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 AFTER 
 WATERLOO
 
 ROMANCES OF THE FRENCH REVOLU- 
 TION. By G. LENOTRE. Translated by 
 FREDERIC LEES (Officier de PInstruftion Pub- 
 lique). In Two Vols. Demy 8vo, fully Illus- 
 trated, price zos. net. 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF A SPINSTER AUNT. 
 Edited by S. SOPHIA BEALE. Demy 8vo, price 
 8s. 6d. net. 
 
 DAN TO BEERSHEBA. Work and Travel in Four 
 Continents. By ARCHIBALD R. COLQUHOUN, 
 F.R.G.S. With a frontispiece. Demy 8vo, price 
 8s. 6d. net. 
 
 THE REVOLT OF THE "POTEMKIN." 
 Reminiscences of CONSTANTINE FELDMAN. 
 Crown 8vo, price 6s. net. 
 
 WILLIAM HEINEMANN, 21 Bedford Street, 
 London, W.C.
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Reminiscences of European Travel 
 1815-1819 
 
 By 
 
 MAJOR W. E. FRYE 
 
 EDITED WITH A PREFACE AND NOTES 
 
 By SALOMON REINACH 
 
 Member of the Institute of France
 
 Copyright, London, 1908, by William Heinemann.
 
 To 
 
 V.A.M. 
 
 S.R.
 
 PREFACE 
 
 THE knowledge of Major Frye's manuscript and the privi- 
 lege of publishing it for the first time I owe to the kindness 
 of two French ladies, the Misses G . Their father, a well- 
 known artist and critic, used to spend the summer months 
 at Saint Germain-en-Laye together with his wife, who was 
 an Englishwoman by birth. They had been for a long time in- 
 timately acquainted with Major Frye, who lived and ended his 
 
 life in that quiet town. The Major's hostess, Mme.de W , 
 
 after his death in 1853, brought the manuscript to Mrs. 
 
 G and gave it to her in memory of her friend. It was 
 
 duly preserved in the G family, but remained unno- 
 ticed. The Misses G rediscovered it in 1907, when it 
 
 had been lying in a cupboard for upwards of half a century. 
 On their showing it to me I thought it was interesting for 
 many reasons, and worthy of introduction to the public. I 
 hope the reader will share my opinion, which is also that 
 of several English scholars and men of letters, to whom I 
 communicated extracts from the manuscript. 
 
 The reminiscences are in the form of letters addressed 
 to a correspondent who, however, is never named and of 
 whose health, family and private circumstances not the 
 slightest mention is to be found. So I am inclined to believe 
 that he never existed, and that Major Frye chose to imitate 
 President de Brosses and others who thus recorded their 
 travelling experiences in epistolary form. 
 
 The manuscript which will eventually be deposited in a 
 public library is entirely in Major Frye's large and legible 
 hand ; at some later time it was evidently revised by himself, 
 but many names which I have endeavoured to complete were 
 left in blank or only indicated by initials. There are three 
 folio volumes, bound in paper boards. In this edition it has 
 been thought advisable to leave out a certain number of 
 
 vii
 
 PREFACE 
 
 pages devoted to theatricals, of which Major Frye was a 
 great votary, and also some lengthy descriptions of land- 
 scapes, museums and churches, the interest of which to 
 modern readers does not correspond to the space occupied by 
 them. For the information contained in the footnotes I am 
 indebted to many correspondents, English, French, Swiss, 
 Belgian and Italian, to whom I here express my hearty 
 thanks. I am under special obligation to Sir Charles Dilke, 
 Mr Oscar Browning, Professor Novati, Professor Corrado 
 Ricci, Commandant Esperandieu, Professor Cumont, Pro- 
 fessor Stilling and Mr Hochberg. 
 
 Major Frye's tombstone is in the cemetery of Saint Ger- 
 main, and reads thus: " To the memory of Major William 
 Edward Frye, who departed this life the 9th day of October, 
 1853." On the same stone has been added in French: " Per- 
 ceval Edmond Litchfield, decede le 15 Avril, 1888." About 
 P. E. Litchfield I know nothing; he must have been the 
 Major's intimate friend during the last period of his life. 
 
 W. E. Frye was born Oct. 29, 1784, and received his 
 education at Eton (1797-9) in the time of the French 
 Revolution. " The system was," he says, " to drill into the 
 heads of the boys strong aristocratic principles and hatred 
 of democracy and of the French hi particular." The effect 
 produced on the youth was the reverse of that intended. 
 From 1799 to 1822 he belonged to the British army: here 
 is an abstract of his services : 
 
 Ensign, 2nd Foot, 5th August, 1799. 
 Lieutenant, 2nd Foot, 7th March, 1800. 
 Half-pay, 4th Foot, 14th April, 1803. 
 Lieutenant, 24th Foot, 8th December, 1804. 
 Captain, 56th Foot, 18th April, 1805. 
 
 3rd Ceylon Regt., 15th Feb., 1810. 
 
 Half -pay, 3rd Foot, 7th March, 1816. 
 
 4th Foot, 24th Feb., 1820. 
 Brevet-Major, 12th August, 1819. 
 Sold out, 15th August, 1822. 
 viii 

 
 PREFACE 
 
 In 1799, Frye took a part in the British Expedition to 
 Holland. In 1801 he was in Egypt with Lord Abercrombie's 
 army and received the medal for war service. His career in 
 India lasted six years and gave him occasion to visit the 
 three presidencies and Ceylon. In 1814 he returned on fur- 
 lough to Europe and was in Brussels during the Waterloo 
 campaign. The subsequent years 1815 to 1819 he em- 
 ployed visiting Western Europe, as appears from his re- 
 miniscences. I have read letters of his which prove that he 
 lived in Paris from 1830 to 1832. Later, about 1848, he took 
 an apartment in Saint Germain, and died there in 1853. 
 
 Major Frye was a very distinguished linguist; besides 
 knowing Greek and Latin, he understood almost all Euro- 
 pean languages, and was capable of writing correctly in 
 
 French, Italian and German. The Misses G have shown 
 
 me a rare book published by him at Paris in 1844 under the 
 following title : 
 
 " Trois chants de PEdda. Vaftrudnismal, Thrymsquidal, 
 Skirnisfor, traduits en vers franfais, accompagnes de notes 
 explicatives des mythes et allegories, et suivis d'autres 
 poe'mes par W. E. Frye, ancien major d'infanterie an service 
 d'Angleterre, membre de P Academic des Arcadiens de 
 Rome. Se vend a Paris, pour Pauteur, chez HeidelofT 
 & Cie, Libraires, 18 Rue des Filles St. Thomas. 1844 " 
 (In 8vo, xii, 115 pp.) 
 
 At the end of that volume are translations by Major 
 Frye of several Northern poems in German, Italian and 
 English verse from the Danish and the Swedish; then 
 come two sonnets hi French verse, the one in honour of 
 Lafayette, the other about the Duke of Orleans, whose 
 premature death he compares with that of the Northern 
 hero of the Edda, Balder. A part of Frye's translation 
 of the Edda, before appearing in book form, had been 
 published in VEcho de la Litterature et des Beaux Arts, a 
 periodical edited by the Major's friend, M. de Belenet. 
 
 Frye loved poetry, though his ideas on the subject were 
 rather those of the eighteenth century than our own. It is 
 
 ix
 
 PREFACE 
 
 interesting to find an English officer reading Voltaire, Gessner, 
 Ariosto, and quoting them from memory (which explains 
 that some of his quotations had to be corrected). The 
 sentimental vein of Rousseau's generation still flows and 
 vibrates in him, as when he says that he has never been 
 able to read the letters of Wolmar to St Preux in Rousseau's 
 Nouvelle Helo'ise without shedding tears. German minor 
 poetry, now quite forgotten, attracted him almost as much 
 as the great pages of Schiller, Burger, and Goethe. The 
 Misses G. possess a manuscript translation in three volumes, 
 in the Major's own hand, of Wieland's Agathodemon done 
 into English. This he evidently intended to publish, as he 
 had written the title-page which is worded as follows : 
 
 " Agathodemon, a philosophical romance translated from 
 the German of Wieland by W. E. Frye, member of the 
 Academy degli Arcadi in Rome, and of the Royal Society of 
 Northern Antiquarians of Copenhagen, ex-major of infantry 
 in His British Majesty's service." 
 
 Frye describes with accuracy, and shows much apprecia- 
 tion of fine scenery and architecture. His judgements in 
 painting and sculpture are sincere, though often betraying 
 the autodidact and amateur. He loved music, especially 
 Rossini's operas which were then beginning their long 
 career of triumph. Theatricals of all sorts, especially ballets, 
 had a great attraction for him and elicited his enthusiastic 
 comments. In comparing tragedies and comedies which he 
 had seen performed in different countries, he gave repeated 
 proofs of his knowledge and critical insight. We can take 
 him as a good example of that intelligent class of English 
 travellers whose intercourse with the Continental litterati 
 has so well contributed to establish the good reputation of 
 British culture and refined appreciation of the arts. 
 
 The chief interest of Frye's reminiscences lies, however, 
 in quite another direction. He was a friend of liberty, a 
 friend of France, an admirer of Napoleon, and a hater of the 
 Tory regime which brought about Napoleon's downfall. 
 " France's attempts at European domination, in the
 
 PREFACE 
 
 Napoleonic era, are graciously described as but so many 
 efforts towards spreading the light of civilization over 
 Europe." These words, written about a quite recent work and 
 a propos of the "Entente cordiale," apply perfectly to Frye's 
 reminiscences. Travelling immediately before and after the 
 Emperor's collapse, he found that everywhere, excepting in 
 Tuscany, the French domination was regretted, because the 
 ideals of liberty and equality had shone and vanished with 
 the tricolour flag. He admires the French people, though 
 not the Ultras and bigots, and has fine words of praise for 
 the French army: " Yes, the French soldier is a fine fellow. 
 I have served against them in Holland and in Egypt, and I 
 will never flinch from rendering justice to their exemplary 
 conduct and lofty valour." He takes trouble to refute the 
 exaggerated reports which were then circulated all over 
 Europe about the cruelties and vandalism practised by the 
 French: "If the French since the Revolution have not 
 always fought for liberty, they have done so invariably for 
 science; and wherever they carried their victorious arms 
 abuses were abolished, ameliorations of all kinds followed 
 and the arts of life were improved. Our government, since 
 the accession of George III, has never raised its arm except 
 inffavour of old abuses, to uphold despotism and unfair 
 privileges or to establish commercial monopoly." 
 
 Sometimes, indeed, speaking of his own country and its 
 government, Major Frye uses very hard words, which 
 might seem unpatriotic if we did not know, from many 
 other memoirs and letters, to what a terrible strain orthodox 
 Toryism, coupled with bigotry and hypocrisy, had put the 
 patience of liberal Englishmen at that period. He called the 
 British government " the most dangerous, artful, and 
 determined enemy of all liberty," " England," he says, 
 " has been always ready to lend a hand to crush liberty, to 
 perpetuate abuses and to rivet the fetters of monarchical, 
 feudal and ecclesiastical tyranny." And later on he in- 
 veighs against the English merchants, who "contributed 
 with their gold to uphold the corrupt system of Pitt 
 
 xi
 
 PREFACE 
 
 and to carry on unjust, unreasonable and liberticide 
 wars." 
 
 Whatever may be the final judgement of history on the 
 Tory principles in politics in the days of the Congress of 
 Vienna, Major Frye's love of liberty and intellectual pro- 
 gress entitle him to the sympathy of those who share his 
 generous feelings and do not consider that personal freedom 
 and individual rights are articles for home use only. Since 
 Frye wrote, the whole of Europe, excepting perhaps Russia, 
 has reaped the benefits of the French Revolution, and 
 reduced, if not suppressed, what the Major called "kingcraft 
 and priestcraft." He did not attempt to divine the future, 
 but the history of Europe in the nineteenth century has been 
 largely in accordance with his desires and hopes. It is not a 
 small merit for a writer, in the midst of one of the most 
 rabid reactions that the world has known, to have clung with 
 such tenacity to ideals, the complete victory of which may 
 now be contemplated in the near future. 
 
 S.R. 
 
 xn
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MAY JUNE, 1815 
 
 Passage from Ceylon to England Napoleon's return Ostend Bruges 
 Ghent The King of France at Mass Alost Bruxelles The Duke of 
 Wellington very confident Feelings of the Belgians Good conduct of 
 British troops Monuments in Bruxelles Theatricals Genappe and 
 Namur Complaints against the Prussian troops Mons Major-General 
 Adam Tournay A French deserter General Clinton's division Cavalry 
 review The Duke de Berri Back to Bruxelles Unjust opinions about 
 Napoleon and the French Battle at Ligny The day of Waterloo in 
 Bruxelles Visit to the battlefield Terrible condition of the wounded 
 Kindness of the Bruxellois i 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 From Bruxelles to Li^ge A priest's declamation against the French 
 Revolution Maastricht Aix-la-Chapelle Imperial relics Napoleon 
 regretted Klingmann's " Faust " A Tyrolese beauty Cologne Diffi- 
 culties about a passport The Cathedral King-craft and priest-craft 
 The Rhine Bonn and Godesberg Goethe's "Gotz von Berlichingen " 
 The Seven Mountains German women Andernach Ehrenbreitstein 
 German hatred against France Coblentz Intrigues of the Bourbon 
 princes in Coblentz Mayence Bieberich Conduct of the Allies towards 
 Napoleon Frankfort on the Mayn An anecdote about Lord Stewart and 
 Lafayette German poetry The question of Alsace and Lorraine Return 
 to Bruxelles Napoleon's surrender 30 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 From Bruxelles to Paris Restoration of Louis XVIII The officers 
 of the allied armies The Palais Royal The Louvre Protest of the author 
 against the proposed despoiling of the French Museums Unjust strictures 
 against Napoleon's military policy The cant about revolutionary robberies 
 The Grand Opera Monuments in Paris The Champs Elysees Saint- 
 Cloud The Hotel des Invalides The Luxembourg General Labedoyere 
 Priests and emigrants Prussian Plunder Handsome behaviour of 
 the English officers Reminiscences of Eton Versailles 58 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 From Paris to Bruxelles Visiting the plains of Waterloo The Duke de 
 Berri at Lille Beauvais Return to Paris Remarks on the French theatre 
 Talma Mile Duchesnois Mile Georges French alexandrine verse The 
 Abbe Delille The Opera Comique 83 
 
 xiii
 
 CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 From Paris to Milan through Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saone, Lyons, Geneva 
 and the Simplon Auxerre Dijon Napoleon at Chalon-sur-Saone The 
 army of the Loire Macon French grisettes Lyons Monuments and 
 theatricals Geneva Character and opinions of the Genevois Voltaire's 
 chateau at Ferney The chevalier Zadera From Geneva to Milan Crossing 
 the Simplon Arena The theatres in Milan Rossini Monuments in 
 Milan Art encouraged by the French Mr Eustace's bigotry Return 
 to Switzerland Clarens and Vevey Lausanne Society in Lausanne 
 Return to Paris The Louvre stripped Death of Marshal Ney ... 97 
 
 PART II 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 MARCH JUNE, 1816 
 
 Ball at Cambray, attended by the Duke of Wellington An Adventure 
 between Saint Quentin and Compiegne Paris revisited Colonel Wardle 
 and Mrs Wallis Society in Paris The Sourds-Muets The Cemetery of 
 Pere La Chaise Apathy of the French people The priests Marriage of 
 the Duke de Berri 145 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Journey from Paris to Lausanne Besan^on French refugees in Lausanne 
 Fran9ois Lamarque General Espinassy Bordas Gautier Michau 
 M. de Laharpe Mile Michaud Levade, a Protestant minister Chambery 
 Aix Details about M. de Boigne's career in India English Toryism and 
 intolerance Valley of Maurienne Passage across Mont Cenis and arrival 
 at Suza Turin 155 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Journey from Turin to Bologna Asti Schiller and Alfieri Italian cuisine 
 The vetturini Marengo Piacenza The Trebbia Parma The Empress 
 Maria Louisa Modena Bologna The University The Marescalchi 
 Gallery Character of the Bolognese 173 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Journey across the Appennines to Florence Tuscan idioms and customs 
 Monuments and galleries at Florence The Cascino Churches Theatres 
 Popularity of the Grand Duke Napoleon's downfall not regretted 
 Academies in Florence 189 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Journey from Florence to Rome Sienna Radicofani Bolsena Monte- 
 fiascone wine Viterbo Baccano The Roman Campagna The papal 
 douane Monuments and Museums in Rome Intolerance of the Catholic 
 Christians The Tiber and the bridges Character of the Romans The 
 Palazzi and Ville Canova's atelier Theatricals An execution in 
 Rome , 205 
 
 xiv
 
 CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 From Rome to Naples Albano Velletri The Marshes Terracina 
 Mola di Gaeta Capua The streets of Naples Monuments and Museums 
 Visit to Pompeii and ascent to Vesuvius Dangerous ventures Puzzuoli 
 and Baiae Theatres at Naples Pulcinello Return to Rome Tivoli 243 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1816 
 
 From Rome to Florence Sismondi the historian Reminiscences of India 
 Lucca Princess Elisa Baciocchi Pisa The Campo Santo Leghorn 
 Hebrews in Leghorn Lord Dillon The story of a lost glove From Flo- 
 rence to Lausanne by Milan, Turin and across Mont Cenis Lombardy in 
 winter The Hospice of Mont Cenis 272 
 
 PART III 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 MARCH-SEPTEMBER, 1817 
 
 Journey from Lausanne to Clermont-Ferrand A wretched conveyance 
 The first dish of frogs Society in Clermont-Ferrand General de Vergennes 
 Cleansing the town Return to Lausanne A zealous priest Journey 
 to Bern and back to Lausanne Avenches Lake Morat Lake Neuf- 
 chatel The Diet in Bern Character of the Bernois A beautiful Milanese 
 lady 289 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 SEPTEMBER, i8i7-APRIL, 1818 
 
 Journey from Lausanne to Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples Resi- 
 dence at Naples The theatre of San Carlo Rossini's operas Gaming in 
 Naples The Lazzaroni Public writers Carbonarism Return to Rome 
 Christmas eve at Santa Maria Maggiore Mme Dionigi Theatricals 
 Society in Rome The papal government Lucien Bonaparte, prince of 
 Canino Louis Napoleon, ex-King of Holland Pope Pius VII Thor- 
 waldsen Granet The Holy Week in Rome The Duchess of Devon- 
 shire From Rome to Florence by the Perugia road 304 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 APRIL-JULY, 1818 
 
 Journey from Florence to Pisa and from thence by the Appennines to 
 Genoa Massa-Carrara Genoa Monuments and works of art The 
 Genoese Return to Florence Journey from Florence through Bologna 
 and Ferrara to Venice Monument to Ariosto in Ferrara A description 
 of Venice Padua Vicenza Verona Cremona Return to Milan The 
 Scala theatre Verona again From Verona to Innspruck. . . . 331 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 JULY-SEPTEMBER, 1818 
 
 Innspruck Tyrol and the Tyrolese From Innspruck to Munich 
 Monuments and churches Theatricals Journey from Munich to Vienna 
 
 XV
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 on a floss Trouble with a passport Complicated system of Austrian 
 money Description of Vienna The Prater The theatres Schiller's Joan 
 of Arc A KinderballetThe young Napoleon at Schoenbrunn Journey 
 from Vienna to Prague 355 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 SEPTEMBER, i8i8-MARCH, 1819 
 
 The splendid city of Prague The German expression, "To give the 
 basket" Journey from Prague to Dresden Journey from Dresden to 
 Berlin A description of Berlin The Prussian Army Theatricals 
 Peasants talk about Napoleon Prussians and French should be allies 
 Absurd policy of the English Tories Journey from Berlin to Dresden A 
 description of Dresden The battle of Dresden in 1813 Clubs at Dresden 
 Theatricals German beds Saxon scholars The picture gallery To- 
 bacco an ally of Legitimacy Saxon women Meissen Unjust policy of 
 Europe towards the King of Saxony 380 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 MARCH- APRIL, 1819 
 
 Journey from Dresden to Leipzig The University of Leipzig Liberal 
 spirit The English disliked in Saxony The English Government hostile 
 to liberty Journey to Frankfort From Frankfort to Metz and Paris 
 A. F. Lemaitre Bon voyage to the Allies Return to England. . . 410 
 
 XVI
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MAY JUNE, 1815 
 
 Passage from Ceylon to England Napoleon's return Ostend Bruges 
 Ghent The King of France at Mass Alost Bruxelles The Duke of 
 Wellington very confident Feelings of the Belgians Good conduct of 
 British troops Monuments in Bruxelles Theatricals Genappe and 
 Namur Complaints against the Prussian troops Mons Major-General 
 Adam Tournay A French deserter General Clinton's division Cavalry 
 review The Duke de Berri Back to Bruxelles Unjust opinions about 
 Napoleon and the French Battle at Ligny The day of Waterloo in 
 Bruxelles Visit to the battlefield Terrible condition of the wounded 
 Kindness of the Bruxellois. 
 
 BRUXELLES, May 7, 1815. 
 
 I PROCEED to the fulfilment of my promise, to give you 
 from time to time the details of my tour, and my reflections 
 on the circumstances that occur at this momentous crisis. 
 To me, who have spent the greatest part of my life out of 
 Europe, the whole scene is so new that I am quite bewildered 
 with it; and you will, I am afraid, as I write on the impulse 
 of the moment, find my ideas at times rather incoherently 
 put together. What changes have taken place in Europe 
 within the last two years! and how great were those which 
 occurred during the interval of my passage from Ceylon 
 last year, which island I quitted about the time that we 
 received in that part of the world intelligence of the battle 
 of Leipsic! Having had a long passage from distant Tapro- 
 bane, it was only on my arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, 
 that I learned, to my utter astonishment, the news of the 
 capitulation of Paris to the allied powers, and of the over- 
 throw of the power and dynasty of Napoleon. I recollect 
 that at the Cape there was great rejoicing and jubilee on 
 this occasion ; but I confess, as to myself, I did not see any 
 reason for giving vent to this extravagant joy; and I must 
 have had even at that time somehow or other a presenti- 
 ment of what would soon happen, as in communicating this 
 B 1
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 intelligence to a friend in India I made use of these words : 
 " get a court dress made, my good friend, and a big wig, 
 ruffled shirt, and hair-powder, and stick an old-fashioned 
 sword by your side, for, depend on it, old fashions will come 
 into play again ; the most arbitrary and aristocratic notions 
 will be revived and terrible machinations will be framed 
 against the liberties of Europe." 
 
 Of course at the Cape we only heard one side of the ques- 
 tion; and I began to be almost convinced that it was as 
 necessary for humanity, as for the repose of Europe, that 
 the giant should be put down; and I was consoled when it 
 was effected, ostensibly, at least, by the voice of the people. 
 
 I had scarcely been three months in England, when the 
 return of Napoleon from Elba, and the extraordinary dis- 
 location of the Bourbons from the throne of France, 
 summoned Europe again to arms; the crusade is preached 
 at Vienna, and behold! his Grace of Wellington appointed 
 the Godfrey of the holy league. I had reason, about six 
 weeks before the news of this event reached London, from 
 some conversation I had with an intelligent friend, who 
 had just returned from a tour on the Continent, to suppose 
 that the slightest combination against the Bourbons 
 would prove successful, from their injudicious conduct and 
 from the temper of the people; but I never could have 
 supposed that the return of the man of Elba would be hailed 
 with such unparalleled and unanimous acclamation. As I 
 had long ago wished for an opportunity of visiting the 
 continent of Europe, which had never before occurred to 
 me, I eagerly embraced the offer made to me by my friend 
 Major-General Wilson, formerly Lieut.-Governor of Ceylon,* 
 to accompany him on a military tour through the country 
 about to be the theatre of war. Though I had never before 
 visited the Continent (except with the British army in the 
 invasion of Holland in 1799, when I began my military 
 career), yet I was not wholly unprepared for travelling, 
 
 * Sir Wiltshire Wilson (1762-1842), Commander of the Royal Artillery in 
 Ceylon, 1810-1815. ED. 
 2
 
 ARRIVAL AT OSTEND 
 
 having united to a classical, as well as military education, a 
 tolerable knowledge of history, and a partial acquirement 
 of the principal modern European languages, which I had 
 begun to learn when very young and which I kept up during 
 my leisure hours in India, which, like those of Don Quixote, 
 were many. I preferred this study infinitely to that of the 
 Asiatic languages, for which I never felt any taste, as I dis- 
 like bombast, hyperbole and exaggeration; and though an 
 ardent admirer of the Muses, I never could find pleasure in 
 what Voltaire terms " le bon style oriental, ou Ton fait 
 danser les montagnes et les collines," and I prefer the 
 amatory effusions of Ovid to those of the great King Solo- 
 mon himself. 
 
 The war will no doubt commence in Belgium, and of 
 course the Emperor Napoleon will be the assailant, for it 
 cannot be supposed that after the act of ban passed against 
 him by the Amphictyons of Vienna he will remain tranquil, 
 and not strike the first blow, which may render him master 
 of Belgium and its resources. 
 
 We embarked at Ramsgate on the first of May for 
 Ostend on board of a small vessel bound thither. Our 
 fellow passengers were two officers of dragoons, several 
 commissaries with their servants, horses, etc. After a 
 passage of twenty-four hours, we entered the harbour of 
 Ostend at one o'clock the following day. Ostend, once so 
 flourishing and opulent, has long since fallen into decay; its 
 usual dullness is however just now interrupted by the 
 bustle of troops landing to join the allied army. Cavalry, 
 infantry, artillery, horses, guns, stores, etc., are landed 
 every minute. The quays are the only parts of this city 
 which can boast of handsome buildings; the fortifications 
 seem to be much out of repair; in fact, the aggrandizement of 
 Antwerp occasioned necessarily the deterioration of Ostend. 
 
 The General and myself went to put up at the Tele cTOr, 
 
 the only inn where we could procure beds; and we embarked 
 
 early next morning at the embouchure of the canal on board 
 
 of a treckschuyt which conveyed us in three hours to Bruges. 
 
 B2 3
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The landscape between Ostend and Bruges is extremely 
 monotonous, it being a uniformly flat country; yet it is 
 pleasing to the eye at this season of the year from the ver- 
 dure of the plains, which are all appropriated to pasturage, 
 and from the appearance of the different villages and towns, 
 of which the eye can embrace a considerable number. There 
 is a good road on the banks of the canal, and the troops, on 
 their line of march, enlivened much the scene. Bruges, for- 
 merly the grand mart and emporium of the commerce of the 
 East, not only for the Low Countries, but for all the North 
 of Europe, seems, if we may judge from the state of the 
 buildings and the stillness that prevails, to be also in a state 
 of decline. We however had only time to visit the Hotel de 
 Ville and to remark the immense height of the steeple 
 on the Grande Place. We observed a number of pretty 
 women in the streets and in the shops employed in lace 
 making. Bruges has been at all times renowned for the 
 beauty of the female sex, and this brought to my recollec- 
 tion a passage in Schiller's tragedy of the Maid of Orleans, 
 wherein the Duke of Burgundy says that the greatest boast 
 of Bruges is the beauty of its women. 
 
 Another treckschuyt was to start at twelve o'clock for 
 Ghent; but we preferred going by land and General Wilson 
 hired a carriage for that purpose. The distance is about 
 thirty miles. The road from Bruges to Ghent or Gand is 
 perfectly straight, lined with trees and paved like a street. 
 The country is quite flat, and though there is nothing 
 to bound the horizon, the trees on each side of the road 
 intercept the view. 
 
 We arrived at Ghent about six in the afternoon of the 4th 
 and had some difficulty in finding room, as the different 
 hotels were filled with officers of the allied army; but at 
 length, after many ineffectual applications at several, we 
 obtained admission at the Hotel de Flandre, where we took 
 possession of a double-bedded room, the only one unoccupied. 
 
 Gand seems to be a very neat, clean and handsome city, 
 with an air of magnificence about it. The Grande Place is 
 4
 
 LOUIS XVIII AT GHENT 
 
 very striking, and the promenades are aligned with trees. 
 We inspected the exterior of several public buildings and 
 visited the interior of several churches. In the cathedral we 
 had the honour of seeing at High Mass his most Christian 
 Majesty, Monsieur and the Comte de Blacas, Vicomte de 
 Chateaubriand and others, composing the Court of noire 
 Pere de Gand, as Louis XVIII is humorously termed by the 
 French, from his having fixed his head-quarters here. A 
 great many French officers who have followed his fortunes 
 are also here, but they seem principally to belong to the 
 Gardes du Corps. A number of military attended the 
 service in the cathedral in order to witness the devotions of 
 the Bourbon family. Monsieur has all the appearance of a 
 worn out debauchee, and to see him with a missal in his hand 
 and the strange contrite face he assumes, is truly ridiculous. 
 These princes, instigated no doubt by the priests, make a 
 great parade of their sanctity, for which however those who 
 are acquainted with their character will not give them much 
 credit. But religious cant is the order of the day intra et 
 extra Iliacos muros, abroad as well as in England. The King 
 of France takes the lead, having in view no doubt the advice 
 of Buckingham to Richard III : 
 
 A pray'r book in your hand, my Lord, were well, 
 For on that ground I'll make an holy descant. 
 
 and M. de Chateaubriand will no doubt trumpet forth the 
 devotion and Christian humility of his master. Those, how- 
 ever, who are at all acquainted with this prince's habits, 
 and are not interested in palliating or concealing them, 
 insinuate that his devotions at the table are more sincere 
 than at the altar and that, like the Giant Margutte in the 
 Morgante Maggiore of Pulci, he places more faith and 
 reliance on a cappone lesso ossia arrosto than on the conse- 
 crated but less substantial wafer.* 
 
 * Pulci, Morgante, canto xvm, ottava 114-115. The Giant Morgante 
 meets the villain Margutte and asks him if he be a Christian or a Saracen. 
 Margutte answers that he cares not, but only believes in boiled or in roasted 
 capon : 
 
 Rispose allor Margutte: A dirtel tosto 
 
 lo non credo piu al nero ch' all' azzurro, 
 
 Ma nel cappone, o lesso. o vuogli arrosto . . .
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 After contemplating this edifying spectacle, we returned 
 to our inn, and the next morning after breakfast we set out 
 on our journey to Bruxelles. The road is exactly similar to 
 that between Bruges and Gand, but the country appears to 
 be richer and more diversified, and many country houses 
 were observable on the road side. We passed thus several 
 neat villages. At one o'clock we stopped at Alost to refresh 
 our horses and dine. At the table d'hote were a number of 
 French officers belonging to the Gardes du Corps. On enter- 
 ing into conversation with one of them, I found that he as 
 well as several others of them had served under Napoleon, 
 and had even been patronised and promoted by him; but I 
 suppose that being the sons of the ancient noblesse they 
 thought that gratitude to a parvenu like him was rather too 
 plebeian a virtue. Some of them, however, with whom I con- 
 versed after dinner seemed to regret the step they had 
 taken. " If we are successful," said they, " it can only be by 
 means of the Allied Armies, and who knows what con- 
 ditions they may impose on France? If we should be unsuc- 
 cessful, we are exiled probably for life from our country." 
 During dinner, two pretty looking girls with musical instru- 
 ments entered the hall, and regaled our ears with singing 
 some romances, among which were Dunois le Troubadour 
 and La Sentinelle. They sang with much taste and feeling. 
 I surmise this is not the only profession they exercise, if I 
 might judge from the doux yeux they occasionally directed 
 to some of the officers. These girls did not at least seem by 
 their demeanour as if likely to incur the anathema of 
 Rinaldo hi the Orlando Furioso: 
 
 meritamente muore una crudele, 
 
 but rather more disposed to 
 
 dar vita all'amator fidele.* 
 
 Alost is a neat, clean town or large village, and the same 
 description will serve for all the towns and villages in 
 Brabant and Flanders, as they are built on the same 
 plan. We arrived at Bruxelles late in the evening and put 
 up at the Hotel d'Angleterre. 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, iv, 63, f. ED. 
 6
 
 ARRIVAL AT BRUXELLES 
 
 BRUXELLES, May 9. 
 
 This morning, the General and myself went to pay our 
 respects to the Gran Capitano of the Holy League, and we 
 left our cards. He is, I hear, very confident of the result of 
 the campaign, and no doubt he has for him the prayers of 
 all the pious in England against those atheistical fellows the 
 French; and these prayers will surely elicit a "host of 
 angels " to come down to aid in the destruction of the 
 Pandemonium of Paris where Satan's lieutenant sits 
 enthroned. The reflecting people here are astonished that 
 Napoleon does not begin the attack. The inhabitants of 
 Belgium are in general, from all that I can hear or see, not 
 at all pleased with the present order of things, and they 
 much lament the being severed from France. The two 
 people, the Belgians and Hollanders, do not seem to amal- 
 gamate; and the former, though they render ample justice 
 to the moderation, good sense, and beneficent intentions of 
 the present monarch, who is personally respected by every 
 one, yet do not disguise their wish to be reunited to France 
 and do not hesitate to avow their attachment to the 
 Emperor Napoleon. This union does not please the Hol- 
 landers either, on other grounds. They complain that their 
 interests have been sacrificed entirely to those of the house 
 of Orange, and they say that from the readiness they dis- 
 played in shaking off the yoke of France, and the great 
 weight they thereby threw into the scale, they were entitled 
 to the restitution of all their colonies in Asia, Africa, and 
 America. The colonies of the Cape of Good Hope and 
 Ceylon are what they most regret ; for these colonies in par- 
 ticular furnished ample employment and the means of pro- 
 vision for the cadets of patrician families. If you tell them 
 they have acquired the Belgic provinces as an indemnifica- 
 tion, they answer: " So much the worse for us, for now the 
 patronage of the colonial offices must be divided between us 
 and the Belgians." 
 
 The preparations for the grand conflict about to take 
 place are carried on with unabating activity; the conscrip- 
 
 7
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 tion is rigorously enforced arid every youth capable of 
 bearing arms is enrolled. Almost all the officers of the 
 Belgian army and a great proportion of the soldiery have 
 served with the French and have been participators of their 
 laurels ; one cannot therefore suppose that they are actuated 
 by any very devouring zeal against their former com- 
 mander; nor have I found amongst the shop-keepers or 
 respectable people with whom I have conversed, and who 
 have been falsely represented as having suffered much from 
 the tyranny of Napoleon, any who dislike either his person 
 or government, and certainly none either high or low 
 express the cannibal wish that I heard some English 
 country gentlemen and London merchants utter for the 
 destruction of Paris and of the French people, nor would it 
 be easy to find here men of the humane and generous senti- 
 ments professed by some of our aldermen and contractors 
 when they welcomed with ferocious acclamations of joy 
 and were ready to embrace the Baschkir or Cossack who 
 told them that he had slaughtered so many French with his 
 own hand ; nor would the ladies here be so eager to kiss old 
 Blucher as was the case in London. 
 
 This city is filled with British and Hanoverian troops. 
 Their conduct is exemplary, nor is any complaint made 
 against them. The Highland regiments are however the 
 favourites of the Bruxellois, and the inhabitants give them 
 the preference as lodgers. They are extremely well behaved 
 (they say, when speaking of the Highlanders) and they 
 cheerfully assist the different families on whom they are 
 quartered in their household labour. This reflects a good 
 deal of credit on the gallant sons of Caledonia. Their 
 superior morality to those of the same class either in 
 England or in Ireland must strike every observer, and must, 
 in spite of all that the Obscuranten or Chevaliers de VEteig- 
 noir and others who wish to check the progress of the 
 human mind may urge to the contrary, be mainly attri- 
 buted to the general prevalence of education a la portee de 
 tout le monde. Wherever the people are enlightened there is 
 8
 
 TRIBUTE TO THE HIGHLANDERS 
 
 less crime ; ignorance was never yet the safeguard of virtue. 
 As for myself I honour and esteem the Scottish nation and 
 I must say that I have found more liberal ideas and more 
 sound philosophy among individuals of that nation than 
 among those of any other, and it is a tribute I owe to them 
 loudly to proclaim my sentiments; for though personal 
 gratitude may seem to influence me a little on this subject, 
 yet I should never think of putting forth my opinion in 
 public, were it not founded on an impartial observation of 
 the character of this enterprising and persevering people. 
 A woman who had some Highlanders quartered in her 
 house told me in speaking of them: " Monsieur, ce sont de si 
 bonnes gens; ils sont doux comme des agneaux." " Us n' en 
 serontpas moins des lions au j our du combat, "was my reply. 
 I have amused myself with visiting most of the remark- 
 able objects here, but you must not expect from me a detail 
 of what you will find in every description book. You wish 
 to have my ideas on the subjects that most strike me indi- 
 vidually, and those you shall have; but it would be very 
 absurd and presumptuous in me to attempt to give a cata- 
 logue raisonne of buildings and pictures and statues, or to set 
 up as a connoisseur when I know nothing either of sculp- 
 ture, of architecture or painting; nor am I desirous of 
 imitating the young Englishman, who, in writing to his 
 father from Italy, described so much in detail, and so scien- 
 tifically, every production, or staple, peculiar to the cities 
 which he happened to visit, that he wrote like a cheese- 
 monger from Parma, like a silk mercer from Leghorn, like 
 an olive and oil merchant from Lucca, like a picture dealer 
 from Florence, and like an antiquarian from Rome. 
 
 BRUXELLES, May 10. 
 
 The Hotel d'Angleterre where we are lodged is within four 
 minutes' walk from the finest part of the city, where the 
 Pare and Royal Palace is situated. The Pare is not large, 
 but is tastefully laid out in the Dutch style, and is the 
 fashionable promenade for the beau monde of Bruxelles. 
 
 9
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The women, without being strikingly handsome, have 
 much grace; their air, manner and dress are perfectly a la 
 franfaise. A good cafe and restaurant is in the centre of one 
 of the sides, and the buildings on the quadrangle environ- 
 ing the Pare, which form the palace and other tenements 
 are superb. The next place I went to see was the Hotel de 
 Ville and its tower of immense height. It is a fine Gothic 
 building, but that which should be the central entrance is 
 not directly in the centre of the edifice, so that one wing of it 
 appears considerably larger than the other, which gives it 
 an awkward and irregular appearance. On the Place or 
 Square as we should call it, where the Hotel de Ville stands, 
 is held the fruit and vegetable market, and a finer one or 
 more plentifully supplied I never beheld. This Place is 
 interesting to the historian as being the spot where Counts 
 Egmont and Hoorn suffered decapitation in the reign of 
 Philip II of Spain, by order of the Duke of Alva, who wit- 
 nessed the execution from a window of one of the houses. 
 The conduct of these noblemen at the place of execution 
 was so dignified that even the ferocious duke could not 
 avoid wiping his eyes, hardened as his heart was by reli- 
 gious and political fanaticism ; and though he held them in 
 abhorrence as rebels and traitors a tear did fall for them 
 down his iron cheek. How fortunate for the liberties of 
 Holland that William the Taciturn did not also fall into the 
 claws of that Moloch Philip! I next visited the museum and 
 picture gallery, where I witnessed the annual exposition of 
 the modern school of painting. The specimens I saw 
 pleased me much, particularly because the subjects were 
 well chosen from history and the mythology, which to me is 
 far more agreeable than the subjects of the paintings of the 
 old Flemish school ; but I am told often that I know nothing 
 about painting, so I shall make no further remarks but 
 content myself with sending you a catalogue, with the 
 pictures marked therein which made most impression on me. 
 With respect to the churches of Brussels those of Ste. 
 Gudule and of the Capuchins are the finest and most re- 
 10
 
 ASPECTS OF BRUXELLES 
 
 markable. In the former is the Temptation of Adam by the 
 Serpent, richly carved in wood in figures as large as life 
 grouped round the pulpit.* 
 
 The Place du Sdblon is very striking from the space it 
 occupies, and on it is a fountain erected by Lord Bruce.f 
 The fountains which are to be met with in various parts of 
 the city are highly ornamental, and among them I must 
 not omit to mention a singularly grotesque one which is held 
 in great veneration by the lower orders of the Bruxellois 
 and is by them regarded as a sort of Palladium to the city. 
 It is the figure of a little boy who is at peace, according to 
 the late Lord Melville'sJ pronunciation of the words, and 
 who spouts out his water incessantly, reckless of decorum 
 and putting modesty to the blush. What would our vice- 
 hunters say to this? He is a Sabbath breaker in the bar- 
 gain and continues his occupation on Sundays as well as 
 other days and in fine he rejoices in the name of Manne- 
 kenpis. 
 
 The ramparts, or rather site of the ramparts (for the 
 fortifications of Bruxelles no longer exist), form an agree- 
 able promenade; but the favourite resort of all the world 
 at Bruxelles in the afternoon is the A llee verte. Here all 
 classes meet ; here the rich display their equipages and 
 horses; and the lower orders assemble at the innumerable 
 guinguettes which are to be met with here, in order to play at 
 bowls, dominoes, smoke and drink beer, of which there is an 
 excellent sort called Bitterman. The avenues on each side 
 of the carriage road are occupied by pedestrians, and on one 
 side of the road is the canal, covered at all times with 
 barges and boats decked with flags and streamers. At the 
 cabarets are benches and tables in the open air under the 
 trees ; and here are to be seen the artisan, the bargeman and 
 the peasant taking their afternoon delassement, and groups 
 
 * A work of H. Verbruggen of Antwerp (1677). ED. 
 
 f Lord Bruce, Earl of Ailesbury, caused this fountain to be erected in 
 175 1, as a token of gratitude to the town of Bruxelles where he had lived in 
 exile. ED. 
 
 J Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville ( 1741-1811), elevated to the peerage 
 in 1802. ED. 
 
 11
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 of men, women and children drinking beer and smoking. 
 These groups reminded me much of those one sees so often 
 in the old Flemish pictures, with this difference, that the old 
 costume of the people is almost entirely left off. Female 
 minstrels with guitars stroll about singing French romances 
 and collecting contributions from this cheerful, laughter - 
 loving people. The dark walk, as it is called, near the park 
 is a favourite walk of the upper classes in the evening. There 
 his Grace of Wellington is sometimes to be seen with a fair 
 lady under his arm. He generally dresses in plain clothes, 
 to the astonishment of all the foreign officers. He is said to 
 be as successful in the fields of Idalia as in those of Bellona, 
 and the ladies whom he honours with his attentions suffer 
 not a little in their reputations in the opinion of the 
 comperes and commeres of Bruxelles. 
 
 I have only been twice to the theatre since I have been 
 here. The Salle de Spectacle is indifferent, but they have an 
 excellent company of comedians. The representations are in 
 French. I saw the Festin de Pierre of Corneille exceedingly 
 well performed. The actors who did the parts of Don Juan 
 and Sganarelle were excellent, and the scene with M. 
 Dimanche, wherein he demands payment of his bill, was 
 admirably given. I have also seen the Plaideurs of Racine, 
 a very favourite piece of mine ; every actor played his part 
 most correctly, and the scene between the Comtesse de 
 Pimbeche and Chicaneau and L'lntime wherein the latter, 
 disguised as a Bailli, offers himself to be kicked by the 
 former, was given in very superior style. The scene of the 
 trial of the dog, with the orations of Petit Jean as deman- 
 deur and L'lntime as defenseur, were played with good 
 effect. I never recollect having witnessed a theatrical piece 
 which afforded me greater amusement. 
 
 NAMUR, May 12. 
 
 We left Brussels yesterday afternoon, and having 
 
 obtained passports to visit the military posts we went to 
 
 Genappe, a small village half-way between Bruxelles and 
 
 Namur, where we brought to for the night at a small but 
 
 12
 
 EXCESSES OF BLUCHER'S ARMY 
 
 comfortable inn called Le Roi d'Espagne. Two battalions of 
 the regiment Nassau-Usingen are quartered in Genappe. 
 We arrived at Namur this morning at nine o'clock and put 
 up at the Hotel d'Arenberg. On the road we stopped at a 
 peasant's house to drink coffee ; and we were entertained by 
 our hostess with complaints against the Prussians, who 
 commit, as she said, all sorts of exactions on the peasantry 
 on whom they are quartered. Not content with exacting 
 three meals a day, when they were only entitled to two, and 
 for which they are bound to give their rations, they sell 
 these, and appropriate the money to their own use; then 
 the demand for brandy and schnapps is increasing. But 
 what can be expected from an army whose leader encou- 
 rages them in all their excesses? Blucher by all accounts is 
 a vandal and is actuated by a most vindictive spirit. The 
 Prussians reproach the Belgians with being in the French 
 interest; how can they expect it to be otherwise? They 
 . have prospered under French domination, and certainly the 
 conduct of the Prussians is not calculated to inspire them 
 with any love towards themselves nor veneration for the 
 Sovereign who has such all-devouring allies. I asked this 
 woman why she did not complain to the officers. She 
 answered: " Helas, Monsieur, c'est inutile; on donne tou- 
 jours la meme reponse: ' Nichts verstehn,' " for it appears 
 when these complaints are made the Prussian officers pre- 
 tend not to understand French. 
 
 Namur is now the head-quarters of Marshal Blucher, who 
 is in the enjoyment of divers noms de guerre, such as " Mar- 
 shall Vorwarts," " Der alte Teufel." On the high road, 
 about two miles and a half before we reached Namur, we 
 met with a party of Prussian lancers, who were returning 
 from a foraging excursion. They were singing some warlike 
 song or hymn, which was singularly impressive. It brought 
 to my recollection the description of the Rhenish bands in 
 the Lay of the Last Minstrel: 
 
 Who as they move, in rugged verse 
 Songs of Teutonic feuds rehearse. 
 
 13
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The Prussian cavalry seem to be composed of fine-looking 
 young men, and I admire the genuine military simplicity of 
 then- dress, to which might be most aptly applied the 
 words of Xenophon when describing the costume of the 
 younger Cyrus: 'Ev r# llepo-i/c^ cn-oA# ovdev ri <;/3/ooy>ieV#* in 
 substituting merely the word Ilpva-a-iKri for lie/XT^. One sees 
 in it none of those absurd ornaments and meretricious fop- 
 pery which give to our cavalry officers the appearance of 
 Astley's men.f 
 
 The situation of Namur is exceedingly picturesque, par- 
 ticularly when viewed from the heights which tower above 
 the town, whereon stood the citadel which was demolished 
 by order of Joseph II, as were the fortifications of all the 
 frontier fortresses. The present Belgian Government how- 
 ever mean to reconstruct them, and Namur in particular, 
 the citadel of which, from the natural strength of its posi- 
 tion, is too important a post to be neglected. The town 
 itself is situated on the confluent of the Sambre and Meuse 
 and lies in a valley completely commanded and protected 
 by the citadel. The churches are splendid, and there is an 
 appearance of opulence in the shops. The inhabitants, from 
 its being a frontier town, are of course much alarmed at the 
 approaching contest, for they will probably suffer from 
 both parties. We heard at the inn and in the shops which we 
 visited the same complaints against the Prussians. The 
 country in the environs of this place is exceedingly diversi- 
 fied, and it presents the first mountain scenery we have yet 
 met with. The banks of the Meuse hereabouts present either 
 an abrupt precipice or coteaux covered with vines gently 
 sloping to the water's edge. Namur is distant thirty-four 
 miles from Brussels, and there is water conveyance on the 
 Meuse from here to Liege and Maastricht. 
 
 MONS, May 14. 
 
 We started yesterday morning at four o'clock from 
 Namur. The whole road between Namur and Mons presents 
 
 * Xenophon, Education of Cyrus, n, 4, 4. ED. 
 
 f Astley's Amphitheatre, near Westminster Bridge. ED. 
 
 14
 
 VISIT TO FLEURUS 
 
 a fine, rich open country abounding in wheat, but not many 
 trees. We stopped to breakfast at Fleurus, at an inn where 
 there were some Prussian officers. One of them, a lieutenant 
 in the 2nd West Prussian Regiment, had the kindness to 
 conduct us to see the field of battle where the French under 
 Jourdan defeated the Austrians in 1794. It is at a very short 
 distance from the town; he explained the position of the 
 two armies in a manner perfectly clear and satisfactory to 
 us. The Prussian officers all seem very eager for the com- 
 mencement of hostilities, and their only fear is now that all 
 these mighty preparations will end in nothing; viz., either 
 that the French people, alarmed at the magnitude of the 
 preparations against them, will compel the Emperor 
 Napoleon to abdicate, or that the Allies will grow cool and, 
 under the influence of Austria, bring about a negotiation 
 which may end in a recognition of the Imperial title and 
 dynasty. They would compound for a defeat at first, provided 
 the war were likely to be prolonged. In the meantime, rein- 
 forcements continue to arrive daily for their army. We hear 
 but little news of the intentions or movements of the other 
 Allies ; it being forbidden to enter into political discussions, 
 it is difficult to ascertain the true state of affairs. 
 
 We continued our journey through Charleroy and Binch 
 to this place. At a small village between Binch and Mons we 
 were stopped by a sentinel at a Prussian outpost and our 
 passports demanded. Neither the sentinel, however, nor the 
 sergeant, nor any of the soldiers present, could read or under- 
 stand French, in which language the passport was drawn 
 up; but the sergeant told me that the officers were in a 
 house about a quarter of a mile distant and that he would 
 conduct me thither, but that he himself could not presume 
 to let us pass, from not knowing the tenor of our passport. I 
 went accordingly with the sergeant to this house. There I 
 found the officer commanding the piquet and several others 
 sitting at table, carousing with beer and tobacco and nearly 
 invisible from the clouds of smoke which pervaded the room. 
 I explained to the officer who we were and requested him 
 
 15
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 to put on the passport his visa in the German language, so 
 that the non-commissioned officers at the various posts 
 through which we might pass would be able to understand 
 it and let us pass without hindrance. This he did accord- 
 ingly and we proceeded on our journey. 
 
 We arrived here in the evening and put up at the Hotel 
 Royal. We found at Charleroy, Binch and here, a number of 
 people employed in repairing and reconstructing the fortifi- 
 cations. Men, women and boys are all put in requisition to 
 accelerate this object, as it is the intention of the Belgian 
 Government to put all the frontier fortresses in the most 
 complete state of defence. On ascending one of the steeples 
 this morning we had a fine view of the surrounding country 
 and of the height of Genappe, which are close to Mons and 
 memorable for the brilliant victory gained by Dumouriez 
 over the Austrians in 1792. The landscape presents an undu- 
 lating campaign country, gentle slopes and alternate 
 plains covered with corn, as far as the eye can reach, and 
 interspersed with villages and farmhouses. In Mons is a very 
 large splendid shop or warehouse of millinery, perfumery, 
 jewellery, etc. It is called La Toilette de Venus, and is served 
 by a very pretty girl, who, I have no doubt from her simper- 
 ing look and eloquent eyes, would have no objection to be 
 a sedulous priestess at the altar of the Goddess of Amathus. 
 A battalion of Hollanders a very fine body of men 
 marched into this place yesterday evening; the rest of the 
 garrison is composed of Belgians, chiefly conscripts. 
 
 LEUZE, May 15. 
 
 Yesterday morning we left Mons and proceeded to Ath to 
 breakfast. A multitude of people were employed there also 
 at the fortifications. The garrison of Ath is composed of 
 Hanoverians. Ath reminded me of the wars of King 
 William III and my Uncle Toby's sieges.* There was so 
 little remarkable to be seen at Ath that we proceeded to this 
 place shortly after breakfast and arrived at one o'clock, it 
 
 * Uncle Toby, in Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy. ED. 
 16
 
 AT LEUZE WITH MAJOR-GENERAL ADAM 
 
 being only ten miles distance between Ath and Leuze. We 
 took up our quarters with Major-General Adam, who com- 
 mands the Light Brigade of General Sir H. Clinton's 
 division. This brigade is quartered here and in the adjacent 
 farmhouses. General Adam, though he has attained his rank 
 at a very early age, is far more fitted for it than many of our 
 older generals, some of whom (I speak from experience) have 
 few ideas beyond the fixing of a button or lappel, or polish- 
 ing a belt, and who place the whole Ars recondita of military 
 discipline in pipe-clay, heel-ball and the goose step. Fortu- 
 nately for this army, the Duke of Wellington has too much 
 good sense to be a martinet and the good old times are gone 
 by, thank God, when a soldier used to be sentenced to two or 
 three hundred lashes for having a dirty belt or being with- 
 out a queue. To the Duke of York also is humanity much 
 indebted for his endeavours to check the frequency of cor- 
 poral punishment. The Duke of York, with all his zeal for 
 the service, never loses sight of the comfort of the soldier 
 and is indefatigable in his exertions to ameliorate his con- 
 ditions. We had a pleasant dinner party at General Adam's, 
 and at night I went to sleep at the house occupied by Cap- 
 tain C., one of the aides-de-camp of the General,* an active, 
 intelligent officer who had formerly served in the marines, 
 which service he had quitted in order to enter the regular 
 army. 
 
 May 16. 
 
 Yesterday morning we paid a visit to Tournay, which is 
 distant from Leuze about ten miles, and we breakfasted at 
 the Signe d'Or. We then proceeded to pay our respects to 
 the Commandant General V.f The garrison consists of Bel- 
 gians. General V. had been some time in England as a 
 prisoner of war. He was made prisoner, I think he said, at 
 Batavia. He received us very politely, and not only gave us 
 permission to visit the works of the citadel, but sent a ser- 
 
 * Lieutenant R. P. Campbell, aide-de-camp to Major-General Adam. 
 ED. 
 
 f In May, 1815, the officer commanding-in-chief at Tournai was General- 
 Major A. C. Van Diermen. ED. 
 
 c 17
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 geant to accompany us. The new citadel is building on the 
 site of the old one, and, like it, is to be a regular pentagon. 
 The fortifications of the city itself are not to be recon- 
 structed; these of the citadel, which will be very strong, 
 rendering them superfluous. The sergeant was a native of 
 Wiirtemberg and had served in the army of his own country 
 and in that of France in most of the campaigns under 
 Napoleon. He was a fine old veteran, and very intelligent, 
 for he explained to us the nature of the works with great 
 perspicuity. With true Suabian dignity he refused a five 
 franc piece which I offered him as a slight remuneration for 
 the trouble he had taken, and as he seemed, I thought, rather 
 offended at the offer, I felt myself bound to apologize. From 
 the number of workmen employed in repairing the citadel, 
 it will not be long before it is placed in a respectable state of 
 defence. Tournay is a large handsome city and the spacious 
 quais on the banks of the Scheld which runs through it add 
 much to the neatness of its appearance. It is only ten miles 
 distant from Lille, but all communication from France is 
 stopped. We learned that some of the Hanoverians had been 
 deserting. In return we met with a young French hussar 
 who had come over to the Allies. He seemed to be an impu- 
 dent sort of fellow, and said, with the utmost sang-froid, 
 that the reason he deserted was that he had not been made an 
 officer as he was promised, and he hoped that Louis XVIII 
 would be more sensible of his merits than the Emperor 
 Napoleon. We returned to Leuze to dinner in the afternoon. 
 This morning we went to assist at a review of General 
 Clinton's division, on a plain called Le Paturage, about seven 
 miles distant from Leuze. The Light Brigade and the Hano- 
 verian Brigades form this division. The manoeuvres were 
 performed with tolerable precision, but they were chiefly 
 confined to advancing in line, retiring by alternate com- 
 panies covered by light infantry and change of position on 
 one of the flanks by Echelon. The British troops were per- 
 fect; the Hanoverians not so, they being for the most part 
 new levies. In one of the Echelon movements, when the line 
 18
 
 CAVALRY REVIEWED BY WELLINGTON 
 
 was to be formed on the left company of the left battalion, 
 a Hanoverian battalion, instead of preserving its paral- 
 lelism, was making a terrible diversion to its right, when a 
 thundering voice from the commander of the brigade to 
 the commandant of the battalion: " Mein Gott, Herr Major, 
 wo gehn Sie hin?" roused him from his reverie; when he 
 must have perceived, had he wheeled up into line, the fearful 
 interval he had left between his own and the next battalion 
 on the left. 
 
 After the review had finished we repaired to the chateau 
 of the Prince de Ligne, then occupied by Lieut. -General Sir 
 H. Clinton, to partake of a breakfast given by him and his 
 lady. On the breaking up of the breakfast party, General 
 Wilson and myself remained at the chateau to dine with 
 General Adam al fresco in the garden under the trees. The 
 palace and garden of the Prince de Ligne are both very 
 magnificent. The latter is of great extent, but too regular, 
 too much in the Dutch taste to please me. Little or no furni- 
 ture is in the palace ; but there are some family pictures and 
 a theatre fitted up in one of the halls for the purpose of pri- 
 vate theatricals. In the garden is a monument erected by 
 the late Prince de Ligne to one of his sons, Charles by name, 
 who was killed in the Russian service at the siege of Ismail. 
 The present prince is a minor and resides at Bruxelles. 
 
 GRAMMONT, May 18. 
 
 We left Leuze yesterday afternoon and arrived here at 
 seven in the evening in order to be present at the cavalry 
 review the next morning. We partook of an elegant supper 
 given to us by our friend, Major Grant of the 18th Hussars, 
 and we were much entertained and enlivened by the effusions 
 of his brilliant genius and inexhaustible wit. The whole 
 cavalry of the British army passed in review this morning 
 before the Duke of Wellington, who was there with all his 
 staff and received the salutes of all the corps like Godfrey, 
 con volto placido e composto. It was a very brilliant spectacle. 
 The Duke de Berri was present. I think I never beheld so 
 c2 19
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ignoble and disagreeable a countenance as this prince pos- 
 sesses. I thought to myself that he had much better have 
 stayed away from this review ; for he must be insensible to 
 all patriotism who could take pleasure in contemplating a 
 foreign force about to enter and ravage his own country. 
 We learn that the Duchess d'Angouleme is to have a review 
 of the fideles very shortly. She is certainly much more war- 
 like than the males of that family; this disposition is 
 increased by her religious fanaticism. This renders her, of 
 course, a most dangerous person to meddle with politics; 
 but great allowances must be made for her feelings, which 
 must naturally be embittered by the recollection of so much 
 suffering during the Revolution and of the barbarous and 
 inhuman treatment experienced by her father and mother. 
 
 I observed a peculiarity in this part of the country, viz., 
 that there are villages lying close to each other in some of 
 which French is spoken, in others Flemish; and that, with 
 some few exceptions, the inhabitants of neighbouring 
 villages are reciprocally unintelligible. General Wilson does 
 not intend to return to Bruxelles. I shall accompany him as 
 far as Gand and then return to Bruxelles to await the issue 
 of the contest. 
 
 BRUXELLES, June 11. 
 
 I took leave of General Wilson at Gand on the 22nd of 
 last month and immediately returned here, where I have 
 been ever since. I have shifted my quarters to a less expen- 
 sive hotel and am now lodged at the Hotel de la Paix. We get an 
 excellent dinner at the table d'hote for one and a half francs, 
 wine not included ; this is paid for extra, and is generally at 
 the price of three francs per bottle. This hotel is very neatly 
 fitted up and is very near the Hotel de Ville. At the table 
 d'hote I frequently meet Prussian officers who on coming in 
 to visit Bruxelles put up here. We have just learned the pro- 
 ceedings of the Champ de Mai at Paris, by which it appears 
 that Napoleon is solemnly recognized and confirmed as 
 Emperor of the French. This intelligence sent a young 
 Prussian officer, who sat next to me, in a transport of joy, 
 20
 
 THE COMING STRUGGLE 
 
 for this makes the war certain. The Prussians seem deter- 
 mined to revenge themselves for the humiliation they 
 suffered from the French during the time they occupied 
 their country, and I sincerely pity by anticipation the fate 
 of the French peasants upon whom these gentlemen may 
 chance to be quartered. Terrible will be the first shock of 
 battle, and it may be daily expected, and dreadful will be 
 the consequences to the poor inhabitants of the seat of war. 
 Cannot this war be avoided? I am not politician enough to 
 foresee the consequences of allowing Napoleon to keep quiet 
 and undisturbed possession of the throne of France ; but the 
 consequences of a defeat on the part of the Allies will be the 
 loss of Belgium and the probable annihilation of the British 
 army; certainly the dissolution of the coalition, for the 
 minor German powers, and very likely Austria also, would 
 be induced to make a separate peace. We can clearly see 
 that Napoleon has not now the power he formerly possessed 
 and that the Republican party, into whose hands he has 
 thrown himself, seem disposed not only to remain at peace, 
 but to shackle him in every possible manner. It is evident, 
 too, that his last success was owing to the dislike of the 
 people to the Bourbons from their injudicious and trea- 
 cherous conduct; and the threats and impossible language 
 held by the priests and emigrants towards the holders of 
 property paved the way for the success of his enterprise 
 and enabled him to achieve a triumph unparalleled in history. 
 
 On the contrary, by forcing him to go to war, should he 
 gain the first victory, Belgium will be re-united to France, 
 all the resources of that country brought into the scale 
 against the Allies : Napoleon will be more popular than ever, 
 the Republican party will be put to silence, the enthusiasm 
 of the army will rise beyond all restraint, and, in a word, 
 Napoleon will be himself again. The other Allies can do 
 little without the assistance of England, and our finances 
 are by no means in a state to bear such intolerable drains. 
 
 As to the Prussians, on minute enquiry I do not find that 
 they were so ill-treated by the French as is generally 
 
 21
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 believed, and that, except the burden of having troops 
 quartered on them (no small annoyance, I allow), they had 
 not much reason to complain. The quartering of the troops 
 on them and the payment of the war contributions was the 
 necessary consequence of the occupation of their country 
 by an enemy; but I have just been reading a German work, 
 written by a native of Berlin, shortly after the entry of the 
 French troops in that city after the battle of Jena in 1806. 
 This work is entitled Vertraute Brief e aus Berlin, and in it 
 the author distinctly declares that the discipline observed 
 by the French troops during the occupation of Berlin was 
 highly strict and praiseworthy, and that the few excesses 
 that took place were committed by the troops of the 
 Rhenish Confederation; and he adds that the inhabitants 
 preferred having a French soldier quartered on them to 
 a Westphalian, Bavarian or Wiirtembergher. Further, 
 the troops that behaved with the greatest oppression and 
 insolence towards the burghers were those belonging to a 
 corps composed of native Prussians, raised for the service 
 of Napoleon by the Prince of Isenburg.* In his recruiting 
 address the prince invites the Prussian youth to enter into 
 the service of the invincible Napoleon, and tells him.that to 
 the soldier of Napoleon everything is permitted. The regi- 
 ment was soon fitted up and the soldiers began to put in 
 practice in good earnest the theory of the affiche. They com- 
 mitted excesses of all sorts; and one officer in particular 
 behaved so brutally and infamously to a poor tailor on 
 whom he was quartered, and to whom, before he entered 
 the French service, he was under the greatest obligations, 
 that General Hulin, the commandant of the place at Berlin 
 during the French occupation, was obliged to cashier him 
 publicly on the parade and to cause his epaulettes to be torn 
 from his coat in order to mark the disgust and indignation 
 
 *KarlFriedrichLudwigMoritz, Furstzu Ysenburg-Bierstein (1766-1820), 
 took service with Austria (1784), with Prussia (1804), and later with 
 Napoleon (1806), who commissioned him as brigadier-general. The shame- 
 less conduct of this officer is exposed by B. JPoten, Allgemeine Deutsche 
 Biographic, vol. XLIV, p. 61 1. ED. 
 
 22
 
 NAPOLEON'S ATTITUDE TO PRUSSIA 
 
 that he and all the French officers felt at the base ingrati- 
 tude of this man. 
 
 This work, " Vertraute Brief e" (confidential letters), con- 
 tains much curious matter and very interesting anecdotes 
 respecting the corruption, venality and depravation that 
 prevailed in the Prussian Court and army previous to the 
 war in 1806. Let this suffice to show that the Prussians 
 have not so much reason to complain against the French as 
 they pretend to have ; besides, the conduct of the Prussian 
 Government itself was so vacillating and contradictory that 
 they had themselves only to blame for what they suffered. 
 They should have supported Austria in 1805. But the fact 
 is that the vanity and the amour propre of the Prussian 
 military were so hurt at the humiliation they experienced 
 at and after the battle of Jena that it was this that has 
 embittered them so much against the French. 
 
 Let it not, however, be supposed for a moment that I seek 
 to excuse or palliate the conduct of Napoleon towards 
 Prussia. I have always thought it not only unjust but 
 impolitic. Impolitic, because Prussia was, and ought always 
 to be, the obvious and natural ally of France, and Napoleon, 
 instead of endeavouring to crush that power, should have 
 aggrandized her and made her the paramount power in 
 Germany. It was in fact his obvious policy to cede Hanover 
 in perpetuity to Prussia, and have rendered thereby the 
 breach between the Houses of Brandenburgh and Hanover 
 irreparable and irreconcileable. This would have thrown 
 Prussia necessarily into the arms of France, in whose 
 system she must then have moved, and all British influence 
 on the Continent would have been effectually put an end to. 
 Another prime fault of Napoleon was that he did not crush 
 and dismember Austria in 1809 as he had it in his power to 
 do ; and by so doing he would have merited and obtained the 
 thanks and good will of all Germany for having overturned 
 so despotic and light-fearing a Government. But he has paid 
 dearly for these errors. Instead of destroying a despotic 
 power (Austria), he chose rather to crush an enlightened 
 
 23
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 and liberal nation, for such I esteem the Prussian nation, 
 and I always separate the Prussian people from their 
 Government. The latter fell, and fell unpitied, after one 
 battle; but it has been almost miraculously restored by the 
 unparalleled exertions and energies of the burghers and 
 people. May this be a lesson to the Government! and may 
 the King of Prussia not prove ungrateful! 
 
 Troops continue to arrive here daily, and now that the 
 ceremony of the Champ de Mai is over, we may expect that 
 Napoleon will repair to his army and commence opera- 
 tions. 
 
 June 17. 
 
 Napoleon arrived at Maubeuge on the 13th and the grand 
 conflict has begun. The Prussians were attacked on the 
 14th and 15th at Ligny and driven from their position.* 
 They are said to have suffered immense loss and to be 
 retreating with the utmost confusion. Our turn comes next. 
 The thunder of the cannon was heard here distinctly the 
 most part of yesterday and some part of our army must 
 have been engaged. Our troops have all marched out of 
 Bruxelles in the direction of the frontier. In the affair with 
 the Prussians we learn that the Duke of Brunswick was 
 killed and that Blucher narrowly escaped being made 
 prisoner. 
 
 June 18. 
 
 The grand conflict has begun with us. It is now four 
 o'clock p.m. The issue is not known. The roar of the cannon 
 continues unabated. All is bustle, confusion and uncer- 
 tainty in this city. Cars with wounded are coming in con- 
 tinually. The general opinion is that our army will be com- 
 pelled to retreat to Antwerp, and it is even expected that 
 the French will be in Bruxelles to-night. All the towns- 
 people are on the ramparts listening to the sound of the 
 cannon. This city has been in the greatest alarm and agita- 
 tion since the 16th, when a violent cannonade was heard 
 during the afternoon. From what I have been able to collect, 
 
 * The battle at Ligny was fought on June 16. ED. 
 24
 
 GENERAL CONFUSION AT BRUXELLES 
 
 the French attacked the Prussians on the 14th, and a 
 desperate conflict took place on that day, and the whole of 
 the 15th,* when the whole of the Prussian army at Ligny, 
 Fleurus and Charleroy was totally defeated and driven from 
 its position; a dislocation of our troops took place early in 
 the morning of the 16th, and our advanced guard, consist- 
 ing of the Highland Brigade and two Battalions of Nassau- 
 Usingen, fell in with the advanced guard of the French 
 Army commanded by Marshal Ney near Quatre-Bras, and 
 made such a gallant defence against his corps d'armee as to 
 keep it in check the whole day and enable itself to fall back 
 in good order to its present position with the rest of the 
 army, about ten miles in front of Bruxelles. Indeed, I am 
 informed that nothing could exceed the admirable conduct 
 of the corps above mentioned. Yesterday we heard no 
 cannonade, but this afternoon it has been unceasing and still 
 continues. All the caricatures and satires against Napoleon 
 have disappeared from the windows and stalls. The shops 
 are all shut, the English families flying to Antwerp ; and the 
 proclamation of the Baron de Capellenf to the inhabitants, 
 wherein he exhorts them to be tranquil and assures them 
 that the Bureaux of Government have not yet quitted 
 Bruxelles, only serves to increase the confusion and con- 
 sternation. The inhabitants in general wish well to the arms 
 of Napoleon, but they know that the retreat of the English 
 Army must necessarily take place through their town ; that 
 our troops will perhaps endeavour to make a stand, and 
 that the consequences will be terrible to the inhabitants, 
 from the houses being liable to be burned or pillaged by 
 friend or foe. All the baggage of our Army and all the mili- 
 tary Bureaux have received orders to repair and are now on 
 
 * The facts and dates here given are of course inaccurate ; but this proves 
 that Major Frye wrote his text in the very midst of the crisis, and that his 
 manuscript has not been tampered with. ED. 
 
 f Baron van Capellen, a Dutch statesman, was governor-general of the 
 Belgian provinces, residing at Bruxelles. He was afterwards governor- 
 general of Dutch India. Born in 1778, he died in 1848. His memoirs have 
 been published in French by Baron Sirtema de Grovestins (1852), and con- 
 tain an interesting passage on that momentous day, i8th June, 1815. ED. 
 
 25
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 their march to Antwerp, and the road thither is so covered 
 and blocked up by waggons that the retreat of our Army 
 will be much impeded thereby. Probably my next letter 
 may be dated from a French prison. 
 
 BRUXELLES, June 21. 
 
 Judge, my friend, of my astonishment and that of almost 
 everybody in this city, at the news which was circulated 
 here early on the morning of the 19th, and has been daily 
 confirmed, viz., that the French Army had been completely 
 defeated and was in full flight, leaving behind it 220 pieces 
 of cannon and all its baggage, waggons and munitions de 
 guerre. I have not been able to collect all the particulars, 
 but you will no doubt hear enough of it, for I am sure it will 
 be said or sung by all the partizans of the British ministry 
 and all the Tories of the United Kingdom for months and 
 years to come; for further details, therefore, I shall refer you 
 to the Gazette. The following, however, you may consider 
 as a tolerably fan: precis of what took place. The attack 
 began on the 18th about ten o'clock* and raged furiously 
 along the whole line, but principally at Hougoumont, a 
 large Metairie on the right of our position, which was 
 occupied by our troops, and from which all the efforts of the 
 enemy could not dislodge them. The slaughter was terrible 
 in this quarter. From twelve o'clock till evening several 
 desperate charges of cavalry and infantry were made on the 
 rest of our line. Both sides fought with the utmost courage 
 and obstinacy, and were prodigal of life in the extreme. But 
 it is generally supposed that our army must have suc- 
 cumbed towards the evening had it not been for the arrival 
 of Bulow's division of Prussians, followed closely by 
 Blucher and the rest of the army, which had rallied with 
 uncommon celerity. These moved on the right flank of the 
 French, and decided the fortune of the day by a charge 
 which was seconded by a general charge from the whole of 
 the English line on the centre and left of the French. Seeing 
 themselves thus turned, a panic, it is said, spread among 
 
 * Not before half past eleven. ED. 
 26
 
 VISIT TO THE BATTLE-FIELD 
 
 the young Guard of the French army, and a cry of " Sauve 
 qui pent! nous sommes trahis! " spread like wildfire. The 
 flight became universal; the old Guard alone remained, 
 refused quarter and perished like Leonidas and his Spartans. 
 The Prussian cavalry being fresh pursued the enemy all 
 night, I'epee dans Us reins, and it may be conceived from 
 their previous disposition that they would not be very mer- 
 ciful to the vanquished. Indeed, on the 15th, it is said that 
 the French were not very merciful to them. It was like the 
 combat of Achilles and Hector. 
 
 No thought but rage and never ceasing strife 
 Till death extinguish rage and thought and life. 
 
 France will now call out to Napoleon as Augustus did to 
 Varus, " Give me back my legions !" The loss on both sides 
 was very great, but it must have been prodigious on the side 
 of the French. The whole Allied Army is in full pursuit. 
 Several friends and acquaintances of mine perished in this 
 battle, viz., Lieut.-General Sir T. Picton, Colonel Sir H. 
 Ellis and Colonel Morice. 
 
 June 22. 
 
 This morning I went to visit the field of battle, which is a 
 little beyond the village of Waterloo, on the plateau of Mont 
 St Jean; but on arrival there the sight was too horrible to 
 behold. I felt sick in the stomach and was obliged to return. 
 The multitude of carcases, the heaps of wounded men with 
 mangled limbs unable to move, and perishing from not 
 having their wounds dressed or from hunger, as the Allies 
 were, of course, obliged to take their surgeons and waggons 
 with them, formed a spectacle I shall never forget. The 
 wounded, both of the Allies and the French, remain in an 
 equally deplorable state. 
 
 At Hougoumont, where there is an orchard, every tree is 
 pierced with bullets. The barns are all burned down, and in 
 the court-yard it is said they have been obliged to burn 
 upwards of a thousand carcases, an awful holocaust to the 
 War-Demon. 
 
 27
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 As nothing is more distressing than the sight of human 
 misery when we are unable to silence it, I returned as 
 speedily as possible to Bruxelles with Cowper's lines in my 
 head: 
 
 War is a game, which, were their subjects wise, 
 Kings should not play at. 
 
 I hope this battle will, at any rate, lead to a speedy peace. 
 
 June 23. 
 
 We have no other news from the Allied Army, except that 
 they are moving forward with all possible celerity in the 
 direction of Paris. You may form a guess of the slaughter 
 and of the misery that the wounded must have suffered, and 
 the many that must have perished from hunger and thirst, 
 when I tell you that all the carriages in Bruxelles, even 
 elegant private equipages, landaulets, barouches and 
 berlines, have been put in requisition to remove the 
 wounded men from the field of battle to the hospitals, and 
 that they are yet far from being all brought in. The medical 
 practitioners of the city have been put in requisition, and 
 are ordered to make domiciliary visits at every house (for 
 each habitation has three or four soldiers in it) in order to 
 dress the wounds of the patients. The Bruxellois, the 
 women in particular, have testified the utmost humanity 
 towards the poor sufferers. It was suggested by some 
 humane person that they who went to see the field of battle 
 from motives of curiosity would do well to take with them 
 bread, wine and other refreshments to distribute among the 
 wounded, and most people did so. For my part I shall not 
 go a second time. Napoleon, it is said, narrowly escaped 
 being taken. His carriage fell into the hands of the Allies, 
 and was escorted in triumph into Bruxelles by a detach- 
 ment of dragoons. So confident was Napoleon of success 
 that printed proclamations were found in the carriage 
 dated from " Our Imperial Palace at Laecken," announcing 
 his victory and the liberation of Belgium from the insatiable 
 coalition, and wherein he calls on the Belgians to re-unite 
 28
 
 ANECDOTE OF SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR 
 
 with their old companions in arms in order to reap the fruits 
 of their victory. This was certainly rather premature, and 
 reminds me of an anecdote of a Spanish officer at the siege 
 of Gibraltar, related by Drinkwater in his narrative of that 
 siege.* When the British garrison made a sortie, they carried 
 the advanced Spanish lines and destroyed all their prepara- 
 tions; the Spanish officer on guard at the outermost post 
 was killed, but on the table of his guard room was found his 
 guard report filled up and signed, stating that "nothing 
 extraordinary had happened since guard-mounting." 
 
 Mr L. of Northumberland, having proposed to me to 
 make a tour with him to Aix-la-Chapelle and the banks of 
 the Rhine, I shall start with him in a day or two. 
 
 * John Drinkwater, also called Bethune (1762-1844), published a well- 
 known History of the Siege of Gibraltar, 1779-1783. ED. 
 
 29
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 From Bruxelles to Lie'ge A priest's declamation against the French 
 Revolution Maastricht Aix-la-Chapelle Imperial relics Napoleon 
 regretted Klingmann's " Faust " A Tyrolese beauty Cologne Diffi- 
 culties about a passport The Cathedral King-craft and priest-craft 
 The Rhine Bonn and Godesberg Goethe's "Gotz von Berlichingen "- 
 The Seven Mountains German women Andernach Ehrenbreitstein 
 German hatred against France Coblentz Intrigues of the Bourbon 
 princes in Coblentz Mayence Bieberich Conduct of the Allies towards 
 Napoleon Frankfort on the Mayn An anecdote about Lord Stewart and 
 Lafayette German poetry The question of Alsace and Lorraine Return 
 to Bruxelles Napoleon's surrender. 
 
 LIGE, June 26. 
 
 MR L. and myself started together in the diligence from 
 Bruxelles at seven o'clock in the evening of the 24th inst. 
 and arrived here yesterday morning at twelve o'clock. I 
 experienced considerable difficulty in procuring a passport to 
 quit Bruxelles, my name having been included in that of 
 General Wilson, which he carried back with him to England. 
 Our Ambassador was absent, and I was bandied about from 
 bureau to bureau without success; so that I began at last 
 to think that I should be necessitated to remain at Brux- 
 elles all my life, when fortunately it occurred to Mr L. that 
 he was intimately acquainted with the English Consul, and 
 he kindly undertook to procure me one and succeeded. On 
 arrival here we put up at the Pommelette d'Or. The price of 
 a place in the diligence from Bruxelles to Liege is fifteen 
 franks. We passed thro' Louvain, but too late to see any- 
 thing. The country about Liege is extremely striking and 
 picturesque; the river Meuse flows thro' the city, and the 
 banks of the river outside the town are very riants and 
 agreeable. Liege is a large, well-built city, but rather 
 gloomy as to its appearance, and lies in a hollow com- 
 pletely surrounded by lofty hills. The remains of its ancient 
 citadel stand on a height which completely commands the 
 city; on another height stands a monastery, a magnificent 
 building. There are a great many coal-pits in the vicinity of 
 Liege, and a great commerce of coals is carried on between 
 30
 
 A PRIEST ON THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 
 
 this city and Holland by the treckschuyte on the Meuse. We 
 visited the ancient Episcopal palace and the Churches. The 
 Palace is completely dismantled. This city suffered much 
 during the revolt of the Belgian provinces against the 
 Emperor Joseph II, and having distinguished itself by the 
 obstinacy of its defence, it was treated with great rigour by 
 the Austrian Government. The fortifications were blown up, 
 and nothing now remains on the site of the old citadel but a 
 large barrack. I remained two whole hours on this height 
 to contemplate the beauties of the expanse below. The 
 banks of the river, which meanders much in these parts, and 
 the numerous maisons de campagne with the public pro- 
 menades and allees lined with trees, exhilarate the scene of 
 the environs, for the city itself is dull enough. Several pretty 
 villas are situated also on the heights, and were I to dwell 
 here I should choose one of them and seldom descend into 
 the valley and city below, 
 
 Where narrow cares and strife and envy dwell. 
 
 Lige, however sombre in its appearance, is a place of 
 much opulence and commerce. A Belgian garrison does duty 
 here. At the inn, after dinner, I fell into conversation with a 
 Belgian priest, and as I was dressed in black he fancied I 
 was one of the cloth, and he asked me if I were a Belgian, 
 for that I spoke French with a Belgian accent; "Apparem- 
 ment Monsieur est eccle"siastique? Monsieur, je suis ne 
 Anglais et protestant." He then began to talk about and 
 declaim against the French Revolution, for that is the doc- 
 trine now constantly dinned into the ears of all those who 
 take orders ; and he concluded by saying that things would 
 never go on well in Europe until they restored to God the 
 things they had taken from Him. I told him that I differed 
 from him very much, for that the sale of the Church 
 domains and of the lands and funds belonging to the sup- 
 pressed ecclesiastical establishments had contributed much 
 to the improvement of agriculture and to the comfort of the 
 peasantry, whose situation was thereby much ameliorated; 
 
 31
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 and that they were now in a state of affluence compared 
 with what they were before the French Revolution. I added : 
 " Enfin, Monsieur, Dieu n'a pas besoin des choses ter- 
 restres." On my saying this he did not chuse to continue the 
 conversation, but calling for a bottle of wine drank it all 
 himself with the zest of a Tartuffe. I believe that he was 
 surprised to find that an Englishman should not coincide 
 with his sentiments, for I observe all the adherents of the 
 ancient regime of feudality and superstition have an idea 
 that we are anxious for the re-establishment of all those 
 abuses as they themselves are, and it must be confessed 
 that the conduct of our Government has been such as to 
 authorize them fully in forming such conjectures, and that 
 we shall be their staunch auxiliaries in endeavouring to 
 arrest and retrograde the progress of the human mind. In 
 fact, I soon perceived that my friend was not overloaded 
 with wit and that he was one of those priests so well 
 described by Metastasio : 
 
 II di cui sapere 
 Sta nel nostro ignorar .... 
 
 MAASTRICHT, 27th June. 
 
 * This morning, after a promenade on the banks of the 
 Meuse for I am fond of rivers and woods (flumina amo 
 silvasque inglorius) we embarked on a treckschuyt and 
 arrived here after a passage of four hours. The scenery on 
 the banks of the Meuse all the way from Liege to Maas- 
 tricht is highly diversified and extremely romantic; but 
 here at Maastricht this ceases and the dull uniformity of the 
 Dutch landscape begins. When on the ramparts of the city 
 to the North and West an immense plain as far as the eye 
 can reach presents itself to view; a few trees and sandhills 
 form the only relief to the picture. The town itself is neat, 
 clean and dull, like all Dutch towns. The fortifications are 
 strong and well worth inspection. The most remarkable 
 thing in the neighbourhood of Maastricht is the Montagne de 
 St Pierre, which from having been much excavated for the 
 purpose of procuring stone, forms a labyrinth of a most 
 32
 
 AIX-LA-CHAPELLE 
 
 intricate nature. I advise every traveller to visit it, and if 
 he has a classical imagination he may fancy himself in the 
 labyrinth of Crete. 
 
 AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, 29th June. 
 
 We started in the morning of the 28th from Maastricht 
 in the diligence for Aix-la-Chapelle and arrived here at 
 twelve o'clock, putting up at Van Giilpen's Hotel, Zum 
 Pfdlzischen Hofe (a la Cour palatine), which I recommend 
 as an excellent inn and the hosts as very good people. The 
 price of our journey from Liege to Maastricht in the water- 
 diligence was 2 1 franks, and from Maastricht to Aix-la- 
 Chapelle by land was 7 franks the person. The road from 
 Maastricht to this place is not very good, but the country 
 at a short distance from Maastricht becomes picturesque, 
 much diversified by hill and dale and well wooded. As the 
 Meuse forms the boundary between the Belgic and Prussian 
 territory, we enter the latter sooner after leaving Maastricht. 
 I find my friend L. a most agreeable travelling companion; 
 travelling seems to be his passion, as it is mine ; and fortune 
 has so far favoured me in this particular, that my profes- 
 sional duties and private affairs have led me to visit the four 
 quarters of the globe. After dinner, on the first day of our 
 arrival here, we went to visit the Hotel de Ville, before which 
 stands on a pedestal in a bason an ancient bronze statue of 
 Charlemagne. It has nothing to recommend it but its 
 antiquity. The Hotel de Ville is similar to other Gothic 
 buildings used for the same purpose. In the great hall thereof 
 there is a large picture representing the ambassadors of 
 all the powers who assisted at the signing of the treaty of 
 Aix-la-Chapelle in 1742; and a full length portrait of the 
 present King of Prussia, as master of the city, occupies the 
 place where once stood that of Napoleon, its late lord. We 
 next went to see the Cathedral and sat down on the throne 
 on which the German Caesars used to be crowned. We viewed 
 likewise the various costly articles of plate, the gifts of pious 
 princes. The most remarkable things among them are 
 several superb dresses of gold and silver embroidery, so 
 D 33
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 thickly laid on that they are of exceeding weight. These 
 dresses form part of the wardrobe of the Virgin Mary. Next 
 to be seen is a case or chest of massy silver, adorned with 
 innumerable precious stones of great value ; which case con- 
 tains the bones or ashes of Charlemagne. His right arm bone 
 is however preserved separate in a glass case. The sword of 
 this prince too, and the Imperial crown is to be seen here. 
 The sacristan next proceeded to show to us the other relics, 
 but having begun with the exhibition of a rag dipped in the 
 sweat of Jesus Christ and a nail of the Holy Cross, we began 
 to think we had seen enough and went away perfectly 
 satisfied. There is no other monument in honour of Charle- 
 magne, but a plain stone on the floor of the Church with the 
 simple inscription "Carolo Magno." On going out of the 
 city thro' one of the gates, and at a short distance from 
 it, we ascended the mountain or rather hill called the 
 Louisberg on which are built a Ridotto and Cafe, as also a 
 Column erected in honour of Napoleon with a suitable in- 
 scription ; the inscription is effaced and is about to be replaced 
 by another in the German language in commemoration 
 of the downfall of the Tyrant, as the Coalition are pleased 
 to call him. This Tyrant is however extremely regretted by 
 the inhabitants of Aix-la-Chapelle and not without reason, 
 for he was a great benefactor to them and continually em- 
 bellished the city, confirming and increasing its privileges. 
 The inhabitants are not at all pleased with their new 
 masters; for the behaviour of the Prussian military has 
 been so insulting and overbearing towards the burghers and 
 students that it is, I am told, a common exclamation among 
 the latter, alluding to the Prussians having stiled them- 
 selves their deliverers: De nostris liberatoribus, Domine, 
 libera nos. Indeed, I can evidently discern that they are 
 not particularly pleased at the result of the battle of 
 Waterloo. 
 
 In the evening I went to the theatre, which has the most 
 inconvenient form imaginable, being a rectangle. As anti- 
 Gallicanism is the order of the day, only German dramas are 
 34
 
 KLINGMANN'S " FAUST " 
 
 allowed to be performed and this night it was the tragedy 
 of Faust, or Dr Faustus as we term him in England, not 
 the Faust of Goethe, which is not meant for nor at all 
 adapted to the stage, but a drama of that name written by 
 Klingmann.* It is a strange wild piece, quite in the German 
 style and full of horrors and diableries. In this piece the 
 sublime and terrible border close on the ridiculous; for 
 instance the Devil and Faust come to drink in a beer-schenk 
 or ale-house. 'Tis true the Devil is incognito at the time and 
 is called " der Fremde " or " the Stranger " ; it is only towards 
 the conclusion of the piece that he discovers himself to be 
 Satan. . . . The actor who played the part of the Stranger 
 had something in his physiognomy very terrific and awe- 
 inspiring. In another scene, which to us would appear 
 laughable and absurd, but which pleases a German audience, 
 three women in masks come on the stage to meet Faust, in a 
 churchyard, and on unmasking display three skeleton heads. 
 Poor Faust had stipulated to give his soul to the Devil for 
 aiding him in the attainment of his desires; the Devil on 
 his part agrees to allow him to commit four deadly sins 
 before he shall call on him to fulfil his contract. Faust, in 
 the sequel, kills his wife and his father-in-law. Satan then 
 claims him. Faust pleads in arrest of judgement, that he 
 has only committed two crimes out of the four for which he 
 had agreed; and that there consequently remained two 
 others for him to commit before he could be claimed. The 
 Devil in rejoinder informs him that his wife was with child 
 at the time he killed her, which constituted the third crime, 
 and that the very act of making a contract with the Devil 
 for his soul forms the fourth. Faust, overwhelmed with 
 confusion, has not a word to say; and Satan seizing him by 
 the hair of his head, carries him off in triumph. This piece 
 is written in iambics of ten syllables and the versification 
 appeared to me correct and harmonious, and the sentiments 
 forcible and poetical; this fully compensated for the bizar- 
 
 * Philipp Klingmann (1762-1824) was better known as an actor than as 
 an author. ED. 
 
 D2 35
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 rerie of the story itself, which, by the bye, with all the 
 reproach thrown by the adherents of the classic taste on 
 those of the romantic, is scarcely more outre than the intro- 
 duction of Death (Qavaros) as a dramatic personage in the 
 Alcestis of Euripides. 
 
 There is at Aix-la-Chapelle at one of the hotels a Faro 
 Bank ; it is open like the gates of Hell nodes atque dies and 
 gaming goes forward without intermission; this seems, 
 indeed, to be the only occupation of the strangers who visit 
 these baths. There is near this hotel a sort of Place or 
 Quadrangle with arcades under which are shops and stalls. 
 At one of these shops I met with the most beautiful girl I 
 ever beheld, a Tyrolese by birth and the daughter of a print- 
 seller. She was from the Italian Tyrol; Roveredo, I think 
 she said, was her birthplace. She united much grace and 
 manner with her beauty, on account of which I could not 
 avoid complimenting her in her native tongue, which she 
 seemed pleased to hear. Her eyes and eyebrows brought to 
 my recollection the description of those of Alcina: 
 
 Sotto due negri e sottilissimi archi, 
 Son due neri occhi, anzi, due chiari soli, 
 Pietosi a riguardare, a mover parchi, 
 Intorno a cui par che Amor scherzi e voli.* 
 * Two black and slender arches rise above 
 
 Two clear black eyes, say suns of radiant light; 
 Which ever softly beam and slowly move ; 
 
 Round these appears to sport in frolic flight, 
 Hence scattering all his shafts, the little Love. 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 We then proceeded to look at the suburb of this city 
 called Bortscheid, by far the finest part of the city and at 
 some elevation above it. It commands an extensive view. 
 We also visited the various bath establishments ; the taste 
 of the water had some resemblance to that of Harrogate, 
 and is good in bilious, scrofulous and cutaneous complaints. 
 On our return to the hotel we learned the news of the 
 capitulation of Paris to the Allied powers. It is said to be 
 purely a military convention by which the French army is 
 to evacuate Paris and retire behind the Loire. There is no 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, vn, 12, I. ED. 
 36
 
 ARRIVAL AT COLOGNE 
 
 talk and no other intelligence about Napoleon, except that 
 he had been compelled by the two Houses of Legislature to 
 abdicate the throne. We are still in the dark as to the inten- 
 tions of the Allies. I regret much that my friend and fellow 
 traveller L. is obliged to return to Bruxelles and cannot 
 accompany me to Cologne, to which place I am impatient 
 to go and to pay my respects to old father Rhine, so 
 renowned in history. 
 
 COLOGNE. 
 
 I left Aix-la-Chapelle on the morning of the 2nd of July 
 and arrived at Cologne about six o'clock in the evening, 
 putting up at the Inn Zum heiligen Geist (Holy Ghost), 
 which is situated on the banks of the river. The price of the 
 journey in the diligence is 13 franks. On the road hither lies 
 Juliers, a large and strongly fortified town surrounded by a 
 marsh. It must be very important as a military post. The 
 road after quitting Juliers runs for the most part thro' 
 a forest, and has been much improved and enlarged by the 
 French; before they improved it, it was almost impassable 
 in wet weather. We met on the road several Prussian 
 waggons and reinforcements on their march to Bruxelles. 
 Two of my fellow travellers in the diligence were very 
 intelligent young men belonging to respectable families in 
 Cologne and were returning thither; they likewise com- 
 plained much of the overbearing demeanour of the Prussian 
 military towards the burghers. 
 
 Cologne is a large, but very dull looking city, as dull as 
 Liege; it would seem as if all towns and cities under eccle- 
 siastical domination were dull or rendered so by the pro- 
 hibition of the most innocent amusements. The fortifications 
 are out of repair; but the Prussian Government intend to 
 make Cologne a place of great strength. The name of the 
 village on the opposite of the river isDeutz, and in the time 
 of the French occupation there was a tete-de-pont. The next 
 morning I was obliged to appear before the police, and 
 afterwards before the Commandant de la Place, in order to 
 have my passport examined and vise. At the bureau of the 
 
 37
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 police it was remarked to me that my passport was not 
 en regie, the features of the bearer not being therein speci- 
 fied. I replied that it was not my fault; that it was given to 
 me in that shape by the English Consul at Bruxelles and 
 that it was not my province to give to the Consul any 
 directions as to its form and tenor. The Commissary of 
 Police then asked me what business I was about in travel- 
 ling, and the following conversation took place: "Was 
 haben Sie fiir Geschafte? " " Keine; ich reise nur um 
 Vergniigen's Willen." " Sonderbar! " " Worin liegt das 
 Sonderbare, dass man reist um einschonesLand zu sehen? "* 
 He made no answer to this, but one of his coadjutors 
 standing by him said in a loud whisper, " Ein Herum- 
 reiser," which means an adventurer or person who travels 
 about for no good, in a word, a suspicious character. 
 I then said with the utmost calm and indifference: " Gen- 
 tlemen, as soon as you shall have finished all your com- 
 mentaries on the subject of my passport, pray be so good as 
 to inform me what I am to do, whether I may go on to 
 Mayence and Frankfort as is my intention, or return to 
 Bruxelles." The Commissary, after a slight hesitation, 
 signed the visa and I then carried it to the bureau of the 
 Commandant, whose secretary signed it without hesitation, 
 merely asking me if I were a military man. 
 
 In the afternoon I went to visit the Dome or Cathedral. 
 It is a fine specimen of Gothic architecture, but singular 
 enough the steeple is not yet finished. In this Cathedral the 
 most remarkable thing is the Chapel of the Three Kings, 
 wherein is deposited a massy gold chest inlaid with precious 
 stones of all sorts and of great value, containing the bones 
 of the identical three Kings (it is said) who came from the 
 East to worship the infant Jesus at Bethlehem. The Scrip- 
 tures say it was three wise men or Magi. The legend how- 
 ever calls them Kings and gives them Gothic names. Let 
 schoolmen and theologians reconcile this difference: ce 
 
 * "What business have you? None, I travel for amusement. Strange! 
 What is there strange in travelling to see a fine country?" 
 
 38
 
 THE LEGENDS OF COLOGNE 
 
 n'est point noire affaire. To me it appears that when the 
 German tribes embraced Christianity and enrolled them- 
 selves under the banner of St Peter, it was thought but fair 
 to allow them to give vent to a little nationality and to 
 blend their old traditions with the new-fangled doctrine, 
 and no doubt the Sovereign Pontiffs thought that the 
 people could never be made to believe too much; the same 
 policy is practised by the Jesuit missionaries in China, where 
 hi order to flatter the national vanity and bend it to their 
 purposes they represent Jesus Christ as being a great per- 
 sonal friend and correspondent of Confucius. 
 
 To return to these monarchs, wise men or Magi: their 
 sculls are kept separate to the rest of the bones and each 
 scull bears a crown of gold. But if you are fond of miracles, 
 legends, and details of relics, come with me to the Church 
 of St Ursula in this city, and see the proof positive of the 
 miraculous legend of the eleven thousand Virgins who 
 suffered martyrdom in this city, in the time of Attila; the 
 bones of all of whom are carefully preserved here and adorn 
 the interior walls of the Church in the guise of arms arranged 
 in an armoury. Eleven thousand sculls, each bearing a 
 golden or gilt crown, grin horribly on the spectator from the 
 upper part of the interior walls of the church, where they 
 are placed in a row. What a fine subject this would make for 
 a ballad in the style of Burger to suppose that on a particu- 
 lar night in the year, at the midnight hour when mortals in 
 slumbers are bound, the bones all descending from the walls 
 where they are arranged, forming themselves into bodies, 
 clapping on their heads and dancing a skeleton dance round 
 the Ghost of Attila! The people of Cologne, in the time of 
 the ecclesiastical Electorate, had the reputation of being 
 extremely superstitious, and no doubt there were many 
 who implicitly believe this pious tale; indeed, who could 
 refuse their assent to its authenticity, on beholding the 
 proof positive in the sculls and bones? 
 
 I recollect that in the History of the Compere Mathiew* 
 
 * Le Compare Mathieu, a satirical novel by the Abbe Henri Joseph 
 
 39
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the Pere Jean rates mightily the natives of Cologne for 
 their bigotry and superstition and for the bad reception 
 they gave to him and to his philosophy. That people are 
 happier from a blind belief, as some pretend, appears to me 
 extremely problematical. For my part, under no circum- 
 stances can I think bliss to consist in ignorance; nor have 
 I felt any particular discomfort in having learned at a very 
 early age to put under my feet, as Lucretius expresses it, 
 the strepitumAcherontisavari. On the contrary, it has made 
 me a perfect cosmopolitan, extinguished all absurd national 
 and religious prejudices, and rendered me at home wherever 
 I travel ; and I meet the Catholic, the Lutheran, the Moslem, 
 the Jew, the Hindou and the Guebre as a brother. Quo me 
 cunque ferat tempestas, deferor hospes.* Let me add one word 
 more to obviate any misrepresentation of my sentiments 
 from some malignant Pharisee, that tho' I am no friend 
 to King-craft and Priest-craft, and cannot endure that 
 religion should ever be blended with politics, yet I am a 
 great admirer of the beautiful and consoling philosophy or 
 theosophy of Jesus Christ which inculcates the equality of 
 Mankind, and represents the Creator of the universe, the 
 Author of all being, as the universal Father of the human 
 race. 
 
 Cologne derives its name from Colonia, as it was a 
 Roman Colony planted here to protect the left bank of the 
 Rhine from the incursions of the German hordes. It is here 
 that the grand and original manufactory of the far-famed 
 Eau de Cologne is to be seen. The Eau de Cologne is a 
 sovereign remedy for all kinds of disorders, and if the 
 affiches of the proprietor, Jean-Marie Farina, be worthy of 
 credit, he is as formidable a check to old Pluto as ever 
 uEsculapius was. The sale of this water is immense. 
 
 On my return to the inn, I met with a Dutch clergyman 
 who was travelling with his pupils, three very fine boys, the 
 
 Dulaurens, published 1765 and sometimes (though wrongly) attributed to 
 Voltaire. One of the prominent talkers in the dialogues is Pere Jean de Dom- 
 front. ED. 
 
 * Horace, Epist., I, i, 15. ED. 
 
 40
 
 THE RHINE AT COLOGNE 
 
 sons of a Dutch lady of rank. He was to conduct them to the 
 University of Neuwied, on the right bank of the Rhine, in 
 order to place them there for their education. The young 
 men seem to have profited much from their studies. Their 
 tutor seemed to be a well-informed man and of liberal ideas ; 
 he preferred speaking German to French, as he said he had 
 not much facility in expressing himself in the latter lan- 
 guage. He said if I were going his way he would be happy to 
 have the pleasure of my company, to which I very willingly 
 acceded, and we agreed to start the next morning early so 
 as to arrive at Bonn to breakfast, and then to go on to 
 Godesberg, where he proposed to remain a few days. 
 
 From the windows of our inn we have a fine view of the 
 river, and I have not omitted doing homage to old Father 
 Rhine by taking up some of his water in the hollow of my 
 hand to drink. The Rhine of later years has been considered 
 the guardian of Germany against the hostile incursions of 
 the French, and Schiller represents this river as a Swiss 
 vigilant on his post, yet in spite of his vigilance and fidelity 
 unable to prevent his restless neighbour from forcing his 
 safeguard. The following are the lines of Schiller where the 
 river speaks in a distich: 
 
 Treu wie dem Schweizer gebiihrt bewach'ich Germaniens Grenze, 
 Aber der Gallier hiipft iiber den duldenden Strom. 
 
 In vain my stream I interpose 
 To guard Germania's realm from foes ; 
 The nimble Gauls my cares deride 
 And often leap on t'other side. 
 
 GODESBERG, 4th July. 
 
 The distance from Cologne to Bonn is 18 miles and 
 Godesberg is three miles further. We stopped to breakfast 
 at Bonn and after breakfast made a promenade thro' the 
 city. Bonn is a handsome, clean, well-built and cheerful 
 looking city and the houses are good and solid. 
 
 The Electoral Palace is a superb building, but is not 
 occupied and is falling rapidly to decay. From the terrace in 
 the garden belonging to this Palace, which impends over the 
 
 41
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Rhine, you have a fine view of this noble river. This Palace 
 was at one time made use of as a barrack by the French, and 
 since the secularization of the Ecclesiastical Electorates it 
 has not been thought worth while to embellish or even 
 repair it. There is a Roman antiquity in this town called the 
 Altar of Victory, erected on the Place St Remi, but remark- 
 able for nothing but its antiquity; it seems to be a common 
 Roman altar.* The road from Bonn to Godesberg is three 
 miles in length and thro' a superb avenue of horse- 
 chesnut trees; but before you arrive at Godesberg, there is 
 on the left side of the road a curious specimen of Gothic 
 architecture called Hochkreutz, very like Waltham cross in 
 appearance, but much higher and in better preservation ; it 
 was erected by some feudal Baron to expiate a homicide. 
 The castle of Godesberg is situated on an eminence and 
 commands a fine prospect ; it is now a mass of ruins and the 
 walls only remain. It derives its name of Godesberg or 
 Gotzenberg from the circumstance of its having been 
 formerly the site of a temple of Minerva built in the time 
 of the Romans, and thence called Gotzenberg by the Chris- 
 tians, Gdtze in German signifying an idol. 
 
 On the plain at the foot of the hill of Godesberg and at 
 the distance of an eighth of a mile from the river, a shelving 
 cornfield intervening, stand three large hotels and a ridotto, 
 all striking edifices. To the south of these is situated a large 
 wood. These hotels are always full of company in the sum- 
 mer and autumn: they come here to drink the mineral 
 waters, a species of Seltzer, the spring of which is about 
 a quarter of a mile distant from the hotels. The hotel at 
 which we put up bears the name of Die schone Aussicht (la 
 Belle Vue) and well does it deserve the name; for it com- 
 mands a fine view of the reaches of the river, north and 
 south. Directly on the opposite bank, abruptly rising, is the 
 
 * This altar, inscribed Dece Victoria Sacrum (Corpus inscr. lat. xin, 8252), 
 was erected by the Roman fleet on the Rhine at the place now called 
 Alteburg near Cologne and, after its discovery, taken to Bonn, where it was 
 set up on the Remigius-Platz (now called Roemer-Platz) on Dec. 3, 1809. It 
 is now in the Provincial Museum. ED. 
 
 42
 
 DAS HEIMLICHE GERICHT 
 
 superb and magnificent chain of mountains called the 
 Sieben Gebirge or Seven Mountains. On the summit of these 
 mountains tower the remains of Gothic castles or keeps, 
 still majestic, tho' in ruins, and frowning on the plains 
 below; they bring to one's recollection the legends and 
 chronicles of the Middle Ages. They bear terrible awe- 
 inspiring names such as Drachenfels, Lowenberg; the 
 highest of them is called Drachenfels or the Rock of Dragons 
 and on it stood the Burg or Chateau of a Feudal Count or 
 Raubgraf, who was the terror of the surrounding country, 
 and has given rise to a very interesting romance called The 
 Knights of the Seven Mountains. This feudal tyrant used to 
 commit all sorts of depredations and descend into the 
 plains below, in order to intercept the convoys of merchan- 
 dize passing between Aix-la-Chapelle and Frankfort. It was 
 to check these abuses and oppressions that was instituted 
 the famous Secret Tribunal Das heimliche Gericht, the 
 various Governments in Germany being then too weak to 
 protect their subjects or to punish these depredations. This 
 secret tribunal, from the summary punishments it inflicted, 
 the mysterious obscurity in which it was enveloped, and the 
 impossibility of escaping from its pursuit, became the 
 terror of all Germany. They had agents and combinations 
 everywhere, and exercised such a system of espionage as 
 to give to their proceedings an appearance of supernatural 
 agency. A simple accusation was sufficient for them to act 
 upon, provided the accuser solemnly swore to the truth of it 
 without reserve, and consented to undergo the same punish- 
 ment as the accused was subjected to, in case the accusation 
 should be false; till this solemnity was gone through, no 
 pursuit was instituted against the offender. There was 
 scarcely ever an instance of a false accusation, for it was 
 well known that no power could screen the delator from the 
 exemplary punishment that awaited him; and there were 
 no means of escaping from the omniscience and omni- 
 potence of the secret tribunal. 
 
 To return to Godesberg, it is a most beautiful spot and 
 
 43
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 much agreeable society is here to be met with. The families 
 of distinction of the environing country come here for the 
 purpose of recreation and drinking the mineral waters. We 
 sit down usually sixty to dinner, and I observe some very 
 fine women among them. On Sunday there is a ball at the 
 ridotto. The promenades in the environs are exceedingly 
 romantic, and this place is the favourite resort of many new 
 married couples who come here to pass the honeymoon. 
 The scenery of the surrounding country is so picturesque 
 and beautiful as to require the pencil of an Ariosto or Wie- 
 land to do justice to it: 
 
 Ne se tutto cercato avessi il mondo 
 Vedria di questo un piu gen til paese.* 
 
 * And, had he ranged the universal world. 
 Would not have seen a lovelier in his round. 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 To the researches of the naturalist and mineralogist the 
 Seven Mountains offer inexhaustible resources. The living 
 and accommodation of the three hotels are very reasonable. 
 For one and a half florins you have an excellent and plenti- 
 ful dinner at the table d'hote, including a bottle of Moselle 
 wine and Seltzer water at discretion ; by paying extra you 
 can have the Rhine wines of different growths and crops and 
 French wines of all sorts. 
 
 I am much pleased with the little I have seen of the 
 German women. They appear to be extremely well educated. 
 I observe many of them in their morning walks with a book 
 in their hand either of poetry or a novel. Schiller is the 
 favourite poet among them and Augustus Lafontaine the 
 favourite novel writer.f He is a very agreeable author were 
 he not so prolix; yet we English have no right to complain 
 of this fault, since there is no novel in all Germany to com- 
 pare hi point of prolixity with Clarissa, Sir Charles Grandi- 
 son, or Tom Jones. The great fault of Augustus Lafontaine 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furtoso, vi, 20, 3. ED. 
 
 f August Lafontaine (1758-1831), born in Brunswick of a family of 
 French protestants, was the very prolific and now quite forgotten author of 
 many novels and novelettes. ED. 
 
 44
 
 VISIT TO EHRENBREITSTEIN 
 
 is that of including in one novel the history of two or three 
 generations. A beautiful and very interesting tale of his, 
 however, is entirely free from this defect and is founded on 
 a fact. It is called Dankbarkeit und Liebe (Gratitude and 
 Love). There is more real pathos in this novelette than in 
 the Nouvelle Heloise of Rousseau. 
 
 EHRENBREITSTEIN, 8 July. 
 
 After a stjour of three days at Godesberg, we left that 
 delightful residence and proceeded to Neuwied to deposit 
 the boys. We stopped, however, for an hour or two at 
 Andernach, which is situated in a beautiful valley on the 
 left bank. We viewed the remains of the palace of the Kings 
 of Austrasia and the church where the body of the Emperor 
 Valentinian is preserved embalmed. 
 
 Andernach is remarkable for being the exact spot where 
 Julius Caesar first crossed the Rhine to make war on the 
 German nations. Directly opposite Neuwied, which is on 
 the right bank, stands close to the village of Weissenthurm 
 the monument erected to the French General Hoche. We 
 crossed over to Neuwied in a boat. Neuwied is a regular, well- 
 built town, but rather of a sombre melancholy appearance 
 and is only remarkable for its university. Science could not 
 chuse a more tranquil abode. This University has been 
 ameliorated lately by its present sovereign the King of 
 Prussia. It was not the interest of Napoleon to favour any 
 establishment on the right bank at the expence of those on 
 the left, the former being out of his territory. At Neuwied I 
 took leave of my agreeable fellow travellers, as they 
 intended to remain there and I to go on to Ehrenbreitstein. 
 An opportunity presented itself the same afternoon of 
 which I profited. I met with an Austrian Captain of Infantry 
 and his lady at the inn where I stopped who were going to 
 Ehrenbreitstein in their caleche, and they were so kind as to 
 offer me a place in it. I found them both extremely agree- 
 able; both were from Austria proper. He had left the 
 Austrian service some time ago and had since entered into 
 
 45
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the Russian service; from that he was lately transferred, 
 together with the battalion to which he belonged, into the 
 service of Prussia and placed on the retired list of the latter 
 with a very small pension. He did not seem at all satisfied 
 with this arrangement. He had served in several campaigns 
 against the French in Germany, Italy and France, and 
 was well conversant in French and Italian litterature. 
 
 We stopped en passant at a maison de plaisance and 
 superb English garden belonging to the Duke of Nassau- 
 Weilburg. The house is in the style of a cottage orne, but 
 very roomy and tastefully fitted up; but nothing can be 
 more diversified and picturesque than the manner in 
 which the garden is laid out. The ground being much broken 
 favours this; and in one part of it is a ravine or valley so 
 romantic and savage, that you would fancy yourself in 
 Tinian or Juan Fernandez. We arrived late in the evening in 
 the Thai Ehrenbreitstein, which lies at the foot of the 
 gigantic hill fortress of that name, which frowns over it and 
 seems as if it threatened to fall and crush it. My friends 
 landed me at the inn Zum weissen Pferd (the White 
 Horse), where there is most excellent accommodation. 
 Just opposite Ehrenbreitstein, on the left bank, is Coblentz; 
 a superb flying bridge, which passes in three minutes, keeps 
 up the communication between the two towns. 
 
 Early the next morning, I ascended the stupendous rock 
 of Ehrenbreitstein, which has a great resemblance to the 
 hill forts in India, such as Gooty, Nundydroog, etc. It is a 
 place of immense natural strength, but the fortifications 
 were destroyed by the French, who did not chuse to have so 
 formidable a neighbour so close to their frontier, as the Rhine 
 then was. The Prussian Government, however, to whom it 
 now belongs, seem too fully aware of its importance not to 
 reconstruct the fortifications with as little delay as possible. 
 Ehrenbreitstein completely commands all the adjacent 
 country and enfilades the embouchure of the Moselle which 
 flows into the Rhine at Coblentz, where there is an elegant 
 stone bridge across the Moselle. Troops without intermis- 
 46
 
 
 GERMAN RAGE AGAINST FRANCE 
 
 sion continue to pass over the flying bridge bound to 
 France, from the different German states, viz., Saxons, 
 Hessians, Prussians, etc., so that one might apply to this 
 scene Anna Comnena's expression relative to the Crusades, 
 and say that all Germany is torn up from its foundation 
 and precipitated upon France. I suppose no less than 
 70,000 men have passed within these few days. The German 
 papers, particularly the Rheinische Mercur, continue to 
 fulminate against France and the war yell resounds with as 
 much fury as ever. From the number of troops that con- 
 tinue to pass it would seem as if the Allies did not mean to 
 content themselves with the abdication of Napoleon, but 
 will endeavour to dismember France. The Prussian officers 
 seem to speak very confidently that Alsace and Lorraine 
 will be severed from France and reunited to the Germanic 
 body, to which, they say, every country ought to belong 
 where the German language is spoken, and they are con- 
 tinually citing the words of an old song: 
 
 Wo 1st das deutsche Vaterland? .... 
 Wo man die deutsche Zunge spricht, 
 Da 1st das deutsche Vaterland.* 
 
 In English: " Where is the country of the Germans? Where 
 the German language is spoken, there is the country of the 
 Germans!" 
 
 Coblentz is a clean handsome city, but there is nothing 
 very remarkable in it except a fine and spacious " Place." 
 But in the neighbourhood stands the Chartreuse, situated 
 on an eminence commanding a fine view of the whole 
 Thalweg. This Chartreuse is one English mile distant from 
 the town and my friend the Austrian Captain had the 
 goodness to conduct me thither. It is a fine large building, 
 but is falling rapidly to decay, being appropriated to no 
 purpose whatever. The country is beautiful in the environs 
 of this place, and has repeatedly called forth the admiration 
 and delight of all travellers. Near Coblentz is the monu- 
 ment erected to the French General Marceau, who fell 
 
 *From Ernst Moritz Arndt's (1779-1860) celebrated poem, Des Deutschen 
 Vaterland. ED. 
 
 47 

 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 gloriously fighting for the cause of liberty, respected by 
 friend and foe. 
 
 July 10th. 
 
 We had a large society this day at the table d'h6te. The 
 conversation turned on the restoration of the Bourbons, 
 which nobody at table seemed to desire. Several anecdotes 
 were related of the conduct of the Bourbon princes and 
 of the emigration, who held their court at Coblentz when 
 they first emigrated ; these anecdotes did not redound much 
 to their honor or credit, and I remark that they are held 
 in great disgust and abhorrence by the inhabitants of these 
 towns, on account of their treacherous and unprincipled 
 conduct. It was from here that " La Cour de Coblentz," as 
 it was called, intrigued by turns with the Jacobins and the 
 Brissotins and, by betraying the latter to the former, were 
 in part the cause of the sanguinary measures adopted by 
 Robespierre.* The object of this atrocious policy was that 
 the French people would, by witnessing so many executions, 
 become disgusted at the sanguinary tyranny of Robespierre 
 and recall the Bourbons unconditionally; which, fortunately 
 for France and thanks to the heroism and bravery of the 
 republican armies, did not take place; for had the restora- 
 tion taken place at that time, a dreadful reaction would 
 have been encouraged and the cruelties of the reign of 
 Terror surpassed. With the same view, emissaries were 
 dispatched from the Court of Coblentz to the South of 
 France in order, under the disguise of patriots, to preach 
 up the most exaggerated corollaries to the theories of liberty 
 and equality. 
 
 Among other things at Ehrenbreitstein is a superb 
 pleasure barge belonging to the Dukes of Nassau for water 
 excursions up and down the Rhine. A coche d'eau starts 
 
 * There seems to be much truth in this opinion, though the question of the 
 intrigues of Louis XVIII with Robespierre is still shrouded in obscurity. 
 Some pages of General Thie"bault's memoirs might have cleared it up, but 
 they have been torn out from the manuscript (M/moires du Gtnfral Baron 
 Thidbault, vol. i, p. 273). Louis XVIII paid a pension to Robespierre's sister, 
 Charlotte. ED. 
 
 48
 
 ON THE RHINE TO MAYENCE 
 
 from here daily to Mayence and another to Cologne. The 
 price is ten franks the person. The superb chaussee on the 
 left bank of the Rhine, which extends all the way from 
 Cologne to Mayence, was constructed by the direction of 
 Napoleon. In the evening I went to the theatre at Coblentz, 
 where Mozart's opera of Don Giovanni was represented. I 
 recollected my old acquaintance "La ci darem la mano," 
 which I had often heard in England. 
 
 MAYENCE, 12th July. 
 
 I embarked in the afternoon of the llth in the cache d*eau 
 bound to Mayence. Except an old " Schiffer," I was the only 
 passenger on board, as few chuse to go up stream on 
 account of the delay. I, however, being master of my own 
 time, and wishing to view the lovely scenery on the banks 
 of the river, preferred this conveyance, and I was highly 
 gratified. After Boppart, the bed of the river narrows much. 
 High rocks on each bank hem in the stream and render it 
 more rapid. Nothing can be more sublime and magnificent 
 than the scenery; at every turn of the river you would sup- 
 pose its course blocked up by rocks, perceiving no visible 
 outlet. Remains of Gothic castles are to be seen on their 
 summits at a short distance from each other, and where 
 the banks are not abrupt and escarpSs there are coteaux 
 covered with vines down to the water's edge. The tolling 
 of the bells at the different villages on the banks gives a 
 most aweful solemn religious sound, and the reverberation 
 is prolonged by the high rocks, which seem to shut you out 
 from the rest of the world. There are the walls nearly entire 
 of two castles of the Middle Ages, the one called "Die 
 Katze " (the cat); the other "Die Maus " (the Mouse); 
 each has its tradition, for which and for many other interest- 
 ing particulars I refer you to Klebe's and Schreiber's 
 description of the banks of the Rhine. 
 
 We arrived early in the evening at St Goar, where we 
 stopped and slept. St Goar is a fine old Gothic town, roman- 
 tically situated, and is famous from having two whirlpools 
 E 49
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 in its neighbourhood. It is completely commanded and pro- 
 tected by Rheinfels, an ancient hill fortress, but the forti- 
 fication of which no longer exist. It requires half an hour's 
 walk to ascend to the summit of Rheinfels, but the traveller 
 is well repaid for the fatigue of the ascent by the fine view 
 enjoyed from the top. I remained at Rheinfels nearly an 
 hour. What a solemn stillness seems to pervade this part of 
 the river, only interrupted by the occasional splash of the 
 oar, and the tolling of the steeple bell! Bingen on the right 
 bank is the next place of interest, and on an island in the 
 centre of the river facing Bingen stand the ruins of a cele- 
 brated tower call'd the " Maiisethurm " (mouse tower), so 
 named from the circumstance of Bishop Hatto having been 
 devoured therein by rats according to the tradition. This 
 was represented as a punishment from Heaven on the said 
 bishop for his tyranny and oppression towards the poor; 
 but the story was invented by the monks in order to vilify 
 his memory, for it appears he was obnoxious to them on 
 account of his attempts to enforce a rigid discipline among 
 them and to check their licentiousness. 
 
 Bieberich, a superb palace belonging to the Dukes of 
 Nassau on the right bank, next presents itself to view on 
 your left ascending ; to your right, at a short distance from 
 Bieberich, you catch the first view of Mayence on the left 
 bank, with its towers and steeples rising from the glade. 
 We reached Mayence at 4 o'clock p.m., and I went to put 
 up at the three Crowns (Drei Kronen). The first news I 
 learned on arriving at Mayence was that Napoleon had 
 surrendered himself to the Captain of an English frigate at 
 Oleron ; but though particulars are not given, Louis XVIII 
 is said to be restored, which I am very sorry to hear. The 
 Allies then have been guilty of the most scandalous infrac- 
 tion of their most solemn promise, since they declared that 
 they made war on Napoleon alone and that they never meant 
 to dictate to the French people the form of government they 
 were to adopt. Napoleon having surrendered and Louis 
 being restored, the war may be considered as ended for 
 50
 
 MAYENCE AND ITS ENVIRONS 
 
 the present, unless the Allies should attempt to wrest any 
 provinces from France, and in this case there is no saying 
 what may happen. This has finally ended the career of 
 Napoleon. 
 
 There is in Mayence a remarkably fine broad spacious 
 street called " die grosse Bleiche " and in general the 
 buildings are striking and solid, but too much crowded 
 together as is the case in all ancient fortified cities. The 
 Cathedral is well worth seeing and contains many things of 
 value and costly relics. When one views the things of value 
 in the churches here, at Aix-la-Chapelle and at Cologne, 
 what a contradiction does it give to the calumnies spread 
 against the French republicans that they plundered the 
 churches of the towns they occupied! There is an agreeable 
 promenade lined with trees on the banks of the river called 
 IS Alice du Rhin. Mayence is strongly fortified and has 
 besides a citadel (a pentagon) of great strength, which is 
 separated from the town by an esplanade. The Place du 
 Marche is striking and in the Place Verte I saw for the first 
 time in my life the Austrian uniform, there being an 
 Austrian garrison as well as troops belonging to the other 
 Germanic states, such as Prussians, Bavarians, Saxons, 
 Hessians, and troops of the Duchy of Berg. This City 
 belongs to the Germanic Confederation and is to be always 
 occupied by a mixed garrison. The Archduke Charles has 
 his head-quarters here at present. I attended an inspection 
 of a battalion of Berg troops on the Place Verte; they had a 
 very military appearance and went thro' their manoeuvres 
 with great precision. From the top of the steeple of the 
 Church of Sanct Stephen you have a fine view of the whole 
 Rheingau. Opposite to Mayence, on the right bank, communi- 
 cating by an immensely long bridge of boats, is the small 
 town and fort of Castel, which forms a sort of tete-de-pont to 
 Mayence. The works of Castel take in flank and enfilade the 
 embouchure of the river Mayn which flows into the Rhine. 
 One of the redoubts of Castel is called the redoubt of Monte- 
 bello, thus named after Marshal Lannes, Duke of Montebello. 
 2 51
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The German papers continue their invectives against 
 France. In one of them I read a patriotic song recommend- 
 ing the youth of Germany to go into France to revenge 
 themselves, to drink the wine and live at the cost of the 
 inhabitants, and then is about to recommend their making 
 love to the wives and daughters of the French, when a 
 sudden flash of patriotism comes across him, and he says : 
 " No! for that a German warrior makes love to German 
 girls and German women only! " (Und kusst nur Deutsche 
 Madchen.) With regard to the women here, those that I 
 have hitherto met with, and those I saw at Ehrenbreitstein, 
 were exceedingly handsome, so that the German warriors, 
 if love is their object, will do well to remain here, as they 
 may go further and fare worse, for I understand the women 
 of Lorraine and Champagne are not very striking for 
 personal beauty. There were some good paintings in the 
 picture gallery here and this and the fortifications are 
 nearly all that need call forth the attention of a traveller 
 who makes but a fleeting visit. 
 
 FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAYN, 14th July. 
 I arrived here the day before yesterday in the diligence 
 from Mayence, the price of which is two and a half florins 
 the person, and the distance twenty-five English miles; 
 there is likewise a water conveyance by the Mayn for half 
 the money. The road runs thro' the village of Hockheim, 
 which in England gives the name of Hock to all the wines of 
 Rhenish growth. The country is undulating in gentle 
 declivities and vales and is highly cultivated in vines and 
 corn. I put up here at the Hotel Zum Schwan (The Swan), 
 which is a very large and spacious hotel and has excellent 
 accommodation. There is a very excellent table d'hote at 
 one o'clock at this hotel, for which the price is one and a 
 half florins the person, including a pint of Moselle wine and 
 a krug or jar of Seltzer water. About four or five o'clock in 
 the afternoon it is the fashion to come and drink old Rhine 
 wine a VAnglaise. That sort called Rudesheimer I recom- 
 52
 
 LAFAYETTE AND LORD STEWART 
 
 mend as delicious. There is also a very pleasant wine called 
 the Ingelheimer, which is in fact the " red Hock." At one 
 of these afternoon meetings a gentleman who had just 
 returned from Paris related to us some anecdotes of what 
 passed at the Conference between the French commissioners 
 who were sent after the abdication of Napoleon, by the 
 provisional government, to treat with the Allies ; in which 
 it appeared that the British commissioner, Lord S[tewart],* 
 brother to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, made 
 rather a simple figure by his want of historical knowledge 
 or recollection. He began, it seems, in rather a bullying 
 manner, in the presence of the commissioners, to declaim 
 against what he called the perfidy and mutiny of the French 
 army against their lawful Sovereign; when the venerable 
 Lafayette, who was one of the commissioners and who 
 is ever foremost when his country has need of his assistance, 
 remarked to him that the English revolution in 1688, which 
 the English were accustomed always to stile glorious, and 
 which he (Lafayette) stiled glorious also, was effectuated in 
 a similar manner by the British army abandoning King 
 James and ranging themselves under the standard of the 
 Prince of Orange; that if it was a crime on the part of the 
 French army to join Napoleon, their ancient leader who 
 had led them so often to victory, it was a still greater crime 
 on the part of the English army to go over to the Prince of 
 Orange who was unknown to them and a foreigner in the 
 bargain ; and that therefore this blame of the French army, 
 coming from the mouth of an Englishman, surprised him, 
 the more so as the Duke of Marlborough, the boast and 
 pride of the English, set the example of defection from his 
 Sovereign, who had been his greatest benefactor. Lord 
 S[tewart], who did not appear to be at all conscious of this 
 part of our history, was staggered, a smile was visible on the 
 countenances of all the foreign diplomatists assembled 
 there, and Lord S[tewart], to hide his confusion, and with an 
 
 * Sir Charles Stewart, created Lord Stewart in 1814; he was a half-brother 
 of Lord Castlereagh. ED. 
 
 53
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ill-disguised anger, turned to Lafayette and said that the 
 Allies would not treat until Napoleon should be delivered 
 to them. " Je m'e" tonne, my lord, qu'en faisant une proposi- 
 tion si infame et si deshonorante, vous vous plaisez de vous 
 adresser au prisonnier d'Olmiitz," was the dignified 
 answer of that virtuous patriot and ever ardent veteran of 
 liberty.* 
 
 The main street in Frankfort called the Zeil is very 
 broad and spacious, and can boast of a number of splendid 
 houses belonging to individuals, particularly the house of 
 Schweitzerf ; and on the Quai, on the banks of the Mayn, 
 there is a noble range of buildings. The bridge across the 
 Mayn is very fine and on the other side of the river is the 
 suburb of Sachsenhansen, which is famous for being the 
 head-quarters of the priestesses of the Venus vulgivaga who 
 abound in this city. There are in Frankfort an immense 
 number of Jews, who have a quarter of the city allotted to 
 them. The gardens that environ the town are very taste- 
 fully laid out, and serve as the favourite promenade of the 
 beau monde of Frankfort. The Cathedral will always be a 
 place of interest as the temple wherein in later times the 
 German Caesars were crowned and inaugurated. At the 
 Hotel de Ville called the Romer, which is an ugly Gothic 
 building, but interesting from its being in this edifice that 
 the Emperors were chosen, is to be seen the celebrated 
 Golden Bull which is written on parchment in the Latin 
 language with a golden seal attached to it. In the Hall 
 where the Electors used to sit on the election of an Emperor 
 of the Romans, are to be seen the portraits of several of the 
 Emperors, and a very striking one in particular of the 
 
 * The same story is given, with slight differences, by Lafayette himself 
 (M ^moires, vol. v, p. 472-3; Paris and Leipzig, 1838). See also Souvenirs 
 historiques et parlementaires du Comtede Pontdcoulant, vol. in, p. 428 (Paris, 
 1863). Major Frye's narrative is by far the oldest and seems the most 
 trustworthy. ED. 
 
 \ The house in question was built about 1780 by Nicolas de Pigage for 
 the rich merchant, Franz von Schweizer ; Pigage was the son of the architect 
 of King Stanislas at Nancy. The Schweizer palace became later on the H6tel 
 de Russie and was demolished about 1890, the Imperial Post Office having 
 been erected in its place. The Schweizer family is now extinct. ED. 
 
 54
 
 THE THEATRE AT FRANKFORT 
 
 Emperor Joseph II, in full length, in his Imperial robes. 
 There is no table d'hote at the Swan for supper, but this 
 meal is served up a la carte, which is very convenient for 
 those who do not require copious meals. At the same table 
 with me at supper sat a very agreeable man with whom I 
 entered into conversation. He was a Hessian and had 
 served in a Hessian battalion in the English service during 
 the American war. He was so kind as to procure me admis- 
 sion to the Casino at the Hotel Rumpf,* where there is a 
 litterary institution and where they receive newspapers, 
 pamphlets and reviews in the German, French, English and 
 Italian languages. In Frankfort there are several houses of 
 individuals which merit the name of palaces, and there is a 
 great -display of opulence and industry in this city. In the 
 environs there is abundance of maisons de plaisance. For 
 commerce it is the most bustling city (inland) in all Ger- 
 many, besides it being the seat of the present German 
 Diet ; and from here, as from a centre, diverge the high roads 
 to all parts of the Empire. 
 
 I have been once at the theatre, which is very near the 
 Swan. A German opera, the scene whereof was in India, was 
 given. The scenery and decorations were good, appropriate, 
 and the singing very fair. The theatre itself is dirty and 
 gloomy. The German language appears to me to be better 
 adapted to music than either the French or English. The num- 
 ber of dactylic terminations in the language give to it all the 
 variety that the sdruccioli give to the Italian. As to poetry, 
 no language in the world suits itself better to all the 
 vagaries and phantasies of the Muse, since it possesses so 
 much natural rythm and allows, like the Greek, the com- 
 bination of compound words and a redundancy of epithets, 
 and it is besides so flexible that it lends itself to all the 
 
 * A Casinogesellschaft, still in existence (1908), was founded at Frankfort in 
 1805, with the object of uniting the aristocratic elements of the city, admit- 
 tance being freely allowed to distinguished strangers, in particular to the 
 envoys of the Bundestag. The Gesellschaft or club occupied spacious rooms in 
 the house of the once famous tapissier and decorator Major Rumpf, grand- 
 father of the German sculptor of the same name. That building, situated at 
 the corner of the Rossmarkt, was demolished about 1880. ED. 
 
 55
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ancient as well as the modern metres with complete success : 
 indeed it is the only modern language that I know of which 
 does so. 
 
 As for political opinions here, the Germans seem neither 
 to wish nor to care about the restoration of the Bourbons ; 
 but they talk loudly of the necessity of tearing Alsace and 
 Lorraine from France. In fact, they wish to put it out of the 
 power of the French ever to invade Germany again; a 
 thing however little to be hoped for. For the minor and 
 weaker Germanic states have always hitherto (and will 
 probably again at some future day) invoked the assistance 
 of France against the greater and stronger. I observe that 
 the Austrian Government is not at all popular here, and that 
 its bad faith in financial matters is so notorious and has 
 been so severely felt here, that a merchant told me, alluding 
 to the bankruptcy of the Austrian Government on two 
 occasions when there was no absolute necessity for the 
 measure, that Frankfort had suffered more from the bad 
 faith of the Austrian Government than from all the war 
 contributions levied by the French. 
 
 BRUXELLES, 28th July. 
 
 On arrival at Coblentz we heard that Napoleon had sur- 
 rendered himself unconditionally to Capt. Maitland of the 
 Bellerophon. He never should have humiliated himself so 
 far as to surrender himself to the British ministry. He 
 owed to himself, to his brave fellow soldiers, to the French 
 nation whose Sovereign he had been, not to take such a step, 
 but rather die in the field like our Richard III, a glorious 
 death which cast a lustre around his memory in spite of the 
 darker shades of his character; or if he could not fall in the 
 field, he should have died like Hannibal, rather than com- 
 mit himself into the hands of a government in which 
 generosity is by no means a distinguishing feature, and 
 which on many occasions has shown a petty persecuting 
 and vindictive spirit, and thus I have no hesitation in por- 
 traying the characteristics of our Tory party, which, unfor- 
 56
 
 SURRENDER OF NAPOLEON 
 
 tunately for the cause of liberty, rules with undivided sway 
 over England. He will now end his days in captivity, for his 
 destination appears to be already fixed, and St Helena is 
 named as the intended residence ; he will, I say, be exposed 
 to all the taunts and persecutions that petty malice can 
 suggest; and this with the most uncomfortable reflections: 
 for had he been more considerate of the spirit of the age, he 
 might have set all the Monarchs, Ultras and Oligarchs and 
 their ministers at defiance. But he wished to ape Charle- 
 magne and the Caesars and to establish an universal 
 Empire: a thing totally impossible in our days and much 
 to be deprecated were it possible. 
 
 Consigned to St Helena, Napoleon will furnish to pos- 
 terity a proverb like that of Dionysius at Corinth. This 
 banishment to St Helena will be very ungenerous and 
 unjust on the part of the English Government, but I 
 suppose their satellites and adherents will term it an act of 
 clemency, and some Church and Kingmen would no doubt 
 recommend hewing him in pieces, as Samuel did to Agag. 
 
 I stopped three days at Aix-la-Chapelle to drink the 
 waters and then came straight to this place stopping half 
 a day in Liege. I shall start for Paris in a couple of days, as 
 the communication is now open and the public conveyances 
 re-established. My passport is vise in the following terms: 
 " Bon pour aller a Paris en suivant la route des armees 
 alliees." I am quite impatient to visit that celebrated city. 
 
 57
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 From Bruxelles to Paris Restoration of Louis XVIII The officers 
 of the allied armies The Palais Royal The Louvre Protest of the author 
 against the proposed despoiling of the French Museums Unjust strictures 
 against Napoleon's military policy The cant about revolutionary robberies 
 The Grand Opera Monuments in Paris The Champs Elysees Saint- 
 Cloud The H&tel des Invalides The Luxembourg General Labedoyere 
 Priests and emigrants Prussian Plunder Handsome behaviour of 
 the English officers Reminiscences of Eton Versailles. 
 
 PARIS, August 3rd. 
 
 HERE I am in Paris. I left Bruxelles the 29th July, 
 stopped one night at Mons and passing thro' Valen- 
 ciennes, Peronne and St Quentin arrived here on the 
 third day. The villages and towns on the road had been 
 pretty well stripped of eatables by the Allied army, as well 
 as by the French, so that we did not meet with the best 
 fare. In every village the white flag was displayed by way 
 of propitiating the clemency of the Allies and averting 
 plunder. 
 
 AUGUST 7th. 
 
 I have put up at the Hotel de Cahors, Rue de Richelieu, 
 where I pay five francs per diem for a single room; such is 
 the dearness of lodgings at this moment. It is well furnished, 
 however, with sofas, commodes, mirrors and a handsome 
 clock and is very spacious withal, there being an alcove for 
 the bed. This situation is extremely convenient, being close 
 to the Palais Royal, Rue St Honore, Theatre Frangais, 
 Louvre and the Tuileries on one side, and to the Grand 
 Opera, the Theatre Feydeau, the Italian Opera and the 
 Boulevards on the other. The National Library is not many 
 yards distant from my hotel, and a few yards from that 
 en face is the Grand Opera house or Academic Royale de 
 Musique. 
 
 This city is filled with officers and travellers of all kinds 
 who have followed the army. The House of Legislature of 
 the Hundred Days, as it is the fashion to style Napoleon's 
 58
 
 PARIS AFTER THE HUNDRED DAYS 
 
 last reign dissolved themselves on the demand of a million 
 of francs as a war contribution made by Marshall Blucher. 
 Louis XVIII has been hustled into Paris, and now occupies 
 the throne of his ancestors under the protection of a million 
 of foreign bayonets, and the banniere des Lis has replaced 
 the tricolor on the castle of the Tuileries. A detachment of 
 the British army occupies Montmartre, where the British 
 flag is flying, and in the Champs Elysees and Bois de Boulogne 
 are encamped several brigades of English and Hanoverians. 
 The Sovereigns of Russia, Austria and Prussia are expected 
 and then it is said that the fate of France will be decided. 
 The Army of the Loire has at length made its submission to 
 the King, after stipulating but in vain for the beloved 
 tricolor. Report says it is to be immediately dissolved and 
 a new army raised with more legitimate inclinations. Should 
 the King accede to this, France will be completely disarmed 
 and at the mercy of the Allies, and the King himself a state 
 prisoner. The entrance into Paris, thro' the Faubourg St 
 Denis, does not give to the stranger who arrives there for 
 the first time a great idea of the magnificence of Paris; he 
 should enter by the Avenue de Neuilly or by the Porte St 
 Antoine, both of which are very striking and superb. 
 
 Now you must not expect that I shall or can give you a 
 description of all the fine things that I have seen or am 
 about to see, for they have been so often described before 
 that it would be a perfect waste of time, and I can do better 
 in referring you at once to the Guide des Voyageurs d Paris; 
 so that I shall content myself with merely indicating these 
 objects which make the most impression on me. 
 
 My first visit was, as you will have no doubt guessed, to 
 the Palais Royal: there I breakfasted, there I dined, and 
 there I passed the whole day without the least ennui. It is a 
 world in itself. It swarms at present with officers of the 
 Allied army. The variety of uniforms adds to the splendour 
 and novelty of the scene. The restaurants and cafe's are filled 
 with them. The Palais Royal is certainly the temple of 
 animal gratification, the paradise of gastronomes. The 
 
 59
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 officers are indulging in all sorts of luxury, revelling in 
 Champaign and Burgundy, in all the pleasures of the belly, 
 as well as in Us quae sub venire sunt. 'Twill be a famous 
 harvest for the restaurateurs and for the Cyprians who 
 parade up and down the Arcades, sure of a constant suc- 
 cession of suitors. In fact, whatever be the taste of a man, 
 whether sensual or intellectual or both, he can gratify 
 himself here without moving out of the precincts of the 
 Palais Royal. Here are cafes, restaurants, shops of all kinds 
 whose display of clocks, jewellery, stuffs, silks, merchandize 
 from all parts of the world, is most brilliant and dazzling; 
 here you find reading-rooms where newspapers, reviews 
 and pamphlets of all tongues, nations and languages are to 
 be met with ; here are museums of paintings, statues, plans 
 in relief, cosmoramas; here are libraries, gaming houses, 
 houses of fair reception; cellars where music, dancing and 
 all kinds of orgies are carried on; exhibitions of all sorts, 
 learned pigs, dancing dogs, military canary birds, herma- 
 phrodites, giants, dwarf jugglers from Hindostan, catawbas 
 from America, serpents from Java, and crocodiles from the 
 Nile. Here, so Kotzebue has calculated, you may go through 
 all the functions of life in one day and end it afterwards 
 should you be so inclined. You may eat, drink, sleep, bathe, 
 go to [the Cabinet d'aisance, walk, read, make love, game 
 and, should you be tired of life, you may buy powder and 
 ball or opium to hasten your journey across Styx; or should 
 you desire a more classic exit, you may die like Seneca 
 opening your veins in a bath. Deep play goes forward day 
 and night, and I verily believe there are some persons in 
 Paris who never quit these precincts. The restaurants and 
 cafes are most brilliantly fitted up. One, Le Cafe des Mille. 
 Colonnes, so called from the reflection of the columns in the 
 mirrors with which the wainscoat is lined, boasts of a limona- 
 diere of great beauty. She is certainly a fine woman, dresses 
 very well, as indeed most French women do, and has a re- 
 markably fine turned arm which she takes care to display on 
 all occasions. I do not, however, perceive much animation in 
 60
 
 THE PALAIS ROYAL 
 
 her; she always appears the same, nor has she made any 
 more impression on me tho' I am of a very susceptible 
 nature in this particular than a fine statue or picture 
 would do. There she sits on a throne and receives the 
 hommage and compliments of most of the visitors and the 
 money of all, which seems to please her most, for she 
 receives the compliments which are paid her with the 
 utmost sang-froid and indifference, and the money she 
 takes especial care to count. English troops, conjointly with 
 the National Guard, do duty at the entrance of the Palais 
 Royal from the Rue St Honore ; and it became necessary to 
 have a strong guard to keep the peace, as frequent disputes 
 take place between the young men of the Capital and the 
 Prussian officers, against whom the French are singularly 
 inveterate. 
 
 The French, when left to themselves, are very peaceable 
 in their pleasures and the utmost public decorum is observed; 
 their sobriety contributes much to this ; but if there were in 
 London an establishment similar to that of the Palais 
 Royal, it would become a perfect pandemonium and would 
 require an army to keep the peace. The French police keep 
 a very sharp look-out on all political offences, but are more 
 indulgent towards all moral ones, as long as public decorum 
 is not infringed, and then it is severely punished. But they 
 have none of that censoriousness or prying spirit in France 
 which is so common in England to hunt out and criticise 
 the private vices of their neighbours, which, in my opinion, 
 does not proceed from any real regard for virtue, but from a 
 fanatical, jealous, envious, and malignant spirit. Those 
 vice-hunters never have the courage to attack a man of 
 wealth and power; but a poor artisan or labourer, who buys 
 a piece of meat after twelve o'clock on Saturday night, or a 
 glass of spirits during church-time on Sunday, is termed a 
 Sabbath-breaker and imprisoned without mercy. 
 
 In the Palais Royal the three most remarkable temples 
 of dissipation are Very's for gastronomes, Robert's faro 
 bank for gamesters, and the Cafe Montausier for those 
 
 61
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 devoted to the fair sex. The Cafe Montausier is fitted up in 
 the guise of a theatre where music, singing and theatrical 
 pieces are given; you pay nothing for admission, but are 
 expected to call for some refreshment. It is splendidly illu- 
 minated, and is the Cafe par excellence, frequented by those 
 ladies who have made the opposite choice to that of Her- 
 cules, and who, taking into consideration the shortness and 
 uncertainty of life, dedicate it entirely to pleasure, reflect- 
 ing that 
 
 Laggii nell' Inferno, 
 Nell' obblio sempiterno, 
 In sempiterno orrore, 
 Non si parla d'amore. 
 
 Of course, this saloon is crowded with amateurs, and the 
 Prussians and English are not the least ardent votaries of 
 the Goddess of Paphos; many a vanquished victor sinks 
 oppressed with wine and love on the breast of a Dalilah : 
 this last comparison suggests itself to me from the immense 
 quantity of hair worn by the Prussians, as if their strength, 
 like that of Samson's, depended on their chevelure. There is a 
 very pretty graceful girl who attends here and at the different 
 restaurants and cafes with an assortment of bijouterie and 
 other knick-knacks to sell. She is full of wit and repartee; 
 but her answer to all those who attempt to squeeze her hand 
 and make love to her is always: "Achetez quelque chose." 
 Her name is Celine and she has a great flow of conversation 
 on all subjects but that of love, which she invariably cuts 
 short by "Achetez quelque chose." 
 
 10th August. 
 
 I have been to see the Museum of sculpture and paint- 
 ing in the Louvre, but what is to be seen there baffles all 
 description : 
 
 Se tante lingue avessi e tante voci 
 
 Quanti occhj il cielo o quante arene il mare 
 
 Non basterian a dir le lodi immense. 
 
 The Apollo Belvedere, the Venus de Medici and the 
 Laocoon first claimed my attention, and engaged me for at 
 least an hour and a half before I could direct my attention 
 62
 
 THE MUSEUM OF THE LOUVRE 
 
 to the other masterpieces. I admire indeed the Laocoon, still 
 more the Venus, but the Apollo certainly bears away the 
 palm and I fully participate of all Winkelmann's enthu- 
 siasm for that celebrated statue. The Venus is a very beau- 
 tiful woman, but the Apollo is a god. One is lost, and one's 
 imagination is bewildered when one enters into the halls of 
 sculpture of this unparalleled collection, amidst the statues 
 of Gods, Demi-Gods, Heroes, Philosophers, Poets, Roman 
 Emperors, Statesmen and all the illustrious worthies that 
 adorned the Greek and Roman page. What subjects for 
 contemplation! A chill of awe and veneration pervaded my 
 whole frame when I first entered into that glorious temple 
 of the Arts. I felt as I should were I admitted among super- 
 natural beings, or as if I had " shuffled off this mortal coil " 
 and were suddenly ushered into the presence of the illus- 
 trious tenants of another world; in fact, I felt as if Olympus 
 and the whole Court of Immortals were open to my view. 
 No! I cannot describe these things, I can only feel them; I 
 throw down the pen and call upon expressive silence to 
 muse their praise. 
 
 Of the Picture Gallery too what can I say that can pos- 
 sibly give you an idea of its variety and extent? Here are 
 the finest works of the Italian, Flemish, and French 
 schools, and you are as much embarrassed to single out the 
 favourite object, as the Grand Signor would be, among six 
 or seven hundred of the most beautiful women in the 
 world, to make his choice. The only fault I find in this col- 
 lection is that there were rather too many Scripture pieces, 
 Crucifixions, Martyrdoms and allegorical pictures, and too 
 few from historical or mythological subjects. Yet perhaps I 
 am wrong in classing the Scripture pieces with Martyr- 
 doms, Crucifixions, Grillings of Saints and Madonnas; there 
 are very many beautiful episodes in the Scriptures which 
 would furnish admirable subjects for painters. Why then 
 have they chosen disgusting subjects such as Judith sawing 
 off Holofernes' head, Siserah's head nailed to the bedpost, 
 John the Baptist's on a trencher, etc.? But the pictures 
 
 63
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 representing Martyrdoms are too revolting to the eye and 
 should not be placed in this Museum. 
 
 It is reported that the Allies mean to strip this Museum 
 [of sculpture and painting]. No! it cannot be, they never 
 surely can be guilty of such an act of Vandalism and con- 
 temptible spite. I am aware that there is a great clamour 
 amongst a certain description of English for restoring these 
 statues and pictures to the countries from whence they 
 came, and that it is the fashion to term the translation of 
 them to Paris a revolutionary robbery; but let us bring 
 these gentlemen to a calm reasoning on the subject. 
 
 The statues and paintings in question belonged either to 
 Governments at war with France, or to individuals inhabit- 
 ing those countries ; now, with respect to individuals, I will 
 venture to affirm, on the best authority, that the property 
 of no individual was taken from him without an equivalent. 
 Those who had statues and pictures of value and wished to 
 sell them, received their full value from the French Govern- 
 ment, but there was no force used on the occasion ; in fact, 
 many who were in want of money were rejoiced at the oppor- 
 tunity of selling, as they could never have otherwise dis- 
 posed of those valuable articles to individuals at the same 
 price that the French Government gave. I recollect a day 
 or two ago being in conversation with a Milanese on this 
 subject and others connected with the occupation of Italy 
 by the French. I happened to mention that the conquest of 
 Italy by the Republican armies must have been attended 
 with confiscation of property; he assured me that no such 
 thing as confiscation of property took place; that so far 
 from being the losers by the French invasion and the 
 establishment of their system, they had on the con- 
 trary been considerable gainers, for that the country 
 flourished under their domination in a manner before 
 unknown, and that one of the greatest advantages attendant 
 on the occupation was the establishment of an equality 
 of weight and measures, the decimal division of the coin, 
 the introduction of an admirable code of laws free'd from all 
 64
 
 THE SPOILS OF CONQUEST IN THE LOUVRE 
 
 barbarisms legal, political and theological and intelligible 
 to all classes, so that there was no occasion to cite old 
 authors and go back for three or four hundred years to hunt 
 out authorities and precedents for what men of sense could 
 determine at once by following the dictates of their own 
 judgment. 
 
 With respect to the statues and pictures belonging to the 
 different governments of Italy, it must never be forgotten 
 that these governments made war against the French Revo- 
 lution either openly or insidiously, and did their utmost to 
 aid the coalition to crush the infant liberties of France. 
 Those who did not act openly did so covertly and indirectly; 
 in short, from their tergiversations and intrigues, they had 
 no claim whatever on the mercy of the conquerors, who 
 treated them with a great deal of clemency. The destruc- 
 tion of these governments was loudly called for by the 
 people themselves, who looked on the French as their 
 deliverers. 
 
 It will be admitted, I believe, that it is and has been the 
 custom on the continent, in all wars, for all parties to levy 
 war contributions on the conquered or occupied countries; 
 but Buonoparte thought it more glorious for the French name 
 to take works of art instead of money; and not a statue or 
 picture was taken from the vanquished governments 
 except by a solemn treaty of cession, or given in lieu of con- 
 tributions at the option of the owners, and the Princes were 
 very glad to give up their pictures and statues, which the 
 most of them did not know how to appreciate, in lieu of 
 money which they were all anxious to keep; and on these 
 articles a fair value was fixed by competent judges. In this 
 manner did the French become the possessors of these 
 valuable objects of art, and in this manner was the noble 
 Museum in Paris filled up, and surely nothing could be more 
 generous and liberal than the use made of the Museum by 
 the French Government; foreigners were indeed more 
 favoured than the inhabitants themselves. To the inhabi- 
 tants of Paris this Museum is open twice a week; but to 
 F - 65
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 foreigners on producing their passports, it is open every day 
 in the week all the year round; artists of all nations are 
 allowed, during a certain number of hours each day, to 
 come to copy the statues and pictures which suit their 
 taste ; and stoves are lighted for their accommodation during 
 winter, and all this gratis. Now, before these objects of art 
 were collected here, they were distributed, some in churches, 
 and some in Government palaces. To see the first, required a 
 specific introduction to the owner; to see the second, appli- 
 cation to the attendants of the churches became necessary, 
 and for both these you were required to pay fees to the ser- 
 vants and church-attendants, who are always impatient 
 to take your fee and hurry you through the apartments or 
 chapels, scarcely giving you time to examine anything. 
 To be admitted into the Government palaces was a matter 
 of favour, and here also fees were required.* Here in the 
 Louvre there is no introduction required; no court to be 
 paid to majordomes, no favour; it is open to all classes, high 
 and low, without exception, and no money is allowed to 
 be given. 
 
 But there are some people, in their ridiculous fury 
 against the French Revolution, who would fain persuade us 
 that before that epoch there was a golden age on the earth, 
 that there were no acts of violence committed, no frauds 
 practised, no property injured, no individuals ill-used; 
 that every Prince governed like Numa; that every noble 
 was a Bayard, and every priest like a primitive apostle. 
 Why I need go no further than the Seven Years' war to 
 show that in that war, during the height of European civi- 
 lisation, and carried on between the most polished nations 
 in Europe, there were much more acts of violence and 
 rapine carried on than ever were done by the French 
 republicans. I by no means wish to excuse or even palliate 
 the acts of ferocity which took place at that epoch of the 
 French Revolution called the reign of Terror, which were 
 
 * Exceptions to this are, I understand, the Gallery at Florence, and the 
 Museo Vaticano at Rome, which are both open to all and no fees allowed. 
 
 66
 
 RAPINE DURING THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR 
 
 executed by a people wrought up to frensy by a recollection 
 of their wrongs; and I know too well that many virtuous 
 individuals fell victims to their indiscriminating fury ; but I 
 do believe and aver that much more clamour was made at 
 the execution of a handful of corrupt courtiers, intriguing 
 and profligate women of quality and worthless priests, than 
 all the rest put together. 
 
 To return to the Seven Years' war (I may be permitted 
 to take this retrospect, I hope, since it is the fashion, and 
 those who differ with me in opinions go much farther back 
 than I do), let the French royalists and emigrants recollect 
 the confiscation of property and barbarity exercised by 
 Marshall Richelieu in Hanover, where many families were 
 reduced to beggary. They may not chuse to recollect this; 
 but the Hanoverians do and they have not forgotten the 
 Pavilion de Hanovre, so called by the wits of the time from 
 its having been built by the Marshall with money arising 
 from the spoils of Hanover; will they recollect also the 
 harsh treatment inflicted on the burghers and citizens of a 
 town in Germany, who were shut up in a room and kept 
 without food or drink for nearly three days because they 
 would not consent to fix a heavy and unwarrantable con- 
 tribution on their fellow citizens; when these unhappy 
 but virtuous men were only allowed to go out for the neces- 
 sities of nature attended by sentries, and on the third day, 
 when fainting with hunger, a little bread and water was 
 given to them, with an assurance that in future they were 
 not to expect such luxuries. Have they forgot the devasta- 
 tion committed in Berlin by the Austrians in the Seven 
 Years' war, when they pillaged, burned or destroyed all the 
 valuable property of the royal Palaces, the most valuable 
 works of art, vases, statues of antiquity, the loss of which 
 could never be replaced; when they lopped off the heads, 
 arms and legs of the statues? Have they forgot the conduct 
 of the belligerent powers at the siege of Dresden at the same 
 epoch, when whole families, among whom were helpless old 
 men and women with children at the breast, were compelled 
 F2 67
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 to leave Dresden in the middle of a most rigorous winter 
 and were driven to take refuge in the fields where the most 
 of them perished with hunger and cold; and where many 
 individuals lost their reason and became insane from the 
 treatment they received? Have they forgotten the merciless 
 barbarities inflicted by the Russians in the same war on the 
 inhabitants of the Prussian territory? their ripping up and 
 burning men, women, and children? and the dreadful 
 retaliation inflicted on them at the battle of Zorndorff, 
 when the Prussians, exasperated at the idea of those horrors 
 so fresh in their memory, on being ordered to bury the Rus- 
 sian dead, threw the wounded men also belonging to that 
 nation into the graves dug for the dead, to be thus buried 
 alive, and hastily filled them up with earth, as if fearful 
 that they might relent, did they give themselves time for 
 reflection? These are not exaggerations; they are given by 
 an author celebrated for his impartiality and deep research 
 and who was an eye-witness of many of these proceedings; 
 I mean Archenholz in his admirable history of the Seven 
 Years' war.* 
 
 Then again in the war of American Independence (and 
 here my countrymen must excuse me if I point out the acts 
 of injustice committed by them, when acting in obedience 
 to an unprincipled and arbitrary government and in a cause 
 hostile to freedom), who does not recollect the private 
 property wantonly destroyed and confiscated by the 
 English? their employing the Indian tribes, those merci- 
 less savages of the forest, to scalp, etc., which called forth 
 the indignation of a Chatham? and the grossly unjust pillage 
 and confiscation of property which took place at St 
 Eustatius by the commanders of a religious and gracious 
 King?^ Again, who does not recollect the gentle but deep 
 
 * Johann Wilhelm Archenholz (1743-1812), author of the Geschichte des 
 Siebenjahrigen Krieges, r 789. ED. 
 
 f In February, 1781, before the declaration of war was generally known 
 in the West Indies, Rodney's fleet surrounded the Dutch island of Eustatius, 
 which had become a sort of entrepot for supplying America with British 
 goods ; two hundred and fifty ships, together with several millions worth of 
 merchandise, were seized and sold at a military auction. The plunder of 
 
 68
 
 ANECDOTE OF SCHUYLER AND BURGOYNE 
 
 reproof given by the American General Schuyler to the 
 English General Burgoyne, when the latter was made 
 prisoner by the Americans under Gates? General Schuyler's 
 valuable house, barns, etc., had been burned by the express 
 order of Burgoyne. Nevertheless, Schuyler received him 
 with dignified politeness, magnanimously stifled the recol- 
 lection of the injury he had received, and obtained for him 
 a good quarter, merely remarking, " General, had my house 
 and farms not been burned, I could have offered you a more 
 comfortable abode." How Burgoyne must have felt this 
 reproof! yet he was not by nature a harsh man, but he had 
 the orders of his government to exercise severities; he was 
 educated in Tory principles, and passive obedience is their 
 motto. 
 
 Can one forget likewise even, in the late war, Nelson's 
 conduct to Caraccioli at Naples, whom he caused to be 
 hanged on board of an English ship of war, together with a 
 number of other patriots, in violation of a solemn capitu- 
 lation, by which it had been stipulated that they should be 
 considered as prisoners of war and sent to France? Then 
 again the wanton destruction of the Capitol and other public 
 buildings at Washington not devoted to military purposes, 
 which it is not usual to destroy or deface ; and the valuable 
 public library too which was burned? What excuse can be 
 offered for this? Were the times of Omar returned? It is 
 fair and allowed by the laws of war to blow up and destroy 
 arsenals, magazines, containing warlike stores and engines 
 of destruction, but to destroy with Gothic barbarity 
 buildings of great symmetry and beauty, and a library 
 too O fie! 
 
 Why I will defy any man to point out a single instance 
 where the French republican armies or Napoleon ever 
 injured or wantonly destroyed a single national edifice, a 
 single work of art, a single book belonging to any other 
 
 Eustatius was bitterly commented upon in the British House of Commons. 
 Lee Richard Hildreth, The History of the United States, vol. in, p. 335. 
 ED. 
 
 69
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 country! On the contrary, they invariably extended their 
 protection to the Arts and Sciences. Why at Vienna, where 
 there is, I understand, a most splendid museum, and many 
 most valuable works of art and antiquity, tho' this city fell 
 twice into their possession, they never destroyed or took 
 away a single article ; but, on the contrary, there, as well as 
 in Berlin, they invited the inhabitants to form a civic guard 
 for the protection of their property. As to the Vandalism 
 shewn during the reign of Terror, and I by no means seek 
 to palliate it, that was of short duration, it was madness, if 
 you will, but it was disinterested and other nations who 
 talk a great deal about their superior morality would do well 
 to look at home. They would there observe, in their own 
 historic page, that the atrocities of the French Revolution 
 have not only been equalled but surpassed perhaps by more 
 dreadful scenes committed at Wexford in 1798, under the 
 auspices of the Government then ruling Ireland and which 
 the noble and virtuous * disdained to serve. 
 
 Excuse this long digression, but I feel it my duty to open 
 the eyes of my countrymen and prevent them from sup- 
 porting on all occasions the unjust acts of their Govern- 
 ment, which reflect dishonour on a great and enlightened 
 nation; which can boast, among its annals, of some of the 
 most heroic, splendid, and disinterested characters that 
 ever the world produced. 
 
 All that I need add on the subject of the statues and pic- 
 tures is, that putting out of the question the justice or in- 
 justice of the restitution, it will be a great loss to England and 
 to English artists in particular, should they be removed : many 
 an artist can afford to make a trip to Paris, who would find 
 it beyond his means to make a journey to Florence or Rome. 
 
 If these objects of art are to be taken away, it should be 
 stipulated so in the treaty of peace; and then everybody 
 would understand it. This would be putting it on the fairest 
 
 * The name is in blank. Major Frye may have meant Beauchamp Bagenal 
 Harvey (1762-1798), the squire of Wexford who deserted to the Irish rebels. 
 
 ED. 
 
 70
 
 THE OPERA IN PARIS 
 
 footing. You then say to France: "You gained these things 
 by conquest; you lose them by defeat"; but for God's sake 
 let us have no more of that cant about revolutionary 
 robberies! 
 
 PARIS, 
 
 I went for the first time to the Grand Opera, or, as it is 
 here called, the Academic Royale de Musique, which is in 
 the Rue de Richelieu. Armida was the piece performed, the 
 music by Gliick. The decorations were splendid and the 
 dancing beyond all praise. The scenes representing the 
 garden of Armida and the nymphs dancing fully expressed 
 in the mimic art those beautiful lines of Tasso : 
 
 Cogliam d'amor la rosa! amiamo or.quando 
 Esser si puote riamato amando!* 
 
 The effect of the dissolution of the palace and gardens by 
 the waving of Armida's wand is astonishing; it appears 
 completely to be the work of inchantment, from the 
 rapidity of execution which follows the potentissime parole. 
 The French recitative however does not please me. The 
 serious opera is an exotic and does not seem to thrive on the 
 soil of France. The language does not possess sufficient 
 intonation to give effect to the recitative. 
 
 On the contrary, the comic operas are excellent; and here 
 the national music and singing appear to great advantage. 
 It never degenerates to the grotesque or absurd buffo of 
 the Italians, but is always exquisitely graceful, simple, 
 touching and natural. 
 
 Among the ballets, I have seen perhaps three of the best, 
 viz., Achille a Scyros, Flore et Zephire and La Jolle par 
 amour. In the ballet of Flore and Zephire, the dancers who 
 did these two parts appeared more aerian than earthly. To 
 use a phrase of Burke's, I never beheld so beautiful a vision. 
 Nina, or la folle par amour, is a ballet from private life. The 
 title sufficiently explains its purport; it is exquisitely touch- 
 ing and pathetic. O what a divine creature is Bigottini! what 
 
 * Tasso, Jerusalemme liber ata, canto xvi, ottava 15. ED. 
 
 71
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 symmetry of form! what innate grace, what a captivating 
 expression of countenance; and then the manner in which 
 she did the mad scenes and her return to reason! Oh! I was 
 moved even to tears. Never had any performance such an 
 effect upon me What a magnificent tout ensemble is the 
 Grand Opera at Paris! Whenever I feel chagrined or 
 melancholy I shall come here ; I feel as if I were in a new 
 world; the fiction appears reality; my senses are ravished, 
 and I forget all my cares. 
 
 I have very little pleasure in visiting royal Palaces, unless 
 they have been the residence of some transcendent person 
 like Napoleon or Frederick II of Prussia, as the sight of 
 splendid furniture and royal pomp affords me no gratifica- 
 tion; and I would rather visit Washington's or Lafayette's 
 farms in company with these distinguished men than dine 
 with all the monarchs of Europe. After a hasty glance at the 
 furniture of the Tuileries, what fixed my attention for a 
 considerable time was " La Salle des Marechaux," where 
 are the portraits of all the modern French Marshalls. They 
 are all full length portraits and are striking resemblances; 
 some are in the Marshall's undress uniform and others in the 
 full court costume which is very elegant, being the costume 
 of the time of Francis I with the Spanish hat and plumes. 
 I did not observe Ney's or Soult's portraits among them. 
 
 In front of the great square of the Tuileries where the 
 troops exercise, stands the Arch of Triumph erected by 
 Napoleon, commonly called VArc du Carrousel. It is a beauti- 
 ful piece of architecture, but is far too small to tally with 
 such a vast mass of buildings as the Palace and offices of the 
 Tuileries. By the side of them it appears almost Lilliputian. 
 It would have been better to have made it in the style of the 
 trumphal arch of the Porte St Denis. On this arc of the 
 Carrousel are bas-reliefs both outside and inside, represent- 
 ing various actions of Napoleon's life. He is always repre- 
 sented in the Roman costume, with the imperial laurel on 
 his brows, with kings kneeling, and presenting the keys of 
 conquered cities. On the outside are statues, large as life, 
 72
 
 THE GARDENS OF THE TUILERIES 
 
 in modern military costume, representing the different 
 armes which compose the French army.* On the top of this 
 Arc du Carrousel is an antique car of triumph, to which are 
 harnessed the four bronze horses which were taken from the 
 fa$ade of the Church of San Marco in Venice. They are of beau- 
 tiful workmanship and of great antiquity. What various and 
 mighty revolutions have these horses witnessed! Cast in 
 Corinth in the time of the glories of the Grecian common- 
 wealths and removed by conquest to Rome, they witnessed 
 the successive fall of the Grecian and Roman states ; trans- 
 ferred to Constantinople in the time of Constantine, and 
 from thence removed to Venice when Constantinople fell 
 into the hands of the French and Venetians; transferred 
 from thence to Paris in 1798, they have witnessed the 
 successive falls of the Eastern and Western Empires, of 
 the Republic of Venice and the Napoleonic dynasty and 
 Empire. Report says they are to be restored to Venice; 
 and who knows whether they may not be destined one day 
 to return to their original country, Greece, under perhaps 
 Russian auspices? 
 
 The Gardens of the Tuileries which lie at the back part 
 of the palace are very spacious, well laid out in walks and 
 lined with trees. Large basins inlaid with stone, fountains 
 and statues add to the grandeur of these gardens; they 
 extend from the Tuileries as far as the Place Louis XV 
 parallel to the Seine, and are separated by a wall and parapet 
 and a beautiful cast iron railing from the Quai, and on the 
 other side from the Rue de Rivoli, one of the new streets, and 
 the best in Paris for pedestrians. On the side opposite the 
 palace itself is the Place Louis XV, called in the time of the 
 republic Place de la Revolution, and where the unfortu- 
 nate Louis XVI suffered decapitation. The Place Louis XV 
 is by far the most magnificent thing of the kind I have ever 
 seen and far exceeds the handsomest of our squares in London. 
 On one side of it is the Hotel du Garde Meuble, a superb edifice. 
 
 * For instance, a Cuirassier, a Dragoon, a Grenadier, a Tirailleur, an 
 Artilleryman. 
 
 73
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 On the other the Quai, the river; and on the other side of the 
 river is the Palais du Corps legislatif, now the place where 
 the Chamber of Deputies hold their sitting, and which has 
 a magnificent faade. In front of this place are the Champs 
 Elysees and avenue of Neuilly and behind the gardens and 
 palace of the Tuileries. 
 
 My next visit was to the Place Vendome, where stands 
 the majestic column of the Grand Army. To me this column 
 is the most striking thing of its kind that I have hitherto 
 seen. It is of bronze and of the most beautiful workman- 
 ship, cast from the cannon taken from the Austrians in the 
 war of 1805, and on it are figured in bas-relief the various 
 battles and achievements, winding round and round from 
 the base to the capital. It is constructed after the model of 
 the Column of Trajan in Rome. 
 
 The next place I visited was the Chamber of Deputies. 
 It is a fine building with a Doric fa$ade and columns; it is 
 peculiarly striking from its noble simplicity. On the fayade 
 are bas-reliefs representing actions in Napoleon's life. 
 The flight of steps leading to the f ayade is very grand, and 
 there are colossal figures representing Prudence, Justice, 
 Fortitude and other legislative virtues. The Chamber itself 
 where the Deputies hold their sittings is in the form of a 
 Greek theatre ; the arch of the semi-circle forms the gallery 
 appropriated to the audience, and comprehends in its enclo- 
 sure the seats of the deputies like the seats in a Greek 
 theatre; on the chord of the semi-circle where the pro- 
 scenium should be, is the tribune and President's seat. The 
 whole is exceedingly elegant. The Orator whose turn it is to 
 speak leaves his seat, ascends the tribune and faces the 
 Deputies. The anti-rooms adjoining this Chamber are fitted 
 up with long tables and fauteuils and are appropriated to the 
 sittings of the various committees. These antichambers 
 are hung round with pictures representing the victories of 
 the French armies; but they are covered with green baize 
 and carefully concealed from the public eye in order to 
 stifle recollections and prevent comparisons. 
 74
 
 THE ALLIES IN PARIS 
 
 PARIS, August. 
 
 I mounted on horseback and rode out to St Cloud to 
 breakfast, passing through the Champs Elysees, the Bois 
 de Boulogne and the little town of Passy, and returned by 
 the Quai, as far as the bridge of Jena, which I passed and 
 went to visit the Hotel des Invalides, le Champ de Mars, the 
 Pantheon or Church of St Genevieve and the Palace of the 
 Luxembourg. This was pretty good work for one day; and 
 as you will expect some little account of my ideas thereon, 
 I shall give you a precis of what most interested me. 
 
 In the Champs Elysees are quartered several English regi- 
 ments who are encamped there, and this adds to the liveli- 
 ness of the scene; our soldiers seem to enjoy themselves very 
 much. They are in the midst of places of recreation of all 
 kinds, such as guinguettes, tennis-courts, dancing salons 
 and cafes, and besides these (places of Elysium for English 
 soldiers), wine and brandy shops innumerable ; our soldiers 
 seem to agree very well with the inhabitants. In the Bois de 
 Boulogne are Hanoverian troops as well as English. At 
 Passy I stopped at the house occupied by my friend, Major 
 C. of the 33rd Regt.,* who was to accompany me to St 
 Cloud. St Cloud is an exceedingly neat pretty town, well and 
 solidly built, and tolerably large. There are a great many 
 good restaurants and cafes, as St Cloud with its Palace, 
 promenades and gardens forms one of the most favourite 
 resorts of the Parisians on Sundays and jours de fete. Diners 
 de societe and noces et festins are often made here ; and there 
 is both land and water conveyance during the whole day. 
 There are two roads by land from Paris: the one on the 
 Quai the whole way; the other through the Bois de Bou- 
 logne and Champs Elysees. The gardens of St Cloud are laid 
 out something in the style of a jardin anglais, but mixed 
 with the regular old fashioned garden; it abounds in lofty 
 trees, beautiful sites and well arranged vistas commanding 
 extensive views of Paris and the country environing. St 
 Cloud was the favourite residence of Napoleon; and the 
 
 * Major G. Colclough, senior major of the 3jrd Regt. ED. 
 
 75
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 furniture in the palace here shows him to be a man of the 
 most refined taste. All is elegant and classic; there is 
 nothing superfluous; the furniture is modern, but in strict 
 imitation of the furniture of the ancients and chiefly in 
 bronze. There are superb vases and candelabras in marble, 
 magnificent clocks of various kinds, marble busts, and 
 busts in bronze of great men, and bronze statues large as 
 life holding lamps. The chairs and sofas too are in a classic 
 taste, as are the beds and baths. We were informed here 
 that Blucher, who passed one night here, tore with his 
 spur the satin covering of one of the sofas and that he did it 
 wilfully; but I never can believe that the old man would be 
 so silly, and I rather think that this story is an invention of 
 the keeper of the Palace, or that if it was done, it was done 
 by an accident merely. But the fact is that Blucher has a 
 contempt for and hates the Parisians and likes to mortify 
 them on all occasions; he threatens to do a number of 
 things which he never seriously intends, merely for the sake 
 of teasing them; and it must be owned that they deserve 
 a little contempt from the want of caractere they showed on 
 the entrance of the Allies. Be it as it may, Blucher is the 
 bSte noire of the Parisians and they are as much afraid of 
 him as the children are of Monsieur Croque-mitaine. 
 
 We returned from St Cloud by the Quai, crossed the 
 bridge of Jena, gallopped along the Champs de Mars, took a 
 hasty glance at the Hotel des Invalides, a magnificent 
 edifice and which may be distinguished from all other build- 
 ings by its gilded cupola. It is a superb establishment in 
 every respect, and is furnished with an excellent library. A 
 great many old soldiers are to be seen in this library occu- 
 pied in reading; they are very polite to all visitors, par- 
 ticularly to ladies. Nothing can better demonstrate the 
 superior character, intelligence and deportment of the 
 French soldiers over those of all other countries than the 
 way in which they employ their time in literary pursuits, 
 their dignified politeness to visitors and the intelligent 
 answers they give to questions. I am afraid our British 
 76
 
 THE HOTEL DES INVALIDES 
 
 veterans, brave as they are in the field, occupy themselves, 
 when laid up as invalids, more in destroying their bodies 
 by spirituous liquors than in improving their minds by read- 
 ing. The Chapel of this establishment where were dis- 
 played the banners and trophies taken at different epochs 
 from the enemies of France, and which were much mutilated 
 by the wars since the Revolution, is now stripped of all the 
 ensigns of glory. They were all burned by the French them- 
 selves previous to the capitulation of Paris in 1814, in order 
 to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. An old 
 soldier who was my guide related this with tears in his eyes, 
 but suddenly checking himself said: " Mais telle est Vhis- 
 toire." 
 
 The only things now in this Chapel that interest the eye 
 of the traveller are the monuments of Vauban and Turenne. 
 Of the rest nought remains but the brilliant souvenirs. 
 
 Fuit Ilium, et ingens 
 Gloria Teucrorum! ... * 
 
 I had a great deal of difficulty in inducing this old soldier 
 to accept of three franks ; I told him at last that, as he did not 
 want it himself, to take it and give it to somebody that did. 
 I then visited the rest of the establishment. There is a whole 
 range of rooms which contains models or plans in relief of 
 all the fortresses of France; they are admirably and most 
 minutely executed; not only the fortifications and public 
 buildings, but the private houses, the gardens, orchards^ 
 meadows, mountains, hill and dale, bridges, trees, every fea- 
 ture of the ground in fine and of the surrounding country are 
 given in miniature. In fact it gives you the same idea of the 
 places themselves and of the environing country as if you 
 were held up in the air over them to inspect them ; or as if you 
 viewed them from a balloon at the distance of 300 yards 
 from the earth. The models of Strassburg, Lille and three 
 or four others have been taken away by the Austrians and 
 Prussians, but I have seen those of Calais, Dunkirk, Ville- 
 
 * Virgil, Aen., II, 325. ED. 
 
 77
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 franche, Toulon, and Brest, and in fact almost every other 
 French fortress. This is one of the most interesting sights 
 in Paris, and for this we are certainly indebted to the occu- 
 pation ; for I question much if travellers were ever permitted 
 to see these models until Paris fell into the hands of the 
 Allies. Prussian sentries do duty at the doors; how grating 
 this must be to the old invalids! Among the models I must 
 not omit to mention a very curious one which represents 
 the battle of Lodi. The town of Lodi, the bridge and river 
 are admirably executed. The soldiers are represented by 
 little figures about a quarter of an inch in height and cobwebs 
 are disposed so as to represent the smoke of the firearms. 
 Buonaparte and his staff are on horseback on one side of the 
 bridge. There is also a very fine model of the Hotel des 
 Invalides itself. 
 
 From hence we went to the garden and palace of the 
 Luxembourg. These gardens form the midday and afternoon 
 promenade of that part of the city. In one wing of the Palace 
 is the Chamber of Peers, elegantly fitted up and in some 
 respect resembling a Greek theatre. The busts of Cicero, 
 Brutus, Demosthenes, Phocion and other great men of 
 antiquity adorn the niches of this chamber and on the 
 grand escalier are the statues in natural size of Kleber, 
 Dessaix, Caffarelli and other French generals. Report says 
 that these statues will be removed. 
 
 In the picture gallery at the Luxembourg is a choice 
 collection of pictures of the modern French school such as 
 Guerin, David, etc. The subjects are extremely well chosen, 
 being taken from the mythology or from ancient and 
 modern history. I was too glad to find no crucifixions, 
 martyrdoms, nor eternal Madonnas. I distinguished in 
 particular the Judgment of Brutus and the Serment des 
 Horaces et des Curiaces. Connoisseurs find the attitudes too 
 stiff and talk to you of the Italian school; but I prefer 
 these; yet I had better hold my tongue on this subject, 
 for I am told I know nothing about painting. 
 
 78
 
 FRANCE DISARMED 
 
 PARIS. 
 
 Poor Labedoyere* is sentenced to be shot by the Court 
 Martial which tried him, and the sentence will be carried 
 immediately into execution. His fate excites universal 
 sympathy, and I have seen many people shed tears when 
 talking on this subject. He certainly ought to be protected 
 by the 12th Article of the Capitulation. The French are very 
 uneasy ; the Allies have begun to strip the Louvre and there 
 is no talk of what the terms of peace are to be, or what is the 
 determination of the Allies. This is a dreadful state of un- 
 certainty for the French people and may lead to a general 
 insurrection. The Allies continue pouring troops into France 
 and levying contributions. " Vae metis " seems their motto. 
 France is now a disarmed nation, and no French uniform is 
 to be seen except that of the National Guard and the 
 " Garde Royale." France is at the mercy of her enemies 
 and prostrate at their feet; a melancholy prospect for 
 European liberty! 
 
 The Allies have parades and reviews two or three times a 
 week and the Sovereigns of Russia, Austria and Prussia con- 
 stantly attend; Wellington is their showman. These crowned 
 Heads like mightily playing at soldiers; I should think His 
 Grace must be heartily tired of them. Massacres and per- 
 secutions of the Protestants have begun to take place in the 
 South of France, and the priests are at work again threaten- 
 ing with excommunication and hell the purchasers and 
 inheritors of emigrant estates and church lands. These 
 priests and emigrants are incorrigible. Frequent quarrels 
 take place almost every evening in the Palais Royal 
 between the Prussian officers and the French, particularly 
 some of the officers from the army of the Loire. I rather sus- 
 pect these latter are the aggressors. The Prussians being 
 
 * La Bedoyere (Charles Huchet, Comte de) distinguished himself in several 
 of the Napoleonic wars, in particular at Ratisbonne and Borodino. Being a 
 colonel at Grenoble, in March, 1815, he deserted to Napoleon's cause and 
 was nominated by him general and pair de France. In July, 1815, he was 
 arrested in Paris, tried for high treason and shot, August 19, in spite of 
 Benj. Constant's efforts to save him. ED. 
 
 79
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 gorged with plunder come there to eat, drink and amuse 
 themselves and have as little stomach for fighting as the 
 soldier of Lucullus had after having enriched himself; but 
 the officers of the army of the Loire are, poor fellows, in a 
 very different predicament; they have not even been paid 
 what is due to them, and they, having none of those nice 
 felicities (to use an expression of Charlotte Smith's)* which 
 make life agreeable, are ready for any combat, to set their 
 life on any cast, " to mend it, or to be rid of 't." The 
 Prussians indulge in every sort of dissipation, which they are 
 enabled to do by the plunder which they have accumulated, 
 and of which they have formed, I understand, a depot at St 
 Germain. They send these articles of plunder to town every 
 day to be sold, and then divide the profits, which are sure 
 to be spent in the Palais Royal, and other places of revel 
 and debauchery. 
 
 They sometimes affect a fastidiousness of stomach which 
 is quite laughable, and not at all peculiar to the Germans, 
 who are in general blessed by nature with especial good appe- 
 tites; and they spend so much money that the English 
 officers who have not had the advantages of plunder that 
 these Prussians have had must appear by the side of them 
 stingy and niggardly. 
 
 I was witness one day to a whimsical scene, which will 
 serve to give you an idea of the airs of importance these 
 gentlemen give themselves. I was one day at Versailles 
 and after having visited the palace and gardens I entered the 
 Salon of a restaurateur and called for a veal cutlet and vin 
 ordinaire. There was a fat Prussian Major with two or three 
 of his companions at one of the tables, who had been making 
 copious libations to Bacchus in Burgundy and Champaign. 
 He heard me call for vin ordinaire, and whether it was to 
 show his own magnificence I know not, but he called out to 
 the cafetiere: " Madame, votre vin ordinaire est il buvable? 
 car j'en veux donner a mon trompette,et s'il n'est pas bon, 
 
 * Charlotte Smith (1749-1806), author of Emmeline, or the Orphan of the 
 Castle (1788), Celestina (1792), The Old Manor House (1793), etc. ED. 
 
 80
 
 REMINISCENCES OF ETON 
 
 il n'en boira pas. Faites venir mon trompette." Now I dare 
 say in his own country this Major would not have disdained 
 even the " schwarze Bier " of Brandenburgh. 
 
 Scarcely any quarrels, I believe, take place between 
 the English and French, nor did I hear of any violent fracas 
 but one. In this instance, the English officers concerned must 
 have been sad, brutal, vulgar fellows. They, however, after 
 behaving in a most gross insulting manner, were compelled 
 by some Frenchmen not to eat but to drink then* words, 
 and that out of a vessel not usually employed in drinking. I 
 shall not repeat the contemptible affair, but it furnished the 
 subject of a caricature. 
 
 The English officers in general behave in a handsome 
 and liberal manner, and their conduct was spoken of in 
 high terms of encomium by very many of the French them- 
 selves. I regret however exceedingly that any of the British 
 officers should have imbibed the low prejudices and vulgar 
 hatred against the French, which certain people preach up 
 in England to cover their own peculations and interested 
 views. A young friend of mine, with whom I was one day 
 talking on political subjects, said to me: " I cannot help 
 agreeing with you in many things, but I am staggered when 
 I think that your ideas and reasoning are so contrary to the 
 ideas in which I have been brought up; so that I rather 
 avoid entering at all on political questions." 
 
 I do not wonder at all at this, for I recollect when I was 
 at school at Eton, the system was to drill into the heads of 
 the boys strong aristocratic principles and hatred of 
 Democracy and of the French in particular; we were 
 ordered to write themes against the French Revolution and 
 verses of triumph over their defeats, with now and then a 
 sly theme on the great advantage of hereditary nobility; 
 in these verses God Almighty was to be represented as 
 closely allied to the British Government and a sleeping 
 partner of the Administration. One of the fellows of Eton 
 College actually told the late Mr Adam Walker, the cele- 
 brated lecturer on natural and experimental philosophy, 
 G 81
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 who was accustomed to give lectures annually to the 
 Etonians, that his visits were no longer agreeable and 
 would be dispensed with in future; as " Philosophy had 
 done a great deal of harm and had caused the French 
 Revolution." 
 
 With respect to my visit to Versailles, I was much struck 
 with the vast size and magnificence of the buildings and 
 with the ingenuity displayed in the arrangement of the 
 grounds and the numerous groupes of statues, grottos, 
 aqueducts, fountains and ruins. Still it pleases me less than 
 St Cloud, for I prefer the taste of the present day in 
 gardening and the arrangement of ground, to the pon- 
 derous and tawdry taste of the time of Louis XIV, and I 
 prefer St Cloud to Versailles, just as I should prefer a Gre- 
 cian Nymph in the simple costume of Arcadia to a fine 
 court lady rouged and dressed out with hoops, diamonds, 
 and headdress of the time of Queen Anne. Napoleon must 
 have had an exquisite taste.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 From Paris to Bruxelles Visiting the plains of Waterloo The Duke de 
 Bern at Lille Beauvais Return to Paris Remarks on the French theatre 
 Talma Mile Duchesnois Mile Georges French alexandrine verse The 
 Abbe Delille The Opera Comique. 
 
 I MET with my brother-in-law and his nephew at Paris, 
 and hearing from them that they had an intention of 
 returning to England by the way of Bruxelles, with the 
 idea of visiting the plains of Waterloo, I was induced to 
 accompany them. We started on the 18th August, taking 
 the exact route from Paris that was taken byNapoleon. Passed 
 the first night at St Quentin; the second at a small village on 
 the line between Mons and Charleroy in the Belgian terri- 
 tory. The next morning, after breakfasting at Nivelles, we 
 proceeded to Quatre Bras and Mont St Jean. At the little 
 cabaret called a la belle Alliance we met a host of English- 
 men who had been to behold the field of battle; Lacoste, 
 the peasant who was Napoleon's guide on the day of 
 battle, was about to conduct them across the fields to 
 Hougoumont. We followed them. The devastation of the 
 place, every tree being pierced with bullets, and the whole 
 premises being nearly burned to the ground, seemed to 
 astonish their weak minds; one of them was not con- 
 tented till he had measured the length and breadth of the 
 garden and orchards. 
 
 Cuirasses, helmets, swords and various other spoils of 
 war found on the spot, were offered for sale by some boys and 
 eagerly bought up as relics. My brother-in-law made a pur- 
 chase of a helmet, sword and cuirass, intending to hang it 
 up in his hall. For my part I have seen, and can see no 
 reason whatever to rejoice at this event. I fear it is pregnant 
 with infinite mischief. 
 
 We arrived at Bruxelles on the afternoon of the 20th Au- 
 gust and after visiting the Park, Alice verte and Palace of Lae- 
 ken, we proceeded the next morning on our journey to Lille. 
 G2 83
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The Duke of Berri was at Lille and a grand fete was given 
 in the evening to celebrate the second restoration of the 
 Bourbons. Fireworks were let off, the city was brilliantly 
 illuminated and boys (hired of course) went about the 
 streets singing the following refrain 
 
 A has, a bas Napoleon ! 
 Vivent, vivent les Bourbons! 
 
 A number of beautiful women elegantly attired paraded 
 up and down the public promenades, which are exceedingly 
 well and tastefully laid out. This city is built with great 
 regularity, and the streets are broad, neat, and clean. It is 
 by far the handsomest city I have ever seen either in France 
 or Belgium. The Hotel de Ville and the theatre both are on 
 the Grande Place and are well worth seeing. Lille is re- 
 nowned for its fortifications; I much wished to visit the 
 citadel but I was not permitted. At dinner at the table 
 d'hote at the Hotel du Commerce, I remarked a French 
 officer declaiming violently against Napoleon; but I heard 
 afterwards that he was the son of an Emigrant ; the rest of 
 the company did not seem to approve his discourse and 
 shewed visible impatience at it. 
 
 Lille may be easily recognised at its approach from the 
 immense quantity of wind-mills that are in the vicinity of 
 this city, some of which are used for grinding of wheat and 
 others for the expression of oil. A great deal of flax from 
 whence the oil is made, grows in the country. 
 
 I left Lille on the morning of the 24th inst., with the 
 courier for Amiens. From Amiens I took the diligence to 
 Beauvais and on arrival there I put up under the hospitable 
 roof of my friend Major G., of the 18th Light Dragoons, 
 lately made Lt.-Colonel for his gallantry at Waterloo.* I 
 did not want for amusement here, for the next day a fete 
 champetre was given just outside the walls of the town, and I 
 admired the grace and tournure of the female peasantry and 
 their good dancing. How much more creditable are these 
 
 * Major James Grant, of the i8th Light Dragoons, was made a Brevet 
 Lieutenant Colonel on 1 8th June, 1815. ED. 
 
 84
 
 CRICKET MATCH AT BEAUVAIS 
 
 innocent and agreeable fetes to the fairs and meetings in 
 England, which are generally signalized in drunkenness! 
 The next afternoon presented a novel sight to the inhabi- 
 tants of Beauvais, it being a grand cricket match played 
 between the officers of the 10th and 18th Dragoons. It was 
 won by the latter, mainly owing to the superior play of 
 Colonel G. of the 18th, who never touched a bat since he 
 was at Burney's school. The Officers afterwards dined 
 al fresco and many toasts accompanied by the huzzas were 
 given, to the astonishment of the bystanders, who seemed 
 to consider us as little better than barbarians. One of the 
 officers wishing to pay a compliment to the inhabitants of 
 Beauvais proposed the health of Louis XVIII, but they 
 seemed to take it coldly and not at all to be flattered by the 
 compliment. 
 
 After five days very agreeable residence at Beauvais, I 
 put myself in the diligence to return to Paris. During the 
 journey an ardent political altercation arose between a 
 young lady, who appeared to be a warm partisan of Napo- 
 leon, on the one side, and a Garde du Corps on the other. 
 The lady was seconded by a young gentleman, of whom it was 
 difficult to say, whether he sustained her argument from a 
 dislike to the present order of things, or from a wish to 
 ingratiate himself in her favour. The argument of the Garde 
 du Corps was espoused, but soberly, by one of the passengers 
 who was a mathematical professor at one of the Lyceums; 
 he was not by any means an Ultra, but he supported the 
 Bourbons, with moderate, gentlemanly and I therefore 
 believe sincere attachment. This professor seemed a welt 
 informed sort of man; he told me that he was acquainted 
 with Sir James M., formerly recorder at Bombay. On our 
 arrival at the Bureau des Messageries, the whole company 
 forgot their disputes and parted good friends; and the 
 young man who was partisan of the young lady in the political 
 
 dispute took care to inform himself of her abode in Paris. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 Remarks on the various dramatic performances which I 
 
 85
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 witnessed at Paris, with opinions on the French theatre in 
 general. 
 
 In my ideas of dramatic works I am neither rigidly 
 classic nor romantic, and I think both styles may be good 
 if properly managed and the interest well kept up; in a 
 word I am pleased with all genres hors le genre ennuyeux, * 
 and tho' a great admirer of Shakespeare and Schiller, I 
 am equally so of Voltaire, Racine and Corneille; I take 
 equal delight in the pathos of the sentimental dramas of 
 Kotzebue as in the admirable satire and vis comica of the 
 unrivalled Moliere, so that on my arrival at Paris I was not 
 violently prejudiced either for or against the French stage, 
 but rather pre-occupied, to use a gentler term, in its favour; 
 and I have not been at all disappointed, for I think I can 
 pronounce it with safety the first, perhaps the only stage 
 in Europe. 
 
 I now mean to speak not of Operas, nor of Operas- 
 comiques, nor of melodrames, nor of vaudevilles; all these 
 have their respective merits; but when I speak of the 
 French stage, I confine myself to the regular theatre of tra- 
 gedy and comedy, of their classical pieces ; in a word, to the 
 dramatic performances usually given at the Theatre Franc, ais. 
 
 The first piece I saw performed was Manlius,"f but I was 
 too far off from the stage to judge of the acting, and could 
 do little more than catch the sounds. The parterre and the 
 whole house was full. I was in the fourth tier of boxes, yet I 
 could distinguish at intervals the finest and most prominent 
 traits of Talma's acting, particularly in that scene where 
 he upbraids his friend with having betrayed him. This he 
 gave with uncommon energy and effect. The plot of this 
 piece is very similar to that of Venice preserved.^ 
 
 The next piece I sa<w represented was the Avare of 
 Moliere, which to me was one of the greatest dramatic 
 
 * A phrase in prose, often quoted as a verse, from Voltaire's preface to the 
 Enfant Prodigue: Tous les genres sont bans, hors le genre ennuyeux. ED. 
 
 t A tragedy often acted by Talma, the work of Antoine d'Aubigny de 
 Lafosse (1653-1708). ED. 
 
 Thomas Otway's once celebrated tragedy, 1682. ED. 
 
 86
 
 THE THEATRE FRANCAIS 
 
 5 
 
 treats I had ever witnessed. Every part was well supported. 
 The next was Aihalie of Racine. Here too I was highly 
 gratified. Mile Georges performed the part of Athalie and 
 gave me the perfect ideal of the haughty Queen. Her narra- 
 tion of the dream was given with the happiest effect, and in 
 her attempt to conceal her uneasiness and her affected 
 contempt of the dream in these lines: 
 
 Un songe, me devrois-je inquie"ter d'un songe? 
 
 she seemed in reality to labour under all the anxiety and 
 fatigue arising from it. That fine scene between Joad and 
 Joas was well given, and the little girl who did the part of 
 Joas performed with a good deal of spirit. The actor who 
 played Joad recited in a most impressive manner the 
 advice to the young prince terminating in these lines : 
 
 Vous souvenant, mon fils, que cache sous ce lin, 
 Comme eux vous futes pauvre et comme eux orphelin. 
 
 The interrogating scene between Athalie and Joad was 
 given spiritedly, but the rather abrupt and uncourtierlike 
 reply to the Queen's remark, " Us sont deux puissans dieux" 
 " Lui seul est dieu, Madame, et le votre n'est rien " 
 excited a laugh and I fancy never fails to do so, every time 
 the piece is performed. 
 
 Racine has several passages in his tragedies which 
 perhaps have rather too much naivete for the dignity of the 
 cothurnus; for instance in the answer of Agamemnon to 
 Achille in the tragedy of Iphigenie: 
 
 Puisque vous le savez, pourquoi le demander? 
 
 A poet of to-day would be quizzed for a line like the above, 
 but who dare venture to point out any defect in an author 
 of whom Voltaire has said and with justice too, that the 
 only criticism to be made of him (Racine) would be to write 
 under every page: "Admirable, harmonieux, sublime! " 
 
 The costume and the decorations at the Theatre francais 
 are so strictly classical and appropriate in every respect, 
 that it is to me a source of high delight to witness the 
 representation of the favourite pieces of Racine, Corneille, 
 
 87
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Moliere and Voltaire, which I have so often read with so 
 much pleasure in the closet and no small quantity of which 
 I have by heart. 
 
 The next piece I saw was the Cinna of Corneille; and here 
 it was that I beheld Talma for the second time. I was of 
 course highly pleased, tho' I was rather far off to hear very 
 distinctly; this was, however, no very great loss, as I was 
 perfectly well acquainted with the tragedy. Talma's 
 gestures, his pauses, his natural mode of acting gave a 
 great relief to the long declamation with which this tragedy 
 abounds. When this tragedy was given it was during the 
 time that poor Labedoyere's trial was going on, and the 
 allusions to Augustus' clemency were eagerly seized and 
 applauded. It was hoped that Louis XVIII would imitate 
 Augustus. Vain hope! 
 
 I have seen Phedre; the part of Phedre by that admirable 
 actress Mile Duchesnois, who performs the part so naturally 
 and with so much passion that we entirely forget the ex- 
 treme plainness of the person. She acts with far more feeling 
 and pathos than Mile Georges. I shall never be able to forget 
 Mile Duchesnois in Phedre. She gave me a full idea of the 
 impassioned Queen, nor were it possible to depict with 
 greater fidelity the "Venus toute entiere a sa proie attachee," 
 as in that beautiful speech of Phedre to Oenone wherein she 
 reveals her passion for Hippolyte and pourtrays the terrible 
 struggle between duty and female delicacy on the one 
 hand, and on the other a flame that could not be overcome, 
 convinced as it were of the complete inutility of further 
 efforts of resistance and invoking death as her only refuge. I 
 was moved even to tears. I am so great an admirer of the 
 whole of this speech beginning " Mon mal vient de plus loin" 
 etc., and ending " Un reste de chaleur tout pret a s'ex- 
 haler," that I think in it Racine has not only united the 
 excellencies of Euripides, Sappho and Theocritus in 
 describing the passion of love, but has far surpassed them 
 all; that speech is certainly the masterpiece of French 
 versification and scarcely inferior to it is that beautiful and 
 88
 
 VOLTAIRE'S MEROPE 
 
 ingenuous confession of love by Hippolyte to Aricie. What 
 an admirable pendant to the love of Phedre! In Hippolyte 
 you behold the innocence, simplicity and ingenuousness of a 
 first and pure attachment: in Phedre the embrasement, the 
 ungovernable delirium of a criminal passion. 
 
 I have seen Mile Duchesnois again in the Merope of Vol- 
 taire and admire her more and more. This is an admirable 
 play. The dialogue is so spirited; the agitation of maternal 
 tenderness, and the occasional bursts of feelings impossible 
 to be restrained, render this play one of the most interesting 
 perhaps on the French stage, and Mile Duchesnois gare 
 with the happiest effect her part in those two scenes; the 
 first wherein she supposes Egisthe to be the person who has 
 killed her son; in the other where having discovered the 
 reality of his person, she is obliged to dissemble the discovery, 
 but on Egisthe being about to be sacrificed she exclaims 
 "Barbare, c'est mon fils! " The part of Egisthe was given 
 by a young actor who made his appearance at this theatre 
 for the first time, and he executed his part with complete 
 success (Firmin, I think, was his name). Lafond did the 
 part of Polyphonte and did it well. At this tragedy many 
 allusions were caught hold of by the audience according as 
 they were Bourbonically or Napoleonically inclined ; at that 
 part of Polyphonte's speech wherein he says: 
 
 Le premier qui fut Roi fut un soldat heureux. 
 Qui sert bien son pays n'a pas besoin d'ayeux. 
 
 Thunders of applause proceeded from those who applied 
 it to Napoleon. At the line: 
 
 Est il d'autre parti que celui de nos rois? 
 
 a loud shout and clapping proceeded from the Royalists; 
 but I fancy if hands had been shown these last would have 
 been in a sad minority. I have often amused myself with 
 comparing the Merope of Voltaire with that of Maffei and am 
 puzzled to which to give the preference. Maffei has made 
 Polyphonte a more odious and perhaps on that account a 
 more theatrical character, while Voltaire's Polyphonte is 
 
 89
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 more in real life. In the play of Voltaire he is a rough brutal 
 soldier, void of delicacy of feeling and not very scrupulous, 
 but not that praeternatural deep designing villain that he is 
 represented in the piece of Maffei. In fact Maffei's Poly- 
 phonte appears too outre ; but then on the stage may not a 
 little exaggeration be allowed, just as statues which are 
 destined to be placed in the open air or on columns appear 
 with greater effect when larger than the natural size? 
 Alfieri seems to have given the preference to the Merope 
 of Voltaire. 
 
 I have seen Talma a second time in the part of Nero in the 
 Britannicus of Racine; Mile Georges played the part of 
 Agrippina. Talma was Nero from head to foot; his very 
 entry on the stage gave an idea of the fiery and impatient 
 character of the tyrant, and in the scene between him and 
 his mother Agrippina nothing could be better delineated. 
 The forced calm of Agrippina, while reproaching her son 
 with his ingratitude, and the impatience of Nero to get rid 
 of such an importunate monitress, were given in a style im- 
 possible to be surpassed. Talma's dumb show during this scene 
 was a masterpiece of the mimic art. If Talma gives such 
 effects to his roles in a French drama, where he is shackled 
 by rules, how much greater would he give on the English 
 or German stages in a tragedy of Shakespeare or Schiller! 
 
 Blank verse is certainly better adapted to tragedy than 
 rhymed alexandrines, but then the French language does 
 not admit of blank verse, and to write tragedies in prose, 
 unless they be tragedies in modern life, would deprive them 
 of all charm; but after all I find the harmonious pomp and 
 to use a phrase of Pope's " The long majestic march and 
 energy divine " of the French alexandrine, very pleasing to 
 the ear. I am sure that the French poets deserve a great deal 
 of credit for producing such masterpieces of versification 
 from a language, which, however elegant, is the least 
 poetical in Europe; which allows little or no inversion, 
 scarce any poetic license, no enjambement, compels a 
 fixed caesura; has in horror the hiatus; and in fine is subject 
 90
 
 THE ABBE DELILLE 
 
 to the most rigorous rules, which can on no account be 
 infringed; which rejects hyperbole; which is measured by 
 syllables, the pronunciation of which is not felt in prose; 
 compels the alternative termination of a masculine or 
 feminine rhyme; and with all this requires more perhaps 
 than any other language that cacophony be sedulously 
 avoided. Such are the difficulties a French poet has to 
 struggle with; he must unite the most harmonious sound 
 with the finest thought. In Italian very often the natural 
 harmony of the language and the music of the sound 
 conceal the poverty of the thought; besides Italian poetry 
 has innumerable licenses which make it easy to figure in 
 the Tuscan Parnassus, and where anyone who can string 
 together rime or versi sciolti is dignified with the appella- 
 tion of a poet ; whereas from French poetry, a mediocrity is 
 and must be of necessity banished. Neither is it sufficient 
 for an author to have sublime ideas; these must be filed 
 and pruned. Inspiration can make a poet of a German, an 
 Italian or an Englishman, because he may revel in un- 
 bounded license of metre and language, but in French 
 poetry inspiration is by no means sufficient; severe study 
 and constant practise are as indispensable as poetic verve 
 to constitute a French poet. The French poets are sensible 
 of this and on this account they prefer imitating the ancients, 
 polishing their rough marble and fitting it to the national 
 taste, to striking out a new path. 
 
 The Abbe Delille, the best poet of our day that France 
 has produced, has gone further; he had read and admired the 
 best English poets such as Milton, Pope, Collins and Gold- 
 smith, and has not disdained to imitate them; yet he has 
 imitated them with such elegance and judgment that he 
 has left nothing to regret on the part of those of his country- 
 men who are not acquainted with English, and he has 
 rendered their beauties with such a force that a foreigner 
 versed in both languages who did not previously know 
 which was the original, and which the translation, might 
 take up passages in Pope, Thomson, Collins and Goldsmith 
 
 91
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 and read parallel passages in Delille and be extremely 
 puzzled to distinguish the original : for none of the beauties 
 are lost in these imitations. And yet, in preferring to imi- 
 tate, it must not be inferred that he was deficient in original 
 thoughts. 
 
 To return to the theatre, I have seen Mile Mars in the 
 role of Henriette in the Femmes Savantes of Moliere. Oh! 
 how admirable she is! She realizes completely the con- 
 ception of a graceful and elegant Frenchwoman of the 
 first society. She does not act; she is at home as it were in 
 her own salon, smiling at the silly pretensions of her sister 
 and at the ridiculous pedantry of Trissotin; her refusing 
 the kiss because she does not understand Greek was given 
 with the greatest naivete. In a word Mile Mars reigns 
 unrivalled as the first comic actress in Europe. 
 
 I have seen too, Les Plaideurs of Racine and Les four- 
 beries de Scapin of Moliere, both exceedingly well given; 
 particularly the scene in the latter wherein it is announced 
 to Geronte that his son had fallen into the hands of a 
 Turkish corsair, and his answer " Que diable alloit-il faire 
 dans la galere? " 
 
 I have seen also Andromaque, Iphigenie and Zaire. Mile 
 Volnais did the part of Andromaque; but the monotonous 
 plaintiveness of her voice, which never changes, wearies 
 me. In Iphigenie I was more gratified ; for Mile Georges did 
 the part of Clytemnestre, and her sister, a young girl of 
 seventeen, made her debut in the part of Iphigenie with 
 great effect. The two sisters supported each other wonder- 
 fully well, and Lafond did Agamemnon very respectably. 
 
 Mile Georges the younger, having succeeded in Iphigenie, 
 appeared in the part of Zaire, a bold attempt, and tho' 
 she did it well and with much grace, yet it was evidently 
 too arduous a task for her. The whole onus of this affecting 
 piece rests on the role of Zaire. In the part where naivete 
 was required she succeeded perfectly and her burst: "Mais 
 Orosmane m'aime et j'ai tout oublie " was most happy; but 
 she was too faint and betrayed too little emotion in por- 
 92
 
 THE PERFECTION OF FRENCH ACTING 
 
 traying the struggle between her love for Orosmane and the 
 unsubdued symptoms of attachment to her father and brother 
 and to the religion of her ancestors. In short, where much 
 passion and pathos was required, there she proved unequal 
 to the task; but she has evidently all the qualities and dis- 
 positions towards becoming a good actress, and with more 
 study and practise I have no doubt that three or four years 
 hence, she will be fully equal to the difficult task of giving 
 effect to and portraying to life, the exquisitely touching 
 and highly interesting role of Zaire. She was not called for 
 to appear on the stage after the termination of the per- 
 formance, tho' frequently applauded during it. The actor 
 who did the part of Orosmane, in that scene wherein he 
 discovers he has killed Zaire unjustly, gave a groan which 
 had an unhappy effect; it was such an awkward one, that 
 it made all the audience laugh; no people catch ridicule so 
 soon as the French. 
 
 What I principally admire on the French stage is that 
 the actors are always perfect in their parts and all the 
 characters are well sustained; the performance never flags 
 for a moment; and I have experienced infinitely more 
 pleasure in beholding the dramas of Racine and Voltaire 
 than those of Shakespeare, and for this reason that, on our 
 stage, for one good actor you have the many who are 
 exceedingly bad and who do not comprehend their author : 
 you feel consequently a hiatus valde deflendus when the 
 principal actor or actress are not on the stage. I have been 
 delighted to see Kemble, and Mrs Siddons and Miss O'Neil, 
 and while they were on the stage I was all eyes and ears; 
 but the other actors were always so inferior that the con- 
 trast was too obvious and it only served to make more 
 conspicuous the flagging of interest that pervades the 
 tragedies of Shakespeare, Macbeth alone perhaps excepted. 
 I speak only of Shakespeare's faults as a dramaturgus and 
 they are rather the faults of his age than his own; for in 
 everything else I think him the greatest litterary genius 
 that the world ever produced, and I place him far above any 
 
 93
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 poet, ancient or modern; yet in allowing all this, I do not 
 at all wonder that his dramatic pieces do not in general 
 please foreigners and that they are disgusted with the low 
 buffoonery, interruption of interest and want of arrange- 
 ment that ought of necessity to constitute a drama; for I 
 feel the same objections myself when reading Shakespeare, 
 and often lose patience; but then when I come to some 
 sublime passage, I become wrapt up in it alone and totally 
 forget the piece itself. In order to inspire a foreigner with 
 admiration for Shakespeare, I would not give him his plays 
 to read entire, but I would present him with a recueil of the 
 most beautiful passages of that great poet ; and I am sure he 
 would be so delighted with them that he would readily join 
 in the " All Hail " that the British nation awards him. 
 Thus you may perceive the distinction I make between the 
 creative genius who designs, and the artist who fills up the 
 canvas; between the Poet and the Dramaturgus. I am 
 probably singular in my taste as an Englishman, when I 
 tell you that I prefer Shakespeare for the closet and Racine 
 or Voltaire or Corneille for the stage: and with regard to 
 English tragedies, I prefer as an acting drama Home's 
 Douglas* to any of Shakespeare's, Macbeth alone excepted ; 
 and for this plain reason that the interest in Douglas never 
 flags, nor is diverted. 
 
 In giving my mite of admiration to the French stage, 1 
 am fully aware of its faults, of the long declamation and the 
 fade galanterie that prevailed before Voltaire made the 
 grand reform in that particular: and on this account I prefer 
 Voltaire as a tragedian to Racine and Corneille. The Phedre 
 and Athalie of Racine are certainly masterpieces, and little 
 inferior to them are Iphigenie, Andromaque and Britannicus, 
 but in the others I think he must be pronounced inferior to 
 Voltaire; as a proof of my argument I need only cite 
 Zaire, Alzire, Mahomet, Semiramis, VOrphelin de la Chine, 
 Brutus. Voltaire has, I think, united in his dramatic 
 writings the beauties of Corneille, Racine and Crebillon and 
 
 * The Tragedy of Douglas, by John Home (1722-1808). ED. 
 94
 
 THE OPERA COMIQUE 
 
 has avoided their faults; this however is not, I believe, 
 the opinion of the French in general, but I follow my own 
 judgment in affairs of taste, and if anything pleases me I 
 wait not to ascertain whether the " master hath said so." 
 
 It shows a delicate attention on the part of the directors 
 of the Theatre Francais, now that so many foreigners of all 
 nations are here, to cause to be represented every night 
 the masterpieces of the French classical dramatic authors, 
 since these are pieces that every foreigner of education has 
 read and admired; and he would much rather go to see 
 acted a play with which he was thoroughly acquainted than 
 a new piece of one which he has not read; for as the reci- 
 tation is extremely rapid it would not be so easy for him 
 to seize and follow it without previous reading. 
 
 Of Moliere I had already seen the Avare, the Femmes 
 savantes and the Fourberies de Scapin. Since these I have 
 seen the Tartuffe and George Dandin both inimitably per- 
 formed; how I enjoyed the scene of the Pauvre homme! 
 in the Tartuffe and the lecture given to George Dandin by 
 M. and Mme de Sotenville wherein they recount the virtues 
 and merits of then- respective ancestors. Of Moliere indeed 
 there is but one opinion throughout Europe; in the comic 
 line he bears away the palm unrivalled and here I fully 
 agree with the " general." 
 
 I must not quit the subject of French theatricals without 
 speaking of the Opera comique at the Theatre Faydeau. It 
 is to the sort of light pieces that are given here, that the 
 French music is peculiarly appropriate, and it is here that 
 you seize and feel the beauty and melody of the national 
 music; these little chansons, romances and ariettes are so 
 pleasing to the ear that they imprint themselves durably on 
 the memory, which is no equivocal proof of their merit. I 
 cannot say as much for the tragic singing in the Opera seria 
 at the Grand French Opera, which to my ear sounds a per- 
 fect psalmody. There is but one language in the world for 
 tragic recitative and that is Italian. On the other hand, in 
 the genre of the Opera comique, the French stage is far 
 
 95
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 superior to the Italian. In the French comedy everything is 
 graceful and natural; the Italians cannot catch this happy 
 medium, so that their comedies and comic operas are 
 mostly ouiri, and degenerate into downright farce and 
 buffoonery. 
 
 
 96
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 From Paris to Milan through Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saone, Lyons, Geneva 
 and the Simplon Auxerre Dijon Napoleon at Chalon-sur-Saone The 
 army of the Loire Macon French grisettes Lyons Monuments and 
 theatricals Geneva Character and opinions of the Genevois Voltaire's 
 chateau at Ferney The chevalier Zadera From Geneva to Milan Crossing 
 the Simplon Arona The theatres in Milan Rossini Monuments in 
 Milan Art encouraged by the French Mr Eustace's bigotry Return 
 to Switzerland Clarens and Vevey Lausanne Society in Lausanne 
 Return to Paris The Louvre stripped Death of Marshal Ney. 
 
 I LEFT Paris on the 17th Sept., in the diligence of 
 Auxerre. The company was as follows: a young Gene- 
 vois who had served in the National Guard at Paris, and 
 had been wounded in a skirmish against the Prussians near 
 that city; a young Irish Templar; a fat citizen of Dijon and 
 an equally fat woman going to Dole. We arrived the follow- 
 ing day at 11 o'clock at Auxerre, a town situated on the 
 banks of the Seine. Water conveyance may be had from 
 Paris to Auxerre, price 12 francs the person: the price in the 
 diligence is 28 francs. We had during our journey much 
 political conversation; the Bourbons and the English 
 government were the objects of attack, and neither my 
 friend the barrister nor myself felt the least inclined to take 
 up their cause. The Genevois had with him Fouche's expose 
 of the state of the nation, wherein he complains bitterly of 
 the conduct of the Allies. All France is now disarmed and 
 no troops are to be seen but those in foreign uniform. The 
 face of the country between Paris and Auxerre is not pecu- 
 liarly striking; but the soil appears fertile and the road 
 excellent. After breakfast we started from Auxerre and 
 stopped to sup and sleep the same night at Avallon. At 
 Semur, which we passed on the following day, there is a one 
 arched bridge of great boldness across the river Armanyon. 
 We arrived in the evening at Dijon. The country between 
 Auxerre and Dijon is very undulating in gentle hill and dale, 
 but for the want of trees and inclosures it has a bleak 
 H 97
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 appearance. As you leave Avallon and approach Dijon, 
 the hills covered with vines indicate your arrival in a wine 
 country. I put up at the Chapeau rouge at Dijon and 
 remained there one day, in order to visit the Chartreuse 
 which is at a short distance from the town and commands 
 an extensive view. It was devastated during the Revolution. 
 The view from it is fine and extensive and that is all that is 
 worth notice. The country about it is rich and cultivated, 
 and the following lines of Ariosto might serve for its descrip- 
 tion: 
 
 Culte pianure e delicati colli, 
 
 Chiare acque, ombrose ripe e prati mplli.* 
 
 * 'Mid cultivated plain, delicious hill, 
 Moist meadow, shady bank, and crystal rill. 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 The city of Dijon is large, handsome and well built. It 
 has an appearance of industry, comfort and airiness. There 
 are several mustard manufactories in this town. A 
 dinner was given yesterday by the municipality to the 
 National Guard, and an immense quantity of mustard was 
 devoured on the occasion in honor of the staple manufac- 
 tory of Dijon. From Dijon I put myself in the diligence to 
 go to Chalon and after stopping two hours at Beaune, 
 arrived at Chalon at 5 o'clock p.m. The country between 
 Dijon and Chalon is flat, but cultivated like a garden. It is 
 likewise the wine country par excellence. I do not know a 
 wine more agreeable to palate than the wine of Beaune. 
 
 At Chalon I put up at the Hotel du Pare. Chalon is beauti- 
 fully situated on the banks of the Saone. The Quai is 
 well constructed and forms an agreeable promenade. There 
 is an Austrian garrison in Chalon. The hostess of the inn told 
 me that Napoleon stopped at her house on his way from 
 Lyons to Paris, when he returned from Elba, and she 
 related to me with great eagerness many anecdotes of that 
 extraordinary man : she said that such was the empresse- 
 ment on the part of the inhabitants to see him, and embrace 
 him by way of testifying their affection, that the Emperor 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, vi, 20, 7. 
 98
 
 TRUE FUNCTIONS OF A SOVEREIGN 
 
 was obliged to say: " Mais vous m'etouffez, mes enfans!" 
 In fact, had the army remained neutral, the peasantry alone 
 would have carried the Emperor on their shoulders to Paris. 
 It is quite absurd to say that a faction did this and that it 
 was effectuated merely by the disaffection of the Army. The 
 Army did its duty in the noblest manner, for it is the duty 
 of every army to support the national cause and the voice 
 of the people, and by no means to become the blind tools 
 of the Prince; for it is absurd, as it is degrading to humanity, 
 it is impious to consider the Prince as the proprietor of the 
 country and the master of the people; he is, or ought to be, 
 the principal magistrate, the principal soldier paid by the 
 people, like any other magistrate or soldier, and like them 
 liable to be cashiered for misconduct or breach of faith. This 
 is not a very fashionable doctrine nowadays, and there is 
 danger of it being forgotten altogether in the rage for what is 
 falsely termed legitimacy; it becomes therefore the bounden 
 duty of every friend of freedom to din this unfashionable 
 doctrine into the ears of Princes and unceasingly to 
 exclaim to them and to their ministers : 
 
 Disci te justitiam moniti et non temnere gentes* 
 
 In their conduct on this occasion the French soldiers 
 proved themselves far more constitutional than those of 
 any other army in Europe; let despots, priests and weak- 
 headed Tories say what they please to the contrary. 
 
 I embarked the following morning at 12 o'clock in the 
 coche cTeau for Lyons. There was a very numerous and 
 motley company on board: there were three bourgeois 
 belonging to Lyons returning thither from Paris; a quiet 
 good-humoured sort of woman not remarkable either for 
 her beauty nor vivacity; a young Spaniard, an adherent 
 of King Joseph Napoleon, very taciturn and wrapped up in 
 his cloak tho' the weather was exceeding hot; he seemed to do 
 nothing else but smoke cigarros and drink wine, of which 
 he emptied three or four bottles in a very short time a 
 
 * Virgil, A en., vi, 620 (temnere divas). ED. 
 H2 99
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 young Piedmontese officer, disbanded from the army of the 
 Loire, who no sooner sat down on deck than he began to 
 chaunt Filicaja's beautiful sonnet, " Italia, Italia, O tu 
 cui feo la sorte," etc. a merchant of Lyons who had been 
 some time in England, and spoke English well a Lyonnese 
 Major of Infantry, also of the army of the Loire, who had 
 served in Egypt in the 32nd Demi-brigade; three Austrian 
 officers of Artillery with their servants. A large barge 
 which followed and was towed by the coche d'eau was filled 
 with Austrian soldiers, and on the banks of the river were 
 a number of soldiers of the Army of the Loire returning to 
 their families and homes. 
 
 The peaceable demeanour and honourable conduct of 
 this army is worthy of admiration, and can never be suffi- 
 ciently praised: not a single act of brigandage has taken 
 place. The Austrian officers expressed to me their astonish- 
 ment at this, and said they doubted whether any other army 
 in Europe, disbanded and under the same circumstances, 
 would behave so well. I told them the French soldier was 
 a free-man and a citizen and drawn from a respectable class 
 of people, which was not the case in most other countries. 
 Yes, these gallant fellows who had been calumniated by 
 furious Ultras, by the base ministerial prints of England, 
 and the venal satellites of Toryism, who had been repre- 
 sented as brigands or as infuriated Jacobins with red caps 
 and poignards, these men, in spite of the contumely and 
 insult they met with from servile prefects, and from those 
 who never dared to face them in the field, are a model of 
 good conduct and they preserve the utmost subordination, 
 tho' disbanded: they respect scrupulously the property of 
 the inhabitants and pay for everything. Mr. L., the young 
 Irish barrister, told me at Dijon that he left his purse by 
 mistake in a shop there in which were 20 napoleons in gold, 
 when a soldier of the army of the Loire, who happened to be 
 in the shop, perceived it and came running after him with 
 it, but refused to accept of anything, tho' much pressed by 
 Mr. L., who wished to reward him handsomely for his dis- 
 100
 
 EULOGY OF THE FRENCH SOLDIER 
 
 interested conduct. Yes, the French soldier is a fine fellow. 
 I have served against them in Holland and in Egypt and I 
 will never flinch from rendering justice to their exemplary 
 conduct and lofty valour. No! it is not the French soldiery 
 who can be accused of plundering and exaction, but what 
 brought the French name in disrepute was the conduct of 
 certain prefects and administrators in Germany who were 
 promoted to these posts for no other reason than because 
 they were of the old noblesse or returned Emigrants, whom 
 Napoleon favoured in preference to the Republicans whom 
 he feared. These emigrants repaid his favours with the 
 basest ingratitude; after being guilty of the grossest and 
 most infamous concussions on the inhabitants of those 
 parts of Germany where their jurisdiction extended, they 
 had the hypocrisy after the restoration to declaim against 
 the oppression of the Usurper's government and its 
 system: but Napoleon richly deserved to meet with this 
 ingratitude for employing such unprincipled fellows. I 
 believe he was never aware of the villany they carried on, 
 or they would have met with his severest displeasure in 
 being removed from office, as was the case with Wirion at 
 Verdun.* 
 
 I do not find that the French soldiers with whom I have 
 conversed are so much attached to the person of the 
 Emperor as I was led to believe; but they are attached to 
 their country and liberty; and in serving him, they con- 
 ceived they were serving the man par excellence of the 
 People. 
 
 The French army too was beloved by the people, instead 
 of being dreaded by them as the armies of most other 
 European nations are. In short, whenever I met with and 
 held conversation with soldiers of this army, I was always 
 
 * Louis Wirion (1764-1810), an officer of gendarmerie, commander-general 
 of the place de Verdun since 1804, was accused in 1808 of having extorted 
 money from certain English prisoners quartered in Verdun (Estwick, Mors- 
 head, Garland, etc.). Wirion shot himself before the end of the long proceed- 
 ings, which do not seem to have established his guilt, but had reduced him 
 to misery and despair. ED. 
 
 101
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 tempted to address them in the words of Elvira to Pizarro 
 when she seeks to console him for his defeat: 
 
 Yet think another morning shall arise, 
 Nor fear the future, nor lament the past.* 
 
 The French Major was very much inclined to take up a 
 quarrel with an Austrian officer, on my account, but I dis- 
 suaded him. The cause was as follows. A young Austrian 
 boy, servant to one of the officers of Artillery, had entered 
 the coche d'eau at Chalon, some minutes before his master, 
 and began to avail himself of the right of conquest by taking 
 possession of the totality of one of the cabins and endeavour- 
 ing to exclude the other passengers; among other things 
 he was going to thrust my portmanteau out of its place. 
 I called to him to let it alone, when the French Major 
 stepped forward and said that if he dared to touch any of 
 the baggage belonging to the passengers, he would punish 
 him on the spot and his master also, for that he longed to 
 
 measure swords with those " Jean F d'Autrichiens." 
 
 Fearful of a serious quarrel between them and being 
 unwilling that any dispute should occur on my account, 
 I requested the Major not to meddle with the business, for 
 that I was sure the Austrian officer would check the 
 impertinence of his servant when he came on board; and 
 that if he did not, I was perfectly able and willing to defend 
 my own cause. The Austrian officers came on board a few 
 minutes after, when I addressed them in German, and 
 explained to them the behaviour of the boy; they scolded 
 him severely for his impertinence to us and threatened him 
 with the Schlag, should it occur again. The rest of the 
 journey passed without any incident. I found that my 
 friend the Major had served in the French army in Egypt 
 in the division Lanusse in the battle of the 21st March, 1801, 
 (30 Ventose) and that consequently we were opposed to each 
 other in that battle, as I was then serving as a Lieutenant 
 in the Queen's Regiment, commanded by that excellent and 
 
 * Richard Brinsley Sheridan's (1751-1816) Pizarro, produced at Drury 
 Lane in 1799. ED. 
 
 102
 
 TO LYONS BY " COCHE D'EAU " 
 
 amiable officer the Earl of D[alhousie] in General Doyle's 
 brigade. 
 
 The voyage on the Saone presents some pleasing and 
 picturesque points of view ; the coteaux on the banks of the 
 river are covered with vines. We arrived at 8 o'clock in the 
 evening to sup and sleep at Macon and put up at the Hotel 
 des Sauvages. We had a most sumptuous repast, fish, flesh, 
 fowls, game, fruit and wine in profusion, for all which, 
 including our beds, we had only to pay 2| francs the 
 person. 
 
 There is a spacious Quai at Macon, which always adds to 
 the beauty of a city, and there are some fine buildings, 
 public and private. I need not enlarge on the excellence of 
 the Macon wine. The country girls we observed on the 
 banks of the river as we floated along, and the grisettes of the 
 town who were promenading on the Quai when we arrived, 
 wore a peculiarly elegant costume and their headdress 
 appeared to me to be something Asiatic. 
 
 The voyage on the subsequent day was more agreeable 
 than the preceding one. The country between Macon and 
 Lyons is much more beautiful and diversified than that 
 which we have hitherto seen and resembles much the 
 picturesque scenery of the West-Indian landscape. One 
 part between Macon and Trevoux resembles exactly the 
 island of Montserrat. 
 
 Within two miles of Trevoux we were hailed by some 
 grisettes belonging to the inns at that place, in order to 
 invite us to dine at their respective inns. There was one girl 
 exceedingly beautiful whose name was Sophie, daughter of 
 the proprietor of the Hotel des Sauvages at Trevoux. She, by 
 her grace and coquetry, obtained the most recruits and 
 when we disembarked from the boat, she led us in triumph 
 to her hotel. From her beauty and graceful manner, 
 Sophie, in a country where so much hommage is paid to 
 beauty, must be a most valuable acquisition to the interests 
 of the inn, and tho' she smiles on all, she takes care not 
 to make herself cheap, and like Corisca in the Pastor Fido 
 
 108
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 she holds out hopes which she does not at all intend to 
 gratify. After passing by the superb scenery on the banks 
 of the river (which increases in interest as you approach 
 Lyons), the Isle Barbe and la Tour de la belle Allemande, we 
 arrived at Lyons at 5 p.m. and debarked on the Quai de la 
 Saone. A fiacre took me up and deposited me safe at the 
 Hotel du Nord situated on the Place St Claire and not many 
 yards distant of the Quai du Rhone. 
 
 LYONS, 26th Sept. 
 
 Lyons is situated on a tongue of land at the junction of 
 the Saone and Rh6ne, and there is a fine bridge on the spot 
 where the streams unite, called le pont du Confluent, which 
 joins the extremity of the tongue of land with the right 
 bank of the Saone. There is besides a large bridge across 
 the Rhone, higher up, before it joins the Saone, leading in a 
 right line from the Hotel de Ville: and two other bridges 
 across the Saone. The Quai du Rhone is by far the finest and 
 most agreeable part of the city. It is spacious, well paved, 
 aligned with trees, and boast the finest edifices public and 
 private in the whole city; it is the favourite promenade of 
 the beaux and belles of Lyons. The sight of the broad and 
 majestic Rhone itself is a grand object, and on a fine day the 
 prospect is augmented by the distant view of the fleecy head 
 of Mont Blanc. On this Quai and within a 100 yards of the 
 bridge on the Rhone are the justly celebrated bains du 
 Rhone, fitted up in a style of elegance even superior to 
 those called les Bains Vigier on the Seine at Paris. The 
 grand Hospital is also on the Quai ; the f a9ade is beautiful ; 
 its architecture is of the Ionic order and the building itself 
 as well as its interior economy has frequently elicited the 
 admiration of travellers. Among the Places in this city the 
 finest is that of Bellecour. 
 
 The scenery is extremely diversified in the environs of 
 
 Lyons, and in the city there is great appearance of wealth 
 
 and splendour. Lyons flourished greatly during the time of 
 
 the continental blockade, as it was the central depot of the 
 
 104
 
 LYONS AND ITS INHABITANTS 
 
 commerce between France and Italy. Napoleon is much 
 respected and regretted here, and with reason, as he was a 
 great benefactor to this city. The Lyonnese are too frank, 
 too open in their sentiments and too grateful not to render 
 justice to his great talents and good qualities, while they 
 blame and deplore his ambition. In fact an experience of a 
 few days and some acquaintance I made here has given me 
 a very favourable impression of the inhabitants of this city. 
 The men are frank in their manners, polite, well informed, 
 and free from all frivolity. The women are in general hand- 
 some, well shaped, and have much grace and are exceedingly 
 well educated; they seem totally free from the Petite- 
 maitressism of the Parisian women, and both sexes seem to 
 possess a good deal of what the French term caractere.Had 
 the Parisians resembled the Lyonnese, Paris would never 
 have fallen twice into the hands of the enemy, nor would 
 the Lyonnese women have welcomed the entry of the 
 invaders into their city with waving handkerchiefs, etc. 
 These qualities of the inhabitants, the beauty of the country, 
 and the cheapness of all the comforts and luxuries of life, 
 would make Lyons one of the most agreeable places of resi- 
 dence to a foreigner of liberal sentiments and principles. 
 
 Cloth and silk are the staple manufactures of Lyons, par- 
 ticularly the latter ; I accompanied my friend Mr M 
 
 to see his fabrique of silk which is of considerable extent 
 and importance, and everything appeared to me, as far as 
 one totally ignorant of the business and its process could 
 judge, admirably regulated and rapid in its execution. The 
 tournure of the grisettes of Lyons is very striking and they 
 possess completely the grata protervitas, the vultus nimium 
 lubricus aspici which Horace so much admires in Glycera. 
 
 I visited both the theatres here, viz. : the Grand TMdtre, 
 situated near the Hotel de Ville, and the smaller one called 
 the TMdtre des Celestins. At the former was some good 
 dancing, and at the latter I was engaged in a conversation 
 which I cannot forbear citing as it will serve to show the 
 dislike the people have to the feudal system and the dread 
 
 105
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 they have of its re-establishment, tho' they can know 
 nothing about it except by tradition. The piece performed 
 was called Le petit Poucet (Tom Thumb and the Ogre) ; but 
 I missed my old acquaintance the Ogre and his seven-league 
 boots of Mother Goose, and found that in this melodrama 
 he was transformed into a tyrannical and capricious 
 Seigneur Feodal. There was a very pretty young lady 
 about 16 years of age accompanied by her father in the 
 same box with me, and I observed to her, " Ou est done 
 POgre? il paroit que 1'on en a fait un Seigneur feodal." 
 " Oui, monsieur (she replied), et avec raison, car ils etoient 
 bien les Ogres de ce temps la." I entered into a long con- 
 versation with my fair neighbour and found her well 
 informed and well educated, with great good sense and 
 knowledge of the world far beyond her years. She told me 
 that she had begun to study English and that her father 
 was a miniature painter. I took leave of her not without 
 feeling much affected and my heart not a little " percosso 
 dah" amoroso strale." 
 
 I must not forget to mention that there is a most spacious 
 and magnificent building on the Quai du Rhone to the North 
 of the bridge, which serves as a cafe and ridotto or assembly 
 room for balls, etc. I am afraid to say how many feet it has 
 in length; but it is the most superb establishment of the 
 kind I have ever met with. 
 
 Fortunately for the city of Lyons, the famous decree of 
 Robespierre for its destruction, and the column with the 
 inscription, " Lyon a porte les armes contre la liberte; 
 Lyon n'est plus," which was to occupy its place, was never 
 put in execution and tho' this city suffered much from 
 revolutionary vandalism yet it soon recovered and has 
 flourished ever since in a manner unheard of at any former 
 period. No people are more sensible than the Lyonnese of 
 the great benefits produced by the Revolution, and no people 
 more deprecate a return to the ancien regime. 
 
 106
 
 ARRIVAL AT GENEVA 
 
 Oct. 2nd, GENEVA. 
 
 I started in the diligence for Geneva on the 28th Sept. 
 and found it exceedingly cold on ascending the mountain 
 called the Cerdon; the scenery is savage and wild, and the 
 road in many parts is on the brink of precipices. We stopped 
 at Nantua for supper and partook of some excellent trout. 
 There is a large lake near the town, and 'tis here that the 
 Swiss landscape begins. Commanding a narrow pass stands 
 the fort of L'Ecluse. The Austrians lost a great many men 
 in attempting to force it. From this place you have a noble 
 view of the Alps and Mont-Blanc towering above them. As 
 this was the first time I beheld these celebrated mountains 
 I was transported with delight and my mind was filled with 
 a thousand classical and historical^ recollections! The 
 scenery, the whole way from Fort 1'Ecluse to Geneva, is 
 most magnificent and uncommonly varied. Mountain and 
 valley, winter and summer, on the same territory. Descend- 
 ing, the city of Geneva opens gradually; you behold the 
 lake Leman and the Rhone issuing from it. We entered the 
 city, which is fortified, and after crossing the double bridge 
 across the Rhone, we arrived at the Hotel de VEcu de 
 Geneve at 12 o'clock. The most striking thing in the city of 
 Geneva to the traveller's eye as he enters it, is the view 
 of the arcades on each side of the street, excellent for 
 pedestrians and for protection against sun and rain, but 
 which give a heavy and gloomy appearance to the city. An 
 immense number of watch-makers is another distinguishing 
 feature in this city. The first thing shewn to me by my valet 
 de place was the house where Jean Jacques Rousseau was 
 born ; I then desired him to shew me the spot where that 
 barbarian Calvin caused to be burnt the unhappy Servetus 
 for not having the same religious opinions as himself. 
 
 The most agreeable promenades of the city are on the 
 bastions and ramparts, a place called La Treille and a 
 garden or park of small extent called Plain Palais. In this 
 park stands on a column the bust of J. J. Rousseau. This 
 park was the scene of a great deal of bloodshed in 1791 on 
 
 107
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 account of political disputes between the aristocratic and 
 democratic parties, or rather between the admirers and 
 imitators of the French Revolution and those who dreaded 
 such innovations. This affair excited so much horror, and 
 the recollection of it operated so powerfully on the imagina- 
 tion of the inhabitants, that the place became entirely 
 abandoned as a public promenade, and avoided as a pollu- 
 ted spot for many years. Very likely however a sort of lus- 
 tration has taken place; an oration was pronounced and 
 the place again declared worthy of contributing to the 
 recreation of the inhabitants. It is now become the favourite 
 promenade of the citizens of Geneva, tho' there are still some 
 who cannot get over their old prejudices and never set 
 their foot in it. There is likewise a pleasant walk as far as 
 the town of Carrouge in Savoy, which town has been lately 
 ceded by the King of Sardinia to the republic of Geneva. In 
 Geneva the sentiments of the inhabitants do not seem to be 
 favourable either to the French Revolution, or to Napoleon. 
 Their political ideas accord very much with those pro- 
 fessed by the government party in England, and they make 
 a great parade of them just now, as a means of courting the 
 favour of England and of the Allied Sovereigns. The govern- 
 ment here have shewn a great disposition to second the 
 views of the Allied Powers in persecuting those Frenchmen 
 who have been proscribed by the Bourbon government. 
 
 This state lost its independence during the revolutionary 
 wars and was incorporated with France. As the citizens 
 were suspected of being more favourable to the English 
 than suited the policy of the French government of that 
 time, they were viewed with a jealous eye and I believe some 
 individuals were harshly treated; but what most vexed and 
 displeased them was the enforcement of the conscription 
 among them, for the Genevois do not like compulsion ; they 
 are besides more pacific than war-like and tho' like the 
 Dutch they have displayed great valour where their interest 
 is at stake, yet Mercury is a deity far more in veneration 
 among them than Bellona. The natural talent of this 
 108
 
 \ GENEVESE CULTURE 
 
 people is great, and it has been favoured and developed by 
 the freedom of their institutions; and this republic has 
 produced too many eminent men for that talent to be 
 called in question; they seem to have decided talents and 
 dispositions for financial operations. A Genevois has the 
 aptitude of great application united to a very discerning, 
 natural genius, and he generally succeeds in everything he 
 undertakes. Litterature is much cultivated here, and the 
 females, who are in general handsome and graceful, excel 
 not only in the various feminine accomplishments, such as 
 music, dancing and drawing, but they carry their researches 
 into the higher branches of litterature and science and 
 acquire with great facility foreign languages. It is true that 
 you now and then meet with a little pedantry on the part of 
 the young men and some of the young women are tant soil 
 peu precieuses; and you may guess from their conversation, 
 which is sometimes forced, that the person who speaks has 
 been learning his discourse by heart from some book in the 
 morning, with the intention of sporting it as a natural 
 conversation in the evening. In short, one does not meet 
 with that abandon in society that is to be met with in Paris ; 
 you must measure your words well to shine in a Genevese 
 society. This, however, is a very pardonable sort of cox- 
 combry; and tho' it appear sometimes pedantic, and occa- 
 sionally laughable, yet it tends to encourage learning and 
 science, and compels the young men to read in order to 
 shine and captivate the fair. 
 
 The Genevese women make excellent wives and 
 mothers ; and many strangers, struck with their beauty and 
 talent, as well as with the agremens of the country in general, 
 marry at Geneva and settle themselves there for life. It is 
 observed that the Genevoises are so attached to their 
 country that on forming a matrimonial connection with 
 foreigners, they always stipulate that they shall not be 
 removed from it. On the dismemberment of the Empire of 
 Napoleon, Geneva was agrege to the Helvetic Confederation, 
 as an independent Canton of which there are now twenty- 
 
 109
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 two. Three, viz. Geneva, Vaud, and Neufchatel, are French 
 in language and manners. One, the Tessino, is Italian, and 
 the remaining eighteen are all German. It is a great 
 advantage to Geneva to belong to the Helvetic Confederacy, 
 as formerly, when she was an isolated independent state, 
 she was in continual dread of being swallowed up by one or 
 other of her two powerful neighbours, France and the King 
 of Sardinia, and only existed by their forbearance and 
 mutual jealousy. 
 
 I walked out one morning to Ferney in order to visit the 
 chateau of Voltaire and to do hommage to the memory of 
 that great man, the benefactor of the human race. It was he 
 who gave the mortal blow to superstition and to the power 
 of the clergy. It is the fashion for priests, Ultras and Tories 
 to rail against him, but I judge him by his works and the 
 effect of his works. His memory is held in reverence by the 
 inhabitants of Ferney as their father and benefactor. He 
 spent his whole fortune in acts of the most disinterested 
 charity; he saved entire families from ruin and portioned 
 off many a young woman who was deprived of the gifts of 
 fortune and enabled them to form happy matrimonial 
 connections ; in short, doing good seems to have been one of 
 the most ardent passions of his soul. In three memorable 
 instances^he shewed his hatred of cruelty and injustice, and 
 unmasked triumphantly ecclesiastical imposture and 
 fanaticism. He has been reproached with vanity, but 
 surely that may be pardoned in a man who received the 
 hommage of the whole litterary world, who was con- 
 sidered as an oracle, and whose every sentence was recorded; 
 whose talent was so universal, that he excelled in every 
 branch of litterature that he undertook. 
 
 Ferney, which was only a miserable village when Voltaire 
 first took up his residence there, is now a large flourishing 
 and opulent town. 
 
 I found Voltaire's Chateau occupied by a fat heavy 
 Swiss Officer who was on duty there, Ferney being at this 
 moment occupied by the troops of the Swiss confederation. 
 110
 
 VISIT TO FERNEY 
 
 He was at breakfast, but on my stating to him that I was 
 come to see the apartments of Voltaire he directed the 
 housekeeper to shew them to me. On the left hand side 
 after ascending a flight of steps, before you come into the 
 Chateau, is a Chapel built by Voltaire with this simple 
 inscription: "Deo erexit Voltaire." In the apartment 
 usually occupied by him for the purpose of composition, 
 are preserved his chair, table, inkstand and bed as sacred 
 relics; and in the Salon are to be seen the portraits of 
 several public characters, his contemporaries, and which 
 were constantly appended there in his life time. Among 
 these portraits I distinguished those of Frederick the 
 Great of Prussia, Catherine II of Russia, Lekain, Diderot, 
 Alembert, Franklin, Helvetius, Marmontel and Washington, 
 besides many others. There is nothing remarkable either 
 in the Chateau, or in the gardens appertaining to it; but 
 as it stands on an elevation, it commands a fine view, which 
 is so well described in that ode which begins : 
 
 6 maison d'Aristippe, 6 jardins d'Epicure! 
 
 I returned to Geneva and dined with my friend M. Picot 
 the banker, who presented me to his brother's family, which 
 I found a very amiable one, and I was particularly de- 
 lighted with his father, a fine venerable old man, who is 
 a pastor of the Church of Geneva and a great admirer of 
 our poets Thomson and Milton. 
 
 I have made acquaintance at the Ecu de Geneve with a 
 very gallant and accomplished officer, the Chevalier 
 Zadera, a Pole by birth and a Colonel in the French army.* 
 He had been on the staff of the Prince d'Eckmiihl at Ham- 
 burgh and had served previously in St Domingo, in 
 Germany and in Italy. He had just quitted the French 
 service, having a great repugnance to serve under the 
 Bourbon dynasty, and he is about to go to Italy on private 
 business. He seems a very well informed man and well 
 versed in French, Italian and German litterature. He also 
 
 * Three brothers Zadera, all born in Warsaw, served ia the Imperial 
 army. ED. 
 
 Ill
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 understands well to read and write English and speaks it, 
 but not at all fluently. He acquired his English in the 
 United States of America, whither he went when he escaped 
 from the horrors of St Domingo. By the Americans he was 
 received with open arms and unbounded hospitality as the 
 compatriot of Pulaski who fell gloriously fighting in their 
 cause, the cause of liberty, at the battle of Savannah. He 
 was liberally supplied with money by several individuals 
 without the smallest expectation or chance of repayment at 
 the time, and was forwarded in this manner from town to 
 town and from state to state throughout the whole Union ; 
 so that the tour he made and the time he passed in that 
 land of liberty, he reckons as far the most agreeable epoch 
 of his life. One evening at the Ecu de Geneve I found Zadera 
 in altercation on political subjects with two French Ultras 
 who had been emigrants, a Genevois and a Bernois, both 
 anti-liberal. This was fearful odds for poor Zadera to be 
 alone against four acharnes. I sat down and espoused his 
 cause and we maintained our argument gloriously. The 
 dispute began on the occasion of Zadera condemning the 
 harshness shewn by the government of Geneva towards 
 the Conventionnels and others who were banished from 
 France on the second restoration of Louis XVIII by a vote 
 of the Chambre introuvdble in refusing them an asylum in 
 the Republic and compelling them to depart immediately in 
 a very contumelious manner. I said it was inconsistent and 
 unworthy of the Genevese who called themselves republi- 
 cans to persecute or join in the persecution of the repub- 
 licans of France in order to please foreign despots. The 
 others then began to be very violent with me. I replied, 
 " Messieurs, vous avez beau parler; les Genevois sont de 
 tres bons cambistes et les meilleurs banquiers de FEurope, 
 mais il ne sont pas bons republicans." 
 
 Geneva has been so often described by tourists that I 
 
 shall not attempt any description except to remark that 
 
 there are several good Cabinets and collections of pictures 
 
 belonging to individuals. There is a magnificent public 
 
 112
 
 JOURNEY TO ITALY 
 
 library. The manufactures are those of watches and 
 models of the Alps which are exceedingly ingenious. There 
 are no theatrical amusements here; and during divine ser- 
 vice on Sunday the gates of the city are shut, and neither 
 ingress nor egress permitted; fortunately their liturgy (the 
 Calvinistic) is at least one hour shorter than the Anglican. 
 Balls and concerts take place here very often and the 
 young Genevois of both sexes are generally proficient in 
 music. They amuse themselves too in summer with the 
 " tir de 1'arc " in common with all the Swiss Cantons. 
 
 October 3rd. 
 
 I have been in doubt whether I should go to Lausanne, 
 return to Paris or extend my journey into Italy; but I have 
 at length decided for the latter, as Zadera, who intends to 
 start immediately for Milan, has offered me a place in his 
 carriage a frais communs. I found him so agreeable a man 
 and possessing sentiments so analogous to my own that I 
 eagerly embraced the offer, and we are to cross the Simplon, 
 so that I shall behold a travel over that magnificent 
 chaussee made by Napoleon's orders, which I have so much 
 desired to see and which everybody tells me is a most 
 stupendous work and exceeding anything ever made by 
 the Romans. As the Chevalier has served in Italy and was 
 much ripandu in society there, I could not possibly have a 
 pleasanter companion. He has with him Dante and Alfieri, 
 and I have Gessner's Idylls and my constant travelling 
 companion Ariosto, so that we shall have no loss for con- 
 versation, for when our native wits are exhausted, a page 
 or two from any of the above authors will suggest innu- 
 merable ideas, anecdotes, and subjects of discourse. 
 
 MILAN, 10th Oct. 
 
 We started from Geneva at seven in the morning of the 
 4th October, and in half an hour entered the Savoyard 
 territory, of which douaniers with blue cockades (the 
 cockade of the King of Sardinia) gave us intimation. The 
 road is on the South side of the lake Leman. In Evian and 
 I 113
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Thonon, the two first villages we passed thro', we do 
 not find that aisance, comfort and cleanliness that is per- 
 ceivable on the other side of the lake, in the delightful 
 Canton de Vaud. The double yoke of priestcraft and military 
 despotism presses hard upon the unhappy Savoyard and 
 wrings from him his hard-earned pittance, while no people 
 are better off than the Vaudois; yet the Savoyards are to 
 the full as deserving of liberty as the Swiss. The Savoyard 
 possesses honesty, fidelity and industry in a superior degree, 
 and these qualities he seldom or ever loses, even when 
 exposed to the temptations of a great metropolis like 
 Paris, to which they are compelled to emigrate, as their 
 own country is too poor to furnish the means of subsistence 
 to all its population. When in Paris and other large cities, 
 the Savoyards contrive, by the most indefatigable industry 
 and incredible frugality, to return to their native village 
 after a certain lapse of time, with a little fortune that is 
 amply sufficient for their comfort. The poorest Savoyard 
 in Paris never fails to remit something for the support of 
 his parents. Both Voltaire and Rousseau have rendered 
 justice to the good qualities of this honest people. It is 
 a thousand pities that this country (Savoy) is not either 
 incorporated with France, or made to form part of the 
 Helvetic confederacy. 
 
 On passing by La Meillerie we were reminded of "La 
 nouvelle Heloise " and the words of St Preux: " Le rocher 
 est escarpe: 1'eau est profonde et je suis au desespoir." On 
 the opposite side of the lake is to be seen the little white 
 town of Clarens, the supposed residence of the divine Julie. 
 A little beyond St Gingolph, which lies at the eastern 
 extremity of the lake, we quit Savoy and enter into the 
 Valais, which now forms a component part of the Helvetic 
 confederacy. German is the language spoken in the Valais. 
 As the high road into Italy passes thro' the whole 
 length of this Canton, Napoleon caused it to be separated 
 from the Helvetic union and to form a Republic apart, with 
 the ulterior view and which he afterwards carried into 
 114
 
 THE VALAIS 
 
 execution of annexing it to the French Empire. The Valais 
 forms a long and exceedingly narrow valley, thro' the 
 whole length of which the Rhone flows and falls into the 
 lake Leman at St Gingolph. The breadth of this valley 
 in its widest part is not more probably than 1,000 yards, 
 and in most places considerably narrower, and it is enclosed 
 on each side, or rather walled up by the immense mountains 
 of the higher Alps which rise here very abruptly and seem 
 to shut out this valley from the rest of the world. The high 
 road runs nearly parallel to the course of the Rh6ne and is 
 sometimes on one side of the river and sometimes on the 
 other, communicating by bridges ; from the sinuosity of the 
 road and the different points of view presented by the 
 salient and re-entering angles of the mountains the scenery 
 is extremely picturesque, grand and striking, and as some- 
 times no outlet presents itself to view, you do not perceive 
 how you are ever to get out of this valley but by a strata- 
 gem similar to that of Sindbad in the Valley of Diamonds. 
 At St Maurice is a remarkable one-arched bridge built by 
 the Romans. We stopped at Martigny to pass the night; 
 within one mile of Martigny and before arriving at it, we 
 perceived the celebrated waterfall called the Pissevache; 
 and the appellation, though coarse, is perfectly applicable. 
 From Martigny a bridle road branches off which leads 
 across the Grand St Bernard to Aoste. The next morning 
 we arrived at Sion, called in the language of the country 
 Sitten, the metropolis of the Valais ; it is a neat-looking and 
 tolerably large town, and which from its position might 
 be made a most formidable military post, as there is a 
 steep hill close to it which rises abruptly from the centre of 
 the valley, and commands an extensive view east and west. 
 Works erected on this height would enfilade the whole road 
 either way and totally obstruct the approach of an enemy. 
 There is besides a large castle on the southern paroi of 
 mountains which hem in this valley, which would expose to 
 a most galling fire and take in flank completely those who 
 should attempt to force the passage whether coming from 
 12 115
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 St Maurice or Brieg. We stopped two hours at Sion to 
 mend a wheel and this gave me time to ascend the mountain 
 on which the castle stands. There were several masons and 
 workmen employed in the construction of a church which 
 they are erecting at the request and entire expense of His 
 Sardinian Majesty. I could not ascertain what were the 
 reasons that induced the King to build a church in a foreign 
 territory. I did not observe either on the road or in any of 
 the village thro' which we passed any striking specimen 
 of Valaisan female beauty; but I often remarked the 
 prominent bosom that Rousseau describes as frequent 
 among them. We met with several cretins or idiots, all of 
 whom had goitres in a greater or less degree. These souls 
 of God without sin, as the cretins are called, are very merry 
 souls; they always appear to be laughing. They seem to 
 have adopted and united three systems of philosophy: 
 they are Diogenes as to independence and neglect of decency 
 and cleanliness; Democriti as to their disposition to laugh 
 perpetually; and Aristippi inasmuch as they seem to be 
 perfectly contented with their state. They are in general 
 fat and well fed, for the poorest inhabitants give them 
 something. They have a good deal of cunning, and many 
 curious anecdotes are related of them which shews that 
 they are endowed with a sort of sagacity resembling the 
 instinct of animals. I recollect one myself mentioned by 
 Zimmermann in his Essay on Solitude, of a cretin who was 
 accustomed to imitate with his voice the sound of the 
 village clock whenever it struck the hours and quarters; 
 one day, by some accident, the clock stopped; yet the 
 cretin went through the chimes of the hours and quarters 
 with the same regularity as the clock would have done had 
 it been going. 
 
 We arrived at night at the village of Brieg at the foot of 
 the Simplon and put up at a very comfortable inn. Brieg 
 and Glisse are two small villages lying within a quarter of 
 a mile distance from each other. The direct road runs 
 thro' Brieg and is a great advantage to this town; while 
 116
 
 PASSAGE OF THE SIMPLON 
 
 Glisse lost this benefit from the opposition shewn by its 
 inhabitants to the annexation of the Valais to the French 
 Empire. They now deeply regret this refusal as few travel- 
 lers chuse to stop at Glisse. 
 
 Passage of the Simplon. 
 Chi mi dara la voce e le parole 
 Convenient! a si nobil soggetto?* 
 
 Who will vouchsafe me voice that shall ascend 
 As high as I would raise my noble theme? 
 
 Trans. W.S. ROSE. 
 
 How shall I describe the Simplon and the impressions 
 that magnificent piece of work, the chaussee across it, 
 made on my mind? On arrival at the village of the Simplon, 
 which lies at nearly the greatest elevation off the road and 
 is more than half-way across, I wrote in my enthusiasm for 
 the author of this gigantic work, the following lines: 
 
 O viaggiator, se avessi tu veduto 
 
 Quel monte, pria che fosse il cammin fatto, 
 
 Leveresti le mani, e stupefatto 
 
 Diresti, " chi 1'avrebbe mai creduto? 
 
 Son come quei d'Alcide i tuoi miracoli! 
 
 Vincesti, Napoleon", pii grandi ostacoli!" 
 
 Imagine a fine road or causeway broad enough for three 
 carriages to go abreast, cut in the flanks of the mountains, 
 winding along then- contours, sometimes zigzag on the 
 flank of one ravine, and sometimes turning off nearly at 
 right angles to the flank of another; separated from each 
 other by precipices of tremendous depth, and communi- 
 cating by one-arched bridges of surprising boldness ; besides 
 stone bridges at each re-entering angle, to let pass off the 
 water which flows from the innumerable cascades, which 
 fall from the summits of the mountains. Ice and snow 
 eternal on the various pics or aiguilles (as the summits are 
 here called) which tower above your head, and yet in the 
 midst of these belles horreurs the road is so well constructed, 
 so smooth, and the slope so gentle that when there are fogs, 
 which often happen here and prevent you from beholding 
 the surrounding scenery, you would suppose you were 
 travelling on a plain the whole time. Balustrades are 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso in, i, i. ED. 
 
 117
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 affixed on the sides of the most abrupt precipices and but- 
 tresses also in order to secure the exterior part of the 
 chaussee. On the whole length of the chaussee on the exte- 
 rior side are conical stones of four feet in height at ten paces 
 distant from each other, in order to mark the road in 
 case of its being covered with snow. There are besides 
 maisons de refuge or cottages, at a distance of one league 
 from each other, wherein are stationed persons to give 
 assistance and food to travellers, or passengers who may be 
 detained by the snow storms. There is always in these 
 cabins a plentiful supply of biscuit, cheese, salt and 
 smoked meats, wine, brandy and fire-wood. In those parts 
 of the road where the sides of the ravines are not sloping 
 enough to admit of the road being cut along them, sub- 
 terraneous galleries have been pierced through the rock, 
 some of fifty, some of a hundred and more yards in 
 length, and nearly as broad as the rest of the road. In a word 
 it appears to me the grandest work imagined or made by 
 man, and when combined with its extreme utility, far sur- 
 passes what is related of the Seven Wonders of the world. 
 There are fifty-two bridges throughout the whole of this 
 route, which begins at the distance of three miles from 
 Geneva, skirts the southern shore of the lake, runs thro' 
 the whole Valais, traverses the Simplon and issuing from 
 the gorges of the mountains at Domo d'Ossola terminates at 
 Rho in the Milanese. From Brieg to the toll-house, the 
 highest part of the road, the distance is about 18 miles. 
 It made me dreadfully giddy to look down the various 
 precipices; and what adds to the vertigo one feels is the 
 deafening noise of the various waterfalls. As the road is cut 
 zigzag in many parts, you appear to preserve nearly the 
 same distance from Brieg after three hours' march, as after 
 half an hour only, since you have that village continually 
 under your eyes, nor do you lose sight of it till near the toll- 
 house. Brieg appears when viewed from various points of the 
 road like the card-houses of children, the Valais like a slip of 
 green baize, and the Rhone like a very narrow light blue 
 118
 
 CROSSING THE ITALIAN FRONTIER 
 
 ribband ; and when at Brieg before you ascend you look up 
 at the toll-house, you would suppose it impossible for any 
 human being to arrive at such a height without the help of a 
 balloon. It reminded me of the castle of the enchanter in the 
 Orlando Furioso, who keeps Ruggiero confined and who 
 rides on the Hippogriff. 
 
 The village of the Simplon is a mile beyond the toll-house, 
 descending. We stopped there for two hours to dine. A snow 
 storm had fallen and the weather was exceedingly cold ; the 
 mountain air had sharpened our appetite, but we could get 
 nothing but fish and eggs as it was a jour maigre, and the 
 Valaisans are rigid observers of the ordinances of the 
 Catholic church. We however, on assuring the landlord that 
 we were militaires, prevailed on him to let us have some 
 ham and sausages. German is the language here. The road 
 from the toll-house to Domo d'Ossola (the first town at the 
 foot of the mountain on the Italian side) is a descent, but 
 the slope is as gentle as on the rest of the road. Fifteen miles 
 beyond the village of the Simplon stands the village of 
 Isella, which is the frontier town of the King of Sardinia, 
 and where there is a rigorous douane, and ten miles further 
 is Domo d'Ossola, where we arrived at seven in the evening. 
 Between Isella and Domo d'Ossola the scenery becomes 
 more and more romantic, varying at every step, cataracts 
 falling on all sides, and three more galleries to pass. Domo 
 d'Ossola appears a large and neat clean town, and we put 
 up at a very good inn. At Isella begins the Italian language, 
 or rather Piedmontese. 
 
 The next morning we proceeded on our journey till we 
 reached Fariolo, which is on the northern extremity of the 
 Lago Maggiore. The road from Domo d'Ossola thro' the 
 villages of Ornavasso and Vagogna is thro' a fertile and 
 picturesque valley, or rather gorge, of the mountain, narrow 
 at first, but which gradually widens as you approach to the 
 lake. The river Toso runs nearly in a parallel direction with 
 the road. The air is much milder than in Switzerland, and 
 you soon perceive the change of climate from its tempera- 
 
 119
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ture, as well as from the appearance of the vines and mul- 
 berry trees and Indian corn called in this country grano 
 turco. 
 
 At Fariolo, after breakfast, my friend Zadera took leave 
 of me and embarked his carriage on the lake in order to pro- 
 ceed to Lugano; and I who was bound to Milan, having hired 
 a cabriolet, proceeded to Arona, after stopping one hour to 
 refresh the horses at Belgirate. The whole road from Fariolo 
 to Arona is on the bank of theLagoMaggiore, and nothing can 
 be more neat than the appearance of all these little towns 
 which are solidly and handsomely built in the Italian taste. 
 
 Before I arrived at Arona, and at a distance of two miles 
 from it, I stopped in order to ascend a height at a distance 
 of one-eighth of a mile from the road to view the celebrated 
 colossal statue in bronze of St Charles Borromaeus, which 
 maybe seen at a great distance. It is seventy cubits high, situ- 
 ated on a pedestal of twenty feet, to ascend which requires a 
 ladder. You then enter between his legs, or rather the folds of 
 his gown, and ascend a sort of staircase till you reach his 
 head. There is something so striking in the appearance of 
 this black gigantic figure when viewed from afar, and still 
 more when you are at the foot of it, that you would suppose 
 yourself living in the time of fairies and enchanters, and it 
 strongly reminded me of the Arabian Nights, as if the 
 statue were the work of some Genie or Peri ; or as if it were 
 some rebel Genius transformed into black marble by Solo- 
 mon the great Prophet. I am not very well acquainted with 
 the life and adventures of this Saint, but he was of the 
 Borromean family, who are the most opulent proprietors of 
 the Milanese. Every tract of land, palace, castle, farm in the 
 environs of Arona seem to belong to them. If you ask whose 
 estate is that? whose villa is that? whose castle is that? the 
 answer is, to the Count Borromeo, who seems to be as uni- 
 versal a proprietor here as Nong-tong-paw at Paris or 
 Monsieur Kaniferstane at Amsterdam.* 
 
 * These words mean, or are supposed to mean, in French and in Dutch : 
 "I don't understand " (je n'entends pas). ED. 
 
 120
 
 ARRIVAL AT MILAN 
 
 Arona is a large, straggling but solidly built town, and 
 presents nothing worth notice. 
 
 We proceeded on our journey the next morning. Shortly 
 after leaving Arona, the road diverges from the lake and 
 traverses a thick wood until it reaches the banks of the 
 Tessino; on the other bank of which, communicating by 
 means of a flying bridge, stands the town of Sesto Calende. 
 The Tessino divides and forms the boundary between the 
 Sardinian and Austrian territory, and Sesto Calende is the 
 frontier of His Imperial, Royal and Apostolic Majesty. 
 After a rigorous search of my portmanteau at the Douane, 
 and exhibiting my passport, I was allowed to proceed on 
 my journey to Milan. 
 
 At Rho, where I stopped to dine, stands a remarkably 
 ancient tree said to have been planted in the time of Augus- 
 tus. The country presents a perfect plain, highly cultivated, 
 all the way from Sesto to Milan. The chaussee is broad and 
 admirably well kept up and lined on both sides with poplars. 
 ' The roads in Lombardy are certainly the finest in Europe. 
 I entered Milan by the gate which leads direct to the 
 esplanade between the citadel and the city, and drove to 
 the Pension Suisse, which is in a street close to the Cathe- 
 dral and Ducal palace. 
 
 MILAN, 12 October. 
 
 I am just returned from the Teatro delta Scala, renowned 
 for its immense size: it certainly is the most stupendous 
 theatre I ever beheld and even surpassed the expectation I 
 had formed of it, so much so that I remained for some 
 minutes lost in astonishment. I was much struck with the 
 magnificence of the scenery and decorations. An Opera and 
 Ballo are given every night, and the same are repeated for a 
 month, when they are replaced by new ones. The boxes 
 are all hired by the year by the different noble and opulent 
 families, and in the Parterre the price is only thirty soldi or 
 sous, about fifteen pence English, for which you are fully 
 as well regaled as at the Grand Opera at Paris for three and 
 a half francs and far better than at the Italian theatre in 
 
 121
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 London for half a guinea. The opera I saw represented is 
 called L'ltaliana in Algieri, opera buffa, by Rossini. 
 
 The Ballo was one of the most magnificent spectacles I 
 ever beheld. The scenery and decorations are of the first 
 class and superior even to those of the Grand Opera at 
 Paris. The Ballo was called II Cavaliere del Tempio. The 
 story is taken from an occurrence that formed an episode 
 in the history of the Crusades and which has already fur- 
 nished to Walter Scott the subject of a very pleasing ballad 
 entituled the Fire- King, or Count Albert and Fair Rosalie. 
 Battles of foot and horse with real horses, Christians and 
 Moslems, dancing, incantations, excellent and very appro- 
 priate music leave nothing to be desired to the ravished 
 spectator. In the Ballo all is done in pantomime and the act- 
 ing is perfect. The Italians seem to inherit from their 
 ancestors the faculty of representing by dumb show the 
 emotions of the mind as well as the gestures of the body, and 
 in this they excel all other modern nations. The dancing is 
 not quite so good as what one sees at the Paris theatre, and 
 besides that sort of dancing they are very fond in Italy of 
 grotesque dances which appear to me to be mere tours de 
 force. But the decorations are magnificent, and the cost 
 must be great. 
 
 It was a fine moonlight night on my return from the 
 Scala, which gave a very pleasing effect to the Duomo or 
 Cathedral as I passed by it. The innumerable aiguilles or 
 spires of the most exquisite and delicate workmanship, 
 tapering and terminating in points all newly whitened, 
 gave such an appearance of airiness and lightness to this 
 beautiful building that it looked more visionary than sub- 
 stantial, and as if a strong puff of wind would blow it away. 
 The next morning I went to visit the Cathedral in detail. 
 It stands in the place called Piazza del Duomo. On this 
 piazza stands also the Ducal Palace; the principal cafes 
 and the most splendid shops are in the same piazza, which 
 forms the morning lounge of Milan. Parallel to one side of 
 the Duomo runs the Corsia de ' Servi, the widest and most 
 122
 
 MILAN CATHEDRAL 
 
 fashionable street in Milan, the resort of the beau monde in 
 the evening, and leading directly out to the Porta Orientale. 
 The Cathedral appears to me certainly the most striking 
 Gothic edifice I ever beheld. It is as large as the Cathedral 
 of Notre Dame at Paris, and the architecture of the interior 
 is very massive. There is little internal ornament, however, 
 except the tomb or mausoleum of St Charles Borromeo, 
 round which is a magnificent railing; there are also the 
 statues of this Saint and of St Ambrogio. There are several 
 well-executed bas-reliefs on the outside of the Church, from 
 Scripture subjects, and the view from any of the balconies 
 of the spires is very extensive. On the North the Alps, 
 covered with snow and appearing to rise abruptly within a 
 very short horizon, tho' their distance from Milan is at 
 least sixty or seventy miles; and on all the other sides 
 a vast and well-cultivated plain as far as the eye can 
 reach, thickly studded with towns and villages, and the 
 immense city of Milan nine miles in circumference at your 
 feet. The streets in general in Milan are well paved; there 
 is a line of trottoir on each side of the street equi-distant 
 from the line of houses; so that these trottoirs seem to be 
 made for the carriage wheels to roll on, and not for the foot 
 passengers, who must keep within the space that lies 
 between the trottoirs and line of houses. With the exception 
 of the Piazza del Duomo there is scarcely anything that can 
 be called a piazza in all Milan, unless irregular and small 
 open places may be dignified with that name; the houses 
 and buildings are extremely solid in their construction and 
 handsome in their appearance. A canal runs thro' the 
 city and leads to Pavia; on this canal are stone bridges of a 
 very solid construction. The shops in Milan are well stored 
 with merchandize, and make a very brilliant display. The 
 finest street, without doubt, is the Corsia de 1 Servi. In the 
 part of it that lies parallel to the Cathedral, it is about as 
 broad as the Rue St Honore at Paris ; but two hundred yards 
 beyond it, it suddenly widens and is then broader than 
 Portland Place the whole way to the Porta Orientale. On the 
 
 123
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 left hand of this street, on proceeding from the Cathedral 
 to the Porta Orientale, is a beautiful and extensive garden; an 
 ornamental iron railing separates it from the street. From 
 the number of fine trees here there is so much shade there- 
 from that it forms a very agreeable promenade during the 
 heat of the day. On the right hand side of the Corsia de y 
 Servi, proceeding from the Cathedral, are the finest build- 
 ings (houses of individuals) in Milan, among which I par- 
 ticularly distinguished a superb palace built in the best 
 Grecian taste with a colonnaded portico, surmounted by 
 eight columns. Just outside the Porta Orientale is the Corso, 
 with a fine spacious road with Alices on each side lined with 
 trees. The Corso forms the evening drive and promenade a 
 cheval of the beau monde. I have seen nowhere, except in 
 Hyde Park, such a brilliant show of equipages as on the 
 Corso of Milan. I observe that the women display a great 
 luxe de parure at this promenade. 
 
 The women here appear to me in general handsome, and 
 report says not at all cruel. They have quite a fureur for 
 dress and ornaments, in the adapting of which, however, 
 they have not so much taste as the French women have. 
 The Milanese women do not understand the simplicite 
 recherchee in their attire, and are too fond of glaring colours. 
 The Milanese women are accused of being too fond of wine, 
 and a calculation has been made that two bottles per diem 
 are drank by each female in Milan; but, supposing this cal- 
 culation were true, let not the English be startled, for the 
 wine of this country is exceedingly light, lighter indeed than 
 the weakest Burgundy wine; indeed, I conceive that two 
 bottles of Lombard wine are scarce equivalent in strength 
 to four wine glasses of Port wine. The Lombards for this 
 reason never drink water with their wine ; and indeed it is not 
 necessary, for I am afraid that all the wine drank in Milan is 
 already baptized before it leaves the hands of the vendor, 
 except that reserved for the priesthood; such, at any rate, 
 was the case before the French Revolution, and no doubt 
 the wine sellers would oppose the abolition of so ancient 
 124
 
 THE MILANESE 
 
 and sacred a custom. The Milanese are a gay people, hospit- 
 able and fond of pleasure: they are more addicted to the 
 pleasures of the table than the other people of Italy, and 
 dinnerparties are in consequence much more frequent here 
 than in other Italian towns. The women here are said to be 
 much better educated than in the rest of Italy, for Napoleon 
 took great pains to promote and encourage female instruc- 
 tion, well knowing that to be the best means of regenerating a 
 country. 
 
 The dialect spoken in the Milanese has a harsh nasal 
 accent, to my ear peculiarly disagreeable. Pure Italian or 
 Tuscan is little spoken here, and that only to foreigners. 
 French, on the contrary, is spoken a good deal; but the 
 Milanese, male and female, among one another, speak 
 invariably the patois of the country, which has more 
 analogy to the French than to the Italian, but without the 
 grace or euphony of either. 
 
 I have visited likewise the Zecca, or Mint, where I 
 observed the whole process of coining. They still continue 
 to coin here Napoleons of gold and silver, with the date of 
 1814, and they coin likewise crowns or dollars with Maria 
 Theresa's head, with the date of the last year of her reign. 
 The double Napoleon of forty franchi of the Kingdom of 
 Italy is a beautiful coin; on the rim are the words, Dio 
 protegge V Italia. It may not be unnecessary to remark that 
 in Italy by the word Napoleone, as a coin, is meant the five 
 franc piece with the head of Napoleon, and a twenty franc 
 gold piece is called Napoleone d'oro. 
 
 At the Zecca I was shown some gold, silver and bronze 
 medals, struck in commemoration of the formation of the 
 Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom, under the sceptre of Austria. 
 They bear the following inscription, which, if I recollect 
 aright, is from Horace : 
 
 Redeunt in aurum 
 Tempora priscum,* 
 
 but this golden age is considered by the Italians as a very 
 
 * Horace, Carm., iv, 2, 39. ED. 
 
 125
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 leaden one ; and it seems to bear as much analogy to the 
 golden age, as the base Austrian copper coin, daubed over 
 with silver, and made to pass for fifteen and thirty soldi, has 
 to the real gold and silver Napoleoni, which by the way are 
 said to be fast disappearing; they are sent to Vienna, and 
 Milan will probably be in time blessed with a similar paper 
 currency to that of Vienna. 
 
 Napoleon seems to be as much regretted by the Milanese 
 as the Austrian Government is abhorred; in fact, every- 
 body speaks with horror and disgust of the aspro boreal 
 scettro and of the aquila che mangia doppio, an allusion taken 
 from the arms of Austria, the double-headed Eagle. 
 
 I have visited the ancient Ducal, now the Royal, Palace ; 
 it is a spacious building, chaste in its external appearance, 
 but its interior very magnificent; its chief est treasures are 
 the various costly columns and pilasters of marble and of 
 jaune antique which are to be met with. The salle de danse 
 is peculiarly elegant, and in one of the apartments is a fine 
 painting on the plafond representing Jupiter hurling 
 thunderbolts on the Giants. Jupiter bears the head of Napo- 
 leon. Good God! how this man was spoiled by adulation! 
 
 The staircase of the Palace is superb, and the furniture is 
 of the most elegant description, being faithfully and clas- 
 sically modelled after the antique Roman and Grecian. 
 After visiting the Ambrosian library (by the way, it is quite 
 absurd to visit a library unless you employ whole days to 
 inspect the various editions), I went to the Hospital, which 
 is a stupendous building, and makes up 3,000 beds. The 
 arrangement of this hospital merits the greatest praise. I 
 then peeped into several churches, and I verily believe my 
 conductor would have made me visit every church in 
 Milan, if I had not lost all patience, and cried out: perche 
 sempre chiese? sempre chiese? andiamo a vedere altra cosa. 
 He conducted me then to the citadel, or rather place where 
 the citadel stood, and which now forms a vast barrack 
 for the Austrian troops. We then went to visit the Teatro 
 Olimpico, which was built by Napoleon. It is built in the 
 126
 
 PRINCE EUGENE'S VICE-REGENCY 
 
 style of the Roman amphitheatres, but much more of an 
 oval form than the Roman amphitheatres were in general ; 
 that is to say, the transverse axis is much longer in propor- 
 tion to the conjugate diameter than is the case in the 
 Roman amphitheatres, and it is by no means so high. In the 
 time of Napoleon, games were executed in this circus in 
 imitation of the games of the ancients, for Napoleon had a 
 great hankering to ape the Roman Caesars in everything. 
 There were, for instance, gymnastic exercises, races on foot, 
 horse races, chariot races like those of the Romans, combats 
 of wild beasts, and as water can be introduced into the 
 arena, there were sometimes exhibited naumachice or naval 
 fights. These exhibitions were extremely frequent at Milan 
 during the vice-regency of Prince Eugene Napoleon ; during 
 this Government, indeed, Milan flourished in the highest 
 degree of opulence and splendour and profited much by 
 being one of the principal depots of the inland trade 
 between France and Italy, during the continental blockade, 
 besides enjoying the advantage of being the seat of Govern- 
 ment during the existence of the Regno d* Italia. Even now, 
 tho' groaning under the leaden sceptre of Austria, it is 
 one of the most lively and splendid cities I ever beheld; and 
 I made this remark to a Milanese. He answered with a deep 
 sigh: " Ah! Monsieur, si vous aviez ete ici dans le temps du 
 Prince Eugene! Mais aujourdhui nous sommes mines." 
 
 My next visit was to the Porta del Sempione, which is at a 
 short distance from the amphitheatre, and which, were it 
 finished, would be the finest thing of the kind in Europe; 
 it was designed, and would have been completed by 
 Napoleon, had he remained on the throne. Figures repre- 
 senting France, Italy, Fortitude and Wisdom adorn the 
 facade and there are several bas-reliefs, among which is one 
 representing Napoleon receiving the keys of Milan after the 
 battle of Marengo. All is yet unfinished; columns, pedestals, 
 friezes, capitals and various other architectural ornaments, 
 besides several unhewn blocks of marble, lie on the ground ; 
 and probably this magnificent design will never be com- 
 
 127
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 pleted for no other reason than because it was imagined by 
 Napoleon and might recall his glories. Verily, Legitimacy 
 is childishly spiteful! 
 
 Yesterday morning I went to see an Italian comedy 
 represented at the Teatro Re. The piece was VAjo nelV 
 imbarazzo a very droll and humorous piece but it was 
 not well acted, from the simple circumstance of the actors 
 not having their parts by heart, and the illusion of the stage 
 is destroyed by hearing the prompter's voice full as loud 
 as that of the actors, who follow his promptings something 
 in the same way that the clerk follows the clergyman in that 
 prayer of the Anglican liturgy which says " we have erred 
 and strayed from our ways like lost sheep." An Italian 
 audience is certainly very indulgent and good-natured, as 
 they never hiss, however miserable the performance. 
 
 But in speaking of theatrical performances, no person 
 should leave Milan without going to see the Teatro Girolamo, 
 which is one of the " curiosities " of the place, peculiar to 
 Milan, and more frequented, perhaps, than any other. This 
 is a puppet theatre, but puppets so well contrived and so 
 well worked as to make the spectacle well worth the atten- 
 tion of the traveller. It is the Nee plus ultra of Marionettism, 
 in which Signor Girolamo, the proprietor, has made a 
 revolution, which will form an epoch in the annals of 
 puppetry; having driven from the stage entirely the 
 graziosissima maschera d'Arlecchino, who used to be the 
 hero of all the pieces represented by the puppets and sub- 
 stituted himself, or rather a puppet bearing his name, in 
 the place of Harlequin, as the principal farceur of the per- 
 formance. He has contrived to make the puppet Girolamo a 
 little like himself, but so much caricatured and so mon- 
 strously ugly a likeness that the bare sight of it raises 
 immediate laughter. The theatre itself is small, being 
 something under the size of our old Haymarket little 
 theatre, but is very neatly and tastefully fitted up. The 
 puppets are about half of the natural size of man, and 
 Girolamo, aided by one or two others, works them and gives 
 128
 
 THE " TEATRO GIROLAMO " 
 
 them gesture, by means of strings, which are, however, so 
 well contrived as to be scarcely visible ; and Girolamo him- 
 self speaks for all, as, besides being a ventriloquist, he has a 
 most astonishing faculty of varying his voice, and adapt- 
 ing it to the role of each puppet, so that the illusion is com- 
 plete. The scenery and decorations are excellent. Sometimes 
 he gives operas as well as dramas, and there is always a 
 ballo, with transformation of one figure into another, which 
 forms part of the performance. These transformations are 
 really very curious and extremely well executed. Almost 
 all the pieces acted on the theatre are of Girolamo's own 
 composition, and he sometimes chooses a classical or 
 mythological subject, in which the puppet Girolamo is sure 
 to be introduced and charged with all the wit of the piece. 
 He speaks invariably with the accent and patois of the 
 country, and his jokes never fail to keep the audience in a 
 roar of laughter; his mode of speech and slang phrases 
 form an absurd contrast to the other figures, who speak in 
 pure Italian and pompous versi sciolti. For instance, the 
 piece I saw represented was the story of Alcestis and was 
 entitled La scesa d'Ercole nell Inferno, to redeem the wife of 
 Admetus. Hercules, before he commences this undertaking, 
 wishes to hire a valet for the journey, has an interview with 
 Girolamo, and engages him. Hercules speaks in blank verse 
 and in a phrase, full of sesquipedalia verba, demands his 
 country and lineage. Girolamo replies in the Piedmontese 
 dialect and with a strong nasal accent: "De mi pais, de 
 Piemong." Girolamo, however, though he professes to be as 
 brave as Mars himself has a great repugnance to accom- 
 panying his master to the shades below, or to the " casa del 
 diavolo," as he calls it; and while Hercules fights with 
 Cerberus, he shakes and trembles all over, as he does like- 
 wise when he meets Madonna Morte. 
 
 All this is very absurd and ridiculous, but it is impossible 
 
 not to laugh and be amused at it. An anecdote is related of 
 
 the flesh and blood Girolamo, that he had a very pretty wife, 
 
 who took it into her head one day to elope with a French 
 
 K 129
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 officer; and that to revenge himself he dramatized the event 
 and produced it on his own theatre under the title of 
 Colombina scampata coir uffiziale, having filled the piece 
 with severe satire and sarcastic remarks against women in 
 general and Colombina in particular. 
 
 The atelier of the famous artist in mosaic Rafaelli is well 
 worth inspecting; and here I had an opportunity of behold- 
 ing a copy in mosaic and nearly finished of the celebrated 
 picture of Leonardo da Vinci representing the Caena 
 Domini. What a useful as well as admirable art is the 
 mosaic to perpetuate the paintings of the greatest masters! 
 I recollected on beholding this work that Eustace, in his 
 Tour thro? Italy,* relates with a pious horror that the 
 French soldiers used the original picture as a target to 
 practise at with ball cartridge, and that Christ's head was 
 singled out as the mark. This absurd tale, which had not 
 the least shadow of truth in it, has, it appears, gained some 
 credit among weak-minded people; and I therefore beg leave 
 to contradict it in the most formal manner. It was Buona- 
 parte who, the moment the picture was discovered, 
 ordered it to be put in mosaic. No! the French were the 
 protectors and encouragers, and by no means the de- 
 stroyers of the works of art; and this ridiculous story of 
 the picture being used as a target was probably invented by 
 the priesthood, who seemed to have taken great delight in 
 imposing on poor Eustace's credulity. To me it seems that 
 such a story could only have been invented by a monk, and 
 believed and repeated by an old woman or a bigot. The 
 priests and French emigrants have invented and spread the 
 most shameful and improbable calumnies against the 
 French republicans and against Napoleon, and that 
 credulous gull John Bull has been silly enough to give 
 full credence to all these tales, and stand staring with his 
 eyes and mouth open at the recital, while a vulgar 
 jobbing ministry (as Cobbet would say) picked his pockets. 
 
 * John Chetwode Eustace (1762-1815), author of A Tour through Italy 
 (2 vol., London, 1813), the eighth edition of which appeared in 1841. ED. 
 
 130
 
 MR EUSTACE'S BIGOTRY 
 
 Quite of a piece with this is the said Mr Eustace's bigotry, 
 in not chusing to call Lombardy by its usual appellation 
 "Lombardy," and affectedly terming it "the plain of the 
 Po." Why so, will be asked? Why because Mr Eustace hates 
 the ancient Lombards, and holds them very nearly in as 
 much horror as he does the modern French ; because, as he 
 says, they were the enemies of the Church and made war 
 on and despoiled the Holy See. The fact is that the Lom- 
 bard princes were the most enlightened of all the monarchs 
 of their time; they were the first who began to resist the 
 encroachments of the clergy and to shake off that abject 
 submission to the Holy See which was the characteristic 
 of the age. The Lombards were a fine gallant race of men 
 and not so bigoted as the other nations of Europe. Where 
 has there ever reigned a better and more enlightened and more 
 just and humane prince than Theodoric?* But Theodoric 
 was an Arian, hence Mr Eustace's aversion, for he, with the 
 most servile devotion, rejects, condemns and anathematizes 
 whatever the Church rejects, condemns and anathematizes. 
 For myself I look on the extinction of the Lombard power 
 by Charlemagne to have been a great calamity; had it 
 lasted, the reformation and deliverance of Europe from 
 Papal and ecclesiastical tyranny would have happened 
 probably three hundred years sooner and the Inquisition 
 never have been planted in Spain. I have made this digres- 
 sion from a love of justice and from a wish to vindicate the 
 French Republic and Napoleon from one at least of the 
 many unjust aspersions cast on them. I feel it also my duty 
 to state on every occasion that I, belonging to an army sent 
 to Egypt in order to expel them from that country, have 
 been an eyewitness of the good and beneficial reforms and 
 improvements that the French made in Egypt during a 
 period of only three years. They did more for the good of 
 that country in this short period, than we have done for 
 India in fifty years. 
 
 Being obliged to be in London on the 24th December I 
 
 * Theodoric was a Goth, not a Lombard. ED. 
 K2 131
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 took leave of the agreeable city of Milan with much regret 
 on the 19th of October and engaged a place in a Swiss 
 voiture going to Lausanne. My fellow travellers were two 
 Brunswick officers in the service of the Princess of Wales, 
 who were returning to their native country; and a Hun- 
 garian and his son settled in Domo d'Ossola. Nothing 
 occurred till we arrived at Arona, where we were detained 
 a whole day, in consequence of some informality in the 
 passport of the two Germans, viz., that of its not having 
 been vise by the Sardinian Charg6 d' Affaires at Milan. 
 
 During our detention at Arona, I fell in with a young 
 Frenchman who was going to Milan in company of some Swiss 
 friends. The Swiss were permitted to proceed, but the other 
 was not, for no other reason than because he was a French- 
 man; so that he took a place in our carriage in order to 
 return to Switzerland. I found him a very agreeable com- 
 panion, for tho' much chagrined and vexed at this 
 harsh and ungenerous treatment on the part of the Pied- 
 montese authorities, he soon recovered his good humour, 
 and contributed much to the pleasure of our journey. 
 The Germans came back to Arona very late at night, and 
 during the rest of the journey gave vent to their feelings 
 with many an execration such as verfluchter Spitzbube, 
 Hundsfott, on the heads of the inexorable police officers of 
 Arona. The next day, on passing by Belgirate, we took a 
 boat to visit the Borromean islands, and afterwards re- 
 turned to rejoin our carriage at Fariolo. The first of these 
 islands that we visited was the Isola Bella, where there is a 
 large and splendid villa, belonging to the Borromean 
 family. The rooms are of excellent and solid structure, and 
 there are some good family pictures. The furniture is 
 ancient, but costly. The rez de chaussee or lower part of the 
 house, which is completely a fleur d'eau with the lake, is 
 tastefully paved, and the walls decorated with a mosaic of 
 shells. One would imagine it the abode of a sea nymph. I 
 thought of Calypso and Galatea. There are in these apart- 
 ments d fleur d'eau two or three exquisite statues. 
 132
 
 THE CANTON DE VAUD 
 
 LAUSANNE, llth November. 
 
 I have been now nearly three weeks at Lausanne and am 
 much pleased both with the inhabitants, who are extremely 
 affable and well-informed, and with the beautiful sites that 
 environ this city, the capital of the Canton de Vaud. The 
 sentiments of the Vaudois, with the exception of a few 
 absurd families among the noblesse, who from ignorance or 
 prejudice are sticklers for the old times, are highly liberal ; 
 and as they acquired their freedom and emancipated them- 
 selves from the yoke of the Bernois, thro' the means of 
 the French Revolution, they are grateful to that nation 
 and receive with hospitality those who are proscribed by 
 the present French Government; their behaviour thus 
 forming a noble contrast to the servility of the Genevese. 
 The Government of the Canton de Vaud is wholly demo- 
 cratic and is composed of a Landamman and grand and 
 petty council, all bourgeois, or of the most intelligent 
 among the agricultural class, who know the interests of 
 their country right well, and are not likely to betray them, 
 as the noblesse are but too often induced to do, for the sake 
 of some foolish ribband, rank, or title. The noblesse are hi a 
 manner self-exiled (so they say) from all participation in 
 the legislative and executive power; for they have too 
 much morgue to endure to share the government with 
 those whom they regard as roturiers; but the real state of 
 the case is that the people will not elect them, and the 
 people are perfectly in the right, for at the glorious epoch 
 when, without bloodshed, the burghers and plebeians 
 upset the despotism of Bern, the conduct of the noblesse 
 was very equivocal. La Harpe was the leader of this bene- 
 ficial Revolution, for which, however, the public mind was 
 fully prepared and disposed ; and La Harpe was a virtuous, 
 ardent and incorruptible patriot. 
 
 This canton had been for a long period of years in a state of 
 vassalage to that of Bern ; all the posts and offices of Govern- 
 ment were filled by Bernois and the Vaudois were excluded 
 from all share in the government, and from all public em- 
 
 133
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ployments of consequence. When the Sun of Revolution, 
 after gloriously rising in America, had shone in splendour 
 on France, and had successfully dissipated the mists of 
 tyranny, feudality, priestcraft and prejudice, it was 
 natural that those states which had languished for so many 
 years in a humiliating situation should begin to look about 
 them and enquire into the origin of all the shackles and 
 restraints imposed on them; and no doubt the Vaudois 
 soon discovered that it was an anomaly in politics as well 
 as in reason that two states of such different origin, the one 
 being a Latin and the other a Teutonic people, with lan- 
 guage, customs, and manners so different, should be 
 blended together in a system in which all the advantages 
 were on the side of Bern, and nought but vassalage on the 
 part of Vaud. A chief was alone wanting to give the impulse ; 
 he was soon found; the business was settled in forty-eight 
 hours; and by the mediation of the French Government, 
 Vaud was declared and acknowledged an independent 
 state and for ever released from the dominion of Bern. The 
 federative constitution was then abolished throughout the 
 union, and a general Government, called the Helvetic 
 Republic, substituted in its place; but this constitution not 
 suiting the genius and habits of the people, nor the locality 
 of the country, was not of long duration; troubles broke 
 out and insurrections, which were fomented and encouraged 
 by the adherents of the old regime. But Napoleon, by a wise 
 and salutary mediation, stepped in between them, and pre- 
 vented the effusion of blood, by restoring the old confedera- 
 tion, modified by a variety of ameliorations. In the act of 
 mediation, Napoleon contented himself with separating the 
 Valais entirely from the confederation, and shortly after 
 annexing it to France, on account of the high road into Italy 
 across the Simplon running thro' that territory, and which it 
 became of the utmost importance to him to be master of. 
 The new Helvetic Confederation was inviolably respected 
 and protected by Napoleon; for never after the act of 
 mediation did any French troops enter in the Canton de 
 134
 
 STRUGGLES BETWEEN BERN AND VAUD 
 
 Vaud, or any part of the Union to pass into Italy. They 
 always moved on the Savoy side of the Lake to enter into 
 the Valais. This act of mediation saved probably a good 
 deal of bloodshed and in a very short time gave such general 
 satisfaction, and was in every respect so useful and bene- 
 ficial to the Helvetic Union, that in spite of the intrigues of 
 the Senate of Bern, who have never been able to digest the 
 loss of Vaud, the Allied Powers in the year 1814 solemnly 
 guaranteed the Helvetic Confederation as established by 
 the Act of Mediation, merely restoring the Valais to its 
 independence and aggregating it as an independent Canton 
 to the general Union. Geneva, on its being severed from the 
 French Empire, and recovering its independence, solicited 
 the Helvetic Union to be admitted as a member and com- 
 ponent part of that Confederacy; which was agreed to, 
 and it was and remains aggregated to it also. 
 
 In 1815, on the return of Napoleon from Elba and on the 
 renewal of the war, the Bern Government made a most 
 barefaced attempt to regain possession of the Canton de 
 Vaud; to this they were no doubt secretly encouraged by 
 the Allies, and principally it is said by the British Govern- 
 ment, the most dangerous, artful and determined enemy of 
 all liberty; but this project was completely foiled, by the 
 penetration, energy and firmness of the inhabitants of the 
 Canton de Vaud and of its Government in particular. The 
 central Government of the Union was at that time held at 
 Bern and it was agreed upon in the Diet that Switzerland 
 should remain perfectly neutral during the approaching 
 conflict; an army of observation of 30,000 men was voted 
 and levied to enforce this neutrality, but the command of it 
 was given to De Watteville, who had been a colonel in the 
 English service, and was a determined enemy of the French 
 Revolution and of everything connected with or arising 
 out of it. On the approach of the Austrian army, De 
 Watteville, instead of defending the frontier and repelling 
 the invasion, disbanded his army and allowed the Austrians 
 to enter. No doubt he was encouraged, if not positively 
 
 135
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ordered to do this, by the Government of Bern, many mem- 
 bers of which are supposed to have received bribes from the 
 British Government to render the decreed neutrality null and 
 void. At the same moment that this army was disbanded, 
 the directoral Canton (Bern) caused to be intimated to the 
 Canton de Vaud that it was the wish and intention of the 
 High Allies to replace Switzerland in the exact state it was 
 in, previous to the French Revolution; and that, in conse- 
 quence, two Commissioners would be sent from Bern to 
 Lausanne, to take charge of the Bureaux, Archives and 
 insignia of Government, etc., and to act as a provisional 
 Government under the direction of Bern. The Landamman 
 and the grand and petty council at Lausanne, on learning 
 this intelligence, immediately saw thro' the scheme that 
 was planned to deprive them of their independence; they, 
 therefore, passed a decree, threatening to arrest and punish 
 as conspirators the Commissioners, should they dare to set 
 their foot in the Canton, and declaring such of their country- 
 men who should aid or abet this scheme, or deliver up a 
 single document to the Commissioners, traitors and rebels; 
 they likewise called on the whole Canton to arm in defence 
 of its independence and proclaimed at the same time that 
 should this plan be attempted to be carried into execu- 
 tion, they would join their forces to those of Napoleon and 
 thus endanger the position of the Allies. They took their 
 measures accordingly; the whole Canton flew to arms; the 
 Bernois and the Allies were alarmed and consultations held ; 
 the Count de Bubna, the Austrian General, being consulted, 
 thought the attempt so hazardous and so pregnant with 
 mischief that he had the good sense to recommend to the 
 Allied Powers and to the Canton of Bern to desist from 
 their project and not to make or propose any alteration in 
 the Helvetic Constitution, as guaranteed in 1814. His 
 advice was of great weight and was adopted, and thus the 
 Vaudois by their firmness preserved their independence. 
 They met with great support likewise on this trying occa- 
 sion from General La Harpe, preceptor to the Emperor of 
 136
 
 THE ATTRACTIONS OF LAUSANNE 
 Russia, and a relation to the gentleman of the same name 
 who was so instrumental in the emancipation of Vaud. 
 La Harpe, who enjoyed the confidence of his pupil, exerted 
 himself greatly in procuring his good offices in favour of 
 the Vaudois his countrymen, and this was no small weight 
 in the scale. 
 
 Lausanne is an irregularly built city, and not very agree- 
 able to pedestrians, for its continual steep ascents and 
 descents make it extremely fatiguing, and there is a part of 
 the town to which you ascend by a flight of stairs ; the houses in 
 Lausanne have been humorously enough compared to musi- 
 cal notes. The country in the environs is beautiful beyond 
 description and has at all times elicited the admiration of 
 travellers. There is an agreeable promenade just outside 
 the town, on the left hand side of the road which leads to 
 Geneva, called Montbenon, which is the fashionable pro- 
 menade and commands a fine view of the lake. On the left 
 hand side is a Casino and garden used for the tir de Varc, of 
 which the Vaudois, in common with the other Helvetic 
 people, are extremely fond. On the right hand side of the 
 road is a deep ravine planted in the style of an English 
 garden, with serpentine gravel walks, and on the other side 
 of the ravine stands the upper part of the city, the Cathe- 
 dral, Hdtel de Ville, and the Chateau du Bailli, which is the 
 seat of Government. From the terrace of the Cathedral you 
 enjoy a fine view, but a still finer and far more comprehensive 
 one is from the Signal house, or Belvedere near the forest of 
 Sauvabelin (Silva Bellonae in Pagan times)*. In this wood 
 fairs, dances and other public festivals are held, and it is the 
 favourite spot for parties of pleasure to dine al fresco; it is 
 a pity, however, that the edifice called the Belvedere was not 
 conceived in a better taste ; it has an uncouth and barbarous 
 appearance. 
 
 Lausanne is situated about a quarter of a mile (in a right 
 line) from the lake, and you descend continually in going 
 from the city to the Lake Leman by a good carriage road, 
 
 * Of course, Silva Beleni. ED. 
 
 137
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 until you arrive on the borders of the lake, where stands a 
 neat little town called Ouchy, or as it is sometimes termed 
 le port de Lausanne. There is a good quai and pier. The 
 passage across the lake from Ouchy to the Savoy side 
 requires four hours with oars. 
 
 I have made several pleasant acquaintances here, viz., 
 M. Pidon the Landamman, a litterato of the first order; 
 Genl La Harpe, the tutor of the Emperor of Russia; but 
 the most agreeable of all is the Baron de F[alkenskiold], an 
 old gentleman of whose talents, merits and delightful dis- 
 position I cannot speak too highly. He has the most liberal 
 and enlightened views and opinions, and is extremely 
 well versed in English, French and German litterature. He 
 is a Dane by birth and was exiled early in life from his 
 own country, on account of an accusation of being impli- 
 cated in the affair of Struensee; and it is generally 
 supposed that he was one of Queen Matilda's favoured 
 lovers, which supposition is not improbable, as in his youth, 
 to judge from his present dignified and majestic appearance, 
 he must have been an uncommonly handsome man. He has 
 lived ever since at Lausanne, and tho' near seventy-four 
 years of age and tormented with the gout, he never loses his 
 cheerfulness, and passes his time mostly with his books. 
 He gives dinner parties two or three times a week, which 
 are exceedingly pleasant, and one is sure to meet there a 
 small, but well informed society of natives and foreigners. 
 Most German travellers of rank and litterary attainments, 
 who pass thro' Lausanne, bring letters of introduction 
 and recommendation to the Baron and are sure to meet with 
 the utmost hospitality and attention. 
 
 The women of the Canton de Vaud are in general very 
 handsome, well shaped and graceful; litterature, music, 
 dancing and drawing are cultivated by them with success ; 
 and among the men, tho' one does not meet perhaps 
 with quite as much instruction as at Geneva (I mean that it 
 is not so general), yet no pedantry whatever prevails as in 
 Geneva. At Lausanne they have sincere and solid republican 
 138
 
 CONDITIONS OF PEACE PUBLISHED 
 
 principles and they do not pay that servile court to the 
 English that the Genevese do; nor have they as yet adopted 
 the phrase "Dieu me damne" 
 
 PARIS, Dec. 5th. 
 
 I returned to Paris by Geneva and crossing the Jura 
 chain of mountains passed thro' Dole, Auxonne and 
 Dijon. At Geneva, where I stopped three days, I met, at a 
 musical party given by M. Picot the banker, the celebrated 
 cantatrice Grassini, who looked as beautiful as ever, and 
 sung in the most fascinating style several airs, particularly 
 "Quelle pupille tenere " in the opera of the Orazj e Curiazi. 
 To my taste her style of singing is far preferable to that of 
 Catalani; there is much more pathos and feeling in the 
 singing of Grassini; it is completely and truly the "cantar 
 che nelVanima si sente" Catalani is very powerful, wonder- 
 ful, if you will, in execution; but she does not touch my 
 heart as Grassini does. 
 
 On my return to Paris from Geneva I found that the 
 conditions of peace had been made public. They are cer- 
 tainly hard, not so much on account of the cession of 
 territory, which is trifling, as on account of the vast sums 
 of money that France is obliged to pay, and the still more 
 galling condition of having to pay and feed at her expense 
 an army of occupation of 150,000 men, of the Allied troops, 
 for a term of three or five years, and to cede during that 
 period several important fortresses. The inhabitants of 
 Paris look very gloomy and nobody seems to think that 
 the peace will last half as long. Prussia and Austria strove 
 hard to wrest Alsace and German Lorraine from France; 
 hosts of German publicists had accompanied their armies 
 into France and had written pamphlet upon pamphlet to 
 prove that mountains and not rivers were the proper 
 boundaries of nations and that wherever the German 
 language prevails, the country ought to belong to the 
 Germanic body. Ergo, the Vosges mountains were the 
 natural boundaries of France, and Alsace and German Lor- 
 raine should revert to Germany. Russia and England, 
 
 139
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 however, opposed this, and insisted that these two pro- 
 vinces should remain with France; but I have no doubt 
 that the first movements that may occur in France (and 
 they will perhaps be secretly encouraged) will serve as a 
 pretext for the Allies to separate these countries definitively 
 from France. 
 
 The Louvre has been stripped of the principal statues 
 and pictures which have been sent back to the places from 
 whence they were taken, to the great mortification of the 
 Parisians, most of whom would have consented to the 
 cession of Alsace and Lorraine and half of France to boot 
 on condition of keeping the statues and pictures. The 
 English Bureaux are preparing to leave Paris and the troops 
 will soon follow; a new French army is organizing and 
 several Swiss battalions are raised. It is generally supposed 
 that by the end of December France, with the exception of 
 the fortresses and districts to be occupied by the Allied 
 Powers, will be freed from the pressure of foreign troops. 
 
 The Chamber of Peers is occupied with the trial of Mar- 
 shall Ney, the Conseil de Guerre, which was ordered to 
 assemble for that purpose having declared itself incompetent. 
 The friends of Ney advised him to claim the protection of 
 the 12th Article of the Capitulation of Paris, and Madame 
 Ney, it is said, applied both to the Duke of Wellington and 
 to the Emperor of Russia; both ungenerously refused; to 
 the former Nature has not given a heart with much sensi- 
 bility, and the latter bears a petty spite against Ney on 
 account of his title, Prince de la Moskowa. It is pretty 
 generally anticipated that poor Ney will be condemned and 
 executed; for tho' at the representation of Cinna a few 
 nights ago, at the Theatre Fran9ais, the allusions to clem- 
 ency were loudly caught hold of and applauded by the 
 audience, yet I suspect Louis XVIII is by no means of a 
 relenting nature, and that he is as little inclined to pardon 
 political trespasses as his ancestor Louis IX was disposed 
 to pardon those against religion ; for, according to Gibbon, 
 his recommendation to his followers was : " Si quelqu'un 
 140
 
 A MILITANT EMIGRE 
 
 parle contre la foi chretienne dans votre presence, donnez lui 
 Vepee venire-dedans." 
 
 December 18th. 
 
 I met with an emigrant this day at the Palais Royal who 
 was acquainted with my family in London. It was the 
 Vicomte de B*****ye.* He had resided some time in Eng- 
 land and also in Switzerland. He is an amiable man, but a 
 most incorrigible Ultra. He displayed at once the ideas that 
 prevail among the Ultras, which must render them eternally 
 at variance with the mass of the French nation. In speaking 
 of the state of France, he said: " Je rial jamais cess& et 
 jamais je ne cesserai de regarder comme voleurs tous les 
 acquereurs des biens des emigres. II faudroit, pour le bonheur 
 de la France, qu'elle fut placee dans le meme etat ou elle etait 
 avant la Revolution." He would not listen to my reasons 
 against the possibility of effecting such a plan, even were 
 the plan just and reasonable in itself. I told him that for the 
 emigrants to expect to get back their property was just 
 as absurd as for the descendants of those Saxon families 
 in England, whose ancestors were dispossessed of their 
 estates by William the Conqueror, to think of regaining 
 them, and to call upon the Duke of Northumberland, for 
 instance, as a descendant of a Norman invader, to give up 
 his property as unjustly acquired by his progenitors. We did 
 not hold long converse after this ; his ideas and mine diverged 
 too much from each other. 
 
 The English are very much out of favour with the 
 emigrants, as well on account of the stripping of the 
 Louvre as on account of not having shot all the liberaux. 
 They had the folly to believe that the Allied troops would 
 merely make war for the emigrants' interests, and after 
 having put to death a considerable quantity of those who 
 should be designated as rebels and Jacobins by them (the 
 emigrants), would replace France in the exact position she 
 was in 1789, and then depart. 
 
 * Perhaps Clement Frai^ois Philippe de Laige Bellefaye, mentioned in 
 the Souvenirs of Baron de Frenilly, p. 94. His large estates had been confis- 
 cated in the Revolution. ED. 
 
 141
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Poor Marshall Ney's fate is decided. He was sentenced 
 to death, and the sentence was carried into execution not 
 on the Place de Grenelle as was given out, but in the gardens 
 of Luxemburgh at a very early hour. He met his fate with 
 great firmness and composure. I leave Paris to-morrow for 
 London. 
 
 142
 
 AFTER 
 WATERLOO 
 
 PART II.
 
 PART II 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 MARCH JUNE, 1816 
 
 Ball at Cambray, attended by the Duke of Wellington An Adventure 
 between Saint Quentin and Compiegne Paris revisited Colonel Wardle 
 and Mrs Wallis Society in Paris The Sourds-Muets The Cemetery of 
 Pere La Chaise Apathy of the French people The priests Marriage of 
 the Duke de Berri. 
 
 March, 1816. 
 
 THIS time I varied my route to Paris, by passing 
 thro' St Omer, Douay and Cambray. At Cambray I 
 was present at a ball given by the municipality. The Duke 
 of Wellington was there. He had in his hand an extra- 
 ordinary sort of hat which had something of a shape of a 
 folding cocked hat, with divers red crosses and figures on 
 it, so that it resembled a conjurer's cap. I understand it is 
 a hat given to his Grace by magnanimous Alexander; St 
 Nicholas perhaps commissioned the Emperor to present it 
 to Wellington, for his Grace is entitled to the eternal grati- 
 tude of the different Saints, as well as of the different 
 sovereigns, for having maintained them respectively in 
 their celestial and terrestrial dominions; and it is to be 
 hoped, after his death, that the latter will celebrate for him 
 a brilliant apotheosis, and the former be as complaisant to 
 him and make room for him in the Empyreum as Virgil 
 requests the Scorpion to do for Augustus : 
 
 . . . Ipse tibi -jam brachia contrahit ardens 
 Scorpios, et cceli justd plus parte reliquit.* 
 
 I met with an adventure in my journey from St Quentin 
 to Compiegne, which, had it happened a hundred years ago 
 in France, would have alarmed me much for my personal 
 safety. It was as follows. I had taken my place at St 
 Quentin to go to Paris ; but all the diligences being filled, the 
 bureau expedited a caleche to convey me as far as Com- 
 
 * Virgil, Georg., i, 35. ED. 
 L 145
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 piegne, there to meet the Paris diligence at nine the next 
 morning. It was a very dark cold night, and snowed very 
 hard. 
 
 Between eleven and twelve o'clock at night, half way 
 between St Quentin and Compiegne, the axle tree of the 
 carriage broke ; we were at least two miles from any village 
 one way and three the other; but a lone house was close to 
 the spot where the accident happened. We had, therefore, 
 the choice of going forward or backward, the postillion and 
 myself helping the carriage on with our hands, or to take 
 refuge at the lone house till dawn of day. I preferred the 
 latter; we knocked several times at the door of the lone 
 house, but the owner refused to admit us, saying that he 
 was sure we were gens de mauvaise vie, and that he would 
 shoot us if we did not go away. The postillion and I then 
 determined on retrograding two miles, the distance of the 
 nearest village, and remaining there till morning. We 
 arrived there with no small difficulty and labour, for it 
 snowed very fast and heavily, and it required a good deal 
 of bodily exertion to push on the carriage. Arrived at the 
 village, we knocked at the door of a small cottage, the 
 owner of which sold some brandy. He received me very 
 civilly, gave me some eggs and bacon for supper, and a very 
 fair bed. 
 
 The next morning, after having the axle tree repaired, 
 we proceeded on our journey to Compiegne. I suffered much 
 from the cold during this adventure, and did not sleep well, 
 having fallen into a train of thought which prevented me 
 from so doing; and I could not help bringing to my recollec- 
 tion the adventure of Raymond in the forest near Strass- 
 burg, in the romance of The Monk. Nothing worthy of note 
 occurred during the rest of the journey; but this adventure 
 obliged me to remain one day at Compiegne to wait for the 
 next diligence. 
 
 PARIS, April 3d, 1816. 
 
 I delivered my letters to the Wardle family and am very 
 much pleased with them. I meet a very agreeable society at 
 146
 
 BASELESS CALUMNIES AGAINST NAPOLEON 
 
 their house. Col Wardle is quite a republican and very 
 rigid in his principles.* His daughter is a young lady of 
 first rate talents and has already distinguished herself 
 by some poetical compositions. I met at their house Mrs 
 Wallis, the sister of Sir R. Wilson.f She is an enthusias- 
 tic Napoleonist, and wears at times a tricolored scarf 
 and a gold chain with a medal of Napoleon's head 
 attached to it; this head she sometimes, to amuse herself, 
 compels the old emigrants she meets with in society to 
 kiss. The trial of her brother is now going on for aiding and 
 abetting the escape of Lavalette. I sincerely hope he will 
 escape any severity of punishment, but I more fear the 
 effects of Tory vengeance against him in England, in the 
 shape of depriving him of his commission, than I do the 
 sentence of any French court. Yet tho' I wish him well, I 
 cannot help feeling the remains of a little grudge against 
 him for his calumny against Napoleon in accusing him of 
 poisoning the sick of his own army before the walls of 
 St Jean d'Acre. I have always vindicated the character of 
 Napoleon from this most unjust and unfounded aspersion, 
 because having been in Egypt with Abercrombie's army and 
 having had daily intercourse with Belliard's division of the 
 French army, after the capitulation of Cairo, and during our 
 joint march on the left bank of the Nile to Rosetta, I knew 
 that there was not a syllable of truth in the story. Mrs 
 Wallis, however, tells me that her brother has expressed 
 deep regret that he ever gave credence and currency to such 
 a report; and that he acknowledges that he was himself 
 deceived. But he did Napoleon an irreparable injury, and 
 his work on the Egyptian campaign contributed in a very 
 great degree to excite the hatred of the English people 
 
 * Colonel Gwyllym Lloyd Wardle was the celebrated exposer of the scan- 
 dal in 1808-9, when the mistress of the Duke of York was found to be traf- 
 ficking in Commissions. He had retired from active service in 1802, with the 
 rank of lieutenant-colonel. Financial reasons obliged him, after 1815, to live 
 on the Continent; he died in Florence, 1833. ED. 
 
 t Sir Robert Thomas Wilson (1779-1849), author of The History of the 
 British Expedition to Egypt, 1802; a French translation of that work elicited 
 a protest from Napoleon. ED. 
 
 L2 147
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 against Napoleon, as well as to flatter the passions and pre- 
 judices of the Tories. 
 
 In the affair however of Lavalette Wilson has nobly 
 retrieved his character and obliterated all recollection of his 
 former error. It is amazing the popularity he and his two 
 gallant associates have acquired in France by this generous 
 and chevaleresque enterprise. 
 
 I meet at Col Wardle's a very pleasant French society: 
 conversation, music and singing fill up the evening. 
 
 April 15th. 
 
 I have been presented to a very agreeable lady, Madame 
 Esther Fournier, who holds a conversazione at her house in the 
 Rue St Honore every Wednesday evening. Here there is 
 either a concert, a ball or private theatricals; while in a 
 separate room play goes forward and crebs, a game of dice 
 similar to hazard, is the fashionable game. Refreshments 
 are handed round and at twelve o'clock the company 
 break up. Mme Fournier is a lady of very distinguished 
 talent and always acts a principal role herself in the dra- 
 matic performances given at her private theatricals. 
 
 I have become acquainted too with a very pleasant 
 family, M. and Mme Vanderberg, who are the proprietors of 
 a large house and magnificent garden in the Faubourg du 
 Roule. M. Vanderberg is a man of very large fortune.* He 
 has three daughters, handsome and highly accomplished, and 
 
 one son ; one of them was married to General R , but is 
 
 since divorced ; the second is married to a young colonel of 
 Hussars, and the third is still unmarried; but being very 
 young, handsome, accomplished and rich, there will be no 
 lack of suitors whenever she is disposed to accept the con- 
 nubial chain. I have dined several times with this family. 
 There is an excellent table. The choicest old wines are 
 handed about during dinner, and afterwards we adjourn to 
 another room to take coffee and liqueurs. 
 
 * Vanderberg had made a fortune as a contractor to the French army ; he 
 is mentioned in Ida Saint Elme's MJmoires d'une contemporaine and else- 
 where. ED. 
 
 148
 
 THE ABBE DE L'EPEE'S DEAF MUTES 
 
 If there is no evening party, the company retire, some for 
 the theatre, some for other houses, where they have to pass 
 the evening; if the family remain at home you have the 
 option of retiring or remaining with them, and the evening 
 is filled up with music or petits jeux. I meet with several 
 agreeable and distinguished people at this house, among 
 whom are M. Anglas, Mme Duthon from the Canton de 
 Vaud, a lady of great vivacity and talent, and General 
 Guilleminot and his lady. Col. Paulet, who married M. 
 Vanderberg's second daughter, was on the staff of General 
 Guilleminot at the battle of Waterloo and suffered much 
 from a fever and ague that he caught on the night bivouacs. 
 
 I have attended a seance of the Institution of the Sourds- 
 Muets founded by the famous Abbe de PEpee, and con- 
 tinued with equal success by his successor the Abbe S[icard],* 
 who delivered the lecture and exhibited the talent and 
 proficiency of his pupils. The eldest pupil, Massieu, himself 
 deaf and dumb, is an extraordinary genius and he may be 
 said in some measure to direct all the others. Massieu, who 
 has a very interesting and even handsome countenance, and 
 manners extremely prepossessing, conducts the examina- 
 tion of the pupils by means of signs, and writing on a slate or 
 paper; and it is wonderful to observe the progress made by 
 these interesting young persons, who have been so harshly 
 treated by Nature. The definitions they give of substances 
 and qualities are so just and happy; and in their situation, 
 definition is everything, for they cannot learn by rote, as 
 other boys often do, who, in the study of philology, acquire 
 only words and not things or meanings. The deaf and dumb 
 persons, on the contrary, acquire at once by this method 
 of instruction the philosophy of grammar; and then it is 
 far from being the dry study that many people suppose. A 
 German princess who was present exclaimed in a transport 
 of admiration at some of the specimens of definitions and 
 inferences given by the pupils: " Oh! I wish that I were 
 
 * Abbe Sicard (Roch Ambroise) was director of the Institution of Sourds- 
 Muets from 1790 to 1797 and from 1800 to 1822. ED. 
 
 149
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 born deaf and dumb, were it only to learn grammar pro- 
 perly! " Sir Sidney Smith was present at this lecture and 
 seemed inclined to make himself a little too conspicuous. 
 For instance, before the examination began, he seated 
 himself close by the Abbe S[icard] and pulling a paper out 
 of his pocket said that he had found it on the ground on his 
 way hither; and that it was part of a leaf from an edition of 
 Cicero which contained a sentence so applicable to the 
 character and talents of his friend the Abbe, that he re- 
 quested permission to read it aloud and translate it into 
 French for the benefit of those who did not understand 
 Latin. He then read the sentence. The Abbe, not to be out- 
 done in compliments, then rose and made a most flaming 
 speech in eulogium of his friend " the heroic defender of St 
 John d'Acre " and pointed him out to the audience as the 
 first person who had foiled the arms of the " Usurper." 
 
 Now this word " Usurper " applied to Napoleon did not 
 at all please the audience, and it shewed a great deal of 
 servility on the part of the Abbe to insult fallen greatness, 
 and in the person too of a man who had rendered such vast 
 services to science. In fact this episode was received coldly, 
 and somewhat impatiently by the audience; and many 
 thought it was a thing got up between the Admiral and the 
 Abb6 to flatter each other's vanity; indeed my friend Mrs 
 Wallis, next to whom I was placed, and who does not at all 
 agree with the gallant Admiral in politics, intimated this in 
 a whisper, loud enough to be heard by all the audience and 
 added: " Such a humbug is enough to make one sick." Sir 
 Sidney Smith heard all this and seemed a good deal abashed 
 and disconcerted; he, however, had the good sense to say 
 nothing, and the examination began. 
 
 PARIS, May 5th. 
 
 I formed a party with some friends to visit the cimitery 
 
 of Pere la Chaise. We remarked in particular the places 
 
 where poor Labedoyere and Marshal Ney are buried. There 
 
 is no tombstone on the former, but some shrubs have been 
 
 150
 
 THE DIDIER CONSPIRACY 
 
 planted, and a black wooden cross fixed to denote the 
 spot where he lies. 
 
 To Marshal Ney there is a stone sepulchre with this 
 inscription : "Cy-git le Marechal Ney, Prince de la Moskowa." 
 This cimitery is most beautifully laid out. The multitude 
 of tombs, the variety of inscriptions in prose and verse, some 
 of which are very affecting, the yews, the willows, all render 
 this a delightful spot for contemplation; it commands an 
 extensive view of Paris and the surrounding country. 
 Foreigners of distinction who die in Paris are generally 
 buried here; but it would require a volume to describe to 
 you in detail this interesting cimitery. I think the practice 
 of strewing flowers over the grave is very touching and 
 classic; it reminded me of the description of Marcellus's 
 death in Virgil : 
 
 .... Manibus date lilia plenis. 
 
 We however strewed over the tombs of Labedoyere and 
 Ney not lilies, but violets, for my friend Mrs W[aLlis], who 
 was of our party, has a great aversion to the lily. 
 
 We have just heard of Didier's capture and execution at 
 Grenoble.* There are continual reports of insurrections and 
 plots, but it is now well known that the most of them are got 
 up by the Ultras to entrap the unwary. The French people 
 seem sunk in apathy and to wish for peace at any rate; 
 nothing but the most extreme provocation will induce them 
 to take up arms; but then, if they once do so, woe to the 
 Chambre Introuvable, as the present Chamber of Deputies 
 is called ; certainly such a set of venal, merciless and ignorant 
 bigots and blockheads never were collected in any assembly. 
 There have occurred several scandalous scenes at Nimes and 
 other places. The Protestants are openly insulted and 
 threatened, and the government is either too weak to pre- 
 vent it, or, as is supposed, secretly encourages those excesses. 
 In fact in Paris there are two polices; the one, that of the 
 
 * Paul Didier (1758-1816) took part in a Bonapartist conspiracyat Lyons 
 in 1816, raised an insurrection in the Isere and fled to Piedmont, whence he 
 was surrendered to the French authorities, condemned to death and executed 
 at Grenoble. ED. 
 
 151
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Government, the other, and by far the most troublesome, 
 that of Monsieur* and the violent Ultra party, or as they 
 are collectively called the Pavilion Marsan.~\ The priests 
 are at work everywhere trumping up old legends, forging 
 communications from the Holy Ghost, receiving letters 
 dropped from heaven by Jesus Christ, and all this is done 
 with the idea of working on fanatical minds, to induce them 
 to commit acts of outrage and violence on those whom the 
 priests designate as enemies to the faith, and on weak ones, 
 with the idea of frightening them into restoring the lands 
 and property which they have purchased or inherited and 
 which formerly belonged to emigrants or to the Church. 
 
 A lady of my acquaintance (to give you an idea of the 
 arts of these holy hypocrites) sent for a priest to confess 
 and to receive absolution, not from any faith in the efficacy 
 of the business, but merely from a desire of conforming to 
 the ceremonies of the national worship. The priest arrived, 
 but began by apologizing to her that he was sorry he could 
 not administer to her the sacrament of absolution; she, 
 surprized, asked the reason ; he answered that it was because 
 her uncle had purchased Church lands, which she inherited, 
 and that unless she could resolve to restore them to the 
 church, he could not think of giving her absolution. The 
 lady was at a loss whether to be indignant at his impudence 
 or to laugh outright at his folly. She however assumed a 
 becoming gravity and sang-froid, and told him that he was 
 very much mistaken if he thought he had got hold of a 
 simpleton or a bigot in her ; that she had sent for him merely 
 with the idea of conforming to the national worship, and 
 not with the most remote persuasion of the necessity or 
 efficacy of his or any other priest's absolution; she added: 
 " Your conduct has opened my eyes as to the views of all 
 your cloth; I see you are incurable. I shall never send for 
 any of you again ; and be assured this anecdote shall not be 
 forgotten. You may retire." The priest, abashed and morti- 
 
 * The King's brother, afterwards Charles X. ED. 
 f The N.E. pavilion of the Tuileries. ED. 
 
 152
 
 FRENCH AND ENGLISH CRIMINAL CODES 
 
 fied in finding himself mistaken in his supposed prey, 
 stammered an excuse and retired. 
 
 I intend to remain at Paris until after the marriage cere- 
 mony of the Duke and Duchess of Berri, and I shall then 
 proceed to Lausanne. It is expected there will be some dis- 
 turbance on the occasion of this marriage. 
 
 I have witnessed an execution by the guillotine on the 
 Place de Greve near the Hotel de Ville. The criminal was 
 guilty of a burglary and murder. It is the only execution 
 (except political ones) that has taken place at Paris for the 
 last six months, whereas in England they are strung up by 
 dozens every fortnight. Independent of there being far less 
 crimes committed in France than in England, the French 
 code punishes but few offences with death. 
 
 Why is not the sanguinary English criminal code with 
 death in every line why is it not reformed, I say? 'T would 
 be well if our legislators, instead of their puerile and frothy 
 declamations against revolutionary principles and the 
 ambition of Napoleon, would occupy themselves seriously 
 with this subject. But then the lawyers would all oppose 
 the simplification of our Code. They find by experience that 
 a complicated one, obstructed by customs, statutes and 
 acts of Parliament, difficult to be correctly interpreted, and 
 frequently at variance with each other, is a much more 
 profitable thing, a much wider and more lucrative field for 
 the exercise of their profession, than the simplicity of the 
 Code Napoleon ; and they would die of rage and despair at 
 the thought of anybody not a lawyer being able to interpret 
 the laws himself. Now as our country gentlemen and 
 members of Parliament are always much inclined to take 
 lawyer's advice, and are besides fully persuaded and con- 
 vinced that there are no abuses whatever in England and 
 that everything is as it should be, there is no hope of any 
 amelioration in this particular. All reasoning and argument 
 is lost on such political optimists. 
 
 The punishment of the guillotine certainly appears to be 
 the most humane mode of terminating the existence of a 
 
 153
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 man that could possibly be invented. The apparatus is pre- 
 served in the Hotel de Ville, and is never exposed to view or 
 erected on the place of execution, till about an hour before 
 the execution itself takes place. At the hour appointed the 
 criminal is brought to the scaffold, fastened to the board, 
 placed at right angles with the fatal instrument, the head 
 protruding thro' the groove, which embraces the neck; 
 the executioner pulls a cord, the axe descends and the head 
 of the criminal falls into a basket. The whole ceremony of 
 the execution does not take three minutes when the criminal 
 once arrives at the foot of the guillotine. There is none of 
 that horrible struggling that takes place in the operation 
 of hanging. 
 
 June 21st, 1816. 
 
 The ceremony of the marriage of the Duke and Duchess 
 of Berri passed off quietly enough. Several people, it is 
 true, were arrested for seditious expressions, but no tumult 
 occurred. A great apprehension seemed to prevail lest 
 something should occur, but the gendarmerie and police 
 were so vigilant that all projects, had there been any, 
 would have proved abortive. 
 
 154
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Journey from Paris to Lausanne Besan9on French refugees in Lausanne 
 Francois Lamarque General Espinassy Bordas Gautier Michau 
 M. de Laharpe Mile Michaud Levade, a Protestant minister Chambery 
 Aix Details about M. de Boigne's career in India English Toryism and 
 intolerance Valley of Maurienne Passage across Mont Cenis and arrival 
 at Suza Turin. 
 
 LAUSANNE, July 8th. 
 
 DEPARTING from Paris on the 24th June, 1816, I varied 
 my journey into Switzerland this time, for instead of 
 travelling thro' Lyons or Dole, I took the route of 
 Besan9on, Pontarlier, Jougne and Orbe. The country 
 between Dijon and Besanon is a rich and fertile plain. 
 At Besanon the mountainous country begins; it is a 
 strong fortress, and the last considerable town of the 
 French frontier. It lies in a very picturesque situation, 
 being nearly environed by the Doubs, which meanders 
 under its walls, and by very lofty mountains ; on the other 
 side of the Doubs stands the citadel, its chief strength. The 
 town of Besan9on is exceedingly handsome and well built, 
 and there are several agreeable promenades, two of which 
 I must particularize, viz., the promenade de Chamarre and 
 the garden of the Palace of Granvelle. There are besides 
 several Roman antiquities and the remains of a large 
 amphitheatre. I amused myself very well for a couple of 
 days at Besanon, and met with some agreeable society at 
 the Hotel de France where I lodged. I left Besan9on at 
 eight in the morning of the 30th June, and arrived at 
 Pontarlier at six the same evening. Pontarlier is a dreary, 
 melancholy looking place, consisting of a very long street 
 and several offsets of streets, situated in the midst of 
 mountains, eternally covered with snow. Winter reigns here 
 during nine months of the year. At Pontarlier the whole 
 garrison were under arms, when I arrived, to pay the last 
 duties to a most respectable and respected officer, whose 
 
 155
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 death was occasioned by falling into the river, while at the 
 necessary, by the under board giving way. This officer had 
 served in almost all the campaigns of Napoleon and had 
 greatly distinguished himself. What a cruel death for a 
 warrior who had been in fifty battles! That death should 
 have shunned him in the field of battle, to make him fall 
 in a manner at once inglorious and ridiculous! yet such is 
 destiny. Pyrrhus fell by a tile flung from a house by an old 
 woman, and I am acquainted with a gallant captain in the 
 British Navy who lost his leg by amputation, having broken 
 it (oh horror!) by a fall from the top of a stage coach. 
 
 I left Pontarlier on the 2d July, and arrived at Lausanne 
 the same evening at five o'clock. On my return to Lausanne 
 I had the pleasure to form an acquaintance with several 
 eminent Frenchmen proscribed and banished from France, 
 on account of having voted the death of Louis XVI, as 
 members of the National Convention, which tried him, and 
 for having voted, after the return of Napoleon from Elba, 
 the Acte additionnel, which excluded the Bourbons for ever 
 from the throne of France. Among them are, 1st, Mon- 
 sieur Lamarque, who was one of the commissioners sent by 
 the Convention to arrest Dumouriez, but being seized by 
 him, and delivered over to the Austrians, he passed some 
 time in captivity and was at length released, by being 
 exchanged with some others against the Duchess d'Angou- 
 leme.* He is a very able man and seems to have far more 
 political talent than any of the other Conventionnels who 
 are here. On Napoleon's return from Elba he voted for him, 
 but made strong objections against the formation of a 
 peerage, which he said was perfectly useless in France, and 
 pregnant with mischief to boot, as it would only serve as 
 an appui to despotism. He wrote a pamphlet with some 
 excellent remarks on this subject. He therein points out 
 the evils of an hereditary Chamber, and of a priviledged aris- 
 tocracy, who have nothing to expect from the people, but 
 
 * Francis Lamarque, born 1756, a member of the Convention, ambas- 
 sador in Sweden, prefect of the Tarn and member of the Cour de Cassation 
 (1804). He was exiled in 1816. ED. 
 
 156
 
 SOME BANISHED CONVENTIONNELS 
 
 all from the Prince ; and in its stead he proposes an addi- 
 tional elective Chamber, something on the plan of the 
 Senate in America, but he decidedly reprobates an heredi- 
 tary peerage. 
 
 The next is General Espinassy, a very good classical 
 scholar and a most upright and amiable man.* In his vote 
 he was solely influenced by strong but conscienscious 
 republican principles; he resides here with his wife and 
 two sons; he was considered as one of the best engineer 
 officers in France and he opposed the nomination of Napo- 
 leon to the Imperial dignity in 1804. 
 
 Another, M. Bordas,t opposed Napoleon's assumption 
 of the Consulship on the 18th Brumaire, and was proscribed 
 by him for a short time, but afterwards amnestied and 
 received into favour. He gave his vote for Napoleon on 
 the Champ de Mai in 1815, but accompanied this vote by a 
 bold speech towards Napoleon wherein he found fault with 
 his former despotic practises, and reminded him of the 
 solemnity of his promise to govern in future paternally and 
 nationally, as became the sovereign of a free people. 
 M. Bordas is a very cheerful, lively, companionable man 
 and tho' seventy years of age, he has an uncommon share 
 of vivacity, with something of the ci-devant jeune homme 
 about him, and he is pleased to be considerd still as a 
 man a bonnes fortunes. 
 
 The next to him is M. Gauthier, who had been a lawyer, 
 and held a considerable post as a magistrate in the time of 
 the Republic and under the Empire. He possesses a good 
 
 * Major Frye (who wrote the name Despinassy) certainly means Antoine- 
 Joseph Marie Espinassy de Fontanelles (1787-1829), who was a member of 
 the Convention, voted the King's death and served in the Republican 
 army of the Alps. In 1816, he was banished and went to Lausanne, where 
 he died 1829. ED. 
 
 f Pardoux Bordas (1748-1842) was a member of the Convention. 
 Though he had not voted the death of Louis XVI, he was banished from 
 France in 1816 and did not return there before 1828. ED. 
 
 I Antoine Franois Gauthier des Orcieres (1752-1838) was elected to the 
 Etats Generaux in 1789, and, in 1792, to the Convention, where he voted the _ 
 death of Louis XVI. Later on, he was member of the Conseil des Anciens, 
 juge au tribunal de la Seine and conseiller a la cour imperiale de Paris (1815). 
 Banished in 1816, he returned to France in 1828. 
 
 157
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 deal of talent, close logical reasoning, and has determined 
 public principle. 
 
 The next, M. Michaud, had been also an advocate, and 
 is possessor of considerable property in the department 
 of the Doubs;* he is a most rigid unbending republican, 
 something in the style of Verrina in Schiller's Fiesco; he 
 opposed the assumption of the supreme power by Buona- 
 parte on the 18th Brumaire; he voted against the Consul- 
 ship for life, as well as against the assumption of the 
 Imperial dignity. He is a very good classical scholar. He is 
 a widower and has with him here Mile Elisa, his only 
 daughter, who follows her father's fortunes. She is a very 
 amiable and accomplished young lady; she has a thorough 
 knowledge of music and of painting in oils, and is classically 
 versed in the Italian language. I soon became acquainted 
 with the whole of these illustrious exiles, and I find great 
 delight and instruction from their conversation ; and this is 
 a great relief to me, for the life one leads in a Swiss town 
 is rather monotonous. 
 
 LAUSANNE. 
 
 I dine very often with my neighbour the Baron de 
 Falkenskioeld, and at his house I became acquainted with 
 M. de Laharpe, who was preceptor to the present Emperor 
 of Russia. He is a native of this Canton, and has returned 
 here to pass the remainder of his life. He is married to a 
 very amiable Russian lady, and having acquired a pretty 
 good fortune in Russia, he lives here very happily and 
 comfortably; but notwithstanding this, he is often tempted 
 to visit Paris, Milan and other great cities, and when there, 
 sighs to return to his native mountains. 
 
 As the Ultras of France bear a great hatred towards the 
 inhabitants of the Canton de Vaud, on account of the 
 asylum given and sympathy shown to the proscrits, they 
 have been at the pains of trumping up and printing a pre- 
 tended petition from the inhabitants of the department of 
 
 * Jean Baptiste Michaud, a member of the Directoire du departement du 
 Doubs, and a member of the National Convention, voted the death of 
 Louis XVI and against the proposed appeal to the people. ED. 
 
 158
 
 INTRIGUES AGAINST FRENCH EXILES 
 
 the Doubs, praying that the French Government would 
 endeavor to obtain the removal of these proscrits from the 
 Canton de Vaud, and stating that the said Canton was the 
 foyer of Jacobinical principles, and the place where Napo- 
 leon's return from Elba was planned and accelerated, and 
 thro' which the conveyance of intelligence backwards 
 and forwards was conducted. I have no doubt that in this 
 petition more is meant than meets the ear; that the 
 Oligarchs of Bern, as well as the Ultras of France, have a 
 share in it, and that it may be considered not so much as an 
 attempt to compel the Canton to refuse asylum to these 
 exiles, as to excite the Great Powers to enforce the aboli- 
 tion of the independance of Vaud, and to replace it under 
 the dominion and authority of the Canton of Bern. 
 
 Everybody here, however, sees thro' the drift of this 
 petition, and many persons whose names are put down as 
 having signed it, have written to their friends at Lausanne, 
 to declare not only that they never signed such a petition, 
 but their entire ignorance even of the agitation of the 
 question till they saw the petition itself in print. The French 
 government, however, has not ventured to act any further 
 upon it, than to make a pompous display of the royalist 
 zeal and bon esprit that pervades the Department of the 
 Doubs. 
 
 I see a good deal of Mile Michaud. I find her conversation 
 extremely agreeable. She had lent to me an Italian work 
 by Verri entitled Le notti Romane al sepolcro di Scipione. 
 She is a very rigid Catholic, having been educated by a 
 priest of very strict ideas. Her devotion however does 
 not render her less cheerful or less amiable. She having 
 expressed a wish to hear the Protestant church service, I 
 offered to accompany her and we went together one 
 Sunday to the Cathedral Church at Lausanne. But it unfor- 
 tunately happened that on that day a sermon was preached 
 which must have given a great deal of pain to her filial 
 feelings. Mr Levade, the minister, took it into his head to 
 give a political sermon, hi which, after a great deal of 
 
 159
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 commonplace abuse of Voltaire, Rousseau and the French 
 Revolution, and very fulsome adulation towards the 
 English government (a subject which was brought in by 
 the head and shoulders), of that island (as he termed it) 
 surrounded by the Ocean, he lavished a great deal of still 
 more fulsome adulation on the Bourbons; and then most 
 wantonly and unnecessarily began a furious declamation 
 against the regicides as he termed them, who had taken 
 refuge in the Canton, and intimated pretty plainly how 
 pleasing it would be to God Almighty that they should be 
 expelled from it. This intolerant discourse, more worthy of 
 a raving Jesuit than of a Protestant minister, was deser- 
 vedly scouted by the inhabitants of Lausanne ; but this did 
 not hinder poor Mile Michaud from being much affected at 
 the opprobrious tirade directed against a set of men, 
 among whom her father bore a conspicuous part, and who 
 acted from patriotic motives. I must not omit to state that 
 in this discourse M. Levade interwove some hyperbolical 
 compliments towards the young Prince of Sweden, who 
 attended the service that morning. He told him that the 
 eyes of all Europe were fixed upon him, and that Providence 
 had him under his especial care. 
 
 Now the following is the character of M. Levade.* He 
 is a time-serving, meddling priest, and a most flagrant 
 adulator of the powers that be. He thinks that by declaiming 
 against the French Revolution, and against Voltaire and 
 Rousseau, that he will get into favor with the great 
 people who pass thro' Lausanne, with the French and 
 English Government adherents, and with the great Tory 
 families of England. No considerable personage ever passes 
 through Lausanne, but Mr Levade is the first to make him 
 a visit; and no rich or noble English family arrives with 
 whom he does not ingratiate himself, and he is not sparing 
 of his adulations. This mode of procedure has been a very 
 profitable concern to him, as he has received a vast number 
 
 * Jean Daniel Paul Etienne Levade (1750-1834), Protestant minister first 
 in England, then in Amsterdam, finally minister at Lausanne and professor 
 of theology at the Acad&nie of the same town. ED. 
 160
 
 LEVADE, PROTESTANT CLERGYMAN 
 
 of presents, and several valuable legacies, besides securing 
 a number of pupils among the English families, that come 
 or that have been here. He is in short a thorough parasite 
 and time server, in every sense of the word. This adulation 
 of the Bourbon family in his sermon, besides the meanness 
 of it, was highly misplaced, coming from the mouth of a 
 Protestant minister, and somebody exclaimed on leaving 
 the Church: " Que doit-on penser d'un ministre protestant 
 du Canton de Vaud, qui prodigue des louanges d une famille 
 qui a Hi Vennemie acharnee de VEglise reformee, et qui a per- 
 secute les protestans d'une maniere si atroce?" But Mr 
 Levade (tho' to the honor of the clergymen of the Can- 
 ton de Vaud he is singular among them), yet he has many 
 persons who perfectly resemble him among the members 
 of the Church of England, and who are as eager to support 
 despotism and to crush liberty as any disciple of Loyola or 
 any Janissary of the Grand Signor. The other Protestant 
 ministers of this Canton were highly indignant at this ser- 
 mon; in fact, it was the first time in this city that the House 
 of God had been profaned by the introduction of political 
 subjects into a religious discourse. This sermon was the 
 common topic of conversation for many days after. 
 
 CHAMBERY, 2d August. 
 
 I left Lausanne for Geneva on 28 July. I stopped at 
 Nyon to pay a visit to Mme Duthon, with whom I became 
 acquainted at Paris. I dined with her and passed a 
 most agreeable day. Her talents are of the first order, 
 and she is as great an enthusiast for the German lan- 
 guage and litterature as myself, besides being well versed in 
 Italian. She had a female relation with her. We took a boat 
 after dinner to navigate the lake, and we visited the Chateau 
 and domaine of Joseph Napoleon. The next day I proceeded 
 to Geneva. 
 
 I determined on making the journey into Italy this time 
 by Mont-Cenis, and to make it on foot as far as the foot of 
 Mont-Cenis on the Italian side, intending to profit of the 
 M 161
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 opportunity of the first conveyance I should meet with at 
 Suza to proceed to Turin. I accordingly forwarded my port- 
 manteau to Turin to the care of a banker there, and sallied 
 forth from Geneva at six o'clock on the morning of 1st August. 
 I stopped to dine at Frangy and reached Romilly at seven 
 in the evening. There is nothing worthy of remark at 
 Romilly. The next morning I stopped at Aix to breakfast, 
 and visited the bath establishment. The scenery is pic- 
 turesque on this route, and the whole road from Aix to 
 Chambery is aligned with remarkably fine large trees. At 
 three in the afternoon I arrived at Chambery, the capital 
 of Savoy. It is a large handsome city, situated in a fruitful 
 valley, with a great many gardens and orchards surround- 
 ing it. There is a strong garrison here. Among the many 
 maisons de plaisance in the environs of this city, the most 
 distinguishable is the villa of General De Boigne, who has 
 passed the greatest part of his life in India, in the service of 
 Scindiah, one of the Mahratta chiefs;* and it was by De 
 Boigne's assistance that Scindiah, from being a petty chief, 
 with not more than three or four hundred horse, became 
 the founder of a powerful kingdom, comprized chiefly of 
 the provinces of the Ganges and Jumna, torn from the 
 Mogol Empire, whose Sovereign fell into the hands of 
 Scindiah. Scindiah caused the Mogol Emperor's eyes to be 
 put out, and kept him as a state prisoner in Delhi, till the 
 year 1805, when on the Mahrattas engaging in war with 
 the English, Scindiah was defeated by Lake and lost the 
 greater part of his conquests. De Boigne had quitted India 
 in 1796, long before this rupture took place, and at that 
 time Scindiah had a fine regular army of thirty battalions 
 of 1,000 men, each disciplined, armed and equipped in the 
 European manner. He had likewise sixty squadrons of 
 regular cavalry and a formidable train of artillery. At 
 Chamb6ry I met with two French voyageurs de commerce, who 
 
 * Countess de Boigne, in her interesting Memoirs (of which there is 
 an English translation) abstained from describing her husband's career in 
 India; this lends additional interest to the information collected by Major 
 Frye. ED- 
 162
 
 DEFENCE OF GENERAL DE BOIGNE 
 
 with that positiveness, which is often the national charac- 
 teristic, insisted that De Boigne owed his riches and fortune 
 to his treachery, in having betrayed and sold Tippoo Saib 
 to the English, when he was in Tippoo's service; and I find 
 this is the current report all over Savoy. 
 
 Now it is an accusation totally devoid of foundation, as 
 I shall presently show; and I took this opportunity of vin- 
 dicating the reputation of De Boigne, by simply stating 
 that De Boigne could never have betrayd Tippoo, since he 
 was never in his service; 2dly, that he had, when in the 
 service of Scindiah, fought against Tippoo, when the 
 Mahrattas coalesced with the English against that Prince 
 in 1792; and that had it not been for the assistance given 
 by the Mahrattas to the English (a most impolitic coalition 
 on the part of the Mahrattas, as it turned out afterwards), 
 Tippoo would not have been compelled to conclude so 
 humiliating a treaty of peace; 3dly, that De Boigne had 
 quitted India in 1796, three years before the second war and 
 death of Tippoo hi 1799. I stated, too, that I was perfectly 
 well acquainted with these particulars of De Boigne's 
 career, from having served six years in India, and from 
 having been personally acquainted with a gentleman of the 
 name of Lucius Ferdinand Smith, who was the intimate 
 friend of De Boigne and his lieutenant general in the service 
 of Scindiah; I added that I could not conceive how so unjust 
 and unfounded an^aspersion on De Boigne's character could 
 find currency. 
 
 I hope that what I said will be effectual towards doing 
 away this injurious report; but very probably it will not, for 
 when the vulgar once imbibe an opinion, it is difficult to 
 eradicate it from their minds, and they are not at all 
 obliged to the person who endeavors to undeceive them, 
 so that General De Boigne's treachery and sale of Tippoo to 
 the English will be handed down to posterity among the 
 Savoyards, as a fact of which it will be as little permitted 
 to doubt as of the treacherv of Judas. 
 
 M2 163
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 CHAMBRY, August 3d. 
 
 At the table d'hote this day I nearly lost all patience on 
 hearing an elderly English gentleman extolling the English 
 Ministry to the skies, and abusing the army of the Loire, 
 calling them rebels and traitors. I stood up in defence of 
 these gallant men, and stated that the French Army in the 
 time of the Republic and of the Empire were the most 
 constitutional of all the European armies, since they were 
 taken from and identified with the people; and that it was 
 this brotherly feeling for their fellow citizens that induced 
 them to join the standards of Napoleon, on his return from 
 Elba; that they only followed the voice of the nation; that 
 all France was indignant at the tergiversation and breach 
 of faith on the part of the restored Government, in a variety 
 of instances ; and that, had Napoleon and the army been 
 out of the question, the Bourbons would not have failed to 
 be upset, from the indignation their measures had excited 
 among the people. He then said that the Army of the Loire 
 was a most dangerous body of men, and that that was the 
 reason why the Allies insisted on their being disbanded. I 
 replied that this was the highest compliment he could pay 
 them, and the greatest feather in their cap, since it went to 
 prove, that as long as this Army was in existence, neither 
 the crowned despots, nor the Ultras thought themselves 
 safe; and that they could not venture to pursue their anti- 
 national projects, which were all directed towards depriving 
 the French people of all they had gained by the Revolu- 
 tion and bringing them back to the blessings of the ancient 
 regime. He could say nothing in reply, but that he feared I 
 had Jacobin principles, to which I made rejoinder: " If 
 these be Jacobin principles, I glory in them." Some Sar- 
 dinian officers, who were present, seemed to enjoy my 
 argument, tho' they said nothing; and one took me 
 aside, when we quitted the table, and said he rejoiced to see 
 me take the old man in hand, as he disgusted them every day 
 by his tirades against the liberal party, and by his ful- 
 some adulations of the British Government. The old gentle- 
 164
 
 THE VALLEY OF MAURIENNE 
 
 man held forth likewise in a long speech respecting the 
 finances of England, in praise of the sinking fund, and when 
 it was suggested to him that England from the immense 
 national debt must one day become bankrupt : ** Non, 
 Monsieur," (he said), " la Caisse d' ' Amortissement empechera 
 cela." In fine, the Caisse d' Amortissement was to work 
 miracles. I replied that the principle of the Caisse d' Amor- 
 tissement was good, provided a constant and consistent 
 economy were practised; but that at present and during the 
 whole time from its establishment, it had been a mockery on 
 the understanding of the Nation, when we reflected on the 
 profligate expenditure of public money, occasioned by the 
 ruinous, unjust and liberticide wars, which were entered 
 into and fomented by the British Government. Indeed, I 
 said it was like the conduct of a man who possessing an 
 income of 200 per annum, should set apart, in a box as a 
 Caisse d'epargne, 20 annually, and at the same time con- 
 tinue a style of living, the annual expence of which would 
 so far exceed his income, as to oblige him to borrow 7 
 or 800 every year. The old gentleman was all amort at this 
 comparison, which must be obvious to every one. Nothing 
 shows in a more glaring light the blind and superstitious 
 reverence paid to great names; for because this sinking fund 
 was proposed by Pitt, all his adherents extol it to the skies, 
 without analysing it, and give him besides the credit of an 
 invention to which he had no right whatever. 
 
 ST JEAN DE MAURIENNE. 
 
 I started from Chambery on the morning of the fourth of 
 August, and stopped at Montmelian to breakfast. Here 
 begins the valley of Maurienne, and as this valley, along 
 which the road is cut, is extremely narrow, being hemmed 
 in on each side by the High Alps, Montmelian, which stands 
 on an eminence in the centre of the valley (the road running 
 thro' the town), must be a post of the utmost importance 
 towards the defence of this pass. It was a fortified place of 
 great consideration in the former wars, and if the fortifica- 
 
 165
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 tions were repaired and improved, it might be made almost 
 impregnable, as it would enfilade the road on each side. 
 From the above-mentioned features of the ground, the 
 valley narrowing more and more as you proceed, from the 
 high mountains that align it and from its sinuosities, it 
 follows that at every angle or curve caused by these 
 sinuosities, you appear as if you were shut out from all the 
 rest of the world and could proceed no further. The river 
 Isere runs thro' and parallel with this valley. It rises in 
 the mountains of Savoy and falls into the Rhone in Dau- 
 phine. I passed the night at Aiguebelle. 
 
 From Aiguebelle to St Jean de Maurienne is twelve 
 leagues, and I found myself so tired with walking, and my 
 legs from being swelled gave me so much pain, that I deter- 
 mined to give up the gloriole of making the whole journey 
 on foot as I intended and to remain here for two days to 
 repose and then profit by the first conveyance that might 
 pass to conduct me to Turin. 
 
 From Aiguebelle the valley becomes still more narrow, 
 and there is a continual ascent, tho' it is so gentle as 
 scarcely to be perceptible. Every spot of ground in this 
 valley, which will admit of cultivation, is put to profit by 
 the industry of the inhabitants. Here one sees beans, 
 indian corn, and even wines; for the heat is very great 
 indeed in summer and autumn, owing to the rays of the sun 
 being concentrated, as it were, into a focus, in this narrow 
 valley, and were the bed of the Isere to be deepened, or were 
 it less liable to overflow, from the melting of the snow in 
 spring and summer, much land, which is now a marsh, 
 might be applied to agricultural purposes. The inhabitants 
 of this valley regret very much the separation of Savoy 
 from France, as during the time that Duchy was annexed to 
 the French Empire, each peasant possessing an ass could 
 earn three franks per diem in transporting merchandise 
 across Mont-Cenis. St Jean de Maurienne is a neat little 
 town. I put up at the same inn, and slept in the same bed- 
 room which was occupied by poor Didier who was put to 
 166
 
 THE ASCENT OF MONT CENIS 
 
 death at Grenoble for having raised the standard of liberty. 
 He was surprized here in bed by the Carabinieri Reali of the 
 Sardinian government, those satellites of despotism; and 
 according to the barbarous principles laid down by the 
 crowned heads, delivered over to the French authorities. 
 I observed a great many cretins in this valley. 
 
 SUZA, 10th August. 
 
 On the morning of the 8th August two vetturini passed 
 by the inn at St Jean de Maurienne, and I engaged a place 
 in one of them, as far as Turin. We arrived at the village of 
 Modena in the evening. The landscape is much the same as 
 what we have hitherto passed, but the climate is consider- 
 ably colder, from the land being more elevated. Hitherto I 
 had suffered much inconvenience from the heat. The next 
 morning we reached Lans-le-Bourg, the last town of Savoy 
 lying at the foot of Mount Cenis. 
 
 After breakfast we began the ascent of Mont Cenis, and I 
 made the whole way from Lans-le-Bourg to the Hospice of 
 Mont Cenis, that is, the whole ascent, a distance of twenty- 
 five Italian miles, on foot. This chaussee is another wonder- 
 ful piece of work of Napoleon; a broad carriage road, wide 
 enough for three carriages to go abreast, and cut zig-zag 
 with so gentle a slope as to allow a heavy French diligence 
 to pass, with the utmost ease, across a mountain where it 
 was formerly thought impossible a wheel could ever run. 
 This chaussee is passable at all seasons of the year; the 
 mountain is not so high as that of the Simplon and is less 
 liable to impediments from the snow; the obstacles from 
 nature are less, and you can descend in a sledge from the 
 Hospice by gliding down the side of the cone, and thus 
 descending in nine or ten minutes, whereas the ascent 
 requires four hours' time. From Lans-le-Bourg to the 
 Hospice on Mont-Cenis the road is on the flank of an 
 immense mountain and you have no ravines to cross; the 
 road is cut zig-zag on the flank of the mountain and forms 
 a considerable number of very acute angles, as it is made 
 
 167
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 with so gentle a slope that you scarcely feel the difficulty 
 of the ascent. These repeated zig-zags and acute angles 
 formed by the road, and the very slight slope given to the 
 ascent, make the different branches appear to be almost 
 parallel to each other, and it is a very curious and novel 
 sight when a number of carriages are travelling together on 
 this road to see them with their horses' heads turned dif- 
 ferent ways, yet all following the same course, just like 
 ships on different tacks beating against the wind to arrive 
 at the same port, a comparison that could not fail imme- 
 diately to occur to a sailor. There is scarcely ever any deten- 
 tion on this road from the fall of snow, as there are a con- 
 siderable number of persons employed to deblay it as soon 
 as it falls; but here, as well as on the Simplon, there are 
 maisons de refuge at a short distance from each other. We 
 stopped for two hours at the inn at Mont-Cenis, which is 
 about one hundred yards from the Hospice. It was a re- 
 markable fine day, and I enjoyed my walk very much. The 
 mountain air was keen and bracing and particularly 
 delightful after being shut up for some many days in the 
 close valley. We had some excellent trout for dinner. At 
 Mont-Cenis, near the Hospice, is a large lake which is frozen 
 during eight months of the year. Here reigns eternal winter 
 and the mountains are covered with snows that never melt. 
 From Mont-Cenis to Suza the descent is very grand and 
 striking, and the scenery resembles that of the Simplon; 
 there are more obstacles of nature than on the former part 
 of the road, and here ravines are connected by the means 
 of bridges, and there are subterraneous galleries to pass 
 thro. Several chutes d'eau are here observable; one of 
 them I cannot avoid mentioning, as being very magnifi- 
 cent. It is formed by the Cenischia* which divides Savoy 
 from Piedmont and runs into the Dora at Suza. We were 
 highly gratified at the sight of the sublime scenery on all 
 sides, and at the magnificent chaussle, and we all (I mean 
 the passengers in the two coaches and myself) did homage 
 
 * The manuscript has Sennar, a name quite unknown at Suza. ED. 
 
 168
 
 FROM SUZA TO TURIN 
 
 to the mighty genius who conceived and caused to be 
 executed such a stupendous work. We arrived at Suza at 
 six o'clock p.m. 
 
 TURIN, 13th August. 
 
 Suza is a tolerably large town and has a neat appear- 
 ance. It is commanded and defended by the fort of Brunetti, 
 now dismantled, but which is to be repaired according to 
 the treaty of 1815. It will then be a very important post 
 and completely ban* the pass of Suza. The road from Suza 
 to Rivoli is thro' a valley widening at every step; at 
 Rivoli you debouche at once from the gorge of the mountain 
 into a boundless plain. The road is then on a magnificent 
 chausste the whole way to Turin, and every vegetable pro- 
 duction announces a change of climate to those coming 
 from Savoy. Here are fields of wheat, indian corn, mulberry 
 and elm trees and vines hung in festoons from tree to tree, 
 which give a most picturesque appearance to the landscape, 
 and, together with the country houses, serve as a relief to 
 the boundless plain. The chaussie is lined with trees on each 
 side the whole way from Rivoli to Turin. I observed among 
 carriages of all sorts small cars, like those used by children, 
 drawn by dogs. These cars contain one person each. They 
 are frequent in this part of the country, and such a con- 
 veyance is called a cagnolino. The Convent of St Michael, 
 situated on an immense height to the right of the road 
 between Suza and Rivoli, is a very striking object. The 
 mountain forms a single cone and it appears impossible 
 to reach the summit except on the back of a Hippogriff: 
 
 E ben appar che d 'animal ch'abbia ale 
 Sia questa stanza nido e tana propria.* 
 
 * The castle seemed the very nest and lair 
 Of animal, supplied with plume and quill. 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 TURIN, 14 August. 
 
 Turin is a large, extremely fine and regular city, with all 
 the streets built at right angles. The shops are very brilliant; 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, iv, 13, 5. ED. 
 
 169
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the two Places, the Piazza del Castello and the Piazza di 
 San Carlo, are very spacious and striking, and there are 
 arcades on each side of the quadrangle formed by them. 
 The Contrada del Po (for in Turin the streets are called 
 Contrade) leads down to the Po, and is one of the best 
 streets in Turin. Over the Po is a superb bridge built by 
 Napoleon. In the centre of the Piazza del Castello stands 
 the Royal Palace, and on one side of the Piazza the Grand 
 Opera house. The streets in Turin are kept clean by sluices. 
 The favorite promenades are, during the day, under the 
 arcades of the Piazza del Castello and those of the Contrada 
 del Po; and in the evening round the ramparts of the city, 
 or rather on the site where the ramparts stood. The 
 French, on blowing up the ramparts, laid out the space 
 occupied by them in walks aligned by trees. The fortifi- 
 cations of the citadel were likewise destroyed. 
 
 In the Cathedral Church here the most remarkable thing 
 is the Chapelle du Saint Suaire (holy winding sheet). It is 
 of a circular form, is inlaid with black marble and admits 
 scarce any light; so that it has more the appearance of a 
 Mausoleum than of a Chapel. It reminded me of the Palace 
 of Tears in the Arabian Nights. 
 
 In the environs of Turin, the most remarkable buildings 
 are a villa belonging to the King called La Venezia, and the 
 Superga, a magnificent church built on an eminence, five 
 miles distant from Turin. In the Royal Palace, on the 
 Piazza del Castello, there is some superb furniture, but the 
 exterior is simple enough. The country environing Turin 
 forms a plain with gentle undulations, increasing in eleva- 
 tion towards the Alps, which are forty miles distant, and is 
 so stocked with villas, gardens and orchards as to form a very 
 agreeable landscape. From the steeple of the Superga the 
 view is very fine. 
 
 In the University of Turin is a very good Cabinet d'His- 
 
 toire naturelle, containing a great variety of beasts, birds 
 
 and fishes stuffed and preserved; there is also a Cabinet of 
 
 Comparative Anatomy, and various imitations in wax of 
 
 170
 
 ANTIQUITIES AT TURIN 
 
 anatomical dissections. Among the antiquities, of which there 
 is a most valuable collection, are two very remarkable ones : 
 the one a beautiful bronze shield, found in the Po, called the 
 shield of Marius ; it represents, in figures in bas-relief, the 
 history of the Jugurthine war.* This shield is of the most 
 exquisite workmanship. The other is a table of the most 
 beautiful black marble mcrusted and inlaid with figures 
 and hieroglyphics of silver. It is called the Table of Isis, was 
 brought from Egypt and is supposed to be of the most 
 remote antiquity. It is always kept polished. Among the 
 many valuable pieces of sculpture to be met with here is a 
 most lovely Cupid in Parian marble. He is represented 
 sleeping on a lion's skin. It is the most beautiful piece of 
 sculpture I have ever seen next to the Apollo Belvedere 
 and the Venus dei Medici; it appears alive, and as if the 
 least noise would awake it.t 
 
 Turin used to be in the olden time one of the most 
 brilliant Courts and cities in Europe, and the most abound- 
 ing in splendid equipages; now very few are to be seen. 
 When Piedmont was torn from the domination of the House 
 of Savoy and annexed to France, Turin, ceasing to be the 
 capital of a Kingdom, necessarily decayed in splendor, nor 
 did its being made the Chef lieu of a Prefecture of the French 
 Empire make amends for what it once was. The Restoration 
 arrived, but has not been able to reanimate it; an air of 
 dullness pervades the whole city. Obscurantism and anti- 
 liberal ideas are the order of the day. 
 
 I witnessed a military review at which the King of Sar- 
 dinia assisted. The troops made a very brilliant appearance 
 and manceuvred well. His Majesty has a very good seat on 
 horseback and a distinguishd military air. He is a man of 
 honor tho' he has rather too high notions of the royal 
 dignity and authority, and is too much of a bigot in reli- 
 gion; but his word can be depended on, a great point in a 
 
 * This shield, now at the Armeria Reale, is not antique, but is ascribed 
 to Benvenuto Cellini. ED. 
 
 f This statue of Cupid is not antique, and has been recently ascribed to 
 Michelangelo (Knapp, Michelangelo, p. 155.) ED. 
 
 171
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 King; there are so many of them that break theirs and 
 falsify all their promises. He will not hear of a constitution, 
 and endeavors to abolish or discountenance all that has 
 been effected during his absence. The priests are caressed 
 and restored to their privileges, so that the inhabitants of 
 Piedmont are exposed to a double despotism, a military and 
 a sacerdotal one ; the last is ten times more ruinous and fatal 
 to liberty and improvement than the former. 
 
 I have put up in Turin in the Pension Suisse, where for 
 seven franks per diem I have breakfast, dinner, supper and 
 a princely bed room. The houses are in general lofty, spa- 
 cious and on a grand scale. 
 
 172
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Journey from Turin to Bologna Asti Schiller and Alfieri Italian cuisine 
 The vetturini Marengo Piacenza The Trebbia Parma The Empress 
 Maria Louisa Modena Bologna The University The Marescalchi 
 Gallery Character of the Bolognese. 
 
 August 1816 
 
 'TWAS on a fine morning the 16th August that I took my 
 departure from Turin with a vetturino bound to 
 Bologna. I agreed to pay him sixty francs for my place 
 in the coach, supper and bed. When this stipulation for 
 supper and bed is included in the price fixed for your place 
 with the vetturino, you are said to be spesato, and then you 
 have nothing extra to pay for but your breakfast. There 
 were two other travellers in the vettura, both Frenchmen; 
 the one about forty years of age was a Captain of cavalry en 
 retraite, married to a Hungarian lady and settled at 
 Florence, to which place he was returning; the other, a 
 young man of very agreeable manners, settled likewise at 
 Florence, as chief of a manufactory there, returning from 
 Lyons, his native city, whither he had been to see his rela- 
 tions. I never in my life met with two characters so dia- 
 metrically opposite. The Captain was quite a bourru in his 
 manners, yet he had a sort of dry, sarcastic, satirical 
 humour that was very diverting to those who escaped his 
 lash. Whether he really felt the sentiments he professed, or 
 whether he assumed them for the purpose of chiming in 
 with the times, I cannot say, but he said he rejoiced at the 
 fall of Napoleon. My other companion, however, expressed 
 great regret as his downfall, not so much from a regard for 
 the person of Napoleon, as for the concomitant degradation 
 and conquest of his country, and he spoke of the affairs of 
 France with a great deal of feeling and patriotism. 
 
 The Captain seemed to have little or no feeling for any- 
 body but himself; indeed, he laughed at all sentiment and 
 said he did not believe in virtue or disinterestedness. When, 
 
 173
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 among other topics of conversation, the loss the French 
 Army sustained at Waterloo was brought on the tapis, he 
 said, "Eh bien! qu 'importe? dans une seule nuit a Paris on en 
 fabriquera assez pour les remplacer!" A similar sentiment 
 has been attributed to the great Conde.* We had a variety 
 of amusing arguments and disputes on the road; the Cap- 
 tain railed at merchants, and said that he did not believe 
 that honor or virtue existed |among mercantile people (no 
 compliment, by the bye, to the young f abricant, who bore it, 
 however, with great good humour, contenting himself with 
 now and then giving a few slaps at the military for their 
 rapacity, which mercantile people on the Continent have 
 now and then felt, before the French Revolution, as well 
 as after). The whole road from Turin to Alexandria della 
 Paglia is a fine broad chaussee. The first day's journey 
 brought us to Asti. A rich plain on each side of the road, the 
 horizon on our right bounded by the Appennines, on our left 
 by the Alps, both diverging, formed the landscape. Asti is 
 an ancient, well and solidly built city, but rather gloomy 
 in its appearance. It is remarkable for being the birthplace 
 of Vittorio Alfieri, the celebrated tragic poet, who has 
 excelled all other dramatic poets in the general denouement 
 of his pieces, except, perhaps, Voltaire alone. I do not speak 
 of Alfieri so much as a poet as a dramaturgus. I may be 
 mistaken, and it is, perhaps, presumptuous in me to 
 attempt to judge, but it has always appeared to me that 
 Voltaire and Alfieri have managed dramatic effect and the 
 intrigue and catastrophe of their tragedies better than any 
 other authors. Shakespeare, God as he is in genius, is in this 
 particular very deficient. Schiller, too, the greatest modern 
 poetic genius perhaps and the Shakespeare of Germany, has 
 here failed also, and nothing can be more correct than the 
 estimate of Alfieri made by Forsythf when, after speaking 
 of his defects, he says: " Yet where lives the tragic poet 
 
 *And also to Napoleon, after the battle at Eylau. ED. 
 f Joseph Forsyth (1763-1815), author of Remarks on antiquities, arts and 
 letters in Italy, London, 1813. ED. 
 
 174
 
 A TYPICAL ITALIAN SUPPER 
 
 equal to Alfieri? Schiller (then living also) may perhaps 
 excel him in those peals of terror which flash thro' his 
 gloomy and tempestuous scene, but he is far inferior in the 
 mechanism of his drama." 
 
 To return to my first day's journey from Turin. It was a 
 very long day's work, and we did not arrive at Asti till very 
 late, after having performed the last hour, half hi the dark, 
 on a road which is by no means in good repute. The 
 character of the lower class of Piedmontese is not good. 
 They are ferocious, vindictive and great marauders. They 
 make excellent soldiers during war and they not unfre- 
 quently, on being disbanded after peace, by way of keeping 
 their hand in practise and of having the image of war 
 before their eyes, ease the traveller of his com and some- 
 times of his life. Our conversation partook of these reminis- 
 cences, and during the latter part of our journey turned 
 entirely on bandits " force and guile," so that we were quite 
 rejoiced at seeing the smoke and light of the town of Asti 
 and hearing the dogs bark, which reminded me of Ariosto's 
 
 lines: 
 
 Non molto va che dalle vie supreme 
 De' tetti uscir vede il vapor del fuoco 
 Sente cani abbajar, muggire armento, 
 Viene alia villa, e piglia alloggiamenti. " 
 *Nor far the warrior had pursued his best, 
 Ere, eddying from a roof, he saw the smoke, 
 Heard noise of dog and kine, a farm espied, 
 And thitherward in quest of lodging hied. 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 We met on alighting at the door of a large spacious inn, 
 two ladies who had very much the appearance of the two 
 damsels at the inn where Don Quixote alighted and received 
 his order of knighthood; but, in spite of their amorous 
 glances and a decided leer of invitation, I had like Sacri- 
 pante's steed more need of " riposo e d'esca che di nuova 
 giostra." The usual Italian supper was put before us, and 
 very good it was, viz., Imprimis: A minestra (soup), gene- 
 rally made of beef or veal with vermicelli or macaroni in it 
 and its never failing accompaniment in Italy, grated 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, Canto xxm, ottava 1 1 5. ED. 
 
 175
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Parmesan cheese. Then a lesso (bouilli) of beef, veal or 
 mutton, or all three; next an umido (fricassee) of cocks' 
 combs and livers, a favourite Italian dish; then a frittura of 
 chickens' livers, fish or vegetables fried. Then an umido or 
 ragout of veal, fish with sauce; and lastly, an arrosto (roast) of 
 fowls, veal, game, or all three. The arrosto is generally very 
 dry and done to cinders almost. Vegetables are served up 
 with the umidi, but plain boiled, leaving it optional to you 
 to use melted butter or oil with them. A salad is a constant 
 concomitant of the arrosto. A desert or fruit concludes the 
 repast. Wine is drank at discretion. The wine of Lombardy 
 is light and not ill flavored; it is far weaker than any wine 
 I know of, but it has an excellent quality, that of facilitating 
 digestion. A cup of strong coffee is generally made for you 
 in the morning, for which you pay three or four soldi (sous), 
 and in giving five or six soldi to the waiter, all your expenses 
 are paid supposing you are spesato, i.e., that the vetturino 
 pays for your supper and bed; if not, your charges are left 
 to the conscience of the aubergiste, which in Italy is in 
 general of prodigious width. I therefore advise every 
 traveller who goes with a vetturino to be a spesato, other- 
 wise he will have to pay four or five times as much and not be 
 a whit better regaled. The vetturini generally pay from three 
 to three and a half francs for the supper and bed of their 
 passengers. As the vetturini invariably make a halt of an hour 
 and half or two hours at mid-day in some town or village, 
 this halt enables you to take your dejeuner a la fourchette, 
 which you pay for yourself, unless you stipulate for the 
 payment of that also with the vetturino by paying some- 
 thing more, say one a half franc per diem for that. In this 
 part, and indeed in the whole of the north of Italy not a 
 female servant is to be seen at the inns and men make 
 the beds. It is otherwise, I understand, in Tuscany. 
 
 The whole appearance of the country from Asti to Alex- 
 andria presents an immense plain extremely fertile, but the 
 crops of corn being off the ground, the landscape would not 
 be pleasing to the eye, were it not relieved by the frequency 
 176
 
 VISIT TO THE FIELD OP MARENGO 
 
 of mulberry trees and the vines hung in festoons from tree 
 to tree. The villages and farmhouses on this road are 
 extremely solid and well built. We arrived at Alexandria 
 about twelve o'clock, and after breakfast I hired a horse to 
 visit the field of battle of Marengo, which is in the neigh- 
 bourhood of this city, Marengo itself being a village five 
 miles distant from Alexandria. Arrived on the plain, I was 
 conducted to the spot where the first Consul stood at the 
 time that he perceived the approach of Desaix's division. 
 I figured to myself the first Consul on his white charger, 
 halting his army, then in some confusion, riding along the 
 line exposed to a heavy fire from the Austrians, who can- 
 nonaded the whole length of the line; aides-de-camp and 
 orderlies falling around him, himself calm and collected, 
 " spying Vantage," and observing that the Austrian 
 deployment was too extended, and their centre thereby 
 weakened, suddenly profiting of this circumstance to order 
 Desaix's division to advance and lead the charge which 
 decided the victory on that memorable day, which, accord- 
 ing to Mascheroni : 
 
 splende 
 Nell' abisso de' secoli, qual Sole. 
 
 The whole field of battle is an extensive plain, with but 
 few trees, and to use Campbell's lines : 
 
 every turf beneath the feet 
 Marks out a soldier's sepulchre. 
 
 The Column, erected to commemorate this glorious 
 victory, has been thrown down by order of the Austrian 
 government a poor piece of puerile spite, but worthy of 
 legitimacy. Alexandria is, or rather was, for the fortifications 
 no longer exist, more remarkable for being an important 
 military post than for the beauty of the city itself. There is, 
 however, a fine and spacious Place, which serves as a parade 
 for the garrison, and being planted with trees by the 
 French when they held it, forms an agreeable promenade. 
 The fortifications were blown up by the Austrians before 
 the place was given over to the Sardinian authorities, 
 N 177
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 a flagrant breach of faith and contract, since by the treaty 
 of 1814 they were bound to give up all the fortified places 
 that were restored or ceded to the King of Sardinia in the 
 same state in which they were found when the French 
 evacuated them, and the Austrians took possession pro- 
 visorily. The French regarding (and with reason) this for- 
 tress as the key of Lombardy always kept the fortifications 
 in good repair and well provided with cannon. But the 
 Austrian government, knowing itself to be unpopular in 
 Italy and trembling for the safety of her dominions, being 
 always fearful that the Piedmontese Government might 
 one day be induced to favour an insurrectionary or national 
 movement in the north of Italy, determined, finding that 
 it could not keep the fortress for itself, which it strove hard 
 to do under divers pretexts, to render it of as little use as 
 they possibly could do to the King of Sardinia; so they 
 blew up the fortifications and carried off the cannon, leav- 
 ing the King without a single fortified place in the whole 
 of his Italian dominions to defend himself, hi case of 
 attack, against an Austrian invasion. 
 
 On the morning of the 1 8th August we passed thro' Tortona, 
 now no longer a fortress of consequence. All this country 
 may be considered as classic ground, immortalized by the 
 campaigns of Napoleon, when commander in chief of the 
 army of the French Republic in Italy, a far greater and more 
 illustrious role than when he assumed the Imperial bauble 
 and condescended to mix with the vulgar herd of Kings. 
 
 We arrived at Voghera to breakfast and at Casteggio at 
 night. The country is much the same as that which we have 
 already passed thro', being a plain, with a rich alluvial 
 soil, mulberry trees and a number of solidly built stone 
 farmhouses. The next morning at eleven o'clock we arrived 
 at Piacenza on the Po, and were detained a quarter of an 
 hour at the Douane of Her Majesty the Archduchess, as 
 Maria Louisa, the present Duchess of Parma, is stiled, we 
 being now arrived in her dominions. We drove to the Hotel 
 di San Marco, which is close to the Piazza Grande, and 
 178
 
 PIACENZA AND BORGO SAN DONINO 
 
 alighted there. On the Piazza stands the Hotel de Ville, and 
 in front of it are two equestrian statues in bronze of the 
 Princes Farnesi; the statues, however, of the riders appear 
 much too small in proportion with the horses, and they 
 resemble two little boys mounted on Lincolnshire cart horses. 
 
 I did not visit the churches and palaces in this city from 
 not having time and, besides, I did not feel myself inclined 
 or bound (as some travellers think themselves) to visit 
 every church and every town in Italy. I really believe the 
 ciceroni think that we Ultramontani live hi mud hovels in our 
 own country, and that we have never seen a stone edifice, till 
 our arrival in Italy, for every town house which is not a shop 
 is termed a palazzo, and they would conduct you to see all 
 of them if you would be guided by them. I had an oppor- 
 tunity, during the two hours we halted here, of walking 
 over the greater part of the city, after a hasty breakfast. 
 Piacenza is a large handsome city; among the females that 
 I saw in the streets the Spanish costume seems very prevalent, 
 no doubt from being so long governed by a Spanish family. 
 
 On leaving Piacenza we passed thro' a rich meadow 
 country and met' with an immense quantity of cattle graz- 
 ing. The road is a fine broad chaussee considerably elevated 
 above the level of the fields and is lined with poplars. 
 Where this land is not in pasture, cornfields and mulberry 
 trees, with vines in festoons, vary the landscape, which is 
 additionally enlivened by frequent maisons de plaisance 
 and excellently built farmhouses. We passed thro' 
 Firenzuola, a long well-built village, or rather bourg, and we 
 brought to the night at Borgo San Donino. At this place I 
 found the first bad inn I have met with in Italy, that is, the 
 house, tho' large, was so out of repair as to be almost 
 a masure; we however met with tolerably good fare for 
 supper. We fell in with a traveller at Borgo San Donino, 
 who related to us an account of an extraordinary robbery 
 that had been committed a few months before near this 
 place, in which the then host was implicated, or rather was 
 the author and planner of the robbery. It happened as 
 N2 179
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 follows. A Swiss merchant, one of those men who cannot 
 keep their own counsel, a bavard in short, was travelling 
 from Milan to Bologna with his cabriolet, horse and a large 
 portmanteau. He put up at this inn. At supper he entered 
 into conversation with mine host, and asked if there was 
 any danger of robbers on the road, for that he should be 
 sorry (he said) to fall into their hands, inasmuch as he had 
 with him in his portmanteau 24,000 franks in gold and 
 several valuable articles of jewellery. Mine host assured him 
 that there was not the slightest danger. The merchant went 
 to bed, directing that he should be awakened at daybreak 
 in order to proceed on his journey. Mine host, however, 
 took care to have him called full an hour and half before 
 daybreak, assuring him that light would soon dawn. The 
 merchant set out, but he had hardly journeyed two miles 
 when a shot from behind a hedge by the road side brought 
 his horse to the ground. Four men in masks rushed up, 
 seized him and bound him to a tree; they then rifled his 
 portmanteau, took out his money and jewels and wished 
 him good morning. 
 
 Before we arrived at Borgo San Donino we crossed the 
 Trebbia, one of the many tributary streams of the Po, and 
 which is famous for two celebrated battles, one in ancient, 
 the other in modern times (and probably many others which 
 I do not recollect) ; but here it was that Hannibal gained his 
 second victory over the Romans; and here, in 1799, the 
 Russians under Souvoroff defeated the French under 
 Macdonald after an obstinate and sanguinary conflict ; but 
 they could not prevent Macdonald from effecting his 
 junction with Massena, to hinder which was Souvoroff's 
 object. In fact, in this country, to what reflections doth 
 every spot of ground we pass over, give rise! Every field, 
 every river has been the theatre of some battle or other 
 memorable event either in ancient or modern times. 
 
 Quis gurges aut qua flumina lugubris 
 Ignara belli?* 
 
 We started from Borgo San Donino next morning; about 
 
 * Horace, Carm., n, i, 33. ED. 
 180
 
 PROSPERITY OF THE PARMESAN DISTRICT 
 
 ten miles further on the right hand side of the road stands 
 an ancient Gothic fortress called Castel Guelfo. Between 
 this place and Parma there is a very troublesome river to 
 pass called the Taro, which at times is nearly dry and at 
 other times so deep as to render it hazardous for a carriage 
 to pass, and it is at all times requisite to send on a man to 
 ford and sound it before a carriage passes. This river fills 
 a variety of separate beds, as it meanders very much, and 
 it extends to such a breadth in its debor -dements, as to render it 
 impossible to construct a bridge long enough to be of any use. 
 
 This, however, being the dry season, we passed it without 
 difficulty. Two or three other streams on this route, seguaci 
 del Po, are crossed in the same manner. 
 
 The road to Parma, after passing the Taro, lies nearly in 
 a right line and is bordered with poplars. If I am not mis- 
 taken, it was somewhere in this neighbourhood that the 
 Carthaginians under Hannibal suffered a great loss in 
 elephants, who died from cold, being incamped during the 
 winter. I am told there is not a colder country in Europe 
 than Lombardy during the winter season, which arises no 
 doubt from its vicinity to the Alps. 
 
 Opulence seems to prevail in all the villages in the 
 vicinity of Parma, and an immense quantity of cattle is 
 seen grazing in the meadows on each side of the road. The 
 female peasantry wear the Spanish costume and are remark- 
 ably well dressed. 
 
 We arrived at Parma at twelve o'clock and stopped there 
 three hours. 
 
 * PARMA. 
 
 After a hasty breakfast, Mr G and myself sallied 
 
 forth to see what was possible during the time we stopped 
 in this city, leaving the Captain, who refused to accom- 
 pany us, to smoke his pipe. This city is very large and there 
 is a very fine Piazza. The streets are broad, the buildings 
 handsome and imposing, and there is a general appearance 
 of opulence. We first proceeded to visit the celebrated 
 amphitheatre, called rAmfiteatro Farnese in honour of the 
 
 181
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 former sovereigns of the Duchy. It is a vast building and 
 unites the conveniences both of the ancient and modern 
 theatres. It has a roof like a modern theatre, and the seats 
 in the parterre are arranged like the seats in an ancient 
 Greek theatre. Above this are what we should call boxes, 
 and above them again what we usually term a gallery. A 
 vast and deep arena lies between the parterre and the orches- 
 tra and fills up the space between the audience and the 
 proscenium. It is admirably adapted both for spectators 
 and hearers; when a tragedy, comedy or opera is acted, a 
 scaffolding is erected and seats placed in the arena. At other 
 times the arena is made use of for equestrian exercises and 
 chariot races in the style of the ancients, combats with 
 wild beasts, etc., or it may be filled with water for the 
 representation of naval fights (naumachia) ; in this case you 
 have a vast oval lake between the spectators and the stage. 
 It is a great pity that this superb and interesting building 
 is not kept in good repair; the fact is it is seldom or ever 
 made use of except on very particular occasions: it is 
 almost useless in a place like Parma, " so fallen from its 
 high estate," but were such an amphitheatre in Paris, 
 London, or any great city, it might be used for all kinds of 
 spectacles and amusements. A small theatre from the design 
 of Bernino stands close to this amphitheatre, and is built in 
 a light tasteful manner. If fresh painted and lighted up it 
 would make a very brilliant appearance. This may be con- 
 sidered as the Court theatre. At a short distance from the 
 theatres is the Museum of Parma, in which there is a well 
 chosen gallery of pictures. Among the most striking pictures 
 of the old school is without doubt that of St Jerome by 
 Correggio; but I was full as much, dare I be so heretical as 
 to say more pleased, with the productions of the modern 
 school of Parma. A distribution of prizes had lately been 
 made by the Empress Maria Louisa, and there were many 
 paintings, models of sculpture and architectural designs, 
 that did infinite credit to the young artists. I remarked 
 one painting in particular which is worthy of a Fuseli. It 
 182
 
 MARIE LOUISE AT PARMA 
 
 represented the battle of the river God Scamander with 
 Achilles. The subjects of most of the paintings I saw here 
 were taken from the mythology or from ancient and modern 
 history; and this is perhaps the reason that they pleased 
 me more than those of the ancient masters. Why in the 
 name of the "TO /caXov" did these painters confine them- 
 selves so much to Madonnas, Crucifixions, and Martyrdoms, 
 when their own poets, Ariosto and Tasso, present so many 
 subjects infinitely more pleasing? Then, again, in many 
 of these crucifixions and martyrdoms, the gross anachron- 
 isms, such as introducing monks and soldiers with match- 
 locks and women in Gothic costume at the crucifixion, 
 totally destroy the seriousness and interest of the subject 
 by annihilating all illusion and exciting risibility. 
 
 Parma will ever be renowned in history as the birthplace 
 of Caius Cassius, the friend and colleague of Brutus. 
 
 The Empress Maria Louisa lives here in the Ducal 
 Palace, which is a spacious but ornamental edifice. She 
 lives, 'tis said, without any ostentation. Out of her own 
 states, her presence in Italy would be attended with unplea- 
 sant consequences to the powers that be, on account of the 
 attachment borne to Napoleon by all classes of society; and 
 it is on this account that on her last visit to Bologna she 
 received an intimation from the papal authorities to quit 
 the Roman territory in twenty-four hours. We next passed 
 thro' St Hilario and Reggio and brought to the evening 
 at the village of Rubbiera. At St Hilario is the entrance into 
 the Duke of Modena's territory, and here we underwent 
 again an examination of trunks, as we did both on entering 
 and leaving the territory of Maria Louisa. 
 
 Reggio is a large walled city, but I had only time to visit 
 the Cathedral and to remark therein a fine picture of the 
 Virgin and the Chapel called " Capella della Morte." Reggio 
 pretends to the honour of having given birth to the Divine 
 Ariosto : 
 
 Quel grande che cant6 1'armi e gli amori, 
 
 as Guarini describes him, I believe. 
 
 183
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The face of the country from Parma to Reggio is exactly 
 the same as what we have passed thro' already. 
 
 The next day (20 August) we passed thro' Modena, 
 where we stopped to breakfast and refresh horses. It is a 
 large and handsome city, the Ducal Palace is striking and 
 in the Cathedral is presented the famous bucket which gave 
 rise to the poem of Tassoni called La Secchia rapita. An air 
 of opulence and grandeur seems to prevail in Modena. 
 
 At Samoggia we entered the Papal territory and again 
 underwent a search of trunks. Within three miles of Bologna 
 a number of villas and several tanneries, which send forth a 
 most intolerable odour, announce the approach to that 
 celebrated and venerable city. On the left hand side, before 
 entering the town, is a superb portico with arcades, about 
 one and a half miles in length, which leads from the city 
 to the church of San Luca. On the right are the Appennines, 
 towering gradually above you. Bologna lies at the foot of 
 these mountains on the eastern side and here the plain 
 ends for those who are bound to Florence, which lies on the 
 western side of the vast ridge which divides Italy. We arrived 
 at Bologna at half-past seven in the evening, and here we 
 intend to repose a day or two; I shall then cross the Appen- 
 nines for the first time in my life. A reinforcement of mules 
 or oxen is required for every carriage; from the ascent the 
 whole way you can travel, I understand, very little quicker 
 en paste than with a vetturino. We are lodged at Bologna in 
 a very comfortable inn called Locanda d ' Inghilterra. 
 
 BOLOGNA, 22d August. 
 
 The great popularity of Bologna, which is a very large 
 and handsomely built city, lies in the colonnaded porticos 
 and arcades on each side of the streets throughout the whole 
 city. These arcades are mightily convenient against sun and 
 rain, and contradict the assertion of Rousseau, who asserted 
 that England was the only country in the world where the 
 safety of foot passengers is consulted, whereas here in 
 Bologna not only are trottoirs broader than those of London 
 184
 
 THE SIGHTS OF BOLOGNA 
 
 in general, but you are effectually protected against sun 
 and rain, and are not obliged to carry an umbrella about 
 with you perpetually as in London. This arcade system, 
 is, however, rather a take off from the beauty of the city, 
 and gives it a gloomy heavy appearance, which is not 
 diminished by the sight of friars and mendicants with 
 which this place swarms, and announce to you that you are 
 in the holy land. At Bologna it is necessary to have a sharp 
 eye on your baggage, on account of the crowds of ragged 
 jainians that surround your carriage while it is unloading. 
 
 The first thing that the ciceroni generally take you to see in 
 Italy are the churches, and mine would not probably have 
 spared me one, but I was more anxious to see the University. 
 I however allowed him to lead me into two of the prin- 
 cipal churches, viz., the Duomo or Cathedral, and the church 
 of San Petronio, both magnificent Gothic temples and worth 
 the attention of the traveller. On the Piazza del Gigante is a 
 fine bronze statue of Neptune. The Piazza takes its name 
 from this statue, as at one time in Italy, after the intro- 
 duction of Christianity and when the ancient mythology 
 was totally forgotten, the statues of the Gods were called 
 Giants or named after Devils and their prototypes believed 
 to be such. 
 
 In the Museum at the University is an admirable collec- 
 tion of fossils, minerals, and machines in every branch of 
 science. There are some excellent pictures also; the Univer- 
 sity of Bologna was, you know, at all times famous and its 
 celebrity is not at all diminished, for I believe Bologna 
 boasts more scientific men, and particularly in the sciences 
 positives, than any other city in Italy. 
 
 In the Palazzo pubblico (Hotel de Ville) is a Christ and a 
 Samson by Guido Reni; but what pleased me most in the 
 way of painting was the collection in the gallery of Count 
 Marescalchi. The Count has been at great pains to form it 
 and has shown great taste and discernment. It is a small 
 but unique collection. Here is to be seen a head of Christ, 
 the colouring of which is so brilliant as to illuminate the 
 
 185
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 room in which it is appended, when the shutters are closed, 
 and in the absence of all other light except what appears 
 thro* the crevices of the window shutters. This head, how- 
 ever, does not seem characteristic of Christ; it wants the 
 gravity, the soft melancholy and unassuming meekness of 
 the great Reformer: in short, from the vivid fire of the eyes 
 and the too great self-complacency of the countenance, it 
 gave me rather the idea 
 
 Del biondo Dio che in Tessalia si adora. 
 
 I passed two hours in this cabinet. I next repaired to the 
 centre of the city with the intention of ascending one at 
 least of the two square towers or campanili which stand 
 close together, one of which is strait, the other a leaning one. 
 Garisendi is the name of the leaning tower, and it forms 
 a parallelipipedon of 140 feet in height and about twenty feet 
 in breath and length. It leans so much as to form an angle 
 of seventy-five degrees with the ground on which it stands. 
 The other tower, the strait one, is called Asinelli and is a 
 parallelipipedon of 310 feet in height and about twenty-five 
 feet in length and breadth. I ascended the leaning tower, but 
 I found the fatigue so great that I was scarcely repaid by 
 the fine view of the surrounding country, which presents 
 on one side an immense plain covered with towns, villages 
 and villas, and on the other the Appennines towering one 
 above another. When on the top of Garisendi, Asinelli 
 appears to be four times higher than its neighbour, and the 
 bare aspect of its enormous height deterred me from even 
 making the attempt of ascending it. When viewed or rather 
 looked down upon from Garisendi, Bologna, from its being 
 of an elliptical form and surrounded by a wall and from 
 having these two enormous towers in the centre, resembles a 
 boat with masts. 
 
 From the great celebrity of its University and the 
 
 eminent men it has produced, Bologna is considered as the 
 
 most litterarycityof Italy. Galvaniwas born in Bologna and 
 
 studied at this University, and among the modern Drodigies 
 
 186
 
 LOYALTY OF BOLOGNESE TO NAPOLEON 
 
 is a young lady who is professor of Greek and who is by all 
 accounts the most amiable Bos bleu that ever existed.* The 
 Bolognese are a remarkably fine, intelligent and robust race 
 of people, and are renowned for their republican spirit, and 
 the energy with which they at all times resisted the encroach- 
 ments of the Holy See. Bologna was at one time a Republic, 
 and on their coins is the word Libertas. The Bolognese never 
 liked the Papal government and were much exasperated at 
 returning under the domination of the Holy Father. In the 
 time of Napoleon, Bologna formed part of the Regno cT Italia 
 and partook of all its advantages. Napoleon is much 
 regretted by them; and so impatiently did the inhabitants 
 bear the change, on the dismemberment of the kingdom of 
 Italy, and their transfer to the pontifical sceptre, that on 
 Murat's entry in their city in 1815 the students and other 
 young men of the town flew to arms and in a few hours 
 organised three battalions. Had the other cities shown 
 equal energy and republican spirit, the revolution would 
 have been completed and Italy free; but the fact is that the 
 Italians in general, tho' discontented, had no very high 
 opinion of Murat's talents as a political character, and he 
 besides committed a great fault in not entering Rome on 
 his march and revolutionising it. Murat, like most men, 
 was ruined by half-measures. The last time that Maria 
 Louisa was here the people surrounded the inn where she 
 resided and hailed her with cries of Viva Vlmperatrice! The 
 Pope's legate in consequence intimated to her the expe- 
 diency of her immediate departure from the city, with a 
 request that she would not repeat her visit. Bologna is con- 
 sidered by the Ultras, Obscuranten, and Eteignoirs as the 
 focus and headquarters of Carbonarism. 
 
 In the evening I visited the theatre built by Bibbiena 
 and had the pleasure of hearing for the first time an Italian 
 tragedy, which, however, are now rarely represented and 
 scarcely ever well acted. This night's performance 
 
 * The young woman in question was Clotilda Tambroni (1768-1818). She 
 taught Greek at the University of Bologna and was in correspondence with 
 the great French scholar Ansse de Villoison. ED.
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 formed an exception and was satisfactory. The piece was 
 Romeo and Giulietta. The actress who did the part of Giulietta 
 performed it with great effect, particularly in the tomb scene. 
 In this scene she reminded me forcibly of our own excellent 
 actress, Miss O'Neill. This was the only part of the play that 
 had any resemblance to the tragedy of Shakespeare. All the 
 rest was on the French model. I saw a number of beautiful 
 women in the boxes. The Bolognese women are remarkable 
 for their fine complexions; those that I saw were much 
 inclined to embonpoint. 
 
 188
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Journey across the Appennines to Florence Tuscan idioms and customs 
 Monuments and galleries at Florence The Cascino Churches Theatres 
 Popularity of the Grand Duke Napoleon's downfall not regretted 
 Academies in Florence. 
 
 FLORENCE, 26th August. 
 
 THE moment you leave Bologna to go to Florence you 
 enter the gorges of the Appennines, and after jour- 
 neying seven miles, begin to ascend the ridge. The ascent 
 begins at Pianoro. Among these mountains the scenery is 
 wild and romantic, and tho' not so grandiose and sublime 
 as that of the Alps, is nevertheless extremely picturesque. 
 One meets occasionally with the ruins of old castles on some 
 of the heights, and I was strongly reminded, at the sight of 
 these antique edifices, of the mysteries of Udolpho and the 
 times of the Condottieri. The silence that reigns here is 
 only interrupted by the noise of the waterfall and the occa- 
 sional scream of the eagle. The wild abrupt transition of 
 landscape would suggest the idea of haunting places for 
 robbers, yet one seldom or never hears of any on this road. 
 In Tuscany there is, I understand, so much industry and 
 morality, that a robbery is a thing unknown; but in his 
 Holiness's dominions, from the idleness and poverty that 
 prevails, they are said to be frequent. Why it does not 
 occur in these mountains, in that part of them, at least, 
 which belongs to the Papal Government, I am at a loss to 
 conceive. 
 
 Here the chesnut and olive trees salute the Ultramontane 
 traveller for the first time. The olive tree, tho' a most use- 
 ful, is not an ornamental one, as it resembles a willow or 
 osier in its trunk and in the colour of its leaves. The chesnut 
 tree is a glorious plant for an indolent people, since it fur- 
 nishes food without labour, as the Xaca or Jack fruit tree 
 tree does to the Cingalese in Ceylon. On one of the heights 
 
 189
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 between Pianoro and Lojano you have in very clear weather 
 a view of both the Adriatic and Tyrrhene seas. We brought 
 to the night at Scarica 1'Asino and the next morning early 
 we entered the Tuscan territory at Pietra Mala, where there 
 is a Douane and consequently an examination of trunks. At 
 one o'clock we arrived at an inn called Le Maschere, about 
 fifteen miles distance from Florence; it is a large mansion 
 and being situated on an eminence commands an extensive 
 view. One becomes soon aware of being in the Tuscan terri- 
 tory from the number of cultivated spots to be seen in this 
 part of the Appennines : for such is the industry of the in- 
 habitants that they do wonders on their naturally sterile 
 soil. One sees a number of farms. Every spot of ground 
 is in cultivation, between Le Maschere and Florence in 
 particular; these spots of ground, gardens, orchards and 
 villas forming a striking and pleasing contrast with the wild 
 and dreary scenery of the Appennines. Another thing that 
 indicates one's arrival among the Tuscans is their aspiration 
 of the letter c before a o and u, which is at first extremely 
 puzzling to a foreigner accustomed only to the Roman pro- 
 nunciation. For instance, instead of camera, cotto, curvo, 
 they pronounce these words hamera, hotto, and hurvo with 
 an exceeding strong aspiration of the h. It is the same too 
 with the ch which they aspirate, ex gr. instead of pochino, 
 chiave, they say pohino, hiave. The language however which 
 is spoken is the most classical and pure Italian and except 
 the above mentioned aspiration it is delightful to the ear; 
 peculiarly so to those who come from the north of Italy, and 
 have only hitherto heard the unpleasing nasal twang of the 
 Milanese and the exceeding uncouth barbarous dialect of 
 Bologna. Another striking peculiarity is the smart appear- 
 ance of the Tuscan peasantry. They are a remarkably hand- 
 some race of men; the females unite with their natural 
 beauty a grace and elegance that one is quite astonished to 
 find among peasants. They express themselves in the most 
 correct and classical language and they have a great deal of 
 repartee. As the peasantry of Tuscany enjoy a greater 
 190
 
 THE TUSCAN CONTADINA 
 
 share of aisance than falls to the lot of those of any other 
 country, and as the females dress with taste and take great 
 pains to appear smart on all occasions, they resemble rather 
 the shepherdesses on the Opera stage or those of the fabled 
 Arcadia than anything in real life. The females too are 
 remarkably industrious and will work like horses all the 
 week to gain wherewithal to appear smart on holidays. 
 Their dress is very becoming, and they wear sometimes 
 jewellery to a large amount on their persons; a very com- 
 mon ornament among them is a collar of gold around their 
 necks. Their usual head-dress is either a white straw hat, or 
 a black round beaver hat, with black ostrich feathers. I 
 prefer the straw hat; it is more tasteful than the round hat 
 which always seems to me too masculine for a woman. At 
 the inn at Le Maschere we were waited on by three smart 
 females. The whole road from Le Maschere to Florence is 
 very beautiful and diversified. Vineyards, gardens, farm 
 houses and villas thicken as one approaches and when 
 arrived within three miles of Florence, which lies in a basin 
 surrounded by mountains, one is quite bewildered at the 
 sight of the quantity of beautiful villas and maisons de 
 plaisance in every direction. 
 
 Every thing indicates life, industry and comfort in this 
 charming country. We stopped at a villa belonging to the 
 Grand Duke called II Pratolino, seven miles distant from 
 Florence. Here is to be seen the famous statue representing 
 the genius of the Appennines. The Villa is unfurnished and 
 out of repair and the garden and grounds are neglected: 
 it is a great pity, for it is a fine building and in a beautiful 
 position. The celebrated Bianca Capello, a Venetian by 
 birth, and mistress of Francesco II de' Medici, Grand Duke 
 of Tuscany, used to reside here. 
 
 FLORENCE, 27th August. 
 
 I am extremely well pleased with my accommodations at 
 the hotel where I am lodged. Mme Hembert, the proprietor, 
 was once femme de chambre to the Empress Josephine; she is 
 
 191
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 an excellent woman and a very attentive hostess, and I 
 recommend her hotel to all those travellers who visit Flo- 
 rence and do not care to incur the expence of Schneider's. 
 There is an excellent and well served table d'hote at two 
 o'clock, wine at discretion, for which, and for my bedroom, I 
 pay seven paoli per day. This hotel has the advantage of 
 being in a very central situation. It is close to the Piazza 
 del Gran Duca, the post-office, the Palazzo Vecchio, the 
 Bureaux of Government, the celebrated Gallery of Sculpture 
 and Painting and to the Arno. It is only 300 yards from the 
 Piazza del Duomo, where the Cathedral stands, and 600 yards 
 from the principal theatre Delia Pergola on the one side; 
 while on the other side, after crossing the Ponte Vecchio, 
 stands the Palazzo Pitti, the residence of the Grand Duke, 
 at a distance of seven or 800 yards. 
 
 The Piazza del Gran Duca is very striking to the eye of 
 the northern traveller; the statues of the Gods in white 
 marble in the open air would make him fancy himself in 
 Athens in the olden time. The following statues in bronze 
 and white marble are to be seen on this Piazza. In bronze 
 are : a statue of Perseus by Cellini ; Judith with the head of 
 Holof ernes by Donatello; David and Goliath; Samson. In 
 white marble are the following beautiful statues: a group 
 representing Hercules and Cacus; another representing a 
 Roman carrying off a Sabine woman. The Hercules, who is in 
 the act of strangling Cacus, rests on one leg. Nearly in the 
 centre of the Piazza, opposite to the post office and in front of 
 the Palazzo Vecchio, is the principal ornament of the Piazza, 
 which consists of a group representing Neptune in his car or 
 conch (or shell) drawn by sea-horses and accompanied by 
 Tritons. The statue of Neptune is of colossal size, the whole 
 group is in marble and the conch of Egyptian granite. This 
 group forms a fountain. There is likewise on this Piazza an 
 immense equestrian statue in bronze of Cosmo the First by 
 John of Bologna. The Palazzo Vecchio is a large Gothic 
 building by Arnulpho and has a very lofty square tower or 
 campanile. 
 192
 
 ART IN FLORENCE 
 
 The Gallery of Florence being so close to my abode 
 demanded next my attention. The building in which this 
 invaluable Museum is preserved forms three sides of a 
 parallelogram, two long ones and one short one, of which 
 the side towards the south of the quai of the Arno is the 
 short one. 
 
 On the north is an open space communicating with the 
 Piazza del Gran Duca. The Gallery occupies the whole first 
 floor of this vast building. The rez de chaussee is occupied, 
 on the west side, by the bureaux of Government, and on 
 the south and east sides by shopkeepers, in whose shops is 
 always to be seen a brilliant display of merchandize. As 
 there are arcades on the three sides of this parallelogram, 
 they form the favorite meridian promenade of the belles 
 and beaux of Florence, particularly on Sundays and holi- 
 days, after coming out of Church. I ascended the steps from 
 a door on the east side of the building, to visit the Gallery. 
 
 The quantity and variety of objects of art, of the greatest 
 value, baffle all description, and it would require months 
 and years to attempt an analysis of all it contains. I shall 
 therefore content myself with pointing out those objects 
 which imprinted themselves the most forcibly on my 
 imagination and recollection. In a chamber on the left hand 
 of one wing of the Gallery stands the Venus de' Medici, sent 
 back last year from France. In the same chamber with her 
 are the following statues : the extremely beautiful Apollino; 
 the spotted Faun ; the Remouleur or figure which is in the act 
 of whetting a sickle. All these were in Paris, and are now 
 restored to this Gallery. In this chamber two pictures struck 
 me in particular: the one the Venus of Titian, a most 
 voluptuous figure; the other a portrait of the mistress of 
 Rafaello, called " La Fornarina," from her being a baker's 
 daughter. 
 
 Returning to the Gallery I was quite bewildered at the 
 
 immense number of statues, pictures, sarcophagi, busts, 
 
 altars, etc. Among the pieces of sculpture those that most 
 
 caught my attention were : the Venus genetrix (which I had 
 
 o 193
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 seen before at Paris) ; the Venus victrix; the Venus Anadyo- 
 mene; Hercules and Nessus, a superb groupe; a young 
 Bacchus; and an exquisitely chiselled group represent- 
 ing Pan teaching Olympus to play the syrinx, tho' the 
 attitude of the former is rather indecorous from not being 
 in a very quiescent state; a fine statue of Leda with the 
 swan; a Mercury, both worthy of great attention. I remarked 
 also in particular a statue of Marsyas attachd to a tree and 
 flayed. It is of a pale reddish marble, and tho' I perfectly 
 agree with Forsyth, that colored marble is not at all 
 adapted to statuary, yet in this instance it gives a wonder- 
 ful effect and is strikingly suitable, as the slight reddish 
 colour gives a full idea of the flesh after the skin is torn off. 
 It makes one shudder to look at it. In one of the halls are the 
 statues of Niobe and her daughters, a beautiful group. Then 
 there is the celebrated copy of the group of the Laocoon by 
 Bandinelli, which none but the most perfect and skilful con- 
 noisseur could distinguish from the original. But it is totally 
 impossible for me to describe the immense variety of paint- 
 ings, historical, portrait and landscape; the statues single 
 or in groups ; the sarcophagi, altars, bas-reliefs, inscriptions, 
 bronzes, medals, vases, baths, candelabra, cameos, Etruscan 
 and Egyptian idols with which this admirable Museum is 
 filled. In a line on each side of the Gallery near the ceiling is 
 a succession of portraits in chronological order of the Grand 
 Dukes of Tuscany, the Germanic Emperors, the Kings of 
 France, of England, of Spain, of Portugal, of the Popes 
 and of the Ottoman Emperors. Among the antiquities I par- 
 ticularly noticed a large steel mirror and a Roman Eagle 
 in bronze of the 24th Legion. 
 
 Having passed full four hours in this Museum, I descended 
 the steps, crossed the Arno and repaired to the building in 
 which is preserved the Cabinet d'Histoire Naturelle. In this 
 Museum what is most remarkable are the imitations in wax 
 of the whole anatomy of the human body. It is the first col- 
 lection of its kind; indeed it is unique in Europe. These 
 imitations are kept in glass cases and are so true and so per- 
 194
 
 PONTE VECCHIO AND PITTI PALACE 
 
 fectly correct as to leave nothing to desire to the student in 
 anatomy. These imitations in wax not only include all the 
 details of anatomy, but also the progress of generation, 
 gestation, and of almost every malady to which the 
 human body is liable. They are of a frightful exactitude. 
 There are likewise in this Museum imitations in wax of 
 various plants and shrubs exotic as well as indigenous and 
 the collection of stuffed birds, beasts and fishes and that of 
 insects, mineralogy and conchology scarcely yields to the 
 collection at the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. Neither here 
 nor at the Florentine gallery are fees allowed to be taken; 
 on the contrary a strict prohibition of them is posted up in 
 the French, Italian, German and English languages. 
 
 On the Ponte Vecchio on each side are jewellers' shops, 
 who sell besides jewellery, cameos and works in mosaic. 
 The Quais on each side of the Arno are very broad and 
 spacious and form agreeable promenades in the winter 
 season. The buildings on the banks of the Arno are magnifi- 
 cent. The streets of Florence have this peculiarity that they 
 are all paved with large flag stones, which makes them 
 mightily pleasant for pedestrians, but dangerous at times 
 for horses who are apt to slip. Most of the houses in Florence 
 have walls of prodigious thickness ; one would suppose each 
 house was meant to be a fortress in case of necessity. 
 
 FLORENCE, 29th August. 
 
 On the other side of the Arno, a little beyond the Cabinet 
 Physique and Museum of Natural History stands the 
 Palazzo Pitti, the residence of the Grand Duke. It is a vast 
 building and has a large and choice collection of pictures; 
 but its finest ornament in my opinion is the statue of Venus 
 by Canova, which to me at least appears to equal the 
 Medicean Venus in beauty and in grace. The magnificent 
 and spacious garden belonging to the Palace is called the 
 garden of Boboli. These gardens form the grand promenade 
 of the Florentines on Sundays and holidays. The alleys are 
 well shaded by trees, which effectually protect the pro- 
 o2 195
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 menaders from the rays of the sun. There are a great many 
 statues in this garden, but the most striking is a group which 
 lies nearly in the centre of the garden. It is environed by a 
 large circular basin or lake lined with stone and planted 
 with orange trees on the whole circumference. In the centre 
 of the lake is a rock and on this rock is a colossal statue in 
 white marble of Neptune in his car. The car is in the shape of 
 a marine conch and serves as a basin and fountain at the 
 same time. There are several other fountains and jets d'eau, 
 among which is a group representing Adam and Eve and 
 the statue of a man pouring out water from a vase which he 
 has on his shoulder. 
 
 The Corso or grand evening promenade for carriages and 
 equestrians is on a place called the Cascino, pronounced by 
 the Florentines Hascino. The Cascino consists of pleasure 
 grounds on the banks of the Arno outside the town, laid out 
 in roads, alleys and walks for carriages, equestrians and 
 pedestrians. There is a very brilliant display of carriages 
 every evening. There are restaurants on the Cascino and 
 supper parties are often formed here. This place is often 
 the scene of curious adventures. Cicisbeism is universal at 
 Florence, tho' far from being always criminal, as is generally 
 supposed by foreigners. I find the Florentine women very 
 graceful and many very handsome; but in point of beauty 
 the female peasantry far exceed the noblesse and burghers. 
 All of them however dress with taste. The handsomest 
 woman in Florence is the wife of an apothecary who 
 lives in the Piazza del Duomo and she has a host of 
 admirers. 
 
 On the promenade lungo VArno near the Cascino is a foun- 
 tain with a statue of Pegasus, with an inscription in Italian 
 verse purporting that Pegasus having stopped there one 
 day to refresh himself at this fountain, found the place so 
 pleasant that he remained there ever since. This is a poetic 
 nation par excellence. Affiches are announced in sonnets and 
 other metres; and tho' in other countries the votaries of the 
 Muses are but too apt to neglect the ordinary and vulgar 
 196
 
 THE CHURCHES OF FLORENCE 
 
 concerns of life, yet here it by no means diminishes industry, 
 and the nine Ladies are on the best possible terms with Mr 
 Mercury. 
 
 I shall not attempt a description of the various palazzi 
 and churches of Florence, tho' I have visited, thanks to the 
 zeal and importunity of my cicerone, nearly all, except to 
 remark that no one church in Florence, the Cathedral and 
 Baptistery on the Piazza del Duomo excepted, has its fa$ade 
 finished, and they will remain probably for ever unfinished, 
 as the completion of them would cost very large sums of 
 money, and the restored Government, however anxious to 
 resuscitate the ancient faith, are not inclined to make large 
 disbursements from their own resources for that purpose. 
 I wish however they would finish the fa9ade of two of these 
 churches, viz., that of Santa Maria Novella and that of 
 Santa Croce. Santa Maria Novella stands in the Piazza of 
 that name which is very large. It is a beautiful edifice, and 
 can boast in the interior of it several columns and pilasters 
 of jaune antique and of white marble. But they have a most 
 barbarous custom in Florence of covering these columns 
 with red cloth on jours de Fte, which spoils the elegant sim- 
 plicity of the columns and makes the church itself resemble 
 a theatre des Marionnettes. But the Italians are dreadfully 
 fond of gaudy colours. In the church of Santa Croce what 
 most engaged my attention was the monument erected to 
 Vittorio Alfieri, sculptured by Canova. It is a most beautiful 
 piece of sculpture. A figure of Italy crowned with turrets 
 seems fully sensible of the great loss she has sustained in one 
 who was so ardent a patriot, as well as an excellent tragic 
 poet. This monument was erected at the expence of the 
 Countess of Albany (Queen of England, had legitimacy always 
 prevailed, or been as much in fashion as it now is) as a mark 
 of esteem and affection towards one who was so tenderly 
 attached to her, and of whom in his writings Alfieri speaks 
 with the endearing and affectionate appellation of mia 
 Donna. The beautiful sonnet to her, which accompanies the 
 dedication of his tragedy of Mirra, well deserves the monu- 
 
 197
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ment; there is so much feeling in it that I cannot refrain 
 from transcribing it : 
 
 Vergognando talor, che ancor si taccia, 
 Donna, per me 1'almo tuo nome in fronte 
 Di queste omai gia troppe a te ben conte 
 Tragedie, ond'io di folle avrommi taccia; 
 
 Or vo' qual d'esse meno a te dispiaccia 
 Di te fregiar ; benche di tutte il fonte 
 Tu sola fosti, e'l viver mio non conte 
 Se non dal Di, ch'al viver tuo si allaccia. 
 
 Delia figlia di Ciniro infelice 
 
 L'orrendo a un tempo ed innocente amore 
 
 Sempre da' tuoi begli occhi il pianto elice ; 
 
 Prova emmi questo, ch'al mio dubbio core 
 
 Tacitamente imperiosa dice, 
 
 Ch'io di Mirra consacri a te il dolore. 
 
 In this sanctuary (church of the Santa Croce) are likewise 
 the tombs and monuments of other great men which Italy 
 has produced. There is the monument erected to Galileo 
 which represents the earth turning round the sun with the 
 emphatic words : Eppur si muove. Here too repose the ashes 
 of Machiavelli and Michel Angelo. This church is in fact the 
 Westminster Abbey of Florence. 
 
 To go from the Piazza del gran Duca to the Piazza del 
 Duomo, where stands the Cathedral, you have only to pass 
 thro' a long narrow street or rather alley (for it is imper- 
 vious to carriages) with shops on each side and always filled 
 with people going to or returning from the Duomo. This 
 Cathedral is of immense size. The architecture is singular 
 from its being a mixture of the Gothic and Greek. It appears 
 the most ponderous load that ever was laid on the shoulders 
 of poor mother earth. There is nothing light in its structure 
 to relieve the massiveness of the building, and in this 
 respect it forms a striking contrast to the Cathedral of Milan 
 which appears the work of Sylphs. The outside of this 
 Duomo of Florence is decorated and incrusted with black 
 and white marble, which increases the massiveness of its 
 appearance. The steeple or Campanile stands by itself, alto- 
 gether separate from the Cathedral, and this is the case with 
 198
 
 THE THEATRE IN FLORENCE 
 
 most of the Churches in Italy that are not of pure Gothic 
 architecture. This Campanile is curiously inlaid and 
 incrusted on its outside with red, white and black marble. 
 The Baptistery is another building on the same Piazza. 
 It is in the same stile of building as the Duomo, but incloses 
 much less space, and was formerly a separate church, called 
 the church of St John the Baptist. The immense bronze 
 doors or rather gates, both of the Duomo and Battisterio, 
 attracted my peculiar notice. On them are figured bas- 
 reliefs of exquisite and admirable workmanship, repre- 
 senting Scripture histories. It was the symmetry and per- 
 fection of these gates that induced Michel Angelo to call 
 them in a fit of enthusiasm The Gates of Paradise. At the 
 door of the Battisterio are the columns in red granite, 
 which once adorned the gates of the city at Pisa, and were 
 carried off by the Florentines in one of their wars. Chains 
 are fastened round these columns, as a memorial of the 
 conquest. The cupolas both of the Duomo a'nd Battisterio are 
 octangular. There is a stone seat on the Piazza del Duomo 
 where they pretend that Dante used occasionally to sit; 
 hence it is called to this day II Sasso di Dante. 
 
 You will now no doubt expect me to give some account of 
 the theatres. At the Pergola, which is a large and splendid 
 theatre, I have seen two operas; the one, L'ltaliana in 
 Algieri, which I saw before at Milan last year; the other, 
 the Barbieri di Seviglia by Rossini, which afforded to my 
 ears the most delightful musical feast they ever enjoyed. 
 The cavatina Una voce poco fa gave me inconceivable 
 delight. The Ballo was of a very splendid description and 
 from a subject taken from the Oriental history entitled 
 Macbet Sultan of Delhi. How the Mogul Sultan came to 
 have the name of Macbet I know not. On the plafond of the 
 Pergola is an allegorical painting representing the restored 
 Kings of Europe replaced on their thrones by Valor and 
 Justice. The decorations at this theatre are not quite so 
 splendid as those of the Scala at Milan, but living horses 
 and military evolutions seem to be annexed to every his- 
 
 199
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 torical Ballo. Horses indeed appear to be an indispensable 
 ingredient in the Balli in the large cities of Italy. 
 
 In the Teatro Cocomera, comedies are performed, and very 
 generally those of the inexhaustible Goldoni. I saw the 
 Bugiardo very fairly performed at this theatre. The story is 
 nearly the same as that of our piece, The Liar, which is I 
 believe imitated from Le Menteur of Corneille. The actor 
 who did the Liar was a very good one. The actresses 
 screamed too much and were rather coarse. Another night 
 at the theatre I saw a piece call'd II furioso, a comedie 
 larmoyante which was interesting and well given; but the 
 voice of the prompter was occasionally too loud. Tragedies 
 are very seldom played; the language of Alfieri could never, 
 I will not say be given with effect, but even conceived by 
 the modern actors. It would be like a tragedy of Sophocles 
 performed by boys at school. There is another reason too 
 why these tragedies are not given; they abound too much 
 in republican and patriotic sentiments to be grateful to the 
 ears of the Princes who reign in Italy, all of whom being 
 of foreign extraction and unshackled by constitutions, 
 come under the denomination of those beings called by 
 Greeks Tvpawoi, I use this word in its Greek sense. Of 
 the Tuscan Government it is but justice to say that from 
 the days of Leopold to the present day it was and is a mild, 
 just and paternal government, more so perhaps than any in 
 Europe; and the only one that can any way reconcile one 
 altogether to those lines of Pope : 
 
 For forms of Government let fools contest ; 
 Whate'er is best administer'd is best.* 
 
 In the time of Leopold the factious nobility were kept in 
 check, and the industrious classes, mercantile and agri- 
 cultural, encouraged. The peasantry were, and are, the most 
 affluent in Europe; and this is no small incitement to the 
 industry that prevails. On the elevation of Leopold to the 
 throne of the Caesars, the present Grand Duke succeeded in 
 Tuscany; and he followed the same system that Leopold 
 
 * Pope, Essay on Man, ep. in, 303-4. ED. 
 200
 
 LOYALTY OF THE TUSCANS 
 
 did, and was equally beloved by his subjects. Tuscany was 
 the only country in Italy that did not desire a change at 
 the period of the French conquest, and the only state 
 wherein the French were not hailed as deliverers. The 
 Tuscans exhibited a very honorable spirit on the occasion 
 of Buonaparte's visit to the Grand Duke in 1797. They went 
 together to the Theatre della Pergola, and on their entering 
 into the Grand Ducal box, the Grand Duke was hailed with 
 cries of Viva il Nostro Sovrano: now this proof of attach- 
 ment at a period when Buonaparte was all-mighty in 
 Italy, when the Grand Duke was but an inferior personage, 
 at a time too when it was doubtful whether or not he would 
 be dethroned, and in the very presence of the mighty con- 
 queror, reflects great honor and credit on the Tuscan 
 character. Buonaparte was much struck at this proof of dis- 
 interested attachment on the part of the Florentines 
 towards their Sovereign, and told the Grand Duke very 
 ingenuously that he had received orders to revolutionize the 
 country, from the French Directory; but that as he per- 
 ceived the people were so happy, and the Prince so beloved, 
 he could not and would not attempt to make any change. 
 
 The applause given to the Grand Duke at this critical 
 period is so much the more creditable to the Florentines 
 as they in general receive their Prince, on his presenting 
 himself at the theatre, with no other ceremonial than rising 
 once and bowing. There is no fulsome God save the King 
 repeated even to nausea, as at the English theatres. In fact 
 none of the Italians pay that servile adulation to their 
 Sovereigns that the French and English do. 
 
 The changes projected in Italy at the treaty of Lune"- 
 ville by Napoleon then first Consul, and his further views 
 on Italy, induced him at length to eject an Austrian Prince 
 from the sovereignty of a country which he intended to 
 annex to the French Empire. The Grand Duke was 
 indemnified with a principality in Germany, where he 
 remained until the downfall of Napoleon in 1814; sub- 
 sequent arrangements again restored him to the sway 
 
 201
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 of the land he loved so well, and he returned to Florence as 
 if he had only been absent on a tour, finding scarcely any 
 change in the laws and customs and habits of the country; 
 for tho' Tuscany was first erected into a Kingdom by the 
 title of Etruria, and afterwards annexed to the French 
 Empire, the institutions and laws laid down by Leopold and 
 followed strictly by his successor were preserved; very 
 little innovation took place, and the few innovations that 
 were effected were decided ameliorations ; for the Emperor 
 Napoleon had too much tact not to preserve and protect 
 the good he found, tho' he abolished all old abuses. The 
 improvements introduced by the French have been pre- 
 served and confirmed by the Grand Duke on his return, 
 for he is a man of too much good sense, and has too much 
 love of justice, to think of abolishing the good that has 
 been done, merely because it was done by the French. 
 Tuscany has now a respectable military force of 3,000 men 
 well armed, clothed and equipped in the French manner. 
 
 Tuscany is the only part of Italy where the downfall of 
 Napoleon was not regretted; the inhabitants of Leghorn in- 
 deed rejoiced at it, for the commerce of Tuscany being chiefly 
 maritime, Leghorn suffered a good deal from the continental 
 system. Leghorn in fact decayed in the same proportion that 
 Milan and other inland cities rose into opulence. 
 
 The character of the Tuscan people is so amiable and 
 pacific that crime is very rare indeed. Murder is almost 
 unknown and the punishment of death is banished from 
 the penal code. Where the government is good, the people 
 are or soon become good. I know of no country in the world 
 more agreeable for a foreigner to settle in than Tuscany. 
 
 I omitted to remark that in the street called Borgo 
 d'Ognissanti is a large house or palazzo which belonged to 
 Americo Vespucci. His bust is to be seen in the Florentine 
 Gallery. It is curious to remark the different appellations 
 given to the word street in the different cities of Italy. In 
 Milan a street is called vico and in Turin, contrada; in Flor- 
 ence strada and in Rome, I understand, via. 
 202
 
 LITERARY SOCIETIES IN FLORENCE 
 
 FLORENCE, 1st Sept. 
 
 I shall start in a day or two for Rome, being very impa- 
 tient to behold the Eternal City, a plan which I have had in 
 view from my earliest days and which I have not been able 
 hitherto to effect ; for like the Abbe Delille I had sworn to 
 visit the sacred spot where so many illustrious men had 
 spoke and acted, and to do homage in person to their 
 Manes. I was always a great admirer of the "Popolo Re." 
 
 In Florence there are a great many literary societies such 
 as the Infuocati, Immobili, and the far renowned La Crusca. 
 
 Frequent Academies, for so a sitting of a litterary society 
 in Italy is termed, are held in Florence. There are likewise 
 two Casinos, one for the nobility and the other for the 
 merchants and burghers; the wives and daughters of the 
 members attend occasionally ; and cards, music and dancing 
 are the amusements. Florence abounds in artists in ala- 
 baster whose workmanship is beautiful. They make models 
 in alabaster of the most celebrated pieces of sculpture and 
 architecture, on any scale you chuse: they fabricate busts 
 too and vases in alabaster. The vases made in imitation of the 
 ancient Greek vases are magnificent, and some of them are 
 of immense size. Foreigners generally chuse to have their 
 busts taken; for almost all foreigners who arrive here are 
 or pretend to be smitten with an ardent love for the fine 
 arts, and every one wishes to take with him models of the 
 fine things he has seen in Italy, on his return to his native 
 country. Here are English travellers who at home would 
 scarcely be able to distinguish the finest piece of ancient 
 sculpture the Mercury, for instance, in the Florentine 
 Gallery, from a Mercury in a citizen's garden at Highgate 
 who here affect to be in extacies at the sight of the Venus, 
 Apollino, &c., and they are fond of retailing on all occasions 
 the terms of art and connoisseurship they have learned by 
 rote, in the use of which they make sometimes ridiculous 
 mistakes. For instance I heard an Englishman one day 
 holding forth on the merits of the Vierge quisouse, as he 
 
 203
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 called it. I could not for some time divine what he meant 
 by the word quisouse, but after some explanation I found 
 that he meant the celebrated painting of the Vierge qui coud, 
 or Vierge couseuse, as it is sometimes called, which latter 
 word he had transformed into quisouse. This affectation, 
 however, of passion for the belle arti, tho' sometimes open 
 to ridicule, is very useful. It generates taste, encourages 
 artists, and is surely a more innocent as well as more 
 rational mode of spending money and passing time than in 
 encouraging pugilism or in racing, coach driving and cock 
 fighting. 
 
 204
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Journey from Florence to Rome Sienna Radicofani Bolsena Monte- 
 fiascone wine Viterbo Baccano The Roman Campagna The papal 
 douane Monuments and Museums in Rome Intolerance of the Catholic 
 Christians The Tiber and the bridges Character of the Romans The 
 Palazzi and Ville Canova's atelier Theatricals An execution in Rome. 
 
 September , 1816. 
 
 I MADE an agreement with a vetturino to take me to 
 Rome for three louis d'or and to be spesato. In the car- 
 riage were two other passengers, viz., a Neapolitan lady, 
 the wife of a Colonel in the Neapolitan service, and a 
 young Roman, the son of the Barigello or Capo degli Sbirri 
 at Rome. We issued from the Porta Romana at 6 o'clock a.m. 
 the 3d September. 
 
 The road winds thro' a valley, and has a gentle ascent 
 nearly the whole way to Poggibonsi, where we brought to the 
 first night. The soil hereabouts is far from fertile, but every 
 inch of it is put to profit. The olive tree is very frequent and 
 several farms and villages are to be met with. The next 
 day we arrived at 12 o'clock at Sienna. The approach to 
 Sienna is announced by a quantity of olive trees. The 
 situation of this city being on an elevation, makes it cold 
 and bleak. We remained here three hours, so that I had time 
 to visit some of the places worthy of remark in this vener- 
 able city, which is handsome and very solidly built, but 
 has rather a sombre appearance. The Piazza Grande lies in 
 a bottom to which you descend from the environing streets. 
 It is in the shape of a mussel shell and of very large size. The 
 Cathedral is Gothic and is a very majestic and venerable 
 building. Inside it is of black and yellow marble. The pave- 
 ment of this church contains Scripture histories in mosaic. 
 A library is annexed to the church. The librarian pointed 
 out to me 30 folio volumes of church music with illuminated 
 
 205
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 plates ; likewise an ancient piece of sculpture much mutilated, 
 viz., a group of the three Graces. In one of the chapels of 
 this Cathedral are eight columns of verd-antique. I observed 
 a monument of the Piccolomini family who belong to this 
 city; one of which family figured a good deal in the Thirty 
 Years' War in Germany. I saw several women in the Cathe- 
 dral and at the windows of the houses. The greater part of 
 them were handsome. The Italian language is spoken here 
 in its greatest purity; it is the pure Tuscan dialect without 
 the Tuscan aspiration. The Siennese language is in fact 
 the identical lingua Toscana in bocca Romana. 
 
 We arrived the same evening at Buon Convento, an old 
 dismal dirty-looking town formerly fortified; but the 
 country in the environs is pleasing enough. The inn here 
 is very bad. On the road between Sienna and this place I 
 observed a number of mulberry trees. 
 
 The next morning, the 5th Sept., we arrived at Radico- 
 fani or rather at an inn or post house facing Radicofani. 
 This is a very ancient city, and from its being on an emi- 
 nence it has an imposing appearance. Above it towers an 
 immense conical shaped mountain, evidently a volcano in 
 former times. In fact, the whole country hereabouts is vol- 
 canic, which is plainly seen from the immense masses of 
 calcined stones, the exhalations of sulphur and the dreary 
 wild appearance of the country, where scarce a tree is to be 
 seen. I never in my life saw so many calcined rocks and 
 stones of great magnitude heaped together as at Radico- 
 fani. It gave the idea as if it were the identical field of battle 
 between Jupiter and the Titans, and as if the masses of 
 rock that everywhere meet the eye had been hurled at the 
 Empyreum by the Titans and had fallen back on the spot 
 from whence they were torn up. It is indeed very probable 
 that this volcano which vomited forth rocks and stones in a 
 very remote age, gave rise to the Fable of the war between 
 Jupiter and the Giants; just as the volcanos in Sicily and 
 Stromboli gave rise to the story of the Cyclops with one eye 
 (the crater) in their forehead. But the mountain of Radico- 
 206
 
 A DANGEROUS FORD 
 
 fani must have been a volcano anterior even to ^tna; it 
 presents the image of an ancient world destroyed by fire. 
 At Ponte Centino the next morning we took our leave of 
 
 La patria bella 
 Di vaghe Donne e di dolce favella; 
 
 in plain prose, we left the Tuscan territory, and re-entered 
 the dominions of His Holiness. After being detained half an 
 hour at the Douane, we proceeded to Acquapendente to 
 breakfast. The country between Radicofani and Acqua- 
 pendente is dreary, thinly populated, little cultivated, 
 and volcanic steams of sulphur assail the nostrils. Before 
 we arrived at Acquapendente we had a troublesome river 
 to cross, which at times is nearly dry, and at other times 
 the water comes down hi torrents from the surround- 
 ing mountains and precipices, so as to render its passage 
 extremely dangerous. It is always necessary previous to the 
 passage of a carriage, to send on a man to ford and sound it, 
 from its meandering and forming different beds crossed 
 seven times, twice less than Styx novies interjusa, and it 
 is a very slow operation from the number of rocks and 
 quicksands ; so that, should the torrent come down while you 
 are in the act of crossing, you and your whole equipage 
 would be swept away by the stream and drowned or 
 dashed to pieces. Travellers going to and returning from 
 Rome are frequently detained for a day or two at Ponte 
 Centino or Acquapendente during the rainy season; for 
 immediately after heavy rams, there is always a great risk 
 and it is better to halt for several hours to allow the waters 
 to pass off. The extent of ground that this river covers by 
 its meandering and forming so many beds nearly parallel 
 to each other renders it impossible to construct a bridge 
 long enough; and it would be always liable to be swept away 
 by the torrent. Nobody ever thinks of crossing the river 
 in the dark. There having no rain fallen for several days we 
 passed it without difficulty. 
 
 Within a mile of Acquapendente the landscape varies 
 and the approach to this town is exceedingly picturesque. 
 
 207
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Acquapendente is situated on a lofty eminence from which 
 several magnificent cascades descend into the ravine below 
 and which give the name to the town. There are a great 
 number of trees about this town and they afford a great 
 relief to the eye of the traveller after so many hours' 
 journey thro' volcanic wastes. The town of Acquapendente 
 is very ancient; it is very large, but ill-paved and dirty; the 
 best buildings in it are, however, modern. The inhabitants 
 appear lazy and dirty. On entering into conversation with 
 some soldiers belonging to the Papal army, who were 
 stationed at this place, I found that most of them had 
 served under Napoleon. They spoke of him with tears of 
 affection in their eyes, and I pleased them much by reci- 
 procating their opinions of that great man. To speak well of 
 Napoleon is the surest passport to civility and good treat- 
 ment on the part of the soldiers and douaniers. 
 
 In the evening we arrived at Bolsena, the ancient Vol- 
 sinium, a city of the Volscians. It is an ancient looking 
 town, not very clean, and inhabited by indolent people. 
 It is situated on the banks of a large lake, on which there are 
 three small islands. It is very aguish and unhealthy, and 
 the inhabitants appear sickly, with marvellous sallow com- 
 plexions. The inn where we put up was a pretty good one, 
 and as this lake abounds in fish, we had some excellent 
 trout and pike for supper; among other dishes there was one 
 that was very gratifying to me, an old East and West 
 Indian; and that was the Peveroni or large red and green 
 peppers or capsicums fried in oil. Some excellent Orvieto wine 
 crowned our repast, and helped to restore us from our fatigues. 
 
 On leaving Bolsena the next morning, the 7th, and 
 within a very short distance from that town we entered a 
 thick and venerable forest, thro' which the road runs for 
 several miles. Fine old trees of immense height covered with 
 foliage and thickly studded together give to this forest an 
 aweful and romantic appearance. It is quite a lucus opaca 
 ingens. This forest has been held sacred since the earliest 
 times and is even now held in such superstitious veneration 
 208
 
 VINO D'EST 
 
 by the people that they do not allow it to be cut. The 
 Dryads and Hamadryads have no doubt long ago taken 
 their flight, but the wood, from its length and opaqueness, 
 inspired me with some apprehension lest it might be the 
 abode of some modern votaries of Mercury, people having 
 confused ideas of meum and tuum, and the appropriative 
 faculty too strongly developed in their organization, and I 
 expected every moment to hear a shot and the terrible 
 cry of ferma; but we met with no accident nor did we fall in 
 with a living soul. On issuing from this forest we perceived 
 on an eminence before us, at a short distance, the town of 
 Montefiascone. We stopped there as almost all travellers 
 do to taste the famous Montefiascone wine or Est wine, as it 
 is frequently called. This wine is fine flavored, petillant and 
 wonderfully exhilarating. It is renowned for having occa- 
 sioned the death of a German prelate in the sixteenth cen- 
 tury, who was travelling in Italy and who was remarkably 
 fond of good wine. The story is as follows. He was accus- 
 tomed to send on his servant to the different towns thro' 
 which he was to pass with directions to taste and report on 
 the quality of the different wines to be found there, and if 
 they were good to mark the word Est on the casks from 
 which he tasted them. The servant, on arrival at Monte- 
 fiascone, was highly pleased with the flavour of the wine, 
 of which there were three casks at the inn where they put 
 up. He accordingly wrote the word Est on each of the casks. 
 The Bishop arrived soon after and took such a liking to this 
 wine that he died in a few days of a fever brought on by 
 continual intoxication. He was buried in one of the churches 
 at Montefiascone and the monks of the Convent there, them- 
 selves bons-vivans, determined to give him a suitable epitaph. 
 They accordingly caused to be engraved on his tomb the 
 following Latin inscription commemorative of the event: 
 Est, Est, Est, propter nimium Est, Dominus Episcopus mor- 
 tuus EST. From the above circumstance this wine is called 
 Vino (TEst, and it affords no small revenue to the proprietor 
 of the cabaret on the road side who sells it. 
 
 P 209
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 We arrived at Viterbo to breakfast and at Ronciglione 
 in the evening. Viterbo is a large and handsome city 
 and has several striking buildings. It is paved with lava 
 and contains a great variety of fountains. There is some 
 appearance of commerce and industry in this town and 
 there are several maisons de plaisance in the neighbourhood. 
 From Viterbo, thro' Monterosi, to Ronciglione the road 
 lies over a mountain of steep ascent; here and there are 
 patches of forest. There is not a house to be seen on this 
 route and from there being a good deal of wood, and no 
 appearance of cultivation, one fancies oneself rather in the 
 wilds of a new country like America, than in so old a one 
 as Italy. 
 
 Ronciglione is an old rubbishing town half in ruins and 
 contains no one thing remarkable. 
 
 The next morning at four o'clock we started from Ronci- 
 glione and reached Baccano to breakfast. 
 
 Baccano contains only two buildings; but they are both 
 very large and roomy; the one is the inn, and the other 
 serves as a barrack for the Military. There is always a strong 
 military detachment here for the security of the road 
 against robbers, who occasionally infest this neighbour- 
 hood. The inn is of immense size. Travellers, who arrive here 
 late, would do well to halt here the whole night, as not only 
 the road is dangerous on account of robbers, but because if 
 they arrive at Rome after five o'clock p.m., they cannot 
 release their baggage and carriage from the Custom house 
 till next day. Every carriage public or private that arrives 
 in Rome is bound, unless a special permission to the con- 
 trary be obtained from the Government, to drive direct 
 to the Custom house (Dogana). In the like manner, on 
 travelling from Rome to Florence, people generally prefer 
 to start from Rome at twelve o'clock and bring to the night 
 at Baccano, so as to avoid the bad inn at Ronciglione and 
 sleep in preference at Viterbo. I here speak only of those 
 who travel by short stages as the vetturini do. 
 
 Ariosto has given a celebrity to this wretched place 
 210
 
 ARRIVAL AT ROME 
 
 Baccano in his poem of the Orlando Furioso, in the story of 
 Giocondo in the 28th Canto, as being the identical place 
 where Fausto, the brother of Giocondo, remained to await 
 the return of his brother from Rome, to which place he had 
 gone back, when half way between Baccano and Rome, to 
 fetch the monile which he had left behind him, and found his 
 wife not alone and dying with grief as he apprehended, but 
 sotto la coltre with a servant of the family. 
 
 The country between Baccano and Rome is as unpleas- 
 ing and even worse than that between the former place 
 and Ronciglione. It is hilly, but not a tree, nor a house, nor 
 a sign of cultivation to be seen except the two or three 
 wretched hovels at La Storta. There is nothing at all that 
 announces the approach to a capital city; and in addition 
 to the dismal landscape there is a sight still more dismal 
 that salutes the eye of the traveller at intervals of two or 
 three miles and which does not tend to inspire pleasing 
 ideas; and this is the sight of arms and legs of malefactors 
 and murderers suspended on large poles on the road side; 
 for it is the custom here to cut off the arms and legs of 
 murderers after decapitation, and to suspend them in terro- 
 rem on poles, erected on the very spot where they committed 
 the murder. The sight of these limbs dangling in the wind is 
 not a very comfortable one towards the close of the evening. 
 
 We left the Sepolero di Nerone, an ancient tomb so called, 
 on the right of our road and half a mile beyond it crossed 
 the Tiber at the Ponte Molle (Pons Milviiis), where there 
 is a gate, bridge and military post. From this post to the 
 Porta del Popolo, the entrance into the city for those coming 
 from the North, the distance is one mile; there is a white 
 wall on each side of the road the whole way, and some 
 farm houses and villas. Near the Ponte Molle is the field 
 of battle where Maxentius was defeated by Constantine. 
 
 We entered the Porta del Popolo, crossed the Piazza of 
 
 the same name, where three streets present themselves to 
 
 view. In the centre is the street called the Corso, running 
 
 in a direct line from the Porta across the Piazza. We drove 
 
 P2 211
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 along the Corso till we arrived at a Piazza on our right hand, 
 which Piazza is called delta Colonna from the Column of 
 Antoninus, which stands on it. We then crossed the Piazza 
 which is very large and soon reached the Dogana or Custom 
 house, formerly the temple of Antoninus Pius, where vile 
 modern walls are built to fill up the intervals between 
 eleven columns of Grecian marble. Here our baggage under- 
 went a rigorous research ; this rigour is not so much directed 
 against the fraudulent introduction of contraband or duty- 
 bearing merchandise, as against books, which undergo a 
 severe scrutiny. Against Voltaire and Rousseau implacable 
 war is waged, and their works are immediately confiscated. 
 Other authors too are sometimes examined, to see whether 
 they contain anything against Mother Church. As the people 
 employed in inspecting books are not much versed in any 
 litterature or language but their own, except perhaps a little 
 French, it is not easy for them to find out the contents of 
 books in other languages. I had Schiller's works with me, 
 a volume of which one of the douaniers took up and looked 
 at; on seeing* the* Gothic letter he seemed as much aston- 
 ished as if he had got hold of a book of Cabbala or Magic. 
 He detained the whole work, but it was sent to me the next 
 day, on my declaring that there was nothing damnable or 
 heretical in it; for there was no person belonging to the 
 department who could read German. When the douaniers 
 proceeded to the examination of the books belonging to 
 one of my fellow travellers, the Neapolitan lady, she 
 expressed great repugnance to the procedure ; the douaniers 
 however insisted and, behold! there were several livres 
 galants with plates somewhat lubriques, the discovery of 
 which excited blushes on her part and considerable laughter 
 on the part of the byestanders. These books, however, not 
 being contraband, were immediately returned to her, as was 
 an edition of Baffo, belonging to my other fellow traveller, 
 returned to him. Now this Baffo was a Venetian poet and 
 his works are the most profligate that ever were penned or 
 imagined by mortal man. Martial and Petronius Arbiter 
 212
 
 THE EXCELLENCE OF ROMAN FARE 
 
 must hide their diminished heads before Baffo. The owner 
 of this book chose to read out loud, quite unsolicited, several 
 choice sonnets of this poet for our edification during the 
 journey; and this branch of litterature seemed to be the 
 only one with which he was acquainted. 
 
 When the examination was over I took leave of my fellow 
 travellers, and repaired to the German Hotel in the Via de 1 
 Condotti, where I engaged an apartment, and sat down to 
 dinner at an excellent table d'hote at five o'clock. There was a 
 profusion of everything, particularly of fish and game. 
 Mullets and wild boar are constant dishes at a Roman table. 
 The mullets at Rome are small but delicious, and this was a 
 fish highly prized by the ancient Romans. Game of all 
 kinds is very cheap here, from the abundance of it that is 
 to be met with in wild uninhabited wastes of Latium and in 
 the Pontine marshes. Every peasant is a sportsman and goes 
 constantly armed with fire-arms, not only to kill game, but 
 to defend himself against robbers, who infest the environs 
 of Rome, and who sometimes carry their audacity so far as 
 to push their reconnaissances close to the very walls of the 
 city. At the German Hotel the price of the dinner at table 
 d'hote, including wine at discretion, is six paoli, about three 
 franks. I pay for an excellent room about three paoli per diem 
 and my breakfast at a neighbouring Caffe costs me one 
 paolo. A paolo is worth about five pence English. There are 
 ten paoli to a scudo Romano and ten bajocchi to a paolo. 
 The bajocco is a copper coin. 
 
 ROME, 12th Sept. 
 
 A great number of Germans dine at the table d'hote of 
 Franz's hotel. Among them I distinguished one day a very 
 intelligent Bavarian Jew. I proposed to him a walk to the 
 Coliseum the following morning, as independent of the 
 benefit I derived from his conversation I was curious to see 
 whether it was true or not that the Jews always avoided 
 walking under the Arch of Titus, which was erected in com- 
 memoration of the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans 
 under Titus, in the reign of Vespasian. On stepping out of 
 
 213
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the Hotel Allemand, the first thing that met my eye was the 
 identical beggar described by Kotzebue in his travels in 
 Italy, and he gives the very same answer now as then to 
 those who give him nothing, viz., Pazienza. 
 
 We crossed the Piazza di Spagna, ascended the superb 
 flight of steps of the Trinita de' Monti, where there is a 
 French church called the Church of St Louis : near it is the 
 Villa Medici, which is the seat of the French Academy of the 
 fine arts at Rome. We then filed along the Strada Felice till 
 we arrived at the church of Santa Maria maggiore, a superb 
 edifice, the third church in Rome in celebrity, and the 
 second in magnificence. An immense Egyptian Obelisk 
 stands before it. We then, turning a little to the right, made 
 the best of our way to the Coliseum where we remained 
 nearly two hours. I had figured to myself the grandest 
 ideas of this stupendous building, but the aspect of it far 
 exceeded the sketch even of my imagination. In Egypt I 
 have seen the Pyramids, but even these vast masses did not 
 make such an impression on me as the Coliseum has done. 
 I am so unequal to the task of description that I shall not 
 attempt it; I will give you however its dimensions which 
 my friend the Jew measured. It is an ellipse of which the 
 transverse axis is 580 feet in length and its conjugate dia- 
 meter 480; but it is not so much the length and breadth as 
 the solidity of this building that strikes the traveller with 
 astonishment. The arcaded passage or gallery (on the rez 
 de chaussee between the interior and the exterior wall), 
 which has a vaulted roof over which the seats are built, is 
 broad enough to admit three carriages abreast: and the 
 walls on each side of this gallery are at least twenty feet thick. 
 What a magnificent spectacle it must have been in the 
 time of the ancient Romans, when it was ornamented, 
 gilded, and full of spectators, of which it could contain, it is 
 said, 86,000! The Coliseum has been despoiled by various 
 Popes and Cardinals to furnish stone and marble to build 
 their palaces; otherwise, so solid is the building, Time 
 alone would never suffice "to destroy it. At present strict 
 214
 
 THE COLISEUM 
 
 orders are given and sentries are posted to prevent all fur- 
 ther dilapidations, and buttresses have been made to prop 
 up those parts which had given way. What a pity it is that 
 the Arena has not been left empty, instead of being fitted 
 up with tawdry niches and images representing the different 
 stations of the Crucifixion! In the centre is an immense 
 Cross, which whoever kisses is entitled to one hundred days 
 indulgence. To what reflections the sight of this vast edifice 
 leads! What combats of gladiators and wild beasts! What 
 blood has been spilled! Was it not here that the tyrannical 
 and cowardly Domitian ordered Ulpius Glabrio, of consular 
 dignity, to descend into the arena and fight with a lion? 
 The Christian writers mention that many of their sect 
 suffered martyrdom here by being compelled to fight with 
 wild beasts; but even this was not half so bad as the con- 
 duct of the Christians, when they obtained possession of 
 political power and dominion, in burning alive poor Jews, 
 Moors and heretics some centuries afterwards. Indeed the 
 cruelty of the Pagans was much exaggerated by the above 
 writers and were it even true to its full extent, their severity 
 was far more excusable than that of the Christians in later 
 times, for the efforts of the Christian sect in the times of 
 Paganism were unceasingly directed towards the destruc- 
 tion of the whole fabric of polytheism, on which was based 
 the entire social and political order of the Empire; and they 
 thus brought on themselves perhaps merited persecution, 
 by their own intolerance ; whereas, when they got the upper 
 hand, they showed no mercy to those of a different religion, 
 and Orthodoxy has wallowed successively in the blood of 
 Arians, Jews, Moors and Protestants. 
 
 How many a poor Jew or Moor in Spain and Portugal 
 has been burned alive for no other reason than 
 
 Pour n' avoir point quitttla foi de leurs ancStres. 
 
 No, no ; no sect or religion was ever so persecuting as the 
 Catholic Christians! The Polytheists of all times, both 
 ancient and modern, were tolerant to all religions and so 
 
 215
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 far from striving to make proselytes, often adopted the 
 ceremonies of other worships in addition to their own ; wit- 
 ness the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans of old, and the 
 Hindoos and Chinese of the present day. The Jews, fero- 
 cious and prejudiced as they were, never persecuted other 
 nations on the ground of religion, and if they held these 
 nations in abhorrence as idolaters, and considered them- 
 selves alone as the holy people, the people of God (Yahoudi), 
 they never dreamed of making converts. The Mussulmans 
 tho' they hold it as a sacred precept of their religion to 
 endeavour to make converts to Islam, do not use violent 
 means and only compel those of a different faith to pay a 
 higher tribute. At any rate, they never have or do put people 
 to death merely for the difference of religious opinions. Such 
 were the reflections I made on walking about the Arena of 
 this colossal edifice so worthy of the popolo Re. 
 
 On leaving the Coliseum the first thing that meets the eye 
 is the Arch of Constantine, under which the Roman trium- 
 phal and ovationary processions moved towards the 
 Capitol. The Arch of Constantine stands just outside the Coli- 
 seum. It is of immense size and extremely well preserved. 
 The ground on which it stands being much filled up and only 
 half of the Arch appearing, the rest remaining buried in the 
 earth, it was judged adviseable to excavate all around it in 
 order to come to the pedestal ; so that now there is a walled 
 enclosure all around it and into this enclosure it is a 
 descent of at least eighteen feet from the ground outside. 
 Several statues of captive Kings and bas-reliefs represent- 
 ing the victories of Constantine adorn the fa9ade of this 
 triumphal arch. The inscriptions are perfect, and the letters 
 were formerly filled up with bronze; but these have been 
 taken out at the repeated sackings that poor Rome has 
 undergone from friend and foe. At a short distance from 
 the Arch of Constantine is the Arch of Titus, under which 
 we moved along on our road towards the Capitol and my 
 friend the Jew was too much of a cosmopolite to feel the 
 smallest repugnance at walking under the Arch. 
 216
 
 ARCH OF TITUS AND FORUM 
 
 Our conversation then turned on the absurd hatred and 
 prejudice that existed between Christians and Jews; he 
 was very liberal on this subject and in speaking of Jesus 
 Christ he said: " Jesus Christ was a Jew and a real philo- 
 sopher and was therefore persecuted, for his philosophy 
 interfered too much with, and tended to shake the political 
 fabric of the Jewish constitution and to subvert our old 
 customs and usages: for this reason he was put to death. 
 I seek not to defend or palliate the injustice of the act or the 
 barbarity with which he was treated; but our nation did 
 surely no more than any other nation ancient or modern has 
 done or would still do against reformers and innovators." 
 
 The Arch of Titus is completely defaced outside, but in the 
 interior of the Arch, on each side, is a bas relief: the one 
 representing Vespasian's triumph over the Jews, and the 
 Emperor himself in a car drawn by six horses; the other 
 represents the soldiers and followers of the triumph, bearing 
 the spoils of the conquered nation, and among them the 
 famous candlesticks that adorned the temple of Jerusalem 
 are very conspicuous. These figures are in tolerable preserva- 
 tion, only that the Emperor has lost his head and one of the 
 soldiers has absconded. 
 
 On issuing from the Arch of Titus we found ourselves in 
 the Forum, now the Campo Vaccino: so that cattle now low 
 where statesmen and orators harangued, and lazy priests 
 in procession tread on the sacred dust of heroes. 
 
 O6 des pretres heureux foulent d'un pied tranquille 
 Les tombeaux des Catons et les cendres d'Emile. 
 
 So sings Voltaire, I believe, or if they are not his lines, 
 they are the Abb Delille's.* 
 
 The imagination is quite bewildered here from the variety 
 of ancient monuments that meet the eye in every direction. 
 What vast souvenirs crowd all at once on the mind! Look 
 all around! the Via Sacra, the Arch of Severus, and the 
 
 * These lines are from Voltaire's Henriade, a poem which no Frenchman 
 reads nowadays, but that Major Frye could quote from memory. The cor- 
 rect reading of the first verse is: DCS prStres fortunes, etc. (Henriade, canto iv. 
 ed. Kchl, vol. x, p. 97.) ED. 
 
 217
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Capitol in front; on one side of you, the temple of Peace, 
 that of Faustina and that of the Sun and Moon : on the other 
 the remaining three columns of the temple of Jupiter 
 Stator; the three also of the temple of Jupiter Tonans; the 
 eight columns of the temple of Concord; and the solitary 
 column of Phocas. At a short distance the temple of Castor 
 and Pollux and that of Romulus and Remus, which is a 
 round building of great antiquity, whose rusticity forms 
 a striking contrast with the elegance of the colonnaded 
 temples, and which was evidently built before the conquest 
 of Greece by the Romans and the consequent introduction 
 of the fine arts and of the Grecian orders of architecture. 
 
 You may wish to know my sensations on traversing this 
 sacred ground. The Via Sacra recalled to me Horace meet- 
 ing the bavard who addresses him: Quid agis, dulcissime 
 rerum?* I then thought of the Sabine rape; of Brutus' 
 speech over the body of Lucretia; then I almost fancied I 
 could see the spot where stood the butcher's shop, from 
 whence Virginius snatched the knife to immolate his 
 daughter at the shrine of Honor; next the shade of Regulus 
 flitted before my imagination, refusing to be exchanged; 
 then I figured to myself Cicero thundering against Catiline ; 
 or the same with delicate irony ridiculing the ultra-rigor of 
 the Stoics, so as to force even the gravity of Cato to relax 
 into a smile; then the grand, the heroic act of Marcus Brutus 
 in immolating the great Caesar at the altar of liberty. All 
 these recollections and ideas crowded on my imagination 
 without regard to order or chronology, and I remained for 
 some time in a state of the most profound reverie, from 
 which I was only roused by my friend the Jew reminding 
 me that we had a quantity of other things to see. 
 
 The first object that engaged my attention on being 
 roused from my reverie, was the Arch of Severus at the foot 
 of the Capitol which towers above it. Excavations have 
 been made around this Arch (for otherwise only half of it 
 could be seen) and a stone wall built around the excavated 
 
 * Horace, Sat., I, 9, 4. ED. 
 218
 
 THE CAPITOL 
 
 ground in the same manner as at the Arch of Constantine. 
 Round several of the columns of the temples I have above 
 enumerated, excavations have been also made; otherwise 
 the lower half of them would remain buried in the earth and 
 give to the monuments the appearance of a city which had 
 been half swallowed up by an earthquake. By dint of digging 
 round the column of Phocas, the ancient paved road which 
 led to the Capitol has been discovered and is now open to 
 view. This ancient road is at least thirty feet below the sur- 
 face of the present road and the ground about it. This shows 
 how the ground must have been filled up by the destruc- 
 tion of buildings at the different sackings of Rome and the 
 consequent accumulation of rubbish. The French when they 
 were here began these excavations and the Duchess of 
 Devonshire continues them.* It is useful in every way; it 
 employs a number of poor poeple and may be the means of 
 discovering some valuable remains of antiquity and objects 
 of art. At any rate it is highly gratifying to have discovered 
 the identical road to the Capitol on which so many Consuls, 
 Dictators and Emperors moved in triumph, and so many 
 captive Kings wept in chains. 
 
 We then ascended the steps that lead to the modern 
 Capitol and mounted on the Campanile of the same, from 
 whence there is a superb panoramic view of Rome. On 
 descending from the Campanile, we visited the Tarpeian 
 rock, which is now of inconsiderable height, the ground 
 about it and heaps of rubbish having filled up the abyss 
 below. We then entered the court yard of the Capitol. The 
 Capitol and building annexed to it form three sides of a 
 rectangle, the centre or corps de logis lying North and South, 
 and the wings East and West, the whole inclosing a court 
 yard open on the South side of the rectangle, from whence 
 you descend into the street on the plain below, by a most 
 magnificent escalier or flight of steps. Of the Capitol, the 
 corps de logis or central building to which the Campanile 
 
 * Lady Elizabeth Hervey, second wife of William, fifth Duke of Devon- 
 shire (1809) ; died March, 1824. ED. 
 
 219
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 belongs, is reserved for the occupation and habitation of 
 the Senator Romano, a civil magistrate, corresponding 
 something to the mayor in France or Oberbur germeister in 
 the German towns, and who is chosen from among the 
 nobility and nominated by the Pope. The wings contain 
 the Museum Capitolinum of painting and sculpture. There 
 is a great deal to call forth the admiration of the traveller 
 in the court yard of the Capitol. The most prominent object 
 is the famous bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, 
 which cannot fail to rivet the attention of the least enthusi- 
 astic spectator. I observed at each angle of the faade of 
 the Capitol a colossal statue of a captive King in a Phrygian 
 dress; but still more striking than these are the colossal 
 statues of Castor and Pollux leading horses, which stand a 
 little in front of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, 
 and nearer the escalier, the one on the right the other on the 
 left. Two lions in basalt on each side of the escalier are very 
 striking objects, and the escalier itself is the most superb 
 thing of the kind perhaps in the world. This escalier and the 
 Marcus Aurelius, unique also in its kind, are both the 
 workmanship of Michael Angelo.* We descended this 
 escalier and then fronted it to take a view of the Capitol 
 from the bottom; but the statue of Marcus Aurelius is so 
 prominent and so grand that it absorbed all my attention. 
 
 After dinner I walked a little in the gardens on the Pin- 
 cian hill, and then visited some friends belonging to the 
 French Academy of Painting and Sculpture, who were so 
 good as to shew me their productions, and also a copy of 
 the superb folio edition of Denon's work on Egypt which to 
 me, who had been in that country, was highly gratifying. 
 Oh! what a pity that the French could not keep that 
 country! What a paradise they would have made of it! As it 
 is (and to their credit be it said) they did more good for the 
 country during three years only, than we have done for our 
 possessions in India for fifty years. 
 
 * A singular slip of the pen ; Frye must have known that the equestrian 
 statue is a Roman work 
 
 220
 
 THE PANTHEON 
 
 ROME, 15th Septr. 
 
 The next morning, after an early breakfast, I repaired 
 to the Pantheon, now called Santa Maria della Rotonda, and 
 appropriated to the Catholic worship. It is easily recog- 
 nizable by its rotundity and by the simple grandeur of its 
 faade and portico. The bronze has been taken out of the 
 letters of the inscription. This beautiful specimen of ancient 
 architecture is situated in a small piazza or square called 
 Piazza della Rotonda, where a market of poultry, game, and 
 vegetables is held. There are only now three or four steps 
 on the escalier to ascend, in order to enter into the portico ; 
 but as it is known that according to the descriptions of the 
 Pantheon in ancient times there was an immense flight of 
 steps to ascend, it is an additional proof how much the 
 ground on which modern Rome stands has been filled up, 
 and consequently it is evident that the greater part of this 
 flight of steps remains still buried in the earth. 
 
 If I was so struck with the appearance of this interest- 
 ing edifice outside, how much more so should I have been 
 on seeing the inside, were not the niches, where formerly 
 stood the statues of the Gods, filled with tawdry dolls 
 representing the Virgin Mary and he and she saints. The 
 columns and pilasters in the interior of this temple are 
 beautiful, all of jaune antique and one entire stone each. 
 How much better would it have been to replace the 
 statues of the Dii Majorum Gentium which occupied the 
 niches, by statues in marble of the Apostles, instead of the 
 dolls dressed in tawdry colors, and the frippery gilding of 
 the altars on which they stand, which disfigure this noble 
 building. The Pantheon was built by Agrippa as the inscrip- 
 tion shews. In the interior are sixteen columns of jaune 
 antique. The bronze that formely ornamented this temple 
 was made use of to fabricate the baldachin of St Peter's. 
 Of late years it has been the fashion to erect monuments 
 affixed to the walls of the interior of the Pantheon to the 
 memory of the great men and heroes of poetry, painting, 
 sculpture and music who were natives of Italy, or for 
 
 221
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 foreigners, celebrated for their excellence in those arts, who 
 have died in Rome. Here are for instance, tablets to the 
 memory of Metastasio, Rafael Mengs, Sacchini, Poussin, 
 Winckelmann; the Phidias of modern days, the illustrious 
 Canova, has recommended the placing in the Pantheon of 
 the busts in marble of all the great men who have flourished 
 in Italy, as the most appropriate ornament to this temple. 
 He himself with a princely liberality has made a present to 
 it of the busts of Dante, Petrarca, Ariosto, Tasso, Guarini, 
 Alfieri, Michel Angelo, Rafaello, Metastasio and various 
 other worthies. These busts are all the production either of 
 Canova himself, or made by his pupils under his direction; 
 they are not the least remarkable ornament of the place. 
 In the centre of the Piazza delta Rotonda stands an obelisk 
 brought from Egypt, which belonged to a temple sacred to 
 Isis in that country. 
 
 I next repaired to the Piazza di Navona, a large and 
 spacious square, where there is a superb fountain represent- 
 ing a vast rock with four colossal figures, one of which 
 reclines at the foot of the rock, at each angle of the pedestal 
 that supports it, and it is surmounted by an Obelisk which 
 was brought from Egypt and was found in the gardens of 
 Sallust. The four colossal figures represent the four river 
 Gods of the four great rivers in Europe, Asia, Africa and 
 America, viz., the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the 
 Plata. The statue of the Nile has his head half-concealed by 
 a cloak, emblematical of the source of that river not being 
 discovered. In the Piazza are frequently held fairs, shews of 
 wild beasts, theatrical exhibitions and sometimes combats 
 of wild beasts. 
 
 I crossed the Tiber on my way to St Peter's at the Ponte 
 di San? Angelo; directly on the other side of the river 
 stands the castle of that name, an immense edifice formerly 
 the Moles Adriana or Mausoleum of the Emperor Adrian. 
 It is of a circular form and is a remarkably striking object. 
 From here there is a spacious street as broad as Portland 
 place, which leads to the magnificent Piazza, where stands 
 222
 
 CHURCH OF S. PETER 
 
 the Metropolitan Church of the Christian world, the pride 
 of Christendom, the triumph of modern architecture, 
 flanked on each side by a semi-circular colonnaded portico, 
 which constitutes one of its greatest beauties and distin- 
 guishes it from all the other temples in the world. On the 
 Piazza, considerably in front of this wonderful edifice and 
 nearly in the centre, stands an immense Egyptian Obelisk, 
 and at a short distance on each side of the Obelisk two 
 magnificent fountains which spout water to a great height 
 and which contribute greatly to the ornament of the 
 Piazza. 
 
 Now you must not expect me to give you a description of 
 this glorious temple. I never in my life possessed descriptive 
 powers, even for objects of no great importance: how then 
 could I attempt to delineate the innumerable beauties of 
 this edifice? Yet, vast as it is, the proportions of the fa9ade 
 are so correct, that they, together with the semi-circular 
 colonnaded portico, serve to diminish its apparent size and 
 to render its mass less imposing, but perhaps more beauti- 
 ful. On this account it appears at first sight of less size than 
 the Church of St Paul's in London. The beauty of the 
 architecture, viz., of the fa9ade and of the colonnaded 
 portico would require days to examine and admire. What 
 shall I say then of the wonders of the interior, crowded and 
 charged as it is with the finest pieces of sculpture, columns 
 of the most beautiful verd antique and of jaune antique; the 
 masterpieces of painting copied in mosaic; the precious 
 stones and marbles of all sorts that adorn the variety of 
 magnificent chapels and altars; the immense baldachin 
 with its twisted columns of bronze (the spoils of the Pan- 
 theon and of the temple of Jerusalem); the profusion of 
 gilding and ornament of all sorts and where in spite of this 
 profusion there seems rien de trop. At first entrance the eye 
 is so dazzled with the magnificent tout ensemble as to be 
 incapable for a long time of examining any thing in detail. 
 Each chapel abounds in the choicest marbles and precious 
 stones : in a word it would seem as if the whole wealth of the 
 
 228
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Earth were concentrated here. Without impiety or exagger- 
 ation, I felt on entering this majestic temple for the first 
 time just as I conceive a resuscitated mortal would feel on 
 being ushered into the scene of the glories of Heaven. The 
 masterpieces of painting are here perpetuated in mosaic, 
 and so correctly and beautifully done, that unless you 
 approach exceedingly close indeed, it is impossible to dis- 
 tinguish them from paintings. What an useful as well as 
 ornamental art is the mosaic! There are a great variety of 
 confessionals where penitents and pilgrims may confess, 
 each in his own tongue, for there is a confessional for the 
 use of almost every native tongue and language in the 
 Catholic world. The cupola! What an astonishing sight when 
 you look up at it from below! How can I better describe it 
 than by relating the anecdote of Michel Angelo its con- 
 structor, who when some one made a remark on the impos- 
 sibility of making a finer Cupola than that of the Pantheon, 
 burst out into the following exclamation : " Do you think, so? 
 Then I will throw it in the air," and he fulfilled his word; for 
 the cupola of St Peter's is exactly of the size of that of the 
 Pantheon, tho' at such an elevation as to give it only the 
 appearance of one fourth of its real size, or even less. The 
 sublimity of the design can only be equalled by the boldness 
 and success of its execution. Till it was done, it was thought 
 by every artist impossible to be done. What an extraordinary 
 genius was this Michel Angelo! Ariosto has not at all exag- 
 gerated in his praise when he speaks of him in punning on 
 his name: 
 
 Michel pii che mortal, Angel divino.* 
 
 * Michael, less man than Angel and divine. 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 Among the various splendid marble monuments with 
 which this temple abounds is one erected to the memory of 
 Pope Rezzonico, constructed by Canova and reckoned one 
 of his masterpieces. The Pope is represented in his canoni- 
 cals. Behind and above him is a colossal statue of Religion 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, xxxnr, 2, 4. ED. 
 224
 
 SCULPTURE IN S. PETER'S 
 
 with a cross in one hand and rays in form of spikes issuing 
 from her head. I do not like these spikes. On the dexter side 
 of this monument, is a beautiful male youthful figure repre- 
 senting a funereal genius with an inverted torch. The signal 
 delicacy, beauty and symmetry of this statue forms a 
 striking contrast with the figure of an immense lion sleeping 
 on the sinister side: and this lion is an irrefragable proof 
 that Canova excels in the delineation of the terrible as 
 well as the beautiful, for it is admirably executed. 
 
 At another monument is a superb female figure of 
 colossal size representing Truth. It was formerly naked, but 
 they have contrived to execute in coloured marble a vest- 
 ment to cover her loins and veil her secret beauties. The 
 reason of which is, that this beautiful statue made such an 
 impression once upon a traveller (some say he was an 
 Englishman, others a Spaniard) that it inspired him with a 
 sort of Pygmalionic passion which he attempted to gratify 
 one night; he was discovered in the attempt, and since that 
 time, to prevent further scandal or attempts of the sort 
 and to conceal from profane eyes the charms of the too 
 alluring Goddess, this colored marble vestment was 
 imagined and executed. This story is borrowed from 
 Lucian.* 
 
 There is also here a fine statue of Pope Gregory XIII and 
 a magnificent bas-relief, the subject of which is the reform 
 of the calendar by that Pope. Here too is a monument to 
 Christina Queen of Sweden, and a bas-relief representing 
 her abjuration of the Lutheran Faith. 
 
 But why should I attempt to detail all these monuments, 
 while it would require folios for the purpose; let me rather 
 introduce you to the hero and tutelary saint of this sanc- 
 tuary. St Peter, a superb bronze statue something above 
 the usual size of men, is seated on a curule chair in the 
 nave of the church on the right hand side as you approach 
 the baldachin. He holds in his hands the keys of Heaven. 
 He receives the adoration of all the faithful who enter into 
 
 * See Lucian, Imag., iv; A mores, xv, xvi. ED. 
 Q 225
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 this temple, and this adoration is performed by kissing his 
 foot which, from the repeated kissings, is become of a 
 bright polish and is visibly wearing away. The statue was 
 formerly a statue of Jupiter Capitolinus, but on the grand 
 revolution among the inhabitants of Olympus and the 
 downfall of Jupiter, it was broken to pieces, melted down 
 and fabricated into an image of St Peter, so that this statue 
 has lost little of its former sovereignty and still rules 
 Heaven and Earth if not with regal, with at least vice-regal 
 power, tho' under a different name. 
 
 In the Sistine Chapel is the celebrated painting al fresco 
 of the day of Judgment by Michel Angelo, an aweful sub- 
 ject and nobly and awefully executed. 
 
 In the porch under the fa9ade of St Peter's are two marble 
 statues on horseback, one at each end of the porch: they 
 represent Constantine the Great and Charlemagne, the two 
 great benefactors of the holy Catholic Church; the one, 
 in fact, its founder, the other its preserver. 
 
 As the Palace of the Vatican stands close to the Church of 
 St Peter's and communicates with it by an escalier, I 
 ascended the escalier in order to behold and examine the 
 famous Museum of the Vatican, the first in the world, and 
 unique for the vast treasures of the fine arts that it con- 
 tains ; treasures which the united wealth of all Europe and 
 India to boot could not purchase at their just price. Here 
 in fact it may be said are preserved the riches and plunder 
 of the whole world, which was stripped of all its valuables 
 by those illustrious brigands the ancient Romans. And 
 mark in this point the good fortune of Rome; instead of 
 losing them again as other nations have lost their trophies, 
 Superstition came to her aid and caused them to be 
 respected and preserved, till an enlightened age arose which 
 guided by Philosophy, Humanity and Science will for ever 
 preserve them secure against all attacks of barbarians in a 
 sanctuary so worthy of them. n 
 
 226
 
 THE VATICAN MUSEUM 
 
 Museum Vaticanum* 
 
 A superb flight of steps leads into a hall of immense 
 length filled on each side with statues, busts, sarcophagi, 
 altars, urns, vases and candelabra, all monuments of 
 antiquity and of the most exquisite workmanship. The 
 walls on each side of this hall are inlaid with tablets bearing 
 inscriptions in Greek, Latin and Etruscan. One is quite 
 bewildered amongst such a profusion of Gods, Semi-Gods, 
 Heroes. I must single out a few of the most remarkable for 
 their workmanship. Here is a group representing the sacrifice 
 of Mithras. On ascending a few steps at the other end of this 
 hall, in a small octangular room, are the statue of Meleager ; 
 the famous Torso; the tomb of Scipio with bas-reliefs. On 
 leaving the chamber you come into an octangular gallery, 
 issuing from which are four circular chambers; each cham- 
 ber contains a masterpiece of art. In one is the Apollo 
 Belvedere, in another the Laocoon (both safely arrived 
 from Paris) ; in the third Antinous; in the fourth the Perseus 
 of Canova, with Medusa's head and his famous group of the 
 two pugilists. Descriptions of the three first would be 
 superfluous for of them 
 
 Mille altri ban detto e con via miglior plettro, 
 
 and even with respect to the Perseus of Canova, I shall 
 content myself with remarking that the sculptor had 
 evidently the Apollo Belvedere in his ideal, and if he has 
 not 'quite equalled that celebrated statue, it is [because 
 it is impossible; but he certainly has given the^ nearest 
 possible approximation to its excellence. 
 
 In another hall and just at its entrance are the statues 
 of Menander and Posidippus in a sitting posture, one on 
 either side. In this hall are innumerable fine statues, but the 
 further end of it, fronting you as you enter, is a statue 
 which at once engages and rivets your undivided attention; 
 it at once induces you to approach and to take no notice 
 of the statues on the right and left of the hall. And how 
 
 *Major Frye's description is incorrect in many particulars on which it 
 seemed unnecessary to'draw attention. ED. 
 
 Q2 227
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 should it be otherwise, since it is the identical statue of the 
 father of the Gods and men, the famous Jupiter Capitolinus 
 which adorned the Capitol in ancient Rome. He is sitting on 
 a throne with a sceptre in one hand and the thunderbolts in 
 the other, at his feet an eagle. It is a glorious statue and in 
 every respect characteristic; such grandeur, such majesty 
 in the countenance! It is impossible not to feel awe and 
 reverence on beholding it. It was on contemplating this 
 venerable statue that an Englishman who was at Rome 
 some sixty years ago, stood wrapt for a time in silent 
 veneration; then suddenly breaking silence he made a 
 profound obeisance before the statue and exclaimed: 
 " Recollect, O father of the Gods and men, that I have 
 paid my homage to you in your adversity and do not forget 
 me, should you ever raise your head above water again! " 
 
 In the hall of the Muses are the statues of the tuneful 
 Nine which were found underground among the ruins of 
 Hadrian's villa at Tivoli. 
 
 In the centre of a circular chamber of vast dimensions, 
 is an enormous circular basin of porphyry, of forty-one feet 
 in diameter. A superb mosaic adorns the floor of the centre 
 of this chamber, and is inclosed. Appropriate ornaments to 
 this immense chamber are the colossal statues of the Dii 
 majorum Gentium. Here are Juno, Minerva, Cybele, Jupiter, 
 Serapis, Mars, Ceres, and others. 
 
 In another hall are two enormous Egyptian Gods in 
 yellow granite; two superb sarcophagi in red marble and 
 two immense Sphinxes in granite. In another chamber is 
 an antique car drawn by two horses : the near one is modern, 
 the off one ancient. The wheels of this car are modern; 
 both car and horses are of exquisite workmanship. Several 
 fine statues adorn this chamber, among which the most 
 remarkable are a Phocion, a Paris, an Antinous, and a 
 Triton carrying off a Nereid. 
 
 I must not omit to mention that in one of the halls is 
 the famous group of the Nile, represented by an enormous 
 colossal River God, surrounded by fourteen children olaying 
 228
 
 STANZE DI RAFAELLO 
 
 with young crocodiles. Opposite to this group is another 
 equally celebrated, viz., the colossal statue of the Tiber, 
 with the she-wolf giving suck to Romulus and Remus by 
 his side. The mosaic pavements in this Museum surpass in 
 richness any in the world. In one of the halls, among the 
 works of modern times, are t\vo beautiful marble tables 
 richly inlaid with all sorts of stones of value, with bas- 
 reliefs on them; the one representing the visit of the 
 Emperor Joseph II, and the other that of Gustavus III of 
 Sweden to Rome, and their reception by the Pope. 
 
 One of the halls of sculpture is appropriated to the 
 figures of animals of all kinds, from the lion and eagle down 
 to the rat and crawfish in marbles of all colors, and of all 
 sizes; the best executed among them appeared to me a 
 group representing a greyhound bitch giving suck to her 
 young. As for the valuable cameos, coins, medals, and 
 smaller remnants of antiquity in this Museum, they are 
 innumerable. 
 
 With regard to the paintings that belong to this Museum, 
 there is only a small collection but it is unique. Here is the 
 Transfiguration and some other masterpieces of Rafaello. 
 
 In the Stanze di Rafaello (so they are called) are several 
 large fresco paintings, viz., one representing the battle of 
 Maxentius and Constantine; another, the school of Athens 
 and Socrates sitting among the other philosophers; a third 
 representing a fire; besides others. 
 
 In one of these stanze is a work in tapestry representing 
 Jesus Christ bursting forth from the sepulchre, but he has 
 a visage far too rubicund and wanting in dignity; he looks 
 like a person flushed with wine issuing from a tavern; in 
 the countenance there is depicted (so it appears to me) a 
 vulgar, not a dignified triumph. 
 
 The Palace of the Vatican is of immense size and is said 
 to cover as much ground as the city of Turin; and I am 
 inclined to think that there is not a great deal of exaggeration 
 in this statement, for the vista along the corridors and 
 galleries appears to be endless. The Library of the Vatican 
 
 229
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 is of course very extensive and of immense value; but the 
 books, as well as the manuscripts, are kept in presses which 
 are locked, and it is rather awkward to be continually 
 applying to the custode to take out and put back a book. 
 
 The Museum of the Vatican is open twice a week to the 
 public, viz. Thursdays and Sundays; but foreigners, on 
 shewing their passports, may^obtain^admission at any 
 time. 
 
 ROME, 17th Sept. 
 
 My next visit was to the Capitol in order to inspect the 
 Museum Capitolinum. This time I ascended the magnificent 
 escalier of Michel Angelo, having the equestrian statue 
 of Marcus Aurelius in front. On arriving at the courtyard, 
 I entered the building on my left (which is on the right of 
 the facade). Under the colonnaded portico of this wing are 
 the statues of Caesar and Augustus; here too is the naval 
 column of the consul Duilius, in commemoration of the 
 first naval victory gained over the Carthaginians ; also a 
 colossal statue of the Rhine called Marforio. In one of the 
 halls two large statues of the Egyptian Goddess Isis and 
 various other Egyptian divinities. In this Museum among 
 other things is an altar representing Claudia drawing to the 
 land the Ship of Cybele; a magnificent sarcophagus with a 
 bas relief on its side representing the progress of life; 
 Amalthea giving suck to Jupiter; the God Anubis found 
 among the ruins of Adrian's palace at Tivoli. On ascending 
 the staircase, I observed on the right hand fixed in the wall 
 a tablet with a plan of ancient Rome carved on it. In one of 
 the halls above stairs the most remarkable statue is that 
 of the dying gladiator (brought back from Paris); this is 
 certainly a noble piece of sculpture; the bodily pain and 
 mental anguish are singularly well expressed in the counten- 
 ance; a superb bronze statue of Hercules; a Centaur in 
 black marble ; a Faun in rosso antico ; a group of Cupid and 
 Psyche; a Venus in Parian marble rather larger than the 
 common size. One of the halls in this museum contains the 
 busts of all the philosophers; another those of all the 
 230
 
 THE CAPITOLINE MUSEUM 
 
 Roman emperors ; there is also a colossal statue of Pyrrhus ; 
 a superb Agrippina and the celebrated mosaic of the four 
 pigeons. In enumerating the above I have only to observe 
 that they only constitute a thousandth part of what is to 
 be seen here. After passing three hours in this wing of the 
 building, I went over across the courtyard to the other 
 wing. Under the portico of this wing the following are the 
 most remarkable among the statues : a Roman triumphans ; 
 two Phrygian kings in black marble. In one of the rooms 
 above stairs is a very remarkable piece of antiquity, viz., 
 the bronze wolf giving suck to Romulus and Remus, which 
 was found in the temple of Romulus and which was struck 
 by lightning during the consulate of Julius: the marks 
 made by the lightning are quite distinct. There is in this 
 wing a small but excellent collection of paintings, and a 
 great variety of statues, busts, sarcophagi, candelabra, 
 and antiquities of all sorts. 
 
 The front part, or corps de logis of the Capitol is called 
 // Palazzo del Senato conservatore, and is the residence of the 
 Senator Romano who is chosen by the Pope. By the bye, I 
 understand this dignity is generally given to a foreigner, 
 the Pontiffs being rather jealous of the Roman nobility. 
 
 This wing of the Capitol employed me two hours ; but I 
 must visit this Museum as well as that of the Vatican 
 often again; for it would require months and years to 
 examine them duly. 
 
 ROME, 18th Sept. 
 
 On this side of the river which is called Transtevere, I 
 had an opportunity of observing the inhabitants, who are 
 called Transteverini, the most of whom pretend to be the 
 descendants of the ancient Romans, unmixed with any 
 foreign blood. They certainly have very much of that 
 physiognomy that is attributed to the ancient Romans, for 
 they are a tall, very robust race of men having something 
 of a ferocious dignity in their countenance which, however, 
 is full of expression, and the aquiline nose is a prominent 
 feature among them. They are exceedingly jealous of their 
 
 231
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 women, whom they keep within doors as much as they can, 
 and if a stranger on passing by their doors should chance to 
 observe their wives or daughters who may be standing 
 there and should stop to admire them (for many of them 
 have an air of antique beauty and majesty of countenance 
 which is remarkably striking), they will instantly order the 
 females to retire, with an air of asperity. 
 
 Whether they really be the pure descendants of the 
 ancient Romans is difficult to say: but it is by no means 
 improbable, since even to this day they intermarry solely 
 with one another, and refuse to give their daughters in 
 marriage to foreigners or to those of mixed blood. 
 
 Instances have been known of these families, who are 
 for the most part very poor, refusing the most advantageous 
 offers of marriage made to their daughters by rich foreign 
 merchants and artists, on the ground merely that the 
 suitors were not Romani but Barbari. 
 
 As for the bourgeoisie of Rome in general, they have been 
 for some centuries back and are a very mixed race, com- 
 posed of all the nations of Europe. Most of the foreign 
 artists who come here to study the fine arts, viz., Belgians, 
 Dutch, German, French, English, Swedes, Danes, Poles 
 and Russians, as well as those from other parts of Italy, 
 struck with the beauty of the women, and pleased with the 
 tranquility and agreeable society that prevails in this 
 metropolis, and the total freedom from all gene and etiquette, 
 marry Roman women and fix here for life : so that among 
 this class you meet with more foreign names than Roman; 
 and it is this sort of colonisation which keeps up the popu- 
 lation of Rome, which would otherwise greatly decrease as 
 well from the celibacy of the number that become priests, 
 as from the malaria that prevails in and about the city in 
 July and August. 
 
 ROME, 19th Sept. 
 
 I have been employed for the last two days in visiting 
 some of the churches, palazzi and villas of modern Rome; 
 but the number is so prodigious and there are such a variety 
 232
 
 THE CHURCHES OF ROME 
 
 of things to be seen in each that I shall only make mention 
 of a few; indeed there are many that I have not seen and 
 probably shall not have time to see. As sacred things 
 should precede profane, let us begin with the churches. 
 
 The first that claims the attention of the traveller after 
 St Peter's, is the church of St John Lateran which is the 
 oldest church in Christendom, and was the metropolitan of 
 Rome and of the Christian world before the building of St 
 Peter's. It lies very nearly in a right line with the Piazza di 
 Spagna, and on a prolonged line, forming an obtuse angle 
 with the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which, as I first 
 visited, I shall first describe and afterwards resume what 
 I have to remark on the subject of St John Lateran. 
 
 Santa Maria Maggiore is the third church in importance, 
 but the second in magnificence in Rome. Before its fa9ade 
 stands a single column of granite of the Corinthian order. 
 The faade of this church is beautiful but it would be far 
 better without the campanile, which I think always dis- 
 figures a church of Grecian architecture; besides it is not in 
 the centre of the building. The church is richly adorned 
 with mosaics and its several chapels are admirable from the 
 execution of their architecture and sculpture and the value 
 of the different rich marbles and precious stones with which 
 the monuments therein are made and incrusted. Among 
 these Chapels are those of Sixtus V, Paul V. The grand 
 altar is of porphyry. But the most striking beauty of this 
 church and which eclipses all its other ornaments, are the 
 forty columns of beautiful Grecian marble on each side of 
 the nave. The ceiling, too, is superb and richly gilt; the 
 gilding must have cost an immense sum and was done, it is 
 said, with the first gold that was brought from America. 
 Nothing can be more rich than this plafond. The above 
 forty columns belonged formerly to the temple of Juno 
 Lucina. It is singular that the ceremony of the accouche- 
 ment of the Virgin and the birth of Christ should be per- 
 formed here. On the 24th December this pantomime is 
 regularly acted, and crowds of all sorts of people attend, 
 
 233
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 particularly women. At the moment that the Virgin is 
 supposed to be delivered a salve of artillery announces the 
 good tidings. This is singular, I say, when one recollects the 
 peculiar attributes of Juno Lucina and the assistance she 
 was supposed to give to persons in the same situation. 
 
 You cannot expect me to detail to you all the riches in 
 precious stones and gifts of pious princes that adorn the 
 several chapels of this and other churches ; but they appear 
 to contain every stone and jewel mentioned in the Arabian 
 Nights as being to be found in the cave where Aladdin was 
 left by the magician ; and it must be allowed that the Popes 
 have been remarkably adroit inchanters in conjuring to 
 Rome all the riches of the Earth. 
 
 The church of St John Lateran is larger and more 
 striking as to its exterior and as to its architecture than 
 that of Santa Maria Maggiore, but it is not so charged with 
 ornament and there is scarce any gilding. There is a 
 simple elegance about it that I think far more pleasing than 
 the magnificence of Santa Maria. 
 
 St John Lateran contains several beautiful pieces of 
 sculpture in white marble, rather larger than the usual size 
 of man, of the twelve Apostles, six on one side of the nave 
 and six on the other; and above them are bas-reliefs, also 
 in marble, representing the various scenes from the history 
 of the Old and New Testament. These twelve statues are 
 admirably well executed and they give to this temple an 
 air of simple grandeur. In this church are very few paintings 
 on mosaics, but little gilding and no superfluous ornaments. 
 Sculpture is, in my opinion, far more appropriate to a place 
 of worship than paintings or dazzling ornaments. Another 
 very striking beauty of this noble and venerable temple 
 are the columns it contains, some of which are in granite and 
 others of the most beautiful verd-antique. There are besides 
 two superb Corinthian columns of bronze which adorn 
 one of the altars. Among the chapels of this Cathedral is 
 one belonging to the Corsini family, which is probably the 
 richest in Europe, and contains more precious stones and 
 234
 
 THE OBELISKS IN ROME 
 
 marbles than any other. Yet as this and the other chapels 
 are in recesses and separated from the aisles of the church 
 by large bronze gates, you cannot see then* contents till you 
 enter the said chapels; and thus your attention is not 
 diverted by them from the contemplation of the simple 
 grandeur of the columns and statues which adorn the body 
 of the temple. 
 
 The bronze columns above mentioned were taken from 
 the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. On one side in front of 
 the church of St John Lateran stands an immense Egyptian 
 Obelisk 115 feet in height, brought from Egypt to Rome 
 in the time of Constantine. 
 
 I think the placing of these Obelisks in front of the 
 fa9ade of the most remarkable edifices is an excellent 
 arrangement, as they are never-failing landmarks to dis- 
 tinguish from afar off the edifices to which they belong. 
 This Obelisk was found in the Circus Maximus, from which 
 it was removed and placed on this spot by Sixtus V. A large 
 Orphan establishment is close to this church; and close to 
 it also the Battisterio of Constantine, which rests on forty- 
 eight columns of porphyry, said to be the finest hi Europe. 
 Another church in the vicinity contains La Scala Santa or 
 holy staircase of marble which, according to the tradition, 
 adorned Pontius Pilate's palace at Jerusalem, and on which 
 identical staircase Jesus Christ ascended to be interrogated 
 by Pilate. The tradition further says that it was transported 
 to Rome by Angels. This staircase has twenty-eight steps, 
 and no one is allowed to mount it except on his knees. 
 Nobody ever descends it, but there are two other escaliers 
 parallel to it, one on the right hand, the other on the left, by 
 which you descend in the usual manner. Not being aware of 
 this ceremony, I, on entering the edifice, began to ascend 
 the escalier which was nearest to me, which proved to be the 
 Scala Santa, for no sooner had I begun to ascend it as I 
 would any other flight of steps than two or three voices 
 screamed out: " Signore! O signore! a ginocchia; c'e la scala 
 santa!" I asked what was meant and was then told the 
 
 235
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 whole story, and that it was necessary to mount this 
 staircase on one's knees or not at all. This I did not think 
 worth the trouble, being quite contented with beholding it. 
 The marble of this staircase is much worn by the number of 
 devout people who ascend it in this manner, and this 
 ceremony, aided by a quantum suff of faith is no doubt of 
 great efficacy. 
 
 The fourth church in estimation, and I believe the next 
 ancient in Rome to St John Lateran, is the church of San 
 Paolo fuor della mura, so called from its being situated 
 outside the gates of the city. It is of immense size, but out of 
 repair and neglected. The most striking object of its archi- 
 tectural contents are the 120 columns of Parian marble 
 which support its nave. 
 
 St Pietro in Vincoli is chiefly remarkable for its being 
 built near the dungeon where, according to the tradition, 
 St Peter was confined and from whence he was released by 
 Angels; its chief ornament is the colossal statue of Moses. 
 Somewhere close to this place are shewn the ruins of the 
 Mamertine prison where Jugurtha was incarcerated and 
 died. 
 
 There are in Rome about three hundred other churches, 
 all of which can boast of very interesting and valuable 
 contents. One in particular called the Portuguese Church 
 is uncommonly beautiful tho' small; another, that of 
 St Ignazio, or the Jesuits' church, is vast and imposing, and 
 very fine singing is occasionally to be heard there. 
 
 ROME, 21st Sept. 
 
 The Palace occupied by the Pope is that of the Quirinal, 
 standing on the Quirinal Hill, which is commonly called 
 Monte Cavallo from the statues of the two Hippodamoi or 
 tamers of horses, thought to be meant for Castor and 
 Pollux which stand on this hill ; this group is surmounted by 
 an Egyptian obelisk. These statues are said to be the work 
 of Phidias ; but there is a terrible disproportion between the 
 men and the horses they are leading; they give you the idea 
 236
 
 PALACES AND FOUNTAINS 
 
 of Brobdignagians leading Shetland ponies. The Quirinal 
 palace is every way magnificent and worthy of the Sove- 
 reign Pontiff; there are large grounds annexed to it; it 
 stands nearly in the centre of Rome and from this palace 
 are dated the Papal edicts. The Pope resides here during 
 the whole year, with the exception of three or four months 
 in the hot season, when he repairs to Castel Gandolfo near 
 la Riccia. 
 
 Of the fountains the grandest and most striking is that 
 of Trevi, which lies at the foot of Quirinal Hill. Here is a 
 magnificent group in marble of Neptune, in his car in the 
 shape of a mussel-shell drawn by Sea-horses and surrounded 
 by Nymphs and Tritons. An immense basin of white marble, 
 as large as a moderate sized pond, receives the water which 
 gushes from the nostrils of the Sea-horses and from the 
 mouths of the Tritons. There is a very good and just remark 
 made on the subject of this group by Stolberg, viz. the 
 attention of Neptune seems too much directed towards one 
 of his horses, a piece of minutiae more worthy of a chariot- 
 eer endeavouring to turn a difficult corner, than of the God 
 who at a word could control the winds and tranquillize 
 the Ocean. 
 
 The fountain Termina, so called from its vicinity to the 
 Thermes of Diocletian, is the next remarkable fountain. 
 Here is a colossal statue of Moses striking the rock and 
 causing the water to gush forth. The grandeur and majesty 
 of this statue would be more striking but for the incon- 
 gruity of the arcades on each side of the rock, and the two 
 lions in black basalt who spout water. Moses and the rock 
 would have been sufficient. Simplicity is, in my opinion, the 
 soul of architecture, and where is there in all history a 
 subject more peculiarly adapted to a fountain than this 
 part of the history of Moses? 
 
 The Fountain Paolina is a fountain that springs from 
 under a beautiful arcade, but there are no statues nor bas- 
 reliefs. It is a plain neat fountain and the water is esteemed 
 the best in Rome. This fountain is situated on the Janicule 
 
 237
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Hill, from which you have perhaps the best view of Rome ; 
 as it re-unites more than any other position, at one coup d* ceil, 
 both the modern and debris of the ancient city, without 
 the view of the one interfering with or being intercepted by 
 the other. From here you can distinguish ruins of tri- 
 umphal arches, broken columns, aqueducts, etc., as far as 
 the eye can reach. It demonstrates what an immense 
 extent of ground ancient Rome must have covered. Near 
 the fountain is the church where St Peter is said to have 
 suffered martyrdom with his head downwards. 
 
 The Column of Trajan is near the fountain Trevi, and it 
 stands in an inclosure, the pavement of which is seven feet 
 lower than the piazza on which it stands. The inclosure is 
 walled round. Had not this excavation been made, one 
 third of the column (lower part) would not be seen. The 
 Piazza on which this column stands is called II foro Tra- 
 jano. The column represents Trajan's triumphs over the 
 Daci, Quadi and Marcomanni, and is the model from whence 
 Napoleon's column of the Grand Army in the Place Vendome 
 at Paris is taken. A statue of St Peter stands on this 
 column. 
 
 The Column of Antoninus stands on the Piazza Colonna; 
 on it are sculptured the victories gained by that Emperor. 
 Round this column it has not been necessary to make exca- 
 vations. On this column stands the statue of St Paul. 
 
 Amongst the immense variety of edifices and ruins of 
 edifices which most interest the antiquarian are the Ther- 
 mes of Diocletian. Here are four different semi-circular 
 halls, two of which were destined for philosophers, one 
 for poets and one for orators; baths; a building for tennis 
 or rackets; three open courts, one for the exercise of the 
 discus, one for athletes and one for hurling the javelin. Of 
 this vast building part is now a manufactory, and the 
 hall of the wrestlers is a Carthusian church. 
 
 I have now, I believe, visited most, if not all that is to 
 be seen in Rome. I have visited the Pyramid of Cestius, the 
 tomb of Metella, I have consulted the nymph Egeria, 
 238
 
 THE ATELIER OF CANOVA 
 
 smelled at the Cloaca Maxima; in fine, I have given in to 
 all the singeries of pedantry and virtu with as much ardour 
 as Martinus Scriblerus himself would have done. But it 
 yet remains for me to speak of the most interesting exhi- 
 bition that modern Rome can boast, and of the most interest- 
 ing person in it and in all Italy, and that is the atelier of 
 Canova and Canova himself, the greatest sculptor, perhaps, 
 either of ancient or modern times, except the mighty un- 
 known who conceived and executed the Apollo of the 
 Vatican. 
 
 In the atelier of Canova the most remarkable statues I 
 observed are: a group of Hector and Ajax of colossal size, 
 not quite finished; a Centaur, also colossal; a Hebe; two 
 Ballerine or dancing girls, one of which rivetted my atten- 
 tion most particularly. She is reclining against a tree with 
 her cheek appuyed on one hand; one of her feet is uplifted 
 and laid along the other leg as if she were reposing from a 
 dance. The extreme beauty of the leg and foot, the pulpiness 
 of the arms, the expressive sweetness of the face, and the 
 resemblance of the marble to wax in point of mellowness, 
 gives to this beautiful statue the appearance of a living 
 female brunette. It was a long time before I could withdraw 
 my eyes from that lovely statue. 
 
 The next object that engaged my attention was a group 
 representing a Nymph reclining on a couch semi-supine, and 
 a Cupid at her feet. The luxurious contour of the form of 
 this Nymph is beyond expression and reminded me of the 
 description of Olympia: 
 
 Le parti che solea coprir la stola 
 Fur di tanta eccellenza, ch'anteporse 
 A quante n'avea il mondo potean forse.* 
 Parts which are wont to be concealed by gown 
 i Are such, as haply should be placed before 
 Whate'er this ample world contains in store. 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE 
 
 This group is destined for the Prince Regent of England. 
 Another beautiful group represents the three Graces; this 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso.xi, 67, 6. 
 
 239
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 is intended for the Duke of Bedford. Were it given to me 
 to chuse for myself among all the statues in the atelier of 
 Canova, I should chuse these three, viz., the Ballerina, the 
 Nymph reclining, and this group of the Graces. 
 
 Canova certainly is inimitable in depicting feminine 
 beauty, grace and delicacy. Among the other statues in this 
 atelier the most prominent are: a statue of the Princess 
 Leopoldina Esterhazy in the attitude of drawing on a tablet 
 with this inscription: 
 
 Anch'io voglio tentar I'arte del hello. 
 
 This lady is, it seems, a great proficient in painting. 
 
 Here too are the moulds of the different statues made by 
 Canova, the statues themselves having been finished long 
 ago and disposed of; viz., of the Empress Maria Louisa of 
 France; of the mother of Napoleon (Madame Mere as she is 
 always called) in the costume and attitude of Agrippina; 
 of a colossal statue of Napoleon (the statue itself is, I 
 believe, in the possession of Wellington.*) Here too is the 
 bust of Canova by Canova himself, besides a great variety 
 of bas-reliefs and busts of individuals, models of monu- 
 ments, etc. 
 
 And now, my friend, I have given you a precis not of all 
 that I have seen, but of what has most interested me and 
 made on my mind impressions that can never be effaced. I 
 trust entirely to my memory, for I made no notes on the 
 spot. Many of the things I have seen too much in a hurry to 
 form accurate ideas and judgment thereon; most of what 
 we see here is shewn to us like the figures in a lanterna 
 magica, for in the various palazzi and villas the servants 
 who exhibit them hurry you from room to room, impatient 
 to receive your fee and to get rid of you. I am about to 
 depart for Naples. On my return to Rome I shall not think 
 of revisiting the greater number of the palazzi, villas and 
 churches; but there are some things I shall very frequently 
 
 * That colossal marble statue was given to the Duke of Wellington by 
 Louis XVIII, and is still to be seen in London, at Apsley House. ED. 
 
 240
 
 THEATRICALS AT ROME 
 
 revisit and these are the two Museums of the Vatican and of 
 the Capitol, St Peter's, the Coliseum and antiquities in its 
 neighbourhood, the Pantheon, and last but not least the 
 atelier of the incomparable Canova. 
 
 You may perhaps be unwilling to let me depart from 
 Rome without some information as to theatricals. With 
 regard to these, Rome must hang down her head, for the 
 pettiest town in all the rest of Italy or France is better pro- 
 vided with this sort of amusement than Rome. There is a 
 theatre called Teatro delta Valle, where there is a very indif- 
 ferent set of actors, and this is the only theatre which is 
 open throughout the year. Comedies only and farces are 
 given. The theatres Aliberti and Argentine are open during 
 the Carnaval only. Operas are given at the Argentine, and 
 masquerades at the Aliberti. But in fact the lovers of 
 Operas and of the Drama must not come to Rome for grati- 
 fication. It is not considered conformable to the dignity and 
 sanctity of an ecclesiastical government to patronize them ; 
 and it is not the custom or etiquette for the Pope, Cardinals 
 or higher Clergy ever to visit them. The consequence is that 
 no performer of any consideration or talent is engaged to 
 sing at Rome, except one or two by chance at the time of the 
 Carnaval. In amends for this you have a good deal of music 
 at the houses of individuals who hold conversazioni or 
 assemblies; in which society would flag very much but for 
 the music, which prevents many a yawn, and which is useful 
 and indispensable in Italy to make the evening pass, as 
 cards are in England. 
 
 I intend to stop several days here on my return from 
 Naples, for which place I shall start the day after to-morrow 
 having engaged a place in a vettura for two and half louis 
 d'or and to be spesato. I am not to be deterred from my 
 journey by the many stories of robberies and assasinations 
 which are said to occur so frequently on that road. 
 
 By the bye, talking of robberies and murders, a man was 
 executed the day before yesterday on the Piazza del Popolo 
 for a triple murder. I saw the guillotine, which is now the 
 R 241
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 usual mode of punishment, fixed on the centre of the Piazza 
 and the criminal escorted there by a body of troops; but I 
 did not stop to witness the decapitation, having no taste for 
 that sort of pleasuring. This man richly deserved his 
 punishment. 
 
 \ 
 
 242
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 From Rome to Naples Albano Velletri The Marshes Terracina 
 Mola di Gaeta Capua The streets of Naples Monuments and Museums 
 Visit to Pompeii and ascent to Vesuvius Dangerous ventures Puzzuoli 
 and Baiae Theatres at Naples Pulcinello Return to Rome Tivoli. 
 
 I STARTED from Rome on the 26th September; in the 
 same vettura I found an intelligent young Frenchman 
 
 of the name of R D , a magistrate in Corsica, 
 
 who was travelling in Italy for his amusement. There were 
 besides a Roman lawyer and not a very bright one by the 
 bye; and a fat woman who was going to Naples to visit her 
 lover, a Captain in the Austrian service, a large body of 
 Austrian troops being still at Naples. We issued from 
 Rome by the Porta Latino, and reached Albano (the ancient 
 Alba) sixteen miles distant at twelve o'clock. We reposed 
 there two hours which gave me an opportunity of visiting 
 the Villa Doria where there are magnificent gardens. These 
 gardens form the promenade of the families who come to 
 Albano to pass the heat of the summer and to avoid the 
 effect of the exhalations of the marshy country about 
 Rome. 
 
 As Albano is situated on an eminence, you have a fine 
 view of the whole plain of Latium and Rome in perspective. 
 The country of Latium however is flat, dreary and monoto- 
 nous ; it affords pasture to an immense quantity of black 
 cattle, such as buffaloes, etc. 
 
 Just outside of Albano, on the route to Naples, is a curious 
 ancient monument called II sepolcro degli Orazj e Curiazj. 
 It is built of brick, is extremely solid, of singular appearance, 
 from its being a square monument, flanked at each angle by 
 a tower in the shape of a cone. It is of an uncouth rustic 
 appearance and must certainly have been built before 
 
 Grecia capta ferum viclorem cepit et artes 
 Intulit agresti Latio * 
 
 * Horace, Epist., 11, i, 156. ED. 
 R2 243
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 and I see no reason against its being the sepulchre of the 
 Horatii and Curiatii, particularly as it stands so near Alba 
 where the battle was fought; but be this as it may there is 
 nothing like faith in matters of antiquity; the sceptic can 
 have little pleasure. 
 
 The country on leaving Albano becomes diversified, 
 woody and picturesque. Near Gensano is the beautiful lake 
 of Nemi, and it is the spot feigned by the poets as the scene 
 of the amours of Mars and Rhea Silvia. Near Gensano also 
 is the country residence of the Sovereign Pontiffs called 
 Castel Gandolfo. La Riccia, the next place we passed thro', 
 is the ancient Aricia, mentioned in Horace's journey to 
 Brundusium. We arrived in the evening at Velletri. 
 
 Velletri is a large town or rather city situated on a moun- 
 tain, to which you ascend by a winding road skirting a 
 beautiful forest. From the terrace of one of the Palazzi 
 here, you have a superb view of all the plain below as far as 
 the rock of Circe, comprehending the Pontine marshes. 
 There are several very fine buildings at Velletri, and it is 
 remarkable as being the birthplace of Augustus Caesar. 
 There is a spacious Piazza too on which stands a bronze 
 statue of Pope Urban VIII. Velletri is twenty-eight miles 
 from Rome. 
 
 The next morning, the 27th, we started early so as to 
 arrive by six o'clock in the evening at Terracina. At Cister- 
 na is a post-house and at Torre tre Ponti is a convent, a 
 beautiful building, but now delapidated and neglected. 
 Near it is a wretched inn, where however you are always 
 sure to find plenty of game to eat. Here begin the Pontine 
 marshes and the famous Appian road which runs in a 
 right line for twenty-five miles across the marshes. It was 
 repaired and perfectly reconstructed by Pius VI, and from 
 him it bears its present appellation of Linea Pia. This con- 
 vent and church were also constructed by Pius VI with a 
 view to facilitate the draining and cultivating of the marshes 
 by affording shelter to the workmen. The Linea Pia is a 
 very fine chaussee considerably raised above the level of the 
 244
 
 THE PONTINE MARSHES 
 
 marsh, well paved, lined with trees and a canal sunk on one 
 side to carry off the waters. The Pontine marshes extend 
 all the way from Torre tre Ponti to Terracina. On the left 
 hand side, on travelling from Rome to Naples, you have 
 two miles or thereabouts of plain bounded by lofty moun- 
 tains ; on the right a vast marshy plain bounded by the sea 
 at a distance of seven or eight miles. Nothing can be more 
 monotonous than this strait road twenty-five miles in 
 length, and the same landscape the whole way. The air is 
 extremely damp, aguish and unhealthy. Those who travel 
 late in the evening or early in the morning are recommended 
 not to let down the glasses of the carriage, in order to avoid 
 inhaling the pestilential miasma from the marshes, which 
 even the canal has not been able to drain sufficiently. 
 
 No one can find amusement in this desolate region but 
 the sportsman; and he may live in continual enjoyment, 
 and slay wild ducks and snipes in abundance; a number of 
 buffaloes are to be seen grazing on the marshes. They are 
 not to be met with to the North of Rome. They resemble 
 entirely the buffaloes of Egypt and India, being black, 
 and they are very terrific looking animals to the northern 
 traveller, who beholds them here for the first time. 
 
 These marshes supply Rome abundantly with water- 
 fowl and other game of all kinds. Every vetturino who is 
 returning to Rome, on passing by, buys a quantity, for a 
 mere. trifle, from the^ peasantry, who employ themselves 
 mucht la chasse, and he is certain to sell them again at 
 Rome for three or four times the price he paid, and even 
 then it appears marvellous cheap to an Englishman, accus- 
 tomed as he is to pay a high price for game in his own country. 
 
 We arrived a little before six at Terracina, which is on 
 the banks of the Mediterranean and may be distinguished 
 at a great distance by its white buildings.^The chain of 
 mountains on the left of our road hither form a sort of arch 
 to the chord of the linea Pia and terminates one end of the 
 arch by meeting the linea Pia at Terracina, whicfr forms 
 what the sailors call a bluff point. Terracina stands on the 
 
 245
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 situation of the ancient Anxur and the description of it by 
 Horace in his Brundusian journey: 
 
 Impositum saxis late candentibus Anxur* 
 
 is perfectly applicable even now. It is a handsome looking 
 city and is the last town in the Pope's territory: part of it is 
 situated on the mountain and part on the plain at its foot 
 close to the sea. 
 
 The fine white buildings on the heights, the temple of 
 Jupiter Anxurus (of which the fa9ade and many columns 
 remain entire) towering above them, the orange trees and 
 the sea, afford a view doubly pleasing and grateful to the 
 traveller after the dreary landscape of the Pontine Marshes. 
 There is but one inn at Terracina but that is a very large 
 one; there is, however, but very indifferent fare and bad 
 attendance. The innkeeper is a sad over-reaching rascal, 
 who fleeces in the most unmerciful manner the traveller 
 who is not spesato. He is obliged to furnish those who are 
 spesati with supper and lodging at the vetturino's price ; but 
 he always grumbles at it, gives the worst supper he can and 
 bestows it as if he were giving alms. As the road between 
 Terracina and Fondi (the first Neapolitan town) is said to 
 be at times infested by robbers, few travellers care to 
 start till broad daylight. We did so accordingly the following 
 morning. On arriving at a place called the Epitafio, from 
 there being an ancient tomb there, we took leave of the last 
 Roman post. At one mile and half beyond the Epitafio is 
 the first Neapolitan post at a place called Torre de 1 Confini, 
 where we were detained half an hour to have our passports 
 examined and our portmanteaus searched. Three miles 
 beyond this post is the miserable and dirty town of Fondi, 
 wherein our baggage again underwent a strict search. On 
 leaving Terracina the road strikes inland and has moun- 
 tains covered with wood to the right and to the left, nor do 
 we behold the sea again till just before we arrive at Mola 
 di Gaeta, which is an exceeding long straggling town on its 
 
 * Horace, Sat., i, 5, 26. ED. 
 246
 
 TO CAPUA AND NAPLES 
 
 banks; several fishing vessels lie here and it is here that 
 part of the Bay of Naples begins to open. The country 
 from Terracina to Fondi is uncultivated and very mountain- 
 ous; between Fondi and Mola di Gaeta it is pretty well 
 cultivated; Itri, thro' which we passed, is a long, dirty, 
 wretched looking village. 
 
 The next day at twelve o'clock we arrived and stopped to 
 dine at St Agatha, a miserable village, with a very bad tho' 
 spacious inn the half of which is unroofed. We arrived at 
 Capua the same evening having passed the rivers Garig- 
 liano and Volturno, and leaving the Falernian Hills on 
 our left during part of the road. The landscape is very 
 varied on this route, sometimes mountainous, sometimes 
 thro' a rich plain in full cultivation. 
 
 Capua is a fortified town situated in a flat country and 
 marshy withal. It is a gloomy, dirty looking city and 
 whatever may have been its splendour and allurements 
 in ancient times, it at present offers nothing inviting or 
 remarkable. The lower classes of the people of this town 
 are such thieves that our vetturino recommended us to 
 remove every thing from the carriage into our bed rooms, 
 so that we had the trouble of repacking every thing next 
 morning. Capua is the only place on the whole route where 
 it is necessary to take the trunks from the carriage. From 
 Capua to Naples is twenty miles ; a little beyond Capua are 
 the remains of a large Amphitheatre and this is all that exists 
 to attest the splendour of ancient Capua. The road between 
 Capua and Naples presents on each side one of the richest 
 and most fruitful countries I ever beheld. It is a perfect 
 garden the whole way. The chaussce is lined with fruit trees. 
 Halfway is the town or borgo of Aversa which is large, well- 
 built, opulent and populous. We entered Naples at one o'clock, 
 drove thro' the strada di Toledo and from thence to the largo di 
 Medina where we put up at the inn called the Aquila nera. 
 A cordon of Austrian troops lines the whole high road from 
 Fondi to the gates of Naples ; and there are double sentries 
 at a distance of one mile from each other the whole way. 
 
 247
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 NAPLES, Octr. 5th. 
 
 In Naples the squares or Piazze are called Larghi; they 
 are exceedingly irregular as to shape ; a trapezium would be 
 the most appropriate denomination for them. The Largo 
 di Medina is situated close to the Mole and light house and 
 is not far from the Largo del Palazzo where the Royal 
 Palace stands, nor from the Strada di Toledo, which is the 
 most bustling part of the town. On the Mole and sometimes 
 in the Largo di Medini Pulcinello holds forth all day long, 
 quacks scream out the efficacy of their nostrums and 
 improvisatori recite battles of Paladins. Here and in the 
 Strada di Toledo the noise made by the vendors of vege- 
 tables, fruit, lemonade, iced water and water-melons, who 
 on holding out their wares to view, scream out "0 che bella 
 cosa!" the noise and bustle of the cooks' shops in the 
 open air and the cries of "Lavora!" made by the drivers of 
 calessini (sort of carriage) makes such a deafening tinta- 
 marre that you can scarcely hear the voice of your com- 
 panion who walks by your side. In the Largo del Palazzo 
 there is always a large assembly of officers and others, 
 besides a tolerable quantity of ruffiani, who fasten upon 
 strangers in order to recommend to them their female 
 acquaintances. A little further is the Quai of St Lucia, 
 where the fish market is held, and here the cries increase. 
 The quantity of fish of all sorts caught in the bay and 
 exposed for sale in the market is immense and so much more 
 than can be sold, that the rest is generally given away to 
 the Lazzaroni. Here are delicious mullets, oysters, whitings, 
 soles, prawns, etc. There is on the Quai of St Lucia a 
 restaurant where naught but fish is served, but that is so 
 well dressed and in such variety that amateurs frequently 
 come to dine here on maigre days; for two carlini* you 
 may eat fish of all sorts and bread at discretion. The wine 
 
 * A carlino is of the value of half a franc or five pence English. The accounts 
 in Naples are kept in ducati, carlini and grant. Ten carlini make a ducat and 
 ten grani (a copper coin) make a carlino. A grano is a sou French in value. 
 The ducato is an imaginary coin. The scudo Napoletano, a handsome silver 
 coin of the size of an fcu de six francs, is equal to twelve carlini. 
 
 248
 
 LIFE IN NAPLES 
 
 is paid for extra. On the Quai of St Lucia is a fountain of 
 mineral water which possesses the most admirable qualities 
 for opening the primae viae and purifying the blood. It is 
 an excellent drink for bilious people or for those afflicted 
 with abdominal obstructions and diseases of the liver. It 
 has a slight sulfurous mixed with a ferruginous taste, and is 
 impregnated with a good deal of fixed air, which makes it a 
 pleasant beverage. It should be taken every morning 
 fasting. The presidency over this fountain is generally 
 monopolized by a piscatory nymph who expects a grano for 
 the trouble of filling you a glass or two. In reaching it to 
 you she never fails to exclaim " Buono per le natiche," and 
 it certainly has a very rapid effect; I look upon it as more 
 efficacious than the Cheltenham waters and it is certainly 
 much more agreeable in taste. At the end of the Quai of St 
 Lucia is the Castello dell 'Uovo,a Gothic fortress, before the 
 inner gate of which hangs an immense stuffed crocodile. This 
 crocodile is said to have been found alive in the fosse of the 
 castle, but how he came there has never been explained; 
 there is an old woman's story that he came every day to the 
 dungeon where prisoners were confined, and took out one 
 for his dinner. The Castello dell 'Uovo stands on the extremi- 
 ty of a tongue of land which runs into the sea. After passing 
 the Castello dell 'Uovo I came to the Chiaia or Quai pro- 
 perly so called, which is the most agreeable part of Naples 
 and the favorite promenade of the beau-monde. The finest 
 buildings and Palazzi line the Chiaia on the land side and 
 above them all tower the Castle of St Elmo and the 
 Chartreuse with several villas intervening. The garden 
 of the Chiaia contains gravel walks, grass plots, alleys of 
 trees, fountains, plantations of orange, myrtle and laurel 
 trees which give a delightful fragrance to the air; and 
 besides several other statues, it boasts of one of the finest 
 groups in Europe, called the Toro Farnese. It is a magnifi- 
 cent piece of sculpture and represents three men endeavour- 
 ing to hold a ferocious bull. It is a pity, however, that so 
 valuable a piece of sculpture should be exposed to the 
 
 249
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 vicissitudes of the season in the open air. The marble has 
 evidently suffered much by it. Why is such a valuable piece 
 of sculpture not preserved in the Museum? 
 
 On the Chiaia are restaurants and cafes. 'Tis here also 
 that the nobility display their carriages and horses, it being 
 the fashionable drive in the afternoon : and certainly, except 
 in London, I have never seen such a brilliant display of 
 carriages as at Naples. 
 
 The principal street at Naples is the Strada di Toledo. It 
 resembles the Rite StHonore and can boast of as much wealth 
 in its shops. The houses are good, solid and extremely lofty, 
 and the streets are paved with lava. There are two excellent 
 restaurants at Naples, one in the Largo del Palazzo, nearly 
 opposite the Royal Palace, called the Villa di Napoli; the 
 other not far from it in the Strada di Toledo, called La 
 Corona di Ferro. Naples is renowned for the excellency of 
 its ices. You have them in the shape of all kinds of fruit and 
 wonderfully cheap. Many of the ice houses and caffes 
 remain open day and night; as do some of the gaming 
 tables, which are much frequented by the upper classes. 
 The theatre of St Carlo, which was consumed last year by 
 fire, is rising rapidly from its ashes and will soon be finished. 
 In the mean time Operas are performed at the Teatro Fondi, 
 a moderate sized theatre. I here saw performed the opera of 
 Don Giovanni of Mozart, with the ballo of La pazza per 
 amore. Mme Colbran, a Spanish lady, is the Prima Donna 
 and an excellent singer. 
 
 In all the private societies at Naples a great deal of 
 gaming goes on, and at some houses those visitors, who do 
 not play, are coolly received. The following may be con- 
 sidered as a very fair specimen of the life of a young man of 
 rank and fashion at Naples. He rises about two p.m., takes 
 his chocolate, saunters about in the Strada di Toledo or in 
 the Largo del Palazzo for an hour or two, then takes a 
 promenade a cheval on the Chiaia; dines between six and 
 seven; goes to the Opera where he remains till eleven or 
 half -past eleven; he then saunters about in the different 
 250
 
 THE MUSEUM OF NAPLES 
 
 Cafes for an hour or two; and then repairs to the gaming 
 table at the Ridotto, which he does not quit till broad 
 daylight. The ladies find a great resource in going to church, 
 which serves to pass away the time that is not spent in bed, 
 or at the Opera, or at the promenade en voiture. The ladies 
 seldom take exercise on foot at Naples. There being very 
 little taste for litterature in this vast metropolis, the most 
 pleasant society is among the foreign families who inhabit 
 Naples or at the houses of the Corps diplomatique. There is, 
 however, a good cabinet litteraire and library in the Strada 
 di San Giacomo, where various French and Italian news- 
 papers may be read. The Austrians occupy the greater part 
 of the military posts at Naples; at the Royal Palace however 
 the Sicilian guards do duty; they are clothed in scarlet 
 and a I'anglaise. 
 
 NAPLES, 8th Octr. 
 
 One day I went to visit the Museum or Studii, as it is 
 called, which is situated at the extremity of the Strada di 
 Toledo on the land side. Here is a superb collection of 
 sculpture and painting; and this building contains likewise 
 the national library, and a choice and unique collection of 
 Etruscan vases. A large hall contains these vases, which 
 were found at Pompeii* ; they are much admired for their 
 beauty and simplicity; each vase has a mythological or 
 historical painting on it. In this Museum I was shewn the 
 rolls of papyrus found in Pompeii and Herculaneum and 
 the method of unrolling them. The work to unroll which 
 they are now employed at this Museum is a Greek treatise 
 on philosophy by Epicurus. It is a most delicate operation 
 to unroll these leaves, and with the utmost possible care 
 it is impossible to avoid effacing many of the letters, and 
 even sentences, in the act of unrolling. It must require also 
 considerable learning and skill in the Greek language, com- 
 bined with a good deal of practise, to supply the deficiency 
 of the words effaced. When these manuscripts are put in 
 print, the letters that remain on the papyrus are put in 
 
 * Not one of these vases was found at Pompeii. ED. 
 
 251
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 black type, and the words guessed at are supplied in red; so 
 that you see at one glance what letters have been preserved, 
 and what are supplied to replace those effaced by the opera- 
 tion of unrolling; and in this manner are all the papyrus 
 manuscripts printed. 
 
 Visit to Pompeii and Ascent of Vesuvius. 
 
 llth Oct. 
 
 We returned, Mr R D and I, from our visit to 
 
 Vesuvius, half dead with fatigue from having had little or 
 no rest the whole night, about three o'clock to Naples. 
 
 We left Naples in a caleche yesterday after breakfast and 
 drove to Portici. Portici, Resina, and Torre del Greco are 
 beautiful little towns on the sea-shore of the bay of Naples 
 or rather they may be termed a continuation of the city, as 
 they are close together in succession, and the interval filled 
 up with villas. The distance from the gates of Naples to 
 Portici is three miles. The road runs through the court yard 
 of the Royal Palace at Portici which has a large archway at 
 its entrance and sortie. We proceeded to Resina and alighted 
 in order to descend under ground to Herculaneum, Resina 
 being built on the spot where Herculaneum stood. There 
 are always guides on this road on the look out for travellers ; 
 one addressed us, and conducted us to a house where we 
 alighted and entered. Our guide then prepared a flambeau, 
 and having unlocked and lifted up a trap door invited us to 
 descend. A winding rampe under ground leads to Hercu- 
 laneum. We discovered a large theatre with its proscenium, 
 seats, corridors, vomitories, etc., and we were enabled, 
 having two lighted torches with us, to read the inscriptions. 
 Some statues that were found here have been removed to 
 the Museum at Portici. This is the only part of Herculaneum 
 that has been excavated; for if any further excavations 
 were attempted, the whole town of Resina, which is built 
 over it, would fall in. Herculaneum no doubt contains many 
 things of value, but it would be rather too desperate a stake 
 to expose the town of Resina to certain ruin, for the sake of 
 252
 
 VISIT TO POMPEII 
 
 what might be found. At Pompeii the case is very different, 
 there being nothing built over its site. 
 
 After having satisfied our curiosity here, we regained the 
 light of heaven in Resina, and proceeded to Pompeii, which 
 is seven miles further, the total distance from Naples to 
 Pompeii being ten miles. The part of Pompeii already dis- 
 covered looks like a town with the houses unroofed situated 
 in a deep gravel or sand pit, the depth of which is consider- 
 ably greater than the height of the buildings standing in it. 
 You descend into it from the brink, which is on a level with 
 the rest of the country ; Pompeii is consequently exposed to 
 the open air, and you have neither to go under ground, nor 
 to use flambeaux as at Herculaneum, but simply to descend 
 as into a pit. There is always a guard stationed at Pompeii 
 to protect the place from delapidation and thefts of anti- 
 quarians. From its resembling, as I have already said, a 
 town in the centre of a deep gravel pit, you come upon it 
 abruptly and on looking down you are surprized to see a 
 city newly brought to day. The streets and houses here 
 remain entire, the roofs of the houses excepted, which fell 
 in by the effect of the excavation ; so that you here behold a 
 Roman city nearly in the exact state it was in when it was 
 buried under the ashes of Vesuvius, during its first eruption 
 in the year 79 of the Christian era. It does not appear to me 
 that the catastrophe of Pompeii could have been occasioned 
 by an earthquake, for if so the streets and houses would not 
 be found upright and entire : it appears rather to have been 
 caused by the showers of ashes and ecroulement of the 
 mountain, which covered it up and buried it for ever from 
 the sight of day. The first place our guide took us to see 
 was a superb Amphitheatre about half as large as the 
 Coliseum: the arena and seats are perfect, and all the 
 interior is perfectly cleared out: so are the dens where the 
 wild beasts were kept; so that you look down into this 
 amphitheatre as into a vast basin standing on its brink, 
 which is on a level with the rest of the ground around it, 
 and by means of the seats and passages you may descend 
 
 253
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 into the arena. This Amphitheatre is at a short distance 
 from the rest of the town. What is at present discovered of 
 this city consists of a long street with several off-sets of 
 streets issuing from it: a temple, two theatres, a praeto- 
 rium, a large barrack, and a peculiarly large house or villa 
 belonging probably to some eminent person, but no doubt 
 when the excavation shall be recommenced many more 
 streets will be discovered, as from the circumstance of there 
 being an amphitheatre, two other theatres and a number 
 of sepulchral monuments outside the gates, it must have 
 been a city of great consequence. Most of the houses seem 
 to have had two stories ; the roofs fell in of course by the act 
 of excavation, but the columns remain entire. I observe 
 that the general style of building in Pompeii in most of the 
 houses is as follows: that in each building there is a court 
 yard in the centre, something like the court yard of a con- 
 vent, which is sometimes paved in mosaic, and generally 
 surrounded by columns; in the middle of this court is a 
 fountain or basin : the court has no roof and the wings of the 
 house form a quadrangle environing it. The windows and 
 doors of the rooms are made in the interior sides of the 
 quadrangle looking into the court yard; on the exterior 
 there appears to be only a small latticed window near the 
 top of the room to admit light. I have seen in Egypt and in 
 India similarly built houses, and it is the general style of 
 building in Andalusia and Barbary. In the rooms are niches 
 in the walls for lamps, precisely in the style of the Moorish 
 buildings in India. 
 
 In many of the chambers of the houses at Pompeii are 
 paintings al fresco and arabesques on the walls which on 
 being washed with water appear perfectly fresh. The sub- 
 jects of these paintings are generally from the mythology. 
 In some of the rooms are paintings al fresco of fish, flesh, 
 fowl and fruit; in others Venus and the Graces at their 
 toilette, from which we may infer that the former were 
 dining rooms and the latter boudoirs. A large villa (so I 
 deem it as it stands without the gates) has a number of 
 254
 
 THE TEMPLE OF ISIS, THE PR^ETORIUM 
 
 rooms, two stories entire and three court yards with foun- 
 tains, many beautiful fresco paintings on the walls of the 
 chambers. Annexed to this villa is a garden arranged in 
 terraces and a fish pond. A covered gallery supported by 
 pillars on one of the sides of the garden served probably 
 as a promenade in wet weather. In the cellars of this villa 
 are a number of amphorae with narrow necks. Had the 
 ancients used corks instead of oil to stop their amphorce, 
 wine eighteen hundred years old might have been found 
 here. It is not the custom even of the modern Italians to 
 use corks for the wine they keep for their own use: a 
 spoonful of oil is poured on the top of the wine in the flask 
 and when they mean to drink it they extract the oil by 
 means of a lump of cotton fastened to a stick or long pin 
 which enters the neck of the flask and absorbs and extracts 
 the oil. 
 
 Among the buildings discovered in Pompeii is a large 
 Temple of Isis; here you behold the altar and the pillar to 
 which the beasts of sacrifice were fastened. In this temple 
 at the time of the first excavation were found all the instru- 
 ments of sacrifice and other things appertaining to the wor- 
 ship of that Goddess. These and other valuables such as 
 statues, coins, utensils of all sorts were removed to Portici, 
 where they are now to be seen in the Museum of that place. 
 The Prcetorium at Pompeii is the next remarkable thing; it 
 is a vast enclosure : a great number of columns are standing 
 upright here and the most of them entire; the steps form- 
 ing the ascent to the elevated seat where the Praetor 
 usually sat, remain entire. There is a large building and 
 court yard near one of the gates of the city supposed to 
 have been a barrack for soldiers; three skeletons were 
 found here with their legs in a machine similar to our 
 stocks. The scribbling and caricatures on the walls of this 
 barrack are perfectly visible and legible. When one wanders 
 thro' the streets of this singularly interesting city, one is 
 tempted to think that the inhabitants have just walked out. 
 What a dreadful lingering death must have befallen these 
 
 255
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 inhabitants who could not escape from Pompeii at the time 
 of the eruption of Vesuvius which coverd it with ashes! 
 The air could only be exhausted by degrees, so that a pro- 
 longed suffocation or a death by hunger must have been 
 their lot. 
 
 Four skeletons were found upright in the streets, having 
 in their hands boxes containing jewellery and things of 
 value, as if in the act of endeavouring to make their escape : 
 these must soon have perished, but the skeleton of a woman 
 found in one of the rooms of the houses close to a bath 
 shews that her death must have been one of prolonged 
 suffering. 
 
 What a fine subject ^Pompeii would furnish for the pen 
 of a Byron! As I have before remarked, all the valuables 
 and utensils of all sorts found here have been removed 
 to Portici; it is a great pity that everything could not 
 be left in Pompeii in the exact situation in which it 
 was found on its first discovery at the excavation. 
 What a light it would have thrown (which no description 
 can give) on the melancholy catastrophe as well as on the 
 private life and manners of the ancients! But if they had 
 been left here, they would, even tho' a guard of soldiers 
 were stationed here to protect them, have been by degrees 
 all stolen. 
 
 There were some magnificent tombs just outside the 
 gates which must have been no small ornament to the 
 city. 
 
 We returned to Resina to dinner at six o'clock. 
 
 We had made an arrangement with one of the guides of 
 Vesuvius called Salvatore that he should be ready for us at 
 Resina at seven o'clock with a mule and driver for each of 
 us to ascend the mountain, and we found him very punc- 
 tual at the door of the inn at that hour. The terms of the 
 journey were as follows. One scudo for Salvatore and one 
 scudo for each mule and driver for which they were to for- 
 ward us to the mountain, remain the whole night and re- 
 conduct us to Resina the following morning. The object in 
 256
 
 ASCENT OF VESUVIUS 
 
 ascending at night and remaining until morning is to com- 
 bine the night view of the eruption with the visit (if pos- 
 sible) to the crater, which cannot with safety be under- 
 taken by night, and to enjoy likewise the noble view at sun- 
 rise of the whole bay and city of Naples and the adjacent 
 islands. We started therefore at a quarter past seven and 
 arrived at half past nine at a small house and chapel called 
 the hermitage of Vesuvius, which is generally considered 
 as half-way up the mountain. In this house dwells an old 
 ecclesiastic who receives travellers and furnishes them with 
 a couch and frugal repast. We dismounted here and our 
 worthy host provided us with some mortadella and an 
 omelette; and we did not fail to do justice to his excellent 
 lacrima Christi, of which he has always a large provision. 
 We then betook ourselves to rest, leaving orders to be 
 awakened at two o'clock in order to proceed further up the 
 mountain. There was a pretty decent eruption of the moun- 
 tain, which vomited fire, stones and ashes at an interval of 
 twenty-five minutes, so that we enjoyed this spectacle 
 during our ascent. A violent noise, like thunder, accom- 
 panies each eruption, which increases the awefulness and 
 grandeur of the sight. At two o'clock our guide and mule- 
 teers being very punctual, we bade adieu to the hermit, 
 promising him to come to breakfast with him the next 
 morning; we then mounted our mules and after an hour's 
 march arrived at the spot where the ashes and cinders, 
 combined with the steepness of the mountain, prevent the 
 possibility of going any further except on foot. We dis- 
 mounted therefore at this place, and sent back our mules to 
 the hermitage to wait for us there. We now began to climb 
 among the ashes, and tho' the ascent to the position of the 
 ancient crater is not more than probably eighty yards in 
 height, we were at least one hour before we reached it, 
 from its excessive steepness and from gliding back two feet 
 out of three at every step we made. We at length reached 
 the old crater and sat ourselves down to repose till day- 
 break. Tho' it was exceeding cold, the exhalation from the 
 s 257
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 veins of fire and hot ashes kept us as warm as we could wish : 
 for here every step is literally 
 
 per ignes 
 Suppositos cineri doloso* 
 
 We remained on this spot till broad daylight and wit- 
 nessed several eruptions at an interval of twenty or twenty- 
 five minutes. I remarked that the mountain toward the 
 summit forms two cones, one of which vomited fire and 
 smoke, and the other calcined stones and ashes, accom- 
 panied by a rumbling noise like thunder. The stones came 
 clattering down the flanks of the mountain and some of 
 them rolled very near us; had we been within the radius 
 formed by the erupted stones we probably should have been 
 killed. 
 
 At daylight Mr R D proposed to ascend the two 
 
 cones in spite of the remonstrances of our guide Salvatore, 
 who told us that no person had yet been there and that we 
 must expect to be crushed to death by the stones, should 
 an eruption take place, and that it was almost as much 
 madness to attempt it, as it would be to walk before a 
 battery of cannon in the act of being fired. Tho' I did not 
 admit all the force of this comparison, yet I began to think 
 there was a little too much risk in the attempt; my French 
 friend however was deaf to all remonstrance and said to me, 
 " As-tu peur? " I replied: " No! that I was at all times very 
 indifferent as to life or death, but that I did not like pain, and 
 was not at all desirous to have an arm or leg broken, the 
 former accident having happened to a German a few days 
 before; nevertheless, I added, if you persist in going, I will 
 accompany you." We accordingly started to ascend the 
 cone, which vomited fire and smoke, taking care to 
 place ourselves on the windward side in ascending, and 
 after much fatigue we arrived in about fifteen minutes 
 close to the apex of the cone, after groping amidst the ashes 
 and stumbling on a vein of red hot cinders. My shoes were 
 sadly burnt, my stockings singed and my feet scorched; 
 
 * Horace, Carm., n, i, 7. ED. 
 258
 
 A PERILOUS TRIP 
 
 my friend was less fortunate, for he tumbled down with his 
 hands on a vein of red hot cinders and burned them 
 terribly. My great and principal apprehension hi making 
 this ascent was of stumbling upon holes slightly encrusted 
 with ashes and that the whole might give way and pre- 
 cipitate me into some gouffre. On arrival at the summit 
 of the cone we had just time to look down and perceive 
 that there was a hole or gouffre, but whether it were very 
 deep or not we could not ascertain, for a blast of fire and 
 smoke issuing from it at this moment nearly suffocated us ; 
 we immediately lost no time in gliding down the ashes 
 on the side of the cone on our breech, and reached its base 
 in a few seconds, where we waited till an eruption took 
 place from the other cone, in order to profit of the interval 
 to ascend it also. It required four minutes' walk to reach 
 the base of the other cone and about twelve to ascend to its 
 apex; on arrival at the brink, where we remained about 
 two minutes, we had just sufficient time to observe that 
 there was no deep hole or bottomless gouffre as we expected, 
 but that it formed a crater with a sort of slant and not 
 exceeding thirty feet in depth to the bottom, which looked 
 exactly like a lime-kiln, being of a dirty white appear- 
 ance, and in continual agitation, as it were of limestones 
 boiling; so that a person descending to the bottom of this 
 crater would probably be scorched to death or suffo- 
 cated in a few minutes, but would infallibly be ejected and 
 thrown into the air at the first eruption. I mean by this 
 that he would not disappear or fall into a bottomless pit 
 (as I should have supposed before I viewed the crater), 
 but that his friends would be sure of finding his body either 
 yet living or dead, outside the brink of the crater, within 
 the radius made by the erupted stones and ashes. 
 
 Our guide now begged us for God's sake to descend, as an 
 eruption might be expected every minute. We accordingly 
 glided down the exterior surface of the cone among the 
 ashes, on our breech, for it is impossible to descend in any 
 other way and in a few seconds we reached its base. Find- 
 s2 259
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ing ourselves on a little level ground we began to run or 
 rather wade thro' the ashes in order to get out of reach of the 
 eruption, but we had not gone thirty yards when one took 
 place. The stones clattered down with a frightful noise and 
 we received a shower of ashes on our heads, the dust of 
 which got into our eyes and nearly blinded us. On reach- 
 ing the brink of the old crater we stopped half an hour to 
 enjoy the fine view of Parthenope in all her glory at sun- 
 rise. We then descended rapidly, sometimes plunging down 
 the ashes on our feet and sometimes gliding on our breech 
 till we arrived at the place where we had descended from 
 our mules, and this distance, which required one hour to 
 ascend, cost us in its descent not more than seven minutes. 
 
 We then walked to the hermitage in about an hour and a 
 quarter, and arrived there with no other accident than 
 having our shoes and stockings totally spoiled, our feet a 
 little singed, the hands of Mr. R. D. severely burned and 
 both begrimed with ashes like blacksmiths. The ecclesiastic 
 gave us a breakfast of coffee and eggs and a glass of Maras- 
 chino, and we gave him two scudi each. Before we departed 
 he presented to us his Album, which he usually does to all 
 travellers, inviting them to write something. I took up the 
 pen and feeling a little inspiration wrote the following lines : 
 
 Anch'io salito son sul gran Vesuvio, 
 Mentre cadea di cineri un diluvio ; 
 Questo cammin mi place d'aver fatto. 
 Ma pii mi piace il ritornare intatto. 
 
 which pleased the old man very much to see a foreigner 
 write Italian verse. I pleased him still more by letting him 
 know that I was an enthusiastic admirer and humble culti- 
 vator of the Tuscan Muse, and that having read and studied 
 most of their poets, particularly il divino Ariosto, I now 
 and then caught a scintilletta from his verse. We now took 
 a cordial farewell of our worthy old host, mounted our mules 
 and descended the mountain. On arrival at Portici we dis- 
 missed our guide Salvatore with a scudo pour boire, besides 
 the stipulated price. Salvatore asked me to give him a 
 written certificate of his services, which he generally sol- 
 260
 
 THE LIQUID LAVA 
 
 licits from all those whom he conducts to the Volcano. I 
 asked him for his certificate book, and begged to know 
 whether he would have it in prose or verse. He laughed and 
 said : Vostra Excellenza e padrone. I took out my pencil and 
 wrote the following quatrain : 
 
 Dal monte ignivomo tornati siam stanchissimi, 
 E del buon Salvator siam tutti contentissimi ; 
 Felice il pellegrin che a Salvator si fida, 
 Che di lui non si pu6 trovare un miglior guida. 
 
 I never saw any body so delighted as Salvatore appeared 
 when I read to him what I had written in his book. 
 
 I have another observation to make before I take leave of 
 this celebrated mountain, which is, that the liquid lava 
 which it ejects is far more dangerous and destructive than 
 the eruption of stones and ashes; the lava flows from 
 the flanks of the mountain in a liquid stream. Sometimes 
 there will be an eruption and no lava flowing: at other 
 times the lava flows from the flanks of the mountain, 
 without any eruption from the crater; at other times, 
 and then it is most alarming, the eruption takes place 
 accompanied by the flowing of the lava. All this demon- 
 strates that the volcano is the effect of the efforts of the 
 subterraneous fire to get some vent and escape from its 
 confinement. This time I did not observe any lava flowing, 
 except a slight vein of it on the spot where Mr R. D. fell 
 down and burned his hands; but it is easy to observe on 
 the side of the mountain the course and route taken at dif- 
 ferent times by the lava, which has become hardened 
 and is very plainly to be distinguished, as it resembles a 
 river (if I may use the word) of slate meandering between 
 the green sward of the mountain and descending toward 
 the sea. You can plainly distinguish the course and direction 
 of the lava which destroyed part of Torre del Greco and swept 
 it into the sea. 
 
 At Portici, having washed ourselves at the inn from head 
 to foot in order to get rid of our blacksmith's appearance, 
 and having purchased a new pair of shoes and stockings 
 each, we visited the Royal Palace and Museum with a view 
 
 261
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 principally of examining the objects of art and valuables 
 discovered in Pompeii. The Royal Palace is called la 
 Favorita, its architecture is beautiful ; the garden or rather 
 lawn which is ornamented by statues and enriched by 
 orange groves extends to the sea. The first thing that pre- 
 sents itself to the view of the visitor at the Museum of 
 Portici are the two equestrian statues of Marcus Balbus 
 proconsul and procurator and of his son, which statues were 
 found in Herculaneum. I forgot to mention that there is an 
 inscription with that name on the side of the proscenium 
 of the theatre easily legible by the light of flambeaux. 
 
 To return to the Museum at Portici, we were then shewn 
 into a room containing curious morceaux of antiquity dis- 
 covered at Pompeii: a tripod in bronze and various other 
 articles of the same metal; tables, various lamps in bronze 
 resembling exactly those used in Hindostan, wooden pens, 
 dice, grains of corn quite black and scorched, a skeleton 
 of a woman with the ashes incrusted round it (the form of 
 her breast is seen on the crust of ashes; golden armlets were 
 found on her which were shewn to us), steel mirrors, combs, 
 utensils for culinary purposes, such as casseroles, frying 
 pans, spoons, forks, pestles and mortars, instruments of 
 sacrifice, weights and measures, coins, a carcan or stock, &c. 
 
 In the upper rooms are to be seen the paintings and 
 jresques found in the same place. The paintings are poor 
 things, and in their landscapes the Romans seem to have 
 had little more idea of perspective than the Chinese; but 
 the fresques are beautiful: the female figures belonging 
 thereto are delineated with the utmost grace and delicacy. 
 They consist of subjects chiefly from the mythology. I 
 noticed the following in particular, viz., Chiron teaching 
 the young Achilles to draw the bow; the discovery of 
 Orestes; Theseus and the Minotaur (he has just slain 
 the Minotaur and a boy is in the act of kissing his hand 
 as if to thank him for his deliverance; the Minotaur is 
 here represented as a monster with the body of a man and 
 the head of a bull); a Centaur carrying off a nymph; a car 
 262
 
 THE MUSEUM OF PORTICI 
 
 drawn by a parrot and driven by a cricket : a woman offer- 
 ing to another little Loves for sale (she is pulling out the 
 little Cupids from a basket and holding them by their wings 
 as if they were fowls) ; a beautiful female figure seated on a 
 monster something like the Chimaera of the ancients and 
 holding a cup before the monster's mouth (emblematical of 
 Hope nourishing a Chimaera). The arabesques taken from 
 Pompeii and preserved here are very beautiful. Here also 
 are two statues found in Pompeii: the one representing 
 a drunken Faun, the other a sitting Mercury. We met 
 two Polish ladies here, who were amusing themselves in 
 copying the fresques. We returned to Naples at five o'clock, 
 and dined at the Villa di Napoli. In the evening we went 
 to the Teatro de* Fiorentini. The piece performed was 
 Pamela or La virtti premiata, which I understand is quite 
 a stock piece in Italy. It is written by Goldoni. It was very 
 badly performed ; the actors were not perfect in their parts, 
 and the prompter's voice was as loud as usual. The costume 
 was appropriate enough, which is far from being always 
 the case at this theatre. 
 
 NAPLES, 13 Octr. 
 We started on the 12th at six o'clock in the morning (Mr 
 
 R D. and myself) in a caleche in order to visit Puzzuoli, 
 
 Baii and all the classical ground in that direction. We of 
 course passed through the grotto of Pausilippo. This grotto is 
 thirty feet high and about five hundred feet long. In fact, 
 it is a vast rock undermined and a high road running thro' 
 it, the breadth of which is sufficient for three carriages 
 to go abreast. From its great length it is of course exceed- 
 ing dark; in order therefore to obviate this inconvenience 
 lamps constantly lighted are suspended from the roof and 
 on the sides of the grotto, and holes pierced towards the 
 top to admit a little daylight. The road pierced thro' this 
 rock and called the grotto of Pausilippo abridges the 
 journey to Puzzuoli very considerably, as otherwise you 
 would be obliged to go round by Cape Margelina, which 
 would increase the distance ten miles. On issuing from 
 
 263
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the grotto on the other side, you arrive in a few minutes on 
 the seashore, on the bay formed between Cape Margelina 
 and Puzzuoli. We stopped at the lake Agnano which is 
 strongly impregnated with sulfur. On the banks of this lake 
 are the Thermae or vapour baths, and here is also the 
 famous Grotto del Cane, the pestilential vapour arising from 
 which rises about three inches from the ground and has the 
 appearance of a spider's web. An unfortunate dog per- 
 forms the miracle of the resurrection to all those who visit 
 this natural curiosity; and we also were curious to see its 
 effect. The guardian of the Thermes seized the poor animal 
 and held his nose close to the place from whence the vapour 
 exhales. The dog was seized with strong convulsions and in 
 two minutes he was perfectly senseless and to all appearance 
 dead; but on being placed in the open air, he soon recovers. 
 The poor beast shews evident repugnance to the experiment, 
 and I wonder he does not endeavor to make his escape, for 
 he has sometimes to perform this feat four or five times a 
 day. I should suppose that he will not be very long lived, 
 for the repeated doses of this mephitic vapour must surely 
 accelerate his dissolution. The heat of the Thermae and 
 steam of the sulphur is almost insupportable; but it has a 
 most beneficial effect on maladies of the nerves and cuta- 
 neous complaints. 
 
 We then proceeded on our journey to Puzzuoli, the 
 ancient Puteoli, where are the remains of the famous mole 
 (or bridge as others call it) of Caligula, intended to embrace 
 or unite the two extremes of the bay of Baiae formed on one 
 side by Puzzuoli and on the other by cape Misenus. We 
 alighted to take a dejeuner a la fourchette at Puzzuoli, and 
 then went to visit the temple of Jupiter Serapis, which is a 
 vast edifice and tho' in ruins very imposing. On wandering 
 thro' the enceinte of this famous temple, I thought of 
 Apollonius of Tyana and his sudden appearance to his friend 
 Damis at the porch of this very temple, when he escaped 
 from the fangs of Domitian and when it was believed that, 
 by means of magic art, he had been able at once to trans 
 264
 
 PUZZUOLI AND BAI;E 
 
 port himself from the Praetorium at Rome to Puteoli. As I 
 said before, the bay included by cape Misenus and Puz- 
 zuoli is what is called Baiae. The land is low and marshy 
 from Puzzuoli to a little beyond the lake Avernus ; but from 
 Monte Nuovo it begins to rise and form high cliffs nearly all 
 way to Cape Misenus. It was on these high cliffs that the 
 opulent Romans built their villas and they must have been 
 as much crowded together as the villas at Ramsgate and 
 Broadstairs. We embarked in a boat at Puzzuoli to cross 
 over to Baiae (i.e., the place where the villas begin), but we 
 stopped on our way thither at a landing place nearly in the 
 centre of the bay in order to visit the lake Avernus and the 
 Cave of the Cumsean Sybil, described by Virgil, as the 
 entrance into the realm of Pluto. The lake Avernus, in spite 
 of its being invested by the poets with all that is terrible 
 in the mythology as a river of Hell, looks very like any other 
 lake, and tho' it is impregnated with sulphur, and emits a 
 most unpleasant smell, birds do not drop down dead on 
 flying over it as formerly. The ground about it is marshy 
 and unwholesome. The silence and melancholy appearance 
 of this lake and its environing groves of wood are not 
 calculated to inspire exhilarating ideas. Full of classic 
 souvenirs we went to descend into the Cave of the Sybil, 
 and as we descended I could not refrain from repeating 
 aloud Virgil's lines : 
 
 Di quibus impenum est animarum umbraeque silentes* etc. 
 
 This descent really is fitted to give one an idea of the 
 descent to the shades below, and what added to the illusion 
 was that when we arrived at the bottom of the descent and 
 just at the entrance of the cave where the Sybil held her 
 oracles, we discovered four fierce looking fellows with 
 lighted torches in their hands standing at the entrance. My 
 friend cried out Voila les Furies, and these proved to be 
 our boatmen who, while we were contemplating the bolge 
 (TAvemo, had run on before to provide torches to shew us 
 the interior of the grotto of the Sybil. As this grotto is 
 
 * Virgil, A en., vi, 264. ED. 
 
 265
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 nearly knee-deep filled with water we got on the backs of 
 the boatmen to enter it. It is about twenty-five feet long, 
 fifteen broad and the height about thirteen feet. As we 
 were neither devoured by Cerberus nor hustled by old 
 Charon into his boat, we returned from the Shades below to 
 the light of heaven, triumphant like Ulysses or ^Eneas, con- 
 sidering ourselves now among the Pauci quos aequus amavit 
 Jupiter.* 
 
 Acheron, the dreadful Acheron, is not far from Avernus 
 and is likewise a lake, tho' call'd a river in the mythology. 
 It is also sulfuric and the ground about it is woody, low, 
 marshy and consequently aguish. 
 
 We next ascended the cliffs of Baiae and we were shown 
 the remains of the villas of Cicero, Caesar, Sylla and other 
 great names. We then went to the baths of Nero (so called). 
 Here it is the fashion to descend under ground in order to 
 feel the effect of the sulfuric heat, which is intense, and my 
 friend who descended soon returned dripping with per- 
 spiration and calling out: Qui n'a pas vu cela rfa rien vu! but 
 I did not chuse to descend, as I could feel no pleasure in 
 being half stifled and the grotto del Cane had already given 
 me a full idea of the force of the vapour of the Thermes. 
 
 We then descended from the cliffs of Baiae on the other 
 side, and visited the remains of three celebrated temples 
 of antiquity situated on the beach nearly and very close 
 to each other, viz., the temples of Diana, of Venus and of 
 Mercury; all striking objects and majestic, tho' in a state 
 of dilapidation. Each of these temples has cupolas. We then 
 ascended the slope of ground leading towards cape Misensus, 
 to visit the Cento Camarelle and Piscina mirabile, both vast 
 edifices under ground, serving as cellars or appendages to a 
 Palace that stood on this spot. We then visited the lake 
 called the Mare Morto or Styx ; and then went round to the 
 other side of it, to visit those beautiful coteaux planted in 
 vines and their summits crowned with groves which have 
 obtained the name of the Elysian fields. This Styx and 
 
 * Virgil, Aen., vi, 129. ED. 
 266
 
 THEATRICALS AT NAPLES 
 
 these Elysian fields look like any other lake and coteaux, 
 and are entirely indebted to the lyre of Maro for their 
 celebrity. 
 
 From thence we went to the extremity of cape Misenus 
 and embarked in our boat (which we had sent on there to 
 wait for us) to return to Puzzuoli by crossing the bay at 
 once. In this bay and near cape Misenus a Roman fleet was 
 usually stationed and Pliny's uncle, I believe, commanded 
 one there at the time of the first eruption of Vesuvius which 
 cost him his life. 
 
 There is a singular phenomenon in this bay of a mountain 
 that in one of the later eruptions and earthquakes was 
 formed in twenty-four hours near the seashore and was 
 named Monte Nuovo. 
 
 The small salt water lake called Lacus Lucrinus is also 
 on this bay. It appears to me to be an artificial lake, made 
 probably by the opulent Romans who resided at Baiae to 
 hold their mullets and other sea fish which they wished to 
 fatten. 
 
 Near Puzzuoli likewise is the famous Solfaterra, the 
 bed of an ancient volcano. It is well worth examining. 
 It has been long since extinguished, but you meet with vast 
 beds of sulphur and calcined stones, and the smell is at 
 times almost insupportable. We returned to Naples by half- 
 past seven o'clock, not a little tired but highly gratified by 
 our excursion. 
 
 NAPLES, 14th Oct. 
 
 At the Teatro Nuovo I have seen another Italian tragedy 
 performed. The piece was Tito Manlio Torquato, taken 
 from the well known anecdote in the Roman history. The 
 scenery, decorations and costume were good and appro- 
 priate, not so the acting; for the actors as usual were im- 
 perfect in their parts. I fully agree with Alfieri that Italy 
 must be united and enjoy a free popular government before 
 one can expect to see tragedies well performed. It is very 
 diverting to see the puppet shows at Naples and to hear the 
 witticisms and various artifices of the showman of Pulcin- 
 
 267
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 ello to secure payment in advance from his audience, 
 who would otherwise go away without paying as soon as 
 the performance was over. 
 
 This performance is much attended by the lazzaroni and 
 faineans of the lower orders of Naples and the puppet show- 
 man is obliged to have recourse to various stratagems and 
 ingenious sallies to induce a handsome contribution to be 
 made. Sometimes he will say with a very grave face (the 
 curtain being drawn up and no Pulcinello appearing) that 
 he is very sorry there can be no performance this day; for 
 that poor Signor Pulcinello is sick and has no money to pay 
 the Doctor : but that if a quete be made for him, he will get 
 himself cured and make his appearance as usual. All the 
 while that one of the showmen goes about collecting the 
 gram, the other holds a dialogue with Pulcinello (still invisi- 
 ble). Pulcinello groans and is very miserable. At length the 
 collection is made. Pulcinello takes medicine, says he is 
 well again, makes his appearance and begins. At another 
 time the audience is informed that there can be no per- 
 formance as Pulcinello is arrested for debt and put in 
 prison, where he must remain unless a subscription of 
 money be made for him to pay his debts and take him out of 
 gaol. Then follows an absurd dialogue between Pulcinello 
 (supposed to answer from the prison) and the showman. 
 The showman scolds him for being a spendthrift and leading 
 a profligate life, calls him a briccone, a birbante, and Pul- 
 cinello only groans out in reply, Povero me, Povero Pulcin- 
 ello, che disgrazia! sventurato di me! di non aver denarii 
 These strokes of wit never fail to bring in many a grano. 
 
 At another time the curtain is drawn up and discovers a 
 gibbet and Pulcinello standing on a ladder affixed to it with 
 a rope round his neck. The showman with the utmost 
 gravity and assumed melancholy informs the audience that 
 a most serious calamity is about to happen to Naples : that 
 Signor Pulcinello is condemned to be hanged for a robbery, 
 and that unless he can procure molti denari to bribe the 
 officers of justice to let him escape, he will inevitably be 
 268
 
 PULCINELLO 
 
 hanged and the people will never more behold their unhappy 
 friend Pulcinello. The showman now implores the com- 
 miseration of the audience, and now reproaches Pulcinello 
 with his profligacy and nefarious pranks which have brought 
 him to an untimely end. Pulcinello sobs, cries, promises to 
 reform and to attend mass regularly in future. What Nea- 
 politan heart can resist such an appeal? The grani are 
 collected. Pulcinello gives money to the puppet represent- 
 ing the executioner; down goes the gibbet, and Pulcinello 
 is himself again. 
 
 I shall return in a day or two to Rome, having seen 
 nearly all that Naples affords. I have now full liberty to die 
 when I chuse according to the proverb : Veder Napoli e poi 
 morire. 
 
 Naples certainly is, taking it all in all, the most inter- 
 esting city in Europe, for it unites every thing that is con- 
 ducive to the agremens of life. A beautiful city, a noble bay, 
 a vast commerce, provisions of the best sort, abundant and 
 cheap, a pleasant society, a delicious climate, music, Operas, 
 Balli, Libraries, Museums of Painting and Sculpture ; in its 
 neighbourhood two subterraneous cities, a volcano in full 
 play, and every spot of ground conveying the most interest- 
 ing souvenirs and immortalized in prose and verse. Add 
 thereto the vapour baths of sulphur for stringing anew the 
 nerves of those debilitated by a too ardent pursuit of plea- 
 sure, and the Fountain of St Lucia for those suffering from 
 a redundancy of bile. Now tell me of any other residence 
 which can equal this? Adieu. 
 
 ROME, 22nd Octr. 
 
 Nothing material occurred on my return from Naples to 
 Rome; but on the 2d day after my arrival I made an 
 excursion to Tivoli, which is about eighteen miles distant 
 from Rome. I passed the night at the only inn at Tivoli. 
 The next morning I walked to the Villa d'Este in this 
 neighbourhood, which is a vast edifice with extensive 
 grounds. Here on a terrace in front of the villa are models 
 
 269
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 in marble of all the principal edifices and monuments, 
 ancient and modern, of Rome, very ingeniously executed. 
 From the Villa d'Este is a noble view of the whole plain of 
 Latium and of the " Eternal City." 
 
 From hence I walked about two miles further to visit 
 the greatest antiquity and curiosity of the place, which is 
 the Villa or rather the ruins of the celebrated Villa built by 
 Adrian, which must have been of immense size from the 
 vast space of ground it occupies. It was intended to unite 
 everything that the magnificent ideas of a Prince could 
 devise who wished to combine every sort of recreation, 
 sensual as well as intellectual, within the precincts of his 
 Palace ; columns, friezes, capitals, entablatures and various 
 other spoils of rich architecture cover the ground in profu- 
 sion: many of the walls and archways are entire and 
 almost an entire cupola remains standing. Besides the 
 buildings above ground, here are cellars under ground 
 intended as quarters for the guards and capable of holding 
 three thousand men, as well as stabling for horses. In 
 the inclosure of and forming part of this Villa, which 
 covers a circumference of seven miles, were a gymnasium, 
 baths, temples, a school of philosophers, tanks, a theatre, 
 &c. The greatest part of these buildings are choaked up and 
 covered with earth, since it is by excavation alone that 
 what does appear was brought to light. It was by exca- 
 vation that a man discovered a large hall wherein he 
 found the nine beautiful statues of the Muses, which now 
 adorn the Museum of the Vatican; and no doubt if the 
 Roman government would recommence the excavations 
 many more valuables might be found. Hadrian's villa has 
 already furnished many a statue, column and pilaster to the 
 Museums, churches and Palaces of Rome. 
 
 I was much more gratified in beholding the remains of 
 this Villa than in visiting Tivoli and I remained here 
 several hours. At four o'clock^in the afternoon I started on 
 my return to Rome; it was imprudent not to have started 
 sooner, as it is always dangerous to be outside the walls of 
 270
 
 RETURN TO ROME 
 
 Rome after dark, in consequence of the brigands who infest 
 the environs and sometimes come close to the walls of the 
 city. 
 
 I reached my hotel in Rome at nine o'clock, one hour 
 and half after dark, but had the good fortune to meet 
 nobody. The Roman peasantry generally go armed and 
 those who feed cattle in the fields of the Campagna or have 
 any labour to perform there never sleep there on account of 
 the mal ''aria. 
 
 271
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1816 
 
 From Rome to Florence Sismondi the historian Reminiscences of India 
 Lucca Princess Elisa Baciocchi Pisa The Campo Santo Leghorn 
 Hebrews in Leghorn Lord Dillon The story of a lost glove From Flo- 
 rence to Lausanne by Milan, Turin and across Mont Cenis Lombardy in 
 winter The Hospice of Mont Cenis. 
 
 FLORENCE, Novr. 20th. 
 
 I BADE adieu to Rome on the 28th October and returned 
 here by the same road I went, viz., by Radicofani and 
 Sienna. I arrived here after a journey of six days, 
 having been detained one day at Aquapendente on account 
 of the swelling of the waters. The day after my arrival here 
 I despatched a letter to Pescia to Mr Sismondi de' Sismondi, 
 the celebrated author of the history of the Italian Republics, 
 to inform him of my intended visit to him, and I forwarded 
 to him at the same time two letters of introduction, one 
 from Colonel Wardle and the other from Mr Piton, banker 
 at Geneva, who mentioned me in his letter to Sismondi as 
 having des idees parfaitement analogues aux siennes. I 
 received a most friendly answer inviting me to come to 
 Pescia and to pass a few days with him at his villa. Pescia is 
 thirty miles distant from Florence and the same from 
 Leghorn. I was delighted with the opportunity of seeing a 
 man whom I esteemed so much as an author and as a citizen, 
 and of visiting at the same time the different cities of 
 Tuscany, particularly Lucca and Pisa. I accordingly hired a 
 cabriolet and on the morning of the 6th Novr drove to 
 Prato, a good-sized handsome town, solidly built, ten miles 
 distant from Florence. The country on each side of the road 
 appears highly cultivated, and the road is lined with villas 
 and farm houses with gardens nearly the whole way. 
 Changing horses at Prato, I proceeded ten miles further to 
 Pistoia, a large elegant and well-built town on the banks of 
 the Ombrone. 
 272
 
 VISIT TO SISMONDI THE HISTORIAN 
 
 The streets in Pistoia are broad and well paved and the 
 Palazzo pubblico is a striking building; so is the Seminario 
 or College. Here I changed horses again and proceeded to 
 Pescia, where I alighted at the villa of M. Sismondi. The 
 distance between Pistoia and Pescia is about ten or eleven 
 miles. 
 
 Pescia is a beautiful little town, very clean and solidly 
 built, lying in a valley surrounded nearly on all sides by 
 mountains. Its situation is extremely romantic and pictur- 
 esque, and there are several handsome villas on the slopes 
 and summits of these mountains. On market days Pescia is 
 crowded with the country people who flock hither from all 
 parts, and one is astonished to see such a number of beauti- 
 ful and well dressed country girls. Industry and comfort are 
 prevalent here, as is the case indeed all over Tuscany; I mean 
 agricultural industry, for commerce is just now at a stand. 
 
 I passed three most delightful days and which will live for 
 ever in my recollection, with Mr Sismondi, in whom I found 
 an inexhaustible fund of talent and information, combined 
 with such an unassuming simplicity of character and manner 
 that he appeared to me by far the most agreeable litterary man 
 that I ever met with. His mother, who is a lady of great talent 
 and perfectly conversant in English litterature, resides with 
 him. His sister also is settled at Pescia, being married to a Tus- 
 can gentleman of the name of Forti. The sister has a full share 
 of the talents and amiable qualities of her mother and brother. 
 With a family of such resources as this, you may suppose our 
 conversation did not flag for a moment, nor do I recollect 
 in the course of my whole life having passed such a pleasant 
 time; and I only wished that the three days could be pro- 
 longed to three years. Politics, the occurrences of the day, 
 living characters, classical reminiscences, French, English, 
 Italian and German litterature, afforded us an inexhaustible 
 variety of topics for conversation: and the profound local 
 knowledge that Mr Sismondi possesses of Italy, of its his- 
 tory and antiquities, renders his communications of the 
 utmost value to the traveller. Our supper was prolonged 
 T 273
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 to a late hour and I question if the suppers and conversa- 
 tions of Scipio and Atticus, those nodes caenaeque Deum* 
 were more piquant or afforded more variety than ours. 
 Shakespeare, Schiller, Voltaire, Ariosto, Dante, Filangieri, 
 Michel Angelo, Washington, Napoleon, all furnished 
 anecdotes and reflexions in abundance. 
 
 The last evening that I passed here, two families of 
 Pescia came in. One of the gentlemen was a great reader of 
 voyages and travels, and India suddenly became the 
 subject of discourse. As I had passed six years in that 
 country, during which time I had visited the three Presi- 
 dencies of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, having ascended 
 the Ganges as far as Benares, having visited the Mysore 
 country and Nizam's territory, having sojourned three weeks 
 among the splendid and magnificent ruins of Bijanagur or 
 Bisnagar, having travelled thro' the whole of the Deccan 
 from Pondicherry to cape Comorin, besides having tra- 
 versed on horseback the whole circumference of Ceylon and 
 across the whole island from East to West by the Wanny, I 
 was enabled to furnish them with many an anecdote from 
 the Eastern world, which to them was a great treat, and I 
 dare say at times my narration appeared almost as mar- 
 vellous as a story in the Arabian Nights, particularly when I 
 related the various religious ceremonies, the grim Idol of 
 Juggernaut, the swinging to recover cast, the exposure of old 
 people to the holy death in the Ganges by stopping up their 
 nose, mouth and ears with mud, and placing them on the 
 water's edge at low tide in order that they should be swept 
 off at the high water; the holy city of Benares; the magnifi- 
 cent remains of Bisnagar; the splendid Pagodas of Ra- 
 misseram; the policy of the Bramins; the appalling volun- 
 tary penances of the Joguis or Fakirs as the Europeans call 
 them; the bed of spikes; the arm held up in the air for 
 fifteen years; the tiger hunt; the method of catching the 
 elephant in Ceylon; the pearl fishery; Sepoy establishment; 
 in short I must have appeared to them a Ulysses or a 
 
 * Horace, Sat., u, 6, 65. ED. 
 274
 
 GENEVA'S INJUSTICE TO SISMONDI 
 
 Sindbad, and I dare say that they thought I added from 
 time to time a little embellishment from my imagination, 
 tho' I can safely and solemnly aver that I did not extenuate 
 nor exaggerate any thing, but simply related what I had 
 myself seen and witnessed. 
 
 Mr Sismondi is under a sort of banishment from his native 
 country Geneva in consequence of the side of the question 
 he took in his writings on the return of the Emperor 
 Napoleon from Elba. It was indeed natural for the restored 
 government (the Bourbons) to desire the removal from 
 France of a man of talent who had exposed their past and 
 might scrutinize their future conduct and wilful faults ; but 
 why the Government of Geneva should espouse their 
 quarrel and visit one of their most estimable citizens with 
 banishment for opinions not at all connected with nor 
 influential upon Geneva, appears to me not only absurd and 
 anomalous, but unjust in the highest degree. But such is 
 the state of degradation to which Europe is reduced by the 
 triumph of the old regime; and the Swiss Governments are 
 compelled to become the instruments of the vengeance of the 
 coalition. But I shall dwell no more on this subject at 
 present. Let us hope that in a short time a more liberal 
 spirit will arise, and the Genevese will be eager to recall in 
 triumph the illustrious citizen of whom they have so much 
 reason to be proud. 
 
 We spent our mornings, Mr Sismondi and I, in promenades 
 towards the most striking points of the country immediately 
 environing Pescia, and as I had at this time some idea of 
 coming to settle in Tuscany, he was so kind as to conduct 
 me to look at several villas that were to let; and I inspected 
 three very beautiful ones well furnished and each capable 
 of holding a large family, that were to be let for 18, 20, and 
 24 louis d'or per annum. 
 
 Wine and every article of life is of prodigious cheapness 
 
 here, and the inhabitants are so respectable, and there is such 
 
 an absence of all crime, that Pescia must be a very desirable 
 
 and economical residence for any foreign family possessing 
 
 T2 275
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 a sufficient knowledge of Italian to mix with the society of 
 the natives. There are several ancient and noble families in 
 the neighbourhood, highly respectable in point of moral 
 character and manners, but rather in decadence in point of 
 fortune. 
 
 It was with the greatest regret that I bade adieu to the 
 amiable Sismondi, his mother and sister; but I hope for a 
 time only, as I have some idea of removing my domicile 
 from Lausanne to this part of the world. 
 
 I started at 10 o'clock a.m. on the llth of November and 
 after two hours' journey in a cabriolet arrived at Lucca, a 
 distance of ten miles, and put up at the Hotel del Pelicano. 
 The road runs thro' a highly cultivated country. 
 
 Lucca is a large fortified city, situated in a beautifully 
 luxuriant plain or basin surrounded on all sides by hills and 
 mountains of various slopes, contours and heights, and 
 abounding in villas, vineyards, mulberry and olive planta- 
 tions. Every spot of ground is in cultivation and the 
 industry of the inhabitants of Lucca is proverbial. Indeed 
 the whole territory of this little ci-devant Republic is a per- 
 fect paradise. 
 
 The city itself, from the massiveness and solidity of the 
 edifices, has more of a solemn than a lively appearance; 
 but there is a delightful walk on the ramparts which are 
 lined with trees. The streets are well paved. The extreme 
 antiquity of the city and style of its edifices make it appear 
 less riant than the other cities in Tuscany. The Cathedral is 
 Gothic and there are in it the statues of the four Evangelists. 
 This and the Palazzo Pubblico are the most conspicuous 
 edifices. Tho' the Republic is annihilated, the word Libertas 
 still remains on an escutcheon on the gates of the city. 
 Lucca, tho' no longer a Republic and enclavee in Tuscany, is 
 for the present an independent state and belongs to an 
 Infanta of Spain (formerly Princess of Parma) who takes 
 the title of Duchess of Lucca. It is generally supposed 
 however that on the demise of Maria Louisa, ex-Empress 
 of the French and now Duchess of Parma, this family, 
 276
 
 THE PRINCESS ELISA BACIOCCHI 
 viz., the Duchess of Lucca and her son will resume their 
 ancient possessions in the Parmesan, and that Lucca will 
 then be incorporated with Tuscany. 
 
 Before the fall of Napoleon the Princess Elisa Baciocchi 
 his sister was sovereign of Lucca, and she it was who has 
 embellished the outside of the city with some beautiful 
 promenades. She devoted her whole time, talents and 
 resources to the good of her subjects and is highly esteemed 
 and much regretted by them. The present Duchess of Lucca 
 has no other character but that which seems common to 
 the Royal families of France, Spain and Naples; viz., of 
 being very weak and priest-ridden. Lucca furnishes excel- 
 lent female servants who are remarkable for their industry 
 and probity. Their only solace is their lover or amoroso, as 
 they term him ; and when they enter into the service of any 
 family, they always stipulate for one day in the week on 
 which they must have liberty to visit their amoroso, or the 
 amoroso must be allowed to come to the house to visit them. 
 This is an ancient custom among them and has no per- 
 nicious consequences, nor does it interfere with their other 
 good qualities. At the back of Lucca is an immense moun- 
 tain which stands between it and Pisa, and intercepts the 
 reciprocal view of the two cities which are only ten miles 
 distant from each other. This mountain and its peculiarity 
 is the very one mentioned by Dante in his Inferno in the 
 episode of Ugolino: 
 
 Cacciando il lupo e i lupicini AL MONTE, 
 PER CHE i Pisan veder Lucca NON ponno.* 
 
 I started from Lucca in a cabriolet and in two hours 
 arrived at Pisa, putting up at the Tre Donzelle on the Quai of 
 the Arno. Between Lucca and Pisa are the Bagni di Lucca, a 
 favorite resort for the purpose of bathing and drinking the 
 mineral waters. 
 
 Pisa is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen in 
 Italy. The extreme elegance and comfort of the houses, the 
 spacious Quai on the Arno which furnishes a most agreeable 
 
 * Dante, Inferno, I, 33, 29. ED. 
 
 277
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 promenade, the splendid style of architecture of the Palazzi 
 and public buildings, the cleanliness of the streets, the 
 salubrity of the climate, the mildness of the winter, the pro- 
 fusion and cheapness of all the necessaries of life, and above 
 all the amenity and simplicity of the inhabitants, combine 
 to make Pisa an agreeable and favorite residence. Yet the 
 population having much decreased there appears an air of 
 melancholy stillness about the city and grass may be seen 
 in some of the streets. This decay in population causes 
 lodgings to be very cheap. 
 
 The most striking object in Pisa is the leaning tower 
 (Torre cadente) and after that the Cathedral, Baptistery, 
 and Campo Santo which are all close to the tower and to each 
 other. Imagine two fine Gothic Churches in a square or 
 place like Lincoln's Inn Fields; a large oblong building 
 nearly at right angles with the churches and inclosing a 
 green grass plot in its quadrangle and a leaning tower of 
 cylindrical form facing the churches : and then you will have 
 a complete idea of this part of Pisa. 
 
 I must not omit to mention that there is a breed of camels 
 here belonging to the Grand Duke; I believe it is the only 
 part of Europe except Turkey where the breed of camels 
 is attempted to be propagated. 
 
 LEGHORN, 17 Novr. 
 
 I left Pisa for Leghorn on the morning of the 15th Novem- 
 ber, and after a drive of two hours in a cabriolet I arrived 
 at the latter place and put up at the Aquila Nera. The 
 distance between Pisa and Leghorn is only 10 or 11 miles 
 and a plain with few trees, either planted in corn or in 
 pasturage, forms the landscape between the two cities. 
 
 Leghorn (Livorno), being a modern city, does not offer 
 anything remarkably interesting to the classical traveller 
 either from its locality or its history. Founded under the 
 auspices of the Medici it has risen rapidly to grandeur and 
 opulence, and has eclipsed Genoa in commerce. It is a 
 remarkably handsome city, the streets being all broad and 
 278
 
 THE HEBREWS AT LEGHORN 
 
 at right angles ; the Piazze are large and the Piazza Grande 
 in particular is magnificent. There is a fine broad street 
 leading from the Piazza Grande to the Port. The Port and 
 Mole are striking objects and considerable commercial 
 bustle prevails there. 
 
 Among the few things worthy of particular notice is the 
 Jewish Synagogue, decorated with costly lamps and inscrip- 
 tions in gold in the Hebrew and Spanish languages, many 
 of which allude to the hospitality and protection afforded 
 to the Hebrew nation by the Sovereigns of Tuscany. There 
 are a great number of Hebrew families here : they all speak 
 Spanish, being the descendants of those unfortunate Jews 
 who were expelled from Spain at the time of the expulsion 
 of the Moors in the reign of Don Felipe III surnamed el 
 Discrete, who was determined not to suffer either a Jew, 
 Mahometan or heretic in all his dominions. This barbarous 
 decree was the ruin and destruction of a number of indus- 
 trious families, thousands of whom died of despair at being 
 exiled from their native land. In return for this what has 
 Spain gained? The Inquisition despotism in its worst form 
 poverty rags lice an overbearing insolent and san- 
 guinary priesthood of whom the monarch is either the 
 puppet or the slave; a degraded nobility; a half savage, 
 grossly ignorant, lazy and brutal people. A proper judgment 
 on the Spanish nation for its cruelty and fanaticism! My 
 guide at Leghorn conducted me to see the burying ground 
 belonging to the English factory, which is interesting 
 enough from the variety of tombs, monuments and inscrip- 
 tions. Here all Protestants, to whatever nation they belong, 
 are buried. I noticed Smollett's tomb. It is on the whole an 
 interesting spot, tho' not quite so much so as the cemetery 
 of Pere La Chaise at Paris. 
 
 I returned to Florence from Leghorn tout d'une traite in 
 the diligence. We stopped at Fornacetti (half way) to dine. 
 There is a good table d'Hote (ordinario) there. 
 
 279
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 FLORENCE, 22nd Novr. 
 
 I have become acquainted with Lord Dillon* and his 
 family, who are residing here and from whom I have received 
 much civility. I met at his house the Marchese Giuliani, one 
 of the adherents of King Joachim, a very amiable and 
 clever man who speaks English fluently. Lord Dillon is a 
 man of much reading and information and his conversation 
 is at all times a great treat. His lady too is very amiable and 
 accomplished. I went one day with a friend of mine to a 
 pique-nique party at the Cascino, where a laughable adven- 
 ture occurred perfectly in the stile of the novelle of Boccacio. 
 As it is not the custom in Florence that husbands and wives 
 should go together to places of public amusement, the lady 
 is generally accompanied by her cavalier servente : but it by 
 no means follows that the cavalier servente is the favored 
 lover: one is often adopted as a cover to another who enjoys 
 the peculiar favors of the lady. A gentleman who arrived 
 at the hall where the supper table was laid out, somewhat 
 earlier than the rest of the company and before the chamber 
 was lighted, observed a gentleman and lady ascend the 
 staircase, turn aside by a corridor and enter a chamber 
 together. It was dark and he could not distinguish their 
 persons. He waited fifteen or twenty minutes and observed 
 them leave the chamber together, pass along the corridor 
 and disappear. He had the curiosity to go into the chamber 
 they had just left and found on the bed a lady's glove. He 
 took up the glove and put it in his pocket, determined that 
 this incident should afford him some amusement at supper 
 and the company also by putting some fair one to the 
 blush. Accordingly, when the supper was nearly over, he 
 held up the glove and asked with a loud voice if any lady 
 had lost a glove; when his own wife who was sitting at the 
 same table at some distance from him called out with the 
 utmost sangfroid: E il mio! dammelo: Vho lasciato cadere. 
 You may conceive what a laugh there was against him, 
 
 * Henry Augustus, thirteenth Viscount Dillon (1777-1832), married (1807) 
 to Henrietta Browne (died 1862). ED. 
 
 280
 
 STORY OF A LOST GLOVE 
 
 for he had related the circumstances of his finding it to 
 several of the company before they sat down to supper. 
 This reminded me of an anecdote mentioned by Brantome 
 as having occurred at Milan in his time, a glove being in 
 this case also the cause of the desagrement. A married 
 lady had been much courted by a Spanish Cavalier of 
 the name of Leon: one day, thinking he had made sure 
 of her, he followed her into her bedroom, but met with 
 a severe and decided repulse and was compelled to 
 leave her re infectd. In his confusion he left one of his 
 gloves on the bed which remained there unperceived 
 by the lady. The husband of the lady arrived shortly 
 afterwards and as he was aware of the attentions of the 
 Spaniard to his wife and had noticed his going into the 
 house, he went directly to his wife's chamber, where the 
 first thing that captivated his attention was a man's 
 military glove on the bed. He, however, said nothing, but 
 from that moment abstained from all conjugal duty. The 
 lady finding herself thus neglected by a husband who had 
 been formerly tender and attentive, was at a loss to know 
 the reason, and determined to come to an eclaircissement 
 with him in as delicate a manner as she could. She therefore 
 took a slip of paper, wrote the following lines thereon and 
 placed it on his table: 
 
 Vigna era, vigna son; 
 Era podada, or piit non son; 
 E non sd per qual cagion 
 Non mi poda il mio patron.* 
 
 The husband, on reading these lines, wrote the following 
 in answer: 
 
 Vigna eri, vigna sei; 
 Eri podada, e piu non sei; 
 Per la gran fa del Leon 
 Non ti poda il tuo patron. 
 
 The lady on reading these lines perceived at once the 
 cause of her husband's estrangement and succeeded in 
 explaining the matter satisfactorily to him, which was 
 
 * Quoted from memory, with mistakes. The text has been corrected as it 
 stands in Brant6me, Les Dames galantes, ed. Chasles, vol. I, p. 351. ED.
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 facilitated by the ingenuous declaration of Leon himself 
 that he had tried to succeed but had been repulsed. The 
 husband and wife being perfectly reconciled lived happily 
 and no doubt the vine was cultivated as usual. 
 
 I left Florence the 27th November, and arrived at Turin 
 5th December. In an evil hour I engaged myself to accom- 
 pany an old Swiss Baroness with whom I became acquainted 
 at the Hotel of Mme Hembert to accompany her to Turin. 
 She had with her her son, a fine boy of thirteen years of age 
 but very much spoiled. We engaged a vetturino to conduct 
 us to Turin, stopping one day at Milan. The Baroness did 
 not speakltalian and generally sent for me to interpret for her 
 when any disputes occurred between her and the people at 
 the inns, and these disputes were tolerably frequent, as she 
 always gave the servants wherever she stopped a good deal 
 of trouble and on departing generally forgot to give them 
 the buona grazia. I sometimes paid them for her myself in 
 order to avoid noise and tumult ; at other times we departed 
 under vollies of abuse and imprecations such as brutta 
 vecchia, maladetta carogna, and so forth. The Baroness had 
 strong aristocratic prejudices and was a bitter enemy of the 
 French Revolution to which she attributed collectively all 
 the desagremens she had experienced during life and all the 
 inconveniences she met with during our present journey. 
 The negligence and impertinence of the servants in Italy 
 were invariably attributed by her to the revolutionary 
 principle and she told me that the servants in her native 
 canton Bern were the best in the world, but that even in 
 them the French Revolution had made a great deal of 
 difference and that they were not so submissive as they used 
 to be. As she sent for me to be her dragoman in all her dis- 
 putes on the road, you may conceive how glad I was to 
 arrive at Turin to be rid of her. She put me in mind of 
 Gabrina in the Orlando Furioso. We stopped one day at 
 Milan but we were very near being detained two or three 
 days at Piacenza owing to an informality in the Baroness's 
 passport, which had not been visi by the Austrian Legation 
 282
 
 A SWISS BARONESS 
 
 at Florence. In vain she pleaded that she was told at the 
 inn at Florence that such visa was not necessary ; the police 
 officer at the Austrian Douane, at a short distance beyond 
 Piacenza, was inexorable and refused to viser her passport 
 to allow her to proceed. She was in a sad dilemma and it 
 was thought we should be obliged to remain at Piacenza. I 
 however recommended her to be guided by me and not to 
 talk with or scold anybody, and that I would ensure her 
 arrival at Milan without difficulty, for I had observed that 
 her scolding the officer at the Douane only served to make 
 him more obstinate. I recommended her therefore that 
 when we should arrive within sixty or seventy paces of the 
 gate at Milan, she should get out of the carriage with her 
 son and walk thro' the gate on foot with the utmost uncon- 
 cern as if she belonged to the town and was returning from 
 a promenade ; and that while they stopped us who were in 
 the carriage to examine our passports, she should walk 
 direct to the inn where we were to lodge, then write to the 
 Consul of her nation to explain the business. She followed 
 my advice and passed unobserved and unmolested into 
 Milan. On the preceding evening at Castel-puster-lengo at 
 supper I asked whether she thought the rigour of the 
 Austrian government was also the offspring of the French 
 Revolution. The Baroness had brought up her son in all 
 these feelings and particularly in a determined hatred of 
 the Canton de Vaud; for in the evening when we arrived 
 at the inn and were sitting round the fire, he would shake 
 the burning faggots about and say: Voila la ville de Lau- 
 sanne en cendres! If he grows up with these ideas and acts 
 upon them, he stands a good chance of being shot in a duel 
 by some Vaudois. It is a pity to see a child so spoiled, for he 
 was a very fine boy, tho' very violent in his temper which 
 probably he inherited from his mother. Somebody at the 
 pension Surpe at Milan who knew her told me that the 
 Baroness was of an aristocratic family and had married 
 a rich bourgeois of Bern whom she treated rather too much 
 de haul en bas; in short that it was a marriage quite a la 
 
 283
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 George Dandin, till the poor man took it into his head to die 
 one day. At Turin we parted company, she for Genoa and 
 I for Lausanne. 
 
 From Turin to Lausanne. 
 
 I felt the cold very sensibly in the journey from Florence 
 to Milan and Turin. There is not a colder country in Europe 
 than Lombardy in the winter. The vicinity of the Alps 
 contributes much to this ; and the houses being exceedingly 
 large and having no stoves it is quite impossible that the 
 fireplaces can give heat sufficient to warm the rooms. I 
 started from Turin on the morning of the 9th December in 
 the French diligence bound to Lyon, but taking my place 
 only as far as Chambery. In the diligence were a Pied- 
 montese Colonel who had served under Napoleon, and a 
 young Scotchman, a relation of Lord Minto. The latter was 
 fond of excursions in ice and snow and on our arrival at 
 Suza he proposed to me to start from there two or three 
 hours before the diligence and to ascend Mont Cenis on 
 foot as far as the Hospice and I was mad enough to accede 
 to the proposal, for it certainly was little less than madness 
 in a person of my chilly habits and susceptibility of cold 
 and who had passed several years within the tropics to 
 scale the Alps on foot in the middle of December and to 
 walk 24 miles in snow and ice at one o'clock in the morning, 
 which was the hour at which we started. I was well clad in 
 flannel and I went thro' .the journey valiantly and in 
 high spirits and without suffering much from the cold till 
 within five miles of the Hospice, when a heavy snow storm 
 came on; it then began to look a little ugly and but for 
 Napoleon's grand chaussee we were lost. We struggled on 
 three miles further in the snow before we fell in with a 
 maison de refuge. We knocked there and nobody answered. 
 We then determined coute que coute to push on to the 
 Hospice which we knew could not be more than two miles 
 distant; indeed it was much more advisable so to do than 
 to run the risk of being frozen by remaining two or three 
 284
 
 A SNOW STORM ON MONT-CENIS 
 
 hours in the cold air till the diligence should come up. In 
 standing still I began to feel the cold bitterly; so in spite of 
 the snow storm we pushed on and arrived at the inn at 
 Mont-Cenis at five in the morning. We rubbed our hands 
 and faces well with snow and took care not to approach 
 the fire for several minutes, fortifying ourselves in the 
 interim with a glass of brandy. We then had some coffee 
 made and laid ourselves down to sleep by the side of an 
 enormous fire until the diligence arrived, which made its 
 appearance at eight o'clock. The passengers stopped to 
 breakfast and the Scotchman proposed to me to make the 
 descent of Lans-le-Bourg also on foot; but I was quite 
 satisfied with the prowess I had already exhibited and 
 declined the challenge. He however set off alone and thus 
 performed the entire passage of Mont Cenis on foot. As for 
 the rest of us we were carried down on a traineau; that is 
 to say the diligence was unloaded and its wheels taken off; 
 the baggage and wheels were put on one traineau and the 
 diligence with the passengers in it on another, and in this 
 manner we descended to Lans-le-Bourg. Nothing remarkable 
 occurred on this journey and we arrived at Chambery in 
 good case. I hired a caleche to go to Geneva, remained there 
 three days and arrived at Lausanne on the 18th December. 
 
 285
 
 AFTER 
 WATERLOO 
 
 PART III.
 
 PART III 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 MARCH-SEPTEMBER, 1817 
 
 Journey from Lausanne to Clermont-Ferrand A wretched conveyance 
 The first dish of frogs Society in Clermont-Ferrand General de Vergennes 
 Cleansing the town Return to Lausanne A zealous priest Journey 
 to Bern and back to Lausanne Avenches Lake Morat Lake Neuf- 
 chatel The Diet in Bern Character of the Bernois A beautiful Milanese 
 lady. 
 
 I STARTED from Lausanne on the 4th March 1817, and 
 arrived on the same day at 4 o'clock at Geneva. On my 
 arrival at Geneva, my banker informed me that I had 
 been denounced to the police, for some political opinions I 
 had spoken at the Hotel de VEcu de Geneve, previous to my 
 journey into Italy, and that I had been traced as far as 
 Turin. I went directly on hearing this to the police, and 
 desired to know who my accusers were, and that the accusa- 
 tion against me might be investigated immediately. Both 
 these propositions were however declined, and I was told 
 it was an affaire passed, and of no sort of consequence ; so that 
 from that day to this I have never been able to ascertain 
 who my friends were. 
 
 I left Lausanne with the intention of paying a visit to my 
 friend Col. Wardle and his family at Clermont-Ferrand, in the 
 Department of the Puy de Dome, in Auvergne, where they 
 are residing. I staid three days at Geneva, and then set off 
 at 7 in the evening on the 8th March with the Courier for 
 Lyons. 
 
 I never regretted any thing so much, and was near 
 paying severely for my rashness in putting myself into such 
 a wretched conveyance, at such a season of the year; but I 
 had made the agreement with the Courier without inspect- 
 ing his carriage, and was obliged to adhere to the bargain. 
 It was a vehicle entirely open before; it was a bitter cold, 
 rainy, snowy night; and I had the rain and snow in my face 
 u 289
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the whole way, and on crossing the Cerdon I was seized with 
 a violent ague fit, and suffered so much from it that on 
 arrival at a village beyond Nantua where we stopped for 
 supper, I determined to proceed no further, but to rest 
 there that night; and I asked the innkeeper if he could 
 furnish me with a bed for the night. He however made so 
 many objections and seemed so unwilling that I should 
 remain, that I was obliged to make up my mind to proceed. 
 I allayed the frissonnement by a large glass of brandy and 
 water, made fiery hot. At eight o'clock next morning I 
 arrived at Lyons, more dead than alive. A warm bath, 
 however, remaining in bed the whole day, buried in blankets, 
 abstaining from all food, a few grains of calomel at night 
 and copious libations of rice gruel the next day restored me 
 completely to health; and after a sijour of four days at 
 Lyons, I was enabled to proceed on my journey to Cler- 
 mont on the 14th March. We arrived at Roanne in the 
 evening and I stopped there the whole night. 
 
 Between Lyons and Roanne is the mountain of Tarare 
 where the road is cut right athwart the mountain and is 
 consequently terribly steep ; indeed it is the steepest ascent 
 for a carriage I ever beheld. All the passengers were 
 obliged to bundle out and ascend on foot; and even then 
 it is a most arduous montie for such a cumbrous machine as 
 a French diligence. 
 
 The country between Lyons and Roanne appears diversi- 
 fied; but this is not the season for enjoying the beauties 
 of nature. Roanne consists of one immensely long street, 
 but it is broad, and contains excellently built houses and 
 shops. There is a theatre also and baths. It is situated on 
 the Loire which I now salute for the first time. 
 
 The following morning at nine o'clock a patache (a sort 
 of two wheeled carriage) was in waiting to convey me the 
 remainder of my journey; and I arrived at night at a large 
 village or town called Thiers. Halfway between Roanne and 
 Thiers, on stopping at a small village to dine, I observed a 
 dish of frogs at the kitchen fire at the inn; and as it was the 
 290
 
 CLERMONT-FERRAND 
 
 first time I had observed them as an article of food in France, 
 I was desirous to taste them. They were dressed in a fricassee 
 of white sauce, and I found them excellent. The legs only are 
 used. They would be delicious as a curry. The next morning 
 we continued our journey; and crossing the river Allier at 
 twelve o'clock, arrived at Clermont-Ferrand at 2 p.m., and 
 dined with Col. Wardle. Clermont and Ferrand are two 
 towns within a mile and half distant from each other and 
 this Clermont is generally called Clermont-Ferrand to dis- 
 tinguish it from other towns of the same name. 
 
 CLERMONT, March 26th. 
 
 I have taken lodgings for a month, and board with a French 
 family for 90 franks per month. On the road hither the 
 immense mountain called the Puy de Dome is discernible at 
 a great distance; it is said to have been a volcano. 
 
 Clermont is a very ancient city and has an air of dullness; 
 but the Place and promenades round the town are excellent. 
 It is the capital of this department (Puy de Dome). There 
 is a terrible custom here of emptying the aguas mayores y 
 menores (as the Spaniards term those secretions) into the 
 small streets that lie at the back of the houses. The conse- 
 quence is that they are clogged up with filth and there is 
 always a most abominable stench. One must be careful how 
 one walks thro' these streets at night, from the liability of 
 being saluted by a golden shower. The lower classes of the 
 Auvergnats have the reputation of being dirty, slovenly 
 and idle. 
 
 Here is a church built by the English in the time of 
 Edward III, when the Black Prince commanded in this 
 country; and it was in a chapel in this city, the remains of 
 which still exist, that Peter the Hermit preached the first 
 crusade. These are almost the only things worthy of 
 remark in the town itself, except that there is a good deal 
 of commerce carried on, manufactures of crockery, cloth and 
 silk stockings. But in the natural curiosities of the environs 
 of Clermont there is a great deal to interest the botanist and 
 u2 291
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 mineralogist and above all there is a remarkable petrifying 
 well, very near the town, where by leaving pieces of wood, 
 shell-fish and other articles exposed to the dropping of the 
 water, they become petrified in a short time. This water has 
 the same effect on dead animals and rapidly converts them 
 into stone. I have myself seen a small basket filled with 
 plovers' eggs become in eight days a perfect petrifaction. 
 
 CLERMONT, April 2d. 
 
 I am arrived here at rather a dull season: the Carnaval 
 is just over and all the young ladies are taking to their 
 Livres d'Heures to atone for any levity or indiscretion they 
 may have been guilty of during the hey day of the Carna- 
 val. The Wardle family have a very pleasant acquaintance 
 here, chiefly among the liberaux, or moderate royalists, 
 but there are some most inveterate Ultras in this city, who 
 keep aloof from any person of liberal principles, as they 
 would of a person infected with the plague. The noblesse of 
 Auvergne have the reputation of being in general ignorant 
 and despotic. There is but little agrement or instruction to 
 be derived from their society, for they have not the ideas of 
 the age. In general the nobles of Auvergne, tho' great 
 sticklers for feudality and for their privileges, and tho' 
 they disliked the Revolution, had the good sense not to 
 emigrate. 
 
 There is a Swiss regiment of two battalions quartered 
 here. It bears the name of its Colonel, De Salis. As there 
 are a number of officers of the old army here, on half pay, 
 about three hundred in number, it is said, frequent disputes 
 occur between them and the Swiss officers. The Swiss 
 are looked upon by the people at large as the satellites of 
 despotism and not without reason. It is, I think, degrading 
 for any country to have foreign troops in pay in time of 
 peace. Several attempts have been made in the Chamber 
 of Deputies to obtain their removal or licenciement, but 
 without success. As it is supposed that the song of the Ranz 
 des V aches affects the sensibility of the Swiss very much, 
 292
 
 GENERAL DE VERGENNES 
 
 and makes them long to return to their native mountains, 
 a wag has recommended to all the young ladies in France 
 who are musicians to play and sing the Ranz des V aches 
 with all their might, in order to induce the Swiss to betake 
 themselves to their native country. 
 
 There has been a great deal of denunciation going forward 
 
 here; but the General de V * who commands the 
 
 troops in Clermont, determined to put a stop to it. He had 
 the good sense to see that such a system, if encouraged, 
 would be destructive of all society, prejudicial to the 
 Government, and vexatious to himself; as he would be 
 thereby kept continually in hot water. Accordingly, on a 
 delator presenting himself and accusing another of not 
 being well affected to the present order of things, and of 
 
 having spoken disrespectfully of the King, M. de V said 
 
 to him: " I have no doubt, Sir, that your denunciation 
 proceeds from pure motives, and I give you full credit for 
 your zeal and attachment to the royal cause; but I cannot 
 take any steps against the person whom you accuse, unless 
 you are willing to give me leave to publish your name and 
 consent to be confronted with him, so that I may examine 
 fairly the state of the case, and render justice to both 
 parties." The accuser declined acceding to this proposition. 
 The General desired him to withdraw, and shortly after 
 intimated publicly that he would listen to no denunciation, 
 unless the denouncer gave up his name and consented to 
 be confronted with the accused. The consequence of this 
 intimation was that all denunciations ceased. The late Pre- 
 fect however was not so prudent, and chose rather to 
 encourage delation; but mark the consequence! He arrested 
 
 * Louis Charles Joseph Gravier, vicomte de Vergennes d'Alonne, was 
 the son of the Comte de Vergennes, who was minister under the reign of 
 Louis XVI. Born at Constantinople in 1766, he took service at the early age 
 of thirteen, was promoted captain in 1782 and colonel in 1788. Having 
 emigrated in 1791, he served in Conde's army, then took service in England 
 from 1795 to 1797. On the 3rd March, 1815, he re-entered the army as 
 "marechal de camp," and, on the 2nd November of that same year, was pro- 
 moted general commander of the department of Puy de Ddme. He retired 
 on the 8th March, 1817, and seems to have been much regretted at Cler- 
 mont. Died 1821. ED. 
 
 293
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 several persons wrongfully, was obliged to release them 
 afterwards, was in continual hot water and it ended by the 
 Government being obliged to displace him. To avoid the 
 merited vengeance of many individuals whom he had ill- 
 treated, he was obliged, on giving up his prefecture, to 
 make a precipitate retreat from Clermont. The delators 
 attempted the same system with the new Prefect and Col. 
 Wardle, having invited some of the Swiss officers to a ball, 
 to which were likewise invited people of all opinions, an 
 information was lodged against him, purporting that he 
 wanted to corrupt the Swiss officers from their allegiance. 
 The Prefect sent the letter to Col. Wardle and said that it 
 had not made the slightest impression on his mind, and 
 that he treated it as a malicious report. The new Prefect 
 adopted the same system as the General and tranquillity 
 is since perfectly restored. 
 
 Things have been taking a better turn since the dissolu- 
 tion of the Chambre introuvable. Decazes, the present 
 minister, is an able man, and if he is not contrarie by the 
 Liberaux, he will keep the fanatical Ultras in good order. 
 The Bishop of Clermont is a liberal man also, and as it seems 
 the wish of the present public functionaries here to con- 
 ciliate, it is to be hoped that their example will not be lost 
 on the bons vieux gentilshommes of Auvergne. 
 
 I find an inexhaustible fund of entertainment from the 
 conversation of M. C . He has so many interesting anec- 
 dotes to relate respecting the French Revolution. With 
 regard to his present occupations, which are directed 
 towards rural economy, he tells me that he has succeeded 
 in a plan of cleansing the town from its Augean filth, and 
 making it very profitable to himself; and that he calculates 
 to obtain a revenue thereby of twenty thousand franks 
 annually. He has, in short, undertaken to be the grand 
 scavenger of the town, and the Government, in addition to a 
 salary of 2,500 francs per annum, which they give him for 
 his trouble, give to him the exclusive privilege of removing 
 all the dung he can collect in the precincts of the city, and of 
 294
 
 CLEANSING CLERMONT-FERRAND 
 
 converting it to his own advantage. He began by fitting up 
 a large enclosure, walled on each side, and in which he 
 deposits all the filth he can collect in the stables, yards and 
 streets of Clermont. He sends his carts round the town 
 every morning to get them loaded. All their contents are 
 brought to this repository, and shot out there. Straw is then 
 placed over this dung, and then earth or soil collected from 
 gullies and ravines, and this arranged stratum super stratum, 
 till it forms an immense compact cake of rich compost; and 
 when it has filled one of the yards and has completed a 
 thickness of five feet, he sells it to the farmers, who send 
 their carts to carry it off. He has divided this enclosure or 
 repository into three or four compartments. The compost 
 therefore is prepared, and ready to be carried off in one 
 yard, while the others are filling. In this he has rendered a 
 great benefit to the public, for the Auvergnats are incurable 
 in their custom of emptying their pots de chambre out of the 
 windows ; so that the streets every morning are in a terrible 
 
 state: but thanks to the industry of C his cars go 
 
 round to collect the precious material, and all is cleared 
 away by twelve o'clock. He collects bones too, and offal to 
 add to the compost. He conducted me to see his premises; 
 but the odour was too strong. . . . 
 
 I returned to Lausanne by the same route, leaving Cler- 
 mont on the 6th April, staying four days at Lyons and as 
 many at Geneva. Young Wardle accompanied me. We met 
 with no other adventure on the road than having a young 
 Catholic priest, fresh from the seminary, for our travelling 
 companion, from Thiers to Roanne. This young man 
 wished to convert Wardle and myself to Catholicism. 
 
 Among many arguments that he made use of was that 
 most silly one, which has been so often sported by the 
 Catholic theologians, viz.: that it is much safer to be a 
 Catholic than a Protestant, inasmuch as the Catholics do 
 not allow that any person can be saved out of the pale of 
 their church, whereas the Protestants do allow that a 
 Catholic may be saved. I answered him that this very 
 
 295
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 argument made more against Catholicism than any other, 
 and that this intolerant spirit would ever prevent me (even 
 had such an idea entered into my head) of embracing such 
 a religion. I then told him that, once for all, I did not wish 
 to enter into any theological disputes; that I had fully 
 made up my mind on these subjects; and that I would 
 rather take the opinion of a Voltaire or a Franklin on these 
 matters than all the opinions of all the theologians and 
 churchmen that ever sat in council from the Council of 
 Nicaea to the present day. This silenced him effectually. 
 Such is the absurd line of conduct pursued by the Catholic 
 priests of the present day in France. Instead of reforming 
 the discipline and dogmas of their church and adapting it 
 to the enlightened ideas of the present age, they are sedu- 
 lously employd in preaching intolerant doctrines, and 
 reviving absurd legends, and pretended miracles, which have 
 been long ago consigned to contempt and oblivion by all 
 rational Catholics; and by this they hope to re-establish 
 the ecclesiastical power in its former glory and preponder- 
 ance. Vain hope! By the American and French Revolutions 
 a great light is gone up to the Gentiles. Catholicism is on its 
 last legs, and they might as soon attempt to replace our 
 old friend and school acquaintance Jupiter on the throne 
 of heaven, as to re-establish the Papal power in its pristine 
 splendour; to borrow the language of the Pilgrim's Pro- 
 gress, the Giant Pope will be soon as dead as the Giant Pagan. 
 
 On arrival at Lyons we put up at the Hotel du Pare, 
 where I found cheaper and better entertainment than 
 at the Hotel du Nord. 
 
 My friend young Wardle has fallen in love with a very 
 beautiful cafetiere at Lyons, and spends a great part of his 
 time in the cafe, at which this nymph administers, and looks 
 at her, sighs, looks and sighs again. It is not probable 
 however that he will succeed in his suit, for she has been 
 courted by very many others and no one has succeeded. 
 She remains constant to her good man, and the breath of 
 calumny has never ventured to assail her.
 
 VISIT TO PAYERNE 
 
 I met one day at Lyons with my old friend W s of 
 
 Strassburg, who was a Lieutenant in the 25th Regiment in 
 the French service and served in the battle of Waterloo.* 
 He is now here and being on demi-solde, employs himself 
 in a mercantile house here as principal commis. He dined 
 with us and we passed a most pleasant day together. 
 
 I arrived on the 20th April at Lausanne. 
 ***** 
 
 After remaining some weeks at Lausanne on my return 
 from Clermont, I determind on making a pedestrian trip as 
 far as Bern and Neufchatel previous to returning into 
 Italy, which it is my intention to do in September. I sent 
 on my portmanteau accordingly to Payerne near Avenches, 
 intending to pay a visit and pass three days with my 
 friend, the Revd. Mr. J[omini],f the rector of the parish 
 there, from whom I had received a pressing invitation. I was 
 
 acquainted at Lausanne with his daughter, Mme C , and 
 
 was much pleased in her society. She had great talent of 
 conversation, and I never in my life met with a lady pos- 
 sessed of so much historical knowledge. I started on the 
 27th June from Lausanne, passed the first night at Mondon 
 and the next afternoon arrived at Avenches, the Aventicum 
 of the ancient Romans. Payerne is only a mile distant from 
 Avenches, and I was received with the utmost cordiality 
 by the worthy pastor and his daughter. The scenery on 
 the road to Avenches is very like the scenery in all the rest 
 of the Canton de Vaud, viz., alternate mountain and valley, 
 lofty trees, and every spot capable of cultivation bearing 
 some kind of produce; corn just ready for the sickle and 
 fruit such as cherries and strawberries in full bloom. 
 Avenches has an air of great antiquity and looks very 
 gloomy withal, which forms a striking contrast to the 
 neat, well built towns and villages of this Canton on the 
 
 * Jean Frai^ois Winkens, born at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1790, is mentioned in 
 the records of the French War Office as having served in the 25th Regiment 
 at Waterloo. His family may have belonged to Strassburg. ED. 
 
 f Pierre Jacques Jomini, Protestant minister at Avenches from 1808 to 
 1819. ED. 
 
 297
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 banks of the lake Leman where everything appears so 
 stirring and cheerful. Avenches, on the contrary, is very 
 dull, and there is little society. 
 
 At Mr. J[omini] there were, besides his daughter, his son 
 and his son's wife. All the ministres (for such is the word in use 
 to designate Protestant clergymen and you would give great 
 offence were you to call them pretres) have a fixed salary of 
 100 sterling per annum, with a house and ground attached 
 to the cure ; so that by farming a little they can maintain 
 their families creditably. M. Jomini lost his wife some 
 time ago, and still remains a widower. 
 
 I left Payerne on the fifth of July and walked to the 
 campagne of M. de T[reytorre]ns,* situated on the banks of 
 the lake Morat. It is a very pretty country house, spacious 
 and roomy, and I was received with the utmost cordiality 
 by M. de T[reytorrens] and his amiable family. He is a 
 very opulent proprietor in this part of the country, and has 
 spent part of his life in England. He is a dignified looking 
 man, a little too much perhaps of the old school and no 
 friend to the innovations and changes arising from the 
 French Revolution. Having lived much among the Tory 
 nobility of England, he has imbibed their ideas and views 
 of things. His son is now employed in one of the public 
 offices in London. His wife and three daughters, one of 
 whom is married to a ministre, dwell with him. With 
 this family I passed three days in the most agreeable 
 manner. I find the style and manner of living of the 
 noblesse (or country gentlemen, as we should style them) of 
 Switzerland very comfortable, in every sense of the word. 
 I wish my friends the French would take more to a country 
 life, it would essentially benefit the nation. The way of 
 living in M. de T[reytorre]ns family is as follows. A break- 
 fast of coffee and bread and butter is served up to each 
 person separately in their own room, or in the Salle a manger. 
 Before dinner every one follows his own avocation or 
 
 * The Treytorrens family, of old nobility and fame, now extinct, possessed 
 a large estate at Guevaux, on the borders of the lake of Morat. ED. 
 
 298
 
 LAKE NEUFCHATEL 
 
 amusement. At one, the family assemble to dinner which 
 generally consist of soup, bouilli, entrees of fish, flesh and 
 fowl, entremets of vegetables, a roti of butcher's meat, fowl 
 or game, pastry and desert. The wine of the country is 
 drunk at dinner as a table wine, and old wines of the country 
 or wines of foreign growth are handed round to each guest 
 during the desert. After dinner coffee and liqueurs are 
 served. After an hour's conversation or repose, promenades 
 are proposed which occupy the time till dusk. Music, cards 
 or reading plays fill up the rest of the evening, till supper is 
 announced at nine o'clock, which is generally as substan- 
 tial as the dinner. 
 
 On taking leave of Mr. de T[reytorre]ns' family I walked 
 to the banks of the lake Neufchatel, having a stout fellow 
 with me to carry my sac-de null. On arrival at the lake I 
 crossed over in a boat to Neufchatel, which lies on the other 
 side. I remained there the whole of the day. It is a very 
 pretty neat little city, in a romantic position. Its govern- 
 ment is a complete anomaly. Neufchatel forms a com- 
 ponent part of the Helvetic confederacy, and yet the 
 inhabitants are vassals of the King of Prussia, and the 
 aristocracy are proud of this badge of servitude. The King 
 of Prussia however does not at all interfere with its internal 
 government, and his supremacy is in no other respects 
 useful to him than in giving him a slight revenue. French 
 is the language spoken in the canton. There is a marked 
 distinction of rank all over Switzerland, except in Geneva, 
 Vaud and the small democratic cantons such as Zug and 
 Schwytz, where it is merely nominal. In short, tranquillity 
 is the order of the day. Each rank respects the privileges of 
 the other and the peasant, however rich, is not at all dis- 
 posed to vary from his usual mode of life or to ape the 
 noble; and hence, tho' sumptuary laws are no longer in 
 force, they continue so virtually and the peasantry in all 
 the German cantons adhere strictly to the national costume. 
 
 299
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 BERN, 14 July. 
 
 I put myself in the diligence that plies between Neuf- 
 chatel and Bern at nine p.m., on the 12 July, and the 
 following morning put up at the Crown Inn in the city of 
 Bern, in the Pays Allemand, whereas the French cantons are 
 termed the Pays Romand. Bern is a remarkably elegant city 
 as much so as any in Italy, and much cleaner withal. The 
 streets are broad, and in most of them are trottoirs under 
 arcades. There are a great number of book-sellers here, and 
 the best editions of the German authors are to be procured 
 very cheap. Bern is situated on an eminence forming almost 
 an island as it were in the middle of the river Aar; steep 
 ravines are on all sides of it; and there is a bridge over the 
 Aar to keep up the communication; and as the borders 
 of the island, on which the city stands, are very steep, a 
 zig-zag road, winding along the ravines, brings you to the 
 city gates. These gates are very superb. On each side of the 
 gates are two enormous white stone bears, the emblems of 
 the tutelary genius of this city. The houses are very lofty 
 and solidly built. The promenades in the environs of Bern 
 are the finest I have seen anywhere, and the grounds allotted 
 to this purpose are very tastefully laid out. These prome- 
 nades are paved with gravel and cut thro' the forests, that 
 lie on the coteaux and ravines on the other side of the Aar. 
 There are several neat villas in the neighbourhood of these 
 promenades, and there are cafes and restaurants for those 
 who chuse to refresh themselves. Such is the beauty of 
 these walks, that one feels inclined to pass the whole day 
 among them. They are laid out in such variety, and are so 
 multiplied, that you often lose your way; you are sure 
 however to be brought up by a point de vue at one or other 
 of the angles of the zig-zag; and this serves as a guide 
 pour vous orienter, as the French say. Another favorite 
 promenade is a garden, in the town itself, that environs 
 the whole city from which and from the superb terrace of 
 the Cathedral you have a magnificent view of the glaciers 
 that tower above the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunn. The 
 300
 
 THE ARISTOCRACY OF BERN 
 
 immense forests that are in the neighbourhood of Bern form 
 a striking contrast with the cornfields in the vallies and on 
 the coteaux. There are but few vineyards in the neighbour- 
 hood of Bern. 
 
 BERN, 16 July. 
 
 The Diet is held this year in Bern and it is now sitting. 
 I have met with the two Deputies of the Canton de Vaud, 
 
 MM. P andM . I am glad to hear from them that the 
 
 animosity existing between the two cantons of Bern and Vaud 
 
 is beginning to subside. M. P has made a most able and 
 
 conciliating speech at the Diet. Still there is a good deal of 
 jealousy rankling in the breast of the Bern noblesse and the 
 avulsumimperium is a very sore subject with them. I recollect 
 once at Lausanne meeting with a young man of one of the 
 principal families of Bern, who had been in the English ser- 
 vice. The conversation happened to turn on the emancipation 
 of the Canton de Vaud from the domination of Bern, when 
 the young man became perfectly furious and insisted that 
 the Vaudois had no right whatever to their liberty, for that 
 the Canton of Bern had purchased the province of Vaud 
 from the Dukes of Savoy. " En un mot " (said he), " Us sont 
 nos esclaves, nos Holes et ils sont aussi clairement noire 
 propriete que les negres de laJamaique le sont de leurs maitres." 
 
 A very harsh measure has lately been passed in the Diet, 
 evidently suggested by the aristocracy of Bern, which 
 tended to fine and punish those Swiss officers who remained 
 in France to serve under Napoleon after his return from 
 Elba, and who did not obey the order of the Diet which 
 recalled them. A very able objection has been made to this 
 measure in a brochure, wherein it is stated that many of 
 these officers had no means of living out of France and that, 
 on a former occasion, when a number of Swiss officers were 
 serving the English Government and were employed in 
 America in the war against the United States hi 1812 and 
 1813, the Diet, then under Napoleon's influence, issued a 
 decree recalling them and commanding them to quit the 
 English service forthwith. This they refused to do and 
 
 801
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 continued to serve. No notice whatever was taken of this 
 act of disobedience, when they returned to their native 
 country on being disbanded in 1814, and they were very 
 favourably received. Why then, says the author of this 
 pamphlet, is a similar act of disobedience to pass un- 
 noticed in one instance and to be so severely punished in 
 another? Or do you wish to prove that your vengeance is 
 directed only against those who remained in France, to 
 fight for its liberties, when invaded by a foreign foe, while 
 those who remained in America to fight against the liberties 
 and existence of the American Republic you have received 
 with applause and congratulation? Is such conduct worthy 
 of Republicans? O, fie! 
 
 Such an argument is in my opinion convincing for all the 
 world except for an English Tory, a French Ultra or a Bern 
 Oligarch. 
 
 The Arsenal here is well worth seeing ; here is a superb col- 
 lection of ancient armour, much of which were the spoils 
 of the Austrian and Burgundian chivalry, who fell in their 
 attempts to crush Helvetic liberty. 
 
 By way of shewing how fond the Bernois are of old insti- 
 tutions and customs, they have been at the trouble to catch 
 three or four bears and keep them in a walled pit in the 
 city, where they are well fed and taken care of. The popular 
 superstition is that the bears entertained in this manner 
 contribute to the safety of the commonwealth; and this 
 establishment continued ever in full force, until the dis- 
 solution of the old Confederacy took place and the estab- 
 ment in its place of the Helvetic Republic under the influ- 
 ence of the French directorial government. The custom, 
 then, appearing absurd and useless, was abolished, and 
 the bears were sold. But since the peace of 1814 other bears 
 have been caught and are nourishd, as the former ones 
 were, at the expence of the state. 
 
 Bern derives its name from Bdren, the German word for 
 Bears (plural number). Only the French spell Berne, with 
 an e at the end of it. 
 - 302
 
 A MILANESE LADY 
 
 There are no theatrical amusements going forward here. 
 Cards and now and then a little music form the evening 
 recreations. * 
 
 In the inn at Bern I became acquainted with a most 
 
 delightful Milanese lady and her son. Her name is L ; 
 
 she is the widow of an opulent banker at Milan and has a 
 large family of children. She was about thirty-eight years 
 of age and is still a remarkably handsome woman. Time 
 has made very little impression on her and she unites very 
 pleasing manners with a great taste for litterature. She is 
 greatly proficient in the English language and litterature, 
 which she understands thoroughly, tho' she speaks it with 
 difficulty. She is an enthusiastic admirer of Shakespeare, 
 Milton and Byron. She had been to Zurich for her son, who 
 was employed in a commercial house there, in order to take 
 him back with her into Italy. She spoke French as well as 
 Italian, and her son had a very good knowledge of German. 
 She offered me a seat in her carriage, on the understanding 
 that I was going to Lausanne, where she intended to stop a 
 day or two. An offer of the kind made by so elegant and 
 fascinating a woman you may be assured I did not scruple 
 to accept, and I was in hopes of improving on this acquaint- 
 ance and renewing it at Milan. Indeed, did not business 
 oblige me to remain some weeks at Lausanne, I should cer- 
 tainly offer my services to escort her all the way to Milan. 
 She had letters of introduction for Lausanne, and during 
 her stay there I acted as her cicerone, to point out the most 
 interesting objects and points of view, which the place 
 affords. 
 
 303
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 SEPTEMBER i8i7-APRIL 1818 
 
 Journey from Lausanne to Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples Resi- 
 dence at Naples The theatre of San Carlo Rossini's operas Gaming in 
 Naples The Lazzaroni Public writers Carbonarism Return to Rome 
 Christmas eve at Santa Maria Maggiore Mme Dionigi Theatricals 
 Society in Rome The papal government Lucien Bonaparte, prince of 
 Canino Louis Napoleon, ex- King of Holland Pope Pius VII Thor- 
 waldsen Granet The Holy Week in Rome The Duchess of Devon- 
 shire From Rome to Florence by the Perugia road. 
 
 I STARTED from Lausanne with a party of two ladies 
 in a Milanese vettura on the morning of the 20th Sep- 
 tember. We arrived at Milan on the 25th late in the 
 evening. On passing the Simplon we met with three or four 
 men who had the appearance of soldiers, and asked for 
 alms something in the style of the old Spanish soldier who 
 accosted Gil Bias on his first journey. Our ladies were a 
 little alarmed. On travelling over the plains of Lombardy, 
 one of these ladies, who had never before been out of her 
 country (Switzerland) and was consequently accustomed 
 to see the horizon bounded at a very short distance by 
 immense mountains on all sides, was much alarmed, on 
 arrival at the plain, at seeing no bounds to the horizon ; she 
 was apprehensive of falling down androllingover. Her remark 
 reminded me of one of the objections made to the project 
 of Columbus's voyage in discovery of a western passage to 
 India; it was said that in consequence of the rotundity of 
 the earth they would roll down and never be able to get up 
 again. The sensation experienced by my fellow traveller, 
 however, may be well accounted for and explained by any 
 one who from a plain surface situated on a great height 
 looks down without a railing or balcony. 
 
 These ladies were quite delighted with the splendour and 
 bustle of Milan and particularly when I took them to the 
 Scala theatre, where a very splendid Ballo was given 
 304
 
 RETURN TO ROME 
 
 intitled Sammi Re d'Egitto. The scenery and decorations 
 were magnificent, being taken from Denon's drawings of 
 Egyptian views, and the costume was exceedingly appro- 
 priate. My fellow travellers were much struck at the appear- 
 ance of the horses on the stage and the grotesque dancing. 
 The last scene was the most magnificent. It represented the 
 great Pyramids, on the angles of which stood a line of 
 soldiers from the base to the apex holding lighted torches. 
 The coup d'ceil was enchanting. I took the ladies to see my 
 old friend Girolamo and in fine was their cicerone every 
 where. We remained only four days at Milan and then pro- 
 ceeded to Florence, where we arrived on the 7th October. We 
 employed six days for our journey and one day we halted 
 at Bologna. After remaining four days at Florence and 
 taking the Radicofani road we arrived at Rome the 18th 
 October. 
 
 At Rome I met my friend P. G. and his wife who were 
 travelling towards Naples and I likewise made two very 
 pleasant acquaintances, the one a Portuguese, the other a 
 Milanese. The Milanese is a cousin of the Neapolitan 
 
 minister Di M ; and the Portuguese (M. de N ) had 
 
 been employed by his Government in a diplomatic capacity 
 at Vienna. At Rome I engaged appartments from the 20th 
 of December for three months and then started for Naples, 
 with the intention of passing two months there, and return- 
 ing to Rome to be in time to witness the fete at Christmas 
 Eve. At Velletri I met with a Jamaica family, Mr and Mrs 
 
 O , with their daughter and daughter-in-law; and we 
 
 were strongly advised to take an escort as far as Torre ire 
 ponti, being obliged to start very early from Velletri in order to 
 reach Terracina before night-fall. Nothing however occurred 
 and we arrived at Terracina without accident. The rascally 
 
 innkeeper there made Mr O pay forty franks for each 
 
 miserable room that he occupied, and fifteen franks a head 
 for his supper; he was very insolent with all. I was rejoiced 
 to find that in one instance he failed in his hopes of extortion. 
 As he is obliged by law to furnish supper and beds at a 
 X 305
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 fixed price to those who travel with vetturini and are spesati, 
 he, whenever a vetturino arrives locks up all his decent 
 chambers and says that they are engaged, in order to keep 
 them for those travellers who may arrive in their own 
 carriages and whom he can fleece ad libitum. A friend of 
 mine and his lady, who were travelling in their own carriage, 
 had, in order to avoid this extortion, engaged with a 
 vetturino to conduct them from Naples to Rome with his 
 horses, but their own carriage, and had stipulated to be 
 spesati. Mine host of Terracina, seeing a smart carriage 
 drive up, ordered one of his best rooms to be got ready, 
 ushered them in himself and returnd in half an hour to 
 ask what they would have for supper; when to his great 
 astonishment and mortification, they referrd him for the 
 arrangement of the supper to the vetturino, saying that 
 they were spesati. He then began to curse and swear, said 
 . that they should not have that room, and wanted to turn 
 
 them out of it forcibly; but my friend Major G took 
 
 up one of his pistols, which were lying on the table, and told 
 the innkeeper that if he did not cease to molest them and 
 instantly quit the room, he would blow out his brains. This 
 threat had the desired effect, and he withdrew. It appears 
 that this fellow has in the end outwitted himself, for most 
 people now, who travel on this road in their own carriage, 
 chuse to travel with a vetturino and his horses and are 
 spesati, solely in order to avoid the extortion practised upon 
 them. 
 
 We arrived at Naples on the 29th October without 
 accident. A buona grazia of a scudo at the frontier obviated 
 the delay which would otherwise have occurred in examin- 
 ing our baggage by the douaniers. I put up at No 1 Largo 
 St Anna di Palazzo, near the Strada di Toledo, at the house 
 of one Berlier, who had been a domestic of poor Murat's. 
 The Austrian troops being now withdrawn, the military 
 cordon of sentinels from the frontier to Naples is kept up by 
 the Neapolitan troops; but what a contrast between the 
 vigilance of the Austrian sentinels, and the negligence of 
 306
 
 OPERAS AT NAPLES 
 
 the Neapolitans! The last time I travelled on this road, I 
 never failed, after dusk, to hear the shout of Wer da? of the 
 Austrian sentries, long before I came up to them, and I 
 always found them alert. Now that the cordon was Neapoli- 
 tan, I always found the sentries either asleep, or playing at 
 cards with their companion (the sentries being double), 
 both having left their arms at the place where they were 
 posted. At night I have no doubt they all fall asleep, so 
 that three or four active banditti might come and cut the 
 
 throats of the whole chain of sentries in detail. 
 ***** 
 
 30th October, 1818. 
 
 I have begun my course of water drinking at the fountain 
 of Sta Lucia. Since I was here the last time, the theatre of 
 St Carlo has been finished and I went to visit it the second 
 night after my arrival. It is a noble theatre and of immense 
 size, larger it is said than the Scala at Milan, tho' it does not 
 appear so. The profusion of ornament and gilding serves to 
 diminish the appearance of its magnitude. It is probably 
 now the most magnificent theatre in Europe. The per- 
 formance was II Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini, and after- 
 wards a superb Ballo taken closely from Coleman's Blue- 
 Beard and arranged as a Ballo by Vestris. The only differ- 
 ence lies in the costume and the scenery; for here the 
 Barbe Bleue, instead of being a Turkish Pacha, as in Cole- 
 man's piece, is a Chinese Mandarin, and the decorations are 
 all Chinese. A great deal of Scotch music is introduced in 
 this Ballo, and seems to give great satisfaction. At the little 
 theatre of San Carlino I witnessed the representation of 
 Rossini's Cenerentola, a most delightful piece. The young 
 actress who did the part of Cenerentola acted it to per- 
 fection and sung so sweetly and correctly, that it would 
 seem as if the role were composed on purpose for her. The part 
 of Don Magnifico was extremely well played, and those of 
 the sisters very fairly and appropriately. The three actresses 
 who did the part of Cenerentola and her sisters, were all hand- 
 some, but she who did Cenerentola surpassed them all; she 
 x2 307
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 was a perfect beauty and a grace. I think the music of this 
 opera would please the public taste in England. Rossini 
 seems to have banished every other musical composer from 
 the stage. 
 
 I have seen, at the Theatre of San Carlo, the Don Gio- 
 vanni of Mozart; but certainly, after being accustomed to 
 the extreme vivacity of Rossini's style, the music, even of 
 the divine Mozart, appears to go off heavily. There is too 
 much of what the French call musique de fanfares in the 
 opera of Don Giovanni and I believe most of the Italians are 
 of my way of thinking. 
 
 We have just heard oLthe death of the poor Princess 
 Charlotte. I am no great admirer of Kings and Queens ; and 
 yet I must own, I could not help feeling regret for the death 
 of this princess. I had formed a very high opinion of her, 
 from many traits in her character ; and I fancied and hoped 
 that she was destined to redeem England from the degra- 
 dation and bad odour into which she had been plunged by 
 the borough-mongers and bureaucrats, engendered by the 
 Pitt system. She had liberal ideas and an independent 
 spirit. I really almost caught myself shedding tears at this 
 event, and had she been buried here, I should have gone 
 to scatter flowers upon her tomb: 
 
 His saltern accumulem donis, et fungar inani 
 Munere.* 
 
 Has no royalist or ministerial poet been found to do 
 hommage to her manes? Had she lived to be Queen of 
 England she would have found a thousand venal pens to 
 give her every virtue under heaven. 
 
 There is a professor of natural philosophy now at Naples, 
 of the name of Amici, from Modena, who has invented a 
 microscope of immense power. The circulation of the blood 
 in the thigh of a frog (the coldest animal in nature), when 
 viewed thro' this microscope, appears to take place with the 
 rapidity of a Swiss torrent. 
 
 Since I have been here, I have once more ascended 
 
 * Virgil. Aen., vi, 886. ED. 
 308
 
 SOCIETY AT NAPLES 
 
 Vesuvius; there was no eruption at all this time, but I 
 witnessed the sight of a stream of red-hot liquid lava flowing 
 slowly down the flank of the mountain. It was about 
 two and a half feet broad. 
 
 In my letters from Naples, the last time I was there, I 
 gave you some idea of the state of society. Among the 
 upper classes gaming is reduced to a science and is almost 
 exclusively the order of the day. There is little or no taste 
 for litterature among any part of the native society. The 
 upper classes are sensualists; the middling ignorant and 
 superstitious. With regard to the Lazzaroni, I do not think 
 that they at all deserve the ill name that has been given to 
 them. They always seem good humoured and willing to 
 work, when employment is given to them ; and they do not 
 appear at all disposed to disturb the public peace, which, 
 from their being so numerous and formidable a body, they 
 could easily do. The Neapolitan dialect has a far greater 
 affinity to the Spanish than to the Tuscan, and there are 
 likewise a great many Greek words in it. When one takes 
 into consideration the extreme ignorance that prevails 
 among the Neapolitans in general, one is astonished that 
 such a prodigy of genius as Filangieri could have sprung up 
 among them. What talent, application, deep research and 
 judgment were united in that illustrious man! And yet there 
 are many Neapolitans of rank who have never heard of him. 
 Would you believe that on my asking one of the principal 
 booksellers in Naples for Filangieri's work on legislation 
 (an immortal work which has called forth the admiration 
 and eulogy of the greatest geniuses of the age, of which 
 Benjamin Franklin and Sir Wm Jones spoke in the most 
 unqualified terms of approbation; a work which has been 
 translated into all the languages of Europe), I was told by 
 the bookseller that he had never heard either of the author 
 or of his work. 
 
 A very curious thing at Naples is the number of public 
 writers, who compose letters and memorials in booths, 
 fitted up in the streets. As the great majority of the people 
 
 309
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 are so ignorant as to be unable to read or write, it follows 
 that when they receive letters, they must find somebody to 
 read them for them and to write the answers required. 
 They accordingly, on the receipt of a letter, bring it to one 
 of these public scribes, ask him to read it for them and to 
 write an answer, for which trouble he receives a fixed pay. 
 These writers are thus let into the secrets of family affairs of 
 more than half of the city; and as some of them are in the 
 pay of the Government for communicating intelligence, you 
 may guess how formidable they may become to liberty and 
 how dangerous an engine in the hands of a despotic Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 It appears that the theatre of San Carlo is principally 
 kept up by gaming; that is to say, the managers and pro- 
 prietors would not undertake the direction of it without the 
 Gaming Bank being annexed to it; for otherwise they 
 would lose money, the expence of the Opera on account of 
 the magnificent decorations of the Ballets being very great, 
 which the receipts of the theatre are insufficient to meet; 
 but the profits of the Casino cover all and amply reimburse 
 the proprietors. 
 
 With regard to political opinions here there is a great 
 stagnation. It costs the Neapolitans too much trouble to 
 
 think and reflect. M , the principal minister, is however 
 
 no favourite ; neither is N , who has quitted the Austrian 
 
 service, and is nominated Captain-General of the Neapolitan 
 army.* 
 
 There is a great talk about the increase of Carbonarism. 
 You will probably ask me what Carbonarism means. I am 
 not initiated in the secret of the Carbonari ; but as far as I 
 can understand, this sect or secret society has its mysteries 
 like modern Free-masonry or like the Orphics of old, and 
 several progressive degrees of initiation are required. Its 
 
 * Of the two persons here mentioned, by their initials only, the first, 
 Luigi de' Medici, was chosen as Chancellor of the Exchequer by King Fer- 
 dinando in June, 1815. The second was Nugent, an Austrian marescallo, who 
 became capitano generate of the Neapolitan army, Augiist, 1816, and 
 capo del supremo comando, February, 1817. ED. 
 
 310
 
 CHRISTMAS AT S. MARIA MAGGIORE 
 
 secret object is said to be the emancipation of Italy from a 
 foreign despotism and the forming of a government purely 
 national. This is the reason why this sect is regarded with 
 as much jealousy by the different governments of Italy as 
 the early Christians used to be by the Pagan Emperors. 
 Great proofs of courage, constancy and self denial are 
 required from the initiated; and very many fail, or do not 
 rise beyond the lower degrees of initiation, for it is very 
 difficult for an Italian to withstand sensuality. But the 
 leaders of this sect are perfectly in the right to require such 
 proofs, for no man is fit to be trusted with any political 
 design whatever, who has not obtained the greatest mastery 
 over his passions. The word Carbonari, I need not tell you, 
 means Coalmen; the Italian history presents many examples 
 of secret societies taking their appellation from some 
 mechanical profession. 
 
 I have now been nearly two months in Naples, and the 
 zampogne or bag-pipes, which play about the streets at 
 night, announce the speedy approach of Christmas, so that 
 
 I shall soon take my departure for Rome. 
 ***** 
 
 I left Naples on the 18th of December and arrived at 
 Rome on the 22d. I am settled in my old lodgings, No. 29 
 Piazza di Spagna. Nothing worth mentioning occurred 
 during the journey. 
 
 The fete of the birth of Christ held at Santa Maria 
 Maggiore on the evening of the 24th December is of the most 
 splendid description, and attended by an immense crowd 
 of women. Guns are fired on the moment that the birth of 
 the Saviour is announced, and this event occurs precisely at 
 midnight. The Romans seem to rejoice as much at the 
 anniversary of this event, as if it happened for the first time, 
 and as if immediate temporal advantage were to be 
 derived from it. 
 
 I have mixed a good deal in society in Rome since my 
 return from Naples. Among other acquaintance I must 
 particularly distinguish Mme Dionigi, a very celebrated 
 
 311
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 lady, possessing universality of talent.* She is well known 
 all over Italy, for the extent of her litterary attainments, 
 but more particularly for her proficiency in the fine arts, 
 above all in painting, of which she is an adept. She also 
 possesses the most amiable qualities of the heart, and is 
 universally beloved and respected for the worth of her 
 private character, and for her generous disposition. She has 
 all the vivacity of intellect belonging to youth, tho' now 
 nearly eighty-six years of age,f and of a very delicate 
 physical constitution; in short she affords, and I often tell 
 her so, the most striking proof of the immortality of the 
 soul. There is a conversazione at her house twice a week, 
 where you meet with foreign as well as Italian litterati, and 
 persons of distinction of all nations, tongues and lan- 
 guages. Her eldest daughter, Mme D'Orfei, is an excellent 
 improvisatrice, and has frequently given us very favourable 
 specimens of the inspiration which breathes itself in her 
 soul. I have likewise witnessed the talent of two very 
 extraordinary improvisatori, the one a young girl of 
 eighteen years of age, by name Rosa Taddei. She is the 
 daughter of the proprietor of the Teatro della Valle at Rome, 
 and sometimes performs herself in dramatic pieces; yet, 
 strange to say, tho' she is an admirable improvisatrice and 
 possesses a thorough classic and historical knowledge, she is 
 but an indifferent actress. 
 
 It is a great shame that her father obliges her to act on the 
 stage in very inferior parts, when she ought only to exhibit 
 on the tripod. I assisted at an Accademia given by her one 
 
 * This most distinguished lady, Marianna Candidi, was born in Rome in 
 1756; her mother, Magdalena Scilla, was the daughter of a well known 
 antiquary of Messina, Agostino Scilla. Marianna learned Latin, drawing and 
 music; she achieved a reputation as landscape painter, and was elected a 
 member of the Academies of St Luke in Rome, of Bologna, Pisa and Phila- 
 delphia. She married the lawyer Domenico Dionigi, and gave him seven 
 children, one of whom, Henrietta, became Madame Orfei, and was much 
 esteemed as "improvisatrice." Madame Dionigi herself published several 
 works, among which a Storia de' tempi presenti, written in view of the 
 education of her children. Her salon in Rome was frequented by many men 
 of distinction, such as Visconti, d'Agincourt, Erskine, etc. She died on the 
 loth June, 1826, at the age of seventy. ED. 
 
 f She was no more than sixty-two at that time. ED. 
 
 312
 
 MME D'ORFEI, THE IMPROVISATRICE 
 
 evening at the Teatro della Voile, when she improvised on 
 the following subjects? which were proposed by various 
 members of the audience: 1st, La morte d'Egeo; 2dy, La 
 Madre Ebrea; 3rd, Coriolano alle mura di Roma; 4th, 
 Ugolino; 5th, Saffo e Faone; 6th, in the Carnaval with the 
 following intercalario: " Maschera ti conosco, tieni la benda al 
 cor!" which intercalario compels a rhyme in osco, a most 
 difficult one. The Madre Ebrea and Coriolano were given in 
 ottava rima with a rima obbligata for each stanza. The 
 Morte d'Egeo was given in terza rima. Her versification 
 appeared to be excellent, nor could I detect the absence or 
 superabundance of a single syllable. She requires the aid 
 of music, chuses the melody; the audience propose the 
 subject, and rima obbligata, and the intercalario, where it is 
 required. In her gestures, particularly before she begins to 
 recite, she reminded me of the description given of the 
 priestess of Delphi. She walks along the stage for four or 
 five minutes in silent meditation on the subject proposed, 
 then suddenly stops, calls to the musicians to play a certain 
 symphony and then begins as if inspired. Among the 
 different rhimes in osco, a gentleman who sat next to me 
 proposed to her Cimosco. I asked him what Cimosco he 
 meant; he replied a Tuscan poet of that name. For my 
 part, I had never heard of any other of that name than the 
 King Cimosco in the Orlando Furioso, who makes use of 
 fire-arms ; and Rosa Taddei was, it appears, of my opinion, 
 since this was the Cimosco she chose to characterise; and 
 she made thereby a very neat and happy comparison 
 between the gun of Cimosco and the arrow of Cupid. This 
 talent of the improvisatori is certainly wonderful, and one 
 for which there is no accounting. It appears peculiar to the 
 Italian nation alone among the moderns, but probably was 
 in vogue among the ancient Greeks also. It is certain that 
 Rosa Taddei gives as fine thoughts as are to be met with in 
 most poets, and I am very much tempted to incline to 
 Forsyth's opinion that Homer himself was neither more nor 
 less than an improvisator e, the Greek language affording 
 
 313
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 nearly as many poetic licences as the Italian, and the 
 faculty of heaping epithet on epithet being common in 
 both languages. 
 
 The other genius in this wonderful art is Signer Sgricci. 
 He is so far superior to Rosa Taddei in being five or six years 
 older, in being a very good Latinist and in improvising 
 whole tragedies on any subject, chosen by the audience. 
 When the subject is chosen, he develops his plan, fixes his 
 dramatis personae and then strikes off in versi sciolti. He at 
 times introduces a chorus with lyric poetry. I was present 
 one evening at an Accademia given by him in the Palazzo 
 Chigi. The subject chosen was Sophonisba and it was 
 wonderful the manner in which he varied his plot from that 
 of every other dramatic author on the same subject. He 
 acted the drama, as well as composed it, and pourtrayed the 
 different characters with the happiest effect. The ardent 
 passion and impetuosity of Massinissa, the studied calm 
 philosophy and stoicism of Scipio, the romantic yet digni- 
 fied attachment of Sophonisba, and the plain soldierlike 
 honorable behaviour of Syphax were given in a very 
 superior style. I recollect particularly a line he puts in the 
 mouth of Scipio, when he is endeavouring to persuade 
 Massinissa to resist the allurements and blandishments 
 of love: 
 
 Ch& cor di donna & laberinto, in quale 
 Facil si perde 1'intelletto umano. 
 
 This drama he divided into three acts, and on its termina- 
 tion he improvised a poem in terza rima on the subject of 
 the contest of Ajax and Ulysses for the armour of Achilles. 
 
 Wonderful, however, as this act of improvising may 
 appear, it is not perhaps so much so as the mathematical 
 faculty of a youth of eight years of age, Yorkshireman by 
 birth, who has lately exhibited his talent for arithmetical 
 calculation improvised in England and who in a few seconds, 
 from mental calculation, could give the cube root of a num- 
 ber containing fifteen or sixteen figures. 
 
 Is not all this a confirmation of Doctor Gall's theory on 
 314
 
 SOCIETY AT ROME 
 
 craniology ? viz. , that our faculties depend on the organisation 
 of the scull. I think I have seen this frequently exemplified 
 at Eton. I have known a boy who could not compose a 
 verse, make a considerable figure in arithmetic and geo- 
 metry; and another, who could write Latin verse with 
 almost Ovidian elegance, and yet could not work the 
 simplest question in vulgar fractions. Indeed, I think there 
 seems little doubt that we are born with dispositions and 
 propensities, which may be developed and encouraged, or 
 damped and checked altogether by education. 
 
 I have become acquainted with several families at Rome, 
 so that I am at no loss where to spend my evenings. Music 
 is the never failing resource for those with whom the spirit 
 of conversation fails. The society at Rome is perfectly free 
 from etiquette or gene. When once presented to a family 
 you may enter their house every evening without invitation, 
 make your bow to the master and mistress of the house, 
 enter into conversation or not as you please. You may 
 absent yourself for weeks together from these conversa- 
 zioni, and nobody will on your re-appearance enquire where 
 you have been or what you have been doing. In short, in 
 the intercourse with Roman society, you meet with great 
 affability, sometimes a little ennui, but no commerage. 
 The avvocati may be said to form almost exclusively the 
 middling class in Rome, and they educate their families 
 very respectably. This class was much caressed by the 
 French Government during the time that Rome was 
 annexed to the French Empire, and most of the employes 
 of the Government at that time were taken from this class. 
 I have met with several sensible well-informed people, who 
 have been accurate observers of the times, and had derived 
 profit in point of instruction from the scenes they had 
 witnessed. 
 
 The Papal Government began, as most of the restored 
 governments did, by displacing many of these gentlemen, 
 for no other fault than because they had served under the 
 Ex-government, and replaced them by ecclesiastics, as in 
 
 315
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the olden time. But the Papal Government very soon dis- 
 covered that the whole political machine would be very soon 
 at a stand, by such an epuration; and the most of them have 
 been since reinstated. Consalvi, the Secretary of State, is a 
 very sensible man; he has hard battles to fight with the 
 Ultras of Rome in order to maintain in force the useful 
 regulations introduced by the French Government, par- 
 ticularly the organisation of a vigilant police, and the 
 putting a stop to the murders and robberies, which used 
 formerly to be committed with impunity. The French 
 checked the system of granting asylum to these vagabonds 
 altogether. But on the restoration of the Papal Govern- 
 ment a strong interest was made to allow asylums, as 
 formerly, to criminals. Many of these gentry began to 
 think that the good old times were come again, wherein they 
 could commit with impunity the most atrocious crimes; 
 and no less than eighty persons were in prison at one time 
 for murder. This opened the eyes of the Government, and 
 Consalvi insisted on the execution of these men and carried 
 his point of establishing a vigilant police. The Army too 
 has been put on a better footing. The Papal troops are now 
 clothed and disciplined in the French manner, and make a 
 most respectable appearance. The infantry is clothed in 
 white; the cavalry in green. The cockade is white and 
 yellow. No greater proof can be given of the merit and 
 utility of the French institutions in Italy, than the circum- 
 stance of all the restored Governments being obliged by 
 their interests (tho' contrary to their wishes and prejudices), 
 to adopt and enforce them. There is still required, however, 
 a severer law for the punishment of post office defalcations. 
 Simple dismissal is by no means adequate, when it is con- 
 sidered how much mischief may ensue from such offences. 
 A very serious offence of this nature and which has made a 
 great sensation, has lately occurred. As all foreign letters 
 must be franked, and as the postage to England is very 
 high, one of the clerks at the Post office had been in the 
 habit of receiving money for the franking of letters, appro- 
 316
 
 THE CARNAVAL AT ROME 
 
 priated it to his own use, and never forwarded the letters. 
 This created great inconvenience; a number of families 
 having never received answers to their letters and being 
 without the expected remittances, began to be uneasy and 
 to complain. An enquiry was instituted, and it was dis- 
 covered that the clerk above mentioned had been carrying on 
 this game to a great extent. He used to tear the letters and 
 throw the fragments into a closet. Several scraps of letters 
 were thus discovered and, on being examined, he made an 
 ample confession of his practises. He was merely discharged, 
 and no other punishment was inflicted on him. I am no 
 advocate for the punishment of death for any other crime 
 but wilful murder; but surely this fellow was worse than a 
 robber, and deserved a greater severity of punishment. 
 
 ROME, 10th February, 1818. 
 
 The Carnaval has long since begun, and this is the 
 heaven of the Roman ladies. On my remarking to a lady 
 that I was soon tired of it and after a day or two found it 
 very childish, she replied: "Bisogna esser donna e donna 
 Italiana per ben godere de* piaceri del Carnevale" 
 
 When I speak of the Carnaval, I speak of the last ten 
 days of it which precede Lent. The following is the detail of 
 the day's amusement during the season. 
 
 After dinner, which is always early, the masks sally out 
 and repair to the Corso. The windows and balconies of the 
 houses are filled with spectators, in and out of masks. A 
 scaffolding containing an immense number of seats is con- 
 structed in the shape of a rectangle, beginning at the 
 Piazza del Popolo, running parallel to the Corso on each 
 side, and terminating near the Piazza di Venezia; close to 
 which is the goal of the horse race that takes place in 
 this enclosure. Carriages, with persons in them, generally 
 masked, parade up and down this space in two currents, the 
 one ascending, the other descending the Corso. They are 
 saluted as they pass with showers of white comfits from 
 the spectators on the seats of the scaffolding, or from the 
 
 317
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 balconies and windows on each side of the street. These 
 comfits break into a white powder and bespatter the 
 clothes of the person on whom they fall as if hair-powder 
 had been thrown on them. This seems to be the grand joke 
 of this part of the Carnival. After the carriages have paraded 
 about an hour, a signal is given by the firing of a gun that 
 the horse race is about to begin. The carriages, on the gun 
 being fired, must immediately evacuate the Corso in order 
 to leave it clear for the race; some move off and rendez- 
 vous on the Piazza del Popolo just behind the scaffolding, 
 from the foot of which the horses start; others file off by the 
 Via Ripetta and take their stand on the Piazza Colonna. The 
 horse-race is performed by horses without riders, generally 
 five or six at a time. They are each held with a bridle or 
 halter by a man who stands by them, in order to prevent 
 their starting before the signal is given ; and this requires no 
 small degree of force and dexterity, as the horses are 
 exceedingly impatient to set off. The manes of the horses 
 are dressed in ribbands of different colours to distinguish 
 them. Pieces of tin, small bells and other noisy materials are 
 fastened to their manes and tails, in order by frightening 
 the poor animals, to make them run the faster, and with 
 this view also squibs and crackers are discharged at them 
 as they pass along. A second gun is the signal for starting; 
 the keepers loose their hold, and off go the horses. The 
 horse that arrives the first at the goal wins the grand 
 prize; and there are smaller ones for the two next. This race 
 is repeated four or five times till dusk, and then the company 
 separate and return home to dress. They then repair to the 
 balls at the different casinos, and at the conclusion of the 
 ball, supper parties are formed either at restaurants or at 
 each other's houses. During the time, occupied in the balls 
 and promenades, as every body goes masked either in 
 character or in domino, there is a fine opportunity for 
 pairing off, and it is no doubt turned to account. This is a 
 pretty accurate account of a Roman Carnaval. A great 
 deal of wit and repartee takes place among the masks and 
 318
 
 MASQUERADES 
 
 they are in general extremely well supported; and indeed 
 they ought to be, for there is a great sameness of character 
 assumed at every masquerade, and very little novelty is 
 struck out, except perhaps by some foreigner, who chuses 
 to introduce a national character of his own, which is 
 probably but little, or not at all, understood by the natives, 
 and very often not at all well supported by the foreigner 
 himself. An American gentleman once made his appearance 
 as an Indian warrior with his war-hatchet and calumet; he 
 danced the war dance, which excited great astonishment. 
 He then presented his calumet to a mask, who not knowing 
 what the ceremony meant, declined it, when the Mohawk 
 flourished his hatchet and gave such a dreadful shriek as to 
 set the whole company in alarm.* On the whole this cha- 
 racter was so little understood that it was looked upon as a 
 mauvaise plaisanterie. 
 
 The usual characters are Pulcinelli, Arlecchini, Spanish 
 Grandees, Turks, fortune tellers, flower girls and Devils; 
 sometimes too they go in the costume of the Gods and 
 Goddesses of the ancient mythology. I observe that the 
 English ladies here prefer to appear without masks in the 
 costume of the Swiss and Italian peasantry. 
 
 There is a very large English society at Rome, and at some 
 of the parties here, you could suppose yourself in Grosvenor 
 Square. 
 
 The late political changes have brought together in 
 Rome many persons of the most opposite parties and senti- 
 ments, who have fallen from the height of political power and 
 influence into a private station, but who enjoy themselves 
 here unmolested, and even protected by the Government, 
 and are much courted by foreigners. I have seen at the same 
 masquerade, in the Teatro Aliberti, in boxes close to each 
 other, the Queen of Spain (mother of Ferdinand VII), and 
 the Princess Borghese, Napoleon's sister. In a box at a 
 
 * To present the calumet is an offer of peace and amity among the 
 aborigines of North America and to refuse it is regarded as the greatest 
 insult. 
 
 319
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 short distance from them were Lucian Buonaparte, his 
 wife and daughters. Besides these, the following ex- 
 Sovereigns and persons of distinction, fallen from their high 
 estate, reside in Rome, viz., King Charles IV of Spain ; the 
 ex-King of Holland, Louis Buonaparte ; the abdicated King 
 of Sardinia, Victor Emanuel; Don Manuel Godoy, the 
 Prince of Peace; Cardinal Fesch, and Madame Letitia, the 
 mother of Napoleon. 
 
 I had an opportunity of being presented to Lucian, who 
 bears the title of Prince of Canino, before I left Rome for 
 Naples, as on leaving the Pays de Vaud I was charged by a 
 Swiss gentleman to deliver a letter to him, the purport of 
 which was to state that he had rendered services to Joseph 
 Napoleon, when he was resident in that Canton, in conse- 
 quence of which he had been persecuted and deprived of 
 his employment at Lausanne, which was that of Captain of 
 the Gendarmerie; and in the letter he sollicited pecuniary 
 assistance from the Prince of Canino. I rode out one 
 morning to the Villa of Ruffinella where the Prince resides 
 and was very politely received; it appeared however that 
 the Prince was totally unacquainted with the person who 
 wrote the letter, nor was he at all aware of the circum- 
 stances therein mentioned. I told him that I was but little 
 acquainted with the writer of the letter, but that he, on 
 hearing of my intention of going to Rome, asked me to 
 deliver it personally. The Prince told me he would write 
 himself to the applicant on the subject. Here the negotia- 
 tion ended; but on my taking leave the Prince said he should 
 be happy to see me whenever I chose to call. The Prince 
 has the character of being an excellent father and husband, 
 and seems entirely and almost exclusively devoted to his 
 family. He has a remarkably fine collection of pictures and 
 statues in his house at Rome. 
 
 I had an opportunity likewise of seeing the ex-King of 
 Holland, Louis Napoleon, who seems to be a most excellent 
 and amiable man, and in fact everybody agrees in speaking 
 of him with eulogy. 
 320
 
 POPE PIUS VII 
 
 With regard to the present Pontiff Pius VII, from the 
 excellence of his private character and virtues, and from his 
 unassuming manners and goodness of heart, there is but one 
 opinion respecting him. Even those who do not like the 
 ecclesiastical Government, and behold in it the degradation 
 of Italy, render justice to the good qualities of Pius VII. He 
 always displayed the greatest moderation and humanity in 
 prosperity, and in adversity he was firm and dignified. In 
 his morals and habits he is quite a primitive Christian, and 
 if he does not possess that great political talent which has 
 distinguished some of his predecessors, he has been par- 
 ticularly fortunate and discriminating in the choice of his 
 minister, in whom are united ability, firmness, suavity of 
 manner and unimpeachable character. I think I have thus 
 given a faithful delineation of Cardinal Consalvi. 
 
 ROME, March 12th. 
 
 I have made a very valuable acquaintance in M. K[611e]* 
 the envoy of the King of Wiirtemberg, to the Holy See. He 
 is an enthusiastic admirer of his countryman the poet 
 Schiller, and thro' his means of procuring German books, I 
 am enabled to prosecute my studies in that noble language. 
 An Italian lady there having heard much of Schiller and 
 Burger, and not being acquainted with the German lan- 
 guage, requested me to make an Italian translation of 
 some of the pieces of those poets ; chusing the Leonora of 
 Burger as one, and leaving to myself the choice of one 
 from Schiller, I represented the extreme difficulty of the 
 task, but as she had read a sonnet of mine on Lord 
 Guildford's project of establishing an University in the 
 Italian language, she would not hear of any excuse. To 
 work then I set, and completed the translation of Leonora, 
 together with one of Schiller's Feast of Eleusis. These and 
 my sonnet were the cause of my being recommended for 
 admission as a member of the Academy degli Arcadi in 
 
 * Frye gives only the initial of the name, which I have completed from 
 the Almanack de Gotha, 1818. ED, 
 
 y 321
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Rome and I received the pastoral name of Galeso Itacense. 
 
 The Carnaval is now over and the ladies are all at their 
 Livres d'Heures, posting masses and prayers to the credit 
 side, to counterbalance the sins and frailties committed 
 during the carnaval in the account which they keep in the 
 Ledger of Heaven. Dancing and masquerading are now over 
 and Requiems and the Miserere the order of the day at the 
 conversazioni. 
 
 At Mr K[6lle]'s house I have become acquainted with 
 Thorwaldsen, the famous Danish sculptor, who is by many 
 considered as the successful rival of Canova; but their 
 respective styles are so different, that a comparison can 
 scarce be made between them. Canova excels in the soft and 
 graceful, in the figures of youthful females and young men ; 
 Thorwaldsen in the grave, stern and terrible. In a word, 
 did I wish to have made a Hebe, a Venus, an Antinoiis, an 
 Apollo, I should charge Canova with their execution. Did I 
 wish for an Ajax, an Hercules, a Neptune, a Jupiter, I 
 should give the preference to Thorwaldsen. 
 
 In their private characters they much resemble each 
 other, being both honorable, generous, unassuming, and 
 enthusiastic lovers of their profession and of the fine arts 
 in general. 
 
 I have been to see a remarkably fine picture, by a modern 
 French artist, of the name of Granet. It may be considered 
 as the chef d'ceuvre of the perspective or dioramic art. This 
 picture represents the interior of the convent of the Capu- 
 chins, near the Barberini Palace. The picture is by no means 
 a very large one; but the optical deception is astonishing. 
 You fancy you are standing at the entrance of a long hall 
 and ready to enter it; on looking at it, thro' a piece of paper 
 rolled in form of a speaking trumpet which by hiding 
 from the sight the frame of the picture, prevents the illusion 
 from being dissipated you suppose you could walk into 
 the hall; and each figure of a monk therein appears a real 
 human creature, seen from a long distance, so skilfully has 
 the artist disposed his light and shade. This picture has ex- 
 322
 
 THE FRENCH PAINTER GRANET 
 
 cited the admiration of connoisseurs, as well as others, and 
 it is universally proclaimed a masterpiece. M. Granet's 
 house is filled every day with persons coming to see this 
 picture, and many repeat their visits several times in the 
 week. He has received several orders for copies of this 
 picture, and I fancy he begins to be tired of eternally copy- 
 ing the same thing; for he told me that he wished that the 
 gentlemen who employed him would vary their subjects, 
 and either chuse some other themselves, or let him chuse 
 for them. But no! such is the effect of vogue and fashion, 
 and such the despotic influence they exercise even over the 
 polite arts, that everybody must have a copy of Granet's 
 picture of the interior of the Convent of Capuchins coute 
 que coute; so that poor Granet seems bound to this Convent 
 for life ; except in the intervals of his labours, he should hit 
 off another subject, with equal felicity, and this alone may 
 perhaps serve to diminish the universal desire of possessing 
 a copy of the Convent. The original picture is destined 
 for the King of France.* 
 
 I remarked, in the collection of the works of this artist, a 
 small picture representing Galileo in prison, and a monk 
 descending the steps of the dungeon bringing him his scanty 
 meal. A lamp hangs suspended from the roof, in the centre 
 of the dungeon, and the artist has made a very happy hit in 
 throwing the whole glare of the lamp on the countenance 
 of Galileo, who is seated reading a book, while the gaoler 
 monk is left completely in the shade. On seeing this I ex- 
 claimed : Veramente, Signor Granet, e buonissimo quel vostro 
 concetto ! 
 
 Easter Tuesday. 
 
 I have at length seen all the fine sights that Rome affords 
 during the Holy Week, and have witnessed most of the 
 religious ceremonies, viz., the illuminated cross in St 
 Peter's on Good Friday; the high mass celebrated by the 
 
 "The interior of the Convent of the Capucini was first painted by Granet in 
 the year 181 1. None of the numerous replicas are in the Louvre, but there is 
 one in London (Buckingham Palace) and oneatChatsworth. ED. 
 
 Y2 323
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Pope in person on Easter Sunday; the Papal benediction 
 from a window of the church above the fa9ade on the same 
 day; the illumination of the facade of St Peter's on Easter 
 Monday, and the Girandola or grand firework at the Castle 
 of St Angelo on the same evening. The ceremony of the 
 Pope washing the feet of twelve poor men I did not see, for 
 I could not get into the Sistine Chapel, where the ceremony 
 was performed : and at the mass performed by the Pope in 
 the Sistine Chapel I did contrive to enter, but was so op- 
 pressed by the crowd and heat, that I almost fainted away, 
 and was very glad to get out of the Chapel again, before the 
 ceremony commenced. Why in the name of commonsense 
 do they perform these ceremonies in the Sistine Chapel 
 which is small, instead of doing them in the church of St 
 Peter's, which would contain so many people and produce 
 a much grander effect? 
 
 A great many people are deprived of seeing the cere- 
 monies in the Sistine Chapel from the difficulty of getting 
 in. The Pope's Swiss Guard attend on that day in their 
 ancient costume, with helmets, cuirasses and halberds; 
 these guard the entrance of the staircase leading to the 
 Chapel, and they have no small trouble and difficulty in 
 maintaining order, as there is always a great scuffle to get 
 in, and they are particularly importuned by German 
 visitors, who thinking to be favored by them, in speaking to 
 them in their own language, vociferate; Ich bin Ihr Lands- 
 mann ! and hope by this to obtain a preference. 
 
 Onl Friday i evening a large Cross is erected before the 
 grand altar; every part of this Cross is filled with lamps, 
 and at seven in the evening the whole is illuminated. It has 
 a most brilliant appearance and gives the happiest chiaro- 
 oscuro effect to the statues, columns and pilasters which 
 abound in this vast temple. There is no other light on this 
 occasion than that reflected from the Cross. On Easter 
 Sunday, when the Pope celebrates high mass in the church 
 of St Peter's, the Papal noble Guard, composed of young 
 men from the principal families in Rome, form a hedge on 
 324
 
 EASTER SUNDAY AT S. PETER'S 
 
 each side of the nave of the church, from the entrance of 
 the fagade to the grand altar. The street or interval formed 
 between this double line may be about thirty feet broad, 
 and behind this guard or in any other part of the church, 
 the spectators may stand; but as these guards wear very 
 large feathers in their hats, they intercept very much the 
 sight of those who stand behind them. The uniform of the 
 Papal Noble Guard is very splendid, being a scarlet coat, 
 covered with gold lace, white feathers, white breeches and 
 long military boots. The approach of the Pope is announced 
 by the thunder of cannon, and he is brought into the 
 Church dressed in full pontificals, with the triple Crown on 
 his head, on a chair borne by men, palanquin fashion ; he is 
 conducted thro' the lane formed by the Papal Guard, and as 
 he passes he makes the sign of the cross several times with 
 his finger, repeating the words : Urbi et Orbi. He is then set 
 down, with his face fronting the baldachin, when he imme- 
 diately takes off the tiara, and begins the ceremony. That 
 ended, he leaves the church in the same state, and then 
 ascends the staircase, in order to prepare to give the bene- 
 diction, which is usually given from a window above the 
 faade of the church. The Pope is there seated on a chair 
 with the triple Crown on his head. Troops of cavalry and 
 infantry are drawn up in a semi-circle before^the fa9ade of 
 the church, and the whole vast arena of the Piazza di San 
 Pietro is covered with spectators. On a sudden his Holi- 
 ness rises, extends his hands towards heaven, then spreads 
 them open, and seems as if he scattered something he held 
 in them on the crowd below ; a silly young Frenchman who 
 was standing next to me said : Le voild ! Le voildqui arrache 
 la benediction au del, et qui la repand sur tout le monde! I 
 could not refrain from laughing at this sally, tho' I was 
 much impressed with the solemnity of the scene, which I 
 think one of the grandest and most sublime I ever beheld. 
 This ceremony concluded, salves of ordnance were fired. 
 The Pope retires amidst clouds of smoke, and seems to 
 vanish from the Earth. The troops then fire a feu de joie and 
 
 325
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 move off, playing a march in quick time, and the company 
 disperse. 
 
 It is the etiquette on these occasions that no person be 
 admitted either into the church of St Peter or into the 
 Sistine Chapel except in full toilette. The ladies dress gene- 
 rally in black with caps and feathers ; the gentlemen either 
 in black full dress or in military uniform. From the variety 
 of foreigners of all nations that are here, most of whom are 
 military men, or intitled to wear military uniforms, much is 
 added to the splendour of the spectacle. 
 
 On the evening of Easter Monday, I was present at the 
 illumination of the faade of St Peter's. Rows of lamps are 
 suspended the whole length of the columns and pilasters 
 and all over the cupola, so that, when illuminated, the style 
 of the architecture is perceptible. The illumination takes 
 place almost at once. How it is managed I cannot say; but 
 a splendid illuminated temple seems at once to drop from 
 the clouds, like the work of an enchanter; I say drop from 
 the clouds, because the illumination begins from the cross 
 and cupola and is communicated with the rapidity of light- 
 ning to every other part of the edifice. About ten o'clock the 
 same evening the most magnificent firework perhaps in the 
 world begins to play from the castle of St Angelo. All kinds 
 of shapes are assumed by these fireworks : here are castles, 
 pagodas, dragons, griffins, etc. These last about an hour 
 and then conclude, and with them conclude all the cere- 
 monies used in commemoration of the crucifixion and 
 resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Among the sights of Rome I must not omit that of a 
 famous robber of the name of Barbone, who was the terror 
 of the whole surrounding country from the depredations he 
 committed. Having capitulated, and surrendered himself 
 to the Papal Government, he is now confined in the Castle 
 of St Angelo as a state prisoner. His wife, or a woman calling 
 herself so, is confined there with him, and she is said to be a 
 woman of uncommon beauty. It is quite the rage among the 
 English here to go to see these illustrious captives, and 
 326
 
 THE BRIGAND BARBONE 
 
 Madame Barbone, superbly dressed, receives the hommage 
 of the visitors. The Duchess of Devonshire] is said to have 
 visited her, and made her a present of a pearl necklace. I 
 hope this is not true. Surely the Duchess, who is a woman 
 of talent and an encourager of the fine arts, might have 
 found some other object worthier of her munificence. What 
 claims the mistress, or even the wife, of a public robber can 
 have on the generosity of travellers, I am at a loss to con- 
 ceive; but such is the bizarrerie and inconsequence of the 
 English, and no doubt, be this story of her Grace of 
 Devonshire] having given a present true or not, it will 
 occasion many other presents being made to the captive 
 Princess by a host of silly lord-aping English men and 
 women. Barbone has, it is said,made an excellent capitulation. 
 He has stipulated to be released from prison after a year 
 and a day's confinement, and no doubt he will then resume 
 his old trade of brigandage. In the meantime he has dis- 
 banded his troops, as he calls them ; but will his troops obey 
 him, now that he is a captive? will they not rather chuse 
 another leader? 
 
 In the time of the French occupation, nothing of this kind 
 took place; but the present Government is weak and timid. 
 I have not been myself to see either Barbone or his wife, 
 but I have heard quite enough about them; they form 
 one of the principal sights in Rome, and I am quite un- 
 fashionable in not having gone to visit them; for according 
 to the opinion of my English acquaintance, he who has not 
 
 seen Barbone and his wife has seen nothing. 
 
 ***** 
 
 I started from Rome on the second of April with a vettu- 
 rino, and on arrival at Baccano, we struck off into a road on 
 the right hand, and arrived at Civita Castellana at a late 
 hour. Civita Castellana merits no further attention, except 
 that it is supposed to stand on the site of the ancient city 
 of Veii. The following day at ten o'clock we reached the 
 small town of Narni. Here are the remains of a beautiful 
 bridge, constructed over the ravine, thro' which flows the 
 
 327
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 river Nera, and which was built in the time of Augustus. 
 It affords a very favorable specimen of the Roman bridge 
 architecture. There is a small chapel here, and it contains, 
 engraved on a stone, a description of a miracle wrought 
 here about four years ago by the Virgin Mary, who saved 
 the life of a postillion. He went into the river to water his 
 horses, when he was carried off by the torrent and would 
 have been drowned, had not the Virgin, on her aid being 
 invoked, dashed into the river and haled him out by the 
 hah* of his head. Of this story, to use a phrase of old 
 Josephus,* every one may believe as much as he thinks 
 proper; but certain it is that the postillion made oath (which 
 oath is registered) that his life was saved by the Virgin 
 Mary in this manner, and he has put up a votive tablet at 
 her shrine, which remains to this day, commemorative of 
 the event. There is also a Roman aqueduct in the neigh- 
 bourhood, eleven Italian miles in length. 
 
 We arrived at Terni at three o'clock and immediately 
 hired a caleche (the other travellers and myself) to visit the 
 famous cascade of the Velino, about three miles distant 
 from the town of Terni. The road thither is very rugged, 
 and is a continual ascent on the flank of a ravine. For a long 
 time before you arrive on the brink of the cascade, you hear 
 the roaring of the waters; and it certainly is the most mag- 
 nificent and awe-inspiring sight of the kind I ever beheld. It 
 is far more stupendous than any cascade in Switzerland. 
 That of Tivoli compared to it is as an infant six months old 
 to a Goliath. The Velino forms three successive falls, and the 
 last is tremendous, since it falls from a height of 1,063 feet 
 feet into the abyss below. The foam and the froth it occa- 
 sions is terrific; and the spray ascends so high that in 
 standing at the distance of fifty yards from the fall you 
 become as wet as if you had been standing in a shower of 
 rain. The first fall it forms is of 300 feet; the second little 
 less ; the third I have stated already. No painting can pos- 
 sibly give a faithful delineation of this, and very possibly 
 
 * The author may have meant " old Herodotus." ED. 
 328
 
 SPOLETO AND FOLIGNO 
 
 no poetic description can give an adequate idea thereof. We 
 passed the whole night at Terni and the next morning we 
 stopped to dine at Spoleto. The same evening we arrived at 
 Foligno. Spoleto is a neat town and well paved. Several 
 ruins of ancient buildings are in its vicinity. Before you 
 arrive there, on the left of the road, is an immensely high 
 two-arched bridge. There is an aqueduct likewise just outside 
 the town. We did not omit to read the inscription on the 
 gate of the town, in commemoration of the repulse of Han- 
 nibal, who failed in his attempt to make himself master of 
 this city, after having beat the Romans near the lake Trasy- 
 mene. The gate is called in consequence Porta Fugae, and 
 this gate constitutes the principal glory of Spoleto. We were 
 shown the ruins of a Palace built by Theodoric. On leaving 
 the town, just outside the gate, we were shewn a bridge 
 which had laid underground for many centuries and had 
 been lately discovered. A bridge was known to have been 
 built here in the time of Augustus, and it is very probably the 
 identical one ; we could only see the top and partof the parapet . 
 
 Foligno is a large, well built city, neatly paved, populous 
 and commercial, renowned for manufactories of paper, 
 wax, and confectionary. 
 
 The whole road between Spoleto and Foligno is thro' a 
 beautiful valley in high cultivation. There is a good deal of 
 rich pasture ground, and it is watered by the river called in 
 ancient times Clitumnus. Here are to be seen a fine breed of 
 white cattle for which this part of the country has been long 
 renowned, which cattle were used, in preference, for sacri- 
 fices (Albi, Clitumne, greges).* A similar breed is to be found 
 in India and Egypt. 
 
 The streets in Foligno are broad. I remarked the Palazzo 
 Pubblico and Cathedral asveryfine buildings. Our next day's 
 journey brought us to Perugia, after passing by Assisi, the 
 birth place of the famous St Francis, founder of the order of 
 Franciscans. It is situated on an eminence: convents and 
 churches abound therein. 
 
 * Virgil, Georg., n, 146. ED. 
 
 829
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Perugia is a large and opulent city, standing like a for- 
 tress on a mountain, and towering over the plain below. It 
 is of steep ascent from the plain, and there are various 
 terraces along the ramparts, commanding several fine 
 points of view of the rich and fertile plains all round. These 
 terraces are planted with trees and form the promenades 
 appertaining to the city. The architecture of the various 
 churches and Palaces is very superior. The streets are broad 
 and every building has an air of magnificence. The Cathe- 
 dral, dedicated to St Laurence, is well worth visiting; it 
 stands on the Piazza del Duomo, where there is a fine foun- 
 tain ornamented with statues. In the church of St Peter's 
 there are some fine columns of marble and some pictures of 
 Perugino and Raffaello. 
 
 330
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 APRIL-JULY, 1818 
 
 Journey from Florence to Pisa and from thence by the Appennines to 
 Genoa Massa-Carrara Genoa Monuments and works of art The 
 Genoese Return to Florence Journey from Florence through Bologna 
 and Ferrara to Venice Monument to Ariosto in Ferrara A description of 
 Venice Padua Vicenza Verona Cremona Return to Milan TheScala 
 theatre Verona again From Verona to Innspruck. 
 
 IT is the custom for most travellers going to Genoa to 
 embark on board of a felucca at Spezia, which lies on 
 the sea coast, not far from Sarzana : but I preferred to go by 
 land, and I cannot conceive why anyone should expose him- 
 self to the risks, inconveniences and delays of a sea passage, 
 when it is so easy to go by land thro' the Appennines. I * 
 started accordingly the following morning, mounted on a 
 mule, and attended by a muleteer with another mule to 
 convey my portmanteau. I found this journey neither dan- 
 gerous nor difficult, but on the contrary agreeable and 
 romantic. The road is only a bridle road. I paid forty-eight 
 franks for my two mules and driver, and started at seven in 
 the morning from Sarzana. The wild appearance of the 
 Appennines, the aweful solitudes and the highly pic- 
 turesque points of view that present themselves at the 
 various sinuosities of the mountains and valleys; the view 
 of the sea from the heights that tower above the towns of 
 Oneglia and Sestri Levante, rendered this journey one of 
 the most interesting I have ever made. I stopped to dine 
 at Borghetto and brought to the night at Sestri Levante, 
 breakfasted the next morning at Rapallo, and arrived the 
 same evening at four o'clock in Genoa. Borghetto is a little 
 insignificant town situate in a narrow valley surrounded on 
 all sides by the lofty crags of the Appennines. Sestri Levante 
 is a long and very straggling town, part of it being situated 
 on the sea shore, and the other part on the gorge of the 
 mountain descending towards the sea beach; so that the 
 
 331
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 former part of the town lies nearly at right angles with the 
 latter, with a considerable space intervening. The road for 
 the last four miles between Borghetto and Sestri Levante is 
 a continual descent. The inn was very comfortable and good 
 at Sestri Levante. The beginning of the road between 
 Sestri and Rapallo is on the beach till near Rapallo, when it 
 strikes again into the mountains and is of considerable 
 ascent. Rapallo is a very neat pretty place, situate on an 
 eminence commanding a fine view of the sea. The greater 
 part of the road between Rapallo and Genoa is on the sea- 
 coast, but cut along the mountains which here form a bluff 
 with the sea. Villas, gardens and vineyards line the whole of 
 this route and nothing can be more beautiful. The neatness 
 of the villas and the abundance of the population form a 
 striking contrast to the wild solitudes between Sarzana and 
 Sesto, where (except at Borghetto) there is not a house to 
 be seen and scarce a human creature to be met, and where 
 the eagle seems to reign alone the uncontrolled lord of the 
 creation. 
 
 GENOA, 23rd April. 
 
 The view of Genoa from the sea is indisputably the best; 
 for on entering by land from the eastern side, the ramparts 
 are so lofty as to intercept the fine view the city would 
 otherwise afford. From the sea side it rises in the shape of an 
 amphitheatre ; a view therefore taken from the sea gives the 
 best idea of its grandeur and of the magnificence of its 
 buildings, for everybody on beholding this; grand spectacle 
 must allow that this city well deserves its epithet ofSuperba. 
 
 I observe in my daily walks on the Esplanade a number 
 of beautiful women. The Genoese women are remarkable 
 for their beauty and fine complexions. They dress generally 
 in white, and their style of dress is Spanish ; they wear the 
 mezzara or veil, in the management of which they display 
 much grace and not a little coquetry. Instead of the fan 
 exercise recommended to women by the Spectator, the art of 
 handling the mezzara might be reduced to a manual and 
 taught to the ladies by word of command. 
 332
 
 THE BEAUTY OF GENOA 
 
 I put up at the house of a Spanish lady on the Piazza St 
 Siro, and here for four limes a day I am sumptuously 
 boarded and lodged. There are three principal streets in 
 Genoa, viz., Strada Nuova, Balbi, and Nuovissima. Yet these 
 three streets may be properly said to form but one, inas- 
 much as they lie very nearly in a right line. These streets 
 are broad and aligned with the finest buildings in Genoa. 
 This street or streets are the only ones that can be pro- 
 perly called so, according to the idea we usually attach to 
 the word. The others deserve rather the names of lanes and 
 alleys, tho' exceedingly well paved and aligned with excel- 
 lent houses and shops. In fact the streets Nuova, Nuovissima 
 and Balbi are the only ones thro' which carriages can pass. 
 The others are far too narrow to admit of the passage of 
 carriages. The houses on each side of them are of immense 
 height, being of six or seven stories, which form such a shade 
 as effectually to protect those who walk thro' these alleys 
 from the rays of the sun. The houses diminish in height in 
 proportion as they are built on the slant of the mountain 
 from the bottom to the top, those at the bottom being the 
 loftiest. Carriages are scarcely of any use in the city of 
 Genoa, except to drive from one end of the town to another 
 thro' the streets Nuova, Balbi and Nuovissima; and accord- 
 ingly a carriage with four wheels, or even with two, is a rare 
 conveyance in Genoa. The general mode of conveyance is on 
 a sedan chair, carried by porters, or on the backs of mules 
 or asses. Genoa is distinguished by the beauty of the Palaces 
 of its patricians, which are more numerous and more mag- 
 nificent than those of any other city, probably, in the 
 world. 
 
 The Ducal Palace or Palace of Government, where the 
 Doge used to reside, claimed my first attention; yet, tho' 
 much larger, it is far less splendid than many of the 
 Palaces of individual patricians. In fact, the Ducal Palace 
 is built in the Gothic taste and resembles a Gothic fortress, 
 having round towers at each angle. The Hall, where the 
 Grand Council used to sit, is superb, and is adorned with 
 
 833
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 columns of jaune antique. On the plafond is a painting re- 
 presenting the discovery of America by Columbus; for the 
 Genoese duly appreciate, and never can forget their illus- 
 trious countryman. The lines of Tasso, " Un uom della 
 Liguria avra ardimento," etc., and the following stanza, 
 Tu spiegherai Colombo a un nuovo polo, etc. are in the 
 mouth of everyone.* The Hall of the Petty Council is neat, 
 but it is the recollection of the history of this once famous 
 Republic that renders the examination of this Palace so 
 interesting. But now Genoa's glory is gone; she has been 
 basely betrayed into the hands of a Government she most 
 detested. The King of Sardinia is now here; and he is not a 
 little proud of being the possessor of such a noble sea port, 
 which enables him to rank as a maritime power. 
 
 The Genoese are laborious and make excellent sailors; 
 but now there is nothing to animate them; and they will 
 never exert themselves in the service of a domination 
 which is so little congenial to them. They sigh for their 
 ancient Government, of whose glories they had so often 
 heard and whose brilliant exploits have been handed down 
 to the present day not merely by historical writers and 
 poets, but by improvisatori from mouth to mouth. The 
 Genoese nobles, those merchant Kings, whose riches ex- 
 ceeded at one time those of the most powerful monarchs of 
 Europe, who were the pawn-brokers to those Sovereigns, 
 are now in a state of decay. Commerce can only flourish on 
 the soil of liberty, and takes wing at the sight of military 
 and sacerdotal chains; and tho' the present Sovereign 
 affects to caress the Genoese noblesse, they return his civili- 
 ties with sullen indifference, and half concealed contempt 
 and aversion. The commerce of Genoa is transferred to Leg- 
 horn, which increases in prosperity as the former decays. 
 
 The climate of Genoa is said to be exceedingly mild during 
 
 * Tasso, Gerusalemme liber ata, canto xv, ottave 31, 32 : 
 Un uom della Liguria avra ardimento 
 All' incognito corso esporsi in prima . . . 
 Tu spiegherai, Colombo, a un nuovo polo 
 I.ontane si le fortunate antenne. . . ED. 
 
 334
 
 MONUMENTS AT GENOA 
 
 the winter, being protected on the north by the Appen- 
 nines, which tower above it to an immense height. Beauti- 
 ful villas and grounds tastefully laid out in plantations of 
 orange trees, pomegranates, etc., abound in the environs of 
 this city, and everything announces the extreme industry 
 of the inhabitants, for the soil is proverbially barren. This 
 shews what they have done and what they could still do 
 were they free ; but now they have nothing to animate their 
 exertions. The public promenades are on the bastions and 
 curtains of the fortifications, on the Esplanade and in the 
 streets Balbi, Nuova and Nuovissima. There is also another 
 very delightful promenade, tho' not much used by the 
 ladies, viz., on the Mola or Pier enveloping the harbour. 
 
 One of the most remarkable constructions in Genoa is the 
 bridge of Carignano, which is built over an immense ravine 
 and unites the hills Fengano and Carignano. It is so high 
 that houses of six stories stand under its arches in the 
 valley below. No water except in times of flood runs under 
 this bridge and it much resembles, tho' somewhat larger, 
 the bridge at Edinburgh which unites the old and new 
 towns. The principal churches are: first, the Cathedral, 
 which is not far from the Ducal Palace; it is richly orna- 
 mented and incrusted with black marble; the church of the 
 Annunziata and that of St Sire. They are all in the Gothic 
 style of architecture and loaded with that variety of orna- 
 ment and diversity of beautiful marbles which distinguish 
 the churches of Italy from those of any other country. 
 Near the bridge of Carignano is a church of the same name, 
 wherein are four marble colossal statues. 
 
 On the west of the city and running two miles along the 
 sea-beach is the faubourg of St Pietro d' Arena, which pre- 
 sents a front of well built houses the whole way; these 
 houses are principally used as magazines and store houses. 
 
 FLORENCE, 5 May. 
 
 I left Genoa on the 30th April, returned on mule-back 
 from Genoa to Sarzana, stopping the first night at Sestri. 
 
 335
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The second evening when near Sarzana, it being very dark, 
 I somehow or other got out of the road and my mule fell 
 with me into a very deep ditch; but I was only slightly 
 bruised by the fall ; my clothes however were covered with 
 dirt and wet. The road from Genoa to Sarzana might with 
 very little expense be made fit for carriages by widening it. 
 At present it is only a bridle road, and on some parts of it, 
 on the sides of ravines, it is I think a little ticklish to trust 
 entirely to the discretion of one's monture; at least I thought 
 so and dismounted twice to pass such places on foot. A 
 winding stream is to be forded in two or three places, but it 
 is not deep except after rains; and then I think it must be 
 sometimes dangerous to pass, till the waters run off. Those 
 who are fond of mountain scenery will, like myself, be 
 highly gratified in making this journey; for it is thro' the 
 loftiest, wildest and most romantic part of the Appennines. 
 From Sarzana I hired a cabriolet to return to Pisa and 
 from thence I took the diligence to Florence. 
 
 FERRARA. 
 
 On the 9th of May I set out from Florence on my journey 
 hither. Two days' journey brought me to Bologna where I 
 stopped one day; and the following day I reached this 
 place (Ferrara), six miles distant from Bologna. The 
 country between these two cities is a perfect plain and very 
 fertile. At Malalbergo (half-way) we crossed the Reno in a 
 boat. I put up at the Tre Mori in Ferrara. Having remained 
 two and half days here I have had time to inspect and 
 examine almost everything of consequence that the city 
 affords. The city itself has an imposing, venerable appear- 
 ance and can boast of some fine buildings; yet with all this 
 there is an air of melancholy about it. It is not peopled in 
 proportion to its size and grass is seen growing in several of 
 the streets. I believe the unhealthiness of the environing 
 country is the cause of the decrease of population, for 
 Ferrara lies on a marshy plain, very liable to inundation. 
 336
 
 FERRARA AND THE PO 
 
 In the centre of the city stands the ancient Palace of the 
 Dukes of Ferrara, a vast Gothic edifice, square, and 
 flanked with round towers, and a large court-yard in the 
 centre. It was in this court-yard that Hugo and Parisina 
 were decapitated. From the top of this palace a noble view 
 of the plain of the Po represents itself, and you see the 
 meanderings of that King of Rivers, as the Italian poets 
 term it. As the Po runs thro' a perfectly flat country, and is 
 encreased and swollen by the torrents from the Alps and 
 Appennines that fall into the smaller rivers, which unite 
 their tributary streams with the Po and accompany him as 
 his seguaci to the Adriatic, this country is liable to the most 
 dreadful inundations: flocks and herds, farm-houses and 
 sometimes whole villages are swept away. Dykes, dams and 
 canals innumerable are in consequence constructed through- 
 out this part of the country, to preserve it as much as pos- 
 sible from such calamities. Ariosto's description of an over- 
 flowing of this river is very striking, and I here transcribe it : 
 
 Con quel furor che il Re de* fiumi altero, 
 Quando rompe tal volta argine e sponda, 
 E che ne' campi Ocnei si apre il sentiero, 
 E i grassi solchi e le biade feconde, 
 E con le sue capanne il gregge intero, 
 E co' cani i pastor porta nell' onde, etc.* 
 
 * Even with that rage wherewith the stream that reigns, 
 
 The king of rivers when he breaks his mound, 
 And makes himself a way through Mantuan plains 
 
 The greasy furrows and glad harvests, round, 
 And, with the sheepcotes, flock, and dogs and swains 
 Bears off, in his o'erwhelming waters drowned." 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 The next place I went to see was the Lyceum or Univer- 
 sity, where there is a very fair cabinet of natural history 
 in all its branches. The Library is very remarkable, and 
 possesses a great number of valuable manuscripts. But 
 my principal object in visiting this Museum was to see the 
 monument erected in honour of Ariosto, which has been 
 transferred here from the Benedictine church. The inkstand 
 and chair of this illustrious bard are carefully preserved and 
 
 * Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, XL, 31,1 . ED. 
 
 z 337
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 exhibited. They exactly resemble the print of them that 
 accompanies the first edition of Hoole's translation of the 
 Orlando Furioso. Among the manuscripts what gratified 
 me most was the manuscript of the Gerusalemme liberata of 
 Tasso. But few corrections appear in this manuscript ; tho' 
 from the extreme polish and harmony of the versification 
 one would expect a great many. It is written in an ex- 
 tremely legible hand. 
 
 I also inspected the original manuscripts of the Pastor 
 Fido of Guarini and of the Suppositi of Ariosto. 
 
 I then went to visit the Hospital of St Anna, for the sake of 
 seeing the dungeon where poor Tasso was confined and 
 treated as mad for several years. When one beholds this 
 wretched place, where a man can scarce stand upright, one 
 only wonders how he could survive such treatment ; or how 
 he could escape becoming insane altogether. The old wooden 
 door of this cell will soon be entirely cut away by amateurs, 
 as almost everyone who visits the dungeon chops off a piece 
 of wood from the door to keep as a relic. The door is in con- 
 sequence pieced and repaired with new wood, and in a 
 short time will be in the state of Sir John Cutter's worsted 
 stockings which were darned so often with silk that they be- 
 came finally all silk. 
 
 Ferrara has a strong citadel which is still garrisoned by 
 Austrian troops; and they will probably not easily be 
 induced to evacuate it. The Austrian Eagle seldom looses 
 his hold. 
 
 VENICE, 18th May. 
 
 On the 16th May at six o'clock in the morning I left 
 Ferrara in a cabriolet to go to the Ponte di Lago oscuro, 
 which is a large village on the south bank of the Po, three 
 miles distant from Ferrara. A flying bridge wafted me 
 across the river, which is exceedingly broad and rapid to 
 the north bank, where a barge was in waiting to receive 
 passengers for Venice. This barge is well fitted up and sup- 
 plied with comestibles of all sorts and couches to recline on. 
 The price is twelve francs for the passage, and you pay
 
 DESCENDING THE PO TO VENICE 
 
 extra for refreshments. The bark got under weigh at seven 
 o'clock and descended rapidly this majestic river, which 
 however, from its great breadth, and from the country on 
 each side of it being perfectly flat, did not offer any interest- 
 ing points of view. Plains and cattle grazing thereon were 
 the only objects, for they take care to build the farms and 
 houses at a considerable distance from the banks, on 
 account of the inundations. After having descended the Po 
 for a considerable distance, we entered a canal which unites 
 the Po with the Adige. We then descended the Adige for a 
 short distance, and entered another canal which unites the 
 Adige with the Brenta. Here we stopped to change barges, 
 and it required an hour and half to unload and reload the 
 baggage. We then entered the Brenta and from thence into 
 the Lagoons, and passing by the islands of Malamocco and 
 Chiozzo entered Venice by the Canale grande at three 
 o'clock in the morning. The whole night was so dark as 
 totally to deprive us of the view of the approach of Venice. 
 The barge anchored near the Post office and I hired a gon- 
 dola to convey me to the inn called Le Regina d'Ungheria. 
 
 VENICE, 26th May. 
 
 I was much struck, as everyone must be who sees it for 
 the first time, at the singular appearance of Venice. An 
 immense city in the midst of the Ocean, five miles distant 
 from any land; canals instead of streets; gondolas in lieu of 
 carriages and horses! Yet it must not be inferred from this 
 that you are necessarily obliged to use a gondola in order 
 to visit the various parts of the city; for its structure is as 
 follows. It is built in compartments on piles on various mud 
 banks, always covered indeed by water, but very shallow and 
 separated from each other (the mud banks I mean) by deep 
 water. On each of these compartments are built rows of 
 houses, each row giving front to a canal. The space between 
 the backs of the rows of houses forms a narrow street or 
 alley paved with flag stones, very like Cranborn Alley for 
 instance ; and these compartments are united to each other (at 
 z2 339
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the crossings as we should say) by means of stone bridges ; so 
 that there is a series of alleys connected by a series of bridges 
 which form the tout ensemble of this city ; and you may thus 
 go on foot thro' every part of it. To go on horseback would 
 be dangerous and almost impracticable, for each bridge 
 has a flight of steps for ascent and descent. All this forms 
 such a perfect labyrinth from the multiplicity and simi- 
 larity of the alleys and bridges, that it is impossible for any 
 stranger to find his way without a guide. I lost my way 
 regularly every time that I went from my inn to the Piazza di 
 San Marco, which forms the general rendezvous of the pro- 
 menaders and is the fashionable lounge of Venice; and every 
 time I was obliged to hire a boy to reconduct me to my inn. 
 On this account, in order to avoid this perplexity and the 
 expence of hiring a gondola every time I wished to go to 
 the Piazza di San Marco I removed to another inn, close to 
 it, called VOsteria della Luna, which stands on the banks 
 of the Canale grande and is not twenty yards from the 
 Piazza. 
 
 I then hired a gondola for four days successively and 
 visited every canal and every part of the city. Almost 
 every family of respectability keeps a gondola, which is 
 anchored at the steps of the front door of the house. 
 After the Piazza di San Marco, of which I shall speak pre- 
 sently, the finest buildings and Palaces of the nobility are 
 on the banks of the Canale grande, which, from its winding 
 in the shape of an S, has all the appearance of a river. The 
 Rialto is the only bridge which connects the opposite banks 
 of the Canale grande; but there are four hundred smaller 
 bridges in Venice to connect the other canals. 
 
 The Rialto, the resort of the money changers and Jews, is 
 a very singular and picturesque construction, being of one 
 arch, a very bold one. On each side of this bridge is a range 
 of jewellers' shops. A narrow Quai runs along the banks of 
 the Canale grande. 
 
 I have visited several of the Palazzi, particularly those of 
 the families Morosini, Cornaro, Pisani, Grimani, which are 
 340
 
 MONUMENTS AND FESTIVALS AT VENICE 
 
 very rich in marbles of vert and jaune antique; but they are 
 now nearly stripped of all their furniture, uninhabited by 
 their owners, or let to individuals, mostly shopkeepers; 
 for since the extinction of the Venetian Republic almost all 
 the nobility have retired to their estates on the terra firma, 
 or to their villas on the banks of the Brenta; so that Venice 
 is now inhabited chiefly by merchants, shopkeepers, 
 chiefly jewellers and silk mercers, seafaring people, the 
 constituted authorities, and the garrison of the place. 
 
 Tho' Venice has fallen very much into decay, since the 
 subversion of the Republic, as might naturally be expected, 
 and still more so since it has been under the Austrian 
 domination, yet it is still a place of great wealth, particu- 
 larly in jewellery, silks and all articles of dress and luxury. 
 In the Merceria you may see as much wealth displayed as in 
 Cheapside or in the Rue St Honore". 
 
 I have had the pleasure of witnessing a superb regatta 
 or water fete, given in honour of the visit of the Arch- 
 duke Rainier to this city, in his quality of Viceroy of 
 the Lombardo -Venetian kingdom. There were about 
 one hundred and fifty barges, each fitted up by some 
 department of trade and commerce, with allegorical 
 devices and statues richly ornamented, emblematical of 
 the trade or professions to which the barge belonged. Each 
 barge bore an appropriate ensign, and the dresses of the 
 crew were all tasteful, and thoroughly analogous to the 
 profession they represented. These barges are richly gilded, 
 and from the variety of the costumes and streamers, I 
 thought it one of the most beautiful sights I ever beheld. 
 Here were the bankers' barge, the jewellers', the mercers', 
 the tailors', the shoe-makers', and, to crown all, the 
 printers' barge, which showered down from the masthead 
 sonnets in honor of the fete, printed on board of the barge 
 itself. Every trade or profession, in short, had a barge and 
 appropriate flag and costumes. A quantity of private 
 barges and gondolas followed this procession. The Arch- 
 duke and his staff occupied the Government barge, which 
 
 341
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 is very magnificent and made in imitation of the Bucen- 
 taur. Musicians were on board of many of the barges, and 
 the houses on both banks of the Candle Grande were filled 
 with beautiful women and other spectators waving their 
 handkerchiefs. Guns were fired on the embarkation of the 
 Viceroy from the Piazzetta di San Marco, and on his return. 
 The Piazza itself was splendidly illuminated, and the cafes 
 which abound there, and which constitute one half of the 
 whole quadrangle, were superbly and tastefully decorated. 
 
 The Piazza di San Marco is certainly the most beautiful 
 thing of the kind in the world. It is a good deal in the style of 
 the Palais Royal at Paris, and tho' not so large, is far more 
 striking, from the very tasteful and even sumptuous manner 
 in which the cafes are fitted up, both internally and extern- 
 ally; they have spacious rooms with mirrors on all sides, 
 some in the shape of Turkish tents, others in that of 
 Egyptian temples. The Piazza, forming an oblong rectangle, 
 is arcaded on the two long sides, and of the two short ones, 
 one presents a superb modern palace built by Napoleon, 
 and richly adorned with the statues of all the heathen Gods 
 on the top, which Palace was usually occupied by Eugene 
 Napoleon; the other presents the church of St Marco and 
 the old palace of Government, where in the time of the 
 Republic the Doge used to reside. The church of St Mark is 
 unique as a temple in Europe, for it is neither Grecian nor 
 Gothic, but in a style completely Oriental, from the singu- 
 larity of its structure, its many gilded cupolas and the 
 variety of its exterior ornaments. At first sight it appears 
 a more striking object than either St Peter's in Rome or 
 St Paul's in London. On the top of the fagade, which is sin- 
 gularly picturesque, stand the four bronze horses which 
 have been brought back from Paris to their old residence. 
 
 I ascended the top of the facade in order to examine 
 them. They are beautifully formed, in very good cast and 
 have not at all been damaged by the journey. The Piazza is 
 paved with broad flagged stones. The Doge's palace is a 
 vast building, very picturesque withal, and seems a melange 
 342
 
 THE PIAZZA AND THE CAMPANILE 
 
 of Gothic and Moorish architecture. At right angles to it and 
 facing the Piazzetta, which issues from the Piazza and forms 
 a quai to the Canale Grande, stands the famous state prison 
 and Ponte de 'Sospiri. On the Piazzetta and fronting the 
 landing place stand two columns of white marble, on one of 
 which stands the winged Lion of St Marco and on the other 
 a crocodile, emblematical of the foreign commerce and pos- 
 sessions of the Republic. The space between these two 
 columns was allotted for the execution of State criminals. 
 Not far from the church of St Marco, and near to that angle 
 of the Piazza which connects it with the Piazzetta, stands the 
 famous Campanile or Steeple of San Marco. It is a square 
 building 300 feet in height, from the top of which one has 
 the best view of Venice and its adjacent isles, the distant 
 Alps and the marina dove il Po discende. A Quai, if 
 Quai it may be called, which has a row of houses on each 
 side, one row of which is on the water's edge, leads from the 
 Piazzetta to some gardens, which terminate on a point of 
 land. This Quai is very broad and well paved, and is the 
 only thing that can be called a street in all Venice. The 
 Piazza di San Marco, therefore, this Quai and the garden 
 before mentioned form the only promenades in Venice. This 
 garden moreover has trees, and these are the only trees that 
 are to be met with in this city. In this garden are two 
 Cafes. 
 
 The variety of costume is another very agreeable spec- 
 tacle at Venice. Here you meet with Albanians, Greeks, 
 Turks, Moors, Sclavonians and Armenians, all in their 
 respective national costumes. The first Armenian I met 
 with here was sitting on a stone bench on the Piazza di San 
 Marco, and this brought forcibly to my recollection the 
 Armenian in Schiller's Ghost-seer. 
 
 These Cafes and Casinos on the Piazza are open day and 
 night. Ices and coffee superiorly made and other refresh- 
 ments of all kinds at very low prices are to be had. Some of 
 these casinos are devoted to gaming. The first families in 
 Venice repair to the Piazza in the evening after the Opera, 
 
 343
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 female as well as male. They promenade up and down the 
 Piazza or sit down and converse in the Cafes and Casinos 
 till a late hour. Few go to bed in Venice in the summer 
 time before six in the morning, so that sleep seems for ever 
 banished from the Piazza. Music and singing goes forward 
 in these casinos, and the ear is often charmed with the 
 sound of those delightful Venetian airs, whose simple 
 melody ravishes the soul. The Venetian dialect is very 
 pleasing, and scarcely yields in harmony to the Tuscan. 
 It contains a great many Sclavonic words. It is the only 
 dialect of Italy that is at all pleasing to my ear, for I do not 
 at all relish the nasal twang and truncated terminations of 
 the Piedmontese and Lombard dialects, nor the semi-bar- 
 barous jargon of the Genoese and the Neapolitan and, least 
 of all, the execrable cacophony of the Bolognese. 
 
 I visited of course the Arsenal and the Doge's Palace. 
 The apartments in the latter are very spacious and orna- 
 mented in the Gothic taste of grandeur. The chamber of the 
 Council is peculiarly magnificent. There is a good deal of 
 tapestry and some fine paintings and statues: among the 
 former I particularly noticed an allegorical picture, repre- 
 senting the triumph of Venice over the league of Cambray. 
 Venice is represented by the winged Lion, and the powers 
 of the Coalition are pourtrayed by various other beasts. 
 Among the latter is a beautiful group in marble representing 
 Ganymede and the Eagle. The terror depicted in the coun- 
 tenance of the beautiful boy, and the passion that seems to 
 agitate the Eagle, are surprizingly well pourtrayed. 
 
 The principal theatre at Venice, the Teatro Fenice, is 
 not open; but I have visited the other theatres, and among 
 other things witnessed the representation of a new opera, 
 call'd 11 Lupo d'Ostende. The piece itself was rather inter- 
 esting; but the music was feeble and did not seem to give 
 general satisfaction. The singing is in general very good at 
 Venice, but in scenery, dresses and decorations the theatres 
 here are far inferior to those of Milan and Naples. 
 
 I find the air of Venice very hot and unpleasant, arising 
 344
 
 FROM VENICE TO PADUA 
 
 from the exhalation from the canals ; and it appears to me as 
 if I were on board of an enormous ship. I begin to pant for 
 terra firma and green fields. 
 
 I have visited in a gondola some of the islands, viz., 
 Malamocco and St Lazare, where there is a convent of 
 Armenian monks. 
 
 Why are the gondolas hung with black? it gives to them 
 such a dismal funereal appearance. They always resemble 
 the bodies of hearses placed on boats. I am not fond of 
 gaudy colours in general, yet I do think a gondola should 
 have a somewhat livelier color than black. 
 
 PADUA, 8th June. 
 
 Padua is not above ten miles distant from Fusina. As I 
 started from Venice at six in the morning I had a fine 
 receding view of the Ocean Queen, with her steeples and 
 turrets rising from the sea. Venice has no fortifications 
 and needs them not. Her insular position protects her 
 from land attacks, and the shoals prevent the approach of 
 ships of war. Floating batteries therefore and gunboats are 
 her best defence. The road from Fusina to Padua is on the 
 banks of the Brenta the whole way, and is lined with trees. 
 There are a great number of villas on the banks of the 
 Brenta, well built in the best style of architecture, the 
 most of them after the designs of Palladio, the Prince of 
 modern architects. 
 
 Padua is an exceedingly large city; but its arcades and 
 the narrowness of the streets give it a gloomy appearance. 
 There are however some beautiful promenades in the 
 suburbs. There are also the remains of an ancient Arena. 
 Padua is famous for its Seminario or University, which is a 
 superb edifice. The Church of St Anthony of Padua is of 
 vast size, having six cupolas. There are four organs in this 
 church. In the chapel of the Saint himself are a great 
 many ornaments, among which are a crucifix in bronze and 
 fresques representing the different actions and miracles of 
 this patron Saint of the Padovani. Probably as this city was 
 
 345
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 founded by the Trojan Antenor they have transformed his 
 name into that of a Christian Saint and called him St 
 Anthony, just as Virgil has been transformed into a magi- 
 cian at Naples. There is a fine view from the steeple of this 
 immense edifice. There is another magnificent church also in 
 this city, that of St Justine, built after the designs of Pal- 
 ladio, the principal ornament of which is a painting of the 
 martyrdom of the Saint by Paul Veronese. But one of the 
 greatest curiosities in this ancient city is the immense 
 Saloon in the Palazzo delta Giustizia. It is, I presume, the 
 loftiest and largest hall in the world that is supported by 
 nothing but its walls, it being three hundred feet long, one 
 hundred feet broad and one hundred feet high. In the 
 Saloon is the tomb of Livy, the Historian, who was a native 
 of Padua. The inhabitants of Padua dress much in black, 
 seem a quiet, staid sort of people, and are very industrious. 
 I put up at the Stella d'Oro, a good inn. 
 
 VICENZA, 10th June. 
 
 I arrived at this beautiful bijou of a town on the morning 
 of the 9th June at eight o'clock. I call it a bijou from its 
 exceeding neatness, and the extreme beauty of the archi- 
 tecture of its edifices, which are almost all after the designs 
 of Palladio, of white stone and in the Greek taste. Palladio 
 was a native of Vicenza. The Piazza and Palazzo Pubblico 
 perfectly correspond with the beauty of the rest of the city, 
 and the promenades about it are tastefully laid out. But 
 the two most striking objects in point of edifices in Vicenza 
 and both constructed by Palladio are the covered portico 
 and the Teatro Olimpico. The covered portico is two miles 
 in length and leads to the chapel of the Madonna del Monte, 
 situated on an eminence, at that distance from the city. A 
 magnificent triumphal arch stands before it, and there is an 
 extensive view of the surrounding country. The Teatro 
 Olimpico is a small, but beautiful theatre, built strictly after 
 the model of the ancient Greek theatres. It is peculiarly 
 precious as being the only one of the kind in Europe. How 
 346
 
 VICENZA AND VERONA 
 
 admirably adapted both for seeing and hearing are such 
 theatres! It has, for scenery, the model of a Palace, curiously 
 carved in wood, which represents a Royal Palace, for the 
 ancients never shifted their scenes, and this may account 
 for their adhering so strictly to the unities. Statues and bas- 
 reliefs adorn this beautiful little theatre. Many years ago, 
 on particular occasions, it was the custom to act plays 
 here, either translated from the Greek, or taken strictly 
 from the Greek model. This theatre is esteemed Palladio's 
 chef d'ceuvre. 
 
 The Campo di Marie is a vast Place outside the town. The 
 Place and its gate are well worth inspecting, so is the famous 
 villa with the Rotonda, belonging to the Marchese di Capra, 
 the original after which the villa belonging to the Duke of 
 Devonshire at Chiswick is built. The environs of this 
 interesting city are very beautiful and present an exceeding 
 rich soil, highly cultivated in corn, mulberry trees and vines 
 hanging from them in festoons. 
 
 VERONA, 12th June. 
 
 I started yesterday morning from Vicenza and arrived 
 here in about three hours, the distance being nearly the 
 same as between Vicenza and Padua. We crossed the 
 Adige which divides the city into two unequal parts and 
 drove to the Due Torri, a large and comfortable inn with 
 excellent rooms and accommodations. Verona is a very 
 handsome city, for here also Palladio was the designer or 
 builder of many edifices. It has a very cheerful and gay 
 appearance, tho' not quite so much so as Vicenza. The 
 reason of this difference is that in Verona the greater part 
 of the buildings are in the Gothic style, which always 
 appears heavy and melancholy, whereas in Vicenza all is 
 Grecian. The Amphitheatre of course claimed my first 
 notice. It yields only to the Coliseum in size and grandeur 
 and is in much better preservation, the whole of the ellipse 
 and its walls being entire, whereas in the Coliseum part of 
 the walls have been pulled down. Indeed the Amphi- 
 theatre of Verona may be said to be almost perfectly 
 
 347
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 entire. Tempus edax rerum has been its only enemy ; whereas 
 avarice and religious fanaticism have contributed, much more 
 than time, to the dilapidation of the Coliseum. The Amphi- 
 theatre of Verona can contain 24,000 persons. In it is con- 
 structed a temporary theatre of wood, where they perform 
 plays and farces in the open air. Verona is much embel- 
 lished by several Palazzi built by Palladio, which form a 
 curious contrast with the other buildings and churches 
 which are in the Gothic style. Verona can boast among its 
 antiquities of three triumphal arches, the first, Porta de' 
 Bursari, erected in the year 252 in the reign of the Emperor 
 Gallienus; the second, called Porta del Foro; and the third 
 built by Vitruvius himself, in honour of the family Gavia. 
 
 The churches here are richly ornamented and the 
 Palazzo del Consiglio has many fine marble and bronze 
 statues. In this city also are the tombs and monuments of 
 the Scala family, who were at one time Sovereigns of 
 Verona. They are in the Gothic style and of curious execu- 
 tion. The Cathedral has an immense campanile (steeple), 
 from which is a fine view of the surrounding country, and 
 the progressive risings of the Alps, the lower parts of which 
 lie close upon Verona. Beautiful villas and farmhouses 
 abound in the neighbourhood of this city. The favourite 
 promenades are the Corso and the Bra. On the Bra I saw 
 a very brilliant display of carriages, and some very pretty 
 women in them. The theatre is by Palladio, is exquisitely 
 beautiful, and very tastefully fitted up. I assisted at the 
 representation of La Gazza Ladra, one of Rossini's best 
 operas. 
 
 I should think Verona would be a very delightful sejour; 
 everything is very cheap; a fine country highly cultivated; 
 a remarkably healthy climate; a society which unites 
 much urbanity and a love of amusement with a taste for the 
 fine arts and for the graver sciences, and a general appear- 
 ance of opulence and comfort. The shops in Verona appear 
 very splendid, and the Bra, when lighted up in the evening, 
 is a very lively and animating scene. 
 348
 
 MANTUA 
 
 MANTUA, 15 June. 
 
 I could not go to Milan without stepping a little out of 
 my road to visit this ancient and redoubtable fortress, so 
 celebrated in the early campaigns of Buonaparte, besides 
 the other claims it has on the traveller's attention as the 
 birth place of Virgil. This place is of immense strength, as a 
 military post; being situated on a small isthmus of land, 
 separating two lakes, and communicating with the rest of 
 the country by an exceeding narrow causeway. This 
 position, added to the strength of the fortifications, render 
 the fortress impregnable, if well garrisoned and pro- 
 visioned. The city is, however, unhealthy from the lake and 
 marshy land about it, and there is but a scanty population. 
 Grass grows in the streets and it is the dullest and indeed 
 the only dull town in all Italy. Everything in this city 
 announces decay and melancholy, and I met with several 
 men looking full as halfstarved and deplorable as Shake- 
 speare's Apothecary in Romeo and Juliet. Yet the city is 
 by no means an ugly one. The buildings^ are imposing, the 
 streets broad and well paved, and there is a fine circular 
 promenade in the centre of which is a Monument erected in 
 honor of Virgil by the French general Miollis, who had a 
 great veneration for all poets. The Palazzo pubblico and the 
 Cathedral are the most striking buildings. The latter con- 
 tains the tombs and monuments of the Gonzaga family, 
 the whilom Sovereigns of Mantua. There are also several 
 monuments in honor of some French officers, who were 
 killed in the campaigns of Italy under Buonaparte and 
 erected to their memory by his direction. 
 
 Outside the town, at a short distance from the causeway 
 and tete de pont, is the celebrated palace called the T, from 
 its being in the form of that letter, which was the usual 
 residence of the Dukes of Mantua. It is a noble edifice and 
 its gardens are well laid out. These gardens have this 
 peculiarity, that at the entrance of each of the grand 
 avenues is a figure of a man on horseback caparizoned in 
 armour, like the Knights of old. This is all I have to say 
 
 349
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 about Mantua. The Mincio beset with " osiers dank " flows 
 into the lake. 
 
 CREMONA, 16th June. 
 
 From Mantua I directed my course to this city, which is 
 large and fortified, situated on the Po which forms many 
 little islands in the environs. This city is of great antiquity, 
 and has a number of Gothic buildings. You do not find here 
 the specimens and imitations of Grecian architecture as at 
 Vicenza and Verona. The campanile of the Cathedral is of 
 immense height, but one is repaid for the fatigue of 
 ascending by the extensive view from its summit. There 
 are 498 steps. I put up at the Colombina, a very good inn. 
 The Cremonese seem to be an industrious people. There is a 
 great deal of pasture land in the environs of this city and 
 much cheese is made here and in the Lodesan. Several rice- 
 fields are also to be met with between this place and Lodi. 
 
 MILAN, 25 June. 
 
 I have been on a visit to the ancient and venerable city 
 of Pavia, which is about eighteen miles distant from Milan, 
 thro' a rich highly cultivated plain. The road lies in a right 
 line the whole way. About three miles distant from Pavia on 
 the Milan side stands the celebrated Certosa, which we 
 stopped to visit. The church of the Certosa contains the 
 greatest quantity of riches in marbles, and precious stones, 
 of any building in the world, probably. The architecture is 
 Gothic, and the workmanship of the exterior exquisite; 
 but the interior is most dazzling; and at the sight of the 
 rich marbles and innumerable precious stones of all kinds 
 with which it abounds, I was reminded of Aladdin and 
 began to fancy myself in the cavern of the Wonderful 
 Lamp. This church was built by Galeazzo Visconti, whose 
 coffin is here, and his statue also, in white marble. There 
 are several bas-reliefs of exquisite workmanship. There are 
 no fewer than seventeen altars here and of the most beauti- 
 ful structure you can conceive, being inlaid in mosaic with 
 jasper, onyx and lapis-lazuli. Besides these precious 
 350
 
 PAVIA 
 
 marbles of every colour and quantity under heaven, 
 here are abundance of rubies, emeralds, amethysts, aqua- 
 marines and topazes, incrusted in the different chapels and 
 altars. Here again is a proof of the falsehood and injustice of 
 the aspersions cast on the French army, as being the plun- 
 derers of churches; for if they were so, how comes it that 
 the Certosa, the richest of all, was spared? Mr Eustace* in 
 his admiration of Church splendour, should at least have 
 given the French no small degree of credit for their absti- 
 nence from so rich a prize. A canal runs parallel to the 
 road the whole way from Milan to Pavia, where it joins the 
 Tessino. The banks of the Canal and each side of the road 
 are lined with poplars. Pavia is one of the most ancient cities 
 in Italy and has something very antique and solemn in its 
 appearance. It is quite Gothic and was the capital city of 
 the Lombard Kings. The streets are broad and the Piazza 
 is large. I could not find any traces of the ancient palace of 
 the Lombard Kings, which I should like much to have done; 
 for then I should have endeavoured to make out the 
 chamber into which Jocondo peeped and discoverd what 
 cured him of his melancholy, and where the impatient 
 Queen received the petulant answer from her beloved Nano, 
 conveyed by one of her waiting maids who told her : 
 
 E per non stare in perdita d'un soldo, 
 A voi nega venire il manigoldo.f 
 
 f Nor, lest he lose a doit, his paltry stake. 
 Will that discourteous churl his game forsake 
 
 Trans. W. S. ROSE. 
 
 MILAN, 28th June. 
 
 I have been to the Scala theatre, to see the Ballet of the 
 Vestal, one of the most interesting Ballets I ever beheld. 
 Oh! what a mighty magician is the ballet master Vigano, and 
 as for the prima ballerina, Pallerini, what praises can equal 
 her merit? then, the delightful soul soothing music, so 
 harmonious, so pathetic, and the decorations so truly 
 
 * See reference to Eustace p. 131. 
 f Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, xxvni, 38, 7. ED. 
 
 351
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 tasteful and classical! I can never forget the impression this 
 fascinating Ballet made on me. It is called La Vestale. It 
 opens with a view of the Circus in ancient Rome, and 
 various gymnastic exercises, combats of gladiators, of 
 athletes, and ends with a chariot race with real horses. The 
 Roman Consuls are present in all their pomp, surrounded 
 by Lictors with axes and fasces. The Vestal virgins assist 
 at this spectacle, and from one of them the victor in the 
 games receives a garland, as the recompense of his prowess. 
 The victor is the son of one of the Consuls and the hero of 
 the piece; the heroine is the Vestal Virgin who crowns him 
 with the garland. The young victor becomes desperately 
 enamored of the Vestale, and she appears also to feel an 
 incipient flame. After the games are over, the victor returns 
 to his father's house, and meeting there one of his friends, 
 discloses to him his love for the Vestale and his idea of 
 entering by stealth into the temple of Vesta, where his 
 beloved was appointed to watch the sacred fire. His 
 friend endeavors, but in vain, to dissuade him from so rash 
 an attempt, which can only end in the destruction, both of 
 his beloved and himself. All the remonstrances, however, 
 of the friend are vain; and the hero fixed in his resolve 
 watches for the opportunity, when it is the turn of his 
 beloved to officiate in the temple of Vesta, and enters there- 
 in. The Vestale is terrified and supplicates him to retire: 
 in vain; and after a long but ineffectual struggle she sinks 
 into his arms at the foot of the altar. Suddenly the sacred 
 flame becomes extinguished; a noise is heard; the Vestals 
 enter; the unfortunate fair is roused from her stupor by the 
 noise of footsteps and has just time to oblige her lover to 
 retire, which he reluctantly does, but not unperceived by 
 the Vestals. The Matron of the Vestals reproaches her with 
 the crime she has committed and orders her to be placed in 
 a dungeon. She is brought out to be examined by the High 
 Priest, found guilty and condemned by him to the usual 
 punishment of the Vestals for a breach of their vow, viz., the 
 being buried alive outside the gates of Rome. The moment 
 352
 
 THE BALLET OF THE VESTAL 
 
 the sentence is pronounced a black veil is thrown over her. 
 The scene then changes to the place of execution; the 
 funeral procession takes place; the vault is dug and a man 
 stands by with a pitcher of water and loaf of bread, to 
 deliver to her when she should descend. The Consuls are 
 present, attended by the Lictors and Aediles. All the other 
 vestals are present, of whom the culprit takes an affection- 
 ate leave and is about to descend into the vault. Suddenly a 
 noise of arms and shouts are heard. It is her lover who 
 having collected a few followers come rushing forward with 
 arms in their hands to arrest the execution. He forces his 
 way into the presence of the Consuls, but the sight of his 
 father inspires him with awe; he staggers back; at this 
 moment a Lictor at the command of the other Consul 
 plunges a spear into his breast. The Vestal is hurried to the 
 brink of the vault, into which she is forced to descend to the 
 accompaniment of mournful music, while her dying lover 
 vainly endeavours to crawl towards her. The curtain falls. 
 
 The exquisite acting of La Pallerini drew tears from my 
 eyes: it was indeed too horrible a subject for a Ballo, which 
 in my opinion ought to end happily. The scenery was the 
 finest of the kind I think I ever witnessed. The first scene 
 represents the Circus maximus; the interior of the temple of 
 Vesta and the place of execution outside the walls of Rome 
 were most classically correct and appropriate: the music 
 was beyond all praise and singularly affecting. This Ballet 
 has excited such an enthusiastic approbation that Vigano 
 the Ballet master, Pallerini who acts the Vestal and the 
 young man who performs the hero of the piece were sum- 
 moned every evening after the termination of the Ballet, 
 to appear on the stage, and receive applauses, which seemed 
 to increase at every representation. I have been to see this 
 ballet six or seven times, and always with increased delight. 
 I was there on the last night of its representation, when 
 some amateurs and people connected with the theatre 
 put in practice what appeared to me an ill-judged concetto, 
 however well merited the compliment it meant to convey. 
 AA 353
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 When the Vestal was about to descend into the vault, a 
 genius with wings rose from it and repeated a few lines 
 beginning Tu non morrai and telling her that the suffrages 
 of the Insubrian people had decreed to her immortality, 
 and printed sonnets were showered down on the stage 
 from all parts of the house. I think it would have been 
 much better to let the piece finish in the usual way, and 
 then at its termination call for La Pallerini to advance and 
 receive the garlands and hommage so justly her due. 
 
 I was in the loge belonging to my friend Mme L ; 
 
 there were three or four litterati with her, and they were all 
 unanimous that it was an absurd and pedantic concetto. 
 
 In a day or two I shall start from Milan for Munich thro' 
 Brescia and Verona and the Tyrol. 
 
 354
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 JULY-SEPTEMBER 1818 
 
 Innspruck Tyrol and the Tyrolese From Innspruck to Munich 
 Monuments and churches Theatricals Journey from Munich to Vienna 
 on a floss Trouble with a passport Complicated system of Austrian money 
 Description of Vienna The Prater The theatres Schiller's Joan of 
 A re A Kinderballet The young Napoleon at Schoenbrunn Journey from 
 Vienna to Prague. 
 
 INNSPRUCK, 15th July. 
 
 I HAD engaged with a vetturino to convey me from 
 Verona to Innspruck for four louis d'or and to be spesato. 
 A Roman gentleman and his lady were my fellow travel- 
 lers; they were going to pass the summer months at a 
 small campagne they possess in the Tyrol. We stopped the 
 first night at Roveredo. The road from Verona to Roveredo 
 is on the banks of the Adige (called in German theEtsch) in 
 a narrow and deep valley, shut up on both sides by moun- 
 tains, almost immediately on leaving Verona. We found the 
 weather extremely hot in this valley. Roveredo seems to 
 be a very neat clean little city, and the Adige flows with 
 astonishing rapidity along this narrow valley. The women 
 of Roveredo have the reputation of being very beautiful; 
 and I recollect having seen two Roveredo girls at Venice, 
 who were models of female beauty. They have a happy 
 mixture of German and Italian blood and manners, but 
 Italian is the language of the country. The second morning 
 of our journey we arrived and stopped to dinner at the 
 venerable and celebrated city of Trent. The country we 
 passed thro' is much the same as that between Verona and 
 Roveredo, the Adige being on our left. Trent lies also in 
 the valley of the Adige, shut up between the Alps. The 
 whole valley appears in high cultivation. The streets of 
 Trent are broad ; the Cathedral is a remarkably fine Gothic 
 building. In the church of Sta Maria Maggiore was held the 
 famous council of Trent. There are a great many silk mills in 
 AA2 355
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Trent. German as well as Italian is spoken ; indeed the two 
 languages are equally familiar to most of the inhabitants. 
 In the evening we arrived at Sabern after passing thro' 
 Lavis. One description will serve for these towns and indeed 
 for most of the towns in the Tyrol, viz., that of being neat, 
 clean and solidly built. The inns are excellent and the 
 inhabitants very civil. The Adige runs close to the road and 
 parallel to it, nearly the whole way to Bolsano or Botzen, 
 where Italian ceases to be spoken and German is the 
 national tongue. Botzen is a large and flourishing place. 
 
 One general description will serve for the Tyrol, regarding 
 the towns, adjacent country, customs, inns, inhabitants, 
 dress and manners. 
 
 First the towns are fully as neat, clean and well built as 
 those in Switzerland ; the country too is very similar, tho' 
 not quite on so grand a scale of sublimity; but you have 
 fully as much variety in mountain and valley, glacier and 
 cascade. The climate is exactly the same as that of Switzer- 
 land, being very hot in the valleys in summer. The inns 
 are clean and good, the provisions excellent and well cooked, 
 the wines much better than those of Switzerland; there is 
 good attendance by females and all at a far cheaper rate 
 than in Switzerland. The Tyroleans are much more courteous 
 in their manners than the Swiss ; they have not that boorish- 
 ness and are of more elegant figure than their Helvetic 
 neighbours. The women of the Tyrol are in general remark- 
 ably beautiful, exceedingly well shaped and of fine com- 
 plexions. 
 
 In the towns the bourgeoises dress well, something in the 
 French style, and it is their custom to salute travellers who 
 pass by kissing their hands to them. The dress of the female 
 peasantry, however, is unpleasing to the eye and so un- 
 couth, that it would make the most beautiful women appear 
 homely. In the first place I will speak of their head dress, 
 of which there are three different kinds, two of which are as 
 bizarre as can be imagined. The first sort is a cap of sheep- 
 skin, the fleece of which is as white as snow, and the cap is 
 356
 
 TYROL AND THE TYROLESE 
 
 of conical shape, the base being exceeding large in propor- 
 tion to its height, and resembles much the sugar loaves 
 made in Egypt. The second is a black scull cap, with the 
 three pieces of stiff black gaze, sticking out like the vanes of 
 a windmill ; so that when put on the head, one vane stands 
 upright from the forehead and the other two from each 
 ear. The third head dress is a broad straw hat, and I wish 
 they would stick to this coiffure, and discard the two others. 
 Then the waist of their dress is as long as 
 
 . . . du pole antarctique au detroit de Davis.* 
 
 Their petticoats are exceedingly short, scarcely reaching 
 the calf of the legs, which are enveloped in a pair of flaming 
 red stockings. Who the devil could invent such an ungrace- 
 ful dress for a female? 
 
 The costume of the men on the contrary is becoming and 
 graceful. It resembles very much the costume of the Anda- 
 lusians. The hat is exactly the same, the crown being small 
 and the rim very broad. 
 
 The Tyroleans are a fine gallant race of men and are 
 excellent marksmen. They were formerly much attached 
 to the House of Austria; but that attachment is now 
 entirely changed to dislike, from the ingratitude they have 
 met with, since they have been replaced under that scepter. 
 
 The only fault I find in the Tyroleans, is that they are 
 rather too devout and consequently too much under the 
 influence of the clergy. Yet in their devotion there is not the 
 smallest tinge of hypocrisy and they are esteemed a highly 
 moral people. 
 
 If you arrive at an inn in the evening, while the family 
 are at prayer, neither master nor servants will come to 
 wait on you, till prayers are over; and then you will be 
 served with sufficient alacrity; but the prayers are rather 
 long. 
 
 I believe the priests extort a good deal of money from 
 these good people. The road thro' the Tyrol was made by the 
 
 * Boileau, Satires, XI, v. 117. 
 
 357
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Romans, in the time of Septimus Severus. An immense 
 number of Crucifixes on the road attest and command the 
 devotion of the people. 
 
 How Kotzebue can call Innspruck a dirty town I am at a 
 loss to conceive. He must have visited it during very rainy 
 weather; for to me it appears one of the cleanest and most 
 chearful towns I have ever seen. There are several very fine 
 buildings, for instance the Jesuits' College, and the Fran- 
 ciscan monastery. Nothing can be more picturesque than 
 the situation of this city in the valley of the Inn and its 
 romantic windings. The suburbs are very extensive and 
 can boast several fine houses. The cupola of the Govern- 
 ment House is gilded, which gives it a splendid appearance. 
 In the Hofkirche or church of the court there are a number 
 of statues, large as life, in bronze; among which my guide 
 pointed out to me those of Clovis, Godfrey of Bouillon, 
 Albert the Wise, Charles V, Philip II of Spain, Rudolph of 
 Hapsburgh, and to my great astonishment the British King 
 Arthur; there were twenty-eight statues altogether. But on 
 my return to my inn, I found that my guide had made a 
 great error respecting King Arthur, and that the said statue 
 represented Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII, King of 
 England, and not the old Hero of Romance; and my 
 hostess' book further informed me that these statues were 
 those of the Kings and Princes belonging to families con- 
 nected by descent and blood with Maximilian I. In the 
 same Hofkirche is a fine monument erected to Maximilian 
 and a statue of bronze of this Emperor is figured kneeling 
 between four bronze figures representing four Virtues. In 
 the gardens of the Palace of the Archduke Ferdinand in this 
 city is a fine equestrian statue which rests entirely on the 
 hind feet of the horse. From Innspruck there is a water 
 passage by the river Inn all the way to Vienna, as the Inn 
 flows into the Danube at Passau. The banks of the Inn are 
 so romantic and picturesque that I would willingly pro- 
 long my sejour at Innspruck, but as I mean to take the 
 journey from Mittenwald to Munich by the river Isar, I 
 358
 
 FROM INNSPRUCK TO MUNICH 
 
 must take advantage of the raft which starts from that place 
 the day after to-morrow. 
 
 MUNICH, 20th July. 
 
 I left Innspruck in a chaise de paste on the 16th, and 
 arrived the same evening at five o'clock at Mittenwald. 
 At a short distance before I arrived at Mittenwald, I 
 entered the Bavarian territory, which announces itself by a 
 turnpike gate painted white and blue, the colours and 
 Feldzeichen of Bavaria. In the Austrian territory the 
 barriers are painted black and yellow, these being the 
 characteristic colors of Austria. 
 
 Mittenwald is a small neat town, offering nothing 
 remarkable but a church yard or Ruhe-garten (garden of 
 repose) as it is called, where there are a number of quaint 
 inscriptions on the tombstones. At Mittenwald I had some 
 trouble about my passport, as it was not vise by a Bavarian 
 authority; but I explained to the officer that I had never 
 fallen in with any Bavarian authority since I left Rome, 
 and that, while at Rome, I had no intention of going thro' 
 Bavaria; that at Milan the Austrian authorities had vise 
 my passport for Vienna and that I should only pass thro' 
 Munich, without making a longer stay than one week. He 
 acquiesced in my argument, but inserted my explanation 
 on the passport. At half a quarter of a mile beyond Mitten- 
 wald I met the raft just about to get under weigh at 
 eleven o'clock a.m. This raft is about as long as the length 
 of a thirty- six gun frigate, and formed of spars fastened 
 together; on this is a platform about one and a half feet 
 high. The Isar begins its course close to Mittenwald, and 
 the place on which the raft stood, previous to departure, 
 was very shallow; but water was quickly let in from 
 sluices to float the raft, and off we set with a cargo of 
 peasants, male and female, and merchandise bound for 
 Munich. As the river Isar rushes between immense moun- 
 tains, and forms a continual descent until the plains of 
 Bavaria open to view, you may conceive with what rapidity 
 we went. We encounterd several falls of water of two, 
 
 359
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 three, four and sometimes five feet which we had to shoot, 
 which no boat could possibly do without being upset. The 
 lower part of the raft was frequently under water in 
 making these shoots and we were obliged to hold on fast to 
 our seats to prevent being jerked off. Nothing can be more 
 romantic and picturesque than this journey, and there is 
 something aweful in shooting these falls; these rafts are, 
 however, so solidly constructed that there is no danger 
 whatever. They can neither sink nor upset. We arrived and 
 halted the evening at Tolz, a large village or town on the 
 right bank of the Isar. What gives to Tolz a remarkably 
 singular appearance is, that on a height at a short distance 
 from the town, and hanging abruptly over the river, you 
 perceive several figures in wood, larger than the life, which 
 figures form groups, representing the whole history of the 
 passion of Jesus Christ. At a short distance, if you are not 
 prepared for this, you suppose that they are real men, and 
 that a procession or execution is going forward. On landing 
 I immediately ascended this hill in order to observe this 
 curiosity, and there I beheld the following groups, first: 
 Christ in the midst of his disciples preaching; secondly: 
 the disciples asleep in a cave, and Christ watching and 
 praying; next was Judas betraying Christ to the soldiery; 
 then the judgment of Christ before Pilate ; then Christ bearing 
 his cross to the place of execution; and lastly the cruci- 
 fixion on Mount Calvary. The ground is curiously laid out 
 so as to represent, as much as possible, the ground in the 
 environs of Jerusalem. Tolz is a pretty village, but contains 
 nothing more remarkable than the above groups. 
 
 The next day at twelve o'clock we perceived the spires 
 of Munich, and at two anchored close to one of the bridges 
 from whence, having hired a wheelbarrow to trundle my 
 portmanteau, I repaired to the inn called the Golden Cross 
 Zum goldenen Kreutz. At Tolz the Rhetian Alps recede 
 from the view; the landscape then presents a sloping plain 
 which is perfectly level within four miles of Munich. The 
 river widens immediately on issuing from the gorges of 
 360
 
 ASPECTS OF MUNICH 
 
 the Tyrol and for the last five miles we were followed by 
 boys on the banks of the river, begging for wood, with 
 which our raft was laden, and we threw to them many a 
 faggot. Wood is the great export from the Tyrol to Bavaria, 
 as the latter is a flat country and has not much wood, with 
 which on the contrary the Tyrol abounds. A sensible 
 difference of climate is now felt and the air is keener than 
 in the Tyrol. The price of a place on the raft from Mitten- 
 wald to Munich cost only one florin, and at Tolz an excel- 
 lent supper, bed and coffee in the morning cost me only one 
 florin. 
 
 MUNICH, 23rd July. 
 
 Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is an ancient Gothic city 
 of venerable appearance. The houses are very solid in 
 structure, and the streets sufficiently broad to give to the 
 city a cheerful appearance. There are some suburbs added 
 to it, built in the modern taste, which embellish it greatly. 
 A large Place outside the old town, called the Carolinen- 
 Platz, presents a number of villas disposed in the form of a 
 circus. In these suburbs the people assemble on holidays 
 and Sundays, to smoke and drink beer, of which a great 
 quantity is consumed, it being the favorite and national 
 beverage. From the lively scene of the lower class of the 
 bourgeoisie, male and female, meeting here in the Biers- 
 schanks and Tanzsaale I was reminded of the lines in Faust : 
 
 Gewiss man findet hier 
 Die schonsten Madchen, und das beste Bier, 
 
 which may be thus rendered: 
 
 Here let us halt! 'tis here we're sure to find 
 Beer of the best and maidens fair and kind ! 
 
 There are other very agreeable promenades outside the 
 town, laid out as jardins anglais, the garden of Ostenwald 
 for instance; and should you wish to extend your walk 
 further, there is Nymphenburg, a royal Palace and gardens, 
 just one league distant from the city. 
 
 361
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The Residenz-schloss or Palace of the King is a solid 
 building. The interior is well worth seeing. There is a 
 superb saloon with a vast number of valuable miniatures 
 appended to the wainscoating. An enormously heavy bed, 
 groaning with gold and silver embroidery and pearls and 
 which is said to weigh a ton, is to be seen here. There is a 
 very good collection of pictures, chiefly portraits, of the 
 Electoral, now Royal family. There is a fine chapel too 
 belonging to this palace; a superb staircase of marble, and 
 some fine old tapestry representing the actions of Otto von 
 Wittelsbach. There is likewise a curious miniature copy of 
 Trajan's column in gold and incrusted with precious stones, 
 besides a variety of other things of value. 
 
 There are two theatres in Munich; one called the Hof or 
 Court theatre, where there is a company of comedians for 
 tragedy and comedy, the expences of which are defrayed 
 principally by the King. The boxes are generally let to the 
 nobility and the parterre is open to every body on payment. 
 I witnessed the representation of Mozart's Nozze di Figaro. 
 The King was present and was greeted with much affection. 
 He has a very benignant expression of countenance. He is 
 much beloved by his subjects, for he has governed them 
 paternally. He has given to them a constitution unasked; 
 for they were so contented with the old Government, that 
 they desired no change; but he, with his usual good sense, 
 saw the propriety of consulting and complying with the 
 spirit of the age. A German writer of some eminence at the 
 time of the French Revolution, when the aristocrats and 
 alarmists of all countries were crying out against it, and 
 proposing harsh measures to arrest its progress, said: 
 " Sovereigns of Europe, do you wish to set bounds to the 
 progress of French principles? Nothing can be more simple; 
 you have only to govern your people like Maximilian of 
 Bavaria and Frederick of Saxony, and your subjects will 
 never desire a change." 
 
 At the German (national) theatre which is a fair sized 
 one, I saw a tragedy performed called Der Wald bey Herman- 
 362
 
 BAVARIAN CUSTOMS 
 
 stadt (the Forest near Hermanstadt).* It was an interesting 
 piece taken from a feudal legend. The part of Elisene was 
 performed by Mile Vohs, a very good actress. I missed very 
 much one thing in Munich, and that is the want of cafes like 
 those in France arid Italy, which have so brilliant an appear- 
 ance. They make coffee here at the inns ; and there are two 
 or three dull places up one pair of stairs, where they play at 
 billiards, and make as indifferent coffee as is made in 
 England. The hour of dining at Munich is in general one 
 o'clock. A slice of ham or sausage with beer form the 
 gouter, usually taken at five or six o'clock; and at nine 
 follows a supper as solid as the dinner. The Germans are 
 not loungers as the French and Italians, who, for the 
 most part, spend all their spare time in coffee-houses. 
 When I mentioned to a Bavarian that I could find no cafes 
 in Munich resembling those in France and Italy, he said 
 with emphasis: Gott bewahre (God forbid)! I could not help 
 thinking he was in the right; for those splendid cafes are 
 very seducing to young people and tend to encourage a life 
 of idleness and to keep them from their studies. The lower 
 bourgeoisie andStubenmddchen (maidservants) wear a singular 
 head dress. It is made of stuff worked with silver or gold 
 and resembles two horns sticking out one at each ear. This 
 head dress must be costly. This class of women wear also 
 on fete days gold crosses, collars and earrings. 
 
 The Bavarians seem a frank, honest set of people, tho' 
 sometimes a little rough, in their exterior deportment. The 
 character of Otto of Wittelsbach, in the tragedy of that 
 name, gives the best idea of the Bavarian character. 
 
 I have made acquaintance here with a Mr F , an 
 
 Austrian gentleman, and two Polish gentlemen, the one an 
 officer and the other a medical man. They are brothers and 
 had both served in the French army. We have agreed to 
 travel to Vienna together on board of the raft which starts 
 
 * The drama, Der Wold bei Hermannstadt, is the work of Johanna 
 Fraenul von Weissenthurn (1773-1847). a celebrated Viennese actress and 
 authoress. An opera was written on the same text by W. Westmeyer. ED. 
 
 363
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 every week from Munich to Vienna. This raft brings to every 
 day between twelve o'clock and two near some town or 
 village on the banks of the river, in order to allow the pas- 
 sengers to dine, and anchors every evening at seven o'clock 
 near some town or village to sup and sleep. You have only to 
 tell the Flossmeister, or Master of the Raft, at what inn you 
 mean to put up, or if you have no preference, he will recom- 
 mend you one; and at five the next morning he goes his 
 rounds to the different inns to collect his passengers, and at 
 six gets under weigh. 
 
 VIENNA, 2nd August. 
 
 I left Munich on the 25th July and arrived on the 6th day 
 of our journey, 30th July, at Vienna. The Floss, or raft, on 
 board of which we embarked, is about as long as the main 
 deck of an eighty-four gun ship and about forty feet in 
 breadth. It is constructed of strong spars lashed together. 
 On the spars is constructed a large platform and on the plat- 
 form several cabins, containing tables and chairs. Mr F , 
 
 the Poles and myself hired a cabin to ourselves. On the raft 
 was a great deal of merchandize going to Vienna. At Vienna 
 the Flossmeister, after landing his passengers and mer- 
 chandize, sells his raft and returns on horseback to Munich. 
 A raft is constructed weekly at Munich from wood felled in 
 the Tyrol and floated on the Isar down to Munich. We 
 arrived the first evening at Freysingen, but it was nearly 
 dark when we arrived ; it seemed however as far as we could 
 observe to be a neat village ; at any rate, we met with a very 
 comfortable inn there with good fare and good beds. We met 
 with a very pleasant family on board the raft, bound to 
 Landshut; M. and Mme S. were extremely well-informed 
 people and their two daughters very fine girls. 
 
 We arrived the following day at twelve o'clock at Land- 
 shut, which is a very fine town. There is an immense Gothic 
 tower or steeple to the Church of St Martin, about 450 feet 
 in height. At Deckendorf, where the Isar flows into the 
 Danube, I saluted for the first time that noble river. We 
 stopped the night at Pillshofen and arrived the following day 
 364
 
 ARRIVAL AT PASSAU 
 
 at twelve o'clock at Passau. Passau is a large, well built and 
 handsome city, and is situated on the confluent of three 
 rivers, the Inn, the Illst and the Danube; for here the two 
 former flow into the latter, one on each side. Each of these 
 rivers just before the point of juncture seem to be of dif- 
 ferent colors ; for example the Danube appears blue, the Inn 
 white, and the Illst black. At Passau we put up at the Wild 
 Man (Zum Wilden Mann), a favorite sign for inns in these 
 parts. 
 
 The Cathedral and Residenz-Schloss are striking build- 
 ings, and the city has a lively and grand appearance. The 
 women appear to be in general handsome and well dressed. 
 We brought to the evening at Engelhardtzell, where the 
 barrier, painted black and yellow, announced our return to 
 the Austrian territory. We underwent at the Customs house 
 a rigid search for tobacco : they even took away the tobacco 
 that some passengers had in their pouches. They were like- 
 wise very rigid about our passports. The English passports 
 do not please them at all, on account of the features of the 
 bearer not being specified therein, and as I answered their 
 questions in German, they supposed me to be a native of 
 that country and asked me what business I had with a 
 British passport. I replied : Weil ich ein Engldnder bin. Sie 
 ein Engldnder? Sie sind gezviss aits Nord Deutschland. Sie 
 sprechen recht gut Deutsch. Meine Herren, ich bin ein 
 Engldnder: viele Engldnder studieren und sprechen Deutsch, 
 und wenn Sie mil mir eine langellnterredung gehalten hdtten, so 
 hdtten Sie bald ausgefunden durch meine Sprachfehler, dass 
 ich kein geborner Deutscher bin. A ber Sie haben unsere Fragen 
 vollkommen gut beantzvortet. Warum nicht? man hat mir 
 die nehmlichen Fragen so wiederholten Malen gestellt, dass 
 ich die dazu gehorigen Antworte auszvendig habe, wie ein Kate- 
 chismus* The officer laughed, took up a pen, vised and gave 
 me back my passport. 
 
 * Because I am an Englishman You are an Englishman? you are cer- 
 tainly a North-German; you speak very correct German. Gentlemen, I tell 
 you I am an Englishman ; many English study and speak the German lan- 
 guage and if you had held a long conversation with me, you would soon 
 
 365
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 The whole of the country on the banks of this noble river 
 the Danube is picturesque and presents much variety. 
 There cannot be a more delightful summer tour than a 
 descent down this river. The next town of consequence that 
 we arrived at was Linz, a large, populous and beautifully 
 built city and capital of Upper Austria. The circumjacent 
 country is in part mountainous. The Danube is very broad 
 here, and there is an immensely long wooden bridge. We 
 put up at the inn Zum goldenen Kreutz (golden cross). Here 
 it became indispensably necessary to change our money for 
 Austrian paper, for that sort of it called Wiener Wahrung 
 (Vienna security), since neither foreign coin nor another 
 description of Austrian paper, called Conventions-Munze 
 (conventional currency), are current for ordinary purposes; 
 and it is necessary to get them changed for the current 
 paper Wiener Wahrung. To explain this matter more fully 
 and clearly: there are two sorts of paper money in the 
 Austrian Dominions. One is called Conventions-Munze (con- 
 ventional currency), which is fully equivalent to gold and 
 silver and cannot be refused as such throughout the whole 
 of the Austrian dominions; the other, called Wiener Wahrung 
 (Vienna security) is current and payable in Austria proper 
 only, and bears a loss, out of the Archduchy. The value of 
 the Wiener Wahrung fluctuates considerably, but the usual 
 par of exchange is as 2 to 1: that means, two hundred 
 florins Wiener Wahrung are equal to one hundred Conven- 
 zions-Miinze or gold and silver money. Even the Conven- 
 zions-Milnze bears a loss, tho' trifling, out of the Imperial 
 Dominions. The exchange has been known to have been at 
 400 per cent; that is, four hundred florins Wiener Wahrung 
 were only worth one hundred florins gold and silver; but 
 just now it may be reckoned a little beyond par, fluctuating 
 from 200 to 220. In fact, the value of a florin Wiener Wah- 
 rung may be calculated at a frank in French money. All 
 
 have perceived from my faults in speaking, that I am not a German. But 
 you have answered our questions so correctly. Why not, the same ques- 
 tions have been put to me so often that I have all the necessary answers by 
 heart like a catechism. 
 
 366
 
 THE FAIR MAID OF LINZ 
 
 this is exceedingly troublesome to travellers, particularly to 
 those who do not understand the German language; for as 
 they cannot read the inscription, it would be difficult for them 
 to know the difference between one sort of paper money and 
 the other and they might be seriously imposed upon. I advise 
 therefore all travellers, before they arrive at the Austrian 
 frontier, whether coming from Bavaria, Saxony, or Italy, to 
 buy up the Wiener Wdhrung notes they may meet with, 
 and which may be purchased at great profit, probably, 
 beyond the frontier, whereas if they defer purchasing till 
 they arrive within the Austrian frontier, they can only pro- 
 cure the Wiener Wdhrung at the common rate of exchange 
 current. 
 
 At Linz we find ourselves again in a wine country. Linz is 
 renowned for the beauty of its women, and we had a most 
 favorable specimen in our landlord's daughter, one of the 
 most beautiful girls I ever beheld. We talked to her a great 
 deal, and a scene ridiculous enough occurred. She has very 
 beautiful arms which we all seemed to admire; and all at 
 once, by instinct as it were, the two Poles lifted up one arm 
 and I the other, and our respective lips were fastened on 
 either arm at the same moment as if by word of command. 
 We apologized for the liberty we took, saying that her arms 
 were perfectly irresistible and that we had never seen such 
 fine ones before. She accepted our excuse with the utmost 
 good nature, and laughed very heartily. Her father is a man 
 of information and a good classical scholar, a thing which 
 is by no means uncommon among the inn-keepers of Ger- 
 many. We stopped here that night, and the ensuing fore- 
 noon. We had an excellent supper, very good wine, and we 
 drank to the health of the fair Amalia, the host's daughter. 
 
 Our host, who was a friend of Mr F 's, gave us the best 
 
 of every thing, and our expences did not amount to more 
 than seven florins Wiener Wdhrung, for supper, bed, 
 breakfast and dinner. We passed the forenoon in visiting 
 the different parts of the city and we were struck with the 
 appearance of opulence and industry that prevails. 
 
 367
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Before we arrived at Molk, which is the next important 
 place, we passed the town of Ens and beyond that the 
 famous Strudel or Whirlpool which is dangerous at times 
 for boats. Our raft was completely whirled round. This 
 whirlpool is caused by rocks rising abruptly out of the 
 water. The popular tradition is that this whirlpool is the 
 abode of a very malicious and spiteful Wassernixe, Undine 
 or Water Goblin, who delighted in drowning passengers. 
 The scenery hereabouts is more wild and romantic than 
 what we have hitherto passed and bears a great resemblance 
 to the landscape on the Rhine between Mayence and 
 Coblentz. Molk is an Abbey and a very magnificent edifice 
 it is, situated on an eminence which forms the angle with the 
 river and rises quite a pic from the water's edge; it lies 
 quite en face to those who approach it, descending the 
 stream, so that the river seems to be terminated by it. It 
 commands a noble prospect. I had only time to inspect 
 hastily the church. Beyond Molk is a range of rocks that 
 bear a great resemblance to a wall, and jut out a great deal 
 towards the river. It is called the Devil's wall from the 
 tradition of the Devil having endeavoured to make a wall 
 to dam up the river. Above this wall is the famous castle 
 and vineyard called Spitz am Platz, and further on is the 
 castle of Dierenstein, situated on a mountain on the left 
 bank of the Danube. The ascent is very steep; this castle, 
 now in ruins, was the place where Richard Coeur de Lion 
 was confined. The walls only of the castle and part of the 
 chapel are all that remain; we did not fail to visit a place 
 of such celebrity. A convent lies below it. 
 
 We brought to the night at a large village where there is 
 an excellent inn; and the next day, the Leopoldsberg, 
 bursting forth to view, announced to us the approach to 
 Vienna. We anchored at Nussdorf, where there is a Custom 
 house, and from whence the distance to Vienna is about one 
 and half mile English. After having my trunk examined, I 
 hired a hackney coach and drove into Vienna. The barriers 
 beyond the suburb are called Lines, and between the 
 368
 
 VIENNA 
 
 Suburbs and the old town is an Esplanade. We entered the 
 Suburbs by the Wdhringer Linie, and the old town by the 
 Rothes Thor (Red gate) ; and from thence I repaired to the 
 inn Zum weissen Wolf (white Wolf) in the Altem Fleisch- 
 markt (old meat-market). 
 
 VIENNA, Augt. 4. 
 
 The old town of Vienna is not very large, since you can 
 walk round its circumference on the ramparts in two hours. 
 It was formerly fortified, but the French blew up the fortifi- 
 cations, leaving only the rampart ; and by so doing they did 
 a thing of great utility for the Viennese, and gave to the 
 Austrian government an excellent opportunity of joining 
 the old town to the magnificent faubourgs, by filling up 
 the esplanade which separates them with streets and 
 squares, which would prevent the unpleasant effects of 
 dust in dry, and the mud in wet weather, for this dust and 
 mud renders the esplanade almost at all times a disagreeable 
 promenade, there being a sharp wind prevalent almost the 
 whole year at Vienna, which blows about the dust en tour- 
 billons. Here then was an excellent opportunity, afforded by 
 the blowing up of the fortifications, of paving the whole of 
 the esplanade and filling it up with streets. But no! the 
 Austrian government seem determined upon restoring the 
 fortifications, and a considerable number of workmen are 
 employed. This is very silly, for these fortifications are not 
 of the least use against a foreign enemy, inasmuch as the 
 enemy can always erect his batteries among the faubourgs 
 and need only make one parallel, the protection and cover 
 afforded to him by the faubourgs rendering the other two 
 superfluous. The faubourgs are by far the finest part of the 
 city, and the garrison of the old town, in endeavouring to 
 defend it, would destroy by every shot they should fire the 
 fine buildings on the faubourgs. Of the folly of making 
 such a defence they were made fully sensible in 1809. One 
 of the Archdukes threw himself into the old town of Vienna, 
 with an intention of defending it to the last and refused to 
 surrender. Napoleon caused batteries to be erected on the 
 BB 369
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Rennweg or Corso covered by the church of St Charles, 
 the Manege and Palace of the Hungarian noble guard, all 
 magnificent buildings in the faubourgs. He then summoned 
 the garrison of the old town again to surrender saying: 
 " Every shot fired against the besiegers destroys your own 
 most valuable property and finest edifices." This argument, 
 backed by the entreaties of the citizens, had its effect and 
 the capitulation was signed. This shows the perfect 
 inutility of fortifying the old town of Vienna against a 
 foreign enemy. Indeed a capital city should never be forti- 
 fied ; it generally contains too many things of value, ever to 
 be exposed to the risk of a bombardment. It would seem, 
 nowever, that the object of the Austrian government in re- 
 constructing these works were to keep its own subjects at 
 Vienna in check. But in this case it would be much more 
 advisable to construct a fortress on the heights of Kahlen- 
 berg or of Leopoldsberg, both of which command the city 
 and the whole expanse below. The Turks were encamped 
 on the Kahlenberg at the famous siege of Vienna. 
 
 Vienna proper, the old town, is a Gothic city, but a very 
 handsome one. The streets are in general broad and well 
 paved; but the Places or Squares are small. With the excep- 
 tion of the Herrengasse, where the nobility reside, the rest of 
 Vienna is inhabited by shopkeepers and wholesale dealers; 
 and the shops are brilliant and well fitted up. The Kdrnth- 
 ner Strasse, a long and tolerably broad street, and the Kohl- 
 markt present the greatest display of wealth. Indeed the 
 Karnthner Strasse may be considered as the principal street ; 
 this street and the Kohlmarkt have a great resemblance to 
 the finest parts of Holborn. The Graben also present a fine 
 display of shops and may be termed the Bond Street of 
 Vienna. The Sanct Stephans Platz where the Cathedral 
 church of Vienna, called St Stephans Kirche, stands, is the 
 largest Place in Vienna. The Cathedral is a very ancient and 
 curious Gothic edifice, and the steeple is nearly 450 feet high. 
 I happened to enter the Cathedral one day on the occasion 
 of a solemn requiem celebrated for the soul of Prince Metter- 
 370
 
 THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA 
 
 nich's father. Had it been for the son, instead of the father, 
 many an honorable man persecuted at the instigation of 
 that most machiavelic of all ministers, might exclaim in 
 making a slight alteration in a well known epitaph: 
 
 Cy-git M ah! qu'il est bien 
 
 Pour son repos et pour le mien ! 
 
 Among the other striking buildings in the old town is the 
 Hofburg or Imperial Palace, a very extensive quadrangular 
 building, with a large court in its centre. A Guard mounts 
 here every day at eleven o'clock. It was in one of the saloons 
 of this palace that the celebrated Congress of Vienna was 
 held; a Congress whose labours will be long and severely 
 felt by Europe and duly appreciated by posterity, who will 
 feel any other sentiment but that of gratitude for the 
 arrangements entered into there. The Hofburg was built by 
 Leopold VII in 1200. This building, from its being extremely 
 irregular and from its having received additions at intervals 
 in the different styles of architecture, has been aptly enough 
 considered as the type of the Austrian monarchy, and of its 
 growth from a Markgraviate to an Empire; in this, by the 
 continued acquisition of foreign territories differing from 
 each other in manners and in speech; in that, by the con- 
 tinued addition of various specimens of architecture and 
 style of building in its augmentation. 
 
 VIENNA, Aug. 8th. 
 
 I am very well content with my abode at the Weisser Wolf, 
 tho' it is not a first-rate hotel. They are very civil people, 
 and I have an excellent and spacious room for two florins 
 Wiener Wharung per diem. Lodgings are the only things 
 that are dear in Vienna, every other article is, however, 
 cheaper than in any other city I have yet been in. All kinds 
 of Hungarian wine may be had at the most reasonable 
 prices. I generally breakfast at a neighbouring Cafe in the 
 Fleischmarkt for the sake of reading the Allgemeine Zeitung 
 which is taken in there, and which is the only journal having 
 a shade of liberality which is permitted in the Austrian 
 dominions. From the hours of twelve to three, dinners a la 
 BB2 371
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 carte are served at the Weisser Wolf. For two and half 
 florins W.W., I get an excellent dinner with a bottle of 
 Offener wine. The wine of Offen resembles much that of 
 Bordeaux in its quality and flavor. The tariff however of 
 the dinners and wines varies daily a few kreutzers, in con- 
 sequence of the eternal fluctuation of the W.W., so that 
 every morning a fresh tariff is affixed to the wainscot of the 
 saloon where the dinners are served. Supper, served likewise 
 a la carte, is at its full tide between the hours of eight and 
 ten o'clock ;'and as Vienna is renowned for the celebrity of its 
 beefsteaks and cutlets, called here Rostbraten, these and a 
 salad seem to be the favourite dish for supper. My morn- 
 ings I have hitherto passed in lounging about the Karnth- 
 ner Gasse, St Stephen's Platz, Kohlmarkt, etc. For an hour 
 before dinner the fashionable promenade is on the rampart 
 in front of the palace of Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen ; in the 
 evening on the Prater, in a carriage, on horseback, or on 
 foot. The Prater is of immense extent and offers a great 
 variety of amusements and sights. I generally return home 
 at night pretty well fatigued from my rambles. 
 
 There is another great inconvenience at Vienna, resulting 
 from the fluctuation of the current money, and this is that a 
 stranger, dwelling at an inn, is sure to be disturbed five or 
 six times in the morning, sometimes as early as five or six 
 o'clock, by Jews who rap at his door to enquire if he wants to 
 exchange gold and silver against currency or vice versa. I 
 used to lose all patience at being so disturbed in the morn- 
 ing, and was obliged in self-defence to put an affiche on the 
 door of my room to this effect : "Man kauft und verkauft hier 
 nichts; kein Wechsler darf hereintreten" "Here there is no 
 buying and selling; no money changer is allowed to come 
 in," and I hereby recommend to all strangers not to treat 
 with these Jews, but on their arrival, or at any time they 
 think fit, to go to a banking establishment in this city, 
 where every day after eleven o'clock you can exchange 
 your gold and silver for paper at the just rate of ex- 
 change, as published at the Bourse, paying only a very 
 872
 
 TROUBLE WITH AUSTRIAN MONEY 
 
 slight premium, and on leaving Vienna to go to the same 
 establishment to change your superfluous Wiener Wahrung 
 for Convenzions Milnze or gold and silver money. For when 
 the Jews tell you the rate of exchange is so and so, you con- 
 clude probably your bargain with them, and on enquir- 
 ing at the Bourse you find that the Jew has made a percen- 
 tage of six or eight per cent, out of you. Louis d'or are the 
 best foreign coin to bring into the Austrian Dominions. 
 Next to them in utility are the Dutch ducats, or Gehar- 
 nischte Manner as they are termed, from the figure of the 
 man in armour upon them. All other coins suffer a loss in 
 proportion. The bankers in Vienna pay the foreign bill of 
 exchange in Convenzions Milnze, which you must after- 
 wards change for Wiener Wahrung, the only current money 
 in Vienna and Austria. But what makes it additionally 
 troublesome is that here in Vienna there are particular 
 payments, which must absolutely be paid in gold or silver 
 or Convenzions Milnze, and not Wiener Wahrung; for 
 instance the franking of foreign letters at the post office, 
 where they do not take the Wiener Whdrung. In vain you 
 may intreat them to take the Wiener Wahrung at any rate 
 they please; no! you must go elsewhere and buy from the 
 first person you can meet with as much gold and silver as is 
 required for the franking of the letters ; so bigotted are they 
 in the Austrian dominions to the letter of the law! This 
 happened to me: I wanted to frank three letters for Eng- 
 land and I went to the post office with Wiener Wahrung 
 paper, not being aware of this regulation, and I was obliged 
 to return to my Hotel, to lay hold of a Jew, and to buy from 
 him as much gold and silver as was requisite for the frank- 
 ing of the letters. 
 
 At the Wechselbank or Bank of Exchange I have before 
 mentioned, the crowd that attends daily is immense; but 
 the business is carried on without hurry or confusion. You 
 hand in your paper or your gold and silver coin, the clerk 
 who receives it gives you an order on paper for the amount 
 specified, which paper you take into another room and 
 
 373
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 therein receive the amount. This establishment, however, 
 remains open only two hours every day, between eleven and 
 one I believe ; so if you are too late for this interval of time, 
 you must apply to the brokers, Christian or Israelite. 
 
 VIENNA, August llth. 
 
 We left the old town by the Burg-thor, and crossing the 
 Esplanade, directed our course to the Rennweg, one of the 
 suburbs, in order to view the majestic edifice of St Charles, 
 which is equal in the beauty of its architecture to many of 
 the finest churches in Rome. Its faade and cupola render 
 it one of the most striking buildings belonging to Vienna. We 
 next visited the Manege and the Palace called the palace of 
 the Hungarian Noble Guard. They are both beautiful edifices. 
 The faubourgs of Vienna are built in the modern style and 
 their buildings, both public and private, excellent in their 
 way and in the best state. The streets of the faubourgs are 
 broad but not paved. The most celebrated of these faubourgs 
 are Maria Hulf, Leopold-stadt, Landstrasse, the Rennweg, 
 the Wdhringer Gasse; and I am persuaded that if the old 
 town were united to the faubourg by means of streets and 
 squares and the esplanade filled up with buildings, Vienna 
 would perhaps be the handsomest city in Europe and the 
 fourth in size, for the best buildings and palaces are in the 
 faubourgs, viz., the Military College, the Polytechnic 
 School, St Charles' Church, the Porcelain fabric, the 
 Palaces of Esterhazy, Kaunitz, Stahremberg, Schwarzen- 
 berg, Palfy, and the beautiful Palace and ground of Belve- 
 dere in which last is a noble collection of pictures open to 
 the public. At the Polytechnic school one of the principal 
 
 professors is a friend of Mr F 's, and he explained to us 
 
 the nature of the establishment and the course of studies 
 pursued. The apparatus for every branch of science is on 
 the grandest scale. After dinner we repaired to the Prater, 
 crossing a branch of the Danube which here forms several 
 islands. The Prater requires and deserves particular men- 
 tion. Part of it is something in the style of the Champs 
 374
 
 THE PRATER AT VIENNA 
 
 Ely sees at Paris, and it is fully equal to it in the variety of 
 amusements and enjoyments to be met with there; but it 
 is far larger and more beautiful on account of its landscape 
 and the diversified manner in which the grounds are laid 
 out. The Prater, then, is an immense park, laid out on an 
 island of considerable extent on the Danube. The nearest 
 faubourg to it is the Leopoldstadt, which is also the most 
 fashionable one, and a bridge conducts you from that 
 faubourg direct into the Prater. The Prater presents a mix- 
 ture of garden, meadow, upland and forest; the lofty 
 trees arranged in avenues or in clumps give a delightful 
 protecting shade. On the road destined for the carriages 
 there is every afternoon a most brilliant display of car- 
 riages. Another avenue is destined for equestrians, and 
 two avenues, one on each side of these two, for pedestrians. 
 There are besides winding footpaths, that conduct you all 
 over this vast extent of ground, and circular grass plots 
 surrounded by trees where the pedestrian may repose and 
 eat and drink if he will. Here are restaurants in plenty, 
 cafes, Panoramas, exhibitions of wild beasts, swings, 
 tennis courts, places for running at the ring, do. for bur- 
 lesque dramatic performances, farceurs, jugglers, De Bach's 
 Equestrian Amphitheatre in the style of Franconi, Salles 
 de Danse, baths, billiard rooms, gaming tables, and even 
 houses appropriated to gallantry. In fact, the Prater 
 is quite the Paradise of the bourgeoisie of Vienna, who are 
 fond of the pleasures of the table and take every oppor- 
 tunity of making dinner and supper parties. The bourgeois 
 of Vienna are far more sensual than spiritual and not at all 
 disposed to self-denial. 
 
 Excellent hams and sausages are to be had here; and the 
 Viennese who dines and sups heartily at his own house 
 never fails, during his evening promenade, to take a toler- 
 able good portion of ham or sausage, with a proportion of 
 Offen wine or Maylander Beer, by way of staying his 
 stomach during the tedious interval between dinner and 
 supper. I need scarce add that smoking is universal, as 
 
 375
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 indeed it is all over Germany, for I scarcely ever see a 
 German without a pipe either in his mouth or fastened to 
 his coat and a bag or pouch of tobacco either in his pocket 
 or attached to his button hole. In the Prater dances often 
 take place in the open air between the grisettes of Vienna, 
 who are in general handsome and well made, and who dress 
 well, and their lovers and admirers. The Prater was first 
 opened to the public by the Emperor Joseph II. The Au- 
 garien is another place of recreation and amusement, but on 
 a smaller and much more tranquil and sober scale, than the 
 Prater. None of the lower classes think of coming here, tho' 
 it is open to every body decently dressed: there is not that 
 profuse eating and drinking going forward. It is more pro- 
 perly speaking a promenade, and forms a garden with 
 alleys of trees where music is often performed and there is a 
 superb saloon where refreshments may be had. The 
 Au-garten is frequented chiefly by the Noblesse and Haute 
 Bourgeoisie. In the morning likewise it is a fashionable 
 resort to drink the mineral waters. It adjoins the Prater, 
 being on the same island. It was the favourite lounge of 
 Joseph II, who opened it to the public by affixing this 
 inscription on one of the gates : 
 
 Allen Menschen gewidmete Erlustigung von ihrem Schatzer 
 " Place of recreation open to all Men by their esteemer." 
 
 VIENNA, Aug. 13th. 
 
 There are a great number of theatres at Vienna. Two are 
 situated in the old town, viz., the Hof-theater and the Burg- 
 theater. The Hof-theater is only open when the Court are at 
 Vienna, and they are now at Baden, ten leagues distant. 
 The Burg-theater is open all the year round, and may be 
 considered as the national theatre. It is much frequented 
 by the bourgeoisie and inhabitants of the old town, who 
 do not chuse to take the trouble to go to the Wieden-theater, 
 which is situated in the faubourgs, and which is more of a 
 classical and fashionable theatre than the other, inasmuch 
 as it is more elegantly and classically built, better fitted up, 
 and has a far better company of comedians. At the Burg- 
 376
 
 THE VIENNESE THEATRE 
 
 theater I saw Kotzebue's Edelsinn und Armuth performed. 
 The Wieden theatre which is, as I have said, in the fau- 
 bourgs, is the handsomest theatre perhaps in Europe for 
 its size. It is not large, but it is fitted up with so much taste 
 and you see and hear so well; every ornament is so chaste 
 and there is nothing at all tawdry or superfluous. It is, I 
 really think, a model of what every theatre ought to be. 
 There is a good deal of bronze about it which gives it a 
 classical appearance, and the boxes are supported by Carya- 
 tides in bronze. There is a peculiarity in all the theatres at 
 Vienna, which is, that in the parterre you must sit in the 
 place the number of which is marked on your ticket. These 
 places are called Gesperrte Sitze, and each seat resembles 
 an armchair. When not occupied, the seat is folded up and 
 locked to the back of the chair, until the person who holds 
 the ticket corresponding to its number comes to take it; 
 so that no other but the person holding the ticket corre- 
 sponding to the number can take it, and you are thus never 
 likely to be shoved out of your place, as you are at most of 
 the theatres in Europe. There are men stationed at the doors 
 who follow you into the parterre to unlock and let down a 
 seat for you, and to them you give your ticket with a slight 
 gratification, which is however quite optional; your ticket 
 you previously pay for at the door. 
 
 VIENNA, Augt. 20th. 
 
 I have been to see Schonbrunn, the usual residence of the 
 young Napoleon ; but he is now at Baden with the Imperial 
 family, where his mother, who is lately arrived from Italy, 
 is also on a visit. The young Napoleon is said to be a re- 
 markable fine boy, and a great favorite with his grand- 
 father the Emperor. Many are the anecdotes related of him. 
 I shall mention one. He had heard so often talk of his father, 
 that shortly after the arrival of his mother, he wished to see 
 his father also and asked his attendants repeatedly and not 
 in a very patient tone: Wo ist denn mein Voter?* This was 
 
 * Where is my father? 
 
 377
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 told to his grandfather the Emperor ; and he gave directions 
 that the child should be brought to him, the very next time 
 he should put the question. He then said to him: Du 
 mochtestwissenwo dein Voter ist? Er ist in Verhaft. Man hat es 
 mil ihm gut gemeint; weil er aber unruhig war, so hat man ihn 
 in Verhaft gestellt, und Dich wird man auch verhaften, wenn 
 Du unruhig bist.* 
 
 So much for this anecdote; but I did not hear what was 
 the answer of the young prince. The young Napoleon is, it 
 appears, a great favorite of the soldiers, who quite adore 
 him, and he will sometimes go into the kitchen to get 
 bread and meat to give to the soldiers on Guard at the 
 Palace. A singular event happened lately to Maria Louisa. 
 During her stay at Schonbrunn, her chatouille, with several 
 things of value in it, bijouterie, etc., was stolen from her. 
 She caused enquiries to be made, and researches to be set on 
 foot. Nobody has been able to find out who took it; but it 
 was put back in the precise place from whence it was taken, 
 and not a single article of the bijouterie or things of value 
 was missing. It is supposed this theft was made for political 
 purposes, in order to discover the nature of her epistolary 
 correspondence, if any existed. Had it been taken by a 
 vulgar thief, it is not probable that the articles of value 
 would have been restored. Such is the unhappy condition 
 of that Princess to be always an object of suspicion and 
 espionnage. 
 
 Journey to Prague. 
 
 I left Vienna on the 28th August in a Landkutsche and 
 arrived at Prague on the first of September. 
 
 These Landkutsche are on the same plan and footing with 
 the vetture in Italy, and travel in the same manner, with 
 this difference, however, that the Landkutscher do not 
 usually, as the vetturini do, undertake to provide for the 
 supper and bed of their passengers. In a word, you are not 
 
 * " You wish to know where your father is? He is under arrest; people 
 were well disposed to him; but he is placed under arrest, because he was 
 unruly, and if you are unruly you will be placed under arrest likewise." 
 
 378
 
 FROM VIENNA TO PRAGUE 
 
 spesato ; and in Germany there is not the least necessity for 
 it, for there is no such thing as extortion on the part of the 
 German innkeepers, who are by far the most respectable 
 of that profession. Besides, in most places, everything is 
 tariffed, and where it is not, the landlord never makes an 
 unreasonable demand, or attempts to make foreigners pay 
 more than natives; whereas in Italy if you are not spesato 
 there are no bounds to the rapacity of the innkeepers, 
 witness mine host of Terracina. Both Italy and Germany 
 present the greatest convenience for travellers, as the 
 Landkutsche or vetture are continually passing from town to 
 town. There is however this difference between them, that 
 the Italian vetturini will abate their price, if their carriage is 
 full excepting one place, and that they must start, whereas 
 the German Landkutscher never abate their price. 
 
 I paid for my journey from Vienna to Prague thirty-five 
 florins Wiener Wahrung, and we made the journey in five 
 days. Our first day's journey brought us to Hollabrunn, 
 having stoppd to dinner at Stockeran. The road is excellent 
 and the several towns and villages we past thro' clean and 
 well built. The landscape was either a plain, or gently undu- 
 lating and extremely well cultivated. 
 
 Bohemia resembles Moravia, being an exceedingly rich 
 corn country, generally open; not many trees about the 
 country near the road side, except at the Chateau and farm 
 houses. The language is a dialect of the Sclavonic, mixed 
 with some German; but at the inns there is always one or 
 two servants who speak German. In Bohemia a traveller 
 not speaking German, and who has no interpreter with him, 
 would find himself greatly embarassed. The Bohemians call 
 themselves in their own language Cherschky, and the Hun- 
 garians call themselves Magyar. 
 
 379
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 SEPTEMBER i8i8-MARCH 1819 
 
 The splendid city of Prague The German expression, " To give the 
 basket " Journey from Prague to Dresden Journey from Dresden to 
 Berlin A description of Berlin The Prussian Army Theatricals 
 Peasants talk about Napoleon Prussians and French should be allies 
 Absurd policy of the English Tories Journey from Berlin to Dresden A 
 description of Dresden The battle of Dresden in 1 8 1 3 Clubs at Dresden 
 Theatricals German beds Saxon scholars The picture gallery Tobacco 
 an ally of Legitimacy Saxon women Meissen Unjust policy of Europe 
 towards the King of Saxony. 
 
 PRAGUE, 4 Sept. 
 
 PRAGUE is a far more striking and splendid city than 
 Vienna, without its faubourgs. The streets are broader; and 
 it has a more cheerful and less confined appearance than the 
 old town of Vienna. The position of Prague too is very ro- 
 mantic and picturesque, part of it lying on a mountain and 
 part on a plain ; and it stands on the confluent of two rivers, 
 the Mulda and the Braun. The upper part of the city, 
 called Oberburg, stands on a height called Ratschin, and on 
 this height stands a most magnificent palace and other 
 stately buildings. There is a beautiful panoramic view from 
 this part of Prague. In this part of the city too is the 
 cathedral of St Wenzel or Wenceslaus, who was its founder. 
 His tomb and that of St John Nepomucene, a favorite 
 saint of the Bohemians, is in this church. The Cathedral is of 
 extreme solidity, but little ornamented, having been plun- 
 dered by the Swedes in 1648. The canopy over the shrine 
 of St John Nepomucene has a profusion of votive offerings 
 appended to it. The lower part of Prague is divided into 
 two parts by the Mulda. The bridge across the Mulda is one 
 of the finest in Europe. It has twenty-four arches, its length 
 is 1700 feet and its breadth 35. Among several statues on 
 this bridge is a very remarkable one of Jesus Christ, made 
 of bronze gilt, which cost a large sum of money to its 
 founder, a Jew! There is a Latin inscription on it which 
 explains the paradox. There stood on the same spot a 
 380
 
 ASPECTS OF PRAGUE 
 
 wooden statue of Christ in the XVI century. One day an 
 opulent Jew, on passing by, made some scoffing or con- 
 temptuous remark on it. He was overheard by some of the 
 people, accused of blasphemy and condemned to die; but on 
 expressing great contrition and offering to pay a fine to any 
 amount, he was pardoned, on the condition of his promising 
 to erect a bronze statue gilt of Jesus Christ on the same 
 spot, at his own expense, with an inscription explaining 
 the reason of its construction; which promise he punctually 
 performed. Prague abounds in Jews. Two-thirds at least of 
 its population are of that persuasion. In the lower town the 
 most striking edifices are the palace of the Wallenstein 
 family, descendants of the famous Wallenstein, so dis- 
 tinguished in the Thirty Years war. Annexed to this 
 Palace is a spacious garden, which is open to the public as a 
 promenade. It is well laid out. There is a large aviary. This 
 Palace covers a vast extent of ground. The Colloredo family, 
 who are descended from Wenceslaus, have a superb 
 Palace in this city; and there is a stable belonging to it, 
 partly in marble and of rich architecture, capable of con- 
 taining thirty-six horses. No traveller who comes to Prague 
 should omit visiting these two Palaces of Wallenstein and 
 Colloredo. On the bridge over the Mulda before mentioned, 
 is the statue in bronze of St John Nepomucene, on the spot 
 from whence he was thrown into the river by his brother 
 saint, King Wenceslaus, for refusing to divulge the gallan- 
 tries of his (Wenceslaus') wife, to whom he was confessor. A 
 favorite promenade on Sundays is on the Fdrber Insel or 
 Dyers island, which is a small island on the Mulda. Here the 
 young men of the town come to dance with the grisettes and 
 milliner girls of Prague, who are renowned for their beauty 
 and complaisance. 
 
 The Jewish burying ground is a curiosity for a person who 
 has never visited the Oriental countries. The tombstones are 
 stowed thick together. Everybody recollects the anecdote of 
 the ingenious method adopted by Joseph II for squeezing 
 a large sum of money from the Jews of Prague, by giving out 
 
 381
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 that he intended to claim this cemetery, in order to build 
 therein a Palace. The Jews who, like all the Orientals, have 
 the most profound veneration for the spot where their 
 ancestors are buried, presented a large sum of money to the 
 Emperor, to induce him to renounce his design. 
 
 The Stadt-Haus (Hotel de Ville) is a fine building; and the 
 Marktplatz (market square) is very spacious, and contributes 
 much to the beauty of the town. In the centre of it stands an 
 ancient fountain of a dodecagonal form. The basin is of 
 red marble, and near it stands a large stone column, with 
 a statue of the Virgin, bronze gilt, on its summit. A well 
 supplied market, or rather fair, is carried on here every day 
 in the week. The Theatre is a fine building and is of im- 
 mense size. I witnessd the representation of a burlesque 
 tragedy called Die Belagerung von Ypsilon (the siege of 
 Ypsilon), but I could not at all comprehend the cream of the 
 jest. Madame Catalani, who is here, sang at this theatre one 
 night. The theatre was completely filled and the price of 
 admission to the boxes and parterre a ducat. The street 
 adjoining to the theatre was crowded by people endeavor- 
 ing to catch the sweet sounds. Immense hommage has been 
 paid to Catalani by the authorities here. 
 
 The balls of the bourgeoisie of Prague are splendid and 
 well attended. The bourgeoisie is very opulent in this city. 
 There are but few residents Noblesse. The expences at the 
 inns here are rather greater than those at Vienna, wine 
 being a foreign commodity and beer the national beverage. 
 My daily expences here for lodging, dinner, supper and 
 breakfast amounted to four florins Convenzions Munze, 
 about nine franks nearly, French money. The country 
 environing Prague is rich and abounding in corn; there are 
 likewise hops. The walls of Prague still bear the marks made 
 by Frederic's shot when he blockaded Prague. 
 
 PRAGUE, 7th Sept. 
 
 To-morrow I shall start for Dresden. The diligence goes 
 off only once a week, but I have engaged a car or rather 
 382
 
 " TO GIVE THE BASKET " 
 
 light basket waggon drawn by two horses (a vehicle very 
 common in Germany) to convey me to Dresden in two days 
 and half. I am to pay for half of the waggon, and another 
 traveller will pay for the remaining half. 
 
 Before I leave Prague I must tell you that I have found 
 out the origin of the German phrase: Jemand den Korb zu 
 geben (to give the basket), which means a refusal of marriage. 
 Thus when a young lady refuses an offer of marriage on the 
 part of her admirer, the phrase is: Sie hat ihm den Korb 
 gegeben (She has given him the basket). Hitherto I have not 
 met with any one who could explain to me satisfactorily the 
 origin of so singular a phrase; but on reading lately a 
 volume of the Volksmahrchen (Popular tales) I found not 
 only the derivation of this phrase, but also that of the 
 name of the city of Prague. Both are connected in the 
 same story, and both concern the history of Prague. The 
 story is as follows. 
 
 Libussa, Duchess of Bohemia, had three lovers, two of 
 whom were not remarkably intelligent, but the third pos- 
 sessed a great deal of talent and was her favorite. She was 
 much importuned by the rival suitors. She appeared before 
 them one day with a basket filled with plums in her hand; and 
 said she would give her hand in marriage to whoever of them 
 should guess the following arithmetical riddle. She said: 
 "One of you shall take half the plums that are in this basket, 
 and one over: another shall take half of what remains, 
 and one over: the third shall take half of what still remains 
 and three over, and then all the plums will have been taken. 
 Now tell me how many plums there are in the basket." 
 Her favorite was the only one who could guess the number 
 of plums which was thirty. To him therefore she gave her hand 
 and the plums, and to the other suitors the empty basket. 
 Hence the phrase. The solution of the question is as follows : 
 
 A takes half of the plums in the basket (30) and one 
 
 over 15 + 1 = 16 
 
 B half of what remained (14) and one over . . . . 7 + 1= 8 
 
 C half of what remained (6) and three over . . . . 3 + 3= 6 
 
 Total 30 
 383
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Now with regard to the origin of the city of Prague. 
 The former residence was much too small, and Libussa 
 directed her workmen to build a town on the spot, where 
 they should find at midday a man making the best use of his 
 teeth. They began their research and one day at that hour 
 discovered a carpenter sawing a block of wood. It struck 
 them that this laborious man was making a better use of his 
 teeth (viz., teeth of his saw) than the mere feeder and they 
 judged that this ought to be the place where the town should 
 be built. They therefore proceeded to trace with a plough 
 the circumference of the town. On asking the carpenter 
 what he was about to make with the block he ,was sawing, 
 he said " A threshold for a door," which is called Prah or 
 Praha in the Bohemian language and Libussa gave to the 
 city the name of Praha or Prag. 
 
 BERLIN, 24th Sept. 
 
 Berlin has a splendid and cheerful appearance, with fine 
 broad streets, superb white buildings and Palaces, for the 
 most part in the Grecian taste ; it has quite the appearance 
 in short of an Italian city. Nearly all the streets are at right 
 angles; they are kept very clean and the shops make a 
 brilliant display. I felt so much pain in my legs, from the 
 effect of my pedestrian journey, that I was obliged to 
 remain in my chamber one entire day. There is a very good 
 table d'hote at my inn for twelve Groschen. Wine is paid for 
 extra, and at the rate of from 12 to 18 Groschen the bottle. 
 The sort usually drunk here is the Medoc. The prices of 
 articles of prime necessity are dearer in Berlin than either 
 at Dresden or Vienna; particularly the article of washing, 
 which is dearer than in any country I have yet visited. 
 The next morning I began my rambles, and directed my 
 course to the favorite and fashionable promenade of the 
 beau monde, at all hours of the day, I mean in the fine 
 street or alley Unter den Linden, so called from it being 
 planted with lime trees. There is a range of elegant buildings 
 384
 
 MONUMENTS AT BERLIN 
 
 on each side, and at the end, near the Thier Garten (Park), is 
 a superb gate called the Brandenburger Thor in the shape of a 
 triumphal arch ornamented with a statue of Peace, with an 
 olive branch in her hand, standing on a car drawn by four 
 horses abreast, the whole groupe being of bronze and of 
 exquisite workmanship. The four horses are imitated from 
 the Corinthian horses at Venice and yield to them in nothing 
 but antiquity. Indeed they have a much more pleasing and 
 striking effect, in being thus attached to a car, than standing 
 by themselves, as the Venetian ones do, on the top of the 
 fa9ade of a church. This Brandenburger Thor is con- 
 structed after the model of the Propylaeum of Athens. 
 
 The Opera House, a building in the Grecian taste erected 
 by Frederic the Great with the inscription Apollini et Musis, 
 and after that the Academy of the Fine Arts engaged my 
 attention. Both these buildings are remarkable, and they 
 are near the Linden. The old town is much intersected by 
 canals communicating with the Spree which divides it. 
 I call it the old town, to distinguish it from the quarter 
 composed of streets of recent construction between the 
 former enceinte of the town and the Brandenburger Thor. 
 The Hotel of the Invalides, a ponderous building, bears the 
 following inscription : Laesis non victis. The Bank and the 
 Arsenal next engaged my attention, as also a Guard House 
 of recent construction in the shape of a Doric temple. The 
 Royal Palace is an immense building, partly in the Gothic 
 and partly in the Grecian style. It is very heavy but impos- 
 ing. The interior of this Palace is royally fitted up, except 
 the little room occupied by the great Frederic, which is left 
 in the same state as when he occupied it; and you know he 
 was not fond of superfluous ornament. In the green before the 
 Palace stands the statue of the Prince of Anhalt Dessau, 
 the founder of the Prussian Infantry system, and at a short 
 distance from this, on the Lange Brucke, stands the colossal 
 equestrian statue in bronze of the Great Elector. 
 
 The Konigstrasse is the principal street and a very fine 
 one it is; next to it in point of beauty is the Franzosische 
 cc 385
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Strasse. The Wilhelm Platz is adorned with the statues 
 in marble of Schwerin, Seidlitz, Keith, Winterfeld, and 
 Ziethen. But I cannot enumerate all the splendid public 
 establishments and fine things to be seen in this beautiful 
 city. The most striking church is that of St Hedwig. I call 
 it the most striking from its resemblance to the Pantheon at 
 Rome. The Cathedral is perhaps a finer building. 'Tis in this 
 last that the Electoral and Royal remains are deposited. 
 
 The streets here swarm with military, and indeed the 
 profession of arms seems to have too much sway in the 
 Prussian dominions. The subalterns and young men of the 
 Prussian Army are said to have republican sentiments, 
 and they, in common with all the burghers, desire a con- 
 stitution. It galls them to see one enjoyed by the Bavarians, 
 whom they affect to look upon as inferior to them in intelli- 
 gence, and that it should be refused to them. Most of the 
 nobility and the greater part of the General and field 
 officers are however inveterate aristocrats. 
 
 You have heard, I dare say, of the attempt made by some 
 officers among the nobility to exclude from the service, after 
 the peace, those officers who were not noble. When it is con- 
 sidered that their best and most zealous officers sprung 
 from the burghers, and that Prussia, when abandoned by 
 her King and nobles, was saved from permanent subjection 
 only by the unparalleled exertions of her burghers and 
 peasantry, one is shocked at such ingratitude and absurdity. 
 But the officers of the Royal Guard went so far as to draw 
 up a petition to the King, requesting him to dismiss all the 
 officers of the corps who were not noble, and Blucher was 
 applied to to present this petition to the King. Blucher read 
 the paper and ordered all the officers to assemble on the 
 parade and thus addressed them: "Gentlemen, I have 
 received your paper and read its contents with the utmost 
 astonishment. All the remarks that I shall permit myself to 
 make on the subject of this petition, are, that it makes me 
 ashamed of being myself a noble." He then tore the petition 
 in pieces and, dismissed them. 
 386
 
 MANNERS AND MORALS AT BERLIN 
 
 I have been once at the theatre. Lodoiska was performed. 
 I saw a number of fine women in the boxes. Formerly gal- 
 lantry and pleasure were the order of the day at Berlin; 
 but now, the Court assuming the exterior of rigid morality 
 and strictly exercised religious devotion, mystic cant and 
 dullness is the order of the day. The death of the Queen of 
 Prussia threw a great damp over the amusements of the 
 Court. At Charlottenburg, which is a short distance from 
 Berlin, in the grounds there, they point out to you her 
 favourite spots. She was a most amiable Princess, and 
 united to great personal beauty so much grace and fasci- 
 nation and so many good qualities that she was beloved by 
 all, and the breath of calumny never ventured to assail her. 
 
 The alley Unter den Linden in the evening presents a 
 great assemblage of Cyprian nymphs, who promenade up 
 and down; they dress well and are perfectly well behaved. 
 There is a superb establishment of this kind at Berlin, 
 which all strangers should visit out of curiosity. It is not 
 indispensably necessary to sacrifice to the Goddess whose 
 worship is carried on there ; but you may limit yourself to 
 admire the temple, call for refreshments and contemplate 
 the priestesses. 
 
 There is the utmost moral and political freedom at 
 Berlin, and tho' the Government is despotic in form, free- 
 dom of speech is allowed. An army of 200,000 men admir- 
 ably disciplined and armed, of these a garrison of 15,000 
 men in Berlin and as many at Potsdam, are quite suf- 
 ficient to keep in check all attempts to put political 
 theories and speculations into practice. Indeed, it would 
 be very difficult to excite a revolt; the various German 
 governments are carried on very paternally and the 
 government is scarcely felt; habits of obedience have taken 
 deep root among the people, and a German peasant 
 as long as he gets enough to eat and drink, does not con- 
 ceive himself unhappy, or thinks of a change. I could not 
 help laughing the other day, at a little village near Berlin, 
 when I heard some peasants talking of Napoleon; one of 
 cc2 387
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 them, who seemed to have some partiality for him, 
 exclaimed, meaning to blame him for leaving Elba: Aber 
 warum verliess er seine Insel? Er hatte dock zu essen und 
 tririken so viel er wollte (Why did he leave Elba? He had 
 surely plenty to eat and drink). This good peasant could 
 not conceive that a man blessed with these comforts should 
 like to change his situation or run any risks to do so. 
 
 French as well as German is commonly spoken in Berlin, 
 and I am glad to see that the prejudice against the French 
 is wearing off. If the French and Prussians could under- 
 stand one another, and knew their own interests, or if the 
 French had a liberal national Government, I mean, one 
 more identified with the interests of the people than the 
 present one is, what advantage might not rise therefrom? 
 They are natural allies, and united they might be able 
 effectually to humble the overbearing insolence and 
 political coxcombry of the Czar, shake to its centre the 
 systematic despotism and light-fearing leader of Austria, 
 and keep in check the commercial greediness, monopolizing 
 spirit and tory arrogance of England. The German political 
 writers duly appreciate the illiberal policy of England 
 towards the continental nations, by which she invariably 
 helps to crush liberty on the Continent in the hopes of para- 
 lysing their energies and industry, in order to compel them 
 to buy English manufactures, and in fine to make them 
 dependent on England for every article of consumption. 
 England, ever since the beginning of the reign of George III 
 to the present day, has been always ready to lend a hand to 
 crush liberty, to perpetuate abuses and to rivet the fetters 
 of monarchial, feudal and ecclesiastical tyranny. 
 
 These are facts and cannot be denied. The English people 
 have been taxed to the last farthing to support a war of 
 privileges against Freedom; and Europe is in consequence 
 prostrate at the feet of an unprincipled coalition, thro' 
 England's arms and England's gold; and then an English 
 minister, and his vile hireling journals, tell you that the 
 continental nations are not ripe for and do not deserve 
 388
 
 RETURN TO DRESDEN 
 
 liberty. Even the Pope and Grand Turk, both so much 
 dreaded | by our pious ancestors, have been supported, 
 caressed and subsidized, in order to help to put down all 
 efforts made to obtain rational liberty, which the courtiers 
 always affect to stigmatize with the name of " Jacobinism," 
 while a number of needy individual have enriched them- 
 selves by the public plunder and by aiding and abetting the 
 system, all novi homines, men who, had there been more to 
 gain on the other side than by espousing Toryism, would 
 not have been backward; men who are Jacobins in the 
 real sense of the word, however they cloak themselves 
 under the specious names of Church and King men; up- 
 holders of Pitt and his system, for which they affect a 
 veneration they are far from really feeling; men, in fact, 
 whose political scruples of whatever nature they be, would 
 soon melt away. 
 
 DRESDEN, 5th October. 
 
 I have been fortunate in getting into very comfortable 
 lodgings, having two rooms and as much firing as I chuse 
 for eight Reichsthalers per month. Coffee is made for me at 
 home in the morning, and I generally dine and sup at a 
 restaurant close by near the bridge. The Platz in the 
 Neustadt is close to my lodgings, and being very large and 
 well paved and lined with trees, it affords a very agreeable 
 promenade. Rows of elegant houses line the sides of this 
 Platz, among which the Stadthaus is particularly remark- 
 able. The famous Japan Palace, as it is called, is also in the 
 Neustadt, and but a short distance from the Platz. The 
 gardens of Count Marcolini afford also a pleasant pro- 
 menade; but by far the most agreeable walk, in my opinion, 
 is on the Zzvinger, a sort of terrace on the left bank of the 
 Elbe in the old town, adjoining the palace and gardens of 
 Count Bruhl. From this place you have a noble view of a 
 long reach of the Elbe. It is besides the favorite promenade 
 of the ladies. On the Zwinger too is a building containing a 
 fine collection of paintings. Here are cafes likewise and a 
 restaurant. The evening promenades are in the gardens of 
 
 389
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the Linkischer Bad (Bath of Link) on the banks of the 
 Elbe, where there is a summer theatre. This is the favourite 
 resort of the bourgeoisie on Sundays and jours de fete: 
 gouters and supper parties are formed here and very good 
 music is heard. The Elbe bridge is of beautiful structure, 
 and there is a good regulation with respect to those who 
 pass over this bridge; which is that one side of the bridge 
 is reserved for those going from the new to the old town, 
 and the other side for those going from the old to the new 
 town, and if you attempt to go on the wrong side you are 
 stopped by a sentry, so that there is no jostling nor loung- 
 ing on this bridge. An arch of this bridge was blown up by 
 Marshal Davoust in order to arrest the progress of the Rus- 
 sians, and a great deal of management was necessary to 
 effectuate it, for the worthy Saxons have a great venera- 
 tion for this bridge, and in order to inforce the execution 
 of this resolution on the part of the Marshal, the personal 
 order of the King and the employment of Saxon troops 
 were necessary. It has been rebuilt since, and no one 
 would know that the arch had ever been blown up, but 
 from the extreme whiteness of the new arch, contrasting 
 with the darker color of the old ones. 
 
 In the old town or Dresden proper, the finest buildings 
 are: the Catholic church, standing near the bridge, an 
 edifice yielding in beauty but to few in Italy and to none 
 in other countries. Here you hear excellent music during 
 the church service; and the King and Royal family, all of 
 whom are Catholics, attend constantly. The Royal Palace 
 is very near the church and not far from it is the theatre. 
 Saxony being a Lutheran country, the public exercise 
 of the Catholic religion was not permitted until Napo- 
 leon's time, when he proposed an arrangement to permit 
 to the King and all other Catholics the public celebration 
 of their religion, which proposition was acceded to with 
 universal approbation on the part of the Protestants, and 
 now the Host is frequently displayed in the streets. There 
 are however but few Catholics in Dresden among the 
 390
 
 MONUMENTS AT DRESDEN 
 
 natives. So great is the respect for usages and customs in 
 Germany, that the Electors of Saxony, on going over to 
 Catholicism, never thought even of requesting the indul- 
 gence of exercising their religion publicly, and the granting 
 it has produced no evil consequence, liberalism and the 
 most unreserved toleration in matters of religion being the 
 order of the day. 
 
 The Royal Palace is a very fine and extensive building 
 and the interior is well worth seeing, particularly the superb 
 Riesen-Saal where Augustus II used to give his magnifi- 
 cent fetes. One of the last and most brilliant fetes given 
 here was that given by the King of Saxony to the Emperor 
 Napoleon just before the Russian campaign, at which the 
 Emperor and Empress of Austria and most of the Sover- 
 eigns of Germany assisted, to do hommage to the great 
 Conqueror. 
 
 The Schloss-gasse or Castle Street leads from the Palace 
 into the Markt Platz where the markets and fairs are held. 
 In this place, in the Schloss-gasse and in another street 
 parallel to it, that leads from the porcelain Manufactory to 
 the Grosser Platz (Grande Place), are the finest shops and 
 greatest display of wealth. On the Grosser Platz stands the 
 Frauen-Kirche, a superb Protestant church, and which 
 may be considered as the cathedral church of Dresden. 
 The Platz is large. There is great cleanliness in all the streets 
 of Dresden, and the houses are well built and uniform; 
 but there are few other very prominent edifices except 
 those I have mentioned. On going outside the town by the 
 gate of Pirna stands, almost immediately on the right, on 
 turning down a road, the Gardens and Palace of Prince 
 Anthony. Leaving this on your right and proceeding along 
 the chaussee or high road which is nearly parallel to the 
 river, at the distance of three-quarters mile from the Gate, 
 stands the Palace and Gardens called Der Grosse Garten 
 (grand garden), which you leave on your right, if you con- 
 tinue your route on the chaussee towards Puma. I have not 
 yet visited the Grosse Garten. There is likewise a fine pro- 
 
 391
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 menade on the banks of the Elbe,but quite in an opposite 
 direction to the Pirna gate, for to arrive at it from this gate, 
 you must traverse the Pirna street and Grosser Platz; and 
 on arrival near the bridge direct your course to the left, 
 which will lead you out of one of the gates into an im- 
 mensely long avenue of elm trees parallel to the river which 
 forms the promenade. 
 
 DRESDEN, Oct. 10th. 
 
 I have been to see the Palace and grounds of the Grosser 
 Garten. The garden and park, for it unites both, is of great 
 extent, and beautifully laid out; but a number of fine trees 
 have been knocked down and mutilated by cannon shot 
 during the battle of Dresden in 1813, when this garden was 
 occupied by the Allied troops and exposed to a heavy 
 fire of fifty pieces of cannon, from a battery erected by 
 Napoleon on the opposite side of the river, which com- 
 pletely commanded and enfiladed the whole range of the 
 garden. How the Palace itself escaped being knocked to 
 pieces is wonderful; but I suppose Napoleon must have 
 given orders to spare it as much as possible. This Palace is 
 of beautiful structure and in the style of an Italian villa; 
 statues of the twelve Csesars and bas-reliefs adorn the 
 exterior. The columns and pilasters are of the Corinthian 
 order. As for the interior, it is unfurnished, and has been 
 so since the Seven Years' war, when it was plundered by the 
 enemy, and has never since been inhabited by the Electoral 
 family. There is a superb rectangular basin of water in 
 this garden. These gardens are delightfully laid out; why 
 they are not more frequented I cannot conceive, but I have 
 hitherto met with very few people there, tho' they are open 
 to all the world. They will form my morning's promenade, 
 for I prefer solitude to a crowd in a morning walk. But one 
 of the gardeners here tells me that on Sunday evening there 
 is generally a good deal of company, who come to listen to 
 the music which is played in a building fitted up for the pur- 
 pose at one side of the garden. Wine, coffee, beer and other 
 refreshments are to be had; but beer is the favorite bever- 
 392
 
 A CLUB AT DRESDEN 
 
 age. Smoking is universal among the young men; the most 
 ardent admirers of the fair sex never forget their pipe. 
 During the courtship the surest sign that the fair one does 
 not intend to give her lover the basket is when she presents 
 him with a bag to hold his tobacco. Her consent is implied 
 thereby. 
 
 During the battle of Dresden, the slaughter in this 
 garden was immense, and the Allies were finally driven 
 out of it. The gardener related to me an affecting story of a 
 young lady of Dresden, whose lover was killed in this 
 battle and buried in the Grosser Garten. She has taken it so 
 much to heart that she comes here three or four times in the 
 week to visit this grave and strew flowers over it. She remains 
 for some time absorbed in silent meditation and then with- 
 draws. She has a settled melancholy, but it has not yet 
 affected her understanding. 
 
 DRESDEN, Oct. 15th. 
 
 I met with my old friend, Sir W. I., who was travelling to 
 Berlin, with the idea of passing the winter there and of 
 proceeding in the summer to Moscow. Thro' the interests 
 
 of my friends, Col. D and Baron de F I have been 
 
 ballotted for and admitted a member of a club or society 
 here called the Ressource. It is held in a large house on the 
 Markt Platz, and is indeed a most agreeable resource to all 
 foreigners; for 'tis in this society that they are likely to 
 meet and form acquaintance with the noblesse, principal 
 bourgeoisie and litterati. It is conducted on the most liberal 
 scale and not confined to those of birth and fortune. Good 
 character, polite behaviour and litterary requirements will 
 ensure admittance to a candidate. This society consists of 
 members and honorary members; among the honorary 
 members are foreigners and others whose stay in Dresden 
 is short; but whoever remains for more than one year must 
 cease to be an honorary member and must be ballotted for 
 in order to become a permanent member, and should he be 
 blackballed he ceases to belong to the society altogether. 
 This is a very good regulation. A year is a sufficient time of 
 
 393
 
 t AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 proof for the character and conduct of a person, and should 
 he during this interval prove himself obnoxious to the 
 members of the society, they can at its expiration exclude 
 him for ever afterwards. 
 
 No enquiry is made as to the character and conduct of a 
 person who is admitted as an honorary member: it is suf- 
 ficient that he be recommended by a permanent mem- 
 ber, which is deemed a sufficient guarantee for his respecta- 
 bility. In this society there are dining rooms, billiard rooms, 
 card rooms, a large reading room. Here too is a small but 
 well chosen library and three or four newspapers in every 
 European language; all the German newspapers and re- 
 views and the principal periodical works in the German, 
 French, English and Italian languages. The English papers 
 taken in here are the Times, Courier and Chronicle. Of the 
 French, the Moniteur, Journal des Debats, Constitutional, 
 Journal du Commerce, Gazette de France and Gazette de 
 Lausanne, and of the Italian the Gazette di Milano, di 
 Venezia, di Firenze and di Lugano. Every German news- 
 paper is, I believe, to be found here. The Society lay in their 
 stock of wine, which is of the best quality; good cooks and 
 servants are kept. Dinners go forward from one to three. 
 You dine a la carte and pay the amount of what you call 
 for to the waiters. Coffee, liqueurs and all sorts of re- 
 freshments are likewise to be had. Supper, likewise a la 
 carte, goes forward between nine and eleven. The evening 
 before supper may be employed, if you chuse, in cards, 
 billiards, or reading. Very pleasant and useful acquaint- 
 ances are made at the Ressource, since if a foreigner renders 
 himself agreeable to the gentlemen who frequent this 
 society, they generally propose taking him to their houses 
 and introducing him to their families. After an introduc- 
 tion, you may go at any hour of the evening you please : 
 but morning visits are not much in fashion, since the 
 toilette is seldom made till after dinner, which is always early 
 in Germany. There is no getting dinner after three o'clock 
 in any part of Dresden. Besides the Ressource there are 
 394
 
 DRESDEN THE ATHENS OF GERMANY 
 
 several other Clubs here, such as the Harmonic and others. 
 The public balls are given at the Hotel de Pologne twice a 
 week, viz., one for the Noblesse and one for the Bourgeoisie. 
 None of the female Bourgeoisie are admitted to the balls 
 and societies of the Noblesse, and only such of the males as 
 occupy posts or employments at Court or under Govern- 
 ment such as Konigs-rath, Hof-rath, or officers of the Army. 
 It is therefore usual, when the Sovereign wishes to intro- 
 duce a person of merit among the Bourgeoisie into the 
 upper circles, that he gives him the title of Rath or Coun- 
 sellor; but this priviledge of being presentable at Court does 
 not extend to their wives and daughters. All the Military 
 officers, from whatever class of life they spring, have intro- 
 duction de jure into the balls and societies of the Noblesse, 
 and are always in uniform. But when they attend the 
 balls of the Bourgeoisie, it is the etiquette for them to wear 
 plain clothes : at the balls of the Bourgeoisie, therefore, not 
 an uniform is to be seen. I observed by far the prettiest 
 women at the balls of the Bourgeoisie, and very many are 
 to be found there who in education and accomplishments 
 fully equal those of the Noblesse, and this is no small merit, 
 for the women in Saxony of the higher classes are ex- 
 tremely well educated; most of them are proficient in music 
 and are versed in French and Italian litterature. They seem 
 amiable and goodnatured and by no means minaudieres, as 
 Lady Mary Wortley Montague has rather unjustly termed 
 them; for they appear to me to be the most frank, artless 
 creatures I ever beheld, and to have no sort of minauderie 
 or coquetterie about them. Beauty is the appanage of the 
 Saxon women, hence the proverb in rhyme : 
 
 Darauf bin ich gcgangen nach Sachsen, 
 
 Wo die schonen Madchen auf den Bavimen wachsen. 
 
 In English: 
 
 Behold me landed now on Saxon ground, 
 Where lovely damsels on the trees are found. 
 
 A taste for litterature is indeed general throughout the 
 whole nation; and this city is considered as the Athens of 
 Germany. 
 
 895
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 DRESDEN, Nov. 8th. 
 
 I have been at the theatre and witnessed the repre- 
 sentation of a tragedy called Die Schuld, written by Adol- 
 phus Milliner. It is a most interesting piece, and the novelty 
 of it has made a striking impression on me. It is written 
 in the eight-footed trochaic metre, similar to that in which 
 the Spanish tragedies are written. It hinges on a prophecy 
 made by a Gipsey, in which the person to whom the pro- 
 phecy is made, in endeavoring to avert it, hastens its 
 accomplishment. The piece is full of interest and the versi- 
 fication harmonious. I have been twice at the Italian opera, 
 where I saw the Gazza Ladra and 11 Matrimonio secreto. I 
 came here with the idea of giving myself up entirely to the 
 study of the German language; but such is the beauty of 
 the country environing Dresden that, though winter has 
 commenced I employ the greatest part of the day in long 
 walks. For instance I have been to Pillnitz, which is on the 
 right bank of the Elbe about seven miles from Dresden, 
 ascending the river. The road is on the bank of the river the 
 whole way. The Palace at Pillnitz is vast and well built. 
 During a part of the year the Royal family reside there. 
 Pillnitz will remain " damn'd to everlasting fame " as the 
 place where the famous treaty was signed, the object of 
 which was to put down the French Revolution, which Mr 
 Pitt and the British ministry knew of and sanctioned, tho' 
 they pretended ignorance of it and professed to have no 
 desire to interfere with the affairs of France. 
 
 Every thing pleases me at Dresden except the beds. 
 I wish it were the fashion to use blankets and edredons for 
 the upper covering instead of the lits de plumes; for they 
 are too heavy and promote rather too intense a perspiration, 
 and if you become impatient of the heat, and throw them off 
 you catch an intense cold. You know how partial I am to the 
 Germans, and can even put up with then- eternal smoking, tho' 
 no smoker myself, but to then- beds I shall never be reconciled. 
 A German bed is as follows: a paillasse, over that a mat- 
 tress, then a featherbed with a sheet fastened to it, and 
 396
 
 GERMAN INTEGRITY AND SCIENCE 
 
 over that again another featherbed with a sheet fastened 
 to it; and thus you lie between two featherbeds; but these 
 are not always of sufficient length, and you are often 
 obliged to coil up your legs or be exposed to have them 
 frozen by their extending beyond the featherbeds; for the 
 cold is very great during the winter. 
 
 The more I see of the people here, the more I like them. 
 The national character of the Germans is integrity, tho' 
 sometimes cloaked under a rough exterior as in Bavaria and 
 Austria; but here in Saxony it is combined with a suavity of 
 manners that is very striking, for the Saxons are the Tus- 
 cans of Germany in point of politeness, and they are far 
 more accomplished because they take more pains in culti- 
 vating their minds. 
 
 A savant in Italy is a man who writes a volume about a coin, 
 filled with hypotheses, when, with all his learning forced into 
 the service, he proves nothing; and this very man is pro- 
 bably ignorant in the extreme of modern political history, 
 and that of his own times, and has more pedantry than 
 taste. Such a man is often however in Italy termed a 
 Portento, but in Dresden and in most of the capitals of Ger- 
 many where there are so many of science and deep re- 
 search, a man must not only be well read in antiquities, 
 but also well versed in political economy and in analysis 
 before he can venture to give a work to the public. Latin 
 quotations, unsupported by reason and philosophical argu- 
 ment will avail him nothing, for the German is a terrible 
 Erforscher and wishes to know the what, the how and the 
 when of every thing; besides an Italian savant is seldom 
 versed in any other tongue than his own and the Latin, 
 with perhaps a slight knowledge of French; whereas in Ger- 
 many it is not only very common to find a knowledge of 
 French, English, Italian, Latin and Greek united in the 
 same person, but very many add Hebrew, Arabic and even 
 Sanscrit to their stock of Philology. As a specimen for 
 instance of German industry, I have seen, at the club of the 
 Ressource, odes on the Peace in thirty-six different lan- 
 
 397
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 guages, and all of them written by native Saxons. This 
 shows to what an extent philology is cultivated in Ger- 
 many; indeed, it is quite a passion and a very useful one it 
 is. I know that many people regard it as a loss of time, 
 and say that you acquire only new words, and no new 
 ideas; but I deny this. I maintain that every new language 
 learned gives you new ideas, as it puts you at once more 
 au fait of the manners and customs of the people, which can 
 only be thoroughly learned by reading popular authors in 
 their original language : for there are several authors of the 
 merit of whose style it is impossible to form an adequate 
 idea in a translation, however correct and excellent it be. 
 Indeed I wonder that the study of the German language is 
 not more attended to in England, France, and Italy; but 
 to the English, methinks, it is indispensable. All the cus- 
 toms and manners of Europe are taken from the German; 
 all modern Europe bears the Teutonic stamp. We are all the 
 descendants of the Teutonic hordes who subjugated the 
 Roman Empire and changed the face of Europe; 'tis they 
 who have given and laid down the grand and distinguishing 
 feature between modern Europe and ancient Europe and 
 Asia : I mean the respect paid to women. To what nation, I 
 say, is due the chivalrous respect to women which is the 
 surest sign of civilization, and which was unknown to the 
 ancient Greeks and Romans, except to the Germans, who 
 even in their most uncivilized state paid such veneration 
 to their women as to consult them as oracles on all occa- 
 sions and to admit them to their councils? Tacitus par- 
 ticularly mentions this; and speaking of the Germans of his 
 time, he says, " They have an idea that there is something 
 divine about a woman."* It is this feeling, handed down to 
 us from our Teutonic ancestors, that contributes mainly to 
 make the European so superior to all the Asiatic nations, 
 where woman still remains a degraded being, and 'tis this 
 feeling that gives to us the palm above all Greek and 
 Roman glory. What are the modern European nations, the 
 
 * Tacitus, Germania, c, vui. ED. 
 398
 
 THE DRESDEN THEATRE 
 
 English, French, Italians, Switzers, even Spanish and Por- 
 tuguese, but the descendants of these warlike Teutonic 
 tribes who swept away the effeminate Romans from the face 
 of the earth? and do we not see the Teutonic policy and 
 usages, defective and degenerated as they sometimes are, 
 the best safeguard of liberty against the insidious interpre- 
 tation of the Roman law, which is founded on the pretended 
 superiority of one nation, the inferred inferiority of all the 
 rest? 
 
 With regard to theatricals, I have witnessed the represen- 
 tation of a tragedy, lately published, called Sappho, by a 
 young poet of the name of Grillparzer. This tragedy is 
 strictly on the Greek model. Its versification in iambics is 
 so beautiful that it is regarded as the triumph of the 
 Classics over the Romantics; and by this piece Grillparzer 
 has proved the universality of his genius; for he wrote a 
 short time ago a dramatic piece in the romantic style and in 
 the eight rhymed trochaic metre called die Anhfrau (the 
 ancestress) where supernatural agency is introduced. This 
 I have read; it is a piece full of interest; still it was thought 
 too outre by the Classiker. It was supposed that this was the 
 peculiar style of the author, and that he adopted it from 
 inability to compose in the classic taste, when behold! by 
 way of proving the contrary, he has given us a drama 
 simple in its plot, where all the unities are preserved, and 
 where the subject one would think was too well known to 
 produce much interest; he has given, I say, to this piece 
 (Sappho), from the extreme harmony of its versifica- 
 tion and the pathos of the sentiments expressed therein, 
 an effect which I doubt any tragedy of Euripides or Sopho- 
 cles surpasses. The character of Sappho and her passion for 
 Phaon; his indifference to her and attachment to the young 
 Melitta, an attendant and slave of Sappho's, and Sappho 
 throwing herself into the sea after uniting Phaon and 
 Melitta, constitute the plot of the drama. But simple 
 as the plot, and old as the story is, it excites the greatest 
 interest, and never fails to draw tears from the audience. 
 
 399
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 What can be more artless and pathetic, for instance, than 
 these lines of the young |Melitta when she regrets her 
 expatriation : 
 
 Kein Busen schlagt mir hier in diesern Lande, 
 Und meine Freunden wohnen weit von hier. 
 
 In English: 
 
 No bosom beats for me in this strange land, 
 And far from here my friends and parents dwell. 
 
 I have no doubt that some of these days Sappho will be 
 translated into the idiom of modern Greece and acted in 
 that country. The actress, who did the part of Sappho, gave 
 it full effect, and the part of the young Melitta was fairly 
 performed; but I did not approve of the acting of the per- 
 former who played Phaon. He overstepped the modesty 
 of nature and the intention of the author; for he was in his 
 gesture and manner grossly rude and insolent to poor 
 Sappho, whereas, tho' his love to Melitta was paramount, 
 he ought to have shown no ordinary struggle in stifling his 
 gratitude to his benefactress Sappho. 
 
 I admire the German word Gebieterinn (mistress). It is 
 majestic and harmonious, and the only word, in any modern 
 language that I know of, poetic enough to render aptly the 
 Greek word AtWotva. 
 
 DRESDEN, Deer. 1st. 
 
 I have been to visit the famous Gallery of paintings here; 
 but you must not expect from me a description. I shall send 
 you a catalogue. It would be endless to describe the various 
 chefs-d'oeuvre which are contained in this valuable collec- 
 tion. Dresden has always been considered as the Florence 
 of Germany and has always been renowned for its Gallery 
 of paintings; hence the almost innate taste of the Saxons 
 for the Beaux Arts and the great encouragement given to 
 them at all times by this Government. It is here and at 
 Meissen that the best German is thought to be spoken, tho' 
 Hanover disputes this prerogative with Dresden. 
 
 I have been to see the antiquities and curiosities of the 
 Japanischer Palast (Palace of Japan), as it is called. In this 
 400
 
 ART AT DRESDEN 
 
 Palace is a quantity of ancient armour and the most 
 superb collection of porcelain I believe in Europe. The collec- 
 tion of precious stones is also immense; and I never in my 
 life saw such a profusion of diamonds, emeralds, tur- 
 quoises, sapphirs, amethysts and topazes. In this Museum 
 are three statues found in Herculaneum on its first discovery 
 or excavation, viz., an Athlete, an Esculapius, and a Venus. 
 Here too, and from this circumstance, the Palace takes its 
 name, is a collection of Japanese antiquities and ornaments, 
 lacker work in gold and silver, which is unique in the world. 
 From the Royal Library, a foreigner, on being recom- 
 mended, may have at his own house all such books to read 
 as can be replaced if lost or spoiled; but the manuscripts 
 and scarce and valuable editions are not permitted to be 
 taken out of the Library. Any person once admitted on 
 recommendation may go to read in this Library at stated 
 hours and may consult any book or manuscript he pleases 
 on applying to the librarian. 
 
 A person fond of music will be in a continual state of 
 enjoyment at Dresden. Besides the fine music in the Royal 
 Chapel, the band of the King's Guard is composed of first 
 rate musicians, who attend regularly at Guard mounting 
 and play for an hour together. There is also a band of music 
 every evening during the summer months that plays in the 
 gardens of the Linkischer Bad. Then there are various other 
 places of recreation and amusement, at all of which musi- 
 cians are in attendance; for a Saxon cannot enjoy his repast 
 or his pipe without music and good music too to facilitate 
 his digestion. There is a custom in Dresden that on the 
 occasion of the death of a person the young choristers of 
 the Cathedral are sent for to sing hymns, standing in a 
 semi-circle round the door of the house of the defunct. These 
 choristers are all dressed in black and their style of singing 
 is melodious, solemn and impressive. 
 
 Smoking is so prevalent here and in all parts of Ger- 
 many that if you wish to denote one of the male sex, smoker 
 would be quite a synonymous word. Such is the passion 
 DD 401
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 for this enjoyment that even at the balls the young men, 
 the moment they have finished the waltz, quit the hands of 
 their partners and rush into another room in order to 
 smoke; nor would the beauty of Venus nor the wit of 
 Minerva be powerful enough to restrain the young German 
 from giving way to his darling practise. Smoking tobacco 
 has I think this visible effect, that it serves to calm all 
 tumultuous passions, and what confirms me in this idea is, 
 that most young Germans, in commencing life as adults, are 
 full of enthusiastic and even exaggerated notions of liberty 
 and equality. They are romantic to a degree that is difficult 
 to be conceived, and seem to be restrained by no selfish or 
 worldly ideas. This you would suppose would tend to 
 render them rather turbulent subjects, under an autocratical 
 government; but all this Schwdrmerey evaporates literally 
 in smoke : they take to their pipe, and by degrees the fumes 
 of tobacco cause all these lofty ideas to dissipate : the pipe 
 becomes more and more necessary to their existence, and 
 consoles them for their wrongs real or imaginary; and in 
 three or four years they sit down contentedly to their several 
 occupations, as strait-forward, painstaking, plodding men, 
 quite satisfied to follow the routine chalked out for them, 
 and either totally forget all ambitious views, or become too 
 indolent to make any sacrifice to obtain them, and this 
 virtue comes from tobacco II The German Hippogriff becomes 
 an Ox, dull and domestic, and treads out the corn placed 
 before him, content to have his share thereof in peace and 
 quietness. 
 
 The German Governments, which are mild and paternal, 
 are fully aware of this and allow the utmost liberty of speech ; 
 well knowing that, thanks to that friend and ally of Legiti- 
 macy, tobacco, the romantic visionary and somewhat 
 refractory youth will subside into a tranquil ganz alltdg- 
 licher Mann and become totally averse to any innovation 
 which demands the sacrifice of repose. 
 
 The pipe which has this sedative effect on political effer- 
 vescence, has a still stronger similar effect, it is said, on the 
 402
 
 SAXON GIRLS AND WOMEN 
 
 passion of love ; hence the German husbands are proverbially 
 sluggish. But the ladies, none of whom smoke, preserve 
 their romanticity during their whole lives, and would, if 
 they had their choice, give their hands to foreigners, who 
 are more attentive to them than their own countrymen. 
 
 The young ladies here are, 'tis said, extremely romantic 
 in their ideas of love and capable of the strongest attach- 
 ment. They think that any thing should be pardoned to 
 sincere passion. It has been related to me that some time 
 ago a young man, who was devotedly attached to a girl, on 
 the father refusing his consent to the marriage, stabbed the 
 girl and then himself. An immense number of young ladies 
 attended their funeral, to throw flowers over the grave of 
 the two lovers. Assuredly the young man was only a novici- 
 ate in smoking. 
 
 Everybody must, I think, admire the Saxon women. 
 They are in general handsome and have fine shapes; they 
 are warm hearted and affectionate; and they are almost 
 universally well educated. Indeed the whole Saxon people 
 are so amiable that foreigners find themselves so happy 
 here that they are unwilling to quit the country. Very 
 many form matrimonial attachments. In short, this people 
 fully merit the epithet a celebrated English traveller 
 (Sherlock)* has bestowed on them when he called them a 
 herrliches Folk. f> 
 
 DRESDEN, Jan. 3d, 1819. 
 
 I have made an excursion to Meissen which lies on the 
 same bank of the river with the old town of Dresden at a 
 distance of twelve miles. As there is no road on the left bank 
 of the river to Meissen, you must cross the river twice to 
 arrive at it, viz., once at Neustadt and once at Meissen, the 
 road being on the right bank. I put up at the Hirsch (Stag), 
 a very comfortable inn. I went to Meissen with a view of 
 seeing the Russian contingent pass the Elbe on their return 
 from France, which has been evacuated in consequence of 
 
 * Martin Sherlock (d. 1 797) , author of Lettres d'un voyageur anglais, which 
 were published in Paris 1779 and, the year after, in London. 
 
 DD2 403
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 the arrangement at Aix-la-Chapelle. They appeared a fine 
 body of men, clothed a la fran$aise and seemed in high 
 spirits. They seem to have imbibed liberal ideas during 
 their residence in France, for some of the officers who dined 
 at the inn at Meissen spoke very freely on passing events. 
 
 The return of the Saxon contingent is expected in Dres- 
 den in a day or two, and there will no doubt be a great deal 
 of rejoicing among the military and their relations to meet 
 their old comrades and friends; and potent libations of 
 Doppel Bier will no doubt be made. Meissen is said to be 
 famous for the beauty of its women and the few that I saw 
 in the streets did not contradict this reputation. 
 
 DRESDEN, Jany. 5th, 1819. 
 
 We have had several balls here. Waltzing is the only sort 
 of dance in fashion at Dresden, excepting now and then a 
 Polonaise. 
 
 I have witnessed an interesting spectacle in the Grosser 
 Garten. The pond or basin is completely frozen over, and 
 a Russian Prince, Gallitzm, who is here, has fitted up^a 
 sort of Montagues Russes as they are called. Blocks of ice 
 are placed on an inclined plane to the top of which you 
 mount by means of a staircase; and then, seating yourself 
 in a sort of sledge, you slide down the inclined plane with 
 immense velocity. The Prince often persuades a lady to sit 
 on this sleigh on his lap and descend together; and this no 
 doubt serves to break the ice of many an amorous intrigue. 
 This construction of the Prince Gallitzin has contributed 
 to fill the Grosser Garten with the beau monde, every day 
 from twelve to two o'clock; so that you see we are in no 
 want of amusements at Dresden. 
 
 The King frequently attends the theatre; he is a tall, 
 fine looking man, and is usually dressed in the uniform of his 
 Foot-Guards, which is scarlet faced with yellow. The poor 
 King has taken much to heart the injustice with which he 
 has been treated by the coalition, and no doubt will not 
 easily forget the ill-bred and insolent letter of Castlereagh 
 404
 
 THE KING OF SAXONY 
 
 to the Congress, wherein he said that the King of Saxony 
 deserved to lose his dominions for adhering to Napoleon. 
 But how the King of Saxony could act otherwise I am at a 
 loss to find: so little could he possibly deserve this treat- 
 ment for adhering to Napoleon, that had his advice been 
 taken in the year 1805, the French would never have been 
 able to extend their conquests so far, nor to dictate laws 
 to Germany. But Lord Castlereagh seems to have either 
 never known or wilfully forgotten the anterior political 
 conduct of Saxony. Had he been more versed in German 
 affairs, or had studied with more accuracy the events 
 passing before his eyes, it would have been a check upon his 
 arrogance ; but here was a genuine disciple of the Pitt school 
 (that school of ignorance and insolence), who sets himself 
 up as the moral regenerator of nations and as a distributor 
 of provinces, while he is grossly ignorant of the political 
 system of the country on whose destinies he pretends to 
 decide so peremptorily. Had Castlereagh paid attention to 
 what was going forward in Germany in 1805, he would have 
 seen too that of all powers Prussia was the very last who 
 with any shadow of justice could pretend to an indemnifica- 
 tion at the expense of Saxony. In the year 1805, the King, 
 then Elector of Saxony, strongly advised the Prussian 
 Cabinet to forget its ancient rivalry and jealousy of Austria 
 and to coalesce with the latter power, in resisting the en- 
 croachments of Napoleon, in order to prevent the latter 
 from attempting the overthrow of the whole fabric of the 
 constitution of the Holy Roman Empire, with the intricacy 
 and fragility of which no prince in Germany was better 
 acquainted than the Elector of Saxony. Prussia however 
 was still reluctant to engage in the contest and gave no 
 support whatever to Austria. Napoleon defeats the Austrians 
 at Austerlitz and dictates peace. Six months after the 
 Prussian Cabinet, excited by a patriotic but rash and ill- 
 calculating party, has recourse to arms, not from any 
 generous policy, but because she sees herself outwitted 
 by Napoleon, who refuses to cede to her Hanover in per- 
 
 405
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 petuity. Prussia begins the war and calls on Saxony, who 
 always moved in her orbit, to join her. To the Elector of 
 Saxony this war (in 1806) appeared then ill-timed and too 
 late; but with that good faith, nevertheless, which invariably 
 characterized him, he remained faithful to his engagement 
 and furnished his quota of troops to Prussia. The Saxon 
 troops fought nobly at the battle of Jena. This battle 
 annihilates all the power of Prussia, and lays Saxony 
 entirely at the mercy of the Conqueror; but Napoleon not 
 only treats Saxony with moderation, but with rare 
 generosity; he does not take from her a single village, but 
 aggrandizes her and gives to her the Duchy of Warsaw and 
 to her Sovereign the title of King. Saxony becomes in con- 
 sequence a member of the confederation of the Rhine and 
 is bound to support the Protector in all his wars offensive 
 and defensive. The Russian war in 1812 begins: every 
 German state, Austria and Prussia in the number, furnishes 
 its contingent of troops. The campaign is unsuccessful, 
 the climate of Russia having annihilated the French Army, 
 and Napoleon returns to Paris. Saxony is now exposed to 
 invasion and harassed by the incursions of the Cossacks. The 
 King of Saxony is perplexed in what manner to act, so as to 
 ensure to his subjects that protection which was ever upper- 
 most in his thoughts; feeling however with his usual saga- 
 city that every thing would ultimately depend on the dis- 
 positions of Austria, he repairs himself to Prague, in order 
 to have an interview with one of the Austrian ministers, and 
 to sound that Cabinet. Austria however still vacillates and 
 declines stating what her intentions are. Napoleon returns 
 from Paris, defeats the Prussians and Russians at Bautzen 
 and re-occupies all Saxony. He then writes to the King of 
 Saxony to desire him to return immediately to his do- 
 minions and to fulfil his engagements. What was the King 
 to do? Austria still refusing to declare herself, was he to 
 sacrifice his crown and dominions uselessly to the vengeance 
 of Napoleon, to please the Emperor of Russia and King of 
 Prussia, who for aught he knew might patch up a peace the 
 406
 
 THE " UNFEELING LETTER " OF CASTLEREAGH 
 
 next day? and this was the more probable from their having 
 been beaten at Bautzen, which circumstance also might 
 with equal probability induce Austria to coalesce with, 
 instead of against France. All the other members of the 
 Confederation of the Rhine remained staunch to Napoleon 
 and poured their contingents into Saxony; was he to be the 
 only unfaithful ally and towards a Monarch who had 
 always treated him with the strongest marks of attachment 
 and regard? and when neither Russia nor Prussia were likely 
 to give him the least assistance? He therefore returned to 
 Dresden; and Napoleon took up his grand position the 
 whole length of the Elbe, from the mountains of Bohemia to 
 Hamburgh, thus covering the whole of Saxony with his army. 
 Austria however at last comes forward to join the coalition. 
 Fortune changes ; the Saxon troops, tired of beholding their 
 country the perpetual theatre of war and trusting to the 
 generosity of the Allies, go over to them in the middle of a 
 battle, and decide, thereby, the fate of the day at Leipzig. The 
 King of Saxony is made a prisoner, and then he is punished 
 for what he could not help. Why was he to be punished 
 more than any other member of the Confederation of the 
 Rhine? One would think that the seasonable defection of 
 his troops at Leipzig should have induced the Allies to treat 
 him with moderation. The other States of the Confederation 
 did not abandon Napoleon until after he was completely 
 beaten at Leipzig; and Austria refused to accede to the 
 coalition until a carte blanche was given her to help herself 
 in Italy. 
 
 Let every impartial man therefore review the whole 
 of this proceeding and then say whether the King of Saxony, 
 so proverbial for his probity, so adored by his subjects, 
 deserved to be insulted by such an unfeeling letter as that of 
 Castlereagh. No! the King of Saxony better deserves to 
 reign than any King of them all. Would they had even a 
 small share of his virtues! Another proof and a still stronger 
 one of the great integrity and honor of this excellent Prince, 
 is, that when Napoleon offered to mediatize in his favor the 
 
 407
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 various ducal Houses in Saxony, such as Weimar, Gotha, 
 Cobourg, etc., and to annex these countries to his dominions, 
 he declined the offer. Would Prussia, Austria, or Hanover 
 have been so scrupulous? 
 
 The young ladies here, tho' well versed and delighting in 
 various branches of litterature, cannot overcome that 
 strong national propensity to tales and romances wherein 
 the terrific and supernatural abounds ; in all their romances 
 accordingly this taste prevails strongly; nay, even in some 
 of the romances, where the scene is laid in later times, 
 there is some such anachronism as the story of a spectre. 
 
 I recollect reading a novel, the scene of which is laid in 
 Italy about the time of the battle of Marengo, wherein a 
 ghost is introduced who contributes mainly to the unravel- 
 ling of the piece. A young lady here of considerable talent 
 and of general information confessed to me, when I asked 
 her, what subjects pleased her most in the way of reading, 
 that nothing gave her so much delight as " Geister- 
 geschichten." Lewis' romance of " The Monk " is a great 
 favorite in Germany.* By the bye, his poetical tale of Alonzo 
 and Imogen is evidently taken from a similar subject in the 
 V 'olks-mahrchen. 
 
 The weather has set in very cold and the Elbe is nearly 
 frozen over. It is impossible to go out of the house without 
 a Pelz or cloak lined with fur; for otherwise, on leaving a 
 room heated by a stove, the effect of the cold is almost 
 instantaneous and brings on an ague fit. This I attribute to 
 the excessive heat kept up in the rooms and houses by the 
 stoves. As smoking is so prevalent here, this contributes 
 much also to keeping the body in a praeternatural heat and 
 rendering it still more obnoxious to cold on removal from a 
 room to the open air. It has been remarked by a medical 
 author, in the Russian campaign in 1812, that the soldiers 
 of the southern nations and provinces, viz., Provenaux, 
 Gascons, Italians, Spaniards, and Portuguese, endured the 
 
 * Matthew Gregory Lewis, 1775-1818, published Ambrosia or the Monk in 
 1795. ED. 
 
 408
 
 COLD CLIMATE OF SAXONY 
 
 cold much better and suffered less from it than the Germans 
 and Hollanders. The reason is sufficiently obvious: the 
 former live in the open air even in the middle of winter and 
 seldom make use of a fire to warm themselves ; whereas the 
 Germans and Dutch live in an atmosphere of stove-heat 
 and smoke and seldom like to stir abroad in the open air 
 during winter, unless necessity obliges them. Hence they 
 become half-baked, as it were; their nerves are unstrung, 
 their flesh flabby and they become so chilly, as to suffer 
 from the smallest exposure to the atmosphere. In the houses 
 in Germany, on account of the stoves, the cold is never 
 felt, whereas it is very severely in Italy and Spain where 
 many of the houses have no fireplaces. On this account I 
 prefer Germany as a winter residence, for I think there is 
 no sensation so disagreeable as to feel cold in the house. In 
 the open air I do not care a fig for it, for my cloak lined with 
 bearskin protects me amply. The climate here in winter is a 
 dry cold, which is much more salubrious and agreeable to 
 me than the changeable, humid climate of Great Britain, 
 where, though the cold is not so great, it is much more 
 severely felt. 
 
 409
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 MARCH-APRIL 1819 
 
 Journey from Dresden to Leipzig The University of Leipzig Liberal 
 spirit The English disliked in Saxony The English Government hostile 
 to liberty Journey to Frankfort From Frankfort to Metz and Paris 
 A. F. Lemaitre Bon voyage to the Allies Return to England. 
 
 I LEFT Dresden on the 2nd March, 1819. A Land- 
 kutsche conveyed me as far as Leipzig in a day and half, 
 stopping the first night at Oschaly, where there is a good 
 inn. At Leipzig I put up at the Hotel de Baviere and re- 
 mained five days. Leipzig is a fine old Gothic city. It is, as 
 everybody knows, famous for its University and its Fair, 
 which is held twice a year, in spring and in autumn, and 
 which is the greatest mart for books perhaps in the world. 
 The University of Leipzig and indeed all the Universities 
 of Germany are in bad repute among the Obscuranten and 
 eteignoirs of the day, on account of the liberal ideas pro- 
 fessed by the teachers and scholars. In the University of 
 Leipzig every thing may be learned by those who chuse to 
 apply, but those who prefer remaining idle may do so, as 
 there is less compulsion than at the English Universities. 
 There is however such a national enthusiasm for learning, 
 in all parts of Germany, that the most careless and ill-dis- 
 posed youth would never be about to support the ridicule 
 of his fellow students were he backward in obtaining 
 prizes, but after all I have heard of the dissipation, law- 
 lessness, and want of discipline at Leipzig, I can safely 
 affirm that all these stories are grossly exaggerated: and I 
 fancy there is little other dissipation going forward than 
 amours with Stubenmadchen. I do not hear of any drun- 
 kenness, gaming or horse racing; nor do the professors 
 themselves, who ought to be the best judges of what 
 is going on, complain of the insubordination of their pupils. 
 But what I principally admire in this, and indeed in other 
 410
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG 
 
 German Universities, is that there are no distinctions of 
 rank, such as gold tassels, etc., no servile attention paid to 
 sprigs of nobility, as in the Universities in England, where 
 the Heads of Colleges and Fellows are singularly conde- 
 scending to the son of a Peer, a Minister, or a Bishop. Per- 
 fect equality prevails in Leipzig and the son of the proudest 
 Reichsgraj is allowed no more priviledges than the son of a 
 barber; nor do the professors make the least difference 
 between them. In fact, in spite of the vulgar belief in 
 England respecting the hauteur of the German noblesse and 
 the vassalage of the other classes, I must say, from expe- 
 rience, that the German nobility show far less hauteur and 
 have in general more really liberal ideas than most part of 
 our English aristocracy, and a German burgher or shop- 
 keeper would disdain to cringe before a nobleman as many 
 shopkeepers, aye, and even gentry, are sometimes known 
 to do in England. Another circumstance too proves on how 
 much more liberal a footing Leipzig and other German 
 Universities are than our English ones, which is, that in 
 England none but those who profess the religion of the 
 Church of England, or conform to its ritual, are admitted; 
 but here all sects are tolerated and admitted, and all 
 live in perfect harmony with each other. The students are at 
 liberty to chuse their place of worship and the sermons 
 that are preached in the Catholic as well as the Protestant 
 churches are such as sensible men of whatever opinion 
 might listen to with profit, and without being shocked by 
 absurdities or intolerant ideas. 
 
 Mysteries, theologic sophistry and politics are care- 
 fully avoided, and a pure morality, a simple theosophy, 
 comprehensible to the meanest understanding, pervades 
 these simple discourses. The consequence of this toleration 
 and liberal spirit is that an union between the Lutheran and 
 Calvinistic churches has been effected. 
 
 I met a number of mercantile people at the table d'hote at 
 Leipzig in the Hotel de Baviere, and I entered a good deal 
 into conversation with them; but when they discovered 
 
 411
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 I was an Englishman, I could see a sudden coldness and 
 restraint in their demeanour, for we are very unpopular in 
 Germany, owing to the conduct of our Cabinet, and they 
 have a great distrust of us. The Saxons complain terribly 
 of our Government for sanctioning the dismemberment of 
 their country and of the insolent letter of Castlereagh. It is 
 singular enough that Saxony is the only country where 
 English goods are allowed to be imported free of duty; but 
 our great and good ally the King of Prussia (as these goods 
 must pass thro' his territory) has imposed a tolerably heavy 
 transit duty. I am glad of it; this is as it should be. I rejoice 
 at any obstacles that are put to British commerce; I rejoice 
 when I hear of our merchants suffering and I quite delight 
 to hear of a bankruptcy. They, the English merchants, con- 
 tributed with their gold to uphold the corrupt system of Pitt 
 and to carry on unjust, unreasonable and liberticide 
 wars. Yes! it is perfectly fit and proper that the despotic 
 governments they have contributed to restore should make 
 them feel their gratitude. If the French since their Revolu- 
 tion have not always fought for liberty, they have done so 
 invariably for science; and wherever they carried their 
 victorious arms, abuses were abolished, ameliorations of all 
 kinds followed, and the arts of life were improved. Our 
 Government since the accession of George III has never raised 
 its arm except in favor of old abuses, to uphold despotism 
 and unfair privileges, or to establish commercial mono- 
 poly. Our victories so far from being of beneficial effect to 
 the countries wherein we gained them, have been their 
 curse. We can interfere and be prodigal of money and blood 
 to crush any attempt of the continental nations towards 
 obtaining their liberty; but when it is necessary to inter- 
 cede in favour of oppressed patriots, then we are told that 
 we have no right to interfere with the domestic policy of 
 other nations. We can send ships to protect and carry off 
 in safety a worthless Royal family, as at Naples in 1799, but 
 we can view with heartless indifference, and even com- 
 placency, the murders committed in Spain by the infa- 
 412
 
 FROM LEIPZIG TO FRANKFORT 
 
 mous Ferdinand and his severities against those to whom 
 he owes his crown, all of whom had the strongest claim to 
 our protection as having fought with us in the same cause 
 and contributed to our success. 
 
 The Platz at Leipzig is large and here it is that the fair is 
 held. The theatre is an elegant building and lies just outside 
 one of the gates of the city. Innumerable shops of booksellers 
 are here and it is astonishing at how cheap a rate printing 
 in all languages is carried forward. 
 
 There are some pleasant promenades in the environs of 
 Leipzig; but this is not a time of the year to judge of the 
 beauty of the country. I went, however, to view the house 
 occupied by Napoleon on the eve of the battle of Leipzig. A 
 monument is to be erected to the memory of Poniatowsky 
 in the spot where he perished. 
 
 I started from Leipzig on 7th March at eleven o'clock. I was 
 five days en route from Leipzig to Frankfort, tho' the dis- 
 tance does not exceed forty-five German miles. I travelled in 
 the diligence, but had I known that the arrangements were 
 so uncomfortable, I should have preferred going in a Land- 
 kutsche, which would have made the journey in seven 
 days and afforded me an opportunity of stopping every 
 night to repose; whereas in the diligence, tho' they go en 
 poste, they travel exceedingly slow and it is impossible to 
 persuade the postillion to accelerate his usual pace. He is 
 far more careful of his horses than of his passengers. This I 
 however excuse; but it is of the frequent stoppages and 
 bad arrangement of them that I complain. Instead of 
 stopping at some town for one whole night or two whole 
 nights out of the five, they stop almost at every town for 
 three, four and five hours; so that these short stoppages 
 do not give you time enough to go to bed and they are 
 besides generally made in the day time or early in the 
 morning and evening. We passed thro' the following cities 
 and places of eminence, viz., Lutzen; the spot where Gus- 
 tavus Adolphus was killed is close to the road on the left 
 hand with a plain stone and the initials G.A. inscribed on it. 
 
 413
 
 AFTER WATERLOO 
 
 Weimar is a very neat city and where I should like much to 
 have staid; but I had only time to view the outside of the 
 Palace and the Stadihaus. Erfurt and Gotha are both fine 
 looking cities. In Gotha I had only time to see the outside of 
 the ResidenzSchloss or Ducal Palace, which is agreeably situ- 
 ated on an eminence, and to remark in the Neumarkt Kirche 
 the portrait of Duke Bernard of Saxe Weimar and the 
 monuments of the princes of that family. At Erfurt there is 
 the tomb of a Count Gleichen who was made prisoner in 
 the Holy Land, in the time of the Crusades, and was 
 released by a Mahometan Princess on condition of his 
 espousing her. The Count was already married in Germany 
 and there he had left his wife; but such was his gratitude to 
 the fair Musulmane, that he married her with the full con- 
 sent of his German wife and they all three lived happily 
 together. Fulda, where we stopped four hours, appears a 
 fine city, and is situated on an eminence commanding a 
 noble view of a very fertile and extensive plain. The Episco- 
 pal Palace and the churches are magnificent, and the 
 general appearance of the town is striking. The Bishopric 
 of Fulda was formerly an independent ecclesiastical state, 
 but was secularised at the treaty of Luneville and now 
 forms part of the territory of Hesse-Cassel. 
 
 The Feld-zeichen of Hesse-Cassel is green and red. After 
 passing thro' Hanau, where we halted three hours, which 
 gave me an opportunity of viewing the field of battle there, 
 we proceeded to Frankfort and arrived there at twelve 
 o'clock the 12th of March. I put up at the Swan inn. In 
 summer time the country about Fulda and in general be- 
 tween Fulda and Frankfort must be very pleasing from the 
 variety of the features of the ground. We lived very well and 
 very cheap on the road. The price of the diligence from 
 Leipzig to Frankfort was eleven Reichsthaler. 
 
 After remaining three days to repose at Frankfort I took 
 
 my place to Mayence and from thence to Metz and Paris. 
 
 In the diligence from Mayence and indeed all the way to 
 
 Paris I found a very amusing society. There were two 
 
 414
 
 RETURN TO PARIS AND TO ENGLAND 
 
 physicians and M. Lfemaitre], a most entertaining man and 
 of inexhaustible colloquial talent; for, except when he 
 slept, he never ceased to talk. His conversation was however 
 always interesting and entertaining, for he had figured in 
 the early part of the French Revolution and was well known 
 in the political and litterary world as the editor of a famous 
 journal called Le Bonhomme Richard.* 
 
 Metz is a large, well built and strongly fortified city. 
 Verdun, thro' which we passed, became quite an English 
 colony during the war from the number of detenus of that 
 nation who were compelled to reside there. At Epernay we 
 drank a few bottles of Champagne and a toast was given 
 by one of the company, which met with general applause. 
 It was Bon voyage to the Allies who have now finally 
 evacuated France to the great joy of the whole nation, 
 except of the towns where they were cantoned, where they 
 contributed much towards enriching the shopkeepers and 
 inhabitants. 
 
 I remained in Paris six days and then proceeded to 
 England. 
 
 * Le bonhomtne Richard aux bonnes gens was not a " famous journal," as 
 only two numbers appeared in 1790 (M. Tourneux, Bibliographic de I'histoire 
 de Paris pendant la Revolution, vol. II, p. 585, n. 10, 511). The publisher, 
 Antoine-Fran^ois Lemaltre, whom Major Frye mentions in this passage, 
 was the author of some other revolutionary pamphlets, e.g., Lettres bougre- 
 ment patriotiques, etc. ED. 
 
 415
 
 ACHERON, Lake, 266. 
 
 Adam, Major-General, commands 
 Light Brigade of General Sir H. 
 Clinton's division, 17. 
 
 Aix-la-Chapelle: Hotel-de-Ville 
 Cathedral, 33 relics of Charle- 
 magne Napoleon's benefactions 
 overbearing demeanour of Prus- 
 sian soldiers, 34 Faro bank in- 
 teresting Tyrolese girl baths, 36. 
 
 Albano : Villa Doria ancient monu- 
 ment, 243. 
 
 Albany, Countess of : her claim to be 
 the legitimate Queen of England 
 Alfieri's attachment to, 197. 
 
 Alexandria: Austrian Government 
 destroys fortifications of, 178. 
 
 Alfieri: compared with Shakespeare, 
 Schiller, and Voltaire, 174 monu- 
 ment erected to, by Canova his 
 sonnet to Countess of Albany, 
 197. 
 
 Alsace-Lorraine: severance of, from 
 France anticipated by Prussian 
 officers, 47. 
 
 Andernach: ruins of palace of 
 Kings of Austrasia church con- 
 taining embalmed body of Empe- 
 ror Valentinian crossingof Rhine 
 by Julius Caesar at, 45. 
 
 Angouleme, Duchesse d': tempera- 
 ment and religious fanaticism of, 
 20. 
 
 Antwerp: English families fly from 
 Brussels to, 25. 
 
 Archenholz: historian of the Seven 
 Years' War, 68. 
 
 Army of the Loire: exemplary con- 
 duel of, when disbanded, 100. 
 
 Arona: colossal statue of St Charles 
 Borromseus at, 120. 
 
 Austria: fluctuations in the value of 
 the paper currency of, 366, 372 
 Napoleon's policy as regarded, 23. 
 
 Avernus, Lake, 265. 
 
 BACIOCCHI, Princess Elise: sister of 
 Napoleon and Sovereign of Lucca, 
 
 277- 
 Baffo, Venetian poet, 212. 
 
 Bau-u: baths of Nero ruins of tem- 
 plesthe Styx Elysian Fields, 
 266. 
 
 Belgium: dislike to severance from 
 France feeling towards Holland 
 attachment to Napoleon pre- 
 parations for the Campaign, 7 all 
 inhabitants requisioned for the 
 repair of fortifications, 16. 
 
 Berlin : occupation of, after Jena 
 excellent conduct of French troops 
 of occupation excesses committed 
 by troops of Rhenish Confedera- 
 tion insolent conduct of troops 
 raised by Prince of Isenburg, 22 
 art treasures of, respected by 
 French Republican Armies, 70 
 Unterden Linden, 384, 387 Bran- 
 denburger Thor public buildings 
 streets, 385 statues of great 
 men intheWilhelm Platz churches 
 the officers of the Army anec- 
 dote of Blucher, 386. 
 
 Bern: attempts in 1815 to regain pos- 
 session of the Canton de Vaud, 
 
 135- 
 
 Bigottini : fine performance at the 
 Grand Opera, Paris, 71. 
 
 Bingen: Mausethurm Bishop Hat- 
 to, 50. 
 
 Blacas, Vicomte de: at Court of 
 Louis XVIII at Ghent, 5. 
 
 Blucher: popularity of, in London, 8 
 encourages the excesses of his 
 soldiery nicknames of, 13 nar- 
 rowly escapes capture at Ligny, 
 24 saves English at Hougoumont, 
 26 anecdote related of, 76. 
 
 Bohemia: dialect of, 379. 
 
 Bologna: arcades, 184 remarkable 
 picture in gallery'of Count Mare- 
 scalchi, 185 leaning tower, 186 
 lady-professor of Greek Carbo- 
 nari, 187 theatre women, 188 
 barbarous dialect, 190. 
 
 Bonn: Electoral palace Roman an- 
 tiquity, 42 legends of the Sieben 
 Gebirge Das Heimliche Gericht, 
 
 43- 
 Bordas, M., politics of, 157. 
 
 417
 
 INDEX 
 
 Borgo San Donino, remarkable high- 
 way robbery at, 180. 
 
 Borromean Islands, splendid villa 
 in Isola Bella, 132. 
 
 Bourbons, the: want of patriotism of 
 the Due de Berri, 20 their inju- 
 dicious conduct, 2,21 Louis XVI 1 1 
 and Monsieur at Ghent amusing 
 nickname of Louis XVIII, 5 dis- 
 like of the French people to, 21 
 their atrocious policy send emis- 
 saries to South of France from 
 Coblentz, 48 unpopularity of, 97 
 fulsome adulation of, 160 cause 
 removal of Sismondi from Geneva, 
 275 character of royal families of 
 France, Spain, and Naples, 276. 
 
 Brussels : description of historical 
 associations, 10 Place du Sablon, 
 celebrated fountain, n theatres, 
 12 humanity of inhabitants of, to 
 the wounded after Waterloo, 28. 
 
 CAFFARELLI, Statue of, in Palais du 
 Luxembourg, 78. 
 
 Canova, works of, in St Peter's, 224 
 master-pieces in his atelier in 
 Rome, 239 character of his 
 genius, 322. 
 
 Capellen, Baron de, proclamation of, 
 to the inhabitants of Brussels, 25. 
 
 Capua, thievishness of lower classes 
 of, 247. 
 
 Carbonari, degrees and initiation, 
 310; object meaning of name, 31 1. 
 
 Castlereagh, Lord: insolent letter 
 of, respecting Kingof Saxony, 404. 
 
 Catalani: singing of, 139. 
 
 Ceylon: Frye's travels in, 274. 
 
 Ohalon: affection felt for Napoleon 
 in, 98 Austrian officers in, 102. 
 
 Charleroy: defeat of Prussian army 
 at, 25. 
 
 Chateaubriand : at the Court of 
 Louis XVIII at Ghent, 5. 
 
 Chatham, Earl of: indignation of, at 
 employment of Indians in the War 
 of Independence, 68. 
 
 Clermont: Peter the Hermit preaches 
 First Crusade in, 291 petrifying 
 well, 292 Swiss regiment anony- 
 mous denunciations, 293 method 
 of cleansing town, 294. 
 
 Coblentz: monument to Marceau, 
 47 Bourbon intrigues with Jaco- 
 bins and Brissotins, 48. 
 
 418 
 
 Code Napoleon: simplicity and ad- 
 vantages of, as compared with 
 English criminal law, 153. 
 
 Cologne: Cathedral the three kings 
 the eleven thousand virgins 
 etymology of the name Jean- 
 Marie Farina, 40. 
 
 Cremona: Gothic buildings Cam- 
 panile of Cathedral, 350. 
 
 Consalvi, Cardinal: character and 
 abilities of, 321. 
 
 Campagna: limbs of quartered male- 
 factors hung up on roadsides, 211 
 armed peasants the malaria, 
 271. 
 
 DAVID: pictures by, in Palais du 
 
 Luxembourg, 78. 
 De 1'Ep^e, Abbe": founder of the 
 
 Institution of the Sourds-Muets, 
 
 149. 
 Dessaix: Statue of, in Palais du 
 
 Luxembourg, 78. 
 De Watteville: disbands his army, 
 
 135- 
 
 Delille, Abbe, his poetry, 91. 
 
 De Boigne, General: his great ser- 
 vices to Scindiah, 162 unjustly 
 accused of treachery towards Tip- 
 poo Saib, 163. 
 
 Didier: handed over by the Sardinian 
 Government to the French, 167 
 his execution at Grenoble, 151. 
 
 Dijon: the town manufactories of, 
 
 9 8 '. . 
 Dionigi, Mme: literary and artistic 
 
 attainments of, 312. 
 
 D'Orfei, Mme: 312. 
 
 Dresden: The Japanischer Palast, 
 400 music in, 401 Prince Gal- 
 litzin the King, 404 bridge over 
 the Elbe Marshal Davoust, 390 
 Grosser Garten, 392, 404 Res- 
 source Club, 393 etiquette title 
 of "Rath," 395 theatres beds, 
 396 scholars, 397. 
 
 Duchesnois, Mile: fine acYmg of, 88, 
 89. 
 
 EGYPT: striking testimony to the 
 good done by the French in, 131. 
 
 Ehrenbreitstein: flying bridge 
 great natural strength, 46 beauty 
 of women of, 52. 
 
 Ellis, Col. Sir H. : perishes at Water- 
 loo, 27.
 
 INDEX 
 
 Emigres, the: incorrigibility of, 79 
 ingratitude to Napoleon, 101 
 their foolish expectations, 141 
 efforts to cause restoration of lands 
 formerly theirs, 152. 
 
 Ens: whirlpool the Waternixie, 
 368. 
 
 Erfurt: legend of Count Gleichen, 
 414. 
 
 Espinassy, General: republican prin- 
 ciples of, 157. 
 
 Eton : principles instilled into boys at, 
 81. 
 
 Eustace, Mr: examples of his 
 credulity and bigotry, 130, 131, 
 35'- 
 
 FERRARA: Hugo and Parisina the 
 Po relics of Ariosto, 337 MSS 
 of Ariosto, Tasso, Guarini Hos- 
 pital of St Anna, 338. 
 
 Firmin: acting of, 89. 
 
 Fleurus: Prussian army defeated at, 
 
 25- 
 
 Florence: the Duomo Battisterio 
 il Sasso di Dante theatres, 199 
 public buildings statues, 192 
 Gallery Venus de Medici paint- 
 ings and sculpture, 193 portraits 
 of sovereigns Roman antiquities 
 remarkable imitations in wax of 
 human anatomy, 194 Ponte Vec- 
 chio street paving thickness of 
 walls of houses Palazzo Pitti 
 Canova's Venus Boboli Gardens, 
 195 Cascino beauty of the wo- 
 men Pegasus Italian fondness 
 for gaudy colours Canova's mo- 
 nument to Alfieri, 197 Church of 
 Santa Croce the Florentine West- 
 minster Abbey, 198 academies 
 La Crusca English travellers, 
 203 Lord Dillon story illustra- 
 ting Florentine life, 280. 
 
 Fouch<: complains of the conduct of 
 the Allies, 97. 
 
 Frankfort: Venus Vulgivaga Jews 
 cathedral inauguration of Ro- 
 man Caesars in the Romer the 
 Golden Bull portraits of the Em- 
 perors, 54 theatre adaptation of 
 German language to music, 55 
 political opinion in dislike to 
 Austria, 56. 
 
 French Revolution: worst excesses 
 of, surpassed, 66, 67, 70. 
 
 GALILEO: monument erected to, in 
 
 church of Santa Croce, 198. 
 Gauthier, M.: exiled to Lausanne, 
 
 157- 
 
 Geneva: scenery Fort de 1'Ecluse 
 arcades J. J. Rousseau Calvin 
 Servetus, 107 sentiments of Gene- 
 vese towards Napoleon and the 
 Revolution, 108 literary aptitude 
 of Genevese attachment to their 
 country the women, 109 French 
 refugees refused an asylum in, 112 
 admitted into Helvetic Confede- 
 ration, 135. 
 
 Genoa: the women of, 332 peculi- 
 arities of the streets ducal palace, 
 333 Columbus, 334 bridge of 
 Carignano churches, 335. 
 
 Georges, Mile: fine afting of, 87, 88 
 her rendering of "Agrippina,"' 90 
 plays the part of "Clytemnestra," 
 supported by her sister as "Iphi- 
 g^nie,'' 92. 
 
 Ghent: Court of Louis XVIII at, 4. 
 
 Girolamo, Signer: anecdote of, 129, 
 
 305- 
 
 Godesberg:interestingruinsnear,42. 
 Granet: remarkable pictures by, 322. 
 Grassini: singing of, 139. 
 Grillparzer, author of the tragedy 
 
 "Sappho, "399. 
 Grotto of Pausilippo: 263. 
 Grotto del Cane: 264. 
 Guerin: pictures by, in Palais du 
 
 Luxembourg, 78. 
 Guillotine, the, 154. 
 
 HELVETIC Confederation: guaran- 
 teed by the Allied Powers in 1814 
 Geneva admitted into, 135. 
 
 Herculaneum, 252. 
 
 Hockheim: Rhenish wines, 52. 
 
 Holland: feeling towards the House 
 of Orange regret at loss of Cape 
 of Good Hope and Ceylon, 7. 
 
 Hougoumont: Bulow and Blucher 
 march to the assistance of the 
 English at, 26 devastation of, 
 27> 83. 
 
 Hulin, General: cashiers a Prussian 
 officer in the French service, 22. 
 
 INDIA: Frye's travels in, 274. 
 Innspruck: the Hofkirche statues 
 
 of kings and princes connected 
 
 with Maximilian I, 358. 
 
 419
 
 INDEX 
 
 KLBER: statue of, in Palais du 
 
 Luxembourg 1 , 78. 
 Klingmann, Philipp: plot of his 
 
 tragedy " Faust," 35. 
 
 LABDOYERE: execution of, 79. 
 
 Lacoste: adts as Napoleon's guide 
 at Waterloo, 83. 
 
 Lafayette: rebukes British Commis- 
 sioner at the Conference, 53. 
 
 Lafond: acting- of, 89, 92. 
 
 Lafontaine, Augustus: comparison 
 of works of, with the " Nouvelle 
 Heloise " of Rousseau, 44. 
 
 La Harpe, General: influences Em- 
 peror of Russia in favour of the 
 Vaudois, 137. 
 
 Lamarque: sent by the Convention 
 to arrest Dumouriez delivered 
 over to the Austrians votes for 
 Napoleon, 156. 
 
 Landshut: Church of St Martin at, 
 
 3 6 4- 
 
 Language: influence of, upon the 
 poetry and plays of Italy, France, 
 England and Germany, 90. 
 
 Lausanne: steep ascents beauty of 
 environs, 137 Republican princi- 
 ples of, 138 intolerant discourse 
 of minister, 159. 
 
 Leipzig: Saxon troops go over to the 
 Allies during the battle of, 407 
 the University, 410 unpopularity 
 of the English in, 412. 
 
 Leghorn: Hebrew families in- Don 
 Felipe III Smollett's tomb, 279. 
 
 Li^ge: situation of coal-pits near 
 commerce with Holland fortifica- 
 tions destroyed by Joseph II, 31. 
 
 Linz: beauty of the women curious 
 incident learned innkeepers, 367. 
 
 Lodi: interesting model in the H6tel 
 des Invalides of battle, of, 78. 
 
 Louvre: works of art in, 66 strip- 
 ping of, by the Allies, 79, 140. 
 
 Lucca: female servants the amo- 
 roso Dante's mountain, 277. 
 
 Lyons: buildings scenery feelings 
 towards Napoleon character of 
 inhabitants manufactures, 106. 
 
 MAASTRICHT: situation Montagne 
 
 de St Pierre, 32. 
 Machiavelli: entombed in church of 
 
 Santa Croce, 198. 
 Macon: quai wi-ne grisettes, 103. 
 
 420 
 
 Maffei: his "Polyphonte" compared 
 with that of Voltaire, 89, 90. 
 
 Maitland, Captain: Napolean sur- 
 renders to, 56. 
 
 Mantua: situation Cathedral mo- 
 numents of the Gonzagas the T 
 palace and gardens, 349. 
 
 Marengo: the battle of Commemo- 
 ration column thrown down, 177. 
 
 Maria Louisa : ordered to quit papal 
 territory, 183 enthusiastic recep- 
 tion of, at Bologna, 187 vicYim of 
 a strange theft, 378. 
 
 Mars, Mile: graceful adting of, 92. 
 
 Massieu: pupil of the Abb Sicard, 
 140. 
 
 Mayence: Cathedral Citadel, 51 
 
 Michel Angelo: anecdote of, 224. 
 
 Milan : Teatro della Scala, 121 the 
 Duomo, 122 the women of, 124 
 dialect the Zecca, 125 palace 
 Ambrosian Library hospital 
 Teatro Olimpico, 126 Porta del 
 Sempione, 127 Italian comedy 
 and audiences Teatro Girolamo, 
 128 Milanese twang, 190 ballet, 
 351 acting of La Pallerini, 352. 
 
 Mitten wald: great raft interesting 
 journey, 360. 
 
 Molk: tradition of the Devil's Wall 
 ruins of Castle of Dierenstein 
 Richard Cceur de Lion, 368. 
 
 MontCenis:description of the Chaus- 
 see, 167. 
 
 Mont St. Jean: dreadful sight on 
 plateau of, 27. 
 
 Montefiascone: story of the Vino 
 efs(, 209. 
 
 Morice, Colonel: death at Waterloo, 
 
 27; 
 
 Munich: the King national theatre, 
 362 social life in female head- 
 dress, 363. 
 
 Murat: Italian opinion of, 187. 
 
 NAMUR: situation of Citadel demo- 
 lished by Joseph II complaints 
 against Prussian soldiery, 14. 
 
 Napoleon: takes tribute of works of 
 art from vanquished Governments, 
 65 calumniated by the emigres, 
 130 unjust aspersions on, 131 
 narrow escape from capture con- 
 fident of success before Waterloo, 
 28 constructs Chauss^e of Mont 
 Cenis, 167.
 
 INDEX 
 
 Naples: life of a man of fashion in, 
 250 Etruscan vases and papyri 
 in museum, 251 theatres 
 Pulcinello, 267 social advan- 
 tages, 269 lazzaroni dialect, 
 308 effect of general ignorance, 
 308. 
 
 Nelson, Lord: conduct towards Car- 
 accioli, 69. 
 
 Neuwied: University of, 45. 
 
 Ney, Marshal: Wellington and Em- 
 peror of Russia refuse to interfere 
 in favour of, 140. 
 
 PADUA: University Church of St 
 Anthony, 345 Palazzo della Giu- 
 stizia tomb of Livy, 346. 
 
 Paris: Louis XVIII in, 59 Kotzebue 
 on the Palais Royal, 60 Cafe" 
 Montausier, 61 the Louvre, 63 
 statues and paintings collected by 
 the French Government, 64 pro- 
 ductions at the Grand Opera, 71 
 Column of the Place Vend6me t 74 
 Gardens of the Tuileries, 73 
 Chamber of Deputies, 74 the 
 Znvalides, 76 models of the for- 
 tresses of France, 77 Picture 
 Gallery of the Palais du Luxem- 
 bourg, 78 frequency of quarrels 
 between French and Prussian 
 officers in the Palais Royal, 79 
 behaviour of English officers in, 
 81 masterpieces performed in the 
 Theatre Franfais, 94, 95 Ney 
 shot in the Gardens of the Luxem- 
 bourg, 142. 
 
 Parma: " L'Amfiteatro Farnese," 
 182 paintings birthplace of 
 Cassius, 183. 
 
 Passau: junction of the Danube, 
 Inn and Illst, 365. 
 
 Perugia, 330. 
 
 Pescia, 273 advantages of living 
 n, 275. 
 
 Picton, Lieut-Genl Sir T.: perishes 
 at Waterloo, 27. 
 
 Piedmont: character of the lower 
 classes of, 175. 
 
 Pillnitz: the palace Treaty of, 
 
 396. 
 
 Pisa, 277. 
 Pitt: credited with the invention of 
 
 the sinking fund, 165. 
 Pius VII: character and virtues of, 
 
 321- 
 
 Pompeii: amphitheatre, 253 houses 
 Temple of Isis Praetorium, 255 
 antiquities removed to Museum 
 of Portici, 262. 
 
 Pontine Marshes, 244. 
 
 Prague: situation bridge over the 
 Mulda remarkable statue, 380 
 Jews palaces of the Wallensteins 
 and Colloredos St John Nepomu- 
 cene Joseph II's ingenious me- 
 thod of extorting money from the 
 Jews, 381 Catalan!, 382 story of 
 the Duchess Libussa, 383. 
 
 RAFAELLI: mosaic work of, 130. 
 
 Rho: ancient tree, 121. 
 
 Rome: censorship of books at the 
 Dogana, 212 Coliseum, 214 
 Arch of Constantine, 216 Via 
 Sacra excavations, 218 Tar- 
 peian Rock, 219 Capitol, 220 
 St Peter's anecdote of Michel 
 Angelo, 224 statue of St Peter, 
 225 masterpieces of sculpture in 
 Capitoline Museum, 230 Tran- 
 steverini, 231 effedtof the settling 
 of foreign artists in, 232 Santa 
 Maria Maggiore, 233 Church of 
 St John Lateran, 233, 234 Egyp- 
 tian obelisk La Scala Santa, 
 235 Quirinal, 236 fountains, 
 237 Column of Trajan baths of 
 Diocletian, 238 theatres, 241 
 masterpieces of art in the Vatican 
 Museum, 227 statue of Jupiter 
 Capitolinus stanze di Rafaello, 
 229 Appian Road, 244 social 
 life in the Avvocati, 315 Papal 
 Government post office defalca- 
 tions, 316 the Carnival, 317 
 races in the Corso masquerades, 
 318 Sovereigns and persons of 
 distinction living in Rome in 1818, 
 319,320 Easter in Swiss Guard 
 Noble Guard, 324 papal bene- 
 diction, 325 illumination of St 
 Peter's fireworks from Castle of 
 St Angelo, 326 the brigand Bar- 
 bone his wife, 327. 
 
 SAVOY: character of inhabitants of, 
 
 114. 
 Schonbrunn: anecdote of Napoleon's 
 
 son, 375. 
 Schuyler, General: his reproof of 
 
 General Burgoyne, 69. 
 
 421
 
 INDEX 
 
 Scindiah: career of, 162. 
 
 Sgricci, Signer: his genius for im- 
 provisation, 314. 
 
 Sicard, Abbe": director of the Insti- 
 tution of the Sourds-Muets, 149 
 eulogises Sir Sidney Smith, 150. 
 
 Sienna: cathedral, 205 Piccolomini 
 monument dialect, 206. 
 
 Simplon: road over the Chausse'e 
 maisons de refuge, 117. 
 
 Sismondi, 274 the historian ban- 
 ished from Geneva, 275. 
 
 Smith, LuciusF.: friendof De Boigne, 
 163. 
 
 Smith, Sir Sidney: his eulogy of the 
 Abb Sicard, 150. 
 
 Spoleto: ruins of ancient buildings, 
 
 3 2 9- 
 
 St Cloud: favourite residence of Na- 
 poleon, 75. 
 
 St Eustatius: pillaged by Admiral 
 Rodney, 68. 
 
 St Germain: dep&t for articles 
 plundered by Prussian officers, 
 80. 
 
 St Helena: injustice of Napoleon's 
 banishment to, 57. 
 
 Stewart, Lord: conduct of, at Con- 
 ference of French Commissioners 
 with the Allies, 53. 
 
 TADDEI, Rosa: her talent for impro- 
 visation, 312. 
 
 Talma, his acting at the Thefitre 
 Franfais, 86, 90. 
 
 Thorwaldsen : character of his genius, 
 322. 
 
 Tivoli: the Villa d'Este, 269 Adrian's 
 Villa, 270. 
 
 Tolz: remarkable groups of figures 
 in wood, representing history of 
 Christ, 360. 
 
 Tournay, 17 citadel of, 18. 
 
 TreVoux: scenery on the road be- 
 tween Macon and hotel-keeper's 
 beautiful daughter, 104. 
 
 Turin: Chapelle du Saint Suaire, 170 
 remarkable works of art in the 
 King of Sardinia, 171. 
 
 Tuscany: contrast with papal do- 
 minions, 189 pronunciation pea- 
 santry, 190 fondness of Tuscan 
 women for dress, 191 feeling to- 
 wards Napoleon in character of 
 the people house of Americo Ves- 
 pucci, 202. 
 
 422 
 
 Tyrol, the: general description of 
 dress of the peasant women, 356. 
 
 VALAIS: cretins of, 116. 
 
 Vaud, Canton de: character of in- 
 habitants of gratitude to France 
 democratic spirit La Harpe, 1 33 
 defends its independence, 136 
 hatred of French Royalists to, 
 158. 
 
 Velino: remarkable cascade, 328. 
 
 Venice: Canale Grande Rialto 
 palaces of great families, 340 the 
 Merceria water-fete,34i Piazza. 
 di San Marco Church of St Mark, 
 342 Campanile variety of cos- 
 tumes in, 343 dialect social life 
 in, 343 Doge's palace theatres, 
 344 gondolas, 345. 
 
 Verbruggen, H. : work of, in church 
 of St Gudule, Brussels, n. 
 
 Verona: amphitheatre, 347 Palladio 
 Scala family social advantages 
 in, 348. 
 
 Versailles: magnificence of, 82. 
 
 " Vertraute Briefe" the, 22. 
 
 Vesuvius: eruptions 258 lava, 261, 
 
 309- 
 
 Vicenza, 346. 
 
 Vienna: Art treasures of, respected 
 by French Republican armies, 70 
 great raft, 364 streets Cathe- 
 dral, 370 Hofburg Congress of, 
 371 Wechvelbank, 373 Belve- 
 dere Palace Prater, 374 thea- 
 tres, 376. 
 
 Visconte, Galeazzo: builds church of 
 the Certosa, 350. 
 
 Volnais, Mile: Acting of, 92. 
 
 Voltaire: hisplay, "MeYope/'Sg his 
 benefactions to Ferney, no relics 
 of portraits of contemporaries in 
 his chateau, in. 
 
 WALKER, Adam: his lectures to 
 Etonians stopped, 81. 
 
 Wardle, Col. : republican principles 
 of, 147 anonymous denunciation 
 of, 294. 
 
 Waterloo: French officer's remarks 
 on, 174. 
 
 Wellington: his confidence in the 
 result of the campaign, 7 gallan- 
 try of, 12 checks frequency of 
 corporal punishment in the army
 
 INDEX 
 
 Wilson, Maj.-Genl: accompanies YORK, Duke of: opposes frequent 
 
 Frye on a tour through the theatre corporal punishment in the Army, 
 
 of War, 2. 17. 
 Wilson, Sir R. : his charges against 
 
 Napoleon, 147. ZEDERA, Chevalier: political dispute 
 
 Wirion: removed from office by with Genevese, 112 his journey 
 
 Napolean, 101. with Frye to Italy, 113 his part- 
 ing with Frye, 120. 
 
 423
 
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