/IIIKIIIT LIBRARY Vi UNIVERSITY OP CALIFORNIA A HOOSIER'S EXPERIENCE WESTERN EUROPE ^zWTtc^r / 'a^Ut* d. Am** A HOOSIER'S EXPERIENCE WESTERN EUROPE, NOTES ON THE WAY. BY JOHN S. BENDER. ILLUSTRATED. PLYMOUTH, IND. : PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR. l88o. ftlAlA L»* Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by JOHN S. BENDER, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 2)9 6>7 TO THE HON. SCHUYLER COLFAX, Ex-Vice-President of the U. S. of America^ PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LABORS WERE ALWAYS PERFORMED WITH REFERENCE TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE, (Eljis Book IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 493 CONTENTS CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE IS Letters of introduction from — Hon. D. D. Pratt 17 Senator O. P. Morton 17 Ex-Vice-President Schuyler Colfax . . 17 General Instructions in regard to Passports 19 Form of a Passport 25 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . .27 CHAPTER I. From Plymouth, Indiana, to New York — A few hours ^.t Fort Wayne, Indiana — Mr. Laufferty, Cunard agent at Fort Wayne — The Pittsburg, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad — The Pennsylvania Central Railroad 33 (9) 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. PAGE New York — The spat with the Cunard agent . . 38 CHAPTER III. < New York City — Central Park — Five Points — Brook- lyn — Plymouth Church — Henry Ward Beecher . 47 CHAPTER IV. New York to Liverpool — Landing at the docks at Jersey City — Scenes on board — The first supper — Incidents while crossing — Presenting a purse to the chief steward — Stranded 53 CHAPTER V. Landing at Liverpool — At the station — The railroads — Cars — London 68 CHAPTER VI. A stroll in London — Billingsgate, etc. 76 CHAPTER VII. The stroll continued — Somerset House — Houghton's — Old Bailey — Old London Stone — Its history — . Hamburg Bank — St. Paul's Cathedral — British Museum — The Romans — Grecian and Egyptian rooms — Mark Antony — Cleopatra — The Royal Library — The original Magna Charta ... 83 CONTENTS. * 1 1 CHAPTER VIII. PAGE London and Southwestern Railroad— Chalk hills — Denzell Place — Anecdote — Southampton — Ca- nute—Edmund Ironsides— The old Norman wall and gate — Hartley Library— Dr. Watts' Monu- ment 9 r CHAPTER IX. Salisbury Cathedral — Druids' Inn — Stonehenge — Its • origin 9^ CHAPTER X. Netley Abbey — Camp Clausentum — Victoria Hos- pital — Winchester Cathedral — St. Cross Hospital 106 CHAPTER XI. Going to St. Luke's Church — Description of same — Blundell family — Winchester — St. Giles' Hill . 114 CHAPTER XII. Back to London — Westminster Abbey — What Addi- son says of it — Goldsmith's opinion of it — The Author's comments 122 CHAPTER XIII. Porter found — River Thames — Tower of London — White Tower — Royal jewels, etc. . . . .129 12 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIV. PAGE The Alhambra — Frightened porter — What we saw at the Alhambra — What we escaped, etc. . . .139 CHAPTER XV. Palace of Westminster — House of Commons — West- minster Hall — Crystal Palace — Egyptian Court — Lincoln's Inn, etc 147 CHAPTER XVI. Aboard for Paris — Chiselhurst — Dover — English Channel — Calais — Amiens — Paris . . . .159 CHAPTER XVII. Paris — Madeline — Rue de Rivoli — Louvre — Place de la Concorde — Champs d'Elysees — Arc di Tri- omphe — Tuilleries — Notre Dame . . . .167 CHAPTER XVIII. The French people — Character, etc 179 CHAPTER XIX. Homeward bound — Paris to Calais — Crossing the channel — The writer's first sea-sickness — How . the passengers felt — On arriving at Dover — Aboard the wrong train— Custom-house scene at Charing Cross, London — The officer's courtesy — Underground Railroad — Victoria station — The lost trunk found — London to Liverpool— Custom- house officer at Liverpool — Two days in Liver- pool — Getting ready to start for New York . .185 CONTENTS. 13 CHAPTER XX. PAGE From Liverpool to New York — Getting aboard — The Cuba — List of passengers — Irish coast — Cork har- bor — An hour in Queenstown, Ireland — Our log- book — Dutch anecdote — The Author's arrest — The court on board, and its decree — Christmas on board — The arrest of Mr. Bragg, the iron mer- chant, and his conviction — Our situation Dec. 26th and 27th, 1874 — Arrest, trial, and defense of the Scotch wit — Accident to Mr. Bliss — New York 197 CHAPTER XXI. The English people ; their character, manners, and customs, from a Hoosier stand-point — Their char- acter as a body politic, etc 215 CHAPTER XXII. A Sunday in Brooklyn on my return from Europe — At the morning service of Plymouth Church — At the Tabernacle during the evening service of Dr. Talmage 227 Full list of passengers aboard the Russia, Novem- ber 18, 1874, bound for Liverpool .... 232 Full list of passengers per Mail Steamer Cuba, from Liverpool to New York, Dec. 19, 1874 . . .235 PREFACE. Being aware of the fact that many Americans of eminent literary and scientific attainments visit Europe for the purpose of adding to literature and science, whose productions teem with ob- servations and critical details on the places of antiquity, works of art, manners and customs of the people of England, Ireland, and France, the writer had not intended that any of his jottings or rambling notes should ever appear in book form. On returning from the Old World, as most Americans desire to do after an absence of a few months, a letter appeared in the Marshall County Republican giving a description of a mid- winter voyage from Liverpool to New York. The ocean leaf of the book of most travelers being blank, the letter referred to called forth some encomiums from our home county press, with a suggestion that the same be published in book form. It was after this that the author col- lected such notes, as he had penciled on the way •(15) l6 PREFACE. for the present little volume. And to show that because the ocean is rough, it by no means always happens that the passengers are gloomy — rather the reverse ; to furnish some information, per- haps, and amusement to the reader (particularly those'who may wish to make a similar trip), the request of a few personal friends, and to fill up the blank leaf on the ocean, form my only apology for 6ffering it for publication now. Author. Note. — in the preparation of this work for the press, we acknowledge our obligations to Mr. Milton Gunckel, of Dayton, Ohio. LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION. \J LETTER OF INTRODUCTION. United States Senate Chamber, ) Washington, June nth, 1874. \ Hon. Robert C. Schenck, U. S. Minister to Great Britain : Dear Sir : The bearer of this, John S. Bender, Esq., now of Plymouth, Indiana, is a respectable citizen and attorney-at-law, who contemplates visiting Europe this summer, taking London in his route. We will be thankful for any official attention you can give him. His visit, we understand, is one of pleasure and recreation, and not of business. Yours respectfully, D. D. Pratt, O. P. Morton. LETTER OF INTRODUCTION. South Bend, Ind., June i^tn, 1874. My Dear Mr. Bender : I congratulate you on the de- lightful and invigorating European tour before you, and wish for you favoring breezes and sunny skies as you cross the ocean. If I can ever get through the invitations to speak all over the country, and have a few months I can call my own, Mrs. C. and I will follow in your footsteps, that we, too. may have a. few glimpses of the Old World. If, in your sojournings and travels, you should find any official or citizen, who knows me, and who would value a letter of introduction from a private citizen, as I am now, and intend to be, please use this as such letter, commend- ing to their confidence and regard one whom I know to be so worthy. Very truly yours, Schuyler Colfax. John S. Bender, Esq. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS IN REGARD TO PASSPORTS. As furnished to me by the Department. Citizens of the United States visiting foreign countries are liable to serious inconvenience if unprovided with authentic proof of their national character. The best safeguard is a passport from this Department, certifying the bearer to be a citizen of the United States. Passports are issued only to citizens of the United States upon appli- cation supported by proof of citizenship. Citi- zenship is acquired by nativity, by naturalization, and by annexation of territory. An alien woman who marries a citizen of the United States there- by becomes a citizen. Minor children, resident in the United States, become citizens by the nat- uralization of their father. The oath of allegiance to the United States, as prescribed by law, will be required in all cases where a renewal is re- quired of a passport issued prior to the year 1861. (19) 20 INSTRUCTIONS IN REGARD TO PASSPORTS. In an application for the renewal of a passport the original need not be returned ; a reference to its date and number will be sufficient. When the applicant is a native citizen of the United States, he must transmit an affidavit of this fact, signed by him, stating his age and place of birth, and sworn to by himself, and one other citizen of the United States named therein, to whom he is personally known and to the best of whose knowledge and belief the declaration made by him is true. This affidavit must be attested by a Notary Public, under his signature and seal of office. When there is no notary in the place, the affidavit may be made before a Justice of the Peace, or other officer authorized to administer oaths, but if he has no seal his official act must be authenticated by a certificate of the Court. If the applicant be a naturalized citizen, his applica- tion for a passport must be accompanied by a certified copy of the record of naturalization (commonly called Certificate of Naturalization) from the Court in which the naturalization was granted, and he must state under oath that he is the identical person described in the certificate presented. The wife or widow of a naturalized citizen, INSTRUCTIONS IN REGARD TO PASSPORTS. 21 must transmit a certificate of the record of her husband's naturalization, stating under oath that she is such wife or widow. The children of a naturalized citizen must trans- mit a certificate of the record of the father's nat- uralization, stating under oath, that they are such children, and were minors at the time of such naturalization. The application should be accompanied by a description of the person, stating the following particulars, viz: Age, years ; stature, feet inches (English measure) ; forehead, ; eyes, ; nose, ; mouth, ; chin, ; hair, ; complexion, ; face, . When the applicant is to be accompanied by his wife, minor children, or servants, it will be sufficient to state the names and ages of such per- sons, and their relationship to the applicant. A woman's passport may also include her minor children and servants. The oath of allegiance to the United States, as prescribed by law, will be required in all cases. When husband, wife, minor children, and serv- ants, expect to travel together, a single passport for the whole will suffice. For any other per- 22 INSTRUCTIONS IN REGARD TO PASSPORTS. son in the party a separate passport will be required. A new passport will be expected to be taken out by every person, whenever he or she may leave the United States, and every passport must be renewed, either at this Department or at a Legation or Consulate abroad, within two years from its date. Certificates of citizenship or passports issued by State authorities, or by Judicial or Municipal functionaries of the United States, are not recog- nized by the officers of Foreign Governments ; and by the twenty-third section of the Act of Congress, approved on the 18th of August, 1856, it is made penal for such authorities and function- aries to issue such passports. In issuing passports to naturalized citizens, the Department will be guided by naturalization cer- tificates, and the signature to the application and oath of allegiance should conform in orthography to that in the naturalization paper. Military service does not of itself confer citi- zenship. A person of alien birth who has been honorably discharged from military service in the United States, but who has not been natural- ized, should not transmit his discharge paper in INSTRUCTIONS IN REGARD TO PASSPORTS. 23 application for a passport, but should apply to the proper Court for admission to citizenship, and transmit a certified copy of the record of such admission. A person abroad, but whose father was a native citizen of the United States, must state, under oath, that his father was born in the United States, and was a citizen thereof at the time of the appli- cant's birth. This affidavit must be supported by that of one other citizen acquainted with the facts. Passports may b'e issued by the Diplomatic representatives of the United States in foreign countries. The Minister is required to charge a fee of five dollars, lor each passport issued from his legation. No fee is charged for passports is- sued by the Secretary of State. To persons wishing to obtain passports for themselves, blank forms of application will be furnished by this Department on request ; stating whether the applicant be a native or naturalized citizen. Forms are not furnished, except as sam- ples, to those who make a business of procuring passports. Communications should be addressed to the Department of State, indorsed " Passport Bureau," 24 INSTRUCTIONS IN REGARD TO PASSPORTS. and each communication should give the Post- office address of the person to whom the answer is to be directed. Professional titles will not be inserted in pass- ports. Passports can not be issued to aliens who have only declared their intention to become citizens. FORM OF PASSPORT. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. To all to Whom These Presents Shall Come Greeting : /, the undersigned, Secretary of State of the United States of America, Description. mounds of America. Not satisfied, however, with this theory, on our return to Southampton I immediately pro- ceeded to the Hartley Library and called for a SALISBURY— STONEHENGE. 103 book that would give light on the subject. The very courteous gentleman in charge immediately produced a copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, from which I copied the following bit of history concerning this remarkable monument of antiq- uity : " The first account of the structure is in Geof- frey of Monmouth, who, in the reign of King Stephen, wrote the history of the Britons in Latin. He tells that it was erected by the coun- sel of Merlin, the British enchanter, at the com- mand of Ansetus Ambrosius, the last British king, in memory of four hundred and sixty Britons who were murdered by Hengist the Saxon. The next account is that of Polydon Virgil, who says that the Britons erected this as a sepulchral monument of Ansetus Ambrosius. But other writers in the twelfth century discredit all these accounts ; and it appears that even at that early time all knowledge of its origin and intention had passed away. Inigo Jones is of the opinion that it was a Roman temple, from a stone sixteen feet long and four feet broad, placed in an erect position to the eastward, altar fashion. Dr. Christian attributes it to the Danes, 104 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. who were two years masters of Wiltshire. Many other theories have since been propounded, and supported with more or less ingenuity and plausibility ; but in a matter so obscure, little more than a probable conjecture of the truth can be hoped for. It seems most likely that Stone- henge was erected by the ancient British for solemn religious rites, and from the art displayed in its construction, it could not have been much earlier than the time of the Roman conquest. In the vicinity of Stonehenge are the remains of what seems to have been an ancient race-course ; and as in early times the public games were generally connected with religious celebration, it is highly probable that this was in connection with the temple at Stonehenge." How those mammoth stones were brought there, and whence obtained, is still a mystery. On our return we passed through the village of the Avon, and had a full view of the house where Charles II. was secreted for some days after the battle of Worcester. The sight of this house sent our imagination back two hundred years. In the valley before reaching Salisbury we passed the village of Stratford. I thought at SALISBURY— STONEHENGE. 105 first I was at the birth-place of Shakespeare, but a little reflection showed me that it is another Stratford where the English bard was born. We returned to headquarters well pleased with our visit and observations of that day. 5* CHAPTER X. NETLEY ABBEY — CAMP CLAUSENTUM— VICTORIA HOSPITAL — WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL — ST. CROSS HOSPITAL. THRILLED with yesterday's observations, strengthened by a quiet night's rest and a good English breakfast, and feeling a little Quixotic, in company with Mr. Blundell I prepared for a siege of Netley Abbey, a place that I had never heard of before. This ancient monastery is situated about three and a half miles from Southampton, on an arm of the sea, and conceals within its walls many points of in- terest, which, if written, would fill a volume ; but I have not time nor opportunity to dig them out. Suffice it to say that the abbey was erected by some Cisterian monks who emigrated from France at the beginning of the thirteenth century. The inside of the building is 211 feet long by 50 feet wide. At the transepts, or wings, it is 160 feet wide, and from the ground to the summit of (106) NETLEY ABBEY — CLAUSENTUM. 107 the gable is 80 feet. Though nearly destroyed, it reveals some of the most perfect specimens of Norman architecture. Its vaulted rooms and subterranean passages, many of which are still to be seen, impressed us with the idea that it was constructed for defense against invasion as well as for a place of worship. One room, in a partial state of preservation, with its vaulted door, had something of the appearance of a prison, which, for want of better information, we concluded had been used to punish refractory monks. The old Roman camp, Clausentum, was not far from this, at which place there is a castle still remaining in a fine state of preservation, and oc- cupied by a family. From this castle a subter- ranean passage is supposed to have been con- structed to the abbey. Niches are yet apparent in the walls, which are supposed at some time in the world's history to have contained the busts of saints or other ancient worthies ; but now, like footprints of a human being in the solid rock, we can tell how those niches were made, and what made them, but do not know who once filled them. One thing we especially know : nowhere is the ruthless hands of the invaders more visible than on the old walls. The abbey I08 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. . was probably destroyed in the reign of Henry ■VIII. or during Cromwell's wars. The old ivy- covered walls and gables now standing, with the wildness of the surrounding landscape, and the profound stillness, convince the visitor at once that Netley Abbey ranks among the grand ruins in the world. The old winding stairway was closed, or we should have scaled the walls ; but when our guide told us that one or two years ago a young lady who had gone up, fell down and was killed, and that the avenue had been closed to prevent further accident, our regrets were changed to thanks. Every vestige of the stained glass has been removed, but there is still remaining a portion of the tesselated tiling which covered the floor, and which reveals an art that now seems lost to the world. By paying our guide a shilling, we were permitted each to take a small fragment of this tiling with us. We left the ruin with many regrets and fully believ- ing that it will pay any one visiting the south of England to take the journey to see Netley Abbey. While returning to Southampton we took a survey of the Royal Victoria Hospital, which was on our way, and about one mile from the VICTORIA HOSPITAL. IO9 abbey, and three and a half miles from Southh- ampton. This building is 1,420 feet, or over a quarter of a mile, in length ; the architecture is Italian, and was erected by her majesty, Queen Victoria, in 1856, immediately after the Crimean war. It is built of brick and stone at a cost of over £3,000,000. Three thousand sick soldiers are landed here every year; and it is the head- quarters of the medical staff of the army. At- tached to the hospital is a library, museum, and lunatic asylum. The ground on which it is situated contains two hundred and fifty acres beautifully ornamented and adorned with ever- greens, fruits, and other trees and shrubbery, together with monuments and statuary, which give the whole an attractive as well as half- melancholy appearance. It was this place that suggested to me that in England the great effort is to preserve antiquities and nature, and in America the strife is to supersede the beauties of natural scenery with the monotony of art. The museum of skulls and sections of the human body distorted by disease, if ghastly and revolt- ing to the finer feelings, certainly forms one of the most interesting, if not attractive features of this institution. 110 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. The quay at Southampton contains a small saluting battery of seven guns, in which we no- ticed one that, according to the inscription, had been presented to the citizens of Southampton by Henry VIII. It is a rude piece of mechan- ism ; but when we considered that it was here at the instance of that monarch, who lived over three hundred years ago, and created such com- motion as well as sorrow in the world, it became an object of great interest to me. On December 4th we visited Winchester Cathedral. This is located at Winchester, and is said to be the oldest of its class in the king- dom. It was built in the year a.d. 980. On en- tering this grand old structure, I was immedi- ately impressed with the idea that I ought to take off my hat, or rather cap ; but noticing that my English cousin did not take off his, I pre- sumed that was the rule, that we could enter the sepulchre without the usual formality attending a funeral. We were, however, soon met by a sanctimonious-looking man, whose appearance im- pressed us with the idea that he had just come from the tombs, or had been lately resurrected. He asked us politely and solemnly if we would take off our hats. I immediately put my hand WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL. Ill to my head — I was wearing- only a skull cap — and remembering then that I had seen during religious service in America churchmen of my age wear their skull caps during service, the first impulse was to resist the request as an in- dignity. A little reflection, however, prompted me to take off my cap, which I deliberately put in my coat pocket. My companion inquired the necessity of this formality — he could not see that this place was any better than any other. Our sacred-looking gentleman said that was true ; but that the rule of the sanctuary demanded it, and we must obey. Having now been posted in the rules, we followed our guide through the nave into the main chapel and to the altar, and were shown a beautiful painting executed by Benjamin West, of America. In the right and left of this chapel, elevated above the floor, are the remains of the following dignitaries: Ethel- wolf, father of Alfred the Great ; Hardicanute, and his father Canute, also William Rufus, son of William the Conque.or, who was so ruthlessly dealt with, lies here. Surrounded by effigies of these ancient worthies, something of the same feeling crept over me that usually affects modest men in the presence of dignitaries— I felt sleepy. 112 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. Leaving" our distinguished company, we were conducted to a small apartment which contains Queen Mary's chair and toilet table. We could not have resisted the temptation to take a seat immediately; but close examination revealed an almost invisible picket fence which rendered the chair entirely inaccessible to common humanity, so that we had to take our leave without this dis- tinguished honor, or even to get a chip of the chair to preserve as a memorial of our visit. Solemn reflection, however, convinced us that if every impudent American were allowed to do as he pleased with those old relics, which, like Lot's wife, have become almost sacred by time, they would soon lose their interest, if not become invisible to the naked eye. With many solemn reflections and regrets we now left the venerable building for a visit to St. Cross Hospital. This was erected by Henry De Blois, Bishop of Winchester, and brother of King Stephen, in the year 1136. The lodge-of St. Cross seems to be the most interesting feat- ure of the building, whither we were conducted by a youth of ninety summers. Here is a beau- tiful altar and tesselated pavement, for permis- sion to stand upon which, our guide told us, one ST. CRpSS HOSPITAL. 113 sympathetic gentleman visitor had paid ^"3,000, equal to $15,000. The bait was too big for us to bite at. The only relic that I remember seeing here was the table of King Stephen, which is of marble and elliptical in form. This we were not allowed to touch. Determined to have a relic, we could discover nothing but a small bit of common glass hanging loose in one of the win- dows, which we appropriated, and have carefully preserved. We now returned to Southampton. CHAPTER XL GOING TO ST. LUKE'S CHURCH — DESCRIPTION OF SAME — BLUNDELL FAMILY— WINCHESTER — ST. GILES' HILL. ON Sunday morning, December 6th, I arose after ten hours' sound sleep, feeling some- what dull. The cloudiness of the sky, and a steady rain, contributed nothing to my cheerful- ness — in fact, I had no cheerfulness to speak of. Under such circumstances a cheerful counte- nance is like sunshine to a drooping flower. I found a number of cheerful souls here; yet, like the rusty iron plate which absorbs the rays of the sun without reflecting any, I felt that I was drawing comfort from my surroundings, without the ability to return an equivalent. If any sensi- tive person wants to feel humble, let him place himself where he receives blessings and is with- out the power to reciprocate. Just such a pre- dicament was I in on that Sunday morning. In the midst of gloomy meditations joy often comes from a source from whence it is least expected, (114) ST. LUKE'S CHURCH. 115 Caroline Blundell, one of four sisters, whose early education and. careful training place them among the most attractive as well as courteous young ladies of south England, invited me to accompany her to church. It is not strange that under the circumstances I should feel embar- rassed ; but when I saw that the proposal was kindly intended, I gladly accepted it, and not even the rain or solemnity of the occasion had the effect to mar my happiness. I had a desire to attend one of the churches of England, and now the opportunity presented itself. The beautiful church of St. Luke was just across the street, for which we started. After gaining admission, we were conducted down the aisle, a distance which seemed to me to be about half a mile, to a front pew. Caroline and myself were put in the same pew. This increased my diffidence ; but when I looked around and saw the ladies and gentlemen sitting promiscuously all over the room, the embarrassment subsided. It occurred to me that the seating of the sexes promiscuously, even in a church, was much more natural than the custom of separating them which is in vogue in some of our American churches, where, although the husband and wife enter at I l6 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. the same door, they immediately separate, the man taking one and the woman the other side of the room. If they have a child, two years or so old, it may be permitted to trot back and forth from father to mother during the service, to the great annoyance of the minister and his audi- ence. Children running about the audience-room of an English church, during service, is unknown. It is my usual custom, when among strangers, to conform to their customs as near as can be with- out a sacrifice of principle, so I kneel, sit, or stand, according to the exigency of the case, and in imitation of others, but not being entirely unac- customed to the English form of worship, I con- cluded that it would be difficult to go through the programme without committing blunders ; so without meaning any irreverence or disre- spect, I kept my seat during the service. This attitude afforded a better opportunity for observa- tion. St. Luke's Church, like most churches in England, is long and narrow, and finished in a style which gives it a grand and solemn, rather than a cheerful appearance. The prayers and other parts were intoned by twenty-five or more boys, dressed in white surplices, assisted by the pastor ; and during the services the congregation BLUNDELL FAMILY. WJ preserved the utmost decorum. After prayers the Rev. Mr. Few delivered a sermon to an ap- preciative congregation, which occupied one-half hour. After this the congregation were dismissed/ and we returned to the house. On Monday and Tuesday, the 7th and 8th, continual rain and general inclemency of the weather prevented further observation, and I had to be content to remain indoors until Wednesday, the 9th. This morning my baggage was arranged with the view- to taking a final leave of Southampton ; but be- fore doing so, if pardon is granted, I would like to say a few words about the Blundell family. It consists of Joseph and Emma, the father and mother ; three sons, Joseph A., Frederick John, and Herbert ; and six daughters, the following four of whom were at home: Sarah E., Alice May, Caroline E., and Annie, the latter of whom will have been married to a gentleman in Liver- pool before this recital is in print. During my stay here, I had the opportunity of partaking of the hospitality of an aristocratic English host and hostess, without being compelled to endure the austerity and ceremony usually attending social distinctions. Punctual in business ; rigid, y^t riot bigoted, in morals; freedom in conversation, and Il8 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. showing much latitude in the direction of inno- cent mirth and amusement, the members of this family most happily impressed me — indeed, 1 do ,not remember ever having met a family with whom greater sunshine lingered. I consider it one of the fortunate events of my life to have partaken at the hospitable board of this family for six days. No other remuneration was coun- tenanced than our sincere thanks. The train being ready I started for Winchester, where I arrived in due season. This city con- tains only 15,000 inhabitants ; yet has a history as old and quite as interesting as London. Winches- ter must have been founded by some of the Celt- ic tribes, long before the Christian era ; but has no certain history until the Belgic invaders made it the capital of South Britain, about 200 years before Christ. After the departure of the Romans it became the chief city of England. In the year 519, A. D., when Cedric, the Saxon, was crowned here, it became the capital of the West Saxon Kingdom. The victorious descendants of Cedric made it the capital of all England, which it con- tinued to be until, perhaps, the twelfth century. It was here that Alfred the Great was crowned ; after which it became the seat of the chief courts WINCHESTER. II9 of the realm ; Emma, Hardicanute, and Edward the Confessor were crowned here. William the Conqueror spent Easter here, and his- son, Wil- liam Rufus, was buried at this place. At Win- chester, Henry II. got his wife, and Henry III. was born. Edward I., with Queen Eleanor, visited this place on their return from Palestine. Henry IV. came here with his bride, and Henry V. at this place received the last am- bassador from France. Henry VI. made fre- quent visits, and Henry VII. brought his queen here to give birth to the son who should revive the remembrance of Prince Arthur. Henry VIII. visited Winchester, in company with Charles V., and caused Prince Arthur's table to be painted anew. Good Queen Bess also made an excur- sion down here. The state trials and execu- tions which followed the supposed conspiracy of Walter Raleigh, made Winchester famous. Charles I. paid one visit in royal state, another while a prisoner, and to the honor of the old citi- zens their mournful welcome of the fallen king should be remembered. It is said that through- out the wars, Winchester, the old capital of En- gland, was as staunch for the king as the new was for his opponents. Charles II., under the 120 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. direction of Sir Christopher Wren, commenced the erection of a palace at this place, which was never completed. Here ended the con- nection of Winchester with royalty and English history. One of the old gates, and traces of the ancient wall, in a perfect state of preserva- tion, still remain, which serve to illustrate the plan of an ancient city. Passing through the gate and along the wall, we reach Durugate Mill, which stands near St. Giles' Hill. It first appears in his- tory as the place of execution of Waltheof,Earl of Northumberland, A. D. 1069. William the Con- queror granted to Bishop Walkin the right to hold a fair on this hill. The guide who led me up the terraced-like road, until we reached the sum- mit, informed me that we were now near the spot where Cardinal Wolsey had his residence. With our surroundings the reader will at once see that it is not surprising why an unsophisticated Ameri- can, visiting England, should take Winchester in his route. Friday, December nth, I returned by railway to London, obtaining on the way a distant view of Windsor Castle, the place where Queen Victoria sometimes resides. 1 regret not having had the time to obtain a better view of the same? On arriving at London, I proceeded immediately ST. -GILES' HILL. 121 to visit the most remarkable building in England, and perhaps the most renowned in the world — Westminster Abbey — an account of which ap- pears in the next chapter. 6 CHAPTER XII. BACK TO LONDON — WESTMINSTER ABBEY — WHAT ADDISON SAYS OF IT — GOLDSMITH'S OPINION OF IT — THE AUTHOR'S COMMENTS. IN my last I promised a description of West- minster Abbey ; but as the most profound literary men of modern ages have written of its associations, poets sung its praises, and orators of no ordinary power for the last eight centuries have gained the highest inspiration from their observation within these walls ; I may well ask myself the question: How dare I walk in the footsteps of these ancient worthies, much less undertake to describe what they were loth to do? Westminster Abbey was first erected by King Sebert on " Thorny Island," a spot overgrown with thorns, west of London, in A.D. 616; and from its locality on the river Thames as well as its direction from the city, it was called West Monastery, to distinguish it from St. Paul's, or what was then called East Monastery or East- (122) WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 1 23 minster. As the population increased so as to form two separate towns around these monas- teries, the names gradually became contracted to West and East minster, which ancient towns form two of the most interesting parts of London at the present time. There are few persons who visit London who do not go to see Westminster Abbey. Indeed its great antiquity, together with its associations with the distinguished names re- corded there, and the illustrious persons buried there, render it one of the most solemn and in- teresting monuments of ancient and modern times. It is the pride of England, and Great Britain claims it as the monument of her power. Its intimate connection with the history of the world for the last eight centuries, gives it a char- acter above all other institutions. I am not in- clined to give England all the right, title, and claim to this renowned building. It is true that Milton, Dryden, Shakespeare, Watts, and other distinguished poets who contributed so much to the celebrity of Poet's Corner, were Englishmen; but when we reflect that their works have been disseminated throughout the world, that their poetry is sung wherever Christianity is preached ; that the productions of Shakespeare are sought 124 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. by the civilized world, it will scarcely be con- ceded that England is entitled to an indefeasible right in all their glory. Westminster Abbey, with its memories and associations, is the pride of the world. The first church, erected by King Sebert, was afterward destroyed, and the next edifice was erected by Edward the Confessor, in A.D. 1055-1065. The Pyx house, no feet long, is all that now remains of this structure. Henry III., in 1220, built the principal part of the present existing abbey. The west front and its great window were the work of Richard III. and Henry VII., which completed the abbey, as it now stands, excepting the two western towers, which- were the ,work of Sir Christopher Wren. It will be seen from this, that the abbey is the growth of several hundred years ; in fact, of near- ly one thousand. So antiquated is this institution in many respects, that it almost appears to be a part of the works of creation. More than four centuries ago it was visited by men for the same inspiration that it is to-day. It was an old abbey then ; it is scarcely more to-day. It is true that in the last 300 years many new vaults have become the receptacles of illustrious dead; many new names in solemn epitaphs are inscribed upon its WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 1 25 walls, which add to its awe-inspiring power ; but its walls speak the same language now that they did then. Alexander, 500 years before the Chris- tian era, visited the ruins of Troy to gain heroic inspiration, it being an ancient ruin then ; so many of the immortals whose names are inscribed with- in the abbey, visited it centuries ago, and formed thoughts that gild the pages of history in letters of living light. Addison, than whom none is more graceful and true, as a literary genius as well as a Christian philosopher, in a.d. 171 i wrote: " When I am in a serious humor, I very often walk by myself in Westminster Abbey, where the gloominess of the place and the use to which it is applied, with the solemnity of the building, and the condition of the people who live in it, are apt to fill the mind with a kind of melancholy, or rather thoughtfulness that is not disagreeable. When I look upon the tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me ; when I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, every inordinate desire goes out; when I meet with the grief of parents on a tomb-stone, my heart melts with compassion ; when I see the tomb of the parents themselves, I consider the vanity of grieving for those whom we must quickly follow. 126 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. When I see kings lying- by those who deposed them ; when I consider rival wits placed side by side, or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little compe- titions, factions, and debates of mankind ; when I read the several dates of the tombs of some that died yesterday, and some 600 years ago, I consider that great day, when we shall all be co- temporaries, and make our appearance together." A few years later Goldsmith wrote : "I am just returned from Westminster Abbey, the place of sepulture for the philosophers, heroes, and kings of England. What a gloom the monu- mental inscriptions, and all the venerable remains of deceased merits, inspired ! Imagine a temple marked with the hand of antiquity, solemn as religious awe, adorned with all the magnificence of barbarous profusion, dim windows, fretted pil- lars, long colonnades, and dark ceilings. Think, then, what were my sensations at being intro- duced to such a scene ! I stood in the midst of the temple, and threw my eyes around the walls filled with statues, the inscriptions and monu- ments of the dead. Alas ! I said to myself, how does pride attend the puny child of dust even to WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 1 27 the grave! Even humble as I am, I possess more consequence in the present scene than the greatest hero of them all ! They have toiled for an hour to gain a transient immortality, and are at length retired to the grave, where they have no at- tendant but the worm, none to flatter but the epitaph." Joseph Addison is remembered in Poets' Corner with a full-length statue, holding a scroll. Books are strewed at his feet, and around the pedestal are the nine muses. Near this is a beautiful tribute to Goldsmith, in the shape of a medallion profile. There are a number of chapels ; one of the first is that of Henry VII. This contains ail that remains of Mary, Queen of Scots, Henry VII., Queen Elizabeth, Caroline, and many other kings, queens, and princes. The next chapel that interested me was that of Ed- ward the Confessor. This contains the sarcoph- agus of Edward the Confessor, who died a.d. 1065, and a whole line of English kings and queens down to Richard II. Having passed through the different apartments, taken a view of the chair in which the kings and queens are crowned, I made my exit, feeling strangely solemn after a few hours among the tombs of the 128 - NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. illustrious dead. Language affords no adequate means to give a more eloquent and glowing de- scription than has already beetr given by others who have gone before. I may, then, well pause and ask myself, what can I say that would con- tribute an atom of praise to this great monument of antiquity, where rival kings, statesmen, poets, and literary geniuses lie side by side, and be- headed monarchs are in close proximity to their now harmless but once merciless persecutors, all silent in death ? The abbey has been for ages, and is now, the " great magazine " in England for the preservation of the mortal part of her most illustrious, and it has become one of the chief pillars in literature. We deem it not an ex- aggeration to say that when the dust of the en- tombed dead that lie here shall have even per- ished ; yea ! when the sarcophagi shall have moldered to powder, and long after England's distinctive form of government shall have ceased to exist, Westminster Abbey and its associations will blaze on the pages of future history as it has glittered in the past. CHAPTER XIII. A PORTER FOUND — THE RIVER THAMES — TOWER OF LONDON— WHITE TOWER — ROYAL JEWELS, ETC. AS we departed from the door of Westmin- ster Abbey and turned our eyes to take a last lingering look upon its ancient walls and Gothic spires, and on the old stone steps worn by the tread of philosophers, statesmen, poets, kings, etc., for more than eight hundred years, many historical recollections were forced upon my mind which can never be erased. After a stroll through the abbey it is not strange that the in- quiry should be, " Where shall I go next ? " My watch told me it was just two o'clock p.m. (about breakfast-time in Chicago). I had no sooner reached the street from the abbey than a porter, who told me he had been born and raised in the city of London, and to add to his importance on this occasion, had been a newsboy, informed me that perhaps the next most interesting place to 6* (129) 130 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. an American would be the Tower. Having sympathy for newsboys, and knowing well that they could do what anybody "else could, I took him at his word. Placing a half-crown in his hand he immediately informed me that " tup- pence " would provide a conveyance to the nearest landing on the river Thames ; the Tower , being just three miles down the river from the abbey. Soon we were on board an omnibus; in five minutes more at the landing, and just in time to miss the first boat going in our direction. This gave me five minutes to view the Thames. The water has the appearance of that of the Mississippi ; its curreqt and width at this point are not very unlike East River, New York. The many historical incidents that rush into the memory from the time since the ancient Celt, Gaul, and Briton, with their small craft; the Romans, Greeks, and Phoenicians, with their boats, rowed up and down this river, and even since St. Paul made his first trip up to London, render it attractive, whatever may be its appear- ance. The docks are floating, and on them are erected substantial buildings wherein many peo- ple reside. The difference between low and high tide is eleven feet. One hour in the day 3 •THE TOWER OF LONDON. 131 we would suppose we were passing through a well built-up street ; at another hour in the day we find it floating low in the current of the river. The Thames is the noblest river in England, and is said to be the most useful in Europe, and the most important commercial river in the world. Perhaps if the one who said this had seen the Amazon of South America, he would not have made the remark. Tickets were purchased for " tup-pence " apiece (about equal to four cents), and myself and the porter were soon on board. In a few minutes the landing was announced, and a gen- eral rush made for the wharf ; I believe my porter was about the first on land, and soon wending his way through several narrow, crooked streets, at such a pace that it was difficult for me to keep my eye on him. After several minutes, putting his hand up, with an air of victorious assumption even greater than that of Columbus when he discovered America, or that of De Soto when he first saw the u Father of Waters," he exclaimed : " There is the Tower ! " 1 wish I had not forgotten his name, that he might go down to posterity as one of the most gallant leaders I ever saw. It would appear that the 132 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. city of London was but a small portion of his dominion, and that for further conquest he would have fully equaled Xerxes in his descent upon the three hundred brave Spartans at the Pass of Thermopylae. To the right of us and the south-west of the Tower was a brick building, I think, in which I was informed that a ticket of admission to the armory and jewel-house could be had for one shilling. Leaving the porter without the gates I hastened to the office to procure a pass that would enable me to see one of the most remark- able structures, when its bloody history is con- sidered, in the world. Behind the counter (I don't know what they call it here) stood a wise-looking man, called the chamberlain. I ad- dressed him, " Sir, I desire to visit the Tower." Said he : " The Tower is closed, and there will be no more visitors admitted to-day." Having' learned that the time for admitting visitors closed at four o'clock P.M., I inquired what time it was, and was informed that it just lacked thirty minutes till four, and as the time was near up and the day dark and foggy, and no lights allowed in the building, it would be en- tirely useless to go in, and so he refused to sell THE TOWER OF LONDON. 1 33 me a ticket. Becoming anxious, I insisted that I had come some distance, and did not expect another opportunity soon ; I remarked I must see the Tower at all hazards. During the con- troversy with the chamberlain several other strangers came in, also seeking for admission. This appeared to be in my favor; for the cham- berlain now informed me that if I would take my own risk (which I assured him I would do), he would let me go through. This was joyous news to me. At this moment a stalwart-looking man appeared, who, from the style of badges and his broad sword and buckler, I took to be a sort of executioner. Assuming a wonderful dignity and savage look, he remarked : w Gentlemen, I have killed more men than any other person in England ; I can take you through the Tower if you must go." After this expression from him, I was confirmed in my opinion ; but as I had to see the Tower, I resolved to go with the half- dozen others who had arrived for the same object. Following our new guide we were soon at Bloody Tower, which is the main entrance to the inner ward and White Tower. Now, again, I was doomed to disappointment. In place of one large building I found there were nineteen, six 134 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. of which are on the bank of the river in the outer ward, and twelve surrounding the inner ward, the White Tower forming the citadel in the cen- ter of the ward. The ground on which these ancient buildings are erected, is an eminence on the north bank of the river Thames. It is quad- rilateral in form, and has an area of thirteen acres. Surrounding this eminence is a large ditch, which can be filled with water from the river. Between this moat, or ditch, and the river, in the space called the outer ward, there are six towers, named Middle, Byward, St. Thomas, Cradle, Well, and Develin, each having a history of its own, and all erected during the reign of Henry III. about the years 1216-72. Surrounding the inner ward are twelve towers, named respectively, Bloody, Bell, Beauchamp, Devereaux, Flint, Boyer, Brick, Jewel, Constable, Broad Arrow, Salt, and Record ; and in the center of the inner ward is the White Tower. Of the towers of the outer ward, which is now immediately to our right, we will only notice St. Thomas. This forms the gateway from the river to the prison, and is called the Traitor's Gate, through which, we were told, when prison- ers were brought they never returned. We were now conducted through Bloody Tower, where it THE TOWER OF LONDON. 1 35 is said the two sons of Edward IV. were barba- rously murdered. The White Tower was erected in the days of William the Conqueror, by Gun- dolph Bishop, of Rochester. It measures 116 feet from north to south, ninety-six feet from east to west, and is ninety-two feet high, and is by far the most important building within the inclosure, and contains the Horse armory, and the armory room of Queen Elizabeth. Both rooms contain the most curious, as well as elegant specimens of coats of mail of different Oriental countries, with figures, some on foot and some equestrian, wear- ing suits- of armor from the time of Henry VI., 1422, to that of James II., 1685. Prominent among these is the effigy of Henry VIII. on horseback, with armor on, which was presented to him on his marriage to Catharine of Arragon, by the Emperor Maximilian. This would indi- cate one of the finest specimens of the ge?ius homo the world has ever produced, and I was told that this was a likeness of that cruel tyrant of history. Near by this effigy is the black axe and the block on which Anne Boleyn was de- capitated ; both fit relics of the deeds perpetrated in the age of this monarch. Our guide in structed us not to touch this precious furniture, I36 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. but, notwithstanding this caution, the temptation became irresistible, and I could not help lifting the axe and feeling the block, on the touch of which I imagined I could feel the crevice made by that ugly axe that placed Anne's head upon one side and her lifeless trunk upon the other. To the opposite of these relics is a heavy iron door. This was opened by the guide with a mammoth key, and our especial attention called to it as the dungeon in which Sir Walter Raleigh was incarcerated for eleven years. At the men- tion of Raleigh's name, the fatal block not yet being wiped from our mind, this thought "flashed : " What terrible newsrit must have been to Ra- leigh when it was announced that he must die. Here our guide said we must, of course, go into the dungeon, and no sooner had he spoken the words than I was inside, followed by the others. On entering this damp place the guide pulled the iron door shut, locked it, and bid us good- night. Not even a part of a ray of light was visible.. The two minutes we were shut in this dungeon rather altered my sentiments as above indicated, and I felt it must have been a grateful salutation to Raleigh on' awakening from his slumbers in such a dungeon, to hear that his life THE TOWER OF LONDON. 1 37 was about to be terminated. Quitting this, we passed into Queen Elizabeth's armory, which contains samples of the various implements of warfare used in her reign. At the end of this room is a figure representing Queen Elizabeth, mounted on a carved horse. In the west window we noticed a cross-bow used in the time of Wil- liam the Conqueror. From thence we were con- ducted to the jewel house, and, the door being opened, we were met by an elderly lady, whose business it was to receive visitors and to explain the jewels and answer any questions that might be put, if she could. She seemed to have com- mitted her piece well, but it was spoken so rap- idly that here is all we remember: " The jewels are so arranged behind a screen as to form a pyramid, the crown of the present queen form- ing the apex. This is of gold, beautifully set with diamonds, and cost $15,000,000. Another crown is that of St. Edward, and near it his staff of solid gold, four feet seven inches long, sur- mounted with an orb said to have been taken from the true cross of Christ. St. Edward's staff is carried before the king or queen on coronation day," and so on. The Tower was first erected for a fortification, and afterward as a prison ; but at present it is 138 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. •v used as a government store-house. The jewels were kept in Jewel Tower from time immemorial until 1842, when a new jewel house was com- pleted, where they have since been kept. There are no epitaphs or monuments erected to illus- trious dead, and, save a few rude inscriptions cut in rude letters by some unfortunate prisoners themselves, the walls are naked. If not held as sacred as Westminster Abbey, the Tower has also a history nearly as old. The former illu- minates and the latter darkens the pages of the world's history. From the gloomy walls of the Tower, rendered so interesting by its connection with history, and attractive by modern art, we took our departure, and passing through the barrack noticed a large cannon manufactured by the heathen Indian, which compared favorably with modern imple- ments in that line in civilized Europe. Reach- ing the street I found the porter waiting where I had left him. It was now dark and raining, and we had three miles to go. Following him through several narrow, winding streets, we came to a restaurant, where, as nature demanded some re- freshment, we entered, and after partaking of a hearty lunch, I requested the porter to take me to the Alhambra. CHAPTER XIV. THE ALHAMBRA — FRIGHTENED PORTER — WHAT WE SAW AT THE ALHAMBRA — WHAT WE ES- CAPED, ETC. THE porter, without assigning a reason, re- marked : " Don't go to the Alhambra, the Royal Halbert 'All (Albert Hall) is just com- pleted, and I think you will be best entertained at the Halbert 'All." As I did not care about the burlesque at the Alhambra, and was entirely ignorant of the char- acter of opera bouffe, I should have taken the porter at his word, but for the fact that a friend had specially requested me to visit this place, and for the further consideration, that T had never in all my life witnessed a ballet. This was the turn- ing point, and I resolved to see the Alhambra. Every attempt of the porter to weaken my de- termination proved in vain. Any move on his part to elude, only strengthened my resolution, and with that idea in view, our pace, which (139) 140 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. quickened as the night grew darker and the rain increased, took us to the Alhambra too soon for the performance. A caf6 near by, and, I pre- sumed, on the spot where Home Took's father kept a poultry yard, was sought as comfortable quarters to remain until the opening of the theater. I had no hand in the selection of a place, but had confidence in my guide ; and what he did on this occasion I regarded as proper, and, taking our seats, I imagined we had found the right place to rest our somewhat weary limbs. It is customary when you go into an eat- ing-house in Europe to buy something through courtesy to the proprietor, and obedience to this established rule, called for a pie, which we did not need more than a wagon needs five wheels. While sitting and trying to enjoy the extra lunch, I observed the porter becoming intensely nervous and frequently casting a glance toward a suspicious-looking individual who sat on the opposite side of the room. I was watching the porter, and the stranger also, but neither of them knew it. My guide apparently could stand it no longer, and jumping to his feet, after inquiring the time of the clock, whispered in my ear these words : " We are watched." THE ALHAMBRA. 141 Unconscious of having committed any crime*, and less conscious of danger, I could not avoid becoming indignant when I thought of the whispered words : hence, said I with emphasis : " How, and for what are we watched ? We have done nothing to be ashamed of, and need have no fears." He repeated : " We must go ! " He started and I followed him to the door, I wondering what mystery should soon be revealed. On reaching the middle of the street, I required an explanation of his very singular conduct, and what do you think the answer was ? " We are watched." My indignation now gave way to anger, and I said, * If you are a thief escaping justice that is not known to me ; if your self-condemnation makes the officers a terror to you I can not help that; for myself I am unconscious of having done anything to render me amenable to law, obnoxi- ous to the people, or afraid of the officers — please show me the Alhambra," which he did, and two tickets for the dress-circle were purchased at two shillings each, and we were soon seated within one of the most elegant music-halls with- in the great city. Architecturally, it is of the 142 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. • Moorish style, in imitation of the Alhambra of Granada. The audience-room will comfortably seat 6,000 persons, but only contained about 600 on our arrival. In a few minutes, however, the pleasure-seekers came rushing in, until within half an hour after our entrance there were fully 3,000 persons present. I think that many would have answered had their names been called when the curtain raised to disclose the first scene in the burlesque. I have forgotten the name of the play, but remember that the principal character in the performance was a dignitary from India, who was old, infirm, tattooed, and as drunk as Bacchus. Another prominent character was a beautiful English lady, who sadly neglected her excellent husband to do homage to the tattooed Indian, because he was a dignitary at home. I also noticed that brains and high culture were not shown to advantage, while quite a number of parties without either, and whose only merit was beauty of form, spared no pains to show their fine points. This was carried to such an .extent as to receive a severe rebuke from the London Times next morning. How unlike Amer- ica, thought I, where beauty and modesty so frequently go together, and brains and culture THE ALHAMBRA. I43 often drive both men and women to the front. I attribute this seeming inconsistency to the dis- tinguished bard whose remarkable tendency to shrink from the public gaze is stamped upon the English character. To say the least, there was considerable human nature in the play ; but I was so determined to see the ballet, that to me it had little attraction. There was a little episode in the entertainment worth telling, I think. A gentleman, or one whom we call such, well- dressed, about thirty-five years of age, had on an untarnished silk hat; he was rather good-looking, but from his awkward gait and slight swaggering manner, we took him to be a little intoxicated. In this I may have been mistaken. Well, he stepped down into the dress-circle, took a seat in close proximity to myself, and rendering him- self very familiar, struck me a light tap with his elbow, at the same time looking me in the face with a side glance, remarked : " They say the Alhambra is the greatest place in London." I answered " Yes," very quietly. He then at- tempted to enter into conversation with me, and it was with the greatest difficulty I could avoid being disagreeable, half believing that I was in juxtaposition with a grand scoundrel of some 144 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. sort. Yet I kept a close watch upon the actors while he was trying to point out the features of the building and the merits of the play. The sangfroid manner on my part was more than my porter on my left, could stand, and said he: " Let us go." Said I : " I propose to stay to see the ballet, if it will not render it too late." Said he : H You don't care anything about it ; it is only a dance by a lot of young ladies." " Well," said I, " wait till half-past nine o'clock, and if they do not then come to the ballet I will go with you." " All right," said he. At this point in the play the Indian prince came in drunk again, and the nobles, ladies, and princes paid their attentions to him. Indeed, a duke's wife had the audacity to hug and kiss this old black, drunken, tattooed Indian. I had really just be- gun to see the point in the play, when the stranger at my right pointed to the stage and leaned toward me to call my attention to some special attraction, when my porter became nerv- ous. In fact, this was more than he could stand. He jumped up and deliberately took his seat be- tween us and said : " You don't care about this play ; let us go." " But," said I, " we must see the ballet." I don't know whether the play stopped THE ALHAMBRA. 1 45 during the interim of five minutes, for I scarcely looked that way any more, but looking around I saw the eyes of the audience upon us. Having done nothing to merit such notice, I unconscious- ly, as it were, held my head up, and sat boldly erect. After a minute or so looking around to my right, I found that the stranger had sunk in his seat, then gathering himself up he stole out of the circle, the eyes of the audience upon him, until*he had disappeared in the crowd behind. The porter again insisted that I must go. Said he : " You are watched." Becoming impatient with his repeated solicitations, disgusted with the burlesque, and almost forgetting that in an hour more the ballet-dance would take place, I consented, and arm-in-arm we started, the porter continually looking to the right and left in great agitation, while I could not help but smile at the scene. Gaining the street the nervous porter said : " I would prefer not to walk home with you. Get a cab which will take you to the hotel for one shilling." Taking my seat in the cab, the gallant porter demanded another half-crown, which, after some hesitation, I paid. He now seemed to be happy, and I drove off to the hotel, and retired to my room, there to meditate 7 146 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. whether I had actually been beset with despera- does, or whether this was a trick of the porter to get double wages for his day's work. This I have not yet decided ; but I do know that I have just as much knowledge now of a ballet-dance as I had in the first year of my childhood. * CHAPTER XV. PALACE OF WESTMINSTER — HOUSE OF COMMONS — WESTMINSTER HALL— CRYSTAL PALACE — EGYP- TIAN COURT — LINCOLN'S INN. SATURDAY, December 12th.— Somewhat amused, but more disgusted, with the ex- perience of yesterday at the Alhambra, it will not appear strange that I should spend this day amid scenes of a different character. As " too great familiarity breeds contempt," so " gravity succeeds mirth," and "disgusting scenes impel to nobler acts." The homely maxims had more than usual force with me to-day. I concluded to visit the two Houses of Parliament — which, I learned, occupied a part of what is now called the New Palace of Westminster. The national council of the British Isles was not in session, both Houses having been pro- rogued until February, 1875. How I did wish her Majesty would call a special session for my benefit, that I might gratify my vanity "in behold- ing the chief dignitaries of the realm. I never (147) I48 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. could have had such exalted ideas, but for the fact that accident had brought me in contact with Mr. David Chad wick, the member of Par- liament from Manchester, whose " big heart " prompted him to say : M If you will call at my office, No. 66 Moorgate Street, when Parliament is in session, I will take pleasure in conducting you through both Houses, introducing you to the members thereof." I presume he had heard me say before this that it was not possible for me to remain until that time. I, at all events, declined this proffered honor, not forgetting, however, to thank him, and his equally generous colleague, Mr. Crossley, from Lancashire, for the condescension, and yielding the pleasure of wit- nessing the Assembly of Great Britain— not will- ingly, but on the principle that what can not be, ought not to be. I started on foot, and in less than an hour was passing to the right of the Peers' entrance, when my friendly, but somewhat excitable, porter, ap- peared and proffered his assistance to show me through. This offer \ failed to regard favorably, and entering the chamberlain's office, was handed a pass, and informed that I was now at liberty to view the Palace without paying for the luxury. THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER. 1 49 In a few minutes I was in the House of Com- mons, which is a room forty-five feet wide by seventy-five feet long, and forty-five feet high to the ceiling, with seats arranged to face the Speaker's chair, which is at the north end of the room, and bears England's coat-of-arms. I now looked for the woolsack, but found occupying its place the table so rudely handled by Cromwell. Passing from this into and through various apart- ments open to the public, a room was entered ninety feet in length, forty-five in height, which I regarded as gorgeous, if not perfect, in its pro- portions and decorations, but, perhaps, would not have known, had I not been told, that this was, without doubt, the finest specimen of Gothic architecture in Europe. The windows are all filled with stained glass, with figures rep- resenting the kings and queens, from William the Conqueror to William IV. At the south end of the room is the throne of Great Britain, which .was approached without the formality of bowing, kneeling, or taking off hats. The cen- tral portion of the throne is elevated three steps, and the sides two, and covered with a carpet of the richest velvet, the ground of which is a bright scarlet interwoven with roses and lions ISO NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. alternately. In the center is the queen's chair, which in outline is similar to that used for the cor- onation, but its ornaments and decorations will at once cause the observer to point this out as her Majesty's State chair. The one on the right hand of this is reserved for the Prince of Wales, and that on the left for the late Prince Consort ; the whole being covered by a gilded canopy with appropriate insignia, producing an effect for richness and grandeur beyond conception. The room is called the House of Lords. Leaving this, we were conducted to Westmin- ster Hall, the aula regis of history, the traditions of which were the chief cause of selecting this site for the new palace, and are scarcely less in- teresting, the abbey excepted, than any other ancient building in London. This hall was first built by William II., usually called William Rufus, in the year 1097, for a banqueting hall. In 1299 the hall was seriously injured by fire, but restored to its present beauty by Richard II., whose deposition was the first public act after its restoration. Its length is 290 feet ; width, 68 feet, and height, 90 feet. The roof which spans the hall, and has stood for five hundred years, is con- structed with great mechanical skill, and hardly THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER. 151 surpassed by any work of the present age. On New Year's day, 1236, Henry III. feasted six thousand people in this place. From the year 1224 to the present time, a period of nearly seven hundred years, the law courts of England have been held there, but are soon to be re- moved to some new buildings erected near Lincoln's Inn. Could these old walls talk, what a story they would tell ! In this hall Cromwell was installed Lord Protector, and a few years later, his own head was exposed on a pole. Here Sir Thomas More was condemned to die ; here the murderers of Charles I. sat in judgment upon that monarch, who but a short time before witnessed here the trial and sentence of his faithful friend, Stafford. These same walls witnessed the sentence of Warren Hastings, and the coronation feast of George IV. The last great lawsuit was the Tichborne trial, known throughout the world. How long this hall shall yet stand to register incidents and events, or how many deeds of atrocity it shall yet reveal, is not known to the writer. As sight-seers, like pleasure-hunters, are never satisfied, on leaving the ancient hall of West- minster, I followed the guide, who led the way 152 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. into St. Stephen's Hall ; that would have little interested me had I not been informed that this stood on the site of, and was of, the same dimen- sions as St. Stephen's Chapel, which had the fol- lowing history connected with it : " It was founded by King Stephen as the chapel of the Royal Palace somewhere in the eleventh or twelfth century ; was rebuilt by Ed- ward II. r A.D. 1330, in the rich architecture of that period, and is said to be cotemporary with St. Chappelle, of Paris, both having been built for the benefit of the royal families, and were at- tached to the palaces of the sovereigns. For several centuries this hall had been appropriated to the use of Parliament, but scarcely any of its original beauty survived the great fire of 1834." Underneath this hall I was conducted into St. Stephen's Crypt, which is eight hundred years old, retains its original beauty, and must have been built at or about the same time of St. Chappelle, of Paris. We came to this conclu- sion from the fact that they both look alike. Mr. Pettigrew, a distinguished antiquarian, dug out of a recess in one of these walls a body, which, upon examination, appeared to be as soft and natural as life ; yet, from the name and date en- LINCOLN S INN. 1 53 graved on the sarcophagus, it must have lain there for more than four hundred years. The body was identified as that of Stephen Lynd- wode, Bishop of St. David's, Keeper of the Privy Seal to Henry VI., and must have died about the year 1446, some thirty years before Columbus discovered America. I concluded that a great imposition had been practiced on Mr. Pettigrew, or that the English, like the Egyptians, once had an art of embalming now lost to the world. So positive was the English nation, however, that this was the body of the chancellor to Henry VI., that it was removed to the abbey " for a more decent burial " among the distinguished histo- rians, poets, and statesmen of the kingdom. If the incredulous reader will go to Westminster Abbey he will now find Stephen Lyndwode numbered among the illustrious dead buried there. From the crypt we started toward our hotel through Chancery Lane — and from the numerous solicitors' signs and law offices and gentlemen with wigs and togas observed in this lane, I felt assured that in a technical and legal (if not moral) sense. it was properly named. I had scarcely noted this fact- before my attention was called to Lin- 7* 154 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. coin's Inn, which, with its extensive square, gar- dens, halls, and temples, should be, to the legal fraternity at least, one of the most interesting places in London. But at this day a man among the multifarious robed and wigged barris- ters, would scarcely think of Sir William Black- stone, much less of the Inns of Court so famous and popular in the days of Sir Francis Bacon and his contemporaries. This inn was so-called by the Earl of Lincoln, who built a stately man- sion here in the latter part of the thirteenth cen- tury. Its chief interest, at the present day, may be attributed to its associations with legal lore, its beautiful gardens, and the Lincoln's Inn Fields, where were the residences of Lords Erskine, Kenyon, Sommers, Spenser, Mansfield, Thurlow, Sir Thomas More, Oliver Cromwell, and many other distinguished Englishmen. The most interesting of the Inns of Court is the Temple. This is so called from the Knights Templar who removed hither from Holborn in 1 174. These few observations completed our tour for this day, and we returned to a hotel. At the present day the Temple contains a royal library, and is used to qualify men for practicing before the various courts in the king- CRYSTAL PALACE. 1 55 dom. Members of the Temple have full author- ity to say who shall and who shall not practice law in Great Britain ; and whosoever is pro- hibited from membership in the Temple, is also disqualified as a barrister before the courts; and many men distinguished for their legal learning and force of character are made to feel the force of this power, of whom the late Mr. Kenealiy is, perhaps, the last illustrious example. December 13th being Sunday, 1 rested, as most Londoners do. The streets are as quiet as in Plymouth, Ind. There seems to be. nothing to break the monotony except an occasional tramp of an army of children passing to and from Sun- day-school. These children were well clad, and looked cheerful and intelligent. I think there is no place in the world where children are better cared for than in London, especially boys. On December 14th, a visit to the Crystal Palace was considered in order, and for that pur- pose my porter was on hand precisely at eight o'clock a.m., to show the way. Proceeding im- mediately to Victoria Station, we took the train, and in a few minutes were at the eighth wonder of the world. Presenting our tickets, which we had purchased beforehand at two shillings and 156 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. sixpence apiece, the gates were opened and we were shown down a long colonnade, which leads to the Egyptian Court, which contains the most perfect specimens of Egyptian architect- ure and art of the time of Rameses the Great, twelve hundred years before Christ, and until Ptolemy V., two hundred years B.C. Here are evidences that this ancient, but now almost ex- tinct, race had attained a high degree of civiliza- tion. The visitor will next be conducted through the Greek and Roman courts, where can be seen the most remarkable specimens of Grecian and Ro- man art. A room is allotted to the production of ancient and medieval periods of every coun- try, as well as of the isles of the ocean. The marine aquarium contains 130,000 gallons of sea water and a curious collection of various sea ani- mals. The industrial department reveals the finest specimens of art of every country and nation in the world. The numerous illustrations of extinct animals furnish a better study for the zoologist than the British Museum itself. In the various departments of this inclosure may be found groups of life-like statuary, representing families of different nationalities, savage and THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 1 57 civilized, with specimens of art surrounded by the natural scenery of the country. A family of Fiji Islanders, surrounded with the tropical plants and scenery of those islands, will at once convey the traveler thither without the necessity of a voyage. The group of Sandwich Islanders will conduct you to Honolulu in one minute. In fact, in three hours in this palace, an observer can visit China, Japan, the various countries of Asia and Africa, and obtain a fair knowledge of the different races. I speak from experience. One should not omit to notice the beautiful park, with its fountains and decorations, which surrounds the building. The innumerable specimens of nature and art here, and the palace itself, are so remarkable as alone to- be worth a visit to Europe. That the reader may have a faint idea of its size, I here give the statement of Mr. Shenton in his " Guide to the Palace : " " The whole length of the main building is 1,608 feet, and the wings 574 feet each, making a length of 2,756 feet, which, with the 720 feet in the colon- nade leading from the railway station to the wings, gives a total length of 3,476 feet, or nearly three- quarters of a mile of ground, covered with a transparent roof of glass. The total length of 158 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. columns employed in the construction of the main building and wings would extend, if laid in a straight line, a distance of 16% miles. The total weight of iron used in the main building and wings amounts to 9,641 tons and I7cwt. 1 quarter. The superficial quantity of glass used is 25 acres, and weighs 500 tons — if the panes were laid side by side, they would extend to a distance of 48 miles ; if end to end, to the almost incredible length of 242 miles." To-morrow we start for the Continent. CHAPTER XVI. ABOARD FOR PARIS— CHISELHURST — DOVER — EN- GLISH CHANNEL— CALAIS— AMIENS— PARIS. TUESDAY morning, December 15th, at precisely a quarter to eight, I was seated in the cars at Victoria Station, London, awaiting the sound of the whistle which was to notify all on board that in a few minutes the train would start for Dover, and likewise to inform those not on board that it is their duty to be there forth- with. It is not unusual at this critical moment to see some confusion among those who are a little late — have forgotten something, or have left their valuables, and are in doubt as to whether the railroad company will accommodate them by keeping the train and the rest of the passengers waiting until they perform that which ought to have been done an hour before ; but nothing of this kind was apparent here. The only incident (159) l6o NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. ■• occurring which contributed to the amusement of the lookers-on was a gentleman to my left in the car, and another outside, of different nation- alities, in a boisterous conversation. Neither •seemed to understand the other; but, from the expression of their countenances and movements of their limbs, both were evidently contending" for the same seat, the one claiming by right of occupancy and the other by right of purchase ; but just as the gentleman outside seemed about to procure an ejectment without first obtaining a writ, the guard settled the matter by informing the gentleman inside that he had been imposed upon, and that he could find a seat in another car which would be just as comfortable. This had the desired effect, and the one inside, with a smile on his countenance, immediately took his valise in hand and departed for another car, and the confidence man occupied the vacated seat. It is unnecessary to say that this was a mere trick on the part of the guard to settle a dispute between two parties who could not do it for themselves. The whistle now indicated that all was ready, and we were on the road to Dover, stopping a short time at Chiselhurst. There is nothing re- markable about the latter place other than the DOVER. l6l wild and picturesque appearance of the country surrounding", and the further fact, that when Paris became too hot for Napoleon III., this place became his temporary residence, and is now the residence of the Empress. Within three miles of Dover two tunnels are passed through, one being one and a quarter and the other one mile in length, reminding us somewhat of the tunnel through the Alleghany mountains, only that it is longer. On emerging from the sec- ond tunnel the traveler gets the first glimpse of Dover, rendered memorable by its being the place where Julius Caesar attempted to land his army on his first invasion of Great Britain. In modern times it is celebrated as being- the chief port of communication between England and the continent. Our time at this point was too short to permit a visit to the old castle, which is east of Dover, the erection of which was com- menced in the Roman age. The boat which was to take us across the English Channel was await- ing the train, and passengers and baggage were soon transferred, and all moving in the direction of Calais. I took my position on the deck, and entered into conversation with a gentleman who said he l62 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. was from Boston, had been traveling eighteen months at an expense of five thousand dollars, and had six months of sea-sickness. Having my- self made one trip around the lakes in America, and one voyage across the Atlantic, without be- ing more than introduced to this much-to-be- dreaded malady, I had gained confidence in my- self to reply that I thought the will had much to do with sea-sickness, and all that was needed to prevent it, in most cases, was a little resolution. Scarcely had these words escaped me when my new-made Boston acquaintance deliberately com- menced imitating a sick patient treated by a botanic physician to a heavy dose of lobelia. On looking around I saw most of the .passengers going through the same gestures. Fearing that I might give offense, and almost losing confidence in the philosophy I advanced, the subject was changed. It is strange, though not infrequent, that the strongest faith is sometimes shaken under peculiar circumstances. However, I en- tered the port at Calais, safe, without being doomed to the experience of most persons cross- ing the Straits. Here, for the first time in my life, I fully realized the fact of being in a foreign land. New manners, new customs, new people, CALAIS. 163 and, in fact, a new atmosphere opening up to view. On stepping ashore in France a man asked me, " What name ? " Supposing him to be a custom- house officer, I told him, and he laughed. No- ticing that he exercised some muscles of the face that people do in Indiana when they are pleased, it really pleased me, although I felt provoked afterward by my credulity. In a few minutes I was aboard a French car destined for Paris, and having now lost all trace of any one I had ever seen or heard of, I amused myself for a short time viewing the car, which I found to be very similar in construction to those in England, and very much like the American stage-coacli. The material used in the upholstering was of a quality to render it more comfortable than the public vehicles to which we Americans are ac- customed ; but, as in England, there are no stoves set in them for heating. It is customary to carry rugs and overcoats in winter traveling, of which two strangers in the same car, and my only com- panions, had an abundant supply. Cosily en- sconced, we were soon upon our journey — such a one as I have never had the pleasure of enjoying before. 164 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. I found one of my companions a cultured gentleman, and minister to China, and the other a leading military officer who was returning to his post at Malta, after a furlough of some days. Both companions vyere possessed of a rich fund of information, which they spread out to ad- vantage and to my entire satisfaction, until Amiens was announced by a voice which could not be mistaken for a Frenchman. Amiens is an ancient city, situated on the river Somme, seventy miles north of Paris, and is most noted for its great cathedral, commenced a.d. 1220, and completed in 1288, and which is said to be the most magnificent in Europe. It was at Amiens that Peter the Hermit was born in the year 1050. Here I learned that there was an opportunity to obtain refreshments, and, stepping out of the cars into an eating-house, called here a restaurateur, I obtained that which most resembled an apple fritter in America, but much more delicious and larger. I thought it the best lunch I had ever eaten. When the re- past was finished I made no inquiries, but draw- ing some English pennies from my pocket, the lady in charge remarked, " Dix centimes," equal to two sous, or two cents, for which she accepted PARIS. 165 an English penny. Astonished at the excellence and cheapness of the fare, I should have returned to my car satisfied that France was the best and cheapest place to live in the world, so far as I have seen the world, and should have returned home with the same notion, had it not been for the everlasting dread of horse meat. In less than two hours we reached Paris. It was then about 10 o'clock at night, and, as usual in passing from one country to another, we were run into the custom-house, where all our trunks had to be submitted to a careful scrutiny. Hav- ing passed the French role, a gate was opened, and I passed out. I knew it to be a gate from first meeting with resistance and afterward with a free exit. I could not have known it in any other way, for not a man was there now that could utter anything but the aspirated French language, my quondam companions having been passed out before. An omnibus was in waiting, which I stepped into. I could tell this from the voice of the drivers, for, 1 believe, that like the famous barn-fowl whose crowing is the same in India, China, and America, so the business voice is the same, whether it is in Chicago, New York, London, Paris, or Yokohama. Seated now, the at- l66 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. tendant at the back-door of the vehicle stepped forward and said : " Un franc." I said, " Grand Hotel." Finding the carriage would not move, I handed him a Napoleon, a gold coin equal to four dollars, which was the only French coin I had ; in a few minutes he returned with my change, re- taining one extra franc for his trouble, and I was then rapidly conveyed to the Grand Hotel, No. 12 Boulevard des Capucins, Paris. The car- riage, or omnibus, drives into the ground floor of the hotel, where you dismount, register, en- gage rooms, have baggage taken care of, step into an elevator and go to your apartment, and telegraph for what you Want. I telegraphed for supper, which was prepared at the grand cafe in twenty minutes. But the gorgeously furnished room had not the effect to erase from the mind the idea of horse-flesh, and I partook of a light supper, returned to my room, where I retired behind the silken curtains of a satin-covered bed. CHAPTER XVII. PARIS — MADELEINE— RUE DE RIVQLI — LOUVRE — PLACE DE LA CONCORDE — CHAMPS D* ELYSEES — ARC DE TRIOMPHE — TUILLERIES — NOTRE DAME. ON the following morning I arose much re- freshed, partook of an early breakfast, returned to my room, found a guide-book of the city and card with compliments of the proprietor of the Grand Hotel ; but on opening it found, to my chagrin, that it was written in the French language, and hence was at a loss to know pre- cisely what to do. Returning to the street floor of the hotel to get some information as to how one day could be expended in the city to the best advantage, I met a porter, known in Paris as a commissionaire, who could speak fluently the # English, French, and German languages, who informed me that he would show me around. Having now secured a guide, I informed him that the first place on my programme was the (167) 1 68 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. Madeleine. This grand structure is of Grecian architecture, and with its colonnade of fifty-two Corinthian columns and the entablature and ceil- ing richly adorned with elaborate sculpture, at once impresses the visitor with historical recol- lections of the temples of Theseus and Minerva at Athens. The entrance is reached by a flight of twenty-eight stone steps, extending the whole length of the facade. On entering this edifice, the eye of the stranger is bewildered with the richness of the wall, and the paintings. At each corner and in front of the altar, on a pedestal, there kneels an archangel in prayer. As we ap- proached this sacred shrine, and were near the archangel on the right, an aged devotee arose from his devotions ; his grave and dignified man- ner and whitened locks lent enchantment to the sacred altar. The Madeleine is not usually the first place visited by strangers, but as it was but a short distance from our hotel, the guide also suggested that as the starting point. Not satis- fied with the traditions of the Madeleine as re- ceived from my companion, I sought the Galig- nani Library, No. 224 Rue de Rivoli, where, from Galignani's " Paris Guide," a book which every one visiting Paris ought to buy I found > n o Jf > > > n THE MADELEINE. 1 69 that the Madeleine is, since the beginning of the thirteenth century, the fourth church erected on this site. The present magnificent structure was com- menced in 1764, by Constant d' Ivry, and con- tinued by Couture. The revolution of 1789 sus- pended the works until Napoleon I. directed Vig- non to complete it for a Temple of Glory. In 1845, Louis XVIII. restored it to its original de- sign, and decreed that it should contain monu- ments to Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, Louis XVII. and Mademoiselle Elizabeth. It was fin- ished under Louis Philippe by M. Huve. This edifice, the total cost of which amounted to 13,- 079,000 francs, stands on an elevated basement 138 by 328 feet. The impression \nade upon the visitor differs materially from that made upon entering St. Paul's at London. In the latter the hand of the great modern architect has well-nigh obscured the ancient Norman features, and in the former the ancient Greek, no doubt by them borrowed from Egypt, have been carefully preserved. This was Napoleon's great work in adding to the beauty of Paris, Napoleon sleeps the sleep of death, and is shorn of all power, but in this edifice much 170 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. of his glory remains. The Rue de Rivoli is a great artery extending from the Place de la Bas- tile, a distance of two miles, and, like Oxford Street in London, furnishes a guide to the stranger. On this is situated the Palace and Garden of the Tuilleries, Place Napoleon III., Place du Carousel, and Palais du Louvre, all memorable in history. This is a beautiful street, and aside from the real palaces, the hotels and business houses thereon are royally adorned. The Louvre contains the museum of Greek and Roman Antiquities, and collections from all parts of the world. In the collection of statuary, we noticed Powers' original Greek Slave, so world renowned. The museum did not quite equal the British ; but the gallery of paintings at the Louvre is not equaled elsewhere on earth. The room containing the paintings is called the Galerie d' Apollon and was appropriated to its present use in 1787. This is 184 feet in length, and 28 feet in width. Here is the grandest dis- play of paintings from the old masters known to man, many of the pictures having been purchased at fabulous prices. My guide informed me that one picture from Raphael Lanzio, 1483, cost $30,- 000. Here the glory of Italy shines through the THE LOUVRE. 1^1 canvases of Paolo Correggio, Guercino, Carracci, # Tintoretti, Sarto, Vinci, and Raphael, whose -skillful hands ceased to ply the pencil more than 300 years ago. Spain is honored by the work of Murillo; Belgium, through Van Dyk, Rubens, and Dow. Holbein, in his portrait of Erasmus, will be recognized by every German, and France is adorned by her own Poussin and Le Sceur. The fascinating effect produced by the display of artistic merit in this gallery can never be wholly erased from the mind. An occasional vacant place occurs among the paintings on the walls, and upon inquiring as to the cause, I was informed that these vacancies were once occupied by portraits of Napoleon III. which had been executed by eminent artists, and that the frenzy of the Commune would not per- mit a portrait of that unfortunate monarch to re- main visible anywhere. No words were too strong for my guide to use in expressing his con- demnation of the work of the Commune, or for his admiration of the fallen monarch. He en- deavored to impress upon me that the liberties of the French people were better protected un- der the rule of Napoleon III. than under the Government of Thiers. Verily, thought I, the 172 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. French must be a rash as well as peculiai people ; but as I looked upon the massive brows of a num- ber of leading men, whose very countenances sparkled with great genius, I could not but con- clude that if at this hour the Government was in a critical situation, it was not for want of ability, but rather because of the many conflicting ele- ments to be reconciled. The love of liberty is as plainly stamped upon the Frenchman's face as upon the American, and if he should ever lose it, it will not be for want of courage. The French are a brave people. After viewing the Louvre, and with the mind lingering upon the magnificent works of the artist, I reluctantly took my leave and proceeded to the Place de la Concorde via the Rue de Riv- oli. This beautiful square was once adorned with a statue in honor'of Louis XIV. ; but by order of the legislative Assembly in 1792, it was melted and molded into cannon and two-sou pieces ; a statue of liberty was made of plaster, and erected upon the pedestal, and in front a guillotine was es- tablished, and the square called Place deta R6vo- lution. In 1800 it was, by a decree of the Assem- bly, named Place de la Concorde, as now. Aside from the beautiful fountains which adorn this THE PLACE DE LA CONCORDE. 1 73 spot, memorable to every Frenchman as well as historical, here stands the Obelisk of Rameses III. of ifce 18th Egyptian dynasty; better known in history as the great Sesostris. This monolith is said to be seventy-two feet and three inches high, seven feet six inches square at its base, and five feet four inches square at its top. The Obe- lisk is formed of the finest red syenite, and cover- ed on each face with three lines of hieroglyphic inscriptions commemorative of Sesostris. That is what Galignani says. I find that it requires some credulity to get information, otherwise I might have regarded this as a Cardiff giant im- position. To the east and along the banks of the River Seine, is the Champs Elys6es, through which a beautiful avenue of the same name passes and extends to the Arc de Triomphe de V Etoile, which, though one mile distant, is plainly to be seen from this grand promenade. The Champs Elys6es is now the fashionable resort, and has been for the last century. Standing on the Avenue des Champs Elysees, surrounded with fountains adorned with water nymphs and dolphins, held by as many Tritons and Nereids, the column of Rameses to the left, the Triumphal Arch to the right, as you 174 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. glance with the eye you have in mind the long interval of 4,000 years, from Sesostris the Great, in whose time Egypt was in the zenim of her glory, to Napoleon I., who marched triumphantly into Paris, and was accorded the emperor's crown. What memories crowded the imagination ! What kingdoms, despotisms, and republics came before the mind. The moss-covered, weather- beaten pyramid of Sesostris, and the obelisk of Luxor now before us, are but fragments of that Egyptian civilization. Since that monolith was taken from the quarry and the 1,600 hieroglyphic characters were carved upon it by the skillful hand of the Egyptian engraver, Cadmus invented and carried the alphabet to Greece, and there a gov- ernment was established, which for poetry, states- manship, philosophy, architecture, and oratory, is unrivaled even at the present time. Yet that era of Grecian enlightenment was more than 2,000 years ago. The government of the Romans, which flourished for 1,400 years, and 1,800 years ago was mistress of the world, is only known in history. On the fragments of these have risen and fallen other nationalities, until the civilization of the eighteenth and nineteenth cen- turies has eclipsed them all. TRIUMPHAL ARCE OF L'ETOILE. THE CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE DAME. 1 75 The dynasty of Sesostris passed away thou- sands of years ago, and the great Napoleon lies powerless in death ; but in the obelisk the splen- dor of the former gleams, and in the Triumphal Arch the glory of the latter appears. With these pleasant reflections I returned along the quay of the Tuilleries and the Louvre to the Boulevard de Sebastopol. This gave me a fine view of the noble Seine, which has coursed its way through the city for nineteen centuries. I had also a fine view of the garden and palace of the Tuilleries. This palace is inscribed on almost every page of the history of the Revolution of 179 1. It con- tinued to be the Imperial residence until recently. It was set on fire by the Commune in May, 1871. Crossing the river to La Cite gave me the oppor- tunity of visiting the cathedral of Notre Dame. The precise date of this grandest of ail grand edifices of old Europe is unknown. There was evidently a temple erected here in the time of the Romans, or shortly after Julius Caesar visited the place. History records that on this site a church was erected to St. Stephen in the time of Valentine I., A.D. 365, and rebuilt by Childebert in 522. Robert, son of Hugh 176 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. Caput, about A.D. 1000, undertook its reconstruc- tion, and the first stone was laid by Pope Alex- ander III. The altar was consecrated in 1182, and in 1185 it was occupied for the first time as a church by Heraclius, a crusader, who preached in it. I have no doubt but that his was the dedi- catory service of the then New Mother Church r now a wonder of modern times. The west front was finished in 1223, and the southern transept in 1257. The northern transept was completed in 1312. The interior works of the choir were began in 1699, and completed in 17 14. The height is 135 feet; the length, 390 feet; the width at transept, 144 feet; height of vaulting, 102 feet, and the height of western towers, 204 feet. The ground plan is cruciform, and will contain an audience of 21,000 persona As St. Peter's, at Rome, may be regarded as the seat of ecclesiastical sovereignty of the Catholic Church, so may this grand old cathe- dral be regarded as the fountain of church litera- ture. In sight of, and upon the same island, is Hotel Dieu, the most ancient hospital in Paris, the foundation of which is attributed to St. Landry, Notre Dame (seen from the rear). as st. peter's at rome may be regarded as the seat of ecclesiastical sovereignty of the catholic church, so may this grand old cathedral be regarded as the fountain of church literature. THE HOTEL DE VILLE. 1 77 under Childeric II., in the year 660. To the west is the Palace of Justice. Here the visitor will be reminded somewhat of the Tower of London. It contains the place of holding the French courts, a prison, and a beautiful chapel. Passing out of the court, which was in session, the guide conducted me to the yard of the prison, which is a small, square and dingy-looking place surrounded with high iron pickets. When in- formed that in that pen Marie Antoinette was executed, we turned from the place and left the island, crossing the river at Pont du Change. To the right is seen the tower and blackened walls, the remains of the Hotel de Ville — the work of the Commune in 1871. The streets, avenues, ways, and alleys of Paris are straight, clean, beautiful, and indicate the greatest care in their preservation ; and very many of the buildings are artistically built, and stand majestically. Tired and weary I returned to the hotel, satis- fied that, aside from the monuments erected and historical points of interest noted, Paris is other- wise the most beautiful city on earth. I was now informed that the Cuba would leave her docks, at Liverpool, for New York in a few 8* 178 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. days, and I was compelled, reluctantly, to make my preparations to return to England in the cars which would leave the depot at 10 o'clock that night. CHAPTER XVIII. THE FRENCH PEOPLE — CHARACTER, ETC. IT would be presumption in me to attempt a dis- quisition on the manners, character, and cus- toms of the French people, considering the short time I had to make observations ; yet, having visited France, to return without a word of com- ment for or against the country, might be regard- ed as careless, to say the least. As it has always been a purpose with me to supply natural defi- ciencies, by observation, and make the most of a circumscribed situation, I may say that although but two days in the land of the Gauls, I was at- tentive to what came within the apprehension of my senses, and so may venture something about this historic people. Opposed to monarchy in all its forms, it was but natural for me to reckon them among those who would prefer to be ruled by a monarch than by a president. During the Franco-Prussian war it was but natural for an American to sympathize with Germany, believ- (179) l8o NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. ing the Germans to be more republican in spirit than the French. In 1871, from an American stand-point, I advocated the cause of William IV. against the Napoleonic government, because I believed the former to be more in accord with the spirit of this age. No impartial observer can even set foot on French soil, and mingle with the peo- ple for any time, and return feeling that they are lovers of despotic rule ; but the reverse. It is also a noticeable fact that whatever may be the spirit of the Germans there can be no question but that William IV. of Prussia, and Bismarck are monarchists to the fullest extent. That not a drop of republican blood courses in their veins, the sequel to the recent war with the French fully shows. It had also been a popular no- tion with me, that the Communists of France were a set of reckless plunderers, who lived upon the wreck of other men's fortunes. My mind was soon disabused of this notion. Napoleon III., inspired by the same design as his uncle, the great Napoleon, intended, and succeeded in, making Paris the grandest city on earth. To do this it was necessary to straighten and widen the streets and alleys of the great city, which could only be done by the appropriation of much pri- THE FRENCH PEOPLE— CHARACTER, ETC. l8l vate property to the public good. This arrayed the property-holders of Paris against the Napo- leonic government. Another idea of Napoleon was to beautify his country by encouraging the cultivation of forest trees. To this end not only were the public lands planted in timber and pro- tected from trespassers, but laws were enacted making.it penal for farmers to destroy their own timber. The result of this is apparent to the traveler in passing down from Calais to Paris. I remember a forest which contained 300 acres that will compare favorably with some of our wild American groves, whose timber is unequaled in the world. The isolated trees and small groves on farms were also protected. The agricultural class preferring the use of the lands for cultivation to the protection of the timber, and the property owners in the city demanding every foot of ground for other uses than its decoration, arrayed the property owners against Napoleon, and in this way a strong element of popular opposition to his government was created, which had its effect in the late war. The Communists were but the agents in the hands of the property-holder, who accomplished a great work of destruction. It was the property-holder against labor. It is 1 82 notes of Travel in Europe. but due to the fallen monarch to say that in the improvement of the city the interests of the labor- ing-men were consulted and held in view. Under the new Republic, I heard one cultured working- man say, that the liberties and personal interests of the poor had been better protected under Napoleon than Thiers ; that it was the aristocracy against the laboring people that caused the down- fall of Louis Napoleon. I am not able to say whether this is wholly correct or not ; but it has such a degree of plausibility, that I give it to the reader for what it is worth. The Frenchman fs not inquisitive, rather courteous and kind to strangers. At least, I will guarantee that every American who will visit that country, and behave himself as he ought, will be treated with all due civility. Should he not understand the language he need not be at a loss, as the city of Paris is much visited by Americans. The wealthy Parisians are inclined to luxury and gayety. The highly cultured and intelligent are dignified and reflective. Everywhere dress seems to be adapted to pro- fession, calling, or sphere. The middle classes as well as the high in rank live well, and from my observation none are teetotalers yet, appear to THE FRENCH PEOPLE — CHARACTER, ETC. 1 83 have such control over their appetites as not to run into excess. The educated and wealthy are aristocratic, yet entirely destitute of that demeanor which is so obnoxious to an American. They are good livers, and had I the time and money to spare, I do not know where I should rather go to live well than to Paris. I do not agree with many travelers that Paris is the wickedest city in the world. The majority of the people there may not be in the strict sense a very pious people ; but I think that the}' main- tain as good order here as in an)' city in the world. None who visit Paris need be annoyed in the least, if they do not step aside from the line of propriety. Whatever of evil there may be, it is certainly so circumscribed that no one need come in con- tact with it, unless he is himself inclined to vice. The agricultural classes are not so tasteful in the arrangement of their dwellings as the farmers in the older parts of the United States, but so far as I was able to ascertain, the domicile and out- buildings were commodious and comfortable. There is an entire absence of any attempt at vain 1 84 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. show ; the farms and dwellings are arranged with a view to the strictest economy. Were I to search for a type of Cincinnatus or Cicero, in this age, if I went out of the United States, I should as soon look among the Franks as in any other country. France is replete with mental food wh*ch would require an age to digest, and aside from her rich treasures, her grand history, and interesting peo- ple, the country presents one of the most beauti- ful in surface and contour in the world. CHAPTER XIX. HOMEWARD BOUND — PARIS TO CALAIS-— CROSSING THE CHANNEL — THE WRITER'S FIRST SEA- SICK- NESS — HOW THE PASSENGERS FELT ON ARRIVING AT DOVER — ABOARD THE WRONG TRAIN — CUS- TOM-HOUSE SCENE AT CHARING CROSS, LONDON — THE OFFICERS' COURTESY— UNDERGROUND RAILROAD — VICTORIA STATION — THE LOST TRUNK FOUND — LONDON TO LIVERPOOL— CUS- TOM-HOUSE OFFICER AT LIVERPOOL — TWO DAYS IN LIVERPOOL — GETTING READY TO START FOR NEW YORK. WEDNESDAY evening, December 16th, at eight o'clock, I arrived at the depot at Paris, delivered my trunk, took receipt therefor, and in a few minutes was aboard the cars — home- ward bound ! However depressing it may be to depart from scenes so interesting, the starting for home produced an exhilarating effect. That, at least, was my experience. A shrill whistle was the signal for leaving the depot, and soon I was again on the way. From Paris to Calais that night was a blank, except a short stop at Boulogne (185) 1 86 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. for lunch and to change foot warmers, which had now become somewhat chilled. Calais was reached at one o'clock a.m. The much-to-be- dreaded channel was to be crossed, and the ma- jority of the passengers deemed it to their inter- est and comfort to remain at this port until day- light. It being a rule with me while traveling, when once started not to stop on the way on ac- count of night or inclement weather, until my destination is reached, I concluded to try the channel at once. After leaving the cars, it was difficult to learn the way to the boat, which was lying half a mile out in the harbor, as there seemed to be no one who could understand a word of En- glish. Noticing a light which appeared some half a mile out in the extreme darkness, I took that for my guide, and in a short time was at the docks*; tracing my way along the docks, I reached a pier, which seemed to extend an indefinite length into U|e sea. Fearing that the boat would leave, I ran at a quickened pace until I lost sight of land. The harbor was to the left, the North Sea to the right, and the narrow pier under me. On reaching what I took to be the jumping- off place, the boat, which I was informed by an Englishman was to start for Dover in fifteen CROSSING THE CHANNEL. 1 87 minutes, was lying to my left. Getting aboard, I inquired of the steward if there was an oppor- tunity of getting a lunch, and was promptly in- formed J^jjiat there was ample, and that he pre- ferred that I should. This 1 thought, very kind in the steward, and seating myself at a table pre- pared for the occasion, was soon served with a cup of excellent coffee, some cold ham and bis- cuits, of which I partook in sufficient quantity to supply the wants of the most voracious wharf- man. Just as I had about disposed of the meal "the boat was leaving the harbor, a heavy gale from the North Sea blowing meanwhile upon her starboard. Soon the small craft was tossing in such a furious manner that I was reminded of an empty keg in a mill-pond during a hail-storm. The odor of the cabin not being agreeable, 1 as- cended to the hurricane deck, sat down, and clung to a stanchion at the edge of the boat with my face to the north. The wind had now reached its greatest force, and the fury of the sea was hid from mortal eye by the Egyptian darkness. 11 The night looked black, and boding darkness fell Precipitate and heavy o'er the world." The sensation can but be described by the hoisting and screwing of a propeller entering 1 88 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. the vortex of a maelstrom. At this moment the watchman came and ordered me to the cabin be- low. I disobeyed, and informed him that I would take my chance here rather thango to the cabin. Leaving me for a time, the watchman soon turned on his heel, and imperatively demanded that I should go to the cabin. Finding all further appeals in vain, I arose and sought the entrance to the stairway that led to the cabin. No sooner had I got the scent of the cabin again, than I thought my limbs were slightly paralyzed, and I began to think that this was a " put up " job by* the mariners to make me sea-sick. Descending, the steward approached me, and pointing to a sofa, told me that was for me. I remarked I did not need all of that, feeling strongly impressed that there was a determination upon the part of the oMcers to get me into the hands of the mon- ster. Reaching the sofa, I had no sooner sat down than the steward brought me a large white dish, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I needed nothing further to force me into that state when all danger ceases to be a terror. I was sea-sick; tongue nor pen can not describe the sensation of a sea-sick passenger. The drama ARRIVING AT DOVER. 1 89 of a promiscuously sea-sick company is both tragical and farcical' in the extreme. The de- sponding- demeanor, choked utterance, contor- tions, and writhings of a company of passengers from different nations, all packed in one room of a ferry-boat, would remind one of Pandemonium uncovered, the curtain lifted from Pluto's regions, and the eye beholding in reality the writhing and agonies of the condemned. The insane man may be amused and yet he can not laugh ; he may relate and feci the piercing of the most heart-rending sorrow, yet he can not shed a tear. While a man or woman can weep, sanity re- mains. The lunatic has gone beyond this point ; so with a sea-sick man or woman, many of the scenes may be amusing, yet the person afflicted can not smile ; he may be ever so willing and re- signed, yet can not die ; he may groan from agony, yet can not cry, and the dangers of the angry ocean are robbed of all their terrors. With a feeling of unconcern as to anything that might happen, I sank, after a quarter of an hour or so, into a sleep from which I did not awake until the steward announced Dover. Languid and irritable enough when awakened, I can not tell how I looked, but as I gazed upon I90 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. my fellow-passengers, they appeared as if they had all been let loose from the murky cell of a damp prison where they had been in lingering confinement without anything to eat for some days. The train was in waiting and we scrambled aboard for Charing Cross station, London, which place was reached about six o'clock a.m. And there we were again shut up within the custom- house inclosure, in the presence of an officer awaiting the call of the passengers to claim lug- gage. I waited until the last trunk and the last valise were carried away, but mine was nowhere to be seen. Then the following dialogue ensued between the superintendent of luggage and the writer : Writer. — I have been waiting patiently until all the luggage has been claimed and taken away, and I do not see my trunk here ; I have been careful and have some valuables in it that I prize highly, and I see, with all my care, it is gone. Officer. — Where did you get aboard ? Writer. — At Paris. Officer. — Your luggage is most likely to be at Victoria station. Writer. — Where is Victoria station ? Officer. — About six miles from here ; and the CUSTOM-HOUSE SCENE. 191 best thing you can do is to go down there at once before the office is closed, and you will, no doubt, find it there. Writer. — How do I know how to find Victoria station ? Officer. — Take the Underground Railroad. Writer. — How do you suppose I know where the Underground Railroad is? I, a stranger here in a strange land, shut up within an in- closure, not a soul here but you and I, in a dense and populated city, with no one* to direct me where to go — how do you think 1 can find Victoria Station or the trunk? I tell you, sir, I have a receipt for my trunk, which I obtained in the city of Paris. I shall pay no further atten- tion to it, but shall hold the company responsible for the loss. The custom-house officer was, I think, one of the most genial men I ever saw. I wish I knew his name, for I never meet with a kind and gener- ous official at depot, custom-house, or other place, who treats the traveler kindly, but what I feel like complimenting him and giving his name to the world as a benefactor. Said he : " I will show you where to find the Underground train, and shall also accompany you to Liverpool." I 192 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. got aboard the train, thankexl the officer, and he took* his leave. I never expected to see him again. Darting through a dark tunnel in a few minutes, and Victoria is announced. I think I was just ten seconds reaching the office to in- quire for the trunk, and found it all right. A lady approached me and inquired the cause of my excitement, and remarked very coolly, and without any apparent emotion, that she, too, had come from Dover, that her trunk had been sent to Charing Cross; and that she had been sent to Victoria. The fact was two trains were at Dover at the same time awaiting the arrival of the boat, one for Charing Cross and the other for Victoria sta- tion at London ; and in this way. the confusion arose. Having now obtained my luggage it be- came necessary to drive three miles to Euston station to reach the train for Liverpool. The weather being unusually stormy, no cabs were to be seen ; hence a porter became an absolute neces- sity. As soon as the name porter was mentioned no less than four were at my side. 1 immediately paid one a shilling to get a cab ; he never re- turned. I paid a second the same amount ; he failed to put in an appearance. The third received VICTORIA STATION. 1 93 the same fee, and he not returning soon enough, the fourth was hired with the understanding that he was to get no pay until he had found a cab. While he was on the cab hunt, the third man re- turned and stated that the roads were so icy the cabmen did not want to drive, and that it was doubtful whether I could get one. " But I must have one," I said. Three miles from station, icy roads, and an hour till train time. I began to get uneasy, when the fourth porter brought a horse, cab, and cabman, all of which looked like octogena- rians. " Why," said I, M did you not bring me a better conveyance?" Said he, " You can not get any better to go out such a day as this." I entered, my trunk was put upon deck, the trap door was opened, and the driver demanded five shillings. To this I objected, being double the price. He said, " It is a bad day, and I can not go for less." " I would not give it," said I, " your horse don't look as if he^could reach the station, even if he started." 9 194 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. Said he, " If you pay my fee I will get you to the station if I kill the horse." I agreed, he started, and if the horse fell once he fell twenty times in going the three miles. I reached the station just in time, paid the man more than he asked, and am inclined to think the cabman never took another passenger to the sta- tion with that conveyance. I was doubtful that he would ever get away from the station. All aboard now for Liverpool! Nothing of note occurred on the way, but I had daylight to view the country. One incident may be mention- ed. A cultured Englishman, with an intelligent little daughter, got aboard at a way station. Just as they had seated themselves in the same car, I noticed a shilling-piece on the floor, which I picked up and called their attention to it. I did not know whether I had dropped it or not. The gentleman said he had not. The little girl said she had not lost it. The father says, " Daughter, look, examine your purse, you may have dropped it." After examining her porte-monnaie, she says, " Pa, it is not mine. I have all my money." Being the finder, and no claimant appearing, I be- came the owner of the shilling. It was not the mon- TWO DAYS IN LIVERPOOL. 1 95 ey that gratified me — it would have been a pleasure to me if either had claimed it ; it was the integrity and true nobility of the gentleman and sweet little girl. I could trust such persons to the ends of the earth. I w r as gratified to learn that there were hosts of such who never had been out of England. At four o'clock we reached Lime Street station, Liverpool, and on alighting from the train the first thing that arrested my attention was the London Custom-house officer, bringing my trunk, which he Son presented to me with a smile on his countenance, and I delivered to him my re- ceipt. I learned a lesson in this transaction which I shall never forget : If everything don't go just precisely as we want it, don't fret. I took up my quarters at the Northwestern Hotel, to remain over until Saturday, when the Cuba was to start. This afternoon, feeling tired, I rested. Friday I took a view of the city. Liv- erpool looks more like an American port than any other I have seen. Its population is not fa*r from 500,000, and it is, perhaps, the greatest ship- ping port in the world. The floating docks are a marvel. The fish-market is very interesting ; I think it is the largest of the kind I ever saw. Every- I96 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. thing in the fish department from a shrimp to a sole may be found here. The most noticeable feature is the cleanliness, many of the stalls being as neat as a parlor, and women while watching their goods, and waiting for customers, may be found there engaged in the neatest of embroidery. How unlike Billingsgate ! There are a few build- ings here as monuments of the old Normans. The most astonishing thing to me was the spec- tacle of a single draught-horse hitched to a dray and drawing a load, which I was informed weighed five tons. It was of the Norman stoc?, and one of the largest of that order of horses I ever saw. Why would it not be a good idea to ship some of them to America ? It is said that though these horses weigh nearly double a large Ameri- can horse, they eat but little more. If the same labor could be performed with one of those, that can be done with two of ours, it would be a great saving of expense. CHAPTER XX. FROM LIVERPOOL TO NEW YORK — GETTING ABOARD — THE CUBA — LIST OF PASSENGERS — IRISH COAST — CORK HARBOR — AN HOUR IN QUEENSTOWN, IRELAND — OUR LOG-BOOK — DUTCH ANECDOTE — THE AUTHOR'S ARREST — THE COURT ON BOARD AND ITS DECREE — CHRISTMAS ON BOARD — THE ARREST OF MR. BRAGG, THE I&ON MERCHANT, AND HIS CONVIC- TION — OUR SITUATION DECEMBER 26TH AND 27TH— ARREST, TRIAL, AND DEFENSE OF THE SCOTCH WIT— ACCIDENT TO MR. BLISS — NEW YORK. IT is no rare thing for the traveler and tourist, in these days, to keep a diary of observa- tions, incidents, and events, even if the trip do not extend beyond the limits of his own country. So common has diary-making become that the notes of the Shah of Persia, in his tour through Europe, have been translated into all the prin- cipal languages. One thing we have observed in most of these (197) I98 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. diaries: the ocean leaf is always blank. The trip across the ocean is usually regarded as a blank in the life of the traveler. I, too, have made a short diary of a flying visit to England and France, which, unlike that of the Shah and many other noted travelers, may never be translated into Arabic, French, or German, or even pub- lished in our own vernacular ; but whether it is or not, the blank must be filled. On the 19th of December, the writer, with valise and luggage, got aboard the steamship Cuba, bound for America. To an American who has been absent from his country for some time, the name of America has an endearing sound; and none but an American can feel the thrill produced on board a ship leaving a foreign port bound for the United States. At precisely two o'clock P.M. we left Liverpool, and soon were under full sail. The Cuba is 300 feet long ; con- tains four rows of state-rooms, two inside and two outside, well furnished. Her first cabin eat- ing saloon is elegantly finished and ventilated, and will accommodate 200 first-cabin passengers. Through the kindness of Mr. Tomlinson, the engineer, the writer, with others, was shown the machinery and hold, which I will not attempt to THE CUBA— LIST OF PASSENGERS. 1 99 describe ^Further than to say the engine is a miracle of power, and the hull of sufficient strength to float on any sea. It was our only foothold, at any rate, until we should reach the port of New York. Having confidence in the ship and the crew that was to run her, we walked into the saloon and found dinner awaiting whoever might be on board. At the table, a card with each passen- ger's name thereon, is pinned on the cloth to in- dicate the passenger's seat for the voyage. We soon found our seat, and near it a printed list of passengers names, which we picked up and read, as follows: Mrs. Annie Atkin, D. H. Bailey, American Consul at Hong-Kong ; N. and Geo. N. Bliss, of New York; Wm. Bragg, Esq., Sheffield, En- gland ; Mrs. Broadish, son, and maid, Mrs. Jessie Clayburn, B. Cohen, Esq., Chas. Cowen, G. M. Fairchild, Dn F. H. Foster, Thomas Geddes, Austin Gray, Mr. Geo. Hamilton, Chas. Heaton, A. G. Hopkins and lady, D. Mclnnes, J. Mun- son, J. P. Marquand, E. Nostrand, A. Openhyme, M. Phillips, James Pyle, lady, and child ; Thomas Rodman, lady, two children and nurse; David Ripley and lady, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Sgobel, J. 200 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. M. Streeton, G. Valois, and the wri&r, which adds up to 40, round numbers.* The next thing in order was dinner, and after that to cultivate an acquaintance. There being a calm on the Irish Sea — the wea- ther pleasant — the passengers enjoyed themselves in conversation and other innocent amusements until eleven o'clock p.m., when the steward an- nounced that it was near the time for retiring. On this boat the rule is to retire at half-past eleven and all the lights must be extinguished at twelve. Not that we were sleepy, but it was in obedience to the inexorable law, which, like that of the Medes and Persians, could not be repealed, that we hunted our state-room, got on our " little bed " and forced ourself into the arms of Morpheus, which stupid god refused to give us up, until the steward peremptorily demanded our release next morning. When the officers command, the gods must obey. Soon we had arranged our dress and toilet for breakfast, and took our seat where the card had been pinned on the day before, and disposed of a reasonable number of eggs and * A full list of passengers with their Post-office addresses may be found at the close of this book, post page . THE IRISH COAST — CORK HARBOR. 201 herring, together with something less than one pound of salmon*.* As water on board is unwhole- some, tea and coffee unpalatable, English ale be- came the chief drink. Seeing everybody else drinking ale, and as herring and salmon have a great affinity for fluids, we called for a bottle also, of which the steward seemed to have an in- exhaustible supply. Our education on this point was very defective, but as our physician recom- mends it as an invaluable auxiliary to an ocean traveler we set ourselves, to work and soon learned our lesson well. We are always tempted with anything that is said to promote health. After breakfast, it being a fine Sabbath morn- ing, we had nothing to do but view the coast of Ireland and its beautiful scenery. This created quite a demand for telescopes and opera-glasses, one of which no tourist should be without. At ten o'clock A.M. we turned into Cork Harbor — ran up the United States flag, and anchored a half mile from shore. Here a small steamer " hauled to " to receive the mail. Learning that this small craft would return, I, together with four others who could not resist the temptation, got aboard and ran over to Queenstown. On taking our leave, the captain required us to be back on 202 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. time, which we promised to do, and then were off, looking back occasionally to £ee whether the Cuba was still at anchor. In a few minutes we were on shore, met by a dozen or more rosy-cheek- ed girls, who greeted us with as many "God bless you's " and " Welcome to old Ireland ; " such greetings and salutations are very chea'p, and, in fact, they don't cost anything, neverthe- less, they enabled us to put on an air of dignity and self-reliance that would have been impossible under other circumstances. I wondered a. few minutes, why such cheap things that do the world so much good and yet are more valuable than gold, when distributed, were not more gen- erally dispensed. Elated with our reception, and remarking what a treat our fellow-passengers whom we had left behind were missing, we step- ped lightly but briskly up street for a stroll through the city, but were soon met by a dozen or more old and infirm ladies and gentle- men, each with some of the native or manufac- tured products of Ireland. These appealed to every sympathy, and pulled at every cord of our human nature, to induce us to buy. Softened before by the warm greeting of the girls, resist- ance to this attack became impossible — all we OUR LOG-BOOK — QUEENSTOWN. 20$ had to do was, through our gestures and smiles, to lessen the number and quantity of purchases, that we might have enough money to reach home. Some of our party obtained a bunch or pot of shamrock, an- Irish oak breast- pin or bracelet, and a pure Irish linen hand-worked handkerchief, and others a black-thorn cane, or shelalati, the small boat hauled to shore and we were taken aboard for the Cuba, minus from ten to twenty shillings apiece. Now there was wav- ing of hats and bidding " good*-bye. M Queenstown is a beautiful city of 12,000 inhab- itants, and Cork Harbor one of the finest natural harbors in the world. Arriving in time we got aboard, and with us something less than one hundred tons of mail, together with enough holly and mistletoe to decorate the boat on; Christmas Day ; soon we were again plowing the waves for New York. On the next morning, I commenced entries in my log-book, which run as follows : December 21, 1874. — This morning I awoke to find a rough sea, and that we have run 220 miles; some passengers absent from table. The day was spent in conversation and -speculation as to when we should arrive in New York, 204 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. Tuesday, 22d. — A rough sea ; nearly all sea- sick ; run 227 miles. Wednesday, 23d. — Sensitive stomach ; run 232 miles. This evening at tea, opposite myself, sat Mrs. Broadish, whose intelligence was only sur- passed by her many virtues; and to my left Mr. Gray, a young man of fine accomplishments, from London. To break the monotony, and for the entertainment of the company, she related a series of religious and other anecdotes and in- cidents, in so fine* a style as to elicit the undi- vided attention of the passengers, and contrib- uted much to their merriment as well as diges- tion. I told the following anecdote in my best style : Somewhere in Jasper County, Indiana, some years ago, there lived an honest and industrious German and wife, whose names were respectively Gotlieb and Katrina. During a protracted meet- ing in that locality, Gotlieb was observed to be rather sedate, even unto melancholy. Gotlieb could not account for this strange feeling that clung to him like an incubus, but continued daily to grow worse. Katrina, being of a religious turn, remarked : " Gotlieb, I will tell vou what is the matter with DUTCH ANECDOTE. 205 you ; you are under conviction of sin, and you must pray." Says Gotlieb : u I can not pray." But says Katrina : " You must." Gotlieb, feeling that he must perish under the weight, repaired to his barn, knelt down, and re- peated the child's prayer. Feeling better, he again repeated the prayer, and in the closing line he was happily converted. Being now happy, Gotlieb goes to class-meet- ing, and relates his experience : " Bruddern and Swesters : I yust dells you vot id ish ; some tays ago I vas feelin' so pad 1 yust dink I must tie. Katrina dell me I must bray ; but I dells her I could not. So Katrina dells me again I must. So I goesoud to de parn and gets down on my knees, and say — " ' Now I lay me doun to sleeb, I bray de Lord my zoul to keeb ; If I should die pefore I wake, I bray de I„ord my zoul to dake.' " When I gid ub I feels bedder. So I gets down and brays him over again, und ven I gets drough I shumps up and feel yust so habby ! I feel habby all the time ! I'm habby now ! I'm yust so full I can hardly speak. Hurrah for -Jesus Christ — God d — n the devil ! " 2©6 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. In relating the Dutchman's experience I had anticipated a laugh. The laugh did not come in. I sat for half an hour as silent as a mute, wonder- ing what I had done to meet with such a severe rebuke ; but shortly all was made plain. Mr. Heaton, called by those on board the Black Prince, came in, caught me by the arm, saying, " You are my prisoner," at the same time read- ing a warrant charging me with having used im- proper language in the presence of ladies. I im- mediately followed the sheriff to the smoking- room, which had been converted into a court- room for the occasion. D. H. Bailey, the consul at Hong Kong, was sitting as judge, with all the dignity of Chief-Justice Cockburn. Mr. Cowen occupied the clerk's stand ; E. Nostrand was jailor ; Mr. William Bragg prosecuted the case, and Messrs. Bliss, Gray, and Openhyme were witnesses for the State. I arose, addressed the Court, and asked per- mission to see the indictment, which was refused. I then moved the Court for a change of venue, which was also refused. The Court then, in a severe tone, said that- it was the rule of this Court that the prisoner could not further be per- mitted to speak only through counsel. I then TRIAL AND DEFENSE. . 207 asked time to employ and consult an attorney. The services of Thomas Rodman were engaged, to whom I am much indebted far an able defense. Everything being now ready for the trial, the prosecutor opened the case and introduced his witnesses, who all testified to the guilt of the de- fendant, and a case, of course, was made out. I then summoned Mrs. Broadish and Mrs. Clay- burn, who both testified that they had heard nothing improper. The prosecutor, in his cross-examination of Mrs. Broadish, asked her again if she had not heard the defendant use improper language in- ner hearing. She said^she had not, but that she had, that evening, heard the honorable prosecu- tor himself using language unbecoming. The scale was now turned. The Court, somewhat confounded, instructed the jury that the offense was a grave one, and ought to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The jury, however, notwithstanding the instructions of the Court, found a verdict of acquittal. Thursday, December 24th. — The steamer was decorated with holly and mistletoe for Christmas. Friday, 25th. — We awoke to find the Atlantic furious. Passing into the aft gangway, up-stairs, 208 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. I saw a lady passenger looking out on the angry waves. My entrance attracted her attention, and she looked at me and said : " Do you think we will ever get ashore ?" I remarked : " I hope so. This morning I saw a rainbow," and then repeated the old proverb : " A rainbow in the morning is a sailor's warning." I was immediately reproved, and requested not to prognosticate. At eleven o'clock prayers were read by the captain, which service the crew, officers, and passengers attended. It was a noble congrega- tion, and the dinner was such as kings, queens, and princes might delight in ; but Neptune held such a firm grasp on our stomachs, that but little room was left to store away the good things be- fore us ; at least I had not the inclination. After dinner, Mr. Bragg, who is an iron merchant, a manufacturer, a writer of " The History of Pipes," and, by the way, an inventor of a new style of meerschaum pipe, and who, it may be inferred, loves a good smoke, was arrested and brought before his honor, Mr. Bailey, on the following charges: ist. Abduction; 2d. Smoking bad tobacco ; 3d. For smoking a pipe of peculiar shape. Mr. Rodman, prosecutor. ARREST AND CONVICTION OF MR. BRAGG. 20O. The witnesses were all sworn by Neptune to tell no truth and nothing but untruth ; all of whom testified as to the guilt of the prisoner. The Court, in summing up the evidence, and in- structing the jury as to the law, said, among other things: "That it became his solemn duty in the state of uncertainty prevailin^in the gov- ernment of Cuba, to say, that a very grievous offense had been committed ; that the evidence all tended to confirm the guilt of the defendant. As to the law, I must instruct the jury that on page 242 of the Third Book of Blackstone's Com- mentaries, I find this language: ' You bet!' which means that the prisoner is guilty." . The Court further instructed the jury that if they found the prisoner guilty, they should assess a fine of not less than five, nor more than twenty, bottles of champagne on each count of the indict- ment. The jury found a verdict of guilty on each count in the indictment, and the Court ren- dered judgment accordingly. The Court further said, that as against the witnesses for testifying, the attorney who prosecuted, the jury who tried, the Court who listened", and the sheriff who exe- cuted the writ in this horrid conspiracy, a fine of five bottles of champagne each, should be as- 210 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. sessed. At midnight we felt weary, and yet were sleepless, and would have been glad to remain up with the company all night. Mr. Marquand, of Boston, who is always ready to quiet the fears of the nervous, and add to the cheer of the com- pany, kindly invited me to his large and com- modious ^ate-room, and in his company I ob- tained a quiet night's rest. Saturday, December 26th. — The storm in- creased. It appeared as if Neptune had opened all his batteries upon us ; but most of the passen- gers have now become used to it. Sunday evening, December 27th. — I am now sitting in the saloon of the Cuba) across the table is Mr. Phillips, from Mexico ; a little to my left, Mr. Bailey, and at my side, Mr. Marquand. The wind is blowing a fierce gale, the ship is rocking furiously. I am tired of wind, which has con- tinued to blow for three days. We are now 1,900 miles from Liverpool and 1,200 from New York; virtually, in mid-ocean* We have been rocked and shaken for the last six days, and now, amid the hideousness of an Atlantic storm, having had no opportunity of stepping on terra Jirma for a rest, I should almost despair were it not for the fact that the passengers are all friendly and cheer- ARREST AND TRIAL OF THE SCOTCH WIT. 211 ful, and our boat is seaworthy, and, we think, able to live amid the' distracted elements. Monday, December 28th. — Mr. Geddes, our Scotch wit, was arrested on a charge of falsely personating. The same officers were present, except that Mr. Rodman was judge ; Bailey, prosecutor, and the writer defended. There be-, ing no indictment on file, the defendant's counsel moved for the discharge of the prisoner. The Court held, that he had in the State of Uncertainty a right to try a man for crime without indictment ; that the defendant had no rights in this State that the Court was bound to respect. I then picked up a book, and read this law to the Court : " Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Uncertainty, in the Government of Cuba, that no man shall be put in jeopardy, or tried upon a criminal charge, without he be first indicted by the Grand Jury." The Court hesitating, the prosecutor arose and called the attention of the Court to the fact that the book from which I had read the law was a copy of Tristram Shandy, and ought not to govern the Court. Seeing the effect produced by the seriousness of the prosecuting attorney, I arose and said : " If your honor please, Tristram 212 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. Shandy is good law in this Court ; and I have never heard it disputed until the present time." We thought we saw a marked change in the countenance of the Court favorable to the pris- soner. Just at this moment our attention was called to the fact that the dummy engine had caught and nipped the end of Mr. Bliss' little finger off. The sight of blood caused Mr. Bliss to faint away, and he became the center of attrac- tion for the moment, and our trial was suspended. Tuesday, December 29th. — For some cause we omitted our entry. Wednesday, December 30th. — To-day the very elements seem to have burst forth, and in place of running 300 miles, as it. was expected, the log was made up at 180, and we were then in lat. 51 N., and long. 62 W. Yesterday we were to have been in New York, but the continued squalls and storms will prevent us reaching that point before Saturday, January 2d. It is now eight o'clock p.m., and the sea is mountain high, the spray fly- ing, the waves dashing on the deck of our ship ; but the wind is, we think, abating. No one who has never seen, or rather been on board of a ship in a tempest on the Atlantic, could have the most distant idea of the terrible character as well TEMPESTUOUS WEATHER. 213 as the grandeur of the scene. Language will fall very far short of describing it. " 'Tis pleasant by the cheerful hearths to hear Of tempests and the dangers of the deep, And pause at times and feel that we are safe ; Then listen to the perilous tale again, And with an eager and suspended soul, Woo terror to delight us ; but to hear The roaring of the raging elements, • To know all human skill, all human strength Avail not ; to look round and only see The mountain wave incumbent with the weight Of bursting waters o'er the reeling barks, O God ! this is indeed a dreadful thing." At this writing, we are 500 miles from New York — a strong head wind blowing against us. Everybody is cheerful on board, as they have got over their sea-sickness. Just at this moment, a heavy sea struck the vessel, and well-nigh cap- sized us. My journal was all scattered, and my- self mostly pitched on the table. One gentleman gathering himself up, somewhat frightened, said: " What do you think of that ? " I remarked, " that it was a ' pretty big jerk.' " Thursday, December 31st, we awoke at seven o'clock, to behold a heavy sea. During the night the striking of the waves against the side of the ship, made the report of a six-pound gun. The wind continued to blow all day. At this hour, 214 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. seven o'clock P.M., it is still blowing a heavy gale. The run to-day was 127 miles, hence we are 400 miles from New York ; and, unless we have more favorable weather, we shall not see New York before next Sunday, which will be four days be- yond the time fixed for arrival. The day, as usual, was put in by eating, drinking, conversing, and speculating on the probable time of reaching our destination. Part of the day I was sick and oc- cupied my state-room. Friday, January 1st, we had more favorable wind, and a pleasant day. Two ships and one steamer were passed, and at ten o'clock a.m. we met the pilot boat.* January 2d. — In the morning we were in quar- antine. Here the physician came aboard, but finding no pestilence, quietly retired. At twelve o'clock M. we were in the port of New York, or rather at the Cunard Docks, in Jersey City. There was a general farewell, and the passengers started for their several places of destination. Four passengers, to wit : Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Mclnnes, and an old gentleman, whose name is unknown, evidently had traveled before, and contributed much to the encourage- ment of the company in the Worst weather. CHAPTER XXI. THE ENGLISH PEOPLE — THEIR CHARACTERS, MAN- NERS, AND CUSTOMS, FROM A HOOSIER'S STAND- POINT — THEIR CHARACTER AS A BODY POLITIC, ETC. AMONG the middle classes the English are dignified, cultivated, and though not really discourteous, are rather stiff, with a leaning toward aristocratic pretension, and as a rule monarchical in opinion. It is the easiest thing in the world to be a monarchist, where birth, education, rank, distinction, personal interest, and ambition all tend in that direction. In fact, the current of social and political life runs in that groove, and it is the most natural thing in the world that the mass would be carried by the current. ""Custom forms us all, Our thoughts, our words, our most fixed belief Are consequences of our place of birth." It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that if some superior mental or political force undertook to direct things differently, that it would at once be viewed with suspicion and "meet with de- (215) 2l6 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. termined opposition. By following in the com- mon current, the English have become a stable and well-balanced people, apparently well satis- fied with the condition of things. In this gen- eral acquiescence in the administration of their affairs in their own way, subject only to Magna Charta and the will of their Queen, (who, like General Grant on his first presidential term, always desires her will to conform to that of her subjects), the people have acquired a distrust for every act and movement not in conformity with their notions; hence, by strangers, the English are accused of being overbearing in their char- acter. That which the Englishman regards as good common sense, will be mistaken sometimes by the traveler as pride. And this arrogant nat- ure, which may be pardoned at home, when as- sumed, as it is occasionally in our own country, where the laws, manners, and customs are molded to suit a republican form, only renders the indi- vidual liable to criticism, but intolerable in the judgment of the sensible. Among the masses of the well-to-do Englishmen, the tendency is to- ward ease, amusement, and mental and moral de- velopment ; or, in other words, physical, mental, or moral training. In all this there is a method THE ENGLISH PEOPLE. 217 or order which produces such a degree of har- mony that it might serve as a profitable example to those in other countries where less order pre- vails. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, and supper are the routine of meals in every well-regulated En- glish family, and it is gratifying to see with what grace, ease, dignity, and decorum all these are attended to. A healthy English man or woman loves to eat for the pleasure it gives them. And it being comfortable for them to masticate and digest, the process is often prolonged for an hour. The custom of such attention to meals is not only peculiarly English, but it has the most happifying results ; as the numerous corpulent and red-faced, healthy, cheerful, and intelligent English ladies and gentlemen will attest. When I found that I had gained twelve pounds in ten days, the reader will not be astonished when I tell him that I was pleased with the custom. • Nevertheless, the En- glish people are not such big eaters as one might infer from their being so often at table. All meals are handsomely served, but dinner is the English- man's feast ; and he enjoys it. It is not uncom- mon at meal-time to take porter or wine at the table, and while I would not recommend that part 21 8 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. of the programme to Americans, where it often leads to abuses, I am not prepared to denounce it as a custom in England, as I found few among the well-bred and highly cultured who indulged to excess. The rule is to eat and drink, to live and be comfortable, but not to excess or intoxi- cation. I found, however, some exceptions to this rule ; where the habit had grown into an in- firmity or disease. The safe way for Englishmen, of course, would be to practice total abstinence. The English dress, as a rule, for neatness and comfort, and not for mere display ; although among the nobility and officials on certain occa- sions this rule has its exceptions. It is the custom for official dignitaries to take a drive out express- ly for display, and then the most gorgeous and expensive regalia, paraphernalia, carriages, and livery, are admissible. The Mayor of the city of London, who is next in rank to the Queen, during his term of office, occasionally drives out in a carraige elaborately gilded, drawn by four white horses, richly capar- isoned, accompanied by four pages, and four grooms in uniform. This proceeding seems to the English all right, and very essential to main- tain the dignity of the high official. While I THE ENGLISH PEOPLE. 219 could fully recognize in the man the dignity of his position, this vain display, in my opinion, de- tracted from the importance of the position, on the principle that real merit can not be wholly ob- scured by a plain garb, nor want of it, supplied by gold tinsel. I recognized in the Mayor of the great metropolis, a man of profound ability, and this display did not tend to increase the estimate. The same may be said of other and higher dig- nitaries of the Realm ; but as I had not the pleas- ure of witnessing an ovation to the Queen or Premier, I omit further comment in this direc- tion. Kindness to strangers from abroad appears to be a virtue with the English. "View them near At home, where all their pride is placed, And there, their hospitable fires burn clear." This sentiment I can fully corroborate by per- sonal experience, never having found twenty days of greater pleasure in my life, than were spent in England. With all the tendency to haughtiness, the people pride themselves on their hospitality. They are punctual in business, on duty, and punc- tual at church ; but between amusement and duty I think duty must often yield to amusement, 220 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. as amusement is essential to the health and hap- piness of an Englishman. In the body politic wealth, rank, and official position rule ; and the necessary result is that the less favored are almost wholly dependent upon those whom they deem to be above them ; hence the masses reverence and flatter their superiors, and the latter, in return, can certainly afford to be courteous and kind at least from another point of view. As a nation, the English have reason to feel proud. There is no water upon which their ships have not sailed, nor is there a land where their feet have not trodden, as the trophies from the different countries will show. Go to Africa, and the Englishman is there. In Asia and Australia his Government has planted colonies. In every important island in the sea she has erected a training-post ; whether you go among the Turks, Tartars, or the Malays, you will find an English merchantman, or mis- sionary, and England has contributed most to make the greatness of the United States, her daughter; and, if the child, in the light of a higher civilization, should outstrip the mother, the parent ought not to be envious. If England has pressed her civilization to the THE ENGLISH PEOPLE. 221 remote corners of the earth, it is on account of her great naval and commercial energies. The influence of a country upon the world, if not wholly, is very considerably measured by its naval proportions. To have a small navy, or none at all, is to be almost devoid of national influence. Show me a country with an effective navy at any period of the world's history, and I will tell you with certainty what power that country exerted over the commerce, art, science, literature, and civilization of the .world. If the brilliant and valorous deeds of the Phoenicians illuminate the pages of ancient history, it was because they had control of the high seas. A few years later, when the glory of Solomon's government dazzled the eyes of princes and cap- tivated queens, the Hebrew ships controlled the waters ; and when the Greeks, Romans, Gauls, Scandinavians, Germans, and .French were each in their turn exerting the most powerful influence in the world, each had the naval supremacy. The rule is not changed in modern times. The naval superiority of Spain added to the world a new continent, but for which it might have been left to future generations, of a different national- ity, perhaps, to have ascertained that there was a 222 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. ' western continent. If Great Britain has carried her civilization to the remote corners of the earth, it is because for 400 years she has had an efficient navy. The glory of Spain began to diminish with the loss of the invincible Armada in 1558. Blot out the navy of Great Britain and she will be forced to take an inferior position in the scale of nations. At first brave and aggressive, the nation is now settling down into a life of luxury, a situa- tion always adverse to progress and civilization. " Oh, luxury, thou cursed by Heaven's decree, How ill exchanged are things like these for thee ! How do thy potions, with insidious joy, Diffuse their pleasures only to destroy ! Kingdoms by thee to sickly greatness grown, Boast of a florid vigor not their own ; At every draught more large they grow, A bloated mass of rank, unwieldy woe ; Till sapped their strength, and every part unsound, Down, down they sink, and spread a ruin round." Every nation which has prominently marked the pages of the world's past history had three degrees, to wit : Rise, Decline, and Fall. When she ceased to rise she began to decline. The Briton may say that Great Britain was never in so flourishing a condition as to-day. We will accord to him his view on this point, but answer THE ENGLISH PEOPLE. 223 that the glory and splendor of Egypt, Assyria, Media, Persia, Greece, and Rome were most marked on the eve of their downfall. It was the impoverished condition of things that gave to each courage to work out the glory of their own State. Pride and luxury robs nations of their greatness, as self-indulgence produces imbecility and premature decay on the individ- ual. The glory of Nimrod's government never shone so bright as immediately preceding its fall. The same may be said of all others, and why should not the same rule apply to modern gov- ernments? It is true that the light of the civil- ization of the nineteenth century carries with it a greater social equilibrium than the ages referred to, and the chances are not so favorable to the idea advanced. The forces required to destroy a civilized government to-day must be much greater than 4,000, or even 2,000 years ago, but the conditions favorable will bring the same re- sult. We must not forget that while culture has done much for the present age, human nature is the same to-day that it ever was, and if it be more difficult now to destroy a government or a city than five hundred years ago, the forces are so 224 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. much greater now that the work of destruction is almost as certain and much more calamitous. Physical power may for a time hold in subjec- tion the masses of mankind ; -but it is only for a time. It is only the moral element that will en- able any government to endure permanently ; and that moral element must exist outside of mere forms and ceremonies, and must be inher- ent. There must be a love of honor, justice, vir- tue, and righteousness for honor's, justice's, vir- tue's, and righteousness' sake. As the moral sen- timent is the only thing which can permanently perpetuate a nation, it is apparent that every na- tion has within itself the ability to be perpetual. 11 England never did (nor never shall) Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror But when it first did help to wound itself.'* Indeed, " England is safe, if true within itself." It matters not what a nation may arrogate to itself, if it reach a point in its history where it disdains to recognize the labor required to main- tain its honor and integrity, and adopts a policy of servility on the one hand and aristocracy on the other, it must succumb finally to the higher order of mind which never can be enslaved. As THE ENGLISH PEOPLE. 225 a nation, England seems full of prejudice and selfishness; the people always regarding their system as better than any other. It constantly aims to stamp their system upon other govern- ments as much as it is possible, especially its idea of money, in the elaboration of which the En- glish financier contrives to organize some plan to centralize and control the basis of what they call money to his own ultimate interest. There is no system that will tend to centralize wealth and absorb the profits of labor, and rob the producers of wealth so much as the convertible paper currency theory. If some of the tramps do break in from necessity and steal your prop- erty, they are no more dishonest than Jacob was in the plan he adopted to rob Laban of his stock. For Jacob and the tramp I have sympathy. The tramp must have something to eat; and Jacob had been cheated by his father-in-law out of four- teen years' labor, and perhaps this was God's way of letting him make up for his loss. In great in- dividuals there is genius, and, though it differs in each, it is that through which their influ- ence is most keenly felt by the community in which they live. Each civilized nation has its genius, and in England this genius crops out more prominently 226 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. through the judiciary than anywhere else. I do not intimate that there are no literary or scien- tific developments, etc. England has her brilliant lights in literature and science. She has her in- ventive geniuses, and wise legislators, and men of great executive ability, but through none does England make herself so powerfully felt upon surrounding nations as through her legal and judicial acumen. The English Parliament is a grand body, but shines most through the Irish element. If it were left to the English entirely to rule, it would be forced down into such regularity that it would become insipid. It is the Irish element that gives animation to Parliament. The warm, im- pulsive nature of the Irishman when he has the welfare of his own people and the rest of man- kind at heart, crops out in his oratory. Extinguish that fire, and the English Parliament would evi- dently become a very tame affair. I have intimated that the English nation has pressed her civilization to all quarters of the globe ; but must conclude, from observation, that where she has failed to receive from two to four- fold in return, she would immediately withdraw. Self-interest, the most powerful energy of all na- tions, is peculiarly energetic in the English nation. CHAPTER XXII. A SUNDAY IN BROOKLYN ON MY RETURN FROM EUROPE — AT THE MORNING SERVICE AT PLYM- OUTH CHURCH— AT THE TABERNACLE DUR- ING THE EVENING SERVICE OF DR. TALMAGE. BROOKLYN is the largest suburb of New York City, and is the place of residence of a very large portion of the business men of New York. It abounds in all parts with elegant man- sions, the abodes of the wealthy, who transact business on Manhattan Island during the day and return to domiciles here at night and on Sab- bath. The numerous facilities for crossing the East River, which separates Brooklyn and New York, indicate the importance of the two cities the one to the other. Brooklyn contains over 400,000 inhabitants i live, energetic, and highly intelligent people, most of whom are thoroughly church-going. Through the kindness of a friend I obtained admission to the gallery at the morning service of Plymouth Church. After the usual prelimi- (227) 228 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. naries by the choir, etc., the pastor appeared, still in the full vigor of manhood, and by the magnet- ism of his person, the dignity of his manner, the brilliancy of his rhetoric, and the beauty and sim- plicity of his style, held his congregation of 5,000 enchained until the benediction was pronounced. It was a rich and rare mental and moral feast to one raised on the frontier. In the evening, through the same friend, I like- wise secured a seat in Dr. Talmage's Tabernacle. The building is arranged in the form of an amphi- theater. The organ, one of the finest in America, is in the rear of the pulpit. Immediately under the canopy is a gas-light in the form of a beauti- ful star. A tabernacle song-book was handed to every person in the congregation, amounting to fully 5,000. Not accustomed to singing myself, of course this was accepted as an act of courtesy. Soon Mr. Arbuckle with his cornet appeared in front of the pastor and commenced a solo, which was followed by the thundering tones of the organ, and when the chorus was reached the whole con- gregation joined in the singing. The room be- came so filled with soul-inspiring music that I almost forgot my existence, and suddenly found myself joining in the flood of song. A SUNDAY IN BROOKLYN. 229 In the We^t some ministers find it difficult to get the congregation, or any part thereof, to join with the choir, that select body alone having to do the singing ; but if some such plan as that of Talmage were adopted, congregational singing would follow as a natural sequence. The pastor could not stop it, no more than he could that of a river running down a hill. Congregational sing- ing, under such circumstances, is just as natural as for a wheel to turn when the power is applied. I think the doctor understands the philosophy of utilizing forces, and bringing them to bear for moral purposes, as well, if not better than any man I ever saw. At the conclusion of the singing, Dr. Talmage delivered one of his short, terse, and forcible ser- mons, such as he is accustomed to preach, with telling effect ; at the conclusion of which the con- gregation dispersed to their several places of abode, not forgetting, however, to talk about the sermon on the way. On Thursday evening, January 7th, I left Jersey City on the Pennsylvania Railroad for my home in Plymouth, Indiana. Taking supper in Phila- delphia, Pa., I immediately after retired to my berth in the commodious sleeper, and fell into a 230 NOTES OF TRAVEL IN EUROPE. slumber which was neither disturbed by accident nor dreams until Altoona was announced next morning-, and twenty minutes allotted for break- fast. Dinner was had in Pittsburg, and the after- noon occupied in social conversation with some explanations as to my trip across the water. In the evening supper was announced at Crestline, and on leaving the car a passenger remarked : u Why, how cold it appears to be ; I think we must have had a sudden change ! " To me it did seem very cold, and upon inquir- ing, I found the mercury to be 21 below zero. This was forty degrees colder than I had experi- enced before. Supper ended, I was again on the cars for Plym- outh. The little nervous agitation produced by the pleasurable anticipation of reaching home in a few hours, banished all inclinations to sleep ; hence the remainder of the journey was mainly occupied in conversation until Plymouth was an- nounced, and, with satchel in hand, I soon reached my humble domicile, and rang the bell. A voice I recognized to be that of my wife, inquired : " Who's there?" And when informed that it was her husband who sought an entrance at that hour of the A SUNDAY IN BROOKLYN. 23 1 night, the door was optned, and I permitted to walk in. "Home at last," said I. There is no use talking, the poet understood himself when he wrote : " Home, home, sweet, sweet home, Be it ever so humble, There is no place like home." Having tired the reader with ftiis somewhat lengthy narration, and trusting that the perusal thereof will reward him for his pains, I bid him adieu ! Full List of Passengers Aboard the " Russia," No- vember i 8, 1874, Bound for Liverpool. Mr. Vincente L. Casares, Buenos Ayres. Mr. Tomas Torres, Mr. Carlos Casares, " Mr. Iwan R. Molina, - " Mrs. E. Haydock White, New York City. Miss Ada White, Miss Eva White, * " Mr. William Neely, Mr. A. Traver, " - Mr. H. Davidson, " « Mr. Thomas E. Hanson. Mr. H. Bankart, Mr. Et. Allaire, . Mr. P. H. Dunscombe, . Mr. H. G. Wheeler. Mr. Wm. Swale. Mr. and Mrs. G. St. Amant. Mr. Charles Johnston. Mr. E. Christ. Capt. P. Walker. Mr. A. S. Rosenbaum, • . New York City. Col. O. W. Peabody and wife, . " " Mrs. Chas. D. Hemans and maid. Mr. Charles C. Marsh. Mr. Emerson Rhodes. Miss Harding and maid. Mr. E. S. Baker. (232) Geneva, Switzerland. Liverpool, England. Glasgow, Scotland. PASSENGERS ABOARD THE " RUSSIA. 233 Maj. Arth. Blennerhasset Leech, Ireland. Mr. John J. Bagnall. Mr. T. B. Coddington. Mr. Marshall O. Roberts, . New York City. Rev. D. Mellor. Mr. Thomas Barnes. Mr. John Crossley, M.P., . . Sheffield, England. Mr. and Mrs. Justin P. Kellogg. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Wilkinson. Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Lawrence, two ) __ _, , _. children and maid, \ New York «** Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild, and Mas- ? New y ork Q ty# ter Fairchild, ) Mr. J. E. Raymond. Mr. and Mrs. V. B. Livingston. Mr. James T. Woodward. Miss Eliza C. Walker. Miss Bigelow. Mr. Wm. Scully. Mr. G. W. Turner. Mr. Charles Bloomfield. MR. JOHN S. BENDER, . Plymouth, Indiana. Mr. Kulakowski, ... St. Petersburg, Russia. Mr. Lewis H. Polak, . . London, England. Mr. R. Hardy. Mr. Isaac W. How. Mr. J. O. Bartholomew. Mrs. W. Heath, two children and maid. Mrs. Swan. Two Misses Potter, . . . Toronto, Canada. Mr. P. H. McGill. . . . Baltimore, Md. Mr. and Mrs. W. Wetmore Cry- der, two children, two infants, }- New York City. nurse, and maid-servants. 234 PASSENGERS ABOARD THE " RUSSIA." Mr. and Mrs. W. Walker. Mr. and Mrs. G. P. Clapp and man- servant. Mr. and Mrs. B. P. Kissam. Mr. David Chadwick, M.P., . London, England. Mr. George W. Egleston. Mr. and Mrs. T. P. L. Goddard. Mr. and Mrs. H. Nelson Slatter. Mr. and Mrs. Waterhouse. Rev. Dr. Hague. Mr. P. F. Rose. Mr. Alfred C. Harrison. Mr. Herbert M. Howe. Mr. Richard A. Potter. Mr. George Duncan. Miss Pauline Leveque. Mr. J. V. Carpenter. Mr. J. L. Townsend, Jr., . . New York City. Mr. Rheam. Mr. Sneath. Mrs. Shorey and child. Mr. Burr. Mr. E. Nostrand, . . . New York City. Mr. J. K. Collett. Mr. W. G. Gardner. Mrs. M. A. Richards, child & maid. Miss Hutchins. Mr. Robert Ferguson. Mr. R. C. Hooper. Mr. George Hopkins. Mr. W. J. McDelaney. Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Ballard. Mr. R. F. Gregory. Mr. Wm. Parker, , . Hobart, Indiana. Full List of Passengers Per Royal Mail Steamer "Cuba," from Liverpool to New York, December 19, 1874. Mrs. Anna Aitkin. Mr. D. H. Bailey, . MR. JOHN S. BENDER, Mr. N. Bliss, . Mr. George N. Bliss, Mr. Wm. Bragge, Mr. and Mrs. Broadish, Master Broad ish, and maid. Mrs. Jessie Clayburn, Mr. B. Cohen, . Mr. Charles Cowen, . Dr. F. H. Foster, Mr. Thomas Geddes, Mr. Austin Gray, Mr. Geo. Hamilton. Mr. Chas. Heaton, . Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Hopkins. Mr. D. Maclnnes. Mr. J. Morrison, Mr. J. P. Marquand, Mr. E. Nostrand, Mr. A. Openhym, Mr. M. Phillip, Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Pyle, and child. Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Rodman, two ) children and nurse, J Mr. and Mrs. David Riply, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Sgobel, Mr. J. M. Sheeten, . Mr. G. Valois, .... Cincinnati, Ohio. Plymouth, Indiana. New York. it Sheffield, England. New York. Islington, London. New York. Bergen Point, N. J. Chicago, 111. Marshall, Scotland. Fifth Ave. Hotel, N. Y. Stroudsburg, Pa. London, England. 55 Mt. Vernon, Boston. New York. City of Mexico. Brooklyn, N. Y. Newark, N. Y. Brooklyn, N. Y. San Francisco, Cal. Antwerp, Belgium. (235) RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT TO— #► 202 Main Library LOAN PERIOD 1 - HOME USE 2 3 — 4 5 5 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 1 -month loans may be renewed by calling 642-3405 6-month loans may be recharged by bringing books to Circulation Desk Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date < DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 1 ' V CO CO * < CN3 4 IT m 1— a: C-3 X o z > 3 / . n a no") / / - i i n oo • 5 1 i983 UNIVERSITY v. FORM NO. DD6, 60m, 12/80 BERKEL. YB 58076 w&»