of the Cascatelles, sending up their spray amid the evergreen bushes that fringe the rocks. Above the deep glen that curves into the mountain, stands the beautiful temple of the Sibyl a building of the most perfect and graceful proportion. It crests the rocky brow like a fairy dwelling, and looks all the lovelier for the wild caverns below. Gazing downward from the bridge, one sees the waters of the Anio tumbling into the picturesque grotto of the Sirens ; around a rugged corner, a cloud of white spray whirls up continually, while the boom of a cataract rumbles down the glen. All these we marked in the deepening dusk, and then hunted an albergo. The shrill-voiced hostess gave us a good supper and clean THE CASCADE OF THE ANIO. 425 beds ; and in return we diverted the people very much by the description of our sulphur bath. We were awakened in the night by the wind shaking the very soul out of our loose casement. I fancied I heard torrents of rain dashing against the panes, and groaned in bitterness of spirit on thinking of a walk back to Rome in such weather. When the morning came, we found it was only a hurricane of wind which was strong enough to tear off pieces of the old roofs. I saw some capuchins nearly overturned in crossing the square, by the wind seizing their wide robes. I had my fingers frozen and my eyes filled with sand, in trying to draw the Sibyl's temple, and therefore left it to join my companions, who had gone down into the glen to see the great cascade. The Anio bursts out of a cavern in the mountain-side, and like a prisoner giddy with recovered liberty, reels over the edge of a precipice more than two hundred feet deep. The bottom is hid in a cloud of boiling spray, which shifts from side to side, and driven by the wind, sweeps whistling down the narrow pass. It stuns the ear with a perpetual boom, giving a dash of grandeur to the enrapturing beauty of the scene. I tried a foot-path that appeared to lead down to the Cascatelles, but after advanc- ing some distance along the side of an almost perpendicular precipice, I came to a corner that looked so dangerous, espe cially as the wind was nearly strong enough to carry me off, that it seemed safest to return. We made another vain attempt to get down, by creeping along the bed of a torrent, filled with briars. The Cascatelles are formed by that part of the Anio which is used in the iron works, made out of the ruins of Mecaenas' villa. They gush out from under the 426 VIEWS A-FOOT. ancient arches, and tumble more than a hundred feet down the precipice, their white waters gleaming out from the dark and feathery foliage. Not far distant are the remains of the villa of Horace. On our return to Rome we took the road to Frascati, and walked for miles among cane-swamps and over plains cover- ed with sheep. The people we saw, were most degraded and ferocious-looking, and there were many I would not willingly meet alone after nightfall. Indeed it is still con- sidered quite unsafe to venture without the walls of Rome, after dark. The women, with their yellow complexions, and the bright red blankets they wear folded around the head and shoulders, resemble Indian squaws. I lately spent three hours in the Museum of the Capitol, on the summit of the sacred hill. In the hall of the Gladia- tor I noticed an exquisite statue of Diana. The Faun of Praxiteles, in the same room, is a glorious work ; it is the perfect embodiment of that wild, merry race the Grecian poets dreamed of. One looks on the Gladiator with a hushed breath and an awed spirit. He is dying ; the blood flows more slowly from the deep wound in his side ; his head is sinking downwards, and the arm that supports his body becomes more and more nerveless. You feel that a dull mist is coming over his vision, and wait to see his relaxing limbs sink suddenly on his shield. That the rude, barba- rian form has a soul, may be read in his touchingly expres- sive countenance. It warms the sympathies like reality to look upon it. Yet how many Romans may have gazed on this work, moved nearly to tears, who have seen hun- dreds perish in the arena without a pitying emotion ! Why RUINS ON THK PAMFAGNA. 427 is it that Art has a voice, frequently more powerful than Nature ? Two days ago we took a ramble outside the walls. Pass- ing the Coliseum and Caracalla's Baths, we reached the tomb of Scipio, a small sepulchral vault, near the roadside. The ashes of the warrior were scattered to the winds long ago, and his mausoleum is fast falling to decay. The old arch over the Appian way is still standing, near the modern Porta San Sebastiano, through which we entered on the far- famed road. Here and there it is quite entire, and we walk- ed over the stones once worn by the feet of Virgil and Horace and Cicero. After passing the temple of Romulus a shapeless and ivy-grown ruin and walking a mile or more beyond the walls, we reached the Circus of Caracalla, whose long and shattered walls fill the hollow of one of the little dells of the Campagna. The original structure must have been of great size and splendor, but those twin Van- dals Time and Avarice have stripped away everything but the lofty brick masses, whose nakedness the pitying ivy strives to cover. Further, on a gentle slope, is the tomb of " the wealthiest Roman's wife," familiar to every one through Childe Har- old's musings. It is a round, massive tower, faced with large blocks of marble, and still bearing the name of Cecilia Metella. One side is much ruined, and the top is overgrown with grass and wild bushes. The wall is about thirty feet thick, so that but a small round space is left in the interior, which is open to the rain, and filled with rubbish. The echoes pronounced hollowly after us the name of the dead for whom it was built, but they could tell us nothing of her life's history. 428 VIEWS A-FOOT. I made a hurried drawing of it, and we then turned to the left, across the Campagna, to seek the grotto of E